Death is not an escape
The realm of The Entity is not a domain to be trifled with. All who have been foolish enough to attempt to satiate their curiosity, all who have peered into the void, have come face to face with pure unadulterated evil. This is by no means a warning, nor is it hyperbole. It is a promise. If you are mad enough to delve deep into The Entity and its domain, you will not escape unscathed. Heed these words friend: Stay away.
-Vigo
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"The Entity, huh?" I chuckled uneasily as I finished reading the contents of the letter, though I wasn't sure if the laughter was due more to disbelief of the text or fear of it. I was sitting inside my home, the Golden Oaks Library, turning the sheet of parchment over in my telekinetic field. To my disappointment, there was nothing more to read on the back of the paper.
My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm a unicorn mare and, not to toot my own horn or anything but, also Princess Celestia's most gifted student. Princess Celestia being half of the diarchy of our nation of Equestria, of course. The other ruler, her younger sister Luna, is also a princess.
Recently, Princess Celestia assigned me the task of traveling to a different world. Well, maybe "world" is an incorrect term. Looking back, I'd say It was more like another dimension. All in all, it was quite a bizarre experience.
Many of the ponies I was familiar with from my world also existed in this other reality, but they weren't ponies there, they were humans! I never thought I'd say this with a straight face, but my friend Lyra had been right all along! Humans really did exist! Strangely enough, the inhabitants of this other dimension even behaved like their pony counterparts. I wasn't certain, but there had to be a connection.
Upon my return from the world beyond the mirror, my curiosity had slowly gotten the better of me. If there was a link between the two dimensions, then there had to be more links and more dimensions... right?
I began looking into various studies on the existence of even more realities and dimensions. After working long enough at my new obsession, I'd stumbled upon a very... interesting dimension with a rather intriguing overlord.
I had only ever read documents refer to it as "The Realm of the Entity", ruled over by, you guessed it, "The Entity". In its dimension, humans were apparently forced to endure ever repeating trials by an all-powerful demonic being. The details of what happened during those trials was hazy at best, and finding out anything more concrete was proving to be quite taxing.
All of the materials I could get my hooves on on that particular subject were so ancient and decrepit I could hardly decipher their knowledge. What little I garnered described the makings of the worst kind of nightmares. Killers and survivors. Hooks and blood. Death and sacrifice. Not exactly my cup of tea, but alluring nonetheless.
And so, I went deeper down the rabbit hole in an attempt to learn everything I could about the mysterious "Realm of the Entity". After weeks of intense probing, my investigations had lead me to the one place I'd never expected to find answers: my own home.
I was intimately familiar with every nook and cranny of my library, yet somehow I was finding tomes that I'd never come across before. Then, randomly, early in the morning, I'd found an unmarked scroll resting on my work desk. Where it had come from or who had delivered it was a mystery. I'd even asked Spike, my assistant, if he'd received it with the daily mail, but he assured me there was no sign of it when he'd gotten the rest of the delivery.
All I was really sure of was that the letter was most definitely not in the library the prior day, which made it all the more alarming that I was somehow staring at it now. If this venture was as dangerous as most others related to undiscovered magic, it was probably best to halt all my efforts to go any further into the subject...
But it was such an enticing prospect.
What if I can help the humans imprisoned there? What if I can aid them in finally gaining their freedom from The Entity?
They'd been prisoners for such a long time. If nopony else was going to help them then...
"I have to help!" I couldn't shirk the responsibility that came with the knowledge of such a terrible place. It was decided then. Whatever I could do, I would, despite what it might cost me.
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"A new interest? I haven't seen you this motivated in quite a while, Twilight." Princess Celestia was hovering around me as I skimmed through the shelves of the Canterlot archives.
"I guess you could say that..." I kept my reply as vague and brief as possible without sounding disrespectful. I didn't want to risk drawing my beloved mentor into anything potentially dangerous, so I tried to remain distant while I looked into the Entity's realm. Although, I suppose utilizing her city's archives was already putting her in harm's way, if just a little.
"Well, I'll leave you to your fun," she smiled kindly at me. "Oh! And Twilight?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Princess?" I already had an idea of what was coming.
"Don't stay up too late, okay?" she laid a gentle hoof on my shoulder. I'd arrived in Canterlot late into the evening, but I'd wanted to get to work immediately. "I haven't forgotten your... old habits, my most faithful student. Please don't let your interest become an obsession."
Yep, exactly what I thought.
Too many times in the past had she personally carried me to my room after a long night of studying.
"Of course, Princess," I promised her with a smile. "I'll get to bed as soon as possible." She moved closer to me, giving me a tight hug.
"Good." She turned to leave the archives. "I'll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast, yes?" she called from over her shoulder.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Princess!"
Any time I was able to spend with my mentor was a highlight of my life. As long as I didn't let myself run too wild, I'd be finished with my research within a reasonable timeframe.
Looking around the archives for any more evidence on the Entity's realm was proving to be much more difficult than I'd initially expected, though I suppose that made sense. Trying to find information on a completely alien reality should be problematic. After several hours of fruitless effort, just as I was about to throw in the towel, my exhaustion finally getting the better of me, I returned to my work desk to find another unmarked scroll. A scroll eerily similar to the one I'd found back at home.
"H-hello?" I cautiously called out into the dark of the archives, hoping somepony had left the paper unannounced, but was still around. When no reply came after several minutes of tense silence, I picked up the letter with my magic and unfurled it. The calligraphy was identical to the first message as well. Despite my bone dry mouth, I swallowed as best as I could as I began to carefully read the letter to myself.
Evan MacMilan, the only son of Archie MacMillan, was gradually driven mad by his father's deteriorating sanity. The mass murder committed by Evan at the MacMilan's mine was an especially appealing event to The Entity. Over a hundred men had perished that fateful night. This tragedy however, did not put an end to Evan's brutality. As time passed, father and son continued to murder and incinerate their victims inside the vats at the foundry on their estate. If one ever finds themself on this accursed land, I have only one warning: Mind your feet.
-Vigo
Once again, the letter was signed by what I assumed to be a human named Vigo. This time I knew why I was chuckling awkwardly, its contents sending chills running down my spine.
Why am I finding stuff like this now?
Something or somepony had to be planting the letters for me to find.
But who... or what, could it be?
One thing, one issue far more important than that question demanded my attention. A long yawn escaped my muzzle as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I wasn't sure what time it was, but it was definitely way past my normal bedtime.
I promised Princess Celestia, after all.
After taking a little more time to tidy up my workspace, I hastily made my way back to my room. Several guards gave me looks filled with concern as I stumbled past them, but I assured each that I was fine. As soon as arrived in my room I jumped on my bed. Once my head touched the soft fibre of the pillow, I was gone to the world.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The desolate land I opened my eyes to find was nowhere in Equestria I was familiar with. The ground itself felt like it was trembling beneath me, as if it was aware I was standing on top of it and wanted me off immediately. Studying my surroundings more closely yielded no concrete answers either.
The trees that surrounded me towered overhead, much like the skyscrapers of Manehatten. The foliage nearly blocked my view of Princess Luna's moon... or at least what should've been the Night Princess' moon. It almost looked like it had before, when she was trapped within it all those years ago. As I stared at the shining orb I slowly realized It most definitely wasn't the Princess of the Night's crown jewel.
Where... am I?
Back on the ground, there was a long brick wall along my back, a steel fence atop said wall that was corralling me forward if I wanted to move anywhere. I attempted to unfurl my wings, but they remained immobile at my sides no matter how hard I willed them to move.
The odd brick walls in front of me appeared to be erratically built and looked to be old, if not ancient. They could've been remnants of buildings from the distant past, but they genuinely looked like they'd been constructed specifically the way they stood. Moving forward into the heart of them, I found something truly baffling. The elaborate machine was about as tall as I was, various pistons, wires, and mechanical devices all over it. I placed a cautious hoof on one of the less imposing parts, the cold metal making a loud clang, but nothing else happening.
I toyed with the idea of trying to use a spell on it, but decided against such a brash action. Just as I was about to look inside the thing I heard a loud boom come from somewhere in the distance, drawing my gaze. Initially, I intended to call out in the direction of the blast, but my mouth wouldn't obey my wishes, just like my wings had refused before them. Unable to speak, I galloped towards the sound, hoping I might find something or somepony that could help me.
I ran past a dessicated water tower that stretched high into the sky, the clip-clop of my hooves muffled by the dirt below me. The forest was littered here and there with multiple dirty crates, bins full of chopped up trees, and other things that were presumably for harvesting wood. With all of the information I'd gathered I was able to ascertain I was in a long abandoned forest.
There were also strange red boxes around, but I had no idea why they peppered the landscape, nor what their true purpose was. They looked completely out of place, as if somepony had just dropped them into the forest on a whim. They weren't the only things that were troubling me. Large pillars with rusted metal hooks at the top of them also hinted at something seriously wrong with this place.
As I drew nearer the location of the blast, I could faintly hear a chugging, metallic sound, like an ancient device trying its hardest to power up. After navigating several more of the twisted brick walls, I came upon something I never thought I'd see again.
A human was crouched in front of one of the machines I'd seen before, its arms deep inside the gaps of the contraption. My hoofsteps drew its attention, its arms not withdrawing from the machine, but its eyes locking with mine. It wore a white shirt and tie, beige slacks, and a pair of sneakers. The short black hair on its head was well kept and black glasses were on its face. From my extensive research, I'd wager it was a male. For some reason, he was a lot less colorful than the humans that lived through the mirror... but I suppose this whole place was.
He jerked his head toward the machine, an expression of raw terror on his face. I trotted over to him, not sure exactly what he wanted of me, but feeling like it was the right thing to do. As I got closer to him, I felt an unknown sense of confidence begin boosting my morale. On instinct alone I cast a spell on the apparatus, somehow knowing how to repair it.
As we worked together, the pistons began pumping harder and harder as it slowly regained power. With one final push it burst to life, illuminating the area all around us. It was a generator, to power what, I couldn't be sure, but I believed it was what we had to do to get out of this horrible place.
The human stood to his full height, waving toward himself as if to say, "follow me". As we began to move together I heard a loud metal snap followed by a blood-curdling scream. The terrifying sound froze the both of us in place. I looked up at the human, hopeful he had some kind of idea of what that shriek could've been and what we should do about it.
He appeared to consider our options for a moment before another ear-piercing screech came from the same direction as the first. I began to tremble, a crippling fear overtaking my body. The human noticed my distressed state and turned toward one of the red boxes before pointing at it.
Again, I somehow knew what he was instructing me to do. I walked up to the box and opened its doors. Inside of it, along the back wall, were a line of sparkling violet knives and below the blades were dirty looking hatchets. The weapons weren't what I had opened the doors for though. I moved inside what I realized was a locker, quietly closing the doors behind myself. It was a snug fit, but I was able to completely conceal my body.
With the silence the enclosed space lent me, I was able to hear the retreating footsteps of my companion. I wasn't sure where he was off to, but I trusted his judgment. As I waited for Celestia knows what, I noticed something particularly disturbing.
My heart was beginning to pound extremely hard. It felt as if the muscle was causing the whole locker to rumble. In a moment, it was so raucous I could swear it was about to burst from the strain. I wasn't sure if it was due to the sudden onset of claustrophobia or something else, but just as I was about to burst out of the locker I heard approaching footfalls.
These were not the same as my ally's before. These were heavy thuds that were so powerful they rattled the hinges of the locker, almost like they were the beats of a war drum. Needless to say, I stayed put in the safety of my protective box, sweat now caking my body. The steps came to a stop directly in front of my safe haven.
A scratchy, throaty breathing, as if the one doing it was wearing a mask, had settled in front of the locker as well. The intense pounding in my ears and chest threatened to incapacitate me. I struggled to control my breathing, to hold in the scream that was clawing at my throat. It was a battle I was slowly losing.
Another loud snap of metal, another agonized scream of pain, and then whatever was waiting for me outside the locker stomped away, possibly to go towards the outcry. My heartbeat gradually slowed. My breath,
as well as my heart, eventually finding an even pace.
With the utmost caution I exited the locker, closing it back up behind myself. I glanced around, hoping to find a safe place to go. A large dilapidated shack sat several meters away.
Looks safe enough.
I trotted over to it, entering through the opening on one side of the building. On the opposite end of the small space was another open doorway and on one side of the shack was a window. Other than another generator in the center of the room, there wasn't much else of note inside. It was dank and dirty, but nothing...
Is that... bones in the corner?
I didn't have the guts to go get a closer look.
There was a stairway leading down to... somewhere, but there was no chance in all of Equestria I was going down to find out where, especially with the eerie noises that were emanating from it. I crouched next to the generator, reaching out with a spell to begin energizing it. Repairing this one was much harder than the last and so, much more time consuming. Without the human helping me, it felt as if I was making progress at half the rate.
As the third piston fully powered and began pumping my heartbeat fell silent. A horrid feeling of impending doom slowly crept into my soul, making me want to retch. A loud smashing sound came from behind me, drawing my terrified gaze.
Another human wearing a green jacket and blue jeans dashed right by me, vaulting out the window as fast as its legs would carry it, however it was not the source of my consternation. As if it was made out of cardboard or paper mache, the wooden plank that had been dropped by the human was turned to splintered pieces of wood in a matter of seconds.
I could not say for sure if what was before me was a human or a monster, but it was gigantic, almost double the size of the humans I'd encountered previously.
Could it be The Entity?
It wore a terrifying white mask that looked to be made of some kind of bone. The covering that concealed its visage had a toothy misshapen mouth carved into it that almost seemed to curl into a grin. The breathing...
It's the same sound as before.
It had been the thing that was searching outside the locker.
Its attire was made up of grimy overalls and filthy black boots. Its left ankle was wrapped in bandages, possibly covering old injuries. It was drenched from head to toe in a crimson liquid that I prayed wasn't what I thought it was. Rusted pieces of metal were plunged through its right arm all the way up to its shoulder, though they didn't appear to bother it in the least, nor did the rest of its rotting wounds.
But none of its clothes or what it was wearing demanded my attention. What it held in each hand caused me to reflexively move away in terror. In its left hand was a strange looking device made out of metal, presumably steel or brass. It was round and had pointed razor sharp teeth. In the other...
It stalked toward me, swinging the corroded cleaver that already had fresh blood on it, at my soft flesh. Fortunately or luckily for me, the weapon found only the hard metal of the generator as I leapt aside. My body screamed at me to run, the sudden pounding of my heart drowning out all other noises.
I sprinted for the open doorway, not thinking of anything other than fleeing from the danger I suddenly found myself in. Maybe if I had been more careful I would've seen it, but moving at breakneck speed had offered me no such opportunity. My forelegs had avoided it, out of pure dumb luck I suppose, but my right hind leg was not so fortunate.
My hoof pressed down on something cold and hard, unlike everything else I'd trod on prior. The loud snap that followed had already become all too familiar. I shrieked in pure agony as the teeth of the trap dug into my leg, immediately halting my momentum and causing me to slam into the ground, face first.
Reality blurred and spun around me as I looked back at the wound. My blood was already pooling on the dirty ground. My jaw trembled as I turned my gaze up to look at the monster. I closed my eyes as he stood over me, waiting for the descent of his blade. It never came.
Instead the thing stepped on the trap and forced it open, freeing me from the trap. It grabbed me and lifted me over its shoulder as if I weighed less than nothing to it. I didn't know where it was going to take me, but as soon as it began walking down the flight of stairs I fought with all I could to try and break out of its grasp.
Unfortunately, the pain that shot up and down my mangled leg and the strength of the monster made it feel like I was a flopping fish in the hold of a vice.
It was far too strong, all my efforts to escape just slightly annoying it. As we entered the basement of the shack I began to hyperventilate. From some unknown source shined an orange light through the gnarled wood along the walls. The floors were spattered with dark maroon stains, remnants of those who'd been brought down here before me.
In the center of the room were four metal hooks all arranged together, facing in opposite directions. As it lugged me over to them, I realized what its intentions were. I bawled, struggling even harder, but not deterring the beast whatsoever. It threw me up onto one of the hooks, hanging me by my shoulder.
Sharp pointed metal tore through skin, muscle, and sinew, my blood shooting out all over the floor, adding to the collection. I screamed, louder than I ever had before, the pain unlike anything I'd ever experienced. The hook held me suspended in the air with ease, my limbs dangling like apples hanging from the trees at Sweet Apple Acres.
I hadn't even realized the monster had left, although I did hear a metallic clicking sound come from the stairwell, but that didn't matter to me. I tried shifting slightly, the movement sending shockwaves of pain throughout my body.
I could try to get off of the meat hook, but the swelling agony that came from moving even an inch convinced me to stay put. Instinct told me to try to use magic, but channelling any amount of mana felt like my skull was being crushed in a hydraulic press. Staying still didn't alleviate the sorrow completely, but it felt a whole lot better than doing anything else.
What's going to happen to me?
It was the most prominent question in my mind and, while I didn't want to think about it, it repeated over and over. Would that monster return? Would I be trapped down here forever? No, the blood that was gushing from my shoulder and my hind leg was too great. I'd give myself... well I was by no means a doctor, but definitely no more than a couple more minutes before the loss of blood would incapacitate me.
An unsettling clicking noise coming from the walls was broken up every couple of seconds by a loud groaning. What sounded like the howls of tormented souls of the beings that had lost their lives here echoed throughout the room. The environment was starting to get to me, my brain insisting something was about to jump out of the darkness and gut me.
The plip-plip-plip of the dripping red liquid hitting the floor was interrupted by the loud snaps of the monsters traps smashing shut.
I can't just stay here and do nothing. I have to-
Long black tendrils slowly began to materialize all around me, coming into existence from some unknown reality. The ends of the claws were pointed and sharp, much like the ends of a culinary chef's finest knives. Even more concerning, they were all aimed directly at me. Whatever was happening was bad and I didn't have the time to come up with a plan of escape.
The tendrils attacked, launching their deadly ends directly at my exposed torso. I didn't have time to contemplate the possible consequences, my telekinesis halting the tentacles in place and sending jolts of excruciating pain throughout my head. All things considered, the agony in my head had to be drastically more tolerable than what the black spears would do to me.
They weren't giving up. The dark tendrils pushed forward harder and harder, forcing me to exert more mana to keep them from my delicate flesh. I groaned at the strain, sweat dripping from my forehead. I grit my teeth, knowing that in minutes, if not seconds, I'd be skewered alive.
I closed my eyes, shaking from the exertion and exhaustion. Just as my strength was about to fail and my mana was running dry, I felt something cold under my shoulders lifting me up off the hook. My eyes shot open in disbelief.
It was another human, this time a female.
She... she saved me.
I almost cried as she carefully placed me on the ground. She had long black hair and glasses. Her attire consisted of a pink button up shirt, a pair of jeans, and simple shoes.
She waved her hand toward herself, just like the fellow before, and then ran up the stairs. We had no time to waste and I didn't want to be alone again. I hustled right behind her, ignoring the ache from my leg and my shoulder, not to mention the booming headache I'd gotten from exhausting my magical reserves. While I was mobile, I was noticeably limping.
I ran face first into the open palm of her hand, stopping me in my tracks and crumpling my muzzle. When I regained my faculties I saw the human pointing at the ground directly in front of us. One of the steel traps, perhaps the same one I'd stepped in before, was set and prepared to ensnare another oblivious victim.
The female crouched down and cautiously put her hand down onto the trigger of the trap. In one deft motion she pressed down hard and withdrew her appendage, the trap biting down right after her hand was a safe distance away. I looked at the human in amazement, impressed by her courage and dexterity.
The confident smirk on her face swiftly turned to worry as my heart began to pound yet again. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say the human was experiencing the same sensation as I was. A blaring horn or something similar rang out through the night causing the both of us to look upwards.
The human nodded in satisfaction, as if that sound was a sign of something she'd expected to happen. She waved at me again before standing up, the two of us darting out of the shack toward what looked to be an old factory.
Despite, or perhaps because of our speed, my heartbeat was getting more thunderous as we entered the crumbling building. There wasn't enough time to take in my surroundings as we passed through the internals of the withered plant, but I did notice more machines for harvesting lumber and numerous broken windows. The two of us passed by another generator running at full power as my heartbeat seemed to be reaching a crescendo.
I spared a glance behind myself, an atrocious idea in hindsight. The masked being stalked after us, somehow quicker than me and my savior, despite the fact that we were running at full tilt and it was simply walking. I would've screamed if it was possible, but my mouth was still sealed shut. Instead, I turned back forward, trying to focus on galloping faster, but not increasing in velocity at all.
The girl and I left the building from another open doorway, moving back into the dense forest as fast as we could. A loud buzzing sound resonated through the forest from something in the direction we were moving, once, then twice. Whatever we were running to, I knew we were getting close to our destination.
The throaty breathing from behind me was gaining ground, now only a few feet behind me. As my legs began to weaken and my muscles screamed in protest I knew I wasn't going to make it.
It's going to catch me and take me back to those hooks and... a-and...
Just as the tears stinging at my eyes were about to fall I felt something shove my flank hard from behind. A wet smacking sound entered my ears as I tumbled to the ground. I swiveled my head, my gaze focusing on what had just happened.
The second human, the one that had leapt through the window of the shack, stood between me and the monster, its eyes wide in horror. It didn't make a sound, though its face twisted in despair. The monster's cleaver was plunged deep into the human's shoulder, blood splattering everywhere. I recoiled in disbelief, the sight before me something I never thought I'd have to witness.
The human fell, first onto its knees then to its face as the monster jerked its weapon out of the human's flesh, more blood spurting out of the cavernous wound. I got to my hooves, taking a thoughtless step toward them as my innate nature of friendship compelled me to try and help in any way I could.
I was stopped by the female, held back for some reason. I glared at her, frustrated that she would prevent me from trying to help. There was a great sadness in her eyes, but she shook her head slowly, as if she knew I would suffer the same fate if I moved any closer. She pulled me back in the direction we were going... and reluctantly... I followed her, leaving my savior behind.
As we fled, I could hear several more moist blows that I knew were the cleaver hacking through soft flesh, muscle, and tendons. I sobbed, knowing that had it not pushed me out of the way, it would be me being butchered right now.
On the edge of the forest was a huge open gate, the first human I'd encountered waiting with a look of worry on his face.
The female didn't stop, nor did I as the other human joined us in our escape. As we left the forest to Celestia knows where, I risked one final glance behind myself. The killer stood at the gate, staring at us. It was no longer in pursuit. I don't know why it had stopped, but I was thankful to all higher powers and anything else that might have answered my prayers.
We ran, and ran, and ran, not speaking a word to each other. I wanted to stop and rest so badly, my leg and shoulder at the brink of a pain so vivid I had to concentrate on not screaming. I was exhausted and could feel the contents of my stomach coming up of their own accord. After an eternity of galloping I could faintly see something in the distance: a light.
The others must've seen it as well as they began to slow their sprints to a jog.
Is that... a fire?
On closer inspection, it was a campfire with several logs around it that I assumed were for sitting. As we slowed to a stop I thought I might vomit from the marathon, but quickly realized I was way too tired to do so. As my vision blurred and then turned black my legs gave out from beneath me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The melodious chirping of birds stirred me from my slumber and, despite waking to the light of my mentor's sun and the beauty of her day, I instantly turned off the side of the bed and threw up. Thankfully, a trash bin was sitting in the perfect spot to catch my sickness.
I could still hear the screams. I could still see the blood. I could still smell the rot. As I heaved and wept a gentle knock rapped at the door. When I was finally able to catch my breath and clean myself up a bit I called out.
"Come in!" I wiped the last of the filth from my mouth with a napkin and tossed it into the waste basket. A guard fully clad in royal armor slowly opened the door, looking sheepish at what I perceived to be, in his mind at least, an unwarranted intrusion into my quarters.
"M-miss Sparkle... is everything alright? I heard some strange noises coming from your room so I-" his eyes widened in what I thought was surprise.
"I'm sorry. I'm just feeling a little under the weather," I confessed, though it didn't do much to change his expression. When he realized I was getting a little offended by his carelessness, he awkwardly smiled, trying to remedy the initial impression he had made.
"Forgive me for saying this, Miss Sparkle, but..." he uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. "You look like you've been through the ringer."
I got out of bed and trotted over to my vanity, my own face mirroring the guards when I got a glimpse of myself. He wasn't wrong. The bags under my eyes made it look like I hadn't slept a wink that night. My mane was disheveled and wild, like I'd tossed and turned in bed all night. Even my coat was messy and in need of a good brushing.
"It was..." I turned to face the guard. "... I had a nightmare," I spoke at him but not to him.
Could that have all really been just a dream?
I could still feel the dull ache in my shoulder and my leg. Grazing my shoulder softly with a hoof sent pain radiating through my body. I was sure if I did the same to my leg it would yield similar results.
"Are you... is there anything I can do to help, Your Highness?" His concern was endearing, but there was only one pony I needed to see right now.
"Actually, there is."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I sat in the archives alone, laying an old tome down that, after thorough examination, had nothing of interest on The Entity in its pages. The approaching clip-clop of hooves on stone caused me to raise my head to attention.
"My sister awaits your presence, Twilight Sparkle. Why do you delay your meal together?" Princess Luna was miffed I had not met with Celestia, but to be perfectly honest, I'd completely forgotten about it. I would never have missed it had my night not been so... traumatizing.
"I..." I rubbed my face with a hoof, genuine regret gripping me. "I forgot." I hadn't had the time to wash up or anything... or maybe that darn nightmare was so vivid in my mind it had compelled me to start researching again as soon as possible. In any case, Princess Luna noticed my frazzled state, her eyes growing as wide as the guard's had earlier.
"Twilight...you look truly frightful," she winced.
"Gee, thanks Princess," I chuckled before yawning so wide I thought my jaw might dislocate.
"Forgive me," she took a seat on the floor next to me. She awkwardly reached out her wing, wrapping me in it and drawing me close. "I cannot say that I am not a little worried about you. The guard notified me of your request to speak with me. What is wrong, Twilight?"
"P-P-Princess!?" I was caught off guard by her sudden intimacy. She had never acted like this before and while it wasn't unwanted, it was completely unexpected.
"Forgive me, Twilight," she quickly withdrew her wing, a blush coming to her face. "Perhaps I should leave such gestures to my sis-"
"N-no, no!" I leaned into her. "It feels nice, really, Princess." It felt good to be so close to another pony after last night's experience. She smiled brightly, covering me in her wing yet again.
"Is everything alright?" she asked, resting her head on top of mine. The thought of telling her made me feel a little embarrassed. I wasn't a foal, after all, and even in my head it sounded absolutely ludicrous, but she would know what to do. It was her territory.
"I had a nightmare... A very realistic one." I confessed.
"You had..." she looked bewildered, like I'd just told her that her sister couldn't stand the taste of cake.
"Is there... something... wrong with that?" I was really self-conscious all of a sudden, like I was actually a foal and she was going to ridicule me for such a silly reason. My head drooped at the thought. To be fair, I was like a foal in comparison to the Princess of the Night.
"Twilight..." she lifted my head by the chin with her hoof, making me look directly into her eyes. "I monitored your slumber last night, much like I do for Celestia and Cadance every night."
"You... you did?" That seemed a bit... invasive. She must've perceived my thoughts because her face screwed up in discomfort.
"I know that sounds a bit... strange, but I assure you I have the most noble of intentions in doing so," she offered me a comforting smile. "How else could I keep the nightmares at bay if I did not watch those most precious to me?"
"When you put it that way..." I smiled back. It warmed my heart to know that she cared for me so.
"Twilight, you did not have a nightmare last night." Her words struck at my heart, the sudden pounding mimicking what I'd experienced before in the...
"Princess I... I don't know what to say." It had to have been a nightmare, there was no other explanation. She considered what I'd said for a moment, her eyes closing.
"Tell me, Twilight," she said after opening her eyes. "What was it you dreamt of?"
"I..." I couldn't tell her the truth. I wasn't about to place her in any danger. I may not be as close to the Night Princess as I was to her sister, but I respected and loved her just as much. "I don't remember." She was thoroughly disappointed by my reply. "I just know it scared me pretty badly."
"I see..." she sighed. "I am afraid I have no answers for you, Twilight," she placed a hoof on my shoulder. "But I can guarantee that you most definitely did not have a nightmare last night."
Something was definitely wrong...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I sat alone in the archives yet again, Princess Luna having left after we had a long conversation. The company was nice and while I still hadn't gotten to go speak with my mentor, her younger sister promised to speak to her on my behalf.
I was still so very tired, but I had to find an answer.
How could it not have been a nightmare?
Something strange was going on and I had to get to the bottom of it, but the archives weren't helping at all and I hadn't gotten another mystery letter from that Vigo person.
Another yawn, probably the twentieth or so, escaped my mouth. My eyelids were slowly shutting as I started to nod off. I shook my head and clapped my face with my hooves, forcing myself back awake.
What in the...
The archives were getting foggy. Very foggy. It was thick and impossible to see through and it was all around me...