//------------------------------//
// A Night of Studying 
// Story: Rainbow's Quest 
// by Zetriax 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 3- A Night of Studying
It was later that night when Rainbow Dash sat on the edge of her bed and pulled out Relics and Artifacts. She kinda felt bad for taking the book from Twilight without asking. Oh well. She’d done worse things before. Rainbow flipped open the book and ran through the table of contents until she spotted a chapter called Fate Stones.
She flipped to the page and began to read.
Starswirl the Bearded was a gifted unicorn. He created many spells and creations. One of the most notable of these creations is the Fate Stone. He originally made it so that anypony could see his or her future. But he couldn’t get the spell right. He attempted to make a working Fate Stone but his attempts met with failure. After the second stone was created, he gave up. Starswirl thought the stones were too dangerous as it was and hid the two he had created. His failed experiments ended up bearing stones that transported the user into the future. There were two problems with this...
“Yeah, yeah, Twilight already told me all this. How do you use it?” Rainbow said to herself. Just then, Tank, her pet tortoise, crawled up onto the book and curled into his shell.
“Come on, Tank! I’m tryin’ to read!” Rainbow Dash said to the stubborn turtle. Tank’s only reply was a peek from the shell before his head retracted back in.
“Ugh!” Rainbow exclaimed. She picked up the obnoxious creature and set him on the floor beside the bed.
She returned to the book and skimmed the page. She flipped it and scanned the next page. Finally, she found what she was looking for.
How to Use the Fate Stones:
After Starswirl’s death, a couple scrolls were found telling about the Fate Stones. This is why we even know of their existence at all. Among the notes were the instructions on how to activate their power.
No. 1- Lay the stone on a large flat surface (such as the ground.)
No. 2- Crouch down next to it and let your muzzle touch the stone.
No. 3- You should instantly fall asleep.
“That’s it? No magic words or anything?” Rainbow said. She was tempted to try the ritual, but before she closed the book, she noticed another heading that drew her attention.
Fates Stones with Cutie Marks:
During his experiments, Starswirl concluded that if a Fate Stone was ever lost or destroyed in the world of dreams, the pony would not be able to return to consciousness. (This also applies to going to the future and not being able to return.) To prevent this, he tried to find a way to make them indestructible. Since there was no perfect spell, he turned to another method. If a pony’s cutie mark was engraved on its surface, the stone would only be usable to that pony, and only be able to be destroyed by that pony.
“Well that sort of explains my cutie mark being on here,” said Rainbow, holding up the stone. “But, why would anypony put my cutie mark on it? Wouldn’t he or she want to put their own on it?”
Just then Rainbow heard raindrops pattering on the roof of her cloudy home. She hadn’t expected rain. The weather pegasi must’ve pulled together a last minute storm without telling her. Whatever. She wanted to try out the stone tonight anyways. She laid the stone on the floor and crouched over it, touching her nose to its surprisingly cool surface.
Rainbow heard the door of her bedroom crash open behind her.
“No, Rainbow! Wait!” the intruder yowled.
Rainbow Dash tried to turn from the stone and face the intruder but, before she could get up, a powerful force pulled her mind into a deep, dark abyss.