//------------------------------// // Lucid Dreams // Story: Anecdotes of Heart // by Pegasus Rescue Brigade //------------------------------// Date: A few weeks after Dinky's graduation "Alright, Spritz. You got this. No big deal. It's just one of the most astounding ponies in all of Equestria. Watching your every move. Judging every word you say. No big deal. No big deal!" Spritz, a baby-blue pegasus mare with a short-cut, yellow and white mane, paced up and down the street. Resting on the rooftop above her, another pegasus, this one with a pale purple coat and a straight, darker purple mane, rolled her eyes. "Spritz, you're psyching yourself out again," she mumbled boredly. "Who's psyched out? I'm not psyched out! Do I sound psyched out!?" Spritz replied frantically. "I mean, c'mon Shoal, it's just an interview. An interview with her." The last word came out as a breathless squeak. Shoal rolled her eyes again and fluttered down from the rooftop, alighting beside her companion. "An interview that you are super prepared for," the dark coated pony reminded her, speaking in her usual level, always unperturbed voice. "Your resumé is pristine. You've got management experience. You know everything about that company and what it does. And everything about its president too, though if I were you, I'd tune the fangirling back just a bit when you actually talk to her." "I'm tryiiiinnnggg," Spritz whined, shimmying in place like a frustrated foal. "But I've been such a big fan of her work for years! It's hard to even think about the possibility of actually working for her without making all my feathers stand on end!" Shoal slowly glanced at the clock in a nearby store window. "Then you might wanna get going," she pointed out dully. "Isn't your appointment in like... five minutes?" Spritz glanced desperately at the clock. "Sweet Celestia, you're right!" she gasped. "Gotta go Shoal seeya later bye!" She blasted into the air, leaving Shoal standing far below, slowly shaking her head. The cold air made Spritz's eyes water as she soared above her town. She was used to the nip of high elevation winds, having spent so much time working in the sky with the local weather team. She certainly didn't mind her weatherpony job, and it was a bit of a source of personal pride that she could whip up such a mean rainbow, even when doing it the old fashioned way, as her rainbow cutie mark proudly displayed. After all, the lack of a modern weather factory like they had in bigger cities like Cloudsdale meant the pegasi on her team had to do everything by hoof. But if today went how she so desperately hoped it might, there was a possibility she could finally leave the weather business in favor of her true passion. She flapped hard to reach her cruising altitude, noticing a bit of ice forming on the tips of her feathers. It was December, after all, and Hearth's Warming was barely a week away. For a moment, she stressed over everything she still had to do before her family visited for the holiday. "No time to think about that now!" she reminded herself. Aloud, as usual; she was fully aware of her rather persistent habit of talking to herself. "Interview first, Hearth's Warming later!" The pegasus stopped flapping and spread her wings wider, cruising along on the breeze toward her destination. She looked down, able to see almost the entire town from up here, with the train station up on the hill on one end, and the sparkling sea all the way on the other. The coastal town of Whinnychester, where she'd lived all her life, was always a delight to view from the air. But today, Spritz's gaze quickly locked on one large, reflective building downtown. She tucked in her wings and dove downward, landing with ease right at the large facility's main gate. The building had a tidy courtyard with a fountain bubbling merrily in the center. The edges of the circular space were rimmed with flowers in a variety of colors, though all of the same type, with wide, outstretched petals that made each look almost like a bright firework, frozen in time. Spritz marveled at them for a moment before something dawned on her. "Wait a minute. It's December." The pegasus stepped closer to investigate. Carefully, she stuck a hoof into the flowing fountain... and found only dry, cold concrete. Likewise, her hoof passed right through the flowers and ended up on bare soil with a thin layer of frost on top. "Oh, I get it! Illusions!" She turned back to the edifice before her. The company's name, displayed in big, bold letters that constantly cycled through a whole palette of colors thanks to a yet another clever illusion spell, hung just above the double front doors. Mirage Effects co. Mirage Effects corporation was not just famous in Whinnychester; it was one of the biggest producers of visual special effects in the nation, able to hold its own even in business competition with similar companies in major cities like Manehattan. Festivals, grand openings, concerts, and premieres all around Equestria relied on the potent combination of magic and technology that they provided to turn any event into a dazzling display that nopony in attendance was likely to forget. But something was different now. Something that, in Spritz's mind at least, elevated the company to new, even loftier heights. Ownership of the organization had recently changed hooves. The former owner had stepped down, and his vice president now sat at the helm as the new CEO. That mare, the smartest, most talented pony Spritz had ever known, was in charge now. A pony she'd idolized for at least five years, though always from afar, just a lowly fan basking in the glory of her hero. But today, Spritz was more than just a fan. Today she was aiming much higher, and one only had to look at the large sign in the front window of the office to see why. Now Hiring: Vice President of Operations. Please see the receptionist for an application form. Spritz had already done the application part, of course. All that was left now was the interview. One on one. With her. "Keep it calm, Spritz. Keep it calm and cool and collected," Spritz told herself, in a voice that was anything but. "It's in the bag. You've got laser focus. Eye of the tiger and all that. And next thing you know, you'll be her right-hoof pony! After today, your career will have nowhere to go but up! Spritz, vice president of Mirage Effects, and second in command to the one and only—" Bong! Bong! The chime of the clock echoed across the courtyard, snapping the pegasus back to reality. 10 AM had arrived. It was time. Spritz straightened up, dusted off her coat and smoothed her bright mane, and nervously trotted through the glass double doors. The lobby was bright and clean, with pale blue tiled floors that almost matched Spritz's coat. The walls were filled with framed photographs of dazzling fireworks displays, laser light shows, and fantastic constructs of light and magic from famous events and celebrations. A stallion, seated behind a polished wooden desk, waved as she entered. "Hello! Welcome to Mirage Effects!" he greeted, beckoning the pegasus to come up to his desk. "How can I help you today?" "I-interview," Spritz stammered, working her wings nervously. "I've got an appointment." The stallion checked a clipboard for a second. "Ah, Spritz, right? Right on time. The president should be ready to see you right away." Spritz attempted to put on a convincing smile despite her heart thudding in her chest, and followed the receptionist down the hall and up a gleaming staircase. On the landing up above was a portrait of a handsome, smiling stallion labeled "Our Founder". Spritz recognized him immediately: she'd seen him at many events that Mirage Effects had been contracted to work at. The stallion noticed her looking as they walked. "Ah, our former president, Crystal Clear," he said nostalgically. "Mirage Effects isn't a very old company yet, so Mr. Clear was in charge from its creation right up until just a few weeks ago! We all miss seeing him here every day of course, but luckily, things have still been going very smoothly. He passed the company down to his eldest daughter, you see, and let me tell you, I can't think of more capable hooves to have left it in. It makes sense, though; she's been the vice president ever since she graduated from Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns five years ago, so she already knows the company and the ponies who work for it inside and out. To say nothing of the fact that she's an absolute savant with both technology and illusion magic." Spritz already knew all this of course, so she just nodded politely. "I can't wait to meet her," she replied. "I've been looking forward to an opportunity like this for a while. Do you think I've got a chance of impressing her?" "I'm sure you'll do fine," the receptionist replied as he arrived at the end of the hall and gestured to a polished wooden door. "Your interview will take place in here. Good luck!" With a quick smile, he turned and trotted away, leaving Spritz standing at the end of the hall. Slowly, she faced the door. She worked one wing, then the other, and folded them neatly in place. Taking a deep breath, gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. The office was very bright, owing to an almost floor-to-ceiling window replacing one wall. On both sides of the room, shelves were full of optical devices and even a few tiny dioramas of some of Mirage Effects' biggest shows, using illusion magic to silently replay miniature replicas of dazzling fireworks or whimsical illusions again and again. And at the center of the room, behind a large desk that was just as smooth and polished as the door, sat a single pony. Spritz felt her heart skip a beat. The pony at the desk was a unicorn mare, with a coat colored fairly dark grey and a rather voluminous, bright purple mane that hung around her shoulders in big curls. Three bright firework rockets decorated her flank, and her bright red eyes peered out from behind a pair of red-rimmed glasses. There was no mistaking her. The new president of Mirage Effects, in all her glory. Eventually, the mare looked up from the forms on her desk and focused on her visitor. "Um, hello!" she called out, looking at the pegasus curiously. "You don't need to wait for an invitation. Come in, sit down!" It dawned on Spritz that she'd been standing still in the doorway for almost thirty seconds. Rigidly, she moved across the room and seated herself across from her host. "Welcome to Mirage Effects," the president greeted, extending a forehoof across the desk. "I'm Lucid, the new president. And you are?" "S-spritz" Spritz stammered. "H-hello, Miss President, ma'am," The president shook her head quickly, leaving her glasses a little askew. "You don't need to be all formal like that," she said with a bit of an awkward laugh as she straightened her spectacles. "It was the same thing a few weeks ago with all the others; they always called me by my name when I was VP, and then suddenly it was 'Miss President' when I took the helm. And you know, I was, well... not exactly the most social pony growing up. I think being on a first name basis with ponies makes things feel more relaxed, don't you?" Spritz nodded. "Yes ma'am. I mean Lucid!" Lucid smiled warmly. "Well, let's go ahead and conduct the interview, Spritz," she said, taking a copy of the pegasus' resumé in her aura and glancing it over. "I see you've got quite a bit of relevant experience here that we definitely look for in anypony joining the Mirage Effects team. Would you mind telling me some more about your qualifications?" Spritz's ear twitched nervously, but she quickly shook off the anxiety, determined to make the best of this opportunity. "Right, of course!" she chirped. "I've been keeping up with almost every event Mirage Effects has provided the visual entertainment for in the last few years, and I think my experience could be a big asset to orchestrating future ones!" For the next few minutes, Spritz listed all the details she'd been rehearsing all week, from her encyclopedic knowledge of the company's preferences in equipment and stage design, to her knowledge of electronics and pyrotechnics, to her pony-management experience as a squad leader with the Coastal Southern Equestria Weather Team. Lucid listened carefully, occasionally breaking up the monologue with a question of her own, and furiously scribbling down notes on Spritz's background with a quill in her aura. "So, to sum it up, I think I've got the knowledge and pony skills I need for the job, and definitely the passion!" the pegasus asserted. "Mirage Effects has had me captivated since I was a filly, and I've poured every ounce of effort I could into preparing myself for this chance. There's really nothing I'd love more than to work with you on your amazing effects displays, Lucid!" "Your knowledge of the field really is detailed," Lucid admitted, nodding approvingly as she scanned the resumé one more time. "Your performance here, if you don't mind me saying, is just as impressive as your application suggested. You've really got the qualities, and qualifications, we're looking for at Mirage Effects." Spritz's eyes widened. "D-does that mean what I think it means?" Lucid chuckled. "Well, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves," she warned. "I want to talk to a few of the other admins to see if they're in agreement, but you're definitely on the short list of candidates for the new Lighting Tech Team Supervisor." There was silence for just a moment. Spritz blinked. "Um... Miss Lucid, maybe there's been a mix-up with the application?" she asked meekly, working one wing and then the other nervously. "Or... maybe you just misspoke, so just to clarify, you do know I'm applying for Vice President of Operations, right?" Lucid froze, and though the bright smile remained on her face, it suddenly looked rather plastered-on. "Oh. Well. I'm... sorry for the mix up," she managed finally, wringing her forehooves a bit. "They must've overlooked that downstairs when they were sending me your application info. Not that that changes anything about your qualifications, of course. Let's see now, in regards to that particular role..." "I know it's a higher position, but don't worry, I still think I've got what you need!" Spritz piped up hopefully. "I have the technical background, and I have experience managing a team of ponies that do complex work. After all, coastal weather teams have to deal with a lot of weather patterns that inland teams don't." "Oh, I don't doubt it," Lucid assured her. "You have a lot of the right qualifications, even when talking specifically about the vice president role.. There is... one concern though. You're right, of course, that the VP will need to work well with ponies in all parts of the company, and have knowledge of how we set up equipment and conduct our shows, and you excel in all of those categories, but there's one major thing the pony in that position will need to do that you... can't..." "What is it? I can learn!" Spritz insisted, leaning forward and flaring her wings as she placed her forehooves on Lucid's desk. "I'll take any classes or training courses you need me to! I'm sure I can get caught up in no time!" "Err, well—" Lucid fumbled with her words for a moment. "Spritz, I'm sure you know Mirage Effects is definitely not the only company in Equestria who does live special effects. Do you know what makes our particular performances so unique and sought after, all across the nation?" "Um, you're the best of the best?" Spritz asked, with a nervous laugh. "I've seen plenty of festivals and stage performances and fireworks displays, and nopony does them like you and your team." Lucid chewed her tongue for a moment, thinking about what to say. "And do you know what it is about our team that lets us create that special brand of effects?" Spritz considered the question. "Well... Mirage Effects puts on shows that defy expectations," she said slowly. "It's not just light and color; it's always something absolutely captivating that leaves the audience wondering, 'how did they do that?'. I guess that'd be because you employ so many talented illusionists?" "Exactly," Lucid confirmed with a slight smile, as she lit her horn and created images of a herd of tiny, glowing ponies traipsing across her desk. "We use mechanical lighting and pyrotechnics and other physical effects, of course, but what really sets us apart is how heavily we incorporate top-notch, cutting-edge illusion spells into each show." Spritz nodded eagerly. "I can tell!" she complimented. "I've seen your work with illusions. It's absolutely inspiring!" Despite the praise, Lucid's little smile slowly faded, and the miniature pony illusions faded with it. "Well, thank you," she said softly. "Many of the illusory effects you've seen at our shows in the past few years were my work, during my time as vice president. After all, in addition to administrative work, some of the VP's biggest responsibilities are planning and designing illusions, practicing and perfecting illusions, casting many of the most difficult illusions at large scale performances... do you... see where I'm going with this?" Spritz's heart sank with each word Lucid spoke. "You... need to be a unicorn to be the VP, huh?" she mumbled, her ears and wings hanging low. "That... wasn't on the job ads..." Lucid cringed. "I— I know, and I'm so sorry about that, that was my mistake," she stammered. "I guess I... didn't even consider a non-unicorn would apply for that role. Apparently, the team downstairs didn't either, which was why it was just assumed you were applying for the other open position. I'll get that clarified on the ad immediately." Spritz felt her cheeks redden, and it only compounded her misery when she noticed her embarrassment and dejection seemed to be making her idol even more anxious. "I just— I need to— I want to make it totally clear that I have nothing against pegasi or earth ponies," Lucid stuttered. "There are plenty of all three pony races employed at Mirage Effects. Just... not in upper level administration. Your interview was just as impressive as I was hoping, and pegasi are more than welcome on the lighting team, if you'd like to be considered for that supervisor role instead." "I'll... get back to you on that," Spritz muttered, staring at the floor. "I... need some time to think. You said you still have to talk to the other admins anyway, right?" Lucid nodded. "I'm so sorry about the confusion," the unicorn apologized, rising from her desk and trotting to a large cabinet. "Let me try and make it up to you. I've got free admission tickets in here for the Hearth's Warming Eve Spectacular in Trottingham next week. Front row seats. All access backstage passes. The works. Bring a friend! I'll even make sure to make time for you if you want to discuss the Lighting Supervisor role with me after you take some time to think it over. Sound good?" Spritz nodded vaguely, her cheeks still burning with shame at her mistake. "How could I have thought I was good enough to be her second-in-command?" she whispered to herself. "Did you say something?" Lucid asked as she pulled the tickets from the cabinet. Spritz simply shook her head as Lucid gently pressed them into her outstretched hoof. A few seconds of uncomfortable silence followed. "So... see you at the big event?" Lucid asked finally. "Yeah," Spritz replied, still finding it completely impossible to make eye contact with the pony beside her. "Thank you for your time." Without further comment, she rose to her hooves and quietly slunk out of the office, leaving a flustered Lucid standing alone. "Spritz, you dunce. What were you thinking?" "You're talking to yourself again," Shoal pointed out. It was late afternoon. The two pegasi lay together on a wisp of cloud hanging over the sea a few miles from Whinnychester, drying their feathers in the sun after directing a scheduled rain shower over the town. Spritz stared up at the empty blue expanse above her listlessly. "Why're you beating yourself up about it?" Shoal asked, rolling onto her back to match her companion and putting her forehooves behind her head. "Wasn't your fault. Sounds like just an honest mistake, really." "It's my fault for thinking I had a chance," Spritz said bitterly. "I should've known better. Of course only a talented unicorn illusionist would even have the possibility of reporting directly to Lucid, greatest illusion crafter for hundreds of miles around. Some pegasus nopony like me could never fill those horseshoes. I was a fool to even try." Shoal rarely deviated from her calm, measured demeanor, but at that comment, she sat up and snorted loudly. "You're not a nopony," she retorted. "Spritz, you're a popular mare around Whinnychester. It seems like everywhere we go, somepony knows you, and they always have something nice to say. Literally yesterday, we got stopped four times between the train station and my place, because everypony wanted to thank you for that volunteer work you did at the animal shelter, or chat about the Buckball playoffs, or ask about the planned weather for Hearth's Warming week." Spritz didn't look convinced. "Sure, but just having friends doesn't mean I—" "—Doesn't mean you're talented?" the purple pegasus finished, with an unamused glare. "Spritz, you can't cast illusions, but you're the most weather-savvy pegasus in Whinnychester. You're the one who always calculates what the sea breezes are going to be like, and figures out which days are best to schedule storms that will bring enough precipitation without being violent enough to put ponies at risk. Not to mention, as a beach town, the tourism board practically relies on you to make this place a vacation paradise in the summer." "You're good at all those things too," Spritz pointed out dully, rolling over on the cloud. "It'd be easy for you to take over the weather team if I got another job. Don't try to convince me Whinnychester's weather would fall apart without me." Shoal frowned. "Okay, fine, but even I can't do—" "Hey, Spritz!" called a male pegasus, as he fluttered close to the pair of mares from somewhere below. "The 2nd division is pushing the rainclouds out of town in a minute, and we've got sunlight coming in at an ideal angle when they part. Mind putting up a rainbow?" Spritz sighed and got to her hooves. "Be right back," she mumbled to Shoal as she launched into the sky. Rainbows could be a tricky thing, as far as hoof-crafted weather went, but Spritz had it down to a science. She glided through the cold air as she watched two groups of pegasi gradually pull apart the cloud bank as it floated away from town and toward the sea. As soon as the distance was just right, she tucked her wings and dove. Fwoosh! Without waiting for an invitation, she dipped down below, and then rocketed upward directly into the thick tuft of cloud. She gave a single, powerful flap while turning to one side, causing her body to spin into a corkscrew. With skills honed by years of practice, she made sure to keep her bearings, never losing sight of which way was up as she spun, and causing cloud to be pulled in around her, clinging to her fur and feathers as condensation as it touched her warm body. As the increasing brightness signaled that she was about to exit the dense vapor, Spritz prepared for the next step. The moment she burst out of the top of the cloud, she banked sideways and spread her wings wide, so one pointed nearly straight down, and the other, almost directly up, though with a slight lean to account for the angle of the sun. As her momentum carried her upward and outward in a graceful arc, condensation streamed off her bright blue wings and even her tail and hind hooves, catching the sunlight at the perfect refractory angle. Spritz tucked and rolled, landing atop the other section of the divided cloud bank, and leaving a stunningly bright rainbow hanging in the air along the path she had just taken. She took only a second or two to admire her handiwork, before shaking off the excess moisture and fluttering back toward the bit of cloud where Shoal was waiting. "Thanks, Spritz! Looks great!" one of the other pegasi called. Spritz just raised a forehoof as if to say 'no problem', not even looking back as she flopped down again beside her best friend. "Alright Shoal, you were saying?" she asked. "I'm saying I can't do that," Shoal answered, gesturing to the glittering rainbow with a wingtip. "I've never seen anypony, anywhere in Equestria, whip up a rainbow like that. Those liquid ones they make at weather factories these days may be a lot easier to mass produce, but they don't have the sparkle yours do. Why should your talent be any less valid than anypony else's?" Spritz rolled her eyes. "You know what happens when a pony sees a Rainbow, Shoal?" she asked glumly. "They say 'ooh, pretty', and get on with their day. You know what happens when a pony sees Mirage Effects put on a big performance? They're absolutely spellbound. They can't look away! They remember what they saw for the rest of their lives!" Shoal frowned, but didn't immediately offer a counterargument. Spritz lowered her head, resting her chin on the cloud. "I wanted to be a pony who could do that too..." she mumbled. "Lucid's so incredible, and her shows are so amazing, and all I ever wanted was to be right beside her, helping her make those visions into reality for ponies everywhere." The two pegasi looked out at the horizon, watching light dance on the sea as evening drew near. "I thought I could be Lucid's right-hoof pony," Spritz admitted. "I thought I really had what it takes to capture the hearts of ponies young and old. But turns out those were just dreams. Lucid dreams." "Can't you... take that other position Lucid mentioned?" Shoal asked. "Maybe it's not what you envisioned, but you'd still get to be a part of the show." "Well... setting up a bunch of electronics hours before showtime doesn't exactly have the same energy as the job I was hoping for," Spritz pointed out. "Not to mention, I definitely wouldn't be working directly with Lucid; I'd be lucky to see much of her at all." "But... better than nothing, maybe?" the other pegasus chanced. "I mean, at the end of the day, the lighting is still part of the experience for the crowds you wanted to amaze." Spritz sighed. "I'll... have to think about it." "How about this then," Shoal piped up, flipping the clasp on Spritz's saddlebag and indicating the tickets inside. "Let's at least go to the Hearth's Warming Eve Spectacular. Think it over during the next few days, and then next week you'll get to see Lucid again there and let her know what you decided. That way, no matter what happens with the job, at least we'll still get front row seats to an awesome show. Seems silly to pass that up." Spritz forced herself to stand, giving her wings a quick shake to remove the last of the condensation sticking to her. "Alright, I suppose that's as good a plan as any," she agreed. "Make sure you're packed for a long flight, Shoal. We're heading to Trottingham on Hearth's Warming Eve." Snow flurries floated lazily down upon the city of Trottingham as two pegasi alighted on a rooftop, looking out over the bustling downtown. The sun had already nearly set, but old-timey streetlights kept the area illuminated, showing off shops and diners decorated with wreaths and bows and gold and sliver tinsel. The festive energy in the air was enough to bolster Spritz's mood a bit, even after a week of moping and anxiety. "So where's this show?" Shoal asked. Spritz pointed across town, indicating a gap in the clutter of buildings. "There's a huge park along Coronet Way where they've set up a stage," she answered. "The Hearth's Warming Spectacular starts in twenty minutes, so Lucid and her team are already there." Shoal slowly unfolded her wings. "Lead the way." It took only a minute or two of flight for the park to come into view. As soon as she got a good look at what was below, Spritz simply couldn't help but smile a little. The stage that had been set up was easily big enough to host a world-class Manehattan musical, and was raised high enough that it would be easily visible even from the furthest rows of seats. Upon the stage was a winter wonderland scene, with drifts of surprisingly convincing snow and at least a dozen stately pines decorated with garlands and ornaments galore, the largest of which stood right behind center stage and was easily ten pony lengths high. The facade of a cozy log cabin was set up as well, with snow matted to the roof as if it really was a hideaway in the wintry woods. Behind it all, a towering wooden wall was painted like the starry sky, adding to the overall image as well as concealing everything backstage. "Cute," Shoal commented with a little smirk. "It's cute now," Spritz corrected. "But all we're seeing right now is the display the Trottingham events board set up. It's gonna be a lot more than just 'cute' once the show actually starts and Mirage Effects gets involved. And we've got front row seats!" Shoal looked a bit smug. "I figured this would cheer you right up," she teased. "Nothing's gonna be able to keep that inner fangirl in check when she's this close to the action." Spritz wanted to argue that point, but truthfully, Shoal was right. Mirage Effects, even if she wasn't a part of it, was still capable of wonders that took firm hold of her imagination when she so much as thought about them. "Show's not starting yet," Shoal pointed out, capitalizing on her momentum. "How about we put those backstage passes to use? Might as well check out what they have rigged up back there to prepare for the show. Who knows, maybe it'll turn out the lighting team they want you to join does some really cool stuff. And hey, even if they don't, you'll still probably get a minute to chat with Lucid." The prospect of speaking with Lucid again caused the weirdest feeling to rise up in Spritz's stomach. Squarely halfway between excitement and dread, her admiration warred with her feelings of shame and embarrassment still lingering from the interview. Deep down, though, she knew nothing that had happened was Lucid's fault, and the illusionist was probably hoping to see her again tonight. "...Okay. Let's go." The pair of pegasi flew around the side of the stage, where there was a door to the space behind the show's backdrop. A Trottingham police officer held up a hoof, but caught sight of the backstage passes in Spritz's hoof before he could say anything. "Ah, VIP's," the stallion said with a smile and a token Trottingham accent, as he stepped aside and gestured to the doorway. "Go right on in then, and have a lovely holiday, ladies." Spritz and Shoal ducked into the backstage area, keeping clear of performers donning their costumes and stagehands making last-minute adjustments. "So where's your idol?" Shoal asked, glancing casually around. "I'm sure she's here somewhere..." Spritz replied, taking a flap or two into the air to glance over the heads of all the other ponies. "I would think she'd be easy to find, since she'd probably be surrounded by ponies listening to her instructions. When it comes to this stuff, nopony is as organized and put-together as Lucid, after all." A side door banged open, and Lucid staggered in, glasses askew and eyes looking almost frenzied. "No no no this isn't gooooood," she whinnied as she hurried further backstage. Shoal raised an eyebrow. "Yup. The very picture of a put-together pony." Spritz ignored the quip, already trying to push her way through the crowd in the direction Lucid had run. The two pegasi peeked around the corner and spotted Lucid conversing with two other unicorns. "So they're all gone?" the CEO asked desperately, sitting back and wringing her forehooves. "You weren't able to save anything?" "One of the unicorns shook his head sadly. "We couldn't have predicted it. Just a freak accident." "Now what are we gonna do?" the other of the pair asked. "I... I don't know!" Lucid admitted, grabbing a clipboard from her saddlebag and paging through the large ream of paper tacked to it. "Give me just a second, maybe we can reallocate some of the other equipment in such a way that we can at least do something resembling the original plan..." One of the other two unicorns noticed Spritz and Shoal peering around the corner curiously. "Um, Miss President, it looks like somepony else needs to speak with you too," he pointed out. Lucid glanced over her shoulder, and managed a weak smile upon locking eyes with the familiar pegasus. "Oh, Spritz, you made it," she said, turning almost immediately back to her clipboard. "I'm really sorry, but we're going to have to talk after the show. We're dealing with a bit of an emergency right now..." "What happened?" Spritz asked, trotting to Lucid's side while Shoal watched from a few paces away. "A cart carrying some of the equipment we were going to use in this show lost a wheel, right next to the Shetland River," one of the assistant unicorns explained. "The whole thing tipped sideways and dumped most of the contents into the water. The couriers were able to recover almost all of it, but basically everything electrical is ruined." "What?" Spritz gasped. "So, you have no lights or anything for the show?" Lucid chuckled. "It's bad, but it's not that bad," she clarified. "The big stuff, like adjustable spotlights and overhead stage lights, as well as the sound system, were all in place yesterday. What we lost was a lot of the more decorative stuff: most notably, the strings of colored lights that were supposed to spiral up the Hearth's Warming Trees. The show can go on, at least, but a lot of the things that were going to take it that extra step from 'great' to 'incredible'... we might have to make do without this time." "So, I could be wrong here..." Shoal cut in, joining the huddle of ponies, "but Spritz tells me you're like... a really good illusionist. Can't you, y'know... just magic a buncha lights up there that look like the electric lights?" "Strictly speaking, yes, that'd be the most straightforward solution," Lucid agreed. "The problem is, the show already involves an illusion much bigger and grander than that. I'm the only one who can cast it, and my attention during the show is going to be fully occupied with maintaining that. My other illusionists have their hooves full as well, and even if I had one to spare, the tree lights aren't the only electric element we lost! There were realistic-looking fake icicles in there that were supposed to hang from the cottage and be turned on during the big finale. They glowed in such a way that the light would've shimmered and danced across the front of the building at the same moment the other lights in the scene came on. The fact of the matter is we just don't have enough illusion-trained unicorns to make up for the losses." Spritz scrunched up her brow, lost in thought. After a moment, she peeked though the stage backdrop, examining the trees and the rest of the set. Beyond it, hundreds of ponies were assembled in the seats below, clearly expecting something that lived up to the name 'Hearth's Warming Spectacular'. An idea began to form in the corners of the pegasus's mind. She glanced left, then right, eyeing up each part of the set. "Ok, so those three trees are in range of the spotlight on stage right, and the big one will be lit up by the one down in front of the audience, so with that angle, we'd have to... hmmm... yeah, that could work..." Lucid slowly cocked her head. "Spritz?" she asked concernedly. "She does this," Shoal said dryly, patting Lucid on the back with an outstretched wing. "Let her talk to herself; it's her process." Spritz's body suddenly went rigid, and her ears stood on end. "Wait. This could work. This could work!" she gasped, turning around to face the other ponies gathered there. "How long until showtime?" "About ten minutes?" one of Lucid's assistants estimated. "Just enough time!" Spritz declared. "Shoal! Clouds! Go get as many clouds as you can, condense them, and bring them down to either side of the stage." "You're the boss," Shoal said with a shrug and she turned and headed for the exit, leaving behind a bewildered Lucid. "Spritz, um, what are you up to, exactly?" she asked, scratching her head. "I think I know how to make the Hearth's Warming Eve Spectacular look almost how you planned it, even without the lost equipment or extra illusionists!" Spritz declared. "You and your team just do everything the way you planned. I'll do what I can to cover the rest." Lucid's two unicorn companions looked uncertain. "Miss President, I'm not sure what your friend can do on such short notice..." one of them advised. "What if her plan doesn't work?" "There's no time to explain it all now," Spritz urged. "If we're gonna do this, I need to help Shoal with those clouds right away. But I can help, Lucid! I just need you to trust me." Lucid glanced at her clipboard one more time, sighed, and nodded. "There's no time to make another plan," she agreed. "I hate to put this on a pony who doesn't even work for me, but anything you can do to help is better than nothing. We'll do the show the way we planned, and you... just do what you can, please." Spritz saluted. "I won't let you down! Back in a flash!" She jetted out of the room, over the heads of the crowd of ponies backstage. She caught Lucid's final words to her on her way out. "Good luck, Spritz! I'm counting on you!" "Lucid's counting on me," she mumbled to herself as she shot up into the sky. "This Hearth's Warming Spectacular is still gonna be... well, spectacular if I have anything to say about it!" A spotlight flashed on, illuminating a coffee brown earth pony mare in a bulky winter coat at the center of the stage. The audience quieted as she held her microphone to her lips. "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Trottingham!" she greeted, waving to the crowd. "As another year draws to a close, and the cold of winter sets in, we come together as we do every year for a celebration of family, friendship, and togetherness for all pony kinds. Let's let the warmth in our hearts brighten up this dark December evening, as our performers present for you, the Trottingham Hearth's Warming Eve Spectacular!" The crowd cheered, but Spritz was hardly paying attention to them. She sat out of sight of the spotlights beside the stage, next to a mass of clouds that Shoal was holding securely in place so it wouldn't float out over the stage. Nearby, Lucid and her illusionists stood in a nook near the back of the stage, out of sight of the ponies in attendance but still fully able to see every aspect of the performance. Music began to play as the Trottingham Chorus, dressed in old-timey getup that wouldn't have looked out of place in a production of "A Hearth's Warming Tale", trotted onto the stage. The spotlights highlighted them, throwing most of the wintry backdrop into shadow, as they began to perform and sing holiday carols. Above, some of the pegasi from Mirage Effects worked to create snowfall, with big, whimsical flakes that fluttered down upon both the performers and the audience. All in all, it was a quaint and charming musical performance. And then Lucid's horn lit up. As the music swelled, Spritz and Shoal watched in wonder as a massive, dome-like illusion surrounded the entire park. The decorated buildings and snow-lined streets of Trottingham disappeared behind completely new surroundings. In just seconds, it was as if the entire performance had been transported to the heart of a snowy pine forest that blended seamlessly with the stage's original backdrop. Even the sky, also part of the illusion, had become deep and dark and clear, with bright white stars twinkling overhead. Shoal glanced at Spritz, her mouth agape. Spritz just smirked back. "Told you it was gonna be more than just 'cute' once Lucid got involved," she whispered. The other illusionists quickly got to work as the performers continued to sing. Light sprung up in the windows of the fake cabin, as if a cozy fire was crackling in the hearth inside. Occasional shooting stars streaked across the illusory night sky above. The falling snow twinkled in the air like diamonds. Each time the carolers moved to the next song, another layer of effects were added, making the scene more impressive. But as the classic tune, Hearth's Warming Eve is Here Once Again, began to play, there was no new illusion to be seen. Slowly, quietly, Spritz spread her wings and nodded to Shoal. "My turn." The pale blue pegasus dove through the bank of cloud and then launched into the air, flying almost straight upward as fast as she could. After a moment, she phased through the top of the illusory dome, but didn't stop there. Puffing and panting from the altitude, she climbed as high as she could, feeling the air around her grow bitterly cold. She waited just a tick, watching the drops of water clinging to her wings until they just began to freeze, and then dove downward as fast as she could. Air rushed past her, forcing her to squint as she passed back through the top of the illusory dome, causing Trottingham to be replaced once again with the forest scene. "Gotta do this just right..." The pegasus angled her wings straight back, though given that she was moving vertically, her wingtips pointed almost straight up. The moisture, extremely cold but not quite frozen, slid to the tips of her feathers. The little cottage facade barreled toward her. At the very last second, Spritz pulled up, intentionally letting her outermost weathers smack the edge of the roof as she did so. She grunted at the stinging sensation, but it had the desired effect. The supercooled water was jolted off her wingtips and froze solid almost instantly as it left the faint warmth of her wings and touched the edge of the roof, creating long, clear icicles that grew from the eaves in a matter of seconds. One of the spotlights illuminated the little edifice, and shone right through the perfectly clear, pure ice, glimmering beautifully across the wood walls of the cottage. Spritz vanished from the audience's view almost immediately, hearing their cries of delight behind her as she returned to her hiding spot in the shadows beside the stage. She touched down shakily, panting. "Impressive," Shoal commented. "You got something coming up that's gonna top that?" "Y-yeah, actually," Spritz puffed. "Just let me catch my breath." After the song concluded, the chorus fell silent. The earth pony who greeted the audience at the start of the performance stepped onto the stage again. "Thank you, everypony, for coming to our show tonight," she cooed into her mic. "Before you go, we've got one last song for you, of course. After all, it wouldn't be Hearth's Warming Eve without a rendition of The Heart Carol!" With a rolling boom of a base drum, a cheery violin melody, and the ringing of holiday bells, the music to the carol that ponies all around Equestria knew began to play. Determined not to let Lucid down, Spritz spread her wings one more time. "Man I hope this works," she muttered as she stepped into the large tuft of cloud, coating every inch of herself with condensation. With no time to waste, she leapt into the air. As the music swelled and the chorus prepared to sing, Spritz raced toward the three Hearth's Warming trees on the right side of the stage and flew around one, bottom to top in a tight spiral, shaking droplets free from her wings as she did so. They hung in the air, cloaking the outside of the tree in a shroud of tiny droplets that twinkled in the beam of the spotlight like bright white decorative lights. As fast as she possibly could, she swirled around the next tree, and the next, giving each the same treatment in just a few seconds each. Just as she finished, the performers began to chant the familiar lyrics. The fire of friendship lives in our hearts, As long as it burns we cannot drift apart, Done with the right side, and trying to ignore the dizziness from flying in such tight circles, Spritz dove into the other cloud bank on the left side of the stage, and repeated the process with all the trees on the left. She wasn't quite sure how she managed to stay steady, but soon, the trees on the left matched the ones on the right, bedecked in a garment of suspended water that shined as bright as any electric lights could have. Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few Laughter and singing will see us through, "Now for the hard part." With one more pass through the cloud, the determined pegasus launched herself toward the great big tree at the center of the display, which was at least twice as tall and wide as the others. As she did so, she glanced toward the central spotlight, just in front of the audience, doing her best to calculate its angle. "Ok," she mumbled, her voice easily drowned out by the singers, "correct my wing angle by twelve degrees, decrease speed, spread wings wide, and..." Spritz swept around the tree, spiraling upward in a grand helix. This time, however, she positioned her body to make sure the drops of water trailing off her wings were deposited at just the right angle to refract the incoming spotlight. To the amazement of everypony in attendance, shimmering drops in a whole rainbow of colors quickly encircled the tree, positioned with practiced care so that the white light striking them from the spotlight below was split into reds and blues and greens and many other colors besides. It looked as if the tree truly had been decorated with colored lights; if anything, the droplets glowed even brighter and more vibrantly than their mechanical counterparts would have. A growing cheer began to form in the audience as the singers' voices rose to hit the final notes. We are a circle of pony friends, a circle of friends we'll be to the very end! Spritz reached the top of the tree as the chorus below drew out the last note. She had one final plan, one that Lucid hadn't even planned for, but she was determined to pull it off anyway. After one more mental calculation, she adjusted her body again and let the remaining water trail off her feathers in a wavy pattern, creating something that looked convincingly like a sweeping, blue and green aurora, even though it was merely water rather than anything electromagnetic. She flew a lap of the illusion dome, accounting for the position of each of the lights below as she painted auroras across the pseudo-sky. The cheers and delight from below filled her ears as she quickly disappeared from sight, touching down a moment later next to her companion. Shoal simply looked at her, dumbfounded. "Well... damn, girl." "I hope that was good enough," Spritz panted, ignoring Shoal's praise. "I don't know how Lucid planned it originally, but... well, I did my best. The audience seemed to like it, at least." "Thank you so much, everypony!" the coffee-colored earth mare called as all the illusions faded away and revealed Trottingham's downtown again. "And have a very happy Hearth's Warming!" Exhausted, Spritz trudged backstage, where there were now noticeably less ponies than there had been before the show. She slumped into a little wooden chair in one corner and waited. "Now, we just wait for Lucid to get back," she said to Shoal. "She should have time to talk about that lighting supervisor position now." The words were barely out of her mouth when hoofsteps echoed in the doorway. Lucid stepped slowly around the corner, flanked by her team of illusionists, her glasses quickly going foggy after moving from outside to the warmth of backstage. "Spritz..." Spritz fidgeted in her chair. "Hey Lucid," she greeted. "I did all I could. Hopefully the show was... almost as good as you had planned?" The unicorn glanced at her employees, as if confirming they'd heard the same question she had. "Almost? Almost??" she babbled, stepping forward. "Spritz, that was better than anything we originally planned! The droplets you set up around the tree took on so many more colors than any string of lights could have. And then the aurora! How did you even do that?" Spritz blushed slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Years of making rainbows?" she offered, turning her hips so her cutie mark was visible. "All it takes is a little mental geometry and some fine motor control to make water refract light in just the right way. I'm just glad I was able to save your show. Like I said in my interview, I really love the work you do, and I would've hated to see it ruined because of an accident beyond your control." Shoal nudged Spritz with an elbow. "Speaking of which, what'd you decide about that position with Mirage Effects?" she reminded her. "Better discuss that before we split." "Oh, right!" Spritz realized, sitting up straighter. "With all the chaos surrounding the performance, I almost forgot. Lucid, if you have time, could we talk for a bit about the lighting position you offered?" Lucid smiled gently and stepped forward, leaving her employees lingering behind. "Spritz, do you know what an illusion is?" she asked softly. For a second, Spritz was thrown for a loop by the unrelated question. "Ma... manipulating light with magic to change an object's appearance?" she replied uncertainly. "We already talked about this at the interview." Lucid chuckled and shook her head. "That definition is actually too specific," she corrected. "Anything that fools the sense of sight can be an illusion. Magic, while capable of creating illusions, is not a prerequisite to their existence." Spritz flattened one ear. "O...kay, fair enough," she answered finally. "Why is that important?" "Because one way to create them without magic is to bend light by other means," Lucid explained. "For instance, our company's namesake, the mirage, is an illusion created by light refracting through air layers of different densities, fooling the sense of sight by seemingly displacing objects. Water also refracts light, creating colors and reflections by bending the white light passing through it. While not made by forcibly manipulating light with magic, those effects are still illusions, and a pony who is skilled at manipulating water in those ways would be considered a very talented illusionist." Spritz felt a little faint all of a sudden. "Are you... talking about me?" Lucid sat down and stared guiltily at the floor. "Spritz, I really need to apologize," she admitted, tapping her forehooves together self-consciously. "Mirage Effects' goal is to utilize fantastic illusions in our productions, and all my life, I've found magic is the best way to create them, so I just kind of assumed that when hiring illusionists, they'd need to be unicorns. Clearly I wasn't thinking creatively enough, because there's a wildly gifted pegasus illusionist sitting in front of me right now that I foolishly turned away just because she didn't have a horn." Spritz glanced at Shoal, who shot her a grin, before turning back to Lucid. "So... does that mean..." she started, her heart thundering in her chest. Lucid looked at the pegasus pleadingly. "Spritz, you've got a vast knowledge of our organization, management and quick-thinking skills that any leader would need, and an exceptional talent for both planning and actually creating a type of illusions my team is sorely lacking right now," she listed. "After the interview last week, I wouldn't fault you for having set your sights on something else, but just in case you're still interested... I'd like to revise my earlier judgement. It seems you're exactly the kind of pony I'm looking for as Vice President of Mirage Effects." Spritz blasted out of her chair so fast, a small sonic boom shook the stage. "YES!" she cried, throwing her forelegs around Lucid while still in flight and sliding the both of them several pony lengths backward. " Yes, yes, absolutely, I accept!" "Comin' on a little strong, there," Shoal pointed out, with a faint smirk. Spritz realized what she'd done and hurriedly backed off, but relaxed when Lucid broke into a delighted laugh. "Oh, what a relief," she sighed. "I would've been kicking myself for months if I'd missed this opportunity after what I saw you do tonight. I don't want to interrupt your holidays, so how about you report to the office in Whinnychester just after the new year begins, and we can get you settled in to your new position?" Spritz wiped her eyes, giggling in shock and excitement. "S-sounds good," she managed. "Can't wait." Lucid beamed. "Thank you again for all your help tonight," she said as she packed the last of her supplies and made her way toward the exit with her team of illusionists in tow. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Spritz! See you soon!" The president trotted from the building, leaving Spritz standing somewhat shell-shocked in the middle of the room. Shoal sidled up to her, wagging her eyebrows playfully. "Well, you said your goals were just lucid dreams," the purple pegasus chuckled, "but the funny thing about lucid dreams is you can make them turn out any way you want them to. So, in hindsight, I guess you were right all along." Spritz laughed and threw a foreleg around her friend. "Shoal, from here on out, the only kind of dream this will be is a dream come true!" With an unshakable smile, she led the way as the two ponies soared into the night sky. This was no illusion; it was a reality, and she just couldn't wait for it to begin.