Nightmare Dove Arc

Starburst awoke to a slight tickling sensation against her muzzle. Cotton Candy, sleeping in the sleeping bag beside hers, snored peaceful, tiny snores, her eyes closed in an apparently blissful state while her hair playfully poked about Starburst's nose. Starburst gave her unconscious friend an endeared look, then gently raised a hoof to nudge her forehead. Candy responded by rolling over to the opposite side, and Starburst, free of the hair, rolled onto her back and stared into the darkened ceiling.

It was probably about three a.m., she wagered. She looked to her left, finding Anthea and Turquoise relatively close in their sleeping bags. Prism and Del slept opposite Starburst's line, and Claire and Illusion shared their sleeping bag just a bit beyond Candy. Illusion had decreed that he would sleep among his subjects as a comedic application of diplomacy. Nidra turned her nose up at this, but eventually decided to tug her mattress off its frame and sleep amongst 'her subjects' in the far corner opposite Turquoise and Anthea.

All of them continued sleeping soundly, and Starburst returned her gaze upward. She breathed deep, then sighed. Dove was somewhere halfway across the continent, the populations of two cities were trapped, and all Starburst could do was wait. The ceiling seemed cold and lonely all of a sudden. Starburst shivered. Dove was probably cold too, she figured. Freezing out in the northern hemisphere, the bitter Winter winds tormenting her from all sides. Starburst felt a second chill, then rolled back onto her side. Her wings instinctively pulled closer to her, wrapping around her like a blanket. She became conscious of them, and began rubbing the top wing thoughtfully.

If Dove wanted to fly--to have wings--Starburst would give them to her. She'd tear them off and present them to her; let her take them and cheer for her as she flew off into the blue sky. A few poofy white clouds behind her, so she could make a show when she pirouetted through them and send them scattering into pieces. Starburst smiled at the thought. Her head tracked Dove's movements about the sky, but as she reopened her eyes, found only the cold, lonely void above her, and she tucked herself back beneath the sleeping bag. She considered turning back to Candy, but decided against it, keeping her eyes transfixed on the darkness above and her mind on the memory of Dove's smile. She kept them fixated there, then, gradually, fell back to sleep.

When she'd reopened her eyes, somewhat groggily and blearily, the light yellow of the morning sun had already seeped its way in through the windows. It cast its light over her face, and she blinked repeatedly to adjust. Candy had already awoken beside her, letting out a hefty yawn as she sat atop her sleeping bag. Del stretched himself beside a still sleeping Prism, with Nidra stretching her upper hooves out above her from a still laying position.

"Well," started Del, checking out the window at the morning sun peeking out above the horizon. "I hate to leave y'all early like this, but I should probably get headin' home about now. I'm already behind in my chores since yesterday, and I'm gonna have to pull double-duty while mom's out. I'll catch y'all later," he said, wrapping up his sleeping bag and returning it to the opened closet before carefully navigating the decorated floor and making his way to the door. Before exiting, he bowed his head briefly to the royal cousins. "Prince, princess, er... also princess," he finished to Starburst. Starburst waved an amused, nonchalant hoof, and Del exited the room. Prism cracked his back loudly near the rear window.

"I should probably get going too," he stated, facing the group. "I've got some routines I'm thinking about trying out. And Whirlwind might need some help with the weather patterns later. See ya!" he cried, giving an informal sort-of salute before unlatching the window and flying out it. The rest of Starburst's friends went their separate ways as well, with Turquoise escorting Annie back home to care for Fluttershy's animals, Crystal Clarity needing to freshen up properly at home before opening her shop, and Cotton Candy, after ensuring the folded sleeping bags were all placed in proper order in accordance with the decreasing frequencies of the various color tones, returned to home to manage Sugarcube Corner.

Only Starburst, Nidra, and Illusion remained in the castle, Nighty having left for school some hours before they'd awakened. Starburst yawned as she headed downstairs to prepare breakfast, with her regal cousins going about their usual morning rituals in the shared guest bathroom upstairs. As she prepared for and flicked about a set of four browning yolks inside a sizzling pan, she frowned, then looked out the kitchen window to Canterlot and the morning sun rising beside it to the east.

"Will you be prepared to act once we land?" questioned Celestia, shouting to her former pupil above a passing set of snowy white hills. A swathe of black entered view beyond the farthest hill, lining much of the exposed land and ending in a wide encirclement, its fume-like patterns becoming a flowing torrent as it writhed against the blue half-sphere covering the Crystal Empire and dividing into two wave-like streams as it impacted against its front. The light of the sphere seemed to flicker a moment, but returned to its vibrancy and held it there, for the time being. Twilight breathed deep.

"Yes," she stated. Her hoof raised to her chest as she inhaled again, then gestured outward in the calming technique Cadence had taught her. She looked down again. "I'm ready."

The pegasi pulling their carts flew on, carrying them closer and closer to the thick of the fog. The Mane Six trained their views eastward, watching the line of fog roll opposite their direction beneath the morning sun. It seemed to reach slightly toward them as they passed, but it was difficult to tell from a distance. Tracing the lining to its source led their eyes back to the Crystal Empire. The half-sphere was massive; the decreased distance suddenly allowing a more immediate sense of scale. It only grew larger as they approached, as did the fog berating it. A hint of sweat rolled down Twilight's head. Celestia set her eyes ahead in steady silence, her posture upright and unmoving as the glow of the sphere grew closer, and closer, and closer, and--

In a flash, Celestia burst from her pedestal and shined forth a light so brilliant the fellow passengers instinctively shielded their eyes to it as though it were the sun itself. The pegasi moved quickly, jolting downward under the Princesses' orders. Twilight noticed the fog dissipate dramatically as her forehoof blocked some of the aggressively brilliant light. Her eyes searched about, then set stiff still, finding a gawkishly tall figure standing at the apex of the fumes, staring begrudgingly at Celestia. Dove.

The carts landed down. Twilight felt a tingle up her spine as she stepped hoof into the wide expanse of snow, but quelled it and focused ahead. Celestia's horn continued shining magnificently above, then ceased, returning her to visibility as she descended between Luna and Twilight. Twilight stepped forward. The Nightmare glared confusedly at her and about its surroundings. Twilight shut her eyes a moment, then, reopening them in a flash, raised a determined pair of eyes.

"Dove!" shouted Twilight. The Nightmare returned its view to her, watching Twilight's approach. Twilight stopped short of midway between the sphere and the figure, noting the flowing white cape resembling wings at its torso. "Or perhaps Nightmare or Nightmare Dove; whichever you go by, heed my next words!" She met the Nightmare's eyes. "We miss you. We all miss you. Everypony in Ponyville. Starburst and everyone, they've really missed you since you left. We always miss you, every time you leave, but this time... we really want you to come back."

The Nightmare stood stiff. Twilight looked down. "Whatever's bothering you... whatever came to this... we don't know if we can help, but we do know we're partially to blame. You were hurting, and we couldn't tell."

Luna's ear twitched.

"I can feel her," Luna commented to her sister.

Inside the white void of the subconscious, Dove feebly raised her enervated head. Twilight's voice seemed to distantly call to her, and she could almost make out a vague representation of her in a white field, bits of snow flowing from the dissolved edges of the image nearly indistinguishable from the void itself. Her words were faded, but recognizable.

"We know you're hurting," Twilight shouted. "You must be very upset. But we're here for you!"

Luna leaned in to Celestia's side. "Shall I activate my dream-walking spell?"

"No," replied Celestia. "Any sudden movements may alert her. We should stand by for now. Be prepared should Twilight need any assistance."

Luna and the rest of the Mane Six nodded. They looked on to Twilight, who continued treading closer to the large creature.

"Dove," Twilight said softly. The Nightmare watched with narrowed eyes. "We can go back home, if you'd like. Take you to Prance or Ponyville. We could see you as often as you like."

The Nightmare's features seemed to soften. Its pose contorted from its stiff, threatened demeanor to a less staunch stance. It moved its eyes down and to the left. Dove peered at the vision intently, Twilight's form becoming clearer and clearer.

"Please, just come back," Twilight continued. Celestia lowered her hoof, Luna stepped forward, silently rising above them. "Any decision you make, we'll accept. If you want to return home with us, we'll welcome you back. If you want to leave and be alone, we wouldn't look down on it. Just let us save you, and you can see whomever you like. Me, Starburst, your mother--anyone."

Luna ascended between the two of them; the Nightmare still gazing downward and Twilight now stopped just feet away.

"We could stop for coffee, like we used to when we'd visit," suggested Twilight, Luna's eyes becoming pure, vibrant white and the spiral indent of her horn slowly yielding to a similar color. The white strand grew from out her horn and began flowing down to the Nightmare. "You'd preview the tricks for your next show, and Trixie would applaud you with that proud glint in her eyes. And you could fawn over Starburst's wings; detailing how large and beautiful they are. We can help you see those wings again. In fact, if it means getting you back, we could try giving you wings. I know it's a bit of a long-shot, but--"

A flash of anger swelled in Dove. A streak of snow splattered toward Twilight, the Nightmare having stomped her hoof down into the snow. "You think this is about wings?!" the Nightmare shouted. She loomed over Twilight, stepping briskly toward her. "You really think this is about wings?!" Twilight stepped back. The fog within the Nightmare's shadow began rising up, reinvigorated with the passed time.

"N-No! I just--"

Twilight got cut-off as a mass of black fumes drenched down upon her. The Mane Six tensed in shock before leaping forward. Luna remained in the midst of her connection spell, and the fog below seemed to climb upon itself to reach her. Celestia flapped her wings down with a mighty thrust and shot toward her sister, her horn growing luminous as she spread her wings open and cast forth the sun's rays. The opaque mass receded, but less than before, much of it still floundering on the hill just behind the Nightmare, who stepped back to shield her eyes from the increased proximity. Twilight lay broken in the freezing snow, her horn only a fragmented jut. Applejack hoisted her upon her back, with Rarity admonishing her own illumination spell to dissuade some of the closer tendrils. They sprinted back as Luna's spell retracted into her horn, returning her to immediate consciousness. She blinked to alertness, and Celestia withdrew her spell, gripping her sister before flying down and rendezvousing with the rest of the party at the chariots.

Her friends dropped Twilight in the back of her carriage, with Rainbow Dash pushing the guard away from the front tug and reassigning him to watching over her as she strapped into the reigns. Luna and Celestia landed on their respective chariots as well, Celestia breathing hard and Luna barking preparatory commands to the guards. Twilight's friends all climbed aboard their respective chariots, with only Fluttershy remaining on Twilight's to watch over her. They hazarded a final look to the Nightmare, but could no longer find it, instead only seeing the large mass of formulating fog, growing larger and larger upon itself. Rainbow took off, followed by the rest of the guards, with Fluttershy and the guard sitting above Twilight in the back of the carriage. The unicorn was largely motionless, beyond the slight twitch of her hoof and the surges of pain and stressin her features. Fluttershy gently caressed the hornless head, and the guard went about checking her health. The rest of the Mane Six glanced between one another, uncertain of what to say. Celestia trained her eyes forward and attempted to keep her thoughts fixated on Canterlot, a lead the rest soon followed, but found her curiosity beckoning to Twilight. She turned to her student's chariot, eyeing her as she twitched involuntarily. Twilight writhed, but seemed to attempt an early recovery, wrenching her eyes open in spite of the shade's effects, before looking back behind her. Sympathy and regret bit at Celestia, and as she watched her student, she followed her gaze back to the Crystal Empire. The blue half-sphere remained standing, still prominent in the white fields. The blue light flickered, before flickering once more. Then, it stopped, evaporating into a stringent glow before dissipating away. Twilight shut her eyes, as the two Princesses and the rest of the Mane Six looked on.

Starburst rounded Ponyville's outskirts, treading the dirt path to Sweet Apple Acres with Nidra and Illusion in tow. She didn't know why she went there specifically--she hadn't shown them half the town before they arrived--she just felt this longing for some dependable family spirit. Working out never hurt either. Well, not always, anyway. Might help to clear her mind at least. Nidra looked like she was going to 'hmph!' any minute despite insisting on coming along, and Illusion greeted the rural view in stride. Starburst did the same, then paused, noticing a slight gust of wind come over her from the East. Flapping his wings above her, Prism Bolt gently brought himself to a land near the gate.

"Prism Bolt?" Starburst beckoned. Prism raised in his head in surprise, then grew a bit flustered.

"H-Hey," he returned, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was just stoppin' by to say hi to Del and his folks. Make sure they're okay with everything and all that."

Starburst guessed he seconded her feelings. "Yeah, same," she said. "Figured they could probably use some help too, since we kept Del away from his work yesterday." She smiled softly, then turned her head to the fencing beside the gate as a second voice came.

"Yoohoo! Starburst! Prism!" Cotton Candy cried, waving a hoof. Behind her, Turquoise, Crystal Clarity, and Anthea toiled away happily beneath the apple trees, carrying with them large baskets in which to store the ripening fruits. "I was just about to go get you guys! C'mon! We got, like, fifty more batches to carry!"

The four arriving ponies entered past the farm gate and, for the most part, helped in carrying and picking the apples. The only minor hiccups being Turquoise's accidentally knocking a few trees to a tilt with some difficult to regulate kicks, and Starburst's fixated attitude making it difficult to talk to her. She kicked each tree with accentuated effort and speed. She carried the baskets in kind. Each task she performed she performed in a vacuum; each one in their own little world. She accidentally bumped into another pony from time to time, but could only hazard an apology for fear of breaking pace. Eventually, during her tenth basket run of carrying three baskets, one in her mouth and the other two atop her outstretched wings, she fainted.

A bit of cold water woke her about a minute later. The moist towel it dripped from rested atop her forehead, and she slowly removed it as she gradually came to her senses. The interior of the Apple Family dining room greeted her, with a small silver basin of water resting on the table beside her and her friends spread out amongst the furnishings enjoying some food. Del looked up from the sofa.

"Awake now, are ya?" he questioned. He stood up, retrieving the towel from her hoof and placing it in the basin before sliding over a tall glass of water. Standard protocol for such situations. "Ya need to take better care a' yourself." A lecture about fitness management. Also standard. Starburst took a glug of water as she listened, noting the lack of scientific data or calmly observed metric to back his claims.

"You okay, Star?" questioned Candy from one of the other chairs. Starburst leaned her head beyond Del and nodded. Del huffed, then left to the kitchen counter.

"Try taking it easier," chimed Prism. "Overworking yourself like that isn't healthy. It could get you seriously hurt."

"This coming from the pegasus with a sprained wing," pointed out Claire from the seat opposite. Prism blushed. He bent forward with fervent attitude, and as the two continued their back and forth, Anthea leaned out from her seat beside Candy.

"Is everything okay, Starburst?" she asked over the bickering.

"I'm fine," Starburst assured. Candy leaned out as well.

"Yeah," Candy mused. "This one time, she ate an entire ten layer stack of pancakes without even a swig of water. And they had extra syrup. She's tough. Tough as nails."

"Whoa," sounded Turquoise, seating his wider body on the rug beside them. "That's more than what I usually eat."

The festivities in the other room continued on. Crystal Clarity occasionally broke the conversation to tend to the kitchen with Del, seeking to exercise the use of her fine palette before lunch would be served. Starburst listened contently to the group as she passed by, listening to them resume the conversation about the various adventures they'd shared in. Starburst kept her sight on them, not paying much heed to the light pink unicorn who'd exited closely behind Claire.

"Starburst," Anthea addressed, somewhat startling Starburst. "Is everything okay? I mean, really okay?"

"Yep," returned Starburst. "Everything's fine."

Anthea tilted her head in disbelief.

The feigned optimism remained on Starburst's face a moment, then, gradually faded to subtle and restrained melancholy. "Everything's fine," she repeated, pivoting her head down. "Not anything nopony else is going through."

"I don't know about that," Anthea stated, tilting her face down to Starburst's. Starburst turned away slightly. Of course she would notice. It was Anthea, after all. Starburst let out a silent, embittered sigh.

A loud series of noises sounded from beyond the door connecting the kitchen to the back acres. Laughter, and a bit of awkward stumbling, came forward. Starburst perked her ears up, as did everypony else. With a clang, the door swung open. Beyond it, a rather muscular red mare entered, then a rather large white horn protruded through along with the decently tall Alicorn owning it.

"Hey Dad!" called Red June to the upper stories. "I'm back!"

"Me too!" cried Prince Valiant Heart, not quite aware of his friends in the other room. The crystal Alicorn lowered his hoof from beside his muzzle, then looked round. Everypony stared at him with a deadpan, stunned expression. He changed his stance awkwardly.

"Hey guys," he spoke. "What's up?"