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"Are you sure this'll work?" Scootaloo said to Apple Bloom, frowning.
"Relax," Apple Bloom said, pouring an orange liquid into a funnel. "I know what I'm doing."
"I still don't think that thing looks quite the same." Scootaloo pointed at the rickety contraption taking up half the clubhouse.
Looking it over, Apple Bloom had to admit she had a point. She was used to working with an elegant collection of tubes, flasks, beakers, and other devices for her potions. This contraption was lashed together from old plumbing pipes, zap apple jam jars, and whatever parts they'd been able to salvage or find.
"I know, but it should do all the same stuff. I still have all those library books I had checked out and I read up on it. It even has some stuff Twilight didn't have on her set, like that." She motioned towards the glowing array of crystals surrounding one tube.
"Those crystals were really fun to do, too!" Sweetie Belle said. "Pity I have to charge them every half hour or so. I wanted to try making a nightlight out of one."
"You could as long as you got to sleep before it went out," Scootaloo pointed out. "You positive, Apple Bloom? We really don't want to mess this up."
"I've tested it! I tried it out dozens of times! It'll work!" Apple Bloom waved her forelegs in the air.
"Dozens of times? Does Applejack know?" Sweetie Belle said.
Apple Bloom's mouth scrunched up and she looked back and forth. "Maybe. You sure she's gonna be there?"
"Twilight's gone there every day around this time for the last few weeks, ever since it happened," Sweetie Belle stated, some of her cheer leaving her at the end. She bounced back a moment later. "Of course she'll be there!"
Apple Bloom knew exactly what she was referring to, naturally. They all did. Some weird monster thing had tried to take over Equestria, sucking magic from ponies, and even stealing their cutie marks! Twilight had defeated it, as always, but not everything had been the same afterward.
Diamond Tiara still looked around nervously and hadn't called them blank flanks once since having her own cutie mark removed, even if it was only for a few days. Even besides that, there was one thing that hadn't gone back to normal, but Apple Bloom intended to fix that right now, or at least try.
She drained off the last of the potion into a jar, and turned off the heated part of her jury-rigged device. It might be good for distilling and other things needed for potion-making, but she really didn't want to accidentally burn down the clubhouse.
"Let's get going, then! Sweetie Belle, you got the seed?"
"Check!" Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and smiled, patting her saddlebags.
"Scootaloo, you got the shovel and our library books?"
"Yeah. And the overdue fines. You really think she'll want those?"
Apple Bloom shot Scootaloo a glare.
"Fine. I've got them. Check."
"And I've got the potion! Let's get going!"
They headed down the ramp, and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom bundled into the back of the wagon. Apple Bloom wrapped a towel around the jar and closing the lid tight before putting it in her saddlebags. She really didn't want to have to remake this again.
Scootaloo got on her scooter, and soon they were zooming through the streets, praying Scootaloo didn't hit anything or try any stunts. As it stood, a cat or two were terrorized on the way as Scootaloo swerved around them.
Soon they were there, at one of the most depressing sights in Ponyville. A blackened stump stood there, where once the Golden Harvest library had been. Just seeing it put a lump in Apple Bloom's throat. They'd spent so many hours there practicing with Twilight. Now it was all gone.
She heard a sniff next to her. Looking next to her, Sweetie Belle's eyes looked suspiciously moist.
"Sweetie Belle, are you crying?"
"N-No. Just… we had a lot of fun there. There were a lot of good times. I learned how to do magic there, and now…"
"I know," Apple Bloom patted her reassuringly. "They there?"
"I th-think so."
Scootaloo came to a halt, and they got out. Sure enough, on the other side of the stump stood Twilight and Spike, just standing there looking at it. The three of them walked up.
Twilight looked up, hearing them trotting over. "Oh, hi girls. What are you all doing here?"
"It's Twilight Time!" Apple Bloom said, grinning.
"You know Twilight Time's on hold right now, due to what happened." She nodded at the tree. "Once I get set up properly at the castle, we can start up again, if you really think you need it."
"I figure we can try it right now. Scoots?"
"On it!" Scootaloo pulled out a shovel, and quickly dug a hole in a spot not far from the stump.
"Try it?" Twilight asked.
"Sweetie Belle?"
"I've got this!" Sweetie Belle walked over and tossed a large seed into the hole, which Scootaloo began covering up.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Spike grumbled.
"It'll be fine." Apple Bloom unwrapped the jar and opened it. "Let's see, not too little, not too much…"
Then she shrugged, and dumped most of the contents of the jar on the patch of dirt. All three of them quickly backed off.
"Keep away for a minute," Apple Bloom warned them, somewhat redundantly.
A green shoot came out of the ground, and quickly grew into a young sapling. A wave of heat hit them from where it stood.
"That's all very well and good, girls, but you know it'll be years before that could be any sort of substitute for the library," Twilight said, frowning. "If it's even the right species."
She went to step forward, but Apple Bloom blocked her path. "Just wait a minute!"
Just then, the sapling started growing rapidly again, and the heat coming from it was almost unbearable. When it stopped, there was a full house tree there, if a bit young, with windows, a door, and even a balcony.
"It should be done now, but let's give it a few more minutes, just in case."
"How did you even do that? That's way faster growth than the formula I taught you produces. I'm not ever sure I've seen that quick of a growth potion before."
"You remember I had those books on potion-making checked out? I've been trying making a few changes to the formula, and did a little checking with Zecora."
"I'm all for experimenting, but wasn't that a little risky?" Twilight asked.
"I tested it! I tested it plenty of times, and it worked!"
Twilight frowned. "On apple seeds?"
"Well…"
"Does Applejack know she's got a bunch of new apple trees?"
Apple Bloom wilted. "I'll tell her soon. I promise."
Twilight walked over to the new tree. "I have to say, girls, I'm impressed. You know it won't really replace the old library, though, right? It may work as a new one, but it'll never be the same."
"Yeah," Scootaloo said.
"We know," Sweetie Belle joined in.
"Ponyville really needs a library, though. And while it might not be the old one, we can make new memories here! We even brought back our library books to put in it." Apple Bloom looked down and scuffed at the dirt with one hoof. "They're kinda overdue, though."
"I think we can declare amnesty on library fines with the library having been destroyed," Twilight said with a laugh. Scootaloo stuck her tongue out at Apple Bloom in response. "I think I may let you keep some of them, too. If you can do all this with no equipment, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can do. Of course, I'll want to document every step of how you did this."
There was a gleam in Twilight's eyes that made Apple Bloom a bit nervous.
Then Twilight started walking away from the new tree.
"Aren't you gonna check it out?" Apple Bloom said, feeling a little hurt.
"It looks wonderful, girls," Twilight said with a smile. "However, you said this was the new library, and a library needs books. Come on with me, and lets pick out a new set of books, and get our new library started!"
Apple Bloom shrugged, and the three crusaders followed Twilight, hearts lighter than they'd been in quite a while.