//------------------------------//
// The Magic of Reading Part 14 
// Story: The Magic of Reading 
// by Creative Charmer 
//------------------------------//

	Cthulhu had finally stopped running around in circles and was pulling the pieces of wood and glass out of his rear end. Right after pulling out the last one, he lifted his head up to see Rainbow Dash, whom had just flown in front of his face. "Hey there!" Rainbow said as she waved to him while keeping a smug look on her face. Cthulhu lifted up his hands to try and grab Rainbow Dash, but she flew out of the way right as they clasped together. She then flew back in front of Cthulhu's face. "Now you see me!" she then started flying in circles all around Cthulhu, with him trying again and again to grab her, while getting even more frustrated. Rainbow then flew right in front of his face again. "And now you don't!" she shouted as she turned around and bucked Cthulhu right in his right eye. Cthulhu reared back as he gripped his eye and screeched in pain. He looked at Rainbow Dash with his other eye. "You'll have to be quicker than that to keep up with me!" she said in a taunting voice, and then she sped off down the street. Cthulhu took his hand off his eye and started chasing after Rainbow Dash, running as fast as he could. Rainbow Dash looked behind her to see Cthulhu, whom was catching up with her. "I think it's time to take this to the skies!" She waited until Cthulhu was about to grab her, and then she zipped up into the sky just as his hand grabbed where she just was. Cthulhu came to a stop and looked up at Rainbow Dash, who was flying around above him. "What's the matter, Cthulhu? Too heavy for your wings?" Cthulhu got angry once again, and he spread open his large wings. He slowly began to flap them, and slowly ascended up into the air. He then went after Rainbow Dash, who flew away from him, faster than before. The two flew all around in the air above Ponyville, with Rainbow Dash keeping herself barely ahead of Cthulhu.

As Rainbow and Cthulhu flew around Ponyville, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo watched them from an alley. Fluttershy and Owloysius were standing behind the girls, with Fluttershy trying her best to watch them and not be scared.
"That monster sure is tryin' hard to get Rainbow Dash!" Apple Bloom said.
"But he'll never do it!" Scootaloo responded smugly. "Rainbow's way too fast for him!"
While those two were talking, Sweetie Belle sat behind them, looking very saddened. She sadly sighed, which caught the attention of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, who turned around to face Sweetie Belle.
"Awww, don't feel bad, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said. "Ah'm sure the others can take care of that ol' monster."
"She's right," Scootaloo added. "They can handle anything!"
"Well, they wouldn't have to do anything if we didn't summon him in the first place," she placed her hoof over her eyes. "This is all our fault..." she said as she shook her head back and forth.
"Hey, it's not all our fault!" Scootaloo exclaimed in frustration. "They're the ones who wouldn't give us a chance to show them how well we can use magic! If anything, this is all their fault!"
"Yah!" Apple Bloom added. "We all deserved to be given a chance after how hard we all worked! It really is their fault!"
Sweetie Belle sighed sadly. "Look, girls. I agree that they should have given us a chance, too, but this all really is our fault," Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked shocked by Sweetie's words, and they exchanged looks of disbelief with each other. "We shouldn't have tried this hard to impress them. That's what went wrong."
"What do you mean by that??" Scootaloo asked, sounding confused.
"I mean that we shouldn't have tried something that was out of our league. The magic spell I used was an advanced spell, which meant it was not supposed to be done by beginners like me," Sweetie plopped down on her rear, still looking sad.
"But yah were still able to do the spell!" Apple bloom said. "Doesn't that mean yer advanced enough?"
"I know I was able to do the spell, but the real problem was that we assumed we could handle how the spell turned out, which we couldn't at all," Sweetie shook her head. "That's why this spell was for more advanced learners. They knew what they were doing and knew they could handle it—unlike us..." she hung her head in shame.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other with sad faces, both now feeling responsible as Sweetie Belle did. Apple Bloom then walked over to Sweetie Belle and put her hoof on her shoulder. "Yer right, Sweetie Belle," Sweetie lifted her head up and looked at Apple Bloom. "Me and Scootaloo were just feelin' hurt by what the others said, but it was really more out fault than theirs for tryin' somethin' when we just weren't ready for it. And ah made it worse by sayin' we should use the book without checking it first," Apple Bloom then hung her head like Sweetie Belle did.
Scootaloo was feeling guilty as well now, and knew she had to take the blame, too. "No, it's really my fault that this happened, Apple Bloom," she said as she walked up to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who both looked back up at her. "It was me who said we should use the book without checking it to see if it was safe," she sadly sat down on the ground. "I just wanted so hard to show the spell to everypony else that I didn't think anything so bad could happen that we couldn't handle it. And now we've caused the worst disaster ever!!" she shouted in anguish as she placed her hooves in front of her eyes.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom felt bad for Scootaloo, and went over to comfort her. "Don't feel all bad, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said.
"She's right," Sweetie added. "All three of us share the blame for causing this huge mess, and that's why we have to fix it," she said with a determined voice.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at Sweetie in surprise. "Us? Fix it?" Scootaloo asked.
"How in Equestria are three little fillies like us going to stop some huge monster?" Apple Bloom added.
"We'd just get in the way and mess things up again," Scootaloo said, feeling sad again.
"That's no excuse to stand by and do nothing while our friends are out there, putting themselves in danger for what we did!" Sweetie exclaimed sternly, which snapped Scootaloo and Apple Bloom to attention. "Whether we're capable or not, we're still responsible for this! And we have to do whatever we can to fix everything and save Ponyville!"
"You're right, Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo responded with determination. "We have to help!"
"And we will help!" Apple Bloom added. "We're all in this together, and we'll fix it together!"
"Then let's go help our friends, Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Sweetie exclaimed, and then she and her friends high-hooved each other. The girls then turned around to run out of the alley, but were immediately stopped by Fluttershy, whom had flown down from above them and landed right in front of the girls. The girls all skidded to a halt.
"Where do you think you three are going? Fluttershy asked in a suspicious way as Owloysius landed on her back.
"Well, uhh..." Sweetie said, feeling too nervous to talk.
"I'm sorry, girls, but I cannot allow you to leave this alley," she said as she pointed down at the ground in the alley. 
"But..!" the girls all said at the same time.
"No!" Fluttershy snapped. "No buts, or anything else like that! My friends told me to watch you three, and I have to keep my promise to my friends!" she looked down at the girls, who all looked a little afraid of her. "Oh...sorry if I was a bit mean..." Fluttershy said softly.
The girls exchanged looks, and then stopped cowering. "It's okay, Fluttershy," Apple Bloom said. "We understand," the other girls nodded in agreement.
"Oh, thank you, girls. I was afraid I hurt your feelings," Fluttershy made a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry about it," Scootaloo said as the girls started walking towards the sides of Fluttershy.
"Yah! It's perfectly fin—" Apple Bloom was suddenly cut off when Fluttershy instantly opened her wings, blocking the girls from going around her.
Fluttershy lifted her head back up. "But I still can't you let you leave. It's still too dangerous for three fillies like you," she said in her normal soft voice. Owloysius hooted in agreement.
The girls then exchanged looks, wondering how they can get past Fluttershy. Scootaloo's face then sparked with an idea. "Say, Fluttershy; don't you think you should check to see if your animals are okay? I mean, it's possible that Cthulhu has been there already, right?"
Fluttershy's eyes then opened and widened in horror. "Oh my gosh!!" she exclaimed as she jumped up into the air. She then turned and flew off in an instant. When she did this Owloysius fell off her back, and he started hovering in midair. Fluttershy then came back, grabbed Owloysius by the wing, and sped off once more.
After the girls watched Fluttershy speed off, Apple Bloom turned her head to Scootaloo. "That was some clever thinkin', Scoot."
"Yeah! You did great!" Sweetie Belle added.
"Thanks!" Scootaloo replied. She then made her determined face again. "Now let's go save our friends!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle agreed in unison, and the three of them ran out of the alley to right their wrongs.