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Prologue: The Plan1,402 words
Book One: Part One2,877 words
Book One: Part Two2,304 words
Book One: Part Three2,140 words
A Brief Interlude524 words
Book One: Part Four2,975 words

Book One: Part Four

Well, if I wasn’t dead before, I am now, Rainbow mused. She could feel her muscles shifting her eyelids up and down, but there was no change in light from closed to open. She tried turning her head, but stopped as a jolt of pain struck in her neck.
OK, so, maybe I’m alive.
Rainbow opened her eyes again, a sudden bout of clarity giving her something to focus on again. She had seen light from farther back in the tunnel, and if they were still there, than the light should still be there.
She slowly turned her head, ignoring the pain that begged for her attention. She couldn’t tell if it was more sparks in her eyes, or if she was seeing light... but if it was light, she was alive.
Which meant Twilight was still here. And she needed Rainbow’s help.
She made to get to her hooves and look for Twilight, but she realized there was a heavy weight blocking her from getting up. She looked down, squinting with all her might to try and make out a form from the darkness that threatened to take her if she forgot that light was still there.
It didn’t work.
She went to plan B- she lifted a hoof unladen with the weight, and placed it on the form that lay across her. She could feel something soft, warm, and shifting, ever so slightly. Her hoof glided along the surface- it was fur, she could feel it. Her hoof hit a horn- Twilight’s, by no doubt.
She recalled her hoof, unsure if it was acceptable to be touching a unicorn’s horn... especially when they were asleep. It brought a little red to her face, even if she couldn’t see the color.
Her mind’s gears churned, though- had Twilight fallen asleep on her? From what she had seen, Twilight was so weak she couldn’t even hold up her shield. They were both in a rough state then; Rainbow had flown through all those spears, arrows, darts, and she was sure Twilight was passed out from trying to keep going the whole time. The unicorn had never worked out all that often, something she probably regretted now.
Of course, Rainbow mused, it could be worse.
She rather liked the rhythmic sound of Twilight’s breathing- now that she could identify the quiet noise- coupled with her comforting presence by her side. Maybe it was because she was light headed from taking so many hits, but Rainbow actually felt ok, sitting here with Twilight splayed across her hooves.
It could be worse.
Definitely.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Twilight was roused by a snore, which was, needless to say, unexpected for Twilight. It also provided her with the knowledge that her friend was at least ok enough to sleep, and snore. A wave of relief flooded through her- she had saved her friend, somehow. A smile played across her features.
You did a good job, kid-
Saved her life-
Snoring, best sound all week-
Twilight groaned.
Please, not now.
...
Alright.
But don’t forget about us!
We’re useful in a pinch.
More like I am-
Sure, ‘use your mouth’-
Coming from ‘your fault’ over here-
It was stressful!
I asked nicely... please don’t make me get angry again.
Got it.
Adíos.
See ya next time someone almost dies.
...
...
Twilight was finally free from those voices. Maybe she was crazy, but the loudest one was right- in a pinch, it was like having four ponies working on a problem at once. Sure, they’d fight like any other pony, but they were still on her side.
She thought back to the first time she had heard them, after her victory over Nightmare Moon...

*-*-*-*-*-*

Twilight lay on her bed, satisfied with her current state of affairs. She had five great new friends, nothing to keep her from taking a well-deserved rest, and even Spike was being more compliant than usual. She was almost into the dream world when she thought she heard somepony- or ponies.
Well, she seems to fit the bill for a new Bearer-
How long’s it been since it’s been a mare? Maybe four, five-
Skills might even rival Celestia, for her sake-
“Hello? Who’s there?”
Oh, I don’t think she realizes we’re in here-
Sure was traumatizing for me the first time-
We should break it to her easy, I think-
“Who are you ponies? Burglars?”
You don’t have to speak out loud, dear-
We can hear you just fine if you think-
Always worked for me-
Think?
That’s it. No need to wake up others-
Best to keep this a bit of a secret-
They might think you’re insane, otherwise-
Oh Celestia, I’m going crazy.
Not quite, my lady. Really-
I think I might be better at explaining it-
Both of you hush, I’ve got this one-
Who’s been here longer? You, or-
I have, actually-
Please! Even if I’m not crazy, all of you talking at once are going to make me so!
Ok, ok, sorry. Look guys, just let me talk-
Ok-
Alright-
Ok, dear, listen up- you are the new Element of Magic. You are truly a pony of great magical skill. And, being the Bearer, you get a few... uh-
Surprises-
Yeah, that’ll do. You see, each Bearer of the Element of Magic makes a small copy of him or herself and puts it in the Tiara. The Tiara grows in power, and the next Bearer can get helpful advice from the past Bearers, such as myself-
Or me-
Or I-
But only the past four or so. You only hear three because four Bearers back, the Bearer didn’t put a copy of himself in, selfish rug-
Back on topic, Mae, only in a pinch will we show, or when we need to tell you something important. We won’t be in here all the time- trust me, I know how annoying that would be. Why, when I was a bearer they were in there for hours at a time-
It was bloody fun too-
Didn’t let you sleep sometimes-
But I thought the Elements were only used by the Princesses up until Luna, well, you know.
One might think that, surely, but Celestia calls upon new Bearers whenever a crisis arises. And boy, do crises ever arise in Equestria-
Remember when the giant bear almost destroyed half of Canterlot? You were crying in my head I swear-
Or that ‘cosmic jellyfish’-
Cosmic Jellyfish?
Maybe another time. dear-
Yeah, you should sleep-
If you ever need us though, or want to talk, just call our names-
Though we’ll usually be there before you ask-
True, but just think of Maelin-
Bartimaeus-
And Jarrin-
...
How odd the silence seemed, after having pretty much a get together in her head. She wasn’t sure if she was crazy or not, but her bed was calling to her.
Best to listen to that inanimate object, rather than the Tiara.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

She shook her head, pulling herself out of her memories and focusing on the more important thing- Rainbow.
She lifted her head off a surprisingly comfortable and warm stone floor -how unexpected- and channeled a tiny spark of magic to bring back her orb and light up the corridor.
When the light hit her eyes, she found herself snout-to-snout with a sleeping Rainbow.
She immediately jerked her head back, a bit of a shock rousing her from her sleepy state completely. She hadn’t been expecting that, either. Had what she thought was the floor been-
A yawn interrupted her thoughts. Rainbow opened her eyes, a glint of magenta showing from behind her half-closed lids.
“So, you’re finally awake.”
Twilight’s rational mind thought of a witty comeback, perhaps something about how Rainbow was just snoring a second ago. But her body acted on impulse- this was a friend she thought dead, up until she had just woke up.
So, she grabbed Rainbow in a big, glomping hug.
“Woah, woah, Twilight! It’s good to see you too!”
Twilight’s rational mind was still demanding the spotlight, but she held on the hug for a second longer.
“I thought I’d lost you...”
Rainbow pulled back from the embrace, confusion clear on her features.
“Lost me? What do you mean, lost me?
“Well, after I pulled the poison from you, you still weren’t waking up, and-”
“Poison?! There was poison in me?”
“Well, yeah! I had to get it out of you! From the dart that stuck itself in your flank!”
“Ohh...” Rainbow whispered. “Maybe that’s why I passed out. But weren’t you collapsed on the ground when I came to save you?”
“What? No, I was resting for a second. I got too tired to run after you, once you left me behind in the tunnel.”
“Oh yeah... about that...”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry.”
“You almost got both of us killed! And I only barely saved your life!”
“I didn’t remember there were spears! And I don’t think there were poisonous darts in the book, either.”
“Well, we are up against Discord.”
“Yeah...”
Twilight took a moment, still resting against Rainbow’s prone form. But she knew what had to be done, and she forced herself to get up and get to work.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Twilight lifted herself off Rainbow, and the mare could finally let out a little sigh. Sure, Twilight had been kind of nice on her hooves and stomach for a bit, but they were really starting to feel the pressure.
Again, the thought that Twilight didn’t exercise regularly came to mind.
And it was just a quickly ejected from her mind when she noticed Twilight, whose eyes were roaming all over Rainbow’s body, tracing the curves of her flanks and belly.
“Um, Twilight?” she squeaked, heat returning to her cheeks. “What are you doing?”
“Oh,” she said, obliviously, “I’m just checking your bandages. I wasn’t exactly tip top shape when I did these.”
“Oh... ‘k.” Rainbow accepted, cursing her mind for going off like that again. Why would Twilight, of all ponies, try to catch a look at her flanks?
Especially so obviously.
“Roll over, please.”
Rainbow complied, presenting her back to Twilight and her purple light. Her ruminations continued, however.
Why was she getting all blushy- faced around Twilight all the sudden? Was it because of that dream?
Its vivid experiences all came rushing back- from that empty void, the howling shriek... and Twilight, in her finery, close enough to kiss...
Kiss? Ok, I’m going crazy.
What in Equestria made that word come to mind? I could’ve said a hundred other words, but I choose kiss?
And all the sudden, unbidden, an image came to her mind- Rainbow and Twilight, nestled under a tree, mouths perilously close to each other’s-
She put a stop to that mental trainwreck before it went any further.
“Rainbow? Are you ok? Your face looks hot. You might have a fever from the poison, let me feel it.”
She mentally facehoofed, the heat deciding to take up a permanent residence on her face.
“I’m fine Twilight, really-”
“No. You almost died, Rainbow. If this is something serious, I don’t want to leave it to chance.”
Her assertive tone made it clear she wasn’t going to take no as an answer, and Rainbow wanted to be up as soon as possible. So, she relented, and let Twilight put her purple hoof against her forehead.
Rainbow eyed Twilight’s reaction; it reminded her of when Twilight was trying to figure out just how much they would each have to pay if they split the bill 5 ways, or when she had to figure out how many books she had in her library while standing directly outside it.
“Well, you don’t seem to have a fever... and look, the red’s going away! Odd... probably just some of Discord’s magic at work again,” she decided, standing up.
“Yeah, Discord. Definitely,” she murmured, again trying to rise to her hooves. This time, she wasn’t stopped by her friend, and gave a much-needed stretch. It felt good to move again, and stretch her wings, and all of the other little intricacies only an athlete could understand.
She finally finished her warm ups and gravitated back to Twilight, who was contemplating the walls around them.
“Rainbow, some things aren’t adding up.”
“Really? I mean, we are dealing with Discord here. Second time I’ve had to remind you of that, Twi. I think you’re slipping.”
“Hush, Rainbow. I mean given what we’ve been given- a book.”
“So you agree with me then?” Rainbow interrupted, happy she’d won that little dispute.
“I agree that he’s placed us somewhere that is so familiar to that book in the series- whether or not we’re inside a real, paper book is still up to debate.”
“I don’t like to debate things, though.”
“Ugh... listen Rainbow, what I was trying to say was that a book is a very linear experience. Things happen, and you turn the page. But when you went backwards in this tunnel, it was like you were turning the pages backwards. The events happened again- the arrows and darts, for instance.”
Rainbow mused over that. There could be infinite darts, bucketloads of the stuff that had completely shut her down. It wasn’t exactly reassuring.
“And my theory is, the more that happens, the less stable the book becomes. Look,” Twilight commanded, bringing her attention to a segment of the wall. It was the usual drab gray of the rest of the tunnel, but the area around the hole where the dart came from looked... off.
“What is that, around the hole?”
Twilight didn’t lean in too closely, though- she apparently had already formulated a response while Rainbow was off, stretching.
“I think it’s the evidence for my theory. Look- it’s like static, on one of the televisions they’re coming out with.”
While Rainbow wasn’t too familiar with the concept, she knew what it meant really from the radio. Static on that meant not everything was getting through, so not everything from the book was getting through, either. She leaned in close to examine it- it was white that seemed to vibrate and buzz against the listless gray walls that surrounded them.
“Have you touched it yet?”
Twilight turned and gave Rainbow a confused look.
“Why would I touch it?”
“Well, what else is there to do but look at it and guess? If you touch it, you’d know what it really does.”
Twilight sat with a hoof to her chin- she looked like she was contemplating Rainbow’s ideal of ‘just doin’ it’.
“Well, it could be dangerous, Rainbow. Did you consider that?”
“I’m one step ahead of ya, Twi.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Twilight was pleasantly surprised with Rainbow. She had already formulated a plan to figure out what to do with the static on the walls, and was implementing it while Twilight watched. Even if she was happy Rainbow was making her own plans, she was still watching her friend somewhat anxiously.
She had asked Twilight to cut off a snippet of her hair, with which Rainbow planned to touch the static. Twilight had complied, snipping off a bit of her purple locks for use in the experiment. She still had her doubts, however- it was clear just by her face she wasn’t exactly confident in this little plan.
“Rainbow?” she asked, her friend flinching. She had been slowly lining up the hairs with the static, and had been completely focused on that alone.
“What, Twi? I thought we already agreed this would be better than sticking our hooves in it or something like that.”
“I understand, Rainbow. I was just thinking- what if it’s like an electric current, and it goes through the hair into you?” she prompted, waiting for an answer from her chromatic friend.
“Twi, I think you’re worrying waay too much over this. Can we just-”
“I’d feel safer if you did though-”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine-”
“Rainbow, please-”
But her words fell on deaf ears as Rainbow lined up the hairs and pushed. They seemed to hit the wall for a second or two, bending in the middle, before disappearing into the white. Rainbow pulled back her hoof.
“Where’d the hairs go?”
“I... don’t know.”
Both ponies stared at the hole in the wall. Twilight thought it looked bigger, but decided not to voice her opinion to Rainbow, who was a little freaked that her hoof had gotten close to the wall that had sucked up the hairs.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Discord was busily swapping floor tiles with various terrains when he heard a soft popping noise. He turned, feet shifting in the sand, to the table where the books lay. There was something on top of the book- how odd. He waltzed over to the novels, swaying to some imaginary music in his head. He reached his destination and turned his imaginary boombox to low.
His eye captured a few purple hairs, and it took him a second to register it. It was Twilight’s hair.
All music was gone from his head. He had a task now- to figure out just how Twilight had broken out of the book.
Or, part of her, anyway.