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Dreamscape: Worlds Apart

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Chapter IV: Plans of Tomorrow

"And yet to home the heart doth call, Through obstacle shall conquer all."

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Whilst Luna was the undeniable authority over the domain of dreams in Equestria, what many ponies didn't seem to realise was that she wasn't the only alicorn who had mastered the art of dream-walking. Celestia, through the experience hard-won across a score of half-centuries as sole ruler over day and night, had been presented with ample reason and opportunity to pursue the skill. And pursue It she had, even if no pony in living memory seemed to be aware of it. Sure, she'd always preferred the subtle approach to most things. Partaking in the dreams of others had been no different, and over time she'd learned rather well to cover her tracks.

It had reached the point where it became all but second nature for her to delve and later retreat from a dreamscape without much conscious effort.

So when the lunar princess had failed to appear in order to perform her night time duties, Celestia had not only issued the guards with orders to begin searching, but also personally taken to the realm of dreams on the off-chance that her sister may have gone there first, and perhaps simply lost track of time.

For the longest while, or perhaps mere fleeting moments (one could never tell in a world of dreams), there had been nothing. And then, from nowhere, Luna had simply appeared.

For Luna, making the connection with her sister had proven astoundingly trivial. The Dreamscape that she and Graeme had sculpted held far more ambient magic than Earth had - such was the nature of the imagination - as Luna had suspected it would. It explained how Graeme had managed to call out to her in the first place. The only issue was that this dream world lacked any actual substance. Without the firmament to ground herself, the best Luna could do was use it as a conduit to help facilitate her own magic, rather than fuel it directly.

Still, it all helped.

With things made that much easier, even with her physical form trapped in a world of diminished magical potential, Luna was able to reach out across the void and seek out Equestria. The presence of her sister's magic had instantly drawn her attention, its potency and strength shining like a beacon in the darkness, directing Luna precisely where she needed to go.

Convincing Celestia to then visit the Dreamscape had been simpler still.

And so the two regal alicorn sisters and the human, Graeme, had found themselves discussing the nature of their predicament; most importantly, how to go about getting Luna home.

"Whilst We are able to project our essence across the void between realms," Luna explained carefully, "We lack the required access to the raw ambient magic that would transfer Our physical form back to Equestria."

Indeed, Luna was loathe to admit that without the aid of the dreamscape to channel her magic the membranes between realities would have pushed her current capabilities to their limits, or maybe even well beyond them, and contacting Celestia would've been utterly impossible. She silently thanked the fates for small fortunes.

But for Graeme there was one thing about the whole situation that didn't quite make sense, "Couldn't Celestia just open a portal or whatever for you from her end?"

Graeme had to admit that he didn't really have the first clue as to how Luna's dream-walking magic worked, and in his ignorance he was likely oversimplifying things to a fault. But as solutions went, surely the most straight-forward was the best way to go? After all, Luna had never had trouble moving between the Dreamscape and her home before.

Still, he had a feeling he was missing something... Something important. Or the princesses would've obviously tried that already.

"Such a portal would permit travel in one direction only." Celestia shook her head ruefully.

"It would?" Well, that seemingly put paid to that. But then, that begged the question... "Why?"

"Magic is not a static force. It flows, like water down a stream." Luna began to pace impatiently as she elucidated, "And like a stream, it will only flow downhill, due to its potential, unless it was otherwise forced."

Sometimes it was difficult to think up an apt analogy for the way magic worked. It was a unique force, and no one description fully encapsulated its nature. Scholars had been debating it back in Equestria since long before the regal sisters had come to power. Luna sometimes wondered if any pony would ever fully grasp it. But for the purposes of this explanation, the stream simile felt like the most fitting.

It didn't do it justice. But it did the job.

Still, the expression on Graeme's face betrayed his uncertainty, "I'm not sure that I'm fully grasping this..."

Luna paused for a moment, taking the time to think. Explain an unfathomably deep topic to an individual with practically zero base knowledge, in a way that they could understand and grasp, without descending into an ages-long lecture on the nature of, well, pretty much everything? Quite the challenge...

"Consider each reality as a reservoir of magic," she began, picking up the water metaphor and galloping with it, "and the boundaries between them as dams. The more magic a reality holds, the more "water" there is present in its reservoir."

"Okay," Graeme nodded, taking it all on board, "with you so far..."

"Equestria is full of magic, so imagine it as a full reservoir." Luna pointed at Graeme with a forehoof, "Earth has very little, so it would be almost empty. What would happen if you were to open a hole in the dam?"

Well, that much was obvious, "All the water from the full reservoir would flow through into the empty one."

"Indeed." Luna's smile was wry as she nodded slowly, "And with some force; a rate of flow that powerful would be extremely difficult to overcome."

That marked a bright dawn of revelation for Graeme. That one simple fact, magic flows "downstream", connected the final few dots and it all seemed so much clearer. It explained why Luna had ended up on Earth when the metaphorical bubble that was their manufactured dream world had popped; it explained why she'd not managed to return immediately.

It explained why his head hurt just thinking about all this stuff.

But the conclusion was inescapable, "That's what happened when I ruptured the Dreamscape..."

"We believe so." Luna concurred.

"Normally, a physical form acts as an anchor in any given reality." Celestia went on to explain, "But if the pull is strong enough, even the heaviest anchor can be pulled through." With a sideways step Celestia pushed up against her sister, giving her flank a playful nudge.

Luna stepped back, catching herself before Celestia's bump could knock her off balance, "Are you insinuating that We are fat?" She fumed indignantly, "Thine own plot is far more substantial than-!"

"So, what do we do about it?" Graeme interrupted, glancing between the alicorn sisters. Luna's mouth hung agape, though silent, as if she had more to add. Celestia's mirth-filled snickers gave form to her own amusement.

Luna's mouth slowly closed, a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head drawing a line under the whole thing. Letting her hind legs fold beneath her, she opted to sit down. The grass was cool but comfortable. Or maybe her backside was getting bigger?

She quickly chased that thought from her mind.

"What do you do when you want to pump water back upstream?" Luna fell back on topic, hoping Graeme would be able to fill in the blanks.

"Well..." it seemed so simple, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was actually a trick question, "You build a pipe and a pumping station, I guess?"

"Quite so." Luna nodded.

"This could require some work..." Celestia was serious again, all humour gone. She turned to Luna, a calculating look lighting up her eyes, as if she were weighing up several options at once, "Do you mind if I bring Twilight in on this one? This isn't something anypony has really tried before - it's all just theory."

Luna couldn't muster a single objection to the idea, "By all means. I trust her as you do."

"Wait." Graeme held up a hand, scratching the back of his head with the other, "So what are we planning, precisely?" The metaphors all made perfect sense. The part he was struggling with now was converting them back into a practical application. He couldn't even fully visualise it, and he needed to clarify, "Do you mean we're basically creating a pipe - a tunnel - between our worlds?"

"Effectively, yes." Luna confirmed, "With an adequate portal at either end acting as a form of safety valve to control the flow of magic, traversing the tunnel ought to be mere foals-play."

Graeme thought about that for a moment. The implications of it were almost unfathomable. A direct link between Earth and Equestria? Was it possible that he'd be able to actually see Luna, in the flesh, on a regular basis? Dozens of questions and concerns began to form in his mind. But one seemed to leap out at him above the rest.

"Will it be permanent?"

"Technically, it won't exist at all." Celestia offered mysteriously. The slight smirk on her lips begat an air of teasing mischief, however, and Graeme struggled to take her seriously.

"Now you're just being difficult." Graeme rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Luna struggled to contain a titter, but carried on regardless, addressing Graeme's question for him, "Provided an individual who wishes to traverse the tunnel has the skill and discipline to make the trip, they ought to be able to do so indefinitely, at will."

"So what you're both saying is, I could see you," he looked to Luna, "any time I wanted? Not just in the Dreamscape."

Luna considered for a moment, as if the thought hadn't yet dawned on her, "We suppose we are."

"Alright!" Graeme clasped his hands together eagerly, enthusiasm bubbling over, "Let's build this anchor!"

Celestia turned slowly and deliberately to look toward Luna's flank. Luna scowled. Graeme, for his part, remained completely oblivious to the nature of Celestia's joke.

Or at least, for diplomacy's sake, he pretended to...

"So what do we need?"

The two princesses looked to one another in silent conference, as if sharing a moment of thought.

"Organic materials channel magic better than any known mineral." Celestia explained, turning back to Graeme, "Wood is commonly used in Equestria, so it ought to suffice in your world."

"Oak would be best." Luna added, "The older the better. Ideally, matured across the span of centuries."

Oak that was centuries old? Good gods, that was starting to sound expensive... Graeme found himself beginning to wonder if such things were easy to come by in Equestria. He couldn't think of too many ways to find it on Earth.

"Right... So, a trip to an antiques fair in the not too distant future." Nothing else really came to mind. Well, except perhaps the local market. He'd have to do a little research, "What else?"

"A focal point. Mirrors work best, but any lensing material ought to suffice."

"I'm sure we can find something." Presumably this "focal point" would have to be big enough to step through. That could be a fair bit of glass. Or perhaps a large, free-standing mirror? "I guess a trip to the market is in order?"

Luna's eyes seemed to brighten as a smile crossed her lips. She looked like a child who'd just been given free access to all the sugary sweets, "It will also provide ample opportunity for me to sample your world."

"Alright." Graeme couldn't really refuse her. Still, one or two uncertainties and doubts lingered. He didn't mean to be pessimistic, but the cautious side to his nature always seemed to have something to say, "But expect the unexpected."

He couldn't help but wonder if the person who thought up that particular axiom had ever spent any time around an eager pony princess.

Probably not...

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Chapter IV: Plans of Tomorrow