//------------------------------// // Light through the Cracks // Story: A Dream of Dawn // by Starsong //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle Twilight sat on the observatory balcony, surrounded by stacks and stacks of books. A number of them contained empty pages or scrambled script, thanks to Discord's occasional dalliances in the library, and only a select few could be returned to legibility with some enchantment. Yet for all her effort, finding exactly where Princess Celestia disappeared to remained a daunting task. Still she studied like she hadn't in months, pouring over histories of minute relevance and brushing up on her divination magics. In all of this she had almost adjusted to the twisted nature of Castle Canterlot, its wispy parapets and broken landscape. It changed so frequently that she hardly bothered to keep track of it anymore. Spike tromped up the stairs, panting a little from the climb, and dropped another stack of texts in front of her. “I'm not sure this is what you wanted, Twilight, but it's hard to find anything right now.” Twilight turned a page and finished a paragraph about double-layering spells before smiling over at him. “Thanks, Spike.” She glanced quickly over the covers of the books. “Pretty old, but not a lot has been written about the frontier. And there's no better archive than Canterlot's. I think we're really reaching the end of our rope, here.” Spike sat down beside her. “Celestia hasn't responded to any of the letters you sent. I'm not even sure if she's getting them. Do you really think she's out there somewhere?” “I'm positive,” said Twilight. She sparked her horn and produced the small orb of sunlight. She'd kept it near ever since she found it in Celestia's study. “I think she left me clues as to her whereabouts, a couple adventure stories and a little light? What sense does that make?” “Are you sure she just didn't have time to pack up?” Spike pressed, and his head-spikes drooped. Every day, it seemed, he'd found it harder to keep a positive attitude. “I know it's hard to hold on, Spike,” said Twilight, nudging the orb towards him. “But she left this here on purpose. It feels like she never wanted to let the light leave this place entirely.” The dragonling looked up at the light. He touched it with a claw and stared into it for several minutes. The heat of it warmed the balcony, and he eventually succumbed to laying against the heated, polished stone beneath them. Twilight turned back to her books. After she'd finished another chapter, Spike spoke again. “You're going to be leaving too, aren't you?” Twilight sighed silently. “I think I have to,” she said. “I want to go with you, then.” “Spike...” “You and the Princess are the only ones I've ever really had,” he said. “Keeping me stuck in the castle is one thing. But leaving? I don't want to be here alone, Twilight.” Twilight bit her lip. “You wouldn't be alone.” Spike frowned. “I knew you were thinking of leaving me. But I'm not budging, this time.” “Spike, this is...” “Dangerous?” Spike rolled his eyes. “What isn't, these days?” Twilight sunk a bit. She'd always taken Spike's attitude with a bit of grace, but the thought of having to leave him hurt her just as deeply. “I have a feeling that wherever Celestia is,” she said, “is so far and so dangerous... there's a good possibility that we might not come back.” “Then there's no way I'm not going with you,” Spike snapped back without hesitation. She dropped her books and hugged him tight. It didn't make her feel better, though. It felt too much like saying goodbye. “I need you here, though,” she mumbled. “If Celestia were to return, or something were to happen, you're the only one who can contact me instantly.” “The answer is still no.” “Spike...” Twilight pleaded. “I can't let you do this.” Spike squirmed out of her hooves and pushed her away. “What am I supposed to say, Twilight?” he lifted his claws and puppeted them as he deepened his voice. “'Leave me alone and go. Sure, you don't know where you're going or if you'll come back, but I'm just so glad you're gone!'” Twilight creased a bit of a smile. Spike always somehow could make light of anything. “I know, it's too much to ask,” she said. “We're all beyond our limit. I was going to ask Rarity to take care of you, though...” The dragon's headcrest straightened, and then he flustered, turned away, and grumped at his sudden reaction. “Really.” “Yes, really,” said Twilight, nudging his side. “I know you like her, and she'll take good care of you.” Spike stared at the floor. “That might be alright,” he mumbled. “I figured you might appreciate it.” Twilight moved to hug him again, but instead just gave him a pat. “I'll write to you every day, too. I practiced and practiced that spell until I got it exactly right.” “I remember,” said Spike, rubbing his throat. “Never going through that again.” “And if anything goes wrong, I'll turn around and come right back, okay?” Spike looked her in the eyes. “You promise?” “I promise,” said Twilight. Though I don't know if it's true. I would, I know I would. But I don't even know if we'll make it to tomorrow... but you can't know that, Spike. “Okay then,” Spike gruffed. “But you are going to owe me when you get back. All of the rides and all of the ice cream we can eat and... and gems. Lots of gems. And then you're never going to do something this stupid again.” “Alright, I promise,” laughed Twilight. Have to remember that everything is going to be alright, she told herself. Once we find Celestia everything will go back to the way it was, and then Spike will be happier than he would ever be otherwise. And so will I. And everyone... She turned back to another spellbook, but only got a few lines in before the words began dancing about on the page. “Discord,” she grumbled, looking up. The beast floated just above the balcony, head propped in his claw. “If you want to live in books I can just make you a bookworm,” said Discord. “Or put you in one of those storybooks.” Twilight sighed. “You could help, you know. I thought you wanted to find Celestia, too.” Discord rolled his eyes. “I've been waiting for you! I can only redecorate so much before I get distracted. So why don't you just cast a scrying spell on that thing and get on with it?” “I've tried that,” said Twilight, glancing at the sun orb. “A hundred times. A hundred spells. All I get is frustrated. It's not giving me anything.” Discord drummed his chin. “Yes, I've seen. It's because you're not asking properly. Conventional magic only works on conventional objects and conventional ponies. And Princess Cakeflank is anything but normal.” A fit of flush filled Twilight from hooves to ears. She couldn't let him get to her, though, even when he didn't exactly mean to. “Are you saying that you can find her?” The draconequis slithered through the air and settled on the balcony beside her. “Just cast your little spell. And I recommend the imp back off. Or not! It could be interesting to see him get scrambled.” Twilight turned her head to Spike. “Spike...” “I know,” mumbled Spike, taking some effort to pry himself from the heated tile. “I'll put on some tea.” Discord let a disappointed little sigh but did not prevent the dragon from leaving them alone. Twilight made sure that he was well down the tower before she began the spell. In other circumstances she would have moved the books for safekeeping, but Discord was being cooperative. She didn't want to lose that. “Please don't break my concentration,” she said, lowering her horn at the orb. He loved to screw up her arcane experiments, but for some reason, being polite sometimes dissuaded him. He merely waved his claw and beckoned for her to continue. She gathered all the magic in her in one warm, tingling surge and brought it to her horn. All the elements that put together a simple scrying spell were one thing. It wasn't hard to bring Celestia's essence into it. Images and memories surged through her and she felt a pang of homesickness before pressing the spell into the orb. Just like every other time, it pushed back against her, restricting her vision. A pain surged through her head but she kept the spell going, waiting for Discord to intervene. And he made her wait an agonizing few moments before finally stretching up and tapping the orb with a claw. For a moment she perceived his strange magical nature, a scramble of elemental flare, what should have (but wasn't) a golden sparkle of illusory essence, a mathematical algorhythm bent in ways she'd thought impossible... all these things breaking at once and crashing into her spell. The balcony melted away around her and her view of the castle grounds vanished into a sea of white. Her stomach lurched and she had to fight to stay steady. Although she held perfectly still it felt as if everything around her whirled like a tornado. She shivered and closed her eyes. Please, oh please, let it stop... she thought, and at her most primal level she wanted just to be back with Celestia again. The cold, sickening sensation passed and replaced with warmth. Twilight opened her eyes. “It can't be...” she said, soft, green grass tickling her feet. Even Discord seemed to be put at awe by the place. But she was familiar with it, for she had been dreaming of it night after night. The horizon, though, seemed clearer than ever. Behind her, rusty red landscape rose in steppes and mesas, speckled with black creases. And before her, the green grass slowly faded into gold, and then endless plains of wheat. Somewhere amongst them, she saw a white, tall mare flash by her vision. “Princess Celestia!” she cried, and raced forward. It had to be her. There was no other pony in the world that looked like that, or made her feel like that. She thought she felt the princess' gaze up on her, and before she knew what she was doing, she was racing through the grass towards her. The Princess, though, seemed to be getting farther and farther away, until she was only a silver streak galloping and fading into the distance. Twilight stopped. Before she could catch her breath, a surge of images flashed through her mind. Deep, ancient forests with trees that rose like mountains. Murky swamps. Endless sprawls of clouds and dew like crystals. And a place that looked like stained glass, broken into a thousand pieces. All of the images locked into her head at once, and then she fell to the ground, on the balcony, breathless. Discord waited until she recovered. Even after that he seemed to be focused somewhere else. “I've seen this place in my dreams,” said Twilight, and this made Discord come to immediate attention. “Where is it?” “Nowhere,” said Discord, for once entirely serious. “And everywhere. You've only seen one side of that place... and to think Celestia went there, of all places. Figures. She always had a thing for the dramatic.” Twilight squinted and rubbed her aching head. She wouldn't let the pain distract her, though. “Are you getting nervous?” she goaded him, ever-carefully. “Thinking about changing your mind?” Discord raised an eyebrow. “Perish the thought, dear Twilight. If she can go there, then so can I. This might be bigger than either of us... well, bigger than you at least.” “I don't care,” said Twilight. “I'm going. Just tell me where.” Discord slipped over and pointed her south and west, pointing along the horizon. “As far as you can see, and that length again. Beyond realms ever mapped by anypony, and further than a place roamed by any living creature. To the end of the world, and then a bit further. That's where we'll find her.” The sheer distance, no, the impossibility of what Discord was saying sunk into her. But if there was a way, if Celestia was there, there would be no stopping her. Nightmare Moon In her dreams, Nightmare Moon felt smaller than a foal. She raced through the shadows of grass, the colossal blades offering shelter from the blazing sunlight. Yet everywhere she tried to find shelter, there was only more fear, more flight. Gusts of wind knocked into her like iron hooves. Dirt caked her coat and her star-filled mane grew dim. A whinny of fear escaped her foaming lips. She raced towards what she thought was the shade of a tree but instead she burst through into the open. Then she was in Canterlot, on the promenade. She stood behind her sister, who would not look at her. Every pony did though. They stared through her dress, her crest. She avoided their eyes but could still feel their spite. She was a darkness on the kingdom. All they wanted was for her to leave, and to let them be 'at peace' with their perfect princess. “Is that really what it was like?” Nightmare Moon looked up. She was back in the fields again, but this time it was calm and the sky was filled with stars. Twilight Sparkle stood in front of her, head tilted. “Maybe you just needed time,” Twilight continued. Nightmare Moon raised a hoof to strike, but she couldn't find the anger in her. She sighed and lowered her stance, sitting in the grass. Just a dream, she thought. I can't even control them anymore. “You should have looked up to us the way you looked up to our sister,” said Nightmare Moon. “None of this would have happened if you would have just listened to me.” Twilight shifted and sat beside her, looking up at the stars. “Maybe it wouldn't have,” she said. “But we can't change that now.” This is a distraction. Nightmare Moon scanned the empty field. This is my domain. Who could possibly do this? “I think you want it to change.” Nightmare Moon looked up to retort, but instead of Twilight, her sister now stood above her. Celestia gazed down, aurora-like mane moving without sound or wind. Nightmare Moon trembled. Her sister showed no emotion whatsoever, and seemed somehow larger than ever before. Just as it had felt when she was banished. She awoke with a start. Princess Celestia was nowhere to be found. She was still in the sanctuary she'd crafted, a bower of ebon branches speckled with golden stars and silvered flowers, folded about into a solid nest. The shadow world barely visible outside. The three fillies she'd brought slept against the edge of the bower. It kept them safe, but it also kept them prisoner. One, though, stirred as she did. As Apple Bloom awoke, she didn't move. She shook a little and just stared at Nightmare Moon. “Stop staring at us,” muttered Nightmare Moon. She folded open one of the branches and looked out across the shadowed fields. Apple Bloom shrugged and hunched back down. “Don't really care what you say. I ain't afraid of you.” “Of course you aren't.” Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. “Why'd you bother kidnapping us anyway? If y'ain't gonna gobble us up or make us disappear.” Nightmare Moon scoffed and glared back at the filly. “Is that what they have been telling you about us?” She sounded more hurt than she thought she did. “We are not a monster.” “Could'a fooled me.” Apple Bloom nudged back and curled up close to her friends. By all reason, Nightmare Moon should have woken up the fillies and moved on . But she could hardly will herself from sprawling across the root-framed window. When did I become the boogeymare? These ponies have never understood us. No matter how hard we try. But they must. Everypony must know us, otherwise we will never return. “You are here to keep us safe,” said Nightmare Moon, “from those who would hunt us. They would not risk your safety to get at me.” “So we're hostages,” said Applebloom, trying to shrink beneath her ribbon. “Then what happens?” Nightmare Moon exhaled. “We... do not know. That may depend on what our sister thinks.” “Ya mean Princess Celestia?” Apple Bloom's eyes shot open. Why does that name fill them with such joy? Such hope? It is not fair... Nightmare Moon squeezed her eyes shut. “Yes,” she said, clenching her teeth. “We are going to find her.” Apple Bloom nodded. She seemed to quiet off, almost falling asleep again. With her eyes shut and hooves beneath her, though, she spoke up. “You and your sister had a fight?” Nightmare Moon sighed. “That is one way to put it.” “Applejack and I fight sometimes,” Apple Bloom admitted. “An' sometimes she sends me to my room. I sure do miss her though...” The black mare stared up at the sky. “How would you feel if she stuck you in the moon for a thousand years?” “She wouldn't do that,” Apple Bloom said. She sounded so very sure of herself. “'cause she loves me and I love her and she just wouldn't, you know?” “You think that,” said Nightmare Moon. “But you never really know, do you? You'd be angry, wouldn't you? If your sister did that to you.” “'course I would. I mean, I get upset sometimes, but if she did something like that, I don't know...” I don't want to remember how I felt, thought Nightmare Moon. The scars still itched at her, though, as if it had just happened so soon. Bottled up in the seal of the moon, when she finally emerged it exploded in a cry, a frothing rage. All the ponies had rejected her, that stung, but for her to turn her back... it was just too much for her to bear. “Applejack and I always made up when we were done being upset,” said Apple Bloom. “Maybe you 'n your sister can make up too.” Nightmare Moon turned and looked back at Apple Bloom. “We do not think so, child,” she said. By now, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were becoming lucid as well. The three foals whispered to one another, though Nightmare Moon could hear their secrets loud and clear. They knew Apple Bloom suddenly seemed less miserable, and they quickly learned why. “She's taking us to Princess Celestia,” explained Apple Bloom. “Really?” asked Sweetie Belle. “That is like, the dumbest thing I've ever heard,” whispered Scootaloo, looking up at Nightmare Moon. She looked away immediately when she was seen. “Whatever,” said Apple Bloom. “I know that if we get to the princess we'll be okay. Till then we've gotta stick together, alright?” “Right,” said Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle nodded, too. Apple Bloom gave Nightmare Moon a peculiar look. At least they are not quivering in fear at the sight of us anymore, she thought. Though we may have to remind them when to be afraid, from time to time. She stood at last and flicked her horn. The bower unraveled at the top and began to bloom outwards, letting in the pale yellow sky. Their shelter was soon no more. She took a few steps to see if the fillies would follow, and they did. “Where do you suppose the princess is?” asked Apple Bloom. Nightmare Moon showed a fang. “There is one princess before you,” she reminded her. “As for our sister, we can feel her. We must follow. But to find the way, we will have to consult with creatures... ones ancient and dangerous. You would do well to stay close to us when we meet them, for it is they, and not we, who would make a meal of you.”