Are You Scared Of Nightmares?

A hoof met the ground, kicking a small stone up into the air. It was hurled against the wall of a building that had stood the test of time for more than thirty years. Now it had lost the fight and only one side remained, whereas the rest had collapsed into the neighbouring building. Twilight did not notice the stone but she noticed the house and all the others. On their way to the castle Canterlot had been intact, but now?

All she could do was run. There wasn't any time to question. She saw some ponies galloping away from the fissure, screaming in fright, not putting any mind to the six fillies who hurried towards it. She noticed the smoke rising up in the distance. Fires had probably broken out in several districts, but Twilight couldn’t tell. She didn't want to know, either. Large cracks ran through the streets and as they ran past one she saw a colt and a filly helping a stallion, who hung from the side. Twilight wanted to stop, she wanted to help but took a breath. She needed to fix the fissure in the sky. She gave one last look and saw that Raindrops hovered towards the crack, a look of determination on her face.

Twilight didn't know whether to smile or not, instead she just hurried through the streets. The closer she got to her target, the stronger her legs became. To save everypony, she needed to finish off the fissure.

They ran, she didn't know for how long. It might've been minutes, even half an hour seemed plausible. Her breathing was still steady, her heart had stopped beating heavily against her chest. She took one turn swiftly, then another, she jumped over the rubble that was before her. It all came so easy to her, like in a dream. She was free and could gallop anywhere she wanted, yet her eyes lingered on the fissure in the sky. The heavens changed their colors around it, turning into a wild rainbowlike whirl. Lightning erupted, reaching out from the crack into the reality of Equestria. Then the thunder would follow, like a howling hammer striking across the sky, breaking her ears. It was the worst sound imaginable and just one more thing to toughen her determination.

The filly sprinted past the Celestial Hall and noticed something in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw a small pegasus emerging from the hall. She hadn't the time to look into it but Octavia immediately shouted: "I'll take care of that,“ and ran towards the old hall where her grandfather had once held his concerts.

Twilight gave a:  "Yes.“ She'd get Magia and the rest of them would save the ponies in the town. It was perfect, just like in the stories she had read.

Take a dive

It echoed through her head. This was the right way, the filly told herself and around them the broken and burning ruins of Canterlot took over. The streets that had been dead before were now shuffling with wounded ponies who tried to escape from the rubble and others who helped them out. She heard yells and screams, more ponies panicking, the situation getting worse and worse. The little filly ignored it, instead focused on the fissure and saving Canterlot. Unintentionally she took the city's smell in. What had been an already foul stench had changed drastically. She didn't know exactly what that new smell was that had overtaken the city. It smelt burnt and rotten and like vomit. Ponies were dying around her, it came to her.

Twilight Sparkle just ran on and didn't notice that tears had started coming out of her eyes and while her muscles felt strong, her legs still shook. She had never been as afraid of anything as she had now. She had seen that creature once and the closer the four of them got, the clearer the picture in her head became. The snipping noise, clouds of cotton candy with moustaches of chocolate. A sight that should've been just weird or funny, it scared her like nothing ever did before, more so than her worst nightmares.

Twilight Sparkle gritted her teeth. "We're going to make this,“ she shouted at the others and also herself. She was a big filly and wasn't scared of nightmares and she had read that they weren't real. She wasn't going to be scared of this, too, even if it was real. She was strong now and even though she wanted nothing more but to stop and hide beneath her blanket she kicked herself forward. When it came down to it, she knew, there were still some fillies with her. She had trusted Trixie from the beginning and even though Lyra was weird, she seemed reliable, too and Derpy was so stubborn she would surely never run. She hardly knew any of them but she trusted them with all her heart in these moments.

Because that's what friendship was.

The shaking slowly stopped as she took the next steps. The rain fell hard on her shoulders and left an uncomfortable feeling on her head but she didn't care. It felt like the final weight had been pulled off her shoulders. She wasn't the lone little filly in the hospital anymore. Always waking from dreams of a better life to find her heart beating so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest and with legs that were so weak she could hardly support herself when standing up. She wasn't opening her eyes to a white room anymore with only a window and sometimes a nurse to greet her warmly.

Right now she was Twilight Sparkle and she felt like it, too. She felt like a lavender colored pony who had her baby dragon by her side and always read books. She felt like a smart, strong filly, capable of doing what she had to do. She felt like she could do it, she could bring a dawn of magic to this world and a bright and happy future to all these ponies who now cried and feared.

She felt like she had grown up in a matter of minutes.

Magic was returning and the little brown filly wasn't scared anymore.

She took the next corner.

And...

With a loud noise another bolt of lightning reached across the sky, tipping the building they passed and with an explosion, it sent the stones of it flying into it's surroundings. Derpy stopped midflight and gawked as the building came falling down, while her friends moved on. She heard Trixie yell something, Twilight shout something back.

"Hurry.“

She didn't react, back in her mind she knew what to do but her body just didn't want to react, all that came was a tear as she saw the wall closing in on her. Everything seemed to move in slow-motion. She heard the crying and shouting in the distance, so slow and hushed that she could barely make it out. She felt her heart beating slow and steady against her chest and she gained a focus like never before as both her eyes fixated on the thing that would crush her in the next few seconds. She felt her mane pressing against her coat, both wet and smelly from the rain. Her mom wouldn't have liked that, dad neither. She had to ask herself if she'd ever see them both again.

It was moving closer.

Her parents had only ever smiled when guests were at home. They seemed so much happier when the house was flooded with life. Madame had told Derpy that she once had siblings but two of them never made it into this world breathing. She had told her that only recently, too and she had hugged her only trueborn daughter and thanked her for bringing Octavia, Raindrops and all the others into her life. Muffins had been on the table that day and they had tasted wonderful.

It was moving closer.

Hugh had loved to spend his time with the family but it seemed like he was always needed somewhere else, everypony always asked about him and was interested in him. Derpy had figured early on that he had to be the mayor or something, since he just seemed so very important. He had finally gotten around to spend time with his family just before the Twilight had collapsed and the huge quake had come. Muffins had been on the table this day and they had tasted wonderful.

And  it was moving closer.

And then her world shook violently as she was gripped by a mighty force like she had experienced only rarely before. Her thoughts drifted for a moment. There had been blueberry muffins on the table and they had tasted the best.

It hit the ground and then the world was silent. For a moment Derpy experienced absolute nothingness. She didn't feel her body, she didn't see her surroundings, she didn't smell the muffins in her memory and her thoughts were so blank it was like her head was filled with nothing but the color white. She didn't hear anypony shouting, she didn't have a taste in her mouth and she couldn't move.

Derpy asked herself what had happened.

Was she dead?

A sudden sting on her left cheek, wetness growing, the uncomfortable feeling of her mane returning. She opened her eyes and saw the weirdest sight. Normally the filly had a smile so wide that it should've hurt but now she seemed to cry as she had lifted her hoof.. The white little filly called Lyra looked at Derpy, her teeth gritted and whispered: "Don't go...“

Derpy blinked and tried to smile. "I can't even move,“ she said trying to lift her hoof to show that she couldn't lift her hoof. The filly's hopes were dashed as she couldn't just lift her hoof up but also managed to find the strength to pull her friend into a hug. Fair enough, she thought and she started to feel the world again.

The ground was hard on her hurting back and as looked over Lyra's shoulder she found that the stones had barely missed them. She must've stared at it forever, dumbstruck. She didn't even know whether she should laugh or cry but even so, her body would've refused to make a move. She couldn't even let go of Lyra, she was shaking, feeling cold and wet and she wanted to go home. Oh Celestia, did she want to go home.

They had to be here somewhere, surely, her parents. They were probably looking for her and Raindrops and Lyra and all the others. Surely they were searching.

"We need to go.“ Lyra was  the one to say that. She had always been brave, although everypony else simply called it a ‘madness’ of hers. Derpy thought it a synonym but considering how bad it sounded. . . it probably meant being brave in stupid situations. So Lyra wasn't brave, she was heroic. She managed to steady her smile but not to loosen the grip on her friend.

The grey little pegasus knew that they had to follow Twilight. The filly had changed the moment the earthquake was gone. She seemed stronger than before, braver and even her eyes had this mad flicker that had always seemed to mark only her friend Lyra. That was why Derpy trusted her, just like she had trusted Lyra when they had met.

"Come on,“ the hornless unicorn told her and lifted herself up. Derpy, still locked tight in the hug came up with it and decided to let go once she sat firmly on just her behind. "We need to catch up to Trix'n'Twi.“ The signature grin moved itself onto Lyra's face again, giving Derpy the confidence she needed spread her little pegasus wings and flutter herself into a standing position.

Saluting, she answered Lyra: "Yessir.“

Just as they tried to run however, a voice came from behind: "Are you two alright?“ They turned and found a brown stallion with a dark brown mane approaching them.

Lyra looked at him: "We need to find our friends.“

"It's not safe,“ he warned them. "We're getting everypony else out of here. You should come, too. If your friends are still in the city, we're sure to find them and get them out of here. Just. . . come.“

Lyra seemed unsure but Derpy only ever knew that she should take one path and stick to it, her dad had told her that and she would stick to it. "No.“

"What?“ the brown stallion said, completely distraught by the sudden backtalking.

"We're going to find our friends,“ she said and suddenly his hoof hit her so hard, that a single tooth was sent flying.

He stared at them with an utterly cold expression, his eyes flickering. "Listen you brat, my job's to get the survivors out of here so we're going to get out of here, understand?“

Lyra nodded and Derpy did so, too, scared of getting hit once more. The stallion smiled, but that faded the moment Lyra turned herself around bucked him right in his knees. Derpy didn't even quite get what had happened until she was gripped by the hoof and Lyra started laughing madly. "Twily, we're coming!“

Lyra yelled across the world and Derpy began to smile, one road, none else. Her dad had taught her that much and he had taught Lyra the same lesson. Lyra let go of her hoof so they could start galloping again. Their target was the fissure in the center of the town and they intended to reach it well enough.

A screeching noise erupted and a bolt struck before them in the ground. Lyra stopped, Derpy, too and they looked at the smoke.

"What?“ Derpy asked.

A shape emerged from the rising dust.

"What?“ Derpy asked.

She had never seen a shape like that, something without shape, without face and without name. A being so foul that its mere presents scared the ponies before it. Lyra was as scared as she was. The thing approached. . .

And. . .

Octavia sighed. "I'm still here,“ she spoke, loud enough for the other pony to hear.

She moved past all the seats with a jacket she had found on the ground. It was still dry, too, unlike her and the filly. Hopefully it would keep them warm while Twilight did what she thought she could do.

Sadly, the Wise Goat wasn't helping. He had continued his talk about how they needed to go to the Lunarium and how Twilight was mad and that, if he could talk to her, he would've surely talked her out of something as mad as this. Octavia had never trusted the strange voice and something in his tone sounded giddy when he gushed about how Twilight Sparkle was 'mad'. Personally, she trusted Twilight. She had the same feeling as Octavia's grandfather about her. A grandness and force of will well beyond her own. She sighed, she wasn't a chosen, she wasn't an element of harmony and there was not magic in the tunes she was able to play on the cello. All she could do was what she did now. She moved past the many seats and up the stage of the Celestial Hall to where once the curtains were. There, she found a small filly, cowering, crying and very frightened.

"I'm back,“ Octavia said and the pegasus looked up.

"Did you find mommy? Daddy? Is daddy with you? He promised he'd be back, he never came back. He said he'd be back...“

Octavia looked at the filly that was as small as her but probably a bit younger. She had her eyes closed and bandaged. Rocks had hit her during the first earthquake and the treatment had been very mediocre, as the next earthquake had come so soon thereafter and suddenly nopony had been there for her. She had been wandering around the town and had still thought she was with the doctors. She had gone to the Celestial Hall looking for her parents, this filly with the six colors in her mane.

"I've brought something to cover yourself with,“ Octavia said and spread the coat over the other filly, "and guess what, there's still room for one more.“ She huddled herself up, right beside the pegasus. "Is this okay with you, Rainbow Dash?“

She used the filly's name intentionally here, she wanted to give her as much comfort as possible. The pegasus didn't speak, but moved a bit closer to Octavia, sobbing and silently whispering the same questions over and over again.

"Where's Mommy? When will daddy come home? Is he here yet? Is she here yet? Will they both be there? He promised. . . He promised to take me to the wonderbolts.“

Octavia looked over the burnt hall, it was all happening over again, just with this filly. She leaned in on her new companion. "Don't worry,“ she said, "They're probably still searching for you. You've gone a bit away from the camp. Don't worry.“

Octavia found herself struggling for words.  What could she say in this situation. What could she possibly talk about. She looked at the empty seats and remembered how he had played the strings, how he had silenced the entire audience. Nopony in the entire auditorium had been able to speak of anything, to think of anything but the little seapony's journey home.

Think. . .

"Rainbow Dash,“ she suddenly said, and the other pony looked up, not saying anything. "Could you tell me about the wonderbolts?“

The other pony waited for a moment, "Y- You don't know about th- the wonderbolts?“

"Not my area of expertise but I'd like to hear about them.“

There was another moment of silence and then Rainbow Dash stopped her sobbing and her crying as well as her thinking of her lost family and from one second to another she talked about the most important thing in her tiny world.

"They're equestrias best fliers, and by that I mean the best. They're so awesome. There's Spitfire, she won the great Dragonbridge Race a year ago. A volcano broke out as they were right above it and Spitfire saved eight different racers from falling into the lava. She was so cool, they even gave her the price, even though she finished last then and a medal, too. Oh there's also Soarin, the youngest member, he eats pies. A lot. Oh and he's also the only pegasus to ever win at the Manehatten Diving challenge. Also there's Fire Streak, the hottest stallion in all of Equestria. He won last years Wonderbolt Derby and is the most senior member on the team. Ooh, and Wave Chill who's so lazy he once slept through an entire race and still managed to be placed tenth, out of a hundred. And Misty, she's also pretty young but she accomplished herself by the 'mountaintop' Derby two years ago and she also bakes pies. A lot. Then there's-“

She talked on and on and had completely forgotten the darkness of her eyes and the absence of her family members. All Octavia would have needed to do now was to say 'uh huh' and 'yeah' every now and then. Instead she listened to Rainbow Dash gushing about how awesome her most favorite flight team ever was. Then she started rambling about the Deserts Dusters, the flight team from Appleloosa or the Thundernados from Manehatten. Then she started talking about the history of the uniform design and just to top it off she recounted the most important Wonderbolt members throughout history.

"You're pretty awesome for knowing so much about them,“ she said after Rainbow Dash had finished. She meant it, too. Most little ponies played games and didn't think much of the world around them but every now and then one would discover the magic of a certain thing. For Octavia it had been music, the same way it had been being completely bonkers for Lyra.

Rainbow Dash turned several shades of red just then. "Thanks. . . I always wanted to join them.“

I always wanted to play there.

"And now I can't.“

Not ever.

"Why?“ Octavia asked.

"I. . . The doctor said I can never see again.“

"You also said that he couldn't do much for you there. There's still a chance, there's still hope and hey, you could still make it, even without eyes.“

"How?“

"I-“ she paused right there, "I don't know. . . But if you put your mind into it, you can. Do. . .“

They sat on the large, desolate stage with it's curtains that had become ashes long ago and were scattered in the wind. They were surrounded by rows and rows of chairs, enough to let the whole city in. And the hall was quite.

Her grandfather once stood right there, she remembered, near the edge of the stage armed only with his cello and all the nervousness he had shown beforehand had vanished. Then he had looked at her and his concentrated expression changed into a smile even he didn't seem to notice.

"Anything,“ she finished. "Rainbow, how about we make a deal?“

"Huh?“

"From now on we'll watch over each other's dream, you get to become a wonderbolt and I will rebuilt this hall here and then we'll both fill all their hearts with the magic of joy.“

Rainbow Dash broke into a smile. . .

And. . .

Raindrops took a deep breath and she just kept breathing in for a few more moments. The light brown filly with the blonde mane called Doseydotes and her brother Goldengrape looked at her for a moment, then at their father, mister Grape, who seemed to scarcely believe what had just happened himself.

"This is all impossible.“

Raindrops didn't feel that inclined to agree. Under the smog of the city one could never see the stars, she had found, that's why she kept the stars close to her heart, that's why she always looked up. The filly also knew that arguing more would get him only angry again. She preferred it not to be beaten by a stallion of his strength. Hugh would have never hit her like that. Plus she had just saved his life and the only thing he had done was yell at his children for not being stronger and at her for not being fast enough.

She hated stallions like him, he should've fallen down and broken all his bones. Now he was there and he had led them right into it.

A cloud of darkest blue, glittering like the night itself, glaring at them with snake-like eyes. A shape that had no shape and a beast that had no name. Octavia had asked the right question before they had stormed off into this mess, she felt.

"Are you scared of nightmares?“, she mumbled, trying to find an answer herself.

"What did you say?“ the stallion asked, getting angry again.

She didn't answer,  just looked to the ground.

"That's what I thought,“ he grumbled and stood up again. "Let's get going.“

She hated stallions like him the most but still got up. She wanted to be back with Twily and the others. Why hadn't they helped her, though? No, Twilight had said that she could fix this entire situation, she would do it. Trixie trusted her and Lyra, too. Derpy had seemed to take liking to the filly who had slept in Raindrops' bed, the one where the stars were always close to her. She thought of that now. The night sky always calmed her mind.

So they moved on, right through the door of the destroyed building and into the ashes of her hometown. The crack in the sky reigned over the chaos it had caused, but the screams of the ponies seemed far away now. They never stopped it seemed but Raindrops knew better, some ponies stopped at one point, but only so others could take up the cacaphony. Each step felt horrible, like she should go somewhere else and help the ponies. She was small, yes, but still she knew about the importance of life. Unlike that stallion, she didn't even care what his name was.

He just moved on, running away, thinking that he was some kind of brave hero saving his kids and some stranger's brat. He didn't care about them, though. He spotted 'thank yous' and mares fainting at his sight because he braved the chaos of the city with three foals on his back. She was enraged but hid it well.

He reminded her of someone a pony once had known, a pony that had not been this Raindrops but another. A sad little filly who had gone and run away and had died and was reborn. She had found friends and a new, happy family. Was Hugh alright? Madame Hooves? She didn't know but the uncertainty was eating at her. As they walked past broken buildings, through puddles of acid rain she only cared about that, that and the fate of her friends.

Twilight had seemed so strong all of a sudden. Raindrops looked to her hooves. She was just a little filly in the hooves of another mad adult but Twilight had decided she would change her fate. Why not she?

She looked over to Goldengrape as they moved through an alley and closed in on him. "Is he all you got for family?”, she asked.

"He's not our family. . . not really, but he took care of us and all he expects in return is that we do his chores at home and get money.“

"So he gives you a bed to sleep in? That's it?“ Raindrop asked. Goldengrape didn't answer, he only looked at Doseydotes and that told Raindrops all she needed to know. Goldengrape was older than she was, lucky enough, so maybe he could help. "I live with a good pony, you don't have to work with him and his wife. They'll take you as their kids and raise you good. I'm searching for them right now, so maybe. . .“

He looked at her for a moment and his eyes brightened up. A madness must've overtaken him that moment, the same madness that had overtaken her.  He moved towards his sister, whispered something into her ear. The stallion didn't notice.

They walked on through the corridors but nothing happened, they passed a few ponies but under his glorious leadership, they ignored any screams for help and just walked passed the ponies. It was at the end of the major road as they would turn into another corner that Goldengrape suddenly shouted:"Now!“

Seconds later Raindrops was hooting and laughing as they raced through another alley, believing that the stallion didn't even have a chance to turn his head before they had vanished from his sight. They turned from that alley into another and this time they would get to do the right thing. They'd help the ponies, they'd search for Hugh, they'd find Twilight and help her. They would save Canterlot.

Raindrops looked at the sky and noticed it had changed it's color completely but this new color wasn't to her liking. Waves of purple, green and gold washed across it and in between it seemed ripped. It was like something straight out of a nightmare.

They were heading towards the main road again when the snipping noise echoed through the alleyway and a screeching and crying came closer and closer, louder and louder,. . .

Then. . .

The hornless unicorn yelled out in pain as the pair of black scissors darted past her. She looked down to find it had scratched her right leg. Not deep, but it hurt. Lyra immediately looked up again and stared at the candy cloud who retracted the Scissors as fast as it had thrown them. They had changed since their last meeting, Lyra had noticed, much to her own disgust. They were still pink but beneath the moustache was now a mouth which had sharp teeth lined up vertically and between the head and the moustache was a giant eyeball staring at them, red veins pulsing within, not once did it blink. Its extremities were twisted and every time the thing took a step it made the sound of bones breaking. All that added to its screams of agony and the thing had become the most terrible, monstrous sight.

Needless to say, even Lyra, the one everypony called too mad to be scared was afraid of it. Derpy was backing away, too. She was always so stubborn but right now, the only reason she didn't run away crying was because Lyra wasn't. Maybe that alone was a true sign of madness. Everypony else had been quick to take their hooves into their other hooves, why not she? Twilight was still running towards the fissure, she knew and time was running out.

That Wise Goat had been right, the worlds were colliding and they needed to do something. Twilight would try whatever she could, so what should she, Lyra, do? She steadied herself and for once in her life she cursed the absence of a horn. For once in her life she wasn't proud to have lost the one thing that made her a unicorn.

The thing approached with its broken march and Lyra found tears swelling up in her eyes. She had always believed that her parents had the right of it, that unicorns were filth from an era long gone. Magic was a dream that probably never existed and if it ever did, it was good that it was gone. The princesses were all dead and soon enough even the memory of them would have faded away.

Magic was long gone and Lyra had not once dreamt of it. Not once.

Now was different. Now as she heard the bones crack and the screams of pain she felt different. The screams reflected her own, her crushed hopes. When she had met Trixie first the little filly had put up the most pathetic of magic shows and Lyra had told her so. Trixie, of course, had never forgiven her, no matter how much she tried to fix it. To that filly, magic was everything. What was it to Lyra, though?

Crack, crack, crack.

She looked at the beast and the noise of the cracking bones changed into the plucking of a harp. She blinked, she saw an old mare with pink coat and hair of gold and purple, plucking the strings of the golden instrument. A beautiful picture it was, still fresh in her mind, like the day she had first seen it. The princess of love looked different from any other pony, she had been so colorful and said to be full of smiles, bringing joy to all those around her. She had truly been the greatest of ponies in her own time.

A golden harp she had played and only once, for the first photograph with her royal visage. She had been dying back then but Cadance had never cared. All she had ever known was the duty she had enjoyed so much, spreading love without searching it for her own. She had found a golden harp in an old pawn shop and had played it only once, while waiting for her knight in shining armor.

A golden harp having its strings plucked and Octavia telling her the truth of it.

"There is magic in music,“ she had said and Lyra had laughed at her. Magic was real, though so it was there. It could enchant ponies, it could bring happiness to so many.

Lyra opened her eyes like for the first time after a century long sleep. She opened her eyes and was met with the neverending stare of the cotton cloud's eye. The snipping noise remained in the background just as much as the screams from the ponies who met things like it in the streets. Still, Lyra had but one believe left in her. The aquamarine unicorn smiled.

There was still magic in her and the stump of a horn on her head started glowing.

The scissors were closing in but before they could slice the light erupted from the forehead of the filly and engulfed the square that they were standing on and the screams changed to a happy, sobbing laughter as the cloud was cleansed. Then, Lyra and Derpy stood both there, with the rain falling heavy on their shoulders.

"L-Lyra?“ Derpy suddenly asked.

"Yeah,“ she answered.

"What. . . What did you do?“

Lyra turned around and smiled, not the mad smile, not the smile of the pony that had stopped believing in magic and herself. She knew this was not the face of the pony whose horn they had sawn of and whom they had told that she was the lowest dirt. This was her face, Lyra Heartstring’s face and smile.

"I don't know,“ she said, looking at her hooves, green hooves that seemed to belong to a stranger, "I don't know. . . But I feel. . . Good? Yeah, good. Better than before.“

"You've got a horn.“

"I'm a wizard now, too.“

She grinned. This would do. She could do it now, she could help, she could be a unicorn, she could be proud. "We need to go, Derpy. Twilight's waiting.“

And. . .

The crack was not a crack. It tore right through reality itself and any sane pony would've stayed as far away from it as possible. They weren't sane, Trixie found. Everypony around her was raving mad. At first she had thought Lyra was the worst but now she wasn't so sure anymore, Twilight came pretty close now.

She hadn't reacted to them losing Derpy and Lyra, she had only hurried onwards and then after a few minutes suddenly her color had started to change. Trixie had never seen a lavender unicorn before, especially not with a dark blue mane, nor had she ever thought to. Now that they had reached their goal it seemed even weirder. Everything had turned from strange to stranger and worst of all, she still didn't feel a thing.

All those wondrous things were happening around her and she still didn't feel anything. The only thing that looked remotely magical about her was the hat. Twilight looked like a unicorn magician right out of the era of discord, while she was stuck being some kind of earth pony with horn in a nice wardrobe. She hated that.  Still, she tried to focus. There were far more important things going on, like the destruction of Canterlot for example.

They stood on the edge of what had once been the main plaza and around here, nothing but the foundations of the buildings and a few bodies remained. Trixie didn't even want to know why none of them weren't moving. She saw Twilight take a deep breath. "This is it,“ she said, trying to sound tough, but her voice cracked up.

Trixie wanted to tell her that she wasn't as good as she thought she was, that she would fail, but those weren't things she wanted to tell Twilight. She had seen her back then in the hospital, a little thing that stared out of the window with little to no hope of ever finding a better life. She had a weakness for ponies like that, ponies that were like Trixie. She had wanted to show Twilight something nice, give her some hope, something to hold on to. The unicorn had found it and Trixie felt that she should respect that. Finally, she said, "You can do it, Twilight.“

There was a twitching and the lavender unicorn gave an awkward smile, "Let's take a dive,“ she said and moved forwards, "Although I don't know what to do now.“

Trixie found it both amazing and scary how quick Twilight's confidence was fading but then she stared up again, where the crack reached up far beyond the clouds. There was something hammering against it from the other side and Trixie found that she would've rather run than walk up there. Twilight was as mad as she was brave.

"I-“ she suddenly heard her friend say, "Oh Celestia, what-, how?“

"Concentrate, like you did back then. Just do what you did. You're special, right? You did something that couldn't be done. You are a magician, Twilight!“

The unicorn looked at her and then started to smile again, "Thanks,“ she said, "Trixie.“

Trixie smiled back, even though she knew that was all she could do. She blinked and then the earthquake came from nowhere. The ground started shaking and both unicorns, with their capes on, shook with it. Trixie could barely stand up straight, but then she noticed why the earth had stopped being quiet. The fissure was growing.

Slowly but steadily it opened, looking like the mouth of a gigantic beast that got ready to swallow the world. Trixie knew what was on the other side, she knew that she shouldn't be scared but for some strange reason cottoncandy clouds frightened her. Twilight stood a few meters before her looking up without a clue what to expect.

From the other side, a huge brown leg appeared, high as the highest towers of Canterlot and then a large chocolate pony marched with astonishing slowness through the gate. The screeching stopped and was exchanged with bright, childish laughter as cottoncandy-clouds with moustaches and tophats rained down on the equestrian ground. Gliding down, using their umbrellas as parachutes they seemed to laugh at the silliness of it all. All the while the chocolate pony took one step, then another, slowly emerging more and more from the portal that lead to its rainbow colored world. The sky was now dyed in a fine, bright red, but Trixie didn't care, her eyes were fixated on the giant pony and it's warm grin that told of the numerous joys it would bring. It looked like something straight out of a dream, a wonderful dream that would make her forget all the pain and destruction surrounding her. Yes, that giant thing looked like a promise that it would become better, that the entire downfall of Canterlot had been nothing more than a misunderstanding.

She stared at it, as it moved slowly onwards and then the tip of its tail reached the other side and suddenly it stopped. The clouds were still raining and laughing, looking like something right out of a children's storybook, all while the chocolate pony stood still. It was now that Trixie noticed that it had both wings and a horn, a chocolate alicorn wearing a warm smile. That's what she had always hoped a princess would be like, sweet with a warm smile and this here had quickly become the most wonderful experience in her entire life.

The Wise Goat might've been wrong, maybe-

Suddenly the chocolate pony turned it's head, twisting it far beyond what it's neck should have been able to support, just to stare at Twilight Sparkle. There was the laughter of children in the background and Trixie remembered a tower by the cliffs in which used to play. That memory came all of a sudden and with it came the realization that she was still shaking, that she knew that something was wrong. She looked up again and the huge, bulging eyes of the chocolate pony took nearly all hope from her. But no, she didn't intend to surrender. She could still do something.

With an angry shout she jumped forward, towards Twilight. Her haunches lifted her into the air and she felt the breeze lifting her cape up while her hat nearly flew off her head. Her forehooves touched the ground and her eyes went unto Twilight.

It didn't even take a second.

The chocolate pony dispersed and a whirl of black and brown and white and red surrounded Twilight, forming something new. It had the white skull of an equine with a red liquid swirling in circles where the eyes should be and a body of bones and shadows. It stared at Twilight for a moment, before it's cackling became a cacaphony in her ears. The whirlwind of shades closed in on Twilight, claws forming.

Trixie saw that the unicorn tried to concentrate and a sudden burst of light erupted. She had to grin, that thing had underestimated Twilight. . .

And. . .

     Twilight Sparkle felt nothing. Twilight Sparkle saw nothing. Twilight Sparkle tasted her blood.