Twilight Sparkle woke up with a gasp. Her ragged breathing was the only noise in her bedroom. She looked down; Spike was already up, he wasn't in his bed. She slowed her breathing, and looked out the window; Celestia's sun was already rising into the sky. It was morning. Strangely enough, the rising sun did nothing but contrast with the pit dropping into Twilight's stomach. She had had a very... foreboding dream last night.
~~~
"Alright class! Now, what did we learn about teleportation yesterday?" Twilight stood at the head of a classroom. Though she wore a complacent smile on her face, her hoof tapping on her desk betrayed her eagerness. Due to her studies of equine psychology, she knew that this was a dream: it was always one of her wishes to be a successful teacher at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Instructing alongside her own mentor was truly a dream come true, or rather a dream staying a dream in this case. Nevertheless, she took these dreams - gifts from Princess Luna no doubt - and enjoyed them to their fullest, even if just for a short while. Currently, she was giving a lecture on teleportation to a class of rising students, many of whom were Twilight's age or even older, she noted. One mare raised her right hoof to answer.
"That teleportation consists of manipulating the ley lines of the aether to allow your own body's natural ley lines to seamlessly meld into the aether. Before casting the spell, a clear destination must be made in a specific location relative to both the aether and physical world, or else the passage through the ley lines won't be completed correctly, possibly causing the spell to fail completely or transport the user to a completely random location. A successful teleportation will consist of the user designating a destination, melding their own ley lines into the aether's, and traveling through the aether to the corresponding physical location of the destination, where they will reappear in a burst of light as the ley lines of both their body and the aether correctly rearrange themselves."
Twilight stopped tapping her hoof halfway through the explanation, and was slightly stunned. The students hardly ever answered the questions that well; it gave Twilight more fun in lecturing each point again. "Um, that's... completely correct, Miss..."
The student who answered the question previously sat in the nondescript mist that obscures most of our dreams. However, Twilight focused her attention on her, and the mist began to clear. Twilight was even more confused by who she saw in her lecture's audience.
"Princess Luna?..."
The princess smiled. "It's good to see you again, Twilight."
Twilight's face scrunched up in concentration. "But... why are you attending my lecture? Oh Celestia, am I really that arrogant!? That I subconsciously think I'm smarter than one of the princesses so it's being manifested in my drea-"
Luna cut her off before Twilight could continue rambling. "Calm yourself, Twilight. This isn't part of your dream. This is a personal visit."
Twilight flushed a little. "But... this is sorta personal. Meeting me in my dreams?..."
Luna smiled. "Oh come now, dear Twilight. Did you forget who hoof-picks most of these dreams for you?"
Twilight blushed even more at this. "Oh, sorry Princess - I forgot who I was talking to for a second. I'm so sorry! It's just that the dreamscape is somewhat clouding my reasoning; dreams tend to skew the inhibitions of those who are experiencing them, as based on Starswirl the Bearded's studies and experimentation using the Mind Delve spell on unconscious test subjects - who were all consenting of course - and discovering tha-"
Luna cut her off again, but used a friendly tone. "WELL. It seems the dreamscape hasn't dulled your keen eye for detail, apparently. There isn't any wonder why my sister chose you as her apprentice."
Before Twilight could speak again and no doubt begin another rant, Luna continued. "But pleasantries aside, Twilight Sparkle, I appear here on important business." Twilight's face cleared and she nodded in understanding; Luna nodded in return. Her expression grew stern.
"Normally, my sister - your mentor - would call you to meet us personally to Canterlot for such a momentous event, but time is of the essence. During the afternoon yesterday, as Celestia was lowering the sun and I was preparing to raise the moon, there was a powerful fluctuation in the ley lines surrounding Ponyville. Needless to say, the amount of power generated by the fluctuation was large enough to be subconsciously noticed by both me and my sister. I inquired whether you had recently messaged her about any significant experiments you might be performing. Based on her rather humorous response, I can only assume you have not. However, this raises the question..."
Twilight finished the sentence. "What caused those fluctuations?..."
Luna nodded. "Precisely. My sister and I both request that you investigate immediately. Being one of the closest to the ripple, you should have a relatively simple time of locating the source of the aetheral disturbance. We apologize if this conflicts with any plans you might have had prior with your friends, but I feel you understand the significance of this situation."
Twilight flashed a determined grin. "Don't worry, Princess! I'll do my best!"
Luna smiled, somewhat relieved. "Many thanks, Twilight Sparkle. Do not hesitate to contact us should you discover anything."
With another exchange of nods, Luna left Twilight to enjoy the rest of her dream. The Alicorn of the Night seemed to blend seamlessly into the background, and phase through it, leaving an empty seat in the lecture hall Twilight suddenly found herself in again. Twilight focused her attention back to her class.
"So... does anypony else know what we discussed last class about teleportation?"
Not a hoof was raised. Twilight smiled. 'This is going to be fun.'
~~~
Now awake, Twilight was feeling a touch less confident than she was in her dream. She let out a huff. 'Dreamscapes remove your inhibitions; you were all too right, Starswirl...'
Now that she thought about it, the idea of something important enough to prompt a personal visit from Princess Luna in the middle of the night SURELY must hold extremely grave importance. She got nervous already, just stirring in her thoughts. 'Oh no, could it be?... Maybe Discord has cousins! No, it wouldn't make sense for an embodiment of Chaos to have physical relatives. Wait, maybe - that's it! Chrysalis has cousins! The ripple was caused by rival swarms attempting to drain the emotion out of Ponyville en masse using a new method of draining! Wait, the apparent violence of the ripple means that the spell probably failed, so that means I still have a chance to stop them!... No, that's silly. Changelings can only feed on emotions transferred directly to them, so... - urgh! Well, I'm not going to figure it out lying here in bed. Princess Luna said that time is of the essence! I should probably start by running a full aetheral scan of the ley lines in and around Ponyville...'
Twilight mulled over a few direct solutions in her head, before something else occurred to her.
"I'm going to have to cancel all the day's plans I made with Applejack," she groaned. 'Ugh, I'm sure she'll understand, but I hate having to cancel plans with my friends. Besides, the fate of Equestria is at stake!... Or it could be.' She rolled her eyes. 'It probably is.'
Twilight pulled herself out of bed and telekinetically grabbed a brush. She brushed her mane and made her bed at the same time. After making sure both she and her room were presentable, she headed downstairs and turned to the kitchen for some breakfast. Spike was eating some cereal which was obviously made from gems. The tiny dragon noticed Twilight enter, and called to her. "Morning, Twilight. Sleep well?"
Twilight hurriedly grabbed a muffin from the pantry and began to munch down on it while explaining the situation as best she could with her mouth full. "Well *nom nom* Princess 'una *chew* 'ast night *swallow* something about a ripple in the ley lines around Ponyville *chomp* pro'ably im'ortant-"
Spike just stared at her while she was talking before deciding to cut her off. "Uh, Twilight? Why don't you finish the muffin before you start explaining whatever happened in the middle of the night."
Twilight nodded and tried her best to shove the rest of the muffin into her mouth and swallow it. It got caught in her throat and she started coughing on it.
"Whoa, Twilight!" Spike rushed over to her seat and slapped her solidly on the back. He heard her swallow it. "Geez! When I said 'finish the muffin', I still meant for you to chew it."
Twilight sighed. "Thanks, Spike, and sorry, I'm sorta in a rush." She got up from her chair. "It was an important message from Princess Luna. I'll tell you the details when I get back, but I need to get to Applejack's to cancel our day together." She sighed again. "Friendship is important, but duty calls."
Spike nodded, a worried expression on his face. "Sure; just don't let it get to you, okay Twilight? Take it easy out there."
Twilight spoke in a kind, but determined tone, "Oh, don't worry, Spike. I'll be back faster than Pinkie can eat a cupcake." She made her way out the door.
"At least Pinkie can swallow her food," Spike chuckled.
Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile. "Bye, Spike." She closed the door behind her, and made her way through town.
~~~
The walk through Ponyville was uneventful to say the least. It was still fairly early in the morning, so many of Ponyville's more... rambunctious inhabitants, such as Rainbow Dash, weren't awake yet. It was one of those days on the weekend when most ponies were off from work, and Twilight would be hard pressed to find a day off when Rainbow Dash woke up early. However, certain shopkeepers and restaurant workers were already up and about to set up shop, no doubt preparing for the number of customers generated by such a day off. Twilight knew she would find Applejack either in the marketplace, setting up the apple stand, or still at home on the farm. The marketplace was closer than the Acres, so she made her way there first. She frowned inwardly when she saw not Applejack behind the incomplete stand, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Applebloom saw Twilight in her peripheral vision and waved to her.
"Howdy there, Twilight! Might Ah interest you in some apples this fine mornin'?" The little filly flashed an adorable smile. The other two crusaders caught on quickly and joined in the smiles.
Twilight didn't want to get caught up. "Oh, I'm sorry girls, but I'm sorta in a hurry, and I just had breakfast." She threw on a nervous smile. "But I promise I'll come back later, as soon as I make some progress in my work, okay?"
Applebloom threw on an overly suspicious facade. "Allllright, but Ah'm gonna hold you to yer word, ya hear?"
Twilight nodded and loosened up. "It's a deal." Her expression noticeably became more serious. Twilight sighed to herself. 'The sooner I clear my schedule with Applejack, the sooner I can begin my investigation unimpeded.' "But Applebloom, your sister should be back at the farm right now, right?"
Applebloom dropped the mock suspicion. "Well, yea. She mentioned somethin' about spendin' the day with you, so Ah asked to run the cart today to free her time up. She should still be back at the farm; she probably jus' woke up, 'cause she's been workin' so hard lately. There's been a lot more apples than expected this season - Ah helped harvest them, too!" At this, she proudly motioned to the several baskets of apples and apple-based products surrounding the cart: much more than usual.
Twilight glanced at the excessive amount of apples all concentrated in one area, before turning and rushing away. She called over her shoulder, "Thanks, Applebloom! Good job on the harvest, and good luck with sales!"
Applebloom waved and called back with a smile, "Have a fun day with mah sister! Tell 'er she has nothin' to worry about, lettin' us run the stand for a day!" She stopped waving once Twilight was out of earshot, and dropped her smile. She turned to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "That Twilight's a few apples short of a harvest sometimes, don't ya think?"
"Yeah..."
"Unequivocally!"
Both Scootaloo and and Applebloom stared at Sweetie Belle.
Applebloom shook her head. "That's a mite harsh, even fer a dicshunary."
Sweetie Belle lowered her face and flushed a little. "Sorry..."
Scootaloo just looked baffled. "Err, what does 'unequivocally' mean?"
~~~
Twilight trotted the rest of the way to Sweet Apple Acres. She sighed to herself again. 'The sooner I talk with Applejack, the sooner I can start my research.' She slowed down at the outer gate. 'It really is a beautiful day... But responsibilities come first, whether they be to my friends or to the Princesses.' She spotted Applejack leaving her house. Applejack had already noticed her. The farmpony was disquieted by how Twilight was rushing towards her.
Applejack called out to her as she approached. "Well hey there, sugarcube! Ah know yer excited to get our day started, but we have the whole day. No need to rush, now."
Once the two were within comfortable speaking distance, Twilight started explaining the situation. "Well, that's just it, Applejack. I sorta have to cancel our day together."
Applejack frowned. "Huh? What fer?"
"I was contacted by Princess Luna last night; apparently, there was a massive magical disturbance somewhere in or around Ponyville yesterday afternoon. It was powerful enough for the Princesses to notice it all the way from Canterlot! Princess Luna personally entrusted me with the task of researching it; if it's really as powerful as she let it on to be, this could result in disaster for Ponyvi- AGH!!!"
"W-Wuh!? Twilight, what's wrong!?"
"GHAHH!" Twilight clutched her forehead around her horn in pain. She shut her eyes. 'By... Celestia... what, what IS that!?' She had been hit by the greatest presence of... pure darkness, that she had ever felt. It was comparable to what she had felt when fighting against Nightmare Moon. She felt the darkness surround her, as if it threatened to consume everything; it overpowered her senses, mimicking a roar so loud it coalesced into a dull incomprehensible ringing that blocked out everything she could feel, and eventually... nothing. Just as quickly as she felt it, it was gone. Twilight breathed for a few seconds, making sure whatever caused it wasn't just trying to deceive her into letting her guard down. 'What could've caused such a monstrous...wait a second, the aetheral ripple!' Twilight's eyes shot open in realization. 'B-but if it felt that close, it'd might as well be in this very farm: in Sweet Apple Acres!' Twilight refocused her attention to Applejack, who was still right in front of her, apparently ready to carry the unicorn off and bolt to a hospital should she collapse.
Once Applejack saw Twilight come to, she spoke in a VERY worried tone. "Twilight, what the hay is wrong!? You just sorta started clutchin' yer horn, as if ya were in pain or somethin'! You spaced out fer a good 10 seconds... Should Ah go fetch Nurse Redheart? Is this a side effect of all yer magical 'ecksperimuntashun?' Gosh darn it, Twilight! We keep tellin' ya tah be careful with yerself!"
Twilight lowered her hooves and shook her head, wincing a little at the motion. "No- no, Applejack... That wasn't me, or my fault, per se." She sighed. "Looks like we might be spending the day together, after all."
Applejack still looked worried. "Whattaya mean?"
"I think I just found the source of the disturbance..."
Confusion mixed with Applejack's worried face. "What? Where?"
Twilight swallowed. "Right at Sweet Apple Acres."
Applejack's eyes widened in alarm. "Huh!? I didn't notice anythin' while Ah was workin' on the farm yesturday, an' Ah know this farm like the back of mah hoof! ...Or is it one of those magical thing-a-mah-jiggers that only unicorns can sense or sumthin'?"
Twilight pressed her hoof to her chin and thought. "...No, such a thing would surely have a physical manifestation. A purely magical thing or being wouldn't remain in nearly the same place overnight. Princess Luna said that whatever happened, happened late in the afternoon: she was already preparing to raise the moon. That means the ripple occurred within minutes of sundown. Due to your work schedule, your family very well could all have been back in the house by then. Nopony else is noticing the residual magical feedback - what caused my headache - because unicorns and alicorns are the only ponies directly attuned to pure magic. No other ponies, unicorns or otherwise, is as attuned to Dark magic as the Princesses or I, so we are the only ponies to actually feel it." Twilight frowned. "But I only felt the source within its direct vicinity, as the Princesses have much more experience with magic of all kinds than I do, so they were able to sense its time of arrival all the way from Canterlot."
Applejack nodded. "Ah understand... Ah think. The strongest unicorns feel it from farthest away... but what was that you said about 'Dark magic'?"
'I think Dark magic might just be something I need to keep a secret from Applejack, at least for now...' Twilight shook her head again. "It doesn't matter; you got the gist of it. But the magic the source is emitting is... unstable. It'd be too dangerous for me to try to find it using magic, based on what just happened. But from what I felt, the thing that came through the magical disturbance really is somewhere on your farm, Applejack." Twilight sighed. "I'd hate to put you in harm's way, Applejack, but I'll need your help to find this thing on hoof, as quickly as possible."
Applejack smiled, a determined glint in her eye. "Now, now, Twi. Ah don't wanna hear any o' that! Ah'm yer friend, and it would be downright terrible of me to not stay by yer side when the goin' gets tough." Applejack started counting with her front right hoof, each tap a numeral. "Together, we've faced Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, and even that weird feller King Sombra. Slap a dunce's cap on mah head and call me dumb if Ah don't help ya now, b'cause that's what friends are for!" She stomped her right hoof on the ground for emphasis.
Twilight giggled a bit at the reference to school, and smiled herself. Applejack's determination was infectious. "Thanks, Applejack. You're one of the most dependable ponies I know: one out of five to be exact. Now, let's get started! First, we're going to need an efficient plan..."
~~~
The two spent five to ten minutes thinking of a sensible way to approach the situation. After Applejack outlined the layout of the farm, Twilight partitioned the surface area of the fields into sizeable areas that would be split between Applejack and her to search. However, based on Twilight's estimations, it would take well into the night to complete the sweep: Sweet Apple Acres was a large place, and searching it thoroughly would take time.
Applejack suggested, "Hey Twi, why don't we get some of the other girls ta help?"
Twilight thought for a moment. "Rarity and Pinkie Pie would probably be busy running their businesses: it is a popular day of the week for shopping after all. I don't think Fluttershy would be very efficient, searching for a scary magical thing all alone. What about Rainbow Dash?"
Applejack chuckled, "Nah, I don't trust her to multitask with somethin' like this. From what yer tellin' me, what we're lookin' fer could be purty small, or even partly buried. She wouldn' be able to see somethin' that small from high up, and the idea of Dash flyin' at high speeds close to the ground doesn't sound like the best of ideas in fields filled with apple trees."
Twilight groaned, "On second thought, let's try asking Rarity and Pinkie. The safety of Ponyville is more important than a day of profits."
Applejack responded, "Well, let's slow down here a second. We don't even know if this thang is dangerous or not. All we know is that it shot off a bunch of magic that overloaded yer horn, but that doesn't exactly sound like its fault in this case. Twilight, the last time ya got the town riled up on high-alert, we just ended up disaster-proofin' the town fer nuthin'. Ah'm sorry to take the wind outta yer sails, but Ah think we should figur' out how to deal with this once we figur' out what exactly we're dealin' with."
Twilight sighed, "Yeah Applejack, you're right." The cowpony wasn't as educated concerning the workings of unicorn magic, but she was far from stupid, and perhaps even more reasonable than Twilight when it came down to it. "I normally wouldn't want to disturb the others for something like this, but I'd prefer to find the cause of the disturbance much sooner rather than later, just in case it really is dangerous."
Applejack nodded. "Ah hear yah, Twilight; we can ask mah brother to help, though. With Applebloom and 'er friends runnin' the cart, there wasn't much work ta be done on a day off. He knows this farm as well as Ah do, and Ah'm sure he can spare some time for us. He's probably plowin' the fields: the stallion's always tryin' ta get ahead on his share o' work. He shouldn' be too far from here..." Applejack blocked out the mid-morning sun from her view with her hoof and scanned the fields, shortly locating the big red farmer. Big Macintosh was standing next to the plow, but he was standing still, staring at something just outside of the two mares' views. Something was off, but Applejack didn't notice.
Applejack pointed at him with a hoof. "Look, there he is! Let's catch up tah him. You should let me explain the situation; Mac never had a mind fer fancy unicorn magic talk."
Twilight nodded, and the two girls trotted over to him. Applejack was in the lead, and called out to Mac once he was in earshot. "Hey Mac, we might have a bit of a situation on our farm-"
"Stay back, Sis!" Big Mac's harsh, defensive tone caught Applejack completely off guard. She quickly noticed how tense Mac looked, and nearly stumbled as she obeyed the order. Once Twilight caught up, she stopped next to Applejack. "Applejack, Mac, what's the matter?"
Big Mac shot them a heavy glance and stared back at what held his attention beforehand. The girls couldn't distinguish what it was from moderately far away. After a few moments of silence, Mac nodded at the two mares and motioned for them to approach slowly. As they did so, they gaped at what was lying on the ground before them as it came into focus.
Both Applejack and Big Mac looked at Twilight, hoping for an explanation, but in vain.
Twilight gulped. "I think we've found what we've been looking for."
Applejack blinked. "Twilight, what is that thing and what is it doin' on our farm!?"
Big Mac shushed both of them. "Ah think we should keep it down. Whutever it is, it looks unconschus..."
Mac's brotherly instincts kicked in. "You two stay here; Ah'll shut the gate and put up a sign sayin' to keep out, so nopony else can get in, OR get hurt. This thing maght be dangerous." He turned and started trotting towards the farm's entrance. "Keep an ey' on it, but be careful. Ah'm sure at least one of ya has an explanashun fer this, and Ah wanna hear it." At this, he galloped to the barn, no doubt to pick up one of the farm's old KEEP OUT signs stored in the back and put it on the gate.
After he left, Twilight glanced at the prone figure on the ground, and stared back at Applejack. "At least he seems to think that this thing could be dangerous. I should probably throw up a magical barrier around it, just to be safe. It could be aggressive-"
Applejack cut in hastily, "No, Twilight. Remember what happened earlier? That thing might as well 've split yer head open with whatever magic it shot inta the air. Ah don't think it's a good idea t' use actual magic around it, fer yer own sake."
Twilight sighed, “…We have to do SOMETHING.”
Applejack opened her mouth to answer, but stopped. 'Did that thang just?...'
Twilight noticed as well. 'Dear Celestia...'
The creature had awoken and was staring at them.
They stared back at it.