Chapter 1
“Are you sure you can do this?”
“Of course I’m sure,” Twilight Sparkle answered her nervous dragon assistant proudly as she studied the spell one more time which was written out in the book that lay before her. “The book says this is a class seven spell, and I can handle that.”
Spike, who had been carrying an armload of books, mostly the Daring Do novels that Twilight’s friend Rainbow Dash had recently borrowed then returned, looked, unconvinced, at the light purple unicorn who stood a few feet away. She stood at the pedestal where she’d placed today’s book of magic that she was studying.
“But, Twilight,” the dragon tried to reason. “Last week when you quizzed yourself, you were only a level six unicorn.”
Twilight rolled her eyes.
“I know, Spike,” she said, not put-off. “But how am I going to get any better if I don’t challenge myself? Besides, this spell isn’t so hard.”
Spike sighed, and placed the stack of books he’d been carrying down onto the circular table that stood in the center of the tree library where he and Twilight had lived since they came to Ponyville a few years ago. When they’d first come here, Twilight had been annoyed that she’d have to leave Canterlot and her studies to live among ponies she didn’t know. But after defeating Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia’s sister, Luna, who had been turned evil, Twilight had found that she loved the friends she’d made in the small country town and didn’t want to return to Canterlot after all. Since then, Twilight and Spike had served the town as librarians, and Twilight had continued to study under Princess Celestia, sending her letters about what she’d learned in Ponyville.
Twilight had also been practicing her magic. When they’d first come to Ponyville, she’d already been very powerful, but since their arrival here, she’d been working to grow her powers even more. Most unicorns were a level two or three, in terms of magical ability. Their powers only extended enough to help them with their special talent, like how Rarity used levitation to help her sew, or maybe a unicorn that grew flowers would use a simple weather spell to make sure their plants got a gentle shower every day. But Twilight’s special talent was magic, and in Ponyville, her abilities had only grown.
But Spike just wasn’t sure about this, today.
The dragon crossed over to his friend and guardian, and reached up on tip-toes to see what this spell was. He’d seen it earlier, but he wanted to make sure he hadn’t missed anything.
“’A Spell to Animate Those Not Real’,” the dragon read, the blinked. “’Animate Things Not Real’? That’s only a level seven spell?”
By the sound of it, a spell like that would be able to bring characters from books to life or bring pictures into existence, or even animate objects! How was that only a class seven spell? That sounded like something only Princess Celestia could do!
“Oh, Spike!” Twilight laughed. “It’s not like that at all. Here, let me show you.”
Using a simple telekinetic spell, Twilight lifted a picture of a pony in a meadow off the wall where it had hung. The pony in the picture was slightly deformed and not completely well-colored. But there wasn’t much to expect – Applebloom had drawn it and given it to Twilight as a present. Sweet, but the little filly was no Michael Angelohoof.
“Look,” she said, laying the picture down onto the pedestal, next to the book. “With this spell, I could animate the pony in this picture, make it come to life. But it’s only temporary: the book says it will only last a few minutes.”
“Honestly, I’d hate to be that pony when it’s brought to life,” Spike said, looking at the scribbled coloring job and the distorted limbs and face. “Good thing it’s only temporary.”
‘’See? Now do you see how easy it is? It’s harmless,” Twilight told him. Spike sighed.
“Okay, okay,” he consented. “Just be careful.”
“Of course,” Twilight said with a nod. “When am I not?”
Spike decided not to answer that, it would only bring bad luck. Instead, he picked up the stack of books he’d left on the table and went to shelve them, scurrying up the ladder to the Daring Do section and inserting each book back into its proper order in the series. Twilight hated for her books to be out of order.
“Oh, and Spike?” Twilight asked, looking one last time away from her book. “Could you do me a favor and get out Daring Do and the Search for the Alicorn Stone? It’s the next in the series for Rainbow Dash. She’ll be by in a little bit to pick it up.”
Spike nodded and slid his claw along the spines of the books, searching for the one Rainbow wanted. It was amazing, ever since Twilight had gotten Rainbow Dash into the Daring Do series, the blue Pegasus hadn’t been able to leave the books alone. Spike even heard a rumor that she was trying to write her own story about the adventurous pony archeologist. Who would have thought that Rainbow Dash, fastest and, next to Applejack, most athletic pony in Ponyville, would love reading so much?
He found the book eventually, and tugged it down off the shelf. The cover showed a picture of the light brown Pegasus with the greyscale mane running through a tropical jungle, a saddle bag slung over her back with a hint of a radiant crystal jewel peeking out. A second, possibly younger, light green Pegasus ran behind her, looking anxiously over her shoulder. Spike hadn’t read this one yet, but it looked good.
As he started down the ladder, he noticed that Twilight was starting on her spell. He supposed she was going to bring the pony of Applebloom’s drawing to life. That would be interesting.
Fascinated, the purple dragon crouched down on the ladder, the Daring Do book held against his chest like some sort of shield. A shield against what, he didn’t know.
Twilight closed her eyes, concentrating. She took a deep breath, planting her hooves firmly apart to give herself more stability. The spell in her mind, she slowly, carefully, called on her power, which collected in her horn, making it glow. She was almost ready. She just had to aim it in the right direction –
~**~
Rainbow Dash had been meaning to drop in on Twilight later in the day and collect her new Daring Do novel, Daring Do and the Search for the Alicorn Stone. She was looking forward to reading it. These Daring Do books were so goodI
But things didn’t entirely work out the way she’d planned. She’d been practicing a new move that she’d seen the Wonderbolts, the Pegasus team she idolized, that she had wanted to try it out. If she had that trick under her belt, she was sure to attract their attention when she saw them the next time!
However, the trick turned out to be a little more….difficult than she had planned.
As she saw the window of Twilight’s library coming into view, the Pegaus braced herself for impact.
Well, maybe she’d drop in on the unicorn a little earlier than she had planned….
~**~
The crash had not been expected. Not that crashes ever are, but if there was ever a crash at the wrong time, it was this one.
Rainbow Dash smashed through the upper window of the library just as the lavender pony was aiming her spell. Concentration shattered, Twilight lost both her focus and control over her magic. The magic flashed, and the shot went wide, missing the picture of the pony altogether, bouncing off a mirror on the other side of the room, and then ricocheting back. The bright light caused Spike to look away, holding the Daring Do book up to protect himself from both Twilight’s runaway magic and the spray of objects that Rainbow Dash would cause once she crashed. Neither Twilight nor Spike saw the bolt of magenta magic hit the light blue pegasus full in the side just as she crossed in front of Spike and his book-shield.
The room became suddenly quiet, and Twilight raised her head from where she’d collapsed, the sudden loss of magic having taken a lot out of her. Spike, too, slowly lowered the book to look around the view the carnage.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said, angrily. “How dare you – “
She stopped when she noticed something as she glanced around, looking for the Pegasus with the parti-colored mane.
For one thing, no Pegasus matching that description was there. In fact, no Pegasus was in the library at all.
Twilight struggled to her feet and slowly turned around.
“Rainbow Dash?” she called. “Where are you? Are you alright?”
“Tw-Twilight?”
That wasn’t Rainbow Dash, but Spike, and Twilight paid him barely any heed as she searched for her friend who may be hurt or unconscious.
“Rainbow Dash?” she called, but as she looked around the tree room, she saw nothing. The window was broken where the Pegasus had entered, but there was no pile of books or broken decorations or anything to show where she had landed.
Had she flown out? But the door was closed –
“Twilight?”
“Spike, have you see Rainbow Dash? Where’d she go?” Twilight asked, still not looking at him.
“Twilight, I found her,” the dragon replied, but his voice was strangely uncertain. Twilight turned to him suddenly.
“Where?” she asked, anxiously.
With a shaking hand, Spike held up the Daring Do novel and pointed to the cover. Unsure what he was on about, Twilight stepped closer and peered at the picture on the front.
Her mouth felt dry.
There, running behind Daring Do, in place of the light green Pegasus that had once been there, was clearly now a different pony.
And that pony was Rainbow Dash.