Six hundred and eighty two. That was the number of times that Twilight Sparkle had touched the royal seal that adorned the scroll in her hooves. Four hundred and six. That was how often the studious Alicorn had unfurled the scroll before hastily rolling it back up. Three hundred and forty seven. That final number was the most important for it represented the amount of times that Twilight had read the actual contents of the letter. The same letter that had made her gather up all of her closest friends that morning and set out on the next train out of Ponyville to Canterlot. Even now, as the train rode closer to its destination, Twilight rubbed the golden sun that served as Princess Celestia's own stamp. Six hundred and eighty three.
Anxiety had gnawed Twilight's every thought that morning after having read the princess' emergency summons. After all, why would Princess Celestia want to see her in such an urgent fashion? Was Twilight finally going to have to leave Ponyville? To go rule a kingdom of her own? She would never want to disobey the Princess, but then again.. could she truly leave Ponyville and her friends behind? The thought of it all was making her queasy and she avoided looking out the train window, lest it further upset her stomach. She hadn't even been able to ask Spike what his opinion on the matter was because the young dragon had been sent out to Saddle Arabia on royal business.
"Oooh, a trip to Canterlot! How exquisite!" Rarity had hardly heard Twilight when she had told the fashionista that the Sun princess was summoning them to Canterlot on an official matter. All Rarity had needed to know was that they were going to visit the glamorous capital of Equestria. The seamstress had been to the city on several occasions but she never failed to be delighted at the idea of visiting the cultural center of all Equestria. "This does present me with quite the wonderful opportunity to scope out some of the latest fashion trends here. I have a hunch that puffy shirts will be all the craze this summer!"
Pinkie Pie nearly tackled Rarity in her excitement, drawing a huff from the Unicorn as Pinkie settled her forelegs over Rarity's back and nodded in her usual energetic fashion. "And I can't wait to visit Donut Joe's shop and taste his latest batch of Dazzlingly Delicious Deep Dunked Dark Dipped Decadent Double Decker Donuts!" There likely wasn't a single one of Twilight Sparkle's friends that was more ecstatic to visit Canterlot than Pinkie. Actually, that probably held true about a lot of things. It really was hard to top the energetic pink mare when it came to enthusiasm.
Rainbow Dash shook her head at the sweets obsessed Earth pony even as Rainbow tried to make out whatever gibberish Pinkie Pie had just said. "Uh, Pinkie.. don't you think that's a bit of a mouthful?" Sure Dash enjoyed a treat here or there, but whatever Pinkie was talking about sounded more complicated than tasty.
"Oh boy, I sure hope so!" The drool that was forming at the corner of Pinkie Pie's mouth was all the incentive that Rarity needed to buck her off, causing the party minded Earth pony to giggle as she tumbled off and then rolled about on the train floor. Both Rainbow and Rarity shared a look before the two giggled as well. It was hard to deny Pinkie's infectious laughter.
Not for Twilight though. Not as she opened the summons before rolling it back up hastily. Four hundred and seven. A faint sigh left the young Alicorn as she fluttered her wings nervously before resting her cheek on the table in front of her. They had chosen to get a private train car, which did cost a few extra bits, but Princess Celestia had asked for more than just the six friends to make their way to Canterlot as soon as possible. Above all, the letter had stressed, they were to keep the utmost secrecy as to what they were doing. That last part was what had her so worried. The Princess of the Day often called Twilight and her friends to help with matters, both big and small, but she had never stressed for them to just remain mums on the entire matter.
The sound of hooves approaching brought her to lift up her head and see a concerned Applejack approaching her with Fluttershy in tow. One close look at Twilight Sparkle had a frown cross Applejack's face, the country pony shaking her head. "Shucks Twilight, you look more nervous than Rarity in a mud pie contest." From the side, they could hear Rarity just about to protest that remark before she was tackled by Pinkie Pie again.
"I know.." Twilight sighed as she reached out to touch the floating scroll that she magically kept hovering by her head, but at the last second Applejack's hoof fell upon her own. The Alicorn instead lowered her gaze back to the floor as she continued. "It's just that the letter said for us to go to Canterlot as swiftly as possible, but not why. What.. what if it's an exam? I haven't had any time to study at all. I don't even know what it could be about. Climate Changes Across Equestria? Bestiarum Vocabulum of Monstrous Companions? Advanced Magical Theoretics and Algorithms?"
"Twilight, think all logic like. Why would the Princess call for all of us if she wanted to test ya on yer fancy mathematics?" There was something about the drawl in Applejack's voice, not to mention the truth of her statement, that made the ball of stress that was bunched up in Twilight's stomach ease away just a smidge.
Fluttershy shook her head, the nervous Pegasus staring down at her hooves. "I-I kind of wish it was a test." She lifted her one eye to look at Twilight and Applejack timidly, the other hidden by her pink mane. "You.. you don't think it's something d-d-dangerous, do you?"
Before Twilight could even form a response to try and comfort her friend, Rainbow pushed herself into the conversation, grinning as she kept herself aloft with easy flaps of her wings. "Are you kidding me? I hope so! Danger is what we do! We've fought parasprites, timberwolves, even a dragon!"
"And besides darling," Rarity said as she joined up with the other four mares, Pinkie Pie bouncing along beside the fashion minded Unicorn, "No matter what might be needed of you, you can always depend on us to stand beside you."
"Exactly!" Applejack grinned as she lifted her signature hat off her own head and settled it right on Twilight Sparkle's own. Applejack was always reluctant to take her hat off at any given time, but when Apple Bloom had been younger and scared of things going bump under her bed, Applejack had often given her little sister her hat to wear at night and told her it would keep her safe. Hopefully, it had a similar encouraging effect on Twilight. "So don't go worryin' yerself up a storm before we even get 'ere!"
It might not have had the exact result it had on Apple Bloom but it did help. Still, some apprehension lingered with Twilight as she expressed her more serious concerns. "But what if this is Princess related..? What if Princess Celestia wants me to leave Ponyville? Cadance is ruling the Crystal Empire now. What if she wants me to go somewhere else?"
"Then we'll deal with that if it comes!" Rainbow hovered near Twilight, reaching over to push down Applejack's hat over the bookworm's face with a faint grin. "Together. Right everypony?"
Twilight couldn't help but smile a little wider as her friends chimed in their agreement. The newest Alicorn princess just had to keep reminding herself that no matter what came their way, her friends were right. They had faced so many obstacles together. There was no way that their friendship couldn't overcome another. "Thanks girls."
Pinkie Pie suddenly popped up on the seat beside Twilight Sparkle, grinning widely. "Besides! Who can think about anything like that when I'm already thinking about the new Colossally Crispy Chunky Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Cronut!"
* * *
The dream always started the same. Princess Cadance was always alone, in the middle of a void, and always distinctly aware that none of it was real. Then a voice would call out her name, sometimes as softly as a whisper in the wind, other times it boomed like thunder high in the skies. That was always the sign for her to begin running through the emptiness of her dream before it slowly began to take form around her. Down the endless halls of marble she would gallop. Sometimes, she would even take flight, but those moments were rare. Yet in the dream she was not running away from something. She was actually the pursuer.
The shrouded figure was always within sight of Cadance in the dream. The halls would occasionally turn or even became forks, but no matter what route she took, there was the fleeing pony in sight and yet never within reach. She could never close the distance no matter how hard her legs tried, no matter how furiously her wings would flap, and even when she begged the figure to stop running away, it would never heed her pleas. It was always too far and when she would wake up, she always felt a distinct emptiness in her heart, as if she had lost something dear to her but was never able to recall exactly what it was.
The dream had haunted Cadance as long as she could remember. It came infrequently, maybe once or twice a year, yet the princess remembered every single one as clear as day. She had taken to writing about them in a journal, though for a long time that diary had been the only one to shared her secret. The existence of the dream had been one that she had kept to herself. Even her Aunt Luna, who ruled the night and tended to the dreams of ponies, was unaware of them. She had only just recently told her beloved husband, Shining Armor, but only that she had a recurring dream and never what its contents were. It had only taken her husband one look in her eyes to see how serious she had been about not discussing the content of these dreams.
"Cadenza.."
This time, it had started out as it always did. The voice called to her as it always did and it spurred her to run. Her hooves were clicking on the marble floor underneath her as she gave chase to the figure and that fact spelled alarm for her immediately. Outside of when she would first hear her name in the dream, it had always been silent afterwards. Now? She heard her wings flapping to try and give her speed, her heart pounding in her ears, her breath growing ragged while she gave chase. She could even hear the hoof steps of the one she pursued far in front of her.
"Cadance.."
Her name again. Why was the dream so different this time around? She had never heard her name said more than once. Also, it didn't sound the same as the first time, as if a different voice had called out to her. The second voice sounded familiar and far away, as if outside of the dream, but she couldn't possibly think to answer. She certainly didn't want to wake. Not when the figure before her had actually stopped running and was now turning towards her. The cowl it wore lifted and danced in the wind yet the hood around its head stayed firmly in place.
"Cadance.."
There it was again, the second voice calling out to her, sounding even more urgent than before. Not that it mattered. Nothing else was of importance other than getting to the figure, to what she could make out was a male before her. How long had the Princess waited? How many years had she spent chasing that being in hopes of catching up to him? How long had she hoped to see that very hoof far before her being outstretched as it was for her to take?
She couldn't make out his features, the hood still keeping that from her, but her heart was screaming in her chest. It was telling her that she knew him, that the moment she pulled that hood back, everything would all make sense to her. A hope swelled inside of her, a belief that all would be clear. After the first few times the dream had come to her, she had learned to cast away the expectation of ever catching up to the elusive figure, but here she was now, believing, wishing, and knowing that in a few more seconds, her hoof would be upon his claw.
Claw?
Cadance actually drew to a halt and shook her head, trying to clear away what must have been a mistake. When she looked again she realized it was not a claw, yet not a pony's hoof either she was looking at. The hoof was not cloven, for it had three toes instead of simply two. Why though? It had been a hoof before when she had first seen it extended, but maybe that was how she had wanted to see it? As if a memory had blurred her vision and had painted the reaching appendage in a manner that she would misconstrue it.
Even as she stood there, staring at the extended hoof, she noted that it was becoming larger. In fact, the entire figure was growing bigger, twice her size - no, even more! What little semblance to a world around her began to melt away, the marble floors disappearing into the shadows, swallowed once more by the void. She didn't dare to turn away, not after having come this far, and watched as the toes that were larger than she was reached for her. Somehow, she didn't feel any fear. She knew that this being wouldn't harm her.
It hadn't. Even as the hoof closed around Cadance, he held her carefully and slowly lifted her high into the air. She could no longer see any of his body, for no matter where she looked, all she saw was darkness, a swirl of shadows so thick it felt as if she could reach out and grab them. Even looking down, she could barely make out the blackened skin of the hoof she rested upon. Instead she looked ahead, back into the blackness that was faintly outlined by the hood, and the twin suns that seemed to flare into existence within.
No, not suns. They were fiery eyes, eyes that burned like lakes of magma, eyes that resembled pools of flames that still could not pierce the darkness around them. Had she not been in the dream, not been aware that none of this was actually real, she might have felt horror or even at least concern, but she didn't. The Princess of Emotions could feel nothing but a single feeling washing over her from those eyes.
Love.
"Cadance."
It was that pleading voice from before, the one from outside the dream. This time, Cadance had not been the only one to hear it. The eyes that had been showering her with fondness and adoration turned upwards, as did her own gaze, and she could feel the animosity that now exuded from the being who held her. Not at her. Never her. Somehow, she knew those eyes had been watching her for the entirety of her life and had always been filled with nothing but tenderness when they fell upon her. Now though, a hatred that was palpable was aimed from her companion within the dream towards that voice who had called to her. He held her still, an attachment that kept her anchored in his hoof, even as she felt her very core tremble at the force of the voice that suddenly escaped the hood.
"She.. is.. mine.."
Cadance did not know what to say. The being in front of her regarded her with nothing but love, a love far different from any she could ever remember. He sought to protect her, to shield her from the world, and it was almost maddening the devotion he felt for her. The Alicorn princess couldn't explain why he felt that way, why he cared so much for her, but she did know that he meant to keep her safe. That was why he was beginning to draw her into the hood, close to those eyes that had her riveted. She didn't know whether she should be trying to escape, to avoid being swallowed by the void and the orbs of fire that burned within them.. or if she should willingly let herself be taken in by the darkness, to throw herself into that overwhelming love. What she did know was that the male was making that choice for her. For some odd reason, that was okay with Cadance. He had her best interest at he..
"Cadance!"
The Alicorn woke with a violent gasp for air, Cadance's head swimming as her eyes filled with spots that speckled her vision. Had she been choking? Had she come close to dying in that dream? From the alarmed look on Shining Armor's face as he held her to him, she thought that might have actually been possible.
"Geez, Cadance! You nearly scared the magic out of me. I was worried that you wouldn't wake up!" Shining Armor said, the Unicorn shaking his head. Now that he felt sure that his wife wasn't in any sort of danger, he finally released her and scooted back on the bed. "You were moving your legs as if you were running.. but it was the crying that made me try to wake you up."
Crying? A quick glance from Cadance to her pillow showed that it was indeed stained heavily with what must have been her tears. Had she been sobbing out of fear? Or had they been tears of joy? At that moment, the Alicorn princess couldn't decide. She still felt light headed, as if she had gone days without sleep, and she lifted a hoof up to touch her horn. The feel of it relaxed her, the link to her magic helping to bring her back to reality and shaking away the figurative cobwebs.
"It was that dream again, wasn't it?"
The question from Shining Armor jolted Cadance out of her reverie, dispelling whatever grogginess had clung to her. More than that, it was the way her husband had phrased it. It had sounded more like an accusation than anything. She could see that she was right by the way his jaw had set, the way his eyes had narrowed. He was actually mad at her, as if her refusal to divulge any details about the dream had put her own life at risk.
She shared nearly everything with her husband, having loved him for so long, but the dream had always been an issue of contention between them. He rarely brought it up, but the few times he had, she had always shut down any chance of her husband prying into it. They had even gotten into a few arguments over it. The dream had been her deepest secret, one that had finally begun to truly unravel its mysteries to her. It was important to her, now more than ever, and she certainly didn't take kindly to the way he had asked her about it.
The sudden glare in her purple eyes must have shown quite clearly because the anger fled from Shining Armor's cerulean eyes swiftly enough, only to be replaced with genuine worry. "Cad, you can't just keep this bottled up. I was honestly scared for you. You were breathing as hard as Twily does when she has a test coming her way. You started to choke.. I'm just.."
The concern in his tone deflated Cadance's own anger, stealing her fury away as she reached over to touch her husband's hoof lovingly before the young Princess rose from the bed. She had a feeling that slumber was the last thing she would find if she tried to go back to sleep. At least, not a peaceful rest. Maybe she would even get drawn back into the dream, and Cadance was surprised to find that possibility was not scaring her as much as it should have.
She didn't say anything as her hooves took her to a nearby open window where a fantastic view of the Crystal Empire greeted her, her city sleeping peacefully under her aunt's full moon in the sky. Cadance decided there and then that Shining was right. She had to widen the circle of ponies that knew about her dreams, but more importantly, she had to seek the advice of her aunts on the matter. Now just how much she would reveal about what was her most jealously guarded secret? That was the real question.
* * *
By the time the train had settled into the station at Canterlot, the fear that had been knotted in Twilight Sparkle's stomach had fluttered away. Her friends were beside her, ready to help her with whatever came her way, just as they always had been since the moment they had befriended her in Ponyville. They had tackled countless trials, defeated powerful foes, and unraveled so many mysteries. With every passing step along the streets of the bustling capital of Equestria, Twilight felt more and more assured that they would succeed in whatever Princess Celestia needed them for. A confident smile was even upon her face, though they were still on important business, as the Alicorn was reminded the rambunctious Pinkie Pie. Only the swearing of a Pinkie Promise that they would visit Donut Joe immediately after they met with Princess Celestia in the palace kept the Earth pony in line.
The streets were busy at this time of day, with ponies from all over Equestria coming to Canterlot for various reasons, but it was a passing guard that caught Twilight Sparkle's eyes and slowed her pace. No, not a single passing guard, but a few. Twilight Sparkle had lived in Canterlot most of her life and she had never seen so many Royal Guards and E.U.P. Guard out in the city before. Not even during the wedding of her brother Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. The fear that had left her came back, though it was now for fear of her beloved mentor. Had something happened to Princess Celestia? Or to Princess Luna? What could possibly call for another showing of strength like this?
The Alicorn's thoughts were stolen away by the sound of something zooming overhead, quickly followed by Rainbow Dash's excited squeal. The rest of the girls looked up and saw the iconic uniform of the Wonderbolts worn by a Pegasus who had flown by far too fast for Twilight Sparkle to catch which one it was, the airborne pony already retreating in the distance. Twilight was still looking up to the sky, as were her friends, and were able to catch sight of another speeding Wonderbolt soar through the skies, swiftly followed by another. Then a fourth. A fifth.
By the time the ninth had flown by, Twilight Sparkle was beginning to wonder if there had been an event set for today. Could that be the reason for the increased security? She turned to look at Rainbow Dash, the biggest fan of the aerial acrobatics group she knew, but was surprised to see a frown over the Pegasus' face.
"Rainbow, what's wrong?" Twilight asked, her head tilted curiously at the expression on her friend's face, "I thought you would have been happy to see the Wonderbolts while we visit Canterlot.."
"That's not it." Rainbow frowned, her wings folding as she landed near her friends who were no longer concerned with the flying forms overhead. "That's not any flying formation I'm familiar with. I mean, it didn't even look like they were trying anything flashy.."
"Shucks, was flashy enough just seein' so many of 'em!" Applejack lifted her head up to look back at the sky before turning her green eyes back to the rainbow maned Pegasus. "Maybe they're practicin' some new git?"
"Those weren't show maneuvers." Rainbow shook her head and the frown that had been over her face only grew deeper as she spared a glance above before looking to the others, pointedly at Twilight Sparkle. "They were flying at the wrong altitude. They're not trying to put on a show. They're keeping an eye on the city."
"B- but why..?" Fluttershy's timid question was barely heard over the sound of another Pegasus streaking through the air.
"Girls.." The mares looked over to Rarity, the fashionista having walked away as something else had caught her eye. She was waving her friends over before pointing down a street. Twilight Sparkle remembered that the street in question led to the Bearded Plaza, a large public square that had a bronze statue of the famed conjurer, Starswirl the Bearded, at its center. During her time in Canterlot, under Princess Celestia's tutelage, the plaza had been one of Twilight's favorite spots in the city to sit down with a few good books and study.
When Twilight Sparkle looked down the street along with her friends, the last thing that came to mind was studying.
The plaza was alive with commotion as various uniformed members of Equestria's defensive forces bounded about. Tents were littered all over the square with messenger ponies running around, delivering messages or crates that carried who knows what. Some of the younger Unicorns levitated weighted objects up and down into the air to help strengthen their telekinesis, while the older ones practiced spells that were certainly classified under battle magic, such as the conjuration of lightning bolts Twilight Sparkle noticed one veteran guard summon. Pegasi flew overhead, drilling in evasive maneuvers, or sparred with the Earth ponies below who were mainly training with weapons like swords and spears.
The sight had hushed the girls into silence, the unease that Twilight Sparkle had felt that morning not only returning in full, but now spreading to each of her friends. Even the usually buoyant and cheerful Pinkie Pie had a frown on her face, shaking her head. "That doesn't look like they are practicing for a parade.."
"Nope," Applejack responded, "Looks like they're gettin' ready for a tussle."
Rainbow Dash turned away from the plaza to look back to the sky, to the sight of her beloved Wonderbolts soaring ahead in anything but their normal theatrical manner, and the look in her eyes reflected the distress the others were sharing. "A big one."
The six close friends looked back to the plaza, to the sight of the soldiers and guards preparing themselves for what looked to be some major conflict. None of them wanted to look away, fearful of what it was that could cause such a reaction in Canterlot, but Twilight forced herself to do so. She was not the same mare she had been when she set out to Ponyville long ago. She had became stronger because of her friends. Now, she was a Princess, and that meant she had to be tougher than others.
"Come on girls." She motioned for them to follow her as she turned away from the Bearded Plaza, though truthfully she felt the plaza had turned from her. It had been a place her mind had always associated with joyful memories of endless study sessions. Now, it was a place for battle. "Princess Celestia will have all the answers we need. I'm sure of it."
With Twilight Sparkle leading the way, the others soon followed suit, hurrying for the palace where Celestia awaited them. Their thoughts were so preoccupied by the recent changes in Canterlot and the hopeful promise that the Sun Princess might be able to explain the whole situation, that they had failed to notice the stallion who had been following them the entire time. The young Unicorn had been told to keep his eyes open for anything curious and certainly, the arrival of Equestria's newest princess and her friends fell under that.
However, as the girls hurried to the palace, the male Unicorn turned to hurry to the train station in hopes of catching the next departing train out of the capital. Luckily, he made the last call on a train heading for Dodge Junction and as he sat down on a bench in his private booth, he carefully adjusted the traveling cloak he had been wearing during his stay in the city. After all, Flint Tumblestone had to be careful that his transformed Cutie Mark was recognized by anypony. Not with the news he had to bring back to the Steppes..