It knows when you are sleeping, it knows when you're awake, it's watching you right now. Welcome to Ponyville.

Good morning listeners, I hope that everypony is having a wonderful day today. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the lilies have started to grow in the fields. Today is also a very special occasion, so everypony is required to enjoy themselves today; it is a misdemeanor not to. Today is the day that we celebrate the accomplishments of our children in arms as it is graduation day for the senior class of the military academy. The town council has promised that they will surprise the graduates with a special celebration, to be announced later today, they also promise that it will not end in disaster like the last graduation celebration. On a related note, I would like to take a moment of silence for the twenty-three colts and fillies that lost their lives during the last graduation celebration. May they always be in our thoughts and in our prayers.

We have a brief public service announcement from the Ponyville Healthy Living Foundation. Parents, we all know that it is important for children to get plenty of exercise, but did you know that inactivity could be rapidly shortening your child's life? New research has shown that simply sitting for three hours a day can reduce a pony's lifespan by up to two years! The Healthy Living Foundation is encouraging that everypony talk to their children and tell them about the importance of playing outside, and to try to inspire their kids to get up and get active. I recommend that you schedule in a few hours of outdoor playtime everyday to ensure that your child is receiving a healthy amount of exercise. Also, if you see your child sleeping, wake them up! Sleep is the number one killer of children in Ponyville; followed closely by radiation, snake bites, government abduction, lyme disease, rug burn, electric fences, child labor, sweaters, cooties, small pebbles, and obsessive parenting. Your child's health is not a joke.

Also the Ponyville Healthy Living Foundation would like to announce that they will be offering relationship counseling, to all the mares and stallions out there who think their love life could use a helping hoof. Just stop on by the office and ask for Christina, she promises that she will try not to laugh at your pathetic excuse for existence.

Here is an embarrassing story from the fillies soccer league. The uniform for our favorite mind-manipulating Pineapple mascot was presented today, but was turned down by the coach as it did not match the team's colors. Instead of using the Ponyville's yellow and purple colors, the uniform that the parents had made was dark black with blood red accents. The parents claimed that the colors would represent the team's friendly spirit, and that it's not their fault that most of them are colorblind. The coach said that the Pineapple was so upset that it ate one of the fillies once it saw the uniform. Don't worry, the Pineapple did let the filly go after being asked politely to "spit her out." We asked the filly in an interview what it was like to be swallowed by a 24 foot tall Pineapple, to which she replied "The darkness! It's coming for us!" She was last seen drowning a squirrel in the Ponyville river.

Has anypony noticed anything strange about the worn-down windmill near the Everfree Forest? For instance, have you ever walked past the windmill and suddenly felt a hoof on your back, but turned around to find that no one is there? Or have you ever gazed at the windmill from afar and felt the windmill also gazing into you? Most ponies claim that they feel that their minds are moving towards the windmill, even though their bodies aren't moving at all. It is also a bit strange that no one remembers there ever being a windmill near the Everfree Forest. It looks like it has been there for ages, but up until today there was no evidence of a windmill ever existing in that area. I say that it is quite the strange sight to see, from a safe distance of course. There is no telling what could happen should anypony get too close.

And now for some news from the front lines of the Vacuum war. The military police has announced that they have halted the vacuum incursion on Enmity Lane, on the Eastern side of town. They say that the vacuums have halted their relentless assault on Ponyville, and have pulled back away from the front lines. Scouts have reported that there is evidence that the vacuums have begun breeding, that's right, breeding, and their numbers are growing rapidly. The military police say that they have attempted negotiations with the vacuums, offering cotton balls and ice cream bars in exchange for a peace treaty, but their requests have fallen on deaf, mechanical vacuum ears. The Chief of Police and part-time General of the Ponyville army has ordered that the front lines be reinforced by cadets from the military academies, to help contain the vacuum threat on the east end of town. The military academies report that they have plenty of cadets to spare, ever since the recruitment age was lowered from fifteen years old to twelve years old. They are also happy to report that there should be no need to pull the newly graduated students into the conflict, so they can have their celebration as scheduled.

Speaking of the academy graduates, the town council has announced that they will be celebrating their graduation with a very special field trip. Just like the last group of graduates, this group will have the opportunity to go beyond the barrier walls of Ponyville! You know? The ten foot tall obsidian walls that surround the entirety of the town? The ones that mark the point of no return for anypony who passes them? Sounds like a very special treat!

The town council is taking extra precautions to ensure that this group doesn't mysteriously disappear like so many before them, or sustain heavy casualties like the previous graduating class. They have already assured us that there is no need to worry and that they will not be needing any chaperones on this trip. They "Totally got this one." The town council has not announced exactly what the graduation group will be doing outside the wall, or what they will be seeing. When asked about it the council simply replied, "That is classified information." Then they disappeared in a cloud of smoke and mosquitos, which then proceeded to swarm reporters until they ran away screaming, "We are not worthy! We are not worthy!"

The Ponyville Balneology Research Department has made a miraculous discovery! They tell us that after eighteen months of research, as well as $10,000 bits of taxpayer's money, they have discovered that Balneology is the most pointless scientific field that could possibly be researched. Their data suggests that they have accomplished nothing of significance over the past year and a half, and Ponyville is no better off than it was before beginning research. The military governess has reviewed the information that the department has presented and she says that she is "Thoroughly pleased!" She says that the Balneology Research Department shall have their funding doubled for the remainder of the year, and that she expects "great things" to come from this.

The department's research has been made public and the data can be found on the web. That being the giant spider web right next to the bowling alley that everyone places random tidbits of information on for all to see. I had the chance to skim over some of the data earlier this morning and I have to say I found one piece of information to be quite disturbing. According to the department, less than 30% of ponies bathe on a regular basis. Now that is just disgusting! I know that we can all be very busy sometimes, and that most of our water is far too irradiated to be used for anything, but come on! It isn't healthy for ponies to go on for long periods of time without bathing, and it doesn't smell very good either! Listeners, I want each and every one of you who did not take a shower today to go home and do so! It's about time that we learn to keep ourselves clean like normal human beings!

And now for an update on traffic. There has been an accident on Cavalry Road involving a run-away cart and a giant spider that was crossing the road. Eye witnesses report that the cart was being pulled up the hill when it broke free from the stallion pulling it. It traveled down hill at speeds of approximately 30 miles per hour before crashing into the six foot tall garden spider, which was on its way to see a movie at the Procrastinator movie theater. Paramedics have arrived on site to tend to the wounded spider, they hope to save "one or two of its legs." Police have been stationed to help redirect traffic around the crash, but they still say that you should expect some delays. The accident did take its toll on the road itself, and the road will have to be repaired once the accident has been cleared. This is the second time that a spider related accident has been responsible for road repairs, the last incident being on Main Street, when a government truck carrying large barrels of Applejack Daniels crashed into a giant crab spider. The spider is still recovering from a broken exoskeleton as well as severe alcohol poisoning.

It appears that I may have made a mistake with my previous statement, and I would like everypony that was listening to forget that you ever heard the words "Human Beings". It was a minor slip of the tongue and I assure you that the word "human" is made up, and doesn't mean anything. I was contacted by the military governess a few moments ago and she tells me that it is now a requirement that everyone forgets the words "Human Beings", and that failure to do so is punishable by life imprisonment. She also says that I am to report to the military police for immediate execution. And so as one last gift to you before I die, I give to you...

The weather.

Night was settling over the quiet Ponyville, or at least, relatively quiet Ponyville. There was loud music coming from a celebration going on somewhere on Cowtail Lane; something about a graduation. But that wasn't important to Twilight, who was cantering deeper into the city towards the mysterious town hall. Despite the complete ambiguity of the dream, Twilight knew that there were certain things that she could take away from it. She had them on a list.

1. There were four pairs of eyes that followed her around in the dream world, which possibly meant that there are at least four ponies who were behind this, and could be watching her at any given moment.

2. There are five mares with necklaces that may or may not have been Twilight's friends at some point in time.

3. Winged Unicorns exist and have trouble speaking at a non-deafening volume.

4. The sudden light that had called to her had lured her to town hall.

So that's where she was heading. She wasn't sure what she would find there, if anything, but she had to start her search somewhere. She picked up her pace a little bit, she could already see the top of town hall building looming in the distance, she was almost there. Twilight was beginning to feel excited, and the looming threat of being spotted by a guard or a government agent only added to the thrill. She was sure that she wasn't breaking any laws by wandering around town at this late hour, but after the strange dream she had last night, and after reading the contents of the Element book she had become certain that there were few ponies she could trust.

To her luck, Twilight had not encountered a single guard since she left the library, which was odd because usually the town is flowing with them. She wondered if there was a reason for the guards to be away from their usual posts; she had never been one to keep up on current events. But their ominous absence was slowly eating away at Twilight's nerves, it was bad enough trying to stay out of sight of guards at their stations, but it was even worse trying to avoid an enemy she couldn't see. She had even jumped off the road a few times too, hiding behind street lamps and alleyways when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye, most times it had been a stray cat or a small bird. Each time Twilight would wait a minute or so to ensure that there was no other danger in the area before pressing onward.

Town hall was just around the next corner, she could just peak around the corner at any moment and see just what was there; but her body refused to move. Whatever was around that corner most likely held the key to these mysterious Elements, and she was almost there, all she had to do was turn the corner, but that was easier said than done. If she turned the corner and found the Elements of Harmony it would be the start of something monumentally huge. The entire foundation of pony civilization could change as a result of her actions, she wasn't even certain what her actions were, or what these Elements would do. But it was a feeling deep in her heart that she could not shake free of; if she did this, nothing would ever be the same.

But that was the whole point, wasn't it? This mission of hers was to find the Elements and put a stop to the ponies who lie, and bring an end to this "nightmare". Never before had she thought of the world as a nightmare, but after having the dream and reading about the elements, as well as being tasered over forty times at a public event, she was starting to see Ponyville in a whole new light. There was something wrong going on in this town and whatever was around that corner could potentially bring an end to it. Twilight took a deep breath and turned the corner.

What she found was enough nightmare fuel to keep her from sleeping for the rest of her life. The town square had been covered in a swirling mass of fog; the sky above her had darken, as if the moon itself was hiding from this dreadful sight; and the ground had been littered with an innumerable mass of pulsating, pony shaped cocoons. Now this was a nightmare.

Moments later Twilight spotted something else, something creeping about the bodies, silhouetted by the fog. It looked like a pony, but it was far too tall and far too slender. It moved about the cocoons like a ghost in a graveyard, occasionally finding a cocoon of particular interest and nuzzling it gently with its muzzle. Twilight was frozen stiff; she couldn't move, she couldn't think. All she could do was watch as the monster ambled through the fog, inspecting each specimen with care.

What was that... that Thing? Its very existence irked her stomach, and made the rest of her feel vile. Whatever it was it was definitely not the Elements of Harmony.

Twilight took a step back

SNAP!

Twilight's head jerked back violently and immediately located the source of the noise. She had stepped on a twig. Why the hoof was there a twig there?! The noise seemed to echo across the entire town, reverberating into infinity. The creature in the fog heard it too, it paused mid-step over a cocoon, and turned its head to face Twilight. She could feel its gaze casting upon her body, a sudden darkness flowed into her heart.

Twilight ran.

She skidded quickly around the corner and plowed directly in to a public trash can, it tipped over and garbage littered the streets. Twilight didn't let it slow her down. Her mind was reeling from shock and terror, her body carried her away on instinct. A chill rolled up Twilight's spine. The darkness was spreading across her heart, and she could physically feel the creature drawing nearer. The street lights around her began to die, one by one, slowly plunging the streets into total darkness. Twilight ran faster, her muscles becoming overcharged by a combination of adrenaline and sheer terror.

The fog was gaining speed as well. Twilight winced as she felt its icy touch nipping at her tail, it clawed its way across the ground and threatened to devour her completely. A magical surge flowed through Twilight's body, and released itself in one big magical flash, Twilight felt herself thrown forward across the vacuum of space as her wild teleportation spell carried her away from the fog.

Twilight reemerged a few blocks ahead, her momentum throwing her violently to the street. Her hooves clattered clumsily into the ground, and Twilight could feel her front leg twist painfully against hardened pavement. Twilight tried to recollect herself and continue, but her hoof gave way to even the slightest bit of pressure. There was no way that she could run on this hoof. She watched in terror as the fog rounded the corner and flooded into the streets like a torrent of water. In desperation Twilight hobbled over to the nearest alleyway, which seemed like nothing more than a dark and shadowy void in between the buildings. She entered into the shadows and embraced the cold ground beneath her. She then held her breath and made herself as small as physically possible, and laid motionless in the alley as the fog came washing past.

Twilight felt her heart stop as the spindly creature stepped into view, cloaked in a shawl of freely flowing mist. It came to a halt directly in front of her, and turned its head to peer into the shadows which sheltered her. For a moment time itself held its breath, hours, days, eons passed before Twilight as the creature held its gaze. Twilight felt her magic beginning to boil inside of her as she mentally readied a spell should the thing decide to attack her, the power started to enter into her horn, in moments it would light up and reveal Twilight trapped in a corner, ready to fight off her attacker. The creature waited just a moment longer before it turned away and slowly sauntered past the alleyway, the fog receding behind it.

Twilight gasped for breath once it was gone, her magic simmered back into her body. Twilight attempted to stand up, her hooves trembling beneath her body. She leaned against the wall, pressing her sweating face against the cold bricks, she let her breathing and her heart rate return to a steady level. She was alive. She was safe. Twilight pressed the rest of her coat against the wall, greedily steeling all of the coolness from the bricks as she continued to mentally reassure herself. She was at long last, alone.

"Good news listeners, I get to live!"

Twilight jumped as a dark, yet handsome voice came from directly behind her, a noticeable amount of static in his voice. Twilight almost shrieked with surprise, but before she was able to she was pulled back by somepony behind her, a hoof firmly wrapped around her face and covered her mouth.

"Don't make a sound!" the unseen mare said. Twilight nodded vigorously in surrender, she felt the hoof cautiously leave her mouth.

"Please don't hurt me don't hurt me don't hurt me." Twilight pleaded, her voice never exceeding that of a whisper.

"Shhhh!" the mare said anxiously, clutching Twilight a little tighter, "I won't hurt you, ok? But we have to be quiet!"

"Ok." Twilight answered immediately. Her heart was pounding in her chest like it had a drum solo, her breathing was near hyperventilation. A moment went by before another voice spoke up.

"Rainbow Dash? Are we ok?" This voice was much younger, no older than a filly. Twilight could see the other pony out of the corner of her eye, she was an orange pegasus with a purple mane. Behind her stood two other fillies, one was a white unicorn with a curly pink and purple mane, the other was a yellow earth pony, with a little pink bow in her red mane.

Twilight's attacker, Rainbow Dash, inspected her closely, looking for any sign of hostility, Twilight made sure not to show any. After a moment Rainbow Dash's grip on Twilight loosened.

"Yeah, I think we're ok."

...You heard me right listeners. The military governess has mercifully decided to spare my life, based on the fact that this is a special day, and that everypony should be happy on this day. It is the law.

The academy graduates have finally departed for their field trip and will be expected to return in the next three days. Family and friends gathered around the iron gates of Ponyville to give what could be their final goodbyes. And as our children move on in their lives, so too must we move on with our daily existence. And yet no matter the distance, no matter the obstacle, no matter what horrible monster threatens to devour us all, we shall always be there when we need each other, there is a beauty in that that is unrivaled by even the prettiest flower.

Another day has come, and another day passes, and we are all still alive. The light of a new day is just around the corner, as well as the wonders and joys that each dawn brings us. I'll leave you on that happy note Ponyville, for now may we all rest peacefully under the calm of the full moon. It has been a pleasure as always.

Good night, Ponyville

Good night.

Next Chapter: The Windmill Estimated time remaining: 24 Minutes