//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: A New Book // Story: Darklight // by snoninja7 //------------------------------// Spike had two very reliable gauges for determining, on any given day, exactly how boring Ponyville was. The first was the actual frequency of Twilight Sparkle's 'monthly' overnight train trips to the palace library at Canterlot. Major public events that require a great deal of preparation and planning, such as the yearly Grand Galloping Gala, pushed the book run to something that actually approximated monthly. But life was dull again, and the more recent visits had already crossed the threshold of biweekly and soon would darken the boundaries of weekly. Spike was now waiting for Twilight to return home from the latest visit fresh off the morning train with another stack or two of old books, and he sat reading the morning paper waiting for the spectacle to start. It was an established routine that Twilight herself seemed only vaguely aware of: she would throw open the door and say "Spike! I just found the most amazing book!", he would try unsuccessfully to show interest, and she would go on-and-on-and-on about why this book was so amazing until she became so captivated by the book that she forgot who she was talking to, and he would be free to go about his day. The second, and perhaps the most telling component of his 'Dull-O-Meter' (or 'Dullometer', he was still working on the name) was the location of Derpy Hooves’ missing pony photo in relation to the front page of the Ponyville Express. This was rarely ever news. Derpy got lost, was found, and got lost again (sometimes all in the same day) so frequently that it was easier to keep her picture in every edition along with a running tally of the number of days since her last confirmed sighting. It was more for enjoyment than necessity that they kept the picture there, her unfocused eyes and big, infectious smile brightened even the most dire of news, and Spike thought with a chuckle that even in black and white she looked blonde. Few ponies worried much about her absences. Being clumsy and accident prone, it was something of a relief when she was away. Her absences had became much shorter since The Doctor moved to Ponyville, and Derpy would usually be back to work at the post office most mornings safe and ready to begin her daily route. This morning, however, Spike thought it a little out the ordinary that the latest tally was over a week. The door flew open and Twilight entered the living room followed by two large stacks of levitating books, "Spike! Guess what I just found at the palace library!" Spike of course already knew the answer but he wanted to mix it up a bit "Hmm, that's a toughie. How about a huge cache of the rarest, most tasty gems I've ever seen." "What? No, of course not." "A cure for boredom in the library?" "Now why would anypony need that? It's... " "A love potion for Rarity?" "... the most amazing spell book I have ever seen!" One of the floating books moved towards Spike so he could examine it more closely while the remaining books were carefully deposited in an empty corner. "I thought I had read every book in that library at least a dozen times, so I was surprised to find this one so close to my favorite reading desk. I don't recognize the writing style, and the title page is missing so I don't know who wrote it, but whoever it was must have been a genius!" Spike was more interested in the large yellow gem set into the intricate gold cover. Rarity would love a gem like that, if he could get it to her before he got hungry... "I tried several of the spells on my train ride back to Ponyville and they all work perfectly. But the most amazing spell is right here!" The spell book opened to page titled 'Long Distance Teleportation' on cue with Twilight's narrative "Think about what this could mean for Equestria! Ponies could travel between towns instantaneously! Savings in transportation costs would be enormous! I... " She hesitated for a moment. Something was holding her back from moving forward with the decision she thought she already made. Was it the right thing to do? She shook off the gut feeling and spoke. “I'm going to try out the spell in my usual place." Spike was suddenly jolted out of a Rarity fantasy "I dunno, Twilight. Maybe you should ask Princess Celestia before you try it. Remember the last time you tried a new spell without checking it first?” "The warts went away, didn't they? Plus I personally cleaned up every one of the slugs in Pinkie Pie's living room. Trust me Spike, this book does an excellent job explaining all of the subtleties of spell casting. Besides, it would be overkill to go see Princess Celestia when I just saw her yesterday." Twilight had already packed the book in her saddlebag and was heading towards the front door. "The teleportation spell works best for familiar places, so I will try going back to my house in Canterlot first. I should be back in a few hours." Alone again, Spike picked up the newspaper and made another attempt at deciphering Rarity's opinion piece on summer fashion trends. There was a knock at the door, and Spike remembered that he had forgotten to tell Twilight about something important. Fluttershy was waiting for Twilight to bring her a book from the Canterlot library, and had paid a visit early that morning. That's probably Fluttershy right now, he thought to himself, and reached to open the door. **** Twilight was glad that the grass was starting to grow back again at her favorite new spell test site. It was becoming more and more difficult to see the scorch marks, and she was optimistic that eventually it wouldn't even look like a crater. She opened the book to the long distance teleportation spell for one final review before she started. If Spike had only taken a closer look at the spellbook, Twilight was sure he would have understood her confidence. Most books on magic did little more than give poorly worded incantations and a few vague comments on horn gestures. This book said everything: full page diagrams complete with comments on mindset, preparation, simple mistakes to watch out for, even proper hoof placement. This was exactly what a spellbook should be, it was as if the book had been written specifically for her. The book floated back into Twilight's saddlebag, and she charged her horn with mana to cast the teleportation spell. Beams of light broke through the ground and formed into a circle around her. She pictured in her mind the details of her house: the tall, spiral structure caped with a golden minaret, the lower level with the open air balcony, the upper level with the tall, mostly empty bookshelves—when was the last time I dusted?—the desk, the antique hourglass hoof-crafted by her great-grandfather, the huge window with the view of the castle that relaxed her and helped clear her mind while studying. The circle brightened, and eddies of wind began to rush through her mane. She concentrated on the pictures on the wall: the older photograph of her with her parents and big brother, the picture of her with her Ponyville friends taken a few months ago. She could feel the mana flowing through her body strongly now, and the circle became so bright she had to shut her eyes. Twilight knew that when she opened them again, she would be sitting in the very house she was imagining just then. When her eyes did open, she saw that she wasn't home at all. In fact, she had no idea where she was.