//------------------------------//
// 1 - The Big Bang Theory 
// Story: Mare of War 
// by zaponator 
//------------------------------//

	Edited by Pilate. He's one swell zebra.





It was a beautiful and sunny day in Ponyville. Probably. Well, most likely. Honestly, Twilight had no idea if it was a beautiful day, or if it was even sunny. In any case, it was a day in Ponyville. The reason Twilight's lacked any information regarding the beauty and sun levels of the day was simply that she hadn't left her basement since late last night. Or early this morning, depending on your point of view.

She felt completely justified in this however, because the spell she was working on was going to be life-changing. Now there are a lot of rumors about Twilight's basement laboratory. Those rumors had only increased as she spent the last several days working on this new spell. Some ponies claimed that she was working out a way to turn base metals into gold. Others thought she was creating a clone of herself to double her productivity. Still others said she was performing genetic experiments, and was going to end up making some kind of monster. Frankly, those last ponies watched too many horror films.

Twilight found those rumors completely silly. For one thing, she had figured out the 'midas-hoof' spell years ago. She just had the foresight to realize how devastating it could be to an economy based on gold, so she never used it.

For another thing, why would she be doing genetic experimentation in her basement? There are perfectly good facilities in Canterlot for that sort of thing.

As a matter of fact, I haven't visited those facilities in almost a year. I wonder what kind of breakthroughs they've made since then. I wonder if they ever took care of that monster they created... Gah! Getting distracted again.

The experiment Twilight was working on was nothing like any of the rumors, but she treated it with full seriousness anyway.

Alright, apparatus set up? Check. Safety goggles? Check. Spike upstairs to stop any distractions from entering?

Twilight stepped away from her chemistry set and walked over to the bottom of the stairs. "Spike! Are you ready?" She shouted up.

"I'm good Twilight," Came the muffled response. "nopony's gonna bother you during your super important experiment."

Twilight could almost feel the sarcasm coming off those last three words. "It's important to me..." She grumbled as she made her way back to the testing ground of her new spell, mentally checking off the last item on her list.

This was it. Finally she was going to test the spell she had created that would change her life for the better. The instant water boiling spell. With this she could shave off five minutes from tea preparation time in the mornings, making her that much more efficient. The rumor ponies would be disappointed if they knew what Twilight was working on. 

Twilight prepared her magic as she checked the thimble of water for the third time. Satisfied, she began taking mental notes.

First test, thimble of water, two milliliters. Zero-point-one percent of maximum spell power.

Really, the minuscule amount of energy required in this test hardly required such precautions. But Twilight was nothing if not thorough.

Beginning spell now.

A faint glow began to form around the thimble as she let a tiny amount of magic in. Then, with a deep breath, she activated the spell. Immediately she knew something was wrong. She reflexively threw up a shield spell in the milliseconds she had available to her. While her incredibly quick mind had time for one more thought.
Well then, this is gonna hurt.


--{MoW}--


"Spike! Are you ready?" Twilight's muffled call made it's way up from the basement.

"I'm good Twilight, nopony's gonna bother you during your super important experiment." Spike shouted back. Unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. How important could a spell for boiling tea-water be? It's not like it even had any applications outside food. Even at max power it would only boil two liters of water, if Twilight's calculations were correct.

Twilight's calculations are always correct. Spike thought with a touch of pride.

Still, it was early in the morning, and it's not like anypony was even up. Much less coming to the library. Twilight would be safe from any interruptions while Spike grabbed a quick breakfast. She had a tendency to forget things like meals when she was neck-deep in a project. Spike, on the other hoof, was a growing dragon and a growing dragon needs to eat.

So it was that Spike found himself in the kitchen, looking for his favorite brand of cereal. For some reason Twilight liked to buy about twenty different flavors of cereal, this annoyed Spike to no end, and resulted in a far larger than average cereal cupboard. Spike had just set up a stool, and was about to stand on it to reach the cupboard, when a tremendous explosion rocked the library. Followed by a loud creaking noise, and finally the sound of part of the library collapsing.

"Twilight!" Spike called out as he ran towards the door from the kitchen to the central room of the library, only to stop short before going through. The central room was gone. He could see the door to the basement across from him, but there was no way to reach it, it simply opened into the air where the main room once was. Well, the whole room wasn't gone, the walls were still standing, a quite lucky thing, as they supported most of the library. The front door had been knocked open, however; Spike turned his gaze downward. While the library lacked a floor, this meant the basement lacked a roof, turning it into a giant cylindrical hole. The collapsed floor appeared to have mostly fallen near the edges of the room, pushed out by the blast, pieces of broken wood were even embedded in the walls. 

Spike stopped caring about any and all damage to the library when he saw her, Twilight lay crumpled near the wall opposite the basement stairs. Luckily nothing had collapsed on her. There appeared to be a fire in the center of the room. Twilight was clearly unconscious, hopefully nothing worse. Spike didn't even have to think twice before leaping down. The fall didn't harm him in any way, due to his draconic resilience. Unfortunately, that didn't make it hurt any less.

Pulling himself off the floor, and gritting his teeth to the pain, Spike immediately ran over to Twilight, dropping to a knee next to her. "Please be alive. Please be alive. Please be alive." Tears began to stream down his face as he checked her breathing. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw she was, in fact, alive. And mostly unharmed, if not a little battered, and a little unconscious.

"C'mon Twilight, wake up! We gotta get out of here!" Seeing that Twilight was not going to obey him, Spike decided to just drag her. He wasn't sure where, but he had to move her somewhere distinctly not here. So he rolled her onto her back and began dragging her further away from the fire, and towards the useless stairs.

"Don't worry Twilight. I'll save you. I'll get us out of here." Spike gulped heavily, "Somehow."


--{MoW}--


Something rough was being dragged across Twilight's back. She slowly regained consciousness to this odd sensation, and didn't quite know what to make of it. She could also hear what sounded almost like a voice, muffled as if coming from a great distance. Finally, she decided that enough was enough, and the only way to enlighten herself to the situation was to open her eyes, she did so hesitantly, careful of any bright lights. She quickly pieced together that she was being dragged, on her back, across the floor. Apparently by someone who was trying to say something to her. Realizing she was hurt, training kicked in.

Damage assessment: Loss of consciousness, hearing damaged, pain across most of body. An explosion then? What in the hay exploded in a library? Unimportant. No broken bones. No major burns. Likely no major blood loss. Body in acceptable shape. Next, need to ascertain damage to library. First need to find out who's dragging me, and let them know I'm awake.

Twilight attempted to speak, but all that came out was a coughing fit. However it served her purposes, as the dragging, which wasn't getting her anywhere fast anyway, stopped completely. The next thing she knew, Spike was in her vision. She could see tears in his eyes, and his mouth moving, but his voice was only barely audible to her, and she was unable to make out any words. Her coughing had stopped though, so she was able to speak to him.

"Listen Spike." She must have been yelling, judging from his wince. She toned it down a bit. "I can't hear anything right now. But we need to get out of the library, help me up"

Spike appeared to be trying to tell her something that involved shaking his head. But he did help her up, and she didn't like what she saw when he did.

The whole basement had been destroyed. Lab equipment was flung haphazardly in every direction, crushed against the walls. That's all going to need replacement. Twilight thought wryly. The area where the thimble of water had been was a crater, a flaming crater. Fire in a library, also a tree, not good, need to leave now. It wasn't until she spotted what Spike had been trying to tell her that she became really worried. The floor above had collapsed Twilight was lucky she hadn't been crushed when the pieces fell into the basement. But that's not what worried her. What worried her was the fact that, without a floor, the stairs out of the basement led to nowhere.

Alright, easy solution, teleport.

Twilight's horn began to glow, before a sharp pain shot from the base, right through her whole head. she let out a gasp and stumbled forward, almost collapsing from the pain. Spike rushed to support her, and she smiled at him gratefully.

Of course, concussion. Should have known. No magic then. That leaves... dying in a fire? No, that's a terrible plan.

They were trapped, and the fire was spreading.

"Oh, this is not good."


--{MoW}--


On the road coming from Sweet Apple acres, two old friends were slowly making their way into town. Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked on in companionable silence. The sun had only been up a short while, and nopony else could be seen outside their homes. Applejack would have been up anyway, but Rainbow was only up because the new Daring Do came out today, and she wanted it as quickly as possible. Seeing as Applejack needed to visit Twilight about a book on growing a few new crops, they decided to go into town together. The only sound was the crunch of the dirt beneath their hooves, and the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees lining the road.

Applejack found it peaceful, calming, and though she'd never admit it to Dash, downright beautiful. Rainbow Dash found it boring. So she decided to strike up a conversation to break the monotony.

"Hey Applejack, how come you don't swear?" Rainbow asked casually, knowing full well the reaction it would get.

Applejack looked almost offended. "I do swear."

"Come on, admit it. It's true." Rainbow replied teasingly.

"No, I won't, because it's not. I use swear-words, like anypony else." Applejack continued to unwittingly entertain Rainbow.

Rainbow had actually never heard Applejack swear. Nopony had. It had become a regular point for their friendly arguments.

"Oh really? See, I've never heard you. So when is it that you do all this cussing? After I go to bed, or..."

"I swear... when it's appropriate." The cowpony replied as they came into town, both too engrossed to notice smoke coming out of the library.

"AJ, the whole point of swearing is that it's not appropriate."

Applejack was about to reply when both mares finally took notice of the library, and got a good look at it for the first time.

Both were struck speechless at the state of it. The front door had been blasted out from the inside, giving a clear view to the destruction within. Though they couldn't quite see down into the basement, they could see that there was no longer a floor. There was definitely a fire.

Applejack found her voice first.

"Son of a bitch."