“And… there.”

The unicorn from the rune recovery team finishes her airborne sigil at last, her taupe aura flickering out in a rather spectacular show of exhaustion. Her colleagues are fanned out behind her, ready to assist if something goes awry, but she holds steady on all four hooves. The intricately constructed pattern slowly dissolves into a raw, powdery aura, which she funnels directly onto the papyrus waiting on the folding table below. As the last of the mana fades into it, a glossy sheen forms over the paper, protecting it from the elements as the spell does its work.

“Another one, please,” she requests. An aide floats a scroll over to her, which she holds midair for a moment as she scans the now complete runic sequence below.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she sighs. “We can finally move on to the next string. Thank you for the help, Miss Sparkle.”

A smile graces your lips as you nod your head toward her.

“Of course! I’ll be back tomorrow to help more.”

You fetch your bags from the foot of the table and settle them over your withers once more. Before you trot off, you scan the snowy field, kissed by a late evening’s sun, to get a better view of the other investigation teams huddled under their tarps. The last few that needed help, you were able to sniff out from a distance, so it wouldn’t hurt to take a similar approach here in the interest of saving time.

You’ve largely gathered yourself since your sleepover with the girls and Spike, all of whom decided to stay back at the castle in order to be as safe as possible. They can’t be blamed, not even in the slightest. Tartarus, even some of the investigation team’s members were a bit jittery, yourself included.

Something changed within you, though, after that sleepover. You feel…

Bolstered.

In fact, no, scratch that - a simple descriptor like that doesn’t do the feeling justice. The sheer conviction you now feel has overtaken your creeping fears, the latter of which has become little more than background noise at this point. You still worry for the safety of everypony involved, of course, but you can’t help them if you’re held in place by doubts or worries.

It feels as if you’re living Princess Celestia’s advice now, rather than simply following it. You’re not sure if the catalyst for the change was the full night’s rest you’d finally had, the presence of your closest friends, or something else unaccounted for, but you’re grateful for it all the same.

Halting your introspection, your gaze sweeps across each of the tents that’ve been pitched near the crash site. Nearest the train tracks, the forensics tent seems to be forging along swimmingly; even from here, you can make out the rhythm that all of its members seem to be keen to follow. You’re grateful that their progress is unabated for now; while you’d be more than happy to lend a helping hoof to them, that particular area of magic isn’t something you’ve had the opportunity to brush up on recently.

The crime scene recreation team, too, looks like it’s moving at a steady pace. From a distance, you can make out several of their members playing out different iterations of the attack, all playing out on a table using magical projection.

The tent you just left, however, is a different story. The team that had been hand-picked to discern the teleportation circle’s full runic equation, filled to the brim with the Arcana Communitas’s brightest minds, was still moving at a snail’s pace despite your best efforts to assist them. It wasn’t anypony’s fault, either - the sheer complexity of the equation, coupled with the myriad of missing links they had to attempt to recreate, made the task downright nightmarish, if not abstract altogether. Their progress had picked up pace, but only just so, thanks to some streamlining efforts that made the tedious work of speculative runecrafting easier to swallow.

You suppose that’s where the majority of your efforts will be focused in the coming weeks. With everypony working their hardest, you’re certain that you’ll all crack the code eventually.

There, however, lies the problem.

Eventually.

Time is a luxury that you can scarcely afford, given the circumstances. Every second that ticks by is another chasm of uncertainty regarding the fate of all those aboard.

Still, though, you remain resolute. Like Princess Luna said - Anon’s a stubborn stallion, that’s for sure.

With a hefty, good-natured sigh, you make for your mentor’s personal tent, which she had set up a decent distance from the crash site in order to be more readily available should the need arise. As you make your way over, the nearly howling wind kicks up snow around you, and you wince as stray flakes sting your face.

The weather teams have been working overtime, you suppose. Although it isn’t nearly as cold as the day of the festival, you’d be lying if you said the creeping chill didn’t send a shiver up your spine.

The few ponies roaming between tents pay you no mind as you trot along, and you have to remember that this is a professional setting; if they don’t wave, it’s not because they’ve got something against you.

…Even if it seems that way. For a few of them, at least.

The rank-and-file members of the Communitas were largely aloof, and some of them in the rune tent were actually getting along quite well with you after today. The senior members, though, gave you the cold withers at nearly every single opportunity, as if their egos were wounded at the very notion of Princess Celestia depending on anypony aside from them.

You inwardly wonder if this is anything like what Anon had to put up with at his old job.

Before you can ponder any further, however, you find yourself coming up on the Princess’s spacious tent. The front flaps hang shut, but you can just barely hear the gentle swish of her magic over the restless wind.

With a moderate force rising from your chest, your throat clears.

“May I come in, Princess?”

The gentle thrum of her magic never stops as her golden glow envelops both flaps and brushes them aside. From behind mountains of paperwork stacked high on her temporary desk, she beams at you.

“My door is always open to you, Twilight,” she says. “Even if there’s technically no door to speak of.”

You both share a chuckle as you file in. Her magic finally disengages, and the entrance to the tent falls closed behind you. While admittedly far less cozy than her actual office, this temporary dwelling she’s set up, even without all of her decorations and keepsakes, has a rugged charm all its own.

“How are things going for the investigation, my dear pupil? Any developments of note?”

You siphon a quick breath, crunching down the day’s experiences into a digestible package before relaying your findings.

“As an overall unit, we’ve been making steady progress since the beginning of the day. The forensics team is on track to have analyzed all organic evidence sometime in the next day or so, at which point they’ll wrap up their findings and deliver a presentation based on what they’re able to conclude.”

She nods attentively, and you continue.

“The crime scene recreation team is persistent in their efforts to accurately summarize how the attack was carried out. From what I was able to glean while assisting them, it sounds like they’re still a fair ways away from reaching a consensus, but they’ve narrowed the amount of variations down to eleven. Without all of the pieces, though, they can only be so accurate, which brings me to the rune recovery team.”

A wayward sigh escapes your nostrils.

“There’s been little progress made, even with the newly streamlined process in place. I spent most of my day in their tent, and even with all hooves on deck, we barely made any kind of meaningful dent in the overall circle. It’s just… well, it’s gigantic, and so many components are missing.”

Celestia hums her acknowledgement, expression neutral as she leans forward against the desk.

“An unfortunate setback, but given the challenges that our assailants have left in their wake, it’s to be expected. You say you streamlined the deduction process?”

A smile returns to you.

“Not just me! I started the conversation, sure, but a lot of ponies pitched in with really good ideas. It didn’t amount to much, admittedly, but everypony seems like they’re feeling a bit better about the whole thing.”

Her eyebrows lift ever so slightly, and a warm countenance graces her features once more.

“I often find that one of the most important components of a cohesive unit is its overall morale. Perhaps now, with renewed vigor in their hearts, we might spot patterns or clues that we were unaware of before.”

“I sure hope so. I still can’t help but be a little impatient.”

“It’s only natural,” she reassures you. “Even with all of my experience, in times of duress, I find it difficult to be anything but restless.”

“What do you do to dampen the feeling?”

“Usually, some quiet time with a fresh cup of tea and close friends.”

You expected nothing less from your mentor. In all honesty, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea for later. Maybe the girls would be up for another sleepover?

“Although, if the going is particularly rough,” she muses, “I find that substituting tea for a stiff drink works wonders.”

…

Wait… really?

“You drink alcohol?”

She chuckles, a hoof daintily raised to her lips.

“I haven’t in a very long while, admittedly, but yes. Is it really so surprising?”

You blink a few times, breaking you out of your stupor. Come to think of it, she raises a good point with her question. Aside from a saintly public image, which was largely at the mercy of stark idealists, when did she ever indicate that she didn’t imbibe every now and then?

Air leaves your nose as you ponder the absurdity of your supposition.

“…I guess not. I think I’m just surprised that I’m still learning new things about you, even after all these years.”

“I could say the same of you, Twilight,” she says warmly. “I knew you were a natural leader, but to instigate change in possibly one of the most stubborn organizations under my purview on your second day alongside them? That’s no small achievement, my dear student.”

The gentle blush on your cheeks lilts into a rosy red, an uncontrollable grin tugging at the corners of your lips.

“T-Thank you, Princess. Anything to bring them home.”

She moves to speak again, but she cuts herself short as her ears flick in the direction of the tent’s entrance. The faint noise of hooves against packed snow barely juts out from the howl of the wind, and before you know it, a hoof parts the entry curtain.

A castle mailpony stands at attention, out of breath and shivering down to her very bones.

“F-Forgive the intrusion, Your Highness,” the pegasus apologizes. “Urgent m-mail for you.”

With one deft, almost graceful flex of her right wing, she unhooks her mailbag from her withers. It falls into her waiting hoof, and in what must be a long-practiced flourish, she procures a scroll from it in that same wing, extending it outward. Almost immediately, it’s enveloped in your mentor’s aura and pulled across the space, coming to rest on her desk.

“Thank you, High Flyer. Stay warm today, alright?”

The underdressed pegasus salutes, and then leaves just as quick as she came.

Celestia unfurls the scroll and reads it over curiously, an apprehensive frown dragging her brow ever so slightly downward.

“What’s it say?” you ask.

She sets the letter down on her desk before turning her attention to you again.

“It seems the young Griffonian princess’s excursion to Equestria wasn’t planned. The royal family were able to figure out where she had gone, but it appears they’re unaware of everything that’s happened since her departure.”

She leans back on her cushion and sighs, exasperation staining her breath.

“The king and queen are on their way here to receive her by private transport as we speak… I suppose they’ll have to be informed in real-time.”

You can’t help but consider the implications of their early arrival. On one hoof, this will more than likely be a good thing; Griffonia probably has their own investigation teams that can help the process along even further. Griffons may not be a race that can directly utilize magic, but their scholars on the matter are as studied as anypony.

On the other hoof, though, you’re not really sure that’s how everything will play out. Equestria’s relationship with Griffonia is one of peace, but from what you know of the Griffonian political machine - that is to say, everything you’ve studied about it - pride is something they’re in no shortage of. What if they see the capture of their heiress on Equestrian lands a slight against their nation? To add to that, considering the timing of the letters, what if they see it is a sign of incompetence? And that isn’t even factoring in the heightened emotions that will no doubt come out in full force upon delivery of the unfortunate news.

Oh, Tartarus, this is about to become incredibly complicated in a way that you’re severely unequipped to deal with. Magic is tangible to you; you can mold it with your hooves, see its origin, its terminus, and redirect its current as you see fit.

Politics? You’re hopelessly lost.

Maybe you’re just-

“Let me be the one worrying about this, Twilight. You have more than enough on your plate.”

Princess Celestia’s gentle voice carries you out of your stupor.

“S-Sorry, Princess.”

“It’s quite alright. I know that things may seem-”

Without warning, the space to your left warps and distorts, a deep blue hue pouring out from a singular point and dominating the area. The noise of a teleportation rift opening right next to you is nearly deafening; your hooves shoot up to cover your ears, and your eyes inadvertently slam shut like a scared little filly.

Ethereal wind peppers your side, and you twist away from its cold ministrations on your fur. Just as quickly as it began, though, it ends. From where the cacophony originated comes a familiar outcry.

“Sister!”

The urgency in Luna’s exclamation catches your attention, and as you turn to look at her, you’re taken aback by just how exhausted she appears to be. Her dark circles from before pale in comparison to the ones adorning her eyes now.

And yet, juxtaposing her less-than-stellar state is quite possibly the widest grin you’ve seen her wear throughout this whole ordeal.

“Don’t scare me like that, Luna,” Celestia chides, straightening herself out in her seat. “Would it behoove you to make your teleportations just a tad less violent?”

“Another time,” Luna explains, locking eyes with both of you intermittently. “I need you both to come with me.”

The sun, nestled against the mountains in the distance, finally dips below the horizon, shrouding the land in the shadows of late evening.

Breaths, as ragged as they are, are hard to come by; even with the Princesses’ help, the jaunt up the mountain is a considerable distance to clear in one teleportation. Rogue discharges of spent mana crackle off of you, arcing to the ground and fading as they travel away from your hunched-over form. Head hung in exhaustion, you maintain eye contact with the patterned tile underhoof as metal hoofsteps approach you from behind.

“My apologies, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna says as she offers a hoof for support. “It’s easy to forget that you aren’t an alicorn. Are you alright?”

Hooking your hoof around hers, you straighten yourself out one deep breath at a time. Your gaze remains locked to the floor, lest your dinner reappears in a far more digested state.

“I-I’m okay. Dizzy, but okay. Also, t-thank you; just ‘Twilight’ is fine.”

With a pleased hum, Luna’s helping hoof slips from your grasp, and when your stomach finally settles a few moments later, you return your own to the ground and pick your head up once more.

The winds atop the balcony of Luna’s spire are particularly unforgiving, and you draw further into yourself as you follow the two sisters up the winding outer staircase that leads to the very apex of the tower.

“What have you found, sister?” Princess Celestia asks earnestly.

Luna’s grin from earlier returns, although far more subdued.

“A hoofhold,” she says, enthusiasm barely hidden by her otherwise neutral expression. “One that may improve the pace of our investigation drastically.

“Ever since the victims’ dreamscape manifestations disappeared in front of me, I’ve been scouring the dream realm for any sign of them. My initial search bore no fruit, and for a time, I feared the worst.”

The staircase terminates into another, smaller balcony. Embedded into the wall of the ivory spire is an imposing black marble door, laden with constellations from various regions of the night sky. Butterflies take root in your stomach - this is one of the few areas in the castle that you’ve never seen.

“For the sake of time and decency, I won’t keep you in suspense,” Luna concedes as the three of you approach the door. “After toiling away for the past twenty-four hours or so, I was able to locate their projections, hidden away within the dream realm.”

“Have your findings given you any clue as to where they might have been taken in the physical world?” Celestia asks.

“As of yet, no,” Luna replies. “But that may not be the case forever.”

As the three of you finally reach the door, you and Celestia remain a few steps behind as Luna saunters right up to it. She gracefully leans in, tilting her head forward so that the tip of her horn is mere centimeters away from its center. As her horn sets alight, so too does every single one of the numerous stars featured within the door’s artwork. They coalesce near the center, reforming into a replica of Luna’s cutie mark around her horn and glowing brightly. The click of a hefty lock rings out, and the door splits into two halves that swing inward with another flourish of her magic. Even with the winds as brisk as they are, the air from within the chamber rushes out to meet you, smelling of incense and rosemary. Luna wastes no time entering, and both you and Princess Celestia fall in behind her.

As you cross the threshold, the doors slam behind you without the aid of magic - your hooves propel you into the air on their own volition in response. You very nearly yell out in surprise, voice reverberating off of the distant walls, but manage to contain it to a barely audible grunt stuck in your throat.

Thankfully, it seems like neither of the Princesses noticed. The last thing you want to do is look silly in front of them, especially at a time like this.

Your reservations are cut off, however, when your gaze sweeps across the structure you find yourself in.

The dome is dimly lit by the cyan glow of mana-fed candles, their light seemingly bouncing right off of the dark, tiled floor, giving off the illusion that you’re walking on a tangible void. In fact, the only reason you know the ground is still there is the thin layer of rolling fog, courtesy of the numerous hanging incense burners.

Lining the room is a curved table, nestled against every inch of the inner walls save for the entrance. All along its cluttered surface lies an impressive amount of propped-open books on the arcane, numerous journals laden with writings, and a variety of specialized magic tools. In the very heart of the esoteric study is a mildly raised platform made of…

Wait, is that pure orichalcum?

Sweet Celestia, you’ve never seen that much of it at once! What could she need all of that for? Even amateur practitioners of magic only need a gem or two to enhance whatever spell they’re-

“My apologies for the inadequate lighting,” Luna chimes in, interrupting your thoughts. “I’m afraid it’s necessary for the purpose of our visit.”

“Did you have the viewing glass removed…?” Celestia asks, confused as she looks upward.

Luna shakes her head, a small grin on her lips as she turns to address her sister.

“It’s simply obscured for the time being. The darkness helps me concentrate. I’ll have the room restored to its proper function as soon as this predicament is dealt with; I know how much you enjoy our evenings here.”

“Truthfully, our surroundings matter little to me, as long as I get to spend time with you,” Celestia replies with a warm smile. “But I am a bit preferential.”

You’d chuckle alongside them, but you’re still fixated on that egregiously massive aggregate of orichalcum.

“What is this place?”

The princesses turn their attention to you, Luna continuing to make her way around the focal dais.

“I suppose one may call this my office,” Luna says, smirking at the simplification. “The roof panels are made of one-way glass, through which I may view the heavens to better perform my nightly duties.”

The twinkle in your eye is nearly audible. As far as you’re aware, nopony outside of your mentor and a scant few of Luna’s trusted advisors have ever actually seen her office.

It’ll be another day of firsts for you, you assume.

You feel a bit of heat on your cheeks as you realize you didn’t wipe your hooves off when you walked in.

“This is where I’ve been spending the majority of my time since the start of the investigation,” she continues. “While the Arcana Communitas have busied themselves investigating for evidence around the crash site, my methods took on a more extraphysical approach, and I required adequate space for such an endeavor - hence why I haven’t been on-site as much as you two.”

Without waiting for a reply, Luna turns to her sister.

“I trust that it’s been some time since you’ve had dinner?” she asks as she skips up onto the dais.

Celestia nods her head, and Luna refocuses on you, waiting for your answer as well.

“It’s been a couple of hours, but… why, Princess?”

The two sisters share a knowing glance before Luna acknowledges your question.

“The transition can be quite disorienting if you have a full stomach,” she explains with a mischievous grin.

“Wh-”

Not a moment later, Luna rears her head, horn pointed skyward as it becomes enwreathed in her brilliant turquoise aura. The mere casting of the spell itself draws sparks from her horn that burn out as they pirouette in the air like tiny dancers, disappearing before they ever reach the ground.

A rush of phantom air emanates from where she stands, blowing out all of the candles in the sanctum; the only light source remaining is the mana conjuring around her horn. She shuts her eyes as she lifts one of her forelegs, and the mana drain becomes so monstrous that you can feel her exerting her will.

You glance over at Celestia to see if she’s reacting at all, but the creeping darkness seeping out from the wall behind her steals your attention. Darker than the blackest night you’ve seen, and then some. Just…

Consuming everything. You back away, turning to get as much distance as possible, only to find that it’s encroaching from behind you as well.

Suddenly, it violently accelerates - you don’t even have time to yell before it reaches you and…

…Passes right under you?

Your eyes follow the onslaught of vantablack as it culminates directly underneath Luna. For a few moments, the only things that seem to exist are the three of you, all still lit by some unknown light source. The stillness is staggering; you can, for what must be the first time in your life, hear the blood passing through your veins.

A white dot manifests on the impossible horizon, followed quickly by other glowing specks of multitudinous colors flashing into existence across the endless black. Swathes of cool-hued nebulae are painted right before your eyes. Glittering whalesong, lilting high, fills the soundspace, replacing the ringing in your ears.

This is…

“You might want to steady yourself.”

You spin around, your no doubt befuddled eyes locking with Luna’s smiling countenance. No sooner does your head begin to swim, nausea compelling you onto your haunches, resting on nothing. Your eyes slam shut as you struggle to dispel the false sense of motion.

“Oh, dear,” Celestia cuts in. “That may have been a bit too sudden, sister.” Her voice draws nearer with no hoofsteps to indicate her movement.

“The situation demands expedience,” Luna explains plainly.

She giggles innocently after a few moments.

“Though, I would be lying if I said I didn’t find your similarities between your first experiences amusing. My apologies, Twilight.”

A wing, smelling faintly of ozone, slips itself over your withers as the unpleasant sensation begins to dissipate. Your eyes creep open once more as you blink away the discomfort, Celestia looking you over like a doting parent.

“I-I’m okay… and very, very glad I had an early dinner today.”

“Let us know if you need to return to the material world at any point,” Celestia says. “The dream realm has a tendency to be a bit disorienting to new guests.”

You breathe in deeply, willing yourself to rise to your hooves once more. The parallaxing cosmos threaten to nauseate you further, but focusing on your mentor keeps it at bay.

“I’ll be alright, Princess.”

You turn to Luna as Celestia retracts her wing.

“Are they nearby?”

She nods, her horn alight once more. The cosmos around you begin shifting upwards, stars spreading from each other as you converse.

“They are, albeit hidden away.”

“Is that why you needed that orichalcum platform? To find them?”

She nods.

“Partially. It was installed some time ago, long before my absence. Its intended purpose is to expand the range of my dream walking capabilities so that I may safeguard not only Equestria’s citizens, but anypony in regions beyond should the need arise.”

You struggle to wrap your head around that. With that many ponies’ dreams going on, is it even possible to divide time up to help everypony in need? Does time in the dream realm work differently from time in the real world? Exactly how far does her spell reach when she’s on the platform? What about when she’s removed from it? How do other cultures react to Luna appearing in their dreams?

Agh! Your lack of knowledge about how Luna’s magic works irks you. Burning questions for later, you suppose.

“Earlier, though, I made an important discovery,” Luna continues. The stars around you continue to separate, growing further by the second.

“When I first witnessed the victims’ dream bubbles disappearing before me, they simply faded from existence. No fanfare, no instability - they simply ceased to be. Since then, I’ve been searching unendingly for any sign of them. Even when casting my dream walking spell at maximum output, I have had no luck. For a time, I feared that they had departed from this world.

“Not too long ago, however, I glimpsed one of them in the furthest reaches of the dream realm; Blazing Hearth, according to the files our intelligence teams managed to compile. This time, though, it wasn’t a dream bubble - it was her. Or, rather, an ethereal avatar of her lying on its side.”

Celestia’s face steels in confusion.

“Did she appear to be alright?” she asks evenly.

Luna shakes her head as the stars grow sparse.

“I couldn’t tell,” she replies. “She was covered in a black, viscous substance that obscured most of her features. I only recognized her due to her cutie mark just barely being visible. When I went to investigate further, however, her avatar sank beneath me. I attempted to follow, and it…”

She loses focus for a moment before locking eyes with Celestia.

“It passed out of the dream realm entirely. I watched her as she descended, but eventually, even the light of the ethereal stars couldn’t reach her.”

Your skin crawls trying to comprehend something so unnatural.

“How is that possible…?” you ask, befuddled.

A mixture of deep concern and total confusion crowd Celestia's expression.

Now, even the nebulae are getting thinner and thinner - there isn’t much around the three of you at all.

“Dreams take shape when an individual’s subconscious and soul directly interact with this very realm,” she continues. “At inception, though, dreams are nearly formless, save for the ethereal avatar of the host. The rest of the dream constructs itself accordingly around these vessels whenever they appear here.”

“They don’t start out here?”

“No.”

Suddenly, the motion in the space around you stops. The nebulae are gone, and the stars around you have dwindled to almost nothing. Above you rests a veritable galaxy. Underhoof is…

Nothing.

Not like before, either, with Luna’s dream walking spell.

An immeasurable unease tightens its grip on your stomach.

“They come from below, obscured - beyond where the barrier of the dream realm is thin. That is where we’ll find our survivors' vessels.”

You readily refocus your fearful gaze back on her, only to find her looking right back at you. Despite the maw of the world below, she still smiles at the both of you.

“That is where we’ll find Anon.”

Author's Note

anything that might be confusing in this particular chapter - especially about the way dream logic and dream walking works - will be answered in the coming Twilight chapter(s)