Magic Doesn't Affect Drifting
The castle of friendship towered over the rustic buildings of Ponyville, its crystal walls glistening in the moonlight of the night. Most of the castle was dark and quiet, with the princess of friendship Twilight Sparkle getting some sleep along with her number one assistant baby dragon named Spike.
However, the castle wasn't completely silent. One particular unicorn with a purple and turquoise mane and tail was currently levitating a spell book between herself and another unicorn in the room. The two were both distracted, the light purple unicorn double checking a passage in a book. The other unicorn who had a light blue fur coat, was more focused on a bit of dust that was stained on a dark purple wizards hat with multiple stars scattered through the fabric.
The unicorn reading the book is Starlight Glimmer, reformed enemy of Twilight who had gone so far as travel through time just to try and ruin the alicorns friendships with her friends. Fate had a weird way of working, mainly because she was now basically the Princess of Friendship's student.
"Are you sure about this Trixie?” Starlight asked, not sure if her friend was ready for this spell yet.
"I'm always sure about magic, especially when it helps dazzle the crowd." Trixie responded, setting her wizards hat back on her head. She was also wearing a matching purple and star patterned cape which was draped over her back.
Starlight rolled her eyes at the exclamation, but couldn't help but chuckle as she trotted over to the other side of the room. She levitated a red marker from its spot on a large crystal table and drew a large red X on the ground. She made sure that it was easy to see from where Trixie was standing, before setting the marker aside and went over to her friend's side.
"Alright then, since this is your first time teleporting yourself, i'm tasking you to simply teleport over to that red X from here." Starlight exclaimed, pointing with a forehoof over at the X.
"Piece of cake." Trixie replied, channeling her magic into a teleportation spell.
Starlight made sure to keep an eye on Trixie's horn, watching for any sudden sparks of raw magic that might slip through the unicorn's concentration. She also took note that Trixie's horn was glowing a lot brighter than when she had done other spells, even the teleportation spells that she'd used on inanimate objects.
Trixie's expression still held a cocky showmare grin, but cracks were beginning to show through her facade as the strain began taking its toll on the unicorn. But Trixie didn't back down, determined to get the spell right. Her horn glowed brighter, faint bits of magic sparking off the sides as the spell refused to be cast.
"Trixie? I think you should stop now, you're channeling to much magic!" Starlight stated, but her words fell on deaf ears.
Trixie's entire world seemed to slow down, the only thing she could see being the red X on the other side of the room. She could do it, she WOULD do it. She was the great and powerful Trixie! A simple teleportation spell wouldn't best her!
Beats if sweat were now dripping from Trixie's forehead, her eyes squeezing shut as she continued her attempts at the spell. If Starlight hadn't been worried before, she definitely was now. She kept calling out to her friend, only to be met with silence. Whatever Trixie was doing, it was causing several sparks of magic to fly from her horn now, each one creating steam once they made contact with the crystal floors.
"TRIXIE! YOU NEED TO STOP!" Starlight shouted, no longer caring if Twilight or Spike woke up.
Starlight tried to cast a spell to shield the area around Trixie, but before she could even ignite her horn, she was met with a blinding white flash of light from Trixie. The entire room was engulfed in the flash, erasing every shadow and cranny of darkness in its path.
Slowly, the white flash faded away, allowing the room and all the objects inside it to take shape again to the naked eye. But now, the room was empty with zero signs of anypony having been there, besides the red X marked on the ground...
Trixie awoke to the sights of several overgrown trees and moss covered rocks surrounding herself. She was lying on damp overgrown grass, her hat a few hoof-lengths away from her head. To her right was Starlight, who was also taking in their surroundings as she got up on all four hooves.
Trixie did the same, her ears instantly hit with the sounds of wildlife and creaky branches that surrounded the miniature clearing they were in. She took hold of her wizards hat and set it back on her head, before glancing over to meet her friends worried gaze.
"Um... I did it?" Trixie said sheepishly.
"Yes, yes you did. But you ended up somehow teleporting us into a rather familiar and unfriendly forest and took me with you." Starlight replied, staring up at the glowing full moon.
Trixie glanced around the area again, realizing that the trees did look familiar. That was when it hit her, the scary noises, the uncomfortable ambiance. She had teleported herself and Starlight into the Everfree Forest!
"Oh."
Starlight resisted the urge to facehoof, before sighing. "It's ok, I can just teleport us back and we can do some more studying before trying again."
Trixie was about to tell her friend that she didn't need to study more, but was cut off before she could even start. A loud howl echoed around the two, followed by the sounds of claws scraping against grass. The two unicorns quickly scanned the area, listening intently for anymore howls or approaching claws.
After a few moments of silence, Trixie broke her search and locked eyes with Starlight; "W-What? A-Afraid of a few h-howls?"
As those words left Trixie's mouth, several pairs of lime green circles appeared in the underbrush. Another round of howls rang out from the forest before a timberwolf emerged before the two unicorns.
The timberwolf snarled at the mares, its sharp wooden teeth in full view from the moonlight. Before the two could react, another timberwolf emerged from the underbrush next to the first one, then another, and another. Soon, the entire clearing was being surrounded by a circle of timberwolves, each one eyeing the two with malicious intent.
"You've really done it now Trix... " Starlight muttered, earning a roar from the timberwolf in front of them.
"Can we please leave the comments until later!?" Trixie retorted, fear easily seen in her eyes.
Starlight didn't have to be told twice, igniting her horn in preparation for the teleportation spell. The growing glow of magic attracted the timberwolf in front of them, its pupil-less eyes locked onto the light. Before either of the two unicorns could react to the sudden advance, the timberwolves left claw sliced at Starlight's horn, causing a large crack to form around the middle of it.
The spell cut out instantly, its only remnant being a few dying sparks that hit the grass below. Not a split second later, Starlight was launched into a nearby tree, knocking her out cold. Trixie's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at seeing her friend getting tossed aside like used paper, her fear slowly changing to anger.
Trixie tried firing a beam of magic at the timberwolf, like how she had seen Starlight do. But her horn barely let out a weak paper-thin strand that faded out of existence before it could even reach its target. The timberwolves advanced towards Trixie, each one seemed to be somehow grinning as they cornered their prey.
Trixie glanced between the timberwolves, to Starlight, to the forest around her. She needed to teleport herself and more importantly, her friend out of there and to a hospital. She channeled her magic once again, trying desperately to picture Ponyvilles hospital along with herself and Starlight being there.
The timberwolves locked onto Trixie's horn like they had done to Starlights, and were ready to pounce. But before they could move, a loud crackling sound rang through the clearing, catching everyone's attention.
Above a timberwolf that was close to Starlight, a white circular vortex seemed to open up, white flames flowing in an invisible wind around the opening. Then, something fell out of it and onto the timberwolf with a loud SMASH!
Trixie slowly opened her eyes, instantly noticing a strange white and black object that now rested on top of a pile of twigs. The object's underbelly was jet black, while the rest was ice white with no signs of scratches anywhere. There were six windows, one large one on the front and back, with four smaller ones on the sides. There were four glowing squares on the front, two were below while two were on what looked like a hood, each one producing powerful beams of light. There were four jet black wheels along the undercarriage, none were made of wood like her wagon or a stagecoach.
On the right side, a door was open, strange symbols going across the right side that seemed to be some sort of language. Trixie took the time the timberwolves were stunned by the sudden appearance of the machine to rush over to Starlight, who was struggling to open her eyes. But once they did, the unicorn stared at the machine in confusion.
"Is that a car?" Starlight questioned.
"What's a car? Nevermind, we need to get out of here now!" Trixie stated, hoisting Starlight onto her hooves and over to the opening that the 'car' had made.
However, before they could take off into the forest, the timberwolves snapped out of their shocked states and charged the two unicorns. Trixie locked her gaze on the open door, and without thinking twice, helped Starlight in before leaping in herself and shut the door.
The timberwolves were on the car in moments, each one trying to open it up to get to the ponies inside. The entire car rocked back and forth as a pair of timberwolves tried to push it over, but the weight of the machine kept it from flipping over entirely.
Inside, Trixie was looking at the strange gadgets and gizmos that were now in front of her. There was a wheel that had a circular symbol in the middle, behind it were a set of dials that had yellow needles resting on the far left. Below her were three pedals, one on the left, one in the middle, and one on the right.
Whatever this thing was, it had Trixie's mind scrambled. But Starlight seemed to recognize it somehow. She was about to say something when the entire car shook violently due to a shove from a timberwolf.
"Trixie, I know this will sound strange, but i've seen these things before. What we're in is an automobile, I've seen them in ano- nevermind. What matters is that this thing can move, you need to hit the far right pedal." Starlight instructed.
"With what? My hooves don't reach!" Trixie responded, feeling herself rocking in the seat as another wolf bashed itself into the back of the car.
"Use your magic!"
Trixie ignited her horn, her light pinkish purple aura quickly encasing the far right pedal. Her magic pushed it down, but instead of the car moving, a loud roar sounded not from the timberwolves, but from the car itself. Trixie looked over at Starlight for some kind of answer as to why they were still there and not moving.
Starlight stared at the center stick, then over at the three pedals, before mentally slapping herself. If she did it physically, then her already throbbing horn would hurt even more. She couldn't even cast a spell!
"It's a manual, why did it have to be a manual!?" Starlight asked nopony in particular, before pointing towards the center stick. "Ok, what you need to do Trix, is hit the left pedal and quickly move this stick into first gear, then let go of the pedal and hit the right one."
Trixie hoped to Celestia that Starlight knew what she was doing, before hitting the pedal and moved the stick forwards with her left forehoof. A click was heard, and Trixie took this as the moment to hit the other pedal, which led to the two jolting backwards as the car suddenly took off towards the trees.
"The wheel is used to steer! TURN LEFT!" Starlight shouted, eyes locked on the approaching tree.
Trixie frantically grabbed the wheel in front of herself and spun it to the left, causing the car to change directions and narrowly avoided the tree. Trixie continued to spin the wheel as she avoided each tree that was ahead of them, but a few late turns caused the back to take a couple dings from a tree trunk or a branch.
Luckily, the two wound up on the dirt path that led through the forest, opening up the road and allowed Trixie to stop frantically twisting the wheel. That small moment of relaxation vanished instantly when the two glanced over at what looked like a small mirror, only to realize that they were being chased by the pack of timberwolves.
A loud clicking sound began to ring through the car, causing Starlight to point at one of the dials. "Once that dial is about to reach the red, hit the left pedal and move the stick into the next gear." She exclaimed.
"How in Celestia's name do you know all of this!?" Trixie asked, but did what Starlight had instructed and managed to shift the car up into a higher gear. The clicking sound vanished, but the wolves behind them only seemed to be getting closer.
"Long story! It involved Twilight's friend and a mirror, but we can talk about this later! LOOK OUT!" Starlight screamed.
Trixie's eyes locked onto an oncoming sharp turn, and at the speed they were going, they were gonna hit the trees for sure! She didn't know what to do, and with a frantic push of a button on the center console, music began to play.
Neither Trixie or Starlight recognized the song, but something deep inside Trixie seemed to activate, drowning out Starlight's screams and the howls of the timberwolves behind them. Whatever that music had done, Trixie suddenly felt focused, only seeing the dirt road ahead of herself. Then, instinct took over.
Trixie's left forehoof anchored itself on the center stick, her magic locked onto all three pedals. With mere seconds between the car and the corner, Trixie spun the wheel while simultaneously shifted gears. The cars tires squealed against the dirt road, the entire machine turning sideways while still going forwards. Once the car had hit the corner, the car managed to drift perfectly around it, the rear bumper narrowly missing a tree trunk.
Starlight, who had just witnessed the whole thing, stared slack jawed in amazement at what her friend had just pulled off.
"Trixie, that was amazing! Where did you learn-" Starlight trailed off when she noticed that Trixie's expression had changed into something she had only ever seen once before. And that had been Twilight when she was researching a project while going near warp speed in her library.
Trixie's eyes were locked ahead, her grip tight on the wheel. Her hat seemed to cast a shadow that covered some of her eyes, making her look even more focused. She wasn't even grinning like she does whenever accomplishing a major or minor task. Even when she pulled the lid off of a stuck peanut butter jar she had grinned as if she had just won a war or something, but there wasn't even the trace of a smile across her muzzle.
Several howls from behind quickly captured Starlight's attention, reminding her that the wolves were still in hot pursuit. She was about to tell Trixie that, but was quickly distracted with another sharp turn. Trixie on the other hoof, was unnerved. She mimicked what she had done before, keeping the car stable as it drifted around the corner right into another.
Somehow, Trixie twisted the wheel perfectly in tune with the music, causing the car to go right into another drift and went around the hairpin turn. Even with the astonishing drifting skills, the wolves were somehow still chasing them. Trixie didn't even glance in the mirror's direction, eyes remaining glued to the road. She shifted up, yanked the wheel, shifted again, and hit the gas.
Starlight was now hanging onto the seat for dear life, each turn managing to nearly send her flying, yet never did. The music continued to flow through the car, each beat matched with the car as Trixie continued to drift it through the forest.
Up ahead, Starlight noticed something that made her blood run cold. A cliff-side with no bridge or any type of path in sight. Trixie spotted it as well, her magic wrapping around a lever next to her seat. Once the lever was pulled, the car squealed loudly as it pulled a complete one eighty right before the cliff. The headlights now illuminated the pack of wolves that were advancing towards them.
"Trixie?" Starlight asked, but her friend didn't reply.
Trixie waited patiently as the group of timberwolves got closer, knowing that they had cornered their prey. Her magical aura was still on the pedals, her hoof resting idly on the middle stick. She waited... and waited... and waited.
The wolves were now about a single pony length away from them, that was when Trixie saw her opening. She shifted up, hit the gas, and spun the wheel. The car swerved and drifted between the timberwolves, each one not able to even scratch the paint of the car due to its movements.
The car was through the pack in the blink of an eye, speeding off down the path as it left the wolves in the dust.
Starlight awoke to see that she was in a hospital bed, bandages around her horn and left forehoof. She looked around the room, noticing that Trixie was nowhere in sight. Had she blacked out during the chase? Had the chase even happened? Trixie had acted so strangely, and what were the odds that she just so happened to teleport a car from another dimension and then master drifting in seconds!
A knock on the door broke her trail of thought, followed by a deep voice from the other side. "Ms. Glimmer? You have visitors. You want to see them?"
"Uh, sure." Starlight responded.
A few seconds later, Trixie rushed into the room, along with Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the mane six. All of them had worried expressions across their faces, but they seemed to ease up at seeing Starlight awake.
"Starlight! Thank Celestia you're alright." Trixie stated. "You are alright, right?"
"I believe so, but what happened?" Starlight asked.
Twilight was the one to answer instead of Trixie; "Well, I wound up waking up to a loud boom from downstairs, only to find nopony there. So I checked your room, and you weren't there. So I went outside to see if you for some reason were out there, but I only saw Trixie's wagon. Now knowing that she had been over here, I assumed that Trixie had probably backfired a spell, so I got to work searching with everypony else. After a while, when we were beginning to lose hope, Trixie came out of the Everfree Forest with you on her back, calling out for a doctor. We rushed you here as fast as we could, and by the looks of things, we got you here just in time. Your horn was badly cracked, but hopefully it should be all healed up within the next few weeks."
"Huh? Wait, what about the car?" Starlight questioned.
"What car?" Twilight responded.
"Trixie drove us out of the Everfree Forest in a car." Starlight said, looking over at Trixie for her to back her up.
Trixie rose an eyebrow; "What's a car?"
"Huh, guess I did dream up the whole thing... nevermind." Starlight responded.
The rest of the visiting time was spent by Trixie bragging about how she had carried Starlight to safety away from a pack of wild timberwolves with her own bare hooves, followed by some random small talk. Once it was time for everypony to leave, Trixie was the last to depart. But before she did, she turned over to face the unicorn and winked.
Starlight was about to ask why she had winked, but the light blue unicorn had already vanished from sight, leaving Starlight with her thoughts. She was about to reach over to her nightstand to grab a book Twilight had left her, but stopped when she heard the roar of what sounded like a familiar car engine.
Starlight looked out the luckily very close window to her right, only for her eyes to widen. Outside the hospital, was a white and black car with four headlights and some strange symbols on the right side of it. In the drivers seat, sat Trixie, who was grinning before she drove off, leaving a dumbfounded yet smiling Starlight in the dust.
