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Excited shouts resounded around the racetrack, all originating from parents, friends, and simple spectators of the race alike. The ponies filled up the bleachers at one side of the skybound track, and every single pair of eyes were glued on one racer or another. For Serein Paleo, merrily sitting amongst the crowd of mostly pegasi, he could practically feel the energy that was buzzing in the air. But he knew a little somepony who could feel it even better.

He looked down at the small blue filly beside him, noting her horn that was surrounded by a bright orange aura. The stallion nearly snickered at his niece, noticing how little Dream Flow was close to sliding her tiny tush off of her seat just from how much she was leaning forward, wide-eyed and entranced by the fliers before her.

Serein didn’t really understand his niece’s fascination with flight. Despite the few times the young unicorn tried to explain what she was able to sense (‘Light’? ‘Floaty’? She was young and still working on how to describe these emotions), he couldn’t even imagine what it was like to experience what her horn was picking up as these young racers competed for first place. But maybe he didn’t have to understand. He could see how bright-eyed she had become lately, full of wonder and elation just by watching pegasi fly. It was why a simple earth pony like him started bringing her to these races, to experience the exhilaration and excitement of it all, alongside whatever it was she could sense. This was the third race they’d ever attended, and it seemed to be doing her some good.

His sweet filly was smiling again. That was all that mattered.

He gently tapped her shoulder, knowing it was the only way to tear her attention away from the race. She started a little and her small round face looked up at him in surprise. Serein couldn’t hold back his chuckle, eyes crinkling in fond amusement. “How’s the race, sweetie?”

Her eyes lit back up. “IT’S SO COOL!” she immediately exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in her seat. “Everypony’s nervous b-but they’re having lots of fun! They’re really...um...determined! Really determined!”

“Oooh, I get to have my own personal announcer~” Serein teased, having tuned out the actual shouting announcer of the race, somewhere in the area. “I had a feeling some kids would be nervous, but somepony like me can’t really tell while they’re racing! It’s neat that you can feel that!”

Dream’s cheeks reddened and she shyly glanced down, pawing at the bleacher below with her tiny hoof. Despite this, Serein could see a happy smile on her muzzle. It was a sight that delighted him.

“UH OH, folks! This is a first! Looks like Frenzy Flash is holding Skychaser's lead for herself! Will our champion be able to reclaim his place?!”

At the announcer’s voice, both Dream Flow and Serein looked back out at the race. Now, this current race that Serein had chosen to bring Dream to was of the Senior Competitive Circuit, so these racers were all quite new to him. He had noticed this Skychaser, an older colt who was probably twice Dream’s age, taking and maintaining first place not even a few minutes into the race. At the time, Serein had faintly noted that the cream colt definitely had to be a regular racer, judging by his speed and precision on the track. Yet he was still surprised to hear that this colt was a regular champion. And for it to be a “first” for him to be outflown? Although he felt a bit bad for the colt, Serein had to say he certainly had chosen an eventful race for his niece to witness.

Serein watched as Skychaser moved left and right near the new lead’s tail, very clearly fighting to get past her. The crowd was going wild, cheering on the young ponies. Emotions definitely had to be high, and curiously, he turned back to his little emotion-announcer. “What’s happening now, Dre-”

Serein cut himself off, noticing how stiff and still the filly was beside him.

He could tell her eyes were glued on the lead ponies, but unlike before, her young face was strangely twisted with confusion and apprehension. Serein frowned, suddenly worried, and he gently placed a hoof on her back.

“Dreamy…? You okay there?”

“H-he’s scared.”

Dream blinked her eyes a few times, alarm only hitting Serein when he noticed his niece’s eyes becoming glossy.

“H-hey! It’s okay,” Serein cooed, tugging the unicorn closer to his side. Dream wrapped her smaller forelegs around his. “Who’s scared, honey?”

“That colt in the front...”

Serein rubbed the filly’s back, hoping it’d calm her. Emotions like that had to be overwhelming. “Well that makes sense. I think any champ wouldn’t want to lose their winning streak.”

He paused when his niece vigorously shook her head in response. When Dream looked up at him, he was taken aback by the amount of worry in her eyes. “He’s really, really scared. Like...like something really bad is gonna happen if he doesn’t win.”

Serein pulled his head back a bit at that. As Dream looked back out at the race, that unease never leaving her expression, it was times like these that Serein really wished he could feel the world the way she did. Maybe then he could understand just what she experienced, and would have a better time alleviating her confusion and stresses.

Serein returned his attention to the race. Now that he was watching closely, Skychaser was absolutely putting all of his efforts into retaking the lead, his wings flapping wildly to gain speed. As much as he didn’t want to look away, the stallion couldn’t keep his green eyes from flicking down to Dream repeatedly, only to see her grow more and more nervous and tense each time he glanced. He frowned. Racers had overtaken the lead numerous times in the previous races they had watched, yet not once had he ever seen her behave like this.

At some point, Serein looked up just in time to watch Skychaser’s wings take advantage of a drift at the right angle, allowing him to overtake the filly in front of him. And just like that, only seconds later, the race was over. Roaring and clapping from the crowd filled his ears, but he couldn’t join them. Not when his Dream still looked as puzzled and bothered as she did. Moments later, Serein stayed with Dream to watch the racers receive their medals and participation slips.

“-and our gold medal goes to our returning champion; Skychaser!”

After the announcements, more clapping and whistling sounded from the surrounding crowd. This time Serein joined them in clapping, but even now Dream was quietly pressed up against him, staring blankly at the colt. Although confused, Serein lightly nudged his niece and smiled encouragingly down at her.

“Come on, Dreamy, he won! You should be happy for him too!”

“...but he’s not happy.”

Serein’s clapping halted at this, and he shot her a puzzled look. “He’s...not?”

“Uh-uh…”. She frowned deeply as she looked up at her uncle with scrunched up brows and questioning eyes. “I don’t get it...how can he be scared to lose, but not happy when he wins?”

Serein winced. As her only guardian, of course she was turning to him for answers. If only he could give them to her.

“I’m not sure, honey...he could be tired. But try not to think about it too much. We came here so you could have fun, remember?”

Serein stood up, flicking his tail at her playfully. “Come on, the crowd’s starting to break up. Let’s head home.”

Guit wormed its way into the earth pony, easily seeing that this wasn’t going to be something Dream could let go so easily. But luckily she followed alongside him as they backtracked to the hot air balloon docks. Maybe a few days or weeks would get this out of her mind.

------------------------

Welp, he was wrong.

Serein should have expected it. Dream was so intune with emotions that there really couldn’t have been a way for the filly to move on without answers. This became apparent the next time he brought her to a race, yet again hoping to cheer her up and engage her mind. Dream looked like she was searching around for somepony specific. This happened for several races, actually. Luckily, once it was clear that colt was not present, the excitement of the race would sweep her away and she would return to being joyful and fascinated.

And then of course, luck had them attend a race with the colt again. 'Skychaser', was it?

As Skychaser sped across the track, Serein noticed how Dream’s eyes seemed to be locked onto him, following his every movement. Dream Flow’s tiny brows scrunched up in concentration, making her appear much older than she was. It was something that didn’t settle right inside the stallion.

‘She’s just a kid...she shouldn’t have to worry about things like this.’

But he knew it was both wrong and futile to stop her from trying to understand the world the way she knew best. Thus they continued like this, Serein’s eyes flicking down to Dream over and over again, until finally, her expression changed. It changed to complete and utter bafflement. Serein jumped on his chance.

“Feel anything new, sweetheart...?”

Dream finally broke out of her little trance, looking up at him as though she were completely stumped. “That colt isn’t having any fun like the other kids. But how?”

She glanced back at the racetrack just as the racers flew by, blowing a strong wind across the crowd. Serein wondered if Dream had gotten a better feel of his feelings in that moment, judging by the way she suddenly appeared dejected. “Flying is suppose’ to feel amazing...but he doesn’t feel light, or happy. Or free.”

“I...really don’t know, Dream Flow.”

Serein didn’t say more than that, simply sliding his foreleg across Dream’s smaller shoulders. His niece could really say the most profound things without realizing it.

Eventually the race ended, and yet again, Skychaser had won gold. But this time as the crowd dispersed, as Serein coaxed Dream into leaving, something halted her, catching her stare.

Serein turned, wondering what had stopped his niece. Tracing her stare he caught sight of a certain cream colt once more. That wasn’t surprising. But this time, the colt was joined by a teal mare with a short, bright orange mane. The two had their backs turned, but judging by the way the mare’s wing was stretched over the colt’s back, Serein could safely assume this mare was a guardian of sorts, presumably his mother. Then again, he himself could easily be mistaken for Dream’s father.
...scratch that. Knowing ponies, he’d be mistaken for her mother first.

Serein smiled down at Dream Flow, deciding to keep up his optimism.

“Hey, look at that! Looks like she’s proud of him.That’s goo-”

Serein’s eyebrows shot up as Dream slowly stepped closer to him, almost nervously hiding behind one of his forelegs. The stallion’s eyebrows furrowed back worriedly. “Whoa hey, what is it now?”

“That lady doesn’t feel right…”

Serein sat down, making it easier for him to lean his head down in hopes of catching his little filly’s uneasy gaze. “Feels proud. But it feels like...a bad kind of proud. What d’you call that?”

A bad kind of proud…

‘...pride?’

He tried to piece what he knew together, using his analytical mind to figure out this scenario. A fear of losing...no satisfaction in winning or flying...a possibly prideful guardian.

....oh. One thing lined up with that. He just hoped he could explain it in a way Dream could understand.

“Well honey, we call that pride...it’s possible that colt is being made into some star racer when he doesn’t actually want to be, because it makes his guardian happy. Unfortunately, that tends to happen a lot with kids and their parents with physical activities like this...”

“Really?” Dream frowned. “If he’s unhappy, shouldn’t she know?”

“She should...but there’s a chance he doesn’t want to tell her. Kids don’t usually want to disappoint their family.”

“But if- if she knew that he gets really, really scared to lose and scared to disappoint her, won’t she do something? Maybe we should tell her...”

Serein hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he should answer that truthfully. But he should’ve known better. Dream had to have sensed his internal negative reaction, because she became nervous immediately.

“Is he gonna be okay, uncle?”

The stallions gaze softened. After everything she was already dealing with, this little girl still had it in her to worry about somepony else…?

Serein carefully brushed his hoof against his niece’s forehead, pushing back a few stray locks. “I don’t think there’s much we CAN do, sweetie...it’s so admirable that you want to help, but we can’t pry into a stranger’s personal business, even if you know some things about them. That’d be invading their privacy.”

He gently pecked a kiss onto Dream’s head. “In a case like this, sometimes you have to trust that as a family, they’ll work things out. Right now let’s try to believe in them and let Skychaser take care of his situation, okay?”

Dream Flow didn’t look entirely convinced. But at the very least she appeared pacified and nodded.

That day Serein contemplated whether these higher tiered races were really worth Dream’s worry...yet knowing her, he knew she’d want to keep seeing them.

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Serein was astonished.

What had been another normal race with Skychaser taking the lead had taken an unexpected turn. Skychaser, ever so diligent and always focused on winning, had downright abandoned his lead altogether to check on another racer who had spun out.

Serein was amongst the others in the crowd who noisily cheered at the two kids as they finished last, flying across the finish line together. The stallion took a second to check on his niece beside him. And to his delight, for the first time in who knew how long, Dream was looking in the colt’s direction with near starry-eyes.

“He got all worried at first, but then- but then he was really happy flying with that kid!” Dream gushed, tapping her hooves in place in some sort of happy dance. “He was so cool! He didn’t care about winning! That’s amazing!”

Chuckling, Serein patted Dream’s head and held his hoof there, hoping to keep her still. “Maybe a friend was all he needed to make it enjoyable.”

A beautiful grin spread across the filly’s face as she happily hummed in agreement, one that filled Serein with genuine joy. Before he knew it, Dream was tugging at his foreleg. “Come on uncle, let’s go congratulate ‘em!”

He didn’t even get a word in before Dream ran ahead of him, startling the stallion. He quickly tried to catch up, but thanks to the wandering chatty mass of ponies standing or walking about before the announcement of the winners, the small filly easily got lost in the crowd. With a heavy stomach, Serein felt himself grow frantic the longer it took him to locate his niece. They were on a massive cloud structure, for heaven’s sake. Despite the paved paths and magic-imbedded areas that allowed non-pegasi to walk on these clouds, one wrong step and...

“Dream?! Dream Flow!”

Serein was sure he was ready to experience a full blown panic attack. That is until he felt a tugging at his tail. Spinning around, he was met face-to-face with his niece. For a second he truly considered scolding her for leaving him the way she did. That is, until he took in her fearful expression. She quickly spoke before he could even ask.

“S-Skychaser’s mom is really mad, uncle.”

Serein was taken aback. That mare was mad? Surely not as her son, right? Being prideful of his winning streak surely didn’t warrant that kind of reaction to him helping somepony else...right?

But if Dream was this frantic, something had to be wrong. The filly pressed a hoof against her own chest, appearing near frightened. “Her mad is so much. It...it feels a lot like d-dad’s kind of mad...”

Now that had Serein tense up.

‘Oh…’

Serein leaned down to Dream’s level, gently taking her hoof into his. He tried to calmly but seriously meet her eyes. “Dream...do you feel like she’ll use that anger to yell at Skychaser?”

She didn’t hesitate. Dream nodded firmly.

That was all he needed to hear. If he trusted anyone’s opinion on this, it was hers.

Normally he hated confrontation. But Dream had some special way of making him feel braver. Exhaling, he stood back up and gave her his best comforting smile.

“Then I’ll see if I can talk to her...make sure everything’s okay and help her see the good in what he did. Just let me do the talking, okay? Maybe she’ll calm down.”

Dream appeared ten times more relieved at that.

Serein looked around. He wasn’t the tallest stallion, but he certainly wasn’t the shortest. He was able to look around the crowd of ponies, searching for orange and teal, and yet couldn’t catch sight of it. He frowned. “Do you know where you last saw her, Dream? I’m not seeing her.”

The filly’s ears flattened. “I dunno...I was runnin’ and I almost ran into her legs and when I felt it, I ran to find you.”

Humming, Serein looked around once more. He couldn’t even spot Skychaser...but what he did spot was the little pale blue pegasus friend that Skychaser had so kindly taken a loss for.

Making certain Dream was trailing alongside him, Serein moved around a few ponies to approach the pegasus and their family, who were in the middle of hugging the child and happily speaking to one another.

“Hello? I’m sorry to interrupt,”

All three pegasi looked over at him, and while he felt a little awkward, Serein continued. He gave the black-and-white haired foal an admiring smile. “First I want to say that my niece and I thought you were very brave back there. You should be really proud.”

While embarassed, the child faintly smiled and shyly ducked their head, murmuring a soft ‘thank you’. The rainbow-haired mare in this family was far less meek and had a grin stretched across her face again.

“I say we’re all proud of Mo here~!”

Serein chuckled. “And we were also wondering if you knew where Skychaser was. We wanted to share our appreciation with him too.”

Mo blinked, looking puzzled as they looked around the vicinity, as if just noticing their surroundings. “He was just here…”

“Maybe he went home? I mean there’s no reason for him to stay for the ranking.” The rainbow-maned mare suggested. This, however, seemed to further confuse and disappoint the child.

“Sky never leaves without saying goodbye...”

The dark-maned mare stepped in then, patting the child in her arms on the back. “Hey, he and his mom might’ve been in a hurry! We’ll just see him next time, right?”

This seemed to calm Mo as they lightly smiled in return. “Yeah...I’ll see him next time.”

“Sorry we couldn’t help!” The colorful mare smiled apologetically. Serein shook his head.

“No, it’s alright! Thanks anyway.”

As the family walked away, Serein couldn’t help glancing around again. Had they really left already? As easy as it was to assume that, he knew Dream wouldn't be satisfied unless they made sure.

“Dreamy, can you sense her anger anymore…?”

Dream’s horn lit up again, and she looked around. After a few heartbeats, her ears drooped. “I think I can, but it’s getting really far away...fast.”

“They must be flying home then…”

“We’re too late?”

Dream stared up at him with wide, dismayed eyes. Guilt prickled inside the earth pony.

“Unfortunately…but at least we tried, sweetie.”

Dream appeared disheartened nonetheless, her head lowering. "I really wanted to help him...I don't want him to get in trouble. He didn't do anything wrong."

With a gentle hoof, Serein tilted her chin back up. “Hey...it might not be too serious. She might get mad at him, but something like this will blow over. Anger comes and goes, right?”

Serein didn’t feel the most...confident, saying this. Especially to her face. But he knew there was truth in it. "If you want, we can just check up on him next time. Okay?"

Thankfully, Dream nodded quietly in agreement and remet his eyes hesitantly.

“I just hope he’ll be okay…”
__________________________________________________________
‘...this time, I can actually help him.’
Sadly, there wasn’t a next time. Well, until a day way down the line, at the Cutie Mark Sanctuary. Dream met a Miss Rhea for the third or fourth time since the unicorn had moved into Ponyville and the older mare mentioned an eerily familiar name Dream had almost forgotten over the years.

Will Dream be upfront about this little tidbit to Skychaser one day? Probably. I see no point in making this a secret, since some sort of big reveal won’t really add anything and would feel like unnecessary drama.

Shout out to uncle Serein Paleo though, a parental figure who actually takes his kid and her concerns seriously. Doesn’t matter to him if he can't fully understand what his niece experiences, he’ll do his darndest to listen and guide her through it however he can.

Also, for those who don’t know, the last scene takes place during the events of “Chagrin ”!

Destinyverse Archives
Feat.
Uncle Serein Dream Flow Skychaser Monochrome

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Description

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Excited shouts resounded around the racetrack, all originating from parents, friends, and simple spectators of the race alike. The ponies filled up the bleachers at one side of the skybound track, and every single pair of eyes were glued on one racer or another. For Serein Paleo, merrily sitting amongst the crowd of mostly pegasi, he could practically feel the energy that was buzzing in the air. But he knew a little somepony who could feel it even better.

He looked down at the small blue filly beside him, noting her horn that was surrounded by a bright orange aura. The stallion nearly snickered at his niece, noticing how little Dream Flow was close to sliding her tiny tush off of her seat just from how much she was leaning forward, wide-eyed and entranced by the fliers before her.

Serein didn’t really understand his niece’s fascination with flight. Despite the few times the young unicorn tried to explain what she was able to sense (‘Light’? ‘Floaty’? She was young and still working on how to describe these emotions), he couldn’t even imagine what it was like to experience what her horn was picking up as these young racers competed for first place. But maybe he didn’t have to understand. He could see how bright-eyed she had become lately, full of wonder and elation just by watching pegasi fly. It was why a simple earth pony like him started bringing her to these races, to experience the exhilaration and excitement of it all, alongside whatever it was she could sense. This was the third race they’d ever attended, and it seemed to be doing her some good.

His sweet filly was smiling again. That was all that mattered.

He gently tapped her shoulder, knowing it was the only way to tear her attention away from the race. She started a little and her small round face looked up at him in surprise. Serein couldn’t hold back his chuckle, eyes crinkling in fond amusement. “How’s the race, sweetie?”

Her eyes lit back up. “IT’S SO COOL!” she immediately exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in her seat. “Everypony’s nervous b-but they’re having lots of fun! They’re really...um...determined! Really determined!”

“Oooh, I get to have my own personal announcer~” Serein teased, having tuned out the actual shouting announcer of the race, somewhere in the area. “I had a feeling some kids would be nervous, but somepony like me can’t really tell while they’re racing! It’s neat that you can feel that!”

Dream’s cheeks reddened and she shyly glanced down, pawing at the bleacher below with her tiny hoof. Despite this, Serein could see a happy smile on her muzzle. It was a sight that delighted him.

“UH OH, folks! This is a first! Looks like Frenzy Flash is holding Skychaser's lead for herself! Will our champion be able to reclaim his place?!”

At the announcer’s voice, both Dream Flow and Serein looked back out at the race. Now, this current race that Serein had chosen to bring Dream to was of the Senior Competitive Circuit, so these racers were all quite new to him. He had noticed this Skychaser, an older colt who was probably twice Dream’s age, taking and maintaining first place not even a few minutes into the race. At the time, Serein had faintly noted that the cream colt definitely had to be a regular racer, judging by his speed and precision on the track. Yet he was still surprised to hear that this colt was a regular champion. And for it to be a “first” for him to be outflown? Although he felt a bit bad for the colt, Serein had to say he certainly had chosen an eventful race for his niece to witness.

Serein watched as Skychaser moved left and right near the new lead’s tail, very clearly fighting to get past her. The crowd was going wild, cheering on the young ponies. Emotions definitely had to be high, and curiously, he turned back to his little emotion-announcer. “What’s happening now, Dre-”

Serein cut himself off, noticing how stiff and still the filly was beside him.

He could tell her eyes were glued on the lead ponies, but unlike before, her young face was strangely twisted with confusion and apprehension. Serein frowned, suddenly worried, and he gently placed a hoof on her back.

“Dreamy…? You okay there?”

“H-he’s scared.”

Dream blinked her eyes a few times, alarm only hitting Serein when he noticed his niece’s eyes becoming glossy.

“H-hey! It’s okay,” Serein cooed, tugging the unicorn closer to his side. Dream wrapped her smaller forelegs around his. “Who’s scared, honey?”

“That colt in the front...”

Serein rubbed the filly’s back, hoping it’d calm her. Emotions like that had to be overwhelming. “Well that makes sense. I think any champ wouldn’t want to lose their winning streak.”

He paused when his niece vigorously shook her head in response. When Dream looked up at him, he was taken aback by the amount of worry in her eyes. “He’s really, really scared. Like...like something really bad is gonna happen if he doesn’t win.”

Serein pulled his head back a bit at that. As Dream looked back out at the race, that unease never leaving her expression, it was times like these that Serein really wished he could feel the world the way she did. Maybe then he could understand just what she experienced, and would have a better time alleviating her confusion and stresses.

Serein returned his attention to the race. Now that he was watching closely, Skychaser was absolutely putting all of his efforts into retaking the lead, his wings flapping wildly to gain speed. As much as he didn’t want to look away, the stallion couldn’t keep his green eyes from flicking down to Dream repeatedly, only to see her grow more and more nervous and tense each time he glanced. He frowned. Racers had overtaken the lead numerous times in the previous races they had watched, yet not once had he ever seen her behave like this.

At some point, Serein looked up just in time to watch Skychaser’s wings take advantage of a drift at the right angle, allowing him to overtake the filly in front of him. And just like that, only seconds later, the race was over. Roaring and clapping from the crowd filled his ears, but he couldn’t join them. Not when his Dream still looked as puzzled and bothered as she did. Moments later, Serein stayed with Dream to watch the racers receive their medals and participation slips.

“-and our gold medal goes to our returning champion; Skychaser!”

After the announcements, more clapping and whistling sounded from the surrounding crowd. This time Serein joined them in clapping, but even now Dream was quietly pressed up against him, staring blankly at the colt. Although confused, Serein lightly nudged his niece and smiled encouragingly down at her.

“Come on, Dreamy, he won! You should be happy for him too!”

“...but he’s not happy.”

Serein’s clapping halted at this, and he shot her a puzzled look. “He’s...not?”

“Uh-uh…”. She frowned deeply as she looked up at her uncle with scrunched up brows and questioning eyes. “I don’t get it...how can he be scared to lose, but not happy when he wins?”

Serein winced. As her only guardian, of course she was turning to him for answers. If only he could give them to her.

“I’m not sure, honey...he could be tired. But try not to think about it too much. We came here so you could have fun, remember?”

Serein stood up, flicking his tail at her playfully. “Come on, the crowd’s starting to break up. Let’s head home.”

Guit wormed its way into the earth pony, easily seeing that this wasn’t going to be something Dream could let go so easily. But luckily she followed alongside him as they backtracked to the hot air balloon docks. Maybe a few days or weeks would get this out of her mind.

------------------------

Welp, he was wrong.

Serein should have expected it. Dream was so intune with emotions that there really couldn’t have been a way for the filly to move on without answers. This became apparent the next time he brought her to a race, yet again hoping to cheer her up and engage her mind. Dream looked like she was searching around for somepony specific. This happened for several races, actually. Luckily, once it was clear that colt was not present, the excitement of the race would sweep her away and she would return to being joyful and fascinated.

And then of course, luck had them attend a race with the colt again. 'Skychaser', was it?

As Skychaser sped across the track, Serein noticed how Dream’s eyes seemed to be locked onto him, following his every movement. Dream Flow’s tiny brows scrunched up in concentration, making her appear much older than she was. It was something that didn’t settle right inside the stallion.

‘She’s just a kid...she shouldn’t have to worry about things like this.’

But he knew it was both wrong and futile to stop her from trying to understand the world the way she knew best. Thus they continued like this, Serein’s eyes flicking down to Dream over and over again, until finally, her expression changed. It changed to complete and utter bafflement. Serein jumped on his chance.

“Feel anything new, sweetheart...?”

Dream finally broke out of her little trance, looking up at him as though she were completely stumped. “That colt isn’t having any fun like the other kids. But how?”

She glanced back at the racetrack just as the racers flew by, blowing a strong wind across the crowd. Serein wondered if Dream had gotten a better feel of his feelings in that moment, judging by the way she suddenly appeared dejected. “Flying is suppose’ to feel amazing...but he doesn’t feel light, or happy. Or free.”

“I...really don’t know, Dream Flow.”

Serein didn’t say more than that, simply sliding his foreleg across Dream’s smaller shoulders. His niece could really say the most profound things without realizing it.

Eventually the race ended, and yet again, Skychaser had won gold. But this time as the crowd dispersed, as Serein coaxed Dream into leaving, something halted her, catching her stare.

Serein turned, wondering what had stopped his niece. Tracing her stare he caught sight of a certain cream colt once more. That wasn’t surprising. But this time, the colt was joined by a teal mare with a short, bright orange mane. The two had their backs turned, but judging by the way the mare’s wing was stretched over the colt’s back, Serein could safely assume this mare was a guardian of sorts, presumably his mother. Then again, he himself could easily be mistaken for Dream’s father.
...scratch that. Knowing ponies, he’d be mistaken for her mother first.

Serein smiled down at Dream Flow, deciding to keep up his optimism.

“Hey, look at that! Looks like she’s proud of him.That’s goo-”

Serein’s eyebrows shot up as Dream slowly stepped closer to him, almost nervously hiding behind one of his forelegs. The stallion’s eyebrows furrowed back worriedly. “Whoa hey, what is it now?”

“That lady doesn’t feel right…”

Serein sat down, making it easier for him to lean his head down in hopes of catching his little filly’s uneasy gaze. “Feels proud. But it feels like...a bad kind of proud. What d’you call that?”

A bad kind of proud…

‘...pride?’

He tried to piece what he knew together, using his analytical mind to figure out this scenario. A fear of losing...no satisfaction in winning or flying...a possibly prideful guardian.

....oh. One thing lined up with that. He just hoped he could explain it in a way Dream could understand.

“Well honey, we call that pride...it’s possible that colt is being made into some star racer when he doesn’t actually want to be, because it makes his guardian happy. Unfortunately, that tends to happen a lot with kids and their parents with physical activities like this...”

“Really?” Dream frowned. “If he’s unhappy, shouldn’t she know?”

“She should...but there’s a chance he doesn’t want to tell her. Kids don’t usually want to disappoint their family.”

“But if- if she knew that he gets really, really scared to lose and scared to disappoint her, won’t she do something? Maybe we should tell her...”

Serein hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he should answer that truthfully. But he should’ve known better. Dream had to have sensed his internal negative reaction, because she became nervous immediately.

“Is he gonna be okay, uncle?”

The stallions gaze softened. After everything she was already dealing with, this little girl still had it in her to worry about somepony else…?

Serein carefully brushed his hoof against his niece’s forehead, pushing back a few stray locks. “I don’t think there’s much we CAN do, sweetie...it’s so admirable that you want to help, but we can’t pry into a stranger’s personal business, even if you know some things about them. That’d be invading their privacy.”

He gently pecked a kiss onto Dream’s head. “In a case like this, sometimes you have to trust that as a family, they’ll work things out. Right now let’s try to believe in them and let Skychaser take care of his situation, okay?”

Dream Flow didn’t look entirely convinced. But at the very least she appeared pacified and nodded.

That day Serein contemplated whether these higher tiered races were really worth Dream’s worry...yet knowing her, he knew she’d want to keep seeing them.

------------------------

Serein was astonished.

What had been another normal race with Skychaser taking the lead had taken an unexpected turn. Skychaser, ever so diligent and always focused on winning, had downright abandoned his lead altogether to check on another racer who had spun out.

Serein was amongst the others in the crowd who noisily cheered at the two kids as they finished last, flying across the finish line together. The stallion took a second to check on his niece beside him. And to his delight, for the first time in who knew how long, Dream was looking in the colt’s direction with near starry-eyes.

“He got all worried at first, but then- but then he was really happy flying with that kid!” Dream gushed, tapping her hooves in place in some sort of happy dance. “He was so cool! He didn’t care about winning! That’s amazing!”

Chuckling, Serein patted Dream’s head and held his hoof there, hoping to keep her still. “Maybe a friend was all he needed to make it enjoyable.”

A beautiful grin spread across the filly’s face as she happily hummed in agreement, one that filled Serein with genuine joy. Before he knew it, Dream was tugging at his foreleg. “Come on uncle, let’s go congratulate ‘em!”

He didn’t even get a word in before Dream ran ahead of him, startling the stallion. He quickly tried to catch up, but thanks to the wandering chatty mass of ponies standing or walking about before the announcement of the winners, the small filly easily got lost in the crowd. With a heavy stomach, Serein felt himself grow frantic the longer it took him to locate his niece. They were on a massive cloud structure, for heaven’s sake. Despite the paved paths and magic-imbedded areas that allowed non-pegasi to walk on these clouds, one wrong step and...

“Dream?! Dream Flow!”

Serein was sure he was ready to experience a full blown panic attack. That is until he felt a tugging at his tail. Spinning around, he was met face-to-face with his niece. For a second he truly considered scolding her for leaving him the way she did. That is, until he took in her fearful expression. She quickly spoke before he could even ask.

“S-Skychaser’s mom is really mad, uncle.”

Serein was taken aback. That mare was mad? Surely not as her son, right? Being prideful of his winning streak surely didn’t warrant that kind of reaction to him helping somepony else...right?

But if Dream was this frantic, something had to be wrong. The filly pressed a hoof against her own chest, appearing near frightened. “Her mad is so much. It...it feels a lot like d-dad’s kind of mad...”

Now that had Serein tense up.

‘Oh…’

Serein leaned down to Dream’s level, gently taking her hoof into his. He tried to calmly but seriously meet her eyes. “Dream...do you feel like she’ll use that anger to yell at Skychaser?”

She didn’t hesitate. Dream nodded firmly.

That was all he needed to hear. If he trusted anyone’s opinion on this, it was hers.

Normally he hated confrontation. But Dream had some special way of making him feel braver. Exhaling, he stood back up and gave her his best comforting smile.

“Then I’ll see if I can talk to her...make sure everything’s okay and help her see the good in what he did. Just let me do the talking, okay? Maybe she’ll calm down.”

Dream appeared ten times more relieved at that.

Serein looked around. He wasn’t the tallest stallion, but he certainly wasn’t the shortest. He was able to look around the crowd of ponies, searching for orange and teal, and yet couldn’t catch sight of it. He frowned. “Do you know where you last saw her, Dream? I’m not seeing her.”

The filly’s ears flattened. “I dunno...I was runnin’ and I almost ran into her legs and when I felt it, I ran to find you.”

Humming, Serein looked around once more. He couldn’t even spot Skychaser...but what he did spot was the little pale blue pegasus friend that Skychaser had so kindly taken a loss for.

Making certain Dream was trailing alongside him, Serein moved around a few ponies to approach the pegasus and their family, who were in the middle of hugging the child and happily speaking to one another.

“Hello? I’m sorry to interrupt,”

All three pegasi looked over at him, and while he felt a little awkward, Serein continued. He gave the black-and-white haired foal an admiring smile. “First I want to say that my niece and I thought you were very brave back there. You should be really proud.”

While embarassed, the child faintly smiled and shyly ducked their head, murmuring a soft ‘thank you’. The rainbow-haired mare in this family was far less meek and had a grin stretched across her face again.

“I say we’re all proud of Mo here~!”

Serein chuckled. “And we were also wondering if you knew where Skychaser was. We wanted to share our appreciation with him too.”

Mo blinked, looking puzzled as they looked around the vicinity, as if just noticing their surroundings. “He was just here…”

“Maybe he went home? I mean there’s no reason for him to stay for the ranking.” The rainbow-maned mare suggested. This, however, seemed to further confuse and disappoint the child.

“Sky never leaves without saying goodbye...”

The dark-maned mare stepped in then, patting the child in her arms on the back. “Hey, he and his mom might’ve been in a hurry! We’ll just see him next time, right?”

This seemed to calm Mo as they lightly smiled in return. “Yeah...I’ll see him next time.”

“Sorry we couldn’t help!” The colorful mare smiled apologetically. Serein shook his head.

“No, it’s alright! Thanks anyway.”

As the family walked away, Serein couldn’t help glancing around again. Had they really left already? As easy as it was to assume that, he knew Dream wouldn't be satisfied unless they made sure.

“Dreamy, can you sense her anger anymore…?”

Dream’s horn lit up again, and she looked around. After a few heartbeats, her ears drooped. “I think I can, but it’s getting really far away...fast.”

“They must be flying home then…”

“We’re too late?”

Dream stared up at him with wide, dismayed eyes. Guilt prickled inside the earth pony.

“Unfortunately…but at least we tried, sweetie.”

Dream appeared disheartened nonetheless, her head lowering. "I really wanted to help him...I don't want him to get in trouble. He didn't do anything wrong."

With a gentle hoof, Serein tilted her chin back up. “Hey...it might not be too serious. She might get mad at him, but something like this will blow over. Anger comes and goes, right?”

Serein didn’t feel the most...confident, saying this. Especially to her face. But he knew there was truth in it. "If you want, we can just check up on him next time. Okay?"

Thankfully, Dream nodded quietly in agreement and remet his eyes hesitantly.

“I just hope he’ll be okay…”
__________________________________________________________
‘...this time, I can actually help him.’
Sadly, there wasn’t a next time. Well, until a day way down the line, at the Cutie Mark Sanctuary. Dream met a Miss Rhea for the third or fourth time since the unicorn had moved into Ponyville and the older mare mentioned an eerily familiar name Dream had almost forgotten over the years.

Will Dream be upfront about this little tidbit to Skychaser one day? Probably. I see no point in making this a secret, since some sort of big reveal won’t really add anything and would feel like unnecessary drama.

Shout out to uncle Serein Paleo though, a parental figure who actually takes his kid and her concerns seriously. Doesn’t matter to him if he can't fully understand what his niece experiences, he’ll do his darndest to listen and guide her through it however he can.

Also, for those who don’t know, the last scene takes place during the events of “Chagrin ”!

Destinyverse Archives
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Uncle Serein Dream Flow Skychaser Monochrome

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