If I Could Sleep

by Mindless Drone

Rating: mature
Tags: Dark
Length: 2996

Some ponies think insomnia's bad. Try never sleeping. Ever.

One very unlucky pony is in a very sticky situation. She has a gift. She doesn't know what it is, yet, but she has her suspicions. Strange dreams at night, odd hallucinations in the day. What does it all really mean?

A story I decided to write late at night that went from a single chapter to a full story. Not all that good, I think, but you all decide.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-28 04:20:12 UTC

Chapter One- If I Could Sleep

     One dark and creepy night, in little Insomniac's room, something weird was going on. He normally couldn't sleep for a maximum of nine hours, then crashed for the night. Tonight, he couldn't sleep at all. His head would hit the pillow, but then he would get up again and walk around. What's going on? He looked to his closet warily, making sure that nothing was there. He sighed, dismissing it as childish paranoia. See, Insomniac is a very intelligent unicorn colt, he just didn't sleep well at night. He could always sleep, though. Even if it was a just little bit, he would always be able to sleep.

     He trotted to the living room of his bare, one-story house, and went to an ottoman with a removable top. The room was dimly illuminated by a soft, amber glow, and Insomniac fished around for a flashlight. He didn't like to use his horn for light because it was a bit too taxing. Using magic for a long period of time gave him a headache. When he found the bulky blue flashlight his dad kept for work, he levitated it up and clicked it on. Putting it up to his mouth and biting down on it, he shined it around.

     Trotting around his house slowly, the grey unicorn colt tried to keep his composure. Every once in a while, he would catch something move in the corner of his eye. When he would turn the flashlight to see what it was, he found nothing but walls or doors. It's just a case of mid-night paranoia, yes? He continued to walk around his house, almost like a patrol dog at a prison. His flashlight flickered and dimmed.

     His eyes widening in fear, he took up the flashlight in his magic again. He shook it lightly, and it returned to full radience. He sighed audibly and returned it to his mouth, continuing to walk.

     He could hear the wind howling outside the windows. The fur on the back of his neck prickled as he imagined a cold breath on his back. He turned, pupils dilated to the point of pinpricks. Nothing there. He shook his head. Childish paranoia, he thought. Returning to his patrol he tried to imagine why he couldn't sleep. His head tilted slightly left as he thought about this. Once again, he felt the cold breath on his back. This time, he dismissed it.

     Soon, his mind began to wander. He started thinking of things that normal ponies would never even dream of. He saw himself, horn dripping blood, smiling at an blue pegasus pony. The blue pegasus was against the wall, shivering and slowly losing consciousness from blood loss and shock. Insomniac was laughing hysterically, the blood dripping down the right side of his face. The colt shook his head to get rid of the thought. His flashlight flickered again, and he saw himself in the darkness again, his pupils dilated and blood running down his face. When his flashlight turned back on, he saw that it was nothing.

     He gulped, and looked around frantically. In the corner of his left eye, he saw a flash of white. Whirling to face it, he saw nothing. He blinked, then sighed. His flashlight turned off.

     Yelping, he backed up and dropped the dead flashlight. He backed up against the wall, sitting down. He saw himself, but white, slowly walking toward him. His amber eyes were dilated to the point of pinpricks again, driven mad by his lack of sleep. White Insomniac laughed maniacally, and Real Insomniac quivered in fear. White charged him, and Insomniac flinched. He felt White's horn peirce through his left foreleg, and he gasped in pain. White pulled back, the jabbed foward, aiming for the chest. He hit directly on target, blood erupting from the wound. White's once amber eyes faded, and became sockets of pure white. He chuckled, and seemingly looked down at Insomniac. "Are you scared, foal?" White said in a booming voice that was still his.

     Insomniac could hardly answer. "Y-yes," he said quietly, gasping for air. His lung had been punctured when White had stabbed him for the second time.

     "You should be." White grinned and turned away from Insomniac. "Because you're about to die." He trotted away into the darkness.

     Insomniac could hardly breathe anymore. His good hoof clutched his wound in his chest. He tried to scan around for anything to help him, but his efforts were futile. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and blood poured out of his fatal wounds. His vision dimmed, and Insomniac blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~

     Delta woke up screaming, her two cuts gone and the flashlight still in the living room. The dreams were becoming more and more frequent. What do they mean? she thought. The lady at the psychiatrist said that she had a gift. What gift? What could she do that was special? She got out of bed and stood on her four hooves. These dreams are scary, she thought, going into the kitchen to make breakfast. She decided not to think about the dream for the rest of the day. Besides, the toast was almost ready.

     The psychiatrist told her to keep those thoughts out of her mind until she went to her daily visits. Delta liked her psychiatrist, even if she could get a bit weird every now and then. She would zone out, stop talking for a little while, and this would always scare the filly. Her psychiatrist said that she was special, that she had a gift. Her dreams could show her things that have happened, are happening, and will happen. Was she a fortune teller? No. Was she a time traveler? No. Then why did she have those dreams? Delta didn't know. Her psychiatrist seemed to know. Then why difn't she tell her?

     "You aren't ready," said Delta's psychiatrist. "When you're older, i'll tell you what they mean."

     "But I want to know now!" Delta whined. "They're scaring me!"

     Her psychiatrist would comfort her. She would tell her it would all be okay. But Delta knew it was not okay. She knew nothing about the dreams, yet she knew why they haplened. She was special.

     She'll just have to wait until she's older.

Chapter Two- Paranoia

     Delta, coming home from her trip to the psychiatrist, which was always late in the day and early at night, laid down on her bed to rest. Her mother, Beta, trotted in. "Hello, Delta," she said in her soft, soothing voice. "How are you doing? Your father and I have been very worried about you lately." She moved a loose strand of her long, black mane out of her pale blue eyes.

     "You have her mother's mane and eyes," her father always said, but she also her father's coat. Her father, Alpha(see the pattern?), is a red unicorn with a white mane and green eyes, and her mother, Beta, is a brown earth pony with a black mane and pale blue eyes. So, Delta has a red coat, a long, shoulder-length black mane, and pale blue eyes. She never liked her coat color. She thought it made her look too mismatched.

     Delta gave a weary smile. "Yeah, mom. I'm fine. Tell dad not to worry." Beta nodded at this.

     "Okay, hun. Just tell us if you need anything, okay?" Beta smiled and walked out the door. "Sweet dreams!" she said from the hallway.

     Delta rolled her eyes a bit. "As if I ever had those." She rolled over in bed to face the wall. She stared for a minute or two, then gulped. "I guess I have to sleep sometime..." she said, and she closed her eyes. In a matter of seconds, she fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A small white unicorn filly with a black mane. That was all that was know about the filly from across the road. Her name was Paranoia, and she, well, had just that. She never came out of her room, unless it's at meal times, and she always has the lights on. Her light blue eyes were always bloodshot from lack of sleep. She knew that something was hiding in her closet. She knew it was going to get her at some point.

     She stumbled into her room at midnight, for she was downstairs staying away form her closet. She fell on her bed, exhausted. She heard a knock.

     She turned around, startled out of her weariness. She squinted at the closet door, almost sensing that something was about to get out of there. Grabbing a pad and quill, she stared at the closet. "When I die, they'll at least have a description of the beast in my closet," she said, dreading the moment. "Let's go, beastie. See what you can do."

     Nothing happened.

     Paranoia frowned, squinting at the closet door.  She didn't want to get any closer than she already was, so she just sat and stared. She blinked, and looked around. When she looked back, the closet door was open. She swallowed hard. The dark room was dimly illuminated by her soft blue glow as she levitated a flashlight to herself. Her magic wasn't strong enough for an illumination spell, so she had to use the flashlight. She clicked it on. She immediately wished she hadn't.

     It was twice as tall as her, and ten times as mean. It's eyes were completely white, and it's coat color was white as snow. It stared down at her, grinning psychotically. Paranoia clicked off the flashlight and galloped for her life. The monster followed her.

     She sprinted downstairs, almost tripping on a saddlebag on the steps. She went into the kitchen, and hid in the cupboard. She exhaled shakily, trying to stay as quiet as possible. It was dark, but she could hear the monster stomping through the house, looking for her. She heard it right outside the cupboard, and it stopped. It stood, breathing heavily.

     It began to walk away.

     Paranoia waited for a moment more. Inhaling sharply, she opened the cupboard door. It was gone. She climbed out and looked around the kitchen. No monster in sight. She trotted out of the kitchen and into the family room. Still no monster. Finally, she checked the dining room. Nope, nothing. She sighed, and trotted upstairs. I guess it was all just a dream, she thought, reassuring herself. She knew that wasn't the case.

     Paranoia slowly trotted up the stairs, scared and... well... paranoid. She didn't want to go back up to her room, but if she didn't, she'd be forced to stay downstairs until night came again. She opened the door to her room slowly. It creaked softly.

     The beast was still there, waiting for her to come back upstairs. It had been wanting to give her false hope, and it succeeded. Paranoia was paralyzed with fear. The monster made it's move. She was grabbed and pulled through the doorway.

     The monster grinned psychotically again, but this time was interrupted in killing it's victim by the victim's screams. It stopped and stared at Paranoia. She was screeching at the top of her lungs, and was flailing around.

     Paranoia tried to escape, but couldn't. She then stopped yelling and opened her eyes. She saw that she was in a magic field, much like her own. In fact, it was also blue! She turned to face the monster. Looking at it closely, it was a white pony with a black mane exactly like hers. She frowned. "Are you just... me?"

     Unfortunately the monster didn't answer her question. It stared at Paranoia for a moment longer, the lifted her up in it's magic field. It smiled as she got closer to it's mouth. It chuckled, then snapped Paranoia's neck. Her body went limp, and the monster swallowed the unfortunate little filly whole.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Delta woke up screaming yet again. Her parents both ran straight into her room. She was sobbing on her bed, her mane fallen over her eyes. Her mother sat at the side of her bed and hugged Delta. Alpha, her father, sat on the other side. He sighed, and checked the alarm clock in Delta's room. "It's happening earlier. They're getting quicker."

     Delta nodded, still sobbing into Beta.

     Beta looked at Alpha. "It also means they're getting shorter." She looked down at Delta. "There might be a stop for this after all, little one."

"We'll just have to wait and see."

Thorns Without a Rose

     "Delta, honey, it's time for your daily visit with the psychiatrist!" It was Beta.

     "Alright, mom! I'm getting ready right now!" Delta called back. She was in her plain white room, looking for her baseball cap that she liked to wear to the visits. She saw it, and put it on in her normal foward-facing-but-slightly-sideways manner. She trotted to the door leading outside. "I'm ready, mom!"

     "Okay, hun! Be safe!"

     "I will mom!" She opened the door. Trotting outside into the bright crimson light, she smiled. She loved these moments, where she's alone in the sunset. There was somepony she wanted to share it with, but that's a different story altogether. Anyway, Delta trotted to her psychiatrist's office. It was off to the North of Delta's home, but it was a relatively short walk. When she got there, she knocked on the door.

     "Now, who could that be?" she heard a voice from inside call.

     "It's me, Ms. Chology! Delta!" Delta always thought Ms. Psy Chology's name was odd. Perhaps because she didn't know exactly what the meaning of psychology was.

     "Oh, if it isn't my favourite patient, Delta! How are you today, Delta? Are the dreams getting any shorter?" The door opened to reveal a grey furred white maned mare. She wore a blue blazer and glasses.

     "Yes, Ms. Chology! They have!"

     "Well that's good to hear. Come on in!" Ms. Chology opened the door wider to allow Delta to pass through.

     Aa Delta trotted in, she surveyed the little house like she did every time she visited Ms. Chology. It was an odd little place, with bright colors compensating for Ms. Chology's lack of spectrum in her fur and mane. The drapes were blue today, the same color as her blazer. Delta smiled. "New drapes, Ms. Chology? Something special happening today?"

     Ms. Chology lauged. "No, Delta, nothing special is happening today. Just getting into the Winter spirit."

     Delta cocked her head. "But it's Autumn...? Right?"

     "Yes, Delta, it is."

     Delta was a completely and utterly confused. She wisely decided not to divulge any deeper into whatever Ms. Chology was thinking. "So, what're we doing today, Ms. Chology?"

     Ms. Chology smiled. "We're going for a walk, Delta. Just you and I. I asked your mother if she wanted to come, but she told me she had work to do."

     Delta understood that her mother was a busy mare. She went to work early and worked late at night in her office at home. Delta nodded.

     Ms. Chology smiled, then trotted to the door. "Shall we?"

     Delta followed her out into the brisk autumn air. She shivered a small bit as the wind blew the chilly air onto her face and body. They walked along a smooth path that eventually led them into the woods. Now, mind you, readers, that this is not the Everfree Forest. Thus, no crazy manticores went after them. They trotted along, peaceful and calm, when Delta decided to ask a question. "So, what's this walk for, Ms. Chology?"

     Ms. Chology just kept walking, enjoying the light breeze on her face and in her mane. "Don't worry about it, Delta. It's just a simple trot in the woods."

     Delta frowned a bit. She didn't like the idea of not knowing where and why she was going. This is also the reason she hated the dreams she had. She had no idea what was going to happen, why, and when. Everything had to be in a set order, or else-

     A stick cracked off to Delta's right, interrupting her thoughts. "Did you hear that, Ms. Chology?" Delta looked left, where the psychologist should've been. She was gone. "Ms. Chology? Where'd you go?" She trotted to the edge of the path. "What in the..." Delta thought aloud. She started trotting back the way she had come. She heard more sticks crunching in the trees. Delta flinched at every single Crack!! Slowly, she came to a fork in the road.

     She stood there for a few seconds, then she heard someone call her name behind her. "Delta? What're you doing? Is it happening again? Snap out of it, Delta."

     Delta turned around. "What?" She came back to reality. She saw Ms. Chology standing behind her with a slightly confused and concerned look.

     "Delta, did it happen again?"

     Delta sat down, blinking away fearful tears. "Y-yeah... it happened again... sorry." Delta sat there, tears streaming down her cheeks.  "I'm scared, Ms. Chology..."

     "I know, Delta." She trotted over to the filly and hugged her.

     Delta sobbed into Ms. Chology's neck. "I'm sorry, Ms. Chology! I don't know why I have this problem... I want to get rid of it. I want to get rid of it now..."

     "I know, Delta." Ms. Chology comforted the weeping filly. "I know, believe me, I know."

     "Why do I have this... this disease? What's wrong with me?" Delta asked, still sobbing.

     "Delta, you'll get through this. I know you will. We'll get through this together."

     "But why must I go through this?"

     "I don't know, Delta. I don't know."

Nothing To Be Said

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