The Price of a Wish

by Silver Scrolls


All is not as it seems

The rainbow tail bobbed back and forth in front of her, teasing her thoughts. Not in the way most were teased by a bobbing tail though, there was just something so familiar about it. Swish one way and red, yellow and orange flashed across her vision then the other way with green, blue, violet, and indigo. Hypnotically it moved from side to side displaying it’s rainbow of colors. Back and forth the questions went with the the tail Why was it so familiar, why did she feel like there was more to this tail than it first appeared and what did it want to tell her?

“Lieutenant...” What was her name again, right. “Dash was it?” The guard looked back just long enough to give a nod. “Are you sure it’s necessary for you to lead me to the doctors?”

The guard stopped and turned back. “With all due respect ma’am, yes.” She turned back to the hall to watch where she was going. “Celestia has tried sending you by yourself before and we both know how the ended up, don’t we?”

Twilight turned away and chuckled embarrassedly. “Yea, I remember that.” She winced a little as she remember how hard the lieutenant had tackled her the bruise it left on her side. “Celestia takes my health far more seriously than is warranted and I still think you lied about her telling you to get me there by any means necessary.

Dash stopped and turned about suddenly. “Well, that’s for me to know and for you wonder about.” She pointed to the door on her left with a smile. “And here we are, head inside and I will be here waiting for you when you leave..”

Twilight nodded and opened the door with a flick of her magic. A standard waiting room greeted her. To the left sat a receptionist, who was surprisingly a griffon, and a few half circles of chairs dotted the room. In the middle of the half circles were short tables with outdated magazines on them and on the far wall was a humongous fish tank with all sorts of exotic fish swimming about blissfully unaware of the world outside their four glass walls.

Moving past the receptionist with a nod she took a seat near the fish tank and grabbed a random magazine from the table. The title read something about the new field of dream walking and pictured Luna on the cover. Before she could start reading the receptionist walked up with a clipboard. Without thinking she rolled up the magazine and sent it back to her room to be perused at a later date. Twilight forced a smile up at the receptionist as she produced a clipboard.

“Welcome back Miss Sparkle. I’ll need you to sign the usual documents as well as fill out the form about the most recent episode. Doctor Unwell will be waiting in the usual room.”

With a curt nod Twilight dismissed the receptionist and got to work on the paperwork. It didn't take long, she had done it several times before, and she was off to see the wonderful annoyance known as Dr. Unwell. She opened the door to her usual room and was greeted by a smiling Dr. Unwell to whom she passed the forms before taking a seat. “Welcome back Miss Sparkle, though I guess you’d rather not be back.” He flipped through the forms, checking his facts and getting what he needed. “According to this you weren’t taking your meds.”

Twilight fidgeted in place, gently tapping her hooves together and trying to find anything but the doctor to stare at. She hated this, sure she was supposedly sick but all the questions, and tests never led to anything which lead to her lying about things that she really shouldn’t be lying about and ultimately the cycle just repeating itself over and over. Finally with a defeated sigh she looked at the doctor. “They make me tired and I have trouble focusing on them. I need to be able to focus when I am making her schedule.” Her eyes found their way to Dr. Unwell’s as she spoke, against her better judgement she had told the truth.

As she stared at Dr. Unwell Twilight couldn’t help but those two annoying aquamarine eyes.Sinister, that was the only feeling they ever seemed to give off, like there was something else he wanted but couldn’t have. She’d tried bringing it up before but something always got in the way. A servant dropping something, Celestia doing something to embarrass her, just something always came up whenever she tried to talk to someone about how much Dr. Unwell’s eyes disquieted her, how much his presence made her skin crawl.

“I can understand that Miss Sparkle but the meds will slow the progression down.” He tapped the chart as he spoke. “And even if they don’t, since this is all still such a strange case, it will help lessen the pain.”

A soft tapping of Twilight's hooves was the only answer she gave as her ears flattened against her head. She tried to avoid Dr. Unwell’s disturbing gaze and bit her lip. “I know, I know but it’s just, the pains not really that bad. Celestia usually helps me when it gets really bad. Are you sure there isn’t something else you can give that does make my head all foggy.”

Dr. Unwell scratched his chin the back of his pen for a second while he stared at the ceiling in thought. “Maybe but I’ll have to look into it a little before I prescribe it. In the meantime please keep taking the pills regularly. The more you do the better they work.”

“Okay.” Twilight sighed in defeat and deflated a little. “Um, I’m going to need a new bottle then.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke and she scratched the back of her head with a hoof. Please don’t ask about the last bottle, please, she thought to herself as she waited for him to answer her.

“That’s not a problem.” Dr. Unwell smiled and pulled out his prescription pad. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t throw them out this time though. These pills aren’t cheap.”

Nodding meekly Twilight took the prescription and stood up. “Well thank you Dr. Unwell.” She stood and made a move for the door but Dr. Unwell tutted her and motioned to the exam table. “Fine, we can do the tests too. I don’t see the point though, they never tell us anything new. It’s always the same results.” Dr. Unwell smiled and Twilight moved to the exam table with a huff while grumbling obscenities under her breath.

~ ~ ~

Lieutenant Dash jumped as the door slammed open and a clearly frazzled seneschal stomped out and slammed the door behind her. A long fissure formed in the wood of the door as it tried in vain to open in the opposite direction it was supposed to and Dash swore she saw dust rattle off the stones around the door. Her mouth opened to speak but Twilight beat her to it. “Stupid Dr. Unwell, with his stupid tests.” Twilight's head whipped around and her eyes narrowed at Lieutenant Dash. “Take this prescription and burn it, I don’t care where or how just make sure Princess Celestia doesn’t know.”

Dash saluted and grabbed the note with a wing. “Right away seneschal. If I may though, why?”

An irritated groan rumbled past Twilight's lips and she shook her head. “Because they are useless and don’t do anything but mess me up. I need to be able to focus and I don’t need to be constantly tired.” Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the guard. “You aren’t going to be telling me to take them are you?”

“Nope, I have no intention of doing such a thing.” Dash stepped back and bumped into the wall, Twilight's glare unnerving her a little. She had heard stories of how testy the seneschal got after a visit with Dr. Unwell and the look in her eyes served quite well to add credence to those stories. “I can't say I agree but I honestly don’t trust that doctor. Something about him isn’t right and I bet these pills really aren’t helping you anyway.” She fluffed her feathers and took a deep breath as Twilight's glare lessened. “I know it’s just rumors but some of us think that it’s a little suspicious that you didn't get sick until after Dr. Unwell showed up. I mean, you’re his only patient and you never seem to get better and you were never sick before him.”

Rainbow let out the breath she had been holding as Twilight’s gaze softened and she turned away. “Hmm.” With that she began to walk away, Lieutenant Dash all but forgotten but not what she had said.

The words tumbled around in Twilight's head for a little bit, something about them. It felt like they were trying to pick at something buried in her head. She saw a flash of rainbow color out of the corner of her eye and swore there was a haunting echo of something calling to her but it quickly faded. With a shake of her head she straightened out her thoughts. The dream from last night drifted to the forefront of her mind and the swaying colors made the niggling sensation in her mind grow stronger, what was it she needed to remember.

Before she could remember though she arrived at the courtroom doors and they opened to reveal Celestia sitting in her throne awaiting her. All her thoughts fled as she realized she was late and she darted to her spot beside Celestia. Just as she settled onto her cushion a guard called the start of court and the first petitioners flooded in.

~ ~ ~

Twilight spat out her quill and rubbed the bridge of her nose in exasperation. She hated this day before she got here and it was only getting worse. They had four more petitioners to go but they had gotten stuck on the last one. He had some inane plan for some small town on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest and entitlement issues that had given Blueblood a run for his bits. Twilight groaned in frustrations as she flipped through her notes again, looking over the proposition and everything while she waited for the next petitioner to be let in.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Celestia standing up and stretching out. “Well I think that’s enough for today.” She smiled down at Twilight pushed all the papers back into Twilight’s bag while stopping the inkwell and moving back to the corner of the desk with a flick of her horn. “How about lunch in the gardens?”

Twilight groaned as she stood and her legs popped. “That sounds lovely but what of the others waiting?”

“I had them sent away so we could have lunch together.” A sweet smile and Celestia stepped down from her throne and pulled Twilight in close with a wing. “You looked tired and I felt that a break was in order.”

Twilight shifted closer to Celestia. A stray thought distracting her as she chased it through her mind. Something about this felt off. Court, something to do with court being called early for a break. Her thoughts were stalled out as she felt a soft pair of lips on her own. Startled at first she stiffened but then melted a little. What did it matter if court was called early? Lunch with Celestia was way better than court, especially if she got more those.

As Celestia pulled away Twilight giggled. “That was pretty great for a first kiss.”

“What do you mean first kiss?” Celestia frowned.

A pang of something flashed through Twilight’s mind and she felt a headache starting. “Of course, what was I thinking?” She smiled and gave Celestia a peck on the lips. In her mind though, Twilight kept searching for the last time they had kissed, or the time before that but for some reason she kept coming up blank. In her thoughts she knew Celestia was right but in her memories she couldn’t find the evidence to back it up. Slowly things began to come together and new image was forming in her mind, a troubling one.

~ ~ ~

It was tense, very tense. Two alicorns and a small uncomfortable unicorn sat around a small table in a beautiful white gazebo that was nestled in the center of a large flower garden. Flowers of every color and description bloomed around them and their fragrances mingled together in a potpourri of tranquility. None of that helped though and the air around the three ponies trembled with unease and a tenseness bred from some unknown factor.

Quietly Celestia took a calculated sip of her tea as she eyed her sister. “I’m so glad you could join us sister, on our little lunch date.” She smiled with a false warmth and made sure to enunciate the word date very clearly. Celestia grabbed Twilight with a wing and pulled her closer.

“It was my pleasure dearest sister. I so rarely get to speak to Twilight, what with all the time she spends beside you.” Luna ignored the look her sister gave her and instead smiled at Twilight. “Not that I don’t understand why you spend so much time with her of course Twilight. It was your greatest wish after all.”

The clinking of a tea cup being placed back on the table slightly harder than necessary interrupted Luna before she could speak more. “But of course, it is still a new relationship.”

Twilight cleared her throat and tried to scoot away from both princesses. “Um, so um, this has been great but I can’t help but think maybe I forgot to...put the top back on my inkwell.” She laughed awkwardly and shuffled further away from Luna and Celestia and the glare they were giving each other. “Yea, inkwell, can’t let the ink dry out.”

Her excuse made Twilight quickly turned to bolt away only for Luna to stop her with a wing. “Nonsense, you’re Celestia’s seneschal. You can easily replace a dried out inkwell. Stay, let’s talk about your friends in Ponyville, or perhaps your brother up in the Crystal empire.” Celestia opened her mouth to speak but Luna silenced her with a glare. “Or we can just talk about the last time you visited your family.” Twilight gave a half-hearted attempt to pass the wing but gave up and let Luna drag her to her side.

Twilight fidgeted uncomfortably under Luna’s wing. “Look, Luna, I appreciate the concern but...”

Luna smiled warmly and cut Twilight off. “Please, I would love to hear about your last visit with Cadence and Shining.”

Twilight huffed in resignation and grabbed a biscuit. “Well...” She trailed off almost as soon as she started. When was the last time she had visited her family. “I, umm.” Her head started to hurt and her vision blurred a little but then she caught site of Celestia. “I haven’t visited them since before I started dating Celestia.” She gasped suddenly. “Oh, I forgot to tell them I started dating you Celestia.”

Celestia just smiled and sipped at her tea as she chuckled. “It’s fine, we can always tell them later.”

Luna nodded with Twilight and they were silent for a moment before Luna spoke up again. “And what of the other element bearers in Ponyville. How are they?”

“They’re great.” Twilight's brow furrowed as another headache made itself known. “I think.” She closed her eyes and clutched her head as images flashed through her mind. Twilight felt Celestia’s hoof on her shoulder and the pain slowly receded. As the pain receded the thoughts of her friends faded and she calmed down slightly. “I’m sorry Luna I don’t know what came over me. What were we talking about?”

Luna frowned. “It was nothing important, just your old friends from Ponyville.” She eyed Celestia as she spoke. “You know Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity. Don’t tell me you forgot them in the excitement of finally dating my sister?”

Twilight felt it again, that strange niggling in the back of her mind. It was the same one she had back in the throne room. Something huge was right there in front of her. It felt like the moment right before she made a big breakthrough in an experiment but more fleeting, like something was trying to keep her from catching it. Those names, they were important, very important, they held the answer. She felt Celestia’s hoof again but brushed it away, she didn’t need to be calm right now, she needed to think. Those names, the answer was in the names. ”Rainbow Dash.” She whispered the name to herself and memories surged through her head.

A rainbow contrail. A sky blue mare full of herself but able to back up every word she spoke and loyal to a fault almost. A smile wormed it’s way onto Twilight's face and she spoke with more confidence. “Fluttershy.” Cream colored with a pink mane and kinder than any pony she had ever met. “Applejack.” An orchard full of apple trees, a small cabin full of family bonds and love.

Twilight’s headache flared suddenly and she felt herself drop to the ground. The memories tried to escape but she clenched her teeth and fought the pain. “Pinkie Pie.” Unbridled joy flooded through her and she felt herself giggle despite the pain. That was Pinkie Pie alright, always trying to get a smile. The joy helped her fight through the pain and she felt the last name roll free almost by itself. “Rarity.”

As the final name left her lips the pain vanished. All of it was gone, her head was clear and slowly she opened her eyes. There they were, her five greatest friends. They stood around her in circle blocking out everything else and calmness filled her as she stood up and faced the not Celestia. She knew it now, that wasn’t Celestia and this wasn’t real.

“I don’t know who you are or why you have trapped me here but it’s over.” Celestia melted away and a serpent with feathered wings now floated where she had stood. Twilight took a deep breath as she locked her eyes with it’s aquamarine ones. “Release me from this dream and begone.”

It hissed at her and dove forward without a word only to be stopped as Twilight and her friends channeled the elements. A rainbow shield settled over the creature and began to shrink. “Begone from here, return to wherever I released you from.” As the bubble shrank it began to laugh causing Twilight to pause.

It took advantage of the pause and lashed against the walls of it’s prison. “You can send me back but I won’t be leaving empty handed.” It laughed again and smiled maliciously as it slammed against the wall again and slipped a single feather past. The feather shot straight for Twilight and hit her just below her horn.

As soon as the feather touched Twilight the bubble collapsed and the creature vanished. Twilight staggered a little and felt Luna catch her. She looked up at her in confusion, but before she could speak Luna began to fade and the sounds of ponies talking excitedly filled her head. Slowly she felt her eyes flutter open and a white ceiling came into focus.