Dead in civilization

"So you decided to bring her here? Why exactly did you do that?" Twilight asked, Rainbow was smiling coyly at her and Dead was passed out on a cloud. "Wait forget that, how did this happen?" Twilight questioned. Spike came around the corner to see what all the commotion was about, as soon as he saw Dead he gasped and ducked behind Twilight. "Whats the matter Spike?"

"I-I-I Don't know..." The young dragon said as he emerged from behind Twilight. "She looked kind of scary like that."

"Anyway..." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Bring her in Dash, and then you can tell me about it." Twilight sighed as Dash moved the small cloud into the house and gently sat Dead of the sofa. Dead instinctively curled up once she was placed on the sofa. "So Rainbow tell me what happened, and spare me the details."

"We finished, she walked off the cloud and blacked out when she touched the ground." Rainbow said abruptly. "She was fine until her spell wore off."

"What kind of spell was she using?" Twilight asked politely.

"She had bone wings, I'm guessing it was like that spell you did on Rarity." Rainbow said confidently.

"Yes, similar. She must have been holding it up so that she would not fall through the cloud. But then how was she on it when you brought her in?" Twilight asked.

"I think she cast the cloud-walking spell when she landed, she must have known what was going to happen." Rainbow chuckled.

"I see, well I guess I can look after her Rainbow. This would be a good time to do that study Luna asked." Twilight sighed. "Guess I'm going to have to close the library for the day."

"Wait what did Luna ask?" Rainbow interrupted.

"Well she taught me a spell, but first I need to explain how it works and why I am doing it." Twilight sighed as she began to figure out a quick way to word what she was saying. "To put it simply Rainbow, Dead hides her dreams for Luna. She has done so for so long that she does it without thinking. Luna taught me how to find said dreams while I am awake and enter then."

"So, you will be going into Dead's dreams? Oooo tell me what you find!" Rainbow asked.

"Dead's dreams are unstable at the best of times. Her past tears at her in her dreams and she struggles to sleep happily. Luna would normally help ponies when they struggled in the dreamscape. But she can't do that with Dead and the rest of Equestria." Twilight explained.

"So what exactly does Luna want you to study?" Rainbow said with a curious tone.

"Well besides Dead having unstable dreams, she also sees a past version of herself. Dead's consonance stops it from getting out of hoof. Luna has basically asked me to keep a log of what goes on in Dead's dreams. Not all the time, but when I can." Twilight finished smiling.

"Uh-huh, can you explain that in a way I would want to remember?" Rainbow pestered.

"Goodbye Rainbow Dash..." Twilight sighed as she pushed Rainbow out of the library. "Spike! Lock the door and switch the open sign around."

"Well done Dead you successfully threw yourself into a coma. I hope you are happy with yourself." The younger version of Dead chuckled. "Maybe when you wake up I could say hi to your friends?"

"No,no, a thousand times no. You know this is why I locked you away." Dead sighed.

"Oh no, not this again. Look you are really really annoying. If I could I would kill you in a heartbeat and take over." Younger Dead said threatening the older version. "I was here first!"

"Oh you really think I care that you were here before me? The reason I exist is to stop you from ruing EVERYTHING!" Dead shouted, causing the dream to shake. "You annoy me to no end! You seem to think you are entitled to everything!" The dream shock violently.

"Woah Dead calm down. I'm sorry, its just annoying. Being stuck in here all the time." Younger Dead sighed, dropping to the ground. "I don't have anypony to talk to, and seeing you having fun with everypony..."

"I know its hard, but you know why I can't let you out, but nor can I." Dead sighed. "You remember what happened last time..."

Younger Dead got up. "Yes, lets agree to never let that happen again. I forget that if we merge it would spell doom." Younger Dead perked up. "Somepony is here..."

"Hey Dead! And ummm, Dead?" Twilight called out as she floated aimlessly around the town ponies. "Can one of you get me down?"

"Of course Twilight, but first what are you doing in here?" Dead asked. "And how?"

"Luna helped me out, I would have asked but you were..." Twilight was interrupted by a hoof silencing her.

"And a hello to you... Fine looking mare..." Younger Dead said with a smirk. "You know, I can't understand why I don't..."

"Wha..?" Twilight stunted back. "I thought you didn't..."

"I see what she sees." Young Dead chuckled. "I have been doing so for a long time. But things only just got worth watching."

"Enough!" Dead shouted, trying to hold back a flood of laughter. She quickly grabbed Twilight and brought her onto the invisible floor. "You were saying Twilight?"

"Luna basically asked me to keep an eye on your dreams. I can explain it if you want." Twilight started.

"No its fine, really. Just be careful around... Her." Dead pointed to the younger version of herself, who hadn't taken her eyes off Twilight.

"Yes, always keep those eyes on me! Don't take them away..." Younger Dead chuckled.

"Um, okay?" Twilight chuckled nervously. "Hey Dead can I ask quickly, who is she?" Twilight pointed at younger Dead.

"Dead of course, but for you I could be anypony." Younger Dead started. "But in all due seriousness, I am Dead. A younger version of Dead. I am always inside her mind watching everything. I come out in her dreams when she wants me to." Younger Dead sighed. "Sadly for both of us, I can't come out without kill myself."

"Oh, that's depressing." Twilight said sadly. "Well..."

"Its not so bad. I didn't always watch. At least until recently." Younger Dead chuckled, regular Dead facehoofed. "Don't be like that Dead. Its not so bad."

"Alright you two can do whatever, I'm going to go craft myself a happy place." Dead sighed. "Goodbye you two." Dead vanished leaving a nervous Twilight with a slightly rowdy younger Dead.

"So Twilight, what do you fancy?" Younger Dead said as she leaned into Twilight.

"Nothing right now..." Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Please, you don't know how boring Dead's life is. For like the past thousand years she has done nothing but sit on her flank and read." Younger Dead sighed. "Well can we at least talk about something besides bones?"

"I think I can manage that." Twilight said as she settled down. "Anything on your mind?"

"Tell me about Celestia, I want to know if she has changed at all. I didn't see too much of her when we were in Canterlot. Then again I was a sociopath trying to snuff out myself and take over." Younger Dead chuckled. She removed her headgear and rolled onto her back.

"You look different, but similar to Dead. What happened?" Twilight asked.

"You first, you owe me one explanation on Celestia." Younger Dead pulled Twilight down to her back and moved her next to herself younger Dead was look Twilight in the eyes..

"She is Celestia, ever graceful, always polite, always caring..." Twilight began. Just as Twilight started to get passionate younger Dead moved her eyes..

"You know she branded us an outcast. Well it was me. The other me didn't exist." Younger Dead sighed. "I guess I will tell you about myself then. I am a younger version of Dead, I was the one who was trying to overthrow Celestia. However something told me to stop. I tried to follow it... One time I slipped up and then next thing I knew I was in the back of her mind."

"I don't understand..." Twilight said sounding confused.

"Something threw me into the backseat of the her... Our mind. She became dominant and stopped us. I don't know how or why." Younger Dead chuckled. "We tried to merge but I ended up mutating and attempted to kill her and overtake her body."

"So that dream we fought, that was you?" Twilight asked.

"Yes it was me, well... No it was me, no point trying to cover it up." Younger Dead sighed. "If it means anything, I'm sorry."

"Its alright?" Twilight sighed. "Yeah don't worry about it. You seem to be an alright pony."

"I'm not Twilight Sparkle. I really am not." Younger Dead rolled away from Twilight. "I kept telling myself that it was the right thing to do, but it never was. I did so many bad things, I nearly threw Equestria into chaos. I nearly sparked a second pony/griffon war. I am nothing but a monster."

"But you're not, you are a good pony. Sure you were misguided but you thought what you were doing was right." Twilight tried to comfort the younger Dead. "The past is the past. It happened and there is nothing that can be done to change it."

"No Twilight. Think about others like me. Discord, he was turned to stone. Sombra cursed himself for a few thousand years and Luna was banished to the moon. I was kicked out of my own mind and replaced with some strange version of myself." Younger Dead sighed and curled up slightly. "I regret everything I ever did." Younger Dead curled up tighter. "I hate myself, every time I see her having fun with others I beat myself up. I missed so much... All because I was too stupid to see the light... To see what was right..."

"But would things have been different if you had stayed?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, this place would be a graveyard. Everything would be a graveyard. I would be sitting on a throne of bones..." Younger Dead sighed. "Twilight, I need to ask you something. Something personal."

"Sure thing, whats on your mind?" Twilight asked.

"Never come back here, please. Please just stay out of her mind, it hurts too much, just let me fade away." Younger Dead curled up into a ball. "Just forget about me. Live your life."

"But why? Why can't I come here?" Twilight asked as she got up.

"I don't like knowing what I missed. I don't like interacting with you, I don't want to feel the pain in my chest when you go, I don't want to be waiting for your return. Please Twilight..." Younger Dead started to sob quietly. "Please..."

"Dead, if you really want that I will never come back. I will tell Luna that you cannot deal with the magic. If that is really what you want." Twilight said calmly. "I shall go if you don't mind. I don't want to stress you out too much."

"No wait, don't go yet..." Younger Dead rolled over. "Just... Stay here for a bit..." Younger Dead rolled into Twilight who sat down next to her. "Just hold me... Please, just for a moment."

"Alright..." Twilight said as she gently wrapped her hoofs around the sobbing, younger version of Dead.