//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: Dreams' Horizon // by DrakeyC //------------------------------// “Note the relative positions of Negalu and Eniku to Equus.”  Dr. Turner gestured a hoof to the glowing blue magical hologram of the solar system. He pressed a button on the projector box and three of the planets lit up red. “Due to their size, one would expect Negalu to eclipse Eniku, and we should see a ring of light around it where the edges are not entirely covered. But…” he looked around the room expectantly. “What does happen? Anypony?” The room murmured as students looked over their notes or each other. Moondancer tilted her head, thought, and gasped. “Oh!” She raised her hoof high into the air. “Yes, Moondancer?” Moondancer lowered her hoof and smiled. “Because Eniku’s magical field is stronger than Negalu’s, it can’t be entirely eclipsed by Negalu. So, either Negalu’s orbit would subtly shift, or Eniku’s would.” “Very good!” Dr. Turner nodded excitedly. “And which do you think it is? And would it be faster, or slower?” “Hmm…” Moondancer put a hoof to her mouth. “I should say slowing down a planet’s orbit would be easier than speeding it up. Relatively speaking.” “You’re correct, but.” Dr. Turner pressed two more buttons on his projector and turned back to the class. “An outside variable is the magical field of Ninurtu, beyond Eniku. You see–” “Dr. Turner!” A stallion shouted over him and pointed down. Dr. Turner turned and cried out. Thick pale blue smoke was pouring from the projector and onto the floor. “Goodness!” He pressed a hoof to his mouth and rushed around the desk. He retrieved a padded blanket and threw it over the box. “Don’t worry, it’s non-toxic!” he called. “It will subside in a moment. Just, try not to inhale. It would make your horns glow for an hour or so.” At his words the first row of students began to file out and climb up the stairs. “I wonder what happened.” Lemon Hearts thought aloud. Moondancer squinted to where Dr. Turner was inspecting the box within the blanket. “Seemingly just a containment leak. I’d have thought he would insulate it against such things.” Dr. Turner put the box on his desk. “I am afraid this has been render quite inoperate for now…” he hummed in his throat and sighed. “I’ll need to have a stern talking to somepony about rune spells…” He shook his head and turned back to the class. “Well, erm, this concept is a bit difficult to understand without a holographic aid, but I shall try.” He walked over to a large whiteboard sitting off to the side and wheeled it to the center of the room. Taking hold of a marker, he began writing equations. “The magical aura of Ninurtu is even stronger than Eniku. Thus…” Lemon looked at the seat next to her and frowned. “She’s still snoring away.” Moondancer leaned forward to see what she meant. “Very odd.” On the other side of Lemon, Twilight was slumped in her seat with her head low and her eyes closed. Her mouth hung open and her chest rose and fell in steady breathing. “Hey, Twi.” Lemon reached out a hoof and gently shook her. Twilight’s eyes snapped open and her head jerked. “Pancakes, please!” she exclaimed. A couple chuckles came from around them. Twilight blinked and looked around. “Wha…” She looked down at the front of the class as Dr. Turner finished his diagram. “And so, even with Ninurtu nowhere nearby, the latent magic in its wake is enough to slow down Eniku’s orbit, causing Negalu to speed up in response, so an eclipse never even properly occurs!” He smiled proudly as he finished his explanation, then deflated a bit and looked back at the board; rough drawings in black marker mapped out three planets in orbit with strings of equations next to them. He coughed into his hoof. “It’s more impressive than it sounds...if I could show you properly...”  He looked up at the clock on the wall. “We’ve just over fifteen minutes until the end of class. It’s rather difficult to explain the next exercise without proper three-dimensional visual aid, so we’ll call it a day.” Dr. Turner continued with homework instructions as several students ignored him and began packing their books. Twilight stared at the board and blinked again. “When did we stop talking about Inashu?” “Ten minutes ago,” Moondancer said. “Are you alright?” “Clearly not, if she’s sleeping through half the class.” Lemon leaned closer and peered at her face. “Rough night?” Twilight shook her head again. “No, I slept fine.” She lifted her bag off the ground and looked at her notebook – a half-empty page with random notes from when she was awake – and closed it. The three gathered their things and began to file out of the room with the rest of the students. Lemon stopped a few steps outside the door and turned to the others. “So, where to now?” Moondancer looked at a clock hanging from the ceiling. “It’s too early for lunch, unless we wish to find seats in the cafeteria and chat among ourselves for fifteen minutes.” Lemon nodded. “That’s for the best. Minuette is bringing pizza for everypony. She wanted to try homemade; said she was tired of baking cookies and cake and wanted something different.” She turned to Twilight, mouth open to speak, but she paused when she saw Twilight’s eyes were closed. She gently reached out and nudged her. “I’m awake!” Twilight’s eyes opened wide and she stared at Lemon. “Pizza, yup, I heard you.” Lemon stepped closer and tilted her head from side to side, examining her friend. “Are you sure you got enough sleep?” “Yes. I slept in, actually. Twinkleshine had to wake me up for breakfast.” Twilight blinked and gazed into space. “I’ll be fine. I can catch a quick nap over lunch, if I have to. But I think I’m fine.” “Good.” Lemon rolled her eyes but smiled. “So, with everypony awake, that’s a soft ‘no’ for the cafeteria. I have textbooks to borrow from the library. I was going to do it at the end of lunch, but I may as well do it now.” “I’ll come with you. I need to confirm arrangements myself,” Moondancer said. “Then, library?” Twilight finished. The three nodded together and headed down the hall towards the stairwell. With classes still in session the halls were quiet and empty, only a few students coming and going. I should check out something at the library while I’m there. Twilight yawned and murmured. I had a book I wanted to look at. I’ll have to check my notes. “Wow, you are tired,” Lemon said. “Did you dream about Sunset last night?” “No...I don’t think so.” Twilight let out a low groan and rubbed her head. “Don’t really remember it that well...” Moondancer slowed her steps and fell into pace beside her. “Perhaps you didn’t dream at all. Or you had a normal dream.” “Maybe…” Twilight yawned again, shorter this time, and blinked. “Could be an effect of Luster’s spell, I guess. That’ll do things to a pony’s head.” “Luster?” Lemon’s brow lifted. “She did a mind spell on you?” Twilight’s breath caught and she stopped in the middle of the hall. “Um, no. I mean yes.” She winced. “I didn’t mean to say that.” She walked faster to catch up to the two. “I don’t think I should say anything.” “Luster’s thesis?” Moondancer asked. Twilight turned to her. “You know about it?” “Not so much. But I am aware she’s conducting some sort of experiment involving mental magic.” Lemon nodded. “Yup, that’ll do something to you. Give it the day to sleep it off and you’ll be fine tonight.” They reached the doors to the stairwell and pushed them open, Moondancer reaching the steps first. “I’m glad you’ve been permitted to be let in on her secret. I admit, I’ve been rather curious myself about what she’s up to.” “I’ll keep her secret, if you don’t mind,” Twilight replied. She thought back to the previous afternoon and Luster struggling to hold back tears. “Putting aside that she’s been so secretive about it, it’s not the sort of thing I should share in her place.” “I see.” Moondancer shrugged. “I’ll not pry.” The two reached the second floor landing and rounded to the next flight of stairs. Lemon smiled. “But, it’s good she’s opened up to you about it, Twilight. It definitely means you have nothing to worry about with regards to repairing that friendship.” “Indeed.” Moondancer chimed in. “I’m glad she has someone she feels comfortable confiding in.” Twilight furrowed her brow. “What do you mean? She talks to you, too. I mean, she talked to you about me, right?” “Not in the same manner as this. She spoke about you, and when she did I merely listened.” “Hang on.” Twilight stopped on the midpoint of the stairs, a short flight of steps to the first floor below them. “What’s that mean?” Moondancer paused in climbing the stairs and looked over her shoulder. “She expressed concerns and frustrations and indecision. I lended my ear to allow her to vent about these things. But I respected her privacy.” Moondancer frowned. “You seem upset.” “I think I know why,” Lemon cut in. She looked at Moondancer out of the corner of her eye. “Did you offer advice, or support?” “When she asked.” “That’s not good enough.” Twilight grunted and huffed. “Moondancer, you knew we were both feeling guilty about what happened, that we wanted to make up. You could have said something to either of us.” Moondancer held up a hoof. “I don’t get involved in personal disputes between friends. I don’t take sides.” “This wasn’t about taking sides, it was about helping resolve a misunderstanding.” Lemon shook her head. “But you stayed out of it. What if Twilight and Luster hadn’t made up and their friendship was lost?” The trio reached the bottom of the stairwell and Moondancer stopped and looked between the two from the last step. “You two are upset I didn’t meddle between friends? That I didn’t allow myself to be torn between loyalties?” “This has nothing to do with loyalty.” Twilight sighed. “You said it yourself, Luster doesn’t confide in you like she did me. Maybe that’s because you haven’t made it clear to her that she could trust you to that degree.” Moondancer sighed. “I’ve promised her that if she needs to speak to me about personal matters, anything she tells me won’t be repeated.” “And that’s nice, but....’ Twilight hummed and looked at the ceiling. “Just, you know...there’s a difference between lending an ear to listen to a friend, and actually hearing what they’re saying.” “Twilight’s right,” Lemon said with a nod. “I can see staying out of it to respect their privacy, but if you could have helped the two of them, you could have spoken up or nudged them together without directly getting involved.” She smiled. “Being a good friend isn’t just ‘being there for them’ in the literal sense. It’s being aware of when they need you without having to be told they do.” “I...see.” Moondancer looked away. “I had not thought of it that way.” “I’m sorry if we’re coming off as mean.” Twilight rushed to her side and put a hoof over her neck. “But you can come off as a bit detached sometimes. Until somepony really gets to know you, it can be hard to tell how you feel about them.” Moondancer paused, thought, and gave a shake of her head. “I can see your point. Gestures of friendship without spirit behind them are hollow, after all.” She looked at Twilight and gently coughed. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.” “It’s fine. Really.” Twilight gave her a loose hug. “We all have our own ways to express friendship, after all.” “Well said.” Lemon nodded and smiled wide. She looked towards the doors outside and swung a hoof towards them. “So, to the library?” “Yes, please.” Moondancer pushed her glasses up her nose. “I have books I need to examine in the restricted section.” Twilight perked. “Oh? Which ones?” “A bunch of old calculus books. There’s nothing dangerous about them, but they’re restricted for some reason anyway.” Moondancer wrinkled her nose. “Some of their selections seem arbitrary.” “I thought so too, until I found out the princess was spying on me.” Twilight took a deep breath. “Who knows what she’s keeping down there, and why?” Lemon pushed the door open outside and held it open for Twilight and Moondancer. A breeze ruffled Twilight’s mane; autumn was making its arrival known as the air had a chill in it today. “You were looking into books related to trans-dimensional teleportation, I believe?” Moondancer asked. Twilight nodded. “And I was denied.” She stopped on the path and lifted her head to look at the Royal Archives. The exterior was a mundane brick-and-mortar building like any other, but it seemed to be more imposing and foreboding somehow. Or perhaps that was just her imagination playing with her. She knows something she doesn’t want me to know. Something that’s in those books. Moondancer’s voice stirred her from her thoughts. “A pity you can’t access them. I’d wager they’d be helpful.” “I know.” Twilight sighed. “There must be some way to get in…” “Ask permission.” “That’s not what I meant.” “Wait, what? You can’t be serious!” Lemon kept her voice low and herded the two into the grass, off the path and away from students coming and going. “Breaking into the restricted section? Twilight, that could get you expelled!” “And it’s foolish to even try,” Moondancer said. “The entrance is watched by cameras, there’s an anti-magic field to block teleportation, and there’s only one set of keys. The only things that come out of the restricted section are what they allow, which is authorized ponies and books.” Twilight’s head snapped around to stare. She slowly smiled. “That’s it…” Moondancer took a step back, eyes wide and apprehensive. “What’s it?” “Here we are.” Raven removed a keyring from the pocket of her vest as she walked down the hallways beneath the Royal Archives. “You’re authorized for one hour. I’ll come and fetch you at that time.” She glanced behind her and nodded. “I understand.” Moondancer nodded back. When Raven looked forward, Moondancer breathed deep and gulped. The walls here were darker than the warm red and brown upstairs, or perhaps the overhead lights were darker. Their hooves echoed with each step. The hallway’s doors were locked and marked for various mundane staff usages – cleaning supplies, a bathroom, an office.  At the end of the hall loomed a door unlike the others, double doors carved from oak and inscribed with circles of runes that gave off a dull blue glow. Raven approached them and slid one of the keys on her keyring into the hole. With a twist and a click, the bolt slid back and the runes on the doors faded. Raven removed her key and grunted as she pushed the doors open. Moondancer stepped through and looked around, taking a deep breath. Raven looked at her curiously. “Are you alright? You seem nervous.”  Moondancer jumped. “Oh, no. Yes. But not about this. I’ve just got...things on my mind.” She held up a hoof. “I’ll be fine.” “Glad to hear it.” Raven turned to a runestone set into the wall of the room. She pressed a hoof against it and her horn glowed. “There you are, area one has been unlocked. And this is a listing of where you can find the specific materials you requested.” She held a small note of paper out that Moondancer took in her magic.  “Thank you.” Raven smiled and bowed her head. “Let me know if you need anything, there’s an intercom on the wall behind the door. You can also call me if you want to leave earlier.” “I will, thank you.” Moondancer watched Raven close the doors behind her and heard them lock. Alone, she quickly stepped up to a simple work table in the center of the room; a reading lamp, some paper, and writing instruments sat on top. Setting her saddle bags on the table, she removed one of her notebooks and flipped to a marked page. “Here we are.” On the paper, a sketch drawing of a unicorn blinked and turned its head. “We’re safe?” “As safe as we can be doing this.” Moondancer closed her eyes and lit her horn. The drawing of Twilight in the book erased line by line, and as they did, outlines of her form traced out in the air next to the table. When they completed there was a brief flash as she materialized fully. She looked around and grinned. “Perfect!” “Hush!” Moondancer lifted a hoof to her mouth. “If we’re caught, we’re both expelled.” “I know.” Twilight gave her a stern look. “Thank you.” “I really do have studying to do down here, but, go ahead, I suppose.” Moondancer removed her notebooks and other study materials from her bag and carefully laid them out on the table. Twilight watched her for a moment before turning and walking deeper into the room. For most intents and purposes, the ‘restricted section’ of the Royal Canterlot Archives was not all that different from the main library above. The major difference was that it was not as big, perhaps the size of a small gymnasium. In that space were two dozen bookshelves arranged in two rows of twelve, the same kinds as on the main floor.  Yet, the restricted section always felt foreboding to Twilight. The lights seemed less bright, the air thicker and colder. Considering what was being kept here, it may not entirely have been the work of her imagination. The materials that filled the shelves were here for a reason, after all. The shelves held not just books, but also scrolls, folders, pamphlets, and even the occasional magic talisman or small mechanical device. Some of them were here simply because they were old—too old to permit the public to handle them freely. Here, they could be stored in a place where a magic field kept them from decaying further. Others held knowledge that could be misused in amoral hooves, but was too valuable to be destroyed. And the majority, insofar as Twilight knew from word-of-mouth and her own experiences, were things that were permissible for public consumption on a conditional basis. The room was sectioned off by magic shields tied to the runestone at the doors, and the materials sorted by some unknown classification system that seemed to be based on how dangerous they were. Moondancer’s books were comparatively simple, covering ancient mathematics relating to science and magic. They were here because they fell into the ‘too old to put in the public space’ category. I only have access to area one, but there may still be something here. The books I had wanted to check before would be a good lead. Twilight looked down one of the two shelves that had no magical barrier surrounding it, and gently walked down the aisle. She raised her eyes to the books and scrolls and thought. Where to even start… a lot of these don’t have titles or any other means of identification on them. It was typically expected that a student requesting access would specify which books they wanted, and they would be pointed out to them. But they denied my request before. I don’t know where they’d be kept. They may not even be in this area. She picked a random book from a shelf and pulled it down. She paused to take it in – a faded green cover with a faint indentation from where there had once been letters for a title, and discolored pages with rough edges. Twilight cracked it open and looked up and down the pages. The book talked about various kinds of runes a pony could draw on someone’s door to induce effects upon them. Neat, but not what I need. She gently closed the book and slid it back. Time ticked away as Twilight made her way up and down the two shelves, picking random books or scrolls to examine and finding no leads. Moondancer had been busy with her studies while she looked. Twilight had asked her for suggestions and Moondancer pointed out a couple of potentially promising leads. But when Twilight had found them, she only spent a minute or two on them before determining there was little of interest. She closed a book on ancient alchemical reagents and sighed. “Maybe this was a waste of time.” She put the book back on the shelf and turned behind her. There must be something here. Celestia wouldn’t have denied me access if there was nothing important. There’s something here. There has to be. Something she didn’t want me to know about.  She grunted and pounded a hoof on her head. “But I have no idea what!” She fell back against the shelf and slumped to the floor. A scroll fell on her head from above and she flinched and glared at it. I don’t suppose… Twilight undid the ribbon holding the scroll bound and unrolled it – a diagram of meditation poses for unicorns. Yeah, I didn't think I’d be that lucky. She rolled the scroll back up and tied it again. She stood up and craned her head up to see where on the shelf it had fallen from; the second shelf from the top, where several other scrolls had been placed in a sloppy pile. It looked like more of them were about to fall on her at any moment. Twilight rolled a ladder over from further down the shelf and climbed up. She floated the fallen scroll beside her and then pulled the others out. “You’d think they’d sort these things more carefully,” she mused aloud. She rotated and positioned the scrolls to form a more neat stack, and floated the group of them back to the shelf. As they slid onto the polished wood, a glint of light caught her eye. The book that had been next to the scrolls was glowing faintly. Twilight let the scrolls down and withdrew the book from the shelf. As she got a better look at it her curiosity deepened. The book was paradoxical. It somehow felt centuries old, but it was in considerably better shape than other books in the library that Twilight would guess were just as ancient. It looked rather mundane, but she felt a sense of magic coming from it that she hadn’t from the other books. The bindings were dark blue with a pale blue swirl on the cover. Five silver stars were placed along the swirl, and gleamed with light as Twilight turned the book in the air. Was the glow a trick of the light, a reflection? She tilted her head and brought the book closer to her, staring at the emblem on the cover. “Twilight?” Twilight turned her head and looked down at the floor. Moondancer looked back at her. “Sorry, I need the ladder.” “Right, sure.” Twilight nodded and began to climb down, the mysterious book floating beside her. The purple aura around Twilight’s horn flickered and sparked. The magic around the book faded and it dropped. She gasped and reached out a hoof to no avail. Moondancer’s horn briefly lit pink but then ceased, and the book hit the ground in front of her. Its pages fell open and rays of pale blue light shone up. “Whoa!” Twilight gaped and quickly clambered down the ladder. “What did you do?” Moondancer whispered harshly. “I don’t know! It was an accident!” Twilight knelt and examined the book. “It’s still in one piece…” “Twilight?” Twilight felt Moondancer gently shake her by the shoulder, and she lifted her head. The rays of light coming from the book receded and projected an image. Several spherical shapes appeared and began to slowly rotate around each other. The image sparked and flickered repeatedly, glowing dimmer and brighter at seemingly random intervals. “Is this the solar system?” Twilight whispered. Before Moondancer could answer, another voice spoke. It seemed to be a male voice, but it was so severely degraded that it was hard to be sure. “The c-c-cosmology...contains a deeper harmony. Magic, the universe, ponykind, all… interconnected. By st-st-studying...c-connection, we may be able to achieve a deeper-deeper-deeper understanding of magic b-beyond anything seen before.” “It’s coming from the book.” Moondancer nodded down. Twilight followed her gaze. The book had a diagram of the solar system on one page, and the other page had lines of text that were lighting up one word at a time as the voice spoke, “How has a spell like this held up after so long?” “From the sounds of it – not well.” “Bunabu, Inashu, Negalu, Eniku, a-and Ninurtu. Five...and our home Equus, or-orbiting the sun. What are...science and-and magic that b-b-bind them...configuration?” “I’ve never seen magic on this scale before.” Twilight stepped around the book, staring in awe at the projection of the solar system that rotated in the air above it. “I mean, holograms are hard enough, but to be able to bind that kind of spell into a book? And with voice recording?” She slowly shook her head. “Imagine the kind of power they had…” The voice continued speaking, heedless of the unicorns observing it. “There is also...the m-moon. No other...have moons that...ob-observed. There is only Equus and its partner Nasenu. What...it have in this model?” Moondancer frowned. “Powerful, but apparently not all that bright. They’re pontificating over the significance of the moons when they think there’s only one.” “Maybe they hadn’t discovered Elinu yet?” Twilight suggested. “I question how anypony could not notice a second moon in the sky.” Twilight absent-mindedly nodded. “If all-all...interconnected, it f-f-follows...ponykind...mirror our solar system...some m-manner. Thus–” Twilight flipped the page and the hologram vanished, dispersing into faint whispers of blue light. The next two pages were more text, but they didn’t begin reading themselves. “Strange…” She looked closer. “It’s written in Old Ponish, too.” “Indeed.” Moondancer adjusted her glasses and hummed. “That would date it to almost a thousand years old, perhaps older.” There was a click and a creak, and the two froze. “Moondancer?” Raven’s voice called. “It’s been an hour.” Twilight and Moondancer stared at each other in horror as they heard Raven’s hoofsteps. Twilight hurriedly shook her head and thrust her hoof towards the aisle; Moondancer nodded and ran out into view. “Raven! Yes, one hour, thank you!” she said loudly. “Are you alright?” Raven replied. “I had hoped studying would calm you, it usually does.” “Yes! I’m excited, actually.” Moondancer forced a smile. She turned down the aisle and gestured a hoof. “I was just about to ask you for help with something here, on this shelf! Down here!” “Oh?” Twilight caught Moondancer’s eye as her friend jerked her head to the side. Twilight grabbed the book – her magic seemed to be working again, thankfully – and slipped out the other end of the aisle and around to the other side of the shelf. She held still for a moment and heard Raven follow Moondancer. “What is it?” “Here, on the far end,” Moondancer replied. Twilight waited until she heard Raven walking down the aisle before she was confident to make her move. As quietly and swiftly as she could move, she returned to the central aisle and approached Moondancer’s workstation. She looked at the notebook and prepared to recast the spell to enter it. Wait. She looked at the book floating next to her. The stars on its cover seemed to glow again, and this time she wasn’t sure if it was the light or a real glow. I’m not coming back here anytime soon. Celestia won’t let me, I’m sure of it. But taking books out of the restricted section is forbidden. That would be expulsion for sure. The book’s stars gleamed at her. Twilight glanced back at the aisle and bit her lip. I don’t even know if this has anything relevant in it… “Are we all done, then?” No time to argue it now.  Twilight slid the book into the bottom of Moondancer’s saddle bag and carefully placed a spare notebook over top of it. She then lit her horn and focused. A wave of purple magic consumed her and floated onto the page of Moondancer’s notebook on the table, creating a sketch of a unicorn on the paper. Moondancer emerged from the aisle, looked at her workstation, and let out a breath. “Yes. I’m finished. Thank you.” Twilight groaned and lifted her head, and sat up straight in her chair when she saw her surroundings. A classroom with rows of desks. Hazy fog outside, nopony else present. “A dream…” She slowly blinked. I must have fallen asleep reading that book. After making her escape from the library and managing to get the book to herself without Moondancer noticing, she had hidden it in her room and taken it out after Twinkleshine had settled in her bed for the night – Twilight didn’t need to deal with the inevitable questions she would have asked about the book. If I’m dreaming, then… Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. “Sunset?” She turned her head side to side and saw the familiar amber unicorn rise from behind another desk. Sunset looked at her and huffed. “Are we gonna have another incident like last time?” Twilight hurriedly crossed the room to stand in front of her and thrust her hoof out. “Luna!” “Whoa!” Sunset backed up, bumping into a desk behind her. “I was kidding! Hooves down, remember?” “Who is Luna?” Twilight demanded. “Huh?” “Just answer me,” Twilight said. Her expression softened. “Please.” Sunset wrinkled her nose. “Princess Luna, ruler of Equestria. Ring a bell?” “No.” Twilight lowered her hoof and slowly shook her head. “I’ve never heard of her.” “Yeah, right. How could–” “Princess Celestia.” Sunset stopped. “Who?” “Exactly.” Twilight took a breath. “As far as I know, Equestria is ruled by Celestia, Princess of the Sun. Luna died a thousand years ago.” “What?” Sunset looked confused. “No way, I’ve seen her, she’s alive. Celestia...” Sunset shrugged. “Never heard of her. But, Luna says she’s the Princess of the Moon. So that tracks, I guess.” “Princesses of the Sun and Moon…” Twilight began to pace, a hoof held to her mouth. “That must mean something…” She looked back at Sunset. “Maybe...” Sunset gave her a suspicious look and leaned back. “No touchy-feely experiments tonight, ‘kay?” Princess of the Moon. The moons. Twilight’s mind that had been racing came to a peaceful calm as her confusion cleared. She knows Luna, not Celestia. The moons are backwards. She knows things that are the opposite of what I know. Two things could be coincidence. But not three. “Sunset, who are your instructors at SGU?” Sunset shrugged. “Well, Professor Pestle teaches Basic Alchemy, Mr. Damascus teaches Magical Geology, Doctor Whooves teaches Astronomy…” With each name Sunset continued to list, Twilight slowly began to smile wider and wider. Sunset took notice and paused. “What?” “I have no idea who any of those ponies are.” Twilight let out a short laugh. “And that’s funny?” Sunset asked. “I get it...I think.” Twilight laughed again and resumed pacing with a new vigor. “I mean, this would be a big leap beyond theoretical and into pure speculation. But, it all fits…” “What fits?” Sunset threw up her hooves. “We just started this night and you’re already rambling!” “Because I understand now!” Twilight came up to her. “Don’t you see? E-everything is backwards in your world, and to you everything is backwards in mine. I-I think I get it, but it, it, it’s...wow.” She stepped back and looked Sunset over. “Wow. You are...wow.” “Yeah, I’m hot, thanks.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “You wanna ogle some more or explain to me what you’re talking about?” “Celestia was spying on me about you.” Sunset did a double take. “What?” Twilight nodded. “She knew you told me about Luna, but I never told her you did. And there was one other thing she was spying on with regards to me, and that was when I began studying alternate dimension theory.” She slowly shook her head. “I couldn’t figure out why, what did it mean, why is she doing this? But I think I know now.” “Twilight, you’re not making sense.” “Wrong, I’m making things make sense.” Twilight looked Sunset in the eye and spoke slowly and clearly. “My dreams about you, and other dimensions? I couldn’t figure out the connection between those two subjects. But I was looking at it wrong. I thought it was a question, but it was the answer…right in front of me for weeks. They don’t have a connection, they are the connection.” “A connection? You mean, these weird dreams, and you researching alternate dimensions...” Twilight waited as Sunset faded into mumbles and looked away. When her eyes widened and her head lifted, Twilight gave a confident, triumphant smile. Sunset turned back to her. “No…” “Yes.” Twilight nodded firmly. Sunset’s flank thumped as she sat down on the floor, staring at Twilight. “How? On, like, so many levels, how?” “No idea to all of them.” “This...it’s impossible.” “I know. And it’s the answer that makes the most sense.” Twilight stared at her friend in a new light of awe, her eyes gleaming. “We’re from different worlds.”