A Midsummer Night's Dream

Deep in the heart of the magnificent forest, Luna sat on her grand throne made of tree bark and covered in twisted vines.  Her azure eyelids felt heavier as the moon sailed through the night-blanket sky.  Her fairy followers gathered themselves around their queen under bright, pale moonlight.  When all have been gathered, a tired Luna spoke to her maidens.

“Come now, a roundel and a fairy song,” she said, “Then for the third part of the minute, hence - some to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds, some war with reremice for their leathern wings…” she paused to release a yawn from her breath, and continued to give her speech, “... to make my small elves coats, and some keep back the clamorous owl that nightly hoots and wonders at our quaint spirit.  Sing me now to sleep,” she yawned again, “then to your offices and let me rest.”

A mint-colored fairy levitated a lyre and assembled the other musicians and singers to perform the queen’s lullaby.  After a soothing intro from the fairy with the lyre, the others joined in chorus.

You spotted snakes with double tongue,

Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen.

Newts and blindworms, do no wrong.

Come not near our fairy queen.

Philomel, with melody

Sing in our sweet lullaby.

Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby.

Never harm

Nor your spell nor charm

Come our lovely lady nigh.

So good night, with lullaby.

Weaving spiders, come not here.

Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence.

Beetles black, approach not near.

Worm nor snail, do no offense

Philomel, with melody

Sing in our sweet lullaby.

Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby.

Never harm

Nor your spell nor charm

Come our lovely lady nigh.

So good night, with lullaby.

After the music ended, the only sounds detectable to the fairy ears were the peaceful snores of their queen on her throne.

“Hence, away!” a fairy quietly alerted, “Now all is well.  One aloof stand sentinel!”  At that moment, the fairies dispersed to their selected stations, keeping guard for their precious queen.  Unbeknownst to them, a dark figure infiltrated their fortress.  King Sombra emerged from the shadows, undetected by the fairy watchers.  He loomed over fairy queen while levitated the purple flower with his magic.  He aimed for her shut eyelids and squeezed the enchanted liquid unto them.

“What thou seest when thou dost wake, do it for thy true love take,” he said maliciously.  “Love and languish for his sake.  Be it ounce or cat or bear, pard or boar with bristled hair - in thy eye that shall appear.  When thou wakest, it is thy dear.  Wake when some vile thing is near.”  The deed was finally done, and Sombra returned to the shadows - eagerly awaiting of what the worst that will ensue toward Luna.

****

In another part of the forest, Time Turner and Twilight Sparkle spent nearly the entire night finding their way through the woodland.  The woods was completely shrouded in sheer darkness that Twilight lit up her horn to illuminate the path.  However, the light from her horn was not enough to clear away the blackness.

“Fair love, you faint with the wandering wood,” Time Turner with worry in his voice, “and to speak troth, I have forgot our way.  We’ll rest us, Twilight, if you think it good,” he suggested, “and tarry for the comfort of the day.”

“Be it so, Time Turner,” she agreed.  “Find you out a bed, for I upon this bank will rest my head.”

“One turf shall serve as a pillow for us both,” Time said.  “One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.”

Twilight’s lavender cheeks turned rose red and her heart skipped a beat when she thought about herself and Time lying together on the soft grass as one, in front the gaze of the moon.  “Nay, good Time Turner,” she said quickly, “for my sake, my dear - lie further off yet.  Do not lie so near.”

“O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence,” Time said as he mentally wish away the crimson blush marks from his cheeks.  “Love takes the meaning in love’s conference.  I mean that my heart unto yours is knit so that but one heart we can make of it.”  He slowly held her hoof into his and looked at her with loving eyes.  “Two bosoms interchained with an oath - so then two bosoms and a single troth.  Then by your side no bed room me deny.  For, lying so, Twilight, I do not lie.”

Twilight cheeks switched from lavender to scarlet, although she giggled at Time’s explanation.  She put her remaining forehoof over his hooves and looked at him with eyes as beautiful as the sunset.  “Time Turner riddles very prettily,” she said sweetly.  “Now much beshrew my manners and my pride if Twilight meant to say Time lied.  But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy lie further off in equine modesty.  Such separation as may well be said becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid.  So far be distant.  And, good night, sweet friend.  Thy ne’er alter till thy sweet life end.”

“Amen to that fair prayer, say I,” Time agreed.  “And then life when I end loyalty.”  Time and Twilight lowered their bodies onto the separate sides of themselves, but not before Time crawled over to Twilight and kissed her on her cheek.  “Sleep give thee all his rest,” he softly said.

Twilight, in return, kissed him on his cheek as well.  “With half that wish the wisher’s eyes be pressed.”  Morpheus, lord of the dreamrealm, sprinkled sand over their eyelids, and the two ponies fell into slumberland.

A flash of light materialized near the sleeping couple, and behold - it was Discord, the draconequus jester for King Sombra.  He sat himself on a tree branch, his face having lost its light-hearted expression, and gained that of an impatient farmpony waiting for his crops to grow.

“Through the forest I have gone - But Canterlotian found I none, on whose eyes I might approve this flower’s force in stirring love,” he said frustratingly.  Unexpectedly, he heard snoring noises stemming from underneath his branch.  He looked down from above and saw two ponies, stallion and mare, sleeping on opposite sides of each other.  “Night and silence!” he exclaimed, “Who is here?  Weeds of Canterlot he doth wear!  This is he my master said, despised the Canterlot maid.”  He slowly descended from his tree and took a good look at the unicorn mare.  Once he took note of her, his heart felt as though it were stabbed with a dagger.  “And here the maiden, sleeping sound on the dank and dirty ground,” he cried with a broken heart.  “Pretty soul!  She durst not lie near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy,” he said in sheer loathing of the stallion next to her.  He grabbed the enchanted flower and squeezed the magical droplets into the stallion’s eyelids.

“Churl, upon thy eyes I throw all the power this charm doth owe.  When thou wakest, let love forbid sleep his seat on thy eyelid.  So awake when I am gone, for I must go to Sombra,” he said with a mischievous tone.  Following his dastardly deed for his dark unicorn master, he vanished as he appeared - with a flash of white light.

As soon as Discord teleported elsewhere, the silent night of the forest was interrupted by another pair of ponies.  However, these ponies were far from in love.  The pair was in the midst of their quarreling.

“Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Blueblood!” Rarity cried out.

“I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus!” he yelled.

“O, wilt thou darkling leave me?” she fearfully asked, “Do not so!”

“Stay, on thy peril!  I alone will go!”  Blueblood ran as far as his four legs could carry him through the belly of the woods, leaving poor Rarity behind with nowhere to go.  As her would-be suitor disappeared from view, she began to breathe heavily and her panting quicken.

“Oh, I am out of breath in this fond chase!  The more my prayer, the lesser my grace,” she lamented.  “Happy is Twilight, wheresoe’er she lies, for she hath blessed and attractive eyes!  How came her eyes so bright?  Not with salt tears,” she said in a shaken voice, “If so, my eyes are oftener washed than hers.”  A waterfall poured down from Rarity’s eyes, and she lie on the ground in anguish.  “No, no, I am as ugly as a bear!” she sobbed, “For beasts that meet me run away for fear!  Therefore no marvel though Blueblood do, as a monster, fly my presence thus!  What wicked and dissembling glass of mine made me compare with Twilight’s sphery eyne?!” she sobbed once more.  Her crying ceased when she spotted a familiar stallion lying motionless on the ground.

“But who is here?” she gasped, “Time Turner, on the ground?  Dead or asleep?  I see no blood, no wound - Time, if you live, good sir, awake!”

Rarity shook Time’s sleepy body with her forehooves until the stallion’s eyes slowly opened.  However, his eyes were filled hearts when he gazed upon the mare that stood over him.

“And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake,” he said with a loving sigh.  Rarity confusingly looked him as he climbed on his legs.  He grabbed her right forehoof and kissed it gently, much to her surprise and shock.  “Transparent Rarity!” he exclaimed, “Nature shows art that through thy bosom makes me see thy heart.  Where is Blueblood?  Oh, how fit a word is that vile name to perish on my sword!”

“Do not say so, Time Turner,” Rarity said as she snatched her hoof from him, “Say not so.  What though he love for Twilight?  Lord, what though?  Yet Twilight still loves you.  Then be content.”

“Content with Twilight?” Time asked in disbelief, “No.  I do repent the tedious minutes I with her I spent.  Not Twilight but Rarity I love!  Who will not change a raven for a dove?  The will of stallion is by his reason swayed, and reason says you are the worthier maid!”  With no time to register what he just said, a baffled Rarity found herself being held uncomfortably close to Time’s warm body.  “Things growing are not ripe until their season,” he said while stroking her azure hair,  “so I, being young, till now ripe not to reason.  And touching now the point of pony skill, reason becomes the marshal to my will and leads me to your eyes, where I o’erlook love’s stories written in love’s richest book.”

Time Turner puckered his lips and drew them close to Rarity’s - until her white hoof formed a divide between their faces.

“Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?!” she angrily asked.  Rarity pushed herself free from Time’s affectionate grip on her and gave him cold eyes that could send chills down a grown stallion’s spine.  “When at your hooves did I deserve this scorn?!  Is’t not enough, young colt, that I did never, nor never can, deserve a sweet look from Blueblood’s eye, but you must flout my insufficiency?!”  She raised her hoof and swung it across his face with a loud, but satisfying smacking sound.  On Time’s light-brown cheek, a bright red mark stood out, in which caused him great pain.

“Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do, in such disdainful manner to me woo!” Rarity said flabbergasted, “But fare you well.  Perforce I must confess I thought you lord of more true gentleness.  Oh, that a lady of one stallion refused should of another therefore be abused!”

After her scolding on Time Turner, the white unicorn mare about-faced and marched toward the opposite direction - holding her head up in the air.  However, Time Turner’s face still held the googly-eyes full of hearts.  He affectionately rubbed the painful spot on his cheek where Rarity smacked him.  He started to walk toward her direction, but he paused, and turned to look at the sleeping mare that was his former lover.

“She sees not Twilight - Twilight, sleep thou there,” he said darkly, “and never mayst thou come near Time Turner again!  For as a surfeit of the sweetest things the deepest loathing of the stomach brings!  Or as the heresies that ponies do leave are hated the most of those they decieve!  So thou, my surfeit and my heresy, of all be hated, but the most of me - and all my powers, address your love and might to honor Rarity and to be her knight!”  Without so much as a final farewell, the lovestruck Time Turner abandoned sleeping Twilight, and skipped merrily as a schoolfilly to search for his true lover - the beautiful Rarity.

Moments after Time Turner ventured inside the forest, Twilight shifted back and forth and her sleep.  She began to make noises and muffled pleas for help.  The slumbering unicorn twisted and turned on the grass, her silent pleas become loud calls.

“Help me, Time Turner, help me!” she screamed, “Do thy best to pluck this crawling serpent from my chest!”  She woke herself from her nightmare and began to pant.  She put her perspirating hoof to her chest, and felt her heart’s pumping increase.  “Ay me, for pity!  What a dream was here,” she said to herself while she caught her breath.  “Time Turner, look how I do quake with fear.  Methought a serpent eat my heart away, and you sat smiling at his cruel pray.”

Her statement received no response from her lover.  She turned to her opposite and her lavender coat turned white with great dread when she spotted the empty patch of grass of where her special somepony used to be.  “Time!  What, removed?  Time, lord!  What, out of heart, gone?  No sound, no word?” she frantically asked.  He was nowhere to be found - Twilight slumped on the ground and began to weep, tears flooding her purple cheeks.  “Alack, where are you?,” she cried, “Speak, an if you hear.  Speak, of all loves!  I swoon almost with fear… No?  Then I well perceive you all not nigh.  Either death or you I’ll find immediately!”  Wiping the tears from her eyes,  Twilight ignited her horn with bright light and she ran through the dark forest, determined to find her lost lover.