“Orichalcum and mythril are both particularly adept at storing magic for sustaining conjuration spells. Some magical smiths have tried to alloy them to see how it augmented their properties, and found the result…would anypony like to guess?” Professor Chrome Gleam pushed her glasses up her nose and looked around the lecture hall.
Minuette and Lemon Hearts shared a glance with each other, then respectively turned to Twinkleshine and Luster; all four shrugged. Moondancer looked towards Twilight, her head propped up on her hoof with her eyes fluttering.
“Twilight?” she reached out a hoof and gently shook her.
Twilight’s head slipped off her hoof and hit her notebook, and she jolted upright, her eyes wide. “I’m not sleeping!” she yelped.
The hall broke into giggles and laughter. Gleam frowned and lowered her pointer from the whiteboard.
“Are we quite alright, Miss Sparkle?” she asked sweetly.
“Uh, yes.” Twilight coughed and ignored the burning in her cheeks. “I was just declaring how I am awake because your class is very engaging and riveting.”
“You think so? Then I assume you can answer my question. It ought to be comparatively simple for someone of your academic reputation.” Gleam swung her pointer over her shoulder and waited.
“Yes, of course!” Twilight saw Moondancer move a hoof to gently tap the page of her notebook, and she turned her eyes down to read the line indicated. “You wanted to know what happens if you alloy orichalcum and mythril.” Gleam nodded and gestured for her to continue. Twilight thought quickly. “They…the result would be…weaker at storing magic.” She felt more confident and kept going, “The heat of the forging process disrupts their aetherial conductivity without an additive.” She smiled.
Chrome’s expression soured. “Correct.” She turned back to the whiteboard, and Twilight thought she heard her mutter ‘lucky guess’ under her breath before she continued the lecture.
“Nice one,” Luster whispered.
“I heard her, really,” Twilight replied. “Just had to think for a sec. Thanks, Moondancer.” Moondancer just nodded in response, having returned to taking notes.
Twilight rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on Chrome’s lecture, but found little success; she had to physically keep her head from drooping. And this was in spite of the nap she had taken over lunch.
I can’t remember the last time my mind felt so scattered. The tiredness was entirely mental. Her body felt perfectly fine and she had pulled herself through classes without trouble. But her mind kept getting away from her. At the least, she was doing better than in her morning classes, where she barely remembered a word that was said, but at least her hooves had scribbled down notes to review. It wouldn’t be entirely apt to say she was sleepy, perhaps dazed.
At some point she assumed she had zoned out again, because she didn’t remember the rest of Chrome’s lecture or taking notes. Yet the next thing she knew was one of her friends shaking her and telling her it was time to go. Twilight obediently gathered her things and followed them out of the lecture hall.
“Are you okay?” Lemon asked. “You are really out of it today.”
“Yeah…and yes. Sorry. I mean, thank you.” Twilight blinked twice and smiled at her. “I’m just…like you said.”
“I told you, she slept in again,” Twinkleshine chimed in from the other side of them.
The friends huddled together as they moved through the SGU hallways, and Luster looked behind her at Twilight. “Something weird with the dreams, you said?”
“Yeah.” Twilight frowned as she thought back. She had told the group what she could remember over lunch, which was more than before but less than she would have liked; two mysterious mares, Nova and Corona. The names didn’t ring a bell to any of them, and while a few of them knew ponies with those words in their names, Twilight immediately dismissed them. She had learned from her investigation into Luster and Sunset that it was almost definitely a coincidence. Maybe Sunset knows the names.
“Hey, look.”
Twilight lifted her head and saw Minuette pointing at a small side passage where the facilities for non-unicorn centric magical classes were held. The passage had been roped off and a sign hung on it. Several students came, read it, and went on their way, and the group followed suit.
Moondancer read out loud, “Notice: Weather Studies, Earthen Studies, and Magical Zoology are cancelled for the rest of the week.” She wrinkled her nose. “I wonder why.”
“I heard there was a containment leak on one of the cloud generator units,” Lemon said. “They came in Wednesday morning and there was an electrified mist throughout the rooms. It’s quite the clean-up job, but at least nopony was hurt.”
“Well, that’s good,” Luster added. “I think that means we all have the rest of the day off, right?”
“Yup.” Minuette smiled. “Who’s up for a study afternoon in town? Donut Joe is having a special on eclairs today.”
“And you only mention it now?” Twinkleshine glared. “I thought we were friends.”
The six giggled and headed towards an exit outside. Twilight shook her head. “I’d love to come, but I’ll have to meet you girls there. Princess Celestia asked me to pay her a visit when my classes are done today.”
“Is she gonna arrest you this time?” Twinkleshine asked. Lemon gave a light glare and jabbed her in the side.
“Har, har. I assume it’s about the journal, or some other news. Even if it’s not, I’m going to bring it up to her. And maybe if she has a way to talk to Sunset like she does Luna.” She sighed. “There’s a lot more we could be talking about, but she won’t or can’t get into it.”
“Well—” Moondancer hesitated a moment before continuing “—in fairness, you haven’t been fully truthful with her, either. The telepathy spell?”
Twilight frowned. “Oh, right.”
“Moonie is right.” Minuette gave a sage nod. “Like the saying goes, trust is a two-way street—either both ponies go the right way or they end up butting heads and walking away from each other.”
“You made that up.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
Twilight stepped into the now-familiar interior of the magical lift to Celestia’s office, stomped her hoof twice, and the Old Ponish runes on the floor lit up with golden magic and lifted her into the air on a shimmering rune. She waited until it stopped at the top and turned into a solid floor again, and rapped her hoof on the door.
“Come in, Twilight.”
She turned the knob and swung the door open to enter Celestia’s office. The day had gotten a bit overcast, so the furnishings were less bright than she was used to, an unfortunate drawback of using natural lighting. Yet as she saw Celestia sitting in a chair against the window sipping a cup of tea from a plate with a half-eaten croissant on it, things seemed to get brighter.
I wonder if she can actually do that with the sun, or if it’s just her presence.
“Would you like to join me?” Celestia gestured a hoof to the opposite chair. “I could ask a staffer to bring you something.”
“No, thank you.” Twilight slowly approached a chair across the table from her. “I hope I’m not interrupting. I know I’m a bit early for our appointment but a class was cancelled.”
“Ah, from the mishap in the east wing, I presume?” Celestia nodded. “Quite unfortunate. The equipment in that area is so delicate to handle pegasi and earth pony magics. As to the first, no, just enjoying a light snack.”
Twilight shrugged her bags to the ground and then sat down. “So, what did you want to see me about?”
Celestia dabbed at her mouth with a napkin and looked at her desk. A cloth bag levitated from it and over to them in an aura of gleaming golden magic. “I have given fair consideration to your request regarding this book.” She drew a familiar journal with a swirl and a trio of stars on the cover from the bag. “I have warded a few passages of concern to be unreadable, but on the whole, there is nothing particularly troublesome in these pages.”
She gave Twilight a stern look. “Can I assume that, if I officially release it into your ownership for a while, you will take care of it?”
Twilight’s eyes widened and she nodded hurriedly. “Of course, Princess, of course! Nopony will touch it but me. I mean, I won’t touch it, I’ll use magic, but—you know what I meant.”
“Yes.” Celestia’s expression softened and she put the journal back in the bag and floated it next to Twilight’s bags. “The bag has been warded against the environment. The journal should remain safe from outside damage if you keep it stored there.”
“Understood.” Twilight glanced down at the journal. “On that topic, I also wanted to ask something. I’ve started having, um, ‘different’ dreams.”
“Different?” Celestia tilted her head and gave her a quizzical look. “Different in what manner?”
“They aren’t like my dreams of Sunset, or like any usual dreams. They’re like…” Twilight bit her lip and took a moment to think. How best to describe it. “It’s like a book written from another pony’s perspective. You’re going places and doing things and saying things, but it’s not actually you doing them, it’s just how the narrative is framing things happening for you as the reader. Does that make sense?”
“Of a sort.” Celestia gave a small nod and lifted her teacup to take a sip. “Why do these dreams strike you as so odd?”
“They’re unusually vivid, like my dreams about Sunset. But the dreams aren’t about her, they’re about two ponies named Corona and Nova. Do those words mean anything?”
Celestia shook her head and set her cup down. “I’m afraid not.”
“Darn.” Twilight slouched forward and propped her head on her hoof. “Let’s add another mystery to the pile we need to figure out.”
“Indeed.” Celestia reached out and brushed a comforting hoof against hers. “But you will, Twilight. I’m certain of it.”
“Thank you…” Another thought crossed her mind. “And speaking of my dreams, have you heard from Princess Luna about them? You said you would ask her, if I recall?”
Celestia shook her head. “I’m sorry, but no. She tells me she has spoken to Sunset, but discovered nothing.”
“Oh.” Twilight slumped back in her chair.
“I’m sorry, Twilight. I wish I had more to tell you. This is not me being secretive, I truly don’t understand it.” Celestia took a sip of her tea and hummed in her throat. “Even for pure curiosity’s sake, I would like an answer myself. The idea of the two of you being able to talk to each other in this manner is fascinating.”
Twilight gave her an odd look. “But, you and Luna can talk.”
Celestia hesitated a moment. “...Yes. But it is not the same as what you and Sunset do. It’s a very old spell, very powerful and usable only in a very specific circumstance. To forge a link with a pony through dreams, seemingly at random, ought to be impossible.”
“I see.”
“I’ve been pondering that perhaps Luna and I should personally tend to the two of you as you dream, observing for ourselves what kind of magic this is.” Celestia waved a hoof. “If we learn more about it, we could attempt to replicate it, or at least understand how theoretically it could be done.”
“Replicate?” Twilight took a breath. “You mean, create a connection to talk to Sunset outside the dream?”
“Yes, of course.” Celestia looked confused for a moment. “Why?”
“I just mean, like we talked about before, it’s possible to talk to another pony through telepathy.”
“Yes, but as I pointed out at the time, there’s limits to such spells.” Celestia held up a hoof. “Like any other spell, it weakens across great distances. And communicating with another pony across dimensions is as great a distance as I could imagine. It’s impossible.”
Twilight fidgeted in her seat. Here goes. “Well…hypothetically speaking…” she closed her eyes. “What if it was possible?” She cracked an eye open to see a rare, confused look on Celestia’s face.
“Pardon?”
“I did it,” she blurted. “I talked to Sunset with telepathy.”
Celestia sat up. “What? When? How?”
To Twilight’s surprise—and amusement—the princess suddenly had the demeanour of a curious schoolfilly. It almost reminded her of herself. “It was last week, actually. Before we talked, but with everything else we said then, I wasn’t sure if I should tell you.”
Celestia regained her composure. “Well, I’m rather disappointed you said nothing at the time. But now that you have, please, tell me more.”
Twilight took a breath and smiled. “I was researching my trans-dimensional teleportation spell at the start of the year, right? I modified my equations to utilise them with a telepathy spell instead. Given that I was trying to transport thoughts instead of a physical, living being, it was much easier. Relatively speaking, anyway.”
“Hmm…” Celestia leaned forward and put a hoof to her chin. “A clever idea, and I’m quite impressed it worked. You’re even smarter than I thought, Twilight, and that is not to be taken as an insult.”
Twilight beamed. “Thank you. I’m surprised it worked myself. I needed help, though. My friends helped provide the mental anchor to do it safely and bolster my own magic.”
“Yes, I would imagine so.” Celestia smiled back at her. “Even with that limitation, it’s wonderful to hear you succeeded. And you were able to exchange thoughts with Sunset?”
“Briefly, it was difficult to maintain the connection, but she heard me and I heard her.”
“That also makes sense.” Celestia nodded again. “And there were no complications or problems?”
The eyes of the void bored into Twilight’s mind and she shuddered. Celestia must have noticed her change, because her face became concerned. “Twilight?”
“Actually…” she swallowed a lump in her throat. “Like I said, my friends helped anchor me, right? When I couldn’t maintain the connection anymore, I let Sunset go and asked my friends to pull me back. But they didn’t. And then…” She paused to suppress another shudder and take a breath. “I…heard…something.”
“Something?”
“A voice.” Twilight heard her own voice shake as she tried to articulate the awful memory. “Something…dark…and powerful. It—”
She was cut off by Celestia rushing around the table to look at her closely, her eyes wide. She put a hoof on Twilight’s chin. “Why did you not tell me this sooner?!”
“I—I don’t know!” Twilight blurted. “I wanted to, I should have, but… I was worried, and didn’t know if I could…”
“That is no excuse,” Celestia said firmly. “You are to never attempt this spell again. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, of course.” Twilight nodded as best she could with the Princess’ hoof in place. “I haven’t, I know whatever that was, it was bad, really bad.”
“You have no idea.” Celestia dropped her hoof and walked away, her eyes downcast.
Before she lost herself in the Princess’ sudden shift in mood, Twilight continued with what came next. “But, then there was another voice!”
Celestia lifted her head and looked back at her. “Another?”
“Yes. It wasn’t bad at all, it was warm… it was familiar.” She smiled softly as she remembered and looked off into the distance. “I don’t know why it was familiar. I’d never heard it before. I saw Sunset, but it wasn’t her voice, either. It said ‘the spark has been struck, the link has been forged. Find them. Find us. It is the key to all’.” She paused after reciting the cryptic message. “And then I was back in my dorm.”
There was no response for several seconds, and Twilight turned her eyes towards Celestia. The Princess had abruptly sat on the ground and her eyes were darting about, her lips slightly moving but not saying anything Twilight could hear.
Rather than speak up and interrupt her, Twilight just watched. She knows what the dark voice is. She has no idea what this one is. She wasn’t sure what to make of that either way. She at least knew better than to ask what the dark voice was. She won’t tell me, it’s definitely one of those things she’d wanted kept secret. She briefly grew annoyed at the thought. I know more than she thought and she’s still not going to let me learn more.
The silence began to get to her, so she broke it. “Do you have any idea what it means?”
Celestia slowly shook her head. “None whatsoever.”
“Hm…” Twilight perked up. “Oh! When Sunset—or whatever it was I saw—said it, there were five orbs of light around her. Remember I said I was looking for a group of five? It was because of this vision. But I think I misunderstood it, because I didn’t think to include Sunset too. So I think it’s a group of six I should be looking for, not five.”
“Six…” Celestia looked up at the sky through the glass panels of her office. “Six…that makes sense, yes…”
Another twinge of irritation. Twilight climbed down from her seat and carefully approached her.
“Princess Celestia?” She waited until she looked down at her. “To be perfectly frank, and not meaning any disrespect… you can’t keep these secrets from me forever. Like it or not, however it’s happened, I’m a part of them now. Sunset, too.”
Celestia’s face was passive as she spoke, and when Twilight fell silent she gave a slow nod. “You’re not wrong, Twilight. But… there is a lot to tell, some of which is still not yours to know, or anypony’s… and yet…” She lifted her head and trailed off into thought again.
“Do you know what ‘six’ I’m supposed to find?”
“Yes. No. Maybe…” Celestia shook her head. “Six, yes, find, no. I’ll have to look into it.”
“And if you find an answer, would you tell me?”
“I suspect I may not have a choice. As you said, you are a part of these secrets, now.” Celestia took a deep breath. “I have much to think about, Twilight. However, for now…” She walked back to her desk and took a pencil and a notepad. “I want you to make me a very serious promise: mix up a batch of potions from the recipe I’m going to give you, and begin taking it tonight. A tablespoon every night before you go to sleep should be enough.” She tore the paper off the notepad and held it out.
Twilight took it and looked the recipe over. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary as far as household alchemy reagents went, but she didn’t recognize the result. “What kind of potion?”
“A dream-suppressant.”
Twilight snapped her head up. “What?”
“For your own safety,” Celestia said sternly. “Until I know more about how to ensure your protection otherwise, any potential dreams you may have could be dangerous in ways neither of us could anticipate. So, you will take the suppressant for now. Every night before you go to go sleep. Understand?”
“Yes, Princess.” Twilight carefully folded the list of reagents and put it in her bag. “But what about Sunset?”
“I’ll advise Luna to give Sunset the same.”
“No, I mean, how will I talk to her? Even putting aside this mystery, I don’t want to lose contact with her.”
“Ah.” Celestia thought. “I said before I may look into another means of allowing the two of you to speak. I’ll do so now, it should not take very long before I have a response for you.”
“Okay…” Twilight let out a long breath. “I’m sorry.”
Celestia shook her head. “Don’t be. As much as I would like to tell you what you did was wrong, you didn’t know any better. But you should have told me this much sooner.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated.
“I believe you. But it does not seem to be a problem, so there is no harm done.” Celestia leaned over her desk and tapped her hooves together. “Now, if you do not mind, please leave. I’m going to need time to think over what we’ve discussed.”
“Alright.” Twilight nodded. “If there’s anything more I could tell you, or do for you, or anything, I want to. If I can help with whatever this is, I will.”
“I know. Thank you.”
Twinkleshine flipped the page in her book and shuffled to get more comfortable on her bed. “It’s a good thing you and Celestia trust each other now, so you don’t need to be worried about drinking the glowing green mystery potion.”
Twilight wrinkled her nose and looked down at the flask on the table, which did indeed contain a viscous green liquid that was slightly luminescent. “I assume you’re not serious.”
“No more than usual.”
“Right.” Twilight gave the flask another series of swirls to make sure it was properly mixed. Though if she was being honest with herself, it was more to put off having to actually drink it. She did trust Celestia not to try anything duplicitous, but knowing what the potion would do was enough.
I haven’t seen Sunset since I did my telepathy spell. What if I’ve somehow cut her off forever? This could make it worse. She stopped shaking the flask and took a deep breath. “Well, I did promise her. And if it could protect me from that… whatever it was, better safe than sorry.”
She held a spoon up and lifted the flask to pour it out. The potion came out like syrup and she waited patiently until it began to drip down the edge. When the spoon was full she set the flask down and popped in a stopper.
“Bottoms up.” Twilight thrust the spoon into her mouth and gulped it down. She immediately gagged and lost her grip on the spoon, leaving it to clatter to the ground.
“Bad taste?” Twinkleshine asked.
Twilight nodded and stuck her tongue out. “I figured it’d be a little sour from the ingredients, so I borrowed some blueberry flavouring from Minuette. I don’t think I used enough.”
“Gross.”
She smacked her lips and grimaced. “At least the taste goes away quickly.” She went to the sink and grabbed a spare glass to fill with water.
“Feel anything from it?”
Twilight took a long drink of water as she considered the question. “Not yet. But I guess it’ll only take effect when I sleep.”
“True. Speaking of.” Twinkleshine folded over the corner of her book and set it on the table next to the beds. “I’m ready for shuteye myself. Good night.” She turned over and pulled the sheets up to her neck.
“I won’t be up too late.” Twilight looked at the flask again, and then lifted it over to her to slip it into the fridge. She stared at it as she closed the door, as though it were some ill omen.
I’m sorry, Sunset. See you soon. Somehow. I hope.