Rarity's Colt: Snickers's Harmony Trials

Twilight paced down the hospital room and back. Lucky for her, it was a slow day at the hospital so Twilight could have a room for each pony affected in a bed all located nearby one another. Unfortunately, the number of affected now added four fillies to the number from Ponyville elementary.

Twilight paced toward the window and looked out at the beautiful day for an instant, then back at the floor to figure out what was happening and how to fix it. Spike watched from a chair in the corner, not knowing what to say about the whole event.

“Twilight?” Spike said quietly. Her ear flicked slightly even though she seemed to not be listening she was. “It wasn’t your fault. You just tried to help, no pony could have known that this would have happened, and maybe it’s not even related to your spell,” he suggested and then snapped his mouth closed when Twilight looked back at him with a venomous glare.

Twilight resumed her pacing and Spike scooted back, relaxing with a sign as he began to be lulled to sleep by the steady clicking of Twilight’s shod hooves on the floor. Both pony and dragon became awake and alert when a loud gasp came from one of the beds and Sweetie’s back arched in what seemed to be an uncomfortable way.

The filly’s barrel lifted from the bed and then fell giving her body a little bounce before Sweetie rolled to her belly and stood up quickly, looking side to side at the wall through bleary eyes. “S-snickers? I’ve got you, say something so I can pick you up again. We’re gonna get out of here and get home and get you healed, I promise.”

Twilight looked back at Spike and he shrugged, so she focused her attention on Sweetie. “Excuse me, Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie jumped in place and twisted. She was caught in Twilight’s magic and held in place, luckily before she repeated in reality what had happened to Snickers in the Harmonic vision. Still, Sweetie spent several moments fighting and struggling until she realized she was safe. Sweetie looked around the room from above her bed and at the ponies in their own with surprise.

“Wow, what the heck’s going on here?”

Twilight’s ears drooped. “Harmony is having a discussion with Snickers… it’s different than anything I’ve ever read or heard about, so we don’t know what’s happening and I was hoping you could tell me something about what you may have experienced with him.”

Sweetie was set back on the bed and tucked in before Twilight released her spell. Sweetie glanced around her and noticed all the ponies with surprise. “What is everypony doing? Is this some kind of sleepover, or are we all sick? How’s Snickers? How’d I even get here?!”

“Sweetie Belle, please calm down,” Twilight said approaching the side of Sweetie’s bed. “Everypony is fine, you waking up is proof of that. I need to know what you saw, can you tell me, or do you need some time to think it over?” Twilight asked.

Sweetie looked at the ceiling for several seconds before answering. “We were in the clubhouse, then in the Everfree… we were caught by some mean ponies that were gonna ransom us back. Snickers hurt one of them and then broke his leg really bad.” Sweetie grimaced at the memory. “Then he was bucked by a stallion in the belly and… he almost died.”

Twilight gasped. “Is that how you woke up? Did he… die in the vision?”

Sweetie shook her head. “No, he was healed with a healing potion and we escaped. But, before we got out of the door into the forest to hide, I fell into a hole and just woke up. Hey,” Sweetie perked up a little, “since I woke up does that mean Snickers did too?”

Twilight shook her head and noticed Spike beside her. “No,” Spike answered, “not yet. Everypony here is stuck with him, like you were,” Spike crossed his arms, “I think this sucks. Why’s Harmony such a dong to Snickers? Ouch! Twilight?!”

Twilight, holding a bedpan beside Spike’s head, looked down at him. “Spike, I will not have you starting to talk like Snickers or some low intelligence dockworker.”

Spike rubbed the top of his head. “One, you don’t have to hit me to get me to understand that. Two, are you implying that dockworkers are all dumb, or that I am?”

Twilight lowered the bedpan beside Spike and slid it under Sweetie’s bed. “Spike, I’m sorry I did that, and said that. I… there’s no reason for me to have done that and I’m really sorry,” she looked at her forehooves. “All this has gotten me on edge a bit and I did something extreme when I should have just talked to you, or scolded you.”

Spike kicked at the exposed portion of the bedpan with a sigh. “It’s okay, Twilight. I know I shouldn’t use bad words. Before all this, the last thing I heard Rarity say was a bad word and it was really weird and made me feel really sad that she said it, so I know that bad words can be hurtful. I won’t use them ever again in my whole life, I promise, Twilight.”

Twilight moved close and they hugged. “Spike, I don’t want to ban you from saying certain words or phrases. They happen, and I understand that. Just, do your best not to use them when better words are available, okay?”

“Okay, Twilight, I promise.”

Twilight gave a him a squeeze and backed up. “That’s my number one assistant,” she said with a smile. Spike could see she wanted to say something else, but wouldn’t let herself for some reason.

“Anyway, we were talking to Sweetie Belle?” Spike suggested with a nod to the resting filly that was smiling at the bickering interracial siblings.

“Ah, right,” Twilight stood up. “Can you remember anything else? Maybe how you woke up or maybe if you got a clue about--”

Silver Spoon woke up screaming and kicking, her blankets went flying in a jumbled heap from her bed and she fell from her bed in a wild thrashing. Twilight teleported to the panicking filly and tried to calm Silver Spoon with words and holding her in a magical field to no avail. Finally three nurses ran into the room.

“Twilight, put her on her bed, I’ll take it from here,” one of the nurses said sternly and ready to perform her job.

Twilight did as she was commanded and backstepped while Spike and Sweetie watched the medical staff working. Two ponies and a dragon nervously awaited the next news or event to happen with growing dread as to what they’d learn next about the colt that tied them all together.

Meanwhile: In Canterlot’s Royal Castle

Celestia sipped her tea with one eye closed and the other squinting. She exhaled a warm breath and acknowledged her sister. “Luna, good morning to you. Pancakes?” Celestia offered to a happy mare.

“No thank you, sister, mine. I have had a wondrous evening flitting between our subject’s dreams and keeping them happy and pleasant. It is most welcome for both the dreamers and I. Celestia, are you feeling well? You seem distracted this morn… perhaps a guard has caught your gaze once again?”

Celestia’s head throbbed and her tea wobbled in her magic. “No, Luna. A terrible migraine unlike any I’ve had in a long time.”

Luna giggled and pranced to Celestia. “Perhaps you were a bit too merry last eve? Hm,” she teased, then became concerned. “Sister, are you well? I jest, but if you need the apothecary, I can send for her at once.”

“Nay, Luna. I have my medicinal tea and this shall pass, they never last long.”

“Celestia,” Luna said comfortingly, draping a wing over Celestia’s seated back. “The past two weeks you’ve been unwell, if you must, I’m able to control the celestial bodies and you may take a day to rest. Our little ponies will understand and shall survive a single day without your rule while we both sleep.

“Perchance you take a rest with me as we did in our youth? The comfort of one another was all we needed ages past for you yet only a year for me… and what a lonely year has it been?” Luna sighed and looked at the plate of pancakes laying on the table ready for her to eat before bed, made with love by Celestia.

“Luna, it’s not that I don’t miss sleeping with you… but those days are long past for me. As are many things that had happened that are not to be known by mortal pony ears. Perhaps you are right, that I should take a rest and reprieve from the daily stress I’ve been under for the past thousand years.

“Maybe we can plan a short vacation or trip, leaving Princess Cadence as ruler in our place,” Celestia joked. “And when we have to save the nation from her inexperience it will only take about six months without rest for either of us to save the nation,” Celestia chuckled to herself.

“Sister, your humor is not appreciated. You should have more faith in our fellow princess, and if not, then trust the councils and commissions you’ve set up to handle the nation in your stead; no pony can control everything, afterall.”

Celestia gasped and groaned, dropping her cup to the table and clutching her head as the faint echo of a filly’s scream tore through her conscious mind, then stopped and her migraine returned to its normal level of brutality. “I’m okay, Luna. Just a pulse of pain… I’ll just need more tea, I’m feeling better already,” Celestia said.

Luna sat in her seat and furrowed her brow. She knew when Celestia was being dishonest and this was one of those times. Whatever was bothering her sister, Celestia was not telling Luna about certain aspects of it and Luna was determined to find them out.