//------------------------------//
// Part two: Snake Head 
// Story: Serpotics 
// by K_and_REDACTED 
//------------------------------//

“The world we live in is influenced by-
Our dreams
-influence the world we live in.”
“Twilight!?!?” Spike yelled through the darkness.
“I'm rite here Spike.” She replied.
“Oh good, then we’re all- wait where are Luna and Celestia!”
“I'm ok!” Luna called, her flowing blue hair, which floated around in the air, cast a faint blue glow on her face.
Suddenly, the world became bright, blinding them for just a moment. When they could see again, the world looked like an oil pastel painting. Celestias’ voice projected and bounced around in a nonexistent space somewhere above them.
“Do not fear, tis just an illusion, an enchantment cast upon the room. We are in the land of things that do not exist, and yet, are more real than anything; tis The Land of Dreams.”
The painted world rushed by, a blur of colorful brush strokes. They slowed a little after approaching a vast mountain range. They pushed through trees, and as the mountains began to disperse, they slowed to a halt at the base of a mountain that had coal black soil. The soil looked blacker still as the one entire side of the mountain loomed in the shadow of a grand castle… in ruins.
“This,” Celestias’ voice echoed, she addressed the dark, volcanic cone, that lay in front of them, “is Snake Head Mountain.”
“It's so beautiful…” Luna said under her breath, starring at the castle, “What it must have looked like in its time…”
“It was, indeed, magnificent my sister. Tis the *Castle Crystal Tooth… or, it was.”
The sun began to creep east, and then faster, the moon rose, and then set, the whole time getting faster. The progression reached a steady pace as they watched time run backwards. Vines descended the walls, weeds shrank and the seeds flew away, bricks tumbled up the hill in into the walls, glass un-shattered (it made a very unpleasant noise while doing so), the roof un-caved, the chipped designs and features filled. The castle restored fully, and the progression slowed, went back a few, well, Twilight wasn’t sure, months perhaps, it was difficult to tell.
They were slowly moved up to the top. From the base, you would have never guessed that the castle was resting but 2 to 3 meters from the end of a ledge. And yet, here it was.
“This was the site of many small, yet great things, but also, of one big horrible thing, that caused a chain of smaller bad things to happen…” Celestia paused for a moment, and made a soft sound, as if, perhaps, she was holding back tears, she took a deep breath, and then continued, “It was here that Luna was born. This was going to be our palace, until…”
They swept past the grand doors, and into a dim chamber, a young 9 year old Celestia sat weeping at a bed side, an older woman, Celestias mother, stood by her side, one hand on her daughters shoulder, the other, wrapped around a small child, with flowing blue hair.
Though she did not remember this event, Luna knew what it was. The man in bed, looking very weak and ill, motioned for Celestia to come near. Luna watched, her eyes wet, her heart cracking… slowly…painfully. The man grabbed Celestias’ hand and pulled her close. Then, with what seemed like a great effort, whispered something into her ear. She nodded, he smiled, and then his arm… went limp. Luna watched as Celestia stood for a moment, then fell to her knees and sobbed hysterically, screaming nonsense un-discernible through the sound, of her heart breaking. Luna stared in shock; she had never heard her sister scream like that before.
“I'm, sorry, I should have not started here, let’s move back a bit, to before the horrible thing shall we?”
They simultaneously flew through the castle and time. Into a back room. Within it, was their father, perfectly healthy, and not on the verge of death. He was showing Celestia a large blueprint tacked to the wall.
Time slowed, time stopped, the entire world disappeared, except for the blueprint. The blueprint shimmered and shined, and the oily look of the paint disappeared, the picture was clear now.
“What… what is it?” Twilight asked.
“Our mother called it witchcraft. Our father called technology. But I… called it Serpotics.”
It looked like a snake, but, more like a chain, or a series of hinges.
“Before father passed, he whispered to me. He said two simple words I will never forget, he said; ‘finish it’, and I knew exactly what he meant.”
The world was restored and time shifted forward, they watched clips of time pass by, in each one, the Serpotic device was more completed than in the last. Finally, it was just missing one thing: the head. Time resumed, and the room was empty… and dark… had perhaps the princess gotten too sad to continue, did she need a break? Or maybe-
The scream of a heart broken girl pierced the air… again. They flashed forward.
There sat a girl, whose hair too black to be natural, and who had her own angry sorrow radiate around her.
“In my despair, I had become a very dark person. I reprogramed it to… to hate. I did not release the consequences of this decision until it was too late.”
They flashed forward again… the end of the Serpotic device which was attached to the floor was extended… but the rest of it was no ware to be seen.
Then there came yet another scream…
-To Be Continued-

*The Castle Crystal Tooth: **The Castle Crystal Tooth was built by +Jac Courts in 989 A.D.
** {not a real place}
+Jac Courts: not a real person.