//------------------------------//
// Dreams 
// Story: Raining Metal 
// by thecakeisalie 
//------------------------------//

	Midnight emerged from a forest and into a clearing, an unnatural one that had to be burned away. A pegasus walked out of the forest a little to his left. The pegasus looked exactly like Midnight, not just in color, but the same exact cutie mark too.
"Where are we?" Midnight asked the pegasus. Before the pegasus could respond, another Midnight clone walked out of the forest opposite. This one appeared to be an earth pony, however.
"I'm glad you ask," the earth pony responded. "This is a dream, but not a normal one. I have an important message."


Midnight jerked awake. He'd had this dream every night for at least two months. At first, he thought that basic training was just getting to his mind, but he knew that wasn't right. He just knew that if he could get all the way through the dream, he'd know why he felt so bad. He was getting fautiged by extreme excersize, something that'd never happened to him previously. His magic, while still stronger than natrual, was weaker than it should be. One night, when he'd stayed awake out of sheer will, he'd tried to bring out his wings and fly, just to discover he couldn't. He'd never been unable to fly before, and it scared him. But not as much as needing to sleep. That was wrong. In fact, it was all wrong. He knew something was going on, but he could do nothing about it. With a sigh, he went back to bed.


An earth pony clone of himself stood straight across from Midnight, on the other side of a long table made of black granite. The stone was colder than space, and as the earth pony slowly made it's way to Midnight, he found he couldn't move. Looking down, he discovered he was frozen to the table. The ice was a strange red, and reflected better than the average mirror. Which was how Midnight discovered he looked like Icescape.	
"Hello,"  the earth pony said with a small frown, "I know that you're who I was expecting, but you look like someone else. I wonder... I think the dream is telling me that tonight isn't the night. Again. However, it seems to think you could do some good in anothers dream. Good bye for now. I will speak to you at another time." At this, the earth pony extended a hoof to Midnight, and with a tap on his head, sent him on. The earth pony turned, and seemed to ask nothing in particular, "When?"
"Soon,"  came the reply. 


Midnight crashed down onto the barrack floor. He could have sworn that he was Icescape for a second, but looking in the window glass, he could tell that he was, in fact, still himself. Creepy, he thought to himself. If this is what dreaming is like, I don't know that I want to dream anymore. With a shiver, he gave up on going back to sleep, which would be impossible after that last dream anyways, and considered his situation. Basic training was over in just a few days, and then it was on to the special magic training. He idly wondered if he'd get to see Applejack or Twilight before they all want different places. He'd seen them in passing a few times during the last few months, and had even gotten to have a short conversation with Applejack, but nothing significant. "Oh, hay," he thought out loud, "I need to stop thinking about these people like we're friends!" Deciding a good one a.m. lap around the track would get things off his mind, he stood and went to the barrack door.
Which opened into a northen rain forest. Dumbfounded, Midnight stopped in his tracks. As he tried to figure out what in hay was going on, he heard a scream in the forest. None of the other soon-to-be marines stirred at the sound, but Midnight noticed Icescape was missing. Oh, hay no, Midnight thought as he burst into the forest. He may not have any idea what was happening, but he knew he had to help Icescape.


The earth pony Midnight watched himself as a unicorn ran out into the forest without a second thought. If only he knew the consequences last time he did that, the earth pony thought. If only. The Midnight clone went back to watching himself intrude in Icescapes dream.


As Midnight crashed through the forest, he picked up on the scream, and realized they were coming from his left a bit more. As he turned to go after the sound, he burst out of the trees, just to see Icescape cowering in front of... a larger pony? The second pony looked like Icescape, except for the mane, which was a fairly normal brown. On second thought, the second pony was actually grey, not white. His cutie mark was impossible to see in the dark. "Freak!" he screamed at Icescape, "You're a freak! And your cutie mark, a bird? HAH! You're no good at art, maybe it's telling you to take a flying leap!" The pony, whos face had been getting redder as the speech went on, finally had enough. He raised a hoof and let something fly. A bottle made contact with Icescapes face and broke, causing multiple small scars. Icescape ran off into the night, crying heavily, and dissapered into the gloom. "Humph. Freak," the gray pony said as he went back inside.
Horrified at what he had jut seen, Midnight nearly went in and confronted the pony, but before he could move, the pony reappeared. This time he was carrying what appeared to be luggage. "If that kid thinks he's going away he's stupider than I thought," he murmured under his breath. 
A mare stepped outside. She walked over to the stallion and appeared to be begging him not to do whatever it was he intended to do. The gray pony gave a a short answer and marched off. The ponies had been getting farther from Midnight this whole time. As he started to creep closer, so he could actually hear what they were saying, the gray stallion pulled a quick turn, raised a hoof, and brought it down on the mares face, knocking her to the floor. 
A gasp sounded out from some bushes nearby, and Icescape ran out, and then away, tears streaking his face. He looked so young, not yet out of colthood, Midnight thought. Could it be a memory? Am I still in a dream?
Just then the world started to dissolve, and Midnight felt a hoof on his shoulder. "You're not supposed to be here," Icescape said in a flat voice. Not only had he lost his cheer, but all emotions what so ever had fled him. "This is a private memory. Come on, let's get you back to the barracks." And with a firm hoof, Midnight was pushed back towards the barracks. He couldn't say anything, his mind was too deep into questioning mode. I don't remember THIS being mentioned when Icescape gave me his life story, Midnight thought. How'd he get to be the pony he is with that past? Is it all a front?
In what seemed to be no time at all, he was back in his bunk in the barracks. He couldn't even remember how he got there. Before falling into a dreamless sleep, Midnight had one last thought. Is Icescape ok?