On burning wings

Four hours had past since Twilight Sparkle had fainted after meeting the two new ponies that Princess Celestia herself had charged her with helping and her assistant the young purple dragon, Spike was getting worried. "Aren't ponies supposed to wake up from fainting when you splash water on them?" He asked in earnest. This question caused the siblings to exchange looks.

"Alright... Fine I'll go see what's up. Your lucky it's my turn." Fireburst, the stallion of the twins said as he sat next to Twilight's resting form and glowing slightly. This earned a strange look towards the pair from Spike and a approving nod from the stallion's sister Melody. When Fireburst's wings stared to glow with a cyan flame for magical aura which also appeared around Twilight's horn the little dragon was unnerved to say the least.

"Um... What's he doing?" Spike asked getting a gentle pat on the head and a motion to sit down next to Melody. "He's performing a Dream seeing spell. Sometimes Ponies can get lost in their own heads. It usually happens in book lovers and the like. They tend to get so wrapped up in their dreams that they forget they have to wake up." She said with a tender smile which quickly changed to a look of concern.

"Sometimes it's not that simple though." Those six words felt like a sword to the heart for Spike. These new ponies were only here one day and already Twilight was in trouble. He was just about ready to voice that opinion when Twilight stared to stir as if in a nightmare.

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Deep inside Twilight Sparkle's Dreamscape, Fireburst trotted through a massive library with a purpose. Find Twilight Sparkle and make sure she isn't in some kind of trouble. If she is eliminate the threat, if not ask why she hasn't woken up yet. But, as he wandered through the corridors of the massive library something just seemed off. "For a Library there seems to be a distinct lack of books." He thought to himself as he walked.

He continued his leisurely pace until he heard a distinctly feminine scream and was quickly tackled by a purple blur. "Miss Sparkle I presume?" He said as he helped the Filly version of Twilight to her hooves. "Okay found her inner Child but, why was she running?" He thought as the Filly started crying.

"Mister you gotta help me! There's something scary after me. It locked up the big me and the other kinds of me! It just got the me that's supposed to be outside and now, I'm the only me left for it too catch!" The Filly shouted through her tears. "A nightmare... Great." The stallion thought with a sigh before he brightened up. "It's alright now. Calm down and tell me where the others are locked up. I'll help them you have my word."

He said with a bow as a cyan blue scarf appeared around his face and a pair of swords appeared at his sides. "Oh how I love being able to mess with the dreamscape just by knowing it's a dream. Shame that never happens in my own dreams." He said with a smile as the Filly Twilight looked up at him with eyes full of admiration only a child could display.

"Wow... You look like my big Brother when he got made a royal guard! Well... Not my big brother, Big me's, big brother and oww... I gave my brain an ouchie." She said as she held her head with her hooves. Causing Fireburst to laugh a bit. "That's quite alright I know what you meant. Now where are the others being held prisoner?" He asked with a comforting pat on the Filly's head. That comment made her snap to attention. "Oh their in the lobby! Follow me!" She said as she galloped off Fireburst chuckling at how energetic the inner child Twilight had was.

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Back in the real world a small gathering of concerned ponies was bearing down on Melody. "Ah don't see how Twilight's stuck in her own head without you puttin' her there!" An Orange Earth pony wearing a Stetson shouted at Melody with a southern drawl. Melody looked bruised from the fact that she had tried to reason with the stubborn mare and was quickly bucked into the nearby bookcase. "Like I said, Miss Applejack-" Melody tried to speak before she was cut off by the fact that Twilight's breathing suddenly became sufficiently more labored.

"That's... Not good." She admitted to the group. Which consisted of Applejack, A sky blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail, a butter-yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail, & a marshmallow white unicorn with a purple main and tail. A pink earth pony was here until she said something about needing to make muffins for energy or something like that and dashing out of the house.

"Um... Excuse me. B-But what's not good?" The yellow pegasus known as Fluttershy asked with a concerned look on her face which was shared by the entire room. "She's trapped by a nightmare and before you ask there is a difference." Melody pulled the Library's chalkboard into the room and showed the complicated drawings she seemingly had prepared while waiting for the group to show up. The most disturbing pictures of the group were an amorphous blob like being covering a pony which then turned them into a creature similar to Nightmare Moon. "That's what my brother is in there to stop." She concluded as all eyes turned back to the pair of dreamers. Silent prayers going out for Twilight that whatever Fireburst was doing would succeed.

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"CRAP, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!!" Fireburst shouted as he flew away from the massive creature that the Nightmare had found Twilight most afraid of and strangely enough it was a homework report marked Failed for being late. "Who knew late homework could be such a pain in the flank." He said with a chuckle trying to reassure the Filly Twilight who was tightly clutching to his back as they flew. When she heard the joke she chuckled a little.

"Okay, find the Nightmare? Check. Make a sarcastic comment to reassure whatever persona of the host's mind I'm traveling with that I'm able to handle it? Check. Find it's weakness? It's a homework assignment it even says it on the damn thing... So... Check. Kill the Nightmare and rescue hostages and the host's mind before the host's mind is completely consumed? Working on it." He thought to himself while dodging another lunge from the over sized report.

"Uh, mister? I feel kinda funny." The Filly Twilight said as she was starting to fade away which caused Fireburst to stop on top of a bookcase and set her down. "Don't worry, I won't let it get you. I promise." He said with a calming tone as he turned to the report. "Okay you over sized paper bag. Bring it." He said with a confidant smile as the report did just that only to run into a wall of flames and was soon completely ablaze.

"You know... I would have thought it would be harder." Fireburst said as the scarf seemed to move like a pair of arms drawing the blades from his sides, as the creature fell to the floor before him and took it's natural shape. That of a formless blob of swirling black. "Sweet dreams." Was all he said as he stabbed the now formless creature setting it's captives free.

The Filly Twilight recovered and shakily trotted up to him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for saving me." Was all she said as the Dream Library and the Inner Child of Twilight Sparkle melted away the time to sleep now over.

All Fireburst could do now was walk over and check on the Host mind, Which in other words meant the real Twilight Sparkle. "Miss Sparkle? Are you alright it's time to wake up." He said as she stirred and groaned. As she did so he nodded and faded from her mind. Leaving her to waking up.

Authors Corner: Sorry about the delay... Writers block is not my friend. So I tried my best to keep true to the tags I've given to the story so far and I need to ask if anypony in the audience has any opinions or advice to add. Constructive criticism is the only way to make a story better. Well that and a happy ending.