The Scion of Harmony

by Thornwing

Chapter Eleven – Give a Little Bit of Yourself

“Spike, please bring me the letter.” Princess Celestia took a commanding position at the head of the room just outside the circle of thrones. Spike gave a quick salute and ran out the door and down the hallway. The rest of the ponies filtered in from the balcony and took up position in the center of the space above Twilight’s starburst cutie mark pattern.

“Princess, we gotta go find Twilight.” Applejack stood firm in the face of addressing royalty.

“Yeah, she could be hurt—or worse!” Rainbow Dash stretched her wings and rolled her hooves getting ready to bolt.

“What could be worse than being hurt?” Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin before lowering her head and slumping back on her haunches. “Oh… Right.”

“Patience, my little ponies.” Celestia raised her hoof and signaled for the group to settle down. “We need to gather the facts before we rush off on a wild pony chase.” From across the room, Spike scampered through the open door holding tight to a small scroll. With a wave of Celestia’s magic, the throne room door closed behind him as did the door to the balcony. “I fear we have a situation that we need to get to the bottom of. Until we know more, it needs to remain secret. Please have a seat while I inspect this document.”

Each pony took their seat as Spike presented the parchment to the princess. Having done so, he scurried back to his own chair and plopped himself down leaning forward with his elbows on his knees eager to hear what Celestia had to say.

Celestia held the scroll in midair and scanned over its contents. “Just as I thought. I knew his visit meant something more.” She rolled up the scroll and placed it to the side. “This warrants a closer look—please pardon the intrusion.” A fire burned in her eyes as she walked into the circle of pony thrones and sought to examine each mare in turn. Her horn glowed brightly as she spun from Applejack to Rainbow Dash and on to Pinkie Pie. When she got around to Rarity, she took a step back and let the magic fade away. “I see—it has begun.”

“What do you mean, princess?” Applejack squinted and stared around the room. Twilight pulled on the brim or her hat trying to hide from Celestia’s gaze.

Celestia spun around and resumed her position at the head of the room. Without turning back she addressed the group. “Twilight is safe. That much I know for certain.”

Applejack leapt off her chair. “Where is she? How can you be sure she’s okay?”

Celestia turned her head. “Because she’s in the care of Starswirl the Bearded.”

“Woah there, princess. Are you sayin’ that stallion what made off with Twilight was really some ancient pony wizard straight out of the storybooks?” Applejack turned to look at her friends trying to gauge their reactions as well. “Wasn’t that note all a lie?”

“I can feel his magic, Applejack. This is not a game. Without a doubt, Starswirl was here.” Celestia swished her tail and looked up. “Whatever his plan, I trust that Twilight is safe with him.”

Spike cocked his head to one side and smiled in a snarky reply, “I told you so.”

“But how do we know Twilight’s okay?” Pinkie Pie tried to add up the information as she weighed the facts between the balancing of her forehooves. “Nurse Redheart said she was pretty badly hurt and then just magically healed. That doesn’t sound good at all.”

“I don’t care if she is with some creepy old wizard pony. I’m going to find Twilight and anypony else is welcome to join me.” Rainbow Dash spread her wings and jumped off her throne.

“Actually, I have another job for you, Rainbow Dash.” Celestia caught Rainbow by surprise and the headstrong mare hovered just a moment before returning to the ground. “I need you to find Fluttershy and bring her back to the castle. Do you think you can handle that?”

“Yeah, but… Shouldn’t I go find Twilight?” Rainbow Dash looked conflicted as she weighed the royal command against her own desire to seek out her lost friend. “Fluttershy’s probably still in Cloudsdale visiting her crazy family. Twilight’s the one in trouble.”

“Twilight’s in good hooves—we needn’t worry about her. What we do need is for the rest of the Element bearers to join together in Ponyville.” Celestia turned back from admiring the stained glass window of Twilight’s victory over Lord Tirek. “I would also like to speak to this nurse pony. Applejack and Pinkie Pie, would you both mind fetching her?” She looked down on Applejack who seemed lost in thought. Prodding a second time, she added, “Also, if there are any other ponies in town that have knowledge of the train incident, I would like to speak to them as well. Could you see what other information you can gather?”

Pinkie Pie snapped a hoof to her forehead. “You can count on us, princess. C’mon Applejack, we’ve got a pony to find.” Sure she caught Applejack’s attention, Pinkie turned and darted over to the doors. She paused to look back and make sure she was being followed before slipping out of the throne room. Applejack gave a reluctant bow to the princess followed by a frustrated sigh and galloped off after Pinkie.

Rainbow Dash hung her head and tensed her neck sending her mane into a waterfall of color down her backside. “All right. I’ll go get Fluttershy, but when we get back, we better be going after Twilight.” She flew to the balcony door and flung it open. With a reluctant salute, she dashed off in a rainbow streak to the north.

Turning to the resident dragon, Celestia spoke in a bit of a whisper. “Spike, I’m afraid I missed breakfast. Would you mind fixing up something to eat while we wait?”

“Sure thing, princess. I have this awesome new recipe for blueberry pancakes that taste amazing.” Spike hopped down from his chair and ran off toward the kitchen.

Twilight held the corners of her hat in her hooves and remained as much of a wall decoration as she could manage. Celestia walked over to her seat and bent over to pull back the covering. She took the hat in her teeth and tossed it aside. Squinting up into the eyes of her mentor, Twilight felt naked. Not a sense of nakedness from lack of clothing, but as though the princess could see right through her failing façade.

“Don’t be afraid. I understand what you are going through.” Celestia sat back on the floor and kept her smiling gaze locked on the smaller Unicorn. “All of your friends are gone for now, so we have a moment to talk.” She turned her head a little to the side. “I hope I was correct in saying that you were doing all right, Princess Twilight.”

“You—you know who I am?” Twilight’s new body relaxed as she peered down into the eyes of the former Scion. “Wait, am I allowed to talk to you about it?”

“I’m confident it can be our little secret. We’ll keep it between you, me, and the Elements.” Celestia brought a hoof to her mouth as she tried to stifle a little giggle. “You never cease to amaze me, Princess, and Scion, Twilight Sparkle.”

“How did you know it was me? Did I make it that obvious?” Twilight unwrapped her scarf and laid it on the arm of her throne.

“It takes a very keen eye to discern the truth, but I am familiar with the magic of the Great One and a former Scion myself. My experience affords me certain insights and understanding of the Elements in play.” Celestia reached out with her magic and floated Rarity’s hat over on to her head. “I can’t say it surprises me, although, I had hoped to be given a little more warning about the Trials. Lord Aeon must have a very good reason to be pushing things along.”

Twilight hung her head. “He’s dying.”

Celestia nodded. “That much I know, but I haven’t seen or heard from him in over one thousand years. How is he doing?”

“I really don’t know. I just met him and I’ve never seen anything like him before in my life.” Twilight shook her head. “If I had to guess, I’d have to say—not so good.” She got down off the throne and started to pace the floor. Her old habits and mannerisms returned as she fought to understand her situation.

Celestia remained where she was, but continued with her questions. “Starswirl came by last week most unexpectedly. He hasn’t visited in quite some time, but only stayed a moment before he was gone again. I should have known his visit wasn’t mere coincidence. The only thing of any substance that he mentioned was that I should stay the course and look to the stars. How is he holding up?”

“He’s not good either—he’s dead.” Twilight stopped in her rut and looked up at the princess who had a sudden look of shock on her face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. He’s not dead, dead—just sort of in between dead and alive. You probably knew that already.” Celestia bounced her head from shoulder to shoulder and it seemed to Twilight like she understood what she meant. Getting back to her pacing, Twilight continued, “What’s really not good is me. I have no clue what I’m supposed to do with these Trials.”

“I’m sorry if I can’t be of much help there.” Celestia closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I never actually started the Trials and I can’t say what I would expect them to entail.” Rising up again, she walked over to the still pacing Twilight and put a hoof on her shoulder. “I know you’ll figure it out. You always do.”

Twilight stopped and reached up to hug Celestia. “Thank you, princess. It’s been really hard without my friends and I don’t know if becoming one of them is really going to help.”

Celestia pushed back the purple mane of the smaller pony below. “Did Aeon give you any instructions on what you were meant to do as Rarity?”

Twilight stepped back and raised her head toward the ceiling trying to recall what had happened just before she remembered waking up that morning. She wasn’t even sure if this was part of the plan or not. “I think he said I had to, demonstrate mastery of self in the true spirit of charity.” Twilight felt some relief that her memory was intact, albeit, if none of the rest of her body felt that way.

“Hmmm… That does sound a bit vague. Are you sure Aeon said that and not Starswirl?” Celestia grinned.

Twilight smiled back. “I know what you mean, and yes. The Master of Magic can be just as incomprehensible as his servant.”

“In that case, I will do my best to keep an eye on things here while you try and work out what it is you need to do to complete your Trial. We’ll have to see how long I can keep the others busy, but I’m sure I can find some other urgent tasks that need their immediate attention.” This time Celestia chuckled and Twilight joined in.

After their shared bit of fun, Celestia paused. “I did have one other question if you don’t mind. How does it feel to be a Unicorn again?”

Twilight turned her neck to size up the wingless void of her back. “It doesn’t feel right. I feel like I’m missing a part of myself.” She turned back to Celestia. “Is it wrong of me to feel that way?”

“Not at all.” Celestia ran a hoof down Twilight’s poofy mane. “It means you’ve come to embrace who you are as a princess. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Scion of Harmony.”

“Thank you, princess. Now I just have to figure out what it is I’m supposed to do as Rarity.” Twilight swished her tail and fanned back her elegant mane.

“I suggest you embrace the Element of Generosity and go find what it is that makes your friend so special.” Celestia gave Twilight a wink and nodded toward the doors.

“I guess I better get back to being Rarity then. Thanks again for all your help.” With the added reassurance of the princess helping out, Twilight took her leave of the castle and went in search of her little sister.

---

On her own once again, Twilight trotted back into town. The best way to figure out what she needed to accomplish as Rarity would mean doing what Rarity was normally supposed to do. She figured it couldn’t be more complicated than that. The hard part would be finding out what it was that Rarity normally did. It might be she would have to sew a dress for some foreign dignitary or dance the night away at an elegant ball. She hoped it would be something simple. On the other hoof, perhaps it wouldn’t. Just the thought of having to face a complicated test centered on the essence of generosity itself gave her pause. Equally, the idea that she would need to give away a bunch of stuff didn’t sound like much of a Trial—especially when it wasn’t really her stuff she would be giving away.

Returning to the spot where she left Sweetie Belle over an hour ago, Twilight looked around. The seats were filled with another pair of ponies sharing a late morning refreshment. It would be her luck that she would spend the rest of the day trying to track down the crusader pack instead of focusing on her Trial. She walked inside Sugarcube Corner to try and get pointed in a general direction where the trio ran off to.

“Hello, Missus Cake. Sorry to interrupt. You wouldn’t happen to have seen my, ummm, sister recently, have you?” Gone were the sunglasses and the scarf, but Twilight did retrieve her hat to help contain the largess of her mane before she left the castle.

Missus Cake poked her head out from behind the register and around the line of customers waiting to be served. “Why hello there, Rarity. I can’t say I’ve seen the little ones since they left their breakfast getting cold on the table outside a while back. They must have left in a hurry.” She turned back to her customer. “That’ll be three bits, dear.”

“Sorry again, but you wouldn’t happen to know where they might have gone, would you?” Twilight backed away from the glaring stares of the customers waiting more impatiently to be served.

“Not a clue. They could be halfway across the Everfree by now. Sorry I can’t be of much help.” Missus Cake turned to her next patron and rung up his ticket. “That’ll be six bits.”

“That’s completely understandable. I’ll just be on my way then.” Twilight backed up and out the door much to the relief of the waiting mob.

Missus Cake shouted back as she retreated, “Thanks for shopping Sugarcube Corner. Hope you come back soon.” Running almost on autopilot, she turned back to her next customer and continued to work her way through the never ending line.

Twilight left the shop and made her way toward Carousel Boutique. As she walked, she thought about all the places Sweetie Belle and her friends might be. Missus Cake’s comment about the Everfree forest actually sounded like a viable option that she needed to consider. The trio happened to frequent Zecora’s place quite often. Then again, they could just as easily be at home—any one of the three of them. She figured she should start by trying Rarity’s place before another idea popped into her head.

I know exactly where they are. Twilight picked up her step and swung around. Keeping to a steady pace without looking like she was being chased through town, she cantered off toward the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres and the Crusader’s clubhouse near the eastern edge of the zap apple orchard. The fillies were sure to be holed up in their special retreat passing the day in relative solitude. At least that’s what she hoped they were doing, otherwise she had a long day of searching ahead of her.

Coming up to the treehouse, Twilight saw that she had guessed right. One of the girls pulled a curtain closed as she approached. Hoping she had not been seen, Twilight sidled up next to the trunk and tried to listen to the conversation above. After the way she had dumped Sweetie earlier, she wanted to gauge the current mood before barging in on the operation.

Unfortunately, she was still too far away to hear what was being said. Without any confidence in her magic, teleporting to the upper platform wasn’t worth the risk of materializing somewhere between the boards or the trunk. Instead, Twilight decided to carefully climb the ladder—a task made much more difficult due to her relative size and the thin slats that barely functioned to support the much smaller fillies’ hooves. She took a deep breath and started up the rungs.

The chatter above continued unabated. The excruciating journey of a few vertical feet made the idea of climbing a mountain seem easy. Twilight struggled to pull herself up while remaining as silent as she possibly could. After entirely too long, she reached the top and tiptoed around the side below the eastern window. From her new hiding spot, she could hear the fillies quite clearly.

“I knew I should have come with you. I could have imagined Rarity’s face on every apple tree I bucked.” Sweetie Belle didn’t sound like she had moved on from the disappointment of earlier.

“It wasn’t much of a vacation. My hooves are so sore I can barely walk.” Apple Bloom sounded a bit more awake.

“Trust me, that’s better than spending a week with a bunch of Griffins and being the only pony that can’t fly. It was so humiliating to have to be carried everywhere we went.” Scootaloo didn’t sound like she enjoyed her trip much either. “At least I got to hang out with the coolest pony in all of Equestria, Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight lifted her head up to try and peak in the corner of the window and around the waving curtain. The breeze blew gently through the treetop house and the shade flapped just enough that she could see the occupants of the small room here and there.

“It’s not fair that both of you got to spend time with your sisters and mine ran off without me.” Sweetie Belle slumped down on the floor and held her head in her hooves.

“Rainbow Dash isn’t my sister—I just wish she was.” Scootaloo corrected her error.

“Yeah, and I wish Twilight was my sister—anything’s better than stupid Rarity.” Sweetie Belle rolled over and eyed a picture she had drawn of Rarity hanging on the wall.

“You don’t really mean that. I get in fights with Applejack all the time—it’s something that happens with family. That doesn’t mean I gotta move in with Twilight whenever Applejack and I have an argument.” Apple Bloom flopped down on a cot at the far end of the room and reached down to rub her aching rear hooves.

“Sure it does, and I’ll prove it.” Sweetie Belle hopped up and yanked the picture of Rarity off the wall. She swung over to the window where Twilight was hiding. Twilight ducked down as the filly approached. Accompanying the thud of a small hoof, a nail head poked through the wood panel just above Twilight’s back. The sound of little hooves retreated across the room and Twilight felt a twinge of relief from her nearly compromised position.

“Watch this.” Sweetie squealed. “Here’s some magic I never would have learned without Twilight’s help.” The next thing Twilight heard was another thud followed by shooting pain in her left flank.

“Ahhhh…” Twilight let out a squeal. Hopping up she looked over her left shoulder and saw a streak of red blood draining down her side in stark contrast to her snow white coat. A few clopping sets of hooves responded to her outburst and soon the curtain was hauled away with two small heads poking out the window.

“Rarity? What are you doing here?” Scootaloo folded her forearms over the window sash. Sweetie Belle took one look at her sister and turned up her nose before trotting back the way she had come. Scootaloo looked down and saw the streak of blood. “Oh my gosh, you’re hurt.” She swung back from the window and announced with a loud voice, “Cutie Mark Crusaders, first aid!” The filly dove for the first aid kit while Apple Bloom scrambled out of the cot and hurried to join her. Sweetie Belle just looked the other way, seemingly indifferent to the pain she had caused.

Twilight reversed course and backed up to the front of the treehouse. She met the crusaders at the door and nearly ran them over as she worked her way inside. Looking over at the wall she had been hiding behind, she saw a large dart planted directly into the head of the drawing of Rarity. A few other hearts drawn around the picture had been crossed out as well.

She nearly had to pry the fillies off her flank to try and address the bigger situation she faced. “It’s all right girls, I’ll be fine. If you want to get your cutie marks in nursing, you should try volunteering at the hospital.” The two girls’ faces changed from happy to sad and then back to happy in the span of a few seconds. Twilight turned to Sweetie Belle hoping that she hadn’t made her problem worse by having been caught spying.

“What do you want, Rarity. Can’t you see this is a private meeting—you aren’t welcome here.” Sweetie Belle hopped up on the cot and stuck her chin out while she flung her head back.

“I came to find you as soon as I was done with the princess. I’m sorry I missed you, and that I ended up spying on you in your treehouse with your friends.” Twilight walked over to the filly, still oozing a bit of blood out of the small hole the dart tip made in her flank. “I want to make good on my promise to spend the day with you.”

“Great, now we get to go to the hospital and get you patched up.” Sweetie Belle hopped down off the cot and sidestepped her sister as she made her way toward the door. “If I end up getting my cutie mark for this, I’m never going to forgive you for it.”

“Hold it right there. We don’t need to go to the hospital, but I do want to have a talk with you—alone.” Twilight turned back to the other girls. “I’m sorry to butt in, but do you two mind if I have a private chat with my sister?”

“No problem, Rarity.” Scootaloo tugged on Apple Bloom’s tail. “Apple Bloom and I’ll be up at the barn if you want to find us later, okay Sweetie? The two fillies hopped down the ladder and took off across the orchard without waiting for an answer.

Twilight faced Sweetie Belle and her scowling glare. “As for you, we need to sort a few things out. Let me go first.” She grabbed a patch of cotton and pressed it against the puncture wound in her side. “I’m not sure where to start, but here goes—you’re my little sister and I love you, Sweetie Belle. Nothing’s ever going to change that.”

The young filly sat back on her haunches, obviously reeling a bit from the declaration. Keeping up her tough girl image, she replied, “You sure don’t act like you love me—sis.”

“You’re right.” Twilight’s comeback struck the filly with greater force than an actual rebuttal. “I’ve been so busy with work and my own friends that I’ve completely neglected what matters most—my own sister.”

“You really mean that?” Sweetie Belle bit her lip and struggled to hold back a tear.

“Of course I do. However, instead of just saying it, I need to start showing it.” Twilight wrapped her foreleg around the shoulder of her little sister and waited to see if the gesture would reciprocate. “I’m sure Twilight is amazing, but can you give me another chance to be the big sister you deserve?”

Sweetie Belle reached up with glistening eyes and wrapped both forelegs around Twilight’s neck. “Does this mean you’ll spend more time with me and teach me how to do magic?”

Twilight thought hard. She wasn’t sure she could manage that entire request in her present state. Her horn wasn’t very receptive to the commands of a foreign host, but she didn’t want to throw off the progress she was making with the filly. “Of course…” She hesitated even more. “I-I just can’t promise I’ll be as good a teacher as Twilight.”

Sweetie Belle broke from the hug and cracked a smile. “That’s cool. I should probably stick to the basics for a while anyway. All I really wanted was for you to spend more time with me. I know you’re the best levitator around—so, maybe we can start with that?”

“It’s a deal.” Twilight smiled as she watched the exuberance return to the normally cheery Sweetie Belle. “How about we find your friends and get some lunch first?”

“Wait a sec.” Sweetie Belle held up her hoof. “If we’re going to make a deal, we need to seal it with some sister magic.” Her horn began to glow and she stretched out her neck. “You gotta shake on it or it doesn’t count.” She closed her eyes and waited for her sister’s response.

Twilight looked side to side and then back down at the glowing horn in front of her. Oh no. This is where everything falls apart. She struggled to think of another way out of this—one that didn’t end with her inability to use magic causing a disastrous conclusion to a wonderful sister bonding session. Resigned to the fact that she only had one way out of this, she fought to bring her bound magic to life.

Within her mind, she frantically worked to unlock the keys to Rarity’s version of Unicorn magic. As she focused on the academics of the spell in her head, a growing sense of warmth built up in her heart. The sensation grew and rose up her spine. Prickling up her perfectly coifed mane, the feeling crested her head and overcame her thoughts. Soon, she felt the warming glow of her horn come to life as the magic from within shone forth.

Without thinking, she reached down and touched horns with her sister and allowed the magic to flow from the tip. Her eyes lit up and color burst from every follicle of her coat. The sudden burst of energy rocked the treehouse, but avoided interrupting the bond that was shared with her sister. Rarity’s rainbow markings sprung to life as the energy expanded out from the Crusader’s den in a wonderful blast of color.

Twilight suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled back toward the cot. The magical bond with Sweetie Belle was broken. She fell backwards as the room began to spin. Sweetie Belle’s scream barely registered as she started to black out. “Rarity!” As the world slipped into darkness, she tried to focus on the image of the filly hovering over her face. The last thing she saw was the blurred outline of Sweetie Belle mouthing the words, “What have I done?” and everything went dark.

Author's Note:

For anyone wondering, these Trials aren't going to be cut and dry examples of the basic principle of the Elements. The idea here is that in order for Twilight to display mastery and surpass the Trials, she's going to need to come to a real understanding of what it means to harness the true power of the Elements of Harmony. Once again, what good would a test be if she was given all the answers to start. It's going to be a bit of a learning experience to discover what needs to happen, and then, find out where it all leads.

Going into this part of the story, things are getting a lot more complicated. I'll do my best to help explain as we go, but I hope the story can be told as we all come to learn what's really happening here. I wish I was a better artist because each one of these scenes plays out so vividly in my head. If I could translate that onto the page or give it life in an animation of sorts, I would love to watch it play out in full color and voice. Maybe someone will take pity on me and make it happen—I can only hope.

Much more to come—stay tuned.

Comments

[Sunlight Blaze]

The Mane Six insist to Princess Celestia that they go and look for Twilight, but Celestia suggests patience and asks Spike to bring her the letter. Upon a second read, she realizes something and begins magically scanning each of the four mares there. Upon scanning Twili---I mean, Rarity, she realizes in full what's happening.

Despite the Princess's confirmation that Twilight is safe, they're all still understandably worried. Rainbow even decided to go look for her regardless, but is shot down by Celestia as she gives RD a task to find Fluttershy and bring her to the castle, stating that

"What we do need is for the rest of the Element bearers to join together in Ponyville.”

She also asks for Pinkie and AJ to get Nurse Redheart, and tells Spike she's a little hungry and would like some pancakes.

Thus leaving her alone to talk with Twilight.
And she knows everything, right down to the fact that Twilight is now in the process of taking the Trials.

Once Celestia dismisses her, Twilight sets out to fill Rarity's role again and leaves to return to Sweetie Belle. Hopefully she won't be too upset; it was just a short trip, after all.

So Twilight gets back to Sugarcube Corner, but the CMC are not present, and Mrs. Cake has no clue where they went, only that they left without finishing their breakfast. A sure sign of frustration. And I think I've already deciphered what the Generosity Trial is; to fill Rarity's hooves and spend the day with Sweetie Belle.

Scrolling through the different possible destinations of the trio, Twilight decides upon the CMC clubhouse and heads there to overhear Sweetie throwing a tantrum and Bloom and Scoots trying to calm her down. Sweetie's rant ends with her throwing a dart at a picture of Rarity so hard that the tip goes through the clubhouse wall and sticks Twilight in the flank. What did I tell you? Makings of a future supervillain, that filly!

After managing to get Applebloom and Scootaloo and their first aid kit off, Twilight asks for a one-on-one conversation with Sweetie, so the other two wait in the barn.
Okay, this scene is just so heartwarming it almost brings a tear to my eye. Even if it isn't really Rarity who's making up with her sister.

So Twilight agrees to spend the day with her, having a bit of a struggle to unlock Rarity's magic when Sweetie asks for a Unicorn shake - never seen this kind of thing done before; is it kind of like the "Unbreakable Vow" from Harry Potter, just more kid-friendly?

Within her mind, she frantically worked to unlock the keys to Rarity’s version of Unicorn magic. As she focused on the academics of the spell in her head, a growing sense of warmth built up in her heart. The sensation grew and rose up her spine. Prickling up her perfectly coifed mane, the feeling crested her head and overcame her thoughts. Soon, she felt the warming glow of her horn come to life as the magic from within shone forth.

Aaah, so each Unicorn's magic has a different kind of fuel; Twilight, being the studious one, always accessed her magic through willpower. Meanwhile, Rarity's magic is fueled by her heart, not her mind.
Also, the highlighted word should have a second f in there.

So the two touch horns, and suddenly there's a big light show that triggers Rarity's Rainbow Power, and then Twilight blacks out.
Now the question is, how will Rarity react to suddenly being in the CMC clubhouse instead of her own bed?

[DualKitsune]

This was a good test. Generosity in wealth is often easy but being generous with one's time is often the hardest thing.