You're Dreaming

A carriage peacefully rolled through the streets of Canterlot. Large villas decorated in gold and silver walls and pillars surrounded it. Using the lit torches from the grand houses’ exteriors and lamp posts, the ponies pulling the carriage slowly moved through the pitch black of night.

The transportation itself was gorgeous. The jewel encrusted door handles and emeralds lining the wheels would leave anypony of lesser wealth in awe. The carriage seemed fit for the princesses themselves.

Closed off from the rest of the world by a sturdy golden-plated roof and elaborately painted window blinds, one of its passengers applied more lipstick to herself whilst looking into a tiny, hoof-held mirror.

“What do you think?” she asked before looking up. “Too much?”

Across from her, a earth stallion dressed in a completely black suit arched an eyebrow as he gazed up from the book he had been reading for most of the ride.

He smiled warmly as he scanned her bright red lips and blushed cheeks. Her dark grey fur made the color stand out and he found himself liking her new look. “You look dolled up.”

The mare brought a hoof up to her mouth and giggled, “I’m pretty sure that’s what I’m going for, isn't it?”

“Indeed, you are.”

“And the dress?”

He let out an over-exaggerated sigh and placed a hoof under his chin. Studying the grey silk dress in which took up almost half of the carriage, he shook his head. “I’m not sure if it’s… enough. Do you know what I mean, Glass?”

Glass waved a hoof and turned away. “Oh, shutup.”

The stallion smirked as he leaned back in his seat. He was content on watching her for a few moments as she simply applied more makeup. Though, his concentration swiftly shattered as she spoke again.

“What type of mask did you bring? I rather not find myself stuck in a sticky situation only to find out I have no clue what you’re wearing.”

With a nod, the stallion reached down to the purple cushion next to him. Removing the cushion from the seat, a small compartment containing a plain wooden box was revealed.

“Which one do you want?” he asked as he lifted the box out and pushed the cushion closed before placing the box on top of it

Glass rolled down her lipstick and shut her mirror before placing them both inside a light blue purse. “I don’t know,” she said as a grin formed on her face, “Surprise me.”

“They only gave us two.” The box creaked open as the stallion dipped his hoof in and pulled out two white masks connected to thin, plastic rods. He glanced between both of them, unsure of which one to take.

“What if I shut my eyes?” Glass chirped, “Would that make it easier for you? We’ll be there any moment anyway. No reason not to have some fun before the real party, eh?”

“Sure, why not?” he chuckled.

Glass clenched her eyes shut as she leaned closer to him. After a few seconds of waiting, she felt the interior of one of the masks rub against her face. Reaching out, she grabbed the rod from him and opened her eyes.

She was greeted by the sight of a long beaked, teary eyed griffon sitting in front of her. She couldn’t help but laugh at the mask, for it was obscenely offensive and would probably get a pony killed if worn in the wrong places.

“What?” the muffled voice of the stallion asked from behind his mask. Glass kept laughing to herself as he took it off and examined it. “I swear I gave you the better one.”

“Oh, really?” Glass lowered her mask and wiped off some fresh spit from the corners of her mouth using her dress sleeve. “What’s mine? A zebra with a huge hula-hoop piercing through its nose?”

“Nothing like that.”

Flipping her mask over, Glass’s eyes widened. The face of a cat looked straight back at her. Simply designed, the only real detail to set it apart was its squinted eyes, nose, and whiskers.

“My, my.” Glass started, placing it back on her face. “You really do know how to please a mare, don’t you, Pencil?”

Pencil nodded with his usual smirk plastered on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of laughing outside the carriage. Slightly lifting one of the window’s blinds next to him just enough to peek through, he turned to Glass. All the previous joy vanished from his face, and instead took on a much more serious expression.

“We’re here,” he said glumly.

Glass took in a deep breath as she lowered her mask. She felt a twinge of fear course through her body and subconsciously began to shudder. Unexpectedly, she turned to face Pencil as she felt him place a hoof on her shoulder. “You’re going to do just fine in there,” he reassured her.

“Yeah, I know” Glass turned away as she pushed his hoof, “We’ve been planning this for over two months. I’m not going to blow it.”

They both felt the carriage come to a stop, and the sweet, soothing tones of violins and cellos was able to be heard. “Once you get in there, you’re on your own.” He lifted the blinds again and peered through the window, making sure not to be seen by anypony outside. After a moment of silence, he continued, “Remember that we all have a part to play in there and out here.”

She turned to face him and said, “Just remember to be outside when I’m done, okay?”

His face hardened. “I’d never forget. We have a plan, and I plan on sticking to it.”

Glass nodded before lifting the mask back up to her face. Not even a moment later, the music, laughter, and casual conversations of the outside world flooded the carriage as the side door opened. Extending a hoof to Glass, one of the many well groomed butlers smiled before saying, “Welcome to the ball, if you may, could you please follow me?”

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

The mare’s eyes shot open as the deafening beeping of an alarm clock filled the air in the small motel room. She didn’t move for a moment, for her whole body felt as though it had been through a blender. Bringing a hoof up from under the covers to rub her partially-numb face, she groaned loudly.

Throwing the covers aside and sitting up, the mare flashed the clock a scowl before slamming her hoof on top of it. The beeping persisted, scratching against her inner skull like claws on a chalkboard.

She brought her hoof down on it again, producing a light crunching sound. She was almost sure the pounding decreased the volume ever so slightly, no, she was sure of it. After repeating the same formula for success for the fifth time, the ear piercing sound disappeared completely from existence, leaving behind nothing more than crumpled plastic.

The mare panted. She could feel her heart beating inside her chest at a breakneck speed. Swallowing heavily, she nodded to herself.

Breath, she thought. Taking a labored breath, she filled her lungs to capacity. Letting it all out, she could feel herself calming down. Just breath for once in your life.

It felt so real, her mind began to wander as she pondered her dream. The masks… The party… She shook her head, clearing it of those thoughts. Leave the past in the past, damnit.

Her eyes felt ravaged, her parched throat demanded water, and her mind begged for a release. A loud cough resonated through the room as she lifted herself off the filthy bed.

Taking a step onto the brown carpet, she felt the first evidence of what happened the previous night underneath her hoof. Looking down, she continuously blinked away spots in her vision as she focused on a loose article of clothing.

Small objects such as toothbrushes, mouthwash bottles, and drinking glasses claimed the the ground around her like the inhabitants of a sprawling town. To her surprise, there were virtually no stains on the carpet.

Her lips curved upwards a smidge as the priority of cleaning up dropped entirely. Stumbling towards the only other room connecting to her own, the bathroom, she made sure to support herself on the doorframe before entering. Another slip like last time would leave her with another nasty bump.

As she placed a hoof down on the white tiled floor of the washroom, she suddenly felt herself slip fall forward, causing her whole body to jerk as it descended. Slamming face first onto the ground, bright colors flashed through her head as she clenched her eyes shut.

A bloody and hard fought battle raged endlessly inside her thoughts, threatening to tear her apart bit by bit. Opening her mouth to breath, her eyes opened as her tongue made contact with the familiar taste of alcohol.

Finding herself laying on her side, the mare lifted herself off the floor, making sure to have a proper grip on the ground this time. Liquid dripped from her fur as she found herself standing over the toilet. She could only shake her head in self pity as an apple cider bottle floating around in the toilet bowl caught her attention. Surrounded by little bits of… filth, she forced herself to the sink before the sight made her vomit.

She turned on the tap and ran her hooves under cool water. Splashing her face a few times, the mare gulped before opening the mirrored medicine cabinet. Not even taking a look at her own reflection, she retrieved a transparent orange pill bottle and shook it.

Tilting and turning the small bottle to look past the label and to the contents inside, she counted six pills left.

“Take one every six hours for headaches and nausea,” she subconsciously read out loud as her gaze flickered over the usage directions on the white label. Pulling the cap off with her teeth, she carefully tilted the bottle and shook it until five of the six pills fell out. Without a second thought, she leaned her head back and downed them all at once.

The motel owner paced in the hallway outside one of his rooms with a frustrated expression painted on his face. He’d been muttering an indecipherable conversation with himself, one that only he knew or cared to talk about.

Suddenly, he stopped, shook his head, and raised a hoof to the door. Bringing it down hard on the thin wood, he yelled, “Listen, lady, you got to get out of there right now! You didn’t pay for the day, you payed for the flippin’ night!”

No response.

The motel owner felt his blood boil. “I received noise complaints last night about this room!” He pounded on the door again. “Open up!”

Silence.

“If you don’t open up at this instant, I’m going to call the guards, no, the Royal Guards, to kick this door open!”

“Oh, shutup,” a rude voice answered him from the other side. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. “Calm yourself down, alright? It’s not like anyone comes to this hole anyway.”

The doorknob turned and the door opened, revealing a finely groomed mare wearing a suit. She frowned deeply as she closed the door behind her.

“How dare you call my establishment a hole!” the stallion snorted, “You owe me five more bits for staying in there for half the damn day! That includes any damages you might have done, too.”

The suited mare raised a brow. “What makes you think I damaged my room?”

“Oh, please.” He pointed a hoof behind him and at the other closed doors dotted around the narrow hallway. “I’ve been receiving complaints since last night.”

Ignoring him as he continued to spout off, the mare reached into her suit pocket. Pulling out a hooful of bits, she started counting.

“What did you destroy, hmm? Smash the sink? Ruin the bed? What about th-”

“Here.” Her hoof prodded his chest as she shoved the bits towards him and dropped them. Scrambling to pick them up, the motel owner’s face morphed into a cocktail of confusion and rage as he quickly eyed the amount.

“This is only three!”

“Yep.” The mare pushed past him, leaving him flustered as he wordlessly mouthed out the most offensive words his mind could scrape together in an instant. He wanted to yell and scream, perhaps even hit her, but he kept his mouth shut.

“If this wasn’t a business…” he mumbled as he approached the door, preparing himself for a world of expensive bills and… repairs. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, he turned the knob and barged into the room.

His jaw almost hit the floor as he observed the state of the room. Beads of sweat perspired on his forehead as his breathing’s pace increased rapidly.

The bed’s sheets were without crinkles and it had the grandeur of a queen’s. The carpet, unlike what his usual cleaning techniques produced, was spotless. Marveling at the cleanliness of the room, he trotted over to the bathroom and peeked his head in. He was met by a practically sparkling floor, toilet, and sink.

“Well then…” He wiped his forehead clean with a hoof. “It must have been a different room…” A moment passed as he let it soak in. Gradually, he felt his expression hardened.

It must have been another room.

Marching out the room, he was content on spending the rest of his day on a relentless witch hunt for the true culprit, completely failing to notice the missing alarm clock.

Beams of warm sunlight shined on Scootaloo’s cheek as she continued to cuddle one of the softest pillows she’d ever felt in her life. The day itself was merely a blur of sleeping and blissful dreams of sweet nothingness.

Rubbing her face against the pillow, Scootaloo never wanted to let the moment slip away. She just wanted it to stay the way it was… perfect.

Her ears twitched as a door creaked open. Scootaloo made sure to clench her eyes shut, for she felt it might help deter anypony from pulling her away from her comfortable position.

Hoofsteps worked their way over to her bedside. Making sure to tighten her grip on the pillow, Scootaloo expected a rude awakening, just like so many other times back at the orphanage; instead, she heard a few hushed whispers and before she knew it, her pillow was being lifted from her grasp. Instinctively, Scootaloo fought back, she wasn’t about to let it go without a fight.

“No!” Scootaloo said in a groggy voice, “Ten more minutes, please!”

“Scootaloo… You’re going to have to let go of my leg sometime.”

Surprise shot through Scootaloo’s body as her eyes snapped open. Bright light swarmed her vision and she had to squint her eyes as they readjusted. Her vision was anything but clear and her body ached for more sleep, but she mustered enough strength to smile brightly.

Looking up, Scootaloo was greeted by Rainbow Dash’s graceful grin.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo blurted out whilst unwrapping her grip from around Rainbow's leg and pushing herself up to sit on her haunches, “I-I didn’t know you were here!”

“Yep,” Rainbow lifted her recently cuddled hoof and rustled Scootaloo’s messy mane with it, “It’s been a bit since you went under. We thought you’d be up about an hour ago.” Pointing over her shoulder, the Doctor gave Scootaloo a friendly wave.

Scootaloo could hardly contain her excitement. She had some many things to say and to ask; however, a quick glance at her surroundings extinguished the want to ask any questions as her memories came flooding back to her.

The hospital bed, the bandages, the doctor… Scootaloo snapped back to Rainbow Dash and began mouthing out words, intending to speak but nothing came out despite her best efforts.

Raising an eyebrow, Rainbow Dash briefly looked behind herself and at the doctor with a confused expression.

“Get her some water, her throat must be dry.”

Reaching over to the nightstand, the doctor retrieved a half-empty glass of water and gave it to Rainbow Dash. “Drink this, Squirt,” she said whilst hoofing it over to her.

It was only when Scootaloo laid eyes on the liquid, did she know just how much pain she was in. Not only was her throat burning like the scalding sun on a hot summer day, but the throbbing in her head had come back with a fury.

Grabbing the water, Scootaloo downed it quickly. After swallowing heavily and wiping her mouth with the blanket, she looked up at Rainbow and said, “I’m sorry about the fanclub! I know I’m not there right now, but I think Snips or Snails should be running it. D-did the Friday meeting get canceled?”

“What?” Rainbow Dash asked before quickly shaking her head. “No, no! I’m here to see you, Scoots. Not to worry about the fanclub.”

“B-but-” Scootaloo tried to continue but stopped as Rainbow lifted a hoof to her lips.

“I don’t care about the club right now, okay? All that matters right now is you.”

“Well,” the doctor spoke up, “it looks like you two could have a few minutes to yourself.” Smiling, he turned and walked to a spot just in front of Scootaloo’s bed. “I’ll be back in five. If you’re feeling hungry, Scootaloo, the pudding on your tray should help. I wouldn’t touch the noodles though, they’re a bit old.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and grabbed the pudding cup. “Thanks, Doc.” Opening it up with her teeth, she passed it to Scootaloo who happily buried her muzzle into it, licking at the pudding stored inside.

“Err, you might want to use this.” The doctor held up a spoon.

Scootaloo’s cheeks flared up as she grinned sheepishly with a bit of chocolate pudding on the sides of her muzzle. “Sorry…”

“Nah, it’s fine, Squirt,” Rainbow said. She took a napkin and wiped off the pudding from Scootaloo’s face then passed the spoon over to her, “You’re probably starving after being out for so long.’

“Why, how long was I sleeping?”

“Thirteen hours,” the doctor answered.

Scootaloo stabbed her spoon into the pudding once more, scooped the contents up, and dumped them inside her mouth. “Wow,” she began, cheeks bulging with pudding, “that’s a long time.”

“Sure is,” Rainbow Dash chimed in, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. Scanning her face, Scootaloo was able to make out dark lines under Rainbow’s eyes. It confused her for a moment until it finally dawned on her.

She was about to say something when Rainbow let out a loud yawn and stretched her wings. Has she been here all night? She wouldn’t do that for me, would she?

“Well,” the doctor said as he turned towards the door, “I’m going to get out of your manes for a few minutes; I’ll be back to check on Scootaloo in a bit.” Scootaloo pushed another spoonful of pudding into her mouth before lifting the spoon into the air to wave goodbye, failing to see loose pieces fall on the blanket.

As the door closed behind him, Scootaloo looked over to Rainbow Dash. Unable to think clearly after her recent revelation, a puzzled expression found its way onto her face. Staring back at her, Rainbow couldn’t hide her worry from Scootaloo.

“What’s wrong?” Scootaloo asked, cocking her head to the side with the spoon hanging out of her mouth.

“I-I” Rainbow stammered, “I w-was hoping to ask you a few things.”

“Sure, you can ask me anything, Rainbow Dash!”

A long moment passed as Rainbow simply rubbed the back of her head and looked away, attempting to build confidence to speak. Almost without warning, the words came pouring out of her mouth.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were in an orphanage, Scootaloo?”