"So, you taking a couple of minutes?" Asked Stethoscope of his colleague, sitting outside the hospital, on a bench taking a drink of something very powerful.
"Go away! can't you see I'm done for the day!" Stable replied, powering up a very powerful pain killer spell. "So I'm leaving things for 'the doctors', while I treat my pain."
"That leg injury never healed properly did it?" Asked Stethoscope, trying to make small talk.
"Some never do!" Replied Stable. "Especially when they aren't treated in a timely manner" He said, nursing old grudges. "But didn't I tell you to buzz off!?"
"I suppose you did, but I think if I'm quiet I can sit here a few minutes." Stethoscope said, hoping that time would get the old grouch to open up.
"No you can't! Read my lips bumpkin: 'GO AWAY'! You think: 'Oh I'll talk to the doctor and make him feel better, then he'll be all lovey dovey happy fun-times -- just like everyone else in this Celestia forsaken town!' Well It doesn't work that way!" Stable snapped back. "It never does!" He said, hanging his head in shame.
Stethoscope simply shrugged and sat down a few paces further away. And just waited. After a few minutes, a soft sobbing could be heard.
"So doctor, you want to --" Stethoscope said, hoping he could get his colleague to talk.
"No! Now GO AWAY! And let me drink away my failure in peace!" Stable said, actually starting to sob.
"Doctor!" Stethoscope chastised. "We all lose patients! Heck, you've lost at least a few!"
"Yeah, but never like this. Normally they are dead on arrival or we never figure out what happened in the first place. I've never had a patient where I've found the root of the problem, and they wound up dead!" He sighed. "And worse yet! It's as much my failure as it is anyponyelse's! Normally I'm the smart one surrounded by nincompoops!" He lamented.
"Well there's a first for everything. And she's not dead yet!" Stethoscope responded. "Why don't you come in, and we'll use some more unorthodox and reckless medicine -- maybe we'll save a life yet!" He said, hoping his colleague would buck up, and get back on the horse (so to speak.)
"Very well." The other doctor replied, spilling his beverage into the bushes -- before walking back into his job.
********
"You can't just barge in here!" Shouted Nurse Redheart to the angry alicorn, who insisted on seeing the doctor, rain or shine -- her ear twitching slightly.
After a couple of minutes, an old doctor returned from outside, his hoofs clopping loudly. "You need something princess?" He asked, with a chuckle, which was responded to by an angry glare, and a snort, from Twilight.
She stood there for a minute, looking exceedingly agitated, but then her features suddenly dropped when she looked at the doctor's face. Finally she opened her mouth. "Could I please take that test! She needs help! I can feel it!" The princess said, with a sigh. "Please let me try! I can tell you're desperate, and I couldn't live with myself, if I didn't try!"
The doctor sighed, and tuned to his nurse."Don't worry, I'll let her in this time." He said, his signature smirk returning. "Sometimes rules have to be bent or broken." He said to Nurse Redheart, with a reassuring smile.
"Very well doctor. But you are aware how unorthodox this is." Replied the nurse. "I mean visiting hours are over, and --" She said, before the doctor put a hoof to her face.
"I'm aware." The old doctor said, waving a hoof at the nurse. The doctor turned to Twilight and smiled his most genuine smile. "Ok Princess, let's see what you can do! But remember! We are only going to test you! Don't try anything stupid!"
Twilight just nodded, and smiled. "Rainbow Dash, let me see if I can help out your little friend." She said to herself, quietly.
After a few minutes the old doctor slowly opened the door, only to see his some of his colleagues already in the room. "Ok! Give me a recap, what is the patient's state?"
"Not good. Doctor Horse has taken a few of the other doctors to scour not just the hospital's library, but the general library as well -- looking for anything they can find. Meanwhile, little Rainbow Heart's condition continues to deteriorate! Her temperature is starting to fail, as is her respiration, and heart rate. She has only a half hour or so at most." Doctor Stable replied, lowering his head a little. "If only we had more time!" He lamented.
Twilight looked at the little filly, slowly failing, and frowned. For a second, it seemed like she was standing there hashing something out with herself, muttering slightly. Finally, she put her hooves together (her eyes going slightly wonky). She had decided! "Please, let me run the test!" Twilight said, holding Celestia's smile. "I think I can pass it." She continued, powering up her horn. "Celestia, please let this work!" She thought to herself.
"Ok, but I want you to take it easy princess, you probably have more magic in that horn then all of the unicorns in this room combined." Doctor Stable said, casting a suspicious eye. "And remember her condition is very fragile!"
Twilight nodded, with a smile. Appearing, at first, to be casting the detection spell.
"Ok, step back! We'll see how compatible this princess really is." Doctor Stable said, worried about what rainbow-friendship alicorn magic would do.
Her horn, which had previously been glowing slightly, started to glow more and more visibly, and then started to spark at the end.
"What in Tartarus name is she doing!" Shouted Doctor Stable, starting to panic. "There is no way she's casting the magic compatibility spell!"
Slowly the sparks grew in size and shape, and a small ball of light began to appear at the tip of the princess' horn as her eyes started to glow a blinding white.
"What in Celestia's name is she doing!" Shouted Doctor Stethoscope. "Orderlies!" He shouted, scrambling to get the orderlies in there as fast as he could.
The ball of light separated itself from the princess' horn, and began to float in the air for a few seconds, before colliding with the filly's small undeveloped horn.
"WHAT IN TARTARUS NAME POSSESSED YOU!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!" Shouted Doctor Stethoscope, visibly shaking and seething. "DID YOU THINK FOR A SECOND WHAT THIS MIGHT HAVE DONE TO THIS ADORABLE FILLY! YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST --"
"What my colleague means to say is: you dunderhead! You knucklehead! You meathead! You oaf! What were you thinking? Did I give you permission to start throwing around your alicorn magic?" Doctor Stable joined in. "I would have let you cast that spell, but only once I was sure it would be safe. She was clinging to life before. She couldn't handle a massive bolt of Celestia knows what magic!"
"Nurse Redheart!" Doctor Stable said, pressing the intercom button. "Princess know-it-all decided to do something stupid! I need the other doctors in here stat!"
"I don't think that will be necessary doctor!" Twilight said, smiling ear to ear, as something in the bed below began to stir.
"Oh wow! I can see stars! That was unicorn fun! Let's do that again!" Shouted the hyper active filly, her Cutie Mark, glowing an almost neon color. After a few seconds, the young unicorn started falling back to sleep.
"Nurse, could you check on her stats! I need to walk princess magic-pants out of here!" Doctor Stable scowled. "Check her magic levels while you are at it."
"Very well doctor." Nurse Redheart responded.
"Let me join you as well." Doctor Stethoscope said.
********
Grabbing the princess by the shoulder, Doctor Stethoscope dragged her outside -- till both of them were a few feet from the hospital. Then without a second thought, the doctor opened up.
"Ok! What was that about!? What possessed you to do use magic we didn't condone! And a magic transfer no less!" Doctor Stethoscope ranted, before grunted belligerently. "Didn't I tell you that we weren't going to transfer magic to her without our permission. Do you know what could have happened to her?" He stated, sternly. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't call the police on you right now!"
Twilight blushed, and hung her head. "I'm sorry. I had originally come in to yell at doctor 'superiority', but the moment I entered the room, I could feel palatable despair and helplessness; and I just had to do something! Anything!" She said, looking very sorry.
"Look Twilight." Doctor Stethoscope said, with a sigh. "I understand what you getting at. But we, as doctors, have to be extremely careful with our patients. And I know Doctor Stable's methods are usually unsound and ridiculous! But there are risks that even he won't take!" He said, trying to see if the princess understood. "And even if it works like you want it too, there's no telling that the same trick will work again, or even if it would be a good idea. She may even have complications that we don't understand."
Twilight just looked away, she wasn't sure what possessed her, but she just felt that she had to act.
The nurse started to walk out into the courtyard. "Doctor! I think you need to see this! And bring the princess with you! She needs to see this as well!"
"Ok! See Twilight! There may be complications!" Doctor Stethoscope said, repressing a desire to growl.
********
Rarity looked on with abject terror! What were those horrible bugs? And why were they hurting everyone? She wouldn't lose them again! No! Not like last time! "I won't let you down this time! I'll save everyone this time, Cheerilee! Not just me, but you, Lily Lightly, Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes! I'll save everybody!" Rarity thought to herself.
She waved the wand once, twice, thrice. No this would only teleport her! She needed to save everyone!
"Rarity! What are you doing!? That's not how you do the Princess Twirl!" Cheerilee called out with abject horror.
She waved it a fourth time, a fifth time, a sixth time! She started to see stars. But she had to keep going. If she threw the wand now it would teleport the monsters too!
"I'm not doing the Princess Twirl Cheerilee" She said, with a frown. "I'm going to teleport everyone this time!"
"What are you talking about Rarity? You've never used the wand before. You don't know how dangerous it is!" Cheerilee said, weeping as she talked.
"I'm sorry Cheerilee!" She thought to herself. "I have to do this!" Seven! She hurt everywhere. Eight! She could barely move. Nine! Everything started going black. She just hurt all over, and just struggled with all her might to hold onto the wand. All she had to do was throw the wand! But why was everything so dark, why did she hurt so much?
Cheerilee lunged forward in desperation, losing hold of the door.
"Cheerilee! The door!" Shouted Whistle Wishes, in panic, as the door was forced open.
"Bravo! That is some tasty despair, and desperation, out of you." Captain Raphanus said, with a smile. "Too bad I'm not permitted to feed! Grab the two by the door, I'll grab that pathetic filly. Vladímir will decide what to do with them!" He said, grinning sadistically.
"Cheerilee!" Rarity shouted, gathering all her available strength. "I'll save you!" She tossed the wand with all her might to activate the spell. Then everything went to black.
All of a sudden she could hear someone talking to her. Who was it? She sounded older, even then Cheerilee?
"Wake up little one! I'm glad you could come in early, but it's not good to sleep out here!... Are you ok?"
Who was talking to her? She was just so tired and weak. All she could do was look up at their symbol. it was three flowers, that was Cheerilee's symbol! But it looked different for some reason.
"Ch.... Cheerilee?" She asked, barely able to talk.
Was this Cheerilee? Why did she look different? And why was her symbol different. Was she still mad at her for borrowing the wand?
"I'm sorry Cheerilee!" She lamented, feeling really sorry for disobeying her mentor. "But I had to use the wand, I couldn't lose you again!" She said, her eyes starting to close again. She was just so very, very, tired.
"It's ok dear. I forgive you." Cheerilee said, or was it even Cheerilee? "Now why don't you stay awake, and we can talk about stuff!" Not Cheerilee said. "Maybe I can teach you something?" She would love to learn something! If only she wasn't so very tired!
"Girls, please get this little one to the hospital as quickly as you can!" Cheerilee said.
"You coming with... with us Cheerilee?" She asked, barely awake. She just wanted to sleep so bad.
"Yes." Cheerilee said. "I'll be along in a second. I just have to get somepony to stand in for me." It was just like Cheerilee in her dreams.
She knew that she wasn't going to come with her! She had failed, Cheerilee was going away again, and there was nothing she could do!
"I promise! You'll see!" Cheerilee said, with conviction.
"Please don't lie to me Cheerilee! Please!" She said, her eyes closing again. Everything went to black again.
She her horn kept tingling and itching. Like when you shuffle your hooves over a carpet and then touch a metal doorknob.
She could see a light in the distance, and then suddenly it felt like the sun touched her horn. And it was like she finished drinking a giant glass of hot cocoa! And her symbol felt like it was hot as an oven.
And all of a sudden the light was gone, and there was stars instead -- Super, extra, fun stars!
"Oh wow! I can see stars! That was unicorn fun! Let's do that again!" She shouted, at the funny stars, before she started to get tired again. She would just sleep for a moment...
"Excellent!" Said a male voice. "Her condition seems to be stabilizing!" Talking to somepony.
"She seems to be waking up." Said a female voice.
"Cheerilee?" She thought to herself. "Is that you?"
She started to open her eyes, and the stars started to clear. Behold her was what appeared to be a purple unicorn.
It was Cheerilee! It had to be! "Cheerilee?" She asked. "Is that you! I'm so sorry for using the wand! I didn't mean to use it! It was just that everyone was in trouble! And I couldn't lose you or Lily Lightly or Whistle Wishes or Brights Brightly ever again! Never again!" She said shaking her head.
"Wand?" Cheerilee asked. Except, as the stars finally cleared away, it wasn't Cheerilee, but a winged purple unicorn. Why was her muzzle so small? And why didn't her hoof have a heart on it? "Could you explain please?" Not Cheerilee asked.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I thought you were my mentor Cheerilee! You see I lost her when the funny bug ponies attacked Unicornia! Except they weren't funny bug ponies! And I got lost and!" She said, stopping for a second. "My name is Rarity! What is yours?"
"Why this is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and my name is Doctor Stethoscope. So Rarity is your name, correct?"
"Yeah! That's my name!" She said, smiling ear to ear. Oh she could tell today was going to be extra fun! If only she wasn't so dang tired.
"Well! Miss Rarity, you gave us a really big scare there!" Doctor Stethoscope chastised her. "You have to be careful when casting magic, especially magic you don't understand. Using too much magic at once is very dangerous! Especially at your age!" He said, looking into her eyes, in some kind of parenting mode. "You have to be careful to only cast spells that you are up to and to never cast too many spells at one time. Especially at your age!" Stethoscope said, ever ready to lecture ponies in the proper way to live healthfully.
"It's not my fault! I wanted to save everyone from scary mean bug ponies!" Rarity responded, crossing her hooves in an unnatural manner.
"Fair enough, but why don't you tell Twilight and I what happened, and I'll see if I can locate your guardian, or this Cheerilee." Stethoscope said to the small pink unicorn. "Cheerilee, Isn't that the name of the teacher?" Stethoscope said to himself, under his breath, in confusion.
********
The next morning
********
"Rarity! Come back here with that tray table!" The nurse said, the horror apparent in her voice! "The doctor doesn't want you out of bed for a couple more days!" She shouted chasing after the precocious child skating away on a table meant to bring her breakfast.
The filly skated down the hall, cheering gleefully. As a couple of orderlies joined the nurse in the chase. "Rarity! This is incredibly unsafe! Your condition is still very unstable and Doctor Horse would have our necks if you hurt yourself again!"
The filly just cheered, as she started to fly down a flight of stairs -- riding along on top of a cart. After a couple of flights, the filly separated from the cart, and started going a different direction then the cart.
However the filly's flight didn't last long before she, and the cart both were grabbed by a spell activated from one of the doctor's horns.
"Come here young filly!" A grumpy voice rasped. "You're lucky I'm in a decent mood today." The doctor said, carrying the young filly in his magic, as his hooves slowly clopped along the tiles.
"Ahhhhh!!!" The filly said (blissfully unaware of what was grabbing her -- but instead painfully aware that her joyride had suddenly ended), sounding disappointed for a few precious seconds, before starting to giggle riotously. "Sometimes I get the giggles!!"
The doctor just rolled his eyes. There was a reason he usually worked with late adolescents and adults.
"Young filly!" Said Nurse Redheart in her sternest voice. "What do you have to say for yourself! You could've hurt yourself bad!"
"That was unicorn fun! Let's do it again!" Rarity said, giggling wildly.
"I say let's not do that again!" Scolded the doctor.
"Doctor." Nurse Redheart said, her expression puzzled. "I thought this was your day off, what brings you in bright and early?"
"Well apparently the 'princess of friendship' located this young filly's guardian/'mentor', and I was hoping she could shed some answers on the filly's condition." Doctor Stable said, with an ominous expression on his face.
Nurse Redheart just shook her head. "Do you still want me to get the teacher as well?" She asked, being unable to find the teacher later the previous day.
"Maybe later. For now I want to find out if I need to be calling FPS on this 'mentor'? Or if little Rarity over there decided to take another joyride -- mayhap a magical one." The doctor said to the nurse quietly, scowling all the way. "I'm also hoping she can help us figure out if the filly has a history of illness that would explain her condition yesterday."
"Umm.... Doctor... A Cheerilee is here to see you!" One of the nurses said over the intercom.
"Great! Bring her in! I'm in half a mind to call FPS to meet her here!" He said, to the nurse, his temper showing.
"And somepony else... too..." The nurse said, her voice sounding shaky.
"Look if it's 'princess' Twilight Sparkle, tell he she's done enough damage for two days! And that she should come back tomorrow!" Doctor Stable said, snorting slightly.
"No! I think you should show her in... She wants to see little Rarity..." The nurse said, getting quiet.
"Mare!" He shouted at his nurse, angrily. "You can tell the 'princess' that she's not needed here! And that she should go away!" He said, stamping with his good legs.
"Oh, I understand completely." Said a serene voice over the intercom. "But would you mind a different princess visiting your patients?"
The doctor suddenly lost all color in his face and muzzle. "Sh.... Show her in..." He said, shaking violently. "Show them both in..."
********
"Heya girls." Apple Bloom said, with an enthusiastic smile. "You figured out yet how we're gunna get our Cutie Marks?" She asked the other two members of the crusaders, who had just joined her.
"Not yet!" Sweetie Belle Squeaked. "But I've come up with a few excellent ideas we can try after Twilight Time." She said, holding a piece of paper, with the words 'top secret' written in large red letters.
"Let me see!" Scootaloo said, with eagerness, snatching the piece of paper out of Sweetie's mouth.
"Hey! Those were supposed to be a surprise!" Sweetie squealed, looking angrily at her friend.
Scootaloo, looked through the list, and then frowned. "Maybe they should have stayed that way. These ideas are pretty bad." Scootaloo said, dropping the piece of paper.
"Well I thought they were pretty good!" Sweetie said, pouting. "What do you think Apple Bloom." She said, grabbing the paper, and giving it to her other friend.
"Well..." Apple Bloom stated, looking through the list with a frown. "They're... interesting." She said, lying through her teeth (hey only Applejack represents honesty!)
Sweetie Belle just sighed, feeling deflated.
"Common girls, buck up!" Apple Bloom said. "Maybe Twilight'll teach us something useful for Twilight time that will finally earn us our Cutie Marks." She said, opening the door. They had been doing Twilight time for a while, and had learned lots of cool things, but nothing that would help their cutie marks appear.
Only, instead of Twilight standing there to greet them, as she normally did. She was rushing around babbling something about a "wand" to herself.
"So... Um... Twilight. Do ya mind us showing up for Twilight time?" Apple Bloom asked, as politely as she could; noticing the princess flying by at high speeds.
"Um. Sure thing. I'm just looking for some books on something. You girls have a seat. I'll be right with you." Twilight said, galloping around at top speed. "I just remembered a book I was recently reading; which pertained to something that came up in a conversation." Twilight said, pulling books off the shelves, seemingly at random.
All three young fillies let out their loudest sighs -- this wasn't going to be much of a Twilight Time at this rate.
Sweetie just sat there for a second. There had to be some way she could prevent this Twilight time from being a bust, but how? Wait, did Twilight leave a book on her table? Maybe it was a book of magic!? Maybe they could earn their Cutie Marks as CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MAGIC WIELDERS YAY!!!!
The book looked very brittle. She recalled that Twilight told her that some books had to be opened with magic. Too bad she wasn't very good at magic yet. She hoped that she had enough skill to lift a book though.
The book hit the floor thunk, and promptly opened somewhere in the middle. In the middle stood odd creatures. They had yellow-pink coats? Or were they just bald? And was their coat different and furrier on their body then on their heads? No wait! Those were cloths (she knew from living at the Boutique most of the time.) Too bad she couldn't read the words, these strange bipeds looked really fascinating.
"What, in the hey are you looking at over there, so intently?" Scootaloo asked, looking over at her friend, curious of what the white unicorn was looking at with such intent.
"I didn't break the book!!! It was already broken to begin with!" Sweetie said, panting in panic, and stepping between Scootaloo and the book.
"Relax Sweetie, it's me!" Scootaloo said. "What are you looking at anyway?" She asked, sliding the unicorn out of the way, and staring down.
"It's these funny creatures in this book." The little white unicorn said, with a chuckle. "I mean why are they all reared up like this? And why are their front legs bent that way? Wouldn't they fall down and break their knees?" She asked, thinking about all the times she tried to stand on only her back legs for any length of time.
Scootaloo shrugged. "Maybe they're mutants like those three new ponies that showed up a few days ago?" She asked, looking over to her friend, who had joined her in looking at the picture of the bipedal creatures.
"Maybe, but why are they all wearing clothes?" Sweetie asked innocently (it's not that ponies didn't dress up, it's just they didn't dress up quiet to the level these bipeds did.) "Are they all fashion forward like my sister?" Sweetie asked, thoughtfully, tilting her head and holding her hoof in a thinking position.
"girls!" Twilight scolded. "Please step away from that book. It's extremely old and brittle, and shouldn't really be touched without magic." She said, gently pushing the two crusaders away from the book with her magic.
When released, the three girls just stepped away a pace or two.
Sweetie knew that this would probably start a rant, or get her in trouble; but she couldn't push the question out of her mind. "Twilight?" Sweetie asked. "What are those strange creatures in your book? And how are the reared up like that ? And why is everypony clothed like that?"
Twilight stood there frozen for a minute to smirks of glee from the young girls, who hoped they might have, inadvertently, just dodged a bullet. "Well, come over here, I always like to broaden young ponies horizons through learning." Twilight said, with a smile. "And I can see why you were curious Sweetie, this book is fascinating!"
"You girls see: the book calls these creatures 'minotaur-apes'; and they were , up till my trips beyond the mirror, believed to be a myth." Twilight said, activating rant mode. "I've come to learn that these creatures are called 'humans', but these two creatures:" She said, pointing at the two creatures with pointed ears, and another two smaller creatures with pony like ears (in about the same position), a large nose, and a large beard. "I have no better name for. Some of the legends I read, when I visited the other world for the second time, called these creatures 'Elves' and these ones 'Gnomes', but I can't be certain, my knowledge of their language is sketchy at best."
"So Twilight, what is this book anyways?" Apple Bloom asked, approaching the book and pointing straight down. She, like the other crusaders, was fascinated in these strange creatures -- they looked like the monsters granny used to show in some of the old story books she used to read the filly.
"Wow! Excellent question." Twilight said, with a smile. "You girls are learning fast!" She said, with a squee. "What you see before you is one the tales of Starswirl the long horned!" She said, with a growing smile.
"You mean that old unicorn you are so gaga over?" Scootaloo asked, unimpressed. "The one with the bells?" She asked, swallowing a chuckle.
"No! That's Starswirl the Bearded." Twilight said, with agitation. "This is his distant ancestor." Twilight responded (I mean isn't it obvious to anypony with eyes that these are different ponies!)
"So how old is this book anyways?" Apple Bloom asked, her curiosity continuing to be peaked. "I mean, I don't think I've seen a book like this before! And don't we have like archive magic or somethin for books like these?"
"It's actually a 117th reprint from the end of the second age of an earlier book from the beginning of the second age, and represents the oldest known surviving book in all of Equestria." Twilight responded. "It's so old the protection spells on it are almost entirely shot. So I would appreciate it if you touched the book with caution!" Twilight cautioned, hoping to keep the crusaders from their normal mischief. "I found it last week in one of the hidden libraries in the old castle." She said, remembering the hidden archive they found during renovations. "And I don't know if there is another." She sighed, knowing that this was the only half-way salvageable book in that part of the archive.
"Can I read the rest of the series?" Sweetie asked innocently, hoping to hear more information -- maybe something cutie mark related.
"Sorry girls. The rest of the series has been lost to time -- though I'm hoping the other books might be in the old castle somewhere as well." Twilight responded, with a sigh -- she could only hope. "Such a shame, this is the fifth of fourteen books in the set that chronicles Starswirl's adventures (the long horned, not the bearded) among the pegasus tribes. This chapter deals with an exchange between the pegasi and the decaying fragments of an older human kingdom spanning back into the first age -- most likely destroyed during the series of catastrophes that ended the first age, and brought an end to the first unified pony kingdom."
"So if these here 'hew-mans' were so important then why'd they all go and disappear?" Apple Bloom asked, curiously. "I mean and why'd we have no records of them?
"Nopony knows." Twilight responded. "They only appear in legends from the second age; and up until Sunset Shimmer made her little trip through the mirror, we didn't even know what they looked like." Twilight responded. "And truth be told, we thought they were just myths. However , this book seems to suggest that they once had a civilization, here in Equestria, at some point." Twilight said, thoughtfully. "As for why they disappeared? We don't know. Maybe Discord removed all traces of them during his short reign?"
"So where'd they come from?" Apple Bloom asked. "Did they come from the mirror like Sunset Shimmer? Or they get here some other way?"
"Actually no, they couldn't have." Twilight responded matter-of-factly. "That mirror wasn't created for another couple of thousand years at the point this book was written, let alone the original."
At this point Scootaloo's fascination had begun to be engulfed by her short attention span, and she wanted to see if they had any information, or pictures, of the legendary deity of the pegasus tribes. "So they got any pictures of Danny The Joy Bringer in here?" Scootaloo asked, trying to grab the book from Twilight's magic. "I've been hoping Ms. Gold Heart will take me to Cloudsdale to see the old tribal shrine! But she says there's no money for that! Sad thing too, 'cause it's said that the first time a pegasus touches his wings they will get their biggest desire -- and I know what mine is!" She said, imagining herself finally flying, with Rainbow by her side.
"Scootaloo! Don't touch that!" Twilight shrieked as the top of her lungs in horror. As the pegasus started fumbling pages of the old book with her hooves -- causing a page to not just separate from the book, but also to split in half depth wise (such is the jinx of the crusaders.)"
Twilight first started crying uncontrollably, then started to smoke, and finally almost caught flame. However, after a short period of hyper ventilating, she waving her hooves: She was ok. But she had to fix the book now or it would be too late! And she just had to hope that her book restoration magic was strong enough (yes! There are some problems even the Alicorn Element of Magic can't fix.)
Twilight fixed her stance, and activated her most powerful restoration spell. After a few seconds it appeared nothing was happening, and Twilight began to give up. However, her continued efforts weren't in vain as both of the two halves of the single page, magically, pasted themselves in the book. This caused Twilight to smile! This was going to happen! She was going to fix an ancient book! But, sadly, her hopes began to be dashed as the two halves of the page didn't fuse back together.
"I'm going to need to use full power for this." Twilight said to herself, not giving up. She powered up her magic as close to her limits as she could, and promptly blinded everyone in the room with a burst of pure magic. However, the page's fragments still didn't fuse back together. Instead pictures and writing began to appear on the two pieces. The halves of the page were, in reality, two pages that had been fused together for some reason.
"A'm blind!" Apple Bloom screeched in horror, fumbling wildly, before the darkness and stars finally started to clear away (she was glad, of course, 'cause glasses are fer nerds!)
"Sorry about that girls." Twilight said, sheepishly. "I guess I got a little eager there." She said, looking at the book. Strange: she didn't notice the two pages glued together before? Was something done to the book magically at some point? Or was this an error in the printing?
"Hey it's the hyoo-mens again!" Sweetie Belle Squeaked. "But what are they holding in their hoof-thingies, they look kinda like toy wands!" She said, pointing to odd objects, held in the pink creatures misshapen hooves.
The tall human was holding a very long thin wand with an orb at the top of the wand, that was so tall they had to hold it with both hooves. And the creature appeared to be beckoning an object to move with jet black magic.
The tall human with the pointy ears was holding it's barrel with one hoof, and a small wand with the other. The wand was glowing a familiar color blue, and it looked like some kind of spell was being performed off page.
The short human with the pony ears, big nose, and a large beard was holding a simple wooden stick, and was casting some kind of spell, which caused leaves to swirl into a cyclone.
"Interesting, these wands don't appear to be toys though." Twilight said to herself, sitting down to think for a second. "I wonder..." She thought. "Maybe that wand Rarity mentioned had something to do with her condition!"
Twilight started to read the words on the new pages for a second, fascinated with her theories, before realizing.... "Oh... I'm sorry girls. It's Twilight Time, and I want to know what you've learned this week!" She said, beckoning Scootaloo forward.