"Anonymous!"
You bolt upright at the sound of your voice being called, taking a deep breath as you try to get your heartbeat under control. Looking around, you see the confines of the old library around you. Meanwhile, Luna stands in front of you, flashing you a sly smile.
"What? I'm awake," you say, rubbing your eyes.
It did not take long to find the library in the old castle after Luna blasted a hole into the throne room. As it turned out, the sign you had previously pointed to on the wall was a switch to open a secret door to the throne room.
Luna was pretty embarrassed about that.
Unfortunately, you haven't been a whole lot of help going through the massive collection of tomes and journals. Nearly half of them are in languages completely foreign to you. According to Luna, a few of them are even in languages that are non-existent today.
Of course, she would know, considering her age.
"Perhaps it is time to see if Twilight Sparkle is home, and get her assistance and expertise," Luna says. You nod in agreement as her horn begins to glow.
With a flash, the castle's dark, gloomy interior is replaced with the sunlight of Equestria, making you squint as your eyes slowly adjust. Once again, the Golden Oaks Library stands before you, this time in the afternoon light.
"I will return shortly, I am returning to Canterlot briefly to collect some items for our overnight stay."
"Whoa, whoa. We're staying overnight in that place," you ask, a bit shocked. Luna's mischievous grin returns, as sinister as ever.
"Oh? Are you frightened by the prospect of spending a night in the castle?" she asks teasingly.
You shake your head no, but in reality, the thought of spending a night in the abandoned building does creep you out quite a bit.
"Good, I will be back for you and Twilight in just a few moments," Luna says, before disappearing in another brilliant flash.
Turning around, you only have to take a few steps before reaching the door to Twilight's home for the second time today. Reaching out with a fist, you pound firmly on the door, to make sure Twilight hears you.
If she is home, that is. Perhaps she had something to do today?
All thoughts are cast aside when the sounds of movement inside filter through the door to your ears. You wait patiently before the door finally opens with a slight creak. You find yourself taken aback a bit by what you see.
It's Twilight at the door, but she doesn't exactly look chipper. Rather, it looks as if you just woke her up from some much-needed rest, judging by her disheveled mane.
"Anonymous? What are you doing here?" Twilight asks with a lethargic groan.
"Well, this is the second time I've visited. Have you been sleeping this whole time?"
Twilight nods, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.
"Sorry, I haven't been sleeping well lately," she says, letting out another long yawn.
"Are you having nightmares? Why not ask Luna for help?" you ask.
"No!" Twilight cries, shaking her head in a very animated manner before calming down a bit. "I mean, no, I'm fine Anon. But thank you."
Right. That reaction wasn't suspicious at all. But, you also respect her privacy, so you drop it for now.
"Anyways Twilight, Luna and I were curious if you could help us today. We made our way to the old castle, trying to find anything in the collection of books there that may shed light on what exactly has caused this link between her and I. You up for it?"
Twilight seems hesitant, much to your surprise. Rather than jumping for joy, she merely kicks a hoof at the floor, looking up at you nervously.
"I can if you want me to join," she mumbles. "I don't want to get in the way of you two if-"
Not bothering to let her finish, you grab Twilight and hug her to your chest, while she squirms in your grasp.
"Twilight, I don't want to hear anything like that come from your mouth again. You are my friend, of course I want you to join us. Luna does as well, she thought you would be a big help in our mission." You let Twilight go, while she stumbles backward a bit.
To your relief, Twilight's face begins to light up, letting her enthusiasm shine through in a beaming grin.
"Okay, count me in!" she shouts. "Do I need to bring anything? Where is Luna, by the way?"
"Slow down, I can only answer so fast," you reply, chuckling. "Luna should be back any moment, she had to get a few things from Canterlot. I guess we're planning on staying the night in the old palace, so I'd suggest bringing a sleeping bag."
"It's not necessary. Ours is plenty big enough."
Your heart rate picks up a bit as you turn around to face Luna, who once again manages to have impeccable timing. On her back is a rolled up sleeping bag that looks almost triple the size of any you have seen before.
"What?" Luna asks with a knowing smile.
"You know what," you reply, playfully scolding her. "Anyways, look who got out of bed and is ready to join us?"
"Hello, Princess Luna," Twilight says cheerfully. "I heard the two of you needed another set of eyes to go through your old library. You can count me in!"
Luna practically beams with joy upon hearing Twilight's enthusiastic response.
"That is wonderful news, Twilight Sparkle. I was hoping you could join us, as Anonymous here seems to have difficulty staying awake for more than an hour at a time."
You fold your arms in front of you, as Luna just smirks.
"I suppose we have wasted enough time, let us return to the castle with haste," Luna announces, as the three of you are wrapped within the glow of Luna's magic.
Your concentration on the book in front of you is broken by a sudden tugging sensation. Starting out gentle at first, it literally begins pulling you across the floor. As you come to a stop, a blue feathered wing wraps itself around you, as you finally look up.
"Luna, you could have just asked me to come over. I'd rather not get splinters in my ass," you grumble, getting a snort of laughter from Luna.
"Sorry, I just wanted you to see this book I found," she says, her voice filled with excitement.
"It's not another joke book, is it?" you groan quietly. "I'm beginning to think that's about all you and your sister kept in this place."
Luna shakes her head with a smile. "No, it is, in fact, an old photo album. I find it hard to believe my sister forgot this one here, but it is in remarkable condition," she says, directing your attention to the pages with a hoof.
As Luna slowly flips through the pages, you see many of them are of her, some intermingled with Celestia as well. In fact, quite a few seem to be from race meetings, from when she was younger. Yet, unlike the labeled years suggest, she doesn't seem to change much in the photos.
"True alicorns tend to age at a much slower rate, Anon," Luna states, reading your mind. "My apologies for intruding upon your thoughts."
"It's fine, Luna. I probably was going to ask about it anyways," you reply. Your eyes dart away from the album, spying Twilight nearby fidgeting as she watches the two of you before she quickly returns her gaze to the tome in front of her.
Despite her protests, something is clearly off with Twilight today. Aside from the obvious signs of fatigue, she has been rather restless all day. Not to mention she has only gotten through maybe one book, a far cry from what you have seen the voracious little reader get through in the same time span in the past.
"Twilight," you call out, causing her to feign surprise as she looks back up.
"Wha-huh?"
You feel Luna stir next to you, and as you glance over, you see her smile has been wiped away, replaced with a look of concern. She rises to her hooves awkwardly, before striding over to Twilight.
"Twilight, I do not wish to intrude," Luna says while draping a wing over Twilight, "but you have seemed troubled all day. Perhaps Anon and I may be of help to ease your mind?"
Twilight only shakes her head, not willing to divulge her issues, much to your disappointment.
"I'm fine," she insists, flashing a half-hearted smile for the two of you. "I appreciate the concern, but I just have some minor things to deal with. Nothing to worry about."
Just as you are about to speak up, Luna makes eye contact with you, slightly shaking her head as she urges you to let it go.
Rather than return to your side, Luna heads over to where she placed her sleeping bag earlier. With a heave, she throws it in the air, allowing it to unroll and drift lazily to the floor. Even with as big as it looked rolled up earlier, the deep purple bag is even more massive than you thought, perhaps big enough for four or five ponies to fit comfortably.
"I never took you for one to own camping equipment, Luna," you chide. "But isn't it a little early to be getting to sleep?"
"Nonsense," she replies, beckoning to you and Twilight to join her as she lays down and snuggles in. "We have all been buried within these dusty tomes for hours. A rest is well in order."
You and Twilight exchange confused glances, before silently nodding. You crawl over to the makeshift bed and slide in next to Luna, as does Twilight right behind you.
It isn't clear what kind of fabric this is made out of, but one thing is for sure - this sleeping bag is more comfortable than even your own bed at home. As you're getting situated, Luna drags you up close to her.
"It's not that cold, is it?" you ask, as Luna grins mischievously.
She puts a hoof up to her muzzle, insisting you lower your voice. Turning your head, you're surprised to see Twilight's jaw hanging open, as she has already managed to fall asleep. You turn back to Luna.
"I guess Twilight wasn't kidding she hadn't been sleeping well lately," you whisper to Luna. "I'm worried about her."
While Luna nods in understanding, her smile does not seem to diminish in the slightest.
"It is understandable and admirable to be concerned," she says, hugging you close to her. "But, consider how Twilight must feel seeing two of her closest friends suddenly becoming.... more than friends with each other."
The idea that the relationship between you and Luna could be the culprit of Twilight's uneasiness is not a new one, especially with her comments earlier today when you asked her to join you. Could it really be bothering her that much?
"It's going to take some time, Anonymous," Luna whispers to you. "Just allow her some space to adjust."
"Alright," you quietly reply. "But what are you up to tonight?"
"Me? Whatever do you mean, Anon?" Luna asks in an all-too-suspicious tone.
"It is really early to be getting to sleep, don't you think? I mean, we can't see the sky from in here, but I'm not really that tired, so it must not be that late. Oh, and the whole staying the night thing, that's a little odd."
"I believe you are overthinking all of this, Anon," Luna says, kissing you on the forehead. "Perhaps you are not very tired, but I am. Good night."
"Good night, Lulu," you mumble, as she snuggles up against you.
The sensation of free-falling jolts you awake and upright, panting breathlessly as you try to regain your bearings. Without any windows to view the sky or any other way to tell time, you don't know how long you've slept. It is not a big deal, but as you look to either side in the sleeping bag, neither Luna or Twilight are anywhere to be seen. Your heart rate speeds up once again.
"Luna? Twilight?"
The only response you receive is that of your own echo cascading off the walls around you. With caution, you slide yourself out from the sleeping bag, keeping your eyes peeled for anything moving amidst the shadows.
"You two better not be screwing with me," you call out. Your voice sounds way more nervous that you intended it to be. Yet against your better judgment, you tiptoe out of the room and into the hallway, looking for your missing friends. This is probably some sort of prank by Luna, but you're not willing to just assume.
Fortunately, Luna took you for a bit of sightseeing earlier, so you aren't too concerned about getting lost. As long as you don't wander too far away, that is. Once you make it to what was the main ballroom, you stop and just stare.
Earlier in the day, you had been here, and the ceiling was intact. Now, the ceiling is absent, allowing the night sky and the crescent moon's light to shine through to the interior.
"What the hell..."
As you speak, the sky above begins the move, the stars swirling about as they inexplicably start to envelop the room around you. Stunned and rattled by the sight, all you can manage to do is shut your eyes and throw your arms in front of your face.
"Are we really that frightening, Anonymous?"
The sound of Luna's soft voice causes you to open your eyes and lower your arms, finding the night princess standing before you. She snatches a kiss from you while your mind tries to make sense of everything.
"Luna?"
"Were you expecting somepony else?" Luna asks with a giggle.
"Why did you leave without saying something? And where's Twilight?" you ask breathlessly. Before she can answer, you notice Luna is at eye level with you, yet another oddity in this whole sequence.
You don't get to ask that question before Luna's form abruptly shrinks back to her normal shorter stature.
"Twilight is fine, Anon," Luna says, sounding confused as her grin fades. "You don't know where you are, do you?"
"What kind of a question is that? I'm in the old castle, with you and Twilight Sparkle. Right?"
Luna shakes her head, giggling like a school girl.
"Anonymous, let me formally introduce you to my domain. The dreamscape," Luna announces. The room suddenly brightens as chandeliers far above the room come to life, shining brightly. As the light bounces around the ballroom, everything it touches seems to rejuvenate, the whole room going back in time to when it was new.
"So, I'm dreaming," you state flatly. At least this makes more sense.
Yet once again, Luna shakes her head in disagreement.
"No, Anonymous. You are fully conscious, as I am not visiting you. You found me," she says, hardly containing her excitement.
While it seems there is nothing to worry about, not understanding what exactly is going on begins to frustrate you.
"Luna, what are you talking about? Give it to me straight, please."
"Well, I was hesitant to say I had a theory about our connection, but it seems to be true," Luna says, clearing her throat before continuing. "When I improperly cast the spell that resulted in us swapping bodies for a short time, the switch back seems to have left you with some of our magical power. Or more specifically, Nightmare Moon's power."
Luna's words hit you right in the gut, as the mere mention of Nightmare's name causes you to flash back to the psychological torture she placed on you.
"You're saying Nightmare Moon is with me?" you shout in panic. Luna puts a hoof up, trying to calm you down.
"No, only her magic made the transfer with you, Anon," she replies softly. Quite honestly, that does not make you feel much better, as it only raises further questions and concerns within you.
"So, does that mean I'm going to be able to teleport and levitate shit as you can?" you ask.
"I doubt it, Anon. Without a horn like unicorns or alicorns, I do not see how you can discharge magical energy," Luna says, as your shoulders slump a bit. "But, you do have the ability to wander amongst dreams as I do. A dreamweaver, as I like to call myself."
"So I'm Gary Wright?" you joke. Luna only gives you a confused stare.
"Nevermind, Luna."
"Anon?"
Luna fades away as another voice echoes through the castle, as it too fades away into black.
Opening your eyes, you find yourself back where you were before, still in the sleeping bag. You can feel Luna lying in slumber beside you, while Twilight is hovering over top of you, as your eyes slowly focus.
"Twilight," you groan, trying to shake off your grogginess. "What's wrong?"
Despite her eagerness to wake you, Twilight once again clams up, unsure of herself whether to go on. You sit up, yawning quietly.
"Twilight, something is bothering you. Luna and I care about you, so spill it. Please."
"Sorry," she mumbles, unwilling to meet your gaze. "I just don't want to make it awkward between us. All of us, I mean."
"I'm assuming you're having issues adjusting to me and Luna being.... more than friends?" you ask. With a silent nod from her, you pull Twilight close to your chest.
"Twi, it doesn't change anything between me and you. Nor Luna and you, for that matter. Both of us still enjoy your company, and nothing is going to change that."
"But the same thing happened between my big brother Shining Armor and Cadence, and I never see them anymore! What's stopping that from happening again?" Twilight cries, finally looking up at you. Her eyes are filled with anguish and turmoil.
Frustrated, you rack your brain to come up with anything that can convince Twilight you won't leave her. A thought pops up, and you act upon it, as you lift Twilight's chin and press your lips to her.
Needless to say, Twilight is too shocked to react, and as you let her go, she just stares at you wide-eyed.
"Does that convince you that I care?"
"I'm convinced," comes Luna's voice from behind you.
Fear and worry grip you as you turn to face Luna. "Luna, I-"
With a glow of her magic, Luna silences you. But judging by her serene grin, she is not mad at all.
"I am quite all right, Anon," she says calmly. "And Twilight, do you believe him now?"
Twilight seems to break out of her trance, focusing her eyes on Luna as she nods.
"Good," Luna replies, eyeing the both of you. "Now, considering all we have learned tonight, I say we get some sleep and discuss this in the morning."
Facing Twilight again, you make eye contact with her. She has definitely relaxed some, though still rather shocked by your actions. All three of you lay back down before both Luna and Twilight slide closer to your form.
A lot to discuss is quite an understatement.