Her assistant, Spike, was bringing her black tea. "Aw c'mon Twi Spark Impulse said he'd be by on his way to talk to the sergals. Wanted to talk to you." Twilight saw her assistant set the tea cup and its saucer on the table in front of the couch.
The couch she was reclining on now. "It's ten o’clock and I've had a rough night. Morning chores and stuff and " The mare yawned, already losing her focus. "Just tell him I'm sick or something because maybe I am." Healthy ponies don't forgo sleep for fear of sleeping. If only Redheart's pills would keep the nightmares at bay!
Spike was saying something else, but that was lost to blissful sleep. Sleep fled however when a hoof shook her back awake. A musty smell of rotting leaves faintly exuded from the hoof's owner. Twilight opened her eyes to see an unfocused pale orange mass in front of her couch. "Hey Twi." Came Applejack's Apple drawl. "Ah know you ain't a doctor but the solutions Redheart have don't seem to help the right problem."
Twilight sat up, forced her eyes to focus on her friend. As wrung out as she felt her heart still leapt for joy at seeing a good, and healthy friend. Except as her eyes focused, this orange mare didn't look all that healthy, as her eyes had baggy circles under her eyes, and Applejack's ears drooped, as forgotten as her hair coat that was matted and barely brushed back out in places. "Applejack I haven't seen you look this bad since Big Mac got injured at the start of applebuck season." Sliding her front hooves off the couch and sitting upright she blinked the sleepy dirt away that had accumulated in the 15 seconds her eyes had actually been shut. "Who got hurt this time? What's up?"
Applejack backed up to some pillows a little ways from the study couch and sat down. "And thanks again for helping me even when Ah didn't want help. See that's why Ah thought of you because we just finished applebucking but now Ah'm the one what needs fixing up but as I said, the nurse just wants me to sleep more." The orange mare sighed, and looked away, awkwardly rubbing her eyes with one hoof.
That tension was so unlike her that Twilight immediately spoke up to comment on it. "Now, I can't read ponies as well as Pinkie, but you don't seem at ease with yourself." Neurons were just now starting to leap for the nearest thing as the adrenaline drove her fear induced sleeplessness away. "You're not dying or something are you? You'd tell me if you knew?" Twilight's heart was racing, but she forced her forelegs and neck to be soft, relaxed like she was Fluttershy. As gently as she could manage, she tipped her head, pointed her ears at her distressed friend and awaited the explanation.
"Ah'm sure Ah would but truth is, Ah just cain't sleep." Applejack finally looked Twilight in the the eyes, and those green orbs showed a level of fatigue Twilight had seldom seen in another pony. "Tain't true. I cain sleep but I don't want to no more. Not at night the bad dreams. The." Applejack closed her eyes, and breathed heavily for a moment before continuing. "Ah've died in those dreams countless times and I cain feel every knife cut, every hoof mark, hear the screams of mah attackers but about the time it all goes black I wake up."
There was a slight clatter of pottery as Spike set some tea cups in front of each mare. "Thank you Spike." Twilight said without looking at him. Racking her brain, she eventually levitated her tea cup and found it to be unsweetened raspberry. Not her first choice but Applejack would like it. Sipping her tea Twilight had a thought pass violently through her cranium, and she had to squint hard to catch it before it escaped.
Applejack took that time to continue her tale, tho Twilight didn't spare brain time to estimate if it was because AJ wanted to offer more helpful facts, or if she was concerned the squinting meant Twilight leaving the conversation. It had happened before but regardless she listened with half an ear to the further details.
"Redheart offered some light drugs but they just keep me asleep. Cain't stand it; tried once but Ah had to endure what felt like a year of being whipped by buffulo who was keeping me as slaves fer foulin' up they're land with trees." She sipped at her tea, and sighed contentedly. "Raspberry. Almost calmin' flavor. Too bad I don't want t' sleep no more."
Twilight decided it had to be asked, no matter how ridiculous it seemed. "These bad dreams. They started about" well, here goes nothing she thought to herself "a week ago?"
Applejack yawned, and set her tea down. "Ten days, Ah think. Why? What happened ten days ago? Or a week for that matter."
Twilight blinked in surprise. Really? This is going to pan out? "A week ago I started having bad dreams. There's a pattern to it that I can sort of work around tho. Do yours always wake you at 1AM?" She almost dropped her levitation spell trying to set it down so she could concentrate on her friend's response.
"Hmm. Nah." Applejack's eyes roved invisible projections as she searched for better answers. "Course Ah cain't stand the tick-tick of clocks so there ain't one in mah room but Ah'm pretty sure it's later. Three in the mornin' and for at least another two hours I have to try to keep mah eyes open or the dreams" The orange mare gulped and looked away from her purple friend. "They get more violent the harder I try to sleep through them."
Twilight looked around for Spike but he was off cleaning something. "Hey Spike! Parchment and quill, please! I've gotta take notes in" Abruptly she stopped as she saw spike come from the storage room with several sheets of paper and a quill and inkwell.
Setting them at her hooves her green assistant opined "If there's one thing I can count on Twilight, it's that you need parchment and something to write with." Turning to their honored, if completely disheveled guest, he asked "How's the tea Applejack? Twilight normally drinks black or green tea but you seem the herbal tea kind of pony."
The orange mare put a strong smile on her tired face, and replied "Thanks a million, Spike. You're a great assistant for Twi here." Looking back at her wizardly friend, Applejack said to Twilight "So, one AM? Is that when your nightmares try to kill you?"
Twilight nodded. "And for two hours it's not safe to go back to sleep. But at 3AM my attacker apparently moves on to other ponies."
And now it was Applejack's turn to look excited and upset at the connections being drawn in this conversation. "Attacker? Seriously?"
"I'm not actually sure how such a spell would work." Twilight responded, but another piece suddenly jumped out at her. "But Pinkie says Rainbow Dash has been very under the weather in a nonspecific way for about a week. She asked me to cast the cloud-walking spell and I never heard if she found a way to get herself to whatever cloud Rainbow was on -- it wasn't her home, I heard from Pinkie."
At least three ponies, Twilight thought to herself. This doesn't seem like discord's style … but he is locked in stone right now.
Out loud, she said "Look Applejack, I think whatever it is doesn't like the sunshine, or maybe it's just nocturnal. But if you can manage a mid day nap the dreams are just dreams." Laying back down on her couch she added "I'm the informal librarian so I need to be downstairs I think." She yawned. "But if you want to sleep in the spare bed or mine or whatever, it should really be safe." Twilight snuggled against the soft cushions, her head against the edge in lieu of a pillow. She didn't hear Applejack drearily climb the stairs, nor if Spike responded when she called out "Wake us in three hours, Spike? Or if somebody else comes to find me."
The last syllables were lost to unconsciousness as Twilight slipped into the satisfied slumber of a researcher who had found the lost trail, and knew what questions to ask, now.