Sunset Shimmer and her friends wandered past Canterlot and went into a forest,
"No wonder why I've never seen Dreaming Paradise, it's completely hidden by forest." Twilight Sparkle said,
"Keep following us, we're almost there." Arcana replied, and they walked more and arrived in Dreaming Paradise, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle looked on with awe, the place was divided into three places, the left side had tall blue towers with unicorns practicing fire, water, earth, and air magic and incantations while some of them meditated, the right side had green huts with Pegasi being trained in stealth, how to conceal weapons, voice mimicry, freerunning, parkour, lock picking, how to disguise oneself as another pony, how to make medicine and poison, how to use and fix technology, and meditating, and the center had red fortresses with earth ponies marching while carrying weapons and suits of armor on their backs while others were training in hoof-to-hoof combat, alongside using swords, shields, spears, battleaxes, war hammers, maces, bows, and crossbows, they were also doing clap push-ups, hoof-stand push-ups, lunges, crunches, inverted sit-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, inverted squats, running, jumping with another armored pony on their backs, lifting weights, wrestling, and meditating,
"Wow, y'all sure are busy." Applejack said,
"We are, but a lot of us enjoy the training." Robin responded,
"I can't say I like the outfits you all are wearing, they all look so dull, especially the earth pony suits of armor." Rarity said,
"Truth be told, fashion is one of the last things on our minds." Paladin replied,
"*gasp* You all don't care for fashion?" Rarity questioned,
"Rarity, that is not going to help us in battle." Arcana replied,
"Well, us Pegasi do stay up to date with fashion, it does help us blend in better when doing spy missions." Robin stated,
"What?! You use fashion as a way to hide yourselves?!" Rarity exclaimed,
"I didn't say 'hide', I said 'blend in'." Robin replied,
"That's still hiding to me." Rarity remarked,
"Ooh, I know, how about we throw them a party?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"You can't do that here." Arcana replied,
"What?! No parties?!" Pinkie Pie shrieked,
"We're on strict schedules and diets, Pinkie Pie, you can't just throw a party and expect us all to participate." Paladin explained,
"Hmm." Pinkie Pie said as she thought about when to throw one and what to have,
"Um... do you guys have any animals?" Fluttershy questioned,
"Sure, they're over there with the earth ponies." Paladin replied as she pointed to them, she looked and saw the earth ponies learning how to take care of many different animals alongside growing fruits and vegetables,
"Let's go, Sunset, we've wasted enough time." Arcana stated, and she and her friends followed her,
"Say, Arcana, what is yer and yer friends' role in this place?" Applejack asked,
"I am the unicorn ruler's personal bodyguard and last line of defense, I also act as a teacher to the younger unicorns, Paladin and Robin have the same roles in their respective areas." Arcana explained,
"So, where are we going?" Sunset Shimmer asked,
"To see the unicorn ruler." Arcana replied, and they kept walking. Twilight Sparkle looked at the towers and saw they resembled her old home in Canterlot, just completely blue,
"Over here." Arcana stated, and they all arrived at a tower in the center of the area and they all entered.
The ponies and Spike entered the tower and walked up to the top, they walked up the stairs and saw the interior was blue with dark blue stairs, they walked until they arrived at the top, they saw an elderly unicorn meditating in the middle of the room, he had a dark blue coat, a long white mane and tail, and a long full beard, he was wearing a blue wizard's hat, a long blue robe, brown knee-length gloves on his front legs, black mid-calf length boots on his hind hoofs, and a blue cape; statues of the twelve zodiac animals were lined up around him in a circle with stickers of the twelve constellations of the horoscope on the wall above the statues, there was a picture of Arcana's five pets below him on the floor, Black Tortoise was at the top, Vermilion Bird was at the bottom, White Tiger was to the left, Azure Dragon was to the right, and Yellow Dragon was in the center,
"Archmage Astral Plane, Sunset Shimmer is here." Arcana spoke, he opened his eyes and revealed them to be purple,
"So, you have finally come, Sunset Shimmer, we have been waiting for you." Archmage Astral Plane said,
"I'll take whatever punishment you wish to give me." Sunset Shimmer responded as she bowed to him,
"It will be this evening after we all finish our days." Archmage Astral Plane replied, and she stopped bowing,
"Why did you bring them here? You only needed to come alone." Archmage Astral Plane said,
"Sorry, but they wanted to come along and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer." Sunset Shimmer replied,
"I see." Archmage Astral Plane said, he looked at Twilight Sparkle for a brief second,
"So, Twilight Sparkle has come with you as well, Princess Celestia must have a good reason to send you here." Archmage Astral Plane stated,
"Actually, I'm here on my own accord." Twilight Sparkle replied,
"Very well, you'll have to wait for your punishment, Sunset Shimmer, feel free to explore, but don't cause any trouble." Archmage Astral Plane stated, and Sunset Shimmer walked back,
"Arcana, Archmage Astral Plane, I was hoping you two would take me in as a student and teach me your magics." Twilight Sparkle said,
"What do you wish to learn?" Archmage Astral Plane asked,
"Well, mainly the Elements of Nature and see the astral plane." Twilight Sparkle answered, their attentions were caught,
"Princess Celestia never taught you about the astral plane?" Arcana asked,
"No." Twilight Sparkle replied,
"We can do it now if you wish." Arcana said,
"Sure, but one question before we start, is he your father, Arcana?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"No, my parents passed years ago." Arcana replied,
"Oh, well, I'd like to get started now." Twilight Sparkle stated,
"Sit and meditate in the circle then." Archmage Astral Plane replied, and they all did and entered the astral plane.
Twilight Sparkle and her friends entered the astral plane the zodiac animals, the horoscope constellations, the elements, and the five rulers appeared in their visions, everybody except for Arcana, Archmage Astral Plane, and Sweetie Belle let out noises of awe, they entered the astral plane and landed in the center of it,
"Twilight Sparkle, what brings you here to my realm?" Yellow Dragon asked,
"Just here to explore." Twilight Sparkle replied,
"Very well, but do not cause any trouble." Yellow Dragon warned,
"I promise you, I won't." Twilight Sparkle assured, and they looked around,
"This place is kind of scary." Fluttershy quaked,
"Really? I think it looks cool." Rainbow Dash responded, and she flew up and looked around,
"Wow, this place is awesome!" Rainbow Dash boasted, the animals soon disappeared,
"My, just marine and avian animals reversed alongside the sea and sky, you have no creativity." Discord said, they all looked and saw him standing by Fluttershy,
"Begone, spirit of chaos, this is not your realm to control." Yellow Dragon said,
"But it is so dull, I can't believe you haven't changed anything in centuries." Discord replied,
"What are you doing here, Discord?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"I wouldn't leave my friend in danger now, would I?" Discord asked as he touched Fluttershy's shoulders,
"You all can explore, but don't cause any trouble, especially you, Discord." Yellow Dragon stated,
"Oh, I promise you, Yellow Dragon, I have changed since my last visit." Discord replied,
"We shall see, go on now." Yellow Dragon said, and they all walked together.
Archmage Astral Plane led the others and they went north first,
"Archmage Astral Plane, good to see one of my previous users in good health, how have you been?" Black Tortoise asked,
"Alright, mostly old, though." Archmage Astral Plane answered, Black Tortoise laughed,
"I see you have brought some new visitors, nice to see young ponies are still interested in learning about the astral plane." Black Tortoise stated,
"It's a pleasure, I would like to learn how to obtain your powers." Twilight Sparkle replied,
"We only do one person at a time, we don't just give our powers to anyone, the person we deem worthy to wield us must be fearless, brave, knowledgeable, hard working, diligent, and stoic." Black Tortoise explained,
"Wait, stoic?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"Yes, you must be calm and not show feelings in order to be worthy to wield their powers, you have to control your feelings, especially anger." Arcana replied,
"I see, well, I'm still working on not freaking out over things not going according to plan." Twilight Sparkle said,
"It's too late now, you are not worthy to wield our powers then." Black Tortoise responded, Twilight Sparkle looked down,
"What about me?" Rainbow Dash asked,
"Your temper is a bit short as well, and you're too prideful, so no." Black Tortoise replied,
"Am I worthy?" Applejack asked,
"You have pride as well, you're not worthy, either." Black Tortoise replied,
"Am I worthy?" Fluttershy asked,
"You're too timid, so no." Black Tortoise replied,
"How about me, darling?" Rarity asked,
"No, you have a bad temper, too, alongside being too prideful in your appearance." Black Tortoise replied,
"Can I wield your powers?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"My powers are not meant to be used for parties." Black Tortoise replied,
"What about me?" Starlight Glimmer asked,
"Maybe if you focus on using your magic for battle, you could be worthy." Black Tortoise replied,
"How about me?" Sunset Shimmer asked,
"You are too short tempered, you also hurt my current bearer." Black Tortoise replied,
"Oh, right." Sunset Shimmer stated,
"Am I worthy?" Spike asked,
"If you were like your kind, then you could have potential, but you have to be calm and not cry easily." Black Tortoise replied,
"What about me and my friends?" Sweetie Belle asked,
"You and Scootaloo aren't worthy, you're too sensitive, and Scootaloo has a pretty bad temper, but Apple Bloom might be worthy if she focuses on honing her strength and skills for fighting." Black Tortoise asked,
"Does everythin' have to be related to fightin'?" Apple Bloom asked,
"For us, yes, we don't wish to use our powers for mundane and simple tasks." Black Tortoise replied,
"Okay, that, I understand." Scootaloo stated,
"Let's go, we have stuff to do today." Arcana stated, and they all walked away.
Archmage Astral Plane led the others again and they went to the south, it was hot and everybody sweated,
"Hello, Archmage Astral Plane, Arcana, I assume you two are here to teach more people about this place." Vermilion Bird said,
"We are, young people are still interested in this place." Archmage Astral Plane replied,
"Good, I guess we won't be forgotten for a while." Vermilion Bird stated,
"How do you do, Vermilion Bird, you remember me, don't you?" Discord asked,
"How can I ever forget you, you somehow nullified my powers from one of my users and she couldn't call me back." Vermilion Bird answered,
"Ooh, a sea, let's go swimming!" Pinkie Pie declared as she hopped in it,
"Pinkie! Wait!" Twilight Sparkle hollered as Pinkie Pie jumped into the river of fire, she jumped out while screaming,
"HOT!!" Pinkie Pie screamed,
"Curious one, I see, but perhaps a bit too curious." Vermilion Bird stated,
"Let's go to the next area." Archmage Astral Plane said,
"Wait, we can't stay here and view the scenery?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"There's not much here, and much of the astral plane beyond this area has no land, let's go." Archmage Astral Plane replied, and they walked with him.
The ponies and Spike traveled to the east next and Fluttershy began admiring the flowers and animals around the area,
"I see you have already taken an interest, this area of the astral plane has the most animals." Azure Dragon remarked,
"You and the other dragon don't look like any dragon I've ever seen." Spike stated, the others looked and saw Azure Dragon and Yellow Dragon had serpentine bodies,
"Before you ask, no, Yellow Dragon and I are not native to the Dragon Lands." Azure Dragon said,
"This place does have a lot of plants and flowers blooming." Twilight Sparkle said,
"It is because it's currently spring in the real world, so my powers are stronger than usual, when summer comes, my powers will go back down to normal while Vermilion Bird will be stronger." Azure Dragon replied, Fluttershy continued looking at the animals around the area while the others watched her,
"Come on, Fluttershy, we have one more area." Arcana said,
"I'll see you all later, bye now." Fluttershy said to the animals, and she left.
The ponies and Spike arrived at the west and saw the leaves blowing,
"Welcome to my domain, hope you enjoy." White Tiger said,
"I will admit, it is strange to see metal growing on trees." Twilight Sparkle replied, they all looked and Rainbow Dash began flying around with the wind,
"Taken an interest already, I see, perhaps me and the other four rulers are still well known throughout the world after all." White Tiger spoke,
"You are, Dreaming Paradise loves meeting you all." Archmage Astral Plane responded,
"*chuckle* Good, at least we won't be forgotten for a while." White Tiger spoke,
"Well, that's all, it's time to go back, open your eyes' in the real world." Archmage Astral Plane instructed, and they did.
Everybody arrived back into Dreaming Paradise and looked around,
"Wow, a pretty unique place." Twilight Sparkle stated,
"Go on now, we have to get ready for this afternoon." Archmage Astral Plane said,
"Come on, y'all, let's explore." Applejack stated, and they all walked out. Twilight Sparkle and her friends walked outside and looked around the area of Dreaming Paradise they were in, they also watched the unicorns practicing magic and meditating, they stopped when they saw one building that looked different, it was called 'Arcana's Winery',
"Arcana did talk about making wine for a living." Sunset Shimmer said,
"Ooh, maybe I can get some fantastic flavors." Rarity remarked as she clapped her front hoofs together,
"I'm only open on Sundays." Arcana replied as she walked to them from behind,
"Where's your home, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked,
"This way." Arcana replied, and she led them. Everybody arrived at Arcana's home and she lived in a tower, they went to the top and saw many books,
"*gasp* So many books." Twilight Sparkle said, she squealed and soon flew to them to began reading,
"I forgot to mention Twilight's a bookworm." Sunset Shimmer said,
"I know, she's known for that throughout Equestria." Arcana replied,
"What subjects do you have?" Spike asked,
"Well, I mostly keep books on magic, history, and social etiquette, stuff she probably already has at home." Arcana replied,
"What? This is all on magic, Equestrian history, holidays, constellations, and social etiquette, I already have books on all of this!" Twilight Sparkle hollered,
"See, told you." Arcana stated as she smirked, and she walked back to them,
"Anythin' you wanna show us?" Applejack asked,
"Nope, this is all there is to my home." Arcana replied,
"Well, I guess we'll go see the others then." Sunset Shimmer stated, and they headed outside.
Sunset Shimmer and her friends arrived outside and looked at the areas with the Pegasi and earth ponies,
"Where do you guys want to go?" Sunset Shimmer asked,
"It doesn't matter, we have to see them all anyway." Twilight Sparkle responded,
"I'm hoping Robin can teach me more things." Scootaloo said,
"Well, Ah guess the Pegasi, it is, then." Applejack replied, and they went there. The group went to where the Pegasi were at,
"Robin, you around here?" Scootaloo called out,
"Over here." Robin hollered, and they trotted while Rainbow Dash and Spike flew, they saw her with a stallion, he had a dark green coat, white shoulder-length mane and a short tail, and yellow eyes, he was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants, black knee-length gloves on his front legs, black knee-length boots on his hind legs, and a green cape,
"Hi, Robin, I was hoping you could teach me more stuff." Scootaloo said,
"Sure." Robin chirped,
"Who is that?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"I am Master Nocturne, ruler of this place's Pegasus tribe." the stallion replied,
"Is the 'Master' a part of your name or a title?" Rainbow Dash asked,
"Title." Master Nocturne replied,
"Well, come on, my house is this way." Robin stated, and they followed her to a hut,
"You don't live in a mansion?" Rarity asked,
"No. Why?" Robin questioned,
"Honestly, Robin, I thought you were going to be one of those nouveau riche types." Rarity replied,
"Oh, I see, well, I'm not, come on now." Robin answered, and they entered her home. Robin led Sunset Shimmer and her friends into her hut and they saw she had many utensils,
"I'll make a meal for you all." Robin said, and she got stone slabs and made a meal for them,
"Here." Robin remarked and she gave it to them, the meal was mushrooms and a cactus with water in it,
"Mushrooms and cactus water? I don't think we should have this." Twilight Sparkle said,
"I prefer to call it cactus juice." Robin replied, they heard munching and saw Pinkie Pie and Discord stuffing their mouths with the mushrooms,
"Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle reprimanded,
"Hmm, these are delicious." Pinkie Pie remarked, and she drank the cactus water,
"Hmm, best thirst quenching drink ever!" Pinkie Pie said as she threw her front hoofs up in the her, her and Discord's pupils dilated, they spun their heads around,
"Ooh, since when did you all become goats?" Pinkie Pie asked as she heard her voice echo,
"Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle said as she examined the mushrooms,
"These are samba mushrooms." Twilight Sparkle commented,
"Which means...?" Rainbow Dash asked,
"You'll start seeing and hearing things weirdly when you eat them." Twilight Sparkle replied, Pinkie Pie dashed to Fluttershy and held her shoulders while she whimpered,
"Hey, block pony, sure, I wanna dance, let's start." Pinkie Pie said, and she spinning and twirling Fluttershy around and she shrieked as Pinkie Pie danced with her,
"What are we doing here on a stairway?" Discord asked, Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes and looked at the cactus,
"Wait a minute, I know this cactus, its water has hallucinogenic agents in it, too." Twilight Sparkle said,
"That's a first, most just eat and drink them on impulse." Robin replied,
"Well, nice try, Robin, but I'm not falling for it." Twilight Sparkle announced,
"A little help here?" Fluttershy asked while groaning, and Starlight Glimmer separated her and Pinkie Pie; they heard walking and saw Discord walking in place,
"What are ya doin', Discord?" Applejack asked, Discord did not respond and kept walking,
"Discord." Fluttershy called out, Discord ignored her,
"Maybe his hallucination is making him unable to hear us." Twilight Sparkle said,
"Who made Discord turn into a walking pile of fruits?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"That's enough, let's go explore the place." Sweetie Belle stated, and they went outside while Robin pushed Pinkie Pie and Discord out.
Sunset Shimmer looked around the Pegasi area of Dreaming Paradise and saw the natives doing many different types of training, their attentions were caught at a Pegasus mare who was jumping in the air to dodge spears and broke their tips off by kicking them,
"*gasp* Look, it's the flying leaf god, blessing us with his metal leaves. Over here, leaf god, I'm here to pay tribute to you." Pinkie Pie said as she rocked side-to-side and threw her front legs around, the Pegasi almost laughed while Discord swam like a fish in midair, he soon appeared to other side of the place and ran across it while letting out a battle cry and was holding a portable toilet over his head,
"That's enough, you two." Twilight Sparkle scolded as she brought the two over to herself with her magic and cast a spell to make the mushroom and cactus water effects wear off, Pinkie Pie returned to normal and she got ready to cast the spell on Discord,
"Wait a minute." Twilight Sparkle stated as she looked into his eyes and realized he was actually immune to the mushroom and cactus water effects,
"You're not even affected." Twilight Sparkle scolded,
"Oh-ho-ho, but it was fun to pretend to be." Discord replied, Twilight Sparkle glared at him,
"Relax, Discord is a frequent visitor here, he makes us laugh in our free time." Master Nocturne said,
"See, there you go, I come here quite often." Discord added,
"Well, let's just look around and see what's here." Sunset Shimmer responded, and they did. She and her friends looked at the Pegasus area and saw the Pegasi with many weapons, Robin was holding a black umbrella that she aimed, she pushed a trigger down and it shot a dart out of its tip, one Pegasus flew to her and began fighting her with daggers, she pulled the handle of the umbrella and unsheathed a sword and fought the Pegasus, he threw an eggshell in her eyes and she exclaimed as she was blinded for a second and her opponent ran away, they looked and became uncomfortable at seeing the eggshell had sand, salt, and metal scraps inside of it, Robin regained her senses and threw a kunai at her target, the Pegasus caught it with his wing and threw it back,
"I've seen enough, let's go." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and they walked away.
Sunset Shimmer and her friends went to the center of Dreaming Paradise and saw the earth ponies training,
"This is them right here." Paladin said as she walked to them with another stallion, he had a dark red coat, short white mane and tail, and orange eyes, he was wearing a dull gray and battered suit of armor that covered his entire body except his head, his helmet was behind him, he had a sword sheathed on his left side, a shield on his back, and was wearing a red cape,
"I assume you're the earth pony ruler." Twilight Sparkle stated,
"Yes, I am Commander Lionheart." the stallion replied,
"Aren't you a bit old to be out fighting?" Starlight Glimmer asked,
"Actually, I'm still in good shape for my age, I have to train the younger ponies, too." Commander Lionheart replied,
"This is the one I mentioned earlier, Commander." Paladin said as she walked to Apple Bloom,
"So you're the farm pony, really a shame you didn't come here earlier, you probably had potential to grow up into a strong pony." Commander Lionheart stated,
"It's alright, Ah don't wanna spend mah entire life fightin' either." Apple Bloom responded,
"We do more than just fighting, Apple Bloom, we also study math, literature, history, and we're taught how to grow crops and deal with animals." Paladin said,
"Where's your house, Paladin?" Fluttershy asked,
"This way." Paladin replied, and she led them. Everybody arrived at her home and saw she lived in a fortress, they entered and saw she had many weapons and books, Twilight Sparkle looked at the books and saw they were on cultures and customs around the world,
"You don't have any other subjects?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"Not at the moment, no." Paladin answered, she looked and saw Rainbow Dash looking at her dumbbells and barbells,
"Wow, I've always wanted a gym in my own home." Rainbow Dash stated,
"I assume you live in the clouds, then." Paladin replied,
"I do, and gym equipment would just fall through my home." Rainbow Dash said,
"Um... where are the books on animals and growing crops?" Fluttershy questioned,
"We don't have those, we have to memorize what animals like and how to take care of them, alongside how to grow crops and what soil is best to grow them in." Paladin replied,
"Ooh, can I pick your fruits to use for my pies?" Pinkie Pie asked,
"Sure." Paladin replied,
"Yay!" Pinkie Pie yelled while jumping around, a loud bell rung outside,
"Oh, it's time for training, follow me." Paladin said, and they did.
Everybody went to the very center of Dreaming Paradise and all of the citizens gathered together,
"Alright, everyone, time for your daily spar, let's see how much your abilities have grown." Commander Lionheart said, and the ponies were divided into groups of three with each one consisting of a unicorn, a Pegasus, and an earth pony,
"How does this work?" Sunset Shimmer asked,
"We do these to see how much we have learned and grown from training, we do them by age, we start with the youngest ponies and go up to the oldest ponies." Arcana explained, and they watched them and Sunset Shimmer and her friends cheered them on, they all stopped and looked at them,
"Sorry, they're outsiders." Arcana said, they all looked at Twilight Sparkle and bowed to her,
"Thank you, but I don't want special treatment." Twilight Sparkle stated,
"Well, let's continue." Archmage Astral Plane said,
"Don't cheer them on, the loud noise can distract them." Arcana stated,
"Alright." Sunset Shimmer replied, and they all trained, those who lost walked back while the winning group fought more ponies,
"Wow, so far, it's been pony type against their own type." Sunset Shimmer remarked,
"Common young pony mistake, the goal is not to beat your own kind, it is to switch around and exploit your opponent's weaknesses to win, they'll learn it as they get older." Arcana replied, the foals finished and the ones who lost and felt their angers rising left to go meditate. The teenage ponies began and they switched around to fight different pony types, the unicorns cast fire, water, earth, and air magic at once, the Pegasi fought using acrobats and concealed weapons, and the earth ponies endured hits and sent their opponents flying with one hit, the unicorns hit by them flew away and fell onto the ground while the Pegasi did back flips and landed on their feet, they all fought and the one who was standing won, the fights went on for longer as the older ponies fought. The ponies went back and the young adults were ready to train,
"Excuse me." Twilight Sparkle stated as she trotted into the fighting ring,
"I would like to fight Paladin, Arcana, and Robin." Twilight Sparkle said, the others murmured as the three walked to her,
"What is this about?" Paladin asked,
"I want to see what your amulets can do." Twilight Sparkle replied, the three became uneasy,
"You do know your chances of winning against all three amulets are very slim, right?" Robin asked,
"I just wanna see what they can do." Twilight Sparkle replied,
"Okay, but don't say we didn't warn you." Arcana said, and the sapphire in her amulet’s sapphire glowed dark blue.
Arcana's body changed to a plant and she fused with the ground, and vines grew out around her and tangled around Twilight Sparkle, she yelled out and shot spells at the vines to make them disappear, more vines grew out and continued to wrap around her and left her tangled. Twilight Sparkle screamed and teleported out of the vines, they flew up and went after her as they grew longer. She began shooting spells at Arcana's body, her amulet glowed again and it made trees appear around her and they blocked her spells,
"Ugh!" Twilight Sparkle groaned, and she cast a spell to make the trees disappear and shot Arcana's body with her magic, the plants that made up her body grew back instantly,
"Hmm, I wonder." Twilight Sparkle spoke, and more vines and trees appeared, she flew around them and shot a zap at Arcana's amulet, she grunted as she got shot back and changed back to normal while her magic became undone. Arcana cast a spell and her amulet glowed again and her body became made out of dark crystals, Twilight Sparkle's friends gasped at the sight, Arcana began shooting dark crystals out of her horn while they also grew around her,
"What? How are you...?!" Twilight Sparkle questioned,
"The Amulet of Magic lets me cast spells that should be impossible to cast." Arcana explained, and she made more dark crystals shoot out of her horn while they also grew around her. Twilight Sparkle shot her amulet and she grunted as she changed back to normal and the crystals disappeared, the amulet glowed again and her body became made out of ice, she shot ice out and froze everything she touched. Twilight Sparkle shot fire out of her horn but it extinguished itself when it got near her,
"Hmm." Twilight Sparkle let out as she thought, she teleported to Arcana and shot the amulet when she appeared right in front of it, she changed back to normal and the amulet glowed again, she made volcanoes erupt while she changed to lava. Twilight Sparkle shrieked as she flew around to dodge the lava, she cast telekinesis to prevent the lava from splashing onto her, she shot another zap at the amulet and Arcana changed back to normal. She cast another spell while her amulet glowed and she became a blob made out of storm clouds with electricity coming out of her. Twilight Sparkle tried to find her amulet but could not, she shot zaps into the clouds but they went through her and did not harm her, a lightning bolt shot out of her and Twilight Sparkle flew to her left to dodge it. She flew to the clouds and tried to pull one apart, she got electrocuted and screamed as soon as she touched it, she got shot back and fell onto the ground,
"Twilight!" her friends called out, she groaned and laid on the ground paralyzed. Arcana changed back and looked at her, she groaned as electricity appeared on her,
"I guess she's done for." Paladin stated, Twilight Sparkle got up while groaning,
"Is that all of your magic?" Twilight Sparkle asked weakly,
"No." Arcana replied,
"What?! There's more?!" Rainbow Dash blurted,
"What else can you do?" Twilight Sparkle questioned, the amulet glowed again and three Arcanas appeared, one was a unicorn, one was a Pegasus, and one was an earth pony, unicorn Arcana cast spells while Pegasus Arcana flew and earth pony Arcana ran. Twilight Sparkle shot the three and the Pegasus and earth pony Arcanas went into unicorn Arcana and she grew wings, she and her friends gasped. Arcana flew and shot zaps at her,
"Wait, she's flying at the speed of a beginner flier." Rainbow Dash remarked, she flew down and bucked Twilight Sparkle, she exhaled as she staggered a little,
"She has the strength of an average earth pony, too, Ah guess those two forms of hers ain't that strong." Applejack said, Twilight Sparkle shot the amulet and Arcana grunted as she changed back to normal. She cast another spell with the amulet and four of her appeared, one was made of red, orange, and yellow fire, one was made of blue water, one was made of yellow rocks, and one was made of green wind. The four began shooting beams at Twilight Sparkle, Fire Arcana shot fire with a red aura, Water Arcana shot water with a blue aura, Earth Arcana shot a beam with gray rocks in it with a yellow aura, and Air Arcana shot gusts of wind with a green aura. Twilight Sparkle put up a shield to block the four beams, they stopped shooting beams and began to shapeshift, they circled around Twilight Sparkle and she thought about what to do,
"I wonder." Twilight Sparkle remarked, and she used telekinesis to mix them together, Fire Arcana and Water Arcana canceled out each other while Earth Arcana and Air Arcana canceled out each other. Arcana reappeared in front of her,
"How many more spells does your amulet have?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"Five more." Arcana replied, and her amulet glowed again and Twilight Sparkle shrieked as she got hit by a zap and fell forward, she looked and saw her own shadow stand on the ground, Arcana's shadow came up as well. Arcana shot beams at her alongside her own shadow and Twilight Sparkle's shadow, she cast a shield and shot Arcana's amulet, she grunted as their shadows returned to normal. The amulet glowed again and Arcana changed to a dragon,
"Wha?! How did you...?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed,
"The amulet allows me to use the magic abilities of other creatures as well." Arcana replied, Twilight Sparkle's and her friends' jaws dropped; Arcana breathed fire out while Twilight Sparkle ducked, she cast a spell to change her back. The amulet glowed again and Arcana cast a spell to make Twilight Sparkle turn into an elderly, she grunted as she tried to walk,
"I can't move." Twilight Sparkle said in a raspy voice, Arcana chuckled a little and shot a beam at her, she screamed as she fell, Twilight Sparkle grunted loudly as she cast a spell and hit the amulet, Arcana grunted as she got pushed back and Twilight Sparkle changed back to her actual age. The amulet glowed and Arcana cast a spell that made her light blue and transparent,
"Uh... what is that spell?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"It allows me to turn into a ghost." Arcana explained, and she shot more spells out of her horn. Twilight Sparkle shot zaps at her but they went through her, she shot the amulet and changed back to normal,
"So you can change into a ghost, I'll need to see if I have any spells on that. Well, I'm ready for the last spell." Twilight Sparkle stated, the amulet glowed and her and Arcana's eyes' glowed purple and it soon stopped,
"I see, quite some interesting spells you have." Arcana said,
"What was that?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"A mind reading spell, I can use it to see what spells you know and replicate them." Arcana explained, Twilight Sparkle's jaw dropped,
"WHAT?! You mean you can just read minds and copy other ponies' magic and spells and don't need to study or practice casting them?!" Twilight Sparkle questioned, Arcana nodded,
"That's not fair!" Twilight Sparkle thundered,
"Well, too bad, I can do that, you can probably learn some spells from me, too." Arcana replied,
"Like what?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Arcana cast a spell and Twilight Sparkle lost her senses,
"I can't see!" Twilight Sparkle blurted, she ran around and did not feel the ground,
"*scream* I can't feel my hoofs, either, I've lost my senses!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, and she ran around more while screaming, Arcana cast a spell and gave her senses back,
"Well, that's all my amulet grants, Paladin's and Robin's don't grant them as many powers as mine does." Arcana said,
"Why didn't you two use your amulets with her?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"Trust me, I think you will be thankful we didn't once when you see what we can do." Robin replied,
"Alright, let's get this over with." Twilight Sparkle said, and Robin walked forward. Her amulet’s jade glowed dark green and she became black and featureless like a shadow, she jumped in the air and doppelgangers of herself began to come out of her and circle Twilight Sparkle, she gasped and shot zaps at them while the Robins jumped into other ponies' shadows and disappeared. Twilight Sparkle cast a light spell to make the shadows disappear, kunais flew out of the ponies' shadows and she yelped as she quickly put up a shield, she felt something stab the left side of her neck and she yelled and looked, she saw one of Robin's shadows coming out of her shadow and had a kunai, she screamed as she shot a zap on the shadow on impulse and it disappeared, another one of Robin's shadows came out of her shadow and wrapped its front legs around her neck from behind, Twilight Sparkle grunted and shot a zap at the shadow to make it disappear while she made the shield disappear. Robin's shadows emerged from the shadows of other ponies and buildings and aimed guns at her, she cast a spell that made all of the shadows disappear, only one remained and Robin changed back, she flew to Twilight Sparkle and jabbed her front right leg with the tip of her wings,
"Huh?" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she realized she could not move her leg, Robin did a few light jabs to her other front leg and paralyzed it, she got ready to cast a spell and Robin hit her horn with her right wing and disabled it, she tried to cast a spell but could not,
"*scream* I can't use my magic anymore!" Twilight Sparkle shouted,
"You never knew? There are pressure points in the body that can be pressed to disable that specific body part, there's one in your horn that can disable your magic when it's pressed.” Robin explained, Twilight Sparkle's jaw dropped,
“Don’t worry, I pressed them lightly, your legs and horn will work again soon.” Robin added, Twilight Sparkle focused and tried to fly, Robin flew up and did light jabs onto her wings, she fell and grunted when she landed, she stood up and panted while Robin watched her, she shrieked when she felt nauseous,
"You lost when I stabbed you." Robin stated, Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened,
"Poison!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, and she began to feel weak,
"Relax, it's non-lethal, you'll likely pass out at worst." Robin stated, and Twilight Sparkle began to pant and nearly fall to the ground, she was able to use her horn again and cast a spell to make one of her books appear, she flipped through the pages weakly as she looked for a curing spell, she panted as she looked and found one, she cast it and sighed with relief when she was cured and made her book disappear,
"Well, that's all there is to my amulet." Robin stated, and she walked back.
Paladin walked forward and took her armor off,
"Why are you taking your armor off for?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"I won't need it when I activate my amulet." Paladin replied,
"Oh." Twilight Sparkle said, and her amulet’s ruby glowed red and her body turned into gray stone. She ran forward while she left deep hoof-prints in the ground, Twilight Sparkle shot zaps at her and they just extinguished when they touched her,
"What the?" Twilight Sparkle asked,
"My amulet grants magic defense as well." Paladin explained as she ran to her, she arrived and Twilight Sparkle tried to buck her, but her eyes widened and she screamed and fell while holding onto her hind hoofs in pain, Paladin slapped her away and Twilight Sparkle screamed as she flew away, she flew back and hit a tree in the woods, she put a big crater on it as she bounced off of it and flew up into the sky and over the sun, she continued to scream as she fell down and landed in front of Paladin, a bunch of debris flew up and the smoke cleared, everybody saw Twilight Sparkle buried in the ground with only her hind hoofs and tail sticking out, Paladin changed back to normal and walked away while Twilight Sparkle groaned.
Sunset Shimmer and her friends ran to her and pulled out of the ground and carried her,
"You okay, Twilight?" Sunset Shimmer asked,
"I can't move." Twilight Sparkle replied weakly,
"How are you feeling?" Rainbow Dash asked,
"Numb." Twilight Sparkle replied weakly,
"Lay her down, y'all, Ah'll see what Ah can do." Applejack stated, and they did. She and Apple Bloom went to the crops in the earth pony region of Dreaming Paradise and got a few vegetables, they went back and saw Princess Celestia casting a healing spell on Twilight Sparkle,
"It's alright, Applejack, I can heal her a bit, but Twilight will still have to rest." Princess Celestia informed, Twilight Sparkle sighed with relief and Princess Celestia flew away,
"Come on, I can give her medicine to heal her wounds." Robin stated, and they all followed her.