//------------------------------// // Worries // Story: Little Glimpses // by Skijarama //------------------------------//     It had been only twenty minutes, yet it felt like countless hours in the filly’s mind. Twilight’s little brain was going into overdrive, running amok with possibilities, theories and panicking over what was wrong with her and what she had seen. She was so uneasy that when Celestia entered the room,the sound of the door shutting behind her almost made Twilight jump clean out of her skin. A startled shout escaped her and Celestia rested a hoof on Twilight’s back comfortingly. “It’s alright, Twilight. I’m here.”     “R-right… eh heh…” Twilight nodded with a jittery and nervous laugh. She took a few moments to catch her breath and calm her nerves. Now that Celestia was here, this was actually possible. Celestia dropped her smile and sat down in front of Twilight with her horn igniting in golden light. “Now Twilight, I need you to hold still as best as you can while answering my questions, alright? I’m running some rudimentary examination spells to check your head and body for any abnormalities or problems.” “Okay…” Twilight said, her entire body going rigid. Celestia inwardly rolled her eyes at Twilight’s literal interpretation of her request before closing her eyes and focusing her magic. A ray of magical light expanded out from the tip, bathing Twilight’s entire body like a spotlight. “Rainbow Dash said that you saw and heard things that weren’t there, which sounds an awful lot like a hallucination of some sort. But she didn’t elaborate on the specifics. Plus, you were the one who saw it. Could you describe what you saw for me, Twilight?” Celestia asked while focusing her magic on Twilight’s head. “Of course. Um… Let me see… So, one of Rainbow Dash’s friends from Cloudsdale, Fluttershy i think, came here to Canterlot to visit her. Well, Fluttershy and I met and said hi and stuff,” Twilight started. She couldn’t help but bite her lip in mild discomfort when Celestia’s examination went a bit lower down to her barrel. “Go on…” Celestia gently prodded, making sure to make eye contact with Twilight periodically to check for any serious pains or problems. “Well, uh, she got really excited when she saw Spike. She ran over to him and… that’s when I saw it. I saw adult versions of us - Fluttershy and I, that is - meeting for the first time.” “Were these adult versions of you standing nearby, like you could reach out and touch them, or was your vision entirely engulfed as if you were somewhere else?” Celestia pressed, her eyes flicking to Twilight’s intently for a moment. “Entirely engulfed,” Twilight replied while trying to resist the urge to shift in place. “The area was completely different from the courtyard. It was open, there was a dirt path and some small houses in the distance. Nothing like Canterlot…” Celestia pursed her lips in thought. “Would you say the interactions in the hallucination were similar to what actually happened?” “Pretty close, actually, yes,” Twilight nodded slightly before remembering to hold still. “There was even an exchange that was the same word-for-word, almost.” Celestia fell silent before returning her examination light to Twilight’s head. After several moments the light dissipated from her horn. “I see…” Twilight shifted uneasily at Celestia’s own silence. She peered up at her mentor with frightened and worried eyes. ‘Am I okay?” Celestia smiled once more before leaning forth and nuzzling Twilight. “You seem to be just fine, Twilight. Nothing is wrong in your brain or body from the looks of it. Your horn looks to be undergoing a bit of strain, possibly from overuse, but that isn’t serious and certainly wouldn’t cause hallucinations.” “So… what was it, then?” Twilight asked, gazing at Celestia curiously. Her mentor closed her eyes for a second as if thinking. When she opened her eyes, she visibly sagged. “In truth, I do not know.” Twilight frowned deeply in response to that, her ears drooping slightly. “Are you sure?” “I am, my faithful student. If I learn anything, though, you will be the first to know,” Celestia replied with a warm smile, reaching out and helping Twilight back to her full height. “But for now, I must return to the throne room. The remaining court cases cannot be left on hold for long. You may stay here and rest should you need to.” As Celestia stepped around Twilight for the door to her chambers, a thought crossed the little filly’s mind. She scrunched up her face for a moment, debating if she actually wanted to press ths issue before relenting. “Actually, can I ask you something first?” Celestia looked to Twilight curiously. “Of course, Twilight. What is it?” Twilight bit her lip before taking a deep breath. Somehow, just asking this question felt wrong to her. “Did… you ever figure anything out about that alicorn that Rainbow Dash saw? The one who looks like me?” Celestia’s smile dropped instantly, though it swiftly returned as one of reassurance. “Only bits and pieces. I haven’t found her name or her domain yet, I’m afraid. I’m still looking.” Twilight’s ears drooped. “...oh.” Celestia’s smile slowly dropped from her face. “I’m sorry,” With a soft sigh, she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts.     “Fluttershy! Where are you?” Rainbow called when she returned to the courtyard. The yellow filly was nowhere to be seen and already Rainbow was growing anxious. “C’mon, Flutters, where’d you go? We haven't gotten to catch up yet!”     “Rainbow! She’s over here!” Came Spike’s voice from not far off. Rainbow looked and spotted Spike waving at her from the archway that led from the courtyard to the city streets proper. Rainbow galloped over and peered anxiously past the arch. Sure enough, Fluttershy stood there, now looking over her shoulder at Rainbow. She was standing perfectly still in mid-step.     “Thanks, Spike. Go on ahead and find Celestia. She’ll tell you where Twilight is. In hindsight, I shoulda picked you up, too.” Rainbow thanks the baby dragon before turning her attention to Fluttershy, who had now sat down and was looking at Rainbow from behind her mane.     “Um… hi.” she mumbled almost silently before looking away.     Rainbow frowned and then sighed gently. “Fluttershy, You’re not leaving already are you?” she asked before slowly and gingerly approaching her friend.     “I’m, um… I’m sorry, it looked like I came at a bad time and you obviously have a lot more important stuff to worry about than me, being the princess you are now and all you must have a lot of responsibilities and stuff to look after so, uh, I’m just going back to the hotel and hope that-” Fluttershy rambled ceaselessly until Rainbow put a hoof to her mouth, silencing her.     “Fluttershy… I’m sorry I ran off like that when you showed up, but please understand… Twilight’s my friend, too. She’s a great pony but… well, I worry about her sometimes. She barely takes her nose out of a book long enough to relax or take it easy,” Rainbow said softly before pulling Fluttershy into another hug. “And I meant what I said earlier, you know. You couldn’t come at a bad time if you tried. I’ll always make time for you and that’s a promise.”     Fluttershy smiled weakly at the reassurance before reaching out and returning the hug. Her tense muscles visibly relaxed when Rainbow gave her a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, Rainbow. I just wish we could stay longer…”     “Huh? Whaddya mean? You on a time limit or something?” Rainbow pulled back from the embrace and tilted her head in confusion. Fluttershy sighed and shook her head before looking down.     “My parents could only afford to rent a room for the weekend. We’ll have to go home on monday,” was her melancholy response. She refused to meet Rainbow’s eyes.     “Oooh, right. Canterlot, the place is expensive…” Rainbow muttered while tapping her chin. She shifted back slightly and thought for several moment before smiling warmly. “Well, tell you what; I can make sure all of the bits your folks spent for this trip are paid back to them.”     “Huh? How?” Fluttershy enquired with a hopeful smile forming.     Rainbow’s teeth showed in a smug grin. “I do have some limited access to the royal vaults and treasury and stuff. One of the many perks my royal title comes with. Granted I don’t like or use most of those ‘perks,’ but hey, you're my friend and I, in good faith, could not let your family go poor if I have any say in it. I can have the cost of that hotel room covered without even breaking a sweat. And heck, to top it all off we could have your stay extended, too.”     Fluttershy’s eyes widened and her jaw went slack at this stream of new information and possibilities she hadn’t been privy to before. “Really? You’d do that for me? Are you sure the bits wouldn’t be needed somewhere else?”     “Why does it surprise you, Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked with a small laugh before ruffling her friends mane. “I’m sure Princess Celestia would understand. You’re one of the only friends i had back in Cloudsdale and, to top it off, the first one to actually come see me since I got adopted. That earns you some privileges if you ask me.” Fluttershy looked down at the ground before sliding forward and hugging Rainbow one more time. “I… I’d really appreciate that, Rainbow. We all would. Thank you.” Rainbow chuckled before softly prying Fluttershy off of her. “Heh, no problem, but I think that’s enough sap and stuff for now. Come on, where are you guys staying? I’d like to say hi to your folks anyway. It’s been a long time since I talked to all of you at once and, well, I’d like our chat to not be in public.”     “Why?” Fluttershy tilted her head at that last point.     Rainbow stood up, shaking her tail to dust some of the loose stones and dirt off of it and her backside.“The press,” She shivered with a traumatized grimace. A sound of residual fear and anxiety pushed past her lungs in a shaky squeak. “They would be all over it if I showed affection in public - and they’d be all over you ‘cause you’re my friend. A friend to royalty they’d be saying and - well, just trust me. You don’t wanna deal with the press.”     “It really gets that bad?” Fluttershy’s eyes were wide with surprise.     “Trust me. When you’re in a high profile place like me, the press will swiftly become one of your worst nightmares,” Rainbow shook her head at the memory. “I’m still seeing spots from the camera flashes…”     “Huh?”     “Oh, when Celestia first revealed me to the public and all that. Lotta press ponies and stuff. The cameras… there were a lot.” Rainbow said with a shrug.     “Oh... then yes, I agree. The hotel sounds like a good idea,” Fluttershy nodded in agreement before standing up.     Rainbow smiled and gestured for Fluttershy to get a move on. “Heh, yeah I thought it would. Lead the way.”     “Twilight!” Spike called out in relief upon spotting her. The lavender filly in question turned around from the door to Celestia’s chambers, which she had just left, with just enough time to catch Spike before he slammed into her chest at high speeds.     “Woah, hey Spike! Going a little fast there, aren't you?” Twilight asked with a small smirk before setting him down.     “Sorry, but I was scared. You didn’t say anything when we asked you questions and then said you were seeing things and Rainbow Dash said you were going ‘psycho,’ whatever that means and I was worried!” he reached up and hugged Twilight around the neck. “I don’t want you to go psycho!”     Twilight giggled and returned the hug. “Aw, it’s okay Spike. I’m not crazy, I’m fine. My horn’s a little sore but I’m fine, trust me.”     ‘You sore?” Spike blinked before dropping off of Twilight and trying again. “I mean, you sure?”     Twilight rolled her eyes before levitating Spike onto her back. “Yes, Spike. I’m sure. Come on, let’s get back to my room, eh? I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you?”     “Yes, please!” Spike nodded excitedly, hugging around Twilight’s barrel and settling in for the trip.     “Okay, some gems for you when we’re back, then.”     Spike’s jubilant cries echoed loudly throughout the halls of the castle.