//------------------------------// // 19. The Element of Magic // Story: A Shimmer and Sparkle // by Skyreads //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle's hands trembled as she typed barely coherent words onto the electrical document. A knock on her door sounded and a part of her hoped it was Sunset. She was let down as her mother entered, “Twilight? What happened?” Twilight pushed up her glasses, “Nothing, Mother. Sunset is just letting her trust issues get in the way of progress.” “Progress? Of what?” Velvet said, the slight edge of offense to her voice. “My project. I'm so close to figuring it out and completing it.” Twilight confirmed, her eyes still glued to her computer screen. Velvet placed her hands on her hips, “what does that have to do with Sunset and trust issues?” The teenager sighed loudly with annoyance, “The result of what my research and invention will bring is going to be revolutionary. Sunset is just scared of this change because of her past.” “Twilight, Sunset doesn't appear to be the unreasonable type. If she's fearful then there must be a reason why.” The motherly tone in Velvet had only infuriated Twilight further. Everyone was refusing to trust her. Refusing to give her the chance to prove herself. Soon it wouldn't matter. Sunset, her family, and every bully and mean-spirited classmate would all find out just how much she can do. Twilight was going to gain control over the magic energy and learn all that she could do with it. That was her final decision to her ultimate goal. Twilight adjusted her glasses, “Mother, if you can't understand my perspective then I have nothing left to say to you about the subject.” “Twilight Sparkle.” Velvet tried sternly but her daughter kept her eyes on her screen and moved to start typing. It hurt her to see her child refuse her advice and aid. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time, when the young genius got too invested into her projects there was no getting through to her. This situation felt different, call it her motherly instincts. If she knew anything about her daughter it was how rock-hard her stubborn determination was. Further agitation would only make her more adamant. The decision to let her daughter be to avoid further escalation but there was still one option that could convince the teenager to keep her safety a priority. If Sunset didn't trust something it was for a reason. “All right,” the teen side-eyed Velvet as she walked out and closed the door. Silence filled the room. The only sound was Twilight's heart thumping against her rib cage as regret and guilt were all that was left inside her. The inventor hit save on her data and closed the technology down. She pushed down her feelings as far as they could go. The sound of a dog whining slowly entered her ears. Twilight turned to find her purple puppy lying tucked up on the bed with sad eyes, “Oh, spike… why won't anybody just trust me?” The dog let out a couple of cries and Twilight patted his head, “It's going to be okay. Once I gain all the knowledge on magic that there is and integrate it into everyday life for everyone with my inventions Sunset will feel better and see her mistake and misjudgment.” Spike only offered the dog version of a raised brow. With the dog's head now raised, Twilight noticed he was lying on something. Something brown and leather. Twilight gently moved him to shuffle the book from under him. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she realized Sunset had forgotten her magical tome, “Sunset's journal…” She flipped open the book and glanced through the pages as they ran by, “This has real, purposeful magic.” Spike whined and grabbed the book with his mouth before he tried pulling it away, “No! Spike! This could be the key. The very thing I need to finally get the portal to work!” The dog showed he didn't like that by trying to grab the book again. Twilight quickly yanked it back and held the book to her chest, her finger tapped the binder as her mental gears started up. Sunset had said the journal had worked by successfully sending messages through dimensions. That confirmed this journal had the time and space magic Sunset had advised they would need. In the worn yellow-tinted pages, a past greedy Sunset asked about the Element of Magic. Past Sunset demanded information from the advisor in the journal of what was known about the powerful crown. The one Sunset referred to as a teacher had dismissed her and told her to let it go. Twilight knew from what Sunset had previously planned and informed her that this crown of magic was needed to do what the young boffin wanted to do. Bring magic to this empty world, learn everything possible about magic, and utilize that knowledge for this world's betterment. She couldn't help the grin stretching her face. Any good scientist knows the only way to turn theory into fact is to test your hypothesis and Twilight Sparkle was a good scientist. She'd need to get this to the test mirror quickly. She almost couldn't wait until Monday. A knock at her door made Twilight whirl around, she hid the journal behind her back as a door opened. A familiar pink-skinned woman crept in, “Ladybug?” “Yes, Cadence? What is it?” Twilight said dismissively. Cadence stared at her in offended surprise, “Wow,” she said pointedly as she placed her hands on her hips, “your mom said you were upset but I was not expecting that. What happened? Are you okay?” Cadence’s purple eyes seemed to catch that Twilight had an arm suspiciously behind her back but didn't pry. Twilight shifted and broke eye contact, suddenly finding her wall more interesting, “Nothing too important. When Sunset has had time to calm down and think things thoroughly she'll understand.” “Understand what?” the advisor asked. “That science requires experimentation and work. That sometimes you can't let emotions get in the way of progress.” Twilight simplified. “…okay…” Cadence chewed on her lip for a moment, “Don't take this the wrong way but I know you're not used to having a lab partner so if Sunset is uncomfortable with how you guys are going about something then you need to work with her and compromise-” Twilight huffed, cutting off her sister-in-law, “I HAVE tried to compromise with her. I HAVE tried to work with her but now that I'm so close to cracking what we need to succeed she wants to back out!” “Ladybug, that happens when working with a partner so you need-” Twilight cut her off. “If having a partner means backing out at the last minute then I don't need one! Especially one that chooses emotion over logic!” Twilight said, agitated. Cadence looked sad and concerned, “You don't mean that, Twilight. You care about Sunset and I know she cares about you.” Twilight finally brought her eyes back, “If she cared about me she would help me and put her fears away enough to trust me!” She claimed her voice rose the longer the argument went on. “Ladybug, please,” Cadence’s voice wavered. She had never seen her sweet little sister figure like this, “If she's scared of something then you need to trust her.” “Get out,” Twilight said viciously. “What?” Cadence asked to make sure she heard correctly. “You heard me. If you or Mother or Sunset can't understand me or what I'm trying to do, then LEAVE!” Twilight was breathing heavily and trembling with anger after she shouted the last word. Cadence stood her ground, “Absolutely not. I'm very worried about you- ah!” The woman tripped as a force on her back pushed her, “Twilight what are you-?” Twilight shoved her again until she was out of the room, “I told you to leave me alone! Nobody understands me! Not you. Not Mom and Dad and not even Sunset!” The door slammed in Mi Amore’s face. “So just leave me alone!” Twilight shouted one more time on the other side of the door. Twilight breath came out short and her body continued to quiver. She pulled the book out from behind her back and stared at it. Why couldn't they understand? Her family could be excused but her own best friend! The one person to ever reach her intelligence. A person so extraordinary that she is from a whole other world! Sunset Shimmer was the greatest thing to ever enter her life. The fiery unicorn was the most beautiful specimen Twilight had ever set her eyes on and now… she’s messed that up. She was going to get her back. Through Twilight's success in conquering what Sunset was fearing the redhead would understand and join Twilight's side again. “I am going to do what needs to be done.” She whispered to herself as she stared out of her window. Bike tires scrawled down the city road as they moved faster than what they were made for. Her backpack bounced against her, and Twilight's nerves were electric as she got closer to the lab at her school that held the object of extensive knowledge and paranormal. The cold wind, rocky sidewalk, and yellow street lights led her to her destination. She hopped off the bike before it had even fully stopped and haphazardly left it at the bike rack. Twilight’s slip-on vans slapped on the concrete as she crept around the side of the brick building and to the back. The glass back door of the school offered her no welcome as she tested the lock. She pulled out a Bobby pin from her hair and stuck it in the large silver lock embedded in the door. The indigo-haired girl has only seen her rebellious-sided friend pick a lock once or twice when the junkyard's padlock was closed. Unfortunately, the task was much harder than Sunset had made it look. For several minutes Twilight fiddled and struggled with turning the pin every which way in an attempt to flip the lock coil. Her frustration had gotten the better of her as she groaned. The teenager brought a fist to her chest and slowly let out air along with her arm. Twilight pulled the pick out and tried it again. She let out a satisfied laugh as she saw the lock switch on the other side flip. Twilight opened the door slowly and quietly. She waited at the door for a moment as she listened out for an alarm or footsteps of a guard. When she was sure it was safe Twilight hastily made her way to the basement steps and then declined down them. Twilight pulled out the key to the lab that had been granted to her freshmen and slipped inside. She locked the door back behind her just in case. The scientist placed her bag in the office rolly chair behind her to turn to the mirror that would soon be a dimension-hopping portal. She hoped. Twilight got to work, she gathered trinkets, her tools, and safety goggles. It took the engineer less than an hour to bring a magic transporter to life- at least that's what she was hoping it would do. The object was gold-colored with a holding box and many tubes that Twilight connected to the mirror. She used the same components and wiring she had used for her E.M.E.R which had very much proven to be useful. Lavender fingertips brushed the leather over the journal contents before pulling it out of her bag, “I'm sorry Sunset,” she brought the book over to the mirror portal, “But I need to show you that I can do this.” She connected the book without further pause to a new magic recuperating device. Immediately, a bright light of gold and teal blasted into the room before the light flowed up the tubes and into the mirror. Twilight Sparkle watched with awe as the light applied itself to the mirror, turning into a swirl around the frame and on the glass surface. Another light shined the whole surface blinding the room. When the illumination died down Twilight gasped as a swirling void entrance of magenta with streaks of many more colors welcomed her. She stepped back a moment, her heart running a marathon and her limbs left to judder, the researcher did not know if it was fear, nerves, or pure excitement for her success that was causing this. Twilight turned and grabbed her backpack. A pin with Sunset’s signature sun icon shined at her. The pin was something the redhead had painted for her. An activity they had done together as Twilight returned the gesture by giving Sunset her version of a starburst icon. Something Twilight had always been fond of. She went over her checklist, Find the Element of Magic. Grab the Element. Get back home. Oh, and don't take too long. With her tenacious stubbornness and plan, Twilight turned to the portal, gripped her bag, and took a deep breath. She ran through the dimensional vacuum before fear could stop her. A scream of, what she didn't want to admit- regret and terror ripped through her throat as she felt her bones and anatomy shift. Her natural vertical body shifted to horizontal. Her mind went numb as her body grew fur and her hands and feet turned to hooves. Lastly, a pressure centered at her forehead before everything went blank. Twilight flickered her eyes open and felt her head swing side to side dazedly. She shook her head and brought up a hoof to fix her crooked glasses. When she felt a hoof instead of her usual hand she yelped. Twilight stared at her now horned and fur-covered limps, “A-all my things are horse things!” she yelled as she frantically grabbed the tail at her end. She noticed a mirror in the dark room she was in and ran to it. Twilight almost shrieked as she saw a pony staring back at her but she quickly covered her mouth, realizing she didn't want to be found. Her hoodie had been transformed into a cloak with her backpack now a saddlebag under the cape. She backed away from the mirror and took in the space she was in. The room looked to be a large office. The moonlight was bright illuminating the large bookshelves next to a large castle window that showed the nighttime view of an ivory, expensive town. The mirror portal on this world’s side continued to swirl with a quiet hum. Twilight knew she was looking for a tiara but now that she found herself in an unfamiliar world, in an unfamiliar castle- not that she had ever been in a caste- Twilight had a moment of considering turning back but she shook it off and adjusted the, now, saddlebag on her back before quietly and slowly pushing the large door open. Violet eyes behind thick frames examined the empty hallway. She stepped out and made careful steps down the extravagant hall that belonged to the royal… ponies. She almost giggled to herself. She kept heedful to the hooves she was learning to keep quiet. The sound of two heavy hoof steps and deep male voices made themselves known to her. Twilight noticed that she had never been able to hear too well but she pushed the realization aside as the two bodies got closer. She squeaked and tensed up before making a panicked jump behind a large pillar, “So, what do you think the princess and her friends are researching?” The stallion with a dark down coat asked. The former human took another look back before following the guards, “who knows? That new princess is super smart I've heard,” the stallion with a gray coat answered before gesturing to the office doors as they walked by, “I've heard it's something serious though.” Twilight took mental notes of the halls and turns they were taking along with the conversation topic. A smart princess will definitely have something about the element. The dark stallion wearing golden body armor nodded his head in understanding, “I wonder if it has to do with the princess's magic crown. They've been strict about keeping an eye on it but Princess Twilight always has it on her.” Twilight froze. Did they know about her? Did this princess know she was coming? She wondered if her foggy look through the mirror earlier had exposed her too much. The guards mentioned the element of magic, the crown. They knew the princess had it and now Twilight knew that too. So now she just needed to find this princess and plan away to get the crown from her. The other guard nodded and shined a light through his horn down the hall as they took another turn. They were quiet for a few beats, Twilight staying a hoof behind hidden in the dark shadows. “We’re coming up on the guest quarters. Luckily the princess and her friends are mostly heavy sleepers.” The other guard chuckled lightly, “Makes sense.” They made a turn and they ventured down another hall. At least we don't have to be too quiet.” he said in a loud whisper as he began the flash the light around from his horn in random areas. Twilight silently leaped behind a pillar out of their sight. The partner examined the hall as well. “Alright I say the guest hall is all good.” They agreed before walking off to continue their patrol. With the two sentries gone Twilight took in the sight of the large hall of enormous purple doors. She had no idea what she was supposed to do in the ‘guest quarters’ but she supposed the best thing would be to investigate the rooms for clues to find the element of magic. Twilight raised a hoof and placed it on the first door handle, the door opened slightly ajar. She remembered she had a spiral horn full of magic on top of her head. After many conversations of magic and what it was like to have it with Sunset, Twilight concentrated on the horn and gasped with a smile as it lit with a magenta aura. She then focused on the door and pushed it the rest of the way open as the door was also engulfed in magenta magic. The room was dark and also had the sound of three snoring mares. From what she was able to observe one was mostly pink, one had rainbow hair and the other had a yellow coat with light pink hair. The three ponies had nothing in the room so Twilight backed up and moved to the next room. She was met with only a pair of mares, one with a white coat and purple mane and the other with a blonde mane. A cowboy hat and book sat on the nightstand. Twilight examined the book thinking it could be useful, until she saw the cover and title. It was simply a romance novel that had something to do with sharing hay. Twilight stifled a laugh and moved on. The next two rooms were empty. She found nothing in the smaller bookshelves. The last room at the end of the hall looked much bigger to the small unicorn. She didn’t let that stop her as she opened the door slowly. The sound of a light snore let her know there was indeed someone in this room. She stepped lightly on her new hooves and used the magenta aura to light the room. Something was sticking up and out of the bed. Twilight squinted and made out what looked to be a giant wing made up of purple feathers. She moved on and noticed a purple and green baby dragon lying in its small dog-like bed next to the winged pony. Twilight felt her heart give a kick, somehow she knew she had seen these two before. Something about them they were too familiar. She refocused her mind on her objective instead of thinking too much about the two she was sneaking around. She observed the bookshelf, only seeing adventure and mystery books. The girl-turned-pony moved on when a sparkle of magenta caught her eye. Her breath caught as a gold crown with a large magenta gem in the shape of a starburst looked back at her. She trotted to the crown and could practically feel like magic drawing her. A sleepy groan came from the baby dragon that made Twilight freeze. He went back to snoring and Twilight used the new magic ability she taught herself to pick up the tiara and place it in the bag. She quickly backed up only to trip and fall over the reptilian's tail. The sound and rupture woke him up, “Twilight?” he questioned. The thief in question quickly threw her hood up to cover her face. “What is it, Spike?” The pony in the bed grumbled. The dragon looked at the cloaked pony and then switched his eyes to his main caretaker, “Twilight!” he shouted making the mare shoot up and the foreign unicorn burst through the door to run. Spike pointed to the space on the nightstand and the princess hopped up the case after the thief, “My crown!” she called out, “She’s stealing my crown!” she announced after the runner to let the castle know what was happening. Her friends stepped out sleepily, and when they saw what was happening they suddenly gained the energy to help in the case. Rainbow Dash’s strong wings almost got her to the unidentified pony only for her to make the sharp turn of the hall. Inadvertently making Rainbow crash into the wall. Princess Twilight and Applejack were close to her next. The wind of the chase made the cloak flap up and the princess caught sight of a shiny bag accessory that she recognized to be Princess Celestia’s first student’s cutie mark. This was Sunset Shimmer they were chasing after. Applejack caught the thief by her cloak only to be left with a large rip of the fabric, “Welp, that didn't work how ah thought.” The smaller pony disappeared behind another wall. Twilight's heart thumped in her chest, she was so close now to the portal she just needed to continue to outrun her pursuers. That plan was momentarily put in jeopardy when a pony appeared in a flash in front of her. She gasped as she saw a duplicate of herself in front of her. Only the duplicate was angry, taller, and had wings. Twilight refused to stop, she was almost there! She ignored the emotional turmoil of seeing another version of herself and bolted right through her and the rainbow-haired one that had flown down by the princess's side. “Hey! Stop!” They called after her. Twilight kicked the door to the room she had spawned in and without a second thought she jumped through the portal. Princess Twilight skirted to a stop in front of the portal Sunset had jumped into. Her friends joined her side, all out of breath and looking worried. “Twilight?” A regal voice full of concern asked with multiple guards at her side. The youngest princess turned to the oldest, “Princess Celestia the element of magic was stolen and taken through the portal,” she brought her eyes to the queen of the sun’s, “By Sunset Shimmer.” Twilight Sparkle shot out of the portal and landed on the ground. She whipped around and quickly removed the journal; thus turning off the portal so no one could come after her. She sat in her office chair to catch her breath. Twilight had never run that fast in her life. After a moment she noticed a light high-pitched sound in her ears. She removed the devices and paused as she noticed she could hear… without her aids. This was just like what happened with Sunset's hands. Twilight quickly removed her glasses only to still find things blurry without them, “dang it.” After many minutes of reflecting on what she had just done Twilight began writing down hypotheses and ideas. She eventually pulled the crown out of her bag and smiled. This was all she needed. Knowledge from two different worlds would be hers. At that moment she hadn't noticed a flash of blue fire around her eyes.