The Minstrel's Coda

by Kiniro

Chapter 6: The Dream Changes

The Minstrel's Coda

Chapter 6: The Dream Changes

Twilight new exactly what she could do to cheer me up, and she definitely knew how to extort an answer out of me. Sometimes she knew my weaknesses too well, but that was fine. Sometimes I didn't mind falling prey to them so long as it was for her.

"How about you get some rest now Kini. We don't have to head over to Applejack's for a little while longer. Perhaps now I've gotten your mind off that nightmare." Twilight stated as she brought herself up and out of bed.

"I'm sure you did." I laughed lightly with a sense of exhaustion.

"Now you get some rest. A good nap should do you well." Twilight said to me with a big smile.

"Yeah after all that... I think a little rest should be good." I responded still winded. "Don't you want to rest also?"

"Nah, I'll be ok. I have to go make some preparations for AJ's before we head out. So the bed is all yours. So go ahead and sprawl out." Twilight joked as she patted me on the head with her front right hoof.

"Alright... I'll see you in a bit." I said with a heavy yawn. "Twi... I love you."

"I love you too. I'll be downstairs if you need anything." Twilight commented as she headed toward the staircase.

"Ok... I'll be down... in a bit..." I stated with another heavy yawn, closing my eyes slowly, grasping the a nearby pillow so that I could hold it close.

Admittedly I was one of those ponies that felt the need to be holding something my sleep. I had yet to understand myself why I did this. I had come up with a few theories on why I did this. Maybe subconsciously I wanted to hold on to something as to not be alone, to feel like something was comforting me in my sleep, or perhaps it was just because I felt something pressing against me to make me feel like I was being held. I noticed that I only did this when I slept alone, because otherwise I'd be holding Twilight close when I slept. Or perhaps just the feeling of having something there was primarily why it was that I did such a thing, but then again they were all just theories I had. Menial, but it made sense of the trivial senseless.

Feeling myself get more and more comfortable in bed, I felt a bigger sense of exhaustion set in. I slowly tried to fight against the feeling, but it would be useless. Especially considering what had transpired just moments ago, naturally I would be tired. "She tricked me..." I stated as I yawned heavily, and followed up with a light chuckle. "I love you... Twi..." I felt my words slowly trail off and become slurred. My mind began to empty of its collective thoughts, the burnt oatmeal, the letter from Meadow Song, and the destroyed book, everything slowly began to evaporate in my mind until I had pure darkness, emptiness.

Slowly the picture began to form. Seeing my old Rival again, on the surface of the moon, seeing her drop the copy of the Heart of Ymir on the ground. Her metamorphosis into a pony, with her dark grey coat, her frightening red eyes, her dark purple mane with lighter streaks, but what frightened me the most, her cutie mark. Just like I had kept my talents from Midgard here in Equestria, so did she. Her talent was assassinations and killings back in Midgard, so why else would her cutie mark be a dagger drenched in blood. The copy pulsating a dark aura, until the two disappeared from the moon.

This is normally where the dream would have ended ,and where I would have awoken but this time it was different, it continued.

"Where am I?" The queen said to herself aloud, as she found herself laying on the dirt near some trees. "I'm... back in Equestria?"

She slowly proceeded to bring herself up from the ground to all four hooves, seeing the Heart of Ymir copy on the ground still in front of her. "I think I have you to thank for this. I'm glad I kept you with me by mistake." She stated as she brought her head up to survey her surroundings, only to see a rural village in the distance surrounded by what looked like an orchard of apple trees. "A nearby town... perhaps there I can get some answers, and I can start my hunt for that son of a bitch." She stated to herself.

She then proceed to attempt to pick up the small copy off the ground with her hoof and failing miserably. "Ugh... damn it how do I pick this thing up!" She shouted at herself. "Oh hell with it!"

She quickly brought head down low toward the copy, and attempted to pick it up with her mouth. "Well... I guess I have no choice." she stated to herself as she brought her teeth around the small relic and slowly clenched it and brought it back up. Suddenly the relic began pulsating heavily with its dark aura. "Oo hit" The queen mentioned to herself slightly distorted from the relic being in her teeth. The relic began pulsating quicker and quicker and began to shake violently, with its handler quaking in the process. The queen attempted to hold on to the relic for as long as possible, but the shaking was to much to bare as the relic was broke free from its grasp, and rolled back into the queens throat. "Uh... oh..." The queen muttered to herself.

With the relic now inside her, she began to pulsate in a dark aura just like the relic had, with her screaming at the top of her lungs in pain. Slowly she began to another metamorphosis but this time powered by the illegitimate copy of the Heart of Ymir. Slowly she relic fused with her, the writing that covered the stone slowly began to appear all over her body. Screaming out in pain she brought herself down to the ground twitching heavily. "My head! MY HEAD!" She yelled out in immense pain, bringing her front hooves to press down on her head as if to relieve the pressure of the headache. Slowly here hooves were being pushed back, as a small growth appeared on her forehead, and continually enlarging.

"What.... WHAT IS GOING ON!" The queen screamed again. "I feel like my head is going to explode!"

For several moments the queen laid in agony and pain on the ground, attempting to push back on the growth, screaming in pain as the growth on her head was winning the battle. After the battle had concluded, the growth with a sudden burst, had a dark aura cover it, pushing her hooves away from her forehead in the process. A loud explosion was heard and the sky had darkened for quick instance, knocking the queen unconscious. The growth on her forehead had turned into a unicorn's horn. The picture slowly fading to black.

Slowly another image began to appear in my head. There sat Meadow Song with his Acoustic Guitar on his back, with tears flowing down his face. He was sitting in front of a statue of what appeared to be pony, I could see his mouth moving, but unable to hear any words. He quickly turned his head and proceeded to dig into one of the saddle bags that he had been carrying. Revealing what looked like a small cardboard box with a piece of paper attached to it. Slowly he picked up the cardboard box with his mouth, and pulling it out of his bag. He then proceeded to trot over to the statue in front of him with tears flowing heavier. He stared at the statute as he brought his front left hoof to wipe the tears from his eyes and face. He closed his eyes, and lowered the package down in front of the statue. He then rose and opened his eyes to meet the eyes of the statue, as more tears began to roll down his face. He placed his front right hoof against the statue, and he proceeded to talk, but I could not hear the words. He finally brought his hoof down from the statue and slowly turned away from the statue and began to walk away unashamed from the tears rolling in from his eyes and down his face. I saw his mouth move one more time, still unable to make out the words, until a small phrase called out to me. "I promise..."

With those final words from Meadow Song, the image went black, and for a brief moment that's all I saw, pure darkness, emptiness that resembled the void that I had been placed in prior to my entrance to Equestria. With a sudden light brightening the darkness.

Suddenly I awoke, with a greater sense of dread and worry. I quickly surveyed the room as if I was expecting something or someone to be there. But it was empty, just myself alone, laying bed. "What a weird dream.... what does it mean?" I asked myself. "This seems to be the same, but a continuation of the old dream... and now a completely new one." At least there was a change in the dreams I had been having, at least I could rest easy now on that aspect.

I slowly brought myself up so that I sat up in bed, and feeling the rush of blood go to head that brought me completely awake. I noticed that I was still holding the pillow that I had cuddled to sleep with. I slowly squinted my eyes and proceeded to set the pillow down right beside me. I then proceeded to pull myself out of bed on to on all fours.

I saw the door to the bedroom that lead to the staircase had been left slightly open. "Perhaps Twi had left it open so she could hear me in case I needed anything." I muttered to myself making sense of the door that was left open. I trotted over to the door and pushed it open with my snout.

"Oh hey Kini." Twilight greeted me from the couch she laid on. "Did I help you sleep better?" Twilight stated with a wink.

"A lot, you have no idea. Thank you Twilight." I responded.

"Well it does help to relax and unwind don't you think?" Twilight said with a light giggle.

"Well... of course." I said blushing heavily.

"So did you have that recurring dream Kini?" Twilight asked me.

"Actually I did..."I answered but was interrupted.

"Boo... all that hard work for nothing!" Twilight sighed lightly followed by a light chuckle.

"We could try again if you want..." I suggested as I walked down the stairs.

"As much as I would like to we wouldn't have time, We have to get to AJ's in a bit." Twilight reminded.

"Alright... but here is the weird part..." I stated and began to trail off lightly so I could gather my thoughts. "The dream continued on... The queen returned to Equestria and she ingested the copy of the Heart of Ymir."

"That is... interesting... you're dream continued on from what you've normally been having."

"Yes... it did, and it got even more strange, she was originally an earth pony, but upon ingesting the copy, it transformed her into a Unicorn, and the writing that was on the relic covered every inch of her skin."

"There is no way a pony can turn into another type of pony." Twilight explained.

"But then again I turned into a human from a pony. So anything could be possible now." I reminded as I walked over to her on the couch.

Twilight sighed lightly. "Don't get me wrong Kini, I love you and I love the fact that you are here, but there so many explainable things that have happened since you arrived here in Equestria. To be honest its driving me up the wall trying to figure them out."

"Trust me, there are sometimes that I wish that Midgard was as simple as this world here, but its not unfortunately," I explained.

"Well it is just a dream though right?" Twilight questioned with curious tone.

"Yeah... I guess so... I guess it's just a dream." I responded slightly distraught.

"Anyway we better get going. Especially if we still want to make it there early." Twilight suggested as she brought herself off the couch to stand beside me.

"Alright... lets go. Let me just get my guitar... I have a feeling I'll be playing the Song of Lutie to help the others gather their strength to get the harvest quick enough." I commented as I brought my guitar up and over. Placing my head through the strap so that it would lay comfortably on my back. "I'm ready. Let's go?" I stated as I brought myself back to Twilight's side.

Twilight quickly nodded her head lightly and nuzzled her head against my neck. "I love you so much. I'm glad I'm able to be with a stallion such as yourself... Let's go." She stated as she pulled herself away lightly to gaze into my eyes.

I gazed back into her beautiful and radiant purple eyes. "Yes... lets go... Thank you for being her for me Twi."

We proceeded to trot together to the front door. Twilight opening it with her magic. "Let me get the door you silly pony" She joked and stuck out her tongue at me. She then proceeded to trot outside out side.

I lagged behind for just a moment to see her walk in front of me. "Hey Twi... before we go... can I write a letter to Princess Luna with your help?" I asked stopping Twilight in her tracks. "It will be really quick. I promise."

"Sure... let me just... ah! There we go!" Twilight stated almost seemingly levitating a piece of parchment with her magic from almost thin air, but I didn't question it as Spike had also done something similar to this in the past. "Ready?" She asked as she brought the quill to the parchment, eagerly awaiting my thoughts.

"Yes." I stated, quickly gathering my thoughts." My Dear Friend Princess Luna, While I do not have a formal report on my magic here in Equestria today, but I do have two things to report on the Magic of Friendship. The first is on my new friend Meadow Song. As you are already aware he was the pony who had his mind controlled by Discord and we were able to bring him back in control of himself a few weeks ago, and I am aware that this is not the first letter about him since his rescue. What I did want to make you aware of, this pony and I have recently become closer friends as we have written to each other each day getting to know each other... I uh... I..." I began to lose my train of though. "Crap... I lost it... I'm sorry Twi."

"It's ok Kini, do you want me to keep this copy of it?" Twi asked as she lifted the quill off the parchment.

"No... its ok. I just don't think it sounded good enough for a report. I had something here... but I lost it quickly. I know it has to do with Meadow Song, and learning to sacrifice for the ponies you care for. But I just can't word it properly right now." I explained.

"Don't worry about it. I takes me a few attempts sometimes before I actually send out a letter or report to Princess Celestia. I'm sure you'll come up with something later." Twilight reassured as she crumbled up the the parchment and tossed it into a conveniently located garbage can nearby. She then proceed to return the quill from thin air from wince it originally appeared.

"I'm sure I will... but at least I have the idea down. Maybe I just need something good to eat to get my brain working on this again." I laughed lightly still feeling the contents of my stomach being a bit uneasy.

"I'm sure it will come back to you after you're outing with Spike. Now come on, we have to get to AJ's to help them out." Twilight stated as she proceeded to trot off towards Sweet Apple Acres.

She would do so much for me in heart beat, to help me overcome any fear, to be there if she needed me. Just like I had been there for her in the past. With time rolling by ever so quickly the past few months, I felt myself getting closer and closer to this unicorn, nothing seemed to be able to separate us. Our bond getting stronger and stronger by the day, hopefully one day... I hoped I could ask her a very important question, because there was no other pony I'd rather be with.

"Hey wait for me!" I shouted and chased after her

End of Chapter 6:

Comments

[Fireeaters]

Lol ponies