Magic was tricky. It required iron discipline, complete focus and perfect control. Unicorns spent years learning the prerequisites - boring exercises, endless repetition and ceaseless reading of books. Only then could they attempt to pursue perfection. And that's when things became really difficult.
Noonlight read the instructions for the seventh time. When she got accepted in the SGU, the School for Gifted Unicorns, she thought she had a perfect grasp of magic. Now, a few years later, she thought she didn't know anything.
"Not from the heart, from the brain," she said loudly to encourage herself, then started concentrating. Magic energy wrapped her horn, causing it to glow. "Not from the heart, from the brain," she kept repeating.
The spell started to take shape. Most of the elements were in place, each dull on its own, but forming a spectacular whole, beautiful beyond description. Just a few more to go and the spell would be complete. She would finally get to show it in class and prove... POOF! The spell disappeared in a cloud of yellow sparkles.
"Not from the heart..." the pale yellow unicorn said bitterly.
What was wrong with her? Surely she could get one moderately complex spell right! Fillies half her age could manage to do as much!
"A-ha!" a voice said from the door. Noonlight looked up and saw a blue unicorn in a purple cape and star-covered pointy hat standing at the threshold of her room. That was weird. The door was supposed to be closed and locked...
"Rejoice," the blue unicorn announced, dramatically waving her cape "for the great and..."
"Not now, Trixie," Noonlight cut her short, focussing on her notes. There had to be something missing in the spell, something she had overlooked.
"Hardly a way to treat somepony one year your senior," Trixie said in mock hostility.
The two had known each other since their first year at the SGU. Back then, both thought they were destined to become the greatest spell caster in all Equestria. Their paths had crossed briefly. Trixie had even gone so far as to consider Noonlight a potential rival. A few weeks practicing spells, however, had shown she had nothing to fear. Despite her intelligence, Noonlight was disastrous at magic spelling.
"And what is the ever-mistakeful Miss Bright up to today?" Trixie went to the desk and started examining some of the notes.
"I'm trying to make a reverse plant spell," Noonlight grumbled. "But it doesn't seem to work! I just need to recheck the spell elements... again. Maybe they aren't in sync or..."
"Did you, perchance, write the spell down?" Trixie asked, eyes half narrowed. "The entire spell?"
"Just a waste of time. I have it all in my head."
"Here we go again..." Trixie shook her head.
That was Noonlight's problem. She definitely had the potential to become one of SGU's brightest, if only she would spend more time focusing on the little things - like correctly composing spell elements. The big things she had no problem with - spell combinations that would make others dizzy, whacky synch chains that only she could come up with... All failing disastrously because of some overlooked spelling mistake.
"You know that proper spelling is key to a good magic foundation." Trixie used her magic to create some fireworks in the room. Another thing Noonlight had never been able to get the grasp of. "Composition, then combination."
"You're no help," Noonlight sighed as she then banged her head against the desk several times. "Weren't you supposed to be taking over Equestria or something?" She went to her bed and lay down, hooves on face.
"Testy, aren’t we?" the other remarked. "It's almost as if I never left. No wonder no one wants to spend time with you."
"Look, if you've come to gloat..."
"The great and powerful Trixie is beyond such trivial things!" she said theatrically. "Actually, I came to help you."
Noonlight's ears perked. Help? That would be a first. Trixie wasn't exactly the helping type. When they were fillies, she had used any opportunity to stress Noonlight into messing up her spells. It was a miracle they had became friends at all! In part maybe it had to do with Noonlight's non-competitive nature. She focused on inventing new spells, rather than using them.
"You might have heard that I had a few... slight mishaps not too long ago," the blue unicorn said carefully, testing the waters.
"If you say so."
"Well, it's not like you pay attention to anything outside your room," she said coldly. "Anyway, what's important is I managed to come by a few interesting trinkets. Among which is this."
An small stone tablet floated towards Noonlight, who then used her own magic to bring it closer. It was extremely old. The spell forms engraved on it hadn't been used for centuries. They were practically archaic! Noonlight would have to find reference books just to make half of them out.
"Where did you get this?" she asked eagerly.
Whoever wrote the spell was a genius! The elegance by which the spell components were combined, their simplicity, it was beyond anything Noonlight had seen. Trixie couldn't have come up with this on her own - nopony today could have.
"Are there more?"
"Not quite," Trixie said as she continued shuffling through Noonlight's notes. Every now and again she would let out a disapproving tsk.
"There are so many things I could use from this!" Noonlight was beyond herself with excitement. "This could change everything! Do you know what this means?"
"You missed a link here," Trixie said pointing to one of the scraps of paper. "And yes, I do. More than you, actually."
"Oh?"
"It's an autocorrect spell." She looked at Noonlight, mockery in her eyes. "The moment I saw it I thought of you."
Obviously her snide attitude hadn't changed. Thinking too highly of herself, always making fun of everypony... And yet, Noonlight still admired her in some small way. Despite all her faults, Trixie had managed to live out her dream - traveling through Equestria on her own, without any support whatsoever. That took courage, dedication, and an iron will.
"And what does an autocorrect spell do, exactly?" Noonlight asked cautiously.
"For me - nothing. For you, though," Trixie smiled widely. "Imagine if you could do spells without worrying about the pesky little details. No more messing up incantations, no more spelling mistakes, just the joy of creating anything you desire."
Definitely a tempting offer. If the spell could do all that, Noonlight could finally get some work done. No longer would she have to rely on others to correct her spelling. Finally she would stand out of the crowd, moving from the "promising" to "achieved". It simply sounded too good to be true.
"Have you tested it?"
"Well, I didn't want to waste the spell," Trixie replied, looking away. "You can tell it's a single use. Once spoken it will erode... or something."
"No desire to improve yourself?"
"How could you improve perfection?"
Much to Noonlight's dismay, Trixie was correct. Her spells were small, lacking any imagination, yet executed perfectly. Not once had she misspelled, not once did she fail to spot a mistake, even in the training scrolls themselves.
"It's always been your dream, hasn't it?" Trixie moved to Noonlight and nudged her "I distinctly remember you saying that if you could be half as good as the great and powerful Trixie, you would outshine any other pony in the SGU."
"I definitely didn't call you 'great and powerful'. And it was a long time ago."
"Oh well, guess I was mistaken," Trixie smirked as she casually went towards the door. "I guess I'll have to find somepony else who would be appreciative of my kindness."
It was all an act, of course. Both knew it. Yet both also knew that Noonlight couldn't resist such an offer. The ability to finally create intricate magic without being bogged down by spelling... It was indeed everything she could hope for.
"What's the catch?"
"Catch?" Trixie looked surprised.
"I know you well enough. When you offer something, you always ask for something in return. What do you want?"
"Well..." Trixie smiled innocently. "Think of it as a favour from an old friend."
"That's all?" Noonlight arched a brow. "Coming from you, it's surprisingly gracious..."
"Well, what can I say? Certain things happened that made me change my view on life. So are you interested, or not?"
"I...," Noonlight hesitated. Every fiber in her body screamed it was a bad idea, and yet she wanted it all the more. "Can I think about it? I'll give you an answer in the morning."
"Suits me," Trixie headed towards the door.
"Wait! You're leaving the spell here?"
"Why shouldn't I? It's not as if you can cast it on your own.” Trixie smirked. ”Besides, it's a single use spell. If you do manage to cast it, I'll just assume you've said yes."
With that Trixie left. No hesitation, no second thoughts... just like the time she left the SGU to follow her dream.
Noonlight looked at the tablet. Such a simple little thing, but it held the answer to all her dreams within its arcane symbols. Maybe she should forget it, pretend it didn't exist? 'Hard work could solve anything', the saying went, one the Noonlight had heard repeated time and time again. Sadly, in her case it didn't. Months were necessary for her to learn to spell even the most basic elements correctly. And even then a week of rest would erase any progress, taking her back to square one.
Oh, that Trixie! Why did she have to torture so! They were no longer bunkmates! This wasn't freshman year! And yet she still managed to make Noonlight feel rotten.
"Well," she said out loud, half expecting Trixie to be listening at the door. "I guess I could do some research to see if the spell is actually real!"
No sound came from the door. If Trixie was eavesdropping, she was being discreet about it. Waiting another minute for good measure, Noonlight levitated a few books from the shelf onto her desk. It was a bad habit of hers, borrowing so many tomes from the school library, yet her teachers - desperate enough to hope that it would improve her magic spelling - turned a blind eye.
Some of the elements Noonlight recognized right away. They were a mere five centuries old. Some she had studied in her history of magic class. Others were slightly more obscure. She had to go through several books to find suitable approximations. That was one of the problems of the great magic shift - every unicorn school used their particular variant of spelling. It was only two centuries later that universal magic practices were established. It was strange, though, that no modern equivalent of the autocorrect spell existed. Assuming it did what Trixie claimed, it should have been in every Equestrian school of magic. The fact that it wasn't posed some interesting questions.
"What have you gotten yourself into, Trixie?" Noonlight whispered to herself.
The spell was way too personalized to be anything standard. Noonlight had managed to translate most of its individual elements, yet the purpose of the whole remained a mystery, much to the unicorn's displeasure. There were parts of a Rosetta spell, allowing the caster to understand foreign languages, as well as Arcane Identification components, and... something related to Voiceless Speech?
Well, there was certainly no use pondering on it. A good night’s sleep was what Noonlight needed right now. In the morning she would have plenty of time to make her decision. Alas, things didn't turn out the way she expected. For hours she stirred in her bed, desperately trying not to think of the tablet. Questions of the past mixed with hopes for the future. She could see herself become the star of the SGU, then move on to become one of Celestia's personal pupils. And after that, who knows?
"No!" she said out loud. "I'm not going to stand for this!"
Getting up, she grabbed the stone tablet and placed it on her desk. It was now or never. The longer she hesitated, the more reasons she would find not to go on with this. And, logically speaking, that was a stupid course of action. 'From the brain, not the heart' the popular saying went. Well, fears were the heart's domain!
Standing over the tablet, Noonlight began casting the spell. The elements weren't particularly difficult. In fact they were far easier than those she was used to. One by one the glyphs began to light up, glowing in a pale white light. That was natural with some of the older spells, so she continued. A second later a strand of light shot from her horn onto a glyph. That was certainly new. Another followed and another. Fine threads of magic connected the tip of her horn with the entire tablet.
"No! Stop!" The unicorn panicked. What if it were a disabling spell! She had read that long ago they were used as a sort of punishment to take away the magic of evil unicorns. Was the same going to happen to her? Had Trixie fooled her once more?
Desperate, the unicorn tried to pull away, but it was too late. The spell was active now and would not stop until its work was complete.
The last thing Noonlight remembered before she lost consciousness was a cold blue light enveloping her. Next thing she knew, she was on the floor. Above her, a very concerned Trixie was trying wake her up.
"Oh, you are alright!" The blue unicorn said, relieved. "Thank Celestia. You were hardly breathing when I came in. How do you feel?"
"Uh nng huh?" Noonlight managed to say. Her head was killing her.
"Good enough." Trixie smiled, trying to hide her concern. "You gave me quite the scare, Noon. Never took you for a party pony."
"No party..." The other said groggily as she tried to get back up on her feet.
"So what happened?"
"My head." Noonlight put a hoof to her temple. "The spell, that's what..."
"So it worked?" There was no hiding Trixie's excitement.
"Yes... No... I don't know..."
"Well, the tablet is gone," the blue unicorn observed. "So either somepony took it, or you cast the spell."
Noonlight tried to remember, but all of last night was a blur. She did recall the spell taking control of her horn, but that was about it.
"Where did you get this, Trixie?" she asked. "What was it?"
"A autocorrect spell, just like I said."
"Ha! I've never heard of an autocorrect spell, and you know how thorough I could be!"
"Well, I hadn't heard of it either. Before I started researching the legend of the Alicorn Amulet. In one source I came across a mention..."
"You came across 'a mention'." Noonlight couldn't believe her ears. "From one source, when researching one of the most dangerous artifacts there are? And you gave it to me?!?"
"Well, I thought you could use it..."
"We aren't fillies, Trixie! This isn't some Pepper Powder spell to make me lose my concentration!"
"Have you tried casting a spell?"
"What?" Noonlight blinked, taken aback.
"Did you try to cast a spell?" the other repeated. "You know - to see if the tablet actually worked?"
Initially Noonlight hesitated. Why she should do anything Trixie asked of her? Some friend she turned out to be! Using her as a test subject. But then came the realization. Whatever was done was done. All she could hope for was that the effects weren't harmful. There still remained a chance Trixie could be telling the truth.
"Try lifting something," Trixie suggested.
Thankfully, that proved possible. Noonlight concentrated, lifting a few books with ease and placing them back on the bookshelf. That was a relief. At least she had had kept her magic.
"How about a transformation?"
That was pretty basic as far as spells went, at least in Noonlight's mind. Little chance of her messing it up. Concentrating, she transformed one of her notes into a golden ball, then back again.
"Now an aging spell!" Trixie said eagerly.
"What?" Noonlight glared at her. There was no way she could achieve anything of the sort! It took years of study just to learn the elements, let alone perform it! "Are you out of your mind?"
"Your reverse seed growth spell then!" the blue unicorn persisted. Something had definitely gotten into her.
"Reverse plant spell," Noonlight corrected. "And it's experimental. I'm not sure I've combined the correct elements to have a go."
"You could always try..."
"Listen, Trixie," Noonlight took a deep breath. "The element combining process is one of the fundamentals of proper spell creation. If the elements used are not in synch the results could be a considerably weaker spell, or something that backfires completely. Do you have any idea how difficult it was to find a way to make flowers revert to seeds?"
"So it is an age spell!" Trixie said triumphantly.
"It's nothing of the sort! It's rather a miniature time bubble around the... You know what? Forget it! I'm done explaining things!"
"Some fireworks then?"
"Now you're being mean," Noonlight frowned. Trixie knew full well that she couldn't perform that spell. Something so simple, yet requiring superb spelling.
"How else will we know that the tablet has worked?"
Good question. As difficult it was to admit, Trixie had a point. Magic fireworks were harmless. Even if something went wrong, no harm would be caused. Not to mention it was something Noonlight would never manage to achieve on her own, so they would have positive proof of the tablet's efficacy.
"Very well," she sighed, and began concentrating. As she did, part of her mind wandered off. This was silly! They had to go to an aura doctor to get checked over, not play stupid games. The notion that she had resorted to a centuries old tablet from Celestia knows where was pathetic. If only Noonlight had disciplined her mind, she wouldn't have to...
"Noon," Trixie interrupted. "It's working."
Working? Noonlight was speechless. How could it be working? She was hardly concentrating on the spell. No unicorn could perform magic while splitting her focus, not by a long shot! She performed the spell again, this time solely focusing on the task at hand. A single dot of light exploded in front of her muzzle, transforming in a bouquet of colours.
"I did it?" she asked in disbelief. It wasn't much of a display, but for her it was nothing short of a miracle. The first successful magic firework she had ever done! "Oh my Celestia! I did it!" she squealed, jumping with joy. The last time she acted like this was as a filly, when her parents told her she was accepted to the SGU.
"Oh. My. Gosh!" Trixie started jumping alongside her. Cheer certainly seemed to be contagious. If anypony could see them now they would think the two were childhood friends. "Try something else!"
"Okay." There was no stopping her now. If it worked on fireworks, what other spell could it work on?
Noonlight opened a drawer and levitated some of her books towards her. Class notes, old assignments she had failed and tucked away to go through when she had the time. So far, she had treated them as her dirty little secret. Now, finally, she would get the chance to complete them.
"Transfiguration," she said.
A glow appeared around her horn, shooting at a nearby chair and transforming it into a basket.
"Weather spell!"
A small white cloud emerged in the middle of the room. Two out of two, and she hadn't even broken a sweat!
"Invisibility!"
Her yellow features began fading away until there was nothing left. Noonlight looked at her hoof. The only thing she could see was the floor. This was incredible! Last time she had attempted to perform that spell, she had toiled for weeks. All those sleepless nights, all that constant practice, only to find out she had messed up one of the most minute spell elements. Well, no more!
"Teleportation!"
A bubble of yellow light formed around her, followed by a night flash. Moments later she was on top of her bed, several feet away. Even teleportation?! Unbelievable. She never thought she would get that far. Teleportation was among the more difficult spells, reserved for the star pupils. Anyone capable of pulling it off moved directly to the head of the class. Even Trixie hadn't been able to master it while still in the SGU!
"This is..." Noonlight appeared next to Trixie in a flash. She was all visible now, a huge smile radiating from her face.
"Great and powerful?" Trixie hugged her. "Told you it would be! The tablet was really meant for you, Noon. With that spell you are unstoppable. I can see you starting the advanced classes, easy."
For a moment there was no envy in her words, no malice, or bitterness, just pure unadulterated joy. Trixie didn't care that in a matter of minutes, she had been utterly surpassed in magic skill. She was genuinely happy. Sadly, the moment didn't last. In a few minutes the excitement wore off. And while Noonlight started explaining in great detail what plans she had to change the world of magic, the blue unicorn had gone silent, deep in thought.
"You know, why don't you have fun for a while?" Trixie slowly headed towards the door. "Read some books, show off in class, that sort of thing."
"You're leaving?" Noonlight blinked. "But you just..."
"You know me. The great and powerful Trixie always has things to do, places to be. You go ahead and enjoy yourself. I'll see you again in a few days or so."
Noonlight should have suspected something was amiss, yet her excitement got the better of her. Nodding absentmindedly, she quickly returned to her spell making. Right now it felt as if a burden the size of a mountain was removed from her back. Magic without the need of spelling... who could imagine!?
The next three days were spent in the library. Coming up with some bogus excuse, Noonlight received permission to miss a few classes. Her teachers didn't seem to be too concerned - she was way ahead where magic theory was concerned, and hopeless enough in practical execution that a few days wouldn’t make any significant impact.
Every second was spent in reading, from the simplest, most rudimentary spell guidebooks to the vastly complex. Noonlight even attempted to get some materials from the special archive. Her request was denied, of course. There was no reason for a pony with mediocre grades like her to require such dangerous material. Some adapted spell tomes were suggested instead. Naturally, she read those as well.
On the evening of the third day she started experimenting. Locking herself in her room, she carefully stacked all her belongings near the bed, moved all the furniture in one corner and began. The first spell was a series of fireworks spelling out her name in glowing yellow sparkles. That proved quite successful. A warm feeling of accomplishment filled her. Years ago she would not have even bothered with such minor spells. It had been big or bust with her, and the result was often bust. How different it was, now that she actually could achieve something. All those useless little spells seemed not so useless anymore.
"Fire and ice," she said loudly.
Attempting two spells at the same time was tricky. It had only been demonstrated by a nutty professor who was as mistake inclined as Noonlight herself. When it came to magic, however... The whole class had looked in awe as Aether Magna, a mare of over eight decades, had cast three spells side by side while simultaneously explaining their effects for everypony to understand.
A ball of fire materialized in the air. Moments later eight ice crystals emerged around it.
"Not from the heart..." Noonlight whispered.
The flame twisted, taking the form of a flower bud. Bright orange petals slowly began to open. The ice crystals weren't dormant either. Thin strand-like spikes shot out, connecting each shard with its neighbours, forming the outline of a cube. The flame flower took no notice. Graceful and vibrant, it continued to slowly unravel.
Noonlight's horn was white hot with magic. Performing spells at once was more draining than she had imagined. Fortunately, everything else was well within expectations. The spell chain she had composed was perfect, down to the last detail. Just a few moments more and the double spell would be complete. She just needed to add a bit more power...
Suddenly the flame bud burst open. A bright yellow flame emerged from within the glowing red petals. An instant more and the flower would wither, consumed by its own power, vanishing to ashes. Ice shards shot towards it, encasing the flower in a cube of ice, before it could disappear. It was done... her spell was complete.
Trembling, Noonlight nearly fell to the floor. Never before had she felt so exhausted. To strain herself to the limit was definitely a first. Usually she would repeat a spell over and over until boredom drove her to go read a book or find some other way to spend her time. This feeling was new, and she liked it! Was this how other unicorns felt after a day of practicing magic? No wonder they were always so happy.
Catching her breath, she took a step towards the cube on the floor. It had fallen on the ground as soon as she had ceased her magic. Its condition, however, was perfect. The last moment of a fire blossom, captured for eternity in a shell of ice. That alone was thesis material! And she was just getting started! Her reverse plant spell, her sound visualization charm, her spell element identification enchantment, all of them would now be possible! Why, she could even attempt to discover the spell of eternal youth! And all this thanks to the autocorrect spell! Finally Noonlight had goals she found worthwhile!
"You really can be great and powerful, Trixie," she said, smiling. Next time they were together she would have to make it up to her. No matter the favour Trixie asked, Noonlight would grant it, and more. Right now, however, she needed some sleep.
The night passed quickly. No more rolling around restlessly in her bed or waking up every few hours. More surprisingly, the next morning Noonlight felt refreshed and full of energy. A perfect day for magic! Or it would have been, if she hadn't overslept! All those thoughts of complex spells and she had forgotten to cast an alarm spell before going to bed!
Skipping her breakfast, she rushed to class. In her haste, she completely forgot she could teleport. Only after she reached the door did the thought occur to her. Well, no use doing it now. Cautiously, she knocked a few times, then opened the door and proceeded to enter. The moment she set a hoof in the room, all eyes turned towards her - the SGU shaming ritual. Everypony went through it at least once in her time here. Noonlight had the "pleasure" to be more familiar with it than most.
"Ah, miss Bright," Endless Scroll said in his high pitched voice. "So nice of you to join us. I'd say I hope the time spent in the library has improved your spelling, but I know it's too much to ask. This is a school of magic, after all, not miracles."
Hushed laughter came from everywhere. Of all her teachers, Noonlight disliked Endless the most. Unlike her, he was a true prodigy, barely a few years older than the students he taught. It was said that he had graduated at the age of eight, then stayed as an assistant professor until he was deemed old enough to hold classes on his own. In any event, when it came to magic he was brilliant, and didn't let anypony forget it.
"Now if you would kindly take a s..." he began in his mocking tone. Usually, Noonlight would proceed to do the walk of shame to her desk. Not this time! In a flash, she teleported directly to one of the empty seats at the front of the class. It was no secret those were reserved for his favourite students. Going there was the same as issuing him a challenge.
"Well," he arched a brow, surprised, though still not overly impressed. "Perhaps we should send you to the library more often? Scratch a few points for technique, but at least you got the execution right... For once."
So that was it? Looks like he gave her little choice. If it was war he wanted, he definitely was going to get it. Not immediately, though. Any action she took now would be misinterpreted as a desperate comeback. She had to wait and strike when Endless least expected it. And, half way through the lesson, the opportunity appeared. Endless had just finished explaining the principle of magic reinforcement, in which each spell element gave power to the next, resulting in a cascade effect. While doing so, however, he made a joke about ancient circular magic. The practice had long been abandoned, but not so much due to inefficiency as auric fallout. An area where a circular spell was performed would distort all other magic there for days. There was no way Endless didn't know that. Had that been the focus of the example he would have surely corrected himself, yet in this instance he didn't...
"Excuse me, Mr. Scroll," Noonlight interrupted. "But are you claiming that circular magic is less efficient than magic reinforcement? In terms of total strength and period of effect, circular magic is undoubtedly superior."
The piece of chalk held by the professor's magic dropped down a notch. Being challenged openly in class upset him. There were no witty remarks this time. Being no fool, he knew exactly what Noonlight was aiming for. And he wasn't going to have any of it.
"Quite," he said curtly. "Miss Bright has quite correctly presented us the theoretical aspects. In isolation, circular magic indeed appears more advantageous. However, in a real life environment the time it takes for the area of the spell to be safe for magic makes it inferior, even if the three-spell-rotation method is used."
"But even then there are ways to go around it, using bi-spell vortexes," she pressed on.
"Miss Bright," he yawned, giving himself an air of superiority. "Even if the vortexes were adequately cast, which would be a miracle in itself, it would take twice as much effort and magic to maintain them than to wait for the auric fallout to disperse."
"Not if the vortexes are integral to the circular spell itself!"
To be honest, Noonlight had just thought of that. In theory it was possible - and quite the elegant solution to the problem. Two bi-spell vortexes interwoven in a circular spell... that sounded beautiful. Nearly impossible to construct, but if anypony could it would be a wonder to behold. Suddenly fear shot through her. Only now Noonlight realized the trap she had walked into. Terrified, she looked at her teacher. His victorious smile indicated he knew it as well.
"Quite the premise, Miss Bright," he said barely containing his glee. "Maybe you should show us? And don't worry about anypony getting hurt. I'll cast a protective bubble around your spell... In case anything goes wrong."
Ponyfeathers! She had walked straight into that. From here, there were two solutions - admit defeat or attempt the spell. The sane part of her screamed to apologize and bow down before his superiority, but the stubborn part refused to do so. Ultimately, stubbornness and pride won. Taking a deep breath, Noonlight stood up and slowly went to the podium. Whispers filled the room. Undoubtedly they were thinking she was insane. Even Endless Scroll looked at her in astonishment. It almost seemed as if he wanted to call the whole exercise off. Yet he didn't.
"Ready when you are, sir," she said in a quiet, shivering voice. Endless nodded.
First the bi-vortex spell - a series of elements positioned along an imaginary Möbius strip. Among them, Noonlight added, one by one, the elements of the circular magic generator. This way, the energy created would remain isolated, while at the same time keep the bi-vortex stable. Behind her, unicorns gasped as spell components materialized. Endless Scroll had, of course, surrounded everything with a transparent protective bubble. In such fashion everypony could see exactly what was going on, every step of the way.
A second bi-vortex began to emerge as the other spells were being completed. Three whole spells at once! The drain was far greater than what Noonlight had experienced last night. Drops of sweat began covering her body. Sparks started coming from her horn, already white hot with magic.
"I think that is enough, Miss Bright," Endless said, genuine fear in his voice.
Noonlight couldn't hear him. She was putting everything she had towards completing the spell. Two möbius loops, eight hex rings, following the order of a reverse spiral... Her mind desperately tried to imagine the spell while casting it at the same time. Never had she even imagined a spell so complex. It was inevitable that something went wrong!
"Miss Bright," Endless said loudly. "Noonlight! Stop the spell!"
For a split second she heard him, yet it was too late. The final element in place, the spell gained a life of its own. A spinning ring of light appeared within the protective bubble moving faster and faster. Daisies started sprouting from it, popping like popcorn. That wasn't supposed to happen. Noonlight didn't remember casting anything remotely connected to floral magic. Everything contained in the spell was energy related. And still, the daisies kept on coming. In a matter of seconds the entire bubble was filled with them. Endless Scroll made an attempt to strengthen his spell. No use. It too had been designed to contain magic energy, it was totally helpless in the face of the raw floral mass.
"Everypony, duck!" he shouted.
Right then, the bubble burst. Flowers filled the air like confetti, covering ponies, desks and floor. The white loop, now much smaller, fell to the ground, still spinning, and proceeded to create a pile of flowers before completely shrinking into nothingness.
Silence filled the classroom for several minutes. Everypony was too shocked by what had happened to move, let alone say a word. Noonlight continued to stand motionless, her mane covered in flowers, looking at the pile in disbelief. Ultimately, it was Endless Scroll who broke the silence.
"Well," he cleared his throat. "That was certainly... Invigorating, wasn't it, class? Special thanks to Miss Bright for the spectacular presentation."
There was no malice in his words, yet Noonlight didn't feel it that way. Right now she felt more ashamed than she had ever been in her life. To make a fool of herself in front of everypony, and in such spectacular fashion! Could she remain in the school after this? Could she remain in Canterlot even?
Heart racing, she cast an invisibility spell on herself. At least that was the intention. Instead her entire body, mane and all, transformed into fine yellow crystal.
"Whoa, crystal pony!" a stallion said.
No, no, no! This was all wrong! She was supposed to become invisible! An attempt at a teleportation spell followed... only to have a portrait frame materialize next to Noonlight.
"What's happening with me?!?" Noonlight shouted.
Why couldn't she use magic properly? None of the spells she had cast the last ten minutes were those she wanted, not even close! Flowers, crystals, a copper frame? Why in Equestria would this happen?
Suddenly, a cloud of blue smoke appeared surrounding her.
"Psst," a whisper came from the door. "This way!"
Noonlight ran without hesitation. The only thing she could think of at the moment was getting out of there. She rushed out into the hallway and headed straight for the exit. To her surprise, Trixie was there.
"Trixie?"
"Run! We'll talk later," the blue unicorn galloped next to her. "And whatever you do, don't use magic!"
"No magic? But why?"
"First we have to get to your room!"
Upon arriving Noonlight instantly noticed some changes had been made. Two large suitcases were expecting her, right in the middle of the room. And that was not all. Most of her things were nowhere to be seen - books, notes, clothes, even her Celestia posters. Now this was cause for concern.
"What happened, Trix?" she asked cautiously.
"We're leaving Canterlot," the other replied, lifting the suitcases with her magic. "I know a place, actually a few places, that would be perfect for you. There are good ponies there, they will take you in and help you, I am sure."
"Trixie! What is this about leaving?! I'm not going anywhere and I don't need anypony to take care of me!" the utter absurdity of the situation brought Noonlight back to her usual self. "You think I'll just turn tail and run because of a disaster in class?" Come to think of it, it didn't sound so bad now. Nothing to do with the horror she had felt not ten minutes ago.
"You never could see the small things," Trixie snapped, fighting to keep the tears in her eyes from showing.
"The small things?"
"You... You..." hesitation and sorrow filled each word, as she forced it out of her mouth. "You won't be able to use magic anymore, Noon. Not ever!"
Noonlight just stared at her. This was too much to take in.
"Where do you think I've been the last few days?" the blue unicorn asked. "I've been trying to find a counter spell for the tablet. But there is none! You're stuck with the autocorrect spell forever!"
"And that is a bad thing?" Noonlight still couldn't understand.
"Don't you see? The autocorrect spell corrects according to its own rules. It doesn't care about the purpose of the spell, it only ensures that the spell elements are correct. You never were good in spelling, so your complicated spells never came to be. With the autocorrect spell, you will always be able to cast... but never what you want. You saw what happened in class just now? Three spells, all wrong. And there's no telling when you'll cast something bad - something really bad- and hurt yourself."
Could this be true? Noonlight felt her hind legs give way, causing her to sit on the floor. To have magic, but never be able to use it. It was worse than having no magic at all. At least then one had no illusions.
"But what about the spells I did before?" she asked in hope. "Those worked fine."
"Only because you were focusing too well. The mistakes you made were too minute, so the autocorrect spell fixed them as it should. The moment you get stressed, or carried away, or even sloppy... You saw what happens."
"And you gave me such a spell?!" rage replaced disbelief. "You made me cast it on myself just so you can have a laugh?!?"
"I wasn’t thinking straight!" Trixie's tears were visible now, rolling down her cheeks. "I knew you could see nothing but the big picture, so I thought..."
"Thought what?!?"
"Thought that you would become good enough to prove you are better than Twilight Sparkle!"
And just when Noonlight thought this day couldn't get weirder. Did Trixie seriously think she could stand a chance against somepony like that! Could any pony? Even before her change Twilight Sparkle was the protege of Celestia, one of her private students.
"That's why I gave you the tablet." Trixie brushed away her tears. "She has more power than me, and probably knows everything written about spells. You don't follow books," she paused. "You never have. You messed up so often that you constantly came up with ways to compensate. Do you think I didn't notice during our first year here? That's what I liked about you, that's also what I hated!"
"You hated me because I was bad at magic spelling?"
"Yes! Because it made you seek something more. I tried to do that and I couldn't. If it isn't written down somewhere I could never come up with it on my own, even if my life depended on it. You, however..."
Everything was clear now. Slightly disturbing, but clear. Trixie had indeed been Noonlight's friend, in her own unique fashion. Maybe it started as rivalry, or envy, or hate, but in the end she became closer than a lot of her other pony friends. Funny how things happen in life. If only they had this conversation years ago, both of them would be better off. Trixie might have remained in the SGU to complete her studies, and Noonlight wouldn't have been cursed with this autocorrect spell. So sad that it was too late now...
"How did you know?" Noonlight asked after a few minutes of silence. The blue unicorn looked at her, puzzled. "How did you know this would happen?"
"Small things," she let out a sad laugh through the tears. "When you cast the weather spell the cloud was white..."
"White clouds are not in the weather spell category," Noonlight recited. "Although they are in the cloud category..." she sighed. It was among the first things they taught at school. "I would have noticed sooner or later," she smiled, trying to put a happy front. In truth, she too was having trouble holding her tears back.
"No, you wouldn't have... And that's one of the things I like about you..."
"You know, you'd have more friends if you were a bit less harsh on others." Noonlight attempted to laugh. It didn't sound very convincing. "You're right though..."
They stood there looking at each other. There was nothing more to say. The autocorrect tablet was lost, along with Noonlight's ability to control magic. Ironic that the thing that she thought could help her the most ended up as her greatest curse. Had Trixie used it on herself nothing would have changed. Then again, Trixie would never need to resort to such shortcuts. Actually, Noonlight was Trixie's shortcut - a quick means to get better and hope to challenge Twilight Sparkle in a magic duel. Instead she had lost that option.
"You'll be going either way, won't you?" Noonlight asked.
The blue unicorn nodded. "You sure you don't want to come with? The great and powerful Trixie could use an assistant as she becomes the greatest spell caster in Equestria."
"Maybe after I graduate. I wouldn't want to take away from your greatness," they both forced a laugh. "Will you visit again sometime?"
"Yes..."
That was the last thing Trixie said before walking out of the door. It felt awkward. This was the second time she had left Noonlight. Only this time, it felt different. It wasn't abandonment, it was a promise they would see each other again. And next time Noonlight would definitely have improved. No more shortcuts, no more miracle solutions, she would repeat the basics day and night if she had to until the autocorrect spell ceased to have any effect on her magic, and then she would work even harder - creating the most astonishingly unusual spells Equestria had seen! Before that, though, she would get some help.
Noonlight spent the rest of the day unpacking and returning her belongings to their usual places. A few acquaintances came to check on her, then, satisfied with her condition, left to continue with their plans for the evening. Some invited her to join them, yet she promptly refused. There was something else she had to do.
When evening came, Noonlight took a quick shower, had a bite to eat, then left for the main school building. Most of the faculty had gone home, save for a few who had consultation hours at that time. Walking up the second floor, the unicorn continued until she reached a dark brown door. A shiny name plaque read "Endless Scroll" written in large bold letters, "Magister Magica" added underneath in small font. Taking a deep breath, Noonlight knocked.
"Yes?" came from inside.
The unicorn opened the door and walked in. As expected, Endless was there, sitting behind his massive oak desk. A pile of test papers was arranged neatly in front of him, along with a set of quills and a half empty ink bottle. Seeing Noonlight, the professor stirred uncomfortably. In this small office, far away from the classroom, he seemed more like a lost student than a teacher.
"Can I help you with something, Miss Noonlight Bright?" he asked, half intrigued and half surprised to see her.
"Yes, Professor Scroll," she replied. It felt uncomfortable asking him for help, but she was determined to go through with it. "I'm afraid you can."