//------------------------------//
// Prologue: Night 
// Story: Home 
// by rainbowloyalty 
//------------------------------//

	It was night. Twilight loved the night. The night was always so peaceful, so quiet compared to the noisy day. No rambunctious ponies chatting, laughing, and when it came to Pinkie Pie, bouncing noisily in the streets. There weren't any strangers coming in asking for the newest book in the Chronicles of Radiance series, or friends inviting her to a picnic. This was the time of the day when she could read her books without any fear of distraction. She smiled a little as if she just remembered a funny story a friend of hers once told. Actually, it was more than likely that was the actual reason she was smiling. Just laughing at a joke she repeated to herself. Once every twenty-four hours, Twilight took solace in the removal of the weight of the day from her body. 

Through the open window, a cool summer night breeze sailed into the treehouse. It, along with the reliable chirping of crickets, provided a near perfect study environment. There now was time to think, to just read and periodically stare out into the  open blackness pondering what the rest of the world was doing. She imagined, all over Equestria, there were ponies just like her, studying under Luna's peaceful gift. It was a hope that was both impossible and inevitable. Just then, a light gust of wind blew into her residence in Ponyville. The pages of her books fluttered slightly, and even though she had electrical lighting, she half expected the light that cast shadows behind her to flicker slightly. When it didn't, her romantic fantasies were slightly tarnished. Twilight stood up to close the window, but after a moment of deliberation, decided not to. Tonight, the breaths of air that came in through the slightly open window would be even more appropriate than ever. Again, she smiled, sharing a little joke with herself.

With all the bright memories of the many times she had done this before, Twilight levitated her selected reading for the night over to her desk: An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabby Trotter. It was a well-written nonfiction book, beginning with measuring the weight of air, and then continuing into topics like the components of air and, of course, why the wind blew. Even though she already knew most of the information presented, Twilight still found the stories it told and the way the facts were expressed refreshing. In fact, she even considered recommending this book to Rainbow, because it wasn't as dry as most science-related books, and it focused around a topic that did concern her pegasus friend. Maybe I can finally convince her to read something other than Daring Do, thought Twilight, although she immediately began doubting herself. 

However, the effects of the night soon began to affect even Twilight. Despite her usual superior ability to stay awake, her eyelids became heavy, weighed down by her only worthy opponent: sleep. She wanted more than anything to finish the book, to have some sort of closure to the night. But there will always be battles that just can't be won. Powerless to her biology, she fell asleep with her head laid gently on the table, lightly snoring. And with the light still on, and the window still open, she began to dream.