The Mistress of Dreams

Twilight was back in Applejack’s room.  She looked out her window and saw the stars were fading and the sun was breaking out from behind the mountains.  She furrowed her brow in disappointment.  The lavender unicorn walked toward the window, but stopped and took glanced back at the sleeping farmpony.

“That was great dream, Applejack,” She whispered.  “See you in the morning.”  With that, she flew out of the window, her final destination being the library.

“This has been a terrific night!” she said to herself.  “I discovered a way to travel into pony’s dreams, and spent time with two of my best friends!” She gasped as she stumbled upon a late realization.  “Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! I’ve got to find a way to get back inside my body!”  She levitated as fast as she could to the library in just enough time before dawn.

Twilight floated through the upstairs window into her room.  Spike was still asleep in his basket/bed and her body was still in the state she left it.

“I wish I had enough time to figure this out,” she lamented.  She floated closer to her body and inspected it.  Her horn was glowing throughout the night.  Thank goodness it didn’t wake Spike up.  The sun was peeking over the horizon, its rays stretching in the darkness.  She didn’t know what to do nor what she was doing.  With no other options, she looked at her horn and prepared for the worse.

Twilight reached her head over and her spiritual horn connected with her physical horn.  A purple magic aura engulfed her, and the lavender unicorn felt her conscious reuniting with her shell; her mind and body finally becoming one.  Her horn stopped glowing and continued what she had left of her peaceful sleep.

The stars disappeared completely from the sky.  The bright, yellow sun rose gloriously as the new day began.  The rays from the sun reached over to the bedroom occupied by a unicorn and her baby e.  She sat up, stretched her legs and released a yawn.  She looked out the window and saw the sun rising just inches above the hills and mountains, the morning sky replacing the midnight darkness.  She walked over to Spike and gently nudged him with her snout.

“Spike, it’s morning.  It’s time to wake up,” She whispered.  She heard moans and groans before the baby dragon slowly rose from his slumber.

“Twilight?”

“Hey, Spike.  Did you sleep well?”

“Uh... uhn... wha...”

Twilight giggled at the little dragon.  “That’s nice.  I’ll be downstairs making our breakfast.  I’ll call you when its ready.”  She headed downstairs into the kitchen.  Spike usually made breakfast, but she wanted to make amends for that little mishap in his dream. And also due to the fact that Spike nearly stayed up half the night rearranging all the misplaced books on the shelves.  The lavender unicorn levitated flour, milk, eggs, fruits, and all other essentials needed to make a complete, balanced breakfast.  It was a half-hour later when the aroma of sweet, fluffy pancakes with maple syrup traveled upstairs and filled Spike’s nostrils.  The dragon walked downstairs, astonished to find Twilight had already completed making breakfast.

“Whoa.  Twilight Sparkle?  Making pancakes?”

“Sure thing, Spike,” Twilight happily answered.  Spike was confused beyond belief.  Since when did know how to make pancakes?  Really... really delicious looking ones for that matter.

“Anything wrong, Spike?”

“Who are you, and what have you done to Twilight?”

Twilight laughed at Spike’s interrogation method.  “Spike, it’s me.  I just thought I should make breakfast this time, since you helped me organized those books last night.  It wouldn’t be fair to you, so this just my way of saying thank you.”  Spike instantly remembered the night before.  All. Those. Books. So many of them in one place; fiction, non-fiction, biographies, picture books, encyclopedias.  All night, he had to arrange them.  Alphabetically.  By hand.  Well, at least she made breakfast; that made him a little better.  He sat on his highchair and saw small crystals placed inside the pancakes; now he knew he couldn’t resist.  He consumed with his heart’s content the golden pancakes that laid in front of him.  This must be what heaven taste like if heaven had a taste at all.  Twilight smiled brightly at his young assistant.

“So, did you have a good night’s rest,” Twilight asked.

“I had an okay sleep.  But the highlight of it was the dream I had.”  Twilight stopped eating and looked at Spike.

“Oh, really?  What was the dream about,” she asked innocently.

“Nah, you wouldn’t be interested.  It’s kinda silly,” Spike sighed.

“Spike, you can tell me - we all have silly dreams from time to time.”

Spike was still unsure.  He has been having multiple dreams about Rarity lately (not that he was bothered by it, mind you), but he didn’t want to reveal that to Twilight.  When it comes to his crush on Rarity, Twilight never took it seriously.

“Come on, Spike.  How about this, I’ll tell about the dream I had last night,” Twilight said.  Spike looked surprised; she was incredibly nice this morning.  We’ll see how long this last.

“Okay, sure. Go ahead,” Spike answered.  He was all ears.

“Okay - I was in the center of the Royal Canterlot Court.  Princess Celestia accused me of dethroning her and Princess Luna, and she said I was about to control Equestria with an iron hoof.  The entire family was there to witness the sentencing and I... well, I didn’t know what to say.  My parents were ashamed to look at me, and Shining Armor... he... he had his back turned to me.  I cried and cried, until Celestia turned me into stone.  As my punishment.”

Spikes eyes were wider than dinner saucers.

“Wow, that’s harsh.  But I know you wouldn’t do that to the princess.  Not in a million years!” Spike reassured her.

“Thanks, Spike.”

“Well, I suppose since you told you dream, it’s my turn,” Spike said.  He swallowed the crystal-covered pancakes, and cleared his throat for his so Twilight could hear.

“So, um... It’s about me and Rarity.”  Twilight giggled.  She already knew what was going to happen, but she gave him her full attention anyway.  “Okay, so... in my dream, I convinced Rarity to take a break from her workshop and spend the day with me.  Then we climbed on this hill, right?  When we got to the top, it was amazing! You could see all of Equestria from up there!  We were like laying down on the grass, enjoying the scenery.  And I got down on one knee and was about to pop the question.”

Here it comes.

“Then... you appeared all of a sudden.  You said that I will never have a chance with Rarity, and... she agreed.  And left.”

Twilight still felt bad, and wished she had not done what she did.

“Oh.  I ruined your engagement to Rarity?”

“Yeah, thanks a lot, Twilight.”

Twilight raised her right hoof up and exclaimed: “On behalf of your mental projection of myself, I hereby apologize for any wrongdoing and shenanigans.”  Twilight and Spike laughed at the declaration.  The light-hearted conversation made Spike forget about the awful night from before.

“So Twilight, what’s the plan for today,” Spike asked his mentor.

“I don’t have anything in particular scheduled; maybe this afternoon, I can get the girls together, and we can all meet at Sugarcube Corner - if they’re not busy.  Sound good?”  Spike was quick to agree.  If it meant being close to Rarity, he had all the time in the world.  “So I guess you have the morning off,” Twilight continued.

“Alright!”, exclaimed Spike.  This was best news he heard all week.  If things get any better today, he’ll have next weekend off.  The two roommates finished their breakfast.  Spike washed the dishes while Twilight cleaned the mess made from baking the pancakes.  When the kitchen was clean, Spike grabbed his saddlebag and headed out the door.

“I got some business to take care of this morning.  I promised the Cutie Mark Crusaders to help figure out what their special talents are - not that it would help.  Thanks for the morning off, Twi!”

“You are most certainly welcome, Spike,” she said happily.  “See you this afternoon!”  Spike waved goodbye and headed into town to meet his young acquaintances.  Twilight walked back upstairs and sat at her desk, pondering about the events that transpired last night.

“It’s so strange.  So surreal.  How can a dream lead to an out-of-body experience?  And how did I gain the ability to enter the subconscious of other ponies?  And most importantly... why has this happened... to me?”  Her troubled mind was filled with questions that desperately needed answers.  She sat at her desk for a while before she decided to do something about it.  She got up and scanned her bookshelf with her magic.  Surely, there are books about dreams, reality, consciousness... anything.  Nothing.  She couldn’t find anything.  Twilight slumped to the ground, a sigh escaping her mouth.  “This is impossible,” She said to herself.

A knock echoed throughout the library, snapping her back to reality.  The unicorn mare approached the door, with her magic engulfing and twisting the knob.

To her surprise, it was Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy?  What are you doing here?”

“Oh, Twilight.  Um, I came by early to return the book you loan to me.  If.. you don’t mind,” Fluttershy said, timidly.

“Oh, no, not at all.  I’m Sorry, it’s just that... I had a strange night is all,” Twilight explained.

Fluttershy, the most caring, and motherly of the unicorn’s friends, was understandably worried.  “Oh, my.  What happened?  Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy, it’s nothing serious,” Twilight reassured to the yellow pegasus.  “I just had a silly dream that kept me up for a while, but I’m okay now.”  She created a wide grin on her face, so Fluttershy wouldn’t be concerned.

“Oh, okay then.  But if you want to talk about anything, I’m here for you,” Fluttershy said in a motherly tone.

“Thanks, Fluttershy.  So how was Creating a Healthy Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner for Your Furry Friend?”

“Oh, it was wonderful!” Fluttershy proclaimed.  “I learned all sorts of new recipes for all the animals, and Angel Bunny really likes the carrot and potato soup.”

“That’s great,” Twilight said.  “You know Fluttershy, you don’t have to return it.  You can renew it if you want to learn more recipes.”

“Oh, thank you Twilight, but I can’t.  I don’t want to keep it for a long time when there might be somepony else who need it.  Besides, I have every single recipe memorized.”  Twilight smiled at the timid pegasus.  She always puts other ponies best interests before hers.

“Well, if you want to check it out again, it will be right here waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Twilight.  I have to go now, I have to buy some asparagus from the marketplace.”  Fluttershy walked the other direction, and then swiftly turned to Twilight.  “Oh, I almost forgot - I had a dream about you last night.”

Twilight’s eyes widen.  “You have?  What was it about?”

“I don’t have time to tell you about it, now.  How about you come to my home for afternoon tea?  Um, if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh sure, I would love to come.  I just have to finish rearranging some things.  See you this afternoon.”  With that, Fluttershy walked down the marketplace.  Twilight closed the door and stared into space.  She rushed up to her study room, spread out a parchment and began writing to the Princess.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I need your assistance right away...

***

Ditzy Doo made her usual rounds across Ponyville.  Sure, she misplaced somepony’s mail with another, and maybe she may have caused a heavy object to fall from the loading cart in the sky, and it was possible she didn’t know what went wrong, but she was a mailpony, and it was her sworn duty to deliver the mail to her fellow citizens of her hometown.  Neither rain, sleet, hail, snow, or gloom of night shall stop the courier from swiftly completing her appointed rounds.  It was the code each member of the Postal Service of Equestria abide to.

“Ditzy!”  The grey, crossed-eye pegasus heard her being called, but she couldn’t tell where the voice came from.

“Ditzy, down here!”

“Oh hi, Twilight!  I didn’t see you down there!”  Ditzy was always happy to see any of her friends.  It made her job worthwhile.  She clumsily flew down to the lavender unicorn and was about to go for a crash-landing.  She was saved when Twilight encased her in a purple bubble.

“Thanks, Twilight!” Ditzy showed her appreciation by giving Twilight a great, big hug.  Twilight, however, was losing oxygen.  Twilight’s pleas reached the grey pegasus’ ears and she let go.  Twilight caught up with her breath and continued on why she wanted Ditzy.

“Ditzy, I need you to do me a huge favor.”

“What is it?”

“I need you to find Spike, and have him send this letter to Celestia.  It’s very imperative that it reaches her right away.”

“Impear-impui-?”

Twilight cast out an annoyed grunt.  “Important!  It’s very important that letter reaches Celestia immediately!”

“How important? What’s happening? Is it the end of the world?” Ditzy asked worriedly.

“No, Ditzy, it’s for my studies.  I just want to know if she has any of the books I listed in the Royal Canterlot Library.”

“Oh, okay!” Ditzy said, happy that it the world wasn’t coming to an end.  With that she flew off, not after bumping into another pegasus, much to his annoyance.  She made her epic journey to find Spike the Dragon.

***

“Guys, I seriously don’t think this is going to work,” Spike tried to reasoned.  The Cutie Mark Crusaders were about to do the most daring, extraordinary, spectacular stunt yet, that they have to get their cutie marks after this.

“Don’t be such as worry-wuss, Spike,” Scootaloo retorted.  “This is going to rock!  After this, I’m gonna to get a cutie mark that looks just like Rainbow Dash’s!”  The orange pegasus filly strapped a helmet on her head, and pushed herself inside a cannon.

“We’re rootin’ for ya, Scootaloo!” Applebloom called out.

“Be careful,” said Sweetie-Belle.  The white unicorn filly was never comfortable when any of her two friends perform these dangerous stunts.

“Alright guys! I’m in! Applebloom, prepare the cannon!”  Applebloom ran behind the cannon and pointed upwards towards the sky.

Rainbow Dash will be so proud! Scootaloo thought to herself.  Finally, she will be worthy of her idol’s acceptance and love.  Scootaloo called out to Spike to light the match.  He wondered out loud how he agreed to do this.  Before he lit the match with his fire-breath, he prayed to Celestia that she would not get hurt.  He held his breath, and let out a small flame, igniting the cannon.

“SPIKE!”

A voice called out from the distance, and Spike was distracted for a moment.  He looked over and saw Ditzy Doo flying his way.

“Oh, it’s just Ditzy. Oh no, it’s Ditzy.”

“What wrong, Spike?” Sweetie-Belle asked.

“Girls, get out of the way, NOW!”  Spike grabbed Applebloom and Sweetie Belle and jumped to the nearest safe spot and Ditzy crashed into the cannon.  The force of her landing made the cannon flip over and aiming it toward the forest.

“Hey, what’s goin’ on?!” Scootaloo called out from inside.  Ditzy got up and dusted herself off.

“I’m okay!”

Spike sighed and walked over to gray mailpony.  “Ditzy, what’s wrong with you? You almost got yourself killed.  Wait, nevermind, don’t answer that.”

“Aw, gee, Sorry Spike.  I swear - “

“You don’t know what went wrong,” They all said in unison.  Ditzy blushed with embarrassment.  That line of hers was starting to become her signature catchphrase.

“Anyway, why were flying so fast like that?”

“Oh, Twilight wanted me to give you this letter, so you can send it to the Princess!”  Ditzy handed Spike the sealed parchment, in which he looked at it confusingly.

“Really? What does it say?”

“Oh, um, Twilight said she needed books for her studying,” Ditzy answered.  This still confused Spike, but he shrugged it off, and blew that green flame on the parchment, then it magically disappeared.

“Hey!  Is anypony out there!” Scootaloo was not amused of her present predicament.

“Well, thanks, Ditzy.  Sorry for being upset with you.  I just don’t like seeing you get hurt or injured.”

“Aw, that’s okay, Spike!  It’s what I have to go through so I can deliver all this mail!  Like the code of the Postal Service of Equestria say: Neither, rain, sleet, snow, or --”

*BOOM!*

The cannon spat out Scootaloo, the force of her momentum taking Ditzy along with her for the ride.  The two remaining Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike watched in shock/horror as extreme kinetic energy carried Ditzy and Scootaloo across the forest.  Everyone was silent at that point.

“Applebloom.  I think she’s going to be really upset when she come back,” Sweetie-Belle spoke out.

“Upset being an understatement,” Applebloom continued.

“Remind me again why I agreed to do this,” Spike said, still in shock.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“I’m okay!”