She was sure the dream world was supposed to feel strange, but Eyas didn’t mind the pleasant surrealism or the wavy bend at the edge of her vision so much after @[Catcher] slipped out into the open. She felt oddly amused and laughed in a happy mood to see the distinctly marked mare. Not because she’d been right - it was Catcher’s place. No, Eyas laughed at hearing her friends sharp remarks and the way she’d pulled back an invisible curtain to reveal herself.

Reminded her of her own gift, looking without being seen at all.

“I came here for my great-grandmother.” The pegasus decided to cut quickly through a long reply. Catcher sounded curious, and her well-intended compliment struck Eyas in a strangely deeper way than her companion might’ve realized. Her black eyes glinted as they moved in tandem with Catcher’s, both females turning to appreciate what they’d made together. A false reflection of Nerine but incredibly real nonetheless.  Eyas agreed: it was beautiful. “But she’s not here. Not anymore.” Eyas shrugged, holding back a sad grin.

The way she’d said it, that Heartfire wasn’t here anymore… it sounded hesitant. After all Eyas couldn’t know what had become of her relative, only what her vision (or lack thereof) showed her when she did reach out for confirmation. Nothing came back - like Gale, her brother, who’d passed away. Absently, the dream wind curled through her forelock and drug it gently over the buckskin’s dappled cheekbone and up against her black-rimmed ears, and Eyas swallowed a hard lump in her throat.
There wasn’t any reason to lose hope, though. Heartfire had told her as much once. “The dead aren’t gone.” The black-and-tan mare remembered the Roan Queen saying that day in Taiga, long ago. “You just need to find the right pair of eyes.”

“Also these are my dreams miss nosey? The real question is: what’re you doing here?” Eyas squared her shoulders and wings, taking her eyes off the horizon and turning them on Catcher with a look of contempt.

Fuck. It’s always @[Catcher] that gets her feeling like this… like she misses who she used to be or something radical. Eyas isn’t sure, she can’t put her finger on it, but she damn well can’t ignore it when the lump blocks her throat and the offer of help - true help from someone who didn’t scare her off - leaves her momentarily speechless. She does consider it, whether or not Catcher could help her in tracking down Heartfire. Maybe there’s something in this ‘otherworld’ that can reveal a bit of the ‘why’ and ‘how’ plaguing the past Queen’s great-great granddaughter, or maybe their search would exhaust her friend’s abilities and lead them somewhere they don’t need to be searching.
Gods no. Screw that. She wouldn’t dare risk Catcher’s life after the overo had risked her hide to help Eyas so many times before this one.

So the tiny buckskin deflects and turns the tables on her unexpected guest. Eyas reasoned things were easier that way; the less Catcher knew the better. There’s family bullshit going on and it doesn’t concern those who could easily be used against Eyas… which would mean she’d have to admit Catcher meant something to her. That fell under the ‘Screw That’ category. Too raw: better for her dream-snatching bestie to think Eyas was a paranoid freak. “Stay. Cool.” She breathes, realizing she’d been holding that air in for a bit too long.“STAY. COOL.” Eyas bit her tongue, feeling anxiety creeping in. Her effort to try and seem lackadaisical had backfired. Catcher wanted to see her, it turns out. And to put more heat on the flame burning in her dark eyes, Catcher would let her be if she wanted. Catcher would let her go and understand. Catcher would give her space. “Don’t go,” Eyas begged too quickly, dropping the tough act for a moment of vulnerability. The suggestion had barely left the ruddy, spotted mare’s mouth before she’d interrupted. “Please. Stay.” Was all Eyas had, then silence took over for a moment.

The pegasus mare stayed quiet and looked out toward the vast horizon. She lifted her chin and opened her nose, breathing in the smell of a dream she’s sure wouldn’t be complete when she woke up again. After estranging herself from family and Gale’s death, Eyas had been so confused and alone. Her hopes and dreams rested with Heartfire, who’d left before they could ripen into destiny. There wasn’t anyone aside from the unicorn she’d met so long ago in the Forest, and right now the vision manipulator needed her more than she’d ever be willing to admit. “I’ve known you so long and still feel like we’re strangers.” She admitted with a grin. “Can we… change that?”

funny thing: when @[Catcher] said she would help, Eyas nearly felt that she meant it. The honesty behind the unicorn’s offer, even though she’d spoken gently, could be a brutal thing. Brutal enough to bring up the same feelings Eyas had nearly gotten a handle on swallowing down. So much for composure, she thought, sniffling and nodding her head. When she thought of a way Catcher could help, she’d let the fading chestnut mare know. Her concerns and heart were equally soothed for the moment, which made it easier to throw on a halfway smile and give the impression of being annoyed at being insulted.

Eyas couldn’t, however, bring herself to feign indifference towards Catcher’s sudden friendliness, or the way she was suddenly very close and touching her in only the exact way Eyas had hoped she would. She felt electrified by the idea of safely crossing an invisible threshold with the girl who seemed like a dream itself, confident now that a ‘friendship’ was growing. Eyas leaned into and shoved Catcher’s muzzle with her own, sweetly.

“You’re terrible at this, I want you to know.” The pegasus mare taunted and withdrew, appraising the way Catcher held herself. “For starters, spirit-dream-guides are supposed to look all mystic and possibly like an allusion? You went with… your normal self. I’m disappointed.” She snickered through her black lips. “Is this how you always show yourself in other’s dreams?” Eyas asked, intending to maintain the attitude but dropping it halfway through out of genuine curiosity.

Eyas had lived for a while on icicle isle and every night she’d had the pleasure of seeing the ribboning color of lights play across the night sky. They were lovely - teal, magenta, sometimes aqua blue as well - and they fascinated her. She’d spent so many sleepless hours standing there, freezing, watching the sun slip past the horizon in anticipation of the nightly display. @[Catcher] took her to them in an instant; Eyas blinked and they’re on top of Hyaline’s most ragged peak, looking up into an impossibly dark sky where the stars had tangled themselves into the same nightlights Eyas watched over and over again.

It was… beautiful.

She wanted to question how long they could stay here, but when Eyas turned back to look at Catcher her friend had disappeared, replaced by the galactic entity hovering in the air nearby. Catching her breath, Eyas blinked a few times just to make sure that her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Could it really be the same mare? This dream, it felt so real and alive to Eyas. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to wake up again. There was the fear that reality would make everything seem impossible. Eyas was afraid she would wake up and not be able to prove that Catcher had really been with her.

“Much.” She only laughed, when asked if this version was the better one. Catcher alighted on the ground near where Eyas had been left standing, her ethereal hooves blending into the earth. The once-painted mare was hard to look away from: every section of her body seemed alive and moving in a delicate, otherworldly dance. “Oh…” Was all she could muster in response at first, and then, “I don’t really ‘dream’.”

It was so hard not to focus on how close Catcher was. All Eyas had to do was lean into her shoulder a bit; her satiny black-and-white wings flattened when they met the resilience of Catcher’s dream-body. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you, but my powers involve seeing what others see. When I dream, I see nothing - and it’s a great relief.” Eyas sighed. She smiled warily, unsure of how Catcher would handle this news. No doubt she’d put two and two together, so Eyas decided to do her best at reassuring her friend.

“I haven’t looked through you, I promise. I can only do it to the willing: the horses who look into my eyes with questions, or the ones I’ve bonded myself with.” She thought of her family, and Santana. Then she bit her tongue. Perhaps she shouldn’t…? But maybe she should. “I… am kind of bonded to you.” Eyas admitted with chagrin.

“But it was an unconscious decision; we were just kids. I didn’t know what I was doing, back then.” She did her best to explain, shuffling around the rocky ledge. “I would never betray your privacy, Catcher. But I do feel you with me… always.” Eyas smiled a brittle grin.