For Linda
There was coming a storm.
Twilight frowned slightly as she stood at the edge of the Everfree forest looking across the gentle hills into the distant horizon. Dark clouds had begun to form over what had been a normal and peaceful day in the innocent world of Equestria. The wind blew a chilling breeze through her mane. The mare's face revealed both concern and fear at the weather before her as part of her mouth wrinkled downward in a half frown.
“What is it Twi?” asked Spike who was walking along next to his friend when she stopped. The dragon looked beyond her to see what she was watching, his green eyes darting from one side of the cloud formation to the other. “A storm huh?”
“No,” Twilight said as she peered at the clouds. “No Spike, it's not. There was no mention of a storm anywhere today was there?”
Spike shrugged. “I dunno. It doesn't matter does it?”
Twilight glanced to Spike, the lower part of an eyelid reaching upwards in annoyance before looking back to the clouds. The mare sighed. “Yes it does Spike. No pegasus that I know of was given any instructions to form a storm. Rain is one thing but a storm that powerful should be given some sort of warning.”
Spike rolled his eyes. “C'mon Twi,” he said, “you're just worrying too much. Tell you what... we can go back in to Ponyville and ask Rainbow Dash to fly over to Cloudsdale to check. Will that stop your worrying?”
Twilight slowly looked back to Spike after hearing that word: Worrying. Hadn't she already learned a lesson about worrying involving time travel? And hadn't that same lesson involved uncalled fears of a major catastrophe? Gently she giggled, her eyes closing momentarily in relieved humor and she nodded to the small dragon. “Ok, you're right Spike,” she said. “Sorry, just seemed weird to me. Yeah let's go, Zecora's waiting for us.”
Spike smiled and continued walking into the Everfree Forest.
Twilight looked back to the clouds one more time before shaking her head and walking into the forest, following Spike.
*****
At first it started as a spark that flew from the ground. Then the electrical charge became more violent, bolts of electricity flying from the spot where no lightning had hit. The source of the energy was so violent that weather patterns above it had changed, the clouds growing dark, firing back their own bolts as if to communicate with the ground.
Almost as if to say come, we've been waiting for you.
The burst of energy continued, electricity being shot into the clouds, the clouds firing back. The wind began to howl around the area, grass blowing to the side, a whirlwind almost forming but being prevented by the massive energy being created.
Out of the hole stepped four creatures.
They stood, their yellow coats blowing violently in the wind, the suits they wore under them blowing as well. Their hats hung over their faces, blocking any visibility of their appearance. They stood among the wind, the lightning and the energy, all of them still and silent except for their clothing blowing about. Slowly they all turned to one another, staring at each other if they had eyes to stare.
They went down on all fours and their forms changed, their arms growing into legs.
They snarled as their biology reformed to fit the world that they were in. Light cracks and tears could be heard as though clothing were being torn apart or, more appropriately, a grotesque mask was being refitted and reformed.
Fingers which grabbed the soil of the ground beneath them vanished within the yellow coats. Strange hooves grew out in their place, digging into the dirt, covering the pits that their fingers had just dug there moments before.
They had become ponies.
Their crude yellow coats remained, still blowing in the gusts, their hats still pulled over their faces, but their form – their disguise – had changed. They stared at one another again, then looked forward to the world ahead of them.
Slowly one of them opened their mouth and spoke.
“For the king,” he said, his voice a low growl, distorted as though unnatural.
“The king,” the others echoed.
They began to move forward, all approaching a distant city that stood on the side of a mountain. A beautiful and innocent city of castles and wonder. A city of magic, though these four knew of magic of their own. It was not innocent like the world before them, however.
It was guilty.
As they made their way forward, the violent exchange of electricity from the earth to the sky continued behind, the rip that had brought them there still opened.
*****
Twilight stared into the storm as she and Spike walked back into Ponyville, frowning slightly. “I know I shouldn't worry,” she said softly, shaking her head, “but those clouds are just not right Spike. I can feel it.”
Spike continued to walk next to her as he also watched the clouds. “Yeah, and no rain,” he said.
Twilight blinked. “What?” she asked, looking to Spike.
Spike looked from the clouds to Twilight. “I said no rain. I mean, c'mon, what pegasus is going to go through the trouble of making storm clouds without the storm?”
Twilight's eyes widened and her head jerked back towards the distant clouds. Clearly, though there were dark clouds and lightning was being fired from them there was no rain. The clouds were still, unmoving, hovering in place.
“Spike,” she said gently, her voice trembling, “I think we might want to write a letter asking if anypony knows anything about this. A violent storm with no rain is definitely not right.”
Spike was quiet for a moment as he continued to watch the clouds. “Y'know Twi, I'm with you.” Then he hopped up on Twilight's back. “C'mon, let's get outta here!”
Twilight nodded, then galloped toward Ponyville.
*****
It was late into the night.
Spike had long since curled up in his small bed and fallen asleep. All of Ponyville had joined him in their own slumber.
Twilight was the only pony that was still up. As she read over a book on weather her eyes grew tired, drooping slightly. Then she shook her head.
“Gotta stay awake,” she said, “gotta…” she yawned. “Gotta do… more research. What clouds… could…” Slowly, the mare laid her head down on top of the book, her tired eyes closing. “What clouds... could be…” she said as she fell asleep.
And dreamed.
*****
The sky was an odd, dark color. Somewhere in the distance she could hear the thunder rolling for her. A strange word had come to her mind.
THUNDERCLAP.
Twilight frowned as she looked around her, trying to figure out where she was.
From what she could see it was a cornfield. Crops spread out in all directions swaying in the wind, rolling hills in the distance full of the corn. The storm continued in the distance and she began to panic. Quickly she galloped off, trying to run but not knowing where she was going.
Then she saw it. There was a roof in the midst of the corn, loose shingles piled on top of each other and a brick chimney extending towards the sky. A house!
Then she heard it.
It was the sound of a guitar gently playing, emanating from the house in front of her. Chords plucked a melody that Twilight had never heard before. Following it was the gentle sound of a voice, of a mare’s voice, an old mare’s voice, singing.
Twilight was hesitant at first, her head lowering curiously as she walked forward, peeking out from the corn.
It was a small and old farmhouse. Sitting in a wood rocking chair on the wooden slabs of the porch was an old mare, her gray hair pulled back. She was wearing a dress, an apron, a shawl, and a round pair of glasses, the clothing looking as old as her. Only, she wasn’t a mare. The only hair she had was on her head, and she had no tail.
Then it came to her. This wasn’t a mare, it was a woman.
But… what was a woman?
It was as if the knowledge had slowly entered her mind, as though she was told somehow or the thought had simply entered into her memory.
Carefully, Twilight stepped out of the crops and into the clearing in front of the farm house. The old woman smiled gently to her and continued to play her guitar for a moment before stopping and sitting the instrument down next to the rocking chair with arthritic hands that trembled slightly.
“Well,” said the old woman, “C’mon out t’corn.”
Twilight glanced back at the corn that she had just been hiding in then to the storm clouds in the distance. Slowly her head turned back to the woman, her face looking puzzled and nervous as she stepped forward. “Hello, ma’am,” she said gently, looking up at the elderly woman quizzically.
The woman smiled gently down at Twilight. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle,” she said.
“How… How did you know my name?”
“Oh, I know more than you might think,” she said still smiling. “I’m one hundred and eight years old, Twilight Sparkle, and I still bake my own bread.”
Twilight smiled at the woman, completely trusting her as though her mere presence beckoned with welcoming kindness and friendship. “If you bake cakes,” Twilight said, “I think you might be Pinkie Pie’s hero.”
The woman laughed. “Mayhap so honey,” she said.
Still smiling, Twilight asked, “Who are you ma’am?”
“My name is Abagail Freemantle,” she said, “but most folks ‘round these parts just calls me Mother Abagail.”
Twilight looked around the farmhouse, then back to the cornfield. “This isn’t Equestria, is it?”
“This?” asked the woman, her eyes also looking around. “No, dear. This here is Hemingford Home, Nebraska, but at this time, it is a might bit close to your world.”
Twilight looked back to her, puzzled again, but before she could ask anything, the old woman slowly pointed to the storm clouds.
“There’s a storm comin’,” she said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she concentrated on the clouds. “The storm, it’s opened a hole, a thinny. They’re comin’, and it’s your lot to deal with them.”
Twilight frowned. “Who mother?” she asked.
The old woman slowly looked back to Twilight. “There’s a storm comin’,” she said again, and then pointed a finger towards the cornfield where Twilight had just been hiding. “It is his storm!”
Twilight slowly looked from the woman to the corn and standing there was a dark silhouette of another, standing upright, the only thing visible being two red eyes which stared at Twilight, that stared through Twilight.
Then the dream was over and with a light scream, Twilight awoke.
*****
As the sun rose slowly in the distance Twilight sat on the edge of her bed, gazing out of the window, her eyes on the dark clouds as they continued to hover.
“I've never heard of a creature like that,” Spike said standing on Twilight's bed next to her as he gazed out of the window with her. The dragon's eyes were droopy as though he had just been awaken. Tiredly he yawned, his arms stretching above his head.
“Neither have I,” Twilight replied. “In the dream, I remember being told what she was... but now I don't remember.”
Spike frowned, looking from the window to her. “You were told?” he asked.
Twilight nodded. “It was as though the knowledge just flowed into my mind,” she said still watching the clouds. “It was like I already knew and just remembered.”
“What about the shadowy guy?” Spike asked still looking at Twilight curiously, one brow raised as the opposite brow furrowed in a questioning manner. “Was he the same sort of creature?”
Twilight shook her head, looking back to the small dragon. “No Spike,” she said. “I mean, he was the same shape but different. Very different.”
“And you think that he's in that storm?” Spike asked, his eyes darting to the window before looking back to the mare.
“I don't know,” Twilight sighed, looking back towards the clouds. “There is something coming. I'm sure of it now. I don't know what but it's something very, very bad.” Then she got up and headed downstairs. “Come on Spike, we need to write a letter.”
Spike hopped off of the bed without question, his small feet thumping against the wooden floor and he followed her, walking quickly.
Twilight walked over to a window near her desk, staring out again, watching the sky with peering eyes.
Spike walked up to the desk and climbed up onto the chair, sitting down and grabbing a pen. Then he dipped it in ink and rolled out a parchment, his outstretched hands flattening the paper before him. “Ready,” Spike said, looking to the paper.
Twilight paused for a moment, thinking of what she wanted to write. “Dear Princess Celestia,” she said.
Spike began to write.
As Twilight told Spike what to write, and as Spike quickly scribbled down what Twilight said, the rest of Ponyville began to wake up, the sun now well above the horizon and shining down on them.
Though the clouds remained over a small part of the sky the sun still shined everywhere else, the clouds unable to grow so large that they blocked the sun's rays from shining on Equestria. Across the land ponies and other creatures were getting up and, though aware of the presence of the clouds in the distance, continued their daily business of life.
No town in the land had quite the same view of the clouds and their constant firing of lightning than Canterlot, and standing at the top of Canterlot Tower, peering through a telescope that was aimed at the clouds was Princess Celestia, a frightened look on her face.
“I've been watching it all night,” said Princess Luna standing a few hooves behind her, looking past her to the clouds. “They have just been hovering there, lightning shooting from them.”
A blue pegasus in a blue jumpsuit and goggles swiftly flew in, landing on the tower before the two, bowing to them. The bow was so low that his chin almost touched the floor. “Your majesties,” he said.
Princess Celestia nodded to him and stepped away from the telescope so that she could face him. “Soarin,” she said smiling weakly. From the way her eyes dazedly stared at him it was obvious that she hadn't slept much even though her sister had watched over the night. “I'm very sorry that we must meet under such grave circumstances.”
Soarin raised his head and took off his goggles, glancing down at the for a moment as he thought about what he wanted to say. “Same here your majesty,” he said, then looked up and nodded toward the clouds. “We've tried to get close to that storm but somehow we can't seem to get anywhere near it. Every time we seem to get near the center of the storm it's like we get pushed away.”
Princess Celestia frowned. “Pushed away?” she asked.
Soarin nodded. “I'd say it's like wind but it's not. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's like an invisible hoof is just pushing us back and away. We did manage to get close enough to see the center of it.”
Princess Celestia nodded. “Go on,” she said.
Soarin frowned as he watched the clouds in the distance before looking back to her. The pegasus was silent for a moment, as though hesitant to talk, his head lowering slightly while his eyes remained on the princess. The pegasus looked like a foal about to be scorned, his ears flattening. “We've never seen anything like it,” he said finally. “It's as though every bolt of lightning is hitting the same exact spot and that spot is firing lightning back into the clouds. It's some sort of bright light, and...” then he looked away from her, his eyes closing in what looked to be shame. “I'm ashamed to admit this your majesty, but we were afraid.”
Princess Celestia's eyes widened, looking surprised that a member of the Wonderbolts would admit to being afraid of anything. Quickly her eyes returned to normal and then also looked to the side. “The truth is Soarin,” the alicorn said to him gently, “I cannot be entirely sure what this entity is and I too am somewhat afraid.”
Both Soarin and Princess Luna jerked their surprised attention back to Celestia as she admitted that.
Celestia turned back to face the clouds again, walking over to stand next to the telescope. “I can sense all magic that is from all of Equestria,” she said, “but whatever this is I cannot sense anything from it. Whatever this might be, it is not of this land. It is not of this world.” Then Celestia slowly closed her eyes, her head tilting down.
There was a strange silence from the three. Soarin stared at Princess Celestia almost in disbelief. Princess Luna frowned looking concerned for Equestria, or her sister, or both.
Suddenly there was a bright flash, a burst of light, and a letter floated down next to Celestia. She opened her eyes to gaze down at it. Using her magic she picked it up, opened it, and read it.
Soarin took a step forward, curiously looking at the paper. Luna blinked, watching her sister read. “What is it sister?” she asked.
Celestia continued reading for a moment, her eyes going back and forth over the words. “Mother Abagail,” she whispered.
Soarin and Princess Luna both slowly looked at each other confused before returning their gaze back to Celestia. “Sorry,” Soarin said hesitantly, “what was that your majesty?”
Still looking at the letter, Princess Celestia said, “It is from Twilight Sparkle. It would seem that she has been given a dream, a vision.”
Luna stepped forward when she heard Twilight's name, smiling now, a relief look on her face. “Wonderful!” she said with a hopeful smile. “Was it to do with this storm?”
Slowly, Celestia's head rose as she looked back to the clouds again. “Yes,” she said. “I must go to Ponyville to meet with her right away.” Then she turned to the two again, looking first to Soarin, her eyes narrowed in determination. “Soarin,” she said, “have the Wonderbolts be on high alert but unless I say otherwise stay away from that storm.”
Soarin smiled, his ears perking up. The pegasus grabbed his goggles, stretching them over his head and then over his eyes then saluted with his right hoof. “Yes your majesty!” he said, then took off flying.
Celestia looked to Luna. “Rest for now my sister,” she said with a gentle smile. “I cannot say for certain what the future may bring concerning this entity, but we must be ready for it.”
Princess Luna nodded in return and walked over to her, each hoof taking a slow step. Luna lifted her head, her mouth pulling back in a half frown that expressed concern. “Be safe big sister,” she said gently.
*****
It was day now and long past the time that Princess Luna usually went to sleep for her daily rest. Yawning, she climbed up into her large bed, curled up and laid her head down.
And dreamed.
*****
Princess Luna found herself standing in darkness. A large, opened area of some sort but it was night, the stars barely visible above her, the wind gently blowing through her mane.
Luna frowned as she stepped forward then felt her hoof crush something. It cracked under her like a twig breaking but felt smooth like fabric. Quickly she withdrew, afraid that she might have hurt something, and looked down at where she had just stepped. Then she blinked again, both of her brows furrowing on her head in confusion.
It was red and green. ‘Petals,’ she thought. ‘A flower?’
The princess lowered her head, her eyes narrowing as she peered at whatever was on the ground.
Lying there, crushed under her hoof, was a rose. A bright red rose. Luna stared into it, her eyes still narrow as she moved her head closer to get a better look. Something was moving inside of it, within the petals. “What manner of magic is this?” she whispered to it.
A very dim light shined through the red petals and reflected in her eyes. A gentle breeze picked up pushing back the petals lightly, and Luna could see, within the petals, the gentle reflection of a sky floating.
With what might have been shock, Princess Luna’s eyes widened. Within the rose was a world, another world, and it was still alive, providing the only other light that was in this opened area save the stars.
Then she heard them. Cries. Voices screaming, yelling up at her from the interior of the rose. Luna was terrified by this, but she couldn’t move, as though she had to figure out what the voices were telling her.
Finally, she heard what might have been a name. “Flagg,” something said within the petals.
Luna frowned. “Flagg?” she asked the rose gently.
“Flagg,” the voices repeated, “in Vegas.”
Luna continued to frown, tilting her head even closer to the rose, trying to hear, her ears perking up to listen.
“Old woman… from dreams… Colorado,” the voice said.
Princess Luna was so intent on listening to whatever the world from within the rose had to tell her that she didn’t notice the field around her slowly coming to life. When her eyes darted from the rose that she was concentrating on to her surroundings, the field had already lit up.
There was an infinite amount of tiny dots of light that were growing in brightness. Slowly Princess Luna lifted her head, standing upright as she gazed at them, an infinite amount of lights glowing in an infinite amount of directions. Luna looked all around her, feeling as though she was standing in the middle of it, as though she was standing in the middle of the universe.
As though she was standing in the middle of a galaxy of infinite worlds that were presenting themselves to her, showing her that they were there, that they existed.
The sun began to rise on whatever field this was, the sky going from night to a very deep blue of early morning. Princess Luna could now see, as daylight began to rise, that all around her, across the rolling hills of infinite fields, there were roses.
It was as though she was standing within an ocean of red.
“Luna,” a voice called out somewhere. It was deep, almost haunting, and it echoed across the field.
Princess Luna frowned, her eyes looking to the side as she could tell the voice was coming from somewhere behind her.
“Princess,” the voice said, the echo carrying across the galaxy before her.
Princess Luna slowly turned around, about to face the voice.
*****
Luna gasped when she had awakened. Quickly she leaned up, looking around her bedroom, her eyes scanning the walls as though to make sure that they were there.
Princess Luna raised a hoof to her head, gently whipping away some sweat.
It was a dream wasn’t it? Just a dream, nothing more.
“A dream,” she said, trying to convince herself that it really was a dream. But it wasn’t just a dream. There was something within those clouds, something not of this world that was tapping into Equestria. It was interfering with their world.
Princess Luna walked back to her bed, climbing up onto the mattress and laying down once again, her eyes staring forward as she thought.
First Twilight Sparkle had some sort of dream, and now her. Who would be the next to dream? Who would be the next to receive a vision from whatever was in those clouds?
She thought. “Twilight Sparkle,” she said slowly. “The Element of Magic. Then me, the Princess of the Night.” Then her eyes widened once more as she began to realize the pattern. “Whoever, or whatever, it is,” she said, “it’s talking to the elements of Equestria. The other world is trying to tell the basic elements of this world something.”
The Princess got back up, running over to her desk. Using her magic she picked up a quill pen, and began to write a letter.
*****
A filly unicorn giggled as she leaped forward, tackling over a colt. “Gotchya big brotha!” she said with a grin.
The colt smiled and gave her a light noogie with a hoof before pulling her into a hug. “Guess so,” he chuckled.
The colt wasn’t much older than her and was an earth pony with a brown coat, his mane being a little darker than his body. The smiling filly who now walked next to him was a dark shade of blue, with a lighter blue mane. Both obviously enjoyed each other’s company.
“How was school today sis?” asked the colt, smiling down at the filly as he walked, his hooves merrily taking each step in a happy stride.
The filly’s smile faded slightly at the mention of school. “Some ponies picked on me,” she mumbled.
The colt frowned at his sister. “Seriously?” he asked. “Again?”
The filly nodded sadly as she walked.
“Well,” he said, “that just won’t do now, will it?” The colt smiled, lightly head-butting his sister’s side. “Don’t worry, you’re going to get that cutie mark soon I can feel it.”
The filly’s eyes brightened as she gazed up at her brother. “You really think so?” she asked.
The colt smiled. “Of course I do!” he said. “And if those ponies give you any trouble again, you just tell them that they’ll have your big brother to answer to.”
The filly giggled and nodded at him, then looked forward. As she did her trotting came to a stop and her smile faded, her eyes fearful as she stared ahead.
The colt slowly came to a stop also, looking down at the filly curiously. “What is it?” he asked.
Slowly, the filly pointed a hoof forward, her expression changing, almost eerily, from happy to frightened.
The colt seemed almost afraid to look at what his little sister was pointing at, but his head slowly looked forward. “C’mon sis, this is Canterlot,” he began to say. “What could possibly be so scary?” Then he stopped talking as his answer came to him, and his eyes stared up at what his sister had seen.
It was nailed to a lamp post, the nails crooked and old, rusted, as though it had been there for years, just hanging there unnoticed. The parchment was torn in places, looking worn and rotten. There were some burnt marks on the paper, and the area of the post that it was nailed to looked as though it were rotting with it, as though the post itself had been tainted by it somehow. It gave the illusion that, should it remain there, the post would fall over, shrivel up into dust and blow away.
Written on the poster in crude writing that was almost illegible was:
HAVE YOU SEEN OUR PURPLE DOG?
GOES BY THE NAME SPIKE.
WE MISS HIM SO!
Under the writing was a scribbled picture of what might have been a purple-furred dog with green ears, but looked more like some sort of monstrosity to the children.
“Spike?” the filly said gently.
The colt continued to stare at the picture for a moment before shaking his head, nudging his sister lightly with his nose. “C’mon,” he whispered, as though the picture could hear them and he didn’t want to be heard. “Let’s get outta here, right now.”
The filly didn’t need to be told again, as she ran past the poster as though the poster could somehow come alive, reach out to her with the rusty nails and grab her. The colt ran with her, just as quickly.
The drawing of the purple thing stared forward, as though watching them leave.