//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: New Dreams, New Adventures 
// Story: Little Nemo: Adventures In Equestria 
// by Mak Manto 
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New York City - 1910

It had just started snowing only a few hours back, and now the streets were lined with snow. Looking out the window of his classroom, Nemo gave an impatient sigh as he waited for the last ten minutes of his school day to finish up. The lessons had been tedious, and like the other boys in the class, he wanted to get outside to enjoy the fresh air and snowball fights that would ensue.

As his teacher continued to drone on, he took out his pencil, twiddling it around his hand as he saw that his classmates were also beginning to give up even trying to pay attention. He wasn't sure as to why he had been feeling this way recently. He knew it didn't have to do with the snow, that's for sure. It had been this way for the last few months, not really caring of what was going on in class.

Naturally, he had gotten in trouble with his teachers, seeing as his grades were beginning to fall, and after getting a stern lecture from the headmaster, his parents had been on his coattails on improving his grades, seeing as being accepted to a proper university was the number one goal. He had been looking, and while he was at first interested in attending Columbia University, he wasn't so sure anymore.

As the school bell rang, everyone stood up, chatter beginning on how they were going to spend their weekend with the new found winter paradise hat had been given to them. Picking up his books, Nemo was the last to leave the class. As he moved slowly to the doors, he saw that the fun was beginning as snowballs flew in the air in a fight for glory. It was strange, for when he had been inside, he had wanted nothing more than to come out and have a good time, but now that he was here, he felt like going home.

As he moved past the crowd, he began the trek back to his house. It wasn't so cold for him to walk, and he enjoy the privacy he now had. Few people were on the streets, other than the occasional policeman on the horse, but otherwise he was alone. Really, more and more people were turning to the new automobiles that were beginning to come out. In the largest city in the world, he had really only seen an automobile every now and then, but they were beginning to pop up all over the place.

The world was changing, just as Nemo was, but unlike everybody else, he wasn't excited for what the future would bring. Really, if he had to be honest, he had never escaped the past. For five years now, he had been stuck in the same world of wanting to return to a dream that never came back to him.

The dream...

He laughed at himself softly. It hadn't been a dream, and he was sure of it. Slumberland was as real as New York, and he knew somewhere out there, there was also Flip, the Professor, King Morpheus, the Boomps, plus everyone else that he had come to know during his adventure there.

But most importantly, there was the Princess, Camille...

Nemo knew it had been real, for the only friend he had trusted with this knowledge had been alongside with him as he had been on the adventure, and that was his pal, Icarus. He had remembered what had happened to them, of seeing Slumberland and fighting the Nightmare King. Icarus had never changed his belief on what had happened. Smiling more broadly, he came to his house, stepping in.

His father was still at work, and as he looked at a note on the table near the front door, his mother was out getting groceries. So, he had the house for himself. Coming into the kitchen, he opened the cupboard to find that pie his mother had made was still there. Taking a generous piece, he headed for his room, picking up his books from the table. As he reached the top of the steps, he could hear Icarus chattering. During the fall and winter, Nemo had kept him inside so he wouldn't get cold. Naturally, the squirrel sometimes went stir crazy by being stuck inside.

Coming in, he saw Icarus at the window, somewhat agitated by a bird outside. Though, when he saw Nemo, he called out his name and flew over to him. Chuckling, Nemo sat down at his desk, breaking off a piece of the pie for his friend. As Icarus began to eat, Nemo looked down.

"So, how was your day, buddy? More exciting then mine, I hope..."

As he began to explain what had happened, Nemo gave him his full attention. If there had been one thing positive in the years since, Icarus has been there for him. There wasn't a friend like him elsewhere. Even in the five years that had past, he still was as energetic and lively as ever, and during the warm months of the year, they definitely had their fun outside. As Icarus finished his story, he took another piece and ate it.

Turning to his books, he opened one up to finish his science work. Icarus had finished his meal and was now on the bed, hopping around, clearly excited for Nemo to be home. They would goof off later on, after he got done his homework. He had promised Icarus to take him outside to have some fun with the snow. Staring down at his work, he began to write out answers for the questions he had been given. They were studying quantum mechanics, something he had been told that was a new look at science.

It had been, at first, a little over Nemo's head, but as he had delved into the subject, it had proven more interesting than he had thought. While it was an extremely unorthodox view of how the universe worked, he had already taken into it by reading papers from Europe's greatest scientists, including Max Planck and Albert Einstein.

As he continued to do his work, Nemo began to close his eyes, feeling tired from the school day. As he leaned back in his chair, he felt that a quick nap would help him. As his mind began to slow down, it was only a matter of moments before he was a sleep.