Just a Teacher

After she put Shining into bed, Twilight Velvet began packing for the road trip next day. Hollow Shades was quite a few hours away from Canterlot by train, but Twilight was optimistic about the amount of time it would require her to find that tome. So overall, she wouldn't spend more than a day away from the capital.

Twilight wanted to travel light, so to that end, she packed only the absolute necessities. As she did all this in their living room, it was impossible for Night Light to miss his wife's occasional pauses to ponder upon her saddlebag's contents.

"A full day's worth of food: check. Map and compass: check. Canteen: check!"

"Hey dear" Night walked up to her "Do you need some help with the bag?"

"Thanks, but no need! Actually, I'm already finished I think." answered Twilight as she was looking over the next day's supplies once again.

"Are you sure? Because, I'm sure you're missing one thing from tomorrow's trip." said the stallion, and cocked his head slightly.

Twilight furrowed her brows. She thought herself pretty throughout and organized, but also knew when it came to minute details, nopony beat her husband.

"What is it?"

"Me!"

"Oh Night!" Twilight giggled, and she gently stroked her husband's neck "I appreciate you'd want to keep me company, but who would pick up Shiny from kindergarten if we were both out of town?"

"You'd think a big and strong stallion like me couldn't be in two places at once?"

As Night Light said that, he stepped over to her wife, and nuzzled her cheeks. Twilight sat back on her rump, as more determined nuzzling, and a few pecks on her neck followed.
"Aw come on, not here..." she laughed, and tried to push away her husband, but without putting any serious effort into it.
To her surprise, Night Light stopped, and turned to the saddlebags.

"Fine, fine. I actually wanted to make sure if you have everything packed and ready for tomorrow. Considering that according to common physics, I actually can't be in two places at the same time. So you better have some failsafes ready."

"Failsafes?" Twilight said, and playfully rolled her eyes "Night, I'm going away for a single day, and not to the end of the world. Don't overthink this, hon. I'll be a deliverypony for my university, basically."

Twilight put a hoof on her husband's withers as reassurance, but it didn't register. He was already "in the zone", so to say.

"Did you put away some water purifier pills? How about a blanket? And don't forget a glow crystal or two, they can always come in handy." Night Light listed his recommendations, as he was sifting through the contents of the saddlebag.

Twilight would have wanted to stop her husband, but eventually, she just smiled. As an engineer, of course he was going to think in failsafes and redundancy and even more failsafes. So she decided to just go with the flow, and followed his lead.

Almost two hours later, (and making Twilight's saddlebags several pounds heavier) the couple finally laid themselves to sleep. Twilight kissed her husband goodnight, and turned on her other side.

"Goodnight, honey. Gotta catch the first train in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight, sweetheart." Night Light constated with some disappointment in his voice, and reached out to the coldflame chandelier with his magic.

As darkness fell upon the room, Twilight wanted to fall asleep, but she wasn't too sleepy yet. They usually went to bed later, and that was evident by Night Light's shuffling around under their blanket. She tried to pay it no mind though. She needed to be well rested for next day's long trip.

About five minutes could have passed when she felt a hoof on her side. A word, full of longing, accompanied it.

"Sweetheart..."

Twilight opened her eyes. She knew that tone so very well. And although she felt some guilt, she answered with dismissal.

"Night, please. I wanna sleep. You know, first train..."

"Fine..." came the sour word of acceptance, and the hoof was withdrawn.

Some more minutes have passed. Twilight still couldn't fall asleep. Actually, she became rather vivid. The next day began to occupy her thoughts. What that tome could be about? And how so no one else claimed it so far? If it was indeed so important...

At that point, Twilight actually wished her husband didn't give up so easily. Some "late night exercise" might have actually did her some good, tire her out just enough to sleep well from onward. She let out a sigh. It was too late for that. She didn't want to lose face by taking the initiative after dismissing him just minutes ago.

But luckily, Night Light didn't give up just yet. He must have heard the sigh. She softly caressed Twilight's side.

"Something's wrong, dear?"

"Oh, nothing..." came the answer, without any particular emotion, but Twilight was actually beaming in the darkness.

"Are you sure?"

Twilight didn't answer, but the caressing continued. A few minutes later, it sent a pleasant tingling feeling along her whole body. At that point, she turned to Night Light, and kissed him deeply:

"Okay, you win..."

Twilight Velvet rested her head on a foreleg as she was looking outside the window unto the Equestrian countryside. The Harmony Express chugged along with her at a decent pace, under a brooding, overcast sky. And it was such nice weather the previous day, Twilight thought. All this greyness made her almost regret that she accepted this "quest". But there was precious little she could do about it then. At least, she was whisked away from the dull monotony of her usual weekdays.

Well, as if! If it could ever be monotone with a curious and somewhat mischievous colt like Shining Armor. Twilight smiled at that thought. Even though she would've rather stayed home, thinking about her family always cheered her up.

Some time later, the conductor entered the wagon, and asked for the tickets. When he arrived to Twilight's seat, she was already levitating hers. The conductor looked at it, and shot a somewhat embarassed smile at Twilight.

"Miss, I'm afraid there's a little problem here. You won't be able to get to your destination."

Twilight looked at her ticket, and raised an eyebrow.

"Why not? Something's wrong with my ticket?"

"Yes. It says "Hollow Shades" as final destination, erroneously. But this line didn't stop at that village for almost a year now. The furthest you can go is Hollow Shades junction."

"I see..." answered Twilight, her ears drooping slightly "Is there a way I can make it from this stop you mentioned to Hollow Shades? Apart from using my hooves?"

The conductor made a regretful sigh, and shrugged a little.

"I'm not sure, Miss. But considering nopony wants to go to Hollow Shades anymore, I fear that might be your only option."

Twilight put away her ticket, realizing the inspection was over. She also contemplated what the conductor said. Sure, she already knew that the village got depopulated, but if even the train line steered clear from it, that must have meant a bit more. Something along the lines of a ghost town, probably. And if that would be the case, the tome's owner probably wouldn't be a resident anymore, either. All-in-all, Twilight didn't like her current odds.

The conductor's words snapped her out of her thought as he was leaving.

"I'm terribly sorry for this inconvenience, Miss. You should probably file a complaint at Canterlot Central Station. I'm sure you'd get back at least part of your bits."

But bits weren't what Twilight was concerned about right then.

Twilight got off the train at Hollow Shades junction, as it was previously implied she should. She looked around. The station itself wasn't more than a long platform, and a sign denoting the station's name. As for the environment, it was rocky hills all around, as it was usual in this part of Equestria, sparsely populated with trees.

A bit further down the tracks, they actually separated into two, with the one leading to the right, being the direction of Hollow Shades. Seeing no other option, Twilight began following those tracks.

Twilight has been walking for at least an hour at a good pace. The scenery around her didn't change much, except it became more boring. The wide valley narrowed down, and the trees also pretty much disappeared. It was pretty depressing, she thought.

To say nothing of the sky, which seemed cloudier than before. And soon enough, Twilight Velvet was let known that pegasus weather patrols operated diligently even in the remote corners of Equestria such as this one.

Drop by drop, it started to rain, and it turned into a little downpour in no time.

"Ah, just perfect. Why did I think weather was on demand in the more remote areas?"

In ten minutes, she was soaking wet, and she had to constantly remove strands of wet mane from her eyes. And as the unfriendly-looking valley lacked trees, she couldn't have stood under anything. So she just moved on, hoping the rain wouldn't last very long.

"I just hope it's not raining in Canterlot." Twilight thought out loud again "Otherwise poor Night's probably thinking horrors are happening to me."

She smirked at that, and it gave her enough of a push to pick up the pace moving towards her destination.

Luckily for Twilight, the deluge was over quick. The fat droplets of water almost forming a curtain, became a light drizzle just as suddenly as it started out. A few minutes later, even that has stopped.

So Twilight stopped for a bit, still following the track, and took off her saddlebags. She shook herself free of the excess precipitation in her coat, and using telekinesis, twisted her tail, like if it was a towel. Of course, that left it looking rather disheveled, but she didn't care too much then. It's not like there was anypony around to see it.

The next hour or so passed without any particularly interesting events. Twilight followed the tracks, in the hopes of reaching Hollow Shades eventually. And despite having reached the train station bearing the village's name, the settlement itself was nowhere to be seen. But once again, calling it a train station was an exaggeration, as this one didn't even have a platform. Or maybe, once it had, judging by the marks on the ground, but all that remained is a battered sign reading out the name.

Twilight surmised that the village must be further into the hills, and she noticed a small path leading into them, so she started out that way.

When Twilight Velvet gazed upon the village for the first time, she instinctively stepped back a little. It didn't just look depopulated, it looked like a haunted village from one of those comic books Night Light sometimes read. Every building dilapidated, some of them outright ruined, and not a single pony in sight. For a moment, Twilight thought it would be a very good time to leave, while she was still distant enough to... to what?

To avoid whatever this village could throw at her, she finished her own thought, but then scolded herself for it. Really, what's the worst that could happen? That she wouldn't find a single soul living here, and therefor, no tome either. And that would be disappointing, but ultimately, not something she should run away from.

So shooing away any negative notions, she carefully descended the hillside, and walked the valley that eventually expanded into the larger area that housed the settlement.

Twilight approached carefully. Although logically, she had nothing to fear, to her, it still looked like the bunch of houses were home to monsters, or haunting spirits, instead of ponies.

Getting into the village proper didn't instill confidence in her. From up close, the assortment of ruined houses oozed even more of depressive aura. Twilight walked along what could be the (bit overgrown) main street of the village. On both sides, all she could see were broken windows, boarded up windows, and some doors left open. Whoever used to occupy those houses before, definitely felt the need to leave in a hurry.

"What could have happened here?" Twilight thought "I know negligence can lead to ruination, but it's as if a battle occurred here."

Soon enough, Twilight reached what seemed like the village's main square. The only thing denoting this place was a bit more important than the surrounding streets was the well in the middle, which was of course dried out. Twilight looked around, and gave it a little shout:

"Hello?! Is anypony around? Does anyone live in this village at all?"

Obviously, Twilight didn't expect an answer, and sure enough, she didn't get one. The only thing she could hear was the wind howling between the houses. At that point she didn't expect to bring home any tome at all, only maybe a brick from one the dilapidated buildings, as a discount souvenir.

The mare sighed. She would've gladly turned back, but at the same time, she had nothing to lose with looking around a bit more. Who knows? Maybe a magical tome will lie in the dirt somewhere around, she mused herself.

Twilight walked on, and she noted to herself that the visage in the other half of the village didn't change much. She almost reached the other end of the main street when she heard an elongated "Pssst!".

Twilight looked back, trying to determine from where the sound could have came from. It was unmistakably pony-like though, so perhaps the village wasn't as depopulated as it first seemed...

But just a few moments later, she heard the sound again, and a door creaking open. From the nearest house, a light-beige hoof urged her:

"Come in, quick! Get inside!"

It was the voice of a mare, pretty young and stressful judging from the tone. Twilight turned towards the ajar door, and cocked her head a bit.

"Yes, you! Come over here already! Or what, do you want those cultists to get you?!"
Twilight didn't understand what the mare was about, especially not the "cultists" part, but nevertheless, she trotted over, a bit relieved that she at least found a single living soul in the village. She peeked inside the house, and saw a pretty face partially obscured by shadows.

"Good morning. Do you live here? If so, could I ask for some...

"Are you crazy?! Get inside NOW!" the mare snapped, and pulled Twilight inside the house, and closed the door.

Poor Twilight was a bit shocked by this turn of events. She didn't expect to become a houseguest so suddenly. She didn't know if she should try to flee, or if she should ask for an explanation. But before she could do either, the earth pony mare started speaking.

"Phew, that was close." she said after looking behind the curtains, and turned to Twilight "I really hope they didn't hear you. They have patrols around the area, you know?"

Twilight Velvet just furrowed her brows, but she wanted to find out who the mare was first. Bottom-up problem solving, as Night Light would say.

"Excuse me, but who are you? And why was it so urgent to make me your guest - against my will?"

"Oh, sorry. It's just that I've been pretty much on the edge here for the last few days." the mare said, and put a hoof to her chest "My name is Written Figment. This house belonged to my father. And I came back here because of the spike of cultist activity in the area."

Twilight didn't answer, except for turning her head sideways a bit. Her ears drooped, and she raised an eyebrow. She knew there would be more to this, and sure enough, the mare continued.

"Look, I know you must have lots of questions right now, but first things first: Don't go outside, or you might just get zapped. These freaks aren't joking."

"Who, the cultists? Who are they?" Twilight asked, but then set her mind straight. Her natural curiosity took over her sense of duty as a teacher and a parent. So instead she continued as:

"If there are dangerous cultists in this area, we should leave at once, and call in the royal guards. Matters like these are no joke."

Written Figment looked at Twilight unamused, and answered.

"Wow, you don't say? While potentially fighting a group of crazy unicorns isn't on my to-do list, I'm afraid I must stay, for the safety of Equestria."

"You're losing me, but if this cult is made up of unicorns, they could indeed by very dangerous. They might know combat spells, even. And that's why you shouldn't try to stay. But either way, I know I shouldn't."

Twilight began towards the door, but Written stopped her.

"Wait, wait, wait! I can let you go for sure, but first, please tell me why did you come to Hollow Shades in the first place. It's not exactly a tourist's paradise, but you don't look like one of the cultists either. So what gives? Are you some free-ranging adventurer, perhaps?"

The mare pointed at Twilight's saddlebags as she said that. For a moment, Twilight pondered if she should answer honestly to the inquiry, but then she looked around, and realized: that very house was full of bookshelves, and on them, several hundreds of books. They were also scattered around though, like when something was searched for, but wasn't rearranged afterwards. The mare also mentioned his father. Maybe Twilight was closer to her goal than she initially thought?

"No. My name is Twilight Velvet, and I'm a teacher at the Clover the Clever Arcane University in Canterlot. I was asked to recover an ancient tome believed to be located in this settlement, that apparently belonged to a collector before he passed."

Twilight couldn't continue, as Written interrupted:

"That collector was my father. And this house was home to his collection of magical tomes and scriptures. Which tome do you seek?"

"It's a tome written in an obscure language, probably a spellbook. But I only know hearsay, so..."

"I know what you're talking about." Written answered, and began pacing "That was also what the cultists were searching for, and eventually found. As you can see."

Written waved around a front leg to point out the mess, then continued.

"When I came to Hollow Shades, I already knew what I could expect. I suspected the cult would rob my father's house clean, but interestingly enough, they only took this tome you speak about. And considering what they also found, that's bad news."

That piqued Twilight's interest. So the cultists sought the same tome she is seeking? That's something, but what she learned so far was just enough for her. She didn't want to risk her skin. But at least, her reason for failure would be more than legitimate.

"Why? Er, I mean, look: I know these cultists making a mess of your house must be hard on you, but if they are as dangerous as you claim, it'd be better to let the Royal Guard handle this."

Written stopped her pacing, and faced Twilight Velvet.

"I cannot let them. If these cultist freaks get scattered by the RG, they won't pop up for years again. And we're THIS close to stopping them." she gestured with a hoof.

"So I just cannot convince you? Well, your business, but I think this is too much for me. Please let me go." Twilight answered, stepping closer to the entrance.

"Fine, your prerogative. But please, don't call the Guard on me, would ya?"

"I won't, if that is truly your wish."

Written sighed, and put a hoof on the door handle. But before she opened up, she spoke.

"Aren't you even interested in what these cultists are up to? Or the "safety of Equestria" part?"

"I am, but you implied they are ready to kill. So I'd rather not risk staying. I have a family, you know..."

"Oh, well..." Written looked at the ground, and her muscles tensed once again on the door handle. But she still didn't open up.

"You know, we were searching for a honest-to-goodness unicorn for years. One who could help. Being a society of earth ponies sworn to protect Equestria from foul magics isn't as easy as it sounds. And if these good-for-nothings get their way, Equestria is finished."

Velvet raised an eyebrow.

"Surely, you're exaggerating. What a bunch of Nightmare cultists could do?"

"That they AREN'T Nightmare cultists. And that tome? Using that they could decipher a magic scroll they found many years ago. A magic scroll that apparently, could provide a pony with vast, unimaginable power."

"I'm very skeptical. That's exactly what they would claim. That they found something ancient and powerful that they would unleash upon Equestria in the name of their "night mistress". I think you're blowing this out of proportion."

"I am NOT!" responded Written, and stomped a hoof on the floor. "And they AREN'T Nightmare cultists. Look, if you follow me, I will show you. And explain just how deep this rabbit hole goes."

"And why would I do that?"

"Aside from potentially saving Equestria? Let's say you can keep the tome if we find it. If these cultists can't have it, we've already won."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. Although this was a great potential danger, if she came this far, she didn't want to leave tome-less. And helping out her university was also something she valued dearly. And the back portion of her mind, no matter how much she objected herself, vied for some adventure. Eventually, she said:

"Okay, let's say I help. But I sure hope you have a plan."