//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: From Lost to Loved // by The Abyss //------------------------------// Twilight stirred awake with a gentle smile on her lips. Everything was wondrously warm. Gone was the sense of dread, the lingering terror of an old nightmare, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of pure content. She lifted her head from her pillow and tried to roll over onto her belly, ready to start what would no doubt be another long day, but something soft kept her in place. With her eyebrows furrowing in confusion, Twilight looked down with bleary eyes and noticed a foreleg with a familiar coat color wrapped around her belly. Wondering what was going on, she blinked a few times as she slowly looked over her shoulder, trying her hardest to not make any sudden movements. Much to her disbelief, Tempest was snuggling with her. I don’t remember inviting her into my room last night... Was I so tired that I asked Tempest to snuggle with me and totally forgot about it? Twilight thought, laying her head back down on the pillow. She felt Tempest tug her a little closer, draping one of her hind legs over her flank, then she realized that Tempest was holding onto her just like a special somepony would. While such an embrace made butterflies flit about in her stomach, Twilight wilted like a flower, knowing that she had nopony to call her own. A mare sure could fantasize, though. With a sigh of remorse, Twilight lit her horn and used her magic to lift Tempest’s legs up and away. She relished the last few seconds of bliss, then pushed herself out of Tempest’s comforting grasp, staying under the sheets. She pushed a pillow into the spot she’d just been sleeping in and used her magic to guide Tempest’s legs back into place. Tempest’s lips twitched as she grinned in her sleep, her foreleg wrapping around the pillow and pulling it deeper into her embrace. She curled up around it, nuzzling the top of it just like a loving mother would do with her foal. Twilight almost wished she was the pillow. Almost. Why was she snuggling with me? How’d she even get in my room? Twilight thought, wondering if Tempest’s snuggly presence was the reason she slept so well. The comforting warmth that had given her such a relaxing rest slowly slipped away, leaving a chill in the tips of her feathers. She bit her bottom lip as her rump wiggled under the sheets, half of her wanting to snuggle back in and act like nothing was amiss, but the rational part of her shoved that idea away. Twilight took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Tempest?” she asked, shaking her with a hoof. “Tempest, wake up.” Tempest groaned as she licked her dry lips. “No... just a few more minutes, Twilight,” she whispered. Her eyes shot open wide. She glanced up into Twilight’s eyes as she rolled over onto her belly. “Uh...” “Y-Yeah...” Twilight rubbed the back of her neck, the sheets falling down to rest upon the small of her back. “So, um...” Twilight cocked her head to the side, waiting for her to finish her sentence. It took all of her strength to hold Tempest’s gaze. With her tail swishing about on the sheets, she glanced away as she cleared her throat, then looked back at Tempest. “Why, uh... why were you snuggling with me?” she tentatively asked, placing her right hoof on top of her left one. Tempest’s ears flicked back. “Um... It’s a long s-story,” she said. “Well, we have all morning, and I’m a patient mare,” Twilight said, doing her best to hold a neutral tone. “So it would seem.” Tempest took a deep, shuddering breath. She hoped that it would calm her nerves, but it had little effect. Why didn’t I wake up early like I always do? Could it have been because of her? Did her sleeping spell affect me? So many questions kept popping up inside her mind, keeping her from focusing on the matter at hoof. Tempest groaned, hiding her muzzle underneath her hooves. “Ugh... I’m so embarrassed,” she said, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt Twilight nudge her leg with a hoof, prompting her to go on. “Do we have to talk about it?” Tempest asked, peeking up at her from between her hooves. She doubted Twilight would understand. Twilight nodded. Tempest pushed herself up with a groan. “Fine. You were moaning and groaning so loud last night that you woke me up. I came in here and tried to wake you up, but...” She clutched the pillow she’d just been snuggling with to her breast, then laid her head on top of it. “You know...” “I had used a sleeping spell on myself.” “Yeah, and... you wouldn’t wake up. I heard you say my name, and from the way you were thrashing about, I thought you were having a nightmare about me.” Tempest rubbed her foreleg with a hoof. “Were you?” Twilight’s shoulders slumped down. “Y-Yes, I was.” “Was it as bad as the others?” Tempest asked. Twilight’s silence spoke volumes, then she finally opened her mouth to speak. “Worse.” Twilight cleared her throat. “But we’re getting away from the topic at hoof. Why were you snuggling with me? I’m not angry, I just want to know why.” “Well... when I couldn’t wake you up, I remembered my mother telling me that you won’t have nightmares when you snuggle with someone, and I couldn’t think of any other solution at the time. I am the source of your nightmares. I don’t want you to suffer any more than you already have, especially after how you’ve done so much for me. When you stopped moaning after I started snuggling with you, I knew I made the right choice.” Tempest chuckled nervously. “To be blunt, I... I hadn’t slept that well in years,” she said, a light blush tinting her cheeks a rosy pink. “Be that as it may, you—” The sounds of somepony galloping down the hallway made her pause. She glanced up, her gaze settling on the bedroom door a split-second before it slammed open wide against the wall, making her jump. “Twilight! Tempest is gone ag—” Starlight’s eyes went wide as they fell upon Twilight and Tempest laying much too close together. Both of them were blushing, and they looked as if they had just been caught with their hooves in the cookie jar. “Uh... do I need to give you two some privacy?” she asked as she blinked a few times. “N-No!” Twilight stammered out as she recoiled. “It’s not what it looks like! We were just, uh... talking! Yeah, we were just talking!” She looked at Tempest and nudged her leg with a hoof. “Right, Tempest?” “Yeah... right,” Tempest unconvincingly said, staring at the sheets between her hooves. “Just talking.” “This early in the morning?” Starlight asked as she shot Twilight an inquisitive look. Tempest wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Of course! Why wouldn’t it be?” Twilight asked, a wide, nervous grin on her face. “There’s nothing wrong! Nope!” “O...kay...” Starlight’s right eyebrow shot up skeptically. “Anyways, I think I’m gonna go get the coffee started and leave you two lovebirds alone, so... yeah!” She backed up until she was out in the hallway, then used her magic to shut the door. As it clicked shut, Tempest groaned as she closed her eyes, letting the pillow held in her hooves take the full weight of her head. “Twilight?” she softly asked. Twilight took several seconds before she responded. “What?” “Why is it whenever I try to do something nice, I always seem to mess it up?” she asked. “First the bonfire, now this? Starlight probably thinks you and I were... you know...” Twilight’s blush tripled in intensity. “I-I...” “Don’t worry, I’ll go talk to her and set things straight,” Tempest said as she pushed herself up. Feeling Twilight’s soft sheets slip down her back, she hopped off the bed and trudged across the room, her head hung low. “Wait.” Tempest’s ears perked up. “Yeah?” she hopefully asked, turning back to face her. “I, um... Don’t feel too bad, alright? I know you’re just trying to do your best, and that’s all anypony can ask for,” Twilight said, shooting her a warm smile as she fluffed her wings. “I know you probably think that you don’t fit in around here, but that’ll change in time, I promise. Just keep doing your best.” “Thanks, Twilight,” Tempest said, nodding at her as she opened the door. “Sorry for the surprise snuggles, I—” “Don’t be.” Tempest’s eyebrows furrowed. Did she like snuggling with me? She said she wasn’t angry at me, so... huh. That’s interesting. “Very well. You coming?” she asked, standing in the doorway. She smiled for the first time that morning, relieved that Twilight wasn’t upset at her. “I’ll catch up with you guys in a few minutes,” Twilight said, pushing the sheets off of her with a wing. “There’s someone I have to talk to first.” “Okay. I know we’re running low on coffee creamer, so I’ll do what I can to make sure Starlight leaves enough for you. Dunno how she can drink coffee when half of it is creamer,” she said with a snicker. With a flick of her mane, she trotted down the hall and made her way down into the kitchen. Starlight was busy filling the coffee maker with water on the other side of the room, blissfully unaware of her presence. Tempest cleared her throat as she trotted towards the table. Starlight’s head whipped around with a wide, sly grin plastered on her face. “So...” she said, drawing out the word. “How ya doin’?” she asked, propping her head up on the counter with her forelegs. “Fine.” Tempest walked past her and sat down at the kitchen table. “We weren’t doing what you think we were doing, by the way.” “What, you guys weren’t blowing off some steam after a long, hard day? Do tell!” Starlight said with a giggle. “I will, but only if you get the coffee going.” Tempest stretched, letting loose a long yawn. “Celestia knows I need a lot of coffee to wake me up in the morning.” “It’s already brewing. Should be ready in a few minutes, so... spill the beans! What were you and Twilight doing?” she asked, sitting down next to Tempest. “What were you doing in her bed?” Tempest gave her a stern look. “What I am about to tell you must not leave this room,” she said, keeping her voice hushed. Starlight scooted closer, her eyes wide in excitement. Tempest fell silent for a moment. She held her breath and listened for the faintest sound that would betray the presence of anypony within earshot. When the coast sounded clearest, Tempest leaned in and waited until Starlight did as well. “Twilight and I were...” She dropped her voice even lower, lifting her lips up to Starlight’s ear. “Well... I was snuggling with her.” “Aha! I knew you guys were doing something! You two looked so scared when I opened Twilight’s door!” “You did kinda make it slam against the wall, you know,” Tempest said. “That would have scared anypony.’ “Yeah, whatever. That doesn’t matter, though!” Starlight said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Why were you snuggling with her?” “It’s a long story, but to keep it short, she had used a sleeping spell on herself, and she was having a nightmare about me. How long is she going to have to suffer them?” she asked, looking up into Starlight’s eyes as if she had the answers to all of her problems. “I want to make things right, but if she keeps having these horrible nightmares about what I did to her, I—” Starlight pressed a hoof against her lips. Starlight glanced over both of her shoulders. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did you do to her?” she asked, keeping her voice soft. “Twilight won’t tell me anything about what happened between the two of you.” Tempest sat up straight and narrowed her eyes. “That’s not my business to say,” she answered firmly. “If Twilight wants to bury those memories in her mind forever, I will not reveal them.” Starlight’s ears flopped down. “Fine. So Twilight is having nightmares about you?” Tempest groaned. “Yeah, every night. I can’t stand to see them go on. My mother told me that you can’t get nightmares when you snuggle with someone, and she was right. When I snuggled with Twilight, she stopped groaning and twitching, which makes me think that snuggling does, in fact, keep nightmares at bay... somehow.” “Heh, I might have to try that out with somepony,” Starlight said. The coffee maker quieted down. “So you want some coffee?” she asked as she stood up. “Please,” Tempest said with a grateful smile. Once Starlight had filled up a couple of mugs, she returned to the table and slid one of them into Tempest’s waiting hooves. “So, about your little issue... Naturally, snuggling with Twilight every night isn’t feasible as you two aren’t in a committed relationship, so with that being said, I think I know how you can get Twilight to stop having nightmares about you.” “R-Really? You do?” Tempest asked in disbelief, setting her mug back down on the table. “Yep! In order for her to stop having nightmares about you, you have to replace the bad memories she has of you with good memories,” Starlight said. She took a sip from her mug and sighed in content. “Ah... that hits the spot.” “How can I possibly do that?” Tempest asked. “I did such horrid things to her, things I don’t think she can overcome.” “Oh, she’s a lot stronger than she looks. She once took in the magic of the other princesses and fought an evil monster that took all of the magic from every single pony in Equestria. I heard that their fight was so brutal that it destroyed entire mountains! You can probably go out in the countryside and still see the remnants of their fight, thought it did happen quite some time ago, so I dunno how much of the evidence will be left.” “Entire mountains?” Tempest asked, her mouth hanging open. “Okay, so I might have been exaggerating a little bit,” Starlight said with a giggle, covering her grin with a hoof. “It was more like a mountaintop or two.” “Oh... Still though, that sounds pretty crazy, even for Twilight.” “Yeah, but she came out on top like she always does.” She drained the rest of her coffee then sat back, pushing her mug away from her. “Anyways, we’re getting off topic.” Tempest nodded once. “You think snuggling with her would be a good memory?” she asked. “If I kept doing it?” “Um... good question; I don’t know.” Starlight rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Did she seem angry at you for sneaking into her room to snuggle with her?” she asked with a chuckle. “I don’t think so, but the way you put it makes it sound like I was being creepy; my intentions were anything but that,” she said with a huff. “You don’t think I’m creepy, do you?” “Nah, I was just teasing you,” Starlight said. “I don’t think we can count you snuggling with her last night as a good memory, so... hm... I’m gonna need more coffee for this!” She lit her horn and used her magic to refill their mugs, then she poured more creamer in them as well. “There enough creamer left for Twilight?” Tempest asked. “Mhm.” Letting her magic fade away, Starlight took a few big gulps from her mug. “So you have any ideas?” she asked, staring at her reflection in the coffee mug. “No, I—” “Good, because I do!” Starlight said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “I know exactly how you can start!” Twilight knocked on Spike’s door, holding an ink well, a quill, and a few pieces of parchment in her magical grasp. “Spike, you up yet?” she asked, knocking on the door again. “It’s important.” “Yeah, I’m up,” came Spike’s voice from the other side of the door. “Gimme a few seconds.” True to his word, the door opened up after a few moments. “What is it, Twilight?” Spike asked, rubbing his eyes with a claw. “You said it was important or something?” “Yes, it is.” Twilight trotted inside, went to his desk, and sat down. She placed her supplies down on the tabletop, then dipped the tip of her quill in the ink and began to write. Dear Celestia, could you ask Luna if she watched over my dreams last night? I had a nightmare again, but it didn’t last as long as they usually have been for the last several nights. It’s important that you reply at your earliest convenience. Looking over her quick message one last time, she rolled it up and tied a bit of string around it. “Can you send this to Celestia for me?” she asked, levitating the scroll into Spike’s claws. “Yeah, sure.” Spike held it up and blew fire all around it, spiriting the scroll off in the direction of Canterlot. “Is everything okay?” he asked, peering up at her with an inquisitive gaze. “Yeah, of course, all things considered,” Twilight said, looking anywhere but at him. “Twilight.” Spike tapped his foot on the ground. “Twilight,” he said, raising his voice. “What?” Twilight asked, looking down at him as her ears flopped down. “I can tell when something’s upset you,” Spike said, crossing his arms. “Come on, what’s—” He was interrupted by that familiar sensation of a scroll coming his way, so with a small burp, the letter appeared. “Hold that thought!” Twilight said as she leapt from her seat, catching the scroll with her magic. She ripped it open, nearly tearing it in half. Dearest Twilight, my sister informed me that she was unable to get to your dreams last night. There were simply too many for her to handle, and as a result, she is not in the best of moods this morning. Lastly, she wants to know if she should make you a priority in the dream realm, like she has done with myself and Princess Cadence. she read, her eyes darting across the scroll. “So... everything good?” Spike asked, poking her leg with a single claw. Twilight’s eyebrows furrowed as she let the scroll roll back up. “Yeah, I think so. I just need you to send one last letter for me real quick...” Moving back to the desk, she lit her horn and scribbled out, While I appreciate the kind gesture, everypony else should take priority over me. Please convey my deepest thanks to Luna. I may have another solution, though I still need to work out some kinks. Lighting her horn, she rolled it up and tossed it to Spike, who promptly spirited it away. She nuzzled his cheek, gathered her supplies, then teleported all of it back to her room. “Want to get some breakfast?” she asked, turning back towards the door. “Starlight’s already making some coffee!” “Uh... mind if I sleep in for a little while longer?” Spike asked with a sheepish grin, clasping his claws together. “I can make more coffee later.” Twilight giggled. “Of course, but set your alarm, okay? I don’t want you sleeping into the afternoon while everypony else is working their tails off.” “You got it!” Spike said. He scampered over to his bed, climbed up into it, and curled up under the sheets. Twilight chuckled to herself as she walked back out into the hallway, her smile slowly fading away as she got lost in her own thoughts. So if Luna didn’t make my nightmare go away, what did? I’ll have to talk to Tempest about this, and soon.