“Are you nervous, Cassiopeia?”

Gazing up at his mother, the prince nodded slowly as he tried his best to gather his thoughts before speaking. Princess Luna stared down at him patiently, understanding his concerns.

“I know we’ve gone over the steps time and time again… but actually doing it for the first time is something completely different. Do you really think I’m ready, Mother? To enter the dreamspace?”

“I am sure you’re ready, little one. You’ve prepared well to take up one of my responsibilities as Ruler of the Night. I have no doubt that you’ll do great tonight and I will be right here the whole time if you do need me.” Luna gave Cass a small, comforting smile while his feathers ruffled, only slightly embarrassed by being called “little one”. An anxious expression crossed Cassiopeia’s face as he settled onto a mound of plush pillows in his room, feeling his mother settle in next to him as he closed his eyes and began to meditate, focusing on his journey into the dreamspace. His breath slowed and everything seemed to fade away. It didn’t seem very long until he reached what he was looking for.

At first, there was nothing. No light, no sound, no creature in sight. Cassiopeia never had a problem seeing in the dark, but this seemed different. He began walking regardless, the sound of his hooves echoing off of the ground he couldn’t see. He had no idea how far he had travelled and no idea where he was. Was this someone’s dream? Complete darkness didn’t make for a very interesting first look into the dreamspace. Cass was ready to give up until he tripped over something in his path, sending him sprawling onto the floor below him. But when he fell, he didn’t land with a loud smack. Instead, something cushioned his fall and muffled the sound of it.

'Is this…sand?'

Before he could right himself, soft lights began to illuminate the space around him. The stallion had landed in a large circle on the ground, the edge of a circus ring having caused his less than graceful tumble. His eyes adjusted quickly and once he got back on his hooves, began dusting himself off with a wing. In an attempt to find out where he was, Cass took another step forward as music began to play and a spotlight lit up the center of the ring. His gaze shifted from one side to the other, clearly confused by the events unfolding around him.

“What is going on here…? I can’t possibly be in the right place.” The stallion grumbled to himself, his frustration rising.

A shadow stood out in the spotlight, clearly directly above Cassiopeia. His head snapped up and he watched in terror as a pony began to hurdle towards him at high speed. Without much thought, Cass covered his head with his wings and prayed that whoever was falling in his direction dreamed that they could fly. But instead of the weight of a grown pony slamming into him, a piece of silk fabric brushed against his wings before falling to the side. When he gathered the courage to look up, Cassiopeia realized that the pony who was plummeting had stopped halfway and was climbing back up the silk while intricately tying it around their body. The stallion couldn’t look away, mesmerized by the absolute skill and strength.

The next time the pony plunged towards the floor of the circus ring, Cass didn’t run or attempt to protect himself. His gaze was glued onto the figure and it wasn’t until the very last second that the two saw each other. They both froze in sudden shock, a flustered smile creeping onto Cassiopeia’s muzzle as the stranger stared right back. His chest feathers ruffled in a mix of embarrassment and utter awe, the mare’s wild mane brushing against his face as he struggled to find his voice.

What do I even say in this situation? ‘Sorry for barging in on your really intense circus dream’?!

“I…uh…I-I didn’t mean to…” The stallion stammered, tripping over his words in front of the breathtaking pony in front of him. Her breath tickled his face and he blushed brightly, feeling as though his cheeks had lit on fire. After a moment, the mare gave him a sheepish grin and swung herself forward just enough to nudge his nose with hers. A bold move on her part, but he didn’t know it. In response, Cassiopeia let out a panicked giggle, which ended up coming out more like a choked laugh and a lot less attractive than he wanted.

He was about to ask who she was, if this was her dream, if he was even in the right place, before he felt himself being pulled backwards by an invisible force. Cass tried to plant himself and resist the tug, but was overpowered almost instantly. The world around him turned dark, only a final spotlight on the mare’s figure as she attempted to untangle herself from the silk fabric. He desperately scrambled to reach out to her and ground himself, but another yank from the invisible force sent him flying back, leaving the stranger searching for him in the darkness.

Cassiopeia felt himself tumbling through the void, only being pulled back by the sound of his mother’s voice. His eyes snapped open and he instinctively tried standing up to find his bearings, but only managed to pitch to the side as his legs cramped from laying down for so long.

“Cass, it’s okay! I’m here.” Luna tried to right her child, pushing him up with her head until he regained his balance. “I’m here, little one. What happened? You’ve been gone for hours, it’s almost sunrise.”

The stallion’s head was spinning. 'Hours? It didn’t even feel like 15 minutes.'

It took Cassiopeia a moment as he collected his thoughts. “I…I don’t know. I think I was in someone’s dream, but I had never seen them before. I’m not sure… I don’t think I did it right, Mother.” He rested his head against her shoulder, sighing and closing his eyes briefly. “I didn’t think it would be like that.”

“It will take more practice, Cassiopeia. My first time to the dreamspace was hardly coherent. I’m sure you did an amazing job. And you saw somepony, that’s a wonderful first step.” Luna nuzzled her son, wanting to console him in his moment of frustration. Her wing wrapped around him and she gave him a soft squeeze. A moment of silence passed between them before Cass suddenly tried to rise once more.

“I’ve got to find her, Mother. I’ve got to explain… and apologize. I hope I didn’t scare her or anything…” Once standing, he scratched his leg with a hoof, clearly becoming flustered all over again. The stallion turned away from his mother, wanting to hide the blush rising to his face. “I mean, she was so graceful and talented… and she had the prettiest smile and these eyes that just…look right into you.”

A knowing grin crept onto Luna’s face and she struggled to hide it. She cleared her throat quietly, masking a chuckle with a handful of fake coughs. “I’m sure you’ll figure out who she is sooner or later. Perhaps she’s a student at Twilight’s school. If I were you, I would start there.”

Cassiopeia started nodding vigorously, his wings fluttering in excitement and he hurried towards the door. “That’s a great idea! I’ll head over there right now! Auntie Twilight will know exactly what to do.” But before he could make it into the hall, the soft blue glow of Luna’s magic held onto his tail to stop the stallion in his tracks.

“Darling, it’s not even morning yet. Try to rest for a few hours, and then you can travel into Ponyville.”

But Cass wouldn’t be deterred. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’m not even tired, and you know how Auntie Twilight is always up early. I’ll have Spike send you a scroll when I get there!” He had already managed to slip through her magic and waved to Luna with a wing. “See you later! I’ll let you know if I find her!”

He raced down the hallway, startling a guard who had dozed off. Before he turned the corner, Luna saw an eager grin covering her son’s face and she sighed, shaking her head and laughing softly to herself.

“Don’t worry, little one. You’ll find her.”
~
Another big scene for Sugarverse! I hope y'all like this, I put a lot of work into it

Once again, my amazing buddy PokemonTrainerMax read this over for me and checked for any errors. Can't thank you enough, Max!