Sunset Shimmer met up with her friends shortly before noon on a Saturday at the mall food court. As she approached, her gait was a bit unsteady; she had bags under her eyes and a distinct veininess about them. She yawned through her greeting and slumped into a chair empty-handed, not having bothered to visit any of the food vendors.
"Goodness, darling, you look positively dreadful!" Rarity gasped.
"Didn't sleep well," Sunset grunted, stifling another yawn. "Bad dreams kept me tossing and turning and waking up all night."
"That's awful," Fluttershy said. "What kind of bad dreams? Scary nightmares, or—?"
"Nah, just—" Sunset broke off to yawn. "Stress dreams." She rummaged through her pockets, withdrew a handful of wadded bills, and shoved them at Twilight. "Can you get me something? And a coffee?"
"Sure," Twilight said, jumping up and rushing off.
"Man, those dreams must've sucked," Rainbow said. "You haven't looked this bad since that time you came to school soaking wet!"
"What were you dreaming about?" Rarity asked. "Maybe it'd help to talk about it."
Sunset sighed. "Eh, it's just...a little bit of anxiety about the future, I guess." She shrugged. "I haven't figured out what it is I wanna do with myself past high school, we're seniors now, I have to figure out how I'm gonna get into college here since all my documentation is fake, then there's the matter of paying for it..." She eyed her reflection in the chromed side of a napkin dispenser, making a face. "Or if I'm just gonna live on part-time jobs." Taking a napkin and wringing it in her hands, she added, "A lot of...a lot of my dreams ended with me running back to Equestria because I couldn't make it last here, and that...I don't wanna do."
The girls looked at each other, shifting and fidgeting, worried and uncomfortable expressions on their faces. In the awkward silence, Twilight returned with a tray of assorted junk food, a large orange smoothie, and an equally large sugary, cream-topped coffee drink, all of which she set before Sunset.
"Ooh, I remember this one time I kept having the same nightmare over and over again for about a week," Pinkie Pie said as Sunset started eating. "There was this horribly burned old cake with red and green icing, only it was alive and it had these sharp claws made of kitchen knives, and it kept coming after me, and the Cake Twins were singing this really creepy song—"
"Don't sing it," Fluttershy whimpered, covering Pinkie's mouth with a trembling hand.
"I had this weird dream about Rarity takin' a poop one time," Rainbow Dash said. "And I was the poop."
Everyone slooooooooowly turned to stare at Rainbow. Rarity, in particular, had a nauseated and affronted look on her face that was somewhere between 'how DARE you!' and 'I need to throw up'. After an awkward pause, Applejack sighed. "Shoot, someone's gotta ask. Rainbow? Whut'n th' hell's wrong with you?"
Rainbow's face colored brilliantly. "Oh come on, like anybody has any control over their dreams," she said defensively.
"You made a point of bringing it UP, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said archly. "As much as I really don't want to know, I feel rather compelled to be...concerned about the implications."
Rainbow ducked her head, her cheeks flushing so dark she looked like an eggplant. "It was that time you wore that really, really skimpy thong bikini," she said. "You know, the one—"
"Yes, yes, I remember the bathing suit in question," Rarity said, her own face flush with embarrassment. "In my defense, I had no way of knowing it was not as...ahem, discreet in the back."
Applejack arched an eyebrow. "Rarity, it was dental floss," she said.
"We'd have actually seen less of you if you'd been naked," Fluttershy added.
"And I was inches away from the full moon," Rainbow added. "So yeah, you can imagine Rarity's big white ass showin' up in my dreams after that."
"BIG? Why—what—" Rarity spluttered, before composing herself. "Putting that aside, that doesn't explain the—ahem—context."
"Hell if I know!" Rainbow exploded, throwing her arms wide and narrowly missing smacking Sunset upside the head. "I don't normally dream about poop! Especially not about being poop!"
Sunset snickered. "Way too easy," she said, sipping her coffee.
"You know we're your friends, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said soothingly. "We won't judge you for your tastes, your preferences, or your, umm...fetishes." She plastered a big, fake smile on her face. "PLEASE don't have a poo fetish," she added in a strained whisper.
"AGH! I don't have a poo fetish!" Rainbow cried, causing some nearby mall patrons to turn their heads and stare at her.
"Wow, it's amazing what I can manage to hold my appetite through," Sunset commented idly.
"Actually, dreams are rarely a valid indicator of your beliefs, preferences, sexual orientation, or overall psychological makeup," Twilight said, adjusting her glasses and going into lecture mode. "Most of the research into dreaming I've read is contradictory, speculative, and confusing at best, but the most logical conclusion dream research seems to lead to is that dreams are nothing more than the subconscious mind's way of sorting, processing, filtering, and breaking down memories, feelings, and experiences." She began gesturing expansively. "If you think of the mind as a hard drive, dreams are the mind defragmenting itself while you're asleep, and the bits of random data being moved around form dreams. That's why some people dream of places they haven't been to in years but with people they know now, or people they haven't seen in years being in places the dreamer had never gone back then."
"Like when I dream about Equestria except you girls are all there with me," Sunset said.
"Exactly!" Twilight nodded. "Or like I sometimes dream about my old Crystal Prep classmates being at Camp Everfree with us!" Her glasses turned very shiny for a moment. "Sugarcoat's always the first dead body we find..." she added darkly.
"Oh...oh my," Fluttershy whimpered.
Rarity blinked. "Pardon me, darling, but wasn't Sugarcoat the closest thing you had to a friend at Crystal Prep?"
"Hm? Oh, yes, I suppose," Twilight said, examining her fingernails.
"That's funny," Pinkie Pie said, "every time I have a creepy horror movie dream about Camp Everfree, the Sirens are there, and we're all running from convicted serial anal rapist Ben Dover." Her hair defloofed. "He always gets me in the end. Riiiiiiight in the end."
"PINKIE!" Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight howled, red-faced.
"Ah think we should git back ta helpin' Sunset now," Applejack said sternly.
"Thanks, but I don't really need help," Sunset said. "Like I said, I'm just...kinda stressing myself out about the future." She looked up and smiled around the table. "But I know that it'll be alright, because no matter what happens after high school, I'll always have you girls. And..." She took a deep breath. "And if I do end up having to go back..." She swallowed. "At least I know I have good friends waiting for me back in Equestria, and...and Princess Celestia'll welcome me back." She wiped at her eyes with a fresh napkin. "So I'm gonna be okay."
The girls broke out in a wave of "awws", "there-theres", and comforting pats and hugs, followed by a long, warm, comfortable silence. Then, Fluttershy piped up quietly:
"Sometimes I dream about being a tree."
The others glanced at her.
"A big tree."
Sunset sipped her smoothie.
"With a squirrel living in my, umm...tree pussy."
Sunset spat smoothie all over everything.
y u do dis MM
Obligatory "It's always the quiet ones."
Were you referencing 'Fletch Lives' or was this just a coincidence here
Maybe this chapter belongs in the Just Girls Talking Dirty story.
...yeah, can't say I'm surprised about Twilight's dream regarding Camp Everfree.
This fucking story. Every time.
A very sweet chapter with a few odd points, some good dialogue, and an excellent finishing joke.
9027638
9027643
Referencing another story of mine, actually: "Cracks".
9027646
It goes wherever I decide it goes, since I'm the author, thanks.
9027659
Glad you liked it!
Ah, Fluttershy....Always with the cuteness.😍
And....I’m just gonna turn around and walk the other way now.
Ah yes, the glorious return of convicted serial anal rapist Ben Dover.
And that very last bit... It's always the quiet ones.
I feel like coming up with that should merit shame and somehow pride at the same time.
I always love the weird directions this story takes. It's random and hilarious every time.
It's funny how Sunset got through everything else, but a squirrel crawling in... Never mind. Totally understandable, Sunset.
This was hilarious.
Just had to get that one big punchline right at the end, didn't ya?
Were you 'on' something when writing this?
Jesus, I don't think even Freddy Krueger could come up with shit like this....And yes I realize the pun given what's in this chapter...No I don't apologize.
What are you talking about AJ, this is helping Sunset, helping her laugh her ass off at the insane dreams everyone else is having.
The ending of this was perfection. I was already loving everything before, but that punchline was just gold.
This gag never gets old and the quiet ones STILL scare me, especially since I’m a massive introvert.
You think they'll talk about SSB Ultimate?
9027646
Nah! Too tame for that fic.
9027838
yes
a computer
Well, that ending is definitely the part Flutterhorse clearly does NOT talk about with her friends.
A lesser man would have made a shitty joke here.
... I don't think you know how terrifying you can be. Even without magic.
Dammit Pinkie!
"And here I thought watching the Xenomorph Queen run after Freddy with a giant chainsaw was the oddest thing?" Hands Thanos a beer. "Am I right?"
"It's like those dreams I had of Voltron." Thanos said taking the beer as Freddy ran by screaming in terror. "You really have a way with nightmares, Knightwolf."
i.warosu.org/data/tg/img/0493/92/1474175520356.png
img.fireden.net/a/image/1456/60/1456602517232.png
derpicdn.net/img/2018/6/4/1749551/medium.jpeg
Rainbow, plz, stahp I feel like this is a reference to a cringy story about Dash I read a few years ago, even though it's in a completely different context.
Aww! That's pretty cute, I wond-
... Ya know, I'm not even mad. /shrug
Nice chap dude, a damn good laugh, lol
"Okay, girls. I vote I grab Wallflower Blush and that this morning and definitely this conversation never happened. Any opposed?"
That aside, the weirdest part of my stress dreams is that they repeat night after night and my brain gets to know this dream has happened before. One of the most disorienting things imaginable is your perceptions being in the middle of an already-surreal or disturbing environment where your subconscious mind is trying to skip to the last scene to avoid all the boring back-and-forth it's seen before.
I once dreamed I met in person an author I follow online. They lived/worked at a slaughterhouse that had walls made of meat. They tried to kiss me and I woke up.
i.imgur.com/8owskFU.gif
Sunset does have some legitimate concerns. Unless the government steps in a la Dave Bryant's stories to give her dual citizenship as part of their diplomatic efforts with Equestria, Sunset may not be able to afford to stay in the human world for very long.
But enough of that; on to Moth humor!
I have to ask if Dash's dream is based on any of yours.
Find... or make?
It's oddly nostalgic to see the return of convicted serial anal rapist Ben Dover.
And that ending bit... I can't help but think of the salacious reference to hummingbirds in What Shy Did on Her Summer Vacation. After all, that's what flowers are.
Y'know? Having gained an interest in the DanganRonpa series, this premise is sorta drawing me in... No monochrome bears, tho
9028636
......
You seriously have to be the only person reading this who didn't IMMEDIATELY get the reference.
NO, I mean LITERALLY THE ONLY PERSON.
Nightmares? Horribly burned? Wearing red and green? Has razor sharp claws?
That seriously doesn't ring any bells?
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/dbxfanon/images/9/90/Freddy-krueger.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20161021175924
9028693
Best part about this is that his expression perfectly matches your tone.
Suddenly reminded of that one scene from American Pie. You know the one.
I wonder what the hardest part of this chapter was...
...God, I'm such a buffoon
9029352
Yes. Yes you are. 😐
9029535
😖Was that at least a little bit funny?
Wow, sooooo that’s a lot of fetish and revenge desire going on here. And fears too. Love it!
9029616
I came within a hair of outright deleting it because it was the exact opposite of funny. So no.
....................
Rainbow Dash has issues. Serious issues...
No, scratch that. They ALL have issues!
I think Sunset is the only normal one in the bunch, and she's a talking horse!
Oh wow, I think I just got the punchline after so long...
If I had a drink my computer would be covered in spray right now. How do you come up with this stuff?
9029818
It's a talent.
...i was ALMOST drinking. -sets down bottle-
4.bp.blogspot.com/-YIPNj-9roK0/Wjw_Yxgw4qI/AAAAAAAC6js/egduRBl5gioQ3Bqm4kwwIM2-ZcrF3kAwQCLcBGAs/s1600/Capture.JPG
Hi!
And now we know why Luna went off the deep end a thousand years ago.
Just imagine seeing things like that night after night...
I can't believe no one else said this, so I guess it's up to me: From Just Girls Talking Dirty, ch. Oversharing (and thus the full story as well)-
(Neneko voice) Another mystery solved!
Aside from that, does it make me slow-minded that it took me reading the name of the rapist in the comments a few times to get it?
Anyway, this was hilarious, and definitely fun. I often have had weird dreams myself (but then again, what dreams are "normal" anyway?), such as being nailed in a barn loft by the Legendary Bird trio, one night while I was on camp trip for school to more recently (earlier the previous week) going shopping and the cashier being the character Jim Brass from CSI.
Easy Fix: Have Twilight ship Sunset some bits from Equestria over, and start hitting up all the "Gold4Cash" places in town. Lods of emone.
Prob'ly.