Transatlanticism

by ThePwnzorMuffin

Eyes Closed

The relentless pounding of wheel into track, accompanied by the constant chug of the engine, clashed a cacophonous tangle of noise. The massive train sped across the tracks, a light in the inky blackness that only starless, moonless nights can bring.

The thundering pounds and chugs faded into a constant hum inside the silent train cars. Most of the train’s passengers for the night had wasted no time in taking advantage of the nocturnal journey, as snores and snorts emanated from different sections of the train.

Despite the hour, and the slumber of the other ponies, a pair of indigo eyes gazed steadily out to the passing terrain, until their owner shifted. Turning away from the window momentarily, she instead took a passing glance at her fellow passengers. Seeing the lack of ponies that wanted to strike up a conversation, she sighed and rested her head on the wall, returning her attention to the fleeting land that zipped by.

Not like she could see anything, anyway. The light that beamed from the train’s front-facing, and only, headlight, stretched far in one direction. That one direction did not include either of the train’s sides. As such, the sitting pony only saw the ground right in front of her as it flew by.

Twilight Sparkle sighed and shifted again, only to bump into her seat-mate. The same one who had taken the extreme consideration of sprawling out on the seat in his slumber, and the same one who let loose monstrous, train-shaking snores far too often. With this respect for those around him, he left the unfortunate unicorn bunched up against the wall.

Another sigh, and Twilight shifted again, careful not to disturb the snoring stallion. After a moment, all four hooves rested on the cushy seat, and her head rested against the wall again. Figuring that this was as comfortable as she would get, Twilight allowed herself a moment to think.

Maybe she was crazy. Maybe she had gotten a little too caught up in her hobby. Maybe stargazing from her library just wasn’t enough. Maybe she had this idea that if she went to some remote, secluded place, away from everything and anything, that she could really see the art of the night sky. Maybe that’s why she had booked a train ticket to Appleoosa, which just so happened to be surrounded by remote, undisturbed terrain, and was a mere train ride away. The meteor shower that happened to fall on that very day didn’t help Twilight’s thinking, either.

The librarian remembered, all too well, the conversation she had with Spike before leaving.

“All right, Spike, I’ll be on my way now. Don’t forget to remember to lock the library door after I leave.” Twilight had trotted out the door, intending to shut it behind her.

“Wait...” Spike’s voice carried through the open door, making Twilight pause. She turned around to see him standing at the door. “Where exactly are you going again? And why?”

Twilight hid her growing impatience under a thin smile. “Well, I’m going to Appleoosa for tonight to watch the meteor shower. It’s just a train ride away, and it has a lot of undisturbed spots to watch the stars from.”

“By yourself?”

Twilight shrugged as best a pony could. “I doubt any one of my friends would go out of their way to watch this meteor shower. I’ll be back as soon as I can, hopefully before tomorrow night.” Her thin smile grew into a reassuring grin.

“Okay, Twilight... it just seems like this is a bit out of the blue.”

“Well, it is, but how could I miss an opportunity like this? Ponyville and every other place around will just manage to get in the way.”

“Well, I guess there’s no stopping you.” Spike conceded. “Just... be safe, okay?”

“Of course! I always have this to get me out of a sticky situation!” Twilight tapped her forehead, earning an eyeroll from Spike, who shut the door. The unicorn checked her saddlebags, ensuring that every part of her telescope was there and that she had spare parchment, quills, and ink. Satisfied that everything was in order, she struck out for the Ponyville train station.

She had set off for Appleoosa with high hopes and high spirits. A clear night, no disturbances, and a wonderful, breathtaking view included what she had in mind.

Maybe, then, the storm clouds that had settled right above her that night were more than mere coincidence. Maybe nature itself was telling Twilight Sparkle what not to do if she wanted to see a meteor shower. What not to do apparently involved taking a train to a remote place, only to end up soaking wet and without a view.

After some wandering around Appleoosa, the storm had struck unexpectedly, leaving many curious Appleoosans and one disgruntled unicorn. Some asking around, and it didn’t seem like it was going away anytime soon.

One dash to the train station later, and Twilight found herself on the first train back to Ponyville. Where she would most undoubtedly stay the next time a meteor shower or something similar rolled around.

Something struck the train’s window, making Twilight cock an ear and nudging her out of her thoughts. Another strike, and another. They grew faster and more frequent, until they fell into a rhythm of the pitter-patter of raindrops against glass. One corner of Twilight’s mouth curled into a small smile. The bookworm had always had a soft spot for the rain. Perfect weather to read to, or fall asleep to. Now, she was finally considering the latter. If she fell asleep now, she wouldn’t have to wait through the train ride back to Ponyville. Her mind made up, she closed her eyes...

The first thing to come to her attention was that she wasn’t on the train anymore. She felt herself on her back, being supported by a rough and ticklish substance, compared to the train seat she had fallen asleep on.

A drop of water landed on Twilight, making her flinch slightly. What in the world...? Twilight’s eyes opened, and took in the sight of a solitary cloud above her. The cloud produced another drop of rain, which fell onto her. Mystery solved, she thought. Standing up, she took in her surroundings. Looking around her, she was met with grass, grass, and more grass, as far the eye could see. Stretching over flats and rolling over hills, it was everywhere. Everywhere, except for one place. In the distance, the grass abruptly dropped off into what appeared to be a massive fissure in the ground. Though Twilight squinted, she couldn’t see beyond that. Except for the one cloud above her, the sky was fully open and cloudless.

By now, Twilight was fully aware she was dreaming. Vivid dreams such as this one were anything but rare for her, and she had long since gotten used to winding up in strange places such as this. Noticing the hole in the ground, her curiosity led her in the direction of the abyss in the distance.

If she had looked up, she would have noticed the single cloud following her.

==================

Twilight did not know how long she walked. Minutes? Hours? Days, or possibly even months? Apparently, time did not matter in this dream, and she had given up trying to keep track.

It was also difficult to gauge distance, because though Twilight was sure she was putting one hoof in front of another, her landscape remained unchanging. The gaping hole that was her destination didn’t seem to be getting closer, either.

However, as her trek onwards continued, her surroundings finally began to yield to change. The once flat plain now sported hollows in the ground every so often. Passing them, the hollows began to widen and expand, becoming gaps and holes of ever-increasing size. Some rivaled the expanse of the basin in the distance, and yet they all were featureless, and, to Twilight, useless.

During her journey (or was it more like a leisurely stroll? Twilight had no way of telling), one thing had been weighing on her mind.

What does all this mean?

Sure, Twilight had had vivid dreams before, but they had never been so... mysterious. Her walk hadn’t given her an answer, or, perhaps more importantly, a purpose.

At least, not yet.

============

According to the book Dreams and Fantasies: The Workings of the Mind by Helping Hoof, every dream has some kind of meaning, no matter how hidden or convoluted. This thought was reached on the idea that dreams are a way to connect to the subconscious.

Here’s what the book has to say about the matter:

...the subconscious possesses knowledge that a pony may not even know that they have. Reflex, forgotten memories and knowledge, and the like are all contained in a pony’s subconscious.

Perhaps most important is that the subconscious contains unacknowledged perceptions and ideas. This includes hidden, maybe even suppressed, feelings, desires, and wants. Dreams open the door to the subconscious. They can, and will, draw from these recesses of your mind, and possibly make you aware of these feelings.

Unusually vivid dreams are often those that draw from your subconscious. Be on the lookout if you find yourself in a dream like this.

======================

Naturally, this book had found a place in Twilight’s vast collection. Dreams had amazed and stumped her ever since her first foalhood nightmare. Though her parents had comforted her and assured her that none of it was real, Twilight was left wondering: Why did I, or my mind, make this up? This was a question she carried, and asked, after every dream she had since. Upon her finding of Dreams and Fantasies, the idea of the subconscious mind fascinated her, and she kept a quill and notebook by her bedside, in case inspiration or epiphany struck. Until now, though, it never had.

===============

These thoughts buzzed around in Twilight’s head as her destination loomed in front of her. After the appearance of the holes, Twilight was able to tell that, in fact, she was getting closer.

She had no idea why, but Twilight felt her nagging question would be answered when she finally reached the sheer cliffside. Her pace quickened, and she trotted the last few paces to the edge of the hole. When she got there, she stopped cold.

Taking in the sight of the imposing hole before her, Twilight looked right and left, but saw no end to this obstacle in either direction. She peered over the edge, looking down... and down... and down. Try as she might, she wasn’t able to pinpoint a definite bottom. In fact, the sides of the abyss stretched downwards, until they faded from view, into shadow and darkness.

Twilight squeaked and jumped back. She had never thought she had a fear of heights. In fact, she was sure she didn’t, until just now. Trying to focus her attention elsewhere, the unicorn snapped her head up and squinted across the crevasse, searching for the other side. While the abyss seemingly expanded down and to each side, Twilight hoped this wasn’t the case lengthwise.

When her eyes made out the sight of what appeared to be another side, Twilight let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. It looked to be close enough to see in small detail, but far enough that its specific features were slightly fuzzy. Concentrating, Twilight thought she could make out some buildings, small ones that dotted the other side. One building in particular caught her eye: one that reached above the rest and was topped with a cone-like structure. The base appeared to be circular, and closer inspection revealed two flags that fluttered atop small masts.

Twilight put a hoof to her chin: her typical thinking pose. What is it about that building that makes it so familiar? The circular shape, the cone-y top, the flags... She let out a nervous chuckle. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it resembles...

The unicorn’s eyes widened. But it does, doesn’t it? It looks exactly the same, because it is exactly the same.

Twilight was looking at the Ponyville town hall.

Her eyes darted back and forth; her mind did the same. The other buildings appeared to take shape right in front of her: those of houses, stores, and market stands. Not just any old houses and stores, but those from Ponyville. Looking at them now, Twilight could have kicked herself for not recognizing them earlier. Why? Why is this here? What’s my mind trying to tell me? Twilight took a step forward, but stopped as her hoof met empty air, reminding her where she was. Swiftly withdrawing it, she resorted to pacing.

“Okay... what do I know right now?” She stopped for a second, trying to assess the situation. “I’m in a dream. I’m in a really, really vivid dream. My book said that vivid dreams try to tell you something...” -she stopped again, recalling her book- “...from your subconscious. My mind, right now, is trying to do just that. But what does all this mean? How am I supposed to find out?”

A sound, indiscernible, drifted from the other side. Twilight paused in her pacing, and her ear perked up. When nothing came, however, she gave up and resumed her pacing. That’s weird. I was sure that I heard something coming from somewhere. The other side, maybe? “Now, where was I-” the sound came again, louder. Twilight stopped, fully alert. There it was again! The unicorn whirled to face the other side of the crevasse, ears perked. Listening for something, anything, the sound came once more, louder than before. This time, it was loud enough for Twilight to tell what it was.

The sound of voices.

As Twilight watched, other forms began to materialize in her dream-Ponyville, to her, out of nowhere. Moving, breathing, living forms. Forms of ponies. In the park, more than a few ponies chatted on benches, while others talked during their strolls down the paths, enjoying the mild warmth of a late afternoon. In the town square, there was much of the same, in ponies making light conversation while they went about their business.

These chats and talks produced the voices that floated from the town. Twilight was sure she normally wouldn’t be able to hear this, but she had learned long ago that dreams have a natural tendency to disregard reality.

These new developments didn’t help Twilight one bit. “Hello?” she called out tentatively. Unsurprisingly, nothing and no one on the other side gave any sign of hearing her. Thinking that any attempts at getting anypony’s attention would be useless, Twilight simply stared at her dream-Ponyville. The same dream-Ponyville that was now an exact replica of its real-life counterpart, citizens included.

“I have so many questions, and still no answers!” Twilight muttered to herself. “Why is Ponyville in my dream? Why is there this giant... thing between Ponyville and me? Why does - aah!”

So lost in thought as she was, the single drop of water that struck her back came as nothing less than a shock. Twilight sought out the guilty party, and her eyes came to rest on a small, dark cloud. Strangely, it looked almost identical to the one at the start of her dream.

“And that! What is that supposed to...” Twilight trailed off as her cloud drifted over the crevasse. This wasn’t what caused Twilight to lose her train of thought, however. As Twilight’s eyes followed the cloud, she caught sight of something coming over the horizon, to her left.

A mass of billowing, towering clouds crested the horizon. Not a group of white, fluffy clouds where Rainbow Dash took her naps. These were storm clouds. Dark grey banished any traces of blue as these clouds advanced, moving faster than any storm front should. The mass of grey spread over the sky, its dark tendrils leaving no blue untouched, but appeared to focus its power on the crevasse in front of Twilight.

As the storm front devoured the last bits of blue, the dreamworld stopped.

Twilight held her breath, and time seemed to stop around her. The dream-Ponyville across from her had fallen silent, the chatter and activity gone. The clouds above loomed overhead, as if waiting. The dreamworld seemed to take Twilight’s lead, and all signs of life, of any existence, ceased as every breath was held.

And it started to rain.

In seconds, Twilight had water streaming off her coat in currents, as the torrential downpour soaked everything it touched. The clouds poured their water out in cascades, enveloping the dreamworld in water.

In the midst of all this, Twilight simply sat there, rooted to the spot. Her world was now nothing but rain. She felt the droplets striking her coat, heard the drumming of rain on grass, and took in the sight of the downpour around her. Her mind was blank of most thought, quite simply because she didn’t know what to think. She just sat, unmoving, while the torrents fell around her.

Time passed. With no sense of time, Twilight had no idea of how long she was there. Just like her stroll/walk/journey, Twilight could have been sitting there for hours, maybe even days, and she wouldn’t have been able to tell. All she knew was that some amount of time had gone by since the rain had started to fall. She was pretty sure, at least.

The drumming of rain on grass soon gave way to a new sound: the splash of rain against water. And it was coming from behind Twilight. The unicorn whipped her head around at this sound. Despite the veil of rain everywhere, she was still able to see the holes she had come across on her walk. The splash of rain on water seemed to come from these holes. Seeing one not seven feet away from her, Twilight stood up and walked to the hole. Peering inside, she immediately gave a yelp of surprise and jumped back.

The hole was filling up, as expected. Yet, the rain seemed to flood the hole at an alarming rate, water getting closer to Twilight’s hooves with every drop. Eyes narrowed, Twilight leaned in and studied the hole. “That’s not physically possible!” she said aloud. “If the water is falling into the hole at a rate of...” -she looked up for a minute to study the rain- “38 millimeters a minute, then it will take at least-eep!”

Twilight’s calculations were forgotten as she felt water seep into her hooves. Looking around, she saw another hole, right next to her, filled with rainwater. This hole, though, had reached its limit and its water had started to leak over the sides. Twilight’s eyes swept the landscape as much as the rain’s veil would allow, and she was met with more of the same. Everywhere, the rainwater overflowed the cracks, holes, and basins of various sizes that dotted the landscape. Right before Twilight’s eyes, land was replaced with water as the rain continued its onslaught, leaving the plains of the land submerged. Only the hills and higher lands were spared, and the water rushed around them, almost as if they were islands.

With a start, Twilight realized that she was not on a hill or a highland. Which, naturally, meant she would be submerged along with the ground she was standing on. Her eyes darted around, looking for safety, but she only saw water. Rushing water that cascaded over the land, swallowing everything in its path.

And it was coming for her.

Twilight felt herself take a step backwards. Then another step. Then another step. And another step... but this time, her hoof only met empty air. Her head whipped around, and too late, she remembered where she was.

On the edge of a cliff.

Time slowed to a crawl. Twilight’s gaze turned downwards, and she saw that the rain had the same effect on the massive fissure as it did on the holes. What seemed to be bottomless was now flooded with rainwater, making steady progress in its climb to the top. It doesn’t look like a bottomless pit anymore, Twilight thought, almost absently. It looks like an ocean.

Now, Twilight felt herself falling. She was vaguely aware of her front hooves scrabbling for a grip on the edge, but the ground there was wet, slippery, and unforgiving. Certainly not the right ground used to save a pony from the edge. What little grip she had failed then, and she plummeted through rain and empty air to the ocean below.

==================

Twilight bolted upright. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps, a far cry from the feeling of near-calm she had moments ago. Instead of water all around her, her four hooves sunk into the soft bench, with no water to be seen or felt anywhere. Twilight felt beads of sweat dripping down her face, her mane stuck to her forehead despite the relative coolness and lack of moisture of train air. Her gaze shifted to the nearby window, and she saw the same inky blackness she had earlier.

“It was a dream...” As if she had to say it aloud to let that completely sink in.

Twilight sat down again, still trying to catch her breath, as she tried to fully remember her dream. It wasn’t too difficult a task, as vivid as the dream was. And yet, Twilight still wasn’t given any answers to her many questions.

Why did it rain so hard in my dream? Why was I separated from Ponyville? Why did the rain form an ocean between me and Ponyville?

What did my dream mean?

Twilight sat there, her head falling against the wall again, as these thoughts buzzed in her mind. Even as she thought about it, though, she felt fragments of her dream slipping away, as if she knew she dreamed but she didn’t know what. She tried to remember, but the more she focused, the farther away her dream seemed. Eventually all she knew of about her dream was a cliff between her and Ponyville. And water. Impossibly large amounts of water, spilling over everything else in her dream.

She felt the train’s momentum slow, the previously steady hum starting to falter. We’re here.

Twilight still knew that she was apart from Ponyville in her dream. But now, as she arrived, the memory arrived at the forefront of her thoughts. I was separated from Ponyville in my dream. But I’m here now. Which means I’m not apart from Ponyville anymore.

My dream must not have meant a physical distance between me and Ponyville, then. But if it didn’t mean that, what could it mean? Again, she was nudged out of her thoughts by an outside force. The sleepy train car began to stir, ponies stretching and yawning as the train crawled to a stop. Twilight got out of her seat along with everyone else, stretching her unused limbs. She climbed off the train, along with many other ponies whose destination had been Ponyville. At this hour, there was not a pony in sight to board the waiting train. The train closed its doors, and with a cry of its horn, the train slowly chugged forward, slowly picking up speed and eventually fading into the distance to continue its journey.

The night sky did not bring forth its countless stars to decorate the endless array out of everypony’s reach. Or rather, if it did, then the specacle was blocked from view by clouds that hung invisible in the sky at this hour. Always one to appreciate the night sky, Twilight let out a small sigh when she saw that she couldn’t see a thing. She stepped off of the boarding platform, beginning the short walk from the station to her house. The town lay silent, the only sound coming from the rhythm of Twilight’s hooves on the path. All of the other ponies had left for some other direction, and Twilight had no one to walk with. Instead her mind swarmed with thoughts of her now fading dream.

So deep in thought was she that she only realized her house when she bumped into the front door. A few tries at the door proved it to be firmly locked. Of course. She had Spike promise that he would lock the door after she left, after all. Her horn glowed, and the “WELCOME” mat under her hooves was brushed to the side as her spare key was lifted up to the door. Returning the mat to its place, a faint click was heard, and Twilight walked inside.

Twilight stepped inside to darkness, turning the doorknob as she closed the door behind her so that it wouldn’t click. Twilight blinked as she tried to adjust herself to the darkness. After a few seconds, however, she still couldn’t see her hoof if she held it in front of her face. Sighing, she started to grope her way blindly through the library. I hope I know my way upstairs- “Oof!” she smacked headfirst into something wooden and very much rooted in place. Something had to give from this momentum, and it wasn’t going to be the thing that had just been bumped into. Twilight reeled backwards, falling into something very much like what she had just smacked into. “Ow...” she sat there, dazed, until unknown, book-sized objects rained down from out of nowhere, right onto Twilight’s head. “Ow! Agh! Ack!” she yelped in pain with each hit.

Immediately, a rustling came from her bedroom, followed by a voice. “Stop, thief! I have claws and I know how to use-” the light flicked on, making Twilight scrunch her eyes shut. She opened them a moment later, seeing a baby dragon standing at the top of the stairs, his jaw hanging open. “Twilight?”

The guilty pony looked around, seeing the mass of books laid out around her and the empty bookshelf behind her. “Uh, I wasn’t exactly quiet, was I?”

“Twilight, why are you here so late at night? I thought you were a thief or something, with the racket you were making down here!”

Twilight chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry... I wanted to get home as soon as I could.”

Spike raised an eyebrow at her. “What are you doing home so soon anyway? What happened to the meteor shower?”

Twilight sighed. “There was a storm. I can’t see any stars with a storm in the way.”

“Oh. Well, it’s nice that you’re back so soon. Running the library by myself isn’t much fun.” Spike responded, turning his back to Twilight as he walked back through the bedroom door.

“But you don’t do much work in the library...” Twilight trailed off as Spike left her view, presumably to continue his sleep. Which, she realized, she needed as well.

A few seconds later, and Twilight stood in her bedroom. The clouds had apparently been merciful enough to let a few moonbeams though, and if Twilight squinted, she could make out the shape of her bed. She walked over slowly and climbed in. However, she planned on doing one more thing before letting sleep take her for the second time that night.

After some blind groping on her nightstand, Twilight held a small book, bound with black cloth, in her hooves and a quill in her magic. She opened her book up to its first page. It wouldn’t be blank for long.

Dream Journal Entry #1:

Twilight paused for a moment, wondering if she should list her journal entries by day, for future reference. With a shrug, she returned her quill to the paper and added:

Day 1

Just this night, I had a dream.

Not exactly out of the ordinary, but it’s the characteristics of my dream that makes this so... important to record. This dream was especially vivid and clear. It’s almost as if I were awake, save for the strange landscape and occurrences that are normal to a dream.

Ugh... I wish I had written this down right after I had my dream. They have a tendency to fade from memory after a relatively short time.

However, my dream mostly consisted of a cliff, which separated me and my hometown. And it rained in my dream. I’m pretty sure it rained so that it flooded almost everything in sight.

Unfortunately, this dream produces a lot of questions, and no answers. Why was I apart from Ponyville, unable to reach it? Why did it rain so hard? What does all this mean?

Twilight looked over her notes that she had taken so far. “Does this sound ridiculous or silly?” she murmured. This was just a dream, after all...” a rustling sound came from the side of the bed. Peering over the side, Twilight saw Spike shifting in his blanket. “Oops...” Twilight whispered, annoyed at herself for not remembering Spike was still asleep. It was still the middle of the night, after all. Returning her attention to her journal, Twilight made a mental note to keep quiet, and the sounds of quill scratching on paper resumed.

Maybe I’m just overthinking this whole thing. Despite everything, this was only a dream. Dreams are random, strange, and don’t always have to have meaning...

No. My book says that vivid dreams are a message from your subconscious, and are used to send you a message, of sorts, from there. This dream was definitely vivid. And I’m sure it was trying to send me a message. What kind of message, I’m still not sure. But I’ve got a hunch that this dream is important. And hunches are right. Most of the time. Maybe.

Oh, I don’t know, I’ve never had a hunch like this before. I guess I’ll have to give this time, and see what happens. Time, and research.

Satisfied, Twilight shut the journal and returned it to its correct place. She lay back down, determined to go back to sleep. Her mind, however, was determined to stay awake. Two conflicting ideas. Buzzing with thoughts and questions, her restless brain kept the unicorn awake. Eventually she gave up, allowing herself to think and wonder until the sun poked its head over the horizon.

===============

Morning came, and with it, sunlight. The sun cast its beams down, filling the land with warmth and light. One such sunbeam shone through a window of the Ponyville library, right into the eyes of a certain baby dragon. Spike stirred and opened his eyes, sitting up. He let loose a massive yawn, stretching his inactive limbs. Rubbing his eyes, he clambered out of his basket without taking a look at the bed behind him. He always got up before Twilight did, after all. Still in a haze, he stumbled down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, though, he stopped. Listening, he picked up the sound of pages rustling coming from another room, a sound that one would quickly grow accustomed to when one lives in a library. “Twilight?” Spike called out while walking to the room. Reaching the door, he poked his head inside. Sure enough, Twilight was inside. She was seated on the floor, her face unseen, seeing as it was buried in a book.

Hearing Spike, Twilight turned around. “Oh! Good morning, Spike. I didn’t see you there.” Twilight’s greeting, however, was lost on Spike as he saw Twilight’s condition. Her normally neat mane stuck out in every direction, and dark circles sagged under her eyes.

“Uh... Hi, Twilight. Why are you up so early?” Spike could not stop staring at his friend.

Twilight didn’t seem to notice. “Oh, no reason,” she waved him off.

Spike to raise an eyebrow. It wasn’t like Twilight to keep something from him. And it seemed that Twilight was keeping something from him. “Really? Because you didn’t get a lot of sleep. You’re not telling me something.” Spike concluded, crossing his arms for emphasis.

Twilight snorted, followed by an unsure chuckle. “Really, Spike, it’s nothing important.” She gave Spike her best, winning smile.

“Oh, so it was something.”

The smile persisted. “Yes, but it’s nothing you need to worry your little head about. She reached over and patted Spike on the head.

The baby dragon sighed. He had never liked when Twilight treated him like he was a baby. Even though he was one, but still. “Well, if you say so. Just remember, you can tell me anything, okay Twilight?”

“Mmhmm.” Twilight had her snout buried in the book once again.

With one final glance, Spike left the room to make breakfast.

==========

Hearing Spike’s footsteps recede, Twilight let out the breath she had been holding. “I don’t want Spike to worry about me. Especially since I may be overthinking this whole thing,” she muttered to herself. She paused for a moment. “But I can’t be sure unless I do some... extensive research today.”

Holding her copy of Dreams and Fantasies, she flipped rapidly through the pages, looking for a certain section... “Aha! Section 5: Deciphering Your Dreams. This should have something...” Without further hesitation, she flipped to the next page and started reading.

Not 5 minutes later, Twilight slammed the book shut with a huff. “I can’t believe it! This section claims that it knows how to decipher dreams, and then it goes and doesn’t provide any examples! All it does is tell me that dreams ‘can have many meanings, and it’s up to me to decide exactly what.’” She performed her best imitation of a know-it-all upper-classpony. “Ugh!” she stamped a hoof. “What kind of book is that?”

Her rant was cut short when a purple and green head poked around the door. “Uh, Twilight? You okay in there?”

“Gah!” Twilight recoiled, heat rushing to her cheeks. “Spike?! How much of that did you hear?”

“All of it. You were pretty loud. I could hear you from the kitchen.”

“Oh. Heh, heh...” she gave an embarrassed chuckle, not sure of what else to say. Luckily, Spike did.

“You want some breakfast? You seem like you need to take a break.”

Twilight thought for a moment. Breakfast did sound nice, and Spike was probably right. “Yes, please. That sounds great.”

==========

After a hastily gobbled breakfast (and an even hastier thanks to Spike), it was back to research. The first step to good research: finding material to research. For a pony who lived by organization, Twilight usually had difficulty finding the books she wanted. This time was no different.

The bookworm sat herself down in the main lobby of the library. “Okay, last time I organized the books, did I organize them alphabetically, by genre, or by topic? Or maybe I organized them in a combination of genre and topic. Or was it a combination of alphabetical and genre? Maybe all three?” Twilight said to herself.

It was going to be a long search.

====================

With a magical shimmer, the book set itself on a wobbly, towering pile of other books.

“Phew! That’s the last one!” Twilight exclaimed. Looking at her checklist, she scanned the list for any books she may have missed, before going to the bottom and marking the book there with a slash of the quill. “According to my checklist, that’s the last book in here that may help me.” Before starting her search, Twilight had gone through the library’s archives, looking for any book under the keyword “Dreams.” It had saved her a lot of time and effort, she liked to think. Speaking of time...

Twilight turned her attention to one of her windows. Looking through it, she saw the sun just passing overhead. Her eyebrow raised, she turned towards the nearest clock. It read 12:30 PM.

“Wow. That took a long time.” Twilight glanced at her tower of books, which stretched over her head, and then some. The last book almost scraped the top of one of the bookshelves. All the while, it wobbled this way and that. Looking at it now, it seemed an impressive feat of balance. Smiling, she rubbed her front hooves together. “Okay! Now, time to get reading!” Closing her eyes, the massive tower of books was enveloped in a magical glow. The unicorn cracked open one eye, and led the way into her bedroom, the tower of books following. The two disappeared, Twilight shutting the door behind them, but not before hanging her custom sign on the outside. It said: Do Not Disturb - Reading.

==============

Spike watched Twilight vanish into her room, the myriad of books not far behind. He sighed. It was going to be another one of those days.

==============

Day turned to dusk as the sun neared the horizon, casting an array of red, pink, orange, yellow, and other colors of warmth across the skyline, ones that only became more prevalent as the sun continued its descent. Sunsets can truly be a sight to behold. After all, Princess Luna is not the only royal artist of the sky.

Unfortunately, this particular spectacle had gone unnoticed by Ponyville’s resident librarian. Though one to enjoy a sunset every now and again, today her sights were focused elsewhere. As per usual during her study sessions, not a peep of sound came from her bedroom, save for the ticking of the clock and the rustling that page-turning produces. Occasionally, a third sound added itself to the quiet: that of quill scrawls. This sound, however, was few and far between the persistence of the other two.

Twilight glanced at her page of notes. Her single page. Even worse, it was only filled halfway with actual notes, the rest of the paper being dotted with random doodles. With a sigh, she closed the book she had been studying (which had been about lucid dreaming. Looking at it, Twilight didn’t know why she had picked it up in the first place). It was lifted into the air, and promptly dumped into the growing pile of other, already-read, of-no-use books. The bookworm instinctively reached for the next book in her unread stack, but her hooves found only empty air. Glancing over, she noticed the strange absence of books in the stack.

Have I really read all the books already? Twilight looked at her single page of notes again. Her eyes scanned the paper, but didn’t find anything of special importance or use. Which, to her, meant she had found next to nothing. Why did I even write these down in the first place? “It is unknown how, exactly, dreams work?” “Some speculate that dreams are completely random and arbitrary, while others think that dreams draw directly from your mind?” I already knew that!

Another sigh. The paper crumpled itself into a ball, and fell into the nearby trash can.

Twilight casually glanced out the window. She did a double take when she saw the sun, halfway hidden below the horizon. I’ve just, essentially, wasted a perfectly good afternoon! She stood up, still thinking. I still don’t have much to go on about this whole dream thing. My books told me almost nothing, and that’s pretty unusual. The unicorn left the room, still lost in thought. Hopefully a good dinner, courtesy of Spike, would provide a good distraction.

===============

That night, Twilight lay in bed. Naturally, she was waiting for sleep, but once again, her mind persisted in being awake. I hope I have that dream again... or something like it. And even better, it could be even clearer as to what it means. But what are the chances of that? Dreams are pretty random, and I don’t know how to choose what I dream about. Her mind still buzzing, she closed her eyes, hoping for sleep to take her.

She was just feeling herself drifting off when she heard something. Twilight sighed and opened one eye, listening. Hearing nothing but the soft, rhythmic breathing of Spike next to her, she sighed and shifted, trying to get comfortable again. Just when she did, however, the sound came again, louder this time. Twilight swore she could have heard the rustling of leaves, coming from above her, of all places. Now fully awake, she sat up, waiting for the sound again. After a few moments, it came again, another rustling. Definitely coming from above. Above her balcony, to be exact.

Twilight sighed. I really need to get my roof to be reinforced... Any thoughts of sleep were abandoned, replaced with curiosity as she climbed out of bed. She walked over to her balcony and out into the night air.

A small smile graced her mouth as she looked out at the night. With not a cloud to be seen, countless stars could were visible, decorating the night sky. At first, it seemed to be only a few, but as Twilight’s eyes adjusted to the dim night, more and more poked their heads out, twinkling down at her. To accompany the stars, a round, plump moon hung in the air. Fully visible, it cast moonbeams down, giving a calm, peaceful light.

Twilight let out a content sigh. This is why she loved the night so much, if not to study so much as to simply admire. Another rustling from above, however, startled her from her introspection. There was no doubt in her mind anymore; whatever was making that noise sat right above her. The unicorn froze slightly, her imagination just now starting to kick in. What can be up there? A thief? A monster? Oh no, what if it’s some kind of horrible beast that only comes out at night and eats curious unicorns?

...Stop being so silly. There’s only one way to find out, anyway. “Is... is anyone up there?” she called out, her voice wavering slightly. Her wild imagination hadn’t completely left her. “Hello?” she called again, louder this time. A rustle greeted her in response. “H-Hello?!” her voice started to shake. Twilight shook her head, as if it would help alleviate her fear, and steeled herself. Her horn glowed, surrounding the branches and leaves above her with a magical aura. Her target locked, Twilight grinned, and the section of the tree shook violently. Had it not been controlled by her magic, it surely would have snapped off of the rest of the tree.

In a few moments, a shifting sound came from above, quickly followed by a surprised yelp. Crashes and scratches of a body into unforgiving trees and branches quickly followed, accompanied by “Oof!”s and “Ugh!”s. Soon enough, the intruder smashed into the hard floor of Twilight’s balcony with a shuddering *THUMP.*

“Ha!” Twilight exclaimed, triumphant. “I’ve got you now!” She cantered over to see who, in their right mind, would try to break into her house. “Care to explain yourself...” she stopped, seeing her intruder for the first time. Her jaw fell open, and she turned away, rubbed her eyes, and looked back. Her eyes didn’t deceive her. “Rainbow Dash?!”

The guilty pegasus was sprawled out where she had fallen. She groaned, and clutched at her head with both forelegs. Twilight’s eyes followed, and came to rest on an angry, red lump on the side of Dash’s head. The blue pony turned at the sound of her friend’s voice. “Oh... hey, Twilight-ow.” She winced as her hoof came into contact with her injury.

“Uh...” Twilight winced at Dash’s apparent pain. “Did I do that?” she asked sheepishly, and only received a glare in response. “Heh... sorry.”

Rainbow sat up, waving off her apology with a hoof. “No, it’s okay. I probably should’ve told you what I was doing. I figured you’d do something like that, anyway.”

They both sat there after her statement, Twilight waiting for her friend to elaborate. When she didn’t, however, the lavender pony sighed. “So... what were you doing, exactly?”

Looking closer, Twilight could have sworn that she saw her friend’s cheeks redden at her query. No... Rainbow doesn’t get embarrassed by anything! The thought was pushed out of her mind, though, as she heard Dash muttering to herself. “... shouldn’t have said anything... darn it.”

Curious, Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What? What are you talking about?”

Her cyan friend sighed. “Well, now I’m just gonna have to show you.” With that, her wings flared, and she hovered off the ground. Then she shot forward, sweeping Twilight off of her hooves and into the air, supporting her with two strong forelegs. Not without protest from the bookworm, of course.

“Aah! Rainbow, what are you doing-” she stopped when she heard the pegasus snickering.

“Hehe, relax Twilight. It won’t be long.” She experimentally bounced her friend up and down in her forehooves. “Wow. You’re light,” Rainbow commented, earning her a glare from the uncomfortable pony in her forelegs. She only snickered, and she gave a few, powerful wingbeats. In a few seconds, the two hovered a few feet above Twilight’s house. Descending a few feet, Twilight was able to see a small indent in the roof of her house, a resting spot that cut a few feet into the leaves that made up her house’s natural roof. Rainbow then dumped her friend into the shallow hole, with a small “Hey!” of protest from her friend. She turned over and crossed her hind legs, while folding her forward ones behind her head. She then folded her wings, and dropped beside Twilight.

Rainbow let out a content sigh. “Aah... this is nice, isn’t it?” She only received a blank stare from the unicorn next to her. “Oh, right. I should tell you what this is about...” she took a deep breath, as if revealing some massive secret. “Sometimes... when it’s been a long day, at work maybe, or something on my mind, or some stuff like that... I like to go out here and look at the stars.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “A long day at work? Every time I see you, you’re just sleeping in a cloud!”

“Hey! That’s hard work, too!” Twilight merely rolled her eyes at this.

“I’m sure it is, Rainbow.” she responded.

“Exactly.” Twilight’s sarcasm seemed to fly right over Dash’s head.

They fell silent after that. Neither of them seemed to know what to say to one another, and the only sound that could be heard was the calm rhythm of two mares breathing.

Eventually, Rainbow glanced over at Twilight to see a wide grin across her face. She shook with suppressed laughter, a few giggles slipping out every few seconds.

“What? What’s so funny?” Dash asked her friend.

Twilight couldn’t control herself any longer. She burst out laughing, but in between bouts of giggles she managed, “Y-you.”

Dash only raised an eyebrow, but Twilight could have sworn that she saw Rainbow’s cheeks redden among the darkness. Finally, she responded, “I’m not trying to be funny...”

Twilight took a deep, shaky breath to calm herself. She managed to make herself stop laughing, although the occasional giggle persisted. “Well, you’re the last pony I’d expect to do something like this. It just seems ridiculous when I think about it.”

“Why?”

“You’re Rainbow Dash, the self-proclaimed best flyer in Equestria! You’re a speed demon, you’re the coolest pony around, you can’t stand anything that’s not “awesome” or “cool.” You do things first, and ask questions later. Not that there’s anything wrong with those things, of course,” she quickly added, upon earning a raised eyebrow from the pegasus next to her. “In fact, that’s part of what makes you so... admirable.” Wait... where did that come from? Why did I say it like that? Pushing that away, she continued. “Staring at the stars at night doesn’t sound like something that would be awesome or cool. It’s something that I do, when I like to think.” Dash shot Twilight a glare at this implication. The unicorn merely giggled. “I’m just kidding, Rainbow.” She’s so easy to tease, Twilight thought, smiling.

The pegasus shrugged. “Hey, I can think too. But that’s not why I like doing this. To be honest I don’t really know why I like to stargaze.” She gestured at the stars above them. “It’s just so... I dunno, relaxing. Being the coolest, most awesome pony around can be pretty stressful sometimes.” She smirked at Twilight, seeming satisfied with her explanation.

“I guess I can see that.” Twilight conceded.

They fell silent again.

Instead of looking at the stars, Twilight found her attention elsewhere. The moonlight seemed to bathe Rainbow Dash in an otherworldly glow, bouncing off of her features and mane. The blue pony’s mane and tail seemed to shine in the light of the moon, doing the same for everything else about her. Her eyes, her beautiful rose eyes, sparkled as they sought out the stars above.

Twilight shook her head. Wait... what? Why am I looking at her like this? She tore her gaze away, only for it to drift back again. Her thoughts did the same. Why have I never noticed this before? She really is-

“Twilight? Are you still there?”

“Ah!” Twilight flushed red, blushing deeply. Focusing, she saw Rainbow’s eyes narrowed, looking intently at her. Apparently, she had looked over at Twilight at some point. And Twilight had been staring back. “Y-yes? What is it?” Did she catch me gawking at her? What will she say?

Dash peered closely at her before continuing. “I was just saying that you can’t tell anypony about this.” Twilight released the breath she was holding. She didn’t catch me. Then, what her friend had said registered. “Why not?” she asked, curious.

“Because this” -she waved a hoof at the stars again, causing the leaves under them to rustle slightly- “is an egghead thing to do.”

“What makes it an ‘egghead’ thing?”

“Well, you do it. And you’re an egghead, so that means it’s an egghead thing.”

Twilight opened her mouth, ready to lecture Dash on exactly what was wrong with that conclusion (“it’s a logical fallacy” being first on her list), but paused, realizing how much of it her pegasus friend would understand (none at all). “What’s so bad about that?” she asked instead.

“Really? You think that being an egghead is a good thing?” Rainbow asked incredulously.

Twilight nodded.

The pegasus sighed and rolled her eyes. “Only you, Twilight... only you.”

At this, Twilight had to smile. She’s so funny. Thinking this is some kind of massive secret that would destroy her reputation. Her mind began to wander, again. It only had to wander a matter of inches, though, since the target of her thoughts was sitting right next to her. Why haven’t I noticed these things before? She really is funny, and awesome, and cool, and... pretty. Her smile turned into a full-on, Pinkie-style grin, and she sighed contentedly. Only a few inches between them, and they would lie in each other’s embrace, and Twilight would tell Dash how awesome she was, and Dash would lean in and-

“Uh, Twi’? You okay?” Twilight snapped her head up, slamming her head into the hoof that had, apparently, been waving in front of her face.

“Ow!” Twilight yelped from the impact. Rainbow, on the other hoof, got away less hurt. Wringing her hoof from the unexpected blow, Rainbow peered closely at her friend for the second time that night. “As I was saying, you’ve been acting a bit... weird.”

Twilight rubbed her forehead where she had slammed into Dash’s hoof. “Uh?” The silly smile had returned, and she gazed at her friend through half-lidded eyes.

The pegasus raised an eyebrow, seeing Twilight staring at her. “Seriously, Twi’, you’re starting to scare me a bit. What are you staring at? Is there something behind me?” She whipped her head around, but seeing nothing, she turned to face the unicorn again to see Twilight’s gaze still fixed upon her. Dash blushed and shifted around, her blush growing as her friend’s eyes followed her. “Uh... oookay, then. If you’re not gonna tell me why you’re doing that, I’m just gonna go now, alright?”

Twilight only giggled. She’s so adorable when she’s embarrassed, she thought wistfully. “Mmhmm.” Was the only response she could get herself to say.

“Alright, then...” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “See ya.” Her wings flared, and she gave them a few test flaps before shooting away.

Twilight sighed happily, still watching the sky where Dash had flown off. Her mind was still in a haze of cyan blue and rainbows. She climbed down (not without difficulty) from her spot in the branches, landing, not so gracefully, on her balcony. Walking over to her bed, she climbed under the covers. All the while, her silly grin stayed with her, even as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Comments

[Stryker12324]

Yet another well written Twidash fic?

I approve.

[Lord Camembert]

I can just imagine Twilight seeing the cloud following her and an exclamation mark appearing above her head...

[Timaeus]

How have I not heard of this fic, or better yet the author, until now? Props to you, my friend, this is a well-written story!

[Goatmeal]

I like this story a lot. I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more attention. The TwiDash seems a little rushed, though. I'll see where this takes me.

[JetstreamGW]

1968311 Hah, no way. After the pacing of the last few shipfics I've read this wasn't rushed at all. I'd go so far as to call this nearly perfectly paced. Simple, contemplative, easing into the concept through Twi's perspective. Try queueing up the song the fic's based on and reading it again. It's a decent mood setter, and I've never even been a huge fan of Death Cab.

'Course I haven't read the other two chapters yet.

[Daring Cammie Do]

Twilight's having some kind of inner tumoil; that's the storm. She can't decide where her loyalties lie; the holes. What else...