//------------------------------//
// Magical Research 
// Story: Sunset's Student 
// by Manaphy 
//------------------------------//

	Sometimes, Sweetie wondered if days repeated themselves.

It wasn't that long ago when Sweetie meandered back and forth in front of Twilight's castle, blissfully unaware of the journey that awaited her. It may as well have been yesterday as far as Sweetie was concerned. Yet with the promises of witnessing a magic experiment in her future, she couldn't help herself from waiting outside the front door once again, watching the sun slowly rising as the minutes passed by. At least Rarity allowed her to wait outside this time around; she hadn't launched into a lecture about being careful and not knocking over things.

Not doing anything stupid was all Sweetie had to do; it seemed simple enough.

However, anything involving spells was never simple.

Sweetie felt as though an hour had passed by, but she noticed the sun not budging an inch. The clock tower off in the distance suggested only ten minutes had passed. She gnashed her teeth, muzzle scrunched. It was as though Sweetie's own sense of time was tricking her.

"Gosh, why can't time move faster?" Sweetie whispered under her own breath. "They should've been here by now."

With the other Cutie Mark Crusaders all busy with their own activities, it wasn't as though she'd be able to meet up with them to pass the time. Even if they were all available for games that made Sweetie grin and giggle, doing so would've ran the risk of missing the beginnings of Twilight's experiment. And if luck had any say in the matter, it was that everypony would arrive upon Sweetie leaving.

Either way, missing such a spectacle wasn't allowed.

As Sweetie sat against the castle's crystalline walls, she noticed a silhouette approaching. The figure's purple and light blue mane was instantly recognizable. Sweetie cracked a soft smile upon recognizing Starlight's visage. The latter's more enigmatic side captured Sweetie's interest, though any of the ponies participating in the experiment were bound to have intriguing stories like Twilight and Sunset.

Sweetie frantically waved her hoof. "Starlight Glimmer!" she chimed, bouncing around like a spring. "Over here!"

As instructed, Starlight made a beeline over to where Sweetie was. With pursed lips, she merely nodded and sat next to Sweetie, stretching her forelegs. The two turned toward each other and made eye contact, neither of them uttering a peep for a few seconds. And without warning, the pair snickered and wore bright smiles.

"Good morning, Sweetie Belle," Starlight said, her tone peppier than usual. "I wasn't expecting to see you here this early."

Another series of chuckles escaped Sweetie's lips. It may as well have been a repetition of the day she first met Sunset. But avoiding touching anything that stood out was clear this time around. "I've been getting that a lot lately," she replied, blushing. "Besides, I've been dreaming of this day for a while now."

"How long?" Starlight nudged an inch closer to Sweetie.

"A few weeks before Sunset started teaching me." Sweetie rubbed her muzzle for a moment, nodding afterwards. "I think it was when I did a report about Star Swirl. When I looked him up, I became really curious about magic. With that and all the crazy magic stuff going on with Twilight and the castle, I definitely wanted to learn it right away."

Bobbing her head, Starlight donned a faint smirk. "Yeah, magic is something special. It took my years of practice to even become competent at it, and when I wanted to know something right away, I think I only slept for an hour at a time while studying it." A sigh left Starlight's lips. "That being said, try not avoiding sleep. You'll regret it later if you do."

"Of course, though Rarity wouldn't ever allow me to stay up late."

"Well, you don't want to be drowsy all day." Starlight glanced back at the cottages off in the distance, a group of silhouettes approaching them. One was adorned with a tall hat and a flowing, majestic cape while the other had distinct glasses and a ragged sweater. "Looks like our partners have arrived."

The silhouettes soon revealed their details and colors as they approached Sweetie. Trixie's smile was almost as radiant as the sun while the mare next to her simply wore a soft grin. Sweetie hadn't met the other mare, though from recalling what Twilight told her the day before, it was most likely Moondancer.

"Hello," Moondancer said, adjusting her glasses. She approached Sweetie and extended her hoof toward the filly. "You must be Sweetie Belle. Twilight told me a lot about you when we wrote to each other last time. She said you've learned quite a lot ever since you began studying magic. I'm glad to hear that the subject fascinates you." Moondancer caught her breath. "If you're ever eager to discuss it with somepony, I'd be more than willing to join in."

Bouncing and landing on all fours, Sweetie nodded. "Awesome!" she squeaked. "Anyway, you must be Moondancer. Twilight told me all about you yesterday and how smart you are." Sweetie rapidly shook Moondancer's hoof, the former's foreleg aching a little. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, too." Moondancer took a step back. Her smile widened. "I haven't worked on a project with Twilight since way back when we attended Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns as fillies. It'll be kind of like reliving the past in the way, only this time we'll be working with uncharted territory." She pressed her hooves together, eyes shining like stars.

Sweetie bobbed her head. "I bet you're excited."

"Excited is an understatement." Moondancer rubbed the back of her neck, smiling sheepishly. "I'm rearing to get working with Twilight on something again." She turned toward Starlight, then to Trixie, and finally back to Sweetie. "And it looks like we're with some brilliant minds as well."

"Trixie does have a great and powerful mind," she said as a matter of fact. Blushing, she crossed her forelegs. "Now, I may admittedly not be an expert when it comes to research, but I imagine there will be plenty of opportunities to contribute." Her eyes stared into Sweetie Belle's, both of them blinking together. "And Trixie has been thinking, how about we both ask questions whenever something comes up? We're both new at this, so doing that might help a bit."

"Sounds fair to me," Sweetie said. "I was gonna ask questions either way, but there's nothing wrong with any of us asking some questions."

"I think we'll all be learning something new," Starlight added. She stood up and dusted herself off. "Still, given that this is an important experiment, we'll have to be careful when moving forward. After all, going too fast might cause problems down the road."

Everypony nodded in unison.

Harsh squeals pierced the air without warning, Sweetie cringing in response. As she glanced behind her shoulder, she noticed the front door had opened, both Twilight and Sunset standing inside the castle with smirks of their own and straightened postures. Everypony outside waved at the two upon making eye contact.

"Nice to see that everypony made it," Sunset said. She stepped aside, as did Twilight. "We're just about to get started."

Sweetie and company entered the crystalline castle. And like Sweetie's previous visits, everypony made their way across the same route she had traversed across each time, their hoofsteps echoing throughout the corridors as usual. Part of Sweetie wondered if she'd have memorized most of the castle's layout by the time Twilight and Sunset's experiments concluded.

However, noticing both Trixie and Moondancer gawking at the bright walls painted a smile on Sweetie's visage. Even with its familiarity, there was something captivating about the sunlight creating intricate patterns on the walls. A few of them even split apart into the colors of the rainbow, Sweetie's eyes sparkling at the sight.

"This is your home?" Moondancer blurted out. Her mouth was agape, pupils shrunk. "I know that you're the Princess of Friendship, but I never could've imagined that you'd be living in a place like this. The exterior pictures I saw in the newspaper pale in comparison." She nudged toward one of the inner walls and gazed into her own reflection. "How long did it take to build this castle?"

Twilight pursed her lips and her wings twitched a bit. "Well, it's less to do with construction and more to do with a magic box." She feigned a giggle. "Long story short, it was directly involved with one of the most frightening moments of my life coupled with one of my most triumphant. I'm just relieved that things returned to normal from there."

"Trixie always assumed that princesses didn't get frightened," Trixie said. Arching an eyebrow, she tilted her head. "Then again, I've only ever understood what princesses are like based on what Princesses Celestia and Luna do. Trixie has never met Cadance and you became a princess not that long ago." Trixie assumed a sheepish smirk. "I guess all of us have some things in common."

"That's definitely something to keep in mind." Twilight glanced behind her shoulder and made eye contact with Trixie. "Whether you're a princess, a Wonderbolt, or a singing sensation, the truth is that we're all similar in at least a few aspects. Even with our coveted titles, we still experience happiness, sadness, pride, jealousy, bravery, fear, and so much more."

Nodding, Trixie caught up to Twilight. "I guess you make a good point. Maybe Trixie could use that fact as something to further better myself. And even though I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie, maybe it's okay that I'm not perfect." Blushing, Trixie snickered again. "Trixie could become even greater than ever by striving to improve, right?"

"That's a brilliant way of looking at it. You've sure come a long way since the incident with the Alicorn Amulet."

"Maybe I have." Trixie glanced over to where Sweetie was, then to Sunset, and finally back to Twilight. "And with all of the lessons I've learned about life, I can't help but feel as though I'm better than ever at magic. Maybe I learned some new tricks alongside Sweetie when practicing with her and Sunset."

"It's a similar story for me," Sunset said. "It's funny how such moments can make a huge impact."

Sweetie bobbed her head in response. While friendship and kindness always pushed her toward a brighter path, something about hearing how much it helped Sunset, Trixie, and Starlight from earlier suggested just how important it truly was. Maybe they wouldn't solve all of Sweetie's problems, but it'd help with staying positive.

After making their way through the castle's hallways, the group all arrived at the door leading to where the experiments were taking place. And as Twilight opened the door, the layout was nearly identical from the last time Sweetie saw it. The chalkboard still displayed an array of messages, sheets of paper littered the floor, the flasks and contraptions only had slight modifications, and most of the books resided within the towering bookshelf.

Starlight made a beeline toward the contraption, gazing at it. "What's this?" she asked. "I'm sorry if I'm looking at this the wrong way, but I don't see how this would help with communication magic." She squinted at one of the empty flasks, her lips moving whilst uttering an inaudible phrase. "I'm guessing this just has to do with water, right?"

"Sort of," Twilight said. She approached Starlight and gently patted her shoulder. "And no need to apologize. I'd definitely understand why you'd be confused at first." Rubbing the back of her neck, Twilight chuckled briefly. "Anyway, we were using this as a control test. Because sending a letter via magic won't ever be as fast as a magical journal or a dragon's breath, we've been trying to find a spell that does the task when neither are available."

Starlight briefly rubbed her muzzle and smirked. "Now I see where you're going with this."

"Anyway, Sunset and I have made a considerable amount of progress earlier. We've been able to get the water from one flask to the other without pouring it, which means that transporting a small item short distances is possible." She glanced over to where everypony else was and then back to Starlight. "Unfortunately, it's much harder when the distance is farther. We've been trying to send a simple letter to Celestia, though nothing has worked yet."

"Out of curiosity, does Princess Celestia know we're doing this?" Moondancer asked.

Twilight bobbed her head. "She does, and using her proven method of sending letters via a fireplace, Princess Celestia will reply to our letter if she receives it. And based on if or when she does reply, we'll know if the spell was a success or it needs some modification." Twilight caught her breath. "Does that all make sense?"

Everypony nodded, Sweetie included.

"Excellent! Let's get started right away."

Seconds later, everypony huddled around the contraption and sat down, all eyes glued to Twilight. And as for Sweetie, she merely watched and listened to the conversation at hoof, mentally making notes of how Twilight and others conducted research. Twilight, Sunset, and Moondancer mingled the most about magical theories and equations from what she noticed, Starlight sometimes chiming in and pursing her lips while Trixie focused on the process alongside Sweetie.

Much to Sweetie's relief, some of the equations seemed rather straightforward, though some of the symbols and letters were more like a foreign language as opposed to mathematics; at least mentions of coordinates and weight made sense to her. And it seemed as though Trixie was quickly picking up on the process, nodding and even muttering a few suggestions at some point.

Perhaps it'd be understandable in the end; that was what Sweetie hoped for most of all.



An hour passed by in a flash.

Sweetie was still mesmerized by just how many questions were thrown around like a ball. Everything from how much magic was exerted to whether a change in coordinates was required had been mentioned at one point or another; Sweetie merely bobbed her head whilst trying to keep up with it all.

"Thank goodness not all magic requires math," Sweetie murmured to herself.

She blinked, focusing on the ever-changing chalkboard again.

How any of this was possible was almost as confusing as the experiment's equations.

Twilight took a deep breath. "Well, it looks like we have an equation that might work," she said as a matter of fact. "With the amount of force necessary to move the object combined with the precise coordinates of Celestia's study room, not to mention the reworking of the teleportation spell needed to move the letter with magic, we're ready for the first couple of tests." She caught her breath, smiling. The group all nodded together, though Sweetie merely assumed a blank visage, trying to unpack all of what Twilight said. "Anyway, let's take a short break for now. We'll reconvene once we've all rested for a bit."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sunset said.

As everypony stood up again and stretched their limbs, Sweetie remained completely static. Her mind was twisted into a corkscrew for the past hour, slowly unraveling just what happened before her. Yet she noticed a ticklish sensation coursing through her veins. She couldn't wait to learn more about how it'd all end, but her chest twanged a little.

A sigh left Sweetie's lips.

Perhaps she was too young to understand almost everything about magic. Sweetie found it interesting, though she wished she could've known enough to where she'd be valuable. Any contribution, even if it was something as minor as changing a number or modifying a small part of how the spell was used, would've warmed her heart.

However, Sweetie's only option was to keep watching. Being a spectator was better than being left in the dark. But Sweetie also figured that perhaps Sunset or somepony else might've known how to break it down for her. Whether her questions were reasonable or answerable was a completely different problem.

Taking a deep breath, Sweetie nudged closer toward Sunset. The latter glanced behind her shoulder and cracked a smile upon spotting Sweetie, Sunset gently waving her hoof. Sweetie responded in kind.

"Hey, Sweetie," Sunset said. She rolled her shoulders and then sat down. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Nodding, Sweetie shuffled closer to Sunset and sat next to her. "Well, I don't get all the math stuff," she confessed. "I mean, some of it is simple enough, but all of the equations you and everypony else are proposing seem kinda overwhelming." Sweetie shrugged, focusing her attention on the chalkboard for a moment. She rubbed her head whilst gazing at the more unusual equations, some of the symbols new to her. "I get that not all magic requires math, but how am I gonna improve if none of this makes sense?"

Sunset gently rubbed Sweetie's back. "I wouldn't worry about understanding it right away." She paused for a moment. "You're still quite young, so it's only understandable that not all of this will make sense. Heck, some of the best magicians in the world don't use math that often. And when those magicians do use math, it's equations that aren't too complex."

Nodding, Sweetie's eyes widened. "I kinda see where you're coming from. Trixie didn't get the math right away, even if she contributed a little."

"Well, Trixie is smarter than she appears." Sunset feigned a chuckle. "I honestly think that she'd be a wise scholar if she put in the effort. Her more—boastful attitude and how much she values success might be hurting her as well as helping her. Should Trixie come to realize that failing isn't bad and to be a little more humble, she would be happier as a result. And once she values hard work more, maybe she'll grow to love researching all kinds of new magic."

"So what you're saying is that confidence is good, but too much of it can have a few consequences, right?"

Sunset nodded. "That's pretty much the gist of it." Twirling her mane with her hoof, Sunset then peered into Sweetie's eyes, a blank expression adorning the latter. "It does lead me to the next thing I should mention." A sigh left Sunset's lips. "I'm probably going to have to return to the mirror world soon."

Arching an eyebrow, Sweetie cocked her head. While she knew that Sunset was returning to the mirror world not long after meeting her, Sweetie couldn't think of how she'd further her studies without Sunset as a tutor.

Twilight might've been a candidate, but Sweetie recalled how busy the princess often was.

Sweetie glanced over to where Moondancer and Starlight were. Both seemed like viable teachers, but Sweetie didn't know what Moondancer's schedule was like and Starlight was still growing accustomed to her more positive lifestyle.

As for Trixie, her travels and demeanor suggested that she wasn't the best fit for tutoring, even if her lessons were extravagant.

Sweetie's throat tightened. Not a word left her pursed lips.

"Don't worry, Sweetie," Sunset continued. She patted Sweetie's back once again. "I'll still come by to visit and teach you new magic lessons. It's just that the things I have to do in the mirror world mean that I can't stay in Equestria all the time, though I'd love to stay here for longer than I planned." A soft smile ran across Sunset's visage. "I definitely enjoyed spending time here much more than I thought I would."

Sweetie nodded. "Same here. Learning from you and everypony else was so awesome." Pausing, she then pushed herself upright and swished her tail about. "But what am I gonna do when you're gone? Who'd be willing to tutor me in the meantime? It's not like I can just go out there blindly, right?"

"Twilight and I have been talking about it ever since our studies began. It's something we all knew was bound to occur at some point." Sunset glanced around the room for a moment. "However, I'll be sure to visit often and your tutor while I'm gone will find the experience just as valuable as you do."

"Gotcha."

"Anything else you want to ask?"

Sweetie shook her head. "I'm fine." She cracked a smile. "But thanks for answering my questions."

"No problem." Sunset stood up and stretched her forelegs. "I'm here to help."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sweetie glanced over to where Moondancer was, the latter pacing back and forth. Incoherent phrases left Moondancer's mouth as she occasionally glanced at the chalkboard, squinting at it for a few seconds at a time before resuming her trotting. The ritual repeated itself like a broken record.

As much as Sweetie would've rather allowed Moondancer to continue thinking about the experiment in peace, curiosity kept poking her. With a deep breath, Sweetie raised her hoof and kept her eyes glued to Moondancer. The latter froze in place and approached Sweetie with a soft smirk.

"Hello," Moondancer muttered. "It's complicated, isn't it? Even when you've dedicated your life to this and know almost everything there is to know, it's still a complicated process. There are so many variables that go into these experiments and spells to where you have to take each step slowly."

"No kidding," Sweetie replied. She blushed. "I'm struggling with trying to even understand it."

"There's nothing wrong with that. With enough studying and practice, you'll get used to it eventually."

Sweetie nodded. "Yeah, Sunset told me the same thing. But I wanted to ask what kinds of spells you practiced as a filly. I know how much research and reading mean to you, so I was curious about how you got your start." Taking a deep breath, Sweetie straightened her posture. "How did you deal with the math stuff?"

"Well, just focus on the math you're already aware of." Moondancer rubbed her muzzle for a moment. "For me, it was addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You'll undoubtedly learn more complex equations and theorems during your time in school. From there, apply that knowledge to your magic lessons. It's not the fastest method, but it's the most efficient."

"That makes sense. My teacher has been showing us new kinds of math problems every other week."

Moondancer nodded, smiling. "That's how you're going to learn more about how math and magic connect. And feel free to ask questions you may have. Ponies like myself or Twilight can help connect your math lessons to magic if the thought ever crosses your mind."

"Sounds great to me!" Sweetie and Moondancer shook hooves, their smiles brightening. "Thanks for helping me out."

"You're welcome." Moondancer released her grip on Sweetie's hoof. "Anyway, I'm guessing that we're going to be getting back to work soon, so feel free to relax if you want." A second later, Moondancer glanced over to the contraption. "Let's hope we're able to figure out the solution soon."

Sweetie bobbed her head again. "Naturally!"

As Moondancer suggested, Sweetie merely trotted about and surveyed the library while everypony else mingled about the experiment. The journal she used to contact Sunset was over to the right, its form just as she remembered it. A quill was clamped by the book with an ink bottle to its left. Sweetie wondered if her message to Sunset was still inside.

Sweetie blinked; her eyes widened.

Even if Sunset was over in the mirror world, Sweetie figured that writing her a message might've helped if she had specific questions. It was worth an attempt in the near future and food for thought. However, seeing how Sunset and the others handled the experiment was more imperative.

Sweetie skipped over to where the group was without a second thought, hoping that it'd all go according to plan. Yet if there was anything Sweetie took away from her interactions with Sunset and her previous lessons, it was that the experiment would've turned out longer than she expected.



If Sweetie had learned anything over the three additional hours she spent with the group, it was that there was plenty of trial and error involved. Most of the spells attempted fell far short of sending the message to Princess Celestia, some harmless sparks shooting out of their horns at the bare minimum and—at least according to the responses—around thirty minutes of waiting for Celestia to receive a message.

However, Sweetie wasn't concerned with these struggles. Getting at least one message over to Celestia, even if it was about as sluggish as a snail, counted for something. And just as Sunset would've taught her in the past, everypony took the repeated failures as just part of the process, revising the equation and trying again once they had a better idea.

A sigh left Sweetie's lips; she would've preferred completing the task right away than risk missing it performed correctly.

The strained expressions or bloodshot eyes Sweetie's friends wore told a similar story; patience was fading away.

An envelope appeared from thin air in the blink of an eye and plopped onto the floor. Twilight approached the envelope and lifted it up. As she hurriedly opened it, she glanced at the letter's contents and merely released a sigh, her shoulders sagging. Sweetie and company adopted downcast expressions of their own.

"Looks like this one was even slower than before," Twilight murmured, tossing the letter aside. "It took thirty-three minutes as opposed to twenty-seven to get the letter from here over to Canterlot." She sat down again and crossed her forelegs. "At least that's what Celestia's suggesting according to when she got the letter. As such, we'll have to revert to the equation before this, though I'm guessing that it'll take more than a few quick revisions."

Sweetie glanced over to Twilight and peered into her eyes. "We could try starting from the beginning," she suggested. The group all recoiled in unison, Sweetie's cheeks turning paler. "Yeah, maybe doing that would waste more time. This is the closest you've even come to sending that letter quickly."

"Sweetie Belle, can I ask you something?" Moondancer muttered. "It's somewhat related to the experiment at hoof and something that Sunset and Twilight told me about in their invitation, though I think it'll help us with moving forward."

Sweetie quickly turned toward Moondancer. "What do you mean?"

Moondancer nodded. "I understand that math isn't your special talent, but when you were successful at teleporting for the first time, what did you feel?" She leaned closer toward Sweetie, smiling. "I know it's an odd question, especially since this spell will be significantly different from what Sunset told me about your lessons, but I'd rather not create a mess since we're modifying how much magic is being exerted."

"Well, my body was a bit tingly." Sweetie rubbed her muzzle; visions of the day she learned teleportation returned to her. "And I remember my heart beating really fast, but other than those two things, I didn't feel too different." Gazing into Moondancer's eyes, Sweetie then arched a brow. "Does that help?"

"It does." Moondancer glanced toward the chalkboard, the latter's green visage now covered from head to hoof with white scribbles. "Since we're using an equation partly inspired by the teleportation spell, as that allowed us to send that one letter over, we'll be able to figure out around how much magic we'll need to exert when casting the spell."

"But we can't simply use too much magic when casting the spell, right?" Starlight asked, raising her hoof. "As an example, if I used a considerable amount of magic just casting the spell to where I tire myself out, it'd defeat the purpose of using it in dire moments." A sigh left her lips. "Something else has to be changed."

"The problem is that there aren't many variables left to play around with," Sunset said as a matter of fact. Picking up a piece of chalk with her magic, she underlined the numbers that composed the equation, leaving only three of them alone. "We've modified these variables before, but to no avail. And since this equation is proven to work—slowly—throwing it all out and starting from scratch might cause more problems."

"Well, we could always reconvene at a later date and start with something new," Twilight said. She ruffled her wings. "But I can't help but feel as though we're close to figuring this out." Nudging closer to the chalkboard, Twilight squinted at the equation. And a second later, Twilight cracked the faintest of smiles. "I think I see where this is going."

"How so?" Sweetie also approached the chalkboard, though nothing came to her upon gazing blankly at the equation. It was perfect enough as far as she knew, but with the myriad of symbols that composed it, Sweetie wasn't sure if there were even minor mathematical mistakes. She turned toward Twilight and cocked her head. "Is there something missing?"

Twilight nodded. "Exactly. Looking at the equation, I think that we can speed things up with an extra variable. This catalyst might be able to cut the time needed to send a letter in half, maybe even more if we're lucky." She paused for a second. "However, the difficult part is figuring out what's missing."

Sweetie bobbed her head in agreement. Closing her eyes, an array of possible suggestions swirled in her mind, almost all of them seemingly useless or just repeating what was already on the chalkboard. Exerting more magic, envisioning the room the object would be sent to, and more bounced around in her head. However, as Sweetie dug through each possible suggestion, one common thread was making itself known.

All of Sweetie's ideas were related to Sunset's lessons.

Opening her eyes, Sweetie glanced over to where Sunset was, the latter focused on the chalkboard. Trixie, Starlight, and Moondancer also studied the equation. Sweetie imagined them formulating more reasonable suggestions, wishing she could've cast a spell that granted her access into their thoughts, if just for a second.

However, the memories of Sweetie's past lessons still clung to her.

Sweetie brought her thoughts over to her experiences with both Princess Celestia and Twilight.

Maybe the bond between the two ponies involved was the missing ingredient.

A gasp left Sweetie's mouth.

"I got it!" Sweetie blurted out. Blushing, she immediately covered her lips and shimmied back. She cleared her throat. "I think the pony getting the message is also involved. Maybe thinking about Princess Celestia and how much she means to you might be what's needed. Since friendship is magic, maybe that will help with the spell." Sweetie shrugged and donned a sheepish smile. "It's not math, but it's worth a shot."

"In a way, it does sound like using the magic of friendship to improve the spell's effectiveness," Sunset said. She stepped back, her lips curling into a soft smile. "It's worth a shot." Sunset swiveled her head over to Twilight, the pair making eye contact. "Twilight, I think you're the best pony for the job. Does that sound fair?"

Twilight quickly bobbed her head. "I'm more than ready to give it a try." Stretching her wings and sticking her tongue out, Twilight took a deep breath. Her legs wiggled about for a moment. "Give me a minute to focus on casting the spell, but I think we're getting somewhere."

"Are you sure this will work?" Starlight asked, head cocked to the left. "I'd rather avoid any messes."

"There's only one way of finding out whether it's applicable." Twilight glared at the letter before her, biting her lip. She glanced at the small pile of ashes off to the side, then back to the letter. "However, I understand why you might be hesitant to go along with it. For all we know, adding this element might make the spell useless." She exhaled once more and pursed her lips. "Alright, let's do this."

Without thinking, Sweetie raised her hoof, cheeks tautened.

"Is there something bothering you?" Twilight asked. With a soft smile, she nudged closer to Sweetie.

"How does casting spells with math work?" Sweetie responded. She rubbed the top of her head and assumed a perplexed visage. "I mean, with most of the magic I've done, it's all about focusing, but how am I supposed to focus when I've got some weird math problem to think about?"

"When it comes to casting such spells, it's not the entire equation that counts, but what the answer is." Twilight glanced behind her shoulder, staring at the chalkboard. "Why we're doing the math, however, is because spells like this require an understanding of things such as physics, safety precautions, and coordinates. You keep the answers to those equations in mind when casting the spell, not the entire equation itself. And some spells used to require math, but ended up no longer needing it after further development."

Sweetie slowly nodded. "So I might be able to do this spell without math one day?"

"Maybe." Shrugging, Twilight donned a sheepish grin. "It all depends on whether the spell can be changed to where it no longer needs mathematical equations. But with all new spells, even the wisest of ponies have to start somewhere." Her wings twitched; Twilight turned back to the envelope and squinted at it. "I hope that helps."

"It kinda does." Chuckles left Sweetie's lips. She then sighed, though Sweetie maintained a faint smile across her face. "But with all the math problems I'll be doing in school, I think I'll get it once I'm older. Worrying about something that crazy now would just cause more problems." Sweetie turned toward Sunset, the pair making eye contact. "At least that's how I see it."

"That's correct," Sunset said as a matter of fact. "As I've learned throughout much of my life, wisdom comes with age." Her grin widened. "And with how much you've been learning and growing, I'm confident that you'll be a wise pony in the near future. In fact, I believe you'll be a gifted unicorn before you know it."

Sweetie blushed. "Um, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Nodding quickly, Sweetie brought her attention back to Twilight, the other ponies present following suit.

"Alright, let's do this," Twilight said. She exhaled, inching toward the envelope. "I hope this works."

Twilight closed her eyes and took another deep breath. Her lips moved, yet nothing audible echoed within the room.

Silence lingered for a few seconds, nopony budging an inch, though sweat dripped down Sweetie's mane. Her heartbeats picked up. A minute passed by, no magic spells or any noticeable movement capturing Sweetie's attention. Why Twilight required such concentration was beyond Sweetie, but the latter couldn't help herself from imagining just how spectacular and flashy the spell might've turned out.

Another deep breath left Twilight's mouth. A purple aura wrapped around her horn as crackling sounds polluted the air. Sweetie averted her gaze from the brightening light, a palpable force pressing against her. And while the spell lacked the array of colors that Trixie's spells had or the finesse of Sunset's teleportation tricks, Sweetie's jaw dropped as she watched it nonetheless.

A popping sound echoed in the room.

The bright spectacle faded away in an instant, Twilight rubbing her eyes.

Sweetie held her breath for a moment, both Moondancer and Starlight biting their lips as they awaited Princess Celestia's response, whenever that was supposed to occur. Sunset, Trixie, and Twilight merely assumed static visages as they stared at where the letter once was.

A minute passed by.

Nothing happened.

Another minute flew past, but no response came.

"Do you think Princess Celestia got the letter?" Sweetie asked. She tilted her head. "If she did, she'd have replied by now, right?"

"That's the idea," Starlight said. She crossed her forelegs. "But even if she got it right away, there's no telling whether her response will be long or if she's busy." She twirled her hoof around her mane. "Unless the response is taking ages, there's no way of telling how the spell went."

"We'll just have to be patient," Sunset added. Swishing her tail about, she then stretched her forelegs for a moment. "Anyway, since we might be waiting a while again, how about we share some stories with each other to pass the time? I know we've done things like that before, but a healthy laugh is always good when you're waiting."

"Well, I could talk about the time Princess Luna visited my dreams," Sweetie said. "Then again, the stuff that happened was rather weird, but it was totally cool and creepy at the same time." She cracked a smile, her chest warming as she recalled the lessons Luna provided her. Sweetie's relationship with Rarity strengthened ever since those surreal dreams. "Anyway, what happened was—"

A yellowish flash erupted before the group without warning, Sweetie wincing as she averted her gaze. Upon glancing back at where the light was, Sweetie noticed an envelope gently gliding toward the floor, coming to a rest right in front of Twilight's hooves. Everypony else shimmied closer to the princess, their eyes widened and unblinking.

Sweetie would've questioned whether this was a dream if she got it right; there was no way somepony as young and inexperienced as her could've stumbled on the solution.

As Twilight lifted the envelope with her magic, she quickly opened it up and procured its contents, a letter now hovering before her.

"Is it from Princess Celestia?" Sweetie asked.

Twilight nodded, her mouth curling into the brightest smile she wore all day.

"What does it say?"

Twilight cleared her throat and scanned the letter, her eyes shifting from left to right. She then lowered the letter, glanced around the room, and stretched her wings out. "We managed to send it in just under a minute. The spell was a rousing success!" With her legs constantly moving, Twilight's eyes shone. Sweetie and company replied with beaming visages of their own. "And best of all, Princess Celestia said that this is a huge breakthrough in the study of magic! It might even make exploring uncharted territory easier than ever now!"

That's awesome!" Sweetie chimed, hopping up and down like a bunny.

"And it was all thanks to you," Sunset said, trotting up to Sweetie. "Your quick thinking managed to find the missing piece before any of us had a chance to speak up." She playfully tapped Sweetie's shoulder. "If anypony here deserves the most credit, it's you. Thank you for your help."

Sweetie blinked, pupils shrunk. Even if she wanted to, so much excitement coursed through her veins to where Sweetie could've only assumed an awestruck expression. It was everything she dreamed about and more; this time, those dreams were reality, and the day she earned her cutie mark was the only thing that compared.

"Say, how about we go celebrate?" Trixie suggested. "Trixie thinks that Sweetie deserves a scrumptious treat!"

Sweetie bobbed her head in an instant.

"Sounds like an excellent plan to me," Twilight said. She glanced over to the chalkboard. Using her magic, she then brought a nearby book and a quill toward her, carefully jotting down the spell's equation and any details outside of the mathematical side of the solution. After a minute of writing, Twilight closed the book with a satisfying thump and skipped toward the door. "Let's head on over to Sugarcube Corner, everypony."

Sweetie nodded again, prancing forward with her head held high. While there was still much to learn about magic and the world around her, any doubts she once had regarding her abilities vanished in an instant. Even if the road ahead was rough and full of twists and turns, Sweetie knew traversing it would've been feasible.

After all, if her past experiences helped with creating a spell, almost anything seemed possible.