There is a Season

by ArdanBlade


Starswirl's Warning

Chapter 9
Starswirl's Warning

There is nothing more enigmatic, nor more dangerous, than power.
All my long years I have witnessed it's abuse, and more than once, succumbed to it's siren call.

- Starswirl the Bearded, excerpt from The Encyclopedia of Ancient Pony Practices

Twilight Sparkle's eyes scanned over the intricately woven images of ponies long past, each page a tapestry, with the ancient writing carefully worked into the images. She loved old books like this, and was curious as to what this particular volume would tell her about this mysterious friend of Pinkie Pie. She didn't see, nor feel the room fade around her as the words worked into the cover of the old tome began to glow softly, a spell ingrained into the very pages awakening as she eagerly read.
Spike was pushing the door open, his arms filled with groceries, when he heard a strange sound filling the room. Alarmed, the little dragon hastily deposited the bags filled with food on the floor, his eyes fixing on Twilight. The lavender mare was sitting perfectly still, her eyes fixed on the pages of her book as wind seemed to swirl about her, throwing stray papers and small books all about her.
"Twilight! Are you okay!?" Spike asked, worry carrying into his voice. He tried to hurry over to her, his concern growing as his companion remained motionless, seemingly oblivious to his question. The wind, however, only grew stronger. As he pressed inward, he felt his legs leave the ground, carrying him up into the air.
"Wooaah!" Spike looked about himself, his little arms flailing in hopes of catching on to something. He called out again, but remained unanswered. "Twilight, what's wrong with you!?"
Entirely unconscious of Spike's attempts, Twilight's rapt attention remained fixed upon the book, her gaze held firmly in place by a powerful enchantment.

* * *

Outside the library tree's windows, the three changeling would-be assassins were peeking in at the strange sight, their eyes fixed upon Twilight.
"What is it doing!?" Yellowbelly asked, unsure of what he was witnessing.
"Throwing the little lizard, apparently!" Bluenose responded, a cackling chuckle emitting from him.
"Silence you two!" Hidecracker snapped. "It took us long enough to find ponies to imitate without being caught! I will not have you two ruin our work! Now it seems the Twilight pony is distracted so we'll-"
"Doctor Whooves? Lyra? Bon Bon? What are you guys all doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked cheerfully, trotting up behind the three ponies. "Is this some kind of prank!? I love practical jokes!"
Completely oblivious of the changelings' disguises, Pinkie Pie walked right between the befuddled trio, peering into the window. Behind her back, Lyra looked over at Bon Bon, making a curious face. Bon Bon replied with a silent shrug, her face confused. Dr. Whooves slowly backed up, eyeing the pink pony warily. They couldn't let their disguises be blown yet!
"Ooh! What's Twilight doing!? It looks fun!" Pinkie commented, then turned to face the three ponies, who were backing away slowly. "So anyway, my new friend and I were going to meet her, but I think she might be busy! So are any of you busy tomorrow at noon? I'm planning on throwing a really big superfantabulous party for my new friend Zephyr, and I wanted to know if you would all come!"
"Oh, uh, yeah sure!" Dr. Whooves replied nervously, trying to smile. "We love par- part… those things..!"
"Okie dokie! I'm glad you can come! Now Zephyr can make some new friends! Right Zephyr?" Pinkie looked down at her side, but the shy little filly had disappeared completely. "Huh, where did you go Zephyr?"
As Pinkie looked about for her invisible friend, the three changelings quickly hurried off, disappearing down the street. They didn't stop until they were back at the edge of Ponyville. Shedding their disguises in a burst of green energy, the assassins looked at each other.
"Woohoo! We get to go to a party!" Lyra, now Bluenose, whooped as he leapt into the air, his wings fluttering.
"No! We are going to no parties! This is obviously a trap, and we were lucky to make it out the first time!" Dr. Whooves snarled as he turned back into Hidecracker. "That pink pony is a spy, I'm sure of it! She was probably trying to lull us into a false sense of security."
As Hidecracker looked back up, he saw his companions not only ignoring him, but playing around! They had returned to their alternate identities as Lyra and Bon Bon. Worse, they were fluttering their eyelashes, shaking their hips at each other, and joking about being sexy! This was the last straw!
"Get over here you two!" He snarled, rushing at the jokers.
"Aaaah! Changeling!" They squealed, grabbing on to each other as if in fright.
"What!? Wait, no!" Hidecracker's eyes went wide with alarm. "What if the Guards hear you!?"
"Heehee, that's the idea!" The two chorused, grinning at their commander.
"Are you both crazy!?" Hidecracker shouted, snorting at the insolent pair. He didn't even notice the sound of hooves approaching from behind.
"A couple of lovely mares being threatened by a changeling?" Wildfire chuckled, eyeing the still unmorphed form of Hidecracker, a reckless grin on his face. "This must be my lucky day."
Realizing his mission was in danger, Hidecracker fled as fast as his hooves could carry him. Wildfire, determined to impress upon what he thought were a pair of damsels in distress, raced after him. He didn't see them burst out laughing, nor fall to the ground, their guises shed in a fit of mirth!

* * *

Twilight Sparkle was far from inactive within her mind. Though completely unaware of the spell taking place in her room, she nonetheless was quite intent upon the one taking shape within her own mind. Images meant to convey story suddenly started stepping from the pages, followed by a flood of colors and light as the room about her seemed to transform! She found herself rising up upon the vast form of a mountain, the world in all it's beauty arrayed before her in a grand tableau stretching farther than she had ever imagined!
"Twilight Sparkle, I might have known it would be you." A strong voice called to her, carrying with it a feeling of belonging, as if hearing the call of a treasured mentor. Indeed, even as Twilight looked about, she spotted the source of the voice approaching her.
Twilight's mouth opened slowly, yet she could find no words to speak around her shock. The pony approaching her was a soft, muted blue gray, his flowing mane and beard as white as snow. He wore a floppy blue hat and cape adorned with stars and bells. His gentle eyes smiled along with his mouth through a small square pair of spectacles.
"It has been a long time, Twilight." The elderly Wizard's voice seemed to send a wave of calm over the stunned unicorn.
"Sta-ha-ah… Starswirl the Bearded?" Twilight began timidly, afraid that he might simply vanish from before her. "How do you know me?"
"I have known you for a long time, Twilight Sparkle. I was there at your birth." He answered, his old eyes shimmering with pride.
"But how!? How is that even possible!? You've been dead for…" Twilight stopped to consider what she was saying. "You did die, didn't you?"
"Hahaha, not dying as such, but embodying something eternal." Starswirl answered patiently. "You will understand in time."
"I will? I mean, I guess so, but how have you appeared, and why now?" Twilight's mind started to fill with questions as foalish dreams of meeting such a legendary pony awoke within her.
"It doesn't matter right now, Twilight. It must suffice to say that your book is far more special than you may yet realize. For now, I have come to tell you a story older than Equestria, perhaps as old as unicorn kind." The Wizard explained. "Only with this knowledge will you be able to put an end to the Dream Taker."
"Dream Taker!? What's a-" Twilight asked, then caught herself, feeling a little foalish as he laughed softly.
"Patience, my dear Twilight. All will be made clear in time." He answered. "Do you know what a gelding is?"
"Of course!" Twilight's embarrassment was quickly replaced with pride at the chance to show off her knowledge. "A gelding is a unicorn who's horn has been severed, cutting them off from the flow of magic."
"Very good, but your knowledge is incomplete." Starswirl replied kindly, seeing the young unicorn's dismay. "It is quite all right, Twilight. I didn't expect even you to know too much about geldings. Most of the knowledge was destroyed by Princess Celestia, in hopes that ponykind would forget the tragedies of a shameful past."
"What!? Why would Princess Celestia do something like that!? Surely she knows better…" Realizing she was raising her voice in defense of her beloved Princess, Twilight tried to calm herself.
"Yes, she does know better, but even Princess Celestia was not so great and wise, once upon a time. We all have our faults, even those who are revered as if we had none." Starswirl corrected gently. Twilight spent a moment to consider his words, then looked back up at the wizened pony.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, please continue." She apologized, eliciting another soft laugh.
"Don't worry, little one! Even as old as I am, I remember what it was like to be young and full of questions too. We are not so different, save for this big patch of fur that has taken over my face." The elder pony joked with a smile. Twilight giggled, her attention firmly fixed upon Starswirl again. "Now where was I? Ah yes, geldings."
"Gelding is an old practice, much older than myself. In far off times, it was used as a tool of shame, to deny the right of magic to unicorns by their enemies. Later it was adopted as a form of capital punishment, used by Kings of old for crimes of magic too harsh for lesser judgements. Even in my time, when gelding was banned as an act of cruelty, ponies still used it for their own ends."
"You see, gelding not only takes away a unicorn's magic, but it harms their souls too. The wound left within is deep, often fatal. Many geldings lived only a few years before succumbing to grief, bitterness, or the inability to cope with their loss. Perhaps for many it was a blessing, for much worse fates often followed those who lived."
Twilight listened with rapt attention as images of Starswirl's tale flowed around her, moving like water yet taking on a life of their own. As he continued his story, Twilight felt a strange feeling growing within herself, yet she continued to listen, not daring to interrupt again.
"When a pony did survive the gelding, their magic continued to grow, still trapped within them. The pony would often feel trapped, as if something were trying to burst from them. The magic would continue to rise, twisting around their feelings as time passed, feelings that were often dominated by sorrow, envy, and wrath. Each pony would start manifesting abilities associated with their emotions, some fading from the mortal world, becoming living parts of stories, fading into crying voices upon the wind, turning to monsters such as windigoes, or worse."
"The worst of all were those consumed by envy and wrath. Unable to fulfill their own desires, and willing to harm anypony to reach their own ends, they came upon the power to enter dreams. Some who merely existed in this form, wandering from dream to dream were called Dream Walkers, forever to watch longingly as the dreams of other ponies passed by. There were those who refused to merely watch, however. They instead chose to turn those dreams into nightmares, delighting in crushing ponies' hope, stealing away their joy, and eventually consuming every good thing in their victim's life."
"These cruel ponies grew more powerful and hungry for the dreams of others with each victim, fueling their insatiable desire to take. As they did, their powers twisted these once normal geldings into horrible parodies of the ponies they once were. Now clothed in the stolen dreams and cutie marks of their victims, they became monsters. These creatures are called Dream Takers."
"Long ago, before Equestria, powerful unicorns sealed the Dream Takers away in a dungeon beneath the unicorn fortress of Midnight Castle. Powerful spells were woven to hold these cruel ponies in place, with the hope that they would one day give up their powers, or simply wither away."
"The Dream Takers were not so kind as to cease, however, and in their craftiness, they survived. When unicorn kind abandoned Midnight Castle, so did those who kept the spell leave, weakening the defenses that bound the prisoners in place. After countless years, the Dream Takers freed themselves from the chains of imprisonment, and once again they sought the dreams of ponies."
"The beginning of the Dreamless War." Twilight whispered to herself, bringing a smile to the grim expression of Starswirl.
"Very good, Twilight. I see that your history lessons were well placed in you." Starswirl complimented, bringing another blush to the proud unicorn.
"The Dreamless War was a terrible conflict, as it's first victims were not warriors, but innocent ponies who's only crime was daring to dream. The Guard deployed under a brave young Captain named Everbold. Determined to protect Equestria, the young Captain set out to rid the world of these cruel ponies once and for all."
"He died protecting Princess Luna, didn't he?" Twilight questioned, her mind drifting back to the statue of Everbold in the garden.
"Yes, yet even now his spirit lives on, though only because he bound himself to the last survivor of the Dream Takers." Starswirl's voice suddenly grew more sullen. "It seems that the last Dream Taker is not willing to give up so easily.
"What do you mean? Is something wrong?" Twilight asked, concern in her eyes.
"Unfortunately yes." Starswirl began again, turning slowly away from Twilight, stroking his beard as he went. "This pony is relentless, and willing to pay any price to destroy the spirit of Everbold. To that end, he placed a curse upon the bloodline of the brave earth pony."
"Wait, that's impossible. Curses aren't real!" Twilight exclaimed.
Turning back to the upset pony, Starswirl shook his head, ringing the little bells. "Oh my young filly, were it only true. Curses are very real, and have done indescribable harm." He took up the tale once again. "Filled with rage against Everbold, the Dream Taker twisted fate, so that every firstborn pony in Everbold's line would be forced to sacrifice themselves for another, just as Everbold did. For countless generations, ponies have died before that black power, and now only one remains. Just as all the others, the Dream Taker has set out to destroy the last hope of Everbold's line, and in doing so, ending the struggle he fights with his mortal enemy."
"No! We can't let him succeed! All of Equestria could hang in the balance!" Twilight cried, dismay written on her face.
"Indeed, and that is why I was hoping it would be you. If anypony can end this curse and turn the tide of this threat, it is you Twilight."
"Don't worry. I won't fail you." Twilight puffed her chest out proudly.
"Then go, and know that I will always be watching over you." Starswirl said proudly as magic began to swirl about the two ponies, sweeping with it the incredible view. "Goodbye Twilight Sparkle. We shall meet again."
"Thank you, Starswirl the Bearded." Twilight called after him as the library once again filled her sight.

* * *

Books and papers had been strewn about by the windstorm that had swept through. Spike was lying on his back atop one of the bookshelves, his tail dangling over his head. "How did all of this happen?" Twilight asked in surprise, looking up at her assistant.
"I was hoping you'd know. You were kind of in the middle of the whole thing." Spike replied sarcastically, getting up from where he had been deposited by the violent wind.
Glancing at herself, Twilight couldn't deny that despite the disheveled state of the room, there wasn't a hair out of place on her. Instead of admitting that she might have been responsible, she tried to blow it off. "Whatever happened, it's a mess now. Could you clean it up?"
"Yeah yeah, I'll take care of it." Spike grumbled, half climbing, half falling from his impromptu perch.
"Thank you. Now I've got some studying to do. Somepony needs my help, and the fate of Equestria may very well be at stake!"
"I've heard that one before."
"Spike!"

* * *

Deep underneath the halls of Midnight Castle, a silent crypt of living stone, lit only by faint candles, sat the old grey stallion. He slowly rose, his old body crying out against his every motion. It had been too long since he had fed upon the sweet dreams of ponykind, and age was catching him once again. Finally rising to his hooves, he turned slowly to greet the visitor who had thought herself unannounced.
"So, my dear Chrysalis, what can I do for you?"
"Napping on the job? I would have thought you were actually going to try and aid in my ultimate victory over Equestria." Sarcasm practically dripped from the changeling Queen's mouth.
"Even the smallest ripple can reach far." He replied gently. "Twilight Sparkle is about to throw herself in harm's way, and she doesn't even know it."
"Really? How can you be so sure?" Chrysalis replied snidely.
"Ponies are quite easy to fool, and will listen to anypony who appears to be what they hope to see. It is comical, really. Twilight was so taken in by the image of a long dead Wizard that she accepted every word. She even believes that she can change the destiny of that foal Everheart and his kin."
"I assume this means you have dealt with the last of the Everheart line?"
"Soon enough, he will be in my clutches. All in good time."