> My little Dreamer: Dreaming is magic > by phantomflame03 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: What Dreams are Made of > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The clouds sailed past as Feather Dream flew. The pink pegasus pumped her wings, feeling the elation of flight. The wind tousled her short black and white striped mane. Then the joy of her flight reached her lips and she smiled. Smiled! The usual emotionless expression wiped from sight. Why not smile? Feather Dream thought. The sky was a lovely shade of blue, the clouds soft and white, and the wind blew to her aid rather than hamper her flight. Feather Dream smiled; all problems disappeared from memory. Then everything darkened. The clouds built up, becoming threatening thunder storms. Feather Dream’s smile turned down in horror. The sky faded to an inky black. There was a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder. Feather Dream’s wings snapped to her sides and the mare fell from the sky. Her attempt to cry out was to no avail. No sound escaped her lips. She continued to plummet until right before she hit the ground Feather Dream woke up. The pink mare sat up in bed; breathing heavily with her heart thumping erratically. She retrieved her round black glasses from the night stand. Looking out the window she saw that Celestia’s sun was peeking over the horizon, fading the dark sky into a rosy pink. Her little, quiet, cloud home floated securely near Ponyville. She rubbed at her temples with her hooves to contemplate that last dream. It was not just any dream; it was a Truth Dream. She tried to recall how she felt during the Truth Dream, but her heart beat and breathing pattern had returned to normal and the emotion was gone like a long lost memory. Feather Dream’s cutie mark, a cloud and quill, represents her ability to predict otherwise unpredictable weather in her dreams. While most weather is conducted by the other pegasi, an occasional disturbance or miscalculation would result in the unpredictable weather. Her job is to report when she gets a Truth Dream and detail the coming weather. “And it is never nice weather either,” mumbled Feather Dream, “Always big storms or freak sudden temperature changes.” The other problem with this special talent was that the dreams never told her when it would happen. She had to learn from experience that it never happened past seven days. The weather would only last one day and afterwards the schedule would return to normal. Feather Dream would send in the report so the rest of the weather crew could prepare for it and make proper adjustments to their plans. She would sometimes help out even though it technically was not what was required of her. Feather Dream was finishing breakfast when there was a knock on her door. She opened it to find a smiling blue pegasus with a dark red mane floating outside. “Hi, Feather Dream! Good morning,” the mare said. “Hello Starlight,” Feather Dream replied, “What are you doing up so early this morning?” “Don’t you know?” Starlight asked, “Today is the Summer Sun celebration.” With that she did a flip and accidently hit Feather Dream in the face. “Oh no, I am so sorry Feather Dream.” Her wings drooped and she landed on the cloud carrying Feather Dream’s house. “You do not need to apologize. I am alright.” “Sorry.” “Star,” Feather Dream sighed, “I mean it. I know it was an accident. You do not need to apologize for every little thing. And stop right there.” Starlight put a hoof to her mouth to prevent herself from speaking. “Right, the Summer Sun celebration, I had almost forgotten that it was being held in Ponyville this year. Let us hope the weather stays nice.” “I heard Rainbow Dash is going to be clearing the skies,” Starlight had jumped in the air and had returned to floating once again. “She will get the job done,” Feather Dream said, “Unless my Truth Dream was about today.” “You had a truth dream?” Starlight said her wings drooping slightly, “I’m-“ her hoof once again covered her mouth. “Yep, it is nothing too serious; only a thunder storm.” “Ooo,” Starlight’s eyes glittered with happiness, “I love thunder storms.” “But you would not want it to get in the way of the celebration would you?” “No,” Starlight admitted, “Maybe it will happen the day after.” “Maybe,” Feather Dream replied, “but I still have to report it. That way we can prepare for anything.” Feather Dream and Starlight flew away from the little house and headed to Cloudsdale. “So,” Feather Dream started, “why did you come?” “I thought we would hang out today, you know, for the celebration.” “Thanks, but no thanks. After I make my report I am going to take hoof in preparation for the weather. I do not have time to go to the celebration, not that I care.” “Not that you what?” Starlight exclaimed, “Princess Celestia, I repeat, Princess Celestia is coming to Ponyville to raise the sun-“ “Which she does every day,” Feather Dream interjected, “I honestly do not know why we make such a big hoopla about it.” Starlight let out an exasperated sigh and turned to her friend, “So you really are not going to participate?” Her eyes were downcast and wings drooping. “Sorry Star,” Feather Dream comforted, “Maybe…next year?” When her flat expression failed to help her friend, the pink pony tapped the blue one’s shoulder lightly. “Right,” Starlight perked up, “Next year. I will hold you to that.” The two of them arrived at Cloudsdale and made their way over to the Weather Observation Tower. It was here that pegasi kept their eyes on the weather patrol and made sure they stayed on schedule. This was also the building where they prepared against unusual weather. Feather Dream was about to knock on the door to her superior’s office when she turned to her friend. “Thanks for flying me here, but I can do the rest on my own.” A shadow of a smile crossed her face, “You should go enjoy the festivities.” “Okay, but promise for next year,” Starlight said. “I promise.” “No, you have to Pinkie Promise. Okay Feather Dream?” The pink pony sighed, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There happy?” “Perfectly,” Starlight giggled, “and you know what happens if you break a promise don’t you?” “Forever.” “FOREVER!” Starlight smiled, “See you after the celebration.” “Right,” Feather Dream replied, “See you soon.” She knocked on the door. There was a gruff, “Come in,” before she entered. Sitting at a desk was a large brown pegasus with a silver mane. His cutiemark was a thunder cloud with black lightning. He looked up from his paper work as Feather Dream entered the room. “Hey boss” she said, “I have some weather to report.” He glared at the news, his bushy eyebrows pushed together, “Just great and right in time for the summer sun celebration too.” “Sorry sir,” Feather Dram said, “If I could control these events, well,” she shrugged, “They would never happen.” “Even though it is your special talent,” he said just as he had many times before. “Can we skip this? I would like to finish my report so that can get started on preparations. And do not worry too much boss; it rarely ever happens on the first day. You know that.” “Indeed,” he grunted, “So what does it look like?” Feather Dream recounted the weather in her dream, avoiding anything that expressed her personal experience, and filled out the necessary paper work before leaving. “Wait Feather Dream,” her boss called out, “Who are you planning to put on duty today of all days?” “There will always be the occasional mare or stallion that does not care about the celebration, but most ponies I will put on call so that they can enjoy the celebration unless I need them.” “Good luck with that and take care.” “Will do,” she turned and flew off to find some volunteers, willing or not. After finding two ponies that cared about the event as much as she did and were willing to help, Feather Dream was having difficulties convincing anypony to actively watch the weather. As she circled Cloudsdale she spotted a dark blue stallion with a constellation of an archer for his cutiemark. “Hey Orion,” she said as she landed in front of him. “Oh, hello Feather Dream, what are you up to? Are you enjoying the start of the Summer Sun celebration?” “I cannot. I am on duty.” “You had a truth dream?” Orion shifted back and forth, “Now? That must be rough.” “It is only rough because I am having trouble finding volunteers.” “Is that so…” “Yes and I was wondering-” “No.” “Why not?” “I am meeting with someone.” “Who?” “Not telling.” “Spoilsport,” Feather Dream said with no concern or change in her voice, “Will you at least be in reserve, like the last five ponies I asked?” “Sure, but only if it is really important.” “Is a threatening thunderstorm important enough?” “No problem I got your back. What are friends for?” “Thank you Orion,” she turned away and flew off to meet with the other two pegasi for patrol. “She has changed so much since then,” Orion muttered watching her leave, “I wonder if that had not,” he shook his head, “That is in the past now. I have to go meet up with Starlight.” The day went by without an incident. The sky stayed clear and only darkened as the day came to a close. Feather Dream looked at the two pegasi, Melody and Thunderlane who had been monitoring the weather all day with her. She dismissed them with a “you may go,” and watched as they shrugged then flew down to Town Hall where the Princess was to make her appearance. The Princess would not arrive until it was closer to dawn, but there were small celebrations and parties happening all through Ponyville to keep everypony awake. Feather Dream returned to her little house to sleep, rather than participate with the rest of the town. > Chapter 2: No Rest for the Dreamer > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “What do you mean the princess was abducted?” Feather Dream asked between bites of her tulip sandwich. “I mean exactly that!” Starlight exclaimed, “The princess was taken by Night Mare Moon who turned out to be her sister Princess Luna! And-” “Take a breath Star. We cannot have you choking.” The two pegasi were sitting outside at a restaurant in Ponyville enjoying an early lunch. After Feather Dream had left her patrol the previous evening she returned home and went straight to bed. While she had slept, dreamlessly thankfully, Ponyville had been under attack. “Right,” Starlight took a gulp of air, “and she was saved by six residents of Ponyville. Can you believe that? Ponies from our town saved the Princess!” “From here?” Feather Dream asked like someone would ask about the weather, “Really? That is surprising. How did they do it?” “Well,” Starlight spoke slowly, surprised herself by the pink pegasus’s interest, “it turns out that they are the ponies who wield the Elements of Harmony. Oh the Elements of Harmony are-“ “I know what they are,” Feather Dream interrupted before listing the elements off like grocery items, “Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and the sixth unknown-” “Magic.” “What?” “The sixth element is magic,” Starlight said with a radiant smile. Feather Dream’s expression stayed blank, “Hmph, that seems so,” Feather Dream searched for the right word, “obvious. I wonder if I could have figured it out for myself, if I had thought about it for more than five minutes.” “Did you know about Night Mare Moon’s return?” Starlight said through a mouth full of hay fries. “I think I read about it somewhere, but I had always assumed it was an old pony’s tale.” “Well anyway,” Starlight said, “The ponies that saved Princess Celestia are from here, like I said. Wait no, five of them are from here. The Element of Magic is from Canterlot and, would you believe it, she is Princess Celestia’s star student. And it turns out she will be living here from now on.” Starlight took another deep breath before eating another hooffull of fries. “Wait, what?” Feather Dream’s ears twitched with interest. “Oh I have so much to tell you.” Starlight then recounted the previous night’s adventure as well as the brief celebration of Princess Luna that happened that morning while her friend slept. Feather Dream stared at the blue mare speechless. The pink pegasus took a slow bite of her tulip sandwich and thought for a while. She looked at her freckled faced friend who smiled back while drinking a chocolate shake. “So,” Feather Dream asked slowly, “what is this Twilight Sparkle like?” “I’m not sure to tell the truth,” Starlight admitted, “I haven’t really met her yet. I got all of this information from Pinkie Pie.” Feather Dream adjusted her glasses, “How accurate is this information then? I mean, sometimes Pinkie Pie does not seem to know what is going on in her own head, and sometimes she seems to know far more than she ever should.” “Well,” Starlight puffed out her cheeks, “I saw what happened when the Princess was taken away and when Night Mare Moon showed up and the celebration this morning. Not only that, but Pinkie Pie Pinkie Promised me that it was all true.” Her wings drooped slightly, “I guess if you don’t believe your bestest friend forever then you can go ask Twilight Sparkle. She lives at the library now.” “Really? Well I do believe you but…” “You want to meet Twilight?” Starlight could not hide the surprise from her voice. Feather Dream was a loner. She only associated with whoever it was necessary for her job and basic living. There were only three other ponies that she could consider close. “Kind of,” Feather Dream admitted, “I would like to know who this unicorn is, leaving Canterlot to stay in Ponyville of all places.” “Hey!” Starlight exclaimed, “I like it here!” “So do Star, but must admit that Canterlot and Ponyville are two very different places.” “True,” Starlight sighed, “I have always wanted to go there. I heard that the Grand Galloping Gala is supposed to be amazing. I would love to go.” “Hmm, it would be interesting,” Feather Dream put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Wow Feather Dream,” Starlight looked at her friend in confusion, “Showing interest in two things in one day? Are you feeling alright?” Feather Dream spoke flatly, “Taking interest in events that are far out of the ordinary is not strange.” “I know but-” “Enough Starlight I am fine.” “Okay, sorry.” Feather Dream then suggested that they go visit Twilight Sparkle. The duo finished their lunch and headed over to the town library where a large crowd had gathered. “Wow,” Starlight said, “Did every pony come to meet the new mare? I would think they would have been fine with Pinkie’s welcome party.” “I am not sure,” Feather Dream said. She walked up to a cram colored earth pony with a blue and pink mane and tail. She was slightly bouncing with a toothy grin. “Hey Bonbon,” Feather Dream asked the excited mare, “What is everypony doing here?” “Haven’t you heard? Twilight Sparkle has an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala!” Bonbon shrieked before running back into the crowd. “An extra ticket?” Starlight’s eyes widened, “I want to go!” She started to fly above the crowd, but was pulled down by Feather Dream. “Hold on a second. What makes you think she will give you the extra ticket? You said it yourself, Star, that you barely know her and she probably does not know you at all. It is more likely she will bring one of the other Bearers of Harmony.” Starlight fiddled with her braid, “But there are five of them. How will she choose?” Feather Dream sighed, “You said she was Celestia’s student. She could ask the Princess for enough tickets to take all of them.” “Oh, true,” Starlight said frowning, “And I bet she wouldn’t ask for a ticket for some pony she doesn’t even know.” “Exactly, now I have to go on patrol for the rest of the day. We can meet up tomorrow if the weather holds up, unless you want to come with.” “No thanks,” Starlight’s braid swung back and forth, “I was planning on doing something else today.” “Oh, what?” “Umm well, I uh,” she stumbled over her words. “Secret?” “Yes.” “Pinkie Promise?” “Well no, but I uh.” “It is fine,” Feather Dream awkwardly patted her friend, “I will not pry. Like I said; patrol. See you later Starlight,” Feather Dream took off. “Bye Feather Dream,” Starlight waived frantically after her friend. Once the pink mare was out of sight the blue pegasus ran a hoof along her mane, blushing and skipped toward the park. The rest of the day was rather uneventful. There was only a small planned afternoon rain shower that had a partial interruption by Rainbow Dash. Feather Dream returned home that evening and went through her process of ending the day. Luna’s moon had begun to rise when she picked up the Daring Do book from her nightstand. She ran a hoof through her black and white striped mane when a thought occurred to her. I never met with Twilight Sparkle…hmm. Oh well, since she is living here I will probably get the chance eventually. She cracked the book open and snuggled into bed to read. By the time Luna’s moon had risen Feather Dream turned off the light and went to sleep. > Chapter 3: Dreaming in the Rain > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Feather Dream awoke to the pitter patter of rain against her window pane. She rubbed her eyes grateful for the dreamless sleep and put her glasses on. She looked out the window at the light rain shower and let out a yawn. “Today was supposed to be sunny. I guess we now know when the Truth Dream is happening.” She stretched out her wings and cracked her neck and shoulders. After brushing through her black and white mane and tail, and eating a quick breakfast, Feather Dream left her house and headed for Cloudsdale. On her way the rain increased its speed and severity, soaking the pegasus through. By the time she arrived at the weather control station Feather Dream spotted two other pegasi that had arrived before she did. One was a pegasi that had joined her on her first patrol; a turquoise mare with a yellow diamond cutie mark. Orion stood near like a chunk of night sky and waived as Feather Dream flew in. “Are you two here for the weather service?” she asked. “Yes we are,” Orion said. The mare, Melody Gem, nodded. “Do we know who is acting as captain for this event?” Feather Dream looked around trying to find other pony volunteers. The workers would come later during their job hours, which was a worry. They would have to rely on the strength of a less lazy type of pony before they joined. It helped to have a competent captain who was well liked and took charge. “Well,” Melody said, “I think they appointed you as captain.” Feather Dream looked at the scarcity of ponies and understood. It was not that she was incompetent; it was entirely that she was not well liked. At least most pegasi seemed to regard her with a wariness that affected her reputation. Her face remained impassive, “We will need more than this if we are going to correct this storm. It is a big one.” Melody shrugged, “Others went down to the towns to prepare them by cleaning up branches and to explain the situation to the towns’ people. I think they even, briefly, recruited nonpegasus ponies to help them out.” So there are others. Feather Dream thought before saying, “Even so, they probably will not be back for a while and I would rather we had more ponies before we left.” “Wait for me!” A voice called from above. Starlight landed, not so lightly, near them with a flop. “Hi every pony,” she said with a sheepish grin. Feather Dream glanced at her with one eyebrow raised. Her best friend responded with a tackle hug. Then the red maned Pegasus trotted over to where Orion stood and floated at attention. Orion tried to keep himself from laughing, but failed. Standing up and brushing herself off Feather Dream cleared her throat and said, “We still need a few more ponies than this. Like I said before; it is a big storm.” “Oooo, fun,” Starlight giggled. “Did any of you three hear about any pony else volunteering for weather service?” “Thunderlane said he would be helping again,” Melody said, “Also I heard that Solar Flutter, Lightning Flitter and Sparks wanted to participate, but I’m not sure if they were fully commited.” “Let us hope they do,” Feather Dream said as lighting crashed and thunder rumbled, “We will need them, but we also need to leave soon. We will wait another ten minutes before we go.” Within the next ten minutes all but Thunderlane had arrived. The team was slightly better prepared. Feather Dream hoped they could keep the storm together before the weather team arrived. She looked outside as the louds got darker and the wind picked up. Without a moment’s hesitation the little group took to the sky. The process of controlling rouge storms involves flying through the clouds and severing pieces of it to clear some of it out. The rest would be moved a part from the other clouds to produce light scattered rain showers. With most clouds this is harmless. Small storm clouds are easily dealt with this way, but as a storm gets bigger the more dangerous it becomes. The lightning alone could seriously injure a pony. Add in the disorientation caused by a loss of navigation and even a trained and prepared pegasus could find themselves in danger. This was why Starlight always worked on bigger storms. Her cutie mark, three pointed stars, alluded to her ability to always know where she was in the world. If Starlight was blindfolded and dropped off somewhere she had never been before she could find her way home with very little trouble. Starlight’s love of thunderstorms also contributed to her reason for volunteering. She learned everything she could about them, out of books or through experience. She did not fear the storm; she understood it and showed the respect and caution needed to control it. “Okay Star,” Feather Dream turned to her friend, “We need you to cut the storm into sevenths then each of us will take a section and- wait is that Thunderlane? What is he doing?” He was tumbling through the storm clearing out small wisps of the storm cloud without making any actual progress and seemed to be putting himself in danger. “Orion, can you reach him?” Feather Dream asked. “I think so.” “Then would you mind saving our fellow pegasus?” “On it,” Orion said with a grin. The night sky pegasus launched himself at the bumbling stallion. As he closed in Orion angled himself and grabbed at Thunderlane pulling him around and bringing them back to the group. Orion’s special talent was accuracy, he could launch anything, himself, or any pony else at a target and 99 out of 100 times he would hit exactly where he wanted. His interest in physics and geometry helped him analyze all the elements he needed to perfect his shot. “Change of plans,” Feather Dream said with hardly a glance at Thunderlane, “make it into eighths. As they controlled the storm, more pegasi showed up. Each was then assigned to a different section to help. By the end of the down pour there had been little damage, excluding a tree that had fallen onto the library after being struck by lightning. At least not pony was hurt. Feather Dream went to bed late that night exhausted and slept dreamlessly once more. > Chapter 4: I Dream of Trixie > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The pink mare awoke to the sun shining through her window and dragged herself out of bed. After the previous day’s storm, and the constant patrol before that, she was ready for a day off. She made her way slowly over to her kitchen, a modest design, and poured a bowl of honey oats; it was the last of the box. “Looks like I will have to go to town today,” she said to no pony. The milk was emptied out as well. The pegasus went through her kitchen noting down what she needed to get from Ponyville’s market place. After finishing her shopping list she strapped on her saddle bags and flew from her home. She flitted and ducked around ponies as she made her purchases, avoiding small talk when she could. She bought a variety of fruits and vegetables, picked up a box of oats, a jug of milk and a loaf of bread. As she was walking Carrot Top’s stand came into view. Feather Dream trotted over. “Hello Carrot Top, how is business?” Feather Dream asked the yellow mare. “Jus’ fine Ms. Feather Dream,” Carrot Top chuckled, “and now tha’ ya are here I s’pose I’m done fer th’ day.” Feather Dream nodded, “I was planning on making some carrot cake and carrot bread soon.” “I hav’ ‘bout two dozen carrots left from today.” “That is all?” “I hada lot o’ business today,” Carrot Top shrugged, “Do ya want th’ rest o’ ‘em?” “How much?” “Twenty bits” “Fifteen bits” “Eighteen bits” “Deal.” As Carrot Top hoofed over the bag of carrots she said, “Well, if ya were planin’ on maken any apple pie you’re out o’ luck. Apple Jack didn’t set her stand up t’day.” “I noticed. Do you know where she is?” “Nope, but I wonda’ if she thinks taken a day off wouldn’t hurt her sales,” Carrot Top grumbled, “I bet she thinks tha’ she could catch up no problem and sell tenfold tomorrow. Arrogant pony.” As she organized her groceries in her saddle bags Feather Dream commented, “I thought you two had made up and became friends. You seem to still be upset with her.” Carrot Top sighed and started to tear down her stall, “It’s jus’ tha’ she seems to think her apple products are so much better than my carrots tha’ she jus’ doesn’t need to work as hard, and before ya say it I know. Tha’ is wrong. Apple Jack works harda than anypony else, but I guess old habits die hard.” “So I have heard,” Feather Dream bid goodbye and trotted off with her groceries hanging in her saddle bags. She left the market and entered town square. Near Town Hall a large crowd had gathered in front of a stage. Fireworks were being shot into a pretty display. Feather Dream ignore the flashy show and kept walking until she heard a familiar voice calling out a challenge and an equally familiar voice accept it. “Trixie?” Feather Dream whispered, “Apple Jack? What is going on over there?” The pink pegasus made her way to the front of the crowd, ignoring the glares and occasional “well excuse you.” She arrived at the stage just in time to witness Apple Jack hog tied with her own rope and an apple in her mouth, courtesy of Trixie the show mare. After that Trixie embarrassed both Rainbow Dash and Rarity using her show magic. “What is going on?” Feather Dream repeated to no one in particular. “This show off came into town saying she was the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria!” a voice exclaimed from her left, “We all know that is completely wrong. Twilight is the best unicorn. Her magic is more powerful than any pony else’s!” “Spike! Shush,” said a second voice. The first belonged to a small purple and green dragon, the second a purple unicorn. She continued to whisper to the dragon, “I don’t want ponies thinking I am boasting like Trixie.” At that moment, as though she heard her name, Trixie turned her eyes to Twilight, “Do you think that you can best The Great and Powerful Trixie?” “No, of course not,” Twilight said sheepishly as she backed away, “There is nothing special about me. Just a regular unicorn. Excuse me.” She ran off through the crowd with Spike following close behind. “That is what Trixie thought,” Trixie scanned the crowd looking for a new target. The show mare’s eyes then met with Feather Dream’s and flitted away once she registered who she was looking at. Feather Dream turned and trotted away as The Great and Powerful Trixie continued her show. So that was Twilight? The Pegasus thought Very different from what I imagined. She is rather humble for someone from a big city. I could probably speak to her now. Wait…my groceries. Okay first home, then I will visit the Twilight Sparkle from Canterlot. Feather Dream arrived at the library in the mid afternoon and knocked on the door. She was answered by the small dragon from before, “May I help you?” “I wish to speak with Ms. Twilight Sparkle.” “Uh, okay. Hey Twilight you have a visitor.” “Just a minute,” said a voice from inside. “So, who are you?” Spike asked suspiciously. “Feather Dream.” “Nice to meet you Feather Dream,” Spike said with a smile, “I’m Spike, Twilight’s number one assistant.” Feather Dream nodded in acknowledgement just as the purple unicorn appeared in the doorway. “Hello?” Twilight said awkwardly. “Hello, Twilight. I am Feather Dream and I was wondering if I could speak with you.” “Oh? Of course, I would be delighted to,” the mare smiled and gestured inside, “Please come in and make yourself comfortable.” The two ponies and young dragon entered the building, and made their way to the center of the room. “So, uh,” Twilight shifted in her seat, “What did you want to ask me about?” “You specifically,” Feather Dream said bluntly. “Oh well, I would be happy to answer any questions you have.” “Why are you staying in Ponyville?” “What?” Twilight seemed shocked and maybe a little hurt. “I thought I was clear, but allow me to elaborate. I wish to know why you choose to stay in Ponyville instead of returning to your home in Canterlot.” “Well there are many reasons for that,” Twilight started slowly, “First of all even though I had lived in Canterlot all of my life I had never really thought of it as home. Also, and this is rather embarrassing, the other bearers of Harmony are my first friends, other than my brother and I never saw much of him. Another reason I am staying is I have been given the task to research the magic of friendship and report back to Princess Celestia each week on my findings. Of course I am very happy about this because Ponyville has become my home and I don’t want to leave my new friends.” Feather Dream sat in complete silence listening intently while Twilight had spoken her long winded speech. “That makes sense,” she said suddenly. “What does?” Twilight asked, unsure of her odd guest’s behavior. “Your attitude,” Feather Dream replied, “I had thought that your reaction to Trixie today was a bit strange for a pony from Canterlot. From what I had heard about you I had assumed that you would be more proud to show off your talents-” “Oh no!” Twilight exclaimed, “I don’t want to do that. I don’t want my friends to see me as a boastful mare. I saw how they had disapproved of Trixie and I don’t want it to happen to me.” “Trixie is a showoff,” Feather Dream stated, “but she is a show pony. A little exaggeration should not hurt anypony, but you are the barer the Element of Magic. You should be able to express your talent without coming off as a boasting pony. The amount of humility you show is proof of that.” “You think so?” Twilight asked a hopeful lift in her voice. “Yes, of course I could be way off.” “Why are you helping me?” “You were a curiosity. Now that I have satisfied myself and lent you a hoof for your troubles I can rest easy.” “Um thank you?” Twilight said. “You are welcome,” Feather Dream replied, “by the way what was Trixie boasting about this time?” “She said something about defeating an Ursa Major that was terrorizing some town.” Feather Dream stared blankly at Twilight. When she spoke it was in an even almost monotonous tone, “That makes no sense. Trixie does not fight. She hates confrontation even if she does not seem that way. I do not know much about Ursa Majors, but I doubt anything like that could happen.” “Really?” Twilight pondered, “I think I will do some research about them.” “I will leave you to your research then,” Feather Dream said as she headed toward the door, “It was enlightening to speak with you.” “No problem,” Twilight said her nose deep in a book. After a minute she glanced up suddenly, “Spike, did we learn anything about our new friend?” “Not really, although if you ask me she was kind of creepy,” said the baby dragon looking toward the door. “That is not very nice Spike,” Twilight reprimanded. “But it’s true! The way she talked was all slow and spooky. She didn’t smile even once or show any emotion that I saw.” “She seemed guarded,” Twilight nodded, “like she did not want to give anything away. It is strange. I should look into more about her. Oh, but first I must figure out this Great and Powerful Trixie situation.” * * * * * That evening Feather Dream made up her mind to visit Trixie. She flew down to town square where the traveling stage had been closed up for the night. As she approached, Feather Dream spotted two colts racing toward the same destination, calling Trixie’s name frantically. She settled on a rooftop and watched the scene unfold. The two colts, Snips and Snails, begged Trixie to fight an Ursa Major they had brought to town. The constellation bear let out a menacing roar shaking the buildings around it. Trixie attempted to restrain the creature, but failed miserably. Just then Twilight showed up, “What is going on?” Feather Dream flew down to Twilight saying, “those two colts said they brought an Ursa Major to town.” “You seem to be taking it well,” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “There is a powerful unicorn here,” the pegasus shrugged, “What is there to be afraid of?” Twilight turned her attention to the monster and took a deep breath as her horn began to glow. The Ponyville water tower was pulled up and emptied. Reeds were bent and broken to produce a soothing melody. The water tower was filled with milk, and Twilight cradled the bear with her magic letting him drink from it. He was then sent off to the cave where he came from. “Wow,” Spike said in awe, “you defeated that Ursa Major like it was nothing!” “That wasn’t an Ursa Major,” Twilight said, “That was an Ursa Minor. It was only a baby that somepony woke up.” She glared at Snips and Snails. “That was a baby?” Trixie exclaimed before composing herself, “Well you are still inferior to the Great and Powerful Trixie! You may have bested an Ursa Minor, but Trixie defeated an Ursa Major!” Trixie’s horn glowed brightly and a puff of smoke appeared. As it cleared Trixie was seen running off. Feather Dream set out after her and caught up easily due to her wings. Landing in front of the great and powerful showoff the pink pegasus stared at the blue unicorn who squirmed under her gaze. “W-What do you w-want with me?” Trixie stammered avoiding looking the other in the eye. “I want to speak with you.” “Right, that is never all you want,” Trixie muttered. “What do you mean by that?” “Let us get this over with. I. Do. Not. Want. To. Speak. With. You!” “Fine, I will attempt to be quick.” “Good,” Trixie glared at the ground. “If you need to, you can always find work with my brother’s troop,” Feather Dream said evenly. As soon as the words left the pegasus’s mouth Trixie boiled over with rage. “Are you insane? Do you really think that is a good idea? With the history between me and Odysseus why would you even consider it?” Trixie stomped her hooves and snorted. “You would be accepted warmly,” Feather Dream turned away satisfied with the conversation. “You, you freak! You will never understand!” Trixie shouted. “And you will never find a home unless you do as I say,” Feather Dream said over her shoulder, “It is a shame. All of that talent being wasted on you.” “Well,” Trixie neighed, “at least I have emotions you emptied shadow of a pony!” With that Trixie stormed out of town ready to forget the entire conversation. “I suppose she meant to harm me,” Feather Dream murmured, “Well since it is accurate I would think she would realize it would not work.” Feather Dream then took off and headed for her empty house. It was the perfect place for an empty pony. “But,” the pink pony pondered, “I am not so empty any more am I? I am…curious and I ‘felt’ worried for some pony other than Ody or Star. Logically this would mean I am gaining my emotions back. The question is if this is a good or a bad thing.” She shrugged, snuggled into bed, and picked up A Detailed Biography of Starswirl the Bearded. After reading a few chapters she felt her eyelids droop and placed the book and her glasses on the nightstand, turned off the light and went to sleep.