The Nightmare and Me

"What in God's name do you mean by that?!"

"What I'm saying is she's only got about six months."

I opened my eyes to the harsh light and scents I knew to be a hospital. A tall, pale woman with blue-black hair glared at the doctor with a wrath-of-the-gods expression.

That voice...

"I am deeply sorry, Ms. Smithbrownjohnson, but it appears you have cancerous brain tumor. You only have-"

"Six months, yeah, I got that." I finished for him, more on the Discorded-Fluttershy end of the Niceness Scale.

I surprised myself by not being all that affected by this news. "Can you do anything 'bout it?" I asked, slightly less, um, female dog-ish.

He shook his head. "No,"

"Then I would like a moment alone with my, uh, roommate." I said coolly, only stumbling over that last word. I seriously had no clue what her story was.

A swarm of doctors ran past in the hall, scrabbling around a wheelie bed. A nurse scream a couple random numbers and my doctor didn't even look back.

"So, Miss Smithbrownjohnson." the woman smirked.

"Shut up, Nightmare."

She closed the door and returned to her true form in a swirl of mane. Her face looked hurt. "It was that obvious?"

"Yes, Tabitha."

"Could have been a little more discreet, couldn't I?"

"No, discreet is your middle name." I said sarcastically.

"Really?"

"No."

"So can you get rid of it?"

Nightmare's reptilian eyes swept over to my head. Which, thankfully, still had straw-colored hair.

Her horn lit and her eyes went blank.

I waited patiently, unmoving, until the life returned to her eyes.

"I can hold it off a little, but it's too far along for me to get rid of it."

I slumped back in my own wheelie bed. I pressed the nurse button. "Change back,"

And that she did.

The door opened and a portly woman with graying hair came in.

"Can I just, y'know, go because the doctor said he couldn't do anything."

She chuckled nervously. I got the feeling that was her normal laugh. "No,"

"Why not? Tabitha, my roommate, doesn't know how to take care of my fox."

"'Sup." Nightmare said, leaning against the wall.

"Nuffin' dude." the nurse said, and then flushed.

The nurse looked away from both of us, hot with embarrassment.

"Now,"

Nightmare shifted into herself and lit her horn.

The nurse straightened up, eyes glowing blue. "Of course you can go, Ms. Smithbrownjohnson."

"Thank you," I smiled gratefully and nodded for Nightmare to release her. She did and once again went to human form.

I got up, seeing as there were no IVs or anything, weirdly. Nightmare and I strolled out of the room, leaving the befuddled nurse perplexed at her own actions.

Walking down the main hall, I paused at the tributary corridor that led off. A sign posted near it said Children's Oncology in bland lettering.

Nightmare walked on ahead of me, stopping and whirling around once she realized I had stopped. "What is it now?" she asked coldly.

I cocked my head. "Shush,"

"What?"

"SHUSH!"

"Okay," Nightmare muttered, impatiently shifting her weight (not much, the lucky butt) from one foot to the other.

I could faintly discern familiar words from down the Children's Oncology.

"Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces."

It was The Mare in the Moon part 1.

And the kid was laughing.

"This way," I ordered and walked with purpose toward the chortler. If that's even a word. Chortler.

"Why?"

"Some kid laughing at the scared ponies in episode one. You might like her." I strode briskly.

"Do you not recall the legends? Did you not see the signs?"

"Hurry!"

Nightmare could hear it now. I can imagine her velvety black ears pricked forward. She started jogging.

"Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!"

I skidded to a sudden halt outside the kid's room. The Nightmare on the TV cackled, as did the kid.

It was a boy with big, brown eyes. Those, I'm a sucker for.

Nightmare bumped into me, both of us crashing to the floor.

The kid's eyes registered us. The Nightmare scrambling to get off of me. Me, wheezing beneath, complaining in a highly unladylike fashion.

And then he said something I will never forget.

"I like you, Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare straightened up. "Who?" she asked innocently.

"You. I can see you," he sneered. That, Nightmare liked.

"Ah, a Disciple of the Night!" she exclaimed. She snapped and the security camera behind us clattered to the colorful tile below.

"A what now?" he asked, then in wide-eyed fascination, watched Nightmare go back to herself.

Jesus Christ, how much is she going to do that? I wondered.

"If I could, I would throw myself to  the ground and chant 'I am not worthy'. But seeing as I'm a bit tied up at the moment..." the kid said bitterly, motioning toward the many wires and tubes around him.

Nightmare chuckled. "They," she pointed toward the TV with one sparkly, horseshoe-clad hoof. "Should have done that."

The kid nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

As if for the first time, she took in his hairless head and frail body. "So,"

"So," he echoed.

"I uh, have to pee. Nightmare, you stay here." I wanted to escape the awkward situation.

I scampered down the hall, searching for the telltale door with a rather overweight woman in a dress on it. I really did have to pee.

Once done washing my hands like a sensible person, I wiped them on the jeans that I "borrowed" from Nightmare's human.

It pushed the door open and returned to the weird kid's room. The two were chatting it up a storm, apparently jeering at the Mane Six's troubles on the way to the Castle of the Ancient Pony Sisters.

Wow, that's a mouthful.

Nightmare's head swiveled in my direction. "Hey,"

I nodded. "Hey,"

"Hey," the kid said.

Nightmare twitched. Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. "We have to go. Security's coming." she transformed back to human form, new pants (and a shirt) reappearing instantly.

"Nice meeting you,..." I trailed off. I didn't catch his name.

"Henry. Henry Jones."

I paused, even as the clicking of security's footsteps grew closer. "Sounds familiar."

A trace of a smile was on his face. "Lots of people say that."

"Ana!" Nightmare said both impatiently and loudly.

"Alright. We'll be back, 'kay?" I took off toward Nightmare in clothes that aren't mine.

We burst into the lobby, earning us some strange looks from family members waiting.

"It was just... my roommate and I..." I was at a loss for words to tell the nurse, this one slender as a sapling. Probably just out of college.

"We were visiting her boyfriend. He has a bad case of the flu." Nightmare explained fluidly.

Luckily for us, she nodded and allowed us out.

I sprinted around the corner, stopping in a blind spot for the cameras.

It was twilight, the sun starting to set and stars were just appearing.

"How the hell did I even get here?" I grumbled to Nightmare.

"I called 911, like you taught me. And then I just traveled via mane to get here."

"Uh huh. Can that work carrying me? Seeing as my freaking car isn't even here." I gestured to the parking lot in front of us that- surprise, surprise- didn't have my car parked in it.

"I can hold stuff in my mane when I go,"

"That answers my question." I stood still as her mane enveloped me.

It was a strange sensation, that's for sure. It was like pins and needles all over my body, except it really really itches and tickled. It was all I could do to not double over in laughter, scratching every square inch of my body. But I held still.

It was wicked cool, flying over the many highways, crumbling apartment buildings, and fields and noone can see me.

I felt like a ninja.

My house came into sight. "How long were you gone?" I asked.

"Two days. I stayed up all night at the hospi-" Nightmare said proudly.

"Two days. Todd must be hungry and you left every light in the house on," I hissed angrily.

"Oops,"

"Shut up,"

she dropped me the last yard or so; I stumbled a bit upon landing so roughly. I opened the door, unsurprised to find it unlocked. Todd monkey-cat barked happily and danced by his food bowl. I fed him while Nightmare put some water in his bowl, which he greedily drank.

"I-I think I'll go rest for the night." I breathed, suddenly overwhelmed.

"Sure," Nightmare filled up Todd's bowl again.

I stumbled down the hall, locking myself in my room. I collapsed on my bed and sobbed. It had just struck me that I really have cancer, and I really was going to die.