Back at the castle....

Landing at the top balcony of her bedroom, Celestia startles Luna awake. “Huh? Who’s there!” giving a double snort as she becomes alert to her surroundings. “Good morning, Luna! Did you sleep well?” She asked, grinning from ear to ear as she walked through the young alicorn’s bedroom with the sun shining through the balcony doors behind her. “Mmmm…… It’s too early Tia….” Surprised to hear Luna speaking this way after many years, it made her teary eyed yet again. “Oh, I know sister… but…” Celestia giggles at the thought of the good news. “... I simply cannot wait! Here!” She thrusts the scroll in Luna’s face making her take the scroll in her own blue magic. “Huh… what’s this?” Celestia simply stayed quiet and watched her sister take off the blue ribbon and unfurl the scroll.

The sleepy alicorn began to slowly read the letter inside. She began reading it faster and faster until she froze on one paragraph. She read aloud,

“..... I truly am sorry for making you feel sorry Luna. Other than Juke, you are the bestest friend I have ever had! I feel we both understand each other in a way not many can. Do not worry so much about my incident over the past month. Sure, it made a slight crack in our friendship, but it has filled once again to be stronger than ever. You are beautiful, strong, brave, powerful, courageous, caring, kind…. And those are just the words I can think of! You are so much more! I love you, Luna! Always and forever. You feel like a sister to me. I hope this news will lift your spirit and put a smile on your heart.

I love you to the moon and back!

~ Lavender Rain….”

Luna felt tears welling up in her eyes as her grin began to wobble. Celestia smiled softly, “See Luna, she does love you. She sees you as her bestest friend. And judging from what I know about her; she has great taste in friends. The two mares hugged each other as Luna wept in tears of sweet happiness.

They parted from the hug and Luna wiped her tears away from her face, "Thanks for checking on her Celestia. I may visit her tomorrow." Celestia grinned with her eyes shut to show how happy she was it cheered her up. "Well little sister, I best be started on my duties for today. I'm already late as it is. I'll leave you to your day!" Using a wing to hug her sister from the side, she squeezed her tight before skipping off towards the door that led into the hallway. "Shall I see you at lunch?" The sun princess asked the moon princess as the blue alicorn looked up at her with a smile, "Alright. I'd like that."

Luna waits for Celestia to leave the bedroom before she smiles back at the litter in her hooves. Do I really deserve such a good friend? She thought silently before she heard a knock on the door. "Come in." She answered as a mare in gold armour appeared. "Princess Luna, I have today's schedule ready for you from your assistant." Luna's ears fell back in despair as she thought of the many things on that list. The mare sighed... "Alright Fleet Heart, let me put this away and I'll be right there."

"Yes, Your Highness!" She nodded firmly and stood just outside the doorway waiting for the princess. Luna sighed again as she looked at the letter, she then scrolled it back up and retied it with the blue ribbon. The mare walked over to a black trimmed bookcase that stood alone against one of the walls in her room next to a window. She placed it onto a shelf where she stores her precious items and turned towards the door. Walking into the hall she greets the young mare that spoke to her earlier. "Alright Fleet Heart, show me tonight's list...."

In the Everfree Forest...

"Back! Back you Timberwolves! You are such fools!" Lavender heard a voice coming from the trees and then a few growls. Her ear twitched as she looked at Sapphire down at her feet, "There's only one pony that talks in rhymes!" She looks towards the woods and sees a familiar striped face appear as she falls through the bushes, landing on her haunches. The zebra mare moans and rubs her hind quarters with a hoof, "Oh those foul beasts came out of nowhere. But thank goodness I am safely here!" Zecora greets Lavender with a grin and a sigh of relief. "It is so good to see you Miss Rain, those Timberwolves are at it again. I fear their attacks are growing more rapid dear Lavender. They seem to be growing bolder, it makes me think, why I wonder...?"
Lavender smiled; she loved the way Zecora spoke. Some ponies found it irritating and that's why they don't do business with the mare, but it didn't bother her at all. She loved good poetry.

"It's lovely to see you Zecora, what brings you here?" She was curious as Zecora always had a reason for showing up. Zecora smiled, "Ah, you are right to be curious my friend, I have for you a book I want to lend." She pulls out a big heavy book with many, MANY pages and an old black leather cover, decorated with silver spirals and a pocket watch.

"Spirals of Time? What is this?" Lavender says feeling rather intrigued by the title. "Spirals of Time is an ancient book of Hypnosis. You are learning of the art so I think you should read this." Zecora suggested the book to her to help her study hypnosis more for Luna and for her friend Juke. "Wow, thank you Zecora! It looks very interesting! When you say ancient, how old is this book?"

"Oh around... 3,000 years old give or take. So please take care of it so it does not break."

"Ok I'll be very careful with this one Zecora. Don't you worry." Lavender grinned as she appreciated the age of the book, it must have been written by ponies long since passed. She loved learning about history, so this was fantastic.

"Excellent! Well, I'd better head home now to continue my work. I'm making a cure for a newly found flower that makes creatures go berserk!" So, she hands the Pegasus the heavy leather-bound book into her magic aura from her hoof. Then the zebra grinned a wink at her neighbour before disappearing into the bush with a battle cry. "OUT OF MY WAY YOU BEASTS, MAKE SOME ROOM! OR YOU SHALL MEET YOUR DOOOOOOOM!"

Lavender laughed as she heard her fearless voice and watched her charge after the Timberwolves with the creatures cowering in fear, tucking their timber tails beneath their rears. "I love Zecora... don't you Sapphy?"

"Meeeeowww!" The kitten responded instantly as she looked up at the young mare. "Come on then, lets head home and take a look at this ancient book!" Purring, the kitten jumped up on her hind quarters and the two hopped across the floating stone air bridge leading to her front door of her dome shaped home. She found this place when she was little and loved to play in it when it was just ruins in the dark forest. Now it is her home after many years of repair and restoration. She left some of its old charm with some of the stone archways and stone tile roof features still intact. She loved it there, as it gave her a secluded and peaceful place to relax after a long day.

She walked inside the stone house, using her tail to close the door behind her. "Now let's see what this book has to say...." Out of the silent ambience of her home, with just the breeze moving the leaves outside her windows, she heard a faint sound. "Laaaaaveeeendeeeeerrrr......." Her ears pricked up and she looked around her home. "Who's there?!" She heard the whisper again, as it slowly became more audible. "Come on out now! I'm warning ya!" The mare gets into a defensive pose, causing her kitten to jump off her in a spook. The kitten couldn't hear anything, so she just meowed at her owner to see if she was alright. "Meow?" Lavender looked all spooked from the whispers of her name.

"Don't you hear that??" She said sounding cautious of her surroundings. "There it is again!"

"Laaaaaaaveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeendeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrr............ Raaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnnnnnn............"

"I'm sure I'm not hearing things Sapphy! There IS a small voice whispering my name... where is it coming from? It's creeping me out." She twitches her ears trying to pinpoint where the sound is coming from. She scanned her surroundings, the living room... the kitchen.... upstairs... then she realised it sounded much closer... almost on top of her... and then she looked at the book as it started to shimmer in front of her, and it wasn't her magic causing it. "The book?" She was very sceptical but then again, anything was possible in a magical land such as Equestria.

She places the book down on the kitchen island bench and stares at the silver edging in the black cover. They certainly gave off a moving shimmer that made it seem more alive. "Why would this be glowing like that?" She looks at the title, "Spirals of Time.... The Mysteries of Hypnosis." She reads aloud and the book cover comes flying open, greeting her with fast turning pages and beams of light shooting out from its spine. "AHHHH! OMGOSH!"

"MEOWWWW! HIIIIIIISSSS!" Sapphire hissed at the book as it came to life. It let out a spiral of magical black aura spiralling up and out of the pages, whispers filled the silence and a howling wind blew throughout the living spaces of her home, causing items to be picked up and blown around chaotically. "Keep back Sapphire!! This looks dangerous!! WHY WOULD ZECORA GIVE ME A BOOK LIKE THIS?"

Author's Note

Luna is reassured about her friend in the Everfree Forest. Lavender is visited by Zecora with a book on Hypnosis from the past that will help her study about it a bit more. But is this book a danger to the young Pegasus?