//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Returned Home // Story: Dreams of Equestria // by Caelus Storm //------------------------------// Chapter 8: Returned Home Seth slept in a little later than he normally did. He judged the time to be about a quarter to ten in the morning. Seth sat up in bed and stretched. He felt incredibly well rested, more so than he had felt in a while. He walked over to the window and looked out at the city of Canterlot gleaming in the morning sunlight. Seth wondered what the day to day life was like for the ponies below. He looked over at the writing desk. His drawings were still spread out from when Twilight had looked at them. She really thought they were good, and wished she had bits to buy one from him. Seth piled the sheets together. He started a new drawing in the corner of the top one, still trying to find the right pose for the two Princesses. He wished he had some way of repaying them fort he kindness they had shown him during his brief stay. He spent half an hour on the picture before giving up. He sighed. There was a knock on the door before Twilight stepped in. "Oh, good, you're awake," she said, carrying a tray with breakfast. "Good morning, Twilight," Seth said with a slight smile. "And a good morning to you, Seth," she said, returning his smile. Seth ate breakfast, though Twilight declined his offer to join him on the grounds that she had already eaten. She did share a cup of tea with him. When Seth finished eating, Twilight informed him that the Princesses wanted to see him. Seth modded and stood up. He picked up his pile of drawings and, folding them carefully in half, stuck them in his pocket. Twilight's horn glowed briefly, and Seth felt a faint itchiness come over him. "I cast an invisibility spell on you," she said. "Follow me, and try not to make too much noise." Seth followed Twilight out of the room. The hallway was empty. Twilight led him through the twisting hallways. the occasional Royal Guard would greet Twilight, and she would respond in kind,but nobody saw Seth, or noticed the faint shadow he cast. Instead of heading to the throne room, which Seth had expected, Twilight led him to the far end of the castle. They stopped before a large set of double doors, engraved with an intricate pattern dominated by five symbols surrounding a sixth symbol that resembled Twilight's cutie mark. The two Royal Guards that flanked the doors nodded to Twilight, their horns glowing briefly as they opened the doors. Seth followed Twilight inside, the doors booming shut behind him. He stood in a long rectangular room. It was not as big as the throne room, but it was just as lavishly decorated. Tapestries hung from the walls, and the floor was made of polished white and black marble. A deep purple rug ran from the entrance to a pair of thick looking doors at the other end of the hall. Standing in the middle of the room were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Twilight knelt before them, and Seth bowed deeply. "Twilight, thank you for bringing Seth," Princess Celestia said. "Seth, step forward." Seth did as he was told. He stood before the two Princesses. Princess Celestia's horn flowed briefly. A large circle on the floor suddenly lit up, its interior crisscrossed with several lines and curves. The circumference was surrounded by strange runes. There was another two circles of runes outside the initial circle. "What is all this?" Seth asked, staring at the symbols with interest. "These are for the spell that will send you back to your world," Princess Celestia answered. "When you return, this will all seem a dream." "Why?" Seth asked, though he had a feeling that he already knew the answer. Princess Celestia looked at him, her face serious. "Our worlds were not meant to cross. understand this: I will do whatever is necessary to protect my subjects from harm, and to maintain the harmony throughout Equestria." Seth nodded, understanding. "Okay," he said, "I'm ready." "Step into the ring," Princess Celestia instructed. Seth did so. Princess Celestia's horn started to glowed, surrounded by a pale yellow aura. Princess Luna joined her. The runes on the floor began to glow blue-white. they grew brighter and brighter, until Seth had to cover his eyes. there was a flash of white, then darkness. * * * Princess Celestia looked at the spot that the human had been standing in moments before. he had vanished in a bright flash of light. Already the runes that she and Luna had spent a day inscribing on the floor were beginning to fade. Soon there would be nothing remaining of the human but a memory, and even that memory would fade in time. She closed her eyes, sighing silently. the spell had taken a great deal of energy to cast, even with Luna's aide. But that was not the only thing on her mind. It had been a little over one thousand five hundred years since the last human had appeared in Equestria. And yet, both humans had shared the same curiosity about this world. She briefly wondered what their world was like, and what sort of place was capable of creating such remarkable creatures. Celestia mentally shook her head. Humans did not belong in a world like Equestria, just as ponies did not belong in their world. As Celestia left the Chamber of Harmony, she had a strange feeling. A feeling she hadn't seen the last of the boy named Seth. * * * Seth woke in his bed. A memory lingered of a different room, one of white and gold. But the image quickly faded. Seth sat up, and looked at his clock. Six thirty in the morning. It was still half an hour before his alarm would go off. Instead of going back to sleep like he normally would, he got out of bed. He had to write down his dream in his journal. It had been exceptionally vivid. He opened the notebook and dated the top. Dear Journal, Last night I had a strange and vivid dream. I dreamed that I had accidentally traveled to Equestria. I met Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. Strange, that I remember being there for a full day, and two nights sandwiching that day. I had a long talk with Twilight about here world. And she asked me endless questions about mine. I can still remember the details of the conversation, which is strange, considering I don't normally remember words from dreams all that often. The last thing I remember was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sending me back to my world. After Seth finished the entry, he stood up to stretch. When his hands fell back to his sides, he felt something in his pocket. He reached in and pulled out a few sheets of paper that had been folded in half. He unfolded the papers, and on top was a picture of Twilight looking at him inquisitively, her eyes practically sparkling with the thought of learning more. Seth flipped through the sheets, finding scenes of Canterlot, or pictures of Twilight, or attempts at drawing Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Seth sat down heavily on his bed, the papers falling from his grasp. "But it was just a dream," Seth whispered. After all, Equestria couldn't be real. Could it?