Dreams and Consequences

by Kro Dragon

Voices

Something in the middle of the night etched Ethal Co out of his almost cloud-like bed. Stretching only made matters worse when he popped nearly every bone in his body. He HATED the sound of bones popping or snapping. He shivered at the thought of losing a hoof or dislocating his elbow. Ethal quickly shook the thought from his mind and looked at a nearby alarm clock. It was only 4 AM.

Ethal yawned heavily “Oh c’mon, body…” he said to himself. “Don’t wake me so early…” Ethal still seemed pretty out of it. He slowly trotted towards a desk with an open book and a lamp on it. He quickly closed the book. “I’m never going to finish it anyway…” he said to himself once more. “Too much work to do…”

Standing in the middle of his room, he looked out the lone window in the room. Strange enough it was the only window in the Library that looked away from Canterlot and into the far distance of trees and flatland. Ethal smiled, He always seemed interested in nature and its awkward state of being. Although he was afraid of traveling, again the fear of losing a body part seemed to haunt Ethal’s mind alone, but something always urged him to attempt to walk out of Canterlot for the day and spend the night under the stars.

He could never do it.

No matter how much of he dreamed and wished for it to be true, he just couldn’t do it. Ethal felt trapped because of this. He didn’t WANT to feel trapped, it was just how he felt about everything lately. Now that six mares just SUDDENLY appeared into his home, he didn’t want to look or feel weak around them. He wanted to appear tough or strong, or anything other than feeble.

“Someday, I’ll traverse the world…” he said to himself, crawling back into his bed. “Someday, I’ll make it happen…”

Ethal felt his mind continue to stir about the wonders of the outside world as he drifted back to sleep.

---

Twilight Sparkle couldn’t exactly remember what happened. At first she thought she was in Ponyville, with the giant’s moon like glow still expressing itself in her room. Until she remembered that her and her five friends were in Canterlot. Twilight Sparkle got off of the comfortable position in her couch—No wait… it wasn’t HER couch anymore…

Twilight sighed softly and sat upright. The book she had was closed on the ground with the bookmark somehow still intact. She figured she might’ve still been out of it as the room in front of her started to sway side to side. Twilight relaxed much more on the couch. She hadn’t sat on it since… well since she moved. She did leave rather early and rushed to Ponyville that fateful day after all, It was only natural she’d have this feeling of comfort and longing after awhile.

Rather than lay back down, the young purple mare looked outside noticing the moon’s still vibrant glow. “If I was asleep, I wasn’t asleep long…” Twilight said to herself, stretching and yawning from her spot on the couch. Using magic, she picked up her book, laid it in front of her and stared at it. Her mind set asunder to the thoughts of two worries she faced, primarily the set goal that Celestia had entrusted her with. Everything in her willpower begged her to pull out the map from her saddlepack, but she wanted to share it with the girls before she got ahead of everypony else.

Her other thoughts relied on the book that faced her. Twilight wasn’t one for romance, but the idea of having a boyfriend crossed her mind more than twice. The seemingly endless time that they could share together was undeniably… relaxing… at least in her mind. Countless hours of them either enjoying each other’s presence or reading together a book that they both had found interesting. Her idea of the perfect stallion was pretty bland; anything she liked is what he should like. If they were to try anything new, they’d do it together.

Twilight shook her head, “What am I thinking?” she talked to herself yet again. “There’s no such thing as a ‘Perfect Soul mate’…” she sighed in realization. Eagerly, she opened her book to where the bookmark had been, hungrily awaiting to continue where she had left off.

There were no words written on the page.

“What?” Twilight exclaimed. She flipped through all the pages in the book, not a letter was found on ANY page. For that matter, the book cover seemed to slowly degenerate from the book. Twilight quickly threw the book away from, yet as she looked around the room seemed to dissolve into a black void. Scared for her life, Twilight stood up, motionless and still as darkness stalked her.

There was silence, not a peep could be heard. Twilight couldn’t even hear her own heavy breathing. She couldn’t see two hooves in front of her. She couldn’t even feel the cold clutches of the dark void that had surrounded her. All seemed at not, and Twilight believed in the worst possible outcomes.

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” A booming voice overheard. Twilight yelped and ran into an unknown direction. Whoever yelled her name sounded close, and her ears rang from the blistering scream of her name. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE, I KNOW YOU’RE THERE!”

The disembodied voice seemed to be getting closer. Twilight halted then bolted to the other direction of where she was heading, figuring that if the voice was getting louder, she must be getting closer towards whoever was talking.
“COME OUT TWILIGHT SPARKLE. I JUST WANT… TO PLAY!” The voice seemed even louder. Twilight came to a sudden stop feeling surrounded once more. There was a mind-piercing scream that seemed too close for comfort. Twilight fell over and huddled her hooves over her head.

“Go away!” she yelled into the darkness. “Just please, go away!”

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE! GO AWAY, GO AWAY” the voice echoed. “GO AWAY, GO AWAY, GO AWAY, GO AWAY!”

---

“Twilight Sparkle! Wake up! Yer’ havin’ a fib-dream!” Applejack violently shook the purple mare awake. Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs at the five ponies before her, who screamed back in shock. The purple mare quickly took a glance at her surroundings then back to the orange earth pony staring back at her. “Twilight! Are you okay?”
The purple unicorn jumped up at Applejack and hugged her tight. “Applejack! I… I just had—“Twilight started tearing up at her words, choking on them and heavily breathing.

“It’s okay, Twi! It was jus’a dream.” Applejack hugged as well, patting Twilight’s back as lightly as possible. “You were kickin’ ‘n screamin’ so suddenly, we jus’ came runnin’ to you…”

The purple unicorn looked out the window; the moon was in its same position as it was in her nightmare. “What… what time is it…?”

“It’s almost five in the morning…” Ethal Co said softly, attempting to not startle to purple mare. “If you wanna be exact, it’s 4:57…”

Twilight figured that she had fallen back asleep for about ten minutes right before Applejack had awoken her… or that she was still physically asleep when she mentally awoke in her dream. Either way, Twilight came to the quick realization that she was still tired, but she dared not lay back down, afraid that dream would come to her again.

Rarity nuzzled the purple unicorn gently. “Think you’ll still be alright, darling?” The white unicorn smiled.

Twilight gently nodded her head, which was still buried in the orange earth pony’s shoulder. “Ah’ know you’re
probably not gunna wanna hear this, sugarcube.” Applejack started. “But you… should really get some’ore sleep…” the orange earth pony felt Twilight shiver and shake. “Ya’ should come sleep with us. We’ll be here for ya’, remember when I said that?” Twilight Sparkle slowly nodded. “The truth applies here, we’re all still here for ya’, and I promise nothin’ bad’s gunna happen to you, or to any of us.” Applejack looked right at Fluttershy. The butter yellow Pegasus gently nodded her head in agreement.

There was a long silence; the only thing to be heard was Twilight’s occasional sniffle. “Twi…” Applejack gently removed Twilight from her shoulder. “C’mon now… let’s go back to sleep…” With that, Twilight and Applejack both made their way towards their room, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity soon followed afterwards.

“G’night again, feel better, Twilight Sparkle.” Ethal called out to the girls.

“G’night Ethal.” Applejack said waving then closing the door, leaving Ethal by himself once more. The unicorn stallion sighed and looked out the much larger window compared to the one in his room. It overlooked Canterlot with an amazing view. He could only wish it had some sort of balcony attachment.

Ethal looked at the floor, noticing a saddlepack with Twilight’s cutie mark, a map and a book. The saddlepack was wide open with a few contents spilled out of it. The map seemed to be one of them; the book looked more open, faced down on the ground as if someone had been reading it rather than it being tossed out of the bag.

Being the gentlecolt he was, He picked up the book and closed it, picked up the map, and most of the fallen contents, replacing them inside of the saddlepack.

But something just compelled him to check the contents of the saddlepack… As if something commanded him to do so.

Ethal rummaged through the pack quickly and thoroughly, and removed a small black bag that held something rather heavy for something so small. He looked around to make sure nopony was looking and opened the bag. Turning the bag over, dropping a small tablet with the letter “K” imprinted on it that stared up at him.

Ethal could’ve sworn he’d seen something like it before; it looked so familiar, so hauntingly familiar…

“Ugh…” Ethal hit his head in thought, “C’mon, think, think!” but to no avail did his brain help him recall the familiar tablet. Ethal shook his head and beyond his final whim, picked up the tablet and examined it much closer. Its texture was so… rough… for a stone that looked fairly smooth at least.

Ethal’s vision suddenly started to swirl the room around him and fake him out, causing him to flinch and drop the stone which landed in a soft “thud” on the ground. Ethal held his head and looked back around. His vision returned and his gaze met with the stone. Picking up the tablet again, the weird spinning in his head returned, making the yellow stallion drop it once more. “For a rock…” he said to the stone, as if it could hear him. “You have some powerful dark energy…”

“…Perhaps I can somehow hone it…”
---

Morning seemed like it would never come for Rainbow Dash, who had pulled an all-nighter sitting perched up on the cloud she was. She hadn’t fallen asleep all night due to the horrors she faced attempting to. Rainbow Dash stood up strong, but quickly fell back down due to fatigue and tiredness.

“C’mon…” the cyan pegasus told herself “You gotta… you gotta get back to your friends, Rainbow Dash… you gotta get to them.” Rainbow Dash figured when she was with her friends, she could get some sleep, or at least have somepony to talk to WHILE going to sleep.

Rainbow Dash got up once more and focused her weight on her front legs, flapping her wings which were eagerly ready to fly. With the suns smile nearly midway past the mountain tops, Equestria was much easier to see, especially on such a cloudless day like today. She could clearly see Canterlot and the Library, despite how far she had gotten away from it attempting to get away from whatever followed her. “Heh, whoever that creep was, I’ll be sure to make’em pay for keeping ME up!”

With that, Rainbow Dash readied herself and jumped up, flapping her wings and making her way towards Canterlot. Yet something felt wrong. Slowly she felt herself tire and slow down. Rainbow Dash quickly landed on a nearby cloud and rested her already worn wings.

“Whoa, what just happened?” Rainbow Dash pondered out loud, examining her wings. They looked fine, not a scratch or ruffle on them. “I’m probably just tired…” she said. “When I get to Canterlot, I’m going straight to sleep. Nopony can stop me.” Once again, Rainbow Dash leaped into the air and flew off, only for a short distance until she had to rest onto another cloud once more.

The cyan pegasus took a deep annoyed sigh. “C’mon wings!” she boasted “You never done this to me before! Don’t start now!” Rainbow Dash hoped her little pep-talk got to her wings, because immediately she jumped up and continued flying again. Once again her wings couldn’t bear flapping anymore, but she pushed on in attempts to see the vision of sleeping to her reality.

“C’mon wings!” She commanded “Don’t fail me now! We’re almost there!” The cyan pegasus once again gave a pep-talk to her wings, but her wings wanted to do anything but fly. As if they had a minds of their own, Rainbow Dash’s wings stopped and pulled onto her sides while mid flight. Sending the Rainbow maned pegasus falling a great height, and hitting the ground with an earth-shaking thud.

Rainbow Dash moaned and attempted to get up, but fell right back down, passing out unconscious.

---

“Where on Equestria IS that pegasus?” Rarity said displeased in the main room in the Library. “Didn’t somepony say Rainbow Dash would have been here FIRST thing in the morning?”

“Uh… Rainbow Dash usually likes to fly around in the morning…” said the shy butter yellow pegasus. “If anything, she’s doing just that…”

“I’d understand that, if she would have given us a fair warning…” Rarity groaned. “Honestly…”

Twilight shook her head. “We don’t have time for this… I’ll just show you the entire map now, we can fill her in on the details later.”

“I’ll do it!” The pink party pony said cheerfully. “She says everything I say gets stuck in her head… until she forgets! But I’ll tell her not to forget it this time!”

“Right…” Twilight said, either sarcastically or unenthusiastically. She pulled out the unopened rolled up map from her saddlepack and placed it on the table. Slowly opening the paper to reveal numerous lines, marks, dots, and areas not even the map charted. Every marking, name, number and dashed line practically filled the map.

Applejack quickly scanned through the map and started sweating a bit at all the separate places they’d have to travel. “How—“

“We have to travel through all of THIS?!” Rarity exclaimed.

Twilight shook her head. “Princess Celestia just marked areas that have had the closest signature of… ‘power’ from the tablets.”

“Power?” Applejack questioned. “You mean like that weird vision we saw with that one ya’ showed us?”
“Something like it…” The purple unicorn started. “I hadn’t noticed it before, and I’m surprised Rarity hadn’t either. But that tablet can give off some strange vibe off like… like…”

“Like a putrid odor?” Rarity commented.

“…Yeah, something like it. It seems it affects magical beings, especially unicorns and their horns.”

“So what’s it feel like?” the orange earth pony asked curiously. “Maybe it could help if ya’ll know what it feels like?”

Twilight shook her head again. “The Princess said that each tablet gives off a unique feeling, and it’s different for every unicorn. In fact, sometimes it can go unnoticed. Especially to unicorns who haven’t truly mastered their magic sensory.”
“So… you’n Rarity’ll be able to feel it?”

“Well yes, it’ll affect us mainly because we can use magic.” Twilight said, looking at Fluttershy. “But SOME pegasus can feel it as well, in their wings. Hopefully Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy can pinpoint if they can feel it.”

Fluttershy flinched when the purple unicorn looked at her. “I, uh… I’ll try…”

Twilight smiled. “That’s all I’m asking…”

“But uh…” the butter yellow pegasus pondered. “What… should I be feeling for…?”

“I’m not sure…” Twilight said with a shrug. “I guess if your wings start acting a bit sporadic or tired. Just let us know if anything like that happens.”

Fluttershy just nodded gently. “I’ll do my best…”

“So, many of these places we can rule out?” Applejack dusted off her hat a bit. “I mean, not that I’m not one for walkin’ long miles, I jus’ don’t wanna be wastin’ time goin’a places that might not be right afterall.”

“Well!” Twilight smiled, rummaging through her saddlepack. “If we almost being able to sense the energy of the tablets doesn’t convince you much, I can happily say that these tablets work like magnets!”

“What’dya mean?”

“As in, they pull each other close like a magnet would, if we can use the one we currently have… as a… huh… as a reference.” Twilight stopped looking in the left side of the saddle pack and started looking through the right. “To, uh… find the others… Where is it…?”

“Where’s what?” Rarity asked.

“The bag with the tablet!” Twilight said rushed. “It’s not in here! I… where did it…?”

“What? The tablet is missing?”

“Yes! I…” Twilight turned the saddlepack over, removing the contents of the bag onto the ground. Quills, ink and paper, the second uncharted map, ribbons of various colors, her variety of remedy books and the novel she was reading, a large assortment of small knickknacks including two metal balls and a random amount of multicolored rocks littered the ground.

Twilight eyed the rocks questionably then searched through the mess which she had created. The Black Bag holding the tablet was missing. “It’s not here!”

Twilight Sparkle rummaged through the items over and over again. Everypony stood still, unable to speak, unable to think, unable to understand what is, or what just happened.

As if an answer to all of their questions, Ethal Co busted open through the library door with a saddle pack and a large amount of books, to which he dropped. “Aw c’mon…” Ethal groaned “I always do that…”

“Ethal!” Twilight Sparkle practically tackled the yellow stallion down.

“Ah!” Ethal yelled startled “Uh… Hello to you too, Twilight Sparkle—“

“Have you seen a small black bag with a rock inside of it?”

Ethal flinched. “Yeah, I have actually.” The yellow stallion gently pushed Twilight Sparkle up and reached inside of his saddlepack, removing the stone itself and holding it out to Twilight.

Twilight jumped back and the other ponies looked at him shocked. Ethal stood their confused. “Is… something wrong?” he asked, examining the rock as if there was something on it that shouldn’t be there.

“Wh-where’s the bag that was with it?” Twilight asked softly.

“I dunno, maybe the rock fell out of it or something…”

“Why do you have it in the first place?!” Applejack exclaimed at the yellow unicorn.

“Oh!” Ethal smiled. “Well I know I’ve seen this thing before somewhere, that’s where these books I just grabbed came from.” Ethal placed the rock on the ground and rummaged through the fallen books. “Uh… let’s see… ah!” He pulled out a moderate sized red book with a picture of a tablet on the front. There was no title to speak of, but the stone on the book looked exactly like the one on the floor. “I knew I shouldn’t have taken the rock without permission, and I’m truly sorry for that, but something pulled me into taking it, like… some sort of unknown force. Again, I’m really sorry…”

Twilight still looked at him in shock. “When you grabbed the stone… did… anything seem… different?”

Ethal picked up the stone again and examined it once more. “…Well, I did feel a bit dizzy when I held it. It doesn’t bother me as much anymore.”

“So you didn’t see anything? Not like a vision or… or…”

“No, I didn’t see anything, was I suppose to?” Ethal said, handing the stone back to the purple mare.

“Maybe it’s best if you didn’t…” Twilight said, reluctantly removing the stone from his palm and holding onto it. There was a long awkward silence afterwards with Ethal picking up the books he had dropped. “So!” Twilight started “This book you got… with the tablet…”

“Oh, right. I dunno, I just grabbed a bunch of books in relation with weird stones and I found that one.” Ethal rubbed the back of his head. “Don’t ask why I was outside… Just like reading outside on a bench.”

Twilight immediately smiled at him, she recalled the same feeling of reading under the warm summer sun. The purple mare caught herself, “What was it about?”

“The book was about how six ponies gathered 14 tablets in order to create a peaceful world from the tyrannies of darkness…” Ethal placed the stacked books he had dropped to the side and grabbed the book with the tablet on it. “Uhh… it said that darkness and chaos would fall asunder to those who hadn’t completed their quest, and threatened the world with eternal damnation…”

Rarity slowly walked up to Twilight Sparkle. “Did… did they complete their quest…?”

Ethal looked at the floor. “They were unable to complete their task at hand. They had all died before reaching the final tablet…”

It was as if time stopped, everyponies eyes became dilated and diminished. Fluttershy held onto Pinkie Pie, who held back in a similar fashion. Twilight looked straight at the floor.

“They… died…?” Applejack asked so softly, it was almost mistaken as Fluttershy talking.

“Well… yeah…” Ethal said slowly, afraid he just said something he wasn’t supposed to. “What’s… going on…?” he asked curiously.

“…We’ll… tell you some other time…” Twilight kept staring at the ground. “C’mon girls…”The purple mare started her way outside.

“Wait a sec!” Applejack started. “What about Rainbow Dash?”

“Maybe it’s better if she doesn’t know either…”
---

Rainbow Dash awoke, the moon and stars filled the dark blue sky when she stood up.

“Oh man…” the cyan pegasus held onto her head, feeling erratically dizzy. “Ohhh… my head…” she stood still for a couple of minutes to regain her composure, unsure of where she was or what she was doing. Words echoed inside of her heads ‘C’mon Rainbow Dash!’ they said. ‘Get back to your friends!’

Rainbow Dash managed to look up and eye Canterlot, which wasn’t as far away as she last remembered. Staggering, the cyan pegasus made her way towards the castle walls. Her mind set was a bungled mess of thoughts and questions. Where was she? Was she still near Canterlot? Had she finished the quest with her friends? Confusion overtook her mind while her body ached from falling several stories. How she managed to survive was way beyond her.
“Rainbow Dash! Over here!” called out a familiar voice. “Rainbow Daaaash!”

The confused pegasus looked towards her left to see a pink earth pony waving at her. “Rainbow Dash! Where’ve you been?”

“Oh, Pinkie Pie? Is that you?”

“Well of COURSE it’s me, silly!” Pinkie Pie grabbed onto Rainbow Dash’s left hoof and pulled her into following “C’mon! C’mon! We’re late!”

“Late for what?” Rainbow’s voice cracked.

“We’re late for the party I’m throwing! It would be weird if I was late for the party, heck, I’m THROWING it!”

Wait… a party… already?”

“Yeah! We finished the quest for Princess Celestia! Don’t you remember?”

Rainbow Dash scratched her head with a hoof. “I don’t… actually, I don’t recall ever going on the quest.”

“Well you were asleep most of the time; it was as if you weren’t really there!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “But we couldn’t have done it without you, Dashie!”

The pink pony pulled the cyan pegasus all the way towards Sugarcube Corner from what had seemed to be right outside of Canterlot. Either they moved really fast, or the moon didn’t want to leave its position. Pinkie Pie opened the door to reveal all of their friends already eating cake and playing with party favors. Pinkie Pie soon joined them inside. “Guys! I found Dashie! She was still near Canterlot, can you believe that?”

“She really must’ve taken a shine to that pegasus that helped us earlier.” Rarity mocked. “My, wasn’t he a handsome fellow, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure she could handle any more confusing as her mind began to spin; it was as if the world itself looked different. “Eh… yeaaaah… suuuure.” Rainbow Dash agreed slowly. “So what’s going on?”

“We’re done, darling!” Rarity squeaked happily. “Oh yes, that quest wasn’t as vile as I thought it would be, we were done in no time!”

“Tch, without the help of SOMEPONY.” Applejack said from her spot. “Rainbow Dash, if ya’ll were gunna sleep ALL DAY, you could’ve atleast told us ‘fore we started!”

“Now hold on a minute!” Rainbow Dash backed herself up. “I fell from a cloud STRAIGHT into the ground, I couldn’t move even if I tried. I guess I passed out, but that doesn’t mean you have to blame me for taking a crash landing straight to the face!”

“Rainbow Dash! Look!” Pinkie Pie squealed. “Look! Look! You’re coltfriend is here!”

“Coltfriend--?” Already confused from everything up till this point, Rainbow Dash could’ve sworn she was single before she went on the quest. And if she was asleep all day, she shouldn’t even have one, who were they talking about? Rainbow Dash caught a glimpse of a Dark blue and violet maned pegasus.

Then all went black for her.

---

“Will she be okay?” an unrecognizable female voice awoke Rainbow Dash. The cyan pegasus was being dragged and couldn’t open her eyes, or she was blind folded, one or the other.

“The Master did say she didn’t want her dead, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Said a male voice, also unrecognizable

“Master would have our heads if she was, wouldn’t she?”

“You’d bet… When the Master’s eyes glow that brightly, you wouldn’t want to face her.”

“Oh C’mon, Rainbow Dash, I know you have a strong willpower. Please stay alive!”

Comments

[Kro Dragon]

It's very strange how when you start writing, it initially takes a lot longer to write it, rather than read it.

Either way, enjoy the 3rd chapter, the 4th chapter I have no idea when it'll be out , but do expect it soon.

[SquareZack]

ETHAL! I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING UP WITH YOU! WHY'D YOU TAKE THE TABLET? WHERE'S THE BAG? YOU'RE NOT HELPING YOUR CASE! I'M ON TO YOU!

[Discount Irish]

Everyone and their cliffhangers =.=