//------------------------------// // I Dream of Dark Things // Story: Friendship and Courage // by Seeking Dusk //------------------------------// Things really do work out at times you know? I keep telling you, you worry too much. You just gotta live sometimes. I suppose… helps me feel like I did good. What? Who told you didn’t do good? You’re the second coolest stallion I know! Aw, thanks, Sp- wait, second? Still not cooler than Shining. He has you there, bro. Shining Armor’s pretty cool. Aren’t you supposed to be on my side? “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hands and do a little shake!” Cadence and Twilight sang and did a little dance with each other before breaking down in a fit of giggles. “Do they do that often?” I whispered to Shining, a little confused. The other mares that had arrived were hanging back, expressions between bemused and amused. Just to point out; they seemed to have a tradition of tattooing or dying their sides. And displaying them. Now that they were out of winter gear, it was clear to see that their outfits were tailors to expose the symbols on their sides. I added it to the long list of things to research when I had a moment. Spike was more conventionally dressed. Shorts and a vest. Whatever worked, I supposed. “Every time they get together,” he whispered back with a fond smile. “My sister and my wife have always been close, from back when Cady was Twily’s foalsitter.” It took me a moment to translate the term, but my eyebrows shot up. “Your sister was baby- foalsat by a princess?” “I know, we get it a lot,” Shining grinned sheepishly. “The way Cady tells it, it was a means for her to relate with the more average pony instead of just being stuck with nobility.”’ “Oh? I think there might have been another reason for it, eeeeh?” Al snickered, wagging his eyebrows at the now blushing Shining. Our conversation was cut off when the lights flickered, Cadance’s shield fluctuating under the pressure for a moment. Cadance sighed wearily. “One day, Twilight, one day we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn’t hanging in the balance.” “Are you okay?” Twilight asked worriedly. “No, she isn’t,” Shining sighed. He looked out the throne room’s window at the hazy barrier, once more back up at full power, not showing any evidence of the strain it had just suffered. His hands clenched into fists. “She’s been holding up that shield for days. She hasn’t sleep, she has barely been eating. I don’t know how much longer she can keep it up.” “But she looks fine,” Rainbow huffed. “That’s my doing,” I volunteered. “I cast a recovery spell on her to give her some vitality, but it wouldn’t do much to recovering her actual magic levels.” “What about that super special sparkling shield you used when the changelings attacked Canterlot?” Pinkie asked, throwing her hands in the air. “King Sombra can counter Shiny’s shield,” Cadance admitted. “And his golems can force their way through the barrier at time, even if he can’t,” Shining continued. “Because of that I, and the guards we have here with us, have been too occupied maintaining a watch to find out anything from the Crystal Ponies.” “Crystal Ponies?” Rarity was suddenly very interested, pinning Shining with an expression I couldn’t place and he looked unnerved by. “Of course!” Twilight said gleefully, clapping her hands together. “I must be here to do research for you and Shiny, Cadance!” A few puzzled looks went around the room, and a few rolled eyes, but no one contested the statement. I shrugged. “Well, if it helps, I’ve been doing some research of my own in the library. There are a few books you can look through.” “Excellent! We need to get started right away!” Twilight, of course. “Just one more thing before we separate!” Cadance said suddenly. She waved Shining over. A bit confused, he complied. The moment he was in range Cadance grabbed the front of his armour and draw him in for a passionate kiss. Al struck as well, drawing and empowering a spell circle in an instant. “Pactio!” he declared happily. It was a good five seconds before Cadance let her husband go and a card hovered in the air. Al got a frustrated frown on his face as he snapped his fingers. “Cha! Only provisional!” Twilight had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. She didn’t let Al and I go until we at least give her the bare bones of the Magister/Ministra system of the pactio. Cadance had been enthralled with the idea and had Al teach her all about it while the rest of us were off risking life and limb against the Shadow. I wasn’t exactly pleased with that, and took a certain pleasure in the fact that even Al’s pactio magic was hampered until he could get his own circles updated. Even that didn’t break Twilight’s interest, and it took Spike reminding her about the ‘test’ to get her moving. Freed, I took Al and hit the library again, this time accompanied by Twilight and her assistant Spike, who was actually a young dragonkin. The other mares had gone off to question the residents to see if they knew anything. Going by Amethyst, the mare I found in the library, I doubted it would be much. Between Twilight, Spike, Al, the books the spirits found and myself; we were finally able to get a name and rough idea of what we were looking for, so that was a boon. The Crystal Heart. Apparently, the fair I had been stumbling across was also a ceremony to ‘recharge’ its energy. Unfortunately, the references to where it might be located where lost. Rather than spend too much more time wanting to rip my hair out, I took a more… drastic step. I got Amethyst’s permission to check her memories. ----- A quick spell, air and water with no need for a circle sent her off to sleep. A few magic charged words should be able to subtly lead her dreams towards the memories I needed. “Al, a circle please," I requested after setting the slumbering mare on a chair. Al pulled a chalk from his extra space and in no time at all scribed out a circle. I went around it and started filling in the twelve zodiac symbols. The distinctive sound of hooves on the floor gave warning of someone’s approach. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked curiously after watching me work for a few moments. Spike was behind her, looking less interested in me and more in finding a place to sit. "Making a spell circle," I responded casually. "Normally I could construct it mentally, recalling it and letting my magic project it, but everything is a little off here, so I'm still learning what does and doesn't work." "But you didn't seem to have any trouble earlier," Twilight pointed out. "Not even with that large wind and lightning spell you cast." "Well, that used up about twice, maybe three times as much magic as it was supposed to," I grumbled, remembering the intensive strain I felt after that spell. I really needed to sort out the contracts and spirits. The fact that it was a simple task that I just couldn't do until I found a few spare hours to sit down and doing a bit of reading was what made it really annoying. I stood up and looked over my work. "This is more delicate magic, and not one of my affinities. I can't just power through it like I did with Jupiter’s Thunderstorm without risks.” I touched up a few spots, and nodded. “Okay... that should do it." I plopped down, cross legged, and lay my staff over my lap. I inhaled and extended my hand towards the slumbering mare. “Ras tel ma scir magister... Nympha somni, regina Maeve.” I spoke slowly and clearly. Magic started flowing, the circle glowing, motes of light gathering, my staff raising from my lap. My voice took on the faint echo as power flowed into them. “Portam aperiens ad se me alliciat!” The glow swelled as power gathered, swirling around me for a moment before rushing towards the sleeping Amethyst, seeking to pull my consciousness into hers. And nothing. The spell collapsed and magic escaped as a powerful burst of wind. "Aiyaaa!" Twilight shrieked as her dress was blown apart. Al was instantly there, having pulled a camera out and snapped a few pictures of her pale lavender panties with a dark purple bow, with a matching bra. "NOAH!" “What the hay?” Spike asked as the gusts of wind forced him to duck and cover. "I didn't mean to!" I yelled quickly, averting my eyes. ----- "Sheesh, Noah!" Twilight had conjured fresh clothes for herself and trapped Al in her telekinetic aura, pinning him to the ground. "I told you, my magic is off," I ran my hand through my hair, the other rubbing my cheek were Twilight slapped it. I never should have dropped my barrier. "I didn't expect it to backfire like that..." “Pretty cool, though,” Spike grinned from his perch on the table. Twilight pushed Al into his face. “Hey!” "What were you saying anyway? I'm not fluent in the spoken versions of the old tongues," Twilight admitted, still a bit huffy. "Trying to get into her dreams. But I didn't think the ruler of dreams would be different too..." I flailed about in frustration a bit. "Now I have to research who that's supposed to be... unless the signs are off too…" "You mean Princess Luna?" I gaped at her. "What?" "Princess Luna. She's the guardian of dreams," Twilight said casually, looking at my circle with new interest. My jaw continued to hang loosely. "And this is supposed to be the zodiac? A few of your signs are wrong.” I tackled her from behind, clinging to her tightly as I gushed. "Please please please please please help me fix this!" "Gah! Mpoah! What are you..? I'll help! I'll help!" Twilight yelped as she tumbled over. There was a thud from behind us as her focus slipped, knocking Al and Spike off the table. “Just get off!” Once I got my… enthusiasm under control, Twilight corrected a lot of differences and errors. Drawing up the new signs and getting a better grasp of the cosmology took only a few minutes between Twilight’s remarkable knowledge base and my new skills at learning. I grinned as I tentatively put a little magic into the circle. It felt right. “You have no idea how much time you just saved me.” “I think I do. I study magic too, you know,” Twilight smiled. Then she frowned. I tilted my head and looked at her. “Twilight, what’s bugging you?” “Um… well,” she sighed. “It is the test thing?” Spike asked. “What? No!” Twilight said hastily, waving her hands. “Well… maybe a part of it?” “Why would it bother you? You have all your friends helping you, you even have me helping out,” I pointed out to her. “Shouldn’t that make it easier?” “That’s the issue… Princess Celestia told me to do it! This was my test! What if I fail this because I let other ponies do the work for me?” Twilight was getting slightly hysterical. “I can’t let the princess down! She told me to help out Princess Cadance and my brother and instead I’m letter the girls go around town and helping you do things! I… I should be finding the answer! I sh-” I put a hand over her mouth before she started pulling her hair out. “Okay, sorry if this is a little forward, but you need to calm down. Breath. Okay?” She nodded at me. “Better now? Can I move my hand?” Another nod. “Good.” “Sorry about that,” she said when she could speak again. “But I’m just so worried about disappointing Princess Celestia.” “I really doubt you would,” I said thoughtfully. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her,” Spike grumbled. “But she hasn’t been listening to me.” “Bro can get like that too. All worried over nothing,” Al said, finding a new perch on Spike’s shoulder. “But she said-” Twilight started. “Ah-ah!” I cut her off. “From what you’ve said, I gather she asked you to help and sent you and your friends out here, right?” “Yes..?” Twilight said slowly. “And this Princess Celestia and both your teacher and ruler?” “Of course. She and her sister are Equestria’s Princesses,” Spike bragged. “Twilight has been her personal student for years.” “Then I’m pretty sure this is a test of your skills as a leader, rather than your ability to… do whatever you think it was,” I concluded. Twilight looked like she was going to protest again. “Ah! I’m a teacher. Somewhat. I know what I’m talking about. Plus, considering what we are going against, she expected you to succeed, but she also expects you to use what resources you have, which includes your friends.” Twilight paused, considering what I said, then smiled slowly. “I guess you’re right. That’s Noah. I guess I should start by accepting your help.” “Huh? What do you mean?” I asked. “You’re one of my friends now too,” she said, giving me a hug. I was a bit caught off guard, but I guess I hit on something that was really troubling her. Besides; she was soft. Don’t judge me. I’d gone from browsing a convention to fighting some eldritch foe in the frozen north (I assumed from a few throwaway lines in the books, it wasn’t as if I had seen the sun since getting here) somewhere alongside anthropomorphic equines with magic, while personally wielding magic. Part of me also couldn’t get over how awesome this was either, but that was a comparatively small part. “Okay, we are running on borrowed time,” I said, albeit a tad reluctantly. There was a certain measure of comfort in being the smaller participant of a hug, and that was a feeling I hadn’t experienced for years. Al chose to ruin the moment, of course. “Why don’t you make a pactio bro? Might come in useful,” he sang out. A muscle twitched in my face. I flicked a finger and knocked him off Spike’s shoulder with a well-aimed telekinetic hit and he squawked as he tumbled down. “You mean like that kiss that Cadance gave Shining?” Spike asked. Twilight flushed. Huh. I didn’t think they would be able to do that through fur. “N-nevermind that!” I said, feeling my own cheeks warm. “I’m ready to try the spell again. Would you like to accompany me, Twilight?” “Yes, I’d like that,” Twilight responded. I motioned for Twilight to make sit. “I don’t know how long it will take to navigate her memories, so we don’t want to be stiff. Our minds will be watching, but our bodies will stay here is a more or less meditative state.” “Spike! Keep an eye on our bodies while we the spell is working,” Twilight instructed, taking a cross-legged position on the ground. “You two can disrupt the spell by waking us if you really need to,” I added, including Al in the instructions. “Just don’t do it haphazardly. It will leave us with a headache.” “No problem,” Spike said, giving us a sharp salute. “You can count on me. Well, us.” I grinned and started the process again. “Ras tel ma scir magister... O you in the thrall of slumber, in the mist’s embrace, let your mind wander, to when the one King Sombra still reigned on this land.” I watched carefully, and the moment she started making soft sounds, I cast the spell. “Nympha somni, regina Luna. Portam aperiens ad se me alliciat!” The circle glowed perfectly, the magic for the spell flowing without errors this time. I clasped my hands together, closing my eyes and, with a flash of bright light, we were drawn into her dream. The glare cleared, though the dark setting we were hovering in didn’t over the best of visibility. It was pretty obvious it was the Crystal Empire, but I was beginning to see why Amethyst and the other crystal ponies refused to think about their time under Sombra. The sky was brown and dirty, the buildings had an even darker tint to them than they did when I saw them. Lines of ponies were being led through the streets, chains on heavy collars around their necks and on their arms. There were guarded and guided by the crystal golems largely, looking more like deviations on powerfully built horses from back home. Here and there I could see shadows moving independently, so I added Shades and/or Shadow Beings to my mental list of Sombra’s attendants. More worrying to me were the unchained ponies. They seemed to be in charge, as much as the golems were. Their scleras were a pale faintly glowing green, from what I could make out from the distance. Even the air itself felt cold and off-putting, much like the mist around the Shadow of Sombra. I tried to take in as much as I could in a few moments, since the people and surroundings were not the purpose of this expedition. “Noah,” Twilight’s level voice came from behind me. I turned, and kept on turning, blushing. “Sorry, Twilight,” I said quickly, making sure not to look at her. “I forgot about that part. It’s just how the spell works. The astral forms don’t have clothes…” I heard Twilight exhale, her breath hissing through teeth I assumed were clenched. “Fine,” she said finally. “What’s with the string of light going off into the distance?” “It’s our tether to our body,” I explained, sighing once it was clear I wasn’t in the line of fire again. Twilight made a contemplative sound. “I suppose it makes sense. With only our consciousness being projected, there would have to be some way of tracing the connection back. Otherwise you would run the risk of the spell being disrupted and the consciousness being trapped inside the target.” “Indeed,” I smiled. Inwardly, That… couldn’t happen, right? “We can continue analysing the spell afterwards, for right now, we should try and find a clue of what we are looking for.” Amethyst was trudging along below us, and I was beginning to regret having to do this, making her relive the memory. “We should get this over with as quickly as we can.” “I agree,” Twilight said. She drifted past me a little, looking at the ponies enslaved. “If this was what it was like… If one pony could do all this…” “He was a powerful one,” I agreed. That many constructs, automated or not, would take a lot of magic power to keep active. I willed myself over the landscape. Twilight followed after a moment, awkwardly moving her arms as she tried to master the movement in this plane. On a balcony of the castle, Sombra stood, lording over his empire with arrogance. His eyes match the Shadow Entity I had been fighting outside the shield, down to the purple miasma spilling from them. “If I were Sombra, where would I put an artifact that might be the key to my defeat?” “Somewhere you had control over the access to?” Twilight asked in a curious tone. “Like where?” I asked, looking at her. I followed her pointing finger to the top of the spire that was the Crystal Castle. A malignant dark purple and black light seemed to be emanating from it. “Hidden in plain sight…” “We should head up there and take a look,” Twilight said. She did her odd arm waving again, trying to move towards it. “No, it’s not going to work,” I said, grabbing hold of her hand. “This is a memory. The only places with structures will be ones the owner of the memory had.” “Right,” Twilight said. She sighed and looked around some more. “Then we should try to learn as much as we can while here.” I nodded and raised a hand, waving it through the air. “Do you feel that? Sombra’s dark magic must have blanketed the city during his time…” Twilight shuddered at the word dark magic. As a pair, we descended towards our host as she was pulled along. One of the golems was making its way towards her, its every step heavy and intimidating. Amethyst cringed as it approached. “Enough of this, slumber should bring you peace,” a voice rumbled. Everything stilled, and the world around us started to crack before shattering like fragile glass, revealing little more than unformed darkness and gently shifting dark blue mists spotted with glowing points. I drew back, hovering protectively by Amethyst side. “Stay close Twilight,” I said, worry making my words curt. There wasn’t much magic I could do in this setting, but I could get the spell, hopefully. “I… don’t know what’s going on, but…” “No, I think I recognized that voice,” Twilight said. “That you should, Twilight Sparkle,” the voice said again. A portion of the mist part, admitting a tall pony in a formal but sensible dark blue gown; an ornate black chest piece on her upper body, a white crescent moon at its center. Wings graced her back and a horn on her head, a crown sitting behind it. Her hair and mane were billowing like the mists she stepped out of, spotted with what looked like stars. It was… like the night sky. She waved her hand and the mists rose up and engulfed Amethyst before disappearing with her. “Princess Luna!” Twilight said, sounding both happy and a bit confused. “Princess Luna?” I echoed. I looked back at the princess, then at Twilight, then at where Amethyst had been, then back at the Princess more leaning towards terrified. “She’s… an actual person?” “And why would I not be?” she said, narrowing her eyes in my direction. “Twilight Sparkle, I trust you know this strange pony? And I suspect it has something to do with you being here in the dream realm, not to mention in the dream of a pony in the midst of a night terror, a created one, in such a strange form, at that…” “Twilight… you never mentioned that Princess Luna was…” I groped for a word that wasn’t ‘real’ or ‘alive’ as I whispered at her, “active!” “I am quite, active, as you say,” Princess Luna remarked. I swallowed nervously. Sharp ears, she had. She didn’t raise her voice, but the potential for anger was clear. “Do you care to explain what intentions you had for our subject? It seems you left your bodies behind for this venture. Quite the risk. One might call it brave. Or foolhardy.” “I’m sorry, your majesty,” I said quickly. If she was the ruler of the dream realm, there were a lot of nasty things she could do to us in our current state. At least Twilight knew her. “My name is Noah Springfield. I’ll helping Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armour in their efforts against the former King Sombra.” This was, what, the third time explaining this? “I got the permission of Amethyst Maresbury to look through her memories in order to find a clue for stopping him.” The intensity of the look Princess Luna was giving me made me swallow again. She nodded and relaxed somewhat. “Very well. I can tell your intentions were pure.” She smirked at my look. “It is not easy to lie to me in this realm.” “How did you know we were here, Princess?” Twilight asked. “The dream realm is my responsibility, young Twilight,” Princess Luna smiled. “As is the well-being of those dreams in Equestria.” She spread her wings and rose from the ‘ground’ on that enigmatic note, drifting away from us as the surrounding started to fade. “Wake and continue your efforts, Noah Spring Field. You as well, Twilight Sparkle. My sister has confidence in your abilities, and… I believe you can succeed as well. But do refrain from causing night terrors in your task…” The return to the woken world was a bit jarring, since the dream was ended by another, rather the spell being cancelled. Twilight was a bit groggier than I was so I got up unsteadily and lay my hand on Amethyst’s forehead and whispered a little charm to ease the memories of her dream. “Ras tel ma scir magister. ut gratiae tuae memoriam tristis ventus...” “Hey, you’re awake!” Spike said happily. He hopped off the table and hurried over to give Twilight a hand up. “So bro, how’d it go?” Al asked, scampering up unto my shoulder. “It went… interestingly,” I said vaguely. He gave me a look of dissatisfaction. I rolled my eyes. “Fine. We got a lead on where the heart might be. And I met Princess Luna.” “Wow, was she as good looking as Cadance?” I pushed Al off my shoulder. “So Spike, what did we miss?” Twilight asked. “Not much,” Spike reported. “The girls got started on your plan for running the fair since the crystal ponies didn’t know any and didn’t want to talk anyway.” “We could see why,” I said, remembering the setting of the dream. I rummaged through my bag, considering what to use and what not to as Twilight started pacing. At least another wand would be advisable, in case of Sombra’s magic sealing. “What about the shield?” “It flickered a few more times… Shining and his guards had to fight off a few golems and this weird shadow thing that got through.” Spike looked both excited and a bit scared. I couldn’t blame him. “I need to go talk to the others,” Twilight said, coming to a sudden stop. She nodded as if to reassure herself and trotted out quickly. “I’ll meet you at the castle in ten minutes!” Spike and I watched her go with mixed feelings. I shook my head and got back to sorting through my gear. I had a strong suspicion things were going to get very hectic very soon. I took out all the eastern mysteries supplies and left them on the table. Worst case scenario; Sombra got to me and I’d need the catalyst potions. I didn’t need to take excess equipment with me.. A snowflake fell from my sleeves as I sorted. I would have ignored it, but as far as I knew, there shouldn’t have been anything snowflake related in my gear. Not even Eva used anything like it. I held it up to the light, trying to make sense of it. “To those of you to find this token, to those of you who need a friend, a Guardian or just someone to talk too. I let you know, that I am here. Either come to me or call me. I will not refuse. I am the one of legends, one long forgotten and alone. I am the ageless and the young. I am the one they call Jack Frost. Call me if you need me, for I am one to abide.” "Okay?" I murmured as a voice echoed in my head. Yeah; I was definitely not messing with that thing right now. I dropped it in one of the empty reagent cases and put it away in a pouch. Yet another thing for The List. "I really need to write these down somewhere..." “So what’s with all this stuff?” Spike asked with an eager grin on his face. “It looks kind of Neighponese.” “Oh, its magic supplies from the Eastern School,” I said, closing the pouch. Talking to a dragon person was weird, even discounting the height and size thing that put me on his level, reminding me that I was a kid again. “I’m a mage, so my focus is the Western Schools. I know some of the Eastern stuff, but not enough to risk messing with it right now.” “Ah,” Spike nodded, looking at, but not touching, some of the spell tags. He chewed his lip for a moment before speaking again. “So… how bad is it?” I tried to give him a confused look. “I know Twilight. Whatever you saw in that dream really shook her up. How bad is it?” “Bad. Real bad. If Sombra gets back in here and we can’t stop him…” I sighed. “And he has those walking statue minions too, like the ones you and Shining were fighting,” Spike commented. Huh. He was a smart kid. “I really wish I could help out more…” “Can’t you? You’re a dragon,” Al pointed out. “I’m a baby dragon,” Spike sighed with long sufferance. “Sure I’m tougher and a bit stronger than a pony my size, but that’s about it. Twilight is, well, she's an egghead. She likes books and didn't used to go out much. I was too young to learn anything from Shining when he was around, either. Plus my flame, the regular one, isn’t hot enough to go anything really useful. Not like I really know how to use it for that anyway...” “But you have claws and fangs!” Al continued, not seeing it. “I’m not a feral!” Spike snapped. He looked a bit embarrassed at the outburst, but he didn’t take it back. “I’m not a feral. And I never learned how to fight. The closest thing was a little bit of martial arts from Rainbow Dash, but that was only a couple classes. And I don't have any useful magic either. Not like I can send King Sombra a letter to make him go away. I want to help. I want to protect Twilight, Rarity, the crystal ponies, the city… more than just being an assistant… but…” Now I felt bad for the guy. I could see why Twilight would keep him out of things. He was a kid, after all, but he… I acted before I could change my mind, pulling out the two magic guns and sliding them across the table to Spike. The smaller one resembled a pistol with a narrow barrel, the larger one had a wide barrel and thicker and heavier body. “Here.” He looked at them with a bit of shock. “Wait… what are those?” “These are mine. Two magic powered projectile weapons. They are limited application magic channelling tools.” I choose my words carefully. Sombra’s golems were already breaking through the shield. If they took the whole thing down, the handful of guards Shining had would be woefully insufficient. “You said you wanted to help? These run on magic and fire concentrated bursts of it. They were made to take down automatons and magic constructs like what Sombra uses. Take them.” Spike hesitantly laid his claws on them, carefully picking them up. He looked up at me. I smiled. “The bigger one holds fewer shots, but does more damage. The smaller one shoots more and faster, but doesn't hit as hard. You said you wanted to take care of Twilight? Help protect the Empire? Those are collector’s items. So I expect you to take good care of them and give them back to me when everything is done. “ ‘Our magic isn't omnipotent, a little bit of courage is the real magic.’ Someone once told me that.” It didn't sound as cliche as I thought it would. It actually felt right. “Maybe you don't have much in terms of regular magic, but courage? You got that in spades.” He lunged forward and hugged me, tears in his eyes. “Thanks Noah,” he whispered. “Yeah, well, I still have to teach you how to use them,” I said, feeling better about myself. He might be a kid, but, technically, so was I, and he seemed competent enough. “Now, first off, you need to know how the magic works in these…”