There Are Dreams And There Are Dreams

Princess Cadence had lived a hundred years back, a young filly from the north. She had walked through equestria in disguise and then, as she had stood before the ministers she had proclaimed the ancient equestrian laws that when an alicorn would arrive, it was upon her to seize power in the land. Twilight had read quite a few versions about the reactions of the ministers when the princess spread her wings for the first time. Most she knew from very funny picture books. They relented, however reluctantly and Cadance brought forth a small golden age of harmony. She made friends with everyone aside from the ponies in her own country. She forged peace where the ponies lusted for war, created a stability in the realm that hadn't existed since the reign of the princesses and nearly banished all corruption from Equestria. Still she only left her work half done by the time she died of a sickness that had been believed to have vanished from equestrian soil. She had heard the tale a thousand time but never the continuation what had happened after the ministers took over again.

It made her feel bad to look outside the windows, since the world where princesses lived and every being lived in harmony wasn't the world she lived in. The streets were filled with trash, the houses were old and falling apart and the ponies angry and unsatisfied with their lives. Amidst it was a small filly with the same sickness as the princess of love, the same thing that had nearly killed off every unicorn right after the death of the princesses. She sat there, always looking out of the window, gulping medicine that wouldn't help, slowly dying away.

That was what Twilight Sparkle dreamt of this time. She dreamt of herself looking out of the window, all on her own. She dreamt of herself wishing to go outside and jump and play beneath the trees and the houses.

"Come on,“ she heard a white colt with blue mane say. "If you'd just get up, all our lives would get easier.“

"Come on,“ she heard her papa say. "Your brother was worthless, but you're smart. Smart ponies know how to stand.“

"Come on,“ she heard Trixie say. "I'll even help you.“ She reached out her hoof towards Twilight, a first. All Twilight had had were books but she didn't just want those anymore.

So Twilight Sparkle took the hoof and then they stood amidst ruins and rubble, staring at the center of what had destroyed the once proud city of Canterlot. Rain fell hard on their shoulders, but this time Twilight Sparkle did not shiver. She looked at her lavender colored hooves, feeling the strength inside her. She smiled, she could do this, just like back then. Before them rose a fissure from the air, with something clawing at it from the other side. The shrieking and howling it made would've been unbearable but Twilight knew she could do it. By her sides stood five other ponies, she knew them now, each by name: Trixie, Octavia, Lyra, Derpy and Raindrops. She knew them even though they looked so different than before. Trixie with her azure coat, Lyra with her cyan mane, Derpy with her golden eyes and Raindrops with the green mane. Only Octy looked different, if not for her cutie mark.

Twilight smiled at the fissure and then bellowed something heroic and jumped towards it, her horn lighting up and just as she wanted to release the magic she woke up beneath the covers of the bed, feeling colder than ever before. She felt a hot-water bottle against her chest, she felt layers of blankets above her and she still felt like she was thrown into icy water. The only good thing she noticed right now was that her stomach wasn't empty. For once that hadn't acted up again. Her heart was pounding, though.

You're alive, huh? I knew you had talent, but I didn't think you had guts, too.

She took a deep breath, "What happened?“

The world works according to rules, one of that rules is: No Magic. Guess what you did yesterday? Magic.

For a moment she held her breath but then let it out relieved. She had only passed out for a night, maybe a whole day at most. That was quite well, otherwise she didn't quite get what the voice was talking about. "Are you talking about this magia thing? For a moment I had thought that had only been a dream,“ she almost sounded relieved about that, too.

There are dreams and there are dreams, Twilight Sparkle. One word *can** have different meanings. The world Magia resides in should only be a realm of fantasy, the fact that you broke into it and out of it alone means that the wall between that dream and this world has weakened.*

"What?“

Twilight Sparkle, I know this may seem like an everyday occurrence to you but here's a secret: Nightmare Moon isn't real, the monster under your bed is fantasy too, but if Magia breaks from its world into this one, these things are going to be real. And you can believe me, it's going to be far worse than cotton candy clouds with scissors when that happens. You need to listen to me. You need to get to the Lunarium, you need to-

The voice spoke on but Twilight's attention was diverted by Derpy who flew into the room. Twilight found herself completely entranced in the other pony's eyes, again. The filly, who was actually a bit smaller than Twilight, simply smiled a smile that could've been called dim at best.

"You're awake again.“ The obvious had to be stated and at that moment Derpy was the mare on the case, still Twilight nodded. "Have a muffin.“

Twilight looked at the thing that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was now right in front of her face. "Wha-, Why?... Thanks,“ she mumbled taking the muffin out of Derpy's hoof.

"You suddenly collapsed, everypony was worried, you know. Raindrops especially, since didn't have a bed anymore, but that was solved, she simply slept with mommy.“

"Oh. . . I'm sorry.“ Twilight looked down on the muffin, mostly feeling annoyed at her sickness.

"It's no problem, that's how Octy started to live here, too. She collapsed, although she didn't came from a hospital, and it was because she was red all over, her zello-“

"Cello.“

"Jello, that's what I said. Anyway her jello was without a scratch, though.“

Twilight wondered why Octavia had been red when she collapsed. She had probably been painting. That kind of stuff happened when you painted. Like when Shining had showed her hoofpaint for the first time. In the end most of the colors had ended up on their respective coats. Even papa had gotten a laugh out of it.

"Why're you laughing?“ Derpy asked as a slight giggle erupted from Twilight.

"No reason.“

The grey mare seemed displeased with that answer,"You can tell me.“

"You wouldn't understand.“

"Tell me!“ she insisted.

Twilight just huddled up beneath her blankets and started eating the muffin. The other filly still insisted on being told why Twily had giggled. In the end she only stopped when Lyra came in. Twilight noticed that her steps were a bit more careful on the ground, she was almost on the tips of her hooves as she moved forward. Twilight waved to her nonetheless, which was greeting with that smile again.

"You're fine again.“

Derpy still insisted.

"Yeah. . . Just really cold. It's getting better, though. She brought a muffin.“

Lyra stopped in her tracks, "I thought all the muffins were gone?“

Derpy wouldn't say anything else until she was told.

"Really? Must be the last.“ Twilight shrugged.

"Anyway, I wanted to tell you something important.“

"What?“

For a moment Lyra hesitated, she was clearly trying to remember something. Maybe Mister Jelly had told her to tell Twilight something. Maybe it was a lecture, maybe it was that she should leave the house, maybe some other unspeakable horror that Lyra couldn't put into words.

"You slept right through another earthquake.“

Okay, that wasn't so bad.

"They say half the city collapsed, too.“