Author's Note

Another chapter has happened! This chapter in particular wasn't planned, but it happened. So... Yeah. That. Not my proudest chapter, but at least it's a complete one. It does lead up to later plot though, so it's not a total waste.

Thanks to my nightmares for partially inspiring this chapter. Y'all suck, but there's no denying that some of them inspire the craziest chapters.

Enjoy the chapter!

Dreams

That night, Twilight dreamed.

It was a sunny, beautiful day. Birds were singing, ponies were busy doing their jobs. Twilight was out in Ponyville, carrying Spike upon her back. Everypony commented on how sweet they looked together. Twilight felt a deep rooted sense of pride blossom inside of her chest at such comments. She went shopping at the market, picking up supplies for her latest assignment from the Princess. Still, she couldn’t help but feel like something was off.

Just then, she heard trumpets beginning to sound, and saw Princess Celestia begin to ride in on a chariot. Shocked, because the Princess had sent no word of her coming to Ponyville, Twilight froze as the princess exited her chariot. She was quick to recover herself and bow.

“Princess Celestia!” She said.

“Twilight Sparkle. My most faithful student. It’s wonderful to see you again. And you too, Spike.” She said. Twilight hugged her mentor, and Spike waved at her.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming to Ponyville.” She said.

“Actually, I came here to see you.” She explained.

“Me?”

Celestia laughed slightly. “Yes. Is there someplace private we can talk?”

“Of course, Princess. Please, follow me.” She said, leading the princess to her library. Celestia smiled as she looked around.

“It looks very much how I left it the last time I was here.” She said. Twilight nodded and went to the kitchen.

“Would you like some tea?” Twilight asked as Spike hopped off of her back.

“That would be lovely, thank you.” Celestia said. Twilight poured two cups of tea, one for her mentor and one for herself, before moving to sit down.

“So, you wanted to talk to me about something?” Asked Twilight. Celestia used her magic to pick up her tea cup and take a sip.

“Yes. About Spike, actually.”

“Spike?” She parroted.

Celestia nodded. “Do you know why I gave you Spike?” She asked.
“No.” She said, hesitantly.

Celestia smiled and put her tea cup down. “After you hatched him, I initially wanted to give him to a dragon family to raise. In the meantime, I took care of him. One day, I was feeding him out of his room, and he saw you pass by through a window. He reached out to you from where he was, and I saw that there was something between you two. It was almost like you were meant to be together.” She explained.

Twilight smiled. “Thank you, princess. But I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this?”

Celestia took a sip of tea. “The both of you were meant to be together from the start. Don’t be afraid to take it further.”

“Take it further? What do you mean?”

Celestia grinned. “I’m afraid that you’ll have to find that out for yourself.” She counseled.

Twilight puzzled over this for a moment or two, unsure of what her mentor meant. She was about to comment, when she heard Spike call out for her.

“Mama!”

Twilight raced to him, and saw that he was laying in his crib, stomach distended. Maternal concern rushed through her.

“Spike, what happened?” She asked.

He pointed to a large pile of gems on the floor. “You ate too many gems?” She asked. He shook his head. She inspected the gems closer, and saw that a lot of them were covered in what seemed to be mildew.

“Oh Spike…” She said. She ran to the kitchen, got a cool rag, and raced into him, and put it on his forehead. She teleported a bucket in beside his crib and kept the side down in case he had to get sick. However, she sensed that something even worse was adrift.

Suddenly she was running faster than she thought she ever could, rushing to the ER on at Ponyville Hospital.

"Please," the words seemed to come from somebody else's lips, "someone help my son!” She didn’t even notice the word escape her.

An older Doctor in his late fifties responded to her cry. "What are his symptoms?”

"He has a high fever, he hasn't been sleeping, he can't keep anything down, and he's constipated.”

The Princess quickly arrived behind her.

The doctor put a hand on his abdomen, Causing Spike to let out an ear-splitting shriek.

"Nurse! Page Doctor Shiner in pediatrics and get me a bed for this child in OR 2 and prep him for surgery.”

"Surgery?!" Twilight repeated in disbelief as her baby was taken from her arms.

"Ma'am, I think your son is suffering from intussusception. It's where part of the intestine slides into an adjacent part of the intestine. It often blocks food or fluid from passing through. He'll need immediate surgery to take care of the problem. I need your consent before I or anyone else can provide any medical care for him. Do I have your consent?”

"Yes." She said numbly.

Just like that, her screaming dragon was whisked away. A nurse led her to a receptionist desk so that she could fill out the appropriate forums. The busywork kept her occupied for a short while, but when it was over and she was alone with her thoughts, she started to break. Her breathing became uneven and she covered her mouth to keep from sobbing. Finally, the full impact of what was happening hit her, and she stood up, unable to stay frozen any longer.

"I can't do this anymore." She whispered and ran to the nearest restroom.

Only when she was alone in the bathroom did she finally cry.

The princess found her in the bathroom and wrapped her wings around her student.

“He’ll be okay, Twilight.” She reassured.

“I don’t know what to do.” She said.

“I’ll take care of it.” Celestia promised.

For a long time, there was nothing. Then the doctor came in.

“Ms. Sparkle?”

“Yes?” She said, nervous.

“Spike is fine. He’s recovering right now.”

“Can I see him?”

The doctor nodded. Just before she was about to leave, Princess Celestia, whispered to her. “Remember what I said.”

Twilight nodded and went to see him.

He hugged her, and sighed. “I love you, Mommy.”

She felt her chest clinch. And then she realized what the Princess had meant.

Then, just before she could say anything, she woke up.