The Dreams of Twilight Sparkle

Above her stretched a featureless blue sky, before her stretched a narrow passageway bordered by tall brick walls on either side. After perhaps fifteen minutes of walking Twilight began to think she ought to turn back home, but at once the walls gave way to a wonderous garden. Tall hedges lined both walls, but between them were hundreds of meticulously maintained beds, filled with every flower Twilight had ever seen – and many she had never seen before.

As she wandered past flawless flowerbed after flawless flowerbed, she wondered how any garden could be kept so free of weeds. She struggled to imagine how many mares and stallions it should take to tidy such a grand garden, yet as she trotted her way along the winding paths, she saw not a soul. Nor was there any decay in this garden, or so it seemed. Not one flower was withered. Not one flower was dead. No. Each and every flower was a proper as a postcard. Neither did they sway in the wind, but that at least made sense, for there was no wind that day (nor was there ever in this land, but Twilight had no reason to know that yet).

Pacing the length of one particularly large bed of primulas, Twilight pondered the mysteries of the garden. Though now the puzzle had become quite simple – the flowers must be made of glass. Yes, that had to be it. She had seen such mimicries before in the wealthier manors of Canterlot. Yet as she looked closer, they appeared as real as you or me! This didn’t make one bit of sense, but then again nothing had as of late.

As she thought back to the night before, it occurred to her that her stunt with the music key had made remarkably little sense either. How had she believed her eyes back then? Surely, she must have been dreaming, and her current lucidity was evidence of her return to consciousness. That was clearly the case. Yet poor little Twilight couldn’t help but question where she might be, for as long as she could remember the Drawing Room had never led to any garden – big or small. Anyway, she doubted that Canterlot could fit such an extensive garden, or at least if it did, she would certainly have known about it. Fancy having missed so large a place as this?! No, she could not be in Canterlot. That idea was purely illogical. She had to be inside the clock.

Higher and higher climbed the Sun in the sky. Twilight found herself watching its motions closely, now dependent upon it for telling the time. So she watched as it rose still higher and higher until it reached its zenith at noon. “Why it’s midday already!” thought Twilight, “I should have sworn that it was only 9 o'clock an hour ago”, but it was difficult to keep track of time in this place, where everything sat perfectly still save the filly herself.

Previously I had mentioned that the passage bent ever so slightly to the right, well this had remained the case. As a matter of fact, Twilight had effectively turned a very gentle corner, a whole 90 degrees since she had fell through the Longcase Clock, but as the path had turned so very gently, she had never noticed that she was walking a slow circle.

When noon finally came, she found the gardens came to an abrupt end. Before her the hedges, which had lined the walls formerly, formed an almost impenetrable barrier. I say almost for there was a tight passageway leading beyond the garden walls. Facing no need to head back home (for she wasn’t the slightest bit hungry) Twilight crept through the gap between the hedges, until they came to a square opening, lined on all sides with hedgerows growing well above one’s head. Within this grove sat a stallion, before him stood a table and an empty chair. With a friendly smile, the stallion beckoned Twilight to take the empty seat across from him, which - being a polite pony - she accepted. Upon the table lay a chessboard, with pieces of amber and glass. So high above was the sun in the sky, that the pieces cast no shadow, except when lifted in play.

“Hello there dear. Do you fancy a game of chess?” spoke the stallion, head cocked to one side.

“I should like nothing better” Twilight replied, quite honestly. In truth she was quite glad to see another pony, and seeing as this room had only one exit – the one through which she had come – there was little reason to turn down his offer.

“Why, who are you?” questioned the filly, wondering what a stallion was doing inside the Drawing Room Clock.

“Me? My full name is Rhom, but my friends call me Rastabobblerhomboloid for short” answered Rhom (as I shall from hereon take to calling him, as to save parchment).

“Well, Mr Rhom, who is to take the first turn? Neither of the armies is white”

“Why I should suppose Amber is to go first.”

“Can you do that? Decide the rules as you go along.”

“Why of course I can! It is still my minute you see.”

“I beg your pardon.”

“Why you haven’t done anything.”

“Sorry, I mean to say that I don’t understand.”

“Foolish girl, have you never played chess before? As it is still my minute, I decide the rules. Once it is yours, you shall do the same.”

This seemed a rather strange way of playing chess to Twilight, but as it would be her turn to decide in just a minute’s time, she hardly thought it worth complaining.

“How shall we keep track of time?” Asked the filly, to which the Stallion produced a watch from his jacket pocket (had I mentioned that he was wearing a jacket?). Though this was no ordinary watch, for the minute hand never seemed to move. “I should like a clock without a tick back at home” thought Twilight to herself, remembering her night before. The lack of movement didn’t surprise her, for you could hardly expect a minute hand to move when there was no second hand to keep time with.

“Very well, on the first turn, pawns can move three spaces” spoke the stallion, as he moved one of his pawns to the middle of the board. Twilight responded in like, but her opponent informed her that that rule had only been for the first move. Now pawns could only move one square at a time.

“This whole game seems terribly unfair” moaned Twilight.

“Why it will be your turn to make the rules once this minute is up.”
But the minute never was up. The clockface was as still as ever, and the sun moved not an inch. It was as if time had stopped altogether. Still, she played on – though it meant she performed rather badly. The rules never seemed to be in her favour, and when they were they would have changed by the time it got to her turn. Before long Twilight was beginning to get frustrated.

"Bishops may only move in zigzags.”

"Knights must take two lefts before each right.”

"Pawns move backwards and the Queen is scared of horses.”

"Castles are swapped with pawns, and the King is immobile.”

"Why, you can't move that there!"

"Why ever not?!" Argued Twilight

"Because that move would place your Queen right next to a horse"

"So? The rules have changed since.”

"The rules may have changed, but that doesn't mean that the Queen has gotten over her fear of horses."

"Oh, for goodness’ sake!"

That last part had been too much for Twilight, who had now been put in check for the fourth time.

"How am I ever meant to win this game, when the rules are always against me! What move can I even make at this point?"

"Well, there are plenty of moves you can make.”

"Like what? Your castle is after my bishop, but if I should move him then he's open for your queen.”

"That's only if you move him diagonal."

"But I have to move him diagonal! That's in the rules!"

"I don't recall having made that a rule at any point."

"Then why have you been playing as such?"

"Why, I was only trying to give you a chance darling?"

"Very well then, I'll move my bishop here, my knight here, and there! Checkmate!"

"Exceptionally well played. I thought I’d won it for a minute then.”

Twilight blushed, for she was a little guilty for the manner in which she had won. Though now that the game was over, she thought it time to ask a question which had been plaguing her. "How come we have played for so long without any time passing?"

"Why should it have passed? We haven't gone anywhere.”

"Time doesn’t work like that!"

"Of course it does! Time goes with you - you accept?"

"Of course, time goes with you everywhere.”

"And as you go forwards it goes forwards with you - correct?"

"Yes, you'd be right in saying that.”

"So surely it must also rest with you, and go backwards when you go backwards - am I making sense?"

"In a way I suppose you are... Wait no! That makes no sense whatsoever!"

"Which bit?"

"All from it! From its nonsensical start to its ridiculous end"

"Suit yourself, but you won't be getting very far with that attitude.”

"It doesn't seem like I'll be getting far at all."

"Allow me to help dear.”

With a whistle, he set the chess pieces to work. Armed with miniature secateurs, they soon cut a way through the hedgerow.

"Why, that was incredible!"

"Why you are far too kind. Hop along now, they shall be expecting their wages soon I don't doubt.”

Twilight thanked the kindly stallion many, many times as she left through the tunnel of leaves.