The Only Chapter
Twilight pushed open the doors to her castle with a yawn. Another great Winter Wrap Up completed. This made the fourth year in a row it was made in time due to her diligent leadership. They had sang the song and everything!
"Hey Twilight! How was it?" Spike greeted, running over to her.
"Another flawless one." Twilight responded with some pride.
"Let me guess, you guys all song a song about it." Spike snickered.
"Of course. It's traditional now. And it makes the whole process go quicker and makes it more fun." Twilight lectured.
"But how does that work?" Spike asked.
"What do you mean?" Twilight questioned.
"Well like, how do you all just... break into song at the drop of a hat? Like, that's never happened to me, but happens to you all the time."
Twilight blanched. "Well, I mean you've had your moments when you've sung."
"Well, yeah." Spike retorted, dismissing Twilight's rebuttal. "But that was different. When you all wanted to exile Thorax, the song I sang was almost all improvisation, as you could probably tell. Same thing when you were singing before and after being told to go save the Crystal Empire. And then the time I sang to Rarity during that one Hearth's Warming with the Winterzilla, well the entire walk home I was planning on the music and the lyrics. But when you, or any other pony sings, it's like you all magically know the words and are able to sing in harmony with each other without practice."
Twilight froze in place. She had no idea. It was just something... that happened. It never felt off, just kind of like somebody had magically put the words in her mind.
"Spike, take a letter."
Dear Princess Celestia,
I'm happy to report as your student that Ponyville had another perfect Winter Wrap Up. There was a song and everything!
But upon speaking with Spike after the ceremony was complete, he pointed out that perhaps bursting out into song with everyone around you also knowing the lyrics and being able to harmonize perfectly was perhaps a little odd. I never questioned it until now, but ever since my first Winter Wrap Up in Ponyville, I've seen this happen quite a lot.
I was hoping you could shed some light onto why this occurs.
Sincerely yours,
Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight nervously paced back and forth, wondering why an intelligent pony like her had never seen what a weird occurrence this was. And it all started when she moved to Ponyville. Could it be related to the Elements? No, that wouldn't make sense. It likely wouldn't affect anybody but her and her closest friends. Besides that, the Elements had been returned to the Tree of Harmony, so that had to rule them out. Some kind of magical energy hanging around Ponyville? No, she would detected it long ago if so, and she had burst into song in Canterlot too on several occasions. Well maybe...
Twilight's inner struggle was cut off when Spike poked her in the shoulder, waving a scroll in front of her. Twilight levitated it in front of her and opened it up, expecting a long and meticulous answer defining exactly how this magical phenomenon worked. Much to her chagrin, the letter was actually pretty short.
Dear Princess Twilight
While I can, and would have no difficulties explaining this to you, Luna much insisted on explaining this to you herself. She actually looked pretty giddy about it. Nobody has ever asked her before. Luna will be visiting you in the Dreamscape tonight to give you your answer.
~Princess Celestia
"What?! But that's... that's not an answer at all!" Twilight complained. "This question is gonna keep me up all night anyway!"
Spike sighed. "Me and my big mouth." He set out to make some chamomile tea for the neurotic alicorn, who otherwise truly would be on this subject for hours.
Twilight found herself in the Crystal Empire's library. Sunburst had pointed out some fascinating history books he had thought Twilight might enjoy. And enjoy she did. It turns out there was a point in history before the Crystal Heart, when ponies had primarily defended their empire with-
"Twilight Sparkle." A familiar voice rang out.
Twilight whipped her head around to view the Princess of the Night in her fully majesty. "Princess Luna!" Twilight gasped. "But what are you doing here in the Crystal Empire? And what about Celestia saying you were going to tell me about the fact we all magically break out into songs? What's that all about?"
Luna gave an uncharacteristic smirk. "I was waiting for somebody to figure that out. I'm honestly surprised it took as long as it did. You see Twilight, my job is to protect the dreams of ponies from darkness. To save them from nightmares. But there is not a nightmare every night. And even thought I can pass from dream to dream quite easily, I may not always find them if there is one. But you see Twilight, on nights without much to do, I have been known to get bored. Watching the dreams of other ponies can only be entertaining for so long, especially if they are..." Luna looked around the library. "Maybe a little dull."
Luna paused, her smirk growing bigger as she let the dramatic tension build.
"So, to finally answer your question, I do it! I've always loved singing. After Celestia and I lost our parents, she sang to me every single night for the longest time.. Hearing the song was like a warm embrace."
Twilight's jaw dropped.
"But.. why? And how? A-a-and... isn't that sort of... not the best use of your powers?"
Luna gave off a slight chuckle.
"Well, why is easy. I do find it more entertaining to come up with songs for the ponies to sing than sit on my flank and watch Spike dream of making a house out of ice cream. It makes the work hours fly by. As for how? It's simple enough to plant an idea firmly in the subconscious, to be drawn out whenever a certain event triggers them. For example, for several nights prior to the day the Cutie Mark Crusaders received their cutie marks after redeeming their schoolyard bully, I could sense Diamond Tiara's growing hostility toward her mother. I realized things would eventually come to a head, especially after she was planning to run in the student senate. I had much fun planting those songs in hers and the CMC's subconscious. Celestia even helped me come up with some of the lyrics.
"Oh, and as for it being a misuse of power? I would disagree. It has hurt nobody, and if at all, ponies seem to like it. There were no complaints when Ponyville was singing their little 'Winter Wrap Up' song. Believe it or not, Celestia came up with that one on her own."
"B-but what about the ones you couldn't have seen coming? When my friends and I were attempting that escape room, how could you know of that?" Twilight retorted, desperately trying to find a hole in Luna's logic.
Luna shrugged. "Well for one, you dreamed about the escape room the night before, and quite honestly Twilight Sparkle, while you are indeed quite powerful and reliable, you're rather... predictable. Besides, there were no nightmares that night."
Twilight blanched, not knowing quite what to do or say. Then she remembered what her scaly assistant told her earlier.
"What about Spike? He's never had a moment like that."
Luna shrugged again. "His dreams are usually about food, they make me hungry. So I avoid his dreams."
Twilight's brain completely shut down. "So, for all the moments when... What about when Celestia sang to me before I became an alicorn? Was that also a part of your boredom? That moment meant so much to me..." Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.
"Oh no, of course not Twilight Sparkle. Celestia made that song up herself for you, and sang it on her own volition. While I may do it for cheap thrills, I would not taint such a pure moment for the sake of entertainment. I do not meddle in Celestia's dreams. When she sang for you, as well as when Celestia, Cadance, and myself sang to you after the dignitaries arrived from Saddle Arabia, those were both genuine songs we made for you."
Wiping her tears, Twilight asked a final question. "What about Cadance? When I found her in the caves below Canterlot, she sang a song with me. If you knew she was down there, why didn't you do or say anything?"
Ah yes, well..." Luna cleared her throat. "That wasn't actually me. I had nothing to do with that. I do not trifle with Princess Cadance's dreams. Usually."
Twilight opened her mouth, but words refused to come out. She was going to have to take her time to puzzle over this epiphany.
"Princess Luna, I think I'd like to wake up now." She finally muttered.
"Would you like me to fashion a song for you later when you think about this?" Luna asked innocently.
"Princess Luna..."
"Offer going once." Luna replied, hiding a grin with her hoof.
"Princess Luna." Twilight replied in a more forceful tone.
"Going twice..." Luna snickered.
"Princess Luna." Twilight almost growled.
"Oh fine, Twilight Sparkle, you have my words you will not sing a song tomorrow." Luna smiled, putting extra emphasis on the last word.
Before Twilight had the chance to ask for more clarification, she found herself thrown into the world of the waking.
And so it was from then on, whenever Twilight heard a pony singing a song out of nowhere, she thought of Princess Luna.
She also started singing about it a week later.