No Tears, Just Dreams

by sunnypack

7 - Though The Mind Struggles, The Body Screams For Release

Chapter 7: Though The Mind Struggles, The Body Screams For Release

As night fell across the beautiful country of Equestria, the majority of ponies retired to their homes, locking down stores, businesses and valuables, sleeping soundly within the comforting confines of their bedsheets and mattresses. Most ponies would sleep well, but a few ponies did not. In fact, they dreaded the coming of the night. Flustered, anxious and perturbed, they decided to seek the comfort of their friends and family.

“Thank you, Twilight, my most faithful student, for coming along,” Princess Celestia greeted wearily. She gestured to the others. “I also appreciate the rest of you coming along as well.”

Twilight nodded to the others. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had also seen the creature. The startling being had visited them both and frightened them all to the core. What frustrated Twilight the most was that she couldn’t find anything on the creature. Where did it come from? Why was it here? What purpose did it serve to scare the coat off everypony’s back?!

The last few days had been exhausting to say the least. Though they slept together or apart, the creature somehow found a way to sneak up on them while they were alone. Whether it be a detour to the bathroom, a shower, or even small nap in a deserted train car, he would find them. Rainbow had even tried sleeping on a lone cloud, but she woke up to find that frightening beast, sleeping on top of her!

Twilight was at her wit’s end trying to explain the creature, so she was relieved when the Princess had summoned her to the castle mere moments after she had made her report. For the last few days it had been frustratingly impossible to find scroll or parchment to communicate the matter to the Princess. It was as if all the parchment and quills within Ponyville had been whisked away. On the third day since meeting the creature, all the parchment and quills in Ponyville were suddenly there, stacked neatly on her writing desk.

In the fog of sleep-deprivation, Twilight was afraid that the creature was using the parchment and quills as part of an elaborate setup to bait and trap the Princesses, and her friends at Canterlot. When Spike pointed out that Twilight would be meeting with one of the most magically adept beings in Equestria, she felt a little better about it. Rainbow Dash and Applejack would also be there to support her in need. She had little to worry about.

But the first thing she noted as the throne room doors opened, was that Princess Celestia’s and Princess Luna’s eyes looked drawn and weary. Eye bags hung low and their usual radiant selves were dull and lethargic. With a clearly visible effort, Celestia pushed on despite that. Celestia greeted them, her voice was tinged with a bone-chilling exhaustion that far outstripped their own.

“Twilight,” she croaked. There was a pause and the mare straightened her posture and composed herself before continuing. “Luna and I have been researching this disturbing creature, but we could find nothing on its origins or its objectives. Have you found anything?”

Twilight shook her head sadly, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m sorry Princess,” she said. “I’ve looked everywhere and I couldn’t find anything.”

Celestia looked a little disappointed, but she smiled at Twilight reassuringly. “It isn’t your fault, Twilight.” She tilted her head in sympathy. “You have also been haunted by this creature too, you have mentioned as much in your letter… Twilight?”

Twilight nodded absently, she found her gaze was wandering off. She snapped back to attention when the Princess called out her name. She struggled to focus on the topic but it was so hard, she hadn’t had much sleep.

“I’m sorry Princess,” she said slowly. “I haven’t slept for a couple of days at least.”

Luna jerked as Celestia tapped her lightly with a hoof.

“Wa–Hababuwah?” Luna mumbled incoherently. She had drifted off in the seated position on her throne.

Celestia sighed. “I have not gotten a decent night’s sleep for a week now. Luna has seen the creature in the day as well as the night, it doesn’t seem to be restricted to the nighttime, although it seems to prefer it...”

Twilight’s expression darkened as she considered what the Princess had told her. She resolved to let the creature know what an energy beam tasted like the next time it tried to do anything to the Princesses.

“As a result,” Celestia said, pausing to yawn daintily. “I have slept with Luna almost every night. We have even tried sleeping with guards in the room, but we wake up somewhere else with the creature telling us, ‘No tears, just dreams’ every time.”

Twilight gasped. “Princess! The creature said the exact same thing to me too!”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash groaned an affirmative after Twilight lightly nudged them with a hoof. They were collapsed on the floor, still in a kowtow, but a bit more splayed out.

“What does it mean?” Twilight mumbled to herself.

Celestia snapped back to attention. “I’m sorry Twilight, I have no idea. This creature is puzzling to say the least.”

Twilight nodded wearily.

“We’ll figure out something, Princess.” She stifled a yawn. “I promise.”

–––––

Twilight plodded back to her room, pondering reasons why the creature would target the Princesses and her friends specifically. It seemed strange that the creature was stalking each one of them so intently. Why did it leave those notes? What purpose did it have to scare ponies? Why the Princesses, the rulers of Equestria?

Twilight mulled over the thoughts carefully, gently levitating her friends behind her, who were sound asleep. She stopped suddenly as a thought occurred to her.

Was the answer more fundamental than she realised? She hadn’t looked past the Princess’ title. There was a lower common denominator that she was missing. Twilight scrunched her muzzle in an expression of frustrated distaste. Why couldn’t she think of the solution?

A scream tore through the silence of the castle. Startled, Twilight almost dropped her friends suspended in her telekinetic grip.

“Ugh,” Twilight heard Rainbow Dash groan. “Where the hay am I? Oh right, we were supposed to be meeting the Princess.” Twilight turned back to see Rainbow awkwardly trying to find footing in the levitation field that Twilight had cast around her. “Uhh thanks, Twi, you can put me down now.”

As Rainbow was lowered to the ground, Applejack groaned, turned and fell back to sleep. Rainbow blinked at the orange-coated mare but then shrugged.

They both twitched. There was a sound, at the edge of their hearing.

“What was that noise?” Rainbow asked Twilight tentatively.

Twilight’s gaze hardened. “I guess we’ll find out,” she replied, gesturing with a hoof down the hallway. “It came from that direction, let’s go.”

“You got it!” Rainbow answered. She flittered down the hall, moving quickly out of sight as she veered left past the T-junction.

“Twilight!” Rainbow called back and Twilight doubled her speed as she detected the hint of panic laced within her voice.

As Twilight barrelled around the corner, she spotted a door ajar. Rainbow was standing just outside it, eyes wide and hoof pointed somewhere on the inside. As Twilight came alongside Rainbow, she spotted what had made her friend so nervous.

Her suspicions were confirmed as she lay eyes on the fearsome bipedal creature, lying nonchalantly within the room’s sole bed. Across its lap lay a quivering maid, her coat softly being stroked by the creature’s blunt fingers. With each stroke, the mare shook harder, tears flowing freely.

“Let her go!” Rainbow snorted angrily. There was a groan from behind Twilight. She gently laid Applejack on the stone floor behind her.

“Wha–” Applejack murmured. “What’s goin’ on?”

Twilight spared a quick glance to Applejack, but she was already charging her horn, the spell lighting up the darkened room with its intensity. The single candle within the room, on the bedside table flickered out. They could barely make out the features of the creature as it smiled in the darkness.

“Let her go,” Rainbow repeated, but there was a quavering to her speech.

Twilight found her limbs were locked. The longer she stared at the creature, the more the fear pervaded her mind, paralysing her consciousness like an insidious poison. She swallowed thickly and forced herself to speak.

“Why are you here?!” she demanded hoarsely. “Why are you doing this?”

The creature did not say anything for a while. Then abruptly it stood up, gently placing the terrified maid on the bed beside it. The sudden movement caught Twilight and Rainbow off guard and they both tensed, waiting for the bipedal monster to make a move.

The creature smiled a mirthful smile, as if enjoying the attention. It reached into its clothing and withdrew a small, square piece of parchment. It waved it lazily before drawing out a thin implement. It took a while, but Twilight recognised that it was a pen, although it was shaped oddly.

It wrote on the note and flicked the paper into the air. Rainbow and Twilight followed the note’s ascension and subsequent descent, until it laid on the floor. Quickly, Twilight scanned the room. Amazingly, in that short time period, the creature had disappeared. She pursed her lips. It was gone. A familiar sensation crept up her spine. Twilight felt a distinct impression on her lips, as if the creature was standing in front of her and was placing one of its cold, thin appendages to her muzzle.

She could almost hear the deep voice of the creature as it whispered.

“No tears, just dreams…”

Cautiously, she grasped the note in her hooves and brought it to view.

“What does it say?” Rainbow asked quietly.

Twilight read the note out loud.

Fear makes monsters of us all.

But fear is not evil, nor is it good.

It just is in this world.

Face your fears and you will know why I am here.

After all, I am what you wished for…

After reading it, the note crumbled to dust and whisked away. There was silence for a few moments, until Applejack broke it.

“What the hay did Ah jus’ miss?”

Author's Note:

What the plot development?! Who needs that, just keep scaring ponies!

Next Chapter: Winds of change, my dear. Winds of change.

As always, my firmly radical readers, thanks for reading!

Comments

[DominiusTWD]

i have no idea whats going on.

[sunnypack]

5347034 As it should be.

[IkioStar]

5347152 Will you reveal it? Near the end or in the middle?

[Crystal Static]

I love a good pretentious mind-screw. And I have been following this since chapter two, so I am a tad surprised that I don't yet have a grasp on the plotline of this fic, which really goes to show how creative this really is.

~Crystalline Electrostatic~

[sunnypack]

5347432 I take it where the writing goes. If the character feels like it, it will be revealed, as the progression of things go.
5347475 The motivations and actions have been exceptionally murky to keep the suspense going.

[IkioStar]

5347490 Well I suppose that's a decent mentality to start with.

[Xzaves]

5347034 Damnit Lyra!!

[kotor511]

[kotor511]

5347490 How about scaring Discord?

[goodchaos10]

scarrryyyy!