Lightning Dust pushed herself off of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, landing on all four hooves before her legs wobbled a little. She gritted her teeth and whipped her tail around, but somehow managed to stand up straight, much to Apple Bloom's surprise. Still, the bruises that covered her body and face turned Apple Bloom's face a pale green and made her stomach churn whenever she gazed at them for too long.
"Lightning Dust, what are you doing?" Apple Bloom asked in a worried tone. "We need to get you to a hospital, remember?"
Lightning Dust kicked the dirt and smirked. "I'll be just fine. It's just a flesh wound, you know."
"A flesh wound?" Scootaloo retorted at the top of her lungs. Her eyes widened and she made her way towards Lightning Dust, her hooves pounding the dirt. "Look at yourself! You look like a mess!"
Lightning Dust pouted and looked away from Scootaloo. "And why should I listen to somepony who idolizes Lamebow Trash?"
"Because you won't heal up as quickly if you don't go to a hospital," said Silver Spoon. "Scootaloo is right on this one."
"Yeah!" Diamond Tiara shouted. She blushed somewhat and chortled. "I can't believe I actually agree with Scootaloo," she whispered to herself.
Lightning Dust froze in place. She swiveled her head towards Silver Spoon and raised an eyebrow. "Now why would you say that?"
"You like flying, right?" Lightning Dust nodded in agreement. "Don't you want to get back to flying at one hundred percent as soon as possible?"
Lighting Dust's nodding went faster, a bright smile adorning her face. "Of course I do! Flying is what I live for!"
"Then if I were you, I'd go over to the hospital and get fixed up."
Lightning Dust's grin dissipated into a look of sheer indifference. She shook her head and crossed her forelegs. "Nope."
Silver Spoon's jaw hung for a brief second. She rubbed her face and adjusted her glasses, still decorated with an astonished look. "Are you just messing with us? Or is there something you're not telling us?"
Lightning Dust shivered as Silver Spoon leaned towards her with a wide, devilish grin. "I'm not hiding anything. Nothing at all."
"Then you'll go to the hospital, right?"
"Yeah!" Lightning Dust lifted her foreleg up and punched the sky. She grabbed her extended foreleg and winced, rubbing it as she grunted. "I'll prove to you that I'm not hiding anything."
"Excellent! Diamond and I will follow you there. Isn't that right, Diamond?" Diamond didn't respond. "Um, Diamond?"
"Huh?" Diamond Tiara replied. She was looking away from the group and gazing at the top of the Crystal Castle, its tip glowing like a celestial body and capturing her attention.
Silver Spoon groaned and waved her foreleg in front of Diamond's face. "We're going with Lightning Dust together, right?"
Diamond jumped up and turned her head towards Silver Spoon. She blushed and stepped back a little. "Oh, um, right."
Silver Spoon rolled her eyes subtly, though Apple Bloom managed to catch a glimpse of it. Why was Diamond so focused on the castle? Sure, it was impressive and massive in scale, but it did get old looking at the same lavish castle after a few days of living by it. Perhaps Diamond was fascinated by the luxury of it. Apple Bloom faintly snickered to herself. That had to be it if the whole Royal Goblet thing was anything to go by. At least she and her friends were paying attention.
"Hey, Sweetie Belle," said Scootaloo. "Are you in there?"
Apple Bloom applied a hoof to her face and sighed, her frustration palpable. "What is it about that castle that I don't understand?" she asked in a loud tone.
"It's not about the castle, silly filly," Sweetie Belle said as she leaned towards Apple Bloom. "It's about the book."
"You mean the strange feelings that the book on Equestria's secrets produces, right?" Scootaloo asked.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Nope. The other one."
"You mean Clover the Clever's journal, right?"
Sweetie Belle formed a beaming smile and nodded. "That's it!" She regained her composure and stood up straight, staring back towards the books. "Anyway, something about it seems fishy."
"It doesn't swim, blank flank," Diamond chuckled.
Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. "What she means is that there is something suspicious about the journal. Something about it doesn't add up."
"That's what I meant," Sweetie Belle said. "Anyway, remember what the journal said about Discord's rule?"
"The journal said something about how Clover predicted the Tirek incident over a thousand years before it happened and that Discord found out about this vision."
"Well, there was one bit of it that didn't add up now that I think about it."
Silver Spoon cocked her head a little. "How so?"
"Well, for starters, it doesn't produce the same feelings that the other book does."
Scootaloo bobbed her head. "That's right," she said. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "But what does that have to do with the journal being real or not?"
"Remember how the journal said that Discord used to be a fair ruler of Equestria long ago?"
Diamond raised her hoof up high. "Hold on a second," she interrupted. "Discord was reformed, right?"
"He was, but he's still a little, well, chaotic."
"So? He's reformed, so him being a good ruler in the past that turned crazy is possible." Diamond turned to Silver Spoon in a flash, the latter jumping up a bit. "You agree with me, Silver Spoon. Isn't that right?"
Silver Spoon rubbed her muzzle. "It's possible."
Diamond turned back to Sweetie Belle and crossed her forelegs, her smug grin widening to an absurd length. "What did I tell you?"
"I'm not done yet. Just because it's plausible doesn't mean that it's what happened or even if it's likely."
"But you read that part of the journal and didn't object before, remember?"
Silver Spoon nodded. "True, but you have to come in with an open mind. It might be true, but it could also be false. Even though it did correctly predict a future event, what it said about Discord could be up for debate. And now that I think about it, there was something else that caught my eye, but I can't remember what it was. Anyway, that's why Princess Celestia might know something about this journal that we don't."
"And how do you propose we get to Princess Celestia?" Diamond tapped her hoof on the ground. "She's the Princess of the Sun!"
Apple Bloom looked over towards where Canterlot was, the silhouette of the grand castle that hung precariously off of the mountain visible from where she stood. It felt so close to where she could extend her hoof and touch it, but it still felt so far away at the same time. Getting to Canterlot was one thing, but actually seeing Celestia was another. There had to be a way to see her, but how? The answers to the books they found in the old castle were farther away than they had ever been.
Books.
"I got it!" Apple Bloom shouted with a wide-open grin and beaming eyes.
Sweetie Belle flinched. "What is it?" she asked in a hurried tone. "Did a bee sting you?"
Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her neck and blushed. She let out a sudden cackle, which earned quizzical expressions from all five ponies by her. "Sorry. Anyway, I know how we can get the answers we're looking for."
Diamond pouted. "And how do you propose we do that?" she asked.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle. We've hung out with her before. Don't you remember how 'Twilight Time' became a thing?"
Diamond shuddered. She cracked a nervous grin and chuckled slowly. "O-of course I do. How could I forget?"
"Anyway, I've got a plan. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and I will take the books over to Princess Twilight to look at, while you and Silver Spoon can help Lightning Dust to the hospital. We'll meet up by the town square when we're done." Apple Bloom nodded, her bright, smiling face radiating with confidence. "Sound good?"
"Sounds fair to me," said Silver Spoon. "You and your friends know Princess Twilight better than any of us and we'll be okay with looking after Lightning Dust."
Diamond's shoulders sagged and she pouted, her face scrunching. "But I wanted to see the inside of the new castle," she whined.
Lightning Dust raised an eyebrow. "Is it because the castle looks luxurious?" she asked in a blunt tone. "Or is it because I drive you up the wall?"
"It's the former."
Silver Spoon turned to Lightning Dust with a sheepish grin. "Don't worry about Diamond," she said. "She loves glamor a little too much."
Lightning Dust smiled and bobbed her head. "No kidding. Now let me prove that I'm not worried and we'll be all set!"
"Fair enough," said Apple Bloom. She turned towards Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Ready?"
"You bet!" Sweetie Belle shouted, her voice cracking.
"I'm always ready!" Scootaloo yelled. Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow and stared at her blankly. Scootaloo blushed and smirked. "Well, most of the time."
"Excellent," said Apple Bloom. She grabbed the sack that contained the two books. "Let's not waste any time." She turned to Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Lightning Dust and waved at the three. "Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!" the trio shouted in unison.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders trotted alongside each other, their hoofsteps in perfect synchronization, as they made their way towards the Crystal Castle with bright smiles and a skip in their step. Apple Bloom looked up at the castle as she continued marching, the colossal, crystalline structure blocking much of her view of the sky. The castle glowed under the sunlight as it seemed to radiate life. Miniature rainbows from the castle, the result of magic as far as Apple Bloom could tell, sprouted from the structure's exterior down to the earth below.
"Maybe Diamond Tiara had a reason to be impressed," Apple Bloom muttered to herself, her eyes glowing and her mouth agape. "This thing looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale."
"Hey, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said as she tapped her shoulder.
Apple Bloom quivered and leaped up into the air. She turned her head to Scootaloo, who was grinning and biting her lip. Was she behind her this entire time? "W-what is it?"
Scootaloo chortled. "Two things. First, you were going to run into the wall if you didn't stop staring at the castle. Second, we're here."
Apple Bloom shook her head and looked ahead. Sure enough, a reflection of herself was staring into her eyes, the scenery in her vision just a wall of crystal. She turned back to Scootaloo and formed a slight smile. "Um, thanks Scootaloo."
"Not a problem." Scootaloo pointed to her left. "The entrance is over there, but it's being guarded by two ponies, so we'll have to let them know what's going on first."
"That should be easy." Apple Bloom made her way towards the front door. "Princess Twilight knows us, so they'll have to let us in."
"Hopefully," Sweetie Belle said, following Apple Bloom. "We still need to be on our best behavior."
Apple Bloom nodded. "Makes sense."
The group made their way towards the gold-plated front door, its thick exterior looming above them. Flanking each side of the door was a royal guard, adorned in the typical, gold colored armor. The one on the left was a yellowish pegasus stallion, his eyes half open and his posture relaxed. The guard on the right was also a pegasus, only this one was a mare with a dark red coat. Her body stood tall with slightly hunched shoulders, her eyes darted around, and her ears twitched at the slightest noise. The mare's mere posture exuded power. It was an aura that made Apple Bloom's throat tighten. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as easy as she hoped.
Apple Bloom swiveled her head from one guard to the other, and she couldn't help but smirk at the juxtaposition before her. Taking a deep breath, she took a single step towards the castle's door, only to be halted by the foreleg of the alert guard.
"Hold on a second," the guard said in a serene tone. She looked down at Apple Bloom and her lips formed a warm smile. "Can you wait here for a moment?"
Apple Bloom stared at her with a slack-jawed expression. "Huh?"
"Just need to make sure you're allowed in. The castle is going through some renovations at the moment and Princess Twilight Sparkle wants to make sure that everything goes according to plan."
"I figured that out, but I expected your voice would be, well, different."
The guard giggled. "You're not the only one to think that. Everypony who talks to me on duty gives me the same look you had."
The guard to Apple Bloom's left let out a deep yawn as he stretched his limbs, the cracking of the once static limbs noticeable.
"Are you in there, Flash?" the guard said. "Don't tell me you've been slacking off again."
Flash shivered and his eyes opened up wide. He grinned at the guard while blushing and saluted her, his body standing tall and straight. "I'd never slack off, Rosa," he said in a hurried tone.
Rosa rolled her eyes and sighed. "Just stick to keeping watch, okay."
"Of course!" Flash looked back ahead of him, his eyes darting around in random directions.
Rosa looked back down at Apple Bloom. "Sorry about that. He's just well, stupid."
"It's okay," said Apple Bloom.
"So, do you mind telling me your name?"
"Apple Bloom, ma'am," she replied in a chipper tone.
Rosa smiled and nodded. "You're Applejack's little sister, right?"
Apple Bloom felt a chill run down her spine. She stepped back with a gaping mouth and shook her body a little. "How did you know?"
"Princess Twilight told me about you and your friends." Her lips curled into a wide grin. "I do have to know important things like this if I'm going to be serving her."
Apple Bloom rubbed her muzzle. Her older sister was famous, as was Sweetie Belle's. Scootaloo's mentor was famous as well. The chills in her spine thawed out and her lips curled into a grin. "That makes sense. So will you let us in, please?"
Rosa bobbed her head. "You got it."
Two seconds passed. An ear-splitting creak that sounded like a roaring hydra echoed in the area. Apple Bloom covered her ears and gritted her teeth, to which Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo did the same. She felt the world beneath her hooves shaking as the door opened up. Was the world going to swallow her up? Her legs tightened as the door kept opening inch by inch, until a gap wide enough for about three ponies formed and a glimpse of the interior appeared before her. The ground ceased shaking. The cacophony stopped. Everything around Apple Bloom was tranquil once more.
"Sorry about that," Rosa said, her cheeks blushing. "We're still working on that. I think we're going to need more than just oil to fix that if you ask me." She extended her hoof and pointed into the castle. "Go right ahead."
"Thank you," said Sweetie Belle.
"You're welcome."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled up together and trotted into the castle with heavy steps. The clacking of their hooves against the floor echoed in the hallway, which was darker and less bright than Apple Bloom had anticipated. Nevertheless, her eyes still glowed as her head swiveled in all directions. Some lights of various colors of the rainbow twinkled at regular intervals. Apple Bloom felt as though the night sky had enveloped her and her friends. All of it filled her with a sense of wonder that made her form a bright smile.
Looking back to the world in front of her, Apple Bloom noticed a large, circular room covered from head to hoof in crystal. Six thrones, plus a seventh throne that was smaller than the rest, circled a large, round table that shimmered even brighter than the crystal room. Squinting at the sights ahead, Apple Bloom noticed two figures. One was a light mulberry alicorn with a list of some sort. That was Princess Twilight without a doubt. The other pony was a tan colored unicorn with a rolling cart. The cart had stacks upon stacks of books that could probably make the largest book fort in history. The mere thought of such a thing made Apple Bloom's face shine like the crystal room before her. Or it could be used for reading material. Whatever worked was fine with her.
"Um, if you don't mind me asking, do you know why Princess Twilight needs all these books?" Scootaloo asked with a perplexed visage, staring blankly at Apple Bloom. "She already has hundreds, if not thousands."
Apple Bloom furrowed her eyebrows and placed her hoof on Scootaloo's lips. "Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said in an accusing tone. "Remember what happened to Golden Oaks Library?"
Scootaloo paused. A few awkward seconds went by, and her eyes widened. "Oh," she said in a monotone voice. "Oops."
"It might be a sensitive subject to her, so don't mention it."
Scootaloo nodded. "You can count on me."
"And me," Sweetie Belle added.
The trio continued down the hallway and entered the circular throne room, the group shivering for a brief second upon entering. But in the blink of an eye, Apple Bloom felt the coldness dissipate from her body and a soothing warmness took its place. Her mind couldn't comprehend how such a thing was possible, but she quickly shifted her attention towards Princess Twilight, her ears focused on the conversation.
"Thanks again for delivering these," Twilight said with a smile.
The delivery pony bowed. "You're very welcome, your highness."
"I would like to ask one more question. Don't worry, it's nothing serious." Twilight levitated the list closer to her, checking off every item with a quill. Book after book was accounted for, but she froze for a moment and let out a sigh. "It looks like Equestrian Phenomena is still missing. Do you have any news concerning a copy?"
"Well, Princess Celestia did tell me that Captain Spitfire was going to donate a copy to you. It just has to go from her to Celestia and finally to you."
"So how long should it take to get here?"
The delivery pony sighed, looked down, and then back to Twilight. "It'll take about a week, your highness. I apologize for the inconvenience."
"No need to apologize."
"I just wish all of your books will be returned, princess. I will leave you to your studies."
Twilight nodded and shook hooves with the delivery pony. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, your highness."
The delivery pony trotted past Apple Bloom with the empty cart and down the hallway, whistling a melodic tune. It made her think of rainbows for some reason, but how she reached that conclusion eluded her mind. Shrugging, she made her way towards Princess Twilight and raised her hoof.
"Princess Twilight!" Sweetie Belle shouted with a squeak in her voice. Apple Bloom cringed and covered her ears as the voice echoed in the room. Sweetie Belle raised her hoof like Apple Bloom did, but also bounced around as though she were on a pogo stick. "We've got something to show you!"
"Not so loud, Sweetie Belle," Twilight said with a shocked expression and lifted forelegs. She straightened herself out and formed a slight smirk.
"Sorry, Princess Twilight. It's just that there's something important the five of us found that we wanted to show you."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Five? I only see you, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo."
Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her neck and blushed. "Oh, right. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were with us when we found these, but they're off helping somepony."
"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?" Twilight chuckled for the briefest of moments. "Did you make amends with them?"
Apple Bloom formed a brooding smile and looked down, her chest tightening a little. "Well, um, sort of." She looked back up at Princess Twilight, her visage now set. Why was she a little embarrassed at admitting that? It happened and they were tolerable for the most part, so what about it made her feel this way? "I mean, they weren't too bad."
"Maybe you'll all become friends one day."
Quaking, Apple Bloom jumped up with wide eyes and a dumbfounded expression. "What? Are you crazy? We'd never be friends with them." She covered her lips and blushed as something sparked in her mind. Was she afraid of becoming friends with the same ponies that tormented her and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders for what felt like forever? But why would something like that frighten her? Was it the fear of the unknown that was shrouded in mystery? Was it the thought that she might become a venomous bully like them? Maybe it was something else.
"Apple Bloom, are you okay?" Twilight asked with a grim expression. She placed her hoof on her chest. "If something is on your mind, you're more than welcome to share it with me."
Apple Bloom took a deep breath, the tension dissipating just a little. "I'm fine." Her eyes darted around before becoming fixed on Twilight once more. "I'm just a little tired is all."
Twilight froze for a moment and silence filled the room for a few seconds. Her lips curled into a warm smile as she trotted closer to Apple Bloom. "Well, just know I'd love to help you if you ever need somepony to talk to."
Apple Bloom nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Twilight turned to face the books, which still resided in the sack. "Anyway, are those books what you wanted to show me?"
The Cutie Mark Crusaders bobbed their heads in unison. "That's right," said Scootaloo. "We wanted to know if those books were the real deal or not."
Twilight placed her hoof on her muzzle. "Hmm. I'll see what I can do, but do you know what they're about?"
"One is a journal supposedly written by Clover the Clever, and another is some weird book about Equestria's secrets," said Sweetie Belle. "We haven't looked at the secrets book yet, but it does give a funny vibe." Apple Bloom's limbs tightened, her eyes drawn towards the book. "The other is weird because of what it says."
"I think I have what I need to determine if these books are legitimate."
Apple Bloom flinched. She turned towards Twilight without hesitation. "You do?" she asked in a high-pitched tone.
Twilight winked and grinned. "I do. I have just what I need, but I'll need some privacy while I research them."
Frowning and letting out a sigh, Apple Bloom's shoulders sagged. "That's a shame." Her posture straightened out and a smile returned to her face. "I hope you're able to find some answers."
"So do I. I'll let you know what I find as soon as possible, so come back in about an hour or two if all goes well." Twilight turned around and trotted up one of the nearby staircases. "Goodbye!"
"Goodbye, Princess Twilight!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted together.
Once Princess Twilight was out of sight, Apple Bloom turned towards her two friends and shrugged, her head feeling as though it was empty with not a thought forming inside. "So now what?" she asked, her face slack-jawed. "Do we just run around town for a while and come back?"
"Run around town?" Scootaloo retorted with a bewildered expression and raised hooves. "Getting back in is going to be too much work!"
"We were able to get in without much trouble," said Sweetie Belle. She placed her hoof on her muzzle. "If you're okay with it, we could all just wait here for Princess Twilight to come back."
Scootaloo rolled her eyes and groaned. "But that sounds so boring." She trotted backwards and thrust herself on one of the crystal thrones. Letting out a deep sigh, she gazed back at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle with a blank expression and drooping shoulders. "But it's the best we've got."
Apple Bloom trotted towards the empty throne next to Scootaloo and sat down, the crystalline material making her chatter her teeth. She adjusted herself on the seat for a few moments, with most sitting positions not working out. For a luxurious castle like this, the thrones should at least be able to beat the old sofa back at Sweet Apple Acres, the ugly red one with the square patterns, but to her displeasure it even failed to beat that.
"I'll wait," Apple Bloom said. "But it better not be too long."
"I guess we're all on the same page then," Sweetie Belle said. "Let's wait it out for just a little bit. It shouldn't take too long, right?"
Time passed by.
Seconds became minutes.
Minutes became hours.
Time and space slowed to a crawl.
Apple Bloom was certain she'd get her cutie mark in waiting at this point, and as she sprawled over the throne she sat on, her eyes half-open and her body static. She swiveled her head to the left and caught Scootaloo with her eyes closed and snoring quietly. Sweetie Belle was sitting still and gazing at the ceiling above. Apple Bloom stretched her forelegs and let out a yawn before looking up. Above her was a shining, heavenly light that illuminated the room. It was a calming sight, one that made Apple Bloom's eyes shimmer and cause her lips to curl into a faint smile. She felt her body enter a warm comfort as she continued staring at the glowing ceiling. It wasn't much of anything, but it was something to stimulate her senses.
"I'm bored," Scootaloo moaned. Letting out a yawn, she rubbed her eyes for a moment before she shoved herself off of the throne and landed on all four hooves, wobbling around a bit before straightening herself out. "This is getting ridiculous. We've been here forever, and we could have done so much more than just nothing." She swished her tail around. "Heck, I bet we could have checked on how Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were doing. That's better than nothing, right?"
A series of repetitive clacking noises echoed in the room. Apple Bloom's eyes widened and a shock ran through her as she leaped out of the throne. "I think Princess Twilight is back!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Galloping towards the bottom of the staircase with a skip in her step, she looked upwards and sure enough, there was Princess Twilight with the pair of books the group found earlier. But as Apple Bloom bounced around with a grin adorning her face, her eyes caught something about Twilight that made her chest tighten and the bouncing to cease.
Princess Twilight trotted downstairs towards Apple Bloom with a grim expression on her face. She went past Apple Bloom and towards the center of the throne room, dropping the two books. A plop echoed in the room as Apple Bloom's own heart plummeted into the abyss as a result. She noticed Sweetie Belle shivering and Scootaloo gulping. The tension in the room kept growing to where it was crushing her. There was something disturbing about one of the books.
"Well, I did my research, and I have good news and bad news," Twilight said in a serious tone. "Which would you like to hear first?"
"Um, the good news," said Scootaloo.
Twilight cleared her throat. "Well, the good news is that the journal you gave me appears to be a fake."
"What?" Sweetie Belle asked. "We could have never figured that out, so how did you manage to do it?"
Twilight blushed. "Well, I happened to have some copies of Clover the Clever's writing with me, and the journal entries didn't match the handwriting of the legitimate documents written by her. Also, the descriptions of Discord's rule did have some inaccurate statements as well when comparing it to confirmed sources."
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "How were we supposed to know that?"
"Don't worry about it too much for now." Twilight rubbed her muzzle and shuffled her wings a bit. "However, I think I know someone who might be able to help."
Apple Bloom's heart rose back up to where it was. She trotted closer to Twilight with a radiant grin. "You do?" she asked in an excited tone.
"I do, but he isn't exactly the easiest to talk to."
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "How so?"
Twilight rubbed the back of her neck with a worried expression on her face. "If you want answers, I think you should ask Discord."
"Him?" Apple Bloom's legs quivered as she stepped back, her face now taut. "How are we going to talk to him?"
"He shows up at Fluttershy's cottage, so that's where you'd ask him."
"Also, will he do anything dangerous?"
Twilight shook her head. "After what happened last time, he's probably going to be a little more careful."
Apple Bloom nodded, the tension inside of her dissipating a little. "I guess so, but I'm still a little nervous."
"I understand. I'll stand by you if you want."
"That's okay." Apple Bloom shook her head. "I'm a brave pony. Now then, what's the bad news?"
"The book titled The Secrets of Equestria is more serious than I thought. I've sent it to Princess Celestia to see if she knows anything about it and ask why both books were at the old castle."
Apple Bloom's face turned pale, her heart rate rose. "Serious?"
"How so?" asked Scootaloo as she chattered her teeth. "W-what makes it serious?"
"The book is outlining destiny," Twilight said. "It's predicting the future, and there are still a number of blank pages."
"How do you know this one is real?" Sweetie Belle asked as she stepped back.
"I saw it write on its own. Everything, from Discord's return and the changelings attacking to the Sonic Rainboom and how the keys would be obtained was all there as well." Twilight's face turned pale and her body shivered. "I don't like where this is going."