At the last day of school of the week before the beginning of spring, Midnight, Sunny and Silver Wind were taking breakfast at the cafeteria when Cozy Glow appeared, sitting at their table.
“Hi, girls!” she said.
“Hi, Cozy!” Sunny and Silver replied in a cheerful way.
“Hey…” Midnight said, in an annoyed way.
“I have the most wonderful news and I wanted you to be the first to know” Cozy Glow said. “So, in order to celebrate the beginning of spring, I’ve decided to create a new club: the Enchanted Gardening Club.”
“That’s amazing!” Sunny exclaimed. “I love gardening, especially Enchanted Gardening. I normally help Leaf Mane treating her plants back home and she teaches me so much about magical plants.”
“The idea is very interesting” Silver Wind said. “You can count with me.”
“Good” Cozy Glow said. “Meet me at the greenhouse after classes. Because most of the students are going home, I’m certain we’ll have it all for us. What about you, Midnight? Are you coming?”
“I’m not a great fan of gardening, sorry” Midnight said, in her cold, but polite way.
“Oh, it’s okay” Cozy Glow said. “But it would be great to have my roomie in the same club as me. We would have a lot to talk at night before going to bed.”
“Come on, Midnight, don’t be a killer-joy” Sunny told to her sister. “Come to the club.”
Joining the club that was created and ruled by the one pony she didn’t like was the last thing she wanted to do, but Midnight remembered what Star had told her about tolerating Cozy Glow, so she decided to comply.
“Just because you’re asking, Sunny” she replied.
That answer let Sunny so happy that she hugged her sister, saying:
“Amazing! This is going to be so much fun!”
“Okay, girls, meet you at the greenhouse” Cozy Glow said. “Now, if you excuse, I have some things to do before classes.”
Having said that, she took flight and moved away.
“I’m so happy that you decided to give Cozy a second chance, Midnight” Sunny said. “That makes me so happy.”
“I’m not giving her a second chance” Midnight said. “I still don’t trust her at all, but I’ve decided to tolerate her.”
“Okay, do as you wish, but I still think you’ll come around” Sunny said. “You’re just being stubborn.”
Midnight rolled her eyes.
At the end of the classes of that day, most of the students present at the academy prepared to go home, as well the teachers, and the ones who would stay would spend the day at Leafgreen. After saying goodbye to their brother who decided to spend the weekend at the Light Kingdom, Sunny asked to Midnight:
“So, ready for the Enchanted Gardening Club?”
“Let me just take my things to my room and I’ll join you and Silver Wind there” she replied.
And she went to her room. At his way to the greenhouse, she noticed something strange. Cozy Glow was flying around while appearing searching for something. While doing that, she was saying:
“Where could it be? I’ve searched everywhere and no sign of it. Could it be in their office? Well, there’s just one way to find out. But… I have that go to that stupid club. Oh well, it’s just for a few moments and then all the work will be worth it.”
Having said that, she moved away, heading towards the greenhouse. Midnight looked at her, frowning. She had never seen Cozy Glow like that. It was like she was a total different pony. That only encouraged her suspicions that she was up to something.
At the greenhouse, the fillies had their gardening aprons put and were ready to begin.
“Okay, fillies, is time for Enchanted Gardening” Cozy Glow said. “And I’ve prepared myself for this by reading all the books I could. The headmistresses also were able to get me some magical plants to present at the club and for us to grow.”
“That’s amazing!” Sunny exclaimed. “I can’t wait to try it.”
“So, what do we do first?” Silver Wind asked.
“Well, the first thing we need is a flower bud” Cozy Glow said, while taking from her bag a little plant with red rose-looking flower buds in a bag of dirt. “Like these rising rosebud. Then you add just the right amount of magical plant food…”
And she took a little bag with the plant food, adding some sprinkles of it to the plant. As soon she did that, the rising rose turned tens of times bigger, what surprised her filly colleagues.
“And it grows into a giant rising rose stalk” Cozy Glow said. “And of course you can make even bigger. Why stop at great when you can make it the greatest?”
And she had a little more of magical plant food and the rising rose stalk grew even bigger in a way that reached the greenhouse’s ceiling. That cause great astonishment from the others, including Midnight’s.
“That’s amazing, Cozy!” Sunny exclaimed, who, unable to resist, took a rose from the lower stalk and placed on her mane.
“Thank you, Sunny, but I’m not done yet” Cozy replied, heading towards another bag.
She took from there some other plants that placed on a table. They had a long and thin stalk with blue bulbs.
“How about some bouncing bluebells?” Cozy Glow asked, adding some magical plant food to them.
Once she had the plant food, the bouncing bluebells started to bounce. They started to bounce at their place, but soon started doing all over the greenhouse, much to the amusement of the others.
“And now it’s your turn” Cozy Glow said. “I have the perfect plants you can try on.”
And she motioned to another table where there were three other different plants: one that looked like daisies, one that looked like a lily and another that was just like a sunflower.
“Silver Wind, you can take the dancing daisies” Cozy Glow directed. “Midnight, why don’t you take the laughing lily? And, Sunny, I believe the singing sunflower is perfect for you, and not just because of your names. You will find some magical plant food on your tables.”
They all took the flowers to their own tables.
“Remember to add the right amount of magical plant food” Cozy Glow remembered. “Four pinches of food per flower is a good start.”
“Thanks for the advice, Cozy” Silver Wind said. “And I sure need it. I think gardening is not really my thing.”
She add some of the magical plant food to the dancing daisy and it started to dance.
“Oh, I made a dancing daisy!” the young pony-wolf exclaimed.
“Well, it could be bigger, but not bad, Silver” Cozy Glow commented.
Midnight added some magical plant food to her laughing lilies, but it would appear it did nothing.
“Mine isn’t working” she said, while looking up close. “Did I do something wrong?”
Suddenly, the lilies sprayed some pollen to Midnight’s face and she started to laugh in an uncontrollable way.
“Yeah, I should have told you that laughing lilies can spray you with a laughing pollen when you get to close” Cozy Glow said. “Sorry, Midnight.”
“Oh, my…” Sunny said, a little worried. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Don’t worry, it wears off” she replied.
And, like Cozy Glow said, Midnight soon stopped laughing.
“Yeah, I’m good now” she said. “But not thanks to you, Cozy.”
“I already apologized, Midnight” Cozy Glow replied, making her innocent look. “I’m also still learning about magical plants.”
Midnight had a feeling that apology was not sincere, but she decided to let it go by taking a deep breath, what managed to calm her down.
Now it was Sunny’s turn. Unlike Silver Wind and Midnight, she wanted to add the exact aount of magical plant food Cozy Glow had told her to add. For that, she had brought different sized spoons and started to pick the perfect one.
“Okay, let's see… Tablespoon, teaspoon, smidgeon, dash… Ah, a pinch.”
Picking the spoon, Sunny used to put four pinches of magical plant food on her sunflower. As soon she added the fourth pinch, the sunflower just increased massively in size, while starting to sing opera.
“Wow!” everypony exclaimed.
“This is amazing!” Cozy Glow exclaimed, observing the singing sunflower up close, flying. “I’ve never seen such incredible singing sunflower.”
“How did you do it?” Silver Wind asked to Sunny.
“I used my pinch spoon to get the perfect amount of plant food” she replied. “My mom always says that, if we do something, we have to do it right.”
“Well, for sure this is all amazing” Cozy Glow said. “However, I just remembered I have some other things to do. Why don’t you keep practicing with the plants here and I’ll come back.”
“Okay, Cozy…” Silver Wind and Sunny replied.
And she got out of the greenhouse. Seeing her go after what she saw earlier, Midnight got a feeling something wrong was about to happen.
“I’m sorry, but… I need to go to the bathroom” she said to the others.
Midnight hasted to get out before any of the other two asked anything. After that, she followed Cozy Glow, making everything to not be noticed by her, something she managed to do. However, the only thing she managed to see was her flying through the halls of the academy, while greeting cheerfully the students that passed by, occasionally helping the ones who needed it.
Seeing that and noticing how nice Cozy Glow had always been ever since the day she got to know her, made Midnight start to think twice of her suspicious over her. Could it be that she was wrong? Could it be the suspicions she had were just her imagination? Or were them product of a need to make others look like the villain so that she could ignore the fact she herself could become one?
All those thoughts and insecurities started to cause discomfort to Midnight, as she let Cozy Glow go out of her sight. She couldn’t think in anything else but that. It was then, at that moment, the jewel of her mane clip started to glow. After it stopped glowing, a hoof touched her shoulder, what gave her calmness that allowed Midnight to disperse all of her worries. She turned around and saw Heartbeat.
“Hey there!” she greeted her with her usual childish and joyful voice.
“Heartbeat?” Midnight asked, confused. “But what are you doing here?”
“I came to answer your distress” she replied. “And also because I’m a big fan of the bread made in Leafgreen. Seriously, that thing is so good that, a few years ago, I once let your brother get out of my watch what caused him to lose a little control over the seal containing Nine-Tails. Okay, let’s not talk about that now. What’s up, Midnight? What’s worrying you?”
“I… I don’t know” Midnight replied. “It’s just… I had this feeling about Cozy Glow… and now I’m questioning everything. Since the day I met her, I had this feeling about her… Like something was not right. But… now, I don’t know what to think. She looks so nice. She has been always like that since I met her… well, most of the times, at least. Perhaps I’m wrong and my instinct is not reliable.”
There was a pause of a few seconds and then Heartbeat said:
“You know, as the General of Affection, I’m a true believer that the instinct is the greatest defense any being could have. It makes us alert and careful.”
“But what if the instinct is wrong?” Midnight asked. “Are you telling me that there is any time where it is not right?”
“Of course instinct is not always right” Heartbeat said. “But that doesn’t mean you must not always follow it. Ponies are not always what they seem to be, Midnight, so you have to be careful and trust your feelings, no matter what everypony else says or thinks.”
Those words really made Midnight start to relink with her instinct. The doubts she once had started to disappear as the certainty that Cozy Glow was hiding something came back.
“You’re right, Heartbeat. I must trust my instinct.”
“That’s the spirit” she said. “Now, if you excuse me, I think I’ll go to Leafgreen. I’m craving for those breads…”
And so she left using her super speed. Once Midnight was alone again, she moved to find Cozy Glow and finally get to know what she was hiding.
At that moment, Cozy Glow was entering the headmistresses’ office and started to search for something in their shared desk.
“Oh, where did they put that book?” she mumbled, while opening and closing drawers. “I must find it.”
Suddenly, the door opened and the three headmistresses entered. Seeing Cozy Glow there, Knotgrass asked:
“Cozy Glow, what’s the meaning of this!”
“Oh, headmistresses…” she said, a little embarrassed. “I thought you were out dealing with the spring transition.”
“Don’t try to change subject, young filly” Merryweather said. “We want to know what are you doing in our office, uninvited, looking around our desk.”
“Well, you see…” Cozy Glow said, trying to find a good excuse. “I lost… a quill.”
“In our office?” Thistlewit asked.
Seeing that she was being corned and she could talk out her way out, Cozy Glow saw there was any other way.
“Well, it would appears I can hold on the façade any longer” she said, adopting a sinister look.
And she made appear a wand, just like the ones used by the fairy headmistresses, and waved it. There was a burst of light and, when it cleared, Cozy Glow had turned into a fairy. She had a brilliant gold coat, brilliant gamboge mane and light gold eyes, with her dress and hat being light brilliant gamboge.
“Finally I got to be me again!” the fairy exclaimed. “Being that do-goody, puppy-eyed filly was giving me nausea.”
“Miss Nettle?!” the three fairies exclaimed.
“I can’t believe it…” Knotgrass said. “Our best apprentice… You were Cozy Glow all this time?”
“Yes, I needed a passport to get in your academy without raising suspicion, mainly you and that nasty little jinchuriki” Miss Nettle said. “All that just to wait for the perfect moment to get what I want.”
“And what is that?” Merryweather asked.
“Well, if you must know… I’m looking for your spell book” Miss Nettle replied.
“I should have known” Merryweather said.
“Ah, but you didn’t” Miss Nettle told. “You three think you’re more much powerful and clever than I am. You’ve always have. But once I get my hooves on your spell book all that will change.”
And so she started to sing.
She sang how she was the three great fairies’ apprentice many years ago, working hard to impress them and make them look at their spell book, what they didn’t, causing her to become obsessed with it. While singing about she not wanting to be the fairy number four, but rather the number one and claiming to everyone make way for her, she advanced and took Merryweather’s wand for her.
In response to that, Knotgrass and Thistlewit attacked with their respective wands, but Miss Nettle deflected the attacks using the chandelier. Merryweather, irritated, advanced to try and recover her wand, but Miss Nettle imprisoned her in a bubble. She then proceeded to sing about being pretty but dangerous when meddle with, all while being able to take Knotgrass and Thistlewit’s wands and imprisoned them in bubbles as well, singing about going to be as famous as the Black Fairy, the evilest of the fairies, much more magnificent.
And so she started again singing about not wanting to be the fairy number four, but rather the number one and claiming to everyone make way for her, all while making the bubbles where the headmistresses were going around, before combining them into one only bubble. What Miss Nettle didn’t know was that Midnight had arrived to the office and, through the door slightly open, was able to see the wicked fairy holding her teachers prisioners.
After she finished the song, Miss Nettle said:
“Well, it’s time to go. You know, I have so much to do and so little time. I think I better put on my mask again. Although I don’t like hiding my beautiful look.”
And waving her wand again, she turned into Cozy Glow and then said:
“Ta-ta!”
Cozy Glow advanced to the door, what made Midnight to go hide quickly. Once the fake pegasus filly got out, she advanced to the office and said:
“Professor Knotgrass! Professor Thistlewit! Professor Merryweather! How can I get you out of there?”
Midnight tried to pop the bubble up, but she wasn’t able to do it, not even with her magic. It was then that she noticed that the three fairies were trying to say something to her, but Midnight couldn’t hear them.
“What?” she asked. “I can’t hear you!”
Getting to know that, the fairies started to do charades.
“Oh, you’re trying to tell me something.”
Noticing what Knotgrass was doing, Midnight quickly realized.
“A book!” she exclaimed, seeing then Thistlewit making a gesture that looked like when she waves her wand. “A spell book! Your spell book!”
They then made gestures that looked like wings and then to the mane, as if they were trying to hold locks.
“Cozy Glow?” Midnight asked. “Or that fairy that is taken her form… What’s her name? Miss Nettle, right?”
The fairies then made a gesture of getting something.
“Oh, Miss Nettle wants to get her hooves on your spell book” Midnight realized.
After that, Knotgrass and Thistlewit started go go around Merryweather while doing some kind of dance, while the latter had her front hooves to different directions.
“Why are you marching?” Midnight asked, not understanding what they were trying to say. “I don’t understand. Don't worry. I'm going to find a way to get you out of there. I promise!”
Midnight got out of the office and then headed to the greenhouse, where Silver Wind and Sunny were playing with the bouncing bluebells. Once she got inside, she called:
“Sunny! Silver Wind! I need your help!”
“What is it, Midnight?” Sunny asked.
“It's Cozy Glow!” Midnight said. “She’s not who she says she is.”
“Come on, Midnight, you won’t start it again, won’t you?” Sunny asked, not wanting to deal with her twin’s paranoia.
“Yeah, because it’s starting to get a little exhausting” Silver Wind added.
“This time is for real” Midnight said. “I saw with my own eyes who she really is. And she’s not even a filly. She’s an evil fairy and she wants to steal the headmistresses' spell book.”
However, it looked like Sunny and Silver Wind were not believing.
“You know, I think your sister may be starting to have a fever or something like that” Silver Wind whispered to Sunny.
Midnight wouldn’t let her warnings be dismissed, so she turned to Sunny and said:
“Sunny, please, you have to believe in me. I know I was never trustful of Cozy Glow, despite she appeared to be nice, but that’s because my intuition told me she wasn’t what she appeared to be. And, believed me, there were moments where I doubt of it. But I can ensure you that it is right on this. Sunny, you’re my twin. You have to believe in me.”
The older twin looked to Midnight on the eyes. They stayed for a few seconds like that, but then Sunny smiled and said:
“I believe in you, Midnight.”
That caused Midnight to smile and they she hugged her twin.
“Thank you, Sunny” she said.
“Well, looks like we’re doing this” Silver Wind said. “But what can we do against this evil fairy? Can we asked the headmistresses for help? It’s their spell book, after all.”
“They tried to stop her and she put them in a bubble” Midnight told.
“A bubble?” Sunny asked. “What kind of bubble? Like the ones Star can do?”
“I don't know, some kind of prison bubble” Midnight replied. “And we have to find a way to get them out of it.”
“But how are we going to do it?” Silver Wind asked. “We don’t know how to break advanced fairy magic. And I doubt any of the few students who are at the academy know it too.”
“How about Professor Xenon Alchemy?” Sunny asked. “I bet he know how to deal with Cozy Glow.”
“Actually, her name is Miss Nettle” Midnight corrected. “But you’re right, Sunny, he may be able to help. Let’s go!”
The trio advanced to Professor Xenon’s room, where he was planning the next surprise tests for his classes. Despite the initial disbelief of having an evil fairy at the academy, he decided to go along with them. As they advanced through the halls, he said:
“I hope this is not a prank, your fillies, or else it’s detention to all of you.”
“You have to believe in us, professor” Sunny said.
“Yeah, an evil fairy captured the headmistresses and is trying to steal their spell book” Midnight said.
“If what you’re saying is true, then that fairy is in big trouble” Professor Xenon told. “If there is one thing I can’t stand are evil fairies.”
They then passed through a room with an opened room, where they could see Cozy Glow searching for the spell book.
“That's her” Midnight said.
“Stand back, children” Professor Xenon said. “I will take care of this.”
And he burst into the room, exclaiming:
“Stop right there!”
Cozy Glow, turning to him, said, making her innocent look.
“Oh, Professor Xenon, what a surprise! But, why are you yelling at me? Did I do something wrong?”
“You can drop the act” Professor Xenon said. “I know who you are… fairy.”
Making her sinister smile, Cozy Glow said:
“Well then, I think there’s no point in keeping the disguise at all, if you already know, isn’t it?”
Waving her wand, Cozy Glow returned to be Miss Nettle. Seeing that, Silver Wind whispered to Midnight:
“Wow, you were not kidding, Midnight.”
“Don’t make any move, fairy” Xenon said, charging his horn.
“Or instead, you could not make any move” Miss Nettle replied.
And, waving her wand, she imprisoned Xenon Alchemy in a bubble, just like he did with the fairies. He tried to get out, but his magic wasn’t working.
“You can try whatever you want, my dear, but only fairy magic can break that bubble” Miss Nettle said. “And I doubt you have a fairy wand with you.”
And she laughed.
With their last back-up now imprisoned, the three fillies run away as fast as they could until the entrance of the academy.
“Now what do we do?” Silver Wind asked.
“We're going to have to help the fairies… on our own” Midnight said.
“But how, Midnight?” Sunny asked. “You saw what she did with Professor Xenon.”
Midnight thought for a moment and then had an idea that she shared:
“Well, we can find the spell book before Miss Nettle does. There must be a spell in there that can free the fairies.”
“That can work” Silver Wind commented.
“But that book could be hidden anywhere” Sunny said. “We have to think smart. Perhaps we could… We could start by going to the library and looking at a map of the whole academy. Then we can see every room and every possible hiding place.”
“Great idea, Sunny!” Midnight exclaimed. “Let's go!”
They went to the library, where they got a magic map of the all the academy.
“Now, if you were the fairies, where would you hide a spell book?” Sunny asked. “Well, there's the archive. Nah, too dusty. Or the hall of armor. That'd be too noisy. Or the clock tower?”
“Or where nopony would ever find it” Silver Wind said. “We're doomed.”
At that moment, Midnight had an epiphany.
“Wait! Go back to the clock tower.”
Sunny made a miniature image of the clock tower and Midnight said:
“I think that's it. When the fairies got trapped, they were marching all around. I knew they were trying to tell me something, but I had no idea what. But what if they were marching like the figures in our clock…”
“Because they were trying to tell you the spell book is in the clock tower!” Sunny ended.
“Exactly!” Midnight confirmed. “So we'd better get to the clock tower before Miss Nettle does!”
And so they advanced to the exit of the library. They got out of the academy and headed towards the clock tower. While doing that, they passed through some rooms and they saw, through a window, that Miss Nettle was in one of them.
“Okay, now we can hide” Midnight said to the others.
The three fillies laid low and waited that Miss Nettle went away. They were able to hear her saying:
“Where is that book?”
And she left the room. Midnight took a peek and then said:
“She's gone. Come on.”
And they continued their way until the clock tower. Arriving there, they got in, but they noticed something when they arrived there.
“Uh, where are the stairs?” Silver Wind asked.
“There aren't any” Sunny replied. “The fairies don't need them.”
“Of course!” Midnight said. “They can fly up!”
“But… we can't” Sunny said. “Our magic isn’t strong enough to levitate ourselves up there.”
“Maybe I can turn into my pony-wolf form and climb us there” Silver Wind suggested.
“I don’t know, Silver…” Sunny said. “You still don’t have full control over your pony-wolf form. You could revert back in the meantime.”
Midnight thought for a moment and then noticed the rose on Sunny’s mane and had an idea.
“Sunny, do you have any magic plant food left?” Midnight asked.
“Let me check” she replied, going to her saddlebag. “Yeah, I still have some.”
“Can you grow that rose on your mane into a rising rose stalk big enough to reach the top of the tower?” Midnight asked.
“I could do some quick calculations…” Sunny started.
“Or you could just use it all and see what happens” Silver Wind suggested.
“I could do that too” Sunny admitted.
Sunny took her rose and placed it on the floor. Then she took the bag with magical plant food and poured it on the rose. As soon she did it, the rose turned into a rising rose stalk that grew up to the top.
“Wow, Brilliant!” Silver Wind exclaimed.
“Sunny, you did it!” Midnight said, hugging her twin. “Now let's climb.”
They did so and it didn’t take long for them to arrive to the top. There, they could see the figures that usually came out when the clock marked an hour, with three representing students (a pony, a deer and a griffon) and three representing the fairies, both holding books.
“Okay, now where could the book be?” Silver Wind asked.
“Maybe it is at the gears that make the clock run” Sunny suggested.
“Then we have to hurry and find it” Midnight replied.
Suddenly, the bell started chiming and the figures started to move.
“The clock's moving!” Sunny exclaimed.
As the figures started to get out of the tower to make their turn, Midnight noticed something when she saw the book Knotgrass’ figure was holding.
“Wait!” she said. “Look at that book! What if it's…”
“The spell book!” they both exclaimed.
And so Midnight and Silver Wind fadvanced towards the figure, passing by the others, all while doing the way of the spin. While the two fillies tried to stop it, Sunny was at the entrance waiting for Knotgrass’ figure to get in and got the book with her magic.
“Got it!” she said, giving it to Midnight.
“So is it the spell book?” she asked.
“It sure is!” Midnight replied, happily.
“Bravo!” a voice said, and the fillies startled as they saw Miss Nettle before them. “You've done all the hard work for me by finding that book. Now you get to do the easy part: hand it over.”
“No, Miss Nettle” Midnight said. “I won't give it to you!”
“Uh, I always knew you’d be troublesome” Miss Nettle said. “But what could be expected from a Dark Twin?”
Midnight got uncomfortable as she heard Miss Nettle say that. She and Sunny traded a look, both asking the same thing: how did she knew about that.
“What does she mean with Dark Twin?” Silver Wind asked.
“We tell you later” Sunny replied.
“Well, having in count you have the book and our history, I’ll make it easy for you” Miss Nettle said. “I'll make you a deal. If you give me the book, I will free your dear headmistresses.”
Despite the deal looked good, Midnight had a feeling she shouldn’t trust Miss Nettle. She had already trick them by pretending to be Cozy Glow. What if she was trying to trick them again.
“I don't know…” she said.
“Well, I put them in that bubble, so I can easily get them out of it” Miss Nettle said. “And all you have to do in return is give me that one little book. It's a great deal, if I do say so myself. And so much better than being put in a bubble.”
“I think we should take the deal, Midnight” Sunny said.
“We can’t trust her, Sunny” Midnight replied.
“But, despite everything, she was our friend” Sunny added. “We have to believe that meant something to her. Besides, she does have a point on what she said.”
“You should listen to your sister… before I change my mind” Miss Nettle said. “Do we have a deal?”
But Midnight, despite the claims of her twin and the deal Miss Nettle was offering, still couldn’t bring herself to accept the deal. But it was only when she remembered what Heartbeat had told her before about following always her instinct that she made up her mind.
“No, Miss Nettle, we don’t have a deal.”
“Come on, Midnight, don’t be such a stubborn!” Sunny exclaimed, taking then the book from Midnight.
“No, Sunny!” Midnight called, trying to get the book back.
“We have a deal” Sunny said, giving the book to Miss Nettle.
Once her hooves got the hold of the book, Miss Nettle exclaimed:
“Yes! The most powerful spell book in all the Enchanted Forest is mine!”
“Sunny, you shouldn’t have done that!” Midnight shouted.
“I’m sorry, Midnight, but we didn’t have a choice” Sunny replied.
“Oh, I love when Twins of Light and Darkness argue” Miss Nettle said. “It’s like seeing the primordial fight between Good and Evil. Now, let’s get on more important business, like trying to figure out which spell I shall do first. Enchant a dragon, make myself strong as a deer? I know! I'll make an enormous golden carriage, because the greatest fairy needs the greatest carriage!”
And she used her wand to open the wind of the tower, ready to fly away.
“Wait!” Sunny said. “First you'll free the fairies, right?”
“Oh, no, I can't do that” Miss Nettle replied. “If I let them out now, they'd just come after me.”
“But we had a deal…” Sunny said.
“Oh, all right, I'll let them out of their bubble… after I've learned every spell in their book and become the most powerful fairy! Oh, I just can't wait to get started.”
Having said that, she flew away.
“I can’t believe it…” Sunny said, distraught. “She tricked us!”
“Yeah, I don't think she's ever gonna let the fairies out” Silver Wind said.
“I told you we shouldn’t trust her, Sunny!” Midnight exclaimed. “And now, because of you, Miss Nettle has the book and we won’t be able to free the headmistresses!”
“Yeah, you’re right…” Sunny said, falling on her knees. “I really blew it. I thought we could trust her. She was our friend, after all. But now I see it was all an act. You were right about her all along, Midnight. I should have trusted your instinct. You’re so much better than me in seeing ponies how they really are.”
Seeing her sister being like that, Midnight couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Kneeling to be at the same level as Sunny, Midnight said:
“Don’t be like that, Sunny. It’s not your fault. Miss Nettle is the one to blame. I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. You always see the best in ponies and that’s the thing that makes you… well, you. And that’s why we two make the best team. Don’t ever doubt about who you are, Sunny.”
That caused Sunny to draw a smile and she said:
“Thank you, Midnight.”
And the twins shared a hug.
“Ah, guys, I think you should see this” Silver Wind said, by the window.
Hearing her, Midnight and Sunny headed towards her and watched with her through the window.
“Miss Nettle hasn’t left yet.”
She was right. From there they could see the greenhouse and there were explosions of magic coming from it, all while hearing Miss Nettle saying:
“Oh, so many spells And so much time to do them!”
“She's in the greenhouse doing a spell, so there's still time to get the spell book back!” Midnight said.
“But how are we going to do that?” Silver Wind asked. “Miss Nettle is very powerful compared to us.”
“There has to be a way to beat her…” Midnight said, trying to think of a plan, eventually thinking of one. “I know! Come!”
They got out of the tower and headed to the greenhouse. When they were close, they stopped and Silver Wind asked Midnight:
“What’s your plan?”
“Remember what the laughing lilies did to me?” Midnight asked. “We can do the same to Miss Nettle.”
“I don't know” Sunny replied. “You'll have to grow a lot of them to stop her… and big ones too.”
“Well, it's a good thing the best enchanted gardener in the school is right here” Midnight said, looking to her sister.
“Who?” she asked. “Me? You want me to do it? After I’ve ruined everything.”
“We'll do it together” Midnight said. “You don’t have to worry.”
With her twin trying to motivate her like that, Sunny felt that they would be able to fix the mistake she had done.
“Okay, I'll do it” she said.
“Silver, can you distract Miss Nettle while we grow the lilies?” Midnight asked.
“You got it” she replied, noticing then a bouncing bluebell that had escaped the greenhouse. “And I think I know just the trick.”
“Perfect” Midnight said. “Everypony ready?”
They nodded and so they proceeded with the plan. Getting to the greenhouse, they opened quietly the door and noticed Miss Nettle at a table with a pumpkin and the spell book. Putting in practice their plan, Silver Wind quietly get in the greenhouse, heading towards the table where the bouncing bluebells were. While that, Miss Nettle started to make a spell:
"From this one pumpkin still and quiet, Bloom into…"
But she didn’t finished as a bouncing bluebell just bounced in front of her, startling her. More bluebells came, with them being thrown by Silver Wind.
“What's going on?!” the fairy asked, confused.
More bluebells came out of the table and started to jump around Miss Nettle.
“Okay, now it’s our chance” Midnight said to Sunny. “I'll get the flower buds, you get the plant food.”
And while Silver Wind kept throwing the bluebells at Miss Nettle, Midnight and Sunny advanced to do their part. Once they got the buds and the plant food, they approached Miss Nettle, still distracted by the bluebells. When they were close enough, Midnight placed some buds near her and Sunny added the plant food. However, once finishing, Sunny said, a little worried:
“I sprinkled too much!”
Miss Nettle, hearing that, noticed their presence and said:
“You! I'll get you!”
She pointed her wand towards the twins, but, before she could do anything, the buds they had placed around her grew up into laughing lilies who sprayed their pollen at Miss Nettle who started to laugh uncontrollably.
“Stop it! Sto…”
But she couldn’t stop, as the lilies just kept spraying her with their pollen, preventing the effects from wearing off. It was then that the laugh was so great that she found herself not able to hold the book that fell on the floor out of the circle of laughing lilies.
“She dropped the spell book!” Sunny exclaimed.
Getting out of their hiding place, Midnight advanced and took the book.
“Got it!”
Seeing Midnight with the spell book, Miss Nettle said:
“Hey, you give that back right now!”
But the lilies kept spraying on her, causing Miss Nettle to keep laughing.
“I mean it!” she said, while laughing.
“We got the book!” Midnight said, as she and Sunny reunited with Silver Wind. “Now let's save the headmistresses before she stops laughing.”
The three fillies then got out of the greenhouse and hasted to the headmistresses’ office. Arriving there and seeing the children with the spell book, Thistlewit said to the others:
“They found it! They found the spell book!”
Midnight tried to say something to them, but they couldn’t hear her.
“What is she saying?” Merryweather asked.
“I don't know” Knotgrass answered. “But we have to tell her how to find the spell that will break the bubble.”
“Oh, how are we going to do that?” Thistlewit asked.
Noticing the fairies talking between themselves, Midnight said:
“They can't hear me!”
“What are they doing?” Silver Wind asked.
And they saw the fairies doing some gestures that looked like somepony opening a book and what appeared to be a number.
“I think they're trying to tell us what page the spell is on” Midnight said.
“Twenty-four” Sunny said to Midnight.
The latter opened the book and then said:
“Found it. But I don’t know if I can do this. It’s fairy magic, after all.”
“Then let me try it” Sunny said.
Midnight nodded and handed the book to her twin. Sunny exhaled and then said:
"With these words I end your trouble…"
But the fairies hasted to stop her.
“What?” Sunny asked them.
And Knograss made a gesture that looked like…
“Oh, you need a wand, Sunny!” Midnight understood, while the fairies nodded in confirmation.
And so the three fillies started to look for a wand in the office. Sunny, seeing Knotgrass pointing to some place, saw one dropped near a vase. She took it, saying:
“Found one.”
“Great” Midnight said, as she and Silver Wind joined her. “No, let’s break that bubble. Go ahead, Sunny.”
Sunny then began to chant:
"With these words I end your trouble! Rupto sudzo! Pop that bubble!"
And she casted the spell that made the bubble to pop, releasing the fairies.
“Oh, thank you!” Knotgrass thanked, as she and the others landed.
“Oh, you're our heroes!” Thistlewit said.
“Now, where's Miss Nettle?” Merryweather asked, as she took back her wand from Sunny and made a determined look.
With the three fairies now with a wand each, they all went to the greenhouse, but once they burst into it, they didn’t see Miss Nettle anywhere.
“She's gone!” Midnight said.
“Hopefully for ever and ever” Knotgrass said.
“To a place far, far away” Thistlewit added.
“Not that far away” a voice said.
They all turned and gasped, as they saw Miss Nettle at the entrance with her wicked smile and pointing her wand to them.
“She's back…” Midnight said, as she and the other fillies got a little intimidated.
“Miss Nettle, I insist that you leave here at once” Knotgrass demanded.
“Oh, I couldn't possibly leave without that spell book, Miss Knotgrass” the evil fairy said.
“I guess I'll just have to make one more extra large bubble!”
But before she could that, Sunny advanced and jumped on Miss Nettle.
“Sunny!” Midnight called.
But it was too late, as Sunny was imprisoned in a bubble, while Miss Nettle smiled. But then she noticed that she didn’t had her wand anymore.
“My wand!” she exclaimed.
They all looked at Sunny who then showed that she had Miss Nettle’s wand.
“Yes!”
“Way to go, Sunny!”
“With these words I end your trouble! Rupto sudzo! Pop that bubble!” Knotgrass said, pointing to the bubble where Sunny was.
And the bubble popped and Sunny was released. Miss Nettled tried to go to her to recover her wand, but Thistlewit and Merryweather blocked her way, pointing their wands at her.
“Well done, Princess Sunlight!” Knotgrass congratulated, turning then to the evil fairy. “Now, Miss Nettle, you are no longer a student or guess of the academy. It's time for you to leave.”
“And never return” Merryweather added, with her mean voice.
“Okay…” she said, in a defeated way. “Uh, could I just have my wand back before I go? Please?”
“I think we'll hold onto it for safekeeping” Knotgrass replied, taking the wand from Sunny.
“Now scoot!” Merryweather ordered.
Miss Nettle scuffed at them and then flew away. After that, Midnight and Silver Wind approached Sunny and the former said:
“Sunny, you were amazing.”
“Yeah, I never imagined you would do that” Silver Wind added.
“After messing up back at the clock tower, is the least I could have done” Sunny said.
“Never the less, it was very brave of you, princess” Knotgrass said.
“Brave of all of you” Merryweather added.
At that moment, Midnight said:
“Wait.”
“What is it, dear?” Thistlewit asked.
“I feel like we're forgetting something” Midnight said.
It was then the three fillies remembered and they all exclaimed:
“Professor Xenon!”
They went out of the greenhouse and then saw Professor Xenon floating around inside the bubble Miss Nettle had put him in and then went out to get him, so the headmistresses could free him.