Projected Nightmares

by bearcat

Twilight -- Dream quest pt1

The train ride was uneventful. No zero-G, tunnels, or even rolling landscapes. One minute they were still in the desert, hills in the distance but not close enough to be 'growing' very fast. The next the engine was slowing to a rapid stop in what appeared to be the center of Ponyville.

"Gollleeeee. Willya lookit that?" Said Applejack as she departed first, looking almost straight up. As everyone climbed down Twilight finally saw what they were all looking at.

Where the library was supposed to be, the castle from Canterlot sat, albeit about half sized. There wasn't any guard ponies around it but the rest of town had at least earth ponies walking to and fro as if this were all normal. Even the giant train that was as tall as some of the houses seemed not to be gathering notice. Twilight tried to pick out some faces and didn't find anyone she knew from town, nor even ponies she remembered from her early school years.

Thinking it probably didn't matter, Twilight just made a beeline for the front door of either her dream home, or her childhood home. "I should warn you gals" Twilight said, "that castle is quite likely to be booby trapped in some way. Even if Jack's spell didn't work actually."

The named alicorn forcefully hauled himself into the air, hovering only with some concentration. "It is good to guard the gates of your mind. I have faith you will pass your own tests, Twilight Sparkle."

But the miniature drawbridge was sealed shut with a spell lock very similar to where Celestia kept her most precious implements of power. Twilight stared with eyebrow raised at the six blank circles connected by gold filigree to a hole in the center.

Fluttershy laid a hoof gently on Twilight's left shoulder, and said "The hole is the right height for your horn. That vault in the waking Canterlot is too high for you to reach. I bet we're still supposed to go this way." But at that she lost her confidence and dropped to a sitting position and tucked her head as far under her beautiful pink mane as she could.

Well, staring isn't answering my questions thought Twilight as she lowered her head and began pacing in front of the drawbridge. "Yes Fluttershy but we know this is supposed to be my entrance but I don't know any unlock spells. I'm stuck at the start and it's making me feel stupid."

Applejack said "A puzzle piece, huh? They can be fun. And frustratin' as all git out too."

Rarity's contribution: "Do the six spheres still represent the six elements of harmony? They're not marked with anything."

Twilight stopped and harrumphed at the door. Then sighed, stared a time and went back to pacing. "I'm not sure what each circle represents. But I feel certain the lock spell is a six-parter, that's a good guess. Except I don't know any complex lock spells. In fact" she stopped to glare angrily at her companions. "I don't have any clue how a spelled lock mechanism works. I know that the elite wizards such as the fedaykin devise their own so no other wizard can steal their inner secrets."

At this Jack, who was barely even watching her, spoke up with his dusty head still facing the rest of Ponyville. "It will be the simplest six part spell you already know." Turning his head now towards Twilight, he explained "Look out there. Nothing unusual. Strangers to them approach what they must surely believe is their capitol city, seeking entrance, and not one has challenged us nor even taken note." Looking back over the town, he returned his examination of the ponyfolk.

Twilight was staring at the four legged enigma with scrunched eyebrows, but it didn't reduce her confusion any. Rarity again spoke up with "What about that, uh, memory spell, dear?" Twilight unconsciously redirected her confusion cannon at her fellow unicorn. "When the avatar of Chaos was loose you cast a spell so that we would remember what it was like to be your friend. Was it the same spell over and over again or did you revise it for each recipient?"

Twilight shook her head, her deep purple mane drumming against her neck as she did. "Those were separate spells. I tweaked each a tiny bit to emphasis which friend I was remembering but" Then Twilight had a sort of epiphany. She could just shove them all together, make a big five part spell and even add herself. Hoping there wasn't a steep penalty for guessing wrong, she said "Look girls I can try but I'm not sure about this."

She quickly made her memory spell into an impersonal, six part thaumaturgical energy blast, and inserted her horn into the hole until the tip of touched the edges, just as the drawbridge's surface started compressing her forehead hairs.

With her eyes that close she couldn't see the glowing gold surround her horn hole, which flew down each filigree wire as green light, making each circle grow brightly. Each cutie mark was vaguely visible in the light before all that energy faded, and a loud series of clicks could be heard inside the door.

What was supposed to be a drawbridge simply slid away, into the sides of the castle doorway. "Tom saved th' day! Thank ya to Rarity for remembering Tom!" came from an over energetic Applejack. Rainbow Dash snickered loudly but tried to hide it as a sniffle when Rarity glared at her. Just barely loud enough for Twilight to hear, Fluttershy said "Woo hoo. Go Tom." and Twilight was warmed by the brilliant sparkle that didn't make it any farther than the pegasus' eyes.

Rarity tried to be a good sport but mumbled through gritted teeth "I really thought we'd agreed ..." While Jack, now taking up the rear position, after staring in confusion a time finally agreed with himself to level his eyebrows and hum a merry tune instead.

Which was the only sound adding to the clip-clop of the band's hooves on the cobblestone floors. When he finally noticed how eerily silent it was, he looked around at the tapestries flapping in silent breezes, the empty corridors and the room that had furniture (still half sized, Twilight noted.) and remarked "I have gone in search of myself. If I should return before I arrive, kindly detain myself until I get back."

Pinkie's reaction was to giggle long and loud, then to convert to her pogo hop with a silly grin on her face. Twilight Sparkle just rolled her eyes but Rainbow Dash said "Yeah sure thing kingy. What does your other self look like?" But Jack didn't deign to respond with more than a lopsided smirk.

She wasn't sure where her item would actually be, but the throne room seemed a fair guess. All the rooms and hallways and corridors were exactly half the size of the life size, waking world castle in Canterlot. Fortunately even the narrower sections were wide enough to walk two ponies abreast, and Jack never once had to duck under a doorway.

Finally they arrived at the throne room. Still not a single pony, and there was nothing standing out to imply it was the end of their endeavors. There were two pony thrones at the head of the dais, although the larger one was a brightly colored wire mesh that might not accept the weight of any pony. Applejack was fascinated by it, declaring "That there is aluminum! And Here's copper and I think that must be gold. Don't know about this shiny wire here. All braided like, and I don't think there's any iron in it." Turning back to her unicorn friend she asked "Aw Twi don't ya know what it means at all?"

The other throne was well padded and a brilliant red suede covered the seat. It was larger than a pony would actually need but didn't look big enough for Celestia to recline on and neither was proportioned like the upright thrones that Celestia actually used. More like the chaise lounge that Rarity hauled to picnics only nicer. Much nicer.

"No Rarity I'm afraid I don't." Turning to the quasi alicorn who was sitting on the cobblestone at the foot of the stone dais, she asked "You're supposed to be our guide, what do you know about it?"

Jack looked first from the bottom of the stairs, then flew to the top. "First, friend Applejack, that wire" he pointed to an especially shiny section. "Is polished titanium. And that wire and it's like" he indicated another less shiny, but still vaguely silver colored part "is platinum. Lastly the feet and outer wires all appear to be silver with gold accents." Stepping back to look at it from a meter away, he turned now to Twilight and finished his interpretations. "This throne is ceremonial. It means you give honor to a leader who is not here in your mind. That this throne is bigger than the pony who sits in control of all you remember and know, it says you feel deeply that that one's reign is more important than your own place in your heart and mind."

There was a sudden clatter of hooves as a pony ran up the hallway into the throne room. In full royal guard golden armor, it was Spark Impulse, the pegasus who had helped Jack and Celestia keep in touch about the reeducation of the surviving sergals. Now he was galloping nervously towards Jack. And not flying. Odd. I wonder if he's inside our minds or if this is a dream pony?

The pegasus guard reached the alicorn and bowed deeply. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Rainbow Dash put her goggles on and lower them to look at Spark. Snorting in dismissal she pulled the goggles back up.

Twilight thought the massive stallion was about as uncomfortable with honorifics as she would have been, but heard his voice stumble through some sort of formal hello. "I Am jack, once-prince called King Under the Mountain and was then Regent of the Rocks beneath your Feet, now not quite so immortal god king among ponies." Still no response until he added hesitantly. "You seemed to be looking for me?"

Spark Impulse leapt up and said "My Lord Jack, Princess Luna sends her regards and also grave tidings." He fished around in his saddle bag for a moment before handing a scroll to the alicorn, who levitated it and unfurled the letter.

While Jack was examining the letter the royal guard bowed again, and nervously ran back out. When he was gone, Rainbow Dash said "So Twi, was that your dream stallion? Cuz he wasn't real."

While Twilight blushed deeply, Jack lowered the letter a little and said "No. Luna's, more likely. Her letter offers well wishing of hope and success. Also warns"

There was a deep moan, followed by several more, coming from somewhere outside the throne room.

"Warning that the shadowy figure has already returned and she's certain he's trying to obstruct your passage here." Five rotting corpses dressed in what once might have been servants garments shambled into the throne room. Not looking worried yet, Jack asked "Twilight do you know the way to Celestia's bed chambers?"

Feeling quite distracted by the moaning, shambling undead menaces that were being joined from a couple of hallways now, Twilight stammered "Yes. Yes I know but normal ponies can't get in there that's utterly private only the princess"

Jack interrupted her. "That is the waking Canterlot. Here you are the princess. This is your castle. For lack of better suggestions I say we exam your most private room." Then, glaring in consternation at the thickest group of zombies, he said "Excuse me friend Twilight." and then a ceiling brick, perhaps hundreds of tons of rock at a dozen meters on each flat edge, fell from sky and crushed the undead into a greasy paste that was oozing out from under the tile.