Chapter 1 - Celestia's Letter
Chapter 1 - Celestia's Letter
The sun hung heavily in the sky over Equestria, slowly nearing the edge of the earth; and beckoning the time for its lunar sister to paint the black canvas left behind with a beautiful night. For many it signaled a time of rest, to forget the troubles of the day and slip into the world of dreams and fantasy. Usually there were a few, that would light candles and brew coffee to ward off the night-time chill, then stay awake to enjoy the last few hours of invigorating sunlight and welcome the stars; with a steaming cup in one hoof and a content smile on their muzzle. Tonight many in Ponyville went through the same routine, but with the locking of doors and shuttering of windows, to block out the night and its calming charms.
In the waning light of the descending sun; Ponyville's only library, and home of Twilight Sparkle; was one of the few places still open in the sleepy town. Through the doors’ window, two silhouettes seemed to dance before somepony slowly pushed the door open from within.
"Are you sure it's ok? Have the princesses told you anything Twilight?" a haggard looking Mayor Mare asked, holding one hoof on the door for support as she looked at the unicorn behind her.
Stifling a yawn, Twilight nodded to the older mare as she escorted her outside. "I've notified them of the pandemic Ms. Mare, and I'll pass on the message when I get my reply."
"Thank-you for all your help Ms. Sparkle. I just can't understand why our town is targeted by these frightening dreams." Mayor Mare said with a heavy sigh.
Twilight gave her a reassuring smile, as if to say everything would be alright, but her guest remained in low spirits. Giving a farewell the two ponies parted ways; Ms. Mare plodding back to town hall, as Twilight entered the quiet library.
Softly closing the library door behind her, she finally lost the strength to fight her exhausted limbs. Twilight fell heavily against the wall for support as she waited for some strength to return. After a few minutes of slipping between semi-consciousness and consciousness, she finally found the strength to unsteadily return to her hooves. Lumbering forward with a few steps that a foal could easily out do, Twilight managed to reach one of the library's reading cushions before flopping atop it. The undignified landing jarred the contents of the desk next to her, but she was too exhausted to deal with it. She just wanted to lay there and enjoy the serenity. For the last few days, many of Ponyville's citizens had come to her for help with their dreams, and she worried it was starting to affect her and her studies.
At first it had been the odd pony wandering into the library for books on dreams or insomnia; but now she'd taken the role of town psychiatrist as the majority of Ponyville came to her about the real cause.
Recalling the tales, she lazily turned her head to look out the windows adorning her Ponyville home, staring at the clouds the local weather patrol had 'missed'. Each pony had told her similar things about their dream walking visitor; two pink spirals that oddly resembled eyes, an invitation to a place called ‘World of Illogic', and a voice asking for their sanity as payment, if they did.
The unidentified voice always referred to sanity as, "a mere trade of no value", in the dreams; so why did it want said sanity?
Usually the dreams started with a pony finding themselves standing before gigantic, steel-gray doors. Depending, for some unknown reason, the spirals would be seen alone or accompanied by a smile. The few that described the smile said they felt their entire body twitch and tingle; something not too dissimilar to when Discord was freed. The dreamer would then be asked to join this world, in a voice that seemed caught between a hysterical laugh and curiosity.
After answering no, the spirals remained, but seemed to sag with sadness. Then the dreamer awoke to the fleeting words, "Okay. Have fun being boring then. The offer still stands if you want to join."
In her exhausted state, Twilight remembered Ms. Mare's latest meeting with the being. Each of her experiences had grown more aggressive and detailed after each meeting, but last night had been the closest she'd heard of the being forcing its request on another.
"I'll fill your slippers with chocolate syrup. Forever...," Twilight mumbled the threat Ms. Mare had received; giving a quiet chuckle at the absurdity as her eyes fluttered closed.
From outside the unicorn's private world of confusion and unanswered questions, another entered in the form of a familiar voice. " Umm... You okay Twilight? I could come back later?"
"Hmm?," Twilight hummed in dissatisfaction, having her rest interrupted. "It's nothing Rainbow. I'm just...thinking about stuff.
Forcing her eye to open, she gave an unintentionally angry glare at Rainbow Dash. It wasn't her fault that ponies were losing sleep, although it did irk her every time she looked at the well-rested pegasus
"You mean those weird dreams everypony's having?" Rainbow questioned, trying to look casual as she picked a Daring Do book off the shelf, before looking back at her usually unfazed friend.
Getting up and giving herself a shake, Twilight stretched as she got to her hooves. "Yeah," Twilight finally admitted after getting the feeling back in her legs.
"No need to get all worked up. It's just a coincidence." Rainbow said while shrugging a hoof, like it wasn't a big deal.
"Rainbow, I don't know if you realize the severity. Some ponies may share dreams, but not everypony in Ponyville! It defies logic!" Twilight answered as her voice raised in volume; one of the bad habits she showed when she didn't understand something or got too emotional.
Rainbow gave a slight huff before hovering in front of Twilight, the partly read book held to her chest. If she'd learned anything about her unicorn friend, it was she obsessed over the strangest things. "Twilight... Remember when you couldn't understand Pinkie Pie's Pinkie sense? It defies logic, but still works. Even if nopony has a clue how."
Twilight gave a flustered series of hoof movements, trying to think of a retort, before giving a sigh of resignation. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just can't accept it as a coince--”
"Twilight! A letter from the princess!" Spike announced, interrupting the mares conversation as he rushed down the stairs. One of his waving claws tightly clutching a rolled up scroll.
Stumbling on the last step, the baby dragon rolled a few feet before crashing into a stack of unsorted books he hadn't put away yet. The parchment landing safely outside the small avalanche. Spike on the other hoof, had vanished under the pile of books. A slight groan came from the pile before he slowly pushed himself free.
"I'm okay..." he said, with a sigh while looked down at all the books he had to resort.
Meanwhile, Twilight picked the letter up with her magic, curiosity pushing through the exhaustion that plagued her. It wasn't every day her teacher would send a letter. "Thank you Spike. I wonder what the princess would like? Maybe she liked my report on narratology!"
"What?" Spike and Rainbow asked simultaneously.
They stared at Twilight in silence until she got the hint, "...the study of books."
The two nodded their heads like it had been obvious the whole time, making Twilight roll her eyes while opened the letter. She quietly mouthed the words as she read the letter. Her eyes quickly widened after she read the first few lines. She squinted before quickly reading the letter, twice, incase she was mistaken about its topic.
"What happened, Twilight? The princess didn't like the book report?" Spike asked, after seeing the strange expression on her muzzle.
"I think you should hear this." Twilight said, before clearing her throat.
Dear Twilight,
I'm so glad that your studies are progressing well! The report on Swift Quill's novels, was very informative and never knew the slang, 'OMC', referred to myself. Sadly, that is not the reason I've sent this letter to you so late.
I'm sure you have noticed the recent rash of troubling dreams plaguing Ponyville, and Equestria. My sister and I believe we know the cause, and would like to request your assistance in dealing with him. The stallion in question, is currently under our control, but we don't know how much longer he will remain here. I can assure you he is harmless, but still poses a threat to Equestria's peace if he breaks loose again.
I fear that if he is the cause of the recent dreams, we won't be able to stop him. That is why I would like your participation in returning him to normal. Or at the very least, lessen his influence.
Please come alone, by train. I've instructed the guards to escort you to the castle upon your arrival. This will be of the utmost importance and secrecy, so please burn this upon reading and tell nopony of the contents.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
Judging from their reactions, they were thinking the same thing Twilight had.
"Discord's freed himself again," Rainbow shouted as her wings flapped open, "we have to tell the others!"
She didn't get very far before Twilight's magic stopped her mid-flight by yanking her tail. "...Or the princesses just want to help an innocent 'stallion'."
Rainbow's ears perked up at the statement, as Spike grabbed hold of the letter. "She's right! The princess wants help with a pony."
"Then why is it a secret? And why did you tell us?" Rainbow asked as she rubbed her sore flank.
"Perhaps he's a unicorn that made a spell go out of control," Twilight said, knowing no more than her friends. "Something also seemed off about the letter and how it only requested my presence. By the way Spike... Could you..."
"Sure. Gimme that!" Spike said, guessing what she wanted. A burst of green flame later, and the letter was a pile of ash, "there ya go.
Twilight gave a relieved smile as Spike clapped the ash from his claws, breaking rules always made her coat crawl. "Thanks Spike, I should probably start packing though. Please don't say anything to the others."
"I won't. My lips are as sealed as a... as a... as a very sealed thing," Spike stuttered as he tried to think of a good reference.
"Yeah, you can count on us Twilight. Afterall, you didn't tell others about me being an... egghead." Rainbow said with a blush, carefully scooping up the book she'd dropped after being yanked.
Moved, the unicorn pulled her two friends into a group hug. At first they hesitated, before accepting and returning the hug. The three of them remained like that for a few minutes before Twilight broke the serenity. "Oh my gosh, I‘ll miss the evening train to Canterlot. Spike! Do you have the 'emergency trip to Canterlot' checklist?"
As if on cue, Spike pulled a rolled parchment from a shelf, letting one end roll onto the floor. "Right here Twilight."
The rainbow-maned pegasus quickly got out of the way as she narrowly avoided a flying ink pot, while Spike and Twilight went through their slightly comedic checklist routine.
"Saddle bag?"
"Check!"
"Spending bits?"
"Check!"
"Ink?"
"Check!"
"Quill?"
"Check!"
"Parchment?"
"Check!
"Back-up quill, ink, and parchment?"
"Check, check, and check! Anything else Spike?"
"Books pre... pertan...," Spike finally gave-up, showing the last item on the list to the mare.
"Pertaining to type of emergency," Twilight finished.
Twilight hummed, deep in thought, as Rainbow had to make a few aerial maneuvers to dodge the glowing books that came flying from the book shelves. They formed a small line, as the unicorn's magic kept them afloat. With each book that past her, Twilight silently mouthed 'no' before looking at the next title.
"Aha!," she finally exclaimed in delight as the other books dropped with a thud. The last book floating had a worn cover but its pages still had the scent of fresh printing press ink.
Making space in the overcrowded saddlebag, she wedged it into place, double checking the ink bottles were sealed and wouldn't spill. Finally giving a satisfied nod, Twilight floated the bag over her back and let it drop. Too excited to see her teacher; Twilight hardly noticed the extra weight as she hurried to the library door.
"I'll be off then. Can't let the princess wait," Twilight said before looking at Spike, "Please clean-up this mess and I'll be sure to bring you an extra tasty crystal donut from Donut Joe's."
"Bye Twilight." the two called after her; while Spike quickly started to clean-up, thanks to the promise of a delicious reward.
Letting the door shut behind her, Twilight set-off at a stealthy gallop. Making her way through Ponyville, and trying to avoid causing a racket; she tried to remember the train schedules as the station came into view. Slowing to a brisk trot, Twilight hurried to the ticket booth as the stallion manning it stepped out. "One ticket to Canterlot please."
"Made it just on time there miss," the stallion said as he removed his conductor's cap, "was about to make the last trip back to Canterlot. Heading there for a vacation?"
Twilight gave the stallion a big smile, as she placed the required bits on the counter. "Yeah! Just going to see my parents for their anniversary and wanted to surprise them tomorrow morning."
Satisfied with the lie, the stallion swept the bits into a strong box and handed her a ticket. Exiting and locking the booth behind himself, he escorted her to one of the train cars. Smiling with a silly grin, when the young mare thanked him for the courtesy, he hurried to the engine car and quickly got the iron horse rolling.
Once inside her cabin, Twilight's adrenaline high started to wane as she slumped on one of the blue couches. Looking outside the window to watch the passing buildings and greenery, she soon felt her eyelids slowly close as the scenery blurred. Opening her eyes again, it surprised Twilight to find herself in front of the doors again. Floating a small distance away from it, both the mouth and pink swirls greeted her with their appearance. "You again!? What do you want?"
"Nothing, I just noticed that you're coming to see me. You look quite pretty, by the way, when you try to comprehend things. Like linked dreams," the voice said as the swirls above it spun wildly.
"What!?" Twilght exclaimed, " How did you-"
"You heard me, I can 'see' everything. Perhaps... you want a tour of the world of Illogic?" the voice mused, one of the eyes unravelling and scratching underneath the mouth.
"No," Twilight answered flatly.
"Come-on sourpuss. You get a 'free' tour; no sanity lost," the voice tempted. "I already know that your sanity hangs by a thread, and I will love you for that," the voice sang these words, alternating between happy and jovial tones.
"You will... love me? I don't-"
"To the 'World of Illogic'," the voice interrupted in a loud yell.
Twilight quickly found herself being lifted into the air by an invisible force, and jetting towards the steel doors. Her first instinct was to cover her face with her hooves and scream in fright, but as the door came closer, her body became transparent. She passed through the door and weird music, that sounded like a hyperactive foal on a sugar high, made her peek out from behind her forelegs.
She was flying above a land of white and vanilla, the colors occasionally changing as the landscape warped and morphed. The clouds crept along the ground, and a few ponies participating in a bizarre upright dance in the sky. There was even the pony that was around when Discord became free. She was still as crazy as ever, her eyes being swirls similar to the ones next to Twilight Sparkle and her beanie twirling at top speed.
"This is the 'World of Illogic'!" The voice announced like a carny trying to draw in a crowd. "While your sanity is gone, you may remain here. And the things you do here, can become reality in the real world too!"
"No, it can't! This is just a dream! You're-you're," Twilight was so blown away by it all, she stuttered to find the words. "You're just a facsimile of my imagination!"
"Says the student of Tia-Tia," the voice said with a chuckle.
Twilight looked at the swirls in confusion; they 'looked' back at her with the ever present smile.
"I also suppose you know nothing of Woona?" it then asked, noticing her confusion.
"Are you talking about the princesses?" Twilight asked, shocked as she made the connection in her mind.
"Mebeh... I will tell you much if you join us~," it said in a childish voice, trying to bribe her with knowledge.
"No."
"Please!~"
"No."
"Pretty please, with a cherry on top?~"
"No!" Twilight yelled back.
While the face still smiled, it did seem exasperated and irritated. "Fine. Back to the real world! I slap you with-a da fish!"
"What?" she asked before a flounder appeared out of thin air.
It then gave Twilight a large slap across the muzzle with its tail, before she awoke with a gasp. Feeling moisture on her muzzle, she quickly scrapped it off with a fillyish cry of, "ew, ew, ew, ew, ew," thinking it was fish slime. Glad to find it was just water she looked around for the culprit, but she was the only one in the moving train car.
"What the-"
"We are now arriving in Canterlot," a voice crackled over the train car's speakers, "all passengers are reminded to grab luggage before exiting the car. Transfers to Foland line have a five-minute wait time. We hope you ride with us again on the Trans-Equestria railway."
Using her magic to dry off; Twilight put her saddle bag back on and left her cabin. She made one last check to try and find a hidden prankster under one of the seats, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The unappealing thought came to mind that she'd been drooling in her sleep, and that it was the case of the mystery moisture.
"Well that was a weird dream," she thought aloud, to try reaffirming her resolve after what she'd imagined, "'everything you do here, you can do in the real world'... that's impossible. I don't care what Rainbow Dash says, or what Pinkie Pie is capable of; you can't do the same things in your dreams as you can in reality."
Twilight quickly kept her thoughts to herself as she walked over the royal guards standing guard at the edge of the platform. Recognizing her, they proceeded to escort her to the castle, as Twilight continued trying to outthink the growing questions in her mind. The only solstice she found was in the thought that her teacher, and her sister Luna, would have the answers to what Celestia meant in her letter, and perhaps why these spirals called the sun princess, "Tia-Tia", and the moon princess, "Woona".
Unbeknownst to the lavender unicorn; as she left the train station behind with her escort, and walked the white streets of Canterlot; the windows of her train car had two very faint pink spirals and a smile on them. The spirals continued to watch Twilight’s departing form, until a puff of the train’s smoke obscured the window. When the wind blew it away, the spirals and mouth had vanished.
