Romp

Three pegasi hovered together amidst the chaos of raining marble and feathers. “Listen,” one of them shouted, “I’m tellin’ ya, if we just move fluffy clouds over this way, we can rebuild it in no time!”

“But Fluffy Clouds is on vacation this week!” another argued. “We don’t even know where he went!”

“No, I meant fluffy clouds!”

“But there’s nothing but clear skies!” the third pointed out.

“Nuh uh. Clear Skies is my n—”

A pink mare floated between the three, riding a gondola beneath a giant purple pony blimp. “This is really old hat, fellas. Why don’t you try a different angle? Instead of comedy, maybe you could help the plot somehow!”

The three pegasi blinked as the mare passed them by, her aim fixed for the sunset shimmering in the distance. “Who was that pony?” one of them asked.

“I dunno,” another said, turning her gaze up. “But it looks like we’re about to get a sunshower.”

The third face-hoofed. “That’s my name, Open Skies!”

“No, look! I swear, it’s about to—”

“Guys!” a cerulean pegasus shouted, bringing herself to hover next to the group. “Have you seen a giant purple pony headed this way?”

“Hey Rainbow Dash,” Sunshower said. “You looking for the inflatable or the real thing?”

Rainbow blinked. “I… really don’t wanna know about the first. But yeah, where’s the real one?”

All three pointed toward a brown line swathed across the earth in the distance. “Just follow the path of destruction,” Open Skies said, “you can’t miss her.”

“Got it, thanks!” And with that, Rainbow Dash sped off for the horizon.

The three watched the pegasus for a moment, then looked between each other. A dull rumble sounded overhead before the soggy remains of Cloudsdale began to dispense its contents over them. “Yeah, this isn’t funny,” Sunshower said, slumping her shoulders.

__________

A myriad of emotions ran through Rainbow Dash’s adrenaline-fueled veins. To see her home of Cloudsdale be destroyed without warning brought about dread she hadn’t felt since Discord first appeared on the scene. But knowing its destruction was brought about by one of her friends? Terror and anger threatened to mix into a dangerous combination as she barreled through the frigid air over Equestria, beating her wings with purpose.

But nothing seemed to really add up. For one, even with the way she felt, the emotions weren’t that passionate. They were dulled, as if she couldn’t fully grasp hold of them. Not to mention there was the fact that Twilight was a giant. In the spell world, that was one thing – but in real life? For one, how was she able to do it? And two, why would she do it? Surely she didn’t know about Gilda beforehoof? She was thankful she appeared when she did, but now…

“Wait a sec,” Rainbow muttered against the wind whipping past her. “That was my old dorm room. And didn’t Twilight say—”

Rainbow Dash?

Rainbow blinked a couple of times at a voice calling from the back of her mind. “Uhh, did I just go crazy and nopony told me about it?”

Rainbow Dash!

“Yeah, alright, definitely hearing things now,” she said with a shaky voice. “Really ready for this to just be a bad dream.”

Well, I believe you’re in luck.

Rainbow’s eyes shot wide – just as a white flash zapped close to her side. She turned her head to gawk at the blue alicorn now flying beside her. “Princess Luna?!”

“Fear not, Rainbow Dash,” the Princess said, matching the pegasus’ speed with poise and grace. “This is, in fact, merely a bad dream. Focus your mind on the edges of your vision – what do you see?”

Rainbow tilted her head for a second, then did as the Princess told her, crossing her eyes in the process. “Uh… it’s all wavy and junk. Just like…” Her eyes snapped back in place with a grin. “Hey, it really is a dream!”

“And a particularly dangerous one, if I might add,” Luna said, emphasizing the point with a firm tone. She turned her attention to the row of collapsed trees in the distance and said, “We need to bring this dream to an end as quickly as possible.”

“We?” Rainbow said, casting a curious gaze toward Luna. “Why can’t you just end the dream?”

“To put it simply, there is a magical tether between yours and Twilight’s dream realms that is close to fusing permanently. I believe Twilight may be better suited at explaining why this came to pass, but we came to visit your dream due to a flux I sensed within your realm.”

Rainbow scrunched her muzzle. “Uh… okay?” She looked off in the horizon where a large mound lay beneath the sun. “This has something to do with that spell Twilight was using, huh?”

“Precisely.”

“That figures.” Rainbow thought back to the rest of her dream. She remembered the moments just before Twilight’s appearance and gulped. “Um… s-so, did you see everything? In my dream, that is?”

Luna cast her a forlorn glance. “I’m afraid so. I intended to bring the dream to a halt, as I normally do when a nightmare begins to form—”

“So why didn’t you?” Rainbow abruptly asked.

“Because, Twilight felt responsible for the events that transpired here, and set out to take care of things herself.”

“So she saw everything too?!” Rainbow groaned. “How could you let one of my best friends see something like that? I thought you were supposed to be the protector of dreams or something!”

Luna sighed and looked away. “I’ll admit the circumstances may have not been ideal, but I promise you,” she said, glancing over at her once more, “I brought her here for a reason.”

Rainbow met the Princess’ gaze, which made clear the sincerity in her words. “Ugh,” she grumbled, running a hoof across her face. “Just… fine. Whatever.” She peered out at the mound in the distance, now growing in size. “So what’s the deal with Twilight going all monster-pony on us?”

“To be honest,” Luna said, “I’m not certain myself, though I do have my suspicions. Unlike with some ponies, I’m not as familiar with either yours or Twilight’s recent dreams. Thus, I’m not able to decipher events like I can with others – although Twilight did fill me in on some details before we arrived.”

Rainbow tensed at that. Just how much had Twilight told the Princess? Did she mention any of the secrets she shared? Then again, that probably didn’t matter anymore considering what the Princess had already seen. “Okay,” she said after a moment, “so what’s going on here? Why can’t you end the dream?”

“It appears the fusion has progressed further than I anticipated. Mere moments after Twilight set out to take things into her own hooves, elements of your dream began to blend with hers – most of all through your griffon friend, Gilda.”

“So, like…” Rainbow shrugged. “What’s that got to do with you not being able to end the dream?”

“Because of the fusion and the state of Twilight’s heart, she has lost herself to her own fears – those of which are now embodied in Gilda.” The two banked around a lone cloud as Luna said, “Normally, I can bring a pony to conscious awareness by simply introducing myself to the dream. But in this case, Twilight already knew of my presence – and yet somehow, she still succumbed to the fears welling within her. Unless she is willing to cooperate and triumph over those fears, there’s nothing I can do.”

Rainbow furrowed her brow. “I don’t get it.” She gestured with her hooves back to the remains of Cloudsdale far behind them. “If she’s afraid of something, then why did she do all that giant pony nonsense?”

“For you, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said, looking her way. “She did it for you. When she bore witness to the events of your dream, she felt responsible. She believes it due to her influence that you had this nightmare, and she wanted to make things right.”

“I… wh…?” Rainbow stared blankly at Luna for a moment before letting her gaze drift to the mound once more, now the distinct shape of a giant pony.

It was all a little too much for Rainbow to process at once. Rather than answering anything, the Princess had just raised more questions – like, why would Twilight feel responsible? Her past with Gilda had nothing to do with her. It was true that if it hadn’t been for the recent spell stuff, she might have not thought back to those times. But Twilight didn’t know that, right? She hadn’t told her about the dream she had after crashing into the guest-room, so… had she somehow let on that it was because of her she had been thinking of her past with Gilda?

Well, okay – duh, of course she had. After all, she shared her past with Gilda because she wanted to show Twilight she could kind of relate. So it was obvious she had been thinking of Gilda because of what her and Twilight had been up to. But that didn’t mean she should have felt guilty for her having this dream. It was her own dumb mistakes that led to this, not because of anything Twilight did. Then again, knowing her, she had probably thought it to death until she felt responsible. That would be just like Twilight.

Twilight… that’s right.

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “Princess,” she called out against the wind. “Do you know what’s going on with Twilight?”

“Not entirely,” Luna said. “Soon after she fell from the city, I lost my connection with her conscious. All I know is Gilda has taken on elements of her fears and is currently battling with Twilight.”

Rainbow swallowed a lump in her throat. It didn’t take long for the familiar weight of guilt to sink into her gut. “I think I might know what she’s afraid of.”

“I hoped as much,” Luna said, turning her gaze to Rainbow. “Though I’m currently powerless to do anything about it.”

“Right,” Rainbow said with a nod. “So, give me the run-down. What exactly do I need to do here?”