//------------------------------// // Day Dreams in Dream Land // Story: Student of Friendship // by zalla661 //------------------------------// Sleep. It's amazing what a good night or days rest can do for the body and mind. Starlight never once thought about it, until now that is. Resting her head on the pillow she rolled over on the bed. Doing so she managed to roll her head off the pillow and rested against the bed itself. The bed itself was very stiff and hard but Starlight was too tired to care how she felt at the time. Deep in her mind Starlight dreamed one of the sweetest dreams she had in a long time. She dreamed of flowery fields of green and white. She was a young filly running around chasing after butterflies of all shapes and sizes. Some were tiny like the size of her little nose. Others were as big as her and flew high out of her reach, but she only cared about the smaller ones she could hold in her hooves. The filly giggled as she chased a group of butterflies through the field. Her tiny hooves felt warm against the scratchy grass and the smell of roses loomed in the air. She loved roses especially white ones. After ten minutes of chasing them she finally gave up after she took a short tumble down a hill. She laughed as the rolled all the way to the bottom coming to a stop on her back. She giggled once more spotting a butterfly as big as her head coming closer to her. Her eyes widened like large dish plates with wonder as the large monarch landed on her nose. The fillies eyes went crosseyed and she laid there unmoving afraid she'd scare the monarch away. Suddenly she said, "Hi! I'm starlight! What's your name mister monarch?" The butterfly responded by flapping its wings twice. "Oh, that's a lovely name! Do you wanna be friends?" Starlight asked the butterfly. Again it responded by flapping it's wings twice. "Awesome! You're the second friend I ever had!" she yelled out excited. "We'll be friends forever!" The butterfly didn't respond, instead little Starlight got up and adjusted herself to allow the butterfly room to move on the tip of her nose. She giggled at the tickling sensation she felt as the bugs tiny legs scrapped against her snoot. Then she felt a burning sensation in her nose. She was going to sneeze! Panicked she tried very hard not to sneeze, forcing the sensation away by sheer will power alone. Holding her breath helped a little, but in the end she couldn't fight it. With a might 'Achoo!' the monarch was blown away launched from the pink fillies nose and off into the distance. The orange monarch fluttered clumsily away and young Starlight jumped up to her hooves. She ran after the monarch crying out with teary eyes, "Wait don't go! I'm sorry, mister butterfly!" She ran after him over another hill and lost sight of him as she reach d the peak. She desperately tried to reach him as fear set in that she was going to lose him, her only friend. Over several hills she ran after the butterfly and eventually she ran over a larger hill losing sight of him. With no sign of her orange friend anywhere, little Starlight fell back on her haunches and began to cry. She curled up into a small ball and wrapped her tail around herself petting it gently while she sobbed wiping her tears away with it. Just when she felt like burying herself in the ground and laying there to rot something landed on her head. It was soft and so subtle that she thought she imagined it. She wiped the tears away and touched her head with her hoof and found a small floral wreath on her. She pulled it down slipping it over her head and laid it around her neck. Then the butterfly landed on the tip of her horn flapping its wings. She smiled and nodded silently. "Thank you. It's lovely. I'm sorry I cried. I was afraid I lost you friend." she admitted to the butterfly who responded with a series of flutters from its wings. Starlight then replied, "I know it's silly but I once had a friend until he got his cutie mark. He then went to Canterlot to study and, I never saw him again." Again the butterfly fluttered its wings. "I know it's silly but I had a real fear all this time. I wish I had met Princess Twilight sooner." she sighed. "Maybe then I would have not turned out to be such a monster." The monarch flapped its wings crawling over her horn tip and to the underside of it facing her. It flapped its wings several times and Starlight listened intently. Once the butterfly stopped she nodded saying, "You're right friend. I... I have been foolish. But I have friends now and I won't make the same mistakes I did in the past and that's because I have lots of friends now. I'm not alone anymore." Taking a moment to stand up and shake herself off, she walked over the hill with her new friend on her horn, and slowly began to hum to herself. Her horns magical glow illuminated around her as she watched the sun quickly descended in an unrealistic manner giving way to the night. The moon quickly rose high above her and her butterfly friend and off in the distance a small tree came into view along with a sweet sound of music. She skipped along towards the tree when she suddenly felt very tired. She heard her butterfly friend flutter its wings and stopped under the tree. From around the other side of the tree Starlight saw several fluffy sheep skip around her before piling into a small group under the tree. The sheep looked at the filly with inviting eyes. Starlight wasn't sure why or how, but she could tell they wanted her to sleep on them. The butterfly flew off her horn and floated over the sheep pile. Slowly Starlight climbed over them and once she was on top she nestled herself in the soft and warm wool. It was very comfy to her tiny body. Slowly she began to doze off. Her eyes felt heavy and her body barely able to move as the soothing melody played around her. She looked up to see her butterfly friend floating above her. Blinking once she saw the silhouette of the butterfly change into a large pony. A second blink later and the pony was gone. A voice softly called to her from the ethereal night saying, "Sleep well, my little pony." Closing her eyes Starlight nuzzled the wool, resting her head on her arms saying, "Goodnight my friend." From behind the tree a dark silhouette of a tall pony emerged with a kind smile. The pony nodded contently as the filly slept soundly on the sheep under her protective gaze. The mare spread two massive wings and as silent as the wind she leapt to the sky and vanished in a bright white light leaving Starlight to dream sweet dreams here in the realm of dreams.