Rowan sat at the desk in his study, busy with his daily task of copying the last page of the Liber Tenebrarum. Ever since the rest of the book had been destroyed, he had busied himself with copying all of the information it showed each day. On his desk was the page, a brown book that was mostly blank except for the things that Rowan wrote in it, and two different scrolls.
Rowan's book, which he'd named "The Book of Shadows", served as his replacement for the Liber Tenebrarum. Everyday, when the page of the Liber Tenebrarum changed, he would copy the information from it to The Book of Shadows, slowly rebuilding the lost tome of shadow magic.
The two scrolls that he had on the desk were letters. Everyday when he copied the page of the Liber Tenebrarum, he'd copy the same information onto both of the letters. Afterwards, he would send both of the letters to their destinations, with the help of Spike.
The first letter was his report to his teacher, Princess Luna. Along with the copied information from the page of the Liber Tenebrarum, Rowan would write to his teacher any discoveries that the page had not revealed.
The second letter was a report of his findings, which was to be sent to the professors at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. About a month ago, the school had contacted Rowan, asking if they could study his findings on shadow magic. They promised that if he sent them a report everyday, then they'd pay him for his research.
Since Rowan had been in the need of a job, he asked Princess Luna if it was acceptable if he took the offer. Luna approved of the idea, and now Rowan had a steady income of bits. With his new way to earn money, he now had money to buy what he needed, as well as a few things extra. After only a month of getting paid, Rowan was able to buy some other things for his house.
Rowan sat at his desk, reading the page of the Liber Tenebrarum while using his magic to write with three seprate quills. Each quill wrote the exact same thing, one quill each to write in his book, the report for Princess Luna, and the report for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. It was difficult for him to copy the page like this, but it was more efficient than writing the same thing three times, one after another. So Rowan had to do this task in complete silence, so that he wouldn't lose focus on his magic.
However, with this way of writing, Rowan had to focus more on what to have his quills write, rather than what the page actually said. He would phase out any information that came to him as he copied the page. But usually after he was done copying the page, he'd go back through the Book of Shadows to see the information that he'd transcribed.
It was late in the morning when Rowan finished copying. Sighing with the relief that he was finished, "Man, even after a month, this is starting to get old." The gray unicorn put away the quills and placed The Book of Shadows on the book shelf of the study.
Turning back to his desk, Rowan picked up the page of the Liber Tenebrarum. Using his magic, he accessed his storage spell and deposited the page in it. He never went anywhere without the page, because he didn't want a repeat of the changeling incident that happened a couple of months ago.
He picked up the two letters, sealed them with a ribbon, and stowed them away in his storage spell as well. He smiled at his completed work, "Okay, I better find Spike so he can send my letters."
A bark suddenly came up from the corner of the study. Rowan turned to look at Shade, his pet shadow wolf, who sat in his corner on a pillow that Rowan bought for him. Shade let out a short, impatient yip.
Rowan looked curiously at Shade, "What is it, boy?"
The wolf quickly glanced up at the clock that hung on the wall of the study. Rowan followed Shade's gaze and his eyes widened as he read the time.
"Oh, I forgot!" Rowan face-hoofed himself, "I was supposed to meet Caramel and Thunderlane for lunch!" He quickly raced out of the room, shouting goodbye to Shade as he ran past. Shade merely shrugged and went back to his morning nap. Being a nocturnal creature in a day-loving environment was really draining for him.
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Rowan sighed to himself as he galloped through Ponyville, on his way to the local Cafe. He had completely forgotten about his lunch with Caramel and Thunderlane.
Ever since the whole changeling incident two months ago, Rowan had been feeling the need for other friends. He wanted friends who could actually relate to him. Sure the main six were good friends, but Rowan needed some guy friends who were like him.
But then, his usual friends, the main six, had gone out of town, due to the sudden appearance of the Crystal Empire. He had asked if he could come as well, but Luna had disagreed since she believed that it would get in the way of transcribing the Liber Tenebrarum. That's when Rowan started to hang out with Caramel and Thunderlane.
Rowan let out a sigh of relief when the cafe came into view. As he got closer to the cafe, Rowan could see Caramel and Thunderlane sitting at a table, waiting for him. They both noticed Rowan, and waved him over.
Rowan gave the two ponies a sheepish smile as he reached the table, "Sorry, guys. Lunch completely slipped my mind. You know, since I was-"
"-Copying the Liber Tenebrarum." Caramel finished for him, rolling his eyes. Then he smiled, "Yeah, we sort of figured that."
Thunderlane let out a chuckle as Rowan sat down, "Seriously, dude. Everything that you do involves that book. I swear, you spend more time reading than Twilight Sparkle, and that's saying something. You've really got to get out more."
Rowan rolled his eyes, "I've already told you. It's important that I get each page of the Liber Tenebrarum copied, otherwise the information it contains could be lost for who knows how long." He cleared his throat, changing to a different subject, "So, have you guys ordered your food yet? You know that you didn't have to wait for me."
Caramel chuckled, "Yeah, we knew that. That's why we ordered for us, as well as for you."
Rowan lifted an eyebrow, "Well, in that case, you better have ordered something good for me. I haven't forgotten about the time that you put a whole bottle of hot sauce in my sandwich."
Thunderlane and Caramel both burst out laughing. Thunderlane was holding his sides as he laughed, "Oh, yeah! That was hilarious. Aw, man, I can still remember the look on your face when you took a bite out of that thing. Priceless!"
Caramel was the first to recover, "Yeah, don't worry, Rowan. We got you a hay sandwich, without hot sauce this time."
Rowan smiled, "Thanks."
Within the same moment, a waiter brought them their food. Rowan lifted up his sandwich with magic, and began to eat away. Rowan looked past his sandwich to see what his friends had gotten. Caramel got a salad, and Thunderlane got a sandwich as well.
Rowan looked at his two friends, "So, what's going on with you guys?"
Caramel shrugged as he took a bite of his salad, "Not much. Nothing really exciting is happening for me." He turned to Thunderlane, "What about you, Thunder?"
The black pegasus shrugged, "I've been helping Rumble with his costume for Nightmare Night. He's being a zombie, and considering that I have no experience with making costumes, making it was sort of difficult. "
Rowan looked up from his sandwich, "Oh yeah, Nightmare Night is coming up in a few days." He let out a small chuckle, "I still don't know what my costume is going to be."
Caramel inhaled sharply, "Uh oh, I forgot. I was going to ask Sassaflash to be my date during Nightmare NIght."
Thunderlane raised an eyebrow at the earth pony, "Wait, isn't that the mare that was your date during Hearts and Hooves day?"
Caramel nodded, "Yes, she was. I guess I should ask her as soon as possible." He looked back at his friends, "How about you guys? Are you going on a date with anypony?"
Thunderlane shook his head, "Naw, I'm spending the celebration with Rumble." He pointed a hoof towards Rowan, "What about you, Rowan?"
Rowan looked down and shrugged, "I don't know. Really, I'd rather spend the night with friends rather than dates. Besides, even if I were to go on a date, who would I ask?"
Thunderlane shrugged, "What about Twilight Sparkle? You two seem to spend a lot of time with each other. Do you have a thing for her?" He said, nudging Rowan with his elbow.
Rowan glared at the pegasus, "No, I don't have a thing for her. We just spend a lot of time with each other because we both happen to be students of the princesses of Canterlot."
Caramel shook his head, "Thunder, there's no need to provoke him. He is one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, after all." But then the earth pony gave Rowan a smirk, "Besides, he's already got Lyra chasing after him." Both of Rowan's friends began to laugh loudly, while Rowan simply rolled his eyes.
Lyra, who was a fanatic about humans and Anthropology, had learned that Rowan had been a human before. Ever since then, she had continually pestered Rowan with questions about the human world. Rowan was fine with answering her questions, but soon, she began to ask questions that were.....preferably left unanswered. After Lyra attempted to ask these questions several times, Rowan began to avoid her at all costs.
Rowan looked at his two friends who were beginning to regain themselves from laughing, "That isn't funny guys. Just because I'm from a different world, doesn't mean that I mind teasing."
Caramel was chuckling as he wiped a tear from his eye, "Right, right. Sorry, Rowan, but it's just too funny."
Thunderlane was able to calm himself down, "Yeah. We know that you could make us stop with your magic anytime." He cocked his head towards Rowan, "Speaking of which, did you learn any cool spells recently?"
Rowan grinned, "Yeah, I've actually found this one that's pretty cool. It should be handy the next time Lyra comes after me. You see, the spell is a shad-"
"ROWAN!" A voice called out from down the street.
Thunderlane snickered, "Speaking of which."
Rowan turned and let out a startled yelp, as he saw Lyra running fast towards him. Rowan jumped up onto all fours, with eyes as wide as dinner plates, "SorryguysGottagoSeeyoulater." Without wasting a moment, Rowan shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth a took off sprinting down the street, away from Lyra.
Caramel and Thunderlane sat with amused looks as they watched Lyra race pass them as she chased after Rowan in a fury. But as they watched Rowan and Lyra disappear into town, a thought struck Caramel's mind.
Caramel turned to Thunderlane, "Hey, who's going to pay for Rowan?"
Thunder threw up his hooves in defense, "Not me, dude. I payed for him last time! It's your turn."
Caramel sighed, "Fine, but next time this happens, you're paying for all three of us." He
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Rowan ran down the streets of Ponyville, continually searching for any place where he could lose Lyra. So far, he couldn't find any place that would work in helping him to escape, and he could hear Lyra closing in from behind. The gray unicorn was surprised that Lyra could run this fast, but considering how many times that she had chased him, she must have built up quite a bit of endurance.
Rowan looked back towards the road in front of him, and screeched to a halt as his way was blocked by a green and purple dragon. His sudden stop kicked up dust clouds in front of him, and into Spike's face.
Spike coughed as he waved the dust away, "Rowan, what's the hurry? Do you need me to send your letters to Canterlot right now? AGH!" Spike let out a yelp as he was suddenly picked up by Rowan's magic and placed on the unicorn's back.
Rowan started to gallop down the street again, before Lyra could catch up to him, "Sorry, Spike. We've got to go!"
Spike held on tight to Rowan's sides as he tried to not get thrown off the unicorn's back, "What? Why are we running?"
Suddenly, Lyra shouted out to them, "I need to ask you something! Stop!"
Spike turned his head to see Lyra right behind them. The dragon let out a small yelp as he saw a burning fury in the mint-colored unicorn's eyes. He fearfully shouted up to Rowan, "Step on it!"
Rowan was breathing hard as he ran through town, but Lyra clearly wasn't showing any signs of slowing. Rowan sighed in frustration, "Ah, come on. I can't keep running for much longer." But then, he spotted an alley-way in between two houses, completely hidden from the sun.
Rowan grinned as he shouted back, "Hold on, Spike! We're getting out of here." He turned sharply into the alley, nearly sending Spike flying off of his back. Rowan ran through the alley, which was only about fifty feet long, with a brick wall cutting off any other exit.
The wall was completely covered in darkness, which was exactly what Rowan needed. Putting in a final burst of energy, he charged the wall, making his horn glow with shadow magic.
Spike's eyes widened when he saw the wall in front of them, "Uh, Rowan? What are you doing?!"
"Hang on, Spike!" Rowan's horn began to glow brightly with black aura as he prepared to use his spell.
With only five feet between Rowan and the wall, he unleashed his spell. Suddenly, the shadows that covered the wall began to wave out, like tentacles, as they made a dark portal appear in the brick wall.
Rowan didn't stop as he leaped into the portal. Spike let out a yelp as they both passed through the dark void of space, disappearing from view. As soon as they both were safely inside the darkness, the portal closed, just before Lyra could get through.
Lyra stomped a frustrated hoof on the ground, "Darn it! I lost him, again!" She shook her hoof to the sky with rage, "Rowan! I will find you, and then you will tell me what that middle finger is!" Huffing with anger, Lyra turned back out of the alley and onto the street.
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Rowan leaped out from the darkness, just outside of Twilight's library. Spike was still clinging tightly against the unicorn with his eyes shut.
Rowan nudged Spike with hit head, "Hey, Spike. You can let go now."
The little dragon opened his eyes, "What? Did we lose her?"
Rowan smiled, "Yeah, I think so. We did just jump from the far side of town to the library."
Spike climbed off of Rowan's back, "What was that spell that you did? I don't think Twilight has ever done anything like that."
"It's a new spell that I learned recently. It's called the shadow warp spell. It allows me to use the shadows nearby to jump from one point in space to another point that is also in shadows. And with darker shadows, I can travel greater distances."
Spike grinned, "Wow, that sounds pretty handy."
Rowan shrugged, "I guess so, but like all magic, it has a cost. I can't use it frequently and I can't go that far, distance wise. Not to mention that it does take a pretty large amount of my magic." He shook his head, "Never mind, we should get inside. Who knows when Lyra will pop up again." He started towards the door of the library with Spike following after him.
Rowan opened the door to the library to see Twilight busy with rearranging the shelves of books.
Hearing the door open, Twilight looked to see who it was. She smiled at Rowan and Spike, "Oh, hey Rowan. What're you doing here?"
Rowan shrugged as he shut the door behind him, "Well, I was out with Thunderlane and Caramel for lunch, but then Lyra started to chase me through town, like always. I just barely managed to slip away from her."
Twilight snickered a bit, "So, I take it you won't answer her questions about your world anymore."
Rowan rolled his eyes, "I don't mind telling her about my world, but it's when she asks weird questions that bothers me. But anyways, I'm probably going to stay here for a while until Lyra gives up her chase. She usually does around 3:00." But then Rowan remembered, "Oh, speaking of which, I should send those letters to Princess Luna now."
Spike stood at the ready, "All right, I'm ready to send them."
Rowan pulled out the letters out of his storage spell, and handed them to Spike. The dragon opened his mouth and breathed a small stream of green, wispy fire. The fire consumed the two letters, making them into a cloud of silver dust, which floated out an open window.
Spike grinned smugly, "Okay, they're on their way."
Rowan smiled, "Thanks, Spike."
But then the little dragon suddenly convulsed, as he belched out a cloud of fire. The fire swirled in mid-air until it formed the shape of a scroll, which dropped to the ground.
Rowan cocked an eyebrow, "Hm, I guess Princess Celestia sent her mail at the perfect time. What does it say, Twilight?"
Twilight picked up the letter and looked it over, "Oh, it's for you, Rowan. It's from Princess Luna."
Rowan grabbed the letter and curiously read it aloud,
My loyal student,
I am pleased with your progress in the art of shadow magic, and with your continual efforts to restore the Liber Tenebrarum. However, I have a request for you that is unrelated to shadow magic.
As you are probably aware, Nightmare Night is approaching, and I would like you to help organize the celebration. Since you are my student, it is fitting that you have some portion of responsibility in the celebration. You will need to talk with Mayor Mare to find out what to do to prepare for Nightmare Night.
Also, be sure to make this the best Nightmare Night of them all. With your skills, I have no doubt that you are the perfect one for the position. Please make this year's celebration fun and entertaining for everypony.
Until then, continue with your studies
~Princess Luna
Twilight smiled as Rowan finished reading the letter, "Wow. Princess Luna really thinks you're the right pony for the job. With your shadow magic, I think you could come up with something that could really scare everypony, since I'm guessing that it's part of your magic's nature."
Rowan held an uncertain look, "I don't know. I've never organized anything like this. I don't really know how to get started. What am I supposed to do?"
Twilight thought for a moment, "Well, I do have some experience with organizing Ponyville's town events. I could help you in organizing Nightmare Night."
Rowan beamed, "Really? That'd be great. Thanks."
"Sure, what are friends for?" A small silence passed between them, "You should go speak with the Mayor. It'd be better if you started the preparations for Nightmare NIght right now."
"All right, I'll go right now."
Spike spoke up, "Wait, what about Lyra? Wouldn't she still be looking for you right now? The Mayor's office is halfway across town, and Lyra could pop up at any time."
Rowan smiled down at the dragon reassuringly, "Yeah, but don't worry. I'll fly there. No one will notice me, unless they're up in the air, too. See you guys later."
Without any time for a response, Twilight and Spike watched as Rowan evaporated into a cloud of black smoke and flew out of the library.
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However, nopony knew that at the same moment, 4 changelings were flying towards Ponyville. And the one closest to the town was unaware of the three pursuers behind her. They would arrive in her destination by nightfall.