Chapter 1: Another Day, Another Bit
You open your eyes through a haze of drowsiness and eye crust as your alarm clock rings. Sighing, you roll over and slam your hoof on it to shut it up. You grumble as you pull the covers off and throw them to the end of the bed with your magic. Your mouth tastes like rotten alfalfa and hay, and you smack your lips to get the taste out. Failing in this, you decide to go downstairs to get a glass of water. As you get out of bed, you crack all of your major joints: knees, shoulders, hips, wings, and neck.
Trudging downstairs, you pass a series of pictures. Pictures of your loving family, your first pet (Buster, a goldfish), your graduation from Canterlot Community College, and you buying your first house. They are fond, happy memories, and they bring a slight smile to your face as you pass each one. At the bottom of the stairs, you are assaulted by a fly buzzing around your ears. You swat at it a couple of times, and it finally flies out through the living room window. Happy to be rid of it, you follow and close the window with a satisfied nod.
You enter the kitchen, a sterile environment devoid of most of the usual comforts you’d find in a home: the walls are white, the counters are white, the cabinets are white, the ice box is white, the oven is white, the stove is white, and all of it is a level of clean bordering on obsessive. You reach up with your magic to get a glass out of the cupboard and fill it with water. You quickly gulp it down, and give a satisfied belch. Placing the glass next to the sink, you grab a dented metal teapot from under the stove. You fiddle with it for a moment as you put your favorite blend of leaves and spices into it and fill it with water. You set it to boil, and exit the kitchen.
Across the hall, you open the door to the bathroom and step in. You grab your toothbrush and toothpaste, squeeze some onto your toothbrush, and go to work. Minty suds fill your mouth and the smell invigorates you. You bend over and spit into the sink. Your reflection is there to greet you as you bring your head up, and you bare your teeth in a wide smile. You glance over your sapphire coat (a little disheveled from sleep) and your wavy, silver mane (surprisingly neat). You start to give each a cursory once-over with a brush when you hear the teapot whistle in the kitchen. You set the brush down on the sink and exit the bathroom.
In the kitchen, you grab sugar and cereal from the pantry, a bowl and mug from the cupboard, and milk from the fridge. Your eyes are caught by a color picture of a pony on the carton. Beneath a picture of a pink-coated mare with a wine-colored mane, the carton says “An Earth pony was found missing from their home early this morning. Anyone with information about the location of Ms. Berry Punch is to contact the Ponyville Police Department immediately.” You shake your head. That’s the third pony to go missing in as many weeks. There used to be a time when the police were a formality in Ponyville. With this chain of ponynappings, there are now patrols on every corner. Even the occasional royal guard is seen in the streets, but most of them stay close to Princess Twilight. You take the kettle off of the stove and pour yourself a cup. You add the sugar and the milk to the tea and pour yourself some cereal. Your stomach rumbles and you dig in, all thoughts of the missing pony forgotten.
After depositing the dishes from breakfast into the sink, you grab your vest from the coat rack by the front door. When you moved to Ponyville a few years ago, you expected a few odd looks due to your taste in fashion. However, the first few days were a pleasant surprise; the common reaction from everypony was a warm greeting, and in one case covering you in cupcake batter and confetti (which you still haven’t gotten out of your favorite vest). As you put your second favorite vest on, it settles on your back and makes your wings itch. You’ve gotten used to the feeling over the years, but it still takes a little while for your wings to settle down. You step outside, not bothering to lock the door behind you: Ponyville is much safer than Canterlot ever was.
Walking down the street, you notice that a change has come over the usually friendly townspeople. Instead of smiles and hoof waves, frowns and furtive glances are the reactions of everypony you pass. In the marketplace ponies barely talk, only doing so to buy and sell goods. Even the air feels different. A stale smell rides on the wind, and the tension is palpable, a salty taste.
You open the door to Quills and Sofas, and the bell over the door ringing is the most cheerful thing you’ve heard all morning. Behind the counter stands a nondescript earth pony. His mane is brown, his coat is brown, and he is wearing a professional-looking blue vest with white trim, and a gold name tag is attached to the fabric over his left front shoulder. His eyes are the most interesting thing about him, as they are a striking green. He is currently staring off to the distance, and he gives no notice of your entering the store. “Good morning, Mr. Davenport,” you say with a smile.
He continues his thousand-yard stare, oblivious to your greeting. The corners of your mouth dip down into a frown as you apprehensively approach Mr. Davenport. He still shows no sign of seeing you, even as you wave your hoof vigorously in front of his face. You walk behind the counter, lean over very closely, take in a deep breath, and yell “MR. DAVENPORT!”
Mr. Davenport gives a start as he is pulled from his reverie. He looks around for the source of the noise, and calms down as soon as he sees you. “Oh, hello. I didn't see you there. Are you ready to start your shift?” he inquires.
“Yes sir,” you reply. “Is there, uh, anything wrong, sir? I just noticed that you were kinda spacing out for a while. You didn't even see me walk in.”
“Wrong? Nothing's wrong, I assure you. I'm fine. Now, about today's business. I don't think that anyone in town has a need for sofas today, but quills will be in high demand. I'd think most everyone will be writing letters today,” Mr. Davenport says with a sigh.
“Oh? Why would that be?” you ask.
Mr. Davenport cocks his head to the left and looks at you strangely, as if you were some odd creature he came upon while turning over a rock. “Haven't you heard? There's been another kidnapping,” he says in a shocked whisper.
You think about what he said for a moment, and recall the picture on the milk carton earlier today. “Yeah, I remember seeing something about that,” you say. “Terrible, what happened to her.”
“Yes, very tragic,” Mr. Davenport agrees. “Anyway, back to business. You'll be minding the store for the whole day. Bon Bon had an accident with her couch, and she asked if I could come over and fix it for her. She hasn't been... all there since Lyra went missing. I might be back in time to close up, but if I'm not, there is a copy of the key in the register. Also, if you could restock the cheaper quills on the shelf by the door, that would be really helpful.”
“Can do, Mr. Davenport!” you say with a mock salute. “You can count on me.”
Mr. Davenport cracks a small smile, and says “so long as the store's still standing when I come back, I'll be happy.” With that, he opens the shop door and leaves.
With no one else there, the store feels empty, but calming as well. As Mr. Davenport makes some of the furniture he sells, the scent of sawdust fills the air, and smelling it makes you smile. With all of the good your degree in ancient magical studies could do, you're glad that you're working in such a cozy and friendly town. At least, what used to be a friendly town.
You walk to the back of the store where all of the smaller supplies are kept: parchment, ink, some bolts of fabric, and, of course, quills. You levitate a few out of their barrel and move them to the small painted clay pots sitting by the front door. You make your way back behind the counter just in time for the bell to ring.
Into the store steps none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle. Her pink and navy mane and tail are disheveled, with some stray hairs breaking free and jutting wildly out. Her eyes are bloodshot and have bags under them; you suspect she didn't get much sleep last night. Her movements are slow and careful, as if she is afraid she'll trip over her own hooves. Her assistant, Spike, is sitting on her back, pouring over what appears to be enough scrolls to fill up a small library. On either side of her stand two Royal Guards. Each of them have their necks on a pivot, trying to make sure the store filled with quills and sofas is a safe place for their princess. Princess Twilight tries to stifle a yawn, but is ultimately unsuccessful. She is the most beautiful mare you've ever seen.
You notice that she is waving her hoof and moving her mouth. You haven't been paying attention to her, and you shake your head to clear your thoughts. “Hello, welcome to Quills and Sofas, how may I get you?” you say. She cocks her head to the side, puzzled over what you said. You realize the mistake you made, combining “What may I get you” and “How can I help you,” and start to blush furiously.
“Uh, hello. I'd like five quills, ten jars of ink, and about twelve feet of parchment, please,” she requests.
“I'll be right back with your things, your highness,” you reply as you turn to get her order.
“Please, just call me Twilight. I've had enough ponies call me 'your highness' in the last few days to make my head split!”
“Okay Twilight. I'll be getting your items now.”
That could have gone better. At least she didn't laugh at your mistake. You walk to the back of the store, leaving Twilight and her entourage at the counter. It takes you a few minutes to wrangle up all of the quills and ink jars, and your mind is racing. I wonder if she's single? I've never seen her with anyone other than her friends and Spike. Even if she were single, would she really go out with me? She's the smartest unicorn of her time, maybe even of all time, she's saved Equestria more times than I can count, and she's a princess for Celestia's sake! I, on the other hand, am a community college graduate, living in one of the smallest cottages in one of the smallest towns around, working at a store that can't decide if it sells furniture or stationary. She'd never fall for me. But what if she did? No real way to find out but asking her. As you gather all of the supplies up, you steel your resolve.
“Twilight, I have the things you asked for,” you say as you levitate them onto the counter.
She levitates her bit purse out of her saddle bags and opens it up. “Great, how much will that be?” she asks.
Knowing Mr. Davenport won't be happy with your decision, you say with a smile “For you, no charge.”
“No, I insist. It's refreshing to buy things with my own bits. Ever since my castle popped up, everypony thinks I'm something that needs to be taken care of. How much for the supplies?”
“That'll be twelve bits,” you say.
She nods and levitates twelve bits out of her purse and lays them on the counter. She picks up the supplies and levitates them and her purse into her saddle bags. “Thank you for shopping at Quills and Sofas, please come again,” you say.
“It was a pleasure,” Twilight replies with a smile.
She turns to go when you speak up. “Uh, Twilight.”
She turns back around and says “Yes?”
“I was wondering if you'd like to ―” you start to say when Spike looks up and belches. Out pops a scroll bearing a small golden seal on it. “Excuse me for a moment,” Twilight apologizes as Spike thumps his chest with a balled fist and she begins to read the scroll held in her magic.
She stands there for about a minute when she finally says “Oh horseapples.” She looks back up and says “I'm sorry, but something urgent has come up back in the castle that I need to deal with personally. It's been nice talking to you,” here she looks down at the name tag on your shoulder, “Precious Stone.”
With that, she turns and bolts out through the door, Spike holding on for dear life and the guards trying to keep up with her.
“Bye,” you say to the now empty store.
You sigh as you shut the door to your house and hang up your vest. The rest of the day was uneventful. No one else came into the store, even Mr. Davenport. At eight o'clock sharp you logged the money made today, locked the register, and locked the shop. Tomorrow, you'll do the same thing all over again, and the day after that and the day after that. You walk to your freakishly clean kitchen when you hear a knock from the door.
Puzzled, you grab your vest, put it on, and open the front door. On the doorstep stands Ditzy, the town's mailmare. In the fading light, her usually golden mane looks more white than anything else, while her coat still has its gray color. Behind her rests a large wooden crate. She roots around in her saddle bag for a few seconds before pulling out a slightly scratched and taped together clipboard. “Package for a Mr. Stone,” she says after consulting the clipboard.
“But I didn't order a package,” you protest. After a long day at work, the last thing you want is wearing this vest again and doing anything but curling up in your favorite chair reading a book.
“That's not what the order says,” replies Ditzy. She has a slight frown on her face, and is currently staring you down with her gaze.
You take a big gulp and pick up the clipboard in your magic. “Got a pen?” you ask.
She smiles and says “Yeah, I have one right here in my bags.”
You hear her searching in her bag again as you look down at the clipboard. Instead of writing, though, the paper is covered in scribbles and what appears to be a drawing of a muffin.
“Is this some kind of joke?” you ask as you look up. Just as you do, you see the lead pipe swing straight for your temple. The last thing you see before the darkness closes in is a flash of green fire.
Chapter 2: A Scheme Revealed
You open your eyes through a haze of bleariness and head pain. You try to reach a hoof up to rub your head and find that something is restraining you. You look down in puzzlement to see that you are bound to a chair with rope. You try to use your magic to cut the rope when a blazing pain rips through your head. You don't dare try again: you assume there's a horn blocker on your horn, and you learned enough about them to know that another attempt might be your last. You resign yourself to looking around where you are. You are in a stone room about as large as your kitchen. It's damp and cold, and you can already feel yourself getting sick. From somewhere, you can hear the steady drip of water. In front of you sits a rough wooden table with a single lit lantern resting on it, providing the illumination for the room. You don't see a door anywhere in front of you, but that's not what makes your jaw drop. Next to you, in a chair similar to yours and definitely wearing a horn blocker, is Twilight.
She doesn't look too bad off for somepony who's unconscious. She's not bleeding, but you have a hunch that those ropes aren't comfortable. Her mane is messier than when you saw her... yesterday? There aren't any windows, so you are unable to tell the passage of time, but you're willing to bet that it hasn't been more than a couple of hours since you were abducted.
"Twilight. Hey, Twilight!" you whisper over, trying to rouse her. She starts to stir, first shaking her head then opening her eyes. A look of terror slowly dawns on her face as she looks around for the sound of the noise. She sees you, and the terror is immediately replaced with shock and curiosity.
"Precious Stone, what are you doing here? Where is here, anyway? The last thing I remember, Rainbow Dash was talking to me about a clue she had found looking for Scootaloo. We had just flown over to the Crusader's Clubhouse when, nothing. And why do you have wings?" Twilight says in a rush of words.
Your mind is still trying to grasp what she meant by "why do you have wings" when you look down and don't see the vest that you usually wear. You open your mouth to explain when you hear a voice behind you say "Yes, I'd like to know why he has wings as well."
Into your view steps an exceptionally tall unicorn. She stands a good height above yourself, enough to make you think she might be taller than the princesses. Her horn comes to a wicked point, and the fluting on it is a deep chasm instead of the gentle ridge present in regular horns. Her coat is a brown like aged paper, and her wavy mane is dark as ink. As her flank passes you, you see her cutie mark is a quill whose tip is resting inside of a sponge. She turns around, and in her brown eyes is a dark, malicious fire. You have no idea what's going on, but you're sure she is to blame for it.
Before you can speak, Twilight shouts, "Who are you!? Are you the one who's ponynapped those ponies?"
The pony in front of laughs a cold laugh and says, "Why yes, I am the one going around taking ponies from their homes. I assure you, though, that tonight was the last night for such clandestine actions. Soon, I'll be powerful enough to make my grand appearance."
She smirks and gives a small bow. "I am Quick Study, and it is a pleasure to meet you, your highness. I hope you aren't too uncomfortable with your throne," she says with a laugh.
Twilight shakes her chair, trying to get out. "Where are the others? What have you done to them?" she yells.
"Nothing too serious. I only drained them of their essence and left them wallowing in the dungeons where they belong," she haughtily replies.
Twilight's mouth opens in shock and she stops rocking. "But... but how? That art was locked away centuries ago, and for good reason."
"May I call attention to my cutie mark. It symbolizes my talent of being able to replicate and understand most magic that I see. For example," she says when a green fire envelopes her form. As it clears, standing in front of you is a pegasus mare with a blue coat and a rainbow mane.
"You see, I was in Canterlot for my studies when the changelings attacked. I was at a café when they first started to shed their disguises, and I was so fascinated by their magic that I didn't put up a fight when they started to marshal us towards the castle. It's quite interesting, actually. When they transform, they change mass in addition to changing form." With that, the fire once again curls around her, and now standing there is Ditzy, the mailmare.
Recognition lights up your face. "Hey," you yell indignantly. "You were the one who delivered that package. But why me?"
"You were a lucky find, my dear. There I was, buzzing around town, when I see an open window. My curiosity engaged, I decided to pay a visit. Who should I find but an alicorn? I decided that I had to have you for my own. Also, consider this payback for swatting at me. That wasn't a very nice thing to do."
"That doesn't explain how you've been siphoning power from ponies," Twilight says, more curious and shocked than ever.
"It'll become clear, my dear, pretty pony princess, with one word: Tirek," Quick Study says with a saccharine smile. "By that time, I had already mastered the transformations, and it was no grand feat to change into a bird and watch Tirek ravage the country side. I learned a thing or two from him. One being his little trick of sucking away a pony's essence, the other being to reveal myself after getting the powers of an alicorn, not before. The first time I stole somepony's power, it was incredibly painful for the both of us. While I can replicate magic quite easily, I don't always know what'll happen when I do. The first time, the pegasus foal didn't stop screaming for a good hour, and I didn't stop for a few hours past that.
"Imagine all of your bone growing at once, but your skin isn't quite catching up to it. The feeling of having your tendons and ligaments stretch past any reasonable amount while your soul is filled with such power as you couldn't imagine! It's simply divine," she says as a look of rapture crosses her face.
"You're sick!" Twilight yells. "How could you do that to ponies? Don't you have a conscience?"
"Yeah!" you agree. "Is this all what it's for? The power?"
For the first time since appearing, she displays an emotion other than smug superiority. Unfortunately, she is now fuming mad. She crosses the small space between you and her and sticks her face down into yours.
"Of course, it's worth it! It has all been worth it!" she yells.
She gives a small snort and composes herself once again. She looks coolly down at you.
"Tell me something. Have you ever felt truly powerless? Have you ever been in a situation where you know something terrible is going to happen, and there's nothing you can do to stop it? Have you ever seen the light leave a pony's eyes as your hooves are stained with blood and your face stained with tears?"
When you don't answer, she stamps her front hooves on the ground and yells "HAVE YOU!?"
You begin to tremble, and you shake your head.
She laughs. "I thought not. I have, and I will never feel that way again, no matter who I have to step on. Speaking of which," she says, "it's time time for refreshments."
She opens her mouth impossibly wide and locks eyes with you. You try to turn away, but you find yourself entranced by the fire in her eyes. You imagine it consuming you while you float away in the smoke and wind. Then the pain starts. A few years ago, you had to get a tooth pulled. After sitting in the waiting room for what felt like hours, the assistant called you back. The dentist gave you a shot in your gums that made your face feel numb, and he started pulling. Having your essence sucked out feels similar to that, but only if you hadn't been given the shot and the doctor had used a pipe wrench instead of a pair of pliers.
Distantly, you hear the sounds of screaming. You realize that what you hear is you, and you scream louder knowing that. You see through a glaze of pain that while you are in agony, Quick Study seems to be enjoying it. She has on a look of ecstasy, and it might be your imagination, but she seems to be growing taller. The pain stops, but it leaves you feeling empty and weak. Quick Study is just getting started. You can see the muscles and tendons shift as her legs and barrel lengthen, her horn grows sharper and longer by the second, and her eyes are glowing a fierce and blinding white. Now she is much taller than the princesses, about as taller as the princesses are to normal ponies Arcane energy is shooting out of her skin like lightning, and one errant bolt hits you in the shoulder. A fresh wave of pain comes over you; this time it is sudden and intense. After it passes, you notice that it struck the rope as well, which is now laying loosely around you.
You sluggishly shrug off the last few coils, reach up to take off your horn blocker, and go over to Twilight. Her face is locked in a rictus of shock and disgust. You shake her out of it. She comes to, and you say, "She looks distracted. We should get out of here while we can."
She nods, and you try to take off her horn blocker with your magic. When you try, all that happens is a spark flashing at the tip and yet another stab of pain shoots through your head. You clench your teeth for a moment, and take off Twilight's blocker with your hoof. It's not as fast as if you had used your magic, but it works.
With her magic now free, her horn glows dimly as she slices through her rope with her magic. "Grab my hoof, I'm gonna teleport us out of here," she says.
Doing as she tells you, you take her hoof. Her horn lights up, and nothing happens. Twilight has a perplexed look on her face, and she closes her eyes to try again. Her horn glows slightly brighter, but still nothing happens. "Something must be blocking my spell. I can't teleport us out of here."
You look around in desperation, and see a large wooden door behind you. Still grabbing Twilight's hoof, you rush for the door. It's unlocked, and you leave Quick Study to her devices.
You shut the door behind you and find yourself in a torch lit hallway. You hear Twilight gasp.
"This is the Castle of the Two Sisters!" she says.
"The ruin in the Everfree Forest?" you ask.
"Yes, I know how to get back to town from here. If we can make it, I can alert the town and we can stop Quick Study," Twilight replies.
You both start running down the hall way when you hear an explosion behind you. You look behind you and see Quick Study emerge from the room. If she was tall before, she was a giant now, with a horn that hurts your eyes just looking at it. She sees you and gives a bellow of rage as she charges down the hall.
"RUN!" you yell. Your run turns into a gallop. You hear arcane bolts whiz past your head, and you see them turn the stones they hit into powder.
You rush down the hallways, turning corners and climbing stairs while the sounds of hooves thunder louder in your ears. Finally, you come to what could have been the foyer once upon a time, and you can see verdant foliage through the main doorway. You make a mad dash for it, only to hear a roar coming from in front of you.
Into the doorway steps a manticore, no doubt investigating the noise that's been going on. Neither you nor Twilight stop, but both of you keep running past the manticore. Confused, the manticore turns around just in time for Quick Study to hit it full force. They both go tumbling down the front steps. You hear them wrestling behind you as you cross the ravine that's in front of the castle.
As you enter the forest, you turn to see what's going on. Quick Study and the manticore are both on their feet and are staring each other down. They circle each other; the manticore snarls, its tail dripping venom and its right wing sporting a gaping hole, and Quick Study growls back, her sides covered in bite marks dripping blood. They clash again in a flurry of hoof strikes, bites, and stings. You can hear Twilight slowing down behind you, but most of your attention is held by the fight in front of you. You know deep down that if Quick Study doesn't have help, she won't survive. While she might be incredibly powerful right now, it's clear that she had never been in a fight before, while the manticore had fought every day of its life.
You hear Twilight come to your side and shake you. "Why did you stop? We have to get away!" she says.
"No, we have to help her."
"Help her!? She nearly killed you, she would have done the same to me, and you want to help her? Besides, you're in no shape to help anyone right now," she yells.
You take your eyes away from the action and turn towards Twilight. "I know what she did, but that doesn't change the fact that she's still a pony, and no one deserves to be mauled by a manticore. Besides, if she dies, no pony gets their essences back," you say.
The thought hits Twilight like a hammer, and she reluctantly says, "Alright, I'll help. I sure hope you have a plan, because the last time I fought a manticore, I didn't win."
You think for a few seconds, and you remember the hole in the manticore's wing. "I've got it!" you yell. You lean in close to Twilight and tell her your plan.
By the time you finish, the fight has finished. The manticore is battered ad bruised, but it looks chipper compared to Quick Study. She is laying on her side, and her barrel, neck, and legs all show marks from the battle. She tries to get to her hooves, but she stops and wobbles for a second and collapses back down to the ground. The manticore growls as it advances slowly towards Quick Study. As it towers over her, you throw a rock from near the edge of the chasm and hit the manticore on the shoulder. "Hey, ugly!" you yell.
It turns to face you, surprised that something is still bothering it. "Yeah, you! Did your mother drop you as a cub, or was your dad a cockatrice?"
The manticore snarls at you and begins to charge. You hold your ground as it gets closer. It uses its wings to propel it forward, and it's a few feet from you when you yell, "NOW!"
From her place in the forest, Twilight lights her horn and levitates a small log that was sitting in front of you. The manticore doesn't notice it in time and trips over it. You dive out of the way, but the manticore isn't so lucky. It tumbles over the cliff, its wings useless after being gored by Quick Study's spear-like horn. It roars as it falls through the air. After a few seconds you hear a large splash from the chasm.
Twilight comes over to tend to Quick Study, and you join her there. Quick Study is still conscious, but barely. Her breathing is labored, she is bleeding out from four spots on her body, and her front legs are both bent in disgusting angles.
"Her front legs are both broken, her horn was snapped off about half a foot from the base, and her left eye is badly damaged," Twilight says. "I don't know if she'll ever recover, but she will never be able to use her magic more than to levitate objects from now on. She'll need plenty of bed rest and a good doctor. It's nothing less than she—"
Twilight stops as she notices a glow radiating from Quick Study's barrel. Before your eyes, her wounds star to heal: her legs straighten out, the bite marks start to stitch themselves closed, even the tip of her horn levitates from where it was sitting in the grass and starts to reattach itself to the stub still on Quick Study's head. Her eyes close with the effort.
Your absorption in the process is broken when you see Twilight cast a spell. You briefly see a rune on Quick Study's head before it fades away.
"What did you cast on her," you ask.
"It's a spell that will block her magic and bind her body. That way she won't be able to escape," Twilight says as she looks down at the body at her feet.
Satisfied, you watch as the process starts to slow down, then finally stop. Quick Study looks like she did before the manticore, and her previously closed eyes begin to flicker open.
"Wha... What happened? That manticore was stalking towards me, then you... you saved me? Why? Why would you save the pony who took your essence from you, who stole what made you you?" she asks.
"Because what you took was my magic, not my conscience. I'd never turn away from somepony in need. Also, you still have my essence," you say.
Quick Study smiles sheepishly. It's a vaguely creepy look due to her mouth being large enough to swallow you whole. "Sorry about that. If it makes you feel better, I'm willing to give you your power back," she says.
With a cough and a stern glance from Twilight, Quick Study reluctantly adds, "Okay, the other three I've taken will get there essences back. Now let's get out of here."
She tries to stand, only to find that her limbs aren't responding to her commands. She looks at Twilight. "What did you do to me?"
"Oh, just a little spell to make sure you didn't double cross us after we saved your neck," Twilight replies.
"Fair enough," Quick Study says. "Now, who's going to carry me all the way to Ponyville?"
"First, you're going to tell me where the others are," Twilight demands.
Quick Study sighs. "They're in the Organ room. I put them under an extended sleep spell, but they should be waking up now."
"I'd better go get them before they get lost," Twilight says. "Precious Stone, stay here and watch her. Knock her out with a rock if she does anything funny."
With that, Twilight walks up the steps to the castle and goes in.
"Soooo, what happened back there?" you say to Quick Study.
She perks her ears up. "What do you mean 'back there'?"
"When you asked me about being weak. Who did you see die? If you don't mind me asking, that is," you say.
She gives you a dirty look and says, "I do mind, as a matter of fact."
"Okay."
A few awkward minutes pass, with the only sounds being the river below and the sounds of wildlife in the forest. Twilight comes out, leading three groggy strangers, one purple earth pony, one green unicorn, and one orange pegasus filly. You recognize the purple one as the face on the milk carton. As the group exits the palace, they spot Quick Study lying on the ground. Their reactions couldn't have been different. The orange one jumps behind Twilight, and is visibly shaking. The purple one faints on the spot, crumpling into a heap at the foot of the stairs. The green one yells and charges towards Quick Study, her horn down in a combative stance. You step between Quick Study and her, and she slides to a halt a few inches from you.
"Get out of my way! This bitch deserves a beating for what she did," she yells as she tries to shove you aside. You're ready for the blow, and despite your weakened state, you're able to stand your ground.
"She already had one trying to save our lives from a manticore," you say.
Quick Study's eyes look up at you, recognizing your lie but doing nothing to refute it. The unicorn tilts her head, a puzzled frown appearing on her face. "She saved you?"
"Yes, and she almost died because of it," you reply.
"Hmph, serves her right," the unicorn says, but her contemplative face is at odds with her righteous tone.
You turn your gaze to look at Twilight. She is simultaneously trying to comfort the filly and wake the purple mare out of her stupor, and she's doing a pretty good job at it. In a minute the mare is back on her hooves and the filly is making slow steps toward where you, Quick Study, and the unicorn are standing.
Soon, everyone is standing around Quick Study, and Twilight clears her throat to get everypony's attention. "Now that we're all together, we'll be heading back to Ponyville. The Everfree can be a dangerous place, but only if you don't stick to the path. Stay close to me, and we'll all be fine."
Twilight turns to Quick Study, her horn glowing. It flashes for a second, and you notice Quick Study is now floating an inch above the ground. "I've put a cushion of air below you so that we can drag you to Ponyville. There is no way we'd be able to carry you otherwise.
"Alright, everyone ready? Let's go."
Twilight is at the front of the group, with Quick Study behind her, you behind quick study, the filly behind you, the earth pony behind her, and the unicorn in the back.
About a mile into the forest, the filly speaks up. "Aren't you, like, the cashier at the quill shop?" she asks.
Realizing that she's talking to you, you say, "Why yes, I am."
"Since when did you become a princess?"
Everyone freezes, and the purple mare tries to stifle a laugh.
"Uh, if you're talking about my wings and horn, I was born this way."
"Wow, that musta been cool, growing up like that," the filly says.
"Actually, it wasn't. I was teased all the time. I never belonged with the pegasi, the unicorns, or the earth ponies. Even my parents were ashamed of me, even though they never said anything. One day, I decided to put on a vest I had gotten for one of my birthdays. I walked around Canterlot, and no pony noticed my wings. I even ran into some of my class mates playing in the park. They invited me to play tag with them. I was so happy, and it was because I hid a part of me away from the world. From that day on, I never went outside without my wings covered, and eventually everyone just forgot about them. Even me. Now I know that hiding who I am might make everypony else happy, but it won't make me happy."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I know how you feel though. I can't fly, and I'm one of the last to get my cutie mark in my class. I get bullied all the time, but I feel better knowing that my friends are there beside me."
Everypony has a warm smile on their faces, hearing such bright words from a filly. Everypony, that is, except Quick Study. She looks resigned to her fate.
"It was my fiancé," she says.
"Who now?" Twilight asks.
"My fiancé was the pony I saw die. We were walking back home from a ballet. He actually liked ballet," she says with a watery chuckle. "It was late, and we decided to cut through the park to get home sooner. That was when they came from the bushes. It was two earth ponies, and they were wearing ski masks. One went for me immediately, and Proper Prose, my fiancé, tried to stop him. The other stallion hit him in the stomach and he went down. The first had me restrained by that point, and had slipped a horn blocker onto me. There was nothing I could do. I watched Proper get the life beat out of him for what was in our wallets. The stallions fled after his buddy snapped him out of his attack. I tore the horn blocker off and rushed to Proper's side. When I got there, he was already gone. I vowed never to be that weak ever again, and look where that got me. I know it doesn't make anything better, but for what it's worth, I'm so sorry. Trying to become stronger, I just made others feel like I did. Can you forgive me?"
No pony spoke for a few seconds, when the filly spoke up. "I forgive you."
Quick Study cranes her neck back to look at her. "Thank you," she says. "I'm sorry you were the first one I took. You must miss your friends by now."
"I do. We haven't been apart for more than a few days before."
"I forgive you, too," the purple mare says.
"Me, too," you say.
The back of the line remains silent until a dull thunk is heard, with an accompanying "Ow."
"I forgive you, too," the unicorn says from the back.
"Thank you," Quick Study whispers.
The rest of the journey passes in silence, save for a few quiet sobs from Quick Study.
Epilogue: How About a Hayburger?
Dawn breaks as your party exits the Everfree. As you break free of the foliage on the outer edge, you notice that most of the lights in town are still lit, and what looks like all of the police and guards are out in full force. As you get closer to town, you notice a commotion on the bridge. Apparently, the town had seen all of you coming out of the forest, and decided to meet you at the bridge.
A large crowd is gathered there. You suspect that all of Ponyville is there to see their friends, family, neighbors, and princess come back. There are so man ponies gathered there that some of them are on the bank of the river, and all of the pegasi that can fly are currently doing so. Twilight walks up to the crowd, and they respond with a thunderous cheer. Foremost in the crowd are four fillies and a mare. Three of the fillies rush towards Scootaloo, the fourth one jumps into the arms of Berry Punch, and the mare runs into the tear-filled embrace of Lyra. Twilight calmly walks to where her friends and Spike are standing, and all sense of decorum is gone as they form a giggling pony pile on their purple friend.
Eventually, the crowd calms down as it notices the two odd ponies out: you and Quick Study, both of you getting shocked glances from the townspeople. The mayor walks up to where Twilight has separated herself from the tangle of her friends. She bows and says, "Princess Twilight! I'm relieved to see you return with the missing ponies. May I ask who the white mare is?"
Twilight clears her throat. "She is Quick Study, and she is under the protection of the crown. She is the mare responsible for the missing ponies, myself included. However, I have seen to part of her punishment already, and all that remains is her giving back what she stole."
"What did she steal, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asks.
"Twilight turns back to the crowd and asks, "Do you all remember Tirek?" When the town all nod, she continues. "Quick Study's special talent is copying spells that she sees only once. She was able to copy Tirek's power-stealing spell and use it on other ponies. She took the innate magic from Scootaloo, Lyra, Berry Punch, and Precious Stone. She was going to do the same to me when Precious Stone and I managed to escape. She was keeping us at the Castle of the Two Sisters, and as we tried to leave, we encountered a manticore. Quick Study and the manticore fought, and she would have been killed if not for the actions of Precious. We rescued the others from the castle and made our way back to Ponyville. Any questions?"
One voice rises from the back, "Yeah, why is Precious Stone a princess now?"
This prompts you to facehoof, while Twilight tries to suppress a giggle. You look at her, and she nods, allowing you to field the question.
"Well, I've always been an alicorn. I've just hidden it until now," you explain.
"Oh," the voice says. "That makes sense." The town nods its agreement.
Twilight turns to Quick Study and her horn flashes. You see the same sigil on Quick's forehead before it fades away. She gets up, able to stretch her limbs for the first time in hours. She reaches up to rub away the tear marks on her face. She is an intimidating site: standing as tall as Princess Luna and Princess Celestia and being covered in dried blood will do that to a pony. Twilight asks, "Quick Study, are you ready to fix what you did wrong?"
Quick bows, which barely brings her shoulders below Twilight's head. "I am, your highness," she says, no hint of the smirk that was present the last time she used Twilight's honorific.
She rises and she and Twilight turn to the four of you. Quick's horn glows and intense red-orange, and you see four strands fly from it to the four of you. One connects with Scootaloo's wings, one with Lyra's horn, one with Berry Punch's chest, and the largest one connects to your wings, horn, and chest. When your essence was taken from you, it was easily the most painful experience of your life. Now that it's coming back, it feels exquisite, like eating a home-cooked Hearth's Warming dinner, having a warm bath, and getting into bed after a long day all rolled into one. Before your eyes, you see Quick Study shrink back down to a mare of average size. She looks wearier than she was.
You look over to the rest of the victims, each testing out their newly-regained powers. Lyra lights up her horn and shapes her aura into what looks like a claw without the talons on the end, Scootaloo buzzes her wings for a few seconds, and Berry Punch bends her legs and jumps into the air. You're content with standing there.
Twilight turns back to Quick and says, "Now Quick Study, do you promise never to use your magic to harm another so long as you live, but live to help others find the strength that they have lost?"
Quick nods and says, "I do."
"Then I absolve you of your crimes, and declare you a free mare."
Quick rushes towards Twilight, and the guards all charge, ready to defend their princess. Instead, Quick wraps her arms around Twilight and breaks down into fresh tears.
"Thank you, so much," she says.
After the initial shock, Twilight waves the guards away and returns the embrace.
"You're welcome. Just remember that if I ever catch you stealing ponies' essences, a manticore will be the least of your worries."
Quick breaks the embrace and says, "Don't worry, I won't."
Satisfied with her answer, Twilight turns to the crowd.
"I know that most of you went without sleep last night. Everything is alright now, and you all may go to your home. Also, know that those who wish to stay home for today may do so. Nothing important needs to be done today except for spending time with your families."
At this a slightly quieter cheer comes from the crowd, and they start to disperse.
You walk up to Twilight and tap her on the shoulder.
"Yes?" she says as she turns around.
"When you were buying those things in Quills and Sofas yesterday, I was trying to ask you something, and I'm going to try again. Would you like to get breakfast with me?" you ask.
Twilight smiles and says, "I would like that very much."
