We’re both tired tonight.
It’s been two weeks since she visited during the power outage. Since then I’ve been to the doctor twice, once to get the cough checked out, and then to some expensive specialist who did nothing. All I have to show for my efforts is a bottle of expensive pills to take twice a day. I don’t think they do anything. I’m still coughing, I’ve lost more weight, and now I can’t stop yawning. I should probably just drop the two classes I’m taking; I can’t stay awake through them anymore.
Twilight’s tired too, for some reason. She’s leaning back on the couch with her eyes half closed. Tonight’s episodes, the two part season finale, explain why.
I don’t bother saying anything until it’s all over. The finale almost makes the months of reruns that lie ahead worth it.
“That was pretty good, actually. The second part might’ve been my favorite episode ever.”
“Great.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me what they left out?”
“Not much. Just an hour or so of Tirek and me tearing up Equestria.”
“I wish I could’ve seen that. What was it like to have all the magic?”
“Like the rest of the world was made out of paper… everything I touched broke… all except Tirek.”
“It still made for a crazy fight.”
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Aren’t you proud? You saved the world again, you got your own castle…”
She’s staring at the ground. “I didn’t want to do it.”
“Do what?”
“Imprison Tirek again.”
“Wasn’t he going to destroy everything if you didn’t?”
“That’s not was I mean. After he blew up the library I was so furious… It’s a miracle that I didn’t kill him with all that magic. It’s an even bigger miracle that I didn’t wipe out half of Equestria.”
“What’s the big deal? You were mad.”
She stares at me. “Not mad. Furious. Out of control. I actually thought Tartarus was too good for him; I wanted him dead.”
“I can understand that.”
“No, you can’t. Being sent to Tartarus is the worst punishment imaginable in my world. We don’t have a death penalty, not even for murder. There’s only been a handful of pony murderers in history, King Sombra being the most infamous one. Still, when Tirek destroyed my home, threatened my friends…”
If she had fingers, they'd be balled up in white-knuckled fists. She takes a deep breath and leans back on the couch.
“I haven’t been sleeping well ever since. I thought maybe if I came here and talked to you about it… never mind.”
I don’t really know what to say to that. Her world really is different. Coming up with anything at all to say takes a minute or two.
“I’m not sure I’d be able to sleep either if I was stuck with the title Princess of Friendship.”
Her rebuke never comes.
I look over and see her head on the armrest.
“Twilight?”
She starts to snore. Loudly. It’s so comically loud that I want to laugh. She might actually make more noise when she’s asleep than when she’s awake.
I’m not sure what to do. She just finished telling me she hasn’t been able to sleep. Am I just supposed to wake her up and let her toss and turn at home? For once a girl is sleeping in my apartment. Too bad she’s a cartoon pony.
I drag myself off the couch and start cleaning things up. I turn off the TV, put away the snacks we were too tired to eat, and make sure the front door is locked. None of these are particularly loud activities, thankfully. When I’m all done I peek back in the living room and see that she’s still asleep. I guess she’s going to be there for a while.
I find a folded up blanket in my closet. I’m not sure how long it’s been there, but at least it doesn’t smell. It’s probably cleaner than the one on my bed. This way she’ll be warm and might even feel refreshed when she wakes up.
Draping the blanket over her should be easy. Emphasis on should. Right as I’m about to pull my hand away one of her hooves folds over my arm. I’m kneeling in front of the couch with my hand trapped next to her face like a favorite teddy bear. It could be worse, and if she wakes up like this she’ll probably make it so. Tirek got off easy by comparison.
I think I said before that we never touch. That’s suited me just fine. To me she’s always been half-there: a purple apparition that appears and, through means unknown, interacts with physical things like apples and soda bottles. That idea doesn’t hold up when my hand is being tickled by her fur and warmed by her breath.
She’s real. That’s all I can say. I’m not smart enough to have this realistic of a hallucination. She’s real, covered in purple hair, and asleep on my couch. I’d better pull my hand away while all the fingers are still attached.
---
She’s gone by the time I get up the next morning. In her place there’s a folded up blanket and a note with four words: You’re the best! -Twilight.