Book Of Timeby HJSDGCEChaptersChapter One - MeetingsChapter Two - Dreams or NightmaresChapter Three - Silent GoodbyesChapter One - MeetingsLong ago, the days before Celestia and Luna, even before Discord, existed the Chaotic Plane. The plane was empty and nothing existed in it. Until one fraction of a moment, Queen Aurorria was born. She saw the empty void and decided to change it entirely. She created Equis, a planet teeming with flora and fauna, ready to be uncovered. She watched over the world, as animals follow nature and slowly evolve. Thus exists dragons, ponies, gryphons and much more. These sentient beings made kingdoms, empires and governments, as they continue to grow and evolve. Queen Aurorria was pleased to see all her creations like such, so pleased that she recorded everything in one book. One book that holds every information in the universe. One book, so powerful that it alone can be used to conquer empires, tackle governments and destroy countries. Many have heard of the book and many have tried to steal it from her. Though none of succeeded, she felt that the book was indeed dangerous. So, she destroyed the book, leaving nothing but the ashes of its remains. When Queen Aurorria disappeared about two thousand years after she hid the book , she left control over the Sun and the Moon to the unicorns. But even so, the book was not given to them either, since she already destroyed it. The book became a mere legend afterwards, where bards sing songs of it and historians only treat it as a joke. But Celestia and Luna know the existence of that book. They never say it, but they do. They even remembered its name. The Book Of Time. “SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEE!!!!” Twilight shouted furiously. It was suppose to be a normal day for that purple unicorn but somehow, it turned bad for her since her number one assistant forgot to close the fridge door. Again. Not only the inside of the refrigerator became warmer, the entire kitchen became colder. And no one likes eating cold toast and drink frozen coffee. “Twilight! What is it?!” Spike said in a panic tone as he ran straight for Twilight, who was sitting on a chair with a bath robe and towel over her head, wet and grumpy over her ice cold breakfast. As he ran, he accidently slipped on the cold, oak wood floor and slidded across the room and conveniently crashed at the fridge door, closing it. He stood back up and grab hold an open drawer, trying to balance himself on the slippery floor. When he managed to balance himself, he slide towards an empty chair, took a breather and stood up on the chair. Thank goodness the chair wasn’t slippery as well. He proceed to shiver, warming himself with his claws. “Man, it sure is cold in here.” “That’s because you left the refrigerator door open! AGAIN!” “Oops, hehe. Sorry Twilight.” “How ma- *sneeze* “Urgh! Now I have a cold!” Twilight gave out the most adorable sneeze, in which Spike giggled, only to be stopped after Twilight gave him a stern glare. “Don’t worry Twilight. A bowl of fresh, hot, mushroom soup should do the trick.” Spike drooled as he imagined the mushroom soup. “You know what, maybe I should make some for me too! With some gems in it, of course.” Twilight only rolled her eyes but smiled afterwards, “I guess some mushroom soup would be nice.” Without another word, Spike gave a salute and dashed to the cabinets, taking out a can of mushroom soup and to the stove where he pulled out a sauce pan and added the mushroom soup, in which he opened the can with his very claws. He took two cups of water and poured them into the sauce pan, afterwards slowly stirring the contents. A few minutes later, he poured half of it into Twilight’s bowl and sprinkled some grinded gemstones into his. Twilight ate her soup with some bread, with a merry smile on her face. “I always did miss eating some mushroom soup.” Twilight said as she dipped another piece of bread into the soup, and putting it into her mouth. Spike walked towards the table with his own bowl, a plastic bowl with small pictures of gems on it, and sat just across the small table. Inside his bowl was his own mushroom soup, with sprinkled gemstones and some spice for extra flavour. “Well, maybe if you learned to cook, you could have made some by yourself.” “You know very well that I am a busy pony. Besides, why cook when you can just take food that ca be eaten right away?” “Because it’s delicious and usually more nutritious?” “Beside those points...” Just before Twilight could say another word, Spike had already finished his bowl while Twilight is only half way. “How did you finish that soo fast?!” “I’m a dragon. Dragons eat a lot. Besides, I don’t like bread with my soup. Ruins the flavour.” After cleaning his bowl, Spike was about to leave the kitchen until the door closed on him with a purple magical aura. “Where do you think you’re going?...” “I’m going to Rarity’s place. She said yesterday that she needs my help.” “But what about this mess?!” Twilight pointed out all the mess in the kitchen. The drawers were open, some of the food were rotten, the oven needed some cleaning –probably with a wall scraper – and the entire kitchen is still damp and frozen. The sauce pan Spike used wasn’t cleaned yet and the empty tin can was dripping some unused mushroom soup onto the floor. The sink was full of dirty cooking utensils while the only thing that was clean was Spike’s bowl. “Come on, Twilight. I think you can handle this one. Besides, the mess is partially your fault...” “How is it my fault?!” “Partially, and it’s because of yesterday when you made that casserole.” “How should I know that the casserole had gone rogue?!” “You should, since the cook book said SPECIFICALLY NOT TO USE MAGIC.” Spike took out the cook book and pointed at the red words ‘DO NOT USE MAGIC’. “Urgh, fine! You win this round...” Spike gave out a fist pump of victory, but was quickly deflected by Twilight, “... But the frozen kitchen is still your fault.” “Fine, fine... But in case you’ve forgotten, it’s Saturday! And that means, I’m off duty!” “But, but – ” And just before Twilight could close the door on him again, he was already at the other side, only to crash at the Cutie Mark Crusaders on his way out. A few screams can be heard and a small apology from Spike, who kept running afterwards. Twilight could only groan at her frustration. Picking up a mop with he magic, she cleaned the mess that had been left behind in the kitchen. After she was finished, she decided to take another bath since she now smelled like mushroom and rust. Twilight took a quick shower and preened her wings in the bathroom, only to crash at a certain cyan pegasus outside. “RAINBOW DASH!!!!” Rainbow Dash, who’s flank was on Twilight’s chest, only giggled. “Hehe, oops... Sorry Twi.” Twilight, using her superior magic, lifted Rainbow Dash and placed her on the floor. She lifted herself up, while Rainbow Dash giggled once more. “Why are you even here, Dash? I thought you went with Fluttershy to watch the Wonderbolts movie.” “Well, the movie was cancelled due to technical problems. Some jerk pegasus used lightning on the cinema. The bulding went up in flames! Good thing I was there to swoop all the bystanders and using my pegasus awesomeness, found a rain cloud and saved the day!” “Well, interesting story Dash. But seriously, why are you here?” “What? Can’t a awesome pegasus like me visit her egghead friend?” Dash said while giving Twilight a light noogie. Twilight picked up a comb and with one swoop, made her hair back to normal. “Wow, Rarity sure taught you a lot on hairstyling.” Twilight groaned angrily, “Seriosly Dash, WHY. ARE. YOU. HERE?” Dash moved back a little with her wings, “Ok, Ok! Wow, Spike wasn’t kidding when he said you were stressed...” “Well, I came here to see if you have a new Daring Do book. I heard that a new one just came out!” Twilight looked back, tapping her chin with her hoof. “I don’t think I’ve received any new books lately. I’ll check for it after this.” Rainbow Dash, not entirely convinced, flew straight to Twilight’s face and grabbed her head. She looked at Twilight in the eyes, as if her own was going to pop out. “I. NEED. THAT. BOOK.” Twilight moved back, gaining some ground and shook her head. “Ok, why do you need it so badly?” “Well, you see, this is a very special book. It’s shorter than the others, and there are only 100 copies of it. Inside the copies have this secret message that if we managed to figure out what it says, we get to discover the name of the writer!” “Wait, that’s it?” This time, Twilight looked bemused. “Come on, Twi! You know that the writer is anonymous! Knowing her, or his name would be legendary!” Twilight rolled her eyes, “Fine, I’ll do my best to find a copy. But no guarantees!” Rainbow Dash, like Spike, gave out a fist pump of victory. She then flew out of the library just after she quickly said, “Thank you, Twilight!” After Rainbow Dash was out, Twilight closed and locked the door so that no other pony could just barge in. Walking to her bedroom mirror, she took out her crown and placed it neatly on her head. “I guess this is going to be a looooong day.” Unknowingly to her, a tall ponylike figure was looking at her from the window. Twilight had closed the library in the evening and was currently doing an experiment on everlasting enchantments on ethereal objects, or at least that’s what is written on the report. In the middle of the library was a circular wooden table with a thin silver disc on top of a small iron stand. Surrounding it were six identical glass orbs with a metallic core, each connected with the silver disc with some copper wire. Two of the orbs are hooked to a crystal generator, a cylindrical machine that applies pressure on crystals, creating electricity. At one side of the room was filled with paper notes, a chalkboard full of calculations and an active chemistry set. Twilight, in her lab coat which had been remodified to fit her wings, was studying her notes. On top of her head was also a pair of large goggles with a brass frame. After a few seconds, she put down the notes and pulled out two different books and studied both at the same time. While levitating the books, she examined the chemical substance she produced from her chemistry set, writing down some notes afterwards. “Hmm... Interesting...” She said to herself. A click sound was heard and the library door had opened. It was just Spike, since he had his own key. He was also holding a plastic bag, with the contents unknown. “Twilight, is that you?” “Huh? Spike? I didn’t notice you coming in.” Twilight dropped all her notes and books on the floor, surprised to see Spike. “Well, I finished my work at Rarity’s place. Most of it, that is. Hehe...” Spike nervously rubbed the back of his head. “What did you do this time?...” “I didn’t do anything! I was helping Rarity and then Sweetie Belle came in and scolded me for ruining her mane! I mean, it wasn’t entirely my fault... She then kicked me out and Rarity could only stand and watch...” “Well, she does have a big concert tonight. She has to look her best if she wants sponsors.” “Yeah, but still...” Spike stopped talking and instead walked around Twilight’s experiment. He looked at the glass orbs and the notes, only to get confused afterward. “Twilight, what are you doing?” “Oh, this? I was doing an experiment on everlasting enchantments on ethereal objects.” “And that means?...” “Well, let me explain to you about ethereal objects. There are two types of that. We have illusions and we have real objects. Illusions are just used to trick the minds of others, while real objects turned ethereal are well, real objects that can’t be touched. I’m trying to put enchantments on them and see how they respond.” “So wait, you’re going to enchant illusions?” “Well, sorta. Since illusions are just mind tricks, I can’t really enchant them. I can change how I see them, but not change its true nature, since it doesn’t exist. But enchanting ethereal objects is a different. Ethereal objects are real, as in they exist. We can’t touch them but we can see and hear them, like illusions. But the difference is that they aren’t part of any mind tricks.” “If I can enchant an ethereal object, I can change its physical aspect and properties. In example, if I enchant an ethereal object to burn, the object will produce fire but the fire is either ghost-like or floating in mid air. I’m trying to figure out exactly that.” Spike bopped his palm, “Oh, now I get it! But what good can you do if you just change whatever it is with ghost items?” “Not only I can change their properties, I can literally change it. I can make an ethereal object and by using this method, I can make that object real. I can make it solid, or liquid. In common sense, I can make ghost objects into real objects.” “Imagine the breakthrough in science and magic! You are able to make things out of thin air, which clearly is impossible since matter cannot be created or destroyed, only altered. If this works, I can make the impossible, possible!” “Wow Twilight, that’s amazing!” Daydreaming, Spike thought of mountains of gems, his mouth drooling. “Imagine all those treats...” Carefully, Twilight levitated a vile of clear liquid and add a few drops on the silver disc. Then, she levitated a different vile, this time with blue liquid, and add one drop on each glass orb. Using her magic, she created a ethereal object, the simplest being a quill. It looked like a ghost, but it exists and not an illusion. She placed the ethereal quill on the silver disc and moved back into a flipped table. Spike followed her there as well. She took out her goggles and Spike took out a pair of large sunglasses, which he bought on his way here. “Really, Spike?” “What? I think they look great. I might even impress Rarity with these bad boys.” Twilight rolled her eyes, but wasn’t seen since she was wearing those heavy duty googles. She lifted a trigger with her hoof and with one push of a button, let out an electrical current through the apparatus. Suddenly, a chemical reaction occured between the liquids and their respective objects. The blue one started sizzling and changed the colour of the glass orb, as well as its texture. The one on the silver disc reacted with the ethereal quill, slowly overlaping the quill. Everything went exactly as planned until, as usual, something went wrong. A bright flash and a ear piercing noise were emitted from the quill, making Spike, due to his sensitive ears, wallow in pain. His glasses fell on the floor but were unharmed. Twilight also heard the noise and started to get a headache, until she saw a piece of light jumping out of the apparatus, crashing at the nearby bookshelf and exploding on impact. She quickly turned her face at the crystal generator and with her magic, let out a purple bolt and destroyed the generator. Instantly, the light dimmed completely and so did the sound. After some breathing, she took off her goggles and checked on Spike’s condition. “Spike! Are you Ok?! Oh, I’m soo sorry!” Spike didn’t respond. Twilight panicked and checked if his heart was still beating. She dropped her head on Spike’s chest and felt the beating heart of the purple dragon from her ears. He was Ok. “Thank goodness...” Twilight said as she took another breather. Slowly, she walked towards the silver disc and checked on its remains. The ethereal feather was gone, but some feather bits were seen. She took out her checklist and ticked out her first experiment as a partial success. Afterwards, she walked towards Spike and levitated him onto his basket. “That... was unexpected...” Twilight sighed as she goes downstairs to check on her apparatus again. Once there, she went through her notes again while examining the feather bits. Unexpectedly, she lost focus of her magic and dropped one of her notes. It flew into the basement, slipping under the door. Twilight chased after it and entered the basement as well. She tried turning on the lights, but there seems to be no electricity downt there. The experiment must’ve sent out an electromagnetic pulse that disrupted the fuse box. As she descended downstairs into the dark basement which she hasn’t fully explored yet, she used an illumination spell and send out a small ball of light to follow her around. The basement was widely used for her experiments, but since it was crowded with machinery and appliances, she decided to do the experiment upstairs in the library. Twilight navigated her way through the basement, searching for the missing note. Suddenly, she heard some flicking paper, ultimately giving her the location of the note. The paper was resting on top of one of her appliances, just at the edge. She grabbed the piece of paper with her magic, just before it could float away again. “Gotcha!” She examined the note and tucked it safely under her lab coat’s pocket. “I hope you’re worth it... I nearly lost my assistant because of you...” Just before she was about to leave, a tall ponylike figure was standing just a few meters from her, looking over some books which Twilight left there. Twilight couldn’t see its face since it was looking away, but from the body shape and floating books, she was certain it was a unicorn stallion. He was wearing a tattered robe, a hood covered his head and unicorn horn, leaving only his snout exposed. The robe itself was brownish and bland like it was made of potato sacks, sure to make Rarity find it a mockery to fashion. “Umm, excuse me? The library is closed and the basement is off limits. I ask you to please leave immedietely.” Twilight did her best to ask politely, but the strange stallion was a stranger to her. He might be dangerous. Even so, the stallion didn’t move from his place. He kept on reading some of the old books, ignoring Twilight’s presence. “Well, this is weird...” “Sir please, the library is closed and this place is off limits. I’m asking you to leave. Now.” She was starting to be irritated and scared from the stallion. Yet, he didn’t move. “I’m warning you! Leave! Now! The library is – ” “Princess Twilight Sparkle, I presume?” Though he said it politely, the very way he spoke made Twilight feel a shiver down her spine. Her body went tense, as if it was frozen. She managed to speak up, “How did you know my name?” “Well, everyone does. Your coronation was one of the greatest events in a long time. Why would someone not know you?” “Well, I guess that makes sense. Still...” she Twilight changed her stance. She was ready to use any magic in case the stallion became aggressive. “Who are you?” He giggled, “My name isn’t important, but this question is. Tell me princess, what do you know about Queen Aurorria?” Taken back by the question, she simply answered, “Well, according to legends, Queen Aurorria was the creator of Equis and all the life on it. She was practically a goddess with unlimited power, being able to create and destroy anything, including the fabric of space and time. Not much is known about her though, other than that.” “I see...” The stallion nodded, “What do you know about the items she left behind?” Twilight tapped her chin, “Well, if Equis is considered as an item, I guess everythi – ” “Not that kind of items. Real ones. Artifacts, relics, anything of such.” “Well... no, actually. Queen Aurorria is just a myth. A mere legend. There shouldn’t be anything left behind by her.” The stallion smiled, “That is when you are wrong...” Twilight could only feel shock and surprise, “What do you mean?” The stallion walked around the room, looking around at the dark and dirty basement. The smile was still on his face, his teeth showing. Twilight kept her ground, ready for any attack. Though the stallion showed no threat, she still had to be cautious. And then, he stopped and spoke. “Let me tell you something that no one knows about. Queen Aurorria held something powerful. Something dangerous. Something that shouldn’t exist. Because of that, she destroyed it. Or so, that’s what everyone believes...” Twilight curiousity took the best of her, “What is this item she destroyed? Or seemingly destroyed, in your case.” He gave another faint giggle, “Do you really want to know? Once you take this path, there is no return.” Twilight thought about it for a moment. She could believe that this stallion was lying to her, or she could trust him and gain a piece of knowledge that no one, not even the princesses know. But the way the stallion spoke, it scares her. From his speech patterns, she knew this knowledge would come with a price. The price is something she doesn’t know, and of course she doesn’t know if she can pay it. Confusing as that is, she decided to let that go and accept the offer. “Yes, I wish to know about this item.” “Smart choice...” His horn shined a dark, black colour. He was using magic, and Twilight let her guard down. Before she could cast a spell, all the pages from the old books went straight for Twilight. It didn’t hurt her, but blinded her from the stallion. The pages kept going around her like a sand storm, making her unable to focus. The stallion just stood there, with a grin in his face. In a spilt second, a page went straight to her face. It blinded her and all she could do was hear a few words from the mysterious stallion. “If you seek out darkness, you will be swallowed. If you seek out light, you will be blinded. If you wish for the truth, you must seek neither light nor darkness. And you will find it, no matter how bright or dark it is...” She then let out a magic burst that stopped all the pages instantly.The pages dropped to the floor as they were ordinary paper, but the stallion was gone. In his place was a small wooden box with a red ribbon on it. Twilight wasn’t sure if the box is rigged with an explosive seal, but that box was left there for a reason. She thought about leaving the box alone, but she noticed something perculiar. That stallion was an advanced magic user and yet, he didn’t kill her even though he had the chance to. All he did was give her something she didn’t have. And now, all he left behind was a box with unknown contents. Twilight decided to trust the stallion, even though he seemingly attacked her, since she recieved no harm. She walked slowly to the wooden box and checked with her magic to see if there are any explosive seals. With her horn, she shined a light onto the box. The light will reveal any hidden seals. “None, thank goodness.” Her horn dimmed. Twilight levitated the box and examined around it. It was just a regular wooden box, nothing special. Other than the red ribbon tied neatly on it, it seemed normal. Twilight opened the box and looked over its contents. Inside were an old compass and a piece of paper. She took out the contents and looked at it in detail. The compass pointed at the wrong direction while the piece of paper was empty. “Why would he give me a broken compass and paper?” She decided not to think for the answer and just go to bed. It was a long day anyway. Walking up the stairs to her bedroom, she looked over at Spike, who was sleeping quietly. Oh Spike, I’ll bring you to the clinic tomorrow. She tucked herself in and with a steady mind, fell to sleep. The compass was left on the bedside drawer with the piece of paper. Unknowingly to her, the paper bursts into small flames, leaving a mark on the wooden drawer. It wrote; Book Of Time Author's Note This is ultimately my second fanfic! I didn't finish the first one yet though (I'm starting to lose motivation for that), but I'm still learning on improving my writing. ~~Also I'm busy.~~ Anyway, this story takes place after Twilight's coronation. Meaning, she's a princess. I decided to still make her a librarian for the fun of it and that (according to my headcanon) she must finish her studies in Friendship before she can become a true princess. She also still has her crown. Spike is an older dragon and he's also bigger. Not as big as those teen dragons, more or less like his usual size only taller a bit. The CMC are grownups (hint in the chapter) but they still hang out with each other. Wait for another week (or two) for a new chapter! ~~Not making promises though~~ Chapter Two - Dreams or NightmaresIt was somewhat between morning and afternoon. Twilight had asked Fluttershy, who was conveniently at the library this morning, to take Spike to the clinic. Though Spike protested, saying that he was fine, Twilight didn't want to take any chances and forced Spike to go to the clinic with Fluttershy anyway. She didn't see it, but Twilight believed that Fluttershy might have used The Stare on Spike, since it worked quite well with dragons, as well with animals or ponies. Twilight was alone in the library, finishing up the chores that Spike was suppose to do. While cleaning her bedroom, she noticed something that wasn’t suppose to be there. Something written on her bedside drawer. “Huh? What’s this?” Twilight looked closer to the text that seemed to have burnt into the wooden surface. It was right next to the compass she found last night in the box, and the piece of paper had mysteriously disappeared. Though, according to Twilight, it must’ve flown off somewhere. The question still remains; what is that text? Book Of Time Like anyone would know, Twilight’s curiousity would always get the best of her. She walked down from her bedroom into the library and searched for anything that has to do with those three specific words. She searched A Pocket Guide To Equestria, History On Forgotten History 101, she even searched the Mystic And Mysteries book, yet she found nothing. She kept on reading, learning, finding any piece of information that may be helpful, but nothing seems to come up. Then she heard the hoofsteps of certain pink mare that skips. “Pinkie, is there a reason you came?” Twilight didn’t even have to glance to know it was Pinkie. She had enough experience. “Oh, can’t your bestest friend Pinkie Pie even visit? It’s not like I come here everyday to tell you something super surpising and important!” “Actually, you do. Most of the time, not that important. Surprisingly, not yesterday. Where were you yesterday?” “Oh me? I was at the edge of the Everfree Forest, fighting ghost pirates! One was like ‘Arr!’ and the other was like ‘Garr!’. There was even one that went ‘Aeiii!’. Probably due to me cutting his head off. The Cake Twins were there. In fact, they’re the reason we were there in the first place! They were kidnapped by those darn ghost pirates! So, it’s up to Auntie Pinkie to save the day! Or yesterday! Since it happened not today, but instead happened yesterday, which was the day before today, or two days before tomorrow, or seven days before a week. Oh wait, that would be today! Silly me, silly Pinkie! Anyway, those pirates nearly won, but I managed to beat them in the game of checkers and got out! But then, we were assaulted by ninja zombies! The ghost pirates helped us! Since everyone knows that pirates hate ninjas. Then, the battle commenced and it wa – ” “Great story, Pinkie.” Twilight placed her hoof at Pinkie’s mouth. “But seriously, why are you even here? Is there some kind of important meeting or something?” Twilight let go of her hoof from Pinkie’s mouth, enabling the pink party pony to speak again. “Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Here you go!” Pinkie gave out her hoof, which had a very small folded card, probably an invitation. It was so small, it looked like an book for a hummingbird. The card itself was silver coloured, with a small sticker of a birthday cake on it. Once opened, it had small simple words, saying ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY!’. Under it had the name of the birthday pony, but it was too small to read. Twilight could only scratch her head, before asking whose birthday it was. “Pinkie, care to tell me whose birthday it is?” Pinkie let out a shocking gasp, “Don’t you know whose birthday is today?!” Twilight rolled her eyes, “Umm, yours?” “Pffft, of course not! My birthday isn’t till one hundred and thirty four days. Or was it one hundred and thirty two days?... Meh, I lost count.” Pinkie walked towards Twilight side, placing her hoof above Twilight’s shoulder. She then looked up and gave out a dramatic pose. “It’s Applejack’s birthday, silly!” Twilight’s eyes shot wide. She completely forgot about Applejack’s birthday! How could she have done that?! She zipped across the library and to her bedroom, looking at the calender placed nicely near the window. It was marked ‘AJ = CAKE’, which was kinda awkward considering it was Twilight herself who marked it. Twilight was suppose to bring the cake this year, and she completely forgot about it. In a state of panic, Twilight screamed. Insert screaming sounds of Twilight here. “Wow Twilight, I haven’t seen you scream like that before. It’s like you’ve seen a ghost! But like my Granny Pie always says, ‘Just giggle at the ghosties’! I wonder if you really did see a ghost! Wouldn’t that be great?! I once bought a ticket to see a pony who can see ghosts, but it was just a lie. I DEMAND A REFUND! Anyway, ghosts can’t hurt you! How can they? They walk through walls and stuff. How can they even touch you? Wouldn’t it be exciting to touch one?! I wish I could meet my Granny Pie again. I bet she’s in chocolate heaven! Or pony heaven. Or both! Or better yet, with a river of - ” “PINKIE! I NEED TO FOCUS!” “Opps, sorry Twilight. I was just thinking of milk rivers and a banana split boat. With ghost pirates.” “Ok... Since I have no idea what you were talking about, but that’s normal anyway... Pinkie, could you do me a favour?” Twilight gave out a begging grin, like she was trying to hard. Pinkie nodded, “Ok! Do you need me to kill ghost pirates, or make a vanilla cream river?” “Wait, weren’t you talking about milk rivers?” Twilight shook her head, “Ok, back to the matter at hoof... Pinkie, I need you to go to Sugercube Corner and buy a giant chocolate cake. Can you do that?” Pinkie let out a gasp, “But Twilight, you promised Applejack a cake from Canterlot Bakeries! Even though Sugarcube Corner makes the best cakes in the whole wide Universe, you still promised her!” “I know, I know.” Twilight gave out a somewhat ashamed sigh, “But I forgot, Ok? And now I feel terrible about it. Can’t you do it just this once, Pinkie? Pleeeeeeeaaaaaase...?” Twilight looked at Pinkie with large, puppy eyes. Pinkie didn’t know what to do. If she helped Twilight, she would also break the promise Twilight made with Applejack. But if she didn’t, then Applejack won’t have any cake. It’s so confusing, especially for the pink party pony. She looked left and right, her entire body shaking and sweating, trying desperately to get out of this situation. But she can’t just run away. Then what kind of friend would she be? In the end, she took a deep breath and said; “Fine, I’ll do it...” She said in the most depressing way. “Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll pay you back, Ok?” Pinkie, still shaking and sweating, walked backwards towards the door with the most awkward smile, “Ok... I guess?” She then slammed the door before running willy-nilly across town, screaming. “Well, that was unexpected. I never knew that would give her so much pressure.” Twilight said as she looked at her panicking friend. Suddenly, Twilight felt something familiar. A certain chill down her spine. She felt this before... She felt this yesterday. The lights got dimmed and the entirely library was left dark. Twilight went and tried to open the door, but it didn’t budge. She tried using her magic, but she can’t seem to make her horn glow. In fact, she couldn’t use magic at all. She saw a dark crimson glow coming from outside and went to the window to see it. Twilight could not believe what she just saw. The sky was red as blood and the clouds didn’t move. The Sun didn’t move as well and worst, were the ponies. All were frozen in place, their faces changed entirely. Their faces looked twisted and stretched in the most grotesque way possible. Their eyes were blacker than night and from the looks of it, had some kind of liquid dripping out of it. They all remained motionless, and that itself was able to make Twilight walk backwards and crashed into one of the bookcases. She looked at the door and saw the unknown liquid entering the library through the gap underneath. The liquid entered the library and covered the entire floor, except it didn’t go near Twilight. Figures started emerging from the liquid and all had horrified faces. Their bodies were made entirely out of shadows and some of them had their body parts twisted and placed in the wrong sections. Twilight hyperventilate and heard the shadow figures screaming and wailing about a certain book as they get near to her. “Stay back! STAY BACK!” Twilight screamed as she closed her eyes in fear. That didn’t stop them. In an act of desperation, Twilight tried to cast an illumination spell. With all her might, she managed to cast a supersized illumination spell and the entire library was consumed in light. The shadow figures crept backwards before diminishing in the light, but some were still moving towards Twilight, despite slowly dying. She strengthened her illumination spell and made an explosion of pure, white light. The light was so powerful, it looked like it could have been a second Sun to Equestria. Her horn fizzed and the light dimmed slowly. She had run out of magic energy but at least those... things... are gone. The liquid on the floor had disappeared entirely and the lights in the library all came back up in unison. She saw Spike entering the door, just before she her mind blackened into darkness. Twilight woke up and found herself on something soft. She felt a light headache and her vision blurred. She rubbed her temples and she could hear some mumbling sounds. When she regained her vision and hearing, she was able to focus on her surroundings. She was in her bedroom or more specifically, in her bed. Around her were her five friends, Pinkie’s hair was straight and Spike, who was holding a napkin and crying slightly. “Huh... Wha...?” “Don’t get up, Twilight. The doctor said that ya’ll need some rest.” Applejack said as she pushed Twilight back onto the bed. “Yes, Applejack is right. The doctor said that you suffered some extreme magic dehydration. You sure brought us some shock when Spike went around calling for help.” Rarity said, standing next to Pinkie. “Mmmh hhh! I was so scared and Spike was crying a lot and I cried as well! Like a whole lot! My hair was straight and everything! I should throw you a party! A wake up party! I should start making invitations!” Pinkie exclaimed as her hair poofed back into its cotton candy self. Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on Pinkie’s mouth, stopping her from talking too much. “Yeah, yeah. We get it, Pinkie. I’m just glad that you’re awake, Twi. I went for days searching for the guy that did this to you!” “Wait, days?! How long was I out?!” Twilight snapped of her bed. “How much time have I wasted?! Oh, the princess might never forgive me for sleeping this long!” Twilight tried to stand up but lost her balance and fell. Applejack held on Twilight just before she fell, “Woah there, Twilight! Sit down. There’s no need to rush out or anythin’. Fluttershy and Spike sent a letter to the princess and she said she wanted a letter of your, ehh, condition every six hours or so.” Twilight looked and Fluttershy, “Fluttershy, is this true?” “Well, I, umm... yes, it’s true. I’m so happy that you’re awake, Twilight. We we’re so worried, especially Spike.” Fluttershy pointed at Spike, who was crying with a napkin. “Spike...” Before Twilight could finish her words, Spike leaped onto her and hugged her tight while crying loudly. Twilight was surprised at first, but then hugged Spike as well. “I t-thought y-you were never g-going to w-wake up!” Spike said, his words hard to pronouce since he was crying too much. Twilight hugged Spike stronger while rubbing his scaly forehead. “Oh Spike, I would never leave you like that. Never.” Suddenly, the door to Twilight’s bedroom opened and came in Princess Celestia, regal as always. Everyone, especially Twilight, was surprised to see the princess here. In unison, they all shouted “Princess?!” in surprise and bowed down to her afterwards, except Twilight who was still in bed and Spike who didn’t want to let go. Princess Celestia nodded and everyone in the room raised their heads. Princess Celestia looked at Twilight and smiled, “Twilight, I am so glad that you are awake. I had been so worried when I received the letter from Spike and Fluttershy. I didn’t tell your parents, or your brother, so you won’t have to worry about them being worried.” “Thank you, princess.” Twilight said just before the two had a wing hug, in which Rainbow Dash did the puking expression with her hoof. “I’m just glad that nightmare is over. They keep chanting ‘find the book’, whatever that is...” That took Celestia by surprise. “Twilight, did you say something about a ‘book’?” Twilight nodded with a curious expression. She then asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something surprising about a book?” “Well, I... Umm... Nevermind. I’m just happy you’re fine.” Celestia then walked towards the balcony, ready to take off. Before she did, Twilight ran, well tried to run, to the balcony. “Princess! Where are you going?” “Oh, well, I am still a princess. And there is so much work for me to do. I will send you a letter when I reach Canterlot.” She said just before she flew, “Goodbye, my faithful student.” Twilight waved goodbye at Celestia as she flew back to Canterlot at twice of supersonic speed, making Rainbow Dash to drop her jaw to the floor, not literally. Twilight smiled, but that smiled faded when she remembered something. Applejack. Applejack was heard walking and sat next to Twilight. She lifted her right hoof and wrapped around Twilight shoulder. With a smile, Applejack talked, “Aaa, it’s OK Twilight. Ah know you missed mah birthday. Checking up on ya is more importan’ than some birthday. Besides, I even kept a slice of cake just for ya! Pinkie said it was from that famous Canterlot Bakeries, but it kinda taste like it was from Sugarcube Corner. Who knew, huh?” “Hehe, who knew...” Sorry Pinkie. Applejack stood back up and walked towards the balcony door, “Ya coming? I kept the slice in your refrigerator, if you don’t mind.” Twilight turned her head towards Applejack, giving a faint smile. She stood back up and walked to the kitchen next to Applejack, “Yeah, some cake would be nice...” Unbeknownst to her, the shadows crept of a mysterious figure. The same figure that gave her those two gifts. The unnamed unicorn, watching her from below in the shadows. “Stage one, fifteen percent completion...” Celestia was flying straight towards the castle. Instead of the usual entrance she used, which was the main entrance into the castle, she decided to land on the balcony Luna’s tower bedroom, at the west side of the castle. When Luna was cured from the Nightmare, she still needed sometime to adapt to the new and strange world. Luna was given the tower to isolate herself as she adapts, but later grows fond over it and decided to make it her official bedroom. She stayed there ever since, while Celestia decided to take the tower at the east side of the castle, to make it fair. Celestia landed gracefully on the balcony. It was the evening, meaning that Luna should have already woken up. With a slight tap of her gold shoes on the glass balcony door, she called out, “Luna? Are you in there?” It was silent for a few seconds, followed by some sounds and a crash, only for the door to open and reveal Princess Luna, or just Luna in this case. She had bags under her eyes, some dried saliva near her mouth, and veins showing from her eyeballs. Her hair was a complete mess, not the flowing and starry kind, that is. It was light blue, like when she first turned back to Luna from Nightmare Moon, but longer. From the looks of it, she was exhausted. “Luna?! What happened?!” “Tia... You woke me up too early...” “But it’s six in the evening! I thought you were awake and getting ready for the Night Court!” “You know thy was awake yesterday to accompany you to that bland party of the nobles. Fancy Pants was the only one that was entertaining...” “Oh right, I forgot about that...” Luna yawned with her hoof close to her mouth, “What is thou doing here anyway?” “Well, I... Umm... Best we talk inside.” “Why, of course then. Come in.” Celestia entered Luna’s bedroom with a somewhat worried face. She knew Luna was a bit anti-social, but never thought she’d express it in her room. It was slightly dark including the walls, and there were some rocks at one corner with a flag consisting of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly. There was also a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star at the top left side of the flag. Her bed was more of a little filly’s bed design, except darker. There was a TV placed on a shelf with a PonyStation connected to it. In the shelf were a bunch of video games, including the famous ‘The Ponies 3’. There was a mini library right next to the pile of rocks and flag but from the looks of it, most of those books weren’t touched in ages. The only thing that seemed bright and healthy would be Luna’s pet bat, sleeping in its cage upside-down. Everything else would either being depressing or dark. With a glow of Luna’s horn, the candles of Luna’s bedroom lit and made her room much brighter. “So now, what were you going to tell me?” “Ahh, yes. I nearly forgot about that as well.” Celestia cleared her throat, “Luna, do you remember about the ‘book’?” “What book?” “You know, that ‘book’...” “You mean this book?” Luna showed her a copy of ‘50 Shades of Earl Grey’. “No! Not that book! The other ‘book’! The book with an unspeakable name!” Luna tapped her chin, thinking of the book Celestia meant. Then she remembered, “Oh! That book! The Book Of Ti-” “NO!” Celestia said as she shoved her golden shoes in Luna’s mouth. “NO SAYING ITS NAME!” Luna spat out the shoes and wiped her spit off her face, “Fine, fine... and gross...” Both Celestia and Luna walked out of the room and strolled down the stairs of the tower. The night guards only stand guard at the tower’s entrance, not in front of Luna’s bedroom. With one flash of magic, Luna’s mane was flowing and starry again. Her entire body was cleaned to smalled speck, as if she never looked like ‘that’. Luna then turned over to Celestia, “Now what is it about the ‘book’?” “Well... It just occured to me that...” “Tia, as much as I know you want to help, we made a vow to now help anyone with connections to the book.” “I know Luna! But that was 2274 years ago! Times change and this time, it’s different!” “Tia! We’ve lost enough because of that cursed book. I will not let that book, especially that unicorn, take anything from us again!” “B-b-but...” “No buts, Tia! I won’t sacrifice my life to save one pony who just so happens to be connected to tha-” “IT’S TWILIGHT!” Luna stopped walking. Her next step were inches from the ground floor of the tower, but she pulled it back. Again she looked at Celestia, her face worried while the latter was scared with teary eyes. “Did you say Twilight?” Celestia sniffed and tried to hide her tears, “Y-yes, I said Twilight.” Luna’s expression unchanged, “Is this a different Twilight, or is this your student?” “Its... my student...” Luna eyes went wide in shock. She couldn’t have expected that. She knew how much Twilight meant to Celestia, and she was also Luna’s first friend in a thousand years. If something were to happen to Twilight, both Luna and her sister would be devastated. And now, there is a hundred percent chance that something bad will happen to her. Worst of all, nothing her sister or her could do can stop it. “I’m... I’m sorry, Celestia. I should’ve have listened to you.” “No, it’s not your fault. Maybe I can do something to save her...” “Tia! We’ve tried that already! Countless times! And it all ended in failure! Nothing we do can help her!” “I. WILL. NOT. LET. HER. DIE!” Suddenly, the door bursts open and revealed both the night guards and the royal guards, ready for action. One of the royal guards spoke up, “Princesses! Is everything alright?!” Both Celestia and Luna looked at the royal guard, snapping out of their arguement. Luna, with her angry expression, while Celestia, with a teary and furious face, calmed down a bit. Celestia replied to the guard, “Yes... we’re fine...” Celestia walked towards the tower door, as the guards stepped aside to let her through. One of the guards held the door open, while all the others just stayed in line. The evening sun shined on Celestia, brightening the rainbow colours of her mane. Just before she left the tower entirely, she turned her head a bit, not revealing her expression. “I will not let her gone like that. Not like the others.” Celestia then left the courtyard of which where the tower was located at. The door was left open, with Luna and the night guards inside. The royal guards followed Celestia, doing their duties as usual. Luna looked down on the stone floor, looking at her reflection from the tears of both hers and Celestia’s. A night guard went by her side and snapped her out her depression, “Princess, are you going to be alright?...” “Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ll be at the Night Court in a moment... You may leave.” The night guard nodded and gave a signal, ordering the others to leave as well. The door was left open once more, the evening sun just barely from setting entirely. Luna sat on the floor, and looked at the sun. She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but was too saddened to speak. She took a deep breath, and gained the courage to speak. “Celestia, please don’t do anything stupid...” And then the sun sets entirely, marking the beginning of the night. Author's Note What's up?! Sorry I had to make you readers wait but the examinations were up and I had to study. Anyway, I was going to publish this chapter last week but complications happened. I decided to give the entire Mane 6 cast + Spike + Celestia and Luna to make an appearance in this chapter. I tried to do my best on getting them into character, but it was kinda hard for me. Let me know if they were out of character or anything. I also tried to add a dash of comedy in this, but without sacrificing any of the drama. So, these are the results. The other main characters (as shown at the story page) will be shown in the next few chapters, in a certain order. I'm not going to tell you what it is though. And no, today is not Applejack's birthday. Also, for the first reader to figure out a certain Easter egg in this chapter, he/she will win one Internet cookie. Good luck, and I hope you love this chapter. Chapter Three - Silent GoodbyesThe entire month had been quite stressful for even the great Princess Twilight Sparkle. Since she was coronated into a princess, there had been many visitors coming into the library just to see her. Some would even take the chance to steal one of her feathers. In short, she had become Ponyville’s new superstar, even more famous than Rainbow Dash, to the extent that it annoyed the cyan pegasus. But even so, Twilight had problems. Big problems, and she knows that something’s up. Twilight walked up into her room from the library to get a perfectly-shaped sphere made of diamond and for some reasons, she must’ve misplaced it. “Urgh! Where did it go? I thought I placed it right here!” She pointed at the opened drawer next to her bed. “SPIIIIIIIIIIIKEEE!!!” Spike climbed up the stair to Twilight’s bedroom, gasping for air. “Y-yes, Twilight? Huuh, man I really need to work out. I’m beat!” Twilight moved her head towards Spike before seemingly politely asking, “Spike, have you seen my diamond sphere?” Spike moved back a bit, freaked out by Twilight’s crazy grin. The last time she looked like this was when the Want-It Need-It fiasco, and that did not end well. Spike pointed with his claw at the bottom drawer of Twilight’s bedside cabinet. “It’s… right… there…?” “No it’s not! I checked it earlier and I couldn’t fin– Oh, here it is.” Twilight levitated the sphere into the air, teleported to the library, and placed the sphere on a pedestal. She carefully cleaned the sphere with a wool cloth, examining every detail for any imperfections. Spike walked up to Twilight and asked, “Twilight, are you OK? You seemed a bit… You know, stressed?” “OK? OK?! Of course I’m OK! Why wouldn’t I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, NOT BE OK?! I’M AS OK AS I CAN BE!” Spike slapped Twilight in the face with his claws. It left a red mark on her cheek, but it didn’t matter. “What is wrong with you?!” Twilight staggered back while looking at Spike, then tripped over some scrolls and fell on the wooden floor. She rubbed her head and looked over at Spike, who had tears in his eyes. Her eyes widen in realization, and she walked straight to Spike. She hugged Spike, whispering him an apology. “I’m sorry, Spike. It’s just that… I’ve been so confused and everything. It feels like I’m going insane and I… I don’t know how to stop it. Hope you forgive me.” “Y–yeah, I forgive you. Ever since that day you woke up from that coma, you’ve been acting strange. You stay up late at night, not that it’s not normal, but you just stay up and stare at a wall or a mirror. You skip meals, you avoid ponies, you even avoid me! It’s just… just like a nightmare.” Twilight’s ears picked up at the last sentence. She thought of the idea of a nightmare, but she knows she’s not sleeping. The nightmare, all those living shadows, and the unicorn… She knows she needs help, and she needs someone who is an expert in this kind of situation. Princess Luna. “Spike, I need you to take a letter for Princess Luna. Can you do that?” Spike wiped away his tears, “Yeah, I think I can. Do you want me to write it for you?” “No, this is a bit personal.” Twilight grabbed an inked quill and a piece of paper. A few months ago, Twilight discovered that Spike’s magical breath can be used to send letters to ponies other than Princess Celestia. All Spike needed was a vial of their magical essence and eat it. He also has to memorize their magic signature, so that he can always change his breath to send letters to other ponies. Spike ate some of Princess Luna’s hair, to her bemusement, and trained his memory so that he can send letters to Princess Luna. Twilight began writing her letter as fast as possible. Dear Princess Luna, It’s me, Twilight Sparkle. I am feeling a bit under the weather lately and now, I’m having nightmares even at daylight. I don’t know what to do and I’m so confused and stressed that I just recently yelled at Spike. I keep seeing all these monsters and I’m afraid of them and yet, I know they’re not real. I can’t stop the feeling of fear I have towards them and I don’t know if they want to help me or kill me. There is also something about a ‘Book Of Time’ but in every book I searched, there was nothing written about that name. Please, I require your wisdom and guidance for this situation. I can’t handle it anymore. From your friend and niece, Twilight Sparkle Twilight rolled her letter and tied it neatly with a purple ribbon. She gave it to Spike, who with one blow, burned the letter and sent it to Princess Luna. Twilight can feel some comfort with knowing that the princess will help her. At the exact moment after Spike sent out the letter, a different one came out as her burped it into existence. It had the Seal of Celestia on it. “Huh? This is from Celestia. Why would she give you a letter now?” “Wait, what does it say? Maybe it has something to do with my condition! Oh this is terrible, Spike! I can’t have her knowing about this! She might revoke my title as princess! I’LL LOSE THE LIBRARY!” Twilight was on the verge of breaking into a drama queen-like cry, but was shaken off by Spike. “Twilight! It’s just a letter about you staying in the castle. Nothing big.” “Really…?” Twilight looked at Spike with tears in her eyes, and a pouting expression. That quickly changed to a smile, though tears were still present. “Phew, I thought it was serious.” Just as she wiped away her tears, Spike threw away the letter into the shredder, shredding it into tiny long pieces of paper. “Huh, I wonder why Celestia keeps sending these letters. This is like, the third time this week.” “I don’t know, Spike. I don’t know.” Twilight replied. A moment of silence filled the library as the two observe the letter being shredded. Celestia had been sending her these proposals frequently for the entire month, and each one was rejected. Still, the Princess of the Sun kept on sending her those letters, till Twilight completely ignored those letters. They were starting to get annoying, and creepy as well. It was as if Celestia was trying to force Twilight to live in the castle with her, but in a more polite and calming way. As they wait for the letter, Spike broke the silence. “Hey Twilight, if you ever get proposals like this, would you accept them?” “What do you mean, Spike?” “Well, what if some other pony gives you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live at your dream home and be happy and stuff, but you have to leave Ponyville? Would you go through with that?” “Well, I… No, I wouldn’t. Cause my friends are here, and that’s all the reason I need.” “Well, what if you have to leave me? Will you give me up for something else you want?” That question took Twilight by surprise. She didn’t expect that, nor ever thought of it. She took a deep breath and answered, “No, I wouldn’t. It’s because you are my best friend and assistant. You were always there for me when others couldn’t, and you cared about me as much as Mom and Dad did. I would rather give up everything than leave you.” Twilight rubbed Spike’s head using her hoof, with the latter giving out small giggles. She then hugged Spike with her right wing, blanketing him with warmth and purple feathers. “Thanks Twilight...” A few hours later, a letter came for Twilight for Princess Luna. Unlike green flames when receiving letters from Princess Celestia, this one was light blue. As Spike was just about to open the letter, Twilight snatched it away from his tiny dragon claws and read it as quietly as possible. Spike wanted to read the letter, but he knows it is personal to Twilight. So instead, he just stood there, waiting for Twilight’s respond. Twilight’s eyes rolled from left to right, reading its contents. Her eyes then went wide just before she burned the letter with an incineration spell. Spike could only gawk in surprised as the ashes slowly fell onto the wooden floor. “What was that for?!” Spike exclaimed. Obviously he was angry. Not because Twilight wouldn’t let him read it, but instead it’s because Twilight was willing to burn to letter just so he couldn’t read it. Spike felt like Twilight didn’t trust him, which was very painful for the young dragon’s sensitive heart. “I’m sorry, Spike. But that letter was confidential. It’s not just you, it’s everyone.” Spike, his anger fading, only sighed. “Fine, but at least tell me that Princess Luna was willing to help.” “Well, Princess Luna can’t help me. She was too busy with her work that she has no time to help.” “What?! That’s horseapples! Princess Celestia had time to visit you, and she was ten times busier that Princess Luna!” “Well, Princess Luna had a thousand years’ worth of paperwork and lessons, making her extremely busy. I guess we’ll have to figure this out on our own.” Spike sighed in defeat and walked sadly to the kitchen. Halfway there, he stopped and all the scales on his body made a wave. He looked back at Twilight, who was looking rather tired and yet was still smiling, and made a glare. He walked towards the writing desk just behind Twilight and took a piece of paper. With a quill, he wrote something but was stopped by Twilight before he could finish it. “Spike, what are you doing?” “I’m writing a letter to Princess Celestia. She’s wiser and less busy than Luna, so maybe she can help! She’s also the eldest, making her the most experience.” Before Spike could go back to writing, Twilight picked up the unfinished letter, scrunched it up and threw it into the trash bin. Spike, again gawking in surprise, yelled at Twilight. “What was that for?! Again!” Twilight moved closer to Spike. She placed the tip of her hoof over Spike’s lips and whisper to him, “Spike, I want you to promise me not to tell anyone, especially my friends and Princess Celestia, about my condition. I don’t want them to know that it’s getting worst. I want them to know that I’m at the peak of my health. Do you understand?” Twilight let go of her hoof before Spike replied, “B-but, why?” “Like I said, it’s a bit personal. You wouldn’t understand.” Twilight said as she moved away before leaving the library. At the door, she glanced a bit, “Can you promise me?” “I… I… I don’t know…” “Just tell no one. And if you can do that, I’ll make you your favourite dinner!” “Wait, really?! Roasted turkey, stuffed with sapphire and rubies, seasoned with topaz, cinnamon and Mom’s special sau– Wait a minute, are you trying to bribe me?! Twilight!” “Urgh, alright! I did try to bribe you! But just promise me not to tell anyone?! Please!” “Umm, OK Twilight. If it means that much to you, I’ll guard the secret with my li –” “Thanks, Spike!” Twilight said before she slammed the door shut. Like before, Spike sighed. He was worried about Twilight’s condition but if it made her feel better to not tell anyone, then Spike would respect that. He walked back to the kitchen to make himself an emerald sandwich. All that talk about roasted turkey had made him hungry, and he’s the only one who eats turkey in the Sparkle family. In the meantime, something abnormal was happening. The broken compass, placed inside the jewelry box near the mirror, was moving for once. Its needle was spinning wildly, before pointing to one direction. It was nighttime in the peaceful town of Ponyville. Markets and shops closed, street lights turned on, and everyone is inside their houses, either sleeping or chatting while having dinner. Twilight actually did cook the gem turkey that Spike want, even though Spike knew she tried to bribe him. After dinner, they took a shower, Twilight apologized him (again), and as usual, Spike cleaned up the library while Twilight was studying, just before going to bed. Spike was right about Twilight though. She did look terrible. Her hair, even though cleaned and brushed, started to have split ends and popping out. Her eyes started to redden and the bags under them didn’t make it any better. She was exhausted, to say the least. Spike felt more worry about her than this morning, but if Twilight says she’s fine, then Spike will respect that. While sweeping the floor, he noticed that Twilight was talking to herself and was scribbling something on a scroll. With a tap of his claw on the lavender unicorn’s shoulder, Twilight jumped and hid the scroll in one of the books in front of her. Twilight turned around to find Spike, “Spike! You startled me!” “Oh sorry, Twilight. I was just wondering when you’re going to sleep. You really need some.” “Oh, well… I’ll go to sleep in a few minutes.” Twilight smiled. Twilight kept on smiling at Spike, while the purple dragon gave her a confused look. This went on for a few seconds until; “Well… OK then, I guess. I’ll just go finish up cleaning the library. Big day tomorrow, huh? With that meeting with Mayor Mare and the opening of Trixie’s third fast food chain, you’ll get your work cut out for you.” “I think I can handle it.” Again, awkward smile and confused glare. But this broke off as Spike left to finish his work without a response. Twilight went back to her books and the scroll she hid. She levitated the scroll out of the book and kept on scribbling on it. Whatever it was, she didn’t want Spike to see. After a few minutes, Twilight went to sleep just like she said, leaving the young dragon to finish the rest of his chores. All that was left was to reorganize the books that Twilight left behind, before sleeping. Spike went to the pile of books and started to pick each one of them. Spike thought of the scroll Twilight was scribbling and decided to search for it. After a while, it ended with a failure. The scroll wasn’t in any of the books. Maybe she put it somewhere else. Spike thought. He searched at the nearby vases, cabinets, even the trash bin. But to no avail, the scroll was nowhere to be found. Spike gave up afterwards and decided to go to bed, as it was already ten in the evening. He walked up the stairs into Twilight’s bedroom, climbed up into his basket, which was larger, and snuggled up in his warm blue blanket. Before he went to sleep, he looked at Twilight. She was sleeping soundly, obviously due to tiredness. He then whispered, “Goodnight Twilight… See you tomorrow…” before falling to sleep. About two in the morning, Twilight woke up from her apparent sleep and tiptoed across the library. There, she opened a hidden compartment under the wooden floors of the library, where she had study recently. She picked up a pair of saddlebags filled with some books, quills, inkwells, a bag of bits and a picture of her friends, including Spike. The scroll she was writing earlier was left behind in that compartment, just slightly opened. She was just about to leave the library but stopped midway. The compass! She tiptoed back up into her room and opened her jewelry box. There, she levitated the compass, unknowingly to her that it kinda works now, and placed it in her saddlebag. She also took out a brownish cloth coat with her cutie mark symbol sewed on its back. The coat was made to protect her from any cold weather, in which is where she would be going. The coat also had a hood placed with an enchantment; it hides her face with shadows without affecting her vision or hearing when worn. Again, she tiptoed down to the library and towards the exit. While sneaking there, she accidently stepped on a broken tile, making a creaking sound. She stopped and looked at Spike, who was rolling in his basket and mumbling something about ‘Applejack being evil’ and ‘humans existed’. She didn’t want to wake up Spike, as he could easily alarm everyone in Ponyville, especially her friends. He would try to stop Twilight from leaving, and she didn’t want to shove Spike in the closet. After she was certain Spike had calmed down and went back to sleep, she opened the library door and exited the building. She locked the door behind her sing the spare key she kept under the potted plant, and ran off. With an unburnt piece of the letter she managed to save, she made an ethereal copy of the letter that Princess Luna had write her recently. Dear Twilight, If you must know, you are currently in grave danger. Not only you, but also those around you, especially your loved ones. Now, I want you to read these instructions carefully, and whoever you meet across Equestria, DO NOT let them know your identity. No one must know that the princess’s personal protégé had run away. Not only this will affect my sister’s reputation, this will also compromise your location. Somewhere this night, you must go to the Ponyville’s train station. Bring anything that you may need for the journey, including anything that the unicorn left behind. There, my personal chariot, along with my Night Guards, will be at your service. They will escort you to a little town known as Hooveshire, further up north than the Crystal Empire. My guards will escort you the border gates, but they will only follow you there. These guards of mine are still relatively new, and not that well trained. I chose them because of that reason, so that no one would expect them to escort you. You might also need to pay them some extra money. Once the gates have opened, you must follow the path and reach Winterclaw, the capital city of Gryphonia. There, find a griffon by the name Scribe Fraunl and he will help you from there. I must warn you though. This journey will be treacherous, the path is filled with dangers such as avalanches and looters. So, be wary of your travels. If you must know why I sent you on this quest, it is because I and my sister have made an oath not to speak a word about the current situation you are in. Even though I have broken this oath by sending you this letter, it is worth it. I hope that you will succeed where many have failed. From the Princess of the Night and friend, Luna P.S. Do not let Celestia find you. You might think this sounds crazy, but just don’t let her find you. She will not help you. She might say that she will keep you safe, but all she’s doing is prolonging the inevitable. You are the only one that can fix this. The ethereal letter faded entirely afterwards, as they weren’t made to last long. What Twilight was surprised the most was how Princess Luna knew about the unicorn. Did she meet the unicorn before? Maybe an unwritten battle happened? Even so, Twilight avoid thinking too much of that. She just kept on running to the train station. Reaching there, she meets the two Night Guards that Luna wrote. She approached them, only to have two curved blades pointed at her neck. “Who…” “Goes…” “There?!...” The guards exchanged words as if they could read each other’s minds. Vaguely creepy, if you ask Twilight. She skidded back a little and replied, “I was instructed… to meet… you?” They looked at each other and back at her. They only pointed their blades closer, and one of them said, “How can you –” “– prove your words?” Twilight thought about that question. How can I prove it? She decided to remember back the letter. You might also need to pay them some extra money. “Urgh…” Twilight groaned. With her magic, she pulled out her bag of bits and took out four golden coins, known as bits. She levitated it in front of the Night Guards, and they swiped it greedily. They then greeted her with a warm welcome, despite nearly trying to kill her. “Welcome,” “– Miss Sparkle.” Twilight replied, “Umm… Thanks, I guess?” The guards ignored her thanks and instead, walked to the chariot and strapped themselves ready. Now they were just waiting for Twilight to ride the chariot and give out the orders. Though Twilight was bemused by their rudeness, they’re still her only ride to Hooveshire. She walked up into the chariot and sat on the comfortable cushion provided. Wow, this is really good! How come the Princess never gave me one of these? After she was comfortable, she lifted her hoof, “Alright then, let’s gooOOOOHHH!” The chariot had been pulled at tremendous speed, faster than Rainbow Dash when carrying any passengers. Twilight wasn’t even able to finish her sentence yet and the chariot was already up high in the sky. Proves enough that they’re rude, but they are quite fast. Twilight could feel the moisture and fluffiness of the clouds as they pass by her purple coat. The soothing air as it blows across the chariot, whistling tunes to her ears. Flying had always been calming for her, as if she could slow down time and appreciate what nature had given to the world. Due to her busy schedule, she could never fly just for leisure. She only flies when she has places to go, ponies to see, diplomats and rulers to talk with and avoid conflicts that can tear the multiple countries apart, stuff like that. Sadly, this might be the only time she will be able to do this again. Afterwards, all hell will chase after her. She doesn’t know if she should trust Celestia or Luna, the rulers of her proud country and home. Celestia had always been her mentor and she had always trusted her for it. But after reading Luna’s reply letter, she can’t decide on whom to trust. Luna and Celestia rarely not see things eye to eye but when they do, it’s always something serious. Something that can threaten Equestria itself, and it has something to do with her current condition. Something is terribly wrong with her, that’s for sure. Now what is she going to do? What if the scribe in Gryphonia doesn’t have the answers she needs? She can’t go back, not like this. And Spike… She betrayed him. She told him that she’s never going to leave him and yet, here she is. On a flying chariot towards Hooveshire, leaving her friends and family. Twilight looked back at Ponyville, shrinking in size from the distance. She recalled all the great memories she had while living there. Now, she must leave all those in the past behind her. She can’t go back, no matter how much she wants to. Celestia had walked up the stairs to Luna’s bedroom, the dark and gloomy sight of the stairways being the image of paradise for bats and spiders alike. Her hoofsteps on the stone stairs amplified from her golden shoes, echoing upwards in the tower. Due to the height of the tower, it took her some time to climb up the stairs, but that never tired her. She was strong and vigilant, and she loved her sister dearly, despite their quarrel a month ago. She would always love Luna, no matter what happened between them. After a few minutes, Celestia managed to reach Luna’s bedroom door while maintaining composure and breath. She reached out onto the door and was about to knock the door, but noticed that it was slightly opened. She pulled back her hoof and instead, leaned her head slightly to the opened door. She whispered, “Luna, are you there?” Celestia poked the door, opening it more till it was enough to fit her head through. She peeked through the door and looked around with her limited view. She couldn’t find Luna, and that is bad itself. When she was certain Luna wasn’t in her room, she opened the door and entered Luna’s dark bedroom. With each step, she walked in cautiously, knowing Luna and her tantrums. She observed her surroundings. Nothing, not even a speck of dirt, seems to be out of place. Everything was where it should be, as if it wasn’t moved at all. Even her own bed was left untouched, and Luna was always lazy when taking care of her bed. Celestia kept on looking around, searching for anything misplaced or hidden. She looked to the left and noticed the balcony door was open. The answer was obvious afterwards. Princess Luna had run off. “Oh Luna…” With a glow of her horn, Celestia went deep into her mind, and entered the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane is a world between minds, connecting every living being’s thoughts, dreams and memories in one single universe. Only a number of ponies can walk through the Astral Plane unharmed, as most would either come out mind-broken or confused from what’s real and what’s not. The only reason Twilight was able to walk through the Astral Plane without going insane was because Celestia was there with her, protecting her from the harmful nature of that universe. From the Astral Plane, she sees projections of memories and thoughts of other ponies, some which she knows while others are completely unfamiliar to her. A few meters away, she sees Luna, eyes closed and walking away from her. Celestia was about to call out for her, but Luna saw it coming. “Hello, my dear sister.” “Luna, I see that you knew I was coming. Where are you? What are you doing here?” “I am here to block your mind.” “Block my mind from whom?” “From Twilight.” Celestia froze. Her expression changed from worried to slightly angry. “How long have you known?” “How long have I known that you were going to keep Twilight prisoner in a dream of insanity? Quite some time already, actually.” Luna said, turning around and facing Celestia. “You know I had no choice.” “You did have a choice! But you chose to ‘invite’ her to live in the castle where she will die in the most painful process possible!” “What other choice do I have?!” “You could have helped her! Instead of keeping her prisoner, you could have given her a chance to save herself!” “We kept an oath! A vow that YOU made! You said that we are not to help those with that curse! And yet, here you are! Helping Twilight to find that book!” “You’re right. I did break the oath.” Luna turned her back onto Celestia, “But at least it was better than letting her die like that.” Suddenly, a bright flash emerged from Luna, blinding even the Princess of the Sun herself. With a tremendous force, it pushed Celestia back, out of the Astral Plane. Celestia gasped for air as her mind was boggled from the experience. She ran towards the balcony and looked up onto the Moon, shining darker than usual. Luna not just had run away, but had also blocked her from entering the Astral Plane, the only way to find Twilight instantly. The only way to find Twilight is by searching her like a wanted criminal. She has to find her and quick, before the darkness of that book consumes her. Forever. Author's Note Chapter 3 = FINISH So yeah, I had a lot of problems with writing this chapter. There was so much confusion, and I couldn't hold my ground with a storyline. It kept changing in my head. But anyway, I finished it (different than the original idea) and I'm proud of it. I worked hard on the last parts of this chapter (noticed the extreme detail?) and I hope I haven't done any mistakes in writing. Kinda weird to start of the chapter with an argument, but at least it got calmed down afterwards. The princess were the hardest to write, and the Astral Plane scene was probably my favourite to write. I wanted to add some comedy, so I did it with the Night Guards. I liked the way some characters in cartoons talk like that. Makes me laugh every time. Also, I'm gonna add a new cast after a couple of chapters. Who, you may ask? Why should I tell you that? I wish my story gets accepted in Equestria Daily.
Chapter One - MeetingsLong ago, the days before Celestia and Luna, even before Discord, existed the Chaotic Plane. The plane was empty and nothing existed in it. Until one fraction of a moment, Queen Aurorria was born. She saw the empty void and decided to change it entirely. She created Equis, a planet teeming with flora and fauna, ready to be uncovered. She watched over the world, as animals follow nature and slowly evolve. Thus exists dragons, ponies, gryphons and much more. These sentient beings made kingdoms, empires and governments, as they continue to grow and evolve. Queen Aurorria was pleased to see all her creations like such, so pleased that she recorded everything in one book. One book that holds every information in the universe. One book, so powerful that it alone can be used to conquer empires, tackle governments and destroy countries. Many have heard of the book and many have tried to steal it from her. Though none of succeeded, she felt that the book was indeed dangerous. So, she destroyed the book, leaving nothing but the ashes of its remains. When Queen Aurorria disappeared about two thousand years after she hid the book , she left control over the Sun and the Moon to the unicorns. But even so, the book was not given to them either, since she already destroyed it. The book became a mere legend afterwards, where bards sing songs of it and historians only treat it as a joke. But Celestia and Luna know the existence of that book. They never say it, but they do. They even remembered its name. The Book Of Time. “SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEE!!!!” Twilight shouted furiously. It was suppose to be a normal day for that purple unicorn but somehow, it turned bad for her since her number one assistant forgot to close the fridge door. Again. Not only the inside of the refrigerator became warmer, the entire kitchen became colder. And no one likes eating cold toast and drink frozen coffee. “Twilight! What is it?!” Spike said in a panic tone as he ran straight for Twilight, who was sitting on a chair with a bath robe and towel over her head, wet and grumpy over her ice cold breakfast. As he ran, he accidently slipped on the cold, oak wood floor and slidded across the room and conveniently crashed at the fridge door, closing it. He stood back up and grab hold an open drawer, trying to balance himself on the slippery floor. When he managed to balance himself, he slide towards an empty chair, took a breather and stood up on the chair. Thank goodness the chair wasn’t slippery as well. He proceed to shiver, warming himself with his claws. “Man, it sure is cold in here.” “That’s because you left the refrigerator door open! AGAIN!” “Oops, hehe. Sorry Twilight.” “How ma- *sneeze* “Urgh! Now I have a cold!” Twilight gave out the most adorable sneeze, in which Spike giggled, only to be stopped after Twilight gave him a stern glare. “Don’t worry Twilight. A bowl of fresh, hot, mushroom soup should do the trick.” Spike drooled as he imagined the mushroom soup. “You know what, maybe I should make some for me too! With some gems in it, of course.” Twilight only rolled her eyes but smiled afterwards, “I guess some mushroom soup would be nice.” Without another word, Spike gave a salute and dashed to the cabinets, taking out a can of mushroom soup and to the stove where he pulled out a sauce pan and added the mushroom soup, in which he opened the can with his very claws. He took two cups of water and poured them into the sauce pan, afterwards slowly stirring the contents. A few minutes later, he poured half of it into Twilight’s bowl and sprinkled some grinded gemstones into his. Twilight ate her soup with some bread, with a merry smile on her face. “I always did miss eating some mushroom soup.” Twilight said as she dipped another piece of bread into the soup, and putting it into her mouth. Spike walked towards the table with his own bowl, a plastic bowl with small pictures of gems on it, and sat just across the small table. Inside his bowl was his own mushroom soup, with sprinkled gemstones and some spice for extra flavour. “Well, maybe if you learned to cook, you could have made some by yourself.” “You know very well that I am a busy pony. Besides, why cook when you can just take food that ca be eaten right away?” “Because it’s delicious and usually more nutritious?” “Beside those points...” Just before Twilight could say another word, Spike had already finished his bowl while Twilight is only half way. “How did you finish that soo fast?!” “I’m a dragon. Dragons eat a lot. Besides, I don’t like bread with my soup. Ruins the flavour.” After cleaning his bowl, Spike was about to leave the kitchen until the door closed on him with a purple magical aura. “Where do you think you’re going?...” “I’m going to Rarity’s place. She said yesterday that she needs my help.” “But what about this mess?!” Twilight pointed out all the mess in the kitchen. The drawers were open, some of the food were rotten, the oven needed some cleaning –probably with a wall scraper – and the entire kitchen is still damp and frozen. The sauce pan Spike used wasn’t cleaned yet and the empty tin can was dripping some unused mushroom soup onto the floor. The sink was full of dirty cooking utensils while the only thing that was clean was Spike’s bowl. “Come on, Twilight. I think you can handle this one. Besides, the mess is partially your fault...” “How is it my fault?!” “Partially, and it’s because of yesterday when you made that casserole.” “How should I know that the casserole had gone rogue?!” “You should, since the cook book said SPECIFICALLY NOT TO USE MAGIC.” Spike took out the cook book and pointed at the red words ‘DO NOT USE MAGIC’. “Urgh, fine! You win this round...” Spike gave out a fist pump of victory, but was quickly deflected by Twilight, “... But the frozen kitchen is still your fault.” “Fine, fine... But in case you’ve forgotten, it’s Saturday! And that means, I’m off duty!” “But, but – ” And just before Twilight could close the door on him again, he was already at the other side, only to crash at the Cutie Mark Crusaders on his way out. A few screams can be heard and a small apology from Spike, who kept running afterwards. Twilight could only groan at her frustration. Picking up a mop with he magic, she cleaned the mess that had been left behind in the kitchen. After she was finished, she decided to take another bath since she now smelled like mushroom and rust. Twilight took a quick shower and preened her wings in the bathroom, only to crash at a certain cyan pegasus outside. “RAINBOW DASH!!!!” Rainbow Dash, who’s flank was on Twilight’s chest, only giggled. “Hehe, oops... Sorry Twi.” Twilight, using her superior magic, lifted Rainbow Dash and placed her on the floor. She lifted herself up, while Rainbow Dash giggled once more. “Why are you even here, Dash? I thought you went with Fluttershy to watch the Wonderbolts movie.” “Well, the movie was cancelled due to technical problems. Some jerk pegasus used lightning on the cinema. The bulding went up in flames! Good thing I was there to swoop all the bystanders and using my pegasus awesomeness, found a rain cloud and saved the day!” “Well, interesting story Dash. But seriously, why are you here?” “What? Can’t a awesome pegasus like me visit her egghead friend?” Dash said while giving Twilight a light noogie. Twilight picked up a comb and with one swoop, made her hair back to normal. “Wow, Rarity sure taught you a lot on hairstyling.” Twilight groaned angrily, “Seriosly Dash, WHY. ARE. YOU. HERE?” Dash moved back a little with her wings, “Ok, Ok! Wow, Spike wasn’t kidding when he said you were stressed...” “Well, I came here to see if you have a new Daring Do book. I heard that a new one just came out!” Twilight looked back, tapping her chin with her hoof. “I don’t think I’ve received any new books lately. I’ll check for it after this.” Rainbow Dash, not entirely convinced, flew straight to Twilight’s face and grabbed her head. She looked at Twilight in the eyes, as if her own was going to pop out. “I. NEED. THAT. BOOK.” Twilight moved back, gaining some ground and shook her head. “Ok, why do you need it so badly?” “Well, you see, this is a very special book. It’s shorter than the others, and there are only 100 copies of it. Inside the copies have this secret message that if we managed to figure out what it says, we get to discover the name of the writer!” “Wait, that’s it?” This time, Twilight looked bemused. “Come on, Twi! You know that the writer is anonymous! Knowing her, or his name would be legendary!” Twilight rolled her eyes, “Fine, I’ll do my best to find a copy. But no guarantees!” Rainbow Dash, like Spike, gave out a fist pump of victory. She then flew out of the library just after she quickly said, “Thank you, Twilight!” After Rainbow Dash was out, Twilight closed and locked the door so that no other pony could just barge in. Walking to her bedroom mirror, she took out her crown and placed it neatly on her head. “I guess this is going to be a looooong day.” Unknowingly to her, a tall ponylike figure was looking at her from the window. Twilight had closed the library in the evening and was currently doing an experiment on everlasting enchantments on ethereal objects, or at least that’s what is written on the report. In the middle of the library was a circular wooden table with a thin silver disc on top of a small iron stand. Surrounding it were six identical glass orbs with a metallic core, each connected with the silver disc with some copper wire. Two of the orbs are hooked to a crystal generator, a cylindrical machine that applies pressure on crystals, creating electricity. At one side of the room was filled with paper notes, a chalkboard full of calculations and an active chemistry set. Twilight, in her lab coat which had been remodified to fit her wings, was studying her notes. On top of her head was also a pair of large goggles with a brass frame. After a few seconds, she put down the notes and pulled out two different books and studied both at the same time. While levitating the books, she examined the chemical substance she produced from her chemistry set, writing down some notes afterwards. “Hmm... Interesting...” She said to herself. A click sound was heard and the library door had opened. It was just Spike, since he had his own key. He was also holding a plastic bag, with the contents unknown. “Twilight, is that you?” “Huh? Spike? I didn’t notice you coming in.” Twilight dropped all her notes and books on the floor, surprised to see Spike. “Well, I finished my work at Rarity’s place. Most of it, that is. Hehe...” Spike nervously rubbed the back of his head. “What did you do this time?...” “I didn’t do anything! I was helping Rarity and then Sweetie Belle came in and scolded me for ruining her mane! I mean, it wasn’t entirely my fault... She then kicked me out and Rarity could only stand and watch...” “Well, she does have a big concert tonight. She has to look her best if she wants sponsors.” “Yeah, but still...” Spike stopped talking and instead walked around Twilight’s experiment. He looked at the glass orbs and the notes, only to get confused afterward. “Twilight, what are you doing?” “Oh, this? I was doing an experiment on everlasting enchantments on ethereal objects.” “And that means?...” “Well, let me explain to you about ethereal objects. There are two types of that. We have illusions and we have real objects. Illusions are just used to trick the minds of others, while real objects turned ethereal are well, real objects that can’t be touched. I’m trying to put enchantments on them and see how they respond.” “So wait, you’re going to enchant illusions?” “Well, sorta. Since illusions are just mind tricks, I can’t really enchant them. I can change how I see them, but not change its true nature, since it doesn’t exist. But enchanting ethereal objects is a different. Ethereal objects are real, as in they exist. We can’t touch them but we can see and hear them, like illusions. But the difference is that they aren’t part of any mind tricks.” “If I can enchant an ethereal object, I can change its physical aspect and properties. In example, if I enchant an ethereal object to burn, the object will produce fire but the fire is either ghost-like or floating in mid air. I’m trying to figure out exactly that.” Spike bopped his palm, “Oh, now I get it! But what good can you do if you just change whatever it is with ghost items?” “Not only I can change their properties, I can literally change it. I can make an ethereal object and by using this method, I can make that object real. I can make it solid, or liquid. In common sense, I can make ghost objects into real objects.” “Imagine the breakthrough in science and magic! You are able to make things out of thin air, which clearly is impossible since matter cannot be created or destroyed, only altered. If this works, I can make the impossible, possible!” “Wow Twilight, that’s amazing!” Daydreaming, Spike thought of mountains of gems, his mouth drooling. “Imagine all those treats...” Carefully, Twilight levitated a vile of clear liquid and add a few drops on the silver disc. Then, she levitated a different vile, this time with blue liquid, and add one drop on each glass orb. Using her magic, she created a ethereal object, the simplest being a quill. It looked like a ghost, but it exists and not an illusion. She placed the ethereal quill on the silver disc and moved back into a flipped table. Spike followed her there as well. She took out her goggles and Spike took out a pair of large sunglasses, which he bought on his way here. “Really, Spike?” “What? I think they look great. I might even impress Rarity with these bad boys.” Twilight rolled her eyes, but wasn’t seen since she was wearing those heavy duty googles. She lifted a trigger with her hoof and with one push of a button, let out an electrical current through the apparatus. Suddenly, a chemical reaction occured between the liquids and their respective objects. The blue one started sizzling and changed the colour of the glass orb, as well as its texture. The one on the silver disc reacted with the ethereal quill, slowly overlaping the quill. Everything went exactly as planned until, as usual, something went wrong. A bright flash and a ear piercing noise were emitted from the quill, making Spike, due to his sensitive ears, wallow in pain. His glasses fell on the floor but were unharmed. Twilight also heard the noise and started to get a headache, until she saw a piece of light jumping out of the apparatus, crashing at the nearby bookshelf and exploding on impact. She quickly turned her face at the crystal generator and with her magic, let out a purple bolt and destroyed the generator. Instantly, the light dimmed completely and so did the sound. After some breathing, she took off her goggles and checked on Spike’s condition. “Spike! Are you Ok?! Oh, I’m soo sorry!” Spike didn’t respond. Twilight panicked and checked if his heart was still beating. She dropped her head on Spike’s chest and felt the beating heart of the purple dragon from her ears. He was Ok. “Thank goodness...” Twilight said as she took another breather. Slowly, she walked towards the silver disc and checked on its remains. The ethereal feather was gone, but some feather bits were seen. She took out her checklist and ticked out her first experiment as a partial success. Afterwards, she walked towards Spike and levitated him onto his basket. “That... was unexpected...” Twilight sighed as she goes downstairs to check on her apparatus again. Once there, she went through her notes again while examining the feather bits. Unexpectedly, she lost focus of her magic and dropped one of her notes. It flew into the basement, slipping under the door. Twilight chased after it and entered the basement as well. She tried turning on the lights, but there seems to be no electricity downt there. The experiment must’ve sent out an electromagnetic pulse that disrupted the fuse box. As she descended downstairs into the dark basement which she hasn’t fully explored yet, she used an illumination spell and send out a small ball of light to follow her around. The basement was widely used for her experiments, but since it was crowded with machinery and appliances, she decided to do the experiment upstairs in the library. Twilight navigated her way through the basement, searching for the missing note. Suddenly, she heard some flicking paper, ultimately giving her the location of the note. The paper was resting on top of one of her appliances, just at the edge. She grabbed the piece of paper with her magic, just before it could float away again. “Gotcha!” She examined the note and tucked it safely under her lab coat’s pocket. “I hope you’re worth it... I nearly lost my assistant because of you...” Just before she was about to leave, a tall ponylike figure was standing just a few meters from her, looking over some books which Twilight left there. Twilight couldn’t see its face since it was looking away, but from the body shape and floating books, she was certain it was a unicorn stallion. He was wearing a tattered robe, a hood covered his head and unicorn horn, leaving only his snout exposed. The robe itself was brownish and bland like it was made of potato sacks, sure to make Rarity find it a mockery to fashion. “Umm, excuse me? The library is closed and the basement is off limits. I ask you to please leave immedietely.” Twilight did her best to ask politely, but the strange stallion was a stranger to her. He might be dangerous. Even so, the stallion didn’t move from his place. He kept on reading some of the old books, ignoring Twilight’s presence. “Well, this is weird...” “Sir please, the library is closed and this place is off limits. I’m asking you to leave. Now.” She was starting to be irritated and scared from the stallion. Yet, he didn’t move. “I’m warning you! Leave! Now! The library is – ” “Princess Twilight Sparkle, I presume?” Though he said it politely, the very way he spoke made Twilight feel a shiver down her spine. Her body went tense, as if it was frozen. She managed to speak up, “How did you know my name?” “Well, everyone does. Your coronation was one of the greatest events in a long time. Why would someone not know you?” “Well, I guess that makes sense. Still...” she Twilight changed her stance. She was ready to use any magic in case the stallion became aggressive. “Who are you?” He giggled, “My name isn’t important, but this question is. Tell me princess, what do you know about Queen Aurorria?” Taken back by the question, she simply answered, “Well, according to legends, Queen Aurorria was the creator of Equis and all the life on it. She was practically a goddess with unlimited power, being able to create and destroy anything, including the fabric of space and time. Not much is known about her though, other than that.” “I see...” The stallion nodded, “What do you know about the items she left behind?” Twilight tapped her chin, “Well, if Equis is considered as an item, I guess everythi – ” “Not that kind of items. Real ones. Artifacts, relics, anything of such.” “Well... no, actually. Queen Aurorria is just a myth. A mere legend. There shouldn’t be anything left behind by her.” The stallion smiled, “That is when you are wrong...” Twilight could only feel shock and surprise, “What do you mean?” The stallion walked around the room, looking around at the dark and dirty basement. The smile was still on his face, his teeth showing. Twilight kept her ground, ready for any attack. Though the stallion showed no threat, she still had to be cautious. And then, he stopped and spoke. “Let me tell you something that no one knows about. Queen Aurorria held something powerful. Something dangerous. Something that shouldn’t exist. Because of that, she destroyed it. Or so, that’s what everyone believes...” Twilight curiousity took the best of her, “What is this item she destroyed? Or seemingly destroyed, in your case.” He gave another faint giggle, “Do you really want to know? Once you take this path, there is no return.” Twilight thought about it for a moment. She could believe that this stallion was lying to her, or she could trust him and gain a piece of knowledge that no one, not even the princesses know. But the way the stallion spoke, it scares her. From his speech patterns, she knew this knowledge would come with a price. The price is something she doesn’t know, and of course she doesn’t know if she can pay it. Confusing as that is, she decided to let that go and accept the offer. “Yes, I wish to know about this item.” “Smart choice...” His horn shined a dark, black colour. He was using magic, and Twilight let her guard down. Before she could cast a spell, all the pages from the old books went straight for Twilight. It didn’t hurt her, but blinded her from the stallion. The pages kept going around her like a sand storm, making her unable to focus. The stallion just stood there, with a grin in his face. In a spilt second, a page went straight to her face. It blinded her and all she could do was hear a few words from the mysterious stallion. “If you seek out darkness, you will be swallowed. If you seek out light, you will be blinded. If you wish for the truth, you must seek neither light nor darkness. And you will find it, no matter how bright or dark it is...” She then let out a magic burst that stopped all the pages instantly.The pages dropped to the floor as they were ordinary paper, but the stallion was gone. In his place was a small wooden box with a red ribbon on it. Twilight wasn’t sure if the box is rigged with an explosive seal, but that box was left there for a reason. She thought about leaving the box alone, but she noticed something perculiar. That stallion was an advanced magic user and yet, he didn’t kill her even though he had the chance to. All he did was give her something she didn’t have. And now, all he left behind was a box with unknown contents. Twilight decided to trust the stallion, even though he seemingly attacked her, since she recieved no harm. She walked slowly to the wooden box and checked with her magic to see if there are any explosive seals. With her horn, she shined a light onto the box. The light will reveal any hidden seals. “None, thank goodness.” Her horn dimmed. Twilight levitated the box and examined around it. It was just a regular wooden box, nothing special. Other than the red ribbon tied neatly on it, it seemed normal. Twilight opened the box and looked over its contents. Inside were an old compass and a piece of paper. She took out the contents and looked at it in detail. The compass pointed at the wrong direction while the piece of paper was empty. “Why would he give me a broken compass and paper?” She decided not to think for the answer and just go to bed. It was a long day anyway. Walking up the stairs to her bedroom, she looked over at Spike, who was sleeping quietly. Oh Spike, I’ll bring you to the clinic tomorrow. She tucked herself in and with a steady mind, fell to sleep. The compass was left on the bedside drawer with the piece of paper. Unknowingly to her, the paper bursts into small flames, leaving a mark on the wooden drawer. It wrote; Book Of Time Author's Note This is ultimately my second fanfic! I didn't finish the first one yet though (I'm starting to lose motivation for that), but I'm still learning on improving my writing. ~~Also I'm busy.~~ Anyway, this story takes place after Twilight's coronation. Meaning, she's a princess. I decided to still make her a librarian for the fun of it and that (according to my headcanon) she must finish her studies in Friendship before she can become a true princess. She also still has her crown. Spike is an older dragon and he's also bigger. Not as big as those teen dragons, more or less like his usual size only taller a bit. The CMC are grownups (hint in the chapter) but they still hang out with each other. Wait for another week (or two) for a new chapter! ~~Not making promises though~~
Chapter Two - Dreams or NightmaresIt was somewhat between morning and afternoon. Twilight had asked Fluttershy, who was conveniently at the library this morning, to take Spike to the clinic. Though Spike protested, saying that he was fine, Twilight didn't want to take any chances and forced Spike to go to the clinic with Fluttershy anyway. She didn't see it, but Twilight believed that Fluttershy might have used The Stare on Spike, since it worked quite well with dragons, as well with animals or ponies. Twilight was alone in the library, finishing up the chores that Spike was suppose to do. While cleaning her bedroom, she noticed something that wasn’t suppose to be there. Something written on her bedside drawer. “Huh? What’s this?” Twilight looked closer to the text that seemed to have burnt into the wooden surface. It was right next to the compass she found last night in the box, and the piece of paper had mysteriously disappeared. Though, according to Twilight, it must’ve flown off somewhere. The question still remains; what is that text? Book Of Time Like anyone would know, Twilight’s curiousity would always get the best of her. She walked down from her bedroom into the library and searched for anything that has to do with those three specific words. She searched A Pocket Guide To Equestria, History On Forgotten History 101, she even searched the Mystic And Mysteries book, yet she found nothing. She kept on reading, learning, finding any piece of information that may be helpful, but nothing seems to come up. Then she heard the hoofsteps of certain pink mare that skips. “Pinkie, is there a reason you came?” Twilight didn’t even have to glance to know it was Pinkie. She had enough experience. “Oh, can’t your bestest friend Pinkie Pie even visit? It’s not like I come here everyday to tell you something super surpising and important!” “Actually, you do. Most of the time, not that important. Surprisingly, not yesterday. Where were you yesterday?” “Oh me? I was at the edge of the Everfree Forest, fighting ghost pirates! One was like ‘Arr!’ and the other was like ‘Garr!’. There was even one that went ‘Aeiii!’. Probably due to me cutting his head off. The Cake Twins were there. In fact, they’re the reason we were there in the first place! They were kidnapped by those darn ghost pirates! So, it’s up to Auntie Pinkie to save the day! Or yesterday! Since it happened not today, but instead happened yesterday, which was the day before today, or two days before tomorrow, or seven days before a week. Oh wait, that would be today! Silly me, silly Pinkie! Anyway, those pirates nearly won, but I managed to beat them in the game of checkers and got out! But then, we were assaulted by ninja zombies! The ghost pirates helped us! Since everyone knows that pirates hate ninjas. Then, the battle commenced and it wa – ” “Great story, Pinkie.” Twilight placed her hoof at Pinkie’s mouth. “But seriously, why are you even here? Is there some kind of important meeting or something?” Twilight let go of her hoof from Pinkie’s mouth, enabling the pink party pony to speak again. “Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Here you go!” Pinkie gave out her hoof, which had a very small folded card, probably an invitation. It was so small, it looked like an book for a hummingbird. The card itself was silver coloured, with a small sticker of a birthday cake on it. Once opened, it had small simple words, saying ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY!’. Under it had the name of the birthday pony, but it was too small to read. Twilight could only scratch her head, before asking whose birthday it was. “Pinkie, care to tell me whose birthday it is?” Pinkie let out a shocking gasp, “Don’t you know whose birthday is today?!” Twilight rolled her eyes, “Umm, yours?” “Pffft, of course not! My birthday isn’t till one hundred and thirty four days. Or was it one hundred and thirty two days?... Meh, I lost count.” Pinkie walked towards Twilight side, placing her hoof above Twilight’s shoulder. She then looked up and gave out a dramatic pose. “It’s Applejack’s birthday, silly!” Twilight’s eyes shot wide. She completely forgot about Applejack’s birthday! How could she have done that?! She zipped across the library and to her bedroom, looking at the calender placed nicely near the window. It was marked ‘AJ = CAKE’, which was kinda awkward considering it was Twilight herself who marked it. Twilight was suppose to bring the cake this year, and she completely forgot about it. In a state of panic, Twilight screamed. Insert screaming sounds of Twilight here. “Wow Twilight, I haven’t seen you scream like that before. It’s like you’ve seen a ghost! But like my Granny Pie always says, ‘Just giggle at the ghosties’! I wonder if you really did see a ghost! Wouldn’t that be great?! I once bought a ticket to see a pony who can see ghosts, but it was just a lie. I DEMAND A REFUND! Anyway, ghosts can’t hurt you! How can they? They walk through walls and stuff. How can they even touch you? Wouldn’t it be exciting to touch one?! I wish I could meet my Granny Pie again. I bet she’s in chocolate heaven! Or pony heaven. Or both! Or better yet, with a river of - ” “PINKIE! I NEED TO FOCUS!” “Opps, sorry Twilight. I was just thinking of milk rivers and a banana split boat. With ghost pirates.” “Ok... Since I have no idea what you were talking about, but that’s normal anyway... Pinkie, could you do me a favour?” Twilight gave out a begging grin, like she was trying to hard. Pinkie nodded, “Ok! Do you need me to kill ghost pirates, or make a vanilla cream river?” “Wait, weren’t you talking about milk rivers?” Twilight shook her head, “Ok, back to the matter at hoof... Pinkie, I need you to go to Sugercube Corner and buy a giant chocolate cake. Can you do that?” Pinkie let out a gasp, “But Twilight, you promised Applejack a cake from Canterlot Bakeries! Even though Sugarcube Corner makes the best cakes in the whole wide Universe, you still promised her!” “I know, I know.” Twilight gave out a somewhat ashamed sigh, “But I forgot, Ok? And now I feel terrible about it. Can’t you do it just this once, Pinkie? Pleeeeeeeaaaaaase...?” Twilight looked at Pinkie with large, puppy eyes. Pinkie didn’t know what to do. If she helped Twilight, she would also break the promise Twilight made with Applejack. But if she didn’t, then Applejack won’t have any cake. It’s so confusing, especially for the pink party pony. She looked left and right, her entire body shaking and sweating, trying desperately to get out of this situation. But she can’t just run away. Then what kind of friend would she be? In the end, she took a deep breath and said; “Fine, I’ll do it...” She said in the most depressing way. “Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll pay you back, Ok?” Pinkie, still shaking and sweating, walked backwards towards the door with the most awkward smile, “Ok... I guess?” She then slammed the door before running willy-nilly across town, screaming. “Well, that was unexpected. I never knew that would give her so much pressure.” Twilight said as she looked at her panicking friend. Suddenly, Twilight felt something familiar. A certain chill down her spine. She felt this before... She felt this yesterday. The lights got dimmed and the entirely library was left dark. Twilight went and tried to open the door, but it didn’t budge. She tried using her magic, but she can’t seem to make her horn glow. In fact, she couldn’t use magic at all. She saw a dark crimson glow coming from outside and went to the window to see it. Twilight could not believe what she just saw. The sky was red as blood and the clouds didn’t move. The Sun didn’t move as well and worst, were the ponies. All were frozen in place, their faces changed entirely. Their faces looked twisted and stretched in the most grotesque way possible. Their eyes were blacker than night and from the looks of it, had some kind of liquid dripping out of it. They all remained motionless, and that itself was able to make Twilight walk backwards and crashed into one of the bookcases. She looked at the door and saw the unknown liquid entering the library through the gap underneath. The liquid entered the library and covered the entire floor, except it didn’t go near Twilight. Figures started emerging from the liquid and all had horrified faces. Their bodies were made entirely out of shadows and some of them had their body parts twisted and placed in the wrong sections. Twilight hyperventilate and heard the shadow figures screaming and wailing about a certain book as they get near to her. “Stay back! STAY BACK!” Twilight screamed as she closed her eyes in fear. That didn’t stop them. In an act of desperation, Twilight tried to cast an illumination spell. With all her might, she managed to cast a supersized illumination spell and the entire library was consumed in light. The shadow figures crept backwards before diminishing in the light, but some were still moving towards Twilight, despite slowly dying. She strengthened her illumination spell and made an explosion of pure, white light. The light was so powerful, it looked like it could have been a second Sun to Equestria. Her horn fizzed and the light dimmed slowly. She had run out of magic energy but at least those... things... are gone. The liquid on the floor had disappeared entirely and the lights in the library all came back up in unison. She saw Spike entering the door, just before she her mind blackened into darkness. Twilight woke up and found herself on something soft. She felt a light headache and her vision blurred. She rubbed her temples and she could hear some mumbling sounds. When she regained her vision and hearing, she was able to focus on her surroundings. She was in her bedroom or more specifically, in her bed. Around her were her five friends, Pinkie’s hair was straight and Spike, who was holding a napkin and crying slightly. “Huh... Wha...?” “Don’t get up, Twilight. The doctor said that ya’ll need some rest.” Applejack said as she pushed Twilight back onto the bed. “Yes, Applejack is right. The doctor said that you suffered some extreme magic dehydration. You sure brought us some shock when Spike went around calling for help.” Rarity said, standing next to Pinkie. “Mmmh hhh! I was so scared and Spike was crying a lot and I cried as well! Like a whole lot! My hair was straight and everything! I should throw you a party! A wake up party! I should start making invitations!” Pinkie exclaimed as her hair poofed back into its cotton candy self. Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on Pinkie’s mouth, stopping her from talking too much. “Yeah, yeah. We get it, Pinkie. I’m just glad that you’re awake, Twi. I went for days searching for the guy that did this to you!” “Wait, days?! How long was I out?!” Twilight snapped of her bed. “How much time have I wasted?! Oh, the princess might never forgive me for sleeping this long!” Twilight tried to stand up but lost her balance and fell. Applejack held on Twilight just before she fell, “Woah there, Twilight! Sit down. There’s no need to rush out or anythin’. Fluttershy and Spike sent a letter to the princess and she said she wanted a letter of your, ehh, condition every six hours or so.” Twilight looked and Fluttershy, “Fluttershy, is this true?” “Well, I, umm... yes, it’s true. I’m so happy that you’re awake, Twilight. We we’re so worried, especially Spike.” Fluttershy pointed at Spike, who was crying with a napkin. “Spike...” Before Twilight could finish her words, Spike leaped onto her and hugged her tight while crying loudly. Twilight was surprised at first, but then hugged Spike as well. “I t-thought y-you were never g-going to w-wake up!” Spike said, his words hard to pronouce since he was crying too much. Twilight hugged Spike stronger while rubbing his scaly forehead. “Oh Spike, I would never leave you like that. Never.” Suddenly, the door to Twilight’s bedroom opened and came in Princess Celestia, regal as always. Everyone, especially Twilight, was surprised to see the princess here. In unison, they all shouted “Princess?!” in surprise and bowed down to her afterwards, except Twilight who was still in bed and Spike who didn’t want to let go. Princess Celestia nodded and everyone in the room raised their heads. Princess Celestia looked at Twilight and smiled, “Twilight, I am so glad that you are awake. I had been so worried when I received the letter from Spike and Fluttershy. I didn’t tell your parents, or your brother, so you won’t have to worry about them being worried.” “Thank you, princess.” Twilight said just before the two had a wing hug, in which Rainbow Dash did the puking expression with her hoof. “I’m just glad that nightmare is over. They keep chanting ‘find the book’, whatever that is...” That took Celestia by surprise. “Twilight, did you say something about a ‘book’?” Twilight nodded with a curious expression. She then asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something surprising about a book?” “Well, I... Umm... Nevermind. I’m just happy you’re fine.” Celestia then walked towards the balcony, ready to take off. Before she did, Twilight ran, well tried to run, to the balcony. “Princess! Where are you going?” “Oh, well, I am still a princess. And there is so much work for me to do. I will send you a letter when I reach Canterlot.” She said just before she flew, “Goodbye, my faithful student.” Twilight waved goodbye at Celestia as she flew back to Canterlot at twice of supersonic speed, making Rainbow Dash to drop her jaw to the floor, not literally. Twilight smiled, but that smiled faded when she remembered something. Applejack. Applejack was heard walking and sat next to Twilight. She lifted her right hoof and wrapped around Twilight shoulder. With a smile, Applejack talked, “Aaa, it’s OK Twilight. Ah know you missed mah birthday. Checking up on ya is more importan’ than some birthday. Besides, I even kept a slice of cake just for ya! Pinkie said it was from that famous Canterlot Bakeries, but it kinda taste like it was from Sugarcube Corner. Who knew, huh?” “Hehe, who knew...” Sorry Pinkie. Applejack stood back up and walked towards the balcony door, “Ya coming? I kept the slice in your refrigerator, if you don’t mind.” Twilight turned her head towards Applejack, giving a faint smile. She stood back up and walked to the kitchen next to Applejack, “Yeah, some cake would be nice...” Unbeknownst to her, the shadows crept of a mysterious figure. The same figure that gave her those two gifts. The unnamed unicorn, watching her from below in the shadows. “Stage one, fifteen percent completion...” Celestia was flying straight towards the castle. Instead of the usual entrance she used, which was the main entrance into the castle, she decided to land on the balcony Luna’s tower bedroom, at the west side of the castle. When Luna was cured from the Nightmare, she still needed sometime to adapt to the new and strange world. Luna was given the tower to isolate herself as she adapts, but later grows fond over it and decided to make it her official bedroom. She stayed there ever since, while Celestia decided to take the tower at the east side of the castle, to make it fair. Celestia landed gracefully on the balcony. It was the evening, meaning that Luna should have already woken up. With a slight tap of her gold shoes on the glass balcony door, she called out, “Luna? Are you in there?” It was silent for a few seconds, followed by some sounds and a crash, only for the door to open and reveal Princess Luna, or just Luna in this case. She had bags under her eyes, some dried saliva near her mouth, and veins showing from her eyeballs. Her hair was a complete mess, not the flowing and starry kind, that is. It was light blue, like when she first turned back to Luna from Nightmare Moon, but longer. From the looks of it, she was exhausted. “Luna?! What happened?!” “Tia... You woke me up too early...” “But it’s six in the evening! I thought you were awake and getting ready for the Night Court!” “You know thy was awake yesterday to accompany you to that bland party of the nobles. Fancy Pants was the only one that was entertaining...” “Oh right, I forgot about that...” Luna yawned with her hoof close to her mouth, “What is thou doing here anyway?” “Well, I... Umm... Best we talk inside.” “Why, of course then. Come in.” Celestia entered Luna’s bedroom with a somewhat worried face. She knew Luna was a bit anti-social, but never thought she’d express it in her room. It was slightly dark including the walls, and there were some rocks at one corner with a flag consisting of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly. There was also a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star at the top left side of the flag. Her bed was more of a little filly’s bed design, except darker. There was a TV placed on a shelf with a PonyStation connected to it. In the shelf were a bunch of video games, including the famous ‘The Ponies 3’. There was a mini library right next to the pile of rocks and flag but from the looks of it, most of those books weren’t touched in ages. The only thing that seemed bright and healthy would be Luna’s pet bat, sleeping in its cage upside-down. Everything else would either being depressing or dark. With a glow of Luna’s horn, the candles of Luna’s bedroom lit and made her room much brighter. “So now, what were you going to tell me?” “Ahh, yes. I nearly forgot about that as well.” Celestia cleared her throat, “Luna, do you remember about the ‘book’?” “What book?” “You know, that ‘book’...” “You mean this book?” Luna showed her a copy of ‘50 Shades of Earl Grey’. “No! Not that book! The other ‘book’! The book with an unspeakable name!” Luna tapped her chin, thinking of the book Celestia meant. Then she remembered, “Oh! That book! The Book Of Ti-” “NO!” Celestia said as she shoved her golden shoes in Luna’s mouth. “NO SAYING ITS NAME!” Luna spat out the shoes and wiped her spit off her face, “Fine, fine... and gross...” Both Celestia and Luna walked out of the room and strolled down the stairs of the tower. The night guards only stand guard at the tower’s entrance, not in front of Luna’s bedroom. With one flash of magic, Luna’s mane was flowing and starry again. Her entire body was cleaned to smalled speck, as if she never looked like ‘that’. Luna then turned over to Celestia, “Now what is it about the ‘book’?” “Well... It just occured to me that...” “Tia, as much as I know you want to help, we made a vow to now help anyone with connections to the book.” “I know Luna! But that was 2274 years ago! Times change and this time, it’s different!” “Tia! We’ve lost enough because of that cursed book. I will not let that book, especially that unicorn, take anything from us again!” “B-b-but...” “No buts, Tia! I won’t sacrifice my life to save one pony who just so happens to be connected to tha-” “IT’S TWILIGHT!” Luna stopped walking. Her next step were inches from the ground floor of the tower, but she pulled it back. Again she looked at Celestia, her face worried while the latter was scared with teary eyes. “Did you say Twilight?” Celestia sniffed and tried to hide her tears, “Y-yes, I said Twilight.” Luna’s expression unchanged, “Is this a different Twilight, or is this your student?” “Its... my student...” Luna eyes went wide in shock. She couldn’t have expected that. She knew how much Twilight meant to Celestia, and she was also Luna’s first friend in a thousand years. If something were to happen to Twilight, both Luna and her sister would be devastated. And now, there is a hundred percent chance that something bad will happen to her. Worst of all, nothing her sister or her could do can stop it. “I’m... I’m sorry, Celestia. I should’ve have listened to you.” “No, it’s not your fault. Maybe I can do something to save her...” “Tia! We’ve tried that already! Countless times! And it all ended in failure! Nothing we do can help her!” “I. WILL. NOT. LET. HER. DIE!” Suddenly, the door bursts open and revealed both the night guards and the royal guards, ready for action. One of the royal guards spoke up, “Princesses! Is everything alright?!” Both Celestia and Luna looked at the royal guard, snapping out of their arguement. Luna, with her angry expression, while Celestia, with a teary and furious face, calmed down a bit. Celestia replied to the guard, “Yes... we’re fine...” Celestia walked towards the tower door, as the guards stepped aside to let her through. One of the guards held the door open, while all the others just stayed in line. The evening sun shined on Celestia, brightening the rainbow colours of her mane. Just before she left the tower entirely, she turned her head a bit, not revealing her expression. “I will not let her gone like that. Not like the others.” Celestia then left the courtyard of which where the tower was located at. The door was left open, with Luna and the night guards inside. The royal guards followed Celestia, doing their duties as usual. Luna looked down on the stone floor, looking at her reflection from the tears of both hers and Celestia’s. A night guard went by her side and snapped her out her depression, “Princess, are you going to be alright?...” “Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ll be at the Night Court in a moment... You may leave.” The night guard nodded and gave a signal, ordering the others to leave as well. The door was left open once more, the evening sun just barely from setting entirely. Luna sat on the floor, and looked at the sun. She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but was too saddened to speak. She took a deep breath, and gained the courage to speak. “Celestia, please don’t do anything stupid...” And then the sun sets entirely, marking the beginning of the night. Author's Note What's up?! Sorry I had to make you readers wait but the examinations were up and I had to study. Anyway, I was going to publish this chapter last week but complications happened. I decided to give the entire Mane 6 cast + Spike + Celestia and Luna to make an appearance in this chapter. I tried to do my best on getting them into character, but it was kinda hard for me. Let me know if they were out of character or anything. I also tried to add a dash of comedy in this, but without sacrificing any of the drama. So, these are the results. The other main characters (as shown at the story page) will be shown in the next few chapters, in a certain order. I'm not going to tell you what it is though. And no, today is not Applejack's birthday. Also, for the first reader to figure out a certain Easter egg in this chapter, he/she will win one Internet cookie. Good luck, and I hope you love this chapter.
Chapter Three - Silent GoodbyesThe entire month had been quite stressful for even the great Princess Twilight Sparkle. Since she was coronated into a princess, there had been many visitors coming into the library just to see her. Some would even take the chance to steal one of her feathers. In short, she had become Ponyville’s new superstar, even more famous than Rainbow Dash, to the extent that it annoyed the cyan pegasus. But even so, Twilight had problems. Big problems, and she knows that something’s up. Twilight walked up into her room from the library to get a perfectly-shaped sphere made of diamond and for some reasons, she must’ve misplaced it. “Urgh! Where did it go? I thought I placed it right here!” She pointed at the opened drawer next to her bed. “SPIIIIIIIIIIIKEEE!!!” Spike climbed up the stair to Twilight’s bedroom, gasping for air. “Y-yes, Twilight? Huuh, man I really need to work out. I’m beat!” Twilight moved her head towards Spike before seemingly politely asking, “Spike, have you seen my diamond sphere?” Spike moved back a bit, freaked out by Twilight’s crazy grin. The last time she looked like this was when the Want-It Need-It fiasco, and that did not end well. Spike pointed with his claw at the bottom drawer of Twilight’s bedside cabinet. “It’s… right… there…?” “No it’s not! I checked it earlier and I couldn’t fin– Oh, here it is.” Twilight levitated the sphere into the air, teleported to the library, and placed the sphere on a pedestal. She carefully cleaned the sphere with a wool cloth, examining every detail for any imperfections. Spike walked up to Twilight and asked, “Twilight, are you OK? You seemed a bit… You know, stressed?” “OK? OK?! Of course I’m OK! Why wouldn’t I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, NOT BE OK?! I’M AS OK AS I CAN BE!” Spike slapped Twilight in the face with his claws. It left a red mark on her cheek, but it didn’t matter. “What is wrong with you?!” Twilight staggered back while looking at Spike, then tripped over some scrolls and fell on the wooden floor. She rubbed her head and looked over at Spike, who had tears in his eyes. Her eyes widen in realization, and she walked straight to Spike. She hugged Spike, whispering him an apology. “I’m sorry, Spike. It’s just that… I’ve been so confused and everything. It feels like I’m going insane and I… I don’t know how to stop it. Hope you forgive me.” “Y–yeah, I forgive you. Ever since that day you woke up from that coma, you’ve been acting strange. You stay up late at night, not that it’s not normal, but you just stay up and stare at a wall or a mirror. You skip meals, you avoid ponies, you even avoid me! It’s just… just like a nightmare.” Twilight’s ears picked up at the last sentence. She thought of the idea of a nightmare, but she knows she’s not sleeping. The nightmare, all those living shadows, and the unicorn… She knows she needs help, and she needs someone who is an expert in this kind of situation. Princess Luna. “Spike, I need you to take a letter for Princess Luna. Can you do that?” Spike wiped away his tears, “Yeah, I think I can. Do you want me to write it for you?” “No, this is a bit personal.” Twilight grabbed an inked quill and a piece of paper. A few months ago, Twilight discovered that Spike’s magical breath can be used to send letters to ponies other than Princess Celestia. All Spike needed was a vial of their magical essence and eat it. He also has to memorize their magic signature, so that he can always change his breath to send letters to other ponies. Spike ate some of Princess Luna’s hair, to her bemusement, and trained his memory so that he can send letters to Princess Luna. Twilight began writing her letter as fast as possible. Dear Princess Luna, It’s me, Twilight Sparkle. I am feeling a bit under the weather lately and now, I’m having nightmares even at daylight. I don’t know what to do and I’m so confused and stressed that I just recently yelled at Spike. I keep seeing all these monsters and I’m afraid of them and yet, I know they’re not real. I can’t stop the feeling of fear I have towards them and I don’t know if they want to help me or kill me. There is also something about a ‘Book Of Time’ but in every book I searched, there was nothing written about that name. Please, I require your wisdom and guidance for this situation. I can’t handle it anymore. From your friend and niece, Twilight Sparkle Twilight rolled her letter and tied it neatly with a purple ribbon. She gave it to Spike, who with one blow, burned the letter and sent it to Princess Luna. Twilight can feel some comfort with knowing that the princess will help her. At the exact moment after Spike sent out the letter, a different one came out as her burped it into existence. It had the Seal of Celestia on it. “Huh? This is from Celestia. Why would she give you a letter now?” “Wait, what does it say? Maybe it has something to do with my condition! Oh this is terrible, Spike! I can’t have her knowing about this! She might revoke my title as princess! I’LL LOSE THE LIBRARY!” Twilight was on the verge of breaking into a drama queen-like cry, but was shaken off by Spike. “Twilight! It’s just a letter about you staying in the castle. Nothing big.” “Really…?” Twilight looked at Spike with tears in her eyes, and a pouting expression. That quickly changed to a smile, though tears were still present. “Phew, I thought it was serious.” Just as she wiped away her tears, Spike threw away the letter into the shredder, shredding it into tiny long pieces of paper. “Huh, I wonder why Celestia keeps sending these letters. This is like, the third time this week.” “I don’t know, Spike. I don’t know.” Twilight replied. A moment of silence filled the library as the two observe the letter being shredded. Celestia had been sending her these proposals frequently for the entire month, and each one was rejected. Still, the Princess of the Sun kept on sending her those letters, till Twilight completely ignored those letters. They were starting to get annoying, and creepy as well. It was as if Celestia was trying to force Twilight to live in the castle with her, but in a more polite and calming way. As they wait for the letter, Spike broke the silence. “Hey Twilight, if you ever get proposals like this, would you accept them?” “What do you mean, Spike?” “Well, what if some other pony gives you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live at your dream home and be happy and stuff, but you have to leave Ponyville? Would you go through with that?” “Well, I… No, I wouldn’t. Cause my friends are here, and that’s all the reason I need.” “Well, what if you have to leave me? Will you give me up for something else you want?” That question took Twilight by surprise. She didn’t expect that, nor ever thought of it. She took a deep breath and answered, “No, I wouldn’t. It’s because you are my best friend and assistant. You were always there for me when others couldn’t, and you cared about me as much as Mom and Dad did. I would rather give up everything than leave you.” Twilight rubbed Spike’s head using her hoof, with the latter giving out small giggles. She then hugged Spike with her right wing, blanketing him with warmth and purple feathers. “Thanks Twilight...” A few hours later, a letter came for Twilight for Princess Luna. Unlike green flames when receiving letters from Princess Celestia, this one was light blue. As Spike was just about to open the letter, Twilight snatched it away from his tiny dragon claws and read it as quietly as possible. Spike wanted to read the letter, but he knows it is personal to Twilight. So instead, he just stood there, waiting for Twilight’s respond. Twilight’s eyes rolled from left to right, reading its contents. Her eyes then went wide just before she burned the letter with an incineration spell. Spike could only gawk in surprised as the ashes slowly fell onto the wooden floor. “What was that for?!” Spike exclaimed. Obviously he was angry. Not because Twilight wouldn’t let him read it, but instead it’s because Twilight was willing to burn to letter just so he couldn’t read it. Spike felt like Twilight didn’t trust him, which was very painful for the young dragon’s sensitive heart. “I’m sorry, Spike. But that letter was confidential. It’s not just you, it’s everyone.” Spike, his anger fading, only sighed. “Fine, but at least tell me that Princess Luna was willing to help.” “Well, Princess Luna can’t help me. She was too busy with her work that she has no time to help.” “What?! That’s horseapples! Princess Celestia had time to visit you, and she was ten times busier that Princess Luna!” “Well, Princess Luna had a thousand years’ worth of paperwork and lessons, making her extremely busy. I guess we’ll have to figure this out on our own.” Spike sighed in defeat and walked sadly to the kitchen. Halfway there, he stopped and all the scales on his body made a wave. He looked back at Twilight, who was looking rather tired and yet was still smiling, and made a glare. He walked towards the writing desk just behind Twilight and took a piece of paper. With a quill, he wrote something but was stopped by Twilight before he could finish it. “Spike, what are you doing?” “I’m writing a letter to Princess Celestia. She’s wiser and less busy than Luna, so maybe she can help! She’s also the eldest, making her the most experience.” Before Spike could go back to writing, Twilight picked up the unfinished letter, scrunched it up and threw it into the trash bin. Spike, again gawking in surprise, yelled at Twilight. “What was that for?! Again!” Twilight moved closer to Spike. She placed the tip of her hoof over Spike’s lips and whisper to him, “Spike, I want you to promise me not to tell anyone, especially my friends and Princess Celestia, about my condition. I don’t want them to know that it’s getting worst. I want them to know that I’m at the peak of my health. Do you understand?” Twilight let go of her hoof before Spike replied, “B-but, why?” “Like I said, it’s a bit personal. You wouldn’t understand.” Twilight said as she moved away before leaving the library. At the door, she glanced a bit, “Can you promise me?” “I… I… I don’t know…” “Just tell no one. And if you can do that, I’ll make you your favourite dinner!” “Wait, really?! Roasted turkey, stuffed with sapphire and rubies, seasoned with topaz, cinnamon and Mom’s special sau– Wait a minute, are you trying to bribe me?! Twilight!” “Urgh, alright! I did try to bribe you! But just promise me not to tell anyone?! Please!” “Umm, OK Twilight. If it means that much to you, I’ll guard the secret with my li –” “Thanks, Spike!” Twilight said before she slammed the door shut. Like before, Spike sighed. He was worried about Twilight’s condition but if it made her feel better to not tell anyone, then Spike would respect that. He walked back to the kitchen to make himself an emerald sandwich. All that talk about roasted turkey had made him hungry, and he’s the only one who eats turkey in the Sparkle family. In the meantime, something abnormal was happening. The broken compass, placed inside the jewelry box near the mirror, was moving for once. Its needle was spinning wildly, before pointing to one direction. It was nighttime in the peaceful town of Ponyville. Markets and shops closed, street lights turned on, and everyone is inside their houses, either sleeping or chatting while having dinner. Twilight actually did cook the gem turkey that Spike want, even though Spike knew she tried to bribe him. After dinner, they took a shower, Twilight apologized him (again), and as usual, Spike cleaned up the library while Twilight was studying, just before going to bed. Spike was right about Twilight though. She did look terrible. Her hair, even though cleaned and brushed, started to have split ends and popping out. Her eyes started to redden and the bags under them didn’t make it any better. She was exhausted, to say the least. Spike felt more worry about her than this morning, but if Twilight says she’s fine, then Spike will respect that. While sweeping the floor, he noticed that Twilight was talking to herself and was scribbling something on a scroll. With a tap of his claw on the lavender unicorn’s shoulder, Twilight jumped and hid the scroll in one of the books in front of her. Twilight turned around to find Spike, “Spike! You startled me!” “Oh sorry, Twilight. I was just wondering when you’re going to sleep. You really need some.” “Oh, well… I’ll go to sleep in a few minutes.” Twilight smiled. Twilight kept on smiling at Spike, while the purple dragon gave her a confused look. This went on for a few seconds until; “Well… OK then, I guess. I’ll just go finish up cleaning the library. Big day tomorrow, huh? With that meeting with Mayor Mare and the opening of Trixie’s third fast food chain, you’ll get your work cut out for you.” “I think I can handle it.” Again, awkward smile and confused glare. But this broke off as Spike left to finish his work without a response. Twilight went back to her books and the scroll she hid. She levitated the scroll out of the book and kept on scribbling on it. Whatever it was, she didn’t want Spike to see. After a few minutes, Twilight went to sleep just like she said, leaving the young dragon to finish the rest of his chores. All that was left was to reorganize the books that Twilight left behind, before sleeping. Spike went to the pile of books and started to pick each one of them. Spike thought of the scroll Twilight was scribbling and decided to search for it. After a while, it ended with a failure. The scroll wasn’t in any of the books. Maybe she put it somewhere else. Spike thought. He searched at the nearby vases, cabinets, even the trash bin. But to no avail, the scroll was nowhere to be found. Spike gave up afterwards and decided to go to bed, as it was already ten in the evening. He walked up the stairs into Twilight’s bedroom, climbed up into his basket, which was larger, and snuggled up in his warm blue blanket. Before he went to sleep, he looked at Twilight. She was sleeping soundly, obviously due to tiredness. He then whispered, “Goodnight Twilight… See you tomorrow…” before falling to sleep. About two in the morning, Twilight woke up from her apparent sleep and tiptoed across the library. There, she opened a hidden compartment under the wooden floors of the library, where she had study recently. She picked up a pair of saddlebags filled with some books, quills, inkwells, a bag of bits and a picture of her friends, including Spike. The scroll she was writing earlier was left behind in that compartment, just slightly opened. She was just about to leave the library but stopped midway. The compass! She tiptoed back up into her room and opened her jewelry box. There, she levitated the compass, unknowingly to her that it kinda works now, and placed it in her saddlebag. She also took out a brownish cloth coat with her cutie mark symbol sewed on its back. The coat was made to protect her from any cold weather, in which is where she would be going. The coat also had a hood placed with an enchantment; it hides her face with shadows without affecting her vision or hearing when worn. Again, she tiptoed down to the library and towards the exit. While sneaking there, she accidently stepped on a broken tile, making a creaking sound. She stopped and looked at Spike, who was rolling in his basket and mumbling something about ‘Applejack being evil’ and ‘humans existed’. She didn’t want to wake up Spike, as he could easily alarm everyone in Ponyville, especially her friends. He would try to stop Twilight from leaving, and she didn’t want to shove Spike in the closet. After she was certain Spike had calmed down and went back to sleep, she opened the library door and exited the building. She locked the door behind her sing the spare key she kept under the potted plant, and ran off. With an unburnt piece of the letter she managed to save, she made an ethereal copy of the letter that Princess Luna had write her recently. Dear Twilight, If you must know, you are currently in grave danger. Not only you, but also those around you, especially your loved ones. Now, I want you to read these instructions carefully, and whoever you meet across Equestria, DO NOT let them know your identity. No one must know that the princess’s personal protégé had run away. Not only this will affect my sister’s reputation, this will also compromise your location. Somewhere this night, you must go to the Ponyville’s train station. Bring anything that you may need for the journey, including anything that the unicorn left behind. There, my personal chariot, along with my Night Guards, will be at your service. They will escort you to a little town known as Hooveshire, further up north than the Crystal Empire. My guards will escort you the border gates, but they will only follow you there. These guards of mine are still relatively new, and not that well trained. I chose them because of that reason, so that no one would expect them to escort you. You might also need to pay them some extra money. Once the gates have opened, you must follow the path and reach Winterclaw, the capital city of Gryphonia. There, find a griffon by the name Scribe Fraunl and he will help you from there. I must warn you though. This journey will be treacherous, the path is filled with dangers such as avalanches and looters. So, be wary of your travels. If you must know why I sent you on this quest, it is because I and my sister have made an oath not to speak a word about the current situation you are in. Even though I have broken this oath by sending you this letter, it is worth it. I hope that you will succeed where many have failed. From the Princess of the Night and friend, Luna P.S. Do not let Celestia find you. You might think this sounds crazy, but just don’t let her find you. She will not help you. She might say that she will keep you safe, but all she’s doing is prolonging the inevitable. You are the only one that can fix this. The ethereal letter faded entirely afterwards, as they weren’t made to last long. What Twilight was surprised the most was how Princess Luna knew about the unicorn. Did she meet the unicorn before? Maybe an unwritten battle happened? Even so, Twilight avoid thinking too much of that. She just kept on running to the train station. Reaching there, she meets the two Night Guards that Luna wrote. She approached them, only to have two curved blades pointed at her neck. “Who…” “Goes…” “There?!...” The guards exchanged words as if they could read each other’s minds. Vaguely creepy, if you ask Twilight. She skidded back a little and replied, “I was instructed… to meet… you?” They looked at each other and back at her. They only pointed their blades closer, and one of them said, “How can you –” “– prove your words?” Twilight thought about that question. How can I prove it? She decided to remember back the letter. You might also need to pay them some extra money. “Urgh…” Twilight groaned. With her magic, she pulled out her bag of bits and took out four golden coins, known as bits. She levitated it in front of the Night Guards, and they swiped it greedily. They then greeted her with a warm welcome, despite nearly trying to kill her. “Welcome,” “– Miss Sparkle.” Twilight replied, “Umm… Thanks, I guess?” The guards ignored her thanks and instead, walked to the chariot and strapped themselves ready. Now they were just waiting for Twilight to ride the chariot and give out the orders. Though Twilight was bemused by their rudeness, they’re still her only ride to Hooveshire. She walked up into the chariot and sat on the comfortable cushion provided. Wow, this is really good! How come the Princess never gave me one of these? After she was comfortable, she lifted her hoof, “Alright then, let’s gooOOOOHHH!” The chariot had been pulled at tremendous speed, faster than Rainbow Dash when carrying any passengers. Twilight wasn’t even able to finish her sentence yet and the chariot was already up high in the sky. Proves enough that they’re rude, but they are quite fast. Twilight could feel the moisture and fluffiness of the clouds as they pass by her purple coat. The soothing air as it blows across the chariot, whistling tunes to her ears. Flying had always been calming for her, as if she could slow down time and appreciate what nature had given to the world. Due to her busy schedule, she could never fly just for leisure. She only flies when she has places to go, ponies to see, diplomats and rulers to talk with and avoid conflicts that can tear the multiple countries apart, stuff like that. Sadly, this might be the only time she will be able to do this again. Afterwards, all hell will chase after her. She doesn’t know if she should trust Celestia or Luna, the rulers of her proud country and home. Celestia had always been her mentor and she had always trusted her for it. But after reading Luna’s reply letter, she can’t decide on whom to trust. Luna and Celestia rarely not see things eye to eye but when they do, it’s always something serious. Something that can threaten Equestria itself, and it has something to do with her current condition. Something is terribly wrong with her, that’s for sure. Now what is she going to do? What if the scribe in Gryphonia doesn’t have the answers she needs? She can’t go back, not like this. And Spike… She betrayed him. She told him that she’s never going to leave him and yet, here she is. On a flying chariot towards Hooveshire, leaving her friends and family. Twilight looked back at Ponyville, shrinking in size from the distance. She recalled all the great memories she had while living there. Now, she must leave all those in the past behind her. She can’t go back, no matter how much she wants to. Celestia had walked up the stairs to Luna’s bedroom, the dark and gloomy sight of the stairways being the image of paradise for bats and spiders alike. Her hoofsteps on the stone stairs amplified from her golden shoes, echoing upwards in the tower. Due to the height of the tower, it took her some time to climb up the stairs, but that never tired her. She was strong and vigilant, and she loved her sister dearly, despite their quarrel a month ago. She would always love Luna, no matter what happened between them. After a few minutes, Celestia managed to reach Luna’s bedroom door while maintaining composure and breath. She reached out onto the door and was about to knock the door, but noticed that it was slightly opened. She pulled back her hoof and instead, leaned her head slightly to the opened door. She whispered, “Luna, are you there?” Celestia poked the door, opening it more till it was enough to fit her head through. She peeked through the door and looked around with her limited view. She couldn’t find Luna, and that is bad itself. When she was certain Luna wasn’t in her room, she opened the door and entered Luna’s dark bedroom. With each step, she walked in cautiously, knowing Luna and her tantrums. She observed her surroundings. Nothing, not even a speck of dirt, seems to be out of place. Everything was where it should be, as if it wasn’t moved at all. Even her own bed was left untouched, and Luna was always lazy when taking care of her bed. Celestia kept on looking around, searching for anything misplaced or hidden. She looked to the left and noticed the balcony door was open. The answer was obvious afterwards. Princess Luna had run off. “Oh Luna…” With a glow of her horn, Celestia went deep into her mind, and entered the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane is a world between minds, connecting every living being’s thoughts, dreams and memories in one single universe. Only a number of ponies can walk through the Astral Plane unharmed, as most would either come out mind-broken or confused from what’s real and what’s not. The only reason Twilight was able to walk through the Astral Plane without going insane was because Celestia was there with her, protecting her from the harmful nature of that universe. From the Astral Plane, she sees projections of memories and thoughts of other ponies, some which she knows while others are completely unfamiliar to her. A few meters away, she sees Luna, eyes closed and walking away from her. Celestia was about to call out for her, but Luna saw it coming. “Hello, my dear sister.” “Luna, I see that you knew I was coming. Where are you? What are you doing here?” “I am here to block your mind.” “Block my mind from whom?” “From Twilight.” Celestia froze. Her expression changed from worried to slightly angry. “How long have you known?” “How long have I known that you were going to keep Twilight prisoner in a dream of insanity? Quite some time already, actually.” Luna said, turning around and facing Celestia. “You know I had no choice.” “You did have a choice! But you chose to ‘invite’ her to live in the castle where she will die in the most painful process possible!” “What other choice do I have?!” “You could have helped her! Instead of keeping her prisoner, you could have given her a chance to save herself!” “We kept an oath! A vow that YOU made! You said that we are not to help those with that curse! And yet, here you are! Helping Twilight to find that book!” “You’re right. I did break the oath.” Luna turned her back onto Celestia, “But at least it was better than letting her die like that.” Suddenly, a bright flash emerged from Luna, blinding even the Princess of the Sun herself. With a tremendous force, it pushed Celestia back, out of the Astral Plane. Celestia gasped for air as her mind was boggled from the experience. She ran towards the balcony and looked up onto the Moon, shining darker than usual. Luna not just had run away, but had also blocked her from entering the Astral Plane, the only way to find Twilight instantly. The only way to find Twilight is by searching her like a wanted criminal. She has to find her and quick, before the darkness of that book consumes her. Forever. Author's Note Chapter 3 = FINISH So yeah, I had a lot of problems with writing this chapter. There was so much confusion, and I couldn't hold my ground with a storyline. It kept changing in my head. But anyway, I finished it (different than the original idea) and I'm proud of it. I worked hard on the last parts of this chapter (noticed the extreme detail?) and I hope I haven't done any mistakes in writing. Kinda weird to start of the chapter with an argument, but at least it got calmed down afterwards. The princess were the hardest to write, and the Astral Plane scene was probably my favourite to write. I wanted to add some comedy, so I did it with the Night Guards. I liked the way some characters in cartoons talk like that. Makes me laugh every time. Also, I'm gonna add a new cast after a couple of chapters. Who, you may ask? Why should I tell you that? I wish my story gets accepted in Equestria Daily.
