Into the Light

Chapters

Stella
Books, Doors and Crowns
Promises
Fact and Fiction
Beyond the Threshold
The Crystal Vale
Just a Word
Snow and Cinder

Stella

Golden rays of light blazed through the crystalline windows of the princess’s bedroom, painting the plush, white carpet a pale yet fiery orange. Celestia’s young, fuchsia eyes blinked open, pupils contracting as they took in the glimmering sunshine of a beautiful morning. A grin began to spread across her face, gazing up into the violet canopy of her bed, supported by the ornate wooden beams at each corner.

She threw her covers off, abandoning the comfort of a peaceful rest and leaping out of bed. Scattered strands of her bright pink mane danced over her face for a moment, before she shook her head violently, at risk of slobbering all over her still-waking face. Her smile reached from ear to ear as she brushed her fluffy hair out of the way of her face, her horn igniting as a brush upon the dresser was shrouded in her starry aura.

She trotted over to the mirror as she began to smooth out her wavy mane, taming the bedhead that her pillow had dared to induce upon the princess of the sun.

And princess of the sun she was, as she quickly recognized by the angle of the sunlight decorating the floor what time it was. Her smile immediately vanished and she gasped before flinging her brush onto the dresser and instead seized her crown from her bedside table. She swung the door open so hard it slammed into the wall before she took off through its towering frame, not even bothering to close it behind her.

Her tiny hooves clattered against the tile, the stale air of the castle rushing past her as she grimaced, her breathing already picking up as she blinked the sleep from her otherwise excited eyes.

The scent of morning cooking filled her nostrils, wafting up as she ran across a loft looking down into the main lobby of the castle, the smoky scent of… was that bread? It smelt more like a campfire, but it brought the little princess joy all the same as she skidded at the top of a flight of stairs and began clip-clopping her way down.

She nearly collided with a guard, who let out a most undignified yelp as the filly roared past him, the poor stallion nearly dropping his spear while Celestia kept right on dashing through the halls of Canterlot.

To the left, to the right, to the left, to the right, until at last she screeched to a halt in front of yet another gigantic wooden door.

Now the scents of breakfast were stronger than ever, and her mouth already watered at the thought of digging into the fresh pastries and fruits prepared in the dining hall just beyond. The little one took a hoof and felt up her mane to ensure it was presentable enough before she took a deep breath and stood tall, practically puffing out her chest. She knocked on the door three times, still breathing heavily from her sprint as she tried to relax her otherwise wild expression.

There was a click, and the door slowly began to open, revealing a parchment-coloured mare with a pale blue mane. A tall white hat sat upon her brow and she adjusted it as she looked down at the filly before her, a warm smile spreading across her face as she kept the door just open enough to fit her body through. “Y-your majesty! I was beginning to think you wouldn’t be coming!”

“I’m sorry, Cream Puff, I accidentally slept in,” Celestia said as calmly as she could, keeping her head high as she tried to mask the glow in her eyes. “Why didn’t anypony wake me?”

Cream Puff cleared her throat. “I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you, your majesty, I have been in the kitchen all morning.” She paused for a moment, looking behind her anxiously before carefully opening the door much wider. “W-well! You still beat your sister here, at least. Come, let’s get you fed.”

Celestia smiled and trotted past the mare, her nose immediately assaulted by the divine scents of apple turnovers and scrambled eggs. The seats around the table were largely occupied by other nobles, but a number of chairs appeared to be lopsided and shifted back, while others were tucked in neatly, their backrests pressed up against the tabletop.

The princess scanned the dining hall for a moment, before finally spotting the pony she was looking for.

She picked up the pace and hopped up into an empty seat beside a faded, almost-white platinum alicorn, her puffy, curled mane a mixture of deep-blues, pale-oranges and shining golds. The mare looked down at the princess and let out a soft breath as she shared an affectionate smile with her.

Celestia beamed. “Good morning, mother!”

“Good morning, little sunshine. Judging by your lateness, I am guessing you were up late reading again,” her mother said with a lowered voice, her smile turning into a smirk as she leaned in.

Celestia chuckled nervously, shrinking a little. “Heh, yes… I just couldn’t stop!” she admitted shyly.

“I do not blame you, it is a wonderful story. How far did you get?”

Celestia’s horn lit up again as she retrieved one of the apple turnovers from a basket and took a tentative bite, confirming it cooled enough to eat. “I got to the part where Silver Tongue found the Quill of Tales and sent her friends away with it while she faced the inkblight,” she replied as she stuffed her face with a much more generous bite of the pastry. “Now… mmf, everyone elsh has to figure out how to find the Book of Light and the Starfield Ink without her!”

“Finishing chewing your food, dear…” her mother muttered as her fiery aura enveloped an apple. “So you are about halfway through, now?”

“Mhmm!” Celestia gulped loudly, leaning her head back before taking a breath. “I hope Silver Tongue is gonna be okay stuck holding back the blight like that!”

“Well, my little pony, you'll just have to keep reading and-”

“Lady Stella,” a voice suddenly interrupted their conversation, and the two royals simultaneously turned their heads to find a guard standing at the door. His eyes fell upon Celestia, and he hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Uh… the captain… would like to speak with you, your majesty.”

Celestia’s mother frowned, swallowing a bite from her apple. “I am assuming it is urgent?” Celestia looked up at her mother, her smile vanishing as she tilted her head.

“Yes, my lady…”

Stella sighed as she placed her apple down on the plate and got off her seat, while Celestia put down her turn over. “C-can I come with you?” Celestia asked.

“Ah-... no, my dear… I am afraid not,” Stella replied, smiling painfully at the filly. “You need to eat your breakfast. You are going to need all that energy. I’m sure your sister has all sorts of nonsense she intends to drag you into once she gets up, after all…” she continued, nuzzling into Celestia.

The princess couldn’t help but return a slight smirk, nuzzling her mother right back before Stella began to walk towards the door. “Y-you’re probably right, heh… I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble!” Celestia called after her.

The door closed softly with a click, leaving Celestia alone on her side of the table as she stared down at her half-eaten apple turnover, a bitter smile on her face. “Like I always do…”

A little glimmer of magic formed on the pastry, nudging it about for a moment as Celestia let out a sigh, resting her head upon her hoof. She could almost hear her mother saying don’t play with your food, sweetheart. Indeed, she yearned to hear even those words, but instead she was met with silence. She reluctantly raised the treat and took another bite. It did not taste nearly so good this time.

The idle chatter of the other ponies gathered around the table slowly faded away, one by one the nobles taking their leave to get up to whatever various grown-up responsibilities they had, not even uttering a word to the lonely princess as they awkwardly shuffled past her.

She let out a huff as she looked to her mother’s plate, narrowing her eyes as her golden magic enveloped the apple. She hovered it in front of her, only a single bite missing from it as her anger began to bubble up. She stared long and hard, genuinely contemplating hurling the fruit across the room, or slamming it into the floor in frustration, but she didn’t have the heart to do it, only slouching back into her chair as she placed the apple on the plate once more.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Celestia let out a squeak as she nearly jumped out of her skin.

A dark-blue alicorn filly stood in the doorway, one hoof extended to the side as the door swung weakly against the wall, the newcomer’s head lowered and her unkempt azure mane hovering over her eyes. Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Luna?”

“Where is my crown, Tia…” Luna’s voice came out a raspy whisper.

Celestia gulped nervously. “Y-you had it when you went to bed last night…” she responded quietly.

Luna slowly walked over before finally lifting her head, those sleepy, yet piercing eyes staring up at the elder princess with a fierce glare. Celestia leaned back, glancing around anxiously as her sister seemed to size her up. “I had a dream…” Luna began. “You were there… you took my crown… and now it is gone.”

Celestia frowned. “I didn’t take your crown, Luna… it was just a dream.”

Luna hopped up onto the seat beside Celestia, scanning the table before her sea-blue magic violently grabbed a piece of cinnamon toast and placed it on her plate. “It is never just a dream…”

Celestia smiled awkwardly, just grateful for the grouchy princess’s presence at this point, her appetite quickly returning as she resumed her breakfast. “What else happened in the dream?”

Luna blinked a few times as she continued to populate her platter with pastries. “You hid my crown in the library, at the top of one of the shelves where my magic couldn’t reach.”

Celestia shook her head. “Luna, you know I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Luna paused for a moment, her expression softening a bit as she held up her toast. “Yeah… I know…” she took a bite, before turning to look Celestia in the eye. “You’d put it just within my reach instead.”

Celestia giggled a bit. “Mhmm!”

Luna finally cracked the faintest smile as she began to devour her toast. “Mmff… will you help me find my crown?”

Celestia nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! You can’t be a princess without your crown!”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “Yes you can…”

“Well… yes, but you don’t look the part without it!” Celestia chimed.

Luna’s eyes looked up at the ceiling. “I guess…”

There was a pause as Luna ate her breakfast, Celestia watching her a little more intently than she intended as the anti-social princess focused on her meal. Eventually, Celestia cleared her throat. “So… where should we look first?”

“The library,” Luna said firmly.

Celestia tilted her head. “Why the library?”

“'Cuz that’s where it was in my dream,” Luna replied.

Celestia let out a sigh. “Dreams aren’t real, you know. Why would your crown be in the library, anyway?”

Luna only shrugged and swallowed. “I don’t know. I just wanna check.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. I don’t have anything else to do this morning…”

Luna looked much more awake now after getting some food in her belly, her head turning to meet Celestia’s gaze. “I thought you were going to learn some magic with mother?”

“Don’t remind me…” Celestia mumbled. “I was… but some guard called her away for something ‘urgent’...”

Luna rolled her eyes. “It’s always urgent.”

“Right??” Celestia suddenly exclaimed, sitting up tall again and nearly slamming her hooves on the table. “Ugh, for the last few weeks she's just been non-stop! She didn't even stay for all of breakfast this morning!”

“Well…” Luna looked to the ground. “Ever since mother got so busy and halted our schooling, we’ve been able to play more, right?”

Celestia relaxed again, pushing her plate forward as she hopped off her chair. “I suppose… sorry, I don’t mean to be such a downer. I just… I wish she would pay more attention to us!”

Luna nodded, her gaze blank. “Yeah, me too...”

Celestia knew that look on her sister’s face; a look of deep thought and focus. “Luna, what are you thinking?”

Luna hesitated, her mouth opening before closing again as she pouted, the little princess facing her sister. “What if we gave her something to pay attention to?”

Celestia didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean…?”

“I mean… if she isn’t paying attention to us, maybe we can do something that makes her want to pay attention to us!” Luna suggested.

Celestia still didn’t like the sound of that. “Like what?”

Luna stood up on her chair raising her head high. “Like… learning a cool new spell all on our own!” she declared.

“I don’t know…” Celestia replied nervously. “Without a teacher? What if we mess it up?”

“Aww c’mon, Tia!” Luna said as she jumped down. “It’ll be fun! We’ll learn something simple, okay? Something we can teach ourselves!”

Celestia pondered this for a moment, practically skimming her mental catalogue of spells and tricks she wanted to learn from her mother today. “Hmm… well, okay. But no fire spells this time!”

Luna nodded vigorously, a light practically shining in her eyes now as she whirled around, her tail whipping by as she began trotting towards the door. “If you say so! But first, let’s find my crown!”

Celestia grunted and quickly ran after her, now beside her sister as they walked back out into the hallways. “Fine. After we find your crown…” she said. A warmth began to spread through Celestia’s little heart, her morning quickly recovering from the otherwise dismal start. “Oh, and uh, Luna…?”

Luna didn’t even look at her, only muttering a quiet “Mhmm?”

Celestia smiled softly. “Thank you…”

Luna mirrored the gentle smile, raising her head a bit. “You’re welcome, sister,” Luna replied contentedly as they walked past a window letting the smokey morning light stream through, the gentle hum of magic surrounding the castle...

Author's Note

Not sure if I'll continue or go all the way with this one, haven't done pony in over 7 years! But this is a fun, extra project for me separate from my original works!

At the very least, this is a great exercise in characterization and foreshadowing. Hope you all like it! If you did, be sure to leave a like to show your support! ^^

Books, Doors and Crowns

“TIAAAAAAA!!”

Celestia skidded around a bookshelf in a frenzy, her hooves fumbling across the floor in response to her sister’s screech. Her horn glimmered with energy, prepared to cast a defensive spell at a moment’s notice as she balanced herself, sprinting down the hallway towards her little sister. “Luna!? Luna I’m coming-!”

As she dove past a desk, however, Luna came into view running straight at here. The two princesses squealed as their hooves streaked across the tiles, before they collided into each other with a grunt. Celestia’s crown clattered to the floor as she collapsed, laying on her back for a moment and blinking up at the ceiling before springing to her hooves once more and whirling around frantically. “W-what’s wrong? Is there a monster? A rogue spell? Or-” she took in an enormous gulp of air, terror filling her massive eyes. “A book in the wrong section??”

Luna groaned as she rolled over, sprawling out on the reflective surface below. “Nngh… n-no… th-there was a spider…”

Celestia blinked for a moment, staring down at her sister incredulously as she panted. Like a match, fire ignited in the princess's eyes as she turned her attention down the hallway again, gasping. “That’s even WORSE!” she exclaimed. “Where is it?? I’ll… I’ll blast all six of its little legs off!” she growled, a violent twitch in her eyes as her horn sparked.

“S-spiders have eight legs…”

“I’ll blast all eight of its little legs off!” Celestia reprised.

Luna pulled herself up and staggered away from the bookshelf. “I-It ran away, it climbed up its web. All the way to the top.”

Celestia frowned and pursed her lips as she trotted over to where Luna had come from, looking up the towering shelves and glaring. “You better stay up there, you… you fiend!” she shouted. “Nopony scares my little sister!”

Luna strolled up alongside her sister, her eyes fixed anxiously on the bookshelf above, before she finally let out a sigh and clip-clopped on by. “Let’s just check the next bookshelf… the spider can have my crown if it’s up there.”

Celestia lowered her head, letting the flare of her magic dissipate as she galloped after her sister. “I didn’t see anything anyways. Didn’t you say it was somewhere around here in your dream?”

“Uhuh. I don’t remember which exact one… but it was somewhere in the archives,” Luna replied.

The elder princess rolled her eyes as they approached the next shelf, a massive “C” engraved into the side of it. “I still don’t think it would be here… there’s no reason for it to-”

“There it is!” Luna suddenly exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she pointed with one hoof.

Celestia’s mouth hung open in disbelief, her gazing following her sister’s. Sure enough, upon the highest shelf and just below the top of the bookcase sat Luna’s small navy-blue crown. Celestia tilted her head to the side, squinting. “B-but… but that doesn’t make any sense…”

“I told you!” Luna scoffed, raising her head high and puffing out her chest. “It’s never just a dream!”

Celestia let out a disgruntled harrumph, before getting closer to the bookshelf. “How do I know you didn’t just hide it up there yourself?” she asked. “You know, just cuz you wanted to play with me.”

Luna glared. “Cuz I can’t reach that high! I’m not good enough with magic yet…” she countered, her horn adopting its signature sapphire aura as she stuck her tongue out.

Celestia was still skeptical, but stared up at the top shelf as Luna’s magic attempted to retrieve the crown, crackling and fizzling as the crown jittered softly with a quiet ringing. Luna’s face contorted into a scowl as she tried her best, but Celestia could see that her little sister was indeed unable to reach her magic out that far.

“Alright, alright… let me get it for you,” Celestia moaned.

Luna let out a breath she had been holding and slumped a bit, her magic fading away as Celestia’s own horn lit up. She kept her eyes locked onto the crown, a warmth trailing down her head from the radiance of her spell, before the crown began to float up high above them. Luna stood beside her sister as the crown slowly came down, before landing gently upon her head. Luna beamed, going cross-eyed as she tried to see it, swaying her head a bit as though to feel its weight.

“Huzzah!” she declared loudly. “Thank you, dear sister!”

Celestia smiled warmly. “You’re very welcome, Luna! Now… we better pick out a spell book to look at!”

Luna nodded enthusiastically, a spring to her step now as she walked down the bookshelf. “Weeeeell, I bet the archives have some old spell books we could try!”

Celestia followed her, scanning the bookshelves up and down with curiosity. “I don’t think we’re allowed to take anything from the archives though…”

“Why not?” Luna glanced over her shoulder, looking genuinely perplexed. “We used to be able to…”

Celestia hesitated. “W-well… I’m not sure. Maybe they’re scared of things getting lost?”

“That’s silly. You never lose anything, Tia!”

The elder princess let out a gentle chuckle at that. “Well… that’s true, I suppose!”

Luna’s magic seized a book from one of the lower shelves, pulling it out and sending a flurry of dust into the air. “Besides… the librarians haven’t been here for weeks now! It’s not like they’re gonna stop us…”

Luna opened the book she had retrieved while Celestia shook her head. “Just because there’s nopony here to stop us, doesn’t mean we should do it.”

Luna pursed her lips and turned her nose up. “Uuuu look at me, I’m Celestia, I hate breaking rules and having fun.”

“H-hey! I love having fun… I play with you all the time!”

The other filly let out a snort, a smirk on her smug little face as she returned the book to the shelf. “Yeah… if we follow the rules!”

Celestia frowned. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“How much trouble are we gonna get in for borrowing a book?” Luna scoffed.

Celestia brushed past her sister with an exasperated sigh, her tail drooping in defeat as she made her way down to the end of the shelves. “Ugh, okay, fine! But we bring it right back as soon as we’re done.”

“Yessss!!” Luna squealed excitedly, jumping into action and running out to the opposite end from her sister. “I’m gonna go check out some of the later shelves! I wonder if there are any spells in the ‘Z’ section!”

With Luna disappearing from her sight, Celestia couldn’t help but smile a bit at her sister’s enthusiasm, taking a deep breath through her nostrils as she walked down the hall.

The percussion of Luna’s excited little hooves echoed off the pristine white walls of Canterlot Castle, a comically large book floating alongside her, ensnared in the little princess’s magical deathgrip. Celestia trailed only a short distance behind, swaying to an unheard song within her head as she hummed along.

“Hey, Tia!” Luna called as she looked over her shoulder. “What chapter are you on in the Silver Scroll Saga?”

Celestia’s ears flicked at the mention of the story, grinning at her sister. “I stayed up late last night and got all the way to chapter 15!”

Luna smirked and looked forward again, raising her head proudly. “Ha! Still ahead of you! I’m on chapter 19!”

“That’s not fair, though, you’re always up later than me,” Celestia countered.

“I’m gonna finish before you!” Luna declared as she pranced side to side, her tail flicking and swaying.

Celestia galloped for a moment to catch up to her sister as they approached a door leading to the courtyard. “It’s not a competition! No need to rush… just enjoy the story!”

“But I am enjoying the story!” Luna said with a sparkle in her eyes. “Silver Tongue is soooo cool! I didn’t even know she could-”

“NO! No no no, not listening!” Celestia shouted loudly as she folded her ears back. “Don’t tell me ANYTHING about the story! I don’t wanna hear it until I read it myself!”

Luna snickered as she pushed the door open, letting sunlight wash over the princesses and prompting the two of them to squint. “I’m just teasing, silly! But hurry up, I wanna talk about it!”

Celestia pushed past her sister and out the door, trotting down the steps and onto the grass. “Maybe you should slow down, instead,” she retorted, looking up at the sky above.

As Luna joined her, the two sisters gazed up at an enormous crystalline dome that surrounded the castle, the light of the sun tinted orange as it shone through the fiery magic above. Celestia squinted a bit, faintly seeing the puffy rolling clouds brushing up against the mountain the palace sat upon.

Luna’s joyful expression hadn’t faded one bit, placing the book down beside them as she admired the barrier. “Wow… mother’s magic sure is strong, isn’t it?” Luna exclaimed.

Celestia pulled her attention away from the clouds that were beyond her reach and gave Luna a painful smile. “Y-yes, it really is.”

“Ahh… I hope I can use magic like that someday!” Luna said through an exasperated sigh, sitting down on the freshly cut grass, the last traces of morning dew still wetting the turf.

Celestia circled around her sister and opened the book, the leather binding caked in dust. “I’m sure we’ll both be there some day,” Celestia replied confidently. “But we gotta keep practicing!”

Luna nodded as Celestia began turning pages, various runes and patterns accompanied by enormous swaths of text decorating the interior of the book that Luna had picked out from the archives. “So what kinda spells does this book have in it?” Celestia asked.

“Dunno!” Luna chirped. “But the pictures look really cool.”

Celestia shook her head, stifling a chuckle as she began to scan the pages much more closely. “You should have at least read some of them before picking it out! These might be too advanced for us…”

The younger princess said nothing in response, not taking her eyes off the pages as Celestia kept sifting through the dusty old tome. “What about that one?” she said as she reached out, stopping Celestia from turning another page.

Celestia blinked as she looked closer, reading the heading. “You mean ‘Manipulating Light’?”

“Yeah!” Luna said. “That sounds simple!”

Celestia nodded in agreement, scooching in a bit closer to her sister as she leaned in.

The section was littered with all sorts of complicated linework and arcane circles, the fillies both letting out a harmonic ‘hmmm’ as they tried to make sense of what they were looking at. The ink within was a vibrant silver colour against the otherwise dull parchment it had settled upon, catching the light and making the words within appear metallic.

“This doesn’t look simple…” Celestia muttered.

Luna remained silent, still closely analyzing the calligraphy as her tongue peaked out of her mouth in concentration, her eyes darting side to side. Celestia could practically the gears grinding in Luna’s head, her focus unflinching.

Biting her lip, Celestia forced herself to keep looking over the writing, struggling to make sense of the ancient tongue of thees and thous. Somehow, despite having no recollection of such a dialect, she found herself starting to understand and translate the text on the page. She tilted her head in fascination as she analyzed the diagrams of scrolls, seals and semi-circles, lines weaving between them and pointing to what appeared to be almost childlike doodles at times.

She returned her attention to the literature below, doing her best to absorb what it said.

At long last, I have completed my investigation into the starry seas beyond Cobnshire, despite my partner's incessant whining and anxious ramblings… though the Light that dances beneath the waves is of no threat, the magic within is remarkable. The rising falls far to the north do indeed seem to carry this power into the sky, painting the very heavens with life. I have a theory as to how we might call upon this power in order to bathe all the land in this Light. Within this chapter shall I detail this theory.

Celestia let out a breath as she digested what she had read, her mind still fumbling to make sense of it, save for one important point. “Luna… this isn’t a spell book, this is a journal!”

Luna’s focus broke immediately and she slumped, glaring at the book. “Mhmm… this book is weird. Whoever wrote it keeps capitalizing the word ‘light’!”

Celestia scoffed. “Nevermind that, what are they talking about? I’ve never heard of this ‘Cobnshire’ place…”

Luna just shrugged. “Maybe somewhere super duper far away.”

“And all that fancy imagery and… and huge words! It was like reading a storybook…” Celestia mused.

“There IS actual magic stuff in here! But it’s not any kind of magic I can understand…” Luna admitted, pouting.

Celestia joined her sister in her disappointment, but deep down she found herself only more intrigued. She could sense it; her sister felt the same way. Despite the defeated expression on her face, her face glowed with energy.

“Luna, where did you find this book, anyway?” Celestia asked.

Luna faced her, a guilty look on her face. “It was uh… in another room at the back of the archives.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes. “Another room, huh?” she muttered. “Was the door locked?”

“No! Well… not really…” Luna replied. “There was a lock! But it snapped when I tried to open the door.”

Celestia’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “It… snapped?”

“Uhuh!” Luna said. “I gave it just a gentle tug and like… clink! The lock fell right off! It was suuuuper dusty.”

“Th-that doesn’t make any sense…” Celestia stammered. “You’re getting too into that story, you’re making this all up!”

“No! I’m not, I swear! Cross my heart!” Luna exclaimed, raising a hoof to her chest.

Celestia leaned in close to her sister, her magenta gaze burning into the moon princess’s soul as she leaned away. Luna blinked nervously, but Celestia saw no lie in her eyes. She sighed and sat back again. “Okay, I believe you… but if the lock was so weak how did nobody else accidentally break it? And all that dust… you’d think the librarians would have cleaned it! Well, before they all left…”

Luna nodded vigorously, still wiping the anxiety off her face. “That’s what I thought! The door also had this… this weird white-ish colour, almost like it was glowing!”

Celestia’s heart skipped a beat as something finally clicked. “Wait, glowing? Luna… I think you found a magic door!”

“A magic door??” Luna raised her voice, only for Celestia to immediately cover her mouth with a hoof, the little princess’s exclamations becoming muffled.

“Shh!! We don’t wanna get in trouble…” Celestia whispered. “It might be an old magic door mother made…”

As Celestia took her hoof away from Luna’s face, Luna stared in confusion. “How come I was able to find it, then?”

“From what I know about magic doors, they are only revealed to ponies who the caster wants to find it…” Celestia explained. “But it was locked… meaning if mother made it, maybe we weren’t supposed to get into it yet.”

Luna frowned. “But then why would she let us find it at all…?”

“I don’t know!” Celestia let out a frustrated grunt. “This is all so… weird! This book, the door… maybe we should just… go return the book before we get caught.”

Luna looked crestfallen, her face drooping as she lowered her head. “A-aww… do we have to?” she whimpered. “It’s so cool…”

Celestia grimaced, glancing back at the book again. She couldn’t deny that her curiosity was beyond piqued, her heart begging to read more, while her head told her it needed to be returned immediately.

“Well…” Celestia began. “I uh… I guess we can hold on to it for a little bit.”

Luna perked right back up, beaming at her big sister as she jumped forward and tackle-hugged her, sending them both to the ground as Celestia sputtered. “Yessss! Don’t worry, dear sister, we’ll take good care of it and return it as soon as we’re done!”

Celestia giggled as she shifted in the grass, Luna rolling off of her as she sprung to her hooves again. She closed the book while Celestia pulled herself up, sending another flurry of dust into the air. “Ohh this is so exciting, Tia! It’s like… our own little adventure right here in the castle!”

Celestia couldn’t help but grin at that, her heart swelling glee. “Yeah… you’re right! I wonder what other stuff we’ll find in this book...”

There was a resounding CLANG as metal ground against metal, prompting the filly princesses to turn towards the gate leading into the castle courtyard from outside. They both tilted their heads in unison as the doors slowly opened, revealing a pastel pink alicorn trotting through the gate.

Celestia and Luna gasped loudly and sprung into action, breaking into a sprint as they approached the new arrival. Luna tumbled on her way, slipping on the damp grass and eating some of it while Celestia only laughed as she passed her little sister.

The pink alicorn turned just in time to see the speedy little princess dodging through hedges before skidding to a halt in front of her, kicking up blades of grass on the way. The older alicorn stared in bewilderment for a moment, sizing Celestia up as she narrowed her eyes, mouth agape as she leaned away before relaxing again. Her mane was massive, curling at the ends, sporting streaks of yellow, purple and a much more vibrant pink, a tiny curved crown atop her head sporting a violet gem.

“Hello!!” Celestia said with a little more enthusiasm than she meant to. “I’ve never seen you around before! Are you new here?”

The alicorn mare stammered for a moment, glancing around as though for anypony else. “No, I’m not new. Though I can’t say I’ve met you before either, little one-”

“My name’s Luna!!” Luna suddenly jumped around the hedge and joined her sister, gazing up at their new guest. “And this is my big sister Celestia!”

The mare froze, her eyes wide with shock as she took a step back. “L… Luna? And Celestia?”

Celestia nodded so hard her crown nearly fell off her head. “Uhuh! We don’t see many alicorns around here… what’s your name?”

The little princesses grinned from ear to ear as they confronted the pale-pink alicorn, whose mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find her words. “I uh… please, call me Cadance… y-your majesties.”

Author's Note

Oh no.

Not much to say on this one, except that it's about to pick up! I hope you'll all forgive the slow-burn start as we introduce the characters and the mystery elements. If you're enjoying it so far, please feel free to leave a like! The support means the a lot to me. ^^

Promises

Little hooves clattered against the smooth tiles of the floor in a rhythmic bounce as Celestia pranced from side to side, her newly appointed friend following close behind. “Sooooo… what brings you to the castle?” she asked. Luna kept pace with Cadance, the journal beside her enveloped in a sapphire aura.

Cadance looked around in confusion, scanning the halls as those tending to the castle stopped what they were doing to anxiously watch the alicorns passing by. “My wedding is coming up soon, and I’ve been planning to hold it here.”

Celestia whirled around, trotting backwards now as she took in a deep breath. “A wedding?? Oh, I’ve always wanted to see a wedding!” she said. “You’ll have to talk with my mother, though.”

Cadance winced, before putting on a nervous smile. “A-ah, yes! Your mother, haha… of course!”

Celestia tilted her head. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing! I’ve just never met your mother before is all…” Cadance said, lowering her voice.

“Aww don’t worry! She’s very nice…” Celestia said as she turned around again, her eyes narrowed as she glanced back at her new friend. “When she’s around, at least…”

Cadance tilted her head, trotting forward to catch up with the filly. “When she’s around?”

Celestia cleared her throat. “Well, it’s just that… mother has been very busy. She was going to teach me some spells this morning, but she got called away.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…” Cadance said.

Luna jumped forward to join them. “It’s okay! We can teach ourselves, right Tia?”

Celestia only frowned as she looked to the floor. Luna leaned in and the book hovered close to Celestia’s face. “Riiiight Tia?”

“Yes, Luna! I know!” Celestia shouted as she waved a hoof at the book, shooing it away.

Luna leaned back, appearing crestfallen as Celestia avoided her gaze. Cadance narrowed her eyes as she stepped between Luna and Celestia. “What kind of spells were you wanting to learn?”

Celestia blinked as she glanced up at the older alicorn. “W-well… lots of spells, but most are probably too advanced.”

“Like what?”

“Uh… teleportation?” Celestia said, looking up at the mare pleadingly.

Cadance let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, that one is pretty advanced…” she admitted. “Any others?”

Celestia pursed her lips in a pout. “Well… I also want to learn how to control the weather like the pegasi do,” Celestia said.

Cadance looked up to the ceiling. “Hmm… well, the pegasi use their wings, but with some wind spells, you could probably control the weather too.”

“That sounds easy!” Luna said. “We could learn those in no time!”

“Yeah, I guess…” Celestia mumbled as she lifted her head again. “But I want mother to teach us.”

Cadance looked down at the elder princess, her gaze soft and warm. “Tell you what… I’ll talk to her about it. Maybe I can take some of her work and give you some time with her.”

Celestia’s heart skipped, her eyes filling with life again at Cadance’s suggestion. “Really? You mean it?”

“Uhuh!” Cadance said. “And if she says no… I’ll teach you two myself, how does that sound?”

Celestia let out a huff as they stood before the throne room, the gigantic wooden doors towering far above them. She gave Cadance a reluctant nod, returning the older alicorn’s gentle smile. “Okay. Deal.”

Celestia raised her hoof and knocked on the door three times in a distinct rhythm, waiting patiently as the three royals waited for it to open. Fifteen seconds passed… then thirty, until - at last - the door began to creak open.

The dim light shining through the curtains that veiled the windows did little to illuminate the main hall. At the end of a long red carpet sat Stella, her eyes filled with concern as the ponies entered. She said nothing at first, her mouth hanging open a touch as she stared at Cadance in what Celestia could only describe as dismay, before she cleared her throat and sat up straight. “A-ah, you must be Cadance,” Stella said.

Cadance smiled awkwardly as she trotted ahead of the princesses. “Yes, your majesty. I… was wondering if I could speak to you for a bit.”

Stella looked past her guest towards her foals, then back at Cadance. “You most certainly can. In fact, there is much we must discuss.”

Celestia trotted after Cadance as she approached the throne, Luna clip-clopping behind her. “Do you know her, mother?”

“I know of her,” Stella replied. “I am sorry, girls, can you please wait outside for a bit?”

Celestia narrowed her eyes as Luna turned around and began to make her exit. Celestia, however, held her ground for a moment, staring up at her mother in disbelief. “Why can’t I stay?”

Cadance stepped aside, her eyes darting between mother and daughter as Stella shook her head softly. “Cadance and I need to talk about something very important in private.”

Celestia looked at Cadance pleadingly, but the mare remained silent. The princess’s little heart began to beat in her chest with increasing furocity, but as she locked eyes with her mother, she only let out a disappointed sigh and turned around obediently. “Okay, fine…” she growled, failing to mask her frustration.

“H-hey, Celestia…” Cadance’s voice prompted the princess to look over her shoulder. “I’ll come right out after, okay?”

Stella raised an eyebrow at Cadance’s promise, but Celestia gave her a nod. “Okay.”

Luna was already in the hallway, watching her sister follow as her ears drooped. The wood creaked as the guards slowly closed the door once Celestia was beyond its frame, before it shut with a click.

What was only a few minutes felt like hours as the two princesses sat on the other side of the door while the castle caretakers strolled by, avoiding eye-contact with the fillies. Celestia paced back and forth, while Luna sat hunched over with the diary they had found, flipping a page every now and then.

“Ugh it’s been ages, now!” Celestia moaned as she stopped beside Luna. “How long are they gonna take?”

“I dunno,” Luna said with disinterest, her eyes still fixed on the book. “Mother talks a lot sometimes.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Move over, I’m joining you-”

But just as she said that, there was a click, and Celestia flinched as she quickly ran to where the door began to open. Much to her surprise, the pale coat of her mother was the first thing she saw, and she looked up to find Stella gazing down at her.

“Mother!” Celestia exclaimed, a smile spreading across her little face as she tried to look past the only partially-opened door. “Where is Cadance?”

“She has gone to speak with her fiance,” Stella replied, her voice low.

“Oh, okay,” the little princess said. “So, how did it go?”

Stella blinked. “How did it go?”

“Yeah! Y’know… your important private talk.”

Stella seemed to hold her breath, not moving an inch. “It was… ah, listen, Celestia…” The sparkle in the princess’s eyes faded as those dreaded words were spoken; words that heralded a stern talk. “She spoke with me about how you have felt lately, and… I am sorry that I have not been able to spend time with you. But you must understand...”

Celestia began to shake her head slowly. “No… no, mother, I don’t understand. You used to always be around! And now you’re not. You’re always… always avoiding us, just like everypony else! D-did we do something wrong?”

“No! Oh my dear little sunshine, no. You have not done anything wrong,” Stella said as she stepped forward, lowering her head as she reached a hoof out to the little filly. Celestia reluctantly stepped in and nuzzled against her mother’s leg. “It is just… there is so much going on right now, and… I don’t want you two to get involved in it.”

“Well why not?” Celestia asked. “We’re princesses too… alicorns, just like you. Why can’t we help?”

Stella exhaled sharply. “It is… complicated. I truly wish I could explain it, sweetheart, but it is not something either of you can handle right now.”

“Can you at least tell us what it is?” Luna asked.

A silence fell upon the family as Stella looked past her daughters. Celestia could practically hear the gears turning in her mother’s head, a look of deep thought across the older alicorn’s face as she tried to find the right words to respond with.

“It is… something dangerous. I do not want to scare you two. I want to protect you,” she said.

“But we can protect ourselves!” Celestia exclaimed, pulling away from her mother as her horn sparked.

“Celestia, dear-”

“Cadance is gonna teach us magic, and then you won’t have to worry about us any more!” Celestia continued. “We want to help you… I want to help you! Please...”

Stella shook her head. “Cadance will not be teaching you magic.”

“Why not? She promised!”

“Because I-” Stella began to raise her voice, but stopped herself, taking a deep breath. “Because… I want to teach you magic.”

Celestia held her mother’s gaze, and for the first time in weeks Celestia could see sorrow behind those shining eyes. The golden aura enveloping her horn faded. “I… I don’t understand…”

Stella took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes, before kneeling down. “There are some things that I want saved for us to do together - as a family. Learning magic is one of them, as is reading stories.”

“B-but you never have time for either of those things anymore…”

Celestia’s mother nodded solemnly. “Yes, you are right… but I have an idea. I am going to make a special deal with you.”

“A special deal…?”

“Yes, a very special deal…” Stella said. “And this goes for you too, Luna.”

Luna scooched in, the two fillies nearly at eye-level with their mother as she knelt before them. “You two finish that book I gave you all on your own… and I will teach you everything you want to know about magic.”

Celestia’s heart swelled, her magenta eyes growing wide as Luna wiggled excitedly. But as her joy grew, so too did her doubt, the fire in her heart doused. “But you promised me we would learn magic today… how do I know you’ll keep your promise this time?”

Stella let out a soft chuckle. “Because by the time you finish that book… I think you will be ready to help me.”

“Wait… really??” Celestia squeaked, her ears perking up at the opportunity to help her mother. “How?”

“I think you may learn a thing or two from that book - some very… important things.”

Celestia was beyond curious, the fire reignited in her eyes. “You promise?”

Stella nodded confidently. “I promise, little sunshine. Cross my heart.”

Celestia beamed, a toothy grin escaping her lips as Stella stood tall again. “Now run along, you have got a book to finish!”

“Okay! C’mon, Luna!” Celestia shouted as she began running down the hall. Luna paused for a moment, looking up at her mother as if for approval, before letting out a giggle as she picked the journal up with her magic and began chasing after her big sister.

“Oh, and one more thing!” Stella called after them, the two princesses skidding to a halt against the tiled floor. “You two better take very good care of that diary,” she said with a smirk.

Celestia and Luna exchanged a guilty smile, before Luna nodded. “Don’t worry, mother, we will!”

Author's Note

Cracks knuckles.

It's time. Next chapter, I'm turning the dial up to 11. Let the adventure begin.

Yes, this was a very dialogue heavy chapter, but rest assured the slow burn has come to an end, and we are about to enter the meat of the story. Thank you for sticking with me so far. :twilightsheepish:

Fact and Fiction

Official Soundtrack

The whisper of a fading flame sputtered from the fireplace, its life doing little to heat the cooling room save for the warmth of its scarlet hue upon Celestia’s canopied bed. The curtains shadowing her window swayed in the evening breeze, a dull, dry gust tapping the shutters against the walls.

The little princess yawned, looking up from the open book resting on the bed in front of her, its weight pressing into the comforter. Celestia let out a satisfied sigh, her horn lighting up and illuminating her face as she placed her bookmark between the pages.

Her tummy growled, her eyes blinking in confusion as she glanced around, finally noticing just how dark it had become. It was in this dim light that she closed the book and hopped off the bed, stretching as her magic yanked the curtains open. She stepped up to the windowsill and smiled at the setting sun beyond the blazing barrier surrounding Canterlot; a beautiful end to an otherwise tumultuous day for the young heir.

As she brought her front hooves back to the floor, her stomach gurgled at her again. “Oh yes, I hear you…” she muttered, trotting on over to the door to her room.

Just as she reached for the handle, however, there was a firm, thrice-repeated knock. Celestia tilted her head and opened the door, revealing her little sister’s wide and excited eyes, a toothy grin across her face. “Oh, hello Luna.”

The younger princess reached her hoof forward and poked Celestia on the snout, causing the elder princess to wrinkle her nose as she went cross-eyed. “How far are you now?” Luna asked.

Celestia’s eyes refocused as Luna lowered her hoof, a small giggle escaping her as she smiled down at her little sister. “I just finished chapter 27, so I’m in Chapter 28 now”

The smug expression painting Luna’s face disappeared, quickly replaced by an open jaw and a pair of curious eyes. “Woah! How long were you reading for?”

“I don’t know!” Celestia said. “How far did you get?”

“Chapter 29! You almost caught up to me!” Luna said.

Celestia wiggled happily, before clearing her throat as she tried to mask her competitive spirit. “Cool! But now I’m hungry… I’m gonna go get a snack before bed. Wanna come?”

Luna nodded eagerly. “Yeah!”

The two sisters began making their way down the empty hallway, at first in silence save for the clip-clopping of their hooves against the tiled floor. Celestia gazed at her little sister in curiosity, finding the younger princess staring ahead in a bit of a daze. “Okay, what’s the matter? You’re usually so talkative before bed.”

Luna flinched as she met Celestia’s gaze. “H-huh? Oh, sorry… I’m just thinking, that's all.”

Celestia leaned in, bumping her sister playfully. “About what?”

“The book,” Luna said. “Something kinda weird happened in chapter 28.”

Celestia’s gut instinct was to flatten her ears, a retort on the tip of her tongue at the prospect of the story being spoiled, but her curiosity got the better of her. “Weird? What do you mean weird?”

“Weird as in… well I guess it’s not really a spoiler…” Luna started. “You know how they’re looking for the Starfield Ink, right?”

Celestia narrowed her eyes anxiously. “Uhuh…?”

“Well… apparently they have to go to a place called… Cobnshire,” Luna said.

“Okay…?” Celestia murmured.

Luna frowned. “Cobnshire. Y’know… the place mentioned in that diary?”

The name finally clicked for little Celestia as she perked up. “Oh! That’s right! It was in the Silver Scrolls Saga?”

“Yeah! And that’s not all… I read a bit more of the journal and there’s all kinds of stuff from the journal in the book!” Luna said.

Now Celestia was especially intrigued. “Really? Do you think the book is inspired by this journal?”

“It’s gotta be!” Luna declared. “How else could there be so many of the same names!”

“I didn’t read much of the journal…” Celestia admitted. “You seemed way more interested in it anyway.”

“It’s reeeaaally tough to read… but I think I understand some of it. I dunno if I’ll keep reading, though. It’s kinda confusing,” Luna said.

Celestia chuckled as a low, distant rumbling echoed beyond the walls. “Maybe we should put it back then. Mother seemed like she didn’t want anything to happen to it.”

“No! I wanna keep trying… it’s a challenge!” Luna declared.

“If you say so,” Celestia replied as they stepped out into the main hall and began making their way down the stairs. “Just don’t lose it, okay?”

“No way I’m gonna lose a book that cool!” Luna said, before she stopped in her tracks halfway down the stairs.

Celestia looked over her shoulder at her little sister, tilting her head. “You okay?”

“Where is everypony…?”

Celestia looked around the main hall, the doors unguarded and not a single soldier patrolling the central hub of the castle. “Yeah, actually… this place is usually pretty busy this time of night.”

The eerie silence was broken by another rumbling. This time the very castle seemed to quiver as Luna hopped down the steps to join her sister at the bottom. “Was there supposed to be a thunderstorm tonight?”

A sinking feeling settled into Celestia’s little heart, her mother’s words from earlier in the day echoing in her mind. Something dangerous…

“I hope it’s a thunderstorm!” Luna continued in response to Celestia’s bewilderment. “I love thunderstorms. Can we watch the lightning from your room? You have the best view of the mountain!”

“No, that doesn’t sound like thunder…” Celestia said, lowering her voice, an overwhelming sense of dread beginning to set in.

The booming eased for a moment, the air growing stale with tension as the two princesses turned their gazes to the gigantic wooden door leading to the courtyard, a shimmering stained glass window above it.

Luna nudged her older sister. “We should go see what’s going-”

As if the very heavens had been ruptured, a resounding CRACK filled the air, and the window over the door shattered as the entire world heaved. The two princesses screamed as they staggered back, shards of glass tearing through the air towards them.

“YOUR MAJESTIES!” A female voice exclaimed, before a violet unicorn dove between the fillies. With a flash of magic, a purple barrier surrounded the two sisters and their protector, the glass raining down as the unicorn winced.

When there was nothing left of the window, the barrier dropped and the unicorn whirled around in a panic, her clean-cut dark-blue mane whipping with her. As Celestia looked her savior in the eye, her head throbbed in pain and she let out a gasp. The unicorn only sized up the princesses. “Are you two alright?”

Luna nodded, her eyes wide with wonder. “Uhuh! Who are you?”

Celestia placed a hoof to her head as she winced, squinting as her vision began to double. “W-wait… do I… know you?” Celestia stammered.

“Yes! Well uh… actually, no. I-it’s complicated,” the unicorn fumbled over her words. “It doesn’t matter right now, anyway! We gotta get you to your mother. She’ll know what to do. This way!” she said before taking off down the hall.

Luna chased after the unicorn, but Celestia struggled to regain her balance, shaking her head in confusion as strange and unfamiliar thoughts swarmed her. It felt as though she had suddenly noticed a piece of her heart was missing.

Finally bringing herself up to a gallop, she caught up with the others as something dawned on her. “T-Twilight! Your name is Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia exclaimed.

Twilight looked over her shoulder briefly in dismay. “D-don’t think about that! Just uh… follow me! This isn’t good…”

“W-what’s going on?” Luna shouted as another rumbling stirred the castle walls.

Celestia blinked a strange drowsiness from her eyes, pulling up beside her sister as Twilight kept her eyes forward. “Canterlot is under attack! Your mother is keeping the shield up right now with the others!”

Celestia’s mouth hung open in disbelief as they rounded the corner and approached a double-door. “Under attack? From what?”

Twilight burst through the door and into the gardens, the crimson light of the sunset blazing through Stella’s protective dome.

Celestia and Luna skidded to a halt as they looked up to the orange sky to see a black, blotchy fluid forming into a bulbous shape before splattering against the barrier and sliding down to the bottom, pooling into another mass.

Beams of multicoloured light extended up from all over the garden, unicorns gathered around as they funneled their power into the magical shield. Celestia nearly screeched as the barrier cracked, the substance striking the barrier again before the fractures were quickly repaired with a whine. “W-What is THAT?” Celestia cried out.

“The inkblight!” Just a few meters ahead, Stella held her ground, calling to her foals as her fiery magic connected her horn to the protective dome. “J-just like the story… nngh-!”

Celestia and Luna both stared in terror as their mother strained against the barrier. “T-Twilight! Help the others!” Stella exclaimed as her daughters rushed to her side. “Girls, listen to me. P-page 372 of the Silver Scrolls Saga…” she choked.

Celestia whimpered. “I-I don’t understand…”

“I need you to… to go and read that page.”

Fear finally began to settle across Luna’s face as she looked back and forth between her mother and the inky monster above. “Mother, I’m scared!”

“Be brave, my dear… mommy has a v-very important job for you; for both of you!” Stella said.

A purple spear of magic shot into the sky, joining the rainbow of pillars keeping the barrier up as Stella let out a gasp of relief, visibly slumping a bit as Twilight joined the defensive effort. “Either of your copies will do… j-just read page 372 and you’ll understand soon enough! Take the journal with you… quickly!”

“B-but what about you?” Celestia said.

“I will be fine, sweetheart, but you must hurry!” Another round of thunder echoed off the mountains as the inkblight struck the shield again, causing Stella to stumble before redoubling her magic and gritting her teeth. Beyond all the magic, Celestia could see the mountain turning black and appearing to melt away, leaving behind a white canvas-like emptiness.

Luna was the first to turn around and run back inside, while Celestia backed away from her mother. “B-but I-”

Stella held her daughter’s gaze, her face awash with both desperation and sorrow. “I-I am sorry, Celestia. I have not been honest with you… I had hoped my return to Equestria would be under happier circumstances.”

“R-return? Mother, what do you mean?” Celestia squeaked.

“I-I wish I could explain! Oh, I wish I could explain… B-but know this: only through you and your sister’s innocence can this blight be banished!” Stella gasped.

Celestia shook her head, her headache only growing more intense as she tried - and failed - to find her words. Her mother grimaced, those tired eyes burning into the filly. “You wanted to help me… right, little sunshine?”

Celestia’s heart skipped a beat, wincing at the painful smile her mother gave her. The elder princess nodded and sniffed, before darting back through the door after her sister.

“C’mon, Tia!” Luna called over her shoulder.

“R-right behind you!”

The two sisters unleashed a percussive symphony upon the tiled floor as they galloped back to the main hall, rushing up the stairs and squealing around a corner to reach their twin rooms. Celestia panted as she caught up with her sister. “You have the journal in your room, right?”

“Y-yeah!” Luna replied, skidding to a halt in front of her door and kicking it open. “I’ll grab it, you flip to the right page!”

“Okay!” Celestia scanned the room, the layout not unlike her own. Her eyes landed on the side-table of her sister’s bed, the massive storybook resting precariously on the edge. Her golden aura wrapped around the tome and threw it open onto the bed, the filly hopping up and turning pages rapidly. 248… 293… 357… She slowed her pace as she neared the target page, while the lurch of the bed beneath her signaled Luna’s arrival.

“There!” Celestia said, pointing at page 372 as a resounding boom sounded from beyond the veiled window. Only a single paragraph sat at the top of the page, a chapter heading following it.

“Start reading, start reading!” Luna exclaimed, now holding the journal tight to her body.

Celestia tried her best to take deep, controlled breaths as she stared at the words on the page. Her heart raced as blood roared in her ears, her mind aflutter with fear.

“Then - in their time of greatest need - will th-...” she froze as she pre-read the words, pale, silver-and-gold lights beginning to dance around them as the book glowed.

“Keep going!” Luna begged.

Celestia swallowed her confusion, forcing herself to continue as a powerful wind began to blow. “Then - in their time of greatest need - will the princesses turn to the world of fantasy. For it is only in the world of fantasy that the gloom of despair can be so easily bested. Let Equestria’s river of time be dammed up, let the old become young, and let fear make way for courage. Hark now, dear reader, and join me in Clydestale - the birthplace of imagination!”

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, fillies and gents! I needed to make sure all my ducks were in a row for this update. :D

Sorry for the brutal cliffhanger! This chapter was going to be longer, but I realized with the intense scene shift that would have followed, it felt more like its own chapter. Rest assured, that chapter will be coming out tomorrow! So you won't have to wait long!

Thank you all for the continued support. The likes and comments are so encouraging! I hope I can live up to the excitement (and incredible cover artwork!)

Beyond the Threshold

It was not by chance that the young princesses would find themselves drifting into this strange and wondrous realm that I call home. A task was I given, and - though I hoped the day I was to fulfill it would never come - my heart swells at the thought of at last imparting my knowledge unto those who have only just begun to see the Light.

Celestia gasped as she opened her eyes, immediately blinded by a radiance to rival the very sun. She squinted through the twinkling of prismatic light, stumbling backwards as the bloom slowly faded. Birdsong from every direction drifted through the chilled air, the princess’s hooves caressed by soft, golden grass that swayed in the gentle breeze.

As her eyes opened wider, Celestia would find herself gazing up at towering trees of silver bark and crystalline leaves, the rays of the sun refracting through the canopy like stained glass to paint the forest floor below with a palette of greens, blues and purples. Bright little fireflies that mirrored the prismatic beams flickered and darted about happily, looping through the air and chasing after each other.

The filly blinked in a mixture of wonder and confusion, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar scene as the pounding of her heart began to ease. The world around her seemed to be bathed in a faint glow, the trees of the enchanting woods swaying in a peaceful dance. Caught breathless, Celestia took another shaky step back.

There was a squeal from below, and Celestia echoed it as she tripped on something and tried to whirl around, only to fall over. With a THUMP she collapsed on top of a dazed and bewildered Luna, the two princesses laying criss-crossed atop each other in a heap.

Luna grumbled as she wriggled beneath her elder sister. “T-Tia… where are we…?”

Celestia rolled off of her sister and pulled herself to her hooves again, shaking her head. “I… I don’t know…” she stammered.

She looked back at Luna, finding the younger princess’s sapphire aura enveloped around the journal as she found her footing. Luna let out a huff, glancing around with narrowed eyes. “Was that a teleport spell?”

“I’ve been teleported before… it didn’t feel like one,” Celestia said. “One moment we’re reading, and the next…” She couldn’t even finish her sentence, struggling to believe her own eyes.

Luna looked up and winced at the blinding light. “This place… it feels like a dream.”

“A dream?”

“Uhuh,” Luna said. “Like… all wobbly and… stuff.”

Celestia sighed. “‘Wobbly and stuff?’”

“I don’t know,” Luna grumbled. “Y’know, that kinda weird feeling you get in dreams where you feel light and floaty, and your senses are all hazy?”

Celestia looked around again. “Everything feels pretty normal to me… well, aside from this weird forest.”

“Is it a forest?” Luna wondered as she trotted forward.

Celestia followed. “What else would you call it?”

Luna paused for a moment, biting her lip as she stepped up to one of the trees and began knocking on the bark with a hoof. “Uh… well I guess it’s pretty forest-y…”

Celestia stepped up beside her little sister, stifling an irritated grunt and gazing up at the sparkling tree. The two sisters stood beside each other in silence, the scents of the woodland flooding their nostrils and the twittering of the birds flirting above gracing their anxious ears with song. They both took in a breath as the serenity calmed their nerves, but Celestia could not so easily banish her fears.

“W-we’d better find a way back…” she muttered, turning away from the tree and gazing up at the sun through a clearing.

Luna said nothing at first, her gaze fixed upon the crystalline canopy. She flinched in response to the absence of her sister and galloped over in a hurry. “W-wait, a way back?” Luna said.

“Yes, the castle is still under attack! We’ve got to do something!” Celestia said.

Luna frowned, pursing her lips in a pout as her head swiveled. “But… what if we were supposed to come here?”

Celestia blinked. “Huh?”

“Mother told us to read that specific page… right? Maybe… maybe she knew it would take us here!”

“But what could she be wanting us to do here? There were no instructions or anything… just some weird incantation!” Celestia replied.

“Well… what did the incantation say?” Luna asked.

Celestia bit her lip, her thoughts wandering back to mere minutes ago when she sat upon her sister’s bed. Though her headache was gone, only a few vague words entered her mind.

“I don’t remember it exactly…” Celestia grumbled. “It didn’t make any sense to me, anyway. Something about a river… and imagination?”

“Well… maybe there’s a magic river or something!” Luna suggested.

“Maybe…” Celestia said. “I can’t think of anything else it could mean right now.”

Luna hopped in front of Celestia with a confident smile. “Maybe we’ll find it if we start exploring!” she declared.

Celestia gave her sister a painful smile. “I guess, but what if we get lost?”

“Aren’t we already lost?” Luna said.

“Uh… well, I suppose we are!” Celestia nodded in agreement.

“Then let’s go get even more lost!” Luna turned around immediately and began prancing away, leaving Celestia to stare after her in bewilderment.

“H-hey, wait up!” Celestia took off, kicking up grass and bounding after her little sister, trying to keep her in sight.

Luna darted side to side, jumping over shrubberies and dodging around trees as the fireflies parted in a panic. Celestia looked left and right, scanning the woods as she tried to keep up with the excited filly ahead. “Last one to the river’s a rotten egg!” Luna called out.

“We don’t even know where the river is!” Celestia shouted back at her.

The land began to slope upwards, a steady incline leading them up a hill. Luna was in a full-sprint, leaving Celestia in the dust before long as the elder princess tried to survey the land for any landmarks or this mysterious river they sought.

The foliage became increasingly dense as the hill grew steeper, Celestia huffing and puffing as Luna repeatedly dipped out of sight among the trees. “L-Luna! Slow down!”

As if on cue, Luna vanished among the underbrush and massive trunks. Celestia’s heart sank, clenching her teeth and picking up the pace in an effort to find her sister again.

However, as she broke through a particularly heavy layer of shrubs, she found the land dropped away abruptly into a steep slope, a small creek running through the bottom of it. She squealed and skidded to a halt, hooves grinding on the dirt as she panted and looked around frantically.

“Luna-?” she gasped. She dared to look down the hill in fear. “Luna!?”

Without warning, there was a crashing of leaves and branches. “YAAA!”

Celestia turned around just in time to see Luna diving at her, the elder princess screaming as Luna collided with her. They rolled backwards, tumbling over one another as Luna giggled excitedly, while Celestia’s heart raced and she scrambled to break free from the tackle. She grunted and wriggled desperately as she felt the land beneath her begin to dip. The two princesses both cried out as they began rolling down the hill, crashing through bushes and sending blades of grass into the air.

Panic roared through Celestia’s mind as her eyes darted about, trying to make sense of the flurry of colours while she fell down the hill, Luna’s laughter intermixed with little yelps as Celestia tried to find a hoofhold, before with a SPLASH the two fillies finally came to a stop in the creek below.

Luna was on her hooves immediately, still laughing but with a distinct sense of nervous excitement behind her voice. “H-ha… haha…!”

Celestia groaned in pain as she lay partially submerged in the knee-deep water, shivering as her coat dripped. She stumbled and sputtered as her mane lay partially draped around her neck, shaking her head before whirling around to Luna. “W-what is WRONG with you!?”

Luna’s laughter came to an abrupt halt, her smile vanishing along with the bounce in her step. “Huh?”

“You don’t just… jump on me like that! And right by the edge of a hill? We could have gotten hurt!” Celestia growled as she stomped forward before tripping on a rock, collapsing into the frigid waters again.

Luna took a step back, her mouth hanging open a bit. She fumbled over her words for a moment, before smiling awkwardly. “I uh… I found the river!” she said with a toothy grin.

“This isn’t even a river!” Celestia shouted as she stood up, her legs quivering as she tried to find her balance, standing tall and escaping the waters. “This… this is a creek, at best! Too shallow for even fish to swim in!”

Luna frowned. “I think fish could swim in it…”

“That’s not the- UGH!” Celestia pushed past her sister, shivering as she stepped up onto the bank and shook her whole body, sending droplets of water everywhere. “L-look what you did! Now I’m all wet and cold!”

Luna lowered her head. “I-I just wanted to have a little fun…”

“Luna,” Celestia stepped up to her sister, waving one of her hooves about. “We are lost in who-knows-where while mother is back home fighting, and you’re just… goofing off and getting us into even more trouble!”

Luna kicked at the ground as she avoided eye-contact. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t think we’d roll down the hill…”

“Didn’t think-” Celestia stopped herself and took in a deep breath, holding back a stinging retort. “Ugh, this is ridiculous… we don’t know what we’re doing! A magic river? We don’t even know if that’s what we’re looking for!”

Luna frowned. “But that’s all we have! We gotta start somewhere…”

Celestia slumped, frustrated at how right her sister was. “Just… let's look at the journal. Mother told us to bring it, so it must be important. Maybe there’s a clue in it, or something.”

Luna blinked, before a look of fear fell across her face, her lips tightening as she tensed up. Celestia narrowed her eyes. “Luna… where is the journal?”

Luna lowered her head again and turned around. “I uh…” she cleared her throat. “I left it up there…” Luna pointed to the top of the hill.

Celestia gazed up in dismay, her mouth hanging open in disbelief, before letting out a groan. “Great… so now we have to climb aaaall the way back up?”

“Mhmm…” Luna mumbled.

Wonderful… now I’ll be wet, cold, sore, AND tired… Celestia fretted to herself as she sized up the creek again. “Fine… let’s just get this over with and get the journal then,” Celestia said.

Somepony cleared their throat behind them, a mare’s voice speaking up. “Do you mean this journal?” There was a hint of a sneer behind those words.

The two princesses tensed up, alarmed by the sudden presence as they slowly turned around.

Before them towered an alicorn mare with a silver almost-white coat, vibrant blue eyes gazing down at them as she smirked. Enshrouded in a fiery aura and floating beside her was the very journal they had brought with them. She flicked her head, tossing a thick layer of pale-orange hair out of her face as she stepped forward.

Celestia took an instinctive step back in response, still scanning the alicorn that had practically appeared out of nowhere. A cutie-mark sporting what looked like a map and a bottle of ink decorated her flank. Her features, her voice, even her expression… Celestia found herself recognizing the figure. Her appearance matched a description she had once read somewhere.

Luna took in a huge, gasping breath. “Y-you’re… you’re Silver Tongue!”

The mare’s grin somehow grew wider, showing teeth as her eyes filled with glee. “Aha! You recognized me!” she exclaimed, her whole body practically wiggling with excitement.

Celestia stared up at her in shock, her mouth hanging open as she tilted her head. “W-... what-!?”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Silver Tongue mused. “Though, I suppose this must be especially weird for you two, what with the whole ‘storybook character’ thing…”

“You’re an alicorn!” Luna squeaked as she hopped around the mare.

Celestia, however, was far more skeptical, beginning to strafe around Silver Tongue. Silver Tongue? That's impossible... “You were a unicorn in the story we read…” Celestia muttered, still trying to wrap her head around what was happening.

Silver cleared her throat. “Ah, yes… that… I can explain later. More importantly, are you two okay? You look terrible.”

Celestia frowned, shooting Luna a glare. “We’re okay… somehow. We’re lucky we didn’t hit a tree on the way down.” Luna just looked up and away innocently.

“Lucky indeed!” Silver said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to find you earlier. The incantation is a bit finicky, you see… you didn’t quite end up where I hoped you would.”

“Wait…” Celestia began. “YOU wrote that spell?”

Silver opened her mouth, before hesitating a moment. “Ah- well, in part. You could say it was a… team effort between your mother and I.”

“Then you must know why we’ve been sent here!” Luna said.

“Hold on, Luna,” Celestia interjected, frowning at Silver. “You’re… real?”

Silver chuckled, leaning down. “You’re welcome to poke me if you have doubts.”

“N-no, I mean… I thought you were just a character in a story!”

“Not so, little one!” Silver said. “I live and breathe just as you do. What you’ve been reading is the greatest tale of my exploits. Though I suspect you’ve already read about my other adventures in this book.” She lowered the journal towards Luna, who accepted it with her azure magic.

“Wait, so this is your journal?” Luna asked, her eyes sparkling with wonder.

“Yes!” Silver declared, raising her head in pride and placing a hoof to her chest. “Full of all my wondrous adventures! Well… almost all.”

Luna gasped loudly. “Wow…!”

Celestia let out a breath, her head starting to spin again. “Th-this is crazy. Why didn’t our mother tell us you were real?” Celestia narrowed her eyes. She was growing tired of all these secrets, but with few other options, she took a breath and turned to Silver. “Look… we don’t really know what’s going on here, and it seems like you do, so… do you know why we’re here?”

Silver nodded and turned around with a hop, her curly tail whipping as she began trotting through the woods. “That I do, little princess! I’m guessing your mother didn’t explain?” she said as she glanced over her shoulder.

Luna dashed forward to gallop alongside Silver, Celestia following right behind. “No, she just told us to read page 372 and that was it.”

Silver’s expression shifted, the smile finally wiped off her face as she frowned. “So… you skipped to that page?”

“She told us to!” Luna said as she jumped in front of Silver and trotted backwards. “We were reading it normally… but then this weird black stuff started attacking the castle! So she told us we could help her by reading that page.”

Silver stared down at the little filly, her mouth hanging open ever-so-slightly. “Black stuff… oh no. That’s…” Silver shuddered. “That isn’t good…”

“You know what it is, don’t you?” Celestia asked. “The story we read… it was about the same thing. The inkblight.”

Silver froze, wincing as she stared off into the distance. “Y… yes… ahem, yes! I know all about it. For better or for worse…”

“Then you must know how to stop it!” Luna said excitedly. “That must be why mother sent us here… to get your help! You faced the inkblight in the Silver Scrolls Saga!”

Celestia took in a breath as the gears in her head started turning. Luna was right. If Silver Tongue knew about the incantation, the journal, and the Silver Scrolls Saga, they were surely meant to be here. The pieces began to fit together as Celestia thought back to the events of the book.

Silver, meanwhile, smiled awkwardly. “Well… I don’t really-”

“We need the artifacts of imagination, don’t we?” Celestia cut her off.

Luna stopped her bouncing, tilting her head as Celestia trotted up beside Silver. The alicorn gazed down at her, a look of surprise on her face. “Oh, good. You at least know that much. What else do you know about the artifacts?”

“Not much… in the story, the wisemare told you and your friends that you needed the three artifacts to defeat the blight, but she never said how. She didn’t even really say what the blight was,” Celestia replied.

“Ahh, a mystery story!” Silver said. “Then I won’t spoil any more than I have to!”

Celestia frowned. “But everypony back home is in real danger. I don’t care about spoilers anymore, I just want to help.”

“Oh, they’re not in any danger right now,” Silver said. “Didn’t you pay attention to the incantation? ‘Let Equestria’s river of time be dammed up!’ As long as you’re here in Clydestale, time will be stopped back home.”

Luna’s eyes widened, the filly taking in a breath. “Oh, that’s what it means! It’s a… a metavor!”

Celestia winced. “Metaphor…”

“So we can spend as long as we want here?” Luna asked. “That’s convenient!”

“Isn’t it?” Silver chimed. “Hardly the most inventive way to send two foals on an adventure unburdened by their home lives… but it gets the job done!”

“Well… we can’t spend too long here,” Celestia said. “Weird time stuff or not, mother needs us. Do you have the artifacts?”

Silver laughed nervously, scraping one of her hooves against the grass. “A-ah… about that…”

Celestia did not like the sound of that. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“It’s just… I don’t have them anymore,” Silver said. “Each one of them is under the protection of the ponies of Clydestale. We’ll have to go get them.”

Celestia’s heart sank, the scope of their mission increasing rapidly. “Why didn’t you keep them?” she asked.

Silver shook her head. “They weren’t really mine to keep. I just borrowed them for a bit.”

“Do you hear that, Tia?” Luna said, facing her sister. “We gotta go on an adventure to get the artifacts, just like Silver Tongue!”

Celestia’s mouth hung open. “W-what? We’re only fillies! We can’t go on some perilous adventure like that! We barely even know how to use magic!”

“Don’t you worry, I’ll be coming with you,” Silver said with a smile. “It’s been a long time since I went on an adventure!”

Luna practically vibrated with glee as she pranced around the alicorn. “Adventure! Adventure! We’re going on an adventure!”

Celestia shook her head in disbelief. “B-but this is… this is crazy! We were in the castle not too long ago and now we have to go on some sort of… quest? A-and we've only just met you!”

Silver laughed as she leaned down to look Celestia in the eyes. “Oh, my dear little princess, don’t you know anything about The Hero’s Journey?”

Celestia blinked as she met that piercing blue gaze. “The Hero’s Journey?”

“Yes! It’s a structure for storytelling. And now you’re in your own story, little one. You’ve just crossed the threshold… the boundary between the status quo, and the great unknown. As such, I will fill the role of your mentor, and guide you through the daunting path before you!” Silver said.

“C’mon, Tia!” Luna said. “It’ll be fun! We used to play pretend all the time… now we get to do it for real!”

Celestia grimaced, her mind flooding with all sorts of scenarios. What she had once imagined while she and Luna ran around Canterlot now became very real to her, the very thought of it causing her heart to start racing again.

And yet, as she looked up at the canopy above, with the shimmering multi-coloured lights of the leaves shining down upon her, she realized her heart rate was rising, not only out of fear, but out of excitement. Questions rushed through her head, the little princess feeling like she could drown in them. Surely she would have her answers soon if she played along, right?

…Right?

The Crystal Vale

In the warmth of the golden sun did Celestia follow Silver Tongue, her coat painted with rainbows beneath the glassy canopy of the woods. Luna sat upon the alicorn’s back, her head turned skyward as the prismatic fireflies darted about.

“It’s fortunate you awakened so close to my home,” Silver said. “The Crystal Vale is the safest place in all of Clydestale. No monsters, no existential threats… just the wildlife, the foliage, and me.”

Celestia, keeping pace with Silver, stared out into the underbrush ahead. “Are there no other ponies in this land?”

“Oh, there are! Just not here,” Silver said.

“That sounds terribly lonely…” Celestia muttered.

Silver let out a gentle laugh. “It is. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you two.”

“Waiting for us? Was there some kind of prophecy or something?” Celestia said.

Luna’s eyes filled with wonder, a grin spreading across her face. She cleared her throat. “When the stars align, two princesses arrive…” she said. She paused for a moment and frowned in concentration. Her smile quickly returned, however. “For artifacts three, will our heroes strive!

Silver’s eyes widened. “Well now, we’ve got a little poet in our midst. Not bad at all, especially for your age!” she said.

Luna raised her head in pride, the shadows of the branches passing over the travelers as Celestia smiled. “So… is there a prophecy?”

Silver’s eyes glanced to the side. “Well… no. But your mother told me many, many long years ago that, some day, when Equestria was in great danger, you two would come here.”

“Years? Luna and I are still fillies… how long ago was this?” Celestia asked.

“It’s hard to say! I think I lost count somewhere around 300 years.”

Celestia’s mouth dropped. “300 years-!?”

“Yup! 300 years of patience and silence. I’m not sure how much time has passed back in Equestria since your mother and I last spoke,” Silver said.

“Wow! So you must be like… super old!” Luna said.

Celestia winced. “L-Luna! You don’t just call somepony old!”

“No, no, she’s right!” Silver chimed. “But since I’m an alicorn, 300 years is a mere drop in the bucket. I’d be long gone if I were still a unicorn.”

“Still a- wait… you mean you used to be a unicorn? Just like in the story?” Celestia asked.

“Oh, whoops, I was going to save that explanation for later… seems my pacing is a bit rusty,” Silver muttered under her breath. “See, the artifacts can make all sorts of fantasies come true. One of the first things I did when I got my hooves on them was turn myself into an alicorn!”

Luna gasped. “You can DO that??”

Celestia only scoffed as the trees thinned out around them. “Of course she can, Luna… anything written with the artifacts of imagination becomes real.”

Silver bit her lip as she led Celestia up a hill. “It’s not quite that simple, but yes. It was with that same power that I created the Crystal Vale.”

At this point, hardly anything surprised little Celestia, but this left her stammering. “Th-the entire vale?” she squeaked.

“That’s right! Everything you see here - from the edges of the Emerald Desert to the borders of Mount Frostmare - was all penned by yours truly. Impressed yet?” Silver said.

Celestia blinked in disbelief, before turning her attention to the top of the hill. She galloped past Silver to look out over the ridge, taking in a breath as the land sprawled out below.

She squinted in the unfettered brilliance of the light. To the left, the forest gave way to increasingly rocky foothills, a river tearing through the moors and diving over cliffs in a mist before spreading out into the wooded valley like branches. The highlands broke against a cliff face that towered into a sky-piercing mountain, a dense layer of snow coating its highest peaks. Beyond the moors and the fields, the sky seemed to darken with the approaching cover of night, stars twinkling in the distance.

The elder princess took a seat as Silver Tongue trotted up beside her, Luna taking in a huge, gasping breath at the scenery. “Woah… what a view…!” she said.

Celestia said nothing. She only let out the lightest awe-struck chuckle. “So… this is your home?”

“Sure is, little one. My treehouse lies just a little further ahead at the riverbend.”

“It’s so beautiful…” Celestia whispered.

Silver grinned. “You sure changed your tune quickly. Isn’t this world just begging to be explored?”

The little princess didn’t say a word. She was beginning to understand what Luna had meant when she said it all felt like a dream. Once upon a time, only in her own imagination could she have envisioned such a sight. Now, a vast and magical realm lay sprawled before her like a carefully woven tapestry.

Finally, Celestia cleared her throat and pulled her gaze away to meet Silver’s. “W-well… I’m still nervous. We’ve both lived in the castle our whole lives. We’re not adventurers.”

“You are right to be nervous,” Silver said. “The world is as terrifying as it is beautiful. Which of those you choose to focus on, however, is up to you.”

Celestia smiled. “Well… I guess that’s why mother wanted us to meet you, huh?”

“Yup!” Silver said. “With a little practice and a helping hoof to guide you, you two will be heroes of your own tales before long, mark my words!”

A gentle breeze rippled through the grass as Celestia, Luna, and Silver Tongue approached a gigantic tree, its branches reaching down before curling back up as if to catch the sun’s rays. The rushing waters of a river nearby graced their ears as the alicorns admired the tree above.

“Here we are, little ones. My not-so-humble abode,” Silver declared, raising a hoof.

Within the tree’s branches, Celestia could make out white wooden beams and walls. Diamond-shaped windows with clear glass and crystal flowers resting upon their sills gave tiny glimpses into the treehouse. Lavender vines decorated with fireflies hung from the uppermost layers of the tree, some of them draping over the slanted roofs of the house.

Luna hopped off Silver’s back. “Wow! I always wanted a treehouse… but mother said there aren’t any good trees for them back home,” she said.

“How do we get up?” Celestia asked.

“We fly, of course,” Silver said, spreading her wings.

Celestia’s heart skipped a beat as Silver took to the skies with a burst of wind, turning around to face them and hovering above.

“Come on, there’s so much I want to show you!”

Luna’s smile had vanished. She had shrunk back a bit, lowering her head and making reluctant eye-contact with her elder sister. Celestia could see the pain and fear in her eyes. “Uh… Silver Tongue…?”

“Don’t tell me you two can’t fly…” Silver said quietly in disbelief.

“We can! It’s just… well…” Celestia hesitated a moment, and Luna only nodded. With a sigh, Celestia faced Silver above. “Luna’s afraid of flying.”

“Afraid of-” Silver looked indignant for a moment, before her gaze softened. “Oh… I see… uhh… give me a second!”

With that, Silver took off and into the treehouse, landing on a balcony before darting inside.

Celestia turned to her sister again. “It’s okay, Luna. We’ll find another way up!”

“I-I hope so…” Luna said. “I’m sorry, sister.”

The elder princess looked into her little sister’s eyes, the glimmer of excitement now gone from those sapphire gems as Luna shuddered. Celestia reached out and nudged her. “Hey… you might not be able to fly like me, but you’re really good at magic!”

Luna cracked a bitter smile, lifting her head ever so slightly. “I guess… but I wanna be good at both.”

Celestia looked around anxiously, her mind scrambling to comfort and encourage the little alicorn. “U-uh… maybe Silver Tongue can help you learn!”

Luna frowned, looking away and pouting a bit. She mumbled something inaudible under her breath. Celestia tilted her head and leaned in. “S-sorry?”

“Helloooo down there!” Silver’s voice pierced the air again, prompting the fillies to return their gazes to the treehouse. Silver stood upon the balcony tightening a rope tied to a wooden bucket, before tossing the bucket over a sturdy branch. The rope whipped with a TWANG as the bucket pulled it taught, now swaying in front of the princesses. Silver was grinning from ear to ear, her tail moving side to side. “Hop in! I’ll pull you up!”

The girls exchanged a glance, Luna’s face wrought with concern. Celestia couldn’t help but mirror that nervousness, but put on a brave face. “Come on, it’s better than flying, right?” she said, spreading her wings as she pushed herself up into the air and floated down into the bucket, which shuddered as the branch sagged before returning to its position.

Luna didn’t seem convinced, but presented with no better option, she trotted up to the bucket, sizing it up and circling around it for a moment, before jumping at it. Her upper body slumped over the rim, wings fluttering violently as she scrambled before clambering into it with a grunt. Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle as her sister popped up like a gopher, looking around as she brushed up against her sister.

“Ready?” Silver called to them.

Celestia nodded. “Uhuh!”

With a creak, the bucket lurched upwards, eliciting a squeak from Luna, who grabbed Celestia in a remarkably powerful embrace.

“A-ack- L-Luna, it’s okay!” Celestia muttered.

Luna loosened her grip. “S-sorry…”

Up, up and up the fillies rose, the slightest sway to the makeshift lift. The vines drifted past them, the foreign object scaring a few fireflies away. Luna let out a quivering sigh, her gaze locked on the treehouse above, refusing to look below. “I… want you to teach me how to fly…” Luna muttered.

Celestia, still trapped in her sister’s death grip, felt her heart warm within her chest. “O-... oh… I-I’m still learning too, so I don’t think I can really teach you-”

Celestia silenced herself as a crestfallen Luna turned to her. The elder princess thought fast. “B-but I could teach you what I do know!”

Once more, Luna’s smile returned, the little princess wiggling a bit as she pulled Celestia in closer. “Thanks, Tia…”

Celestia stifled a sigh of relief as she once again repelled her sister’s looming angst. Gosh, is THIS what mother has had to deal with when raising us?

Before long, the princesses were level with Silver, who bit her lip as her magic swung the bucket back towards the balcony.

Once they were on stable ground, the fillies hopped out, Luna giving the balcony a firm stomp or two to make sure it was stable. Silver wasted no time, trotting over to the door and inviting the girls inside. “Come along! I promise I’ll keep it brief.”

Celestia took the first steps. The soft goldenrod light of a lantern dangled from the ceiling, illuminating the interior of the cabin. A desk covered in papers lay just to the side of a spacious window that was indented into the wall. Beside the window was a board with even more scattered parchment and scribblings pinned to it.

Just beyond the desk, a pair of bookshelves stood side-by-side, the uppermost shelves covered in dust and populated by only a few thin tomes, while the lower shelves sagged with enormous leather volumes that had loose pages sticking out of them.

Furthest from the door, a flight of stairs lead up to a loft above where a feathered bed lay unmade, covers hanging off one side and a pillow with a distinct indent in its center hanging dangerously close to the edge.

Celestia’s gaze was drawn to the board of scrolls, squinting at the cursive. “This place is… uh… w-when was the last time you cleaned?”

Silver entered with Luna, an awkward smile across her face. “I never really have guests, so I never bothered!”

Luna was practically vibrating, her eyes wide with wonder. “It’s just like my room!” Luna exclaimed excitedly, prancing forward and nearly colliding with Celestia, who yelped as she tumbled backwards and into the board.

With a rattle, the board came loose and fell from the wall, laying partially overtop of Celestia as a few scattered papers floated down on top of her.

“S-sorry, Silver… I’ll fix this,” Celestia muttered, glaring at Luna, who had already galloped her way up to the loft.

Silver only chuckled as she lifted the board off Celestia’s head and leaned it up against the wall. “Worry not, little one. Perhaps having two fillies around will give me a reason to clean this place up of any… hazards.”

“You live here, Silver? This place is awesome!” Luna exclaimed as she dove into the bed, immediately vanishing inside the plush covers and rolling around in it.

“Well I would have sooner used the word… ‘spectacular’, or ‘stupendous’, or perhaps ‘resplendent’, but I suppose ‘awesome’ will suffice,” Silver mused. “From here, I come up with all sorts of adventures and mysteries. I’ve got everything I could ever want here: writing tools, a comfortable bed, a cozy workspace, and-”

There was a series of abrupt, frenzied chirps and whistles as something whizzed past Celestia’s face. The princess ducked as a crimson blur whirled about the room, squealing bloody murder before crashing into a cupboard and sending a bounty of pots and pans clattering to the floor. A high-pitched, muffled voice screeched from within the cupboard. “Children? CHILDREN? IN THESE HALLOWED HALLS!?”

A portly parrot burst out of the cupboard again, sending a flurry of feathers into the air, before the bogey landed on a chair by the desk, its feathers all ruffled as it shook its head violently. Silver beamed as the little bird flapped its wings and let out an irritated chirp. “And some company!” Silver said, finishing her thought. “Excellent narrative timing, Calliope!”

“Silver Tongue! What manner of mischief is this? I demand an explanation!” Calliope chirped.

“Easy there, friend! These two fillies have come from Equestria in search of the artifacts of imagination. Isn’t that delightful?”

“Delightful? You are already two days behind your writing quota! You don’t have time to-...” The parrot stopped herself as Luna trotted down to join Celestia. Calliope tilted her head 90-degrees and stared at the fillies with one beady eye. “Did you say… Equestria…?”

Silver only nodded. “Calliope, meet Celestia and Luna, Stella’s daughters!”

Luna’s jaw hung open in silence, while Celestia cleared her throat and bowed slightly. “A pleasure to meet you, Calliope!”

Calliope’s wings extended outwards as she let out a squawk. “Well pluck my plumage and twist my tailfeathers, our months of mediocrity have come to a close at last!” the bird exclaimed. “I am Calliope, muse of myriad memoirs and eloquent emissary extraordinair.”

Luna finally snapped out of her stupor. “A talking bird??”

Calliope jumped off the back of the chair, her talons lightly click-clacking against the floor until she stood before Luna, gazing up at her furiously. “‘A talking horse??’ Humph! The nerve! Look in a mirror, you malodorous malefactor!”

Luna blinked in confusion, and Celestia only stared as she tried to comprehend the parrot’s words.

Calliope looked indignant, raising her head. “I am insulting you! Act insulted!”

Silver began to snicker as Celestia narrowed her eyes. “Insulting us… how?”

Calliope only narrowed her eyes right back, before letting out a huff as she took off into the air, landing on Silver’s back. “I hate children.”

“In their presence, your verbose vocabulary avails you not. You may need to drop the poetic devices and speak plainly, little bird!” Silver sneered.

Calliope opened her mouth for another retort, but only grunted and looked away.

Satisfied with this response - or lack thereof - Silver returned her attention to the two princesses. “Calliope is my partner in crime. She travels the land and finds me all sorts of fascinating fancies to write about. As such, she knows more about Clydestale than anyone else.”

The gears began turning in Celestia’s head. “Does that mean she knows where the artifacts are?”

Silver looked over her shoulder at the bird. “Well?”

Calliope let out a sigh. “Put the board back on the wall and clear some of those papers off. I’ll show you.”

Silver grinned with glee. “Celestia, if you would be so kind?”

The elder princess nodded as her horn glimmered gold, her magic enveloping the board and lifting it back up. She stuck her tongue out in concentration, wiggling the board about until it snagged. Letting it hang, she quickly straightened it before taking a step back. “There!”

Silver’s own aura began pulling papers down off the board, removing little clips and pins to free the parchment and slowly revealing a map behind them. The mare took extra care to roll the scrolls back up and place them on the dusty upper shelves of the bookcase.

“What are all these papers for, anyways?” Luna asked.

Silver didn’t make eye-contact with Luna, continuing to gently put the scrolls away. “A-ah! Well… these are the silver scrolls; my theses on the craft of storytelling!”

“So they’re all about how to write a story?” Celestia asked.

“Sort of! It’s mostly a collection of my observations about what makes a narrative compelling and interesting,” Silver explained.

Celestia watched as the scrolls were magic’d over to the shelves, catching glimpses of silver ink within them. “Can we see them?”

“We can take some of them with us once we depart, so long as you promise not to read the ones written in gold,” Silver said.

“Why not?”

“I’m still… working on those ones,” Silver muttered, before admiring the map upon the board. “There we are! Where are we headed, Calliope?”

“Such a rush you’re in! Planning an adventure is not so simple as knowing your destination, you know,” Calliope scolded as she took flight, hovering in front of the board.

The dark, blotchy ink on the map painted an unfamiliar landscape in front of the fillies, who both took in a breath as they read the words ‘The Crystal Vale’ within the center. The central continent branched out in every direction as though looking at a tree’s canopy from below. Rivers, lakes and inlets shaped the landmass, the northernmost regions showing a smooth coastline, while the southern coasts were jagged and almost appeared like fingers and claws.

Calliope sized up the map for a bit, before picking up a pin from the desk and jabbing it into the map. “The Starfield Ink is being kept here,” Calliope stated.

The alicorns both leaned forward, finding the first pin placed in the ocean far to the north. Little black specs decorated the sea beyond the central continent. Luna was the first to speak. “In the middle of the ocean?”

Silver sighed, narrowing her eyes. “If only it were that simple. That is the sea of stars, which can only mean one thing…”

“Precisely,” Calliope said. “The Starfield Ink is appropriately under the protection of the Neighva, the starbound artists.”

“What a pain…” Silver grumbled. “But you’ll find no greater wielders of magic. If learning is your lean, the Neighva will be happy to provide it. The food there is also quite exquisite…”

Luna immediately looked at Celestia with a twinkle in her eye. “Hear that, Tia? Just think of the kinda magic we could learn!”

Celestia gave her little sister a bitter sweet smile. “Well… I guess it wouldn’t hurt! Especially if we’re going on an adventure like this.”

“As for the Quill of Tales…” Calliope said, retrieving another pin. Veering to the right, she squinted, before placing the pin on what appeared to be a dense forest. “The Melodine of Oakenbray are its keepers.”

Silver lit up a bit at that. “Oh, delightful! I can’t remember the last time I attended a Melodine concert! I wonder what sort of musical epics they’ve created since my last visit…”

Celestia gazed at the map, drawing a mental line from the vale to Oakenbray. “But it’s so far away…”

Calliope nodded. “Indeed; between us and them lies the dunes of the Emerald Desert, and the ashen wastes of Vulcanheim.”

Silver’s cheerful expression melted away in an instant. “Oh, I’d forgotten about Vulcanheim...”

“What’s wrong with Vulcanheim?” Luna asked.

“What isn’t wrong with Vulcanheim?” Silver muttered. “It’s filled with craters and crevices, many of which are filled with lava, and the heat is searing. Last time I was there, I thought my feathers would burn clean off!”

Celestia gulped nervously. “I-is there another way?”

“No way quite so quick, little filly,” Calliope declared. “Do not worry, I’m sure your coat will only be mildly singed.”

“Thanks for the encouragement, Calliope…” Silver said. “What about the Book of Light?”

Calliope paused for a moment, glancing back and forth between the map and Silver. “Erm… the Book of Light… of course… uh…”

Silver narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know where it is, do you?”

“Nonsense! Of course I know where it is! I think…” Calliope trailed off as she retrieved a pin. She scanned the map again as the alicorns waited patiently.

“Now isn’t the time for guesses,” Silver chided.

“Here!” Calliope suddenly lurched forward and stuck the pin into the map, flapping her wings viciously as she pulled away to let the others take a look. “Or at least… somewhere in that area!”

The pin was far to the south-west, right in the middle of a mountain range. Silver’s eyes widened with surprise. “You mean to say it’s with the Bronco’nuks?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Calliope confirmed.

Silver bit her lip. “That explains your uncertainty…” The mare turned to the princesses with a look of concern. “The Bronco’nuks are a nomadic folk… they never settle in one place for long. As a result, I fear it may be difficult to locate them. They never leave the frigid southern regions of Clydestale, and few care to seek them out due to their nomadic nature.”

“So we’d have to search for them? In all of that area?” Celestia asked, lifting a hoof and waving it in front of the southern mountains and tundras.

Luna groaned. “I don’t like the cold…”

“Yes, it will be no easy task, but between Calliope’s scouting and a few favors I need to call in… we should be able to find them,” Silver explained.

“I sure hope so,” Celestia whispered. “We are not prepared for this at all…”

Silver gazed down at the fillies, inspecting them. “Hmm… I wouldn’t be so sure. As much as I hate to admit it… I think our first destination should be the Sea of Stars. Our route there takes us through the moors of Cobnshire, which is home to a folk I am particularly close with. They will be able to help us reach the Sea of Stars. What’s more, it’s by far the safest of the three journeys. Perfect beginner adventurer material!”

Luna wiggled a bit with excitement. “And you’ll come with us, right?”

“Of course! I’m not about to send a couple of fillies into the unknown… what kind of mentor would I be then?”

“Mentor? You’re acting as their mentor??” Calliope exclaimed. “Mentors DIE in coming-of-age stories like this, you fool!”

Silver’s eyes widened as she whipped around. “Not all the time! And don’t say things like that in front of the fillies! They’re scared enough as is.”

Celestia’s mind raced back to at least one or two tales involving a crucial mentor-student relationship. She shuddered. “But… this isn’t a story, right?” Celestia asked.

Silver blinked as she faced the filly, before a soft smile spread across her face. “Well… maybe not in the traditional sense, but… everyone’s life is a story in its own right, isn’t it?” Silver said. “Don’t worry, little one. I have no intentions of making any heroic sacrifices or final stands.”

Calliope scoffed. “No one ever does…”

“Quiet, you. As for the Neighva… their domain lies far beyond the clouds, where the very stars themselves are within reach,” Silver explained. “Not even an alicorn’s mighty wings can carry you that high.”

“How will we get there, then?” Celestia wondered aloud.

“With an ancient and powerful magic. If you’ve read my journal, you may already know about the rising falls. It is by awakening the Light within the waters that the falls will rise once more and carry us into the heavens,” Silver explained.

“I remember! I remember!” Luna exclaimed, quickly opening up the journal and flipping through its pages. “You were… what’s the word… investigating the magic there!”

Silver beamed, leaning down to look at the journal over Luna’s shoulder. “That’s right! It’s truly extraordinary. No finer sights will you see in all the realm.”

“So… we’re heading north, then?” Celestia clarified.

“Precisely. We will set out in 30 minutes!” Silver declared.

Celestia’s eyes widened and she shook her head in surprise. “S-so soon?”

“I concur…” Calliope said. “Aren’t you being a little too enthusiastic, Silver Tongue?”

Silver tilted her head. “I don’t see why there’s any cause to delay. A fast paced adventure is an exciting adventure!”

Celestia grimaced a bit as Luna vibrated beside her. “But we still need time to adjust to… well, all of this! Not all stories are so quick!” Celestia said.

A look of surprise washed over Silver’s face as she stared at Celestia wordlessly. Calliope’s gaze also settled upon her, and the elder princess found all eyes on her. Celestia cleared her throat, fumbling over her words. “I-I uh… a story doesn’t… have to be fast to be interesting, does it?”

Calliope chirped looking up at Silver. “A storyteller in the making, it seems.”

Silver smiled as she rolled her eyes. “I suppose our tastes differ… very well! We shall slow down… but tomorrow morning, we depart.”

Celestia let out a sigh of relief as Luna brushed up against her. “So does that mean… we’re having a sleepover?”

Silver trotted over to the kitchen. “We will be having many sleepovers, my little ponies. We’ve got a long road ahead of us, after all!”

Luna cantered on the spot, a wide grin across her face. “Yesssss! I’ve always wanted to have a sleepover!”

Celestia only stared as her sister pranced back up the steps to the loft. The elder princess sighed as Luna dove into the bed above again and Silver began putting away the pots and pans that had been disturbed earlier.

A slight gust of air passed over Celestia’s left ear, causing it to flick. She turned to find Calliope landing on the seat of the desk chair beside her, the parrot’s head jerking to the side and eyeing the princess up. “You are right to be stressed,” Calliope said. “Being the ‘voice of reason’ is a heavy burden.”

“H-huh? Voice of reason- no, I’m just… if we aren’t careful, we’re gonna get hurt,” Celestia muttered.

Calliope nodded sagely. “Right you are… and yet, a life without risk is a life without growth… and a life without growth, is an empty life indeed.”

Celestia’s mouth hung open a bit, the world around her melting away a bit. “But isn’t that asking for trouble?”

“Not with a little discipline. Growth is not about seeking risks, but rather overcoming them when they arrive.”

“I see… I just hope my sister doesn’t go jumping into danger in the presence of Silver,” Celestia said.

“Do not worry, princess. Just as you bring your sister down to earth, so too shall I bring Silver Tongue to heel,” Calliope said.

Celestia gave Calliope a painful smile. “Thank you… I’m glad you’re here. Silver seems a bit…”

“Wild and unhinged?”

“Out of control,” Celestia said. “Maybe she just… really wants to do something exciting for once, just like my sister. We’ve lived in the castle our whole lives and are always under constant watch, so we haven’t been in any real danger until today.”

“Hmm… perhaps it is because you are older that this danger is more real to you,” Calliope reasoned.

“Maybe…” Celestia said as she looked at the floor. “I just hope it finally clicks for her before she gets herself hurt.”

Author's Note

The scope of the adventure is clear now. Tropes and poking at tropes abound. Perhaps Celestia can finally find comfort knowing she isn't the only one trying to keep a level head through all this absurdity!

Tis I!

No, I'm not dead! It's just very slow going! Read more about it here.

As always, thank you all for being patient with me and continuing to provide support and encouragement. This story means a lot to me, and I'm so glad others are enjoying it!

Just a Word

Celestia stared out into the night sky, partially obscured by the canopy of the crystalline tree as she lay in the nook of the window. She could faintly hear Silver below, her voice exaggerated and shifting in tone rapidly as Luna giggled in the background. The fireflies beyond the glass were settling upon the branches, their lights beginning to dim as they, too, turned in for the evening.

The wood creaked from behind Celestia, prompting her to look to the steps that lead to the loft. Luna’s pale-blue mane became visible over the lip of the flight, a few crumbs still on her face as she trotted up to Celestia. “Tia, Silver made biscuits! Do you want some?”

Celestia shook her head softly. “No thank you… I’m not hungry.”

“Well… neither am I. But they’re reeeaaally good,” Luna reasoned.

Celestia said nothing as she looked out the window again.

There was a pause, the loft filled with silence as Luna held her ground. “Silver is coming up with a new story with Calliope downstairs,” she muttered.

Celestia held back a sigh as Luna attempted to make conversation. “Neat.”

Suddenly Luna landed beside Celestia in the makeshift bed, causing the elder princess to squeak. Her heartbeat quickened as she felt a biting complaint rise in her throat, but as she faced her sister, Luna’s stern gaze burned into her.

Celestia’s anger immediately subsided, her little sister shifting a bit and getting comfy. “W-what are you doing?”

“I’m joining you. What does it look like?”

Celestia’s mouth hung open in a mixture of frustration and confusion. “I don’t really want to talk right now, Luna,” Celestia said.

“Then we won’t talk,” Luna replied.

Celestia finally let her sigh escape. “What do you want, Luna?”

“To be with my sister.”

Celestia blinked as Luna spoke plainly, those shining blue eyes revealing a much more reserved and controlled filly than what had tackled Celestia into the creek earlier that day.

Luna held her gaze for a moment, before looking out the window. Celestia’s eyes followed as the two sisters looked past the gently swaying vines dangling from the tree. She took a deep breath, tension in her body she hadn’t previously been aware of beginning to melt away as she slowed her breathing.

The covers shifted beside her as Luna got comfortable, scooching in closer until her body pressed up against her big sister’s. Her head leaned into Celestia, resting against hers right beneath her neck. Almost out of instinct, Celestia leaned back into her, the two leaning on each other.

“I’m… sorry I yelled at you earlier… at the creek,” Celestia said.

Luna said nothing, nuzzling in a bit as her magic ensnared a portion of the blanket and pulled it over the pair.

“I… know you were just trying to lighten the mood,” Celestia continued. “But all I can think about right now is our mother, and getting back home to help her.”

A couple fireflies beyond the window danced around each other, darting around the leaves as their lights flickered and refracted against the crystals.

Celestia shook her head softly. “This morning we were just playing, and trying to get mother’s attention. Now I feel like… I feel like she’s counting on us. Counting on us to do something crazy!” Celestia said. “And I’m… I’m scared of screwing up.”

A set of much heavier hooves clip-clopped along the floor below. Celestia turned her head to look and find Silver stepping out onto the balcony, Calliope following shortly behind.

Luna shifted, tilting her head up to look towards her older sister. “I thought you didn’t wanna talk?”

Celestia froze, before relaxing again as she lowered her head. “S-sorry… I’m just not handling this well… not like you.”

“I’m scared too,” Luna whispered.

A silence fell upon the sisters again as Celestia processed those words. “What…?”

Luna nodded steadily. “This place is so cool, but so weird. Being so far from home… It's scary. What if we can’t make it back?”

“I… I don’t know, Luna…” Celestia said. “Mother wouldn’t have sent us here if she didn’t expect us to return… right?”

Luna lowered her head again, her eyes glazing over a bit as she looked out the window. “No… she wouldn’t. She really believes we can do this, doesn’t she?”

Celestia nodded. “She must… I just don’t understand one thing…”

“What’s that?”

“If this was so important, and if she knew for weeks about the inkblight… why didn’t she go get the the artifacts herself right away?”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “Y-yeah… that’s right. Especially if time uh… stops when you go through the book.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Celestia said. “This is the kinda journey adults go on, not foals!”

Luna still appeared to be in deep thought, not taking her eyes off the fireflies beyond the window. “But where did the inkblight come from? And that unicorn, uh… Twilight Sparkle!”

Celestia winced as her head throbbed, an ache in the back of her mind as the violet unicorn was named again. “Ah…! Ouch…”

Luna looked concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah it’s just… something about her was so familiar. I don’t even know how I knew her name, it just… came to me,” Celestia said, shaking her head.

“Do you know anything else about her?”

Celestia grimaced as she continued to dwell on the strange mare. The world around her seemed to spin, her vision blurring and the sounds of the peaceful night growing muffled. She closed her eyes in concentration, combing through her mind for answers.

“Tia…?” Luna’s voice was hollow and drowned out, as if it was coming from underwater.

Twilight Sparkle… she had friends… Celestia began to breathe heavily as she kept exploring her thoughts. I know her… is she… MY friend…? Why can’t I remember her?

“Tia!” Luna nudged the elder princess and Celestia let out a gasp, the pain quickly fading as everything became clear again.

“H-huh?”

Luna gulped. “You were mumbling to yourself… and your mane…”

“My mane…?”

“It was changing colour,” Luna said.

Celestia stared at her sister in confusion, before reaching up with a hoof and pulling some of her mane in front of her. Her eyes widened as she watched a few strands of pale blue and green slowly fading back into pink. “W-... what?”

“Did you remember anything else?” Luna asked.

A set of heavy hooves upon the wooden floor interrupted Celestia before she could think up a response. Silver approached softly, her head tilted in curiosity. “Getting comfortable?”

The two princesses looked to the alicorn mare in surprise, so lost in their thoughts they hadn’t noticed her coming up the stairs.

Silver cleared her throat awkwardly. “Ah, sorry… am I interrupting some character development?”

Luna made a face. “Some what…?”

Celestia shook her head. “I uh… Luna and I were just trying to make some sense of what happened in Equestria before we came here.”

“I see, I see… I just wanted to make sure you two were doing okay. I spoke with Calliope and… I’m sorry for overwhelming you,” Silver said, a painful smile on her face.

Celestia said nothing, struggling between being honest or stowing her fears. Indeed, the day had been beyond overwhelming, and yet deep within the little filly was a flicker of excitement.

“It’s okay, Silver!” Luna chimed, her attitude shifting on a dime before the ancient storyteller. “You haven’t been on any adventures in a long time, have you?”

Silver nodded somberly. “Indeed. I have written many stories, but it has been centuries since I wrote one from experience… and I fear my eagerness is getting the best of me. You two are new to this, after all.”

Celestia felt her heart soften. “Why haven’t you gone on any adventures in all this time?”

Silver paused for a moment, her mouth hanging open in hesitation. Celestia could practically hear the gears turning in Silver’s head as she squinted, before letting out a rather frustrated sigh. “There just haven’t been any adventures to go on. Clydestale is a very… special place, you see.”

“Special? What do you mean by that?” Luna asked.

Silver lowered her gaze, concern written across her once-glowing expression. “I… will do my best to explain.”

Celestia felt a story coming, adjusting herself in the makeshift bed to face Silver more directly. Luna followed suit, her eyes already alight with interest once more.

Silver knelt down before the fillies, shifting uncomfortably on the wooden floor, letting out a sigh. “You see, a long, long time ago, Clydestale was… much smaller than it is now.”

“Smaller…?” Celestia muttered.

“Yes, once upon a time, the northern region of Cobnshire and the Sea of Stars was the extent of Clydestale’s reach. The rest of this world sat inert, like a blank, empty canvas, waiting for somepony to pen their next opus. A world full of potential waiting to be realized.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes, and Silver took a breath before continuing. “Much of this information is what your mother told me, but... long ago, in your world of Equestria, stories set in Clydestale were woven by eager authors, and in so doing, life was breathed into this realm. With each chapter… with each book and novella, the land I now call home expanded.”

“Wait… so, you mean this world was created by Equestrians?” Luna exclaimed.

“In a sense, yes! Even I don’t fully know how they did it, but with every story they penned, Clydestale grew more and more rich with life, wonder and culture… and so... did my adventures begin.”

There was a light twinge of pain in the back of Celestia’s head, her gaze transfixed on Silver as she explained the nature of her home. “I’m sorry… so what you’re saying is…?”

“This world, my little ponies… everything that happens in it, all comes from stories; stories that were written by somepony in Equestria. But one day… they stopped writing, and Clydestale was stricken with silence…” Silver looked straight into Celestia’s eyes as she finished. “No new adventures have been written in centuries… that is, until you two arrived.”

Luna shook her head, her mane whipping as she snapped out of her stupor. “H-huh? Why us?”

“I only have my best guess… which is that, as Equestrians yourselves, your arrival has begun a new story in Clydestale; a story in which you two are the heroes.”

Celestia and Luna stared, a warmth rising within the elder princess as she sat up, raising her head to look around. “Then… are you saying none of this is real?”

Silver’s eyes widened, her mouth hanging open, before she took a breath and narrowed her eyes. “To me and everyone else in this beautiful world, it’s real… just as much as Equestria is real to you,” Silver said softly. “If Equestria was created the same way as Clydestale… would you still consider it real?”

Celestia’s heart skipped a beat, being the next to lose her words as Luna turned her gaze out the window and skyward. “So that’s why this place feels like a dream…”

Silver blinked. “Pardon me?”

Luna flinched as all eyes fell on her. “Uh… as soon as we got here, I realized something felt… strange about this place. I’ve done some dreamwalking stuff before. This feels a lot like it.”

Silver’s confusion was quickly replaced by fascination. “I see… now why would that be?” the older alicorn muttered, before a spark seemed to ignite within her eyes. “Unless… imagination. Dreams are products of the imagination… much like the stories of Clydestale were to the Equestrian who penned them! To your world, Clydestale is a work of fiction... the stuff of dreams!”

Celestia smiled awkwardly. “I-I’m still not sure I fully understand…”

Silver raised a hoof and waved it dismissively. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you don’t need to. But it certainly explains the nature of Clydestale. It is a world within a world… wholly a product of the imagination. But to me and all who live here, it is very much real. Ha! If that isn’t a philosophical can of worms, I don’t know what is!”

Luna’s eyes glazed over. “Philuh… philen…-”

“A-anyways!” Celestia interrupted her little sister. “What does this mean for our journey…?”

Silver Tongue grinned. “Ohh, maybe some themes of escapism… or perhaps embracing childlike wonder…”

Celestia sighed. “I mean the journey itself… not the ‘story’!”

Silver caught herself as she cleared her throat. “A-ah, right! Uh…”

There was a violent fluttering as Calliope swooped in. “It means, as Equestrians, the princesses must use the artifacts if Equestria is to be saved.”

All three of the alicorns turned their heads to the parrot. Silver was the first to speak. “I beg your pardon?”

“Forgive me for interrupting, but I couldn’t help but overhear. Think about it, Silver. The artifacts allowed you - a native of Clydestale - to change the world with mere quill, ink and paper. The artifacts made you the author of Clydestale, much like the Equestrians once were!”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that…” Silver muttered.

“By extension,” Calliope continued. “As natives of Equestria, they may be the only ones able to write their own world's reality - much like you did to Clydestale - and in so doing, banish the inkblight once and for all!”

Silver frowned as she lifted her head. “But- no… no no no, we can’t do that!”

“Why not?” Celestia asked.

Silver leaned back, looking around as if for backup. “I… well, it’s just… you two are still children! That’s a lot of power for a couple fillies!”

“Silver Tongue,” Calliope grumbled. “Contrary to your name, you are a terrible liar.”

“Yes, the irony is not lost on me…” Silver sighed. “Listen, the artifacts are as dangerous as they are wonderful. Used incorrectly, they could make things worse! And never mind the moral dilemma of being able to change reality on a whim! Besides, we don't know for certain if the artifacts need to be used by an Equestrian. Who’s to say I can’t banish the inkblight? Or better yet, their mother! She'd fit the criteria, and it sounds like she knows what she’s doing!”

Luna lowered her head, looking disappointed. “I mean… I guess…”

Celestia saw the defeat in her sister’s eyes. Silver appeared rather flustered as she exhaled sharply. “Look, I’m sorry, you two are very sweet and very smart for your age… but you’re still only fillies. You're not experienced writers and storytellers like I am… the artifacts must be used by a practiced storyteller, or it could spell disaster.”

Celestia locked eyes with the anxious writer, and without even thinking, she spoke. “Then why don’t you teach us how to be good storytellers?”

A silence fell upon the room, Silver and Calliope exchanging a glance. Calliope snorted as she ruffled her feathers. “Well, miss ‘mentor’? Are you going to answer your call to action?”

Silver’s eyes widened, a look of shock mixed with excitement falling across her face, along with a hint of nervousness. “I-I-... well, uh…” She looked to the two fillies, who were now both sitting up straight, eyes alight with wonder. Celestia could see it in Silver’s expression; her waning resistance when faced with the two eager princesses.

At last, Silver let out a sigh, smiling weakly. “How can I say no to those faces?”

Author's Note

Time for one last wholesome and quiet chapter before the adventure REALLY kicks off. What a strange and peculiar world this is!

I'll admit, I believe the plot point about the princesses using the artifacts could have been handled better. I realized while writing this chapter that I cornered myself a bit when the artifacts were first introduced; something that, in a fully drafted novel, would be less likely to occur thanks to novel-wide editing passes. Oh well, live and learn. I'm not going to hyper-stress about this because that'd defeat the purpose of why I'm writing this haha

In the mean time... I've got a Tia and Luna one-shot story coming next before Into the Light VIII. Please stand by for further cuteness.

Snow and Cinder

Beneath the prismatic paintings of The Crystal Vale’s canopy, the fillies trotted after their mentor, the towering alicorn prancing with a spring and a leap in her step as she hummed happily to herself, her saddlebag bouncing against her side.

Celestia squinted as she stared at the cursive that decorated the scroll before her, a golden aura keeping it afloat as she followed Silver Tongue blindly, Luna leaning in to get a look. “This one is titled ‘reader retention’... what’s that mean?” Celestia asked, lifting her head.

“It’s about keeping your reader engaged, princess! The last thing you want is for the reader to get bored. Then they might stop reading!” Silver chimed.

“But don’t different ponies find different things boring?” Luna asked.

Calliope swooped over and landed on Silver’s back. “Verily, little alicorn! Such things are in the eye of the beholder, but there are some best practices to hold the reader’s interest.”

Celestia nodded steadily. “I see… so what would you consider ‘boring’, Silver?”

Silver let out a soft laugh. “Well, there’s very little that truly bores me when reading a story, but if I had to pick something… definitely travel,” Silver started. “Some authors do such scenes well, but others just don’t know how to make getting from point A to point B interesting… and if they spend multiple chapters on it? There’s no quicker way to lose my interest.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “So why don’t they just skip travel and get the characters straight to where they want to go?”

“It’s all in the pacing, Luna. Skipping from location to location can be jarring, and take away from the journey of the protagonists,” Silver explained. “A story is not only about the destination, after all. Without the journey, nothing feels earned.”

“Then how do you make travel interesting?” Celestia asked.

Silver looked up to the sky. “Hmm, well there’s lots of ways. You could have some character development, maybe some world building… maybe the journey could be disrupted by a distraction, or a roadblock.”

Celestia looked back down at the scroll with curiosity, skimming over the silver ink. “That makes sense, so it’s all about new and unexpected things-”

Celestia was interrupted as she bumped into one of Silver’s legs. The princess shook her head and looked up to find Silver had stopped, her eyes narrowed as she gazed ahead. Luna stepped up beside Celestia in confusion. “Why have we stopped?”

The question was answered as the two princesses followed Silver’s gaze, a thick layer of azure fog just ahead. Celestia leaned forward, trying to see past the mist as it swallowed the woods beyond. “What… is that?”

Silver didn’t take her eyes off the fog, staring daggers at the obstruction. “A roadblock,” she muttered.

“Is it dangerous…?” Celestia asked.

Silver bit her lip. “I’m not sure. Calliope?”

The parrot ruffled her feathers as she hopped up onto Silver’s head, prompting the alicorn to grunt as her mane was partially pushed down over her eyes. “Hm, hm! A fog most foul indeed! Perhaps from Mount Frostmare it has descended?”

As Calliope took to the air, Silver leaned forward, getting closer to the mist. “I can feel the chill in the air, you may be right.”

“A magic fog?” Luna asked, her eyes alight with interest as she approached.

Celestia followed suit, keeping an eye on her sister while Silver raised a hoof and reached out. Celestia looked up at the older alicorn with surprise. “Y-you can’t mean to-”

Silver gasped and recoiled as her hoof was suddenly encased in ice. Celestia yelped and stepped away, while Luna leaned back. Silver, meanwhile, inspected the layer of ice with wide eyes. “Huh… that’s new.”

“A-are you alright?” Celestia asked.

“Silver Tongue, you fool, you are setting a terrible example!” Calliope squawked.

Silver snorted. “Nonsense, it’s just a little ice.” Her horn ignited and the crystalline frost began to melt around her hoof as she shook it. “I’ll just cast a little fire spell and see if I can banish it,” Silver declared as she took a stance and pointed her horn towards the fog.

“W-wait!” Luna exclaimed.

The others all glanced at the young alicorn as she stepped forward. “C… can I try? A fire spell, I mean… not the ‘getting frozen’ thing.”

Silver blinked as she looked down at the filly with curiosity. “Do you know a fire spell?”

Luna nodded excitedly. “Uhuh! I learned it a couple weeks ago.”

Celestia grimaced. “I don’t know if I’d call accidentally setting the hedges on fire ‘learning’...”

“I would!” Silver said confidently. “But uh… here, let me help you.”

Luna frowned. “I can do it myself…”

“I’m sure you can… buuuut just in case, I’d like to make sure The Crystal Vale doesn’t become The Scorched Vale. We’ve already got Vulcanheim for that…” Silver said.

Luna let out a huff as she passed Silver, her head raised as she sized up the fog before her. Celestia watched anxiously, a little spark igniting on the younger princess’s horn as she stuck her tongue out in concentration. “Careful, Luna.”

“I know, I know-!” Luna spat, before letting out a yelp as a plume of fire sputtered from her horn in a violent fury.

Silver’s own aura reflected the blazing light as the flames in the air were snuffed out with a hiss, a few stray sparks floating away as Luna took in a harsh breath, the irritation on her face quickly replaced with fear. “O-oops! I’m sorry! I didn’t-”

“It’s alright, let’s try again,” Silver muttered, lowering her head to get closer to the filly. “Stay focused this time… take a few deep breaths.”

“B-but I shouldn’t have to do that. I should be able to just… do it!” Luna grumbled.

“That comes with practice. Take it one step at a time, okay?” Silver said.

Luna didn’t seem totally convinced, but she let out a sigh before taking a deep breath through her nose, lifting her head again as her sapphire aura once more cast its light upon her coat.

“That’s it, forget everything else for now. Just focus on the spell,” Silver whispered, her eyes glancing over to Celestia, who tilted her head in fascination.

Heatwaves began to emanate from Luna’s horn as her eyes shut tightly, the filly leaning forward. Silver’s voice once more spoke softly. “Don’t rush, finish channeling the magic into your horn… focus on what you want, and then… release!”

Luna took one more breath, before tongues of fire unfurled from her horn, ensnaring around each other before forming a sphere as Luna gasped. Her eyes shot open as her face was lit up with the warmth of her spell, the orb of fire hovering just in front of her as her pupils contracted.

Celestia’s own eyes widened with excitement as Luna moved her head to the side, her horn still sparkling with magic as the fireball followed the princess’s aim. Celestia spoke first. “You’re… controlling it!”

Luna grinned with joy as she looked over towards her sister. “I did it! It’s working, Tia!” she exclaimed as the fire licked at the air hungrily, burning brighter with Luna’s excitement.

“Easy there,” Silver said with a chuckle. “Let's see if it can banish the mist.”

Luna nodded enthusiastically, sticking her tongue out once again as the fireball slowly floated away from her and towards the fog. Almost immediately, the mist began to part and make way for the blazing sphere. Luna was beaming, looking to Silver Tongue for approval, the older alicorn nodding with a smirk. “Problem solved, it seems! Though we may need a larger path to walk without getting frozen.”

“So… should I make it bigger?” Luna asked.

Celestia’s heart skipped a beat, fear once more welling up in her chest as she trotted over, her mouth opening in protest before she was interrupted by Silver, who raised a hoof. “Slowly. Remember, stay calm and stay focused.”

Luna nodded, and Celestia gulped as her little sister took another breath, her eyes narrowed in determination. Can she still control it if it gets any bigger?

Her question was quickly answered as Luna let out a gasp, the fireball’s perfect shape disrupted as it began to expand, crackling angrily as Luna clenched her teeth. A few flares sputtered out of the orb, curling into the sky, the center of the sphere shining white hot.

Celestia’s horn lit up, ready to jump in, but Silver acted first. The older alicorn’s ginger aura wrapped around the fireball, containing it as Luna shuddered. “Deep breaths, Luna, deep breaths.”

Luna squinted as she looked up at Silver, breathing heavily. She grunted, closing her eyes tightly again before slowing her breathing, even as her horn sparked with instability.

Much to Celestia’s shock, the flames within Silver’s protective spell began to ease, larger than before, but now returning to a natural fiery hue. Silver’s spell slowly faded away, until Luna dared to open one eye to find herself sustaining the fireball entirely on her own. Her mouth hung open a bit, a slight smile curling across her face as Celestia let out a sigh of relief.

Calliope let out a proud chirp. “Well done, little princess!”

Waves of heat pulsed from the burning sphere, rising into the air as the fog parted further. Luna looked at Celestia confidently, puffing her chest out as the elder princess gave her a nervous smile. “Wow… you actually did it.”

“I sure did!” Luna chimed, before returning her gaze to the misty path. “C’mon, let’s go!”

Celestia trotted up to join her sister, the princesses glancing at each other as they took their first steps into where the mist had once been.

Silver followed shortly behind, along with Calliope. “Even for an alicorn, fire isn’t easy to control. You’re a natural, Luna. But juuuuust in case…” The ringing of magic filled the air again, Silver casting her own spell as a fireball manifested before her.

Celestia could feel the chill of the fog trying to close in around them, staying closer to her little sister. Step by step, the alicorns forged a path through the mist, which now closed behind them as they went deeper and deeper.

With the initial excitement of Luna’s accomplishment fading fast, Celestia was beginning to remember just where they were. Her smile gave way to a nervous gaze as she started scanning the area around them. With the mist on all sides, if anything were to go wrong with either Luna’s or Silver’s spell, the fog would surely swallow them up, leaving behind naught but sculptures of ice in their image.

The princess’s breathing began to pick up, looking further down the path and hoping desperately that the fog would thin out. W-wait a second… this is crazy! We don’t know how long this will go on for! she realized, now looking at her little sister, whose own smile had vanished as sweat formed on her brow. Luna was getting tired… and fast.

Celestia gulped, trying her best to stay calm for her sister, but as she shuddered from the frigid air, a soft ringing was starting to fill the filly’s ears, starting out low before rising. It sounded almost like an airy whistle. Celestia looked off the path and narrowed her eyes, trying to follow the peculiar sound.

She wished she hadn’t.

A shadow moved through the fog, disappearing from her sight and causing the princess to gasp. Her mouth quivered as she opened her mouth to warn the others, only to remember Luna’s already weakened state of concentration. The last thing Luna needed was a distraction.

Summing up her courage, Celestia cleared her throat and whispered to Luna. “Keep going, I think we’re almost there.”

Luna nodded, her brow furrowing in determination as Celestia slowed down, stepping back to keep pace with Silver. “Silver Tongue?” Celestia’s voice was low.

“I saw it too,” Silver muttered back. “Don’t worry, it’s not much further until we’re out of the woods.”

There was a screech up ahead, which Celestia echoed as she watched Luna drop out of sight. The fireball burst apart, sparks exploding outwards as the fog quickly closed in. “LUNA!!”

Silver grunted as her own flames erupted into a blaze, she and Celestia darting forward to find that Luna had fallen into a ditch. She scrambled as she tried to pull herself back up onto the path, panic filling her voice as Celestia dove forward and reached for her little sister.

At that same moment, the wailing whistle pierced through the air, the princess wincing in pain as her ears lay flat. Silver whirled around, the fireball following her as she waved it wildly, a shadowy figure darting away as the mist was banished. The whistle faded as the shadow ducked away and strafed around them, Silver doing her best to track it as Celestia grasped Luna and pulled her back up to the path just as the icy mist filled the ditch.

Calliope squawked in terror, ducking underneath Silver. “Stay close!” Silver exclaimed, her eyes darting around as she tried to locate the shade. Luna let out a grunt as licks of flame sputtered from her horn uselessly, breathing heavily as Celestia pulled her in closer to Silver, who backed into them protectively, her head lowered as the fireball ensnared in her spell pulsed with desperation.

A chill fell across Celestia’s hooves and she looked down just in time to see the mist brushing up against her, frost forming on her coat as she let out a screech and jumped backwards into Silver.

Silver shouted in surprise before turning around in a hurry, the flames of her magic lashing at the fog, banishing it once more before it could do any further harm… only for her to let out a gasp as a high-pitched crackling filled the air. Celestia looked between her protector's legs to find that Silver’s back-left hoof was encased in ice, locked to the ground as the shadow manifested behind her.

Celestia’s teeth chattered as the temperature dropped around them, the sapphire haze growing darker as it closed in inch by inch, the fillies scrambling to get in close enough while Silver tried to crane her neck for a better angle against her opponent. The ice around her leg shattered, but she fumbled and nearly fell on top of the others.

With its opening made, the shadow lunged forward as Silver’s teeth clenched and her brow furrowed into a glare, a shining light igniting from her horn as the fireball grew white with heat, repelling the strike as the shade reared back with a winny before circling the alicorns rapidly.

The fog swirled around them like a hurricane, sending Celestia’s mane whipping in front of her face as she squinted in the frigid breeze. The fireball sputtered, tongues of fire fraying away, before a tendril of mist lashed out and struck Silver’s horn.

Silver screeched as ice encased her horn. The fireball dimmed, its blazing heat dispersing as the whistling of the wind grew loud. Celestia and Luna both gripped each other tightly and screamed in terror as Silver wrapped herself around them protectively, the alicorns all closing their eyes as Silver’s magic sparked with one last attempt to melt the ice.

Just as Celestia felt the ice encasing her body, a pulse of warmth erupted from behind her as the earth trembled. There was an other-worldly shriek as the ice melted from her body and the howling winds were replaced with the roar of fire. The thundering of hooves filled Celestia’s ears as she dared to open her eyes.

Her eyes adjusted to the flickering of fire swirling up from the earth as a set of fluffy hooves stomped on the ground, the glimmer of the sun piercing through the frigid haze. “On yer hooves, ye lot! We must flee!” A soft, yet urgent female voice rang in Celestia’s ears as Silver’s embrace faded away.

“Come on, come on!” Silver shouted as Celestia and Luna quickly got to their feet and Calliope took to the air.

A new fireball formed in front of Silver as the mist attempted to close around a gap that had been made, the edge of the treeline visible just a short distance away as the travelers broke into a gallop, now led by a pale-green mare with a fiery braided mane. Her hooves left scorch marks as small fires dimmed on the edges of the path, suffocated by the icy mist as the fog closed in behind them.

Celestia could feel the frigid air nipping at her hind hooves as Silver and the newcomer pulled ahead of her and Luna, the little princess’s heart pounding in her chest as she heaved beside Luna.

Celestia let out a scream as she shut her eyes tightly, her legs burning as she begged her body to run faster, until at last the sun's rays struck her and she found herself leaping out into an open field. She and Luna both tumbled onto the towering grass as flakes of frost decorated their coats, the whistling of the wind lowering in pitch as it grew quiet.

Celestia lay on the ground, her eyes blinking open as she shuddered uncontrollably. She panted and wheezed as she rolled over, praising the warmth of the sun above as she let out a relieved laugh.

Of course, the broken up sobs of her little sister quickly snapped her out of her relief.

Celestia was on her hooves in about half a second, rushing to Luna’s side. The younger princess had buried her face into her front hooves, hunched over as she shook. “L-Luna! Luna it’s okay… it’s okay! We’re alright!” Celestia leaned in close and wrapped one leg around her sister, giving her a gentle shake.

“I-I know… I know…” Luna whimpered, sniffling as Silver and the other mare approached.

Celestia tilted her head, trying to put on a brave smile. “Th-then why are you crying?”

“I couldn’t do it… I couldn’t keep the spell going…”

“W… what?” Celestia stared at Luna in bewilderment.

Luna slowly lifted her head up, letting out a cough as she, too, caught her breath. “I tried to make another one… b-but it wouldn’t work… we almost got frozen cuz I couldn’t-”

“Folly!” Silver shouted, a look of disdain on her face. “Listen to me, princess. If I couldn’t hold that creature back, neither could you.”

The two fillies looked up at the older alicorn, her eyes furrowed in a frown before her expression relaxed and she let out a deep breath. “Listen… using magic under pressure is extremely difficult. All things considered, you did wonderfully. Now, on your hooves little ones. I believe we owe somepony our thanks.”

Celestia’s heart skipped a beat as she remembered the mare who came to their rescue. She pulled herself up as Luna sniffled, wiping her face.

Before them stood a mare that didn’t look too much bigger than the fillies, a vibrant ginger mane partially obscuring her face as she whipped it to the side, revealing a pair of sky-blue eyes and a wide smile. Her gaze was soft as silk, and she seemed to practically radiate warmth as she flicked her front hooves, shaking off some soot and embers. Just above her hooves hung long strands of hair, some of which had been braided together as she let out a breath.

Celestia spoke first. “Th… thank you! We’d be ice sculptures if not for you!”

Luna nodded vigorously, not saying a word as the mare giggled. “Ah, and right adorable sculptures ye’d make! But I much prefer ye breathin’...”

Celestia blinked as the mare spoke, tilting her head as she processed the accent.

“You are from Cobnshire, aren’t you?” Silver asked.

The mare winked. “What gave that away?”

Silver let out an exasperated snort. “Intuition…”

“The name’s Spring Leap! Though ye can call me Spring. Y’know, like the season!” She bowed, her enormous braid flopping over her shoulder and draping across the ground.

“We can’t thank you enough, Spring,” Silver said with a sigh. “We were heading for Cobnshire when we encountered that mist. We were making our way through it, but it became aggressive, as if it were alive.”

“There was this big, shadowy thing!” Luna exclaimed. “It looked just like a pony and hid in the mist!”

Spring nodded solemnly. “Yes… I saw it with me own eyes. Such specters seem ta be everywhere around the highlands now…”

Celestia gulped. “Y-you mean there’s more?”

“Yes’m, though we’d best put some distance between the woods and us. If ye’re headed for Cobnshire, I can take ye the rest o’ the way there!”

Silver let out a sigh. “That we are. Your guidance would be much appreciated.”

“Follow me, then! Ye must be miss Silver Tongue! Oohh I have heard many a story about ye!” Spring said with a hop as she turned around, already trotting into the fields.

Silver smiled awkwardly, failing to mask the faintest cringe. “How wonderful…” she said nervously, trailing after their new guide.

The two fillies glanced at each other, Luna’s nervous gaze having since deflated as she shuddered, immediately racing after Spring Leap. Celestia followed right behind, but not before glancing over her shoulder back towards the forest, the shimmering blue fog still shifting between the branches and the underbrush.

Author's Note

FINALLY we're getting to Cobnshire! I've been looking forward to this... :trixieshiftright:

Still gonna be slow going, but a little action here to break up the loredumps of the last couple chapters before we get into the heart of the quest for the Starfield Ink!

Hope you're all doing well, and thank you for keeping an eye on this passion project of mine. Don't worry, Celestia and Luna will be strong enough to make a bigger difference soon~