The sun threw an orange light across her bedroom, the light slowly fading away as it set over the horizion. Twilight smiled, her horn flaring briefly, a purple glow illuminating the room as candles across the room flickered to life. A heavy leather bound book lay before her, with two golden stars and a swirl embroidered on the front.
She had locked herself away for most of the day, the book before her being her only companion. So many spells lay hidden between its many pages; so many untold secrets just waiting for her to discover them. She almost drooled in excitement as she flipped a page with her hoof. She stopped suddenly, her interest piqued by the lack of words upon the page.
There wasn’t much on the page; the word Invisibility was centered at the top, and there were a few scattered details defining how to cast the spell directly under it. She studied what little theory there was, but she couldn’t quite grasp the mechanics of the spell. From what she gathered, it seemed to force light around her, rendering her completely unseen to the naked eye.
She closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself as she bit her lip in concentration. She gathered her magic, firmly holding the spell before releasing the magic with a flash of light. She gasped as her magic swept across her body, a feeling not unlike being drenched in cold water flowing across her fur.
She frowned as she opened her eyes, intently studying her hoof with dismay. Distantly, she heard a bell ring downstairs, her front door creaking as it swung open a few seconds later. A strong wind swept up the staircase, her candles flickering in the breeze before standing tall once again.
"Twilight?" Spike called upstairs, his voice drifting through her open bedroom door.
"I'm upstairs!" She called back, smiling as she listened to the sound of his tiny footsteps walking up the wooden stairs. She frowned as she returned her gaze to her hoof, holding the offensive appendage up to the light.
"Maybe I did it wrong?" She thought, sighing quietly as she reexamined the spell. She mouthed the words to herself silently, her brow creasing as her eyes narrowed.
Behind her Spike stepped into the bedroom, his eyes crossing right over her. He scratched his head, shrugging as he stepped toward the bathroom, knocking on the closed door with a tiny fist.
"Twi?" He said, pressing an ear close to the door. "You in there? They didn't have any quills at the Quills and Sofas shop."
"I'm right here Spike!" She said, glancing up as she huffed in frustration. She quirked an eyebrow as the tiny dragon jumped, his hands rubbing together nervously. He sucked in a breath, his eyes darting from the wall to the floor as he shuffled toward the door.
"Wh-where?" His voice wavered, his eyes wide as he slid closer to the door, his tail twitching nervously.
Twilight grinned devishly as she lifted a hoof, slowly waving it in her assistants face. His eyes gazed right past her as she stiffled a giggle, his pupils shrinking ever so slightly. She lowered herself to the ground and quietly approached him, a smirk on her muzzle as she bit her lip.
"BOOO!" She screamed, stomping her hooves against the floor with a mighty thud.
Spike screamed, shooting a foot off the ground. Before Twilight could blink, Spike had turned tail and bolted down the stairs and out the front door, screaming that there was a ghost in the library. Her giggles erupted into full blown laughter as his screaming faded away.
Twilight collapsed onto her belly, laughing so hard that she snorted several times. Her horn flared brightly, and she felt the feeling of cool water sweep over her body once more. As she came back into view, she smiled as she thought of all the things she could do with this spell. She'd apologize to Spike when he returned, but for now, she had some pranks to plan.
~The Next Morning~
Spike still hadn't returned by the time she had woken up, so the next morning found Twilight walking around Ponyville looking for her draconian friend. She had already visited his usual haunts, mainly the botique and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but she had not found him yet.
Currently, she was heading to the rock quarry Rarity and Spike visited when they were jewel hunting together. She had a good feeling about him being there, probably helping the unicorn of his affection, as the white pony hadn't been in her boutique either.
She sniffed at the air, the delicious scent of freshly-picked apples teasing her nostrils. She gazed at the many apple trees lining the road, her eyes caressing each and every red fruit. Her thoughts were broken as the familiar sound of hooves hitting bark suddenly rang through the air, coming from just beyond her sight line.
She stepped off the road and gazed between the trees, where she could just make out the orange fur of her favorite farm pony. The mare was hard at work bucking the apple trees, trying to round up the last bit of apples before the start of cider season.
Twilight grinned devilishly, used the invisibility spell, and quietly made her way towards her friend. She leaned around a tree, a giggle on her face as Applejack grabbed a large bucket from her cart between her teeth, carefully placing it below a tree laden with beautiful red apples.
Applejack twisted, her blond hair flying over her shoulder as she slammed her back hooves into the tree with all her might, a mighty crack echoing through the apple grove. Apples fell from the tree, bouncing off the ground below the tree. She raised an eyebrow, her eyes darting between the ground and the bucket that now hung from the cart behind her.
“Wha' tha..?” She removed her Stetson, sweat beading on her brow as she eyed the bucket for a moment. She shrugged, quickly rounding up the stray apples and loading them into the cart. She grabbed the bucket again, carefully placing it below the next tree in her path.
She turned, her back legs lashing out to slam into the tree once again. She stared as the apples hit the ground, rolling to a stop at her hoof. Her eyes twitched as she turned, glaring at the bucket, which once again, was hanging from the cart.
She stomped over to the cart, grabbed the bucket between her teeth angrily, and slammed it onto the ground underneath the next tree. She lowered her muzzle, staring intently at the bucket. Several minutes passed by, the only sound being the wind blowing through the trees around her. She jumped suddenly, her heart beating wildly as an apple thumped to the ground. She let out a nervous laugh as she glared at the offending apple, her gaze returning to where she had just been looking. With a gasp, she saw that the bucket was hanging from the cart. She lifted her head, her expression blank for a minute. Her eye twitched, a furious look slowly growing on her face until she was glaring murder at the offensive wooden object.
“Wha' in Celestia's name is goin' on here!” She screamed to nopony in particular, panting heavily as she stared at the bucket. She stopped, taking a deep breath as she mentally counted to ten. She let loose a deep breath, a strained smile appearing on her face.
“Ah'm just to hot today! Yea, the sun's just messin with me...” She said, mumbling to herself as she turned, trotting toward the barn in the distance. If she had been listening closely, she might have heard the stifled giggling of the town librarian from under one of her apple trees.
Twilight stood up with a grin, her horn glowing as she dispelled her magic. She turned tail, giggling madly to herself as she hopped the fence back onto the trail, dust kicking up behind her as she trotted off toward the quarry.
~Later that same day~
Twilight trotted back into town, a frown on her muzzle. She had searched every inch of the quarry and hadn't found hide nor scale of Spike or Rarity. She waved as she passed ponyvilles mail mare, a grin on the wall eyed mare's face. She waved back happily, the remains of a muffin clutched in her hooves as she flew past.
She walked further into town, a sigh escaping her lips. Her throat itched dryly as she swallowed. She smiled as Sugarcube Corner came into view, her throat begging for a drink.
She trotted into the bakery, flinching as a pink missile stopped just mere inches from her face.
“Twilight!” Pinkie screamed directly into the poor unicorn’s ears. Twilight flattened her ears, glaring at the energetic pony for a moment before breaking into a small smile.
"Hey Pinkie. Have you seen Spike?"
Pinkie cocked her head, giving Twilight a strange look.
“Yes? Little baby dragon, purple with green belly? This tall?” She said, sitting on her rump as she lifted a hoof.
Twilight stared at Pinkie, an eyebrow raised for a moment, before sighing.
“I meant have you seen him today?”
“Oooohhh... Nope!” She said, turning away to bounce into the kitchen. "Bye Ditzy!" Pinkie yelled, waving her hoof as the pegasus soared toward the doorway, her head thunking against the wall as she missed the door entirely. She shook her head, her eyes spinning as she turned toward the pair. She waved at Twilight, grinning around the bag of muffins in her mouth, her wings fluttering behind her as she passed through the door.
Twilight just stared at her, blinking rapidly. She could have sworn she had just passed Ditzy Doo, not even five minutes before...
She narrowed her eyes for a moment, a calculating look on her face as Pinkie Pie vanished into the kitchen. She grinned slowly, her horn flaring brightly as she faded from view. She turned, inching her way toward the kitchen quietly.
She silently pushed the door open, screaming as a bucket fell from the above her, water pouring all over her coat. Before Twilight could shiver, a bag of flour exploded in her face, instantly covering the invisible unicorn in a stick white mess.
She stood still, stuttering in shock, her eyes locked on the pink mare before her laughing her head off. She growled, a fierce look in her eye as she turned, stepping out of the kitchen with her horn alight. The flour vanished from her coat, blinking out of existence as she silently locked the kitchen door behind her. Her horn flared brightly as objects around the room drifted through the air, arranging themselves into an elaborate trap for the element of laughter.
Twilight giggled to herself as she crouched down behind the counter, her horn flaring as she unlocked the kitchen door, eyeing the door patiently. She waited quietly... and waited... and waited.
“What are we waiting on?” A familiar voice whispered from beside her.
“I've set up a prank for Pinkie Pie. The minute she steps through the kitchen door's, she'll kick that rope, which will release an anvil onto that scale,” She said, pointing to each object in turn. “raising the other end that's weighed down with that candle, burning through that rop... Pinkie?”
“Yes Twi?” Pinkie said, her eyes locked on the door before her.
“How did you get out of the kitchen?”
"I'm not sure."
"Oh."
"Yea."
Twilight stood suddenly, her ears flattening against her mane as she stepped away from Pinkie, her eyes narrowed, a scowl on her muzzle. She stomped her hoof, snorting at Pinkie, as the pink mare pointed down.
Twilight glanced down, a curse on the tip of her tongue as she the rope beneath her hooves snapped, releasing the anvil onto the perfectly positioned scale. The scale tipped, raising the lit candle to the thin string, which snapped under the heat, releasing it's hold on a spring loaded catapult. A moment later, Twilight was smacked in the face by a messy, albeit delicious, cherry pie.
She stood still for a moment, her temper flaring as she slowly wiped the cherry filling from her eyes, glaring at Pinkie Pie.
“I hope you know...” She trailed off, magic cleansing her face once again. “This means war!” She said, her eyes burning with a fierce fire. Pinkie Pie nodded, snapping off a smart salute as the unicorn vanished with a pop.
Twilight appeared on the other side of the counter, huddled behind the counter. She snuck a peak over the counter, her eyes going wide as she saw a fully assembled miniature castle sitting in the middle of the bakery. Pinkie's eyes could be seen peaking over the wall's of the small castle, black paint under her eyes with a camouflage helmet upon her head.
Twilight narrowed her eyes, several pies lifting into the air behind her. She launched them over the counter, a shrill whistling sound echoing through the air.
“Return fire!” Pinkie screamed, launching a return volley of chocolate cupcakes. Twilight leapt to the side, cheering as she avoided the flying desserts. Her horn flared as she returned fire with an air strike of frosting bombs, raining sugary shells down on her sworn enemy.
~Three Hours Later~
The bakery was a disaster. Frosting covered every surface, with numerous wrappers dotting the battle-scarred bakery. The small castle lay in ruin, and the counter was missing several large chunks, taken out by Pinkie Pie's destructive chili-cakes. Twilight and Pinkie sat at the last remaining table in the bakery, pouring over a hastily drawn up cease-fire.
Twilight had already signed the parchment, and was patiently waiting for Pinkie to sign the treaty, effectively ending the battle.
Pinkie nodded, finally signing the treaty after clarifying several key points of the treaty, finding them all acceptable.
Pinkie stood, pushing her chair behind her as she stretched out her hoof, a goofy grin on her face. Twilight smiled, biting her lip as she shook Pinkie's hoof, an electrical sizzle crackling through the air. Pinkie's hair poofed out even further, her eyes going wide as Twilight giggled, rolling her hoof over to reveal a joy-buzzer.
“I got you!” Twilight screamed, laughing loudly as she looked around the bakery. Her laughter slowed, until she was biting her lip in worry. “Wow... We really did a number in here didn't we?”
“Yep!” Pinkie said, a smile on her face as she bounced in place. She darted from surface to surface, scraping frosting off the walls and counters and stuffing her hooves into her mouth.
“I guess we better start cleaning?” Twilight said, sagging slightly as horn flared, a mass of frosting lifting itself into the air.
“No I've got this!” Pinkie said as she suddenly leapt into the air, her muzzle open wide as she swallowed the sugary mass whole.
Twilight blinked in confusion, staring at her friend with a mixture of awe, surprise, and nausea.
“Ho-How did you just... Never mind...” She said, huffing as she shook her head. “Well Pinkie, I'm going to head over to Rarity's to see if she's seen Spike.” Twilight said, giggling as Pinkie bounced across the room.
“Alright Twilight! I need to restock the bakery, since we kinda used all the desserts as ammunition.” She said, giggling happily as she placed a tin full of cookies on the empty display shelf.
Twilight smiled as she trotted out the door, the smell of fresh cookies and cakes already filling the air around her. Twilight smiled as she spotted the door of the boutique swinging shut, the bell above the door closing with a quiet jingle. She trotted across the street, a hoof raised as she knocked lightly on the door.
“Just a moment, please!” A pleasant voice called out, followed a moment later by approaching hoofsteps. The door swung open a second later, revealing Rarity's smiling form.
“Oh, why hello there, darling; I was just coming to see you,” Rarity stepped back, beckoning Twilight inside.
Twilight stepped inside, a relieved smile on her muzzle as Spike ran to her, from where he'd been laying on Rarity's couch watching her sew.
“Twilight!” Spike's face lit up, a broad smile on his face. “I was so scared when I couldn't find you yesterday! There's some kinda ghost living in the library!” He said, shivering slightly.
“Oh Spike!” Twilight giggled, giving her assistant an exasperated look. “That wasn't a ghost, you silly dragon; that was me! I discovered a new spell and was testing it when you walked in!”
Spike stood still for a moment, before turning to give Rarity a sheepish grin. Rarity raised a brow at the small dragon, a skeptical look on her face.
“Big horrible ghost? You had to fight several of them off with your flame breath?” Rarity said, stifling a giggle as Spike's cheeks flushed red. Twilight and Rarity shared a laugh as Spike slowly edged out of the room, refusing to meet either of their eyes.
“Oh, that poor dear. I hope I didn't embarrass him too much. I actually thought his stories were quite cute. He told me about how he was forced to fight off several large ghosts, and how he lost you in the ensuing scuffle.” Rarity said, gazing toward the doorway the baby dragon had just slipped through.
“He'll be fine, Rarity, and thanks for keeping an eye on him. Did he sleep here last night?” She asked, gazing at the design on the dress Rarity was currently working on. Rarity blushed slightly, turning away from Twilight to cover her cheeks.
“O-Oh, yes he stayed here last night. He was too scared to go back home, and we couldn't find you yesterday.”
“Did he sleep on the couch?” Twilight asked, looking for a blanket or a pillow.
Rarity blushed even harder, her mouth opening and closing as she quickly snatched up a small bunny-sized sweater from a design rack.
“Do you think you could drop this at Flutters for me, dear?” She asked, levitating the small sweater toward Twilight. “I've been meaning to take it over to her, but I've just been so busy with my new dress.” She shook her head, giving Twilight a pleading stare.
“Oh yes, I can do that for you!” She agreed, a smile on her muzzle as she accepted the small sweater from Rarity. She examined it for a second before tucking it into her saddlebag. “It this for Angel?”
“Yes, it is; you know how Fluttershy loves that aggressive little miscreant. Thank you very much Twilight. I'm sorry if I seem rushed, but I simply must finish this dress!” She said, flipping her mane over her shoulder as she turned a critical eye on her dress.
“Alright, I'll head over to Fluttershy's now, and if you see Spike before I do, tell him I expect him home tonight, please.” Twilight said, a smile on her face as she waved goodbye to Rarity, her tail flicking behind her as she set off toward Fluttershy's cottage.
Behind her, Rarity peered through the mail slot, watching her friend leave before calling out.
“Spikey? You can come out now! She's gone...”