//------------------------------// // Letters to Solaris // Story: Universe 63 // by CarmenColor //------------------------------// Twilight levitated a quill and scribbled on the parchment. Dusk had been asleep for hours, but she had stayed awake, wondering what to write to the Prince. She'd had many ideas, but none seemed to fit what she wanted to convey properly. Finally, she had decided to start writing the letter, or she could be thinking for days. Dear Solaris, I have taken up my student duties and have decided to write to you. My magic is coming back, slowly but surely, and I am happy to tell you that my levitation spell is working fine. I have not written to talk to you about my magic, though. More about the problems it is causing... So...I would like to request some assistance in dealing with my temporary time here. I have found it very distracting and difficult to be away from my friends, or at least away from the ones I'm used to. These others are my friends too, but it's just not the same. I find myself distressed when I see most ponies, because they remind me of others that I left. I would appreciate some help with my problem, and I was wondering if you could help me. I thank you for making me your temporary student. Your new student, Twilight Sparkle She read it over, making sure it conveyed what she wanted it to. When she was satisfied, she rolled up the scroll and set it next to Spines. The little dragon turned over in her sleep. Twilight watched the little one for a while before heading off to bed. She laid a down and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Slowly, her eyes closed and she fell asleep, wishing with all her heart that she could just see one of her friends again. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, or Rarity... "Twilight?" a voice asked. She looked around. Where was she? Oh, right, she was in a dream. "Twilight? Is that you?" An alabaster unicorn mare approached her. "Oh, I must be dreaming... It can't really be you." "Your dreaming?" Twilight asked, "But you are the dream. I just fell asleep." The dream-Rarity scoffed at her. "I am most certainly not a dream," she said, "And you are most certainly not Twilight. She disappeared over a week ago. Spike said she was performing some weird new spell and disappeared." Twilight wandered forward. "Well, that sounds like me. I got transported to another universe and I can't get back. Oh, I wish you were the real Rarity so I could tell her..." "I am the real Rarity." The other unicorn stared at Twilight. "Please tell me you're the real Twilight. This isn't really a dream, is it?" "It has to be a dream. What else could it be?" "Well, that one spell you learned, the one about connecting with another unicorn's mind, it did this too. It looked just...like...this..." Twilight looked out at the vast emptiness around them. It was very similar to... Both unicorns' faces lit up and they galloped for each other. "The mind linking spell! Yes! I must have accidentally cast it without knowing. I miss you guys so much, and I must have not been in control of my magic. Oh, Rarity, I'm so glad to see you again!" "Twilight, it is so good to know that you're safe. Now I can tell the princesses and everypony else that you're okay." Rarity's dream form frowned at her. "You said you were stuck?" "Yeah, in more ways than one. The spell I used is one that tracks your own magical aura from each universe, so once you leave, it's hard to get back. Almost impossible so far, actually. And I also have been unable to even perform my spell recently, because I've had a magical illness that still won't go away for a few months." "Magical illness? You're ill? Well, what happened?" Rarity asked, concerned. "When I jumped into this universe that I'm in, their Prince Solaris, who is basically a male Celestia, cast a magical tap on me, because he feared for this universe's Twilight, who is actually also a male and his name is Dusk Shine. The Prince removed his tap, but it has had some lingering effects that have decreased my abilities greatly. I don't even know how I'm able to do this spell." "Well, I have heard that unicorns' dreams can power their magic, and they can even cast her level spells in their sleep sometimes." Twilight frowned. "So until I figure this out, we can only communicate when at least I am asleep?" "It would seem so, yes. I shouldn't matter if I am asleep or awake, since its your spell being cast here. I can feel your energy in it. I felt I before, but I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me." The barren space around them fuzzed for a second. "Oh, no. I must be waking up! Bye Rarity! I'll try to talk to you again soon!" The two sorta dream-form unicorns hugged each other until they other disappeared. The next thing Twilight knew, she was in the library, laying in the guest bed. Dusk Shine's face hovered above her, looking concerned. "Um... Spines sent your letter.... Do...Do you feel okay, Twilight? You were tossing a lot last night." "I'm okay, Dusk. Just a dream is all." Twilight decided to tell him about her sleep casting later. He might want to find a way to make her stop, in case she went over her limits, which she still didn't know at the time because of her temporary magical degeneration illness. She didn't want to not be able to talk to Rarity. She needed to talk to Rarity, because inside, she knew that this was the only way to keep her sanity.