An unknown sensation

Glimmer's plan went perfectly.

Exploiting that Twilight felt the way she did in the visions when she received them, the imaginary pegasus had shown her a vision of being in deep sleep. The unicorn hadn't been able to resist falling asleep in the real world as a reaction.

Now, she formed a fake vision of breaking up with Midnight, and made Twilight wake up into a dreamt picnic, modeled after what would be real.

Twilight, unaware of her plan, stood up, stretched her legs, and asked about Midnight's progress on explaining her little secret.

"Yup, she told us all about your little flaw. Don't worry Twilight, everypony has one!" Pinkie happily responded.

"I wouldn't necessarily call it flaw... unless you mean that useless pegasus that nests in my brain."

"I know, accepting a diagnosis is hard. But just try to let somepony help you, ok?"

Twilight was confused. Either her friends were pulling a prank on her, or...

"Glimmer, come out."

"What are you talking about?"

"Unless Discord has returned in the minute I was sleeping, that's not normal behaviour from my real friends. Make it easier for us both and unmask this dream, Glimmer."

*Author's note: For dramatic effect, add Hans Zimmer - Dream is Collapsing here*

"Fine."

Most of the ponies around her faded. Only Rainbow Dash remained, which turned into the pegasus Twilight hated so much.

"Good. Now, I don't know what you're trying to achieve anyway, but let me demonstrate something."

Her horn lit up, and after a flash of magic, the flowers around them were gone.

"Do you know what makes objects in a dream vanish permanently?"

"Nothing, as long as the dreamer has any memory of the object... you wouldn't!"

"Smart girl. At least you're doing something with the brain you're living in. I don't think I have to tell you what I'm just waiting to try that spell on."

"And give up the only incarnation of Clairvoyance that Equestria has seen for almost a milennium?"

"To make you shut up? Anytime."

While the pegasus was not technically alive, she still feared for her life, and decided she should better stop and get away with it.

"But I gotta know... How did you find out so quickly?"

"Whenever you do something, it's on resources of MY brain. Simple enough, I have found out where you live and can tune in to that location to find out what you're up to."

With that, Twilight ended the dream and woke up.

"She's stirring."

"Good mornin', Twi'. Had a nice lil' nap?"

"Ngh... I hate that pegasus. Put me down with a vision of sleep, then put me in a copy of this situation, but you were all acting as if Discord had returned..."

"My. But why would she do that?" Fluttershy was unvoluntarily reminded of how she had behaved after being hypnotised by Discord.

"No idea. But I think she won't try that again. Got her pretty intimidated."

"Did you drop her all the way from Cloudsdale and caught her no five meters above the ground?" Rainbow Dash's statement was meant as a joke, yet it caused Fluttershy to  shrink from remembering how that felt. Only then it hadn't been Twilight, but a swarm of Butterflies to catch her.

"Put her in front of a mad dragon?"

"Threw a Parasprite in her home?"

"Girls, you may want to stop." Midnight's voice suddenly interrupted the swell of suggestions from the group. "I don't think Fluttershy could handle it if you continued."

The pegasus was cowering in the grass, hooves covering her face, quietly whimpering.

Everypony in the group felt guilty. As Applejack approached Fluttershy to calm her, Rainbow Dash unfolded her wings just in case her shy friend would just bolt off in shock and had to be caught.

"Hush. It's all good. Ah guess we all kinda forgot what you had to go through. Do you wanna talk about it?"

The pegasus looked up, revealing eyes filled with tears ready to flow down her cheeks.

"Oh, no, I just... lost control." She tried to force a smile, but squeezed out the tears in her eyes by doing so.

"I had no idea all of those things would be so hard on your mind. Please Fluttershy, repressing your fears and cowering down when they're brought up is not the way to deal with them."

She looked around, but all she saw were concerned faces on all of her friends, including Midnight.

"Alright. But this might take a while. I warned you."

To help ease up the situation, Midnight made seven bottles of Sasparilla float out of the basket and distribute among the ponies.

"To the new love." She whispered to Twilight, raising her bottle.

"To us."

The picnic hadn't run as nice as planned. Good thing about that was, Fluttershy now seemed a lot more stable, after three hours of talking about her past and fears.

It had taken much listening and reassuring, but eventually, all the problems she had repressed could be treated.

It was already dark when the couple returned to Ponyville's library.

"Strange. Why is this door not locked?" Twilight asked. Moments later, realisation started to dawn on her. "Spike!"

"What now, Sparkle?"

"My assistant! He should return from Canterlot today! Oh, I hope he isn't too mad I completely forgot about him." She rushed inside.

The baby dragon was busy sorting the books Twilight had just stuffed into the shelves where they seemed fit.

"Oh hey Twilight. Glad to see you at last."

"Spike, I'm so sorry..." She began, but Spike cut her off, staring at Midnight.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad. Soo, do I finally get my own room? Who's that pony over there? Wait... That medical Cutie Mark has nothing to say, right? She's not here for me, right?"

"Not really. Not yet, at least. But as soon as you cute little dragon develop the slightest cough, I'll be there." Midnight headed towards the kitchen to make everyone a warm drink.

"Why is she here, then? Twilight, I don't understand!"

"That's a long talk we must have, Spike."

For the situation he was thrown into, Spike took the news of his mistress' new love pretty well.

"That explains the big new bed..."

"Oh Spike, I'm so glad you understand."

"Yeah. I just wouldn't have thought it possible. I mean, sure, Applejack and Rainbow Dash always had a thing for each other, but you? I'd have expected Big Mac or something."

"You never know where love strikes."

"I need to think about that..." He went upstairs, into his new bedroom. "Erm, Twilight, where's my basket?" he called down.

"Oh, I didn't think you wanted to keep curling up in a basket like a dog, so you can sleep in my old bed."

"If you say so."

Spike vanished behind the door, leaving Midnight and Twilight seated at the table. A feature of the new walls the unicorns hadn't mentioned to him was that they were enchanted to be completely soundproof. Spike shouldn't be disturbed in his sleep by them that way.

They didn't talk. All that happened was that Midnight pulled her marefriend in for a deep kiss.

"What happens now?"

"Now? I have to go practice medicine." Midnight responded, pointing to the work plan on the wall. Her work was flexible and dependent mostly on Ponyville's health, but she had to work a general four days a week.

"Right. Well, see you for dinner, then."

"What are you going to do?"

"Rarity's currently not busy, so I'll go see what she has to show me."

"You be careful."

"You too."

"If you insist. But I have to warn you, this might not be easy on you."

"Oh, come on. What could you possibly have to show me that could be so terrible?"

"You'll see it when we're there." With that, the designer trotted out of her boutique, signaling for Twilight to follow.

"Don't ask and I won't answer. Aw, don't you worry, it's nothing like Rainbow Dash suddenly died or something."

"Why should it be..."

"Well, how did you say does that Glimmer pegasus inside you look again?"

"Silver to gray coat, golden mane, jewelry Cutie Mark. Why're you asking?"

"Just making sure."

Her pace quickened, avoiding any questions Twilight may have for her.

"There we are."

"Er, why exactly are we at the church?"

You don't want to come here. Curiosity killed the pegasus.

Out of curiosity, but also to disobey Glimmer, she headed inside the graveyard after Rarity.

"There."

Don't look, don't look! Quick, where's a nice and long vision to show you?

Twilight's eyes fell upon a tombstone with a jewelry necklace carved into it. It was tradition in Ponyville to carve a pony's Cutie Mark into their tombstone.

Upon closer inspection, she could read:

"Here lies the pegasus Glimmer

Her sacrifice saved many other

    pegasi from her fate."

"You don't mean..."

"She was the first pegasus in this region to be hit by lightning. Plummeted downwards, unable to fly, and hit hard ground."

"No, she can't possibly have manifested inside me. Or could she?"

Twilight, unsure of everything, started to conjure a single flower to put on the grave.

Moon's Tear please.

"You have much explaining to do." Twilight thought.

Can we please get away from here? You wouldn't believe how it feels to look at your own grave.

Twilight arrived at the library, deep in thought.

Spike was not there. Most likely, he was trying to win Rarity's love again.

Lie down. I'll have to show you things to make you understand, so you'd best pretend you're napping or something in case somebody comes in.

Twilight laid on her bed, lying on her side, legs stretched out.

"So. First question: Are you real?" She didn't expect anybody to come in, so she didn't bother trying to keep quiet.

Are you? Faust once wrote... No wait, Faust WAS written... Anyway. I suppose you could call me real. I am not, as much as I'd like to claim it, a part of you.

"Then who ARE you?"

I am Glimmer. I know, right? You probably can't or don't want to remember, but I was there. I was the nurse that overlooked your birth. I babysit you for years after. Oh, what a delightful character you had.

The fragment of a memory stirred in Twilight's mind.

You weren't always easy to care for, no. And I think that's partially my fault. I believed you had to live to live, and some of that must have rubbed off on you. You were adventurous, curious, sometimes a little mean. Just like me.

"And then..."

And then I thought it would be a good idea to fly through a thunderstorm. Well, as a matter of fact, it IS dangerous. Warn that pegasus friend of yours. Hearing of how I died must have triggered something in you. You never again wanted to be like me, nor should anypony take such risks and cause such a loss to you ever again.

"Oh Glimmer! But even if that is all true, why are you here, inside me?"

Celestia didn't tell you, right? The gift of Clairvoyance is indeed something you need help to deal with. What she didn't tell you for whatever reason is that, no pony that has had it until now actually produced their own advisor, but had the spirit of a deceased pony they were awfully connected to do that.

The pegasus let out a small sigh.

You still don't believe me. How about you watch this?

Twilight's mind was flooded with images. She was young. There was so little she cared about. She looked up to the pegasus she adored so much. She was almost like a mother to her. Glimmer had promised her to take her flying that day, while her parents were off working.

That was when I sparked your love for flying.

Twilight was curled up on her bed, the pillow below her head wet from tears.

I think you can imagine when that was. After you regained control of yourself, you must have decided to just repress any memory of me. Don't you wonder why you can hardly remember any of your foalhood?

"I..." Talking about it had undone a barrier in Twilight's mind, and suddenly she could remember everything, an unpleasant number of memories containing Glimmer.

Good thing I took the time during your pegasus friend's incredibly boring parade of things she had done wrong to dig through your memories, eh?

"Why do you dislike them so much?"

Counter question: Why do you hate all but two medical ponies by default? They remind you of me, even if you hadn't realised it up until now. They remind you of losing somepony you loved so much.

"That doesn't really explain why you hate my friends."

Because I don't think they deserve you. Would they catch you out of free fall? Would they face a basilisc to protect you?

"They actually have done both of that already."

I see. Stick with your so called friends, but I'll be the one laughing when we're reunited because they ditched you.

Twilight wanted to stand up, but she couldn't. The emotional weight she had just discovered weighed heavier on her than she had expected it to.

"But why did you kidnap me at the picnic?"

I was trying to prepare you for the news you would inevitably discover one day. Think about how much easier it would be to accept who I am when you're already thinking of me as a trusted friend and not as an enemy. All the effort I made to seperate you from your friends were to bring you closer to me.

Twilight's breathing became deeper after the shallow bursts it had turned into when seeing Glimmer in her memories.

"Wanna be friends?"

The imagi-mare-y pegasus chuckled politely.

Sweet dreams, Twilight Sparkle. Know that I'm always watching over you.

With those words, Twilight drifted off into an afternoon nap. She had felt as tired as after staying up two days in a row.