Twilight's right ear twitched several times while she slept in her chair. The pony's eyes crept open. Her ear perked up, focused on a sound, and laid back down. Several voices bellowed outside the crystal tree castle in Ponyville. Soon, loud booms echoed down the castle's hallways; the sounds came in rapid succession from the front doors. A few seconds passed and silence greeted to the castle, however, Twilight's eyes shot open at the sound of an enormous, boisterous bang.
The bellowing voices resumed their cries. Twilight galloped down the hallway, tripping for a second before she made it to the end. The castle's front doors busted in, the doors' broken pieces strewn about the floor of the castle's main entrance, ponies poured into the foyer. Mares, stallions, fillies, and colts raised their hooves at Twilight Sparkle: they demanded action.
"Please every pony, calm down. What is going on?" Twilight said.
"I told you," Diamond Tiara said, ending with a snide grin.
"Told you what?" Twilight said, rubbing her eyes. Her eyes gravitated toward the soft left hoof pressed against her right side. She froze after following the hoof to its owner at her side. "Apple Bloom?" Twilight paused then stared at Apple Bloom's right hoof, "no...."
"Please. H-Help me." Apple Bloom said.
"See. See. I told you so, Princess Celestia. Apple Bloom is the Dryad you've been looking for, and Princess Twilight Sparkle was hiding her." Diamond Tiara said. She glared at Apple Bloom before being pulled aside by Filthy Rich.
Twilight latched onto Apple Bloom. She flew herself and the filly into the air. A yellow aura enveloped her. She fell.
Apple Bloom flew out of her hooves and landed near a collapsed Applejack. Twilight plummeted to the ground, sliding several hoof steps away from the crystal tree castle. She struggled back to her hooves. Nervous eyes focused on the mare that marched forward on slow, heavy hooves. A ring of light materialized, surrounded the weakened pony, and then faded. Small spurts of magical energy erupted from Twilight's horn.
Princess Celestia's mane and tail flowed while her piercing eyes looked at Twilight. Her unyielding gaze turned towards Apple Bloom. With a single spell, Princess Celestia surrounded the filly with a cage of brilliant white light.
"Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia turned her infuriated sight back toward the pony before her, "you have betrayed me. Above all else, you have betrayed the subjects of Equestria's crown." Princess Celestia said, every resident in Ponyville standing behind her. She glanced at Twilight, the princess's eyes following the pony who backed away from her. Four powerful chains made of pure sunlight descended from the clouds. Princess Celestia guided the shackles with her horn and locked her former student's hooves in place. The chains' ends burrowed deep into the ground. "I will not allow your misguided actions to continue, former Princess Twilight Sparkle."
Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle ran towards their friends. They stopped. Discord materialized in front of them in a blinding flash of light. He turned towards Fluttershy, and then hung his head. The god of chaos emitted a single, slow, disheartened sigh. Without a word, Discord snapped his eagle's claw. Another flash of light illuminated the area. Twilight's wings and horn vanished.
Rainbow Dash held Scootaloo back. Rarity shielded Sweetie Belle, both turning away from Princess Celestia.
"Th-This is a bad joke. This isn't funny," Pinkie Pie said. Her troubled eyes closed. She fell to the cold ground, remaining motionless after she hit it.
Fluttershy squinted at Discord who refused to face her. He snapped his talon for a final time. The group disappeared with Applejack left behind.
Freed from the shackles of light, Twilight wobbled for a few seconds before she stood on her hooves. After pulling herself together with the strength she could muster, Twilight grabbed a nearby rock, broke the magical cage open after several hits, and tossed the rock to the side. She scooped Apple Bloom up into her hooves and carried the filly away. Twilight's hooves skidded against the dirt road before she came to a stop. Apple Bloom and the cage reappeared behind her.
Princess Celestia marched towards her student once more, and towered above the pony.
Twilight, steadying her hooves, said in a firm tone, "I won't let you harm Apple Bloom."
"She is a threat to Equestria. You must forsake her." Princess Celestia said.
"I won't!" Twilight shouted.
"You must, and you will." Princess Celestia said.
After a defiant, ardent "No," Twilight dug her hooves in.
"Twilight," Apple Bloom said in a calm tone, "Twilight it's alright. This ain't real."
"A dream?" Twilight rubbed a shaky hoof against her eyes, "It was only a dream. Perhaps nightmare would be the more appropriate term." Twilight said. As the last remnants of the nightmare faded away, the pony gazed at the ethereal plane. She tapped a hoof against the road made of stars and light. A tug came to her tail, "Apple Bloom? Princess Luna?" Twilight squinted at Apple Bloom before her eyes widened," No. You better leave, Apple Bloom. I don't want to hurt you again."
"Twilight, it's alright. Ah asked for Princess Luna to bring me here. Ah need help." Apple Bloom said.
"What's wrong? Are you ok? Is your family alright?" Twilight said.
"We're fine. But," Apple Bloom said, turning to Princess Luna. The regal mare nodded to the filly and brought forth an image from Apple Bloom's mind. "Applejack took me back to Sweet Apple Acres. On the way, Ah latched onto one of the apple trees. Ah... Ah hurt it. This green light came from the tree and traveled into mah hooves and mah body. Ah darted into my room so Applejack couldn't touch me. Please, ya gotta help me. Ah don't want to hurt mah family or mah friends."
The filly winced and kept her heavy eyes shut. As she sat there, Twilight came closer and sat beside her while Princess Luna sat on the other side.
"Apple Bloom. Though what has transpired is a grave matter that shouldn't be taken lightly," Princess Luna said in a soft voice before she raised the filly's head with a gentle hoof, "you needn't fear it. We have the pieces to this puzzle. All that needs to be done is assemble them."
"What about Princess Celestia. Isn't she onto us?" Apple Bloom said after a sniffle. She looked at Twilight, "About Applejack --"
Twilight held up her hoof, and then shook her head. In a calm voice she said, "Apple Bloom. What I did was wrong. You trusted me; Applejack trusted me; and I betrayed that trust. I'm not infallible, but I give you my most sincere promise to learn from this mistake so I never make it again."
"Wise words indeed." Princess Luna said as she faced the two ponies. An orange door opened behind her. "Applejack. What do you have to say on this matter?"
Applejack glared at Twilight before looking at Apple Bloom. She sat beside her sister.
"With my little sister's life at stake, we don't have time for a quarrel amongst ourselves. That doesn't mean I forgive you for what ya'll did back there, Twilight. You got to prove yourself before I trust ya again." Applejack said. She turned away from Twilight and faced Princess Luna. "I heard what ya said about these so-called 'pieces' we have. What are they? What do we do?"
"It's quite different to show a story vs. telling it to another." Princess Luna said. She stood in front of the ponies. Her eyes glowed in an otherworldly light. Apple Bloom and Applejack closed their eyes, and then open them, the princess's memories of the meeting in Canterlot being transplanted into their minds. Both Apple Bloom and Applejack rubbed their foreheads for several seconds. The group of four faced each other in a circle, the light from the ethereal world growing dim. "Just like you have learned your lesson Twilight Sparkle, so shall I. The mistake of the past will not be repeated again," Princess Luna pressed her hoof to each pony's chest, "and I will be sure to seal away this knowledge. Apple Bloom, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, you know of our lead. Pursue it at all costs, however, you must be cautious."
The light from the dream realm faded to darkness just as Princess Luna finished with Apple Bloom.
"I must bid all of you goodbye. I cannot assist you any further lest I give away Apple Bloom's secret." Princess Luna's said, her words echoing in the darkness.
"..." Twilight groaned. Her groggy eyes opened, "Spike?"
"Jeez Twilight, that must have been some bad dream. You were crying all night long." Spike said. The little dragon pushed on his friend until she awoke.
Twilight stretched her wings, and then her hooves. Out of bed, the pony let out a deep yawn, soon succeeded by an even louder noise that resonated off castle's crystal walls and ceiling.
"Let me guess. You had a late night of studying new magic, history, or whatever, and you forgot to eat something." Spike said, crossing his claws across his chests. Before Twilight could answer, Spike waved a claw in front of her, "Tsk, tsk, tsk," Spike lowered his claw, "what would you do without me?"
Twilight chuckled to herself and rolled her eyes after looking in the mirror of her dresser. "Ok, 'number one assistant,' I'll take some pancakes."
Spike walked towards the door and stopped. "Hey, just curious. You kept mumbling about losing Applejack as a friend. What's going on?"
"I was just having a nightmare." Twilight said, receiving a raised eyebrow from Spike. "What? I had a nightmare. Besides, don't 'you' have some pancakes to make?"
"Yea, yea. I'm on it." Spike said.
Twilight looked at the room around her. She gazed out her window and towards the horizon. Her eyes fixated on Canterlot. "What did she mean by we know the lead to pursue?"
*** *** ***
Night descended on Equestria with the sun setting in the distance and the moon peaking over the adjacent horizon. In Canterlot, four hooves clung to the ceiling of the hallway near the Star Swirl the Bearded wing of the Canterlot Library. Two ponies stood at attention near the locked door. Multiple guards passed by. A hoof inched closer towards the locked door. The hoof retracted quickly. One guard looked up. He levitated a torch at his side towards the ceiling with his magic. After a guttural grunt, the stallion resumed his post.
"Hey!" A voice shouted.
The guards' vision narrowed. They darted towards the sound. A clang resonated in the darkness. Hoof steps came closer to the once guarded library. Two guards entered the library, scanned it with their magic, and then called for reinforcements. A small platoon of guards came, alongside two bat ponies.
Sands in the hourglass trickled down from the top. The guards left the library, one-by-one, until two bat ponies remained with the two original guards
"Anything?" A guard said after a final sweep.
"No." A bat pony said.
"Princess Celestia wants this area sealed off. No pony allowed in." A guard said.
"Why?" A bat pony said. A dark blue cloak, with a lunar emblem embroidered on its face, hung close to her body.
"Our duty is to guard the library, not ask questions. If you want to philosophize, go join those addlebrained philosophers in that school. Those dimwits couldn't light a torch even if they had a book of matches." the guard said, ending with a chuckle.
"I'll take them over understanding the mind of a princess, and why they want this place locked up." the bat pony said, receiving a coaxed chuckle from her colleague. "What?" she retorted after receiving a stern gaze from the guard, "fine. I'll stay here and patrol the perimeter. That good enough for you?"
"You guys are more obnoxious and arrogant than those featherbrained Wonderbolts. Don't come crying to me when Princess Celestia has both your flanks." the guard said. He closed the door, "last chance... fine. I'm sealing it too. No way in or out, heh heh, unless ya can teleport out."
The latch to the door made a final loud clang. Both bat ponies nodded at each other before they went into the furthest corner of the library.
"Wow Twilight, Ah can't believe ya could do this." The bat pony said. The illusionary form vanished, the pony turning into Apple Bloom.
"I know. I always wanted to use this spell." Twilight chuckled to herself in a quiet tone, her illusion vanishing. She moved closer towards Apple Bloom and whispered, "Ok, we need to find Star Swirl's notes. Applejack will kill me, but I feel this is the right thing to do having you come along. Also, remind me to talk to you about 'understanding the mind of a princess.'"
Apple Bloom gave a sheepish grin. Twilight's raised eyebrow lowered. The filly looked around the room, and then faced the pony in front of her, "Any idea what Ah'm looking for?"
"..." Twilight scanned the library from bookshelf to bookshelf before she focused on the large hourglass in the library's center. "I have no idea."
"Aren't you the expert on this guy?" Apple Bloom said.
"Hey, Star Swirl the Bearded had a lot of stuff." Twilight said. A gentle hoof glided through the air as the pony pointed at several different sections. "He's the most powerful unicorn to ever live. Star Swirl the Bearded was well known as an adventurer, an adviser, a practitioner and creator of over five hundred different kinds of spells with each having their own subcategories of seven hundred additional areas, and lived the longest life a pony could ever possibly live, passing away at over four-hundred-seventy-five years old."
"We gonna keep up the history lesson or start searchin'?" Apple Bloom said, and then ended with a sly smirk.
Twilight brushed Apple Bloom along with a gentle wing.
The grains of sand in the hourglass continued their descent. Twilight and Apple Bloom remained quiet. Several scrolls were brought to Twilight by Apple Bloom, each being rejected. Time continued on with the once small hill of sand tripling in size and height.
"This is impossible," Twilight said in a hushed shout, combing through what felt like the hundredth or so scroll. She pulled then pushed on another scroll. "Apple Bloom? Anything."
"..."
"Apple Bloom?" Twilight said. Gentle hoof steps resonated in the room silent room. Twilight illuminated her horn, casting a quick spell. She peered from behind the bookcase. "No. Princess Celestia is here?"
Twilight's eyes darted about. They focused and relented several times. She smiled, crept along the floor, and moved to the top of a bookcase. Her hoof reached around Apple Bloom's mouth. Apple Bloom struggled then relaxed. The invisibility spell surrounded the filly.
"We'll have to be quiet --" Twilight said in a hushed voice.
Two beams of magical energy shot towards the two. Twilight and Apple Bloom gulped. They looked up to see two scorch marks on the ceiling two hoof steps away from their position.
Princess Celestia walked towards the bookcase and looked up. She squinted at the area above the bookcase.
"Star Swirl. My dear friend. I wish you were here." Princess Celestia said. She moved towards a small bust of Star Swirl the Bearded, which sat in the middle of the library near the large hourglass. The princess sat near the statue of her departed friend. As her head hung low to the ground, several tears landed near the statue's base. "Why? Why couldn't I do it?! I'll never forgive myself for what happened to you."
Princess Celestia looked toward the hourglass. After a final tear, she illuminated her horn and teleported away.
Twilight and Apple Bloom dropped down to the floor. The two gazed at the statue of Star Swirl the Bearded and followed its gaze towards the hourglass.
"The sands --" Both said before plugging each other's mouths.
"The sands must be his notes." Twilight said, ending with an ecstatic grin. "Incredible. Only a genius could come up with something like that, hiding them in plain sight."
"We can't keep waitin' like this." Apple Bloom said.
"Not so fast, Apple Bloom. If we rush this, it could destroy the notes. They'll be lost for future generations study, and we'll lose our only hope of figuring out what is going on with you." Twilight said. Her eyes glanced towards the hourglass, and then focused on the bust of Star Swirl. "Apple Bloom?"
Apple Bloom ran her hoof across the statue. She pointed at its eye.
"Of course, the fundamentals of magic. A keen sight, a strong mind, and a balanced horn." Twilight said.
The statue's eyes, hat, and horn glowed in a bluish-white light. Three points formed in the front of the statue. As the three points combined into single circle, a stone tablet emerged. The ancient relic floated towards the table surrounding the hourglass.
"Th-this can't be right. I already know this spell." Twilight said. She skimmed over each character, each word of the spell. The pony looked at Apple Bloom, "I learned this spell in my third year of studying under Princess Celestia. It's the teleportation spell. We must have missed something."
Twilight headed towards the statue while Apple Bloom stared at the stone tablet. Her eyes focused on each word of the spell, reading it in her mind.
"Apple Bloom?!" Twilight said in a hushed voice.
Green sparks dripped from the center of Apple Bloom's forehead. She shook and bolted away from the tablet. The eruption of sparks stopped.
"Did you just..." Twilight said, her voice trailing off. She raised eyebrow and brushed part of Apple Bloom's mane to the side, "There's no visible horn. How could you cast a spell without one? This isn't good. Perhaps all that energy you've siphoned off is finding a way out. If you're starting to manifest the ability to tap into magic -- I'm getting you back home. Having an untrained magic user in a room full of dangerous spells isn't a good thing."
"We have to keep looking," Apple Bloom put her hooves together, "please. This is our only lead."
"No. It's too risky." Twilight said.
"Twilight, please." Apple Bloom said.
"I brought you along to help find a clue. That was before I knew you had the potential to cast magic." Twilight said.
"You said you need help, but Ah saw you were nervous about it from the beginnin'. This is mah choice. Ah can do this. Ah can't be afraid forever." Apple Bloom said. Her hooves remained firmly pressed together. The hill of sand in the hourglass continued to grow. Twilight's ears lowered as she nodded at the filly. Apple Bloom moved forward while Twilight backed away from the tablet. "Ah know Ah can do this."
"Ok, let's calm down. What were you doing before I interrupted you?" Twilight said.
"Ah was thinking about how we needed to find Star Swirl's notes. Ah looked at the words, and... Ah don't know. The words just came off the tablet and rolled against mah mind." Apple Bloom said.
Twilight looked at the room and back towards the hour glass. Her eyes widened, "Of course. The grains of sand are the notes, but they aren't. Sweet Celestia, how did he do it?"
"..." Apple Bloom shrugged. A cold twinge crawled up her spine, causing her to shiver. "Twilight?"
"I promised that I would never betray your trust again, Apple Bloom. I'm sad to say that right now, you're the only one who can help you out right now. " Twilight said, placing her hoof on Apple Bloom's back. "I'm sorry Apple Bloom."
"It's alright, Twilight. Ah have to know. " Apple Bloom said. The filly exhaled a quick deep breath. She opened her eyes, the tablets words reflecting off them. Green sparks dripped from the center of her forehead. Twilight moved closer. Apple Bloom's eyes closed and soon shot open. The green, luminescent light from her eyes brightened the dark room. "What's happening?!"
Papers, scrolls, and tombs swirled about the area. Several loud noises came from the library's door. The door burst open with three guards coming in.
"Who's in here?!" One guard said in a bellowing tone.
The area remained silent. Scrolls, Books, Tomes, and tablets lay scattered about the library. The unicorn stallion guard crept closer towards the center of the room. His eyes gravitated immediately towards the scorch mark between the statue and the hourglass.
"Nothing here," he said with a nervous expression, returning to his post. The stallion looked at his colleagues, both of them nodding emphatically at him. "There's nothing here. We report it, we have to clean it up."