Sweetie Belle and the Journey to the Kingdom of the Frogsby Thunderbug80ChaptersChapter 1 - Magical Mystery MuffinChapter 2 - Omni-huh?Chapter 3 - You're Speaking My LanguageChapter 4 - AloneChapter 5 - The Glass PrisonChapter 1 - Magical Mystery MuffinSweetie Belle scrunched up her nose and stared at the white granules that were in the measuring cup sitting on the bench before her. "So you taste a little bit of it first to make sure it's sugar instead of salt, then you add it to the mixing bowl." Her eyes grew wide. "That makes so much sense! Thank you, Pinkie." She ran over to hug her mentor, then blinked and said, "Why didn't I think of that?" Pinkie Pie giggled and checked to see if Sweetie had properly measured the sugar. It had only been a few weeks since Sweetie and her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, had finally realized their true talent of helping others see the potential within themselves – thereby earning her own cutie mark, and she was already looking to improve herself in new ways. While her budding magical talent was coming along nicely, her cooking and baking skills still left a lot to be desired. It was this realization that had led her to Sugarcube Corner to ask for Pinkie's help on the subject, and the excitable pink pony had been more than happy to lend a hoof. It had been agreed, however, that it was probably best to start with something basic: a carrot muffin. "Okie dokie! Now just add the sugar into the mixing bowl. Slowly, Sweetie!" Pinkie's hoof shot out to steady Sweetie's as she tried to pour it in without making a mess. "Alright, there you go. Mission accomplished!" Sweetie Belle looked down at the mixing bowl and saw that she had managed to avoid spilling any of the sugar. Her face lit up with a smile as she looked up at Pinkie Pie. To most ponies such an accomplishment wouldn't be a very big deal, but Sweetie had been known to both burn and liquefy toast at the same time. For her, it was a major step in the right direction. "Fantastic job!" Pinkie exclaimed. She used her muzzle to push an open bag of flour toward Sweetie. "Now just repeat the process with this. Remember: it's two cups this time!" A few tense moments later, the first cup of flour was successfully poured into the mixing bowl. Sweetie looked up at Pinkie one more time to confirm she was doing well, then carefully poured more flour into the measuring cup, lifted it up gently with her mouth, and promptly dumped it all at once into the mixing bowl. A small cloud of white, floury dust rose up from the bowl, and Sweetie cringed and laid her ears back. "Whoops! I poured that one a bit too quickly." She looked up at Pinkie, then tilted her head when she saw that the pink mare was giggling. "What's so funny?" Pinkie pointed at Sweetie's snout. "You got a bit just there." Sweetie crossed her eyes and saw a thin layer of flour on the end of her nose. A moment later, she wrinkled her nose up as it started to itch. She breathed in, held it for a moment, went cross-eyed again, and then sneezed. The force of the sneeze had an unexpected result, as Sweetie simultaneously unleashed a green bolt of magical energy from her horn. It bounced off the kitchen counter, ricocheted off a hanging pan, zipped over Pinkie's head, and landed directly in the mixing bowl, where it gently crackled for a few seconds before dispersing. The two ponies stared at the bowl, eyes wide. Would the mixture suddenly come alive and wreak havoc throughout Sugarcube Corner? What if it suddenly exploded after all that hard work they had put in trying to keep the kitchen clean? Worse, what if the sugar had been turned into salt? Pinkie Pie leaned forward and gave the bowl a tentative sniff. Then she nudged the bowl with a hoof. Finally, she dipped her hoof into the bowl and took a small lick of the mixture. "Mmm, tasty!" she revealed. She winked at Sweetie Belle. "Looks like it's safe. Let's finish it off and bake us a muffin!" With things back under control, Sweetie, with Pinkie's guidance, finished the mixture, poured it into a muffin tray, and placed the tray into the oven. It wasn't long before the kitchen was filled with a pleasant aroma. "Smells like it's done," Pinkie said. She gestured to the oven. "Go ahead, but be careful not to burn your mouth!" Sweetie opened the oven door, grabbed an oven mitt in her mouth, and carefully removed the tray and placed it on the counter. After closing the oven door and returning the oven mitt to its proper location, she went back to the counter and admired her work. The muffin looked delicious, and wasn't burnt anywhere she could see. Once it had some time to cool down, Pinkie gestured toward the treat. "Go on, see how you did. You've earned it!" After checking with a hoof to be sure it wasn't still too hot, Sweetie picked up the muffin, admired it for a few more seconds, then shrugged and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes lit up almost immediately. "It's good!" she said. She swallowed her mouthful and waited a few moments just in case something awful happened. When it didn't, she ran over and gave Pinkie another hug. "I can't believe it was so delicious. Thank you for helping me out, Pinkie Pie. I should probably get going, but we've got to try this again sometime so I can bake something nice for Rarity!" "Anytime!" Pinkie said. She patted Sweetie on her head, then motioned toward the kitchen. "I'll clean all this up. You go on ahead." "Thanks again for your help, Pinkie Pie!" With that said, Sweetie Belle left Sugarcube Corner and started on her way home. ..o0o.. It was still a gorgeous spring day in Ponyville as Sweetie Belle walked down the main road on her way to her house. The sun was bright in the sky, gardens were full of vibrant, colorful flowers, and the bees were buzzing among them. Sweetie stopped for a moment to watch as one bee flew around a small bunch of flowers, then chose one to land on. A moment later she heard a tiny, annoyed voice. "Ah jeeze, what a pain," something said. Sweetie blinked and looked around suddenly, but there was nopony else around her at the moment. Frowning, she scratched her head and shrugged. Then the voice came again. "Really?" it said. "A guy can't catch a break today, huh? Has to be some other joker flyin' around here gettin' to the pollen before I do. Typical. Real bloomin' typical." Again Sweetie looked around. Was she hearing things? There was still nopony anywhere near her. Really, there was only her and a few... bees. She peered down at the nearest bee, who had just landed on another flower. It ducked its head between the petals, then emerged and did a small dance. "Aw yeah, jackpot! Hey, guys! Look what I got here. I'm talkin' mother lode." It continued to dance around on the flower. "Hey, you guys listenin' or what? Jeeze, what's a bee gotta to do get noticed. I'm dancin' here!" Sweetie Belle's mouth opened slightly as she observed the bee. She was still young, but she was pretty sure bees had never been known to speak. As she listened more closely, she noticed she could hear other voices all around her. Angry mumbles from the other bees who were nearby, happy songs from the birds in the trees above... songs she could actually understand, and other voices where she couldn't quite determine their origin. It was getting overwhelming! She lay down on the ground, squeezed her eyes shut, and covered her ears with her forehooves. What in Equestria was happening to her? Chapter 2 - Omni-huh?"Pardon me, coming through." "Sorry! Let me just move out of the way for you. Oh, um, sir? Could you please not crawl onto my head?" "Oh dear, excuse me. So sorry, my friend." "Oh, it's quite alright. Don't worry about me any." Sweetie Belle stared, unblinking, as the line of ants politely made their way into an anthill. It had been a good half an hour since she'd sat down to observe the colony, and she'd been watching ever since. There was a kind of addictive quality to it, and she couldn't help but wonder if she were becoming like one of those insane ponies she had heard stories about. She should go home. This was not normal. Yet, despite her best efforts, she simply could not help but to sit and watch as the ants went about their business. In the time she had been there she had observed them gathering food, digging sand and dirt out from the anthill, and all the other kinds of things that ants do. They had been talking the entire time. They weren't supposed to be talking. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?" It took Sweetie a moment or two to figure out exactly which ant had said that among the rest of the chatter, but she eventually located him next to a fallen leaf wiggling his antennae towards another ant. "I am, thank you. How about you, are you alright?" The first ant lifted a tiny foreleg and patted the other on what might have been its shoulder. "Yes, thank you. That sure was a close call. That leaf nearly landed right on top of you! You should probably take the rest of the day off to recover." The second ant took a step back and waved its forelegs. "Oh, no. I couldn't possibly do that. Not with the knowledge that you and my fellow ants are still out here giving it your all for the good of the colony." "What a trooper!" the first ant cried. "You are a shining example to all of ant-kind. Shall we work together to remove this leaf from the trail?" "A fantastic idea!" Sweetie watched as several other ants came over to help, each of them proclaiming what an honor it was to work side by side with such upstanding fellows as their colleagues. A part of her wondered if all ants were this polite, or if she just happened to stumble upon the one oddball colony of the bunch. Another part of her realized that the very fact that she was wondering such a thing was an almost surefire sign that she had completely lost touch with reality. A voice much louder than those of the ants broke her away from her thoughts. "Hey there, Sweetie Belle. What ya doin'?" Sweetie looked up to see her friend Apple Bloom smiling at her. She looked back down at the colony below. "Watching the ants," she mumbled. Apple Bloom blinked. "Okaaay," she said slowly. After a long, awkward moment of silence she added, "Do ya want to come down to the pond with me and Scootaloo? We're gonna try and catch us some frogs." "I'm okay," was Sweetie's response. She was busy watching one ant in particular who had lifted its head up and seemed to be looking at her. She watched for a moment longer, then ducked her snout down and whispered, "Are you looking at me?" The ant's antennae shot straight up, and it took a step back. It tilted its head and studied her for a moment, then said, "I... I'm sorry, but are you talking to me?" Apple Bloom stared open-mouthed at Sweetie Belle, who had lowered her snout almost to the ground, a wide grin on her face, and was silently wriggling her ears back and forth as if they were antennae. She took a few steps back and raised her eyebrows. "I, uh... I'm just gonna go now," Apple Bloom sputtered. "You, um. You have fun with that." She left quickly, leaving a small cloud of dust behind as she did. Sweetie Belle wasn't paying attention, however. She had drawn down as close to the ant as she could, her eyes wide at the wonder before her. "You can understand me?" she asked. The ant wriggled its antennae in confirmation, and Sweetie's ears shot up in excitement. "I've got to tell somepony about this!" ..o0o.. "Oh ho ho ho. Now this is delightfully rich!" "Discord! you're not helping!" "Oh I know, dear Fluttershy. But honestly, can you blame me? Just imagine all of the wonderfully amusing possibilities of having an omniglot around!" Sweetie Belle glowered at Discord, but the draconequus simply grinned down at her. She had hoped to get some answers from Fluttershy, seeing as the timid yellow pegasus seemed to have a natural talent for understanding animals. What Sweetie hadn't been counting on was Discord being at Fluttershy's cottage for a visit. She had no idea what that word he just called her meant, but she was certain it wasn't anything good. As if sensing her thoughts, Discord sat down on Fluttershy's sofa, crossed his misshapen legs, and continued. "Oh, come now. You can't tell me you don't know what that word actually means," he said with a wink. "Give it a moment, I'm certain it will come to you." Sweetie looked over at Fluttershy, who had been kind enough to remove all her animal friends, save Angel, from the room. Fluttershy shrugged and said, "If Discord says you'll understand, then I believe him." Then, as if she had known all along, the knowledge came to her. "Omniglot..." Sweetie mumbled, startled at her own sudden understanding. "From the root word omni, meaning to possess all of something, and the word glot, meaning to possess a tongue." She furled her brow in thought. "The combination of these two words alters their meaning slightly to become: one who possesses the ability to read, write, or understand every language." Discord made a show of clapping. "Well done, Sweetie Belle, you've figured it out. And in your case, I believe all three might apply." He grinned. "It's just the kind of distraction we need to keep things interesting around here for a while." Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I don't want to make things interesting. I just want to know what I should do!" Fluttershy grimaced and put a reassuring hoof on Sweetie's shoulder. "Discord," she said, turning to face the draconequus. "Isn't there any way you can help her out?" Discord shrugged. "It would be a simple matter if her malady was one that I had created. A snap, really." He snapped his fingers to demonstrate, then regarded Sweetie thoughtfully. "Alas, this was of her own doing. I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. I know you’d like to be able to better understand what has happened to you. Unfortunately—” he looked her in the eye “—I'm afraid you're going to have to figure this one out on your own." Chapter 3 - You're Speaking My LanguageSweetie Belle's eyes narrowed and she wrinkled her brow as she focused on her target. She had followed the beetle for several minutes as it scurried along over the dirt and through the grass towards some unknown destination, but now it was time for her to make a move. She drew a little closer and, after a moment's hesitation, spoke. "Hello." The beetle stopped suddenly and turned its body and head to get a better look at Sweetie Belle. A second later it screamed and ran in the opposite direction as fast as its little legs could carry it before disappearing underneath a small pile of leaves. Sweetie sighed. It was clear to her that just because she possessed the ability to speak with anything she wanted to, that didn't actually mean that anything wanted to speak with her. She supposed she couldn't blame them. She wasn't sure what she would do if some giant creature, maybe a hydra or something, followed her around and suddenly said, "Hello." Then again, there was now a real possibility that a situation like that might actually occur. How would she react? She would probably scream and run away, just like the beetle had. What she needed was some good advice. Discord had told her that she'd need to figure things out on her own, but he was known to speak in riddles and was a bit of a trickster. Perhaps he just meant that she needed to figure out who the right person to ask for help was. She thought for a moment. Her situation was caused by a stray bolt of magic. What she needed was somepony who understood magic and could help her learn more about it. She could always ask her sister Rarity, but the fashionable mare had become quite busy with work ever since opening up a boutique in Canterlot. Although Rarity had been helping with Sweetie's budding magical talents whenever she could, Sweetie had to admit that this particular magical problem was probably beyond Rarity's ability to help with. That left just one pony she knew who was gifted magically. An obvious choice, really. Sweetie stood up and started down the path towards the Castle of Friendship. ..o0o.. Twilight Sparkle frowned. Then she raised an eyebrow. She then proceeded to squint, blink rapidly, and stare open-mouthed, in that order. Finally, she spoke. "So let me get this straight," she said, pacing somewhat frantically around the room. "You went to see Pinkie so that she could help you learn to bake." She turned and waited for confirmation from Sweetie before continuing. "But then you measured out a cup of flour, some of which landed on your nose and caused you to sneeze, thereby inadvertently releasing a magical charge from your horn that zipped around the room and landed in your cupcake mixture–" "Muffin," Sweetie corrected. "What now?" "It was a muffin mixture." "Riiiiight." Twilight rolled her eyes and continued. "Then Pinkie said it was okay to eat, so you put the mixture in the oven, baked a surprisingly yummy muffin, and then discovered that you could speak to insects!" She stopped pacing again and stared at Sweetie expectantly. Sweetie was hesitant. "Well, I think I can talk to more than just insects. Discord said that I could speak any language, and–" "Ah, yes. Discord." Twilight chuckled. "Good old, dependable Discord. He wouldn't possibly try to lead any of us astray, would he? It's not like causing trouble is in his nature or anything." Sweetie lowered her ears, and Twilight softened her tone. "Look, Sweetie. I know you aren't the kind of pony who goes around making up stories. Usually," she added. "The problem is, there's something about what you told me that just doesn't add up!" She shook her head and looked at Sweetie. "How did you only get one muffin if you used a full cup of sugar and two cups of flour? It doesn't make any sense!" Sweetie Belle blinked. She hadn't really expected it to be easy to explain everything to Twilight, but she couldn't have predicted that the studious alicorn would get caught up in such a minor detail. "We used Pinkie's miniature cups," she explained with a shrug. "She said she uses them for beginners." Twilight's eyelids lowered. "Of course she does." She spun around and trotted over to her desk, then used her magic to open one of the many books that was scattered upon it. She examined the book closely for a moment, then her eyes rose and locked onto Sweetie. "So tell me," Twilight continued casually. "If Discord says you can read and understand any language, then that would mean you can understand magical languages too, correct?" Sweetie had studied magic in a limited fashion with help from Rarity, and occasionally Twilight, but she had never tried anything advanced, and certainly nothing in a foreign language. She shook her head. "I'm not sure. I wouldn't think–" "Well there's only one way to find out!" Twilight said. She used her magic to levitate the book she had been reading over to Sweetie Belle. "If Discord said you can read any language, then you should be able to read this." "What is it?" Sweetie asked, curiously peering at it. "Oh, nothing," Twilight said with a smug smile. "It's only a spell book written in a lost draconic dialect that took me four hours cross-referencing six different books just to translate the title! I haven't even begun to translate any of the spells. But I'm sure if Discord–" "Controlling Our Destiny," Sweetie muttered, her eyes fixated on the strange runes before her. "A Selection of Magic From the Greatest of the Dragon Lords." She didn't know how it worked, but one moment she had been looking at weird little symbols, and the next moment she fully understood what it said. She looked up to ask Twilight if she was correct. Twilight just stood there, eyes wide and mouth open. It was obvious that she was right. When Twilight recovered several minutes later, she stared intently at Sweetie and drew uncomfortably close. "Tell me what the first page says," Twilight whispered. Chapter 4 - Alone"Now show me," Twilight Sparkle said. Sweetie Belle glanced at the spell book one more time, then allowed it to float down to the desk before extinguishing the glowing green aura of her magic from it. She looked at Twilight, who smiled and nodded, signaling that it was okay for her to begin. She took a deep breath, exhaled, then cast her eyes downward. An almost electric surge of anticipation flowed down her spine and out through her body. What she was about to attempt was something only the most advanced students of magic could ever hope to accomplish, and even then there was no surviving evidence that any of them had ever been successful. But the idea of failing was of no concern. What was frightening—thrilling, exhilarating—was the absolute knowledge that she would succeed. Of that, there was no doubt. She hesitated only a moment longer, then raised her eyes and concentrated. The effect was immediate. The space in the middle of Twilight's study filled up with a large, spherical, three-dimensional image in full color. Both Sweetie and Twilight had known what to expect, but the look on Twilight's face as she stared open-mouthed at the slowly rotating image suggested that perhaps she still hadn't believed that it would actually happen. Her eyes traced every surface of the sphere, unblinking, as her mouth slowly formed a smile. "This... this is–" Twilight began, though her words failed her. She closed her mouth and continued to stare, her eyes glistening. "Our world," Sweetie said quietly. "Once known as Sanctuary, according to the spell's creator." "It's... beautiful." Twilight circled the image, stopping on occasion to take a closer look at various regions. When she thought Twilight was satisfied, Sweetie concentrated and zoomed in on a particular area of the image, expanding it outward until it was no longer a sphere, but a three dimensional image of a room. Within that room... "Is that—" Twilight began. She waved a hoof at the image, then let out a delighted gasp. "It is!" She waved again, watching herself within the image waving as well. She then turned to Sweetie as her image did the same. "This... is... amazing! A spell that can show us what is happening anywhere in the world in real time? Can you imagine the possibilities?" Sweetie smiled. Of course the spell would work; she knew it would from the moment she had read the spell book. It still felt good to be able to impress somepony as magically talented as Twilight Sparkle, though. Maybe her new abilities wouldn't be so bad, after all. "Can you show us something else?" Twilight asked. "What do you want to see?" "Everything!" Sweetie happily obliged. They zoomed in on Applejack bucking apple trees in her orchard. They watched Rainbow Dash napping in one of her favorite clouds. It was addictive, and they eagerly watched as Sweetie jumped from pony to pony, laughing at some of the silly antics they saw, and smiling at the rest. Eventually Sweetie's eyes lit up. "I know! Let's see what Diamond Tiara is up to." It had been a few weeks since she had finally become friends with the filly who had once been one of her biggest tormentors in school. Since then she had welcomed the opportunity to include Diamond in on anything she and her other friends got up to. She concentrated, and the image focused upon a little filly lying on a bed. Standing beside the bed, an angry scowl on her face, was Diamond Tiara's mother, Spoiled Rich. Sweetie and Twilight watched as Spoiled soundlessly shouted at her daughter, whose eyes began to glisten with tears. Sweetie took an involuntary step back, and the image disappeared, the spell broken. She felt her cheeks redden, her heartbeat increase. She looked at Twilight. "I don't like this spell anymore..." Twilight's smiled had disappeared. "No. No, I don't think I like it much anymore, either." She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. I should have been more cautious. A spell like this could be very dangerous if misused." Sweetie looked up. "You mean like we just did?" Twilight blushed, and they both went silent. After a few moments of awkwardness, Sweetie spoke. "I need to go see Diamond." She turned to leave. Twilight teleported in front of her, blocking the way. "No, Sweetie Belle! Your friend can't know that we were watching her. Nopony can." Sweetie made to walk around her, but Twilight moved again. "Now that we've seen what it's capable of, we both know that this spell is dangerous! We shouldn't have used it. Nopony should. What I need to do is take you to see Princess Celestia. She may understand what has happened to you." "No." Twilight blinked. "I'm sorry?" Sweetie frowned. "No. I don't want to go see the princess. Discord was right, I need to figure this out on my own." Twilight opened her mouth, closed it. She tried again. "Sweetie, you hold the key to unlocking secrets of magic that have been locked away for centuries. Thousands of years, even! With your help we could discover spells that would help our civilization advance beyond our wildest dreams! Think about it. You were able to cast that spell flawlessly after studying it for only a few minutes!" She began to pace back and forth. "I don't know how or why it came to be, but somehow you possess a greater understanding of magic than those who have dedicated their entire lives to the craft. Does this mean that you not only understand every spoken language, but the language of magic as well? Or do you understand the draconic language so well that you fully comprehended what the spell's creator intended based on what he had written? There are so many questions we need answered, and if you just—" "Twilight!" Sweetie shouted. Twilight stopped in mid-sentence and stared, wide-eyed, at Sweetie. Her hoof was still raised, mid-step. "I don't want to see the princess. I don't want to unlock the mysteries of magic." Sweetie sighed and stared at the floor. "I just... want to be left alone. I have to get away from here." "Sweetie, you can't mean—" Sweetie looked up and stared intently at Twilight. "I mean it. I need to be by myself for a while." Twilight opened her mouth, but Sweetie continued. "If I stay here, it's going to cause problems. I hear too many voices all the time. It's hard to sort them all out, and ponies are already giving me weird looks. I think Discord was right. I shouldn't have come to you for help." Twilight winced. "Sweetie, I'm not going to force you to read anything you don't want to. I wouldn't be a very good friend if I did." "That's not it, Twilight." Sweetie said. "I'll be tempted to read them all, and we both know what a bad idea that would be." She looked around, feeling helpless. "I don't want to go to Canterlot, and I can't stay here." Twilight studied Sweetie's face for some time before she finally nodded. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're right. It might be best if you take a short break. A day or two away from town should be enough time to clear your head a bit, and then maybe we can decide on how to proceed from there." Sweetie smiled. Finally somepony understood! She would miss her friends, but it would only be for a few days. She just needed some time away from everything so she could focus. She frowned when Twilight trotted over to a bookcase and came back bearing a spell book, but Twilight patted her head reassuringly. "Don't worry, this is a beginner's spell book. There's nothing in here that you're likely to disapprove of, and I think if you're going to be heading off by yourself you should be prepared, just in case." Sweetie thanked her and she continued. "I can handle explanations as to why you won't be home or at school for the next few days. As far as your parents and everypony else is concerned, you're taking part in some special magical training for a few days. Which is, of course, exactly what you are doing. They just won't be told of the specifics." Twilight let out a nervous chuckle. Sweetie spent a bit more time with Twilight sorting out the details of her trip. She was to stay out of the Everfree forest, and not stray too far from Ponyville. Twilight explained that the fact that Sweetie had finally earned her cutie mark was proof that she was growing up and could be trusted to do some things on her own, but it was still important to have a plan just in case something went wrong. She had food and supplies packed away in her saddlebags, including Twilight's spell book. All there was left to do was say goodbye to her friends. She waved goodbye to Twilight and headed towards Sweet Apple Acres. Chapter 5 - The Glass PrisonApplejack opened the door after the second knock. "Oh hey there, Sweetie Belle," she said, smiling. She removed her hat and motioned Sweetie inside. "Apple Bloom just got back from the bog. She an' Scootaloo are in her room if ya wanna head on up there." Sweetie murmured her thanks and trotted up the familiar staircase. She could hear her friends talking as she made her way down the hallway to Apple Bloom's room. When she arrived, she stood in the doorway and knocked on the door frame. "Oh hey, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said. "Come on in." Apple Bloom's room looked almost the same on this day as it did the first time Sweetie could ever recall visiting. She looked at the wood plank walls, painted alternating shades of green with a few daisies added here and there as accents. Pushed up against the wall immediately to Sweetie's right was the large, blue wooden wardrobe with hearts carved into its doors that she would sometimes hide in during hide and seek. Along the wall to her left, near the middle of the room, was Apple Bloom's covered, four poster double bed—complete with pink apple blankets—which they would sometimes share during sleepovers. A toy chest painted the same blue as the wardrobe was along the far wall next to the window, and a matching dresser was directly across from the bed. Upon that dresser was a new addition to the room: a glass aquarium that held a rather large frog within. Sweetie entered the room and sat down near the foot of the bed. "Hey, girls," she said. "What's up?" "You missed it," Scootaloo said. She continued rapidly. "Me and Apple Bloom were at the bog, and the smell was awful, but it was so cool because we were searching for ages and didn't find anything. Until we heard this big old croak, and Apple Bloom was like 'What was that?' but I was totally relaxed and knew it was just a frog, and—" "Hey!" Apple Bloom interjected. She pointed an accusatory hoof at Scootaloo. "You're the one who jumped back and fell into the bog!" Scootaloo cringed, and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Yeah, well, I was just, um, preparing a sneak attack just in case it was a monster pretending to be a frog." "Likely story," Apple Bloom muttered. "It's a better story than your frog-catching skills," Scootaloo retorted, rolling her eyes. "We'd have been at that bog all day if I hadn't grabbed the jar off of you and done it myself." "What?" Apple Bloom said, aghast. "I'll have you know that we wouldn't have even been at the bog if we didn't use my supplies! You didn't even have—" Sweetie Belle looked away and automatically tuned out the rest of her friends' argument. They'd make up soon enough, and besides, she didn't come over to hear about frog catching, she came over to let her friends know that she'd be away for a few days. It wasn't like they'd never had time apart before, but letting them know was just a nice thing to do. She stared at one of the walls while she waited for her friends to finish. "And they're at it again," came a voice from nearby, followed by a sigh. "Yeah, tell me about it," Sweetie absently responded. "Holy sweet Celestia!" came a sudden shout from Scootaloo. Sweetie glanced over to see her friend staring wide-eyed at her. "How'd you do that?" "Scootaloo, language!" Apple Bloom scolded. "Do ya want Applejack to come up here and tan our hides?" Scootaloo wasn't paying attention, however. Her eyes were glued to Sweetie Belle. "Seriously," Scootaloo said, oblivious to Apple Bloom's glare. "How did you do that thing with your throat?" She was grinning as if she'd just seen Rainbow Dash pull off a new aerial move. Sweetie stood up and took a step backward. She looked at Apple Bloom. "I'm not sure what she's talking about," she said, truthfully. She glanced at Scootaloo. "I didn't do anything with my throat. Did you maybe bump your head when you fell in the bog?" "I didn't fall into the bog," Scootaloo grumbled. "I jumped in on purpose!" "You fell in," Apple Bloom said. "Did not!" Scootaloo shouted. The discussion once again devolved into an argument, and Sweetie found herself glaring at the wall impatiently. She wasn't sure what Scootaloo had been talking about, and it was unsettling that her friend would suddenly say something so weird. She absently rubbed her throat with a hoof. Certainly she would notice if something odd had happened. "So how did you do that?" a voice asked. This time Sweetie took notice. The voice wasn't Apple Bloom's, Scootaloo's, or even Applejack's, and it had come from somewhere above her. She looked up and saw that the frog Scootaloo had captured had its face pressed up against the glass of the aquarium. It was staring at her expectantly. Uh oh. So that was what Scootaloo had seen. The last thing Sweetie needed was her friends thinking she had gone crazy. She stole a glance at them and saw that they were both too occupied with their argument to give her any notice. She peered up at the frog and risked a quick response. "Not now, can't talk," she whispered. The frog's reaction was immediate. It bounced up and down and put its webbed hands on the side of the glass. "So you can hear me!" it exclaimed. The frog lifted a finger to its chin. "I wonder how you managed that? Anyway, that's not important. You must help me get out of here!" Sweetie did her best to ignore the frog's outburst. Every now and again, Apple Bloom or Scootaloo would look her way, then focus back on their argument. One of them would see her if she responded, and while she didn't know exactly what Scootaloo had seen, it didn't take much imagination to figure it out. She needed to get out of there before it happened again. "Hey! I know you can hear me," the frog said indignantly. "Get me out of here, I promise you won't regret it!" "Um, girls?" Sweetie said. A bead of sweat ran down her face as she did her best to ignore the frog. "Girls!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom halted their argument and looked her way. Even the frog went silent. "Oh, sorry Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said. Any indication that she had just been arguing disappeared and was replaced with an expectant smile. "What was it you wanted to say?" Sweetie looked back and forth between her friends. It was amazing how quickly they got over their disagreements. It was one of the things she loved about them. "I came over to let you know that Twilight set aside a few days for some, um, special training to help me with my magic." It wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the entire truth. "It means that I'll be gone for a few days. I just wanted to let you know." "Aww, we're gonna miss ya!" Apple Bloom said. She moved in for a quick hug. "Even if it's only a few days." "Yeah," Scootaloo agreed. "I was gonna show you some new moves I learned on my scooter but—" she grinned—"I'll just show you when you get back." Her eyes lit up. "And you can show me all the cool magic tricks you've learned!" "Hey!" Apple Bloom said suddenly. "Do you have time to stick around for lunch? Granny was gonna prepare some for me an' Scootaloo, but I'm sure she won't mind making a little extra!" "Sure!" Sweetie beamed. "I'd like that very much." "And you can sneak me out of here when they go downstairs!" the frog cried from his glass prison. "Sounds like a brilliant plan!" Scootaloo walked over to the aquarium and looked at the frog. "Gee, he sure is a lot more lively all of a sudden. Wonder why?" She shrugged and ran over to the bedroom door. "Oh well. Let's get going! I'm starving." "Me too!" Apple Bloom said. "As am I!" the frog pleaded. He gave Sweetie a pointed look. Sweetie followed her friends to the doorway and watched them trot down the stairs. She turned back to face the frog. "I'm really sorry," she mumbled, then turned back and headed downstairs to join her friends.
Chapter 1 - Magical Mystery MuffinSweetie Belle scrunched up her nose and stared at the white granules that were in the measuring cup sitting on the bench before her. "So you taste a little bit of it first to make sure it's sugar instead of salt, then you add it to the mixing bowl." Her eyes grew wide. "That makes so much sense! Thank you, Pinkie." She ran over to hug her mentor, then blinked and said, "Why didn't I think of that?" Pinkie Pie giggled and checked to see if Sweetie had properly measured the sugar. It had only been a few weeks since Sweetie and her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, had finally realized their true talent of helping others see the potential within themselves – thereby earning her own cutie mark, and she was already looking to improve herself in new ways. While her budding magical talent was coming along nicely, her cooking and baking skills still left a lot to be desired. It was this realization that had led her to Sugarcube Corner to ask for Pinkie's help on the subject, and the excitable pink pony had been more than happy to lend a hoof. It had been agreed, however, that it was probably best to start with something basic: a carrot muffin. "Okie dokie! Now just add the sugar into the mixing bowl. Slowly, Sweetie!" Pinkie's hoof shot out to steady Sweetie's as she tried to pour it in without making a mess. "Alright, there you go. Mission accomplished!" Sweetie Belle looked down at the mixing bowl and saw that she had managed to avoid spilling any of the sugar. Her face lit up with a smile as she looked up at Pinkie Pie. To most ponies such an accomplishment wouldn't be a very big deal, but Sweetie had been known to both burn and liquefy toast at the same time. For her, it was a major step in the right direction. "Fantastic job!" Pinkie exclaimed. She used her muzzle to push an open bag of flour toward Sweetie. "Now just repeat the process with this. Remember: it's two cups this time!" A few tense moments later, the first cup of flour was successfully poured into the mixing bowl. Sweetie looked up at Pinkie one more time to confirm she was doing well, then carefully poured more flour into the measuring cup, lifted it up gently with her mouth, and promptly dumped it all at once into the mixing bowl. A small cloud of white, floury dust rose up from the bowl, and Sweetie cringed and laid her ears back. "Whoops! I poured that one a bit too quickly." She looked up at Pinkie, then tilted her head when she saw that the pink mare was giggling. "What's so funny?" Pinkie pointed at Sweetie's snout. "You got a bit just there." Sweetie crossed her eyes and saw a thin layer of flour on the end of her nose. A moment later, she wrinkled her nose up as it started to itch. She breathed in, held it for a moment, went cross-eyed again, and then sneezed. The force of the sneeze had an unexpected result, as Sweetie simultaneously unleashed a green bolt of magical energy from her horn. It bounced off the kitchen counter, ricocheted off a hanging pan, zipped over Pinkie's head, and landed directly in the mixing bowl, where it gently crackled for a few seconds before dispersing. The two ponies stared at the bowl, eyes wide. Would the mixture suddenly come alive and wreak havoc throughout Sugarcube Corner? What if it suddenly exploded after all that hard work they had put in trying to keep the kitchen clean? Worse, what if the sugar had been turned into salt? Pinkie Pie leaned forward and gave the bowl a tentative sniff. Then she nudged the bowl with a hoof. Finally, she dipped her hoof into the bowl and took a small lick of the mixture. "Mmm, tasty!" she revealed. She winked at Sweetie Belle. "Looks like it's safe. Let's finish it off and bake us a muffin!" With things back under control, Sweetie, with Pinkie's guidance, finished the mixture, poured it into a muffin tray, and placed the tray into the oven. It wasn't long before the kitchen was filled with a pleasant aroma. "Smells like it's done," Pinkie said. She gestured to the oven. "Go ahead, but be careful not to burn your mouth!" Sweetie opened the oven door, grabbed an oven mitt in her mouth, and carefully removed the tray and placed it on the counter. After closing the oven door and returning the oven mitt to its proper location, she went back to the counter and admired her work. The muffin looked delicious, and wasn't burnt anywhere she could see. Once it had some time to cool down, Pinkie gestured toward the treat. "Go on, see how you did. You've earned it!" After checking with a hoof to be sure it wasn't still too hot, Sweetie picked up the muffin, admired it for a few more seconds, then shrugged and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes lit up almost immediately. "It's good!" she said. She swallowed her mouthful and waited a few moments just in case something awful happened. When it didn't, she ran over and gave Pinkie another hug. "I can't believe it was so delicious. Thank you for helping me out, Pinkie Pie. I should probably get going, but we've got to try this again sometime so I can bake something nice for Rarity!" "Anytime!" Pinkie said. She patted Sweetie on her head, then motioned toward the kitchen. "I'll clean all this up. You go on ahead." "Thanks again for your help, Pinkie Pie!" With that said, Sweetie Belle left Sugarcube Corner and started on her way home. ..o0o.. It was still a gorgeous spring day in Ponyville as Sweetie Belle walked down the main road on her way to her house. The sun was bright in the sky, gardens were full of vibrant, colorful flowers, and the bees were buzzing among them. Sweetie stopped for a moment to watch as one bee flew around a small bunch of flowers, then chose one to land on. A moment later she heard a tiny, annoyed voice. "Ah jeeze, what a pain," something said. Sweetie blinked and looked around suddenly, but there was nopony else around her at the moment. Frowning, she scratched her head and shrugged. Then the voice came again. "Really?" it said. "A guy can't catch a break today, huh? Has to be some other joker flyin' around here gettin' to the pollen before I do. Typical. Real bloomin' typical." Again Sweetie looked around. Was she hearing things? There was still nopony anywhere near her. Really, there was only her and a few... bees. She peered down at the nearest bee, who had just landed on another flower. It ducked its head between the petals, then emerged and did a small dance. "Aw yeah, jackpot! Hey, guys! Look what I got here. I'm talkin' mother lode." It continued to dance around on the flower. "Hey, you guys listenin' or what? Jeeze, what's a bee gotta to do get noticed. I'm dancin' here!" Sweetie Belle's mouth opened slightly as she observed the bee. She was still young, but she was pretty sure bees had never been known to speak. As she listened more closely, she noticed she could hear other voices all around her. Angry mumbles from the other bees who were nearby, happy songs from the birds in the trees above... songs she could actually understand, and other voices where she couldn't quite determine their origin. It was getting overwhelming! She lay down on the ground, squeezed her eyes shut, and covered her ears with her forehooves. What in Equestria was happening to her?
Chapter 2 - Omni-huh?"Pardon me, coming through." "Sorry! Let me just move out of the way for you. Oh, um, sir? Could you please not crawl onto my head?" "Oh dear, excuse me. So sorry, my friend." "Oh, it's quite alright. Don't worry about me any." Sweetie Belle stared, unblinking, as the line of ants politely made their way into an anthill. It had been a good half an hour since she'd sat down to observe the colony, and she'd been watching ever since. There was a kind of addictive quality to it, and she couldn't help but wonder if she were becoming like one of those insane ponies she had heard stories about. She should go home. This was not normal. Yet, despite her best efforts, she simply could not help but to sit and watch as the ants went about their business. In the time she had been there she had observed them gathering food, digging sand and dirt out from the anthill, and all the other kinds of things that ants do. They had been talking the entire time. They weren't supposed to be talking. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?" It took Sweetie a moment or two to figure out exactly which ant had said that among the rest of the chatter, but she eventually located him next to a fallen leaf wiggling his antennae towards another ant. "I am, thank you. How about you, are you alright?" The first ant lifted a tiny foreleg and patted the other on what might have been its shoulder. "Yes, thank you. That sure was a close call. That leaf nearly landed right on top of you! You should probably take the rest of the day off to recover." The second ant took a step back and waved its forelegs. "Oh, no. I couldn't possibly do that. Not with the knowledge that you and my fellow ants are still out here giving it your all for the good of the colony." "What a trooper!" the first ant cried. "You are a shining example to all of ant-kind. Shall we work together to remove this leaf from the trail?" "A fantastic idea!" Sweetie watched as several other ants came over to help, each of them proclaiming what an honor it was to work side by side with such upstanding fellows as their colleagues. A part of her wondered if all ants were this polite, or if she just happened to stumble upon the one oddball colony of the bunch. Another part of her realized that the very fact that she was wondering such a thing was an almost surefire sign that she had completely lost touch with reality. A voice much louder than those of the ants broke her away from her thoughts. "Hey there, Sweetie Belle. What ya doin'?" Sweetie looked up to see her friend Apple Bloom smiling at her. She looked back down at the colony below. "Watching the ants," she mumbled. Apple Bloom blinked. "Okaaay," she said slowly. After a long, awkward moment of silence she added, "Do ya want to come down to the pond with me and Scootaloo? We're gonna try and catch us some frogs." "I'm okay," was Sweetie's response. She was busy watching one ant in particular who had lifted its head up and seemed to be looking at her. She watched for a moment longer, then ducked her snout down and whispered, "Are you looking at me?" The ant's antennae shot straight up, and it took a step back. It tilted its head and studied her for a moment, then said, "I... I'm sorry, but are you talking to me?" Apple Bloom stared open-mouthed at Sweetie Belle, who had lowered her snout almost to the ground, a wide grin on her face, and was silently wriggling her ears back and forth as if they were antennae. She took a few steps back and raised her eyebrows. "I, uh... I'm just gonna go now," Apple Bloom sputtered. "You, um. You have fun with that." She left quickly, leaving a small cloud of dust behind as she did. Sweetie Belle wasn't paying attention, however. She had drawn down as close to the ant as she could, her eyes wide at the wonder before her. "You can understand me?" she asked. The ant wriggled its antennae in confirmation, and Sweetie's ears shot up in excitement. "I've got to tell somepony about this!" ..o0o.. "Oh ho ho ho. Now this is delightfully rich!" "Discord! you're not helping!" "Oh I know, dear Fluttershy. But honestly, can you blame me? Just imagine all of the wonderfully amusing possibilities of having an omniglot around!" Sweetie Belle glowered at Discord, but the draconequus simply grinned down at her. She had hoped to get some answers from Fluttershy, seeing as the timid yellow pegasus seemed to have a natural talent for understanding animals. What Sweetie hadn't been counting on was Discord being at Fluttershy's cottage for a visit. She had no idea what that word he just called her meant, but she was certain it wasn't anything good. As if sensing her thoughts, Discord sat down on Fluttershy's sofa, crossed his misshapen legs, and continued. "Oh, come now. You can't tell me you don't know what that word actually means," he said with a wink. "Give it a moment, I'm certain it will come to you." Sweetie looked over at Fluttershy, who had been kind enough to remove all her animal friends, save Angel, from the room. Fluttershy shrugged and said, "If Discord says you'll understand, then I believe him." Then, as if she had known all along, the knowledge came to her. "Omniglot..." Sweetie mumbled, startled at her own sudden understanding. "From the root word omni, meaning to possess all of something, and the word glot, meaning to possess a tongue." She furled her brow in thought. "The combination of these two words alters their meaning slightly to become: one who possesses the ability to read, write, or understand every language." Discord made a show of clapping. "Well done, Sweetie Belle, you've figured it out. And in your case, I believe all three might apply." He grinned. "It's just the kind of distraction we need to keep things interesting around here for a while." Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I don't want to make things interesting. I just want to know what I should do!" Fluttershy grimaced and put a reassuring hoof on Sweetie's shoulder. "Discord," she said, turning to face the draconequus. "Isn't there any way you can help her out?" Discord shrugged. "It would be a simple matter if her malady was one that I had created. A snap, really." He snapped his fingers to demonstrate, then regarded Sweetie thoughtfully. "Alas, this was of her own doing. I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. I know you’d like to be able to better understand what has happened to you. Unfortunately—” he looked her in the eye “—I'm afraid you're going to have to figure this one out on your own."
Chapter 3 - You're Speaking My LanguageSweetie Belle's eyes narrowed and she wrinkled her brow as she focused on her target. She had followed the beetle for several minutes as it scurried along over the dirt and through the grass towards some unknown destination, but now it was time for her to make a move. She drew a little closer and, after a moment's hesitation, spoke. "Hello." The beetle stopped suddenly and turned its body and head to get a better look at Sweetie Belle. A second later it screamed and ran in the opposite direction as fast as its little legs could carry it before disappearing underneath a small pile of leaves. Sweetie sighed. It was clear to her that just because she possessed the ability to speak with anything she wanted to, that didn't actually mean that anything wanted to speak with her. She supposed she couldn't blame them. She wasn't sure what she would do if some giant creature, maybe a hydra or something, followed her around and suddenly said, "Hello." Then again, there was now a real possibility that a situation like that might actually occur. How would she react? She would probably scream and run away, just like the beetle had. What she needed was some good advice. Discord had told her that she'd need to figure things out on her own, but he was known to speak in riddles and was a bit of a trickster. Perhaps he just meant that she needed to figure out who the right person to ask for help was. She thought for a moment. Her situation was caused by a stray bolt of magic. What she needed was somepony who understood magic and could help her learn more about it. She could always ask her sister Rarity, but the fashionable mare had become quite busy with work ever since opening up a boutique in Canterlot. Although Rarity had been helping with Sweetie's budding magical talents whenever she could, Sweetie had to admit that this particular magical problem was probably beyond Rarity's ability to help with. That left just one pony she knew who was gifted magically. An obvious choice, really. Sweetie stood up and started down the path towards the Castle of Friendship. ..o0o.. Twilight Sparkle frowned. Then she raised an eyebrow. She then proceeded to squint, blink rapidly, and stare open-mouthed, in that order. Finally, she spoke. "So let me get this straight," she said, pacing somewhat frantically around the room. "You went to see Pinkie so that she could help you learn to bake." She turned and waited for confirmation from Sweetie before continuing. "But then you measured out a cup of flour, some of which landed on your nose and caused you to sneeze, thereby inadvertently releasing a magical charge from your horn that zipped around the room and landed in your cupcake mixture–" "Muffin," Sweetie corrected. "What now?" "It was a muffin mixture." "Riiiiight." Twilight rolled her eyes and continued. "Then Pinkie said it was okay to eat, so you put the mixture in the oven, baked a surprisingly yummy muffin, and then discovered that you could speak to insects!" She stopped pacing again and stared at Sweetie expectantly. Sweetie was hesitant. "Well, I think I can talk to more than just insects. Discord said that I could speak any language, and–" "Ah, yes. Discord." Twilight chuckled. "Good old, dependable Discord. He wouldn't possibly try to lead any of us astray, would he? It's not like causing trouble is in his nature or anything." Sweetie lowered her ears, and Twilight softened her tone. "Look, Sweetie. I know you aren't the kind of pony who goes around making up stories. Usually," she added. "The problem is, there's something about what you told me that just doesn't add up!" She shook her head and looked at Sweetie. "How did you only get one muffin if you used a full cup of sugar and two cups of flour? It doesn't make any sense!" Sweetie Belle blinked. She hadn't really expected it to be easy to explain everything to Twilight, but she couldn't have predicted that the studious alicorn would get caught up in such a minor detail. "We used Pinkie's miniature cups," she explained with a shrug. "She said she uses them for beginners." Twilight's eyelids lowered. "Of course she does." She spun around and trotted over to her desk, then used her magic to open one of the many books that was scattered upon it. She examined the book closely for a moment, then her eyes rose and locked onto Sweetie. "So tell me," Twilight continued casually. "If Discord says you can read and understand any language, then that would mean you can understand magical languages too, correct?" Sweetie had studied magic in a limited fashion with help from Rarity, and occasionally Twilight, but she had never tried anything advanced, and certainly nothing in a foreign language. She shook her head. "I'm not sure. I wouldn't think–" "Well there's only one way to find out!" Twilight said. She used her magic to levitate the book she had been reading over to Sweetie Belle. "If Discord said you can read any language, then you should be able to read this." "What is it?" Sweetie asked, curiously peering at it. "Oh, nothing," Twilight said with a smug smile. "It's only a spell book written in a lost draconic dialect that took me four hours cross-referencing six different books just to translate the title! I haven't even begun to translate any of the spells. But I'm sure if Discord–" "Controlling Our Destiny," Sweetie muttered, her eyes fixated on the strange runes before her. "A Selection of Magic From the Greatest of the Dragon Lords." She didn't know how it worked, but one moment she had been looking at weird little symbols, and the next moment she fully understood what it said. She looked up to ask Twilight if she was correct. Twilight just stood there, eyes wide and mouth open. It was obvious that she was right. When Twilight recovered several minutes later, she stared intently at Sweetie and drew uncomfortably close. "Tell me what the first page says," Twilight whispered.
Chapter 4 - Alone"Now show me," Twilight Sparkle said. Sweetie Belle glanced at the spell book one more time, then allowed it to float down to the desk before extinguishing the glowing green aura of her magic from it. She looked at Twilight, who smiled and nodded, signaling that it was okay for her to begin. She took a deep breath, exhaled, then cast her eyes downward. An almost electric surge of anticipation flowed down her spine and out through her body. What she was about to attempt was something only the most advanced students of magic could ever hope to accomplish, and even then there was no surviving evidence that any of them had ever been successful. But the idea of failing was of no concern. What was frightening—thrilling, exhilarating—was the absolute knowledge that she would succeed. Of that, there was no doubt. She hesitated only a moment longer, then raised her eyes and concentrated. The effect was immediate. The space in the middle of Twilight's study filled up with a large, spherical, three-dimensional image in full color. Both Sweetie and Twilight had known what to expect, but the look on Twilight's face as she stared open-mouthed at the slowly rotating image suggested that perhaps she still hadn't believed that it would actually happen. Her eyes traced every surface of the sphere, unblinking, as her mouth slowly formed a smile. "This... this is–" Twilight began, though her words failed her. She closed her mouth and continued to stare, her eyes glistening. "Our world," Sweetie said quietly. "Once known as Sanctuary, according to the spell's creator." "It's... beautiful." Twilight circled the image, stopping on occasion to take a closer look at various regions. When she thought Twilight was satisfied, Sweetie concentrated and zoomed in on a particular area of the image, expanding it outward until it was no longer a sphere, but a three dimensional image of a room. Within that room... "Is that—" Twilight began. She waved a hoof at the image, then let out a delighted gasp. "It is!" She waved again, watching herself within the image waving as well. She then turned to Sweetie as her image did the same. "This... is... amazing! A spell that can show us what is happening anywhere in the world in real time? Can you imagine the possibilities?" Sweetie smiled. Of course the spell would work; she knew it would from the moment she had read the spell book. It still felt good to be able to impress somepony as magically talented as Twilight Sparkle, though. Maybe her new abilities wouldn't be so bad, after all. "Can you show us something else?" Twilight asked. "What do you want to see?" "Everything!" Sweetie happily obliged. They zoomed in on Applejack bucking apple trees in her orchard. They watched Rainbow Dash napping in one of her favorite clouds. It was addictive, and they eagerly watched as Sweetie jumped from pony to pony, laughing at some of the silly antics they saw, and smiling at the rest. Eventually Sweetie's eyes lit up. "I know! Let's see what Diamond Tiara is up to." It had been a few weeks since she had finally become friends with the filly who had once been one of her biggest tormentors in school. Since then she had welcomed the opportunity to include Diamond in on anything she and her other friends got up to. She concentrated, and the image focused upon a little filly lying on a bed. Standing beside the bed, an angry scowl on her face, was Diamond Tiara's mother, Spoiled Rich. Sweetie and Twilight watched as Spoiled soundlessly shouted at her daughter, whose eyes began to glisten with tears. Sweetie took an involuntary step back, and the image disappeared, the spell broken. She felt her cheeks redden, her heartbeat increase. She looked at Twilight. "I don't like this spell anymore..." Twilight's smiled had disappeared. "No. No, I don't think I like it much anymore, either." She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. I should have been more cautious. A spell like this could be very dangerous if misused." Sweetie looked up. "You mean like we just did?" Twilight blushed, and they both went silent. After a few moments of awkwardness, Sweetie spoke. "I need to go see Diamond." She turned to leave. Twilight teleported in front of her, blocking the way. "No, Sweetie Belle! Your friend can't know that we were watching her. Nopony can." Sweetie made to walk around her, but Twilight moved again. "Now that we've seen what it's capable of, we both know that this spell is dangerous! We shouldn't have used it. Nopony should. What I need to do is take you to see Princess Celestia. She may understand what has happened to you." "No." Twilight blinked. "I'm sorry?" Sweetie frowned. "No. I don't want to go see the princess. Discord was right, I need to figure this out on my own." Twilight opened her mouth, closed it. She tried again. "Sweetie, you hold the key to unlocking secrets of magic that have been locked away for centuries. Thousands of years, even! With your help we could discover spells that would help our civilization advance beyond our wildest dreams! Think about it. You were able to cast that spell flawlessly after studying it for only a few minutes!" She began to pace back and forth. "I don't know how or why it came to be, but somehow you possess a greater understanding of magic than those who have dedicated their entire lives to the craft. Does this mean that you not only understand every spoken language, but the language of magic as well? Or do you understand the draconic language so well that you fully comprehended what the spell's creator intended based on what he had written? There are so many questions we need answered, and if you just—" "Twilight!" Sweetie shouted. Twilight stopped in mid-sentence and stared, wide-eyed, at Sweetie. Her hoof was still raised, mid-step. "I don't want to see the princess. I don't want to unlock the mysteries of magic." Sweetie sighed and stared at the floor. "I just... want to be left alone. I have to get away from here." "Sweetie, you can't mean—" Sweetie looked up and stared intently at Twilight. "I mean it. I need to be by myself for a while." Twilight opened her mouth, but Sweetie continued. "If I stay here, it's going to cause problems. I hear too many voices all the time. It's hard to sort them all out, and ponies are already giving me weird looks. I think Discord was right. I shouldn't have come to you for help." Twilight winced. "Sweetie, I'm not going to force you to read anything you don't want to. I wouldn't be a very good friend if I did." "That's not it, Twilight." Sweetie said. "I'll be tempted to read them all, and we both know what a bad idea that would be." She looked around, feeling helpless. "I don't want to go to Canterlot, and I can't stay here." Twilight studied Sweetie's face for some time before she finally nodded. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're right. It might be best if you take a short break. A day or two away from town should be enough time to clear your head a bit, and then maybe we can decide on how to proceed from there." Sweetie smiled. Finally somepony understood! She would miss her friends, but it would only be for a few days. She just needed some time away from everything so she could focus. She frowned when Twilight trotted over to a bookcase and came back bearing a spell book, but Twilight patted her head reassuringly. "Don't worry, this is a beginner's spell book. There's nothing in here that you're likely to disapprove of, and I think if you're going to be heading off by yourself you should be prepared, just in case." Sweetie thanked her and she continued. "I can handle explanations as to why you won't be home or at school for the next few days. As far as your parents and everypony else is concerned, you're taking part in some special magical training for a few days. Which is, of course, exactly what you are doing. They just won't be told of the specifics." Twilight let out a nervous chuckle. Sweetie spent a bit more time with Twilight sorting out the details of her trip. She was to stay out of the Everfree forest, and not stray too far from Ponyville. Twilight explained that the fact that Sweetie had finally earned her cutie mark was proof that she was growing up and could be trusted to do some things on her own, but it was still important to have a plan just in case something went wrong. She had food and supplies packed away in her saddlebags, including Twilight's spell book. All there was left to do was say goodbye to her friends. She waved goodbye to Twilight and headed towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Chapter 5 - The Glass PrisonApplejack opened the door after the second knock. "Oh hey there, Sweetie Belle," she said, smiling. She removed her hat and motioned Sweetie inside. "Apple Bloom just got back from the bog. She an' Scootaloo are in her room if ya wanna head on up there." Sweetie murmured her thanks and trotted up the familiar staircase. She could hear her friends talking as she made her way down the hallway to Apple Bloom's room. When she arrived, she stood in the doorway and knocked on the door frame. "Oh hey, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said. "Come on in." Apple Bloom's room looked almost the same on this day as it did the first time Sweetie could ever recall visiting. She looked at the wood plank walls, painted alternating shades of green with a few daisies added here and there as accents. Pushed up against the wall immediately to Sweetie's right was the large, blue wooden wardrobe with hearts carved into its doors that she would sometimes hide in during hide and seek. Along the wall to her left, near the middle of the room, was Apple Bloom's covered, four poster double bed—complete with pink apple blankets—which they would sometimes share during sleepovers. A toy chest painted the same blue as the wardrobe was along the far wall next to the window, and a matching dresser was directly across from the bed. Upon that dresser was a new addition to the room: a glass aquarium that held a rather large frog within. Sweetie entered the room and sat down near the foot of the bed. "Hey, girls," she said. "What's up?" "You missed it," Scootaloo said. She continued rapidly. "Me and Apple Bloom were at the bog, and the smell was awful, but it was so cool because we were searching for ages and didn't find anything. Until we heard this big old croak, and Apple Bloom was like 'What was that?' but I was totally relaxed and knew it was just a frog, and—" "Hey!" Apple Bloom interjected. She pointed an accusatory hoof at Scootaloo. "You're the one who jumped back and fell into the bog!" Scootaloo cringed, and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Yeah, well, I was just, um, preparing a sneak attack just in case it was a monster pretending to be a frog." "Likely story," Apple Bloom muttered. "It's a better story than your frog-catching skills," Scootaloo retorted, rolling her eyes. "We'd have been at that bog all day if I hadn't grabbed the jar off of you and done it myself." "What?" Apple Bloom said, aghast. "I'll have you know that we wouldn't have even been at the bog if we didn't use my supplies! You didn't even have—" Sweetie Belle looked away and automatically tuned out the rest of her friends' argument. They'd make up soon enough, and besides, she didn't come over to hear about frog catching, she came over to let her friends know that she'd be away for a few days. It wasn't like they'd never had time apart before, but letting them know was just a nice thing to do. She stared at one of the walls while she waited for her friends to finish. "And they're at it again," came a voice from nearby, followed by a sigh. "Yeah, tell me about it," Sweetie absently responded. "Holy sweet Celestia!" came a sudden shout from Scootaloo. Sweetie glanced over to see her friend staring wide-eyed at her. "How'd you do that?" "Scootaloo, language!" Apple Bloom scolded. "Do ya want Applejack to come up here and tan our hides?" Scootaloo wasn't paying attention, however. Her eyes were glued to Sweetie Belle. "Seriously," Scootaloo said, oblivious to Apple Bloom's glare. "How did you do that thing with your throat?" She was grinning as if she'd just seen Rainbow Dash pull off a new aerial move. Sweetie stood up and took a step backward. She looked at Apple Bloom. "I'm not sure what she's talking about," she said, truthfully. She glanced at Scootaloo. "I didn't do anything with my throat. Did you maybe bump your head when you fell in the bog?" "I didn't fall into the bog," Scootaloo grumbled. "I jumped in on purpose!" "You fell in," Apple Bloom said. "Did not!" Scootaloo shouted. The discussion once again devolved into an argument, and Sweetie found herself glaring at the wall impatiently. She wasn't sure what Scootaloo had been talking about, and it was unsettling that her friend would suddenly say something so weird. She absently rubbed her throat with a hoof. Certainly she would notice if something odd had happened. "So how did you do that?" a voice asked. This time Sweetie took notice. The voice wasn't Apple Bloom's, Scootaloo's, or even Applejack's, and it had come from somewhere above her. She looked up and saw that the frog Scootaloo had captured had its face pressed up against the glass of the aquarium. It was staring at her expectantly. Uh oh. So that was what Scootaloo had seen. The last thing Sweetie needed was her friends thinking she had gone crazy. She stole a glance at them and saw that they were both too occupied with their argument to give her any notice. She peered up at the frog and risked a quick response. "Not now, can't talk," she whispered. The frog's reaction was immediate. It bounced up and down and put its webbed hands on the side of the glass. "So you can hear me!" it exclaimed. The frog lifted a finger to its chin. "I wonder how you managed that? Anyway, that's not important. You must help me get out of here!" Sweetie did her best to ignore the frog's outburst. Every now and again, Apple Bloom or Scootaloo would look her way, then focus back on their argument. One of them would see her if she responded, and while she didn't know exactly what Scootaloo had seen, it didn't take much imagination to figure it out. She needed to get out of there before it happened again. "Hey! I know you can hear me," the frog said indignantly. "Get me out of here, I promise you won't regret it!" "Um, girls?" Sweetie said. A bead of sweat ran down her face as she did her best to ignore the frog. "Girls!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom halted their argument and looked her way. Even the frog went silent. "Oh, sorry Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said. Any indication that she had just been arguing disappeared and was replaced with an expectant smile. "What was it you wanted to say?" Sweetie looked back and forth between her friends. It was amazing how quickly they got over their disagreements. It was one of the things she loved about them. "I came over to let you know that Twilight set aside a few days for some, um, special training to help me with my magic." It wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the entire truth. "It means that I'll be gone for a few days. I just wanted to let you know." "Aww, we're gonna miss ya!" Apple Bloom said. She moved in for a quick hug. "Even if it's only a few days." "Yeah," Scootaloo agreed. "I was gonna show you some new moves I learned on my scooter but—" she grinned—"I'll just show you when you get back." Her eyes lit up. "And you can show me all the cool magic tricks you've learned!" "Hey!" Apple Bloom said suddenly. "Do you have time to stick around for lunch? Granny was gonna prepare some for me an' Scootaloo, but I'm sure she won't mind making a little extra!" "Sure!" Sweetie beamed. "I'd like that very much." "And you can sneak me out of here when they go downstairs!" the frog cried from his glass prison. "Sounds like a brilliant plan!" Scootaloo walked over to the aquarium and looked at the frog. "Gee, he sure is a lot more lively all of a sudden. Wonder why?" She shrugged and ran over to the bedroom door. "Oh well. Let's get going! I'm starving." "Me too!" Apple Bloom said. "As am I!" the frog pleaded. He gave Sweetie a pointed look. Sweetie followed her friends to the doorway and watched them trot down the stairs. She turned back to face the frog. "I'm really sorry," she mumbled, then turned back and headed downstairs to join her friends.
