//------------------------------// // 1 - Summoned by the Tree. // Story: Specters of the Mind. // by Dream Stalker //------------------------------// Luna sighed as she returned from the realm of dreams to the realm of the waking. To say she was tired was an understatement. She was exhausted. It seemed to the dark colored mare that the dream realm had become more and more taxing, as if the realm was playing tricks on her. She could have sworn time and time again that she had caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye, but as soon as she looked, it was gone. Now this wouldn't be much of a problem except for one thing. As soon as she turned back to the dream she had been observing, it was gone. Vanished into thin air, as if it had never existed. The strange thing about it, however, was that it was always the nightmares that vanished on her. Never the positive dreams, and when the nightmare vanished, the pony woke up, usually confused, and then fell back asleep, completely at ease, as if the nightmare never happened. It was unnerving to say the least. Luna sighed as she walked into the dining room, smiling warmly at her sister before sitting at her place at the table. "Good morning dear sister." Celeste said, smiling at her. "How was the dream realm?" "Exhausting, as usual." Luna replied, taking a bite into an apple. "I see... and have the dreams been disappearing again?" "Yes, as usual." "Hmmmm." Celestia hummed to herself and went back to eating her pancakes, and was just about to take a bite when a strange sensation on her flank caused her to drop the fork and turn to stare in shock at her cutie mark, which was glowing. "LUNA!" She said, turning to her sister, only to realize that her sister was currently having the same problem. The two sisters turned to stare at each other for a few seconds before they took on serious faces. Getting up from their seats, they issued orders to the imperial guard, telling the guards what needed to be done in their absence, and once everything was settled, they took off towards Ponyville, where seven anxious pony's eagerly awaited their arrival. Starlight sighed as she watched her friend and teacher fidget relentlessly in the room. She had tried several times to get her friend to calm down, but as usual there was no helping her. Though if she was being honest with herself, she was just as worried as Twilight was. She turned back to the map, where not six, not seven, but nine different cutie marks circled around Ponyville. She turned back to the other ponies, who were fidgiting in their own different ways. Rainbow Dash was flying back and forth, Pinkie Pie was shoving her face in a pie....which she had pulled out of her hair. Rarity was sitting on her chair with a constipated look on her face. Fluttershy was nervously petting Angel, who did not look happy about it. Applejack was also sitting on her chair, though she kept looking back and forth like she was expecting something to jump out at her...... And of course, Twilight was pacing around the room, mumbling to herself. Starlight was just about to say something when the doors were thrown open, and Celestia and Luna ran into the room. "We came as fast as we could!" Celestia said, trotting over to Twilight, who immediately went to her former teacher. The two gave each other a reassuring hug before turning to the map. "Does anyone know what is going on?" Luna asked, looking around. "None of us have a clue, Your Highnesses, we were hoping you two might..." Applejack said, looking to the two sisters. "We are just as confused as the rest of you." Luna replied, glancing at the map. "Well, the map wouldn't call us all here for no reason......right?" Applejack said, sounding worried. Right as she said that, however, all of the floating cutie marks suddenly merged into a single, shimmering light that began taking off in a single direction, past any of the lands that were currently known in Equestria and into the beyond, before stopping by a tall, snow covered mountain. The group of ponies all looked at each other before Rarity sighed and said what was on everypony's mind. "Road trip, anyone?" The group sighed before heading out, Twilight making sure to give Spike a list of things to do while they were gone. "Great, another list...." He grumbled, looking annoyed. Starlight couldn't help but smile before turning to the rest of the group, watching as they ran off to pack. "I should probably pack too.." She said quietly to herself, and was just about to head back into the castle when there was a cool breeze by her ear, and she got the distinct impression it wasn't wind. She turned and looked around, unaware of the pair of shimmering, pupil-less eyes watching her. Shaking it off, she trotted back to her room, packing only the essentials, like a sleeping bag, hairbrush, toothpaste, ext. before meeting the rest of the gang at the train station. She turned and quietly examined the rest of the group, groaning when she caught sight of Rarity as she approached with a cart full to the bursting with suitcases. "Really, Rarity, did you pack your entire house in there?" She asked with a laugh. "Just the essentials, dear. A sleeping bag, 5 inch mattress, sheets, pillows, a tent, toothbrush, toothpaste, pots, pans, my umbrella, the usual." She said, flicking her mane to one side. "Sure, the essentials." Starlight muttered under her breath in a sarcastic tone, only to jump slightly when the familiar "wind' sensation tickled her ear, and this time, she heard a slight, quiet giggle. "Did anyone else hear that!?" She said, looking around at her friends. "Ummm.....Hear what?" Rainbow dash said, looking at her. ".......Nothing important." Twilight was just about to say something when the sound of a whistle alerted the group to the trains departure, and the group quickly boarded, though Rarity was forced to leave some of the essentials behind, as it wasn't able to fit on the train properly. The trip to the mountain was, surprisingly, easy. Once they got off the train at the farthest point, they hired a local guide to take them the rest of the way. Other than a few large rivers, which Pinkie Pie had a blast drenching everypony at, where in the name of Equestria did she even GET a squirt gun of that caliber? A small canyon, and a slightly territorial Quill cat, which was basically a large cat with quills coming out of its back, which was quickly reduced to a mewing kitten when Fluttershy got after it, the trip was relatively easy. Starlight sighed, however, when the guide, a kind, elderly minotaur, was unable to go any further, and had to turn back. Though at that point the very tip of the mountain could be seen in the far off distance. And by distance she meant a very lengthy walk/flight through rocky terrain that was quickly becoming cold and icy with every step, as if the mountain itself was sapping the very warmth from the air around them. Starlight shivered as they finally made it to the mountain, their location confirmed when their cutie marks lit up for a few seconds before going silent. She looked around, using her magic to tighten the scarf around her neck in an attempt to shield herself from the cold, and glared at Rarity who was perfectly comfortable in her coat, snowboots, and scarf. Turning back to the icy terrain, she could see nothing but snow covered rocks all around. All and all it was a horrible, desolate place. Rainbow Dash flew around the mountains base a few times before landing among her friends. "Well, there has to be something here, or the tree wouldn't have called us all here..." Rainbow Dash said, flying around in an attempt to see anything unusual. "I'm not so sure about this..." Starlight said to Twilight, who gave her friend a pat on the back. "This is ridiculous! there is nothing here!" Rainbow Dash said, kicking the side of the mountain in frustration, only to have the snow come crashing down on her. Rarity giggled, and went to help dig her out when something caught her eye. "Oh my..." She said, brushing away the rest of the snow. "TWILIGHT!" She called, running over to the Alicorn. "You must come see this!" She screamed as she dragged the lavender pony over to the mountain side, the rest of the group following close after. "Runes?" Twilight said, gazing in awe at the intricate, beautiful writing on the mountain side. It was in a language she had never seen before, and when she turned her head to look at it from different angles, it seemed to change color, like a gem she had never seen before. "I've never seen anything like this.." She said, reaching out a hoof to touch the ancient writing. Starlight stared at the writing, unable to take her eyes off it. It was so beautiful, as if it had been forged from a dream. She was just about to walk forward and touch it when she gasped, feeling as if something had touched her consciousness for a brief moment. So fast it was as if it never happened, there was a flash of an image in her mind, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring it to life, and it vanished just as quickly. However, when she turned back to the writing, she gasped and ran forward, pushing Twilight and Celestia out of the way in her mad dash to reach the runes. "Hey!" Twilight yelled, glaring at her student. "Sorry! But i can read it!" "Wait, WHAT?" Twilight said, staring at her in shock. "I know it's strange, but i can, though I don't know how..." She had a sneaky suspicion it had to do with the strange feeling earlier, but she shrugged it off and turned back to the runes. "Hmmm, let's see...... Have no fear, for we are kind, although we feed on dreams of fright. A shadow here, a glimmer there, we are specters in the air."........ "What does that mean?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking at her friends. "I honestly don't know..." Starlight replied, placing her hoof on the wall. Just as she did, however, the writing began to glow, and she yanked her hoof back just in time as the wall seemed to melt away, and a shimmering, multi-colored portal opened right in front of them. "Are we seriously going in there?" Rainbow asked, looking around. "Yes." Celestia said resolutely, before stepping into the shimmering portal. The rest of the gang followed suite, and Starlight sighed one last time before entering the portal, unable to take her mind off the glimpse of a vision she had. Had she been able to truly see what the vision actually was, she would have been able to make out the form of a creature so mysterious, and so strange, it would have left even the most ancient of pony history unable to identify it. And as she ventured into the portal, she could have sworn in the back of her head she heard a soft, otherworldly giggle pass by her ear as she was enveloped in darkness.