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// Oh, How I Wish That It Would Stay! 
// Story: The Little Foal That Wasn't There 
// by Lise 
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	Last night, as I stood and stared, I saw my mom, who wasn't there. She won't be there again today. Oh, how I wish we both could play...

The breakfast was stale. Possibly it had something to do with it being prepared the previous morning. Twilight didn't complain. In her state of mind any food would probably taste bad. The important thing was for her to be nourished, and day-old waffles could achieve that just fine.

Not too long now, the alicorn thought. Soon Spike will be home and I could ask my questions. The scroll had been prepared and rolled diligently, waiting to be delivered. A second one might have to be sent to princess Celestia, but that would wait.

The sound of a door opening echoed throughout the empty corridors. Twilight took another nibble of the waffle then pushed it aside. Time to do what I should have done weeks ago. Taking a deep breath, then exhaling slowly, she left the dining room.

"Welcome back, Spi..." She began, but stopped midway. Her dragon assistant wasn't alone.

"Good morning, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Luna greeted her. "Mind if we join you?"

"Yes... I mean, of course, Princess," Twilight managed to say. What is she doing here? Not that there was anything to complain about. Actually the Princess of the Night was exactly the pony Twilight wanted to speak to. Her concern, rather, was directed towards someone else. "Spike?"

"I know, I know," the dragon sighed looking at the floor. "I should have mentioned it in my letter. But I was worried about you! You weren't eating, you weren't sleeping," he started to innumerate, "you walked about like a zombie pony, you talked to yourself..."

"Oh, Spike," Twilight offered a slight smile. "I know, and I thank you. I actually wanted to ask Princess Luna a few things."

"And now you shall," the dark alicorn nodded. "I too am interested to learn more of your condition, for I sense there is much you haven't told your friends."

The conversation continued in the library, it was the place Twilight felt most at ease. Also she didn't want to risk them finding about the diary. That remained personal.

As Spike and Luna sat at one of the tables, Twilight began her tale. She told them of her recurring dreams, of Ikelos - the stallion she had met in her sleep, of her insomnia and constant exhaustion, of the foal that called her "mom". Twilight talked and talked, uninterrupted, until there was nothing left to say. Then, once she was certain she had shared every detailed, except those she wished to keep private, she stopped.

Spike's eyes had become as large as saucers as he stared at her in disbelief. Can't blame you there, baby brother. If I were you, I wouldn't believe me either.

Luna, on the other hoof, seemed quite composed. 

"I wish you had told me about this sooner," the Princess of the Night said. "If you had, you wouldn't have gone through all that pain. From what I see you have found out why dreams and ponies don't talk to one another. They might seem similar, but dream ponies are far more different than you could imagine."

"There are dream ponies?" Spike couldn't help himself.

"Yes, Spike," Luna nodded. "The dream world does not merely contain what we put in it. There are scores of beings there, some of them terrifying, others not. The dream ponies are but a small part of its native inhabitants. Usually it is rare for a dream pony to make itself known. Occasionally they pass through then move to the next. For Ikelos to have revealed himself to you, you must have wanted something quite a lot."

Twilight said nothing.

"Although, from what you told me it was worth it," Luna continued. "Tell me, what is your foal's name?"

"Fancy," Twilight smiled. "And yes, Princess, it was worth it." So very worth it, despite the pain. "Is there a way for me to see Ikelos again? I can't remember much, but I still miss him. I miss him a lot."

"Well, for that you might want to ask him," the Luna pointed across the table. There, one seat from Twilight, sat a foal, his violet mane moving slightly although the there was no wind.

"Fancy?!" Twilight couldn't believe it. "But I am not asleep... Am I asleep?" She looked at Luna.

"No, child, you are awake," Luna hid her smile behind a hoof. "Unlike his father, your child is not a pure dream. He might have been born in the dream world, but it was you who gave birth to him. As such he is part of both worlds - neither dream, nor pony, but also both."

"Hold on a moment!" Spike jumped on the floor. "You mean to tell me that Twilight has a child?!"

"Well it's hardly a surprise," Luna shrugged. "She has been married for over seven years."

"But that was a dream! And it can't..." The dragon was at a lack of words. "It's only been a few months since she began acting like this. And now, I'm an uncle?"

"Why do you think Twilight was waking up at all times of the night?" the Princess of the Night asked. "As part of both worlds, Fancy needed to play in Equestria as well. However, since he's so young he still can't cross to our world on his own. Twilight had to do that, even if she couldn't remember it. Each time woke without a reason, she was actually letting Fancy enter Equestria. From what I see, only recently has he managed to cross on his own. Isn't that right?"

"I'm getting better," Fancy said, tapping the table with his hoof.

"I'm sure you are," Twilight chucked. "Come here, you rascal," she opened her forehooves to hug him. 

"Mom, please," the foal said in the most annoyed tone possible. "No hugging. It's embarrassing."

"I know," Twilight. Levitated him next to her, then placed a hoof on his mane. "And thank you for the gift you gave me. I... I liked it a lot."

"Dad said you would," Fancy said quietly, still slightly uncomfortable being in the presence of so many beings. "He also asked me to tell you he is sorry."

"It's alright." Twilight felt a sudden urge to cry again. Her pain was deep, and it would take time to heal completely. "Talking about your father, can I see him again?"

"No," Fancy shook his head. "He told me you might want to. He said I am him now, but I'm also part you... I didn't understand what he meant."

"I understand," the purple alicorn looked away. She didn't want her son to see her crying.

"Sometimes, when I think about it real hard, I can hear him. He tells me what to do, although it's really difficult for me to reach him."

"Don't you worry about that," Twilight hugged him tightly. "You have me now. I'm here for you. I'll take care of you and  teach you everything you want to know."

"Really, mom?" The foal asked enthusiastically, forgetting the embarrassment of a public hug. "And I don't have to wake you up every time?"

"Well, maybe a bit at first," she ruffled his mane. "But I'll get used to it. And I won't be the only one. Once we finish breakfast I'll take you around Ponyville and have you meet all my friends. Actually," she looked at Spike, "we can start right now." 

Gently she levitated the foal to floor, a step away from the dragon.

"Fancy," Twilight said warmly. "Meet your uncle Spike..."