It was incredibly dark, wherever she was. Aside from the bright red ground beneath her hooves there was nothing else that was immediately visible. No trees, no plants, not even anything resembling ground beyond the lit path she was on.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

No reply. Just as well, seeing how she was the only living thing there at all. No point in standing around, she thought to herself, before trotting ahead along the crimson path. A glance behind her showed vast darkness, so going forward was the only option.

“What kind of place is this? How did I even get here?”

Questions upon questions filled her mind, and not even a single reference book on magical anomalies around to consult. For minutes that seemed like miles she trotted on, becoming tired of the endless path but at the same time kept awake by its incessant lighting.

“When is this going to end?”

Not three seconds after asking that did a change in color appear: stark blue. Before her was a swath of azure laid out like a small plaza, and behind that rose up a large, misshapen structure, which when looked at a specific angle looked like some disfigured apple. But again, only from a particular angle; otherwise it just looked big and awful, she mentally added.

“Finally,” she sighed in relief. “What is this place?”

“Halt!”

Dropping in front of her there appeared a blur of pink, covered in a red dress and sporting a bendy-looking scythe as well as a rather plain sunhat.

“Pinkie Pie?”

“Hee hee, hey Twilight!” the new arrival replied. “I've always wanted to say something like that in a serious way. Did I sound menacing? Did I, did I??”

Twilight, understandably, was at a loss for seeing her friend in such a place. Despite her shock, she mustered enough will to speak. “Pinkie? What... what are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?”

“I'm guarding the manor, obviously! Or is it mansion? Eh, to-may-to, to-mah-to. And this is the standard gatekeeper uniform. Not very colorful and pretty plain, but it certainly looks intimidating, huh?”

“Uh, not really...” Twilight's eyes focused on the sharp harvesting tool slung over her friend's shoulder. “That thing looks pretty dangerous, Pinkie. Where'd you find that?”

“Are you serious, Twilight? It's clearly my weapon! What self-respecting gatekeeper fights unarmed? You're supposed to be smart, Twi. Tsk tsk.”

“Why are you being a gatekeeper? For that matter, what is this place, and where are we exactly?”

“One at a time, sheesh! Anyway, this is the manor mansion house of my master, and I'm supposed to keep outsiders, well, out. This place is off limits to the likes of mortals.”

“Huh? Pinkie, you're not making any sense. Tell me what this place is, and who's this mas-”

“Enough questions; we fight now!”

In a blink, Pinkie spun and tossed her scythe straight at Twilight, who barely had time to duck, letting the blade cut the edge of her tail in passing. Standing up, Twilight stomped a hoof in insult. “Pinkie, what are you WHOA!” She ducked again as the scythe came spinning back over her, returning to its owner, who deftly snatched it with her teeth. “How'd you do that?”

“It's an extra special come-around scythe! Pretty neat, huh? Now raise your guard and other battle talk!”

Pinkie giggled as tiles from the plaza floor rose up, spun, then shot at Twilight. The unicorn yelped as she ducked, rolled and leapt over the tiling that crashed all around her. “Stop this, Pinkie!”

“No-kie dokie, loki! Ya gotta fight back, otherwise it's not a battle!”

“I don't want to battle you!”

“Then die in peace old buddy, tee hee hee!” Pinkie tossed her spinning scythe right back at Twilight, who once again ducked out of the way. As it returned back the way it came, a field of magic snagged it from the air and brought it down to the harried librarian.

“That's enough! You're stopping this RIGHT NOW!”

“Nuh-uh!” Pinkie bounced defiantly. “The fighting don't stop till one of us drops. Now give me back my scythe.”

“Okay, you can have it!” With a flick of the horn, Twilight flung the scythe right at Pinkie Pie, who got donked in the temple by the end of the wooden shaft. A moment later the perky gatekeeper went off in a loud, flashy explosion that shook the very ground, and was no more. Twilight's lower jaw immediately dropped; what did she do!?

“PINKIEEE!!!!”

“What, Twilight? I'm right here.”

Through the tears in her eyes, Twilight looked down and saw Pinkie lying flat on the ground, wearing a dopey smile and looking perfectly okay. “B-B-But you just exploded! Violently at that!”

“I got better.” Pinkie made a sigh. “Just relax, Twilight. It's only part of the theatrics of combat here.”

“Pinkie, what is going-”

“Anyway, you can go into the mansion now,” Pinkie said, while lazily waving a hoof at the doorway that had just appeared. “The very special thing is waiting in there.”

“Wait, what very special thing? Why won't you give me a clear answer about what this is all about?”

“I said all I am obligated to, Twilight; the rest is up to you,” Pinkie said plainly. “Now I must lie here and reflect upon my defeat... after I take a nap!”

For some reason, Twilight felt compelled to stand around a few seconds longer, perhaps out of utter confusion over what just happened and what Pinkie had been rambling about. Ultimately, she just turned her eyes and went forward, stepping over her snoozing friend and into the door of the manor.



Disappointingly, the interior of the manor was very plain and very empty. In fact, it was really just a long hallway with a carpet and wallpaper painted in... more red. Luckily there were some patterns of black inlaid in the décor, so it didn't hurt Twilight's eyes too badly. As before, the long trek became dull pretty quick. So much so that she didn't notice that she stepped into complete darkness before she was fifty yards in.

“WHUH!?” She freaked out briefly, but quickly calmed down when she realized she wasn't falling away or being sucked into some endless void. In fact, she could still see the red hallway behind her.

“So I'm still in the mansion,” she deduced, rubbing a hoof on her chin. “But why is it so dark?”

“So I can spring MY TRAP!”

A white flash blinded Twilight, and rubbing her eyes clear of the light she frantically looked around but immediately spotted the culprit: a familiar blue-coated unicorn wearing an unmistakable star-patterned hat and cape ensemble. Oddly, she recognized, the hat and cape were actually black rather than blue, though the star colors remained the same.

“A-ha! The Great and Powerful Trixie pulls off yet another grand entrance!” the caped unicorn boasted.

“All you did was blind me.”

“Blinded you with Trixie's amazing talent, stuffy bookworm!”

“What are you doing here, Trixie?”

“Trixie could ask you the same, if I cared. No, rather, Trixie has come to claim the great power that lies within these walls, for it promises greater magic!”

“Wait, do you mean the 'very special thing'?”

“What are you babbling on about? The power Trixie speaks of is you, Twilight Sparkle!”

“What!?”

“By defeating you in this mystical place, Trixie can absorb your power and become the greatest magician in all of Equestria! Nay, the UNIVERSE! Only then shall everypony bow down to me with love and adoration, and thus my revenge and my dream can be accomplished at the same time!”

“This is ridiculous, Trixie! Whatever this place is, it clearly makes ponies go crazy. We have to get out of here.”

“Enough talk, Sparkle!” Some nifty lightning effects went off. “Prepare yourself for a Great and Powerful defeat!”

Trixie stood on her hindlegs and waved her forelimbs around, conjuring a hail of stars to fall down upon Twilight. The poor heroine moved about the falling stars, getting poked and bonked by twinkling doom.

“My new star magic shall become your casket, eternal rival! A-haha!”

“I never agreed to being a rival with you! Ow!” Having enough of the stellar bombardment, Twilight conjured a force field around her that deflected the remaining stars. Upon dropping the field, her eyes widened at seeing four differently-colored orbs spinning around Trixie.

“Impressed? These defense orbs make all attacks against Trixie useless! The perfect tool for any and all Great and Powerful magicians, yet simple enough for any ordinary magicians to use!” With a flick of her hoof, Trixie dispersed the orbs, which regrouped around Twilight and spun around, entrapping her. “They even work great for trapping stupid wannabes!” Putting her hooves together, Trixie charged up before firing a stream of purple energy balls right at Twilight.

Twilight squeezed through the projectiles, moving around the enclosed space as best as she could. Amidst the chaos, she noticed a glimmer from the orbs, and to her surprise she discovered that a tenuous thread connected all four orbs together, keeping them rotating around one another. Thinking on her hooves, Twilight lit up her horn and reached out for the barely-visible thread, and touching upon something she pulled.

An audible snap filled the air as the orbs broke formation and shot away, ricocheting off the walls, floor and ceiling, forcing the unicorns to duck and cover. When the orbs finally bounce away toward the red hall, Trixie stood up and wiped her brow, only to realize that her signature hat was gone. Taken away by one of the rogue orbs, much to her horror.

“NOOOOO!! Trixie's source of power, LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST!!!!!!”

The hatless braggart blew up in a spectacular triple explosion that shook the hall and perhaps even the fabric of reality itself. Once things settled down, Trixie laid on the black ground, glum and looking very pouty. “No fair... I was so close to defeating you.”

Twilight felt a tad sympathetic for a moment, but more concerning matters returned to her thoughts. “Listen, I don't know what's going on, but I'll get to the bottom of this madness. And I believe the 'very special thing' is the key to explaining it.”

“Trixie doesn't care,” Trixie pouted. “Go find your stupid thing. Maybe it'll be lousy hat, fit for a boring pony such as you. But mark my words, Sparkle: this isn't over. Trixie will have my revenge, someday. Perhaps, one day more...”

“Please don't start, Trixie.”

“Start what? Stop having weird ideas, you nerd.”

Again Twilight felt the compulsion to just stand in place for a few extra seconds before shaking her head back into focus and tiptoeing over the sobbing magician. Something was very wrong about this place, that much she knew. But would she be able to unravel this enigma before it got to her like the other two? She sincerely prayed for it.



This was certainly a change in scenery. Rather than a red path or a red hallway, Twilight was seemingly walking over air itself. Below her were several light-blue platforms with hexagrams set into them, with streams of light that looked like meteorites sailing by. Pretty serene in all regards, but it only unsettled Twilight's mind more. What logic was there to this mansion? Was it even a mansion anymore? As if to answer her questions, an unforgettable laugh ripped through the air.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Very good, Twilight; you made it to me!”

In a shower of light and pollen there appeared before Twilight a hideous amalgamation of animal parts that could only be labeled as a draconequus. Further to her horror, it wore a red checkered pair of pants and blouse, wore a green wig and held a large frilly parasol in its right talon. A truly disturbing sight if there ever was one, but seeing the monster flicked a switch in Twilight's noggin. It finally made sense!

“Discord!” She took a brave stance. “Of course it had to be you. only you could make something as insane as this place, as well as manipulate ponies into acting waaaaay out of character!”

“Well bravo, dearest Twilight, for figuring out the obvious,” Discord teased. “Although my sweet gatekeeper acted out of her own volition.”

“What did you say?”

“You give your friend too little credit, Twilight.” Discord chuckled. “Though she makes for lousy security, her love and practice of chaos makes her a pony after my own heart. But don't ever tell her that. I'm not ready for a committed relationship just yet, hahahahaha!”

“That's enough!” Twilight stomped a hoof. “Whatever it is you're doing, to me or my friends or to whomever, stop it right now!”

“Awwww, but why do you want to stop it now, when you're so close to the finish?” Discord did a twirl with his parasol before assuming a flashy pose. “The very special thing is just over yonder, and the only thing standing between you and it is little ol' moi. Do you seriously want to give up when there's just one last challenger to beat?”

“I'm being serious, Discord! You've caused enough trouble as it is; this isn't some kind of game!”

“[b]AND WHY SHOULDN'T IT BE?[/b]” The platforms below shook and cracked from the ferocity of Discord's query. “You, Miss-Oh-So-Serious, you're already playing a game with the truth, against yourself, and most despicable of all, against your feelings. Admitting something outright is soooo boring, so why not make some play out of it? But unlike your skewed idea of a game, mine is apparent and actually fun, and like any great game, there's a final boss waiting at the end. So get ready, darling!” He gripped his parasol like a pole arm, pointing it right at the unicorn. “Taste victory, or sleep with regret that will leave sleepless!”

Discord opened the parasol, unleashing a shower of searing pellets that obscured Twilight's sight as she erected a shield. When the attack cleared, she looked and gasped at the sight of two oddly-dressed Discords.

“Oh dear, two of me? Which is the real one? Ha ha ha.”

In synch, the two Discords raised their parasols and pointed them at Twilight, firing a disparate hail of yellow spikes before simultaneously vanishing. After avoiding the spikes, Twilight watched as the Discords rematerialized overhead side-by-side, pointing down their parasols to fire two large beams of devastating magic. Twilight rolled back from the death beams, and halting on her rump she aimed her horn and fired a magic burst at the Discord on the right, resulting in a dinging sound as the two vanished again.

They reappeared far from each other the next moment, with one of them laughing. “The correct answer: it's BOTH!” One Discord exploded while the other became a ball of light that danced around, firing waves of projectiles and a homing laser at the weary unicorn. Twilight dodged the attacks and fired, but her magic only passed through the ball, so she focused entirely on defense. After some moments the attacks ceased and the ball of light reformed into the draconequus, who held his closed parasol high.

“I say it's time for the finale! Can you handle it?” He brought down the parasol and opened it, spinning it to send a flood of projectiles and assorted harmful materials onto his opponent. With so much coming down around her, Twilight knew she couldn't hold a shield for long, leaving her just one option: attack! Looking up at the Master of Chaos, Twilight fired magic burst after magic burst at him, moving through the bullet curtain as best she could. Scrapes and burns appeared over her body, but she kept on the attack, gritting her teeth as her eyes burned in intense, desperate focus. As the last of her energy ran out, her ears were rewarded with a crackling followed by a glorious explosion that dispelled the projectiles and obliterated the platforms below.

Twilight breathed heavily, focusing on standing in the wake of the battle. Through her frayed mane she saw Discord, standing with tattered clothes and a torn parasol. The chaotic being looked over the ruined accessory and opened it a few times before groaning and tossing it aside, where it wailed a cat screech. Turning to Twilight, his face lit up as he gave the biggest grin possible.

“Guess who's a winner: you are! Congratulations!” Discord chuckled good-heartedly, while Twilight just stared at him blankly with fatigue. “As advertised, I present to you, your very special thing.”

In a poof he was gone, but shortly after a glow reached Twilight's eyes. As the glow became brighter and took on form, she straightened her neck and widened her gaze. The light that approached her was of divine figure, with wings of platinum and such great inner warmth that in its presence all of Twilight's weariness melted away. In the face of such beauty she was stunned, elated, left speechless but filled with indescribable joy.

“This is it, right? The very special thing you always wanted?” Discord asked, popping up from behind Twilight and leaning against her face. “Someone you've longed desired, but could never say those heartfelt words to, either out of respect or out of fear. But there's no needs for words here, my dear. Just your feelings laid bare for them to see, without question, without conduct.” He ran a talon down Twilight's cheek. “Besides, actions speak far louder than words, and after what you've done today, I say you've won them over. Plus, I have a feeling they feel just the same. Now make it happen!” Another poof, he was gone.

The goddess now stood over Twilight. Her weakness from earlier started to creep back into her legs, but she fought it back without turning from the divine one's gaze. Rather than back down like before, hide, pretend, she gulped down the last of her indecision and reached up to her heart's desire. Placing her hooves tenderly on their visage, raising her muzzle, letting her eyes close slowly as the two drew nearer. Nearer, nearer to completeness...

---

Twilight's eyes fluttered open as the shock of wakefulness hit her. A cursory glance around showed that she was in her bedroom at the library, and it was a little past noon judging by the amount of sunlight and the birds chirping outside. She moved her head over to the side and found that she was on her bed, and next to her were a mess of quills, scrolls and opened historical texts. Seemed the all-nighters had finally caught up to her, but luckily it hadn't occurred when she was out on the town. Some relief for sure, but it didn't ease the burning in her chest, the fervent images that flitted through her half-sleeping mind. It certainly didn't stop the intense realization that gnawed at her psyche.

She gave a huff and remained lying on the bed, eyes half-opened, unmoving. There was a lot of thinking that needed to be done, and she was comfortable where she was.




Dream to Reality?