Dreams and Bonds

by bats

II

A beam of sunlight fell on Twilight’s face and she grimaced. She felt wrapped up and overly warm, and cracked her eyes open a sliver, squinting against the light.

She found herself lying in Rainbow’s embrace. Rainbow had her around the shoulders and neck, with her own forelegs circling Rainbow’s middle, them both on their sides and facing each other. Rainbow grunted, a crease forming between her brow, and then an eye slid open. “Mmf, mornin’.” Rainbow stretched and rolled out of the hug onto her back. “Sleep okay?”

Twilight rubbed her face and rolled the other way. “You’re kidding, right?” Her throat felt sore and creaky, almost as if she’d woken up crying in the middle of the night or something.

Rainbow snorted and bumped her shoulder. “I meant after all that, dummy.”

Twilight gave a faint smile and rolled her eyes. Aside from the dregs of sleep still working their way out of her head, she had to admit she felt better than she had in weeks. The gnawing fog of exhaustion eating her brain and crushing her body had left, and she felt like a real pony again. “That’s the first time I’ve ever gotten back to sleep after a nightmare,” she mumbled. She turned and looked at Rainbow. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Rainbow stifled a yawn halfway through and flashed Twilight a half smile. “No sweat, Twi.” She sat up and stretched again, letting out a satisfied groan. “Glad I could help. Feeling better?”

Letting out a breath, Twilight nodded, then forced herself upright. “I need some tea, but yeah.” She stepped out of bed and stumbled over towards the bathroom. “Ugh, I shouldn’t have raced you so many times.”

Rainbow chuckled and hopped out on her side of the bed. “I’ll go start the coffee.”

“Tea,” she said as she closed the bathroom door.

“Coffee!” Rainbow called back.

She chuckled and shook her head before looking at herself in the mirror. Her mane snaked upwards in a mess, but the bags under her eyes looked far lighter and less puffy than they had the day before. After a few minutes and a shot of caffeine, they’d probably disappear entirely. She brushed her teeth and let out a long, deep sigh of relief. She rinsed her mouth and brushed out her mane. “Okay,” she told her reflection, “no regrets. No regrets at all.”

Part of her had been convinced that regardless of Rainbow’s intentions, she’d still greet the morning as the subject of endless teasing, and yet Rainbow barely even mentioned what had happened. Maybe Rainbow needed an influx of caffeine first, before her sharp tongue could get going for the day. Even if that were the case and she needed to brace for an avalanche of jeers, she felt nothing but gratitude towards Rainbow. She hadn’t even noticed just how much she’d needed a full night’s sleep until she’d come out the other side of it. Following Luna’s advice of letting herself move past her fears seemed much more manageable with a clear head. She watched over at the kettle while Rainbow took her turn in the bathroom, then came back to a steaming mug of coffee across from Twilight’s tea.

Rainbow flopped into a chair and picked up the cream. “So want me to come back over tonight?”

Twilight choked on her tea. She dropped the cup back on its saucer with a rattle and cleared her throat. “Huh?”

“I mean, last night worked, right? But, like, the nightmares probably aren’t just gonna stop now. So we should do what works until they do stop. That makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Twilight took a long sip, then wiped her mouth as she thought. “You … I couldn’t ask you to do that, Rainbow, what you did last night was already a lot to ask. Coming back again …”

“But you didn’t.” Twilight knit her brow as Rainbow stirred up the mountain of cream and sugar and took a sip. “You didn’t ask. I offered.”

“Well, I mean …”

“It makes sense for me to come over again, right? Or am I missing something?”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her seat, letting feelings of shame and gratitude fight each other for dominance. “No, you’re right, it does make sense. It’s just …”

“That you don’t want to bother me?” Rainbow gave her a crooked, mischievous smile. “Well, good, I’m not bothered. I’ll come over again tonight.”

Twilight sighed and smiled despite herself. “You really don’t have to. I’m sure last night was stressful for you, and you’ve already helped me a lot just getting one night of sleep. I don’t need to drag you down with me on all my rough nights.”

Rainbow shrugged and her smile disappeared. She looked down at her coffee for a moment, taking idle sips. “I mean, yeah, it was kinda hard seeing you that sad.” She looked up at Twilight. “But that doesn’t make me want to not help. Plus …” Rainbow trailed off and grimaced, then looked down again.

Twilight’s brow knit. “What is it?”

Rainbow sighed and turned her attention back to Twilight, her expression guarded. “Know how I said you were really cool when you were fighting Tirek?”

Twilight nodded.

“It’s because I could see you.” She wobbled her coffee mug back and forth on the table. “He had me … us, I guess, trapped. I was there, but also kinda not there, or, like, anywhere. I couldn’t move, or blink, just … see what was happening. Which was you fighting him. I kept telling myself that you looked really cool—and don’t get me wrong, you did look really cool, but I had to keep telling myself that because …” She shrunk into her seat and stared off into space. “Because I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was making me watch how one of my best friends was going to die.”

A stuffy silence filled the room as Twilight looked at Rainbow with her eyebrows raised. Rainbow broke it, clearing her throat and refocusing on Twilight. “I’ve had some dreams about that. Nothing like what you’re having but, well … it’s nice waking up and seeing you’re still there, too.”

Twilight looked down at her tea and took a long drink. “I suppose it’s been self-centered of me to think that I was the only pony affected by him.”

“I can deal.” Rainbow shrugged and cracked a begrudging smile. “We always deal. This isn’t the first time some scary monster’s crawled out of a hole and tried to destroy Equestria. I mean, right after that we spent a couple days locked up by a crazy cult.”

Twilight chuckled without much humor and hid her face in her hooves. “What is going on with our lives?”

“Crazy junk, that’s what.” Rainbow grinned and sat back up. “Listen, I’m not trying to be a downer or anything.”

“I know that.” She straightened out and finished off her cup of tea. “You’re just telling me that I’m not the only pony who got something out of the saddest slumber party ever.”

“So … see you again tonight?”

Twilight put her foreleg on the table and rested her cheek against her hoof, looking off at the sink. “I still don’t feel comfortable asking you to come back, but if you’re offering …”

“See you again tonight, then.” Rainbow got up, swept up her and Twilight’s mugs, dropped them into the sink, and headed out the door without another word.

“See you tonight,” Twilight muttered to herself.

“They didn’t!” Twilight gasped.

“They did. I dunno what they were thinking.” Rainbow grabbed the corner of the bedspread in her teeth and yanked it down, then winced. She rubbed her neck. “I mean, yeah, speed drills are good, but it’s not like we were flying over the Everfree Forest, they knew there was gonna be a thunderstorm.” She huffed. “Well, somepony knew there was gonna be a thunderstorm. Cloudsdale’s always like that.”

“I can’t believe any system could be that disorganized.” At Rainbow’s flat look, she sighed and nodded, “Okay, fine, I can believe it, but still.” She grabbed her corner of the covers and folded them down.

“So how’d your day go?”

“Better. I didn’t get struck by lightning.” Twilight grinned. “No, but it was better, I actually got some work done.”

“Awesome.” Rainbow stretched out her back and yawned. “Dang, I’m beat.” She flopped down on her back. “Mmf, your bed’s awesome.”

Twilight giggled again and shook her head, then headed for the bathroom. “Is that an admission that it’s better than your bed?”

“No. Yes. Maybe. Shut up.”

Twilight brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her mane before returning to the bedroom and clicking off the light. “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never tried your bed.”

“It’s super soft. Made out of clouds.”

“That does sound soft. Maybe too soft.” She climbed in on her side of the bed, appreciating the firm resistance of her mattress.

“Psh, too soft, like that’s a thing. Oh, yeah, I was thinking about something.” She jabbed Twilight’s side with a hoof. “Should we hug?”

Twilight blinked, then looked at Rainbow in the darkness of the room, squinting at her in confusion. “Um … If you want a hug, I’m happy giving you one …”

Rainbow snorted and jabbed her again. “I’m not talking about me, Twi, I’m talking about if it’d help or not. Last night when we fell asleep without hugging, you woke up crying, but when we fell asleep hugging, you slept through the rest of the night. Just doing the thing that worked first makes sense, right?”

Twilight raised her brows and frowned in thought. “I suppose that does make sense.”

“Plus if you still wake up, it’ll be way harder not to notice that I’m there.” Rainbow stretched out a foreleg. “C’mere.”

“Oh no, if we’re snuggling, you’re not lying on your back.” Twilight pushed at Rainbow’s shoulder to roll her over, facing the other way. “I’m not sleeping three inches away from an angry Ursa Major.”

Rainbow resisted, batting at Twilight’s hoof. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Just roll over, we’ll snuggle on our sides.”

“And don’t call it snuggling, that’s weird.”

“But that’s what it is.”

“Ugh, fine, but I get to be the big spoon.” Rainbow sat halfway up and rolled in Twilight’s direction.

Twilight huffed. “But then if I wake up, I’m not going to see you right away, and I might end up panicking that somepony’s got me or something.”

“But you’ll want somepony to get you. Here.” Rainbow grabbed ahold of Twilight’s shoulder and dragged her into a hug. Twilight blinked, finding herself staring eye-to-eye with Rainbow from less than an inch away. “… This is weird, huh?”

Twilight giggled. “Yes.”

“Okay, what if …?” Rainbow grunted and scooched upwards on the bed. Twilight ended up at chest-level and pulled in even closer. “This is how we slept last night, I think, this work?”

Twilight unpinned a hoof from being pressed up in-between their bodies and wrapped it around Rainbow’s middle. “Yeah, this is fine.”

“Awesome.” Rainbow patted her head like she was a dog, then snuggled into the pillow. “G’night, Twi.”

Twilight scrunched her eyes shut and tried not to laugh, or scream, she wasn’t sure which. She took a breath and said, “Good night,” through a grin. A combination of the previous night’s success and the ridiculousness of bunkering down worked to completely destroy any remaining tatters of apprehension about falling asleep, and before Rainbow could even threaten to keep her up with snores, she drifted off.

The magic ripped free and Twilight staggered on her hooves. Her strength had gone with the energy. “Okay,” she said, forcing herself to stay upright. “I held up my end of the deal.”

Tirek let out a contented sigh as the alicorn magic ran through his body, lifting him further into the sky with added height and strength. “Well, now, about my end, Princess Twilight,” he said. “I lied.”

Rarity floated forward, and he reached out with his hand. The imprisoning bubble popped as his fist closed in around her body. Rarity’s face went wide with shock as the snap rang out over the treetops. Twilight couldn’t process the depth of the sound, how dry and sharp it started and ended, like a twig underhoof. She could see the light leave Rarity’s eyes.

Twilight lunged forward as Tirek’s hand opened and Rarity began to fall. “N—”

“—uhh …” Twilight gasped out as she startled awake. Something heavy kept her from springing up, and she flinched, her eyes popping open.

Rainbow Dash slept peacefully next to her. They’d drifted apart as they slept, but remained wrapped up in a tangle of limbs, and she was once again face to face with Rainbow. The terror and sadness caught in her throat as she watched Rainbow’s eyes move behind her eyelids, her snout forming the barest hint of a crease with each little snore.

Rainbow’s expression tightened for a moment, thanks to Twilight’s heavy breaths and twitches, and she cracked open an eye. “Mmf … dream?”

“Mm-hmm,” Twilight forced through her throat. No tears had fallen yet, but she could feel them there, waiting for her shock to dull, and the dam was crumbling around her. She sniffled.

Rainbow pulled Twilight into her chest and buried a hoof in her mane. “Mmf, I’m sorry.”

Twilight hugged Rainbow back and cried silently. She’d leave a weirdly shaped cowlick in Rainbow’s coat, she was sure. Somehow, she didn’t think either of them would mind all that much. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

“Mmf.”

A loud snort jolted Twilight awake, and she pulled the blanket over her head. Rainbow wriggled against her, extracting various legs from their embrace, until she could roll away. Twilight grumbled and lowered the blanket until she could see the room.

Rainbow dropped out of bed and craned to pop a kink in her neck. She looked back at Twilight and winced. “Urgh, sorry, gotta use the bathroom.”

Twilight rubbed the sleep out of her face and sat up. “It’s all right. I’ll go start the tea.”

“Coffee,” Rainbow corrected darkly as she tromped off to the bathroom.

Twilight slid the covers aside and got down on her hooves. She took a deep breath and shook out the stiffness in her shoulders. She still felt overly warm from spending the night pressed up against Rainbow, and the cool air of the room was wonderful against her coat. Sleeping next to somepony else had some real disadvantages, but she had to admit her head felt even better than the day before. Full nights’ worth of sleep were a treasure she’d taken for granted until she stopped having them.

“Jeeze, Twi, what, did you blow a raspberry on my chest?” Rainbow called from the bathroom.

Twilight giggled and shook her head as she headed out of the room and off towards the kitchen. Sleeping next to somepony else wasn’t all bad, either.

“Listen, I’m not saying I won’t do it,” Twilight said through a mouthful of toothpaste. “I’m just not used to working out very much. It might end up being awkward.”

“You’re thinking about it too much. Nopony at the gym’s gonna get all on your case or anything, nopony’s that big of a gym rat. Except Bulk Biceps, I guess, but he’s just super excited all the time, he’s really a nice dude.”

Twilight spit and rinsed out her mouth. “And you’re not going to give me a hard time for getting worn out too fast?”

“Would I do that to you?”

Twilight came out of the bathroom and gave Rainbow a flat look.

“… Okay, yeah, I might, but I promise I won’t.” Rainbow grinned and crossed her heart with a hoof. “Everypony’s gotta start somewhere, so I can’t give you that hard a time, and you’ll get better at it after a while. You’re the one always saying you don’t get enough exercise.”

Twilight sighed, feeling her objections wither. “Okay, I’ll try it.”

“It’ll be a blast.” Rainbow crawled into bed and rolled on her side, holding a hoof up in invitation for Twilight. “Plus working out’s really good for helping you sleep better.”

“I said I’ll try it.” She hit the light switch with her magic and slid into Rainbow’s embrace. “So long as you keep your promise about coming with me to Canterlot.”

“Oh, psh, to go to a bookstore? You don’t even need to ask, I’m totally there. I’m still missing that Daring Do first edition.” Rainbow yawned and nestled into the pillow, resting her chin on top of Twilight’s head. “I promise not to trade anypony into slavery for it this time.”

Twilight laughed and shook her head against Rainbow’s chest. “Probably a good plan. Good night, Rainbow.”

“G’night.”

Twilight woke up screaming.

She twisted and writhed, pinned in place by sheets and hooves, strangling and suffocating. Her mane matted itself to her forehead and she could feel an icy line of sweat running down her spine. She pulled free and lunged up to sitting. The scream at last broke as she dragged in a breath of air.

“Twi! Twi, hey, Twi …” Rainbow babbled, looking dazed and bleary. “What’s—” She winced and shook her head, then fumbled upward and put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

Twilight’s body shook. It felt like every nerve ending was on fire. There was no strength in her muscles and all she could hear were her ragged breaths and her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

“Hey, c’mere.” Rainbow pulled her into a hug, and she fell into it limply. “This one was different, huh?”

“Th-they’re all d-different,” she stammered. “This one …” She let out a shaky breath and found the willpower to wrap her hooves around Rainbow’s back. “This one was bad.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“I don’t know.” She swallowed hard, tasting acid in the back of her throat. She felt raspy and burned, worse than after she’d raced Rainbow over and over again. “I need a drink of water.”

Rainbow let her go and got out of bed. She closed her eyes and focused on slowing down her heartbeat as she heard the bathroom sink turn on and shut off. Rainbow came back with a cup, and she gulped it down. “Thank you.”

Rainbow climbed back in on her side and sat on her haunches, facing Twilight with a look of concern on her face.

Twilight wiped her bangs away from her forehead and steadied herself. “Okay, so…I told you that Tirek always …” She swallowed again. “In all the dreams, but it doesn’t always happen the same way. What he says, or I say changes, and what he does …” She pinned her ears back and pawed at the covers. “This time he … he brought all of us together as a group and he …” The images flashed through her mind and a wave of nausea and panic raced up her back, making her shudder. “… I can still sort of smell hair burning.”

Rainbow grimaced and shuffled in place on the bed. “Yikes. That’s … yeah.”

She rubbed her eye and nodded. “I’ve watched him burn us all, crush you in his hands, disintegrate you, eat you … it’s always upsetting, but the level of detail sometimes …” she shivered and wrapped her hooves around herself. “It’s terrifying.”

Rainbow slid forward and pressed her side against Twilight’s, wrapping a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders. Twilight leaned into the warmth. “Is it … are you scared he’s gonna get back out again? I mean, we know he’s back in Tartarus and everything, but …”

Twilight took a deep breath and gave Rainbow a pained smile. “Not really. If he did get out, it won’t happen the same way as it did before, we’ll be able to stop him a lot faster because we know how to beat him. It wouldn’t get so far.” She shivered and pressed in closer.

Rainbow dug the cover out from under them and wrapped them both up in it. “So it’s just, like … thinking about what might’ve happened, even though it didn’t? I mean, I get it.”

“It isn’t really that, either. Tirek let you all go. He might have been a liar and a thief, but he kept his word to me, even though he didn’t have to, and even though it meant he lost in the end. There’s … nobility in that, I guess.” She frowned and stared off into the darkness of the room. “I think … I think I’m afraid of whoever we need to face next, and if they figure it out.”

“Hmm? Figure what out?”

“Tirek stole our magic, all of the magic innate to our bodies, but he couldn’t take any of our friendship magic. He couldn’t match that power, couldn’t even touch it, and he’d never be able to. Nopony, no creature will ever have the strength to destroy the magic of friendship.” She turned to Rainbow and looked her in the eye. “They’d only be able to destroy the friends.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened with understanding and her expression turned grim. She turned and looked off into the room and they sat in silence, huddled in the blanket and holding each other.

“… Well,” Rainbow said at last, breaking the quiet. “Anypony who comes after you, or any of the others looking to tear our friendship apart’s gonna need to get one thing straight.”

Twilight raised a brow.

Rainbow’s jaw flexed. “They’re the ones who’re gonna get torn apart. Limb. From. Limb.”

Twilight blinked slowly as the silence resettled around them. After a moment she rested her head on Rainbow’s shoulder and gave her a little squeeze. There wasn’t anything to say.

Rainbow yawned and nuzzled the top of Twilight’s head. “You doing better now? Wanna try to get back to sleep?”

“Okay,” Twilight said.

Comments

[Vaguely Demented]

A creative mind is capable of terrifying things.

[VT3611]

Rainbow shrugged and her smile disappeared. She looked down at her coffee for a moment, taking idle sips. “I mean, yeah, it was kinda hard seeing you that sad.” She looked up at Twilight. “But that doesn’t make me want to not help. Plus …” Twilight trailed off and grimaced, then looked down again.

Shouldn't it be "Rainbow trailed off and grimaced," Or am I just reading it wrong.

[PresentPerfect]

So, Twilight, you want special sleep-hugs tonight?

Sure, we can snuggle again.

Don't call it 'snuggling', Twilight, that's gay!

And 'special sleep-hugs' isn't?

I'm very glad there seems to be no lingering crushes acted upon in this story so far. :)

[Ughlee]

Poor twi! Thank God rainbow is a sweetheart ❤️ These dreams really do seem like nightmare fuel