Mini Messages

"Almost...done."

Twilight Sparkle sat contentedly on her crystal blue throne. The throne was one of seven, all sitting in a small ring. The walls were crystal as well, and they shimmered with a soft light in the dim light of the room. She one eye with a hoof, smoothing her frayed violet mane out with the other.

A thick brown book floated in front of her face, enveloped by a magenta aura, a color resembling the one wrapped around the mare's horn. Her eyes flitted back and forth as she scanned the pages, and her already half-closed eyelids begin to slowly shut themselves.

The book suddenly closed, and the glow vanished as the book dropped like a stone. Twilight leaned back in her chair, satisfied but exhausted, and she rubbed both of her eyes with two pale hooves. "All done!"

At that moment, a small purple dragon wandered into the room, clutching a comic book. Green scales jutted out from the top of his pale head, and his green eyes were half-closed. He blinked, an enormous yawn engulfing him.

"Are you done, Twilight?" the dragon inquired. His gaze kept flicking to the comic book in his claws, and his claws tightened their grip on the comic. "It's late."

"Yep," Twilight proudly replied. "It's been a long day of reading, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it."

"What about this mess?" The dragon tilted his head, surveying the room.The throne room, which was usually neat and spacious, was cluttered with heaps of books. Stacks of books, in varying heights, were pushed up against the wall and on several of the thrones.

"I don't know, Spike. I'm exhausted! I may just clean it up tomorrow." Twilight flashed a sheepish grin at Spike.

"Alright, then. Good night." With that, Spike turned back and began waddling back toward his room.

With another huge yawn, Twilight slid off of the throne she was sitting on and made her way to her bedroom. Spike was curled up in his bed, already snoring loudly, and the Twilight chuckled softly. She clambered into her own bed, pulling the silken purple covers over her body. As soon as her head hit the soft pillow, her breathing slowly grew deeper, and before she knew it, she had sunken into the depths of sleep.

* * *

A white unicorn with an icy blue mane sat, deep in thought.

She was sitting upon a small, upturned container, initially used for storing food, but the dark gray fabric covering it had altered its intended purpose.

As the mare sat, she frowned deeply. Crudely cut crystal walls surrounded her, shaped into a rough sphere, where the container, a makeshift bed, and a table sat.

As the unicorn continued to ponder, she began to mutter. "I suppose it's going to be time soon," she mumbled to herself, her eyes narrowed. "Though I don't like it...but I'll need help."

The unicorn glanced into the center of the room, where a bright red gem floated in midair, engulfed in a pale red sphere of light. The mare lowered her head, her horn lighting up with a bright blue aura. Magic swirled around her horn, steadily growing brighter, before a bright blue beam shot from her head and struck the sphere. The ball of light began to glow, and after a moment an image appeared in front of the unicorn. She trotted forward, her eyes widening as an image came into view.

A dark figure trotted through a forest, a deep purple cloak on his back. He paused for a moment, raising his head, and red magic filled the air. Silver fur and a sleek black mane became streaked with red light, and a pair of pale violet eyes with a slightly crazed look in them shone in the darkness.

The unicorn frowned before igniting her horn again, quickly shutting the magic off.

After heaving a deep sigh, she got to her hooves. Trotting up to a roughly carved door, she nudged it open, stepping out into the gigantic room before her.

Books. Books everywhere. Stacks the size of skyscrapers lined the walls, and the others proved to be tough obstacles as she tried to make it across the room. She grumbled to herself as she climbed over a thick, black hardback laying open.

Why can't that pony just have cleaned up a little? The white mare panted as she leaped atop a fat purple book. Princess Twilight...Princess of Friendship. I need to warn her soon, but first, I may need to have a talk about this mess. The mare glanced around the room, her eyes wide as she took in the sheer amount of giant books littering the room. She hopped off the hardback and began forward, quickly dodging a bright green book with purple swirls.

Ugh. I know she likes to read, but this is ridiculous. Surveying the room, she sighed. shaking her head. Things are hard enough when you're this small...and this enormous mess isn't making anything better! Nudging a slim red paperback out of the way, she trotted forward, scanning the room for a piece of parchment and a quill.

A red quill was sticking out of a deep blue book, and some ink still clung to the end. The snowy-coated unicorn grabbed the quill and continued her search for parchment. A corner was subsequently found sticking out from under a leathery brown book with golden cursive inscribed on the cover. With a burst of blue magic, the book flipped open, and the the parchment was free. The mare grabbed it and yanked it away.

Levitating the quill, she brought it over to the parchment and began to write. After a moment filled with the sound of quill on parchment, she dropped the quill and levitated the parchment upwards and onto the massive table rising up above her.

Pausing for a moment, she considered taking down the letter and lose the risk of discovery. No...It's about time I revealed myself...Besides, if she'll be my friend, she can help. She's a princess, so I must be able to trust her...and maybe she'll protect me. Hopefully... Shrugging off her apprehension, she began to write, but paused once more.

Hmm...magic practice will be hard in this mess. But maybe... She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling. A baby-blue aura enveloped her horn immediately, a corresponding light beginning to wrap itself around a heavy gray hardback. The aura was weak, but steadily grew stronger, and the book began to wobble. Sweat beaded her forehead as she lifted it several inches off the ground, and she grit her teeth, her icy blue eyes narrowing. With a grunt, her horn lost its glow and the book crashed onto the ground.

Sitting down, she smiled. Yeah, looks like I need some more practice. Maybe this mess was a good thing after all...those buttons and quills and other trinkets that fall into the corners are no challenge anymore. This'll be interesting.

Taking a deep breath, the tiny unicorn re-ignited her horn and began practicing.

* * *

"Rise and shine!"

Spike rolled over in bed, one pale green eye fluttering open slowly. "Wha?" Standing over him was Twilight Sparkle, bright-eyed and beaming as she prodded him. "Time to get up!"

Spike rolled back over, closing his eyes. "Five more minutes," he mumbled into his pillow.

Twilight giggled. "I'll be in the throne room." With that, she turned and trotted off, the sound of her hooves echoing around the hall.

She then entered the throne room, which was still full of books, and quickly lit her horn. It's about time I begin cleaning this up! I'll return them to the library later...well, what's left of it. I'm glad they were able to save some of the the books.

Twilight closed her eyes and sat herself down, taking a deep breath. Placing a hoof to her temple, she quickly ignited her horn. Every book instantly began to glow, wrapped in a magenta aura, and they slowly began to bob upwards. The books instantly straightened out, quickly arranging themselves into lines. From there, they piled themselves into neat stacks off to the side, then rearranged themselves into new stacks.

A satisfied smirk grew on Twilight's face as she surveyed her hard work, and she hopped back onto her hooves. Humming, she levitated a book from the top of the stack and sat down in her throne. Flipping it open, she began to read, but something caught her eye.

A piece of parchment sat square in the middle of the floor. Twilight frowned. Funny. I don't remember this being here. With one hoof she reached out, pulled it closer to her and began to read.

Dear Occupant,

I just want to let you know that you left a mess in this room last night. You are not the only occupant in this palace. Please take that into consideration. Thank you.

~Other Occupant

"Huh?" Twilight reread the letter, then reread it, then read it backwards, flipped it over, and reread it one last time. She frowned, crossing her forelegs. "This...this doesn't make sense! Another occupant?! I thought I was the only one in the castle! Besides Spike, of course. How could there be another occupant?"

"Another...what?"

Spike had just stumbled into the room, still weary from sleep. Twilight sighed. "N-nothing, Spike. I just got this letter...and according to it, there's someone else living here. Besides you, I guess." Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully, struck by a sudden idea. "Did you do this as a prank?"

"Not me," snorted Spike. "It was probably Dash or Pinkie. Now what do you want for breakfast?"

"Uh...just a hay smoothie, I guess." Twilight inspected the letter closely. Realizing something, she straightened up. "This writing was done by magic! You can see how the strokes are smooth and straight and light...only levitation can to that kind of work."

"Rarity?" guessed Spike as he began making breakfast.

"Not the pranking type," Twilight murmured. "Who could have done this?"

"I don't know, but it was probably some sort of joke. Do you want apples in your smoothie?"

"No thanks," Twilight mumbled.

Spike sighed. "Twilight, stop worrying! It's just a little note. There are more important things going on right now."

"I know, I know. You're right." Pushing the note away, she smiled. "I should get ready. I have a meeting with Jackhammer to discuss several repairs."

"That's the spirit!" Spike passed her a cup filled with a thick yellow. Twilight downed it in a few gulps, licking her lips. "Thanks, Spike."

"No problem. See you later!"

"Bye!"

* * *

The unicorn opened the small door slowly, peering through the tiny crack. The dragon who lived with the princess was sweeping the floor and humming under his breath. She had heard his reaction to the note, and she frowned, her eyes narrowing. I wish they'd take it more seriously...but I guess I can't blame them. I guess I'll have to wait a little longer. She pushed the door closed and flopped on makeshift bed, which consisted of a matchbox covered in a scrap of yellow fabric and a cotton ball.

She lit her horn, ice-blue light filling the tiny hole, and continued to wait.

* * *

Twilight opened the great doors of her new home, satisfied with the construction plans. She practically skipped up the stairs and into the great hall. Reconstruction of the library, her former home, was being planned, and she was thrilled! She hummed to herself as she trotted along.

"Spike! I'm home!"

She trotted through the halls, arriving at the doors of the throne room. She peered inside, seeing Spike sleeping in the throne with three apples engraved into the top. Chuckling, Twilight walked in, but her attention was diverted by the note, still in the middle of the floor.

Staring at it, she frowned. Perhaps I could just consider...I mean, maybe...somepony had to have done this. Somehow they knew I had left a mess in here, and they're a unicorn...who lives here? But who in Equestria lives here besides Spike and me? Ugh...I've got to find out who this is!

Suddenly, Twilight straightened up. I have an idea! She levitated a nearby piece of parchment and a quill and began scribbling a note. Smirking to herself, she switched the one she had received last night with the new one. Then, she placed another piece of parchment plus the quill by her note. Carrying the new note to her bedroom, she smiled, satisfied.

This should work...and now all I have to do is wait!