//------------------------------// // Yet another mishap // Story: Twilight's Perplexing Adventure // by Twilight Princess //------------------------------// My dearest pupil, I must say, I am rather impressed with your progression within the fields of magic. The aging spell can be a rather tricky one to master, but you are well on your way to becoming an expert like Starswirl was. Incidentally, I do not know much about this spell, as I am not the creator and have ceased to preform it in a long time. Judging by the description you gave me, the spell seems to be only temporary. However, how long the waiting period for Spike to return to normal is unknown, as magic can be unpredictable. I have put a list of instructions for a spell that can reverse any such spell mistakes. Please be careful, though, as the act of preforming the spell incorrectly might result with different effects. Yours always, Celestia --- "So, if all of my precautions and calculations are correct, I should be able to reverse Spike back to normal. It's a long-shot, though, as this spell seems to be rather old. I didn't even know it existed until Celestia sent it to me. Do you think it's forbidden?" The purple unicorn glanced at her purple-maned, sapphire-eyed friend "Mmm... I wouldn't know, dear. Most unicorns are limited to their magical abilities, so I can't even do half of the things you do," Rarity responded as she continued to sew the dress she was making. "Mmm... I think it needs more sparkles. What about you, Twilight? Do you think it needs more?" Twilight shook her head. "C'mon, Rarity, this is important! This whole spell can reverse Spike back to normal!" She blinked at her friend, who was so preoccupied with the dress, she started to question if she was even listening. "Uh... Rarity?" The white unicorn looked up and sighed. "Twilight, why are you so desperate to change Spike back? Do you not like how he looks? He's going to grow up, eventually, dear. You do know that." A look of uncertainty passed over Twilight. "Yeah, but... Yesterday he clearly said he wanted to be his original age! I'm just trying to help... This is my fault, after all..." She rubbed her head. "He's also been acting a bit different, which has been slightly disturbing. It's like his whole thought process is changing... The only problem is, I can't see why. It was just a spell, after all. It's not like that other time, when he had a reason for the drastic change." "Oh, Twilight... No matter what happens, aging spells are still aging. The thought process will still change as you get older. Remember when Trixie had turned Snips and Snails into different ages? Those two surely acted different from their current personalities. With Spike being older, he's also a bit more mature. However, he's at "that" age, where males tend to be a bit more barbaric." She tossed her mane aside and smiled at her friend. "Really, I still don't think there's anything to worry about." "I don't know... Maybe I should go look for him. I gave him the day off, so I'm going to have to look all over Ponyville..." Twilight sighed. "I thought it was a good idea at the time." --- Twilight trotted through Ponyville, glancing at her surroundings. It was a relatively clear day, showing that Rainbow Dash had done her job rather well. The ponies were frolicking through the town, chatting among each other and laughing. Of course, the particular thing Twilight was looking for was a dragon, not a pony. I wonder where he could be...? She turned her head and saw Applejack over at her apple stand. The orange mare was happily helping a customer with a candy-colored mane and a tan coat. She saw Applejack look up and wave to he. Raising her hoof in the air slightly, she gave a friendly wave back. Applejack smiled at Twilight before her attention turned back to her customer. Twilight, of course, continued to watch her until she smacked into something. The impact was unexpected, and the force was large enough to have her slam into the cobblestone. She groaned in pain, opening her eyes to come into contact with a pair of emerald-green eyes. She could recognize those eyes and snout anywhere! "Spike!" she cried happily, forgetting about her injuries as she tenderly stood up. Her coat had become slightly dirty from the cobblestone, and Spike seemed to have taken notice to that. He put a claw over his mouth and gasped. "Oh gosh... Twilight, I'm sorry! I was running, and I wasn't paying attention... Are you hurt?" he asked, standing up and giving her a worried expression. Twilight shook her head and gave him a weak smile. "I'm fine... I'm just really glad I found you! I think I can reverse my spell mishap. See, the Princess sent me a spell I could use to change you back!" She happily jumped up and down in a similar fashion to Pinkie Pie. A smile spread across Spike's face. "That's great! The sooner, the better! Things are happening to me, Twilight. Weird things..." he looked down, fumbling with his claws. Things like puberty? "Alright, then! I suppose I should try this out then, huh?" she flashed another smiled, then closed her eyes in concentration. Her horn began to sparkle with a magenta glow. Slowly, the glow began to circle Spike, making him rather uncomfortable. The glow began to get brighter, and Twilight closed her eyes even tighter as sweat began to drip down her forehead. "Uh, Twi...? Are you sure you know what you're doing...?" Spike asked timidly as he became engulfed in the magenta light. "I... I think I know what I'm doing..." she grunted to him, taking a deep breath. "You think?!" Suddenly, there was a huge explosion. Twilight's magenta magic went everywhere, as the entire town of Ponyville was covered in a cloud of her magic. Several ponies screamed, unaware of what had just happened. As the magic began to fade out, Twilight squinted her eyes to look at Spike. "What...?" she whispered. She looked at Spike, who hadn't changed at all. She was dumbstruck. "I don't understand! I thought I did that correctly..." "Do you think you can try again?" Spike asked in a pleading tone. Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled, shaking her head. "That spell winded me... It took way too much magic to do... No wonder why Celestia told me to be careful..." she sat down and covered her eyes with her hooves. "I'm such a failure!" "C'mon Twi, no you're not... I mean, look what you did to me!" Spike gave a reassuring grin. "Granted, it's not something I want too much, but you did it yourself." Twilight glanced up sheepishly. "Yeah..."