Chapter III: Dreamtime
Rainbow Dash
I paced across the room waiting for the doctor to come tell me about Twilight. After she fainted I rushed her here and told the nurses it was an emergency. "Rainbow Dash?" Dr. Horse's voice asked as I nearly jumped on him and asked him about Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle is going to be fine, she had a reaction to some bad magic," I look at him strangely, "Unicorns are very sensitive. Any kind dark energy can throw them for a loop," I walked into Twilight's room she was still out cold. "She should be waking up soon," the doctor said leaving the room as Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy came in.
"We came as soon we could," Rarity said her mouth hidden by a surgical mask. "Oh sorry," she removed it and explained that Sweetie Belle was sick and she didn't want to get sick as she was behind on her dressmaking. I explained to her what the doctor said about bad magic, "bad magic?" the unicorn stepped back nervously. "How did it happen?" I rolled my eyes Rarity can be so over dramatic. I told her about our canceled trip to Canterlot. "That could be why Sweetie Belle isn't doing we…," she said losing her balance but I caught her and called for a nurse to come in.
"Another case of bad magic?" she asks as I nod. "Whatever is going it's affecting all Equestria. Reports as far as Appleloosa are coming in with unicorns being sick," she explains helping Rarity into a wheel chair. She tells the nurse that she wants a silk hospital gown with rhinestones and her room has to be at 83 degrees. "Don't worry everything will be all right miss," she says taking Rarity to the ER.
"Has anyone heard from the princess, surely she's sensing it as well," Fluttershy asked. The pony in the next bed said no pony has heard anything from Celestia. It's as if all Canterlot is under lock and key. I didn't like the sound of this. No word from the princess combined with our 'warm' welcome made me think something fishy is going on and I was going to find out what-just like Daring Do in the Quest for the Sacred Spear.
Clockwork
"Let's see Giles de Rais married a witch in 1430 sealing the pact with a blood oath to Satan," I read over the information I had available. The Observants want me to show my work to them but I have more important things to do than read books all day long. I look over to where Danielle was sitting. She was working hard on a math problem. One day she is going to be very wise and...before I could continue an Observant entered my chamber
"Chronos, we have a problem," he said waving his hand causing an image of the Forest of Fear to come into view. I told him I knew that Danny was captured by the night hags. "This doesn't bother you? the boy is being drained of his life by those fiends and you just sit here." I told him that I had it under control and would get Danny back soon. "But…," was all he could say as I shooed him out of the room.
"What are night hags?" Danielle asks looking up from her books. I explain to her that night hags are the demon children of the god of nightmares. They feed off a person's life force much like a vampire drains a person blood. "I can go save him Clockwork, you know I am not the scared little girl anymore." I smile proud of what she's become. I agree but before she goes tells her to be careful as they can paralyze their victims with their fears. She swallowed hard as a flood of negative memories rushed into her mind. She asked if that is what they did to Danny. I shook my head explaining that if they can't subdue their victims with fear they will make them experience their greatest fantasy. Thinking their dreams have come true the victim willingly allows them to drain them until there is nothing left. "I will bring Danny back," the girl said transforming into her ghostly half as I opened portal and wished her luck. "Thanks Clockwork," she zoomed into the portal off to save her cousin.
Applejack
"How you feeling sugarcube?" I ask Sweetie Belle as I bring her some soup to eat. The unicorn smiles and says she's starting to feel better. "I have some chores to do but if you need anything Big McIntosh is here," she thanks me and I leave the room to harvest the apples. I sure hope Twilight is all right. Rainbow Dash told me she was taking her to the hospital when she passed out after they hit a nasty storm. I look up at the sky and see nothing but something's bristling my fur the wrong way.
"Applejack," I heard a voice say from the tree and jumped in fright. I look up and see Rainbow Dash peeking out. I ask her what in tarnation is she doing in the tree when Twilight is sick. "Relax Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are with her". I thought Rarity went too, "she got sick, the doctor said it's due to bad magic," she explained as she came out of the tree and asked me to go along on a mission for her. "Something's rotten in Canterlot. First the storm and now the bad magic," I told her if something was wrong the princess would have told us about it, "I think she is in danger. No one has heard from her." I look over to the farm and ask what she's planning to do, "sneaking into Canterlot."
"The last time you tried that you got zapped. What makes you think you can get in this time?" She hands me a book- Daring Do and the Quest for the Sacred Spear. She tells me that in the book Daring sneaks into an ancient castle by disguising herself as one Colonel von Klank's goons. "There's just one problem, we don't look like Canterlot guards and even if we did whatever is in there doesn't want ponies sneaking around," Dash laughed and said they haven't made a place yet that 'Daring Dash' can't sneak into. "Oh brother," I sighed and followed her hoping to keep her out of trouble.
Tucker
"Sam! Sam!" I called out to her using the Fenton phones but all I got was static. Why did she pick this of all times to play hero. I look around upstairs quickly before going racing down the steps to find my friend. I start walking down the hall when a strange word comes through the phones. "Sam is that you?" only static I try again to get the signal but once again just static.
I pass by Vlad's library and sneak inside. Most of the books are about cheese or football but one gets my attention- 'Veneficus et Phylacterii.' I flipped through it and notice several pages are missing but before I can get any more info an arrow shoots through the air impaling the book to the wall. "Looks like Plasmius was right when said you would come snooping," Skulker's voice taunted as he phased into the room. "He hired me to make sure you won't interfere," he aims his ectonet at me but manage to escape. It's a good thing I started paying attention in gym lately. "You can't get away from me," he said as I took out my smart phone smiling. I entered in a command- self destruction in ten seconds. The ghost tried to override it but it was too late.
Twilight Sparkle
"I'm not afraid…of…you," I said as bravely as I could. I tried to move but my hooves were stuck to the ground. The creature laughed evilly about to attack when I heard something- it sounded like Pinkie Pie. She said something about my father I just stared in confusion and was started from my dream.
"Twilight you're up!" I heard as I opened my eyes and saw the pink pony standing in front of me. I asked her what happened. "You fainted and Rainbow Dash brought you here," she explained. The last thing I remember we crashed on Mount Canterlot . Everything after that is hazy and all I remember is hearing voices first Shining Armor's and then a strange voice that said everything was going to be fine. I need to write this down. I summoned a quill and scroll and began writing but without Spike…I looked around frantically and asked about Spike, "I don't know Rainbow didn't say he was with you when you crashed," I swallowed hard he must have been captured.
"Ms. Sparkle, you're up," the voice of a nurse said as she brought Rarity on a wheelchair. "We were beginning to worry about you," I asked what happened to Rarity, she had the same reaction I did. "Her magic is acting up, she's already turned two roommates into gold statues," the nurse said as I laughed that sounds like Rarity even when sick, she still demands the best. I asked the nurse if any other unicorns were sick as well. Rarity nodded saying that Sweetie Belle was sick and that Applejack was watching over her. "It's really bad in Fillydelphia half the unicorns there are in the hospital," the nurse chimed in.
"I knew something was up," I said to myself writing down a letter and handed to the nurse, "have this sent to the Crystal Empire. It's urgent," the nurse shook her head and said that my brother and Cadence were away on business . "Oh no!" my heart stopped please in the name Celestia let him be okay. First Spike and now Shining Armor. I had to get up and help them but something was wrong I couldn't move. The nurse explained that Dr. Horse had put a restraining spell on me to make sure I didn't 'do anything foolish' "You don't understand…," I began to feel drowsy, "…must save…," my eyes closed and drifted back to sleep.
