Tired of constantly having un-auspicious dreams, Rainbow Dash askes Twilight to cast a spell to allow them to dream anything they want. Rainbow chooses a dream of a fantasy medieval world.
Tired of constantly having un-auspicious dreams, Rainbow Dash askes her best friend Twilight to cast a spell that allows them to dream anything they want. Rainbow chooses a dream of a fantasy medieval world in an adventure with her sweetheart Twilight.
A blood moon rised ominously in the distant while Applejack and Rarity watched anxiously.
"It's practically flaming.." Applejack said.
"It's getting creepier by the minute," Rarity replied. "I have a bad feeling about this.. come on, let's go home! We shouldn't have venture here for some adventure."
"I object," Rainbow Dash said behind them. Twilight was sitting by her, eyes closed in agreement. Rainbow continued, "How can we give up so easily?"
"What're ya saying?" Applejack turned around, perturbed. She is not a pony who takes risks.
"Rainbow Dash," Rarity scoffed. "Stop playing cool."
"With just the four of us, what can we do?" Applejack concured.
"We haven't even tried," Rainbow sat up. "How do we know it can't be done?" She trotted closer and pointed her hoof at them. "Right now we should be carefully planning our next step!" "Listen up," Rainbow then gestured to the fog below the blood moon. "Below this plateau is a dark castle. Fluttershy is waiting for us to rescue her there."
Startled, Applejack and Rarity clutched each other. Rainbow looked down the plateau in anticipation.
"Many odd lights," Twilight continued. "they're coming from the fog."
"Will o wisps!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Oh my Celestiaļ¼" Rarity cried.
"No, they're the torches of the devil!" Applejack added. "Quick, run!" Applejack and Rarity scuttled back against a wall before clutching each other again. "With just the few of us, we are no match for the devil's army!"
"There are no escapes.." Rarity closed her eyes. "We're doomed!"
Suddenly a chivalrous figure loomed over Applejack and Rarity. The figure sounded, "Don't be scared! I won't hurt you."
AJ and Rarity opened their eyes and gasped;
"Ha ha ha!" laughed the figure, with a limelight shining behind her out from no where.
"It's Daring Do!" cried Rarity.
"That's right," the tilt on Daring Do's pith helmet was covering her eyes. "I am the one standing by justice, the one and only Daring Do!" it was awfully obvious that Rainbow Dash was inside the costume, but AJ and Rarity seemed oblivious about the mysterious mare.
"And I am the partner of Daring Do, Masked Matter-Horn!" Twilight Sparkle said excitingly.
Rarity and Applejack watched in awe, "The legendary Daring Do... why is she here?"
"When ponies need my help, I shall appear!" Rainbow-in-Daring-Do-costume said.
"B-but, even if it's Daring, she can't possibly defeat that huge army!" Applejack pointed to the advancing bunnies with flaming tails.
"Justice shall prevail!" Rainbow readied her sword, biting it firmly in her mouth. The sword sparkled as if in agreement. "Let's go, Masked Matter-Horn!" "To battle!" Dashie blazed toward the army with Twilight on her back.
"Daring Do, good luck!" Rarity yelled.
"Do your best!" Applejack added.
The plastic animated bunnies conjured lances out of their limbs; the whole ordeal was starting to look like a jousting match. Rainbow sliced and diced left and right, breaking their lances in 10 seconds flat while the bunnies are just sitting ducks against the calvary.
"Impressive," Rarity commented. "That's Daring Do for you."
"Go!" Applejack concured. "Destroy the scoundrels!"
As the last bunny had fallen, Rainbow saw Fluttershy trapped inside a large bubble. Fluttershy waved to her, "Daring, you really came to save me!"
"I'll get you out of there immediately!" readied Rainbow, but the ground started trembling and a menace unburrowed from the depths of the abyss. The horror started chuckling its evil laugh.
"What a huge monster," Rainbow gulped.
"Daring Do... I've been waiting for you a long time," the monstrosity stated.
"Help!" cried Fluttershy.
"Just masscaring underfed bunnies isn't any thrill," taunted Rainbow. "Finally today I can have a satisfying fight! Let us duel, with honor and glory!"
"W-wait.. this might not be the best idea," Twilight interrupted.
"Why?" Rainbow turned to her.
"We don't have enough time," said Twilight with a worried face.
"What?" Rainbow was confused.
"If you don't wake up now, you'll be late for work!" Twilight explained.
"How can this be?" Rainbow said with a sad face. "I am just now starting a match to rescue Fluttershy, then reveal my true identity to Rarity and Applejack to show them who's boss - why would we end this early?"
"Hey- Daring Do!" shouted Applejack and Rarity as they approached.
"See? Here they are," Rainbow said. "This is good; I'm in my dreams anyway. I'll take him down in two, three hits." All the while the monster just patiently stared at her. "First, let's shrink this monster."
"Ehh?" exclaimed the monster. Too late, he already (somehow) shrank. "Curse you, Daring Do! That's too guile!..."
"Evil monster, die!" charged Rainbow.
"Ya'll fine right, Daring Do?" Applejack arrived and observed.
"You're not supposed to do shrink me!" The mini monster rebuked. "This is unfair!"
"Shut it, verbose. I don't have much time," Rainbow jumped on top of the monster and stomped. "Justice prevailed!" Rainbow waved her sword triumphantly before returning it to its sheath and snatched it with her wing.
"If you have any questions, quickly ask them now!" Rainbow trotted toward the gang.
"Q-questions?" Rarity asked quizzically.
"Then, what should I do to become a hero like you?" Applejack inquired.
"No, no!" Rainbow shook her head. "Something like, ask about my true identity."
"But, isn't that a secret?" Rarity said puzzled.
"It is polite to at least ask," Rainbow replied.
"Ok.. Who exactly are you?" Rarity finally asked.
"That, is a secret," Rainbow grinned.
Rarity frowned, "See? I might as well not have asked it."
"Buuut, today I will give you guys a special offer." Rainbow prepared to take off her pith helmet.
"Really?!" Applejack and Rarity said.
"I am actually..." Rainbow stopped when her helmet was stuck. "Eh? Why can't I take it off? Horseapples, it's too tight!"
"RAINBOW-" a booming voice sounded from above.
"Oh no, your mom is calling you!" Twilight said.
"What to do..." Rainbow panicked.
"RAINBOW, WAKE UP!" Rainbow's mother called again.
"Dashie, you have to wake up now," Twilight said before flying up.
"Twilight! TWIIILIIIIGHHHT!!" Rainbow followed her up.
"Rainbow Dash!" Mrs Firefly looked down at her daughter, hoofs crossed. It was Monday early morning. "When do you want to sleep until?"
Dashie's blurry eyes focused on her mom who came from Cloudsdale to visit her in Ponyville. Twilight, who came over for Sunday's sleepover, was already up from bed.
"Still not getting up?" Firefly spoke again.
Rainbow gasped and jumped out of bed. "Yes, yes, I'm awake!"
"You have work, right? Miss Weather-mare?" Firefly reminded. "And eat breakfast before you leave!"
Twilight sighed. "Really now.. is she like this ever since she was a filly?"
The weather headmaster was giving out today's instructions. "First we'll gather 12 km3 of altostratus by dawn to shade out the sun. Afternoon, prepare 90 km3 of cumulonimbus from near ground to an altitude of 25000 hoofs for the rainfall by midnight."
Dreaming is so pleasant... Rainbow thought. The lucid dream last night was great; however, when Rainbow was about to finish dreaming the ending, the sun just has to come up during the climax. "Arrrgghh! So unfortunate!" Rainbow thought out loud.
"What is so unfortunate?" The weather headmaster stared at Rainbow. "Did you heard what I said?"
"Uuhhhhhh..."
"You're always late, and you always nap on the job," the headmaster remarked angrily. "Such a slacker; go clear those cirrus clouds NOOOWW!"
I am scolded again.. Rainbow thought as she got out from work. The dream world is such a nicer place. In the real world, society is such a stinker. Why is it so strict? Rainbow is very stressed out. She saw Fluttershy heading out from her cottage and followed her, chuckling. "Even though you don't know about my dream, last night was too breathtaking!" Rainbow's mind wandered off. "Fortunately, I saved you just in time!" Her daydreaming was halted when she almost bumped into Fluttershy.
"Eek! Rainbow, what are you doing?" Fluttershy asked. "Why are you smiling while following me?"
"Because last night..."
"You're acting a little strange.." Fluttershy said before heading off again.
Disappointed, Rainbow trotted somewhere else to clear her mind, but that was ruined when something hit her head. She recoiled and saw that it was an apple.
"Haha, Rainbow ya'll too funny," Applejack said.
"You're the one who is funny," Rainbow turned around. "Last night you and Rarity were shivering in fear, scared to face pale!"
"What nonsense were you dreaming?" Rarity overheard them.
"It's true!" Rainbow said before taking off. She turned her head and remarked, "If I had enough time, you will see that-" SMACK! Rainbow crashed into a tree. Applejack and Rarity suppressed their giggles.
"TWIIILIIIGGHHT!" Rainbow yelled while flying up her cloud-stairs. "TWIILIIGHT SPARKLE!"
"Wha- What is it, Dashie?" Twilight lifted her head from her reading but came face to face with the cyan pony.
Rainbow held Twilight's hoofs and shook. "Cast me a spell that makes my dream longer!"
"What, you want them to know your suave even in dreams?" Twilight said amazed. "That's silly." She dismissed the idea for now. "No matter where you escape in your dreams, you will still wake up to reality and get disappointed! It's good for nothing."
"But.. it's just for fun!" Rainbow Dash was trying to convince her.
"If you have time, why don't you study for your Wonderbolts exam?" Twilight went out the room. "You have to put more effort and resolution instead of just being carefree all the time!" Twilight began to trot down the stairs but stopped. She paused in her thinking. Am I being too hard on her? Twilight turned back up the stairs. "Rainbow Dash? Listen to me..." She opened the door. "Rainbow Da- Eh? Where did she go?" An open window greeted her. She trotted up against the window and leaned. Could she have ran off? She should be back by dusk anyway, once she gets hungry..
"EHH? Dashie still hasn't returned?" Twilight said after hearing from Mrs Firefly. The afternoon sunset had already been replaced past evening, the silhouette of a rising moon can be seen on the horizon.
"I've looked for her in your friends' homes," Firefly explained. "the Apple Acres, the Boutique, the Cottage, the Bakery... but Rainbow wasn't there at any of them. She is outrageous sometimes!"
"I'll head out for her!" Twilight hurrily flew out; she don't want to see Mrs Firefly or Dashie upset. I wouldn't have thought she'd get mad... Twilight thought as she cruised across the dusk of Ponyville. I must find her by midnight, before the rain...
"Since Rainbow isn't staying at any of our friends' houses," Twilight pondered. "then there's only that place left." She head towards the old Golden Oak Library.
"Hey-- Rainbow Dash--" cried Twilight. "If you're here, please answer me!" She landed by the nostalgic oak tree. "Dashie--" Twilight called again. "Sigh, still can't find her.. this is serious.. it's all my fault!" Twilight expressed regret. "I shouldn't have been indifferent.. she is only having a bad day..." Twilight rambles on. "Why did I do an irreversible thing? I'm an idiot, idiot! At least I can support her in dreams..." Twilight began to sniffle from remorse.
"Things aren't that terrible, Twi" Rainbow Dash appeared behind Twilight and placed her hoof on her shoulder. "I don't mind, really."
"T-then, you are willing to forgive me?" Twilight turned around.
Rainbow gave Twilight a pat on her back, "Of course! We're best friends after all."
"Thank you, Dashie!" Twilight said. "W-wait! Rainbow Dash! Where have you been?!"
Rainbow gave an ungainly chuckle, "Originally I wanted sleep on the tree to have a lucid dream, but I kind of fell down and passed out after that..." Rainbow blushed.
"You're really causing some annoyance," Twilight sighed.
"Oh, Twilight~" Rainbow caressed Twilight with one wing, "The things you said earlier.. are they true?"
"Uh.. did I say anything?" Twilight said with a chagrin.
"You said you'll let me make dreams, riight?" Rainbow teased.
"You heard them..?" Twilight said incredulously.
"Didn't miss a single word~"
"Rainbow Dash," Mrs Firefly said in a somber yet caring voice. "Did you pay attention to what I said?"
"Yes, mom!" Dashie said with a cheery face while eating dinner. "Mom is right; it's all my fault; I won't let Mom worry again; I will reflect and contemplate; this I will be wary of," Rainbow said with a semi-perfunctory yet boisterous tone. "I'm full~ done eating!" Rainbow took a bow. "Good night. Jya, let's go, Twilight!" She took Twilight's hoof and trot upstairs.
"R-rainbow Dash!" Firefly sighed, but left them alone.
Rainbow closed the door to her room and turned to Twilight. "You promised, Twi," she said. "Quickly do the spell, won't you?"
"OK, ok," Twilight sighed. "I understand." With a flash of lavender light, a scroll was teleported to Twilight and she levitated it with magic.
"Awesome!" Rainbow squealed. "So, how does it work?"
Twilight read the scroll carefully and gave Rainbow a synopsis. "You can choose a book or novel.." With another flash of light, Twilight brought in a large cloud bookshelf. "..and let me borrow Firefly's mane-clips and cast these enchantments.." She continued, "whoever wears an enchanted mane-clip will dream the story that it's bound to! So, which novel do you like?" Twilight was getting excited too.
"Ahhh, all of these novels look juicy!" Rainbow commented. "Hey Twi, is there a novel where the protagonist gets the thrill of her life?"
"How's this?" Twilight levitated out a novel, "Fifty Shades of Rainbow."
"That sounds like a book for foals," Rainbow dismissed it. "Next!"
"Is that so.." Twilight wondered. "I thought it suits you..."
"This one looks good!" Rainbow took one out herself. "Turnabout Storm."
"There is a summary at the back, let's read it first!" Twilight flipped to the back of the novel and showed it to Rainbow.
A quiet summer night in Ponyville takes a violent turn when two pegasi enter the Everfree Forest and only one comes out alive, leaving her accused of murder, on trial for her life. You, the defendant, will have to overcome obstacles with your ace defense attorney Phoenix Wright to exonerate yourself. Can you do it? Dream on to find out!
"Hey, how come I'm the one in trouble?" Rainbow Dash was amused. "I want to be a hero!"
"You're so demanding," sighed Twilight. "How about this, 'The Odyssey' - the heroine returns to her homeland..."
"Good! that one!" Rainbow was being imprudent with her selection.
"You're not going to finish reading the summary and head straight to the plot?" Twilight asked.
"No need," Rainbow lay down on her cloud bed. "I'm going to be a hero~" squealed Rainbow. "This is so exciting!"
"Alright then, put on the mane-clip," Twilight instructed.
"Oh I almost forgot," Rainbow fastened the clip, making a ponytail with her mane. "Jya, goodnight!"
Twilight sat quietly beside Rainbow and watched her as she fell asleep. She took out the scroll and cast a spell to observe Dashie's dream.
Rainbow found herself clad in light armor in the fantasy dream world. She was aboard a pinque, sailing toward Ithaca.
"So I'm a war hero, eh?" Rainbow remarked. She explored her new ship and, after a while, relaxed at the boat's stern. "Sweet dreams are made of this~ who am I to disagree? I travel Equestria and the seven seas- everypony's looking for something~" Rainbow sang cheerily. "Hmm.. do I get to fight Cycloponies along the way?" She wondered.
"Hold on, Dashie," A transparent window with Twilight's image within popped out in front of Rainbow.
"Wha? I didn't expect to see you here," Rainbow said.
"This scroll allows me to communicate with the dreamer," Twilight explained. "Oh, I was going to remind you; it's almost morning."
"Ehh? Already?" Rainbow said. "Hey, do me a favor and speed up the story - I want to see the climax."
"Fine, I'm on it," Twilight replied. "But I'm going to have to make it quick," the window disappeared.
The wind suddenly took up speed without warning, and the boat shook violently. A storm was brewed as if the sea monster Scylla conjured it. Rainbow raised a hoof to cover her eyes from the ripples and murmured, "..did I spill the bag of winds or something?" An unexpected gust hit Dashie, causing her to lose balance and be thrown out of her pinque.
POMF!! Rainbow rolled down from her bed.
Surprised, Twilight looked at the baffled and flinched pegasus. "Did you just fall down from your bed?"
"Me? Fell from my bed?" Rainbow said sarcastically. "I fell from the moon!" She muttered.
"Rainbow-" Mrs Firefly entered the room. "Good, you didn't oversleep! Neat mane, by the way." Firefly commented at her daughter wearing her mane-clip.
"Have a good day at work, Dash," Twilight yawned and lay down for a nap. "I haven't slept the whole night..."
"Dreaming is harder than I thought," Rainbow flew toward the weather station. "At least I woke up early today." En route, her optimism was stymied when she realized she had forgot to prepare for today's cloud seeding. It's a relatively new technique where instead of manually gathering clouds, a catalyst is used to congregate rain clouds automatically.. which Rainbow knows nothing about how to handle the said catalyst. Rainbow snuck into the staff's locker room and snatched a copy of the procedure manual. However, soon she was beleaguered with yet another problem. Dashie has what Twilight would say a narrow vocabulary, and she was stuck... on the first few sentences. "Ack! What the hay is an ice nuclei?!" Rainbow threw her hoofs up in frustration and sprawled across the floor. "I'm so toasted."
Rainbow stopped her moping when the door creaked open and she heard a chuckle. "Looks like thou have a conundrum here," Princess Luna showed herself. "Don't understand the manual? Allow me to help." Luna pulled out a small, red berry. "This is the fruit of cognizance. It'll give thee a burst of intellect." She dangled the berry in front of Rainbow. "Go ahead, eat it. Be not afeard!" She implored.
Rainbow tossed the berry inside her mouth and chewed. "It tastes not bad.." She suddenly felt a jolt of wit. "My brain feels refreshed!" Rainbow looked at the manual a second time. "Dispersing cloud-condensation nuclei, or 'ice nuclei' into the air will produce ice crystals... I understood it! ahaha! sigh~" She felt relieved and relaxed, closing her eyes without knowing it.
"..." Rainbow Dash came to and found herself still in the locker room. "Was that.. a dream?" Rainbow groaned. "I knew things aren't that easily solved... Oh right, gotta get to work!" She bolted out the door.
"Cloudkicker, you're in charge of the north-western quarter of Ponyville's skyline," The weather headmaster tossed a bag of catalyst to her, which she catched promptly. "Blossomforth, the north-east," he passed her a second bag. "Now, where is Rainbow Dash?"
"Here!" Rainbow rushed into the weather station.
"You know how to work this thing, right?" The headmaster gave her a bag.
Rainbow gulped and gave an awkward grin.
"Good, I'm off." He apathetically flew off to the south-west sector. "You're responsible for seeding the south-east; after that, work is dismissed afternoon."
Rainbow opened the bag and stared at its contents. "Wait.. these look strangely familiar." Her thoughts gestated, recalling the image of the catalysts from the instructural manual. "So I did read it! It wasn't a dream." Rainbow was astonished and at the same time stumped. "Strange.. it felt so surreal."
Enjoying his early work break, Rainbow slowly trotted across the quiet streets of ponyville, her brain occupied about the atypical events happened recently. The sky overcast was misty from the cloud seeding at work. She unmindfully walked pass an intersection with a dim figure who nonchalantly observed her. Dashie stopped in her tracks after realizing whom the figure is.
"That was Luna!" Rainbow cantered into the corner, but Luna' silhouette wasn't found. "Where'd she go?"
"Hello there," Luna chuckled. "Looking for me?" She elegantly descended from a nearby willow tree.
"Ah," Rainbow composed herself. "Say, do you have more of those fruits?" Rainbow inquired gleefully.
"Hm? Those fruits are trivial compared to what I can offer," Luna expressed. "Thou will find it much more compelling."
"Even more than the fruit of cogna.. cognizance?" Rainbow said.
"However!" Luna cut her off. "It can only be obtained in the dream world of Swordcraft."
"Swordcraft?" Rainbow responded by repeating her.
"That's right." Luna took off in a small twister. "I'll see thee there!"
Rainbow stared intriguingly while at a loss for words. "Am I dreaming?" She brought out her wing and nipped it between her teeth. "Oww! This isn't a dream." Rainbow concluded sheepishly.
Twilight woke up from her revitalizing nap in Rainbow's bedroom. She stretched out her legs and trotted to the living room, where she found a pile of mail lying in front of the door. With nothing better to do, she picked them up and organized them, placing them neatly on the living room table.
"I'm back," Rainbow said as she entered the living room. "Hey, what's this pile?"
"Just some advertisements." Twilight responded. "Something about the newly-released novel called 'Swordcraft'," She explained.
"Ehh! Swordcraft!" Rainbow exclaimed after hearing the title. "Buy it and let's check it out!"
"But eh, it's kind of expensive," Twilight replied. "I can order it for the library's collection in a while after it's discounted."
"Pleeease~" Rainbow snuggled close up to Twilight. "Do what you can to purchase it now."
Rainbow Dash and Twilight sat quietly in Dashie's bedroom, waiting for the novel's delivery. It was a brand new novel, so the bookstore ran out of stocks pretty quickly. Outside, the dusk rain was pouring slowly and steadily.
"It's taking a long time," Rainbow yawned.
"It might not arrive tonight," Twilight reciprocated.
"Did you really order it?" Rainbow was making sure.
"Of course! I barely paid the fees, with the mailing costs and all that." Twilight replied. "I know what," She suggested. "Since we have time to kill anyway, let's check out our friends' dreams."
"You can do that?" Rainbow asked.
"Yep, with the scroll's help," Twilight conjured a transparent screen with a velvet flash. "Let's take a look at Pinkie's dream."
"OK... We'll just... let her do her business," Twilight respectfully cut off the dream signals.
"Heh, I wonder what Fluttershy dreams at night." Rainbow suggested.
"Alright, one last one." She altered the dream signal, but all that came up was static. "Strange, I received nothing."
"Is she not asleep yet?" Rainbow asked.
"I guess so," Twilight replied. "I presume her nocturnal animals have some special needs." Twilight rested her chin on her hoof and commented. "Dashie, you could learn something from the considerate yellow mare."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty hardworking. Don't you worry," Rainbow was interrupted by a voice from outside the window.
"Delivery!" The voice pleasantly sounded. The couple turned to the mailmare Derpy Hooves. She was in a raincoat, not minding the dribbles of the cool rain. She's used to the night-time shift.
"Thank you for your hard work!" Twilight received the package, the novel safe inside.
"Have a good night!" Derpy bid farewell, then flew away. "Enjoy your book!"
"Alright! Let's open it," Rainbow couldn't wait.
"Swordcraft," Twilight read the cover. "This should be interesting." She imbued a mane-clip with the novel and handed it to Rainbow.
