Twilight was sitting in her kitchen, watching the two Princesses sitting across from her. They had shown up unannounced in the middle of the night.
Celestia stood and said, “Good! It’s settled then; you’ll leave at once. I’ll have a pair of chariots here in the morning, no, in the evening to take you and your friends to any destination you choose.”
The Princesses had arrived almost immediately after they received a garbled, rambling letter from her. She had been working herself to the bone for the last few weeks, and her exhaustion had caught up with her.
She was too tired to do anything other than nod in response to the Princess.
“You will need a week of rest, I think, and then you may return to your work. I will see to it that your friends are compensated for their trouble, if they wish it, and I will ensure that your dissertation is moved back to accommodate your vacation.” The Princess turned and left the kitchen. Reaching the middle of the main room, she looked back and said, “Good night Twilight.” With a flash, she disappeared.
Luna walked toward the same shadowy corner of the kitchen from which she had arrived. “Be sure to get some sleep tonight, Twilight. You look like you could use it. Oh, and enjoy your vacation.” She smiled, walked forward, and melted into the shadows.
Alone once more, Twilight stared into her empty teacup and thought, What the buck just happened?
The next evening, Twilight found herself standing in front of the main building of a tropical resort. When Rarity had described it, everyone had agreed that it would be perfect. As their chariots landed, they had seen the sprawling resort stretching along the coast.
The resort seemed to be made up of dozens of wood and thatch cottages, a few moderately sized buildings, and one enormous main building with courtyards in front and behind.
They gathered their luggage from the chariots and were informed by their chauffeurs that they would be picked up in seven days. They entered the large hotel through its ornate doors and walked into a spacious two-storied lobby. It was filled with ceiling fans, comfortable couches, and a very large indoor waterfall. Fluttershy gasped and ran to inspect the pool at the base of the waterfall.
Rarity paused inside the door and surveyed the room. “Well the décor is a bit clichéd, but the amenities are supposed to be top notch. I expect this will be a very relaxing week.”
Twilight hoped this would be the case. If she wasn’t going to be able to get any research done this week, she needed all the relaxation she could get. Any distraction to keep her mind off her looming deadline.
She pushed these thoughts aside and approached the front desk. Behind the desk was a bored unicorn who had a blue coat, jet black hair, and a cutie mark in the shape of a broom over an odd blue cloud. The pony didn’t seem to notice Twilight as she approached the desk, so Twilight cleared her throat.
Without looking up from her magazine, the pony said, “Welcome to The Chateau by the Sea. My name is Beatrix. How may I help you?”
“We need to check in, please.”
“Name?”
“Twilight Sparkle.”
To Twilight’s surprise, the pony yelped and fell off her chair. Recovering, the black maned unicorn stood and stared at the group, looking fearful. She did nothing else for a moment then shook her head and said, “Of course Miss Sparkle. Let me just check the registry.” Her bored and uninterested tone of voice had become completely flat. She set a large book on the desk and began flipping through its pages.
“Yes, here you are. Twilight Sparkle.” The black maned pony’s cheek twitched. “You reserved a private cottage for six. One of our nicest too, but I’m afraid there is a slight problem.”
Rarity’s ears perked up. She asked, “Problem? Pray tell, what kind of ‘problem’?”
The receptionist gave her a saccharine smile. “I’m sorry, Miss...?”
“Rarity.”
“Miss Rarity, I am very sorry for the inconvenience, but it seems your cottage has not been properly prepared yet. Now, since this is an oversight on our part, I will personally see to it that our mistake is rectified immediately.” She ducked under the desk and pulled out three keys. “Here are your house keys. If you will give me an hour, I will make sure that everything is taken care of. In fact,” reaching under the counter again, she set some paper on the counter and continued, “here are coupons for a complementary round of drinks at the bar.” She nodded at the bar across the room.
“Oh, thank you.” Twilight smiled. “I guess these things happen, don’t they? Thank you for being so helpful.”
“It’s my pleasure.” The black maned pony stared at the desk. ”If you wish, you may leave your baggage here and I will ensure it reaches your cottage.” The six dropped off their baggage and made their way over to the bar.
Once they had their drinks, Applejack said, “Well that was weird.”
“Yeah!” agreed Pinkie Pie.
Finishing her drink in one long pull, Rainbow Dash wiped her muzzle and asked, “What are you two talking about?”
“I noticed it as well,” Rarity added.
“Well at least she’s fixing it. No one’s perfect.” Twilight took a sip of her drink and grimaced; the bartender had made it far too sweet.
“What? No, that’s not what Ah’m talkin’ about. What Ah mean is that that pony was actin’ mighty odd. It’s like she recognized us or something.”
“Applejack is right.” Rarity levitated her teacup to her lips and sipped. “She definitely knew one of us, but it was as if she were trying to hide it.”
Eyeing the bottles behind the bar, the rainbow maned pegasus said, “Well I don’t recognize her.”
Twilight didn’t know what to think. Why would a stranger recognize them, and then try to hide it? For that matter, how could anyone this far south know them? “I don’t think I recognize her. Does anyone else?” Everyone shook their heads. “Well, what do you think, girls, is it time to make a new friend?”
Pinkie’s eyes grew large and excited, but Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder and said, “Twilight, dear, your heart is certainly in the right place. Normally I would not hesitate to make a friend, but I think that we may need to consider the situation a little more carefully.”
Applejack scowled at the white unicorn and asked, “What are you talking about? Are you saying that we shouldn’t be friendly? That’s not the Rarity Ah-”
“Goodness no, Applejack. I would never suggest such a thing. What I mean, though, is that things may not be as simple as they seem.” She took another sip of her tea. “In establishments such as this, the staff are uh, let’s say ‘encouraged’ to not socialize with the patrons. In fact, it is not uncommon for ponies to lose their jobs when they fail to follow this rule. We must keep in mind the consequences of our actions.”
Twilight sighed. She wanted to argue, but Rarity’s argument made sense. She didn’t want to get some poor mare fired.
“Alright, Rarity. I guess you’re right. I can’t say I like it though.”
At that, no one said anything. The six mares sat at the bar, sipping their drinks and staring at nothing in particular. Twilight couldn’t tell what the others were thinking, but she wished that their vacation hadn’t started on such a sour note.
This was a disaster. The fates were conspiring against her. Of all the places in Equestria, they just had to show their faces here.
The blue-coated unicorn brooded as she cantered down the boardwalk toward the only vacant cottage at the resort. She was ignored by the patrons she passed. The ponies who visited this resort were used to ignoring servants, and here no one hurried unless they were a servant.
Opening the door to the large cottage, the unicorn stepped inside and lit the lights with a flick of her horn. The room was spotless. Fresh fruit had been set out for the guests, and the magically powered icebox was humming, full of drinks and snacks.
She stepped to the middle of the empty room and glanced around, then closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated. Her horn began to glow with a soft blue light. It started at the tip and slid down the length of her horn. Taking breath after deep breath, she concentrated on weaving her spell.
Once she closed her eyes, she saw the complex network of magic around her. The world was alive with it. Unknown to most non-unicorns, magic was not some uniform field. Instead, it was a web; the life blood of the universe ran in streams and rivers.
To weave their magic, unicorns had to reach out and draw power from these currents. All unicorns were aware of this fact and instinctually used it for their spells. Few were able to sense the weave, though, and fewer still could see it. Only the most talented unicorns could see the weave at will. It was said that the reason these unicorns were so powerful was because of the fact that they could see the weave. Seeing it made it easier to manipulate. It was also said that the Princesses could see the weave even with their eyes open, watching it in every waking moment.
The pony who stood in the middle of the quiet cottage had always been able to see the weave. Her earliest memories were ones of wonder in which she marveled at the beauty she saw when she closed her eyes.
The glow emanating from her horn grew in magnitude, driving the shadows from the room. A cloud of magic ballooned off of it and filled the room. Her cutie mark glowed as she poured herself into the spell. Its true shape became apparent even under the concealing makeup; the shapes of a star-tipped magician’s wand and pixie dust shone bright and clear. Suddenly, the shimmering magic flashed and disappeared, plunging the room into darkness.
Panting from her exertion, the unicorn grinned. Her expression dripped malice in the dark. These ponies would rue the day they ever dared to stand up to her.
Twilight strolled down the boardwalk with her friends. The night was alive with activity. Ponies mingled on the boardwalk, visiting the various vendors that were available. The beach was teeming with late dinner parties and smaller groups just talking. There were even a few ponies out enjoying a night swim in the warm ocean waters.
When they reached their cottage, Twilight just stopped and stared. She had known that this resort was nice, but this was incredible. The expense had to be enormous! She knew that Princesses could afford it, but it still made her feel as if she were taking advantage of their kindness.
“Darling, are you going to come inside, or are you planning to sleep right there?” Rarity looked at her from just inside the door.
Twilight hurried inside but found herself staring again. The front door opened onto a large room that combined the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Large windows looked across the boardwalk to show the ocean beyond. The living space was roomy and extremely luxurious, and they had every comfort that could be imagined. Three bedrooms and a sitting room opened off the main room, and each bedroom had its own spacious bathroom.
“Wheee! This is going to be so much fun!” Pinkie was bouncing around the living room, leaping from one chair or couch to the next. “Who’s going to sleep together? Huh? Are we going to split up by type, earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasusses? We could do musical beds! When the music stops, that’s the room you sleep in! Ooh, I know! We could all sleep in the same room! It could be like...”
Twilight stopped listening. All she wanted to do was sleep. She picked a room at random and headed for it. She levitated her single suitcase out of the pile of luggage that had been set by the wall and brought it with her. She readied herself for bed and slipped under the luxurious sheets. Listening to the soft chatter of her friends through the closed door, she slipped into sleep.
She woke to the sound of loud scraping. For a moment, she was unsure if she was really hearing it, or if she was still in the throes of a nightmare. When she was sure she was awake and the noise didn’t stop, she sat up in bed. As she did, she realized that she wasn’t alone. Beside her was the shape of a sleeping pony. The only thing visible from under the covers was a single frizzy lock of rainbow colored hair.
The scraping at the door started again, and Twilight jumped. Her heart was pounding, and she was reluctant to leave the warmth of the bed. It was probably just one of Pinkie’s pranks anyway. Twilight rolled out of bed, careful to not wake the sleeping pegasus.
Though, if Dash can sleep through this ruckus, I doubt I’m going to wake her up.
She walked to the rattling door. It sounded as if somepony was scratching the other side of the door with a knife or something else sharp. She took a deep breath, forced herself to smile, and opened the door.
There was nothing there. The scraping sound had stopped, and she saw the soft glow of a lamp in the living room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move on the couch. She tensed and her heart started racing again. Rarity poked her head over the back of the couch and looked at Twilight.
“Trouble sleeping?”
Twilight sighed and relaxed against the door frame. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“What’s wrong, dear? I hesitate to mention it but you look terrible!” Rarity laid her book aside as Twilight shut the door and moved to join her on the couch.
After Twilight finished her short tale, she said, “I don’t think I was dreaming, but...” She sighed and looked out the windows at the moonlit seascape.
“I wouldn’t worry about it overmuch if I were you. You’ve been putting yourself under so much stress lately.” Rarity placed her hoof on Twilight’s. “Put it out of your mind, and try to get some sleep.”
Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, the light in the lamp shattered, and the room began to fill with a thick fog.
“Oh my, what is going on?” asked Rarity. “Good thing it’s nighttime. This fog will ruin my coiffure.”
Dark figures began to take shape in the mist. Rending and grinding noises came from from all around. A wet slap right behind the two ponies startled them and elicited a scream from Rarity.
Twilight stood, and stared into the mist with her head cocked to the side. After a moment, she closed her eyes and her horn glowed.
Rarity whispered, “Twilight, what’s going on?”
The glow around her horn evaporated and Twilight turned to the white unicorn. “Well I’m not a hundred percent sure, but here’s what I know.” She swiped her hoof through a particularly thick swirl of fog. “None of this is real. It’s all a magical illusion. I think someone is playing a joke on us.”
“Well,” huffed Rarity, “it’s not a very funny joke.”
“What in tarnation? What’s goin’ on out here? Twilight? Rarity? I can’t see nothin’ in here.”
“Applejack! It’s okay, stay right there. I’m going to try to get rid of this.” Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She touched the magical web that surrounded them. From the look and feel of it, she knew that whoever had woven this spell had a great deal of talent. It was shielded and she doubted if any unicorn who couldn’t see the weave could even tell that there was magic involved.
She studied the spell and soon found the main ley line that supplied it with its power. She reached out and severed the connection. The spell unraveled and the room cleared.
“There. That should take care-” Twilight saw a bright flash. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the floor looking up at her friends. In addition to Applejack and Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were looking at her with concern.
“What happened?” she asked. She saw her friends talking, but what she heard was distant and muffled. She shook her head and made her way to her hooves. As soon as she stood, her head began to pound. When she could hear again she said, “Alright, I think I can hear again, and I think I know what happened. Applejack, Rarity, what did you see?”
“Well, when Ah came in to see why y’all were makin’ so much noise, all Ah could see was a bunch of fog and shadows. Then you told me to hold it, and Ah did, and then the fog skedaddled. Ah was walking over to ya when y’all just fell over.” The orange mare shrugged. “That’s about it.”
“That sums up my recollection as well,” added Rarity. “What happened?”
Twilight shut her eyes and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. “I think it was a trap.” Everyone gasped. “And it was set by a very skilled unicorn. That spell was very well hidden. Few unicorns would have been able to detect it. Whoever set it must have suspected that I would find it, because when I unraveled it, I triggered the trap.”
The orange mare stamped a hoof and said, “But why would anyone want to hurt us? To hurt you? And maybe more importantly, what are we gonna do about it?”
Pinkie answered, “I think they need a party. Like a super party. They’re obviously a sour-puss and in need of some serious party action!”
Rarity looked at Pinkie askance. “Well I think we should report this to the authorities. The ruffian should not be allowed to get away with this.”
Twilight thought for a second, and said, “I don’t think there’s much we can do. Whoever wove that spell covered their tracks. I can’t think of any way to figure out who it was.” She sighed. “We’ll just have to, I don’t know, be careful I guess.”
Twilight groaned as her headache became especially sharp. “And I’m going back to bed.” She trudged to her room and slipped back into bed. Rainbow Dash was a hidden lump under the covers. Twilight sighed and rubbed her forehead.
If this is what I can expect when I go on vacation, I’m never leaving Ponyville again.
“Oh, I could get used to this,” sighed Rarity, “and we haven’t even made it to the spa yet!”
It was the afternoon of the next day, and the six ponies were lying in the sun on a deserted section of beach. They had started their plans to avail themselves of the many amenities that the resort offered. After an enormous breakfast, they had joined Fluttershy and visited the nature reserve that bordered the resort inland.
They took a picnic lunch and found a remote spot away from the crowded resort.
Applejack laughed at the white mare and said, “Ah never woulda’ pegged you for one to enjoy luxury. It’s just unthinkable!”
Rarity scowled and blew a raspberry at the orange mare.
“If you two are done flirting,” both mares looked daggers at the blue pegasus, “I say it’s time to do something exciting. Today can’t be all boring! Who wants to go flying?”
“Rainbow Dash, what are you talking about?” Rarity stretched as she spoke. “You know very well that we can’t fly with you, and we can’t expect Twilight to give us all wings.”
The pegasus grinned as she replied, “Well you’ve got a point there.” Rarity harrumphed in satisfaction. “Or, I could go get one of those pegagliders I saw back at the resort.”
Twilight’s ears perked up at this. She had always wanted to try pegagliding, but she had never known anyone that owned one.
“Pega-what now?” asked Applejack.
“Pegagliders,” supplied Twilight. “They’re fixed-wing gliders that non-pegasai can wear. Typically, you’ll have a pegasus tow you for altitude then glide back to the ground, but I’ve heard of thrill seeking ponies using cliffs and tall buildings too.”
“Ah don’t know about that. It doesn’t sound very safe. Ah think Ah’ll just keep my hooves on the ground, thank you very much.”
Twilight just shook her head; she knew what was coming next.
“Ha!” Wings extended, the blue pegasus stepped up to Applejack. “I knew it. You’re scared.”
“What? No way. Ah just... Ah just like being on the ground, that’s all. Ah ain’t scared.”
“Prove it.”
With the slightest hesitation, Applejack shot back, “You’re on!”
Without another word, Rainbow Dash shot off in a spray of sand. A few minutes later she returned with one of the bulky gliders in hoof.
While Rainbow Dash set up and inspected the glider, Fluttershy stopped next to Applejack and said, “Don’t worry, Applejack. I’m sure it’s safe. You know the resort wouldn’t have these if they weren’t. And you’ll be up there with Dash. If anything happens, I’m sure she’ll be able to... well, you know. Catch you, before... before...” The yellow mare stopped and blushed, pawing at the sand.
“That’s right! With me up there, you got nothin’ to worry about!” The brash pegasus continued her inspection. “Besides, we’ll be out over the water. If you do crash, at least it’ll be a soft landing.”
Applejack nudged Fluttershy and whispered something that Twilight wasn’t able to make out. After the shy mare nuzzled back, Applejack took a deep breath and tossed her hat onto her towel. “Alright you,” she said, addressing the other pegasus, “Let’s go.
Dash helped the earth pony get situated and strapped in. She took the tow line in her mouth and lifted off, pulling the glider behind her. With a few powerful beats of her wings, they were airborne and climbing.
As Twilight watched the pair grow smaller, her heart began to race. She saw that the pegasus wasn’t holding anything back, pulling the earth pony as high as she could. After a few minutes, she saw the two tiny figures separate and begin moving on their own.
At first, there was no movement from the glider. Then she began to change course, tilting to one side, then the other. Dash began circling and swooping around the glider.
“Oh I do hope she’s alright.” Rarity was squinting into the bright sky. “They’re so high up there.”
The minutes passed and the four ponies on the beach settled back to watch the fliers. As they glided lower, Applejack began performing bolder maneuvers. When she landed though, she collapsed on the beach. They all rushed over to help her out of the glider.
“Oh Applejack,” Twilight said as she helped the trembling mare out of the straps. “Are you alright?”
Not replying, Applejack rushed over to the blue pegasus, who had just touched down, and tackled her.
“Hey, wha-”
“Wow-wheee, that was amazing! Oh my goddess, that was- Ah never coulda’ imagined how amazing that was! Ah just can’t- wow! Thank you! Thank you!” After a moment, Applejack realized she was smothering the pegasus and let go.
Laughing, Dash said, “Jeeze Applejack, I think you’ve got some pegasus in your blood!” She looked at the rest of the ponies. “Now, who’s next?”
The rest of them took turns exploring the skies with the blue pegasus. When it was Twilight’s turn, she discovered exactly why Applejack had such an intense reaction to the experience. The feel of the wind blowing through her mane, and the sight of nothing but air under her hooves was incredible. After a couple of trips for each pony, Rainbow Dash confessed that she was too tired for more.
Their aerial activities finished, they spread their picnic on the beach. They ate and talked, then returned to their towels, enjoying the sound of the waves and the warmth of the air. Little by little, their chatter tapered off and they fell asleep on the warm sand.
So it was that none of them noticed a pony step out of the trees and approach. She lowered her head and her horn glowed. Still sleeping, the six ponies began to sink into the sand. They didn’t stop until there was nothing more than their head or snout protruding from the sand. The six parasols shading the group buried themselves as well, covering the head of each pony.
Finally, a shimmering blanket of magic descended over the group until it covered the sand and the half buried parasols. It writhed and boiled, distorting everything seen through it and giving a sickly sheen to the air.
The black maned unicorn sneered and disappeared back into the jungle.
Twilight woke to screams. For a moment, she thought there was blood in her eyes as all she saw was red. Then her eyes focused and she saw that it was cloth covering her eyes. She was starting to hate waking up.
She realized that she was stuck. She was neck deep in sand and she couldn’t move. The other ponies had roused and were starting to panic as well.
“Everyone stay calm!” she yelled. “It’s okay, I can get us out!”
She started to gather her magic, but before she could, Rarity’s wails cut off.
“Rarity?!” What just happened? Oh goddess, another trap!
Twilight took a deep breath. It made sense. Whoever was doing this to them would have to know that getting out of this situation would be trivial for a unicorn. They had laid a trap before, so it followed that they would do it again.
Twilight took another deep breath and closed her eyes. She opened her mind and began to see the weave. There was a major ley line running above them, following the coast for a while. She saw the thin spell lying right on top of them, but the brightness of the ley line overhead made it hard to see details.
She couldn’t tell what the spell was intended for. It was thin and spread out with a few larger knots that worried her. It looked like it would trigger whenever it was brushed by magic. She would have to be careful.
She peered at the edges of the spell, looking for the strands of magic that would connect it to the weave. There was nothing.
But that’s impossible! Every spell is connected to the weave somehow. If it wasn’t connected, it would have unraveled almost immediately!
Twilight looked straight up, squinting with her mind’s eye. After a moment she saw it. A thin strand connecting the spell to the ley line above. It was almost invisible in the brightness, and would have been impossible to find for anyone who couldn’t see the weave.
She concentrated and reached around the spell with her magic, careful to not brush it. She snaked her magic around the tendril powering the spell and severed it. The tendril shriveled and the spell unraveled.
Sighing with relief, she opened her eyes and let her power surge. She winked out of existence, and reappeared standing on the sand. She saw that each of her friends were in the same predicament. A line of six parasols lay half buried in the sand.
“Okay everypony, hold on.” She lifted all six parasols at once, flinging them away, revealing four very upset ponies and one unconscious unicorn. Working her way down the line, she lifted each pony out of the sand and set them beside her on the beach.
Once they were all free, she focused on Rarity. The unicorn’s breathing was steady and she didn’t seem to have any injuries. Twilight flicked her horn and sent a spark into the mare’s flank.
“Wah ha ha!” The white unicorn leaped to her hooves. “What’s going on!? I was, I was buried! But now I’m...” She glared at Twilight. “You shocked me!”
Their imprisonment forgotten for a moment, Rainbow Dash and Applejack fell to the sand laughing.
“Sorry, Rarity.” Twilight tried her best to not grin. “I had to wake you up somehow.”
“Well, you could have tried some gentler way fir-” The mare caught sight of her sand filled mane. “OH MY MANE! No no no no, this is a disaster!” Ignoring the laughter coming from Dash and Applejack, she stamped. “We must get to the spa this instant!” She tore across the sand and began gathering their things.
Fluttershy moved closer to Twilight and asked, “But what happened? All I remember is waking up and being stuck.” She shuddered. “It was horrible.”
Rainbow Dash stopped watching the frantic unicorn and added, “Yeah, what the hay just happened to us?” She scowled and pawed at the ground. “It was that same pony who tricked us last night wasn’t it? Now they’ve attacked us!”
Twilight sighed. “Yes, it appears so. Somepony buried us, then set a magical trap for anyone that tried to use magic to get out. That’s why Rarity got knocked unconscious. She triggered the trap when she tried to get free.”
“I don’t like this,” said a particularly petulant pink pony. “It’s no fun being tricked when we could get hurt. What if you hadn’t gotten us free?”
“Yeah, we gotta figure out who’s doin’ this. Ah say we figure out how to trap ‘em. Once we catch ‘em, then we can take care of this whole mess.”
Rarity rejoined the group with their supplies floating behind her. “Whatever we do, it can wait until after we get cleaned up. That is priority number one right now.”
Twilight laughed at the disheveled mare’s single-mindedness, but she didn’t disagree. It would be nice to clean up and relax a bit before they had to worry about finding their attacker.
“Oh yes, I agree with Rarity. I don’t want to do anything else before we get cleaned up.” The yellow pegasus stretched her wings. “And I could really use a massage. I’m so very sore from all that hiking and flying.”
With everyone in agreement, they made their way back to the resort. They stowed their gear and headed to the spa.
Sighs of relief came from each of the six ponies as they lowered themselves into the bubbling hot tub. They had all been cleaned, groomed, and massaged. Twilight had loved her massage, though the hot tub wasn’t a poor followup.
“This is why we pamper ourselves, girls. Not only does it help us look amazing,” Rarity paused, stretching under the water, “it feels simply divine.”
“Ah’ll have to agree with y’all on that last point. It does feel mighty good.” Applejack dunked her head and flipped her mane as she surfaced.
Pinkie giggled as she was soaked by the spray. “You know what would make this even better? Hot sauce!”
“What? Ew, that’s gross, Pinkie.” Dash grimaced. “How would that make this better?”
“Hot sauce makes everything better, Dashie!”
Twilight just rolled her eyes and tried to relax. Hot sauce or no, the water felt incredible. As her friends chatted, she rested her eyes and began to take deep breaths. She opened her mind and let the universe in. The weave was beautiful and almost as relaxing as the water.
There were a few small ley lines near the group. Twilight watched as they pulsed and glowed. Each one had its own rhythm, its own life. They were separate and unique from each other. It was mesmerizing to watch and see the life force of the universe flow past.
As she watched, she noticed a tendril of magic reach for one of the ley lines. Likely it was just one of the spa ponies doing their job. Even though she knew it was probably completely innocent, she still felt her muscles tense and her heart speed up.
It’s just a little spell. You can’t expect ponies to not use magic just because you’ve had a bad day.
It didn’t help. She still felt her panic grow as she watched the spell form. The tendril connected to the ley line and began to siphon energy from it. Smaller strands split from the tendril, growing and snaking out to form the outline of the spell’s weave.
As the spell began to take shape, she was impressed with the complexity of its pattern. It must have taken quite a bit of talent to form. Losing herself in watching the weaving of the spell, she felt herself relax and her heart began to slow. The spell knotted and wove itself tighter. She began to see patterns that she recognized. Gasping, she realized what she was seeing. Whoever had attacked them was getting ready to do it again!
Eyes still closed, she interrupted the conversation and whispered, “Don’t panic, but we’re about to be attacked again.”
“What? Where are they! Let me-”
Twilight cut off the brash pegasus with a shush and said, “Listen to me, there’s no time! I’m about to sever their spell. Watch all the ponies you can see and look for someone who looks surprised.”
Without waiting for an acknowledgement, she reached out to the tendril powering the increasingly complex spell and severed it. She opened her eyes and looked around.
“Oh my,” said the shy yellow pegasus, “I... I think I found her.”
“You saw them? Where is she?” the other pegasus asked, already out of the water and shaking dry.
“Well, they were over there,” Fluttershy indicated the exit, “and I think it was that mare who checked us in. You know, blue with a black mane?”
Rainbow Dash didn’t wait for the shy mare to finish before she was off like a bolt for the door. Twilight leaped from the hot tub and shook herself dry. She ran after the pegasus with her friends following close behind.
Once outside, Rainbow Dash shot into the sky. When Twilight burst through the door, she yelled, “Do you see her? Which way?”
Pointing a hoof, the pegasus called down, “That way!”
The group of five galloped after the pegasus, keeping their eyes peeled for their black-maned quarry. Barreling down the boardwalk, they knocked ponies out of the way in their rush to keep up. They were drawing near the main building when the blue pegasus folded her wings and dropped. She plummeted toward the ground and disappeared behind a cottage.
The five grounded ponies hurried around the corner to see Rainbow Dash standing at the edge of a large pool, staring at a black-maned pony floundering in the water. As they approached, the pony stopped struggling and sunk to the bottom of the pool. Fluttershy gasped and rushed forward. Without warning, all the water in the pool exploded out and soaked every surface for fifty meters.
From the pool floated the unicorn, unhurt, eyes glittering with magic and malice. The water had washed away the makeup covering her cutie mark. Wet and clean, her mark of a star-tipped magician’s wand and pixie dust was clear in the late afternoon light.
“Twilight Sparkle!” her voice reverberated between the buildings. “I have underestimated you twice now, but I will not make the same mistake again.”
“Trixie?” Twilight squeaked. Of all the things that she had imagined their attacker to be, this had never crossed her mind. She dropped to her haunches and asked, “What are you... Why are you doing this?”
“Why?” Trixie lowered herself toward the pavement surrounding the pool. “You fool, why do you think? Do you think you can get away with humiliating me and not face any consequences? I thought you were sm-” As she touched down, Rainbow Dash jumped in between her and Twilight, catching her attention.
“Oh come off it you big jerk!” The blue pegasus pawed at the pavement as she spoke. “Don’t pretend like that was our fault! It was all you, bragging about vanquishing the great urs-”
With the slightest flick of her horn, Trixie sent her sprawling into the dry pool. Solidified bands of air formed around the pegasus, immobilizing her. Trixie turned back to Twilight.
Before she could say anything, Applejack charged the blue unicorn, head down and yelling, “You’ll pay for that! No one treats my friends like that!” Before she had covered half the distance to Trixie, she was swept into the pool and bound just like the pegasus.
Without waiting for anything else, Trixie seized Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy and bound them as well. She flicked her horn again and the three were thrown onto the grass beside the pavement.
Twilight watched everything in horror. Her heart was as cold as ice, and it was beating so fast, it felt as if it were going to burst. She couldn’t bring herself to do so much as move until she saw the cavalier way in which Trixie handled her friends. Seeing them tossed aside without any concern for their safety woke a rage in Twilight.
“The only reason anything happened back in Ponyville was you, Trixie. We didn’t do anything except try to stand up to your bravado.” Twilight was on her feet, striding toward the other unicorn. “Nothing would have happened if you hadn’t lied to us.”
“Is that so? Well if you believe that drivel, then you truly are a foolish mare. It was not I who butted my way in, and stole the glory.” Her horn shone as she spoke. Clouds began to cover the sky, blotting out the sun. In the failing light, fog boiled out of the alleys between buildings, and covered the ground. “It was not I who kept saying that I was too good to share my talent. And it was not I who tore down half the town and stole from its ponies to drive off that ursa!”
“What?! It didn’t happen anything like that! I never-”
Trixie didn’t give her the chance to finish. “ENOUGH!” Lightning flashed and thunder shook the air. “I will not listen to another of your lies!” She leaped at Twilight.
With nothing else to do, Twilight shut her eyes.
For Twilight, time stopped. She opened herself and drank in the siren song of the universe. She saw the weave, the pattern, the life-blood that held everything together. She felt it all. The universe poured itself into her, filling her with love and hate, friendship and discord, joy and sorrow.
The two unicorns stood directly on a major ley line. It was not nearly as large as the one that bisected the royal castle at Canterlot, but it was large nonetheless. This close to such a deep well of power, it was magnitudes easier to perform magic, but it was also easier to over-reach.
Twilight knew that the balance of magic lay in knowing her limits. The more power a unicorn wielded, the more innate magical ability she needed to control the power flowing through her. If she drew too much, she would find her spell taking on a life of its own. When that happened, the outcome was unpredictable. A spell that ran out of control could have any effect. If a unicorn lost control, their spell might evaporate with a puff of air, or it might detonate and demolish the building around them.
Twilight and Trixie both stood right in the flow of the ley line. Twilight had to work to pull herself back and keep from being swept away by the current. She wasn’t even weaving a spell, and yet she still felt as if she were drawing too much.
She cast her attention out ahead of her. She couldn’t see Trixie without opening her eyes, but she saw a dim ‘echo’ of her in the weave. Twilight knew that Trixie had jumped at her and must be nearly on her, but the echo that was Trixie didn’t move at all.
She saw the spell that Trixie had woven and was likely ready to cast at her. She noted where it was attached to the ley line in two places, and she readied her own magic to sever these cords. Mentally, she took a deep breath and let the flow of time sweep her away.
Without opening her eyes, she leaped sideways and severed the cords feeding Trixie’s spell. The spell collapsed and shattered the air. She was on her feet in a second, preparing her own spell to fling at the blue unicorn crouching nearby.
The blue unicorn flicked her horn, weaving a spell with a speed that took Twilight by surprise. Trixie sent a mass of compressed air at the purple unicorn, knocking her off her hooves and into a group of tables. She collided with the furniture, scattering it across the pavement.
Trixie reared, pawing the air with her hooves as she wove another spell. Twilight scrambled to her feet, but as soon as she made it to her hooves, Trixie plunged and stamped the ground, driving her spell into the earth. Molten rock erupted out of the earth around the purple mare and pulled her to the ground. It cooled and solidified around her, encasing her in a hard shell.
She let out a short pulse of magic and the rock shattered, exploding in all directions. She levitated herself off the ground and she was on her hooves once more. Trixie was already readying another spell.
She didn’t give the blue mare a chance to cast it. Twilight flicked her own horn and thick bands of air solidified around the blue unicorn, squeezing and preventing her from moving. She saw the blue unicorn reaching out to sever her bonds but she didn’t care. The holding spell was nothing more than a distraction. She just needed a little time to weave a sleep spell and all this nonsense would stop. Unfortunately, to do it right required time. If she hurried, the spell wouldn’t work or could even work too well and would cast Trixie into a deep coma. Whatever she did, she didn’t want to hurt the mare. Piling wrong upon wrong was not the way to resolve this.
She dipped her head and grunted. The light from her horn flared and cast shadows around her. She drew power from the weave into her spell as fast as she dared. She poured all of her concentration into weaving her spell and it took shape with blinding speed. She did not notice Trixie’s bonds evaporating nor the tendrils of magic snaking toward her own spell.
She jumped in surprise as her spell unraveled, its ragged edges slipping out of her grasp. She looked up and saw the remains of a small hut hurtling her way. She reared and shoved the projectile, not away but sideways. The wood and thatch impacted the pavement, showering her with splinters.
Trixie was already sending more objects her way. The purple mare dodged the ones that she could and knocked aside those she couldn’t. Suddenly, a scream came from behind her. She whirled to see what had happened. She saw that one of the tables Trixie had flung had continued into the crowd that had gathered to watch their confrontation.
She whipped her head back to Trixie. The blue mare was already gathering more things to throw at her. She didn’t even seem to notice that she had almost hurt innocent ponies.
Alright, that’s it. This stops now!
Twilight dropped to her haunches and closed her eyes. Pulling deeply from the weave, she wove a shield around herself. Shield spells were useful in certain situations, but they had their disadvantages. She couldn’t cast a spell through one even if she was the one who wove it. She’d have to drop the shield to get anything through. Second, unless she wove the shield around a ley line, a unicorn could cut it off from the outside. When confronting another unicorn, this would be disastrous. Lastly, shield spells were terribly tiring to cast. Twilight already felt drained from their short fight, and weaving the shield only made it worse.
She ignored the blue unicorn prowling back and forth just outside the shield and focused on weaving her sleep spell. She would have to be quick to catch the blue unicorn when she dropped the shield. If she missed, she might not get a second chance before someone got hurt.
Once the spell was ready, she didn’t hesitate to drop the shield and fling it toward the other unicorn. In all, less than a second elapsed between finishing the spell and releasing it. She opened her eyes, and gasped. She had failed. Where Trixie should have been, there was nothing but a fading cloud of smoke.
Without warning, she was knocked forward by a hard blow, and she tumbled head over hooves across the pavement. Head ringing, she looked up to see Trixie standing over her with a wild snarl on her face. Twilight forced a pulse of magic through her horn. Undirected, it knocked back everything that was near, including Trixie. The blue unicorn managed to stay on her hooves, and she skidded to a stop a few meters away.
Twilight leaped to her hooves and attacked. She would hold back no more. It was obvious that brute force was the only way to finish this. She rained blows on the blue mare as quickly as she wove them. Each was deflected, but Twilight didn’t stop. She did everything she could think of. She threw wads of solidified air. She sent levitation spells, fire spells, and slowing spells. Anything that came to mind, she threw at her opponent, but Trixie shook each one off as if they were nothing more than rain.
They were sending spells at each other with blinding speed. So much magic was being used that the air crackled with lightning, and every pony at the resort felt it saturating the air.
Trixie gathered her strength and flung a new spell at Twilight. She saw that there was something different about this spell, something unique, and she didn’t think she could deflect it. Instead, she copied the weave and flung it right back.
Where the two spells met, reality melted. Between them, a mass of boiling blue energy appeared as the unicorns poured power into their spells. Fire spilled from it, scorching the pavement and bathing the area in eldritch light. The mass grew larger as they continued.
Twilight grunted with effort and her horn shown with a blinding light. She was reaching the limits of her abilities. She had never channeled this much power without the aid of the Elements of Harmony, and she didn’t know how long she could keep it up.
She put every last ounce of her power into her spell. She felt the opposing spell grow to match hers and stop. It seemed that they were equally matched. It was going to come down to who could hold the spell the longest. Trixie grunted and began speaking. Twilight couldn’t make out what she was saying over the whine and crackle of the magic.
Then the sweat-soaked blue unicorn yelled, “I WILL NOT!”
Twilight felt the power in the opposing spell swell and her heart plummeted. Trixie wasn’t going to stop. She was going to draw too much power. Trixie poured more and more into her spell, and Twilight’s began to give way. She watched the bloated spell begin to writhe and change as the other unicorn lost control.
As the spell changed, so did the boiling mass of energy between the mares. It thickened and dimmed, hardening into a crystalline structure with jagged cuts and breaks in its surface. Twilight shook from fear and exhaustion. There was no telling what the spell would do, and she couldn’t keep fighting much longer. Trixie continued to pour incredible amounts of power into her spell.
Suddenly, Twilight felt it all let go. She saw the other spell begin to release its stored energy. She cut off her own spell as her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. She knew what was about to happen. All that energy was slamming into the crystal that had just formed. She turned and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.
She picked up her two friends from the bottom of the pool as well as the others who were still lying on the grass. None of them had the slightest clue about what was going to happen, and they were all clamoring for her attention. She ignored them and set them down by the crowd of ponies. She focused on weaving a shield around all of them, but before she finished, it happened.
The floating crystal of energy shattered, flinging sharp pieces in all directions. There was no shockwave, flash of light, or booming explosion. Shards embedded themselves in the pavement, the surrounding buildings, and impacted against Twilight’s shield. Since it was only half formed, the shield collapsed and a few made it through. Twilight didn’t know if anyone had been hurt until she heard the scream.
“APPLEJACK!”
She turned as a chill ran down her spine. She tried to stop, knowing what she would see. Applejack was lying on the ground in front of the crowd, still bound by magically solidified cords of air. Protruding from the orange mare’s flank was a large, jagged shard. Blood had already soaked her coat and was beginning to spread out in a crimson pool, staining the pavement below her.
Twilight rushed to her friend’s side and tore the magic cords apart. Almost as an afterthought, she did the same for her other friends. The mare was already entering shock; her breathing was shallow and her eyes glassy.
All eyes were on the injured mare. No one noticed the wide-eyed blue unicorn standing on the far side of the pool. No one noticed her tears, and no one noticed her bolt and run.
Fluttershy was there in an instant, cradling Applejack’s head in her forelegs and whispering reassurances in her ear. Twilight considered removing the shrapnel, but only for a moment. She was no doctor, and if Applejack was in shock, then the situation required medical talent far beyond her abilities.
“Is there a doctor?!” She asked the crowding ponies, hysteria tinging her voice. “A doctor! We need-”
A white unicorn, brown maned with a red caduceus cutie mark, pushed her way through the crowd. Without a word, she knelt by Applejack and began inspecting her. Twilight saw that she knew what she was doing so she left her to her work. She turned around to find no sign of Trixie.
“Dash! Trixie’s gone! Can you-” Before she finished, the pegasus was airborne. She turned back to the doctor and asked, “Will she be okay? Can you help her?”
“I don’t know. She’s not exactly in the best condition right now, but we won’t know how bad it is until we get her to the clinic.” Two more ponies pushed their way through the crowd. She gave them quick instructions and they lifted Applejack on a stretcher between them. “I have to go now. I’ll do everything I can for your friend.” She began forcing her way through the crowd with the other two ponies following.
Twilight began to follow, but stopped and looked back at where she had last seen Trixie. Her three remaining friends watched her for a second.
“Twilight?” asked Fluttershy. “Are you coming?”
“I...” She drew out the syllable before trailing off.
Rarity said, “Fluttershy, dear, I think I know where Twilight has to go, and I’m going with her.”
“What? No, I...” Twilight couldn’t bring herself to tell the white unicorn that she shouldn’t come. Applejack was her friend too, after all, and wasn’t that why Twilight had to go after Trixie? For Applejack?
She sighed. She couldn’t do anything for Applejack, but she could do something about Trixie. That is, if she didn’t wait too long. She looked into her friend’s brilliant blue eyes. “Thank you, Rarity.”
“Oh, well, I guess I understand.” The yellow mare’s eyes shimmered with tears as she said, “Please be careful. I don’t want you two getting hurt too.”
With a rush of wings, Rainbow Dash landed beside them.
“Come on, I found her!”
Twilight turned to their pink friend. “Are you coming Pinkie?”
Pinkie furrowed her brow and stared at the ground. “I... I don’t think so. I don’t like all this fighting. I’m going to go with Fluttershy and Applejack.” She pawed at the ground.
Rarity drew the pink and yellow mares into a quick embrace, then said, “Alright, Rainbow Dash, you may show us where to go.”
By the time they caught up with the runaway mare, they had left the resort far behind. Climbing a steep promontory, they saw Trixie standing near the edge, staring out over the ocean. In front of the blue unicorn was nothing but air and blue sky. She stood mere feet from the cliff, the waves crashing among the rocks below.
As they approached, she neither turned nor moved at all. She just stood there, staring at something they couldn’t see.
Rainbow Dash shot forward with a sweep of her wings. She shouted, “HEY! Who do you think you are?! Our friend is back there dying and you did nothing to help her! Nothing!” The pegasus reared and stamped the ground. As she advanced on the blue unicorn, tears began to wet her face. “Come on! You must feel so ‘powerful’ right now, don’t you?! Well? Don’t tell me you don’t have anything to say for yourself. Is the ‘Great and Powerful Trixie’ beaten? Are you finally-”
The pegasus cut off as Trixie whirled to face them. Her eyes were bloodshot and the fur on her face was soaked and dripping with tears. She said nothing and just stared for a moment.
Finally she whispered, “You’re right. It’s all my fault.” She paused, but no one said anything. “I... I know what I need to do.” She stared at the ground and took a step backwards toward the cliff. “I’m sorry.”
Twilight couldn’t understand. She was apologizing, but what was she going to do?
What could she possibly... Twilight gasped and ran forward. “Trixie! Don’t-”
Trixie yelled back, determination in her eyes. “No! Don’t come any closer! You’re not going to stop me. I must do this. It’s the only way.”
She took another step backwards. Tears were streaming from her eyes again. She flicked her horn and a shimmering curtain of magic appeared between her and the other three ponies.
“I have to do this,” she repeated.
Rarity responded, “But Trixie, why?” The white unicorn had tears running down her face as well. “You made a mistake, but why this?”
“You won’t understand. You can’t!”
“We can listen,” said Twilight. She wanted to rush forward, to break through the curtain and force Trixie away from the edge, but she couldn’t. It would take too long. She wouldn’t make it in time.
The blue mare shook her head. “No, why would you care? After what I’ve done? No!”
“Oh darling, don’t you see? We do care.” Rarity took a small step forward. “And we will, if you let us.”
Twilight added, “Won’t you tell us? Please?”
Trixie yelled back, “No! Don’t you see? I’ve killed your friend! I can’t change that!”
Rarity stamped and shook her head. “No, that’s not true. Applejack will be fine. She’s being taken care of right now, in fact. She will be right as rain in no time.”
The blue mare’s eyes widened. “You mean she’s not... She didn’t... But there was so much blood! I saw that crystal sticking out of her, there’s no way!”
Twilight didn’t know if she believed it herself, but she followed Rarity’s lead. “She’s right. Applejack will be fine. You didn’t kill her.”
Trixie shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. That’s just what made me realize what I have to do. It’s too late for me.” She took another step. She had run out of room.
“This isn’t about us, is it? Something happened to you, didn’t it?”
Trixie turned and stared out over the ocean again.
Twilight took a step forward. “No, not something that happened to you. Something you did. What happened?”
“You don’t understand. You can’t.” Trixie choked back a sob. “You’ll never understand! What it feels like to be alone, to drive everyone away, to have no one but yourself.” She wiped her muzzle. “I hurt everyone! Everyone I have ever known hates me. I have no friends, I have no family.” She took a deep breath, and looked at Twilight. “I guess I do have one thing to thank you for.” She gave a wry smile. “You’ve helped me realize the world will be a better place without me. Goodbye Twilight.” Trixie closed her eyes and turned away.
Trixie crouched to leap, when a small voice said, “I’ll be your friend.”
Trixie sniffed. “Yeah right, you’re just saying that.”
Rainbow Dash snorted and stamped. “No way. I mean it.” She walked all the way up to the shimmering curtain of magic and put a hoof on it. “You want someone you can’t push away? Fine. Here I am.”
The two unicorns joined their friend and echoed her promise.
“You can’t say that, you can’t know that! You don’t know me! I’ll just end up hurting you like everyone else.”
“You know what? I don’t know what you’ve done in the past, and I don’t really care. But if you want a friend now, just say the word and you’ll have us. Don’t you think if you could drive us away, we’d already be gone?”
Trixie stared at the three ponies. She was silent, but her tears still flowed. After a long moment, she broke down. She fell to her stomach sobbing, and the magical barrier winked out.
Seven ponies stood waiting for their chariots. Their baggage sat piled next to them in the courtyard in front of the resort’s main building. They had come to the end of their week long vacation, and they were discussing their plans for when they got back to Ponyville.
The blue unicorn spoke up. “I really don’t know what I’m going to do.” Her mane and tail were back to their original light blue colors. “I guess I’ll figure something out. I’m just worried that no one will want anything to do with me. You know, after last time...”
“Aw, don’t be like that, sugarcube.” The orange mare moved to give the unicorn a nuzzle. She had a large bandage on her left flank, but she was well on her way to recovery. The week of rest had done her well. “Everything’ll be fine. Just you wait and see. Ain’t nopony gonna give you trouble.”
Twilight smiled. At first, she wasn’t sure how well Trixie would get along with everyone, but the mare seemed to have turned over a new leaf. For the first two days when Applejack hadn’t been allowed to leave her room in the clinic, the blue unicorn had stayed by her side nearly every moment. Though it wasn’t necessary, she had done her best to make amends.
Twilight put a hoof on the mare’s shoulder and said, “Well whatever happens, just remember that we’ll be right there with you.”
The End