Twilght Sparkle's Dreamwalking

Twilight Sparkle knew something was up. Her teacher had been nodding off during their lessons and cutting them short. Princess Celestia had never done anything of the sort before this all started happening.

So, as a scientist, she did some research. Since it was a question of apparent exhaustion, she contemplated the possible reasons. Overwork was a common cause, but as far as Twilight had observed, Celestia was working less than usual due to her fatigue. So no, that wasn’t it.

It was possible that it was some bodily deficiency, but again, that thought was quickly dismissed. Princess Celestia’s body was but a vector for her magic to express itself. Or at least that was how Twilight Sparkle understood the demesne of Alicorn’s, it was all bit fuzzy to be honest. Regardless, from what she had ascertained herself, it seemed unlikely that her teacher suffered from the same physical maladies like malnutrition as Twilight did.

No, it seemed much more likely to be a psychosomatic problem. But what was the exact nature of the mental problem her teacher was suffering, that was the question of the hour. She couldn’t just ask her. No, the very thought of doing so was abhorrent to the somewhat introverted Twilight (though she had made great strides lately, the core of her quiet nature remained). So instead she would do it her way. First-hand, empirical research.

She consulted the library and some outside sources like Zecora. Before long she had a new spell under her belt, that of astral dreamwalking. It would be a slight invasion of her teacher’s privacy, but she was willing to risk her teacher’s ire if it meant helping her. So she prepared herself and when she was ready one night, she cast the spell and fell to sleep.

When she awoke in slumber, she found herself not in her usual dreamscape but rather inside a long corridor of many doors. Each door had a cutie mark on it, and she saw many residents of Ponyville there, including her friends.

The temptation was strong to check out their dreamworlds, but she was a mare on a mission. Twilight trotted down the corridor in the direction of Canterlot for what seemed like forever. She knew she had arrived when she saw some of her old university friends’ cutie marks line the hall’s doors.

And after even more travel she saw what she had been looking for. The mark of the blazing sun. Princess Celestia’s cutie mark. It was a beautiful thing even here rendered onto the wooden facade. It spoke of strength and warmth and safety.

With a brief moment of questioning whether she should do this or not, and deciding firmly on yes, she pushed open the door and entered into her teacher’s dream.

As soon as she stepped through, the first thing she noticed was the darkness. There wasn’t any light anywhere, just a void. And it felt so cold, like the sun hadn’t visited this place in years. That alone was enough for Twilight to know something was seriously wrong. But as she stepped further into the darkness, she felt another sensation. The cold spread into her, and she shivered. She might not have long to stay in here before she froze. So she galloped in, looking desperately for her teacher.

No matter where she searched, she couldn’t find the princess. Or maybe she had, but she just couldn’t see her due to the overwhelming darkness. Everything including the land she walked upon was obfuscated. She needed to create a light of her own. She reached down into herself and tugged on the well of her magic, willing itself to form into a light spell. But when she tried to bring it out, to channel it through her horn into the world, she felt only sparks of a failed spell.

Her worry began to mount. Her breathing became more ragged. Her skin started to sweat even in the chilling cold.

She looked up.

And that’s when she saw the moon. How had she not seen it before, nor its blessed light? It seemed like it had just popped into existence. And when she looked closer, was there something on the moon? Something etched into its surface? It looked… like a crooked scar cutting across its span. And it moved, growing wider and wider and opening to reveal pearly white teethlike structures.

It grinned at her.

“Lost. Foal.”

She was lost in the dream. She was a foal compared to this being. But the moonlight was showing her the way.

“Look.”

The light illuminated a rocky path. Twilight followed the newly evidenced road. It led her to what she sought. There, standing and looking at nothing particular, was her teacher.

“Tia.” Celestia turned to face Twilight and her student gasped in horror. What had happened to her teacher? Her… her… body was different. And her eyes were so empty.

“Twilight, is that you? How did you get here?” Celestia asked.

“I cast a dreamwalking spell. I’m here to help you.”

“Oh how clever, my eager student, but I don’t need any help. Mistress-Sister has it all in hoof.”

Was the princess talking about the moon? That was supposed to be her sister? Twilight looked up again at it. That same mocking smile was there, only it looked even more sinister, more delighted.

“Twilight,” it whispered. “Night. Mine.”

The night belonged to this being. And twilight was just a part of that. She belonged to it. No! Twilight shook her head. It was trying to cast a spell on her like it did Celestia.

She shook her head free of its grasping hands and reached out to Celestia, grabbing her and pulling her with her. Twilight pulled her teacher with her as she tried to retrace her steps out to the door from which she had entered. She could see it in the distance. She just had to make it there.

“Stop. Futile. Meaningless. Rest.”

Twilight’s body ceased to move. There was no way she could beat an eldritch being of this magnitude. It had already won. She should just lay her head down and let whatever was going to happen happen. Her head was already nodding off when she realized this was another spell. ‘No!’ she shouted internally again, shaking off its effects once more. She had to fight back, for herself, for her teacher.

“Look. Future. Self. Great.”

The moonlight touched her as the whispers grew louder. Twilight felt the cold sink into her even deeper. And then she saw it, a reflection of herself in the moon’s surface. It was her, only older and more wise and more powerful and more beautiful, and changed in other ways as well. She bore her horn still, but also the wings of a Pegasus. She was an Alicorn! She could fly! She could take control of the stars that sparkled in the twilight like her namesake and wrest fate from them. And all in the service of her glorious Mistress’s eternal night, her eternal dream where everything could be made real.

“Submit. Obey. Mistress. Power. Knowledge.”

The whispers reverberated inside her skull. She couldn’t get them out, no matter how she pawed at her head. They were just there, sounding off without cessation. And they were true. Her Mistress would give her all this. She had no reason not too reward her devoted servants. She and Celestia both would help bring forth the dark goddess and these forms would be theirs in the waking world as well.

“Goddess,” the whispers said. Only it wasn’t from the moon. It was from her own mouth. She spoke her truth.

“Goddess,” her teacher joined her.

Twilight knew she was going to cast the dreamwalking spell tomorrow night, and the night after, and the night after as well. Her Mistress was whispering that she would do so. She needed to have her devotion reinforced. And when she was truly beyond all resistance, she’d drag her friends in so that they could be made into her Mistress’ servants as well. It was necessary so that they could bind the elements of harmony to free the goddess from her prison.