"One at a time," shouted Twilight as a roar echoed across Froggy Bottom Bog. Spike leapt to the first high raised bluff as the hydra started its way up the hill towards its pony prey.
"I'll distract him," said Twilight and made her way towards the hydra all while shouting charge like Rainbow Dash would have done. She knew what to do. She would run between its legs causing the great beast to flip, but just as she was going to meet it she couldn't feel her legs. Looking down the purple mare saw a white crystal growing up her legs sealing them to the ground.
She started a spell to teleport out of the crystal, but all she could create was a small purple spark that dissipated the moment it left her horn. Twilight felt the resistance and pushed trying harder and harder to teleport as the hydra drew closer, but she just couldn't. "Come on, come on," she said in a panicky voice, trying once more to get out of their, but the crystal wasn't just around her legs anymore. Now it crept up her shoulders and flank causing the skin to tighten and disappear beneath the crystal.
A roar echoed in her ears and she saw the hydra was almost upon her as the scent of dead fish and rotting fruit filled the air. Twilight cowered and leaned down, not wanting to see her death coming. But the air was still and muggy, like the universe holding its breath. Looking up Twilight saw the hydra had stopped in front of her and had leane down to meet her eyes.
The white crystal was now to her back as an eerie voice started to speak. But it was not only one voice, but four, all speaking in the same unnatural serpentine voice. "The time is now, child of fire."
It came out of the mouths of the hydra and now only the first spoke, its face changing as it spoke to the white face of a blue eyed dragon. It spoke quietly now, not like it had roared earlier.
"The lock hassss been broken, the Gate undone, now the monsstersss of Tartarusss wish to have sssome fun," hissed the dragon face.
Twilight's eyes widened as the head to the right of the dragon changed to a wispy windego and as the crystal crept up her stomach.
The windego screeched so loudly Twilight's ears rang and inside them she heard a cold, hard voice whisper, "Like the past done so long ago, this land will burn to ash and the creatures of it dead in the flash."
Twilight had heard this before somewhere, somewhere...
Now the head to right became the hideous leafy head of a timberwolf. The stench of rotting leaves and meat flowed from its mouth as it spoke in a deep voice that echoed and rang, "Find the gate, the lock, the key oh daughter of pony and fire."
The crystal was up to her neck and Twilight's skin tingled in fear as the last head changed.
This final head was familiar; somewhere Twilight knew she had seen it. That didn't make it any less terrifying.
This head was of a soot covered white unicorn, her horn dangerously sharp. Her mane was on fire, or was fire and the scent of sulfur and smoke filled Twilight's nose. Her eyes were closed.
And after a moment of silence the unicorn spoke, her feminine voice a mix of fluid and freezing cold.
She opened her mouth and said, "Become one with the fire, Twilight." And with that she opened her eyes and the crystal froze Twilight solid, leaving her to forever stare at the soulless, black eyes.
"Twilight! Twilight wake up," shouted Spike shaking the screaming unicorn. But she wouldn't wake up. She was spasming and sent a flying hoof at Spike's head. He ducked just in time and backed up only to take a blow from her back leg and fell on his face. Spike knew he should be scared, but she had not woken a lot of times. This had been the fifteenth nightmare since the hydra attack at Froggy Bottom Bog and every night since Twilight would have a nightmare.
The first night he was having an amazing ice cream dream when he woke to Twilight screeching in her bed. The first night he had been able to wake her though and get her to go back to sleep without another nightmare.
It's been different though lately. Sometimes he couldn't shake her awake, like tonight, thought Spike as he rolled away to find his ear plugs. Most of the time if she woke up, she wouldn't go back to sleep and he'd often find her still awake in the morning reading at her desk. At least after the third nightmare Twilight had had some sense to put a sound muffler on her room.
"Too bad she couldn't do it to my ears," mumbled Spike. Twilight screeching could wake a sleeping dragon, which it always did.
The talons clicked and clacked up the wooden stairs and he thankfully got back after Twilight had stopped screaming. Now she was just looking out the window through her telescope. Spike pulled in ear plugs out and laid them in his basket.
He tapped her lightly with his claw and asked, "Twi, I think you should talk to someone about these nightmares."
Twilight turned and looked back at Spike saying in a monotone voice, "I'm fine Spike, just fine."
"But Twilight you aren't getting sleep anymore and I can't wake you back up all the time," said Spike, "And we're all worried about you."
"Spike I don't need any help," said Twilight, her eyes back on the stars.
"Alright Twilight, but maybe we should at least talk to the Princess, you haven't sent a report in days," he said as he walked back to his bed.
"Has it really been that long?" asked Twilight turning back to Spike just as he settled in to the basket.
The wood creaked and a night breeze blew the branches of the tree back. And just as Spike was drifting into sleep he murmured, "Do you want me to write one?"
Twilight shook her head, "No thanks, maybe we'll send one in the morning." Twilight turned back to the telescope, but she really wasn't looking at the stars. She was thinking; thinking about the dream she had had. The poem the heads had said was written down next to her, in the journal she had kept so not to forget those dreams.
Each were about that darn day, when she and her friends had been chased down by the hydra and when she had opened up that part in her. The unicorn closed her eyes and shuddered remembering the opening she felt when she had turned to fire those two weeks ago.
At that moment Twilight felt like a piece of her had been taken into her and had brought her to a state of euphoria. But after that she felt like a piece had been ripped away from her, some part of her felt off.
But the worst part of it was her magic. It was more off than anything felt inside herself. A few days ago she had tried to teleport and like in her dream she could only create the smallest spark. But then afterward she lifted a quill and it crashed into the ceiling, snapping the tip.
It had been her last quill and Spike was off doing a favor for Rarity, so Twilight left to the Sofas and Quills for a new set.
She had never made it of course. The day had been normal, but everywhere Twilight looked she thought she saw fire burning down houses and that white unicorn. The scary part about her visions though was that she knew that nopony else saw them. Twilight had even seen Berry Punch walk right through one of the fires. Was she going crazy? This is what Twilight thought as she looked through her telescope as Sugarcube Corner burned through her eyes. Smoke was filling the air and ponies were fleeing the building, but from the shouts she knew her friends were trapped inside; that they were going to die.
And with a blink the nightmare was gone and the starry night was back to just that; a beautiful night.
But she knew something was just to good about it. To perfect. Something was wrong and Twilight knew it.
A thought entered her head, about that poem from her dream. Lifting her journal she re-read it and now realized that it wasn't just a poem, it sounded a bit more like a warning.
Twilight ran from her telescope and ran down the stairs, each one creaking as she stepped. And although so much noise then ensued as she searched for that particular book; Spike slept on, snoring in his basket.
The Everfree was silent; none of the birds sang and no leaves rustled from the moving of the animals through the foliage. The sun rose above the horizon and a certain zebra stepped out of her tree and said to herself, "Oh my, why does the wind not sing and the animals not speak. Is there chaos about to reek?"
Through the trees and beyond the ancient ruins and mustache loving serpent was trees and more trees. And beyond all that, in the middle of the Everfree was a gateway. Just a gate; you could have gone around it or over the golden gates, but no pony or animal wanted to go near them. Even the plants seemed not to go near the circle of sand that surrounded the gate.
It seemed to radiate a dark energy, but lately it seemed to be spreading from animal to animal and through the trees that no longer seemed alive. The Everfree seemed hollow; like it was alive, but dead and dark from the gate's powers.
But for thousands of years the gate has been the same old gold gate, but oddly without the golden lock it had had for years. And even more strangely, ever since the new moon entered to sky it has seemed that the gate has been changing. For one the golden glow of the gate began to turn from red to white and back to gold every few hours and the animals have been drifting into silence. The timberwolves wouldn't howl even though the zapapple time grew near.
Even now the spell grew weaker on the gates making it turn from gold to a white hot color that threatened to make them burst apart in a flash of metal. But still the gateway kept strong. This solution wouldn't last forever though. On harvest moon the spell would fade and in turn the gate would open and release something Equestria hasn't seen since before the Princesses were born. Something that the land wished never to face again.
The sun slide gently over the horizon as Twilight skimmed through the chapter once more her violet eyes red around the edges from the lack of sleep. A headache throbbed in her skull and she moved a hoof over her eyes, shielding them from the sun.
She cast a small push of magic to shut the curtain and with that small push it was ripped from the window sending them to the ground and shining even more light in her eyes.
Twilight scowled and grabbed the huge tome under her hoof and crept down the stairs and into the sweet darkness of the basement. She sat down and set the book on her desk. Knowing that if she light her horn the book would either catch flame or her horn would just spark she grabbed a match with her mouth and light a small candle. The little fire glowed in the darkness, illuminating the dusty lab equipment.
Twilight opened the book with a flip of her hoof and skimmed through the contents page until she found her last chapter, "The Foundation and Creation of Equestria."
She flipped through the pages and soon the mare found herself staring at a small brown letter she must have missed during her marathon of reading during the night. Twilight slide it off the page and onto the table.
Not wanting to shred it or set it on fire, Twilight opened it with some difficulty with her hooves. Grabbing the letter Twilight gently unfolded it near the light of the candle.
The ink was a dark shade of red; no wait. Twilight looked a bit closer and drew back her nose wrinkling. It wasn't ink, but blood. Ancient, but still metallic smelling blood.
Dear Celestia,
I am sending this letter in great urgency. This night I have had a dream that said I will soon be taking the great sleep. I know I said I would send my research in after I figured out where to find the gate, but with my untimely end approaching I must you read them as soon as possible. It would unwise of me to send it in this letter, in case someone such as Circumstance would find it.
All my research, notes, and knowledge on the gate has been hidden with my parents inside garden of Canterlot. It has been a delight and a pleasure to know you Tia, but by the time you read this I will be gone and all that will be left of my body is my blood on these pages.
Never forget me, my friend,
Olivine
"SPIKE!!!" and with that final shout the little dragon rolled out of the basket; legs trapped in the blanket.
He removed the earplugs and skidded back by the angry face of a sleep deprived Twilight.
"That was the fifth time I called you, Spike," said Twilight, who had now gone over grabbed her packed saddlebags that sat on her bed.
"I had my earplugs in because-" Spike stopped in mid-sentence and then asked, "What are you doing?"
"I am going to Canterlot," she said, sticking in the book she had been reading that morning.
"You mean your going to leave the house?" Spike said excitedly since Twilight had not left the house in over a week.
Yes," the mare said manually sticking the parchment and quills in her bag; mentally telling herself not to use magic.
"Do you need me to come with you?" he said.
"....no, you can stay and watch the library," Twilight said, after a pause and started to walk down the stairs.
"Alright, see ya later, Twi," waved Spike, who shut the door after her.
With the door behind her; she breathed a sigh and slowly walked to the train station. Twilight's legs were stiff as she walked; her flight instinct wanting to run all the way back to the library and away from the awful things she saw. The flames, the death, the screams as ponies burned and died. And that unicorn with the white coat and flaming mane and tail. She walked through the town with a knowing glint in her eyes; her dark, dead eyes.
"No, stop it," Twilight whispered to herself, pushing the bad thought away.
She tossed the bits to the toll person and boarded the train. Twilight took out one of her leisure books; the third Daring Do book, but she wasn't really reading. She was looking back through the town and at the library.
"Ticket please," said a pony to her. But Twilight wasn't paying any attention to him. Instead she was sending a silent goodbye to Spike, but only because she wasn't coming back.
Everypony has probably pulled an all-nighter at some point in there lives. Even the sheltered Twilight had had them, though most of them were spent reading, studying, or researching.
Sometimes all of the above, like the night before the long train ride Twilight had as she journeyed to Canterlot. A roll of thunder echoed through the sky and rain pattered the windows. And after such a long night it was so relaxing and sleep took her. Reality blurred and Twilight drifted into sleep.
"No!" Twilight said, having several passengers giving her an interesting look. She couldn't fall asleep; she couldn't, wouldn't have that dream again. Or see that face again. The mare had to stay awake.
And then she heard screaming. Leaping up; the wailing filling her ears she noticed that nopony was noticing her outburst. They were burning.
"What, no?" Twilight gaped in horror as she saw the flesh burn and hair singe, and the screeching that terrified her and filled her with a sense of dread.
"Ticket, please," said a voice behind her. The voice was feminine and cold. Twilight turned slowly; she knew what she'd see, but the unicorn hoped she was wrong.
She wasn't. It was the white unicorn, her eyes cold and dead.
Twilight froze; her body tense with fear. "What do you want?" she whispered.
"I can't hear you, child," said the unicorn, who leaned in her breath smelling like smoke.
Twilight turned even further away and repeated the same question.
The unicorn glowed her horn orange and lifted Twilights chin. "What do I want?" the unicorn chuckled, "I want to see what my counterpart was made of and I am ashamed at what I see."
"What?" Twilight turned back and the she saw it. The unicorn was her, but that was impossible.
"No, no sister it is more then possible, it is real," said the fiery Twilight, "I am you, just the untapped and invisible part."
"But...but..." said the first Twilight Sparkle.
"Hush now, Twilight you have to relax and accept me or else..."
But now she was gone and Twilight was alone in the dark. So alone.
"Excuse me miss," a voice said and Twilight opened her eyes seeing the conductor tapping her.
Twilight opened her eyes as her the darkness broke into to fragments. "Yes," she said, grabbing her saddle bags.
"We are in Canterlot and you will have to depart," he said.
"Of course," she stood slowly and clip-clopped out of the train her mind a frazzle by her dream.
Twilight stepped off the train and closed her eyes and sighed as a few scattered raindrops fell on her head.
She didn't want to open her eyes; she wanted to stay in the calm and quiet of her head. Twilight didn't want to see the visions or the fire; or herself. All Twilight wanted to be was alone in her head, but she head to get to the castle before nightfall. But by the time when she opened her eyes night had fallen and the only light came from the moon.
And after a blink of an eye it came from the fire that burned through the city and from where she stood, across all of Equestria.
Twilight knew not to sleep that night. She couldn't and besides; she had to figure out who Olivine was and what her research was. From what the letter had said it had something to do with a gate, but there were lots of gateways in Equestria and what did that have to do with... well with everything else. Her dreams, the visions, the letter, her counterpart or whoever that mare was.
Twilight sighed, tiredness causing her eyelids to droop. Besides nightmare-filled naps she sometimes would succumb, Twilight hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. She set down the tome she had brought and laid back in her bed where Twilight had been reading. Maybe she could just lay down for a little while. No! she thought. I can't sleep, not tonight. She yawned and just closed her eyes for I second, because their weight was just to much.
And then she fell asleep. With even breaths the purple unicorn slept and the world around her seemed to be holding its own breath. All was quiet and only the rustling of the wind in the curtains could be heard. Twilight Sparkle seemed to just be sleeping and then in came a shadow. It moved on its own like a string less puppet and crept across a square of moonlight.
It seemed shapeless until it reach the soft blue bed. It then became like a pony, but not. Its mane flowed on its own like a princesses and in the light of the moon glimmering through the curtain you could even see its cat-like eyes. It edged closer to Twilight and the mare cringed slightly in her sleep and grumbled a bit.
The shadow opened it's mouth and in a chilling voice spoke, saying, "Relax, little one. Give in to the fire, little sister."
Twilight bent back a bit and flipped over murmuring something in her sleep. And then her horn began to glow ever so slightly And that tiny candle like glow moved down her horn and onto Twilight's face and down dyeing her white as the moon. Except for her mane she looked like her sister with the fiery mane and the glow almost covered Twilight. But when it reached her cutie mark, it stopped.
The shadow's brow furrowed and it came even closer and almost touched the mare. And yet the glow couldn't go any farther. In fact it started to recede and Twilight went back to herself again. The shadow, furious made for the window, but stopped and glanced back to see that for once the purple mare would have no nightmares. And knowing that, it scowled and fled into the night.
