//------------------------------// // A New Foe Appears... // Story: A Nightmare to Remember... // by Zap Transfer //------------------------------// Twilight regained consciousness and found herself on the couch at Sugarcube Corner. Her head wasn't feeling to clear, and it hurt to even move. Once again, it seems the couch was drenched in cold sweat. These... visions have got to mean some- “Wakey wakey, sleepy head!” said a pink, fuzzy mare who was bouncing right in front of her. “Ugh...” Twilight was still trying to regain her thoughts. “Where am I?” she asked, trying to remember how she got from being in the market, to this place. “Silly! You're at Sugarcube Corner! You fell asleep in the middle of the market, and started saying some crazy things!” She said as she was shaking Twilight back and forth like a ragdoll. “Wa-Wo-Wa-Wo! Stop! It! Pink-ie!!!! I'm... Ok...Ay!!!!” Twilight tried to blurt out, this was not helping her headache. Pinkie stopped after a minute of shaking, and dropped her back on the couch. “There you are! What's with you Twilight? You seem mighty sleepy today! You really need to get out more!” She said while still hopping around. “I don't know... I've been seeing some weird things in my sleep! I just can't get them out of my head! Also.... do you have anything I could eat, I can't think straight! I'm just so hungry!” She couldn't help shouting out. As much as she hated to admit it, she was really hungry. And she couldn't exactly think straight with an empty stomach, let alone a bouncing, shouting pink mare named Pinkie Pie. “Hmmm... that sounds like tuffy wuffy problem! But I can fix one of your problems! How's about I whip you up a nice batch of cupcakes! “Oh that would be perfect!” Twilight definitely loved Pinkie's cupcakes, and so did every other pony in Ponyville! At this point, Applejack had walked in to buy some cake for Granny Smith's homecoming party. Granny Smith was down at Appaloosa visiting relatives. Applebloom was not far behind Applejack. “Well, hey there, Twi'! Whatcha doin' around these parts? Pinkie drag ya down here 'gain?” She said putting a low chuckle at the end. “Hey, Applejack. Well, yes. I was sorta drag-” Twilight got mid-sentence before Pinkie came hopping in. “HEY APPLEJACK! HI APPLEBOOM! Twilight here fell asleep in the middle of the market! So I decided to bring her over here to fill her up with sugary goodness! You and Applebloom want some!” she yelled as she pounced Applejack. “OOF!” was all that she could get out before she went tumbling down. Twilight couldn't help but let out a low giggle. “Enjoyin' yerself over there, Twi'?” She said with a grin. “Heh... maayyyb- AH!” Twilight screamed as Applejack pulled her into the group hug that Pinkie had started. Applebloom looked a bit left out. “Git over here, sis!” She said as she pulled Applebloom into the group hug. They stayed there hugging each other for a good five minutes before separating. DING! “Yay! The cupcakes is ready! WOOHOO!” Pinkie and Applebloom both screamed out as they dashed for the oven in the kitchen. Twilight and Applejack both shared a long laugh as they moved into the kitchen. When the two laughing ponies reached the kitchen, the dinner table was already set up, with Applebloom sitting in her chair, and Pinkie distributing the yummy pieces of cupcakes! “Mmm-mm!” Applebloom hummed as she licked her lips. This was going to be deeelish! She thought to herself. “The cupcakes are lookin' mighty tasty, Pinkie! We're definitely goin' to enjoy it!” Applejack thanked Pinkie. “Agreed! This is very nice!” Twilight said after taking a small bite out of the cupcake. She went for another bite, but started experiencing a very extreme pain in the back of her head. “Ow.... Ow.. OWW! What... IS GOING ON?! MY HEAD!” Twilight screams while holding her head with her hooves. She fell out of her chair, and hit her head on the edge of the table, barely missing her horn. When she fell onto the ground, her vision was blurry, and she was losing consciousness. She saw Pinkie Pie and Applejack trotting up to her to check to see if she was okay. She could hear muffled shouts of her name. And then... she closed her eyes. … … She opened her eyes to see the blurry visage of a light-colored pegasus kneeling in front of a tall statue of something familiar... After a couple of blinks... it came to her. Discord was standing tall as a statue in front of the unknown pegasus. After a closer look at the pegasus, it appeared that it had an injured wing that was wrapped across the body, keeping the wing close to the side. Then, the pegasus stood up, turned to her. She felt like she should get up and prepare herself. But... she couldn't move, like before, she was paralyzed. She could only move her head and eyes. She could not channel any magic into her horn either. She was defenseless and immobile. The pegasus started trotting towards Twilight with a growing grin on his face. “Greetings, Twilight. It is good to finally speak with you...” His voice was deep, and serious. Very serious. “Who-who are you?! Where am I? How do you know my name?!” Twilight started to panic. “Those questions are none of your concern. Your main concern is what will become of Equestria when my task is done here.” He replied with an even bigger grin than before. “Wh-what?! What do you mean?!” She said, nearly in tears, just from intimidation! “That is up to you to figure out, shouldn't be too hard for you to figure out. This shall be a very... interesting encounter when we meet in person. Until then, I wish you good luck.” He said, turning around, returning to his original position in front of Twilight. “Wait! Who are you?! Don't just leave me he-!” She didn't get to finish the sentence, as the floor below her disappeared. She fell into a black void. An abyss. She was suspended in free fall for several minutes, left to debate on who that pegasus was, and what he was planning on doing. Would this tie in with the first nightmare I had?! Could that actually happen to Ponyville? If so... I need to warn the others... But, how do I get out of here!? Her thoughts were answered, as she slowly regained consciousness. As she awoke, she made letting her best friends and Princess Celestia know about her visions. This was no coincidence. No imagination could create what she saw. No book or pony could even come close to even giving her that vision. Twilight sat up, rubbed her eyes, and got her friends' attention. “Girls. We need to talk.”