Dancing amongst the clouds

It was another session of dream training link for Applebloom in my Equestria dreamscape. Having removed her signature red bow from her mane and having given it a thorough brushing, the little filly climbed into bed. She fluffed her pillow and then extinguished the oil lamp on the nightstand beside her bed. Pulling covers up around her she closed her eyes and began the process entering REM sleep.

     First she cleared her mind of the day events and concentrated solely on her breathing. She breathed in slowly, held it for a second, the just as slowly she’d exhaled. As she did this Applebloom imagined all the stresses of the day slowly flowing out of her. A couple minutes of this found her in a very peaceful state of mind. Now she began second stage of her immersion. As she inhaled she repeated in her mind.

     “I’m falling asleep, I’m beginning to dream.” When she exhaled “I wish ta see Princess Luna so we may continue my lessons.”

     She repeated this mantra over and over again and quickly descending into a state of restful slumber. After a couple of minutes of this her dream eyes open and she found herself standing on the front porch of Sweet Apple Acres where Luna usually met her at the start of her lessons. It was a beautiful spring evening, with long wispy cirrus clouds flowing across a star-filled sea of indigo blue.

     Applebloom closed her eyes and visualized her location pendant with Luna’s name on it. When the little filly opened her eyes again the pendant was around her neck. With a front hoof she lifted it up and stared at it. The needle was slowly sweeping as it tracked the approach of her teacher and good friend. A few seconds later the Princess of the Night came swooping down out of the nighttime sky and landed gracefully in front of her.

     Applebloom bowed to her. “Evening princess I’m a ready for my lessons.”

     Luna smiled and nodded her head. “And good evening to you to Little Bloom. Tonight I have special lesson and a treat that I think you’ll find really fun!”

     “What’s that?” Asked the butter cream yellow filly.

     “Close eyes and you’ll find out.” Said the Defender of Dreams. “Close your eyes and let me take you there.”

     Applebloom did as her instructor told her. She felt her location change. No longer could she feel the wooden planks of the porch beneath her hoofs. Instead she felt herself sink slightly into a cool, spongy like surface. The usual smells of the farmstead vanished and were replaced with a fresh, clean scent. Then Luna spoke again.

     “You may open your eyes now.”

     When Applebloom opened her eyes her first though was she standing in a vast field covered with very low ground fog. However as she got her bearings she realized that instead she was on top of a cloud. Below her were the valley and the surrounding lands. The little filly looked up at her mentor with amazement in her eyes. Luna looked down and smiled.

     “Tonight Little Bloom you’re going to learn how to fly in the dream realm!”

     “Really!” Exclaimed the little filly. “I’m going have wings like ya? Wow! Um, will I have to preen and take care of them in my sleep? Will they molt? Scootaloo says molting is awful? Will they be the same the color as my coat or will they be the color my mane?”

     “This verbal avalanche might have gone for hours had Luna not gently raised a front hoof and asked for silence from the little filly.

    “Will you have wings? Only if you desire them in your dreams.” Said the Princess of the Moon. “However you should remember that you are lucid dreaming so you can fly with or without them. It all depends on how you want to go about it. However I might recommend trying it without wings first since it would give one less thing to keep track of and you would not have to worry about all that molting or preening then.”

     “Okay.” Said the little filly. “So, um, how do I fly then?”

     Luna smiled. “Well you’re technically doing it already since all you are standing on is a cloud, but come with me and we’ll start practicing the basics.”

     Luna led Applebloom over to the edge of the cloud and then launched herself into the night sky. Making a long, slow, graceful circle she came back around and hovered level with the cloud about twenty feet from it edge. She smiled and looked at the little filly.

     “Now Little Bloom come to me. Just step off the cloud and walk toward me as if you were in a field around your farm.  Trust me you will not fall.”

     Applebloom looked at the ground several thousand feet below and stepped back hesitantly. Part of her knew she was dreaming but still the ground seemed so far away. The highest she’d ever been was on the Ferris wheel at Ponyville Fair. She looked up nervously at the princess.

    “What am I stepping off onto?” Asked the filly anxiously. “There is nothing under ya, what would I be walking on?”

     “You won’t be walking you’ll be flying.” Said the Luna confidently. “Remember you are dreaming and right now you are in my dream fabric. We are sharing a lucid dream I won’t let you fall.”

     “If that is true why do ya still flap yer wings?” Asked the Applebloom.

     Luna turned her head and looked at her large, beautiful flapping wings, then she looked back the butter cream yellow filly.

     “For myself it is habit since I have had wings for centuries but if I wanted to.”

     Luna closed eyes for a second and suddenly wings froze in the middle of a sweep. Yet the princess remained where she was in the indigo night sky. Slowly Luna opened her eyes, they were now glowing like moonlight reflected on still water.

     “You have nothing fear here Little Bloom. This is my realm and what I say is how it is. Now keeping looking into my eyes and walk toward me. Trust me.

     Slowly Applebloom extended her front hoof off the cloud and placed as if she was walking across the floor of her room. She felt it rest on something spongy but solid. Step by step the little filly walked off the cloud and toward her mentor. The sensation was like walking on a forest floor covered with heavy leaf litter. She continued walking until she stood by her mentor’s side. Luna nodded her head.

     “Good! Excellent!” Exclaimed Luna. “Now let’s take a little stroll.” Luna then slowly began moving away from the cloud. Applebloom followed all the while keeping her focus on her teacher. After a few minutes Luna started moving at a faster pace and the little filly had to start trotting to keep up. After about ten minutes the Princess brought the little filly back to the same cloud they had started on.

     Over the next hour of dreamtime Applebloom grew more, and more confident with this new form of travel. Soon she was galloping fast enough to keep up with Luna as the princess rocketed through the dream night sky. The little filly learned how to gain and lose altitude. She discovered how to dive and plunge through the sky and how to treat clouds like white, fluffy piles of leaves. She laughed and squealed with joy this was amazing! This was wonderful! Eventually though Luna had to call an end to her lesson.

    “Sorry Little Bloom but must call an end to our lesson for tonight, but please keep practicing in your own dream fabric the next time you fall asleep.”

     “Do ya have to go now?” Asked the little filly with a pouty face. “We were having so much fun tonight!”

     Luna strolled over and hugged the little filly. “Yes I am afraid this is all for tonight, but we’ll do this again next time, okay. Now I am going to detach you from my dream fabric and return you to your own. Rest well little one.”

    Applebloom suddenly reached out and hugged Luna. “I love ya princess.” Said the little filly softly. Luna stood stunned for a moment then she closed her eyes and nuzzled the littlest of the Apple Family.

     “And I love you to Little Bloom.” Whispered the princess.

To be continued.