Heads in the Cloud

by PresentPerfect

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character
Length: 14086

After chasing a thief from Canterlot to the desert, Twilight and friends are beset by misfortune. Now, Twilight must delve Equestria's greatest secrets, and discover a truth that even she will wish she hadn't.

What is the value of a secret? What knowledge lurks forgotten in Equestria's past?

After chasing a thief from Canterlot to the desert mountains south of Equestria, Twilight and her friends are beset by tragedy. To save her friend, Twilight will have to delve Equestria's greatest secrets, and discover a truth that even she will wish she hadn't learned. When the thief's full plans come to light, will Twilight be able to save Equestria's secrets, her friend, or even herself?

Written for the July 2014 Pre-Reader Battle, based on the prompt "The Canterlot Archives hold a dark secret." Contains a reimagining of a G1 villain, but does not require knowledge of G1.

Published 2014-07-22 03:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-26 13:31:18 UTC

Prologue: Catrina the Wicked

Heads in the Cloud
by Present Perfect

Prologue: Catrina the Wicked

It was no secret Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, would call down thunder, break any barrier, and cross any distance to save any of her friends. If there was anyone to whom this was most applicable, it would be the dragon whom she called her number one assistant, adoptive sibling, and best and oldest friend.

Her five pony friends had thus followed her without reservation to the cave carved into the Macintosh Hills, past Equestria's southernmost reaches. Celestia hadn't hesitated to lend the requested Royal Guardsponies to assist them. The Guards themselves had not questioned her order to wait outside for their capture of the rogue sorceress who had deceived them all. They all understood.

So it was that, one by one, Twilight and her friends had braved the dangers of the cave, both natural and magical. Bit by bit, the power of their friendship helped them persevere through frightening monsters, trapped pitfalls, and mysterious Guardians who sought to bring forth their deepest fears.

"It can't be much farther now," Twilight grunted, holding Applejack's hind leg straight with magic while hauling on her.

"I sure hope not," Rainbow Dash groaned from Applejack's other side. "You gotta lay off the fritters, AJ."

"Very funny, RD." Applejack snorted. She winced, and her expression softened. "I wish y'all'd just leave me behind like I asked."

"We're hardly about to do that, Applejack," Rarity said, horn light casting weird shadows over them as she turned her head. "What do you take us for? Honestly!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie chimed in. "Friends never leave friends behind!"

Fluttershy nodded, sticking close to Rarity.

Applejack chuckled low in her throat. "Honestly, I take y'all for sensible ponies. Thank Celestia I'm wrong."

As the rough-hewn walls expanded away from them, opening into a veritable sea of stalagmites, something dark and enormous roared, shaking the cavern. Rainbow Dash shrugged off Applejack, who hissed and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Stay here!" Rainbow shouted. "I'm gonna go check it out!"

"Consarnit, Rainbow Dash, wouldja--" A second roar cut off any further complaint.

Rainbow Dash swooped forward as a shape the size of an Ursa Minor loomed up from the darkness, roaring pealing off the walls around it. Rainbow froze, her legs and wings stiff. The shadow grew and grew, filling the front half of the cavern before its trailing edge appeared. It washed up and over the walls, vanishing after a few brief moments. Rainbow Dash fell to the floor, stock-still.

"Rainbow!"

The cry came from many mouths. Pinkie and Fluttershy made it to her side first.

"Oh my goodness," Fluttershy gasped, breathless. "Twilight, something's wrong!"

"C'mon, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie shouted, lifting her friend and shaking her. Rainbow was stiff as a board. "C'mon, wake up, be okay!" She batted at Rainbow's face.

Applejack nodded to Twilight, who eased her down and moved to join the others. Rarity hung back, still providing light, watching the scene while chewing her lower lip.

"Pinkie, stop, that's enough." Twilight took Rainbow from Pinkie.

Twilight's blood ran cold as she looked over the still features. Rainbow's eyes were completely white, rolled back in her head, her every muscle locked rigid.

Fluttershy, eyes filling with tears, ran her hooves all over Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash, this really isn't the time to be doing funny impressions of me!" Her hooves and voice trembled. "Oh Twilight, she's still breathing, and I can feel her heartbeat, but..."

"Oh dear, whatever has happened to your friend?"

The mellifluous voice oozed through the cave like an eel through water. Down steps hewn from the rock came a lithe creature, standing upright like a Diamond Dog but feline, feminine, and three times the height of a pony. Her furred robe, a patchwork made from the coats of numerous creatures, dragged over the stone behind her, its edges frayed and ratty. The claws of her toes clicked against the floor. A mosaic of ribbons and mismatched shreds of cloth shot through her wild hair. Eyes with vertical pupils narrowed, and she grinned, showing her fangs.

"Catrina." The name fell like glass shards from Rarity's mouth.

"How dreadful," Catrina purred, dumping Spike unceremoniously to the ground. He didn't move.

"Spike!" Twilight cried, rushing to him. She picked him up, cradling him, and he groaned as she moved him. Whatever had happened to Rainbow Dash, it hadn't affected Spike.

"What'd you do to Rainbow Dash, ya skunk?" Applejack shouted.

"Language, Applejack," Catrina hissed, lightning flashing in her eyes. "Know your place. Don't go taking it out on me if your friend had one shock too many." She stepped past the comatose Rainbow Dash and into the center of the cavern.

"Rainbow Dash isn't the type of pony to scare easily," Twilight said, blinking away tears as she glared at the sorceress. "What did you do to her?"

"Oh, what does it matter, you stupid ponies?" Catrina shrugged, extending her arms gracefully. She nodded at Spike and flicked a small metal item onto the ground, where it clinked against the rock before Twilight scooped it up in her magic. She spared it a glance and gasped.

"But this is..."

"You got what you came for," Catrina said, licking her lips as she looked them over. "And I surrender."

Pinkie's eyes bugged out of her head. "Wait, you what?" She turned to look at Fluttershy. "Can she really do that?" Fluttershy only shrugged.

Catrina, smile never leaving her lips, crossed her hands at the wrist. "Arrest me."

Chapter 1: The Lost Ankh of Neferkatre

Heads in the Cloud
by Present Perfect

Chapter 1: The Lost Ankh of Neferkatre

"Arrest her!"

The Royal Guards had been all too happy to follow Pinkie Pie and meet the others partway into the cave. The squad's commander took one look at Catrina before issuing the order, not wasting time in asking how. The sorceress's smile never faltered as thick iron cuffs were manacled over her hands, covering the sharp claws. Two Guards before and behind her led her into the sunlight, rattling off the litany of charges against her.

"Ambassador Catrina of Felyptia, you are charged with conspiracy against Equestria and her sovereigns, theft of dangerous magical artifacts, assault and kidnapping of a national hero..."

"Lieutenant Sundance."

The Guards' commander stopped, turning and saluting Twilight. "Well done, Your Highness--"

"My friends are injured," Twilight interrupted. Now was not the time to correct needless formal address. "I need to commandeer your other chariot to get them to Canterlot immediately."

"Begging your pardon, Princess," Sundance said, eyeing Spike and Applejack, "but wouldn't taking them to Ponyville be more expedient?"

Twilight shook her head. "Ponyville General doesn't have the resources Spike needs. Applejack will be okay either way, but as for Rainbow Dash..." She closed her eyes, steadying herself. After a deep breath, she opened them again. "Will it be a problem?"

"No, ma'am." Sundance saluted again, turned smartly, and led them out of the cave, barking orders.

"Four pegasi with the prisoner's chariot, two unicorns and myself inside. I need you and you--" she pointed to two pegasus Guards-- "to take Princess Twilight and her team to Canterlot General, on the double."

"I'll help pull," Twilight interjected. "There'll be more room for everypony in the chariot that way."

Sundance nodded. "Princess, not to change the subject, but did you retrieve the Ankh?"

Shackling herself into a harness, Twilight nodded and handed the small metal object over. "Yes. I'm still confused as to why she took it, though. She handed it over just as easily as she did Spike. She hadn't even used it." She grunted, shrugging on the last strap and nodding to the two Guards beside her. "I shouldn't be trying to figure that out now. We're done here, Commander. Thank you for your help."

"Thank you, Princess." Sundance turned to the remaining Guards. "As for the rest of you, I'm sorry to say you'll be winging or hoofing it back to Canterlot. Royal Guard, disperse!"

"...So Spike just needs a few days of bed rest, but it looks like the rest of us are going to be helping Big Macintosh with the apple harvest this season." Twilight smiled, but it burned out in short order. "Well, all of us except Rainbow Dash."

"Tell me again," Celestia said, her voice reverberating off the hallway's high ceiling, "just what it was that happened to Rainbow Dash."

Twilight shook her head slowly. "The monster popped out, and it seemed at first like Dash was scared. Fluttershy even made the comment that Dash was doing an impression of her." She looked up at her mentor. "Fluttershy's been known to faint at loud noises."

Celestia did not react. "I see."

"But not Rainbow Dash." Twilight frowned at the floor. "It was like... like something in Rainbow's mind just switched off. Like she stopped being... there."

Celestia joined her in frowning. "Switched off, you say..."

They rounded the corner, and the glass façade of the Canterlot Archives greeted them. Twilight couldn't suppress the thrill that always shot through her upon seeing those ornate stained designs on the ancient and noble arched doorways. Despite the circumstances, her inner filly shouted, We're going to the library with Princess Celestia! and she giggled.

"Twilight," Celestia said, looking at her out of the corner of one eye and stilling that giggle, "why do you think Catrina stole the Lost Ankh of Neferkatre?"

"It's an important relic of ancient Felyptian culture," Twilight said without hesitation. "Legends say it exerts power over life and death."

"That is true. But why steal it?"

They strode past the main desk, moving through dusty stacks and past genuflecting archivists toward the special collections area.

"I took Catrina to the room in which it is stored," Celestia continued. "I would have gladly returned the Ankh to her had she but asked. I even told her as much."

Twilight paused a step, pondering that. "Maybe she wanted its power and didn't believe you would just give it to her."

Celestia snorted. "If the Ankh ever had such power, it doesn't anymore. And even if her people believe the tales told about it, I did not find her superstitious. Besides," she added as they stopped before an open doorway, four Royal Guards blocking it, "there are many artifacts with equal power stored in the same place."

"Halt," said one of the Guards, stepping forward. "Identify yourself."

Twilight stared at the Guard. Never had she heard Celestia challenged in her own palace before, not in all the years she'd known her. Yet Celestia took one step forward to meet the Guard, as if she had expected it.

"I am Princess Celestia of Equestria. With me is Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Password," the Guard barked, unwavering.

Celestia took another step forward and leaned her head down to the Guard's ear. Her lips moved, and the Guard stood to the side. Celestia repeated the motion three more times; only when she had given the password to the final Guard did the retinue relax.

"Good to know it's you this time, Princess," said the final Guard, smiling and nodding.

"I agree," Celestia said, warmly returning the smile.

As they passed into the archival room, out of the corner of her eye, Twilight caught that Guard scratching at his helmet. She couldn't help notice the deep gouges in the gold metal and the bandages on his cheek.

The open door led to a short unlit hallway of uniform, unadorned grey brick, at the end of which stood a door featuring a relief image of a howling manticore. A single Royal Guard kept vigil in the alcove before it. Celestia rendered the password to him, again inaudible to Twilight, and he nodded.

"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed as the Guard lifted the ring in the manticore's nose and opened the door. "I didn't recognize the Crown Room without the outer door."

Celestia smiled. "The outer door was damaged during Catrina's break-in. It has been taken in to restore the magical wards, hence the extra Guards. But to the subject of our conversation beforehoof..."

Twilight kept her head on a swivel as they stepped into the close confines of the Crown Room. She had only been here a few times in her life, and always in Celestia's presence. While little seemed to have changed at first glance, any chance to explore the most private archive in Canterlot was not one to be squandered.

Dust kicked up in small puffs as they moved. Long paw prints in it showed Catrina's path through the room, from the single, tall bookshelf on the left to the pedestal covered in shattered glass in the corner. The cases in the rest of the room remained intact. Twilight caught the cold, grey glint of the Alicorn Amulet from one of them.

"The Alicorn Amulet, for instance, would have made an excellent prize for any sorcerer." Celestia lifted the glass covering it and swapped it for the Ankh, replacing the cover. "Twilight, if you would, please."

Twilight grimaced as the Amulet moved toward her, reluctantly snatching it from Celestia's magic. Celestia swept the room with her gaze, pausing at each item as she named it.

"The Amulet, the Orbs of Skarro, the Dark Talisman of Strawberry Dreams, or any number of treatises on that bookshelf contain power on par with anything the Ankh was rumored to possess." Celestia's expression hardened. "Catrina was not sentimental. She did not come looking for the Ankh, only taking it as a last resort. No, Twilight..." Celestia lowered her voice. "She was after something much greater."

As Celestia strode from the room, Twilight eyed the Alicorn Amulet, fear rising from the depths of her gut. "P-Princess, wait! What are we doing with the Amulet?"

"We're taking it somewhere far safer. After the events of this week, it above all is not something I trust this place to hold."

Twilight shook her head, holding the Amulet as far away from herself as possible. "I don't understand. I've been to the Crown Room before. Missing door aside, it's the safest part of the Archives, if not the whole Palace!"

Celestia was silent a moment before answering. "You're right of course, Twilight." She led them to the end of the hallway, dim light streaming in from the Archives proper. "But that was not the Crown Room we were just in."

The Amulet clattered to the floor as Twilight gasped. She hastily scooped it back up, blushing. "It wasn't?"

"The Crown Room is built with layers of security," Celestia said quietly. "The Guards and the password are the first layer. Catrina was able to fool the Guards with her illusions, but she could not guess the password, and so had to force her way in through the outer door, damaging it."

She raised her hoof, moving it through the empty entryway as if closing a door. Twilight nearly dropped the Amulet a second time when a door appeared from nowhere. It was ornately carved wood, not unlike what she remembered of the outer door, with a knot protruding from the center, where the carved patterns crossed.

"The inner door, however," said Celestia, "is quite intact."

She looked back at Twilight, who was still open-mouthed, and smiled.

"The room which we were just in is the third layer of security. Most thieves will think they've found the location of Equestria's greatest secrets and be satisfied grabbing whatever they can." She drew in a deep breath. "Catrina however must have known there was more. And if poor Spike hadn't interrupted her, she might have noticed this door. It is normally attached to the inside of the outer door and visible from the hallway."

The knot glowed with Celestia's magic and turned aside. Behind it was a small portal, which cast shifting blue light into the hallway. Celestia widened her stance and lowered her horn to it.

"And now for my least favorite part... the fifth and sixth layers of security."

She inserted her horn into the hole, reminding Twilight of the vault door leading to where the Elements of Harmony had once been kept. The comparison was shattered when Celestia let out a cry of pain. Something in the door clicked and a metal plate shot out of the floor, sealing off the corridor behind Twilight.

The floor shook, and a clamping sensation in Twilight's stomach signalled the entire room's descent. Lights emanated from nowhere in particular. Celestia pulled her horn free and shook her head, catching her breath. The tip of her horn glowed faintly, like a crushed firefly.

"Are you all right, Princess?" Worry lined Twilight's eyes.

Celestia gave her a tired smile. "Just a bit of deterrent for any would-be thief whose heart isn't really set on their prize."

They were quiet a few moments while Celestia caught her breath.

"The best way to keep a secret is with another secret," she said at length. "That is why the first room is a double-blind."

"But there are real, dangerous artifacts stored up there," Twilight protested.

"Of which the Alicorn Amulet was the most powerful, if not necessarily the most desirable." Celestia smiled. "And that is why we are moving it to storage. At the moment, the only ponies alive who know the true nature of the Crown Room are myself, Luna, and now you."

The air around Twilight grew still.

"I trust you with this knowledge," Celestia said slowly, "as I trust you to hold onto that Amulet."

Heat rushed into Twilight's cheeks. Celestia smiled at her.

"Cadence isn't one for secrets like you are. You would have found out about this in time."

It took Twilight a moment, but at last she smiled and relaxed.

The floor lurched. The lights dimmed.

"We're here," Celestia said. She placed a hoof on the door. "Welcome, Twilight Sparkle, to the Crown Room."

Chapter 2: The Crown Room

Heads in the Cloud
by Present Perfect

Chapter 2: The Crown Room

The place Twilight Sparkle knew as the Crown Room was in truth little more than a walk-in closet. It held a few artifacts, some scrolls and books, and a single desk where one might wedge oneself to further study any of them.

In comparison, the real Crown Room was a stadium. The low ceiling was hewn from rock shot through with multicolored veins sparkling in the dim ambient light. Row upon row of glass cases on stone pedestals stretched into the distance, vanishing into fog. Only the merest suggestion of walls defined the room's boundaries to either side. Twilight rubbed her eyes.

"Don't try taking it all in at once," Celestia said as she strode forward into the sea of pedestals. "Not only are there too many things down here for even you to keep track of, it's really for the best if you don't know what most of them are."

Twilight caught the edge in Celestia's voice: do not question this. Swallowing, she moved along behind her, noting the large A on the ground in front of them.

The pedestals divided into two large columns, each with more members than Twilight could take quick count of. They moved down a single wide path between the columns four times the width of the space between each pedestal, itself wide enough for Celestia to spread her wings and touch nothing on either side.

Without warning, Celestia moved to the left, and Twilight followed. They scanned each case, and after five rows, Celestia brought them to a halt.

"One moment."

Twilight could identify neither the meaning nor the origin of the harsh and guttural word Celestia spoke. She pondered the ramifications of that as alien energy snaked up from the floor, and the pedestals shifted. Each pedestal in the row slid to the right, as did the row behind that, and the row behind that, on out into the fog. The spot before which Celestia stood produced another empty pedestal.

"Twilight, if you please."

Numb, Twilight brought the Alicorn Amulet up, the pedestal materializing a cushion before her eyes. Once she had placed the Amulet upon it, the air was cut by a single, harsh tone, and a glass box appeared around it. Unlike the one Catrina had smashed in the room above, this was a solid piece, fused to the pedestal below it.

"We like to keep things alphabetical," Celestia murmured, her eyes not leaving the Amulet.

Twilight glanced at the artifacts to either side. The purpose of the black tome to her left was not immediately obvious, nor could she identify the small bumps in the next case to the right. She averted her eyes when they moved.

Without warning, Celestia turned and moved back to the main aisle.

"Come along, Twilight. We have quite a walk before we reach the C's."

Twilight paused, watching her move off.

"Couldn't we just teleport closer?" She regretted asking before she had finished.

Celestia cast a meaningful glance to the ceiling and those veins of sparkling crystal, too low for flight. Ducking her head, Twilight caught up to the larger Princess and they moved back into the main aisle.

Minutes passed in silence, the clopping of their hooves against the floor the only thing marking the passage of time. Twilight grew steadily more uncomfortable, until at last she spoke up.

"This has all been enlightening, Princess, but what are we looking for? Something that will help Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes."

Twilight chewed her lip for a few more paces. "And it's kept down here. As a state secret."

"Correct."

As Celestia spoke, she neither varied her stride nor looked at Twilight.

"After the death of Star Swirl the Bearded, Equestria experienced a boom in magical theory and advancement, thanks entirely to the release of the notes he had yet to publish. Luna and I were happy to support any and all scholars who we felt had the willpower and know-how to help ponykind through their studies. This is how I became acquainted with a pegasus named Sky Speaker."

"A pegasus?" Twilight frowned.

"Yes indeed. Sky Speaker was a brilliant researcher, but troubled. In her own words, she had the ability to hear the speech of clouds, and if a lifetime of that hadn't set her mind on edge by the time I met her, what happened to her fiancée certainly did.

"Do you remember what you said when I asked you about what had happened to Rainbow Dash?"

Twilight nodded. "I noticed you reacted when I said something had switched off in her mind."

Celestia nodded. "Sky Speaker used the same words to explain what had happened to her fiancée."

"You mean the same thing happened to him?"

"Her," Celestia said quickly. "They were flying, when without warning, Seafoam dropped from the sky. She fell at least three stories, landing on a cloud. It was a hard enough fall to break her wing and two ribs."

"And whatever happened, it prevented her from using the natural pegasus instincts that soften landings." Twilight went back to chewing her lip.

"Correct. When Sky Speaker came to me with this news, I was troubled by that very thing. Seafoam's body healed normally, but she did not wake up. Nothing the doctors did could determine a cause or affect her condition in any way. Sky Speaker's theories were... strange, to say the least, but she convinced me to lend her funding."

Celestia cleared her throat as they crossed the large letter C, and Twilight spoke up.

"So this is an affliction of pegasi?"

"No." Celestia's eyes shifted to Twilight. "There has been one other case of this occurring, to my knowledge. The victim was an earth pony, though sadly by the time I learned of her fate, her poor family had laid her to rest.

"This is an ill that troubles all ponies, Twilight, and I am telling you this tale to prepare you for what you are about to read in the book we are looking for."

At the mention of a book, the aches in Twilight's legs and numbness in her hooves faded into the background.

"As I said, Twilight, Sky Speaker was... troubled. Her research is not what you could call coherent. But hidden within it is both an avenue to help Rainbow Dash, and a secret that affects us all."

A cold lump formed in Twilight's throat. "S-so, Seafoam... she was cured, right?"

It was a long moment before Celestia shook her head. "I am afraid she was not given the chance. After learning enough to prove her theories right, Sky Speaker gave me her research and told me never to let another pony lay eyes on it. She stole Seafoam from her hospital bed, and..."

The swallowing was audible in the great expanses of the Crown Room.

"And leapt off a cliff."

The question of whether or not she had flown was left unanswered. After three more rows of walking, Celestia turned back, frowning, and said, "We are here."

Twilight choked down the clamping sensation returning to her stomach and caught up with Celestia, keeping her eyes on the floor. It was a much longer walk to the book than it had been to the Amulet's resting place.

"I apologize if I've put you ill at ease, Twilight," Celestia said, snapping Twilight out of her funk.

"No, it's all right, Princess. I understand the... the gravity of where we are and what's going on."

Celestia's voice was barely audible. "I'd hoped you would. This is it."

Twilight looked up to the glass case before them. Inside it was a dusty, deformed and maltreated notebook, pages yellowed and binding little more than a memory. On its cover, scrawled in hasty letters, was Conscious & Collective: A Moste Alarming Treatisse of Ye Cloude. The author's name was conspicuous in its absence.

Celestia uttered another harsh, unknowable word, and the glass evaporated.

"I cannot allow you to take this from the room," she said quietly, "but I trust you'll be able to memorize its contents with ease."

Frowning, Twilight looked up to Celestia, her earlier dourness forgotten.

"A treatise on clouds, Princess? What's that got to do with Rainbow's condition?"

Celestia gently lifted the book, if it could even be called such, with her magic.

"Not clouds, but the Cloud. Read, and you shall understand." She moved the book over to Twilight, who remained frowning at it. "Just remember what I told you about its author."

With a slow nod, Twilight took the book. "I'll keep it in mind, I guess. I probably don't need to ask, but is there anywhere to sit?"

Celestia shook her head. "I'm afraid not." She sat on the floor, and Twilight followed suit. Celestia closed her eyes, keeping her posture upright, and Twilight settled in to reading.

The warnings had been apt. The writing of the treatise was barely linear, fraught with tangents and ramblings that made no sense even in context. Worse, the cold, hard stone floor upon which Twilight lay made it difficult to concentrate, and she alternated between lying and pacing around the pedestals. Celestia remained unmoving, though she answered the few questions Twilight posed to her.

At last, Twilight said, "I don't think I can take any more of this."

Celestia regarded her with one eye. "Do you understand the treatise, Twilight?"

Twilight rubbed at the spot just under her horn, groaning. "I think so."

With the faintest of smiles, Celestia said, "Consider this a pop quiz. Summarize it."

Snapping upright, Twilight began speaking at once.

"The Cloud is a mental construct, much of the true nature of which is unknown or unknowable. It is the sum total of all pony thought. Everything that has been known is stored within the Cloud. It is not accessible directly without a spell."

"Did you memorize the spell?"

A large piece of brown paper, much larger than the confines of the book, floated up before Twilight, and she scanned it for a few minutes. "Done." She took a deep breath. "If I read this correctly, what happened to Seafoam, Rainbow Dash and the earth pony you mentioned was... a link to the Cloud being severed." She frowned. "Though I don't fully understand the nature of the link. I read that section four times, and it didn't make any sense to me."

Celestia rolled her head, joints popping, and nodded. "Then you have fared no worse than I, Twilight, and I heard it directly from the pony's mouth. Come, it is time for us to return to the surface."

Her magic collected the book and its various pages before returning it to the pedestal upon which it had sat. As soon as the full weight of it rested upon the cushion, the glass snapped back into position.

Twilight stretched as well, looking up at Celestia. "How long have we been down here?"

"Quite a few hours, I should think." Celestia moved with a brighter pace than before. "I did tell Luna we would be indisposed for a while. I trust the state of affairs when we return should be quite as they were." She smiled at Twilight and moved out of the row.

Twilight nodded. She concentrated on trotting behind Celestia and blocking out the stiffness and soreness pervading her body. A hot bath would be lovely after they were back in the Palace proper. But at length, she felt there was something that needed to be said.

"I may not have understood it completely, but I think I understand why that treatise is kept down here."

"Oh?" Celestia glanced back at her.

"Anypony who can access the Cloud can know anything, and I mean anything, that ponykind has ever known. There's a great deal of potential to find lost spells or research, yes, but... any secret anypony has tried to keep is in there. Dark knowledge that might have been suppressed, too. Every private wish, every evil thought, just... everything." She shook her head. "I know I wouldn't want anypony knowing those things about me."

"That's good."

"Good?" Twilight cocked her head.

Celestia chuckled. "I wouldn't want a pony without that mindset to be the one entering the Cloud."

Twilight stumbled. "I'm going to be entering the Cloud?"

"What did you think the spell was for, Twilight? Rainbow Dash's consciousness exists somewhere in the Cloud. To save her, you must cast the spell, enter the Cloud yourself, and restore the link between her mind and body."

Twilight's eyes widened. "But that's... I mean, I don't fully understand how the Cloud works! How will I be able to do that?"

The shaking of Celestia's head did nothing to assure Twilight.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that, Twilight. I have not traveled into the Cloud myself, for my opinion of it has always been as yours is." Her voice took on a grave tone. "All I know is Rainbow Dash, your friends, and all of Equestria count on you to succeed at this mission."

It was a quiet trip back to the entrance.

The Crown Room's inner door swung open and vanished once more. Twilight couldn't quite get over how it worked and vowed to return later to study it. On the other side, the four Guards from before had been joined by a fifth, who saluted upon seeing them. Twilight thought she recognized her.

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna wished you to be apprised of the situation as soon as you returned!"

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "What situation would that be, Lieutenant Sundance?"

"It's the prisoner, Highness. She's..." Sundance's eyes flicked left and right. "Behaving oddly."

Grunting, Celestia frowned. "Please accompany me to see her, Lieutenant. Twilight, you know what you must do. Be wary what you tell your friends. I trust you will succeed."

"Thank you, Princess."

Sundance turned to Twilight and saluted. "Highness."

As the two of them moved off into the Palace, it was Twilight's turn to frown.

All of Equestria was counting on her to cast an ancient spell devised by a madpony -- a pegasus, not a unicorn -- and delve an unknowable mental construct to bring Rainbow Dash back. If she failed, it would mean two Elements of Harmony, or whatever she and her friends were now, would be incapacitated and unable to defend Equestria, to say nothing of Equestria losing its newest Princess.

And if she succeeded, what then? Would Rainbow be okay? Would she?

She shook her head, nodded to the Guards, and moved out of the Archives.

"No pressure. Right."

Chapter 3: A Treatise on the Cloud

Heads in the Cloud
by Present Perfect

Chapter 3: A Treatise on the Cloud

After getting directions to Rainbow Dash's room at Canterlot General -- one of the few perks of Princesshood she actually appreciated was other ponies' lack of resistance to her barging in and asking questions -- Twilight found her hooves dragging. There were two other rooms here where her friends lay, and the thought of visiting one in particular weighed heavily on her mind.

Just in case...

She shook off the thought and made a left turn towards pediatrics.

Spike's room was foremost cozy and warm. Brightly colored walls held simple painted scenes of ponies at play. It lacked the expected beeps of monitoring equipment, and her hoofsteps were muffled by the carpeting. Spike lay in a bed half the size of those in the hospital's other wards, curled up beneath a veritable mountain of blankets. A single nurse, who from the back resembled Nurse Redheart from Ponyville, bustled in the corner. Twilight cleared her throat, and the nurse jumped.

"Sorry if I startled you," Twilight whispered.

"Oh, it's no problem, Your Highness." The nurse smiled, gathering the blankets she'd dropped. "They hadn't told me you were coming to see him."

"They didn't know." Twilight smiled as she moved near the bed. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Not at all, I was just finishing up here."

Twilight couldn't tear her eyes from Spike's sleeping form. A lump formed in her throat. "How is he?"

The nurse turned to look at him as well. "Keeping him hydrated has been the hardest part. For the first day or so, he wouldn't wake up for anything, and, well... dragon scales being what they are..."

The lack of IVs and other medical equipment finished her sentence.

"It seems as though he's come out of the worst of it." The nurse smiled. "You wake him up for a glass of water, and he'll fall right back asleep once he's done. If you ask me, Princess, he's determined to sleep off his injuries."

Twilight chuckled. "I'm sure he will. Do you mind if I have a moment with him?"

"Not at all. Let me know when you're finished, all right?"

The nurse grabbed her pile of blankets and backed out the door, closing it after. Twilight moved to the bedside, bringing a stool from across the room, and sat. Spike didn't move save for breathing. She reached up and caressed his head spikes gently. He winced.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," she murmured. "Hearing what the nurse said takes a big weight off my shoulders."

She sighed, gazing up to the ceiling. Its replica of Celestia's cutie mark was quite accurate.

"So that just leaves everything else." She groaned and looked back down. "Like what to tell my friends. On the one hoof, they'll want some reassurance that I can do something to help. But on the other, this is a major secret we're talking about. I wish I didn't even know it."

Groaning once more, she buried her head in her hooves. "Oh, Spike, what am I going to do? What if I fail? This isn't some silly test we're talking about."

Spike rolled over, facing away from her. He smacked his lips and mumbled something unintelligible.

"I bet if you were awake, you'd tell me I was worrying too much." She lifted her head, smiling lopsidedly. She traced the contours of his back spines, the way they disappeared around the bend of his tail as it curled beneath his feet.

"You'd say, 'Aw, c'mon, Twilight, you've been through worse things before. It's just a spell! You're so good at casting spells, you shouldn't have any problem! And Rainbow Dash knows you'd do anything to save her, because she'd do anything to save you if you were in her position. So lighten up already and go save her!'"

A clock ticked somewhere in the room. She hadn't noticed it before. Blinking, she focused on it, and a slow smile spread over her face. She stood and stretched, then leaned down and kissed Spike's head gently.

"Thanks, Spike," she whispered, and left the room.

All her friends waited in the special observation room with Rainbow Dash, even Applejack, a cast on her hind left. She caught their gloomy expressions moments before they were replaced by hopefulness. Rarity was the first to speak.

"Twilight, do you have any news?"

Applejack remained seated while the others stood. "Do ya know what's wrong with her?"

"I do." Twilight moved into their midst, not meeting any of their eyes. "But I'm going to have to ask you to trust me when I say you don't want to know what I know."

Gasps and glances were exchanged around the room.

"Is it serious?" Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie pushed her way into Twilight's personal space. "Are you just hiding the truth because there's really no hope and poor Dashie is lost to us forever?'

"No!" Twilight shoved Pinkie gently away. "What happened to Rainbow Dash involves something that honestly, I don't completely understand." She gazed at each of her friends in turn. They gazed back, silent. "Her consciousness was somehow taken from her. I know a spell that will give me a chance to find it and return it to her body, but it's going to be risky."

Closing her eyes, she let out a long breath. "There's a chance that what happened to her could happen to me as well, if I'm not careful."

Another gasp.

Opening her eyes, Twilight smiled. "That's why I'm going to need to be able to count on all of you here while I'm looking for her."

"Ya mean we can't go with ya?" Applejack reached above herself, paused, and retracted her hoof.

"No. I'm afraid it's too risky. I'll need you to watch over my body while my mind is separated from it." She turned to Rarity. "Rarity, I'll especially need your help with magic."

Rarity put a hoof to her chest. "Me, Twilight? You know I'm not as good with magic as you."

"It's okay." Twilight smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. "I'll cast the spell and link it to you. All you'll be doing is channelling the energy to hold onto it."

Rarity frowned. "What sort of spell is this?"

"Just a telepathy spell. Maregellan's Marevelous Mind-Melder. I'll need you to feed me news of what's going on in the waking world while I'm under the effects of the spell."

Rarity uncoiled a loop of her mane. It sprang back into shape when she let go. "Well, I can try, certainly..."

"Ooh, ooh!" Pinkie cried, raising her hoof. "What about us?"

Twilight smiled, gathering chairs together beside the bed. "Pinkie, I'll need you and Fluttershy to help Rarity. Get her what she needs so she doesn't have to move, make sure she's holding up mentally, that sort of thing." She paused. "And... visit Spike once in a while, all right?"

Rarity looked stricken. "How long are you expecting this to take?"

Twilight shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know. I can't even estimate. That's why I need all of us to do our best and make sure this goes off without a hitch."

"What about me, Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Anythin' I can do to help?"

Twilight smiled at her. "Just take it easy, AJ. I'm sure the girls will need moral support, but don't strain yourself, all right?"

Chuckling, Applejack nodded. "You got it, Twi."

There had been so much going on before this point, Twilight hadn't considered requesting a second bed for herself, and she regretted the lack of planning. At least the three chairs, set side-by-side, would be more comfortable than the cold stone floor of the Crown Room. Hopefully, her task wouldn't take too long.

"Are you all ready?" she asked at length, settling onto the chairs. She received three nods in response. "All right. Rarity?"

Rarity moved toward her. Once she was in range, Twilight lit her horn and placed it against Rarity's. They inhaled sharply as the mental link was made, and Rarity's horn glowed as well.

Are you all right? Twilight thought to her.

Yes, I think. Rarity blinked a few times, and smiled. I'm just fine, actually. I merely had a bit of a start.

"Good." Twilight smiled, directing it at the rest of her friends. "Remember, Rainbow Dash and I will be counting on you all to do your parts."

"We will," Applejack said. "Just make sure ya bring Rainbow back to us, okay? I'm countin' on ya."

"As am I," Rarity said.

"Me too!" Pinkie cried.

"And me." Fluttershy gave her a weak smile. "It would be just devastating if Rainbow Dash, or you, didn't come back. So take care of yourself, Twilight."

The others nodded. Twilight sniffed, wiping at her eyes. Closing them, she cast the spell.

An experienced spellcaster grows accustomed to disorientation following a teleportation spell. With practice, she learns to equate the image of her destination in her mind with reality as it appears before her. Mentally combining the two allows the unicorn to deal with the disparities and not be overwhelmed by them. Only in the case of true teleportation accidents will a full-grown unicorn find herself facing an unplanned destination incompatible with what's in her mind's eye.

Twilight Sparkle had not had a teleportation accident in years.

The first indication she had not been as prepared for this spell as she had thought was the conflict of urge to vomit from disorientation, panic at lack of corporeal form preventing her from vomiting, and further urge to vomit from discorporation. She floated in a clear blue sky filled with wisps of cloud and no ground in sight. Despite this lack of solid landmark, she couldn't shake the sensation of spinning uncontrollably, without wings to steady her.

Just as the thought occurred to her to fight against the sensation, the cutie marks appeared. Hundreds of them. Thousands. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of cutie marks. All of them unique, they rushed about her without organization or purpose. With them came voices, some whispering, some talking, some shouting.

She screamed, but no sound came from her mouth. She tried to flail her hooves, to block them with her magic, but she had neither. She tossed and tumbled through an endless storm of information blotting out all feeling.

She was sound and pain. She was helplessness and abandonment. She was nothing.

Twilight Sparkle was lost in the Cloud.

Chapter 4: The Marevelous Mind-Melder

Heads in the Cloud
by Present Perfect

Chapter 4: The Marevelous Mind-Melder

It was like swimming through river rapids, but Twilight had no way to breathe. Her lack of body was so disorienting, she couldn't stabilize her thoughts. It seemed as though she would be torn apart and lost among the swirling voices in the mists, and she didn't even possess the state of mind to realize this.

The ability to form coherent thought was rent from her by the torrent of pain. She could not concentrate on what the barrage of information was doing to her. The Cloud was all-encompassing, threatening to subsume her. It could have been minutes, or it could have been centuries she was flung through the misty void. She had no way of knowing.

Twilight, are you okay?

The echoing words cut through the turmoil like a knife. Twilight clawed at them, scrabbling to focus her thoughts around them.

Twilight, you're screaming! Please, if there is anything I can do to help, just tell me!

Rarity. Those were Rarity's words. She wasn't really here. Her true self was in the physical realm, in the hospital, beside Rainbow Dash's bed. And her name was Twilight Sparkle. She was an alicorn, a Princess of Equestria, a friend on a mission to save another friend.

Affirming and solidifying her sense of self, she at last stilled the tumult and became whole within the Cloud. The swirling voices subsided into a low rumble. The cutie marks veered off into the distance.

Twilight, please, answer m--

I'm fine now, Rarity. It was... quite a shock getting here, to say the least.

There was a lengthy pause, during which Twilight looked around. The same clear blue and white wisps floated on as far as she could see, never wavering. Cutie marks mingled and swirled in the background. Bringing a hoof to her forehead, she mimed wiping sweat away, only to find her senses of "hoof" and "head" passed through each other. She tried to hold up her hoof but found nothing to even see, let alone interact with. The laws of this place were going to require some getting used to.

Oh, thank goodness. We were all so worried. Don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything, dear.

Thanks, Rarity. I couldn't have done it without you. Thinking for a second, Twilight added, There seems to be a bit of a delay in the telepathy spell. I hadn't anticipated that, but hopefully it won't become an issue.

Looking around the area, Twilight was hit by two thoughts. First, she had no idea where to proceed from here. With all those cutie marks out there, finding a single, specific one was going to be like looking for a particular grain of sand on a beach. Second, it was going to take some time to get used to the idea she was not, in fact, looking anywhere. It was merely awareness of her surroundings her mind parsed as visual.

"Time to get started, I guess."

All the more reason for us to keep each other apprised of our situations, I should think.

Twilight smiled.

I'll keep you updated, Rarity.

With no better idea what to do, Twilight set off for one of the cutie marks. She couldn't walk, of course, but the very thought of wanting to move closer to one caused her to change position relative to where she had been. Not that she could figure out how she knew that, with nothing to define her position by. Unfortunately, it seemed the more she moved, the more the swirling cutie marks eluded her. It was apparent she was traveling, but they remained fixed.

Frustration mounting, Twilight tried to take stock of her situation. Her consciousness was currently within a construct of mental energy. Interaction with the information it contained was theoretically possible; otherwise, her coming here would have been for naught. The question was: how? She was here; she needed to be there.

And then she was there.

Twilight blinked, looking over the heart-cluster cutie mark before her, mouth wide.

"Oh."

With no suggestion of what to do forthcoming, she reached out and touched it with her nonexistent forehoof.

The space beneath it expanded to show a scene, like peering into a house through a high window. Below was a stage, a single spotlight shining on it. An earth pony, whose white coat and pink hair Twilight found familiar, stood on tiptoe, forelegs raised over her head. She was clad in a sheer pink leotard and tutu. As music began to play and the pony moved with it, Twilight confirmed that lingering sense of recognition.

"Lieutenant Sundance?"

The pony ballerina looked up at her and winked.

Twilight recoiled from the image. The stage room faded, and was replaced with the scene of a pegasus stallion and an earth pony mare in a hospital room. The mare lay in a bed, wrapped in sheets, smiling at a tiny white foal in her arms.

"Sundance," she said softly. "Her name is Sundance."

Twilight willed herself to withdraw once more, and the cutie mark reappeared in the air before her.

"Okay. Secrets, wishes, hidden desires. Also birthdays, in the most literal sense. Right."

To her left was a cutie mark that looked like a star opal. Steeling herself, she touched it and concentrated on finding out who it belonged to. She was rewarded with a scene of a dim cave, in which lay a single bat pony mare with a tiny foal beside her. Her breathing was labored, and the foal cried as she licked it clean.

"Thou shalt be my strong Moonstone," she said, her voice weak and sandpapery. "Thou shalt accomplish great things for our people."

Curious, Twilight held onto the image, willing it forward in time. A young bat pony stallion with the same star opal cutie mark sat before a desk, writing with a quill. She changed it again and saw a fully grown stallion sitting beneath a night sky. The wind ruffled the tassel of the mortar on his head as he gazed up at the moon. The Mare in the Moon was absent.

"I wish thou ruled in thy sister's stead," he murmured.

Twilight let go, again feeling like she'd walked in on a private moment.

"But that was from Equestria's past," she murmured. "That means..."

Rationally, she already knew the Cloud contained everything ever thought by ponykind. But now, having seen a private moment of a pony from ancient history, the reality of where she was and what she had access to dawned on her.

"I can find out virtually anything!"

She reached out and touched the image of a crossed hammer and saw. A unicorn mare stood at the bedside of an earth pony mare holding a unicorn foal.

"We agreed we were naming him Mayonnaise," the unicorn groused.

The earth pony, her gaze never leaving the child, smiled and said, "Yes, but something tells me Toolbox is a far more fitting name."

The unicorn groaned and slapped herself in the forehead. "Mare, I swear..."

Twilight shook her head. There were so many cutie marks, so much to learn and discover! And so many of these ponies likely had died long before she was born. It wouldn't hurt to peek into their lives and fantasies, right? All that information was just sitting there, going to waste, but she had the ability to find it, catalogue it, and even use it!

"Just think... if I found the cutie mark of Star Swirl the Bearded..."

She reached for a series of concentric red rings before a thought not her own popped into her head.

Twilight, are you there? Have you made any progress?

Twilight shook her head. What was she doing? All this information was overwhelming!

Sorry, Rarity, I got a little sidetracked. I don't know how long it will take me to locate her, but I at least know what to do when I find Rainbow Dash's consciousness.

Or did she? Only Sundance had seemed aware of her intrusion so far, and even then, it wasn't like Twilight was directly interfering in any of the scenes. She likely couldn't with the ponies who had passed.

Her first thought was to simply picture Rainbow Dash's cutie mark in her mind. When nothing came of that, she made great leaps through the lines of cutie marks, as if teleporting, looking for any sign of the rainbow lightning bolt. But while she thought she saw one that looked like Rarity's -- and had to actively fight back the urge to snoop into her friend's personal life -- it quickly became obvious there was no rhyme or reason to the layout of this place, no organization by shape, color, tribe, or anything at all Twilight could use as a method to get closer to Dash.

Letting out a groan of frustration, she stopped and tried to rub her forehead.

"Okay, Twilight, think. So far, the only thing I've done is see a couple of ponies who aren't related in any way, one of whom I just so happened to know in passing."

That last bit was odd. Why would the first cutie mark she ran into belong to a pony she was familiar with? It seemed improbably convenient.

She tried closing her eyes; despite lacking both eyes and eyelids, the light dimmed. The cutie marks swirled around her once more, though with less chaos than when she had first entered the Cloud. It was feasible, entirely feasible, that she could see every cutie mark here, given enough time.

Time, however, was of the essence.

I'm going to try something. Wish me luck.

The temptations of this place were too strong; Twilight doubted her willpower in the face of them. She concentrated on all the things that made Rainbow Dash unique. Her wings, her speed, her coloration; her name; her love of Daring Do books; that she had been disappointed when Cloudsdale didn't get the Equestrian Games. The way she grinned when she was winning a race; the way she had nearly cried after dropping her mug of cider.

Gradually, Twilight became aware of a bright spot among the swirling cutie marks. She zeroed in on it, opening her eyes, forcing the swarm away from her. There, in the center of the area, was the single lightning bolt with rainbow stripes. With a thought, she was before it. She pressed her hoof to it.

Good luck, Twilight!

A rainbow-maned pegasus stallion wept in a hard chair in a blank hallway made of clouds. Another pegasus, a mare dressed in a doctor's coat, spoke softly to him, stroking his back. A nurse, also a pegasus, approached with a small bundle, which she offered to the stallion. After a moment's hesitation, he took it and brought it into his lap. Drawing back the blanket, he uncovered a tiny shock of mane matching his own.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash," he choked through the tears. "I'm so, so sorry..."

No, Twilight thought, holding back tears of her own, I need to see her today. Now!

The scene dissolved into a library, warmly lit and cozy. Twilight gasped. It was her library, the basement of the Books and Branches Library Tirek had destroyed. There were some discrepancies, but the general layout was the same. She even recognized some of the color patterns the book spines made on the shelves.

In the center, where the table with the wooden pony bust should have been, was a simple end table beside a rocking chair. In the rocking chair, wearing spectacles and a woolen sweater, mane held back in a ponytail, sat Rainbow Dash.

She looked up, smiling, and the scene became somehow more real. Twilight could feel the wood beneath her hooves, and the warmth of a fire crackling somewhere.

"Hiya, Twilight," Rainbow said, as if she'd been expecting her.

"Rainbow Dash? Is that really you?"

Rainbow nodded. "Who else would it be?" She turned back to the book she'd been reading. "Pull up a seat, and we can read together."

Need to see whom, darling? Do you need any help?

Oh. Sorry, Rarity, I didn't realize I'd been thinking aloud. Tell the girls it worked, and I found her. Though... this isn't exactly what I'd anticipated.

She'd anticipated a stadium full of adoring fans. She'd anticipated Wonderbolts, or the Iron Pony Competition, or even a retread of the Mare-Do-Well incident with Rainbow coming out on top. Anything but this. Her arguably most athletic friend, fast-flying, hard-napping, ever-own-horn-blowing Rainbow Dash's secret desire was reading?

The explanation hit Twilight like a centaur to the face.

Rainbow was the most athletic of her friends. She was a fast flyer and all those other things. And because of all that, she had a reputation to maintain. Rainbow talked about it often enough, after all. Keeping up a "cool" façade was a full-time job. Reading in a rocking chair would blow all kinds of holes in that mask if anypony caught her. Twilight herself had opened Rainbow up to the joys of reading, and it would be a simple pleasure Rainbow would have little opportunity to partake in, being as concerned with how she appeared to others as she was.

She stepped toward Dash's chair -- and, she noted, the Daring Do novel in Rainbow's hooves was the one part of this scenario playing out as she expected -- and placed her hoof on Dash's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Rainbow looked up at her, frowning. "Sorry for what?"

Shaking her head, Twilight cleared her throat.

"Nevermind. Rainbow, I need to make sure this is really you."

Rainbow shrugged. "Who else would I be, Twilight? C'mon, relax, have a seat. You're making me nervous."

"Tell me something only Rainbow Dash would know." Twilight grimaced. "Tell me what happened to your mother."

"My mom? Why would you..." Rainbow slumped in her chair. "She... she died right after I was born. I never knew her. My dad used to tell me stories about her." Her shoulders shook. The library grew less solid.

"There were a lot of times I hated her for dying and leaving him alone. I was such a rotten kid, and he tried so hard..."

"Stop," Twilight said quietly, hugging Dash. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. I had to be sure."

She knelt down, looking Rainbow in the eye. "Rainbow, you're trapped in a fantasy realm called the Cloud. Out in the real world, your body's in the hospital, completely unresponsive, and everypony's worried sick. I came here to try and get you back to the rest of us."

"A fantasy?" Rainbow sniffed and wiped her face. "You mean this isn't real?"

"It's..." Twilight frowned. "It's like a dream. Someplace you really want to be. And because I brought up a sad memory..."

She motioned to the library, which was now nothing but a patch of wooden floor around the rocking chair.

Rainbow took a deep breath, shaking her head. "So it's just a dream." She laughed weakly. "And here I read the whole Daring Do series twice. Even the books that hadn't been written yet."

"I'm sorry I shattered your dream like that." Twilight sighed. "But everypony's waiting for you."

"It's okay, Twilight." Rainbow Dash removed her glasses and pulled the tie out of her mane. "You're right. If something happened to me, then I need to go with you back to our friends."

She shrugged off her sweater and stood. "So... how do we do that?"

"Uh..." Twilight blinked a few times. "Honestly, I have no idea. Everything that's happened here so far I've had to figure out the hard way, but..."

"But unfortunately, you're too simple-minded to come up with a solution!"

Laughter echoed through the space where the library had been. Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked every which way, seeing nothing.

"I know that voice," Twilight growled.

Above them, where nothing had been, an image appeared. First, a pair of yellow eyes faded into view. Other features appeared one by one: a feline smile, whiskers, a pair of pointed ears.

"Catrina!" Rainbow Dash shouted, lowering her body into a defensive stance.

Twilight was horrorstruck. "How did you get in here? That shouldn't be possible!"

Catrina's head laughed. "Too bad for you, it is!"

Twilight! Rarity's voice cut into Twilight's thoughts. The Royal Guard are here! They say Catrina's cast some sort of spell. She's still in prison, but something is definitely going on.

Twilight grimaced.

Thanks for telling me!

Chapter 5: The Cloud

Heads in the Cloud
by Present Perfect

Chapter 5: The Cloud

Rainbow Dash launched herself at Catrina, but whooped and spun in the air. Twilight recognized the same physical disorientation she'd experienced upon first entering the Cloud. Despite Dash having been here longer, she'd only been sitting still. Flying was going to be as hard for her to figure out as simply existing had for Twilight.

Catrina laughed. "Foolish, simple ponies. You really are quite slow on the uptake."

"What are you doing here, Catrina?" Twilight snarled at the head. "There's no possible way you could come here!"

"There isn't, is there?" Catrina smirked and raised an eyebrow. "The same way you could never come here unless you knew a certain spell?"

Twilight paled. "But... that spell was locked away--"

"Where I couldn't find it!" Snarling, Catrina circled them. "My one mistake was thinking your dear Princess Celestia was as stupid as the rest of you. I'm still not sure what I missed, but the spell definitely was not in that room!"

Rainbow Dash burped, still spinning. "I'm guessing... Ugh... It'd be too much to ask for you to just leave..."

Catrina snorted. "Of course, simpleton. I've already gotten what I wanted. It's too late for you to stop me."

"I don't understand." Twilight shook her head. "Princess Celestia told me she would have given you the Ankh if you'd asked. You didn't have to break into the Crown Room!"

Rainbow Dash righted herself and landed beside Twilight, looking rather green, as Catrina laughed once again.

"I may have underestimated one pony princess, but it's obviously not the case with the others." She licked her lips. "You really haven't figured out that the Ankh was never my target?"

"So the Cloud was?" Twilight scowled.

"Hmph." Catrina shook her head. "Perhaps you're not as idiotic as I took you for. I came to Canterlot under the guise of being an 'ambassador' from my people entirely to prove my theories. I broke into the Crown Room, the most heavily Guarded room in Canterlot Palace, because I thought the proof I needed would be there." She scowled. "Evidently, it was more well-hidden than I had anticipated."

Tilting her head, Twilight squinted. "What theories?"

"Why, about the Cloud! It's obvious you ponies had no idea it was even real, but I, in my infinite wisdom, had always suspected something like it existed." She smirked, regarding them out of the corner of her eye. Twilight got the feeling that, if Catrina's projection into the Cloud had hands, they would be preening her whiskers at the moment.

"I still don't follow," she said. "What was it you suspected?"

"Oh, come now, even you cannot be that ignorant." Catrina scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Haven't you ever wondered how all that magic, all that friendship, all that knowledge fits into the tiny little pea-brain inside your enormous skulls?"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash glowered at Catrina, who paid her no mind.

"The simple answer is: it can't. Thus, something like this Cloud must exist, where parts of your consciousness are stored when not in use, but easily accessible when you require them."

Rainbow continued to glower. "So what'd you do to me, huh?"

"Simple." Catrina's smile grew wickeder. "I severed your link to the Cloud."

"That shouldn't be possible." Twilight scanned her own memory of the treatise. What had happened to Seafoam had been theorized as just an accident, a one-in-a-billion chance. It certainly hadn't been purposefully enacted.

"Look around you, Princess," Catrina said, her smirk turning into a frown of disgust. "If what I say is untrue, then why are we all here?" The lines of her face relaxed. "I may be a powerful sorceress, yet I know only three spells. First, fully formed illusions, that feel and smell entirely real."

Twilight's eyes widened. "You mean all those monsters and traps we faced in your cave were illusions?"

Pride crept its way into Catrina's expression. "Well, some of the traps were real. The one which caught your farmer friend, for instance. Secondly, I know a spell to remove outside influence on a mind. It was a simple matter to craft it into a trap, with a nice big, spooky shadow for misdirection."

Rainbow Dash growled. Catrina only laughed primly. "Oh, it wasn't personal, Rainbow whatever your name is. I just needed any one of you to fall prey into the trap so my plans could be set in motion.

"Rounding out my repertoire is a mental projection spell. Once I cast it, which, by the way, your Princess Celestia had no idea I was doing in her lovely jail cell, it was a simple matter to seek out the spell you used to reach the Cloud. I knew if one of your friends was to be afflicted, one of you would have to find a way to enter the Cloud yourself, thus bypassing all the Palace security and leading me straight to my goal." She laughed. "I should thank you for being so kind as to link yourself mentally to another of your friends. It was a far easier spell to infiltrate than the one you're maintaining."

Twilight reeled. Rarity, cancel the telepathy spell, now!

"Oh, it's too late for that, Princess." Catrina once again showed her fangs. "I'm already here, after all. In fact, if the two of you would be so kind as to remove yourselves from this place, I'll get on with my work. All you need to do is will yourself back to reality. The only reason rainbow wings here hadn't thought of it sooner is she was too wrapped up in whatever frivolous fantasy her mind had created."

Twilight and Rainbow exchanged looks.

"Why?" Twilight asked. "Why did you betray Celestia's trust in you, when all she offered was friendship? What could you possibly hope to gain from all this?"

Catrina was silent for a while, as her expression darkened like a thunderhead. When she at last spoke, it was in a low rasp.

"What do you know of my people, Princess?"

"The Felyptian empire spanned more than a millennium before ponies lived in Equestria," Twilight said without hesitating. "But their homeland began to grow infertile, and they slowly died off. The remainder lives in what we now call the San Palomino Desert, in the south of Equestria."

"We were exterminated!" Catrina shouted. "It wasn't some natural die-off, don't insult me! Your people moved into the Equestrian valley and drove the Diamond Dogs out. It was they who migrated south and slaughtered my people!" Her eyes flashed with lightning. "They murdered children in their cribs, toppled our cities by digging beneath them, and turned our lush, green empire into a barren desert with their endless tunnels!"

Despite none of them needing to breathe, Catrina panted. "And you, you disgusting, selfish, ignorant, stupid ponies, spent the next few thousand years living a life of indolence, unaware you had sponsored genocide at your own borders! All those years without famine, without predators, without conflict of any sort left you soft and gave you time to think."

Twilight opened her mouth, but Catrina cut her off.

"In all that time, you've been collecting those thoughts up here. All of them swirl around us, right now." She huffed. "And do you know what that knowledge represents?"

"Power," Twilight said, her face a thundercloud.

"You finally got something right!" Catrina barked a laugh. "I am literally swimming in power right now! Power I need to restore my people to their former glory! I am going to take all of this lovely knowledge for myself, because I am sick of being powerless!"

Catrina's head rushed at Twilight, and she flinched back. Though the scream accompanying the attack unnerved her, the expected blow never came.

Twilight, I... I can't! I don't know how. What's going on? Is something wrong?

Catrina's here. I have to stop her.

"You won't stop me, Princess!" Catrina shouted. "My cause is just!"

"Your cause may be just, but your methods stink!" Rainbow shouted back.

"Do I stink more than you ridiculously inferior ponies sending Diamond Dogs to destroy my kind?"

As Catrina rushed at Rainbow Dash, Twilight took stock of the situation. For all her bluster, Catrina couldn't hurt them. In fact, she couldn't do anything to them whatsoever; why would she have told them how to leave the Cloud instead of use her link-severing spell on them? That left all the information around them as the only thing in danger.

Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated. A series of cutie marks out in the Cloud lit up, and she willed two of them closer.

"Hey Catrina! Get a load of this!" She opened them.

The first, a helmet and spear, showed a scene in what Twilight recognized as the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, before it was ruined. A unicorn clad in armor matching the cutie mark's decoration knelt in front of a young and skinny Princess Luna. The second throne beside her was empty.

"Your Highness," said the unicorn, "Diamond Dog activity continues in the south. They attack anypony who nears them, yet they do not linger in any one place. If we do not stand in their way, it seems they will leave Equestria on their own."

Princess Luna sighed. "I fear these Dogs may be the one race with whom friendship may never be possible. Thank you, Lieutenant, for the news. I shall apprise my sister of the situation in the morning."

The scene dissolved and Twilight brought forth the other cutie mark, a large leaf. Within was a scene of Princess Celestia, her mane pink and unmoving, standing on a balcony. An earth pony mare with the very same cutie mark trotted up behind her.

"Princess, you asked for a report on the aid sent to the Felyptians?"

Celestia turned to look at the mare and inclined her head.

"All contact with the envoy was lost two weeks ago." The mare swallowed. "The patrols you sent have found but wagon parts in the sand. They report harsh winds and sandstorms make recovery difficult."

Celestia looked stricken. She turned back to the balcony, watching the sun set.

"I fear we may not be able to help those people after all," she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "I would have liked to make friends with them, but the odds seem stacked against it. We wouldn't have even known they existed if not for the refugee envoy they sent." She lowered her head. "It is a terrible thing, having to run a country, even with help from my sister. Fennel, am I right in fearing for the future of my people under my rule?"

The mare smiled, though it was not as bright as it could have been. "A ruler must fear for her people if she wishes to inspire those she rules, milady."

That seemed to restore the hope in Celestia's eyes.

Twilight closed the scene and turned to Catrina. "We didn't send the Diamond Dogs to kill your people, Catrina."

"What does it matter?" Catrina growled. "The result was the same. And if you have the power to reverse what happened and fail to use it, then it is my right to take it and use it, as you have so kindly shown me how!"

"No," Twilight whispered. "No it's not."

All the secrets and scenes she had already witnessed by being here less than an hour would be vulnerable to Catrina's snooping if she were allowed to proceed. All the ponies' magical knowledge, everything Star Swirl the Bearded had ever dreamed of, any dark secret taken to a grave would now be available to a sorceress who obviously had few scruples in how she used her power.

She turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, go back to your body."

"What?" Rainbow gave her a quizzical look. "But I--"

"I don't want anypony else to be in the Cloud for what I'm about to do. And tell Rarity to design a new dress for you. That should disrupt her concentration enough to end the telepathy spell."

Rainbow frowned, but after a few moments, began to fade out. "I don't like this, Twilight, but I trust you," she said, before vanishing completely.

"That's one," Catrina said, her voice guarded.

"I'm sure no amount of apology will make up for it, but I'm sorry for what happened to your people, Catrina," Twilight said somberly, turning toward her. "If you had come to Princesses Celestia and Luna seeking friendship, you would have found it. They would have shared our wealth with you, returned any artifacts belonging to your people, and even extended the protection of Equestria over what is left of your empire.

"Instead, you came to us under false pretenses and betrayed the trust freely given to you." Her eyes hardened. "You lied, you stole, and unfortunately for you, you hurt my friends. I'm not about to forgive you for that so easily."

"I'm hardly asking for forgiveness," Catrina scoffed. "If anyone here should be, it's you!"

"You're right." A tiny smile quirked the side of Twilight's mouth up. "You're absolutely right. My people didn't do enough to help yours in the past, and you suffered for it." She straightened. "As a Princess of Equestria, I formally apologize for the actions of my ancestors wrought upon the Felyptian people, leading to a fate both undeserved and unconscionable."

Catrina scowled. "Apologies will get you nowhere, Twilight Sparkle, you know that!"

"Which is why, as a Princess of Equestria, I am giving you what you want, Catrina."

Catrina's eyes narrowed. "What are you playing at? Do not attempt to outsmart me, pony! You will regret it!"

Twilight closed her eyes, steeling herself.

"Catrina of Felyptia, I grant you access to the Cloud, one of the best-kept secrets of Equestria."

She opened her eyes.

"All of it!"

Catrina looked puzzled at first. Then the cutie marks began swirling around her, and her expression became fearful.

"What are you doing?"

By ones, by twos, by dozens and hundreds, cutie marks of every shape, size, and color imaginable swooped at and dove through her. Catrina's pupils dilated, expanding until her eyes were entirely black. The black continued to spread beyond the confines of her eyelids.

"No, it's too much! Make it stop! Make it stop!"

"Sever your link to the Cloud, Catrina!" Twilight shouted. "It's the only way! Otherwise, that big brain of yours is going to become home to every idea ever conceived of by ponykind, all at once!"

The outlines of Catrina's projection blurred. A dark liquid seeped out of one of her nostrils. Breathlessly, she chanted.

"Maz... besh... jekhandeth..."

With a twinkling of lights, she vanished from the Cloud. In a moment, all was still, as if what had just taken place had been a figment of Twilight's imagination.

She sighed, relaxed and smiled. The cutie marks, the representations of every pony that had ever lived since the dawn of time, returned to their places in the background.

"You're more than just a repository of knowledge, aren't you?" she whispered. "You're all there, watching me."

As if in response, a single cutie mark flew out of the swarm and stopped directly in front of her. Twilight gave a little gasp as she recognized it as her own. Hoof shaking, she reached out and touched it gently.

It opened onto a hospital room. A mare -- her mother -- lay breathless on a bed, a nurse beside her. The nurse handed over a bundle, saying, "Here she is! What's her name?"

"Sparkle," her mother said in between breaths. Her father joined her mother, gazing down at the infant her, tears in his eyes.

He looked up at an odd angle, gazing directly at Twilight as she watched the scene.

"Twilight Sparkle," he said, winking.

A little jolt of electricity surged through Twilight, and she banished the image. A moment later, she faded from the Cloud.

Epilogue: Severed Links

Heads in the Cloud
by Present Perfect

Epilogue: Severed Links

"I'm pleased to see my trust in you was not misplaced, Twilight Sparkle."

Celestia greeted her with a warm smile and tea for two. Twilight, fresh from a happy reunion with her friends, Spike included, was grateful for the opportunity to unwind and relax. Still, as she spoke, her voice was troubled.

"I wouldn't go celebrating yet, Princess. If I'm being honest, despite understanding the gravity of all the secrets I could potentially uncover in the Cloud, the temptation to go back and learn more from Equestria's past is really strong." She gazed down at her tea. "I can't promise I won't use the spell again."

"I understand, Twilight," Celestia said quickly. "Though I still trust you, I can remove the spell from your mind, if it would make you feel better."

Twilight's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Celestia remained impassive. "I could simply sever the link to the Cloud holding that particular piece of information."

"That's..." Twilight's eyes widened. "That's like what Catrina did to Rainbow Dash!"

"To a lesser extent, yes..." Celestia did not meet Twilight's gaze.

After a moment, Twilight spoke up. "What will happen to her, Princess?"

Celestia set her teacup down, regarding Twilight with the look of one who had wished a delicate subject had been left unbroached.

"I have had Catrina moved to a more secure holding cell, one designed for the sort of criminal Equestria has not seen in centuries." She let out a breath. "As for her mental state, only time will tell. When last I saw her, she was still murmuring gibberish."

Twilight frowned at her tea. "I feel sorry for her, for what happened to her people."

Images of the screaming feline head flashed across her mind. She saw in vivid detail the ichor leaking from the eyes, the nose and mouth. It had been so simple to command those cutie marks to attack; she hadn't even realized she was doing it. Her only concern had been for the information, the secrets. The thought of those hundreds and thousands and millions of secrets coming out into the open terrified her to the core. She had to wonder now just whose secrets she was trying to protect, just what it was she was willing to destroy another living being's mind to hide.

Twilight swallowed.

"I don't like what I did to her."

Celestia nodded. "What happened to her people is a regret I wish most wholeheartedly to rectify. I am saddened that she, who was so motivated to rectify it, will likely not be able to see the fruits of my atonement." Her gaze flicked up toward the ceiling.

"As for what you did, Twilight, I feel, given the circumstances, it was all you could do, for yourself, for your friends, and for Equestria. That you feel regret for it only means you possess the unique capability of caring for everyone, pony or otherwise."

Twilight looked up at her, brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Celestia smiled. "Only that you are one of the kindest, most loving ponies I have ever met, Twilight Sparkle. The title of Princess of Friendship suits you so very well. A dear friend once told me a good ruler must fear for her subjects. I've since come to understand that's simply a way of caring for them, and that is what is most important." She sipped at her tea. "You make an excellent Princess, Twilight."

"Thank you, Celestia," Twilight said quietly. The room grew calm, and she drank her tea until it stopped being palatable. She sighed.

"There's one more thing bothering me."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"The Cloud itself." Twilight frowned. "I mean... Three instances of a pony losing their connection to it in who knows how many centuries. It can't be a big problem. But it still makes me feel..." She looked up at Celestia, searching her face. "Like all the things I know aren't real. They're all stored up in some metaphysical cloud for whenever I need to remember them, and they aren't really a part of me like I thought they were. I read the book, and I know that's not really how it works, but..." She swallowed. "Was Catrina right about us? About why the Cloud exists?"

Celestia sipped at her tea a long moment before answering. "Think about it this way, Twilight. Before you knew of the Cloud, did your thoughts and memories seem real?"

"Well, yes, I suppose they did."

"Then they are." Celestia smiled. "Just because you know where they go when you aren't using them doesn't mean they have no meaning. Your mind is what placed them in the Cloud, after all. It has always worked as it needed to, and for your own sake, I recommend trusting it to continue doing so."

Twilight drew a hoof down her face, groaning and slumping to one side. "I can see why it made Sky Speaker go crazy."

She was quiet for a long moment before asking, "Princess, have you ever used the link-severing spell before?"

Celestia nodded. "Once, on myself. As I said, I understand all too well the temptations of the Cloud."

"You've never used it on another pony?"

"No, though I have suggested it to a few."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "And they all refused?"

Celestia nodded. "Nor would I use it on an unwilling subject, regardless of need."

Nodding a few times, Twilight set her cup down and stood. "In that case, I'm willing to trust you to help me trust myself."

"Thank you, Twilight." Celestia smiled, and Twilight relaxed.

On her way from Celestia's quarters, Twilight stopped when she saw a particular mare in Royal Guard armor.

"Lieutenant Sundance! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Your Highness," Sundance said, face drawn.

Twilight rolled her eyes and laughed. "It's like I've picked up a talent for running into Guards all the t--" She cut off when she realized Sundance was glaring at her.

"I don't know how you got into my head," the Lieutenant said through her teeth, "and I don't care if you are a Princess." She stalked forward, backing Twilight into a wall. "If you ever tell anypony what you saw in there, you. Will. Regret it."

The fire in Sundance's eyes, so like her namesake, struck real fear into Twilight's heart. She swallowed, nodding. "You can trust me to keep a secret. I Pinkie Promise."

Sundance backed off as Twilight crossed her heart, fluttered her wings, and jabbed a hoof into her eye with an exclamation of pain.

"Very well, then. Your Highness." Sundance saluted, turned on her heel, and stomped off in the opposite direction. Twilight waited until she was out of sight before letting out the breath she'd been holding.

"I think I'll need Princess Celestia to cast that spell again..."

Author's Note

This story idea came about via trying to answer an age-old question: How do ponies get such predictive names? Once upon a time, wrote a piece called The Eye and the Web to try and explain it, but it was too unwieldy, not to mention old and bad and not viable outside season 1 canon. This is my second attempt. The actual idea for "the Cloud" was inspired by a chat with writers I met at last year's Bronycon.

As for using Catrina, I was looking for a villain, went, "Hey, wasn't there a cat woman in G1?" and she just so happened to be perfect. She was a witch, she hated being powerless (one of the few bits of her personality I made sure to keep), and frickin' nobody has ever used her in a fanfic that I can tell. I found two whole images of her G4-ified on Deviantart, if that tells you anything.

Trivia: the Ankh is named for Pharaoh Neferkare.

Ultimately, I'm not sure how well this turned out. I made a point, since this was for a contest, to do all the work myself instead of relying on an editor, as I tend to when writing more than two drafts. I feel like I do that too much, but if anything goes wrong here, well, that'll prove I still need to. I dunno, I just want to try and move beyond that crutch, or at least get to a point where I show a story to someone and don't have to change everything because it doesn't make sense. Only time and the comments section will show if I have. Hope you all enjoyed this short adventure, at least. I'll get back to Epic Unicorn History now, promise. :B

Thanks to The Descendant, who, by sole virtue of his existence, guilted me into including the Spike scene. No sense in lauding Twilight's attachment to him and then having her forget all about him, right?