Narrator: Previously on "Magic's Fire", things have returned to normal back in Magnolia at the Fairy Tail guild. However, Charla had a startling premonition that could determine the fate of Fiore, with what looked to be strange creatures whom she believed never existed. Meanwhile in Equestria, a mare named Twilight Sparkle received a scroll. What does it say and how is all of this connected? There is only one way to find out.......
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Twilight unrolled the yellow-stained scroll and saw that it was written by her beloved teacher and princess, Celestia. Anticipation welling up inside of her, the unicorn scanned the page as she read:
My faithful student Twilight,
I have been quite impressed with your recent letters to me about friendship and I believe that you are ready for a new task. I would be delighted if you came to Canterlot! I have some books that will aid you for this test that can only be found in the Canterlot Library. I look forward to seeing you once again!
Your teacher,
Princess Celestia
Twilight couldn't help the excited grin that spread across her face as she finished reading the letter, excited that she would be getting a new assignment from her mentor. What made it even better? She would get new books! Oh, Twilight's day was getting better and better! Turning her head to look at Spike, the mare said, in an excited tone, "Do you realize what this means, Spike!"
Looking bored rather than excited unlike Twilight, the baby dragon said, "Uh....no. Not really," at this responce, Twilight pouted, but then regained her smile as she walked over to the fire-breather, getting up in his face in the process.
"It means that Princess Celestia wants to teach me new spells, or maybe she thinks I'm ready to FINALLY get into Star Swirl's private lab and library!" Twilight squealed at the possibilities that raced through her mind, adding to her excitement. Turning back to the parchment that was still in her magic's grasp, Twilight read through it again and said in a tone of determination, "We're going to Canterlot today,"
However, Spike only scratched his head, for he had different plans, "Uh....Twilight, is it okay if you can go without me? It's just that I still haven't gotten a chance to go see Rarity since I had to give you that letter, and....." he trailed off, waiting for a reply from the Element of Magic, who stared at the dragon with a blank expression, before a small smile graced her lips.
"Oh Spike, I'm sorry. I forgot that you didn't get a chance to see her. Of course you can go to Rarity's. Tell me how it goes when I get back, okay?" Twilight asked, to which the dragon that was still dressed up smiled gratefully. Making his way towards the door, Spike turned back to the unicorn and smiled once again.
"Thanks, Twilight. I will," he said. Opening the door, both Twilight and Spike were surprised to see that Apple Bloom was standing in front of it, a smile on her face as she trotted in and greeted the two.
"Howdy, Twilight! Howdy, Spike!" the little filly said merrily.
"Hello, Apple Bloom! Twilight greeted back, smiling.
"Hey, Apple Bloom. Sorry, but I gotta go see Rarity!" Spike said with a smirk before rushing out and closing the door behind him, causing Apple Bloom to arch an eyebrow and look to Twilight for answers. The mare only rolled her eyes and giggled.
"Don't mind Spike, Apple Bloom. He's just going to see Rarity. Now, what can I do for you?" Twilight asked kindly. Remembering why she was there in the first place, Apple Bloom smiled.
"Well, I was just at Zecora's and she need me to get some ingredients that I thought ya'll might have since, ya'll know, ya'll like to do experiments and such....." the Cutie Mark Crusader answered a bit bashfully.
"Of course! What are the ingredients? I might have them!" Twilight smiled. Perking up at the response, Apple Bloom dug through her saddlebag she had brought with her and pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to the older pony. Twilight read it and frowned, as she did not in fact have the items on the list, "Sorry, Apple Bloom, but I don't have these here," she said to the bow-wearing filly, whose ears fell and slumped down in disappointment.
".....Oh......" was all she said.
Twilight felt guilty that she couldn't help out her friend's little sister. That is, before an idea struck the unicorn mare. Twilight smiled and said, "But, we CAN find these ingredients in Canterlot. It's a good thing too, because I just so happen to be going there as well. If it's okay with your sister, you are welcome to come along as well," she offered.
Apple Bloom brightened at that, and spoke excitedly up at the mare, "Really!? Ya'll mean it? Oh thank ya'll so much Twilight!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, hugging Twilight by her front legs, making the pony laugh.
"It's no problem at all, Apple Bloom! Just ask AppleJack, then we'll meet at the train station, okay?"
"Okay!"
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The train to Canterlot was uneventful. It was only when Twilight and Apple Bloom started making their way through the city towards the castle that Apple Bloom began to marvel at the unique and large buildings that towered over her head. The filly was amazed and at a loss for words as she followed Twilight through the streets. Said unicorn didn't pay any mind to the city unlike the red-maned crusader, having grown up in the area and was quite use to it's beauty. The two were passing the arena when they heard a distant voice calling to the Element of Magic, "TWILIGHT!!!" turning to face the owner of the voice, Twilight and Apple Bloom saw that it was none other than the Element of Loyalty herself, Rainbow Dash!
Twilight smiled at the pegasus, who landed a few feet away from the gifted unicorn and earth-pony, and greeted, "Hey, Rainbow Dash! How was the tournament?" she asked. Rainbow Dash had been in Canterlot for the Wonderbolts Unlimited Tournament; a tournament where all the members of the Wonderbolts got to not only show off their incredible speed, but also show off their own talents to the spectators. And of course, Rainbow Dash could not just pass up the opportunity to see such an event with her very eyes! Especially when Spitfire, the Wonderbolts captain, personally invited her. Needless to say, the daredevil pegasus practically squealed like a little filly when she heard the news.
"It's awesome! You should see it, Twilight! There was this part where Spitfire went and-" Rainbow began to ramble on as she recapped the entire day with such enthusiasm evident in her tone. As for Apple Bloom and Twilight, they just exchanged glances and rolled their eyes in amusement at their friend's constant talking, knowing that it was going to take a while. Finally done with explaining every little detail about the tournament, Rainbow Dash turned her attention back to the two females in front of her, curiosity taking over, "So, what are you guys doing here, anyway?" she asked.
"Well, I'm here because Princess Celestia sent me a letter, telling me about a new task she had for me," Twilight replied, a gleam shining in her eyes.
"And I'm here 'cause Zecora needs some ingredients for a potion that I can only find here," Apple Bloom continued.
"That's cool! So, I'm guessing you're heading to the castle?" Rainbow asked.
"Yup! Do you want to come with us, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.
Rainbow Dash shrugged, "Eh, I don't see why not. I mean, the tournament is over for the day, so I guess,"
Twilight beamed and the three ponies made their way to the famous Canterlot Castle. Once the trio was inside, they made their way to the throne room, where they found Princess Celestia along with a few guards, which was normal. When the sun goddess spotted her faithful student and her friends, she gave them a warm grin and spoke, "Hello, Twilight Sparkle. I see you have brought along some friends,"
"I hope that's alright, princess," Twilight asked nervously.
Celestia smiled, "Of course, Twilight. Any friend of yours is welcome here,"
Hearing this, Twilight sighed, before asking, "I got your letter, princess. What is this task?" Realizing that they were getting straight to business, Celestia smiled.
"It is a very important test, Twilight. One I feel you can only accomplish. But first, you will need to retrieve these books from the library-" as she said this, the Princess of the Sun used her magic to pass a small slip of paper over towards Twilight who took it with her own magic as she read through it. Celestia continued, "-and since the library has been renovated just recently, there have been many books rearranged in different areas. Fortunately, I have a guard that knows the arrangements just fine," as she said this, the regal alicorn gestured with her hoof a guard that stood next to her.
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Apple Bloom looked to see the guard. He was a pegasus with an orange coat and blue mane. He wore golden armor and held in his right hoof a spear that was sharp to the point. His expression was stern, as required for the guards when they were on duty, and stood tall as if nothing on Earth could move him from the spot. Rainbow Dash, Apple Bloom, and especially Twilight couldn't help but stare at the stallion, feeling slightly intimidated by him. Twilight didn't know why, but she felt a strange vibe around the pegasus, which made her intrigued by him.
"His name is Flash Sentry, and he will accompany you to the library and assist you if needed. He knows where all the books can be found if you have any troubles. I hope you find what you need," Celestia finished and stared down at her pupil and her friends, who nodded in understanding. Looking to Flash, he nodded and stepped down and walked ahead of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Apple Bloom without even acknowledging them as he went.
"Follow me," he said bluntly. Rainbow scowled at his attitude before following him along with Twilight and Apple Bloom. Just because he was a guard, didn't mean he had to be rude.
As Flash Sentry walked ahead of them, Rainbow whispered in Twilight's ear so that only she could hear, and asked, "Is it just me, or does this guy seem brudey?"
Twilight shook her head, "Dash, he's a guard. He's not suppose to show emotion, but that doesn't make him brudey," Twilight defended. Even so, the unicorn mare couldn't deny that there was a tension in the air around the stallion that she couldn't ignore. After passing a few more corridors, they finally made it to their destination; the library.
When she saw how much bigger it was than the last time she was there, Twilight's eyes were practically bulging out of her head in amazement as she gave a smile that went from ear to ear, if that was even possible. with a gleam in her eyes, Twilight squealed in excitement and practically dove into a pile of books nearby. Rainbow Dash snickered and whispered to Apple Bloom, "Once and Egghead, always an Egghead," which caused the filly to laugh as well. The two were so caught up in laughing at the unicorn's antics, that Rainbow was shocked when she saw Twilight grab her by the front hooves, still smiling like crazy.
"Rainbow Dash! Help me get these books from the higher shelves!" Twilight stated in anticipation.
"Wh-WOAH!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, before Twilight pulled her over to the books and buried her into a mountain of books that Twilight had accidentally knocked over. Apple Bloom was clutching her chest from laughter, and even Flash's mouth curved slightly upwards, before it quickly went back in a straight line.
Once Apple Bloom regained her composure, she remembered why she was there and reluctantly walked over towards Flash Sentry, wanting nothing more, but to get as far away from him as possible, "Uh.....e-excuse me, F-Flash Sentry," at her voice, the pegasus turned and stared down at the crusader.
"What is it?" he asked blankly. Apple Bloom stiffened momentarily before taking a deep breath.
"Where can I find ingredients for potions?" she asked.
For a moment, the guard didn't respond. Apple Bloom thought that maybe he was observing her, contemplating if he should tell her or not. After another second or so, he finally answered and pointed to a door on the right side of the room that read "Potions Lab" on it. Before Apple Bloom could walk towards it, Flash Sentry glared at her as he got in her face, his muzzle scrunched up against her smaller one, "Get what you need, but apart from that, DON'T. TOUCH. ANYTHING. Is that clear?" he asked almost threateningly, making Apple Bloom shiver in nervousness.
Nodding her head vigorously, Apple Bloom galloped over to the door, and stepped inside. The room was small and was dimly lit. Spread all around the room, was equipment that was lazily placed in different areas of the space. In front of Apple Bloom, hovering over a table, was the source of the little light the room had; a green gem. The gem floated over the table and ignited a dim glow that somehow felt soothing to the filly. Apple Bloom didn't know why, but she felt herself being drawn to the object. It was as if a little voice was telling her to touch it, but she didn't know why.
She was very tempted to go and hold the green gem, but Apple Bloom remembered the reason why she was in that room in the first place and found a shelf with bottled potions in them and went to it. Finding the items she needed, Apple Bloom placed the bottles into her saddlebag she had brought with her and turned to leave the room. However, the same gem from before caught her eye and she looked at it, becoming entranced by it's soft glow and soothing nature. the bow-wearing filly was so mesmerized by the item, that she didn't even realize that she had walked up to the table it was hovering over and was reaching for it, "....Touch it....." a small voice whispered in the back of her mind.
Even though it didn't sound familiar, she felt that she could trust the voice and did as she was told; she touched the gem. At that moment, the once soft glow that illuminated the room burst into an intense light, causing Apple Bloom to cry out in surprise and use her hoof to shield the light from her eyes, making her let go of the gem in the process. Instead of falling to the ground, the object remained hovering in mid air, but this time, a vortex formed in front of it and began sucking in air along with some equipment into it. Apple Bloom was horrified when she realized that she too was being sucked into the vortex along with everything else.
She screamed in terror as she grabbed onto anything closest to her, which was a tray from close by. However, her attempt was in vain, as the tray was being dragged into the hole with Apple Bloom. Said filly felt the tears well up in her eyes, and she knew she needed help fast!
"HELP!!!!!" was all she could yell out.
Not even a moment later, the door to the lab burst open to reveal Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Flash, who all looked astounded and horrified at the scene before them, "T-TWILIGHT!!!" Apple Bloom screeched as she began to enter the vortex. Jumping into action, the unicorn rushed over the filly and grabbed her by the hoof, but she too was being pulled in the vortex. Rainbow soon flew over and grabbed onto Twilight's tail and used all of her strength to push against the air current, but to no avail, for she began to slip into the hole with her friend's. Seeing their struggle, Flash intervened, pulling with every ounce of strength he had to pull the filly and mares out of there, not wanting to fail.
Unfortunately, even with their combined strength, the ponies attempts were all pointless, for in they went into the vortex, screaming, until finally.......
BANG!!!!!!