//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Imperishable Night // by nifboy //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle adjusted the knobs on her telescope again, and frowned. She looked up at the early night sky though the telescope, then again with her naked eye. The sight she saw was the same, ruling out a possible prank on the telescope’s lens. She floated an open tome in front of her and looked back and forth between the sky and the book before flinging the book backwards into the library. Her draconic assistant Spike hung onto the balcony's railing, looking concerned. “Wow, Twilight, I think this is the first time I've seen you unhappy to be stargazing.” Twilight let out a frustrated noise, somewhere between a growl and a shout. “Why! Why why why why why? Deneb, why are you so far away from Vega and Altair? Why are the Gemini twins separated? Where's Cassiopeia, and what is Crux even doing in the sky this far north?" Twilight yanked the telescope, turning it around to point at Canterlot, looking for trouble. "And why isn't Princess Celestia answering my letters about it?” Spike stuck out his tongue at this. He had sent those letters, and the possibility of a response was the only reason he was still up at this hour. “Twilight, you shouldn’t worry so much. I mean, stars are stars... right?” Twilight shook her head rapidly. “Nuh-uh. The positions of the stars have important navigational and magical implications. They’ve been the same for as long as anypony can remember. And if Princess Celestia isn’t going to do anything about this, then I’m going to take this straight to the top!” Spike frowned. “But I thought Princess Celestia was the top?” Princess Celestia’s most loyal student smirked. “There are two princesses in Canterlot now, and I intend to go straight to Princess Luna to find out just what the hay is going on with her night!” With that, Twilight returned inside the library, grabbed her saddlebags and began packing. She made sure to grab at least two astronomical guides and a portable telescope, a smaller version of the one she left on her balcony. As Spike watched her he only grew more concerned. “Uh, Twilight? You’re not planning on leaving now, are you?” Realizing her second-favorite astronomy tome didn’t quite fit into her left bag, Twilight took everything out of it and began repacking it. “Of course I am, Spike. If I make it before dawn, I can get this resolved straight away. If I wait until tomorrow and that night turns out perfectly normal, everypony’s gonna think I’m crazy and it’s just gonna keep bugging me until I do something about it.” Spike racked his tired brain for a way of telling Twilight that she was crazy without telling her she was crazy. He eventually settled on saying, “I think you’re overreacting just a bit.” “Oh, Spike.” Twilight hefted the saddlebags onto her back, and gave her number one assistant a big smile. “I’m not overreacting. I’m being proactive. Besides, Rarity and Rainbow Dash are both staying in Canterlot this week. Maybe I can surprise them.” Spike looked doubtful. “If you say so.” “I say so.” Twilight turned her head just as she reached the door. “Oh, make sure to dust off the shelves and water the plants in the windowsill tomorrow. I’ll write tomorrow morning to remind you. All right, I’m off!” Twilight opened the door into the night and began her trek in the general direction of Canterlot. Twilight trotted through the streets of Ponyville, the cool night air blowing gently through her mane. The night was still young, as evidenced by the number of windows still lit and the occasional passerby which Twilight greeted along the way. Once she reached the outskirts of town, the road leading to Canterlot became clear, leading into the peaceful Whitetail Woods. A brief flash of light caught Twilight's attention out of the corner of her eye. Curious, the unicorn diverted from the path and headed towards its source. Twilight spotted a familiar wagon, and a familiar pony in front of it, casting from a card, larger than a normal playing card and with an intricately-designed back. Trixie wasn't wearing her trademark cape or hat, and the aura enveloping her horn was quite spectacular, far more powerful than anything the blue unicorn had demonstrated when faced with an angry Ursa Minor. Knowing better than to interrupt a spell of such magnitude, Twilight settled for watching at a distance, wondering what kind of spell was being cast. She couldn't tell what its effects were, and nothing seemed unusual about it, aside from the spectacular light show. After a few minutes, the glow faded from Trixie’s horn, and she looked towards the moon, hanging low in the eastern sky. Twilight saw the scowl on her face and knew they shared the same concern. Twilight ventured out into the open, and called out, “Hello there!” Whatever reaction she was expecting, she didn’t expect Trixie to gasp, chomp down on the spell card, and leap into her wagon. Twilight couldn’t see inside, but it reminded her of Spike’s desperate attempts to hide what he insistently called his “action figures” when she walked in on his tea parties. It wasn’t long until Trixie came strolling back out, adjusting her cape and hat, with an air of haughtiness and a smirk on her face. “Who dares disturb the work of the Great and Powerf-!” The last words died in Trixie’s throat as she recognized the mare who dares. “Twilight Sparkle,” she spoke with a measured tone with a hint of a threat behind it. Trixie recovered her bravado and continued, “I see, you sensed the Great and Powerful Trixie practicing her newly improved magic, and came out to catch a glimpse of it. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but my next show isn’t until tomorrow night.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Right. You’re not here to cause trouble again, are you?” Trixie harrumphed. “The Great and Powerful Trixie refuses to take responsibility for the actions of a pair of foals with no concept of self-preservation or danger.” The way she said it indicated the line had been well-rehearsed prior to her visit. “I agree.” “Of course you wouldn’t- wait what?” Trixie’s mask of arrogance faltered completely. “You do?” Twilight tried to give a reassuring smile, but it came out more as a smirk. “Of course. The Ursa wasn’t your fault.” Her smile quickly gave way to a frown as she pressed on, “No, I’m more concerned about you causing trouble amongst the ponies in town.” “If you’re asking me not to show off my incredible feats of magic, you ought to also ask the baker to give up his kitchen, or the Princess to give up her crown.” Twilight’s first instinct was to correct Trixie regarding the Princess’s history - Princess Celestia had on multiple occasions during her long rule tried to abdicate the throne to ponies who actually wanted the job. The current record-holder managed a just and fair rule for thirty-eight years before dying of natural causes; his heir, unfortunately, only lasted two years before galloping back to Celestia begging to have her back. Prince Blueblood traces his ancestry to that king, rather than to Princess Celestia herself. But it was completely irrelevant to the task at hand, so Twilight let the comment slide. Instead she tried a different approach, saying, “So I’m sure the Great and Powerful Trixie has noticed the night sky is completely wrong. Especially considering the Ursas missing from the sky.” “Hmf, flattery will get you nowhere.” Trixie’s eyes darted upwards nervously; Twilight didn’t need to follow to know what constellations she was looking for and not finding. Eventually Trixie’s eyes rested on the moon to the east. “And indeed, the moon hasn’t budged in the past hour; it seems quite content where it is, just above the horizon. It would be quite inconvenient for me to try and perform under such.. conditions.” “Something for your show?” Trixie had her smug grin back on. “You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?” “Well, I’m heading to Canterlot to speak directly with the Princesses about this.” Twilight carefully regarded the other unicorn for a moment. Ultimately she decided to see if there was an opportunity to learn something about friendship here. “Did you want to come with me?” “Excellent! It’s been quite some time since the Great and Powerful Trixie has resolved an incident. And you will have the honor of bearing witness to it!” “Well, you certainly seem eager about it.” And so the two unicorns set out into the night. The path to Canterlot lead through the Whitetail Woods.