Twilight's eyes shot open, immediately taking noticing a few important facts.
She was back in the Golden Oaks Library.
She was NOT drowning in suffocating shadows and darkness.
And Spike was laying at the edge of her bed, wrapped up in his blanket and snoring without a care in the world.
She breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm safe. I'm okay," she whispered.
Noticing the position of the sun, she figured it had to be around 7-8 O'Clock. Figuring it was time to get up, she gently nudged Spike and said "Spike. Time to get up, buddy."
Spike's eyes snapped open, and he immediately looked at Twilight. With a look of pure happiness he tackle-hugged her and knocked her back down on the bed. "TWILIGHT! YOU FINALLY WOKE UP!"
Giggling, she replied "Well, yeah. That's what somepony does when they go to sleep at night. Why are you acting like I just won a fierce battle with cancer?"
Releasing her, Spike asked "What was the last thing you remember?"
"I remember us fixing everypony's Cutie Marks, then we cast Starswirl's Unfinished Spell, I had the mother of all weird dreams, and then I woke up and got hugged by you." Looking at her bed she asked "Did I black out from the spell?"
Spike shuffled his feet nervously, before he finally answered "You did. And we figured maybe the spell just drained you. So we carried you up here and tucked you in."
"Really? Well thanks. I guess-"
"But you didn't wake up the next morning."
Confused, Twilight asked "What do you mean I didn't wake up?"
"Just that. You didn't wake up. We tried everything we could think of, but you just slept on like you were in a coma. When we ran out of ideas I sent a letter to Princess Celestia. She and Princess Luna came and we explained what happened to you. After that they cast a few spells to try and see what was going on and if they could wake you up, but nothing they did worked. Princess Celestia herself said she couldn't understand how this happened."
That surprised Twilight. If Princess Celestia, a mare who had lived for well over 3 millennia and had witnessed and even created countless spells was unable to break her out of what sounded like an enchanted sleep, then clearly what happened to her wasn't natural. "What happened then?"
"Near as they could figure out your body was perfectly fine, so we figured the best thing to do was just to let you sleep it off. The Princesses went back to Canterlot and told us to let them know if you woke up. Which you finally did, so I guess I better write that letter-"
Her stomach growled at that moment, causing both of them to laugh. "Can I get some breakfast first?"
Spike nodded. "Yeah. I figured you'd be hungry after a week-long nap."
Her eyes widened. "I've been asleep for a week?"
"To quote Big Mac, 'Eeyup.'" He quickly smiled and added "Don't worry. I've been holding down the library while you were snoozing. Everything's fine."
"All the books?"
"In their proper places."
"The shelves?"
"Dusted them daily."
"The floor?"
"Same deal. I also got groceries on Thursday, like we usually do. And I made sure to get a box of your favorite cream-filled chocolate cupcakes."
There was a moment of silence, before Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Spike in a tight hug and asked "Did I ever tell you how much I love you?"[1]
Returning the hug, he replied "About every time you told me that I was the little brother you never had. Which would be once a month every year since you hatched me when you were 10." Breaking the hug, Spike asked "So, you want chocolate chips in your pancakes or strawberries?"
Giggling, Twilight asked "How about both?" Getting up and stretching, she said "But first, I just spent seven days in my bed in a magically induced slumber. So before anything else happens today, I seriously need a shower."
About an hour later Twilight had showered, eaten three plates of Chocolate Chip Strawberry Pancakes[2], and had just had Spike send a letter to Princess Celestia. "Now I guess we just wait for her to reply," she mused. "In the meantime, I should probably go check in with my friends. They're probably worried sick about me."
Spike chuckled. "I already took care of that. I messaged them when I heard the shower turn off." He looked at the clock and added "And given how fast Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie can fly and/or run, I'd say they should be arriving in 3...2...1..."
The moment he counted to two, Twilight braced herself for impact, knowing how Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash hugged.
It was a good thing that she did, because once Spike got to one the door to the library was thrown open and she was suddenly tackle-hugged by a pink blur and a rainbow blur. Managing to hold her ground she looked down at her two friends. "Hey Pinkie Pie," she choked out. "Hey Rainbow Dash."
Ending the hug, Rainbow Dash said "Glad to have you back in the land of the living, Twi."
Pinkie Pie bounced up and nodded vigorously. "Yeah! You were asleep for so long like you had a cause of the snoozies! We were afraid you might sleep forever! Which would suck because then you'd miss all of my parties!"
Twilight smiled, giving both of them a quick hug. "Well you don't have to worry about that. This unicorn's not ready for the Big Sleep just yet." Releasing them, she asked Pinkie "So, are you going to throw me a Wake Up Party?"
Pinkie Pie put a hoof over her heart, jokingly acting like Twilight had insulted her. "Why Twilight, how could you think such a thing?" She then smiled and replied "Nope! I'm throwing you a Rise and Shine Party!"
Twilight couldn't help but giggle at that. Don't ever change, Pinkie.
There was a knock on the door, and they all turned to see Rarity and Applejack at the door. "Howdy y'all," Applejack said with a smile as she walked in. She then gave Twilight a strong hug and added "Glad to see you're awake, sugarcube."
"And looking quite refreshed, darling," Rarity added, giving Twilight her own hug once Applejack let her go.
"Well, I did spend a week getting my beauty sleep," she joked, making everyone giggle. "And honestly, it's good to see you girls too." Looking around she asked "Where's Fluttershy?"
"Right here!"
Everyone turned and saw the familiar yellow pegasus walk into the tree house. After giving each of them a quick hug she said "I would've been here earlier, but I had to move the rest of my stuff."
Puzzled, Twilight asked "What do you mean move your stuff?"
Everyone looked at her, and then at Spike. "You didn't tell her yet," Rainbow Dash asked.
Spike sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and replied "I was a little busy being happy she woke up. So it kinda slipped my mind."
"Fair enough," Applejack replied. Turning to Twilight she asked "Have you looked out at the Everfree Forest since you woke up?"
"Honestly since I've woken up all I've done is get a shower and eat some pancakes-"
"YOU MADE PANCAKES AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US," Pinkie all but screamed.
Once the ringing in her ears stopped, Twilight replied "One, no. Spike was the one who made them. Two, there's still a few out there if you want any." She smiled and added "Hope you like strawberry chocolate chip."
"Anyway," Rarity cut in. "You should see this for yourself."
Puzzled at what they were talking about, Twilight walked to the window facing the Everfree Forest.
And she could immediately see what they were talking about.
The Everfree Forest was long considered a scary, if not dangerous place. The place was full of monsters like manticores, cockatrice, Timberwolves, and even rumored to be a Cragidile or two. But another thing that made ponies uneasy about the place was the weather. Unlike most of the weather in Equestria, it wasn't created or regulated by the pegasi. Not because the pegasi were too scared to try and mess with it, but because for some reason the storms the popped up over the forest were some of the nastiest in the land. Hail the size of apples, whipping rain that was so cold you'd feel like you just stepped into the world's coldest shower (and would send even the most cold-hearted ponies running home for some warm blankets), and winds that were so fast and strong and unpredictable that any pegasus trying to fly through it would more than likely end up dead. Even Rainbow Dash wasn't stupid enough to try it, stating that "Flying through an Everfree Storm for a pegasus is considered an act of suicide."[3]
But the storm she saw brewing over the Everfree now pretty much blew those out of the water. The clouds blanketed the entire expanse of the forest, leaving not a single square inch. They were so dark they bordered on the color black and so thick they completely blocked out the sun, enveloping the entirety of the forest in shadows. There wasn't any rain or wind or lightning yet, which only helped to make the weather phenomenon feel even more unnatural.
"Yowza," Twilight said, turning back to her friends.
Rainbow zipped to the window and nodded. "Yeah. Even for the Everfree Forest that storm is freaky."
"Mmhmm!" Pinkie Pie swallowed the bite of pancake she had in her mouth, and added "That storm showed up three days after you cast the spell. Those scary storm clouds just showed up and stayed there. It's giving everypony the spookies."
"Not just ponies," Fluttershy added. "All of my animal friends are trying to get as far away from the Everfree as possible."
"Even Angel bunny," Twilight asked bewildered.
Fluttershy nodded. "Yeah. It surprised me too because aside from foxes, snakes, and carnivore birds; he's usually not scared of much."
"That's why she asked me if she could move all of her critters to my farm and bunk with mah family till the storm finally breaks and finally ends," Applejack explained. "I said yes, obviously. And I couldn't say no to one of mah friends."
Twilight nodded and smiled. "Of course you couldn't." A thought occurred to her and she asked "Hey, did Zecora come out of the Everfree too?"
"She came out the same day the storm clouds showed up," Rarity replied. "She said... Umm..." Looking at Pinkie Pie she asked "How did she put it again?"
To their surprise, Pinkie Pie immediately shifted her mane to resemble Zecora's (somehow putting darker pink sections in her mane to match Zecora's own) and said "The storm above Everfree is so dark, it makes the trees shake in their bark. I've come from my abode in a tree, in hopes I might find safety."
Everyone was floored at her performance. "Wow Pinks," Rainbow remarked. "I never knew you took acting lessons."
"You think that was good? You should see my impressions of you guys."
"Perhaps later, Pinkie," Rarity replied. "Anyway, Zecora has been staying in one of my guest rooms. She actually knows a few things about sewing, so she's been helping out around the boutique."
"That's good. So, how's Discord been since I started my snooze?"
The girls looked at each other before Applejack replied "Truth be told, ever since the storm appeared, Discord hasn't."
"Really?"
They all nodded, and Fluttershy explained "Nopony's seen him since the storm appeared. It's almost like he was just as scared of it as everypony else was."
"And there haven't been any signs of weird and crazy chaos magic coming from anywhere," Pinkie added. "It's like he just up and disappeared."
That was definitely worrisome to Twilight. Discord was equally on terms with both Princess Ceelestia and Princess Luna combined in terms of magical prowess and power, and had lived nearly as long as the two of them. No doubt he had seen countless horrible and terrible things. For him to be scared of that storm meant something about it was unnatural. And she probably would've given that more thought had Spike not burped up a letter in a flash of green flame. "I take it that's Princess Celestia's reply?"
Spike nodded and read aloud:
Dear Twilight,
I am glad to hear that you have awoken from your slumber. You had us all worried there for a while.
Since you're awake, I'd like to speak to you about what happened with the spell personally. Do you think you could meet me in Canterlot around noon?
I look forward to seeing you.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia.
Looking at the clock she saw it was 10 O'Clock on the nose. "Yeah, I should be able to get there in plenty of time," she stated. "Spike, let her know we're on our way."
An hour later Twilight and Spike hopped off the train at Canterlot Station, Twilight having the spellbook containing Starswirl's Unfinished Spell in one of her saddlebags. Seeing the time from a nearby clock, Spike asked "So, why exactly are we here an hour early?"
"I wanna stop at the library to check something," she replied, picking him up in her magic and placing him on her back. She proceeded to trot towards the castle and explained "I wanna see if I can find something on those creatures I saw in my dream."
Twilight had told Spike about the dream she had while she was in her coma. While Spike had been weirded out at first, he had been impressed that Twilight had actually stood her ground and fought against those creatures. Especially the one she called the Darkside Alicorn, that thing sounded especially freaky. "You sure those things weren't just something your mind made up?"
"I hope so, Spike," she replied, arriving at the castle. "But if not, I want to see if there's something we can use to fight them, since I sadly don't have that magic shield anymore."
As they walked through the halls to the library, Twilight couldn't help but remember what the voice had said before the dream ended. You are the light that will shine through the darkness.
What did the voice mean by that? What darkness? She paused, remembering the storm clouds above the Everfree that appeared shortly after she went into her sleep. I don't think it's a coincidence. But how is my magic induced coma and that weird storm connected? And why is it that every time I look at that storm I get this feeling of dread?
So caught up in her thoughts, Twilight didn't notice the other pony she was about to walk into until- "Oof!"
Shaken from her thoughts, Twilight immediately said "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry."
"Nah, it's fine," the other pony, a stallion, replied. "Nopony got hurt."
Twilight smiled, muttered a quick "Okay." and took a look at the stallion she ran into.
It was a pegasus stallion with a light orange coat and a cobalt blue mane and tail that matched his eyes. She noticed that he was wearing golden Royal Guard armor indicating that he was a member of the Day Guard. On his flanks were his cutie mark, a blue shield emblazoned with a yellow lightning bolt.
He smiled back, which actually made Twilight's face flush a little, before she noticed that he wasn't wearing his helmet. "So, you just get off duty?"
He nodded, revealing a gold helmet tucked under his wing. "Yeah. I was actually on my way back to the barracks to drop off my armor." Holding out a hoof he said "Lieutenant Flash Sentry, at your service."
Shaking his hoof, she replied "Nice to meet you, Flash. I'm-"
"Twilight Sparkle, Captain Shining Armor's younger sister and personal student to Princess Celestia." Smiling at her surprised face he added "You really think you can be a Royal Guard under the Princess, have your brother as my captain, and NOT know who you are?"
Twilight giggled. "Yeah, I guess you have a point there."
Spike looked between the two of them, and said to Flash "So, you kinda looked like you were in a hurry."
"Yeah. My little brother gets out of school in about two hours, and I promised him we'd go to the park once it was over." Seeing the time he said "Well, I'd better get going. See you around, Miss Sparkle."
"I'm only sixteen[4], Lieutenant. Don't call me Miss Sparkle, it makes me feel old."
Flash laughed. "Well then, just call me Flash Sentry. Lieutenant makes me feel like I never take this armor off."
They both laughed before going their separate ways. As they walked into the library, Spike grinned and asked "So, what was that?"
"What was what," Twilight replied.
"Come on, Twilight. The smiles, the giggles, the jokes. I may not be as romantically inclined as Rarity, but I'm pretty sure those are the signs of a cru-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there, Spike," she said, pulling a book from a shelf with her magic. "I just met Flash. At this point we're just acquaintances. Haven't even reached the friends stage." Shaking her head and putting the book back, she added "Besides, odds are a member of the Royal Guards isn't going to be interested in a bookworm like me. Hey, could you hand me that book please?"
Handing it to her he said "Don't sell yourself short, Twilight. I'd think any stallion would be lucky enough to have you for a marefriend."
She rolled her eyes and turned to her book. "I just met him, Spike," she repeated.
About an hour later Twilight and Spike walked through the doors of the throne room, ready to meet with Princess Celestia. Their research attempts had proven to be less than fruitful. No book in the entirety of the library had anything on Twilight's dream or those weird creatures she saw. Mentally, she decided she'd ask Princess Luna after her meeting with Princess Celestia.
As she walked towards the throne she noticed that Princess Celestia was looking at her with an oddly melancholic expression on her face. As if Twilight had disappointed her, even though as far as Twilight and Spike knew they hadn't done anything to earn such an expression.
Almost as if she knew they noticed, Princess Celestia's face quickly transformed into her usual smiling face and asked "So Twilight, how was your nap?"
Deciding not to comment on the previous fact she had on, Twilight smiled back and replied "Well I woke up a little groggy and tired, but otherwise I I'm fine."
They all shared a laugh at that, before Celestia said "You did actually have Luna and I scared there for a while, Twilight."
Twilight winced. "Sorry. I honestly don't know what happened. I thought I figured the spell out. I'm not sure what the result was supposed to be, but I don't think it was supposed to put me in a week long coma."
Puzzled, Celestia said "I don't think it was supposed to do that either. Tell me everything that happened, Twilight."
"Everything?"
She nodded. "Leave out no detail."
So Twilight launched into a highly detailed report of what happened; from getting the spell book, accidentally casting it without realizing, the chaos that ensued because of her friends' switched up Cutie Marks, her setting everything right, and finally her figuring out the spell and casting it. Celestia listened to most of this while taking mental notes, but nothing really jumped out at her. From Twilight's account, she figured out the spell and it should've worked as intended.
But then Twilight told her about the dream.
"The voice then said that I was 'the light that would shine through the darkness.' and then I woke up. I found out that I'd been out for a week, got a shower and some breakfast, met with my friends, and that was about it." She racked her brains and then added "Oh, and they told me that Discord had disappeared about the same time those storm clouds appeared above the Everfree Forest."
While Celestia tried her best to hide it, both Twilight and Spike could see that she was slightly bothered by the description of Twilight's dream. But instead of being fearful for the safety of Twilight's dream self, or in awe of what her dream self had done when faced with the nightmarish monsters, she seemed to be in a state of denial. Almost like she didn't want to believe Twilight had dreamed what she'd dreamed. She quickly masked it and asked "Have you felt different since you woke up?"
"Different as in...?"
"A sudden increase in magical power, weird feelings along your back or spine, anything?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, not really. Aside from still being kinda hungry, I don't really feel that different than before we cast the spell." Confused, she asked "Why?"
"Well, it's just that from what you said you were basically irradiated with the magic from the Elements of Harmony. I didn't know if their magic would've stuck with you once you completed the spell or not."
Neither she nor Spike really bought that, but they didn't question it aloud and simply nodded. "I'm sorry Princess Celestia," Twilight began, only for the princess to hold up her hoof.
"Don't be, Twilight. Starswirl's Unfinished Spell has been a mystery for centuries, the answer eluding even the most brilliant of ponies." She smiled and added "But you have come closer than any before, so you should feel proud of yourself."
Twilight smiled at that, before she asked "So, do you have any idea what those creatures might've been?"
Celestia shook her head, and replied "I'm afraid not, Twilight. Why do you ask?"
"Just in case they turn out to be real. If they are, then I want to know more about them so I'll be able to fend them off better."
"Well, hopefully they were just part of your dream. Is there anything else?"
Nodding, Twilight asked "Do you know what's going on with the storm above the Everfree Forest? Most of the ponies in Ponyville are on edge, and if what my friends said was true then the storm scared away Discord."
"I have noticed the storm above the Everfree, but I wouldn't be too concerned, Twilight. The weather over that forest has always been, unpredictable to say the least. I'm sure that it's nothing to worry about."
"Okay then."
Standing up from her throne, Princess Celestia walked to Twilight and asked "Are you sure you're not feeling anything strange going on with your magic?" Twilight shook her head in the negative, so Celestia added "Still, I think it might be best for you to take a few days off. Just to make sure the spell didn't damage you in a way that's not immediately evident."
Part of Twilight wanted to insist that she was just fine, but instead she conceded and said "I guess I could use a little break from my studies."
Nodding Celestia said "Just take it easy for a bit, Twilight. No large scale spells." Holding up the spellbook she added "In the meantime, I'm going to go over this and your notes and see if something went wrong. I'll let you know if I find something." Smiling, she added "And don't worry about any friendship reports. Just, go have some fun with your friends."
Twilight could guess why she told her that, the most likely one being she didn't want a repeat of the dreaded "Lesson Zero." A few residents of Ponyville still wouldn't let that one go, even after the constant apologizing she did. "Okay then. Have a good day, Princess Celestia."
"You as well, My Faithful Student."
Once Twilight and Spike had left and the doors had closed, the two of them walked down the hall towards the library. Once they were a good distance away, Spike turned to Twilight and asked "Is it just me, or did it seem like Princess Celestia was..."
"Hiding something?" Twilight looked at Spike and nodded. "Yeah. I could tell."
Surprised at this statement, Spike asked "Really? How could you tell?"
Twilight smirked. "A little body tell that I've noticed whenever I shadowed her when she was in Day Court. She may hide it behind a stoic face or a kind smile, but whenever she's telling somepony a lie or a half-truth, her right ear would flick like a fly landed on it."
Thinking back to their conversation, Spike remembered that Princess Celestia's right ear did flick a few times when she was talking to them. Primarily when it involved Starswirl's Spell, but also when she said anything about those weird creatures, and the storm above the Everfree. "So, why would she lie to us? Actually, why would she lie to you?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. But I wouldn't call it lying. More like, she told us half-truths."
"How so?"
"Well, she told us that she had 'no idea what those creatures were.' Maybe she's never seen them in person, but she's met ponies who have seen them in person and she just shook it off as being stories or hallucinations or the like. Think about it, Spike; how would you react if somepony you just met told you they saw a creature that could flatten itself into a 2-Dimensional Form and then peel itself up into a 3-Dimensional Form, and looked the way it did?"
Spike paused for a moment before he replied "Yeah, even for Equestria it would sound kinda crazy. What about the Everfree Storm? Her right ear flicked the moment she said 'I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.'"
She rubbed her chin in thought, before replying "I've got multiple theories on that. But the most likely one is that if she told me the truth I'd panic and start yelling it at the top of my lungs. And then it would spread like wildfire until all of Equestria was in a state of mass hysteria." Seeing Spike's skeptical look, she asked "You do remember how I reacted when I read about Nightmare Moon, right? I pretty much went full conspiracy theorist and thought the end was nigh!"
Spike chuckled, and replied "True. But unlike them you actually bothered to do your research." Thinking for a second, he asked "And Starswirl's Unfinished Spell? Pretty much everytime she talked about it her right ear was twitching."
"That... is a good question," Twilight admitted. "But it's also the one that I really don't have an answer for. I mean, it's not like she was trying to trick me into casting the spell."[5]
Spike looked like he was about to answer, but then shrugged and asked "So, what're we gonna do now?"
"I guess we'll go back to Ponyville and I'll take my vacation." She smiled and added "Plus, odds are Pinkie Pie's got my Rise and Shine party set up and ready. Which definitely means two things..."
"Cake and ice cream!" Hopping onto Twilight's back he mimed raising a sword and cried "Onward, Twilight! To the party!"
Giggling, she reared up on her hind legs and said "Hold on!" before galloping away towards the train station.
And yet in a small part in the back of their minds, they couldn't help but wonder what exactly Princess Celestia was hiding from them.
Princess Celestia sighed as she looked at the spellbook and Twilight's notes. "This shouldn't have happened."
She didn't understand what had happened. By Twilight's account and what she read in the spellbook and her student's notes, everything was done the right way.
And yet, it failed. Twilight was still a unicorn and not an alicorn. Her magic, while still much stronger than most unicorns her age, was still nowhere near the level of an alicorn's magic. It was like something inside of her had rejected the spell, something she couldn't understand.
At least, until Twilight told her about the dream she had while she was in her coma.
Celestia knew what the dream meant. It meant that she was wrong. The role she believed Twilight was destined for was not going to happen.
Rather, her role would be something that could help her greatly with her plan, assuming she could get Twilight on her side.
Or, it could end up utterly destroying it, undoing a thousand years of her careful planning and preparation.
Sighing again, Princess Celestia looked out at the Everfree again, taking notice that the storm looked about ready to break. "It'll be over soon," she whispered.
"And I will finally have fulfilled my promise."
The moment that Twilight and Spike got off the train at Ponyville, they immediately knew something was wrong.
Though that was fairly obvious because of the weather.
The clouds that had been hanging above Everfree Forest had now spread over the whole of Ponyville, only this time they weren't being so passive. The wind howled and raged, tearing up flowers and windows from shutters. While there was no rain, lightning still would occasionally strike the ground, sometimes near unprepared ponies.
And all the while there was this feeling of doom and dread, as if the apocalypse had now come to town.
"I get the feeling your party's gonna be postponed," Spike managed to say over the howling wind.
"Spike, this isn't the time for jokes," she admonished. "We need to find our friends and get everypony to safety before-"
Her words died in her throat when she saw them.
Shadows, just like in her dream, were now prowling around Ponyville. Some were 2-D and crawling on the ground. Others were 3-D and were chasing ponies around. But all of them looked exactly how she saw them in her dream, from the inky black skin to the glowing yellow eyes.
"It's those things from my dream. They're real," she exclaimed!
Seeing what she was seeing, Spike only had one response. "Oh, this can't possibly be good."
If only Spike realized just how much worse it was going to get before the day was through.