Twenty minutes. It has been twenty minutes already, yet she’s still not done. Twenty!

“I’ve prepared a little snack! Are you coming or not?”

Splash. “Just a minute!” Splashy-splash.

So twenty-one minutes in total spent on showering. That’ll be about six more than the average, and only three over my personal best, but waiting on this side of the door feels like forever nonetheless. I suppose this is what having a roommate must be like. A fascinating and relatively new experience for me, because shortly after I enrolled Princess Celestia’s prestigious school I was granted quarters of my own, while other students had to share their rooms. Perks of being a protégée: I never had to share my shower, fridge, or personal space with anyone else. Well, aside from Spike, but he wasn’t really that demanding, especially for a dragon.

I miss him. I wonder what he’s up to these days…

Now there’s another mare in my flat, waking me up at odd hours of the night and draining my hot water, which I don’t mind because letting Sunset perform her ablutions is actually in the best interest of us both. While she’s taking her time to get rid of that breathtaking stench of the road she’s wearing, I have a chance to learn more out of her belongings, namely her cloak. She’s taken her bag inside, but I sincerely doubt she’s carrying beauty products in there, so she probably trusts me as much as I trust her at this point. I can’t blame either of us for that. After all, which two roommates trust each other on day one?

I’m writhing the cloak over a kitchen sink. It’s a fine garment made entirely of silversilk, a rare material tricky to work with and practically unobtainable anywhere outside Saddle Arabia due to their ridiculous export policies. I wouldn’t even know about it in the first place if it wasn’t for Princess Celestia and her amazingly soft, autumn silversilk scarf. If I remember correctly, she’d received it as a token of gratitude for saving a desert village from a series of nasty sandstorms. She never told me the whole story, though.

Unlike that scarf, however, Sunset’s cloak didn’t stand the test of time. It’s tattered on the edges, the fabric has already faded, and there are two, no, three stitches marking former rips. I’m no expert on threads and needles, but Sunset doesn’t look delicate enough to have sewn it on her own.

She definitely looks good, I mean: clean, as she enters the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her freshly washed mane. Her coat is glistening with water droplets, and her hooves are finally devoid of dust and mud she was leaving all around my bedroom. Instead of sweat I can smell a pleasant fragrance of my lilac shampoo.

I have so many questions I don’t even know where to begin. Who exactly is Sunset Shimmer and what does she want from me? How is that Princess Celestia never mentioned her? How did she find me here, in Manehattan, when the only pony who knew where I was heading would never tell that to a random mare? What is this babble about the Elements of Harmony? These are all serious questions that need immediate answers!

“What happened to your tail?”

Of course, there are always those infinitely more pressing ones.

Sunset wiggles her tail, half as long as the one I remember from my dream. It looks as if it was mercilessly trimmed with a frayed razor. “A bunch of Nightguard idiots I ran into was counting on getting a good time, if you know what I mean.” She shrugs. “No big deal, but trust me, you don’t want to hear the whole story.”

“Not this particular one, I guess. But I have other questions, and I’m going to expect some answers.”

“Fire away.”

With Sunset’s cloak left to dry, I levitate plates, forks and a bowl of salad to the table. Hopefully nobody else will be joining us tonight, because I don’t have any more chairs to spare, and close to nothing when it comes to sharable snacks. I wasn’t exactly expecting company, you know.

“You claim to be the apprentice of Princess Celestia. How is that she never mentioned you?”

“Well, she wasn’t telling me about her former students either, though it’s pretty obvious she had many, given her age,” Sunset replies. “After I finished studying under her tutorage I’ve been traveling for some time, and haven’t had a chance to drop by. Perhaps that’s your answer.”

I suddenly feel so insignificant. It’s reasonable to assume that I wasn’t the first, or the only pony who’d study under the guidance of Princess Celestia, but I think I was better off believing otherwise. Students come and go, and not knowing your predecessors is probably better than being compared to them at every turn.

Luckily, right now we can be compared solely by our appetites. Sunset must’ve been on the edge of starvation, considering the rate at which the salad is disappearing. She seems to be enjoying it, but I refuse to believe that my absolute lack of any culinary skills whatsoever has contributed towards that. When she compliments it, she does it with her mouth full, which—dream or not—is her apparent habit. Not a healthy one, might I add.

“Mm, thish ish good! Diced cheese makes everything better,” she says. “Anyway, you’re probably wondering why I came to you. Apart from robbing your fridge, that is.”

“I figured it couldn’t be the only reason.”

Sunset puts down her fork, then leans forward in a conspiratorial manner. “I thought we could work together. It’s about the Elements of Harmony, and a certain project that I can’t—that I need more ponies for,” she says. “I was wondering, did Celestia tell you what the sixth Element is?”

Ah, so there’s a specific number of these artifacts. This is new. “No, not really. She didn’t.”

“But she did tell you about the ideas represented by the five?”

“About what now?”

“Oh.” Sunset falls to her chair. “I thought that somepony else’s head would be crammed with her endless lectures about opening up to others, but you, apparently, know nothing.”

“Hey, I know a lot about many subjects, the Elements of Harmony included!” I refute. “I know that they were used to banish—”

“Please, this you can learn from a bedtime story!”

The sound of the rain becomes the only thing filling the silence.

When I first learned about the Elements of Harmony I didn’t even get a chance to ask Princess Celestia about them. That was just before she disappeared and the Night has come, and all I could find in my books was cryptic and vague, at best. Predictions and Prophecies was the most reliable encyclopedia on the subject of, well, predictions and prophecies, but even in there the entry regarding the Elements was leading to Mare in the Moon, or Nightmare Moon.

A moment later, Sunset attacks the salad with her fork anew, more in disappointment than actual anger. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to jump on you like that. I was just hoping that Celestia would’ve told you something, anything that could help us repeat what she did a thousand years ago.”

Something akin to a gasp of surprise and disbelief escapes my lips. “That’s your project? Surely you can’t be serious!” I say, but then I catch a glimpse of unyielding resolve in Sunset’s eyes. “Wait, you are serious?”

Wow, Miss Shimmer, it seems that your delusions are affecting your self-preservation instinct. Don’t you know that there was no one to stop Nightmare Moon when she made her appearance in that village of Ponyville? Not even the Princess herself, and she was—she still is, hopefully, a very powerful alicorn. And now her ex-student wants to save the world? Good one! She’s crazier than I thought.

“I am serious,” Sunset says. “You know what, let’s try a different approach. Did Celestia at least tell you something about the magic of friendship?”

Yep, she’s an A-grade lunatic.

“What? There’s no such thing as “the magic of friendship”. I’ve been studying arcane theorems since I was a filly and I’m sure I’d know something if somepony had invented such discipline! I swear, if you hadn’t proven your magical capabilities I’d take you for a fraud!”

“Why, thank you.”

“You are welcome!”

Who am I kidding? I know nothing. Not about the Elements of Harmony, not about this supposed magic of friendship, nothing. As opposed to Sunset here, who knows it all. She’s the one who finished her studies with Princess Celestia, not me, yet she needs my help, she’s asking me questions? Where’s the logic in that? In this world without the sun, I demand logic!

Sigh. “Your plan is ambitious, I give you that.”

“Everlasting night isn’t just wrong. It will also be detrimental to our species in the long run. Isn’t that a good enough reason to despise the current government?”

“Oh, I have others, believe me,” I say. “But right now I’m no use to you. I mean, it seems I haven’t reached certain lessons yet. If you want my help, you’ll have to teach me about the Elements, and this magic of friendship of yours.”

Sunset chuckles, almost choking on the last cube of cheese from the bottom of the bowl. “Right, I think it’ll be easier to start with the Elements. Can’t say I’m an expert on that other thing.”

While I’m clearing the table, Sunset fishes a bulky book out of her bag, the cover of which has a shimmering sun matching the one on Sunset's flanks. The book has more pages than expected from this binding, which suggests she’s probably been doing additional notes and putting them in between. They don’t seem to be organized in any way, though, as there’s no indication of sections or chapters. Some practical solution such as colorful, adhesive labels would do nicely, but even despite this reprehensible lack of order Sunset can navigate through her notes pretty well. She goes to about one-third and turns the notebook to me, revealing a set of pictures.

“Here’s a brief lecture. There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. They are called: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty. The sixth one is a mystery, but Celestia told me that when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed, whatever that means. That spark has to do something with the magic of friendship. Again, whatever that is.” Sunset glances at me. “I also studied arcane theorems, and like you I haven’t found anything.”

Mesmerized, I’m flipping through the pages when Sunset stops me, a smirk adorning her face once again. “Now that you know what I’m after, are you still in?”

If someone had come to me with such proposition a year ago I’d say yes without any hesitation. After all, Sunset’s offer is about working in the fascinating field of study relevant to my interests and skills, and a chance of bringing back the Equestrian sun and moon cycle. Who knows, perhaps we’ll even find Princess Celestia along the way, and everything will be back to normal?

On the other hoof, accepting the offer means going against the Nocturnal Empress and her armies including incorporeal nightmare forces, bat-like thestrals, and ordinary ponies of the former Royal Guard whose hearts have been filled with fear and despair, who had no choice but to submit to their new sovereign.

What pushed some of them over the edge is now what's pushing me forward. Remember when I told you that I had other reasons to despise the government? Well, it seems that working with Sunset might just give me means to take back what Nightmare Moon has taken away from me.

I point outside. “If you really intend to fix this mess, then I guess I’m with you,” I say. “Under one condition. You’ll show me how to enter other ponies’ dreams.”

Sunset reaches out her hoof. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Sparkle.”

Great, he’s wandered off again. What a surprise. Now, where was I?

Ah, that’s right: the biscuits. Among many different factors that make Les Doux Maregots my favorite place to unwind, their famous cream biscuits are by far the most relevant one. I don’t know if it’s due to their crunchy tastiness, or the filling as fluffy as a morning cumulus, or simply because I happen to have soft spot for them. Whatever the reason, I just can’t imagine my afternoon without these nutritious treats. Good thing that there are still three and three quarters left!

As I’m about to help myself to them, something in the back of my mind tells me not to. It’s a strange sensation, like a mixture of doubt and, I don’t know. Why I feel bothered? Is it because I left something back at the library? No, that’s unlikely. Any confusing or controversial dissertations that I can’t take my mind off? Not really, I don’t remember reading such literature today, in fact—and that’s really weird—I can’t recall anything I’ve read today during my four-hour, morning study session! Is my long-term memory acting up?

Something’s definitely not right. I stand up, leaving my coffee and biscuits untouched, then make my way towards the exit door. It occurs to me that the ponies I’m passing by look oddly similar to the decor, as if they all decided to wear the colors of the café today. Before you say it’s peculiar, know that it gets even weirder once I’m outside. It’s a bright and sunshiny day, though I’m pretty sure it was the middle of the night just a minute ago. And that I wasn’t even in Canterlot, but in Manehattan instead. And that it was raining!

That’s it!

“Am I dreaming right now?” I ask myself, looking around for a second opinion.

Sunset is leaning against the wall of Les Doux Maregots. “If you’re asking whether your body is lying helplessly on the floor of your bedroom, then the answer is yes,” she says. “Is it always that sunny in your dreams?”

“I think so. Wait, why am I on the floor?”

“Focus, and you’ll remember.”

It turns out that I do, only that my mind needed a moment to start running properly. It’s like those first moments after waking up. Initially, your dreams and real life feel like one, coalesced together, but then you get out of your bed and separate yourself from the figments of your imagination. The chances are you’ll forget ninety percent of whatever you’ve been dreaming about within the first ten minutes, but if you focus well enough you can access imprints which your subconscious has left in your memory. My situation is reversed, in a way. I can reach things that I left in my currently dormant, conscious mind, although they seem blurred and distant.

I might be overcomplicating this. What’s important is that I have awoken inside my own dream, while on the outside I am still asleep.

“I remember now,” I say. “To the last moment I couldn’t figure out the most optimal position for the spell you were casting, and I think the magic kicked in just when I was going to get an extra blanket.” I turn to Sunset. “Okay, so it worked. But… where are we exactly?”

Sunset waves her hoof around. “This, Twilight Sparkle, is the Dreamworld. You can think of it as of a place among the stars where the mind of a pony is free to roam. Come on, let’s take a walk around your subconscious.”

We’re walking down something resembling the Promenade, the main street of Canterlot, only that in here it’s cutting through a milky miasma in which various buildings, often partly disassembled, seem to be floating. Whenever I look at a particular place of this warped vision, the clearer and more coherent it becomes: the buildings are hovering down to join the street level, white gaps are disappearing, and ponies of all kinds start filling the area. Nothing, except maybe the sun, is constant in this realm.

So that’s the Dreamworld. Wow. I know it’s just a fantasy, but it looks so tangible, so genuine! Also, a hundred times better than the gloomy reality.

“I like it here!”

“You like it because your subconscious is projecting things you like into it. It is actually a very unstable place, but dreamers like us can stabilize it for some time,” Sunset explains. “Let’s say that the Dreamworld is an ocean. When you’re dreaming, you create your very own bubble within, and you will notice that everything inside that bubble is made of the very essence of who you are. Whatever you represent, whatever wishes or fears you’re holding in your heart, will have its reflection in here.”

As we go further down the street I’m noticing more, and only now I see how ridiculous the scenery is. Buildings, with occasional rows of books replacing bricks, have sapphire walls and purple rooftops. Lavender telescopes are sticking out from between magenta flowerpots, as if everypony in this neighborhood was an avid stargazer. They certainly look a bit nerdy. I hear them discussing alchemical recipes, bantering equations and formulas, or reviewing ancient historical events on the scale of one to one hundred. In short, everything which no sane pony would ever bring up in a casual conversation.

That’s what I represent? I’m no longer sure if I like it. It was brought to my attention many times that it’s difficult to keep up with some of my antics, so I don’t know if I could live in such a me-world.

“It all looks so... so me.” I glance at the strands of my mane. “Even the colors are! But the café changed last time you were around.”

“Remember when I told you that I overdid my shield? I also cast a pretty potent dreamwalk spell to make sure I’ll reach you,” Sunset says. “It wasn’t easy, you know. At first I thought you were actively protecting your mind in your dream, so I pushed on with even more magic, but then the barriers just disappeared. And your chunk of the Dreamworld became very—” she squints at the sky with a quizzical expression “—welcoming.” She turns back to me. “As for your question, the spell allowed my subconscious to pour into your dream, changing and shaping it more than I intended. Ironically, that was all I needed to wake you up.”

“Or, you could’ve just knocked on the door. You know, like a normal pony.”

Sunset smiles deviously. “I wanted to see if I still got it. Besides, visiting your dreams first allowed me to meet your sheer subconscious and see what kind of pony I’ll be dealing with.” She looks around. “These guys seem studious, perceptive, and dedicated to what they do. I’m inclined to believe you’re the same. Most importantly, you’re the first pony I met who’s capable of speaking about Nightmare Moon and not shaking like a leaf in the process.”

“About that. What are our chances? Realistically speaking?”

“Well, with the two of us, about—uh-oh.”

“What is—”

“Don’t stop. Come.”

Sunset takes my hoof and leads me towards the nearest shopwindow. It’s a fancy boutique from what I see, well, at least as fancy as a boutique in here can be. The dresses on display are simplistic, composed of moderate colors and labeled as practical instead of all the usual slogans employed to boost sales.

“Wouldn’t you rather visit a designer’s mind to do your shopping?”

Sunset looks at me with a stare that could vanquish a dragon. “No time for jokes,” she says. “Twilight, I need you to do exactly what I tell you. We split up. Turn around and head back to where we began, to your café. And whatever happens, don’t look back.”

“What’s going on?”

“I have a bad feeling about one of your dream constructs.” She discreetly points at the reflection of the street behind us, feigning interest in one of the dresses. “The stallion with deep rose-ish mane, can you see him? I think he might be a nightmare.”

“Why would a nightmare—”

“Just go!”

As Sunset sets off to a trot down the street, I turn the opposite way, ruminating over the possibilities. I don’t remember ever meeting that stallion, which isn’t a good sign, because according to an essay I read some time ago, in our dreams we see, quote, only the faces of ponies we’ve already seen in our life, end quote. If this theory is true, then Sunset’s concern is more than valid, and we really are being watched by a servant of the Nocturnal Empress. I’ve heard rumors about these creatures appearing in the dreams of other ponies, but I have never encountered a single one myself. For some reason, my bubble within the Dreamworld was always serene, always filled with that sense of security, and never disturbed by anything nightmarish.

Until now.

I know I’m being followed, I can feel it, but I’m keeping the urge of looking back under control. Trust issues aside, Sunset is an expert in this field, not me, so if she says that I should go then I’m willing to comply. And I’m not turning my head! Or maybe I should? After all, if I’m going to fight the Nocturnal Empress, then I should know my enemy, her troops included. Just a peek...

Focus! No peeks, reviews, glances, or looks! Get it together, Twilight, Les Doux Maregots isn’t that far away from here. Just think of something constructive, anything to pull your train of thoughts onto other tracks. Like a shopping list. You’re going to need more food and supplies now that the average consumption in your household has tripled. So, six tomatoes instead of two, at least twice as big chunk of cheese, and a couple of extra rolls for good measure. That’s for breakfasts. Now, what should you get for—

“Twily?”

I stop dead in my tracks. The café entrance is just a stone’s throw away, but my curiosity takes over. I look around, driven by a desire to relive one of my happiest memories, and when I do, I see that the Promenade around me is changing. The ponies are disappearing, the shops are losing their displays, and signboards over the restaurants are becoming blank. My mind switches its focus to make the vision as vivid and detailed as possible, as if nothing else has ever mattered.

“Shining?”

The stallion smiles and sweeps the fringe off his eyes. His mane is much like my own, only with bluish streaks instead of pink ones, and a certain degree of raggedness in the place of my perfectly trimmed tips. He takes a step closer, then spreads his forelegs into a welcoming hug. “It’s good to see you again, Twily.”

“You too, big brother,” I reply, feeling the softness of his coat against my neck. “What are you doing here? I didn’t know you could enter other ponies’ dreams as well. You always preferred practicing your external magic over internal.”

“I was shown such wonderful things, and the ability to visit the Dreamworld is only one of them.” He breaks the hug. “Why did you leave me, Twilight? Why did you leave Canterlot?”

“You know I had to.”

It gets colder all of a sudden. Shining Armor’s stare becomes resentful, and so does the tone of his voice. “You abandoned me when I needed you the most. Is that the way siblings treat each other?”

“It’s not like that. Nightmare Moon made you—”

“YOU made me who I am now, Twilight!”

A glimmering miasma of dark blue energy appears behind Shining Armor, then stretches out to wrap around his hooves, chest, and finally his head, taking a form of ebony plates contrasting greatly with his white coat. It isn’t what he was wearing during his service in the Royal Guard, no, it resembles the battle armor in which the Nocturnal Empress is usually seen. Covered with spikes and pointy edges, a set like this is more suitable for a parade rather than actual combat, and has a single purpose: to strike fear into hearts of those who see it.

With Shining Armor’s every step towards me, drips of ethereal darkness are oozing from the armor, blackening the cobblestone beneath his hooves. His posture becomes stern and imposing, and his voice brings a severe dose of hate and disdain. “I have given you everything, and what I got in return? A worthless brat who dumps her family and friends without any remorse! Look what has become of me because of your selfishness!”

“No! This isn’t real!”

“LOOK AT ME!”

I’m trying to move away from this monster, but my legs don’t seem to obey me anymore. My vision, obscured by tears and the rising darkness, is limited to where Shining Armor stands, with the rest of the street hidden behind an impenetrable void. With my options that limited I just cower in fear. “No! Go away! You’re not Shining Armor! I want to remember!”

“I DESPISE YOU, SISTER!”

A blazing lance of light pierces the shroud of darkness, encasing Shining Armor in a shimmering grip. The golden glow shreds his unicorn form and reveals a terrifying creature hidden underneath, a servant of darkness armed with incorporeal claws and wearing a twisted grin in a place where his face would have been if he had one. The nightmare shrieks trying to reach me, but burns and withers before drawing near.

It’s peaceful again.

I’m lying in the middle of the street, my face turned towards the sky, and seconds later a distorted silhouette of Sunset appears against the disk of the sun. A moment before everything goes out of focus I’m wondering if it’s possible to lose your consciousness while being essentially unconscious.

Author's Notes:

Trivia: there's a small detail mentioned at the beginning of this chapter - Sunset's silversilk cloak. Wondering how she got it? You can find out here (reading the linked story is not required to keep up with the plot of this one; think of it as a mere curiosity to check out in the meantime if you so desire).