Listening to a Friend

You yawn as you get comfortable in your bed, the day had been long and you can't wait for some shuteye. Everything that happened... Spitfire dragging you around town, the brief letter from Shooting Star, and seeing Rarity again... Rarity... You close your eyes and drift into sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jetlag..." A voice says in a disappointed tone. "You told me we'd go to Manehattan today..." This is definitely a dream. "Jetlaaaaag!" The voice whined. "Get uuuuup!"

Your eyes flutter open slowly to see the beautiful white unicorn who looks almost as if she is about to cry. "Alright, alright, please stop complaining Rarity." You yawn while shaking your head in a violent manner.

At this she seems to perk up, though she still apparently feels the urge to correct you. "I was whining, not complaining, though I doubt you want to hear me complain." Rarity wraps you in her magic and whisks you out of bed. "Now, are we going or not?" Without waiting for an answer the purple-maned unicorn tosses you into the shower and shuts the door. She wanted this.

You sigh and shake your head. You did, in fact, promise Rarity that you two would go to Manehattan, however, you promised you would leave after sunset, not after sunrise.

You twist the "hot" knob for your shower and wait momentarily for the warm rush of water that flows over you. "You're a little early, don'cha think?" You ask the mare on the other side of the shower door. "I mean, like, a twelve hour difference."

"Oh, hardly." She puts plenty of emphasis on the "ah" in hardly. "It's only been eleven hours and a half."

You roll your eyes.

"Look, Rarity," You say in as little of a chastising tone as you can. "that's not much of a difference."

"Yes, yes it is. I would much rather have someone be eleven and a half hours early." You can't see her face, but you know that she is scowling, she's in "Serious Mode". "Being twelve hours early is simply too early."

"Oh, you are right dear," You mimic her accent. "however, anything earlier than ten minutes is simply too early." You give yourself the satisfaction of a barely audible chortle.

You hear her giggle. "Jetlag, that was actually pretty good." She pounds on the door with a hoof. "Now, hurry and get out of there."

"You just threw me in!"

"I pushed you i-"

"I get it, but you know what I mean." Sometimes her constant correcting gets on your nerves.

"Fine, take your time, but we are leaving soon."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are at the train station... funny, it's more green than you recall it ever being. You look to the mare who is selling you your tickets to Manehattan, a cute brown mare who looks no older than you are. You've never met her before, nor do you wish to now, so you pay her no mind. She hoofs you your tickets and you are on your way.

"Jetlag!" Rarity whines from next to you.

You sigh. 'What now Rarity?"

"When is the train going to be here?"

You don't answer her question, she'd been doing this for nearly a year; whining, complaining, generally just being annoying to you. You did not wish to speak to her.

"Jetlag!"

You give no response.

"Jetlag!"

Not giving in.

"Jetlag."

You shake your head this time, hoping she gets the message.

"Jetlag..."

You grind your teeth against each other, if she does that one mo-

"Jetlag...?"

You snap. "What do you want Rarity!?" You whip to your right to face the white unicorn only to see that she isn't there. You make a full turn, she stopped behind you.

"I-I'm sorry Jetlag..." Her face contorts into a devilish smile and her coat becomes a reddish-white, odd... "I didn't mean to disturb you so much." Her mane shifts to black and all of the scenery to the violet her mane used to be. She blinks, her eyes now being two glistening, flickering flames of orange. "What can I do to make it up to you?" Her voice at least two octaves deeper now.

"Umm... Rarity, are you alright?" Stupid question, you pound your hoof against your forehead.

"Please," She has now lost her accent completely. "I'll do anything for you 'Lag." ...She never called you that.

You turn around and start to walk toward the train, however, before you can reach it you are pulled into a swirling dark abyss. There are ponies, what you hope to be ponies, shrieking and wailing all around you, their blood splashing out of seemingly empty spaces into your face. There are manticores lumbering past you in full pelt and a hydra fighting to the death with timber wolves. There is a thundering roar that comes from ahead of you, a giant blue dragon is flying toward you with it's claws outstretched and it's teeth bared. You feel a shiver start at the bases of your hooves and climb to the tips of your ears. You close your eyes and cower before your demise. Before the dragon reaches it's mark, you plummet deeper into the abyss. Down. Down. Down. Until you feel a heavy thump on your chest. Your eyes flutter open to see a phoenix with it's beak in your face. It squawks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your eyes burst open with a start. Your chest is heaving in the wake of your nightmare. A smile breaks on your lips. There she is. Spitfire.

"Morning bro! Bad dream?"