Nightmares: Twilight's Visitors
Twilight poured over every book she owned on magical possession. Ever since Battle had explained that the ponies of ponyville were all potential targets of this most vile of spells earlier that day, she had spent every moment trying to find a spell to help the situation. If not prevent ponies from beings possessed, surely she could find a spell that would backtrack the incantation to the source.
She had to. For all she knew, one of her other friends could be attacked in much the same manner as Rarity was.
She took a deep calming breath. Remain calm Twilight, she told herself. Remember Rarity wasn't attacked she just stumbled onto something. Had she been attacked she would be in a much worse condition. But she's not! She's fine. Yes... yes, everything, is just FINE.
Twilight rubbed her forehead and rested her head on her hands, elbows on the desk before her.
"There has to be some kind of spell that can help me," Twilight mumbled. "Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough."
She brought the nearest book closer to her, bringing it within an inch of her nose. She sighed and threw the book down leaning back and rubbing her eyes.
"These books are useless!" she cried out in frustration. "Why tell me what it is and not tell me how to protect myself from it!"
"Because if you learnt to protect yourself from it, you might learn how to use it yourself," said a voice.
Twilight looked up and saw Battle dressed in his medical uniform.
"What are you doing dressed like that?" Twilight asked confused.
"It's ten o'clock Twi," Battle said. "I'm going to work."
"It's that late!" Twilight exclaimed and grabbed a nearby clock and brought it to her face.
"Yeah," Battle said. "I doubt you'll find anything you're looking for in these books at any rate. If I have to say anything against Equestria it is rather paranoid when it comes to stuff like this."
"So what, are you telling me these isn't a book that can help me?" Twilight asked, dejected.
"Not from Equestria no," Battle shrugged.
"Great," Twilight mumbled.
Battle scuffed his feet for a few moment and bit his lip, like he was deciding something. He sighed and held something out to Twilight, his silver magic carrying it across the room to Twilight's side.
"What's this?" she asked, confused.
"A book that may just help you out," Battle said.
"I thought you said there wasn't a book that could help me?"
"I said there wasn't one from Equestria. That publication came from my homeland. We're a lot more relaxed about this kind of information. You may find what you're looking for in there... just be careful what you read in there. That book's not for everypony."
Twilight looked at Battle as he left, before she opened the book he had given her.
Ten minutes later...
Twilight slammed the book closed, shivering from head to toe, eyes wide, fighting not to be sick. The book Battle had given her did indeed have some much needed information on what she wanted to know, but there was a lot of things in there that made her stomach turn. This was real heavy-duty defensive magic, complete with diagrams and drawings of the various creatures that one might need to defend themselves against. She had no idea that such creatures could possibly exist, let alone all the horrible things they did.
"I... think I need a lie down," Twilight said to nopony in particular.
Twilight walked unsteadily to her bed and flopped down on top of the covers, before curling up into a ball, still shuddering. She couldn't get the thought out of her head that the book she had just read was Battle's. A pony she thought she had known, yet this? That book contained some very complex and very dangerous magic. There were death spells in there for Discord's sake! Spells that could kill a pony in a flash of light, spells that could cause death easily and painlessly or slowly and agonizingly.
Twilight screwed up her eyes and tried to get to sleep.
Everything was darkness. Surprisingly however, Twilight was okay with this. She was fine with darkness. She felt safe, comforted for some reason. Like she knew everything in the world was right, and that nothing could possibly go wrong so long as she was here. It just felt, right.
Twilight spotted a soft, lilac glow in the distance. Or maybe it was nearby and just very small. There was nothing to judge it by. It grew larger, or was it closer? The more powerful the light became, the more safer Twilight felt. It was as if she was expecting a visit from an old friend who she hadn't seen in a while.
A shower of white sparks burst from the center of the glow and something began to form. A pony stood there, in the heart of the glowing light. The stronger their appearance became, the more sparks shot out from the glowing light surrounding them. Finally the sparks dissipated and the light faded away, revealing the pony standing there.
Twilight felt as though she was looking into a mirror.
A unicorn pony mare stood there, with lilac fur, magenta hair with an electric pink strip and bright purple eyes. She wore a simple brown cloak over some more complex silvery blue robes. Around her neck was a series of small amulets on a golden chain. Her Cutie Mark was a pink six-point star with two smaller, similar white stars beside it.
"Who... who are you?" Twilight asked, dumbfounded. "I mean... you look almost exactly like me!"
"I think you'll find that it is you who looks like me my dear Twilight Sparkle," the unicorn chuckled.
"I... I don't understand..."
"I, Twilight Sparkle, am Clover the Clever," the unicorn explained. "And I am, your ancestor."
"Wait... Clover the Clever? As in one of the six founders of Equestria?"
"The very same."
"And your... my ancestor?"
"Yes I am."
Twilight blinked as she absorbed this new information.
"Aren't you dead?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Clover let out a laugh that was eerily like Twilight's own.
"Death is but the next great adventure my dear Twilight," she said simply. "And while I have shucked off the mortal coil, I still keep an active mind. In fact, it is because of my active mind that I am able to speak with you this evening Twilight Sparkle."
"What do you mean by that?" Twilight asked.
"Even on the other side, spells continue to be made by some of the greatest unicorns in history," Clover explained. "Myself included of course. One of the spells I have recently invented allows me to communicate with the living, through dreams. It takes a lot of energy though for little time, so I'm afraid we shall have to keep this brief Twilight."
"Brief... what?" Twilight was still confused.
"Twilight I need you to focus," Clover said sharply. "I'm here to warm you."
"Warn me of what? If it's about the ponies that are being possessed, I already know about that. Oh! Please tell me you know a spell that can help with the possession's because Battle's book-"
"Twilight!" Clover snapped.
"Sorry," Twilight whispered.
"Thank you. As for the pony possession, no that's not what I'm here to warn you about, though your friend Battle's book contains the only spells I know of that could help you right now. Anyway, that's not what we're here to discuss. I'm here to wan you of something terrible on the horizon."
"How terrible?" Twilight asked.
Clover's horn glowed with the same purple light as Twilight's usually did. The dark world that surrounded Twilight and Clover was replaced by a freezing landscape and howling winds. Twilight wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.
"You know the tale of Hearth's Warming Eve?" Clover asked, her voice harsh and bleak. "What caused our homeland to freeze, was our hatred for each other and our anger towards the other tribes. This I am certain you know."
"Y-y-yes," Twilight shivered.
"What you did not know was what caused our feelings of hatred," Clover continued, waving her hand and dragging the world around them away, changing the scenery. Twilight now looked out over what looked to be an army of dead ponies, laying before a glacier with a monstrous doorway set into it. The door hung open.
"Many millennium ago, a beast of great and terrible power come to our land and spread anger and hatred across the land. Though he was soon defeated, his corrupting influence remained. We hated each other still, and those feelings of anger festered until the Windigo's came. And they still stalk these lands to this day. As does the beast that inevitably brought them here."
She looked to the open door. "Or at least he did."
"He's coming to Equestria isn't he?" Twilight chattered. Clover nodded solemnly. "Why?"
"He wants something," Clover said simply. "What I know not. Whatever it was, it was not in Equestria until recently. But I can tell you this. He is the one causing the possessions around Ponyville. It is by his hands that you and your friends are in danger."
"How do I stop him?" Twilight asked. Clover opened her mouth before she looked up sharply.
"My time is short," she said. "And there is another who wishes to speak to you. Farewell for now Twilight Sparkle. We may meet again some night."
"Wait!" Twilight cried as the icy scene and Clover faded from existence. The darkness was no longer comforting. It was ominous. Evil almost.
The shadows rippled at her feet. Twilight gave a small 'eep' as something began to rise from the darkness, like it was being dragged upwards from the depths of a pool. A pegasus stallion, dressed in heavily damaged black and golden armor, his wings badly bent and his face marred with blood, his brown hair and chestnut fur much the same. His Cutie Mark was hidden by blood, and his brown-grey eyes stared at Twilight for a few moment, empty and lifeless.
His eyes rolled suddenly and he took in a deep breath. The blood on his body disappeared, his armor mended and straightened itself out. His wings repaired themselves and a strange clarity came to his eyes as he focused on Twilight. His Cutie Mark Twilight now saw was a dagger, held in what looked like a pair of wispy hands.
He slammed his right fist into his breast in some form of salute.
"Princess Sparkle," he said, bowing his head. "I am Major Dagger Swift, commanding officer of the pegasus soldiers of the Warhorse armies, at your service ma'am!"
"Clover the Clever sent you?" Twilight asked confused.
"Affirmative ma'am," Dagger replied. "I was sent by Miss Clover to brief you on what you currently face... considering I've met it..."
Dagger Swift shuddered and for a moment, the world around him and Twilight was filled with a raging battlefield, the screams of ponies all around them, the sound of metal on metal. Twilight clapped her hands over her ears until the moment passed.
"Sorry about that," Dagger said. "Flashback's you know? It's hard not to remember the day you died."
"You died fighting what's coming?"
"Aye. As did hundreds of others. What's coming Princess maybe too much for you and your friends to handle. The magic of Friendship has many benefits... but this is older than your Elements of Harmony."
"Maybe if you told me what's coming I could be better prepared for it!" Twilight shouted.
"Ask the Commander. He'll tell ya what's coming."
"The Commander? Just who the hay is that?"
"You don't know? Clover said you knew the Commander?"
"Who is the Commander?" Twilight demanded.
"Well-"
Dagger doubled up in pain and landed on his knees, blood oozing from wounds that were reopening. He looked at Twilight with a pleading stare as he began to sink into the shadows once more. He held out his hand to Twilight, before he dissipated too.
Twilight landed painfully on the floor, her blanket twisted around her. She groaned as she looked up at the window. Celestia's sun was only just beginning to rise. Twilight sighed and rubbed her head. Something told her she had a long week ahead of her.