Twilight's Sleepless Nights

Chapters

Everything.... is fine (Revised V2)
Bad dreams (Revised V2)
Before the storm (Revised V2)
End of a dream (Revised)
The Accident (Revised V2)

Everything.... is fine (Revised V2)

Day 2

Morning

Twilight had managed to get back to bed later that night. She decided to put the experiment on hold for now, and do more research on both her experiment and that dream. She was back in bed, when Spike had woken up. He thought it was odd that Twilight was still in bed, she was normally up before he was. He watched her for a moment, before going over to fix her blanket which had been tossed haphazardly over, her before he headed down stairs.

When Spike got down stairs, he saw the mess Twilight had left the night before. Books scattered all over the floor, along with an empty mug on her desk. He was used to Twilight being up late, and leaving a mess. But he hadn't seen her leave a mess this big before. He started to put away the books as he grumbled out, "What has gotten into her?" He checked one of the books, and tilted his head, it was on dream analysis.

Twilight woke up later that morning, and got out of bed. She noticed Spike wasn't in bed, and blinked, Spike was never up early, she thought to herself. She looks out the window, and saw how late it was. "Ahhh! It's already mid-morning! Spike, why didn't you wake me up?!" She yelled, as she ran down the stairs. "Spike?!" She started to get into a panic, when she didn't see him in the main hall of the library, and the dream from last night flooded back to her.

"I'm right here Twilight," He called back, as he stuck his head out of the kitchen. He blinked when he saw her, as she shuffled from hoof to hoof, looking around in a panic. Her mane sticking out, and her eyes wide. "Are you ok? You look freaked out."

She looked over, and calmed down when she saw him there, with a confused look on his face. "I'm fine Spike," she answered him. She headed over, and went into the kitchen. She used her magic to take down a mug, and filled it with tea. "I’m just not used to sleeping in late." She went on to explain, also it was half-true. She was an early bird, she didn't like it when she slept late, it threw off her schedule. She really didn't want to talk about her dream either, so she left it at that.

"Alright Twilight," He didn't buy that explanation, she had been way too freaked out for just having overslept. There was also the books on dream analysis she had left out, but he didn't want to press the issue. He put Twilight's breakfast on the table for her. Grain toast like she normally had in the morning. "What are we going to be doing today? Work on the experiment again?"

"No Spike, I decided to put that on hold, for now," Twilight answered, before she took a bite of her toast. "I need to do more research on it before trying again." She was still worried about what had happened, and her dream. She didn't want to risk something like that actually happening.

"Well, alright, Twilight," he said, with a look of concern. He had never known Twilight to give in so easily, and they had studied the research for that sort of spell and experiment backwards and forward for nearly two months. He left Twilight in the kitchen to go and his finish his chores for the day. He wanted to finish with the library’s main hall, before ponies started to show up, after that he would clean the bedrooms, before going back to the kitchen, and clean up the breakfast dishes.

Twilight sat at the table, thinking about her dream again, before she shook her head trying to dismiss it. "It was just a dream, let it go Twilight. Spike is fine," she reassured herself, and finished her toast and tea. She used her magic to put the dirty dishes away in the sink before she headed out into the main hall of the library. She started to look over the book titles, and tried to find the one she wanted. Once she found it, she sent it over her desk and looked for the next book.

Day 2

Afternoon

As afternoon rolled around, Twilight put on her saddle bags. "Spike I'm going to head into town. Take care of the library," She called out to Spike.

“I will Twilight,” Spike called back. Twilight smiled and used her magic to open the door and went outside, her magic shut the door behind her. She stood outside for a moment to take in the afternoon sun and fresh air.

Twilight made her way down the street to her first stop, Quills & Sofas, to get some new quills before she made her way to Sugar Cube Corner. The dream was still fresh in her mind, as much as she tried to dismiss it. She decided to get Spike a treat, plus she was a bit hungry. She went inside, and up to the counter. "Good Afternoon Mrs. Cake."

"Hello Twilight, what can I do for you?" Mrs. Cake asked, as she smiled at Twilight with her normal friendly smile. She stood behind the counter of the baked sweets store. "Pinkie Pie is out at the moment, if you're looking for her. I can let her know, when she gets back," She added.

"Thank you Mrs. Cake, but I'm not looking for Pinkie at the moment. I would like a blueberry muffin, and..." She said as she looked at the different sweets on display, as she tried to decide on something for Spike "One of those crushed emerald cupcakes." She said with a smile at Mrs. Cake.

Mrs. Cake smiled, and took out a bag for the order. She used a set of tongs in her muzzle, to pick up the cupcake first, and placed it in the bag carefully before putting a sheet of wax paper over. After she did that she got the muffin out, and put it in the bag careful not to mush the frosting on the cupcake. "There you go deary." Mrs Cake said, as she put the bag on the counter for Twilight.

"Thank you Mrs. Cake," Twilight said, as she placed the money on the counter, and used her magic to put the bag of treats in her saddle bag. She made her way to a park bench, where she took a seat and took out her muffin to nibble on it.

She sat quietly, as she ate her muffin. She was trying to figure out what happened with the experiment, when she saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders go by, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sitting in a wagon as Scootaloo pulled them with her scooter.

I wonder what the Crusaders are going to do to find their cutie marks this time? Even though my friends and I have given them clues on how to find their special talent. But then, foals will sometimes think they know more than their seniors in life. They're focusing too hard on achieving the end result, and not on the journey to get there. But there's not much we can do, if they're not willing to heed the sage wisdom of the ancients.

She finished her muffin as she watched the three fillies go down the road in the direction of Carousel Boutique before getting up.

She started to make her way back to the library at a slow trot, enjoying the feel of the sun on her. She looked over at Sugar Cube Corner as she moved by and thought about going in to see if Pinkie Pie was back yet. The happy pink pony was good at raising people's spirits. She changed her mind as she went by though, and reminded herself It was just a bad dream, nothing more than that.

"Spike, I'm home! I got you something," She called out, as she came into the library, and looked around, removing her saddlebags, as she returned them to where she always kept them. She used her magic to open one of the pouches, and took out the bag from Sugar Cube Corner.

Spike came down stairs from the bedroom with a smile. "Really Twilight? You got me something?" He asked, as he went over to Twilight, and looked up at her. Twilight smiled back at him, and nods as she floated the bag over to him, so he could take it.

He opens the bag, and looks inside. "Oh wow, thank you so much Twilight,” he exclaimed, as he took out the cupcake, and looked at the sparkling emerald mixed into the frosting. He licked his lips, and took a bite of the cupcake. "Mmm, this is so good," he said, with a content smile on his face.

She smiled at Spike while he enjoyed the cupcake "You're welcome Spike," she replied as she moved to her desk and put away the quills she had bought. She was just about to get started on some research, when she heard a knock at the door. "Who could that be?" She wondered to herself, while she moved to her hooves, and went to the door as Spiked answered it.

"Oh, hello Spike, is Twilight here?" Came a soft voice. Twilight recognized it as her friend Fluttershy.

"Heya Fluttershy, come on in." Spike said, with a smile, and moved, so Fluttershy could come inside. "Twilight is right here." He said, as he looked over to Twilight.

"Hi Fluttershy, what brings you into town today?" Twilight asked with a friendly smile, Fluttershy hardly ever left her cottage or her animals unless it was important. "Do you need help with something, or a book?"

"Hello Twilight, well... Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle are having another sleepover at my place. I was wondering... if it's not too much trouble that is... If I could borrow a book to keep them entertained?" Fluttershy asked in her soft, timid voice. She normally used it when she didn't want bother any pony.

Twilight just smiled and nodded at Fluttershy "Sure Fluttershy, I think I have the perfect thing," Twilight answered, as she went over to shelf and started to look over the books. She took one down and checked the title to be sure it was the right one. "Here we are, Slumber 101: All you ever wanted know about slumber parties, but were afraid to ask." She said, as she looked over at Fluttershy. "Is Rarity too busy to host the sleep over again?" She inquired, as she brought the book over.

"Yes, she got a big order from Canterlot at the last minute." Fluttershy answered, as she put the book in her saddle bag. "I wasn't sure if I should handle the sleepover after what happened last time, but they are good kids. I just hope things go smoother this time."

"I'm sure they will, Fluttershy. That book should have plenty of suggestions to keep them from getting bored, I just hope it goes better than my sleepover with Applejack and Rarity." Twilight said with a smile. "Do you want to stay for tea?" She asked Fluttershy, but Fluttershy simply shook her head no.

"I really should go and get everything ready before the fillies show up." Fluttershy said, with a smile. "But thank you for the offer, and the book, I'll be sure to bring it back when I'm done. I’ll let you know how things went." She added as she and Twilight walked to the door and Twilight used her magic to open the door for her.

"Your welcome Fluttershy, have fun with the fillies." Twilight replied as Fluttershy headed out of the door with a smile, and started to walk back to her cottage near the Everfree Forest. Twilight watched Fluttershy for a few moments, before she closed the door. "I sure hope they don't cause Fluttershy too much trouble." Twilight said to herself with a sigh, before she walked back to her desk.

Day 2

Night

Twilight spent the rest of the afternoon and most of that evening studying and in deep thought. The library was normally pretty quiet, only the occasional pony came for a book, and Spike was able to handle that most of the time. But of course, if she was needed, she stopped to answer questions or give advice, but that was pretty rare in a small town like Ponyville.

“Twilight, what do you want for dinner?” Spike inquired.

“I don’t want anything, I’m not hungry.” Twilight answered him dismissively.

"Come on Twilight, you have to eat something, you need to take a break." he insisted, arms crossed, as he looked up at her.

Twilight sighed, and nods at Spike, "Alright Spike, if you insist. I'll have a dandelion and daisy sandwich, hay fries, and my usual tea." Twilight answered him as she moved away from the desk and followed Spike into the kitchen to have dinner. Spike was her assistant, so sometimes he knew what was best for her. Even if she didn't always like to admit it.

Dinner went by quietly, and she left Spike to finish the dishes, as she went back to her desk to study. Soon though, she had started to doze off at her desk, and shook her head to clear it. She looked around and blinked a few times before she looked out the window. "Oh my, it got dark fast." she mused to herself, as she got up and turned off the lights. Spike had already gone to bed and she hadn't even noticed. She made her way up the stairs and got into her bed with a yawn, as she climbed under the covers and closed her eyes. She went to sleep pretty quickly, the near-sleepless night before had caught up with her.

Twilight got Spike to the hospital quickly, and the doctors did their best to save him, but a piece of crystal had embedded itself deep in his chest and couldn't be removed. When they tried to use magic to remove the crystal, it reacted with the magic and preventing the spell from working. Spike died soon after that.

While the doctors were in with Spike, one of them treated Twilight’s injuries she had gotten from the explosion as well, removing the pieces of crystals stuck in her side and flank and bandaging up the cuts she sustained.

After treating her wounds she went to go check on Spike, the royal guard had been sent to Ponyville to inspect the explosion and fire in the library. They had arrived shortly before Spike’s death.

She had already been on edge, and when she found out he died, she panicked. She fired a magic blast at the guards and started to run, the logical part of her brain shutting down. The guards quickly gave chase, to try and stop her. She did her best to keep away from her armored pursuers, but she was emotionally drained because of Spike's death, and magically drained from the experiment. She galloped as hard as she could though, moving through the streets of Ponyville.

"No... This can't be happening, it was an accident." Twilight cried frantically, as she ran down the streets of Ponyville. On her trail was the royal guard. A couple of unicorns on the ground ran after her, their horns flared with magic while a couple of pegasi flew overhead. She gasped as bolts of magic missed her, flying past in multi-hued bolts of luminous magic as the guards missed hitting their target.

She glanced back and saw the unicorn guards behind her, horns glowing with magic as they prepared to unleash another volley. The pegasi overhead dive-bombed her, causing her to look around for cover.

"Why is this happening?!" She yelled out, as she darted into an alley to try and lose the guard that chased after her and recover some of her magic. But it wouldn't last for too long, the pegasi would have trouble, but the unicorns could easily follow her. She saw the guard begin searching the alley and started to run again, while she focused on her magic. She teleported herself back to the library, and her eyes went wide when she saw her new surroundings.

She was greeted with the horrible sight of the library's current state. There was a big hole in the floor from the blast. The old tree groaned a bit from a gentle breeze outside. Her books were scattered around, a few burned. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She hadn't been back since the accident, and was now noticing all the damage to her home. She backed up and turned, opening the door, and came face to face with one of the unicorn royal guard.

She stared at the guard as his horn started to glow. "Surrender yourself Twilight Sparkle," the guard demanded, his horn glowing brightly, and ready to fire a spell if she resisted or used her magic. But with the logical side of her mind not in control, panic taking hold of her, she didn't listen. She prepared to use a spell, only to feel the impact of the guard's magic hit her and knock her to the ground.

She woke up with a loud gasp and sat bolt upright in bed, bathed in a cold sweat. She shook in fear, her eyes wide, and darted around to make sure she was still in her room. She breathed in quick, fast breaths. "Ev- everything... everything is fine..." She muttered softly to herself.

"Everything, is fine." She repeated, as she tried to reassure herself and calm down. She pulled the covers over her head with a soft whimper, hiding herself like a foal from a monster in the bedroom. A small part of her logical mind knew it was just a dream, but at the moment that didn't help, she shivered under her covers quietly.

Author's Note

Chapter Revision edit by AuthorGenesis

Bad dreams (Revised V2)

Day 3

Morning

Spike had been up for a while now. He noticed Twilight was still asleep when he woke up and sighed as he got out of his bed, and went to check on her. He noticed she had her head covered with her blanket and blinked. But he left her alone as he went downstairs to start his morning routine thereby letting her sleep in again. He wouldn't admit it to her, but he had woken up a few times during the night from her cries of panic in her sleep. "You'll tell me on your own when you’re ready, Twi" he murmured softly, as he started his chores.

Twilight groaned softly, as she slowly woke up, still hiding her under blanket. She did manage to fall asleep again after the dream, but it took a while. She didn't sleep very well after that, she tossed and turned most of the night while having other nightmares, but none stuck out or woke her up like the first. She moved to get up from the bed, and went into her bathroom looking at herself in the mirror. The rough night had left her a mess. She floated up her brush, and started to brush out her mane. She then splashed her face with some cold water and took a deep breath.

Spike looked over at Twilight as she came down the stairs, and smiled at her pleasantly, "Good morning Twilight, did you sleep well?" He asked, having already finished half his chores before she woke up, and came down the stairs. He knew she had a rough night, but decided to give her a chance to tell him. "How about some breakfast, do you want your usual wheat toast and tea?" He asked, as he headed into the kitchen.

Twilight followed after Spike into the kitchen "Yes ... I slept well." She lied, not sounding convincing even to herself, Spike just frowned softly to himself. He knew she had a rough night since she had woken him up. And it showed in her features, and even though she had cleaned herself up, she still looked as if she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep.

He poured her a cup of tea, and set it down on the table for her, before starting to make her the toast she always had. But she stopped him. "Actually Spike, I think I want some pancakes today." She decided, as Spike gave her a confused and worried look.

"Well, alright Twilight, if that's what you want," he replied, as he starts to make the pancakes instead. He wondered what had her so upset. The sleepless nights and late mornings was one thing, but she only requested pancakes if she had a particularly bad dream or nightmare. "Are you sure you’re okay Twilight?" He asked, as he finished mixing the batter, after which he greased a pan with some butter, and poured some of the batter into it.

"I'm fine Spike, really. You don’t need to worry about me." She reassured him as she smiled at him while trying to look sincere. She took a drink of her tea, and breathed in the smell of the pancakes as Spike cooked. Looking over at him as he worked, she smiled again and sighed softly before she spoke again. "Just a bad dream is all. Everything is alright," she repeated as she tried to convince herself as much as him.

Spike wasn't convinced it was just a simple bad dream, she had those before and they never bothered her this badly. He put the pancakes on a plate, as they got done and brought them over, placing them on the table with some butter, and a selection of syrups and jams. "If you say so Twilight..." he muttered while looking up at her with a worried smile. "But you know if anything is bothering you, you can tell me. I am your number one assistant after all, I’m always here for you." He smiled at her again, before leaving the kitchen to finish his chores.

After Spike had left the room, she sighed softly to herself. "Oh Spike … ." She shook her head and used her magic to add a bit of butter to the pancakes, and then some boysenberry syrup. She then started to eat. "Mmm these are good." She smiled, as she enjoyed the taste. Pancakes had always lifted her spirits when she was down, ever since she was little and had been scared of monsters getting her in the night.

She ate quietly as she thought on her new monster, the nightmares plaguing her dreams. She couldn't figure out why they kept coming, and what they meant since all her studies on dream analysis turned up little. At least nothing that would help her with her problem. She had experiments go bad before, and had even gotten herself hurt , but she never had bad dreams about those.

After she had finished the pancakes, she put the dishes away in the sink, and the syrups and jellies back in the fridge along with the butter. She then started making her way out into the main hall. As she did so, she heard a knock at the front door and tilted her head, "Wonder who that could be at this time of the morning. I’ll get it Spike" She called to him, as she went to answer it, her magic opening the door.

She saw Fluttershy standing at the entrance of the library, and smiled at her. "Oh, good morning Twilight." Her shy friend greeted with a kind smile. Twilight moved to let her come inside, and closed the door behind her once she was in. "How are you feeling this morning?" Fluttershy asked as politely as ever, while going to take a seat near by.

"Good morning Fluttershy, I am doing very well this morning. How about yourself, did the sleepover go well?" Twilight asked as she went to join her with a friendly smile. She took a seat across from Fluttershy and settled down. She was glad to have the company, and a distraction from her dream.

"It went very well Twilight, thank you for your suggestion and the book. It helped a lot," Fluttershy said while taking the book from her saddle bag so Twilight could put it away. "We had a lot fun, and they didn't complain or sneak out after bedtime this time around." Fluttershy continued and then smiled again.

"I am glad it helped Fluttershy, so no trouble with those little fillies?" Twilight asked as she used her magic to levitate the book, and put it back on the shelf. "I am definitely glad they did not sneak out into the Everfree Forest again." Twilight said, as she smiled back.

"No trouble at all, they were perfect little angels." Fluttershy answered, with a big smile and nod. "I am glad I could help Rarity out again." Fluttershy said, and then paused as she looked at Twilight, she noticed how tired she looked. "Are you sure you’re okay Twilight? You don't look like you've gotten enough sleep." She asked, her voice full of concern.

"I am glad they did not cause any trouble this time." Twilight answered and then smiled. "Huh? Oh yes — I am great, I just had a long night is all. Do not worry about me Fluttershy." Twilight answered, she chose to lie, but she knew Fluttershy would be worried if she mentioned she had a nightmare.

"Well, alright Twilight, if you say you’re alright. Just try to get some rest, I really should get back to my animals now though." Fluttershy said, with a nod as she arose. She still looked concerned about Twilight though. "Thank you again for the book." Fluttershy smiled, as she started for the door.

"I will Fluttershy.." Twilight nodded, and arose with Fluttershy. She followed her to door, and used her magic to open it for Fluttershy. "Your welcome Fluttershy. Any time you need help, let me know." She smiled watching Fluttershy leave before she closed the door behind her.

Day 3

Afternoon

Twilight studied at her desk after Fluttershy left, she had only been at it for about an hour when she started to feel drowsy. Her lack of sleep had started to catch up to her. She felt her head as it grew heavier and heavier and her eyes started to close. She fought it back as best she could before she laid down on the cushion, curled up in front of her desk, and drifted off to sleep. It wasn't long before she started to dream again.

Her eyes slowly started to open after the impact from the magic the guard had shot at her. Quickly she lifted her head, and jumped to her hooves to look around. She found she was in a small cage, just enough room to turn around in, but not much else. The cage was being loaded up onto a cart led by two earth pony royal guards ready to pull it. Four unicorn royal guards surrounded the cart and used their magic to levitate the cage up, and onto the back of it.

She tried to focus her magic, but instead she felt an intense pain, and gave a sharp cry holding her head with her hooves. She looked up, and saw something clamped to her horn, and shook her head trying to get it off. She recognized it as a magic nullification clamp, which she was unable to remove.

She started to panic, and turned around in circles inside the cage in the back of the cart, as it was being taken through the streets of Ponyville to the train station. As she turned she could see ponies had lined the streets to watch. Some had looks of surprise, others had looks of sadness at what had happened. A few, but not many, turned their noses up and turned around as a sign of disrespect for the accused.

One of the unicorn royal guards saw her, as she turned around in panic inside the cage making it wobble on the cart. "Settle down in there!" His horn glowed threateningly, and Twilight settled down. She sat back down in the cage, and took a slow deep breath. Tears started to roll down her cheeks, and she wondered how everything ended up like this.

The cart came to a stop, and she looked up and out of the cage. She saw her friends as they stood on the platform along with more guards. She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with them, as the cart was turned around and pushed back against the platform. She kept her eyes down as magic encased it, and floated it up into the train car. The four unicorn guards went into the car and stood around the cage to watch over it.

Her friends moved to stand in front of the open doorway of the train car, and looked in on her, their eyes full of sorrow. She finally looked up at her friends, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she saw them. Pinkie Pie couldn't contain herself and openly cried. Fluttershy and Rarity also had tears freely rolling down their cheeks. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had been able to contain themselves a little better, but not by much.

She felt her heart sink as the door started to close, her friends disappeared one by one as they door hid them from her sight. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and finally Rainbow Dash. The door made a thudding sound, as the door finally closed shut, and the lock clasping shut. She whispered out to her friends, "I'm ... sorry, goodbye."

Day 3

Evening

She sat up quickly and looked around as she panted hard, and blinked a few times. She found herself at her desk, and shook her head again as she tried to calm herself down, as she wondered what was going on. The dream seemed to just start right back up like a book, it continued where it left off. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few minutes before she got up. She looked out the window to see what time of day it was.

It was already dark outside, Spike was asleep and it seemed late, so she went to the kitchen to get herself something to eat since she was hungry. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, but if Spike was asleep, then it must have been for a while. She got herself some tea, and made herself a quick dinner of a salad with apple slices. She brought it to the table, and sat down to eat. Her mind was still on her recent recurring nightmares. "What is going on?" She asked herself quietly.

The more she went over it in her mind, the less she could come up with any logical reasons for the dreams and the way they progressed. "It is almost like, I am living two lives ... this life where everything is fine. And another life in my dreams where everything went wrong." She frowned after she said that out aloud. It wasn't logical and sounded pretty farfetched. "No, that is impossible. Get ahold of yourself Twilight, it is just a dream." She told herself, before she got up and put the dishes in the sink.

She made her way out of the kitchen and started up the stairs to her bedroom. Even though she had just woken up she was still pretty tired. That dream had taken a lot out of her. She crawled into bed and got up under the covers as she snuggled down and closed her eyes. "I just need a good nights sleep ... that is all," she told herself as she started to doze off.

"Spike … " She whispered softly to herself, as she closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. She opened her eyes and looked at the floor of her cage, and took a deep breath. She looked at the guards stationed around her in the train cart. They had been there to make sure she didn't escape, and make sure her friends didn't try to rescue her.

She recognized the small gold crest on their uniforms marking them as the elite, best of the best of the unicorn guard, trained specifically for dealing with the worst of the worst. Even if she could use her magic, she knew she wouldn't have a chance of escape with them around. They would be able to easily track her if she teleported away. She gave a soft sigh and looked back at the floor of her cage again.

She sat quietly, as the train made its way to Canterlot. It was a pretty quick trip from Ponyville to Canterlot by train. She looked up as the train came to a stop at the station, and winced a bit as the door to the train car she was in opened, the bright light flooding in hurt her eyes. The train car had been kept pretty dim. She felt magic around her as the cage was lifted up, carried out, and placed on the back of another cart.

Twilight looked around the train station of Canterlot, and then over at the two large earth pony guards hooked up to the cart that started to pull the her out of the station and into the city. Looking up she saw it was mid-evening. She was starting to get pretty scared. She had never been in any real trouble like this before. "Wh- what’s going to happen to me?" She asked any of the guards that would answer her.

"No talking, criminal." came the short, gruff reply of a unicorn royal guard. He seemed to be the leader, and had been with her since Ponyville, he had also been the one that shot her. "For now, you're going to a holding cell in the castle. After Princess Celestia is informed, you'll stand trial for your crimes." The guard then went firm and quiet again.

They took her through the center of Canterlot to the castle. Ponies lined either side of the street. Crime of any kind was pretty rare in Equestria, so a public display like this drew a crowd. Unlike Ponyville, she didn't get a lot of sympathetic looks here, mostly looks of fear, horror and shame. All they knew was a murderer was being taken to the castle. Despite the crowd though, the ponies remained civil, and just watched her go by.

Twilight kept her gaze low, not wanting to see any of them. She felt a mix of both shame and humiliation, not because of the public display, but because of what had gotten her to this point in her life. Her stubbornness, and her pride in being the best student. She knew she shouldn't have pushed that extra dose of magic into the crystal. But she wanted the experiment to work so bad, and she grew reckless.

Twilight jumped, and looked around quickly, something shaking her had woken her up. She saw Spike as he stood by her bed looking at her. His eyes full of worry, as he watched her. Twilight looked back at him as tears rolled down her cheeks, her mane stuck to her face from sweat. She didn't know it, but she had whimpered and cried loudly in her sleep, and it woke him up.

"You can't tell me everything is fine Twilight," Spike insisted, after she had calmed down. "You haven't had dreams like this since you were a little filly. And even then, they haven't been this bad. Now please, tell me what is going on."

Twilight just looked at her faithful assistant for a few minutes, before she broke down. "I ... I dreamed I killed you Spike ... in that experiment, it was horrible." She told him, as she curled up on her bed and huddled under her covers. "Oh Spike, I can’t sleep. When I do, I just have those nightmares, and I am scared of what is going to happen next time"

Spike climbed onto the bed next to her, and softly stroked her mane getting it out of her face, as he looked down at her, concern and worry exhibited upon his face. "Twilight..." He whispered softly, unsure of what he could do or say to make her feel any better.

Author's Note

Chapter revision edit by AuthorGenesis

Before the storm (Revised V2)

Day 4

Morning

Twilight couldn't get back to sleep; Spike stayed up with her and tried to get her to calm down. She had finally admitted to herself and to Spike why she had such a hard time sleeping. "Maybe you should go talk to someone Twilight," Spike offered. "I'm sure your friends could help you."

"I don't know Spike, who could I talk to about this?" She asked him, all her friends were dear to her, but she didn't think any of them would be able to help her with this kind of problem. She moved to get out of bed, went over to the window and took a seat to look out of it. The weather patrol had started to move clouds in. It was still early morning, the sky was a deep royal blue with the faintest hints of Celestia's sun light starting to come over the horizon, she could see the clouds building from the pegasus ponies flying them in.

"What about Rarity?" Spike asked her. She gave him a look, but saw he was actually sincere in his suggestion. Not just looking for an excuse to visit Rarity. She tilted her head a bit, unsure why he suggested her. "I know Rarity’s talent isn't in magic, but she is another Unicorn she might be able to offer some advice." Spike went on to explain his reason for suggesting her.

Twilight thought about his suggestion for a few minutes. "Maybe Spike, I guess could go and talk to her about this later today," she replied before going back to her thoughts. She almost wished Trixie had been in town, after she and her friends had gotten her free of the control of the Alicorn Amulet, they had been on better terms and she was another unicorn with a talent in magic. She sighed to herself and got to her hooves, but Trixie was off performing in Manehattan, last she heard.

She moved away from the window and went to her bathroom. She knew one of the things that Rarity would suggest would be a hot shower and that was something she could do on her own right now. She got into the shower and turned the water on. She relaxed under the hot stream of water. She felt the steaming water sooth away her worries and she relaxed, the gentle susurrus calming her nerves. It definitely helped her relax a little. She used her magic to grab some shampoo as well as a sponge and began to wash herself off.

While Twilight was in the shower, Spike decided to get started with his chores early. He was worried about Twilight. As long as he had known her, he couldn't remember seeing her react like this. Sure, she had been a little overdramatic when it came to tests and forgetting things, but this was something else entirely. When she was a filly she had bad dreams and got scared, all fillies did, it was natural. Nevertheless, this was so different from a normal dream, or stress and he wasn't sure what to do to help her.

Twilight had finished washing herself off, so she just relaxed under the hot stream of water until it started to go cold. She turned the water off, shook herself dry, and got out of the shower. She dried herself off with her fluffy towel before she started to brush out her mane and tail as she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She did feel a lot better now that she was clean and her mane and tail had been brushed. However, she still felt worried over the dreams. She turned and trotted down the stairs, she could smell the breakfast Spike had prepared. "Mmm, smells like pancakes again." She said as she went into the kitchen to confirm her beliefs.

"That's right Twilight, I figured you deserved them." He said as he poured her a glass of tea, brought it over for her, along with the pancakes on a plate. He had also placed the butter and syrups out for her. "Though you already look a lot better you have the last few days." He added as he noticed the smile on her face and her brushed mane.

"Thanks Spike, a good shower can do wonders." she said with a nod at him and smiled as she took a sip of her tea. "But I will still go talk to Rarity later today, and see if she has any advice about this." She added as she put some butter on her pancakes and dribbled some blueberry syrup on her pancakes.

"Good idea Twilight. I think today should just be about you relaxing. No studying, or fretting over anything." Spike said as he looked over at her. She gave him a bit of a look. "I'm serious Twilight, all this studying can't be helping to ease your mind," he said more sternly than Twilight had seen the little dragon act. However, she realized he was right, the study and stress hadn't helped.

"Okay Spike, maybe you’re right," she gave in and smiled at him. However, she wasn't sure what to do if she wasn't going to be studying. She hadn't really had any free time like this. Of course, she had days she didn't spend studying or working, like when she went to the Gala. However, that was different; she had stuff planned for those days.

Spike smiled at her as joined her at the table with a bowl of small gems and a glass of his special blend of tea. "I'm sure after a good day of relaxing you'll be as good as new," Spike offered as he tossed a gem in his mouth and chewed on it.

Twilight smiled at him, but she wasn't so sure herself. Usually, the best way for her to get over a problem was to study the cause and come up with a solution. It's what she had learned and how she dealt with all her problems. However, she had done that since the problem started and so far, she hadn't come up with anything. If anything, the problem was just getting a lot worse, so she decided to gives Spike's suggestion a try.

After breakfast, she put her dishes away in the sink and moved out to the main hall of the library. She looked out the window, the weather ponies had finished moving in the clouds. It hadn't started to rain yet but there was a storm planned for today. "Hmm I better head over to Rarity's before the rain sets in. Spike? You ready to go?" She called out to Spike, who was still in the kitchen.

"Sure thing Twilight," Spike said as he came out of the kitchen and grabbed an umbrella for when it started to rain. Twilight used her magic to pick up Spike and set him on her back as she headed for the door. She opened the door and made her way outside as she closed the door behind her and started on her way to Carousel Boutique to visit Rarity.

Day 4

Afternoon

Twilight took her time as she headed to Carousel Boutique so she could enjoy the day. Even though it was overcast, the fresh air was nice and she enjoyed the smell of moisture in the air before it rained. She looked around the town as she walked down the street to her friend's place. Due to the impending rain, the streets of the town were empty. She knocked on the door of the boutique and waited for her to answer. It took a few minutes before Rarity opened the door to greet her.

"Oh, hello darling." Rarity greeted with a pleasant smile and moved out of the way so Twilight could come in. She had on her glasses and looked as if she had been designing a new outfit. Once Twilight had gotten inside she closed the door and turned to face her visitor. "So Twilight, Spike, what brings you two here in this weather?" She asked her taking them to the living space and offered them a place to sit.

Spike just smiled and stared quietly as Twilight sat him on a cushion before taking a seat on one herself. "Hello Rarity, I have something I wanted to talk with you about," Twilight said as she took a deep breath and looked up at her friend. "I'm not sure where to start though." Twilight admitted with a small sheepish smile.

"Well, how about starting from the beginning Twilight?" Rarity suggested, she noticed the look in Twilight's eyes and it concerned her. "But of course, where are my manners? Let me get you something to drink. A nice cup of honey tea?" She asked Twilight who nodded at her.

She had seen her friend get over-excited before, but this was different. Twilight’s expression really worried her. She went to the kitchen and prepared some snacks and pitcher of hot honey tea for herself and her guests. She brought the serving set out, and placed the mugs in front of Twilight, Spike and herself. She also set the tray of snacks down before she poured everyone a cup and sat down. "Now Twilight, please tell me all about it." Rarity said as she floated her teacup up and took a drink.

Twilight nods at Rarity lightly and took a deep breath, "Well a few days ago I was performing an experiment with Spike, but something went wrong and there was a small explosion. Spike got hit in the head with a book." She looks over at Spike who was sitting nearby taking a sip of his tea and holding a cupcake. "Everything is fine now, but ever since that accident, I’ve been having these really bad dreams. They seem to be progressing to something though. And, from what has happened in the dream so far ..." she trailed off.

Rarity was silent for a few minutes before speaking up. "That is dreadful my dear, simply dreadful. So you haven't been getting your beauty sleep?" Rarity said as she looked at Twilight, her eyes full of worry. "But of course you know that Spike is fine and there is no need to worry don't you?"

"I know Rarity, but I can't help thinking about what could have happened if things had gone much worse." Twilight said as she look at the floor and sighed softly before taking a sip of her tea and looking back up at Rarity. "It's lucky Spike was hit with a book and the blast wasn't any worse than it was. In my dream he was hit with a shard of crystal that pierced his ... his heart." She said, her voice growing softer as she spoke and tears formed in her eyes.

"And that is your problem right there. Twilight dear, you’re thinking too much about it." Rarity said as she looked at Twilight. "You simply must stop thinking about other outcomes. That is more than likely why you're having those dreams. You've been so focused on what could have happened that it's completely stressing you out. You must find a way to put it out of your mind." Rarity said as she levitated a napkin and used it to dry Twilight's eyes.

Twilight considered what she said and nods at her slowly "Of course you’re right Rarity. Thank you, but I'm just not sure if I can do that." She gave a small smile, but sighed as she took another sip of her tea. "I just have a hard time clearing my mind when I have a problem like this." She admitted and looked back up over at Rarity with a slight frown.

"I know dear, I know." Rarity said, while she watched Twilight quietly. "But you simply must try, or you'll never get a good night's sleep." She moved to get up, "Wait here, I have something that should help." Rarity said before she headed back into the kitchen. She searched around for a few minutes before she floated down a canister of tea and opened it. She moved some of the tea leaves into a smaller canister. She brought the smaller canister out and gave it to Twilight. "This will help sooth you darling. Just have a cup before you go to bed. It helps me when I'm too stressed to sleep." She said to Twilight with a smile.

Twilight took the smaller canister, she opened it she breathed in the aroma and smiled as she closed it and gave it to Spike to carry. "Thank you Rarity. Spike and I should get going before the rain starts though." Twilight said and got up; Spike moved to his feet and got the umbrella. "I do feel better talking about this and the tea should help. Thank you very much." Twilight said to Rarity with a smile.

"You’re welcome Twilight. Please come to me if you need any more help," Rarity said and walked with them to the door and opened it. The sky had started to look gloomy outside as the clouds had gotten darker and there was soft rumble of thunder. "Oh my, you better hurry Twilight darling. It is starting to look rather dreary out there already." Rarity said to them, her gaze on the clouds in the sky.

"You’re right Rarity, I'll see you later. Thank you again," Twilight said with a smile to her friend before she headed out the door and used her magic to place Spike on her back. She started to make her way down the streets to get back home at a quick trot. She glanced around at the dark clouds as she started to pick up the pace some more, she wanted to be back home before the rain started to come down.

They had made it back to Twilight's place before the rain had started, though the threat was ever-present the whole time. Soft rumbles of thunder and a few flashes of lightning. The wind had even picked up some; Twilight used her magic to open the door and went inside with Spike as he kept hold of the umbrella and canister of tea. She closed the door after they got inside, Spike got off Twilight's back and put away the umbrella before he headed into the kitchen and put away the small canister of tea Rarity had given Twilight.

"There isn't a lot to do with the weather like this Spike, how about some lunch?" Twilight suggested to the baby dragon as she went into the kitchen as well. She used her magic to take down some things for salad and some fresh apples. She hadn't had any of the snacks at Rarity's place, so she was hungry by now.

"That sounds like a great idea Twilight; we missed our usual lunch time." Spike said as he looked up at her and drooled at the thought of food and Twilight just smiled and rolled her eyes lightly. She knew he had some of the snacks. He started to make a salad for both Twilight and himself. He put some apple slices in Twilight's and some small pieces of sapphire in his.

Twilight smiled as she watched him before she got them both a bottle of apple juice and put it on the table. Spike brought over the salads and put them next to the juice. "I'm glad you had that talk with Rarity, I really think it'll help." He said as he got the silverware before taking a seat at the table.

Twilight nods at him "So do I Spike, I feel better already after having talked with her. Just getting it all out into the open like that really seemed to have done the trick." She said as she put a straw in both of their drinks before she took a seat at the table. "This looks really good Spike." She said with a smile to the baby dragon.

Spike smiled at her and took a drink of the apple juice. "Thank you Twilight," he said then considered for a few moments. "Since it's going to start raining soon. What do you want to do today? Since you would normally be studying and all." Spike said as he looked up at her.

Twilight thought for a minute as she quietly chewed on her salad before she swallowed. "That's a good question Spike." She said as she thought about it for a few minutes longer before she looked at him. "We haven’t played any games in a while." She said with a smile, it had been a long time since either of them played games. Not since she was a little filly in Canterlot studying under Princess Celestia.

Spike almost choked on the suggestion and looks at her "You really mean it Twilight? We haven't done anything like that in years." His asked her eyes were big and hopeful. He had tried to get her to take time off her studies to play games after she got older. Nevertheless, she never had wanted to so he had given up.

"Of course I mean it, Spike." she said and smiled at him. She wasn't going to go back on her promise not to study and with the weather turning bad it they couldn't go out visit any of their other friends today. "Today we can have fun, relax, and play games." She continued with a smile.

"Alright!" He said loudly with a big grin on his face before blushing and smiles at her. "Thank you Twilight, this is going to be great." He nods at her and both went back their lunch. Spike used the relative quiet of the time to come up with fun games for them to play to pass the time. Twilight just smiled; glad she made him happy with her suggestion. She could use a little fun herself; something about the dreams still bothered her, a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that wouldn’t disappear.

Author's Note

Chapter revision edit by AuthorGenesis

End of a dream (Revised)

Day 4

Evening

After they finished lunch, Spike and Twilight spent most of the evening having fun. Twilight really only had word games, so they played those, as well as memory and thinking games. Twilight did well, but Spike surprised her on a few occasions.

They also found some party games Pinkie had forgotten at the library last time they had a party here. However, since they were Pinkie’s, they had been for groups larger than just a pony and a dragon, so they put those aside to return later.

As evening rolled around, the rain had started. Twilight and Spike didn't notice until a rather loud crack of thunder interrupted a game of Twenty Questions. "I knew the pegasus ponies had planned some storm, I just didn't think it was going to be this bad." Spike said as he went to the window and looked outside.

"Rainbow Dash said it was supposed to be heavy showers. I guess they overdid it." Twilight mused as she joined Spike at the window, and watched as another heavy streak of lightning rippled across the clouds, followed quickly by the roar of thunder. She felt a tingle run down her back from the sound. It wasn't that she was scared, but it made her feel uneasy. "So Spike, what do you want to do now?" Twilight asked as she tried to get her mind off of the storm.

Spike looked up at Twilight then heard a rumble, this time from both of their stomachs and not from the storm outside. "I would say that answers that." Spike said with a sheepish smile. They had both been preoccupied with the games that neither had noticed how late it had gotten.

Twilight cheeks reddened softly and she nodded to him with a smile. "I guess it does, Spike." Twilight replied with a nod and walked with him to the kitchen. She let Spike work on dinner, some pasta with a vegetarian sauce and fresh multi-grain bread. She decided to make a cup of that special tea Rarity gave her to calm her nerves a little.

Spike finished preparing the dinner for the two and sat it on the table. She came to the table with her tea and joined him as he fixed both of them a plate. "As always Spike, it smells great." Twilight smiled at him and took a sip of the tea; it had a nice smooth flavor to it. She couldn't quiet place what it was but it was familiar. Reminded her of green tea, but with something extra mixed in.

"Thanks Twilight," Spike said and smiled at the praise. Both of them ate in silence for a few minutes before Spike spoke up. "So what were you thinking about?" He asked, when he noticed the confused look from Twilight he clarified "In our game of 20 questions, that is."

"Oh that," she gave a soft giggle and smiled at him. "My book stand," She answered with a nod. She had almost forgotten about the game, as she had been lost in thought about the flavor of the tea. She took another sip of it as she looked over at Spike.

Spike chuckled at her; he had been way off with his guesses. "You’re good at that game Twilight, I was going for the telescope." Spike said as he finished his plate and took it over to the sink. He went back and joined her at the table. Since she hadn't been studying, today he had little in the way of chores to do.

"Thanks Spike, I do try to come up with easy stuff to guess," she smiles at him. She had been eating more slowly and sipping her tea. "But not many ponies seem to be able to guess it. Not even when Applejack and Rarity had the sleep over here." She thought for a minute, "Come to think of it, last time I played 20 questions was during a storm too. That time it was the telescope though."

Spike nodded and smiled, "I remember hearing about the sleep over. Too bad I was away on business in Canterlot. Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun, all things considered." Spike said. Twilight had told him about that night, during most of which Applejack and Rarity had argued about their differences. "Glad things worked out in the end for those two." He added.

"Yes, that was a fun night after everything got settled." Twilight said as she smiled at Spike then over at one of the little statues Rarity had made of the tree branch that came through the window. She had kept one of them and gave the rest of them to her friends. "Those two can be so different, but so similar at the same time." She said more to herself than to Spike.

After dinner, when everything had been cleaned up, Twilight went back to the main hall with her tea and took a seat near a window, slowly sipping the tea as she watched the skies quietly. She watched the lightning dance across the clouds. She seemed rather distracted by something on her mind, so Spike left her alone for now. He went to do a little cleaning up around the library, making sure everything had been put away.

Twilight had been lost in thought, her mind wandered on things that had happen since she come to Ponyville and all her friends she had made. Even the three little fillies, The Cutie Mark Crusaders. She smiled and thought about the three, so full of energy and potential. She took another sip of her tea, and finished off the glass. She sat it on a small table near her, then looked at the clock and noticed how late it had gotten. With the cloudy sky, it was hard to keep track of what time it was by the position of the sun or the moon and stars. She moved to get up. "I'm heading to bed Spike," she told him as she made her way up the stairs.

"Alright Twilight, sleep well." He replied as he picked up her empty cup and went to the kitchen to finish the last of his chores., "Sweet dreams, Twilight. You could use them." He said quietly to himself, he hoped his plan worked as well as Rarity's tea. Once his chores had been finished, he turned out the lights and went upstairs. He didn't go to bed though, he went and sat by the window, half watching Twilight, half watching the storm outside. He wanted to be awake incase Twilight had another nightmare.

Twilight wasn't sure how long she had waited in the holding cell. There were no windows to look out; the only light came from a lantern hanging from the roof. She tried to keep track in her mind but after a couple of hours, she lost count. She sighed softly and paced around the room quietly. She did know she had been here long enough for them to bring her something to eat. Some hay, bread, an apple, and a cup of water.

Though she wasn't very hungry so she just drank the water and waited until they took the tray away. She started to count again and about an hour after they took the tray back, the guards opened the door to her cell and let her out. She carefully left the room and looked at the guards. Unicorns, horns seemed constantly at the ready. She herself still had the clamp on her horn to keep her magic locked.

"Follow us, don't even try to run." One of the unicorns said firmly and Twilight nodded. The guards escorted her down the hallway. After a few minutes of walking, she started to recognize where they were going: Princess Celestia's Throne room. She gulped and started to shiver a bit, fear running down her spine. She knew this couldn't be a good sign.

As much as she wanted to talk to a friend, she knew prisoners going to the throne room didn't end well. She might have been Celestia's prized student and a friend of hers, but that didn't excuse her from Equestrian law or punishment.

Twilight took a deep breath as the doors to the large throne room opened. She saw ponies had filled the audience chamber, pegasi hovering high overhead. In addition, all of them watching her as she entered with the four unicorn guards around her. She walked slowly forward, the royal guards cutting a pathway through the crowd.

She kept her eyes focused straight ahead so she wouldn't have to see the other ponies. She was scared of seeing her parents, her brother, or her friends in the crowd. Afraid to see the look of disappointment or judgment in their eyes at what she had done. She raised her head and looked forward. Standing on the daïs in front of their thrones were Celestia and Luna. Both looked on as she came forward and lowered herself in a deep bow.

"We demand silence in the court!" Luna said, in her booming royal Canterlot voice. The room instantly fell into dead silence and all the ponies gathered now stared straight ahead and paid attention to Luna as she continued. "Rise Twilight Sparkle, stand and face your judgment!" Her voice still booming in the royal Canterlot voice, ensuring that everypony present heard their princess’s voice loud and clear.

Twilight shivered but did as she was commanded. She got up onto her hooves and looked up at the princesses. Her sadness and fear still present inside her. Luna kept her stern expression as she looked back down at Twilight, but even she couldn't hide the regret in her light cyan eyes.

Celestia was harder to read. Twilight had known her most of her life, but if she wanted to, the princess could hide her emotions very well. "Twilight Sparkle, the royal court of Canterlot has found you guilty of murdering your assistant, burning the library, assaulting royal guards, and evading capture." Celestia spoke her eyes on Twilight as she did. Her voice loud and clear, but soft as well. She didn't use the royal Canterlot voice as Luna did, she didn't have to.

Twilight felt dread over take her as Celestia continued to speak. "These actions, even if they had started with a simple accident, cannot be overlooked, not even by me. So it is with deep regret and a heavy heart that I must pass my judgment on you, my once faithful student." Celestia said and raised her head to look out at the ponies gathered in the throne room.

Twilight could see the emotions Celestia had been hiding start to surface, a look of both disappoint and sadness as her former teacher, and presently, her judge, found her guilty. The look of disappoint stung Twilight hard. The last thing she wanted to do in her life was to disappoint her mentor.

"Twilight Sparkle, you are to be stripped of your magic, and sentenced to living out the rest of your days in Canterlot's prison as a hornless unicorn." Celestia said that as she clapped her hoof loudly on a piece of wood signifying that she had finished passing judgment. Twilight's eyes went wide in horror, she had heard rumors of unicorns being stripped of their magic and losing their horns. The prospect terrified her, and her heart started to race in her chest.

The gathered crowd gasped and a handful from Ponyville started to cry when they heard the sentence. Twilight could hear Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity crying and looked over. She felt tears roll down her cheek when she saw her friends gathered with her parents, her brother Shining Armor, and his wife Princess Cadence.

Twilight looked back up at Celestia and took a deep breath; Celestia spread her wings wide and lowered her horn towards Twilight. A beam of magic leaped from Celestia's horn into Twilight’s which sent an intense pain through her head and down into her body, the magic gripped her body and raised her up off the ground. She opened her mouth to let out a cry of pain, but she couldn't find her voice.

Twilight felt like she was in the grip of Celestia's magic for an eternity, pain coursing through her head. In reality however, it had only been about three minutes before she was back on the ground, lying on her side. A light wisp of smoke coming off her, and for a moment it looked like she was dead. Fluttershy had fainted and Rarity was by her side, attempting to awaken the pegasus. A few guards had to stop Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Shining Armor from rushing to Twilight’s side.

After a few moments, Twilight shifted and slowly got to her hooves, a little unsteady at first. The crowd all gasped when they saw her. Her horn was gone, replaced with a small patch of gray fur; her cutie mark had also disappeared, also replaced with just a patch of gray fur. Twilight looked up towards Celestia who looked back at her, with a sad look before she turned and quietly left the throne room. Luna raised her head and spoke in her loud Canterlot Royal Voice. "Court dismissed!" the sentence punctuated by a deafening crack of thunder.

The four unicorn guards approached Twilight and led her away from the court. She still felt woozy and her head hurt so bad it made her vision a little blurry. She caught sight of herself in a shiny piece of decoration in the throne room and shuddered, for the first time she could see that her horn was gone as well as her cutie mark, the thing that made her special. Fresh tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as the guards took her back down the hall to her holding cell to wait before being transferred to the prison.

After they reached the holding cell, she went inside without any protest and the door closed. She went over to a pile of hay and curled up on it. She felt defeated and her headache was bad. She just wanted to sleep now. As she let her emotions overtake her, she finally broke down into sobs of pain and sadness. She turned her head to look at the gray patch where her cutie mark had been before she flopped her head back down and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry everypony... I'm so, so sorry.... I let you all down... Spike... forgive me."

A loud crash of thunder caused her to jump to her hooves and look around. However, she wasn't in her cell, she stood in nothingness. She looked around a bit more as she grew confused before she could see herself. She almost thought she had been looking in a mirror but then she saw her horn and cutie mark. She remembered she didn't have either anymore, and for some reason, the horned version of herself seemed to be taller than she was.

The horned Twilight had a wide-eyed look as she found herself looking at the smaller, hornless and cutie mark-less version of herself. She slowly walked around the hornless version of herself and looked her over before stopping and she stood in front of her. "I think... I understand now. The dreams, and the uneasy feelings," Horned Twilight said as she looked at her hornless counterpart.

"Am... I dreaming?" Hornless Twilight asked the other quietly her mind still feeling foggy and hurt from being stripped of her horn. She watched the horned version of herself shake her head as she came over to stand in front of her. Moving a hoof up to gentle rub the front of her head easing the pain away just a little before setting the hoof back down.

Horned Twilight took a deep breath and closed her eyes before shaking her head slowly. "No, you're not dreaming, I am. And it's time to end this dream." She said as lowered her horn, the tip started to glow as she touched it to her forehead where hornless Twilight's horn use to be. A soft warm glow started to cover both of them.

Out of the shadows, a pair of soft cyan blue eyes watched. Luna's horn glowing light cobalt as she worked her own magic, hornless Twilight faded away and disappeared, leaving only a light ripple of magic. Horned Twilight opens her eyes and sighed softly. As she looked around she spotted Princess Luna as she came out of the shadows.

Princess Luna made her way from the shadows over to Twilight and looked down at Twilight who was bowing. "Twilight Sparkle, no need to bow to me. I am not the princess you know." Luna said her voice soft and normal since she had no need to use the royal Canterlot voice here.

Twilight stood and looked up at Luna, "What do you mean Princess Luna? Are, you from the same timeline as the other me?" She asked a little confused but Luna nodded her head to confirm what she thought. "Will, she be alright?" Twilight asked a few tears threaten to roll down her cheeks.

"Do not worry Twilight Sparkle, she will be just fine. Provided you take good care of her." Luna said with a kind smile as she saw Twilight grow slightly more confused at the statement. "Let us explain and you will understand. After the trial, I found my sister in grief over her actions." Luna said as she started to explain.

"We talked it over and thought it for the best that she starts a new life. While dream-walking I felt your presence and I knew what must be done. The world of dreams is much different than ponies think. It can connect different timelines together, not unlike a spider's web." Luna said and Twilight nodded as she considered this information on dreams before hearing Luna speak again. "I used my powers to bring you both to this central location. Though to bring our Twilight here in a physical form, I had to turn her into a filly. I allowed you two to meet first, then when you went to remove the connection you had due to the experiment, I used my power to send her to your timeline." Luna said as finished explaining what happen.

"What is going to happen to her in my world? Where will I be able to find her?" Twilight asked a look of concern on her face now at the thought of a young, hornless Twilight now in her timeline. "She must be confused, lost, and scared." She continued tears now freely flowing down her cheeks.

"Calm yourself Twilight Sparkle, do not worry I arranged it with your Princess Luna. She will be taken care of, things will be explained to her, and she will be guided to you in Ponyville. Now you must go to your dream world, and be at peace." Luna said dipping her horn down, it started to glow and a bright flash of light blinded Twilight for a moment.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes and sat up in her bed she looked around, she could feel tears still rolling down her cheeks but she smiled softly. She quietly got out of bed and made her way into the bathroom to wash off her face and look at herself in the mirror. Her horn still in place, she turned and saw her cutie mark. She gave her reflection a sad smile.

"Good bye, Twilight." She said softly to her hornless counterpart. She got herself a drink of water before she made her way to her bed, and paused near Spike's basket. When she didn't see him there, she looked around quietly before she saw him on the windowsill curled up asleep. She gave him a smile and rolled her eyes lightly.

"Oh Spike, you'll catch a cold sleeping there." She said softly, used her magic to move him gently from the window to his bed, and covered him up. She leaned down and kissed him softly on the forehead, to which even in his sleep, he made a face. She smiled at him again.

She went back to bed and curled up under the covers, she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. This time her dreams were peaceful and pleasant. She didn't have any more bad dreams, just her normal happy dreams of spending time with her kind, generous, honest, loyal, happy friends.

One dream did stick out though, of a small purple filly with gray patches of fur on her flank being removed from a cell in the Canterlot dungeon by Princess Luna, and taken to a suite in the Canterlot Royal palace and where she was allowed to recover as Luna explained things to her. Nevertheless, the dream was vague and when she awoke, she couldn't remember too much about it.

The Accident (Revised V2)

Day 1

Morning

It was a new day, and Twilight Sparkle was just getting up. She was excited, since today she was going to start her new experiment, for which she had gotten everything ready the night before. She trotted down the stairs to the library, and into the kitchen to have a quick breakfast. Simple grain toast, and a cup of her favorite tea.

"Twilight!" Spike yelled, as he came running into the kitchen, as Twilight was finishing her toast. He was out of breath, looking up at her. After catching his breath he apologized, "I'm sorry I wasn't up to make breakfast."

Twilight just smiled at her faithful assistant, and shook her head, "It's okay Spike. I got up early, and didn't want to wake you," she answered, and used her magic to put the dishes away. "Are you ready to get the day started?"

"Come on Twilight, you know me. Always ready to start the day." He answered with a cheesy smile, before his stomach rumbled, and he blushed "Uh, after some breakfast of course." He said, as he went to where he kept his stash of gems, and got a couple.

"Oh Spike," Twilight just smiled, and rolled her eyes with a shake of her head, leaving the baby dragon to his gems, before going back to the library's main hall. She wanted to do some work, and get some studying done before starting the experiment. Being the librarian of the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville meant helping other ponies that came in for books, and those who solicited her attention to seek her advice and extensive knowledge.

Spike came out of the kitchen sucking on a claw, having finished his breakfast. He noticed that Twilight was busy cataloging some books she had gotten, so he started to work on his own chores for the day. Mostly he made sure the library was kept clean, and Twilight had plenty of supplies. He was also always prepared with a quill and scroll if Twilight needed to make a list or take down notes.

Day 1

Afternoon

The morning passed quickly, and soon it was afternoon. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy stopped by to join her for lunch, always enjoying spending time with each other. Spike prepared them a nice lunch of daisies, and leafy green salad, sliced apple and some fresh bread. Applejack had brought some fresh apple juice, as well.

During lunch, Rainbow Dash explained, in a rather animated fashion, a new trick she had done, which resulted in knocking Applejack's hat off her head. "Oops, sorry ‘bout that AJ." Rainbow Dash said sheepishly, as Applejack put her hat back on. Twilight, and Fluttershy both smiled and giggled. After a moment, Applejack started to laugh as well.

"Ah shucks Rainbow, it's fine, just be more careful ya hear?" Applejack replied, to which Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement, and smiled. Soon after that, lunch was finished, and Twilight's friends left to continue their day, Fluttershy offered to help clean up, but Twilight politely declined.

Twilight helped Spike with cleaning up after lunch, wanting to get it done quickly so they could start on the experiment. With the two of them, it didn't take to long to get everything put away, cleaned and left to dry. Satisfied that everything was done, Twilight smiled. "Alright Spike, let's get to that experiment." Twilight announced, as she looked over at Spike. Spike nodded in response, and smiled.

Twilight, and Spike headed down the stairs to the basement, where the lab was set up. She used her magic to light a few lanterns, and went to work with Spike assisting her when needed. They had done experiments before, and he knew what to do. The experiment Twilight was working on was to find a way to store books in crystals, to make it easier to carry a bunch of them at one time.

The experiment itself was going good, but they hadn't made any progress. Twilight brought out a new crystal to work with. The old one had burned out, and wasn't usable anymore, it looked dull and gray. Even Spike refused to eat them after tasting one. Twilight was starting to get frustrated with the lack of progress, she sighed, and brought a new crystal over from her supply, and placed it on the pedestal.

She started to focus her magic on the crystal, and transcribed the book into it. It seemed as if everything was working. The words in the book started to copy off from the pages and get stored in the crystal like it was suppose to. But then, the glow of the crystal began to die, though it had retained the steady constant glow during the initial start of the transcription process. In a fit of frustration she pushed a little more power into the spell than was needed, and the crystal exploded, and fragments flew all over the room. The book flew over, and hit Spike in the side of the head.

"Spike! Spike! Are you okay!?" Twilight yelled, and rushed over, and checked on him, he laid still for a moment, and Twilight feared the worse. "Spike! Please wake up!" She cried, nudging him with her hoof, and Spike stirred opening his eyes, and sat up rubbing the side of his head.

"Twilight? What happened? It feels like I got hit by a Manticore's tail." Spike moaned as he stood up blinking. "Good thing we dragons are made from tougher stuff." He added, with a smug grin.

Twilight just smiled at the baby dragon and shook her head with a sigh "There was an accident with the experiment, and the crystal exploded, the book flew over, and hit you in the head." She apologized with a sheepish look. "Let's stop for now. I'm getting hungry, it has to be dinner time by now, anyways." She sighed, as she used her magic to put Spike on her back, and made her way up the stairs, putting out the lanterns, after she walked passed them.

"That sounds great Twilight, I could use something to eat." Spike agreed with another grin, as he rode on Twilight's back as they ascended the stairs to the library. He had a bit of a headache from the hit to the head from the book, but that wasn't about to stop him from having something to eat. "I could really go for some amethyst right about now," he added, as Twilight used her magic to close the door.

Day 1

Evening

After dinner, Twilight spent time studying her books to try to figure out why the experiment hadn't worked. Not coming out with an answer just made her more frustrated, her mane was a mess, and stray hairs stuck up in random spots. "I just don't get why it didn't work," She groaned, as she paced around trying to figure out why her spell hadn't worked. "I'm using the right crystals," she groaned, with a stomp of her hoof.

"You're thinking too much about it Twilight," Spike offered, as he watched her pace around the main lobby of the library. She gave him a flustered look, and he shrank back a bit "I'm just saying, maybe you should sleep on it." He added, while he fidgeted with his tail nervously. He had seen her like this before, and it never lead to anything good.

Twilight sighed softly with a shake of her head. "Maybe you're right Spike." She sighed, as she looked out the window seeing how late it had gotten "Maybe after a good night sleep I'll think more clearly." She started to head up the stairs to her room, and sat at the window, to look out at the town. It was a nice night. Clear, the weather team had done a good job again.

Spike followed Twilight to the bedroom, and went to his bed. He looked over at Twilight, as she sat at the window. He shook his head, as he pulled the covers over himself and got comfortable. "Good night Twilight." he said. He hoped she would take the hint that he wanted to get some sleep.

"Good night Spike." Twilight said in return. She did get the hint, as she used her magic to turn out the lights. But she didn't go to bed right away. She sat at the window a while longer to look out at the clear sky, and at the stars twinkle up in the sky. She loved nights like this. It put her at ease, but it didn't help her solve the problem she was having.

She went over to her bed, and got in under the covers, and closed her eyes. She thought about the day, as she started to doze off, her mind going over the experiment she had ran. Something still nagged at her, in the back of her mind, but she couldn't put her hoof on what it was.

As the book stopped merging with the crystal, she pushed way too much power into it and the crystal started to hum, and pulse violently. Twilight's eyes went wide, and she backed up, bolts of energy came off the crystal, and one struck the box of crystals nearby, which she had set aside for the experiment. The crystals flew over, and started to orbit the pulsing one in the center of the room.

All the crystals started to pulse, and hum, as they drew in magic from the room. Spike stood on the other side of the room, staring wide-eyed at Twilight. "T.. Twilight! Do something!" He called to her, over the sound of the crystals, the hum was getting louder by the minute.

"I.. I don't know what to do!" Twilight called back to him, her eyes wide, as the crystals started to pulse faster. She tried to teleport over to Spike, but got thrown back against the wall, by the field of magic in the lab. Spike was trapped in a small alcove, unable to get over to her, or to the stairs to escape past the quickly spinning crystals.

"Twilight!" Spike yelled over to her, as she hit the wall. He rushed over to her, but a crystals hit him hard, and threw him back into the same alcove he had been cowering in earlier. The sharp edge of the crystal created a nasty gash across his chest, and the impact had left him knocked out.

Twilight had gotten up just in time, to see him get thrown back. Her eyes went wide, seeing the blood. "Spike! No!" She gritted her teeth, and her horn started to glow brightly. She started to sweat under the strain, as she worked her magic into a strong magical burst.

The result was not what Twilight had expected. The crystals drew in the energy, and started to shake, and hum violently. She didn't have a choice now, she closed her eyes and focused, putting up the strongest force field she could with the magic she had left, she could feel the energy of the force field start to get pulled away.

The crystals were already unstable from the huge amount of magic they absorbed from the magical blast, and the extra energy they drew from the field was too much, causing the crystals to explode violently, shards flying all over and bury themselves deep into the walls of the lab. The blast also blew the roof out of the basement lab, and knocked over the lanterns, catching the walls on fire.

The weak force field held up, but a few of the small shards managed to make it through the blast from the crystals. She felt small shard cut across her back, and legs, a couple of larger pieces buried themselves into her right side, and haunch. But she was lucky the force field protected her enough to keep them from going too deep into her.

Ignoring the pain she felt, she rushed over to where Spike was, the force of the blast had buried him, she used her magic to quickly uncover him, and put him on her back. "Hang on Spike, I'm going to get you some help, I promise." Twilight said, and made her way up what was left of the stairs and out of the library. She ran as fast she as could, to Ponyville General Care, in her panic, she didn't even care about the fire that had broken out in the library.

Twilight sat up in a cold sweat looking around, her mane matted to her face. She saw Spike still sound asleep in his bed. She got out of her own, and went over to check on him. But he was fine. As he said, dragons are made of tougher stuff. She sighed softly, and smiled in relief that he was okay.

She trotted down the stairs to the kitchen, and made herself some tea. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to get back to sleep after a dream like that. She closed her eyes as she took a sip of the tea. The scent of burnt wood in her nose made her frown. "Why did I dream something like that?" She asked herself, as she took another drink of tea, sighing. "This is going to be a long night," she muttered softly to herself, as she felt a few tears roll down her cheeks.

Author's Note

Chapter Revision Edits by AuthorGenesis

Thanks to Hero541 for suggesting a much needed revision. Check out his Youtube readings, and his stories here on Fimfiction.

Hero541 on Youtube
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