• Published 3rd Dec 2015
  • 2,736 Views, 94 Comments

The World Beyond Her Dreams - Foals Errand



In a hospital lies a girl. For five years, she has slept, as her nurse recorded her dreams. In these dreams, she is happy, and safe. This girl's name, is Twilight Sparkle.

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Cadance

Twilight hummed happily, her horn glowing as she dusted her books for the fifth time that morning. Spike would have mocked her for it, but she knew that everything had to be absolutely perfect, lest she not be ready for the wonderful news that was at the forefront of all of her thoughts. “Cadance is coming!”

Spike glanced up from where he was paging through his comic book and rolled his eyes. “Yes Twilight, I know. You’ve been bounding around the library like a filly since we got her letter, so I’d be surprised if anyone in Ponyville didn’t know by now . Also, if you dust those books again I think it’s entirely likely you’ll dust the words off!”

Twilight paused pursing her lips together “Oh Spike, I don’t think that could really happen.” Her ear flicked “Er, could it?”

“With as much dusting as you’ve been doing? Anything is possible.” Spike grinned, returning to his comic. “Besides, this is as close to spotless as I think any library can be. Not to mention, I really don’t think that Cadance is going to put on a white hoof bootie like an old Trottingham governess.”

Twilight giggled at the vision she suddenly saw in her mind of Cadance’s mane tied back in a bun while she tsked at the tiny amount of dust she had found. “You’re right Spike, Cadance isn’t like that at all!” She settled back on the floor, her wings folded up against her sides as she let out a sigh “I just wish Shining Armor could of come as well.”

Spike poked his head up from his comic his eyes narrowed “Why is it that he’s not coming again Twilight?”

Twilight paused in place and blinked “Oh, well, Cadance said that he was off fighting some beast that was terrorizing the lands, and only he and his closest companions would be able to vanquish it.”

Spike lifted an eyebrow up. “So he’s playing a game of Ogres and Oubliettes, using some new campaign him and his friends dreamed up?”

“Oh Spike, don’t be so...” Twilight took a step forward, her world spinning for a moment, one of the words Spike having said now ringing in her ear. She tried for a moment to latch onto it, and it only caused the beeping in her ears to become that much louder and harsher. She brought a trembling hoof to her chest, and took a deep breath in. Twilight then let it out, just as she had been taught so many times before to do so. As the air left her lungs though, she thought the sound of a muffled Celestia cursing was briefly mixed with the siren. She shut her eyes again, and heard nothing, so soon disregarded it as merely some trick on her mind. A quick glance to Spike let her know that he had seemingly missed the small panic attack, something she was quite grateful for.

There was a knock on the door a few seconds later and a huge smile grew on Twilight’s muzzle, all thoughts of the weird beeping being tucked away as she flung the door open. “Cadance! Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!”

“Clap your hands and do a little shake!” Cadance finished before hugging Twilight close. “It is so good to see you Twilight, and I’m sorry it took so long to get away. You have no idea how lucky you are not to have an empire to look after. The paperwork alone is indescribable! I mean I thought it was bad when I was still in nursing practice and helping Celestia, but this is nothing like that!”

Twilight hugged back just as tight “That’s okay. At least while you’re here you can take a break, right? Although, maybe I can do some of your paperwork? I mean if Pr- er Celestia would let me.”

“Oh Twilight, you are such a sweetheart! Unfortunately, the only way you’d be able to do my paperwork would be if you woke up in the Crystal Empire with me!” Cadance shut the door behind herself and sat at the table “Would you like me to make the tea Twilight?”

“Oh no, it’s alright Cadance. Spike has it, right Spike?” Twilight called towards the kitchen.

“Yep, no problems in here. Jasmine tea okay, Princess Cadance?”

Twilight turned to check on Cadance, only to see her mouthing something with a frown over her lips. Cadance looked up, and the two mares made eye contact. Cadance almost immediately smiled then. “Sure Spike, that’s fine!” She laughed “That was the weirdest thing. It was like I couldn’t remember Spike. I thought he wasn’t really in Ponyville nowadays, but instead in Canterlot nowadays to do favors for Nurcess Celestia.”

Twilight swallowed hard, looking away from Cadance, and trying to pretend that the empty hole she had seen in her wall was just her imagination. “Uh yeah he does sometimes but not today! it’s been a few weeks since she has called on him to come help her I wonder why.”

Cadance walked over to Twilight, wrapping her gently in a winged embrace. “What is it Twilight? I can tell that you’re trying to hide something from me.”

Twilight blushed before looking down at the floor “Oh, well, it’s nothing really. I just…”

Cadance gently lifted Twilight’s chin with her hoof, causing her to look deep into the purple mare’s eyes, which were now filled with tears “You just?”

“I...I sometimes feel like none of this is real. Like I’m just having a very long dream.” Twilight blinked, sending two trails of tears down her cheeks “I... I wish this feeling would go away Cadance!”

“Oh Twilight, I understand what you mean. I’ve felt like that before myself. wake up. it’s like everything is too good to be true, so you must be dreaming you are but you must understand this is all normal, real not real life. Does that help at all, Twilight?” Cadance paused as Twilight trembled in her wings “Twilight? Twilight, wake up look at me!”


Cadance jumped back as several alarms went off. Celestia and Luna raced through the door as Twilight began to convulse and scream her eyes darting back and forth.

Celestia raced straight to her bedside and gently restrained the teenager “Home! I want home home! No, no, not my fault. Home!”

Cadance shivered as she watched Celestia gently speak to Twilight until the young woman calmed down. The alerts slowed to a stop, though one look to her vitals, and Cadance knew that the patient would need to be constantly watched now, in case of relapse. At least Twilight’s eyes were now closed as she seemingly fell back to sleep.

Luna placed a hand on Cadance’s back and gently led her from the room to the nurse’s lounge, before pouring her a cup of coffee, which Cadance shakily accepted.

“Th-thank you, Luna.” Cadance took a sip of the coffee as Luna sat down with a understanding expression.

“Tia will probably be in here in a few minutes, but you need to calm down first. That was your first time seeing Twilight ‘wake up’, wasn’t it?”

Cadance nodded “Y-yes. I mean, I’ve done rounds with Celestia before, back when I was still in school. But Twilight always seemed so gentle.” She gripped the cup harder, her eyes squeezed shut. “Oh god. She is going to make sure I get transferred, maybe even fired for this, isn’t she?”

Luna shook her head. “No she won’t. Celestia has caused her to have that same reaction so many times, but she had experience with such reactions.” Luna pursed her lips, gently rubbing Cadance’s back as she tried to figure out what more to say. “I’m sorry that you were alone for the first time she awoke. Can you tell me what happened?”

Cadance stared down at the coffee in her hands. They were no longer shaking, but she took another moment to calm the rest of her, and collect her thoughts.. “Well I came in and she began talking immediately with that little rhyme she and I do. Have you heard it?”

Luna shook her head as Cadance blushed. “Er, well, it’s a nursery rhyme that I had to write during my pediatrics class so I decided to try it with Twilight since…” Luna nodded her to continue. “It’s strange, but every time I announce myself coming in, she says it, but only part, seeming to hope that I’ll finish it with her. It’s sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hands and do a little shake. She says hooves, but, um, I was told that that has to do with her coma... right?” Another nod came as Luna poured herself some coffee. “So I sat down and told her I was sorry that I hadn’t been by for the last little while because of all of the paperwork I had to do. She asked if she could do something, and I told her I’d let her help if she woke up. Then she mentioned tea, and Spike... er, what exactly is Spike?”

Luna mixed some milk and sugar into her coffee before shrugging. “Near as Celestia and I can figure, Spike is a baby dragon who helps Twilight in her dream as an assistant. Sometimes she seems to dictate for hours to him, though mostly just mumbling babble, but” Luna took a sip of her coffee, “Why?”

“Well, I played along, but then she got upset and said that sometimes none of this feels real, like she was just having a very long dream. So I gently stroked her hand with my fingertip and I...I told Twilight to wake up. Then, well, you saw what happened.”

Luna rubbed the bridge of her nose “I see. Well, Shining Armor is going to want a report of what happened, and even if he didn’t, I can tell you, without a doubt, that Celestia will have one question. Were you really having a conversation with Twilight?”

Cadance nodded and Luna put a finger to her lips before gently gnawing at it.. “Hmm, maybe Tia was right after all”

“Right about what? If I might ask.” Cadance tapped her leg as she waited, watching Luna drain her coffee.

“Oh, right. Well, since Twilight ascended, Tia has been certain that this would lead to her waking up. It certainly appears that she may be right, or at least, that she is becoming increasingly aware of her surroundings.. I’ll assign you to other patients if you’d like Cadance. It’s only likely to get worse from here on out.” Luna tossed her cup into the garbage.

Cadance hesitated. “Maybe, but don’t fully remove me, okay?”

Luna nodded. “Good luck getting Twilight away from Tia though. She’ll be wanting to keep a close eye on Twilight’s condition and make sure she is still ready for her friends to come visit her.”