“MY FRIENDS? YOU CANT TAKE MY FRIENDS FROM ME,” Twilight shouted her voice full of rage and terror. Twilight lost all control of her rational thoughts as the idea of losing every memory of her friends rattled her already stressed mind. Memories flooded Twilight's mind of all the past adventures with her friends, each a memory she treasured dearly. She began to wonder if this price included Spike. Another wave of panic racked her as the thought of losing the one person in the world that had been by her side the longest. The relationship between Twilight and Spike was hard to put into words as she acted as both his mother and big sister. The thought of losing her number one assistant awakened something akin to a mother's rage. Her manner shifted as she became determined, she would fight and die for these memories but with her newfound clarity drawn from her determination she began to realize that if what they said was true she was bound by a magical contract.
Normally those that wished to enter into a magical contract began by brewing a potion of aconite stems, asphodel blossoms, shavings of the lotus tree, and narcissus root. While potions normally have some magical connection to either pegasus, earth or unicorn magic, the potion used to start a magical contract has no magical connection at all. No one truly understands the power behind a magical contract - only that once struck it could never be broken without consequence, only concluded. The potion offers no effect that can be measured or tested but the connection between the two parties is painfully real. Whichever party breaks the contract is subject to the will of the opposite party. While the practice of a magical contract was not outlawed it had fallen out of fashion as being barbaric.
Twilight knew that there was no way to break the curse that would not end with them getting the payment they wanted but she could try to offer up another form of payment. “What…,” Twilight stammered still recovering from her shock before her conviction reaffirmed themselves in the thought of a crying drake in front of a crystal door. “What… what else would you take as payment,” Twilight finally managed to ask.
“Only something that is of great value to you will be able to be offered.” The figures informed Twilight in a matter of fact manner. Twilight saw that the figures did not show any emotion about what they were telling her. They seemed to get no pleasure out of her suffering but at the same time they did not show any compassion towards her plight. “What would you offer us child? You’re magic perhaps? No, you are too fond of your magic to ever part with it. You do not have a lot of things that would qualify as sacrifices that we would be able to use.” The figures walked to the edge of the pool and stopped. The figures looked down upon the ground as a starving stallion would a banquet table. “Land…Miss Sparkle…We want your land.”
Twilight had braced herself for the worst imaging all the kinds of things that she loved taken from her so it came as a surprise. Twilight had to contain the joy that was welling up inside of her at their new proposition. As Twilight was the second child in her line the lands of her family would go to her brother Shining Armor by birthright. Because of Twilight’s continual tutelage from Princess Celestica, Twilight was only a temporary denizen of the library having no claim to it as it is property of the state. Twilight fought back a manic giggle as she had found a way out of her predicament. “I give unto you all my lands and holdings,” Twilight proclaimed triumphantly as she gave the figures a mocking bow.
“We shall collect upon your debt at our convenience but in the meantime do you have anything else you would like to know Miss Twilight?”
“No!” Twilights reply was blunter that she had meant it to be but the thought of being ensnared again just after getting free scared her. “No…, thank you but I must be going with our business done.” With as much composure as she could muster Twilight began her journey home trotting at a pace that betrayed her inner panic.
Once Twilight was beyond the range of hearing the figured turned to themselves. “Come my brothers we have much to do for the upcoming festivities. To believe that one of such power and intelligence could be so easily manipulated.” With that the figures of began to fade back into the pool their laughter oily and slimy like the waters their faded into.
Ponyville a few hours later
Twilight closed the door to the library as quietly as she could so as not to wake the sleeping dragon she knew she would find not far from the door. Spike had fallen asleep waiting up for her to return. Twilight’s first instinct was to grip the sleeping dragon in a rib crushing hug but she knew if she woke him he would ask about the pool and she was not ready to talk about that just yet. She picked the sleeping dragon up in her magic and took him to their shared bedroom. After laying him carefully into his basket she stopped to watch her number one assistant sleep for a time. He slept in a peaceful ignorance unaware that she could have lost him today. The thought brought tears back to her eyes. How much pain would that have caused him to have to explain to her that they were not only friends but family. Twilight trotted downstairs as silently as she could and opened her travel bags. Twilight pulled the accursed book from her travel bag and trotted over to a corner of the library she had spent many a cold nights reading. What she was about to do went against everything she stood from but she knew that it had to be done. Twilight threw the book into the unlit hearth before she unceremoniously cast the spell to light the fireplace. Twilight had no idea of what she had expected to see as she watch the book burn but it seemed that after all the evil it had caused that the book should have done more than just burn. Fire, although destructive, was also a purifier yet Twilight could not shake the feeling of a blight upon her. Twilight would have to look into buying land in the Everfree forest as a backup but for now all she wanted to do was to turn in and sleep this nightmare away.
Present Day
“Twilight do you know what these ponies are talking about?” Celestia bent down to ask her former student in a somewhat private manner.
“Your student owes us a debt that we intend to collect right now,” the periwinkle pegasus said in a matter of fact manner barely able to hide the smugness in his voice.
Celestia straighten as she moved toward the three interlopers, the persona of grace. “I am sure that Princess Twilight while be more than happy to attend to this debt that you speak of but at the moment we are having a private moment and we would ask that you come back at accepted court hours. Guards please show our guest out,” Celestia said in an authoritative but diplomatic tone.
Twilight shook with horror as the gears began to turn in her head. Twilight maybe the second child in her family’s line unable to get any family land but now she was a princess a co-ruler of a nation with lands far greater than any one house. Twilight had never gotten around to buying the land in the Everfree forest like she had planned. Twilight had spent months trying to track down who the rightful owner of the forest while trying to hide her reasons from everypony. She did not want Princess Celestia to find out that she had gotten herself in over her head. Twilight’s pride had gotten the best of her and now the whole nation was going to pay. Twilight had to think of something and think of it fast.
“Princess Celestia! I need you to banish me,” Twilight half shouted forcing the words out as the idea formed in her head.
“Twilight why would I ever do that?” Celestia asked, confusion and alarm radiating from her words.
“Because, Celestia, she thinks that if you banish her that will stop us from taking the land she owes us,” the ecru earth pony said oozing smugness and glee. “But as you see,” the earth pony leveled his grin to his compatriots, “we are alright here. Your student paved the way for our return.” The earth pony smiled as Celestia rounded to face Twilight.
“What are they talking about Twilight?” Celestia asked voice cold and direct.
Twilight had only heard Celestia use that voice once before at wedding of her sister-in-law and her brother. Twilight looked for the right words to say but before she could think of anything the horn of the ultramarine unicorn began to glow.
“Brothers we don’t have time for this,” the unicorn spoke as his magic blasted the guards that had begun to form up around the Princesses. Princess Celestia rounded on the unicorn, set to lose a powerful spell of her own, when the most peculiar thing happened. Twilight watched as the pegagus raised up like Applejack about to buck an apple tree then bucked the open air. Lightning shot forth from the open air striking Princess Celestia squarely in the chest causing her to scream with pain and sending her flying against the wall. Silence filled the room as the limp body of Princess Celestia slid to the floor. Twilight and Cadance rushed toward her side ready to tend to her wounds but where blown back by an unseen force. Luna blasted though the side wall of the castle upon hearing the cries of her sister in pain. Luna, still dressed in her ceremonial night court robes, surveyed the scene before her looking for her sister’s attacker. The Princess Luna was met with a blast for the ultramarine unicorn that was a mix of magic and something resembling a tidal wave throwing Luna to the stone floor trapping her there. Luna began trying to cast spells but whatever held her was choking her with what looked like water. Luna managed to fire off three energy blast that flew randomly due to her lack of control but was unable to break her watery prison try as she might. With a final release of an air bubble Princess Luna stopped moving as the water prison withdrew from her.
It took all the mental fortitude Twilight could muster to just stand. Her Princesses, her teachers, her friends had been dispatched in just a few seconds what chance did she have of defeating them but Twilight would have to do something. Cadance was not as strong as Twilight had believed for upon the sight of her aunts dispatched so easily Cadance fell to the floor. Twilight had failed Celestia and Luna, she could not fail to protect Cadance, the last remaining monarch. With that Twilight turned back to face the intruders standing in front of Cadance shielding her as best she could. “Cadance go find Shining Armor save yourself,” Twilight shouted.
“Actually she is free to go,” stated the earth pony. Twilight jaw dropped at how causal his statement had been as if he had just dismissed day court for the evening. “We have no need of her yet.” The earth pony trotted causally toward the two remaining princesses. “Run along home Princess Cadance, we have no quarrel with you this day. We wish you and your husband well on your journey home.”
“W….Why,” Cadance whispered. “What makes me so special,” Cadance asked her strength beginning to return.
“It goes against the unwritten rules of conduct to harm a guest while they are under your roof, Princess Cadance,” the pegagus spoke like a teacher scolding a filly or foal for missing a question that they knew. “We are the new rulers of this land and as such we must keep diplomatic relations with neighboring lands….civil. So you and your husband will leave this city now or you will have to be detained…” the pegagus looked over at Princess Luna’s body as he spoke the word, “for your own safety of course.”
Cadance began to open her mouth to speak but was cut off by Twilight before she could speak. “Go Cadance, all of Equestia is going to need you now. Get Shining Armor and tell him everything that has happened, then get out of here. Shinning will know what to do.”
“But what about you?”
“Don’t worry about me get yourself to safety.”
“But…”
“GO!” with Twilight’s last outburst, Cadance called upon her magic and with the sound of a magical pop she was gone.
“Now Miss Sparkle what to do with you,” the earth pony mused. “I know,” he said with a manic grin “I banish you.” The earth pony stomped his front hoof causing a fireball the size of cartage to form out of the floor. Had Twilight been anyone but Shining Armors sister she surely would have been burnt to a crisp. Twilight had her shield up as soon as she had seen the fireball begin to form. Twilights shield held as the fireball first made impact but she felt the power behind the blow and knew she couldn’t hold the shield for must longer. The lavender bubble began to crack and fracture the flames beginning to find their way pass the shield. As she felt her spell fail, Twilight braced for what was to come. The shield broke and the fire closed the distance and all Twilight could do was watch as the flames moved to engulf her the kaleidoscope of reds, blues, greens, and even pinks filling her vision before her vision finally faded to black.