> Tempest in a Teapot
>  by SparlightTwarkle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun ascended over the horizon, its rays spilling through the dusty window of an old castle bedroom. In its bed lay a lavender coated alicorn mare, twisting and turning with her eyes shut close and her covers tightly wrapped around her like a cocoon. The light spilled around the room as the sun went further up, until it reached the alicorn’s eyelids.

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes shot open, fixed to the roof above her, studying every crack and stain. She was perfectly still, not even daring to breathe. Could she even breathe with such a heavy sensation on her chest?

A nightmare. The feeling of sadness and fear lingered in Twilight’s heart and the darkness still plagued her vision. No matter how much she tried, Twilight could not remember what the nightmare was about. The increasing temperature of the room motivated her to put the dream in the back of her mind and work on disentangling herself from her covers.

Then, she stood up from the bed and stretched, taking a deep breath only to sneeze and cough afterwards. Right, this room was old, unkempt and dusty. In the past, she had fallen asleep in a fair share of dusty libraries with little side effects, but this was a whole new level of dusty. There were layers of it and even spider webs on the old furniture. Twilight just wanted to get out of here. She had yet to decide if she only meant the room or the whole formerly abandoned castle.

She walked to the vanity, blowing away some spider webs and dust from the mirror. With her magic, she took a brush from her saddlebags and quickly combed her unkempt mane. She then stretched her sleepy wings and scrunched up her nose at how messy her feathers were. Twilight didn’t have much time for preening, but she plucked out a few interfering feathers and smoothed out others.

Judging from the horrible taste in her mouth her breath was unbecoming of a princess and more proper for a dragon, but she doubted the old decrepit place even had any water running. So as she levitated her regalia out of her saddlebags, she also took two of the many mint candies Pinkie had slipped in without her knowing and put them in her mouth. 

Twilight looked at the slippers, then at her hooves, then at the crown. No. Just no. It had been months, maybe a year since her coronation, but she still felt uncomfortable with those things on her. The difference was that by now it wasn’t too much about not wanting to seem better or superior to others, but that the things were troublesome and heavy.

Maybe it was okay to just be "Twilight Sparkle", instead of Princess Twilight Sparkle, while she stayed at this castle. A mare who just read all day in her library and loved mysteries and adventure with her friends. That unicorn she used to be still lived in her heart, she just didn’t have as many opportunities to show up as much as before, and now was perfect. It had been one of the two reasons she had accepted Princess Celestia’s invitation. There was a mystery to solve, a chance for Princess Twilight to be just Twilight again.

After sprinkling some perfume over herself, she happily trotted out of the room. The halls were decent-looking despite the cracks on the old, lifeless walls and Twilight could see some dust being lifted from the dark carpet with each hoofstep. It may have looked better in its prime, beautiful, luxurious, and majestic, but now it had a different kind of beauty to it. Twilight felt this castle was a book with a story to tell.

But then Twilight felt a chill running up her spine. Her light canter became a slow walk as Twilight nervously glanced around her. She swore she heard voices, but there was nothing behind her, or no one next to her. In moments like these, she wished Spike was with her. Twilight wasn’t sure if she wanted to read this book’s story anymore.

This had been the reason for the three princess’s visit to the castle. Lord Talonhart, who according to Luna was an enormous, powerful and imposing dragon, had moved in not too long ago with his servant. He had reported some paranormal activity, angry spirits who couldn’t, and some wouldn’t willingly, pass on to the afterlife. There was very little known about ghosts or spirits in general and only alicorns had the power and knowledge to deal with them. 

At first, Twilight had been skeptical and confident that there was some other, more logical explanation to these phenomena, but the princesses seemed certain and serious about these being ghosts. On top of that, just in her first night in the castle she already felt the problem in her bones. Twilight shuddered thinking of when she had to explore the rest of the castle.

A different kind of chill went up her spine when she remembered she had yet to meet Lord Talonhart and she was not appropriately dressed for the occasion. To top it off, she was already standing right in front of the grand dining hall door.

Twilight groaned and shook her head. This castle was messing with her brain. Princess Celestia was going to be so disappointed, oh that look in her eyes Twilight still dreads even as an adult, powerful alicorn princess. That look she reserved particularly for her, filled with sadness and regret…

Or Princess Luna’s coldness and anger. She was usually a surprisingly warm, though quiet, pony. A great listener, and she would give honest opinions and personal anecdotes to back it up. She was an amazing storyteller, and whenever Twilight was with her she felt… safe, as if she wouldn’t judge her, but just reflect her with those crystal clear eyes of hers. Luna was a great friend and protected Twilight from everything but the truth.

But when she a nerve… the safety was gone. She couldn’t help but feel naked and abandoned. And you could see nothing more than a pathetic pony in that pair of mirrors that were Luna’s eyes. 

Twilight sighed and rubbed her temple with a hoof. There was no helping it, no delaying the inevitable. With her magic, she opened the noisy wooden doors and strode in with a face that expressed nothing but indifference.

To her surprise, she only saw Princess Luna sitting at the far side of the table with a cup of tea and two books in front of her. Her teal eyes were fixed on Twilight as she entered with a much more relaxed posture and expression.

“Good morning, Twilight.” Princess Luna warmly greeted her with a nod and a smile.

“Good morning, Luna.” Twilight sweetly smiled back, glad to have found her instead of anyone else. She sat next to her, shifting uncomfortably since the silence had settled between them once Luna returned to her books. Before Twilight could begin looking for things to say, Luna spoke up.

“How was your night?” It was an ironic question considering who it came from.

“It was… unnerving.” Twilight tried and failed to suppress a shudder as she tried to remember her nightmare, only to be met with those sickening sensations. Her eyes were glued to the table in pure horror and her brows furrowed. A freshly served cup of tea was shoved into her field vision and Twilight looked up just in time to see Luna place the teapot back on the table.

“I tried my best, but I couldn’t do much. It is best if you don’t try to remember what you dreamed.” Luna said with a serious and somewhat sad smile, her eyes never leaving the text. Something gave Twilight the impression that Luna had stayed awake for a considerable part of the night, but there was nothing physical that could prove it. 

“Yes. Th-thank you.” Twilight said, knowing what Luna had meant. “So, what are you reading?”

“Some modern material about ghosts and spirits. Paranormal matters in general. You should also take a look, tonight we will begin what we came here for.” Luna levitated the second book that rested closed on the table towards Twilight. “Here. There really isn’t much recent detailed information that is not the product of some silly fantastical speculation.”

“Alright. I’ll be sure to read this carefully.” Twilight studied the cover and its title. How could they be so certain it was about ghosts? Old Twilight would've laughed at the idea, but after everything she had experienced and faced, her mind was much more accepting. She opened the book and began reading its first words. However, something kept her from focusing no matter how many times she went over the first sentence. “Where is Celestia and Lord Talonhart?”

“We won’t be seeing them until later today. Around supper. Old friends catching up.” Luna closed her book and sipped on her tea. “I was never too close to him, but we do owe him a favor.” Sensing that a story was coming, Twilight closed her book and gave Luna her full attention. 
Luna rustled her wings and poured herself more tea. Twilight realized she had been neglecting hers and began to discreetly drink as much as she could. 

“It happened long ago.” Luna continued. “Discord had been taken care of, the nations were going back to normal, slowly rebuilding and recuperating. Of course, we had been credited for the wellbeing of Equestria and beyond.” Levitating her cup, she stood from the table and began walking around the room. “Our troubles were far from over. Some envied our glory and power, though at the time it was more… Celestia’s glory and power.”

Twilight fidgeted nervously in her seat, watching Luna with worry. She wasn’t sure what she was listening to or witnessing, but she had to be careful and trust that Luna knew what she was saying.

“We were exhausted from our confrontation with Discord, but we had no time for rest. Taking the kingdom’s reigns was something that could not be delayed; the longer the kingdom went on without a leader, the more chances there were for another disaster to happen, like outsiders wanting to take advantage of Equestria’s potential and attacking in a moment of weakness. And… it did happen.” Luna brought the cup to her lips only to realize she had long since drank the whole thing, so she simply let it rest on the table. 

“The kingdom got invaded again. Groups of individuals of various races tried to lead it to downfall by… eliminating us. Lord Talonhart was part of this group, but then he had a change of heart after meeting Celestia.” 

“Did they…?” Twilight asked with cheeks flushed red. Luna paused her walking, turned to look at her with a raised brow and her eyes slightly widened in realization. Serenity returned to her posture and features and she nonchalantly poured herself more tea, looked ahead and answered.

“Maybe.” And took a sip of tea. “Anyway, he believed both me and Celestia would make great rulers. So he stopped the riots using some convincing and everything went back to normal. Or at least as normal as it could get.”

“Well… he sounds like a nice dragon.” Luna snorted and rolled her eyes.

“He is a grumpy old bastard. Only a fresh young face will pull a smile out of that scaly shell.” Her eyes scanned the landscape outside of the window. The castle was located at the outskirts of Equestria, not too far to the north or south. Beyond the trees and grass the ocean stretched infinitely, the morning sun’s reflection being distorted by the waves. “I do not blame him. Backstabbing was a hobby. Lord Talonhart considers tea a better company-“

“Watch out!” Luna turned, gasped and ducked, only to find Twilight struggling with all her might to keep the flying teapot from hitting the window behind Luna. Whatever force was pulling, or pushing, the teapot nearly surpassed that of Twilight’s telekinetic abilities, but it soon gave up.

Twilight, still gasping and sweating, slowly and carefully placed the teapot on the table and reluctantly released it. Both princesses seemed to hold their breaths, waiting for something to happen. But it didn’t, much to their relief.

“Looks like whatever ghost is in here doesn’t like tea.” Twilight said with a nervous giggle at the end. Her comment was meant to be a joke to break the ice, a bad one, but Luna seemed to be seriously pondering her statement while still sitting on the floor.

“It doesn’t have to be a single entity.” Princess Luna stood up and took the book she had been reading for the table. Before leaving the dining room she turned once more to Twilight. “You should study as much as you can before tonight. I will meet you before sunset at the gardens. Lord Talonhart’s servant will take you there.”

“Understood.” Luna closed the door behind her, leaving an echo in the room that lingered for a second or two.

That was all the time Princess Twilight Sparkle stayed in the dining room before realizing she was by herself in a possibly haunted castle and admitting she was terrified. She ran from the room before any more teapots could fly towards anypony else.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle had a lot in her mind. And when that happened, it usually didn’t let her focus on studying. She was supposed to be reading that book Luna gave her and she had been obediently doing so in her room earlier, but what had happened in the dining room still haunted her. It was understandable if she took a break under the circumstances, or so she thought, so she threw herself out of the window and flew high above the castle, just to stretch her wings and let the fresh air from the outside wash away some of the uncomfortable vibes the castle gave her.

The force with which the teapot had flown from the table towards Princess Luna had been alarming. It had taken Twilight, a powerful gifted alicorn, all of her might to stop it. Whatever was in the castle could be incredibly dangerous. Right after thinking that, Twilight facehoofed. It was obvious it posed a threat if Lord Talonhart had called three of the most powerful beings in Equestria.

But why did the teapot fly? What did it mean? Maybe the ghost really wasn’t into tea, or they didn’t like something Luna said, or Luna herself… Before leaving, she had behaved rather strangely, as if she had realized something, and suddenly left the room.

Twilight soared around the castle, barely flapping her wings. The sea breeze was strong that afternoon and she let it guide her. It wasn’t the biggest castle in Equestria, definitely. The outside felt less tense and oppressing, but she still felt the vibes of sadness, despair and anger coming from inside. 

The roof was broken in various places, most of it stained and falling apart, leaving the inside exposed to the afternoon sun. Some faint designs that had been engraved on it could be seen, but Twilight couldn't discern the shapes completely. The stone brick walls looked sturdy, but most had deteriorated with time and collapsed, taking roofs and entire towers with them. Vegetation seemed to be swallowing the whole abandoned structure, with vines twirling and twisting around the outer and some visible inner structures. 

Twilight wondered just how many creatures inhabited and roamed around the place; if only Fluttershy was around to keep them at bay, just so nothing decided to make a nest on, or in, her coat during the night.

A sudden ringing in her ears cut her small tour short. Her whole body went tense, and her wings half-closed before becoming rock-hard. Twilight gritted her teeth and urged her eyes to focus, her body to move, or her magic to do something, but the ear-splitting sound was too much for her to bear.

Then, she was falling, flailing her hooves and screaming at the top of her lungs, about to crash into the unreliable roof below her, until she saw bats flying from the holes in it and obscuring her vision completely.

Her eyes opened abruptly. She pushed herself up with her hooves and realized she had fallen asleep on the book while reading. Twilight had never jumped out the window to begin with; it had all been a bad dream.

Her breath was ragged and her eyes wide open, scanning the room and making sure she was back into sweet, sweet reality. She turned to the book and checked for any drool stains and sighed in relief after seeing it was safe. With a hoof on her chest, she concentrated on calming her agitated breathing, until a knock on her door interrupted her.

“Yes?” Twilight said after opening the door to the slightly shorter unicorn mare in front of her. The mare had silvery cherry mane, a strange color she didn’t know how to describe, and a brighter cherry coat. Her amber eyes were energetic and her posture straight and confident.

“Good day, Princess Twilight.” The unicorn bowed. “My name’s Piece Of Wheel, Lord Talonhart’s personal servant. He’s asking me to fetch you for lunch.” 

“Um, alright.” If Twilight hadn’t been too focused on not panicking she’d be questioning the strange way this mare had been named. But she had just been summoned for lunch with two princesses and an ancient dragon. and she probably looked miserable. “Just… give me a second.”

Twilight closed the door on the mare’s face without thinking twice and proceeded to brush her mane and coat, shove some mints into her mouth, and sprayed some perfume all over herself at the same time. Her hooves slipped into her regalia and her crown levitated onto her head. After a glance in the mirror and nodding at how Rarity would be proud of her, the door opened and a decent looking princess came out of it.

“I’m ready.” Twilight said with a confident smile, passing right beside Piece, who scrunched up her nose at the strong scent of perfume.

“I, uh, probably should have told you about the working shower at the other side of the castle,” Twilight’s eyes shot open at the mention of water. “But I didn’t even know you, so…”

“What?!”

Piece of Wheel feared for her own life when the mighty Princess of Friendship she had heard so many tales of stopped in her tracks to give her a side glance. However, Twilight couldn’t allow herself to lose her cool with someone who really wasn’t at fault for anything. She let out a deep breath and continued her walk.

“It’s alright… I’ll be alright. Yes.” She said breathily with a weary expression, bracing herself for the comments that were sure to come from the princesses and the impression she’d cause on Lord Talonhart. “I’d like you to show me the way after this, though. I’d really appreciate it.”

“I promise.” 

Twilight felt a sense of dread as they took the final steps towards the doors of the dining room. They suddenly seemed taller and heavier. This wasn’t the time to back away, and Twilight wasn’t a mare that ran away from her problems.

“Uh, let me.” Piece of Wheel walked forward and easily opened the doors with her bronze colored telekinetic hold. Twilight strode inside and the doors closed behind her.

It had been a while since she last felt so alienated, so small, but seeing the enormous, ancient, emerald scaled dragon with gray hairs and beard sitting right next to Princess Celestia and across from Princess Luna, sipping tea and eating biscuits, brought her the inevitable reminder of just how old these mares were, and how insignificant she was despite all her feats and the relatively new wings at her sides.

“Good day, Twilight Sparkle.” Greeted Princess Celestia with a gentle smile. Princess Luna remained silent with her gaze distant, more preoccupied about her own tea.

“Good day too you too, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Lord Talonhart.” Twilight answered politely, greeting every single occupant of the room with a small bow and a smile. She tried her best to ignore the sisterly glare Celestia shot at Luna at her lack of courtesy for the sake of not breaking down in giggles.

“Ah, so this is your little princess.” Lord Talonhart’s booming, raspy voice and the way he slowly articulated every word only made the feeling worse. The knots in Twilight’s stomach tightened and she could only smile nervously as the dragon who could barely fit in the room stood from his seat and walked towards her. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” He bowed, or at least that’s how Twilight interpreted that slight bending of his neck long scaly neck.

“The pleasure is mine, Lord Talonhart.” Twilight said and returned the bow with as much grace as a librarian turned princess could muster.

“Celestia has told me much about you, and she is not even halfway through. Please, have a seat.” His claw waved in Luna’s general direction. Twilight gave an inward sigh at these seating arrangements and she had a very faint idea of why.

She didn’t hesitate to do as the dragon instructed. As soon as she did, a blue aura poured her tea from a white teapot while Celestia and Talonhart resumed some personal conversation only they understood. Twilight muttered her thanks to Luna and mirrored her, using her tea and biscuits as the main distraction.

For the first time since she was a little filly, Celestia looked so distant and aloof. The wings and crown on Twilight seemed to be part of a silly costume; she felt like a filly trying to dress up like a grown up to feel more important in that family dinner with her aunts and uncles. Princess Luna was like her cousin, another young face that brought her comfort and security because she was not the only one who had to wait in painful, awkward silence. Yet, it’d still be awkward; it is rude to interrupt the grown up’s conversations, after all.

It was still a mystery; Luna was still hundreds, if not thousands of years older than Twilight. Perhaps it was because she was visibly uncomfortable and upset about being stuck in this awkward meal, or the way she and Luna made small, simple conversation with mere glances. 

Twilight had resigned herself into trying to think about the real issue at hand. She had only arrived the night before, so naturally she didn’t have many leads. The book Luna had provided only gave away some speculation about spirit behavior, but it didn’t make any sense; wouldn’t each and every entity had a unique way of behaving? A different kind of negative feeling tying them to this world? If so, books with such general and broad information wouldn’t really help her, instead she’d have to learn about the history of the castle and its occupants.

This only meant exploring every single corner of the castle, which could be very dangerous. 

Twilight made a mental note to discuss these things with Luna. Just like an animal curiously checking its surroundings to see if winter had come, Twilight came back to reality from her thoughts. Time seemed to be effectively passing quickly without much incident and in due time, she’d be able to get out of there. That is, until Lord Talonhart turned the conversation towards her.

“It is certainly pleasant to see such a young face working towards the wellbeing and harmony of Equestria. Has she successfully livened up court?”

“Oh, Twilight and her friends have livened up more than one event. Cleaning up the disaster is always worth it.”

“Celestia, darling, that is not exactly what I meant, and you know it. I am aware how such a talented, knowledgeable mare could receive the admiration of those around her, or am I wrong, Twilight Sparkle?” Lavender ears perked up. The mare in question raised her gaze with a confused face, which made Celestia giggle gracefully while Lord Talonhart cackled loudly. Did the tea ever run out?

“Well,” Celestia casually sipped on her tea with a faintly mischievous smile. “There was this colt in my royal army that was obviously infatuated with her, but considering Twilight’s lifespan… that might be inconvenient.” 

Twilight had to admit she had thought of that before. Being an immortal goddess of friendship probably robbed her of her romantic life almost entirely, but she saw herself incapable of giving that any importance, even as a grown, developed mare. Rarity fussed over this, constantly reminding her to go out and meet some ponies, even to talk to this ‘Flash Sentry’ colt, but Twilight couldn’t bring herself to care.

“W-well…” Before Twilight could explain herself, Celestia interrupted her with an unexpected statement.

“Unfortunately, my feelings towards Twilight are mostly motherly. Lulu, however…”

“E-excuse me?” Lavender nearly became red as soon as Twilight caught up. She turned towards Luna, who merely rolled her eyes and shoved a biscuit in her mouth. Clearly she didn’t want to hide her displeasure.

“Oh? Perhaps Luna here does view Twilight Sparkle as a potential partner?” Lord Talonhart said, and both he and Celestia expectantly looked at Luna. Twilight’s eyes darted from dragon to alicorn in disbelief. However, Luna took her time chewing on her food and drinking the last remaining drops of her drink until answering.

“Perhaps.” 

“Huh?!” 

Twilight’s eyes were impossibly wide and her jaw nearly hit the floor. That had been the first time Luna had spoken up during the whole meal, and the only time needed to send Twilight’s mind into a frenzy and half of her blood into her face. 

By the time Twilight stopped shaking her head from side to side to recover her senses, the seat next to her was already empty, and the sound of closing doors  echoed throughout the room. Celestia and Lord Talonhart had resumed conversation, and her tea had already gone cold.

The rest of lunch was a blur. Whatever they talked about was completely unknown by Twilight, and she could only wonder how Lord Talonhart managed to hold that teacup with such huge claws. In the end, she had stayed out of courtesy and need of information from Lord Talonhart about the spirit issue, but for a while that subject seemed to be in the back of their minds. What little he said was about his servant providing the information needed and guidance through the castle. 

When supper came to a close, Celestia was the first to leave the dining room. Twilight was about to go out after her, but Lord Talonhart stopped her.

“There’s something else I needed to tell you. While Celestia and Luna both owe me favors, you can keep whatever trinkets you find around here.” He said with a smile, stroking his long gray beard with his claws. “For now, I’d like you to accept this little treasure my servant found lying around.” Only when he pointed towards the teapot that had been sitting on the table the whole afternoon with his claw did Twilight take time to drink in its details. 

She wasn’t sure why he would call it a treasure, having such a simplistic and general design, but then she remembered this was a dusty old castle. The teapot was pure white and completely untouched, though one curious detail might be that it had a handle designed for creatures with thumbs.

It could’ve been of someone who had recently gotten to the castle and left it there. However… did that mean they had been drinking from this teapot they found lying around? Had they even made sure it wasn’t dirty or had any weird bugs inside? Still, Twilight politely thanked the dragon and took the object with her. 

Twilight had been so lost in thought she didn't realize she had walked to the shower at the other side of the castle where the showers were located, scrubbed away the perfume from her coat, and walked back to her bedroom. The strong smell of perfume was gone and she felt much cleaner and comfortable. The sun was dipping below the horizon and golden light poured from the window as she resumed her reading on the bed. The white teapot rested on the dusty nightstand, as white as ever, and the letters in the book in front of her came and went just like Twilight’s focus.

The book snapped shut and Twilight released a heavy sigh. She was well into the book and had received plenty of information, but the room’s temperature was… rising. The hairs on the back of her neck stood as a very tense atmosphere filled the room. Twilight just couldn’t read in such a place. So she stood from her bed and cast a glance towards the teapot.

Something had changed. The pot was not so white anymore. Four dark, long lines surrounded it, as if something with very dirty claws, almost as big as Lord Talonhart’s, had grabbed it. But it obviously hadn’t been him, or Twilight would’ve noticed the stain much, much sooner.

Her brow went up. After much pondering, she cautiously let her magic wrap around the teapot and lift it from the nightstand. Attentive magenta eyes inspected the object closely; there was no dust or dark spots at the base. It was spotless. Then, she tried to clean off the four dark lines with the bed’s sheets despite how improper it was, but nothing came off.

The tension and temperature had skyrocketed in the room. Twilight began sweating, and she was sure it was not from concentration. Her breath was shaky and her eyes darted around the room for any sign of an unwanted presence; she wanted to get out of there as fast as she could.

Her loud heartbeats almost made it impossible for Twilight to hear the knock on her door.

“Excuse me? Princess Twilight?” She nearly dropped the teapot at the sudden voice.

“Just a second!” Twilight said after a few moments, letting the object in her magical hold return to the nightstand. Collecting her breath and calming her heart down came first. When she opened the door, she saw Piece of Wheel with a strange device hanging from her neck looking rather distressed.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re out. This place is creeping me out. Princess Luna is summoning you. Please follow me.” While Piece walked ahead, Twilight glanced back at the teapot, pondering whether she should take it or not. Being alone there was the last thing she wanted, so she took the mysterious object with her and caught up with the servant.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight had not seen much of the castle, in fact she didn’t know much of it. There was no mention of it in any book and the vegetation around it was so dense that nature itself seemed to be determined to hide the cursed structure from the world. For the better or worse.

However, as she traversed the abandoned hallways with Piece of Wheel, passing by shattered windows and ancient headless or limbless statues, she realized there was a particular theme to this castle. The night had fallen, but the structure wasn’t entirely dark; it was almost as if it had been designed to let the moonlight in and certain constellations fell into place with some of the overly ornate windows. Every single detail added to the tense atmosphere of the hallways and kept Twilight constantly checking her back.

“Is there-“

“Ah!” Piece shrieked and jumped several steps ahead. Twilight reacted by shifting to an improvised fighting stance and readying a spell.

“What?! What happened!” She asked, dashing closer to her companion and scanning her surroundings.

“N-nothing…” Muttered Piece with heavy panting. “Y-you j-just star-startled, me.”

“Oh.” Twilight let her posture relax and her magic dissipate as she took deep breaths of her own to calm her racing heart. 

“I’m so, so sorry.” Piece lowered her head in shame. 

“Th-that’s alright.” Her behavior was completely understandable in Twilight’s eyes. This mare, in a way, reminded her of herself. “We should continue.”

“Right.” They resumed their walking in relative silence. “By the way, where you going to say something before?” 

“Oh? Yes! Is there anything you can tell me about this castle so far?” 

“Hmm… Yeah. I wanted to tell you and Luna everything at the same time, but she pressed me for answers anyway, and… it was very scary. Anyway, as you can see here…” Piece and Twilight reached a corner and stopped their walking. The wall had fallen apart completely, but in the place of the wide hole a large piece of dark blue cloth was hung. “Lord Talonhart and I tried to do some clean-up around the hallways. There was rubble, shattered glass, and some… really nasty stuff. Nature can be creepy. Right here, a tower used to stand.

“There were towers in all four corners of the castle, but they all fell. We tried covering it up with whatever we found, and the first thing we saw were these… curtains outside of the castle covering the second level.”

“Curtains outside?” Twilight quirked her brow and Piece answered with a shrug. Then, they resumed their walking.

“There’s a total of three levels in the castle. Kind of. The problem is that you can’t go up the stairs, so I don’t know what’s up there. There’s some sort of magic sealing the doors.”

“But hasn’t the outside castle fallen apart along with the roof? We could simply fly-“

“Not really. Lord Talonhart tried. It’s just impossible.” Piece turned around to face Twilight with a concerned frown. “And don’t try to look inside for too long; you’ll regret it.”

Twilight remembered her dream. Flying above the castle, looking into every crack and hole, but then hearing a deafening ring that made her wings useless. She remembered the falling, and then the bats. It was a strange thing to dream about. Never had she seen the outside of the structure in full detail; even when she was just arriving in the royal carriage. The castle had always been surrounded by an aura that forced her to look away.

Piece had led them into the main hall, which Twilight recognized, along with the exit door which was situated at the far side. Right across from it there was another door which led into the courtyard. At either side, there were two sets of stairs, each pointing at opposite directions and leading up to wooden doors with faintly glowing runes engraved on them. Twilight had to use all her might to resist trotting up the stairs to spend all night studying them.

Above it all, there was a stained glass window with incredible amounts of detail, and they seemed to have come in time to see the moon perfectly aligned with the designs. As the moonlight passed through the glass, Twilight could see the room painted with different shades of blue and purple.

Piece opened the door, revealing the castle’s courtyard. It was located in the center of the castle, surrounded by the tall stone walls and halls. Twilight felt small and insignificant, but mostly she felt endangered, as if the spirits would push those ancient torn walls onto them.

The moon peeked above the walls, casting menacing shadows on the grass. Twilight guessed the statues, fountains and bushes had been carefully placed in a particular order as well, just to make some fancy, moon related shape.

Then, Twilight noticed Luna herself blending into the lifeless place, standing still next to the fountain in the center and staring at the distance. 

Piece cast a fearful glance at Twilight’s direction; clearly, she was too afraid to speak to Luna herself. Twilight smiled, rolled her eyes, and stepped forward towards the statue-like alicorn.

“Good evening, Luna.” Twilight barely caught the slight twitch in Luna’s wings. She turned around, posture straight and head high, with her moon and ethereal mane and tail framing her. Had this been the first time Twilight had witnessed the princess’s splendor, she would’ve stared wide eyed pathetically, with her jaw firmly planted in the ground.

“Good evening.” Luna said in a barely audible whisper and a smile. Maybe it was Twilight’s imagination acting up, or spirits messing with her again, but she had seen… relief in Luna’s tone and features.

“U-um, I brought my camera, like you requested.” Piece finally spoke up, trotting forward and tapping the large, cube-shaped device hanging from her chest with a hoof. “I made the necessary modifications and spells.”

“Oh, so that’s what it is.” Twilight had instinctively switched into her analytical, studious self and walked into Piece’s personal space to inspect the object closer. “I knew it looked familiar, but I’ve never seen a camera like this one…”

“Of course not! I made it myself!” Piece said with her chest puffed, showing her work off, and then blushing when she realized how she had spoken to royalty. Princess Luna cleared her throat before further embarrassment could take place.

“We should focus on the task at hoof.” Chided Luna, her authority amplified by the tense atmosphere around them and the fact that this entire castle was built for her. Both mares retreated into their own space and regained their composure. 

“Right.” Twilight muttered. Her behavior was embarrassing, she thought.

“We are exploring the first floor tonight. Tomorrow, we will take a look at the sealed doors.”

The castle was square-shaped, with the main hall and dining room in the center. The three ponies had to explore each hallway and room carefully while Piece of Wheel captured pictures of every single corner to be revealed later. Princess Luna explained how she would talk more about the castle if she only remembered, but all she knew was that it belonged to a duke and it was built a century or two before her banishment. Before then, her memories were blurs and snippets that did not make sense on their own.

Piece of Wheel herself had a hard time convincing the two princesses not to enter certain rooms, and to not ask for details. The only way she could escape the princesses’ interrogating was by promising Lord Talonhart would give them a full explanation later on. This was enough to convince Twilight to refrain from pressing the nervous unicorn any further and to ask Luna to carry on with the rest of the search.

At one point, Twilight asked about Princess Celestia, where she was and how she would help them. Luna shrugged and stated she wouldn’t be of much help yet, with indifference. Twilight noticed how every time she mentioned Celestia or Lord Talonhart Luna would become twice as aloof and her answers would be as short as she could make them.

Piece of Wheel usually stayed out of most conversations, only commenting things regarding their investigation, if it could be considered one. There was so little information that there was not much they could do.

Eventually, they returned to the courtyard, but before the night could end Twilight remembered something.

“I’ll have the pictures revealed at noon.” Piece said with a frown as she studied her camera. Twilight knew she was more than eager to leave.

“Of course. Your help is much appreciated.” Luna thanked politely. Piece sighed and grumbled something under her breath.

“Yeah, yeah. Good night.” Piece’s sudden moodiness put Twilight off.

“Good night. Sleep well!” But she still remained polite. 

Her gaze followed Piece until she entered the castle and turned to Luna, who was stretching her wings, getting ready to fly to her balcony.

“Ah, Luna. There’s something I want to show you.” Twilight focused her energy into her horn, picturing the object in her mind and summoning it. A teapot appeared right in front of her face and she caught it before it could hit the ground. “Lord Talonhart gave me this after you…” Twilight feigned coughing into her hoof and looked anywhere but at Luna’s piercing teal eyes. “…left the dining room.”

“Weren’t we drinking from this one earlier?” Luna took the white teapot in her own magic and inspected it, noticing the four dark marks. “These weren’t there before.”

“About that… Those appeared when I was studying in my room. The temperature was becoming very high and then I… saw those marks.” Silence remained between them as Luna continued studying the teapot. “I didn’t see anyone else in my room, and I tried wiping it off just in case it was dust, but nothing.”

More silence. Twilight began growing paranoid, hearing small noises and noticing dark figures in the corner of her eyes. Unconsciously, she stood closer to Luna, hoping she would speak up soon. It was all so unnerving; Twilight had no idea of what to do, how to respond or proceed, and there was no book that would provide her with that answer. She wondered why Celestia had wanted her here in the first place. Her fears and uneasiness made it impossible for her to focus and think of the matter at hand.

“Hold this for a second.” Luna’s sudden voice startled Twilight, who nodded nervously and took the teapot in her own magical hold.

A glow enveloped Luna’s horn and her indigo eyelids covered her almost shining eyes. It wasn’t too hard for Twilight to guess she was summoning something, but she was taken aback when she saw a picnic blanket and two teacups spawn on the ground before them. The teapot also felt heavier and warmer. Why did she, or Celestia, even need servants if they could do this?

“Care for some tea?” Luna offered casually, opening her eyes and sitting on one side of the blanket. 

If Twilight hadn’t stupidly gaped and stared at first, she had to now.

She cautiously sat across from Luna, still not quite out of her confusion, and slowly poured tea into both their cups.

“I-Isn’t this… Don’t you think…”

“Inappropriate? Let me explain.” Luna gracefully levitated the cup to her lips and sipped on the liquid. Twilight let the teapot rest on the center of the blanket and sniffed on her own drink before sipping on it. It was just some simple vanilla tea. “I am not as well versed in these magics as I would like to be, but this teapot is more than it seems. Lord Talonhart gave it to you knowing this.

“Its pure white color is almost an invitation for spirits. I assure you, this is something only harmless spirits will accept. Through this, they can communicate with us.”

“Actually…” Twilight giggled nervously. “I wanted to ask if it wasn’t dirty on the inside.”

“Maybe.” Luna said nonchalantly as she vigorously drank her tea. Twilight stared wide eyed at her own, but before she could do anything else, she heard a melodious laugh. “I’m just pulling your leg.”

“Of… of course.” Twilight continued giggling, not quite convinced. “So… how will they ‘communicate’ with us? Why is it an invitation?” Luna raised a brow, as if Twilight had broken her out of some train of thought.

“Ah, I assure you, you will see soon enough. I don’t like spoiling surprises.” Luna calmly took a sip and licked her lips. She must really like vanilla tea. “I am rather fond of the expressions you make when you’re confused.” The statement took Twilight with her guard down, making her unable to come up with a response as her cheeks turned redder and redder.

Eventually, silence enveloped the both of them again. Uncomfortable, Twilight couldn’t bear to let her eyes near Luna’s figure. She kept pondering what Luna was up to. Luna’s behavior around her had changed ever since the remark at lunch, or maybe… Luna had always thrown these little hints at her, but Twilight never noticed them until the matter of somepony being interested in her was brought up.

Was she really this dense? No wonder she was single, even if she was now an alicorn and even she, the self-proclaimed queen of modesty, couldn’t deny how… attractive and regal she looked. If anyone threw her mysteries, adventure, or evil, powerful creatures trying to take over Equestria, she'd handle it with grace, but romance...

Twilight admitted she wouldn’t get anywhere if she didn’t ask directly, as much as the thought sent her heart into a frenzy and made the butterflies in her stomach throw bachelorette parties. She took a deep breath and willed her jaw to open and her vocal chords to let her voice out. After a few seconds of self-convincing and ignoring the thumping in her chest, she was ready.

But before she could even begin her question, she felt something creep up her back. A sudden movement from the teacup in front of her startled her and she shut her eyes instinctively. The next thing she felt was a warm liquid splashing all over her face and chest. 

“T-Twilight.” She heard Luna mutter in disbelief. Before Twilight could use her hoof to wipe away the hot tea, she felt a cloth being gently pressed against her cheeks and eyelids. “Better?” Twilight opened her eyes to meet the sight of Luna trying and failing to conceal her amusement and glared at her. To her side, a hoofkerchief levitated in her magical hold. “I give you my word that it wasn’t me.”

“But if it wasn’t you, then…” Twilight jumped to Luna’s side, glaring at the spot she had been sitting at and readying a spell. When her gaze met emptiness, she let the energy that was gathering at the tip of her horn dissipate and her haunches fell to the grass next to Luna.

“Relax, Twilight.” Yet another surprise. A warm and firm mantle of feathers was wrapped around her back and pulled her close to the warmer indigo body next to her. “Neither Celestia nor I would let any harm befall you, and you have showed us and all of Equestria how capable you are on your own.”

Twilight could think of a hundred and one reasons she wasn’t capable of carrying her own weight. If Shining Armor hadn’t joined the Royal Canterlot Guards and met Cadance, they would still be sharing a room. Separate beds, of course. If she had never hatched Spike, she would’ve become Princess Bookworm instead. She would never have even gotten to be Celestia’s student, or met Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack or Fluttershy. And without those five mares, she would never have saved Equestria as many times as she did, she would never have become a princess even if she still couldn’t fully embrace the role, and Princess Luna would never have been freed from Nightmare Moon.

Maybe it was just a thing of getting too much credit, but Twilight still believed she was far from safe on her own.

“We should call it a night. Or a morning.” Luna said with a chuckle and started towards the entrance. Twilight sat there for a few seconds with her eyes wide and following Luna. The picnic blanket and the tea set had disappeared, including that certain white teapot.

Shaking her head, she realized staying behind, alone, in a place where possibly dangerous activity had happened was becoming a habit.

“W-wait! Luna!”
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle walked alone through the dark hallways. Through the windows, some broken and others whole, she could see the night sky slowly becoming lighter and lighter as the time for sunrise approached. 

Squinting her eyes, Twilight realized she had been walking for quite some time and had not reached the turning point. It was not visible in the distance either. The hallway just went on forever and ever, progressively getting darker and darker as there were no more windows or doors. The only sound was the echoing clatter of hooves hitting stone.

Twilight turned, hoping to see the way back to the main entrance, only to find the same empty stone walls stretching into the distance. 

“H-hello?” She tried calling for anyone, but she received no answer. Her head lowered and her wings pressed further against her body. 

Then, she fell to her haunches with a groan. She had only wanted to take a shower before going to bed to remove the tea from her coat, so instead of going to her bedroom, she went to the left wing of the castle where the shower was located, but this had to happen. The scent of vanilla was too strong for her liking, and the sticky sensation left on her made it extremely unpleasant to press herself against her blanket.

Suddenly, as if she had summoned the liquid, the air was filled with the smell of vanilla, soon followed by the sound of a… waterfall?

Twilight’s ears perked up. The sound came from behind her and seemed to grow louder and louder. When she turned around, she found a wave of tea crashing through the hallway, racing towards her. It didn’t take another second for Twilight to gallop as fast as she could and away from the tsunami of tea, shrieking as she went.

But her attempts were futile. The wave was faster than Twilight’s hooves, even if her alicorn transformation had made them slightly longer and stronger. She closed her eyes in anticipation, feeling drops of tea landing on her coat and hearing the roaring practically next to her ear.

Instead of being carried away by an overwhelming current of liquid, the equivalent of a bucket of tea hit her. Twilight slowly ceased her galloping and brushed her wet bangs out of her field of vision with a disgusted noise. She noticed her heart thumping fast and hard against her ribcage, and her accelerated breathing. Opening her eyes, she saw the dark hallway was back, as silent and uneventful as ever.

These ghosts had quite the nerve to be playing such pranks on her, Twilight thought with a deep frown. However, at least it seemed to be over since the hallway was back to normal, with its doors and stained windows. That is, until she looked closer.

The vines and plants were more abundant in the place, and she could practically feel the spiders on the ceiling crawling on her own coat. There was far more rubble scattered across the floor, some formed piles that forced Twilight to use her wings. It was as if Piece or Lord Talonhart had never cleaned this place up.

Suddenly, Twilight heard a bodiless voice.

I was a young griffon. My parents and I were running away. They didn’t say why at the time, but we had to hide here.

“Hello? Where are you?” Twilight was too focused to figure out what was going on to feel fear. She turned to every direction, scanned every dark corner, but no source could be identified. The young genderless voice came from everywhere… and nowhere at the same time.

I really loved magic. I liked to read about it. But griffons have no magic. I envied unicorns. Ponies in general, even. I still do.

A splashing sound echoed behind Twilight, which made her jump slightly and turn in its direction. She saw a small puddle of dark liquid in the shape of a claw print, soon followed by a paw print.  Several more appeared, leading further into the hallway. Twilight recognized the path to the dining room and gulped, deciding to follow the prints.

My parents were poor. They couldn’t afford books for me. So I stole them. Stealing got us our daily bread and water. If they could do that, why couldn’t I?

Eventually, Twilight made it in front of the ancient dining room’s doors, which somehow looked even older. Before she could think of using her magic, an invisible force opened them for her.

She saw a griffon sitting at the far end of the table. Its tongue was stuck out in concentration as it scanned the page of the book in front and wrote notes down on an old piece of paper with a pen. There were two stacks of three or four books and an ink bottle resting on the table. The griffon stopped writing momentarily to scratch its own head, only to find the pen had broken. With a groan and a shrug, it stretched one of its wings and grabbed a new one.

“Um, hi! Can you hear me?” Twilight walked closer to the table with her gaze fixed on the unresponsive griffon. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and-“

I was brilliant. Nobody saw that. It was less likely that ponies would. They cast everyone who didn’t have hooves or muzzle away. Anyone who was different. But I was brilliant and I knew it.

“This has to work!” The young griffon said to itself and, before Twilight could react, it batted its wings and bolted out of the dining room through the door behind it.

“Hey! Wait!” Twilight followed with a powerful flap of her own wings. The fact that she was not an experienced flier, which forced her to go slower in the narrow hallway, was not much of a problem thanks to the castle’s straightforward design. 

This mansion, or castle, was really strange. We lived in the first floor because the second one had a seal of sorts. You couldn’t fly and enter through the cracks and holes in the walls. I tried, then blacked out. Mom was really mad at me.

Twilight entered the main entrance and softly landed on her hooves. It didn’t take long to find the griffon at the top of one of the two staircases, staring at the door, then at its notes. The griffon brought its claw to its forehead and huffed, then flew down and landed between the two staircases.

This part of the castle had already been raided in the past. There was not much left for us. But I was sure nobody, or nothing, could’ve entered the upper floor before. So it must’ve been filled with food, or clean beds and a shower. The first floor had… disturbing things in its rooms.

The seal was magical, but I had no magic, only the knowledge of how to use it. I believed I had the correct runes. I double checked. The only way I could get any access to any form of magic was through prayers. It helped that I had not grown in my kingdom. Griffons are very proud of their gods, or very envious of the physical presence of yours.

With one sharp claw, the griffon began to carve runes into the moonlit cobblestone. The strength and precision of the claw amazed Twilight, who had walked closer to look over the griffon’s shoulder. When the griffon was done, it clasped its claws together, and after a few seconds, it vanished into the air. It had taken a second or two for Twilight to realize, being too focused on examining the runes. She took a few steps backwards when the moonlight drastically changed into sunlight, and the griffon reappeared inside the chamber to redraw the runes and pray once more.

I prayed to the moon and to the sun. I did this for three days.

Twilight watched with a slack jaw and wide eyes as the griffon appeared and disappeared, redrawing runes and praying. 

And eventually, I was heard.

As the griffon prayed to the moon, the air above the carved runes began crackling with white energy, and this same white light began tracing each line. The runes began floating from the ground and further up into the air, leaving the floor intact. Then, each line and curve began reorganizing itself, jumping from rune to rune to form new ones, and the new shapes began floating towards either door.

“There are two different seals... and they have to be broken with the same spell…” Twilight whispered to herself in realization. The griffon had stood from its place and stepped backwards, almost next to Twilight, to watch the spectacle with a smile on its beak full of excitement.

However, as the runes inched closer and closer to the doors, they disappeared into thin air, one by one. The smile on the young griffon gradually disappeared, until all that was left was a deep frown. It groaned, stomping the floor with its claws and paws, and flew out of the castle, leaving a wrinkled sheet of paper behind.

Twilight shook her head to wake up from stupor. She had seen everything, from the floating runes to the angry griffon, and it had all shaken her. Noticing the piece of paper lying on the floor, she walked towards it and levitated it with her magic closer to her eyes.

The messy writing and nonsensical sketches reminded her of her own, which brought a small smile to her face.

“Twilight Sparkle.” 

Twilight flinched and lifted her gaze from the paper to find Princess Luna walking towards her from the other side of the room. Eager for some responsive company and answers, Twilight finished closing the distance between them.

“Luna! Do you know what’s going on here?” 

“I do.” She giggled. “This is how the spirts communicate with us.”

“So this griffon is one of the spirits?” Luna nodded.

“Though I believe it has not finished its story just yet.” 

Those doors were not worth what I had done. It was all my fault.

More tea prints appeared on the floor, leading to one of the doors that led into the hallway. The mares followed them until they arrived at the kitchen. Dust, spider webs, and plants robbed this place of the hygiene that was essential for cooking. However, in the darkness, both princesses recognized an item that seemed to shine in the darkness. A pure white teapot.

My parents had been arguing. I knew something horrible was going to happen, but I was in denial. Mom was tired. Tea always cheered her up, so I left her side to prepare her some with whatever I found.

The griffon materialized into the room with a candle in its claw. It searched every cabinet, until it found something in which to boil the water. Next to the teapot, a worn out box of tea appeared. Twilight and Luna watched the griffon’s every movement as it prepared its mother’s tea. It grabbed a slightly bent tray to put the teapot with the prepared tea and a teacup on, but just as it wrapped its claw, which Twilight noticed right that instant had a malformation that was easy to overlook, around the teapot, it suddenly gasped and fell limp onto the ground with a loud thud.

Twilight gasped, forgetting that the scenario that played before her was not real, but just before she could jump closer, a pony walked out from the shadows. The fire that fell from the griffon’s claw and now spread through the room illuminated its features. There was a malice in its eyes, a thirst for revenge, and a pride in its smile that Twilight had never witnessed in such a normal looking pony.

“L-Luna.” Twilight glanced back at her companion with shaky, shallow breaths and a thumping heart. Luna’s teal eyes were grimly fixed on the scene before her, the fire reflecting in her eyes. She shook her head; there was nothing they could do.

I wish I had died right then and there.

The darkness around them consumed the whole kitchen, until the fire dimmed into nothingness. 

Silence ensued, until more splashes could be heard. The new prints led towards a pair of tall ornate wooden doors covered in vines, which Twilight faintly recognized. She and Luna shared a glance and followed the unspoken instruction.

It was the door that led to the courtyard. They found the griffon facing away from them, standing in front of two fresh graves. It turned around slowly and faced them both. Its tired, emotionless gaze was making Twilight increasingly uncomfortable and nervous, but just before she could speak up, the griffon beat her to it.

“We were runaways. My parents had stolen from a nearby village. Had I not stolen those books from those nobles, nobody would’ve ever known. But we were soon blamed for each and every incident. More than half of the cases were not ours.” As it spoke, their surroundings faded into black again.

“So the village took justice in its own hands. An angry mob entered the castle. It was easy to do this, there were plenty of holes in the outer walls. While I was only knocked unconscious, my parents were both killed.”

“What about you?” Luna asked with an even voice. Its bluntness earned a surprised stare from Twilight.

“I didn’t last any longer without food.”

Silence passed between them. The griffon just stared at them, emotionless, and Luna held its gaze. With a shaky voice, Twilight spoke up.

“I-Is there… anything we can do for you?” The griffon huffed and rolled its eyes.

“Stay with my research notes. I just want those seals undone.”

Twilight couldn’t help but quirk a brow. She had expected something deeper and heavier for a last wish, but what tied this soul into their realm was a very underwhelming desire. The griffon turned around and walked away into nothingness.

“So… what now?” Twilight asked Luna, but she received no response. “Lu-“ But when she looked beside her, she realized she was alone in the dark emptiness. 
However, a familiar roaring sound reached her ears and, when she turned around, she was met with another tall wave of vanilla tea.

“Not again…”
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon sun hit Twilight Sparkle’s face, forcing her to close her eyes shut after trying to wake up from the strangest dream ever. She groaned and covered her head with her blanket; exhaustion consumed her body as if she had not slept at all, so there was nothing she wanted more than to close her eyes again. However, the fabric trapped the smell of vanilla tea that emanated from her coat. With a louder groan and her magic’s strong pull, she threw the blanket off herself and across the room.

“I am never going to drink vanilla tea again.”

“You have an eternity to find that out, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight’s eyes opened wide and she sat up abruptly. There, sitting by the vanity and reading a familiar piece of crumpled paper she held magically, sat Princess Luna. 

“Luna!” She swiftly got down from the bed to greet the princess as properly as she could with her hair in an afro. “Um, good morning! I’m sorry about the mess.”

“I believe this room was already messy to begin with.” Only when Luna levitated a strawberry to her mouth did Twilight notice the tray with pancakes and fruit salad resting on the vanity. The scent of the freshly cooked meal made her much more aware of the empty pit that her stomach was. “Talonhart’s servant prepared you some late breakfast. She is currently occupied, so I took the task to deliver your meal safely.”

“So you’ve been standing guard. Over my breakfast.” Twilight deadpanned with a raked brow.

“If you put it that way…” Luna shrugged with a small smile, her eyes never leaving the scribbled paper. No matter how many times Twilight tried to remember where she saw it, she was only met with a growing headache. “We have a lot to discuss.”

“We… do?” Suddenly, it all came back to her. Twilight’s eyes widened; that paper contained the griffon’s research notes. “W-wait, so last night-“ 

“You could call that a dream, but it was very real. And this paper here, too.” Twilight wanted to walk closer to Luna just to inspect it herself, but then she remembered.

“Um, yes. I would absolutely love to have a very in-depth conversation about that, but, you see…” Twilight’s eyes darted from place to place. They were hard to keep away from the delicious looking breakfast, the research paper, and Luna herself, but it was harder to come up with a delicate way to say what she needed to. “I… need a shower.”

The comment made Luna’s eyes snap up from the paper, mouth slightly agape, but it didn’t take long for her to break into giggles.

“I won’t stop you. I will be waiting at the dining room.”





After filling her stomach and taking a long awaited shower, Twilight made her way to the dining room. Every inch of herself felt infinitely refreshed and her coat smelled of the sweet lavender soap she had fortunately remembered to pack. She was supposed to be upbeat and happy, with a renewed motivation for solving this ghost ordeal, but instead, a frightened and agitated Twilight almost tore the doors from their frame as she ran inside the dining room and shut them close behind her.

“Twilight!” Luna stood from her seat and trotted closer to Twilight, who stared at the door with wide eyes as she tried to catch her breath. “Is something the matter?"

“As… as I walked here, there were… vines. Living vines… that grew at an abnormal rate. They wrapped around my hooves and tried to… This is like another Everfree Forest!” 

Luna delicately placed an indigo wing around Twilight and gently guided her to a seat next to hers. The presence of the tranquil alicorn calmed Twilight’s heartbeats enough for her to focus on her surroundings. In front of her she saw books primarily dealing with magic, and even the cursed teapot that had returned to its pure white state, but what caught her eye was a diagram drawn on a very old looking parchment located at the very center of the table.

“What is this?” Twilight spoke in a hushed voice, as if she were talking to herself. Her breath had calmed down considerably, if not completely, taken away by the diagrams drawn on the parchment.

“It is a representation of our world and how it works.” Luna said, returning to her seat. “I will get to this, eventually, but for now you should ask any other questions you may have.”

Twilight scratched her chin in thought. She had many, many questions, but no idea of where to begin.

“Last night’s... ‘dream.’ Did it happen because we drank that tea before going to bed?” Luna simply nodded. Some seconds of silence passed, but the explanation Twilight expected never came. “Um… it doesn’t have any marks anymore.”

“The spirit said what it had to say. Now we can only wait for another one to appear.” Twilight’s ears went down to her skull. Did that mean more tea?

“Griffons… they usually have four claws. This one had five.” She said to herself as she scrutinized the teapot. It was probably a malformation that had little to no relevance, but it still fascinated her. Suddenly, her ears perked up and she gasped, then she looked at Luna, who already had her muzzle buried in a book, with obvious excitement. “You can pray to the Sun and Moon for magic?”

Luna looked up from her book to stare at Twilight with an indecipherable expression.

“No. I just happened to… be on the moon at the time.” Luna closed her book and stared at the distance with furrowed brows. Again, Twilight had to resist groaning in frustration, having reminded Luna of bitter times once more. “I seem to be recalling something…The moon can be beautiful to admire, but it is quite a lonely place. At least for the lone pony who knows it inside and out. So I could reach out to the earth below me and just… listen.”

“When this griffon was ‘praying’, I must have heard him. Or her.” Luna chuckled. “By then, I was joyous somepony, or somebody was doing such silly rituals for me instead of my sister. I suppose I weaved the spell for it from afar, both for my own amusement and perhaps as a desperate attempt to have someone spread the word of how the moon everyone used to be afraid of aided somebody who called out for it.”

“Did you… recognize the spell? Did you know if it would work?” Twilight asked carefully, trying to stay away from the personal side of Luna’s story.

“Spell grammar isn’t the first thing in your mind when you’re trapped in the moon to regret and coexist with the wicked being who ruined your life for a thousand years.” Luna stated nonchalantly, opening her book back to the page she had been on. Twilight winced in response, which Luna noticed and made her look up from her book to give her friend a soft gaze. “I… am sorry if I am being terribly blunt and making you uncomfortable. Given the circumstances, I am aware of how unsettling it must be to hear me speak, but you must know that I have long since buried that bitterness and I am nothing but an open book, especially for a dear friend.”

“I… thank you, Luna.” The two mares had content smiles on their faces, and the lavender coat of one turned redder by the second. 

“However, please do tell me when the term ‘dear friend’ no longer suffices.”

If Twilight had been drinking tea right then and there, she would’ve done a very clichéd spit -take. Partly because of the surprise, and then because the coughing fit served as a distraction. However, Twilight could do nothing else but stupidly stare at Luna with burning red cheeks, and then giggle.

“R-right. About that.” The thumping in her chest which came along with this topic returned. If a ghost was going to interrupt again, it had to do so soon, or so Twilight wished. She cleared her throat and collected her words while Luna stared at her with a glint of curiosity in her eye.

“Yes? Go on,” Luna insisted.

“U-um, what you said… yesterday. About being… interested in me. Did you mean it?”

“I don’t remember ever saying that.”

Color drained from Twilight’s face. Her eyes were fixed on the books and drawings on the table until they found the teapot. Air did not leave or enter her lungs, and her heart seemed to have disappeared. Or died, due to a dangerous mixture of shame and disappointment.

“Oh.”

“But I suppose I did imply it. It is true.” 

Twilight swiftly raised her gaze with a gasp. Almost instantly, all life came back to her; a blush replaced her paleness and the thumping against her ribs was back.

“I-I see.” Twilight struggled to not become a nervous wreck or a giggling mess, and tried to come up with something to say in response. 

This had all been somewhat expected, but at the same time it wasn’t. Whatever it was, Twilight was completely unprepared. Why had she let Spike convince her not to take any romance novels with her? 

When she snapped back into the real world, she found Luna was still staring at her expectantly, awaiting an answer to her confession. It would’ve been much easier to say something if Twilight only knew just what Luna had admitted to.

“I have… always admired you, Luna.” When she realized it, words were flowing out of her mouth. Her voice was low and hoarse. “You were a mystery to me. You intrigued me ever since you were just a mere fairytale, or a faint outline in the moon. At Nightmare Night, I ached to… interrogate you about everything, but even after getting to know you a little better as a pony, you were still… somewhat intimidating.”

“I apologize for that.” Luna giggled as she traced the leather cover of the book in front of her with a hoof. “I received the short end of the stick regarding charisma skills. Unlike before, I am currently uninterested in competing against my sister.”

“Right! That’s the thing! I didn’t know you before, so I… sort of expected you to… be a darker version of Princess Celestia?” Twilight explained, stumbling over her words and retreating further into her seat. A knot tightened in her stomach when she saw a faint scowl taking over Luna’s features.

“You wouldn’t be the first.” 

“But I have gotten to know you now, and you can’t be defined only because of your differences. You’re warm, friendly, loyal, trusting, knowledgeable…”

“You are so expressive, Twilight.” 

“A-and you’re so hard to read!”

Luna gazed right into Twilight’s eyes, which sent shivers through her spine.

“Why read when you can ask? We are close friends, not children of feudal lords, forced to court when we know nothing of each other.”  Luna broke their eye contact, closed her eyes, and sighed. “I am following Celestia’s advice, or rather, request, and trying this ‘opening up’ business out. Right now, Twilight Sparkle, I can assure you that I will answer any question you may have with utmost sincerity and patience.”

Luna’s gaze lowered to the book.

“However, I understand if you still see Nightmare Moon in my eyes, despite all that has happened between us since then.” 

“Of course I don’t, Luna!” Trusting her chances, Twilight scooted closer to Luna and briefly pressed her cheek against the soft coat of her neck. “You have been a great friend and I appreciate this trust you place in me. I just… this is all so new to me. I feel like I’m reverting to my old self, stuttering, shying away…” She sighed and met Luna’s gaze with renewed confidence. “But… I feel the same way about you.”

“Do not misinterpret my words. I do not wish to force you into anything you disagree with.” Luna said with a frown, but it changed into a gentle smile. “It does make me glad to hear that.”

“I… yes.” Both princesses remained silent in their seats for the next minutes, doing some reading on their own. Twilight had been too flustered at first, but it didn’t take her long to focus on some actual reading for once.

She had forgotten how relaxing it was with everything happening around her and interrupting her thought processes. This conversation had brought enough peace to an area of her mind, which was more than enough.

Briefly lifting her eyes from her book, she noticed another ancient piece of parchment on the table; the griffon’s scribblings. Closing her book, Twilight magically brought it closer to her. She was amazed by how many things could fit in a single piece of paper and still be somewhat readable.

It was more of a translation than anything. Twilight remembered the faintly glowing runes on the door. The griffon had attempted to translate them into modern language, revealing very vague and ambiguous instructions. Something about stone, stars, and… faith.

On the back of the page there was the actual spell, and the actual cluttering of words and drawings. The handwriting was incredibly small, but still intelligible. As Twilight read on, she was more and more amazed at how a creature without magic could come up with such things. How could he or she have even tested the runes? Did Luna have to perform the spell for it multiple times?

Twilight ached to go back to her room and analyze this spell further, along with the runes on the sealed doors. Perhaps she could get the correct spell and the griffon would be able to rest in peace. 

With a shake of her head, Twilight reminded herself she would be able to do this later. There were still things she had to know, like the diagram in the center of the table.

“I was hoping you would explain this, Luna,” said Twilight, levitating the parchment closer to herself.

A wheel was shown; in the outer surface, there was grass, mountains, and seas. Ponies, dragons, griffons, and many other creatures walked and flew along it with clouds soaring over them. In the inner part of the wheel, were ghostly images of these same creatures walking in an opposite direction. Faint lines were drawn from them towards a circle in the center. At the sides of the wheel, there notes and arrows drawn, but they were hard to make out.

“Indeed. Thank you for the reminder.” Luna stood from her seat. “Now that you are an alicorn-“

Just before Twilight could receive her long awaited answer, the dining room’s doors opened, revealing a regal white alicorn. Princess Celestia strode inside with elegance. She, unlike her sister, still wore her golden regalia, minus her crown.

“Good afternoon, my little ponies.” Twilight’s ears perked up at seeing her mentor on an informal occasion, so she didn’t hesitate to trot towards her to nuzzle her white neck. “How has your stay been, Twilight?”

“It has been…” She contemplated her answer. Looking back at Luna, she recalled everything that had happened up to that point. 

What had only been two days felt like an eternity, and seeing Celestia again made her feel like a young unicorn again, when she used to arrange visits to Canterlot and convince Spike to watch over the library while she was gone. Back then, she used to be barely tall enough to barely reach Celestia’s chest, but becoming an alicorn had added a few inches to her height. Twilight felt old.

However, when she focused on Luna herself, she noticed her neutral expression was almost a… scowl. It was as if their discussion a few moments ago had not happened at all. Twilight returned her gaze to Celestia, who was still smiling down at her. Even her simple glance felt like hours of pondering a proper, yet truthful answer.

“…eventful. But we have everything under control.” Twilight confidently assured her with a smile and a slight puff of her chest. However, a question Twilight had not had the chance to answer popped into her mind. “Though, I do have to ask… This castle looks heavily damaged, wouldn’t it be more convenient to find a new one?”

“Hm? I trusted Lulu here would explain.” Celestia said with raised brows, directing her magenta eyes at Luna.

“I was, but we got terribly sidetracked. And interrupted.” Luna answered, walking closer to the two other alicorns. Twilight tried to hold her blush back in order to keep Celestia, who eyed them both suspiciously, from making any audacious comments.

“I see.” She smiled, seemingly content with the reply. “I suppose a lesson wouldn’t hurt.”

Twilight let the excitement show on her face. Another lesson, even after her graduation? This confirmed that whatever the circular diagram meant, it was going to be very important. 

In a matter of minutes, the three princesses arranged the books on one side of the table while they occupied the other, Celestia sitting at the very end with Twilight and Luna next to her, facing each other. The older sister nodded to the younger and their horns lit with the fires of their magic, conjuring an illusion at the center of the table. Twilight stared intently, trying her best to ignore the nostalgia bubbling up in her chest; the last time Celestia had done this was when she was a filly, but Luna had not been present.

Twilight focused all of her five senses on the illusion and on her former mentor’s voice.





“Our world is governed by a cycle of balance.”

Shining strands of magic formed the shape of the wheel. Clouds moved, ponies walked, griffons and dragons flew through the skies. In the inner part, the ghost creatures strode on and lost their shape as they went, light emanating from them and traveling to a bright ball in the very center.

“When a living thing is born, be it a pony, griffon, dragon, animal, or plant, they contain equal amounts of what we have come to call ‘harmony’ and ‘chaos.’”

The wheel dissolved and a small foal was shown, exploring his surroundings, sniffing flowers and playing with animals.

“As this being grows and explores our world, this inborn balance will experience constant change. By the end of its life, its soul will walk through purgatory. It is not what you believe it is, however.”

The small foal began trotting, greeting every creature he passed by. As his journey continued, the foal grew into a stallion, and his life went on until he became an old pony that dissolved into dust. This dust formed a ghostly silhouette of the stallion, looking around himself. The plants, animals, and creatures were gone. Only darkness surrounded him.

“It will walk its circular path, and as it does, its influences over the world will be transferred to our world, be they positive or negative. The soul will start to lose the shape of its previous container, and its levels of chaos and harmony will revert back to neutrality.”

The stallion walked on as the voice continued its tale, his outline dissolving more and more until it was reduced to a floating ball of light as the dust left him and transferred to a shining ball of energy above him.

“The world will use this energy to maintain its own cycles, and the cleansed soul will go back to the surface to take on a new body.”

Around the ball of energy, a new foal began to materialize, and it began to explore the world around him, just like his predecessor. 

“In a way, both animate and inanimate objects are a manifestation of the world keeping its balance and maintaining itself. Both wind and life keep the wheel constantly turning. However, one cannot live without the other. For life to be created, earth has to provide some of its energy, but it will always get it back at the end.”

The complete spinning wheel was shown again, illustrating the very same cycle of death and rebirth as before.

“However, for this to happen, the soul has to part from the body and pass on to purgatory. If it never does, then it will keep this energy for itself. Without this energy, the world won’t be able to maintain itself, and without this, we may lose valuable resources for our survival.”

The wheel slowly rotted away, leaving shining dust that disappeared into the heavens.





“This is why putting the spirits of this castle to rest is a very important task. There is no doubt there might be more than one haunted house in Equestria, but I can feel the increased concentration of energy here, which has been ignored for far too long.”

“Yes. Do not fret, Twilight. We are not here as cleaning maids for Talonhart.”

Twilight was far too preoccupied by absorbing every piece of information she had just been provided to giggle at Luna’s joke. The sisters bickered on, Celestia saying something about manners and Luna snorting in response.

“Wait, so what about alicorns? They- we live forever, so there is no way we can pass on our energy to the world.” She interrupted, making Celestia and Luna share a glance.

“Have you noticed how we need pegasi to regulate weather, while in other parts of the world no such thing is needed?” Twilight nodded in response to Celestia’s question.

“That is because of us. The same applies to the Sun, Moon, and stars. The energy the world used to perform these tasks on its own was spent on our creation and as such, we had to take over.”

“Now, Twilight, I must request you keep this information to yourself. This cycle is something that could be exploited by evil minds. Only the highest ranks in royalty all over the world know this.”

“Understood.” Twilight answered with a nod, but her mind was far too busy. Concern washed over her, had her question earlier been too insensitive? Looking for another place for Lord Talonhart certainly seemed like the way to go, considering the occurrences in the castle.

However, these were tormented souls of creatures that had been trapped for over a millennium; they deserved peace, whether the world needed the energy or not, or if the castle had to be occupied or not. 

And if Twilight could give them that, then that’s what she would do. Suddenly, this seemed like the way to go; everypony- no, everybody would be happy, though the reconstruction of this old castle still sounded like an expensive and ambitious project. Wouldn’t rebuilding be better, anyway?

Celestia stood from her seat and began slowly walking towards the door.

“Well, I am afraid I must go; Lord Talonhart and I have a meeting arranged. Originally I had planned to come along to see you briefly, Twilight, but it has been a pleasure to teach you once more.” She looked back and winked at Twilight.

“It was my pleasure to be taught, Princess.” Twilight said, resisting a giggle, standing up and curtsying. 

Even as a princess, the formality between her and Celestia had not disappeared, but it had become a light hearted little game they held to reminisce about the old days when she was still a unicorn under her tutelage. 

“Celestia, where are you holding this meeting of yours?” Luna had walked closer to her sister with a knowing look.

“Well, in our ro-“

“Can we discuss this matter outside? In private?” The anger was visible in Luna’s features. She had extended her wings in a desperate attempt to somehow block the scene from Twilight’s view and to usher Celestia outside the room. “I will be back shortly,” Luna added, glancing back at Twilight.

When the doors closed, Twilight found herself alone once more, something that she appreciated for once. As much as she would’ve liked to spend more time with Luna, there was nothing she wanted more than to sit and analyze ancient runes like she used to. However, she did wonder what had made Luna so angry, but the sister’s business was theirs and theirs alone.

Twilight smiled contentedly and made her way to her seat, but before she could get any closer, the ground below her began to tremble, and cracking sounds rumbled in the room. As they grew louder and louder, Twilight could identify they came from the very center, right below the table.

Suddenly, thick, long vines shot from the ground, tearing the stone floor apart, and less than a second later, splitting the wooden dining table into two, sending every book, paper, and teapot, flying into the air.

The teapot.

Twilight willed her magic to catch it in mid-air and conjured a magical shield around herself. Her wings had instinctively wrapped around herself in protection. The magenta-colored field deflected shards of wood and stone that flew in her direction. When the shield was reluctantly brought down, a wall of dust fell around Twilight.

She stared in awe at the destruction that had taken place in mere seconds with a slack jaw. In place of the table, there were three enormous vines protruding from the ground with big, sharp thorns lining them. Destroyed chairs, rubble and torn book pages covered the floor. Then, Twilight remembered the teapot in her telekinetic hold.
It had another mark. This time, it was a big circle of the dust-like substance that encompassed one third of the white surface of the teapot.

Seconds later, the doors crashed open, revealing the alarmed sisters plus an agitated Piece of Wheel with a stack of papers in her magical horn. Twilight’s head snapped in their direction, thinking it was some other monstrosity springing from the floor. Before any of the three ponies could ask any questions, they stopped to stare at the three vines and the destruction around them with horror and shock. A booming, raspy voice made the three occupants flinch.

“And I had grown rather fond of that table…”
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

An odd sort of power struggle tugged and pulled among the ancient beings in the dining room. Twilight, despite being shaken by the sudden violence of nature erupting into the room, felt that intoxicating flutter of adventure bristle every hair on her coat. The new marking on the teapot announced the arrival of another spirit requesting to speak with them. It was teatime.

Then there was Princess Luna, steely and determined. She cantered up to Twilight and looked her up and down. "Are you alright?"

"I'm perfect!" She perked up and puffed her chest. The cursed teapot levitated next to her face. "We should establish contact with this new spirit ASAP!" The mad scientist in her reared forwards. Luna recoiled, a bit surprised with a dash of endeared.

Entered Princess Celestia, eternal and brilliant, seizing the room under her command as she stepped between the two ponies. "Now, now. Are we sure we should be jumping into this so recklessly?" Magenta eyes fell upon the pile of ancient lumber and splinters, once a royal dining table. "This has gone far beyond being a simple Nightmare Night fright."

"Sister..." Luna began, frown set and groaning. "Now you think to worry about vines and spirits? Quit whatever game you're playing. You relinquished authority over this mission long ago."

Celestia was taken aback by this hostility. "Little sister!"

Luna slammed her hoof down. "Go back to reliving your glory days with Talonhart, won't you?"

Then a large, thundering voice rumbled through the brick. "Cease!"

Lord Talonhart slithered his neck over them, lowering his large draconic head into the conversation. He scolded the sisters. "I am not going to watch you bicker like you did not just have the greatest sibling fight of all time in the last millennia!" Then, to Twilight's horror, he turned to look her way. "As your host, I declare our little princess gets to decide how you'll proceed."

"M-me?" The three sets of eyes staring at her didn't object. "Me. Okay." Twilight released a shaky breath. Conjuring her imagination, she tried to replace the princesses for her dear friends, and the giant dragon for her adorable tiny Spike. It helped. Marginally. She gathered resolve. "We'll meet tonight to commune with this spirit! Princess Celestia, if you want to join us your help would be much appreciated."

The sisters side eyed one another. Only a beat later did the motherly mask slide back onto Celestia's gentle beauty. She smiled and nodded. Princess Luna rolled her eyes.

"Until then- I'm going to take another look around the castle with Piece of Wheel." However, the mare was nowhere to be seen. 


Who could blame her? She was only a unicorn servant stuck in a haunted castle filled with all sorts of volatility. Piece of Wheel was nothing short of a nervous wreck. Twilight understood, even though it had been quite a while since she last felt so dainty.

With a burst of magic, Twilight dismissed the white teapot to her room. She wandered the halls of the decrepit castle as strong, thick vines crept along the crumbling walls, constricting, grinding down. Perhaps agitating the spirits was accelerating the chaotic energy trapped in this area of the forest. Sooner rather than later the castle would be consumed, whether or not the princesses were in it. It made Twilight all the more worried for Piece of Wheel, the only vulnerable civilian in this equation; she had to find her.

"Piece of Wheel?" Twilight called out to the empty halls. "It's only me! Twilight Sparkle! I know the Royal Sisters are a little intimidating...I've been there. Trust me." She chuckled. Some days more than others were the sisters so much larger than life itself. "I need your help. Your knowledge of the castle is extremely valuable! And so are your gadgets!"

The further the investigation progressed the more Twilight realized the issue would require magical finesse more than any other skill. However, the books did point to certain gadgets- such as Piece of Wheel's camera- as methods to trace the energy of lingering spirits. They could detect fluctuations in light and energy which evaded their limited pony senses. 

But Piece of Wheel remained elusive. Twilight felt a pit in her stomach, but she would have to abandon her search for the time being.

Instead she navigated towards the main hall of the castle. As the sun traveled across the sky, Twilight watched the canopy of the surrounding forest reject sunlight as did the layout of the castle. Most windows faced westward, petulantly refusing the strongest hours of daytime radiance. The glass dome set atop the main hall's roof was largely obscured by leaves and moss clinging on. Mosaics of sunlight filtered through, precious droplets of warmth in this wet, musty castle.

Twilight climbed up one of the twin stairs leading up to the upstairs platform, bordering along the circumference of the main hall. She stared at the enchanted set of doors face to face. Her gaze lowered to the clobblestone floor directly in front of the doors. She recognized scratches etched in a pattern; the runes that poor griffon clawed into the stone as they pleaded for the moon's magic.

"I'll make this right." Twilight declared, filled with determination. "I can't bring your parents back, but I can finish what you started."

"Be careful."

Twilight gasped and whipped her head around, smacking herself with her own mane. A young, skinny griffon's wispy image materialized in the dust motes fluttering down through the rays of the sun. "You..."

The griffon's beak was scrunched with dread. "There's a terrible, angry spirit living past these doors. The more you prod, the more the forest will retaliate against you."

"Rest easy." Twilight assured. "We can handle this."

The griffon grimaced with skepticism. The shadow of a swooping bird cast over them, and they were gone.

Twilight contemplated the runes on the door. She thought of a griffon praying for its family. She thought of Luna answering said prayers from her cold, lonely seat mounted on her very own moon. The image was beautiful and heartwrenching. Then Twilight sat and poured over the griffon's notes until the sun came down.

She found it perplexing that these runes failed to crack the spell apart, and even more so, impressive that a non-magical being was capable of studying such an intricate enchantment. Twilight magicked a piece of chalk to her side and traced over the scratchy, faded engravings from centuries ago. The runes were restored just as she remembered from the dream. The next step was to cast them.

Thus Twilight channeled her own power forth. Her horn glowed, casting warm light where the dark of night now prevailed. In her focus she was oblivious to a fellow princess walking into the main hall, hooves clattering against the stone of the base floor like a whisper. 

The runes lifted from the chalk and swirled into the currents of Twilight's magic, flowing and stringing together one by one. One after the other, the runes touched the door and faded into the air.

When Twilight opened her eyes and her magic faded from her horn, she found...nothing happened at all. The doors stood unmoving, as did the faintly glowing runes on the wood, and the chalk drawn in front of her hooves was smudged away by a hasty, chastising force. "What? I..."

"Fascinating." Luna muttered a few feet back, loud enough to startle the younger alicorn. 

"Luna- Hi!" 

"Good evening to you." She offered, before turning her attention fully onto the magical problem at hoof. Her magic swept the ancient notes towards her eyes. "There's no reason why this spell shouldn't work."

"Exactly! I..." Twilight looked around, suddenly aware of her surroundings, and the time. "Oh, oh no, I must've lost track of time. Did I keep you and Celestia waiting? I'm so sorry-"

Luna lifted a silencing hoof as she pondered, the corner of her eye creasing the further she stared into the doors. Then, she shook her head and continued their exchange, "I can hardly blame your reluctance. We're not exactly pleasant company, my sister and I."

Twilight lowered her voice, aware of the echo. "There's still baggage. I understand. You don't just shrug off a thousand years...just like that."

"I resent how she's aged past me. Or...evolved, might be a better word." Luna sighed, gaze dropping. "She has all this experience...all these memories and knowledge. No matter how hard I try to catch up, I am obsolete."

"That's actual nonsense, Luna. I promise you." Twilight offered a reassurance, but it fell on a heart too wounded to be held together by a mere bandaid. "Let's just...do what we came here to do, okay? Focus on our mission. Sisterly quarrels aren't meant to be resolved in haunted, oppressive castles." She chuckled at the end. She would be the only one to find humor, as Luna sullenly turned away.

Yet, against Twilight's own judgement, she placed a comforting hoof on Luna's shoulder. "I believe in you." And she meant this from the bottom of her soul.

Luna smiled. A tiny blush tinted the dark coat of her cheeks. Twilight suddenly felt as if set on fire with embarrassment...and something else, something coiling in her chest sparked by the encapsulating teal in this mare's eye. Should she step back? Was she digging deeper into a boundary the more seconds ticked by with the two staring at each other so uselessly?

As if struck by the absurdity of it all, Luna giggled. She unfurled her wing and nudged the back of Twilight's neck with it. "Come along, you. Celestia is waiting."

Twilight nodded stiffly and the two set off into the castle. 

She didn't believe Celestia had truly joined them until they entered Luna's temporary quarters. There sat Celestia on a nest of velvet pillows befitting of a royal of her utmost status. The guest room had been cleaned to spotlessness, the linens fitted to the bed diligently and new curtains drawn for moonlight. A modest chandelier with five candles bathed the room in more comfortable, visible light. 

The sooty teapot waited in the middle of a circle of pillows missing two royal occupants. 

"There you are." Celestia drawled, flawless and fresh. "I was starting to think you'd gone on a rendezvous under the stars." She punctuated this with a wink.

"I'm really sorry, I lost track of time and-" Twilight blushed a few seconds after the mare next to her. "A-anyway."

Luna scrunched her nose at her sister, her eye twitched. Celestia laughed.

Foregoing any further pleasantries, the three alicorns sat around the teapot. Celestia was the one to pour a cleansing brew of peppermint into their teacups. Twilight observed her drink, rippling innocently as it exhaled gentle, curling vapors towards her muzzle. 

"Here's to hoping this spirit has a slightly less turbid story to tell. Considering I will be joining your dreamwalk tonight." Celestia elevated her wish to ghostly ears then took a shy sip. She appeared nonchalant, but her words hinted at reservations.

"And I hope you get the worst of it." Luna took a large gulp.

Twilight's eyes widened. "Luna! It's- the tea- it's scorching!" Yet she drank and drank, throwing it all back like hot whiskey. And when she was done, she lowered the porcelain gently, sitting tall and poised. 

Celestia, unperturbed, took another sip. "I love you, Luna."

Twilight wanted to bolt back to her room, as the haunted murmurs of the castle were, somehow, more comforting than the stiff air quickly charging between the sisters. She wasn't willing to burn her esophagus, though. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed slithering movement. Vines squeezed into the castle through gaps in the window. They punctured through the mortar, peered in through a crack in the ceiling...then slowed to a stop in their approach. Twilight gulped.

Celestia suddenly spoke, her voice laden with warmth and affection. "I have to thank you, Twilight. For joining us in this little adventure. And for tolerating our antics."

"Of course, Princess Celestia, I..." Her eyes darted about. Nobody else had seen that, apparently, or at least the sisters didn't care. Luna abandoned their tea circle to sort through the small collection of books she accommodated into the shelf by her bed. "I just hope the castle doesn't come down on us while we're trying to fix it?"

Celestia bounced with jolly laughter, closed her eyes and rejoiced in her drink. Twilight had no further excuse to put off consuming her own ghostly brew, as it had cooled off to an acceptable temperature at this point. She lifted the teacup to her lips and drank.

When all pieces of porcelain sat empty on the table, the three princesses exchanged good-nights before retiring to their own rooms. Twilight wanted to stay and talk to Luna...but it would have to wait for another, more appropriate time.


Galloping among the shadows, a lone unicorn mare escaped an unseen monster. Her camera flashed as she snapped pictures of her pursuer.


Twilight sank into her dreams like a rock swallowed by a lake. Her exhaustion was deep and all consuming. When her eyes opened in the dream world, the castle was rebuilt, renewed, revitalized. The carpet was a rich purple. A breeze swirling with sweet pollen entered through the windows, fluttering the banners strung along the pristine entrance hall.

The double doors facing northwards clicked loudly as they opened. A small parade of Royal Canterlot Soldiers marched in, covered from head to toe in an ancient iteration of the white-and-gold armor. Leading them was a well-dressed blond colt in frill and pomp. His well coiffed hair bounced with each step; he appeared young yet carried himself with seasoned confidence. Eyes full of contempt and hostility bore right into Twilight's skull all the way through to the other side of her.

South of her another pony walked in, raising his own royal pretentiousness. The tailcoat over his shimmering taupe coat was a grim indigo as dark as night, and the curls of his mane, black as the void, fell over his eyes, casting them in brooding displeasure. Accompanying him was a nameless, faceless servant in uniform. Twilight looked left and right; it was two against an army of steel. Why?

"He was a supporter of the tyranny of the Moon." The voice emerged from the blond colt. "After Nightmare Moon's banishment, cults spread across Equestria. Duke De Roue was one such heretics."

"So you attacked him?!" Twilight exclaimed angrily, her wings unfurling with emotion.

"No. Dear Celestia, no. But we should have."

"Silver De Roue!" He said to the darkly dressed pony. "We're here to inspect your castle for...heretic paraphernalia, as our formally signed and sealed letter sent your way said."

"Of course the Sun Princess would be too cowardly to show her face around these parts." Duke De Roue spat. "Instead she sends an ambassador. A messenger boy. How pathetic."

"Her Majesty has better things to do than entertain the likes of you!" Retorted the ambassador, drawing closer. The line of guards approached in tandem, lending their intimidating presence. "I understand why you did this, worship the Nightmare; it gave you power and standing over the misguided folk who join these cults. Otherwise you are a nobody. This small forest you claim as your duchy is but an irrelevant, uninhabitable patch of land!"

"Enough." Grunted De Roue. He huffed through his nostrils, then stepped aside. "Go on, begin your inspection."

A tense few seconds ticked by. The ambassador was taken aback by the invitation, expecting De Roue to stall them. Nevertheless he accepted and brought the guards with him. Twilight followed them.

"The iconography was off-putting," echoed the ambassador, "strong imagery of the Nox, statues, banners and paintings. But nothing incriminating or disturbing."

Twilight then saw the duke's castle in its full glory, before it was stolen by time and robbers. A statue of their own Princess Luna reared for battle as moonlight cascaded upon her from a glass dome above. She was slender, powerful, and bore the helmet of the Nightmare. This was the main hall. In Twilight's present time, there was no statue. The glass dome was so grimy that the mosaic depiction of the moon's craters was completely covered. All moss and dirt.

And the ambassador trekked up the stairs with his guard. He came face to face with the double doors. The wood was clean, flat and polished, no runes carved into it. The ambassador entered, then the guard one after the other. 

The double doors glowed with magic, then slammed closed. Twilight whipped around to see Duke Silver De Roue, his horn glowing, his features set with murderous determination.

"What are you doing?!" Twilight cried, helpless. She tried her own magic on the door, but this was a dream and she was but an observer. "Calm down, Twilight...it's just a vision."

"What happened behind those doors...we were trapped in an enchantment."

Pounding rattled the doors. De Roue focused his might and cast a barrier spell, branding the wood with a simple string of runes. Twilight learned how to undo those in her first year of magical studies. 

"We were drained of our magic, of our life essence. And it was fed into the castle."

Twilight's surroundings faded into a nighttime landscape. Rippling patterns of light showered into the main hall. She looked around in wonderment. "If the castle itself is enchanted...that would explain why its trapping the energies of the dead within it. They simply can't escape and rejoin the Wheel of Life." However, one question haunted her: "Why, though? Why did the duke do this?"

The ambassador appeared at her side, gaunt and pale. Luscious locks of blond shriveled into a sparse head of wispy hair. He stared her down with the same anger, the same contempt. "He wanted to free the Nightmare from the Moon."

"Free the..." Her eyes scanned faraway, until something clicked. "He wanted to break the seal of her banishment."

"Somehow...he succeeded."

"Huh?" Twilight tilted her head at the ghostly presence. He stepped into her space, his muzzle drawing closer and closer. "But...Luna, she only returned after a thousand years...like she was supposed to. And the Nightmare was purged!" She backed away, hoof before hoof, until her rump pushed into the door.

The ghastly ambassador was joined by shadowy figures; dozens upon dozens of ghosts trapped within the halls, doomed to confinement among brick and stone. And they vibrated with ire. 

Twilight steeled herself, shielded with an act of fearlessness, and imposed her light upon the wall of angered spirits. "I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, and I'm here to help you. We can set you free!"

The ambassador growled. "We want the Nightmare from the Moon to die."

Twilight gasped.

"And you must kill her."

The ghosts lunged towards her and crashed into her like a wave of pure darkness. Twilight shrank into herself. She couldn't inhale, as though her lungs were full of the tar of their hatred.

She awoke from the spirit's dream with a gasp. And both royal sisters looming over her bed.
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle was slow to readjust to the waking world. She emerged from the covers slow and speechless as the sisters watched. 

Her hooves hit the floor. It was ice cold. Her nervous breaths condensed into clouds of vapor in front of her muzzle. A tremble shook her body as the biting chill of the room crept under her coat. Princess Luna came up to her and draped a fluffy blanket over her back. Her magic wrapped it into a cozy cocoon around her chest.

"Thank you." Twilight smiled warmly up at Luna. She didn't seem to acknowledge her gratitude, as if fearful of staring directly into the sun, before snuggling her own body warmth up to Twilight's side.

Celestia watched them, wrapped up in her own covers. Her lips twitched with endearment. No words were spoken, allowing the even colder mantle of silence to settle over them.

Twilight was the first to make a sound. "E-everyone saw that...right?"

The sisters nodded grimly.

"What that spirit said...it's out of the question." She declared. "I would never hurt you, Luna."

Luna searched her eyes, at last, but offered no clue into her own feelings in return.

"I'm going to inspect those doors personally." Princess Celestia announced. Her horn glowed as she cast a ball of light radiating comforting warmth, a harmless magical radiator. The other two princesses nodded in agreement and followed.


The double doors at the main hall endured through the centuries, even when faced by the stares of three princesses. Twilight huddled close to Luna reflexively, haunted by the intent heartlessness of the duke and the starved ghosts chanting for justice. She would never enact their will; no matter how tormented they were, the act they demanded was much too heinous. Twilight only hoped Luna felt how passionately she opposed them.

"If the castle itself is imbued with the life force of so many creatures," Celestia pondered, her features stern and severe, "then the seal protecting these doors must be tremendously powerful. It would explain why you failed to break it, Twilight."

Her words inspired hopelessness. Twilight felt her ears droop as she pleaded to her mentor for a solution. "But then what do we do? Maybe- we try together?"

Magic burst from Luna's horn towards the double doors. A barrier of chaotic swirls of color deflected it. Mentor and pupil watched fearfully as Luna blasted the same target over and over again, as if the only purpose her life was worthy of was the destruction of the enchantment which kept them at bay.

"It's not fair!" The night princess bared her teeth, wild rage driving her forward. "I did not cause this pony to go mad! I did not trap these spirits! I have enough sins to atone for without this nonsense adding to it!"

Her raw emotion touched Twilight's very heart. Her throat choked with building tears. "Luna-"

But before she could reach out against her better judgement, Celestia hooked her in place with her large white wing. She fixed her with a solemn expression and shook her head. It would be best to allow the poor mare to exhaust herself.

Luna paused her assault to raise her horn high, collecting a surge of destructive power into it, then released it into a blinding beam towards the barrier. The pillar of magic thinned as Luna's magical pool drained in its entirety. Luna collapsed onto her haunches. The doors mocked her in their unscathed state.

Yet there was far more ire and resentment contained within her, impossible as it seemed. Luna snapped in Celestia's direction. "You knew about this."

"It...was not fresh in my mind. This was so near your exile, Luna. To be frank, that time was quite a blur-"

"You knew! You sent these ponies to their deaths!" Luna advanced towards Celestia. Twilight didn't know where to place herself, what to say, but she was terrified and could only shrink despite her best intentions. Furthermore she knew better than to believe Celestia's facade of composure; her neck was strained, her wings snapped close to her torso and trembling so lightly.

And she knew better than to think Luna was merely being cruel. She was so terribly hurt.

"I..." Celestia inhaled sharply, holding her sister's gaze. "I needed to pull the kingdom together. There were cults and riots and nobles uprising-"

"If you'd shown up personally we wouldn't have to be here right now!"

"Again, darling sister," Celestia's voice trembled, "I was being pulled in so many directions; Equestria needed a leader! I know it's been a while and matters of the kingdom are so terribly complicated-"

"Do not condescend me! You are not better than me because you got to live life instead of spending a thousand years staring into the void of space!" Her voice carried, the lingering fury of a ghost. Tears stood at the precipice on either pony. "I felt every minute, Celestia."

Celestia swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry."

Luna melted. The flame which kept her going was smothered by a single drop of wetness soaking into her coat. A much more familiar, sobered mare stood in her wake, and she wasn't proud of what she had done. Luna turned away towards the double doors and touched her shimmering horn against the runes, scanning them as one would listen into the mechanisms of a locked vault.

Needless to say, in spite of Luna's exclamations, the Night Princess felt responsible for this situation.

Twilight's heart still drummed in her ears. Hoofsteps sounded in the silence, those of Celestia as she motioned towards the stairs.

"Princess Celestia..."

The alicorn in question offered a saddened glance, but turned away. She was hurt beyond her greatest abilities to mask it all. Twilight let her go.

However, in that moment she decided that the next objective in this official princess mission was to reconcile them. Somehow. Even if only a temporary truce, should the sisters find it within themselves to enthusiastically collaborate (as opposed to reluctantly endure each other's presence) for more than a second, they would stand a chance against the haunting of Castle De Roue.

Vines crept through the stone around them. Twilight stared them down until the slithering stilled. They aimed for the Night Princess.

"Um. Luna."

The light of her horn dimmed. She looked at her through the corner of her eye. "Hm?"

"I'll be back soon. I'm going to...check some other books. I just wanted to tell you- be careful. We now know the haunting is targeting you."

Luna arched an eyebrow, then laughed. "You are telling me to be careful."

Taken aback, Twilight recoiled. "Well-yes!"

"Me. Ancient Princess of the Night."

"Y-"

"General of the Ninth Battalion."

"Luna, I-"

"Herald of Harmony."

Twilight shook her head. "Alright, I get it."

Luna directed her gaze towards the doors, firmly giving Twilight a view of her thick veil of starry mane. "You must overflow with audacity to be coddling me."

Twilight was sick of apologizing, so she scoffed, narrowing her eyes at the back of Luna's neck. "I didn't become an alicorn for lack of audacity, Princess Luna."

She cackled. Her voice purred, dulcet and seducing. "Remind me to court you properly once we're out of this hell maze."

Twilight was stunned. Her hooves shifted, but she held fast against the urge to fold over for yet another princess. "I-I think-" she cleared her throat, raised her forehead high, and tossed her mane to the other side of her neck, "I think you can remember that yourself!" 

Then she whipped away, rejoicing in the giggles following her on the way out of the main hall.


The walls of Castle De Roue retained winter chill in the middle of early summer. Nature encroached. Spirits wailed. 

Twilight retreated into her temporary chambers and found an intruder; Piece of Wheel arranged photographs across the surface of a dusty vanity, her camera hanging around her neck. When Twilight shrieked in surprise, the other mare screamed in kind.

"I've been looking for you!" Twilight exclaimed, breathing deeply to calm her nerves, and closed the door behind her. "And now you're here!"

"Sorry!" The cherry unicorn bowed at her. "I didn't mean to vanish after that incident with the...thorns and the table getting wrecked. I saw something! I think..." Piece nervously glanced at the pictures displayed, "you'll want to take a look at this."

Twilight obliged, joining Piece of Wheel's side. Many of these photographs were a blur of ghostly light upon the shadow of the castle, but her hoof gravitated towards one image in particular, which she slid closer to herself for further inspection.

The silhouette of a pony's specter was clear as day. They galloped towards the viewer, their eyes solid orbs of white fixated on the target.

"It...it looks like the specter is wearing a tailcoat." Twilight remarked on the fabric trailing behind the ghostly stallion, " I don't know how many of the castle's visitors wore tailcoats, but my guess is this is Duke De Roue himself." The lord haunting his own fortress. Every fiber of Twilight's being dreaded to learn how this colt met his own demise. 

Piece of Wheel was oddly quiet. She kept cautious distance between herself and the photographs, standing as stiff as stone. Spiderwebs clung to her mane, dust caked the coat of her legs...she must've gone through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. Her eyes were bloodshot- had she even slept?

"You need to get out of here." Twilight commanded. 

Piece flinched, her brow flying upwards. "What? I-I'm fine! I promise!"

"Hear me out..." She drew close, pleading with her gaze. "The haunting of this castle...it's dangerous, even for us princesses. I don't mean to say you're weak or dumb; in fact, it'd be pretty smart to get out of here while you're ahead."

"But, Princess Twilight, I can't."

Twilight scrunched her brow. This mare's stubbornness baffled her. Piece of Wheel deflated and, after a long second of consideration, retrieved a scroll from her cross bag resting hidden underneath the large box of her camera.

Her magic unfurled the scroll. It was a deed for the duchy of De Roue. 

"I...am Silver De Roue's great great great great..." A handful more great's later, Piece of Wheel was forced to take a deep breath, "great granddaughter. And that would be meaningless if this stupid deed hadn't been dutifully passed down the family line." 

Twilight's ears pressed to her skull. "I guess that explains why you feel so bound to this place." 

"Somebody needs to be responsible for this mess! And...I don't have much to my name, otherwise." Piece of Wheel looked away with shame. "I was going to sell the deed for a few gold, if only to buy a ticket...move to Canterlot. Find a new opportunity. A new life."

"But you didn't. Why?"

"I decided to visit the estate, if you can call this run down pile of cobble that." Piece of Wheel rolled her eyes and sat her rump on the cold floor. "That's when I met Lord Talonhart. He said that I had to take responsibility for the castle, and that if I cleaned it up, he'd buy the deed from me for a pretty penny- way more than any pony 'round these parts would!"

Piece recoiled when she realized the hot anger radiating from Twilight, uniquely responsible for ticking the thermometer up in the room. Her lavender coat turned red in the face, a low grumble vibrated from her throat. 

"That dirty, filthy old..." Twilight shook her head and gathered herself, "okay. But, Piece, my request still stands. You should get out of here. It doesn't matter what Lord Talonhart says or anyone else. I'll personally make sure you have somewhere to live in Canterlot, if that's where you want to go."

Piece of Wheel smiled, true and warm. She burst forward suddenly and captured the princess in a hug. "Thank you, princess." She pulled away and said, apologetic, "I can't, though. I've seen too much. Please, let me help you banish my ancestor."

Twilight hoped that, despite whatever Duke De Roue did in his lifetime, he could be brought to peace instead rather than cast into Tartarus. A soul returned to the Wheel of Life was a soul cleansed, pure energy serving the cycles of the world. Nevertheless she understood Piece of Wheel's motivations, and that the unicorn was, perhaps, perfectly capable of watching her own back after all. Just as Twilight had way back when.

However, Twilight hadn't been alone. Although she relented with an easy smile full of understanding, she conveyed further instructions to the nervous mare. "Find Princess Luna. She's in the main hall trying to break through the enchantment. Make sure she doesn't work herself to starvation and that she drinks plenty of water."

Piece of Wheel ducked her head. "Do I have to? Princess Luna is like...the scariest one."

"I'm only letting you stay under the condition that you don't wander around all on your own. So yes, you have to."

Piece saluted her and went on her way. Twilight glanced over the pictures one last time before sweeping her magic over them, gathering them into a stack, and flashing them away into her intra-dimensional stash. Her next mission was to yell at a dragon.


Morning daylight parted through oppressive darkness. Twilight Sparkle had not planned it, but she encountered Princess Celestia at a terrace, facing the fiery gradients of dawn. The magic around her horn fizzled as she released the sun into the heavens, much like setting a great beast free in the wilderness. Celestia had been a permanent fixture in Twilight's life same as the cycles of the sun and moon, same as the seasons; she didn't change, but she endured. Twilight saw clearly now with the set of wings ruffling at her sides that Princess Celestia did a lot more surviving than...well, living.

"Hey." Twilight said, light and soft as the temperate breeze gracing them from the outdoors.

Celestia glanced her way, dimmed and gloomy. Hot sunlight traced her contours harshly. "I regret you had to witness that, Twilight. It's quite embarrassing."

Twilight shook her head, negating deeply. "If I may be blunt- after all these adventures and trials and near world-ending events we've gone through together, we could...maybe consider each other friends, at last?" The worlds continued to tumble through her lips. "I-I know, you're so much older than me, still, and you'll always be my mentor even if you've graduated me, but you can lean on me, you know? I want to help-"

Celestia surprised her with an embrace. She draped a long, elegant leg over the shorter mare's back and pulled her close. Strands of her ethereal mane tickled Twilight's nose just like when she was a little filly. When Celestia pulled back the whole world spun in her eyes, so ancient and suffering.

"As a princess, I am endlessly proud of you." Underneath the regalia lay a beating heart. "But as a mare who cares for you so deeply, I resent the fate that brought you to me, and to the Elements."

A sharp pang in Twilight's chest caused her to suck in a breath. All these years later and the mere suggestion of disappointing her mentor threw her for a loop.

Celestia continued. "The world is cruel. Eternity wears you down until all that is left is routine, and only the horrible memories you drag with you through the ages remind you that you're alive. Only tragedy makes you feel things."

"I'm...ready for that, Celestia. I understand my duty."

"I know. And it scares me." 

Celestia approached the railing of the terrace. Lush forest enclosed the perimeter of the castle, imprisoning them from the bustling outside world. Twilight refused to be dismissed with immortality mumbo-jumbo and trotted closer. 

"I need you to try to patch things up with Luna." She said, ready to embrace the naivete of her request.

Celestia didn't try to mock her, only deflated further. "If only it were that simple, dear."

"I know it's not, but it would be a start! If you agree to collaborate now, we'll complete this mission and...who knows, maybe things will be different once we return to Canterlot!"

"There's nothing I want more." Her voice was heavy, trembling with desperation, sinking with exhaustion. "But we can't force Luna into anything. It's her prerogative to reproach me. I continue to fail her, even now."

"Luna loves you. If you apologize-"

"Please, Twilight, darling. I don't think I can continue this conversation." She said, her voice tight.

Celestia didn't wish to cry in front of her student, even now. Twilight wondered if she would ever be a fully grown mare in her eyes...clearly she was perceived to be mature enough to make suggestive comments about her romantic status with her own, not that much younger sister. The ancients were so strange- was Twilight destined to become this abstruse?

She contemplated the sunrise and the rustling trees under the somber stillness of her mentor. Then, she briefly nuzzled her white neck. "Alright. I'll get going."

"Don't hesitate to report any findings." 

Twilight would have to- against her own impulses to please- conceal her activities. She figured Celestia wouldn't appreciate her interrogating an ancient dragon. 


But she was done with niceties. As Twilight traversed the castle, she swung open every door she encountered. Guest room after guest room, closets, armories...

Twilight realized why Piece of Wheel was instructed to steer them clear of these seemingly unimportant corners of the castle. They were full of gold and treasure, piles both big and small, glistening ingots, gemstones as small as a teardrop and as large as a grapefruit. Twilight had never seen such riches in her life, not even when she took a peek into Canterlot Castle's treasury. 

At last, Twilight encountered Lord Talonhart himself. She found a set of important-looking doors, tall and decorated, at the end of an off-shot corridor from the main hall. Twilight surged her magic into them, reckless and righteous, and swung them open to reveal a chapel. 

Two columns of pews lined up towards an altar, their seats covered with coins. Thick dark curtains obscured walls and broken windows. Torn banners of Lunar Supremacy hung in spidery tendrils, tickling towers of stacked golden coins. Lord Talonhard slumbered in a bed of his own riches. 

Twilight wasn't quite expecting to find anyone here, and when faced by the sheer magnitude of the scaly, bearded elder, she felt her burning courage turn to smolders. No. Twilight gulped against the ice stabbing her chest. She would convince Talonhart to dismiss Piece of Wheel, then help her reconcile the sisters...somehow.

With a hoof she reached towards the nearest stack of coins and, with a small tap, knocked it over. This initiated a chain reaction, a cascade of twinkling, clattering gold falling upon itself until it drowned the dragon lord at the very front of the chapel.

Lord Talonhart groaned, then yawned, then grunted. He stretched his arms and then his neck over the blanket of gold. "Who goes there?!" His large voice rattled the walls.

"It's Twilight- Princess Twilight Sparkle." She stamped her hoof down, then approached through the parted sea of gold. "And you, Lord Talonhart, tricked an innocent pony into servitude!"

Lord Talonhart stared her down his long snout, lazy plumes of hot smoke curling out of his nostrils. Twilight was but a bug in his presence, one he was unfortunately forced to address. "Why, I tricked nobody. We struck a very fair deal!"

Twilight snorted. "Fair. Right. And then you summon us out here to clean up this mess so you can have a new home! All for pennies!"

Lord Talonhart emerged from his nest of treasures and shook off the coins lodged between his scales. In cat-like motions, he curled over the pile and settled down, crossing one claw over the other. "Princess Celestia touted your intelligence, little one."

"And?"

"And yet you're spouting nonsense! I thought you were smart enough to comprehend the stakes of this mission: the spirits must be freed for the sake of Harmony!"

"So you sleep!" Twilight shouted. "While us princesses drink dusty old tea and an innocent, vulnerable pony is terrorized by dangerous entities!"

Talonhart rolled his eyes. "And whatever do you want me to do, little one? I have no knowledge of magic or ghouls. I'd be of no help to you!"

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the dragon. "You want the castle, so you buy out the deed from Piece of Wheel right now." Authority resonated from her chest. "And let her go."

A smile curled Talonhart's cold, dry lips. He arose, then began a slow, circling dance around the small pony. His large, muscular frame slithered, limber and light, as his slitted eyes seized Twilight up and down.

"Or else?" He teased.

Twilight gulped. Was she about to levy a threat his way?

"I dread to think my darling Celestia would approve of such insolence."

The mention of the one alicorn that could send her weeping under her bed constricted her throat. If only her friends were here...Rainbow Dash would think of an insult, and Rarity would dance diplomacy around this jerk. Twilight Sparkle was a mare incomplete without her fellow elements. 

Princess Celestia cared deeply for Lord Talonhart, as they shared a bond only forged by eons mounted on top of eons, soldiered together by pure misery. Twilight could hardly comprehend it, but...

Twilight turned around to look the dragon hovering over her in the eye. "You know her so well, huh?"

"Better than you could ever hope to, of course." Talonhart bared a sharp fang as he smirked. 

"Sure...then you know the root of their disharmony."

Lord Talonhart curled his neck, lifting his large head away from Twilight, and quirked a brow.

"It's beyond me." Twilight lamented, a clueless damsel turned around. "To Princess Celestia I am but a filly, and Princess Luna barely looks my way. And yet I could never understand why there's still a rift between them, no matter how hard I try..."

Lord Talonhart huffed thick clouds of smoke, then slithered past Twilight towards his nest of coin. "The Elements will choose any dimwit these days." He grumbled. Twilight ignored her bruised ego. "Clearly, Celestia is far too self-absorbed to really listen to her little sister, and the whiny moon princess drowns out her own guilt with her crippling sense of inferiority!"

"Ouch." Twilight felt the sting of the brutal honesty even if not directed her way.

"They can't hear each other over the roar of the sun. So, really, they're doomed to spiral around one another, forever and ever." Lord Talonhart hopelessly declared, though he didn't seem to care

So long as he had a fortress of stone and gold, it didn't really affect him. He merely wanted the spirits vanished.

Twilight turned towards the exit, having heard enough. "For your own sake, I hope you're wrong."

"Bah!" 

"After a thousand years of spirits accumulating here...there's not enough magic in any two of us to destroy that seal. And as long as it endures, the castle will remain haunted."

This assessment drew a twitch of concern into Lord Talonhart's hardened expression. "You're wrong." He said to the back of the retreating alicorn. "You're wrong!"

Twilight crossed the exit and slammed the double doors behind her.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle felt an oncoming crash. The sun floated higher and higher, its rays spilling aplenty into the castle, yet her adrenaline was quickly draining, leaving a sleepy unicorn in its wake. The threat of imminent danger could only push her so far. Her room was still as cold as a Hearth's Warming Eve, so she snuggled under the sheets, piled on the blanket Luna left behind, and closed her eyes.

Deep breaths slowed her racing thoughts. Woodsy patchouli lingering on the blanket, the signature scent of the nighttime princess, roused soothing flutters in her stomach. Then, a presence raised the hairs of her forelegs.

Her eyes snapped open to the ghostly image of a young griffon staring down at her, their beak shaped into a smile.

"It's you-" Twilight grasped for the name of the apparition, but came up empty-hoofed. "Um, you. Griffon...spirit." Otherwise, she was frozen under her covers, both literally and figuratively. "Pleasedon'thurtme." She added in a rushed whisper.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" They waved a dismissive, five-talon claw, then grasped something off her nightstand, something dreadful and stomach churning: the teapot. "I came to offer-"

"No!" Twilight tucked her head under the covers like a child being asked to rise out of bed. "I want...I want Pinkie Pie to walk in here with a case of soda pop! Or instant hot cocoa, or fruit punch- anything but tea!"

"But there's someone who wants to talk to you!"

She grumbled and conceded, peeking above the edge of the fabric. "Another spirit?"

The griffon nodded. The swooping, long feathers atop their head bobbed up and down. With big eyes they stared and pleaded, holding the teapot with both claws. Another sooty round mark marred the porcelain whiteness, distinctly condensing into the shape of a horseshoe.

"Fine! Fine."

The griffon grinned bright and wide in fanfare, then vanished away, leaving the teapot hovering mid-air. Twilight caught it with her magic before it collided with the floor. Hot liquid swished within. Foregoing any ceremony, she sat herself up in bed and took a few sips directly from the top opening of the teapot. Spearmint tingled her tongue. It made her think of candy canes.

The teapot was dismissed back onto the nightstand. As moments passed, the soporific effects of the brew quickly set in, sending Twilight to spiral into dreamland.


She came to being in the embrace of another pony, densely encased in woodsy patchouli. Twilight snuggled in, mistaking the warmth as her own radiating back to her from the covers. But then she felt firmness under the luxuriously soft fluff of the blanket...a coat. A mare's indigo coat. Twilight glanced behind and realized; Luna's coat.

Both mares yelped, then tumbled off the mattress and onto hard tile, hooves flailing. Blankets tangled around their lower halves, as if trying to yank them back into their sleepy nest. Twilight wrestled herself out of the twist of fabric and stood on all four legs. Her eyes met with Luna's teal.

Rouge spread to the tip of their ears. Luna cleared her throat and spoke stiffly. "I am so sorry. This is terribly improper."

"S-so you're real."

"Y...yes."

"As in, real-real Luna, dream-walking Luna. From real life." The other mare only sighed in response, the sheer embarrassment impairing her ability for coherence. Twilight felt as though she was about to boil alive; hugs and touches were one thing, a perfectly friendly thing, but this... "I thought you'd stayed awake? Puzzling at the runes?"

"I must have collapsed. Clearly." Her head ducked. Self-deprecation weighed heavily on her.

"That's alright, I'm glad you got to rest!" Twilight approached, glowing with a gentle smile. "We all need it, really. All of this restless dreaming makes sleep a lot less restorative."

"That would be a downside, yes." Her eyes shifted towards the disheveled bed. "Though dreamwalking allows for certain desirable scenarios to play out. Usually with minimal consequences, but-"

Twilight laughed.

"I loathe to push your boundaries, or for a dream of all things to force you into these situations. I'd prefer if you took the lead, so you feel safe and-"

Then she placed a kiss upon Luna's cheek.

Heart-stopping silence rendered them breathless. Twilight felt smug, however, as colorful array of expressions- surprise, shock, bafflement and joy- rearranged Luna's features.

"P-perhaps we should focus!" Princess Luna declared, gathering authoritative resolve. "Spirits may or may not be watching us, after all." Twilight was inclined to agree.

They shifted their focus to the dreamscape. Once again they stared upon a restored Castle De Roue; this version of the guest room was polished to luster, worthy of royalty. Clean woolen sheets, shiny wooden furniture with gilded accents, and a bottle of luxury dessert wine waiting on the dresser, for their indulgence.

Twilight and Luna stood in front of the room's door. Easily they slipped into the cadence of mistery-solving. They shared a nod, and Twilight telepathically turned the knob to allow their exit. Immediately they were greeted by a presence standing in the hall.

"Greetings, ladies!" She was a unicorn, as well, slightly older than Twilight herself in appearance. Long coils of dark hair flowed down her neck, framing her pastel sea-green coat and amber eyes. A bejeweled cape draped over her back as if it were an extension of her luscious mane. Offering a smooth curtsy, the mare introduced herself. "My name is Lucky De Roue. And as you might guess, Silver De Roue is my father."

Twilight gasped. "He had a daughter." She stepped closer to the spirit, eager to learn more. "My name is Twilight Sparkle! We're trying to-"

"Oh, I know who you are." Lucky De Roue cut her short. Following their cue, a fourth presence joined them; the five-talon griffon, coming up to Lucky's side with comfort and familiarity. "They've told me everything! And I've seen quite a lot, as well."

"I never caught your name." Twilight said to the griffon.

But they shrugged. "I've long since forgotten. Not like it matters."

Lucky threw her foreleg over the griffon's shoulder. "You may call them Lucky Junior!"

The griffon smiled and blushed, but shoved the mare away. "Come on."

"You come on. We're afterlife friends!"

Princess Luna cleared her throat. She smiled fondly upon the exchange, but they were on borrowed time. "Lady Lucky, we're here to stop your father. Any insight on the enchantment of the castle is vital to our mission."

"Of course." A shadow befell Lucky's eyes. "But you won't like what you'll see, I warn you."

Twilight and Luna shared an uneasy look. The younger alicorn spoke up, "what do you mea-"

The castle accelerated around them, the tiled floor turning into a conveyor belt as they were pushed across the corridors. Their manes fluttered like flags in a storm. Just when Twilight caught on to the quickly shifting scenery around them, the castle abruptly stopped.

Lucky Jr. was gone. Lucky Sr. meanwhile, had shrunken in stature. A small filly stood at their feet, looking up at them with big amber eyes. 

"Papa, weren't we going to play in a few?" 

The older mares looked down at the young Lucky like she was an Everfree creature, mouths agape. Luna retreated a hoof cautiously.

A darkly dressed colt phased through them, walking past his daughter as though she wasn't there at all. Twilight and Luna realized their role as spectators and fully retreated to observe. It was heartbreaking, however, the way the little filly full of admiration was coldly dismissed by her father.

"I wasn't raised by my father. Didn't live with him long either. My mother packed her things and moved us out when I was very little. I never told her I knew exactly what was going on."

Lucky followed after her dad with her tiny hooves clattering loudly in the empty hallway. Sunlight drained away from the memory. Darkness encroached from every corner, creeping towards the filly, stalking her. Lucky was drawn towards a door outlined by warm light. She turned the knob and opened it the smallest crack her eye could look through. Twilight and Luna piled on top to catch a glimpse, purple and teal irises blinking curiously.

Inside were Silver De Roue...and Princess Luna herself. She wore a helmet, the Nightmare's helmet, as the pair peacefully shared a cup of tea across from one another, poured from an inconspicuous white teapot sitting in their company on the table. The moon glowed so brightly through the tall windows behind them, a sunroom cast with the otherworldly, silvery light of the stars. A set of pillar candles bathed the pair with intimate warmth.

The words spoken by their lips moving subtly escaped the ears of the observers. Past Luna stared harshly down at the duke, who stood from his velvet pillow to inch close. He took her hoof with utmost gentleness and placed a revering kiss upon the soft coat above her nail. Luna accepted the affection as her birthright.

However, this Luna, Twilight's Luna, jumped away from the door crack as if threatened with spitting fire. Her breaths were fast and labored, panic bubbling inside the stoicism-clad mare, tearing her walls down. Twilight backed away from the scene herself, then scanned the horror in Luna's expression. She didn't know what to feel herself, what to think of the mare in front of her, or what to say to comfort her. The two simply stared at one another, balancing on a fragile thread.

Meanwhile, the dreamscape was swallowed by darkness. Lucky De Roue's giggles struck cold fear in Twilight's heart. "I told you, you weren't going to like what I had to show."

Luna reacted with fury, stamping her hooves on the non-floor. "What are you playing at?! Show yourself to me!"

"I spent all of my life wondering what you were playing at, princess. Starting the Lunar Supremacy, seeding cults and inciting rebellions across Equestria...my father was but another pawn in your games against your sister. And my mother knew she would always be second in his heart...second to you."

Twilight felt sick to her stomach, her throat constricting the words into her chest, but she forced them out, gazing at Luna with shock and fear, "Luna, you...you said you didn't remember anything about the castle, or the duke, or-"

"I don't!" 

A forest bloomed around them. Castle de Roue towered over, shadowing the sun spilling its rays over its battlements. A stone arch stood over the entryway, bushes and statues tracing the way towards the main double doors into the castle. Wood studded with brushed iron flew open as a young, beautiful earth-pony mare raced out of the castle with a filly on her back. Duke De Roue chased them out, teeth bared like a rabid beast. Only tears streaking down his cheeks hinted at the existence of a feeling heart in him. With his magic he hurled luggage towards them. Suitcases split open on the stone and burst with frilly clothing.

Twilight stepped in between the escaping mother, growing smaller in the distance, and the duke. She glared at him. He scowled in kind.

"I never saw him again. Not in life, anyway."

The duke retreated into his castle and slammed the door closed. 

Lucky De Roue, now a grown woman standing tall and proud, appeared at the doorstep of the castle. She was dressed in flowing silk and silver slippers. Clearly, she had found success on her own away from her father's wealth. Nevertheless she came back.

"Why?" Twilight asked. Intentions reverberated through the dreamscape, so she didn't need to say more. 

The grown Lucky looked at Twilight and said, "my father passed and I wanted to claim the estate, of course." A playful smile spread through her lips. "Wouldn't you?"

Twilight's brows knit together. "Something happened to you, though."

Lucky rolled her eyes. "Well, I know now it was a mistake." She walked up to the doors. Her magic levitated a set of large, heavy keys to the keyhole. They slipped inside and twisted smoothly with a satisfying click. The heiress stepped inside, then poked her head out, "want to find out?"

"Do I?" Twilight sighed. Seeking support and reassurance, she sough Luna out, but she had left her side, vanished into thin air. "Okay." She had to face this on her own.

The vestibule was eerily silent. Candles half melted on the chandelier and covered in a thin film of dust. The carpet was worn from the constant passage of hoofsteps, drawing a line of grime leading further inside. Lucky cast a light spell, and followed her illuminating orb as she tread carefully.

Twilight saw it first, a hooded pony sneaking behind one of the lunar banners. "Watch out!" 

The unknown figure sprang towards Lucky, joined by a second, and a third. They boxed her in with their frames, until a fourth pony lassoed Lucky's neck. Then they converged around, joined by multiplying hooded cultists to tie her limbs with rope, gag her muzzle with cloth, then carried her away. Lucky struggled against her bindings on the ponies' backs to no avail. Twilight followed, adrenaline pumping through her, until they arrived at the main hall. The string of runes glowing upon it was incomplete compared to the present version, missing lines and suffixes.

Lucky De Roue was placed before the doors. One of the cultists brandished a ceremonial dagger. 

Crimson sprayed upon the wood. It was absorbed by the enchantment, slurped by the runes, which rowed stronger after consumption.


When Twilight awoke, she wept. She curled up like a small, helpless filly under the covers and shook with every sob. How horrible, to have had such a selfish father, to suffer such fate at the hooves of his own legacy. And Luna stood at the axis of it all. What was she going to do, now?

"There, there." Lucky cooed at her as warmth rubbed at her back, spreading through the sheets. "I cannot deny, I am actually quite alright, in spite the circumstances." She laughed, then continued with a level tone, "I want to help you banish my father."

"Princess Celestia always warned me about blood magic." Twilight said, voice hoarse. Once the life force of a pony, or any creature, was mixed with a spell, the effects were nigh irreversible. It was an unholy type of magic which drained from the Wheel of Life itself, insidious as its effects on enchantments were otherwise untraceable, but catastrophic.

It dawned on Twilight then just how cursed the castle was, impregnated with sorrow, suffering, magic and flesh. Only blood magic could break blood magic. Fire with fire. Life force against life force. And alicorns teemed with life.

"Dear heavens...we have to perform blood magic." Twilight covered her face with her hooves. 

Lucky groaned. "Are you even listening to me, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight peeked her eyes above the covers. Lucky's translucent, rippling figure shifted in the midday sun. "...Yes."

Lucky Jr. made their own appearance right next to Lucky the unicorn, seamlessly joining the discussion. "I heard your arguing with the dragon. He said something about the sun not letting them hear each other out. We thought...why not bring them together in their own dream?"

Twilight quirked a brow and slid out of bed. "I don't understand, how would that..." she smoothed her mane down, then her face lit up with realization, "...oh!"

"That's right." Lucky the unicorn nodded triumphantly. "We make them think they're little again. No sun, no moon, no crown to distract them."

The plan was simple on paper. Twilight only had to convince Princess Celestia to share a cup of haunted tea with her sister. Lucky's horseshoe decorated the teapot; she considered herself a powerful (hateful) enough spirit to wrestle two ancient alicorns into a tailored dreamscape. Twilight thought she was out of her mind. Only one puzzle piece eluded them; Lucky was the oldest spirit among them, yet not old enough to witness the dawn of the Royal Sisters. 

Twilight strolled the castle, pondering their plan, yet distracted by Lucky De Roue's truth. Images of Princess Luna, cold and cruel, worshiped by a mad duke. The midnight mare was a stranger wearing the face of a beloved, but...it was still her, still Luna. Twilight didn't want to fathom that; she might as well burden the reborn princess who strove for goodness with the blame for countless deaths and crimes. 

Twilight's face tingled numbly with quietly stewing despair. The hairs at the back of her neck bristled; she was being followed by friendly spirits.

"Why the long face, Princess Sparkle?" Lucky echoed into her ear, making it twitch with her ghostly breath.

"Nothing, just...I'm sorry all of those things happened to you." She received no response. Her head sank low with grief. "And I'm sorry that...Luna was the catalyst. Kind of."

"I don't wish her harm. My father did what he did because he wanted to."

"But why? Did she-" The words choked in her throat. Twilight ceased her walk and spoke to the ether. "Did she seduce him? Did he seek her out? Or did he want something else out of this? Like the ambassador said, power and control over other ponies."

"I don't know." Lucky shrugged through her tone. "Does it matter at this point?"

"Yes! Luna is my friend and I want it to stay that way!" Her voice trembled, eyes twinkling with tears coming unbidden. "But..." She tried to hide her quivering lip with a hoof. Spirits were all-seeing, however.

Warmth wrapped around her shoulders. Twilight felt the sharpness of five talons softly carding through her coat. "Junior?" She called out.

"If Princess Luna were evil," Lucky Jr. started, "she wouldn't have answered my prayer. She wanted the seal undone, too."

Twilight sighed, unsure.

"But the only one who really knows is Princess Luna herself."

"So I have to talk to her like a grown up with mature communication skills?" Twilight chuckled at her own ridiculousness. "Some Princess of Friendship I am."

"We believe in you!"

Junior's presence slowly faded away. Twilight wondered what made them decide to come and go, or if the castle itself forced them to manifest in certain ways.

In the end, she was alone. And alone she would confront Luna.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Ch 9

The castle rumbled. Pebbles rolled down the walls as the structure was compromised by choking vines. They encroached with vigor. Spirits howled with anger, each soul entwining strong bark into stone like needle and thread piercing fabric. Something had gone terribly wrong all of a sudden and Twilight had to figure out why. But where to start?

"Lucky? Junior?" She called out. Her voice was drowned out by the crunching of rock. As dust rained upon her mane, Twilight decided her best bet was to follow the mayhem. Towards her right, pointing north, was where the energy came from. Waves upon waves of thick, angry miasma rousing the forest to consume the castle whole. In this direction Twilight headed.

She galloped and galloped, turning corners and evading rubble, until she arrived at the vestibule.


"Princess Luna! Stop!" Piece of Wheel begged. She questioned every choice which led to this point in her life. The castle of her ancestors fell apart above their heads, and she was the one creature most likely to succumb to it among a pantheon of equine demigods and an ancient dragon.

And the catalyst to all of it was the night princess. She had awakened from her trance at the main hall, only to race towards the castle's front exit. The spirits were none too happy; branches and roots spread through the walls, the ceiling, the floor, and thickened into a bramble barrier over the doors. The castle firmly caged Princess Luna within.

She reacted with pure, unfettered rage. Her magic unleashed upon the bark, beams of light bursting from her horn and striking the haunted foliage. She shouted desperately with each slash of her horn, drawing crescent blades of magic which cut cleanly through the dense bark. However, the energy of the castle responded quickly, healing the cut branches, stitching and merging them back into an impenetrable whole.

Splinters and thorns flew everywhere with each lashing of magic. Piece of Wheel summoned a spherical shield around herself just in time to deflect the debris. "Princess Luna, please! The spirits are only getting angrier!"

"I will not be contained!!" She reared high, then stamped down as she released a blast of light from her horn. "Wretched, damned spirits!"

A large crunch above Piece of Wheel's head caught her attention. A large fragment of the ceiling, a chunk of solid rock, was snapped out of place by the twisting bramble. Piece of Wheel braced herself for impact, hooves over head, magic pumping into her shield. 

A heavy thud knocked the wind out of her. Through her magic, Piece of Wheel felt the sheer weight of the rubble slamming onto her, and her reserves were lacking. Her shield disintegrated.

But a bright explosion disintegrated the stone into a flurry of dust. Piece of Wheel coughed through the thick cloud, now coated in chalky gray. Twilight Sparkle stood at the other side. She glowed with immense power.

"Princess Twilight...thank you." Her voice was but a whisper. Twilight smiled and nodded. 

Her focus then quickly shifted to Princess Luna, still lashing out, still fighting. Twilight squinted through the bright flourishes of power and saw how the vines converged willed by a dark force so strong it shrugged off the night deity's magic. Or rather, absorbed the energy oozing out of her frame. Anger poured from Luna. Thick shadowy waves shaped from despair centuries old. It made sense; all of the ghosts trapped in this castle, enslaved for their magic, perished in moments of great duress. This haunted sentience thrived off of chaos and discord. At this moment, Luna was a beacon for the castle's curse to focus on.

"Luna! Stop!" Twilight shouted above the mayhem. She willed one hoof before the other, daring to approach the other mare. "The castle's enchantment is feeding off your energy! It's growing stronger!"

However, when she drew close enough to touch, Luna spread her wings, summoning a gust of wind which pushed Twilight back across the tile. "Then I'll destroy it!" She declared.

Rising to her challenge, the mound of bark, leaf, moss and ectoplasm grew in size. It solidified; limbs sprouted and the newborn creature leapt into the air, the gory reimagining of a equine shaped by the dead and cursed. It soared above as if stretching forever, bark slithered to form a head and a maw from which mist and light bellowed.

At last, Luna stepped back, her eyes wide. Twilight's warning suddenly rang true, if not a tad too late. Still the younger alicorn joined her side, fearless. 

She was the herald of determination, unmoving if not naive. "Together!"

Luna nodded, for she had no choice. Their horns pointed to the figure of their adversary hanging above their heads and sparkled with magic. The haunted creature cascaded onto them. A mane of smoke trailed behind, swallowing the surrounding structure of the castle whole, as it sped towards them. 

The alicorn duo, sunset and moon, released a beam of pure light and magic. The haunted beast was torn right down the middle, parted around the princesses, splinters scattering, toxic green burning and surrounding them with the smell of ash.

Then the creature, now pure blue mist and glow, converged behind them, striking a lone cherry unicorn gawking uselessly. Twilight Sparkle watched in horror as Piece of Wheel bore the brunt of the miasma bearing down on her...until it faded away. Piece of Wheel lay collapsed on the floor. 

"No!" Twilight raced over. She poked the fallen mare with her muzzle. She breathed shallow and fast, yet appeared unharmed. "This can't be good. Ugh. I knew this place was too dangerous for her! I should've..."

"Do not blame yourself."

Luna stood a few paces behind, unable to stand any closer to Twilight, let alone look her in the eye. She was crestfallen, her mane swirled languidly close to the dusty carpet of rubble, spent and dull. "Blame us." She said. "For not being the mentors you deserve."

"Luna...I-I want to understand you."

"We need to shelter her as best as we can." Luna trotted past her and took it upon herself to lift Piece of Wheel in a magical embrace. She cradled her in a mantle of blue, then placed her upon her back, balancing her frame in the nest of her wings. 

As for their surroundings, the vines persisted, the door held firmly shut by ever growing vegetation as thick as steel. 

"I guess...it's too late to take her to the nearby town." Twilight lamented. The castle wouldn't let any of them leave.


Climbing through newly fallen rubble, they found Twilight's guest room. The stone around them rumbled, as if moaning in pain from the bark stabbing through it, yet it appeared to be held together by the claws of nature. Twilight Sparkle knew the ceiling could come down upon them at any moment.

Quietly, she wondered where Princess Celestia was, if she was safe. She didn't dare utter her concern to Luna, who skillfully, albeit jittering with some kind of mania, strung together a ward around the dust-coated bed. Piece of Wheel lay upon the sheets. 

A sad voice spoke. "I left two children behind when I died." Lucky De Roue materialized at Twilight's side. She gazed at her descendant, however distant, with mournful sweetness. "I suppose foolishness is the one trait to pass on, if any."

Twilight sighed. "It's not really her fault she was made to feel responsible."

Luna spun around, her wings flaring, her mane frizzing wild. "Are you speaking to me?" 

Twilight flicked her eyes only to find Lucky had vanished. Was she afraid of Luna? "N-no. Just thinking to myself."

They exchanged stiff, awkward looks. Twilight forced a smile. Luna cleared her throat, then returned to her work casting barrier runes around the bed.

"May I?" Twilight trotted closer. She channeled magic into her horn and focused on the spell, adding her own spin to the runes. Luna stepped aside. "I learned this trick after some experimentation while I was a student."

The barrier responded to Twilight's adjustments by glistening with new pulses of energy. No physical harm would come to lucky for as long as they needed to dispel the castle's enchantment, now that the flow of the runes was optimized. Twilight looked to Luna for approval. Or feedback. Or...anything, really, beside a blank stare.

Looking close enough, she found a hint amazement in her features, subtle awe as she went over the runes glowing on the stony floor. "Is this something Celestia taught you?" Luna asked, her tone even, intentions as cloudy as ever.

Luna had assured that it was all fine before, everything with Nightmare Moon, everything with Celestia's overpowering radiance and Equestria's disdain for everything the night princess stood for. Perhaps she had wanted it to be fine. Simply, it wasn't. 

"No." Twilight answered, nerves twisting her stomach. "Trial and error. I was obsessive with my magic studies."

Luna quirked a brow. "Really?" A beat later, she added, "that's quite impressive."

Her attention didn't linger on Twilight for long. It was too painful. Her focus shifted onto Piece of Wheel, the mare who had just received the assault of an angry spirit. Luna hovered her horn over Piece of Wheel's frame. The magic was pale, silvery and wispy like the full moon's gentle glow at night.

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked, intrigued by the energy emanating from Luna. It wasn't quite like...regular magic, so to speak.

"Accessing the plane of dreams. Scanning Piece of Wheel's spiritual state. Whatever damage the ghost caused was not physical."

Luna retreated as the magic faded from her horn, her brow deeply furrowed. She spawned in one of the many ghost books Twilight had initially dismissed as childish and inane. Her magic swept through the pages until she landed on one. "I believe tradition would name this creature a Myling."

"A...what? Let me see." Twilight peeked over Luna's shoulder at the page. Much to her surprise, the description written fit the bill; mylings were spirits who haunted their place of death till their last wish was fulfilled, or until their remains were given a proper burial. Till then, they roam and torment the living, growing larger and larger.

Junior, the griffon, wished for the seal on the second floor to be opened, Lucky wanted her father exorcised; the royal ambassador wanted Luna dead. There were so many more countless spirits with their own wishes, and their bones were long since claimed by nature.

"This doesn't help us much." Twilight's ears flattened to her skull. "If only...if only my friends were here. The Elements of Harmony would fix all of this, I know it."

"No use bargaining." Luna snapped the book closed and dismissed it with a flash. "I worry about this one." She looked over Piece of Wheel. Her cherry fur was turning a pale, ashen color. "This state of slumber has been forced upon her. I sensed disturbances...I believe she is under possession."

"P-possession?!"

"We need to break the enchantment as soon as possible. It is our only hope of banishing the spirits." Luna declared this, then started towards the door.

Twilight shook her head to dispel the shock. "So we're just leaving Piece of Wheel like this?!" She remained firmly at the bedside.

"We break the enchantment, we save Piece of Wheel." Luna turned the knob with her magic and, before leaving, gave Twilight a look of remorse. "I am sorry. I'm going to find Celestia."

Twilight Sparkle stood in haunting silence. She glared at the floor beneath her hooves, carpeted with pebbles, dust and splinters, and damned eternity, death, and the systems of the world that allowed such suffering to afflict souls that had suffered enough in their lifetimes.

She damned the same eternity which so firmly separated her from Luna and Celestia. It caged them all.

Twilight felt a chill run down her spine. She turned with a gasp. It was only Lucky De Roue who appeared at her side along with Junior. They shared conspiratorial glances, vibrating with jarring excitement. 

"This is our chance!" Lucky bounced in place.

"Wha-"

"You need to convince the sisters to save Piece of Wheel first." Junior said as they approached the bedside. Their form rippled and pulled towards Piece, beckoned by forces converging around the unicorn. "They'll surrender to the dreamscape more easily if they think there's a life at stake."

"You want me to trick the Royal Sisters?!" Twilight reeled from the mere implication. One was her mentor since she was small, and the other...well, the other was her crush. However, they were both incredibly cunning, versed in the ways of courts and nobility. "That's- simply impossible. I can't."

Lucky rolled her eyes and snorted. "You have those two wrapped around your hoof. They'll do anything you say."

"Clearly not-" Twilight returned Lucky's eyeroll. "Luna just up and left!"

"Then what are you waiting for?!"

Suddenly, a white blur flew past her. Twilight reacted just in time to catch the teapot in her magic before it hit the floor. But when she looked around, the two apparitions had vanished from the room, making their point well known. 

"I'll be back soon. I promise." Twilight swore this to Piece of Wheel before taking off after Princess Luna.


She found everyone at the main hall. Quite literally everyone, Lord Talonhart included. His large frame strained as he held the ceiling above his head. Only his talons secured fractured stone from falling on top of the Royal Sisters.

Twilight lifted her jaw from the floor so she could address her fellow princesses. "What is going on here?!"

"I was making an attempt to convince Lord Talonhart to abandon this...venture." Answered Celestia, casting an exasperated look up at the dragon.

Talonhart responded by blowing hot cinders from his nostrils. "I have staked my claim in this castle and I will not be ran off by some ghosts or some plants!" He lifted up with renewed vigor, fueled by pure spite. Muscles rippled under drooping draconian skin.

Twilight then had a thought; there would be no seal to break if the threshold between the two levels of the castle was allowed to come down. An idea was born from desperation and some insanity. Twilight pointed her horn towards Lord Talonhart, an unforgivable offense in any other circumstance, and fired shocks of magic at the underside of his arms.

"Ow- ow!" Talonhart jolted and flinched, and the stone above him rattled along with him. The princesses stepped away from the falling rocks, too confounded to react properly. 

Twilight hoped they would forgive her. "Let go, Lord Talonhart! This castle is a goner!"

"You-you pest!" He roared plumes of fire. "Have you gone mad?! Yeouch!" His impulse won over; Talonhart shrank away from the constant assault at the tender skin under his scales, finally letting go of the ceiling and curling his long neck into his chest. The princesses joined their magic and cast a barrier over themselves and the dragon. But the ceiling never came down.

Rather, the castle continued its metamorphosis into a structure of bark as vines and branches slithered to mend the fault lines in the ceiling, stitching together into a strong, self-healing lattice.

"Of course it would never be that simple." Twilight grumbled.

"Twilight Sparkle!" Princess Celestia chastising tone turned her stomach into a cold lump of ice. As she approached, there was no anger in her eyes...only perplexed disappointment. Twilight was a small filly all over again, drooping her head low to the ground. "What's possessed you into attacking our friend, exactly?"

"I-I- He-"

Luna quickly intercepted Celestia, placing herself between them. "Ease up, Celestia. We wouldn't be in this trouble if not for him and you know it."

Twilight drew strength from Luna's support and stood tall. "And an innocent pony wouldn't be in danger either."

Celestia's eyebrows raised. "Innocent pony?" 

"Alright..." Lord Talonhart was rough as hot coals. He brushed dust off his scales. "I am a horrible, bastard lizard and deserve scorn from the little princess. But one thing remains true: I am not your enemy."

Twilight twisted her mouth in disapproval. "N-no, but-"

"We need to break the enchantment before we have a death in our hooves." Luna said to Celestia, inspiring urgency. "Talonhart's servant was attacked by the myling. She is in grave danger." Her eyes turned accusatory. "And you would know this if you weren't too busy frolicking around with an expatriate."

Celestia gazed at her little sister. Hurt flashed over her, as quick as a heartbeat, but she dismissed it as she looked towards the doors to the upstairs, upon the glyphs emblazoned on its wood. 

This enchantment had been the bane of their existence for the past week. "Luna," Celestia stepped forward with everlasting grace, "we try together. Just like the olden days."

Twilight gulped thickly. Luna nodded.

Together the sisters flapped their wings, bypassing the long stairs curving upwards. As they approached, vines and branches crawled over the wooden doors, forming a network vascular in shape. 

Meanwhile, Lucky De Roue's voice spoke urgently into Twilight's mind. "What are you doing?! You were supposed to convince them to join the tea party!"

Twilight glared at some dark corner of the room, assuming it landed right on Lucky. "I can't stop them- this is what we wanted!"

The two landed neatly in front of the glowing runes. Together they had faced great adversity; they tamed the heavens, defeated a despot, and lead a great civilization to glory. Together they pointed their runes towards the enchanted doors. However large this haunting was, they had faced larger. They had fought stronger. 

But those were times long since past. Twilight held her breath, watching Luna and Celestia channel swirls of runes towards the doors. Her heartbeat quickened. The spell seemed to work so far, as the runes kissed their counterparts etched on the wood and the vegetative organism of the castle writhed in response. 

"They're...going to do it?" Twilight gasped. A dragon grumbled next to her. Lord Talonhart's wrinkles deepened with the bright light emanating in front of them. 

Luna's features strained. Celestia frowned in kind. Rays of gold and teal twirled together harmoniously as they attacked the enchantment. Responding to the threat, specters of fog materialized around the sisters. Timber and stalks sucked onto the ghostly figures like armor.

Twilight huffed through her nostrils and scuffed the tile with her hoof, wings flaring out in challenge. Greater than her fear of the angry spirits was her desire to protect the royal sisters and ensure the success of their efforts, no matter the cost. With a single beat of her wings, she sprung into the air and unleashed a rain of magic towards the ghosts. One by one she picked them off.

Waves upon waves of these ghosts continued to rise where the last of their kin was destroyed. The fog of their energy endured where the physical armor did not. Twilight found herself overwhelmed as she couldn't blast them off quickly enough. Groups of creeping ghosts like skeletons rising from their grave advanced towards the sisters, closing in around them.

A ball of fire swept through. Hell poured from Talonhart's large snout, redness glowing through the tissues of his long neck. The flames shied away from Celestia's figure as it attacked the haunted bark ghosts launching at her. Twilight grinned at Talonhart. Him stepping in was...unexpected, but inspiring. The dragon nodded at her, then rained his fire down on the double doors, burning through the vines occluding their path forward.

Twilight stamped down on the second floor right at Luna's side. A lumbering beast raised its hoof-like appendages towards the princess, until Twilight kicked him away with her hind legs. 

She glared at the ghosts still emerging from thin air. "Get away from her!" 

They screeched in retort to her battle cry.

However, what Twilight Sparkle didn't know was that her efforts would go unrewarded. Deep in the sisters' minds, as they wove the counterspell, sun and moon quarreled.


Runes floated around them, symbols which described different states of magic as it interacted with the fabric of reality. And these runes spun wildly in a storm of souls screaming, some for freedom and others for vengeance. Luna recoiled; the spirits reached for her. Unfortunately, in order to weave this spell they had to reach out, string the runes together, tap into them.

"Stand back, Luna!" Celestia, always protective, always noble, wrapped her large wings around the smaller alicorn. Her legs were longer as her hooves plucked runes from the air and beaded them into the counterspell.

Luna stepped outside of her sister's protective circle. "I am fine and capable, Celestia!" She swept her hoof into the current of runes, catching a section of their spell in the crook of her elbow. Just a few more lines and it would be complete...though the consequences of such a feat were unknown. Would breaking the doors enchantment truly take care of the haunting? It couldn't be this simple, could it? "We should have doen this much earlier...we owe Twilight some apologies." 

The spell continued to mount as the sisters worked in tandem. A ribbon of coherent magic formed around them. The spirits tried to claw at them, but were held back like sharks reaching for caged prey. 

"None of us could've known the castle held so many trapped souls...such a powerful spell." Celestia marveled at the complexity of the enchantment.

Luna wasn't so endeared. "You knew."

"I did not!" She faced Luna passionately. "Once I received reports of my party missing...I assumed the worst. And I did not dare send another ambassador to their deaths. All I could do was secure the nearby village, ensure there weren't any more cultists near vulnerable civilians."

"Secure." Luna glowered. "You persecuted ponies."

"I do not know what you want me to say, Luna! What you would've wanted me to do!" 

The sisters stood close, clashing, surrounded by chaos, beating with its nourishing ambrosia. 

"I wish-" Luna's words choked; they were horrifying even whilst unspoken, a thing of terror when breathed. "I wish you would've ended me!"

Celestia gasped.

"Then neither of us would have to deal with the mess I have made!"

Claws and teeth melded into one another as the spirits morphed into one mesh of violent hatred. They tore right through the counterspell's ribbons.


Twilight only saw the sister's magic enter dissonance, distort, unwind then explode in a flash of light. She was thrown towards a wall by a wave of celestial power, a nova extinguishing itself.

And the enchantment remained strong. The sisters lay on the ground, manes tossed about, covered in soot and rubble.

"Told you so." Lucky taunted.

Twilight rubbed at her temple then shook off her pain. Only the sisters knew what went wrong. Lord Talonhart hovered his head over the sisters, staring at them with disappointment.

The fog hung thickly, inert and spent yet still asphyxiating. Twilight addressed the elder dragon with authority. "Help me move them to safety."

Talonhart huffed, but agreed.