The Magician's Name

Chapters

1- Land of the Lost
2- Blurred Lines
3- Everything will surely be alright
4- Tree's a Crowd

1- Land of the Lost

The Magician's Name

by PinkiePon-3

Chapter One
Land of the Lost

“Do you trust me?” Twilight asked, her voice devoid of desperation, but rather, just as warm and light as a spring breeze; contemplative.

Spike’s emerald optics widened as he studied the countenance of his closest friend. She was leaning back comfortably in her favorite chair; projecting an air of calm and relaxation, as the barest hint of a smile adorned her lavender lips. Her gaze, once focused on the liquid contents of the floral patterned teacup she cradled in her hooves, was now trained directly on him...or rather, through him. 'What kind of game was she playing at?', her companion momentarily contemplated.

Hesitantly, he swallowed his mouthful; savoring the spiced, liquid warmth that tickled his tight throat and spread like a gentle flame through his body; as the air in the magician’s study curiously seemed to take on a sudden chill. A wet, pink tongue swiped over scaled lips, lapping up the sweetened droplets that had chosen a strategic retreat beyond the reach of his waiting maw.

The inquiry was, indeed, a curious shift in conversation over afternoon tea; as if it were just as normal to ask whether or not he had remembered to brush his teeth that morning. Admittedly, the young drake had, at times, forgone the morning ritual that would ensure healthy hygiene, which would then warrant a bad case of dragon breath, but he had been getting better with Twilight’s strict reminders. His brow furrowed as the subject in question was mulled over; verdant pools plunging the depths of violet spheres in search of the answer that the knowledgeable scholar sought from him. The obvious answer would, of course, be ‘yes’, but that seemed far too easy. There was no life-threatening situation that they were wrapped up in, to warrant such an inquiry. Twilight knew for a fact that in all of the crazy, magical shenanigans she and her friends ever happened to draw him into over the years, he would always, unhesitatingly, put his full trust in her; believing that- come what may- the situation before them would turn out for the better.

His tongue itched to give her the reply that reverberated within his chest with every thunderous heartbeat. ‘Too easy; too easy’, his mind teased, causing his body to tense and pupils to constrict in anticipation. His purple claws lightly scraped at the lacquered porcelain of the teacup he had been drinking from; the brew’s temperature slowly cooling as the towering, antique grandfather clock against the wall ticked away every painful second that the awkward silence stretched between them. He could practically hear the rhythmic sway of the device’s pendulum slicing like a knife through the still air in the room; causing his jaw to clench; teeth gritting, as if the sound of hooves being drawn down a blackboard were filling his ears and sending chills coursing along his spine. How long had it been since the question had been raised? Three minutes? Ten?

Something was wrong, the lavender lizard realized, with a start! The normally excitable and barely-contained Twilight Sparkle was never this patient! Like a young filly with their attention divided, he had witnessed her instinctively attempting to drop hints at her own perceived answer, when in the company of her friends, when they failed to reach a conclusion to a question that she had presented as quickly as she had anticipated; or stretching out awkward silences with groans and sighs of exasperation and impatience that signaled boredom.

“Who-” Spike squeaked out of a tight throat; suddenly find it terribly difficult to inhale the precious oxygen he needed into his burning lungs. “….are you?” he chanced asking. In the back of his hyper-aware state of mind, his brain momentarily contemplated the possibility that the Twilight that sat before him was a Changeling, perhaps Thorax playing a prank on him, though Spike then dismissed the idea just as quickly. Still, it couldn’t hurt to ask.

The countered inquiry earned a bubbling of laughter from the depths of Twilight’s barrel; causing her to double over. Her teacup was hastily placed on the table in front of her, clattering noisily and relinquishing a splash of its liquid treasure before her hoof pulled away to clutch at her stomach; her slender form shaking with each peal of laughter.

Spike’s eyes widened slightly, his brain buzzing to comprehend the unexpected response that he got. Surely, it had to be a joke; one that he hadn’t quite understood, to elicit the bout of girlish giggles from the formerly collected and almost detached persona that the purple pony had portrayed mere moments earlier. Glazed eyes shifted to the left, then right, expecting Twilight’s friends to jump out out at any moment from behind the desk or potted fern that sparsely decorated the scholar’s study, revealing some elaborate prank. His head tilted when he drew his attention back to the only other occupant in the room with him. “Twilight, I don’t understand-” he finally conceded; his small shoulders shrugging.

As her laughter subsided, Twilight once more straightened and reclined in the plush cushions of her armchair; remnants of her mirth alight in her eyes, though there was a shadow of something else. Something Spike couldn’t quite place his claw on-

Interrupting his thoughts, the ascended alicorn spoke; though this time, her attention was directed at the picturesque scene of verdant, manicured lawn and aged poplar trees with branches stretched high against an expanse of clear blue sky outside the window. “Emotions, like trust, ebb and flow, like the changing of seasons;” she spoke softly, solemnly, sounding distant. “A single action in response to a situation is what can tip the scales between trust and mistrust.” she elaborated, beginning to talk moreso to herself at this point, rather than conversing with her companion. “Circumstances. Adrenaline. Upbringing...they’re all factors in whether we choose to put our trust in those who we surround ourselves with. Even as our friendships are tested over time and trial, trust-” she paused, snapping out of her monologuing reverie to turn her quizzical stare at the claws that rested gingerly atop her hoof; as if to reassure her.

Pleadingly, Spike’s eyes once more searched Twilight’s; silently assuring her of his loyalties while trying to gauge whatever intent that lie beneath the surface to raise such a topic of discussion. The violet depths, like many ancient tomes shelved within the magician’s private study, were carefully guarded. Finding nothing that could quell his curiosity, Spike curled his lips into a brief snarl before expelling a slow sigh, hoping that it might aid in masking his frustration.

“You’ve been awake for too long. Get some rest, Twilight.” the diminutive drake advised, offering a gentle pat to her hoof. “You sound tired.” the weariness in her voice was evident, even to his untrained ear. He attributed it to his knowing the plum-haired princess for so long, and possibly- he considered as an afterthought- the after-effects of the tea that she had just had consumed three hearty cups of. He made a mental note to meet with Fluttershy later and inquire of the origins and ingredients of the tea that she had sent shipped to them. “I’ll clean up here, so you don’t have to worry about a thing. Just relax and-” the drake drifted off, following his friend’s eye to a lone crimson leaf dancing upon the Autumn wind, signaling the encroaching Winter months.

“Like the shifting seasons,” the alicorn hummed idly, her mind beginning to wander once more. The faint hints of a gleaming, glittering spark of magic shone deep within her unfocused eyes. The Tree of Harmony, her friend’s elements, and her own cutie mark etched within the bark of that tree...that ancient living relic that changed the course of their lives some thousands of years in advance resonated in Twilight’s mind. The destinies of six completely different ponies of separate races and locations were predetermined; set on and guided along a course by the joint desires and hopes of the six pillars of ancient Equestria. Her chest tightened, and the repetitive, pulsing drumming of the organ within her barrel squeezed out from beyond its restricted confines to fill her ears. From the recesses of her mind crept images of that cryptic, yet warm smile upon a nameless face; one that she had only encountered in her dreams. Drawn back to her surroundings, she realized that her trusted companion had been hanging on her every word with baited breath. As she began to recall her last words, and redirect her train of thought, she opened her mouth to continue; however, her tongue, as if of its own accord, repeated the words that that shadowed figure had spoken to her in the recesses of slumber. “There is no coincidence in the world, only inevitability…..”

How desperately she wanted to meet that one again! Praying that the tea she had consumed would both calm her frazzled nerves and racing mind, and succeed in lulling her to Luna’s dream realm to make that possible, Twilight allowed her eyelids to close under their own weight. The warden of slumber would surely help her decipher the coded tellings of her restless mind! A soft smile pulled at her lips as she felt the warmth of her closest friends’ claws on her hoof once more, as the edges of her reality began to blur into a hazy fog that beckoned her from the darkness.

“Sweet dreams, Twilight.” Spike murmured. After the long and exhausting task of sorting, reorganizing, and triple-checking every book in the library and on loan, he was quite certain that she’d be needing a good night’s sleep.

-----48 hours earlier-----

“Augh! Where is it?!” The panicked Princess of Friendship’s cries of distress reverberated off of the cold, crystal walls of her cavernous castle home. Mane unkempt, coat ungroomed, and with eyes as wide as saucers, the irritated equine emerged from within a small mountain of unshelved books.

Her assistant could only cringe at the slovenly sight before him. If Canterlot’s elite could witness their newest Princess in all her frazzled, sleep-deprived, obsessive compulsive and possibly paranoid glory, they would most certainly have a field day with their gossip! His claws itched to reach out and at least attempt to tame the out of control mess that was Twilight’s mane. Perhaps that was Rarity’s influence on him, he thought idly, as he’d never been one to care much about keeping up appearances until he had met her. His head shook in order to snap himself out of his momentary reverie.

“Twilight,” he sighed over a stack of books in his arms that needed re-shelving after said mare had haphazardly thrown them across the room in a burst of magenta magic from her horn. “You’re losing it.” he huffed, curtly. After two days of forgoing sleep to stay up with the neurotic bibliophile to aid in her quest, the drained dragon was in no mood to mince words. Some part of him knew that his attitude was of no help in the situation that he had gotten himself into, but Twilight, apparently was much farther gone than he. Perhaps his words had even fallen on deaf ears.

With a grimace, he turned his back to the frantic librarian and began to place the books back on the shelf. No sooner had one been placed in its rightful spot, would another one go whizzing mere inches from his head. “Hey!” he snapped, distractedly dropping his load and covering the back of his head with both hands. “Watch it!” Muzzle drawn back in a snarl, he turned back around and jumped backward so that the scaled spines coursing down his back were pressed uncomfortably into the bookshelf, once he took notice of his friend close enough to be breathing down his neck.

Twilight’s left eye twitched while the right darted from one side of the room to the other. “I already have!” she laughed, clearly unhinged. “Lost it, I mean!” she attempted to clarify, though still she made no sense to her cranky companion.

“Clearly.” Spike mumbled, unable to resist rolling his eyes.

Deaf to his snark and sarcasm, Twilight prattled on, beginning to pick up her hooves in a nervous prancing pace. “It’s nowhere to be found!” she announced through a strained laugh behind gritted teeth and clenched jaw. “I’ve looked and looked…..every single book- triple checked the checkout cards…tracked down the ponies who had borrowed books in the past week…..contacted the Canterlot and Crystal Empire Library, and you know what I’ve found?” she growled, letting her tri-colored tail lash the air in a display of unbridled irritation.

Disinterest on his dysfunctional friend dawning, Spike peered at the princess through a glassy gaze. “A big fat nada.” he droned.

“Nothing!” Twilight confirmed, as she shouted at the ceiling, her bloodshot eyes brimming with tears. Most certainly now driven by madness, her horn sparked to life with her signature magenta magical aura, and she continued to pull down the books from the shelves that had recently been organized. “There has to be one that I missed,” she now spoke to herself, reassuringly. “I have to look through them all again. I have to- OW!” Half a dozen books that had been held up in the air by her magic dropped like stones all around her, many with their contents splayed, spines bent, or pages creased. “What the hay was that for?” Twilight snapped, now that she had been shaken out of her trance by the sudden assault on the back of her head. A hoof lifted to gingerly rub at the pained area, which caused her to wince.

The drake sighed as he advanced toward his caretaker. “Figured you needed it.” he explained as he picked up the encyclopedia that he had used as ammunition. “Do you even know what book you’re looking for?” he chanced inquiring, knowing that her sleep-addled brain had most likely thrown her off course of her objective.

Twilight blinked, then frowned. The name of the reference material had been on the tip of her tongue just a moment ago, she was quite sure of it! “I’ve been talking about it for two days, Spike.” the mare quipped, as she issued a stern glare.

“No,” Spike reasoned. “Just that ‘It’ was what you’ve been needing to find! You say that its a book, but you can’t name it?”

At this confession, Twilight was taken aback. Her brow furrowed as she stared at her assistant, then at the floor. She could’ve sworn that she had-

“Maybe it’s time to call it a day.” Spike decided, interrupting her thoughts and holding back a yawn. He was tired and getting cranky, and Twilight was well past the point of sanity. He reached out and placed a claw on her neck, guiding her out of the room and away from the mess that she had turned the library into. “I’ll go make some of that tea that Fluttershy sent you, and then you can turn in. Don’t worry about a thing.”

The Princess smiled. Tea did, in fact, sound good, and sleep sounded even better. “Thanks, Spike.” Once out of the library, she could practically feel a heavy weight already being lifted off of her shoulders. She had to force herself not to look back and worry about the mess that she had left behind, as she put one hoof in front of the other. No, she assured herself by way of reason, her trusty assistant would take care of it, as he always had.

Spike returned the warm smile as he walked Twilight Sparkle to her personal study. “What are friends for?”

Author's Note

We're losing it! Or rather, Twilight seems to be. Lost books, lost marbles, lost sleep- where's a 'lost and found' box when you need one? More importantly- what in the wide world of Equestria was in that tea?!

2- Blurred Lines

Chapter 2
Blurred Lines

“Me and my big mouth.” Spike mumbled beneath his breath as he struggled desperately to keep his irritation to a minimum. His eyelids were still weighted with sleep, and his half-lidded gaze was trained intently on a pale yellow mare whose silky coat reminded him of lightly buttered popcorn. She was none other than one of Twilight Sparkle’s friends, Fluttershy, Ponyville’s resident animal expert.

His complaints went ignored by the occupant in the library who sang a wordless melody in a soft, serene voice that could lull even a rampaging adult dragon to sleep in an instant. Her feathered wings flapped slowly, keeping her aloft and at eye level with one of the highest shelves in Twilight’s crystal library. “I’m sorry that I had to wake you,” the pegasus apologized, only briefly glancing down at the young dragon beneath her. “It’s just that I need a book for my furry friends’ monthly book club, and Angel Bunny really wanted me to read “Weathering Flights this week. I really do appreciate you helping me look for it.” she explained timidly, expressing her gratitude. “I don’t suppose Twilight has it in her library, does she?” she asked, only after she had carefully searched through every book that the pony Princess had stocked on the shelves. It wasn’t very often that the library was lacking a book that Fluttershy had desired.

The disgruntled drake groaned inwardly and aimed a dirty glare at the pegasus’ pet rabbit. “It’s been checked out.” he huffed dryly. “Believe me, I have every borrowed book in the past week memorized by now.” Silently, he dared Fluttershy to ask him how he knew.

A pleading look from the watery azure eyes of the pink-haired mare as she landed beside him, light as a feather, dragged a tired, drawn-out sigh from the dragon that had been so rudely disturbed from his nap. “Fiiiiiine.” Spike grumbled, adding in an exaggerated roll of his eyes just for good measure. “I’ll check the circulation card.” he finally assured her. As much as a shy, reserved pushover that she appeared to be on the surface, the featherweight sure had her way of coercing any pony or woodland creature to do her bidding, when she really wanted to; Spike noted.

A moment later, he returned, card in hand. “Told ya.” he preened, taking a bit of pride in the memorization skills that had clearly rubbed off on him from Twilight. “The book got checked out last week. Sorry, Fluttershy, but you’re going to have to find something else to read at your book club.” In spite of his best efforts to hold it in, he opened his mouth wide and let out a loud yawn; tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” The card in his claws was sent back to its proper place in the file cabinet with a purse of his lips and a gently exhaled flame of his enchanted dragon breath. “This dragon needs his rest.”

“Oh dear.” the mare sighed, as she cast a sorrowful look to the little bunny. “I don’t suppose you would like for me to read a different book this week, would you, Angel?” she inquired hopefully. Already, she held a copy of one of her own favorites, “Cutie and the Beastly” in her forelegs.

Ears drooping and whiskers twitching with restrained agitation, the fuzzy white creature looked up at the pleading Pegasus and offered its disapproving glare.

Fluttershy sighed as the small, but strong forest creature that she had made her pet leaped up and kicked the book out of her hooves, so that it sailed backward over Spike’s head. “I guess we can check for it at the Canterlot Library.” she decided as she headed for the door, following after the rabbit who was hopping away in a huff. “Spike, if somepony returns the book soon, I hope that you’ll remember-” she paused, trailing off as she turned and noticed the overworked dragon already fast asleep on the floor.

“Remember.” a familiar voice breathed, its warmth stirring the cold air that pressed in from every side.

Twilight shivered as the voice seemed to come from all directions, resonating within the deepest parts of her and radiating outward into her limbs. Ears perked at attention, she struggled to pinpoint the source of the sound. Pitch black darkness crept all around, swallowing her whole and distorting her sense of direction. Strangely, she noticed after a breath of a moment has transpired, the luminescent light that emanated from her horn when she cast a spell wasn’t functioning as it should; leaving her completely blind.

“Remember what?” Twilight Sparkle’s voice trembled with an underlying twinge of a desperate whine as she called out to the unknown, invisible presence. She could hear her own erratic heartbeat thundering in her ears, as she began to panic. If she couldn’t provide light from her horn, she reasoned, then she couldn’t hope to summon a spell of any sort to come to her aid in defense if she was attacked by something or somepony that was lurking somewhere within the ominous darkness with her. At the very least, though not trained in the art of offense, she could’ve cast the reliable shield spell that her beloved older brother, Shining Armor had taught her! It had certainly proven itself useful when Starlight Glimmer had attacked her outside of her village when Twilight and her friends had put a stop to her cutie mark stealing scheme.

Was this voice friend or foe? It was impossible to tell. Why in the wide world Equestria couldn’t she call upon her magic?! There had to be something wrong with her horn! The very thought frightened her; making her feel weak, helpless. The uneasy alicorn desperately strained her ears to listen for the voice that had spoken to her; desperate to hear beyond the frantic breath that was her own. All that confronted her, to her dismay, was the uncomfortable sound of silence that stretched for miles amid the darkness that sought to suffocate her.

Sucking in a shaky breath in attempt to calm her nerves, just as her dear sister-in-law had instructed her that time when the Equestria Games Inspector, Mrs. Harshwhinny, had been scheduled to arrive at the Crystal Empire to inspect the location for the Games, Twilight began to lift her foreleg to her chest with the next step, but a tickling sensation at the very end of her muzzle made her freeze in place. Instead of releasing the breath in a soothing exhale that would diffuse her tension, her mouth opened wide and emitted a frightened scream.

“YAAAAAH!”

A faint light pierced the darkness, as if the sharp sound from her mouth had suddenly shattered the pitch black void that hung around her like a cloak. The tickling at her muzzle resumed, irritating the space between her flared nostrils. Quickly, the light before her grew brighter, nearly blinding her. The purple pony squinted, groaned, then blinked a few times as the world around her was bathed in white and then gradually came into focus. A fuzzy patch of yellow, she noticed, was moving ever so gently in front of her face. After a moment’s time, her eyesight returned, and she was greeted by a fragile yellow butterfly that had perched precariously atop her muzzle; seemingly unaffected by her terrified screams.

“Huh?” baffled, the Princess tilted her head to the side. There was no way that the voice she heard had come from this creature! After all, butterflies couldn’t talk; at least none that she had ever encountered before! The sudden movement caused the insect to beat its beautiful wings and take flight, abandoning its perch to climb higher into the air. For a moment, Twilight’s gaze followed it, watching as it drifted into an endless, white expanse. “Well that was….weird.” she spoke, suddenly becoming distracted by something cool and wet against her back hooves.

Forgetting about the butterfly, Twilight turned around, gasping in shock as a wide expanse of white, sandy beach came into view. The salty water of the ocean ebbed and flowed, splashing its foamy surf against her hooves and succeeding at matting her fur. How could she have failed to notice this picturesque scene before, she wondered idly? Standing still in the wet surf-kissed sand, she contemplated, taking the moment of serenity to relax and think logically about this perplexing situation. So many things failed to make sense!

‘This must be a dream. There’s no way that I could be in Ponyville, with a beach around. And beaches don’t just appear out of thin air...’ she began to reason, attempting to habitually organize her thoughts as if they were her beloved books that she had done the same with countless times. ‘And the butterfly-’

“You must remember.”

There was that voice again! Rattling her out of her thoughts, Twilight’s ears perked to attention, rigid and alert, as she jumped slightly; locking all of her legs and distributing her center of gravity closer to the ground. “Who’s there?” she demanded, though she saw no one. “I’m warning you-” hoping to scare off the unseen threat, she added an authoritative edge to her voice; one that she had only heard her mentor, Princess Celestia use that one time after Twilight had gone off the deep end and brainwashed all of Ponyville’s residents with a ‘want it, need it’ spell over her Smarty Pants doll. “Show yourself!”

It began to dawn on her, all too soon, that without her inherent magic, no...without her friends that had usually accompanied her since she had arrived in Ponyville- without the ponies that seemed to amplify her innate magic and amplify it exponentially, that she was completely and utterly defenseless in this situation. Now that she could see, she took every opportunity to observe the space around her; though the only thing that seemed out of place was that the beach and its endless expanse of water had suddenly vanished. Was she simply being paranoid, or was she beginning to hear voices in her head? Twilight shook her head, as if to rattle any potential ghosts from inside her noggin. ‘It certainly couldn’t hurt to try, if there were any, right?’ she reasoned, though it certainly was a poor conclusion to be drawn from reliable logic.

“Ok, this is getting weird.” Twilight spoke, despairingly, to no one except herself. Maybe Spike was right, and she was, in fact, losing hr marbles. “I have to wake up now. Princess Luna?” she called out, hoping that the voice that had spoken to her was from the Princess of the Night and guardian of pony dreams. Perhaps the mistress of the moon had grown bored and sought to spook her in her unguarded subconscious. “This isn’t funny, Luna!” the younger Princess pouted; turning in a circle in hopes of spotting the cleverly concealed mare. When she stopped, she came face to face with a wide pair of plum colored eyes.

Instead of shrieking, as she had before when the suffocating sea of darkness had swallowed her, Twilight stared at the reflection of herself within the mirror that most certainly hadn’t been there just a moment ago. “Looks like it just got weirder.” she hummed, almost instantly dismissing the fact that she was muzzle to mandible with a Changeling that was disguised in her form. The sound of her own voice comforted her; though the one she had been hearing had been all too familiar.

‘How do I wake up?’ Twilight Sparkle pondered, as she rubbed her chin. Could the mirror, perhaps, have something to do with her inability to enter the waking world? Like a curious foal, she reached out her foreleg, tapping the smooth surface of the glass gingerly with her hoof. Rather than pushing past the reflective surface and into a void that led her to another dimension, like she had when she had been given her mission from Princess Celestia to retrieve the pony that was her former student, Sunset Shimmer, the surface of the mirror remained solid.

Twilight sighed, beginning to feel as if she were at a loss. This dream was quickly beginning to wear on her nerves. Though her head weighed heavy upon her neck, she turned her sights on the large, full moon that hung overhead in a sky that Twilight swore wasn’t there before. “How am I supposed to make sense of this, Luna? What are you trying to tell me?” she asked. Her hoof withdrew from the surface of the mirror, leaving smeared streaks of water in its wake.

Distracted, her mind trained its thought on her earlier objective; shoving out the thoughts of her recent and strange encounters. Her muzzle scrunched and her ears drew back against her head. “Where’s that stupid book that I was looking for?” she asked aloud to open air; hoping, praying that it, like the other random objects, would somehow miraculously appear in front of her. A moment passed and nothing happened. Twilight turned around in yet another circle, and still, nothing. Was Princess Luna just making a fool of her, at this point; knowingly observing her every action and growing frustration from being in this backward, random dream that she designed?

“This isn’t funny anymore.” the mare mumbled, unsure as to why this book she couldn’t even recall the name to was so darned important to her in the first place. Then, like lightning, it struck her! Could it be….perhaps the name of the book was what the voice that she had heard was telling her to remember! That had to be it! But then again, what did the book even look like? “Ugh!” Twilight growled in frustration; magenta and plum colored bangs swaying as she tipped her head back and voiced her irritation at the moon. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you, Luna?!” perhaps, just maybe, she concluded for a brief moment, that the moon, true to its name, was driving her to the brink of madness.

“Twilight?” Celestia’s kind, calming voice cut through the madmare’s rant like a knife through butter, causing the smaller, younger mare to flinch at the sound of her name, like a disobedient filly caught with their hooves in a cookie jar before dinner.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight’s heart leapt and spirits soared at the sight of a familiar face in this place, and she ran to her former mentor, all too eagerly.

Chuckling and emanating a warmth that was reminiscent of a spring day, the pastel-haired matriarch gave a loving nuzzle to her most faithful student, who craned her neck upward in her sought after affections. “Who else?” she teased, a smile already forming on her muzzle.

“I was expecting Luna, to be honest.” the lavender alicorn Princess replied, glancing up to the silver moon that loomed above their heads.

“I see.” the wizened mare mused, following Twilight Sparkle’s gaze. “Is that who you were talking to, you silly filly?” she couldn’t help but laugh; a beautiful sound that sent Twilight’s heart aflutter, and made her stomach do backflips.

Oh, how she loved that sound!

A faint blush tinted her lavender cheeks, and Twilight couldn’t help but momentarily avert her gaze from the stunning visage that was her beloved teacher; as if the long-time guardian and ruler of Equestria’s lands had graced her with a comment that Twilight was too humble to accept. “I feel like I was talking to myself, more than anything, really.” she sheepishly admitted, as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

Celestia laughed once more, finding amusement in the fact that her dearest, most faithful student was apparently out of her head. “Perhaps that may not be such a bad thing,” she spoke, her voice taking on a slightly deeper, rougher tone within its sweet, familiar notes.

Twilight blinked, unsure that she had heard Celestia correctly. “Princess Ce-”

“Because you’re all alone, anyway!” Celestia snarled, interrupting. Her violet eyes momentarily glowed with a molten amber hue, and her wings flared to their full size, making her seem bigger and more threatening than she really was.

Before Twilight could do so much as react, Celestia stood on her hind legs and used her forehooves to grasp Twilight’s shoulders and shove her backward into the mirror with all her strength. Twilight’s wings spasmed and twitched, her body curling in on itself as the impact against the mirror sent shockwaves of pain coursing through her like lightning. Glass violently exploded, shattering into thousands of pieces as Twilight cried out, desperately flailing her limbs as she fell backward and backward still. When she should’ve hit the ground, she continued to fall; her wings flapping hard in effort to lift, but gaining no purchase. With no magic at her disposal, she realized in a cold sweat, that she was unable to even teleport to safety. This was her end. All she could do was yell for help and hope that somepony, anypony could hear her….and save her.

“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”

Wild limbs lashed about in the air, scrambling in attempt to find solid footing. Bed sheets were tossed haphazardly on the ground, and Twilight jolted up, her spine rigid and mane a mess. Panting and chest heaving, she observed her surroundings through eyes as wide as saucers. Ever so slowly, it dawned on her that she was home, safe in her own bed, in the waking world where everything was real and solid. A shaky sigh pushed past her parted lips. A hoof dragged down her face, collecting the droplets of cold and clammy perspiration that accumulated on her brow and neck.

“I’m ok.” she spoke, attempting to reassure herself. “It was only a dream. It wasn’t real.” she shivered, despite herself. It certainly had felt real; every bit of it. “Ugh.” the panicked princess groaned, her body feeling just as heavy as a weight made of lead. She would certainly need to pinpoint the cause of such an awful nightmare later, but at the moment, she felt that she could really use a nice long, relaxing shower to soothe her frazzled nerves. Hopefully Spike had left some hot water available after his infamous seven hour bubble baths that he insisted on taking once a week.

Reluctantly, Twilight forced her body to move, shifting her weight upon the mattress and distributing it onto her right hoof. A sharp pressure jolted up her foreleg, causing her to wince and draw her hoof back to see what had pained it. “Ow! What the-?!” the befuddled equine inquired, as she glared at a small copper colored key that was lying on the mattress where her hoof had just been. “What in the name of Celestia is this?!”

3- Everything will surely be alright

Chapter 3
Everything will surely be alright

"Zettai Daijôbu da yo." The faint, fading whispers of words spoken in a foreign tongue by an unfamiliar voice tickled teasingly at the back of Twilight’s conscious mind. Exotic and almost eerie, the alicorn Princess noted that the words sounded nothing like she had ever heard before. Neither were they modern Equestrian nor the language of Old Ponish that Starswirl the Bearded and the other Pillars spoke, but yet…..somehow, they put her at ease, almost magically drawing the tension from her shoulders and quieting the frantic thoughts within her mind.

Twilight’s violet eyes glazed, unfocused as the pony lie in her bed. Her brain buzzed as she stared down at the tiny key that she held in her hoof, as if it would provide her with the answers that she sought. Where did it come from? What purpose did it serve? A thousand questions fought for dominance within her mind. Tiny droplets of water dripped down from her damp bangs to moisten the curious star-shaped symbol that bore striking resemblance to her cutie mark in the center of a small ring atop the strange key.

Her shoulders sagged under the self-inflicted pressure and drawn conclusion that no matter ho long she stared, nothing miraculous could happen, as she expected. ‘Silly foal.’ she silently chastised herself, with a shake of her head and slight pull of her lips into a smirk. How long had it been since she had seen the sun, she wondered idly. After getting a good night’s rest, she figured some fresh air, sunshine, and stretch of her legs would do wonders to clear the cobwebs out of her head. One thing that she knew for sure was that she had spent far too long in the library over the past few days. And here she had told herself that she wouldn’t allow that to happen again, as she did during the three days where she had been holed up in her castle to reorganize her library, only to learn that her closest friends were having fun with Discord the draconequuis and self-proclaimed lord of chaos. ‘Old habits die hard, I guess.’ she reasoned with a roll of her eyes, leaving it at that. Twilight hoped that she hadn’t worried her friends too much with her absence. After experiencing such an awful dream, and recalling the words that Celestia had uncharacteristically spoken, Twilight longed to be in the company of the ponies who she had become the best of friends with.

For the time being, the mysterious object that she had found would be kept in the safest place that she could think of. With nary a thought to it, a spell was invoked, causing brilliant sparks of light to float around her horn amid a soft magenta-colored aura. As if it were made from morning dew and gossamer, the key in her hoof was trapped in her magic’s containment field and gingerly lifted into the air to be raised at eye level. As much as she desired to decipher its origins here and now, as the crowned Princess of Friendship, she had an obligation to her friends to fulfill. So, too, as a Professor of the art of friendship in her school, she had a duty to not just ponies, but to creatures of all sorts across Equestria and beyond, who sought such a precious education.

Twilight’s violet eyes widened, a stunned gasp leaving her lips as realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. “Classes!” The pony Princess neighed loudly, as she drew her ears backward. “Sweet Celestia, I’m late to instruct my class!”

Hastily, she used her magic to call forth a pocket dimension, linking its entrance to the dimension that she resided in, while she tossed the key haphazardly inside of it. It had been a relatively quickly learned trick that the skilled pony had been able to pick up after she had pulled Starswirl and his friends out of the space that existed between her world and another, that they called Limbo. In almost no time at all, Twilight had advanced to pulling a portion of space from the uncharted location in order to craft convenient pocket dimensions. A simple sealing spell over the dimensional coordinates caused it and the key it contained to vanish.

“What time is it?!” In a panic, the lavender pony leapt out of bed and frantically trotted around her room; when her body froze of its own accord. Her muzzle wrinkled, and she looked at her surroundings. Yes, she was most certainly in her bedroom. “I thought for sure that I had fallen asleep in my study.” Somehow, she hadn’t realized it in all of the time that it had taken her to draw her bath and spend an hour soaking in it, and another half hour staring at that darned key! Her head shook from side to side, attempting to fix her train of thought back on track. She made a mental note to question her scaled assistant about it later, but for now-

She found herself lighting up her horn with another spell, reaching for a sheet of parchment that was in the side drawer of the bed table. A quill was snatched up in the magnetic magical field of her sparkling aura, and a note was scribbled in mid-air. With so many questions and concerns jousting and clashing in her mind, she decided that a physical note to remind her was better and less likely to be forgotten about. With her tendency to keep to her checklists, Twilight could affirm that she would address the issue at a later time. With a satisfied and self-assured nod of her head, she resumed her frantic activities of trotting about and filling her saddlebag with the necessary supplies to teach her students.

“I’m tardyyyyyyyyyy!” the desperate howls from within the walls of the castle were loud enough to cause many residents of Ponyville to pause in their own daily activity, lifting their heads and casting concerned and confused gazes toward Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle.

“Uhhh, what are all these ponies,” Starlight Glimmer paused as she decided to more carefully choose her words to more accurately describe her audience. “All these creatures doing here?” the unicorn corrected herself, as her cheeks began to tinge with a faint blush that signaled her immediate embarrassment. With a crease settling on her brow, she cast a look of confusion to Ponyville’s resident party planner, Pinkie Pie. In harmony with her name, she was a cotton candy colored pink mare with a voluminous magenta mane that was fluffier and bouncier than anything Starlight had ever seen!

Though the pink filly had her hooves awfully busy with loading heaps of fluffy white whipped cream out of a metal can onto a mountain of warm pancakes of various flavors and textures, she paused momentarily to bat her big blue eyes at Starlight in response. “Well what’s it look like, silly?” she smiled, teasingly, as she took the opportunity to plop a bright red cherry on her finished creation before moving onto the next undecorated flapjack stack. Without waiting for an answer, though the heliotrope horse had already begun to open her mouth, Pinkie flicked a ruby red cherry into Starlight’s mouth without missing a beat.

Caught off guard, Starlight wrinkled her muzzle and hacked violently as the fruit collided with her uvula and pinballed down her esophagus without warning.

“I’m putting together a pancake dinner party for the Parent Professor meet and greet that will be held at the Friendship School tonight! With so many students from the Dragon lands, Yak tribe, Hippogriff clans, and Changeling Kingdom, it’s important for their parents to be given a tour of the school and updated on their children’s curriculum and progress!”

Once the coughing fit subsided, Starlight cleared her throat and surveyed the piles of pancakes that took up all the space on the crystal table in front of the party pony. “Ok, but why pancakes, if its a dinner party?” Though Pinkie was eccentric in every way, Starlight knew that she could’ve simply chalked it up to “Pinkie being Pinkie”, as most of her other friends had, but being a methodical mare, Starlight couldn’t help but take the opportunity to try and pick the odd mare’s brain to try and make sense of her workings.

Pinkie Pie sighed, her body slumping over momentarily, as if all the life had suddenly been drained out of her, like a deflated balloon, at that very moment. “Sugar Belle is working as an apprentice for Mrs. Cake in Sugarcube corner.” In order not to lose precious time, she sproinged back up and got back into her rhythm; hooves seeming to blur as they grabbed a stack of flapjacks, slapped them on a plate, and topped them with various assortments of cream, cherries, and candy colored sprinkles. “Well, it just so happened that due to my pet alligator, Gummy, getting himself into the unfinished batter to sneak a taste before Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s super secret anniversary surprise cake could be baked, Sugar Belle wound up getting distracted between cleaning up a battery baby gator and keeping the Cake’s anniversary cake a surprise, that she accidentally canceled the dinner reservation that was meant for the Parent Professor Meet and Greet, and ordered an excess of pancakes to be shipped to Sugarcube Corner, instead.” she detailed, promptly filling her lungs to capacity with an exaggeratedly deep inhale.

“Okaaay.” Starlight Glimmer couldn’t help but roll her eyes, beginning to wonder why she had even bothered asking in the first place. Taking a step backward, she hoped that she should leave the room without Pinkie roping her into assisting her. There were many pancakes yet to be given the “Pinkie Treatment”, though the mare was working at such a frantic and frenzied pace. “I’ll just leave you to the task at hoof, and get out of your way, then-”

No sooner had she stepped hoof out of the school’s dining room, was she blind-sighted and bowled over by a galloping purple Princess who had most likely been on her way to her office. Dazed, the royal’s pupil shook her head, picking herself up off of the floor to just barely catch sight of Twilight as she scurried down a corner. “Excuse you!” she huffed. Rather than a Princess of any sort, she could swear that filly had been raised on the rough and tumble, fast-paced streets of Manehattan, instead! When Starlight looked to Pinkie, hoping that she had a thought to share on Twilight’s unusual behavior and lack of assistance when Starlight had been knocked down in the purple pony’s haste, the lightly bruised unicorn found that more attention was being payed to the preparations for the dinner party. Oddly enough, that came as no surprise. “I’d better go check in on Twilight.” she decided aloud, as she left the party planner to her own devices.

A light and cautious knock on the tightly shut door of the Head Mare signaled Starlight’s arrival some moments later. Though her ears was drawn back with concern for Twilight’s odd behavior and adherence to her own earlier bruises, the alicorn’s pupil decided to reach for the handle, pacing momentarily before her hoof made contact. Amid the sound of hurriedly shuffled papers and closing desk drawers, she managed to hear a slightly muffled invitation; “Come in.” Starlight Glimmer pushed the blockade open a centimeter or two, cautiously standing at the door’s threshold. “Twilight?” she breathed, peeking into the office with concern. “It’s me. I just saw you come in and…..” the door opened a little more and the mare gingerly stepped inside, only to duck her head as a stapler whizzed through the air, held by the Headmare’s magical aura. “Um, what are you doing?”

Immediately, Twilight turned her attention to her guest. Her brow creased with concern and stress, and the lavender fur of her cheeks was damp with tears. “I can’t find today’s itinerary!” the usually organized Princess sobbed.

The unicorn grimaced at the unsightly image of distraught royalty before her. “Everything will be alright. Let’s just calm down and we’ll look for it together.” she spoke, keeping her voice even in hopes to provide some semblance of calm of the chaos unfolding around her. Twilight hadn’t made her the school of friendship’s guidance councilor for nothing! Her first order of business was igniting her horn and snatching up a square of tissue out from the box that occupied space on the floor rather than upon Twilight’s desk. Levitating it to her friend’s nose, she silently commanded the Princess to blow, which produced a most undignified honk. “If you don’t mind me saying, though,” Starlight hummed, as she pitched the sullied square into the trash bin. “You really need to take better care of your belongings.”

From within the pocket dimension that Twilight had earlier manifested, the copper key that had been so haphazardly thrown there hung weightlessly, as if levitating itself. The decorative, six-pointed star that sat within a ring at its head gleamed faintly in the inky black space it lay contained in.

4- Tree's a Crowd

Chapter 4- Tree's a Crowd

“Um, Twilight, do you have a moment?” The sweet, springtime serenade that was the voice of a lemon yellow Pegasus pony chirped like a songbird into the still air of Headmare Twilight Sparkle’s office.

Fluttershy trained her gaze upon the face of her friend, carefully taking in the details of the alicorn Princess’ features through wide and beautiful blue eyes that would make the fiercest dragons drop their guard.

With her temporarily misplaced itinerary clasped tightly beneath a perfectly preened wing, thanks to the assistance of Starlight Glimmer, Twilight felt that she could breathe just a little bit easier, even though she was already late in getting to her class. Her chest heaved as she drew a steady breath into her lungs, counted to ten, and then released the breath in a quiet sigh. “Of course, Fluttershy!” she smiled. “What can I do for you?”

“Someone’s here to see you.” she answered quickly, preferring not to beat around the bush when she could sense that Twilight’s time was precious. Straightening her posture from her slightly crouched position that expressed submission, the golden mare took a measured baby step into the room. Practically following on the animal caretaker’s hooves was a pristine white mare with an impeccably groomed coat and mane tied into a sleek and professional bun.

“Good day, Princess Sparkle.” Celestia’s most trusted aide, Raven Inkwell spoke in a respectful tone. As if automatically, she prostrated herself before the elected official who held office as the Princess of Friendship, by Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia’s choosing. “I hope my unscheduled visit isn’t a hindrance to your busy schedule, but I was sent on behalf of Princess Celestia to assist you in your preparations regarding the Unity Conference.”

Extending a hoof, the lavender pony Princess nodded in understanding. “Please,” she urged, always feeling uncomfortable when ponies put her unnecessarily onto a pedestal and addressed her in flowery formality. “You can just call me Twilight.” she insisted, hoping that the Canterlot bred equine would take the hint. She flashed her teeth in a wide smile that spoke volumes of her discomfort. “I appreciate your visit-” Her eyes immediately darted to the day planner that sat atop her desk to see if she had somehow missed where she had scribbled what she had assumed to be a scheduled appointment later in the week that would warrant an impromptu arrival today, but there was no evidence of such a reminder anywhere on the open and organized pages. “It’s quite the surprise.” she admitted, beginning to frantically restructure her thoughts and mentally reorganize what plans she had set for the day.

“Tell ya what,” Starlight hummed, as she invoked a spell without much thought. Sparks of her signature turquoise magic spiraled around her horn and manifested into a constant aura, allowing her to encase the documents from the Princess’ person and levitate them into the air just above Twilight’s head. “Why don’t you let me take over your classes and you can be free to accommodate your guest?” she suggested, though her actions gave Twilight no say in the matter. “I can handle it.” she added with an air of confidence, hoping to reassure her before even a single word in protest had been spoken.

From behind sleek, black frames, Raven’s chocolate brown eyes glanced to the unicorn, studying her intently, as if she were an enigma to be solved. Having been born and bred in the hierarchical society of the Unicorn race, and groomed as a mere lowly servant to the nobles, she couldn’t begin to fathom just how absurdly out of place this upstart unicorn was being in the presence of the Princess. To so brazenly speak out of turn and also procure an item from them without permission was inconceivable! But even so, she kept her mouth shut and tongue bridled, as she had been trained to. Far be it for her to express thought in the presence of a pony who held higher rank without it being granted to her. Ever so slightly, her eyes widened as she threw a glance back to Twilight. Surely, since her family was that of the upper echelon within the capital, only granted to the family after Celestia had hoof-picked Twilight to be her personally trained pupil, she couldn’t have been ignorant of the hierarchical requirements and etiquette set in place by hundreds of years of established tradition. She had to be aware of the blatant act of disrespect that the lesser-ranked pony had just unjustifiably committed in her presence! Raven’s lips twitched, as if she wanted to speak her mind, but the thought quickly passed. She had to remind herself that this wasn’t Canterlot- it was Ponyville, and what had been long since established and understood within the proud and prestigious capital city simply did not apply within the rural and humble hub of the converged Unicorn, Pegasi and Earth pony races. More importantly, she noted, Twilight had always strove to follow in her mentor’s hoofsteps, to imitate the beloved guardian of the sun in every way; and that meant extending mercy and forgiveness at every opportunity. Idly, Raven wondered what it must’ve been like for the young mare to perpetually remain in the shadow of the sun. Was it warm and welcoming, or cold and lonely, as it had been for Celestia’s younger sibling, Luna? Seeing as how such thoughts would prove of no benefit to the situation at hoof, she quickly shifted her train of thought back on the appropriate track.

Rather than catching sight of Raven’s solemn stare, Twilight gave her full attention to Starlight, addressing her with an appreciative smile and level tone. “Thanks, Starlight. I trust my class will be in good hooves with you handling it.” she affirmed; actually pouring out a lavish amount of commendation upon the transgressor, rather than prompt and strict reprimand. It was only then that she allowed her gaze to turn to the silent and statuesque aide that had been sent by Celestia. “So,” she chirped in an unusually high tone that deviated from her normal range when in the casual presence of friends. “Where would you like to begin?”

Raven patiently waited until the unicorn and the yellow pegasus that had remained quietly at the threshold of the door, as if having expertly masking her very presence while intently observing the conversation found their way out. An eyebrow arched as the aide studied the Princess and contemplated what options that lay available to her. “Perhaps,” she mulled, unable to fathom the reality of being granted permission to take the reigns in deciding a Princess’ schedule. Though she much rather it had been a dream, the brown-maned mare was hyper aware of her situation being all too real. “We can begin with an explanation of the menu that I presume the pink pony was put in charge of being your head chef is preparing for the creatures who will be in attendance, tonight. Pancakes, while impressive the quantity that she has available, is a most intriguing entree.”

Pancakes?! She was certain that she had confirmed that Pinkie had made restaurant reservations for the leaders of Equestria’s ally nations after the briefing at the school! Twilight shrugged a shoulder as she stifled an amused chuckle. Though knowing Pinkie as a close friend for many years, she had still yet to even remotely grasp the playful patissiere’s behavior and mindset. How much more difficult, she figured, would it be for those in the Canterlot class of unicorns who had the privilege of being privy to rules, structures, and explained sciences about every iota of their magical world that stemmed from the greatest and prestigious scholars like Starswirl, to have it all amount to nothing in the face of Pinkie Pie’s own logic and masterful manipulation of their perceived reality? “Eh.” was the only answer that Twilight could give. Her mind drew back to the time when she had attempted to study the oddball equine and her unexplained quirks that Pinkie herself had aptly named as “Pinkie sense” through the sciences that she had been raised upon, in hopes of getting answers and explain the enigmatic equine, but to no avail. She had since accepted the belief that it was just Pinkie being Pinkie, and that was all there was to it.

“I think the dinner for tonight is covered. But since you’re here,” she hummed, hoping to change the subject matter. The last thing she needed was an even bigger headache than what she had woken up with this morning, and would much rather avoid having to recall. Twilight’s mind raced to conjure up some aspect of the Parent Professor Meet and Greet that needed assistance in being organized. She had been planning this event for weeks and had asked for the assistance of her friends long in advance, to ensure that everything from A to Z would run like clockwork. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had been assigned the task of personally notifying and gathering the group of creatures, Pinkie was tasked with feeding them, and Fluttershy would be handling the music for the event, as she had for the meeting of Ponyville’s Summer Sun Celebration, when the town had been chosen to host it. Much as Rarity had despaired of not being able to handle the decorations, she had just stepped hoof in Neighpon on the day that she had been notified, and left her younger sister, Sweetie Belle, in charge. There really wasn’t anything for Raven to assist with, especially on the day of. Why would Celestia be sending her over now, or even at all?

Raven’s lips twitched, stretching into a smile as she could practically see the gears turning in Twilight’s mind.

“What’s so funny?” The purple alicorn inquired, her train of thought coming to a screeching halt. Her muzzle wrinkled slightly in confusion as she observed the smile that painted Raven Inkwell’s face.

Now that her bait had been taken, and a question was raised by the royal that allowed her permission to share her thoughts, Raven expertly and immediately took stock of the items around Twilight’s office to lead the conversation in her favor. “Oh! I was just admiring that beautiful rose there on your desk.” she hummed in appreciation. A hoof pushed her glasses up onto the bridge of her nose, before she walked past Twilight to take a leisurely sniff at the fragrant flower.

Twilight’s ears perked up and she too found herself smiling. “That’s actually my mother’s favorite flower.” she admitted, sheepishly. “I don’t get to see her in Canterlot much with all of….this.” Her hoof swung out, gesturing to her office space and the castle of friendship that could be seen from outside her window. “So I keep it on my desk as a reminder of her, and as a reminder for me so that I never allow myself to let her down.” she confessed. A light twinge of pink burned at her cheeks and painted the fur at her face a slight rosy hue. With Starlight Glimmer handling her morning classes, Twilight realized that her schedule, at least until the afternoon, was wide open! “Would you like a tour of the gardens where these grow?”

“I’d love to.”

Once out among the flora of the school’s gardens, though they paled in comparison to her private gardens that the mystical Tree of Harmony had decided to bestow to her on the grounds of her instant castle, Twilight allowed herself a moment to stand in a particularly cozy sunbeam and stretch. Her royal purple wings flexed, being stretched to their full span. Startled by the lack of warning, Raven, who had been flanking the Princess, had to take a half step back to avoid being smacked square in the face with the preened appendage. Twilight’s neck craned, back arching and hooves splayed out in what resembled a yoga pose. Several soft popping sounds arose from her stiff joints, which came as a result of lack of exercise, due in part to being holed up in either her library or in the school of friendship, having to teach young pony and creature minds. Heaven knew the last time the Tree of Harmony’s map called her on a friendship mission.

Raven’s hoof pawed the grass idly as she waited, allowing the royal as much time as needed to unceremoniously splay herself this way and that. She attempted to imagine the regal Princess of the Sun, who she more often aided, performing such a display in anything but her royal private chambers, but even then, such a fantasy could not be conjured to mind.

“Ooh.” Twilight practically purred, as she stretched in a particular way that elongated her spine, and rolled her shoulders. “It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve been outdoors.” she took in hearty lungfuls of chlorophyll-filled air that was teeming with life among the blooms, and seemed to make her very cells stir with borrowed vitality! After a fitful night’s sleep, she certainly wouldn’t complain. “I hope you don’t mind if we go for a trot.” she smirked, picking up her hooves and prancing in place.

Raven mirrored the expression. This Princess was indeed, the unorthodox one, she noted, the longer she remained in her presence. It was refreshing, to say the least. She couldn’t count how many hours of her time had been invested into flanking the elder royals at the pace of a foal’s first shaky steps. “I don’t mind at all.” she spoke, accepting the challenge.

Spike’s claws twitched as they pressed into clods of damp soil that clung persistently to the soles of his scaly feet. His nostrils flared as the air hung thick with ancient auras of magic so dense that he could taste it upon his tongue. He could hear the hollow and horrible howls of the resident Timberwolves that marked out their territory and threatened any curious creature who dare get too close to the Livewood. Further, still, if he strained just enough, he could just barely make out the sounds of what seemed to be frenzied drumming, and he momentarily had to wonder what in Equestria the forest’s resident zebra was up to. The drumming, however, was all too quickly overpowered by rumbling thunder that announced its presence like clashing cymbals. Overhead, a crackling bolt of lightning pierced the sky like a javelin, lightning up the spooky forest as if it were the middle of the day, and redirecting his focus. Spike didn’t even flinch, though he could feel the powerful energy surging through the air and sizzling at his scales. A brilliant gaze that rivaled that of the purest emeralds focused on the towering structure that stood illuminated in an instant through the murky darkness before him; impressive, immovable- the Tree of Harmony.

“Ok, you got me here,” the dragon frowned, as if he was being inconvenienced. “Now tell me what you want.” he demanded, though before the great tree, he knew he was in of no position to be making them and adopting such a tone. Even so, he had been dragged through the forest with no explanation whatsoever, and he had to fight the urge to bare his glistening white fangs in feral agitation and dragon dominance.

From atop the highest branch of the twisted tree, a pair of black pearls gazed down at the diminutive dragon, merely watching and waiting. A sleek, black raven studied the scaled specimen, its head turning sideways for a moment before righting itself, as if it couldn’t decide on what it wanted to do. Instead, it soon lost interest in the reptile and stared solemnly out into the distance.

“Oh, come on!” Spike growled, wanting to rake his claws over his face and childishly stomp his foot into the ground, if only to let off some of the bubbling vexation that was brewing within his belly like one of Zecora’s mysterious cauldron concoctions. “Work with me here, will you?”

“Darling,” the sweet and familiar siren song that Spike knew anywhere beckoned from behind him. “Who are you talking to?” she innocently inquired.

The disgruntled drake turned on his heel, ready to give Rarity an answer, but the words died upon his tongue before they could even be uttered. Rather than coming face to face with the pristine white unicorn who he had developed a crush on, he found himself taken aback by the sight of her with himself standing right beside her!

“I was….what?” he babbled, his mind failing to process what was going on. How could there be two of him?!

Rarity ‘tsk’’ed, clicking her tongue and advanced a few paces toward him. “Twilight, dear, you’ve been muttering to yourself for some time now.” she explained, her lovely face now looking concerned, yet compassionate.

“What?!” Spike yelped, glancing down as a sickening wave of panic began to overtake him. His familiar purple claws had morphed into stubby lavender hooves! His heart plunged deep into the pit of his stomach as he could hear the frantic yelp that had been ripped out of his mouth was not that of his own, rather, a higher-pitched, girlier one that he had heard many times before when Twilight was in the midst of panic mode. Or, rather and more appropriately, some repressed sarcastic side of him laughed dryly, himself. His hooves gripped tightly at strands of plum and streaked magenta mane and pulled until tears were brought to the corners of his eyes. “Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”