//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Friendship is Magic (and also cupcakes) // by bahatumay //------------------------------// Spike poked his head out of the bedroom, his nose crinkling. “Uh, Twilight?” “Yes, Spike?”  “Are you making coffee?” He slowed to a stop and squinted hesitantly. “And… what’s with all the traps?” “I’m thinking she’ll come back to see if her tea worked, and when she does, I’ll be ready for her.” Spike looked at the card on the table that Twilight was using as bait. He frowned. “I don’t think you should be tricking somepony trying to do something nice for you,” he said.  “I just want answers, Spike,” Twilight said. “That’s it.” She sniffled one more time, but she was definitely sounding better than before. “Alright. I think that coffee is almost ready. I’m ending this tonight.” Spike shook his head. He was fairly certain she would not, but that was not a conversation he wanted to have right now. Twilight patrolled around the library, her ears up and swiveling. She’d seen the guards in Canterlot move constantly, making sure there were no gaps in their coverage. She was by herself, but she’d plotted out a pattern to make sure that there wouldn’t be a noticeable pattern in her stops. Just when she was starting to consider that she might have overplanned this whole thing, she heard movement overhead. She quickly looked up, but didn’t see anything. “Spike?” she called softly. A soft snore answered her. He was asleep. Her heart started beating fast. This could be it! Slowly, she crept closer, ears still swiveling to try and pinpoint the sound’s source.  Then she heard it again, but from the other side of the room. Her eyes narrowed. She knew there was a rational explanation for all of this. Was it a bird? Maybe an owl? She tried to slow her breathing. There! That time was definitely something. Eyes up, she stepped in small circles, moving backwards as she tried to spot whatever had made the sound. Her hooves hit something different. She looked down and realized with a start that she’d been so distracted by looking up that she’d accidentally spun herself outside. And then the door shut and locked behind her. Twilight let out a startled whinny. It took her a moment to realize that not only was something here, but it was teasing her. She scowled and grit her teeth, and with a quick flash of magic, teleported back inside.  But the library was silent.  And a little cupcake sat on the center of the table, next to a different card. Twilight lit her horn and opened it, and another little shower of confetti fell out. This time, there were no words, but there was a little drawing of a pony, winking playfully.  She scowled again.  The next afternoon, Spike watched as Twilight set up her traps again. She had more this time, and had even set up a few redundant traps, just in case. “How do you know she’ll be back?” he asked.  “I don’t,” Twilight admitted. “But I’m hoping she’ll see it as a challenge.” “Ok,” Spike said uncertainly. “But I mean, don’t be surprised if she doesn’t.” Twilight raised an eyebrow.  “I mean, she likes delivering cakes. Maybe she doesn’t want to fight. And it’s not like she’s hurting anypony. Maybe just… leave her be?” “I’m finding out the truth, Spike. About the Birthday Pony and Nightmare Moon. Ugh, I have so much to study!”  Twilight had adjusted her plan for tonight. She would do no patrolling. Instead, she would just watch quietly. She’d found a box about her height and placed it in a corner that would provide the perfect vantage point. A simple cut flap let her see out while keeping herself hidden from view, and a strategically-placed mirror let her see behind and above her.  And this time, she would do it with no coffee. She didn’t want an ill-timed bathroom run messing with her results.  She had expected it to be a long night, but as it turned out, she didn’t have to wait long at all.  There was a soft clicking by the door, and Twilight waited with bated breath.  And there she was, stepping into the moonlight. The mysterious Birthday Pony. The first thing Twilight noticed was that she was pink, with an even pinker mane, and it was curly and poofy.  But she was no regular pony. Her ears were fluffy-tipped and larger than the average pony ear. And on her back, she bore two leathery wings.  Twilight shoved her hoof into her mouth to suppress her squeal of excitement. Unbelievable! Incredible! She’d known the Birthday Pony was just a pony, but she could never have imagined this. She was like nothing she’d ever seen before! She looked like some kind of… bat pony! She sniffed. “Eee,” she murmured under her breath, as if musing to herself. She scanned the room and took a step forward.   To Twilight’s surprise, she walked around the first trap, gingerly stepped over a tripwire, ducked under the laser, and spun around the rope loop on the ground, as if intrigued. Her hoof steps were light, inaudible as she almost casually danced around all of Twilight’s traps. How? She was very sneaky. But what did she want? Twilight wasn’t expecting her to stop and deliver a dramatic monologue breaking down her motives to thin air, but a little hint would have been nice.  She poked the card and retracted her hoof quickly. Twilight’s brow furrowed. That was one trap she had tested multiple times. And then, casually, she flicked her tail. The tip hit the edge of the rope loop on the ground, brushing it to the side just enough that it set itself off, but as it did, it clipped one of the other tripwires, setting it off as well. She easily stepped out of the way of the swinging net, which knocked the trapped book off the shelf, and the shelf collapsed and dumped the other books off, but she was too far away for them to bury her as intended. Instead, once bounced close enough to the laser to set off that trap.   Twilight’s jaw dropped as every last one of her traps harmlessly set itself off in a chain reaction like the strangest Roan Goldberg machine, leaving the pink intruder standing unharmed and untrapped in the middle of the room.  “Eee,” she said, clearly proud of herself. And then she turned and looked towards Twilight. Her head tilted slightly. Blue eyes with slitted pupils scanned across the box.  Twilight remained as still as possible. She didn’t even breathe. There was no way- And then she winked.  Twilight’s eyes widened. She could see in the dark?! She smiled playfully, revealing her tiny fangs again. She casually pulled a cupcake out of her mane, traded it for the card, and then she flapped her wings and flew up into the shadows and out the window.  Twilight slowly emerged from the top of the box and stared. “Well,” she said slowly. “This has been an enlightening night.”