Mitternacht

Twilight pierced the clouds and looked down. She saw a vast deep blue ocean, and in the distance a white shape of what looked like an island. She flew closer to it and noticed it was covered by a series of white stone buildings. She landed atop one of their roofs and looked around. The city seemed empty, but it did not look like it was abandoned. The streets were clean and the grass in the gardens was still short, as if it had been cut recently. Twilight looked at the sky and realized the layer of clouds was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly she heard the sound of voices nearby.

"Atavirra è."

"Eraf ommervod asoc? Os ol."

"Alomailgocca."

She looked down from the roof she was on inside a garden behind the house and saw two weird looking beings next to each other. They appeared to be composed of a series of intersecting and rotating geometrical shapes hovering in mid-air. As she looked at them she somehow felt like they had turned towards her. Then she felt a voice speaking to her in her mind.

"Welcome, Twilight Sparkle. It is our pleasure to welcome you in our home city. we will be glad to provide you with anything you might require in your journey while resting here."

Twilight flew down into the garden. She was confused and fascinated by the creature, but she did not fell scared. The tone in which the voice had spoke to her had seemed genuinely friendly, and she was interested in finding out more about the inhabitants of the island. She moved closer to them and spoke.

"Who are you? And how do you know about me?"

"Oleilgrid ommervod?" Said one of the two entities to the other.

"Erepas id ottirid li ah, ìs." Answered the other, Then the voice appeared again in her mind.

"We call ourselves 'Ilegna', althogh many have given us different names when their species discovered our existance. Not many civilizations have known about us though, as there are few who can acces the Dreamlands and maintain themselves within them. Princess Luna named us 'Dreamweavers', if I remember correctly, but I belive she never spoke of us to the Outside. We exist in the world of dreams, guarding over its travelers to see that they incur in no harms from which they can't escape, and to prevent the evils in this world from reaching the Outside. It is only natural that we would know of you, having looked over your journeys ever since you were trapped in the Dreamlands."

"But isn't Luna the one dedicated to guarding dreams? And what do you mean trapped? Do you know what happened to me?" Asked Twilight, her mind filling with more and more questions.

"Luna only has power over the dreams of ponies, but the realm in which your kind's minds rest at night is far from this place. These are the Dreamlands, the land where all dreams are born, in which only briefly do the dreamers usually venture, and oftentime the keep no memory of it. The worlds in which the dreams of the different races live and where universes of lies rise and fall in the endless cycle of wake and sleep of the mortals all are at the borders of this land, but here we exist beyond time and space, unaffected by the passing forces of the countless realities from which travelers venture here, an endless immortal land made of only thought and soul. You were banished here, Twilight, and while we do indeed know of the reasons that led to these events, we cannot tell you. For not even the Black Pharaoh in all his power could break the curse put on you without breaking your mind beyond repair. You see, Twilight, if you were to hear the truth from someone else, you'd forget all you heard and be cast away from where you are."

Twilight was saddened by what she heard. She had hoped she would finally find the cause of her wanderings, but instead had only managed to make the wall she had to climb appear far bigger than it had before. Still, she was glad to have found at least a deeper understanding of her situation. She looked up at the creature and talked.

"What can I do then?"

"Nothing but keep going forward. You'll reach your destination back to your own dream if you keep going. But be careful, Twilight Sparkle, the journey ahead is not an easy one. There are things in the Dreamlands that aren't meant to be faced by an outsider, and lands so beautiful they'll make you forget you should leave them behind. We can offer you knowledge of the dangers that will come and directions should you fear losing your way, and we'll allow you to rest in our city and prepare yourself, but we will not be allowed to interfere in your trials, so always remember you'll need to be strong if you truly wish to see the land you came from again. But now, you deserve to rest. Follow us." And with that the first dreamweaver started to move outside the garden, the presence in her mind disappearing once more as she followed it, the other one coming behind her.

They arrived at a small stone table at the shadow of a willow, and Twilight sat on a stone bench in front of it. Suddenly on the table appeared a dish, and on it were a series of small objects on it. They were seed shaped, about half the size of her horn, and looked like they were made of amber. Twilight used her magic to pick one up, and as she brought it closer she noticed the pleasant smell it had. It made her think of her home and her friends. Instinctively she ate it. It tasted like one of the cake Pinkie baked for a party, or like a fresh sip of apple juice on a hot summer day, and yet it tasted like none of them and like a thousand other things, and Twilight realized it tasted like memories, sweet despite being far away.

After she had eaten the creatures moved again, and she followed them in silence until they reached a small building near the center of the town. There they stopped, and upon entering it Twilight could do nothing but gape in awe at what she saw. Not only wers the interior of the building hundreds of time bigger than it looked like on the outside, but every wall was covered with nothing but books of all shapes. The sun was high in the sky when they entered, and it could no longer be seen when she was finally brought out of the library, much to her displeasure. She had learned many things about the Dreamlands in there, but still she had many questions that she knew would have gone unanswered.

They entered a small house with a bed in it, and Twilight noticed a pair of dark green saddlebags was placed near the bed. She opened them and found a flask, a compass and a scroll inside. Again, she felt the voice speak in her mind.

"These are our gifts to you. That flask will always be full should you need it. It'll be warm when you're suffering cold and fresh when you're suffering the heat, and if you ever fell hunger or thirst drinking from it will make it stop. That scroll is a map of the ever shifting world of the Dreamlands. It will always show you where you are and what's around you. That compass will always point in the safer direction to reach your destination, but it's up to you to choose what it points towards. Finally, those saddlebags. You'll never lose them as long as you wear them, and you will not feel their weight. No one else will be able to see them, and it'll be as if you don't have them, but as soon as you wish them to appear you will find they are still with you."

Twilight closed back the saddlebags and put them on. She didn't feel them at all, but when she looked for them she saw they were still there. She turned to her benefactors and thanked them.

"We aprecciate your gratitude, but before we leave you to sleep there are other things that we must tell you. A last series of warnings, if you will.
Don't feel hate nor love for the ponies you'll meet in your travels. The Dreamlands often act as a mirror to one's mind, mimicking their thoughts. Know that no member of your kind ever stopped to live in this world, and the ones you see are nothing more than twisted memories and shadows.
Beware of the Otherland, and stay as far from it as you can, for there are things in that place that should never be in the minds of mortals.
Don't trust the one who comes in black. He has shown he doen't want to harm you directly, but far more than the hanging he enjoys seeing the unaware tie his own knot. He might show helpful acts, but his motivations you should fear.
This is what we have to say. Farewell Twilight Sparkle, may you find your worth in the waking world." The voice disappeared again, and Twilight was left alone in the room.

She layed on the bed. From outside, she could hear the voices of the two entities speaking in that language she still couldn't understand.

"Assets es a alraicsal otsuig ais isnep?"

"Alos eratnorffa eved ehc oiggaiv nu è ous li am, on."

"Iel rep ùip id eraf otutop ommerva am, orev."

"Elouv is ehc òic etoup is evod àloc ìsoc islouv."

She felt tiredness overtake her and she closed her eyes.