//------------------------------// // ...Until It Comes Crashing Down // Story: The Gravity of the Situation // by Masem //------------------------------// Twilight and Rarity walked together towards the town hall as night settled in. Both the ponies were in fancy gowns for the event; Rarity had chosen a tasteful purple dress laced with deep greens and burgundy trimmings and lined with matching emeralds and rubies. Twilight’s dress came out very similar to what Rarity had sketched out earlier—a mix of shades of blue, with the edges lined in dark blue ribbons and buntings, with a short silk train following her. Both had done their manes up into trim proper coifs for the event. Spike himself was dressed in his tuxedo shirt, jacket and tie with top hat, and drifted lazily behind the pair, kept aloft by his endless adoration of Rarity. “Rarity, this dress is perfect. I can finally walk normal again!” Twilight gave a few tentative bounces. “Whatever you did with it, it’s holding me down to earth.” “Oh, it was nothing, Twilight.” Rarity waved her hoof. “If anything, it was a proper fashion challenge to make the trim come out just right. You can barely see the sagging of the dress due to the loadstones. A stroke of genius, I must say.” Twilight let out a calming breath. “I should have come to you earlier. This would have helped a lot earlier in the day.” They had arrived at town hall. Several others ponies, mostly unicorns, from Ponyville had gathered outside, all adorned in their best outfits. They chatted excited in small groups, and several waved to Twilight and Rarity as they passed by. “I’m glad to see the rest of the unicorns in town excited about this as I am,” Twilight commented. “Getting this annex would really help benefit Ponyville.” “Oh, yes, I agree. Cheerilee may be a great teacher of general knowledge, but once Sweetie Belle has found her talent, she is going to need some proper education, and it would be much more convenient if that was here right in town. And I just cannot see her living by herself in Canterlot as I had to.” The two had made their way into the midst of the crowd, where the Cakes were managing a small hors d'oeuvres table. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, how’s it going?” Twilight asked. Mrs. Cake was distributing some crackers and cheese onto a plate. “Oh, busy busy busy! Thanks for asking us to cater tonight, though.” “Oh, yes. It would be great to have a school for Pumpkin right here in town when she grows up. We’re only happy to help you with that,” Mr. Cake offered, as he tended to distributing small glasses of punch to the other guests with straws to the other guests. Twilight smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll get that annex, and little Pumpkin will get a good magic education. Maybe I’ll be her teacher, even!” Rarity had levitated a glass over to her, and took a sip. “Ah, delicious as always. Twilight, you must try this.” Mr. Cake offered Twilight a glass of the red punch. Her eyes opened a bit at the aroma. “Ohhh, is this your special apple punch mix? I’m sure the delegates will love this when they get here!” Twilight took the drink into her magical grasp and took a long sip. “Oh, they’ve already arrived,” he commented, continuing to serve a few others that had lined up for drinks. Twilight spit out her drink at Mr. Cake, dousing the stallion with liquid. “They’ve what?!” “Oh, yes, about ten minutes ago,” Mrs. Cake said while offering her husband a towel. Twilight started to hyperventilate. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my g—” Rarity laid a hoof on Twilight’s back. “Calm down, Twilight,” she said in a soothing manner. “They simply arrived earlier than the actual meeting.” She tossed her head back, allowing her curl to settle back against her head. “I know its more proper for the Canterlot elite to arrive fashionably late, but it certainly isn’t a faux pas to be early.” “Besides, all your friends are inside already, along with the Mayor and several others. It’s not like they’re in there by themselves.” Mr. Cake offered, having managed to wipe most of the liquid from his face. “Actually, that’s what I’m most afraid of!” Twilight bit her lip. “Let’s get in there before anything else goes wrong.” Twilight quickly made for the steps into the town hall proper, with Rarity and Spike in tow. Twilight took her time on the steps, but Rarity’s loadstone dress kept her hooves in constant contact with the wooden beams. Inside, nearly a hundred ponies were milling around, carrying the buzz of conversation around the room. Twilight caught glimpses of her friends among the crowd, each wearing an attractive gown or dress for the occasion. The Canterlot school’s board members were easily identifiable from the others. About a dozen of them were stallions dressed in tuxedos or prim dinner jackets, with the older ones standing a good head above the rest of the crowd. The mares from the board stood out in their large, flared dresses and fashionable hats. Twilight had only vague recollections of some of the faces back from her visits to Canterlot, and couldn’t immediately place any names. “Oh, Fancypants!” Rarity cooed, moving towards one of the nearby groups, where a familiar stallion was talking with Fluttershy. “I didn’t know you were on the school board!” “Ah, Ms. Rarity. A delight to meet you again,” Fancypants said, taking Rarity’s hoof and giving it a chaste kiss. He looked towards Twilight who had joined them. “And... Ms. Twilight?” Twilight gave a short bow. “Yes, that’s right. It’s nice to meet you again, Fancypants.” She allowed him to give a brief kiss on her hoof as he had done wit Rarity. “I’m glad I could see you again. And as to your question, Ms. Rarity, I am on the board, though I don’t have a vote on the annex. I’m here more as a... consultant?” He took a moment to find the right word.”I’m only here to help provide my own suggestions before the main board members vote.” “Er, I hope its so far to your satisfaction?” Twilight asked hopefully. “Oh, this couldn’t be more appropriate, Ms. Twilight.” He directed his hoof towards Fluttershy. “Your charming companion has been quite insightful on the benefits of opening the school annex in Ponyville. If it were up to me, I would have already made my decision based on her word alone.” Fluttershy’s cheeks turned a deep red. “Well, er, I’m just happy to help,” she managed to squeak out. “Perhaps you can help us then,” Twilight asked. “Who would be the board members that have the votes? I think it would be best I talk to them first.” Fancypants nodded. “Of course, anything to help a friend of Ms. Rarity.” He looked out over the small groups in the hall and pointed with a hoof. “Well, over there, in the tweed coat, is Mr. Gavel. He’s a kind-hearted fellow. Runs the auction house, if you remember, Ms. Rarity.” “Oh, yes, he was a very nice fellow. Twilight, you shouldn’t have any worries from him.” “Over there on the far side of the room, in that lovely pastel-colored gown, is Ms. Color Palette, who runs the Canterlot Art Museum as well. She may seem a bit snotty, but that’s just a facade, she’s very charming. And finally, in the back there are Mr. Jet Set and Mrs. Upper Crust.” “Oh, dear.” Rarity gasped at mention of the names. Twilight peeked over the crowd to look at the two. “Weren’t they the ones at my birthday party that purchased all your dresses, Rarity?” Rarity shook her head. “They were only doing to keep up with the rest of the elite and save face. They rather despite such rustic places like Ponyville. I’m surprised they even came.” “Well, they are part of the board, Ms. Rarity. But yes, I believe they will be the most difficult to win over. I’ve heard they’d rather simply open the school in Manehatten.” Rarity sighed. “Well, that’s no surprise.” “Wait, who’s talking to them?” Twilight craned her neck to see who was in the cluster around the pair. She caught of a glimpse of a pink curl among the other bodies and broke out into a quiet panic. “Oh, no! Um, you’ll have to excuse me, Fancypants, but I need to greet them immediately.” “Oh, please, go right ahead,” Fancypants smiled. “I will just stay in the charming company of your friends here.” Twilight gave a quick curtsy and then made a beeline to the gathering of ponies on the far side of the room, weaving her way through the other small masses. She caught sight of a familiar cowboy hat in a group nearby, and briefly paused to tap Applejack on her barrel. “Psst, AJ! I need your help,” Twilight spoke at a whisper, just loud enough to hear over the muffled conversations. Applejack turned away from the discussion she had been listening in on. “Hey, Twi, looks like ya fixed that problem of yours,” she offered in her happy and loud voice. Twilight waved her hoof vigorously across her neck. “Inxay on the omble-pray!” she uttered in a soft anxious tone. Her friend stared at her for a moment, “What on the what, now?” Twilight rolled her eyes before returning to a whisper. “Look, just don’t mention about my floating problem. Rarity’s figured it all out, and I don’t want the board members to know about it!” “Oh, gotcha, Twi, sorry about that. But what’s so important now?” Twilight pointed towards the mass of pink curls nearby. “I’ve not had a chance to talk to Pinkie about how she needs to behave today, and she’s right now talking with two of the board members! I need you to take over for her!” “Me? Well, gee, I guess I can, but what can I talk about?” Twilight gave a brief pause. “Oh! You’ve lived in Manehatten for a bit. With your aunt and uncle, right? Talk about the high life there? I’m sure you’ll bond immediately!” Applejack frowned. “Are you sure? It’s been a while--” Twilight didn’t let her finish, grabbing her friend by the dress and pulling them over to the other group.  Twilight apologized to the various mares and stallions as she forced the two of them into the center of the circle.  As expected, Jet Set and Upper Crust stood together, their individual magic keeping their drinks nearby. Both were watching Pinkie Pie, who was telling them one of her stories in her usual, overly-animated way. “And then I said, ‘Oatmeal, are you crazy?!” Pinkie began to laugh at her own story. Twilight grimaced as she looked towards the board members. They somehow managed to keep their very aloof and snide look, but their irises had shrunk to the size of apple seeds. Twilight wanted to scream, but managed to keep her cool. “Heh, heh, sorry to interrupt,” Twilight offered with as straight a face she could conjure. “But I need to borrow Pinkie here and, um, introduce her to the other guests. But I’d love for you to talk to Applejack here, she used to live in Manehatten.” Twilight pulled the lurking Applejack forward in front of her. “Isn’t that right, AJ?” Applejack stood there, stunned by the question. “Ummm.” Jet Set blinked for a moment, his face quickly returning to his haughty manner. “Oh, Manehatten? That’s a lovely city. Tell me, do you know the Oranges?” “Well, ummm, they’re actually mah relatives…” Applejack floundered with the words, twisting her mane in a hoof at the question. “Oh dear, you need to tell us all about them,” Upper Crust inquired, moving closer to the mare. “They are one of the most influential families there.” Applejack smiled as broadly as she could. “Twilight, help!” she rasped back to her friend through clenched teeth. Pleased that AJ was getting along well with the two, Twilight grabbed at Pinkie’s dress, pulling her back out through the crowd. “Pinkie, I need to talk to you. Privately” “Awww, but I wanted to hear about AJ’s family!” Pinkie protested but came along quietly. Twilight led them to a secluded corner of the hall. “Pinkie, you know how important getting this annex is to Ponyville, right?” Twilight asked her in hush tones. Pinkie nodded vigorously. “Oh, of course, Twilight!” “So you do know how important it is for you to be on your best behavior, right?” “Duh, silly! Of course it’s important, I wouldn’t want to let you down.” Twilight frowned. “Then why in Celestia’s name were you telling that story to the big important delegates?” Pinkie grinned from ear to ear. “Oh, that story always breaks the ice at parties! It never fails to get a laugh from everypony!” Twilight buried her face in her hoof. “Pinkie, it’s not that type of party. We want them to think Ponyville is a, um, a well-educated town, suitable for their annex.” “Ohhh, I see.” Pinkie looked worried. “I guess I better tell Vinyl she’s not needed today.” Twilight held in a grumble, and placed a hoof to Pinkie’s side.. “Look, just be happy and pleasant, you’ve done fine before. But, please, please, just be careful around these Canterlot ponies, okay? Fortunately, I think we should be good if what Fancypants says is true.” The frown on Pinkie’s smile was quickly replaced with a wide grin. “Oh, that’s great! I’m sure we’ll get that annex in no time, then!” “I hope so, Pinkie, I hope so,” Twilight sighed. “After today, I just couldn’t take one more thing going wrong.” “Oh, you mean how your spell went all haywire and caused to to float around and made Spike have to pull you around town like a balloon to get anywhere before you would float off and--mmph!” Twilight stuck her hoof over Pinkie’s mouth. “We especially don’t want the board members to hear about that, okay?” Twilight gave Pinkie a stern look. Pinkie nodded. “Mmm mmph!” Twilight let Pinkie’s mouth free. “Just...just keep calm, Pinkie. I’m sure you’ll do fine. In fact, based on what Fancypants said, you should probably get along great with Mr. Gavel over there.” She pointed out the stallion at the far end of the room. “Talk to him about all the fun activities there are about Ponyville. He’s pretty much all ready to vote in favor, I think you’ll help us assure that.” “You got it, Twi!” Pinkie beamed before turned and bounding off into the crowd. Twilight stared as she left, amazed that her pronking didn’t see to disrupt any of the crowds around her. Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay, Twilight, time to impress these board members.” Twilight took a few moments to step away from the various groups and to collect her thoughts. She had just finished a lively discussion with Ms. Palette along with Applejack. As Fancypants had cautioned her, she was initially cold to them, but quickly opened up to their friendly chatter. She was also a bit surprised at Applejack’s knowledge of the art world, which seemed to impress Palette even more. Though she didn’t ask Palette directly, she was certain that her vote for the annex was secure based on her mannerisms and discussion. That was two votes down—Mr. Gavel’s was very approachable and he had quickly assured Twilight that the annex would end up in Ponyville. Pinkie must have done wonders on him, as Mr. Gavel insisted on spending a week to visit the annex when it was up and running to enjoy the various amenities that Ponyville offered. She looked back towards the largest group in the room that had centered around Jet Set and Upper Crust. “Okay, Twilight, now’s the time to give it your all,” she said to herself, taking one last deep breath. She carefully meandered through the crowd. As the event had progressed, the crowd had become a bit more lively, with guests going back and forth between the conversations inside and the refreshments outside. As such, it was getting more difficult to move about within the town hall, but with a few polite requests, she had finally made it outside the circle surrounding the pair. She collected her throughs, and took a step into the ring. Something tugged at her neck, holding her back. Twilight realized it was the strap of her dress, and turned around. A stallion, one of the other non-voting board members, had accidently stepped back and had his hoof firmly planted on the train of her dress, and Twilight’s forward movement had pulled the dress halfway-off to the right. “Oh, no,” she whispered in a panic, feeling the offset weight from the loadstones pulling her to the right. She tried to grab at the dress to pull it back across here but momentum was already working against her. He left hooves were already lifting off the ground. The dress fell completely off her, and her body swung out and up. Within moments, she was hanging upside down, the neckstrap of the dress keeping her connected to the rest of the fabric that hung to the floor, still pinned there by the errant hoof. The crowd gave a collective gasp as she hung there. She tried to bury her face in her hoof to hide from the gawking and staring. “What is the meaning of this?” Jet Set stepped out from the circle, along with Upper Crust. He gave Twilight a condescending stare from just over the top of his glasses. Twilight could see her friends lining up behind the pair, confused looks on their faces. Twilight sighed, losing whatever credibility a upside-down, half-naked, floating unicorn could have. “I had a misfire trying to learn a gravity spell earlier today and haven’t been able to correct it. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to reveal my foul up to you, but…I guess you know now.” She frowned, looking back over the crowd. “I’m sorry, I screwed this up for everypony.” An unnatural hush came over the room. Some brief whispers could be heard, but nopony dared to break the silence. Upper Crust gave a brief tap to her husband’s shoulder. “I have read that gravity spells are some of the most advanced ones. Not even the school’s professors are capable of casting it.” “That’s true, dear,” Jet Set considered the statement and then looked back to Twilight, still suspending upside down in front of them. “And you say you’ve only been practicing a day?” Jet Set’s stare of disbelief unnerved Twilight, causing her to blush and tear up. “I’m sorry, I’m usually a lot better at learning these spells, though—” He shook his head. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean, you learned how to cast this in a day?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, unsure where this was going. “Er, yes?” Jet Set looked to his wife, who gave the briefest of nods. “If you would excuse us,” he said to Twilight and then called out to the rest of the room. “Mr. Gavel, Ms. Palette? Can we talk?” The pair shuffled out through the gathered crowds to meet with their fellow board members. The gathered crowd split open to allow the four to speak quietly among themselves on one side of the room. As soon as they were away, Twilight’s friends raced up to help her from her predicament. Rainbow flew up to grab her and helped to bring her to the ground while Rarity and Fluttershy quickly rearranged her dress to keep her down. “I’m so sorry, Twilight,” Rarity apologized in a tense manner. “I never even thought that could have happened with the dress!”   Twilight let out a deep breath, releasing all the tension she had building up to this event. She ignored the sidelong looks that the other attendees gave her. “No, it’s my fault for not being careful with my magic. You all tried to help today, but I blame myself for losing the chance for the annex.” “Ah’m sure there will be other chances to get something like a magic school for Ponyville, Twi,” Applejack offered, helping to smooth out Twilight’s mane that had come wild during the incident. “But there’s nothing more prestigious than the Canterlot Magic Academy,” Twilight retorted. “It would have meant so much for the parents in Ponyville to have their foals trained there.” “Well, maybe you can get a Cloudsdale Academy annex,” Rainbow Dash offered, a hopeful look on her face. “They’re always looking to open up new schools across Equestria to take the load off them.” “That would be nice, but its just not as what the Canterlot branch would have done for Ponyville.” Twilight sniffled away a tear. Somepony cleared their throat nearby. The six turned to see Jet Set, Upper Crust, and the other board members nearby. “Ms...Twilight? Was it?” Jet Set asked. “Um, yes, that’s me,” Twilight said, barely able to get the words out of her mouth. “We have just had an impromptu board meeting regarding the potential annex of the Canterlot School of Magic in Ponyville.” Jet Set’s emphasis on the word “Ponyville” was filled with contempt. Upper Crust nodded, hautly. “We were to vote on this tomorrow, but we have come to our decision right now.” “Oh,” Twilight turned and hung her head in shame. “I guess that makes sense.” Jet Set ignored her reaction, and continued in his flat monologue. “We are proud to announce that our decision is unanonymous. Ponyville will get the new Annex, with construction to start immediately.” Twilight let off a resolved sigh. “Yeah, I kinda fig—wait what?!” It took a moment for the words to sink in. “Yes, in fact, we would be honored if you would accept the role as a honorary professor at the school, Ms. Twilight,” Upper Crust offered, her voice as deadpan as her husband. “What?” Twilight was still shocked. Her friends, along with several others around the room gasped in surprise at the announcement. “As my wife has pointed out, gravity spells are some of the most difficult to cast, much less practice. The fact that you’ve been able to cast one with less than a day of studying—well, that’s the type of calibre we want our young foals to learn under.” “What?” Twilight’s mouth remained agape. Applejack lightly nudged Twilight. “Twi, dear, they said yes! You did it!” Twilight shook her head to clear her sense. “But—but my magic backfired! That’s not good at all!” “Oh, every unicorn knows that accidents happen,” Upper Crust said, then turned to her husband with narrowed eyes. “Isn’t that right, dear?” Jet Set coughed and bit his lip. “Er, yes, you’re right. But getting back on the subject, even if you did have a backfire, the fact you were able to cast it within a day of learning is amazing aptitude and one that the Canterlot school would be proud to host.” “B-but, I don’t know what to say.” Twilight floundered for the right words. “I’m honored, and would be proud to accept the position.” She knelt forward on her front hooves as she would courtesy the Princesses. The residents of Ponyville erupted into cheering behind her. Twilight was suddenly overwhelmed with both Ponyville and Canterlot residents, trying to shake her hoof and congratulate her. Even as they crowded around her, they were all careful to avoid stepping on the hems of Twilight’s dress. She did her best to address them all, a slight rose tint coming to her cheeks as the other ponies gave her adoration. It took a good while before the crowd around Twilight finally dispersed, allowing her to get herself some breathing room. She apologized to the last few stragglers around her and made her way towards the main doors of the room. The mood of the event had certainly changed, and the few snippets of conversation were much more livelier. She thought she hear some bass-thumping music start up somewhere in the back of the hall. “Oh, Pinkie…,” she thought to herself and broke into a grin. Once outside, she took a few deep breaths, taking a moment to brush out her dress to make sure that it was still evenly covering her body. She looked up to the near-cloudless sky, glad that Rainbow got the okay to delay the drizzle to later. “Ms. Sparkle,” a voice behind her said.  Twilight turned to find Fancypants waiting there, a broad grin across his face. “Oh, Mr. Fancypants, nice to see you again.” She offered. “Just...just taking a bit of a breather here,” she said. “I must say, your performance tonight was stellar. I have never seen those two make such a rapid decision.” Twilight’s face turned red, and she turned away from the stallion to try to hide it. “Well, I didn’t really plan it that way.” “Very little is actually planned, Ms. Sparkle. It’s one of those little idioms I’ve come to appreciate. You may have all the best intentions in Equestria, but fate will bound to make something go wrong, and it’s how you deal with those that shows just type of pony one is.” He pointed at her with his hoof. “You, young mare, have shown that you can roll with the punches, as they say, and that is something to be proud of.” Twilight felt her cheeks heat up even more. “Oh… I-- I don’t know what to say.” “I’m good friends with your mentor, Princess Celestia. We have tea once every moon or so, of course, and she’s always spoken highly of your ability to adapt to the situation, and tonight you clearly have shown that.” Her eyes twinkled a bit at the mention of Celestia’s name. “She thinks that way of me?” “Absolutely!” Fancypants grinned broadly. “She is amazed by your skills and your strong character. You did absolutely nothing wrong tonight, and she’ll be delighted to hear of your success today.” Twilight was tearing up at the compliments. “Even with the gravity spell screwup?” Fancypants gave a short chuckle. “As Mrs. Upper Crust said, mistakes happen to every unicorn. You should have seen the look on Mr. Jet Set’s face when his magic went awry at their wedding ceremony.” “Oh!” Twilight’s eyes lit up. “You must tell me what happened!” “It is unbecoming of me to speak ill of my fellow ponies,” Fancypants said, but then gave Twilight a knowing wink. “But let’s just say that Mrs. Upper Crust definitely is not a chartreuse.” Several images flipped through Twilight’s mind, all leading her to giggle. “I guess you’re right. Thank you again for coming and your kind words, Mr. Fancypants. Are you going to go back to the party?” Fancypants reached down and repeated the same chaste kiss on Twilight’s hoof as he did when he first greeted her. “I’m afraid I must be returning to Canterlot here myself, but there are several more ponies waiting inside that are anxious to meet you. But, please, you must visit me the next time you are in Canterlot.” “I will, Mr. Fancypants. That I will.” Twilight gave a reassuring smile at the gesture. She watched as the stallion made his way through the mingling outdoors crowd, pausing to say a few last words to some of the ponies from Canterlot before disappearing towards the train station. Twilight took in one more breath of the night air, and turned to go back inside to enjoy the rest of the event. As night settled around Ponyville, Twilight and Spike made their way back to the library. Twilight had assured that she stayed until every last guest from Canterlot had left, thanking them personally for coming to the event, long after most of the other Ponyville residents had retired for the night. Exhausted both physically and socially, Twilight dragged her hoofs towards their home. Though she still wore the loadstone dress from Rarity, Twilight had Spike secure rope around her just in case the dress fell off again. Wearily, Twilight used her magic to open the door. The library still a mess from the earlier gravity experiments. “I can’t believe this day is over,” she said, exasperatedly. “But you did it, Twi! We’ve got the Annex, and the entire town is proud of you!” Spike offered before yawning. “I can’t believe how late that party went for! Where does Pinkie get all that energy?” “That’s a question for another day,” Twilight mumbled, looking up towards her bedroom nook. “I just go to figure how I’m going to get to sleep. I can’t wear this dress to bed, but I’d float off otherwise! And if the spell dissipates while I’m over the middle of the library... I don’t want to hurt myself!” “Hmm, I think I have an idea, Twi,” Spike said, pulling on the rope around Twilight’s barrel slightly. “Let’s get you set.” Minutes later, Spike had put his plan into motion. Twilight had carefully taken off the dress—it was still a lovely gown that she could wear to other events once they took the loadstones out—and lazily floated above her bed. Spike’s rope remained attached around her barrel, its other end tied to a bound stack of several thick volumes of books next to her bed. A second bit of rope was used to tether her back hoof to the bedpost. Spike stood atop her bed, gently pushing at Twilight’s body to see how much slack the two ropes had. “There, you should be all set, Twi. Even if you float around, you’ll stay right above your bed, so if the spell wears off in the middle of the night, you won’t hurt yourself.” Twilight rubbed Spike’s ridges with her hoof. “Thanks, Spike. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.” Spike smiled at the sign of appreciation. “Maybe next time you practice new magic, you should wait until there’s somepony nearby that can help you?” Spike gave another wide yawn. “Hopefully you’re not going to ask me to write that letter to Celestia right now.” “No, Spike, that can wait until tomorrow.” Twilight chuckled to herself. “Now what do you say we get some shut eye?” “I can totally agree with that!” Spike was already finishing up resetting his basket next to Twilight’s bed from the rest of the mess, and sluggishly crawled beneath the covers. “Night, Twilight.” “Goodnight, Spike,” Twilight called out, using her magic to snuff the remaining candlelight that lit the nook. The room descended into darkness. Moments later, there was a loud thunk, followed by a low moan. “What was that?!” Spike sat up from his bed, his eyes trying to pierce the darkness. “Oh, nothing,” Twilight replied, her voice muffled. “Just the gravity spell deciding to wear off at the worst possible time.” Finally caught in the safe grip of gravity, Twilight rolled over on her bed and stared up to the ceiling. “Oh, Celestia, why me?”