EPISODE 6: TO TOUCH THE SEA OF DREAMS

“Just my luck,” Twilight murmured crossly as the set of doors before creaked in their refusal to open. “Since when did the library close before midnight?”

Lyra glanced about the foyer, curious if its seeming abandonment – from the locked windows and doors shut to to the unusually deep silence – went unnoticed by her weary friend. Every corner within the chamber hid in pockets of darkness as the moon, visible through a long window nearby, was well beyond its halfway mark across the sky.

“You are aware that it's almost an hour past midnight, don't you Twilight?” Lyra inquired.

Twilight's general look of irritation dissipated. Her ears retreated as she blushed for a split second.

“Well, judging by the fact that I can’t keep track of time anymore, as well as that I'm beginning to believe I have x-ray vision and can see through these doors, it's obvious that I'm in need of some sleep.”

Lyra nodded. “Indeed you are. You're practically the epitome of a shipwreck!”

Twilight glowered at her friend, who held a look of lighthearted assurance. “Anyway, I'll be back here a few hours before noon tomorrow... well, technically it's 'today'. Would you care to still meet up then? We can talk all about your trip while I browse for a couple of books.”

But that only gives me tonight to think...

“Yes,” Lyra suddenly blurted out. “We can talk all about my... my trip. All of the troubling- I mean, wonderful times.”

Twilight lowered her head to spy the distress in her friend's eyes. “You don’t sound too good, Lyra. Is there something on your mind?”

The mint-colored mare jerked her head back up and stepped away quickly. “What? I’m not implying that I have something urgent to say about my trip! Who said that?” Twilight blinked. “Let's, uh, let's just wait until morning to talk. I’m just dandy, of course, but you look so worn out; I'd much rather not overwhelm you.”

Twilight gave her usual unconvinced stare, to which Lyra began sweating bullets.

“If you say so, Lyra-”

“And say so I did!” Lyra cut in anxiously. “Now, be sure not to stumble into the wrong room or anything on the way back. Watch out for strangers and don't listen if anypony tries and bribes you with a cake.”

Twilight examined her friend, who now showed a smile beaming from ear to ear. “Lyra, I'm just walking back to my room. It's not like I'm leaving Equestria.” She turned to go but stopped halfway through her circle. “Wait, aren't you heading back to your place, too?”

Lyra paused as she looked around the great span of the foyer, its vacancy and darkness something she sought. To get away from the world and its noise was all she wanted for the moment. With Twilight having gone and planned their discussion to take place in less than twenty-four hours, Lyra knew she would need all the alone time she could get; it was the reason she had already returned to the school. Running into Twilight had been somewhat of an accident.

“No, Twilight,” Lyra finally managed to answer, “I-I have some things to do before settling down. Rituals and whatnot.”

“Rituals? Like what?” Twilight asked. “You just told me a few minutes ago that everything here closed at midnight.”

“Well, yes, we both know that, but-” Lyra caught sight of the moon, at which point an idea clicked in her head. “I'm going to see if I can have a word with Princess Luna. Yes, that was my plan all along. It just slipped my mind for a minute.”

Twilight began massaging her forehead. “Wait, you see Princess Luna every night as a ritual?”

Lyra watched with a nervous smile as her friend's eyes raised to the top floor where the peak of the towering doors stood. She could sense something unsettling in Twilight's gaze, something beyond – or maybe part of – her exhaustion.

“You may not want to go visit the princess tonight, in that case,” Twilight warned as her her violet eyes glimmered with concern. “I think some things came up recently that may have put her in a strange mood. Plus, I'm not sure she would be open to visits; not at this hour, at least.”

“Silly Twilight, this late for us is early for her! After all, Princess Luna is the ruler of the night and whatnot,” Lyra laughed, waving a hoof as though without a single care. “You, on the other hoof, shouldn't be up this late. Off to bed now, good night!”

“But I-”

Lyra began shoving her friend toward the staircase without allowing another word. She had run out of excuses or reasons and knew her friend to pursue things to the end. She hoped Twilight's exhaustion would prevent her from continuing to flounder; there seemed no other way to keep her investigative ego at bay.

Her plan worked all the way to the staircase, where she gave Twilight one final shove. Lyra, still fearful of further interrogation, watched as the violet mare stared down the spiraling stairs. Twilight’s expression seemed as confused as a fish taken from the sea and dumped into a glass bowl with nothing but water.

“Lyra, are you sure you're okay?” she asked, her words beginning to slur.

The amber-eyed mare nodded, sensing success was near, and motioned her friend onward.

“Yes, Twilight, believe me. I'm as 'okay' as a... a... well, you know. Good night!”

Twilight shook her head and sighed, “All right. Good night, Lyra.”

Without another moment's hesitation Twilight waddled her way down the stairs, every step more like a struggle of keeping her head from hitting the carpeted treads. Upon reaching the main floor Twilight's pace picked up to a swerving stagger, until her bumbling figure disappeared into the glass corridor. Lyra wiped her forehead.

“Phew. Oh, just look at me,” said the minty mare to herself. “Lying to my own friends. Well, I was thinking about seeing Luna, but seeing as how I couldn't even tell Twilight! It’s hopeless.”

Her wandering mind released her body to venture off with its own independence. Her steps led her slowly down the stairs as her mind distracted her eyes with recent memories. Once her attention returned to the present minutes later, she found herself standing in the glass corridor. She faced the eastern coast, the most calming of sights to the mare; Lyra knew her senses were getting at something.

The vast ocean was a sight she had admired since she first saw it on the chariot ride over; it was the foundation of all her dreams. Ever since day one she often stared at the waters late at night, their navy surface sprinkled with white. It was something about water that left her in a trance; even the mere sight of the sea simply calmed her soul. Lyra herself could not explain it.

As she stared out then, like many times before, she could feel the sea calling her name. Its voice was mysteriously familiar inside her head; yet everything it had spoken before eventually faded away like sights and sounds within a dream. On various occasions she put her talent to work and tried to put words fresh in her mind into song; seconds after consciousness, however, the chords were all that would remain.

There was, however, a single phrase that escaped the forgetful cycle. She remembered it as she stared out at the sea:

Like the water, calm, my spirit...

It was as though the ocean had a power of its own. What it said could stand out like a powerful dream rather than like a forgetful fantasy. She had not experienced the sensation in years; Ponyville was nowhere near the ocean.

Ponyville.

It had only been hours since her second departure. She hadn't planned on returning so soon, either; everything had happened so quickly. The memories unfolded in her head like a storybook, returning to where she had earlier stopped.

---

Bon Bon's house was as delightful as always; a clone of the other town houses, perhaps, but its location near the lake unique. With the forest bounds nearby it was a most peaceful place, one Lyra went to in times of boredom and of tension. The homely sight atop its own hill was usually something at which to stop and stare; with a new layer of snow covering the rooftop and lawn, the fire glowing inside was a beacon for her wandering soul.

Bon Bon had greeted her in her usual manner, with a warmth only best friends could share. Lyra felt it from her words and her touch, but the heat only skimmed the surface. Her own heart had gone cold, her blood frozen and still. Her shivering soul hid beneath a content facade, but Lyra knew it was only a matter of time before its unveiling.

“So, how are you enjoying your time at Luna's school?” Bon Bon began excitedly as the two entered her living room. “Tell me all about it!”

Lyra smiled and replied, “Oh, it's all right.”

“What? 'All right'? Lyra, I thought you'd be ecstatic!” Bon Bon asked. “What's going on? Did something bad happen within the past few weeks? Or maybe-” She gasped. “Did you find... the one!?”

Lyra breathed anxiety in, then out. What her body absorbed went straight to her head. “N-No, Bon Bon, don't be silly! It's nothing like that, really!”

“Have you been homesick, then?”

“Somewhat, I suppose.”

“Have your classes been too difficult?”

Lyra remembered pausing and looking her friend in the eye with a smirk. “Bon Bon, you do know who you're talking to, right?”

Despite the brusque manner in which Lyra said it, Bon Bon merely smiled; she always understood just what the minty mare meant. “I suppose your lessons haven't been tough enough then, huh? What are you studying again? You didn't say anything about your classes in your letter.”

Lyra could only look her friend in the eye; Bon Bon was sharp when figuring her out.

Bon Bon tried to continue, “You're not studying light magic again, are you-?”

“Yes, Bon Bon,” Lyra said, the truth squeezed out by guilt. “I'm studying light magic. Again.”

“But you're a master at that stuff,” Bon Bon commented with her growing look of concern. “How did you end up in that track? You said in your letter that Luna wasn’t putting students in tracks-”

“My parents told me to.”

Bon Bon's face lit up with shock. “Don’t tell me-”

“They want me to study light magic, Bon Bon. They always have, you know that. We both know it’s supposed to strengthen the musical talent-”

“We both know that's horseapples!”

Lyra watched as her friend stood and began pacing the floor, a common action of hers whenever distressed. All Lyra could do was sit and watch, aware something unpleasant was coming her way.

“Lyra, we've been friends for a long, long time,” Bon Bon began. “I've known you since we were both little fillies. I know that you're smart – really smart – and that you can do whatever you put your mind to.” She took a deep breath as the two mares' eyes locked. “But I also know that you can give up on the things you actually want too easily.”

Lyra felt an arrow shoot straight through her heart. The emotion bled from within through her entire being. Though nothing of the sort showed on the surface, Lyra knew that Bon Bon could sense the terrible feelings inside just through a look in the eye.

“Bon Bon-”

“I've been watching for years as you let your parents go around telling you what to do,” Bon Bon stated. “Remember when you got your cutie mark playing around on the lyre?” Lyra hesitantly nodded. “Did your parents ever make you play that instrument?”

“... No. They wanted me to play the flute.”

“That should be a big enough clue! They don't really know what it is that makes you you,” Bon Bon said. “Light magic making you better, hmph! You know what makes you better? Doing what you love. And I know you love the water. This was your chance to study elemental magic, right?”

“You make it all sound so easy,” Lyra murmured. “I can't just tell my parents that I want to switch courses. You know they call elemental spells ‘the harmful charms’! They wouldn’t help pay for such a thing if their own instruments were hung over a cliff.”

“You think they would really think that? You don’t think they’ll give you a little freedom, just for a couple of months?” Bon Bon said, her voice beginning to raise. “I never thought your parents were that uptight. Or are you really that afraid of facing your own parents?”

… Maybe.

Bon Bon placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “I know you just saw them, but please... please go see your parents tomorrow, okay? Tell them what you're thinking. I'd help you with the money stuff myself, but we're in the same boat there. I’m just a candy maker’s assistant, after all. You have to come up with something, Lyra, otherwise you’re just gonna end up wasting these next few months. I know you can think up a solution. You're smart like that!”

The memory began to fade, which Lyra didn’t mind in the least. She couldn’t stand the sight of her friend’s gentle blue eyes, much less stand the sense of hope Bon Bon displayed in that very moment.

I really thought I could do it, Bon Bon. I really thought I could.

---

“Lyra? Lyra!”

The mare shook her head to release herself from the memory, her eyes shot open once free of its hold. The ocean still stood in front of her, but it no longer sat beneath a dark sky. Confused, she looked left and right and found Twilight standing beside her, hoof planted in her lyre cutie mark.

“Are you okay, Lyra? You looked like you were shaking pretty bad. Were you having a nightmare?”

“A nightmare?” Lyra asked, taken aback. “But I didn't fall asleep-”

She suddenly felt a hint of sunlight warming the side of her face. A faint light caught the corner of her eye. The sky, though mostly clouded, shone with a gentle glow of grey as sunlight cast its rays through the sheet of clouds. The waves of the ocean were docile, their undulations colored grey like the clouds above.

“What time is it?” Lyra asked, befuddled.

“It's about nine in the morning,” Twilight replied. “You weren't out here all night, were you?”

Lyra looked back at the main hall from within the glass corridor and noted the change in tone; the dark walls were now brimming with a cool light of their own. The marble texture of columns and the stairs glimmered like scattered rays of light in shallow water. She felt as though she had washed up from the dark depths onto a sunny shore, though the sunlight was not the brightest she had ever seen it.

“Me, up all night? Absolutely not! The guards would have said something, I'm sure,” Lyra said, though she failed to spot one at which to point. “Are you suggesting I look as though I need more sleep? Is this some ploy to trick me into not joining you to the library? You must have some rendezvous of sorts set up and you need me to stay away.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and laughed, a sight Lyra had grown used to from her confidante.

“I'm not trying to rendezvous with a special somepony, Lyra,” she said. “I'm serious though; judging by how you look right now, I'd say you could use a little more rest-”

“Ugh! Do I seem that hard on the eyes?” Lyra remarked, offended, with a narrowed gaze. “Just what are you suggesting about my complexion?”

“It's nothing bad about your complexion,” Twilight replied quickly as she began walking circles around Lyra, “it's just, your eyes seem really unfocused. Your speech is kind of off, too. Are you sure you don't want just a short nap?”

“Nap SHMAP,” Lyra barked. “I'm as awake as an Iron Pony competitor at the tie-breaking event. As strong and driven, too!”

She stepped toward the main hall and suddenly tripped over herself, planting her face straight into the carpet. Twilight walked up beside her and helped her back on her hoofs.

“I guess I can't make you go to sleep,” Twilight said under her breath.

“That's right!” Lyra confirmed with confidence, straightening up as she stood. “Not even a sleeping spell could knock me out.”

---

Lyra found the surface of the oak table strangely comfortable, but the soft pages of the books Twilight placed nearby felt slightly softer in comparison. She tried each one that Twilight brought to the square table, opening to its middle pages and laying her head atop the volumes. They progressively felt so much larger and softer, until one felt just like a pillow.

“I'll just need to borrow that for a second,” Twilight said as she suddenly yanked the book Lyra had in her possession.

Lyra's head clunked onto the table. With a jerk she sat back up, rubbing her nose, and glared at her clueless companion. Unable to relay her unspoken angst, Lyra snatched the nearest book she had tried out and sunk her face into its cracked-open spine.

“What are we doing here again?” she murmured, words muffled.

“I'm trying to find any clues about lost colonies that broke off from Equestria,” Twilight stated.

Lyra tried to read a word at point-blank distance, but her own shadow rendered the text unreadable.

“Don't you remember in our history classes, Twilight?” Lyra remarked. “No ponies cared to leave Equestria after it was founded. There, done and done, I’ve saved you hours of reading. How about we go take a nap?”

Twilight continued on, oblivious to Lyra’s last suggestion, “Well, there were some ponies who did leave, Lyra, I know that now. It just happened during Discord's reign. Say, Lyra, didn't you do a lot of historical studies at Princess Celestia's school, too? Would the name 'Prince Platinum' happen to ring a bell?”

Lyra raised her head and rested it on one hoof as her eyes swung wearily left and right. “I happened to have paper my written final- I mean, written my final paper for Ancient Equestrian History on the Platinum lineage. ‘Lineage’, what a strange word.”

Twilight removed her gaze from the book she held with her magic. “Can you remember anything particularly interesting about the prince?”

Lyra looked up at the ceiling with stars in her eyes. “Well, for starters, he was most definitely one hunk of a stallion.”

“No, Lyra, I'm talking about his history. You know, birthplace, upbringing, maybe even his passing?”

Lyra pouted as she rested her head on both hoofs and blew her hair to the side. “You're no fun. He was Princess Platinum's brother, obviously. There's actually not much to say of him otherwise; he disappeared before his sister and the other leaders discovered Equestria years ago.”

“Would you happen to know why he disappeared?”

Lyra shook her head and sighed. “So many questions, my head’s beginning to hurt! From what I recall, it's all a mystery. Some rumors say he was crazy, and that eventually he ran away to seek a land where all ponies would be considered equal. His family disowned him the second he left.”

I almost know that feeling...

“Everything about that fits, except maybe the crazy part. If I can just find some other records of similar thoughts or actions in one of these ancient history textbooks, then maybe I can find a link.” Twilight patted her muzzle, her thoughts suddenly sinking down to a depth Lyra had not seen them go for some time. After a minute's pause, however, they suddenly surfaced as though for a break. “Lyra, I need you to be completely serious for a moment; it's about yesterday.”

Lyra felt her heart suddenly stop.

Yesterday... No! Is she suspicious of me!?

“Whatever do you mean, Twilight?” Lyra said with an accompanying – and somewhat unsettling – laugh. “I’m always- er, what did you say? ‘Serious’, yes.”

Twilight approached her friend’s side of the table as the two soon came face-to-face. “What we're doing right now, I think it would be best if we didn't tell Princess Luna.”

Lyra searched the area with a snap of her neck and swift scan of her eyes. Not spotting a soul, she replied, “Why, what's wrong? Did she murder somepony!?”

Twilight held her breath as she too looked around for a brief moment. “No! Don’t be crazy. I just think there may be something strange going on with her. Remember when I told you it would be best not to see Princess Luna last night? I said that because I had just spoken with her, and she was acting sort of strange.”

“You don't say?” Lyra said. “I'll say nothing of it, Twilight my friend.” She raised her head with confidence and crossed her heart. Her hoof hovered over her heart, however, as something within it reached out and took hold of her.

Now’s my chance. Say it as it is.

“I-I guess, since we're talking about secrets and whatnot, I have a something important to say myself-”

“Good afternoon, my students,” came the unusually soft voice of Princess Luna. “It gives me great pleasure that you two act in such a considerate manner with thy soft, careful whispers.”

Lyra caught a glimpse of Twilight's face, which had turned deathly pale, as the princess stood right behind her. The violet unicorn quickly beamed a fake but brilliant smile as she turned to face the headmare.

“Oh, hello Princess Luna! Didn't know you were here,” Twilight replied, continuing with her whispering. “What brings you to the library this morning? Nothing exciting is going on at this table, just admiring the smell of old parchment and the mint conditions of some of my favorite works!”

She grabbed one of the books on the table and began sniffing its pages. Lyra buried her face into the soft pages of yet another book, unsure of what else to do. Princess Luna merely stared.

“I am in search of a comprehensive text that contains the ancient history of Olde Equestria,” Princess Luna explained. “Pray tell, wouldst either of you perspicacious students happen to know the exact location of such a tome?”

Twilight lifted the book Lyra had buried her head into yet again and hovered it over to Princess Luna with her magic. Lyra’s face smacked into the wooden surface once more, but this time she couldn’t react; the princess stood right before her, flipping through the thick pieces of parchment.

After the princess scanned thoroughly through the index a number of times Twilight began slowly edging away.

“Well, I think I should be going now,” Twilight said as she stood and started for the exit. “Things to do, ponies to see. I hope that’s what you were looking for, princess! Have fun with all your books, Lyra.”

“But these aren't my-” Lyra tried to object, but Twilight winked and took off before she could finish.

Lyra continued to stare at the gap where Twilight had stood, her heart reaching out in hopes that the mare still stood in its place. Though tired, Lyra had finally felt ready to share what had been on her mind since she arrived back at the school. The opportunity slipped from her hoofs; her head went suddenly empty as a filly’s toy ball.

“Lyra Heartstrings, yes?” came the voice of Princess Luna. “Hast thou something to say?”

“What? Me?” Lyra laughed. “Oh, no, nothing! I was just going to tell Twilight that... lunch is coming soon!”

“Lunch? But that is not for another two hours,” Princess Luna stated. She suddenly looked Lyra in the eye and squinted. “I sense something else occupies thy mind. If thou feelest a sufficient level of comfort to speak thy mind to me, I shall lend my ears most willingly.”

She stared down at Lyra, whose heart nearly pounded out of her chest. Telling Twilight about her predicament was one matter; speaking with the headmare was another entirely.

“I, well,” Lyra fumbled, “there's a little something on my mind, but I don't know. It's somewhat of a private issue-”

“Then consider me thy mentor,” Princess Luna offered, though the kindness suggestion felt more like a command.

Lyra gulped nervously and tried to laugh again, but the air coming from her mouth could not even conjure a sound.

“Princess Luna,” she finally said, “I really would love to speak with you, but I feel... I need to think through my thoughts first. Yes, that's it! Think through my thoughts. Thinking thoughts. That's always good.”

Princess Luna glanced around the library. “Very well, my student. Dost thou have plans for this evening? We can meet and discuss that which bothers you then, if you so choose-”

“This evening!?” Lyra burst, only to quickly cover her mouth. “Well, that's maybe too soon- er, I mean, I have plans.”

“I see,” Princess Luna stated. “What of tomorrow?”

Lyra laughed, “Yes, that would be... delightful.”

Her throat suddenly tightened; she struggled to maintain the agreeable look on her face.

“Very well,” Princess Luna said. “Tomorrow we shall meet. Come prepared with what thou hast to say, and I shall do my best to help in whatever manner possible.”

“Yes, I'll be quite prepared,” Lyra assured as Luna turned and walked off for the exit.

She let out a deep sigh the second Luna's flowing tail disappeared from around the edge of the door. Her eyes fell down on the book directly in front of her, its images depicting a variety of Equestrian colonies.

'I'll be quite prepared'... I wish.

Next Chapter: Chapter 23 (Episode 6): Like Water Like Soul Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 59 Minutes