Twilight's Fear

by Lux

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

That evening Twilight prepared for sleep, her mind calmer than it was when she awoke. The thoughts of the vivid nightmare had all but disappeared from her mind the moment that she and her friends discussed planning for the Summer Sun Celebration. It wasn’t just the planning that provided a much needed diversion, as her friends all knew their place in preparing for the event and would tackle their tasks with efficient focus. It was merely being with her friends that made her forget her troubles, putting her mind at ease that it was merely a bad dream and nothing more.

She didn’t speak to her friends at all about the bad experience although she didn’t know why. Her friends were always there to help her whether it was for them to offer advice or merely to listen. Perhaps it was the worry that her friends would think she was fretting again. Although they would sometimes tease her for overreacting they did mean well and would listen to her when something mattered. She knew that their feelings were justified as the Alicorn sometimes would attempt to control a situation only do more harm than good. Maybe that was another reason why she kept her nightmare to herself so that things wouldn’t be blown out of proportions. After all, there were no signs of Ponyville or her friends in danger, but Twilight knew that danger did strike without warning. Still she couldn’t fathom how something in a dream could translate into real life.

“This had to be just my mind playing tricks on me,” Twilight said with a yawn as she sat in her bed, “I’ll go to bed and tomorrow I’ll be refreshed and forget that the silly dream ever happened to me.”

Satisfied that by saying this would somehow be the catalyst to prevent the dream from returning, Twilight lay down, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The Princess awoke where she was the night before, or maybe awoke wasn’t the right word for it. One minute she was in her bedroom comfortably robed in a cocoon of sheets with her head softly guarded by a pillow and the next she was awake and outside not only her bedroom but her castle. She wondered what happened that caused her to be awake at such an hour. Then she saw a strangely familiar sight of the town of Ponyville dying in flames that spread out in all directions, far beyond what she could see. It was then that she saw it, the silhouette of a pony lying in the street unmoving and unidentifiable in the smoke and flames. Twilight galloped quickly towards the figure past burning homes and businesses that were once familiar to her but now only a memory. She didn’t know why she failed to consider teleporting or flying, but still what mattered was getting there to help the pony.

Finally she reached the figure and to her horror it was not an adult but a little colt. The child had a once white coat now a greyed black that was burned off in multiple places. His short blonde mane and tail were all but gone, leaving only smoldering ends. The thing that frightened Twilight the most was that the colt was still alive, but his breathing was labored, punctuated by gasps and coughs. He wasn’t somepony that Twilight knew, perhaps a relative of a resident of the town or a tourist. It didn’t matter as she had to help him.

“It’s ok,” Twilight said cradling the colt, “You’re going to be ok. I’m going to help you.”

The colt weakly lifted his head to the sound of the Alicorn but did not open his eyes. With a series of gasps and coughs he faintly uttered, “M… mo..mmy,” and then his body went limp. Twilight’s eyes went wide as he tried giving the colt CPR but he did not stir. With a flicker of her horn she checked his pulse with the limited medical talents she had. To her horror there was none, the colt had died in her hooves.

“No,” she said staring at the lifeless colt, “I could have saved you. I just needed more time.”

It was then that she looked up from the colt down the street and saw it, bodies scattered across the street amidst the burning wreckage, some coughing and gasping while others already dead. It was then that the Princess who was sworn to protect the town knew for certain the horrible truth: she was too late.

Author's Note:

Short chapter I know, but I expect dream chapters to be slightly shorter.

This one really tugged at me writing this, even though I chose to start with a random pony.

Comments

[Twilight Shine]

[Lux]

6325779

Shocking huh?

[Twilight Shine]

6331957

Eeyup

[TwiDasherboop]