Isn't school out on Nightmare night?
Isn't school out on Nightmare Night?
Author's Note
Hello!
So this is a story started for the Generation 5 Bingo writing contest. Which was three years ago. (2021) So keep that in mind since I don't think this story will fit with the current Gen 5 content. If things don't line up, it's because of that. But y'all can judge me if y'all like. Let me know how I did! (Besides the 10,000 word count. I'm terrible at short stories...)
Here's my bingo card. I was supposed to integrate as many of the ideas as I could:
Let me know how I did!
Isn't school out on Nightmare Night?
Click, click, click.
Click, click, click.
Sugar Moonlight smiled, reminiscing the familiar sound of her hooves clicking on the floor. She enjoyed this hallway. It reminded her of the times she’d walk down the tiled runway, equipped with gadgets that she had no idea about. She just knew that Canterlogic made them and wanted her to show them off.
She didn’t have to understand what they did. She just had to look stylish while doing so. Which she did stunningly.
A small smile crept onto her lips as she started to sport the runway walk she had perfected after several years. She could imagine the smiling ponies replacing the bland grey walls around her. The flashing lights, the bright runway lights, and the heat of those lights coating her in a comforting blanket.
“Sugar?” A sudden voice asked in front of her, “Uh, you’re doing it again.”
The daydream shattered, darkening her mood as she forced an awkward smile, “Oh, uh, sorry!” She took a step to the left and allowed the orange-colored pony to walk by. She didn’t know who it was, but she was used to that. Her fame had given many ponies her name so it didn’t catch her off guard. Well, not anymore.
Though she was annoyed now. Not really because of the pony but because she was reminded of the problem she was facing. The runways now wouldn’t be able to be graced by her presence. Well, unless she could get into fashion but she wasn’t too keen on that. That was much more stress.
Though it was still an option. She was now just transporting books and miscellaneous objects. Like jars! Jars! Empty useless jars!
She was thoroughly in a bad mood as she walked into her destination. A large room overflowing with books, random objects, and a multitude of objects that did look important. Though Sugar really didn’t care. She walked right up to Sweets. The pony in charge.
This pony was soo lucky! She was the, ‘smart,’ one. She didn’t lose her job! She was still able to mess with those, computer, thingys! She wasn’t downgraded to a mule taking items back and forth from one location to another! On Nightmare night of all nights!
She could feel the frown growing on her face her taste buds wishing for the treats she’d get from her nieces and nephews. Oh, she couldn’t forget her grandmother’s spooky cookies. Glumly, she pulled out her clipboard and offered it to the pony in front of her. She was tempted to mess with the clip but decided against it.
“—faction? What? No, it wasn’t really a faction. It was more of a kingdom filled with creatures that could change their appearance! At will! Could you imagine?!” Sweets said, talking to another pony.
“MMphf,” Sugar huffed through the clip board in her mouth.
Sweets turned to her and smiled, “Oh Sugar! Sorry about that; this is all very exciting!”
Sugar nodded glumly as the clipboard was removed from her mouth, “What’s so exciting about it?”
“History!” Sweets said, getting into the pony’s face, “Do you know how much knowledge is in this room right now? Sunny’s father’s research had reached a dead end until the Pegasi shared their history with us. Many things clicked and we found Canterlot! A long-since abandoned city filled with artifacts, magic, and secrets just waiting for us to find!”
Sugar frowned, unimpressed, “What’s so special about all this stuff?” She said, removing the saddle bags and placing them on the table to be sorted.
Sweets shared the pony’s frowned, “What? There is soo much knowledge here! History, magic, and things we don’t even know about!”
Sugar reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a plain glass jar, “This is a jar!”
Sweets smiled, “Yeah, but it could be made with magic! Stronger than our jars! Maybe its enchanted wit—”
“IT’S A JAR!!” Sugar shouted, slamming the glass object into the ground. It shattered, leaving a powder and sharp bits where it landed.
The two ponies stood still for a second. Sugar waiting for a response while Sweets was trying to process what had happened.
Crack!
The two ponies looked down at the shattered object as it started to spark and pop. It started to spark faster as the ponies took a step back. But it suddenly flashed as everything close by started to float in a bright aura, including the two ponies. They started to scream as they were spun in circles, creating a small cyclone that picked up several pieces of paper and other light objects before collapsing on itself with a large pop!
Sugar reappeared above a desk. She landed hard on the desk with a groan, then a yelp as Sweets landed on top of her. She growled and pushed the earth pony off of her. Who groaned as the push made her land behind the desk with a thud.
Sugar then looked and took in her surroundings among the floating pieces of paper.
“See? That wasn’t, just a jar,” Sweets said with annoyance, picking herself up from the floor, “It was some enchanted jar that warped us to who knows where!”
“Shut up,” Sugar said plainly.
“Excuse me?!”
Sugar silently put her hoof to Sweet’s face and turned it towards the front of the desk.
They were in a large room with bookshelves on either side of them. Black vines guarded the books, growing more prominent with time. Little leaves grew from the littlest of vines, basking in the little sunshine from the window behind them.
By the door in front of them, made up of a similar material, was a wolf. Its wooden limbs took unnaturally sharp angles as it formed legs and jaws. Sharpened little triangles marked teeth along the large jaw. Leaves made up the expected hair of the creature but were interrupted by squares of bark of differing colors. This one even had a few mushrooms growing along its back.
It was upright and at attention, the sudden commotion making it stare at the two ponies with glowing yellow eyes.
“A Timberwolf,” Sweets whispered, “We must be in the Everfree forest…”
Sugar felt confusion rise among her fear, “A what?” She too whispered but could barely hear herself.
Sweets didn’t answer as the Timberwolf growled. It took a few steps forward, cautiously sniffing the air as it went.
It growled once more, then pounced forward. Sugar yelped and threw herself out of the way. She barely managed to get out of the way of the living tree. It collided with the wall behind her, crumpling to the ground in a growling heap.
The two ponies rushed forward and dashed out the door. Sweets was the first one out and closed the door behind Sugar, who then braced herself against the door.
“What, the buck was that?!” She shouted but instantly regretted it as she saw what was in front of her.
Sweets followed her gaze to the several wolves that were now in front of them. Each pair of glowing yellow eyes were trained on them. Hungrily staring into their souls.
“Run!” Sweets shouted, running left down the hallway. Sugar didn’t hesitate as she followed close behind the pink pony. The two ran through the dilapidated hallways filled with plants invading the crystal walls with leaves and roots. The walls seemed originally white with alcoves for paintings and such. Nearly every one had been taken over by plants and the luster of the walls was covered with a thin layer of grime.
Sweets turned a corner, crashing into a stone pillar. The ancient piece of stone cracked along a weakened section and came down, crushing an unfortunate wolf.
“You okay?” Sugar asked the dazed pony.
The earth pony nodded, “I keep forgetting how much power we get when we got our Earth pony magic.”
Sugar nodded, understanding. Then she brought the other pony close to her face, “If this is some scary prank cause its Nightmare night, you are not going to want to sleep. Ever.” Sugar said with venom.
Sweets frowned, “It’s not a—”
A bark from the hallway behind them forced the two into motion. They quickly ran deeper into the hallway, desperately trying to maintain their footing at an abnormal speed.
The speed was ground to a halt as they ran into yet another group of Timberwolves. They had to adopt sitting positions to stop in time but the resulting scrapes or sores were not noticed in the threat of not stopping. Luckily, there was a door way next to them. No discussion or signals were needed as the two dived through it, only to find themselves in a large library.
“Quick! This way!” Sweets called and dashed forward. Sugar instinctively followed the pony as she ran up a slightly curved stair case. Though at the top she stopped and motioned for Sugar to go past her.
“What are you doing?!” She asked as she saw the Timberwolves enter the library.
Sweets did not answer. Rather, she reared up and brought her front hooves back down on the top step of the stairs. It responded with a resounding crack of crystal. It shuddered then the top half fell with more crinkling of crystal.
Then the whole upper floor creaked and leaned towards the broken staircase. Several hundred books fell out of their shelves and slid along the floor till they fell off or their cases provided enough friction to remain. The two ponies lurched forward but otherwise remained secure. They did though get enveloped in the resulting dust storm but it quickly cleared.
Sugar’s face was a mix of confusion, awe, and fear. She wasn’t sure how the earth pony had broken crystal with a single hit but was glad the pony did. She felt fear in her gut for the top floor collapsing. Could she do that?
She stared quietly at the wolves sniffing the shards of broken crystal that had separated from the staircase, showcasing the pure colors that the wall was before time had its way with them.
“Uh, what did you do?” Sugar asked, finally finding her voice. The Timberwolves turned towards them, tilting their heads ever so slightly.
“Earth pony magic, don’t you remember?” Sweets replied, breathing heavily. She was draped over the side of where the staircase had been, her hooves dangling into now open air. However, as the wolves got close to them, they were hastily retrieved.
“Uh, yeah. I’m an earth pony,” Sugar said with a bit of confusion and annoyance, “But I’m pretty sure I can’t do that.”
Sweets smiled, “Maybe not, but it's probable. I’ve been working on training my magic so I can finally lift those mechanical parts for my systems. However, it's not just magic I’ve found. You definitely have to work on building muscle. The magic helps the muscles work a lot harder. You don’t need nearly as much muscle mass to pick up a similar load.”
Sugar frowned, noticing now that the pony had gotten slightly more muscular, “So I need to go to the gym more?”
Sweets shrugged picking herself off the broken floor, “Yeah, pretty much. The more you work the stronger you get. It’s just much easier for earth ponies. Though, as you saw,” She gestured towards the stair case, “Sometimes you can just get a massive boost of strength when you need it.”
“But why destroy the stairs? Couldn’t you have just knocked them to twigs?”
Sweets frowned, “You really expect me to take on a whole den of these things?”
“A den?” Sugar asked with confusion.
The frown grew on Sweets' face, “Yes! The plant growth, the large number of Timberwolves, and seeing several young ones as well! We, are inside their home! Because you decided to break a magical object!”
“Well I—” Sugar shouted, about to retaliate when a large Timberwolf paw scratched the edge of the broken floor above. It had jumped. And nearly made it up.
The two ponies looked at each other with silent agreement, “Let’s find an exit, they won’t stay down there forever.”
Sugar nodded, “Agreed.”
The two ponies then scoured the top floor, staying away from the broken staircase as they could. The wolves trailed below, waiting for an opportunity. Though, to their dismay, no such opportunity occurred. But nor did the two frantic ponies find an exit either.
“Alright, this is just great!” Sugar complained breathing heavily, “We are now stuck with Timberwolves wanting our hides below us, and we’ve destroyed the only way down and up!” She chuckled, “Why does this have to happen on Nightmare night?”
“It's not the only way up and down,” Sweets said sharing a bit of her mirth.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” The pink pony nodded, pointing with a hoof toward an intact staircase.
Sugar looked towards the broken staircase and the intact one, “Now you tell me?! Why are there two staircases!?!” Sugar complained with vigor.
“Well, symmetry. It's aesthetically pleasing! Not too mention helps with crowd—”
Sugar gave the pony an exasperated look, “Screw symmetry!” She cried, waving a hoof, “They can get up to us now!!”
“No, not necessarily,” Sweets said calmly, “These creatures aren’t the smartest. We have time. We need to relax and think!”
Sugar frowned, “How am I supposed to think rationally right now?! We are going to die!”
Sweets shook her head, “You’ve seen those old spy movies, right? Where the spy enters a secret lair by pulling a book from the shelf?”
Sugar rolled her eyes, “Special effects!? You’re betting our survival on movie effects?”
Sweets frowned, “You’ve got a better idea?!”
The white pony shook her head.
Sweets nodded firmly, “Okay, if a secret mechanism was hidden, it wouldn’t be in any of these bookshelves.” She gestured at the isolated shelves, “Nothing for the mechanism to hide in.”
“Okay,” Sugar said impatiently, “Where would you put something of the sort?”
“On the back wall,” She replied simply. She led the way to the back shelves, Sugar close behind.
“Alright, now what? Do I just start pulling books?” Sugar said but got her answer immediately as the pony started to pull on random books.
Sugar grumbled as she followed suit, pulling random books of varying sizes off the shelves. What a wonderful night this was turning out to be. At first, she just wasn’t going to have sweets but now she wasn’t going to have a life to be able to spend with her family.
“Stupid magic jar,” She mumbled but then pulled on a book that didn’t seem to want to come out. It was a large dictionary but its size didn’t warrant it getting stuck as there was nothing on the other side of it. So she pulled harder, feeling a mechanism click and pull behind it. The book then pulled itself back into position and the entire book shelf then pushed itself forward and started to slide to the left.
“Seee?!” Sweets said, rushing over, “Our precursors didn’t have much in the sense of technology. That developed in our generations. Though they were really close to our technological level! Some sort of event happened to stem that growth. Something—”
“Green!!” Sugar finished letting the pony give her a confused face.
“What?” Sweets said, turning to look at what Sugar was pointing to.
The Timberwolves had found the second staircase.
Quickly, the two ponies threw themselves into the hidden passageway. Sweets looked around and found a small panel on the side wall. She pushed it, revealing that it was a button.
The mechanism responded with a large clunk, slowly moving the staircase back into position. The Timberwolves tried to get through the opening before it closed but they were too slow. One managed to get its head in but lost it as the bookshelf forced itself closed. The severed part blinked a few times before crumbling into a pile of miscellaneous forest debris.
“Okay, now what?” Sugar exclaimed after a moment of staring at the remains.
Sweets followed her further into the little cubby. It was a tiny little room barely fitting the two of them. It was outlined with shelves of books. Hundreds of books were stuffed into the adjacent walls with a large comfortable sitting pillow. The walls were made up of bright crystal white walls that sparkled with a brilliance that was hidden from eyes for who knows how long. A little desk was next to the pillow, set in the middle of the room. A tiny little lamp rested on the desk, providing a lot more light than expected.
“Uh,” Sweets said after taking in the sights, “I’m not sure?”
There was a thud from the wall behind them.
“And that?” Sugar asked, looking expectantly at the pony.
“That’s probably the Timberwolves,” Sweets said, fear leaking into her voice, “But they probably can’t break through!” She said hopefully.
The two then remained silent as the banging continued. The sound of claws scraping against the crystal walls pierced the little room. Making the room echo with the sound and the fear emanating from the two ponies. However, it went quiet after a half hour.
The two ponies didn’t dare exit the little room though. The fear of the potential threats kept them huddled together and very quiet.
“When do you think it’ll be safe to leave?” Sugar asked, finally breaking the silence.
“I’m not sure…” Sweets replied.
“So, uh, what were you doing this Nightmare night?” Sugar asked casually, as casually as she could with the fear beating out of her chest.
Sweets gave her a look of annoyance, “Is this really a good time for that?”
“I need something to keep my thoughts off the death hiding behind the door,” Sugar replied instantly.
Sweets frowned but gave in, “Well, we weren’t going to get much time since the Historians found a hidden wing of the Canterlot castle filled with magical items. They wanted to make sure it all got on the same load since having two loads would restrict how much they could research at a time.”
“It sucks it had to happen on Nightmare night huh?” Sugar asked with a chuckle.
Sweets shrugged, “I didn’t have much planned anyway. I suppose I could’ve gotten a few friends together for a late night with candy but eh. Most of my siblings have their kids tuck in early.”
“Even on Nightmare night?” Sugar exclaimed, “I would stay up till the next morning!”
Sweets looked shocked, “How did you wake up in time to go to school?!”
Sugar shrugged, “My mother was pretty good about that.”
Sweets rolled her eyes, “I’m sure having to wake yourself up came as a shock.”
Sugar laughed, “Oh you wouldn’t believe!” The mirth faded to seriousness, “Though I still have trouble getting up.”
“My mom would be livid if I wasn’t up an hour after the sun rose,” Sweets said with a smile, “Oh Nightmare nights were a hassle! Though I do have to thank her. Its really helped with schooling.”
Sugar nodded with a flat expression on her face, “Yeah I’m really bad at that…”
Sweets chuckled, and flinched when the door thudded again, “Yeah! I remem—Ugh. I remember when getting it up was hard. It took my mom using electricity to wake me up! I think it’s the reason why I enjoy studying it so much.”
Sugar chuckled.
“So, what about you?”
Sugar smiled, “Each year me and my family get together to enjoy as many sweets as we can. Not just candy since mostly the kids are the ones getting that. Essentially we have a large bake-off and we all enjoy as many goods as we can. This year my Grandmother remembered how to bake her signature cookies!”
“Remembered?”
Sugar’s expression fell a bit, “Yeah. 28 years ago, she started to lose her memory. Many recipes were lost as she was never a fan of writing them down. Though, it seems to be recovering a bit every day now! The surge of magic the Sunny released seemed to help a lot. Not to mention the months of treatment from the Pegasi. Turns out they are really good at treating head trauma.”
Sweets chuckled, “Wonder why…”
“Its cause their people are prone to hitting their heads harder than most,” Sugar laughed, “So when Sunny got the ponies together, they were able to treat my grandmother and it worked! Was going to enjoy the cookies I’ve heard about all my life!”
“Is that why you got so mad?” Sweets said in a more serious tone.
Sugar frowned dropping her expression of mirth, “Yeah, kinda.”
“Well, we aren’t going anywhere,” Sweets said taking a seat on the large purple pillow, “It seems that you are mad at me. Was it because I asked you to work on Nightmare night?”
Sugar frowned but held her tongue. She wasn’t truly mad at Sweets but she wasn’t really keen to open up either.
“Come on Sugar! We are trapped in a tiny little book cave with who knows what outside the door. We need to work together! And we can’t do that when you are mad at me!”
The frown deepened.
Sweets mimicked the frown then sighed, “Fine. Let’s figure out wha—”
“I’m jealous!” Sugar blurted out, unable to deal with the amount of emotional strain behind her lips, “When Sunny returned the magic to Equestria it changed everything! I mean sure its great for everyone to get along and such, blah, blah, blah… But it ruined me! Canterlogic had to completely switch gears to an engineering firm rather than a defensive facility! Which meant they didn’t need my services as a model anymore! Do you know how much I miss the runway? The cameras? The ponies looking at me and cheering for whatever I was sporting?! Yet your job didn’t change at all! HECK! You got a promotion! You get to continue messing with that, computer mumbo jumbo while I had to restart from the bottom of the totem! You now get to explore ancient secrets of our past and learn how to do cool magic while I’m transporting stupid jars…” Her voice gave out at the end of her babble, slowly descending into a low sob as her body slumped to the floor in defeat.
Sweets may have acted differently had the pony not had her face in the floor but she merely blinked in surprise and took a second to gather her thoughts.
“You really think it’s a promotion?”
“YES!!” Sugar shouted, pulling up her face from the floor.
“It really isn’t,” She countered, “Looking after a lot of ponies is not something I’d rather do. Sure I get to maintain technologies in the background but that’s nothing like when Canterlogic created defensive solutions. I’m not making anything anymore. I’m just fixing nowadays. And managing a lot of ponies…” She frowned as her head subconsciously brought several very unpleasant memories to her mind.
“Sure,” Sugar spat, “But everyone still likes you! I’m just a forgotten stick in the mud.”
Sweets burst out laughing.
Sugar frowned, the room suddenly feeling very tight, “Oh yeah laugh it up…”
“Girl, every pony knows your name! Do you know how many times I have to remind my co-workers my name? Ever single time! Even on Nightmare night! When it's all about sweets!” She paused, “Well, actually it’s a celebration of the purification of Princess Luna. After its original purpose, to celebrate the defeat of Nightmare moon. Another thing that’s been lost to time.”
“Huh?”
Sweets smiled, “Sorry,” Her smile dropped a bit and became more serious, “If its fame you’re after, many of your fans still exist!”
Sugar's frown persisted in a state of unbelief, “Sure, for how long? It's only been a few months since Canterlogic switched gears, they’ll begin to forget shortly.” She said bitterly.
Sweets smiled, “Well, why don’t you model for fashion? It’s a big community.”
Sugar rolled her eyes, “Sure, like my experience will get me into fashion! I don’t even know the different between a cross stitch and a normal stitch! While you are just fine and dandy with this change aren’t you?!”
Sweets frowned, “No. Like I said, I’m not making anything anymore. I’m just repairing and guiding other ponies to fix things. I’d much rather be in the inventive process!”
“At least you still get to mess with computers…” Sugar said glumly.
“Oh,” Sweets said a serious look on her face, “Trying to repair some other pony’s handiwork is not fun. Especially when it comes to servers. Have you seen the utter rat’s nest it’s become? Ugh! Just thinking about it gets my blood boiling.”
“What do you mean?” Sugar asked in confusion. Though her annoyed sadness stayed on the surface of her voice.
“Hmm,” Sweets put a hoof to her chin, “Imagine a waterfall for me. Now every drop of water is a cable, and each cable has a very specific port to be plugged into. Now imagine all those cords piled up into a massive ball that isn’t a perfect sphere. An agglomeration of wires that I have to untangle to fix the problems. Now imagine three of those balls. That’s what I’ve been dealing with for the past week!”
Sugar frowned, “That doesn’t sound like fun…”
“No kidding! They didn’t even label the ports!! I have to test each cable to see where it needs to go!” Sweet’s ears seemed to be blowing steam, “I have literally no idea how the previous ponies managed to keep that server afloat but if I ever meet them, so help them…”
Sugar awkwardly smiled. Her preconceptions of Sweets were beginning to fade. Filling her mind with a peace she hadn’t felt in a long time, “What about the magical stuff? The bringing in magical items?”
Sweets waved dismissively, “Some manager from the group saw my work on the servers and asked if I would be willing to lead a team of organizers. I accepted. I was extremely tired of unmarked yellow cables…” She replied with a growl.
Sugar looked embarrassed, “Sorry. I really shouldn’t have assumed your life was going better than mine…”
Sweets shrugged, “It's alright. Though, do me a favor,” She replied with a smile, “Don’t go breaking any more glass jars.”
Sugar smiled, “I’ll be handling them with utmost care from now on.”
Sweets returned the smile, “Alright. Now, in regards to your question about how I learned how to better control my magic.” She got up and looked at the bookshelf behind her. She looked at the top shelf and quickly struck the furniture with a solid buck.
The shelf quivered slightly before a book shot out from the shelf and Sweets caught it before it hit the ground.
Sugar stood agape, “How did you do that?”
“It’s an old technique made by the Apple family generations before us,” Sweets replied with a smile, “But it requires a simple step: being able to access your earth pony magic.”
Sugar nodded, “I can do that. Though it's just a more powerful buck.” She then awkwardly smiled as the memory of her blowing her door open while practicing ran through her mind, “Much more powerful…”
Sweets nodded, “Yep. Though it's much more than that. You can channel the magic through objects to make it act on something further along.”
“Like that book?” Sugar asked, pointing to the book Sweets was holding.
She nodded, “Exactly. The technique was originally created to knock apples off the tree branches without the need to go up and pick them.”
“Wouldn’t that hurt the tree though?”
Sweets shook her head and motioned to the wooden bookshelf, “Nope. This technique didn’t harm the trees at all. Nor did it harm the bookshelf.”
Sugar blinked and walked closer to the shelf with interest. Upon closer inspection, it did indeed didn’t take any damage even though the pony’s horse shoes should have left a mark on the soft material. She ran her hoof over the surface to double-check and found that it was a smooth surface.
“That’s fascinating,” Sugar said with awe. Though the fact that she could potentially do the same thing excited her the most.
“Agreed. I learned from the Apple Family’s manual. Something I can teach you if you’d like,” Sweets said with a smile, “It might be fun to learn them with a partner! Though I do have to warn you it's not the easiest learning curve.”
Sugar smiled, “I’m sure it's not harder than sitting through Canterlogic’s training sessions.”
Sweets replied with a smile, “Eh you’d be surprised.”
Sugar nodded, “It would be fun, but first we have to get out of here without getting eaten alive.”
Sweets frowned, “Yeah…”
The two ponies went silent, trying to listen for their attackers. Though as much as they strained their ears they didn’t hear the Timberwolves on the other side of the hidden doorway. But that didn’t mean they weren’t around.
“How long do we wait here?” Sugar asked, anxiety entering her voice.
Sweets matched her facial expression to her own, “I’m not sure. Timberwolves are quite tenacious. Though I’m not sure how tenacious…”
“So they could be waiting outside the door for us?”
Sweets nodded, “Or they could simply be looking for us around the building. They know it better than us.”
“That’s not reassuring!” Sugar complained.
Sweets frowned apologetically, “Well I’m not an expert on these creatures! I just read about them in a book. It wasn’t a detailed passage, it just said that they were not super-intelligent species that inhabited the Everfree forest. They protect their den which could be anything! But other than their aggressive behavior, it didn’t mention anything else! So I’m just spitballing here!”
“Well, can you spitball ideas that aren’t so terrifying?” Sugar pleaded, looking back to the door.
Sweets frowned, “That’s not going to help us…”
“Sure it will! It’ll help me keep my sanity!” Sugar complained but instantly hushed when something began to claw on the other side of the wall.
“Shh,” Sweets said and crept towards the door. Once she got close, she carefully put an ear to the side.
Sugar watched silently, trembling ever so slightly at the imagination of the door suddenly swinging open and grabbing the pink pony.
“I think it's only two…” Sweets said, retreating from the door.
“Only two? It only takes one to take the both of us down!” Sugar said in a screaming whisper.
Sweets shook her head, “I don’t think so. You said you’ve worked with your earth pony magic right? One good buck ought to knock them down. And if we can take them out then we might be able to sneak away.”
Sugar gave the pony an incredulous look, “You’re serious?”
Sweets nodded, “We can’t stay in here forever! Unless you’re packing food and water in your mane!”
Sugar shook her head, “I wish my mane was magical…”
Sweets chuckled, “Me too. It would be incredibly helpful. But we do have magic of our own, and I think we can use it to fight these things. At a small scale anyway…”
“You sure?”
Sweets nodded, “Yeah! I may be more advanced at using mine than yours, but a good buck would do the trick!”
Sugar frowned, “I’ve never attempted on a moving target…”
The pink pony frowned, “Well that shouldn’t be too big of an issue. They are waiting on the other side and may not be expecting us.”
Sugar frowned, “I sincerely don’t think I can wind up and knock a wolf down Sweets! I’ve used my magic once! And that was at a door! It even took me a few seconds to wind up!”
Sweets frowned, “Well if we wait, we risk bringing more wolves to our location. And if they know we cant get out, they’ll just wait us out…”
“I thought you said they arent very smart!”
Sweet's face curled up in annoyance, “It said they weren’t the smartest creature in the Everfree. I’m just using a wolf’s intelligence as a control!”
“What?”
Sweets’ face curled into a frown. She sighed, “I’m comparing them to the intelligence of wolves since they share a similar name.”
“That’s what a control is?” Sugar asked curiously.
Sweet’s frown twisted on her face, “No? Well, in this situation it is but—Ugh. Later. I’ll explain it later. Let’s try to take down these guys first, get home, and hopefully still be in one piece?”
Sugar nodded, “Alright, fine. But if I miss it’ll be up to you…”
Sweets didn’t respond. She instead examined the door that contained the bookshelf on the other side. She put a hoof to it, running it along the surface.
“Do you remember how long this thing took to close?” She suddenly asked.
Sugar shrugged, “A few seconds? I’m not sure…”
Sweets frowned and turned back to the door. She sighed, putting her hoof down and turning back towards the earth pony.
“We are just going to have to risk it. I could try to use that magic technique to knock the books off the bookshelf into the wolves but that would only push them away from the door. Making it much harder for you to hit them. And I’m not sure if I can take down them both, provided there are only two…”
Sugar felt her face frown. She didn’t like the odds but nor did she feel like being trapped in a room for the rest of her life. She felt better not being alone but she would much rather be tasting her Grandmother’s special cookies.
She then shrugged, “Eh, let's just go for it. We aren’t going to get anywhere just standing here.”
Sweets nodded, “Alright, I’ll be at the button. You curl up as close to the door as you can, if we are lucky, they will be close enough for you to knock one down.”
Sugar nodded and trotted to the door. She flipped her body around and balanced herself on her forelegs, raising her back legs in a tense curl. She had to tell herself to breathe as the tension in her mind seemed to tighten her lungs. She then reached inside herself, feeling her magic along the anxiety and worry. She pushed it to her back legs, feeling the tension increase a bit. It felt like a dam, her will holding back the force to knock down doors. Or, according to legends, throw boulders.
“Okay, ready when you are…” She said, her voice was weak. She wasn’t particularly keen on seeing a wooden wolf on the other end, its glowing yellow eyes staring into her. What if they pounced first? What if they were solid and she broke her hoof on their skin?
Clunk…
The bookshelf moved away from its moorings, sliding along ancient grooves that still retained their function. She immediately saw the glowing yellow eyes only for a second before she instinctively closed her eyes. She released the pressure on her back legs, feeling the magic flow through them like a river. It extended her legs to their maximum and pulled on her pelvis as it seemed to want to continue. Though, that part was normal.
She instinctively jumped on her forelegs to maintain her balance before resting all her legs on the crystal floor. Her eyes tentatively opened, revealing two piles of twigs and wood on the ground.
“WOO! Alright!” She cheered, unable to contain the joy she felt. She turned to Sweets, her mouth forming words. But they froze in her throat when Sweet’s face turned into one of panic.
“Watch out!!” She shouted and jumped forward.
Sugar jumped forward as well, hearing a loud thunk followed by what sounded like a bucket of leaves and sticks being emptied out. She spun around to see Sweets attempting to pull her hoof out of another Timberwolf. Or, the remains of one.
She gently walked to the pony, still trying to get her hoof out of the pull of sticks and leaves, “There anymore?”
Sweets paused and looked around suddenly aware of the fact that there could actually be more. Her ears spun around with her head as the two went silent. Sugar also looked among the bookshelves but saw nothing. She perked her ears, focusing her mind on them.
There was nothing. Or, at least close by. She could hear howling in the building. But, it didn’t seem hostile. Or, at least to her ears. It sounded like her cousin’s pet. He would howl just to howl. Though it was much different when he was howling to be let outside.
She rolled her eyes at the memory but turned back to Sweets, “I don’t hear anything.” She said in a whisper.
Sweets nodded and braced herself to pull on her hoof again. This time she managed to get it free after a second. She watched the pony take in a deep breath and let it out.
“Alright, that went well! Now we just have to get out of here.” Sweets said with an uneasy smile.
Sugar rolled her eyes, “Oh, that easy huh?”
Sweets nodded, “Sure! Just got to sneak around the home of a mythical beast that can tear apart a pony in seconds! Then get out of the Everfree forest which we are no doubtly in!”
Sugar frowned looking around, “Wasn’t the Everfree forest very dangerous?”
Sweets nodded, confusion showing on her face, “Yeah.”
“Then why did somepony build a building in it?”
Sweet’s head tilted to the side a bit as her face seemed to ponder the question, “That’s a good question…” Sweets said after a moment, “Maybe we aren’t in the forest…”
Sugar slumped, “Oh goodie.”
Sweets smiled, “Honestly it may be a good thing. The Everfree forest was filled with really dangerous creatures. I’ve only read about a few but every entry warns about entering. It's filled with a magic that circumvented that of the older generations. Making it work on its own accord.”
“Huh?”
Sweets smiled, “Well, back in the day, Pegasi controlled the weather, Unicorns controlled the day and night cycle; well, before the Princesses, and Earth ponies took care of the land. In the Everfree forest, the weather controlled itself and animals took care of themselves as well. It was a completely separate ecosystem that was quite hostile to those that entered it.”
“I can see that,” Sugar said, looking at the twigs and leaves that lay on the ground next to them.
Sweets nodded, “Timberwolves were some of the common creatures. There were even Chimeras and Cockatrice.”
“A cockatrice?” She said slowly.
“A creature that was half snake-half chicken that could turn you to stone if you got caught in their gaze. The only creature that was able to fight that ability was Fluttershy the Element of Kindness.”
Sugar frowned, “Turned to stone?”
Sweets glumly nodded turning to the sticks, “Yep. The Everfree forest was not a place to visit. I can only think of a few creatures in history that lived in it.”
Sugar gave the pony an exasperated look, “Lived in it?!”
Sweets nodded.
“Oh, so they had to worry about being turned to stone when walking outside? Or being, turned into a— uh, what is a Chimera?”
“A creature that was part lion, goat, and snake.”
“Oh, wonderful!”
Sweets nodded, “Yeah… Don’t even get me started on the plant life.”
Sugar couldn’t even muster the words to speak. She could only imagine leaning against a tree only for it to grow teeth and rip her to shreds. She shuddered.
“To think I could be eating cookies right now…” She said glumly.
Sweets sighed, “Tell me about it…”
Sugar looked at the piles of sticks and leaves with renewed interest. She walked over to them, picking up the twigs and turning them over. She half expected them to glow and come back together.
“What are you doing?” Sweets asked curiously walking over to her.
Sugar shrugged, “Well, we have to get out right? We can’t even begin trying to get home if we can’t leave this room.”
“Right…”
“Well, what if we disguise ourselves?”
“You’re kidding…”
“You got a better idea?” Sugar countered, giving the pony a cold stare.
Sweets frowned and shook her head, “Well, I guess it could work…They do have magic in their bodies and it may fool them or at least mask our scents.”
“Alright, I guess we do get to dress up for Nightmare night!”
Sweet’s frown deepened, “But how are we going to make the sticks and leaves stick to us? It's not like we have any sort of costume-making supplies. We don’t even have tape!”
Sugar gave the pony a look, “Well, maybe we do. We are in a library! Surely they had some sort of supplies!”
Sweets looked around, “I suppose you’re right. But, that’s assuming that it survived after countless generations of time. We have no idea where we are. For all we know, we are in a building that was ancient even to our ancestors!”
“We won’t know if we don’t try!” Sugar said with an unconvinced smile.
Sweets returned the smile, “True. I’ll search this side,” She replied, pointing to the right, “You search the other side?”
Sugar nodded.
“Just be quiet!” Sweets said with urgency, “We really don’t want to alert any more.”
Sugar nodded again and carefully walked to the side of the room. Her metal horse shoes clicked against the cold floor and she considered taking them off. But decided against it as her hooves were likely going to make a similar sound. So she settled to walk carefully and slowly.
She swallowed, feeling her anxiety trying to crawl up her throat. But she weaved in and out of the bookshelves, carefully examining the shelves for anything she could use. Though she found nothing and found herself at the intact stair case.
She stared at it. Feeling a little pull coming from the inanimate object.
Surely there would be something on the bottom floor? Why would a library have no tape? Or staples? She frowned, looking at the books around her. Did they even have tape and staples back then?
Only one way to find out.
She carefully walked down the stair case, her clicking hooves feeling like church bells in the early hours of the day. But she made it to the bottom and looked at the bottom floor. It was much darker than the rest of the room. Likely because a whole other floor was above it.
Her face wrinkled as she pondered how the building was so bright. There weren’t any windows in this room, nor were electrical lights available back then. Right?
Focus. She reprimanded herself and walked into the shadows of the first floor. She felt her breath quicken as the shadows seemed to engulf her as if they were alive. She tightened her jaw and pushed forward.
She found herself among even more bookshelves. It seemed they were mimicked from the first floor. However, this floor had much more plant matter snaking along the ground and through the shelves. She made sure to not touch a single one, just in case.
But even as she finished her second pass of the floor, she only found a table that had lots of very, very old paper. She found she could read it though! But it reminded her of the papers she had to write while in school so she aborted the efforts.
She sighed, then continued her search until she saw a door knob on the floor. She gingerly picked it up and examined the sheered metal edge. It had been cleanly ripped clean off from its spot. But, it had to have had a home right? A door? Maybe a supply closet for the library.
She looked around the room once more with renewed hope. This time, she kept her gaze along the walls of the room as it didn’t make sense to have a door on a bookshelf. Though her eyes didn’t see anything initially, she refused to give up. This knob had to have a home and she was going to find it.
Provided it was in this room.
So she walked to the walls and got close, squinting to try to see through the dark shadows. She examined the walls that had clearly been damaged. Dents and small holes were all over it. Degrading crystal and or claw marks were the main reason. However, there was one hole that was much too circular.
Excitedly she ran her hoof over it and felt her horse shoe run over something metal. She raised the broken door knob to the hole and felt it slide into place. Excitedly she twisted the handle, only for it to click and fall out of position. She frowned and placed it back in position but twisted it slowly and pushed inwards with gentle pressure. She heard a bit of grinding metal but there was resistance as it turned!
A triumphant smile crept along her lips as she completed the half circle the knob required. It clicked and released the large door, making it swing inwards with a loud creaking thud that echoed through her bones.
Sugar was left with the handle clutched in her hoof, wide eyes, and a pale white complexion that could rival a ghost! She remembered to breathe after a few seconds and took a few moments to catch her breath. She looked at her white coat, feeling as if a thousand spiders were crawling all over her. She shivered with the anxiety response and noticed that her coat was in fact somehow whiter than normal! It didn’t help as she dropped the handle, making her jump once more.
She let a chuckle escape her lips and turned to the doorway. It was fully open now, letting her see the large closet. She looked at the glowing plants within the room, eyeing their purple thorns with concern. But their gentle blue glow illuminated the crystal desk they resided on. There, she saw a stapler! Rolls of tape!
She frowned and edged closer to the plant, the fear screaming at her that it would just suddenly jump out at her. But it didn’t move at all as she carefully grabbed the stapler. It creaked as she did so, making her freeze. But the plant didn’t respond so she slowly retreated with her prize.
She did the same with the rolls of tape and soon she had four large rolls of tape and a fully loaded stapler! She picked up the supplies with a smile and returned to the upper floor, taking care only to make sure the library was still empty.
“Sweets? Where are you? I found some tape and staples!” Sugar said in a high whisper.
The earth pony appeared from behind some bookshelves, took a good look at Sugar, and then slumped with relief.
She then trotted over with several bundles of string in one leg and gave her an apologetic smile, “Sorry. I heard a thud and thought something got you! Was trying to get a better look without being seen.”
Sugar nodded and placed her tape and staples on the floor next to the remains of the Timberwolves. Sweets also put her spools of string next to them as well.
“I found some old book binding which may be useful? But I couldn’t find any sewing needles nor any book binding,” Sweets reported, “But with everything, we might have enough?”
Sugar nodded, confident her idea would work, “Yeah! And the Timberwolves were bigger than we were so we’ve got plenty of materials!”
Sweets shrugged but had a smile, “Well, I wasn’t planning on making a costume this year but I guess my plans have changed!”
Sugar returned the smile.
“You really ought to try out fashion,” Sweets said, admiring the work of the costumes they made, “I think you have a lot more knowledge than you think!”
Sugar frowned, “I know arts and crafts, not sewing and fabric.”
Sweets donned the Timberwolf head on her own, adjusting it till it sat right. The tape was still noticeable and scratched her head in places. But so did the sticks on the rest of her body.
The two had managed to create a set of costumes made up of tape, staples, knotted string, and a lot of trial and error. But even as they looked at each other through the eye slots, both agreed that it wasn’t comfortable.
“I still say give it a shot,” Sweets said with a hidden smile, “I think you’d do well in it!”
Sugar rolled her eyes but silently enjoyed the praise, “It’s just leaves square knotted together…”
Sweets chuckled, “And a lot of tape!”
Sugar chuckled as well, noting the many empty rolls of tape.
“Now,” Sweets said firmly, “Let's go try to find an exit! Just don’t get too close to any Timberwolves. I know I smell like leaves but we might not fool them. Especially if they have a greater sense of smell.
Sugar nodded once more, “Look for an exit, stay away from Timberwolves, and stay quiet.”
Sweets nodded and the two went to the entrance to the Library. They cautiously poked their heads out of the entrance. Each looked in the opposite direction, then looked at each other and started down the hall. Sugar looked at Sweets after no immediate danger and gave a cautious smile, even though they couldn’t see anything but each other's eyes. But she could still see the optimism in her eyes, hopeful as it was.
But the true test lay around the next turn. Sugar faltered in her steps as she stared at two more Timberwolves. They weren't in front of her, but still not far enough away for her to be comfortable. She gave a side glance to Sweets who seemed to do the same.
Sugar heard her breath echo as both took a deep breath to steel themselves as they continued down the hall. Their path took them paralyzingly close to the wooden wolves but other than them staring, they didn’t seem to react.
Sugar did steal a glance at them and noticed that the wolf was sheltering some little tiny wolves! But they seemed to be buried? As if their paws were still stuck within the patch of dirt that was in the crystal halls.
Did they break the floor? Or did they bring in some dirt?
Sugar was curious but not curious enough to try and get another glance. She rather kept her gaze forward and continued to walk. Only once they took another turn did they give each other excited looks. But Sugar didn’t dare open her mouth to speak. As one word could blow their disguise. But they continued to explore the building they were in, trying to find a way out. Though, it had been some time now.
It had taken them quite a while to make the costumes, and the added time walking the endless hallways was getting on her nerves. It also wasn’t helping that the homemade costume was not comfortable and she swore she’d be washing tape residue out of her mane for weeks. She didn’t want to think about the smell either. But it wasn’t a terrible smell she supposed.
She exhaled her annoyance quietly making Sweets turn to her with concern in her eyes. Sweets nodded, looking at her costume and rolling her eyes. Sweets’ eyes showed echoed sympathy as she shifted her hooves and nodded.
Then Sweets froze, making her freeze as well. Sugar gave her a nod and looked about with a curious eye.
“I think we’re in a school,” Sweets whispered, “I think the reason we cant find the exit is because we’re on the second floor?”
Sugar looked around, making her costume sound like a large rustling bush. She nodded, not feeling as brave as her companion.
“Here, follow me,” Sweets whispered starting back the way they came, “I see some signs that meant exit back in the day.”
“You’re just noticing that?!” Sugar whispered harshly.
Sweets gave her a disapproving look, “I was more on the lookout for wolves! Now that we know our costumes work, I’m more comfortable with looking at my surroundings!” Her voice was just as disapproving as her look and just as quiet.
Sugar nodded quickly, “Sorry. I’m just tense.”
Sweets nodded and motioned her to follow. Sugar did so, following the mare through the hallways once more. Though she hissed and quickly used her hoof to flatten a leaf that was trying to escape on Sweets’ costume.
The action made the earth pony yelp and jump but after noticing what Sugar did, she nodded in thanks. Sugar did a quick check of the costume, making sure no more leaves were trying to escape. Once she was certain, she showed her side to Sweets for her to check her costume.
Sweets did so quickly but Sugar felt herself pale as she felt Sweets patch up several spots on her costume. Were there bits of white coat showing this whole time? What if they had walked into some Timberwolves with broken disguises?
They nodded in silent agreement and Sugar took some time to make sure that Sweets’ costume was still intact. She noted that Sweets did the same.
Now there was tension in the air around them. And it was so thick she could feel it slowing her steps as she continued. But their costumes held as they passed some Timberwolves. They walked right by them after a good look and a small sniff that echoed through Sugar’s beating heart.
She felt like a sheep in a wolf skin. Just the right body size to potentially pass as a small wolf, but so tantalizingly different. It was making her heart run several miles a minute. She swore she could feel her blood rushing through her veins. But she managed to stay quiet, barely.
However, she then saw two more Timberwolves appear around the corner at the end of the hall. But they did so differently as if they had to reach their level first. Their paws being the first thing that came into view.
Stairs.
Sweets perked up but Sugar hissed out for her to pause as her ear movements caused her costume to start to flake off. She froze, allowing the white earth pony to fix the costume. It took a few tries as the tape seemed to start to lose its stickiness.
She then allowed the Timberwolves to pass by them before whispering, “The tape is losing its hold!”
Sweets frowned and quickened her pace to the stairs., “Let’s hurry then,” She paused and gave Sugar’s costume a look, “You’re still good.”
Sugar nodded and matched the earth pony’s pace as she rushed for the stairs. They both cautiously looked around the corner of the stairwell before dashing down them. They paused at the bottom, letting some more Timberwolves pass before hastily taking a right.
Sugar could hear her heart beat in her ears and the stress was making her head hurt. The adrenaline in her veins kept her body stiff and tight, ready to jump at a moment’s notice. A single glance at Sweets told the same story. Though she seemed a bit pale.
“You alright?” Sugar asked quietly.
Sweets nodded quickly, “Yes.”
Sugar accepted the answer but didn’t pry. She too was on edge and if her coat wasn’t already white, she’d surely be more pale than normal. They were in some unknown building with creatures that were both mythical and magical on a scale they hadn’t seen before.
It wasn’t every day you thought about being ripped asunder by a wooden wolf.
The thoughts resonated in her mind more so when they turned into a hallway with several more wolves. They gave them a few glances but paid them no more mind. Sugar could however feel her heart beat in her chest as she noticed a lot more wolves in front of them. They were further down the hallway, which opened up to a much bigger hallway, a hallway that seemed to be bigger than three hallways placed side by side! Though she could see even more wolves walking about in the smaller adjacent hallways. There were some ornate pillars covered in vines and the broken ones had a few wolves looking out on the rest of the pack. Vines and plant matter covered the walls according to nature’s patterns and not even the crystal walls could completely keep them out. She could still see the original colors of some of the walls and flooring, a deep purple that was slightly faded over time.
Then she froze when she heard her hoof click.
Her costume had used leaves to cushion her metal horseshoes on the crystal floors. But now she heard it click louder than ever in the tense air. She swallowed as the majority of the wolves turned towards her in a sharp movement. Like a dog being introduced to a new noise.
Only, this was coming from ravenous wooden wolves, not from a cute cuddly dog.
She felt her heart beat in her ears as one wolf walked up to her. She didn’t move, whether it was because of her fear locking her limbs, or her brain deciding it was a bad idea to run away, she wasn’t sure.
The wolf curiously looked at her hoof, covered in branching wood, leaves, tape, and twine, and then looked at Sugar’s eyes. She didn’t move but there was a scream trying to leave her chest. Thankfully, she was able to lock it with in her ribcage, reducing it to a quivering diaphragm.
The wolf’s head tilted a bit and nuzzled her leg then gave it a sniff.
Sugar’s heart fell as the wolf violently recoiled and growled viciously. Her life flashed before her eyes as the wolf leaped forward, it’s glowing yellow eyes like the eyes of a reaper with its jaws open wide for her very soul.
But the jaws were knocked away as Sweets batted the wolf to bits of timber and wood. Sugar felt her whole body twitch as it realized that it was till in one piece, but still jumped to motion as Sweets told her to run.
She followed the earth pony as they turned around and climbed back up the stairs. Sugar once more felt the adrenaline pulse through her veins. She shook off her head piece to better see her environment and watched as Sweets did the same.
She noted the trail of leaves trailing behind them as their costumes fluttered apart in the wind created by their running. She was trying to ignore the claws scraping the floor behind them, the howls of the pack that were getting only closer as they turned through the hallways.
“What now?” Sugar cried out in between her breaths.
“There was a balcony!” Sweets said between her own breaths, “It looked like it was over the exit!”
“Huh? How can you tell?”
“Well, it looked like a grand hallway! Like an entrance to a fancy building! Crystal building sounds fancy to me!”
“Okay,” Sugar said, interrupted by a sharp turn, “How does that help us? Its below!”
Sweets nodded, “I’m trying to go around to get to that balcony! I saw some vines and maybe there will be some broken pillars we can jump down on? Or, I figure that that jump is better than letting the wolves catch us!”
Sugar nodded with grim agreement. She didn’t like the idea, nor did she like the idea of being ripped apart by the wolves. She could survive a jump from that height, right?
She continued to follow Sweets as she weaved in and out of the hallways, hopefully guiding them to the balcony but she didn’t understand how Sweets was navigating the place. Maybe signs?
“How do you know where the balcony is? Are there signs for them?” She asked raising her voice over the howls of the wolves behind them.
Sweets shook her head, “Not that I can see! I’m just guessing!!”
Sugar frowned and swallowed her response. She’d just have to trust the earth pony’s sense of direction and hope it was a good one. Bad-mouthed comments would not help nor would her own sense of direction.
Thankfully, after some hard-paced running, she saw the wall of the hallway open up to a view she couldn’t see. But she could see a damaged railing.
“Nice one Sweets!” Sugar said cheerfully, feeling a sense of hope energize her heart.
“Don’t thank me yet!” She replied, “We still got to get down!”
Sugar nodded and braced herself mentally for a large jump from a balcony, a thought that she’d been taught not to do from a young age. She felt her breath echoing in her mind as the two ponies paused at the railing, the sudden drop it was protecting from seeming much larger than it actually was.
Now she was expected to jump from it.
But there was a large hole at the end of the large hallway below her. It seemed to be the remains of a door, a very large door that was no longer present. But through it, she could see a large bridge that spanned a large body of murky water. Above the doorway was a large window that depicted a purple alicorn. Through that, she could see the edge of the water, lines of large trees spanning the entire edge.
But at the floor beneath them, were remains of parts of the railing, its sharp crystal edges making her rethink the decision.
“That’s sharp!” Sugar said quickly, pointing to the debris, “Are you sure we can land on that?”
Sweets didn’t respond but the hesitation on her face answered her question.
She turned back the way they’d come, seeing a horde of bark and leaves rushing towards them. She frowned and started to run further but Sweets stopped her.
She pointed to the edge of the balcony where several vines hung.
“Use these to break our fall! They’re threading through the crystal so I think they’ll hold our weight!” She said quickly and rushed to a broken part of the railing to reach for one of the vines.
“What?!” Sugar replied but the sounds behind made her snap her head back to the very close Timberwolves. She watched Sweets twist her legs around the vine and slide down it, like a fire-pony’s pole or the imitation of that at playgrounds when she was younger.
Only, she’d never done it before. Nor did she enjoy the thought of trying it.
But she jumped forward and grabbed onto a vine, trying to mimic Sweets the best she could. She held on tightly with her forelegs and threw her back legs over the edge.
Her gut lurched as gravity started to pull on her without her legs beneath her. Her mind paused with fear and hesitation but she quickly remembered her back legs had to be around the vine as well.
But a sudden yank on her mane made her yelp in pain and alarm. The action didn’t fully stop her descent though, making her pause midair for a moment before continuing. This allowed her to get her back legs around the flimsy vine, safely slowing her down to a more manageable level.
“Great job!” Sweets said once she hit the floor and helped her shaking body up, “Now let's go!”
Sugar nodded and took a glance up to see a Timberwolf with a chunk of hair in its mouth. She noted the throbbing pain on her scalp and gave it a glare before rushing forward.
Her and Sweets’ steps were careful as they navigated the sharp bits all over the floor. But they froze altogether when a Timberwolf landed next to them. However, it exploded where it landed, the crystal shards shredding it to bits.
The wolves behind them suddenly went quiet. Only an occasional growl sounded among them. But the group up on the balcony started to leave, heading back the way they came. The ones behind the crystal minefield growled sharply, adopting aggressive stances, but they did not come closer nor attack. Nor did the wolves on the crystal pillars around them. Though they looked more ready to pounce than the wolves behind.
“Slowly,” Sweets said quietly, “Try to not make sudden movements.”
Sugar nodded, “But let's not go too slowly? Those up on the balcony may be coming back…”
Sweets nodded and the two started to continue towards the sunlight-filled entrance. They took their steps slowly, but the pressure behind them made them go just a little bit faster. Only a little. Sugar felt a smile on her lips as she noted the expression she was making with the terror soaking her mind.
But they passed through the doorway and both quickened their steps. Sugar looked with a smile at Sweets but she was too strained to say anything. But Sweets returned the smile silently, likely feeling similar.
The bridge ahead of them was thin and long, chunks of it missing in places but it remained intact all the way down. It too was covered in vines and other forms of vegetation creeping upwards from the water below. Bushes were also present on the bridge, clinging to the side of the bridge like a tumor or resting on top. Thankfully the bushes were small and didn’t take up the entire path and even a few of them held several multicolored flowers.
Sugar felt her limbs start to relax a bit, the pressure of being in the den of wooden wolves washing away.
“Well,” She said, feeling her voice return as they stepped onto the bridge, “That was something…”
Sweets nodded, her face relaxing as well. Though she didn’t say anything in return.
But after a few steps on the bridge, a bush in front of them suddenly stood up and faced them with a growl.
Sugar felt her body tense immediately, her legs already starting to take a few steps back from the charging Timberwolf. But the wolf stepped on a black vine which snapped around its foreleg and yanked it towards the water.
Both Earth ponies’ eyes snapped to the side as the wolf was snapped up by a creature rising from the water. It was a smooth black creature, with no other visible features other than its mouth which vanished as quickly as the Timberwolf. Though Sugar couldn’t decide if she saw teeth in its mouth or if her mind was imagining it.
Though she was certain of its size as it began to sink back into the murky water. Its bulk was easily able to fill a house! A moderate one at that!
She said nothing as it hissed and growled, causing the water to gurgle and bubble. But it was soon out of sight, leaving only little waves in its wake to remind the ponies what had just occurred. The bridge rocked gently as the waves hit but it settled quickly.
Sugar looked at Sweets’ face of horror, noting her own expression of the same terror. The wolf had been snapped up in less than a second! By a creature that could fill an entire house! And, what was that? All she saw was a smooth head that was pure black. And maybe a myriad of teeth.
“What was that?” Sugar asked, feeling her fear return tenfold.
Sweets shook her head, “I have no idea…”
Sugar swallowed, feeling her throat dry up, “That’s, concerning…”
Sweets nodded and turned to her, “But we saw the wolf step on those black vines before it was snatched up. So, we should avoid those.”
Sugar nodded and looked at the multitude of black vines littering the surface of the bridge. Clinging to it like mold to bread. However, she saw some vines that weren’t black.
“What about the ones that aren’t black?” Sugar asked, “Think those are safe?”
“I have no idea,” Sweets said with a voice full of fear, “It could be safe, but I’d rather not risk it.”
Sugar nodded with agreement, “Agreed. We avoid all the vines.”
Unfortunately, the sun was well into its journey below the horizon, so the two took very careful steps. They jumped when they heard barking behind them, seeing the horde they’d barely escaped. Though they merely barked and stared, making no move to follow or chase them.
“Well, at least that’s one problem dealt with,” Sweets said with a small, tense smile.
“For now…” Sugar said, noting the sky, “But what other creatures are we going to have to deal with?”
Sweets frowned, her eyes continuing to look at the ground for the black vines, “Well, I know that fire was a good way to scare away critters in a normal forest, so maybe it’ll work here?”
Sugar shrugged her shoulders, her gaze was also at the ground but partly at Sweets’ back hooves so she didn’t accidentally bump the Earth pony into a death sentence.
“I do know how to make a fire,” Sugar said with a glum but slightly hopeful smile, “Learned from my cousins.”
“That’s good!” Sweets said cheerfully, “I also learned from my cousins before I leaned into the tech side of things. So I think we’ll be able to make a fire!”
Sugar smiled sadly, “If only we had marshmallows.”
“If only.”
Sugar smiled as she continued to place her hooves gently onto the crystal bridge. She did look up every now and again to see how much further they had to travel. They took their time, so the end only crept closer. But the end did finally come, filling their hearts with hope and delight. But also with the fear of the unknown and uncertainty.
But Sugar’s heart jumped in her chest as she saw Sweet’s left-back hoof step onto a particularly small vine. She jumped forward with her friend’s name in her throat as the vine snapped up and wrapped around Sweet’s leg.
Sweet’s body violently shifted as her leg was yanked towards the water. Her face was not even able to change expression before half her body was in the air. Her coat even seemed stationary for a moment before rippling to the sudden force.
Sugar had leaped forward to catch Sweets, to grab onto any part of her she could. Her initial goal of tackling her to the ground fell through as Sweets was already halfway off the bridge when she reached her. Though her forelegs found Sweets’ and she managed to grab on. But she didn’t get a good grip on the pony’s coat and her hooves slid right off.
But Sweets managed to grab onto her hooves, which she grabbed onto as well. She felt the kinetic energy travel through her body and she struggled to hold on with her back hooves. She slid quickly, unable to overpower the sudden pull with her back hooves.
She came off of the bridge entirely, but she kicked out desperately to try and reconnect. She found the side of the bridge and managed to get a grip. She could feel her grip being strained to the absolute max, but there was no way she was going to let Sweets get snapped up by some, swamp monster.
But now her body was being stretched out, her joints barely keeping together, only a few centimeters above the water. She was breathing hard, constantly forgetting to breathe as she continued to pull back.
Sweets’ face was equally strained as her body was feeling the pull on both ends. But only one of her back hooves were restrained, leaving the free one to move in uncertainty. But her face curled into fear and uncertainty and she struggled a bit.
“It’s getting a better grip!” Sweets said quickly.
Sugar looked up as she had been staring at the water, not focusing on the muscles in her neck. She looked up at Sweets to see the vine starting to curl around her mid-section, lines of vines encircling her lower half like a snake. She watched with concern as she watched the vines tighten, creating impressions on the pony’s skin.
“Hmmf, that really doesn’t feel good,” Sweets complained, the discomfort plain on her face.
Sugar frowned and looked behind her at her back hooves, trying to see if there was some way for her to get back onto the bridge, to a position where she could really pull. But she tentatively released her grip a bit and immediately reapplied the pressure. She took a few heavy breaths, feeling the strain filing her lungs.
“Sugar! You’ve got to just let go!” Sweets cried, “If this thing reaches you, we are both done for!” Her face twitched as the vine reached her chest, slowing her ability to talk.
Sugar tried to talk but her muscles took all the lung power she had. So she violently shook her head, curling her face with as much disapproval as she could.
Sweets frowned her own disapproval and Sugar felt her let go of her hooves, “Just do it! You’re fighting a losing battle! If you let go, you can go!”
Sugar frowned, understanding the logic she was throwing. But there was no way she was going to let go. Simply wasn’t happening.
They were either getting eaten by this monster or neither of them were getting eaten.
But how to convince Sweets? She frowned as she maintained her grip and shook her head. Sweets’ frown continued and she struggled to loosen Sugar’s grip. She knew she was just trying to save her but she couldn’t help but feel frustrated at her actions.
Logic. Sweets was a logical pony. She’d just have to talk logic to her.
“Won’t survive on my own,” Sugar said between breaths, “Better together.”
Sweets frowned, “It won’t matter if you don’t let go! We’ll both get eaten if you don’t!”
Sugar nodded, trying to convey as much understanding and contentment as she could.
Sweets frowned but reapplied her grip, “Alright.”
Sugar nodded and looked back at her hooves and at the end of the bridge. Trying to see if there was somewhere she could slide to or a section of the bridge that was slanted so she could slide back onto the top.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Sweets said suddenly, “Just hang tight!”
Sugar huffed, “Funny.” She said with what little breath she had.
She then watched Sweets lift her free back leg and hold it to the side. Her eyes closed as she seemed to concentrate?
Sugar’s magic rippled as she felt Sweet’s magic build. She maintained her pull but felt the curiosity collect and change her face.
Sweets smiled as she noted her expression, “I think I can kick its insides using my magic!”
Sugar recalled the earth pony’s demonstration with the bookshelf and nodded, unable to form any words.
Sweets turned her attention to her back hoof, her breathing quick and short. Her free back hoof now moved with purpose and reeled back to deliver a short kick to the vine that was holding her. Sugar watched as the hoof remained on the vine for a bit and Sweets closed her eyes.
Though Sweets grunted with frustration, “Not now!” She complained before kicking once more. This time the kick was stronger, making the vine vibrate a bit. Sugar watched the vibrations go for a while before they vanished but Sweets still wore a face of concentration.
Then the pressure pulling Sweets apart suddenly vanished as a growl of pain filled the air. Sugar fell back onto the bridge, landing hard on her rump. She was also sure she bruised the back of her back legs as they clipped the side of the bridge.
But that was okay, she’d much rather that than her friend being consumed by the terrible swamp creature.
Sweets pulled herself up and nodded with thanks and words in her mouth. But they were lost as the vines once more began to pull their prize back in. Sugar hastily got her hooves beneath her and braced herself against the pull. This time the pull wasn’t so sudden and she was able to stay upright on the bridge. Sweets was once again horizontal but she kicked the vine once more, sending her magic to kick the creature’s insides once more.
Though the pull lessened partly as the creature growled, it did not cease. It did give her a chance to give her some breathing room on the bridge before it regained strength.
“Let us go!” Sweets said, kicking again and again. Though the pull lessened a bit each time, it didn’t last. And with each subsequent kick, the creature became more resilient till the kicks didn’t give the two earth ponies any leeway.
“I don’t think that’s working anymore!” Sweets cried.
Sugar frowned as her muscles were screaming for her to let go. They even gave out for a moment before she regained her footing. Though she had plenty of room to recover before the edge. But she couldn’t last forever.
“Sugar!” Sweets called as she was catching herself. She didn’t say it, but she knew that she was okay with her letting go. Though Sweets retained her grip, Sugar could just tell from her face.
But she wouldn’t! She just resolved her gripe with her! They didn’t even get a chance to be friends! Maybe they could work with each other to do clothes! Or maybe she could help Sweets with her cable problem. She was pretty good at following instructions!
She had a chance to make a friend! She wasn’t just going to squander it!!
Howdy!
The voice echoed in her head as her magic rippled with renewed strength. The tension from the pulling vanished as her muscles were suddenly able to support the load easily. Sugar blinked as her magic seemed to be, mixing?
“Sugar?” Sweets asked in a strained voice but her confusion was plain to hear.
Sugar didn’t respond as she cataloged the new magic that was flowing in her body. It was crisp and powerful. So powerful that it alone was holding Sweets back from an untimely demise by itself. She could even breathe easy!
Alright, tell ya friend to clench up.
Sugar’s face curled with more confusion as she heard the voice once more in her head. It was a cheery female voice but it held a notion of command that was layed underneath. Like her mother talking to her when she was foal after breaking an item by accident.
But this was not her mother’s voice.
“Sweets,” Sugar said slowly, finding she was able to talk normally, “Clench up the best you can.”
Sweets nodded with a confusion expression. The impressions made by the vines lessened slightly as her muscles clenched up.
Now up and over.
Sugar felt her eyes widen as she heard the voice. She couldn’t help but exclaim her confusion. Up and over? The creature was as big as a house!!
“What?” Sweets said in a small voice.
Don’t worry about that Sugarcube, I’ve got you. Now, up and over.
Sugar felt conflicted feelings about her ability to send the creature up and over her head. But she again looked at the magic flooding her veins then back at Sweets. She was looking at her with confusion and a concentrated face.
What the hay. If there was a chance she could throw this creature then she should do so! Why would throwing the creature help? She didn’t know. But if it worked, she didn’t care.
She steeled her breathing and pulled Sweets back a step or two with small hops. She then adjusted her stance before heaving her strength into the vines. But it was merely supplementing the new magic in her body. The water rippled into a wave that crashed into the bridge as the creature was quickly lifted up into the air.
Sugar grunted as she continued to pull the vines, throwing the creature over her head into the grassy embankment the lake was in. It missed her by a few centimeters before hitting the embankment with a loud squish and a thud.
It was a giant squid! Or, at least looked like a giant squid. The tentacles were replaced with vine-like appendages that connected to the bridge like a spider’s web anchors. Thin and visible but not noticeably so.
It was still a silky black that looked more like a liquid blob rather than a squid. It’s mouth was in fact full of teeth. Circles on circles of teeth that looked like they belonged on a shark and not a, well, whatever that thing was.
Sweets was still horizontal but now upside down. She was staring in amazement at Sugar who looked comical at her angle. But Sugar didn’t laugh as she was still trying to comprehend what she had just done. Her thoughts popped as Sweets suddenly fell to the ground. Sugar was able to stop her head from hitting the ground but couldn’t stop her from getting a bruised tailbone.
“Ow,” Sweets muttered but said nothing as they watched the vines let her go and retreat. The creature was whimpering as it did so, using several tentacles to propel itself back to the water.
You ought to get moving.
Sugar nodded and quickly helped Sweets to her hooves, “Quick, let's go before that thing gets back.”
Sweets nodded quickly but retained a confused expression on her face. Sugar quickly helped Sweets to her hooves and quickly darted away. She paused though, fully noting that she wasn’t the one who had saved her new friend.
“Thank you! Whoever you are!” Sugar called behind her and got a strange feeling. It was a good feeling that felt like acceptance. But there was also the feeling like somepony was tipping their hat at her.
Old timely like…
Sugar nodded and felt the new magic flow out of her veins. It made her breathing much more heavy as she continued to run along. With her own strength supporting her she realized how tired she actually was.
“Wait,” She gasped and had to stop. She flopped to the ground with her limbs feeling as if there were a hive of wasps trying to make a nest inside her legs. She could feel the imaginary wasps burrowing into her legs, leaving lines of stinging as they went.
Sweets was equally out of breath but she stopped after looking around for anything dangerous. But she didn’t find anything and Sugar noted that the swamp creature was not following them.
“You okay? We can take a breather real quick. There doesn’t seem to be anything dangerous around here. Just check under you, make sure you aren’t on any weird plants or flowers.”
Sugar groaned and pushed herself upwards to check underneath her belly, but found nothing but dirt so she flopped back to the ground.
“Nothing…” She reported before remaining like a breathing statue.
And there she waited till her legs were no longer burning, her breath no longer trying to take her lungs out with it. But it left a soreness that she was going to deeply regret later. Though that also meant she had an excuse to take a bubble bath.
But she’d rather eat the cookies she’d heard about than delve into a deluxe bubble bath. She frowned as she once more felt sour.
“You alright?” Sweets asked again, her voice mellow.
Sugar nodded and pushed herself up. It was getting dark and the trees around them were starting to blot out the light, filling the air itself with a liquid black that tinged the skin. Thankfully the trees around them weren’t as thickly bunched as the ones that were nearby. She could imagine yellow eyes in those trees, peeking out and watching them, waiting for a chance to strike.
“Uh, what happened back there?” Sweets asked gently.
Sugar thought about making a witty remark about what happened but her tiredness couldn’t allow her brain to think so she just shrugged.
“I’m not sure. I felt magic flood my body and it alone was able to hold you back!” Sugar said with slow foreleg movements to illustrate her point.
Sweets nodded and a smile grew on her face, “Oh! So you tapped into your earth pony magic! That’s really good! See, I told you could do it!”
Sugar shook her head quickly, “No, it wasn’t my magic. It was somepony’s else’s. They were even talking to me in my head!”
Sweets paled.
“Yeah! They said hello, told me to tell you to clench up, and then told me to pick up the creature and throw it over my head! I simply listened and the magic in my body allowed me to do it! It wasn’t me! It was somepony else!”
“Oh, that’s why you thanked somepony over your shoulder…” Sweets said thoughtfully.
Sugar nodded, “Yeah, not sure who helped me but somepony or something did…”
Sweets nodded, “Well, thanks to them but also thank you! You decided to not let me go!”
“Well duh!” Sugar replied quickly, “I wasn’t just going to let you go!”
Sweets nodded with gratitude but said nothing else as she checked her surroundings once more.
Sugar frowned but noted that Sweets was a bit, distant. Though then again she was nearly gobbled up by a horrific swamp creature so maybe she was still in a little bit of shock?
Her mind told her no. Though she wasn’t quite sure why…
“Well, we should find some shelter,” Sweets said, looking towards the trees cautiously, “Night is going to fall soon and I for one don’t want to be caught in that darkness.”
Sugar shuddered as her brain imagined what other creatures could exist out here. But as she followed Sweet’s gaze to the forest, a sense of uneasiness once more filled her chest.
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to camp out in those woods?” Sugar asked quietly, “They look, well, dangerous…”
Sweets turned to her with a grim look, “Yeah but I also think it's an even worse idea to stay near that lake…”
Sugar blinked, stood up quickly, and looked at Sweets’ coat closer. It was sparking with light blue magic!
“Uh, what are you—oh. Am I sparking with light blue magic?” Sweets asked staring at Sugar before looking at her hooves to confirm dancing little sparks.
Sugar paled and looked at her own limbs to see that she too was sparking with little flashes of blue light.
“What now?” Sweets complained as the magic solidified and formed around her like a blob of living slime.
Sugar too was engulfed in this magic but she noted that it was a pony’s magic. She was very familiar with it as several of her cousins had lifted her up with their newly gifted magic. This was similar but it was also attaching to her internal magic and seeping into her coat.
It felt odd.
“Wait!” Sugar said turning towards Sweets, “Maybe it's another pony helping us! It feels a lot like unicorn magic and we’ve already had a pony help us once!”
Sweets’ face lit up cautiously, “Yeah, true. Though I don’t see anypony around, do you?”
Sugar frowned after doing a little look around. She shook her head and pulled Sweets into a hug. Hopefully this magic was friendly? Or was it some zombie unicorn reaching out from the forest to yank them back?
Sweets didn’t engage in the hug but didn’t push away from it either. That is until the magic lifted them up into the air, then she too hugged Sugar. The magic then got very tight and her vision vanished with a small pop!
Instantly she was able to see. After a few blinks she noted that she was back in the hallway where she had broken the jar. Only it now had the lights on to ward off the incoming darkness. Though it was nothing compared to the darkness the forest contained.
There was also a unicorn standing in front of them. Her horn was still lit and her purple hair had a single light blue stripe running through it. Her light purple coat was unmarked and looked remarkably clean. Remarkably…
Transparent.
“Ahh!” Sweets yelped and started to step back.
“A ghost! A unicorn ghost!” Sugar cried out and also tried to get back.
The unicorn looked surprised for a second then recognition fell onto her face, “Oh! Uh, WooOOoOOooo?”
It made them freeze in place.
The unicorn chuckled, “Relax. I’m a friendly ghost, like Casper.”
“Uh, who’s Casper?” Sugar asked, making sure to keep a little distance between her and the ghost pony. She was all transparent, her mane, tail, body, and legs were all see-through. Only the pendant she wore wasn’t transparent. A very simple dark wood diamond-shaped piece with a bright purple gem in the center.
The unicorn looked flabbergasted. Then she chuckled, “It’s really been that long has it?”
“It has Starlight, it truly has,” Another voice sounded behind them, making both sharply turn around. The sight too made them freeze in place as well. However, this wasn’t because of fear, but rather, awe.
In front of them was another unicorn, only much much taller. Her legs were nearly as tall as Sugar was and the length of the legs perfectly matched the rest of the unicorn’s slender body. Though it wasn’t just slender with noticeable muscle underneath her lavender coat. Her mane and tail seemed to float against gravity, gently oscillating in an invisible wind. Her mane was braided up but even braided it almost reached her knees.
But the color was like nothing Sugar had ever seen. It was like somepony tried to make cotton candy out of a nebula. She could see the individual strands of hair but they were merging together in varying shades of mystical purple that changed to and fro. A stripe of reddish pink ran through the mane, darting through each fold of the braid. A yellow stripe chased after it, keeping pace as it traveled with the other in her mane and tail.
But it was then she noticed the unicorn’s wings. Even folded they were much bigger than the pegasus wings she’d seen but they were also a bit more untidy. But, she still had a horn, albeit it was a lot longer than a unicorn’s but still there.
Which meant this was an alicorn.
Sugar swallowed nervously as she recalled old stories when alicorns moved the celestial bodies in the sky. She recalled the raw power they had access to, making them the Princesses of the older times.
This alicorn didn’t look like a Princess with her single-sided saddle bags and ruffled appearance. Her coat was also a bit dirty and unkept while the stores she’d heard noted an almost solid color making up their coat. This alicorn had obviously not taken care of their coat nearly as well as the storied ones. But it wasn’t too terribly untidy.
She was more like an elegant warrior than a Princess in a castle. One that had lay in the forest for a long time.
But she looked familiar…
“Wait,” Sugar said, taking a closer look at the pony’s face, “You look very familiar. Wasn’t she in a window?”
The alicorn tilted her head.
Sweets nodded slowly, “Yeah… She was in the window above the doorway at the entrance to the building!”
The alicorn blinked, “Oh, you were at the school?”
The two earth ponies both had looks of confusion on their face as they each shrugged.
Starlight also nodded, making the earth ponies shift away as she stepped forward, “Yeah. They broke the jar I used to communicate with you back in the day. When I was at the school and you were at Canterlot?”
The alicorn nodded slowly, “Ah.”
“And breaking that bottle caused the enchantment to expand and stick to any magic it could find,” Starlight said, looking back to the Earth ponies.
“Which caused it to ignite the spell,” Sweets said with a nod, “Teleporting us instead of the contents of the jar.”
Starlight nodded, looking impressed, “Wait, I thought your generation didn’t have access to magic for the last, uh, who knows how long! I’m impressed you understand it so well.”
Sweets shook her head, “I don’t. I still have a lot to learn. Though when we found Canterlot we also found a lot of books regarding the subject. I didn’t get a chance to read all of them but I’ve retained a few tidbits.”
Starlight shrugged, “Still. You are correct. Destroying the medium the spell used caused it to stick to your magic. My guess is one of you two was emotional at the time? That’s what likely caused the spell to have enough power to activate.”
Sugar looked sheepish, “I know. I won’t go destroying any more magical items, I promise.”
Starlight chuckled, “I see you’ve learned your lesson?”
Sugar nodded quickly, “With lots of wooden teeth.”
Starlight frowned noting their destroyed costumes still sticking to their coats, “Timberwolves? Why are they in the school?” She turned to the alicorn.
The alicorn nodded sadly, “The Everfree forest has expanded quite a bit, and without magic, I was unable to push it back. So it's been consumed by Timberwolves and the lake has some Laqueus Krakens inside it. But it is relatively intact. In fact, the school's residual magic restricts their regeneration ability.”
“Is the hideout still okay?” Starlight said with a thick concern in her voice.
The alicorn nodded firmly, “Of course. The return of magic has fortified all the defenses just as we planned. The non-magic ones have held up just fine over the years.”
“Good,” Starlight said with a smile.
“Hideout?” Sweets said with a curious air.
The alicorn smiled, “Yes. My hideout that I used to protect myself, my friends, and my family.”
“Uh, sorry to be rude but, who are you?” Sugar asked awkwardly. She had no idea how to put it but it felt as though the entire room knew who this magical pony was but her.
The alicorn took it in strides though, chuckling lightly, “I suppose I know how Luna felt. In a degree.” She nodded and smiled.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle, previous ruler of Equestria and the Princess of Friendship,” Her magic pulled a bright golden crown hanging on her shoulder and held it up slightly, “Though I’m just Twilight Sparkle now.”
“Just Twilight Sparkle?” Sweets said in disbelief, “You’re the Element of Magic! One of the only ponies able to channel the full power of the Elements of Harmony! Which could dispel Discord the Lord of Choas, remove and counter the entirety of magic in Equestria, or even banish ponies to Limbo and the moon! You and your friends saved Equestria numerous times!”
The alicorn looked embarrassed, “Yes, I suppose that is part of my achievements…”
Sweets nodded, “Yeah! Those are the ones I was able to find!”
Starlight chuckled, “See? I told you wouldn’t be so easily forgotten.”
Twilight chuckled.
“But if you were so powerful, where have you been all this time?” Sugar asked, then hastily backpedaled, “Uh, no disrespect or anything. But you were the Ruler of Equestria right? Why did you stop?”
Starlight walked over and looked her in the eyes, “You really don’t know?”
Sugar had edged slightly away from the transparent pony but shook her head. Though she was surprised that Sweets also shook her head.
That really twisted the pony’s face into confusion, “The fall of Canterlot? The removal of magic from Equestria?”
Sweets brighten up, “Oh, do you know about it? Can you tell us why magic is not in Equestria now?”
Starlight frowned, “It’s not removed technically. It's contained 'cause it's really hard to remove magic fully from Equestria.”
“Though it’s nearly happened twice,” Twilight said with a smile.
“What’s nearly happened twice?” Sunny said appearing in the hallway. She looked quite happy and energetic. She was also wearing her one-sided saddle bags.
“The removal of magic from Equestria,” Twilight said turning to the earth pony.
“Wait, it’s happened twice?” Sunny said with confusion. As she got closer to the alicorn, her transparent wings and horn slowly flashed into existence. Though it was odd to see it appear now, it was well known that Sunny had a horn and wings that would suddenly appear and disappear.
Sunny also didn’t react to the sudden appearance so Sugar assumed that it was just because she was in the presence of another alicorn.
Twilight nodded, “Once when a very gifted but misguided Philly assembled ancient artifacts to remove magic from Equestria and when a very, very misguided political group tried to remove magic to create more order among ponies.”
Sunny looked confused, “Wait, then it’s happened three times! Cause we only just unlocked magic in Equestria!”
Twilight smiled but shook her head, “It hasn’t been removed. It's been contained, restricted. If it had been removed, the entirety of cutie marks would cease to exist. Generations would lose their natural wings and horns and we’d become an entirely different race without it. The land itself would also change and even collapse in certain areas. Magical creatures across the land would also die without the presence of magic.”
“Really?” Sugar asked quietly. She didn’t realize that magic was so important or that she’d had magic her entire life.
“You said it was restricted, right? How and why?” Sweets asked with eager curiosity.
Twilight’s face became slightly uncomfortable, “I was the one to restrict magic in all ponies. I removed the majority of it, only allowing enough for life to not fully change or cease.”
“Why?” Sunny asked, curious but also cautious.
Twilight frowned, “Because of the mistrust between Earth ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi. Our history is full of our squabbles but Harmony would always win in the end. Leaving us with a song and a lesson for generations to come. However, a certain trio reignited that fire of hatred and mistrust between our kind. It became a seed that would only grow and grow…”
Twilight looked pained, “They grew so mistrustful of others that it spread to other species. Eventually, they grew to resent them entirely, thinking that pony kind was the superior race and the others didn’t deserve to be in Equestria at all. They wanted to banish every dragon, Hypogriff, Sea Pony, Yak, Changeling, everyone that wasn’t a pony. They rallied on that desire and fought to push every other creature out to the far corners of Equestria. I was their main obstacle as my friends and I were the pivoting force that allowed for such peace to exist in the first place.”
Anger curled on her face, barely suppressing a snarl, “They attacked the other Alicorns, a surprise attack that brought them onto Death’s doorstep. They attacked any creature that was against their cause bringing them to my doorstep with a misguided sense of righteousness. They nearly destroyed Canterlot. And I was forced to fight while it was evacuated.”
“And so Canterlot fell,” Starlight said with a somber tone, “They planned their attack well. Using Changling dark stone to suppress magic and cheap war tactics. Many were injured that day…”
“But no creature lost their life,” Twilight said firmly, her hair glowing a tad bit brighter as she spoke, “Not while I was there.”
Starlight chuckled, “I really wish I was there. It was said her magic threaded through every stone, every plank on each and every building. Protecting every creature from harm while they evacuated.”
Twilight nodded, “But it would only get worse and worse. Nearly all of Equestria were at each other’s throats and they began to once again segregate themselves to their own kind. Any creature that wasn’t a pony also had to retreat to towns and cities not fully corrupted by this movement. Like Ponyvile where I resided. My school remained open, but pony student numbers would only continue to dwindle.”
“But what about the Windigos? Weren’t they an influencing factor in keeping pony kind unified?” Sweets asked.
Twilight looked tired, “They didn’t care. They merely went to technology to withstand the cold. But I couldn’t let such cold drift to the other parts of Equestria, too many creatures would suffer and even die in that cold. So me and my friends had to banish them every week.”
Sweets nodded but remained quiet as Twilight continued.
“But they were getting stronger. Each week me and my friends were greatly drained from the battle. They were getting so strong that we needed help! Discord and several of my students helped in our endeavor, but it was becoming clear that I needed a new plan.”
“We thought of many plans,” Starlight said, “Many, many plans that used very, very complex magic. Political plans to help mend the peace. Physical ones for the battles against the armies that were sent our way…”
Twilight nodded, “But I learned of plans to attack other creatures in their lands. With their magic and growing technology, I was supremely worried about the outcome. Nor was I able to get enough time to plan another more complex spell. So, I restricted the magic in Equestria, reducing its ability to thread through ponies. It worked, reducing magic in ponies to a minimum amount. It also reduced magic in Equestria, which didn’t allow the Windegos to form at all. It also stopped various other magical threats but wasn’t without its side effects.”
Twilight paused, seemingly being reminded of a few things, “I then sealed the spell into the gems that reside above your Lighthouse,” Twilight said turning to Sunny.
“Once I heard the spell worked, and they decided to withdraw their attack as they noticed their magic start to dwindle, I would visit them, “Twilight said, her gaze drifting off, “Called them to a place to talk under a white flag. Though my guard would be high, I offered the stones to the ponies that I cared for over the years. One for each race, Earth pony, Pegasus, and Unicorn. I left them to govern themselves in hopes they would leave me and my friends alone.”
“But before I could complete the spell,” Twilight continued, “I had to seal my friends and mentors in stone as their injuries would prove to be fatal without their internal magic. And many of my friends were worried about their well-being and that of their friends and family. So, they too now reside in stone, waiting for the Equestria to become friendly once more.”
“And they are at your hideout?” Sunny asked cautiously, “Are they, still alive?”
Twilight nodded, “Yes. However, I fear the restoration process will ruin such a balance. So I’ll have to wait till magic is fully ready to return to Equestria. But they are alive. That I can say with certainty.”
“How?” Sugar asked curiously, “Stone doesn’t prevent death, does it?”
Twilight smiled and shook her head, “They are not covered in stone but magically turned into stone. So time can not touch them. Provided the right conditions.”
“Oh like cryogenics? Like movies and such?”
Twilight chuckled, “Yes I suppose that’s true. But it's without the danger of cellular rupture due to the expansion of freezing water.”
Sugar blinked.
Twilight merely smiled more, “Yes it’s a, complicated process. But ice doesn’t withstand the test of time like stone can. But there were spells developed that allowed me to talk to the spirits of those trapped in stone as it is akin to death. But then again, the times back then were more deadly.”
“So they are, technically dead?” Sugar asked.
Twilight’s face sobered, “Technically yes. But also, technically no.”
“But we can still talk to each other,” Starlight said with a smile, hurriedly cutting into the conversation, “And even have a tea party! It is weird being a spirit without a body but it sure beats being assassinated…”
Sweets widened her eyes a bit, “It was that bad?!”
Starlight nodded, “Yes. It happened every month! Or, at least there was an attempt…”
Twilight nodded, “Fortunately though we were able to set up defenses before any creature got killed.”
“Though Fluttershy had a very, very close call…” Starlight said sadly.
“What happened?” Sweets asked.
Twilight shook her head, “A tale for another time. I must be careful about who I talk to as there may still be those who wish for my death. Such stories may be passed down with victorious praises…”
Sweets smiled, “So, you trust us?”
Twilight smiled tenderly, “Trust is a strong word. Put it simply I sensed a burst of Starlight’s magic from here and I had to check on it. Just in case somepony had been siphoning Starlight’s magic from her statue.”
Sugar looked at Starlight, realizing that the unicorn’s body was in fact trapped in stone. It was obvious now the connection had been stated but it felt odd.
Starlight returned the look with a smile, “So Twilight then summoned me to help retrieve you two from the teleportation spell. Leading us to here!”
Sugar frowned, “Then, you are a ghost, right?”
Starlight shrugged, “Yes?”
“Can you talk to others?”
Starlight gave her a smile, “I am now aren’t I?”
Sugar shook her head, “No, I mean, like in somepony’s head?”
Starlight looked more curious, “Why do you ask?”
“Well, before you teleported us,” Sugar began, “We were attacked by a large, swamp creature. Sweets got caught and it was all I could do to hold her back.”
“Was it like a shorter squid with liquid black skin and a large mouth with tendrils coming from it?” Twilight asked quickly.
Sugar nodded, “Yeah! When Sweets accidently stepped on one of those vines it snapped on her and attempted to pull her into the lake. But I managed to catch her and hold her back.”
“That’s quite a feat,” Twilight said, “Such creatures pull in their prey with lightning-fast reflexes. The fact you were able to hold one at bay after catching your friend is quite surprising!”
Sugar shook her head, “No, it wasn’t me! Or, at least not truly me. Sweets managed to use her earth pony magic to kick its insides which allowed me to get a better grip. But this, voice in my head said hello and filled my body with magic! That’s what was truly holding Sweets back!”
“Apple bucking 101?” Twilight asked, looking at Sweets. There was a smile on her face.
Sweets nodded, “Yeah. Been practicing with my magic ever since it got unlocked…”
Twilight nodded with satisfaction, “It’s good advice. But heed those traditions in there. It's got a long history to it.”
Sweets nodded, “I know.”
Twilight gave the earth pony a curious look but turned back to Sugar, “You said a voice in your head?”
Sugar nodded, her flow of thoughts interrupted by Sweets’ quick response, “Yes. She then told me to throw the creature over my head! Which I then did! After it landed it let Sweets go and we ran off!”
“So, If I had timed my reversal spell better,” Starlight said, “I would’ve gotten you two in the nick of time?”
Sugar nodded but already had a question on her lips for the ghost pony, “Yes but do you think it was another spirit? Like you?”
Starlight raised her eyebrows as she pondered the question, “Hmmm. It's possible.”
“Here,” Twilight said stepping forward, “You said that you felt magic flood your body right? I can check if I recognize that magic.”
Twilight approaching Sugar made her want to step backward a bit with the sheer power that she both thought the alicorn had and the radiating magic she felt. But she swallowed and held her ground.
“Uh, do I need to do anything?” She asked, unable to hold the shakiness out of her voice.
Twilight shook her head, “No, just hold still for a minute.”
Sugar nodded and once more felt another magic flood her body after Twilight’s horn light. Though, this magic was far stronger than the magic that first engulfed her. This felt like space itself was bending to its will, a will that could snap her in half with little to no thought at all.
She felt it explore her body, quickly zipping through it as if she were a container and was being filled with icy hot water. She could feel her own magic but it was insignificant to Twilight’s magic.
The magic that had helped her save Sweets was powerful but this magic was on a whole other scale. She dearly didn’t want to get on this alicorn’s bad side. For all she knew, she could bring the moon crashing down onto her.
After a minute the magic faded from her form, leaving her awestruck and feeling much more timid from the alicorn. But felt a little relief enter her heart as the alicorn smiled at her.
“Relax. You haven’t angered me yet. I may not trust you, or your companions, but I will not vaporize you either.” Twilight said with a little mirth in her voice.
“You read her mind?” Sweets asked cautiously.
Twilight shook her head, “No. She just was able to feel my magic. Not its full potential, but the vastness seemed to scare her. If I haven’t lost the ability to read emotions…”
Fear. That’s what she was feeling. Sugar shuddered and shook her head, “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that…”
Twilight nodded, “Few do. Though it is natural to cower from a power that is far from your own. But fear not, I’m not here to hurt you. But I recognized the magic that helped you.”
“You did? Who was it?” Sugar eagerly asked.
“Applejack,” Twilight said with a large grin, “The Element of Honesty. Though I’m curious why she was at the school in the first place.”
“Wait, you just wander around?” Sugar asked the transparent pony.
She shrugged, “In all intents and purposes, I’m dead. We all are. But we can be brought back. So we linger between the living world and the dead one.”
“So I’m curious about what brought Applejack to the school to help you…” Twilight asked the air, her gaze drifting off, “Was it the tree?”
“The tree?” Sunny asked curiously.
Twilight smiled sadly, “That’s a conversation that will have to be earned. It’s a very, touchy subject.”
Sunny nodded, “Sure. I can understand that.”
Sugar smiled and turned to the ghost pony once more, “Can you tell Applejack thank you? I think I said thanks but I’m unsure if she heard me.”
Starlight nodded, “Of course!”
“We both can,” Twilight said with a smile, “She’s always been a good judge of character so if she was willing to help you, then we may actually be able to converse about your history. Times may have changed enough…”
Sunny frowned, “Well, we still have tensions. Fights here and there…”
Twilight nodded, “There always shall. But they may be willing to not kill each other now.”
Sunny face curled into grim understanding, “Oh.”
Twilight nodded, “Yes. But that will have to wait till I’ve talked to Applejack. And perhaps some more time will need to pass before I feel comfortable.”
The three ponies nodded.
“Well,” Starlight said with a cheery smile, “It seems that you don’t need me anymore so I’ll just get going. Twilight you still going to make the tea party this time?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Twilight said with a smile.
“Unless Equestria needs you,” Starlight said sternly pointing a hoof in her direction.
Twilight nodded, “Unless Equestria needs me,” She made a few gestures above her chest, “I won’t forget my promise.”
Twilight chuckled, “Even though I’m very curious how Pinkie would react if I did.”
Starlight laughed, “You really want to tempt an ethereal Pinkie?”
Twilight’s face curled with distaste and mirth, “Yeah… Maybe a second thought would be in order.”
“See around Twilight,” Starlight said holding up her pendant, “See everypony around!”
The others said their goodbyes and watched as the pony faded from existence.
“Is she still here?” Sweets asked, examining the spot she was. She then jumped back with a small yelp.
Twilight smiled as the amulet floated back into her bag in a purple glow, “Yes. Though we can’t hear or see her without the spell. She can still interact with us to some degree.”
Sweets nodded, “She’s laughing I think.”
Twilight laughed, “Oh you should see Pinkie. She’s quite the prankster and her being ethereal has only made it worse.”
“Hey Sweets,” Sunny said still smiling, “While you were gone me and Izzy helped finish up. So you’re free to go and celebrate! Both of you!” Sunny added looking at Sugar.
“Celebrate?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Nightmare night!” Sunny said enthusiastically, “That was a thing right?”
Twilight nodded, “Yes. Though its meaning has changed several times.”
“Would you like to celebrate with us?” Sunny asked, “We are holding a party at the Light House!”
“I can still try my Grandmother’s cookies!” Sugar said, her excitement completely cutting off Sunny’s words. She dashed forward, then paused.
“You want to come?” Sugar asked, looking at Sweets, “I can’t invite everyone but I can invite one or two?”
Sweets looked embarrassed, “Oh it's alright. I—”
“You said you didn’t have plans right?” Sugar said, recalling the library, “Come on I’ve heard some really good stories about them! I’m sure you’d enjoy them!”
Sweets frowned, “But we didn’t tell everypony what happened! Shouldn’t we tell them what we found? There could be—”
“Cookies now,” Sugar interrupted with a serious smile on her face, “Stories later! Comon! The story can wait!”
Sweets rolled her eyes, “Alright. You can go I’ll stay and tell the story. There could be a lot of historical significance in what we just found!”
Twilight chuckled, “You heard her. Cookies now, stories later!” Her face wore a smile and had a sparkle in her eyes as she looked directly at Sweets. The earth pony frowned but Twilight gently gestured her head in Sugar’s direction encouragingly.
Sweets met Twilight’s gaze and smile then nodded slowly and turned to Sugar, “Alright. But no pistachio alright?”
“Sure! They are chocolate chip ones anyway!” Sugar replied, pulling the other earth pony with sheer excitement.