When Twilight begins to experience strange nightmares of walking around a dark Canterlot Castle, the unicorn must consult those she knows for a connection between them and the mysterious pony that she seems to have drawn to her. [Pre-S3 finale]
Twilight's dreams have been very odd lately. She's found herself wandering Canterlot Castle in the dead of night, unsure of why she's there or what could have brought her there. But all she knows is that each night the dream progresses even further, and each time she uncovers something more about the mysterious and hidden things inside of the castle. But the dreams leave her with more questions than answers.
What do these dreams mean? Why is there always the feeling of someone watching her? And what do they want with Twilight?
Started pre-Alicornization, continuing pre-Alicornization. [Comments and critiques are greatly appreciated. ]
The unicorn scanned her violet eyes around the area she found herself in. It was dark and foreboding, a long hallway made of smoothly-polished stone painted over with bright white paint that had a faint shimmer in the darkness. Despite the brightly colored walls, the place was dark and the unicorn could barely see inches from her face.
Where am I…?
The unicorn turned a corner and looked at the hallway stretching before her. A bright light shone at the end of it and she tentatively stepped forwards towards the light. The place was still unfamiliar to her as she continued on, looking at doors as she passed them and attempting to open them to see if there was something behind them, but most of them were locked.
One of them had a bright light underneath it and the unicorn thought that she might find something in it. She gleefully opened up the door to see what lay beyond it, but as soon as she opened it the light disappeared and she couldn’t even get a peek inside. Not even the full strength of her magic allowed her to light the room up. She tried placing a hoof inside the doorway, but it seemed to be kicked out by the encompassing blackness. Without any further ideas, the unicorn mare continued onwards towards the light.
What is this…?
The source of the light turned out to be a torch, burning brightly and covering a radius of a few feet. The unicorn used her magic and pulled the torch out of its spot within the wall, levitating it in front of her as she continued down the hallway. She reached a doorway at the end of the hall and became afraid, both of going any further and of going back. But she knew that nothing lay behind her and decided to continue forwards. The mare opened the door and stepped out into the next room, closing the door to the hall behind her.
It was a large hall, filled with large windows that let in the faint glimmer of moonlight into the hall. The hall was filled with large pillars and designs of various ponies covered in armor or magical regalia. The unicorn walked carefully into the room, looking around for any signs of life and avoiding as much as she could the eerie shadows cast by the moon, causing everything in the hall to become pale and luminescent.
No. This place can’t be… but it is.
The mare almost immediately recognized the hallway as the main entrance hall to Canterlot Castle. It had to be. The unicorn confirmed her suspicion as she drew close to two of the statues. One was of a wizened grey unicorn with a tremendously long beard that the mare recognized as the great Star-Swirl the Bearded, a name confirmed upon reading the plaque at the base of the statue. The other, also revealed by its plaque, was that of the military pegasus Commander Hurricane, decked out in full military armor and holding a lance at his side.
Now aware of her surroundings, the unicorn sighed in relief and walked a little easier around the hall, guided by the light of her torch. Around the edges of the hall stood three doors. On one end of the hall stood the door she had entered through, a plain and simple wooden door. The other two at the opposite end were larger and had emblems on them: one with the motif of a sun and its waving rays, the other the moon surrounded by the black night sky. The unicorn assumed from her many visits that these were the entries to Celestia’s and Luna’s wings of the castle, and the mare sighed again as she realized that she at least was safe near the homes of the princesses.
But there was a problem. As the mare approached the door with a sun motif and attempted to open it, she noticed it wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard she pulled or how great a spell she used to unlock the door, it refused to move before her. The door with the moon didn’t move much either and, much to the mare’s horror, neither did the door at the entry of the hall. The unicorn found herself trapped within the halls of Canterlot Castle.
As the mare started walking away from the lone door she had entered from, she heard a noise that sounded like a second set of hoofsteps. The mare placed the torch in an empty spot on the wall and ran away towards the shadows, behind the statue of Star-Swirl the Bearded, and stopped. But the hoofsteps kept coming. The mare peeked out from behind the statue and looked into the center of the hall.
There’s somepony else here? But… they don’t look familiar…
The figure that the mare saw was as large as one of the Princesses. For the most part, it looked like one of the princesses, too, with a long horn and two wings and a flowing mane. But two things separated this one from the princesses the mare knew: the first was it was covered almost completely in shadow and, when the mare stayed still enough, she noticed that the snout was more pointed; it was a male, not a female.
“Twilight Sparkle?” came a voice, calm and gentle and deeper and fuller than a mare’s; like an older stallion’s. “We thought we heard you walking about the halls. We—um, I would recognize your hoofsteps anywhere. Come out and show yourself.”
It’s looking for me… but how does it know my name?
Twilight’s breath began to become shorter and shallower. The longer she stared at the figure, the more Twilight felt like she was being choked. She began breathing to the point of hyperventilating and shoved a hoof in her mouth as she noticed the figure turn her direction. But that didn’t stop her from trembling, nor did it stop the sweat from coming down her forehead. Twilight shook where she stood as the figure took more steps towards her, cautiously at first, then increasing in speed.
Twilight couldn’t take it any longer. She bolted from behind the statue of Star-Swirl the Bearded and skirted along the side of the hall, staying within the shadows, before coming to the door with the emblem of the sun. The hoofsteps came closer and closer as Twilight used all her magic to pull at the door, but again it refused to budge. Twilight bolted across the moonlit hall and disappeared in the shadows behind Commander Hurricane, curling herself up into a ball as the hoofsteps continued.
Please don’t look here… please don’t look here…
The hoofsteps came over to the statue of Commander Hurricane as Twilight held her breath. The figure stopped and Twilight watched through the cracks of the hooves at the statue’s base as the figure looked around. Twilight hid herself and closer her eyes as the silence rang throughout the hall, the only thing moving of the unicorn mare being her rapid heartbeat. Eventually, the hoofsteps started up again, but moved away towards the opposite end of the hall. It wasn’t long before Twilight heard the click of a door opening and the creak of it swinging outwards before the door closed – though the click didn’t return – and the hoofsteps disappeared.
Even when the hoofsteps disappeared, Twilight waited a few seconds curled up in a ball before she decided it was safe to move again. Fearing the darkness around her, Twilight bolted for the torch she had placed in the holder and brought it out again, finally feeling at peace. Twilight rechecked the door to the hall and found it still locked. So was the door to Princess Celestia’s wing.
What…?
Twilight found the door to Princess Luna’s chambers would actually move. Twilight tested the door and found it creaked open a little bit.
It’s unlocked… but how? Wait… this must be the door that figure went through.
While Twilight prided herself on her deductive mind, she was afraid to go through the door. After all, the figure that had been looking for her had gone through that door and might still be looking for her. Twilight hadn’t recognized the outline of the figure when it was in the shadows of the entrance hall and was afraid of encountering it again. However, she was also afraid of it coming back, and Princess Luna’s chambers were bound to be safer than the entrance hall and contain more places to hide.
It seems I have no other choice. I just wish I could find Princess Celestia…
Princess Celestia. She would know what to do in a situation like this. Not that Princess Luna wouldn’t, but Celestia was like a second mother to Twilight; she had cared for her and taught her everything from when she was a little filly and first accepted as her personal protégé. Nevertheless, Twilight couldn’t figure out how to contact Princess Celestia at the time and Princess Luna was the only option, so she hesitantly went down the corridor.
It was darker in here than it was in the corridor Twilight had first found herself in. Twilight walked cautiously along, checking every door as she went past. Twilight continued down the hall and found herself at a door that was cracked open. Twilight opened the door and brandished the still-burning torch as she looked around the room. It was small and sparsely furnished, containing a desk, a large pillow used for sitting on the ground, and a bookshelf. On the desk were an oil lantern and a picture frame. Twilight tried turning on the oil lamp, but found it was out of oil and would not work. Twilight turned her attention to the picture frame.
This picture… is that of me?
It certainly looked like Twilight, but it wasn’t a photograph. Instead, it looked like a very detailed drawing, from the skunk stripe of pink in her mane to her violet eyes to her cutie mark. The drawing had even been colored and shaded and looked startlingly realistic. There was no signature in the drawing.
But… what would this be doing in Princess Luna’s room?
There was… something stirring inside Twilight when she saw the picture. It was like pride, pride at seeing that the princess had taken an interest in her. But… why? What did Princess Luna see in her? Yes, she had saved her from Nightmare Moon’s influence, but that was along with the rest of the Elements of Harmony. Yes, she had helped Ponyville accept her, an act that later extended to the rest of Equestria, but that had been with the town’s help as well.
Twilight walked out of the room and continued walking down the hall. Eventually she came to a door with the moon against the black night sky again, Princess Luna’s insignia and cutie mark. The door was open, and Twilight picked up the pace and went towards it, hoping to find Princess Luna there.
Suddenly, a wind came through the hallway. The force was so much and it came so fast that Twilight dropped the torch from her magical grasp. Twilight watched and dived for the torch as it fell to the ground, but she had reacted too late; the torch fell on the ground, the fire smothered and went out, and Twilight was again engulfed in darkness. A second blast of wind came through and Twilight heard a loud bang! from behind her; the mare whipped around to see the door to Luna’s chambers was open, filled with windows that looked out to the night sky and let the pale, eerie light of the moon shine through. Then, as suddenly as they came, the winds stopped.
Twilight picked herself up off the floor and continued towards Princess Luna’s chambers. She looked around, both to the left and the right. No one was in there to her knowledge, and she became afraid again. Twilight looked forwards for signs of another pony’s presence, but the doors were all closed and nothing came through.
Princess Luna! Are you in here!? Please… somepony respond!
But nothing answered Twilight’s calls. The mare approached forward slowly, inching her way into the moonlit room. It was large and spacious with piles of books all over the place. Twilight wished she could sit down and read every single one of them, but there would be time for that later, when she was sure that she was safe. Now, all she wanted was to find Princess Luna and get her to either chase off whatever figure she had seen earlier or open the door to Princess Celestia’s chambers and get her to solve this.
Twilight crept slowly across the room, eventually reaching a desk next to the window. Twilight found a piece of paper on the desk. The light of the moon allowed Twilight to read the note, eventually recognizing it has her own writing, a letter she had sent to Princess Celestia a few years ago on Nightmare Night.
“Dear Princess Celestia: When you first sent me to Ponyville, I didn’t know anything about friendship. I met somepony tonight who was having the same problem: your sister, Princess Luna. She taught me that one of the best things you can do with friendship is to give it to others and help them find it themselves. And I’m happy to report that all of Ponyville has learned that even if somepony seems a little intimidating, even scary, when you offer them your friendship you’ll discover a whole new pony underneath.”
What is this doing in Princess Luna’s chambers?
Maybe Princess Celestia was giving Princess Luna the friendship reports to help her become acclimated with pony society after a thousand years. But… but that was a few years ago and didn’t make sense anymore, not when Princess Luna had become accepted by Equestria again after her banishment. What could Princess Luna want with a note that was a few years old?
“Twilight Sparkle! I thought I heard your voice. Are you in here?”
Twilight’s eyes darted nervously from one end of the room to the other. The hoofsteps returned and approached the room as Twilight heard the deep, masculine voice call out again.
“Twilight! Where are you?”
Twilight’s eyes rested on a large cabinet. The mare galloped over to the cabinet and opened it up to reveal a dark black cloak. Seeing it as the only hiding spot, Twilight leapt into the cabinet and covered herself in the cloak, hiding herself in a ball on the floor as she closed the doors, leaving them open just enough to peek out.
A door on the opposite edge of the room opened up to reveal the dark, shadowy figure standing at the entry of the room. It walked into the room, but even with the moonlight shining on it and the proximity to Twilight hidden in the cabinet, the mare couldn’t make out the details of the figure. Twilight shuddered in her hiding spot in the cabinet as she watched the figure roam about the room.
“Twilight, please… come here. I’m sorry if I scared you at all. I really didn’t mean to.”
You don’t mean to scare me when you’re dark and shadowy and don’t look like a princess that I know – you’re not even a mare – and are looking for me when I don’t know who you are and yet you’re sorry? That doesn’t make any sense!
The shadowy figure continued looking around the room. The more time dragged on, the more Twilight realized the figure wasn’t leaving. A few seconds later, the mare noticed that the figure was looking at the cabinet in which she was hiding. Even more than that, it was looking directly at her hiding spot on the floor. The hoofsteps approached as the figure grew larger and larger to the point that it loomed over Twilight and blocked the light of the moon from coming through the crack.
Twilight couldn’t hold it in anymore and screamed as the figure opened the cabinet and took the cloak off her. But even her screaming was drowned out by the ringing that had appeared in her ears.
“Twilight! Please! It’s me! It’s okay!”
But Twilight didn’t stop screaming. Twilight’s ears didn’t stop ringing. She could see the eerie light of the moon suddenly increasing and covering everything in the pale glow. The detail began to fade from objects as they were swallowed up in a white light from the moon, everything except the shadowy figure of the stallion alicorn in front of her.
“No, no, no, no… Twilight, wait! Don’t wake up yet!”
But Twilight failed to listen. Eventually she collapsed on the floor of the cabinet, still screaming her lungs out as loud as she could and the ringing still in her ears. Twilight could feel her eyes become watery and she trembled in fear on the floor. Eventually, even the stallion alicorn began to fade into the light.
“Twilight… Wait… please…”
But the stallion’s cry was engulfed by the ringing in her ears and the alicorn disappeared into the bright white light. Suddenly everything went black as though Twilight blinked, and when she opened her eyes Twilight saw her surroundings had changed.
She was back in Ponyville, in her room in the tree house and library she lived in. The blue blanket covering her was wrapped tight around her and Twilight eventually kicked it off her to find that the sheets on her bed were almost completely rumpled and wrinkled. The pillow her head was on was doused with sweat. Twilight felt safe, secure, here in her bedroom amongst the piles of books in the library.
Twilight looked at a clock on the wall nearby. It was only around four in the morning, and at least three hours before she had to get up. Twilight went to a closet and pulled a towel out, covering the pillow with it, and laid back down to continue sleeping.
That’s the eighth time I’ve had that dream again. But… it went a bit farther this time. I never found the picture or the letter before.
I am writing this letter not because I have a friendship report to send to you. I am writing because I have been having problems with dreams that I can’t understand. The first time I had the dream, I was walking along a dark corridor when I saw a light. I walked to the light and woke up. I simply thought it was just a metaphor for me waking up and would not have bothered you if it weren’t for the fact that the dreams have gone on and revealed more to me with every time I’ve experienced them these past eight times.
For example, the first night I was walking along a dark corridor and went towards a light. The second night, I had found that the light source was a torch and carried myself through another door shining with light. The third night I found the door led to the entrance hall of Canterlot Castle. I should be fine since this is familiar territory, but I haven’t been inside Canterlot Castle for nearly two years and can see all the different changes that have taken place with every time that I have the dream without ever seeing them myself. Furthermore, it feels like something is watching me every time I have those dreams, and it has followed me since the fourth dream yet I cannot even see its face.
Princess… I'm scared. Nothing like this has ever happened before, and none of my books seem to have an answer. I have consulted every single book I have on dream theory and meaning, every book on symbolism and psychology, and yet I have found nothing. Not even Star-Swirl the Bearded has such information in his books, and he wrote one of the books I have on dream theory. I know you take pride in me for my knowledge and learning, but this time I’m afraid I can’t. I need your help. Any sort of help would be fine, but please… I need something.
Your faithful and beleaguered student,
Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight sealed the letter and placed it with a note on her desk for Spike to send it to Princess Celestia; the dragon had left to go play with the Cutie Mark Crusaders earlier that morning and would likely be back by the time Twilight had finished her errands she had planned for that day. Taking her saddlebags and a few bits, Twilight left the Golden Oaks Library and began her walk through Ponyville.
Her first stop was Sugarcube Corner for what Carrot Cake had referred to as a “coffee cake”. It was light and sweet with a thin layer of icing over it, and Twilight had become fond of having one with a cup of hot chocolate in the mornings. Twilight went over to the cupcake-shaped building and went inside, the bell tinkling to announce her arrival. Carrot cake himself was at the counter this morning and waved to Twilight as she walked in.
“Good morning, Carrot Cake!” Twilight called.
“Good morning, Twilight,” Carrot Cake responded. “How are your studies going?”
“They’ve been going smoothly,” Twilight replied. “How are Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake?”
“They’re entering into Cheerilee’s class next year,” Carrot Cake said. “Cup Cake is out with them getting their school supplies and some early books for them.”
“Sounds they’re off to a good start,” Twilight said, smiling. “Never too early to get a foal interested in books, I say.”
Carrot Cake nodded. “Anyways, how about that coffee cake and hot chocolate?”
“That sounds wonderful,” Twilight said. She was about to say “thank you” when she opened her mouth wide and yawned. Twilight quickly brought a hoof to her mouth out of courtesy and when the yawn finally subsided Twilight felt more tired than ever before. “You know… I think I’ll take a small coffee instead of a hot chocolate.”
Carrot Cake jumped, causing his tie to flip up and stick there for a moment before settling back down. “Pardon me, but… did you just say a small coffee?”
“Yes, please,” Twilight said. “And a little cream and sugar in it if you don’t mind.”
Carrot Cake went over to a coffee machine behind the counter and pulled a lever, causing a stream of coffee to come out into a little cup. “You almost never order coffee. Did you have a late night of studying last night?”
“Well, I did stay up a little later than usual, but I still got to bed at a decent time. I just woke up in the middle of the night and had a little trouble getting back to sleep due to a dream I had.”
Carrot Cake scooped two spoons of sugar and poured a little cream into the coffee as Twilight talked, taking up a spoon in his mouth and stirring it as he contemplated what Twilight had told him. “You should ask Princess Luna about it,” he said through the spoon in his mouth. “She would know something about dreams and having trouble falling asleep being the Princess of the Night, wouldn’t she?”
Twilight shook her head and laughed. “Oh, I couldn’t bother her with it. She probably has other royal duties that would be more pressing than smaller things like restless nights.”
Carrot Cake raised an eyebrow as he dug into the pastry cases and pulled out a coffee cake, putting it on a plate with a napkin and placing it on a tray with the coffee. “Well, Nightmare Night isn’t far away. Perhaps if the Princess comes down to Ponyville again as she’s done these past years, you could ask her about it then.”
“Oh, please,” Twilight said, taking her tray and walking over to a table. “I’m sure Princess Luna’s gotten offers from other cities to have her come down to Nightmare Night. Baltimare has large celebrations around this time.”
Carrot Cake looked like he was going to say something in response, but he closed his mouth as soon as he opened it and gulped. The resulting silence between the two would have been awkward if it wasn’t for a few other ponies coming in wanting to order something from the Cakes, and Carrot Cake preoccupied himself with taking their order.
Meanwhile, Twilight happily ate the cake and sipped the coffee, letting the still-slightly-bitter drink wake her up from the uneasiness of the previous night. She contemplated talking to some of her friends about the dream, but she was afraid that none of them would understand it. Rainbow Dash would like it because it sounded like a horror story, but she wouldn’t be able to give any advice. Fluttershy would be compassionate, but likely would be scared by the dream as much as Twilight was. Pinkie would probably just think it was all fun. Applejack wouldn’t get it because it dealt with Canterlot Castle, somewhere she had only been a few times and wasn’t exactly fond of the elite, and Rarity wouldn’t get it because it dealt with Canterlot Castle, and she would be wondering why Twilight hadn’t gone to Canterlot without at least dreaming up a dress. Hopefully, Spike would have sent the letter to Princess Celestia by the time Twilight returned home, and maybe she’d give an answer back.
Twilight pushed the thought away as she finished her breakfast and continued on with her daily chores. She stopped by the paper store to buy some more scrolls, ink, and quills. She went to the town hall to pick up some new book donations for the library, including one on astronomy that Twilight thought it would be good to look into later that evening with her telescope. After a quick trip to the chemist’s shop to pick up ingredients for more experiments, Twilight deposited her load at home then went back out for lunch at one of the cafes, where she ran into Rarity and Fluttershy, who looked like they were heading back from the spa. Rarity waved to Twilight and the two joined Twilight eating a sandwich and hay fries at a table.
“Twilight, darling!” Rarity greeted Twilight. “You should have gone to the spa with us today. They were having a special where the mud mask and massage treatment were half off! And it’s the same quality work from Aloe and Lotus but at a cheaper price than usual.”
“Hey, Twilight,” Fluttershy said quietly.
“Hey, Rarity. Hey, Fluttershy,” Twilight responded. “I’ve had some errands I’ve been needing to do for a while and decided today would have been a good day to do them. Maybe next time I’ll join you.”
“Oh, dear,” Rarity said, “you look like you need it, though. I mean, if only you could see the bags under your eyes. Not very becoming at all.”
“And your eyes are all red,” Fluttershy commented. “Have you been having trouble sleeping, Twilight?”
Twilight shook her head. “It’s nothing to worry about, girls. I’ve just been staying up later than usual. I’ve taken on a larger project than usual and just wanted to spend some extra time on it to see if I could get it finished early.” Applejack would be smacking me in the face with a hoof if she were here now…
“Oh, well, good luck on your experiment,” Fluttershy said.
“Or perhaps you need a sort of sleeping mask like I have,” Rarity said. “It makes things nice and quiet and dark and perfect for getting your beauty sleep. Then again, you don’t have a little sister running around.”
“Yeah, Spike’s usually in bed early and Owlowiscious is usually pretty quiet unless he’s flying around outside,” Twilight agreed. “Ah, well. Perhaps I just need to start a little earlier so I can get to bed at my usual time.”
“And perhaps you could sleep in a bit more,” Rarity said. “From the times I’ve seen those lights on in the library, you’re not getting the amount of sleep somepony is supposed to be getting for maximum health and wellness.”
“I’m fine, Rarity,” Twilight said sharply. “Really, it’s nothing to worry about.”
But Fluttershy did. “Twilight, are… are you sure you’re okay? You’re a little more, um, on edge than usual.”
It wasn’t until Fluttershy pointed it out that Twilight realized she was being defensive. Twilight yawned again, wishing she had another cup of coffee with her as she finished her lunch. “Perhaps I should go to bed a little earlier. Anyways, I don’t want to keep you any longer and I still have to run to the market, so I’ll talk with you two later.”
“I need to go, too,” Fluttershy said. “Angel’s running out of carrots. Do you mind if I come along with?”
Twilight smiled. “Certainly, Fluttershy. See you later, Rarity.”
“So long, dears!” And Rarity went back to her shop at Carousel Boutique.
Twilight and Fluttershy walked to the center of Ponyville where the markets were set up. The harvest season was coming to a close and all the farmers from around Ponyville were out selling their fresh fruits and vegetables. Twilight and Fluttershy walked around the stalls, perusing the vendors as they picked up everything from lettuce to cabbage to carrots to zucchini.
“Um, Twilight, can I ask you something?” Fluttershy said.
Twilight nodded. “Certainly. What about?”
“Well, it’s about your sleeping schedule.”
Twilight looked at Fluttershy curiously. “What about my sleeping schedule?”
“Well, you see, one of the bats that I take care of that lives in a tree, well, he’s been flying around your tree lately. But a few nights ago he came back and told me that you were up at three in the morning looking like you had just woken up. If you don’t mind, I was just wondering if you were having any trouble with…” Fluttershy’s voice already quiet voice faded away.
“Any trouble with what?”
“Well, I don’t know… maybe you’re having trouble sleeping and, um, I could offer some help like singing a lullaby for you at night.”
Twilight smiled at the yellow pegasus. “Thank you for the offer, Fluttershy, but I’m up later than you are most nights. Remember last Nightmare Night? You were asleep before the foals were out gathering candy.”
“You do have a point…”
Fluttershy and Twilight finished their shopping in the market and started to head their separate paths home. “The offer remains, if you want me to,” Fluttershy said, then waved and flew off towards her home on the outskirts of Ponyville, while Twilight walked back to the library.
Spike was at home mixing up a few servings of oatmeal, a small salad, and a bowl of rubies. “Is that you, Twilight?” the mare heard him call from the kitchen.
“Yes, Spike,” Twilight called back. “I was just at the market. Did you have fun with the Crusaders?”
“Yeah. We went hiking up one of the hills around Ponyville and had a picnic lunch. Oh, and I got your note and sent it off to Princess Celestia when I got back home. She hasn’t sent back a response yet.”
“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight said, walking into the kitchen and giving the young dragon a hug. “I have two things for us to do this evening when we’re done with dinner. First is helping me put away the things I got from the market, then I have a few books for library donations. If you help me out and we get done fast enough, I’ll let you have an extra scoop of the chocolate ice cream we got earlier…”
There was a purple and green blur as Spike dashed past Twilight and went into the main library, eagerly searching for the books. Twilight laughed at the little dragon’s eagerness – it wasn’t hard to get him to do much – and followed him out to help him with the chores. When the books were put away and the food was put away, Twilight and Spike ate dinner, then Twilight helped Spike with serving up the ice cream, which the dragon ate slowly to enjoy every single bite; that and Twilight was watching him to make sure he didn’t get too greedy. When Spike was done, he found a Daring Do book in the library and went upstairs to read it while Twilight went to her room to calibrate the telescope.
Twilight had just finished getting her telescope ready for use for that evening when she saw a green flash from behind the door. A little while later, Spike came rushing in and clambered up to the ledge where Twilight was sitting holding a scroll in his claw. “It’s from Princess Celestia,” he said. “But it also says I’m supposed to give it right to you and not read it.”
“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight said, taking the scroll out of Spike’s claw as the dragon returned to his Daring Do book. Twilight unfurled the letter and read it over.
Spike: I would appreciate it if you do not look at the contents of this letter and give it directly to Twilight.
Dearest Twilight, my most faithful student:
It disheartens me to see a letter coming from you, especially with the tone of distress that was put into it. However, I am sure that even with my knowledge I do not know about the realm of dreams any more than you do and must apologize for being unable to understand your dreams or be able to interpret them. While Princess Luna states that she is busy with the royal duties I have given to and shared with her, she says that she will be coming down again on Nightmare Night and could hopefully find a way to speak with you about the dreams.
Again, I am sorry I was not able to answer your question. For now, I will suggest a slightly restrained use of magic and hopefully the dreams will go away on their own. If they persist, Princess Luna will be down within the week for Nightmare Night and you may receive further counsel on the matter from her.
Your mentor and friend,
Princess Celestia.
Twilight had to admit it was something, just not the something that she had hoped it was. Why couldn’t Princess Celestia, with her thousands of years of knowledge, understand the nature and cause of her dream? For the time being, even Celestia had told Twilight to consult Princess Luna about her dreams, and it did seem like the most logical choice.
But Twilight noticed something strange about her reaction to the letter. Why hadn’t she gone immediately to Princess Luna? What had made her constantly shy away from sending a letter to the princess of dreams and the night? Furthermore, why did it take so long for her to even realize it as a legitimate solution?
For once, Twilight didn’t know how to go about answering her own questions.
Twilight felt she had hardly blinked into existence before she knew where she was. With a more confident pace than the time before, Twilight walked forward, carefully stepping down the hall as she made her way towards where the torch would be found. Again, it felt like she could only see a few inches in front of her face, the blackness stretching out before her with seemingly no end in sight. Twilight scanned the halls looking for any signs of life or what might have been different from the time before.
I’ve traveled down this path before. I’m no longer scared.
Twilight made it to the torch faster than she ever had before. With the same resoluteness she had before, Twilight pulled out the torch from its holder and brandished it as she looked around the hallways, in case something showed itself.
A set of hoofsteps started coming down the hall she had traveled before, towards the entrance hall. Already things were changing, but this time Twilight was ready. Taking the torch, Twilight flew back down the hall, galloping at full speed, looking for a way out. She turned the corner and went back down the hall she had started in and found a door at the other end of the long hallway. Sighing with relief at an escape, Twilight started running down the hallway towards the double doors and the exit of Canterlot Castle.
At least I’ve found a way to evade it. If only this hall weren’t so long… wait.
Twilight stopped galloping for a moment and listened, noticing that the second set of hoofsteps had gone away. When Twilight was sure that whoever was there was no longer following her or looking for her, Twilight turned around to see how far she had gone.
…that’s impossible!
Twilight didn’t want to believe it. For all her running, she had stayed at the point where she had first entered the dream. Twilight walked in the direction of the doorway and past an archway and stopped again, turning around only to find she hadn’t even moved from the last time she checked. Walking forwards but keeping her eye on the corner she had once turned, Twilight walked forwards past one, then two, then three archways, noticing the corner shrink farther and farther away into the distance until it had become swallowed by the darkness. Satisfied, Twilight turned around to look at where the door was, only to find she was no closer to where the door had been standing. When she turned around to look at where the corner was, she found that she had ended up right where she had begun.
There’s no way out. I either have to find Princess Celestia’s or Princess Luna’s chambers and get them to help me.
Realizing that the pony looking for her had come down in the direction she was about to head, Twilight brandished the torch ahead of her and began walking cautiously forwards. She walked around the corner and started making her way towards the torch’s holder when she noticed something new.
This door wasn’t open before. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.
Twilight opened the door. Inside was a desk with no back but the bottom was almost completely dark, along with a small filing cabinet and a few chairs. Twilight opened the filing cabinet but all the folders and papers inside of it were blank. Twilight checked the desk to find the drawers were filled with more papers, but they too were blank, though there was a box of matches that Twilight took in case her torch went out again. Twilight then noticed the paper on the desk, drew the torch closer to it, and began to read.
“From the desk of H.S.M. Princess Celestia:
Princess Luna has once again decreed that she wishes to go to Ponyville for the Nightmare Night celebrations, on this fifth year since her change at the hands of the Elements of Harmony. Please note the other cities that requested her presence across Equestria that she will be unable to come to them this year. Also make sure that the requisite preparations are made for her travels to Ponyville for the few days she intends to stay. Make sure that Twilight Sparkle gets the letter that Princess Luna will be staying with her, as well.”
It’s about the preparations for Nightmare Night. But… those things haven’t even been released in the Canterlot newspapers; Shining Armor would have told me about them.
Twilight left the note where it was but made a mental note of its contents before walking out of the room and continuing down the hallway. She had just reached the place where the torch holder was when
‘Twilight! Twilight, where are you?”
It was the voice again, from the shadowy male figure that had appeared the time before. Twilight panicked and ran in the opposite direction, opening the door with a bang and flying back into the room. Twilight blew out torch to extinguish it as she dove under the desk. The hoofsteps drew closer as Twilight pulled in a chair to conceal her position from the figure.
“Twilight! Are you in here?”
The door had likely startled the shadowy figure and Twilight became still as ever. Twilight hid herself from the figure and didn’t even dare to look at him as he walked around the desk. Twilight could see a pair of four dark hooves, larger and wider than those of the Princesses, and she could almost hear the pony inhaling through its nose.
But I haven’t even made it to the entrance hall! This isn’t a logical progression of events anymore!
The figure stayed there and called out again, but this time Twilight could hear something different in the voice… longing. “Twilight, please. Come out and let me talk with you.”
Twilight wasn’t willing to stick around no matter how sad the voice sounded. Crawling along with her belly to the floor, Twilight tucked the torch under her foreleg and began to slowly creep along the ground towards the door, slinking through the chairs. The figure behind her turned around and Twilight froze.
“What was that?”
I hope he can’t see me, I hope he can’t see me…
Twilight continued inching towards the door. Carefully, she snuck around the corner and got to her feet, using her magic to quietly light a match and reignite the torch. Twilight looked around her and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Twilight! I’ve found you. I’ve been looking for you ever since the first night.”
The voice was… unnaturally close. Twilight attempted to breathe in but she could only do so with great effort. Twilight slowly turned around to look at the source of the voice and lost her breath. The shadowy figure was behind her, and this time Twilight could see a slight bit of detail: a pair of dark blue eyes looked at her from the shadows of the bulky figure.
“I’m glad I found you. Come, we have many things to talk about over these past few months since we’ve seen each other.”
But Twilight was in no mood to listen. She screamed and bolted back down the hallway, torch ahead of her and nearly fading out with how fast the wind rushed by her, but Twilight kept going. At the door to the entrance hall, Twilight could hear a galloping behind her.
“Twilight! Wait! What are you doing?”
Twilight flung open the door to the hall and ran inside it, hiding just behind the door as the hoofsteps grew closer and closer. Just when they were inches away from the door, Twilight flung the door shut and the hoofsteps came to a sudden stop, the figure crashing into the door on the opposite side with such force Twilight could barely hold it shut. Thinking quickly, Twilight picked up a smaller statue with her magic and placed it in front of the door so the door couldn’t open.
“Twilight! You must listen to me! You can’t continue doing this! Your mental ability will become unstable if you don’t let me speak!”
But Twilight didn’t want to hear anymore. She bolted across the entrance hall and towards the door for Princess Celestia’s chambers. Much like times before, the door stayed resolutely in place. Twilight dashed over to the other door towards Princess Luna’s chambers, hearing a splintering sound coming from the door at the entrance of the hall. Much like Celestia’s door it, too, refused to budge.
“I can open that door for you, Twilight.”
The voice had lost the longing, genial, even pleading tone it had before. This time, it was deeper and attempting to persuade – or perhaps tempt – Twilight. The unicorn mare walked over to the door at the entry to the hall, noticing that a small hole had been broken in it, enough for the mare to see one of the deep blue eyes staring back at her.
“I can open that door and let you through if you let me in.”
Twilight shook her head.
What do you want with me? Why are you chasing me?
“Chasing you?” The stallion laughed, though it didn’t sound pleasant to Twilight. “No, I haven’t been chasing you. I’ve been searching for you. I’ve been searching for you for nine nights now, and finally I’ve found you. Every time I thought I found you, you woke up before I could even speak. Six times before, you woke up before I could even see you.”
We are speaking now. Tell me, what is it you want with me?
The stallion closed his eye and shrunk back to blackness. “It seems you wouldn’t trust me even if I was on the other side of that door.”
How can I trust that which I cannot see clearly?
“Can you not see my eyes?” The stallion opened his eyes again, letting them see through the door at Twilight. “They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that is the case, look into my eyes and tell me that you cannot trust me.”
Even the most foolish of ponies knows that you can kill the strongest warrior behind his back so long as he is distracted by something else within his sight.
“Ah, but Twilight… you are already distracted. Your mind has simply switched the perspectives of what you see. Canterlot Castle you can see clearly because that is what you have placed in the front of your mind, using your surroundings to get away from me. I am hidden in the back of your mind, I am encased in shadow because you choose not to look at me. You do not see me for who I truly am.”
Then speak: who are you?
“I am a friend of yours. A close one for the past five years.”
That tells me nothing.
“I could outright lie to you and you wouldn’t believe me. Yet I could tell the truth and you would do the same.”
Give me one reason that I shouldn’t seek out Princess Celestia or Princess Luna to tell her to end you immediately. I am the student of Celestia, and with one word to them you could be destroyed. Tell me why I shouldn’t do that.
“Because the latter is already here.”
Twilight recoiled from the figure. If Luna was already here, why hadn’t Twilight ever been able to find her when running about the castle? Twilight scanned the halls behind her and looked around for any sign of the Lunar Princess, but all that greeted her was the pale moonlit shadows and the moon itself, hanging still in the sky as though it had been painted there.
“Proof that you are distracted: I tell you Princess Luna is here and immediately you look away from me.”
Give me proof Luna is here.
For a long time, the stallion didn’t give any response. He barely even flinched, nor did he look like he was doing anything at all. Twilight wondered what exactly he was thinking as they sat there in near total darkness, illuminated mostly by Twilight’s torch. But suddenly, a click sounded from the far end of the hall as though something had been unlocked.
“There. Princess Luna’s chambers are unlocked.”
What would you do if I were to leave you here?
“There are other ways. Perhaps… perhaps there are other things you need to see before I can reveal myself to you. Perhaps you need more time to jog your memory. But just remember: in dreams, you have plenty of time to do so.” The stallion then closed his eyes and became a black figure again. But this time, the figure vanished into a cloud of smoke and then he was gone.
Twilight wasted no time. Dashing over to Luna’s chambers, the unicorn heaved the door open and launched herself inside, realizing she needed to find a few things and see if their position had changed from the time before.
The first place was the open door she had found earlier. It was open much in the same way as it had been the previous time she had this same dream, and inside was still the same set of furniture and items: the desk with the oil lamp and the picture of her on it, the bookshelf with the official documents, and the pillow that was meant to be sat on the ground. Twilight went to the picture, stuck the torch in the top of the oil lamp for support, and opened up the back of the picture frame.
I knew there was something I missed last time. I just didn’t expect it to be this.
There were two letters hidden just off the picture: “P.L.” They were in a corner that had been hidden by the frame before.
Did Princess Luna draw this?
There was another click like a door unlocking from outside. Twilight left the picture on the desk and grabbed her torch before heading outside. Looking around, Twilight noticed another door opened up a short way down the hall. However, no hoofsteps sounded from anywhere around her, so Twilight figured it was safe enough to check it out. She made her way to the door and opened it.
There’s more!?
The room that Twilight had opened looked like an artist’s studio. It was filled with easels and large pads of paper, containers holding all sorts of pencils and paints and brushes and erasers. Twilight first noticed the pencil drawing on the easel. It was of her, asleep on her side in her bed in the Golden Oaks Library, as seen from something on the ceiling. Twilight noticed the picture was done in soft lines and evoked a sort of dream-like quality to it, as though she was resting peacefully and whoever had painted the picture was standing on guard over her. On top of that, it was surprisingly realistic, much like the picture in the office room had been. In the corner was the same signature: “P.L.”
Twilight looked up from the easel to see that more pictures had been drawn and painted around the room, all of them of her and all of them signed with the same “P.L.” One was over her reading a book. Another was of her looking in the telescope on the hills over Ponyville. One was of her in the Star-Swirl the Bearded costume she wore from the first Nightmare Night. Another was her jumping up in excitement after being told she had passed Celestia’s test with the Crystal Empire. All around the room were fourteen framed pictures, plus the one on the easel. Twilight wasn’t entirely sure why, but the sight of all those pictures of her, all drawn by Princess Luna, was disturbing.
Twilight looked back to the picture on the easel to find that it had changed. The lines were the same, but the position had changed: Twilight was now lying down on her back, one hoof crossed over her belly. Twilight began to back nervously out of the room and into the corridor, changing direction once again for Princess Luna’s chambers and dashing towards her next destination.
Twilight didn’t hesitate to cross the room to where the letter from Nightmare Night five years ago was sitting, still in the same position. Twilight read and re-read the letter again and again.
Come on… there’s got to be something hidden in here that can explain this…
But nothing jumped out at her. There were so many good lessons learned that day.
“I intimidate you. Is that it?”
Twilight jumped and turned around. The stallion figure was at the door, still only showing his blue eyes for the only bit of detail Twilight could make out. Twilight didn’t care that he was there, only that he was blocking the only exit that didn’t lead to a dead end.
“Yes, the picture thing was, perhaps, a bit excessive, but no matter.”
Who are you? There are no male alicorns in Equestria. At least, none that have been recorded in the history books.
“It’s easy to read a book,” the alicorn said, stepping slightly into the room and making Twilight cower in fear. “It’s harder to read a mind. Yours, Twilight Sparkle, is one of the hardest yet to read. I thought you would have remembered the contents of that letter, yet it seems I am mistaken.”
You’ve done this before?
“I have given you proof that Luna was here, have I not?”
You merely opened a door.
“One that you are fully aware of cannot be opened except through lunar magic?”
Then, what does that make you? A changeling?
“No. Not by a long shot.”
Show your true self to me, then!
The stallion shook his head. “You are not yet ready. For now…” The stallion’s horn began to glow a dark blue. The torch that was in Twilight’s magic field was yanked out of it and into the stallion’s control before it dropped it on the ground, extinguishing it. The horn kept glowing as the stallion advanced on Twilight, laying itself gently on the ground next to Twilight as it drew its horn closer, speaking in a calmer and gentler tone. “…it’s time for the dream to end.”
The stallion’s horn touched to Twilight’s forehead. Twilight felt all the energy from the panic leave her and her eyes closed as she slumped to the floor. She quivered a bit, trying to fight against the stallion’s magic, but eventually she stopped and laid there in a heap on the floor.
“Good night, Twilight Sparkle. I will see you on Nightmare Night.”
When Twilight awoke, the morning sun was shining over Ponyville and Twilight felt more rested than she had in days.
Twilight was busying herself with the astronomy book she had received from the town hall’s book donations. She enjoyed flipping through pages of star charts, looking at the constellations Luna had placed in the sky, then going out in the evenings to find them herself. It was like the children’s game of “I spy”, searching around the stars to find the constellations as they appeared in the sky. Twilight enjoyed it and found it good fun, writing down the angles and coordinates of constellations she particularly enjoyed the look of.
Right now, it was midday. Twilight was going through the books she had received from the donations, looking through them both for content and for any problems with them that she might have to take to have fixed, either with reparations with the cover or binding or any torn pages that were small enough to be mended. She finished with the astronomy book and put it aside for later; it would be available on the shelves, but she liked putting some of them aside to look through them once more “just to make sure there was nothing I missed”; in reality, she wanted to have a few days with the book all to herself without anyone bothering to borrow it. Any particularly good ones she would later order for her personal library.
Twilight was thankful for the peace and quiet, too. Derpy the mailmare had come around with the mail that morning and Spike was off helping Rarity with digging up gems, so she had a long period of time all to herself. Twilight loved these days, setting herself up with a sandwich with market-fresh produce and a glass of apple juice from Sweet Apple Acres and sitting with her book and her lunch on the patio. She closed the library for an hour at that time and relished the relative silence she had – Ponyville itself was busy with life as it usually was, but it was a quaint feel and didn’t disturb Twilight in the slightest. Not like the boisterous and noisy crowds of Canterlot, who caused her to relocate to somewhere quiet every time she wanted to read.
Twilight had just started with the fourth book from the donations before a knock came at the door. Twilight sighed and brought in the remainder of her lunch (Rainbow Dash had once taken half a sandwich she left out there when passing by) to the desk in her study before heading downstairs to the main library floor. Twilight was fully prepared to let whoever was out there know that the library was closed for the hour, but when she opened the door she saw a member of the royal guard – a white pegasus with a brown, two-toned mane and golden armor – holding a scroll gently in his mouth.
“A letter from Princess Celestia to her student Twilight Sparkle,” the stallion guard reported, saluting the unicorn. “The letter contains information about the upcoming Nightmare Night events. She would have sent it by flame, but her flume is broken and refuses to send anything.”
“Thank you very much, sir,” Twilight said, taking the letter with her magic. “You can tell Princess Celestia that her letter arrived safely and I should be sending a letter back this evening.”
The stallion guard became at-ease and nodded. “I will. Good day to you, Miss Sparkle.” And he took off into the skies, flying back to Canterlot Castle as Twilight took the letter inside.
The letter was stamped with the royal seal of a sun with its rays. Twilight took the letter back up to the study and opened it there, continuing to eat as she scanned over the contents of the letter.
Dear Twilight Sparkle:
I’m afraid to say that I have little information for your plight involving the dreams. However, I do have some better news for you: Princess Luna has again decreed that she will be heading to Ponyville for the Nightmare Night celebrations, choosing there over Baltimare and Phillydelphia, and will be staying there for a few days. I am sure that this information will please you, considering how close you two have become over the years and how much your friendship has grown. She has told me she is willing to look into your dreams and see if she can’t find an interpretation for them. If the dreams come back again, please write them down as this would make things easier for Luna to deal with them.
Your concerned yet proud mentor and friend,
Princess Celestia.
P.S. Concerning the fact that your dreams have been showing you very detailed looks of Canterlot Castle, perhaps you could explain how the hole appeared in the door to the entry hall? (I’m just kidding…)
“That couldn’t have really happened in Canterlot Castle, could it have?” Twilight asked aloud to no one in particular. The events of last night’s dream had nearly evaded her, yet now they returned to her: the stallion, the chase through the halls of Canterlot Castle, the letters, the paintings, the conversation with the stallion at the door leading into the entry hall. Had it really caused a hole in the door? But… Twilight’s own magical power wasn’t that strong, was it?
No, that can’t be it. It was just a dream, just a coincidence. There is no evidence of things like clairvoyance or predictions in dreams. No sufficient amount of studies have been done on the issues, and with how many books I’ve gone through on the subject of dreams and dream meanings I think I would know if there was information for that.
Although Twilight had sufficiently convinced herself that nothing could have happened, the images from the previous night now burned into her mind, images of the shadow stallion, the dark blue eyes piercing out from the blackness that melted into and out of the light almost without Twilight ever noticing. And his words… what was she not ready for yet? What did it mean by telling her that she could not see him clearly because she was behind him? And the pictures… Twilight didn’t even want to think about the pictures.
Twilight left the note on her study and went back to reading the books from the donations. She finished with the final one early that evening and shelved them all in the proper places. She sorted some papers from her recent experiment and made sure the downstairs lab was completely cleaned and that she had enough of her ingredients for another experiment. When Twilight had finished the clock hardly fifteen minutes has passed and she was nearly two hours ahead of schedule.
It was strange, to say the least. Time always seemed to slow down for a short while after Twilight thought of Princess Luna. Twilight of course knew that time didn’t really slow down and only felt like it did, but it never did at any other time. It seemed to go faster when Twilight was deeply involved in her reading or research or experiments, and also flew by when she went out with her friends. But in matters involving Princess Luna, time seemed to slow down and Twilight always finished ahead of schedule with time left to spare.
Twilight prepared herself a bowl of oatmeal and fruit and sat down at the kitchen table to think things over. Spike would be due any minute from Rarity’s boutique, likely having finished eating a large meal of gemstones left over from their haul. Even so, Twilight cooked another bowl of oatmeal for the dragon when he came home and headed into the main library floor, pulling out a book and reading it.
Spike came home tired, exhausted, and happy. Twilight barely listened as she listened to his tales of going out and finding a huge stash of gems and Rarity pulling out a map to mark it to go back sometime soon. He also told Twilight of spending dinner with Rarity and Sweetie Belle, and how he had been given a few gems as a treat. Once he had finished eating and told Twilight his story, Spike took himself to bed early and Twilight went up after him, tucking him in as she usually did.
Once Spike was put to bed, Twilight went out onto the balcony and stared at the night sky for what seemed like hours until she grew tired and drowsy herself. When she headed back in and looked at a clock, Twilight found she had only been out there for fifteen minutes. Unsure of what else she could do that evening, Twilight turned down the lights and went to bed.
For that night, and every night for the next week, Twilight had no dreams.
* * *
Early evening on the day before Nightmare Night, Twilight was cleaning up a guest bedroom for Princess Luna. It was moderately furnished, but like previous times, Twilight knew the princess wouldn’t mind the more rustic conditions in Ponyville compared to the castle. The unicorn had Spike help her sweep the floor and dust the furniture in preparation for the princess’ arrival, afterwards taking up the duty of making the bed herself as Spike went downstairs to the main library, grateful for the quiet time to think.
The Princess herself would be arriving any time soon, and for the only time that Twilight could recall, she was nervous about the whole thing. For the last four years, Nightmare Night had been something that Twilight looked forward to, from the costumes to the candy to the games to the multiple pranks that were pulled around this time of year. And yes, she even looked forward to seeing Luna come down for the few days surrounding it. It was a time when studying actually took a secondary role in Twilight’s life, only reading or researching when Princess Luna was in her room for a nap. But now… because of the dream, Twilight didn’t want Luna coming and didn’t want to face her and she wasn’t even sure why.
Twilight knew she wasn’t going to receive that reprieve. This had been planned weeks, likely even months ago considering how Baltimare and Phillydelphia had been competing for the lunar princess’ attention. Twilight somehow knew Luna would choose Ponyville. After all, she had every year for the past five years.
While it was the time that Luna was supposed to arrive, there was no sight of her. Twilight went up to her balcony and sat there to think until Luna did show up. Why did Luna choose Ponyville at all? Why didn’t she go to one of the larger cities for Nightmare Night celebrations? Twilight had figured as much for the first year that the Elements of Harmony had something to do with it, and Twilight had helped Luna fulfill a want of meeting those who had saved her. But there hadn’t been any further reason to come back. Nightmare Night had been reinstated by Luna herself four years ago. And since her return to Canterlot, Luna certainly must have had friends in other cities if anything was to be learned from the responses Celestia sent back on Luna’s condition whenever Twilight asked.
Twilight supposed that the letters and Princess Luna coming to Ponyville had something in common. She couldn’t figure out what it was, though.
It wasn’t until late in the evening that Princess Luna finally arrived. Twilight could see her from the balcony, noticing the princess' dark blue fur turned nearly black against the light of the full moon ahead, only revealing a set of dark blue eyes. For a minute, Twilight rubbed her eyes with her hooves as though in disbelief of what she was seeing, but as the princess made her way closer, Twilight could see the finer details of the princess as she gently landed on the balcony in front of her, including a large bag strapped to her back. Almost immediately, Twilight ran up and threw her forelegs around the princess.
“Princess Luna!” she exclaimed. “You’ve finally made it!”
“I am sorry to keep you waiting so long, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna replied warmly as she wrapped a hoof around Twilight. “I had some business to take care of before leaving Canterlot. Ah, well, I hope my arrival hasn’t kept you up too late.”
“Not at all,” Twilight replied, leaving the hug and leading Princess Luna inside. “The sun only recently set; I normally am up for a few more hours doing research and experiments at this time, or just curled up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.”
“A cup of hot chocolate sounds good right now,” Luna said, licking her lips. “It’s been a long flight.”
Twilight led Luna to the guest bedroom, where the alicorn dropped off the bag draped over her back, and the two moved on to the kitchen, where Twilight began heating up a few cups of milk and brought out chocolate powder and marshmallows, in addition to a few cupcakes she had picked up from Sugarcube Corner. It wasn’t long before Twilight and Luna were each sipping a mug of hot chocolate and eating a cupcake.
“So, how have you been doing lately?” Luna asked once they had settled in. “It’s been a long time since we’ve last spoken. I believe it was your birthday a few months ago that I last came down to visit.”
“Oh, things have been running fine,” Twilight replied with a smile. “I’ve just been doing the normal research and hanging out with my friends here. Not too much has happened since our visit to the Crystal Empire for the Equestria Games, though.”
Luna was not smiling. “From the sounds of the letters Celestia has been sharing with me, you haven’t been doing ‘fine’, as you put it.”
Twilight’s own smile faded. “I have been having these strange dreams lately. You are someone who controls dreams and can make certain dreams appear, so perhaps you could be able to explain it to me. I’ve found nothing in any of the books I own and—”
Luna placed a hoof over Twilight’s mouth and smiled at her. “Then if dreams are subject to my whim and my control, who is there to say in a book they can explain how they work?”
Twilight blushed sheepishly as Luna’s hoof left her mouth. “I guess I didn’t think of that before.”
Luna continued smiling. “Twilight, dreams are only as predictable as the pony’s mind. Yes, I know more than anypony else on the subject of dreams, but everypony’s mind forms a dream differently. Tell me, then, what the dream was like. What did you see, what did you feel? Perhaps if we examine things closely enough we can uncover what is bothering you.”
Twilight gulped and nodded. “Well, I always start off in a hallway at the entrance of Canterlot Castle. And it’s dark and it’s always night with very little light. Throughout the dreams, I wander through the castle and find various things. I’ve found letters, official documents, my old friendship reports that, when I’ve written to Princess Celestia about them, are all real down to the letter.”
“Canterlot Castle and its images can come from memory,” Luna said. “It is a familiar place, one which is like home to you, and so you remember it. But perhaps there are things you do not know that the darkness is hiding from you. It being night, I wager there is something you don’t know about me.”
“There is plenty I don’t know about you,” Twilight said. “I hardly speak with you except for when you come, and my letters lately have not been as frequent.”
“That is very true. As for the official documents, is there a recurring pattern among them? Anything familiar you remember about them?”
“I… I don’t know. I remember finding a friendship report, a notice to send letters to Phillydelphia and Baltimare, and a notice of a letter to be sent to me.”
“Where were they located?”
“…in your wing of the castle, I think. But it’s strange. I once sent Celestia a map of those chambers and have realized I’ve never gone through any of them, yet my mind seems to know where they all are.”
Luna put a hoof to her chin as though thinking, though Twilight thought she saw the corner of her mouth curve upwards in a smirk. She quickly drew back her hoof, however, and whatever smirk that Twilight saw soon vanished as she continued her questions. “Is there anything else you remember?”
“Yes. Ever since the sixth night, there has been something watching me and following me. It has tried talking to me sometimes, but I do not know who it is. It looks like an alicorn like you or Princess Celestia, but it has a mouth and voice like that of a stallion and is almost entirely covered in shadow. The only thing I have been able to see of it is its dark blue eyes.”
“Do the eyes look… familiar?”
Twilight looked across into Luna’s cyan eyes, similar in shape from what she remembered but nowhere near as dark or as foreboding. “…no. Not from what I remember.”
Luna’s face became questioning, but if she was confused about something she didn’t say anything about it. “I’m afraid I don’t know what to think. If there is a figure you don’t know, perhaps it hasn’t revealed itself to you yet here while you are awake. Give it time. How long has it been since you last had the dream?”
“A week,” Twilight said. “Right before I received the notice that you were coming to Ponyville for Nightmare Night.”
Luna nodded. “I’m afraid I can’t explain any further without much more context. If you had remembered the contents of the letters contained, I would perhaps be able to offer a connection, but because you don’t, I can’t. I’m sorry. I wish there was more I could tell you.”
“No, it’s fine,” Twilight said. “In explaining those things alone, I am already more at ease. Perhaps if I have the dream again, I will be able to understand what it means.”
“ I am hidden in the back of your mind, I am encased in shadow because you choose not to look at me. You do not see me for who I truly am.”
Perhaps I am ready to know…
Luna looked at Twilight and the smile returned to her face much more noticeably. “In the meantime, perhaps you have an experiment you’ve been working on that you would like to show us?”
Now, Twilight was much more in her element. The mare eagerly led Luna to the basement where her recent chemistry experiment was in progress: seeing which foods gave the most energy and would make a pony stay awake physically and mentally longer. Luna looked through Twilight’s notes and listened to her discussions with rapt interest and even proposed things that Twilight took more notes for the next time she continued her experiment.
When they had finished, they returned upstairs for another cupcake before heading into the library to read the new Daring Do book that had come in (Twilight’s own personal copy). The two lay together on the balcony and read it by the light of the moon, and were up until late in the night and nearly finished it. However, Twilight felt her head and eyes slowly begin to droop, and soon she laid her head down on the crossed hooves of Princess Luna and listened as she continued reading in her gentle intonations.
A long time later, Luna stopped reading as Twilight lay next to her. Twilight barely registered movement as Luna unfurled a wing and set it over the unicorn, not bothering to disturb the sleeping mare. Luna leaned over and gently kissed Twilight on the forehead.
“Good night, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps you shall see us some night soon.”
* * *
When Twilight awoke the following morning, she was in her bed and Luna was in the guest bedroom leafing through another book. Twilight left Luna to her business and went downstairs to make some oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, serving up two portions of each plus some orange juice; Spike had already left to go help Pinkie Pie with preparations for the Nightmare Night celebrations. It was only after breakfast was made when Twilight knocked on the door to Luna’s room.
“Come in, Twilight,” Luna said, looking up from the book as Twilight pushed the door open. “How did you sleep last night?”
“Better than I have in a long time. What happened?”
“You fell asleep on the balcony as we were reading the Daring Do book. I let you sleep for a little while under my wing, not wanting to disturb you. As soon as I knew you were sound asleep, I brought you in and laid you in your bed. Don’t worry; the book is safely back in its place on the shelves.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“What about the dream?”
“If I did have one last night, I would have remembered it.”
Luna smiled and nodded.
“Breakfast is ready, if you’re interested.”
Luna nodded and closed the book as they walked out and downstairs. Twilight served Luna the oatmeal with fruit and toast and orange juice and the two ate and talked at the table. Whereas the previous night had been Twilight telling Luna about their experiments, today was Luna telling Twilight about matters in the royal court. Most was boring to Luna, but Twilight listened and took (mental) notes of every detail as she listened with her full attention.
Luna finished telling Twilight a story of two nobles fighting over a piece of land that had ended up in some bloodshed and how she and Celestia had peacefully resolved the conflict, which Twilight thought would actually make a good book, when she suggested heading out into Ponyville to pick up some candy for Nightmare Night celebrations later that evening. Luna agreed and the two went walking out into Ponyville.
Twilight’s first stop was Sugarcube Corner. Around this time of year, the Cakes usually partnered with a pony named Bon Bon to help sell candy, which was in high demand and the single Earth pony couldn’t handle on her own, so she usually sent some to the Cakes to help her sell. Twilight knew the bits would go to Bon Bon and to the Cakes, so she decided to help both of them out and buy a few bags of candy.
Carrot Cake was tending shop again when Twilight and Luna walked in, the alicorn princess wandering around the store as she looked at the candy and baked goods on sale. Twilight, however, walked up to Carrot Cake at the counter.
“Good morning, Twilight!” Carrot Cake said as she approached. “I see the Princess has come again for Nightmare Night.”
“Yes,” Twilight said with a nod. “Which means I’ll need an extra bag of candy again this year.”
“So, what will the order be?”
“Two bags of the milk chocolate balls, three bags of chocolate with peanut butter, two bags of chocolate and caramel, a two-dozen box of the pumpkin cakes and one small apple pie with the cinnamon dusted over it.”
“A large order, as per usual. Bon Bon will be happy for the money for the candy, and Missus Cake will be happy for the baked goods. I’ll get Pinkie to help out with baking a fresh batch of the cakes and apple pie and we’ll have them delivered to the library before dinner.”
“That sounds good!”
Twilight paid for the sweets with her bits, then decided it was a good time to head out to Sweet Apple Acres to see if she could get some extra cider. Princess Luna followed along next to Twilight, breathing deeply through her nose as though she enjoyed just smelling the clean air. When Luna spoke up, Twilight found she wasn’t far off.
“I love heading to smaller towns like this,” Princess Luna said, sighing contentedly as they walked out of Ponyville and into the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. “The air is nice and clean, there’s not so many ponies so you know everyone around, and it just seems to free. Not like how it can get in Canterlot.”
“Isn’t the castle spacious?”
“Oh, it is. And the guards are friendly enough and it’s nice to be in the gardens. But Canterlot itself is horrible. There’s hardly any space to fly unless you’re on the main roads, which is where you have it packed with ponies who either respect you for your position or are too preoccupied with themselves to bother with you. And so many factories! In certain areas, the pegasi weather teams are almost constantly on patrol to get rid of the smoke. On the best of days, it’s still a relief to get back home. So when Celestia told me that Nightmare Night was coming up again, I just about immediately told her I was heading to Ponyville.”
“But why not some of the other towns? I’ve heard Baltimare is very pretty around this time of year, and Phillydelphia is packed with history and old buildings and architecture and is amazing for an educated crowd. Matter of fact, wasn’t it the quickest to accept you because they knew more than the other cities?”
“After Ponyville it was. And as for why not the other towns: they want it as a boast. There it would be a matter of pride, and ponies when they become too prideful start conflicts. As for here, the ponies treat me all as friendly company, like one of them. I’m able to relax and get away from a little while. And my best friends are here. There’s Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, all of whom helped me with getting back to socializing with the ponies and helped me realize there were ponies who were happy to have me back.”
Luna stopped for a minute and sat under the shade of one of the apple trees, the leaves turning a myriad of reds and golds and oranges. “And there’s you, Twilight. You saved me from Nightmare Moon’s influence. You were the one who stuck by my side throughout my first Nightmare Night back in Ponyville, who showed me that friendship isn’t just a connection and that it really can be that powerful.”
Twilight blushed. “Well, it wasn’t just me who saved you. All the other Elements of Harmony were involved in helping to save you from Nightmare Moon as well. And we didn’t even think of it as saving you at first, only realizing that you as Nightmare Moon were a problem that needed our strength to solve.”
“But you were the first to truly accept me,” Luna said, looking wistfully at the bright blue sky. “After being stuck on the moon for a thousand years without company, it means a lot to me to have somepony who was willing to be a friend.” Luna looked back down at Twilight, and the unicorn could see the dark blue alicorn was blushing red through her dark blue fur. “Thank you, Twilight. For everything.”
Twilight felt her own cheeks get red hot and was sure she was blushing, too. It was not embarrassing, and Twilight felt she had no need to be embarrassed with nopony around. It was… warm, even comforting. Twilight felt her own heart skip a beat and she found herself staring at Luna, wondering how it took so long to notice how… how… enchanted she was by Luna’s eyes, how she always caught herself staring at her starry mane.
“Um… I don’t know what to say… I suppose I could start with ‘you’re welcome’…”
Luna giggled at Twilight, but the unicorn could tell it wasn’t in malice.
Twilight was in the entrance hall of Canterlot Castle again, but a few things had changed. The moon was still high in the sky, and both the doors to the princess’ chambers were still locked, but that was all that remained the same. The statues were gone except for those of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna at the far end of the hall. The hall was filled with torches that cast a warm golden glow over the whole of the chamber and left very few shadows. The way back not only was closed and locked but no amount of force – physical or magical – could open it or break it open.
Why can’t I leave? Is there something I’m missing? A secret passageway?
“Nothing is secret to you, Twilight Sparkle,” a voice came, calm and gentle.
Twilight whirled around and ran through the hall, looking for the source of the voice, the male’s voice she had been hearing and not wanting to see its source. Twilight’s heart beat faster and faster. She could feel sweat pouring down her forehead. Her ears flicked back and forth, listening for signs of the stallion. But nothing came.
“Do you remember what I told you the last time we spoke?”
That I would see you on Nightmare Night.
“And so, I intend to make my promise good. You are probably wondering why the torches are all lit in this hall. Let me explain: I also said that you were not able to see me because you were not focusing on me, but on using Canterlot Castle’s passageways to escape from me. Tonight, however, things will change. With the lights on and the torches lit, Canterlot Castle will be second nature to you, walking its halls just another thing you’ve done in the past and can remember without focus.”
…who are you? I want to know who you are before you reveal yourself to me.
“I would rather have this conversation face to face. Don’t worry; I wish on you no harm.”
Twilight heard the sound of a door unlocking and found that the doorway to Princess Luna’s chambers was cracked open. The inside of the hall was lit by torches much like the hall was, but the glow was dimmer and warmer, inviting Twilight almost like the soft glow of her bedside lamp when she was reading late at night.
“Walk through, Twilight, and come to the chambers. I’ll be waiting for you there.”
Twilight at first was unsure. However, there was nothing else she could do. Twilight walked slowly down the hall, walking until the door to Princess Luna’s chambers was in sight. There Twilight stood, unsure if she wanted to continue onwards, into the room to meet the owner of the voice, to see what he actually looked like. She tried willing herself forwards, hoping the dream would end sooner, only to find that for every step forward she took she immediately recoiled two or three steps back.
I… I am not ready…
Twilight’s vision became blurred; she put a hoof to her eye and found it was wet, and not much later a drop went down her face. Twilight stood facing the door, paralyzed and rooted to the spot. It wasn’t long before she couldn’t even look at the door, shying away in such a manner that even Fluttershy would find strange and cowardly.
She turned around and ran back down the hallway to the door to the entrance hall, but the door was shut. Twilight walked slowly back down the hall and found the room with the easel once again. The picture on the easel had changed and showed Twilight lying on her belly, an uncomfortable look on her face and was signed with the same “P.L.” as the other pictures in the room. Two new pictures had been added to the framed ones: Twilight sitting with Princess Luna at the coffee table discussing something and Princess Luna sitting under the apple trees in Applejack’s orchard like they had been doing earlier that afternoon.
Memories… is that what they are? All of these are simply memories shown by Princess Luna through my dreams in the form of pencil-drawn pictures. I suppose that explains the detail if they’re just my memories…
Twilight walked back out of the hall and walked over to the other room where she had seen the first picture, finding it back in its frame and standing upright at the desk. The oil lamp on the desk glowed softly, illuminating the picture in a golden hue. On the desk now was a letter, one that Twilight had not seen before. Twilight walked up to the picture and began to read the letter.
“I must admit upon opening your letter that I wondered why you didn’t even want to talk with me in private, being that your status is highly important and would warrant immediate attention. However, upon reading the contents, I feel that perhaps this is the best way to speak about this issue.
“That aside, I fear that if you were to inform her of these affections, she would not rebuke you. This is not to say that it is the best course of action. She is smart, but love is one area which she doesn’t understand. She cannot explain what love is, what it feels like, what it contains. If she were to explain things that were meant with love, she would only state the biological reasoning behind them. Instead, show her the signs of it. Skirt around the subject. When she begins to realize there is no source she can pinpoint scientifically, then tell her how you feel that that perhaps she feels the same way.”
The letter had no opening nor closing. It was written as though it was part of a standard conversation with the exception of the intro paragraph. It was also typed, which meant there was no handwriting to distinguish who could have written it. All Twilight could figure was that two ponies of high status and importance in the castle were discussing a mare. Twilight left the letter on the desk and walked back to the door to Princess Luna’s chambers.
The corridor felt long and slow, but eventually Twilight found herself standing next to the doors. Twilight raised a shaky hoof and knocked on the door.
Hello? …are you in here?
There was a moment of silence. Then…
“Twilight, you’ve arrived. I wondered when you would arrive; I would say you delayed me, but decades can pass in dreams within minutes of sleep. I have as much time as I need.” There was another click. “The door is open. Enter when you feel you are ready.”
What if… what if I’m not ready?
“You have all the time you need.”
All the time she needed… it was a dream, and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was just too much for her to handle. This creature – pony! Twilight reminded herself – had been chasing her down and making her feel trapped and insecure, and now the only way for her to escape was to confront it. Twilight hoped she could will herself awa
“You can’t wake right now, Twilight,” the voice came from the other side of the door. “You are too deep in sleep. Come. Once we have our little talk, I can help you return to being awake when you need to.”
“‘Twilight gulped. She couldn’t imagine what was happening to her, but then she remembered: it was a dream. If she was in a dream, that meant this individual must be a part of her consciousness and could see what she was thinking. The thought caused Twilight to shake in fear, in addition to the voice coming from the opposite side of the door.’ It is a simple matter of going through the door and facing me. I promise you that I’ll fulfill what I said to you. ‘But Twilight was not sure if what the voice said was true. So many things were going around in her head: the voice of the thing on the other side of the door’ – how disrespectful, calling me a thing! – ‘the continuing thoughts going through her head, conflicting opinions as to whether or not to trust the owner of the voice or to run away. Eventually, it became too much, and she screamed out with a mixture of fear and horror…’”
SHUT UP! SHUT UP! The words were out of Twilight’s mouth before she realized how well they connected with what the voice had said. She was still shaking in fear from what the pony was saying and how closely they connected with her thoughts. Twilight could feel the sweat coming down her forehead and couldn’t even stand on all four hooves, collapsing on the ground as she whimpered a bit, her cries muffled by her face pressed into the floor.
“I understand I make you afraid,” the voice said, this time gentle and comforting as it slowly made its way to Twilight’s ear. “But please… please trust me. I know you are afraid, but I want to help you overcome that fear of me. You have hidden me for so long, I wish to make you see me, but I cannot do that if you don’t come here.”
I… I have no other choice… do I?
“That depends on what you consider your choices are.”
Twilight struggled to her feet and slowly approached the doors to Luna’s chambers. Raising a hoof, she pushed open the door to Luna’s chamber and began to walk in, noticing the figure standing in front of her, slowly turning around to face her. This time, the vision of the pony was clear, illuminated by the light of the full moon behind it, yet the sight scared Twilight more than being unable to see it.
In front of her was a winged unicorn stallion with a flowing blue mane and tail that reminded her of the starry night sky behind him. His coat was a dark blue that matched his irises, and his flanks were covered with a darker black fur and a cutie mark in the shape of a crescent moon. He wore a black crown with the same insignia of the moon on his head with a matching black breastplate on his chest, and his hooves were adorned with sparkling light-blue armor-like shoes.
“It is good to finally see you, Twilight Sparkle,” the stallion said, his voice clearer but much more gentle. “And it is good that you are finally able to see me.”
Who… who are you?
“You may call me Prince Apollo,” the stallion said; Twilight noticed his voice was softer than before and almost seemed to echo around her. “I help Luna with the night and dreams, yet I often like to keep myself hidden from other ponies. For the most part, I prefer not to be seen and to practice my art in peace. You, however, have caught my eye.”
You look so much like Princess Luna… Twilight said, taking a cautious step forwards.
“Yes, I am similar to her in a way. I help other ponies with their dreams like Luna does, and I know dream magic like Luna does. Perhaps the similarities are quite striking, though I have taken this form because it is one you are comfortable with. You know and are friends with Princess Luna, sometimes to a larger extent than you realize. As such, while I myself do have a different form, this is the one that I shall be using to speak with you.”
But… why a stallion?
“Simple: I cannot exactly copy Luna exactly. I am a stallion myself and even magic to make me look like another cannot change my gender. I am not a changeling, I assure you, as a changeling can copy the gender and voice as well as the looks.”
Twilight stepped further into the room, noticing the eyes of ‘Prince’ Apollo were still focused on her. He looked at her with what she could describe as a mixture of curiosity and warmth, interested as to what she would do but not willing to make a move at all. Twilight walked around Apollo and looked him over; he certainly looked like Luna and appeared to be hiding nothing as far as she saw, so she walked back around and looked at him.
Why have you been searching for me?
“Your magic talent is incredible,” Apollo answered. “I have heard much about you from Luna; how you defeated Nightmare Moon, how you beat Discord’s mind games, how you helped rescue Cadence from the caves on the eve of the royal wedding, and how you defeated King Sombra and saved the Crystal Empire. Celestia and Luna have asked me to teach you the ways of dream magic, believing that you could master their power for themselves. If all goes well, any magic you learn or discover in your sleep will be automatic and natural to you while awake.”
Why can’t you just confront me personally?
“As I have said earlier: we have all the time in the world.”
The prospect of learning new magic had always been something of a lure to Twilight, at it pulled at her even now along with Apollo’s rather disarming voice and oddly attractive eyes. Yet Twilight was immediately pulled back to reality; the figure had been stalking her for at least three nights and was searching for her for six nights before that. Something seemed… off.
What reason do I have to trust you?
Apollo smiled. “How about I give you a sign? After you awake, there will be a knock at the door of the library where you live. The first and second group of knocks will be pranksters at work on Nightmare Night, yet if you wait until the third set of knocks, you will receive your order from the bakery you placed this afternoon.”
Twilight backed up a step. I… I don’t know if…
Apollo stepped up to Twilight and placed a hoof under her chin, gently pointing her face to his. “Give me a chance. If what I have just described does not occur, then you may feel free to decline my offer.”
Twilight sighed, then nodded. Okay
Apollo nodded. His horn began to glow blue and the area surrounding Twilight began to fade to white until only Apollo was left. “I shall see you later, Twilight Sparkle. The offer is always available to you.” Twilight watched as Apollo himself then vanished into the white light, then everything turned to black. There was the sound of soft breathing in Twilight’s ears, and she opened her eyes to the evening sun setting on Ponyville.
By the time night fell, the entirety of the Golden Oaks Library was decorated for Nightmare Night. Cloth spiders with fake webs hug in the empty corners and over some of the shelves, an old projector was brought out for showings of a classic scary movie, and a few odd-looking skeletons were hanging up in various places.
Twilight barely had time to get herself dressed. She wore the same Starswirl the Bearded costume that she had worn the first time Princess Luna had come to Ponyville. The Princess of the Night herself wore nothing; no costume Twilight had was big enough for her and she had made no attempt to construct one herself. The old armor had rusted, and so no attempt was made for Luna to return to the likeness of Nightmare Moon.
“It’s bad publicity anyways,” Luna told Twilight as the latter was fixing a tear in her costume. “What pony in their right mind would want my old self that had gone temporarily insane?”
“They would understand it as a joke,” Twilight told her. “It worked well the first time.”
“Even I understand a joke told multiple times eventually loses its humor.”
Twilight, having finally fixed the portion of her cape that had been ripped, turned to Luna with a smile. “It’s not like you need a costume anyway,” Twilight said. “It’s already an honor to them to have you down at all.”
Princess Luna smiled. “While I find the costume wearing silly, I do admit you look somewhat cute in that.”
Twilight shrugged and started to reattach one of the bells on to her hat. “I’ve always admired Starswirl the Bearded,” she said. “I remember reading about him when I was a little filly, and always thought that I wanted to be like him. I wanted to be remembered for something.”
“Every pony makes mistakes,” Luna said sadly. “Starswirl made some in his time. It is not best to be remembered in terms of fame, but in terms of friendship.” Luna’s tone became lighter, and even carried a hint of a lilt as she continued. “For both myself and Celestia, your friendship towards us is something we will always remember, and more fondly than if you were to create a spell of your own.”
A knock sounded at the door. Twilight put down her needle and Luna looked towards the door.
“Ooh!” Luna said excitedly. “The desserts have arrived!”
Twilight nodded and got up. “I’ll be right back. I’ll go get them.”
Luna smiled happily. “Should I get us something to drink?”
Twilight nodded. “You can go ahead and uncork two bottles of the Apple Family cider. They should be in the fridge.”
Luna nodded and got up and walked off towards the kitchen. Twilight got up and headed for the main door of the library. Twilight wished her costume was ready so she could meet whoever was at the door; some finally understood where she got the costume from and who she was, so it would almost be a treat to actually show it off this year.
Twilight’s hoof was almost at the door when she froze. She began to remember what had happened only two hours ago during a short afternoon nap; a strange pony named Apollo had told her that pranksters would be knocking at her door as a sign she could trust him to teach her magic. Twilight wasn’t sure what to do, whether to trust the strange figure from her dreams or to open the door. Slowly, shaking, Twilight set her hoof down on the floor and leaned in.
Strangely enough, she heard a set of voices.
“You sure she’s home?” the first voice said.
“Yeah. The lights are all on. I’m sure she would come out here,” a second voice commented.
“I don’t know, Scootaloo” This time, Twilight recognized the voice as that of belonging to Apple Bloom. “Maybe tryin’ to place a cow pie on Twilight’s doorstep isn’t such a good idea.”
“Oh, it’ll be fine!” the second voice said again. “It’s not like it’s an actual cow pie anyway; it’s just one of the Cake’s weird joke treats. It’s homemade fudge.”
“Maybe we should just come back later and just give it to her,” the first voice piped up again. “I don’t think she’s coming out.”
“Yeah. We’ll just pick it up and come back with it later.”
There was the sound of three sets of hoofsteps, the rustling of a paper bag, and then the three sets of steps faded away into the distance. Twilight opened up the door and saw three figures advancing into the dark streets and towards the jumble of lights that marked the Nightmare Night festival.
Twilight closed the door and returned to her work. Why she had trusted the source was a bit of a quandary, and yet things had happened as the mysterious Apollo had said. Twilight stared out into space for a little bit, pondering what had occurred, before Luna returned into the room carrying two open bottles of cider.
Luna looked around the room curiously. “I thought the treats had come.”
Twilight shook her head with a smile. “It was just Apple Bloom and her friends trying to pull a prank on me.”
“Oh,” Luna said… with a note that Twilight couldn’t place. “I see…”
Twilight arched an eyebrow, but eventually returned to mending the bell as she had been before.
“Twilight…?”
“Yes?”
“Why did you become friends with me?”
Twilight thought about it. “Well, I suppose partly because you looked like you needed one. And, I must admit, I’ve always been a fan of the night. I always liked staying up and reading during the night hours when it’s quiet and there’s nothing to bug me.”
Luna smiled sadly. “It seems like you are one of the few who like our night.”
Twilight almost felt bad for the lunar princess. To see her look sad was almost heartwrenching, the normally bright eyes seeming dull and her beautiful starry mane hardly flowing. “Ponies like night, just not in the way you think.”
Luna cocked her head. “How so?”
“Well, we use the night to rest. If it wasn’t for your night, it would be hard for ponies to rest for all the other activities. Maybe we don’t often go out to play at night, but it’s not only helpful but necessary.”
Luna brightened a little bit. “It’s nice to know our night is put to good use.” She looked at Twilight, and the young mare could see her grow happier seemingly just at the sight of her. “You… you have been able to cheer us up in a way no pony else except my sister has.”
Twilight smiled at Luna and felt her cheeks get hot.
Someone knocked on the door again.
“That must be the treats,” Twilight said.
“Would you like me to get them?” Luna asked.
“No, I’ll do it. You enjoy your cider.”
And so, once more, Twilight got up from her work and went towards the door. Twilight was about to open it again when she remembered something else: Apollo had told her the pranksters would come around twice before the Cakes came with her order.
Not sure of what to do, Twilight leaned against the door again. But this time she heard nothing. Twilight stole a glance through one of the outside windows and scanned the area around the door, but nothing was there. She looked around and was about to dismiss it when she saw a small cloud moving around with two cyan wings poking out of it.
So, Rainbow Dash has decided to be a Shadowbolt again… She’s probably waiting to give me a shock. Twilight opened the window, took a large and silent gulp of air, and shouted at Rainbow Dash. The dark grey cloud jumped upright and dashed away with a rainbow trail; Rainbow Dash was simply moving around under cloud cover and not a Shadow Bolt after all.
Instead of laughing at the silliness of it, Twilight was even more confused. She wandered back over to her work where she finished mending the bell on her hat while Luna watched.
“Something bothering you?” Luna asked.
Twilight hummed thoughtfully as she placed the cape around her and made sure it still fit her. “…Princess, do you know of a pony named ‘Prince’ Apollo?”
Luna smiled. “Ah, so he has finally managed to visit you!”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, so he said as well. Um… what does he do, exactly?”
“He is skilled in dream magic, a former student of mine. His cutie mark is of what older ponies that once ruled Equestria called a ‘dreamcatcher’ or a ‘dreamweaver’. It’s supposed to catch all the nightmares and prevent them from invading a pony’s mind. Apollo’s main magic is destroying nightmares, though he has some other dream manipulation talents.”
“But, what does he want to do with me?”
“I told him of your magical ability. I told him you were Celestia’s student and very much capable of learning new, strong, and varied magic. It was his idea to see about teaching you dream magic.”
“Princess… if you don’t mind, how come I can’t see him in person?”
“He is very much reclusive,” Luna said. “It’s a shame, really; he’s quite bright and quite the gentle pony with others. And since his magic primarily deals with dreams, it’s a better medium to meet him in anyways.”
Twilight nodded. “I’m sure he’s quite capable, but I don’t much trust a pony I can’t see with my eyes open or feel with my hooves.” Especially one that has been stalking me for nine nights.
“Twilight Sparkle, I place my full trust in Apollo and his magic. I would give him time and you will learn to like him.”
Twilight smiled. “Alright. I guess I do feel better if I know he has your trust.”
Twilight placed on her hat and looked at herself in the mirror. Something still doesn’t seem quite right… “Still, it’s kind of weird. I’ve never heard of Apollo before. And if he’s skilled in dream magic, a very difficult area of magic with very few users, you’d think he would have had some mention in books or in magic registries.”
“He doesn’t like being in public. He may be a master of dream magic, but that does not mean he should be boasting over his own talents.”
“I suppose.” There’s just one final thing. “But why did he choose to take on your form when he came to meet me?”
“I suppose to establish a sense of familiarity. He said he would try and approach you in a form that wasn’t his own, though I don’t understand why me. He’s recently been through an accident, and he has quite a few scars and bruises he’s probably ashamed of.”
Luna seemed to have answers to any questions Twilight had. Satisfied with both the look of her costume and the answers Luna had for her, Twilight turned around with a smile. “How do I look?”
“A most excellent reproduction!” Luna said, clapping her hooves happily.
Another set of knocks came on the door, followed by the voice of Mr. Cake. “Twilight! Sorry for the wait; I have your desserts ready!”
Twilight motioned towards the door. “Are you ready? We haven’t even been to the festival yet.”
Luna nodded and smiled brightly. “Of course I’ll go with you, Twilight. It’s a time when ponies play at night, and it’s been a while since I last saw my subjects here.”
And yet it seemed quite eager to start her off this time.
Twilight found herself starting almost immediately off at Princess Luna’s chambers, without the ability to go much farther. The hall was well lit behind her with three sets of lamps, but after the lights of the third set the hall became an impenetrable blackness; Twilight tried using a spell to create a small pool of light, but it was like the hall just ended and her light shone on a wall. No other doors were present and the door to the princess’ chambers was cracked open.
Twilight still found it more polite to knock.
“Come in,” the familiar, almost dream-like male voice responded kindly.
Rather odd way of thinking about it… Twilight mused to herself.
Twilight pushed open the door to see Apollo sitting at a small desk with a small purple book probably smaller than most books she had in the library. It was also quite unfamiliar to her. Apollo was practically adorned in the regalia of the Princess of the Night; dark blue hoofcups, the necklace around his chest, the crown with the shape of the moon on his head. His fur was an even more striking dark blue and the similarly colored eyes twinkled at her like the stars in his mane as she entered the room.
Twilight almost thought he looked oddly striking and handsome. There was something in both the economy of his movements and the serene grace with which he seemed to do everything that intrigued her as much as she was wary of him.
“So, do you accept my offer?” Apollo asked curiously though without hurry.
I have one question, Twilight dared.
“I presume you have many,” Apollo said with a hint of a light laugh. “I shall answer as many as you wish.”
How come you don’t like being seen face-to-face?
“I rather like to experiment. Much like yourself, from what Princess Luna has told me. I’m afraid I got into a magic accident that burned an eye and caused multiple other wounds. It’s a rather personal thing, but if it sets your mind at ease, I could show you what I mean.”
…I’d rather not. But it does seem kind of weird only meeting in dreams like this.
“I understand completely. It’s rather difficult to establish a connection if one does not know the actual pony.”
More than that. You chased me for nine nights. And the whole thing of telling me about the Nightmare Night pranksters… I feel less inclined to trust you for that since I can’t see who’s behind it.
Apollo smiled at her gently. “You are as inquisitive as Luna told me you’d be,” he said, amused. “You have my word that I have no dark magic; I simply saw that in their dreams the night before. Consider it a friendly warning of sorts.”
Wasn’t so friendly the first eight times, Twilight deadpanned.
“Then let me make it up to you,” Apollo said. “Come; I’ve heard you’re a bright young mare. It shall be interesting to see your capabilities.”
Apollo got up from his position behind the desk and started walking towards the door. Twilight went to open the door for him, but Apollo sat down and patiently watched her was a shade of amusement in his face. It took a minute before Twilight realized both that he wasn’t going to follow her and that he was smirking at her.
…what are you looking at me like that for?
“Come back in here and close the door. I have a more appropriate place for us to train your magic.”
Twilight, confused, went back into the room and closed the door behind her until it clicked shut. Apollo finally got up and closed his eyes. His horn pointed to the door for a moment and glowed brightly, but suddenly stopped glowing with a loud zap, at which point he opened his eyes and smiled contently.
“Would you like to go through first?” Apollo asked.
Twilight cocked her head. You did nothing.
“Oh? Why don’t you go see for yourself.”
Twilight went over to the door and grabbed it with a hoof and pulled. Light suddenly flooded the room and the sound of birdsong and running water like a gentle stream came through the air. Twilight stepped through the door and looked outside the room.
It looked nothing like Canterlot Castle.
It actually looked like she had just stepped outside Fluttershy’s cottage sometime in the early morning. A small path led from the door, down a small hill, and over a small brook heading into a nearby forest. The path led down and away through a little valley and Twilight could see it lead off to Ponyville sitting in the distance. Twilight stepped out of the door and felt the warm ground beneath her hooves and the warm sunlight on her coat. She turned around to Apollo, completely awestruck.
“It’s just dream magic, my dear Twilight,” Apollo said. He broke out laughing and followed Twilight out of Princess Luna’s chambers. “Nothing to be afraid of. You’ll learn some yourself soon. But first, a test of magic in dreams, which is quite different from dream magic itself.”
Twilight shook herself out of her stupor and followed Apollo as he walked down the trail. He stopped somewhere in between Fluttershy’s cottage, which was now a fair distance behind them, and Ponyville… which looked like it hadn’t changed position at all.
Um… are we heading into Ponyville? Because it doesn’t look like we’re getting any closer.
“No. Matter of fact, this flat piece of ground will make a decent training area.”
Apollo motioned for Twilight to stand a little bit ahead of him. Twilight came and stood in front of him, but Apollo began waving her back further and further down the path. Twilight was eventually standing somewhat far away from Apollo such that the dark-blue pony had to speak in a booming, powerful voice in order for Twilight to hear him.
“One of the first things I am going to teach you is simple conservation of formation,” Apollo told Twilight. “With normal magic, one can manipulate direction and amount, but never the formation of how multiple items are picked up. While you might get everything pointing the same direction, you won’t have everything in the exact same position you picked it up in.”
What about bouquets? Twilight asked.
“Ever notice most unicorns tie a ribbon around a bouquet and pick it up by that? It is a very fine motor skill to be able to pick up multiple objects at the same time and keep them in the same position, much like how one might pick up every individual flower in the bouquet and hold them together as such.”
Apollo’s horn glowed and he picked up a rock sitting close to the path. He set it down in the exact center of the dirt path, then began to draw two squares around it, one small square and one large square, with the rock in the center.
“A convenient test for conservation of formation is to pick up a pile of dirt. The ground here is soft, so it will do. The goal of this test is for you to pick up first a one-meter-cubed block of dirt then a three-meter-cubed block of dirt without disturbing the rock.”
Twilight scoffed. That’s so simple a foal could do it.
“Have you been able to?” Apollo asked curiously.
Twilight almost immediately regretted her decision to speak up. Um… well, I’ve never needed to.
“Then the lesson is still applicable. Especially because we’re doing it in a dream. Never forget that, Twilight. Now, certainly you must understand the conditions behind which this test must be completed.”
The rock cannot fall through the dirt, and I can’t touch the rock with my magic.
“Precisely. So first, we will start with the one-meter-cubed block, the smaller outline on the path here. I will demonstrate, and then you can try.”
Twilight watched as Prince Apollo’s horn began to glow. The smaller square began to glow with a dark blue magic that Twilight found oddly similar to Princess Luna’s magic. But before she could ask about the color, the square began to lift. The square changed into a cube and was lifted almost straight out of the ground. Apollo moved the block a little up off the path so that Twilight could see underneath it. A one-meter cube was left in the ground, and the dirt removed retained its shape and the rock didn’t sink or fall through the cube.
“If you were to do this normally,” Apollo said, “the dirt would be picked up but not keep its formation, and the rock would simply…” Apollo paused and changed his concentration. The cube of magic became slightly bigger as he transferred his energy from the whole block to the individual dirt piles. The rock easily slipped through and landed with a muffled thunk! in the hole. “The key is to focus at the center of the formation and use your magic power to draw the energy to the center.”
Apollo lifted the rock out, reset the dirt, and placed the rock where it had been originally.
“Go on, Twilight,” Apollo said. “Try lifting the one-meter cube.”
Twilight carefully readied herself and began charging the magic in her horn. Slowly, carefully, she began to cast her magic around the one-meter block.
“Your rock is already sinking,” Apollo said carefully.
Twilight mustered up her energy. The sheer force of her concentration was making her sweat and close her eyes. She managed to pry an eye open to watch as the one-meter block was slowly lifted up off the ground and the rock stayed steady, focusing her magic on moving the center of the mass.
“Good girl,” Apollo said. “Keep your nerve. Concentrate on the center of mass and use that to lift the block.”
Twilight lifted a little more but felt the rock begin to intrude into her magic field. Twilight redoubled her efforts and sent more magical energy surging through her horn. The rock not only stopped moving down, but began to lift itself back up as the block of dirt reformed itself and became a solid cube. But she wasn’t moving anywhere.
Apollo… I can’t move it any more… It’s taking too much energy…
“Remember what I’ve told you, Twilight,” Apollo instructed. “Not just what the goal of the test is.”
Twilight tried lifting it again, but the block of dirt stayed firm. She heaved and heaved with all her might, but her magic stayed firmly shut. The rock didn’t move, but neither did the block of dirt.
What’s lifting a block of dirt have to do with dream magic…?
It wasn’t for a while afterwards, this single thought repeating in her mind, that Twilight finally understood.
Dream magic… it’s a dream. I’m not actually expending any energy because I’m not physically doing anything. It’s all mental. So… does that mean I have to ignore the physical pain and energy because it doesn’t actually exist? Because it’s all in my head?
Through her one open eye, Twilight could see Prince Apollo smiling, and she knew what he was really testing her on.
Twilight pried open her other eye; now that she remembered she was in a dream, she found regaining her energy much simpler. She braced herself and stood firmly on the pathway and slowly lifted the block further out. Every ounce of magical strength she had was in her horn, but she backed off a little bit and found the block suddenly gliding out of the hole. Once she had realized it was in a dream, it took hardly any magic to pull it out.
“Excellent work, Twilight! Excellent! Luna was correct, you really are as bright as she claimed!”
So, Twilight asked, the one-meter block still hovering, does that mean it’s time to move on to the three-meter block?
Apollo shook his head. “We won’t have to. You seem to understand basic dream manipulation. The test was not about moving the block, but simply your awareness. Once you are aware that you are dreaming, you can begin to manipulate your surroundings to whatever you wish. You can take charge of the forces influencing the dream and command them to your whim and will. You haven’t just moved a dirt block, a truly impossible task given the millions of infinitesimally small pieces at one time even in this one-meter cube; you have used the dream’s environment and brought it to your command.”
Twilight lowered the block back down and set it back in the hole. It’s like a philosopher and scientist once said: to bake an apple pie, you must first construct the universe.
“I confess I’ve never heard that one before,” Prince Apollo mused, walking over to Twilight’s side.
You need to get out more.
Apollo laughed. “I suppose I do. Twilight… you are a surprisingly bright young mare for your age. Treasure it and use it well and you can do anything you wish.”
Apollo took a hoof, placed it around Twilight gently, and pulled her close in a hug. Twilight looked up at the stallion and into his dark eyes, shimmering and glittering and reminding her of the night sky. Looking at him in the relative daylight, Twilight thought him to be… quite handsome indeed.
Where’d that thought come from?
“…I’m sorry?”
…Oh. Twilight felt her face get hot and looked away, not daring to make eye contact with Apollo again. It’s nothing. I just… I was just thinking about this whole dream magic thing.
“It will take time,” Apollo said sweetly. “But remember, in dreams, time is relative and of no issue. We can take as long as we need and still get things done in a night.”
Oh, Celestia, his voice is heavenly… Twilight thought, and this time she managed to keep it to herself.
Twilight awoke about three weeks after her first lesson in dream magic feeling refreshed.
Today, Twilight had decided to go to the spa with Rarity and Fluttershy. It was not often that she did so, but she felt like she deserved a break from her studies. Prince Apollo – actually just Apollo, but his striking resemblance to Princess Luna often caused the title to come with it – came to her dreams once every couple of nights, teaching her the ways of dream magic. Twilight’s last sessions were entirely about lucid dreaming and learning to recognize when she was in a dream or not and looking for clues to help her out.
But these nights were rather more exhausting than she had thought. Apollo had warned her of the exertion that would occur and the restlessness that would come with it, but she didn’t expect it to be so profound. A few nights of restless sleep wherein her mind was still active made her wake up sluggish and feeling like she still needed sleep. Apollo shortened the time of the dreams so that she was only restless for about thirty minutes, but it still took a toll on her; waking up a few nights ago, she noticed she had bags in her eyes and had contacted Rarity and Fluttershy about going with them to the spa to relax.
But last night had no problems. Strangely, Apollo had visited her off his usual schedule, but not for a lecture. They had just talked. Apollo told her stories of old magicians he had been bestowed the chance to meet, and Twilight told him of her own exploits and learnings in magic. They had talked for hours in a dream that had taken place on a moonlit hill on a starry night just outside of Ponyville; the town seemed to be bustling like a festival and gave a cheery atmosphere. After talking for a few hours, he’d left, but told Twilight he managed to see how she was doing and was sleeping peacefully.
And she had. She woke up feeling rested and relaxed, though the bags under her eyes told her the spa treatment was certainly welcome. And it had been a while since she’d hung out with Rarity and Fluttershy apart from the other Elements. Twilight cleaned her face up a little and got herself ready to go before heading out and over to the spa of Aloe and Lotus.
Rarity and Fluttershy were talking outside.
“Twilight!” Rarity called. “Are you ready for a full treatment?”
“Hey, Twilight,” Fluttershy said as she approached. “You look like you could relax a little.”
“Hey, Rarity. Hey, Fluttershy,” Twilight smiled and said back. “Yeah, I’ve been having a few restless nights lately.”
“Oh?” Fluttershy asked. “If you wanted, I probably could help you with that, too. I know a few things that are nice when I’m having trouble sleeping.”
“It’ll be alright,” Twilight said as the trio entered the spa. As a matter of fact, I have a bit of a story to tell you.”
“Oh-ho-ho!” Rarity tittered, a grin growing on her face. “Twilight Sparkle engaging in a bit of gossip? I’d never thought I’d see the day!”
“It’s not gossip,” Twilight reprimanded, though a grin was growing on her face. “However, it is almost as juicy as it.”
Twilight said no more as the three paid for full treatments. They were wrapped in towels by the twins Aloe and Lotus and guided over to the sauna. Aloe brought in a load of hot stones and poured them in the center, and Lotus brought in a bucket of hot water. As Aloe left and shut the door, Lotus wrapped a towel around herself before taking a ladle and pouring the water over the coals one scoop at a time, causing the room to be filled with hot steam. Rarity and Fluttershy settled themselves in to hear Twilight as she began.
“A few months ago,” Twilight began, “I began to have strange dreams about being in Canterlot Castle. I was walking the corridors at night, couldn’t see anything, and was being chased by somepony.”
“Ooh!” Rarity gasped. “It sounds like the beginning of a gothic romance novel.”
Twilight nodded. “The first few times the dream happened, I didn’t know what was going on. But eventually the figure came closer and closer to me. Finally, after nine times, the figure showed himself. It was a stallion, but he looked remarkably like Princess Luna.”
“Perhaps he was Luna’s twin?” Fluttershy asked. “Do any of the princesses have relatives we don’t know about?”
“The bloodlines are extensive,” Rarity put in. “Blueblood himself is distantly related to Celestia, as are many of the Canterlot nobility. I’m sure Luna would have one or two alive today herself.”
“I would think so, too,” Twilight continued. “But I haven’t heard anything about it.”
“It’s just a thought,” Rarity said. “But don’t mind me; do go on.”
“It’s actually a disguise. He says he’s battered and bruised extensively, so he used Luna’s form so as not to scare me. I… I must admit, I don’t entirely mind. He poses a rather striking figure; his coat is a deep, velvety blue, his eyes are blue like the deep ocean, and his mane glitters with the night sky. He… he’s handsome.”
Rarity smirked a bit, but said nothing. Fluttershy was smiling politely, but wasn’t speaking up. Twilight continued.
“I’m sorry, I was getting a bit off topic. Anyways, he’s apparently a master of dream magic. Luna told him about my skill in magic and he wanted to teach me dream magic. So, every few nights, we meet up in dreams and he teaches me about some aspect of dreams: acknowledging I’m dreaming, moving around in them, even changing them to how I want.”
“Oh, wow,” Fluttershy said. “It sounds complicated. I’ve heard of lucid dreaming and always thought it’d be nice, but I’ve never been able to make it work.”
“Neither have I,” Rarity said. “I’ve always wanted to lucid dream myself acting out parts from my favorite novels, yet I am hardly able to remember my dreams, much less cause myself to realize I’m dreaming. I’ve heard only a small proportion of ponies can do that.”
“Well, this pony is helping me to train myself in lucid dreaming,” Twilight explained. “The only problem is my mind is active now at nights because of these dreams and so I’m occasionally restless. That’s why I agreed to come to the spa with you today.”
As Twilight finished her tale, she wondered whether or not it was the right idea to tell it. Certainly it wasn’t a bad thing to tell her friends about it, but she wondered if it would suddenly go out that Twilight was learning a new magic both literally and figuratively under cover of darkness. Not that that was a bad thing, either, but others might wonder about who this Apollo was, why they’d never heard of him, and if they could get him to teach them, too. It might scare off the already shy Apollo just when he was beginning to become friendly with her.
The last of the water was poured and the steam had almost disappeared. Lotus turned on a fan and the rest of the steam blew out and Aloe took the trio over to three benches. They all laid down on their backs and had two ponies come up each; one began to do a facial on them and began cleaning their hooves, and another started a gentle massage.
Once they were settled in, Rarity spoke up once again. “It sounds like there’s more to this story, Twilight.”
Twilight fidgeted slightly. The pony at her hooves waited patiently until she’d settled down again. “Well, there is one thing.”
“What is that?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well, he’s rather shy. He told me he doesn’t even like to go out among other ponies all that much. One of the few reasons he contacted me is because Luna told him. But… last night, he came in my dreams and had a talk with me. No lessons, just us two, talking. It’s like… it’s like he’s lonely. Like he wanted a friend and finally enjoys my company with him. I’m kind of glad I’m the one who made him want to come around and start socializing with other ponies.”
Rarity nodded sagely. Twilight’s view became cut off as the pony doing her facial and hooves placed two pieces of cucumber over her eyes, but she could still hear Rarity talking in an almost sing-song voice somewhere over to her right. “Oh, Twilight, dear… I think you’re in love.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, though was unsure if the other unicorn could hear it. “What do you mean?”
“I think you’re sweet on him,” Rarity elaborated. “You speak almost reverently about him, you seem to feel pride in that you’re the one he’s talking to, and you have already stated that he looks handsome to you.”
“It’s strange, though,” Twilight said. “He reminds me so much of Princess Luna. The princesses are always held up as high standards of beauty, and rightly so. But… there’s something about this stallion that is intriguing in addition to being handsome.”
“Falling in love is quite natural,” Rarity said. “Almost everypony, at some point in their lives, will find someone they love and fall for them head over hooves. I remember when I was that way with Blueblood; always thinking about him, how dashing he was, and how much I wanted him to sweep me off my feet.”
“I don’t seem to have any of those, though,” Twilight said.
“You kinda do,” Fluttershy commented. “Um, what I mean is, you already have called him handsome, and you seem to really enjoy the fact that you’re getting these private lessons with him.”
“I should be enjoying it,” Twilight said. “I’ve only heard bits and pieces of dream magic, but to learn from someone as skilled as this pony is a rare treat.”
“Ah-ah-ah!” Rarity tittered. “I hear it in your voice, Twilight. And, if I had to guess, you’d probably be blushing and your heart pounding right about now.”
Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but soon closed it. Rarity was right. At the thought of the handsome stallion from her dreams, Twilight had felt her face go hot and her heart began to beat faster and faster. And even now Twilight could not shake the image of the velvet blue stallion from her mind.
“No need to be ashamed, darling,” Rarity said sympathetically. “If he enjoys your company as much as you say, I’m sure he would feel rather honored himself if you told him about your feelings. Might even be good to take the time to thank Luna for introducing you two.”
Twilight pondered the idea for a long time. She was silent as the massage finished and her facial was eventually washed off. The three ponies walked out into the bright sunshine, and Twilight began to feel like that wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
“You know what?” she said. “I will let Luna know. It’s certainly unexpected, but perhaps I’ll be able to see him face-to-face soon enough.”
“I’m sure he would like that, too,” Rarity said, a knowing smile on her face. “But take it slow, especially considering he’s shy. Don’t want to scare him off too quickly.”
Twilight nodded and waved goodbye. Rarity and Fluttershy walked off in the opposite direction.
“Rarity?” Fluttershy asked. “Do you… do you really think Twilight’s telling the truth? That she’s not just telling us a story?”
Rarity gave a thoughtful hum, but soon smiled again. “Fluttershy, I was half inclined to say that myself. But she told us with such conviction I can’t help but think there’s some truth to her tale. And if she has fallen in love with a young stallion like herself, who am I if I keep her from pursuing him?”
“…and if he’s not real?”
“Twilight is a logical and rational pony. Do you expect her to do something illogical and irrational?”
“Well, no. Not really.”
“That’s settled.” They were about to enter a tea house, but Rarity stopped suddenly at the door. “Oh, but she forgot to give us his name! Poor mare’s probably flustered with coming to terms with her love. No matter; I’m sure we’ll learn things in due course. Come along, dear; it’s time for our tea.”
* * *
Princess Luna looked over the scroll disconcertingly.
The handwriting was familiar and quite welcome. The items in the letter were not. It took her almost four times reading through the scroll to make sure that she was not seeing things.
This is not going as expected…
Once she was sure the scroll wasn’t deceiving her, she got up and walked through the halls of Canterlot Castle and headed towards the opposite wing. She knocked three times on a set of two large golden doors as was customary, and let herself in without being told. Princess Celestia was at a table having a cup of tea and looked up with a rather content smile on her face.
“Good evening, sister,” Celestia said pleasantly. “Is everything alright?”
Princess Luna placed the scroll in front of Celestia, who scanned it. Even before she had finished reading the first time, her brow furrowed and creased. Princess Luna sat patiently, watching as Celestia seemingly re-read passage after passage just as she had done. When she looked up, she was glaring at Luna.
“I thought you said everything was—”
“I thought everything was fine!” Luna said, voice steadily rising. “It was going fine. Then, all of a sudden, this happens.”
“He’s under your control,” Celestia said calmly. “I would have thought, in your nightly comings and goings, that you would have noticed such a thing.”
“I would not have expected this,” Luna said, trying to restrain herself. “You said it might be difficult, but I was not expecting this.”
“Is there a way you can possibly go in and change it?”
“It will be difficult to at this stage. I am due to come back tomorrow night, and what would she think if her mentor suddenly disappeared and I am there in his place? No, it would be unbecoming of us. And no, I’m not using the royal ‘we’; she’d think you’d have some hoof in it, sister.”
“Perhaps an extra hint. Except… except if he goes and does this again, I would be afraid.”
“I am, too. It is the first time such a thing has happened. I have gone and searched all the records, and none have had such problems.”
“Perhaps it is simply in her head. She wishes for him to appear, and so he does.”
“But she remembered so clearly.”
“You do not think she has simply willed him to existence?”
“That is the only explanation I can think of. I have given her hints as you said I should, and yet the disguise has become what she sees. She cannot attribute it to the source.”
Celestia closed her eyes. “You may need to monitor him a little closer. This is a rare phenomenon. If things go any more awry, intensive measures may need to be taken.”
“What do you mean?”
“At first, be frank and truthful about the situation. Let her understand what really is going on. If it continues… we may need to eliminate him.”
Twilight’s entry into Apollo’s dreamscape two nights later was… much more peaceful than before.
Almost immediately, Twilight found herself wandering through a pleasant moonlit field. A babbling brook meandered lazily along one edge, and the area was surrounded by distant, snow-capped mountains that glittered and sparkled in the moonlight. A slow breeze blew by, gently rustling the grass and the leaves of the sparse oak trees that populated. Off in the distance was a warm-looking pink and yellow cottage with a glowing light coming from a square window spouted a thin line of grey smoke from its chimney.
It was almost relaxing, the way everything moved slowly and at a calm place. The light of the moon cast a pale glow over everything that made it feel strangely ethereal, and Twilight wondered what might happen if she were to fall asleep right there in the dream. The sound of crickets began to lull Twilight into an almost trance-like state, listening to their chirrups surrounding her in the calm, pleasant night.
Twilight was finally startled back into focus as the cottage door opened and the light shone on a dark figure with a unicorn’s silhouette. The door was only opened for a minute before the light disappeared and Twilight could hear a faint click. Seconds later, the figure of Apollo was illuminated as he strolled along a dirt path. His starry mane waved slightly in the breeze and his gentle footsteps almost seemed like he was floating towards her.
“Good evening, Twilight Sparkle,” Apollo said gently. And he approached Twilight with a hoof extended.
Twilight went over and was initially intent to return the greeting back to him, but before she could get the words out of her mouth Apollo had wrapped his hoof around her and had drawn her close, sweetly nuzzling her forehead with his muzzle. Twilight became frozen and a sort of chill went up and down her spine and she began fumbling over her words. Oh, um… I, uh, well, um, hi. Yeah, how… how are you?
Apollo laughed and took a step back so there was space between him and Twilight. “You alright there? Cat got your tongue?”
N-No. I’m alright. I just was… distracted for a little. Which wasn’t a lie. I mean, your dreamscape is so pretty… That wasn’t entirely a lie; it really was pretty, but the distraction came from somewhere else. I hardly even noticed you coming up. No; pretty much from the moment Apollo had exited, Twilight’s eyes had been glued to him.
Apollo laughed again. It was such a light, sweet laugh that Twilight couldn’t help but blush at hearing it and simply hoped the stallion thought it was from embarrassment and not flattery. “Well, I hope you don’t drift off like that during our lessons, though you haven’t necessarily done so in the past.”
Nope. I’m almost always eager to learn sometime. It’s fun to me; I like reading through old books on all sorts of subjects and doing my own experiments. This to me is the opportunity of a lifetime.
“And… what about the teacher?” Apollo asked curiously. He lowered his head so that it matched with Twilight and gave her an intrigued look, his eyes half-shut and one eyebrow raised.
Twilight almost wondered if he was flirting with her. Her thoughts went back to the conversation she’d had with Rarity and Fluttershy and almost wondered if she should tell him about how handsome he looked or how tonight, for some reason, he made her heart flutter. For the time being, she declined. Well, I’m kind of surprised it isn’t Princess Luna, though I understand the whole thing about probably being busy with other things. Yeah, that was probably safe enough.
Apollo backed off, though he was still smiling. “Of course. I understand your respect for Princess Luna, as well as Princess Celestia. But yes, Princess Luna is very busy. I hope, however, you are finding my lessons satisfactory.”
More than that. You are very interesting as a teacher and actually know what you’re talking about. Were you a student of Princess Luna at one point?
Apollo’s smile turned into an amused smirk. “Yeah… you could say that. You could also say I know her very well. She’s told me often about her own experiences. I’ve told you before she’s told me lots about you.”
Oh my… um, wha- what exactly has she told you about me? There were numerous things Luna could have told Apollo about Twilight. Aside from all the times she and Twilight had hung out on Nightmare Night and the times when Luna had come down to Ponyville for other yearly festivals, Twilight guessed there was a whole host of personal thoughts that Luna could have divulged to the stallion.
The stallion’s eyes brightened and became an oddly familiar shade of cyan and he smiled warmly at Twilight. “Well, there were various things. She told me you were a bright young mare, intelligent, thoughtful, and a good friend to those who take the time to know you.”
Twilight was about to smile at the remark, but suddenly Apollo winced and his eyes shut tight as though he was in pain. Apollo! Twilight ran over to him as he buckled over and his head suddenly dropped, his legs shaking as though he could barely support his own weight. Apollo! Are you okay? Apollo, what’s wrong!?
Apollo suddenly shook his head and lifted himself back up. His eyes were back to a darker blue and he managed a smile at Twilight. “Nothing, my dear Twilight,” Apollo said thankfully. “I’m alright, though I am thankful for your concern. Now, where was I…?” He stared off into the distance for a moment before returning to face Twilight. “Ah, yes. While Luna has said certain things of you, I want you to know what I think of you: you are a mare who has the brains to match the talent, and a beautiful heart to match your looks.”
Twilight felt faint. Suddenly it was her knees that couldn’t support her weight and it was her eyes that lowered so as to avoid the stallion’s gaze. He… he had just called her… No. She wouldn’t let that get to her. It wasn’t right. Maybe Twilight felt the same way, but suddenly she just wasn’t so sure. What was he like on the other side of the dream, where she couldn’t see? What would happen if they met and suddenly Twilight was half his age, for he seemed to know dream magic extensively to almost Luna’s extent and might have known her for a long time.
Apollo’s hoof was suddenly on her chin. Gently he raised her face up to meet his own, where she could see she was smiling gently at him, his handsome face filled with nothing but warmth towards her.
“Do not think I don’t know what’s going on in your head right now,” Apollo said. “We are, after all, in a dream. Your dream, as a matter of fact. I’ve simply manipulated it to my pleasing so that I may teach you. But keep in mind, this means that your thoughts are as clear as anything to me with the exception of the most hidden desires of your heart, so hidden that not even you know them.”
…I’m sorry. I… I shall try to push aside those thoughts for the time being.
Apollo shook his head slowly. “Not necessary. It also tells me you trust me, especially important as we step forward and continue the lessons.” Apollo released Twilight’s chin and stood up at full height. “From now on, you must trust me. Things will be different than before. We’ve focused primarily on singular realities; staying in one area without moving through any portal to another. But now we’re going to focus on portals.”
Portals? Gone were Twilight’s inhibitions, and even her thoughts of admiration and desire for Apollo had been pushed aside. At least, in a personal context. Now, he was her teacher, and a fine one at that.
“Any opening in an area. For that, we are going to use the cottage over there.” Apollo turned around and began walking towards the cottage, stopping only to turn around and beckon Twilight to follow him, which she did. “We’re going to perform a few simple tests. For these tests, there is only one rule you need to know: portals must be as similar in shape as possible in order for one to be used, and must be closed in order to open and use for transportation. For example, you cannot open a square window and use it to go through a round one.”
Portals must be as similar in shape as possible… got it. But what about size? Do they have to be similar in size?
“Ideally,” Apollo said as they approached the door of the cottage. “However, certain things about manipulating the environment make that unnecessary.”
They approached the cottage a few moments later. Apollo stood at the door.
“Alright. Two simple tests today, and then we shall be done. The first shall be simple instruction. The second is to see if you can use it effectively. No practical application as yet, and know that I will be watching you the whole time.”
…will I be alone, given that you’re saying that?
“Only for a short time. You need not be afraid.”
But when Apollo opened the door, Twilight wanted so badly to be afraid. It was a long, tall hallway punctuated by arches every few feet. Torches stood on three on each end, though there was a long space in the middle of the hallway that was entirely black with no ability to see any detail. On the far side was a door similar in size and shape to the door that entered the cottage.
Twilight took a few tentative steps into the room. Apollo followed shortly afterwards; their hoofsteps seemed to create a hollow echoing noise throughout the chamber, and the sound of Apollo shutting the door behind them seemed to create a bang! magnified by the emptiness and the silence.
“There are two ways to cross this hallway,” Apollo said. “The first is to walk. But there is a dark place in the middle. Who knows what lies between these areas?”
…potentially anything, Twilight responded. You don’t know until you attempt to cross.
“Yes. You could free your mind and simply treat the blackness as another plane of existence, walking across from one side to the other. But, for now, I would refrain from doing so. You shouldn’t need to. The other way, and the subject of tonight, is to enter from the other door.”
Twilight looked at the other door, the torches on the arches, the number of torches surrounding the doors.
“I notice you are observing your surroundings,” Apollo commented. “Very good. Since you are already being observant, I wish to ask if there is something you notice here.”
Twilight looked around again. …the other side of the hall is a mirror image. The number and position of the torches are the same, and the door appears to even be of the same size and shape as the one we entered through.
Apollo nodded. “Very good. The door in this case can be used as a portal.”
So how does one enter a portal?
“You have already learned how to recognize you are in a dream and have already learned to bend physics within it. Now you need to use it for longer distances that affect the entirety of a dream. Open the door, and imagine yourself as opening the door across the hallway on the opposite side.”
Twilight went over to the door near her. She opened it up the first time, but all she saw was blackness. She closed it, making sure she heard the click, and imagined the look of the door on the other side of the hallway. She opened it, but all she saw was blackness.
“You will need to sometimes be quick when transitioning through portals,” Apollo said. “But for this practice, look across at the other door. If all goes well, you will see yourself opening it.”
Twilight nodded and turned around, facing the other door on the opposite side of the long blackness. Twilight gently pushed against the door and saw the other one begin to move. Slowly but surely the other door opened as though answering to her own hoof pushing on it. As the door opened further, she could see the backside of her own self standing with a hoof on the door. She turned around to see her own backside again, though this time she could see Apollo, who was otherwise standing outside of view when she was looking at it normally.
“Go on through,” Apollo said.
Twilight took a few tentative steps through and slowly emerged on the other side of the dark hallway opposite Apollo. The stallion nodded as she closed the door behind her, closing the door on the opposite side of the hallway as she did so, and suddenly the room became flooded with light from torches appearing down the center and revealing a safe, well-lit hallway.
“Excellent!” Apollo exclaimed. “Excellent! Soon, you will be able to do such actions without needing to look at your target. For the next stage, know there are multiple types of portals ranging from common ones like doors and windows to obscure ones like pools of water or even holes dug in the ground.”
What will the next test be? Or is there more instruction before it?
“Through the door behind you, if you open it normally, you will find a room with three pairs of portals. One pair will be the same shape and size. The other two pairs will not be the same shape and thus you can’t use them. Go through three, then pick the pair that doesn’t have a match to meet me again and end the lesson.”
So three times look for the pair that matches, then on the fourth look for the one that doesn’t?
“Yes. Now, go ahead and open the door. Remember, I will be watching you.”
Twilight nodded and turned towards the door. She opened the door and turned back to Apollo, who simply nodded at her. Twilight turned back around and walked into the door, closing it behind her.
Twilight now found herself in a log cabin-type building. It was about ten feet by fifteen feet, and seemed to be moderately furnished with rustic style. There was a small table, a fireplace, a couch, a chair, and a small bookshelf, all appearing to be made by hoof with fresh pine. Four windows surrounded the interior and looked outside to a beautiful mountain sunset, and two doors were in the room, one in the way she came, and another leading to a bedroom. A bright white “1” stood over the fireplace.
Prefabricated dream environments, most likely, Twilight said, voicing her thoughts aloud. If I were to open the doors or windows normally, I would likely be met with blackness. Thus, I have to find the pair that fit, then bend them to my whim and change them.
Twilight took a second look around. There was not a second fireplace in the bedroom, so the fireplace would not count as a possible portal. There were four windows, but each had a different shape. Twilight then examined the doors. Both were plain with silvery metallic knobs, and both were the same shape and size; Twilight even took a book and measured the distance from the top of the door to the ceiling.
Room 1, the portal is a door.
Twilight closed the bedroom door, then concentrated on opening it to change. Twilight opened it again and focused on opening the other door along with it. Twilight swiftly turned the knob and flung the door open, launching herself back into the cabin’s main room through the bedroom door.
So he’ll keep it at the same place at least. It is just the beginner’s lesson.
Twilight examined the room again. This time, the windows showed a bright morning’s sunrise and the bedroom door changed so that a small triangular indentation was at the top of it. A fireplace now existed inside the bedroom though Twilight could not see it off the bat, and only two windows existed in the entire cabin. A bright yellow “2” stood over the fireplace this time.
Room 2. Door already ruled out. Examine other possibilities.
Once again the windows were of uneven shape, though just slightly. It took a long inspection, but one window was completely circular while the other was made of dozens of tiny lines that intersected in corners so small that Twilight hardly could measure them with a compass and protractor. Twilight then went and inspected the fireplace. Both the one in the bedroom and the one in the living room were of the same dimensions – again found by using the books from the bookshelf – and were made of the same red bricks. Twilight ducked through the open flames in the bedroom fireplace and soon found herself back in the main room of the cabin.
Room 2, portal is a fireplace. Unusual, though certainly not entirely ruled out. I’ve heard of secret passages hidden there in mystery novels before.
Once again, a bright blue number “3” was marked above the fireplace. The cabin contained three windows of different shapes, no other fireplace, and the two doors leading outside and to the bedroom were different.
There must be something. None of the obvious ones are present. Think, Twilight, think.
Twilight went into the bedroom, searching for something. As she walked, she stepped in a puddle of water towards the head of the bed. It was quite large as though something had been dripping there for a long while. Twilight wiped her hoof on the bed and walked out again.
But as she was walking through back to the main room, she stepped in another puddle of water about as big as her hoof, maybe a little larger. Twilight went down and inspected it. Not far away, there was another puddle. A short ways from that stood another puddle, and another, and another, forming a sort of track through the main room.
It looks like one end is at the bedroom. From the way the puddles indicate, they ended at the bedroom. They walked through the main room and into the bedroom… quite likely, they lead to the door at the entrance of the cabin.
Twilight followed the path of the puddles until she reached the main door of the cabin. Once again, there was a large puddle at the entrance of the door, almost like someone had stopped there for a while, too. Twilight looked at the puddle and quite nearly did a double take. She had to go back to the one in the bedroom to match it and make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
It’s almost rather generic, but yeah… they’re the same shape and size. Could they count as a portal?
Twilight looked down and examined the puddle at her feet in the bedroom. She could see the wooden slats beneath it, slightly distorted in the water’s surface. Twilight closed her eyes to think and began to see another pattern: a white 1, a yellow 2, a blue 3…
White for the snow outside, yellow for the color of flames… so blue…
Was it intentional? Twilight had no idea, but decided it was something to go off of. She imagined herself splashing down into ice-cold water and re-emerging at the puddle in the main room, and when she opened her eyes again she saw there to be a different view of things in the puddle. Bracing herself, Twilight jumped and made herself as small as possible.
The shock lasted only a split second, but the freezing water chilled Twilight to the bone; of course recently melted snow was still going to be biting cold. By the time she had reemerged into the main room of the cabin, she found herself immediately going to the fireplace – which had no number over it – in order to warm herself up and attempt to stop her from shivering.
I shouldn’t stay for too long. Apollo is expecting me. Let’s see… three times finding the one that matched, and the fourth finding the one that doesn’t. What doesn’t match here
Two sets of windows, one set of doors, no extra fireplace, and no extra puddle besides the one at the door. Once again, the door leading to the bedroom had the triangular notch over the top. The windows looked almost similar, but one set were square and another were circles. The only available option was the door leading… where? The bedroom door, or outside?
I know I have to pick one… but which? Apollo never told me that! …but I saw it, didn’t I?
Yes… the cottage door itself had one. And it looked like the one that lead outside.
It was something of a wild guess, but Twilight tried it. To her surprise, it worked, and she saw a room that looked like the cabin interior but with a much softer hue and feel to it. Apollo was sitting on a rather plush-looking couch that faced the fireplace with a warm, inviting flame, looking at the open door and smiling at her.
“I do believe you beat my old record at the last room,” he said proudly. “How was it? How do you feel?”
C-c-c-cold… Twilight replied, teeth chattering from the cold plunge in the puddle.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Come here and join me,” Apollo said, patting the couch next to him with a hoof. “I’ve just finished preparing a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie for each of us.”
Twilight took shaking steps over to the couch and sat herself down. Apollo opened up a wing and wrapped it around her, and immediately Twilight was flooded with warmth both from Apollo’s own body heat and from the warm glow of the fire being trapped in his wing. Apollo levitated a single cup of hot cocoa up to Twilight, who took it gladly in her own aura and sipped it, feeling the warmth rush through her.
They sat there in silence for a minute until Twilight’s teeth stopped chattering and she stopped freezing. The cocoa was nice and warm and just the perfect temperature, though already Twilight was noticing something that she felt she should have earlier, a thought cued by the steam of what should have been a piping hot cup of cocoa that should have scalded her tongue yet wasn’t.
When I jumped in the puddle, was there something in the surrounding environment that told me it was going to feel cold? Or was that just me?
Apollo smiled. “No, you’re correct. Your mind took cues from the environment you were in and made it feel cold like recently-melted snow. If you would have liked, you could have imagined a tropical island or a warm summer’s day and the water would not have been cold. Don’t worry; that wasn’t the point of this exercise. We’ll get into mixing the two later to make yourself impervious to the elements of dreams.”
Oh, okay. I didn’t know if that was going to be a hidden task or something.
Apollo shook his head. “No. I really was only testing you on portals. You were smart to figure that out, as well as the door leading back into the cottage.”
It was simple logic, reasoning, and memory.
“But you accessed that quicker than some, even quicker than my first time. That in itself is a form of intelligence.”
Twilight blushed. It’s because you’re a good teacher.
“But did I teach you that? No; you figured it out on your own. Do not understate your own abilities, dear Twilight.” Apollo’s wing wrapped around her a little tighter and pulled her close to him. “You are worth more than you think you are,” he said sweetly. “Don’t ever forget that.”
Twilight sighed and leaned her head against Apollo’s cool dark coat and relaxed. She felt her eyes slowly beginning to close as she sat there. Apollo… what happens if you fall asleep within a dream?
“Sometimes you awake,” Apollo said, his voice gentle and rhythmic. “Sometimes, you enter a light sleep because that’s what feels pleasant to you. And sometimes you enter a deep sleep and dream again, though that is a much more wild and untamed place. I do not plan on teaching you those things.”
Twilight felt herself yawn. How is it determined which happens?
Apollo laughed kindly. “You are inquisitive. Perhaps another time, I could tell you.”
Twilight’s eyes drooped down a little further and felt herself lean into Apollo a bit more. Apollo… what if I told you I really liked you?
Apollo nuzzled her forehead again. “I would tell you I really liked you, too,” he said, almost a whisper in her ear. “And that I really like spending time with a bright mare like you.”
Will I ever see you face-to-face?
“Someday, perhaps. Maybe later, once I am healed. But I am no young stallion, Twilight.”
I know, Twilight said, and she could tell there was a small amount of disappointment in her lethargic voice. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be good friends.
Apollo’s head rested on hers as she closed her eyes. “Certainly not,” he said.
]