The Leap

by LoreLove

V - Found

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. Her body felt a little sore, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Saving Equestria, going to spontaneous parties organized by Pinkie, and just simply training with Starlight took a bit out of the pony. The comfort of her sleep and initial grogginess would wear off soon enough. It was time for her to get up and start her day.

The purple princess gave a yawn and stretched her legs out in the bed. The sheets shuffled about while she spread her wings and made sure to get her muscles moving. No sense in staying in bed all day. She had promised Rarity she would stop by to help with fitting a dress.

Rubbing her eyes, Twilight sat up and looked around her room. She must have slept in far longer than she realized. With a horrible dream like that, she wouldn't blame herself. Being stuck in a realm where time had stopped and her friends and other ponies were nowhere to be seen? She shuddered at the thought.

Looking over, she saw Spike's bed and smirked. The little dragon was still sleeping. Or, he probably went back to bed when he found out she had missed her own alarm. He deserved a little break for a while anyway.

Her magic pulled the blanket over him a bit more, smiling sweetly as she got up quietly. Poor little guy was sleeping like a rock. At least he sounded like he was having a peaceful rest. Twilight silently crawled out of bed and gave the young dragon a light pet and a kiss before using her magic to make her bed and trot out the room.

She was surprised she had slept in for so long. The day was already getting close to ending. If she wanted to meet Rarity and maybe pick up a snack, she had to hurry. Perhaps Pinkie was in the bakery and she could stop by for a moment.

Twilight brushed her mane and checked the mirror a few times before giving an approving nod. It would be fine. Hefting her saddlebags onto her back, she took herself out and down the halls, giving small glances in a few rooms. The sight of a few books in study not put away made her roll those violet eyes. She would remind Starlight in the morning. The unicorn was probably out and about or getting ready to get a little shut eye. No sense in bothering her right away.

On her way out, Twilight passed the magic mirror room and stopped. The door had been closed for a little while. The dream she had certainly made her scared of seeing it again for what happened. Hesitation took over as she stared at the handle before shaking her head and smiling a little. She was just being silly! No need to verify things based on dreams just because they made her feel uneasy.

Through the cutie mark map room and to the front doors, Twilight opened it up and did her best to shut it a little quietly. Her eyes took in the ponies she missed during that strange departure of her own, smiling and nodding to a few passing by. She was happy to be home and safe. Things were back to where she remembered.

“Hello,” she greeted cheerfully, trotting past a mare and giving her a nod.

The purple princess made her way further into Ponyville as she took in the scent in the air. Something smelled delicious! Pinkie must still be hard at work in the bakery. All the more reason to grab a little something to nibble on before going to see Rarity. In fact, Twilight could feel her stomach give light rumble which made her decision even more one-sided.

Sugar Cube Corner would be closing shortly, so she had to hurry. Her hooves carried her along as she made her way to the bakery and went in. A few ponies lined up behind the register while she looked up to see who might be tending. Of course, the pink and fluffy maned friend of hers was smiling happily as she took last minute orders.

“Twi! Come here!” Pinkie called to her, beckoning her over.

“Pinkie, hey! I was just looking for a little snack before meeting Rarity. You happen to have something quick so I don't take time from your customers?” Twilight asked, glancing at the waiting ponies.

“Oh, it'll be fine! I got a lot of goodies just about ready!” the pink pony answered and rushed to the back before hopping out from the kitchen.

The tray with bouncing cookies was held in her mouth as Pinkie made her way to the front counter. The cookies smelled great and made Twilight want them even more. How Pinkie was able to hold the tray in her muzzle without burning herself was a mystery Twilight knew she would never be able to solve.

“Okie dokie! Take as many as you like, Twilight! I got plenty more just about ready for everypony here!” Pinkie called out which was met with a few praises. She did do her job well.

“Thank you, Pinkie,” Twilight said, using her magic to slip a few cookies into her saddlebag before taking one more to munch on.

Her ears gave a flick as she nibbled on the treat and thanked her friend again before heading out. Chocolate chip! Perfect! She was certainly enjoying the baked good as she trotted along and even stopped to sniff a few flowers still out from the flower mares.

Rarity's boutique was just ahead with the lights clearly on. She must be waiting for Twilight for a bit. The purple mare lowered her ears a tad as she ate her snack, hoping she wasn't about to disappoint her dear friend. She had slept in. That was perfectly understandable, was it not?

Once she got to the door, Twilight gave a knock with her hoof, not wanting to intrude if it were getting too late. There were a few seconds of silence before she heard a light muffle from beyond the door. When she knocked again, Rarity's voice came through clearly.

“Twilight? That you? Please, come in!” the white unicorn called out.

With the invitation, Twilight nudged the door open with her snout and poked her head inside. Rarity must have been awfully busy during the day. Fabrics and other apparel were spread out with the marshmallow colored mare doing her best to seam a dress. The bell gave its jingle when Twilight moved in a bit more which alerted the mare to her presence.

“Twilight! Wherever have you been, dear? I've had your outfit for the next Gala awaiting your approval,” Rarity spoke, smiling sincerely and magically opening a cabinet nearby.

The lovely dress floated out and shimmered with the light. The blue color she had chosen was honestly beautiful. Twilight could hardly take her eyes off the dress. Was she really getting one made this amazing?

“I can see by your expression it has caught your eye. I wanted you to be the focus,” Rarity mentioned, smiling and shifting the dress over to hold up against Twilight's side.

“Rarity, it's so lovely! You didn't have to go through this kind of trouble,” Twilight told her, always surprised at the generous gestures her friend made.

“Have to? Neigh, but I wanted to. You're my friend, Twilight, and my friends deserve only the best!” the seamstress mare declared.

The reassurance made Twilight blush a bit as she smiled and thanked Rarity. The two made a little small talk as Rarity took and retook the measurements for the dress. Always one to make sure it fit just right. The Gala would be coming soon and Rarity wanted to have everything done on time.

It almost felt as if Twilight's dream had never occurred. The thought made her smile lower as she remembered it all in such vivid detail. Her mind slowly began to recount the travesties she endured as she felt the measuring tape along her side.

“Is something wrong?” Rarity asked, looking to Twilight beyond her red-framed glasses.

“I just had a bad dream. It's nothing,” Twilight told her and gave a reassuring smile.

“If you wish to talk about it, I am here,” the white mare told her before going back to fitting the dress.

It took a bit before Rarity had the measurements written down and moved over to the sewing machine. The unicorn took the dress and began to rework a few seams. Twilight sat down and drew in a deep breath to clear her mind. It was just a dream.

When she looked up, Twilight felt her body tense. Her eyes fixed on Rarity, or where Rarity had just been. In her place stood a stationary pony. A ponyquin made for displaying an assortment of fashion items. It moved.

“Twilight?” it asked in Rarity's voice, turning to her in the most unsettling nature.

Twilight closed her eyes and rubbed at her face with her hooves. Her heart was beating quickly and her ears wilted. Slowly, she moved her forelegs back down and opened her violet eyes once again.

“Are you sure you're okay?” Rarity asked, tilting her head in concern. No ponyquin taking her place.

“Yeah… Just a lot on my mind, I guess,” Twilight said, breathing a sigh of relief and relaxing slowly. That was frightening.

For the hour or two that passed, they talked about a variety of subjects. Spells for organizing Rarity's mess even though she claimed it was an organized one, other outfits that were planned, picnics with their friends, and a couple of other things. It was refreshing for some reason. Something Twilight felt she needed.

When time was up, Rarity looked out the window and gave a playful roll with her eyes. It was getting dark out, but it had been before Twilight arrived. Rarity must not have noticed right away, so caught up in her sewing.

“I didn't see it was getting so late!” the white unicorn stated as she let out a soft sigh. “I guess we can make some better progress tomorrow. Shall we?”

“Of course! I'd be happy to come by again,” Twilight told her, giving a nod.

“Very well~ I'll make sure to squeeze some time in for your dress, Twilight. You take care now,” Rarity told her, waving a hoof gingerly.

Twilight pulled out another cookie from her bag as she opened the door and said her farewell to her friend. She didn't want to make any crumbs on the fabrics during her visit. While the door closed, Twilight smiled to herself, eating the treat as she took her time in walking back to the castle. It was nice to get out again with a little free time from studying.

On her walk, she tried remembering where Starlight had told her she would be. Had she been informed? Twilight tried remembering if she was told the day prior. An errand, perhaps. It sounded likely, at the very least. She could also be waiting back at the castle, just having missed Twilight.

The lavender colored princess giggled to herself, lost in thought. During her walk and with her mind distracted, she didn't quite see the pony before her. There was a moment of surprise as Twilight saw the pony just in time, but failed to avoid them. The two collided and both went down in a small tumble.

Twilight was quickly scrambling to get back up as she dropped her cookie to apologize profusely. Her ears stayed back as she shook her head, hoping she didn't hurt the pony. The fall was a bit scary with how sudden it was and she could only wonder how startled the poor pony was she walked into.

“I'm so sorry! It was all my fault! I-” she began and stopped when she glanced down.

Upon the grass laid a still and very stiff ponyquin. The featureless pony stayed motionless as Twilight stared at her unfortunate victim to her absent minded wander. There was a long bout of silence while she took in the sight, feeling her heart begin to pick up the pace and her breath coming in shorter bursts.

Where did this come from? Why was it put in her way? Did she really just not see it? The questions flooded her mind as she took a slow step back and glanced around. The sudden oddity had disturbed her train of thought and she only wished to know what pony had put out such a thing in the middle of the area.

Other ponies stared at her within the vicinity. Her eyes darted around as she tried to find an answer before glancing back down. The ponyquin squirmed and moved oddly before her. Twilight wanted to scream but her voice got caught in her throat. Why wasn't anypony helping?

“H… He..,” Twilight stuttered, trying her best to call out.

The other ponies stay still, watching the poor alicorn back away more as the stuffed pony-like being fell motionless once more. Her eyes seemed to well up with tears before she closed them and tried to tell herself it was just her mind playing tricks. She didn't sleep well, right? A bad dream and waking up at such an odd hour could have her hallucinate.

Opening her eyes once more revealed a stallion laying before her with a bewildered look. His head turned to look around before he slowly got up and gave Twilight an odd glance.

“You okay?” he asked, steadying himself a bit. He looked shaky on his own hooves.

“Y… Uh, I'm okay. I'm fine,” Twilight quickly managed to say, almost certain her voice had left her.

She breathed a small sigh of relief before continuing on her way. Around the other pony. So much stress and bad sleep must have played havoc on her mind. Twilight shook her head and slowly carried on. A nap or some extra sleep might just help her.

The purple alicorn made her way along and made sure to be mindful of the other ponies around her. Her eyes studied each and every pony she crossed paths with, trying not to let the prior incidents get to her. Things had just been so strange.

Upon arriving back at her castle, Twilight stood at the front doors and thought to herself. Her stomach felt uneasy from the encounters and strange happenings. Again, she chalked it up to terrible sleep and a nightmare, as she had read similar things in some books. It still didn't make her feel much better.

Opening a door, Twilight carefully walked inside and sighed to herself. It wasn't easy to just forget something so terrifying. While she let her mind try and reason explanations to her, an ear perked up before she looked at the mostly dark interior. Was that Starlight she heard?

“Starlight? Are you back?” Twilight called out, hearing her voice echo out some. For some reason, her own castle felt so foreign to her.

The light shuffling continued for a moment then stopped. Twilight stayed still, listening carefully. If Starlight was back, why didn't she answer? Did she not hear?

“Spike?” she asked cautiously. Her nerves felt as if they were pin pricks along her body as she felt cold. She just needed an answer.

“Twilight? I'm in my room!” came the faint voice of Starlight from within the castle.

Oh, thank goodness! It really was Starlight. Twilight felt her heart try and calm itself as she breathed slowly to keep from getting a bit dizzy. She couldn't believe she was getting herself so worked up over nothing. Her hooves made light noises along the floors as she made her way to her friend's room.

As she walked, she glanced to the door containing the magic mirror. The portal to another world. Curiosity may not have got her earlier but it seemed that she was wanting to make certain of things at this point. Just to know, was all.

The princess magically pulled the door open and peeked inside. The light shimmering off the glass ahead in the dark room made her nod. Right where she had left it. At least she knew now. She was just being silly over nothing. A small reassurance was all she needed.

Closing the door, Twilight kept on walking and made her way to Starlight's room. The door was closed as she trotted up and knocked lightly. The sound of the knocks felt deafening compared to her light touches. She really must have had a bad sleep to be so skittish.

“Come in,” Starlight's voice said from behind the door.

Twilight did just that. Her magic opened the door as she saw Starlight sitting at her desk, looking over a book. Studying just as hard as Twilight. It made the alicorn smile as she walked in and moved closer to her friend.

“Hey, what's up?” Starlight asked, not looking up from the opened book.

“I've just been feeling really… strange. It's hard to describe,” Twilight confided. She wasn't even sure how she could explain it all.

“Tell me what's bothering you. Maybe it will help,” the unicorn said, staying still while reading.

“I had a nightmare and I guess that, well, maybe I've been too stressed lately. I haven't felt like myself today and I keep seeing… things,” Twilight said, not even sure if it would make sense saying it aloud.

“It sounds like a lack of sleep coupled with that nightmare. I bet some proper rest will fix it all,” the unicorn said and shifted slightly.

“Yeah. That's what I'm thinking,” came Twilight's response before she looked around. “Where did you go earlier?”

“Trixie's,” said Starlight simply. “She needed help with an upcoming show.”

Twilight just nodded and folded her ears back. Her eyes watered up as she stared down at the floor and sniffed. She was hurting. Emotionally hurting and it showed.

“I'm sorry, Starlight,” Twilight said, trying to keep from crying in front of her. “I just don't feel well.”

“It's okay, Twilight. I'm here for you. We're all here for you,” said her friend, turning in her chair. “Here, here,” she beckoned, forearms outstretched.

Without hesitating, Twilight nearly dove into the open arms, accepting the hug and sniffing as she held on tight. Her tears flowed down her cheeks as she quietly sobbed, holding the ponyquin tightly and nuzzling against its neck. The arms magically embraced her back as she made it give her comforting pets.

“There, there,” Twilight said, “It's okay.”

“Thank you, Starlight,” the alicorn replied to herself, calming down some.

As she held onto the lifeless form, Twilight cried. Her mind ran in all sorts of directions while she bawled, unable to catch a breath a few times. Her words were either slurred or entirely incoherent. The purple alicorn knew why she had such hallucinations, she just didn't like it. It was okay, though. She just needed some sleep.

Twilight cleared her throat after a while, wiping her eyes and forcing a smile out. Her heart had such a sinking feeling to it, but she would be okay. She had her friends. She always had her friends. They would never leave her.

Carefully, she let go and let her friend get back to her book. Without a word, Twilight backed out of the room and closed the door gently. She didn't need to disturb Starlight anymore than she had. No, she needed some peace and quiet.

After a minute, the lavender coated princess made her way back down the halls and to her own room. Her vision wavered as she kept having to stop and rub at her eyes. So many tears. Why was she crying again? Did she really need to?

Eventually, she did make it to her room. She almost felt choked up from all her crying, but at least she had managed to settle down a bit. Her eyes surveyed the room, noticing Spike still sleeping in his bed. Twilight smiled and walked over, giving the large stones a few nudges. He really did sleep like a rock.

Shrugging off her saddlebags, Twilight magically pulled another of her own homemade, rather stale cookies from it and munched it to help feel a little better. It was always a strange thing that having a tiny snack or just crying it out always helped her feel better. Something she didn't understand nor did she entirely question. It was probably for the best.

Finishing her cookie, the purple pony crawled up into her own bed and laid down. Her head flopped against the pillow while she stared at the wall. The marks along it faintly shone in the dim light as she kept staring at them. She didn't want to count them right then, but she still picked up the broken crystal piece and carved another tally in. She had woken up again. Another day, despite how short it was.

Rolling over, she turned away and tried letting her mind slow down to let her sleep. Everything was fine. Even if the mirror's pieces were still scattered on the floor, right where she left them. She would wake up and head out, past her study, wrecked to Tartarus in her frustration, past the broken cutie mark map and make a nice evening with Fluttershy. Her critter friends might not come around, but she had told her to visit, did she not?

Yes. That's exactly what happened. Fluttershy had sent a letter to her, didn't she? A picnic for them to both relax with. That sounded fun. The only question was where she last left Fluttershy. In the town hall? No, it was the Quills and Sofas shop. She had needed a new one.

Twilight breathed calmly, thinking of how to plan her next day out. Where would other ponies be? She would figure it out later. At least she still had her friends. They may be big with words, but they at least still spoke to her. Only her. They would always be there for her.

With a forced smile, Twilight pulled the covers up over herself. She wasn't alone. Not anymore. She had found her friends and they were always going to be there to support her and keep her happy. Everything was okay. She was okay.

Twilight closed her eyes and let the tears fall freely.

Author's Note:

This was a lot of fun to make. Also, Post-It had helped me plenty with a few of the chapter titles. Go check out his stuff while you're at it. He does some cool stuff!

Comments

[Emtu]

Wow. That's some existential horror right there.

[Dreadknight garen]

Niow im depressed before school...

[Flipping_Imps]

I... Was not prepared for the feels. You're a fantastic writer.
These, what no, I'm not crying... It's uh, liquid sad.

[LoreLove]

7798172
Thank you for the compliment! It was a bit experimental in terms of what I wanted for a type of horror story. That said, there's something to lift the spirits on the horizon! Just taking time with it and all.

[Flipping_Imps]

7799609 Well, it is certainly engaging, not to mention the ending, very interesting direction to take it and I feel you pulled it off excellently. Still, definitely need to read some happier stuff.

[Silver Hoof]

I have to admit, I saw that ending coming. Still hit hard though.

[Legioner8]

I half expected for these guys to appear.
cs12.pikabu.ru/post_img/2021/08/01/1/162777524118225261.gif