The Growing Herd
Despite heavy fatigue, Twilight Sparkle was unable to sleep on the train ride home. Her brain swam with half-formed theories on the meaning behind Quifons, and occasional, pleasant (if confusing) thoughts of Moondancer. She kept pushing latter to the back of her mind. Having predicted her mental state would keep her awake, Twilight had purchased a regular ticket rather than one for the sleeper car.
She was deep in thought when a scroll appeared over her head. Before she had the sense to react, it flew straight across the aisle and slammed into a sleeping stallion's face.
"Mmph?" said the other passenger, flailing as he fell over onto the seat beside him.
Twilight quickly grabbed the scroll with her magic and pulled it over to her. "Sorry, sir," she said, although the pony had already returned to his slumber.
Wait... Something's wrong. Twilight realized the movement of the train must be why the scroll flew through the air, yet she was certain the magic shouldn't work that way.
"Scroll transport should account for the relative velocities of source and target," Twilight mumbled to herself. "I guess I've never received a scroll while moving at a high velocity relative to the sender before, but that shouldn't change theory..."
Shaking off the unexpected datum, she unfurled the scroll and quietly read it to herself:
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle (Roaming),
It's me again. Sorry for the late-night scroll (I'm about to hit the hay myself), but I guess you can read this when you wake up.
There's good news and bad news. I've accounted for every book in the library, and only two of them are missing. The good news is that the first one is one of your extended copies of "The Journal of the Two Sisters and the Elements" (unless we miscounted the total number last week, which I doubt it). We still have twenty-three left, and there are like a million of those around Equestria anyway. No big loss.
The bad news is the other book was the library's only copy of "Burnferno, Warrior from Within"! That's like, my favorite book ever, and I just ordered our copy last week! I'll have to borrow Cheerilee's copy again the next time I want to read it. Of all the rotten luck.
I don't know why somepony would take a copy of the journal when they could get one pretty much anywhere, but as for the other book, our sparkly-hoofprint nemesis clearly has good taste in literature when it comes to dragon heroes with snappy comebacks. Apart from that, I have no idea what any of this means.
I assume Zecora is still doing research, but I haven't seen her since the previous scroll.
Come back soon, Twilight. I'm running out of excuses for Pinkie.
Your faithful (yet bummed) number-one assistant,
Spike the Brave and Glorious (the dragon)
The rest of the ride home was uneventful.
The castle door opened, revealing Spike.
"Wow. You look awful, Twilight," said the little dragon, as Twilight walked in and shut the door behind her.
"I'm not surprised. After the train ride back, I'm beat," said Twilight.
Spike was holding a scroll in his claws. "Your timing is uncanny, though. Your friends arrived in the throne room just a few minutes ago," he said. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm gonna guess they're trying to figure out what you've been hiding from them. They asked me to join them just a moment ago."
"Ugh," said Twilight, shaking her head. "I'll talk to them first, then sleep. Come with me," she said, and the pair of friends walked into the throne room together.
Inside, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were seated in their respective thrones. Maud Pie was sitting in Spike's chair, and Zecora stood next to her.
"Hay, that's my throne!" said Spike.
"I was keeping it warm for you," explained Maud, who then stood back up. Pinkie Pie giggled as Spike took his seat.
"Ooh, it worked. Thanks!" said Spike.
Applejack spoke up. "So, Twilight. I'm thinkin' you and us need to chew the barley."
"What does that mean?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"She means we need to talk, Rainbow," said Fluttershy. Zecora nodded solemnly.
"Right. I figured this would happen eventually, so let's get started. Wait—Spike, what's on the scroll?" asked Twilight, taking her seat at his side.
"Oh, that?" said Spike, holding it aloft. "I was just composing a letter to you to tell you about your friends showing up. I didn't get any further than the title, so I guess I don't need this anymore."
Spike breathed fire on the scroll, which promptly reappeared, bounced off of a very tired-looking Twilight Sparkle's head, and back into Spike's claws.
"Huh. Lemme try again," said Spike, repeating the process: flame, bonk, catch. "Weird..." A third time: flame, bonk, catch.
"Spike, I'm too tired for this," said Twilight, watching as he did it a fourth time. "Spike! Stop perseverating!"
"I can't! I don't know what that means!" whined Spike, looking frustrated and helpless as he breathed fire onto the scroll yet again. By this point Pinkie Pie had doubled over in her throne with laughter.
On the last iteration, Twilight caught the scroll herself and crumpled it into Void with her magic. "There! Now can we focus? I'm about to fall asleep."
"Whew, thanks," said Spike, leaning back in his seat.
"Twilight Sparkle, if you're tired, we can wait 'till you've retired," said Zecora.
"Tired and retired? Does that really count?" asked Rainbow Dash. Applejack and Zecora both glowered at her.
"Ponies, please," said Twilight, slumping over in her throne. "I'm much too exhausted to deal with shenanigans right now."
"We're sorry, Twilight," said Fluttershy. Twilight made a mental note that Fluttershy hadn't personally done anything shenanigans-related, but said nothing.
"I assume Zecora already told you everything she knows?" said Twilight.
"Nnnope," said Applejack. "She said it'd need to come from the unicorn's mouth, so to speak."
"Despite what I have seen and heard, I also need to hear a word—or two—from Twilight to explain, the secrets locked inside her brain," said Zecora.
Twilight sighed, then stretched in place, opened her eyes wide, and sat up straight in her throne. "Okay. I've been trying to keep this all below the radar because if something went wrong, I wanted to limit responsibility so nopony else would get in trouble. Are all of you certain you want to know more about this?"
"If you're gettin' in trouble, either you're doin' somethin' you know you shouldn't be, or else you're doin' something you could use our help with," said Applejack. "In either case, I think you know the answer's a firm 'yes'."
"What she said," said Rainbow Dash. "We're a team, Twi."
Fluttershy nodded. "Absolutely."
"Uh-huh!" said Pinkie, grinning. "Oh, and could you ask Spike to do the scroll thing again later? That was hilarious!"
"Hmph," said Spike.
"I don't mind getting in trouble, Twilight," added Maud, in her usual deadpan voice. "I'm naughty, like my sister."
Twilight took a deep breath. "Well, here goes everything," she said. "I'll give you the short-short version. Princess Celestia has a new protege named Amethyst Eclipse. He's Sparkler's colt from here in Ponyville. Eclipse is very powerful, having talent roughly on par with myself at that age, and he's even younger than I was when I could cast the spells he seems to be mastering. Privately, he predicted to me that I'm going to destroy a beautiful, magical world called Quifons. I'm fairly certain Celestia knows about his prediction, and she doesn't believe him. But I've learned that a realm called Quifons actually exists, and Celestia and her sister Luna have been keeping it a secret for longer than a millennium."
"So what did Princess Celestia have to say about this?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"I still haven't told her. Moondancer tried to go tell her about it in a surreptitious way that couldn't be traced back to me, but Princess Celestia didn't fall for our ruse. Celestia blanked her memories of the meeting and ordered her to monitor my activities. Moondancer agreed to spy on me, but secretly, she's still on my side," said Twilight. "I was able to recreate her memories of the event with magic, but the original memories are still locked in her mind with a magical booby trap of sorts that will probably inform Celestia if they're released or tampered with."
"Normally I'd complain about you goin' behind Celestia's back, but lockin' Moondancer's memories? That ain't right neither," said Applejack. "What the hay is goin' on, Twilight?"
"I'm not sure, but I have a few clues. I used Zecora's potion to have a vision of the past that showed me what Quifons is. It's some sort of realm tangentially accessible to Equestria like Tartarus, only unfathomably bright and beautiful. A copy of the Cutie Map used to exist in the War Room of the Castle of the Two Sisters, only it had two extensions to it that are missing from our Cutie Map: Tartarus on one side, and Quifons on the other," she explained. "Even a faded memory of the fuzzy hologram of Quifons—it didn't look like much more than a colorful, sparkly mist—was undoubtedly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. I can't get the image out of my head, even now. Whatever this place is, it must be composed of pure magic and beauty."
"Young foals know about it, too," added Spike. "Ponies and zebras both. They whisper about it to each other, but when you grow up, you forget you ever knew what it was."
"If an adult should overhear, the foals pretend a sneeze was near," said Zecora.
"I don't remember any place called Quifons," said Pinkie. "Wait! Have you tried talking to some foals?"
"Zecora age-regressed me and I tried to attack her when she insisted I tell her what it was. I forgot the entire experience afterwards," said Twilight. "I don't think foals will be receptive to our inquiries, but we should try. Starlight Glimmer is going to try using magic to get some answers out of any foals she encounters during her trip with Rarity to Manehattan."
Fluttershy cleared her throat and spoke softly. "Um, maybe I..."
"I really don't like the idea of stuff falling out of my brain. Even if it's just some weird, beautiful mist memory from foalhood, or something," said Rainbow Dash.
"What are Starlight Glimmer and Rarity doing in Manehattan?" asked Maud.
"They're going to try to steal an artifact from a museum. Er, borrow, I mean. Just temporarily, so we can see if it works," said Twilight.
"Twilight Sparkle..." said Applejack, planting a hoof over her face. "You are a princess, missy. You of all ponies should know better than this!"
"I might have an idea—" said Fluttershy, only to be interrupted by a defensive-sounding Twilight Sparkle.
"Guys, it's not nearly as bad as it sounds! Rarity's going to make a duplicate so the museum won't even know it's missing. We'll put it back when we're done," said Twilight. "It's a magic-measuring device that isn't supposed to work, but we suspect it might actually do something. My vision revealed that Celestia and Luna have been censoring knowledge in the fields of magic theory, astronomy, and 'nomenmancy' which must be some kind of proper name-based magic I'm not familiar with."
"Shouldn't you be worried about the prophecy?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Amethyst Eclipse may be just a foal, but you said he was really young—and if young foals know about Quifons, maybe he knows what he's talking about."
"Yeah, Twilight. Maybe trying to stop the prophecy is ironically what causes it, just like that time I wore a stretchy rubber outfit and Spike ate too much ice cream!" said Pinkie Pie.
"Ugh. I remember that. It was as terrible as it was delicious," said Spike.
"Ain't even gonna ask," said Applejack. "But the whole self-fulfillin' mess is somethin' I'm way too familiar with. It's the same hooey that happens when you start lyin' and thievin' left and right. There gotta be a better option than this, Twilight."
"Um, girls?" asked Fluttershy, in a mousey voice.
Zecora pursed her lips together for a moment. "I have a thought that some may like. To gain insight, Twilight and Spike, try the other big kahuna: seek the truth from Princess Luna."
"That ain't a half-baked idea," said Applejack. "If Celestia won't listen to reason, maybe her sister will. Those two don't always see eye-to-eye."
Pinkie Pie nodded. "Yeah, what are the odds both Celestia and Luna would try to delete your memories?"
"But what if she does, Pinkie? I can't risk sending Moondancer a second—"
"GIRLS!!!" screamed Fluttershy, and everypony in the room recoiled in shock (except Maud).
"Wow. Yes, Fluttershy?" said Twilight Sparkle.
Fluttershy blushed. "I'm very sorry for speaking up like that, but... I was wondering if you might want to ask Discord about this? He probably knows something about it, and if you're doing something Celestia doesn't like... well, he wouldn't be very likely to try and stop you."
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Discord... well, he's definitely an option," she said. "But please don't tell him yet. In my vision, Celestia and Luna called him their 'brother', and apparently he was the one who originally made the prediction that Quifons would one day be destroyed. I don't know how involved he is or where his loyalties lie."
"They lie with me, Twilight," said Fluttershy.
"She said loyalties, Fluttershy. Plural," said Rainbow Dash. "I agree Discord should be a last resort, but him being Celestia and Luna's brother? That kinda seems like important information you left out in your 'short-short' version, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash.
"I think we're gonna need the long-long explanation," said Applejack.
"Or maybe the short-long," said Pinkie Pie, "but at least the long-short."
"Well, I'm going to fall asleep soon, so here," said Twilight, as she reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a small journal. "All the details so far are in this book. You should all pass it around and learn as much as you can. Even after witnessing it second-hoof and writing it all down, I still haven't digested everything from the vision."
"You probably shouldn't eat visions," said Pinkie Pie, with a giggle. "Unless they're visions of gumdrops on Hearth's Warming Eve, of course."
"Twilight," said Maud Pie. "I'm concerned about the possibility of self-fulfillment that my sister mentioned earlier. What are you trying to accomplish?"
"Nothing more than basic research," said Twilight. "We're not even casting any unusual spells. Just researching things in books, testing a magical measuring device, and looking through telescopes. I don't see how any of that could destroy a magical realm we're not even visiting. That's why I'm reluctant to talk to the Sisters. We can learn more on our own first without endangering Quifons."
"Twilight, how can we help?" asked Spike. "I mean, Rarity's helping. Is there anything the rest of us could do?"
"If you're doing research, I could always look up information on the history of geology," said Maud. "Applejack told me she has a new friend who knows a lot about it."
"I do?" said Applejack, as a look of confusion turned to a grin. "Oh, Rockhoof! Yeah, he knows his rocks alright. He's fresh from more than a thousand years ago, so as long as it's ancient history, he might have what you need."
"I agree we're a team here, but I really don't want to involve the Pillars in this," says Twilight. "This is growing out of control. The more ponies we involve, the more likely Celestia is to catch on."
"I don't want to involve him. I just want to ask him some questions about rocks to see how views of geology have changed," says Maud. "I don't like the idea of scientific misinformation any more than you do, Twilight."
Twilight nodded. "Heh, sorry—I keep forgetting you're a scientist too, Maud. Go ahead and talk to Rockhoof, but please don't clue him in on anything else. As far as I know, geology textbooks haven't been affected like a, um, astronomy and madda... magics. Magic," said Twilight, blinking several times in quick succession.
"Twilight, I think you need to get some rest," said Fluttershy. "We'll take over from here."
"In the meantime, we should all agree not to tell anypony until we get Twilight's say-so," said Rainbow Dash. "Can we at least do that?"
Nods were exchanged across the Map.
"I'll take you to bed, Twilight," said Spike.
Twilight Sparkle stood up and started walking out of the room, then stopped and turned around. "Wait, I forgot something important you should know even before reading my notes," she said. "Something made Moondancer and I forget the word 'Quifons'. You should all take your own notes as much as possible, so if you ever forget something you learned, you can remember it again. We're not sure how it happened, but it was only the word itself we forgot, not any of the details. It happened shortly after the Sun went down, when we were kissing."
Pinkie GASPED and grinned from ear to ear. "Squee!"
"Heh," said Applejack, with a grin of her own. Fluttershy blushed. Rainbow Dash's wings exploded outwards and a look of shock crossed her muzzle. Zecora chuckled.
"That's hot," said Maud Pie.
Spike just stood there looking up to Twilight, his jaw wide open.
"What?" said Twilight, and her eyes widened. "Ohmygosh! I, I..." she said, blushing furiously.
"It's okay, Twilight," said Fluttershy, with a giggle. "I think you and Moondancer would be sweet together. Now go get some sleep."
"S-s-sleep, right." Twilight Sparkle turned and cantered out the door, and Spike ran after her.
"I'm so embarrassed," panted Twilight as she raced down the hallway. Spike ran into the master bedroom just before she slammed the door shut.
"Calm down, Twilight! You're tired, everypony knows that—"
"That is not what I meant," said Twilight, her voice cracking.
"Twilight? Um... you're crying," Spike pointed out. He stood back a pace and nervously bit at his lip.
Twilight sniffled and rubbed her eyes with a fetlock. "I... I am?" she said. "I don't understand any of this. But that journal... it has all the details about me and Moonlight—Moondancer..."
"Oh colt. Do you want me to take it away from them, or something?" said Spike.
Twilight shook her head. "They need to know the other data. Just... just... I don't know. It's fine. It'll be okay."
"Try to get some sleep, alright?" said Spike, his claws gently petting her flank. "Unless you want to talk about it first?"
"Not now, but you're right," said Twilight. "I'll be better after I sleep. Thanks, Spike. You're such a good friend." She hugged him tightly, and then he walked out of the room mumbling something about Maud being right.
Twilight collapsed onto her bed and immediately fell into a deep torpor.
Moondancer stood tall upon a golden pedestal. Her glasses were framed in silver wire, and her mane was braided. She wore what appeared to be the formal clothes of an Equestrian prince.
"Moondancer? What are you doing up there?" asked Twilight Sparkle, climbing the many steps toward the top of the pedestal.
"I'm waiting for you," said Moondancer.
As Twilight approached, she noticed something strange behind the specular reflection of her friend's lenses. Moondancer's eyes were closed, and her eyelids sunken in. Looking lower, Twilight saw that her royal jacket bore what appeared to be a war medal. The ribbon was silvery, and the medallion itself was a tiny cloud of sparkling mist. It was that same beautiful mist Twilight couldn't seem to get out of her mind.
The tiny image of Quifons floating on Moondancer's chest was even clearer here in the dream than it had been in her vision. Twilight couldn't understand how something so simple could be so fascinating—it took all of her willpower to tear her eyes from it. Her gaze returned to her friend's face, just in time to see Moondancer open her eyes.
An image of deep space appeared where Moondancer's eyes should have been: an inky black void filled with dusty nebulae and an endless smattering of stars, framed by silver wire and those big, bushy red eyebrows above. As she stared into her eyes, Twilight's sight began to darken. Once again Twilight couldn't pull her gaze away from what she was staring into. But unlike the cloud of mist, this apparition was painful to behold. As she stared into the abyss, her head began to throb: first in ache, then in agony. Now she could see nothing but the darkness of the abyss, as little flashing lights winked at the periphery of her vision...
Twilight began to hyperventilate, but even that was fading from her awareness. She didn't have a body. Only the terrible pain and the darkness were real. Maybe she didn't even ex—
Everything disappeared, which thankfully included the pain. Now Twilight stood alone inside her own throne room, staring down at an activated Cutie Map. She instantly gained an awareness that what she was experiencing—even now—wasn't real.
"Are you alright, Twilight Sparkle?" came a familiar voice. Twilight turned around to see Luna entering the room.
"Princess Luna? What are you... Oh, thank goodness. This is a dream," realized Twilight. "How long have you been watching me?"
"Long enough to be concerned, but your troubles are clearly of a personal nature. We do not need to discuss them at this time if you do not wish to. However, a word of warning: please take care not to neglect your mental health," said Luna.
Not knowing what to respond with, Twilight simply nodded.
"If you are bothered by my presence, I can leave," said Luna. "I came to see you because I wished to request something of you, but I sense from the atypical nature of your dreams that this may not be a good time."
"No, it's fine," said Twilight, internally welcoming the distraction of somepony else's problems. "What can I do for you?"
Luna raised a brow, then nodded. "Very well. I shall be brief," she said. "I hear tell that you have recently met with Amethyst Eclipse, Celestia's new personal student."
Twilight bit her tongue hard, and it bled—an unwelcome consequence of Luna's proximate lucidity. She swallowed. "Um, yes, but only briefly. He's very gifted, though he seemed a little... disturbed?"
Princess Luna nodded. "I concur with your assessment. Twilight, I have an unusual circumstance to report which concerns the colt," revealed Luna. "On this past eve and the one previous to it, I have been unable to locate Amethyst Eclipse's dream self in the realm of dreams. I spoke with his mother, who insisted that his sleep has been undisturbed. Nonetheless, somehow his mind remains hidden from my sight. This should not be possible unless he struggles with a sleep disorder."
"I don't know. Maybe he's... somewhere else?" asked Twilight. "I mean, when we defeated the Tantabus, it was trying to break into the waking world. Are there any connections between the dream world and another place that a foal's dream self could navigate?"
A look of deep concern marred Luna's delicate features. "That is a queer question, Twilight. Apart from a magical connection that only I and creatures of pure magic are able to construct, the only conduits between the waking and dreaming worlds are the minds of dreamers," said Luna. "Furthermore, animals can only use their own minds for this purpose, not the minds of others, even when dream spaces are shared. Travel between the two realms should not be accessible in any other way. Although, if there were a realm connected to all others..." Luna's voice began to trail off.
"Luna?" asked Twilight. "What are you talking about?"
It has to be Quifons. Please tell me, thought Twilight. Give me an excuse to know.
"I... cannot say, Twilight. It was just a thought," said Luna. "I shall speak with my sister now. Please keep me informed should anything unusual happen."
"Heh, well, you know me. Pretty much every day is an adventure," said Twilight, with a sheepish grin.
"True," said Luna. "Let us restrict the criterion to 'extra-special unusual', in that case. Good morrow, Twilight."
Luna's body disappeared in a flash of light. Moments later, the dream began to fade in intensity, and then Twilight awoke.
Twilight Sparkle walked into her bathroom and opened the cabinet to retrieve a curry comb. Sitting there was Zecora's potion, clearly where Spike had hidden it.
She immediately ran to get her saddlebags, returned with the small glass, and sat down on the hard but warm crystal flooring.
What should I ask of the potion this time?
From previous experience with the potion, Twilight knew that a simple repeat query of 'What is Quifons?' would provide more information. This was the most straightforward choice. However, a more directed approach might be helpful.
Twilight fought off the urge to ask, 'What does Quifons look like?', worried that it might affect her emotionally—and that wasn't something she wanted to deal with at the moment. Instead, she chose a more pointed question: something simple and specific. Twilight remembered there was more to Princess Celestia's argument with her sister than a random prophesy by Discord. Filling that gap would be a good place to begin.
Why did Celestia decide to remove our memories of Quifons?
Twilight downed the shot.
This time she didn't grimace or even hesitate to swallow. It wasn't pleasant, but she was growing used to the taste of the mucusy fluid. Strange what necessity can do to a pony, thought Twilight.
Wait a moment. What was that place called, again?
"Oh no," gasped Twilight, but the vision spirited her away before she could react.
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Really? I thought he was Spike the Brave and Glorious Diamond Dog.
Yep, because Quifons and Achoo are super similar.
Guess Luna can read thoughts in the dream realm.
8518144
I remember hearing a Latina lady sneeze when I was a child and it cracked me up: "Ah-chis! Ah-chis!"
You know you don't literally say, "achoo" when you sneeze.
I don't think there's any indication here that Luna can read minds. She just knows a disturbing personal dream when she sees one.
Let's hope the potion got the command before the data was lost.
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I dare you to make your next sneeze sound like quifons. I double dog dare you.
Mostly because the author didn't anticipate the show throwing a bunch of thousand year old sons of bitches at us when she plotted out this story.
Dude, I have no clue what's going on at all anymore. I was starting to think I had the slightest inkling of a clue only to have the belief dashed away. Madam, I must insist you cease writing mysteries so damn well. It's giving me headaches and mild existential terror.
With bunch of active characters like that added story's Kolmogorov complexity is definitely threatening to reach brain-damaging levels quick
I'm already feeling that I should reread it. A few times.
So Celestia is hiding everything even from Luna? Holy cow! (Or it may be a some strange spectacle for Twilight, but at this point it's probably paranoia speaking)
I'm pretty confused about what triggers quifons amnesia and what were present in both cases. It is most likely not potion itself. Can it somehow be related to the glass (or fact that Moondancer used it)?
Yeah, you are going to ruin Quifons Twilight. Although I guess it depends on the nature of the prophesy and just what "ruin" means.
lovely chapter looking forward to more
Huh. What was up with the dragon loop? It seemed like Spike couldn't stop.
Why do I get the sense that Starlight should be glad she's out of town?
Even Pinkie doesn't remember? There goes that hypothesis.
Hmm. Didn't the diarchs mention Star Swirl in one of the flashbacks? Granted, tracking him down could prove tricky, assuming Twilight even wants to risk it.
Observation can still be destructive on the quantum level. Collapsing a superposed dimension would certainly qualify as "ruining."
A lot to think about with this chapter, even before the ambiguously commanded flashback shot. This could prove very interesting indeed...
8520197
One of the Sisters mentioned "Star".
8520197
Gosh darn it TQ, stop answering questions with even more questions!!!