//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Piecing Things Together // Story: Friends and Fairy Tales // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// Out of all the curious and wonders things that the Sultana of Persia has seen in the town, the one thing that drew her attention was towards was the enormous crystal structure in the heart of Ponyville. Although for Scheherazade that she was seeing this for the first time, it would seem as if she already knew her way around. Somehow, she knew where she was going, after all, if she was to figure out where in the universe she was, the best place to look is at a library. “Hello? Is anyone here?” she called out, only to hear echoes come back to her. “Why wouldst one hath a castle like this and hath no one to take care of? Or is it a place that Allah has blessed to be taken care of itself? What a strange thought too.” Scheherazade found her way into the library that was as empty as the castle. At first, she wondered how she was going to be able to find the books she was looking for until she noticed that there was a pattern. Although she had never seen this sort of alphabet in her life, the Sultana suddenly deduced where the books on Equestria, Geography and History were kept. She selected tomes that were promising and she immediately began looking for answers. _*_ “Lunch Break everypony,” Cheerlee announced, and soon the fillies and colts rushed outside of the schoolhouse. Among them were the three Crusaders that were in full gallop. They were heading towards Twilight’s castle with concerns in their heads, and two enchanted books in their saddlebags. “Ah really hope that Twi is there,” Applebloom said. “What if she’s already figured out what’s going on?” Scootaloo asked aloud. “What if she and everyone else are already trying to solve this?” “But even so,” Sweetie Belle interjected, “We need to give their books over to them. We don’t know what kind of magic these things h-” this was as far as she got before the three of them ran into something solid and tumbled over. “Sorry!” a voice cried out, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t… girls?” The three of them looked up to see what they’ve ran into, it was Spike and Zecora. “Spike,” the young apple exclaimed, “Thank Celestria we’ve ran into y’all. We think somethin’ weird is happenin’ to-” “Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, and I’m guessing Rarity too?” Spike asked and the three of them nodded. “What are you three doing out here? School shouldn’t be out by now, isn’t it?” “We want to give these to Twilight,” Sweetie Belle levitated one of the books from her bags. “And this too,” Applebloom hoofed over her book over to Spike. The little drake took the books into his claws, “These must be it! How did you get these?” “They said they found it this morning,” Scootaloo explained. “Of course, we didn’t open them since we don’t know what these things do anyway.” “Well, that’s one problem solved,” Spike said, “but where are your sisters anyway?” “Spike and fillies of three, please listen to me,” Zecora stepped in. “I have a thought, and it might save us a long trot.” “What is it?” Scootaloo asked. “If what I’ve learned from Spike is true, perhaps what we need to do is to look from their point of view.” The shamare put a hoof underneath her chin in thought. “If those with these books woke up with new memory, perhaps finding them is elementary. Tell me if you were new, what exactly would you do?” The four of them looked at one another, “Maybe figure out where we are?” Sweetie Belle asked. “How would you do that, if you’re not sure where you’re at?” “Well,” Spike scratched his head, “Maybe I would try finding a map, or…” It was in that moment that a Dragon and three fillies came to the same conclusion, “A library!” Zecora nodded. “At least we have a start,” Scootaloo said, “come on; let’s hurry over to Twilight’s place.” And so, the five of them rushed towards the Crystal Castle, up the steps, through the front door and down a few hallways, they stopped at the library in which they found a white unicorn there. The Persian Queen sat before many open books that she scanned and compared to one another. “Rarity?” The baby drake spoke as he approached her, getting the Sultan’s attention. But then, Spike paused for a moment before asking, “Wait, are you Rarity?” “The other memories I would agree,” said she. “Only I know that as true as the sun that I am not. Somehow, thou art familiar to me, a friend if I ought to think.” “But if you are not Rarity,” Zecora asked, “then who are you supposed to be?” The mare stood up, regal in her stance, “I am the Sultana Scheherazade, wife of Sultan Shahryar of the great Persian Empire and defender of the faithful.” Sweetie Belle now stepped forward, “I thought I told you to stay at the Boutique until I get back?” “That is true, but I could not resist to look around at this wonders place, and learn from it. For I could I not but be curious of this new world that’s somehow familiar. Even more so, how did I come to be here when I hath not moved during the night.” “So you have no idea how you came here?” Spike asked, and the Sultana shook her head. Sweetie Belle then took out the blue book she was carrying around, “Would this help?” Scheherazade raised an eyebrow, “What is that?” “I found it in your room this morning. It was something that I didn’t recognized, and Applebloom’s sister has had a book that we don’t know where it came from. Do you know it?” The book was placed on the desk, in which the Sultana opened it up. With her hoof, she flipped over a few pages before pausing. Her expression turned to bewilderment as she flipped through several more. “These… These art my stories, how…?” She quickly read through a few paragraphs, “These art my words. My characters,” she flipped towards the beginning in which her eyes widen, “‘The… Tale of… Scheherazade?’ What sorcery is this?” _*_ Although she was tired and the call to sleep was louder than ever, Luna trotted through the hallways of the Palace to where Celestia and Shining Armor were. After spending some time in the dreamscape, she went up to the door to give the two other Princesses what she found. “Eureka,” she announced as she opened the door, “I have found a connection.” “What connection?” Twilight asked. “These two,” Luna pointed at Cinderella and Hansel, “have both had a paper-cut on their hooves before they passed out. Not only that, but it would seem that they are caught up in a loop.” “A loop?” Cadence wondered. “What does that mean?” “From what I could gather,” here, the Night Princess yawned. “Excuse me. Anyway, they explained at one point while they are what I assume in their worlds, they would reach a certain event before the whole thing starts over.” Luna then marched forward to her older sister’s bed, “Now if you don’t mind, I’m just going to rest my eyes for a bit,” she said before she fell right onto it, snoring. With the blue Alicorn fast asleep, the other two Princesses looked over to the other two royals that were looking at the book of fairy-tales. “It is unnerving,” Cinderella said, “To find one’s story in a book in such perfect detail.” “I’ve never heard of these Grimm Brothers,” Hansel commented, “how doth they know so much about us? Except…” This got Twilight’s attention, “Except what?” “This here,” he pointed at the book, “When Gretel pushed the Witch into the oven, I know that I don’t remember that at all.” Cadence went right up to him, “Are you absolutely sure?” Cinderella took hold of the book and flipped it to her story, “And I don’t recall about getting golden slippers either. So yes, we art certain that these things never happened to us.” The two princesses looked at each other, “Wait a minute,” Twilight thought aloud, “Celestia and Shining are in a time loop, Cinderella and Hansel don’t remember certain parts about their stories… and paper-cuts…?” It was then that a light went on in her head, “Hansel, could you come here for a second?” He obeyed while Twilight levitated the book over to her, opening to his story. “Hansel, what was the last thing that you remember again?” Hansel closed his eyes for a moment, thinking hard, “The Witch hath dragged me into a little stable, and locked me behind a gated door. She forced Gretel to cook the best food for me to become fat while she ate nothing but crab-shells. I hath been locked away for four weeks, but I hath tricked the witch.” “How so?” she asked as she scanned through the story. “We noticed that she cannot see well, so every morning when she cries, ‘Hansel, stretch out thy finger that I may feel if thou wilt soon be fat.’ But I give her a chicken bone to feel each time, however, I fear that she is growing impatient and will soon eat me.” Twilight carefully flipped a few pages with her magic until she stopped at a certain paragraph in which it describes exactly as Hansel had. Looking up, she said, “Hansel, I think there might be a way for you to go back.” His eyes widen, “Hath thou heard a word I said! There’s a witch that’s trying to eat me, and thou sayth that thou want to send me back there?” Turning the page, Twilight read through the last paragraph, “Apparently, you and your sister get out of it in the end. It says that you’ll be going home, the stepmother is dead, and you’ll find yourselves with pearls and precious stones. It looks like you’re going to have a happily ever after.” “What?” Hansel questioned, “Let me see.” The white unicorn looked over into the book, and was astonished at the last paragraph of the tale. “But… can it be true? Will I and my sister escape from the witch after all?” “It looks like it. Now then,” Twilight flipped back a page, “I want to try something – run your hoof down the edge of this page, particularly around where this paragraph is. I want you to try to get a paper-cut.” Cinderella raised an eyebrow, “What good wilt that do?” “At this point, I’m not sure,” Twilight confessed, “But I’m sure that it’s worth a try.” Skeptical, Hansel gently let his hoof rest on the every corner of the page, slowly sliding along the side of it until suddenly he cried out, “Ouch!” and immediately pulled away. “That book bit me!” “Are you alright?” Cadence asked as she approached the stallion. The unicorn shook his head quickly, as if trying to clear it, “I feel… light headed… dizzy.” Suddenly, the stallion fell over, only this time his wife was there to catch him. “Shining? Shining! Can you hear me?” For a minute, her husband didn’t respond until he flickered his eyes open. “Huh? Cadence? Please tell me that’s you?” “Shining!” she cried before kissing him. “I was so worried about you… it is you, right?” “Yeah hon, it’s me. By-the-way, Cadence, I know this is going to sound odd but, can you make sure for now on that I don’t ever see a single gingerbread house ever again?” Twilight on the other hoof was bouncing with joy, “It worked! I can’t believe it was that simple! Alright Cinderella, now it’s your…” she trailed off when she noticed the look on the maid’s face. The white Alicorn stepped backward when she turned to look at her, “Uh, Cinderella?” “Please answer me this truthfully,” she inquired, “if I and Hansel art only characters of a story book – am I real?” The Princess of Friendship blinked, “Sorry?” “Although to me, all that I hath suffered underneath my stepmother and my stepsisters for years. All the choirs and humiliation they hath given unto me seem very real. So tell me this, if I am indeed real, doth thou wished to return me to that life where I would still hath to face them, even if I already knew my fate?” “But, you’re going to have a happy ending too. What does this have to do with anything?” Cinderella shook her head, “But doth thou not see, if I am real, then being this Princess Celestia is indeed my happily ever after. If I am real, and that I have this body, which means that no more shalt I sweep the floors, or carry water, or sew clothes ever again! If I am not real, even I know that there should not be a reason to care about being happy. So tell me, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Friendship, am I real?”