Dream Sparkle

by Silent Strider

Dream

Twilight appeared in the air and immediately started to fall. She opened her wings -

Or, rather, noticed that she didn’t have her wings as she fell, screaming and flailing her legs all the way. Luckily, she landed on a bush that broke her fall, and was fairly close to the ground to begin with.

The voice of a familiar filly reached her. “Let’s go, Silver Spoon. We already lost too much time with this flightless blank flank.” Twilight tried to get out of the bush to take a better look, but the bush’s branches were holding her legs; she was stuck there.

“Oh, great. Can anything else go wrong?“ She attempted to teleport out of the bush; her horn glowed… but as the glow dissolved in harmless purple sparks, Twilight was still inside the bush. “I had to ask.”

“Anypony here?” A small hole opened in the leaves, where an orange filly face wasvisible.

“Scootaloo! er, can you lend me a hoof? I’m stuck.”

“Sure.” They started to bend branches together. “What are you doing here?”

Good question. What am I doing here? I remember getting a spell from Spike, and… didn’t Luna say something about being disoriented the first time I used it?

“I’m doing a favor for Princess Luna. I think.” Together they managed to bend or break enough branches to free Twilight.

As Twilight stepped out of the bush, Scootaloo’s gaze fell upon Twilight’s back, where her wings should be. Glancing up at the moon, Scootaloo asked: “This is a dream, isn’t it?”

A dream… Yes, that seems right. Luna couldn’t handle the nightmares today, so I offered to help...

Twilight looked around; she was close to the school, but it was somehow different. A strange fog hung around, preventing her from seeing the rest of the town.

“Er, are you fine? I thought I heard somepony saying bad things about you,” said Twilight, pointing where she heard the voice of Filthy Rich’s daughter disappear to.

“I’m cool. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are always trying to hurt me, but after last time I don’t think they can anymore.” Scootaloo puffed her small chest with pride. “You know, I had the awesomeliest ponies help me face my fears! There is no way I could let those bullies use that to make me feel bad.”

“Do you mean awesomest?”

“What are you, a dictionary?” The filly put a hoof in front of her mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to -”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle. “Don’t worry, I’ve been called far worse things.”

Fears… Nightmares...

“Might I ask about those awesome ponies and how they helped you?”

Scootaloo blushed a bit. “It’s a bit embarrassing.” she looked down, moving her hoof in circles. “And I kinda promised Rainbow Dash not to tell…”

“That she sometimes feels fear?”

Scootaloo’s jaw dropped. “How do you know?”

“It’s just like Rainbow to ask others to keep that in secret. I have seen her afraid, both for herself and for others; but instead of hiding away, she braves her fear and do the right thing…” Twilight brought a hoof to her chin “... even if once in a while she needs a little push.”

Twilight looked at the filly; she seemed to be considering whether to tell her tale or not. “I still want to hear how those awesome ponies helped you. How about a trade? You tell me how you learned to face your fears, and I tell you some stories about Rainbow Dash?”

“Alright! I’ll start with when Princess Luna helped me with a nightmare! Apple Bloom had invited me to go camping with Applejack and Rainbow Dash…”

Scootaloo went about telling the story with the enthusiasm of a filly set loose in Sugarcube Corner, though she started slowing down with an embarrassed look when she confessed to being scared by Rainbow Dash’s campfire stories, scared enough that she refused to sleep the first night. Twilight paid close attention as the filly reached the part where she finally fell asleep…

“It was a nightmare, all right. I ran as fast as I could, but the Headless Horse was still behind me. Just when I didn’t have anywhere else to flee, I saw a flash of light and Princess Luna was there! She was so cool! And then she told me that I had to face my fear by myself, and asked me if my fear was really the headless horse.”

“Wasn’t it?”

“No. I mean, yes, I was afraid of the headless horse, but I was much more afraid of disappointing Rainbow Dash. And then I woke up and heard the Headless Horse, so I took my scooter and left as fast as I could, but I feel into the river. Just when I was going down the waterfall, Rainbow Dash saved me! Then Rainbow Dash asked me why I feel into the river, and I.. “ Scootaloo’s eyes began to water.

Twilight put a hoof around Scootaloo’s shoulders. “It’s OK. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’m fine. It’s just that I was really scared, so scared that I started to cry. I thought that Rainbow Dash would abandon me there, that she wouldn’t want to be with somepony that wasn’t as brave as her. But then I remembered Princess Luna, and I told Rainbow Dash how I was afraid, and…”

Twilight had a knowing smile on her face. “And Rainbow Dash told you that she sometimes get scared too?”

“Well, kinda. And then she told me that she would take me under her wing and teach me, just like a big sister! But you know, that was amazing, but I guess she did help me even more with the flag carrying.”

“Really?”

“You know that I still can’t fly.” Twilight nodded. “There was a competition at the school to choose who would carry the Ponyville flag in the Equestria Games. We Cutie Mark Crusaders were a team, but I… let Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon convince me that a team with a flightless pegasus would never win, so I kinda.. gave up.”

“And your friends came help you, I hope.”

“Yeah, they and Rainbow Dash. She told me that it doesn’t matter if I can fly or not, I’m still awesome. And it makes sense, you know? I’m who I am. It makes no sense trying to be someone else, I just have to be the awesomeli- I mean, awesomest I can be, just like Rainbow Dash said I can.”

I am who I am...

“Now I know I am dreaming!” Scootaloo was staring at something on Twilight’s back. Twilight opened her wings.

Oh, right. Luna sent me here to learn how to deal with a nightmare in a safe dream.

“Thank you, Scootaloo. You helped me a lot, more than you can imagine. But I have to go back to Princess Luna.”

“Well, if Princess Luna is waiting…” Scootaloo’s head dropped.

Twilight gently lifted the filly’s head with a hoof and smiled at her. “On the other hoof, I do think I have enough time for a story. Have I ever told how Rainbow Dash used a Sonic Rainboom to save Rarity and three Wonderbolts in front of Princess Celestia?”

---

Twilight was back in Luna’s dream. “I guess you didn’t send me into Scootaloo’s dream to deal with her nightmare.”

Luna, green even in her dream, nodded. “You need to know how to dispel other ponies’ fears before you can handle real nightmares, and that sweet filly might be the one pony that knows most about facing her fears in all of Ponyville. Besides, do you think you would be of any help if you arrived in a nightmare powerless like that?”

“Point taken. But what just happened? Why was I an unicorn, and why didn’t my magic work?”

Luna’s cyan eyes fixed on Twilight’s. “Do you think yourself worthy of being an alicorn? Of being a princess?”

Twilight shifted her eyes. “No.”

“That is why. You still see yourself, pardon the expression, as just a plain old unicorn. In dreams you assume the image you have of yourself.”

Luna sighted and continued. “But we can’t solve your self-esteem issues overnight, so instead I’m going to ask you to concentrate on the fact you are an alicorn every time you cast the Dream Walker spell. It should suffice.”

She took a look at the moon in her dreamscape. “It’s quite late already. Perhaps you should go back to the library; we can continue tomorrow, and in two or three days you might be ready to face actual nightmares.”

“Actually, when I went to the library get the spell with Spike, I asked him to run it for me this next week; the girls will be dropping there to help, and I think I can convince Cherilee to drop by and help her students if there is any assignment that requires reading, so I should be free. I will be sleeping here in Fluttershy’s cottage to help her, if you allow me.”

“Do you want to continue your training, then?”

Twilight nodded.

“Very well. The next step is to get you used enough with the Dream Walker spell to retain your memories, as well as your shape. We should also prepare you to face any crazy or surprising situation that can happen in a dream. I know a pony that can help you, and she will be really happy to help.”

“Who?”

“It’s a small surprise, but I think you will enjoy it. And don’t forget to concentrate on getting there as an alicorn,” said Luna with an enigmatic smile.

---

Twilight looked around; this dream also looked like Ponyville, but this time she had arrived at the Town Square. She quickly tested her wings and magic; they appeared to be working normally, and her memory appeared intact. Now, who would be this dreamer…

Looking around, Twilight saw something completely illogical; it was as if Discord decided to throw a parade in honor of chickens and pies. What in the wide world of Equestria was -

“Hi, Twilight. What are you doing in my dream?” A contagiously cheerful, and pink, pony appeared upside down in front of Twilight, causing her to scream in surprise.

Author's Note:

Feel free to point flaws, errors, or to make suggestions; I'm here to learn.

Comments

[ersmiller]

“Do you meant awesomest?”
Try replacing this line with one of these:
Do you mean awesomest?
Did you mean awesomest?
I think you meant awesomest.

“That she sometimes feel fear?”
"That she sometimes feels fear?”

“I guess you didn’t sent me into Scootaloo’s dream to deal with his nightmare.”
“I guess you didn’t send me into Scootaloo’s dream to deal with her nightmare.”

[Silent Strider]

4022045
Thanks, fixed.
It's curious how even after watching three seasons and half I still think about Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo as male, and always have to go back looking for places where I referenced them as such