A Canterlot Nightmare
Twilight Sparkle couldn’t sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she was met with her green glowing eyes. Every time silence fell in the room, it was immediately broken by her cruel, echoing laugh. Every time Twilight finally drifted off into the dreamscape, all she saw was her.
“Iʼm sorry.”
“You will be.”
Twilight twisted and turned in her covers. Try as she might, though, she was unable to get even an hourʼs worth of restful sleep.
Eventually, she gave up.
Slowly crawling out of her sheets, careful not to wake Spike, Twilight got off the bed and out of her room, gently closing the door behind her.
She crept through the hall, passing by her friendsʼ rooms. At two in the morning, the castle was dead silent, with only a few guards standing on duty.
Twilight walked aimlessly, hoping that the walk would clear her mind and help her sleep. Eventually, her hooves led her down the stairs and into the castle kitchens.
She turned on the lanterns and surveyed the room. She knew what she wanted.
Almost on instinct, Twilight headed for the cabinets. She levitated the milk, sugar, cocoa, peanut butter out and set them on the counter. She then got out the pots and pans and lit the stove.
“The plans I have for your brother, of course.”
Ever since Chrysalisʼ attack, sleep had become elusive. Only two days had passed, yet Twilight felt as though she hadnʼt slept in months. Her nights were filled with visions of the changeling queen - her menacing eyes, taunting laugh, threatening words. She also dreamed of losing her friendships and never repairing the rift between the girls. She thought of Celestia, and her cocooned upside-down body; of Shining and his brainwashed eyes; and of Cadance, and her face of pure terror.
“In fact, if I were you, I wouldnʼt show up to the wedding at all.”
“Cʼmon, yaʼll. Letʼs go check on the princess.”
“You have a lot to think about.”
She didnʼt hold it against any of them. Twilight understood why her friends, brother and mentor acted the way they did. In the hours since Chrysalisʼ defeat, Twilight had been very mad, but now, that anger had faded, replaced instead by terror. Terror at the very real danger all her loved ones were in.
“Please! Donʼt hurt me! Twilight, itʼs me! Please, you have to believe me.”
She thought of Cadance a lot. Sometimes, Twilight had nightmares where she didnʼt listen to Cadance and hurt her. Really hurt her, to the point where she would never wake up.
“Likely story!”
Twilight knew, intellectually, that she didnʼt harm Cadance. But she very well couldʼve, and felt disgusted with herself every time she thought about it.
Twilightʼs train of thought was interrupted by the sweet aroma wafting through the room. She turned her attention to the stove, gave the bubbling hot cocoa a final stir and turned off the fire.
Twilight then levitated a mug from one of the cupboards and poured herself a serving. She topped it off with whipped cream, chocolate chips, peanut sauce and a straw.
The sweet smell of the drink instantly made Twilight smile. She took a sip and for a moment, all that existed was her and the heavenly combination of peanuts and chocolate. The drink was warm, comforting and, for some reason, it reminded Twilight of her childhood.
“Hey, Twilight. Youʼre up late.”
Twilight jumped at the sudden voice. She turned around and saw Cadance standing in the doorway.
In the midst of the battle against the changelings, Twilight hadnʼt had the chance to truly look at Cadance and assess her condition. But now that the adrenaline had worn off, now that they were safe, Twilight could see it.
“Ah, ah, ah. Donʼt want to go back to the caves, now do you?”
Cadance looked tired, to put it simply. Dark, heavy bags lay under her eyes, her body was skinnier than ever before and a few streaks of gray ran through her mane. And without any her regalia on her, she looked vulnerable.
“Yeah, I couldnʼt sleep,” Twilight replied. “Thereʼs a lot on my mind.”
“Same.” Cadance stepped into the kitchen and paused. “Smells good in here,” she said as she walked over to the island.
“Oh, yeah, I made hot cocoa.” Twilight stood up from her chair and went over to the pot. “Take a seat. Iʼll get you some.”
“Thanks,” Cadance said, sitting down. “How are you, Twi?” she asked after a moment.
The mug Twilight had been levitating stopped mid-air. Her first instinctual response was “Fine”, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie to her sister figure. Not after everything both of them had been through recently.
She instead settled for, “Not great.”
Twilight prepared the glass and went back to the island. She set the mug in front of Cadance, sitting across from her.
“First, we take Canterlot. And then, all of Equestria!”
“Chrysalis might be gone,” Twilight started, “but she still haunts my dreams. I can’t sleep anymore because all I keep seeing are her glowing eyes.” Tears filled her eyes, but she her gaze them firmly on her drink. “And if I’m not having nightmares about her, then I’m having visions of how close I came to losing everypony I love! How close I came to losing my friendships.” Twilight looked up, violet eyes locking with Cadance’s. “I could’ve hurt you.”
“But you didn’t,” Cadance said immediately, her eyes gentle and warm. “She fooled everypony, including you. There was no way you couldʼve known it wasnʼt me.” She shook her head. “Itʼs not your fault.”
Twilightʼs tears were falling freely now. “It doesnʼt matter. I was ready and willing to hurt you. I donʼt know what wouldʼve happened if you hadnʼt done our… our song…” Unable to speak any more, Twilight just sobbed.
Cadance got off her seat and came closer to Twilight. Without another word, the alicorn wrapped Twilight in a warm hug. The two remained that way until Twilightʼs sobs eventually calmed down.
Cadance let go, wiping away a few tears of her own. She pulled her drink closer, occasionally stirring it. “I know youʼre angry with yourself,” she said. “But the fact remains, Twi, that you did not hurt me. Iʼm okay, believe me.”
Twilight managed a smile. It was small and sad, but better than nothing.
Cadance smiled back, and then took a sip of her cocoa. Her eyes widened instantly. “Sweet stars, this is heavenly!” She then drowned her mug within seconds.
Twilight giggled. “Iʼll get you some more.”
Cadance blushed, licking off the remains of whipped cream from her mouth. “Sorry I come off as gluttonous,” she said. “Itʼs just… I havenʼt eaten anything substantial in two weeks.”
Twilightʼs previous smile faded. “How did you even survive?”
“Alicorn magic,” Cadance replied. “We can go long periods of time without food and water. Maximum of four weeks, I think.”
“Oh,” was all Twilight could say. She set another mug of hot cocoa in front of Cadance .
Cadance stirred her drink slowly. “It weakens you, though. A lot.” She sighed. “Some days, I couldnʼt even stand.”
It had never occurred to Twilight that Cadance had suffered absolute Tartarus those last few weeks. That she had been through a living nightmare. That she had spent so long without food, water and even sleep.
“What was… what was it like?” Twilight asked tentatively. “The caves?”
“Awful,” Cadance started, slowly stirring her drink. “Time is irrelevant down there. Thereʼs no sunlight, no food, no water, no soft surfaces to lay on and no company. Itʼs just… a never ending prison where all the walls look the same.
“In the beginning, I tried to escape. But I donʼt know how to teleport, and there was no hole from which I could fly out of.” She struggled to keep her voice steady. “Once it sunk in that I was trapped, all I could was cry. I just laid there, motionless, and let the tears fall. Deep down, I knew nopony was coming.”
Cadance was crying now, her tears mixing in with her cocoa. “I havenʼt slept properly since my return either,” she continued. “I keep reliving those torturous moments. I keep thinking Iʼm still there. And then I wake up, and realize Iʼm lying in a soft bed with my fiancée next to me.”
She finished her drink and set it down. “When I finally got back to the surface, I found out that my sisterʼs been ostracized, my fiancée brainwashed and my aunt powerless,” she said. “Itʼs a lot to take in.”
Twilight, who had remained silent during all this, put a comforting hoof on Cadanceʼs shoulder.
“Iʼm so sorry,” the unicorn said.
“Thanks,” Cadance replied, a sad smile on her face.
“I just donʼt get it,” Twilight said, “None of this should be so complicated. Villains attack, we defeat them, end of story. Why is she still haunting us?”
“You donʼt survive these kinds of events and not come out with some form of trauma,” Cadance pointed out.
“What, like PTSD?” Twilight asked.
Cadance nodded.
She might as well know. Twilight took a deep breath. “I had similar nightmares in the days following Discordʼs attack,” she admitted.
“Oh, Twilight,” Cadance said as she gently Twilightʼs mane.
“It comes and goes,” the unicorn said quietly. “Chrysalis just made it worse.”
Not wanting to dwell on it any further, Twilight turned her attention to her drink. She allowed the sweet, warm liquid to lift her spirits.
“With everything we’re dealing with, Iʼm starting to think we should just cancel the wedding,” Twilight said without thinking.
“What?” Cadance turned to her, aghast. “Weʼre not canceling my wedding. Not after all this.” She sighed. “Shining and I talked about this. We’re getting married, and we’re doing it, as planned, in three days’ time.”
“You really do love him, huh?” Twilight asked, setting down a third mug in front of Cadance .
“He does consume all my thoughts.”
The close relationship between Cadance and Shining reminded Twilight of her own friendships, and the tears it suffered in recent days. The girls had apologized, yes, but Twilight still needed to process everything. Their friendship would survive, though, come what may.
“Sorry, Twi. We shouldʼve listened to you.”
This time, Cadance decided to enjoy her drink. She stirred it slowly, mixing the cream with the milk, and ate the chocolate chips one at a time. For a moment, Twilight was reminded of her childhood, and how she used to play with her food as a filly.
“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake.”
“I’m sorry we lost touch,” Twilight said after a few minutes.
Cadance, who had been momentarily lost in her drink, turned to face the unicorn. “It’s okay, Twi. Life’s been busy.” She smirked. “I’ve been reading the headlines, Ms. Twice-Savior-of-Equestria.”
Twilight blushed at the praise. “Still,” she said as she shook her head, “it’s no excuse. You were a big part of my formative years. I should’ve written to you. To both of you.”
“Us, too,” Cadance replied. “Shining and I should’ve told you about the engagement as soon as it happened. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” Twilight said. “I was a little miffed at first, but I get it. Being captain keeps you busy.”
“Itʼs a very admirable job, though,” Cadance said.
“It is.” Twilight snorted. “And to think I was so mad when he decided to join the Academy.”
“Shiningʼs career path was the only thing you talked about back when I first met you.” Cadance cleared her throat. “‘Help me, please, my big brother has left me!’” she said in a very high-pitched voice, in what was definitely a poor imitation of Twilightʼs filly voice.
Twilight giggled. “I was a little jealous that he was leaving me behind.”
“Leaving you behind to become a hero?” Cadence asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Hey, I was doing heroic things back then, too. Remember Sandy Coral?”
Cadance smiled. “The first opponent you ever faced.” She nudged Twilight playfully. “Kinda set the stage for the future, huh?”
Twilight blushed and turned her attention to her half empty mug.
She was about to say something, but didn’t get the chance, because at that exact second, she heard her brother’s voice bursting into the kitchen.
“Cadance!”
Shining Armor was by his fiancée’s side in an instant, sweating and panting. “Cady! Where’ve you been?” he said in between breaths. “I woke up and I didn’t see you there and I didn’t know where you were and I panicked and I-”
Cadance put a hoof near his mouth. “Shiny. Deep breath in.”
Shining took a deep breath in.
“And out.”
And let it go slowly.
Cadance smiled. “Better?”
He nodded.
“Shiny, I’m okay,” she said, gently stroking his mane. “See? I’m with Twilight.”
Shining finally regained his breath, and took a seat next to Cadance. “But why are you not in bed?” he asked.
“Couldn’t sleep,” was her reply. “And you?”
He went silent, but after a few seconds, he shook his head. “I keep relieving a nightmarish scenario where I remain enslaved to her. Where I never find you.”
“Oh, Shiny.” Cadance draped a wing across him and pulled him close. “Iʼm here. Weʼre safe. Everything is fine.”
He sniffed, a few tears matting her fur. They remained still for a few minutes.
Eventually, they parted, and thatʼs when Shining finally noticed that Twilight was also in the room.
“Twily, youʼre here!” he said. “I didnʼt see you.”
Twilight playfully rolled her eyes. “How did you even know we were here?” she asked.
Shining pointed to the doorway. “I saw the light. Oh, and I smelled something sweet coming from the kitchens.”
“Twi made hot cocoa,” Cadance said, as Twilight went back to the pot and poured a fresh mug.
“And you can forget about being my best mare.”
She wasnʼt mad at her brother for what he said and did at the rehearsal. Though part of her wondered how much of his anger was his and how much was Chrysalisʼ mind control, she still understood that he had a lot going on at the time. Maintaining the shield constantly, preparing for an imminent threat and getting married all at once must not have been easy. Seeing his sister accuse his fiancée of evil mustʼve been the final straw. None of this excuses his actions, but it justifies them, and that makes it easier to forgive.
Twilight set the steaming mug in front of Shining. The latterʼs eyes widened instantly.
“I recognize this!” he said. He looked at his sister. “Remember, Twily? Mom and Dad used to make this for us whenever we had nightmares as kids.”
And thatʼs when it hit Twilight. The drink reminded her of her childhood because thatʼs when she first had it.
“Itʼs the Light Choco-Peanut Mug!” the siblings said in unison.
“Wait, wait,” Cadance interjected. “Thatʼs your parentsʼ infamous hot cocoa? The one I tried to replicate, but never could?”
“Yup!” Twilight nodded, smiling widely for the first time in two days.
Shining took a sip of his drink and let out a contented sigh. “Ah. Tastes like home.”
Twilight also took a swig, her mug already halfway empty. “I made this on instinct. I was guided by nothing but foalhood memories.”
“There are just some things you never forget,” Shining said.
The trio lapsed into a comfortable silence, breathing in the warmth of the kitchens and the aroma of the chocolate.
“Twilight and I were talking about something before you came,” Cadance said, her voice cutting through the silence.
“We were talking about how unfortunate it was for us to lose touch,” Twilight continued. “You guys promise youʼll write to me?”
Cadance and Shining turned to each other, then to Twilight. “Promise you will?” Shining asked.
Twilight nodded vigorously. “I love you, BBBFF.”
He smiled. It was the warm kind of smile that instantly made Twilight feel better. “Love you, too, Twily.”
Twilight turned to the alicorn. “And I love you, Cadance. Thank you for looking after me all these years.”
“Oh, I love you, too, Twi. And like I said before - you were the best child I ever had the honor of sitting for.” Cadance squealed, draping each wing on the siblings. “Ooh, I canʼt wait to be a part of you guys’ family!”
“Cady,” Shining said, eyes glowing with love, “you always were.”
Cadance beamed and wrapped each sibling tighter.
Twilight smiled. Sure, the nightmares would plague her for a while, but she was relieved that she wasnʼt alone. And yes, she would have to go back to bed eventually, but she could enjoy this moment a little bit longer. Here, surrounded by her loved ones and childhood comforts, all was well.
Twilight Sparkle would be just fine.