The scene was turning heavier and intolerable; the silence was so evident that even the slightest hum could be heard from a distance, even Pinkie Pie's growling stomach, "Boy, you don't suppose that we could stop for something to eat, now would you?"
"I don't think this is the proper time for that although I gotta admit your cupcakes were a blast," said Lyra smacking her lips remembering thatluscious blueberry flavor, "What is your secret anyway?"
Pinkie explained naturally,"Well...the secret ingredient is too add lots of hazelnut butter."
Twilight interrupted, "Um, girls, I think this is it."
They gazed upon the promised town of Greyville which practically resembled more of a ghost town. The few ponies that were around looked rather dim and indifferent.
Lyra said a tad sarcastically, "Well, obviously you can't go wrong, this place looks more like a dump!"
"Yeah, I guess so," said Pinkie Pie, "don't you see how gloomy it is, this would call for my party cannon!"
"Listen, we're supposed to be undercover, girls, every minute that we spend here we lose a little bit of our magic, so we can't afford to talk to any other pony," said Twilight.
"But don't worry," said Pinkie, "I'm sure that they will be kind enough to give us more information. The filly stumbled upon a big, corpulent gray stallion who resembled a Shetland pony with blue colored mane. She noticed also that he lacked any cutie mark and was walking at a very slow pace. His eyes were lost as if the world around him didn't exist.
"Let's see how easy it is..." continued Pinkie with a more fearless attitude. However, her friends advised her not to be so rampaging by waving their hooves.
"Excuse me sir," said the pink pony trying to stop the big one, "But could you tell by any chance if you know anything about this crazy pony named Knight Shade."
Suddenly the shabby looking stallion pranced and screamed to the top of his lungs, "Knight Shade?!"
He later galloped with all his might leaving but a trail of dust behind. Any other townspony around scurried to their houses leaving the three girls by themselves.
"Oh great, just great..." said Lyra frustrated. "We're gonna get out of here VERY soon."
"Hey, at least I tried my best!" replied Pinkie Pie, "the same thing would have happened to you!"
"No, because I would have asked the right questions," said an upset Lyra.
"But Twilight said..." said Pinkie.
Lyra infuriated and threw herself to the ground covering herself with hooves, "For the Love of Celestia, I so wish this never happened in the first place and that I had never laid eyes upon that non talented poser! I'd give anything to be at my little spot by the bench with BonBon by my side and telling me that everything's gonna be alright, is that too much to ask for?!!!"
Pinkie looked down on her and smiled, "Um, Lyra..."
"We're doomed I tell you, doomed!"
"Lyra," said Pinkie insisting.
The mint colored unicorn got up slowly with a tear in her eye.
"Yes?" she said sobbing.
"I think some pony is watching us right now," said the pink pony.
On a corner of the street stood a white coated mare with a long, pale rose mane that was tied with a broach. She rolled her eyes a little bit which made her look more sinister and intimidating like the first time they came across Zecora. Her garment was black as the back of a raven and had several amulets with ancient symbols. Still she made a noble gesture and waved hello to the three little ponies.
Their response however didn't turn out to be so friendly but since they had no better choice Twilight slowly approached lowering her head.
"I believe you seek some answers," she said in a very weary voice. "Soon you will have them only if you make the right questions."
Something inside Lyra's crazy imagination echoed as if she recognized the words from this gypsy like mare.
"My name is Madame Belladona, I am a seer from Greyville," she said as she proceeded to examine each of them, "Come, you must be so tired, I'll show my place where you will be safe, it is not good for ponies like you to be wandering off in a town like this..."
"Well," said Lyra more calm, "I guess we can, I'm glad someone finally paid attention to us, come on girls!"
The party followed Madame to a very rustic little house of wood and stone which had two stories. It was so narrow but quite comfortable due that she lived by herself. Upon the facade was a large sign with an eye surrounded with little stars and half moons. As they entered the three noticed everything was neat and tidy and it seemed to inspire some confidence in Twilight and it brought her a tiny smile.
They passed by a chimney which had a secret entrance. Madame pushed with her hoof and it opened the door to a passageway. As they went the stairs she lit up a candle. The temperature grew colder and colder as they descended, even Pinkie Pie's tail started twitching again.
"What do you suppose she's gonna tell us?" asked Lyra to Twilight in a lower voice.
"I don't know exactly, but we have to trust her, afterall she got us this far!" answered Twilight.
A rather strange noise cut their little conversation for it seemed that Pinkie Pie's tummy was rumbling again, "Whoops! sorry," she said.
"Not to worry," said the white mare, "If you have been brave enough to come all the way up here I should reward you with some refreshments. Welcome to my humble abode."
Madame Belladona lived underground for a rather good reason. Her kitchen or workplace had a rather peculiar decor. Every single wall had at least one carefully dissected animal such as rabbits, buzzards, crows, owls and bats. Even poor Owlicious felt menaced. There was a small oil painting of who seemed to be an old family member because he had the same coat and almost identical outfit. There were shelves which contained a large array of bottles and flasks of all shapes and colors. In the center was a round sturdy wooden table with tea already served and a large plate filled with oatmeal cookies.
"Take a seat place and help yourselves to whatever you like...I was actually waiting for you," said the old mare.
"Waiting?!" cried Twilight Sparkle.
"Why, of course, my talents of clairvoyance warned me about the coming of three outsiders...and how couldn't I notice that you were unicorns?" she replied. Twilight and Lyra kindly removed their hoods to reveal their true form timidly.
"Hey, hey, hey, wait a sec," said Lyra, "You mean to say that you knew we'd be here at this very same place at this very same time?"
Pinkie Pie couldn't resist much longer and literally devoured the tasty treats. Then she swallowed them like nothing at all. Lyra was staring at her somewhat disgusted.
"Of course you shouldn't be surprised, it's about time I'd show you the truth," said Madame Belladona proudly.
Next, she pulled out from her robes a deck of cards which served for fortune telling. They beared very rustic signs that resembled small twigs. The purple unicorn had remembered seen those before while she was flipping through the pages of books she'd read only in The Canterlot Library yet she wasn't quite fond of these ancient ways of sorcerery.
"You see, Greyville and Ponyville or Equestria if you want to see it from a larger point of view have a long history that binds us and at the same times sets us apart. It doesn't necessarily mean that you are forbidden to come to these lands, it's just that you're not well seen.
"Yes, while I was at home I read something about this particular town," said Twilight Sparkle struggling to pour herself a cup of tea without the use of magic aids, "but still, there is so little that I found."
"I know what you seek," said the old mare raising her hoof, "But it's not up to me to decide your fate; you have to draw the cards yourself."
Twilight felt so puzzled confronting the power of divination but stood tolerant knowing that this wasn't the first time, afterall, she survived the Pinkie sense and Zecora.
Madame showed the deck to the unicorn while all stood in awe and wonder; she was allowed to make one question out loud. Her mind was bubbling for a while and that began to make Lyra uneasy.
"C'mon, Twi, can't you make your little pony mind us, pretty please, with cherry on top?" she said.
"Cherry? Oh boy!" said Pinkie Pie excited.
Twilight took a very deep breath while she placed her hoof upon the rustic deck.
Madame smiled as a sign of trust, "I see you've chosen well." Next, she unraveled the card which beared a symbol of a half moon surrounded by two canine figures.
"Ah..." said Madame amazed, "The Moon!"
"Wooooo...." said Pinkie in a lower voice, "What do you suppose it means?"
Madame continued her reading,"It's not necessarily about what it means but it does represent a period in your life, an era full of wonders but at the same times strives. The Moon shines down on you advising you to dream but to also stay very awake for you will have to tell what is real and what is not, when your thoughts are tied to unreal situations nothing can go right."
Then she unraveled the next card, "Ah, the Goat! Tricky can she be, the whole town has fallen into a powerful illusion that I can see...all this is related to a stranger a small fellow..." Then she showed them a card of a pony who held a cup in mid air which helped explain the one behind this ordeal.
"I can see you are heavily interested in this colt, especially you," and then she pointed to Twilight.
The purple unicorn giggled nervously, "Hahahahaha, well, yes, that's what we're here for, right?"
The fortuneteller continued with a very serene expression. Twilight Sparkle was astonished at the way the mare kept drawing the cards with ease but only that, the revelations she made went from obvious to extremely. She remembered that unicorns were prone to have an active imagination since very young which explained why she was out of control the time she tried entering the school for gifted unciorns.
She had learn to block certain aspects of her life that didn't seem pleasant even when she felt threathened as a means of defense she tended to unlock her powers. But then she gazed upon Lyra with such sweetness and sincerity because she was free spirited and had learned to channel her energies into music and she was so happy that way. Making so many questions about the future were starting to make her doubt.
"This young colt has suffered long and hard facing the reality that he was always out of place. Yet, I can see that he has traveled so much just to fulfill his dreams however..."
"However?" said Twilight.
"The Darkness, can't you feel it? The illusion of being admired and loved by many has been corrupted by the emptiness that remains."
"Emptiness?" Lyra interrupted, "What do you mean by the emptiness that remains."
"You see..." continued Madame as she took a sip of some lovely ruby red tea, her favorite, "Magic can help create but it can also destroy; it is both loving and protective and yet so jealous and destructive. In nature it always happens this way and despite all things it finds a balance. We learned what Celestia did to her own sister and that is well understood but she could have provided a better solution, the wisest."
"What does that have to do with this?" cried Twilight, "You mean she made a mistake?"
"Indeed. And that is why we decided to be emancipated. Maybe to other cities in Equestria she may be a good ruler but the truth is they arrived after us. All that energy that has been forged to create magic leaves an emptiness. Every time a creature feels and then they stop feeling. For every spark of light there's a darkness, same which has been fed for ages. It took the best of the sister of the Moon and in return she was imprisoned. This emptiness that I speak of kept growing and growing and was available to anypony who was willing to be seduced."
"I...still don't get it," said Lyra Hearstrings.
"What I mean is that the nightmare will prevail as long as somepony listens to them! The Night Shadowers bring out the worst in anyone and so they did with poor Knight Shade."
"Wait a minute!" cried Twilight, "That's it! That means that Knight Shade is not entirely mean, he's only under the influence of the emptiness just the rest of Ponyville, I know what we can do to help them!"
"But beware child, one more warning I must give...- said Madame.
"Oh?" asked the purple unicorn.
"You aware that he has tried to talk to you in his own way...he is well aware of your existence, and you green unicorn, and you sugar puff..."
"I think she's talking to you, Pinkie," said Lyra while she sipped her tea, after a while she felt refreshed after so many tensions that day.
Twilight stood thoughtful, "That is so true, as soon as we left Ponyville I heard something in my sleep! But I don't really think it could have been that bad, my friends always stand by me!"
"Either way, I advise to take good care. Everything is at stake. All the decisions you make will have their own consequences, yet if you face them with fear..." said Madame while she pulled out the last card which had an illustration of a tower in a dark sky from which several ponies were falling, "Confusion will have its way with you and the emptiness will have won."
"Oh, will you look at that!" said Twilight blushing, "It's getting rather late and we really should be going!"
"Come now, leave Greyville and without magic? You must be mad. My shop is quite safe and no pony will bother you in years!"
"Please, pretty please Twilight with cherry on top?" said Pinkie Pie mocking Lyra's words.
"Oh....very well. Afterall, I do feel tired from all that trotting and without my unicorn magic is like I was blind."
"Oh, it's really not that bad to be a common earth pony," said Madame. "You learn to see things the way they are, with less worries on your back."
"Pardon me, Madame Belladona," continued Twilight, "but why are you hidden underground?"
"Well, it's simply is to motivate everypony else to see beyond the usual. That's the way Occultism is sometimes, the answers are there but you must learn how to combine that with your everyday life."
"You do remind of someone that lives in the heart of the Everfree Forest. She not at home now, but I hope she gets back as soon as possible," said Twilight referring to Zecora.
"I realize you're still doubtful yet the truth will unravel to yourself little by little, you musn't rugh things, you know."
The wise fortuneteller showed them a welcoming place to sleep where there were several bunks. Pinkie rushed to get the top one, of course.
"But Madame, I still have one questions, though..."
Lyra interrupted, "Oh, come on, you heard the lady! Let's try counting ponies, I mean sheep, or how was that? All I can say is that I'm SOOOOOO tuckered out that I feel heavy as a rock."
Twilight Sparkle could perceive quite clear that her pals took this very well as if deep down they knew everything was going to be just fine. Lyra also calmed down and forgot about her wild stories for a while. Maybe it was the tea, maybe it was the blind confidence they had in her, afterall she had gained some experience already treating ferocious creatures and incredible foes.
So she took the last bunk and neatly placed her saddlebag in a night table and tried to get some shut eye. The best attempt was to breath slowly and deeply.
It took about half an hour when she suddenly heard some pony calling,
"Twilight, Twilight, are you asleep yet?"
She slowly opened her eyes and was confronted with good old Lyra peeking at her carelessly and answered, "Jeez, what are you doing at this hour?"
"Well I was actually dying to ask you..."
"It better be something that makes sense for a change," continued the purple pony.
"Do you believe in the power of dreams?"
"Whoa! That's unique. No, no, I haven't been through that sort of experience but any who, why should I believe in them now?"
"Because..." emphatized Lyra, "You are a unicorn, of course! I do that all the time."
"And you don't get into any trouble for that?" said Twilight in an upbeat tone.
"Sure I do! But that's exactly what adds up a little spice to your everyday life, just like Madame implied; it is good to dream but only if you channel it the right way. I knew that perfectly well but I have a feeling those Night Shadowers have visited me before, maybe that's why I have trouble sleeping, but then again there was some pony who brought me a sense of peace..."
"And who was that?"
"Princess Luna! She knows I can use the magic of the music, the one which is born from the heart."
Twilight frowned, "You, you are going to defeat him? You could have just done that at the Festival!"
Lyra said proudly,"Oh, but it's all just smoke and mirrors, besides he's a simple earth pony. On the other hoof, my thing is completely natural, do you trust me?"
And then she approached her and kept staring at Twilight with dreamy eyes,"Whaddaya say, Twi?"
The young purple unicorn felt how her body temperature kept rising more and more so she fell silent for a few seconds.
"Twilight, do you believe in the music of the heart?"
She couldn't help feeling awful for her own childhood was rather challeging, she had turned parties and games for exhausting hours of studies.
"Do you remember that afternoon when I waved hello and you ran all the way to the Canterlot Castle?" said the mint colored pony.
"No, but I might recall seeing you," said Twilight.
"I wanted you to go to Moondancer's, it was beyond awesome. We even made some tricks and I played my old lyre, Calliope and everypont cheeres. You should have been there because those are the moments worth sharing. Twilight?"
"Yes?!" said Twilight really nervous and intimidaded by Lyra's glowing eyes.
"Nothing. Nighty night..."
Twilight was still wondering how Lyra could be so easy going like Pinkie Pie and yet sometimes she was so emotional that she found it pretty hard to get along with her. Finally she ignored her and curled up into the sheets.