//------------------------------// // 1 - No Tears, For There Are None Left To Weep // Story: No Tears, Just Dreams // by sunnypack //------------------------------// Chapter 1: No Tears, For There Are None Left To Weep Tonight was a night in which Canterlot slumbered peacefully. Abnormally peacefully. While on some nights there would be the cry of crickets, the rustle of wind or the soft chattering of creatures that stalk the night, this night had the stillness of a corpse in a grave. Do you know the sensation you get when you walk through the woods and suddenly you notice that all is silent? That is the sort of atmosphere that pervaded the streets of Canterlot. Celestia, Alicorn of the Sun, the Golden Goddess, Princess and Diarch of Equestria, Drinker of Tea, Eater of Cake, among many other titles, nickered gently in her sleep as she dreamt of pleasant and innocent things. This night, Celestia had dreamt that she was a young filly again, and that her parents had decided to reward her solid effort at school with a delectable cake. Unfortunately for our little filly in her dream, she hadn’t the chance to sample the delicacy. It grew legs and moved at every instance when she attempted to pounce on the confectionary delight and devour it. The fact that the cake could talk and was begging her to stop was a fact she steadfastly ignored. Disturbing as that was, that was not the reason Celestia felt a short shiver creep down her spine. Just as she had been about to demolish the cake, which had been caught in a particularly diabolical trap, Celestia felt what she could only describe as an unholy presence. The feeling was so disturbing, she awoke with all due haste. Celestia shifted wearily in her tangled sheets, blearily trying to focus in the dim light of her room. She saw scrolls, parchments and discarded papers—items that usually occupied the majority of her waking life—sitting on her desk, where she left them. Her decorative pet rock collection also sat on an ornate shelf to her left and she tenderly stroked 'Skippy', a moon rock, with a delicate hoof for comfort. She definitely did not take this moon rock from Luna. No way. It came mail-order. Like all her other miscellaneous items. Miscellaneous items that will remain unknown. For all eternity. Though the room was seemingly empty and devoid of all life save for a certain alicorn deity, Celestia felt that she were not alone. In certain horror genres, this would be the part where the piano sting starts. Not one to scare easily, Celestia simply lit up the room with a casual spell. A bright light sparked and glowed warmly as it bathed the surroundings in a gentle yellow light. One thing that Celestia noticed, once the room had lit up and dispelled the darkness, (and perhaps a tinge of fear) was that the window was open. It rattled slightly as a light breeze blew through. Celestia heaved a sigh of relief. It was only an open window. That was what had made her so edgy. She made her way to the recalcitrant architectural fixture, weaving around some loose piles of scrolls and an ornamental dagger gifted to her from Griffonia earlier in the day. She didn't like the Griffonian ambassador's ironic gift. What was he thinking? A dagger as a gift to the peaceful country of Equestria? But she accepted it anyway. It seemed like the right thing to do. Celestia shook her head, she would accept it. Gently, she nudged the window closed with her muzzle where it shut with a satisfying click. Celestia briefly pondered why she hadn't used magic to close the window. She could have saved herself a trip across the room. She yawned, giving her stiff muscles a stretch. She must have been excessively groggy and sleep-deprived. Yeah that was it. It was hard to keep sane with a lack of sleep. She smiled, well at least now she could go back to sle— Celestia suddenly froze, feeling a sensation across the mane-strands on the back of her neck. She glanced at the window. It was closed. Shut tight. Then why did she feel air flowing down the back of her neck? Slowly, very carefully, Celestia inched her head around to pinpoint the source of her rising discomfort. A chill ran down her spine as two predatory orbs stared down at her with the intensity of a bottled hurricane. When she opened her mouth to speak, or perhaps to scream, the creature darted out with its thin forelimbs. With a slender appendage placed on her plush, supple lips, it purred out a single sentence in a deep, ominous whisper. "Shh," it crooned softly, licking its white teeth. "No tears, just dreams." Celestia stood, mouth agape as the creature bared a full row of its teeth. She shuddered. It was smiling at her. Suddenly, it darted forward, its face only inches from her own. Celestia screamed shrilly, scrambling backwards and tripping over a low lying footstool. The alicorn heard a distant clatter of hooves and she whipped her head to the new sound. "Sister?!" came a shout from the hallway. Celestia sagged with relief. "Luna, in here!" she shouted, turning back to face the creature. With Luna by her side, the hideous monster couldn't possibly— In space where it had been standing, there was nothing, save a note. Darting her eyes around, she searched for the demon with a frantic sweep of her head from side to side. Her horn glowed brighter and brighter as she banished any trace of shadows from the room. It was nowhere to be found. With caution that could have made a certain butter-yellow coated pegasus proud, she levitated the note and read the mysterious contents with a rising sense of dread. The note quickly disintegrated in her telekinetic grasp. In shock, Celestia tried to save it but it quickly turned to ash, trickling to the floor and sinking away into the darkness. Though the moment had been brief, Celestia had had enough time to read the content, and she felt cold sweat gather at her brow as she considered the sinister implications. The note didn't have much in it. It held only a single sentence, barely even a hooful of words: See you tomorrow night, Celestia, it read.