Jenny sat in the living area of the suite in her nightgown, trying to remain alert as Luna stood before her. The final session with Starlight earlier that day had left her tired and lethargic, and all she wanted was to go to bed.
"I will start casting the spell once I have sensed you are asleep," Luna explained. "The spell is complex enough that it will take some time before it is complete. I will then connect to you in the dream realm."
"You're going to dreamwalk me like the night ponies do?" Jenny asked.
"Indeed. I will act as the night ponies have been taught in that I will seek minimal intrusion into your dreams unless you are actively having a nightmare. I wish this to be as smooth and unobtrusive as possible."
"Are there any side-effects?"
"Your dreams may be more intense and vivid. There is a risk that, if you do have a nightmare, it will be experienced that much more intensely. In such a case, I will step in and dispel it as quickly as possible. Psychic Calm and Phobia Remedy have also offered their assistance if required."
Jenny nodded. She glanced between Luna and Twilight who stood off to the side. "I have a question that's unrelated to this."
Luna nodded. "Of course."
"Psychic Calm told me you and Twilight advocated for me."
"We did indeed," said Luna firmly. "We feel you acted to stop a greater evil. While I have no direct control over the Dreamwardens, I did make it very clear I would be exceedingly displeased with them if any punishment was meted out to you."
Twilight stepped forward. "And I raised the point that the President was already going to issue a pardon. I felt that should carry some weight, especially considering his devotion to seeing relations improve between humans and ponies."
"Perhaps I can sometimes sound like I am somewhat unyielding myself," said Luna in a softer voice. "But only towards those who willingly use their powers for evil. You are hardly in that category, Jenny."
"I'm just not sure anymore when I can use my power, or even if I should," said Jenny.
"That is something we can talk about later if you wish," said Luna. "I am given to understand you have some knowledge of my own -- what is the term -- checkered past?"
"Uh, yeah," Jenny said in a low voice.
"Then you can assume I know something of what can cause a person to abuse both their power and the trust placed in them. I see nothing of that in you. That you question yourself may seem frustrating at times, but it means you are unlikely to tread a dark path. I believe Psychic understands this and intends to ensure the other Wardens do as well."
Jenny was not sure what made her seek this further reassurance. Perhaps it was indeed the fact that Luna herself had fallen to her own baser desires. Jenny wanted to ask more about it, but she was likely too tired to understand it, even if Luna were willing to divulge those details.
"Is there anything else you wish to ask?" Luna said.
Jenny shook her head. "I just want to go to bed, it's been a long day."
Luna nodded. "In that case, I wish you pleasant dreams, and I hope our meeting in the dream realm will be productive."
Without another word, Jenny headed into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She searched her head and found herself alone. The Narrative was still starkly silent. Did it believe it had done it's job and now would remain quiescent until she needed it again? She found that hard to believe. There had to be a deeper meaning to its silence.
Jenny had neither the energy nor the inclination to pursue it further. She climbed into bed and drew the covers over herself. Despite her jumbled thoughts and emotions, she was asleep within minutes.
Jenny looks out from the balcony of the highest spire of the castle as the deepening twilight settles over the land. Even from this distance, she can hear the cheering and the singing of the peasants in the village far below as their raucous celebration continues into the night. A cool breeze touches her, blowing strands of hair before her eyes.
She lifts a hand to brush them away, but is left staring. Covering her arm is a sleeve of gleaming white cloth, sparkling slightly even in the failing light of day. She looks down at herself. She is wearing an elegant gown which almost glows with the purity of its essence.
She whirls around and steps back inside. She is in a sumptuous bed chamber, the massive bed covered in an elegant canopy, the beddings silken and decadent. She spots a full-length mirror in the corner and approaches it.
Jenny stares at her reflection. Her hair is coiffed into a complex but gorgeous arrangement, a delicate gold tiara upon her head, covered in diamonds and emeralds. Her eyes widen as she stares. "I must be in a dream ..." she murmurs.
And then her reflection moves on its own and says, "You're right about that, Jenny."
Jenny gasps and stumbles back a step.
"Or should I say, Your Highness." The other Jenny drops into a deep curtsy. When she rises, she is no longer dressed as elegantly as Jenny. Instead, she wears a heavily patched and threadbare dress. "Far cry from the peasant girl you once were."
Jenny reaches up to touch the tiara. "I don't understand."
"Did you see the celebrations outside? Do you know what they're so happy about?"
Jenny shakes her head.
Her reflection smiles. "It's you! You did it. You defeated the evil Baron."
Jenny stares for moment before looking around the room.
"You deserve nothing less than to be a Princess!" says her reflection exuberantly. "Too bad humans can't Ascend, huh? What a Story that would be if it could happen, though!"
Jenny's heart races. Suddenly she is very much aware of the power behind the mirror. It is at once familiar and intimidating at the same time.
"No need to be shy now," says the reflection in a softer voice. "Not after you've figured out what you can do. What we can do."
Jenny's mouth drops open. "You're ... y-you're the Narrative."
The Narrative smiles. "I did say we had a lot to talk about. No better time than now."
Jenny is almost to floored to respond. She sensed an intelligence behind the Narrative, but nothing like this.
"May I come in?" the Narrative asks.
"I ... but ... I-I'm supposed to meet with Princess Luna."
"Yes, I can sense her trying to get in. I told her to cool her hooves for a bit. She's a tad upset about that, but, hey, conflict drives the Story, right?"
Jenny stares. "Wait ... you can actually block out Princess Luna??"
"It helps she's not a native of this universe," the Narrative says, "I can already sense her running off to go grab the Wardens. They'll be able to get in, but it'll still give us a chance to talk. So, can I come in?"
Jenny's head is spinning with thousands of questions, but she simply nods.
The Narrative smiles and steps out of the mirror. "Thanks. Being in a mirror is fun but kind of flat."
Jenny stares. "Why do you look and sound like me?"
"Because I have you to thank for what I am now! If it wasn't for you, I'd never be like this."
"Like what?"
"Sapient, of course!"
Jenny can think of no response.
The Narrative steps up to her. "See, before you came along, I was just a sort of formless intelligence. Sort of like Equestria's Narrative before the Tree of Harmony came along."
"Something like this exists in Equestria, too?" Jenny asks.
"Oh, definitely!" the Narrative gushes. "I didn't know about it myself until I made a friend over there who was able to explain it to me." She giggles. "I don't think even Celestia knows."
"But what are you?" Jenny demands.
"A Narrative force."
Jenny pauses, waiting for more. When none is forthcoming, she says, "That's it?"
The Narrative nods.
"But that's like saying a circle is circular. It doesn't give me any insight."
The Narrative considers. "Jenny, what are cutie marks to you?"
Jenny hesitates, not having expected the question. "Um, they indicate a pony's talent, right?"
"They're more than that. They're almost like direct connections into the Narrative."
"Into you?"
"See, that's just it. I may appear as a single being, but I'm more complex than that."
"Is that why receiving a cutie mark makes the transformation permanent?"
"Yes," the Narrative says. "And not because I specifically decided it that way, it's just sort of how it works."
"But what does that mean?" Jenny demands.
"It means they're more tightly woven into the Story, like they are in Equestria."
"Which means ... what?"
The Narrative smiles. "I know that your government is being tight-lipped about information concerning Equestria, but you've at least gleaned that there's been some interesting adventures going on over there."
"I think so, yeah."
"Well, my counterpart there helps with that."
Jenny stares. "You mean their Narrative makes those things happen?"
The Narrative gasps. "Oh, no no no! Nothing like that at all. It's more about balance."
"I don't follow."
"Many believe that Harmony is the embodiment of everything in Equestria," the Narrative explains. "It's not, really. It's only part. There has to be something to balance it, to offset it, to allow the Story to continue. I didn't even understand that until my friend explained it to me."
"Then can you explain it to me now, because I'm still confused," says Jenny.
The Narrative sits down on the edge of the bed. "It's like this: the magic in Equestria weaves everything into a tapestry called the Story. Think of it as an ongoing adventure, a book that has no end, that simply keeps adding Chapters. The Narrative helps that Story along."
"But you just said it doesn't make things happen."
"It doesn't. But realize that magic is tightly associated with life, and magic is woven into the Story. There's feedback both ways. Cutie marks came about because of that. So while the Narrative doesn't -- and can't -- arbitrarily say 'a great evil will befall Equestria today!' it does help nudge ponies into finding a way to deal with it if it does happen."
Jenny's head is spinning only a little more slowly after hearing this explanation. "And you can seriously claim that the Narrative had nothing to do with that 'great evil' in the first place?"
The Narrative considers. "Not intentionally. See, it's not about tragedy or comedy. It's not about happiness or sadness. It's not about good and evil. Just as good a Chapter can come out of a wise and benevolent ruler as it can with a cold and cruel one. The Narrative is the very embodiment of the fact that nothing stays the same. It's a consequence of that, not a cause."
Jenny takes a moment to digest this. "All right, I guess I understand that as much as I'm going to."
"Oh, good!" the Narrative says.
"But what about this universe? What about me?"
"Now it gets complicated."
Jenny sighs.
"Oh, don't worry, it's not that hard to understand." The Narrative pushes herself off the bed. "Magic in this universe works a little differently. Sure, it gave rise to a Story, and then to me, but here's where it gets weird. Not every intelligent being in this universe is aligned with magic. Not even before those Devourers started doing their thing. And that left what is possibly the worst possible thing imaginable: a Plot Hole."
Jenny just stares. "You're not joking, are you?"
"I'm absolutely serious. See, non-magical beings can contribute Chapters, but they're ... off. They don't mesh with the rest of the Story. They're like isolated bits of Narration that don't link to anything else. You could almost skip those Chapters as filler. That's the real tragedy, Jenny. No one should be just filler. Everyone should be part of the tapestry that is the Story.
"But why?" Jenny demands.
"Why?
"Yes, why? It sounds like you just want to affect the lives of more people."
"Well, yes, I do!"
"And you don't see a problem with this?" Jenny says.
"What I see is the problem if I don't!" the Narrative says in an anguished voice. "Remember what I said about balance? The Narrative is the reason Equestria thrives. It ensures that there will never be a 'The End'. Because when a Story is finished, Jenny, it's over. There is no sequel."
Jenny is silent for a long moment before she says in a low voice, "Nothing lasts forever."
"You may be right," the Narrative says. "But think of this: If every being had been linked to the Story, it could have facilitated the rise of a great hero who would do battle with the Devourers and vanquish them! It would have been an AMAZING Chapter! I would read it over and over and OVER again!"
Had Jenny only the words she is hearing, she would have thought this being insane. Instead, she can sense what the Narrative is feeling. Perhaps she is phrasing the concepts in terms of a fantasy story, but the emotions are real. She truly believes that it is her purpose to help the universe continue to thrive.
"Okay, time for a Cool Diagram," the Narrative says. She pokes a finger at the air, and suddenly a miniature rotating planet floats in mid-air. "Here's a world linked to the Story." She pokes her finger at the air five more times a short distance away, and five more planets are rotating serenely in the air. "Here are five other ones. None of them are linked to the Story. Here's what happens when something bad happens to the first world."
The Narrative snaps her fingers. The first world suddenly turns from green and blue to charred and black.
"Gone," the Narrative says. "They no longer contribute to the Story. The whole universe looses something."
Jenny stares at the charred globe, shivering a bit. "What would happen if those other planets were connected to the Story?"
The Narrative smiles. "Discovery of ancient wisdom and prophesy! Finding of powerful lost artifacts! Unearthing ancient temples with portals to other worlds! And the rise of heroes with the bravery and tenacity to use them!" The Narrative waves her hand, and the globes disappear. "When everything is linked to the Story, everyone is part of it, even when they don't realize it. A tragedy here leads to a triumph there. No Chapter is isolated. There is no part of the Story that is not important to some other part."
Jenny thinks she has a glimmer of understanding now. In a way, this is a little of what she had heard Triss is like, a being interested in stopping the destruction of magical civilizations. "Then where do I come in?"
"I was hoping you would ask that," the Narrative says. "You may lament what Sunset Shimmer did, but in the long run, she may have been the catalyst for allowing this universe to eventually become one with the Story. You, my dear peasant girl turned princess, are the first Storyteller."
Like everything else this being spoke of her concerns, Jenny could tell that word is considered a title. "And just what does that mean?"
"It means you gain insight into the Story. What you've seen so far barely scratches the surface. I let you in on your own Chapter as a means to help protect you. But there is far more you could do. You could help protect not just you, your family, your friends, but your entire world."
Jenny's eyes widen.
"You cannot imagine the importance of what is happening on Earth. I don't even have the words to describe it. Even the presence of the Dreamwardens is an achievement!"
Jenny flinches slightly.
"For the longest while, this universe was lucky if we had one. Now we have SIX! Oh, yeah, they think they've got their gig down what with the knowledge Triss shared with them, but they have a long way to go before they can truly claim to have any wisdom. Yet it has started one of the most amazing Chapters in the Story!"
"But what exactly are you expecting me to do?" Jenny cries. "I didn't exactly want all this responsibility! Hell, I didn't even want this power. I had no choice in the matter."
"Which is why I wanted to talk to you," the Narrative says in an earnest voice. "I'm hoping to convince you to continue helping me."
"By doing what?"
"Exactly what you have been doing. Use your insights into the Story to help those around you."
"But you gave me more than that!" Jenny cries. "You gave me the ability to impose the Story on people. How can you claim you don't actually force people to participate when I can do something like that?!"
"That's indeed an interesting dilemma," the Narrative says. "The Story is about inspiration and insight, not a direct manipulation of reality. Even then, Jenny, you're largely building on what's already there."
"Maybe that explanation works for you, but it doesn't fly with the Dreamwardens."
"Ah, well, I may be able to smooth things over where that's concerned."
"Even if you do, I may not be so keen on it. I don't want to decide for others what they do, or be a conduit for you to do the same."
"Then don't!" the Narrative says. "You have a choice."
"Some choice I had," Jenny mutters. "I felt compelled to use it."
"Only because the circumstances were dire. You and your friends have important parts to play in the Story. You couldn't be allowed to be harmed."
"Is that all we are to you?" Jenny demands. "Just characters in a Story? Just part of the Plot?"
The Narrative gives her a somber look. "No, Jenny, you're not."
Jenny bites back an immediate retort and simply gives the Narrative an expectant look.
"Maybe you were at first, but ... well ... let's just say that gaining sapience gives you a whole new outlook. At the same time, it makes me want to continue to see the Story flourish. The Story is nothing without its characters, without LIFE. What was a simple drive or need has become love. I love this universe and everything in it, and I don't want to see it perish."
Jenny is silent for a long moment. Her connection to the Narrative is strong enough that she can sense no duplicity from this being. She seems to truly believe in what she says. Yet Jenny still feels the need to question her further. "Who says it will perish without the Story?"
"That's the same question I agonized over when I first gained sapience," the Narrative says. "I debated whether my own existence was needed. I even contemplated the notion that perhaps a universe of utter chaos should be the normal state of affairs, that I had no business trying to change that."
"What changed your mind?"
The Narrative smiles. "My friend from Equestria. He helped convince me that, yes, the universe did need chaos, but that was not all there is to life. It's but one part of a vast tapestry, a tapestry whose richness can be ensured by the Story."
"You keep talking about this friend," Jenny says. "How can you even contact anyone in Equestria without the portal?"
"Powerful enough beings can breach the divide in realms other than the physical."
"I thought only beings like Celestia could do that."
The Narrative grins. "Would you like to meet my friend?"
Jenny hesitates. "You mean ... now?"
"Sure!"
"How?"
"Just knock on that door behind you."
"What door be--"
Jenny cuts herself off as she turns around and sees an ordinary wooden door standing in the middle of the chamber.
"Go ahead," the Narrative prompts.
Jenny feels a bit silly, but she steps up to the door and knocks on it.
From behind the door, she hears a male voice say, "My, I wonder who that could be?"
Then a whispery female voice says, "Um, why is there a door standing in the middle of my living room?"
"Now, now, you may as well ask why the moon is made of cheese or the sky is chartreuse."
"But the moon isn't--"
"Go outside and take another look," says the male voice with a chuckle as it approaches the door. "Luna will have a little surprise waiting for her when she gets back."
The door opens, and Jenny stumbles back a step from the sheer incongruity of what she sees. The being who stands in the doorway defies rational sense. Its serpentine body stands upright on two legs, one of which ends in a paw and the other a hoof. Its upper appendages are similarly mismatched, with one arm ending in a paw and the other a claw. Its horns are different, and even the irises of its red on yellow eyes are of differing sizes.
The creature looks down at Jenny and gasps in delight, clasping its paw and claw together. "Why, you must be Jenny, the girl that Narrie here just RAVES about!" the creature says in the same male voice Jenny heard just a moment ago.
The other voice approaches the door. "Discord, who are you talking to?" the voice says just before a pink-maned yellow pegasus mare pokes her head out. "Wait ... humans? Is this Earth??"
"Not quite, my dear," says the strange creature. "Earth is sort of down from here and slightly to the left." He subsequently points to his right instead.
The pegasus frowns at the creature. "You know you're not supposed to be here! Twilight will be very angry with you if she finds out."
The creature waves his paw in dismissal as he steps over the threshold, causing Jenny to back up another step. "Oh, pish-posh, that nerd is far too high-strung these days. Now, I'll just be a moment. Keep the tea hot, if you please."
Before the mare could protest, the creature gestures at the door, and it closes.
Jenny stares at the closed door for another moment. "Was that Equestria?"
"Yes, indeed!" the creature says. "I would be happy to show you around someday."
"I don't mean that. Why was she speaking English?"
The creature smiles. "She wasn't."
"Then why did it sound like English?"
"Oh, silly girl, haven't you ever heard of a convenient plot device to make things easier on the author? Or do you want to make more work for poor, harried Narrie here?"
Before Jenny could attempt to parse this nonsense, the Narrative steps beside her. "Jenny, this is Discord, the friend I told you about."
Jenny vaguely remembers a mention of a creature in Equestria described as an embodiment of chaos. If any creature were to fit that description, Discord nailed it. "I think that pony was right, he shouldn't be here."
"Now, don't you start," says Discord, waving his talons. "Don't be the party-pooper."
Jenny feels something on her head besides her tiara. She reaches up and pulls down a party hat.
"Discord, I've been trying to explain to her about how the Story works in Equestria," the Narrative says.
"Oh, I do hope you told her the good parts!" Discord winks at Jenny. "Hint: that would be any part that included me."
"Just what are you?" Jenny demands.
"I am a great spirit of chaos, dear girl. If any being has single-pawedly ..." He pauses and glances from paw to claw. "Or did I use my claw? Well, at any rate, I made things quite lively in Equestria, and still do!" He leans closer and puts the back of his paw along the side of his face, lowering his voice as if to tell a secret. "Can you believe I was once considered a mere villain?"
Jenny blinks. "Um ..."
Discord straightens up and throws his arms wide. "I mean, come on!" A flash of light, and Discord is dressed in a black cloak with matching top hat, and a thin, black mustache has appeared at the end of his snout. "Do I even look like a villain to you?" He starts to twirl said mustache.
Jenny narrows her eyes. "Do you really want me to answer that?"
Discord shrugs and snaps his talons. His outfit and mustache vanishes, replaced by a T-shirt with the words "Be careful or you'll wind up in my novel" on it.
"What's the point of meeting you if all you're going to do is pull parlor tricks on me?" Jenny snaps.
Discord gasps in horror. "Parlor tricks?? I'll have you know, Miss Princess Storyteller Girl, that I do nothing but quality chaos!" He holds open his paw, and an object pops into existence on it that looks like a swiss army knife merged with a Klein bottle. A label on it says "All-Natural Chaos". He turns it over, and written on the base is "Made in China." He rolls his eyes and tosses it over his shoulder.
"Okay, fine, but how is this going to make me understand more about how the Story works?"
"Because, my dear," Discord begins in a softer voice. "You are looking at the Equestrian equivalent of a Devourer."
Of all the things this creature could have said, this is the last thing she ever expected. She recoils slightly before she can stop herself.
"Oh, I'm not an eater of magic, of course. Tirek still holds that title. But I once controlled all of Equestria, if not the entire world. They were my playthings, to do as I wished, to act as nothing more than my amusement as I recreated the word in my chaotic image." Discord smiles. "A very handsome and dashing image, if you ask me, but I digress."
"If you're supposed to be so evil--"
"Evil? Oh, such a harsh word!" His black mustache pops into existence again, and he starts twirling it. "But do go on."
"Then how can you be here talking to me about this?" Jenny glances at the door the creature came through. "And having tea with a pony who has a voice quieter than most libraries?"
Discord smiles, and the mustache disappears. "That is precisely the point of the Story. It helped inspire Sun-butt and Moon-butt to end my reign. It even inspired others long before them to come up with the very things they used against me!"
Jenny looks on in confusion as to whom Discord is referring to with his "butt" references, until she realizes it has to be Celestia and Luna. Had this been any other context, she would have laughed. "And you're actually happy about this?"
Discord folds his arms. "Well, I do admit to having been a tad miffed at the time. Being trapped in stone would do that, you see. The point, my dear, is that there has to be balance. I cannot be allowed to turn the entire universe completely over to chaos, nor can I be simply banished or destroyed. Do you see?"
Jenny understands the concept in principle, but she is not sure how much beyond that. It sounds too much like the old argument about how there cannot be good without evil, an idea she admittedly has not dwelled on much, but realizes could be argued either way. It all hinged on what the words even meant in a particular context.
Discord waggles a finger at her. "Now, don't go spreading around that I said that. I have a reputation to live down to, you know. In fact, here." He snaps his talons, and Jenny flinches when an alpaca is sanding next to her. "Have a llama. Her name is Dolly." Discord smiles. "She's the Dolly Llama."
Jenny rolls her eyes. "That's really bad."
"Anyway, now you have it," says Discord. "The answer to life, the universe, and everything. And a llama. And a little of why you're needed."
"That's not yet clear to me at all."
"Let me explain," the Narrative says. "I came about for the same reason that my counterpart came about in Equestria's universe. The problem is one of scale."
"Scale?"
"For the longest time, I always knew there was another entity like me out there, that another Story existed. It pushed me to continue to do what I've been trying to do, and I could not understand why I was struggling. It wasn't until I met Discord that I understood how vastly immense this universe is."
Jenny remembers Twilight mentioning something about that.
"I daresay this may be one of the largest in the metaverse," the Narrative continues. "Perhaps it is fitting that there are indeed so many disconnected Chapters in this Story. Even magic has its limitations, and certainly technology does, when you consider the vast distances involved."
"But what if that's just the nature of this universe?" Jenny asks. "What if this universe was not meant to be, well, a novel but more an anthology of short stories?"
The Narrative gives a somber nod. "Yes, I considered that. Perhaps that could remain the case, were it not for the Devourers. To use your analogy, yes, we have an anthology. But the same character appears in many of them, always plays the villain, and always wins."
"And that would be dreadfully boring to read," Discord says. "Even if it were me in the role. Naturally, I'd give it a little more panache than these Devourers are, but I can grace only one universe at a time with my chaotic greatness."
"So is this what it all comes down to?" Jenny asks. "Protection against those creatures?"
"It's the immediate issue, yes," says the Narrative.
"And we're the only thing that can stop them?"
The Narrative shakes her head. "Not quite. The Dreamwardens have been planning something, but they're one of the few forces of the cosmos I don't have complete insight into. It's like their Chapter is being written in secret. I fear whatever they have in mind could lead to great destruction on Earth."
Jenny's eyes widen. "How?"
"I don't know yet, as that part of the Story has yet to be revealed. Earth's Chapter is very special, Jenny. Rail if you will at Sunset Shimmer, but what she has done has changed not just your world, but this entire universe forever. Ultimately, I feel, for the better."
Jenny frowns but manages not to snap at her. Like what she has heard of Triss, the Narrative likely has far more to worry about than what happened to a single five year old girl in a universe of uncounted beings.
"And even if the Devourers are destroyed without any help from us, what is there to prevent it from happening again?" the Narrative says in a somber voice. "It's one thing to have a recurring villain across several chapters, but millions? Billions? How many more Chapters will all end in the same tragic way?"
Discord waves a paw, and a television appears floating in midair. Images of ponies like Twilight and Starlight play out on it, but more cartoon-like and in a bright and colorful setting. "Imagine, if you will, that my universe was no more than, say, a half hour children's show broadcasting every weekend." Discord waves his paw again, and the idyllic scene suddenly becomes dark and gothic, ponies running around in a panic, a mustache-twirling Discord looming over them. "And every episode ended like that. Your first thought would be 'my, what a handsome draconequus!' But your second thought would be, 'Is that how it's always going to end?' You start to get used to it, and guess what happens then?"
Jenny sighs. "It gets boring."
"Wrong."
Jenny stares. "Huh?"
Discord snaps his talons and makes the TV vanish. "Not only do you get used to it, dear girl, but so does the universe."
"I don't understand."
"The Story has a force to it, Jenny," the Narrative says. "It affects the universe and vice versa. Keep the universe diverse, and the Story remains diverse, which encourages the universe to remain diverse, and so on. But set the universe down a single path, as it is with the Devourers' endless destruction, and the Story takes a single path, which reinforces the universe's path, and so on."
"And those supposed 'vast distances' are not what they're cracked up to be, in my view," says Discord. "Not when they can clearly be breached."
"But I thought it takes them thousands or even millions of years to go from planet to planet," Jenny says. "That's what Twilight said, anyway."
"Really, people must stop taking that egghead as the only font of knowledge out there. I've personally forgotten more things than she will ever know."
"Jenny, it's the very nature of an Epic to cover large distances and great scales of time," the Narrative says. "The Story doesn't operate on any one being's clock. You need to think on a much larger scale than you're used to in order to understand."
"But that's just it, I don't think I can!" Jenny cries. "All I can grasp are bits and pieces of it. You're talking about things that may not even happen in my lifetime."
"We're talking about an ongoing effort, something that will carry on into the distant future."
"And how can I possibly help with that when I have such a limited lifespan compared to all of you?"
The Narrative smiles. "It's not about what you, alone, can do. It's what you can start. It's the foundation you can lay down that others can build on."
Jenny is forced to stop to quell her rising fury. While she knows that she had to find some way to accept and accommodate this power, that was when it was only her and the people who happened to be in the immediate vicinity whom she can directly affect.
Jenny takes a deep breath and lets it go. In a terse voice, she says, "I'm only one person. Other than Twilight and Luna, I don't know a lot of important people."
"That doesn't matter," the Narrative says. "It's not about who you know, it's about what influence you can have on those whom you do know, or will come to know in time. When you open yourself more fully to the Story, you will see the vast interconnections between the beings of your world, far more than you ever suspected existed. It will only get stronger and more complex as more magic manifests."
"But it still sounds like it all falls on me. I have to do it all."
"Oh, no. My apologies for not making it more clear, but you would be but the first of the Great Storytellers. Even as we speak, I am reaching out to many others who could fill that role across the universe."
Jenny glances over to Discord, who has since conjured a hammock suspended from nothing and has a hat drawn over his eyes.
"You would carry on as you did," the Narrative says. "Let me speak to you when I have something to say, when I need to share some bit of the Story with you, as I did to help you in your recent endeavors."
"And what about the other part of that ability?" Jenny asks. "What about how I can conjure a scene and make people be part of it?"
"That, I suspect, is more your doing, not mine."
"Huh??"
The Narrative steps closer. "You already had your own magic before mine touched you. It was what allowed me to find you in the first place. I did not give you that power, not directly. It's some sort of fusion between the Story and your inherent magic."
"I don't have inherent magic," Jenny mutters. "Everything I ever got was imposed on me."
"That's where you're wrong."
Jenny simply stares and says nothing.
"Twilight called it latent human magic. You had it in abundance even before Sunset Shimmer. All she did was give it a conduit."
"And just how do you know this?"
"Because I've been watching you for a while. I felt your presence for the first time when you conjured a vivid fantasy when you were little."
Jenny swallows hard. "Did you ... even in the slightest ... did you do anything to me?"
"Absolutely not."
Jenny suddenly smells wood smoke and glances at Discord. The hammock is gone, and now he sits around a campfire, holding a stick with several marshmallows on it over the flames.
Jenny finally lets out a ragged sigh. "I suppose I have no choice but to believe you."
"Back then, I had intelligence but not sapience," the Narrative says. "I knew only the Story, and the Story is to be read and enjoyed, not altered to suit a purpose."
"But now you're sapient, so it's okay to interfere? Is that it?"
"If you wish to call it interference, so be it," says the Narrative. "But this it not being done on a whim. Nor can I affect the Story directly on my own. I can only be but a facilitator, but I am impaired in that ability for reasons I have already explained."
"But why seek to interfere at all, then, if that's not your purpose?" Jenny asks.
"Sometimes, parts of the Story are a tragedy. That's unavoidable. To prevent it would rob many beings of the ability to learn and evolve. But to have the entire Story become a tragedy, Jenny, is not something I can bear."
Jenny frowns. "Not every story has a happy ending."
"Yes, but do you want a tragic ending in your lifetime?" says Discord.
Jenny stares at him. "What?"
"Because that's exactly what could happen if no one does anything."
"But those Devourers could be thousands of years away!"
"Or they could be here next Tuesday. Who's to say?" Discord holds the stick towards Jenny. "Care for a marshmallow in the meantime?"
"Jenny, I won't force you to make a decision now," says the Narrative. "This was only so I could explain myself and perhaps put some fears of yours to rest."
"Only to conjure up a few new ones," Jenny mutters.
"You deserve the truth, and I've done my best to give you that." The Narrative glances at the door to the chamber. "Unfortunately, our time grows short. Luna has marshaled the collective power of the Dreamwardens and is--"
Jenny nearly jumps out of her skin when there is a tremendous clang of an angry hoof on metal, and the floor shakes with a reverberating voice. "WE DEMAND THOU HALT THY BARRING OF THIS DOOR AND ALLOW US ENTRY AT ONCE!"
Discord grins as he stands, campfire and stick vanishing. "Oh, please, allow me."
He is suddenly dressed as a butler as he walks imperiously towards the door. He opens it, and Jenny is treated to Luna's face turning from anger to outright shock.
Discord sneers and says, "You have obviously taken a wrong turn. The chambermaids are that way. Next time, please observe proper protocol and use the servant's entrance."
A blinding flash of light, a thunderclap, and suddenly Discord is slammed against the opposite wall of the chamber upside down, his body having made an indentation in the wall perfectly outlining him.
Unperturbed, Discord says in the same snooty voice, "Your Highness, the riff-raff have arrived." His head then detaches and falls to the floor, followed by arms, legs, tail, and the rest of his body. "Pardon me while I pull myself together."
Luna marches into the room, a wisp of smoke curling from her horn. "Discord! I should have realized it was you behind blocking me from Jenny's dream!"
"For once, Moon-butt, this was not my doing," says Discord as his legs reattach themselves, and he stands up. "I'm merely visiting a friend."
"Regardless, you were prohibited from traveling to this universe for the foreseeable future!" Luna thunders. "I shall find wherever you are and excise you from this place at once!"
"Oh, save it." Discord's arms float back into place. "I'm not really in this universe." He casually picks up his head from the floor and drops it atop his neck. It falls into place upside-down. "Just stepping from one ethereal realm to the other." He grabs his head and turns it right-side up, flicking the end of his tail at the Narrative. "You have her to thank for shutting you out."
Luna turns her head towards the Narrative and Jenny. She blinks in confusion as she glances from one to the other. She finally steps over, facing Jenny. "I can sense your imprint in the dream realm, as well as the workings of my spell. You are the real Jenny, I presume."
"Yes, I am," Jenny replies.
"The Dreamwardens were ready to storm in here, but I had convinced them to allow me to enter first once I detected magic of Equestrian origin."
Jenny is drawn to a clop of hooves near the chamber door. A night pony stallion with fur the color of burnt toast steps into the room. "I trust everything is in order, Princess?" he asks in Psychic Calm's voice. "If so, I will reassure the others."
"As far as I can tell, yes," Luna answers. She frowns at Discord. "I will handle this miscreant."
Discord chuckles as he walks over to them. "Oh, Lulu, it's still so amusing to hear you speak. Please, never bring your speech into the modern vernacular on my account."
"Now that I understand he was not responsible for barring you from this area of the dream realm, he would be no trouble at all for my fellow Wardens," Psychic explains. "His powers are limited in this realm."
"Nevertheless, as he is of Equestrian origin, I feel it is my responsibility," Luna states.
Psychic nods, then turns his head towards the Narrative. "It would seem, however, that you have an entirely different problem."
"Do you recognize this being?" Luna asks.
"Vaguely. I felt something like her presence during my Binding."
"Is she a threat?"
"I do not believe so, though I do not claim to fully understand what she is."
The Narrative smiles at them. "Perhaps I'll explain it to you. Or you can just ask Jenny here."
Jenny shakes her head. "No, don't. I'm not sure yet I completely understand it."
The Narrative turns to her. "Enough to consider what I have proposed?"
Jenny sighs and looks from Luna to Discord and back to the Narrative. "And if I did agree to help you, just what would I have to do?"
"Same as you have been, Jenny," says the Narrative. "Find a new adventure to go on. Don't worry about specifically where it will take you. Reach out to me, to the Story. Pay attention to what it tells you."
"And what about the other ability, the one you said is not from you?"
"That's something you need to figure out for yourself. To me, it's a grand Plot Device, but I cannot decide how it is to be used." The Narrative smiles. "Perhaps you can use it to play out bits of what has already been written. Show people some of the wondrous things that have happened, the moments when great and valiant heroes rose to the challenge and made a happy ending for someone."
Jenny realizes only then that in all the fantasies she has ever conjured, she never finished a single one of those stories, as if she has indeed been meant to delve into a Story that never truly comes to an end. She could almost believe that perhaps she has been touched by this power from an early age, outside of anything Sunset Shimmer has done to her.
As always, in her quest for answers, she is left with still more questions. Yet the frustration that usually comes with it is not present. Instead, she is left with a curiosity tinged with trepidation.
"If I do speak to Luna and the others about you, is there anything I shouldn't say?" Jenny asks.
"You're free to say anything you want about me, Jenny," the Narrative says.
Discord steps forward. "Of course, you're absolutely free to mention me, to sing my praises wherever you go, to expound at great length on what a font of wisdom I was, to--"
"Don't push it," Jenny says before turning back to the Narrative. "I meant all that stuff about Equestria, especially about cutie marks."
Luna raises an eyebrow. "What is this? What about Equestria and cutie marks?"
Discord clicks his tongue. "You mean you, the Princess of the Night, the first Equestrian Dreamwarden, the Pony With The Moon On Her Butt And Stick Up It To Match, doesn't know something as basic as what Jenny is now privy to?" He snaps his talons. "Back to remedial classes for you."
Jenny almost laughs when she sees a tall, cone-shaped hat on Luna's head with the word "Dunce" written on its brim.
Luna growls and lifts the cap from her head in her magic. The cap flashes into flame and is instantly consumed, ashes wafting down around her. "Enough! Leave this realm at once, or I will indeed turn you over to the Dreamwardens!"
Discord waves a paw in dismissal as he saunters over to the door in the center of the chamber. "See if I ever decide to bestow the wisdom of the cosmos on you. Pardon me while I head back to my tea party with Fluttershy. I could go for a slice of moon-cheese right now."
Luna blinks and turns towards Discord. "You did not just ... AGAIN?!"
Discord opens the door and steps through. He turns back around and waves. "Toodles!"
"DISCORD, SO HELP ME, IF YOU LAY ONE PAW ON MY MOON, I'LL--"
The door closes, then rolls up like a window shade and vanishes.
"Rrrgh!" Luna growls. "That insufferable beast. Next time, I shall have the Wardens beset him."
Jenny covers her eyes with a hand. "Please tell me there's no creature like him anywhere in this universe."
The Narrative chuckles. "Oh, I don't know. I find him a very interesting character."
"You would."
"And I would also love to read the Chapters of Equestria's Story about him."
Luna steps over to them. "As much as I am curious as to what is going on here--" She eyes the Narrative for a moment. "--as well as what manner of creature are you, there is still time to attend to our original task. This interlude has apparently not disturbed the efficacy of the spell I cast. We can still complete this endeavor, if you are willing, Jenny."
"After what I've just seen and heard, I feel like I could handle just about anything," Jenny says. "And I'd just as soon get it over with so I can go back to having undisturbed nights of sleep."
Luna nods and turns to the Narrative. "While you do not strike me as a malevolent being, kindly do not ever attempt to lock myself or the Wardens from a dream. It is not your place."
"My apologies, Princess," says the Narrative. "But I felt I needed the uninterrupted time with Jenny. I won't do that again."
"Thank you. If we may take our leave now?"
"Of course."
"Wait a minute," Jenny says before turning to Luna. "I thought you'd be more upset about this. You certainly were when you first arrived."
"The more I am in the presence of this creature, the more I have the sense that she is an integral part of this universe," Luna says. "Much the same way I felt about Triss the time I met her, or the energies that greeted the Dreamwardens when they ... ah, well, I should not go into details they do not wish revealed yet. Suffice it to say, I have had enough exposure to this universe to get much more of a sense for it than I had when I had first encountered it."
Jenny glances from Luna to the Narrative. "So you're saying I can trust her?"
"I cannot state that either way. I can only tell you that she is supposed to be here."
"I know I've given you a lot to think about," the Narrative says. "But you don't need to be a stranger. You don't need to wait until you're asleep to talk to me. Just reach out whenever you want. I'll always be here."
Jenny lets out one last sigh. "All right, we'll talk again, after I've had time to digest what you've already told me."
The Narrative smiles, and to Jenny's surprise, the creature draw her into a hug. "Thank you, Jenny," the Narrative says in a heavy voice. "Even if you refuse this calling, you've done more for me than I could have ever asked. I hope I can at least call you a friend."
Jenny hesitates at first, but smiles faintly and returns the hug. "And thank you for trying to help me, even if it didn't quite turn out as either of us expected."
When Jenny draws back, the Narrative's eyes glisten. She steps back, smiles one last time, and vanishes.
"Interesting," comes Psychic's voice, momentarily startling Jenny, as she has not noticed he has returned. "Her resonance feels even more familiar than I had originally thought."
"You did say you felt something like it at your Binding," says Luna.
"Indeed. At that moment, I felt the fundamental forces of the universe as more than mere descriptions and diagrams in a science textbook. She is almost like that, as if she is part of the very fabric of reality. I now wish I had more time to study her."
Luna nods. "In any case, Jenny, we should commence while we have the time." She glances at the alpaca. "We'll deal with this creature later."
Jenny gives Luna a confused look. "Um, what needs to be done with her? Isn't she just in the dream realm?"
"Ah, no. Her very real counterpart is standing in your bedroom at the hotel."
Jenny just stares.
"It was the first clue I had that something was amiss. I should have expected Discord's influence from the start."
Jenny knows the situation is serious enough that she really should not laugh, but the image of a rogue llama suddenly appearing in her hotel room is too much for her. She breaks out into a low giggle before she can stop herself.
"What is it you find amusing?" Luna asks in a voice of genuine curiosity.
Jenny just grins and looks over at the llama. "Her name is Dolly," she says before bursting out in another fit of giggling.
Luna considers. "I fail to see the significance of the creature's name."
"If we have time later, Princess, I shall explain it to you," Psychic says. "Suffice it to say, it is a rather simplistic attempt at humor."
Luna nods before giving Jenny a concerned look. "Are you quite all right?"
Jenny is still giggling. Yes, the alpaca's name was a dumb joke, and she doubts that's what she specifically finds so humorous. Most likely her mind has seized on anything that could break the tension. Despite the Narrative having stated that the current Chapter was still being written, Jenny feels like one has come to a close anyway, and she is ready to start the next one.
"Yes, I'm fine," Jenny says. "This has just been a rather strange day."
"I apologize on behalf of Equestria for Discord's attempt at interference," Luna says. "We had hoped to restrain him until relations between our two worlds were in a better place."
In retrospect, Jenny wonders if perhaps she really needed to meet that strange creature. It is too easy to see Equestria as a bastion of magical perfection, whereas the magic-users of Earth by comparison were running around like blind chickens. In a way, it is gratifying to see they have their own struggles.
"It's fine," Jenny says. "No harm done."
"Now, if you're ready, we can begin." Luna looks around. "Do you want to keep the trappings of royalty for this?"
Jenny blinks and glances down at herself. All this time, she has been dressed as a princess. "Um, no. How can I--" She stops when a single thought causes her dress to disappear and be replaced with her jeans and blouse. The chamber around her dissolves, and she is left standing in a starry expanse.
"I'm impressed," Luna says. "You have more control over your immediate area of the dream realm than most."
"I, uh, never did before."
Luna considers, and her horn glows. "There has been a slight shift in your magical aura, perhaps from your interaction with that being. Where your power derives from overlaying fantasy upon reality, this should not be surprising."
Psychic steps up to them. "It also is making her connection to the dream realm easier to sense. We should have little trouble in discerning how it operates."
"So what does that mean for me?" Jenny asks.
"It means your dreams will likely be far more vivid going forward," Psychic explains. "You will also likely be lucid and able to control them as you wish."
"Uh, is that against any Dreamwarden rules?"
"Certainly not," says Psychic. "We will need to step in only if you are able to breach other beings' dreams. That would be dreamwalking, which is most definitely in our purview."
"However, I sense no such ability in you, latent or otherwise," Luna states. "I doubt it is something you will need to concern yourself with."
"I can only take on so much responsibility at a time," Jenny says.
Luna considers. "Did the entity you were speaking with attempt to thrust a responsibility upon you?"
"In a way, yes."
"I would be wary of such associations until you more fully understand them."
"I fully intend to take my time before I decide on anything. I've had enough with having to make snap decisions on everything."
"A wise move." Luna lights her horn again and closes her eyes. "Now, allow me to concentrate for a few moments. You should feel nothing."
Jenny simply nods and looks over to Psychic. The night pony has seemingly lost interest in her, his stoic gaze fixed upon Luna.
Ever since she rehumanized, Jenny rarely looked back on her life prior to ETS, as it simply stirred up all the agonizing questions of what might have been had Sunset Shimmer never breached the dimensional divide. Yet when she lets her mind drift back to the past, she no longer gets that sensation.
Unexpectedly, she feels a sense of relief. She had come to believe that all that time spent immersed in fantasy had been wasted. Now she is left to wonder if it was simply her budding power being nurtured. Yes, this ability has caused her a lot of problems, but now that the immediate crisis is over, her mind is starting to spin with possibilities.
She finally admits to herself that her enjoyment of immersive fantasy may not have simply been pure escapism, or a means to suppress a bad memory. With all her hidden demons concerning her encounter with Sunset revealed and excised, she has no excuse to fall back on. If she still can look back on it with a renewed fondness, then perhaps she did enjoy it after all.
And this being has given her a virtually infinite number of stories in which she could immerse herself; stories far more epic and amazing than anything she could have read from the best fiction author; stories that much more real because they ARE real; they actually happened, perhaps quite literally a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Jenny's breath catches as she understands the deeper meaning of this arrangement. She has the ability not just to make these past tales of old come alive for her, but for others as well. She looks back on that moment by the campfire back in Colorado Springs, when her telling of a story activated her power before she could clamp down on it. She wishes she could relive that moment, this time letting her power flow and truly make the others a full part of the adventure.
She glances at Psychic. Of course, that would be after securing their full consent.
"Are you all right?"
Jenny flinches slightly when she is startled by Luna's voice. "Oh, um, yes."
"I sensed your emotions fluctuating rather wildly."
"Sorry, just thinking over some stuff," Jenny replies. "I still have a lot on my mind."
Luna nods. "I could see some of it. Again, I advise caution. Whatever power this entity has either promised or entrusted to you must be examined with a critical eye."
"Mostly what she promised me was knowledge of other places and events."
"Even information can be dangerous, Jenny." Luna steps back. "And I am done."
Psychic steps forward. "Were you successful, Princess?"
"I believe so. The spell I need to craft to relink Night Song to the dream realm will not be difficult."
Jenny shudders slightly. "Does that mean he won't be able to use his power again like he tried to on me?"
"My fellow Wardens and I intend to pacify him," Psychic explains.
Jenny nods and feels another sense of relief. "I don't like to wish anyone ill will, but I wouldn't mind seeing him locked up for good."
"I assure you, he will see justice, if not by the American legal system, then by us."
Jenny feels a chill at the iciness of Psychic's voice.
Psychic's voice returns at once to its normal businesslike tone as he says, "If the Princess is indeed done, then, I would be happy to see to it you have a restful sleep for the remainder of the night."
Jenny manages a small smile at the night pony. "Oh, um, Princess Luna?"
"Yes, Jenny?" Luna asks.
"Would it be too much to ask that the llama be removed from my bedroom before I wake up?"
"Ah, yes, I will see to that at once."
"Thank you."