After returning to the house, Pinkie, Flash, and Spike had prepared dinner while Twilight tried to wrangle her big wings into a bath. Cooking wasn’t a new thing for Flash and Spike, as they had made several meals while working for Celestia, but constantly having to tell Pinkie to stop adding sugar to his dish was something Flash wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to.

After Fluttershy taught Twilight how to preen her wings, the five of them shared dinner, and Twilight, Flash, and Spike turned in early to catch up on their lost sleep. Although a bit sad, Pinkie said goodbye to Fluttershy and showed them the guest bedroom. She even provided a basket for Spike to sleep in. Flash offered to sleep on the couch so Twilight and Spike could share the room like they did at Celestia’s estate, a small way for him to offer the alicorn a bit of familiarity. Her relieved blushing made him smile.

As he laid down, Flash could have sworn he heard Twilight grunting from upstairs, and shortly after she exclaimed, “How the heck did I sleep with these things last night?!”

He chuckled as he adjusted himself on the couch. Pinkie had very comfortable furniture (even if it was bright blue and puffy), but Flash still wore in his suit, just in case something happened in the village.

He fell asleep fairly quickly, but after a couple of hours, he woke up with a start, looking around. The air around him had grown heavy with magic, and the wall near the stairs was glowing with a soft lavender light.

‘Buck it! Not now!’ Flash though as he threw off the blanket and dashed up the stairs. He ignored the fact the door to the guest room was now a small turnip and threw himself inside. The light was blinding, but thankfully he kept a pair of sunglasses in his suit. The room was in shambles, all the furniture turned into something completely different and random. Spike and Pinkie were trapped and floating inside a thick, giant bubble. Both looked terrified, and Flash could share the feeling.

Night terrors were not new for Twilight, but with her transformation into an alicorn giving her a larger magical wellspring and little time to learn control, her energy outbursts were far worse than Flash had ever seen. Normally, he or Spike would shake her to wake her up, but when he took a step forward, a bolt of uncontrolled magic lashed out. Flash rolled to the side and it struck the wall, turning it into a cake. As he pushed himself back to his feet, another bolt made the window explode, taking a good chunk of the surrounding stone out with it.

Twilight herself was curled in a ball, floating above a small pool which most likely used to be her bed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she tossed and turned, trying to escape her dream. If Flash ended up trapped like Spike and Pinkie, or worse, nothing would be able to stop the alicorn. He grimaced. He only had once choice, and he wasn’t going to like it.

Spreading his wings, he jumped back to dodge another bolt of magic that struck the floor and placed both hind hooves on the wall before pushing off, flying around the border of the room and slowly closing the distance to Twilight. At the same time, he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small bomb one he had been specifically taught to make and use against hostile alicorns. Rolling midair to avoid another bolt, he threw the bomb with all his might. It smacked directly into Twilight’s face and exploded into a spray of black power. Almost instantly, her magical bursts stopped and everything changed back to normal. Pinkie and Spike were dumped unceremoniously on the floor.

Twilight was caught between gasping for breath and crying out in pain as she writhed on the reappeared bed. Flash winced. The bomb flash had used was a special blend that punished all magic use. There was no actual physical or magical damage, but from experience Flash knew it hurt worse than anything else he had experienced.

Taking off his sunglasses, he dashed over to Twilight and immediately began using the sheets to wipe the now silver powder off Twilight. He winced in pain as some of it touched his fur, but focused more on helping the now awake Twilight. While normally inert, once the powder came in contact with magic it would turn silver in color to indicate that it was now active and that any physical contact would cause pain, whether or not the pony in question was actively using magic.

“The eyes, the eyes,” she whimpered, still sobbing, though from the pain or the dream Flash couldn’t tell.

“Pinkie, I need water, now,” Flash ordered. Pinkie immediately pulled a full bucket of water out of her mane and handed it to Flash. He didn’t question it. “Hold her still as best you can. Avoid the silver dust. Spike, help her.” The drake nodded and moved to assist. Taking the bucket, Flash gently began to pour the water on the powder still on Twilight’s face.

Twilight struggled, but slowly she calmed down as the water neutralized what was left of the anti-magic bomb. With the pain finally gone, her body relaxed, but she continued to sob.

“Flash,” Pinkie said, sounding worried as he hander her the empty bucket, “What happened? Why did she do that? Why did YOU do that? What’s wrong with her?”

“Night terror,” Flash said as he gently laid down next to Twilight, who immediately embraced him. “She’s had them for years. Every time she does it causes her magic to lash out and lose control. Normally I can wake her before anything to bad happens, but this time the magic had grown to the point where that wasn’t an option. The only way to snap her out of it was to use a plunder bomb, as Lady Luna called them. They’re made using a special anti-magic plant to prevent magic use of all types.”

He shuddered. “I know what it’s like to be hit with one while using magic. That’s a requirement for anyone who wishes to learn how to use them. You need to know the pain they cause beforehand. I wish there was some other way I could have stopped her, but there isn’t, at least none that I know of. As for why she has night terrors, it’s up to her to tell you when she’s ready.”

There was a loud clatter of hooves and voices outside the bedroom door, and Flash sighed. He shouldn’t have been surprised – Twilight had been making a lot of noise and damage – but this was less than ideal.

Surprisingly, Fluttershy was actually the first one in, Angel Bunny riding on her back and a first aid box in her mouth. She came to a halt in the doorway and upon seeing the still sobbing Twilight, she immediately rushed forward and hopped onto the bed with a flap of her wings. Angel hopped down at the base of the bed as Fluttershy moved to Twilight. This was followed a few seconds later by heavily armed ponies storming into the room, all of who Fluttershy ignored.

“Shhhh, shhh, it’s ok. You’re ok,” Fluttershy said, gently wrapping her hooves around the sobbing alicorn.

“N-no, t-the eyes, t-there s-still there, s-still j-judging m-m-meee,” Twilight wailed, burying her face in Fluttershy’s chest. Fluttershy merely began to rock slightly, holding the alicorn close as she began to sing.

Hush now, quiet now.

It's time to lay your sleepy head.

Hush now, quiet now.

It's time to go to bed.

Driftin' off to sleep.

Exciting day behind you.

Driftin' off to sleep.

Let the joy of dream land find you.

To Flash’s relief, Twilight started to calm down and after a few more verses she finally submitted back to the realm of sleep.

With Twilight calm for the moment, Flash turned his attention back to the other ponies still swarming the room. At least five pegasi were hovering near the destroyed portion of the wall while a number of unicorns and earth ponies were coming in through the doorway. All of them were glaring at the three visitors, yet seemed they seemed to reserve there displeasure to angry muttering. Flash returned the glare, even when Applejack and Rainbow Dash entered.

“Ya’ll have five seconds to tell me why ah shouldn’t kick ya’ll outa my village,” Applejack snapped.

“It’s not her fault,” Spike said, jumping between her and Twilight. “She has night terrors sometimes. She can’t control it!”

“All the more reason to kick her out!” a pegasus yelled.

“Yeah! How long until she kills us all by accident!” another pony yelled.

“Or attracts the royal army!”

“Get rid of her!”

Flash grit his teeth and flared his wings. He would protect Twilight with his life. Even if he didn’t have his wing blades, he had more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

“THAT IS ENOUGH!”

Flash winced, looking back at Fluttershy. He immediately wished he hadn’t. For the second time that night, he could feel the pressure in the air caused by extreme levels of magic. Fluttershy was staring directly at the group of ponies while still holding the sleeping Twilight. Her eyes were wide, and oddly, Flash found it incredibly hard to move, even though she wasn’t staring directly at him. The other ponies seemed to be faring even worse – most were completely frozen with looks of terror on their faces. Even Applejack and Rainbow had lost their angry expressions and taken a step back.

“She has been through more than enough for a night. I can name at least five ponies in this room right now that have had magic flares because of what other alicorns have done to them. So don’t you come in here and like an angry mob just because she’s caused a bit more damage than normal! Remember when Ditzy Doo destroyed a house with her magic because of a nightmare?”

As one, the group nodded.

“Then you have no reason to go after her. We all promised to help ALL ponies looking to escape the alicorns. Species doesn’t matter.” She relaxed and turned back to Twilight, giving her a quick, soft nuzzle. The room was silent for a long, long moment, and Rainbow was the first one to regain her voice.

“Fluttershy… I know you want to help her, but come on,” she said, gesturing to the side of the room. “Derpy destroyed a house of wood, not stone. We don’t have the equipment to stop her again even if we wanted to. What happens when she loses control again? Someone could actually get hurt. We’re just lucky the flying stone didn’t hit anyone!”

“Not to mention if she keeps havin’ flares, she’ll attract too much attention to us,” Applejack said. “We can’t let them alicorns find us, ‘specially Thorn.”

Fluttershy was about to respond when a new voice spoke up.

“Oh, quit being so dramatic, you youngin.”

Flash blinked as the crowd parted to reveal a pony, an old mare with a light grey coat and mane colored both red and pink. She had a stub on her head, the remains of a horn cut off at the base, and had a cloth tied around her eyes, blocking them from sight. Despite this, she moved as if she could see perfectly. Her cutie mark was a pair of glasses.

“Second Sight! What are ya doing here? You should—“ Applejack began before a grey hoof came up and expertly booped her on the nose, causing the orange pony’s eyes to cross for a moment. Angel Bunny giggled from the bed. Flash may not be an animal expert like Fluttershy, but he could tell that this bunny knew this mare, and that said bunny apparently thought that things just got a lot more entertaining.

“Oh, shush, you. Just because I’m old and technically blind doesn’t mean I can go where I please, young missy,” she said. “I heard a ruckus and felt more magic than I have in a looooooong time. So I came lookin’. And what do I find? An alicorn staying with Miss Pinkie, a bunch o’ ponies being rude, and a house with a new window.” She chuckled. “Now someone wanna tell me what happened while I was sleeping?”

“We found an alicorn named Twilight with her Butlers Flash and Spike and are having them stay with me so I can keep an eye on them because Twilight is wearing the element of magic and is trying to escape the other alicorns and isn’t a big meanie pants but she had a night terror and a magic flare and lost control causing stuff to changes and explode and become cake.” Pinkie paused to take a huge breath. “And…”

“Hahaha, thank you, sweetie.” Second Sight laughed, reaching out and ruffling Pinkie’s mane. She turned to Flash. “Now then, Mister Flash. You’re Miss Twilight’s butler, so you probably know the most about her. How often do these night terrors usually occur?”

“Usually not often, but I can’t say after everything she’s been through,” Flash said.

“Any way to stop them before they happen?”

“Not that I know of. Not even Lady Luna could find a way, and she has a lot of experience when it comes to dreams.”

Second Sight nodded. “Ok then. Tomorrow I’ll set up some rune circles to stop this from happening again.”

“We tried that,” Spike said. “She just overloaded them when we tried to block the magic surge.”

“Have you tried setting up circles that take in her magic and are programed to do something harmless, like make bubbles?” Second Sight asked with a smirk.

Flash blinked. “Would that actually work?”

“Pfff, of course it’ll work. Your problem is you’re tryin’ to hold back a waterfall. We just need to let the magic flow while reducing how dangerous its effects are. Plus, if she just needs to be woken up, I think bubbles would be much easier to fight through than raw, unfiltered magic.”

“How come we never thought of that?” Spike asked.

Flash facehoofed. “Because we, even the Ladies, were focused on stopping the magic surges, not just redirecting them. I feel like an idiot.”

“Sometimes the most obvious solution is the one hidden in plain sight,” Second Sight said. Flash couldn’t be certain, but the cloth around her left eye twitched, as though she winked. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to set up the circles. I’d do it now, but I am old, even if my spirit is young. I need to sleep and prepare. Oh, and feel free to stop by the library too.”

“You just said the magic word,” Spike groaned. “Library.”

“Don’t like books, youngin’?”

“I don’t mind, but Twilight loves them to death. Hope you don’t mind if the library is reorganized twice week.”

Second Sight smiled. “A rabid learner, eh? About time we got a smartypants. I was tired of being the only one.” She laughed, causing most of the other ponies in the room to roll their eyes. Fluttershy giggled and Angel Bunny just smirked.

“Wait,” Flash said as he realized something. “Can you…um…”

Her smile got a bit more mischievous, and her cloth twitched again. “Yes dearie, I can read despite being blind. And not by using brail. How? Well, that’s a story for another time. Besides, I think your friend will probably want to hear it when she wakes up if she’s as into learning as you make her out to be.” The mare chuckled before turning around and walking to the door. Not once did she stumble or bump into anypony.

Everyone just blinked until she yelled out again. “Oh, and Fluttershy, good job calming her down. You pass with flying colors. The rest of you lot better get out now. They’ve had a long night and I don’t wanna hear any news of y’all trying to throw them outta the village. Don’t make me get my rolling pin!”

That seemed to be the only encouragement everypony needed. The pegasi quickly flew away while everyone save Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, Flash, Spike, and Twilight scrambled out the door.

Applejack just shook her head. “That mare…” She turned to Flash. “Do we need to worry ‘bout any more explosions tonight?”

“No,” he replied. “She’s never had two night terrors in one night. We should be ok.”

“Then this can wait till mornin’.”

“You staying here, Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked, looking at the yellow pegasus.

“Yes, Rainbow,” Fluttershy replied. “I just want to make sure she’s ok when she wakes up. Go on back to the house.” Rainbow nodded before turning and leaving as well.

“You live together?” Spike asked. Fluttershy nodded.

“We both escaped at the same time, and ever since she’s insisted on living with me,” Fluttershy said, looking down at Twilight. “I was in bad shape when she got me out, and I think a part of her is still afraid that something might happen to me. But I am glad she lives with me. Even if she can’t cook.” She giggled, causing the others to smile. Angel nodded vigorously in agreement.

“What was that about ‘passing with flying colors’?” Flash asked.

“Oh, um… Second Sight is a really good medic, and she’s been teaching me about both first aid and bedside manner. I, um, was struggling with the whole speaking to ponies part, but she taught me to just pretend that every hurt pony is a filly or colt in pain. It works surprisingly well.”

“I’ll say,” Pinkie said, looking at the still sleeping Twilight. “You put her to sleep even faster than a sleeper bomb!”

“How do you know about those?” Flash asked, but was ignored.

“I just imagined what I would need to do if a filly had a nightmare and how I would help them,” Fluttershy said quietly, hiding slightly behind her mane. “Just like she taught me to.”

“Still, thanks, Fluttershy,” Spike said, looking at his sleeping friend. She actually relatively peaceful in Fluttershy’s arms, unlike the sobbing not-quite-rest she fell into after a night terror. “But how is it that she hasn’t woken up with all the talking?”

“I put plugs in her ears once we got the powder off,” Pinkie said, lifting one her Twilight’s ears to show a pink ear plug.

“When did you… never mind,” Spike said, shaking his head.

“Pinkie,” Flash said, “should we move Twilight downstairs? I don’t think having her sleep in a room with a large hole in the wall is such a good idea.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m on it,” Pinkie said before dashing over to the hole in the wall.

BRRZZZZZ

BANG BANG BANG BANG

WRRRRRRRRRRR

THUMP THUMP THUMP

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOGA

DING

“All done!” Pinkie said cheerily, gesturing to the newly repaired wall while Flash and Spike just stared in slack jaw disbelief. “Good thing she broke the fourth wall and not one of the other walls. I would have never been able to fix it so quickly otherwise,” she said with a giggle. Fluttershy and Angel were completely unfazed.

“Flash… what did I just witness?” Spike asked after a few seconds.

“I honestly have no idea,” Flash replied. ‘Good thing Twilight isn’t awake. I don’t think she could handle that much impossibility at once,’ he thought.

“Oh, and before I forget,” Pinkie exclaimed, dashing out of the room and returning a few seconds later with two small, bright pink clouds, hovering about a foot off the ground behind her. “I have a few extra clouds you can use for beds. Probably for the best since Twilight’s is still wet.”

“I’m not even gonna ask,” Spike said, climbing back into the small basket Pinkie had provided and lying down. Angel hopped onto Fluttershy’s back as the pegasus slowly began to fly. As Flash and Fluttershy maneuvered Twilight onto one of the clouds, Pinkie began to strip the soaked sheets off the bed. Twilight immediately buried herself deeply into the cloud as though it was the softest thing she had ever felt. Actually, it probably was, given that it was an actual CLOUD.

Fluttershy insisted that Flash share the cloud with Twilight, saying that having a friendly face nearby would be better for her when she woke up. Flash decided not to argue, especially after she began glaring at him, though there was thankfully no magic in her gaze this time.

Settling down next to Twilight, Flash extended his wing to cover her back. Twilight sighed contently and gently shifted closer to him. He carefully looked at her to insure he wasn’t waking her before laying his head on the cloud and trying his best to sleep himself. His last thoughts as he drifted off were about how he might be able to make it up to Twilight for using the anti-magic bomb.

The rest of the night passed without incident.

As sunlight began to flow through the window the next morning, a single stray beam managed to land directly on Twilight’s eyelid, rousing her from her slumber.

“Go away, sun,” Twilight grumbled as she desperately tried to cling to sleep. She rolled over and buried her muzzle in the soft pillow she was laying against. That is, until the pillow spoke.

“Morning, Twilight,” Flash said gently, trying not to laugh as Twilight squeaked in surprise. Purple eyes met blue as she looked up at him. She held his gaze for a few seconds before lowering her eyes to the cloud.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, trying to scoot away from Flash. Refusing to let her wallow in pity, Flash kept his grip and managed to pull her closer with his wing.

“It’s not your fault,” he said, gently nuzzling her mane. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I hurt you far more then you hurt anyone else.”

“But you didn’t have a choice,” the alicorn said, still not meeting his gaze. “I could have destroyed the whole house, maybe even the village. I don’t even know how strong I am. Not to mention they need to fix the hole in the wall.”

“Actually, Pinkie fixed that last night,” Flash said, causing Twilights eyes to go wide as she turned to look at the indeed repaired wall. “And before you ask, the answer as to how is Pinkie.”

Twilight groaned and faceclouded. “Of course it is,” she grumbled, her voice muffled by the cloud. “How can one mare defy the laws of physics and reality so much!? It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Neither does you becoming an alicorn, yet here we are,” Flash said with a cheeky smile, earning another groan from Twilight.

“But what are we gonna do if I have another night terror?” she asked after she recovered, looking back up at Flash. “You’re gonna run out of bombs eventually, and I really don’t want to go through that again.”

“Don’t worry about it, dearie,” came Second Sight’s voice, causing both ponies to jump and shoot away from each other. Flash fell off the cloud and onto the floor with a thump. Turning, he could see the blind mare standing near the bed, slowly drawing a circle around it. He also noticed that Fluttershy and Spike were gone, having already woken up.

“I have it covered,” she continued, twitching her cloth in a wink.

“Um… who are you? And how long have you been there?” Twilight asked, blushing slightly.

“I’m Second Sight, and I arrived a bit before you woke up.” She smiled. “I just kept quiet so you could have a nice little heart to heart. Don’t mind me.” She returned to her drawing.

“But what are you doing?” Twilight asked, still unsure why a blind mare was drawing circles her room this early in the morning.

“Your coltfriend can explain,” she said, smirking as both Twilight and Flash blushed.

“He’s not, I mean, were not, that’s….mmm….” Twilight stammered, only making herself redden more.

“Hahaha, relax, dearie, I’m only teasing,” Second Sight said, stopping long enough to ruffle the alicorns mane. “But seriously, ask him. I’d rather not explain what I said last night all over again.”

Flash explained what had happened the night before after she had been lulled back to sleep, staring very intently and awkwardly at the floor beneath him. When he got to Second Sight’s suggestion, Twilight blurted out, “How have I never thought of that?” which Second Sight laugh. As Spike predicted, she perked up at the news of a library in the town, but the idea did raise a new question for her.

“Second Sight?” she asked. “Is it ok if I ask you, um, I mean I’m just curious about, well…” Her tongue twisted in her mouth as she tried to think of how to word her question without being offensive.

“No need to be shy, dearie,” the old mare replied. “I’ve been asked plenty of times how I can see. You’re not the first one to ask and you won’t be the last. That is what you’re going to ask right?”

Twilight nodded.

“I thought so. The answer is actually rather simple. Before I lost my horn, I was a rather strong unicorn. Heck, I once levitated my parents when I was three because they wouldn’t let me stay up late.” She giggled, for a moment sounding like a three-year-old pony. “But once I lost it, I no longer had a way to channel my magic, at least in the traditional way. Most unicorns, when they lose their horns, simply can’t use magic anymore. Their bodies burn off the extra magic gradually though everyday tasks. I, however, had so much inside me that it was actually toxic to me if I didn’t let it out. Too much of a good thing is bad for you, and all that.

“Now after I first lost my horn, I was ok for a while, but after about a month of no magic, I started getting sick. I won’t go into details, but lets just say I my vomit may have been glowing as my body tried to get rid of the extra magic. Its how my friends realized what was going on before any permanent damage could be done. Thankfully, a friend of mine, a maid, was able to sneak into Thorn’s library and find some information on how I could release my magic safely. Even if I couldn’t do it through my horn, there were still ways to release it though other body parts. It’s why we can pick things up with our hooves rather than just our mouths, not that most ponies know how it works. The magic extends past our hooves to grasp the object in a form of levitation, no matter the pony race. And while this may not have been enough for me, it got me thinking about how else I could channel it.

“I still had my eye balls, but as part of my punishment they were just damaged to the point where I couldn’t use them. So in a move possibly more stupid than smart, I channeled the extra magic I had into my eyes. It worked, in a sense. I could see again, but rather than just seeing what was around me, I could also see magic itself. The magic in the air, in runes, even in ponies. It’s how I could tell we had an alicorn in town. Your magic during the flare was different than that of the other races.

“The only real down side is that my eyes were forever changed by this incident. Slowly but surely, the magic ate away at them, removing my eyes and replacing them with spheres of pure energy. I can’t complain, given that I can see again, but it has an unfortunate tendency to be unsettling for others. That’s why I wear this here cloth.” She tapped it with her hoof. “I can see through it thanks to the magic eyes, but you can’t see what the eyes look like. The others still say I’m technically blind because I don’t have actual eyes, and they’re right. The last of my eyes disintegrated years ago, and if my magic were ever cut off or stopped, I wouldn’t be able to see anymore.

“But I can see, and more importantly I can still read, so it’s not all bad. I’m probably better of than some of the ponies under Thorn’s care, seeing as I escaped and don’t need to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. That and I don’t need to keep acting like I am blind like I did before I ran away.”

“How did you escape?” Flash asked.

“Rainbow Dash.” She smiled a sad but fond smile. “I had been sent to one of Thorn’s farms after losing my eyes, and it just so happened that Fluttershy ended up there too after failing her flight test. Kept us locked in the barn cellar when we weren’t working. Crazy blue pegasus came about a month after she lost her wings and broke us and a few others out. We ran into the forest to escape and, well, here we are, a good twelve years later. As for how she escaped and how she lost her wings, well, that’s her story to tell, just like why you have night terrors is yours.” She nodded at Twilight.

“I…I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to talk about it,” Twilight muttered, looking down at the floor. Second Sight just smiled and patted her head.

“Keeping it in won’t do you any good, dearie. Take it from me, talking about it will make you feel better. I’m not saying you need to do so now, but give it some thought.” She made one last lookover of the magic circles around the bed. “There. Now we don’t need to worry about you teleporting us all to Canterlot,” she said with a chuckle.

“Just in time,” Pinkie said, sticking her head in the door. “I made pancakes! Whose hungry?”

In response, both Flash and Twilight’s stomachs growled, prompting both to blush slightly. Second Sight laughed. “Well, come on then,” the old mare said, walking towards the door. “Lets go eat. Nothing works up my appetite like a good story.”

Author's Note

This fourth wall joke is brought to you by my girlfriend/editor, who insisted that having Pinkie say this would be hilarious. And she was right

Also, introducing Second Sight, a character I have been wanting to introduce since this story began. She has, at least in my opinion, one of the more interesting backstories, even if she hasn't told us all of it yet, and will serve as both a serious pony in the story and a bit of comic relief.

Also, do NOT underestimate the rolling pin.

Other than that, I currently have one more chapter finished and a second one in editing, so expect this trend of monday post to continue for another two weeks minimum. If you liked it, please leave a comment as I welcome all feedback or thoughts (just be nice )

Next time: What's this magic do?