What is a Dream

by Silver Page

A New Realm

“Does it glow in the dark? Really?”

“Hey, at least I didn’t get frozen this time!”

“Oh, and being shoved head-first through an ornamental hedge-bush is an improvement?”

“Yes, especially because it doesn’t have thorns!” It was early the next morning, and Gold Dust had only just woken up when she heard her cousin’s voice calling for help. Except that it was coming from outside her window, and on inspection, found Silver Tongue stuck in a dragon shaped bush. Sighing, she made her way down to the garden, and found Shining Armor already there laughing his flank off. While Gold Dust nagged Silver Tongue, Shining Armor began to try and remove the hapless earth pony from the branches.

“Honestly, what did Shining Armor say about hitting on the maids?”

“…Do it all the time?” With a sound of snapping twigs, Silver Tongue was thrown out of the hedge, and sprawled out on the soft grass of the garden. “Still, oddly enough, I had a really good sleep in there. Like I was one with nature.”

“You were one with nature. Head first, with your legs sticking out and flailing wildly,” Shining Armor commented, and that got a laugh out of both him and Silver Tongue. Gold Dust sighed wearily, already tired despite having just woken up.

“I’m going to find some breakfast. I need some coffee to clear my head after all this,” Gold Dust said, as she trotted off back to the castle.

“Sure thing! Kitchen is on the second floor! Once you’re done, you can meet up with Silver Page and Cadence at the library!”

“He already left?” Silver Tongue asked, rolling onto his hooves and standing up.

“Indeed, couldn’t wait to get started,” Shining Armor confirmed.

“I can’t wait to get started!” Silver Page was practically bouncing up and down, his enthusiasm was so strong. He gazed lovingly at the vast array of books before him, while behind him Princess Cadence stood with the librarian and shared a grin.

“Do you have a card catalog I can look over? I should try to see if Canterlot has any duplicates of your books, so I can cut down on the number I’ll have to go over…”

“Yes, we do have card catalogs you can browse. Everything should be in order still, since King Sombra closed the library and forbid anypony to read.” The look of shock on Silver Page’s face must have been sensed, so the librarian explained. “There aren’t any unicorns in the Crystal Empire, except King Sombra, of course. Still, he was afraid somepony might find a way to counter his magic with our crystals or some other method, so he banned books and sealed this place in a barrier. I hadn’t been inside since I returned, a thousand years later…” the librarian went off to look for the card catalogs, and Silver Page’s enthusiasm was muted a bit by this revelation. Cadence coughed politely to get his attention.

“I am heading back to the castle now. I assume your grandponies will be awake by now, so I’ll direct them over here after a while.”

“Oh, no need for that, your Majesty. I’ll just be looking over the book directories and lists today, so I won’t need them for anything. Let them explore the city and see the sights; if they learn about it firsthoof it might be helpful.” Cadence nodded, and headed out.

“Oh, and if Silver Tongue is still stuck in that hedge, could you get somepony to remove him, please?” Silver Page called out, an afterthought. Cadence stopped mid step, and looked over inquiringly, but then shock her head. It was Silver Tongue after all.

“Really, a free day?” Gold Dust asked, looking up from a hearty breakfast as Princess Cadence retold Silver Pages words.

“Indeed. You two should explore the city and see the sights. He thinks it will be beneficial, and I agree. Myself and Shining Armor have not had a lot of time to explore, so this would also help us as well.” At the table, Silver Tongue and Gold Dust were seated alongside Shining Armor, and the dwindling remains of breakfast were being cleared out already by the staff. Silver Tongue nodded thoughtfully.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll go on ahead, and you can catch up later, GD!” He said, and tried to leave, but found himself stuck to the chair.

“Not going to happen, Silver Tongue. I can’t let you wander out there on your own. You’ll just cause trouble. Like this morning.”

“Technically, I caused the trouble last night, and only got free this morning,” Silver Tongue began, but shut up as he saw Gold Dust’s scowling face. “Fine, okay, we’ll go together!”

“Good. We’ll leave in a few minutes,” Gold Dust said, brushing off her mouth with a napkin. “It’ll be fun!”

“This place is amazing! Look at the architecture! And the materials! Such shine and luster! What a sight!” Gold Dust exclaimed as she bounced about, staring at the buildings in wonder. Behind her, Silver Tongue looked around as well, but his gaze was on the mares. He occasionally winked at some of them, but moved on quickly when their husband or stallion-friend caught him looking. The Crystal Ponies that were out looked at the spectacle with a mix of amusement and bewilderment. It had been a long time since anypony had visited, and none had dared venture near when King Sombra was in power.

After a while, Gold Dust led Silver Tongue into the central market, following the smooth, glass like streets. It was a beautiful array of portable stalls and carts that were placed near larger buildings that housed the stores. Here was the largest gathering of Crystal Ponies either had so far seen, and it was an impressive sight. Soon, Gold Dust was completely absorbed in it all, and this distraction allowed Silver Tongue to have more freedom for flirting.

By the end of the first hour in the market, Silver Tongue was feeling like himself again. Sure, he had been splashed with water a few times by annoyed mares, tripped and pushed into hedges by more mares who thought he was less than charming, and been forced to run off when a mare had indeed thought he was handsome, but their friend, usually an angry stallion, had convinced Silver Tongue to back away, but all in all, it was good to be back in his element. Now that he had wooed the mares, he wandered off to see if there were any fillies and colts who might like a funny story.

“Mister, are you from outside?” Silver Tongue was jolted from his revelries by a slight hooftap on his hind legs, and he looked down to see a group of foals looking back up at him in wonder.

“Uh, yes?” Silver Tongue replied, bewildered. The foals gasp in wonder, big smiles on their muzzles.

“Wow! What’s it like outside? Are there lots of trees?”

“Do you eat rocks?”

“What is that big iron snaked called?”

“Why aren’t you shiny? Are you sick?”

“Can I have a hug?”

All at once, the excited children began to talk, pelting him with questions. Silver Tongue held up his hooves for silence. Immediately, the children settled down, but kept staring at him in wide eyed awe.

“Yes, no, a train, I am not sick, and of course, you can have a hug,” Silver Tongue said, leaning down and giving the filly a squeeze. The children started clamoring again at this, and Silver Tongue grinned. “One at a time, kids! One at a time!”

By the time lunch rolled around, there was a sizable crowd surrounding him. It was full of not just foals, but a number of adult Crystal Ponies had gravitated towards him as well, and Silver Tongue’s tales brought out chuckles and guffaws alike.

“Does this Princess Celestia really raise the sun and moon? Seems like a lot of trouble,” one of the Crystal Stallions asked. A lot of the adults had questions about the affairs of the world since they’d been gone, and as somepony who knew enough, Silver Tongue was besieged.

“Well, yes, though her sister Princess Luna raises the moon now. They do it in order to prevent otherponies from using magic to control night and day, so it’s fair and evenly distributed.”

“Is this Equestria truly a free and fair nation? When we were around, it was hardly anything, and we heard rumors of some spirit of chaos running amok.”

“Certainly! Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns all live in harmony! Sure, there is some division, but everything is still really great! My cousin is a Unicorn, I should know!” Silver Tongue boasted, and the adults all ooed and awed and muttered to one another. After a while, a new barrage of questions came out, and Silver Tongue had to take a few steps back as the grown-ups crowded close.

“LOOK OVER THERE!” Silver Tongue shouted, pointing at the castle, and as one, the mares and stallions all looked away. At that moment, all the foals burst forth from the encircling adults, and ran off, Silver Tongue following behind in their wake. “Ohlookatthetimegottogobye!” A moment later, the coast was clear, and the group stopped running and hid in an alleyway.

“Thanks, kids! You were a big help!” Silver Tongue said, patting a colt on the head in praise.

“No problem, Mister! Wanna play later?” Silver Tongue nodded at the invitation, and the children ran off laughing.

“Sweet little guys,” Silver Tongue said, finally catching his breath. He was about to leave the alleyway, when he heard a soft giggle behind him. He went still, afraid one of the obnoxiously pushy questioning adults had found him, but when he looked, all he saw was a young Crystal Mare.

She was lovely, with a soft pink coat and light green mane streaked with pale blue. She wore a long, dark blue cape that looked like silk, and it covered most of her flank while leaving her shoulders and front legs open to the air. It was fastened around her neck by a thick white ribbon, with a small white rucksack on her back filled with books. The cape rustled softly in the breeze, and she moved as the fabric shifted. She shone with light, the sun reflecting off her crystal like coat, and Silver Tongue’s brain stopped working. He had never seen anypony like her. His jaw moved, but no words came out. The young mare giggled again, a soft, warm sound.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. When I saw those foals having fun, I was reminded of the old days. My father used to love playing with them.” At this, a flicker of sadness blazed in her eyes, but came and went so fast that Silver Tongue wasn’t sure he’d really seen it. “I’m sorry to have bothered you, mister…?”

“Silver Tongue!” He replied, louder than he’d meant, and the mare smiled at his awkward expression.

“A pleasure meeting you, Silver Tongue. Have nice day.” With that, she sauntered off, leaving a stunned Earth Pony behind her.

A few minutes later, Gold Dust peeked her head into the small path, and sighed as she found her cousin. A picnic basket was strapped to her back, and a tantalizing aroma filled the tiny space.

“There you are, Silver Tongue! Why did you wander off like that?” Gold Dust stomped angrily over to her slack jawed cousin, and nudged him with her hoof. He snapped back to his senses at her touch, and he looked around sheepishly.

“Oh! Hey there GD! When did you get here?”

“Just now, you drooling stallion! What were you doing back here?” Silver Tongue opened his mouth to speak, but Gold Dust raised a hoof to his face. “Don’t tell me, I probably don’t want to know! Anyways, I’m heading over to the library now to take grandfather some lunch. You should come with me, so you don’t get lost again.” Clearly not going to take no for an answer, Gold Dust led Silver Tongue out into the streets and towards the library.
They made it there without too much trouble, Silver Tongue being spoken to and complimented and apologized to, which was a novelty for Gold Dust. Usually, she was the one who apologized for her brother, not other ponies apologize to him!

“What exactly happened while I was gone?” Gold Dust asked when they were in front of the library.

“Eh, not much. A few mares, a few stallions, I play with a few foals, and I almost get mobbed by more mares and stallions. Typical Wednesday,” Silver Tongue said nonchalantly as the large double doors were pushed open.

“Oh? I thought that was a typical Friday?” Gold Dust mocked, and Silver Tongue chuckled good naturedly.

“Nah, Fridays I get mugged only by mares. I can see how that might confuse you.” Laughing, the two entered the majestic library of the Crystal Empire, and once their mirth died down did they stare in wonder at the surroundings.

“Sweet Celestia, I’ve never seen anything like this! The books are glowing! Literally!”

“Helps for reading in the dark, I bet,” Silver Tongue said, recovering his wits to crack a poor joke. Gold Dust rolled her eyes, and the two quickly found Silver Page. He was practically buried in books and scrolls, making copious notes of everything he read, and already had filled several notebooks of his own, by the looks of things.

“Grandfather, we brought lunch!” Gold Dust called out, and Silver Page looked up, removing a pair of spectacles as his grandchildren approached.

“Lunchtime already? Huh. In any case, take a look at this! I found a mint condition ‘Universal Purpose,’ one of Star Swirl the Bearded’s first every books on philosophy! Totally boring, but still!” Silver Page was burning with his passion, and his grandchildren smiled, quickly being absorbed into their grandfather’s pace.

“Excuse me, sir? Um, I’d like to check out that book you’re sitting on.” A soft voice cut into their conversation, one that was very familiar to Silver Tongue. He looked over and saw the Crystal Mare from before, standing awkwardly near the towering pile of books his grandfather was in.

“Oh! Sorry about that! Here, let me…ah! There you go, one copy of Ploto’s ‘Theory of Words!’ Bit boring, if you ask me. Here, try this one too!” Silver Page reached into one of his rucksacks and pulled out a copy of Daring Doo and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone. It was a worn, battered copy, and signed by the author. Silver Page was very fond of it, but he loved letting ponies read just as much.

“Oh, I couldn’t! I mean, it looks very important…” the mare nervously took a step back, unsure of how to proceed.

“By all means, take it! See how far writing has come in the time you’ve been gone. You won’t be disappointed,” Silver Page said, offering both books to her.

“Alright, then. I’ll be sure to return it soon.” She took the books and placed them in her now empty rucksack, and as she prepared to leave, she noticed Silver Tongue standing nearby.

“Oh, hello again! Are you three here together?”

“Yes! I mean, this is my grandfather Silver Page, and my cousin Gold Dust,” Silver Tongue said, nervously indicating his family. The mare took a step back in shock as she saw Gold Dust’s horn, and quickly looked away, embarrassed.

“I’m Gem Swirl. Pleased to meet you all. Um, I have to go now,” she said, and hastily retreated out of the library.

“What was that all about?” Gold Dust asked, indignant, self-consciously touching her horn after Gem Swirl’s reaction. Silver Page looked confused as well, while Silver Tongue just stood there.

“Please don’t mind her, dear. Gem Swirl has more reason than most to be afraid of Unicorns,” The librarian said, appearing from beyond a stack of books.

“Why?” Silver Page asked, curious. The librarian hesitated, but finally spoke.

“Gem Swirl was hurt very badly by King Sombra during his reign. Out of all of us, she suffered the most.”

“How so?” Silver Tongue asked, worried.

“She was King Sombra’s wife.” The revelation was startling, and the trio of outsiders gaped at the Crystal librarian.

“It wasn’t her choice, mind you! Her father was the younger brother to the previous King, and the commander of our defenses. When King Sombra attacked, Gem Swirl’s father, Sword Swirl, was the last one to retreat, and the first one to be publicly executed.” The librarian looked down as the horrible memories returned, but she quickly rallied. “Next was her mother, her uncle the King, her aunt the Queen, and her cousin, Prince Glory. In front of the whole city that monster had them executed, and he forced Gem Swirl not just to watch, but to do it herself! I won’t tell you how, but it still haunts me. Gem Swirl was forced into marriage, even though she was only eleven years old! For over ten years she suffered his wrath, and she tried to help us when possible. But she was scarred by King Sombra, mentally as well as physically. When he was banished, she was hiding in a safe house we had made for her, a place he could not locate with his magic. She didn’t see him destroyed, but she felt it. And when she wakes up, the next thing she knows, a thousand years has gone by!”

The librarian’s voice had risen steadily, and the more she explained, the more an invisible weight was lifted from her shoulders. By the time she was done, she was panting with the effort, and her audience was shocked silent. Silver Page recovered first, and looked at his grandchildren, concerned.

“That must have been horrible. I can’t image such a fate,” he said softly, and pressed a hoof softly against a faded scar on his right shoulder. Gold Dust looked shocked as well, and shared a sad expression with Silver Tongue, who had one mirrored on his own face.

“Nopony blames her for what happened during his rule, but she has refused the offer to move into her old home. She still lives in the safe house, near the outskirts. I don’t think she can ever leave. What Sombra did was too cruel,” the librarian explained, hoping to dispel any possible doubts her listeners might have about the Crystal Ponies and their opinion on Gem Swirl. “She only comes into the city for books and food, and rarely stays long.”

“I see. I hope she can overcome her pain one day, but I know that such agonies may never leave,” Silver Page said at length, and turned to Gold Dust.

“I’m not feeling too hungry right now. Why don’t you share with Silver Tongue and the librarian?” He turned back to his work, and the cousins shared a look. When Silver Page got like this, he was hard to budge.

“Okay, gramps. Have fun,” Silver Tongue said, and escorted Gold Dust and the librarian to an unused table.

“Welcome to the Crystal Empire! Please watch your step, and be careful on the ice. It is cold, so be warned.” The conductor of the train called out a final warning, and the pony passengers got off at the temporary station. One of them, a Unicorn with a bugling pack on his back, wore a black, hooded cloak, which covered his rust red coat. His horn crackled in the frost as warmth spells were cast. He looked at the shining spires and towers of the Crystal Empire, and gave a cruel smile.

“Hello again, Silver Page. Guess what? I’m back,” the Unicorn said to himself, and chuckled darkly as he trudged through the snow.