Star Trek: Equestria: Starfleet Academy Season 1

by Captain_Cosmos

Episode 24: It’s a Pony Kind of Christmas: pt 6

Celestia yawned as she walked through the corridors of Canterlot castle, on her way to raise the sun for the day. As she turned the corner, a sudden flash of light appeared in front of her, and was replaced by a mischievous draconnequs.

Discord laughed. "Why good morning my dear princess! And happy Hearths Warming Eve! You are looking as lovely as ever!"

Celestia giggled and smiled at him. "Morning Discord. Happy Hearths Warming Eve to your too. I trust you slept well?"

Discord nodded. "I slept fabulously! Ready to start today with a bang!" As he said bang, fireworks exploded out of his claws. Once the fireworks finished, he slivered around so that his snake-like body surrounded Celestia. "So, what's on the docket today? Other than the Yule Ball which I am looking forward to attending with you."

Celestia smiled. "I have Yule Ball preparations all day, and I have a special assignment for you."

Discord smiled. "You have a special assignment for me? Oh joy! I shall not fail you Celly! So, what is it?"

"Do you remember Jessica Cosmos?"

Discord smiled. "How can I forget the human woman who stole the heart of your most faithful student?! She is everything I should think would make Twilight happy. Plus she appreciates a good prank every once and a while. She doesn't still have that thing in her head?"

Celestia sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately she is still playing host to NM."

Discord visibly deflated. "Oh, boo. How did that demon even survive getting blasted by the Elements of Harmony anyway?"

Celestia shook her head. "It would seem not even she knows."

Discord arched an eyebrow. "Now that doesn't make sense, even by my standards."

Celestia nodded. "Believe me, I know."

Discord shook his head. "So, this special assignment. Does it involve Jessica?"

Celestia nodded. "She will Twilight's date to the Yule Ball, meaning she shall be Twilight's dance partner."

Discord smiled. "Ah. You want me to help get her up to speed on the AWW."

Celestia nodded. "As the only other bipedal creature who knows the Waltz, I believe that you would be the most helpful in this endeavor."

Discord nodded as he sprang up into the air in excitement. "Aha! Never fear my dear! Master Waltzer Discord is on the case! Does this mean that we shall at last get to see a genuine smile from Twilight?"

Celestia chuckled and nodded. "It is sure to be a wonderful night. So long as you can get Jessica up to speed."

Discord nodded and saluted. "She'll be an expert Waltzer by the time of the Yule Ball or my name isn't Discord!" With that, Discord popped away. Celestia giggled. "And that takes care of Discord for the day. Hopefully he doesn't make a mess of things." Celestia continued walking towards the balcony. Intent on stopping by her sister's chambers to make sure she was awake.

Luna was already wide awake, combing through the several bookcases in her chambers. "Now, where did I place "Dream Walking for Beginners"? Twilight will certainly need that one. Also, should I retrieve The Dream Walking Safety Guide? Does that seem a little redundant?"

"If it is a safety guide dear sister, than I believe that it would be prudent that Twilight have access to that one. Safety is important you know." Luna turned and looked down to see Celestia smiling up at her. "Good morning Lulu, might I ask why you are collecting books on Dream Magic? And what my most faithful student is up to?" Celestia gestured to books that Luna had already retrieved and placed on her desk.

Luna smiled and landed in front of Celestia. "The demon struck Jessica Cosmos hard last night. She attacked Jessica using her more painful memories. Fortunately I was able to enter her dreams so Twilight and I entered to assist the poor child."

Celestia sighed. "How is Jessica holding up?"

Luna sighed. "She is, as they say, a trooper. The demon has been attacking her for months now and she has YET to show any signs of mental degradation. I am impressed by her endurance and resilience."

Celestia nodded. "From what I've been told, humanity is quite durable and stubborn. That does not explain Twilight's latest project though."

Luna nodded. "Once we left, she asked me if I would teach her how to walk between dreams on her own, as well as change dreams. She feels that it would help Jessica significantly if she were able to enter her dreams and stop whatever nightmare NM has cooked up."

Celestia couldn't help but chuckle. Of course Twilight would immediately think of something like that. "That sounds like something Twilight would do."

Luna nodded. "That is for sure. Although I would also say that it may be her guilt that pushed her to make the request. She feels as though it is her fault that Jessica is in this predicament."

"Because Nightmare Moon got to Jessica through Twilight."

Luna nodded. "And she would not have gotten to Twilight if it weren't for me." She folded her ears back and looked down at the floor.

Celestia sighed and reached out to pull Luna into a comforting embrace. "Luna, this is not your fault—"

Luna pushes back against Celestia and groaned. "Oh spare me your comfort Tia, you and I both know Nightmare Moon spawned from MY choices. Because I let my jealousy of you get the better of me. And now my actions are going to have consequences for an entirely different planet. A planet that has never before been touched by this kind of threat. How can you say that IS NOT my fault? Huh Tia? How!"

Celestia sighed. "I won't deny that you made some questionable choices, but that was in the past, you are not that pony anymore."

Luna sighed. "Yes, because the old me, AKA Nightmare Moon, is now threatening a new planet, and this time she is within the mind of someone who does not want her in there."

"Well...yes. But fortunately she needs time to regain her strength, and that is our greatest advantage."

Luna sighed. "Let us hope we are able to use it. We should also hope that Twilight might be able to buy us even more time if she can teach herself Dream magic."

Celestia nodded. "If anypony can do it, she can. When she puts her mind to something nothing will stop her until it happens."

Luna nodded. "That is fortunate for Jessica. While I am not a medical professional, if Nightmare Moon keeps the level of ruthlessness as last night, I am not sure how much longer her sanity can hold out."

Celestia sighed. "Harmony help her."

Luna nodded. "Indeed. Now, as much as I would like to continue this discussion, we must lower the moon and raise the sun for the day. Come along Tia." Luna trotted past Celestia and out the door, with Celestia following after a moment.

"Harmony help us all."

In the suburban area of Canterlot, the door to the uppermost balcony of the Sparkle house swung open and Twilight stepped out, followed by a barely awake Jessica. The cool air hit the human girl and she shivered a bit, shaking away the drowsiness. "Twilight?" She asked. "What are we doing out here? In the dead of night in the middle of winter?" Fortunately Twilight apparently had the mindset to retrieve Jessica's coat for her so she wasn't too cold, though she still didn't know why Twilight had woken her up.

Twilight smiled as she led her girlfriend outside. "You'll see. You'll like it, I promise."

Jessica giggled. "I believe you on that one. Though can you at least tell me WHERE it is you're taking us?"

"The roof." Twilight said enthusiastically.

"The roof?" Jeeeica gave Twilight a skeptical look. "Ok. Follow up question, why the roof?"

Twilight chuckled. "Because it's the best seat in the house, I mean, figuratively of course, since we're outside and not inside." Twilight have a nervous chuckle.

Jessica giggled. "Alright. I'll trust you on this Twilight. How am I supposed to get up there though? Because I neither have wings or the ability to teleport, or levitate in any way."

Twilight giggled. "No, but I do, and I can get us both up there so long as I have a good grip on you, or vise versa."

Jessica smiled. "Really? Huh. Cool."

Twilight nodded as she proceeded to wrap both wings and her forelegs around Jessica. "Now, we'll teleport at the count of three ok?"

Jessica nodded. "Any tips for first teleports?"

"Hold your breath and close your eyes. That's a tip for all teleports. Not just the first one."

Jessica nodded. "Alright. I'm ready."

Twilight smiled and lit her horn. "Three. Two. One!"

Jessica took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly. Not even a second later, she felt the world shift beneath her and her stomach churn. Good thing she hadn't eaten anything since dinner last night. After a split second, everything stopped. Though Jessica refused to open her eyes, until a soft pair of lips pressed against her own. She opened her eyes to see Twilight pull away smiling at her. She smiled back, until she felt her stomach knot itself. She let out a grunt and clutched her stomach.

Twilight frowned. "Jessica. Are you ok?"

Jessica nodded. "Yeah...just, give it a second." She forced a hug gulp. Forcing down whatever was trying to get out through her mouth. After a moment, her stomach returned to normal and she let out a relieved sigh. "That's gonna take some getting used to."

Twilight gave Jessica a worried look. "You alright Jessica?"

Jessica nodded. "Yeah. Just never teleported anywhere without my atoms being manipulated in any way. Good thing I didn't eat breakfast yet."

Twilight smiled. "Good. I was worried I accidentally did something."

Jessica chuckled. "So. You got me up, led me outside, and teleported the both of us to the roof of your house in the dead of night in the middle of winter. For what purpose though I wonder." She scooted closer to Twilight and gave her a sly smirk. "What great mystery is about to be uncovered at this hour?"

Twilight laughed. "Oh quiet you. My internal clock says it'll happen any moment now. Than you can go back to sleep."

Jessica giggled. "I wasn't complaining. Now that I'm awake that crazy lunatic can't magically regress me to scare my socks off."

Twilight's smile faltered a bit as she nodded. "We'll...we'll talk about that. But first, look into the sky Jessica."

Jessica looked into the sky and almost immediately, she saw a sight she NEVER thought she'd see. The moon descending at extremely fast speeds, and the sun rising above the horizon in equal fashion. Jessica knew it was princesses Celestia and Luna that was causing it with their magic. But it was still a breathtaking sight to behold, especially when the sun and the moon passed each other. Unlike earth, where pink would splash with yellow BEFORE the sun came into view, the changing colors as the sun and moon passed each other was almost like dancing. Jessica was almost entranced by the display. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. All too soon, the moon disappeared behind the horizon and the sun settled in the sky. Warmth engulfed Jessica and Twilight and they could hear the sound of multiple alarm clocks going off.

Jessica turned to find Twilight giving her a questioning look. Jessica smiled. "Wow. That was truly something."

Twilight nodded. "I know right? It's even better during the Summer Sun Celebration. Because you actually get to SEE Celestia and Luna doing it. It truly is a magnificent sight."

Jessica nodded and wrapped her arms around Twilight. "Thanks got showing me this Twilight, it was beautiful."

Twilight nodded and wrapped a wing around Jessica. "You are so very welcome Jessica." They both fell into silence, enjoying each other's company before Twilight broke the silence. "Hey Jessica?"

"Hm?"

"There's another reason why I brought you up here. It's, about last night."

Jessica arched an eyebrow. "What about last night?"

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about, well, more a question I wanted to ask. And it's one of those things where it's better to have privacy. And up here and right now is the most privacy we're going to get."

Jessica day up from her comfortable position leaning against Twilight and turned to look her straight in the eye. "Alright. What's on your mind?"

Twilight sighed. "Jessica, last night. I saw first hoof what Nightmare Moon's been subjecting you to for the last three months. And I can't help but feel guilty because you've only suffered through all that because of me."

Jessica sighed and shook her head. "Twilight, how many times are we going to have this convers—"

Twilight cut her off. "I know it's not my fault. I know she used me without my knowledge, Jessica, that doesn't erase the fact that it still happened. Three months ago I passed along a demon to you, and since than that demon has subjected you to regular nightmares that are worse than I could've imagined, if last night was any indication."

Jessica sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be the first to admit that it's getting worse. Especially if she can now regress me."

Twilight nodded. "I'm really worried about what could happen to your mental health if we don't stop her soon. I may not be an expert on human psychology, but I know enough to know that it's bad to have regular nightmares for prolonged periods of time."

Jessica nodded after a moments thought. "You got a point. Though until we find a way to get rid of NM for good there isn't much we can do about it."

Twilight shook her head. "Actually, there is a way I can mitigate the effects."

Jessica lifted an eyebrow. "There is?"

Twilight nodded. "After Luna and I left your dream last night, I asked her if there was a way for me to learn Dream Magic, which is what made it possible for me and Luna to come and stop the nightmare."

Jessica nodded, her brain working on overdrive to piece together what Twilight was getting at. "Yeah Luna told me about it. Twilight, you're not saying..."

Twilight smiled. "While Luna can't teach me herself. She does have several books on the subject that I can use to teach myself. Meaning I can conceivably enter your dreams on my own without Luna's help."

Jessica's eyes widened. "You mean..."

Twilight nodded. "Even though we're gonna be leaving Equuis in a few days and probably not gonna be back for a good while, I could still keep you safe from NM's advances and protect you from the nightmares she cooks up. You deserve that much from me for my part in your suffering in the first place."

Jessica's smile faltered a bit, but held strong as she wrapped an arm around Twilight. "Twilight. I would be lying if I said I didn't want you to be my knight in shining armor every time Nightmare Moon gave me a nightmare. Last night was the first time I actually felt safe from the terror. But at the same time, I don't want you to feel obligated to commit to this. You are not to blame for nightmare moon's actions. I have said this before and I will continue to say it until you believe it. We will find a way to stop Nightmare moon." Jessica took Twilight's hoof in her hand. "Together."

Twilight nodded. "I know. It isn't just because my guilt that I want to do this Jessi. I also want to be there for you more than what I've been able to do. This is a way I can help you through this. That is, if you want."

Jessica pulled twilight in for a tight, gentle hug. "Twilight. This is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. Thank you."

Twilight smiled. "So, I can go ahead and request the required learning material from Luna?"

Jessica nodded. "Yes."

Twilight grinned, and then remembered something. "Oh. One more thing. Since I'm gonna be new to this. There's a chance I could accidentally see something in your mind that you don't want me to see."

Jessica chuckled. "Eh, I got nothing to hide from you." Jessica pulled Twilight back into a hug, and chuckled. "You know what makes me like this idea even more Twi?"

Twilight lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

"The fact that NM is currently throwing a temper tantrum over it."

Twilight laughed. "Is she really?"

Jessica nodded. "Mhm. Probably because she thought she'd be free to give me nightmares again once we were out of Luna's reach."

Both girls chuckled. After a minute of nonstop chuckling, Jessica calmed down and realized something. “Twilight, did you just call me Jessi a few minutes ago?”

Twilight stopped laughing and realized that yes, she did call Jessica Jessi earlier. Her ears flattened and she frowned. “Oh, I did. Oh no Jessica I’m so sorry, I know you don’t like being called—Mmmhp!” Twilight never got to finish her sentence as Jessica kissed her square on the lips.

Jessica pulled away as quickly as she struck, smiling at Twilight. “Twilight, I don’t like being called that because it’s what Franklin used to call me. And it doesn’t help that lately it’s been used in a mocking tone by a lunatic with the power to destroy the sun. That being said, it’s, kinda nice to hear it as an endearment again from someone who loves me. And, I could learn to like it again if you want to keep using that nickname.”

Twilight smiled. “Ok. Phew. Thank you, Jessi.” That got them both giggling.

The girls were still giggling when they heard spike calling out to them. "Twilight, Jessica? Where are you!"

Twilight calmed down. "We're on the roof spike!"

A minute later, Spike flew up to the roof. Giving his two friends a questioning look. "Why're you two on the roof?"

Jessica smiled. "Twilight took me up here so I could see the princesses raise the sun and lower the moon. It was a beautiful sight."

Spike chuckled. "Yeah. Magic makes everything better. Now. Discord just woke up the whole house declaring that the Waltz Master was here. I'm guessing it's for you two."

"Celestia sent discord to help me learn the Waltz?"

Twilight nodded. "It makes sense, he's the only other bipedal who knows the Waltz."

Spike nodded. "Yeah yeah he's the only one who can help Jessica learn the Waltz for tonight. That's great and all but can you keep it down? I'd very much like to sleep in for once."

Twilight chuckled. "Go on back to bed Spike, we'll make sure not to be too loud."

Spike nodded and flapped his wings to go back inside. Twilight turned to Jessica. "You wanna try teleporting again?"

Jessica thought for a minute before nodding. "I'm ready for the brief stomach ache this time. Go ahead and go for it." Jessica closed her eyes and held her breath.

Twilight smiled, lit her horn, wrapped her forelegs and wings around Jessica, and popped them both back inside.

To be continued.

Author's Note:

Ok. This is starting to feel dragged out isn’t it. And we haven’t even gotten to Jessica’s side of the festive break yet.

Let me know what you think about that down in the comments.

Comments

[Captain_Cosmos]

Added a bit extra to the end. Just a little something to brighten the mood after that serious talk.