Realms Undreamed Of

by Ardashir

Chapter 12

So there we stood under the trees, a-trying to think on what needed doing next. They were cold and dark around us, but they didn’t feel as sneaky as they did in those dreams the Shonokin were a-sending me and Twilight the first time. It felt most like any real day back home, maybe late Autumn or mid-Spring, either right afore or right after the snows were gone for good.

“Okay,” Twilight said, standing next to Miss Luna. “Anypony have any ideas what to do next?”

“Yeah,” Applejack said what I reckon best needed saying right then. “So them Show-no-whatever polecats done stole Luna’s magic and they made their own Nightmare Moon outta it?” She looked at Luna, and she looked the kind of sad you see on folks going to visit some kinfolk of theirs sick at the doctor. Luna just nodded, kind of weak, like she felt sick or maybe just ashamed. Applejack trotted over and gave Miss Luna a nuzzle like to say, we’re friends and we’ll be helping you. “So, how do we get it back?”

She turned and looked on me, then. All those ponies did: Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Rarity, Twilight and even poor Miss Luna. Looked at me like they hoped I’d know just what to say or do to make this whole mess better.

I only wished I did. The words I spoke were honest words, but they weren’t the ones any of us wanted to be hearing right then.

“Ladies,” I said, “I’m flattered you seem to think this much of me, but what I saw those Shonokin do was more than airy other kind of magic I air saw, save that one time I visited you.” They all seemed to droop. “I’m sorry, Miss Luna, all of you. I reckon the only ones who know how to fix this are the Shonokin, and they’re not likely to be a-telling us just to be nice.”

“Not even if we told them we’d help them if they did? I mean,” Fluttershy blushed, maybe the least bit less than the first time I’d seen her, “helped them with anything other than hurting you or other innocents.”

“I don’t think they kindly would, Miss Fluttershy,” I answered her, gentle as I could. “More like they’d just do you whatair bad thing they could while they had you there.”

“Princess Twilight attempted to parley with their leader,” Luna bespoke. “They showed themselves to be Utterly, Implacably Hostile.”

“Okay,” Dash said, flying to hover, I guess you call it, right by me. She smelled like any sweated horse, but mixed with that sharp clear scent you get in the air right afore a thunderstorm. “So then we go after these jerks and make ‘em give Luna’s magic back and lay off from you, too!”

“A sound and practical idea, young lady,” Chief Manco said where he stood, a little to my side and behind me. Dash frowned at him as he said, “The problem is, how? From the feel of this place the Shonokin have fled the Dreamlands, and they’re not likely to return and face John and your friend Twilight until they have reinforcements.”

We all looked at each other, ponies and humans, for a moment or three. I could figure on only the one way to do it, and I saw how those ponies figured it the same way.

“There’s but the one way, Chief,” I looked on him and all of them “We go after the Shonokin and fight them where we can catch them.”

“Yeah, but how?” Dash asked. “I mean, they live in your world, right? Not Equestria. And we’re only here because this is some dream. Are we just supposed to go back to Equestria and wait for Luna to either turn back to normal or shrivel up or something?”

“Rainbow Dash!” She winced as Twilight called to her again. “There’s no need to say it like that!”

“It is well, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, and her voice sounded different from afore. Not so much you didn’t know it for hers, but like a young woman’s version of it. Which made a right much sense when you thought about it. Dash still flinched when she said, “I have heard worse said about me, and with good reason. For now, we must concentrate on getting ourselves to thy human friend’s world. What?” She looked around on us all, and I wonder me if it was humans or ponies that looked the most surprised. “’Tis where the Shonokin fled with the Tantabus formed of my power. We must retrieve it and ensure they do not threaten Equestria again. Which means we must go to his realm in our physical forms.”

“How?” I said, and heard Twilight and the others echo it. “You-all are here in your dream-selves, Chief Manco and I can get ourselves back just by waking up, but you can’t follow us, can you?”

“The first part is easiest.” Luna stepped over to me. She pointed at my guitar. “My sister has told me of the song you played, ‘Dream Valley’. It is old among us, and it has great power in it, especially when played by a skilled bard such as thyself.”

“Folks mostly just talk kindly of me,” I answered her. She just raised one eyebrow at that.

“Because thou hast given them reason to, Master John. But as I was saying, that song, played by thee and sung by us at the same time once back in our own world, should make the way between worlds plain.” She looked at Twilight and her friends. They just looked on her, heads tilted like they were confused. “’Tis how ye summoned him in the first place. By use of the Elements of Harmony.” I saw how they looked ready to say something, but Luna just said, “I know ye used the Elements, but now, ye are the Elements. If any plan will work, this one will. Besides, I will be with ye.”

You should have heard their gasp then.

“Princess, ya must be plumb loco ta think o’ that!”

“You’re already hurt, those Show-guys would do even worse this time!”

“Princess, please! I’m not sure we can allow you to risk yourself…”

“Oh, Princess Luna, we almost lost John and Twilight, and…”

“We don’t want those big meanies to hurt you more, and Hasbro would get mad if it happened to a fan-favorite!”

Chief Manco just looked at me curious over what Pinkie said.

“I got no more idea than you do, Chief,” I told him. “I mostly just figure that Pinkie is like that.”

“Don’t try to figure out what Pinkie says or does,” bespoke Twilight. “I know. I tried. And I regretted it. Pinkie is Pinkie.”

He just shook his head. “I wonder if this is what it was like for old Indian heroes when they had to deal with the Trickster.” I might have responded him but right then Luna spoke, and it was almost that roar of a voice she’d used afore.

“Enough!” She stepped over to Twilight and her friends, gave them all a look that said better than any words that there was to be no more a-arguing. “This is the only plan we have! And without me it may not work at all. I have visited their world. I have felt it, and know something of how it works.” She drew herself up. “I will accompany ye, and that is an end of it.”

They looked at each other, and air soul could see they weren’t the least bit happy. I saw how Rarity turned to Twilight.

“Twilight, dear, what about Starswirl's magic mirrors? I know you’ve been experimenting with them, carefully. Might not one of them lead to Mister .John’s world?”

“No,” Twilight shook her head to say it. “They’re focused to different worlds, and some of them don’t even work anymore. None of them ever led to John’s worldline.” She gave Luna a nod. “Princess, we’ll have to follow your plan. So, what first?”

“First?” Luna swung her gaze to Twilight. She set her hands on Twilight’s shoulders, leaned close and said in words low and soft to hear.

“Remember the sensations thou felt as a pony. Earth beneath thy hooves, air beneath thy wings, magic flowing through thy horn. Ears that turn to catch every sound. Mane streaming in the wind, tail whipping behind thee, the magic of Equestria flowing through thee.”

Then they seemed to shimmer, Luna and Twilight, kindly like the heat coming off one of those fancy state roads in the summer. Just a heartbeat long, and when it cleared there they stood, ponies again.

“And second…” Luna swung her gaze from Twilight over to Chief Manco and me. “We must send the pair of ye back to thy own home. If ye can be awakened safely, that is.”

“We can, young lady,” Chief Manco answered her. “I put John and myself into a light trance before, and I did it so we could be awakened in case anything went wrong. I’ll send John back first…”

“Hold on there a moment, Chief,” I broke in, not very mannerly. He frowned on me. I just said, “Better if you went first. I have to make sure of that song of theirs afore I go, and maybe if we take some time between us they can see just where to go.”

“Pulled back by your silver cords,” Luna said, nodding. Her eyes were bright on me. “Thou art right, Master John. They will be easier to trace, and we have little time to lose.” She flew up off the ground, or whatair we stood on, and bespoke Chief Manco. “If thou wouldst, Chieftain. I will mark thy trail back to thy world.”

I saw Chief Manco consider over it a second before he nodded.

“Yes,” he said in a deep voice, like how I’d heard him speak aforetimes to his tribespeople when they came to him with trouble and asking for advice. “John, Miss Luna, this plan is good. She speaks like a wise woman, John, her and young Miss Twilight alike.”

Then Chief Manco closed his eyes and began saying words under his breath.

“Sgohi… sunela… tsunela… galiquogi…”

They were soft enough I barely made them out right where I stood beside him, but I recognized them for the Cherokee names for numbers from ten on down to one. His voice got softer and softer, until I strained to hear it.

And he was gone, just like that. He stood amidst us one moment, and the next just emptiness where he’d been.

“I bet Trixie wished she could do that,” I heard Dash mutter, only for her friends to shush her.

Right as soon as he vanished I saw Luna’s horn glow and something like a small spark fly out to where Chief Manco once stood. It circled, once or twice, like some hound dog trying to get a scent, and then it rose up and flew away over those dream-trees.

Luna looked on Twilight, asking the question with her eyes. I saw how Twilight wrinkled up her brow. Her horn glowed and a purple spark hung there on it, like a lightning bug ready to go flying off.

“Okay,” Applejack said, looking after it. “But what do we do now, follow it?”

“No need, fair Applejack,” Luna said, still using that old-timey way of speaking. “I can feel where my spell has gone, even after we leave the Dream realms. When we have once more shared the song with John,” she nodded to me, “between us and him, we shall be able to enter his realm.”

“Er, we will be properly clothed, shall we not?” Rarity looked down at herself. “Twilight told us what it was like for her to visit the world through the mirror, how she turned into a – human, is it, and I trust that when we are changed…”

“Ye will not be changed,” Luna said. I saw how she smiled when Rarity’s eyes went wide. “We shall be equine in his world as well. We would need to expend magic to resemble his worlds’ folk.”

I saw how the ponies didn’t look the least bit happy about this, but whatair other choice did we have?

“Okay,” Twilight said. “Song first, and then let’s get going.”

I got my guitar around, checked the frets and set my hand to its silver strings. “I’m rightly ready.”

She and her friends all started to hum, and then they slowly sang that tune I remembered from the last time we’d met, the tune that first brought me to Equestria near three years gone. Five notes, the same five notes repeated, then five chords in a different rhythm. “Dream Valley” they called it, and it sounded like a dream to hear. Applejack sounding like any young mountain woman, Fluttershy so soft you strained to hear it, Rainbow bold and brash, Twilight smooth and cultured, Rarity like an actress on the stage, and Pinkie laughing near every word she sang. I played with them, wondering when Chief Manco and Evadare were a-going to be waking me.

I saw something else then. It minded me some ways of what I’d seen when we fought Thorne and the Sunny Town ponies, but different too. It was like some light swirled around those ponies. Their manes and tails got thicker and filler, streaked all sorts of colors, and they looked like they shone from inside, like fancy gems that caught sunlight and held it after.

“They weren’t like that aforetimes,” I whispered to Luna as I played. She just whickered a horsey laugh.

“No, they were not.” I caught her own smile as she said, “The Elements have changed form yet again. My sister and I did not recognize them when we went to claim them to use against Discord. We expected a rainbow, we found six gems.” She went silent and I made sure to keep all my attention on what the ladies sang. Their song was easier to remember than to learn the first time, the way most things are.

The song died away, but I had it in my head now. The ponies looked at me, waiting. I saw how their new manes and tails went back to normal, and I reckon they blushed.

“Yeah, we think that’s kinda a lot, too,” Dash said, rubbing one hoof along her neck like to say she was embarrassed. Twilight just rolled her eyes and walked over to me.

“We’ll see you within a couple of hours, John,” Twilight promised me. She came over and nuzzled against my hand. I knelt and hugged her along her neck, feeling the velvet softness of her coat and the roughness of her mane. “I promise. And thanks for helping to keep me alive in here.”

“I should be the one a-thanking you – Wait,” I looked at her and them. “Where will you all be coming through in my world?”

Right as she began to answer I felt something giving me an almighty tug, trying to yank me away. The whole world about me turned misty as I heard Luna say, “We shall appear where thou didst when thou left Equestria, near thy own home! Await us, we shall be as swift as we may! Twilight, trail his silver cord!”

Her last words seemed to echo down after her as I felt a soft mattress stuffed with goose feathers under me and that old quilt atop me. I opened my eyes and I saw nair pony. Evadare looked on me, as lovely as airy time I see her, and Chief Manco stood beside her, old again, those steel-grey braids framing his face.

“John!” Evadare said and she hugged me as tight as I’d ever been. I just held her back and listened while she said, “I was a-wondering if it’d gone wrong again, the way you and Chief Manco were a-carrying on in your sleep. But then he woke up and said to wait for you?”

“Then he said the exact right thing.” I told her, getting up and out of that bed. “Evadare, I’ll explain while we get ready, but right now we’d better start setting things for guests. We still have those apples and that bag of oats in the shed?”

# # #

“I’ve got it!” Twilight smiled to see the silvery trail leading off through the aether of the Dream realm. She grinned at her friends and nodded at Princess Luna. She took a moment to get the feel of the spell results down right, the faintly musical and reassuring shiver of the cord, joined to earth scent-memories of the countryside around Ponyville and the sense of warmth and trust she felt around and from John when she met him. “I’ll be able to feel this even when we use the Elements back in Equestria.”

“Speakin’ o’ which, ya sure this is goin’ ta work?” Applejack looked at the silvery cord as it snaked away from them. She touched it lightly. It shivered but held.

“It will,” Luna spread her wings wide as she said with a snap. “Provided no overly curious ponies snap the cord.” Applejack blushed and hurried back to her friends as the Moon Princess set her wings above them. “Twilight! Make certain to remember the ‘feel’ of this place and that cord. ‘Twill be our only way to find the place where we must enter John’s world! And now, apologies, my little ponies, but we must hurry!”

“Eh, apologies for what, Your Highness? AAAAAAAAA!”

Rarity’s words seemed to echo in Twilight’s head as Luna’s eyes glowed a pale silver. That glow spread out and took in everything around her, she felt a sudden horrifying dropping as though she’d been tossed off the moon and left tumbling down to Equestria. Her friends shrieked as well, all save Dash who whooped for joy and Pinkie’s loud “Wheee!”

“Princess Luna!” Twilight yelled, snatching uselessly at the air with her wings. “What’s happening?”

“I am recalling us to Equestria by what modern ponies might call ‘the Express Route’!” Luna called back. “We are in no danger!”

“Eeeek!” Fluttershy snatched hold of Twilight. “Can’t we t-take a slower Express?”

And it was over.

Twilight shot up with a gasp, looking around to see Luna’s spell chamber. Or was it? She didn’t remember it being so crowded with ponies, or it being so dark outside, or half the wall gone and the other half scorched. Her tongue hurt; something salty and metallic tingled in her mouth; she spat it out and it was blood.

She blinked to see ponies surrounding her, a mix of Palace staff, mostly Spellguard and Celestia’s doctors, and her stunned-looking friends.

“What the hay was happening while I was gone?” Before she could say more…

A small purple dragon leaped over from Rarity, crashed into her. “TWILIGHT!” She caught the small scaly form as he hurled himself into her forelegs and hugged her like he feared she’d vanish forever.

“Spike!” Twilight breathed as she returned the embrace, taking a moment to exult in the warm and strong dragon-scent. “Spike, I’d love to talk, and I’ll tell you everything later, but right now Luna and I have to take care of some more problems, okay?”

Spike nodded; he looked like he hadn’t slept for days. How long was I out?

Then white feathers that carried their own full daylight enveloped both of them in a wing-hug.

“Twilight, my best student!” Twilight returned Celestia’s nuzzle as her teacher said, “I was so afraid for you and the others. But I trusted my sister,” she smiled at Luna who rose to her hooves amid Palace staff, “as I should have. But what happened to her! And you!”

Twilight stood up, Spike’s clutch releasing a moment after the Sun Princess’s wings. The aches and pains hit her, flanks, horn, tongue – all the injuries she’d taken in the Dream realm, easily dealt with there but less so here. She stretched and winced as Luna spoke. Ouch! Thankfully they’re not as bad as they were when I took them in the Dream realm.

Rarity called Spike away, and the Palace staffers surrounded her as Luna – as she’d been four years ago, small as Twilight herself and without sparkles in her mane or the essences of Night shadowing her coat – came up to her. She wore only her obsidian tiara, the rest of her regalia now too large for her.

“Twilight,” the Moon Princess looked from her to the rest of the Element Bearers. “And ye. Can ye feel the way to the proper place to leave from, that we might reach John’s world?”

Twilight concentrated and grinned. “I can. It’s in the Everfree Forest?” She looked at her friends for confirmation.

“Thet’s right,” Applejack said. She snorted and pinned her ears. “Ah can feel it too. Right by thet spooky village.”

“What? Sunny Town?” Celestia blinked, looked from Applejack to Twilight to Luna as the staff hurried about her. “Luna, little sister, what is going on?”

“Sister, thy praise is welcome,” Luna pushed between Twilight and Celestia, looked into her sister’s face. “However, our task is but half done. Gather for us supplies. Equestria is yet threatened. We must be off at once!” Luna trotted to the door, calling commands as she went that sent the waiting ponies into a flurry of activity. “Mages of my sister’s school, prepare two spell workings! Starswirl’s Universal Translator and a Polymorph Transformation! Twilight, join me!”

“Huh? What? Twilight hurried to keep pace with Luna. Even weakened, the Moon Princess moved quickly and certainly, her forehooves almost striking sparks from the marble floor. “Princess, why would we need a translation spell? Or a transformation?”

“Dost not remember, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna looked at her. “You yourself told me of the difficulties in communication you experienced with John when you met…”

“Uh, yeah,” Twilight blushed. “I guess I did forget about that.”

“And at least one of us should wear the form of the humans,” Luna added. “Unless you think that a talking equine would go unnoticed among John’s folk.” She swept one wing along herself.

“Err…” Twilight blushed to remember her early through-the-mirror experiences. “I kind of doubt it. But why take the time to cast them here?” She flew before Princess Luna and dropped to the floor again; one traditionally did not fly before a Princess unless they were airborne as well. “Can’t we cast them in John’s world?”

Beyond Luna she could see her friends getting ready, being fitted with saddlebags filled with food and other basic supplies for a hopefully short trip into unknown territory. One of the palace medical staff gave a basic medical kit to Fluttershy, and was explaining everything in it.

“…And no eating anything you can’t recognize,” the older unicorn mare said or rather lectured, her caduceus cutie mark looking like it crawled over her green flank. She lifted one bottle from the kit, showing it to Fluttershy. “But if somepony does, here’s an emetic because…”

“’Because there’s no need to discover you’ve just eaten some quince’.” Fluttershy finished with a soft smile as Dash shuddered behind her as at some distasteful memory. As the nurse frowned, Fluttershy quickly said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m not trying to tell you your job. But, well, I have studied medicine, and we have done some things like this before…”

“Why, Twilight?” Luna cut off Twilight’s view of her friends. “Remember thy trips to the world beyond the mirror. You said magic was weak there among those human-ponies.”

“At first, yes,” Twilight said. “But it got stronger later. And John told us that magic works in his world.”

“Aye,” Luna nodded agreement. “I remember how well it works.” A shiver ran along her flanks. Luna drew off to the side, and motioned for Twilight to follow. Wondering what this was about, Twilight followed. Luna led her around a corner and out of sight of the others. Luna’s horn glowed and the sounds of their speech became dim. The light from the wall lanterns also seemed to darken slightly. She scowled, and Twilight got why. That spell should have set a sphere of silence and shadows around them both, cutting off all sounds and images going either inside or out. That it didn’t said something about how weak Luna was right now.

“I need to reclaim my stolen power,” she muttered before turning back to Twilight. “Magic, yes, but not magic of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle. It is an alien magic, one we are unfamiliar with.” Luna frowned. “An alien realm, even more so than Dream.”

“Okay,” Twilight said, wondering just what Luna was aiming at. A few more of the palace staff hurried by. Twilight didn’t recognize them through the spell. “But I still don’t get…”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna sighed and shook her head. “I know that few ponies would understand, but of thee I expected more.” Twilight jerked her head back, feeling vaguely insulted. Luna went on. “Thou hast visited other worlds, one at least. It is not simply that pony magic will be weaker there. The energy flux throughout Equestria that empowers pony magic will not even exist in John’s world.”

Twilight began to get it. “Meaning we’ll only have what magic we bring over, intrinsic to our bodies. No background magic to tap. We’ll be as weak as foals and fillies, and we’ll keep getting weaker the longer we stay there.”

“Aye,” Luna said with a nod. “Pegasus flight, unicorn magic, Earth pony strength and endurance,” she smiled, indicating Pinkie with her horn, “even The Pink One’s wild talents, all shall weaken. If we are to defeat the Shonokin, we must do so swiftly, before they can use my stolen power against us. ‘Twill be a race against time, Twilight Sparkle – and any spells we will need cast upon us are best cast here, in Equestria.”

Twilight started to panic. On our own, no background magic, on their home ground, getting weaker each time we fly or cast…

“Twilight Sparkle!” Luna neighed. “Of us seven, two art Alicorns Minor, six bear the Elements of Harmony, and one is Pinkie Pie. That should offset some of the lack. But we shall still weaken with time.”

Luna hesitated and added, “And it may be for the best if thou did the most potent spellcasting. I shall assist as I can.”

Twilight thought about it and nodded.

“I will, Princess Luna. Thank you for everything.”

“Thanking me?” the Moon Princess gave a snort. “’Twere not for my finding thy human friend, at this moment neither us nor Equestria would be in danger.” She hung her head. “Even when I seek to aid selflessly, I work harm. I wonder if in truth Nightmare Moon was not the greater part of me.”

“Don’t talk like that!” Twilight leaned over and nuzzled Luna as she would any other pony, remembering when she’d had similar doubts about John, two and a half years ago.

“What if we didn’t summon him, or he’s not the one we did summon?” Rarity and Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened at her words; Fluttershy eeped. “The being we wanted to summon might never have gotten through. And doesn’t it seem weird that we found almost the exact pony for the job?”

And she remembered Pinkie’s reply.

“Wasn’t it kind of weird that you were reading about Queen Meanie right when she was about to break free? Wasn’t it weird that you met the five funniest and most loyal and all-around best for the plot ponies when you first came to Ponyville, Twilight?

“Maybe that’s just the way the Elements work. John was the best pony or whatever on his world to help us stop meanypants Thorn from making everypony unhappy, so they brought him here. Like how we were the best ponies to heal Luna and stop Discord from ruining Equestria and bringing chocolate rain, so they made sure you met us!”

And she knew what she had to say to the Alicorn Major-turned-Alicorn Minor before her.

“John might have died if we didn’t find him; and then what if the Shonokin or something else from his world – like another Thorn, but worse – learned about Equestria anyway? We’d have been unsuspecting and helpless.” Twilight saw the hopeful light in Luna’s eyes and chose her words carefully. “Maybe we found John at the exact right time and vice-versa. Maybe being selfless can get you in trouble. But I’ve never seen how being selfish can keep you out of it.”

“True enough,” Luna’s horn glowed and the sphere around them vanished. “Now, let us to our final preparations and then be off.” She started down the passageway. “For when we find ourselves in thy friend’s world, we will have little more than what we bear with us, as well as our native courage, wit, and strength, and pray it be enough.”

Twilight shuddered at how those last few words carried the sound of a epitaph. They were going to face sorcerers, a world without the background magic of Equestria, and what might well be Nightmare Moon reborn.

No pressure whatsoever¸ she thought, and hurried to keep up with Luna.

Comments

[PaintedPony]

So very good! You do this so well.

[Ardashir]

9145655
Thanks for the praise.

[Ardashir]

9170286
Just so you know, it may be a little while. I'm sorry about that.

Thank you for the praise and the fave.

[fractalman]

9171741
I'm glad to know its still alive even if it's stuck in the molasses swamp.

[redmar]

This isn't going to be easy but as always it will turn out allright in the end. The shonokin would not have stayed away of their own accord they could have tried to locate the nightmare Dee summoned for all we know.