Just Beyond the Surface

Moon Dancer stood hesitantly before the looming bulk of Twilight's Castle. The unicorn felt dwarfed by the towering edifice, and the thought that her friend was waiting for her somewhere inside did nothing to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

Buying a ticket to Ponyville had been easy. Walking down to the station had been exciting. Climbing aboard the train, looking out the window as the Equestrian countryside had rolled past, that had been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. But as the train pulled into Ponyville station, Moon Dancer felt a surge of apprehension rise up to greet her on the station platform. Her thoughts were plagued by doubts as she disembarked the Friendship Express. Yes Twilight had invited her out to what she had stressed was a casual dinner, perfectly casual, she had promised. Nothing to get worked up about. Even so, Moon Dancer couldn't help but think of this as a royal invitation rather than an invitation from a friend.

You can't think like that she had told herself. This is Twilight who invited you!

The same Twilight who had been her friend since they were fillies. The same Twilight that she used to sit next to in class. The same Twilight who she'd spent hours with, reading books one after the other just so they could recommend them to each other.

But this was also Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, the wielder of the Element of Magic and the former pupil of Princess Celestia. In fact, it seemed Twilight was familiar with all of Equestria's royalty in one fashion or another.

Who was Moon Dancer by comparison? Just some unicorn who'd never gotten beyond the library, who spent most of her time with her nose buried in a book. She had practically lived her life in books. Only recently, thanks to Twilight in fact, had she started opening up to other ponies and doing something other than studying for hours on end.

She knew that this was part of the reason Twilight had invited her. There was another pony, Starlight Glimmer, that Twilight was trying to get to open up to others as well... To give friendship a try, as Twilight had convinced Moon Dancer to do. It seemed to be her friends calling to try and bring friendship to all of Equestria. Even to stubborn unicorns like Moon Dancer herself. It made sense that she should meet Starlight, and maybe show her that she wasn't the only pony who had a hard time making friends. Twilight's childhood friend and her new pupil had both lived lives shut off from other ponies, so perhaps they'd have a lot to talk about in that regard?

Yeah, right.

As much sense as that did or didn't make, it made no sense at all that a pony of no account like Moon Dancer should be invited to as grand a castle as this for a casual meal with one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria.

With such thoughts filling Moon Dancer's head, it was no wonder that the somewhat mousy unicorn was hesitant. There was nothing frightening about Twilight's Castle in and of itself, but it towered over the rest of Ponyville, a truly imposing construction of crystal in the shape of an enormous tree. It was smaller perhaps than the palace in Canterlot, but still far grander than the library in which Moon Dancer spent most of her time... Let alone her own ramshackle and rundown house.

What am I even doing here?

The same thought had been running through her head for the last ten minutes as she'd stood before the golden door set in the tree shaped castle's crystal 'trunk'. How silly, her friends Minuet, Lemon Heart, and Twinkle Shine would think. You came all this way and you can't even knock! Even Twilight could knock on your door, and she hadn't seen you in years! Moon Dancer thought it would be easier to knock on the door to a hovel than a grand castle like this. Still, thinking of how her friends would laugh at her timidity actually went a long way to dispel Moon Dancer's anxious feelings. She knew she was being silly. Her friends would never let her live it down if she chickened out now.

Thinking of their smiling faces and their laughter helped to calm her frazzled nerves. Enough to knock at least. After all, it was only a door. Surely no harm ever came of simply knocking on a door?

She knocked three times.

There was no answer.

She knocked again, a little harder this time. It was a big castle after all, perhaps they hadn't heard her?

Still, nothing.

She was a little early. Was it possible that no one was home?

As she went to knock one more time, just to be on the safe side, the door opened.

"Hello," said a smiling unicorn filly, "What's up?"

"Oh!" cried Moon Dancer looking down. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but this wasn't it. "Hi there... uh, is Twilight here?"

"Let me check!" the filly said brightly, slamming the door in Moon Dancer's face.

Moon Dancer waited, taking the opportunity to clear a few pieces of lint from her sweater. She waited another full fifteen minutes.

Just who exactly was this unicorn filly? Surely this wasn't Starlight Glimmer. Moon Dancer knew that Celestia had taken in Twilight as her pupil at a young age, but she doubted that Starlight could have run an entire village as a mere foal, Right? Was it possible that Twilight had taken in another student since they had spoken last? But this filly looked as if she belonged in elementary school, not under the wing of one of the most important ponies in Equestria. Had Moon Dancer made some kind of mistake? Was she even at the right address? Was this Twilight's Castle or not?

Impatience got the better of her as these thoughts streamed through her head. All apprehension was lost as she knocked again. The door flew open immediately. The same filly from before opened the door, but her smile was gone. "What? What do you want?" she asked angrily.

"Is this Twilight's Castle or not?" Moon Dancer asked, undaunted by the filly's rudeness.

"Do you see any other castles around here?" the filly in the plum colored dress asked in turn.

In spite of herself, Moon Dancer turned to look. Sure enough, there were no rogue castles hiding behind Ponyville or beyond the horizon of the nearby fields. This was the only building of its type around for miles. While Moon Dancer's head was turned, the door slammed shut for a second time. Moon Dancer's eyes grew wide, even as her pupils shrank, as she realized she had been played.

Twilight's childhood friend got the distinct feeling that someone was playing a prank on her. She didn't appreciate that. Not one bit. She wasn't proud of it, but Moon Dancer had a temper and she was very close to losing it. At the thought that she may have come all this way just to be made a fool of, by a foal no less, made her blood boil. Her jaw clenched, and the magic of her horn flared. She turned her fiery gaze to the door, and let loose a series of magical knocks fit to shake the foundations of the earth and wake the long moldering dead!

Or at least that was her intention.

Instead, the door opened for a third time. The little grey filly stood there again, grinning happily as if the prior exchange hadn't even occurred. It took a strength of will Moon Dancer didn't even know she possessed to not unleash her magic on that smiling face. She settled for channeling the fire in her gut into her words instead. "I was invited here by Twilight Sparkle herself!" she thundered, her hooves shaking with fury. "The Princess of Friendship! My name is Moon Dancer and I demand that you~"

She was cut off mid-sentence, "Oh, Moon Dancer!" exclaimed the grinning girl giddily," We've been expecting you! So sorry to keep you waiting. Please, follow me right this way!"

The door opened wide and the little girl disappeared into the gloom within. All the rage and anger Moon Dancer had felt mere moments ago evaporated, leaving her feeling drained and quite perplexed. What exactly was this all about? As she ducked inside, the door closed behind her with a soft click. She whirled around, but there was no pony there. The filly must've used magic to close the door without looking.

If you could believe it, the castle seemed even larger on the inside. Tall pillars and stained glass windows lined the halls, stretching into the distance all around her. The place was almost like a maze. As she tried and failed to take everything in, it was only by the sheerest luck that Moon Dancer saw the dwindling figure of the filly who had answered the door turning down a passage that led off from the main hall. She had to trot to catch up.

Though the interior of the castle was well lit, Moon Dancer couldn't help but feel a fresh wave of apprehension as she followed the little girl further and further into the castle's depths.

Where exactly was she leading her?

The hall twisted and turned. As Moon Dancer turned one corner, she'd catch just a glimpse of the filly she was following turning around the next bend. It was maddening. Just when she thought she was catching up, the child would vanish from sight all over again. She wasn't certain that this wasn't still part of some game or prank being played on her. The thought only made her run faster. She'd find out where this foal was leading her if she had to wring it out of her tiny neck!

It wouldn't have to come to that though. Moon Dancer got her answer soon enough as the filly passed through a set of wide double doors.

The room within was cavernous. Though Moon Dancer's eyes took a moment to adjust to the gloom, she could feel the sense of space all around her. A gasp escaped her lips as she realized what she was looking at.

Books!

Stacks upon stacks of books! Everywhere, all around her. She walked further into the room and didn't even notice as, once again, the doors behind her closed with a soft click. She was too engrossed, too amazed by the sight before her! It was like her birthday and Hearths Warming all rolled into one!

So this was Twilight's personal library? Moon Dancer knew that her friend had done her best to not only salvage books from Ponyville's former library, Golden Oaks, but also tomes from the ruined Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters as well. Aside from those treasures, it seemed that there were books from Twilight's personal collection here as well. Looking around, she found that there were copies of books scattered about that Moon Dancer thought only existed in the Canterlot Archives! To a bibliophile like Moon Dancer, this room and its contents were like something out of a dream. A truly wild dream. The only way thing that could be more unbelievable was if...

And before the thought had a chance to fully form in her mind, she saw it!

It was sitting so innocently, on a table all by itself. A softly glowing oil lamp was on the table beside it, the flame carefully dampened low, as was befitting for the safety of the treasure that it illuminated. Moon Dancer dare not believe it but, as she drew closer and could see the delicately engraved letters in the soft leather, she knew exactly what she was looking at. It was a copy of Hayscarte's 'Treatise on Ponies'. She knew that Twilight had said that she had a copy, but Moon Dancer had half thought that her friend had only been saying that to get her attention. To actually be in the same room as a book written by one of the most brilliant philosophers in Equestrian history, even if it was only a copy, was a treat that Moon Dancer had dreamed of for the better part of her young life!

Unbidden, her hoof rose towards the book. Not to open it, not to actually read it. No, that would be going too far. But just to touch it, to stroke its supple spine, to verify that it was a real and solid thing and not some kind of illusion was all she intended to do. The leather was dry and cool to the touch.

Well... Maybe she'd take just a peek. What was the harm?

"You really like books, don't you?" The high pitched voice made Moon Dancer's heart leap into her throat.

Of course! How had she forgotten that she had followed the filly in the purple dress into the library? It made sense that she'd be here too. Moon Dancer had just lost track of that fact for a moment, so engrossed by the presence of such a rare tome as the one that lay open before her. She blushed, guiltily, like a filly caught engaged in a forbidden act. Such was her infatuation with books that this was exactly what it felt like. Even so, it was ridiculous to feel any shame in front of a filly half her age.

"Well, yes," she admitted. "I feel a certain... special feeling towards books. Especially such wonderful and fine ones as were written by the great pony philosophers, like Hayscarte."

"Really? Me too! I just love reading," said the filly brightly. "I like studying all sorts of books. Especially about magic."

"Is that so?" asked Moon Dancer, not truly interested, but taken aback somewhat by the child's exuberance. She had only ever known one filly that got that excited about studying... Maybe Twilight had more than one pupil after all? It would make sense.

"Yeah!" the tiny unicorn squeaked. "I've mastered tons of different studying techniques. Although, Twilight was telling me that there was one technique that would make studying take on a whole new dimension! Something about being able to learn even more from inside a book. Do you know what she meant?"

Moon Dancer adjusted her glasses, a nervous tick she sometimes displayed before beginning a lecture. "Yes. It actually relates to a method, developed by Hayscarte, by which a pony could enter a book. Twilight taught me not long ago. It's actually a simple spell, but difficult to master. I've only been able to make it work for a few minutes."

"Oh wow, that's so cool!" exclaimed the filly, clearly amazed... Or perhaps just laying it on a little thick. It was clear she wanted something. "Could you show me? I'd be ever so grateful if you would!"

This was such a strange situation. Normally Moon Dancer could barely stand children. They were always so noisy, running around and shouting, and none of them seemed to have any respect for the sanctity of the library or the value of a good book. But here was a filly that was not only interested in books and studying, but in Moon Dancer's talents as well. She felt a wave of unaccountable pride and fellow feeling for the little unicorn. It hadn't been so long ago, Moon Dancer thought, that I was a filly just like her.

Why not give her a little demonstration?

The thought itself was tempting... And the 'Treatise on Ponies' was sitting right there. The idea of reading it had sent a thrill through Moon Dancer, but the idea of actually immersing herself in the tome, becoming one with it... That thought left her positively shivering with delight.

Would she dare be so bold? But it was for the betterment of one of Twilight's (maybe) pupils, right?

Surely it would be fine!

"Well, alright," Moon Dancer relented, not so reluctantly. "I can give you a brief demonstration. Just stand back!" Concentrating her magic on herself, Moon Dancer felt her world shrink and expand at the same time. There was a brief, bizarre moment as she ceased to be a creature of the third dimension and instead slipped into the second. The transition from being a pony of flesh and blood to one of ink and parchment, however, was instantaneous. Not just any ink and parchment though! She was one with one of Hayscarte's greatest works! She could actually walk through the inner world of the book and absorb knowledge from every part of it at once! Moon Dancer was absolutely giddy with excitement!

It was a pity then that those warm feelings had to end so quickly.

With a dull thump, the filly closed the book with Moon Dancer still inside. There was a soft click, as the book's clasp was sealed, and the tiny bronze key that sat in its lock clanked home. "It's nothing personal Moon Dancer. Really, you seem like a nice, if somewhat naive pony." The voice of the filly seeped from the darkness. It was no longer bright and enthusiastic, but low and monotone. "But you had years with Twilight. Oh, sure, you missed out on a few, but you could have gone to her any time you wanted. You could have made an effort to visit her here in Ponyville at any time. Canterlot isn't that far away."

Moon Dancer tried to will herself back out of the book, but there was something that held her in place. that shouldn't be possible! The spell was designed with a fail safe to keep a pony from becoming lost or stuck inside any given grimoire. that was part of what was so challenging about it was pushing past those limits. It shouldn't be hard to stop using the spell! Was there some enchantment on the book itself that was holding her trapped inside? Moon Dancer had heard of such spells before, but they were supposed to be forbidden!

There was a feeling of motion. Of falling. Then a sharp thud as the book came to rest again. What was going on!?

"But you just had to hold it against her, didn't you? So she missed one little party... It wasn't the end of the world. But an outcast like you just had to go and take it to heart! As if you deserved to hold a grudge against a pony as wonderful as Twilight! As if your insipid feelings were more important than her destiny!" The filly's words were still low, but now they simmered with anger. No, something deeper than that. Hatred. Hatred bled from every word. "You threw away years that you could have spent as one of her closest friends on your stupid grudge! But that's fine by me. It's trash like you that holds her back! The best thing you ever did for Twilight was cut yourself out of her life! When she remembered you, when she came to you to apologize so magnanimously, you just had to send her on your little guilt trip! Make suffer and feel bad about herself, bad about doing what needed to be done for the good of Equestria. Well... sure, I can kind of understand that," the filly gave a mirthless laugh. "Anything to keep her under your hoof, right!? Well no more!"

There was a sound of shattering glass and a whoosh of flame. what started as a crackle was quickly followed by a roar! The sound almost, but didn't quite drown out the filly's hateful words.

"It's time you were thrown out for good, just like the trash you are!" hissed the unicorn, not at all like a filly. "And there's only one thing to do with unwanted garbage like you."

The darkness suddenly gave way to light and, with it, a scream burst from Moon Dancer as she realized what the child had done. She had set fire to the book! She was burning Hayscarte's 'Treatise on Ponies' and Moon Dancer along with it!

The trapped unicorn's panicked shrieks rose in pitch as the flames ate into the part of the book that contained her. She might not be flesh and blood, but she still felt as if she was. She could feel the hungry flames crack and peel her skin, burn its way down through her flesh to the very marrow of her bones. This all happened much quicker than it would if she were still a normal pony. The tome was very old, and very dry, and it burned very quickly. As such, so did Moon Dancer. Even so, the unicorn's pain racked screams went on much longer than they should have. With the spell she had cast, she wasn't really a flesh and bloody pony anymore... But that just meant she would suffer so long as a scrap of the book remained intact!

Violet stood over the garbage pail that she had place the book inside. The shattered oil lamp that lay atop the burning book did nothing to obscure the sight that made her grin so widely. Moon Dancer's screams seemed to be a welcome sound to the filly, and the stench of burning flesh mixed well with the scent of scorched paper. The flames danced gaily in the filly's unblinking eyes as she savored each fresh shriek, each smoke choked and blood gurgled screech. Violet stood there, patiently, watching as every last trace of the book crumbled to ash. Only then did the last tortured screeches of Moon Dancer's passing fade away.

They were replaced by a new sound, as the library was plunged back into its customary gloom. It was the sound of laughter, high and girlish and light. The giggle of a school girl.

The laughter went on for some time.

"And that's how we learned a valuable lesson about not judging a book by its cover," finished Twilight, beaming as she wrapped up her lecture.

"Wow Twilight, that was a fantastic story!" cried Violet, as she sat perched on the very edge of her seat. The filly had actually been taking notes! She was sitting in the same place that Starlight had been in before, although the plastic desk was certainly more her size. "I feel like I've learned so much!"

"Yeah Twilight, that sure was a great lesson," said Apple Bloom without any enthusiasm. The Cutie Mark Crusader's didn't share the Violet's excitement.

Each of the CMC were slouched in one of the thrones that stood around the cutie map, positioned in such a way that they were still facing Twilight. They'd heard that old story about the first time they'd met Zecora and the antics with the poison joke at least a hundred times. Heck, Apple Bloom had been there! It was one of Twilight's favorite lectures since it had involved a book called 'Super Naturals' that she had first dismissed as a work of fiction before realizing it was a tome about home remedies. Really riveting stuff. It was a great story the first few times you heard it maybe, but after the twelfth? Yeah, it had gotten old.

As bad as the three girls felt for themselves, they felt even worse for Spike. Sitting in his own miniature throne, the dragon had almost fallen asleep at least five times during the course of the lecture. They couldn't even begin to imagine how many times he had been forced to sit through that story.

"But you know, I think Rarity really will need my help about now," said Sweetie Belle with a stretch and a yawn,"She's supposed to be heading back to Manehatten soon to check on the new store."

"And I think I was supposed to meet up with Rainbow Dash half an hour ago," complained Scootaloo. "She was going to show me a new trick she learned from the Wonderbolt's."

"Ah think it's high time we all hit the old dusty trail," said Apple Bloom decisively, "But thank you for yer time Twilight and that... Rousin' lecture."

"Oh, but do you girls really have to go?" asked Twilight, pouting slightly. "It seems like hardly any time has passed at all!"

"Fraid so Twilight," Apple Bloom stated firmly. "We got places to go and ponies to see."

"I don't have to go anywhere Twilight!" chirped Violet. "I just love listening to you! Please tell me another story about friendship! Pretty please?"

Twilight smiled broadly and flipped the blackboard over to the opposite side. This too had been covered with crude chalk drawings of various friendship lessons she had hoped to get to with Starlight today. Spike's eyes widened at the sight. Hurriedly he said, "Tell you what. Why don't you two get started without me and I'll see the Cutie Mark Crusaders out?" It didn't seem like he needed to bother. Twilight was already in her own happy little world, expounding on the magic of friendship. Violet was sitting in rapt attention, hanging on her every word, neither seemed to care about anything else.

Once they were safely out of ear shot, Spike turned to the girls and said "Tell me I'm not the only one who think's Violet is kind of creepy."

"She is pretty intense," admitted Sweetie Belle. "Maybe she just really enjoys lectures?"

"No pony enjoys lectures that much," replied Spike. Then he thought for a moment. "Well, aside from Twilight herself anyways. Where did you three find her anyhow?"

"Actually she found us," confided Apple Bloom. "She just showed up at the club house while we were having our weekly get together ta discuss our plans for the week."

"She was really insistent that she had a cutie mark problem," chimed in Scootaloo, "She was very emphatic that she wanted a cutie mark 'in magic' and said that we needed to help her immediately."

"So what? She just waltzed up to your club house and then you decided to bring her to meet Twilight?" questioned Spike.

"Not exactly," Apple Bloom looked behind her somewhat furtively. Only when the earth pony was certain they were alone did she continue. "Truth be told she kind of freaked us out too. Ah'm not proud, but we tried to fob her off with an excuse that she needed to come back tomorrow. The filly wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, though."

"Then we tried to talk her into asking other ponies for advice," added Sweetie Belle. "I suggested my sister Rarity, since she's so magical with finding rare gems and crafting fine cloths, but she wouldn't even acknowledge that I'd said anything!"

"And I suggested she ask Rainbow Dash for advice," said Scootaloo, looking down a little ashamed. "She just laughed at me. She said a pegasus wouldn't know anything about magic. I hadn't meant it like that though. Rainbow Dash has helped me through more than one rough patch. I just thought that maybe having an awesome pony like her to talk to would help Violet through whatever trouble she was having."

"So was it your idea to bring her here then Apple Bloom?" asked Spike finally.

"Nah. Ah told her to talk to her family," replied apple Bloom simply. "My kin have always been there for me, and Ah figured a good place ta start figuring out her problem would be with her home life." Applejack's sister looked down at the castle's tiled floor sadly. "She gave me one heck of a mean look and just said 'no' outright. It was actually her what suggested we bring her to see Twilight. She was dead set on the idea that she was the only pony in Ponyiville that could help her."

"I bet," Spike's eyes narrowed in suspicion. They'd reached the front door. He opened it for the three girls and the fillies stepped out into the bright, sunny afternoon. There was something refreshing about no longer being closed up in the castle. Spike hadn't realized just how dull and dreary being indoors had felt until he looked up at the sun. Or maybe it was just refreshing to no longer be anywhere near that creepy smiling unicorn filly. "You know girls, I don't think this Violet Flicker is all she seems to be."

"Do you think she's a changling?" asked Scootaloo, her wings flapping quick as a hummingbirds in excitement.

"Or maybe a zombie?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Girls, that ain't nice!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "Clearly she's just an alien from beyond the moon!"

All three broke out into a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," said Spike. "I just think the whole situations kind of weird is all."

"Hey Spike, we agree with you. But as far as we can tell she's a normal filly," laughed Scootaloo, "We really did have a conversation where each one of us thought she was one of the things we mentioned, and tried all sorts of tests to see if she was some kind of monster."

"She's mean and kind of pushy, but she does seem to genuinely be what she is," squeaked Sweetie Belle, "A unicorn filly that's obsessed with learning... And Twilight Sparkle, of course!" The girls shared another giggle and then headed their separate ways.

"It's that last part that worries me though," said Spike to no one in particular.