“Awesome, awesome, awesome. I’m so very awesome. Awesome, awesome, yeah!” A familiar tomboyish song played from Twilight’s pocket. She grabbed her phone quickly, muffling the ringtone quickly.

“Is that Rainbow?” asked Sunset. “Wait. Do you have personalized ringtones for everyone? I know that isn’t your standard one.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course. Just like how every friend is unique.”

“What’s mine?” Sunset leaned forward.

“We-heh-ell, look at that. Rainbow Dash is calling,” said Twilight as she answered the phone quickly and set it on the table. “Hey Dash, Twilight speaking. You’re on speaker.”

“Hey Twilight. Where’ve you two been? I’ve been trying to call you and Sunset for like an hour,” said Rainbow Dash over the phone.

“We’re having a rough day, Dash,” said Sunset leaning closer to the phone. “Lots of weird magic, a scary battle, you know the drill.”

“Oh hey, Sunset. Makes sense. Are you two okay? The Rocky Road concert just ended a bit ago and I was trying to hit you girls up for that movie. Is that science thing over yet?” asked Rainbow.

Trixie glanced between Sunset and Twilight. “Trixie feels like she is missing something.”

“Wait. Was that Trixie?”

“Hmm. Definitely some potato chips. Are you sure you have none, Sparkle?”

Twilight glared at Trixie. “No. There are no chips in this house.”

“Okay, now I’m definitely interested,” said Rainbow.

“We’re okay, Rainbow. Mostly. It’s a lot to take in at the moment, and sorry. Gotta take a raincheck on that movie,” said Sunset looking at Lemon Zest. “We’re helping a new friend with that weird magic business.”

Lemon Zest stared at Sunset, wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled.

“Okay. Weird magic business, yeah. So, uh, guess the movie’s out. Want me to round up the girls? You know we always have your backs.”

Twilight held her gem pendant in her hand as it dangled off her neck. “Could you please, Rainbow? I think that would be a good idea. Trixie, Sunset, Lemon Zest and I are at my house. You remember where that is?”

“You betcha I do. It’s that purple house in the neighborhood with three story homes? I mean, it’s kinda hard to forget a purple house, Twilight,” said Rainbow.

“Trixie knew it.”

“Yeah, okay. I’m gonna go grab the girls, except maybe Pinkie. I seriously have no idea where she is, and I think she’s gone off the grid today.”

“Thanks, Dash. You’re awesome,” said Sunset.

“Always and you know it. Later!” The phone went dead as the call was ended.

“Um, should we wait for your friends to get here?” asked Lemon. “More people, the better, right?”

“Trixie would agree, but time is important. That and Trixie isn’t sure the whole Shimmer Crew can use dream magic. Trixie doesn’t know what you call people with magic and people without. Terms are difficult and no one else liked mine.”

“Oh, okay. Well, how are you guys gonna do this?” asked Lemon.

“That’s a good question. I assume it will need a lot of preparation and setup. Magic… magic needs incense, right? I wonder if there’s a book on this type of spell, or maybe a study on dreaming would be helpful,” rambled Twilight.

“Or is requires precise dimensional calculations and several rare components that we don’t have on hand. We need to have all the right sigils and runes to channel the magic through, right?” asked Sunset.

Trixie stared blankly at both of them. “Trixie has no idea what you fools are on about. It’s really easy. Lemon Zest will go to sleep, and when she does you two and Trixie will go into her dreams and fight the nightmare.”

“What?”

“How?”

“Before Trixie teaches anyone anything she doesn’t want to do this in the living room. As comfortable as the couch is, Trixie doesn’t want to sleep on it,” stated Trixie.

Lemon nodded in agreement. “I mean, yeah, it’s cool but if I’m gonna have to sleep. Um, not here would be nice?”

“Well, I suppose we could use my room. Just please keep in mind I wasn’t planning on having guests today. I didn’t get, it’s not exactly, um, this way.” Twilight gestured for the over three to follow with a hand. They went up the stairs, down a hallway lined with pictures and banners, before entering a door at the end.

One wall of the bedroom was trophies. Every shape and size, every one of them golden and large, stacked upon one another and lined across a massive showcase with many shelves. Just below the polished trophies was a line of blue ribbons in their own frames in precise rows and columns. The hardwood floor was nearly spotless, a few mechanical parts were strewn about, and the perfectly made double bed took up most of the room otherwise.

Sunset walked in after Twilight and sat in the computer chair as the desk opposite of the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable for how flat it looked. “If this is what you all messy I would hate to hear what you would say about my apartment.”

“And Trixie is once again reminded of why she never wins anything,” said Trixie upon seeing the trophy wall. She sat on the edge of the bed with no hesitancy.

Lemon Zest joined Trixie sitting on the bed. “Yeah, you know, competition scene is rough around here. Okay, so how do I do this? I’m not really feelin’ sleep right now.”

Trixie gave a cheap laugh, not like her usual self. “Lay on the bed and try going to sleep. Trust Trixie, if you try and think about the nightmare you’ll be out in a second.”

Lemon crawled further on the bed, she looked to Twilight her gestured for her it was okay to do so, and laid upon her back. She closed her eyes, clasped her hands over her chest, and breathed deeply.

“And she’s out,” said Trixie.

“What? It’s been literally three seconds,” said Twilight.

Sunset got up from the chair and stared down at the sleeping girl. “Lemon? Hey, Lemon, you awake or asleep?”

No response other than breathing.

“Okay, that’s pretty freaky.”

“Now you two find a comfortable position. Trixie advises this as the last time she did this she ended up with a sore back for two weeks,” said Trixie as she bounced on the edge of the bed playfully. The rocking didn’t even stir the sleeping girl.

Sunset closed the door, leaned against it and slid down to a sitting position with a knee propped up for her to rest her arm on. Twilight opted to grab her pillows off the bed, lay them on the wood floor in a line, and lay down on them comfortably.

“Now what?” asked Sunset.

Trixie looked up in thought and rolled her hand slowly. “Well, Trixie isn’t sure how to explain it. She knew how to do it by instinct. Okay, follow with Trixie on this one. To note you won’t see each other, even if you both do it at the same time.”

“What do you mean?” asked Twilight.

“You will see what Trixie means. Now, ahem, close your eyes.”

Sunset watched Twilight do so, gave one glance at Trixie who frowned while staring at Lemon Zest, and closed her eyes.

“You know what the room looks like. Imagine the room, every detail down to the lint on the window. Take it in. Draw the room into your mind. See yourself in the room, exactly how you remember yourself. Not how you feel, what your body feels, but how you imagine yourself appearing.”

Sunset did as Trixie explained. In her mind was Twilight’s room, the bed, the computer, trophies and all. Twilight was lying down on the pillows, the creases in them soft lines barely holding any weight. Lemon was sinking into the blankets on the bed and Trixie was frowning tightly as she talked. She saw herself, slumped against the door and resting her head on her knee.

“Now open your eyes.”

“What? You just told—” Sunset opened her eyes as she was beginning to argue, but her breath lodged in her throat after she did. The image in her mind, like a faded photograph from an old attic, flared to life as if newly restored. Every color was brighter, every detail more vivid, the shadows were fluid like unmoving water. And she saw herself still there, slumped against the door with her eyes closed.

“Trixie proves herself to be a great teacher,” said Trixie giving herself three quick claps. “Or she assumes so seeing as no one is awake.”

“Trixie, I’m right here,” said Sunset waving a glowing hand in front her face.

It surprised her that her body was literally glowing and her hair was defying gravity in a nonexistent breeze. She was wearing a strapless pink and white dress, her boots were literal flames cascading around her legs, and wings of golden light sprouted from her back. Barely in the tip of her vision, she saw a spiraling horn of light. Sunset looked similar to the form she turned into to save Twilight from herself during the Friendship Games.

“This is what Trixie calls Dreamwalking. No, Trixie doesn’t understand how it works, Sparkle. Trixie is sure you’ll figure it out. No, Trixie can’t hear what anyone is saying because everyone is sleeping. Just… look around you. You’ll be your animus, a personification of your true self, or so Trixie believes. You’ll also see other people’s animus’, of which only people who have dream magic will have.”

Sunset studied Twilight’s sleeping form. Her friend was still there in her heavily layered clothes soundlessly sleeping, but that was underneath another girl. A flowing full-body robe of shooting stars and galaxies that moved like the night sky covered nearly her entire body. A shining blue horn of energy erupted from her brow, brilliant glowing blue wings, feathered like an angel’s unlike her own, sprawled on the floor from her back.

Trixie was herself but overlaid atop her every movement was the shrouded witch figure they had seen back at the fair. “Trixie will join you shortly. You will notice Lemon Zest. Now that she is asleep Trixie will be honest. The next part, helping her with her nightmare, can be many things. Never are they pleasant.”

Sunset crept close to the Lemon who slept deeply. Unlike the other two girls, she couldn’t see Lemon’s form. It was there, layered on top of her body like everyone else, but it was shrouded in a swirling darkness. The way it rippled was vile, every wisp that clung to the girl unsettled Sunset in her stomach and that was merely from the sight of it. Was this how Lemon was feeling the whole time?

“Now, to enter the dream all you have to do it touch her. Like how you imagined the room in detail, just think about going into her mind. Now, if you’ll excuse Trixie she has a nightmare to fight.” Trixie got up, turned around, and belly flopped on Twilight’s bed with all too much enjoyment for it. Sunset swore Trixie was out cold before she hit the blanket.

“Well. Here goes nothing,” said Sunset. Her hand touched Lemon’s forehead. The darkness screamed at her touch, grabbed her hand and sucked her in with a violent pull. Every fiber of her being, from her horn to her toes, felt repulsed at she fell into Lemon Zest. The room vanished in a whirlpool as nothingness overtook her.

Author's Note

So, the dream begins. Thanks to all who've read this far and put up with all this talking. I mean, who talks anymore?