//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Twenty Questions, Less-Than-Twenty Answers. // Story: My Little Fantasy // by GuyWhoWritesThings //------------------------------// Chapter 16: Twenty Questions, Less-Than-Twenty Answers. Her words imply something that should be impossible. I grip my sword tight in one hand, then relax. Something messed up is clearly going on, but it's not stabbing time yet. "How-" "-do We know thy dreams?" The Princess completes my question for me, giving me an amused grin. "We are the Princess of the Night. As Our Sister's student may have explained, We raise the moon and set the stars, but there are other duties Our title entails. Such as quelling these monsters," She motions to the mangled chupacabra body, whose unnatural limb is still twitching, "or quelling nightmares by walking the dreams of Our subjects." My eyes narrow on her as she smirks. That confirms what the large shadow in my dreams has been. Though, before I can speak, Twilight cuts in. "Princess Luna... your speech patterns are slipping again." "Oh!" The Princess lets out a small giggle. Geez, talk about a mood shift from Warrior Princess. "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. We... I slip into old speech patterns sometimes when stressed." Twilight lets out a small laugh of her own. "It's no problem, Princess." Great, so I learn Miss Midnight over here has been slipping into my head without my consent, and everyone's just stuck in a giggle fit. Princess Luna turns to Trixie, and my head follows. "You may rise, Loyal Subject." Apparently this whole time, Trixie's been in what I assume is the four-legged equivalent of a bow. "T-thank you, Princess!" Trixie straightens her hat and she returns to a normal position. No spiel about being 'Great and Powerful'? You'd think advertising to royalty would get you some word of mouth. "So, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Luna turns back to Twilight, giving her a quizzical expression, "why are you dressed as Starswirl the Bearded? It is not suitable combat attire nor is it Nightmare Night." "Oh! Long story..." Twilight gives a few nervous laughs and a shy grin. "And not the story we need to hear right now." I cut in, trying to stop this from going completely off topic. "Why have you been in my dreams?" "Do you not enjoy idle conversation where you are from?" She fires back, strolling casually between myself and Twilight. "Very well. Surely, you have noticed I am not the only presence in your dreams." "Your point?" "My point is, simply, to look upon the sky." She looks up, and I do the same. It's the night sky, interwoven with the green strands of the Lifestream, similar to this afternoon. Not normal, but what is it supposed to mean to me? "Stop being vague and just tell me what's going on." This is getting annoying already. "Look to the moon." Comes the short reply. I turn on my heel slightly, finding the moon, and now I can see something's very not right - the Lifestream is going behind the moon, not in front of it. Looking to some of the brighter stars, its going behind the star plane as well. What the hell? "Do you see it now?" "Princess Luna?" I hear Twilight's voice, though my gaze is still transfixed on the moon. "What's going on?" "You know that green mist, do you not?" Princess Luna asks me, ignoring Twilight. "You know the answer to that." I fire back, still not able to break my gaze on the moon. "I don't see how this answers my question." "Most ponies beyond My Sister and I have not been able to see it before tonight." She explains. "It slowly becomes more visible as the blight spreads." "Blight?" Now we're getting somewhere. I hear her hoofsteps so I turn to her. She's standing over the body she dragged along with her, though the unnatural limb and other mangled parts are beginning to move in greater fervor now. "That which has infected this poor beast's body. You have also encountered a similar creature in Ponyville, as I understand." I nod, and she continues. "It is like a parasite, killing its host and taking over its body. It deforms it then uses that body for its own purposes. Given enough time, it becomes stronger, and can begin replicating." She turns back to me. "You've seen the results when left unchecked." "Yeah, a real party." I dart my eyes out of reflex for a certain pink pony demon to appear at the mention of the word 'party', but I'm safe. "But I still don't get what-" "You also bear the blight." Luna cuts me off. "That is what it has to do with you. My Sister and I can both feel its presence inside your body, but it does not do what it does to these poor creatures. Instead, it is the other shadow in your dreams." "How can a parasite be in my dreams?" Okay, now this is getting really weird. "I describe it as a parasite, but that is not truly what it is." Princess Luna explains. "It is more like... a magical consciousness, as far as I can surmise. It operates on victims much like a parasite, but it is of one uniform consciousness. And when you sleep, that consciousness attempts to manipulate your memory, as far as I can discern." "What purpose would that serve?" Really, really weird. "I do not know." She admits. "I do not understand the meaning of the words or images it forces into your dreams, or whether they are real or fake. I just know it is controlling your dreamscape when I am not there to intervene." She sighs, and turns again, looking over the waste of now-gooped corpses that are beginning to blend into the desert sands entirely. "And, as you experienced last night, the demands of hunting the parasite in the waking world make it increasingly difficult to hunt it in the sleeping one." Alright, so I have a crazy parasite-thing in my brain. Not the news I wanted to hear right after finishing fighting for my life. "Then what am I supposed to do?" "The answer to that is why I sent a letter to Twilight Sparkle when I did." She replies, leaving her back to us. "So I was supposed to use the memory spell!" Twilight exclaims, then shoots me a sheepish look in reply to my glare. "Sorry." "Yes." Luna turns back to us. "My belief is that if Twilight Sparkle can return your correct memories, you will not be lead astray by anything that thing attempts on your mind." "And what if I say no?" At this point, I feel obligated to refuse it just for how much people keep trying to force the damn thing onto me. She gives me a hard look. "Then you must know I cannot babysit your dreams any longer." "That's my problem, then." "Princess!" Twilight speaks up again. "If all that is true, why did Princess Celestia tell me not to find him when he left a few days ago?" I'd completely forgotten about that until now. That's a damn good question. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle." Luna sighs. "My Sister is... of a different opinion than I about this situation. I have walked your friend's dreams, and seen he lacks harmful intent, but My Sister has been scouring restricted archives for knowledge in which I lack. It has made her decidedly less trusting on this matter." She takes a moment to collect herself. "I have barely seen her since her trip to your library, Twilight. When I do, she is far too exhausted to properly discuss these matters with." "So that's why Princess Celestia hasn't replied to my letters lately..." Twilight scrunches her brow in thought, placing her hoof to her chin as she looks to the sky. "Do you know what she's been researching, Princess Luna?" Luna merely shakes her head. "As I said, she and I have not spoken in quite some time. If hunting this blight were not so tiring I would have already forced the matter myself." I feel a hoof pressing against my leg. "Hey, Dusk..." I turn. I nearly forgot Trixie is even here with how uncharacteristically quiet she's been until now. She points her hoof to my left side. "You're... bleeding." I follow her hoof, and there's a small pool of blood under my left arm. I pull back my poncho to avoid getting blood on it and raise my arm. Looks like that thing got me a bit better than I thought it did. I flex my arm a bit, moving my fingers and wrist to be sure everything still works. It only hurts a little right now, but I suppose that's the fading effects of adrenaline. "It's nothing. I'll just wrap it up when I get the chance." Trixie's horn glows, and I feel something land rather unceremoniously on my head. I stick my sword into the sand then reach my good hand up to see what it is, and find a small rolled bandage. "The Wise and Prepared Trixie is used to traveling alone, so she is always prepared!" Somebody's back to normal. With a quick word of thanks, I begin wrapping up the chewed bit of my forearm. I look up as I finish wrapping the bandage, only to see Luna giving us an amused expression. "And this is why I do not understand My Sister's position. I do not see what harm you could mean to our little ponies." "Ah thought I saw a Princess out here!" Applejack's voice booms from the direction of the train, cutting off whatever train of thought Luna's comment was intended to lead to. I turn and see her waving a hoof as she approaches, the few other passengers of the train slowly congregating outside the train and taking up that bowing posture Trixie used earlier. "How are they all doing, Applejack?" Twilight asks. "No mass panics after I left?" "Naw, t'was fine," Applejack replies, "though they were talkin' up a storm about ya when you ran out there, Twi. Seemed mighty impressed when ya blocked all them varmints with yer shield." I can hear Trixie fidgeting in the sand, but she doesn't say anything. "Yes, you all did quite well." Luna nods, slowly walking toward the overturned train. I hear the sound of hoofbeats and wheels and turn, and see a bat-pony drawn chariot land near us. "You four were going to Ponyville, correct? You may take my personal carriage there. I'll sort out the matter with the train." A quick look down to Trixie reveals her sitting there, her jaw trying to hit the floor at the thought. I grab my sword and re-sheathe it as the Princess gives a laugh to Trixie's reaction, then we file in. "Thank you, Princess Luna." Twilight pulls off her hat, setting it on the floor of the carriage so it won't get blown away. Trixie does similar with her hat once she chooses a place to sit, though Applejack leaves hers on. "Do not mention it, Twilight Sparkle. Besides, what would My Sister say if she heard I abandoned her faithful student in the middle of a desert?" The Princess turns to face me. "I do not know your reasons for refusing Twilight's aide, but I recommend you reconsider. I believe from what I have seen in your dreams that you're also related to what is happening in Equestria." Instead of acknowledging her newest attempt to foist that damn spell on me, I motion to the writhing mass of ex-chupacabra on the ground. "What are you going to do with that thing? It's doesn't look particularly dead yet." "I'm still trying to find a way to kill the parasite." She replies, turning to it as it flails its unnatural limb. "As I've said, it appears to be magical in nature, so mere force will only quell it temporarily. Until there is a way to exile or destroy it, I've had a safe location in Canterlot made to house these creatures." She turns back to us. "Regardless, I shall force this matter with My Sister in the coming days. Things are developing too far for them to be ignored any longer." Then she turns from the chariot, and as soon as she steps away the bat-ponies begin their take off. I lean back, though Trixie is quickly hanging off the side of the cart, watching the ground recede with a hoof in place to hold her mane from her face. Twilight giggles lowly, watching Trixie act like a kid in a candy store as our ride only gets higher and faster. "So, Trixie, you've never flown before?" She asks over the high winds. Trixie leans a bit more off the side. "This is wonderful! Trixie is beginning to wish she were a pegasus!" "Well jus remember yer not!" Applejack yells, keeping a hoof on her hat so it doesn't fly off. "Cuz without Rainbow here, ain't none of us gonna catch ya if ya fall off the side!" Trixie huffs. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is not some foal!" She pulls herself back from the edge a bit regardless. The rest of the flight is particularly uneventful, besides from a few bits of turbulence that nearly did send Trixie off the side. Thankfully, it's long into the night when we touch down in Ponyville, directly outside the Golden Oak Library. We give the bat-ponies a quick word of thanks as we get out of the chariot and they head back the way they came. Off to retrieve their Princess, I assume. Twilight unlocks the door with her magic, slowly creaking it open and revealing a dark, empty library. "Spike likely went to sleep hours ago." She whispers, just loud enough for us to hear. "Let's try not to wake him." "Let's?" Applejack asks back in her own whisper. "It's too late for you to walk across town to Sweet Apple Acres, AJ." Twilight replies, "and it's not like Cloud or Trixie have anywhere else they can stay tonight." "The Great and Powerful Trixie shall accept your hospitality." Trixie says in a whisper of her own. I'm surprised her voice comes in anything other than 'talking' and 'holy god my ear drums', honestly. "Come, assistant, farmpony, we must not force our host to wait on us." She turns, and begins following Twilight into the dark library, trying to take in the shelves of books despite the distinct lack of light. "Farmpony? Why ah oughta..." Applejack mumbles, taking third, and I crouch in after her. A final peek at the moon before closing the door indicates the night is roughly half over. "Are you not a farmpony?" Trixie looks over her shoulder, raising her eyebrow. "Ah am, but ah have a name, ya know..." I can easily envision the daggers Applejack is glaring at Trixie at this moment. "Oh, right," Trixie pauses for a barely noticeable second, "Applesack." "Applejack." Tonight's ending in a catfight, isn't it? "Girls!" Twilight hisses over her shoulder, her horn glowing as she tries to retrieve some extra pillows and blankets from a cabinet with her magic so she doesn't wake her Number One Assistant. Applejack takes a few steps back and turns to me. "How can ya stand bein' friends with that mare?" She asks, her voice low to the point only the two of us can hear it. "She's such a..." "You get used to it after a while." I reply, deciding not to expose the bitchy behemoth's soft underbelly to Applejack's potential prodding. Twilight lays the bedding down near us and beckons us to huddle around her. "Alright, Applejack, you can sleep upstairs in the guest bed with me. Trixie, you and Cloud can use these and sleep wherever you want down here." She motions to the pile of pillows and blankets she pulled out. "Jus' dun be makin' too much noise down here, you two." Applejack chimes in, giving us a queer look and a grin. "How many times do I need to say I'm not inter - gah!" I get cut off by a glowing pink pillow to the face. "Be happy it is not Trixie's library, or that would have been a bookcase!" "Good to know..." I pull the pillow off my face. "Though I don't think I want to know what kind of books would be in your library." That one earns me a blanket to the face. I can hear Twilight and Applejack trying to stifle their laughter as I pull the blanket off as well. "Okay, then." Twilight starts, her and Applejack heading for the stairs. "You two try to get along and get some sleep." Trixie turns to me once the pair has disappeared up the stairs, levitating all the remaining blankets and pillows in her magic. "Alright, assistant, you have your share of bedding, now shoo, the Great and Exhausted Trixie claims this floor space!" At this point I'm just going to be happy I even have one pillow and not bother arguing as I find a nice spot under a window to get some sleep.