Twilight shut the book and sighed again. Like the many others, that one had been another waste of her time.
There's gotta be something in here to help Shining! Anything!
Twilight stepped past a large stack of books and trotted back over to the first bookshelf. She passed by the two empty shelves, cleared out from her research. Her horn emitted her raspberry magic aura, as the first book atop the third shelf pulled out. She sat it at the table, in front of chair, before returning.
"Hopefully there's something in this shelf that'll be useful. Otherwise..." Twilight shook her head, refocusing on the book. She read over the book cover, which was just a few words in large, bold text reading,
EXPERIMENTAL/THEORETICAL MAGIC:
MODERN EDITION
Hopefully there'll be something in here that's useful.
Twilight opened up the book.
WARNING: The experiments listed in this book are all using theoretical/experimental magic in different spells. Please, do not try these spells. Many of them are still experimental for a reason; they are very dangerous and have very dangerous side-effects. Some of these side-effects may be permanent and/or may cause severe pain, transformation of the body, vomiting, etc. I nor the my publication company take no responsibility for any damages and/or injures.
Good to know.
Twilight flipped to the next page, just seeing the title again. She flipped to the next page again and was about to read the first paragraph.
Creeeaak
"Hey Twi'. Figured you be in here." Shining stepped through the open door, shutting it as he trotted down to her.
"Hey, Shining. Thought you'd be asleep by now." Twilight flipped through another page in the book. Shining laid his right fore-hoof on her left fore-hoof, causing her to look up to him. He looked worried, his lips formed into a small frown.
"Everything good, Shining? You're not looking so well."
"No... not really."
"Do you need me to go with you to the hospital?"
"Oh, no-- I feel fine. Just... I just woke up and I-I think I may have hurt Cadance."
"What do you mean? Is she all right?"
"I think. I-I woke up beside her neck. There were two bite marks in her neck."
"How? Were they deep?"
"I don't know how. They were really deep, though." Shining averted his gaze to his fore-hooves. "I-I think I may have bit her."
"You don't have any fangs. There's no way it was you."
"It had to be. The door was closed, the window hadn't been open, and I woke up with my mouth on her neck."
"It doesn't make sense." Twilight ran her right fore-hoof through her mane.
"What is this doing to me..." Shining muttered. Twilight grabbed his shoulder.
"It won't be a problem soon. I promise I'll find a way to reverse the spell." Shining smiled.
"I don't doubt that, Twilight. Thank you."
"It's no trouble. I'm getting close to finding something-- I can feel it."
"Good luck. Sorry to rush, Twi', but I need to help out around the village and palace. I'll see you later." He turned back towards the door, trotting up to it.
"Goodnight, Shining." Twilight said before turning back to the book.
"Goodnight." Shining stepped out.
---
"Hey! Watch it!"
Lance Force, Blooming Lily, and I were thrown into our cell. Blooming's trembling hooves refused to release my hoof, keeping me from rushing those bugs and--
The changelings slammed the door shut before I got the chance.
"You monsters!" I called out with fury and anger. They looked back to me, one with a grin, and the other with a frown.
"You won't survive long here, crystal pony." The grinning guard said with me with a cold look. I bit my tongue. I've already dug myself a deep enough hole, don't need to get myself killed.
"A-are they gone?" Blooming whispered, her voice wavering.
"Yeah. I think so."
"They weren't bluffing. She really did take away that metal ring." Lance said as she stepped past me. I turned around to the corner and saw for myself; they had taken the metal ring away along with the rest of the pieces of the bucket. Horseapples!
We were so close!
"Buck..." I cursed quietly, making sure Blooming couldn't hear the swear.
"I'm sure we'll f-find something else." Blooming gently pulled my right fore-hoof with a calm hoof, trying to cheer me up.trying to cheer me up. I forced a smile, even though I was really seething.
"It isn't going to be that easy anymore. They know now that we were going to try and escape. They'll keep a close eye on us."
"I hate to say it, but you're right. The changelings and their 'great' queen won't make it easy." Lance sat down beside Blooming and I.
"So, what do we do now?"
"What can we do? We wait for an opportunity, a weakness-- something to get us the hay outta here and back to the Crystal Empire. Other than that, we have to play by their rules and try not to get ourselves hurt or worse."
"We shouldn't just sit around. We've gotta find something..."
"There's nothing to find. No wood, no metal-- hay, not even any cloths, but if you find a way to break the bars using the air, then be my guest." My voice took on a sarcastic, annoyed tone. Lance groaned, before trotting up to me and shooting me an angry glare. I returned it gladly.
"Not like you're doing anything useful. Besides, we could use that thick skull of yours to break the bars. Nothing gets through that fortress."
"Go eat a horseapple. I'm not in the mood to deal with you.
"Stop..."
"What did you say?" Lance leaned down to me, almost touching snouts as she stared at me with anger. I stood up.
About time this mare learns to shut the hay up.
"You heard what I said. It's about time you shut the hay up."
"Oh yeah? Like you're the perfect example of a stallion! I'm tired of you insulting me and yelling at me and my sister!"
"S-stop... please."
"I don't care! You always start it anyways!"
"You start it just as much as I do!"
"Please, calm down... b-both of you."
"Go to Tartarus!"
"That's it!" Lance lifted up her fore-hoof and slapped me. My right cheek stung as my head turned away from her. The pain from it immediately turned into rage.
"Do something. C'mon."
I turned back to her, lifting my right fore-hoof up to strike her, but I stopped before I did. Whatever resolve of my sense had came back to me, even though my blood was currently boiling.
"Lance!"
Blooming was trying to push her much larger sister away from me, trying to keep her away.
"Why did you do that?!" She looked up at Lance with an angry glare. Lance looked down at Blooming. The look on her face changed from one of anger to one of guilt.
"I was angry, Blooming. And that jacka- donkey wasn't helping me cool off."
"Likewise." I agreed. Lance looked up at me with one eye and shot me an angry glare for a moment before looking back down at her sister with the same guilty look as before.
"Calm down. Both of you. W-we just need to cool off for a while. L-Lance, come with me. Please stay over there..." Blooming grabbed Lance's right fore-hoof and lead her away from me.
Thank you. At least one of us are level-headed.
---
Shining Armor trotted into the village, hearing the snow crunch and crack beneath his hooves. He surveyed the damage that the changelings had caused. The village had some repairs made since the initial attack, but the condition of it was still critical. Ash and soot were mixed into the snow in the ditch that lined the road. He trotted over dried bloodstains and scuff marks of the struggle between the crystal ponies. Just thinking about what Queen Chrysalis and her changelings did to those innocent crystal ponies made his stomach churn. Chunks of wood and crystal had been pushed out of the streets, giving Shining just enough room to trot down.
"Wh-what do we do? Everything's gone... they're gone..."
Shining's ears poked up as he heard the mare's voice. He looked over two crystal ponies, turned towards a pile of rubble. The pegasus mare stood to the left, her red mane messy and unkempt. Her black coat was scuffed with soot. The earth pony stallion standing to her right gently rested his left fore-hoof over his counterpart. His purple mane was short, and brushed to the right, and he had large cut on his stomach, blood staining around the cut his grey coat.
Looks like they could use some help. He trotted up to them, stopping to the right of the mare.
"Excuse me, are you two all right?"
"Prince Shining Armor-- excuse-" She turned, bowing. "e-excuse my behavior."
"Please, relax. I'm here to see what I can do for everypony until we get everything under control." The mare nodded and stood up straight. Her stallion counterpart stood beside her, staring at Shining Armor.
"Is there anything you need?"
"Our daughters... they're missing. Please, have you heard anything from the search party that was sent out?"
"Sir, we haven't heard anything from the search party sent out last night, but I'll be sure to tell you if they've found anything. Please, if you're comfortable, what do they look like?" Shining questioned.
"Our o-oldest daughter i-is a pegasus. She has a-a purple mane a-and a white coat. Her sister's not even--" She whimpered, using her left fore-hoof to cover her quivering lips. The stallion stepped ahead of her.
"Her sister's a earth pony-filly. She has a red mane and a white coat. She has a black birth-mark on her stomach." The stallion said with a wavering voice.
"Thank you. I'll make sure to tell you if they see anything. Just let me know if you need anything else."
"Thank you." The pair said simultaneously.
"It's no problem, trust me. I wish you both the best of luck."
The mare nodded with a smile.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to check on the other ponies in the village." Shining turned from them and trotted down the street.
---
Theoretical Transfer/Transformation
Transfer/Transformation spells can be very similar when used properly. Basically, transfer spells are when one unicorn some or all of their magic to another unicorn. Transformation spells are when a unicorn morphs their body or other ponies' bodies into a different animal, race, or material object. Both of these spells are obviously dangerous and have different side-effects.
Side-Effects(Transfer Spell):
Temporary loss of one's magical abilities(time without magic varies with the amount of magic transferred)
Change in one's magical abilities
Dizziness
Pain in the head and horn(amount of pain varies with the amount of magic transferred)
Weakness in the hooves
I think I may have found it... but, I still need to find a counter-spell.
Side-Effects(Transformation Spell):
Pain in the area the spell was applied(most likely the horn of a unicorn)
Permanent change in the body(depending on what the user transforms into)
Psychological damage(depending on if the user knows if the spell has been cast upon them)
Change in the coat/skin tone(depending on what the user transforms into)
Change in height(depending on what the user transforms into)
Change in weight(depending on what the user transforms into)
Some of those things sound like the things happening to Shining. Could she really know that spell?
Twilight flipped over to the next page, eager to learn more about the spell.
Counter-spells(Both):
Transfer Spell: A unicorn must take the transferred magic from the user, whether it be from the unicorn and/or other magical being who originally cast the spell or another unicorn.
Transformation Spell: No known counter-spells.
"Perfect... just perfect..." Twilight sighed, frustrated. She could counter act the transfer spell(if that was even it), but she had no idea of a counter-spell for the transformation spell.
Well, at least I know what spells he seems to have effecting him.
Twilight closed the book and sat it down on the stack of books beside her, which was nearly as tall as the chair. She picked up the large stack with her magic and sat it in the empty shelf.
I wonder if Cadance is awake yet... maybe I should go check on her.
Twilight trotted to the library door and exited.
---
I scraped my right fore-hoof against the wall beside me, trying to find something to distract me from the pony I was angry at right now. I'm just glad I didn't snap earlier. Things would've escalated more than they already were if that happened. One of us could've been hurt or worse...
"Hey, I noticed something." I paid Lance no attention.
"That bread we ate wasn't poisoned. There hasn't been any effects." Lance said. That caught my attention.
"Huh?"
"The bread. It wasn't poisoned. I don't feel weird from it. Do you?"
"No." I quickly dismissed her. I've little to no interest in talking to her, especially after that.
"Uh... c-could I have some?"
"Sure. Just let me... shoot! They took the bread!"
"They did?"
"Yeah! Dang it!" Lance kicked the wall.
"Sorry, Blooming. They'll give us some more tomorrow." I said, trying to comfort the hungry filly.
"Oh, it's all right. I-I can wait."
"I hate this place..."
"You aren't the only one. We are going to get out of here, one way or another."
"Looks there's one thing we can agree on."
"Uh... sure. I don't like it here."
"All right. Looks like we need to plan." I said. There certainly would be a lot of planning to do if we're going to get out of here.
---