//------------------------------// // Knowing // Story: What Didn't Happen // by Zeg //------------------------------// What Didn't Happen by Zeg Chapter XV – Knowing There was nothing but a quiet, sparsely wooded area for as far as the eye could see, and no eyes nearby to see it. At least, not until seconds later, when a sudden bright flash of light deposited a group of ponies and one draconequus in the clearing located in the middle of no where. “Wowie,” Pinkie said as she blinked and glanced around herself. “So that’s what a teleport feels like.” Having escaped the Nightguard by only seconds thanks to Discord’s teleport spell, Chrysalis let go a sigh of relief as she sat back on her haunches. She checked her disguise just to be sure Discord’s chaotic power hadn’t had any negative effects, and then began to look around herself at the location they had ended up at. When she realized that there was absolutely nothing in sight that was familiar to her, she furrowed her brow as she glanced up to him. “Discord, where have you taken us?” she asked. “Well according to your orders” — Discord wetted one of his eagle talons with his tongue, holding it straight up to test the breeze, and then pointed it toward Chrysalis — ”‘out of here’, wherever that is.” Chrysalis stared blankly at him for a moment before finally asking, “You don’t know where?” “You didn’t specify!” he said, tossing his hands up. “We could be anywhere!” Chrysalis brought a forehoof up, rubbing it against the bridge of her nose as she screwed her eyes closed. She groaned quietly for a moment before she hung the hoof to the side, tracing a small circle in the air as she asked, “Are we at least safe from the Nightguard for now?” “Of course! I’ve taken us a long ways away in some random direction,” Discord said proudly with his lion paw over his chest as he twirled a talon around in the air above his head. He grinned as he leaned down toward Chrysalis. “I may be insane, but I’d have to be stupid to want to face a pack of pissed off pegasi with these things slowing me down,” he said as he pointed a talon at the binding around his other wrist. “Packa peh wha?” Rainbow asked, shaking her head at the tongue twisting phrase. Discord’s long muzzle twisted to the side in a grin as he shifted around so his torso arched over Rainbow Dash’s back. He patted her on the head with his lion paw, comfortingly telling her, “Don’t hurt yourself now,” receiving a glare back from her for his efforts. Chrysalis spotted what appeared to be a hill through the sparse trees, not too far in the distance. “I’m going to try to get my bearings. You all wait here a moment,” she said as she stood and began making her way toward the hill. An awkward silence fell upon the group after Chrysalis disappeared beyond the tree line. Discord waited as impatiently as he could, his arms crossed as he tapped a foot rather loudly. His efforts only lasted a mere ten seconds before he completely lost interest in simply waiting. “Well, this is thoroughly boring,” he said in a huff as he began to stalk off in a seemingly random direction. “Hey, she said to wait here,” Applejack called to him. Discord dismissively waved his lion paw. “I’m just going to take a quick little stroll to stretch my legs. Not like I can do much else,” he said with a grumble as he stepped off into the nearby wooded area. His footsteps rustling through the ground foliage could be heard for a short time after he vanished into the darkness, and then the silence returned to the area once again. Rainbow Dash watched the direction that Discord had left in for a moment, and then drew in a heavy breath before letting it go with a long groan. “Okay, who else thinks this all just took a fast turn to crazy town?” she asked, looking back to the rest of the group. There was a moment of silent hesitation from the rest of the group, but then Rarity decided to speak up. “I’m sure Twilight has her reasons.” Rainbow tilted her glance to look directly at Rarity. “Yeah, sure, fine. But why isn’t she telling us those reasons?” “Maybe she can’t,” Applejack offered with a shrug. Rainbow turned her glance toward Applejack as she narrowed her eyes slightly. “Or won’t?” she asked with a hint of suspicion playing on her voice. Applejack’s straight faced expression deepened into a frown. “Dash, what you gettin’ at? You think she’s hidin’ somethin’ from us that we ought to know?” “Well, Iduno.” Rainbow Dash sat back on her haunches, letting go a frustrated sigh and shaking her head. “I just thought that by now we would be past the whole ‘oh it’s about the future, it’s a secret’ stuff,” she said as she swatted a hoof at the air in front of herself. She let her forehooves fall back to the ground with a soft thud, growing silent for a moment before reaching back up to tap Loyalty with one forehoof. “And I’m not so sure about this thing. I mean, I don’t mind helping out, but....” She silently frowned at the red lightning bolt jewel as she recalled the lingering effect it had left her feeling after Discord had been freed. “It did feel a bit draining, didn’t it,” Rarity commented as she also touched a hoof to Generosity. Off to the side of the three mares, Fluttershy had been quietly making her way to the tree line that Chrysalis had disappeared into. She glanced back over her shoulder, checking once more to be sure that her absence hadn’t been noticed, and then turned forward to take a step into the dense foliage between the trees. However, her nose bumped right into Pinkie’s, and she found herself staring head on into a scrutinizing Pinkie Pie stare. She backpedaled a few steps with a small mewling noise. “And just where are you going, Missy?” Pinkie asked as she leaned far forward, glaring with one eye open. Fluttershy crouched down against the ground as she leaned away from the stare, hiding slightly under her forelocks. “Um... well, I thought maybe Twilight would want somepony to talk to,” Fluttershy said as she traced a small circle on ground with a hoof. “She seemed an ency bit stressed.” Pinkie held the stare for a few seconds longer before she suddenly stood up straight, glancing over her shoulder in the direction that Chrysalis had left in. “Yeah, she did, didn’t she,” she said as she rubbed a forehoof against her chin. She let out a thoughtful hum, pursing her lips and squinting her eyes before glancing back to Fluttershy, and then a wide smile graced her muzzle. “Whatcha waiting for! Go make sure she’s okay!” she said as she quickly patted Fluttershy on the head. Pinkie stepped around Fluttershy to made her way back to the other three mares with a light spring in her step, leaving Fluttershy to quietly slink off into the wooded area. --- Chrysalis’s horn and eyes were both glowing a dim green color as she sat at the peak of a small hill, just off the edge of the wooded area. She slowly blinked her eyes as they shifted around and her teeth grit together as she strained to reach out further with her hive mind ability, trying to find any nearby changelings. She was having to try much harder than usual, since it seemed Discord’s random teleportation had not only successfully taken them a far distance from Canterlot, but from any changelings as well. She finally found a tenuous link. Through that single, small link she tried to expand her presence further through the network of minds that made up the hive mind. Bits and pieces of information began to make their way back to her as fragments of memories of locations and events. The fragments lacked the usual cohesiveness that she was used to, appearing as a jumbled mess of memories in no particular order, but with enough pieces she could possibly come across something that would make the surroundings appear familiar. She began to mentally sift through the fragmented images, quickly discarding what didn’t appear important to her current situation. She stopped, suddenly shocked when she came across a small fragment of but a few seconds of time. In the short memory she saw one of her drones that had been carrying Twilight Sparkle away from Canterlot at the very moment that Spike had swooped in to knock it away. Her concentration broke at that moment, and the link was lost. Her face contorted in anger as she let out a loud growl, and she brought a forehoof up and then back down forcefully, stamping the ground just in front of herself hard. A squeek followed Chrysalis’s outburst, causing her to quickly turn her head to peer behind herself. Her ears swiveled as she looked to the trees, trying to find the source of the noise. “Who’s there?” she asked, keeping her scrutinizing gaze on the forest. She finally noticed a small bit of movement, a small patch of pink and yellow that slowly peaked out from behind one of the larger trees. “Oh, it’s just you,” Chrysalis said when she realized Fluttershy had followed her. “Why are you hiding?” she asked, finding herself curious as to just how long the shy pegasus had been standing there. “Um, I don’t know,” Fluttershy said as she took a few timid steps out from behind the tree. “You seemed really upset about something.” Chrysalis watched Fluttershy closely for a few more seconds, but didn’t see any hints that she had noticed anything that she shouldn’t have. She dismissively waved a hoof as she looked back out over the hill, saying, “It’s nothing for you to worry about.” Chrysalis could hear as Fluttershy braved more steps toward her, the sound of the light hoofsteps only barely audible. The noise stopped short a few steps behind, and Chrysalis turned her gaze to see Fluttershy standing there with a single forehoof lifted as she tilted her head. “Well, maybe not,” Fluttershy started quietly. “I mean, I don’t know much about all the things that you have to deal with, but if you wanted to talk to somepony that would listen... I’m here.” Chrysalis regarded the timid mare before her, finding herself seriously considering the offer. She glanced down to her forehooves, staring at the violet fur covering them, knowing in her mind that the kindness and concern she could feel radiating from Fluttershy was not meant for her. Still, she wanted it all the same. “It’s just that....” Chrysalis hesitated. She attempted to will herself not to give in to the silly desire. A light touch on her hoof drew her attention back to Fluttershy, who had taken a seat next to her. She stared into the tranquil depth of Fluttershy’s eyes for a few seconds before she gave in. “It’s just that I’m so close,” she said, slowly raising her head to look up into the star filled sky. “I’ve been fighting my way down this path that’s laid out before me. All of my efforts to get this far are finally starting to come together... and here at the very end... it feels like it’s all going to unravel.” Chrysalis stared up into the sky as the silence of the forest settled in around them, lingering on the unsettling though for a time until she spoke again. “At first, I didn’t think much of it. It isn’t the first time things have gone differently than I had planned... but, little things keep happening. Little inconsistencies. Things that shouldn’t be happening, things that failed to happen the way they should have. I keep trying to stay ahead of them, making adjustments to get things back on course, but the closer I get, the more the plan has to change just to keep a small chance that it will somehow work out.” Chrysalis furrowed her brow, her voice taking on a determined edge. “I’m not going to let this future slip past me, not when I’m so close to making everything right.” Chrysalis kept her determined gaze to the sky until Fluttershy’s calm voice drew her attention back down. “I can’t possibly understand what you’re going through,” Fluttershy said as she looked out over the tree covered hillside. “It must be weird, knowing what the future is supposed to be, and then seeing it happen differently.” “You have no idea,” Chrysalis said, shifting her forehoof just slightly and hooking her fetlock against Fluttershy’s. She blinked at the touch, quickly looking to the violet irises that were intently searching her. Chrysalis could feel the myriad of emotions as Fluttershy experienced them, from the kindness and compassion while she had listened, to the sudden twinge of surprise at the touch. “You really are a good friend, aren’t you, Fluttershy,” she said as she leaned in closer toward her. There was a small wave of panic, which was expected, and then the panic quickly subsided as the whites of Fluttershy’s eyes began to glow a dim green. A greenish glow lit both of their facial features as Chrysalis’s horn glowed dimly between them. Chrysalis leaned in closer, opening her mouth gently as she breathed her words. “A really, really,” — she leaned in close enough that she could feel Fluttershy’s gentle breath against her lips — “good friend.” A ridiculously loud crunch echoed through the woods. Chrysalis cringed at the unexpected noise, her spell sputtering out as her concentration completely shattered, leaving Fluttershy wobbling slightly where she sat as she lingered in a state that was somewhere on the fringe of consciousness. Chrysalis leaned back, her head darting back and forth as she tried to find the source of the sound, her ears quickly pivoting around as they picked up on a residual noise that sounded a lot like chewing. She finally realized that the noise was coming from above, and glanced up into a tree that was just a stone’s throw away on the hill side near them. When her eyes fell upon the tree’s canopy, she almost immediately squinted in a hateful scowl at who she saw there. Discord casually chewed on something while laying his lengthy body out across a branch. He kept his head propped up with his eagle claw, elbow resting on the branch while he held on to something hidden within his lion paw. With a quick flick from his thumb, he popped one of the small items he was holding into his mouth, grinding it in his teeth with another unnecessarily loud crunch. He chewed for a few seconds longer before stopping, seeming to suddenly notice that his presence had been noticed. “Oh... don’t mind me!” he quickly said, lifting his head up and waving his eagle talons down to Chrysalis. When he saw that her angry glare was only intensifying, he extended his opened lion paw to offer the contents to her. “Want one?” he asked with a sheepish grin. “What are you doing?” Chrysalis growled. “Eating acorns,” Discord said with a shrug before he popped another one into his mouth. He chewed on it for a few seconds, but stopped when he saw that Chrysalis was still staring at him. “What!? I can’t make popcorn, or else I would have!” he said in a huff. Chrysalis’s eyes fluttered closed and her teeth ground together so tightly that she could hear them squeak as she struggled to keep her anger contained. She finally let go a short growl of frustration as she turned to leave the hill, cantering off back toward the clearing that they had arrived in. “Hey, it was just getting good!” Discord called to her as she was leaving. Chrysalis spun around, shooting him a look that could wilt flowers. “When you’re done being a pain in my flank, I have something for you to do,” she said hotly before turning to stomp off into the woods. “Hrm, must be grumpy because I interrupted her snack,” Discord said through an amused chuckle that he could barely control. He absentmindedly popped another one of the acorns into his mouth, crunching on it a few times before spitting it out with a disgusted look on his face. He dumped the rest of the acorns on the ground and dusted his palms against one another, smacking his lips and wincing at the unwanted taste that was left on his tongue as he did so. His glance quickly shifted back to the hill, one of his eyebrows perking up high when he noticed a quiet nose from Fluttershy that sounded like a cross between a dainty cough and a hickup. She teetered on her hooves slightly, quickly shaking her head and then blinking as she looked around herself. Discord folded his hands together, resting them on the branch so his elbows hung over the edge and leaned over so his neck was dangling down slightly. “Welcome back,” he said with a toothy grin. “Huh?” Fluttershy said with a quick start. She looked up into the tree, her ears splaying back when she saw the draconequus grinning toward her like a playful predator. “Oh. Um, where did Twilight go?” she asked as she quickly glanced around. “Oh, Grumpy Sparkles stomped off in that direction,” Discord said as the hair at the tip of his tail took on the form of a hand and pointed off into the woods. “I guess seeing me ruined her appetite,” he said with a shrug as he sat up on the branch. He absentmindedly itched his eagle talons against the binding on his other wrist for a few seconds, and then focused all of his attention on it as he brought it up and vigorously scratched at it as he let go a long growl. “These things are unbearably itchy! I bet she made them like that on purpose,” he growled between his clenched teeth. Discord continued to pick at the binding, trying to find a way to get his talons underneath it but to no avail. His ears twitched slightly when he thought he heard something from below, and he glanced back down to see Fluttershy still sitting there on the hill. “Did you say something?” he asked. “I’m sorry,” Fluttershy mumbled just loud enough for Discord to hear clearly. Discord blinked back at her with a confused look. “Sorry?” he asked as he once again began to fidget with the binding. “Well, I mean, we helped Twilight put those on you,” Fluttershy said as she timidly pointed up toward him. “Did you help her make them insanely uncomfortable?” he asked as he scratched his claws over the binding, causing a nails-on-chalkboard screech, which made Fluttershy cringe and cup her hooves over her ears. He then proceeded to gnaw at the binding, clamping his large, jagged front teeth down on it multiple times before he finally pulled back and stared at it. “Was worth a try,” he said with a disappointed sigh as he laid out across the branch dejectedly, allowing his arms and legs to dangle over the side toward the ground. “She didn’t really tell us she was going to do that,” Fluttershy said. When he quirked a questioning eyebrow toward her, she added, “She kinda told us what the spell did after she cast it on you.” Discord folded his hands together where they were hanging under the branch, twiddling his thumbs idly. “I’m sure there are quite a few other things she’s not telling you,” he mused as he stared forward at nothing with his eyebrows deeply furrowed. “She has her reasons,” Fluttershy quickly said. Discord allowed himself to slide off the branch, swinging around and dangling there by his hands for a second before he released his grip. He quickly dropped the last few inches to land on the ground and spun around toward Fluttershy, his arms crossed as he cast a look of disappointment down at her. “And you just blindly trust those reasons without even knowing what they are,” he said with an exaggerated eye roll. He tisked as he began to take a step toward the woods, grumbling, “And ponies call me crazy,” under his breath. “Well, somepony has to be the first one to give their trust.” Discord froze mid step, his eyes going wide for a second before he narrowed them and spun around to face Fluttershy. “Well that’s fine if you want to,” he said as he stalked over to her and poked one of his talons at her chest just above Kindness, causing her to flinch slightly. He then withdrew his hand into a fist and jabbed his thumb against his chest firmly as he said, “Count me out.” “...Nopony has ever trusted you, have they?” Fluttershy asked as she tilted her head to the side, her eyes giving of the slightest hint of sadness and pity. Discord seemed stunned for a few seconds before a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Don’t be trying to get in my head,” he said as he leaned in close, putting his face only inches from hers. The small grin completely dropped from his face as his voice dropped to a low grumble. “You won’t like it in there.” Fluttershy’s tranquil eyes blinked as she looked deep into the chaotic glare staring her down. “How do you know if you always keep everypony out?” she asked calmly. Discord was struck speechless, his lower jaw quivering at his inability to produce a fitting retort. An involuntary shiver worked its way through his body as his eyes momentarily rolled back into his skull. “Duuhuh! You just ooze kindness, don’t you?” he said as he recoiled back and repeatedly balled his fists at his sides. He scrunched his long jawline to the side as he stared down at the confusingly kind pony for a few seconds longer, and then turned to start making his way to the woods. “This isn’t fun,” he growled lowly as he wandered off. “Well, if you ever want somepony to talk to...,” she called after him. Discord swatted a hand back in her direction, not so much as turning his head as he stalked off into the woods. --- The enormous crystal construct towered into the sky like a living mountain. An uncountable number of large crystal shards the size of buildings hovered in the air around it, held aloft by the powers coursing through the air. The raw power arced from shard to shard and to the construct itself. Twilight could feel the magical power saturating the air all around her as her wings held her at a hover in the sky just before the gigantic crystal abomination. The power was building to a critical point, and she knew she had to stop it. She brought her staff before her, holding it horizontally with her magic while she worked to channel a spell. Her eyes took on a bright white glow as she dug deep into her power, bring forth everything she had. The two crystal tips at the ends of her staff glowed brightly as her power flowed through it. However, she was already too late. It felt as if the air itself exploded just then. The concussive force of the gigantic crystal exploding tore through everything; the land, the sky, everything. Twilight instinctively attempted to shield herself from the force, but her power was literally nothing compared to the destructive power of the blast. Her body felt oddly numb as the blinding bright wave of raw power washed over her. Despite the brightness of the light, she could still make out the disintegrating outline of her forehooves that she had held up to shield her eyes with. --- Twilight awoke with a scream that echoed through the archives. She tumbled backwards out of her chair to the floor, flailing her legs and wings about wildly as if something were attacking her. A stack of books slid off the table that she had been resting at to scatter along the floor next to her, and her chair clattered across the floor when one of her wild kicks knocked it away. Two unicorn Nightguard responded within seconds from the archive doorway, galloping into view. Only seconds later did Luna and Spike show themselves as well, each stepping out from between the many tall bookcases that encircled the tables at the center of the room. Luna lept from the floor once she was clear of the shelves, crossing the distance to Twilight’s side with a single, graceful flap of her wings. Her horn lit and she brought it close as she searched for whatever it was that was tormenting the younger alicorn. Twilight had curled up on her side, her hind and forelegs folded tightly against her body and her wings clamped against her sides as her entire body trembled from her rapid pants. “Twilight?” Luna called gently as she cautiously reached a forehoof out. Twilight’s abnormally dilated eyes wildly darted about, and she pushed Luna’s hoof away when it came in contact with her, letting go a quick scream as if the touch itself had burned her. “Twilight, calm yourself! There is nothing here that can harm you!” Luna called out once again. Slowly, it seemed Luna’s voice made it through. Twilight eventually relaxed, rolling over to lay splayed out on her back, still panting heavily but much more steadily as she rolled her eyes about and blinked them against the tears that had built up. She began to focus on the faces that she could see hovering above her as her sight returned to her. Both Luna and Spike were there, looking both frightened and concerned, as well as a couple guards in uniform. At that moment she remembered where she was, and realized that she had somehow ended up laying on the Canterlot Archive floor. Spike extended a hand out to her, which she reached up and hooked her fetlock over. He gently helped her sit upright, supporting her back with his other hand as he pulled her up. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly as he ran his claws carefully through her mane to brush it back out of her face. “Are you hurt?” Twilight sniffed once, rubbing her hoof just beneath her eyes. “No, I-I’m okay. It was... a dream.” “A dream? Must have been pretty bad,” Spike said, which Twilight confirmed with a silent nod and a frown. “Wanna talk about it?” Twilight shook her head quickly. “Not really. I don’t even want to remember it.” “That bad, huh?” Spike asked as he crossed his legs and sat down next to her. Twilight closed her eyes and nodded again, hanging her head slightly lower to the floor. He gently brushed the back of his claws down her back between her wings, to which she responded by leaning toward him slightly to rest against his leg. Luna stared thoughtfully at the two for a moment before presenting them a question. “How much rest have you been getting lately?” Twilight knew the question must have been directed at her. She glanced up to Luna, seeing the Princess expecting an answer. “Well, I’ve been busy the last few days,” Twilight began. When she caught the frown deepening on Luna’s muzzle, her ears splayed back as she averted her eyes before she mumbled, “Not much.” “I suspected.” Luna quickly looked up to one of the two guards, causing both of them to snap to attention. “Guard, please see Twilight Sparkle to my quarters,” she commanded, and then looked to the other as she added, “You may return to your post.” The one guard remained while the other quickly returned to the entryway of the archives as Luna looked back down to Twilight to explain. “You need to be properly rested if we are to perform a ritual to free my sister. My bed chamber is warded against nightmares, so you should find restful sleep there, more so than on a pile of books at the least.” “Oh, well I appreciate the offer, Princess,” Twilight said as she sat up straight. “And you will accept it,” Luna said simply, her brow raising slightly. “...Not going to let me argue, are you?” Twilight asked, giving a weary grin. “I have what I need here to continue the research,” Luna said as she turned and took a few quick steps to a wooden podium. She glanced at the tome that had been set upon it, her eyes lingering on the open pages for a few short seconds before she looked back toward Twilight. “Your notes are actually proving to be quite useful, and I am confident that we will have our answer soon. You needn’t linger here when you are barely able to keep yourself awake.” “I’ll stay with Princess Luna and help her out if she needs it,” Spike said. Twilight glanced up to him, smiling slightly as he smiled back down to her. “You need some sleep.” Twilight looked to Luna, and then back to Spike once again. “Alright, you’re both right. I won’t be much use to anyone if I’m dozing off during the middle of the ritual.” She stood, taking a few steps toward the guard that was waiting to escort her, and then glanced back. “Don’t hesitate to send for me if you do end up needing my help.” Luna dipped her head slightly to Twilight in acknowledgement, and then watched as the younger alicorn and her escort departed from the archives. “Pleasant dreams, Twilight Sparkle,” she called after them as they passed through the archway leading into the adjoining hall. Once Twilight had left the room, Luna had returned her attention to the tome that Twilight had brought her. The contents were an astonishing collection of notes on controversial magical theory. While she had the proper mindset to appreciate the dedication that it must have taken to compile such a collection, the subject matter was not one that she would ever consent to for public publishing. Some of the spells described within the notes challenged and even crossed many of the ethical boundaries established in society, which was an understandable result since she had been told that the work was the result of Twilight’s attempts to find the power to break the laws of mortality. Still, some of the theories could be applied in other ways, such as the study of ritual spells and how they could be modified to magnify magical power by many fold beyond their normal limits, even if requiring some very unusual circumstances to produce the results. The notes had already given her the leads that she needed to find other works within the archives that she could use to devise the specifics of the ritual they would need to gather enough magical power to force their way into a prison constructed by the Elements. Luna cast her glance to the side when she noticed the absence of a noise she had only then realized had ceased. Spike had been collecting the scattered books from the floor, gently placing them one by one on a shelf. He now stood still with his glance looking out to the hall just outside the archives, one hand held against the spine of a book he had just placed on the shelf while his other still held a few tucked against his chest. “Something troubles you,” Luna said as she shifted her hooves to turn toward him slightly. Spike flinched, his head turning quickly to look toward her. His surprised look quickly melted back to something much more somber. “Yeah... that obvious, huh?” he said with a small shrug as he returned his attention to the bookshelf, placing another one of the books upon it. He held the book there with his index finger pressed against its spine for a moment, then glanced aside at the entryway again as he admitted, “I’m worried about her.” “She is wise and strong beyond her years,” Luna said, which drew Spike’s attention back to her. “If not for her appearance, I would have guessed her age closer to mine.” “Oh, I know she’s capable,” Spike said with a quick nod. “She just has this really bad habit of trying to solve every problem herself. She didn’t used to do that until she became a princess.” Spike pushed another book onto the shelf, frowning a bit. “If I don’t keep an eye on her, she’ll just work herself to death until she thinks everything is fixed.” He placed the final book on the shelf and heaved a sigh as he shook his head. “And now she’s having nightmares. It must be really getting to her.” “Spike,” Luna said, grabbing his attention once again. “I need you to make a promise to me.” Spike tilted his head slightly at the sudden request. “A promise?” “What I am about to tell you does not get repeated, not even to Twilight.” Luna’s eyes darted past Spike to look out the entryway. “Especially not to Twilight,” she said as her brow furrowed slightly and her voice took on a concerned edge. Spike frowned deeply as he turned himself to face the Princess straight on. “You want me to keep something from her?” he said with a cut of agitation on his voice, tossing his open hands out to his sides slightly. Luna quickly raised a forehoof, the motion itself eliciting a sudden calm from him, though it didn’t seem to make him any less unhappy about the request. When she was satisfied that he was ready to listen, she explained further. “The knowledge may only do her harm. Right now, she does not need to be troubled any more than she is, but I believe you should know the truth so you can better aid her.” She searched his eyes, watching as he considered her words. “Promise me.” Spike slowly took in a breath, and then let it go quickly through his nostrils. He glanced over his shoulder toward the entryway for only a second before he looked back and then nodded once. “I promise.” “Very well,” Luna said as she closed her eyes and dipped her head slightly in response. When she looked back up to him, she seemed to hesitate for but a short moment as she gathered her thoughts. “Twilight did not just suffer from some nightmare. Had she, I would have felt it the very moment it began, and I would have put a stop to it immediately.” Luna could see the intensely confused look creep over Spike’s face as she spoke, but she pressed onward. “What she experienced was no dream.” “Then what was it? It couldn’t have just been nothing. She was terrified,” Spike said as he cast one of his hands in the directly of the door. “Yes,” Luna said as she gently raised a hoof, once again silently calling for him to calm himself before she continued. “On rare occasion, my sister would see visions while she was resting, and I was never able to see those visions myself. My ability allows me to walk among dreams, but her visions were something different that I could not see. She would tell me of them afterward, and then the events would actually come to pass.” Spike reached one of his hands back, trailing it down his neck over his spines, shaking his head. “...Y-you think Twilight saw something that’s really going to happen?” Luna calmly approached him, having to glance a fair ways upward to his taller upright stance. She reached one forehoof up, cradling her fetlock against his other arm at his side. “You mustn't tell her this. If you do, it would only trouble her mind further.” Spike took a quick step backwards, his opened palms quickly raising up to shoulder height. “How can I just ignore this?” he said hotly, irritation flashing across his eyes as his hands flopped back against his sides. “I did not suggest such a thing,” Luna said soothingly. “You mustn’t tell her that you know it was not a dream. You should still try to help her through it, if you can. I believe you are the only one that she would be willing to confide in.” Spike eyes remained locked on Luna, his jaw tightly clamped and his clawed fingers fidgeting about his thumbs. Eventually, the tension in his shoulders went slack as he cast his gaze slightly to the side. “Alright, I get it,” he said somberly. “This really does trouble you deeply,” Luna said as she thoughtfully considered his behavior. She had never known one of his kind to be anything other than indifferent or hostile to her own kind. Seeing a dragon exhibit not just cooperative, but protective behavior toward a pony stirred her curiosity. “The two of you must be quite close.” “Yeah. She’s family,” Spike said with a small shrug, and then scrunched his long muzzle on one side. “Well, not really, obviously,” he added, gesturing to himself with one hand. “But as strange as it might sound, I’d consider myself more of a pony than a dragon any day, and I think of her as my sister, you know? We’ve been together ever since I can remember, even growing up together when we were little. It was her magic that hatched me from my egg, so I guess that makes me the little brother.” He let go a throaty chuckle at that, his words also drawing out a small smile from Luna before his laughter died out. “Honestly though, she is pretty far beyond me. She can do things I can’t even dream of, but I still want to be a good brother and help her out when I can.” “That is a very close bond... I dare say closer than what most siblings share,” Luna said as she smiled benevolently at the thought. She cast her eyes toward the floor to the side of the room as she silently stood there for a moment, and then turned to return to the tome resting upon the pedestal. Her magic reached out to turn a page, causing the dry sound of the century old paper dragging across to echo through the room. She stared down at the page, but her thoughts were still focused on the dragon’s words. Her ears twitched slightly at the sound of him collecting a few other books together from the tables around them. “Cherish the bond that you have,” Luna said thoughtfully, glancing toward Spike when she noticed that the sounds had stopped. She saw him paused with one hand out stretched across a table to collect a book that laid there, his other arm holding a small stack of books against his chest. He was looking directly back to her, his brow ridge raised a bit high on his forehead, and his jaw hanging slightly open. After staring back for a few seconds, he smiled back to her as he said, “I always have.” Little else was said in the archives after that as Luna and Spike worked together through the early morning hours. Once Luna had been satisfied that she had found their best option for bringing her sister back to Equestria, the two of them left the archives to find some rest of their own to prepare themselves for the day to come.