Twilight awoke well rested. She knew deep inside that Spike was right, she needed some time to relax, and one day was certainly not enough for it. She wouldn’t admit it to Spike, lest his ‘I told you so’ montage never end. Now, she would certainly have to get to her Royal Duties; she had been holding off long enough. She freshened up and went downstairs. She looked at her list of things to do to find ‘Meet with the Mayor’ at the top, and not checked.
“That’s strange, I thought I made it a point to cross that off yesterday…” She gave a puzzled look at the paper as if that could solve the problem, then crossed it off again, making sure that it wasn’t a Pinkie Pie Prank of Invisible ink before turning around, hovering the list with her and setting it on the table in the middle of the room. The next item on the list: ‘Check the book that Princess Celestia sent me.’
“I could have sworn I did that,” she turned to the table to gaze at where she had left the book, but it wasn’t there. It wasn’t where she had specifically left it. “Spiiike!” she called out, and the grumpy, purple dragon fumbled down the stairs.
“What is it, Twilight?”
“Where’s the book that Celestia sent me?”
“Well, let’s see, there’s so many of them…” he said, pulling a whole stack of books off the shelf and plopping them on the table. “Here’s the one she sent you for your first birthday here in Ponyville, and here’s the one she sent on the history of Nightmare Night—“
“That’s not what I meant. I want the one on the Strange Cases.” Twilight was audibly peeved, and the dragon picked up on it well.
“Geez, Twilight, you know I can’t really think first thing in the morning. Last time I saw it, you were heading out the door into town with it.” He shrugged and went back upstairs, no doubt to his bed.
“Owlowiscious,” Twilight said, summoning her nocturnal assistant, who hooted from the corner in response. “Was there anyone in the library last night after I went up to my room?”
The owl hooted twice, which Twilight took as a no.
“Then where in the hay is that book?” She started levitating book after book from her shelves, scanning the title of each one, in an effort to locate the lost book. Once all the books in the library had passed her eye, she dropped them all on the floor with a loud clamor.
“Can you keep it down?” Spike shouted from upstairs.
Twilight rolled her eyes before a knock came at the door.
“Coming,” Twilight sighed, weaving through the various mounds of literature now on her floor. She opened the door to a worried Rainbow Dash.
“Are you okay? I heard this really loud noise, and I figured something happened.”
“I just lost a book, that’s all.”
The surprise was almost palpable. Rainbow couldn’t comprehend that Twilight would ever lose anything, let alone a book. “You? Misplaced a book?” Then she broke out in the strongest bout of laughter she had ever had since first meeting Twilight. And that time at the Running of the Leaves. And a bunch of other times, all including Twilight for some reason.
“This is serious, Rainbow,” the Princess of Friendship scolded. “It was a special book sent to me by the Princess written by her great grandmother.”
“Okay…” Rainbow said, unsuccessfully stifling another roll of laughter. “Seriously, I got it now.” She breathed deep and got back to her feet. “You know who you should ask? Pinkie. That pony has a serious knack for finding things.” She smiled and lifted herself off the ground with a couple flaps of her wings. “I need to get back to cloud busting, see ya!” She zoomed off, leaving her signature rainbow trial.
“I could have sworn I picked the book up from Pinkie… but after what happened yesterday, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was all just a nightmare… yeah, that’s it, what I thought ‘yesterday’ was all just a nightmare!”
She trotted out into the town, and it couldn’t be a better Friday afternoon. Rainbow finished clearing the clouds to reveal the bright sun and the whole town seemed more beautiful than ever. She smiled as she thought about her friends. Along the way, she saw Applejack, bartering with a customer for a pick of apples, and across the other way was Rarity, in charge of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. It all seemed so… familiar.
“This… this is strange…” Twilight pushed on toward Sugar Cube Corner. It appeared around a corner, and Twilight smiled, more out of relief, to see Pinkie out front with a tray of normal-looking muffins.
“What’s up Twilight? You seem so much better today!” The pink party pony smiled at the purple princess.
“Well, just taking time to sit back and relax did me a world of good.”
“Of course!” Pinkie said, “sometimes I need that too, if you can believe that. Even with all the fun we have here at the Corner, it can be a little necessary to just sit back and unwind.” She beamed wide, offering a muffin to her friend. “What can I get for you, Twilight?”
“Well, I came to see if you had a book of mine,” Twilight asked.
“Was it… this one?” Pinkie inquired, pulling the very book Twilight was looking for out of some strange place that she always kept everything. “Because I saw it lying on the ground the other day.”
“That’s it, Pinkie, thanks so much,” the Princess of Friendship responded, levitating the book out of Pinkie’s grasp. “Oh, do you have the order for my brother’s birthday?”
“When is it? I had no idea! I hope I’m not losing my memory…”
“Next Tuesday. I don’t think I’ve ever told you his birthday before.”
“Well, I’ll go place the order now! Consider it taken care of!” The element of Laughter smiled and walked back inside to place the order. Twilight, satisfied with her observations that life was, indeed, back to normal, trotted merrily back to the library.
She stopped just in time to avoid Rarity, who was charging by toward the Cutie Mark Cursaders, who were mere inches from landing in mud when Rarity’s aura caught them.
This all happened before… Twilight thought, in my dream… but it… I…. Twilight had learned enough from Pinkie not to assume anything. Perhaps dreams where able to predict the future sometimes. She shrugged and made it back to the treehouse.
She cracked the book, intent on reading it, but the events that had occurred today kept springing to her mind. She had seen just about all of it in her ‘dream’: Applejack bartering, Rarity chasing after the Cutie Mark Crusaders about to fall in mud, Pinkie having the book… it was all exactly as she had seen in her dream, the only variable was where she was.
Perhaps this was a new kind of magic? She would need to write the Princesses and let them know before investigating further.
Case 22:
Today seemed very familiar to me from the start. It took me while to realize that it had all happened in a dream I had last night… more or less. Perhaps this is either a strange case, or I’m discovering a new breed of magic? What shall I call it? Somnivinity?
Your most faithful student
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Princess Celestia received the scroll in her private study, away from the on-looking eyes of her sister and Discord. Her mind was churning: should she reveal the truth behind these ‘Strange Cases’ or should she let it play out? She knew this was a harrowing of sort—a final test of the worthiness of princesshood… but it felt more like hazing.
Twilight had been through enough, she figure, but as she started the reply, the voice of Discord echoed into her head.
“Tsk, tsk, Celestia, and to think things were going so well. Do you think your family took it wasy on you when they put you through the Strange Cases? Luna has told me quite a bit about that time in your life. Why, she even told me about when you set the Cases on her upon her coronation.” The draconequus stood behind Celestia.
“Twilight also was not born an Alicorn. She ascended.”
“All the more reason to test her abilities, Celestia.” The draconequus wrapped himself around the room, so he could look Celestia in the eyes.
“Very well, Discord, but only because it is Equestrian Tradition.” She sighed as she filed the latest letter with the rest.