Rafting Against the Current

Domino lay in bed, tired from chasing after Twilight Sparkle all day for whatever reason he had been chasing her for.

That question still tortured Domino, lurking in the back of his mind, unanswered. He had answered it, but he knew that wasn’t truly why. He knew exactly why he was chasing Twilight, but he knew what would happen if he admitted it…

He would never forgive himself if he let that happen. He would never have gotten his revenge on Twilight Sparkle, the filly who ruined his dreams. He never would fulfill that promise. He had promised, and a promise is a promise. You can’t break it. That’s what held him back from admitting how he truly felt about Twilight Sparkle. That’s what kept him from accepting the fact that he…

“No,” Domino Mint whispered to himself. “I do not love Twilight Sparkle. I hate Twilight Sparkle. I want my revenge on Twilight Sparkle. I do not love her.”

And with that, Domino’s eyes grew heavy and closed, bringing Domino to the mercy of his mind.

Domino opened his eyes. He was in a dark room. A very dark room. Pitch black, in fact. Domino only saw one thing- a door.

The door was very far away, but he could see the light seeping through underneath it. Domino felt the urge to run to the door, to escape this room. So he did. Domino ran towards the door, but there was something wrong.

The closer he got to the door, the further he was from it. He ran towards the door. The door moved twice as far away from him.

Domino stopped for a moment. He thought.

When I approach the door, it gets further away… Then maybe, if I go away from the door…

“Maybe…” Domino mumbled to himself.

Domino tried it. He took a step away from the door. As far as he could tell, it didn’t move. He walked away from the door for around five seconds. He turned around. The door had definitely moved at least a little bit.

Domino noticed it, so he turned around and broke into a full-on gallop. The door rushed toward him and Domino knew it. When the door reached him, he bucked it open, only to see something… special on the other side.

“Twi- Twi-” Domino gasped. “Twilight Sparkle…”

“Yes, Domino,” Twilight giggled. “Last time I checked.”

“But… why are you…?”

“I’m here to warn you of something,” said the purple alicorn.

“But… why are you…?”

“I’m from the future, and I need to warn you of something,” the purple alicorn repeated, slightly annoyed.

“But… why are you… an alicorn?” Domino finally finished his question.

“Oh, that…” Twilight laughed. “You’ll find out sooner or later.

“I need to tell you something. Think about the approach you’re taking. Take the door for example. You tried approaching it, but all that happened to the distance between you and the door was increase. Now apply that to your own life. Should you really take the approach you’re taking? Or should you try a different approach? An approach of truthfulness, love, and kindness. An approach of care, passion, and loyalty. An approach of friendship. Think about your actions, Domino, and whether you’re taking the right approach. You never know when turning around can bring two ponies closer.”

“But…” Domino tried to complain, but he was too late. Twilight Sparkle had already disappeared.

Domino suddenly awoke from his dream, panting. He looked at his clock. It had barely been five minutes.

Domino sighed and lay back down, wishing he could figure out why he wasn’t sure how he felt about Twilight Sparkle. How he truly felt about Twilight Sparkle.

And with that, Domino fell asleep once more.