Twilight opened the door to her library, the Element of Magic still attached to her head. Celestia’s chariot had already brought the six ponies back to Ponyville, where they said their good-byes in the town square. Twilight walked inside of her home within a tree. She had always liked her home here more than in Canterlot. It was always fairly quiet inside, even when the wind was blowing strong. She looked up at some of the older books on the shelves. Some had torn bindings or pages, even a burnt cover. Twilight pulled that book loose with her magic and brought it close to her so she could read the cover.
“Beginner’s Magic: Simple Spell for Beginners…” Twilight read aloud, and then giggled to herself. This was an old book from the Canterlot library that Spike had burnt when he was just a few months old. She was just reviewing some simple spells one day when Spike, who had been casually sitting on her desk, burped and shot a green flame at her. She reacted quickly and levitated the book in front of her head, burning the cover. The memory always made her giggle a little. A little nostalgia never hurt anyone.
Twilight lifted the book back onto the bookshelf carefully and placed it where it was originally located. Then, she walked further into the library, towards her desk. Her desk was very neatly organized. She had her ink and quills on the left side of her desk, a rolled up scroll resting at the bottom, and plopped right in the middle was an open book. The page opened was bookmarked anyways, just in case. She looked over the spell on the page.
“Forcefield spell…” Twilight murmured to herself. This spell could be useful on her adventures into the new world she would be traveling in. She looked back towards her clock, which read five o’clock in the evening. Twilight could see Owloysius napping on a shelf next to the clock. Another giggle slipped through her mouth. She then turned back to the book and looked over the magical sequence of the spell. This spell looked a bit difficult to Twilight, requiring a meticulous way of performing the magic. She looked back at the clock again. Five o’ one. She could get this done by nine and still get a good night’s sleep. She levitated her Element from her head to just above her book. She was ready.
Twilight spent her night reading Pinkie Pie’s mind accidentally (There wasn’t much to read though), eavesdropping on some late night ponies walking around, and setting one of her quills on fire. Finally though, she had done it. She had created a large forcefield around herself. Its efficiency was tested with Spike (who had woken up from a nap, annoyed) setting it ablaze. The flame bounced off in another direction, leaving Twilight and her shield unharmed. The spell was very exhausting however. Sweat began to perspire from Twilight’s forehead as she struggled to hold control of her spell. When she finally released it, she fell into a sitting position, panting. She was too tired to stand up again and looked over at the clock. Owloysius was now wide away as the clock read eleven o’clock at night. Twilight fell over on her side and almost immediate passed out.
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Something with a warm and buttery scent hit Twilight’s nose. She hadn’t had dinner the night before, so the smell immediately caused her stomach to grumble. Pancakes. The purple unicorn opened her eyes and looked around. She was still on the floor where she passed out, except there was a blanket drawn over here and a pillow under her head.
Twilight stood up, her blanket falling over her side and dropping to the ground. She looked towards the table where Spike was happily munching on his own pancakes.
“Morning Twilight!” he said to Twilight cheerfully. “I made you a fresh batch of pancakes! Smothered with syrup, just how you like!”
Twilight walked over to the table and sat in a chair directly across from Spike. She stared at the pancakes hungrily. The three pancakes were, in fact, smothered with syrup and had a small slice of butter melting atop of one of them. They looked delicious. She immediately grabbed the knife resting on the table and sliced through the pancakes twice, cutting them into fourths. She then levitated a fourth of the pancakes and placed them in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. She couldn’t remember the last time she was so eager to eat something besides when she first received the Gala tickets.
Spike hadn’t noticed her uncouth frenzy. He was too busy munching away at his pancakes. Twilight regained her civil mind and took the fork from the table too. She ate the rest of her pancakes well-mannered and before Spike, despite him getting a head start. A glass of orange juice then became noticeable by Twilight. She took the glass and gulped it straight down, allowing anything “stuck” to be washed down. Her original tired state had vanished from the amount of sugar in the syrup. She was ready to take on the day.
Twilight spent the rest of the morning performing her daily grooming necessities, like washing her mane, brushing her teeth, the works. She walked downstairs, where Spike had made a bag for Twilight to bring. The contents consisted of a quill, a scroll, a bottle of ink, a variety of fruits for her travels, her Element, and the forcefield spell.
“Wow Spike, you’ve really outdone yourself this morning! Thank you!” Twilight complimented to her number one assistant and hugged him.
“Ah, it was nothing. Just be careful while you’re out there and come home safe, okay?”
Twilight smiled. She always liked hearing Spike care about her.
“I will, I promise.”
Then there was a gentle knocking at the door. Twilight strolled over the door and opened it. Outside was Fluttershy, standing quietly.
“Hey Fluttershy, what’s up?” Twilight greeted.
“Oh, yes, hello Twilight. I was just here to make sure you were ready. I’m not interrupting anything am I? Perhaps I’ll just leave you alone.”
Twilight laughed. She couldn’t help but always find Fluttershy’s shyness a little funny, but not in a bad sort of way of course.
“Don’t worry about it Fluttershy. I was just about to leave anyway.” The unicorn reassured her friend.
“Ah, well then. I guess we should go. The chariot is actually already here.”
“We should probably hurry then.” Twilight turned her head back inside. “Behave you two! I don’t want my books everywhere when I get back!”
“Just go Twilight! We’ll be fine!” Spike called, already in the process of doing another chore.
Twilight shut the door behind her as she walked out of the library. The day was a bit cloudy, but not enough to stop the Sun from shining. The two mares galloped casually towards the town square at Fluttershy’s “suggestion”. Like yesterday, with the roles of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie reverse, the four ponies were in the chariot, waiting for them. And also like yesterday, Rainbow Dash impatiently yelled, “Come on you two slowpokes! We ain't got all day!”
Twilight and Fluttershy both boarded the chariot. Celestia’s royal guards then took a running start, pulling the chariot, and took off into the air for Canterlot. The ponies once again greeted each other. Each one of the ponies were carrying a bag slung over their sides, all filled with various necessities. Applejack had apples as always, Rarity had some exotic fruits and her brush, Pinkie Pie brought one dozen cupcakes and a hoof-full of streamers, and Fluttershy had a large stock of food for everyone to share if they needed it. Rainbow Dash, thinking ahead, brought a larger-than-normal bag, stuffed with a big tent for them to sleep in when necessary.
The chariot soon approached Celestia’s castle. The six friends, who had being chatting amongst themselves, were now silent as they approached. The Canterlot ponies were still busy however, unaware of the quest they were about to embark on. The royal guards landed the chariot and brought it to a halt. The ponies departed from their seats and thanked the gentlecolts for the transport.
The castle doors opened automatically as the ponies approached and revealed Princess Celestia, in the same place as she had been standing yesterday. Her eyes were closed this time however, and her horn was glowing. She was trying to focus on something, but still seemed to be aware of their presence at the same time.
“Come…” the Princess called. Slowly, the ponies moved forward. “My six little ponies, are you ready for the journey you are about to engage?”
They all said “Yes” simultaneously.
“Are you aware of the fact that even though this is dangerous journey, you will do what it takes to complete your objective?”
Fluttershy hesitated a little, but all the ponies said “Yes” anyways. Twilight thought the Princess was talking to them like it was a military mission. Perhaps because it was similar.
“Then go. Stay safe and retrieve the Elements of Harmony!” Celestia said, louder. Her horn began to glow brighter and a bright, pink light appeared in front of them. It was a portal. Pinkie Pie almost immediately bounced through the portal. Applejack and Rarity cautiously followed, then Fluttershy being forced in by Rainbow Dash. Twilight took the Element of Magic from her bag and placed it on her head. Then, she stepped into the portal, closing her eyes.
As Twilight stepped through, she felt gravity disappear. She felt weightless, like she could fly away like a Pegasus. The feeling was short-lived however, as gravity returned suddenly. Twilight didn’t hit the ground though. She felt wind flying past her face, through her mane, and heard screaming. Screams of terror. She opened her eyes and looked below. Under her, she could see her five friends flailing and screaming as they were plummeting towards land. Rainbow Dash was trying to gain control of flying, but to no avail. They were at least a half mile above ground, and they were headed straight for land, fast. Twilight started to panic. She wasn’t sure what to do besides screaming and flail like the rest of them, but that’s when it hit her.
“The spell! Of course!” she exclaimed. The thought seemed to suddenly kick-start something. The Element of Magic began to glow, and so did Twilight’s eyes. A bright, blinding white shone from them. As if it were an instinct, her horn began to glow as well and pulled the panicking ponies close. Their panic somewhat subsided as Twilight’s magic began to take over her. Her horn glowed purple, and shot out a large burst of magic around them. The magic seemed to solidify and create a bubble around the friends. A forcefield. They continued to fall however, and this caused Fluttershy to continue screaming.
“What in tarnation is she doin’?” Applejack asked, shouting over Fluttershy.
“I have no idea! I’ve never seen any magic like this before! Let’s just hope it saves us!” Rarity shouted back.
The falling seemed to have no effect on Twilight, as she seemed to be floating calmly In the middle of this bubble while everyone else kept falling. The ground got increasingly closer, and quickly. Applejack and Rarity hugged in mid-air, apologizing to each other for the problems they’ve caused each other. Rainbow Dash was able to regain flying control, but wasn’t able to do much now that she was trapped in the forcefield. She had her eyes closed and her front hooves together, saying a prayer to herself, telling herself she’d be okay. Pinkie Pie continued flailing, but was yelling with a loud “WHEEEEEE!” And Fluttershy? Well, she kept screaming and flailing.
The ground got closer and closer by the second. Objects could now be made out on the surface, like large buildings and moving objects. The shield’s speed increased, but it prevented the ponies from feeling the air blasting against them. Within minutes, they were just feet from the surface. They were headed straight for a hilly area. Everyone shut their eyes. This would either be a safe landing or the end for all of them.
Twilight’s forcefield slammed into the ground a few moments later, digging into it and kicking up large amounts of dirt. Twilight seemed to be unfazed by this. Everyone fell to the bottom of the shield, bouncing around as it continued its long slide around the ground. The ponies bounced over and into each other and their bags smacking each other in the head. The shield came to rest at the top of a small hill. The ponies, dizzy from the bouncing, opened their eyes and looked around. They were in one piece.
“WE’RE ALIVE! WE’RE ALIVE!” Rainbow Dash shouted, jumping in glee. Everyone else released a huge sigh of relief. Twilight had prevented the inevitable. The forcefield faded and Twilight fell to the ground, unconscious and fatigued. Her blood vessels pounded furiously from the intense work and exhaustion the spell had caused her. It was almost too much for her. The other ponies, after getting to their hooves again, moved towards their debilitated friend. Fluttershy was on the ground however, still struck with fear after the long fall and the near disaster.
“Poor thing. Must be exhausted after such a magic overload.” Rarity stated.
“Ah wouldn’t be surprised. She saved our flanks, that’s for sure.” Applejack said,
The other ponies nodded in agreement. Pinkie Pie then looked up over the hills and noticed a light growing from behind one of the larger hills.
“Oh! Oh! What’s that?” she asked, bouncing excitedly. From the hill, a large white object appeared. It seemed to be carried on four wheels and had bright, pale yellow lights beaming from the front. The lights were paler that Fluttershy’s shade of yellow. Two doors opened from the sides of it, where two two-legged creatures stepped out. They appeared to be wearing black clothing. This was something the ponies had never seen before.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be good.” Applejack said flatly.
And she was half right.