Across nearly two dozen classes this semester at SGU, there was only one where Twilight sat alone without any of her friends to join her. On the one hoof, she fully understood why none of them took the class with her; they had their own viewpoints and opinions and she respected them. On the other hoof, sometimes she wished she had agreed with them and dropped it for Artistic Studies so she could be with her friends, painting and sculpting clay instead of listening to the dull drone of the campus’ most boring instructor.
“The ancient earth ponies believed that the position of the moon affected their crop production, and they tried to plant on the day of a full moon to maximise the yield.” Professor Byblo paused to adjust his square-frame glasses, and then continued to speak in a slow, plodding monotone to the half-empty lecture hall. “Some stories claim that in the far north, ponies slept in the day and awoke at dusk, so they could work their fields by the moonlight. Although there’s no concrete historical evidence of this, folk tales of the yaks talk about a night goddess who lived in the forest tending seedlings…”
Twilight sighed and scratched her head. She distantly remembered Luster’s quip about students bringing pillows to Ancient History, so long ago when they had first met. At the time she had been indignant, but today especially she found herself concurring. The problem with the course was its time frame – Ancient History explored the time before Equestria was founded, and by the nature of the period, most records were apocryphal, word-of-mouth stories passed down the generations and translated between ancient languages before a unified alphabet existed. The result was that nothing one learned about the time could be taken at face-value, it was almost certainly distorted over retellings, if it was true at all.
“Many races had stories of deities or spirits that served similar roles. Night gods associated with agriculture exist in the zebra tribes, where they brought rain, and in the griffon lands they believed spirits visited their homes in the night to bless their eggs. It can’t be ruled out that some of these stories may have a common basis, but nothing has been proven.”
That could be a marketing slogan for this class. ‘It can’t be ruled out, but nothing has been proven’. Twilight sighed softly. When this class was engaging, it was very engaging, but when it was dull, it was unbearable. She could tell that Byblos was genuinely knowledgeable about the topics he covered, but he had the charisma of a wet sponge.
“However, the ancient dragons placed no particular importance on the night. They valued fire, naturally, and so worshipped a trio of sun spirits embodying light, heat, and stone. Legends say the spirits wove their powers together to create the first dragon eggs…”
Twilight tuned out the lesson – much as it shamed her to behave so, it wasn’t her first time, and she suspected Byblos knew that several of his students did it. Fortunately note-sharing and homework would cover anything she missed. And at least she wasn’t so audacious as to skip class outright. Instead she pulled a different notebook out of her bag and cracked it open. Can brush up on today’s astronomy lesson.
With the dual eclipse closer than ever, Doctor Turner was focusing his classes more and more on the upcoming phenomena. He even said he was looking into authorization for a field trip to the Canterlot observatory, and give students the chance to look at the moons up close as they began to overlap. Apparently, though, there was some high-level confusion over when that would actually happen, so a date hadn’t been chosen yet.
What will happen to my dreams when the dual eclipse comes? Her research had pointed to the moons coming into alignment as one of the most important factors in allowing her dreams to occur, or at the very least were causing them to become more frequent. What might happen to her and Sunset when the eclipse actually happened? Would they fall into a deeper dream they couldn’t wake from or would they be able to speak in the waking world?
And then…the eclipse ends, and… Twilight frowned as she looked at the diagram she had copied that morning, showing the two moons and their orbital paths around Equestria. I hadn’t thought of that before. Will Sunset and I lose contact when the eclipse passes? That seemed a logical assumption. If the moons coming into closer proximity made the dreams more frequent, the inverse ought to also be true. And there’s no telling when they’d cease entirely.
Twilight felt a little colder and swallowed a lump in her throat. The dreams could fade before we ever figure out what’s really causing them. I’d never see Sunset again. Any dream we connected in might be the last one. She sat back as the reality of that possibility hit her. Her chest felt tight. I’d possibly never see one of my best friends ever again…
No. I don’t want to lose her, not like that.
She shook her head and flipped to last week’s notes to get rid of the image of the moons, instead looking over a chart of the planets and various listings concerning their orbital paths. I won’t let it. I’ll figure this out, somehow. We connected in telepathy while awake once, we could… the eyes in the void gleamed in her mind’s eye, and Twilight suppressed a shudder. Somehow. There must be a way, we just have to keep looking.
“Professor?” Twilight turned her head to look a few seats over, where a pale blue mare with a purple mane was raising her hoof. “I don’t mean to be rude, but what do the zebra and griffon myths have to do with today’s lesson?”
Professor Byblos adjusted his glasses. “A fair question, which I was just about to get to.” He gestured to the whiteboard and lifted a marker in his hoof to write. “As the cultures of different races met and exchanged stories and legends, they shaped the stories and legends of future generations. This gave rise to what could be considered the first religion of Equestria’s ponies.”
Twilight sighed and settled back in her chair. If this class was more engaging, I could just lose myself in it and not think about the moons and Sunset.
“The pony tribes correlated the geographic locations of the five major races they met with the five planets and virtues they believed embodied the spirit.” Byblos drew a five-pointed star on the board with five large circles at each point. “The zebras were tied with Ninurtu for their healing alchemies, the griffons were associated with Eniku for optimism, the dragons were associated with Negalu and bravery, the seaponies were associated with Inashu for their grace and beauty, and finally the yaks were connected to Bunabu and embodied strength and vitality.”
Twilight glanced down at her notes. Yeah, that tracks, more or less. Bunabu is the densest planet…
“Even if these connections were solely a construct of pony belief, they were important to the ancient tribes, and helped them give the world a sense of structure and purpose. These five races were reflections of the cosmos, and the ponies themselves were the sixth race, with the potential for all five of their virtues.” Byblos ended his statement by drawing a sixth circle in the centre of the star.
Something in Twilight’s mind clicked.
“Six!” She thrust her hooves on her desk and stood up, her eyes wide. Byblos jumped and actually dropped his marker, and turned to look at her, as did most of the other students. Twilight gaped and stared at the diagram.
Byblos regained his composure and cleared his throat. “Ms. Sparkle? Do you have a question?”
Twilight blinked and realised what she had done. She felt her face grow hot and shook her head. “No. Sorry for the interruption, Professor. I’m just…really engrossed in the lesson.” She heard a couple of snorts and chuckles around her.
Whether Byblos took her seriously or not, he didn’t show it. “Apology accepted. Please sit down.” Twilight did as she was told, and the professor picked up his marker. “Having this cosmology to explain the world around them helped to ground the ponies and gave a broader sense of direction to their growing civilization…”
Still in her seat, Twilight tried to pay attention to the lesson, she really did, but her mind was racing out of control.
Six.
“That’s been my mistake.” Twilight drew lines across the paper to connect the five stars. “I thought we were looking for something associated with the number five, because I saw five stars circling my vision of Sunset – or whatever it was that looked like her. But I didn’t think to include her with them. We’re not looking for something associated with five, we’re looking for six.”
Sitting across the table in their dorm room, Twinkleshine nodded as she took in her words. “Makes sense. But that still isn’t much more to go on than a number.”
“Yes, but it’s a much more important number. Especially in regards to the cosmos.” Twilight opened her astronomy notebook. “There’s a lot of belief systems relating to the planets of ancient Equestria. Some of them more verifiable than others, but they all keep coming back to a core concept – the five planets plus the moon.”
She turned to an empty page and drew out a diagram of the solar system. “Ninurtu, furthest planet from the sun, known for its rings. Then next closest is Eniku, the largest planet. Then comes Negalu, the planet next-furthest from the sun after Equus.” She paused. “In the proper planetary system, Equus would be next. But in ancient times they didn’t believe in a heliocentric model yet, they followed a geocentric model that placed Equus at the centre of the solar system. The sun and moons revolved around us with the sun farthest away and the moons closest, then the planets in-between. So by that model, next comes Inashu, second-closest to the sun, and then Bunabu, closest to the sun.
“Five planets, plus Equus itself at the centre of it all. Just like the ancient pony tribes thought they lived in the centre of Equestria with the other races living around them on its outskirts. And just like Sunset was at the centre of those five stars I saw. See? It all fits.”
Twinkleshine lifted her brow and pursed her lips. “Yeah, that’s a pretty strong set of parallels…but, are you sure this is actually anything meaningful? I just mean, my hometown had a set of six trees in its central park, and there’s six combos on the menu at a burger joint in town…”
“You’re right, it’s largely speculation.” Twilight frowned and stuck her pencil over her ear. “But still, it lines up perfectly. If the moon can influence my dreams, why not the planets? And what if there’s something here, in Equestria, connected to them? I’m not clear on the details, I admit. But it’s a clue, and I think I know just where to look to find more.”
“Where?”
Twilight smiled and walked to her nightstand. “That magical journal I smuggled out of the restricted section?” She pulled open a drawer and held up a small notebook. “I may not have access to it anymore, but I took notes. Lots of notes.”
“Of course you did,” Twinkleshine said dryly.
“There may be something of importance here. I remember there was a hologram of the solar system on one of the pages. At the time I only looked over the cosmology parts for information on the moon, but I’m betting that if I’m right, it’ll have more to say about the planets as a whole. Plus, while the five planets plus Equus equals six, there’s also the potential for the five planets to be grouped with the moon, and we know that has some connection to the dreams. This can’t be just a coincidence.”
“Planets equals races equals dreams equals alternate dimensions equal something-else-we-don’t-know.” Twinkleshine rubbed the side of her head. “This is giving me a headache.”
“I know, and some of it may not be apt. That’s why I need to see that journal again. Celestia said she’s going to consider letting me study it more. I bet I can start piecing more of this mystery together if I can take a second look at the journal with a better idea of what to look for.”
“Assuming she lets you look at it,” Twinkleshine pointed out. “You said she’s still keeping secrets.”
Twilight sighed. “Yes, but if she says no the first time, I think I could convince her otherwise. She seems sincerely interested in finding out more about my dreams, and if I tell her the journal could help me, that might sway her.”
There was a gentle knock on the door and the two turned. “Come in,” Twinkleshine called softly.
The door squeaked open and Minuette peaked her head in. “Hey. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
Twilight shook her head. “Nothing that can’t wait a moment. What’s up?”
Minuette held up a large plastic container, the sides fogged with heat. “I made a bit too much for our dinner and thought you girls might like some. If you haven’t eaten already.”
“We haven’t, bring it here.” Twinkleshine licked her lips. “What’s on the menu?”
“Just pasta with veggies.” Minuette set the container on the counter as Twinkleshine grabbed a plate and fork. Minuette saw the books on the table. “I did interrupt something, didn’t I?”
“No, just dream stuff,” Twilight said. “I’m done for now anyway.” She gathered the books in her magic and moved them onto her bed to put away later.
“Oh, new leads?” Minuette asked. As they spoke, Twinkleshine had filled her plate and sat back at the table.
“Sort of. Ancient history gave me some ideas today. We may not be dealing with a group of five, but six, and particularly the planets plus Equus. And they may have some connection to the non-pony races of Equestria, or maybe not.” Twilight sighed. “I know, it’s vague.” She moved to get her own food.
“It sounds a bit like astrology.”
Twilight paused. “Pardon?” She turned her head.
Minuette gave a small shrug. “Astrology. You know, horoscopes, destiny? Your life being influenced by the positions of the stars and planets when you’re born?”
“I never paid much attention to the subject. Even knowing what we do about the cosmos, it always seemed like pseudoscience.” Twilight took a plate from the cabinet and began getting her share of the food.
“Oh yeah, I never took it seriously either, but it made a neat thing to read in the mornings. Basic idea was that depending on the planet that was most predominant in the sky when you were born, a few particular traits would dominate your personality.” Minuette tapped her hoof to her chin. “Let’s see…if I remember correctly, Ninurtu meant you were skilled with medicine and alchemy and had a kind spirit; Eniku meant you were idealistic and cheerful with a good sense of humour; Negalu meant you were responsible and bold and strayed true to others; Inashu meant you were elegant and charismatic but also selfless and helpful; and Bunabu meant you were stubborn and tough and open with others.”
Twilight sat down. “That’s only five, though.”
“Well, the sixth sign was special. It wasn’t one of the planets, or Equus, it was the moons. That meant you weren’t particularly associated with any of the races, you were just a pony. But it meant you were spiritual and loving and had a high aptitude with magic.”
“Aren’t the moons always the most predominant thing in the sky?” Twinkleshine asked.
“Yeah, they had some weird explanation about how seeing them isn’t the same as sensing their influence, or something.” Minuette held up her hooves. “It always just sounded like they were trying to explain away why the moon doesn’t influence everypony, like you said.”
“Hmm…” Twilight lifted a forkful of pasta to her mouth and chewed. Sounds a little similar to what Professor Byblos was talking about. May be worth looking into…
“Anyway, I need to get back to my room, I’m hungry too.” Minuette waved and approached the door. “See you in class in the morning!” The two ponies waved back as she closed the door behind her.
And the moon was special among the five…even that fits. Twilight glanced at the wall where she had a copy of Lemon’s planetary chart and equations taped up to examine when she needed it. Okay, maybe it isn’t pseudoscience after all. If anything, it’s one of the most potentially promising leads I’ve gotten today.
Twinkleshine smirked at Twilight’s furrowed brow. “She’s got your gears turning, eh?”
Twilight nodded. “A lot to think about.” She chewed another fork of food.
“Make sure you mention this stuff to Sunset. She could research it on her end, too. Or you could each research different stuff, see who comes up with something.”
Twilight nodded absentmindedly. She then paused, swallowed, and tilted her head. “Now that you mention it…I haven’t dreamed about Sunset since we did that experiment…”
“Oh? That’s strange.” Twinkleshine gestured her fork her way. “I thought they’re becoming more frequent now with the eclipse occurring and everything?”
“They are. They were.” Twilight began to worry. “You don’t think we could have disrupted the connection or something when we did the experiment, do you?”
“I dunno. It’s your spell, and you know way more about all this stuff than we do.” She held up a hoof. “But, hey, don’t panic yet. Yeah, maybe it affected things, but maybe just temporarily, you know? Or maybe it’s just chance and luck. Give it a few more days and see what happens.”
“Right. Makes sense.” Twilight nodded firmly and returned to eating.
It’s fine. I’ll see her again. I know I will. I have to.
“I’ll have the Saddle Arabian salad, please.”
“An excellent choice.” The waiter nodded and jotted it down on his notepad. “And for you, madam” He looked at Twilight expectantly.
She scrunched her face as she scanned the menu. “I’m still thinking…everything looks so expensive…”
“I told you not to worry about it. I’m buying tonight.”
Who’s buying?
Twilight folded up her menu and held it up to the waiter in an aura of navy blue magic. “I’ll try the seaweed soup, please.”
“As you wish.” The waiter took the menu, wrote down the order, and bowed his head before leaving through the rows of tables.
Now that it was just the two of them again, Twilight turned her head to look out over the valley stretching beyond the patio balcony. Night had fallen early and bathed the area in pale moonlight, and she could see small outgrowths of crystal on the rock, gleaming pale blue.
I’ve never seen this place before. Where am I?
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you ordered the cheapest thing on the menu.”
Twilight looked back across the table and the pair of rich orange eyes looking back at her. She shrugged and shook her head.
“Not intentionally. I felt like soup.”
“Mhm.”
“It wasn’t!” Twilight brought her drink over to her. “I ordered the pricey drink, didn’t I?” She took a long sip from her straw to emphasise her point.
“Actually I ordered the drink, and you said ‘I’ll have the same’ when you thought the waiter was getting impatient.”
“I still wanted this.” Twilight fidgeted in her seat and looked back over the valley again.
“Nova.”
Twilight turned back to her companion again.
Who?
“I wanted to come here, alright? And I wouldn’t want to come here if I wasn’t comfortable with the prices.”
“I know, but…” Twilight sighed. “You know I’m not one for high-end dining anyway. Most of the stuff on that menu I didn’t even know what they were!”
“Me neither, but so what?” The other mare at the table gestured her hoof to the valley. “I wanted to come here because they said the patio view of the valley was breathtaking, and seeing it myself, that alone is worth the price to me.”
Twilight smiled and glanced at the valley of gleaming crystals again. “It is very nice..”
“See? Enjoy yourself. Relax. I told you, this is my treat.”
Twilight cast her eyes down and fell silent, hoping her mane hid her face from view for a moment while she pondered things. She tapped her hooves together for a moment and then lifted her head to peer out from behind waves of violet hair.
“Corona…”
“Hm?”
“I’m sorry.”
Her companion frowned. “For what?”
“Clearly this meant a lot to you and I’m sitting here mumbling about prices. I didn’t mean to ruin the evening.”
“Oh, please!” she waved her hoof. “If you weren’t being so fussy and frugal, that would worry me. You didn’t ruin anything, we haven’t even received the breadsticks yet. I told you, relax. Okay? Can we try that?”
Twilight chuckled softly. “Yeah, I’ll try.”
“Good.” Her companion smirked. “Because if this night ends with my marefriend getting taken out on a stretcher from an anxiety attack, that will ruin the evening.”
Twilight’s face got hot and she hid it behind her glass as she took a long sip.
She called me her marefriend…