“It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”
~~~
"Okay Spike! Let's run through it again!"
Twilight had been working on this spell for quite a while. She was already quite accomplished at teleporting, that much was certain. But she had been having trouble primarily with her ability to transport other beings with her, as demonstrated by her and her friends' recent encounter with those 'jerky teen dragons', as Spike so aptly put it.
"Auuuugh, Twilight, can't we take a break? I'm in serious need of a nap...a nice, long, 12-hour nap." Twilight groaned at his complaining, but he did have a point. It was starting to get dark out, and he'd need to get to bed soon.
"Fine Spike. Go upstairs and take a bath. I'll be back in an hour or two."
He seemed confused. "You aren't staying in? Usually you love to stay in and read all night on nights like this."
"Well Spike, tonight is different. I feel like I have this mass-teleportation spell down, but I just want to be sure. You can never be too careful, right?" She grabbed her saddlebags and trotted out the door. "Don't forget to brush your teeth!" She yelled back as the door closed. Spike excitedly ran up the stairs as soon as she left. He never had any time to himself whenever Twilight was in the library, so this was the first time in ages that he could run upstairs, lock the door.... and pull out a delicious sack of emeralds and rubies from underneath his small pillow. " 'Don't eat gems before bed'," Spike mimicked as he pulled out a particularly large gem. "Well, what Twilight doesn't know can't hurt her."
As he tossed the gem into the air, expecting it to land on his tongue, it vanished in a flash of purple light, along with the sack containing the rest of his snacks, replaced by a note that slowly floated down and landed on his face. Spike picked it up and read:
Dear Spike,
I know that you were probably going to try to eat these gems you were trying to hide for the past week, so I think I'll just hold onto them myself. No snacks before bed; they give you stomach aches, remember?
Love, Twilight
Spike threw the letter down, disappointed at the loss of his hidden stash. He reached into his pillowcase and pulled out one more gem, a particularly big topaz that he had been hiding for even longer. "Well, it's a good thing I'm always prepared for--"
The topaz disappeared in a purple flash as well, replaced by another note.
P.S.
You need to find better hiding places for your secret late-night snacks.
Spike sat sullenly on his small bed. "At least I know all that spell training wasn't a waste."
~~~
Rainbow Dash, despite usually being the fastest pony anywhere, was the last one to arrive. Her wings barely fluttered as she floated in the air, rubbing her eyes and seemingly dragging herself along. *YAAAAAWN* "Twilight, what's with the visit? Why exactly did you need me here again?"
Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight were all assembled in the Apple Family Barn, and at that point Rainbow was the only pony absent. Now that she had arrived, they could get started.
Twilight cleared her throat. "I've called you all here for an important test. I'm--" She was interrupted by Pinkie. "A TEST?! Auuugghghgh, I HATE tests!! Twilight, why didn't you warn me?! I didn't study! I need to go home and get notes and--" Pinkie was then silenced by Applejack's hoof over her mouth. "Ah, go on Sugarcube. We're listenin'."
"Thank you, Applejack. Pinkie, it isn't that kind of test. Please try not to interrupt me like that." Pinkie heard the seriousness present in her voice, and without so much as a grunt, held her hoof up and zipped it through the air over her mouth.
Twilight nodded, and Rarity spoke up. "Darling, why all the secrecy? Is this something from the Princess?"
"No. I'm practicing a mass-teleportation spell, and I would like you all to be my helpers!"
Rainbow Dash let out an audible groan. "You woke me up for THAT? I could've been sleeping right now!"
Twilight couldn't even contain her joy anymore. "I....I couldn't wait, really! I mean, I'm just so excited about this spell, and I really wanted to try it now, just to make sure it worked right! I've been practicing all day, and I'm just so happy!! I mean, do you all KNOW how big a mass-teleportation spell is? It's a whole new tier of magic, and it's so advanced! I trust you guys, and I really wanted to do this now, tonight. I don't think I would be able to get to sleep otherwise!"
Rainbow Dash sighed and landed. "...Fine, Twi. How long is this gonna take? I've got important things to do!"
Applejack finished her train of thought. "Like napping?" Rainbow Dash just looked over at her, and stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, for your information!"
Twilight looked over at Fluttershy, who had been silent this entire time. "Fluttershy?" Hearing her name cause the timid pegasus to let out a small squeak. "You haven't said anything. Do you want to help?" Fluttershy looked at the ground and rubbed her hoof around a bit before responding. "W-well, I don't really know Twilight.... are you sure this is safe?"
Twilight looked confident. "Don't worry, I'm sure that we'll be fine. I've run over the calculations numerous times, and I'm fairly certain that nothing can go wrong!"
" 'Fairly' certain?" Fluttershy still looked reluctant, so Twilight reassured her. "I'm positive, Fluttershy! Nothing bad can happen." She eased up a bit and seemed a bit more accepting now that her fears were assuaged. "Ok, Twilight, I'll help..."
"Excellent!" Twilight looked around at the rest of her friends, who all nodded simultaneously that they were ready. Twilight crouched and began concentrating. "This shouldn't take more than a few minutes!"
After minutes of focus, Twilight was ready. She felt that this spell was foolproof, but she knew where that had gotten her before, so she had taken extra precautions just to be safe. There were mental borders she had set up around the area outside the barn that she had visualized, so she wouldn't go anywhere beyond there unless she lost her focus. She had also refined the spell itself, making sure that everything made it through the teleporting process without a scratch.
As her friends circled around her, she began casting the spell. Twilight's horn lit up like Canterlot on Hearth's Warming Eve. Small beads of sweat began to roll down her face. She had never tried teleporting this many ponies at once before, but she was certain of her abilities. The area around her and her friends grew brighter and brighter. It looked like things were going well.
Suddenly, the light around the area began to flicker. Twilight was losing focus. There was something, somePONY interfering with the spell. She could feel the intruder drawing on her magical energy, utilizing it for something. The light around the area became a darker shade of purple. Twilight's magic felt.... heavier. Much heavier.
Applejack tried to pull Twilight out of her stupor, but to no avail. "Twilight!! What in tarnation is goin' on?!" Rainbow was twitchy. She tried flying out of the circle, but she was just pushed back in by the massive amount of magic at work. "Twilight!!" AJ tried shaking her, but nothing happened. She was enthralled by the dark powers of whomever's magic was at work.
Suddenly, there was a huge flash. Everypony was blind for a few seconds.
When the light dissipated, the Mane 6 could only stare in awe at the world around them.
The buildings were huge and covered in shadows cast from a brilliant moon. There were barely any ponies outside, and the streets were covered in fog.
"Eugh, what's up with all this fog?!" Rainbow Dash seemed surprised at the amount of clouds allowed down to ground level. "Don't the pegasi around.... wherever we are know how to keep a street clean? And speaking of that, WHERE ARE WE?!"
Twilight took a deep breath. Getting worked up would be no help here, so she tried to keep calm. "I-it's okay girls. I think I may have just miscalculated and landed us somewhere else in Equestria.... somewhere a lot farther away. I think we should split up for now. I'll go ask for directions to the nearest train station, and you all wait over... there!" She pointed her hoof at a large metal post, standing on the sidewalk.
AJ spoke up again. "Twi, I don't think it's a good idea ta' be roamin' around Celestia knows where, especially alone like this. Maybe I should go with you."
Twilight waved her off and picked up her saddlebags, which had traveled with them for some reason, most likely because of their proximity to the area in which the spell was cast. "Really Applejack, it's fine! It's not like we're in the Everfree forest, and I know how to handle myself against any kind of creature that I might come upon. I can do this by myself. I need you to help watch the others..." Twilight craned her head to look back at the rest of her friends. "...especially Pinkie."
AJ turned her head to see Pinkie messing with just about anything she could get her hooves on, running around and jumping on things. "OOOh, I've never seen one of these before! What's that? OOOHH WHAT'S THAT!? Ooooh, what does that thing do?"
Applejack sighed. "Well Sugarcube, ya' got a point. Just.... be careful, ok?"
Twilight had already started walking. "It's fine Applejack! I'll be back in a few minutes!"
What Twilight didn't know was that she had more to worry about than just dangerous animals and monsters.
As she walked through the fog, Twilight spotted a large brown stallion in a weird looking coat that covered his hind legs. "Um sir? Excuse me?" The stallion swung his head around dozily. When he caught a glimpse of Twilight, his eyes and ears both perked up. "Hmm? What, did you want something?"
Twilight happily explained her situation to him. "You see, I'm a bit lost, and I was wondering if you would be able to lead me to the nearest train station?" The Stallion's face betrayed a hint of lust. "Why, er, sure young mare! If you could just follow me this way! I know a shortcut!"
Twilight followed him, oblivious to his intentions. The stallion insisted that she walk in front of him, and she obliged, though she had no idea why he wouldn't just led her. The stallion followed closely. He was sure to be stealthy about it, but every now and then after giving Twilight a direction, he would lean his head down and take a sniff of her marehood. She wasn't paying much attention, not believing him to be any threat, so he managed to reach a hoof down under himself, hidden by his coat, and slowly jerk himself. This continued on for about ten minutes until they reached a small alley.
"Now go on up ahead, the train station is actually through here." His cock was fully erect, and he planned on jumping her the minute she started to walk. "This... doesn't look like the right way... why would a train station--"
"Just trust me. I know where these places are." The stallion didn't display an ounce of emotion that would've given him away. Twilight, trustful as she was, began walking down the alley. The stallion followed slowly, holding his erect cock in hoof. She looked and smelled good. His precum had already begun leaking out. He was stroking himself, preparing to insert his precum-slick stallionhood, when a voice from behind him caught his attention.
"Twilight! What're ya doin', Sugarcube?"
That accent was unmistakable. He turned around and went wide-eyed at the sight of the mare before him. He immediately hid his now flaccid cock as she walked down the alley. "The train station's that way! Where were you goin'?"
Twilight turned and pointed at the stallion. "Hmm? Well, I was listening to this stallion give me directions, but if the train station--"
The stallion stammered. "I-I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO, UH, LEAD YOU THE WRONG WAY!!"
Twilight smiled, still oblivious. "Oh, well, I'm sure it was just an accident! We all make mistakes."
"N-no, just.... take this!" He threw a pouch of coins at her feet. He turned to see Applejack still advancing down the alley. "I, er, really need to go! APOLOGIES FOR WASTING YOUR TIME!" The stallion began walking back out of the alley, giving AJ a wide berth. No way in Tartarus was he was messing with anyone who was friends with an Apple.
Applejack just looked at him funny, then turned back to Twilight, confusion evident. "Uh, what was that all about?"
Twilight was at a loss herself. "I don't know. Maybe he just felt bad for leading me the wrong way? And Applejack, how did you know where I was?"
"It wasn't hard to find ya, especially considering I found a map back near where we started. The train station's actually back that way. Boy howdy, you two sure got lost!"
Twilight giggled a bit and blushed for not paying attention to the map. "Yeah, I guess so. Should we go back to get the others, or go get tickets first?"
"Let's go back for 'em. I don't think Rainbow Dash can handle Pinkie much longer."
~~~
Canterlot Castle, Third Tower, Library
~~~
"So... it worked then..."
A small purple unicorn erased the runes from the ground around her as to not leave any evidence, then proceeded to sit at her large desk, covered in papers with magical runes and research and scientific equipment. The dark room had only one source of light, that of her desk lamp, but it was enough. Two small puffs of green flame momentarily lit up the surrounding area, and a large pair of green, lizard-like eyes opened.
The unicorn got up and trotted over to her pet. She pet his nose and magically threw a large carcass, of which there were many in the corner of the room marked 'FAILURES', sectioned off by a cage, into his gaping maw.
"Good evening, Clades. How are you feeling?"
The beast let out a groan.
"I take it you are well then. Good news! You get a special meal today. Celestia is done with the traitors who attempted that riot last week, and has handed them over to me." Cladus' next groan was infinitely happier sounding.
"Enjoy it, for this may be the last we are forced to deal with Celestia and her Ilk. I've just thrown a new wild card onto the table."