Princess Twilight Dreams - Safety and Warmth
The wind in her mane. The smell of spring flowers in her nose. The grass under her hooves. She was galloping! She was galloping through the fields outside her home, with the world’s most beautiful mare beside her! The orange coat, the blonde mane, the green eyes, the strong muscles; all added up to perfection.
Unlike most things in her life, the galloping had no rhyme or reason to it. They were running and prancing, chasing each other and hiding in the grass, simply for its own sake. The world’s troubles and cares had been shucked in favour of a moment’s fun, time spent enjoying the weather, the moment… each other.
They lay in the long grass afterwards, basking in the warm sunlight from above, tails entwined in a ribbon of colour and the breeze tugging gently at their manes. Neither of them said anything; indeed, she found herself unable to actually speak, as she often was around this perfect beauty. She was unperturbed, however, as she was content to stay with her head against her love’s shoulder for eternity, saying nothing. She didn’t need to say anything; their feelings were mutual and strong. She gazed up at her love, her orange ears twitching at every sound and watching the rolling field like a sentinel, keeping alert for anything that might try to sneak up on them.
Slowly, under the warm wind, she felt a slowly rising chill behind her. Grudgingly, she lifted her head from its safe haven and peered behind her. An indeterminate distance away, a cloud bank sat, hugging the ground. The cold wind she felt was pouring off it, pulling along streamers of vapour, obscuring patches of the field and the way back home.
As she stared at it, she caught sight of movement inside; snatches of light and vaguely familiar shapes. Suddenly, the clouds seemed to part, revealing their contents. Her mother stood in the roiling cold front, blue eyes glaring contemptuously. A powerful feeling of disgust rushed out towards her from the cloud, its reasons as clear as the sun and the sky.
She shook her head, trying to deny the unspoken accusations, but before she could say anything, the front shifted again, rapidly morphing into the form of her father, bearing a similar expression. Again, the feeling of disgust and disapproval washed over her. Her brother appeared, the same expression and feelings in place.
The clouds started changing rapidly then, the shapes and identities of her friends flashing before her. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, even Fluttershy, all with that same expression, the same airs. She felt tears start to form in her eyes, blurring her vision. Again, she shook her head, attempting to deny that she was any different to them.
Faceless, half-formed ponies appeared, replacing her friends, all attired in the same fancy dresses and tuxedos of the Canterlot elite. Scorn and hate took the places of disgust and disapproval. Her breathing quickened, coming in shorter and shorter bursts through her nose.
Canterlot’s well-to-do were suddenly replaced by her sister-in-law, the pink Princess Cadance staring down at her with the same expression as her family and friends. The princess of love didn’t respond to any of her attempts to convey her feelings, even the ones encapsulated in magic-laced thought; continuing to regard her as if she was no better than a criminal.
Suddenly, Luna took the place of the Crystal Empire’s princess, barely concealed hatred lancing from her eyes like daggers. Once again, she tried to project her thoughts and feelings at the moon princess, but it was like hurling a pebble at a cliff face. The dark alicorn stood unmoved, condemning her silently.
She began to whine, the noise creeping up in the back of her throat. Her love shifted next to her, picking up on her distress.
As Luna faded back into the clouds, she instinctively knew what, or rather who, was coming next. The dark alicorn disappeared, revealing the silhouette of somepony much taller. A splash of different colours, shifting and effervescent. White coat, golden tiara and harness, long horn, magenta eyes…
Princess Celestia stood before her. Her mentor, her friend, the one she had looked up to her entire life, was standing there and staring at her. And not in a manner she ever had before. There was no pride here, no unconditional love, no comforting smile, impish smirk from some small joke or amused grin at her student’s antics. Not even anger or hate as there had been from the others. There was only the one thing she feared to see most on that ageless face: disappointment.
That look hurt more than anything; more than the disgust of her friends, more than the hatred of her family. To have disappointed Celestia, after so long under her wing, so soon after becoming a princess… it was unbearable.
Her hooves scrabbled in the grass, trying to claw her closer to the clouds. To what fate, she didn’t care, all she knew was she had to get to her to explain. If she could just touch her, get close to her, she would be able to convey everything and it would all be all right again. She just had to-
Green eyes framed by white freckles appeared in her vision, blocking her view of the clouds. Her whining, which had become a constant, insistent tone in her throat, died. Wordlessly, she reached out a hoof past her love, trying to… to… she couldn’t remember. She shivered, a cold breeze flowing past her orange beloved.
The other mare nuzzled her, offering warmth. She gratefully took it, nuzzling her back. That warmth spread as her companion moved to shield her from the chill wind, gently guiding her back to the ground, wrapping her purple form in a protective orange cocoon.
As she curled up in the warm embrace, closing her eyes, she became aware of her companion speaking close to her ear.
“Don’t you fret none-”
Gasp.
“-sugarcube. I got you.”
Twilight’s eyes drifted open reluctantly, taking a moment to focus in the dim light of her bedroom. Blonde hair lay across her face, obscuring most of her vision. The weight on her head, resting just behind her horn, told her she was not alone in her room.
“Wuh?” she incoherently enquired of the straw-coloured veil. The hair shifted from her vision, giving her a clear view of her room, gloomily lit as it was by the pre-dawn light.
“Sorry hun, did I wake you?”
Looking up, Twilight came face to face with Applejack looking back down at her, apologetic expression all over her face. She shook her head blearily, smiling tiredly.
“‘S okay,” she said, sleep robbing her of her usual enunciation. “Why’re you awake?”
The farmer gave her an odd look. “You, ah, were makin’ some odd noises in your sleep and woke me up. I figured it was the draft comin’ in the window, so I got up to close it.”
“Oh. Sorry.” A stab of embarrassment slid through her languid state. She had no idea she made any noise in her sleep at all. “Thanks,” she added.
“Don’t worry about it,” came the reply. “There’s a few hours left before we gotta get up, so why don’tcha get some more sleep?”
“Good idea.” She went to lay her head down, but a thought occurred to Twilight and she spoke again.
“AJ?”
“Yeah?”
Without another word, Twilight leaned up and kissed her marefriend, a thrill running through her as she felt Applejack return it. How long they stayed like that, she didn’t bother measuring. For all she cared, she could stay like this forever, wrapped up in her lover and what she represented.
Safety and warmth.