• Published 29th Mar 2014
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Dreams About Friendship Are Magic - Soft Story



Twilight Sparkle wakes from a coma after being cursed. However not everything is as she remembers.

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Chapter 12

“Make you immortal.” Celestia’s three simple words echoed around inside Twilight’s head as she sat in a stupor. All her worries and arguments seemed to vanish. She was even unsure of why she was concerned about Celestia being immortal in the first place. Before her thoughts could spiral out of control, she was jerked back by Celestia’s voice. “Twilight, are you okay?”

She took a moment to compose herself and get all her thoughts back in line. “Yes, sorry. I just didn’t expect that such a spell would exist.”

Celestia suddenly looked a little nervous, her playful grin gone in the blink of an eye. “Well, I haven’t actually cast the spell on a pony before. I did try it on a bird once, and it worked.”

“A bird?”

“Yes. I named him Harvey,” Celestia said proudly. “I let him go once I tested to make sure he was actually immortal.”

Twilight’s brain threw up a red flag at that. The way she had said tested led Twilight to believe that the process was anything but innocent. “How do you test for immortality?”

Celestia cleared her throat and sat up straighter. Her voice took on a more formal tone. “Twilight, what do you think immortality means?”

“The aging process stops and without any accidents you’ll live forever,” she replied without thinking about it.

The Princess nodded. “The immortality I am speaking of is different than that. I cannot die. No matter what happens, I will eventually heal and be back to full strength. I still feel pain, and can be temporarily wounded to point of unconsciousness, but I cannot be killed. That is what I am offering you with this spell.”

“Any wound?” Twilight asked. She was so used to thinking that the Princess’s long life could be ended by a fatal wound that the thought of true immortality seemed unbelievable.

The playful grin that made Twilight feel uneasy returned to Celestia’s face. “A very long time ago I was in a battle, and lost focus of what was going on around me. The next thing I knew my head was no longer attached to my body, and then I lost consciousness.” Twilight gasped. “A day later I was perfectly fine.”

Twilight looked amazed. “A day? You recovered from being decapitated in a single day?” Celestia simply nodded. “That is both disturbing and amazing!”

After a moment’s pause, Celestia started to giggle. “You’re so cute when you get excited like that, Twilight.” The unexpected compliment caused Twilight to blush and attempt to regain her composure. “Well, I’m glad you’re not afraid of the idea.”

“When I was a foal, in my dream at least, I wanted to be a Princess. When I learned about your immortality, I thought it was perfect. I’d be able to live forever and learn everything.” Twilight blushed deeply. “I just never expected it to be a simple spell though.”

Celestia nodded once. “It’s not complex, but it does have certain requirements. Why don’t we talk about it more after we eat? We still have a meal to come after these salads.” Twilight wanted to know more about the spell, but she allowed Celestia to change the conversation. The two of them slowly ate away at the salads in front of them as they discussed books and music.

When the meal came, a delicious pasta dish that Twilight didn’t even know the name of, the conversation had turned towards Celestia’s past. While she remembered much of her history, there were gaps where she simply couldn’t remember anything of any importance. She remembered the dates by her age, not by the calendar year. From her 2874th birthday up till her 2898th birthday, all she could remember was that she fell into a volcanic hot spring while on vacation and built Equestria’s first hot tub as soon as she returned home.

The dessert was an amazingly good slice of chocolate cake. The conversation had slowly died down as they enjoyed the rich flavor and Twilight used that time to get back to the immortality spell. “So what are the conditions needed for the immortality spell?”

A soft sigh escaped Celestia’s lips. “I knew you’d want to know more about it. I’m starting to regret mentioning it to you.” The Princess finished off her glass of wine, the bottle on the table empty as well. “Firstly the spell won’t turn you into an Alicorn. All it will do is grant you immortality. Secondly it requires more magical power than I have. The amount of magic needed depends on the creature I’m casting it on. I can show you my math later but, based on the energy I needed to cast it on Harvey the bird, I believe I will need around forty powerful unicorns to channel most of their energy into the spell with me.”

Twilight looked shocked. “Forty unicorns? That’s a lot of magical energy.”

Celestia nodded. “And as such, using that much energy is dangerous. If anything were to go wrong you could get badly hurt. I don’t think I could live with myself if the spell failed and I hurt you.”

“I trust you,” Twilight replied instantly, her face slightly blushed. “But maybe we should wait on the immortality spell a bit. I want to… I want to figure out our relationship before worrying about that.”

The Princess was quiet for a moment as she finished the last bite of her cake. She gave Twilight a smile. “Good thinking. I didn’t mean to overwhelm you with it anyway. I have all the time in the world, after all.” Twilight chuckled nervously at Celestia’s joke. As the Princess waited patiently for Twilight to finish her dessert she began to plan the rest of their evening together. “Are you feeling up for a walk?”

Twilight finished her last bite of cake and nodded. “Of course.”

“The weather is clear tonight, so there will be a great view of the stars from the palace gardens. I thought perhaps that would be a pleasant way to spend the evening.” Celestia suggested. Twilight agreed and the two of them left the restaurant walking side by side. The air was cooling down, but it was still warm enough to be outside enjoying the moonlit night. Celestia laid one of her large, white wings over Twilight’s back as they returned to the palace.

A thousand candles had been laid out all across the garden grounds, bathing the area in a warm light. It was just enough to light up all the flowers and plants, but still dim enough that it didn’t impact the view of the stars. Twilight gasped as the two of them entered the gardens. “It’s beautiful!”

Celestia gave a coy smile. “I just thought it might make our walk more memorable.”

Twilight wandered away from Celestia’s side, walking through the candle-lit paths. Her head swiveled around, as if this were her first time in the gardens. After a few minutes she walked back over. “Celestia, this is beautiful… How did you get this arranged so quickly?”

Celestia chuckled. “I may owe a certain young dragon quite a lot of gems… And ownership of the greater Fillydelphia area. I’m sure he’ll make a great Duke when he’s older.”

“Oh Spike!” Twilight laughed. She could clearly imagine him making such outrageous demands and bargaining for as much as he could get for being tasked with so much work. She’d have to tell him what a great job he did.

The Princess joined in with Twilight’s laughter, not wanting to tell the Countess that there was a document waiting on her desk to grant Spike the fiefdom. She once more placed her wing on Twilight’s back. “I believe there should be a blanket for us to relax on over near the cherry trees. We can take a scenic route.”

Twilight found herself leaning against Celestia as they walked through the garden. The sounds of the bugs and wildlife around them was just loud enough to be heard over their hoofsteps. Every so often Celestia leaned down and gave Twilight an affectionate nuzzle. Twilight found that, even though the gesture made her blush, she rather enjoyed the feeling of warmth Celestia gave off. It made her feel safe, like when they slept together.

Eventually the pair came across a large white blanket laid out in the middle of a grassy patch. Candles surrounded it at a far enough distance to cover it with a low amount of light. Several pillows were scattered across the blanket. A single bottle of wine with two glasses sat just off to one side. Celestia smiled warmly. “Looks relaxing.”

Twilight rolled her eyes at Celestia and trotted away from her, heading onto the blanket and flopping herself down on a large pillow. She grabbed the wine with her magic, pouring it into the glasses with ease. “ I hope you don’t mind if we talk while we drink.”

“Of course not. What did you want to talk about?” Celestia asked as she joined Twilight on the blanket. She sat down on a pillow right next to Twilight, but far enough so that Twilight’s personal space wouldn’t be crowded.

A glass filled with wine floated over to Celestia, who took it in her own magic. Twilight waited a moment before speaking. “This might sound strange, I’m not sure what I was like before the coma… But I don’t really know much about being a special somepony… I was hoping you could teach me.”

Celestia had been about to take a sip from her glass when she froze. She should have seen this coming once Twilight mentioned she had never dated anyone. “Teach you?”

Twilight nodded once. “Just explain it to me, briefly. I don’t want to end up in a relationship and not have any idea what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“Twilight,” Celestia started, suppressing a soft groan. “There isn’t anything you're supposed to do. Being in a relationship doesn’t come with an instruction manual and checklist of tasks. It’s just about being emotionally connected to your partner and being with them. We’ll continue holding court the same way. We’ll still eat in the dining hall with Spike.”

The Countess seemed lost in thought. After several seconds of spacing out she nodded twice. “Right, I think I remember Shining Armor saying something similar when I asked him about his relationship with Cadence.” Twilight suddenly blushed. “Is it true that kissing your special somepony is…” She waves a hoof through the air as she was at a loss for an accurate word.

Celestia burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it, Twilight’s innocent nature was too much for her to handle. It took her nearly two full minutes to get herself collected and to focus back on Twilight. The young mare was blushing furiously. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I didn’t mean to make fun of you. Yes, kissing feels good, but it’s the emotional connection to your special somepony that makes it better.”

Twilight fidgeted nervously. “I see. Then, maybe-”

“No,” Celestia interrupted. “You want to kiss me and see how you feel about it, right?” Twilight nodded once. “You shouldn’t have to kiss me to tell, Twilight. I don’t want to kiss you just as an experiment, either.”

With a sigh, Twilight’s head drooped. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Twilight.” Celestia scooted forward and nuzzled her friend. “Let’s just spend the evening together, watching the stars and drinking this wine. We can worry about the relationship later.”

Twilight opened her eyes. She and Celestia had just gotten into bed. She had fallen asleep with her back pressed firmly against Celestia’s chest. Yet now in the distance she could see dream Ponyville. Her mind tried to set a red flag about the view of Ponyville, but Twilight couldn’t quite place what was wrong. It was a perfectly normal view of Ponyville, one she had seen many times on her trip out of the Everfree Forest.

“Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight literally jumped in the air, screaming as the sudden loud voice of Princess Luna spoke right into her ear. She landed on the ground with a thud, falling onto her side as her hooves slipped out from under her. Princess Luna was looking down at her with a concerned look. “Are you okay, Twilight Sparkle?”

“I’m fine,” she replied as she pushed herself back upright. “You scared me.”

Luna lifted her with magic, setting her down gently. “That was not my intention. I have been searching for you for many days now. I am glad that I have finally found you.”

Twilight chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I know.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “You knew I was searching for you? And yet you did not come to me?”

“I wasn’t sure what you want to do to me in this dream. So I just waited until I woke up.” Twilight admitted, feeling a little foolish. She wasn’t really sure what she thought Luna might do to her, but something in her gut told her it wouldn’t be good.

Luna looked even more confused. “What do you mean, wake up from this dream?”

Twilight gestured back at Ponyville. “This. This is all a dream. I’m asleep in my bed in the palace right now.”

“Twilight… You are in a coma. You have not woken up for weeks.” Twilight’s jaw dropped slightly. “I have been trying to find a way to contact you while you slept, but it has been very difficult. A mind in a coma and a mind dreaming are somewhat different.”

Twilight started to stutter. “A- A- A- A coma?”

Luna nodded. “Yes. A spell failed and you have been non-responsive ever since. Spike alerted Celestia and your friends. You’ve been in the Ponyville hospital ever since. Nothing we’ve tried has woken you.” This was too much for Twilight. That was exactly the same story she had been told when she woke up here. “Now that I have found you, however, I believe we can wake you up.”

“But- But-” She stuttered again. “But that was all a dream! A dream I had while in a coma. You’re not real! This is just a dream!”

Luna once more looked concerned. “I am quite real, Twilight Sparkle. Your friends and family are waiting for you to awake.”

“No, I mean, yes this is a dream right now. But when I wake up I’ll be in Canterlot with Celestia and Spike. That’s what’s real here. You and the Elements, that was a dream,” Twilight tried to explain. “My subconscious must not fully want to let it all go, but it was just a dream. You’re not real.”

That seemed to make Luna slightly angry. “I assure you Twilight I am very real! You remember me, do you not? You remember your friends?”

“Of course I do,” Twilight replied before thinking about it.

“And how much of the world you’re in now do you remember? Dreams often start in the middle, and yet they seem so natural that you don’t care that you have no memories of anything prior to the start of the dream,” Luna explained.

Twilight frowned. She wasn’t expecting Luna’s arguments to sound so logical to her. “I might not remember this world, but I certainly did care that my memories were wrong. I looked into all the possibilities, tried everything I could think of, to figure out what had happened. This world feels right, like I belong here.”

“Twilight Sparkle, I have been dream walking for many years. Dreams are reflections of your inner desires and fears. If you needed a place where you belong, then the dream created one for you,” Luna said calmly. “Now, let me attempt to wake you and I will show you what is real.”

Luna started to approach Twilight. Before Luna could reach her, Twilight stepped back. She had just realized something about Luna’s appearances in her dreams. “You said all of this is a dream… Then how come you’ve never appeared to me when I was awake? If I’m in a coma, then it shouldn’t matter if I’m dreaming in my dream, you should appear to me whenever. Yet you only appear to me when I am asleep.”

That seemed to catch Luna off guard. It was a tough question for her to answer. Luna was not knowledgeable about what exactly made a coma-dream different from a sleep-dream. “I am not sure. I’ve been trying constantly, at all hours, to contact you. Only a few times have I gained access to your dream.”

That was exactly the answer Twilight was hoping for. “Then you are just part of this dream. If Princess Luna were real she’d be able to access the dream when I was awake. You’re just a part of my subconscious.”

Internally Luna screamed with frustration. She could not understand why Twilight did not believe her. “Twilight Sparkle. You are in a coma. This fantasy dream is not real,” Luna tried to explain again, calmly. “I am here to take you home.”

“How did I fall into the coma? What spell failed?” Twilight asked, ignoring Luna. She wanted to find more evidence to prove her point. She was sure that it was just a dream. As much as she wanted it to be real, this was just her mind playing tricks on her. She’d wake up next to Celestia just like she had been doing for the past several nights.

Luna sighed but answered the question. “It was Star Swirl the Bearded ‘s unfinished spell. Celestia thought you might be able to figure it out and complete it. But you attempted to cast the unfinished version. The magical backlash put you into a deep coma. Spike discovered you several hours later.”

“Unfinished spell? I’ve not heard of that. I don’t remember Celestia asking me to finish a spell by Star Swirl either. I returned from the Crystal Empire and was suddenly here,” Twilight muttered to herself. Was it possible that this world was the dream, and that Luna was correct? She could feel the part of her that wanted it to be true calling out. But then, how would that explain why her coma induced dream was nearly identical to what had happened in reality? Was a part of her mind aware of what was going on? But if it was, then why was this world so different from the one with her friends?

Luna continued her explanation. “It was supposed to help you ascend. To become an immortal Alicorn like Celestia, Cadence, and myself. Celestia felt you’d make a good Princess of Equestria.” That piece of information was all the proof Twilight needed. Luna was a projection of her uncertainty about abandoning her friends and her world. But it was just a dream. It was drawing from her memories. Now it was even picking up on the conversation she had with Celestia just a few hours earlier about the immortality spell.

Twilight stepped back from Luna, glaring at her. “Now I know that you are simply part of the dream. Celestia is planning on making me immortal and I’m having mixed feelings about it. But what I’m sure of is that I belong here.”

Luna was confused. She wasn’t entirely sure what Twilight was talking about. But she could tell from the tone of Twilight’s voice that Twilight was upset. Even angry. She did not know Twilight to get so aggressive so easily. “Please, calm down. We can talk-”

Twilight cut her off. “No! I don’t not wish to hear any more of this. I have made up my mind. I am the Countess of Canterlot and Celestia’s best friend. I want to become immortal and rule by Celestia’s side. I want to be her marefriend. In order to do that, I must be rid of these nightmares. You are no longer welcome in my dreams.” Twilight lowered her head and fired a directed bolt of magic at Luna.

Before the bolt could impact the Princess of the Night, Twilight was jolted awake by Celestia. “Twilight!”

“What?” She said groggily, blinking several times as her eyes tried to adjust and make sense of what was in front of her. Her mind was still clouded with the discussion from her dream. The next thing she knew she was being squeezed against something white and warm.

Celestia hugged her tightly. “You were fidgeting and squirming again. I tried to wake you but you just wouldn’t wake up. I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Twilight gasped for air and wheezed out a response. “It… Was… Just… A… Dream…” Celestia finally let go of her. She and Celestia were still in the bed together. Spike was awake and was sitting down by Celestia’s rump. He was watching her with a concerned look.

“Twilight, I want you to tell me about these nightmares. I want to help,” Celestia said, her tone nearly pleading.

Spike nodded. “Yeah, Twilight. Celestia was calling your name and shaking you for at least five minutes before you woke up. It even woke me up. Something is really wrong.”

“Fine, I guess it won’t hurt to tell you about it,” Twilight said, giving in.

Author's Note:

I still feel like this chapter comes off a little rushed, but I don't know what to do aside from just making it longer and longer and dragging everything out. But there we go. Many of you had guessed that Luna was from the show universe trying to make contact with Twilight. Or is she just part of Twilight's nightmares? Do we think Twilight is right or has her mind become deluded with this fantasy dream world she's found herself in?

In the words of the single most frustrating character from Doctor Who:
"Spoilers."