Twilight was nervous as she stood outside the room Chrysalis and Fantasia were staying in, having been told to wait after knocking on the door. She was nervous because she didn't know how this was going to go, especially because out of the two, Fantasia was the one she knew the least.

However, now that she could look back on the few memories she had of the mare, she had to admit that she had found her rather hot at the time, even with the sharp teeth and the snake like eyes. However, she knew next to little about her, so she resolved to make it her priority during this first date to find out as much as she could about the mysterious mare.

She heard the door open, and looked to see both Chrysalis and Fantasia standing there in full regalia, the mares smiling as Fantasia spoke, “Well dear Twilight, we have already have everything ready to get us where we need to go, so if you come inside, well get everything started.”

Twilight nodded, walking in before gasping as she saw a large magic circle etched into the floor, staring at it for a moment before looking to Fantasia. “What is this?”

“This is a magic circle designed to open the philosophers gate, or, as it's more commonly known...”

“The Gate to the Realm of the Fey....but....but that gate was lost long ago!”

“Correction Twilight,” said Chrysalis as she activate the gate, “it was lost till I regained my sense of self; after all, it is my realm. Now come, the realm awaits us.”

*

After they had gone through the gate, Twilight found herself in a lush, vibrant forest, bathed in eternal twilight. Around her, the sounds of various animals could be heard, and nearby was a calm lake, which Chrysalis was setting up camp beside.

“So, Dearest Twilight,” said Fantasia, causing the mare to look up at her as she spoke. “You no doubt have many questions about me and my origins, so please, ask away.”

“We...well,” said Twilight, “I um...I didn't want to be rude.”

“I could never find you rude Twilight,” said Fantasia with a smile.

“Ok,” said Twilight as they walked closer to the camp, “then if I may ask, how old are you?”

“A prudent question,” said Fantasia, “though to be honest, I don't know. However, I can give you this, I am far older then Celestia and Luna, but I am far younger than my dear Chrysalis.”

“I see,” said Twilight with a raised eyebrow, “and you used to be a thestral correct?”

Fantasia smiled, and then shook her head, much to Twilight's surprise. “Thestral's did not exist during that time, though you know doubt already knew this, as Luna would have no doubt told you about their origins. No, originally, I was a pegasus, and then, I became an alicorn after my first dive into the realm of dreams.”

“Whoa whoa wait a minute,” said Twilight, “you...you dove into the realm of dreams, as in you physically entered, that's not possible.”

“For me it is,” said Fantasia with a smirk, “for it is our gift, and our curse to be able to dive into the realm of dreams with both our mind and our body, though we often choose the former now a days.”

“Why?”

Fantasia froze at that, her eyes narrowing a bit as the snake like pupils returned, only to vanish moments later as she shook her head and let out a snarl, causing Twilight to jump a little. Seeing this, her ears drooped, the mare looking crest fallen as she spoke to her. “We are sorry you had to see that, but your question brought up a memory which I must admit I find displeasing, for it in many ways is one of the first events which lead to the nightmare being born.”

Twilight looked mortified at this revelation, “I...I'm sorry Fantasia, if...if you don't want to talk about it...”

“No,” said Fantasia, “this is something you need to know of, for it will give you a better understanding of us. However, before we begin, let us make ourselves comfortable.”

Twilight nodded at that, sitting down with Fantasia on a small cliff overlooking Chrysalis's campsite, then squeaking as Fantasia unfurled one of her large wings and pulled her into an embrace.

“Ug, that is so unfair!” cried Twilight.

“You don't know the half of it!” yelled Chrysalis from down below, before resuming her work as Fantasia giggled.

“Well, while I would love to brag about my impressive wingspan, I think we have other things to discuss.”

“Are you sure, because if you don't want to I'll...”

“Tis alright my dearest,” the mare said, giving her a kiss to stay her before speaking again. “Now, I was born long long ago to a noble pegasus family, one of the most noble at the time in fact, for I was born to Duke and Duchess Skysong. They were loving parents, but because of who I was, they placed a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, sometimes too much.”

She looked a bit saddened, but shook her head and continued. “Anyway, one day, one of my relatives became sick, and when the doctors looked over him, they found he was infected with dream sickness.”

“Dream sickness, what’s that?”

“Well, back before I started walking the realm of dreams, dream spirits used to roam all over the dream realm, some good, some bad, and some twisted beyond belief. Sometimes, a dream spirit would become sickened with the dreams of a pony, and in their rage they would attack them through their dreams....with one intent and one intent only.”

“...W....what intent?” asked Twilight.

“To kill,” said Fantasia.

Twilight looked aghast, but was saved talking when Fantasia continued speaking. “My grandfather was very dear to me, and I could not bear to lose him, even though during that time, dream sickness always guaranteed death, so I prayed, prayed for a way to save him, and then this portal opened up in front of me. Everyone was shocked, but then I heard my grandfather crying for help, so I dove in, even with my parents screaming for me to stop, causing the portal to close behind me.”

“So you just dove into a portal you had never seen before all because you heard your grandfather on the other side.....you realize it could have been a trap right?”

“In retrospect yes,” said Fantasia, “but at the time I was a desperate granddaughter hoping for a way to save her grandfather, so I decided to throw caution to the wind. Anyways, I found myself in my grandfather’s nightmare, and knowing this, I did battle with the spirit the best way I could, with my imagination.”

That got an eyebrow raise from Twilight, prompting Fantasia to speak further. “You see Twilight, if one is aware of the dream, they can mold it and shape it to their will, and the more powerful and imaginative you are, the more you can shape the dreaming. I am probably one of the most imaginative beings of this world, save for a few others, so I was able to wrest control of the dreaming from the spirit and destroy it, before freeing my grandfather from his nightmare.”

Her face became saddened then, the mare looking off into the distance as she continued her tale. “However, I did not return to the mortal realm, instead I when I left the dreaming I found myself in the same realm you were made an alicorn, with Chrysalis and Faust waiting to greet me. I was then taught my role in this world, and then began to monitor the dreams of ponies, till the day Discord appeared.”

“What happened then?”

Fantasia growled. “He cursed Chrysalis, turning her into a changeling, and as for me, he unmade my physical form, forcing me to live within the dream realm in order to remain alive.”

Twilight gasped in shock, but was unable to speak as Fantasia continued. “I wandered the dreaming for many years after that, trying to find some way to come back, some way to become whole once more, till...years later Luna came to me in a dream, where she told me of her plan to make night eternal. She believed that not only would it allow ponies to learn to love her night, it might allow me to free myself from the dreaming and return to the waking world a whole mare.”

Tears began forming in her eyes, and she continued further before Twilight could stop her. “But...but our idea was not harmonious, and when we...merged to provide the necessary power to enact our plan, it drove us mad, forcing Celestia to banish us to the moon.”

Then she smiled, turning and nuzzling Twilight as she finished her tale. “But then, a thousand years later you came, and not only did you free us both from the madness that was Nightmare Moon, you gave me a body of my own so that I could once more walk outside the dreaming, and I thank you deeply for that.”

Then, she gave Twilight a kiss, before standing up helping Twilight to her hooves, before heading down to the camp where Chrysalis waited with the food.

“Pretty interesting story eh?” asked Chrysalis with a grin, handing both of them bowls of stew and then serving herself some.

“Very...but that makes me wonder...what about your story?”

Chrysalis laughed at that, the mare kissing her on the cheek before looking down at her meal, “that my dear is a story for tomorrow, right now, let us eat.”

Author's Note

Whew, that took longer then expected, though hopefully the next chapter should bee quicker to get out, as I know where that one is going. Till then, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop them on by, I always love hearing from you guys.