A Measure of History

James tried to breathe, but his chest ached, tightening with every strained heave. He awoke simply enough, yet though his gaze flickered this way and that way, he could not make sense of the blurs, the fuzzy outlines that denoted reality. Beads of sweat dribbled down his cheek, cold and sticky, and tears, warm and salty, welled up in his eyes, flicking away when he snapped up from his bed.

He could not breathe! He was choking!

He gave a pained cry, sounding almost like a squeal. One hand flew to his neck, the other clutching at his chest. A burning fire seared inside him, its scorching tendrils licking at his lungs. James could barely feel his legs move beneath him, thrashing about like a dying spider. He barely registered the sharp throb, the sudden thud as his body fell to the ground beside his bed. Somehow rising to his knee, James struck his chest with a closed fist, his suffered gasp alight with pain and panic. Another blow, this one even more forceful, and another. On and on, James punched at his chest, his face a cold white.

His chest was fire itself, his lungs screaming like the damned!

“James!” A voice made its way to his ears, ringing through the cacophonous blend of terror and torment. “James, are you okay?”

Someone grabbed him by the shoulder, wrenching him around. James’ eyes barely registered a lavender form, twin spheres of white and violet looking upon him like beacons of light. He gave a gag as a response.

“Hold on, James!” Suddenly, he could not move, an electric tingle rolling across his flesh. His choking fit ceased, his pained gasps forced down his throat. “This might hurt a bit!”

He was blinded by a golden-white light soaring towards him. The fire in his chest magnified, a hellish inferno blazing in his lungs and heart. Then, like a loving embrace, a soothing warmth replaced the agony. It rolled across his chest, a hot stew of restoration clasping the pain. Slowly, steadily, James’ breaths relaxed, the tension across his body lifting, relieving. His colorless face reddened, his taut fingers loosening. James’ vision cleared, his strained eyes blinking away the tears.

“Twilight?” he croaked, his eyelids heavy. Before him sat his host, her face fraught with worry and fear.

“It’s okay James,” Twilight said, nodding slowly. “It’ll be okay.”

It sounded more like she were reassuring herself, but James weakly nodded nonetheless. “I think I will be.” His body slacked, slowly unfolding backwards as he rested his head upon the floor. “Still hurts a little, though.”

“What happened?” Twilight asked, and James turned to look at her. She was visibly panting, exhaustion evidently setting in. He shrugged, taking a deep breath.

“Lungs caught,” James replied, returning a hand to his chest. “When that happens, I can’t breathe, at least for a little while. I haven’t had one that bad in a long, long time, though…”

The unicorn raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on James. “You mean you’ve had them before? How do you—how do you live with that? And why did it happen just now?”

“Well,” James began, slowly sitting up. “Like I said, they’re usually not anywhere near that bad. Something must have triggered it, though. I… I may have had a bit of an intense dream. Thanks again, Twilight.”

She nodded, and the two fell into silence. James could see Twilight watching him from the corner of his eye. Her expression was still that of worry, as if she thought he might have another attack at any moment. After a second, however, her nose scrunched up, and Twilight stood to her hooves.

“Well, I know who we can go to. You should wash up, James, and get yourself ready.”

“Where are we going?”

Twilight turned around, making to leave the room. “We’ll be visiting a friend of mine in the Everfree,” she said, smiling back at James. “You can use the bathroom to wash up. I’ll see you in a bit, James.”

The Everfree was rather peculiar, to say the least. As James stood before the forest, his eyes wandering through its foliage, he couldn’t help but feel that somehow, the Everfree was unlike any forest he’d ventured through before. The trees themselves gave an ominous vibe, their trunks and branches looking somewhat like portentous masks of a motley of emotions. Gloom was the world here, and sunlight struggled to pierce through the boughs. It was a true curiosity, to be sure, and James was a tad apprehensive.

“So, your friend,” James began, tilting his head towards Twilight. “She lives in there?”

Twilight nodded, her ears pinned slightly back. “Erm, yes,” she said nervously. “It’s always a bit of a chore to see her, but she enjoys living in the Everfree, somehow.” She began to move forwards, steadily creeping into the forest.

James followed her, hot on her heels. “I can see why you’d be nervous. This forest doesn’t seem to be the most welcoming.”

“The Everfree is a curious case,” Twilight explained, trotting into the forest. “It always seems to be growing, expanding, and something about it lets the plants and animals prosper without any influence from ponies. The Everfree is really unnatural because of that.”

James raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “That sounds like the way it is back home. On Earth, nature just does its own thing,” he said, watching as one of Twilight’s ears perked to attention. “Human influence often results in nature being replaced by infrastructure and civilization, but we don’t mold or shape it otherwise.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, looking back at James with interest. “Because here, in Equestria, ponies have a hoof in a lot of aspects of nature. Earth ponies tend to the land, pegasi create and guide weather, and unicorns are particularly attuned to the magic of the world.”

James abruptly stopped, his expression that of confusion. “Wait one. You said pegasi create weather?”

Twilight nodded, turning to look at James. “Yes, pegasi do that. Is there a problem, James?”

He did not answer for several moments, his eyes glazed and unfocused. “Uh, I guess not. Just…” he trailed off, resuming his walk. “Kind of hard to believe you ponies actually make weather. Back home, weather is natural, humans don’t have a say in what happens.”

“That sounds like how it is in the Everfree,” Twilight replied, her brows arched as if she were deep in thought. “We should investigate that later—there could be a connection!”

James chuckled, silently listening as Twilight began to ramble. The trip passed rather quickly, and their conversation had dulled the intimidating aura of the Everfree Forest. Soon, they arrived in a clearing, a limp tree in the middle. Several windows seemed to have been carved into its trunk, and an orange glow emanated from its insides, a fairly pleasant aroma wafting through what looked to be a door.

“Here we are!” Twilight exclaimed, trotting up to the door. Once, twice, thrice she knocked, and James settled behind her, waiting patiently.

“Just a moment!” a voice cried from within. Crisp and somewhat sing-song like, it was highlighted by an accent, and James marked it to be Swahili, or whatever Equestria’s counterpart of East Africa was. A few seconds later, the door swung open, and James peaked in, curious as to who stood inside.

It was a… zebra? Indeed, the creature that awaited them possessed the same form and figure as any other pony of Equestria, yet her, and James was merely guessing on the gender, coat was a smooth pattern of black and white, identical to those a zebra would have on Earth. Her muzzle was more pronounced, however, and the zebra wore several pieces of jewelry, gold bracelets and torcs hanging around her hooves and neck respectively. Her eyes, a dark cyan, gazed at Twilight with familiarity and warmth, but quickly morphed into spheres of curiosity, and a tinge of apprehension, as she looked at James.

“Twilight, my friend!” she exclaimed, her smile wide and toothy. “What a surprise, for me you send?”

Twilight nodded, stepping closer to the zebra. “Zecora, it’s been some time! How’ve you been? I assume you’ve been well?”

“Indeed I am, but pay me no mind. For, who is this lamb, and will he be kind?”

James raised an eyebrow, finding Zecora’s manner of speech to be peculiar. Twilight giggled, looking back at James.

“Oh, James here? He’s fine, harmless. In fact, he is the reason I’m here,” she said, and James could not help but frown at her description of him. Harmless? He wouldn’t hurt a fly, or so he liked to think, but he wasn’t some innocent puppy to be coddled.

Zecora, on her part, shifted her gaze to James, her ears cocked as she tilted her head. “Is that so, and you are not foe?”

James nodded in affirmation, giving the zebra a kind smile. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I’m not a‘foe,’ perse but I do have a problem, and Twilight told me you could fix it, or at least help me.”

“Yes, yes, come inside, and in me you can confide.” She gestured for Twilight and James to enter, backing into her hut. After a moment, Twilight walked in, James following her. The aroma he had smelled earlier had grown in magnitude, its pungent scent containing hints of herbs and plants mixed together. Wooden masks were arranged upon the walls, each displaying a different emotion, while shelves upon shelves held a plethora of bottles and glasses. In the middle, a black cauldron sat above a roaring fire, a bubbling concoction boiling and toiling within.

“Welcome to my hut, I hope you find it comely. Please excuse the mess, you arrived rather abruptly,” Zecora intoned, motioning around her hut.

Twilight shook her head, smiling at Zecora. “It’s no problem, Zecora, though I’m sorry we came on such short notice. But we could use some of your… medical expertise.” Zecora’s head titled, gesturing for Twilight to continue. “You see, James here has a bit of a… problem. This morning, when he woke up, his lungs had caught, and he couldn’t breathe.”

“And what is the cause, so that I may find the right gauze?”

The unicorn turned to James, urging him to explain. He gave a low sigh, before explaining. “My lungs, uh, they may have had a hole in them at one point or another,” he said, shrugging. “I’m not going to explain what happened, but I can assure you that it has been fixed, to an extent. I still have trouble breathing, but I haven’t had any sort of attack like the one this morning in a long, long time.”

Zecora slowly nodded, while Twilight merely stared in mild sympathy. He had told her the same earlier, before they had departed for the Everfree, but while she had pressed further for a bit, curious to learn more about his injury, James had been loath to explain.

“Well, I may have a solution, so there is no need to fret. Merely come with me, and you’ll find your needs will be met,” Zecora replied, turning towards her cauldron. After a moment of hesitation, James followed, staring anxiously into the cauldron’s contents.

“Hm,” Zecora began, a hoof scratching her chin as she stood in thought. “A dash of aloe, and perhaps a little lily. And a certain pinch of Dusk’s Bright, a gift from a certain filly.” Quickly, with a hint of tribal grace, the zebra wandered across her shelves, picking a variety of herbs and plants from the walls.

James raised a finger, attempting to speak. “Uh, what, exactly, are we trying to accomplish here? You think these plants are going to help?”

“Indeed they will, but we must not spill,” Zecora threw her ingredients into the cauldron, the bubbly liquid hissing and steaming in response as wispy trails of smoke rose from the concoction. “For, while I have plenty of peppermint, eucalyptus is what I must hint. Too much, and it will burn, and with too little your brain will churn.”

“Oh,” James muttered, his eyes wide. “You—you’re sure this will help. Because, well, I don’t think I really need it that much…” He felt a punch on his leg, wincing as Twilight glared up at him.

“You’ll be fine, James. Zecora knows what she is doing, and I’d really rather not see you suffering like you were in the morning again.”

James raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine, it’s no problem,” he said, continuing to watch Zecora. “Sorry for questioning you, Zecora.”

“Do not worry, my dear friend,” Zecora replied, steadily raising a ladle as she turned back to James. “Though, I am sure that with this brew, your ailments will mend.” She motioned for him to drink.

James frowned, but after a moment of hesitation, accompanied by another nudge from Twilight, he took a sip from the ladle, swallowing the potion. It tasted rather bland, and at first, he felt nothing, but soon, a warm, soothing sensation, not unlike the feel of Twilight’s magic earlier in the morning, set within him, seemingly resting where his heart would be. He felt a bit of strength return to his limbs, strength that he had been sorely lacking in the past.

“This,” he began, holding a hand at his chest. “This… I feel wonderful!” James took a deep breath, savoring his long-forgotten ability to suck in a bountiful amount of air and oxygen. “I haven’t felt this good in a long time!”

Zecora smiled at him, her eyes happy. “This is good to hear, and I am sure you are glad. But please to take care, for you only drank a tad.”

James chuckled, his spirits rising. He placed a hand on Zecora’s back, looking down at her gratefully. “Thanks, Zecora. I really appreciate it. I don’t know I can repay you for this.”

“Repay me with your friendship, that is all I need. It is good to see a fellow so agreed,” Zecora rhymed, turning back to her cauldron. “You will need more though, I am sure, so I will make extra, and deliver to you your cure.”

Twilight stepped forwards, nodding towards Zecora. “Thank you very much, Zecora. You’ve been a great help. Have good day!”

Princess Luna knocked her hoof upon the door once, twice, before standing back. A moment later, her sister’s voice called from inside, melodic and pleasant.

“Luna? Is that you?” The door swung open and, inside, Luna could see Celestia sitting in her usual place. The fireplace before her was lit, its flames a warm orange, and a red quill floated in her magical grasp, scribbling away at a piece of parchment. Celestia looked up, smiling at Luna.

“Come in, Luna, come in!” she enticed, gesturing with her head. Returning her smile, Luna entered Celestia’s private room, the shoes around her hooves seamlessly sailing across the lavender carpet.

“Writing back to Twilight, Celestia?” Luna asked, coming to a stop above her sister. She sat down beside Celestia, her fur rubbing softly against that of her sister. “What has she told you about this time?”

Celestia giggled, returning her attention to the letter. “Oh, nothing important, for the most part. No friendship problem this time, though I hope she's learnt her lesson by now.” She dipped her quill in a pot of ink before resuming her writing. “Honestly, I can’t believe the filly thought she needed to send me a letter about a friendship problem every week.”

She rolled her eyes, giving Luna an amused look as her ears pinned to the sides of her head. After a moment, the two sisters broke into laughter, their voices carrying throughout the small room.

“Oh yes, you did tell me about that. How long ago was it? A few months ago?” Luna said between giggles, shaking her head. “Does say a lot about her character, though, doesn’t it?”

Celestia nodded, her laughter trailing off as she resumed her grip on her quill. “I guess it does, Lulu. Though,” she momentarily looked up, a contemplative expression on her face. “There was a matter of note. Twilight wrote to me about her and James’ first session.”

Luna leaned in, cautious interest gleaming in her eyes. “Hm? And what did we learn?”

Her sister shook her head. “Not much, but some of it was noteworthy. From what Twilight told me in her letter, it’s very clear that we’re not dealing with them,” Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Unless, of course, James Volker is lying. Which brings me to why I summoned you here, Luna.”

“About his dreams?”

Celestia nodded, setting her quill and parchment down. “Yes, that is correct. Sister, I trust you’ve looked into James’ dreams? What did you see?”

Luna was silent for several moments, thinking carefully on her next words. “Well, Tia, after what I saw last night, I must agree. James is clearly not one of the humans we’ve known.”

“What did he dream of?”

She sighed, looking away. “I think he dreamed of his foalhood. I saw a small foal—child, I guess. Acting much like a foal would, climbing into a tree as his mother scolded him,” Luna answered, before setting her gaze on her sister. “What I saw was a rather personal moment between mother and son, but I could also tell that things would not be as pleasant in the future. There was just… a rather unfortunate augur of things to come.”

“Anything else, Lulu?” Celestia prodded, leaning in.

Luna shook her head, a frown creeping across her mouth. “No, nothing else, but,” she trailed off, her eyes focused on those of her sister. “I’m afraid I’m not comfortable with looking into any more of James’ dreams. It seems like an invasion of privacy, peeking into all of these moments that are very clearly close to James’ heart.”

After a moment, Celestia placed a hoof on Luna’s shoulder. “Luna, I’m sorry. But we have to do this—you have to do this!” She began to rub her sister’s shoulder, massaging it slowly. “I understand you’re not completely comfortable with this, but, if not for me, do it for our little ponies. Just for a little while longer, so that we can be sure Equestria is safe.”

Luna did not answer immediately, lowering her head. Could she really continue her spying? True, one of her jobs as the Princess of the Night was to tend to ponies’ dreams, and soothe their fears and their nightmares, but that did not mean she actively observed on their every dream and vision, like an unwelcome outsider. But she knew Celestia was correct—her job was to keep the ponies of Equestria safe, and if it meant spying on just a few more of James Volker’s dreams, then she would have to endure it.

“Okay, Tia,” she finally responded, nodding her head. “I will do it, for a little longer.” Only as far as to make certain James was not their enemy. Celestia simply nodded, giving Luna a warm, loving smile.

“Thank you, Lulu.”