Twinken drifted in and out of cognitive thought and unthinking darkness. When his mind became a little coherent sometimes he thought he heard voices. Heard with his ears, not... in his head. Shapes and figments took form in his resting mind but quickly dispersed like puffs of smoke before they became distinct enough for him to recognize as anything.
Finally... the colt's mind found its way out of blessed slumber and he groaned and tried to move, becoming aware that he was tucked into a bed.
"Twinken?!"
"My pupil. Can you hear me?"
"Uhhhh..." Twinken's eyes fluttered open and he hissed and scrunched them shut from the rude and irritating glare of the ceiling lights and managed to free his front hooves from under the covers and rub his eyes.
"Wh... what happened?"
"Oh, thank heavens," he heard his mom whimper before feeling her hoof gently stroke his mane and then a kiss on his brow.
"Can... can somepony turn down the lights, please?" groaned Twinken.
Having an idea what was up, Princess Luna lit up her horn and dulled the lights in the room until it was pleasantly dim. Twinken lowered his hooves and saw his mother and his mentor, Princess Luna, the both of them looking deeply concerned for the colt.
"Mom? Princess? What happened, I- How did I get here?"
"You collapsed at school today, sweetheart," Faerie Tail gently held Twinken's hoof in her own, "I was on my way to Town Hall and was passing the schoolhouse. I heard cries of alarm and hurried over to see what was wrong. When I saw you, I- I-! Oh, Faust, I was terrified something was so terribly wrong with you!"
"Your mother brought you here to Ponyville General Hospital, my young protégé," Luna spoke, "The doctors had trouble figuring out what was wrong. Your mother sent word to me and I came as quickly as possible. I ran my own diagnosis and... Well, Young Twinken, you fainted from telepathic overload."
"Tele-wha...?" Twinken didn't understand.
"Tell me, child, this morning, since you woke up..." Luna sounded apprehensive, "Have you been hearing voices from others? Except they didn't move their mouths or lips to talk?"
Twinken's eyes widened, answering Luna's question and she nodded in confirmation, "What you've been experiencing, young one, is Telepathy, more popularly known as Mind-Reading. You've been hearing stray thoughts from those around you, and today at school you heard the thoughts of all your schoolmates en masse. You didn't understand what was going on, but with so many thoughts in your mind, I imagine you found it increasingly overwhelming, unable to hear yourself think."
"...Yes!" Twinken whispered, looking scared. "It was like... hearing so many voices, except the voices sounded... off. Jumbled, echoing, like how your voice sounds from a speaker, out of tune or... Wait!
"How come I'm not hearing anything now?"
"I've placed a ward on you," Luna explained, "it is currently protecting your mind, keeping out thoughts that are not your own. However, it is only a temporary relief. Eventually, the ward will wear off and you'll hear the thoughts of those around you again."
"How do I make it stop?!" Twinken was afraid, he didn't want to go through that again. "What do I do to-"
Luna reached over, gently shushing her beloved pupil in a motherly tone, "Fear not, my protégé. I shall teach you how to control this new power of yours. You will find that Dream Walking and Telepathy are closely related, both allow one to connect with another's mind, know their thoughts, their feelings, their secrets. Like Dream Walking, Telepathy is a powerful gift that must be used responsibly. Do you understand, my young protégé?"
Twinken laid there, silent, uncertain, until finally he gave a shaky nod to his teacher, and Luna bade, "Very good. Now, lay back and get some more rest. Faerie Tail, a word if you please?"
"Uh- Yes," Faerie Tail followed Luna out of Twinken's hospital room and a ways down the hall.
For a few moments in that hallway, neither said nothing, until Faerie Tail uttered, "Princess... what is happening to my little colt?"
"As you have surely noticed, Faerie Tail," Luna began, "Twinken's lunar pony traits have finally surfaced. His eyes, his fangs, the tufts on his ear tips, and then of course his new power."
"But telepathy?" Faerie Tail felt so worried for her child, "I've read up on Telepathy, Your Highness. Only unicorns with the right magical talents can learn how to wield Telepathy. It's a magical skill that takes years to learn and to master!"
"Ordinarily, that is true," Luna nodded, "But in this case..."
Luna's sentence trailed off as there came a distant look in her eyes, that Faerie Tail hesitantly asked, "Your Majesty? Is something wrong?"
Snapping out of it, Luna said, "Forgive me, Faerie Tail, I... Well, to answer your question, do you recall what I said to Twinken? That Telepathy and Dream Walking are closely related. That is partially true, but the theory as to why this is happening, I would rather share with you and your elder son, Midnight, once he returns to Ponyville."
"I... understand," Faerie Tail sighed before wondering aloud, "Both of my sons... of lunar pony heritage. I don't know who they get it from-"
"From you."
Faerie Tail gasped and looked up at Luna, who nodded and said, "Your sons are lunar ponies by heritage, and the traits of that heritage surfaced due to incredible circumstances. Midnight became an alicorn, which somehow stirred the lunar pony blood inside him awake, while I personally unlocked Twinken's potential so that he may help during a crisis. My lunar ponies bred with the three tribes ages ago, Faerie Tail, and not all of the offspring from those unions exhibited lunar pony magic, and the generations have only thinned the bloodlines, making it almost impossible for those descendants to come into their lunar pony abilities on their own or even under stress.
"These days, I have to personally meet a pony in order to sense whether or not they have lunar pony blood in their veins however thinned. And you, my little pony, are indeed a descendant of my Children of the Night."
"I'm of lunar pony descent..." Faerie Tail whispered in awe. Then she asked, "What does this mean for Twinken? The changes on the outside, the inside?"
"It will soon become apparent," Luna explained, "that Twinken's physical abilities and senses are now superior to what they originally were. His senses of sight, hearing, and smell, his physical strength, his stamina, stronger magic, and he may develop further abilities. One in particular for certain will be the power to absorb energy from the light of the moon.
"He will be able to see even in total darkness, hear sounds imperceptible to regular ponies' ears and the tufts on his ear tips are sensitive to vibrations, special sound waves, and assist him in echolocation. His nose will put a dog's to shame. Also, he will eventually develop an appetite for meat."
...
...
...
Luna was worried somewhat by Faerie Tail's lack of response to that last tidbit of information. But before she could ask if Faerie Tail was alright, the unicorn mother said, "What can we do to help Twinken now? You said the ward you placed upon him will wear off."
"...I can fashion a talisman imbued with the ward," Luna assured, "it will feed on a constant trickle of Twinken's mana in order to maintain the ward's power. But it will protect his mind from perceiving other's thoughts and overwhelming him again. Presently, my schedule is quite cluttered, but I promise you that I will make time very soon to give Twinken his first lesson in how to handle his new powers, in person. Give me an hour or two, and the talisman will be ready for Twinken to take home. After a good night's rest, he'll be just fine."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Faerie Tail sighed in relief, "anything else?"
"Make sure he wears the talisman to school tomorrow," Luna made sure to point out, "So many thoughts in one place, it would almost guarantee this will happen again if he's not prepared."
"Understood. Thank you, Princess Luna," Faerie Tail replied.
"Not at all, he is my protégé, and in a way he is my child almost as much as he is yours," Luna said gently as they walked back towards Twinken's hospital room and peered through the window to see him resting peacefully.
"In the short time I've been his teacher, he has already become so dear to me. I look upon all the lunar ponies as my children... They fill a hole in my heart that..."
Again, Luna's voice trailed off and in the Moon Princess's eyes, Faerie Tail saw what could only be the pain of loss. Before she could ask the princess what she was going to say, Luna cleared her throat and said, "I advise you to speak with the doctors and have him checked one more time though I am certain they will clear him and you'll be able to take him home. Once it is finished, I will have the talisman sent to you before sunset."
"Thank you, Princess Luna, for everything," Faerie Tail said gratefully, holding her hoof over her heart.
"There is no need, my dear," Luna regarded Faerie Tail warmly, "As far as I am concerned, you and your sons are family. I will see you again soon, Faerie Tail."
As Luna departed, Faerie Tail looked on at her baby boy- Her colt. It pained her sometimes, especially in moments like this. That she had been robbed of those early years of his foalhood. That she had been forced to sleep what felt like a moment and ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Now, her child was to be burdened further.
"Oh, Ignitus... How I wish you were here," Faerie Tail whispered to herself, feeling her heart hurt, "I miss you so much!"
The next morning, Rumble, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Button Mash were waiting outside the schoolyard. Yesterday had been a bit of a scare for them. They hadn't been allowed to come to the hospital after Twinken's mom, Faerie Tail, had taken him away to get him to a doctor.
"Whattya think happened?" "Heatstroke?" "It was sunny but it wasn't that hot yesterday." "Maybe the campaign just got to him." "I dunno, it seemed like something was really bothering Twinken. He didn't say a word when we were talking about what he could say for his speech." "I hope he's okay, and I hope he makes it to school otherwise he'll have to drop out of the election and everypony will have to vote for Diamond Tiara or Hotshot!" "Look, there he is, and Apple Bloom's with him!"
They looked down the path and saw Twinken and Apple Bloom. She walked closely alongside him, and Twinken looked hesitant with every step. Their eyes fell upon a strange pendant he was wearing around his neck. It was smooth, black, round, polished, and had a silver crescent on it. Very slowly, they approached him, Sweetie Belle saying, "Hi, Twinken, `Bloom. How are you guys today?"
"Oh, wer' fine, uh..." Apple Bloom said with a somewhat forced smile, "Twinken's jus' a lil' nervous `bout t'day."
"...I... I didn't prepare my speech," Twinken looked away, feeling a little ashamed, "Sorry, guys, and sorry if I made you worry."
"No problem, dude," Scootaloo assured, "anypony would get a little nervous about these things."
"Is that why you fainted, Twinken?" asked a worried Button.
"Uh, yeah!" Twinken forced a smile, "I guess I... well, didn't really appreciate how important this election thing is."
"If you don't wanna run for Student Pony President anymore, Twinken, we under-" Sweetie Belle tried to say.
"No!" Twinken interrupted, determination in his eyes, "If I drop out, Diamond Tiara or Hotshot will definitely win, and they'll use the position to push us- push everypony around even worse than before. I don't know what I'm going to say for my speech, and I can't just say bad things about Diamond Tiara and Hotshot, even if they're true..."
"So then... what will you say, Twink?" asked Rumble, and for a moment the question hung in the air.
Twinken took a moment before he gave his answer, "I guess... what's in my heart."
"...so a vote for me is a vote for awesomeness," Hotshot concluded smugly, and he actually got a few of his classmates to applaud his speech, Which is more than Diamond Tiara got, heh, the loser.
Indeed, Diamond Tiara fumed with barely-contained outrage that nopony had applauded her speech, only stares, some blank, some glaring, others had had the gall to sleep while she was speaking!
"Thank you, Hotshot, for that... invigorating speech. You may return to your seat," Cheerilee said and once Hotshot was sitting down, she looked to Twinken and said, "And finally, our last candidate, Twinken. Please come forward."
Gulping, Twinken got up from his desk and slowly walked up to the blackboard before turning around to face his class. He felt the pressure as all eyes and ears were on him, some, he was relieved to see were supportive and encouraging. A few, mostly Diamond Tiara, Hotshot, and even Silver Spoon, were less than so. Without realizing it, he reached up with his hoof to the talisman he'd received from Princess Luna, grateful that it was preventing him from hearing the thoughts of everypony around it. But for a moment, he almost wished he could, if only to know what they were thinking, what they were expecting, anything to give him something to work with, at the very least. Then his eyes met with Dinky Doo's.
In her eyes, a gentle pale gold, he saw encouragement, and the way she smiled showed the faith she had in him. Though he hadn't told anypony, deep down he knew it, that Twinken... liked Dinky. He played with her at recess, included her if she asked to play with him and the Crusaders, he sometimes partnered with her on school assignments, but the one time she asked him to milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner he'd chickened out. Then he remembered something she'd said to him a while, one night when he'd been dream walking amongst the sleeping minds of Ponyville and found Dinky having a bad dream. He'd help her overcome her fears, and what she'd said to thank him lit something up in his mind.
Taking a deep breath, just the way Twilight did whenever she calmed herself down, Twinken began.
"I'm going to be honest with all of you. Because of what happened the other day, and some... other things, I didn't really get to prepare a speech. I don't have some fancy words or phrases to say, I don't really know what I can say that would make you think I would be a good Student Pony President. To tell you the truth, the only reason I volunteered was, well... because I don't think the right ponies were running for this election for the right reasons.
"But when I put that reason aside, I realize that up until this moment, I didn't have any real reason to become Student Pony President. I don't have any ideas to make the school better, I don't really care about leading anypony because I just want to do what I've always done! Go to school, learn, be with my friends, play, dream about what I'm gonna be when I grow up. Not to mention, you've all probably noticed by now that I look a little different. I'm going through some things right now, and that's part of the reason what happened yesterday.
"I feel a little selfish saying these things, especially when the reason chose to participate in this election was to make sure Diamond Tiara and Hotshot don't win. But then I remembered something that somepony in this room told me a while back. That when we help each other is when we're at our best."
Dinky's eyes widened as she remembered a dream she had suspected was more than a dream, but said nothing and continued to listen.
"Helping somepony by itself is something special, and sometimes even the smallest bit of help can make a huge difference," Twinken went on. "Still, sometimes help is given but not for the right reasons. Sometimes help we offer our help because we want something in return. Now, there's nothing wrong with being rewarded for your help, but if reward is the only reason you decide to help someone then really, you're not helping anypony, and that includes yourself.
"Getting back to what that somepony said to me before, helping each other out, especially when it's for the right reasons, is more than being kind, or generous, or even loyal to those around you. Sometimes we help each other for the right reasons, and sometimes we help each other for the wrong reasons. After all, we're only equine. Nopony's perfect, and there's nothing wrong with that. Because if everypony was perfect then life would be boring and empty. It's the imperfections each and everyone of us has that helps define us and shows who we are. So that's why I want to see everyone's perfect imperfections. Because that is the way where we can truly come together and build bridges with everyone."
As everypony let those words sink in, there was a moment of silence... before somepony started clapping and Twinken couldn't help but blush a bit and smile to see that it was Dinky. Then Cheerilee joined in, and one by one so did the rest of the class and there were excited murmurs and whispers among them as a few of the colts and fillies started discussing Twinken's words between them.
Except, however, for Hotshot and Diamond Tiara, both of whom weren't ones to be outshone by some upstart.
“Is that what you call your friends?” Diamond Tiara sneered. “Perfectly imperfect? I've never heard of something so pathetically absurd."
“Prince Midnight is more perfect than you, and he's your brother,” Hotshot sniped, bitter that Twinken had gotten a bigger applause than he did. “You should be trying to be perfect like he is!”
Twinken gave a muffled growl that, if it hadn't been drowned out by the excited atmosphere, would have sounded scary. Twinken knew that his brother wasn't perfect, not by a mile. The only reason these two clowns thought of him as perfect was because he was a prince.
Before he could respond however, Dinky stood up from her desk and said, "You should try to be like your brother, Twinken."
HUH?! Twinken looked at her, flabbergasted, when she continued, "Prince Midnight is really nice. He and my daddy are good friends and one time Daddy invited him over to our house for dinner. Midnight was so polite, he used his magic to clean the dishes for my Mom, and before he left he gave me my own book of beginner's magic! He told me if I studied hard and practiced, I could do wonderful magic one day. I have no doubt you can be just as amazing as him, Twinken."
“Wow... Thanks, Dinky,” Twinken truly felt flattered, the humble and heartfelt kind of flattered. “I'll do my best."
Twinken retook his seat, and so Cheerilee announced, "Well, that's it. Each of the candidates have spoken their piece, so now, if you would all follow me outside..."
Cheerilee led her students out the front door, and on the pathway they saw what was unmistakably a booth. Next to it was a small table with a stack of forms, and a tincan with pencils in it.
"One by one, I want each of you to take one of those forms into the voting booth. On those forms, you'll check mark which of the candidates you vote for and leave the form in the ballot box inside. Think carefully on who you're going to vote for and why, my little ponies, and please keep your decision to yourself and do not try to sway anyone to vote for someone in particular. The voting begins... now!"