A Good Night's Sleep?
It’s finally over.
Twilight smiled brightly, sighing in relief as the chaos throughout Ponyville began to dissipate, everything returning to its natural state of order. The villain had once again been incarcerated in his stony prison, his powers no match for the Elements of Harmony. Oh, how she had missed the rabbits bounding about gleefully with their short legs, the clouds that rained multitudinous drops of water, the sun and moon rising and falling at the behest of the princesses. She should have been screaming for joy by now, galloping up to everypony and giving each a tight hug.
And that is exactly what she would have done, but something had risen from the depths of her being, a feeling that almost overpowered her mind and body: she could not shake that sense of utter fatigue, her eyes pleading to stay closed every time she blinked.
Rainbow Dash finished making several loops in the sky, rejoicing at the top of her lungs that the terror that was Discord was back in his stone imprisonment. Her smile faltered a bit, though, when she noticed the state her friend was in.
“Hey, Twilight! Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Rainbow, it’s just… j–”
Suddenly, Twilight let loose the loudest yawn anypony had ever heard, rivaling even the sound of Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom. Everypony simply stared at Twilight as she sheepishly began to apologize, the other Bearers struggling with all their might to control their laughter (except for Fluttershy, who had instinctively leapt with fright into a nearby bush).
“Oh, I guess we all better have ourselves a nice little nap,” Rarity commented, noticing the small stars twinkling above her. “It is actually quite late already, though seconds ago it seemed like it was noon!”
“Yeah, it must have been Discord’s doing. I’m guessing it’s actually… 10 PM now.” Twilight was not far off, having approximated times for all the events leading up to the success.
“10 PM! I’m cutting into my beauty sleep!”
Fortunately for Rarity, a yellow head sprouted from a nearby shrub, a pink mane covering up most of its features. “Yeah, um… With all the things that can p-pop up from the dark, I-I think it’s a good idea that we all go back… that is, if you want.”
“You’re right, Fluttershy.” Twilight turned to face her other friends, each one a tad bit exhausted from the day’s hard work. “Let’s all go rest for a job well done. Thanks for everything, guys; I couldn’t have done it without all of you.” The unicorn's expression immediately betrayed a hint of sadness as she pondered on the events of that day, unable to ignore the pain, the sorrow. “You know, back there, I really was afraid that I had lost all of you.” Her eyes slowly watered as she remembered how her friends had changed, how they had all parted ways, how she had almost left them all behind…
At that second, the multi-colored pegasus approached the purple mare, a somewhat annoyed expression on her face as she talked to Twilight.
“Come on, Twilight, did you really think I, the most loyalest of ponies, would leave you? Did you really think anypony here would have left you? We’re your friends, and friends always stick together!”
Twilight’s eyes couldn’t help but water a bit more as she took in that last sentence, and she knew then that she would never be alone: no power in all of Equestria would ever be able to tear them apart. “Thank you all so much... thank you for being my friends.”
As everypony advanced towards the purple mare, they all wrapped their hooves around each other, the soothing warmth provided by the conglomeration of fur and feathers comforting Twilight while making each pony that much sleepier.
This just made my day.
After the hug broke, Twilight collected the remaining Elements, preparing to wish her friends a good night when suddenly something in Rarity’s mind clicked: she had overlooked one important detail in the whole ordeal.
“Oh no! I forgot I told Sweetie Belle to stay in the boutique and watch the dresses! I must check if they’re okay!” With that, Rarity bolted away like a rocket, everypony (even Rainbow Dash) astonished at such a grand display of speed.
As soon as Twilight and the others had gotten the surprise out of their systems, they all left for their houses, everypony ready to get tucked in under some warm blankets and rest. It was the least they deserved after having saved all of Equestria.
However, as Twilight was storing away the Elements, picturing herself in that soft bed only a couple steps up, she came across a small detail that she would have sworn was nonexistent until that day:
The crown she had worn had some writing on it.
Ancient Equestrian writing.
Almost as excited as the time she received that anonymous 50-book donation, the purple mare rapidly rushed to her favorite reading chair and turned on her lamp, angling the light to better read the inscription, working slowly so as to not mistranslate a single word:
The sixth Element, elusive to every Bearer.
‘Tis &$*#, the most powerful ally of each wearer.
All power arises from inside.
The crown only adorns but the heart does guide.
That one word… I think it’s four letters, but I don’t recognize those characters. What could this mean? Maybe I should send something to the Princess…
It was then when the fatigue decided to kick in with full force, the unicorn almost falling off her chair as her brain shut off for an entire second. Luckily, she awoke quickly enough to stop her descent, walking up slowly to her bed (after returning the crown back to its secret place in the bookshelf) and acquiescing to her body’s need for sleep.
I’ll send the Princess something tomorrow.
So painful it is to be truly tired yet unable to sleep.
Twilight continually tossed and turned under the covers, not exactly asleep but not fully awake. Her brain, for sure, was working too hard to achieve any state of rest: for some reason, images of the whole day were flashing through her mind, the emotions she had felt overloading her senses, clawing at her insides. At last, the unicorn bounded off her bed and decided to walk for a while.
Perhaps, more physical exhaustion is what I need.
Step after step after step… She noticed her eyelids struggling to close, her determination waning with each passing second. The pale moon shone hazily through the window, the light making her ever drowsier, until finally she felt she had had enough. After briskly closing the blinds, Twilight flopped down into bed, not even bothering to fix the sheets as she awaited the familiar sensation of drifting off into sleep.
And then the images returned.
Turning one way, turning the other way, pillow, no pillow – nothing seemed to stop the barrage of feelings, the sense of defeat, the sorrow of a friendship breaking down... It was simply too much for a single pony to bear. No matter how hard she tried, she could not shut off her brain… until a dreamy male voice broke through her thoughts, its soft tone barely audible in the back of her mind.
“Sleep now, Twilight. Tomorrow’s a new day.”
Suddenly, the purple mare felt the familiar sensation of falling, of being whisked away into Luna’s realm. Her last words before falling asleep were directed to that voice:
“Thank you.”
Had she been less sleepy, maybe she would have taken notice of the demonic, mischievous undertones that lay hidden in that voice. Perhaps, she would have even recognized exactly how familiar that voice was.
“Why, I should be thanking you, my dear Twilight Sparkle.”
“Uuuugggghhhhh… My head hurts.”
As the purple unicorn attempted to look around, she noticed how terribly dark it was, or at least, how unaccustomed her eyes were to this blackness. Still too groggy to attempt a simple light spell, she noticed small glints of light above her. Turning her head upward ever so slowly, she took notice of small, twinkling stars encircling a shining, cratered full moon.
I guess I didn’t get as much sleep as I thought I did.
…
…
Wait a second, what am I doing outside?
As her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, swirls of darkness began to form into recognizable images. She noticed a couple of small red flames some lengths away, the light emanating from them aiding her vision but leaving her puzzled as to why the fires were there in the first place.
Maybe I’m in a dream…
Some more squinting led to an even more peculiar scene: Rainbow Dash, a couple hoof’s lengths in front of her, zooming past a couple guards and knocking them unconscious.
“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?”
“Twilight, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but what’s happening? What are you doing, and why are there guards here? And what’s with the fires?”
“Twilight, listen! I’m getting you out of h–”
The temporary distraction was all a couple guards needed: three beams of multiple colors merged to form a barrier spell surrounding the rainbow-maned pegasus, trapping her movement. Rainbow frantically started to bang at the walls of her cage, but with every touch the spell would shock her, the smell of singed fur slowly dispersing throughout the air.
The pegasus would not stop, smashing into the spell with all her might, once, twice, three times… Her strength was slowly wearing down, yet her determination wavered not as she ignored the stings, the pain, and everything else, because above all, she had only one objective on her mind…
She had to protect Twilight.
“Rainbow Dash!”
All it took was that image, coupled with both worry and anger from the depths of her heart, for Twilight to snap. She began to charge a small ball of magic in her horn, but before she had a chance to destroy the barrier, the purple mare once again began to feel a familiar reeling sensation. An even blacker darkness seeped in and began to spread, clouding her vision and mind as that voice once again spoke:
“Don’t worry, Twilight. I’ll take care of them. You rest now.”
“Wow, that’s a huge headache.”
The purple mare woke up in a flash, almost as if she had prepared for this day her whole life. Unfortunately, the resulting lightheadedness only made her headache worse, the unicorn instinctively raising a hoof to massage her temple. Twilight winced as the appendage brushed over a nasty bruise on the side of her head, an injury she didn’t remember having the night before. The small surge of pain woke her mind up, and she began to take in her surroundings.
She should have been lying in her bed, the sheets possibly on the ground from all her movement the night before. Spike should have been at her feet, snoring loudly as the sun’s rays entered through her window despite the closed blinds.
But oddly enough, she was lying on a small, uncomfortable rug. All around her hung masks of various earthen hues, uniquely-shaped vials filled with bubbling concoctions, and various trinkets decorated with a plethora of colorful shades. As the sun's rays entered through a small window, the glass vials began to produce the most colorful decorations she had ever seen, maybe even comparable to Rainbow Dash’s mane.
As she pieced everything together, she began to understand why her surroundings seemed so familiar.
“I’m at… Zecora’s?”
But wasn’t I sleeping in my bed a couple moments ago? Maybe I’m still dreaming. But the pain was r–
“YOU’RE AWAKE!”
Suddenly, a cerulean pegasus shot through the air and pinned Twilight’s four hooves down, the sudden pressure and dull pain bringing her to terms with the fact that she was, indeed, wide awake.
“Is it really you, Twilight? Answer me! What’s the one nickname only my friends can call me? ANSWER ME!”
“Rainbow, of course it’s me! What are you do–”
“ANSWER MY QUESTION!”
“It’s Dashie, nopony but your friends can call you Dashie!” Tears had worked their way into the purple mare’s eyes as she stared at the pegasus: she fought the urge to use her magic to push her away, unwilling to hurt one of her close friends. “Why are y–”
Rainbow Dash then forced the unicorn up, Twilight expecting the worst as the pegasus inched closer…
And then Rainbow wrapped her hooves around the purple mare’s body in the tightest embrace she could muster, small rivers of salty water streaming down her muzzle and leaving damp marks on Twilight’s coat.
“It’s r-really you, Twilight! I-I’m so s-sorry…”
Twilight simply stood there, completely stunned at what she had just experienced.
Rainbow Dash? Showing this much emotion? This isn’t like her… What could’ve happened?
In a matter of seconds, though, Rainbow Dash broke the hug, looking away as she dried her tears and tried her best to recover.
“Ahem, yeah, I’m glad you’re okay, Twilight. But seriously,” Rainbow continued, all the while never letting her eyes wander from the purple mare. “You really scared me back there. The way you were attacking me, I thought you were shooting to kill! Of course, you’re nowhere near as fast as I am, so there was no way you were ever going to catch me with one of your fancy dark beam attacks.”
…
…
“Wait, WHAT?”
“Alas, she remembers not the past night. Be careful, Rainbow Dash, to not fill her with fright.” In the doorway stood a familiar zebra, various flowers hanging from a small sack carried on her back. “Already you have unsettled her with brash action, you forgot to take into account her reaction.”
“Zecora! You saw the whole thing?” Rainbow Dash was quite puzzled indeed, nopony having noticed the door opening.
“I did see it all from start to end, and I say you were most rude to your friend.” Zecora set down the items she was carrying and began to search around the cottage for some special item, directing her next comments to the surprised unicorn.
“I expected this might happen, so if you wait a small while, I will provide the gift of remembrance in a small colorful vial.”
Not long after she finished talking, she pulled out a translucent, rainbow-colored flask, a small amount of bubbling liquid swirling inside.
Twilight’s mouth was still agape, the cogs in her mind unable to process the information she had just received. As she turned to ask for clarification, the zebra spoke up first.
“It seems you do not remember last night, and though your friend may recount the plight I believe you should see with your own two eyes. Just drink this liquid, but first, some advice: The images you will see may not be so nice. To end the trip, simply blink thrice.”
The purple mare, completely dumbfounded, stared at the potion maker, her curiosity latching on tightly as she grabbed the vial and downed the liquid in one gulp. A sickly dizzying sensation began to take hold, random images twirling around her at high speeds, Twilight’s brain straining to make sense of it all.
Come on, Twilight, her brain thought, we agreed you would stop and think before drinking some random potion!
And with that, the purple mare fell on her side, Rainbow barely making it in time to catch her. As the pegasus inspected the unicorn, she noticed how limp the body was, but when she looked at those once-purple eyes, the startling image burned into her mind: eyes open yet blank, dull, almost… lifeless.
“WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?”