Twilight raised her head as she awoke in the middle of a forest. She and Applejack had gone a bit off the path to sleep for the night and as the unicorn awoke she slowly looked around before letting out a long yawn, her horn glowing brightly for a few moments and her mane was fixed of its bed-head. Twilight stood up and stretched, her horn glowing once again and her sleeping bag rolled up, two cords of string wrapping tightly around it before she slowly nodded and looked over to Applejack, seeing the farm pony sleeping soundly a few feet from her. She then looked up to the sky and smiled, seeing the sun only barely peeking over the trees above them indicating it was around nine or ten in the morning.
There was a flash of silver light and Twilight blinked as a scroll appeared near where she had slept, falling to the ground and it rolled a few inches before coming to a rest at her hooves. Twilight felt herself smile gently as her horn glowed, the parchment rising up and unfurling in her magical aura, “Let‘s see now…” Her eyes slowly slid from left to right as she read off of the scroll, “Dear Twilight, I know you must be a bit busy so I‘ll just give you a quick update. Rainbow Dash is healing up quite well and I feel like her own desire to get back to you is helping her heal even faster. Has Discord appeared to you again? Have you reached the migration grounds yet? No doubt he now knows about Gilda‘s passing but he may believe Rainbow Dash to be alive so if he does appear, make sure to put his worries to rest. The clue you will receive at the migration grounds baffled me for a few days but do not worry, if you look in the right places the location will not take you long to find. Oh yes, I don‘t believe I told you where I am in my last letter to you. Rainbow and I are with the Cutie Mark Crusaders in their clubhouse at the farm. Back to the quill though, I myself am only two clues ahead of the migration grounds and given that we will no doubt be on the same clue in the next week or so, so once you have made it back to Ponyville and have found the location you’ll need to find come by the clubhouse. Written Dreams.” The scroll rolled back up and Twilight slid it into her pack before Twilight let out a slow sigh, looking down at the ground with a look of deep contemplation on her face before her ears perked and she looked over to Applejack who had begun to stir and the farm pony raised her head, taking off her hat and smoothed down her own mane before smiling over to the unicorn,
“Sounds like Written Dreams has Rainbow all fixed up. That‘s a load off the shoulders.” Applejack stood up and tilted her head a little as she continued staring at Twilight, “Twi… if Discord sent Gilda ta get rid of us… won‘t he try to do that himself if he does show up again?” Twilight paused as she looked into the worried face of Applejack before she looked down, thinking over her words as she brought a hoof to her chin,
“I don‘t know AJ… but if he does show up again it‘s going to be important that we figure out his motives before making any hasty decisions.” Applejack was silent as she nodded towards the mare before she got a look on her face like she had a thought and continued having her head tilted a little,
“Hey Twi… if that feller Discord thinks Rainbow is dead then he might give ya the choice ta bring back somepony else… who might ya choose if he does?” Twilight paused for a moment, the thought having not occurred to her as she blinked before she looked down, seemingly lost in thought for a few moments before she looked up again,
“I wish I could just talk to Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy and explain what‘s been going on…” Twilight paused with a blink and her eyes then widened for a moment, “Wait a second… I just realized that Trixie wasn‘t among the five of you when I originally chose.” Applejack then gave her an odd look as she raised an eyebrow,
“Ya were talkin‘ a bit ‘bout Trixie before. Ya said she went head on against Discord and he used the elements on her… right?” Twilight slowly nodded, seeming to be in deep thought,
“Yeah… but was she just turned to stone or…” Twilight seemed to simply go deeper into thought as she fell silent, multiple outcomes to Trixie’s confrontation of Discord flowing through her mind before Applejack trotted a few steps over to her and laid a hoof on her shoulder,
“Twi, ah‘m sure Trixie‘s just fine. After all, the Elements of Harmony can‘t kill. They banish darkness an turn stuff ta stone.” Twilight nodded to her as a reassured look appeared on the unicorn’s face, smiling gratefully to the farm pony before she nodded,
“You‘re right Applejack. I‘ve been thinking of a few other ponies that I didn‘t see when Trixie and I were in Canterlot but I‘m sure I‘ll find out what happened to them eventually.”
Once the two mares had eaten and had packed up their saddlebags they got back onto the road once again and continued on their way back towards Ponyville.
“Mister Dreams can you please tell us about your tie with Princess Luna and Celestia now!?” Applebloom cried out with a begging expression. A few hours had passed since Twilight and Applejack had awoken, the sun now high in the sky and the time being a little past noon. Written Dreams let out a light laugh and looked over to see Rainbow Dash also smiling expectantly towards him,
“Alright girls no need to start yelling. I made a Pinkie promise after all. Anyway, it was a bright and sunny day…”
Written Dreams let out a light sigh as he trotted up to the main gates of Canterlot Castle, looking up at all of the high towers as he trotted through the courtyard, “It‘s even more beautiful than I could have imagined.” The Pegasus continued walking before he heard a loud clang, blinking as he looked in front of himself and away from the sky he saw two crossed spears barring his entrance to the castle. There was a guard at either side of the entrance, both pegasi wearing golden armor on their torsos and hooves along with helmets on their heads resembling those worn by roman centurions. Written Dreams looked to the one to his left as he heard his voice, rather low and a bit loud although that was to be expected by a royal guard,
“HALT! State your business at Canterlot Castle!” Written Dreams only smiled lightly in response as he stood before the guards, nodding before he spoke himself,
“The princesses are expecting me. My name is Written Dreams.” The guards both said ‘Proceed’ at the same time before they returned their spears to their sides leaving the entrance open to him.
Written Dreams laid his hoof against one of the large doors and gave it a light push, the door opening rather easily before he trotted inside and down the large hallway inside of the entrance. He looked down a few hallways that were off to the side before he lightly hummed and continued walking forward down the hall till he reached the end, pushing open another door between two more guards and entered the throne room, seeing the elegant Princess Celestia sitting in her throne opposite him roughly fifty yards away.
The princess seemed preoccupied, reading a scroll that was floating whilst engulfed in her own aura that also coated her long and slender horn as well. As Written Dreams approached her he stopped as he was around twenty feet from her and bowed his head, the princess looking up from the scroll and smiled warmly towards him, “Ah Written Dreams at last you‘ve arrived. I trust that your flight to Canterlot was nothing but smooth sailing?” Written Dreams left his bowing stance and stood before the princess, nodding his head lightly before smiling towards her,
“Yes it was quite pleasant. I get a bit frustrated when I have to fly through rain…” Written Dreams gave a bit of a laugh, “Clear skies were very welcomed. I have you to thank for that I‘m sure princess.” Princess Celestia nodded with a soft smile on her face before she noticed Written Dreams seemingly looking around for someone,
“Mister Dreams, are you looking for someone?” Written Dreams looked back to the princess with a nod,
“Well, I‘m curious as to the whereabouts of Princess Luna. Is she here as well?”
“Princess Luna should be returning to the castle very soon. But onto business. As I already told you, the tower suite has been prepared for you to stay in at your leisure whilst you‘re here. And the book you inquired about, unfortunately, isn‘t in the Canterlot archives but I believe there is a copy in the library in Ponyville.” Written Dreams gave her a bit of a quizzical expression and he tilted his head a little,
“That seems a bit odd… given that there are so few copies of that book in the world, why wasn‘t it added to the archives in the Canterlot library?” Celestia simply shrugged for a moment before she shook her head, looking down at the colt before her,
“The Canterlot library is home to hundreds of books but not all of them. I believe it to be a simple case of it being ‘just one of those books that wasn’t added’ so to speak.” Written Dreams nodded, seemingly contented with the answer before he looked around the throne room a bit more,
“Princess do you mind if I look around the castle?” Princess Celestia let out an elegant laugh as she nodded to the pony before her and continued to smile, her beautiful eyes full of deep wisdom as she looked at him,
“Written Dreams, this castle is your home for as long as you‘re here so please feel free to look around as much as you desire.” Written Dreams then approached the princess, lifting her hoof into his own and placed a kiss against the soft white fur of her hoof before letting her hoof go and nodded to her again,
“Princess Celestia, thank you very much for letting me stay in this castle. I feel truly honored to be treated with such respect while being so much lower than yourself as far as status is concerned.”
“Mister Dreams, whilst I may be the monarch of Equestria, personally, I enjoy it more when ponies that are in my presence treat me as one of their own. Given that I‘m royalty I expect that ponies will bow before me and show their respect but I prefer more natural treatment when I‘m not on my throne. So, if you will, just be yourself around me.” Written Dreams was silent as he simply stared at the princess before him, seeming relatively shocked at what she had said to him and he brought his hoof to his chin before smiling softly towards her,
“Okay, I understand, Celestia. I‘ll see you later then.” Celestia let out another light laugh as she nodded to Written Dreams,
“Now that‘s being natural. Farewell Written Dreams. I trust you‘ll enjoy your stay at the castle.” Written Dreams left the throne room, entering one of the doors off to the right of the throne room and found himself in another hallway, looking around slowly before he began trotting down the hallway, humming a bit to himself as he took in the sights around him.
Written Dreams trotted throughout the castle for nearly an hour, finding himself upon a causeway high above the castle grounds below him and gazed out at the rest of the castle around him before looking to the door at the end of the castle, “Oh…?” He walked over to it and slowly pushed the door open, a large room coming into view before him and as he walked inside he closed the door, gazing up at the various stained glass windows at the end of the room. As he walked to the edge of the room he walked down a hallway, various other stained glass windows that told the story of Discord and Written Dreams stopped in front of one depicting six ponies fighting a dark mare who he could only guess was Nightmare Moon.
His ear then perked as he sensed a presence off to his side, gazing off to his left at the end of a hallway, a lone, dark blue, alicorn was sitting on the ground, looking up at a pair of large doors at the end of the hall. Written Dreams walked over to her, sitting down next to her and Luna gazed over to him, tilting her head slightly as she caught his gaze as well, “Thou must be Written Dreams. Beith thou enjoying thy time in Canterlot?” Written Dreams’ head tilted slightly as he gave her a soft smile,
“I‘m enjoying myself here, yes. You speak like ponies of olden times--” Princess Luna blinked as she sat before him, staring at him for a few moments before she spoke again,
“Thou must forgive my speech. Being imprisoned in the moon for one thousand years we haven‘t had much to go on as far as speech is concerned…” Written Dreams shook his two front hooves as he also shook his head, scratching his mane with his hoof as he nervously chuckled seeing the princess’ slightly irritated expression,
“Oh Princess I think you might misunderstand me. I didn‘t mean to offend you I rather like the way you speak. I find it both pleasant and unique.” Princess Luna’s expression softened quickly and she then smiled slowly towards the pegasus, seeming to focus rather hard for a few moments before she spoke again,
“Well… I have been… working on speaking as my sister does. She asked that I try to learn so that I may fit in around our subjects… I have yet to visit them again after…” She seemed to look down with a bit of a sad expression as she let out a sigh, “After Nightmare Moon was banished from my heart and I regained myself… I have seen some ponies around Canterlot look at me similarly as they did so long ago… such fear in their eyes…” Princess Luna continued staring down at the floor and let out another sad sigh, “Do you not fear me as well?” Written Dreams was silent while Princess Luna spoke, simply sitting next to her but as she asked him that question he only continued gazing at her as he spoke again,
“I don‘t fear you Princess Luna… I understand how you felt.” Luna looked up at him with a bit of a quizzical gaze as he continued speaking, “Being the bringer of the night, and then, seeing so many ponies sleeping through it, was too much for you to bear. But princess… although most ponies sleep at night, they can only do so because of the beautiful peace that it brings them all. That kind of quiet beauty of darkness that allows them to do so. And personally… I prefer the night to the day in a lot of ways. When I write or read I much prefer doing it at night by candle-light. The feeling of having the stars and beautiful moon above me is so relaxing it‘s as if the night is full of magic and enchantment.” Princess Luna was silent, her eyes wide with a rather shocked expression as she simply stared at the pegasus before her for a good thirty seconds before she finally spoke again,
“I… never thought of it that way before… did… you really mean everything you just said?” When Written Dreams gave a nod and a gentle smile his eyes suddenly widened as Luna pulled him into a tight embrace, the pegasus, pausing before he embraced her as well and closed his eyes smiling gently,
“You‘re night is appreciated by so many, Princess, and… your own beauty is reflected in that enchanting time as well.”
“Please… call me Luna… and… if it‘s okay with you… may I call you my friend?” He heard Luna say as her grip on him only tightened further,
“I‘d be honored to be called your friend, Luna.” Luna and Written Dreams remained in their embrace for almost another minute before Luna slowly released him with a light blush on her cheeks as she let out a nervous giggle,
“Erm… I apologize for grabbing you like that… it‘s just that… having felt so unappreciated for so long and then meeting someone who truly loves my night… I couldn‘t restrain myself. I apologize again…” Written Dreams looked at the beautiful face of the mare of the night, seeing her looking off to the side a bit ashamed of herself but she looked at him with a shocked expression as she heard him let out a laugh,
“Luna you don‘t have to apologize. You can hug me anytime you like. That‘s what friends do, right?” Luna’s face lit up with a happy smile as Written Dreams winked at her and she watched as he looked to the large doors in front of them, “So… what‘s behind those doors?” Luna looked back to the doors, still wearing her smile although it had faded back to a neutral smile as she looked up at the tall doors before them,
“This is where the Elements of Harmony are housed. I come back here every once in a while to reflect on the events that transpired once my imprisonment ended and I was freed from the moon--”
“And on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she‘ll bring about nighttime eternal… I remember that day. I actually enjoyed having a bit of extra nighttime to wake up to although it did seem a bit odd it felt nice while it lasted.” Luna leaned over, giving him a light nuzzle as she let out a light giggle,
“Thank you… although I still feel bad about how I acted back then.” Written Dreams then shrugged as he looked back at her and shook his head,
“I don‘t blame you for how you acted Luna. Everypony wants to feel appreciated and when you do so much for Equestria and feel like you gain nothing in return, not even an appreciation for what you put forth, it could drive anypony to envy and anger. I think you were perfectly justified in what happened but… I still understand why Celestia did what she did and sent you away.” Luna tilted her head slightly as Written Dreams finished his sentence,
“What do you mean?”
“I think about it like this. A thousand years ago, when you first turned into Nightmare Moon and attempted to create an eternal night… if you had succeeded then plants would eventually die. Ponies would starve and nothing could grow. Sunlight is needed for life and growth whilst night is needed for rest and peace of mind. Night and day are a truly necessary balance in this world” Luna and Written Dreams continued talking for another few hours, the two eventually leaving the hall of the Elements of Harmony and the two walked throughout the castle, talking and occasionally laughing together and eventually Princess Luna’s horn began to gently billow with her dark blue aura as they walked, the moon slowly rising into the sky as Luna escorted the pegasus to his suite at the top of one of the towers of the castle the two smiling to one another as Written Dreams opened the door to his room, “Goodnight Luna. Sleep well and I look forward to spending more time with you come morning.” Princess Luna gave a soft giggle as a very light blush painted her cheeks and she nodded happily to him,
“And I hope that you sleep well as well my friend. I hope that you dream of pleasant things tonight.” The two then embraced each other, Luna giving the colt a soft nuzzle before he retired to his room for the night, the princess’ wings spreading before she flew from the tower up towards a much higher tower nearer to the center of the castle, a small telescope sitting at the edge of the balcony she landed upon before she walked into the room connected to it and disappeared, Written Dreams looking away from the window as she left his sight and he smiled gently, trotting over to the large bed and made himself comfortable for the night.