The Town of Friendship

Twilight found sleep to be impossible that night. Her dreams were plagued with monsters from beyond the shadows of her mind. She tried to run away from them, but felt as if she were going nowhere. The ground seemed to be moving, but she stayed rooted to the same patch of dirt she had always called home. This wasn’t the first time her dreams had been lambasted with the spirits of evil, and she wanted to cry out for somepony to come and save her. Everywhere she turned, there was a new ghoul threatening to chew through her flesh and bones.

Sometimes, the ghouls were sex related, as her mind dealt with the painful occupation she had been forced into. Other times, the wraiths would bring up her mother and father, killed in one of Queen Lilly’s purges. But the most damaging dreams of all dealt with her brother, and the relationship they had shared before he was sent into battle. She had no idea whether or not he had survived the war with Saddle Arabia, and it tore her apart inside. Every time she met a stallion on the streets, she thought of Shining Armor, and tears would quickly take form.

But tonight was the most awful dream of all. The fictional ghouls taunted her, crying out her own name and telling her that she was completely and utterly worthless. They also told her that, if she didn’t journey to the town of friendship, she would be failing her family and Rose and everypony in Equestria. She didn’t realize it at first, but the minute Rose mentioned the town, she had begun subconsciously putting pressure on herself to reach it.

She tossed and turned on her pallet as the ghouls became larger and larger, before she suddenly gave a small cry and sat straight up. Her brow was coated in sweat, but she was used to that. What she wasn’t used to were the shivers that bounded their way up and down her spinal cord. They were almost like heavy hoof punches and they seemed to get worse every second. Her mouth quivered and all of her saliva had taken leave of it. Her heart pounded against her chest and her eyes were wide and bloodshot as they darted around the dark room.

I…I don’t know what to do! She finally cried out internally, I want to go, but if I do and Lilly finds out, I’ll be killed for sure! Oh, what to do?! What to do?!

Finding no consolation in her thoughts, she decided to get up and read for a while. She found her brother’s old letters to her a great comfort in times of heartache. Before she was forced into prostitution, he would write her often from the battlefield. Unfortunately, it had been over a year since she had heard from him, and during that time, she had felt their bond begin to sever. She would try and think hard about him and their old times as younger ponies, but those memories seemed ready to fade away forever. So she kept hold of his letters and read them as often as she could. But even the paper bound love of her dear brother could not stop the pain entirely.

They do help, though, she thought as she got up and lit a small candle. She floated it over to the worn down table in her room and dug out Shining’s letters from their hiding place. Queen Lilly didn’t allow her prostitutes to keep any personal notes of affection, for fear that they might sway the mares out of line. But Twilight had managed to sneak her brother’s letters in, and she hid them underneath one of the table’s planks. Bingo, she told herself as she smiled.

She quickly opened one of the correspondences and began reading it. Tears of happiness formed in her eyes as she reminisced about her brother. How I miss you, she said to herself, I just hope you’re okay. I need you to be okay. Her smile only grew as she read through her brother’s words of kindness and love. She realized that their siblingship could not be broken. It could only grow stronger while they were apart. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and her heart was aching to see her brother again.

The text of the letter read as follows:

My dearest Twilight,

It has been such a long time since I last laid eyes on you. Every single time my lids darken the windows of my soul, I can see you standing there, looking as radiant and confident as ever. I believe it is the most wonderful sight I’ve ever been privileged enough to behold, and I miss you, my beloved sister. I try to count each star every night, though I know this is an exercise in futility. But I continue on because, as I’m counting, I see you in them. I remember how much you loved it when Mom and Dad taught you about science and space. Your eyes would light up in wonder, and the memory of that comforts me on this lonely field of battle.

Queen Lilly’s recent decrees trouble me so. She has signed into law that all mares must enter a grave state of prostitution, and I am hopeful that you were able to flee Canterlot before it went into effect. If you weren’t, then I pity you and your situation. I cannot imagine my younger sister being treated as an object! The very thought makes me furious! You, of all ponies, being paid for your body! It’s disgusting!

But I have to keep thinking that you were able to escape, maybe to some faraway place where ponies are friends and get along. It sounds like heaven, while we waste away here in hell, but…it’s at least a dream. I believe ponies have stopped dreaming entirely. So, my sister, I ask that you do this in my absence: keep the dream alive. Don’t ever stop dreaming, and don’t ever stop seeking what you want out of this life; and know that, no matter what, you will always be my sister and I will never stop loving you.

Your brother,

Shining Armor

Twilight finished the letter and wiped the tears from her eyes. Her mind had been whirling with doubt and a destructive sense of fear before, but reading her brother’s words had completely reinvigorated her. She now knew that it was up to her to make it to the Town of Friendship and try and restore some sense into Equestria. “For you, Shining Armor,” she said out loud, “I will make it. I will fight through every obstacle and I will make it…I promise.”