The talisman laid upon his desk, the one thing that had kept his powers under control since the night he... since what had happened. But as his teacher had warned him, the talisman's power would not last forever, and in recent nights he'd felt his control slipping. Hearing the thoughts of his family, briefly, indistinctly. But he knew. His telepathy was aching for release, causing him headaches, making his nights restless, and more than once he'd found himself adrift in the dream plane and forced himself back to his own dream.

Twinken couldn't take it anymore. Despite being scared, despite what had happened nearly three months ago, I have to take back control...

He'd spent weeks in his room, refusing to come out or speak to anyone. Accepting the meals his mother, sister, and grandmother would leave at his doorstep, doing his homework brought to him by his other sister, ignoring his brothers, refusing to see his friends. Twinken had essentially punished himself by making his room his own prison cell. He'd only ever left to use the bathroom and he'd done that by teleporting so no one would catch him coming or going from the water closet. A few times he'd worked up the nerve to step out of his room and try to talk to his family, but he always chickened out and returned to his self-imposed incarceration .

After what happened, Twinken wore the talisman Princess Luna gave him back when his telepathy first manifested, and used it to essentially lock up his powers, including his dreamwalking. He'd refused to dreamwalk again, and kept his dreams locked up tight to prevent Luna from getting in. He'd ignored her warning the talisman would eventually fail, but the signs were too much to ignore.

Not only that, after hearing Rumble and his friends talk to him through the door almost a couple of months after the incident, he'd found himself driven to tears by their forgiveness and their pleas for him to come out and just hang with them again. His mother had tried time and again to get him to come out, assuring him over and over that it was just an accident, that he hadn't meant for that nightmare to happen, that he was only a colt in need of guidance. A few times he'd responded, saying things like he was scared, that he wasn't ready. His mother assured him that they would be here for him when he was, only asking that he not take too long, because she missed her little colt, and the sadness and crying he heard from her made him feel even more ashamed.

She also told him how she was finally starting to show, that she was getting a little pudgy from her pregnancy-induced appetite, and how she just wanted to squeeze him up warm and tight with her pregnant hug. It'd made them both laugh, yet still Twinken didn't come out.

Other friends had tried speaking to him. Applejack, Macintosh, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Blueblood, Rarity, Cheese Sandwich, Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane tried getting forceful only to be repelled by a shield spell Twinken had placed on his door. Twilight and Midnight had both tried as well, but even they couldn't get through to him.

The last time Midnight tried, he'd warned Twinken that if he didn't come out soon he'd have to take drastic measures. That was only last week, and he'd been in his room for nearly three months!

His control slipping, combined with the sadness he was causing his friends and family, along with his brother's warning, along with his own feelings that he didn't think he could live like this anymore, it finally spurred Twinken to stop hiding from himself. It was already bedtime though, so he resolved to finally come out of his room in the morning after waking up. But this time, he'd sleep without the talisman keeping his mind to itself.

Taking a deep breath, Twinken left the talisman on his desk and got into bed. Pulling his covers up and resting his head into his pillow, he turned over and looked at the crystal lava lamp Twilight had given him as a souvenir from the Crystal Empire. He really loved it, the colors, the amorphous shapes constantly shifting and rising and falling, the "lava" crystalizing whenever the lamp was turned off and then breaking down into morphing blobs of "lava" after it was turned on. There was just something about it that brought comfort to him, kept his mind preoccupied. Many a night he'd spent staring at it, watching the shapes squash and stretch as they rose and fell in a prismatic dance of color.

Before long, his mind relaxed, and his body drifted into slumber...

The Dream Plane was exactly as he remembered it, a vast starry void, like outer space, distant stars, colorful nebulae, and with a thought he manifested his room, the walls transparent so he could still see the Dream Plane beyond, and he turned to his dream-desk whereupon laid what appeared to be a photo album. This was Twinken's way of looking for active dreams. While Princess Luna manifested an endless corridor of doors that led to a dream Twinken preferred to use this album to show him the dreams being had by whoever was asleep.

The photos had names and cutie-marks (if the dreamer had found their own, that is) and would display a dream in the picture if they were asleep. If they were awake, the picture was blank. The borders of the pictures also helped determine what kind of dream the dreamer was having. Gold borders meant a good and enjoyable dream. Borders of shifting colors indicated a confused dream with no real understanding, shifting and changing based on the dreamer's disorganized thoughts and feelings. Pink borders meant dreams about love (or more adult things that Twinken knew he was too young to be seeing, so he avoided those). But bad dreams had borders of dark colors, letting him know these dreamers needed help.

He saw Mac and Fluttershy's dreams were golden, the pictures displaying Mac and Fluttershy enjoying a nice walk together between a field of flowers and an orchard of trees, with honeybees and butterflies fluttering and buzzing about. The sight of it made Twinken crack a smile, Of course they would have a shared dream.

Shared dreams were rare, only possible if the dreamers had a strong and close bond and were sleeping nearby each other.

He saw their foals, Belle and Sandow, were having cute little happy dreams of their own, Belle listening to birds singing and Sandow exploring an orchard filled with apples and toys. That made him smile more. He recalled his mistress had told him to never interfere with the dreams of babies unless they were having really bad dreams. Their nascent little minds were still developing and had to do so on their own.

Then, he saw his mom's dream. Faerie Tail's dream seemed happy, and he saw her tummy round and plump, making her look so beautiful in a way he'd never seen her before. Faerie Tail appeared to be just enjoying a picnic... with Midnight. With Twilight. With...

Dad? Twinken had seen his picture before, but this was his first time seeing the whole of Ignitus Enflame. Ignitus was tall, strong, and handsome, bearing a striking resemblance to Prince Sombra. His coat was burning red while his mane was black that turned to metallic gold highlights. His cutie-mark was a sword behind a shield, all wreathed in flame, and Twinken gasped to see his father had the same red eyes as him!

His Mom laid against his Dad, Midnight and Twilight to the sides, all of them smiling, laughing, Ignitus gently rubbing Faerie Tail's beautiful pregnant belly... but Twinken could see that despite being surrounded by love, there was pain in her face. He watched her look past her husband, son, and daughter-in-law... and he saw himself.

Sitting away, looking ashamed, a literal cloud of gloom over him, and Twinken understood. Though his mom was happy, he was causing her pain and sadness by being solely preoccupied with his own.

I'll make it up to you, Mom, Twinken thought as he gave his mother's dream just the faintest touch. I promise.

And just like that, the Twinken in his mom's dream started to perk up and look over to her, and she smiled so joyously before waving him over. Twinken felt his heart swell as he saw the Twinken in his mother's dream smile and then hurry over to her to give her the biggest hug... and then nuzzle up to her belly, creating what might have been the sweetest dream Faerie Tail had had in a long time.

The real Twinken was about to turn the page in the album to look for more dreams when he noticed the border of Granny Smith's dream suddenly darken, puzzling him. He took a look at the dream picture and was confused to see only a fog. Dark, simmering, unclear, obscure, yet the borders along the picture indicated this was a troubled dream.

What's Granny Smith dreaming about...? Twinken wondered, and though he still felt reluctant to actually enter a dream, he figured, "Well, perhaps Granny Smith could use some help."

He touched the dream and his dreamspace dispersed like mist, and Twinken found himself in that same fog he saw in Granny Smith's dream. Only now, he felt a strange emotional turmoil. It was cold and shivery, as the emotions he felt, which he figured must be Granny Smith's, washed over him.

Sadness... regret... shame? Twinken quickly recognized these emotions, as he'd become rather familiar with them as of late.

"Come and get your apples! Nothin' sweeter than bitin' into a crisp apple on a beautiful fall day!"

What the?! Twinken didn't know where that voice came from, but it sounded familiar.

"Unless, of course... you could bite into a juicy pear."

Okay, that voice Twinken didn't recognize.

"Please. Pears are just what happens when you ain't no good at farmin' apples."

"Is that... Granny Smith?" Twinken had to be careful, he was out of touch with his dreamwalking powers and he didn't want to disturb Granny Smith's dream unless it took a bad turn. Ever so slightly, he imposed his power on the dream though the fog seemed to stubbornly resist. Still, he could make out what appeared to be two stalls right next to each other, one with a red and yellow striped awning and a topper that looked like an apple slice, maned by a very familiar-looking mare, surely a younger Granny smith, the other yellow and round-shaped with a stem-leaf decoration on top being run by an unfamiliar stallion, and the stink-eyes they gave each other told Twinken they surely weren't bosom-buddies.

"Pears are nature's candy. Apples are sour. Like the expression on your face right now," the stallion chuckled impishly but not in a friendly way towards Granny smith.

Who is this guy? Twinken wondered, but be fore he could see anymore, the fog returned, the voices fading, and Twinken mustered his power, trying to clear the fog though it continued to resist.

Still, he saw more, despite the obscuring mist, and the voices returned.

"An' then, th' little tree reached his branches up t' the moon..." Twinken could see it was young Granny smith again, appearing to be telling an apple tree a bedtime story, "...and the moon said, 'Good night.'"

"Good night, trees." Both Twinken and the young Granny smith turned to see that same stallion, covering pear trees with blankets as he gave one a kiss and hug, "I've got you covered."

The smarmy look he gave Granny Smith and the hussy look she got in return, Twinken thought, Wow, these two did not get along! And they were so competitive!

Twinken understood this was a long time ago, and while he could understand Granny Smith not having fond memories of this pony, it still begged the question why her dream was supposedly troubled somehow.

Then the fog returned, and a chilling wind blew around Twinken, alarming him, What kind of dream is this?! It's almost as though... the fog, it's... trying to hide something?

Twinken struggled to remember what he'd learned from his mistress about dreams, how they varied in being good, bad, anywhere in between, and some could be clear and obvious while others were messy, muddy, and difficult to understand. Then he remembered something else - Sometimes dreams were memories!

That's it! Granny Smith is dreaming old memories, but... Looking around at the fog, barely able to see shapes through it and hardly hearing anything at all, Twinken struggled to understand why Granny Smith's dreaming her memories seemed to be trying to block the memories out.

Unless... she doesn't want to remember! Twinken realized. The young dreamwalker knew he shouldn't pry into someone's memories, but something compelled him to keep going. Twinken could sense the emotional pain around him, like an old wound that never really healed. To live with that pain for so long...

Though he had misgivings, Twinken furrowed his brows and focused, pushing his power against the fog until he could see what appeared to be two ponies having a picnic together, talking to, Mrs. Cake?!

It looked like her, younger though, and not quite as plump as Mrs. Cake was today. She was talking to those two ponies, both of whom looked familiar somehow yet Twinken didn't recall ever meeting them. One was a stallion of Big Mac's size and build, but his coat was yellow and his mane and tail red like Apple Bloom's, and he wore what looked like Applejack's hat! His mark was a green apple sliced in half with a gold star in front of it.

Beside him was a mare, her coat soft pale peach-like color while her mane was a familiar orange and a little frazzled because there were flowers, leaves, and twigs in it. Her cutie-mark was a jar of... preserves? Butter?

Wait, butter? Butter... Buttercup! And Bright Mac! Twinken knew who they were now, AJ, Bloom, and Mac's parents!

Twinken finally recognized them, from some photos he'd seen a while ago in the Apple Family Photo Album. He recalled how Granny Smith and Applejack told him how her folks, Bright Mac and Buttercup, passed away a long while ago, when Apple Bloom was still a baby. They'd shared fond memories of them, how Buttercup taught Bright Mac how to play guitar and then he taught Applejack, how Bright Mac gave Big Mac his work collar, how... how Apple Bloom had only the faintest memories of them since they were gone before she could even talk.

Then he heard bushes rustling and out came Granny Smith, who gasped in sight of her son and Buttercup before saying, "What in tarnation are you doin', Bright Mac?! We do not fraternize with Pears!"

Pears?! Twinken thought his ears were mistaken at first, but the way Granny Smith spat and then took Bright Mac by the ear and dragged him off as mothers do.

"Pear Butter! You and Bright Mac?" Twinken looked back and was sure he'd heard it. The young Mrs. Cake had called Buttercup 'Pear Butter'. "Whew, I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Your families hate each other."

"I can't help it," Buttercup, or Pear Butter apparently, replied while looking on warmly at Bright Mac, who threw her a wink despite his aching ear. "We just sorta... happened."

The love in that mare's eyes filled Twinken with a sort of warm and fuzziness that brought a certain unicorn filly to mind, but he shook his head as he wondered, So... Buttercup's real name was Pear Butter... and Granny Smith didn't like her? Or her family?

As the fog thickened yet again, the colt was just so puzzled. How could Granny Smith have been against the mare who became the mother of her grandfoals? He had to find out more.

He focused again, the fog parting, and he saw what appeared to be some kind of event going on late at night, set exactly between the apple orchard and the pear orchard. He could see Pear Butter and Bright Mac together, a younger Mayor Mare behind them, and the younger Mrs. Cake and a gray stallion Twinken didn't recognize at first, until he saw his mark was a charcoal log, Burnt Oak? The firewood seller at the marketplace? Wait... this looks like...!

His thoughts were confirmed when he heard Mayor Mare say, "I now pronounce you-"

"What is goin' on?! What's with all these here candles?!" All eyes turned to see Granny Smith arriving unexpectedly at the scene.

"Pear Butter! Where are ya?!" They looked again and saw the stallion Twinken had seen before, the one Granny Smith seemed to hate.

Given the look of worry he saw in her eyes, it was then Twinken realized, He must have been Pear Butter's father!

"You're s'posed t' be packin'!" The Pear stallion took notice of what was going on and then narrowed his eyes, demanding in a low tone, "What are you two doing?"

For a moment, there was an awkward and very uncomfortable silence, but it was Bright Mac who responded, as he tenderly held Pear Butter close and declared, "Ma, Grand Pear, Buttercup an' Ah are in love!"

"WHAT!?" Both Granny Smith and the stallion, Grand Pear, uttered in disbelief.

"And we'll be married as soon as Mayor Mare says..." Pear Butter turned to Mayor Mare, and she got the idea.

"Oh! I now pronounce you husband and wife!" Mayor Mare spoke in a hurry.

"Doesn't that feel nice?" Pear Butter smiled warmly before she and her new husband sealed it with a loving kiss and nuzzle... until Granny Smith came between them with such an ornery look.

"What're you talkin' about, married?!" Granny Smith glared up at her son, "You two cain't be married!"

"Fin'lly, somethin' we agree on," Grand Pear came up beside his daughter and gave her an angry look of his own. "Pear Butter, enough of this nonsense. Wer' movin'! An' you gotta stick with your family!"

As if that weas that, Grand PEar began to walk off, clearly expecting his daughter to follow-

"But... the Apples are my family now, too," Pear Butter responded, which Granny Smith caught that she gave the younger mare a bewildered look.

"You can't be serious," Grand Pear argued, unable to believe what he was hearing, " Are you choosin' to be an Apple over being a Pear?!"

Twinken felt his heart hurt as he watched Pear Butter and Bright Mac shared a pained look before Pear Butter tearfully asked her father, "Are you... makin' me choose?"

Grand Pear winced for a moment at his daughter's words, but hardened his heart, "Yes. Ah am..."

Pear Butter's eyes squeezed shut as she made the most difficult decision of her life, and made it, "Then, yeah. Ah guess Ah am."

Grand Pear stood there, completely shaken but he furrowed his brows and responded, "Fine!"

And without another word and refusing to look at her anymore, Grand Pear left, stomping every step, leaving Pear Butter with her husband... and mother-in-law, as Granny Smith came up and awkwardly comforted her.

The fog came back, and there was a rumble of thunder and a deeper chill, causing Twinken to shudder and wonder, How could Granny Smith have... why did...?

He was so conflicted. Granny Smith, so full of love and life, even at her age, wise yet funny, How could she have been so cruel and selfish?!

Then the fog turned into a storm and Twinken heard more voices, and there were flashes of lightning, revealing images.

"Did... did Daddy get my gift, Concordia?"

"He did, but... I'm so sorry, Butter. He threw it into the trash, wouldn't even open it after he saw it was from you."

A flash of lightning revealed it was Pear Butter speaking to Aunt Orange, and Granny Smith in the next room overhearing and looking ashamed when Pear Butter began to cry, her sister trying to comfort her.

The winds picked up, and then...

"Ma, it ain't right! We should make peace with Grand Pear so-"
"He made his decision, Bright Mac! He can live wit' it or he can be th' bigger mane an' admit he was wrong!"
"Or maybe you jus' cain't be th' bigger mare an' admit you were wrong!"
"Don'choo take tha' tone wit' me, sonny! Ah am yer mother an' you will-"
"Ah'll give you respect when you let go o' tha' damn pride, you old crab apple!"

A flash of lightning showed Bright Mac walking away in disgust from his stunned mother to play with a young Big Mac and Applejack, Pear Butter nearby, her tummy fat with foal. Granny Smith looked like she wanted to say something, but the stink eye her son gave her caused Granny Smith to shake her head and walk away with a bitter look. The stormy fog returned again, and over its roar, Twinken could hear more voices.

"Ma... jus' promise me an' Buttercup this..." Bright Mac's voice sounded so weak, and Twinken felt as though his heart was breaking but he knew.

This is Granny Smith's most painful memory!

"Wha' is it, sweethawrt...?" The sobbing voice of Granny wasso full of pain and emotion.

"Promise us... when they're old enough t' understand... you'll tell `em," said Bright Mac's voice, followed by a cough, "tell `em about their mama's side o' their fam'ly."

"Ah... Ah promise, my li'l apple o' muh eye...!" Granny Smith said, and there was a heavy exhale, and all went dark.

The familiar crowing of the rooster roused Twinken from his somnolent sojourn and he found himself back in his bed as he stared up at the ceiling, so overwhelmed by all that he'd just learned, before he whispered, "Granny Smith... what did you?"

Horse apples are really gonna hit the fan in this arc, and it's gonna be a hard one for Twinken

Concordia is the given name I gave Aunt Orange. in my story-canon, Aunt Orange was the younger sister of Pear Butter, and her name was Concordia (after the Concorde Pear). Like her sister marrying into the Apple Family, she married into the Orange Family.