Keeper of Dreams

[Astoria]

Meadow Lark wasn't much of one for telling tales, she wasn't even sure she was good at it, but the way her foals looked up at her with excited eyes made her feel like she was born for this.

Clearing her throat she looked between Ash Flowers and Thorn Heart, their owls in the branches above, Darling and Dearest not far away either. The moon was almost always present, despite it's constant changes, save for those few days when it's gone from the sky.

Watching as her children grew comfortable, she smiled and took a breath.

"See the moon above?" Eyes darted towards the sky and nods followed. "It's almost always present, if even in different phases, watching over us. Keeper of Dreams. As the moon's shape gets smaller and smaller, the brightness washed from the sky, the barrier between us and the sky is weakened. You see, the light requires energy and the Keeper of Dreams isn't able to create energy of their own. When the moon is fully gone from the sky, nothing but darkness and starlight, it can only mean one thing. The Keeper of Dreams is among us, walking around on four hooves." Ash Flowers and Thorn Heart scooted closer together and stared at their mom, completely enthralled in her tale.

"The Keeper of Dreams safe guards us in the night, protecting our memories and our dreams. Though, every so often, when they're walking among us, they're on the hunt, for the dream or dreams that call to them the most. Usually when we awake, we recall the stories from our sleep, recounting the tales with detail and excitement. That's because when the Keeper of Dreams is above us in the sky, they keep the nightmares away, shielding us with their pale light. Keeping at bay, the darkness of the void. The nightmares that plague us are strongest when the moon is among us, this is because of the lack of light in the sky...

On the nights the moon are the brightest, dreams are the happiest, as the moons brightness is covered, the protection is weakened... Our dreams are completely vulnerable during the time the Keeper of Dreams is among us, however, our dreams are also most valuable. They spend those nights among us, taking our dreams, the brightest and happiest, and they eat those dreams. That is why there are days in which we awake, and don't recall anything from our sleep. Just blackness, a blank of ever ending void." Small gasps escaped but the two foals remained ever fixated on their mother.

"There is a reason for this. Those dreams that the Keeper of Dreams consumes are what gives them strength to protect us from the nightmares. It is also what gives them the energy that allows them to return to the sky. Sometimes it takes the Keeper of Dreams longer to find enough worthy dreams to consume, other times the dreams it consumes may keep the moon in the sky for longer. It's never a perfect fix though. The light will always fade and darkness will follow, but the light will always return..." She smiled at her foals as she watched them staring at her. What happens if they can't find any dreams worthy? Ash Flowers asked softly.

"In the even the Keeper of Dreams is unable to find any dreams to consume, then the darkness will be eternal, and there will be nothing but nightmares in our sleep... But I don't think we have anything to worry about my dearest ones. After all this time the moon is always in the sky, so I don't think you have to worry yourselves about what could happen if the Keeper of Dreams finds themself without dreams to consume when among us. Her daughter gave a sigh in relief, though her son seemed uncertain. "Alright, off to bed now." And ushered everywhere to their beds.