While in one of the suites in Canterlot, I’ve cast a spell to go into Cozy Glow and Chrysalis’ dreams after alerting my former caretaker, Twilight, about their nightmares. While in Cozy’s, I’ve ended up having to lay low, that is until one point, where I find Twilight in the middle of a lecture at this school Cozy’s been dreaming about. Strangely enough, Twilight never transformed a second time here like she did when Chrysalis befriended her.
As I look through the door, a drawing of the tree of harmony is on the chalk board on the left facing the students straight ahead. Some of them I recognize through pictures Starlight sent me from Sire's Hollow, like Ocellus (even in her pro-Thorax form), Gallus, Sandbar and Yona.
I’m never going to learn pony history! Gallus shouts when the bell rings.
That’s my cue to retreat.
In the library, I hide in the corner on the left as you’d enter until Cozy Glow comes into the scene. As she passes by, I walk through the aisle and peek while she heads into the very back aisle on the same side as me. Before I have the chance to follow her, I droop my ears to a loud clanging sound. Unfortunately, as soon as I try to find out where she went, a mix of hoofsteps and wing flaps causes a quiet whinny out of me as I zip over to the far corner of the library.
There, across the bookshelf lays a metal grate, which would explain the clang from earlier, and why Cozy Glow is no where to be seen now.
The next few minutes consists of indistinct chatter from six of the students from that class from earlier. One of them is actually Smoulder from LOLO in Fillydelphia. Not much harm in taking a quick peek at whom they are… until I see Cozy Glow emerging from the grate and carefully replacing the cover, without even looking in my direction.
You guys! Check this out! That’s not a voice I would’ve recognized.
That’s a plumbing diagram on how to fix a sink, Gallus says.
As the first voice lets out a laugh, the coast is at least clear corner to corner. I might as well see what the fuss is about.
Nothing. I just can’t believe that’s how sinks work! Where’s Yona?
Yona’s a part of this group as well? Wasn’t she the one that watched over Stellar Flare when she was initially arrested?
As I peek across from the entrance, Smoulder is accompanied by Sandbar, Ocellus, Gallus, and one creature I’ve never seen before. She’s like part pony, part griffon.
Who is that?
Apparently, YAKS NO LOVE STUDY GROUPS, Smoulder jokes.
I blink a few times before lowering my ears again.
SPIDER!!! No!!! shouts Yona.
I retreat to the corner when everyone laughs off what was a prank. That is because Cozy Glow is laughing too.
After a somewhat long zoneout, I startle to a clanging sound similar to what I heard earlier. I’m still in the dream library, and in fact, in the same spot I retreated to earlier. The only difference is that the group of creatures are in front of me, in shock of what they’re seeing, especially Ocellus. Between me and them is the grate, but a glowing crystal root has displaced the cover by wedging into it.
Smoulder is the first of the group to clear her mind and look into the cave beneath.
“What’re you doing?” I ask her.
“Dragon, strange magical cave, what do you think I’m doing?” she says, leading the rest of the creatures into the cave.
The first to follow is the pony-griffon hybrid. Yona ends up stuck, but is pushed through by a descending Ocellus. I hover into the line behind Gallus, though he cuts in front of Sandbar, making him whinny in exclamation. Sandbar and I are the last to follow.
As we wonder around the cave below, the ponygrif is the first to break silence. “Did we know this was down here?”
“I don’t think anypony knows this is down here,” answers Sandbar.
All of us turn our heads to the sound of hooves clipping across the cave. The source of the sound is the familiar projection of Twilight provided by the tree of harmony.
She lifts a hoof to the side with her unnatural sounding Welcome.
“Headmare Twilight?” Sandbar says.
“Astral Twilight…” I correct.
Yona tilts her head. “Um, Yona confused.”
The unreformed changeling is correct. But I can sense something is wrong, as I have feared; you are not one. What has happened?
The tree of harmony’s observation catches me off guard. “What? I don’t get it. They were doing fine before I zoned out.”
“We were studying on friendship’s effect on history, but then…” Ocellus starts to the tree, at least before Gallus finishes.
“Since friendship just ‘isn’t in our nature’, what’s the point?”
Gallus’ sentiment has me glaring at him, due to my experience that’s led me to believe otherwise.
You do not believe friendship is in your nature?!? That is NOT ACCEPTABLE!
The tree flares alicorn wings in agitation as she now glows and sets off a strong breeze. The ponygrif puts her claws on her mane, alerted by the spiritual anger of the tree.
“Our headmare is glowing you guys! What is going… on…?!?”
“Um, if it makes you feel any better,” I hesitantly reassure the tree. “I do. I’ve been trying to help out my advisor and organizer in the waking world.”
“We should probably get back to studying for the test,” adds Ocellus.
The tree perks up at the sound of… A test, yes. The wind subsides, but in place, the roots glow and move to crowd the grate above us. By sunrise, this door will be closed. Finish the test before then and you may go. Fail the test and here you will stay.
A blinding light emanates from the tree, causing the other seven of us to glow. Everyone is shocked by the turn of events before being transported elsewhere, separated from each other.
Great, I think I hit a snag with Luna’s spell.