//------------------------------// // 14 - The Memory // Story: Predictions & Prophecies // by Kinrah //------------------------------// Twilight had proceeded, calmly but with intent, back to the library, where she had instructed Spike to write another letter to Princess Celestia, asking her to ask her sister to join Twilight at Canterlot General in the evening when she woke up. Then she’d gone straight back to the charity drive to continue her assistance. As much as she wanted to go straight to the capital and meet this familiar stranger, Reeds Melody, she had a promise to fulfill. Still there was a sense of anticipation. The perceptive ponies amongst her friends, Applejack, Fluttershy, they noticed a change, but for once this didn’t involve them. The dream had been Twilight’s and Twilight’s alone. Questions as to why and how could only be answered with the aid of Princess Luna, and hopefully would be when the night rolled around. Until then, there was nothing to do but continue on as normal. And it wasn’t just for nought either; right now the charity event was grounding her in the ordinary, a lifeline to the way things would be if everything surrounding prophecies, time travel, strange dreams had never come up. It was as normal as life in Ponyville could be. Embarrassingly, more than once Nurse Redheart had commented on the unicorn’s being distracted, and at one point, to Pinkie Pie’s delight, had gotten out a light to shine in Twilight’s eyes to make sure there was nothing wrong with them. There wasn’t, obviously, but it was a reminder for her to try and pay just a bit more attention to present matters rather than future ones. It was just difficult. Volunteering in the name of charity was arguably more important than indulging a whim, but she just wanted to move ahead to the next engaging encounter. As the event was entering its closing stages, Rarity eventually turned up, slightly disheveled, out of breath, and uttering an apology every other sentence, having apparently run all the way across town from Carousel Boutique. She didn’t really calm down until Redheart forced one of the volunteer teas into her grip. Her ideas, she said, had just run away with her and taken her to a place she’d never dreamed of, and she simply had to write everything down before it vanished. Then, ever the Bearer of Generosity, she strode over to where Nurse Tenderheart was counting the collections and deposited what could only be described as an enormous bag of bits. “My client finally paid me for their last-minute order last week,” she explained. To be honest, Twilight had almost completely forgotten about that; it had just been one of the mildly interesting things that had been immediately overshadowed. While that was only last week it felt like much, much longer. What actually turned out to be much, much longer was the wait for a train at the train station. “We didn’t miss the Friendship Express, did we?” asked Spike, who had insisted on tagging along. He hadn’t needed to, but Twilight was silently glad; having nopony to talk to for a few hours inside a box on rails would probably drive her crazy. Princess Celestia had since responded to the letter, and though she would leave comments on yesterday’s events to further deliberation, she had one of the castle tower rooms prepared in case they missed the last train back. It wouldn’t be the library tower Twilight had grown up living in, but it beat having to find a hotel. All that wouldn’t matter though if they never made it to Canterlot in the first place. They had definitely been at the station at the time the train was scheduled, and yet… no train. The Great Equestrian Railway wasn’t the most punctual service in the kingdom, but in Twilight’s experience it had certainly never been this late. “The stationmaster doesn’t know,” she reported, closing the door to the office behind her. “The train to the Crystal Empire half an hour ago went through with no problems.” “Huh, weird.” Spike jogged down to the end of the platform and stared along the tracks into the distance. “I don’t see anything coming at all.” Aside from the train, there wasn’t really a viable alternative solution. Teleporting the two of them to Canterlot was too risky for what was probably only going to be a minor thing. Stagecoaches took far too long. Both hot air balloons were out. If they had wings… meh. The temporary wing spell Twilight had cast on Rarity back at last year’s Young Flyers Competition would most definitely not be suited to such a flight, and would require a great deal of stamina which the lavender unicorn didn’t have, not to mention she’d need to carry Spike, as she didn’t know if the spell worked on dragons. Ground-based transportation solutions it would have to be, and right now, that meant waiting forever for a train. Idly she wondered if the replacement weather team were again at fault. Snow Veil had mentioned something about rain in the areas surrounding Ponyville. Could Wind Chime have struck again? …No. Unlikely. If she wanted to change the weather in Ponyville proper on a dime, she could just send a messenger to the weather patrol HQ, but if she wanted to change the weather in surrounding zones, it could take hours to track down the pegasi maintaining it. And even if she wasn’t involved, wet rails were a standard railway hazard, and while yes, it could be responsible for delays, there would be signs up if it was going to be strong enough to cause them. The Friendship Express ran every few hours, and should have been due ten minutes ago. A slower train, stopping at the smaller stations, ran every hour, but that was still about forty minutes away. If they’d been twenty minutes earlier, they could have caught the Crystal Empire train as far as the bottom of Canterlot mountain and changed from there, but… sigh… Well, at least she’d brought a book, although she’d expected to be reading it on the train rather than at the station waiting for the train. She’d been meaning to reread the first Young Daring Do book for a while now, and it would at least kill a little time. Rereading a book had its ups and downs. You would be wise to the cliffhangers, but you’d start noticing details that related more to the later chapters, as Rainbow Dash had discovered with the series’ latest installment yesterday. “Uh… Twilight?” Like here; the little bit of description about the orienteering certificate, which seemed like worldbuilding fluff the first time around, but suddenly became relevant when Daring Do had to find her way out of the Forest of Leota. Spike tugged at her mane. “Not now, Spike.” Or here; how could a first-time reader possibly predict that Tumble’s habit of falling over would become a key plot point during the moment of most crisis? It was all in the details. And planning ahead. She couldn’t imagine ever writing something like this; she’d be constantly going back to the earlier chapters to insert references to the later ones and then overdoing it and… “Spike, I can hear that there’s no train. I’m trying to read. If you’re getting bored, you know the library’s only over there.” “Actually I didn’t know that, but you learn something new every day, don’t you, Sparky?” Uh oh. A brief moment of panic followed, accompanied by an unceremonious toppling from the bench. That hadn’t been Spike. That was a pony who… er… she didn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed. “Oh, um, Lieutenant Double Edge!” Of course at this completely random point in time she’d encounter her brother’s best friend in the Guard, because why the hay not? Behind her, she could hear Spike snickering; for reasons known only to himself, Lieutenant Edge always insisted on calling her ‘Sparky’, and had been the driving force for Twilight setting a ground rule for her assistant: No nicknames. “What, uh, what brings you this way?” “Four hooves and a pair of finely-tuned wings.” Double Edge was not known for his ability to make good jokes. “Oh, and this guy,” he continued, gesturing to another pegasus guard behind him, who rolled his eyes. “Seriously though, Princess Celestia sent us to give you a lift.” Twilight blinked. “You’re kidding.” Princess Celestia had sent the royal chariot out just for her? She’d done it before, of course, but now? “Why?” “Hey Twilight, stop questioning it!” Spike called, already on his way to where the chariot could just be seen on the other side of the station building. “We’re getting a free ride!” Sometimes, Princess Celestia’s timing was really peculiar. Not annoying, just… she was always in the right place at the right time, or did the right thing at just the right moment. In Twilight’s experience this also involved being in the wrong place at the right time or sometimes the right place at the wrong time, but over a thousand years of ruling over Equestria had given her the insight to know what was the right right place to be at the right time. If… that made any sense… rrgh. Wait, hang on. How would the Princess even know to send the chariot, anyway? They’d only been waiting a little over ten minutes, and she couldn’t possibly know the train was late… unless… “…Spike…?” Said baby dragon poked his head up over the edge of the chariot. “Yeah?” “Did you send another letter to Princess Celestia asking for a lift?” Hijacking use of the royal chariot was on the same level as hijacking use of the royal messengers, except slightly worse due to requiring two of the pegasus guards to pull it. He’d probably been about to vehemently deny any and all accusations against himself when Double Edge ruined everything for him. “Entirely. Thanks to Captain Lazy here we get to come out to the middle of nowhere.” “Ponyville isn’t the—” “It’s such a shame we had to get called away from that really interesting Health and Safety lecture, isn’t it, Sergeant?” Even Twilight was impressed by her ability to change rant topics mid-flow. “You’re using this as an excuse to get out of a lecture?! You should be ashamed, Lieutenant Edge! Those lectures are not only mandatory, but entirely necessary! The knowledge gained from them is invaluable! To think that a Lieutenant in the Royal Guard - not to mention one who is up for promotion to Joint Captain - yes, I know about that - is taking relief in avoiding such a necessary talk!” “You sound exactly like your brother did before his first lecture,” Double Edge grinned. “You’d change your tune if you sat in on one.” “I’ve sat in on three.” “In which case I bow to your superior patience.” She shouldn’t have expected any other reaction; like all the members of the Royal Guard, Double Edge was notoriously unflappable while on duty. The Sergeant next to him had hardly even moved. “And while we’d like you to take as long as you like, if we don’t get going soon you’re going to miss your appointment with Princess Luna.” They knew about that, too?! “And Shiny said if we took too long he’d give us South Hall duty.” Deep breaths. “Okay, fine, Edgey.” Twilight climbed into the back of the chariot. “Were you told where the appointment is?” Double Edge saluted, choosing to ignore the nickname. “Outside Canterlot General Hospital! One direct flight, as the crow flies! Come on, Sergeant, put your back into it.” Flying was… well… She’d been in the balloon numerous times, and this chariot on a number of occasions, but it never failed to give her that slight feeling of vertigo. It took a surprising amount of willpower to keep from intentionally looking down and seeing just how far away the ground was. If she fell out, one of the pegasi would of course catch her, and in the event that they didn’t, she knew a quick-cast cushioning spell that would stop the appearance of a Twilight Sparkle-shaped hole in the ground, but… it just didn’t feel safe. How Cherry Berry managed it as an earth pony she had no idea at all. Some ponies were just born for the sky, pegasus or otherwise. As they were taking off, Twilight took a moment to chastise Spike for hijacking the chariot for a non-emergency. Yes, the chariot would be faster, any train would have to first get to the mountain and then go up the mountain, and this way was just going across the hypotenuse, but a situation could have arisen in the meantime in which the Princess might actually need her personal transport for herself. The chariot was not a taxi service. Not to mention he’d been an unwitting pawn in getting two slackers out of a very important lecture. That part she said louder, and she could almost hear the sound of Double Edge’s eyes rolling. With a little more persuasion, Spike was convinced to cough up the return letter (though not literally; he’d obviously done that a while ago), and her eyes swept over it. Spike, I’m sure Twilight will remind you that the chariot is not a taxi service. However, as I’m sure she would not want to miss her meeting with Princess Luna, and I have no current need of it, I will send it down as soon as possible. Princess Celestia P.S. This is only going to work once. Don’t get too used to it! Very slowly, very carefully, Twilight put her head in her hooves, and sighed. Ten minutes was far too short a time for a chariot to get from Canterlot to Ponyville, meaning he’d sent it before the late train had even become an issue. Her assistant still needed to learn the boundaries between using his fire breath to send a legitimate request and abusing that direct line to the Princess because he was lazy. “Plus, this way, I don’t have to use a booster seat!” If it were possible for Twilight to facehoof even harder she would have— Pheeeeeep! One eye cracked open, then her head shot up. That was a whistle from behind her. More specifically, a train whistle. They were leaving Ponyville behind already, but she could still see the station. The station, and the large blue locomotive approaching it… Turn back to answer Hurricane’s call… No! She was not having it. Today was prophecy-free, and that meant that no matter what, she was not going to ask the guards to turn around and head back. They were going to Canterlot to meet Princess Luna! Hurricane may be the fastest train in Equestria, but even it couldn’t reach the city before the chariot would. Turning back now would be utterly pointless and would only delay their journey further. It could call all it wanted to, but Twilight Sparkle would not answer. Questions about whether that part of the prophecy was now untrue would have to wait until tomorrow. The chariot began its ascent towards Canterlot mountain. In the end, it turned out either way would have worked. They still arrived long before Princess Luna would be ready to meet them - the sun hadn’t even gone down yet - and it was only just nearing its exchange with the moon when Twilight watched Hurricane steam into Canterlot’s main station. It truly was a marvel of engineering, and before it had even stopped she was playing an exploded diagram of each working part in her head. The fastest artificial means of transport in Equestria. A record-breaker. When the subject was brought up around Rainbow Dash she constantly expressed a desire to challenge its drivers to a race. Pegasus versus train. That’d be a sight to see. But now? Right now that was its only importance. It wasn’t key to anything else but its speed record. There was no call to answer. Pausing every so often as she left, thinking she’d heard it whistle even though it hadn’t, she made her rendezvous with Spike, who was somewhat impatiently waiting outside Joe’s with a box of donuts. Box being the operative word; he’d eaten the majority of its contents, a fact which until Twilight pointed it out he hadn’t actually been aware of. Well, he’d have to finish them all before they went into the hospital anyway. The doctors wouldn’t take kindly to guests noshing in the corridors. Canterlot General Hospital wasn’t that far away from Joe’s, about a five minute walk up the Broadway to the other side of the line of the Maiden Wall. Ponyville hospital was tiny in comparison to it. Here was a place of healing, where complicated methods and magic were used every day in pursuit of keeping ponies free from sickness. Its air of professionalism extended onto the streets, and ponies passing in proximity to its walls automatically seemed to quieten in respect to those within. Twilight had a few memories from here, some good, some bad, but most of them had been, most importantly, educational. Though it had been a while since her last visit as a patient. Princess Luna’s arrival was heralded by a flurry of activity coming down the street from the direction of Canterlot castle as ponies were still conflicted whether they should be bowing, hiding, both, or neither. To think they still didn’t know even after almost a year with Princess Luna ruling alongside her sister… what resulted was most of the evening’s population tripping over themselves as they were passed by the Princess and her thestral Night Guard. The thestrals, well… to be honest Twilight hadn’t had much contact with them. Bat-ponies were a known species, she’d studied them a little under Princess Celestia, and she’d love to sit down and talk with one, but they always just sort of stayed in the shadows. Even when guarding the princess of the night they blended in with the scenery, and at those times Princess Luna tended to command the spotlight anyway. Like the Day Guard when they were at Princess Celestia’s side, they were a fixture, leaping to action only when their charge required it. “Good evening, Twilight Sparkle,” the Princess said with a nod, to Twilight’s and Spike’s bow. “Forgive me for asking, but th- your message to my sister did not mention the reason for this requested meeting.” Yes, she had been a little… hasty with that letter writing. She’d been trying to dictate and think about things and get back to the charity drive all at the same time. “No, I was kind of in a rush at the time. I asked you here because I think I found that pony whose dream was leaking into my dream, and why you couldn’t trace it back.” One of Princess Luna’s eyebrows went up. “Then make haste.” Before she’d left the charity drive, Twilight had done her best to memorize the information that Doctor Horse had on the strange case of Reeds Melody. As one might expect it didn’t have all the details, that’s what the doctors in this hospital would have to answer, but it had enough to form a short brief and that was what she gave to the Princess. When she was done, the first question came from Princess Luna’s mouth. “What is this… ‘Magic Grounding Ward’?” Fortunately the unicorn was prepared for this question. Such a system wouldn’t have existed a thousand years ago, and she’d recalled her own studies on the subject on the offchance that the lunar diarch hadn’t had any cause to visit the hospital since her return. Almost a year, yes, but even with that long you couldn’t be everywhere at once. “The Magic Grounding Ward was built in the early 10th century,” she explained, launching straight into Lecture Mode. She was probably the only pony in Equestria who could do this to her highness and get away with it. “It neutralizes all magic cast within it, so there’s a minimum amount of interference for ponies with magical maladies or medical magic allergies. Even your magic would be nulled, hence why you couldn’t trace Reeds Melody’s dream back to her.” The concept was fascinating, and especially advanced for the time it was built. So when Princess Luna uttered her next words, “What a ridiculous idea,” Twilight was almost floored. “It’s very, very useful.” Come on, think of some examples… oh, of course. “Did your magic explode at all when you were, uh…” Suddenly she had second thoughts about that line of questioning, and was about to change tack before she was interrupted, first by Spike choking on a donut, and then by her conversation partner. “When We were young? Yes, such events were inevitable.” The gears were started, all they needed to do was get going properly… “…so are you saying this construction prevents this from occurring?” Mental sigh of relief. Twilight hadn’t meant to head the topic towards the Princess’s foalhood, however long ago that was. “Not exactly, but it minimizes the effects by draining the excess magic.” “I will withhold my enthusiasm for this concept. However I do recognize its merits. Now, let us proceed to this ‘Reeds Melody’.” Ponies tried to drop everything and bow when one of the Princesses walked in. Princess Celestia always wished that they wouldn’t, and had on a couple of occasions told Twilight that she didn’t need to (though she did it anyway; she didn’t want to appear disrespectful in front of others). Canterlot General Hospital worked slightly differently, in that the receptionists bowed, but the various doctors and nurses going about their business made do with a deferential nod. This time it was Princess Luna’s turn to be floored, and might have resorted to the Royal Canterlot Voice had one of the receptionists not made a tactical interruption. “Good evening, Princess,” the earth pony said, bowing again. “You grace us with your presence. Hello again, Twilight Sparkle, Spike the Dragon.” “…Greetings.” After a couple seconds’ hesitation, the Princess went straight to the point. “We wish to see the patient known as Reeds Melody.” “Pegasus, sleeping troubles, Magic Grounding Ward,” Twilight supplied helpfully. “At once, your highness, her other highness’s student. I will call Doctor Caduceus. Please wait over here.” “(Why do they always call me Spike the Dragon?)” (Because officially his name on paper was Spike the Dragon, due to Princess Celestia having to come up with a surname without resorting to naming him ‘Spike Sparkle’ since nopony knew where his egg had come from. That would have been one heck of an awkward conversation to have when he became Twilight’s assistant. But he didn’t know this, and it was going to stay this way as long as it could be helped.) The Princess’s two guards took up what could probably be called casual positions at the main entrance as their charge, the unicorn and the dragon positioned themselves on the ever-so-slightly uncomfortable seats. There had to be a science to making seats to this precise level of discomfort, so that you don’t mind waiting on them for a while but when you were called up you got off them as quickly as your legs allowed. Though the receptionist had disappeared into the hospital corridors in search of Doctor Caduceus, it seemed like it was taking forever, and that left one thing to do, the one thing Twilight dreaded: Small talk. “So…” she laughed nervously. Small talk with the Princesses was dangerous ground. “Any particularly interesting things happen in the night lately…?” This foray into chatting was met with another raised eyebrow before a response came. “I have to say aside from this recent business the night has been fairly calm.” Oh, and she’d forgotten that unlike Princess Celestia, Princess Luna was short with her words. It was going to have to be yet another awkward silence. As her sister’s student, Twilight felt that she had to bond with the lunar diarch somehow, but even now after the whole Nightmare Moon thing was behind her, and she’d opened up a little on Nightmare Night, and almost immediately after that spending a week on holiday with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, she was still reluctant to make many personal relationships. Disapproval had been written all over her face when Princess Celestia had sent Twilight out to the Crystal Empire. Actually, she realized, and it almost caused a well in her heart, it was almost the same as she’d been before she’d moved to Ponyville. Did this alicorn next to her, whose eyes were exploring around the waiting area but whose body was stock still, just need an event to expose her to how wonderful friendship could be? Or… was it the opposite? Had Nightmare Moon done so much damage that she no longer trusted it? Before she could ask (in a roundabout way), the timely arrival of the doctor interrupted what could possibly have been another terrible idea. Doctor Caduceus, a blue unicorn mare with a tied-back white-and-blue mane, bowed before the Princess. “Welcome to Canterlot General, your majesty,” she said. “And Princess Celestia’s pupil, Twilight Sparkle, and her assistant Spike the Dragon of course. I’m Doctor Caduceus, supervisor for the Magic Grounding Ward. I understand you wish to talk to Miss Melody.” Princess Luna nodded. “That is correct. We— I—” she glanced at Twilight and Spike “We believe we understand the reason for her insomnia.” The doctor probably shouldn’t have visibly relaxed as she did but rolled with it. “That comes as a bit of a relief. Our diagnosis specialist exhausted all of his resources trying to work out why such a simple insomnia case resulted in a magic explosion from a pegasus. Please follow me. We’ll stop by the north wing ward first.” Aside from a few decorative upgrades, the inside of the hospital was pretty much as Twilight remembered it. Like that examination office - where she’d thrown a tantrum over a flu jab and only calmed down when the nurse had given her the biggest biology book she could find in the building. Or that ward, where she’d been left for five minutes in which time she’d disassembled the heart-rate monitor to find out how it worked. Oh, the memories. Not all of them good ones, mind, but memories all the same. Likely Spike felt the same way, although most of his examinations had been carried out by Princess Celestia, since they’d been unable to find many ponies with dragon experience. Beside her, the Princess was exuding a strange air; confidence tinged with the slight nervousness you get when exploring an unfamiliar place. With her current manner, it wouldn’t be surprising if it turned out she had a slight fear of hospitals. Well, she was here only as a visitor, not as a patient, so things ought to not get too intense. The presence of the thestral guards almost felt like a shadow following them, they were just about conspicuous enough to stop anypony from thinking of trying anything. Ah, she’d better warn Princess Luna about that… “Princess?” “Yes?” “Uh, just as a warning, entering the Magic Grounding Ward can leave you feeling a little… strange.” As a magically oriented unicorn, Twilight really felt uncomfortable at being unable to cast anything. It was actually similar to magic fatigue, except with that you always knew you were regaining the ability to cast slowly, rather than just having the ability turned off. “It’s a little like…” how to explain it “…like reading a book you really don’t like for an exam. You can put it down any time you want but you’ve got to keep reading it.” Both eyebrows went up this time. “We… I will keep that in mind.” “The patient was originally in this ward here,” Doctor Caduceus suddenly said, making Twilight jump and Spike smack into the back of her leg. “Miss Melody was admitted on the evening of the 10th complaining of insomnia, and due to the recent rise in sleeping illness cases she was brought here for additional diagnosis. Subsequently she tested negative, and a standard Sleep spell was applied as is the norm.” Princess Luna was nodding. “Yes, I am familiar with that process. It has not changed much in the last thousand years.” “Tried and tested. Miss Melody was asleep for about three hours before the explosion, which blew the lights out in the wing. Again, standard procedure, immediate transfer to Magic Grounding in case of any further detonations.” The doctor hummed to herself for a moment. “Since then, we’ve tried a number of methods; the night before last we were able to get her to sleep for a little while using snoozeberry juice…” (Twilight cringed) “…but their effectiveness was somewhat nulled by whatever condition she’s actually suffering from.” “As the guardian of the night,” said Princess Luna, drawing herself up to her full height, “it is my domain to safeguard ponies as they sleep. Maybe I am more familiar with her affliction.” “Of course, Princess,” Doctor Caduceus acknowledged, bowing again. “Any insight you could provide would be most appreciated.” Before they left, Twilight had another look around the ward; surely nothing in here could have triggered the explosion? She’d come across some crystals at the Crystal Empire which were capable of holding a small magical charge, but the doctors would have found something like that… Hm. Another thing occurred to her as she turned to leave, and beheld the signage on the wall opposite the exit. Princess Luna had said… “She may appear to be responding to our words, but to her, she is simply reliving a past event.” Yet the first time Twilight had encountered Reeds Melody in her dream, she (Twilight) had responded to the question ‘What do you see’ with ‘I see you’ and the pegasus had almost responded by mouthing the question back, something she hadn’t done the second time around. Lying in one of the beds in the ward, and looking towards the door… a sign pointing towards the intensive care unit was clearly visible. ICU. That should have been a hint. The Princess spoke again as they were heading now for the Magic Grounding Ward. “A symptom you may not be aware of is that while she is sleeping, her dream is bleeding.” Quite rightly the doctor was a little perplexed. “Forgive me, Princess, but what does that mean?” Twilight wished she’d brought a notebook and a pencil for this; oh well. She’d have to make do with her memory. “Dream bleeding occurs when a pony’s dreamscape is damaged in some way, though it is unusual if not caused by external influences. Elements of the source’s dream will begin to enter into other ponies’ dreams. If the bleeding is not healed quickly, the more the pony sleeps, the more unstable their dreamscape becomes until it shatters completely and they become incapable of dreaming at all.” Princess Luna sighed. “Such a condition can be recovered from but it takes a great deal of time and energy. Fortunately healing the bleed at such an early stage, especially if the source has only slept twice since the start of the bleed, is fairly easy. However…” This was where Twilight jumped in. “Princess Luna needs to enter the source’s dream in order to fix the bleeding. She tried traveling there directly from mine but she was unable to, and I think that’s because she’s in the MGW.” “I’m here because why not,” Spike piped up from the back. “Hmm. Interesting.” They walked in silence for a moment. “Until we can pinpoint the source of the explosion we can’t really risk moving her back to the standard wards. That can’t be helped.” “We will see when we get there.” The entrance to the Magic Grounding Ward couldn’t really be mistaken for anything else. Aside from the huge sign over the entrance that said MAGIC GROUNDING WARD, there were numerous warning posters plastered up around it as well as a pony on guard to make sure nopony walked in by accident. This was serious business now. There was no messing around where magical safety was concerned. Entering it was a little like going through decontamination, in that there was an airlock that had to be passed through. Today was the first day Twilight had had an extended opportunity to observe the thestral guards, and even Captain Shriek was a little antsy at being in a fairly confined space that admittedly Princess Luna took up a lot of. There was some magical process involved that Twilight wasn’t allowed to study (and for good reasons). And, as always, all of a sudden… Princess Luna let out a sharp gasp, and started breathing noticeably heavier. Behind her, her two guards almost fell over. “This is…” It was a nasty, hollow feeling, not being able to cast magic like this, a little like missing a limb. Like most things in the medical profession, it was nasty but necessary. Some things just had to be done. Spike, meanwhile, in a perfect illustration of another difference between ponies and dragons, didn’t react at all. Doctor Caduceus took a few steps into the ward and retrieved a small box. Deftly using her hooves she tipped out four small blue orbs, and offered them to the pony visitors. “Here, chew one of these,” she said, as the magic users fought the urge to try and levitate them. “They’ll help you take your mind off the process.” Oh, yes, the chewy sweets. There was no scientific property that made them do what they did, it was entirely placebo, but even knowing about that they still worked anyway. Blueberry, this time. Mmmm. With all four of them chewing, and Spike stewing over being left out, the doctor led them out into the main part of the ward. The interior of the Magic Grounding Ward was decorated much more colorfully than the rest of the hospital, another tactic to take visitors and patients’ minds off the stifling atmosphere. With the environmental magic at a minimum, it felt almost like they were walking through a very thin sludge. Total removal of magic was impossible, unnecessary, and probably downright dangerous too, but a balance had been achieved between minimal magical interference and enough magical energy to support things like pegasus flight. Any more than this and they’d just fall out of the air, and it would start becoming detrimental rather than beneficial. …And there she was. Twilight tried not to allow her heart rate to increase but it rose anyway. Over there, in the flesh, sitting up in bed and leafing through a magazine about weather discoveries, clad in orange coat and brown mane… Finally, they’d be able to converse outside of repeating an eleven-year-old memory. This was ridiculous, she was getting goosebumps. The doctor cleared her throat gently. “Miss Melody?” “Mmmhmmm?” Her eyes didn’t leave the pages. “You have visitors.” “Huh, about time, I…” she looked up, saw Princess Luna, and the magazine went flying across the room. “Gyah! You could’ve said one of them was a Princess!” “Greetings, Reeds Melody,” Princess Luna said, stepping forwards. “Please do not be concerned.” For a pony who supposedly had had two half-nights of sleep over the past week, Reeds Melody looked surprisingly energetic, even lying there in the hospital bed. After two nights of not sleeping Twilight basically stopped functioning. If there wasn’t evidence to the contrary, the pegasus looked perfectly healthy and especially not the sort of pony who’d been suffering from insomnia. For a moment, Twilight was slightly envious. Why, if she was able to stay up for weeks on end without sleeping, the sheer amount of reading that could be done… Okay, right. Concentrate. “And I’m—” “Twilight Sparkle, yeah, I know who you are.” Reeds grinned. “It’d be kind of hard not to.” Was it… could it be true? Was somepony finally recognizing her from her reputation? “I… yes.” “And I’m Spike!” Spike said, waving. “Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle would like to try and shed a little light on your condition,” Doctor Caduceus supplied, picking up the magazine from where it had fallen and placing it back on a nearby trolley. A couple of seconds later, Spike wandered over to said trolley and started going through the other magazines that were on there, and Twilight realized maybe he would have had a better time of it if he’d stayed at Joe’s. “Hey, I’ll take anything I can get at this point, I just want a nap.” The pegasus kicked back. “Go on then, fire away.” Some cushions were retrieved. At this point it was clear that the Princess still hadn’t gotten over the temporary nullification of her magic, but that was to be expected; even after Twilight’s numerous visits she wasn’t used to it either. Bearing in mind her special talent was magic, it was in a sense locking away her true self. She needed to be able to cast magic. It was only the chewing on the sweet in the corner of her mouth, and the constant reminders that she could step outside whenever she wanted to, that kept her from bolting. “We will start with what we know,” said Princess Luna, keeping eye contact with her subject. “Twilight Sparkle became partially aware of your situation last week when your dream began bleeding into hers, and you took form in her dream.” Reeds raised an eyebrow. “She encountered you again whilst you slept the night before last, where I found myself unable to trace the bleed back to you to heal the wound, presumably due to your residence in…” the Princess waved a hoof around “…this place. It is our intention to remove you from this ward in order to enter your dreamscape and halt the bleed.” That wouldn’t solve the entire mystery of why she was suffering from such a strong case of insomnia, or why the bleed started in the first place, or why it specifically seemed to target Twilight, but it would be a start. Like so many things recently, it would be working with what you know and then branching out to the areas that at the outset didn’t appear to make sense. Knock the first domino down, and the rest fall neatly into place. As any pony would, Reeds reacted with relief at the news, and threw her forelegs up into the air. “Finally. No offense doc, but it’s kinda boring in here.” “Magical items will not function in the ward,” Doctor Caduceus said automatically. “Our book list is plain to see over there. Non-magical articles of entertainment within reason are available on request.” “You try spending a week in here.” “I did.” “Oh, fine. Well, it’s not like I’m gonna lose any sleep. Where’s my stuff?” Sighing, Twilight tried to facehoof as inconspicuously as possible. Then she brightened up, trying not to betray her annoyance. “Doctor, I’ve an idea. If we went out into the gardens, we wouldn’t run the risk of blowing the lights again.” “For the record I don’t know how it happened either!” A few short minutes later they were settled beneath a tree in the hospital’s gardens, provided for the doctors, nurses and patients who weren’t bed-bound to get some fresh air and to stretch their legs/wings. Reeds was ecstatic to get an opportunity to fly; Twilight and Princess Luna were just relieved to get their magic back. It would be a shame if after this they’d have to go back in there, so hopefully between the three of them they’d be able to get this problem fixed. Twilight’s dreams would remain uninterrupted, Reeds’s dreams would stop bleeding and with any luck her insomnia could be cured too. Admittedly Spike wouldn’t get any benefit out of it but he was, as normal for him, determined to help in any way he could. On their way from the Grounding Ward, they’d listened - there hadn’t really been any choice - to Reeds Melody’s description of circumstance. Her name was Reeds Melody, as they knew, age 28, as they probably knew from the case publicity that she’d endorsed, and she worked as a teaching assistant for weather studies at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. (While the name implied the school was for unicorns only, it actually employed all three races of ponies, as well as some non-pony species for specialist classes. Weather studies was primarily for students interested in the history of Cloudsdale’s weather production and extended to pegasus history in general.) This was a little bit of a shock to Twilight, who didn’t remember her at all; but then again, by the time she’d started weather studies, she’d been removed from her normal teaching classes and was being tutored exclusively by the Princess. There were probably a lot more staff she’d never met. Questioned about the memory, the answer was surprisingly simple; she’d been helping to set up a weather balloon which the sonic rainboom subsequently blew away, and seeing it had just been one of the biggest events at that point in her life. Other than that it held no significance for her, which Princess Luna mused as being unusual for having bled twice. All previous dream bleeding she’d encountered, she said, involved dreams based off of experiences key to the pony’s development. Twilight really wished she’d brought a pencil and paper. Well, she had her thought journal, anyway. She had, probably just for the sake of reference, done her best to remember what Reeds had been saying in the dream/memory. That was a good point; who had she been talking to? “Oh, there were two other ponies helping me with the weather balloon, since Professor Stormy Eye got called away for something or other,” Reeds explained, waving a hoof around. “Didn't know who they were, didn’t really see them after that either. Didn’t really have any reason to remember them, you know?” She hmmed for a moment. “Then… next thing I know I’m waking up in the hospital having fallen into the Princess’s ornamental fountain.” “Wasn’t that when you—” Spike started, and Twilight had to hurry to shush him. Yes, that probably was when her magic explosion happened, and in a stunning coincidence, it would make Reeds Melody the second of four ponies knocked into bodies of water by the event. She didn’t want to admit it though. “Huh, what was that?” “Oh, nothing, nothing, haha…” Unlike in Ponyville, there had been no rain for Canterlot during the day, so the gardens were solid underfoot and the atmosphere was cool in the spring night. The moon still relatively low in the sky cast long shadows, the lunar body from this part of the city not obscured by the mountain peak. Quietness prevailed, the gardens being populated by only a few other ponies who were giving the group (but mostly the Princess and her guards) some space, the normal hubbub of the city outside finishing its descent into the silence of night. You couldn’t really ask for a better evening. “So,” said Princess Luna, when the three ponies and dragon had settled (Doctor Caduceus having been called away; so long as she was informed of any developments), and the thestral guards had taken up nonchalant posts at a respectable distance. “Our first step will be to lull you to sleep using a more powerful spell than that which is available to the doctors. We will then enter your dream… I will enter your dream…” she corrected with an apologetic glance towards Twilight, who nodded her agreement “…and locate the source of the bleed. You will be with me every step of the way.” “Coolio. Hey, buddy,” Reeds directed at Spike, who at first looked behind him to see who she was talking to, “Do you mind if I ask you to keep an eye on my bag?” The pegasus’s saddlebag, which she’d rifled through to check for anything missing as soon as the doctor had returned it to her, had been leant up against the tree. Spike saluted, marched over to it, and did what he probably thought was an impression of the Royal Guards on duty. “Cheers. Go on then, Princess, do your worst.” “It is not my intention to do my worst—” Twilight had to quickly clarify that it was an expression only. “Excuse us— me. Very well.” The Princess’s horn lit up. “Somnnia.” For a moment, it hadn’t appeared to have worked, but just after opening her mouth to say so, Reeds’s eyes slowly rolled up and the words were converted into a snore. Twilight blinked. “(That… that was pretty easy,)” she whispered, for fear of waking her up again. Then she actually looked at Princess Luna, who despite the apparently simple spellcast was visibly breathing heavier. “(Not as easy as it should have been,)” the alicorn replied after a pause. “(Hard as that may have been, the hardest part is yet to come. Please sta—)” “Twilight!” Even though only a couple of whispers had been exchanged Spike’s sudden excited outburst made them flinch. “(Spike! Shh!)” “(Sorry! But look!)” He pointed to Reeds’s bag. A soft blue light was now being emitted from within it, one that Twilight could have sworn hadn’t been there before. Surely she would have mentioned… before the unicorn could stop him, her assistant had undone the strap and begun rifling through it. Somepony would be getting a lecture on personal space… later on… What. Sorry, what? Held carefully in the dragon’s claws was a very, very familiar blue octagonal prism, pulsing gently with light. For yet another time, all of Twilight’s thought processes were derailed. Next to her, she almost missed the Princess’s recognition. “(The Iris…!)” Okay. Okaaaaay. Everything stop. Ignoring everything else in recent times she’d applied the term to, this was actually impossible. That crystal… the Iris… had been removed from the Meditation Chamber in May of 990, and through time travel had found its way into Trixie’s hooves a month previously. In the present, Trixie still had it, though it had barely any magic left, and she’d still been wearing it as her cloak’s clasp in Hoofington when they’d visited the museum. Yet somehow, this pegasus, this Reeds Melody, had entered into the hospital prior to that with the crystal sitting in her bag? Everything was spiraling back to Prophetia, again! “(Princess…?)” “(We have not seen this for a thousand years…)” the Princess breathed. “(We feared it lost to time…)” If the crystal had started in the Meditation Chamber, and it had then been with Twilight, then Trixie, then younger Trixie, where would there have been time for it to be given to a seemingly random other pony? It made no sense! And she really meant that this time! Naturally, in her confused state, Twilight made the stupid mistake of picking it up with her magic, forgetting what had happened on two of the three previous occasions when she’d made contact with it. Lightning couldn’t strike twice. No matter how many times a pegasus kicked a storm cloud, two strikes wouldn’t hit the same location. But, of course, it already had.