You have to find out what the book is about. Simply have to. You’ll never know if the fate of Equestria or your sanity depends on it, I thought as I tried to pierce the stained page full of barely intelligible writing with my stare.
…atop the mountain, Princ… declared…
I buried my head in my hooves. For two days I had tried to decipher the writing in the mysterious book, but its bad condition had made comprehending the text all but impossible. The pages were tattered and some kind of dark brown liquid had spilled on them, further hampering my efforts to read. Halfway through the pages had become entirely blank. I felt frustrated.
“Making any progress, Twi?” a soft voice called from next to me, snapping me back to reality. Rarity had sat on my uninviting bunk. My legs were strained by the uncomfortable position I’d been glued to for hours, making any movement painful.
“Nope. This book makes my head hurt, and not just because of the sleep deprivation it has caused. This far I can only tell that it’s a story about some unnamed princess doing something in the North.”
“You really need to relax a bit,” Rarity said, wrapping her hoof around me. I let out a sigh, levitated the book into my pack and shivered. Only by rigorous effort was I able to avoid wetting my eyes up. I felt so desperate – I knew the book was somehow important, yet I had made no progress with it. I hadn’t slept more than an hour during the last two nights, the fear of experiencing the same nightmare, hallucination, or whatever it had been taking the better of me.
Rarity’s coat radiated a comforting warmness. I leaned on her, all the power left in me gone. With her, I was able to be myself and let out some of the inner turmoil wreaking havoc inside my mind. After a while in her hooves, I raised my head and looked her in the eyes. Rarity’s wasn’t smiling. In fact, I could see how her facial muscles had tensed up, indicating the stress she’d been subjected to in the last few days. But from the sapphire of her eyes I could sense how worried she was for me.
Slowly it became harder and harder to see as the world blurred up. I took in a shuddering breath, resting my head on Rarity’s shoulder. My mind became just as blurred as my sight, making any rational thinking too hard for my overworked brain. The cabin was now dimly lit despite it being an afternoon, as a storm almost as furious as the one we’d experienced in Hoofington raged outside and the intensity of the glow of my horn had reduced drastically.
“It’s alright, Twi. There’s nothing to worry about,” my friend whispered into my ear. I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks as I clamped my eyes shut, Rarity’s soothing voice finally breaking me. After crying in the warm embrace for a short while, my head started to feel heavy. The haze that had built up in my consciousness filled it, and I drifted to sleep.
--
I gently cuddled with Rarity. I felt like my head was sailing somewhere around the puffy white clouds in the sky, watching the rolling hills beneath us from above…
And there we were, now happily bouncing on a cloud and smiling at each other. The views from here were incredible – endless meadows and fields stretched all the way to the horizon, with only the occasional oak dotting the mattress of yellow and light green. The sun brightly shone above us.
Suddenly Rarity grabbed my hooves, pulling me closer to her. I could see so deep into her eyes that I felt like I was drowning into them. They closed on me, until our lips were almost touching. I hadn’t even realized how much I’d wanted this, now that it had final-
I fell through the cloud. Air rushed past me, and I felt like a huge weight had materialized into my stomach, pulling me down towards the ground.
“Rarity!” I desperately shouted, terror filling my mind. It was certain that I couldn’t possibly survive a fall like this.
But when I hit the ground, the world didn’t cut into blackness like I had thought – in fact, it hadn’t hurt at all. Instead of getting mangled in the long fall, I landed irrationally softly in the middle of a now completely grey world, fog all around me. I could feel wet grass under my body. A weak but distinctly dank breeze flailed my mane around.
When I rose up, I noticed that it was impossible to see past a few yards. And what I did see wasn’t comforting at all. Around and under me grew tall grey grass, looking like something had drained all the colors out of it. The wetness of the blades of grass made me shiver of cold.
“Twilight Sparkle,” a genderless voice called from somewhere.
I was scared to death. This was not good. Not good at all. I had no clue where I was, but something certainly was out there in the fog.
“Twilight Sparkle,” the voice boomed.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, confusedly glancing around the featureless grassland bounded by the grey walls of mist.
I stood completely still for minutes, but no answer came. After waiting for some time, I took a careful step forward. The ground didn’t swallow me and I wasn’t attacked by some unimaginably foul horrors, so I decided to press on and see whether there was anything to be found.
Everything felt like a strange dream. The place I was in was like a shelter or chamber built to cut me out of the outside of the world, but I could sense how very real every bit of this was. The wetness was almost unbearable, but I had to continue.
The land under me started to slope upwards. Every step felt heavier than the last, my bad shape becoming apparent as I climbed. At least the coldness was now gone, replaced with sweat.
“Twilight Sparkle. Watch.”
The fog disappeared and I was now on the side of mountain, its snowy top looming in front of me. Taking a look behind me, I saw a grey canopy down below, extending all the way to the horizon. There were no other distinct features in the landscape, the forest being almost unnaturally flat and dull. Where there were mountains, there usually were hills and deep lakes too. But it seemed like this peak was a quite lonely one, for no others protruded from the monotonous ground.
A distinct trail formed in front of my eyes, clearing the ground of the foliage and paving it with some substance of a darker hue of grey, the color that seemed to rule this plane without contest. I continued my ascension in the monochromatic scenery.
With no way of knowing how much time spent walking, I tried to count seconds in my head. I managed to do so for twenty minutes, but the total lack of vivid colors around me made such an uninteresting and simple task feel so utterly boring that keeping up was impossible.
After what felt like hours, perhaps even days, I arrived to a large flat circle on the mountainside. It was surrounded by nine enormous boulders, a bright white line extending on the ground from each towards the middle. The hunks of rock looked very imposing, their dark stone looking like it could swallow me whole if I went too close. But still I knew I had to carry on, as there was something in the middle that I absolutely needed to see, though I had no idea where that sensation came from.
With a calm trot I made my way towards the crossway of the lines. The ground under my hooves shook a bit, but there was no reason to care – all I could feel was the draw of the center.
I reached it.
Suddenly, I couldn’t feel anything under my hooves. The ground was no more, and I started falling once again. Like before when I had got to this place the air rushed past me, creating a feeling of complete helplessness. Everything around me was now black – I was falling in a void devoid of anything living or dead. I screamed in terror for what seemed like minutes, unable to resist the terror that had struck my mind.
--
The darkness abruptly faded away and was replaced by the sight of the oaken wall of the cabin. I felt something soft under my head, but the position I’d been sleeping in certainly wasn’t a very comfortable one. My mouth was agape and I shook violently, barely avoiding letting out a scream. I didn’t want to create unwanted attention.
Why did I see a dream like that? Is the book destroying my sanity? I nervously pondered, closing my eyes again. I didn’t want to delve too deep into my consciousness right now.
No, that’s not the case, silly. You have simply overtaxed your brain. Additionally, there’s no doubt that trying to make sense of something like that wretched book will cause you nightmares.
I slowly slid my eyelids open, now ready to take on the real world again. Trying to rise to a sitting position made my muscles ache terribly, but somehow I still managed to do it. Only then did I notice that the softness under my head hadn’t been the pillow – Rarity was sleeping tightly in my bunk, curled in a fetal position, causing me to blush. She looked incredibly cute in the gloomy morning light that hesitantly lit the room from the window, her chest heaving with a relaxed pace.
But when I rose up, I couldn’t bring myself to go for a morning stretch outside. My gaze was fixed at the sleeping white mare. Her mane was a complete mess and she took up so little space that her muscles would likely feel even more strained than mine when she woke up. I desperately wanted to just lay down again, wake Rarity up and cuddle with her just like in my dream.
As I shook in the chilly room, guilt crept into my mind. There I stood just staring at the mare who’d gently put me to sleep, saved my life and even left to a risky mission with me. And I hadn’t even thanked her, for Celestia’s sake!
Before I could decide whether to get on the move or not, Rarity shifted her painful-looking position. She let out a confused “ow” as her head hit the wall with a loud thunking noise, quickly raising her hoof to rub it.
“Ouch,” I reacted, unable to control my instincts.
Rarity stretched her legs, letting out a loud yawn. Her eyes flared open. “Morning, Twi. Or is it even morning yet? It’s so dark in here that it could as well be an evening,” Rarity said with a tired voice. “Just give me five more minutes, darling…”
I looked out of the window. A light drizzle painted the landscape with a grey tint, the forest now changed to rugged hills devoid of any trees higher than a few feet. “It’s raining just like yesterday. The weather isn’t controlled by pegasi at these latitudes.”
“Why not?” Rarity growled, turning her back towards me.
“It’d take more ponies than those few who even live here. It would be a complete waste of resources.”
My friend only murmured something unintelligible for an answer, covering her head in a pillow, obviously the one I’d tried to force onto her a few days back.
“I didn’t quite catch that, Rarity.”
“Uhm… I just asked you to join me here. It’s awful cold to sleep alone in a bed made of a slab of iron,” my friend replied with a low tone in her voice.
I felt the heat of a fierce blush light up on my cheeks, my mouth falling wide open. Did she really ask that? Yes, I think she did. Utterly paralyzed by the unexpected invitation, I again failed to move anywhere from where I was standing.
“You shouldn’t keep a lady waiting, Twi.” Rarity shivered a bit.
Taking a hesitant step after another, I walked towards her. Don’t do anything foolish, Twilight. You know she’d hate you.
Rarity turned to face me as I lowered onto the bunk. She looked amused, and opened her mouth. “What’s taking so long?”
There was no reason for me to answer. I simply laid down besides her, careful to not make contact. But the white mare had other things in mind. She rolled on her side, catching me in a loose embrace. Her coat felt incredibly warm, but not as much as my cheeks. I could feel my heart racing with a frightening pace.
“Much better now,” Rarity said with a smile, looking me directly in the eyes. “It sure was getting cold in here.”
“Um... Ra- Rarity?”
“Yes, darling?”
What should I say? Confess that I have the weirdest crush on her? No, you can’t do that. You know she’s only into stallions, and would likely never want to talk to you again if you did the mistake of telling her how you feel. So keep your mouth shut.
“Just forget it,” I sheepishly answered.
Rarity raised her eyebrows, turning around once again. Had she not done that, I’d probably have fainted; being so close to her made me extremely nervous. For a while we laid there, keeping each other warm in the slightly dank room. I knew the moment wouldn’t last forever, but I tried to enjoy it while it lasted. Rarity started to lightly snooze – and I blushed yet again to her cuteness. She couldn’t sleep for too long, however, as the train would arrive to Lily Valley in only a few hours if it was on schedule.
--
Rarity and I kept glancing at the window while the rolling speed of the landscape slowed down after each beat of the train’s steam engine. The weather was now fair, the sun lighting most of the landscape up from behind rolling clouds, the rain having ended. Large clearings appeared at times, enabling us to see the magnificent mountains that had been hiding behind the curtain of trees for most of our trip. The rugged and grey peaks stood tall above everything else, their snowy tops reflecting the rays of light with an almost blinding intensity.
We had packed all of our stuff inside our saddlebags and were now excitedly waiting for the train to stop, for it would be a relief to finally get out of the wagon that resembled more a transportation hold for domestic animals than ponies. Despite the unpredictable weather, we both had high hopes regarding the town ahead.
The train screeched to a halt, and without a word both of us quickly walked to the exit, eager to get some fresh air. As I opened the door and jumped onto the weathered concrete platform, the staleness of the train was just a bad memory. In front of us stood a large red building, delicately crafted out of some wood. A slightly rusty plaque had been bolted below the roof – Welcome to Lily Valley, it simply told.
“So we’re finally here,” Rarity said, smiling after getting away from the filthy wagon. “Where’s the guide Celestia promised? And what does he even look like?”
I swept my gaze across the station. The lengthy platform was devoid of any ponies beside us, the warm late-summer breeze whirling leaves and dust around it. I had been expecting the stallion to meet us here, but apparently that assumption had been wrong. Normally my preparations would have been extensive enough to cover this, but the strange book had stolen all of my attention for the past few days. “Um… I… uh…” I managed to mutter out.
Rarity gave me an annoyed look. “Well, what are we going to do then?”
There weren’t really many options to choose from: either we’d wait here in hopes of him coming, search for him or simply use our reputation to get a place to stay in and let the guard find us. It didn’t take long for me to evaluate the best alternative.
“Alright, Rarity. Here’s what I think we should do: first off, we have to get something to eat. After that finding a motel or such to stay in will be our first priority, and when we have done that, we’ll simply sleep through the night. I’m sure he’ll be looking for us, since he won’t get paid if the ponies he’s supposed to assist are nowhere to be seen.”
My friend nodded, and so we began to walk the narrow road that started from behind the station building; for some reason, Lily Valley had been built half a mile from the railroad. A not-very-dense pine forest surrounded the dirt path, enabling us to see all the way to the town. In the distance, a few brown buildings stood. It was obvious even from here that they were built of big untreated logs. Homely trails of smoke rose from many chimneys.
As we came closer to the village, the forest abruptly stopped. Fields of rye, potato and some other plants extended across hundreds of feet. In the middle of them were a dozen of buildings – Lily Valley was a very humble town, the farmhouses and other structures packed together like a herd of sheep. Only by its red color, seemingly the only hue of paint in use at these latitudes, could I recognize the Common House, an inn was known for its good meals and warm beds. On the outskirts of the fields stood some smaller houses.
“So this is it?” Rarity asked.
“Pretty much. I’ve been here once before, and it looks like the place hasn’t changed a bit. We can eat and rest in the Common House, the red building sitting right there,” I said, pointing my hoof at it.
“A backwater tavern. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything more,” my friend sighed.
“Don’t prejudice a place by its looks, Rarity! This inn is probably one of the finest in the North. And if all else fails to impress you, at least the views from the windows are incredible!” The location of the town was indeed quite spectacular. It was questionable whether Lily Valley was an actual valley, but from the ground it sure looked like one. The forest on all of the town’s sides started to slope almost right after the end of the fields, the land gradually steepening and rising until meeting the treeline of the mountains that bordered the huge valley. It was somewhat overwhelming that our destination was not on one of those peaks, but on a mount dozens of miles to the east. It was visible, but had a slightly blue tint because of the distance. The hike would certainly be a long one.
“Whatever you say, Twi… it can’t be as bad as the train, mind you.”
--
The night was a cold one, but Rarity and I didn’t have to suffer from it. My friend was already asleep under warm blankets. She snoozed with a quiet yet audible voice, making me feel like cuddling her. If the now-doused fireplace hadn’t still radiated its heat all around the room, I would possibly even have done that to simply feel warm.
I stood by the window, my gaze locked onto the distant peak. The clouds had rolled away and stars now painted the sky with their otherworldly grace, dimly lighting the landscape up. But in the side of the faraway mountain, I could see something else – bright fires kept appearing, momentarily illuminating a small area. There was no way for me to recognize the details, but what I saw made me cringe.