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// 1: Big Mistake 
// Story: To the Flamespire! 
// by Vivid Syntax 
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Ponehenge shook. Ancient stone pillars creaked and sloughed off their moss. The earth threatened to open and swallow up all who lingered. Birds fled to the skies, cawing a warning to their brethren as the deep rumbling grew louder and louder. In the center of the stones, a rainbow-colored lantern shed a white-hot light.

Zipp Storm gulped. "Yeah… This might have been a bad idea."

An ear-splitting FWOOSH pierced the air, and Zipp was blinded by a rainbow of colors. She threw her wings up in front of her face, but it offered little protection. Pure, unfiltered magic rushed past her, through her, beating against her body like grains of fine sand that burned and soothed at the same time. Zipp could feel reality itself tearing around her, like her body was nowhere and everywhere at the same time. 

And just as suddenly, silence returned to Ponehenge. Zipp held her position, but she finally parted her wings when she heard a cough. A pony lay face-down in the middle of the standing stones, surrounded by earth that had been abraded of all its moss and grasses. Zipp took a tentative step forward. "Did it work? Are you… Twilight Sparkle?"

The pony's face snapped up, and she rolled her eyes with a sneer. "Ugh! Why does everypony make that mistake?" She stood, stretched her legs, and brushed herself off. "Seriously. Pink and lavender: completely different colors."

Zipp's wings drooped. "Uh, sorry! I was trying to contact Princess Twilight, but I'm not really great at unicorn magic.” She looked around, as if somepony could somehow fix the fact that she’d summoned the wrong pony. “I… think I screwed up a teensy bit."

The unicorn took a deep breath and straightened up. Despite the magical journey, her purple and teal-streaked mane retained its bounce. Her face softened into a warm smile. "Hey, don't beat yourself up. These things happen." She shrugged. "A lot more often than you'd think, actually. Students get pretty ambitious once they learn a few spells.” Her eyes opened wide. “Oh! I'm Starlight Glimmer, but the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I mean that."

Zipp shook off her confusion. "Hi. Yeah. I'm Zipp. And sorry to rush, but I need your help." She winced. "And I'm… also a princess. I really don't like playing that card, but to be honest, I'm kind of desperate right now."

Starlight took a step forward. She raised an eyebrow. "Princess Zipp? I'm very sorry, but I haven't heard of you." She looked around and locked eyes on a gigantic metal box with wings, which sat several meters behind the pegasus. "Uh… what's that thing?"

"Hm?" Zipp looked over her shoulder. "Oh, that's the Mare Stream. And no worries about not knowing who I am." She waved a hoof.  "It's totally cool. I wasn't yet born in your time, anyway."

Starlight's eyes went wide as plates. "Time!?" She arched her back like a cat and looked around. "No, no no no! Tell me I'm not–" It all clicked together: Ponehenge looking several thousand moons older, technology she'd never seen, and a princess she'd never heard of. 

Zipp turned her head. "Uh… you okay?"

"Mirror!" Starlight ran in circles, screaming. "Mirror! I need a mirror right now!" She nearly bowled Zipp over in her panic.

Zipp leapt into the air. "Woah! What's going on?" She bit her lower lip, trying to think. "Don't panic! Your mane still looks great!"

"Mirror!!!"

"Okay, fine!" With a hard flap, she flew to the Mare Stream and opened the door. "Bathroom, on the right."

Starlight dashed in without saying another word. Zipp followed and saw Starlight standing before the mirror in a wide stance. "What are you–"

"Quiet!" A vein bulged on Starlight's neck. She quickly shook it off. "Sorry! Old habits. But I need to focus." She twirled her head, and her horn sparkled with light. Starlight's cutie mark appeared in front of her like a hologram. 

"Woah…" Zipp landed, wide-eyed, as she watched Starlight weave a spell. “Is that… unicorn magic?”

The light magically dimmed inside the Mare Stream as a spell circle appeared around the floating cutie mark. Starlight's voice echoed as the circle grew more complex with symbols that wove themselves out of nothing. "Futurum…" She was sweating and laser-focused on the runic enchantment, with her reflection just behind it. "Memoria…" Her voice echoed with unearthly strength. She reared back onto her hind hooves as she gathered power. "Oblitiarum!"

She stomped her hooves, and the whole Mare Stream rocked as a magic blast shot from her horn. It passed through the magic circle, hit the mirror, and bounced back, striking Starlight in the face and knocking her back against the wall. "Wah!" She collapsed onto the ground with a groan, and the light inside returned to normal. "Ow…"

Zipp rushed to her side and helped her up. "Holy ponies! What was that!?"

Starlight rubbed her eyes. "Memory charm. A strong one." She shook out her mane. 

Zipp blinked rapidly. "You’re not making sense. Why do you need something like that?"

Starlight shook out her mane. It still looked perfect. "Trust me, kid. You do not want to start messing with time. I need to make sure I don't remember any of this when I go home, or something might change history, and then you'd never exist."

Zipp felt herself go rigid. "Yikes. Uh… thanks for watching out, I guess."

"No problem." She held a hoof to her chest, took a deep breath, and extended her foreleg as she breathed out. Calmer, she asked, "So, what's so important that you needed to dabble in time magic to bring Twilight Sparkle here?"

Zipp nodded. "Right. Yeah. I'm looking for my friends."

Starlight cocked her head to the side. "That doesn't seem so bad."

"They're…" Zipp kicked the floor and spoke very fast. "Kind of captured and being held hostage by a megalomaniac Alicorn with dark magic powers."

Starlight nodded, and a small smile curled on her lips. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere."

"Yeah." Zipp stood up straight, but the words felt like lead in her mouth. "Do you know anything about an alicorn named Opaline?"