What Dreams May Come
"Do you really think Ash will be able to crusade today?" Sweetie Belle asked over the screeching of the scooter she, Applebloom, and Scootaloo rode on. The sicken crunch that shortly followed Applebloom's kick still echoed in her head.
"Of course he will," said Scootaloo, her wings flaring behind her. "You saw how much fun he had yesterday. He's not gonna let something as small as a busted nose stop him."
"'Sides," Applebloom added, "we still need tah try fer our nursin' Cutie Marks."
The scooter slowed to a halt in front of Ponyville's general hospital. Applebloom took off her helmet and looked up at the building in marvel.
"What's the matter?" Scootaloo asked, tossing her own helmet down.
"Ah've nevah been tah a hospital before. Granny Smith says she doesn' trust 'em doctors. She always said 'an apple each day keeps tha doctor 'way'."
"What did she do when you got sick?" Sweetie Belle questioned this time.
"Feed us apples. Um, are yah sure it's open tahday? Isn't it a weekend?"
"Of course it's open," the Unicorn filly answered. "Doctors never take days off."
"Not even durin' Hearth's Warmin' Eve?"
"Especially not during Hearth's Warming Eve."
The Crusaders turned around. Behind them stood a bespectacled Unicorn with a warm, carmel coat and a neatly combed brown mane. He shook his head and sighed. "You have no idea how many Hearth's Warming Eve related accidents we have each year in Ponyville alone." With another shake of his head, the Unicorn turned to the fillies. "Well hello there. Can I help you with anything?"
"Do you work here?" Sweetie Belle inquired.
"Yep. Dr. Goodall at your service."
"That's great," Scootaloo exclaimed. "A friend of ours got hurt last night and we were wondering if we could see him."
"It's a bit early. Visiting hours aren't for another hour or so." The doctor nodded to the scowling receptionist as he held the door open for the Crusaders. "I have to get going. Ask the nice mare at the desk for help." And with that, he hurried away.
The three slowly approached the receptionist desk. The mare before them wore a nurse's cap that barely contained a mess of read hair and bloodshot eyes. With them, she glared down at the Crusaders.
"Um--"
"Wait a minute."
The three exchanged looks but before any of them could say anything, a loud screech filled the room.
The receptionist left her position and walked over to a contraption holding a pot of blackish substance. With a flick of a switch, the shrill stopped. The receptionist poured the steam liquid into a mug and lifted it to her lips. A satisfied sigh left her as she finished her first cup and refilled for another. And another.
At last, she returned to her post behind the desk, now lacking those red eyes and instead sporting a lovely smile if one were to ignore the stained teeth.
"What can I help you with?" she asked cheerfully.
Sweetie Belle was the first to tear her eyes from the mare's cup. "Our friend was hurt yesterday and we wanted to visit him."
"Can you describe the pony and the injure?"
"Let's see...old, grey with white mane...a stallion, Unicorn...am I missing anything?" Scootaloo asked her friends.
"His nose was broken," explained Applebloom.
"Oh yeah, and he has a lopsided nose."
"Hm..." The receptionist ran through a folder of papers. "Oh yeah. Name's Ash, right?" The Crusaders nodded. "Yeah, my sis was the one who patched him up. Or at least tried. She told me it was one of the worst cases of nose fractures she had ever seen. Plus they had to get him out of the clubhouse first..."
"Is the clubhouse alright?" Scootaloo asked, worried. A lot of hard work and time went into renovating that place.
"We had to remove the door-frame and some floorboards but it should be fine. Now as for the stallion, he was a strange fellow." The receptionist shifted through the files. "Didn't want to have any X-rays or anything. Wouldn't even come to the hospital for proper treatment." She shrugged. "Stallions. Too stubborn for their own good. Ten bits he'll crawl over here by afternoon, begging for painkillers."
"Yah mean Ash isn' here?" Applebloom asked with a frown.
"Pretty much. Have you tried his home?"
*****
"Sorry girls, but Ash isn't feeling well."
"Aww..."
Twilight shook her head sadly. She hated to disappoint the three fillies, especially when they were showing such devotion to a friend.
"Can't we at least say hi?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yeah. Applejack even baked a pie fer him." Applebloom curled her lip and sniffed as she presented the pastry.
"Please?"
Twilight made a mental note to thank Ash for proposing to wear sunglasses before opening the door. "Sorry girls. Why don't you three come over after breakfast?" she quickly suggested as the Crusaders lowered their heads sadly. "I'm sure he'll be fine after he eats."
At this Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle brightened and left the library doorstep cheerfully. Twilight lifted the pie and returned to the darken interior of her home. "You can come out now. They're gone."
Ash stepped out of the shadows. He ran his fingers through his messy white hair. "Did you really have to invite them over for later?"
"How could I do otherwise? Didn't you see how crestfallen they looked? Even with these glasses...I need to develop a spell that provides temporary blindness. Besides, by breakfast, you'll be a pony again."
"Yeah, well, how are we going to explain why my nose isn't still broken?"
"How are you sure it won't be?" the purple Unicorn asked. "I really think you should have went to the hospital. You were a total mess when you arrived here last night."
"They would have made me stay the night. And what would they say when they find a hairless ape monster in one of the hospital wards in the morning?"
"I know, I know. That's why I didn't force you. But what about later today? We need to fix that nose and I don't know any way I can help."
"Look, I told you. Yesterday I overexerted myself as a Human but after transforming into a pony I felt fine. Now, as a Human, my nose is fine. So I think it's a safe bet that healing takes place between transformations."
"What if it isn't healing but actually just switching bodies around? What if the form you had damaged keeps the damage and doesn't just apply it to the other form when you change?"
Ash looked to the clock. "Looks like we're about to find out."
Twilight shielded her eyes as a bright glow consumed the Human's body. When the light died away, a grey Unicorn with a white mane stood in front of her.
Ash sniffed. "All clear," he said with a grin. He wiggled his nose. "Not broken anymore."
"Hm..." Twilight leaned forward.
Ash gulped and tried to lean back. His nose was only a few inches from hers. He felt his temperature rise uncontrollably and a blush spread across his face.
The purple Unicorn nudged Ash's nose with her hoof. At last, she backed away. "Huh, guess your right."
Ash sighed in relief, more of the sudden distance between the two than the actual news.
"But you're a bit red. You're not sick, are you?"
"No, just, uh, flustered."
"Flustered?" Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"
"D-doesn't matter." Ash quickly turned his attention to his borrowed saddlebag, laying on the table next to the
figurehead. "Anyways, I should probably do some studying. The sooner I figure out how to read the better."
"Oh, speaking of studying," Twilight said as she opened the curtains to let in some light, "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
"Eh?"
"It's your dreams."
The dictionary fell to the floor with a thump.
"I know I have some great books on dream interpretation and the subconscious. Maybe we can figure out what's causing your dreams and we can stop them."
"No need," he replied bluntly. "I'll be fine."
"Fine?" Twilight was surprised. She hadn't expected such a response. "You've been having having these nightmares every night. Every morning you look horrible. You toss and turn and mumble in your sleep."
"You've been watching me sleep again?"
"That's not the point." Twilight placed a hoof on the grey stallion's shoulder. "This can't be healthy. If you just share them with me, I'm sure we can find a solution."
Ash brushed the purple hoof off. "They're not something I want to share."
"But--"
"I appreciate the gesture but this isn't something you can help with. Let it go." He turned back to the fallen book.
Twilight opened her mouth to argue but knocking interrupted her. Ash walked over to the door. "I'm sorry," he quickly added before opening the door. Immediately, the grey Unicorn paled.
"Hey Ash!" Scootaloo greeted happily. "Hey, you don't look hurt at all."
"That's great! Now yah can't sue us."
"What? I thought you three were going to eat breakfast first."
"Well, we were," Sweetie Belle explained, "but that pie looked so good so we were going to see if we could have a slice."
"Hey, since you're all fine and everything, you ready for some crusading?"
Ash cringed at Scootaloo's suggestion. "Well, I was going to...Twilight! Give me the glasses!"
"Please?" the three fillies asked, their eyes big and shining.
"...Twilight? I'll see you at dinner. Maybe."
"YAY!"
"Have fun," she said as she waved. As soon as the door closed behind the grey Unicorn, Twilight began pulling books from their shelves. If Ash wasn't going to share his visions, well, she was going to see them herself.
*****
Twilight read to keep herself occupied as she waited for Ash to fall into deep sleep. Spike could already be heard snoring away. The rest of Ponyville was quietly asleep as well and only she and the nocturnal animals remained awake.
The purple Unicorn rubbed her eyes and recited the spell in her head. It wasn't the most conventional of magic but Twilight still managed to figure it out within the day. Now all she had to do was test it.
She slowly approached the sleeping stallion. Softly she jabbed him in the side. There was no reaction. Satisfied that he was truly in slumber, Twilight got closer.
As she stood over him, his body heaving as he breathed deeply, doubts filled her mind. What did Ash see that was so troubling that he was unwilling to share with his friend? Was it really so horrifying?
Or perhaps it was of something private, something that belonged in the deepest, darkest parts of his soul. Was Twilight betraying his trust by doing this? Should she really be divulging his subconscious secrets? Was it any of her business of what Ash dreamt?
Then the memory of the pained look on Ash's face surfaced. His features twisted in agony, the tossing and turning, the bleeding knuckles of last night. No, Twilight could not allow him to suffer like this, even if it meant losing Ash's friendship.
She took a deep breath and her horn lit up.
She shut her eyes and felt the room spin around her.
*****
Blackness, pure blackness. It was so dark, Twilight was convinced that she was blind. She knew where her hoof was but even as she waved it furiously in front of her nose, she could not see it.
Twilight's breathing began to hasten as panic threatened to seize her. Did she blotch the spell? Had something gone wrong?
Suddenly, a burst of light revealed itself on the other side. The Unicorn nearly cried out in joy at the sight of anything besides the darkness. Throwing caution into the wind, she ran straight toward the light.
The light never seemed to get closer. Though Twilight ran at a constant speed for several minutes at the least, the distance between her and her goal seemed to stay the same. She tried doubling her speed but all that appeared to reduce was her limited stamina. Twilight hadn't noticed the stabbing pains in her sides before.
At last Twilight stopped. The distance between her and the light didn't seem to change and she was getting tired. Panting, she dropped to her knees and waited for her energy to return. She felt as though she had been through the Running of the Leaves twice.
The Unicorn lifted her head, expecting to see the light in the far distance. To her utter surprise, the light appeared to be only a few hoof-steps away. The light seemed closer and brighter, renewing Twilight's hope. Ignoring the protests of her body, she got to her hooves.
As she walked, the light was getting brighter and brighter, until she had to squint and shield her eyes occasionally. The bright it got, the closer she was getting Twilight hoped. Breathing got harder and her steps became heavier, however, as the light grew more intense. At last, it was so strong that Twilight had to squeeze her eyes shut.
The intensity died down, Twilight could tell, even with her eyes closed. Slowly and tentatively, she opened her eyes and gasped.
Source of light was right in front of her. A burning monument of corpses. Humans of all sizes slowly writhing away like bit of fire wood. Their skin peeled away, revealing the frying flesh and the charred bones beneath. Each face still had their shrieks and wails melted on, the mouths forced forever open as their jaws burned and fused together.
Twilight tried to turn away but she could not drown out the agonized screams of torment. The dead, they were still wailing even after life had abandoned them long away.
She began to run. Anywhere but the mountain of bodies. But the screams followed her. In despair, Twilight shut her eyes and yelled as loud as she could, mixing her cry with those of the damned.
As she ran reckless, something caught the Unicorn's leg, causing her to trip and fall. Groaning, Twilight looked behind her to see what had caused her to trip. At first glance it appeared to be a thick branch. On closer examination, Twilight discovered it was a discarded Human arm. Bone stuck out of one end and the other had a hand still attached. The thumb and middle finger were missing.
In horror, she kicked the limb away. Red now streaked across her purple legs. At the sight of the gore Twilight leaned forward and threw up. Taking deep breaths to steady herself, Twilight wiped her mouth and stood back up. She turned away from the arm and looked instead at the sight before her.
Building burned in a hellish glow with screaming silhouettes at the windows. Bodies of countless Humans laid on the ground. Some had been burnt while others had been sliced into ribbons, their faces still displaying panic and fear. The corpses that still had readable features Twilight could differentiate between women and men, young and elderly. Arrows stuck out of some and others had their limbs hacked away. Worst of all was perhaps a tiny little corpse that laid eagle-spread. A barbed spear stuck through it and pointed into the air as if to challenge some higher being to stop this madness. The head was nowhere to be seen.
And the screaming, the screaming. Twilight grabbed at her ears but they echoed in her ears. She closed her eyes and began to cry.
No, you can't cry came a voice filled with total apathy. Least, not yet...
Twilight opened her eyes and collapsed. The building that burned before her had been replaced. Now it was a tree that was aflame. A tree that looked vaguely familiar...
"No...it can't be..."
The library, her library, was slowly consumed by the flames. Twilight watched in helpless horror as her home burned away like a torch. The other building became other familiar places; Sugar Cube Corner, town hall, the joke shop, the schoolhouse, the Apple family barn...
The bodies on the ground became corpses of ponies. Those that were not scorched beyond recognition had their colored hides matted with dark crimson. The lifeless eyes of ponies she knew and loved stared back at the Unicorn. Tiny headless body became the small corpse of a foal. The spear became a dismembered Unicorn's horn.
Twilight leaned forward and threw up. Tears fell as she attempted to control her stomach.
The voice chuckled and everything faded away.
*****
Somepony had been sobbing. Twilight opened her eyes and wiped her own tears away. "H-hello?" she called. "Is anypony there?"
The sobbing grew louder as if in response.
Slowly, the Unicorn began to walk in the direction of the noise. The crying grew louder as she grew closer.
The source of the crying was a small Human, perhaps a child. Black hair hid the child's face.
Twilight tried to approach but something pushed back, like an invisible protection shield. She tapped at the shield, hoping to win the child's attention. Something drew her to the child, that told her the Human was important to her. That only she could comfort him.
A shadow stirred behind the child, revealing the abomination behind it.
Twilight gasped. "Discord!" she yelled. "Wh-what are you doing?"
The Draconequus merely winked in the Unicorn's direction before he turned his attention to the young Human. He stroked the child's hair slowly. The cries grew.
"Leave him alone!" Twilight stuck the invisible barrier with all her strength. Ignoring the pain in her hoof, she struck again. And again. This time, the shield struck back and Twilight screamed as a shock ran through her entire body.
The darkness grew thicker and Twilight found it harder to breath. Her head became heavy and she struggled to keep it up. Discord grinned and leaned forward and whispered into the child's ear. The child cries became screams and he covered his ears. At this the Draconequus began to laugh.
Twilight shook with rage. Her breaths came out in short bursts as she forced herself up. Once more, she attacked the barrier, this time with her entire body. Another jolt ran through her, causing Twilight to writhe in pain. Again, she force herself to her hooves.
Discord shook his head and laughed. As he laughed, anger filled the Unicorn. With a mighty roar she charged at the barrier. At the last moment, she turned and pivoted onto her forelegs. Imitating one of her good friends, Twilight extended her hind-legs and struck the shield with all the force she could possible muster.
Visible cracks spread across the barrier. Light bursted forth, flooding the entire area and blinding Twilight. The last thing she saw was Discord's panicked face as a white-haired Human stood in front of him, welding a lightning blue blade.
*****
Ash opened his eyes and groaned. Slowly, he stretched upward and the side. With his fingers he clenched into fists and played an invisible keyboard. Content that he still had control over his limbs, the Human sat up.
Today, something felt off, however. Rather than wanting to get up like most mornings, Ash actually wanted to try and sleep more. He laid back down and wrapped the blanket tighter.
The Human closed his eyes. Before he could fall back asleep, however, a sniff resonated throughout the library.
With a sigh, Ash threw the blanket off and got up. "Twilight? You okay?"
Huddled to a side was a mess of bed sheets and covers. The sniffing grew louder.
"Twilight? It's me, Ash." He slowly approached the pile of cloths. "Are you alright?"
The mess shifted. Ash gently lifted a blanket from the pile and gasped.
Before him sat a young woman with purple hair, with a streak of light red running down. She rubbed her eyes as tears fell. At the sight of Ash, she latched herself on him in an embrace and began to cry. The two fell backwards.
"Who--Wait, that hair...Twilight? Is that you?"
The girl looked up and nodded.
"How--" he began before she buried her face into his chest again and resumed crying. Ash sighed and wrapped an arm around her bare shoulders awkwardly. Questions could wait; right now Twilight needed to be comforted.
Twilight leaned closer, causing Ash to blush. As her chest nestled next to his, he became aware of her nakedness. He quickly covered his nose with the pit of his elbow.
"I-I'm sorry about that, Ash," Twilight finally managed to say. "It was...horrible. I was...it was...Ash?" She looked up.
The Mage had fainted away. Blood trickled from his nose. His sleeve had been dyed dark red.