Ponywatching

by ThunderTempest

Prompt #570-Twisted

“Why so glum, my student?” said Celestia, as she stood on the streets of Ponyville, “Are you not happy that your quest is complete, and you can return to your studies in Canterlot?”

“I guess,” said Twilight, her eyes flicking over to her newfound friends for a moment, “but...no, it’s nothing, Princess. I’d like to go home now. Just give me a minute to say goodbye.”

“As you wish, Twilight,” said Princess Celestia, and Twilight faced the five ponies who had helped her defeat Nightmare Moon.

“Well, I guess that this is it,” she said.

“You sure you don’t wanna stay here, Twilight?” asked Applejack, and Twilight shook her head, her throat closing up.

“Well I, for one, am not letting you get out that easily, Twilight. I’ll come and see you when I’m in Canterlot, displaying my creations to the nobility there,” declared Rarity, wrapping her forelegs around the purple unicorn, and soon the rest of the ponies had joined in. Staying like that for a few minutes, Twilight just enjoyed the final moments of companionship before boarding the chariot.

“I promise that I’ll write!” called Twilight with a wave back as the chariot soared back towards Canterlot, her mind already switching back to thinking about what she was going to study next. As she turned to face forwards once more, she caught sight of something odd out of the corner of her eye. Had Princess Luna looked like that before? And Twilight was sure that her mane hadn’t looked like a star field a second ago.

“Twilight Sparkle, pay attention to me,” said Luna, and Twilight rubbed her temples with her hooves. It was suddenly very hard to concentrate on anything, and everything seemed to be going out of focus, so she closed her eyes.

“Twilight Sparkle. Look at me. This is not real. Recognise it. This did not happen. You did not leave Ponyville that day. You made friends; you helped me win the approval of Ponyville. Reject what you see!”

That was right, wasn’t it? Had she stayed in Ponyville? She was pretty sure that she had. Twilight opened her eyes and saw Princess Luna standing in front of her on the chariot. A glance out of the side of her eye revealed that Princess Celestia was staring off into the distance, seemingly frozen.

[Time]

Twilight shifted, unnerved by Luna’s constant stare, and that was when she felt something on her back. Twilight glanced over her shoulder, and saw a pair of wings that were not there a minute ago. She gave them an experimental flap, and her eyes shone. That’s right! She remembered that day!

“A true, true friend helps a friend in need...” sang Twilight, and Princess Luna smiled as the world around them collapsed, and Twilight woke up to the sight of Princess Luna standing over her.

****

“Tis fortunate that I was able to recognise what your dreams were a symptom of, Twilight. That was the beginning of a Nightmare.”

“A nightmare?”

“Nay, a Nightmare. As in Nightmare Moon. The creatures who cause them are spirits of darkness, and we call them Nightmares. For some reason, they only target ponies of exceptional skill or power. We are working to exterminate them, but they are undetectable until they begin to twist a pony’s dreams and as such, we have no idea how many are out there. They twist your thoughts, Twilight Sparkle, showing you how things could have been better than they currently are until you believe it. Eventually, you would have degraded into madness as I once did,” said Luna, and with a flash, the Night Princess vanished, leaving only a lingering ‘Stay safe, Twilight Sparkle,’ floating on the air.

Author's Note:

Written for Prompt #570: “Farewell, My Friends”
The prompt: Not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Comments

[Themaskedferret]

Very interesting take.