//------------------------------//
// Tightrope 
// Story: In Reflection, The Same 
// by Faedelaide 
//------------------------------//

The only sound that reverberated through the small study hall was the delicate flipping of old papyrus pages as Twilight and Gillian wordlessly scanned the many old historical texts that lay before them. 

Twilight sighed forlornly as she finished the final page of Crystal Politics: A Royal's Introductory Course, and closed it's thick, grass bound cover with a muffled thump. She magically placed it atop the growing pile of books designated as devoid of any important information, Which currently consisted of every single book they had read. Twilight grabbed another book, labelled Conditioning the Cold, Better For Everyone from the bookshelf, which was quickly beginning to empty. At the rate she and Gillian were going, they would be likely to finish the entire library before next morning.

Twilight sent a quick glance in Gillian's direction. She could only see the jumbled mess of feathers that was her hair, the rest of her face was hidden behind an incredibly thick book. It's title, Learning Crystal Law, was delicately scorched onto the reed woven binding of it's cover. in addition to the scorched title, Gillian had also left a score of small tears along the edge of it as she grasped the book tightly in her claws.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Gillian suddenly lowered her book, causing Twilight to snap back to her own tome. Fortunately, it seemed Gillian hadn't noticed. Instead, she also let out a sigh as she frustratedly tossed the book on top of the pile.

"Can ya pass another one?" She mumbled under her breath.

"Huh?"

"I need another book." the griffon barked, extending her claw towards Twilight expectantly.

Twilight obliged, levitating a book into her waiting talons. Once she received the book, 101 ways to Govern Your People, she opened it up and slammed it upright onto the table, hiding her face behind it's massive pages again.

Twilight turned back to her book and paused for a moment. After doing nothing for the next minute, she gathered her resolve, sat upright, and turned to Gillian.

She took a deep breath. "Gillian, are you alright? You've been quiet since... ahem, since we left the campfire. It's not still-"

"No. It's not," Was all the griffon snapped out in response. 

Twilight leaned back, unsure of what to make of her attitude. Instead of trying to press the issue further, and not wanting to make things worse, she decided to go back to reading her own book.

For the next few minutes, silence reigned again until, surprisingly, Gillian broke the silence.

"...How long did y'know about th' ice?" she muttered.

Twilight looked up from her book and towards Gillian, who was still hidden behind her own tome. "You mean the Wall? I only knew about it a couple weeks ago when Celestia sent me the no-"

"No," Gillian interrupted. "I mean how long did you know 'bout those... things? How long didja know about th' monsters in th' ice?"

"The same day you did. I didn't know about all those things until we all saw it. You were there to pick us up, I never had a chance to investigate it before, and was barely able to do so after we docked."

Gillian merely huffed in response. Twilight again opened her mouth to speak, but Gillian dropped her book to face her.

"Gelgen told me about what he saw. He told me about how you were talking with something 'n th' ice. I didn't believe him at first, none'a us did. He didn'ave any proof at first, but then we saw what was behind th' Wall. That's all the proof I need, so I wanna ask, what th' hell could possibly explain you talking to whatever is in that ice?" Gillian practically shouted the question.

Rainbow snorted and shifted in her sleep, and Twilight quickly cast a small barrier around the two of them. The last thing she needed was Rainbow ganging up on her too.

Once her spell finished, she turned to Gillian. "I Don't know if I'd be able to describe it to you, even if I wanted to, which I do. But I swear to you, everything I'm doing is to make sure this ice goes away and our kingdoms can live in harmony again."

Gillian's face contorted into a look of confliction. "But how can I believe you? I might not know Gelgen that well, but everythin' he said fits together more than i'd like it to. How can I be sure you're telling the truth?"

"I... I wish I had a way to make you believe me, but I don't. All I can ask is that you trust me. Please Gillian, I need you to trust me."

Gillian sat still for a painfully long moment, and Twilight expected her to leave right then, but she nodded lightly.

"I... I trust you. I just hope that you'll tell me what's goin' on eventually though."

Twilight felt another pang of guilt. What harm would telling her do? After all, Twilice could always use the extra hands to help her escape.

No, maybe she shouldn't

but what if-

A pressure invaded her head, making every one of her thoughts melt away like water. Every thought, that is, except for one.

"You will tell her nothing of Twilice and her relation to you. She deserves nothing. Tell her nothing."

Twilight gasped in pain, which made Gillian bolt up from her seat.

She scrambled around Twilight, trying to find anything wrong. "Twilight, what's wrong, are you alright?"

Twilight tried to say something, trying not to make Gillian any more worried, but could only manage out a wheezy mumble. 

Gillian, unsure of what to do, held on to Twilight's shoulder. "Do you wan' me to go get your sis?"

Twilight tried to shake her head, but as Gillian put her claw on her shoulder, Twilight felt a sudden surge. A single strand of energy that seemed to come from somewhere within her reached out into an infinite abyss that Twilight couldn't pinpoint. It scrunched slightly as it made impact with something, but the strand pierced through the barricade, and Twilight felt a deluge of energy fly around her. As if another dimension had layered itself upon her own, Twilight could feel the movement of everything around her. The dust particles in the air were suddenly bright comets that drifted weightlessly, and her hooves were mountains of magical energy, raw and untapped. The power surged through the strand, into her very core, and out onto the shield around her. As it happened, Twilight could've sworn she heard the faintest trace of a roar.

She suddenly shot her head up, making Gillian yelp in surprise.

The wiry griffon slowly stepped back from Twilight. "Are... are you alright Twi?"

"Y...y-yeah, I think so."

"Thank Grover, you weren't lookin' too good for a moment there."

"Yeah... I guess," Twilight rubbed her head. The surge of energy began to subside, and with it, her vision slowly turned back to normal. "Let's get on with the next book."

"Oh. uh... sure," Gillian turned back to the bookshelf and grabbed a small book that was surprisingly bound in what appeared to be dragon scales. "Ew, I hope these aren't real. Here, see if this one's any good."

"Sure let me-" Twilight hadn't time to finish her sentence before she let out a loud gasp.

Gillian straightened up in fright again. "What, what is it?"

Twilight stared wordlessly at the book for a moment, her mind clearer than ever. "Gillian, I think I should tell you about the ice after all."

Gillian's eyes widened, and as she looked back at the book, the spark of curiosity found its home in her eyes again. She and Twilight stared at the words carved roughly and hurriedly into it's scaled cover.

Ma Vie's Compendium of Nightmares and Other Abominations.