The three fillies stood on the front steps of Twilight's castle, wondering what had just happened.
“Well, that was unusual,” said Scootaloo.
“I can agree to that,” agreed Sweetie Belle. “Definitely unusual.”
“Well, crusaders, what do we do now?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Didn't you have to help Big Mac out, down at Sweet Apple Acres?” asked Scootaloo.
“Oh right!” exclaimed Apple Bloom. “We're havin' a sale on apples today, and I totally forgot I had to take Big Mac's place, due to him bein' sick!”
“Whoa. Calm down,” said Scootaloo. “You're starting to sound like a drama queen.”
“You don't understand!” snapped Apple Bloom. “I still need to buck apples from the trees, before the sale, which is in a couple hours!”
“Why didn't you buck them this morning?” questioned Scootaloo.
“Because, Applejack wanted to wait until later, when it was shady,” concluded Apple Bloom.
“Well, Applejack will still be able to help you,” assured Sweetie Belle.
“I hope yur right, but with her being called by that map, I could be on my own,” said Apple Bloom.
“Nonsense. You always got Sweetie Belle and I,” assured Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle expressed a strange look, as Scootaloo caught sight, before she had a chance to hide her expression.
“What are you hiding, Sweetie Belle?” asked Scootaloo.
“Well, the spell I was working on before might be able to help,” confessed Sweetie Belle.
“Why didn't you say that before?!” said Scootaloo in an excited tone.
“Because, I'm afraid that if I try to do it again, I might give myself a horn sprain,” she replied.
“A horn sprain?” said Scootaloo. “That's just something Twilight's telling you to scare you. It only an old mare's tale.”
“I don't know, Scootaloo. She sounded pretty serious about it,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Trust me. Twilight only told you that, so you'd stop straining yourself,” concluded Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle wasn't sure what to think, so she attempted to ignore Scootaloo's words as much as she could.
“We need to get that spell book, so we can help Apple Bloom out,” said Scootaloo.
“It sure would be a lot easier with magic,” confessed Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle was cornered, and made her decision out of peer pressure.
“Alright, let's do it,” she agreed. “However, we'll have to come back when Spike's gone, along with everypony else.”
“Alright then,” said Scootaloo. “We'll come back in an hour,”
Sweetie Belle couldn't help but feel guilty, as she agreed to Scootaloo's devious plan.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders returned to Twilight's castle, hoping to retrieve the spell book that Sweetie Belle had been using earlier. Apple Bloom stood on all four of her small hooves, as Scootaloo stepped onto her back, so they could open the door to the castle. Scootaloo gripped the door handle with her hooves, attempting to open it, but unfortunately for the young fillies, the door was locked.
Apple Bloom grew tired of the wait. “What's takin' so long?!” she snapped.
Scootaloo had her teeth on the doorknob, as she lost her balance, and fell over, accidentally knocking over Apple Bloom as well, and barely missing Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo made groaning sounds, as they stood back up.
“What's the big deal, Scootaloo?!” snapped Apple Bloom.
“Hey! It's not my fault the door's locked!” claimed Scootaloo.
The two fillies continued to argue, as Sweetie Belle grew irritated.
“ENOUGH!” yelled Sweetie Belle. “Seriously, guys. We're never going to get our cutie marks if we waste more time arguing than crusading.”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other, realizing Sweetie Belle had a point.
“Sweetie Belle's right,” said Scootaloo.
“Yeah, we're not goin' to get our cutie marks arguin' all the time,” confessed Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle smiled, as she thought of something else in her mind, as if an imaginary version of her sister were convincing her.
“Besides, I don't think we should be snooping around Twilight's castle” said Sweetie Belle. “Especially when she's not home. What kind of ponies would we be then?”
“Sheesh,” said Scootaloo. “Since when did you get so strict?”
“She does have a point though, Scoots,” claimed Apple Bloom.
“Do you two want to get your cutie marks or not?” asked Scootaloo.
“Of course we do,” replied Apple Bloom.
“However, is this the best way?” added Sweetie Belle.
“Well, Rainbow Dash says that if somepony wishes to accomplish their life goal, they must do whatever it takes, therefore, this should be an acception, and Rainbow Dash represents loyalty,” claimed Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle thought about Scootaloo's point, wondering if this was an acception. “Well, if Rainbow Dash says so, I suppose this is acceptable,” agreed Apple Bloom.
“I suppose so, too,” said Sweetie Belle.
“That's the spirit!” encouraged Scootaloo. “Now, we just need to figure out how to get the door open.”
“Leave that to me,” said Sweetie Belle. “During our time with Twilight, I've learned how to unlock doors from the inside and outside.”
“Now we're getting somewhere!” said Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle's horn glew, as she focused on Twilight's door, and unlocked it with ease, seeing it was one of the easier techniques for unicorns to do.
“Way to go, Sweetie Belle!” exclaimed Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle bowed her head, similar to how any performer at a certain event would to a crowd after their performance, as she pushed open the door using her magic.
“Why don't Scootaloo and I search the library, while you keep watch, Apple Bloom?” said Sweetie Belle.
“Sure. Just hurry, before we draw attention,” agreed Apple Bloom.
“No need to worry, seeing the book shouldn't be too hard to find,” assured Sweetie Belle.
“If you two are done jabbering, could we please get a move on?!” snapped Scootaloo.
“Oh, sorry, Scootaloo,” apologize Sweetie Belle, as she made her way into Twilight's castle, shutting the door behind her.
Inside, Scootallo and Sweetie Belle made their way to the library, which looked the same as before, as Sweetie Belle made her way to the spot she was practicing in earlier. She walked over to area, looking for the spell book, but strangely it wasn't there anymore.
“Find it, Sweetie Belle?” asked Scootaloo.
“For some reason, it's not here,” replied Sweetie Belle.
“What do you mean?” questioned Scootaloo.
“I mean, it's not here!” she snapped.
Sweetie Belle searched around the area, but the book was nowhere to be found, and that's when she remembered that Spike always cleans up their messes when Twilight Time ends.
“Uh oh,” said Sweetie Belle. “I forgot that Spike always cleans up our messes afterwards.”
Scootaloo sighed. “Ugh. He couldn't have hidden it too well, so keep looking.”
“Why don't we just come back when Twilight is back from wherever that map sent them?” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Plus, we promised Apple Bloom that we would help her sell apples later today, seeing Big Mac is sick.”
“Come on, Sweetie Belle,” persuaded Scootaloo. “That spell could help a lot! It could knock down the apples faster than bucking."
“I really don't think we should be here if Twilight's not home," claimed Sweetie Belle.
“I'm sure she wouldn't mind,” replied Scootaloo. "You need to calm down, Sweetie Belle,” said Scootaloo. “For one thing, you're starting to sound like your sister in a dramatic situation, Twilight is in Canterlot, and that spell you've been working on could really come in handy."
Sweetie Belle became annoyed from Scootaloo referring her to Rarity when she does her famous whining, plus she was a little afraid to try and push her magic limits too far, because if a unicorn pushes themselves too far, they can get a horn sprain. A common injury that prevents the victim from performing any magic for a short amount of time.
“I'm just not that good at the spell yet. What if something goes wrong?"claimed Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo grew annoyed. “For Celestia's sake! If you are going to keep complaining, I'm out!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “When you find the book, meet Apple Bloom and I at Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity Jr.” joked Scootaloo, as she made her way out of the library.
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes, as she heard the door shut, annoyed at Scootaloo's humor. She had decided to use her magic to scramble through the stacked piles of books, checking the covers and titles, but she wasn't having any luck. Her magic resources were running low, so she decided to stop using her magic, and resorted to manual labor.
A large amount of time had passed, as she grew impatient, to the point of giving up.
"Where could Spike have put it!" she snapped. "Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are going to think I ditched them!"
Sweetie Belle knew that she had to hurry, so she moved to the opposite side of the room, where there was two more piles of stacked books. As she reached for the top book of one of the piles, she accidentally managed to knock over the entire pile, immediately being clobbered by books. She poked her head out the large sea of books, immediately starting to complain.
“Ugh! I give up!” she snapped. “I'm going to end up lost in a sea of books!”
She grew so angry she let out an snort of anger, sounding like a full grown mare. Just as she was about to give up, she looked down, only to see a familiar book.
"Wait, is this it? she asked herself, looking at the beige book bound with faux leather, titled “Magic Guide for Unicorns: Volume 2: Intermediate Spells.” "Finally! Now, I can go help Apple Bloom and Scootaloo!”
Sweetie grabbed the book, and headed for the door, until she sparked an idea.
“Perhaps I should practice the spell, so I don't look like an idiot in the orchard,” she said, as she made her way to her spot during Twilight Time, and prepared herself, by opening the book to the bookmarked page.
She looked over the spell instructions carefully, then she got in her usual stance whenever she does a spell. She strained herself to the point of where she started to sweat.
“Come on, stupid horn!” she yelled. “Work! You were earlier!”
Suddenly, her horn started to glow, so she entered the final steps of casting it, but she was having a hard time getting her horn to cast the spell. She continued to strain herself, until suddenly there was backfire, causing her to fly backwards into a statue of Twilight's which was a horse's head, and knocking it off of it's stand.
"Owwww," she groaned, as she noticed what she had done to the statue. “Oh no! Twilight is going to kill me!”
Suddenly, Sweetie Belle noticed that the statue wasn't broken, and had metal grips attached to each side, as if it were a secret spot. Sweetie Belle debated on searching the secret spot.
“I shouldn't even be snooping around here in the first place, but thanks to Scootaloo, I'm stuck in this mess,” she said to herself, turning to shut the secret opening, but something within the statue that caught her interest; a gold plated book with a silhouette of a dragon on the cover.
“Now, what is this doing hidden? Sweetie Belle asked herself, as she admired the book furthermore.