Nightmares
They said that dreaming was like diving into the most beautiful experience a living being could reach. For many, those dreams were comparable to a heavenly paradise, a place so ethereal that few could touch it. It was an escape, a fleeing from the harsh reality that life bestows upon us. Among ponies, thie love for sleeping was common: some sought to evade their problems, while others longed for the peace that only rest could provide, recharging them with the necessary energy to face their daily tasks. It was thus, for these reasons and many more, that dreaming was woven as one of the most vivid and adventurous experiences in the mind of every pony.
However, like any coin, there was also a flip side. Dreams, with their charm, brought along the shadows of nightmares. In that shadowy dimension of dreams, nightmares turned into painful specters, weaving a tapestry of anguish and fear. Emotions, instead of being gentle currents of joy, transformed into turbulent storms that lashed at the dreamer's inner being. Creatures of the imagination became twisted distortions of the known, manifesting as distorted reflections of the deepest fears. Those grotesque shadows struck forcefully against every glimmer of hope and joy, toppling them like fragile cards in a game whose rules escaped Twilight's control. There was no way to stop the fall of the expectations of a peaceful dream, as each one crumbled like a house of cards struck by a chilly wind. Every hope collapsed, and a poisoned arrow pierced directly through the dreamer's heart, killing every illusion and leaving behind a landscape full of despair.
Many ponies preferred not to delve into dreams, avoiding sleep and anything that would take them away from the terrifying specter of nightmares, unless they were of a mild nature. Terror, for any foal, was the worst imaginable scenario, but the true nightmare did not reside only in fear. The most heart-wrenching part was the knowledge that everything you ever lived and made you happy was merely a fleeting dream. The experience of finding yourself in one place and waking up in another, in a desolate way, is a cruel awakening to reality.
Twilight Sparkle experienced her first taste of this when, in an instant, she was chatting placidly with Flurry Heart near the throne before feeling a burst of light hitting her. Suddenly, without warning, she found herself waking up in the Ponyville hospital. A single thought invaded her mind at that moment: confusion. Her eyes scanned the room, completely perplexed; the same greenish roof with white waves, the sky-blue and striped walls, and even the same curtains surrounding the bed were there. She wasn't hallucinating; it was indeed the Ponyville hospital.
The echo of the relaxed chat with Flurry Heart resonated in her mind, now a disconcerting contrast to the oppressive silence of the hospital. Reality seemed to have twisted, and Twilight clung to the bed sheets, fervently wishing that what she was witnessing was nothing more than a dream within another dream. Confusion overwhelmed her as her eyes scrutinized every detail of the hospital surroundings.
Every aspect of the place that should have been familiar became a strange amalgamation. The green of the roof and the blue of the walls, once simple colors, now took on an unusual intensity. The curtains, which previously only adorned the surroundings, waved like unsettling shadows, letting her know that it wasn't a hallucination. The subtle sound of medical machines, instead of providing comfort, resonated discordantly in her ears.
Twilight, immersed in a sea of confusion, sought answers in every corner of the room. Every element that should have aligned with the known reality now took on strange nuances. The sheets, which normally offered comfort, felt cold and unfamiliar under her hooves.
As her eyes continued to scan the scene, Twilight couldn't help but feel trapped in an enigma. Was this hospital a manifestation of her subconscious, or had she been transported to some unexplored corner of Equestria? The duality between what she knew and what she saw kept her in a state of palpable confusion. Every second in that place resonated with the strangeness of the unknown, and Twilight Sparkle, still clinging to the sheets with longing and fear, faced the paradox of finding the recognizable in an environment that somehow slipped through her hooves.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, seemed to have an explanation. Not even in the extensive books she had devoured throughout her life was there any mention of such an event.
She struggled to regain the thread of logic amid the overwhelming confusion. She tried to remember, to find a glimmer of sense in the strange situation enveloping her, but each attempt only exacerbated the intensity of the pain hammering in her head. It was as if her mind were trapped in a whirlwind of fragmented memories and torn thoughts, all flowing chaotically.
Relentless pain seized her head like a gust of light and sound, reminding her of the brutal impact that left her unconscious. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping in vain that darkness could provide some respite. Each attempt at reasoning was like a stab in her mind, and the dizziness enveloping her was as overwhelming as the chaos around her. In addition to the brain pain, a growing discomfort took hold of her being. A sensation of itching slid across her skin, small needles pricking her with every movement.
In this state of confusion, like lightning illuminating the darkness suddenly, Twilight's mind was invaded by a disturbing question. Where was Flurry Heart? The peace and comfort she had from chatting with her niece moments before vanished into the oppressive silence of the hospital. Instant concern enveloped her, and she opened her eyes, desperately searching for any trace of the princess.
It was at that precise moment that she noticed something that left her body in a state of shock. Her eyes focused intensely on her hooves, resting on the bed; there was nothing unusual about that fact, but there was in the reason that her hooves were practically smaller than she remembered, they seemed the size of an ordinary pony's hooves. With fear, she brought both hooves to her head, and there she discovered another fact that sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn't feel her horn; it was practically not where it should be, she didn't even perceive any bump indicating its presence.
In the midst of the bewildering reality, she was paralyzed by the palpable evidence of the transformation she had undergone. The horn that used to be a skillful instrument for magic now resembled that of any other ordinary pony. The absence of her horn, the very core of her magical identity, became a tangible void, unleashing a wave of panic.
Her gaze roamed the bed, desperately searching for some logical explanation, but she found herself caught in a brief bout of despair. Her hooves descended to the sides of her head, brushing against a bandage that enveloped her completely, causing her to startle. She couldn't contain the clenching of her teeth and the tremors as she also realized the absence of her wings. However, horror reached its peak when she found clues on her own body suggesting that, in reality, she had never had them in the first place.
This had to be a horrible nightmare. Waking up in a hospital bed, in her previous size, and not even being an alicorn, lacked all logic. What was happening? Had someone cast a spell on her?
Unable to control herself, she began to hyperventilate. She felt her heart pounding wildly, resonating to the frenetic beat of a hummingbird's wings. Sweat slid down the tremors of her body, lightly moistening the bandages that enveloped her head.
The mare, in a state of disorientation and bewilderment, desperately sought any hint that would pull her out of this surreal nightmare. Every part of her being screamed in uncertainty as reality crumbled around her. The hospital environment, though familiar, now presented itself as a distorted stage.
The feeling of loss, both of reality and her magical abilities, plunged her into a deep anguish. The bandages on her head seemed to tie her to a truth she couldn't comprehend. How could she reconcile the image she saw with the powerful and majestic image she once was? Helplessness and confusion manifested in her erratic breathing and the sweat testifying to the tension that gripped her.
The rapid beating of her heart echoed like a reverberation of the fading reality, and the unicorn, deprived of her magic and her alicorn essence, found herself in an emotional whirlwind.
"Twi?"
Between the walls, a concerned and familiar voice echoed, causing the lavender mare to startle. Her heart almost stopped from fear at the sudden appearance of that southern accent. Fortunately, as she turned her head, her eyes met only with familiar green pupils, impossible not to recognize. In the moment she met Applejack's warm and worried gaze, Twilight's ears lowered, and for a moment, her nerves quieted as she finally located someone familiar.
"Applejack?" she whispered uncertainly, still blinking in shock at what was happening.
"How're ya feelin', sugarcube?" Applejack asked, approaching the bed and dropping a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Ya had us more worried than a chicken in a fox's den. The girls didn't get a wink of sleep all night after bringin' ya here. We were scared ya wouldn't wake up. By my granny's apples, ya were in a coma for several days!"
A wave of fear shook Twilight, quickly running through her and shivering her to the core. Her first impulse was to believe she had misinterpreted the words, so she let out a nervous laugh, causing Applejack to raise an eyebrow in total confusion.
"What are you implying with the coma? What accident are you talking about? Are you joking, AJ? I've been cursed!" she exclaimed, raising her hooves in the air, completely baffling the orange mare. "Where are my wings? And my horn? Why am I back to my original size?"
A tremor ran through her body again. The situation was so confusing, and the throbbing pain in her head added another layer of complexity to the problem. Frustration grew as she failed to understand what the heck was happening, and the look Applejack gave her at that moment indicated that the situation was more serious than the unicorn could imagine. The expression on the orange mare's face revealed the confusion of someone who had no idea what she was talking about.
Faced with Applejack's apparent lack of understanding, Twilight felt the uncertainty intensify. It was like being in the middle of a puzzle with scattered pieces, and no one seemed capable of providing a clear picture of what was really happening. Immediately, a shot of anxiety invaded her, filling every corner of her mind, and being fueled by the feeling of not having control over the situation.
Applejack gently shook Twilight's shoulder, her gaze mixing amusement and concern. "What in tarnation are ya babblin' 'bout, Twi? Y'never had wings, and since we met, y'always been this size. Now, 'bout yer horn, well, it's a darn complicated matter, and honestly, I ain't sure if I should spill the beans right away. The doc warned me that yer health is more fragile than a newborn foal, and if I spill the soup now, ya could end up faintin' or worse."
In a deeper confusion, Twilight kept her gaze fixed on Applejack for several seconds, feeling her head spin. "I had them, but... What happened to my horn?"
Applejack's face showed an expression of pity and guilt, wrinkling in a mix of emotions hard to ignore. She brought her free hoof to the back of her head, rubbing her neck. "Somethin' tells me ya don't remember a lick of what happened. And still I'm not sure ya wanna know the details right now, sugarcube."
Twilight closed her eyes for a brief moment and, upon opening them, felt the moisture accumulating in them. Simultaneously, her lip began to tremble, following the rhythm of the tremors that ran through her body. "Tell me what happened, please," she pleaded desperately. She studied Applejack's face for answers, but only found a compassionate look that was starting to unsettle her.
The direction the conversation was taking did not please her.
Applejack nodded, letting out a sigh and lowering both hooves to the ground. A peculiar gleam reflected in her eyes as her ears flattened, revealing the emotional burden she carried.
"Spike came barrelin' down to my farm, nearly splittin' it in two, hollerin' like bull was on his tail. I couldn't make heads or tails of what he was blabberin' about till he let slip you were knee-deep in trouble. Now, I ain't one to dawdle. Not for a heartbeat. I left my apples hangin' in the orchard and high-tailed it straight to the library," she raised her head with a determined gesture, fixing her gaze on the unicorn. The beat of her heart and the tremor in her voice were noticeable like the rattle of a runaway wagon. "When Ah got there, ah found a spectacle that not even Discord in his craziest days could've imagined. Flames everywhere and smoke so thick that not even bees could've found their way back. According to what they told me, ya were experimentin' with a formula from some book, and darn, it turned out worse than a shoe in a tomato crop. Rescuin' you was like tryin' to catch a wild colt, and believe me, with that branch and those burnin' books, it looked like even the apples in my orchard were laughin'. Ah had to make a considerable effort to get you out of there, and when Ah did, Ah rushed you to the hospital. Then, Ah went to get the girls, and when we came back... we were faced with the horn thing."
Twilight Sparkle, with her pupils sparkling like stars on a clear night, nervously swallowed saliva. Her eyes widened more than usual, revealing a mix of anxiety and intense curiosity. "Applejack, I need to know everything," she whispered with a hint of urgency, as if the truth were about to slip away between her hooves.
Applejack, with a touch of anguish in her gaze, scratched her mane, searching for the right words. "Ah shucks, Twi, ya see, the honest truth is that yer horn... well, it done got completely shattered", she said carefully, as if delivering bad news. The air became charged with tension, and her hooves moved nervously on the floor as she struggled to find the right tone. "The doc had no other option 'cept to take it out entirely to keep them infections and big problems at bay", she added sadly. The words came out like sour apples from her mouth, and her gaze met that of the unicorn, whose eyes widened.
Twilight, upon hearing those words, became completely stiff. Her gaze, once filled with eagerness for answers, now showed shock. It seemed as if reality were crumbling before her eyes. Her expression shattered, reflecting the shock of the news. Her breathing became irregular, and a shiver ran down her spine as she realized that her horn was no longer there, that what was once her symbol of power and knowledge had now faded away.
Applejack shook her head slowly.
"I'm mighty sorry, Twi. I reckon I'm feelin' a pang of regret for not havin' arrived in time. If I had just crossed that door a few minutes earlier, maybe y'all wouldn't be in such a dire state right about now." She looked away, guilt reflecting in all her features. "I did everythin' I had in my hooves to save ya."
In a silence filled with confusion, Twilight closed her eyes firmly, as if trying to block the avalanche of confusion enveloping her. Her hooves trembled slightly, and her furrowed forehead showed the intensity of her thoughts. She tried to find logic in the midst of chaos, to find an explanation that would close the cracks open in her reality. Every attempt collided against an invisible wall, leaving her even more lost.
In her distress, she considered the possibility that it was all a dream, but the sharpness of the details and the tactile sensation of her surroundings dismissed that option. The idea of a spell timidly hinted in her mind, but the lack of a clear purpose made her discard it almost immediately. Why would someone cast such a cruel spell on the Monarch of Equestria? Logic twisted in spirals, and the lavander mare found herself trapped in a maze of nightmares with no apparent way out.
The main question in her head was: 'Why?'
Supposedly, according to what her friend was telling her, the unicorn was conducting an experiment that went wrong, resulting in the loss of her horn. However, Twilight could deduce, from the events explained by Applejack, that she herself was never an alicorn. None of her past and present would make sense following that logic. Was she trapped in a parallel dimension? Or did the coma plunge her into a deep dream that made her believe everything she experienced was real?
At such a thought, she tilted her head with a mixture of disbelief and fear. It was impossible. It couldn't be true that all the achievements she had attained, and even the status she thought she had, were nothing more than products of her imagination.
If that were truly the case, then everything she was experiencing at that moment was real.
Twilight, in her static and fearful state, brought a hoof to her head, brushing against the bandage where her horn used to rest, now absent. She opened her eyes. Her mouth opened; a nervous bite clamped down on her lip. The last barrier of composure she held onto fell, tearing like the leaves of her emotional stability. The meager control within her faded away, but she held back a sob as she turned her gaze to the earth pony, who showed total concern, undecided about whether to approach or stay at a distance.
With a titanic effort, Twilight tried to forge a smile, although her attempt not to worry her friend failed. "Applejack..." she uttered timidly, feeling a knot forming in her throat instantly.
The orange mare's face filled with worry, reflecting anguish in her eyes. "What's ailing ya, Twi?"
Under Applejack's inquisitive gaze, Twilight fought against her own overwhelming emotions. Finally, with a choked voice, she posed the question weighing on her heart:
"Could you... could you leave me alone for a moment?" she pleaded, revealing the need to process everything she had just discovered, to immerse herself in that sea of confusion and pain in solitude.
"Ah..." murmured the farmer, her expression reflecting a mix of restlessness and doubt. "Ya sure 'bout that, sugarcube?"
Twilight gave her a melancholic smile. "I'll be fine, Aj. I promise. I just need a moment to process all this, can you leave me alone for a while, please?"
Applejack let out a resigned sigh, her green pupils exuding a deep understanding."All right, Twilight. But if ya need anythin', really, just holler. Ah'll be 'round." Her gaze reflected persistent consideration but also the acceptance that, at that moment, there wasn't much more she could do.
Twilight forced a grateful smile, nodding with heaviness. Every muscle in her face was tense, but she tried to hide the magnitude of her emotions. In response, the farmer nodded understandingly and returned her gaze, showing a flash of concern before leaving the room.
With a soft click, the door closed behind Applejack's departure. Immediately, the unicorn's smile faded. She sat still for a moment, feeling the overwhelming weight of the situation. Finally, she fell heavily to one side of the bed. She closed her eyes tightly, as if she could block out the unanswered questions and the anguish that engulfed her. Her body, once upright with courage, sank into the soft hospital mattress, while her mind was caught in a whirlwind of disturbing thoughts.
She had lost her wings, her horn, and the sense of her own reality. It seemed like a nightmare, similar to those realities created in her confrontation with Starlight Glimmer; however, this was a rather broken and fractured nightmare. Worse yet, it didn't look like a nightmare. It felt real enough, like in those movies she used to watch with her friends, where a pony bites its hoof to try to wake up from the dream but ends up feeling pain and knowing that it's completely awake. That's how she felt at that very moment. No matter how much she tried to make sense, logic, or any other synonym that fit those words, if it wasn't a dream, then she was cursed; but within herself, she felt that it wasn't so.
With the knot still choking her vocal cords, Twilight turned away from the bed. Her eyes burned, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to escape. She tried to keep her eyelids tightly closed, avoiding facing the reality of the hospital walls around her. Maybe, if she kept them like that for the next few minutes, she could wake up in her true reality and find that everything was just a horrible nightmare.
However, instead of the expected tranquility, reality presented itself more vivid and cruel. A torrent of images and memories, brutal and abrupt, assaulted her with uncontrollable force. The library unfolded in her mind: the book, the Owl Brain spell, the explosion resonating in her ears, Spike screaming, the uncontrolled fire, and the huge branch falling inexorably towards her.
Every detail was a stab in her memory, like a sequence of events playing out with painful precision. Despite her desperate attempt to stay on the sidelines of reality, she was immersed in the brutality of what had happened, unable to escape the cascade of memories dragging her towards a devastating truth.
Suddenly, her chest tightened, and the knot in her throat dissipated, leaving her completely frozen. The tremors in her body ceased, but the pain pierced straight into her heart. Her eyelids wrinkled, and in a shaky movement, they opened. At the same instant, a betraying tear rolled down from her right eye, sliding slowly down her cheek.
Twilight could feel a sharp impact on the left side of her head, and although it hurt, a single thought crossed her mind:
What the hell had she done?
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You definitely have my attention.
Looks interesting cant wait to see what happens next
The vivid detail in this is very engaging.
I feel this part would be better split into two separate sections, because I read this on my laptop and for those reading on mobile, it could read like a wall of text. It's very minor, but to me this reads more clear.
I also love the way your write Applejack, it's a challenge in of itself to get her voice just right, without coming off too "country ish" while sounding natural, and you walked that line, like a trapzee rope walker.
I am very curious to see where you go with this. I would recommend posting blogs about it too, and joining Discord groups for My Little Pony if you haven't already. There are a bunch of them out there, and the more places you can put this, the better chances to be seen.
Keep it up, you've got a great hook here, and I'll be following along for this ride.
Is very interesting so far! Your characterization is brilliant, I love the attention to detail, and this is a great hook! Please keep it up as I want to know more!
Lemme guess
Based on friendship is tragic?
Looks like the Ascension spell backfired.
I always did enjoy these types of stories; looking forward to the next chapter!
I'm following this one, please carry on. I want to see where it goes.
Yikes, that is a scary situation to be in.
Judging by the last few sentences, it seems that Twilight really was always just a unicorn.
Wonder what happens next...
Who's up for the phylosofical trauma ?
Great story btw