With the Help of Magic

Chapters

Chapter 1 - My Old Life
Chapter 2 - A Strange Place
Chapter 3 - Unexpected Encounters - Human
Chapter 3 - Unexpected Encounters - Twilight

Chapter 1 - My Old Life

“I’ll be back in about 2 hours, mom!”

“Alright, good luck with your math test!”

Yeah right, like that will help me. I need more than luck right now. I need some more hours to study..

I close the door behind me, and sigh. I’m not exactly feeling well. I haven’t been feeling well for weeks, to be honest. But I absolutely have to do this test. I will fail my class if I don’t.
My thoughts turn elsewhere, as I notice the temperature.

God it’s cold!

I’ve only been outside for a few seconds and my legs are already shaking. I put on my headphones and start walking to my bike, still shaking.

I am going to fail this test so badly, it’s not even funny.

I put my bike away, and start walking towards the entrance of the school building.

I am SO dead! I forgot EVERYTHING! Do I even remember my own name? Yes I do, don’t be stupid!

As I enter the building, I’m greeted by warmth. Sweet, delightful, embracing warmth. I start walking to my locker as my music switches. ‘Winter Wrap Up’ turns on next. I quickly turn down my music, afraid of anyone hearing it. My friends know of my bronyness (some interested, some not..) but I’m not exactly keen on letting everyone know I like My Little Pony. I focus my thoughts on the music itself.

Winter Wrap-Up. That would’ve been nice a few hours ago! Atleast it’s warm in here..

I put my jacket in my locker, and start walking towards class. Because of the freezing cold outside, I’m late for my test. I can’t help but chuckle as I imagine Twilight in my mind.

Clock is ticking Twilight. Clock. Is. TICKING!

I groan as I’m walking out of the classroom.

“That was. The. Worst. Possible. Test. EVER!”

I quickly grab my jacket, and rush to my bike. I don’t want to stay another second in this place. I just want to get back to my games. And ponies. And.. her. I start cycling harder and harder.

Get over it! It’s not gonna work. No chance in HELL it’s gonna work! Snap out of it!
I can’t stop thinking about her. She is just so special. She is the definition of absolute perfection. She is smart and funny. Maybe a bit crazy sometimes, but that’s what I like about her most. Samantha doesn’t want anything to do with me though. Sigh. Better think of something else.. This is depressing.
I remind myself of the test. Oh good job, this is so much less depressing!

Suddenly I get pulled out of my thoughts by a sense of vertigo. I didn't even notice driving off the edge of the bridge.

Usually there’s a safety rail in place to make sure people don't accidently fall off, but I manage to hit the one spot where they've removed the rail for renovation.

Before I even have the chance to come to terms with what's happening, I break through the ice, my body engulfed in the freezing water.

The cold shock is enough for my mind to catch up with my body, though I can't do anything but panic.

Get. Out! Out out out. So cold! OUT!

I flail around with arms, trying to find the spot where I fell through in the first place. But the freezing water isn’t exactly helping. My body is turning numb from the cold. After a few seconds in the freezing water, the cold is already beginning to affect me. My mind isn’t working as well as I want it to. I can’t think straight anymore. I can’t distinguish up from down and I can’t move my legs or arms anymore. I can feel my eyelids becoming heavy and i can't seem to keep my eyes open any longer.

This is it. This is the part where I die. What a miserable life I’ve had. Can’t focus.. Just.. So cold..

So.. cold…

The last thing I see are my headphones drifting away from me, then it goes black.

“Now, just a little bit more...” I concentrate and direct a little bit more of my magic into the cauldron and a second later, everything goes black.

Purple? How the hay did it turn out purple?

I groan and close my eyes for a moment, before opening them again and sighing.

Ugh, another failure!

I blow some strands of burnt hair out of my face before looking around the basement of my library.

It's a total mess, books strewn everywhere, blobs of slightly acidic paste splattered across the wall, not to mention all of my lab equipment in tatters. Again.

I sigh deeply, and test out my front legs first, gingerly placing them on the floor without actually putting any weight on them. Then I try my hind legs which I have to put a little weight on, but at least now I can support myself with my front legs. After making sure that my legs can handle my weight and that nothing is broken, I stand up making sure I don't topple over again, dizzy as I am.

Well at least I didn't break anything important. That's something, I suppose.

I move around gingerly, stepping over broken bottles and burned books.

Ugh, cleaning this up is going to take FOREVER.

Then I realise what I just thought about I look around franticly trying to detect any sign of Pinkie Pie, before taking a deep breath and chuckling to myself.

Ofcourse she's not going to be there every time scaredy pants, she's probably too busy harassing Rainbow to go pranking again.

"Twilight? Are you okay?"

The apparent concern in his voice makes me smile. I turn to the stairs to look at the small purple dragon with green scales that has been my assistant for as long as I can remember.

"I'm fine Spike, it was just another accident." I can see him roll his eyes as I continue: "I used too much magic for this batch which made it a tiny bit more volatile than I thought it would" I grin at him sheepishly.

He sighs, and then smiles wryly "I guess I'm the one that's going to have to clean this up?"

I quickly step forward to give him an affectionate nuzzle. "I can clean this up myself Spike, though I would certainly appreciate your help." I glance over to the clock on the wall. Half past ten. "We can even go out and get you some gems once we're finished" I add, smiling back at him.

I swear he's such a glutton. I suppress a smile at the hungry look on his face.

"So what were you trying to do this time?" he asks several minutes later, scooping up some of the acidic paste.

"Well actually I was trying to find a new way to make applesauce. Applejack was telling me how hard it was to make it taste good and since I had nothing to do I thought I would help." I clap my hooves together smiling brightly.

It's so great to have friends who rely on me!

Spike looks at me incredulously. “Wait, so she hasn't actually asked you to do this?”

“Well, no, I just thought I'd do something nice for her!”

Spike puts a claw up to his face and sighs deeply, he puts his other claw on my shoulder.

“Twilight, do you remember when you tried to 'help' Fluttershy a couple of weeks ago?”

As he says this, I can't help but frown. “Oh!” I sigh and look at the floorboards. “Right.”

I hope she's gotten over that.

“I was just trying to find a way for her to feed all her animals faster.” I tap my right hoof on the floor sheepishly.
“How was I supposed to know that those turtles were allergic to cabbage?”

I look up and see Spike trying to hold in his laughter “I know, that part was hilarious. I thought Tank was the only one you enchanted to fly!” he finally breaks out in guffaws and topples over clutching his belly with his claws.

In the face of his obvious amusement, I can't help but smile aswell, “Alright Spike that's enough, we still have to finish cleaning this up before my afternoon study session.” I pick up more of the debris with my magic and dump it into the container I have designed especially for that purpose.

–

Spike nudges me, “Hey Twilight, do you think I could have a ruby aswell?” he says while munching on a particularly large emerald.
I give him a long hard look at him and he seems to deflate in his seat. “Nevermind.”
I give him a wry smile before returning to my own sandwich.

Yup, he's definitely a glutton.

Suddenly he burps loudly, covering his face with his claws and trying to shoot a sheepish smile at me. At least, I think that's what he's trying to do.
I just smile back, and take another bite of my sandwich.

It's interesting to see how easy it is to become used to something, I don't even remember the last time I cared about his burping anymore, guess I'll take a look at that new book about pony habits when I get back.

Spike makes a face like he's just swallowed a bug and removes his claws.
And suddenly I find it very hard to keep myself from laughing. Apparently he didn't swallow a bug, but rather a scroll which is now hanging out of his mouth making him look rather silly, that is until I stop and think about it.

Twilight, if he just burped and he has a scroll in his mouth, what does that mean?

The thought sobers me up rather quickly and I suddenly don't feel like laughing anymore, I quickly scramble my magic to get the scroll out of Spikes mouth and hold it in front of me.

Ugh gross.

The scroll is damp from his saliva and dripping a little at the bottom, but luckily I don't have to hold it with my hooves. I break the seal and open it up to read.

‘Dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student...'

Author’s Note:
We hope you enjoyed this chapter! You read that right. ‘We’. This is a new idea of me and a really really good friend of mine. He writes the POV of Twilight, I write the POV of the human. English is not our first language so if you see any errors, please send a PM to us and let us know! Perhaps write a comment about it! We would gladly hear your criticism on what could be improved!

Chapter 2 - A Strange Place

‘Dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student...

I have read your latest report on magical alteration with great interest, your theories show great insight into the pegasi magic, and cloud based spells.
In light of this, I recently asked our researchers here at the SfGU, to look into other ingredients you could use in your studies.
However, their findings were less useful than I had hoped, it seems that most ingredients you haven't tried yet can only be found in one place: The Everfree forest.

There is another reason I mention this: I have recently been informed that there are several plants have not been cataloged yet. (the plants you could use as ingredients among them)

Therefor, I would like to officially request that you make sure all the unknown plants are correctly cataloged.
But as you are no doubt aware, the forest is quite the dangerous place, in light of this I think it would be a good idea for you to take your friends along, with the added benefit of having another opportunity to learn more about the friendship of magic aswell
'herding two clouds with one pegasus' as they say.

Ever your proud mentor, Princess Celestia

I sit at the table of the restaurant me and Spike went to for lunch, reading and rereading the letter from the princess, absentmindedly taking a bite out of my sandwich every now and again.

Hmmm, I didn't know the School for Gifted Unicorns had a research division.

“What's it say?” Spike asks, before he stuffs another emerald into his mouth.

I sigh and slump a little, knocking over my table's decorative vase, which I barely stop from falling with my magic.

“I'm not really sure what to make of it, the Princess wants me to go into Everfree forest and catalog a bunch plants, and even though she didn't outright tell me in the letter, it still counts as a royal edict, so on one hoof I should do as she says with all due haste, but on the other hoof the Princess clearly thinks this could be a great opportunity for my friendship studies and that I should take my friends with me.”

Spike snorts before swallowing the last of his emeralds “Well Applejack and Rainbow Dash are out for sure.” he leans over the table to look at me conspiratorially while stroking his chin with one of his claws as if he believes he still has that beard I magically gave him several weeks ago.
Note to self: from now on, whenever practicing magic, make sure not to give Spike facial hair again.

“Apparently AJ wanted to fly and Dash went with her to Cloudsdale to see if they could find some awesome-” he makes air quotes with his claws “-way to allow an earth pony to fly” he scratches his chin again “I wonder if there's a way to make my wings sprout early” after which his eyes suddenly go wide and he starts jumping up and down, “oh Twilight you should totally try and give me my wings next time we try your endurance magic training!”
Another note to self: make sure that Spike never finds the Alicorn Alteration Almanac.

I sigh deeply, “You do know that they told me where they were going right? They came by earlier and asked me for the cloud walking spell for Applejack” I completely ignore his outburst and instead arch an eyebrow at him.
He looks astonished for a moment before slapping himself in the face with one of his claws, “Oh right, of course they'd come to you for that.”

“Anyway, let's go and see if any of the other girls want to come.” I say, dropping a few bits on the table.
Spike appears beside me saluting like I'm one of the princesses. “Yes, sir!”, he gulps, “I mean ma'am, I mean miss!” He smiles sheepishly as he corrects himself under the glare I shoot him.
Hmm, it's probably a good thing that looks can't kill.

–

We take off towards the Carousel Boutique, or rather, Spike (with hearts for eyes) runs off in it's direction and I have to chase after him.
Not only is he a total gem glutton, he's also a hopeless romantic.
I think with a smile as Spike almost starts to float when we come closer to the boutique.

We arrive at the front door pretty quickly, so I decide knock and wait, trying to give myself time to organize my thoughts before Rarity opens the door tells me to come in, as she usually does.

Let's see, hmmm, I should definitely take Fluttershy, although Rarity might not want to come on account of the … how does she call it? Oh yes 'gunk.' Still, I suppose it never hurts to try. We are the best of friends after all.
I beam a smile at nobody in particular. Having good friends is wonderfull!

I'm still smiling when Spike pokes me. “uhhh, Twilight?”
I look at him with that same smile. Ofcourse, I've always had a friend in Spike, I should do something nice for him after I'm done in the forest. “Yes, Spike?”
He points towards a card in the window, prominently displaying beautiful unicorn calligraphy: “The boutique will be closed for the remainder of the day, I am ever so sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. ~Rarity”

I resisted the urge to facehoof, “Ofcourse, today is Rarity's and Fluttershy's Spa day.”
I sigh, “I guess we should stop by Sugarcube Corner then, I really don't want go into Everfree forest alone.” Although taking Pinkie might be even worse.

Spike turns to me with an undecipherable look on his face, “Twilight, if you don't mind I'm going to head back to the library.” he chuckles weakly. “have to make sure everything is ready for your study session this afternoon after all” and before I even have the time to respond he runs off.

I wonder what's gotten into him. I shrug and turn around backtracking to the center of town to make my way towards Sugarcube Corner.

–

I enter the shop, the bell above me rings to announce my presence.
“Good day, welcome to Sugarcube Corner, what can I get you?” a lean yellow stallion says while ducking under the counter to retrieve a tray of- what look like –rainbow cookies, Oh, those cookies look good, I wonder if they taste as good as they look. “Good afternoon Mr. Cake, I'm looking for Pinkie” I walk up to the counter “Do you have any idea as to where she might be?” Mr. Cake puts down the tray with cookies on the counter and replies, “last I saw her she was helping my wife with the children.” He scratches the back of his neck with a hoof, “that was a few hours ago though, so she's probably planning a party up in her room.”

I have to suppress a smile at his obvious discomfort “I was wondering-” I look over to the tray with delectable baked goods again “-how much for one of those rainbow cookies?” Mr. Cake smiles at this, “They're just an experiment by Pinkie Pie, I wasn't planning on selling them since I don't know if they're any good.” He picks up the tray again and holds it in front of me. “You'we welcome to twy some, no chawge.”

It's really amazing how dexterous earth ponies can be, I don't think I could brush my hair without my magic, let alone work in a confectionery.
I carefully levitate two of the cookies off the tray with my magic, “Thank you, I'll take one upstairs for Pinkie Pie aswell.”
He nods in understanding before setting the tray down again. “Just be careful when you go up there, she's been quiet for far too long now.” He sighs. “I had best get back to baking, see you later Miss Twilight.” I simply nod as I munch on my rainbow cookie Hmmm! these ARE good! and trot towards the stairs, second cookie in tow.

–

“Pinkie?” I carefully peek into the room.
When approaching Pinkus “Pinkie” pieus make sure to stay low, and keep an offering close at all times.
I have to suppress a smile as I think about the encyclopedic way somepony would write down Pinkie.
As I step into the room however, my smile fades as I look straight down the barrel of Pinkie's party cannon.
“Hia Twilight! How’re you doing?!” The excitable Pink earth pony bounces into my peripheral vision before suddenly disappearing as i try to look at her, reappearing a moment later as she crawls out of the party cannon.
I swear, no matter how many times I see it, I will NEVER get used to that.
Once again I have to resist the urge to face hoof, “Pinkie, what are you doing?”

Pinkie pulls a cylindrical object out of nowhere and puts it down in front of me. “Making ammo for the party cannon ofcourse! You can never have enough!” she leans in, pressing her face to mine before whispering “one can never have too many party supplies!” I settle for rolling my eyes. Even while whispering she still manages to be loud. Before giving me a wink and bouncing off in the direction of her closet door.

I sigh, and then with a shrug I decide to take a look at the cylinder, it reads: “Grand party, only for use with the party cannon, 180 kilofun” Ugh kilofun? That isn't even an accepted metric, how does she even know how much to pack into one of these?.. .. .. Forget about it Twilight, things like this will just give you a headache again.

Now that I think about it where did that piano from last time even come from?

I shake my head and turn towards the window near Pinkie's bed, where Pinkie is in the process of untangling herself from the bedsheets. Best to reduce the time i spend with pinkie for now or I am going to lose it again. I decide to just ask “Pinkie, the reason I'm here-” suddenly my vision turns pink all over as Pinkie finally untangles herself from the bed, only to jump out of it and right on top of me.
“The reason you're here is because the princess is making another sudden visit and you need my help throwing a party?!” she beams a smile at me.
“I've just finished a normal one, here! This one should do nicely for any private party you may or may not have planned!” She hands me another cylinder, it's a bit smaller than the first one but I could still fit my head inside of it, I decide to read this one out loud: “Standard issue party, for use with the party cannon, in case of a party emergency, add three buckets of water and a piece of rocksalt saltlick, 60 kilofun. Saltlick? How the hay does that help set up a party? I mean sugar I can understand, especially where Pinkie Pie parties are concerned, but saltlick? Ugh, no piano needed it seems.
I try to, but ultimately fail to suppress a groan, “no Pinkie, though I have gotten a letter from the princess she's not coming to ponyville, but I need your-”

“-help going into Everfree forest to locate certain things and write down other things.” She finishes my sentence. How did she know what I was going to say? No! Nevermind! I don’t need to know! I shake my head violently trying to get rid of my thoughts.
“Sorry Twilight” she continues like she didn’t just do something that should be impossible again, “but I can't” she shoots me a sad smile “I promised Mrs.Cake that I'd take care of Pumpkin and Pound this week, starting this evening.”
She gives me a brief hug before bouncing back to her closet/armory “I'll make sure to throw you a cataloging party later though!”
I sigh and smile at Pinkie, “Okay then Pinkie, I'll see you around.” and with that I walk back to the stairs, almost slipping over another one of the cylindrical canisters. Gigantic birthday party, only for use with the party cannon, 3 megafun. Ugh.

–

I walk out of Sugarcube Corner, lost in thought- so if none of my friends can come maybe I should try asking spike after all he is my num- and almost flatten my face as I walk straight into Rarity
“Please, do watch where you are going darling.” Rarity shakes her head, and checks her hair in the reflection of one of the windows.

“Sorry Rarity.” I smile sheepishly. Aren’t they supposed to be in the spa right around this time?
“Think nothing of it dear.” Rarity smiles at me “We just decided to grab something sweet before-, Rarity shoots a look at Fluttershy, who is standing right next to her. “-Well before figuring out what to do next really.” I look at Rarity, and then at Fluttershy, “Well aren’t you supposed to be at the spa? I know for sure that today is your spa day.”

Fluttershy shoots a nervous glance at Rarity, “Well, um, we were going to go to the spa, but when we got there, um-” She hides most of her face behind her mane “-well, there was a note that said that Lotus is sick, so, um, she and Aloe went for a relaxation marathon themselves.” Even though I can hardly hear her near the end of her monologue, I decide not to say anything about it. She has certainly improved a lot since she started having those weekly get-togethers with Rarity.

I shake myself out of my thoughts, “That's great! Uhhh, ahem.” I cough to hide my sudden embarrassed blush. “Ofcourse I don't mean that it's great that Lotus is sick!” I look at Rarity, who is glaring at me. “Or that I'm glad that you can't go to the spa!” I pleadingly look at fluttershy, who in turn, is watching me, calmly waiting for me to finish.
“It's just that.” I take a deep breath.
“Igotaletterfromtheprincess-andIneedtogointoEverfreeforesttocatalougeplants-andIreallydon'twantogoalone.” Rarity looks stunned after my rapid-fire speech, Fluttershy just smiles at me “Ofcourse we'll help Twilight,” she then meeps and looks at Rarity through her mane. “I mean, if it's okay with you ofcourse Rarity”

Rarity shakes her head a few times to clear it, and then smiles at the both of us. “But ofcourse darling, you know I'm not one to keep my friends hanging-” She gently reaches over and brushes fluttershy's mane out out of her face. “Whatever it is you need, you can count on us Twilight!”
did I think wonderful earlier? Having good friends is the best thing ever!
I move forward and embrace both of them in a hug. “Thanks girls, you're the best!” I let go quickly as Fluttershy begins to make choking noises.
“Sorry Fluttershy,” I smile sheepishly It's a wonder I haven't turned into a sheep with all the embarrassing situations I've been in lately “I just need to tell spike I'll be gone for a while and then we'll be good to go.”

So… cold…..
..
So.. warm? “Huh?”
I open my eyes. I immediately wish I hadn’t. The sunlight hurts my eyes, and I quickly close them again.
What the hell? What happened?
.. Oh yeah. I fell into the water. Where the hell am I then? And where’s the ice?

Oh god. Maybe I’ve been frozen in ice for hundreds of years. Do humans still even exist? Maybe there’s some kinda robot race that enslaved the human race. Maybe I’m on another pl-.
Wait. No jumping to conclusions. Keep your head calm! This is probably just someplace I don’t remember. Although it IS quiet here. Let’s take a look at my surroundings first.

I decide to stand up, and start looking around.
The only thing I see around me is a small lake and trees. Lots and lots of trees. I can’t hear the city, which makes me feel a bit lonely. I always wanted to be left alone, and yet I couldn’t live without people around me. I needed contact, they just needed to leave me alone. I’m weird like that.

Well, the fact that I’m standing up means I didn’t get hurt. But that still doesn’t mean I’m out of the woods yet.
.. Wow.Out of the woods? Really? Bad pun is bad.

Anyway, let’s look around some more. No point in standing around.
I quickly start collecting my stuff, which are scattered around me.
Aw shit! My phone! “I wonder if it stills works. Ofcourse it won’t! It’s been submerged in water.” I start fidgeting with my phone, trying to get it to work. No luck though. I’m not exactly the best with electronics. It would have been a miracle if it was still working. Hell, it’s a miracle I’m still working.

Okay, what do I have on me? A dead phone, my headphones, my keys..
I take a look around the area, but can’t see anything. And that’s it.

I did lose my backpack though.. Oh well, it only contained my math books anyway.
As I take a last look around, I can feel the warmth of the sun on my back. I take a look up to the sun.
Better hurry up. Looking at the position of the sun, I have about 3 to 4 hours of light left. First things first. I don’t know where I am, so I need to find a place to sleep. Second, I should probably try to find some food.

If I stick to one direction. I’ll find someone eventually. Right?

So which direction should I pick? It should be an obvious one, I don’t want to lose my directions. The sun sets in the west, right? That’ll be a good start.

“Stay away from me!”

Staring at me is the biggest fucking spider I have EVER seen. It isn’t exactly close, but I back away anyway. I’m not staying here with that.. thing anywhere near me.

Oh fuck no! I’m getting outta here!

I run as fast as my legs can carry me, away from that terrifying monstrosity. I have a fear of anything that has more than 6 legs. It’s an irriational fear, but that doesn’t make it less scary.

Holy shit I cant believe how big that spider was it was like the biggest spider I have ever seen holy shit oh my god I’m never going back there again.
I hadn’t exactly been thinking about insects as I walked through the forest. I completely forgot about them. However, now that I’ve unpleasantly been reminded, I start checking every single tree in sight before I take another step. And try not to imagine that I feel things creep up my jacket every 3 seconds.

This is going to be a long day..

After a while, I feel my stomach rumble. I’ve been thinking about what happened since I woke up. I don’t even know how far I’ve walked.
The spider that scared the living daylight out of me is still on my mind. Luckily for me, I haven’t come across another one. That doesn’t make me scared less, however.

How did I end up here? Why the hell haven’t I met someone yet? The farthest you could walk around my place was about a minute before seeing someone else. I’ve been alone here for way to long. Something’s not right. I tried to wiggle my toes. Oh yeah. I can’t feel my feet anymore. That’s whats wrong! And these clothes are way to hot. It was early spring when I ‘decided’ to take a bath in a lake full of freezing water and ice. This feels like halfway through summer. I should probably lose some of my clothes.

My stomach rumbles again, even louder than before.
Why did I skip breakfast this morning? Was it even this morning? If I don’t find food soon, I will probably fall over and die.

I keep walking for a few more minutes, filled with rumbling sounds and regret that I didn’t eat. Whilst still checking for more spiders, my eyes fall on some delicious looking apples hanging high up in what I assume an appletree. I’ve never seen them this big before though.
How do I get these apples out of this tree? Shaking it probably won’t help, it looks way to big for that.
After looking around for something to get the apples down and checking for spiders, I notice a couple of rocks lying around. Might aswell try, right?
I take careful aim.
Cmon, you can do this! Just throw the rock, knock the apples out of the tree, and then you can eat!

My mouth starts watering at the thought of fresh apples. My stomach isn’t just rumbling anymore, it is shaking with the strength of an earthquake. I try to concentrate my thoughts on my throws. That doesn’t exactly go well. I miss the first one horribly. The second and third one don’t exactly go that well either. The fourth one is closer, but still not close enough. After the 7th try, I decide to give up.
Well that went well!
I guess the only option left is to climb the tree.

I walk around the tree, trying to find a nice spot to climb it. I see a low hanging branch, and try to grab it. It snaps in half after I put a bit of my weight into it. Well that didn’t work.. atleast I wasn’t standing on it yet.
After trying to find a branch that can hold my weight, I finally find a way to climb up the tree. Once I reach the crown, I hungrily grab one of the apples. I decide to sit down on a really thick branch.
Ah, this is good! I just hope no spiders come crawling up to me.

I take a franctic look around me, scanning for any spiders. Luckily, I don’t see any spiders… Yet.
As I sit in the tree, I notice the setting sun.
Did it take me that long to find some food? Atleast I won’t have to look for another sleeping place.Not that I will be sleeping at all, because of these crazy ass spiders.

It is a beautiful sight, high up here. I take another quick look around me for spiders, but I find something else. Something way more shocking than spiders. My eyes grow wide, I can’t believe what I’m seeing.

How?

Chapter 3 - Unexpected Encounters - Human

The apple slowly rolls out of my hand. I barely even notice it.

Are they-? No way. Is this for real? Are those Rarity and Twilight?
That can’t be right. My mind must be playing tricks on me. Seriously, get your shit together. That can’t be. They can’t be real. They’re just cartoon ponies for crying out loud. This is just my mind, telling me to eat.

I blink once, to make sure I’m not seeing things.

Right? Right?!

I blink several times more.

I nearly died today, I ended up in an unfamiliar place, and now ponies? What the hell is going on?

I quickly hide behind a protruding branch.

And why is Rarity hanging from a cliff? Is that even Rarity?

“Hang on Rarity!”

Well shit. How the hell did they even end up here? For that matter, how did I end up here? Where is here, actually? Am I even here?... No, focus! Cartoon ponies!

“Alright Rarity, I’m going to levitate you up here.”

I can see a purple glow envelop Rarity, gently pulling her up and setting her down on the cliffside.

Holy shit! They can still use their magic, even here on Earth? And was that strange feeling just now?

“Thank you darling, I guess I should have left that root for Fluttershy. I sometimes miss those wings you gave me.”

Fluttershy is here too?! Rarity and Twilight might be able to handle Earth, especially with their magic available to them, but poor Fluttershy won’t last a second here.

“I was trying to help you by levitating myself, even if only a little bit, but I might aswell have been Applejack for all the magic I could muster. Do you think I’ve lost my magic?” She says, whilst gazing in a mirror.

Wait, so Rarity has lost her magic? I guess it makes sense that Twilight still has hers though, she IS the Element of Magic after all.

I look at Rarity, as she swoons dramaticly and falls down on the sofa that appears of out nowhere.

Phew. Looks like she still has her magic after all.

“Rarity, if you’ve lost your magic, how are you levitating that mirror?” Even from here, I reckognize the dead-panned tone in Twilight’s voice.

I can vaguely see the sheepish expression on Rarity’s face as she realizes Twilight is right.

“Oh right. I hadn’t thought of that.”

I facepalm.

“And where exactly did that lounge bench come from? Have you been taking lessons from Pinkie?”

Rarity’s expression changes into an angry one.

“Twilight Sparkle! First of all, this is a Chaise Lounge, it is not a bench.”

She takes a few steps towards Twilight.

“Secondly, what would I taking lessons from Pinkie Pie for?”

Twilight takes a few steps back, nearly falling of the cliff herself.

“I’m sorry Rarity. I didn’t mean anything by it, it’s just..” I can hear Twilight chuckle nervously, even from up here, “..you and that bench..”

It’s good that looks can’t kill Twilight. Did you see Rarity’s face when you said that?!

“I-I, I mean Chaise Lounge, are nearly as inseperable as Pinkie and her party cannon.”

She has a point..

I can see the near-deadly expression on Rarity’s face dissolve, a smile appearing in place of it. “Don’t mention it dear, it is all in the past.”

Well her mood changes fast. Atleast Twilight is safe from Rarity’s anger.

Rarity turns around and looks up… right where I’m at! I quickly hide behind the leaves again.

Hopefully she didn’t see me! I seriously need to find a better hiding spot.

“Now then, I wonder where Fluttershy has run off to.” I can hear her sigh. “She’s a dear, but she can be such a hoofful at times.”

I can hear them trotting away, and take a quick peek from my leaf-cover. I see Twilight nod at Rarity, whilst walking to a rope bridge. I can’t hear what she is saying though.

I’m sure I’ve seen this bridge before… Maybe I’ll get to sleep in my own bed after all! But I should keep following Twilight and Rarity. It looks like they know where they’re going.

I climb down the tree quickly, but not before grabbing another apple and making sure they haven’t spotted me. Once I’m on the ground, I silently slip from cover to cover, making sure to check atleast twice before sneaking to another spot.

When I’m as close as I can get, I notice Twilight walking over to the end of the rope.

Well shit. I can’t follow them on this bridge. Atleast, not as close as I am now. I will have to wait for them to cross, before I can cross myself.

I take another peek from behind the tree, and see Rarity quickly crossing the bridge. She turns back to look at Twilight.

“Coming, Twilight?”

I see her shake her head, before she yells back at Rarity.

“Coming!”

Wow. Twilight actually looks kinda cute when she she shakes her head like that..
Wait, hold, stop right there criminal scum! Nobody breaks the law on my-. Goddammit! Focus! You don’t have time for this!

I shake my head, trying to concentrate on the situation at hand once more. I see Twilight running to Rarity.

“Gah!”

I can see one of the sports under the bridge breaking away, and Twilight nearly falls into the ravine. Rarity rushes over towards Twilight. I have to hold myself back to make sure I don’t do the same.

“Are you alright dear?” I can see the worry on Rarity’s face, even from back here.

And she’s not the only one who’s worried..

“I’ll be fine Rarity.”

Thank goodness. I don’t think I can live with the idea of seeing anypony die in front of my eyes..

Twilight pulls her hoof out of the hole, and motions for Rarity to take the lead again.

Even on the other side of the bridge, I can hear Twilight exhale.

Was she holding her breath that long?

I come out from behind my tree, and start moving closer to the bridge. I trip on a weird-looking plant, but luckily for me, they haven’t notice me tripping.

I can see Twilight looking up to Rarity, and then I notice the puzzled look on Rarity’s face.

“I guess I’m more shaken up by that near-fall than I thought I was.”

Rarity walks over to Twilight and gives her a slight nuzzle.

D’awwww

“We’re safe now dear, though somepony should really fix that bridge if we’re going to cross it again.

“You’re right. We should see if there’s a way around this part when we go back.”

I see Rarity and Twilight move ahead, deeper into the forest.

This is my chance. If I cross now, I should be able to keep up with them. Just gotta avoid that hole in the middle of the bridge..

I make my way across the bridge, carefully avoiding the hole in the floor, whilst keeping my eye on them.

I see Twilight nearly run into Rarity, and then hear Rarity snicker.

“Twilight, you really need to learn to look where you’re going.”

“I know, I know. I was just wondering if there was anything interesting in the castle, I didn’t really get a chance to look last time we were here.”

Castle? Last time here? What are they talking about? Have they been on Earth before?!

“Ever the little scholar aren’t you? You’ll get the chance for that later. For now, let’s focus on why we came here.”

As I take my last few steps on the bridge, I see Twilight looking back at the bridge, and thus me.

Shit shit shit shit! Gotta hide! Fast!

I quickly dive behind one of the trees, and hope she doesn’t come looking for me.

“Fluttershy?! is that you?! Are you okay?!”

Shit shit shit shit shit shit!

After what feels like an eternity, I carefully make my way over to another tree, and take a peek from behind it. I see Twilight shrug and walk back to Rarity.

Okay… Never EVER do that again! This was waaaay to close for comfort. I nearly died of a heart attack when she called out for Fluttershy. I need to be more cautious around her. She is a very smart and perceptive pony after all.

After letting my heart calm down, I decide to move forward again.

“I think we’re done with this area, Twilight.” Even from my curret hiding place, I can hear the annoyance in Rarity’s voice.

Twilight turns around and takes a quick look. I barely manage to hide behind the brush in time.

“I think you’re right. I’m still wondering where Fluttershy could’ve gone. “

“Do you think she’s alright? I thought we would’ve found her by now.”This time I can hear the concern in her voice.

“I’m sure she’s alright. You know Fluttershy, she’s a scaredy pony but she can be strong when she needs to be.”

Well that is true. She has her Stare after all. I don’t know if it will work on Earth though.. Oh what am I saying, the Stare will work on anything!

“You’re right, Flutershy can take care of herself.”

“She even used her Stare to free me from that cockatrice, remember? Out of all of us, she probably has the least to worry about in this forest.”

I take another careful peek from behind the brush, and see Fluttershy flying towards Twilight and Rarity.

“Oh! Twilight! Rarity! I’m so glad I found you.” I see Fluttershy crash into Twilight. “Oh, um, oh dear, I’m sorry Twilight. A-Are you alright?”

Ouch.. that looked painful.

“I’m fine Fluttershy, don’t worry about it. So where were you? One moment you were right behind me and the next Rarity was holding on for dear life and you were gone.”

“I-I’m so very sorry Rarity.”

“Come now dear, none of that. As you can see I am perfectly fine.”

I take another quick peek, and see Fluttershy gingerly stretching her legs.

“So, where have you been?” I hear Twilight ask.

“W-Well, um, after we got separated I hid in a bush for a little bit, but after a while I saw something really big! Like twice as big as anypony I've ever seen except for big Macintosh maybe. And I got worried, I thought you two might be in trouble so I flew around for a bit before I found the bridge, and saw that there was a hole in one of the boards, so I figured you girls had to have crossed it. But after that I didn't know where to go so I flew higher and then, it ran away again. I don't think it saw me, but I was still really scared!”

Well fan-fucking-tastic. Not only did Fluttershy see me spying on the girls, she also thinks I’m scary.

“Now that you mention it, I think something’s been following us for quite a while now. I thought it was you at first, but now I’m not so sure.”

Twilight quickly glanced around, and yet again I managed to duck away just in time.

How did I not get discovered? She must have seen me at least three times now. Why did she not investigate?

“Fluttershy. Do you remember anything else?”

“Well it mostly hid in the trees really well, so I couldn’t really see anything else. Um, sorry.”

I curl up behind the brush, trying to make myself as small as possible.

“It’s alright, although, the creature that was following us was hiding behind the trees and not in them, are you sure it was in the trees?”

Oh yea, that’s right! Smart thinking Twi, you rock!

“Oh yes. I’m really sure!... I think.” I can hear Fluttershy sigh. “Okay, I’m not really sure. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. The creature that was following us wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding itself, I’ve seen it dive behind trees at least three times. So they’re probably not the same.”

And thank you Twi. I appreciate your kind words. Derp.

“Don’t worry about it Fluttershy, we’re as good as done anyway. We managed to get all the plants we needed, did we not?”

I take another quick peek from the brushes, and see Twilight holding some sort of checklist in front of her.

“Well, there’s one plant we haven’t found yet. But we can leave that for another time.”

I see Rarity clapping her hooves. “Marvelous, I can't wait to go home and soak in a nice hot bath. All this muck and gunk is just terrible for my complexion.”

“Oh um, yes, a warm bath sounds wonderful.”

It does sound wonderful. I’ve been drenched in my own sweat for hours now. It’s a miracle they haven’t smelled me yet.

“You go ahead girls, I want to check out the castle while I’m here. After all, you never know when old knowledge might come in handy!”

Rarity looks worried for a moment. “Are you sure dear? We wouldn’t want you to have to sleep out here all alone. It’s going to be dark soon, and you know how dangerous this place can be when it’s dark.”

“I’ll be fine girls! Ever since we’ve used the elements I can teleport pretty much anywhere anyway.”

I hear Fluttershy gasp, although I can’t see her expression from this angle. Rarity just shakes her head.

“Okay Twilight. But if we have to come back here to get you I swear that I will make you a dress so tight you won’t be able to move for atleast a week.”

“Just come back safely, okay?” Fluttershy says with a sweet tone in her voice, whilst gently nuzzling her.

D’awwwwwwww!

After trading goodbyes, they depart. Twilight going to the castle, Fluttershy and Rarity going back to their houses.

Now what do I do? Should I follow Twilight, and talk to her while she’s alone, or follow Rarity and Fluttershy back to their houses.

Wait a second. How are they going back to their houses? This is Earth!

Oh hell no. If they’re not on Earth.. then I’m in Equestria?!
That would explain a lot actually, except for the fact that HOW THE F*CK DID I GET HERE?

Gotta stay calm! Okay, I think it’s best that I follow Twilight. She is the Element of Magic, she should be able to help me.
Right?
Right?!

I quietly follow Twilight into the castle. I can hear her hooves echo in the adjacent chamber.

This place is deserted! I better make sure she won’t be able to hear my footsteps.What is she even doing? Staring at the walls? Oh well, I’m not the one to judge her.

As I hear Twilight’s echo move away, I quietly sneak into the next room, and up the stairs.

This is the room where the Elements of Harmony were stored and where fight took place, if I recall correctly. I don’t think theres anything else in this castle left, except for some rugs and a whole lot of dust. It looks very different than in the show.
I see Twilight staring at the windows. It seems to be some kind of mural on the glass.

She’s probably daydreaming right now. She looks so cute when she does that…

I hear Twilight sigh, as she starts making her way back towards the stairs.

“Can’t stay here much longer, they’ll start to worry about me if I don’t go back soon.”

Alright, this would be a perfect time to talk to her.Although, I have been following her all day, she probably thinks I’m stalking her! What if she hates me? Will she attack me? What if she doesn’t want anything to do with me?

I’ll talk to her later, this won’t work!

I quickly, yet as quietly I can make my way down the stairs and out of the castle. I decide to wait for Twilight behind a tree.

After a few moments, Twilight comes trotting out. I take a quick look at her, and she seems to be in deep thought.

Okay, now would be a perfect time to talk to her! Stop thinking, just go! If I keep thinking about it, I’m going to lose my nerves again.

My thoughts quickly turn elsewhere, however, as I see that I’m not the only one looking at Twilight. I notice a pair of yellow eyes in the darkness on the other side of the road. It starts moving towards Twilight.

A timberwolf! Today has to be the worst day of my life. What should I do?

Twilight looks down at the road. Her horn begins to glow. She looks down at the road, closing her eyes, looking like she’s concentrating. She still hasn’t noticed the timber wolf yet.

Oh shit! She’s gonna teleport away! I’ll lose her, and then I’ll be stuck in the Everfree Forest with a timberwolf. I have to do something, and fast!

The timber wolf is sneaking up to her. I don’t have a choice. I do the only thing I can do. I leap away from my cover and quickly sprint for Twilight. As I getting closer and closer, I see the timberwolf taking a leap at Twilight.

“Twilight!!”

Before she has the time to react, I push her out of the way. The timberwolf lands on the spot where Twilight had just been a moment ago, and where I am laying on the ground.

The wolf looks at me for a second, then starts tearing at my arm, biting and trashing while scratching me with his razor-sharp claws.

I kick back at the wolf, trying to get it off my arm. From the corner of my eyes, I see Twilight standing up. Her eyes grow wide as she sees the wolf attacking me. I keep kicking and punching the wolf, but it has little effect. The wolf keeps biting, and I can feel his teeth sink deeper into my arms.

Get. OFF ME!

A moment later, I can see magic start to envelop the wolf, and as Twilight magically kicks the wolf back into the forest, she looks at me with a face filled with anger and confusion.

“Umm, hi there?” I chuckle lightly as I say it.

As she envelops me in magic and levitates me off the grond, I start to feel sick. Then she begins questioning me.

“How do you know my name?!” I can hear the anger in her voice. Her expression quickly changes as she notices my bloodied arm and face, though. She exhales deeply then asks me again.

“How do you know my name?” “What are you?” I can feel her hooves poke into my side. “And why did you push me out of the way?”

Before I have the chance to respond, however, I feel my eyes growing heavy, and I pass out.

It’s been a loooong day.

Chapter 3 - Unexpected Encounters - Twilight

"Hang on Rarity!" Rarity is dangling precariously over the edge of a cliff as I hold on to her hoof with my own. Full stop Twilight Sparkle, why aren't you using magic? I suppress a groan, duhh. "Alright Rarity, I'm going to levitate you up here."

I channel a lot of magic through my horn and gently lift her over the edge of the cliff.
Was she always this heavy?
"Thank you darling, I guess I should have left that root for Fluttershy, sometimes I miss those wings you gave me." She sighs wistfully then dusts herself off and checks her hair in a small mirror she's brought, after which she turns to me. "I was trying to help you by levitating myself, even if only a little bit." She looks at me nervously, "but I might aswell have been Applejack for all the magic I could muster." Her eyes grow wide. "Do you think that maybe I've lost my magic?" She sounds a bit afraid when she says that.She swoons dramatically and falls down onto a lounge sofa that has appeared out of nowhere.

Come to think of it, I couldn't levitate myself when I was hanging from that cliff when we were here the last time. I was so scared then. Hmmm. That could possibly be the reason, I wonder if the princess knows anything about it.
Note to self: investigate possibility of fear inhibiting the usage of magic, and ways to deal with it.
If conclusive, write a letter to the princess on the debilitating effects of fear and how friendship can help overcome it.
Subnote: Take another look at the Alicorn Alteration Almanac, possible flight is one way to resolve this problem.
Subsubnote: This problem, being: 'falling off cliffs'. While this is a very specific problem, it is one I seem to have a lot.

I look at her completely deadpan. "Rarity, if you've lost your magic, how are you levitating that mirror." She looks at the mirror for a moment before looking at me sheepishly. "Oh right, I hadn't thought of that."
I facehoof. "And exactly where did that lounge bench come from?" I poke her playfully. "Have you been taking lessons from Pinkie?"

She looks at me with a mix of confusion and indignation. "Twilight Sparkle! First of all this is a Chaise Lounge, it is not a bench." She takes a couple of steps forward. "Secondly, what would I taking lessons from Pinkie Pie for?" I back up a little.
I forgot how fierce Rarity can get when she's angry.
"I'm sorry Rarity, I didn't mean anything by it, it's just-" I chuckle nervously. "..you and that bench.." Another glare from her has me stuttering. "..I-I I mean, chaise lounge, are almost as inseparable as Pinkie Pie and her party cannon"
I wonder if this 'Chaise Lounge' does anything other than appear when Rarity has a fainting spell.
I shiver at the implications of sentient furniture.

Rarity is all smiles again. "Don't mention it dear, it is all in the past." She turns around and looks up "Now then, I wonder where Fluttershy has run off to." She sighs. "She's a dear, but she can be such a hoofful at times."

I nod at her. "Yea." I walk over to the end of the rope bridge that leads to the castle of dawn and dusk. It's still swaying slightly from the particularly strong gust of wind that pushed Rarity over the edge.
I wonder how much longer the castle will last now that the Elements of Harmony are no longer stored there.
Note to self: Ask the princess if she has put up any warding spells.

Rarity crosses the bridge in a quick canter, before looking back at me. "Coming Twilight?" I shake my head to once again get myself out of my head. "Coming!" I quickly canter after her.- "Gahhh!" -and almost tumble down into the ravine myself as one of the sports of the bridge gives way from under me.

Rarity is at my side almost right away, looking quite frazzled. "Are you alright dear?" I can hear the worry in her voice. "I'll be fine Rarity." I carefully pull my hoof out of the hole and motion for Rarity to take the lead again.

On the other side of the bridge I sit down and finally exhale.
How did I not notice I was holding my breath?
I smile at Rarity as she gives me a puzzled look. "I guess I'm more shaken up by that near-fall than I thought I was."
She smiles and lightly nuzzles me. "We're safe now dear, though somepony should really fix that bridge if we're going to cross it again."
I smile back. "You're right. We should see if there's a way around this part when we go back."
I let Rarity lead the way towards the castle. We don't have to go inside, since there are no plants there, although I wonder what else is in the castle. I didn't get the chance to take a good look around.
I almost run into Rarity again as she's suddenly stopped walking. She snickers. "Twilight, you really need to learn to look where you're going."
I smile back sheepishly "I know, I know, I was just wondering if there was anything interesting in the castle, I didn't really get a chance to look last time we were here."
I suppose dealing with Nightmare Moon trying to ruin the day and all that leaves little time for exploration. I quietly snicker to myself.
Rarity looks amused. "Ever the little scholar aren't you?" She shakes her head, amused smile still on her face. "You'll get a chance for that later, for now let's focus on why we came here."
As we continue on I quickly glance at the bridge one more time. Just in time to see a shadow darting behind one of the trees close to the bridge. Is that Fluttershy? "Fluttershy?! Is that you?! Are you okay?!" I wait several moments for a response.
Guess I must have imagined it.
I shrug and follow Rarity, we have plants to gather after all.

An hour or two later, Rarity looks less like a fashion diva, and more like a forest dwelling pony.
A forest dwelling pony with a very strange fashion sense. I suppress a giggle at the bewildered look on her face.
She turns to me with an annoyed huff. “I think we're done in this area, Twilight”

I look around the area once more, before turning to face her again “I think you're right.” I tilt my head. “I'm still wondering where Fluttershy could have gone.” I can practically see Rarity change from 'wronged diva' into concerned friend she looks very worried all of a sudden. “Do you think she's alright? I thought we would have found her by now.”

I move forward and gentle nuzzle her. “I'm sure she's alright, you know Fluttershy, she's a scaredy pony but she can be strong when she needs to be.” Rarity calms down visibly as she thinks about my words.
She shakes herself, a few twigs and dirt falling out of her mane. “You're right, Fluttershy can take care of herself.”
I nod my head sagely. “she even used her Stare to free me from that cockatrice remember? Out of all of us, she probably has the least to worry about in this forest.”

“Oh! Twilight! Rarity! I'm so glad I found you.” I look up to see Fluttershy flying towards us in her own sedate pace.
It's amazing how graceful Fluttershy's flying is compared to Rainbow's.

Fluttershy doesn't stop flying however and crashes into me. “Oh, um, oh dear, I'm sorry Twilight.” She meeps and hides behind her mane once again. “A-are you alright?”
I shake my head, trying to get the ground to stop moving. “I'm fine Fluttershy. Don't worry about it.”
I shake my head one last time and smile at her. “So where were you? One moment you were right behind me and the next Rarity was holding on for dear life and you were gone.”

Fluttershy meeps again and curls up trying to make herself smaller. “I-I'm so very sorry Rarity.”
Rarity trots over to her and with a hoof pokes her in the side. “Come now dear, none of that.” She sighs deeply and smiles at Fluttershy who is peeking out from under her mane. “As you can see I am perfectly fine.”

Fluttershy stands up, gingerly stretching her legs, though she still keeps her gaze locked on the ground.
I nudge her. “So ?” she looks up at me questioningly. “Where have you been?”

She looks to Rarity, who gives her an encouraging smile and then looks at the ground again.
“W-well um,-” she swallows “-after we got separated I hid in a bush for a little bit, but after a while I saw something really big! Like twice as big as anypony I've ever seen except for big Macintosh maybe.” She blushes. Why is she blushing? “And I got worried, I thought you two might be in trouble so I flew around for a bit before I found the bridge, and saw that there was a hole in one of the boards, so I figured you girls had to have crossed it. But after that I didn't know where to go so I flew higher-“ I wonder how she's able to talk at length like that, she must have an amazing lung capacity. -”..And then, it ran away again. I don't think it saw me, but I was still really scared!”
Her monologue finally finished she hangs her head and pants softly.

I sit down on my haunches and put a hoof to the side of my head. “Now that you mention it, I think something's been following us for quite a while now. I thought it was you at first, but now I'm not so sure. Feeling watched once again I quickly looked at my surroundings.
There's something here, I can feel it.

“Fluttershy.” She looks at me expectantly. “Do you remember anything else?”
She looks pensive for a few seconds. “Well it mostly hid in the trees really well, so I couldn't really see anything else. Um, sorry”
I give her a reassuring smile “It's alright, although, the creature that was following us was hiding behind the trees and not in them, are you sure it was in the trees?”

“Oh yes, I'm really sure!.. I think” She sighs “Okay I’m not really sure.” She looks at the ground again. “I'm sorry.” So it must have been pretty stealthy then, unlike the creature that was following us. “It's okay. The creature that was following us wasn't very doing a very good job at hiding itself, I've seen it dive behind trees at least three times. So they're probably not the same.”

Rarity who had been quiet up till now spoke up. “Don't worry about it Fluttershy, we're as good as done anyway.” she looks at me. “We managed to get all the plants we needed, did we not?”
I quickly check and then double check my checklist. “Well, there's one plant we haven't found yet.”
I put the checklist into my saddlebags, “but I think we can leave that for another time.”

Rarity claps her hooves. “Marvelous, I can't wait to go home and soak in a nice hot bath.” She looks at her back with disgust “All this muck and gunk is just terrible for my complexion.”

“Oh, um, yes, a warm bath sounds wonderful” Fluttershy flutters a few feet into the air.
I guess the thought of washing off all the dirt and the filth would make me happy aswell if I looked as bad as she does. I wonder if she was actually attacked by one of the bushes she was hiding in.

“You go ahead girls, I want to check out the castle while I’m here.” I grin. “After all, you never know when old knowledge might come in handy!”
And maybe I can find out how the princess cast those warding spells! Ohhh she's going to be so proud of me.

Rarity shot me a worried look. “Are you sure dear? We wouldn't want you to have to sleep out here all alone.” She points at the orange sky. “It's going to be dark soon, and you know how dangerous this place can be when it's dark.” I see Fluttershy nod in agreement.

I smile at them reassuringly. “I'll be fine girls! Ever since we've used the Elements, I can teleport pretty much anywhere anyway.” Fluttershy gives me a look of pure disbelief, while Rarity just shakes her head. “Okay Twilight.” She suddenly glares at me, “but if we have to come back here to get you I swear that I will make you a dress so tight that you won't be able to move for at least a week!” Fluttershy shoots me a good natured smile. “Just come back safely okay?” she quickly nuzzles me and takes off in the direction of Ponyville, Rarity following on hoof.

I wave at them. “I will girls, see you later!”
I take off in the direction of the castle, but not before looking around again.
I wonder if that creature is still around.

–

I wonder if the library in this place was as large as the one in Canterlot Castle
I open another side door with my magic, layers of dust blowing away on the wind the open door creates.
Hmmm. Nice tapestry, I wonder why the princess didn't take this one with her when she moved to Canterlot.
I saunter across the marble floors the clip-clopping of my hooves sounding as eerie as I remember while I look for any sign of the wards and enchantments that have kept this place intact for so long.
Did the princess even place those wards? What if it was the Elements that kept the place intact?
If that's the case, I wonder if I can replicate those enchantments if I study the Elements themselves.
Now that I think about it.... why haven't I studied the Elements before? They're sure to be an invaluable artifact for magical studies.
Note to self: send a letter to the princess asking for permission to study my Element of Magic.

My face almost has an unfortunate meeting with the floor as I trip over a piece of marble.
Oh wow, deep indentation in the floor, radiating outwards.
I move towards the center of the room. It's like somepony put his or her hoof down. I gulp. And broke most of the floor in this room. I look around for other signs of destruction.
Hmm. Long gash along the left wall. Usually indicative of battle magic of some sort, not sure which kind of magic though.
Another note to self: Research battle magic and the extent of force that can be applied to it without hurting the caster.

I walk back up the stairs towards the holding room, where we activated the Elements of Harmony for the first time in a thousand years.
Hmm. The pedestal of the Elements doesn't look like much when it's not holding them.
I move away from the pedestal and towards the windows.
Amazing! Here is the stained glass mural of Princess Celestia and Luna defeating Discord for the first time.
I sigh. “Can't stay here much longer, they'll start to worry about me if I don't go back soon.”
I should definitely come back here though, there's so much left to learn!

I should probably go outside before I teleport home, you never know how ancient wards might mess with teleportation spells after all.
I take one last look around before cantering outside.
Such a shame that none of the books in the library survived, it would have been amazing to read things from that era.
I hear something in the distance, I turn my ears in the direction of the noise.

Suddenly I'm no longer standing on my own four hooves but instead sailing through the air.
What's happening!? I land rather heavily on my side. Ofcourse it's that creature that was following us! No time to feel pain Twilight! You'll have to defend yourself. I get up shakily and look back at the spot I was standing just moments ago.

I can't believe my eyes. There's a creature I've never seen before, getting munched on by a timberwolf. Did it just scream my name? I shake my head to clear my thoughts. Guess I'll have to figure that out later. Gathering a fair bit of magic in my horn I levitate the timberwolf off the poor creature, since it obviously has a hard time defending itself, and fling it away with a fair deal of power behind my levitation magic.

I huff. That was more excitement than I bargained for today, I wonder if having an Element of Harmony attracts trouble.
I look at the other creature with confusion, anger for having shoved me and a bit of fear.
It yelled out my name. What manner of creature can do that?

It talks to me again. “Umm, hi there?” it weakly chuckles.
Better not take any chances, if it knows my name it must have at least some rudimentary mental magic.
I envelop it in magic and lift it off the ground. Making sure to add a magic dampening charm to my levitation spell.
“How do you know my name?! The creature looks scared. Relax Twilight, the situation is under control, no need to yell.
I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Exchanging my confused angry look for a concerned one.
“How do you know my name?” I arch an eyebrow at it. “What are you?” I poke it with a hoof. “And why did you push me out of the way?”

It doesn't respond.
I step back and take good look at it.
It's eyes are closed, One of it's forehooves appear to be bloodied, and it's fur appears to be torn to shreds in several places.
I almost panic again. “Okay, it probably didn't intend to kill me, that timberwolf would have gotten me if it hadn't pushed me out of the way” In which case I can't leave it here.
I sigh again. That looks bad, I should... oh ofcourse, Fluttershy will know what to do!
I gingerly lower the creature on my back. It isn't too heavy, good.
Hmm. Spike came out singed last time I tried anything like this, I hope this time will be better.
I gather a good amount of magic in my horn and teleport both myself and my passenger out of the forest.

I wonder why I've never seen a creature like this before...
Will I ever have a normal day?