It was eight in the evening, and all was quiet.
A white alicorn silently flew above the country side, high above the trees and hills, her pitch-black mane flowing in her wake. Below her, the world seemed ready for sleep. Above her, the stars were beginning to appear. Before her, the great mountains stood still, marking the boundaries of her rule. No wind blew, no creatures crept, no sound was there to be heard. The silence did nothing to quell her growing unease.
Not even ten minutes ago, she had sensed something. Somewhere in this general area, something hid that did not belong in her realm of Phantasmagoria. Whether sinister or benevolent, she knew not. What she knew was that it did not belong here, and had to be sent back to the world beyond.
Yet she could not find it. To her discerning eyes and ears, nothing was amiss.
She scanned the ground once again, searching for any tracks, any movement, even any sign of magic that might reveal the intruder's location. Once again, her search turned up no clues. Whatever she had felt, it was either gone, or else it was very determined to avoid scrutiny.
The alicorn descended, flying to the base of the mountain range. The trees opened, revealing the entrance of a great cave that dug deep into the earth. She landed, closed her eyes and extended her mind to touch the mouth of the cave. If anything had slipped past her ever vigilant notice, it would have to have come through the cave before her, the only entrance to the valley from beyond.
The cave held a memory of each sould that passed through it, the most recent of which she extracted and examined. In her mind's eye, she saw something enter her realm. But whatever it was had no form, no substance. It was almost as if there was nothing there at all.
The alicorn released the memory, her brow furrowed in thought. Whatever had infiltrated her realm had been able to corrupt the memory of the cave, erasing itself. This was especially worrying, as it implied that what had entered the valley had knowledge of its workings. And the only ones who possessed that knowledge were her sister and...
She sighed. There was nothing for it. Dusk was coming, and with it, her duties would soon begin. She would have to be especially vigilant tonight, in case whatever had infiltrated her realm made itself known.
A shadow passed over the mountains.
She turned around, her eyes widening in surprise and recognition, and she prepared to defend herself.
It was eight in the evening, and all was quiet.
*****
Applejack yawned and looked at the clock on the library wall. 9:30, it said, though it felt like much later than that.
"Hey, Applejack! Wake up!"
"Gah!" shouted Applejack, turning towards the source of the voice. "Pinkie Pie, don't do that!"
The pink pony beamed at her. "Well, how else am I going to make sure that you stay awake so you can enjoy the rest of the party?"
Applejack gave her a flat look. "Pinkie, the party's been goin' on for hours now. While Twilight's first birthday here in Ponyville may be a big occasion, I'm all tuckered out."
"Which is why we're going to party until we drop!"
"No, it's why I'm gonna have to leave," said Applejack. "I have chores to do back on the farm, and this surprise party of yers means that I'm gonna have to burn the midnight oil gettin’ 'em done."
"I have to agree with Applejack," said Twilight. "It's getting late, and I need to get up early tomorrow to get some studying done."
"But...but...but..." stuttered Pinkie, her eyes wide.
"I believe I must depart as well," said Rarity. "I have an order for Sapphire Shores that I've been putting off, and I will need to rise early in the morning to find all the gems I will need."
"Oh, please," said Rainbow Dash. "You have plenty of gems! Besides, can't she just use that outfit you made her last time?"
"Unfortunately, no, she cannot. And as for the gems I already have, the dress she requested is a sapphire-woven ensemble."
Rainbow gave her a blank look.
"...Meaning that the dress is literally made of gemstones," elaborated Rarity. "So even with my current store of gems, I will need to dig up many more in order to make the dress."
"Can't you just get Twilight to, I don't know, cast a turn-to-gem spell on the dress? That'd save you a lot of time."
"No such spell exists, Rainbow," said Twilight. "And even if it did, that level of transmutation would require much more magical energy than I can safely channel."
Rainbow pouted. "You guys are no fun."
"Um, actually, I need to go home, too," said Fluttershy. "If I don't feed my animal friends at sunrise, they start getting cranky."
"Well, that settles it, then," said Applejack. "Sorry, Pinkie, but we all think it's about time for us to head out."
"Okay," said Pinkie, before suddenly brightening up. "Welp, see you girls later, then! I have some planning to do before tomorrow night's after-birthday party!" Before anypony else could respond, she was already out the door.
After Pinkie left, the others said their goodbyes and walked out. Before Applejack managed to make her way more than a block away, Rainbow Dash ambushed her.
“So, just how many chores you got tomorrow?”
“Enough,” replied Applejack.
“Enough? What do you mean? You’re still gonna watch my newest trick, right?”
“Enough as in enough to keep me busy the whole day.”
“Aw, come on! It’ll only take a minute!”
“I said I’ll be busy, RD. Sorry, but you’re gonna hafta find somepony else to watch your latest stunt.”
Applejack walked in silence a short while, Rainbow flying alongside her, when Rainbow spoke again.
“I’ve got an idea! What if I just bring the trick to you? I’ll just need to find some good-sized thunderclouds near Sweet Apple Acres, and then—”
“How many times do I gotta say it, RD?” Applejack interrupted.
“Fine, you win. But just so ya know, this means you’ll no longer be able to say you’re the first pony to see this trick,”Rainbow teased.
“I’ll live,” said Applejack. “G’night, RD.”
“All right. See ya later!” she replied, rocketing off into the night.
Applejack shook her head, quickening her pace. Those chores weren’t going to do themselves, after all.
*****
In Canterlot, Princess Celestia was preparing for a good-night's sleep. She was lying in her bedchamber, and was just about to extinguish the lamps on either side of her when she heard a knock at her chamber door. With a sigh, she got out of bed.
"Come in," she beckoned.
One of her royal guards, a pegasus by the name of Steady Shield, poked his head into her room.
"Pardon me, your Majesty, but Her Royal Highness Princess Luna wishes to speak with you."
"Can it not wait until morning? I was just about to rest for the night."
"I apologize, your Majesty, but your sister says that it's a matter of some urgency."
Celestia brought a hoof to her face, both to rub some sleep out of her eyes and to cover up another sigh.
"Send her in, then," she said.
"Yes, your Majesty," said Steady, withdrawing from her room. Moments later, the doors were enveloped in navy-colored magic as they opened wide, allowing Princess Luna into the bedchamber.
"Happy evening, sister," she said.
"Good evening, Luna," replied Celestia. Though more than a little annoyed at being kept awake, Celestia's prepared remark on the matter died in her throat upon seeing the look on her sister's face. Far from her usual neutrality and aloofness, Luna's face was furrowed in a small scowl of concentration, her mouth a thin line.
But her eyes held a much different emotion, Celestia realized. Luna was afraid.
"Is something the matter, Luna?" Celestia asked.
"Yes, there most certainly is," Luna replied. "But first, I must ensure our privacy."
Luna's horn lit up, a sphere of magical energy concentrated on its tip. After a few seconds of crafting the spell, Luna released the sphere, causing it to expand to cover the entire room. Other than the two princesses, every surface in the bedchamber glowed softly with the light of Luna's spell.
Luna began to pace as she explained. "Just moments ago, I laid in my chambers, prepared to begin the night's vigil through our subjects' dreams. However, when I attempted to cast the spell that would allow me to enter the Dreaming, it fizzled out. I tried again, only to again be kept from performing my duties.
“Curious, I next attempted to thrust myself into the Dreaming, using my spell like a spear. I managed to break through whatever was resisting me, but only seconds later, I was...forced back out."
Celestia raised an eyebrow at this. "Forced out? Forced out by what?"
"That, I know not," said Luna. "Whatever it is, it is intelligent, and likely malevolent as well."
"What about the realm of Phantasmagoria?"
"That was my next thought as well," said Luna. "I sent a message to Princess Phantasia, but I have not yet received a reply. I fear that the World of Dreams is without a ruler."
There was a short pause as Celestia attempted to make sense of this newest revelation. "In that case," she said, "what were you able to determine during your brief trip into the Dreaming?"
Luna sighed, shaking her head. "That is the worst part," she said. "Though I was unable to study the force within the Dreaming, I was able to determine one thing. This force is converging itself around six areas, likely waiting to pounce upon the dreamer once they fall asleep."
Celestia's eyes widened, her face pale. "Then, you mean to say—"
"I do," interrupted Luna. "With this force keeping me from their dreams, and with Phantasia no longer at her post, I fear whatever malevolent entity is behind this wishes to bring harm to the Elements of Harmony."