by G. M. Berrow
Rarity nodded in agreement. “I experienced the same exact phenomenon!” Her almond-shaped eyes were wide with disbelief. “It was bizarre. But trust me—one does not want to rush an embroidered bodice. It came out quite wonky.” Rarity shook her head. “Such a terrible shame.”
Twilight looked at the others. “And you? Did you experience an odd, faster-than-ponily-possible sensation in your activities? One that you had no control over but were aware of?”
“Oh yes,” Fluttershy replied. Her face contorted into a look of distress. “I was flying and it was the fastest I’ve ever gone.” She shook her soft, pink mane. “It was awful.”
“Well, I didn’t feel a thing!” Rainbow Dash declared. She puffed with pride, raising a sassy eyebrow. “But that’s probably because I’m already faster than lightning.”
“Pinkie?” Twilight prodded. “Anything?”
Pinkie Pie yawned. “I was taking a nap because I was tired from playing every single game ever in preparation for Ponyville Game Night, and I woke up and I felt like I hadn’t slept a wink, even though the clock said I’d had at least forty winks, which didn’t make sense at all! Plus, I’m so Sad Pinkie that I missed something as fun-sounding as a ‘hyper time boost’!” Her bushy fuchsia mane was springing out in every direction. Her face turned to a big frown. “I guess you could say I’m… grumpy.”
Everypony gasped.
“Okay, that was pretty funny the way you all did that at the same time.” Pinkie’s frown exploded into a smile. She giggled. “Thanks, ponies. I’m feeling better now.”
“Phew!” Twilight exhaled as she took a seat on her throne. “I was beginning to think I’d altered your personality again with my spell-bending in addition to all this odd time stuff.”
Rarity and Applejack glanced at each other with a shudder, remembering the strange events in which Twilight Sparkle had tried to complete Star Swirl the Bearded’s spell. She’d ended up accidentally switching all of her best friends’ cutie marks. Rarity still cringed at the thought of the hideous dresses Applejack had tried to sew and the horribly misguided weather patterns she herself had tried to create using Rainbow Dash’s true talents.
“Spell-bending is extremely risky work—it takes very advanced magic and it’s unpredictable.” Twilight surveyed the mess of papers and books that still littered the table in front of them. “I should have done more research on this one first. I just wish I knew what went wrong!” She riffled through the papers and bit her lip.
Everypony nodded sympathetically. Except Starlight, whose mind had already wandered back to her new secret hiding spot. “Right, yes. Me too!” Starlight chimed in when she noticed the others’ eyes on her. “Maybe you didn’t recite the words slowly enough?”
“Hold up, now. You weren’t here working with Twilight, sugarcube?” Applejack looked at Starlight a little sideways. “I thought the two of ya were busier than a coupla barn rats in a rotten apple heap with all that studying!”
Starlight opened her mouth to answer but before she could, Twilight interrupted. “No, no. It was all my fault.” She looked down with a sigh. “Starlight was working with me earlier, but we were working for so long that she was exhausted. During the hyper boost she was in her room taking a nap.”
“Hey!” Pinkie squealed. She put up her hooves in the air then pointed them at Starlight with a smile. “Nap twins!”
Starlight suppressed a chuckle and trotted over to Twilight. Her mentor was visibly upset. If Starlight had learned anything about friendship so far, she knew that right now she was supposed to be offering friendly support or viable solutions.
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Starlight assured, putting on her best, confident smile. Her purple eyes sparkled with sincerity. “I’m ready to hit the spell books again, if you want! Whatever went wrong, I’m sure all of us can fix it together.” Starlight looked around to each of the ponies (and dragon) at the table. “Right, everypony?”
A murmur of agreement filled the room. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike always looked after one another—no matter what happened!
A look of pride washed over Twilight’s face. “Thanks, Starlight, that’s all I needed to hear.” She smiled at her student. Even though she still had a very long way to go, Starlight had learned so much about friendship in such a short amount of time. The princess couldn’t help but wonder what capabilities she might be able to uncover in Starlight if they had even more minutes in the day together.
Twilight glanced down at the scribbles on the scroll. Her new version of Mooncurve’s Minutiae danced around on the page, taunting her. She knew she ought to just try to solve the hyper time boost problem and file the spell away for good. But when the sudden thought of Comet Tail’s Curse came flooding into her mind, even though it was just an old ponys’ tale, Twilight knew she had to finish what she’d started or face dangerous consequences.
Light-to-Light
Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer waved to their friends as they exited the castle doors. After a little deliberation, the plan they’d decided on was simply that each pony monitor her own area of Ponyville and report back if anything strange in the way of time warping happened again. In truth, there was not much more they could do.
Starlight Glimmer had just stepped hoof in her bedroom quarters to gather some items to take to her secret suite when she heard something outside.
“Pssst!” Twilight whispered, poking her pink-and-purple mane inside Starlight’s door. “Just came to, uhh… check in. Do you have a second to chat?” Her voice sounded high and nervous.
Starlight Glimmer hesitated, clenching her jaw in mild frustration for a moment. Friends were supposed to listen to one another, she reminded herself. Twilight deserved somepony to listen.
“Sure, Twilight. Take a seat,” Starlight replied with a genuine smile. She waved her hoof toward her aqua-colored wingback chair. “Why don’t you put up your hooves, too?” She used her magic to procure a matching fancy hoofstool. Then Starlight brewed a cup of steaming dandelion tea and placed it on the table next to her. “And a nice cup of this might help what is troubling you.” Starlight wondered if she was laying it on too thick with the friendship gestures.
“Wow, thank you.” Twilight fell back into the chair, clearly relieved. “What a day, right?”
“Definitely a day.” Starlight nodded. She lifted her saddlebag full of magical accessories for the suite from the bed and placed it by the door so she could make a quick exit when Twilight was done. She was itching to visit the space again. She glanced back over at her guest, who was staring out the window with a frozen expression on her face. Twilight didn’t look like she was going anywhere any time soon. “Are you all right, Twilight?”
“Me?” Twilight squeaked, her eyes bulging ever so slightly. “I’m just fine!” She was obviously fibbing. “I’m just excited for Ponyville Game Night. Have you ever played Settlers of Canterlot? It’s so much fun but I never win. Applejack is the champion. I just hope this year I can finally beat her!” She let out a forced chuckle.
Starlight shot her a knowing look. “You’re sure that’s all you wanted to talk about?”
“Well…” Twilight took a sip of tea, avoiding Starlight’s inquisitive gaze. “There is one other thing that’s bothering me… relating to the spell.”
Starlight Glimmer paused. She felt her stomach drop. Did Twilight know she’d been working on the spell alone? Did she know about the secret room? Deep down, Starlight knew she shouldn’t have been snooping around the castle, and now she was caught! Her mind began to race. She’d be in so much trouble—Twilight would be so hurt. Perhaps once Twilight kicked her out of the castle for good, Starlight would find a home in Ponyville. Or go on the road with her best friend Trixie’s magic act…
“There’s just a lot of pressure sometimes, you know?” Twilight blurted out. The princess sat up and began to ramble. “After creating new magic the time when I altered Star Swirl’s spell,
then becoming an Alicorn and the Princess of Friendship as a result—everypony expects so much of me! I just really don’t want to let ponies down. Of course I still want to study, create, and use magic, but in ways that help ponies have better friendship experiences so that everypony in Equestria knows what it’s like to be supported by others the way I have here in Ponyville! But I know I have to loosen my grip and stop trying to control so much, like I did when you tried to bring Trixie to my dinner party. I think that’s what Princess Celestia and Princess Luna meant when they replied to my last letter about learning to let go of—” Twilight stopped herself and sank back into the chair. “Oh! I’m sorry, Starlight. Listen to me! I’m supposed to be the teacher, not the clueless one. I didn’t mean to unload all of this onto you.”
So Twilight didn’t know what she had been up to after all! She had truly just wanted to talk to her, as a friend. Starlight breathed a tiny sigh of relief and smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about it, Twi. What are friends for?”
The two ponies smiled at each other.
“You’re right,” Twilight replied, taking a sip of her tea. “Thanks.” She felt better already. But there was still one nagging problem that she’d yet to address—Mooncurve’s Minutiae. The sense of incompletion bothered Twilight, like enjoying most of a perfect, crisp apple and then dropping the last bite of it in the dirt. “But we do have to finish what we started with the time spell. It would be horrible if we left it open and then we lost track of time! Hyper boosts at any moment! That would be awful.” Twilight paused, eyes growing wide. “And have you ever heard of Comet Tail’s Curse?”
“Don’t tell me you seriously believe that silly little Unicorn’s tale…”
“But what if it’s true?” Twilight tried not to sound like a filly.
“Then I guess you and I will lose all of our magical abilities forever.” Starlight laughed. “Yup, definitely going to happen.”
“Starlight!” Twilight chided. “That’s not funny.”
“Sorry! But we’re good, trust me,” Starlight Glimmer assured. “Nothing else is going to happen. No more hyper boosts, no minutes-gone-missing, and certainly no weirdo curse bestowed upon us.”
Twilight looked unconvinced.
“I know a lot about time-travel spells, remember?”
It was true. Back when Starlight had prepared her big evil plan, she had studied practically everything related to altering the timeline of events that led to Twilight and her friends ever meeting. Starlight and Twilight had followed each other through time and all over Equestria, which had been quite dangerous. But in the end, it had led them here—to being friends.
“How could I forget?” Twilight teased. She stood up from the chair and began to pace the room. Even with all Starlight knew about time travel, Twilight disagreed with her student that the matter of this specific spell was settled. It was of a different nature entirely—and if it wasn’t dealt with soon, there could be dire circumstances.
“So what do you say?” Starlight grinned. “Let’s just move on! I bet there are a million more friendship lessons just waiting for me to learn, right?”
Twilight regarded her spunky student. The ins and outs of friendship didn’t always come easily to Starlight. She was still quite stubborn, and at times it was hard for Twilight to read her motivations. There usually seemed to be a secret agenda on her mind. For example, even as they spoke, Starlight had busied herself choosing items from her cabinet and carrying them over to a saddlebag like she was packing for a trip. What was that all about?
Twilight wasn’t sure, but it did give her an idea.
“All right, then,” Twilight conceded. She trotted over to Starlight’s saddlebag and picked it up. “Your next friendship lesson involves your old pal, Sunburst. I want you to travel and visit the Crystal Empire for a few days. While you’re there, you and Sunburst must rekindle an old friendship tradition!” Twilight grinned proudly. “Then you can start some new ones, too.”
“Crystal Empire?” Starlight Glimmer’s jaw dropped. “Now?”
“I noticed you packing and I thought that must be your little way of sending me a message.” Twilight put her hoof on Starlight’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I completely understand that you’re exhausted from all this work you’ve done with me lately. You can go relax with Sunburst and learn about friendship with him for a little bit, then you’ll be back just in time for Ponyville Game Night. It’s going to be so much fun!” Twilight winked as she trotted to the door. “See you in a few days, Starlight!”
Twilight had to pat herself on the back for coming up with the perfect solution. She could focus on finishing Mooncurve’s spell and closing the book on the whole problem—for good.
The Shortest Journey Ever
Luckily, the kitchen was empty. Starlight crept around the corner and into the pantry as fast as she could. She scanned the shelves of food, grabbing as many provisions as she could without raising suspicions. Twilight would notice if too much was missing. She would be expecting that Starlight would eat her meals with Sunburst in the Crystal Empire.
Starlight tossed a jar of stewed peaches, some loaves of raisin bread, and three packs of cookies from Sugarcube Corner into her saddlebag. After reaching far into the back of the bottom shelf, Starlight was surprised to find a hidden bowl of glittering gems! “Spike, you sneaky dragon…” Starlight chuckled to herself. “Did he hide anything else back there? Aha!” she exclaimed in triumph, discovering a wealth of carrot jerky and sesame crackers.
It was a good haul—more than enough to sustain her for at least a few days while she hid out in her new secret room. Twilight would never even know she hadn’t boarded the Friendship Express that was now chugging its way toward the Crystal Empire. Instead Starlight Glimmer would stay holed up, figuring out Mooncurve’s Minutiae herself.
Starlight felt so brilliant when the idea had occurred to her. Twilight was clearly worried about Comet Tail’s Curse, that fake story meant to scare Unicorn fillies into finishing their magic homework. It would be an awesome surprise once she told Twilight that the spell was good and fixed. Perhaps her teacher would be so overjoyed and proud that she probably wouldn’t even care that Starlight hadn’t visited Sunburst yet.
Moving through the hallways of the castle undetected was much easier than Starlight had anticipated. It always seemed as if more ponies should be populating the place, rather than just the trio of herself, Twilight, and Spike. Her hoofsteps were loud as she galloped down the hall to find the secret door once more.
“One, two, three…” Starlight counted the doors as she trotted past, since she’d changed the color from brown to gold to disguise the one that led to her secret hideout. “Four, five, six… seven!” This was it. She used her magic to lift the handle, breath held with anticipation.
Starlight gasped. This wasn’t her secret suite at all! It was just a simple guest bedroom. “No.” She shook her head. “I must have counted wrong.” Starlight backed out of the room and counted once more. It was definitely the seventh door. Starlight felt dizzy. Was it all just a dream before?
She was looking down at her hooves and considering the options when her horn began to glow. Magic drifted from her toward the wall and a few seconds later, a loud creaking noise occurred. The doors magically began to slide down the hall like coats on a rack. They appeared to be making room for a glowing portal! Starlight was entranced. The radiant archway churned and sputtered drops of aqua-hued magical energy.
When it finally settled, there was a brand-new brown door in its place, just as before. Starlight Glimmer stood immobilized in shock for a moment. This was no ordinary hideout, like she’d thought. This beautiful room had come straight from her wild imagination and manifested itself into reality, appearing only for her.
“Even better.” Starlight smirked as she trotted inside. She slammed the door shut and locked it tight. “Now there’s no way Twilight has any chance of knowing I’m still here.” Her heavy saddlebag dropped to the floor with a loud th
ud. “Now I need to get to work fixing that spell!”
The Slow Down
The Ponyville Town Square was almost ready. Colored lines delineating each team’s home base were drawn with chalk on the ground and twisty, bright streamers in the same colors were swathed above. Pinkie Pie skipped and bounced as she tied yellow balloons in the yellow team section. “Are you excited, Rainbow?! I know I am!”
“Are you kidding? I’m pumped! Game Night is by far one of the most awesome nights of the entire moon!” Rainbow Dash called out as she flew up to the top of the flagpole. “It’s almost like a mini Equestria Games, but a million times less pressure.” She looped the official Game Day flag through the hooks and watched proudly as it billowed in the breeze. It bore a symbol of a rainbow color wheel, cut out like slices of a pie.
“Looking good, everypony!” From where Rainbow Dash was situated, she could see that the town square appeared as the symbol, too. Ponies busied themselves decorating in each of the colors and setting up boxes for ponies to hide behind during the big competition. She watched as Davenport and Senior Mint worked on the green section, lifting a large crate from the Quills and Sofas shop into the center. It would make a great shield from the colored water balloons they were going to toss at one other.
Rainbow was about to soar down in a super-cool spiral and land in the blue section when all of a sudden, her wingbeats slowed. It felt as if the air was made of a thick goop that she had to push through. Rainbow Dash winced in pain, spreading her blue wings wide and using all her strength built up from Wonderbolts training to stay afloat in the sky. “Whaaaat… iiiis… haaaappening?” she groaned.
At first, Rainbow thought it was just her, but down below Senior Mint and Davenport were experiencing the same sensation! They grunted as they lifted the crate with their hooves, unable to move much faster than the slow crawl of a tortoise. It was like everypony and everything in town had been doused with molasses.