Princess Sparkle's School for Eccentric Unicorns

Chapters

Prologue
Forest I
Forest II
Forest III
Forest IV

Prologue

Twilight Sparkle smiled to herself as she gazed across the empty gymnasium. Soon it would be filled with a hectic crowd of ponies, but for now she savored the stillness. The early morning light beamed down from the high windows, and the large hall gave her the same impression as a blank sheet of parchment. A spark had begun dancing in her mind weeks ago, a persistent idea that had burned day and night, and today, she hoped, would mark the beginning of turning that dream into a reality. It was a thrilling prospect, but for just a little while longer, she could hold her breath in anticipation.

Behind her, Rarity sat behind a simple wooden table, humming to herself as she tidied up her papers and quills. Twilight had of course invited her friend to take part in her new project, but Rarity had gracefully declined, declaring that advanced magical theory was simply not her strong suit. She had insisted in helping Twilight organize today's audition process, though, and with the extra set of hooves, the whole thing came together remarkably quickly.

Farther along the wall, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were putting the finishing touches on their own station. They had come along to help set up, and when they heard that Twilight would likely be rejecting most of her applicants, they took it upon themselves to set up a table to give free hugs and candy to anypony who was turned down.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Strands of magic were coalescing in the air beside her, invisible to the eye but easily detectable to her horn. A tall, dark form stepped out of shadows that had not been their moments before, its hooves ringing against the polished floor. The magic fell away to reveal the Princess of the Night, holding herself with her usual regal poise.

“Princess Luna,” Twilight said over Fluttershy's frightened gasp and Pinkie's applause. “I wasn't expecting you here today.”

“Princess Twilight,” the other alicorn replied. “Celestia informed me that you were holding your auditions this morning. Forgive my bluntness, but I was hoping to talk some sense into you.”

Twilight frowned. “You don't think this project is a good idea? When I completed Starswirl's spell, it was the first time in living memory anypony had created new magic. Equestria runs on magic, and yet sometimes it seems like we barely understand it! Few unicorns learn any magic outside of the their special talent, and fewer still bother to learn the most basic principles of magical theory. If my research team can create new spells, new magic, think of the benefit Equestria could reap!”

“Calm yourself, Twilight Sparkle. I agree that your goal here is a noble one. It is your methods that I question. When Celestia told me how you intend to select the unicorns for your project, at first I thought she was joking.”

“Actually,” Rarity's spoke up, causing both Princesses to turn, “I was hoping to ask you about that as well, Twilight. I was organizing the applications, and I couldn't help but notice—let's see, where is it.” She leafed through her neat stack of papers and pulled one from near the top. “It seems that Prince Blueblood is applying.”

“And?” asked Twilight.

“What do you mean, 'and'?” asked Rarity, losing her composure a bit. “You aren't going to consider accepting that oaf after what he did to me, are you?”

“He's going to get the same test as everypony else, Rarity.”

“But Twilight—”

“I have to be fair about this, Rarity. If he passes the test, then he gets in. But,” she said as reached across the table to lay her hoof over her friend's, “you can rest assured, I really don't have high hopes for the Prince.”

Rarity sighed. “If you say so, Twilight.”

Luna, however, snorted and rolled her eyes. “But really, who's to say? Based on your preposterous little test, Twilight, you may as well be picking names out of a hat!”

“I am a Princess now, Luna,” Twilight said, turning back to stare defiantly at her fellow ruler. “This is my project, and I can run it how I please.”

“I am just saying, the universities of Equestria are filled with scholars of magic, learned ponies with decades of experience that would jump at the chance to work with you. Why not select from their ranks?”

“Those 'learned ponies' couldn't even complete a single spell in over a thousand years. I appreciate the work that goes on at our schools of magic, but the ponies in our academic system are too confined by their framework. They pass down a dogma from generation to generation, without questioning, without exploring, without innovating! If my methods are unorthodox, it's because I'm looking for unorthodox ponies.”

Luna sighed. “You are strange, Twilight Sparkle. I find it difficult to trust in your strangeness. If you were not the pony who had freed me from my nightmare and proved your greatness, I think I would find it impossible.”

“It'll work out, your majesty. You'll see.”

Luna frowned as she surveyed the gymnasium. “You really couldn't find a more appropriate venue for an undertaking of this gravity?”

Twilight shrugged. “We need a lot of room, and Lower Canterlot Elementary was gracious enough to offer us the space. Besides, we're going for unorthodox here, remember?”

The streets of Ponyville were almost never very crowded, but when you were galloping down main street as fast as your hooves could carry you, you still had to dodge and weave to avoid barreling over your fellow ponies. And when your train was scheduled to leave five minutes ago, you had to gallop down main street as fast as your hooves could carry you to have any hope of making it. And when your alarm clock was broken and your roommate forgot to wake you up early on the most important day of your life, you ran out your front door five minutes after your train was scheduled to leave. And when your roommate was a ditzy candy shop clerk who spent every waking minute practicing different funny voices, chances were good she would forget to wake you up early on the most important day of your life.

Lyra Heartstrings was not having a good day.

As she skidded around a corner, narrowly avoiding knocking a pair of fillies over as they ran across the street, Ponyville Station came into view. There was no train waiting at the raised platform, which meant she either still had a chance or was way too late. She rushed down the street, practically leapt up the stairs, and collapsed against the ticket seller's window.

“The... seven... o'clock... Canterlot Express?” she managed.

“Left six minutes ago,” said the gruff earth pony clerk. “At seven o'clock. Passengers are advised to allow plenty of time to catch their trains.”

“Trains are late sometimes,” said Lyra feebly.

“Not the Canterlot Express,” replied the clerk. “Next train is at nine.”

Lyra swallowed hard. Twilight's auditions began at eight. Getting into Twilight's research team had been her last, best hope for getting the most radiant pony in all of Equestria to notice her, and she had already blown it. She slumped against the wooden booth, falling in a heap beneath the window. She magically lifted her namesake instrument out of her saddlebags and stared at it, contemplating how she had once again failed miserably. It was hopeless; she had failed as a student of magic, she had failed as a musician, and she had failed time and again to work up the simple courage to tell Twilight Sparkle how she felt. She wasn't sure if Twilight even knew she existed, and really, she might as well not.

“Miss?”

She strummed a melancholy chord across the lyre's strings, closing her eyes and breathing in deep. The music passed over her, flowing through her. It was always hard to tell where the music ended and the magic began, but playing her lyre always gave her strength. She wouldn't give up. She couldn't give up.

“Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to move. Other ponies are waiting to purchase their tickets.”

Lyra rose to her hooves and turned to the ticket seller. “One for the nine o'clock Canterlot Express, please.”

Her setup was simple. The desks had been cleared out of the classroom, and Twilight sat behind the teacher's desk. After almost a lifetime spent as a student, sitting at the head of a classroom, even an empty one, felt somehow stranger to Twilight than being crowned Princess in front of a crowd of thousands. Here, it seemed to here, was real authority, and it unnerved her a little to think about it. At the same time, she had to stifle a giggle at the thought of what she was about to do.

“Our first applicant!” Rarity announced as she pushed open the door. “Mr. Archimedes Fulcrum.”

Twilight smiled as Rarity levitated the application over to her and the dark red stallion in question stepped into the room behind her. It was good to see a familiar face as her first applicant, even if the idea of interviewing one of her old magic professors was more than a little intimidating.

Rarity ducked out, leaving the two of them alone. Archimedes smiled warmly at Twilight as he stood before the desk. He looked the same as she remembered him from her days at Celestia's school; only the flecks of grey in his brown mane and beard spoke of the passage of time.

“It's good to see you again, Miss Sparkle.”

“You too, Mr. Fulcrum. Or can I call you Archimedes now?”

“I suppose a Princess can do as she likes,” the stallion chuckled. “You've come a long way, Twilight.”

“I'm glad you came down today,” said Twilight as she glanced at his application. “I could certainly use a pony with your magical knowledge and experience on my team.”

“How could I say no? When I heard that Twilight Sparkle, my brightest student and the new Princess of Equestria, was looking for talented unicorns for a special research project, I knew that I had to be a part of it. Why, I dare say we will be making history in the coming months!”

“I hope so,” said Twilight with smile. “Now, on to the test...”

“The test?” asked Archimedes, frowning.

“Yes. I'm sorry, didn't Rarity explain it to you? Each applicant must first pass a short, simple test before admission into the project.”

“I, ah. You see, I was assuming that we might dispense with such formalities, given my position and all.”

Twilight shook her head. “It's no formality, Archimedes. Everypony has to be able to pass this test before we can start the project.”

“Now really,” said Archimedes, stomping a hoof. “I am one of the head professors at the largest and most prestigious magical school in Equestria! I have dozens of papers to my name! Do you really mean to tell me, Miss Sparkle, that I have to jump through the same hoops as some pony of the street?”

Twilight gazed levelly at the stallion. “This is non-negotiable, Mr. Fulcrum. You can take the test, or you can leave and stop wasting my time.”

Archimedes snorted. “Fine. What's this test, then?”

The gym was a veritable sea of ponies, unicorns of every size and color milling about, chatting, nervously studying, practicing their magic, or just generally fretting. Rarity attempted to tune out the dull roar as she double-checked her list to prepare the next applicant—Blueblossom, a shy-looking yellow unicorn mare with a blue flower for a cutie mark, who was pacing nervously by the door. Just as Rarity satisfied herself that everything was in order, she was greeted by a familiar voice.

“I daresay this is a pleasant surprise, Miss Rarity.”

A smile grew on Rarity's face as she looked up at the blue-maned stallion approaching her table.

“Fancypants! The pleasure is all mine. I had no idea you were applying for Twilight's project.”

“I'm not, actually, though I do wish I had the time and talent to devote to such an intriguing-sounding endeavor. I'm here in support of my lovely wife, Fleur. She's so modest that she'll hardly admit it, but she's got a bit of a knack for spellwork—much more than I ever have, anyway. It took a bit of encouragement, but I convinced her to come out and see if our new Princess might have a place for her.”

“Well, the best of luck to her, then!”

“Yes, about that,” said Fancypants, leaning across the table and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “I don't suppose you could give us a bit of the inside scoop on what to expect? This test is all anypony is talking about, and the tension is starting to affect poor Fleur.”

Rarity shook her head grimly. “I'm as much in the dark as you are, I'm sorry to say. Twilight wouldn't tell me exactly what the test is. All I know is that it must be terribly difficult; every single applicant has come out either livid or in tears. I can't help but feel sorry for the poor ponies.”

“This is outrageous!”

The room fell silent as the door behind Rarity slammed open and a white-coated, blond-maned stallion stormed out. Apparently unaware that the entire gymnasium was now staring at him, Prince Blueblood continued to shout over his shoulder, his face as red as a beet.

“Your whole setup here is nothing but a farce, Miss Sparkle, and I intend to let my Aunt know precisely how I was mistreated by your joke of a test! I came here expecting to be met with the dignity that my class deserves, not humiliated like some commoner, like a foal, like a, a—”

“Sucker?”

“What?!” screamed Blueblood, whipping his head around to find himself face-to-face with a beaming Pinkie Pie, who was offering him a large red lollipop.

“I'm sure you tried your very bestest, and that even if things didn't go as well as you hoped, you're still a very special pony, and we have plenty of candy and hugs over at that table over there to make sure your day is just super duper!”

Blueblood looked back and forth between the pink pony in front of him and the table where Fluttershy waved meekly. Confusion mixed with anger on his face, as he seemed to be trying to decide if Pinkie Pie was mocking him or not. Pinkie merely held out the sugary treat, her smile never faltering. Finally, Blueblood grabbed the sucker with his magic and shoved it in his mouth with a pout. Without another word, he brushed past Pinkie and made his way through the crowd. Rarity smirked as she watched him retreat.

“I'll amend that, I feel sorry for most of the ponies.”

Lyra was stuck between impatience and anxiety. Her face was pressed against the train's window, and she watched the landscape roar by without really seeing it. She wanted to take out her lyre and practice, but the passenger car was crowded with ponies, so all she could really do was sit and stew. She cursed herself for oversleeping, she concocted horrible scenarios in her head for what the interview might entail, and she counted the seconds until the train was due to arrive in Canterlot.

Most of all, though, she thought about Twilight Sparkle. When she had been kicked out of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, Lyra had been sure that her life was over. She had crash-landed in Ponyville, moving in with her long-suffering friend Bonbon. Since then she had been living off the bits she picked up as a street musician and Bonbon's goodwill. But another pony had arrived in Ponyville shortly after Lyra had.

Lyra had known Twilight at school, but had never given her any notice. Everypony knew that Celestia's protege was aloof and asocial, and Lyra was too busy partying to give much thought to some bookworm. But when Twilight had stood before the cheering crowds after vanquishing Nightmare Moon, Lyra thought she was looking at a pony transformed. Maybe it was her own recent failure giving her perspective, or maybe it was seeing Twilight surrounded for the first time by warm and loving friends, but Lyra's heart was filled with admiration for the lavender unicorn.

Over the following months, admiration had grown into something more. Barely a day passed in Ponyville where Lyra did not see Twilight trotting down the streets of Ponyville, usually chatting happily with one or more of her friends. Lyra wanted nothing more than to be there beside her, to share in that warmth, to see Twilight's smile turned towards her. But as the months passed, the gap between them only seemed to grow. While Lyra's life stagnated, Twilight's accomplishments only grew. Time and again, Twilight and her friends came to Equestria's aid, gaining fame and recognition that Lyra could never hope to measure up against. If Twilight the personal student of Celestia was difficult to approach, then Twilight the Princess of Equestria was practically untouchable.

Then Lyra had read the ad in the Ponyville Express: an open call for unicorns across Equestria to join in Twilight's research project to discover new magic. Lyra had no idea if she was qualified. She only knew that it was the perfect opportunity to both get closer to Twilight and to impress her, to make her notice her, and she had wasted no time in sending in her application.

The grassy plains outside her window gave way to rocky foothills, and the shimmering city of Canterlot came into view as the train rounded a bend. Lyra lifted her head from the window. She could see her reflection dimly in the glass, and schooled her features into a determined gaze. One way or another, she knew that she was about to meet her destiny.

Twilight chewed her lip as another sobbing unicorn ran out into the hall and she levitated another application into the overflowing trash bin. It had not been an easy day. She had received a tremendous amount of verbal abuse from the many ponies who had failed her test, and had almost nothing to show for it. When she had told her plan to Celestia, her old mentor had given her heartfelt approval. But now Twilight was beginning to wonder if Luna might have been right, that she was going about this the wrong way. But she was looking for exceptional unicorns, she reminded herself. She had to make sure she was getting the best of the best, or her project would have no hope of success.

Her heart rose when Rarity entered the room. Her friend had been working tirelessly all day, and had dealt with as many angry and upset ponies as she had, but Rarity maintained her grace and composure, and it gave Twilight strength to see her warm smile.

“Are you holding out alright? Do you need to take a break?”

“Thank you, Rarity, but I'd rather keep working. If you're okay holding down your end, I'd like to get through this as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, well,” Rarity chuckled and spoke in a whisper, “I don't think you'll have too spend to long on this next one, at any rate.”

Twilight peered at the paper Rarity floated over, and barely held back a groan when she read the name, scrawled in all capital letters in some kind of glittery purple ink, that ran across the top of the sheet. Before she could ask Rarity anything, her friend had slipped out the door, and was soon replaced with a very familiar blue unicorn. She had foregone the pointed hat, but was still wearing her flowing purple cape.

“Hello, Trixie.”

“Greetings, Twilight Sparkle!” said Trixie as she took her place in front of the desk. “You will be delighted to know that the Great and Powerful Trixie has decided to join you in your quest for new magic. You may begin your test whenever you are ready.”

“Uh huh. What's this really about, Trixie?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you here? Are you still trying to get back at me? I thought we settled this. Is this some kind of joke?”

Trixie frowned. “Trixie is quite serious, Twilight Sparkle. Trixie wishes to give back to the ponies that she has wronged, as well as prove that she truly is a great magician. Trixie had hoped that she would be given a fair chance at your test; is that not the case?”

Twilight scratched her chin with a hoof. “Huh. Well, I suppose you're right. You deserve the same chance as anypony. At any rate, this should be interesting.”

A hint of worry crossed Trixie's face. “Interesting? Interesting how?”

Twilight smiled and leaned across the desk. “There's no amulet this time, Trixie. No more lies and exaggeration and smoke and mirrors. It's time to show me what you can really do.”

Luna found her sister on her balcony, gazing up at the clear blue sky. In any other pony, such an expression would seem to be nothing but silent meditation, but Luna knew that Celestia was following the magical connection they shared with the heavens. The sun was climbing to its highest point, and though Luna's connection to the moon was different in a thousand subtle ways to Celestia's relationship to the sun, she understood well the simple, driving need that drew her sister's gaze to the heavenly body.

Celestia smiled as Luna landed beside her. “Good morning again, sister. I hope that Princess Twilight was able to settle some of your doubts.”

“Hardly,” replied Luna. “But I left her to her folly. I find it hard to believe that you would allow such a foalish project, though.”

“Twilight is a Princess now, Luna. She makes her own choices.”

“Yes, she reminded me so herself,” said Luna with a huff. The Princess of the Night frowned as she looked over the railing at the city below. “Do you really think she will be able to make new magic, sister?”

“She has already done so once. Why shouldn't she again?”

“That was under extreme circumstances, and as part of the fulfillment of a larger prophecy. Even if she can recreate such a feat, I doubt that recruiting ponies off the street will bring her any closer to her goal. In all my many years, she is the only pony I have meet with such extraordinary talent, and I know that you share my experience.”

“Times are changing, Luna. The Crystal Empire has returned. Discord walks free and reformed, ready to use his magic for the good of all ponies. This is not the Equestria you left all those centuries ago, nor the one I have ruled over since.”

“Is change really so good?”

A look of sadness entered Celestia's eyes as she turned back into her chamber. “Good or bad, it is inevitable. I have always known that Twilight would move beyond my ability to teach her, and I can only hope she will meet with success.”

“Good morning, miss... Vinyl Scratch?”

“Yo.”

The white mare standing before Twilight was one of the more peculiar ponies she had seen that day. Her blue mane was an untidy mess, a pair of magenta shades hung around her neck, and even though she had heavy bags under her eyes, she gave Twilight an easy grin. Twilight searched her application for details.

“It says here you work as a DJ.”

“Best in Canterlot, baby. I guess being a Princess doesn't give you much time to go out to the clubs, huh?”

“Not really, no. Why don't you tell me why you're interesting in joining my research project, Miss Scratch?”

“Hey, call me Vinyl. And I gotta admit, I don't really know too much about 'magical theory' or whatever. But my marefriend is in the Canterlot Fillyharmonic, and they're going on tour for a couple of months, which is awesome for her, you know, but it leaves me without a lot to do. I go a little crazy when I don't have something to occupy my time, and I told her so, so she found that ad you put out, and I thought, 'Hey, this looks kinda neat,' so I figured I'd drop by a give it a shot.”

“You're telling me you want to join an advanced magical research team just because you're bored.”

“Bingo, baby.”

Twilight sighed. “I guess that's not the worst reason I've heard today. If you're ready, we can start the test.”

“Uh, about that test,” Vinyl said with a yawn. “I was out real late last night, and I was hitting the cider pretty hard. I got a fierce hangover, let me tell you, and I'm sure you know how hard that makes using the ol' horn.”

“Not really,” said Twilight. “And if you really believe that you can walk in here and earn a spot on this team without demonstrating your magical aptitude, then I think we're done here.”

“Woah, hey,” said Vinyl, becoming more animated. “I got plenty of magical altitude. I'm up for your test, give me your best shot.”

“It shouldn't take too long. I just need you to cast one spell for me.”

Vinyl Scratch's eyes narrowed. “What sort of spell?”

For a moment, Lyra thought that she had the wrong place. She was surprised when the address she was following led her to an elementary school, and she opened the doors to an almost empty gymnasium. But she recognized Rarity at a table across the room, and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were chatting with a grey earth pony mare. Lyra trotted across the gym, praying that she wasn't too late.

“Hi, um, excuse me,” she said as she approached Rarity's table, “I know I'm late, but I sent my application in and I'm, um, here to try out for Twilight's, I mean, for the Princess's project. My name is Lyra Heartstrings.”

“Hmm.” Rarity nodded distractedly as she leafed through a stack of papers. “Ah, yes, I see you here. You'll have to wait a moment; the Princess is finishing up one last interview, and then I think we'll have time for you.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much. I'll, uh, just be waiting over here.”

Lyra walked over to where Pinkie Pie was babbling happily at the bemused earth pony. Fluttershy gave her a smile as she read the cardboard and marker sign they had taped to the wall behind them.

“'Free hugs and candy'?”

“Yeppers!” said Pinkie Pie. “We didn't want anypony to feel too bad if they didn't get picked, so we've been doing our bestest to brighten up everypony's day! We're out of candy, though.”

“I see,” Lyra said, peering into the large empty bowl that sat on the table. “So you've, um, been giving out a lot of hugs and candy, then?”

“Oh man, you have no idea! Pony after pony, coming up to us crying and yelling, all day long! Twilight's test must be super-duper-impossible, because almost nopony's passed it. Oh!” Pinkie started as Fluttershy elbowed her. “But, um, I'm sure you'll do great! You look like a real winner, yesiree!”

“Right,” said Lyra. She could feel her chest begin to tighten with nervousness. She began to fidget with her hooves, searching for something to break the awkward silence, when the door behind Rarity opened and a blue-maned unicorn wearing purple shades stepped into the gym. The newcomer brushed past Rarity and Lyra and made straight for the grey earth pony.

“Hey babe,” she said with a grin, “How often do you tell me that I'm 'the strangest pony in Equestria'?”

“Several times a day, I should think,” said the earth mare with a small smile.

“Well, I've got news for you. I've got nothing on Princess Sparkle.”

Lyra was desperate to try and learn anything about the test that awaited her, but Rarity was gesturing to her to follow her into the hallway, so she reluctantly broke off from the group. They left the gym and walked a short distance down the hall, where Rarity asked her to wait outside while she entered one of the classrooms. In an attempt to calm the butterflies in her stomach, Lyra tried to think of anything but the daunting prospect before her, but being surrounded by lockers, the smell of chalk, and all the other trappings of education only brought back other unpleasant memories of tests failed. When Rarity returned and nodded to her in, it was all she could do to keep her teeth from chattering.

There was something slightly absurd about seeing her old classmate and the object of her affection seated behind a teacher's desk, but it also seemed like Twilight Sparkle's natural habitat. She was looking over Lyra's application as Lyra moved to stand before her, awkwardly shuffling her hooves.

Twilight smiled as she looked up at Lyra. “Well, it's nice to see a fellow Ponyvillite! I think I recognize you—you play your harp in the park sometimes, right?”

“It's a lyre,” said Lyra, “And yeah, I do. A lot, actually. It's kind of, um. I'm sort of a street performer, I guess. And I think I've seen you, too! I mean, I know I've seen you. You're Twilight Sparkle, you're famous. Um, your majesty. But I meant that I watch you when I play. I mean see you! I see you, sometimes, when I play in the park.”

“It's alright, Miss Heartstrings,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “I know it can be intimidating to meet with a Princess, but rest assured I'm just a pony like yourself. Why don't you tell me why you're interested in joining my research team?”

To be near you, thought Lyra. To see your face, to hear you say my name, to pursue the foalish dream that you might one day notice me, might one day see me the same way I see you.

“Uh, I like magic. I mean, I think it's real, um, neat. I went to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, you know. Well, I dropped out. Got kicked out. But that doesn't mean I'm not good at magic! I mean-”

“I'm not that interested in your credentials, Miss Heartstrings. I'm looking for something different here. Really, it all comes down to the test.”

“Right,” said Lyra, trying to steady her breathing. “The test. What do I need to do?”

“It's perfectly simple. I just need you to cast one spell.”

“That's it? What spell?”

“It can be any spell you want—as long as it's one I've never seen before.”

Lyra gaped in confusion. “But, um, you're probably the greatest magician in Equestria. You must have seen every spell there is to see!”

“Well then,” said Twilight, leaning back. “You'll have to come up with something new then, won't you?”

The floor threatened to fall out from beneath Lyra's hooves. “You want me to create new magic. Right now.”

“And it must be completely new,” said Twilight. “No variations, transformations, or combinations of existing spells. I need you to show me something totally new, something nopony has ever done before.”

“That's impossible,” said Lyra weakly. “Nopony has created new magic in living memory. That's the first thing they teach you in magic kindergarten.”

“I did it,” said Twilight.

“But you—I mean, you're you!”

Twilight's expression turned stern. “Miss Heartstrings, the purpose of this project is to discover and research new magic. I'm only interested in applicants who can prove that they are capable of doing just that.”

“But on the spot? Just like that?”

“If you don't think that you're able to complete the test, then I'm afraid we're finished here.”

Lyra's world was crashing down around her. What had she been thinking? Of course she wasn't qualified for an advanced magical research team. She couldn't pay her own rent, much less make her own magic. Just like that, all her chances, all her hopes were swept away. Her legs began to shake beneath her.

But she had to try. Even if she made a complete foal of herself, she couldn't walk away without giving it a shot. She levitated her lyre out of her saddlebags.

“Is it alright if I use this? It helps me do magic. My teachers called it a, um, focus.”

Twilight nodded, and Lyra took a steadying breath as she brought the instrument before her. She tried to block out the rest of the world as she planned what she was going to do. The problem was, she couldn't think of an actual plan. New magic. How could she do it? How could she create something that nopony had ever created?

With practiced care, she began plucking the strings. Chord followed chord, and a melody began to form. If anything could help her now, it was music. She closed her eyes, focusing on the sound and the flow of magic through her horn. She searched her mind, and recalled the most difficult spell she knew. It wasn't anything new, and she was sure Twilight would be familiar with it, but it was a place to start.

Sonic transformation was one of the most sophisticated tools available to a musician. Physically producing sound with one's instrument was one thing, but to alter the soundwaves as they traveled through the air took incredible precision. Done correctly, it amplified the emotional effects of the music and produced entirely new sounds, allowing a musician to move beyond the confines of their instrument. But one misstep would turn the most moving melody into dissonant screeching. Most unicorn musicians saved it for career-defining performances. If this didn't qualify as such, Lyra didn't know what did.

But it wasn't enough. The music that Lyra was creating was beautiful, but she had to find a way to move it beyond the conventional realm. She opened her eyes as an idea struck her. She could magically alter the music as it flowed through the air, but what if she could alter it in the mind of the listener itself?

Without thinking about it, she reached out to touch Twilight with her magic. The Princess started for a moment, but then relaxed and allowed Lyra to work her magic on her ear and minds. Lyra was hesitant at first, but as she felt Twilight let her into her mind, she realized it worked on the same principles. With a delicate touch, she could shape, change, adjust the music, only now it was Twilight's perception she changed, not the sound itself. She could not hear the changes she was making, only imagine them. But she felt her courage grow, and she the music and magic flowed together in a continuous stream from her lyre, through the air, and into Twilight's mind.

It wasn't until the song reached its peak that Lyra realized how weirdly intimate the spell was. She was touching Twilight's mind, being allowed to enter into Twilight's world and communicate with her in a way she finally was comfortable with. Where words failed her, music could be her alternative. She didn't know what Twilight did and did not understand, but as she strummed the final, rising chords of the song, she tried to imbue them with the thought that she could not speak aloud.

I think I love you, Twilight Sparkle.

The sound fell away, and the magic ceased to flow. Twilight smiled at Lyra, and Lyra dared to allow a measure of hope to grow in her heart.

“That was beautiful,” said Twilight. “And very impressive. A mental extension of sonic transformation. It's very clever, but unfortunately, it doesn't qualify as new magic.”

“What?” asked Lyra.

“You used an existing spell in a new way. I asked you to create a new spell entirely.”

“Wait! I can do it, just- just give me a second!”

She strummed the chords of her lyre again, this time without thought or care. She pushed violently at the sound with her magic, struggling to create something new. What came out was a loud, wailing screech. The windows rattled, and both ponies grimaced.

“Sonic amplification,” said Twilight, rubbing her ear. “A standard musician's spell, if performed very poorly in this instance.”

“One more chance!” cried Lyra. “Just- just let me-”

Without even using her instrument, she flailed wildly with her magic, grasping the first spell that came to her mind. A shower of green sparks shot out of her horn, and twinkled out slowly in the air above the desk.

“Prestidigitation,” said Twilight, looking unimpressed. “Most foals can accomplish that.”

“It's impossible!” yelled Lyra. “You can't expect ponies to come in here and just create new magic on the spot! Nopony can pass your test!”

“Says who?” said Twilight, a small smile growing on her features. “You just did.”

“I- wait,what?”

“I asked a lot of unicorns today to do the same thing I just asked of you, and I got a lot of responses. Ponies yelled at me, argued with me, ran out crying. I was told I was crazy, ridiculous, spoiled, all sorts of nasty things. Most of all, I was told time and again that what I was asking was impossible. But you, Miss Heartstrings, are one of only four ponies who actually tried something. I certainly didn't expect anypony to succeed. But over the course of this project, we're going to be pushing the envelope of Equestrian knowledge. We're going to be trying a great many things that conventional wisdom says are impossible. I wanted ponies who, when faced with the seemingly impossible, didn't back down. I believe that that makes you an exceptional pony, Miss Heartstrings.”

“Does... does that mean...?”

Twilight smiled. “Welcome to the team, Lyra.”

Forest I

When Fleur de Lis stepped off of her chariot into the Ponyville town square, what struck her most about the village was the quiet. Even in the early morning, Canterlot was forever a city of hustle and bustle, but here only a small handful of ponies walked the streets. It wasn't just that there were fewer ponies, either; everypony seemed to speak softer, move slower. Fleur was used to the ringing of horseshoes against cobblestone, but in Ponyville the dirt roads swallowed the noise. Even the buildings seemed to be sleeping, their colorful facades cast into shadow by a sun that was barely above the horizon.

Fleur pulled out the Princess's letter, levitating the crisp sheet of parchment before her. In neat handwriting, it gave directions to the Golden Oaks Library, as well as instructions regarding the team's “first session”. She frowned as re-read the lines. The preparations listed were clear enough; she had cleared her schedule of commitments for the near future and had packed everything the Princess had listed in her saddlebags. But the rest of the letter descended into a mess of magical jargon and theory that she barely understood, as well as a list of places that she didn't recognize. It seemed that Ponyville was only their first destination, though, and the fact that the list of supplies she was to bring included a bedroll was certainly ominous.

She stowed away the letter and began to make her way through the town. For what wasn't the first time that morning, Fleur wished that her husband had been able to accompany her to Ponyville. In the week since her acceptance into the Princess's project, his constant encouragement and enthusiasm had been the only thing keeping her from sending Her Majesty a letter saying that she had changed her mind. Even now, the urge to turn tail and simply not show up was almost overwhelming.

As she turned a corner and the building that was obviously the library came into view, a small smile grew on her lips. She hadn't expected the name “Golden Oaks” to be quite so literal. This town does have its charms, I suppose. Though it still seems strange that Her Majesty would choose to remain here instead of moving to Canterlot.

Upon reaching the treehouse, she knocked on the front door hesitantly with her forehoof. It wasn't long before it opened, although to her surprise it was not the Princess who greeted her, but a young purple dragon.

“You're here for the magic thingy, right?” he asked, yawning ferociously. “C'mon in, Twilight's almost done packing. There's breakfast and stuff on the table.”

Fleur stepped nervously into the library. The entire inside of the tree seemed to be hollowed out, with the library's store of books resting on shelves carved out of the inner wall. The ceiling stretched high, and from a loft above her she could hear somepony moving around. Through an open doorway was a kitchen, where two unicorns sat at a simple wooden table. At one end was a green-coated mare who barely glanced at Fleur when she entered; she seemed entirely absorbed in her mangled breakfast, which she seemed to have picked apart without eating. Across from her was a white-coated mare whose wild blue mane and outlandish purple shades Fleur found oddly familiar, and who grinned and waved to Fleur even as she poured syrup over a heaping stack of pancakes. The dragon was clearing away dishes, grumpily ignoring them all.

“Welcome to Team Sparkle!” the white mare said cheerily as Fleur approached the table. “We're still waiting on our fearless leader, so I guess intros are on me. This here is Lambda, she plays the flute or something, and our cranky little waiter is Spike. He's a dragon, which I think is the raddest thing ever. And yes, I'm Vinyl Scratch. Yes, the real Vinyl Scratch, the famous DJ-PON3, in the flesh. I know, it's hard to believe.”

“Quite,” said Fleur, taking a seat. “I'm sure I've seen your face before, at least. I certainly don't frequent any of the Canterlot nightclubs, but the neon-colored fliers you've plastered on every wall and lamppost in Canterlot are hard to miss.”

“That's the idea,” Vinyl said with a smirk. “And I'm pretty positive I've seen your face plastered on a few lampposts too. You're a fashion model, right?”

“I have done modeling work, yes. If you mean to imply that I'm somehow less than qualified to be a member of this team, then I'll have you know that I also studied magical theory at Baltimare University.”

“Woah, hey, nopony's implying anything. You're talking to a couple of humble musicians, remember? Besides, we all passed the Princess's crazy test. She told me that I had spunk! Or something like that.”

“Did she now,” said Fleur, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

“Anyway, Lisa,” said Vinyl, turning abruptly to their quiet companion. “I was just asking you about the music scene here in Ponyville. You get a lot of gigs?”

“It's Lyra,” the green mare replied. “And, um, not really. I guess I'm more of what you would call a street performer.”

“I dig it. Taking the music to the streets! Keeping it real! We should jam sometime.”

“I don't know if—”

They were interrupted by a series of loud knocks on the front door. Before Spike was halfway across the library, the door slammed open in a burst of magic, and a blue-coated unicorn wearing a purple cape and pointed hat stepped in.

“Twilight Sparkle!” she called out. “Trixie has arrived, and is ready to begin!”

“I'll be down in a second!” came a muffled voice from above. “Spike, help Trixie get some breakfast!”

Fleur stared in disbelief as the newcomer approached the table. The blue unicorn—Trixie, Fleur supposed—didn't seem to walk so much as march, her nose held high in the air. What exactly have I gotten myself into?

“Trixie is pleased to meet her fellow team members. She is sure that you will all be most helpful in assisting Trixie on her path to greatness.”

“Wha'?” said Vinyl around a mouthful of pancakes. “Who'f 'rixie?”

“Trixie is Trixie.”

“That doesn't tell me anything.”

“You are addressing Trixie, the Great and Powerful!”

“I'm... what?”

“She's refering to herself in third person,” said Lyra, clearing struggling to keep a straight face. “It's sort of a thing that she does.”

“Wait, so you two know each other?” asked Vinyl.

“Um, sort of,” said Lyra. “Trixie's sort of a big name around here. She, well, took over Ponyville awhile back.”

“What do you mean, 'took over Ponyville'?”

“Trixie would rather not speak of it,” said Trixie, pouring herself some orange juice and levitating plate of pancakes across the table.

“I'm sorry,” said Lyra. “I shouldn't have brought it up.”

“No way, I want to hear about this!” said Vinyl. “What, are you some kind of supervillain or something?”

“If Trixie isn't comfortable talking about it,” said Fleur, “Then I think that we should respect her privacy.”

Vinyl looked unconvinced, while Trixie gave her an appraising look. As far as Fleur could tell, it was the first time the magician had actually looked at any of them since entering the room. It was the sort of look that she had seen on, and given to, countless other models; the sort of wary respect of a pony sizing up the competition. It was disquieting, but a notch more pleasant than the blustering of the DJ.

“All that's important,” said Trixie airily, “is that Trixie is a changed pony, and is ready to repay her debt to society.”

“Oh yeah?” said Vinyl, squinting suspiciously at Trixie. “And how do I know that you're reformed or whatever? Maybe you're still trying to get revenge!”

“Trixie has put such things behind her. She understands now that Twilight Sparkle is the greatest magician in Equestria, and that if she is to realize her own greatness, then Twilight Sparkle must be her teacher.”

“A likely story!” yelled Vinyl, slamming her forehooves on the table. “You're probably going to sabotage the experiment! Or maybe you're a changeling spy! Who are you working for?!”

The DJ's suddenly snarling snout was almost pressed against Trixie's face—though Fleur was certain that she saw a smile tugging at the corners of the white unicorn's mouth and eyes. Trixie seemed oblivious to this, however, and the anger was growing on her own features as stray sparks of magic began emitting from her horn. Fleur wondered if should intervene, but Lyra got there first.

“Woah, hey, hey. If Twilight—if the Princess trusts Trixie, then we should too.”

“The Princess does trust Trixie. And she was hoping we would at least make it out the front door before we started bickering amongst ourselves.”

All four heads spun in unison to face the Princess, who was now standing in the kitchen doorway. Despite her admonishment, she was smiling at the group. Princess Twilight was not wearing her crown or any of the ornaments of her office, was sporting a pair of bulging saddlebags, and stood a full head shorter than Fleur, but she still somehow made an imposing figure. Fleur couldn't help but recall every teacher who had ever gazed piercingly at her from across a classroom desk.

“I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. I had less time to pack last night than I thought, so I had to push back double-checking everything until this morning, and unfortunately I didn't even have time for a triple-check, so hopefully I didn't forget anything. Once everypony's done eating, we should be ready to head out. Oh, unless you have any questions?”

“I have a couple,” said Vinyl, mopping up the puddle of syrup on her plate with one last pancake. “First, if I discover a new magic spell, do I get to be an alicorn Princess too?”

Twilight chuckled. “I'm afraid not. My own transformation was a specific result of Starswirl's spell, and it won't work on just anypony. Though it is unfortunate that the spell is so difficult to reproduce; studying the only new spell to be discovered in millennia would be a great place to start for our research.”

“Right, cool. Second question: are you a fillyfooler?”

This elicited a round of gasps and sputtering from the other ponies, as well as a deep blush from the Princess. “I—it—what?”

“I'm just saying, you picked all mares for your project here, and while I'm totally down with that, I would have packed differently if I had known it was going to be that kind of trip.”

“Miss Scratch, I would appreciate it if you took this project more seriously. We're here to conduct magical research, not—I'm not even sure what you're implying.” She took a steadying breath. “And for the record, I didn't pick any of you. You picked yourselves.”

“Trixie has a question,” interrupted Trixie. “One that isn't completely asinine.”

“Hey, you heard the Princess, watch your mouth!”

“Trixie wanted to know if you are serious in your intent to take us into the Everfree Forest.”

Twilight nodded. “That will be the location for our first session, yes.”

“Which brings Trixie to her second question: have you gone insane?”

Fleur could hold it in no longer. She straightened her neck and made herself as tall as she could, and gave Trixie her best haughty glare. “I really must object to you addressing the Princess in such a crude manner.”

“You didn't have a problem when that empty-headed foal was doing it!”

“Excuse me?!”

“You are both completely out of line!” scolded Fleur. “Remember that you are speaking to royalty!”

“Where do you get off on calling me 'empty-headed'?”

“Trixie calls them as Trixie sees them.”

“Well—at least I learned to talk right in school! Ever heard of a word called 'I'?”

“Will everypony please be quiet?!”

The Princess's words were accompanied by a blinding light and a loud crack, after which she was suddenly towering over them, standing on the table amidst broken plates and overturned glasses. All traces of amusement were gone from her face; instead, she glowered down at the now-silent ponies.

“I'm sorry to have speak to you like this, but this is important and I need you all to take it seriously. To answer your concerns, Trixie, I feel that studying the wild magic of the Everfree is one of the most promising leads in our research. I am also well aware of the danger. For those of you not familiar with the Everfree Forest, it is—as I explained in my letter—a large wilderness where the normal magic of Equestria holds no sway. This makes it an ideal place for our studies, but it is also the home to a wide variety of dangerous magical creatures and entities.

“My friend Zecora lives there, and we'll be staying with her, so we'll have her help. But while we're there, I can't impress on you enough the importance of cooperating with each other, keeping a level head on your shoulders, and most importantly, following my directions. Now, we have a long day ahead of us, so if everypony's finished eating, we should get going. Trixie, I do need to have a word with you in private. The rest of you, I would appreciate it if you gave Spike a hoof cleaning up before meeting us outside.”

With that, the Princess stepped down from the table and walked stiffly out of the library. Trixie hesitated for only a moment before following her, an expression of deep concern on her face. The remaining three unicorns looked between each other awkwardly for a long moment before hesitantly rising and making their way out.

Fleur was beginning to have serious doubts about the whole situation. For the past week she was constantly thinking that there must have been some mistake, that there was no way she was qualified to work on such a momentous project with somepony as important as the newly crowned Princess. But after meeting her fellow “researchers”, it was the Princess's judgment that she questioned.

She must know what she's doing, though. Celestia would not have raised her to her station if she didn't. Perhaps... perhaps I will have a discussion with her.

The sun had climbed above the rooftops of the town by the time they were all assembled outside, and Ponyville was beginning to come to life. They drew curious glances from passing ponies; Fleur supposed they looked quite odd, laden down with traveling bags and accompanied by the Princess herself. Her Majesty's dragon assistant followed them out to say goodbye.

“Don't worry, Spike,” she said, smiling down at him. “We're out of your scales now.”

“About time,” he grumbled. “Now I can get some shut-eye.”

“Take good care of the library while I'm gone. Don't squabble too much with Owlowiscious.”

“Yeah, yeah. Um, Twilight?”

He gave an embarrassed look at the other ponies, then moved in to give Twilight an awkward hug, his arms not even making it all the way around her shoulders.

“Come back in one piece, okay?”

The Princess returned the embrace, wrapping a foreleg around him. “Don't I always?”

“Yeah, well, I'm not sure how much I trust you with that lot,” Spike grumbled.

The Princess's mood seemed to have improved, at least. As they walked, ponies would frequently call out to her, and she greeted them in return with waves and smiles. It astounded Fleur how casually the ponies of Ponyville treated the Princess. Few of them bothered with any sort of royal honorifics, and Fleur did not see a single bow or curtsey. She trotted to catch up with the Princess.

“Your Majesty—”

“Please, Fleur, you can call me Twilight.”

“That was what I wished to speak to you about. I know it is not my place, but is it really appropriate for you to allow your subjects to address you this way?”

The Princess smiled up at her. “I appreciate your concern, but you have to understand that I lived in Ponyville for quite some time before my... ascension, so to speak. To most of these ponies, I'm still their neighbor, not their Princess, and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. Frankly, I hope it doesn't.”

“Shouldn't being royalty come with a certain amount of respect?”

“I can get respect anywhere in Equestria. It's nice to know that there's someplace I can come to see friendly faces instead.”

It was not long before well-ordered streets of town gave way to grassy farmland, dotted with small cottages. The distances between houses grew wider, and the empty spaces were filled with trees that grew ever denser. Although the morning sun was climbing, it seemed to grow dimmer as the canopy began to close in above them. Finally, they came to the edge of the forest. There was no clear line, but Fleur could feel something in the air as she stared into the trees. She could swear that the air grew dimmer, gloomier somehow. Here was where Equestria ended, and the wilderness began.

The Princess turned to address them. “I suppose I should give everypony one last chance to turn back. Once we're in the Everfree, it is of upmost importance that we all stick together and stay alert. We're going to be staying at Zecora's for quite some time, hopefully until we get results. If anypony wants out, now's the time to say so. Nopony's going to judge you for it.”

Fleur certainly considered the offer, and she didn't have to look at her companions to feel fairly certain that they were too. The whole prospect seemed disastrous. But her husband's face appeared in her mind, the look of pride he had worn when she had set off that morning, the confused disappointment she could easily imagine if she returned in failure. If she couldn't press forward for her own sake, she decided, she would do so for his.

She couldn't imagine what kept the others from speaking up, but they each seemed to have their reasons to stay. At the very least, she supposed, nopony wanted to be the first to back down.

The Princess smiled, and they followed her into the forest.

“Miss Scratch! Are you listening?”

Vinyl turned away from the mask she had been checking out. She found herself almost snout-to-snout with the Princess, who was giving her a look that was creepily similar to the one Tavi gave her whenever she caught Vinyl zoning out during one of her stories about orchestra practice. And truth be told, Vinyl hadn't been listening to the Princess's long-winded spiel about the history of the Extrafree Forest or whatever. It had been hard enough to listen to on the walk through the forest, and there was way too much cool stuff in the weird hut they had arrived for Vinyl to ignore. If nothing else, the trip out here was worth it just to meet Zecora; Vinyl had never met a zebra before, and was definitely impressed with all the spooky junk in her hut.

“Miss Scratch!”

“I'm listening, I'm listening!”

“What did I just say?”

“Uh... something about... magical vortexes and, um... leylines?” The Princess glared at her. “'Kay, maybe I wasn't listening. But I think you need to work on your delivery, Princess. You could talk the ears off a statue.”

“I'm trying to explain what we're doing here!” said Twilight.

“I got it, jeez! The forest is weird and wild, the animals and weather don't work right, crazy magical energy, blah blah blah. What's the point?”

“The point,” said Twilight with a frown, “Is that it isn't just the plants and animals that are wild and unpredictable out her. Magic itself behaves strangely in the bounds of the forest. If you'll have a seat with the rest of us, I can show you what I mean.”

Vinyl glanced over the Princess's shoulder, and realized that everypony else was sitting around a fire pit in the middle of the room. Zecora was laying logs into the small hole, and as Vinyl watched, the zebra whispered something into the small pile of wood. When she pulled back, a small fire was sending up sparks. The flames quickly grew, filling the hut with heat and flickering light. Trixie, Fleur and Lettuce—that was her name, right?—were all staring back at her.

“Yeah, cool, whatever. I'll sit down.”

Zecora sprinkled a hooful of dust into the fire as Vinyl took her place, and it roared up and turned an electric blue. Vinyl fidgeted; it was starting to get very warm in the hut. She glanced at the other ponies. They all seemed to be attentive to Twilight, but she couldn't tell if they were actually listening or if they were drifting off like she was.

“This first test should be very simple,” said Twilight. “Here, take these.”

Twilight opened a pouch and levitated out what looked like a dozen small pebbles. A few floated over to each of her four students. Vinyl watched in confusion as three clattered to the ground in front of her.

“These look like rocks,” she said, gingerly poking one with a hoof.

“They are rocks,” said Twilight.

“Are they magical?” asked Fleur, leaning down to inspect her own.

“Nope!” said Twilight. “Just plain rocks. And you're going to perform the simplest, most basic spell on them—levitation. Just pick up the rocks, and juggle them in front of you.”

The four of them exchanged skeptical glances. Trixie was the first to follow Twilight's instructions. A faint blue gleam surrounded the stones at her hooves, and they rose before her face. She looked questioningly at Twilight, and when she received a nod, the rocks began moving in a gentle circle. One by one, everypony else lifted up their own rocks, and soon the air was filled with the drifting rocks and the occasional soft clack as one brushed against another.

“What exactly are we doing, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked.

“The Everfree forest has its own, unique energy,” said Twilight, “which affects any unicorn's magic when they're here. It's very subtle, but it's going to be the focus of our research. I want you all to be able to identify it, and the easiest way to notice it is when you're casting a very simple spell for a very long time. So keep at it, and tell me when you feel something strange.”

Vinyl sighed. She was feeling something strange, all right. She was in a hut in the middle of the woods with a bunch of crazy ponies. The rocks danced in front of her face, and she couldn't help feeling that they all must look ridiculous, sitting around a fire and staring at floating pebbles. She didn't even know what she was supposed to be noticing.

Time dragged on, and seemed to lose all meaning. Zecora sat in an odd position, with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. Vinyl couldn't tell if she was awake or not. Twilight sat at the fire's edge, watching them all patiently. The four of them juggled their rocks, and Vinyl kept stealing glances at the other ponies to try and figure out if they were getting anywhere. Trixie seemed to be glaring at her own rocks, as if she could intimidate answers out of them. Fleur seemed almost as bored as Vinyl. And that green musician chick, Lemon or whatever, looked so nervous that Vinyl thought she might jump out of her skin if there was a loud noise.

Vinyl's mind drifted. All the while, a familiar sensation was building up in the back of her mind. It was that weird, unpredictable something that meant that a new song was coming on. She caught herself humming snippets, imagining cascades and crescendos. Most of all, there was a beat playing in her thoughts, persistent, driving, powerful, and low. There were words that went with it, too, but she didn't know what they were yet. She wouldn't have to write it down; she never did. When she got back to her synthesizer in Canterlot she would be able to play it note for note. She was already considering heading back to do just that—what she was doing now seemed like a major waste of her time.

She was just figuring out exactly how she was going to rudely tell Princess Twilight Sparkle off when there was small gasp. Everypony's eyes were instantly on the green musician pony—Linty? Leela?—who looked back at them like they were all about to jump her.

“I felt—I mean, I think I felt something. Um, that energy thing, or whatever.”

Twilight nodded, and the green mare continued.

“It's like—it's hard to describe. Like I'm not the only one who's controlling the pebbles, who's using my magic. Usually, when I, uh, do magic, I feel like I'm in complete control. But now there's this pull, like if I let go, something... something will happen. Something wild, and crazy, and—I don't know. The feeling's gone now, but it was definitely there for a second.”

While the other pony talked, Vinyl looked back at her own rocks. Was the kid making it all up? She absently twirled them, set them spinning, trying to see what they were talking about. On an impulse, she set two of them on a collision course. That hit each other with a sharp clack. She did again, and again, to the beat of the song playing in her head, and she realized that the beat wasn't coming from her.

“Yeah, no, I've got it!”

She had everypony's attention, and suddenly she was wide awake.

“It's like a beat, or a melody, that—that somepony else is playing, inside my head. It's like—” she bit her tongue. What was it like? “Lasso's right, it's like there's somepony else is there with you, moving the pebbles, or your magic, or whatever, and it's so small that you almost don't even notice, but...” she banged the rocks together again, one beat after another, and she swore that it was in rhythm with some far-off song she couldn't quite hear.

Weird.

The Princess smiled and launched into another lecture, but Vinyl wasn't listening. She kept staring at the rocks, trying to focus on her magic. It was something she hadn't thought about since was a foal and just starting to learn magic. For so long, casting spells had been second nature, and now she was trying to pick it apart again.

The afternoon drifted on, and the exercise continued. The Princess began to walk from pony to pony, coaching each of them. Her conversation with Vinyl was short; the thing with the magic was fascinating, but as soon as she trying to talk about it she got tongue-tied and frustrated, and the Princess's technical jargon just bored her. She was soon left to her own devices, and lost herself in spinning and twirling her rocks. She did notice, to her amusement, that Trixie seemed particularly frustrated at her own lack of progress.

The shadowy forest outside looked barely different, but eventually Zecora declared that it was time to stop for dinner. They crowded around the zebra's small wooden table, and she served them bowls of dark brown soup, which Vinyl sniffed distrustfully but eventually found to be delicious, if spicy. She sat shoulder to shoulder with Fleur, who studiously ignored her to talk with their host. Lipgloss and the Princess were stilling nattering on about magic, and Trixie stewed over her stew. When she thought nopony else was looking, Vinyl took the opportunity to stick out her tongue at the Trixie, who just scoffed and rolled her eyes.

After dinner, everypony broke off to do their own thing. Zecora was doing her meditation thing; she invited anypony who was interested to join her, but Vinyl wasn't in the mood for sitting still for that long. Trixie and the Princess were in the corner, having a conversation in low voices. Occasionally Vinyl caught a word or two from Trixie when she raised her voice angrily. She would have loved to find out what the two were arguing about, but decided she was probably in enough trouble with the Princess. Besides, the hut was crowded with so many ponies. She decided it was time for a breath of fresh air.

She had somehow imagined that the forest would be silent at night. The dark trees that surrounded the hut were definitely a far cry from the noise of Canterlot nightlife, but they had a noisiness all of their own. The wind blowing through the leaves, the chirping of insects, the cries of far-off birds. The hairs on her neck stood on end as she peered into the gloom. Maybe there was something in the Princess's warnings, after all. She resolved not to wander off too far.

Another sound caught her ear. Soft notes drifted through the air, simple and sweet. Somepony was playing music. Curious, she followed the noise around the back of the hut. There, sitting just outside of the pool of light from Zecora's hut, was that green musician mare. Her eyes were closed, and she levitated her harp-thingie in front of her, her magic flowing over the strings. She looked a lot more peaceful than she had earlier. The soft music wasn't Vinyl's style, but she had to admit it was pretty. She trotted over to sit beside the other pony.

“Sweet jams, Lindbergh.”

“It's Lyra,” the unicorn said as she strummed out one final chord. “Although at this point I'm pretty sure you're just making fun of me.”

“Ha! Okay, you caught me. Just a stupid little laugh I was having. Hope you aren't too mad.”

“I guess not,” Lyra said.

“Thought so. I'm glad somepony in this crazy outfit has a sense of humor. You're alright, kiddo.”

“Heh. Thanks.”

Lyra fell back into silence, starting at the ground beneath her hooves. Vinyl could tell she had interrupted the other pony in some sort of soul-searching moment. Musicians were funny like that, always wandering off to be alone with their instrument, as if the answers to all of life's problems could be answered by plucking their strings. She had seen it all before.

Vinyl had also picked up on something about this particular green mare, something that intrigued her immensely. It was absolutely none of her business, which was exactly why it caught her attention. She briefly considered whether to bring it up or not, but it wasn't really a question. Presented with an anthill, Vinyl's immeadiate instinct was to poke it.

“So, you've got the hots for the Princess.”

Lyra's reaction was not disappointing. She jerked her head around so quickly her neck cracked, and it was hard to tell in the dim light, but Vinyl was sure that her face was as red as a beet. She sputtered incoherently for a few seconds before she managed to get out a few words.

“I don't have—I mean—how did you—”

Vinyl laughed. “Kid, I can read you like a book. If I read books, which I don't, but that's not the point. You've been watching her all day with this starry look in your eyes, like you're a little lost puppy and you're just waiting for her to scoop you up and take you home. I'm pretty sure the only reason she hasn't noticed is she's too busy getting hot and heavy over her theories and lesson plans.”

The blush on Lyra's face was almost glowing. “I'm not that bad. Am I?”

“It's kind of cute. In a sad sort of way.” Vinyl chuckled. “And anyways, I can't blame you for aiming high.”

“So...” Lyra scuffed the ground with a hoof. “So... you think I might have a chance, then?”

“Oh, absolutely not.”

“What?”

“C'mon, kid, she's a Princess. She's got bigger fish to fry. If she's even interested in that sort of thing, she's got her pick of pretty much any pony in Equestria. Hayseeds, I wouldn't be surprised if she was shacking up with one of those mares she's always hanging with, the Essences of Hippiedom or whatever.”

“I don't think that they're like that,” said Lyra.

“The point is, you and me and those other two clowns, we're not on her radar. Not in that way. We're her students. Or her fellow researchers, or whatever, I'm not really sure. But we're not her friends.”

Lyra opened her mouth as if to protest, but shut it again after a moment. She turned back to look into the darkness of the forest around them, and let out a sigh.

“You're right. I guess we're not.”

It was kind of a buzzkill for Vinyl, laying out the truth so bluntly. But Lyra seemed like a pretty chill mare, and Vinyl didn't like the thought of somepony setting themselves up for such a big disappointment. It was always better to pony up and face the music than keep on deluding yourself.

“Yet,” said Lyra softly.

“What's that?”

Lyra turned to Vinyl with a small smirk. “We're not her friends yet.”

“Heh. Well aren't you the optimist.”

“Do you think I'm wrong?”

“I think you're crazy, chasing after a Princess. But she's probably crazy too. The fact that we're sitting out here in this forest probably proves that we've all got a few screws loose.”

“Even you?”

“Especially me.”

Lyra turned her attention back to her instrument, smiling as she strummed the chords to another song; some classical piece, probably composed by a stallion a zillion years ago. But music was music, and Vinyl lay in the grass and closed her eyes, letting the melody take her away. And though she could hardly admit it to herself, that pulsing beat in the back of her mind had come back, but now she could hear the words that went with it.

New magic.

Forest II

“I'm sorry, Trixie, but you've failed.”

Twilight Sparkle was glaring at her from behind the desk. Trixie's lip trembled as she tried to find a response. She attempted to meet Twilight's eyes, but her gaze kept slipping to the blackboard behind her. Impossibly complex equations covered its surface, and they seemed to dance and shift whenever Trixie focused on something else, only to stand still when she looked back.

“I don't understand,” she said meekly. “I thought I passed. I remember passing.”

“How could you have possibly passed?” laughed Twilight. She was wearing her crown. Had she been a moment before? “You're the most worthless magician I've ever seen in my life. Are you sure you're even a proper unicorn?”

“You... you said that the real test was that I just had to try...”

“What in wide world of Equestria would that prove? I'm looking for ponies who can produce results, not ones who merely try. Besides, it's not just my test that you've failed. You've failed every class for this entire semester.”

“What? I don't remember any classes.”

“You haven't attended them in months! I'm afraid you're going to have to take a hideously difficult ten hour long test or you'll be expelled from magic school forever. You have five minutes to study, so you better hurry.”

A dark shape blinked into existence around Twilight's neck, and Trixie's teeth rattled in terror. Twilight's mouth continued to move, but no sound came out. The only thing that Trixie could see was the black and red amulet, the outstretched wings, the glowing red eye. She knew that she had to get away, but she couldn't move her legs, she couldn't turn her head. A familiar voice spoke inside her head, speaking of dark promises and mad dreams.

I don't need you, she thought. I'm free, it's over, you're gone.

The voice laughed.

By itself, the water-walking spell would have tested the limits of Lyra's concentration. It was a deceptively simple spell, requiring the caster to maintain a steady state of mind. It was like holding your breath or trying not to blink. Or, she supposed, maintaining a note for a long time. But on top of this, she was also playing a song on her lyre, which floated out of sight behind her. Normally this would be the easiest spell in the world for her, but the combined strain of not being able to physically see her instrument and focusing on not falling into the cold pond below her meant that she could barely manage one of the simplest melodies she knew.

Beneath all of this was that weird feeling, that strange otherness that Twilight claimed came from the forest itself. It was like her magic was tugging at its reins, bursting with a life of its own. All her life, magic had simply responded to her will. Either it worked or it didn't. The idea of magic having a mind of its own was frankly terrifying, but if Twilight thought it was worth studying, she would do whatever was asked of her.

B-flat, A, B-flat, E, A... keeping thinking about nothing, how do you think about nothing, don't think about how cold the water is, you've fallen in three times already, is Twilight watching, what's she thinking about... D, E, D, C-sharp... uh... uh... oh, ponyfeathers!

She and her instrument fell together as her magic spun out of control, but while the lyre only fell a few inches unto soft dirt, she was plunged into the freezing pond. The air left her lungs with the shock of the cold, and she flailed and splashed wildly before her hooves found the muddy bottom. She pushed her head back above the surface, gasping for breath as she blinked water from her eyes. Twilight chuckled at her from the shore.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh. You were doing very well.”

“Heh, thanks,” said Lyra, pulling herself gracelessly out of the water. She retrieved her lyre from the grass with her magic, careful to keep it from the water dripping from her mane and coat. “You make it look so easy.”

“Believe me, it takes a lot of practice. When Zecora first taught me this exercise, I think I fell into that pond a dozen times before I was able to last even a minute. But let's get to the note-taking while it's still fresh in your mind.”

“Um,” said Lyra, scratching her head with a hoof. “It was definitely there again. That weird feeling that my magic had, like it wanted to run off and do its own thing. And the exercise does make it more noticeable. I guess because I'm paying more attention to the notes? Like, I have to take care to play each one, and so I notice that if I don't do it right, it'll start going wonky. And I tried to do what you said, to grab a hold of that free energy. But it kept slipping away, and then I guess I lost my balance and got soaked.” Lyra shook her head, trying to get some of the water out of her mane. “I'm sorry, I'm not doing a very good job of this.”

“You're being very helpful,” said Twilight as she recorded Lyra's words with a quill and parchment. “I know progress has been slow, but we're really adding to Equestrian knowledge here.”

“But I feel like somepony who was more, I don't know, scientifically minded, could do a better job describing everything to you.”

“I have my own notes for that. What I'm looking for here is fresh perspective. And besides, the magic of the Everfree is about, well, freedom. Freedom from rules, from the constraints of logic. Who better to describe that than a talented musician such as yourself?”

Lyra blushed. “I'm not that talented.”

“What's your Cutie Mark, then? A flyswatter?”

“Okay, yes, I can play,” said Lyra, levitating her instrument and strumming out a chord. “But I've never been terribly good at composing. And I'm definitely no lyricist.”

“Play it for me, then.”

“What?”

Twilight smiled, and lay down in the grass. “Play a song, describing the feeling of the Forest's magic. If you don't think your words are good enough, tell it to me in notes.”

Lyra thought for a second, then began playing. It was a clumsy, awkward improvisation, but in the stillness of the clearing, it seemed at home. The tune was simple, but there was an energy to it, a feeling of potential. The noonday sun shone down between the branches, and for once the forest around them seemed almost welcoming. Lyra began to lose herself in the music.

She could feel it, now that she knew what to look for. A pull on her magic, a drive, like a current pushing her on. It filled her energy, and her breathing quickened along with the music.

A world without limits, that's what it is, she thought. A world where anything's possible. Where I can be anypony I want to be. Where I can do whatever I want. That's the world of the forest.

She looked down at Twilight, who had stretched out her wings and closed her eyes.

A world where I could tell you how I felt. Where I could look into your eyes and know that you were seeing me, really seeing me. Where I could feel my legs wrapped around you, the warmth of your body pressed against mine. Out here in the woods where there's no history, no titles or school records or bits owed to anypony, just two ponies, together.

Although the melody she had composed on the fly was sweet and charming, Lyra suddenly found herself unable to think of a way to finish. She fumbled with one chord, and then another, and then the song simply trailed off. The echoes of the music were quickly swallowed by the forest, and then the only sounds Lyra could hear was the wind in the trees and her own heavy breathing. After a moment, Twilight rose to her hooves, stretching her legs and spreading her wings before turning to Lyra.

“What do you want me to do?”

Lyra blinked in surprise. “I—what?”

“It's my turn to try the exercise,” said Twilight. “And I don't have any musical talent to speak of, so I need another spell to cast while I'm on the water. Got any suggestions?”

“Oh! Oh. Um, there was that cool spell you showed us the other night, where you made the flowers on that bush all bloom at once. Here, take this!”

Lyra ran to a small shrub on the edge of the clearing and quickly pulled a branch from it with her magic. Trotting over to the pond, she proudly presented it to Twilight, who let it fall to the ground with a sad smile.

“That spell only works on a plant that's alive, and you just killed it by taking it off the bush.”

“Oh,” said Lyra. “Oops.”

“But that's still a lovely idea. Here, look up.”

As Twilight stepped out onto the water, Lyra looked up at a leafy branch that hung over her head. It was already coming alive with a colorful array of flowers that grew and bloomed before her eyes. One after another they shed their petals, and before long the air around her was filled with a soft and brilliantly colored rainfall. She sat and watched, spellbound and breathless.

“Quite frankly, Trixie, you're a disgrace to our entire family.”

Trixie's father towered over, far taller than he had ever stood while he was alive. She had countless memories of him smiling, laughing, joking, but all of that seemed impossibly distant in the face of the frown he fixed her with now. She cowered before him.

“I felt I should tell you that everything you ever secretly worried about is true. I always thought your shows were stupid, and that your magic was worthless. I wanted a proper earth pony son, not some silly prancing magician.”

They were standing in her foalhood home. But had the ceilings always been this high? Had the corners always been filled with such dark shadows? Had the hallways always rang with such eerie echoes and far-off clanging? Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of the world around her. Her father began to transform before her eyes. His light blue coat darkened into a midnight black. His eyes began to shine with red light. Stiff wings spread from his sides, and a long, thin horn grew from his forehead.

I can make you truly great, said the amulet.

“No,” whispered Trixie.

I can give you true power, said the amulet.

“NO!” shouted Trixie.

The world dissolved into swirling black and red shapes.

If Fleur had been asked a few weeks ago to picture the environment that a magical research team led by the Princess herself would be working, Zecora's hut would not have sprung to mind. It was small, cluttered, and smelled of bizarre spices and herbs. The company she was being asked to keep was also disconcerting. The DJ was downright rude, and Fleur avoided speaking with her as much as she could. The magician wasn't quite as bad; behind her posturing and self-aggrandizing, Fleur was certain she could detect in the strange mare's speech and bearing the evidence of an upper-class upbringing. She had at one point attempted to inquire about this, but Trixie had shrugged her off, so there was no company to be had there.

The street musician had a certain charm, but she also had a starry-eyed naivety that Fleur found frankly embarrassing. The zebra fascinated her, but she didn't know quite how to relate to her. Coming from such a different culture, and living in such a strange place, Fleur didn't know how to place herself in relation to her socially. Was she nobility? Royalty? A priest of some sort? Did zebras have such things? Was she a fugitive or exile, living so far from her homeland? Placed on such uncertain social footing, Fleur simply held back. It was safer that way.

The Princess herself was a riddle to Fleur. She knew that Twilight had risen to her rank and not been raised as royalty, but she had also spent most of her life as the personal student of Celestia herself. Surely somepony who had spent so much time in high-class company would have learned to act more refined herself? Yet the Princess seemed to have absolutely no sense of decorum. She treated the ponies around her as a cross between students and close friends, and when their were chores to do around their host's residence, she threw herself into them with a clumsy enthusiasm entirely unbecoming of her station.

Yet Fleur could not help but admire the strange purple alicorn. Watching her perform magic, Fleur was instantly convinced of her talent in that regard. She had also proven herself immensely knowledgeable on a wide variety of subjects, and at the drop of a hat would launch into long-winded explanations and ad-hoc history lessons. These usually prompted a theatrical yawn from Vinyl Scratch, but Fleur was surprised to find herself attentive. It was as if that the Princess's own passion for knowledge made any subject interesting.

Fleur tried to collect all these thoughts into the letter she was writing to her husband, but every time her quill touched paper, she hesitated, continually double guessing her own observations. Would Fancy be interested in such musings? Were they accurate? Was it proper to divulge such information on such an important pony as the Princess? Try as she might, her attempts to put her musings into words turned into trite descriptions of the past few days. Everypony is working hard, she wrote. The Princess is such wonderful company. We have such a gracious host. She sighed, and gazed out the window she was sitting beneath. Even in the middle of the day, the forest was so dark and oppressive. She rolled up the scroll and set it and her quill down gently. Perhaps she would return to the letter later.

Her contemplation was interrupted by the sound of hoofsteps and the appearance of Lyra, smiling cheerfully, at the hut's entrance. Privacy was in short supply in the small hut; Fleur gave her a polite nod.

“Good afternoon, Miss Heartstrings. Does the Princess request our presence outside?”

“Er, I think we have a little while before we she wants to start up again.” The green mare trotted over to sit with her, still grinning. “What are you up to? Writing a letter?”

“I am attempting to,” said Fleur. “Our host offered to send a letter to my husband in Canterlot, but I'm having a little trouble putting my thoughts into words.”

“Your husband? That's so sweet!”

“Quite,” said Fleur. She considered Lyra carefully. “Miss Heartsrings, what do you know about our friend, the so-called Great and Powerful Trixie?”

“Trixie?” Lyra seemed a bit put back. “Oh, um, she's alright, I guess?”

“Earlier you alluded to some sort of incident she was involved with, in Ponyville. She's not some sort of—well, criminal, is she?”

“No! Well, yes, sort of, I guess. Um, she somehow got her hooves on this amulet, and I guess it possessed her or something, and she and Twilight had this magic duel, and then she kicked Twilight out of Ponyville, and then things were kind of crazy for awhile. I mean, even for Ponyville. But then Twilight tricked her into taking the amulet off, and she went back to normal, or, you know, how she usually is. I don't know what happened with the authorities, but I guess they decided that she wasn't really at fault for what, you know, the amulet did.”

“Hmm,” said Fleur. “So you don't believe that she's dangerous?”

“Dangerous? I don't think so. Do you think she's, um, dangerous?”

“I'm merely concerned for her.” Lyra was looking decidedly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, but Fleur pressed on. “I know it may not be my business, but surely you've noticed that she's been acting a bit odd. She's gotten more irritable and cagey in the days since we've come here, and keeps stepping aside to have private conversations with the Princess. Last night, she woke me up when she was talking in her sleep. Practically yelling, really.” Fleur gave Lyra her best piercing stare. “Something is going on, and Trixie and the Princess aren't telling us the details. Aren't you the least bit concerned?”

“Twilight trusts her,” said Lyra. “And I trust Twilight.”

Fleur frowned. “Ah, I see. We're on a first name basis with her majesty now, hmm?”

Lyra's face flushed. “What—what's that supposed to mean?”

“I haven't commented on your presumptuous familiarity with the Princess, but don't think I haven't noticed it. I know the concept might be difficult to grasp for somepony from a town as unrefined as Ponyville, but there's such a thing as propriety, and it's safe to say that you frequently overstep your bounds where Her Majesty is concerned.”

Lyra stepped forward, her nostrils flared and her ears flicking violently. “You don't know what you're talking about. Twilight doesn't care about any of that—that 'class' stuff. And she's from Ponyville too, in case you forgot, so watch what you say about it!”

Fleur held her ground. “She may live in Ponyville, but she was raised in Canterlot, and she knows what it means to be royalty. It's her prerogative to behave as she wishes, but we need to treat her with the respect her station demands.”

“That's a load of horsefeathers!”

“I'm not trying to quarrel with you, Miss Heartstrings. I am trying to help you. I don't think you know what you're getting into.”

“I can handle myself fine, thank you very much.”

With a snort, Lyra turned and marched out, leaving Fleur alone in the hut once more. She sat back down beneath window with a sigh, and turned back to her half-finished letter. What should I do, Fancy?, she thought. What would you say to them? What would you say to me? Should I stay? Is what I'm doing here important?

The parchment had no response, only the banal recountings that she had penned minutes ago. She reread them with displeasure, then crumpled the paper up with her magic and tossed it into the ashes of the currently cold firepit.

The overcast sky was a lime green, and a cold wind whipped her mane and tail out behind her. The grass pricked at her hooves like needles, she cried out as she climbed the hill, every step filled with agony. With every step, the twisted, gnarled tree at the hill's top grew larger. Its bare branches unfurled like the petals of some great flower. When she reached its base, one of the boughs leaned down, as if to offer her a gift. Hanging from it was the amulet.

Claim me, it said.

“I won't,” said Trixie.

There is not much time, it said.

“Until what?” asked Trixie, blinking away tears.

The forest will wake, it said.

The grass began to grow beneath her hooves. She screamed and tried to pull away, but they clung to her like thorns. The world was growing dark around her, and the glowing red eye danced before her.

Claim me, or it will claim you, it said.

“See, what you gotta do is take that riff at the end there, that catchy one, where it rises up like 'ba-dum-ba-BA-DAAA' , you take a sample of that and set it against a good beat, like maybe, 'un-tss-un-un-tss-tss', something like that, and maybe throw in some sirens.”

“I don't think Marezart would have appreciated you doing that to one of her concertos.”

“You don't know that, she might have been down with it. And you can't cage culture, you have to let the music be free. Remixing is the highest form of flattery. Anyway, you get a good groove going, you get everypony thinking, 'ok, this is alright, I dig it,' then, when they're least expecting it, you drop the bass! And it's like, BWAAA, BWA-DA-DA-DA, BWAAA, BWAAA, and then that riff comes back in, 'ba-dum-ba-BA-DAAA-BWAAA'.” Vinyl was rearing on her hind legs, waving her forelegs animatedly in the air as she laid out her plans for the song. “Man, can't you just hear it?”

Lyra giggled. “It sounds just like every other dubstep song ever.”

“That's just 'cuz I'm only describing it to you. If I could put some work in on it, believe me, it would blow your mind. You should come into the studio some time, I'll show you my stuff.”

The two were once again relaxing in the dusk outside of Zecora's hut. It had become a daily routine for Vinyl to come and listen to Lyra practice. The others had all played audience for her too, but Vinyl was the only one with enough musical knowledge to offer her anything other than polite nods and vague compliments—although Twilight had once treated her to an hour long lecture on the history of music. Lyra had been enraptured by every minute of it, although her attention had been less on the actual content of Twilight's speech and more on the lyrical quality of her voice and the way the sunlight seemed to dance in her eyes.

Vinyl sighed as she settled back down in the grass beside Lyra. “I'm just saying, maybe you should give all that stuffy old music a rest. Try playing something that was written by somepony who lived in the last century, or who's, Celestia forbid, still alive.”

“Tell me, what does your marefriend think of your attitude toward the classics?”

“Tavi?” Vinyl snickered. “I give her a hard time about it too. Celestia knows why she puts up with me.”

“You must miss her a lot.”

“Yeah.” A strangely unreadable express came over Vinyl's face, and she turned away from Lyra. “Sure. I guess.”

Lyra frowned. “You guess?”

There was a moment of silence, but if Vinyl had a response for Lyra, it was lost when a loud bang sounded from behind them. The two of them turned to look at Zecora's hut in confusion. The first noise was followed by a second, even louder than the first and accompanied by brilliantly flashing lights from the windows of the small building. They gave each other a worried glance before rushing to the hut's entrance.

Zecora's hut was always cluttered, but the scene that Lyra and Vinyl walked in on was nothing short of a disaster. The wooden table they had eaten at every night was overturned, and the floor was littered with the shattered remains of the clay bowls. A number of Zecora's masks and trinkets had been knocked from the wall, and the heavy black cauldron was on its side in one corner. Fleur stood by the doorway, backed against the wall and a fearful expression on her face. Twilight and Zecora stood on the far end of the room, and in the middle of it all was Trixie, her eyes wild and her mane in disarray.

“Just tell me where it is!” yelled Trixie.

Zecora stared stonily back at the unicorn. “I cannot believe you would ask me so; the amulet's danger, you should already know.”

“I don't understand, Trixie,” said Twilight, frowning with concern. “You told me you were okay.”

“Well I'm not, Twilight Sparkle. I know that the amulet is out there. It's talking to me. Tormenting me.”

“What the hay is going on?” whispered Lyra.

“Looks like Trixie finally snapped,” replied Vinyl.

“Trixie, you can't put that amulet back on.”

“I'm not going to put it on, Twilight, I'm going to destroy it!”

“Okay, well, that's still a really bad idea. We still don't really understand the Alicorn Amulet's power, and you definitely can't go off into the forest alone at night. Just calm down and we can talk about this.”

“Get ready,” whispered Lyra.

“For what?” asked Vinyl.

“If she makes a bolt for it, we have to stop her.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” hissed Vinyl. “What makes you think I want to get involved?”

“Vinyl!”

“I don't need your help!” yelled Trixie, her voice quavering. “I need to make it go away! You don't trust me, Twilight, but I'm more powerful than you think, and I will destroy the amulet!”

“Trixie, wait!”

But Trixie was already casting the spell. The threads of magic formed around her, and before anypony could do anything, she disappeared in a blinding flash of blue light. Everypony stared in shock at the empty space where Trixie had stood, and in the following silence they could hear what their yelling had covered up: a cacophony of howling and roars from the woods outside the hut.

Forest III

Lyra's heart raced as she followed Twilight Sparkle out into the night. She didn't think she could ever be truly comfortable in the forest at night, but over the past two weeks she had gotten somewhat used to the gloomy silence that came over the forest when the sun went down. But the forest was not quiet tonight, and she felt terror rise up in her at the thought of what might be out there. She couldn't see clearly into the trees, but she could swear she saw dark forms moving beyond the edge of the clearing. The air was filled with the incessant howls, roars and squawks of birds and animals, all of it echoing weirdly, which made it impossible to tell how far away their origins were. The four ponies and one zebra kept close as they edged their way farther from the light of the hut, Twilight leading the way, her wings flared out wide.

“What's going on, Zecora?” asked Twilight, scanning the treeline nervously.

Zecora shook her head. “With the forest creatures, I have always lived in peace; their behavior now puts me ill at ease. I do not know what makes them act so; if we venture out far, careful we should go.”

“Do you think it has something to do with Trixie and the amulet? I mean, it can't be a coincidence, right?”

“If so, then we must find her fast; alone in the woods, she will not last.”

Twilight and Zecora stood between Lyra and the treeline, their voices rapid and their gazes steadily sweeping the clearing around them. Lyra didn't know how they were able to keep so calm; it was all she could do to keep her breaths even, and she found herself jumping at every noise.

“I can't believe she managed a teleportation spell,” said Twilight. “Where did you bury the Amulet, Zecora? Do you think that she'll be able to find it?”

“The grove where it's buried is hidden well, but Trixie is entranced by the Amulet's spell.”

“So she's probably headed there, if she's not there already. The question is whether she'll try to destroy it, or if she'll fall under its influence again and put it on. Either way, we have to stop her. Lead the way, Zecora.”

The group began to move forward, but they were stopped in their tracks almost immediately when a dark form emerged from the trees. As it stepped into the moonlight, Lyra began to make out its strange form. It was like a dog, or wolf, but massive and oddly shaped. As it came closer, walking slowly but deliberately, Lyra realized that its entire body was made of branches and leaves, held together by some unknown magic. If it wasn't so frightening, it might have inspired a sense of awe in her. Although it walked so lightly that its steps made no sound, its body creaked eerily as it moved, and glowing yellow eyes glared at them malevolently across its broad muzzle.

“Timber wolf,” breathed Twilight.

With a snarl, the creature broke its slow gait and began to bound across the clearing straight at them. Every muscle in Lyra's body froze up as the beast closed the distance, teeth bared and a foul, earthy stench pouring from its mouth. All rational thought fled her mind, and she was left with only terror.

Twilight was not so paralyzed. As the wolf came close, she dug her hooves into the dirt and pointed her horn forward. A beam of bright violet light shot out, momentarily making the whole clearing bright as day. It hit the creature right between the eyes, and with a sound of rushing air, its whole body came undone. Branches and sticks fell to the ground with a clatter, some of them still moving forward and landing at their hooves. From the corner of her eye, Lyra saw Vinyl recoil from them like they were snakes, but all she could do was stare in shock at the leafy branch that lay on the ground beneath her.

“It'll come back to life if we don't do anything.” Twilight's voice was steady, but she was still watching the woods with a tense and nervous look. “Zecora, is there anything you know that will keep it down?”

The zebra nodded, and she began to make gestures with her front hooves over the creature's remains, chanting in a low voice. Twilight turned back to the three unicorns.

“Where there's one timber wolf, there's more, so keep on the lookout. If you think you can copy the energy spell I just used, that should be the easiest way to knock them out. Otherwise, you can try levitating a heavy object and throwing it, or—Vinyl, where are you going?!”

Lyra turned her head in alarm to see Vinyl bolting away from the group. Before she knew what she was doing, Lyra was on her hooves and galloping after her. She called out her friend's name, but the white unicorn only ran faster. Soon they were among the trees, and Lyra struggled to keep up with the other pony in the darkness. Roots and branches seemed to reach out, threatening to trip her up. For all she knew, they really were moving; she raced by too quickly to see, and could hear nothing beyond the pounding of her hooves and her heart. She tried to cast a spell to light her way, but could barely concentrate on keeping herself moving.

In an instant, she lost sight of the other pony. One second Vinyl had been running ahead of her, and then next she was gone. Lyra skidded to a halt, looking around in panic. For a second she thought she had merely lost track of Vinyl, until she heard a scream from above.

“Help! Somepony! Anypony!”

In the darkness above her, something was moving about, rustling and shaking the branches of the trees. Lyra finally managed to cast a spell, and her horn lit up brightly. She looked up, and gasped in horror at what she saw.

Her impression that the plants of the forest were acting against them was not, in fact, her imagination. Vinyl's form hung in the branches above her head, ensnared in vines that moved with a will of their own. The snaking vines were quickly wrapping themselves around Vinyl's limbs and body, and although the mare struggled and screamed, they held themselves fast.

“Hold on, Vinyl! I'll—I'll—”

Lyra looked around. There was nopony but her, and her the feeble light emanating from her horn stopped mere feet away. Her mind raced, and she grasped at the first spell she could think of. Closing her eyes in concentration, she wove together the complex strands of magic, channeling as much magical energy as she could from her horn into the air above. She wasn't sure it would even work until the last second, when the last bit of magic fell into place and a tower of flame erupted from the tip of her horn. Her sobbing gasp was as much from the effort of the spell as from the sudden wave of heat, but she knew she couldn't stop. She desperately struggled to control the column of fire, pushing it among the vines as close as she dared to the entangled pony. As the vines began to retreat from the flames, she reached out with her levitation toward Vinyl's falling body; though she didn't have the strength to lift another pony, she did what she could to soften the other unicorn's fall. Vinyl landed with a grunt on the forest floor. Lyra rushed over to check on her, the now flaming branches giving her light to see by.

“Are you alright?” she asked. “I tried not to aim straight at you with that fire.”

“I'm fine,” groaned Vinyl. “Never been better in my life.”

Lyra looked up at the crackling branches above her. The burning vines still writhed with their own life, and with every second, the flames were spreading through the canopy.

“We need to put this fire out,” said Lyra. “Before the whole forest burns down.”

“Fine by me!” yelled Vinyl, pulling herself to her hooves. “Let it burn! I'm sick of this stupid forest!”

“You want to get caught in the middle of a forest fire? Come on!”

Lyra turned her attention back to growing inferno above her, but her horn ached and her thoughts swam. She didn't know anything about conjuring water, and when she made a few feeble attempts, the spells just fizzled. She wondered if she could levitate enough dirt to smother the fire, when a strange rushing sound filled the air. A blanket of water fell from the sky, drenching the branches and ponies alike. As the fire was extinguished, the two were thrown back into darkness.

“You've gotta—pull moisture out of the air,” said Vinyl, breathing heavily. “It doesn't just come from nowhere. A pegasus could probably explain it better.”

“That's—that's actually pretty—I mean, what were you thinking?!” Lyra yelled at her companion. All she could make out were Vinyl's red eyes, gleaming in the moonlight, but she directed all her anger at them. “Why would you run off like that?! Don't you know how dangerous it is?!”

“I gotta get out of here, Lyra,” said Vinyl, panic creeping back into her voice. “Didn't you see that crazy thing the Princess killed? Didn't you hear what they were saying about Trixie? I can't handle this! I'm in over my head! I don't know why she brought us here, but I'm sure as hay getting out!”

“Listen to you! You don't even know where you're going, you idiot! You could be running deeper into the forest for all you know!”

“I don't wanna die! I'm just a DJ, not some kind of warrior pony! Who knows what's out there in this freaky forest?!”

“You're right!” yelled Lyra. “We're in huge danger, and I don't know what made you think that there was somewhere safer to be than, I don't know, with the alicorn Princess! And now she has to worry about two nincompoops lost in the forest instead of just one! No, three, because I had the dumb idea to try and come stop you!”

“I—I—” Vinyl took in a deep, ragged breath. “Sweet Celestia. That was really stupid of me, wasn't it?”

“Yeah,” said Lyra with a sigh. “Yeah, it was. Come on, we've got to get back to the group.”

There was long pause as they each searched the thick wall of trees that surrounded them on all sides. The only sound was the wind rattling the burnt branches above them and the mercifully far-off cry of some animal.

“Um, do you know which way we came from?” asked Vinyl.

“No clue,” said Lyra wearily. “Any ideas? Know a spell that might help?”

Vinyl scratched her chin with her hoof. “Send up some sort of signal into the sky, like with a light spell? Then the Princess can come rescue us.”

“If something else doesn't find us first. Let's hold off on that for now,” said Lyra. “They didn't follow us, which probably means that they went to stop Trixie first and are relying on us to take care of our selves for now. But if we don't know which way is back, we should stay put, right? If we just pick a direction at random, we're just as likely to be moving further away from them.”

“Wait, do you see that?”

Lyra barely avoided getting smacked in the muzzle by Vinyl's gesturing hoof. When she turned in the direction the other unicorn pointed, at first all she saw was the dim outlines of more trees and vines. After a second, though, she caught a flash of red light between the trees. It was impossible to tell how far away it was, or what had caused it, but it was quickly followed by another, and a third followed shortly after that.

“Could be the Princess,” said Vinyl hopefully.

“Could be a lot of things,” said Lyra. “I'm not sure following blinking lights into the forest is a good idea.”

“We don't have a lot else to go on,” countered Vinyl. “And if it something dangerous, we should probably figure out exactly we're dealing without before it pounces on us out of the darkness.”

Lyra chewed her lip, considering. Vinyl had completely lost her nerve before, and she wasn't sure she trusted the other pony's judgment. But although her voice was still shaky, the DJ seemed to have calmed down a little. And truth be told, Lyra wasn't sure of her own stock of the situation either. She had been trusting Twilight and Zecora to keep them safe in the forest; she didn't want to frighten Vinyl, but she wasn't very optimistic about their chances of survival.

“Fine,” said Lyra. “But we're not just barging in. We get as close as we can and figure out's over there before we do anything rash. No lights, no noise. Come on.”

As the two made their way towards the mysterious lights, walking as softly as they could through the brush, Lyra had time to collect her thoughts. She tried to recall the various pieces of advice that Twilight and Zecora had given them about fending off the inhabitants of the Everfree, but she was continually distracted by movements and small noises around her. As in the clearing around Zecora's hut, the forest around them seemed to have come alive around them tonight. It was more than just the rustling of branches and the cries of animals; Lyra felt as if there was some presence, intelligent and malicious, that was staring at them from all directions.

She had no idea how defend herself against it, though, and merely pressed forward, her heart pounding. Any minute, she felt, some terrible creature would pounce on them from the shadows and it would be all over. When they reached the source of the red lights, she breathed a sigh of relief. Although their walk must have only taken minutes, it had felt like hours.

Lyra cautiously peered around a tree. Vinyl crept up behind her, but seemed to be making sure that Lyra stayed between her and whatever might be ahead of them. But any annoyance she felt towards Vinyl was quickly replaced with astonishment at what she saw.

Trixie stood at the base of a massive tree, her back to them. Her cape was torn and dirty, and her hat was gone. She was looking up into the canopy above her, and when Lyra followed her gaze, her breath caught in her throat. A massive form was emerging from the shadows of the branches, and it slowly resolved itself into a creature from out of Lyra's nightmares. It was some sort of enormous spider, as large as Zecora's hut. Dark brown hairs bristled on each of its legs, and although it didn't roar or hiss as it slowly descended toward the small pony below it, the creaking of the tree's limbs beneath its weight was menacing enough.

As the beast came ever closer, Trixie held her ground. Lyra couldn't tell if Trixie was paralyzed with fear or if she had simply gone mad—nothing else could explain how the blue unicorn could stand so calmly in the face of such a terror. She was about to call out to Trixie to run for her life, but was interrupted by a loud bang. A bolt of red light shot out of Trixie's horn and hit the great spider in the center of its head. There was a horrible squelching noise as the creature's body went limp and smoke rose from the hair on its now-mangled face. With an unnerving nonchalance, Trixie backed up a view steps as the body fell heavily to the ground. The ground shook and leaves fell from the trees, and Lyra's blood ran cold.

“Holy horsefeathers!” shouted Vinyl. “That was—Trixie, you rule!”

Trixie turned around, a startled look on her face, and Lyra finally got a good look at her. Her eyes were tired and frightened, and looked at them from beneath a disheveled mane. What caught Lyra's attention, though was the black amulet that hung around Trixie's neck. She had never seen it up close, but she had no doubt as to what it was.

“Lyra—Vinyl—,” said Trixie breathlessly. “It's not safe out here, what are you doing? Where's Twilight?”

“Why are you wearing that, Trixie?” asked Lyra, trying hard to keep her voice steady.

“I—I meant to destroy it, but when I dug it up, all of the sudden I heard noises in the woods around me. I couldn't fight them off by myself. It's just for a little while, then I'll get Twilight to show me how to get rid of it.”

“It didn't sound like the Princess knew how destroy it,” said Vinyl.

“Trixie,” said Lyra. “That thing is dangerous. You have to take it off.”

“I will!” Trixie shook her head, as if trying to shake away a fly. “I will take it off. But I can't—I have to protect everypony, first. There's things in the woods, things much worse than even Twilight knows.”

“How do you know that?”

“It—it told me. Showed me. But it's okay, it is, because with the amulet's power, I can stop them. And then it'll be over, and then I'll take it off, I promise.”

Lyra stepped out fully from behind the tree. She looked as levelly as could into Trixie's eyes. The other unicorn seemed mostly in control of herself, but her eyes keep twitching. Lyra thought she could see some light in there, some intelligence other than Trixie. She took a deep breath.

“It's trying to fool you, Trixie. Hay, that thing is probably the reason the whole forest is going crazy in the first place. You need to take it off. Right now.”

Trixie backed up a step. “You don't understand,” she said softly. “I need it.”

“For what?” asked Vinyl, who was still keeping her distance.

“Everything,” said Trixie. “It's everything, don't you see? I'm nothing without it.”

Trixie shook her head again. When Lyra looked in her eyes, she thought she saw a red light glowing from within.

“I need it. And it needs me. And together... together, we can do so much!” Trixie's eyes had lost focus, and she seemed to be talking to herself as much as to Lyra. “We can save everypony. We can show Twilight Sparkle exactly what we're capable of. It won't be like last time, we won't lose control. Together, we're limitless!”

“Yeah, I think she's lost it,” said Vinyl.

“Shut up!” snarled Trixie, her face suddenly contorting into a mask of rage. Another beam of bright red light shot from Trixie's horn, and Lyra could feel a wave of heat as it flew past her. Vinyl yelped as it grazed her mane and she ducked back behind the tree. Every muscle in Lyra's body was screaming at her to run, to get away, but she made herself hold her ground. Her legs trembled, and she fought to keep her voice low and steady.

“Listen to me, Trixie,” she said. “That thing is dangerous. It has a hold of your mind. Don't you see, it's trying to—”

Trixie's horn glowed, and in an instant Lyra was airborne. Before she could react, her whole body was lifted up by a magical force and flung backwards. Her back hit the rough bark of a tree, and she gasped for breath as the air left her lungs. She blinked, trying to clear her blurry vision. Trixie's snarling face came into focus. Lyra struggled to move, but the magic pressed her against the wood behind her. She reached for her own magic, but it was like grasping at straws.

“You think you know everything, don't you?” screamed Trixie. “You've got all the answers, you're Twilight's little pet. Don't think we don't all see you, you sycophant, hanging on her every word, 'oh yes, Your Majesty, you're so smart, Your Majesty'! Let me tell you something about Twilight Sparkle, she isn't half the magician she claims to be! She isn't half the magician that I am!”

“Trixie, you're—” choked Lyra, struggling for air. “I can't—”

“You know how she won our great big duel? Trickery! She went crying to her friends and they all ganged up on me with a pack of lies and horsefeathers! That's your Princess! That's your Twilight Sparkle!”

“I know, but she—”

“And what about you? What do you have that gives you the right to address the Great and Powerful Trixie?!”

“More than you!” yelled Lyra, her voice dry and raspy. “At least I don't have to rely on some stupid trinket!”

She was slammed against the hard tree trunk once more. Her whole body shuddered and her vision swam again. Trixie's eyes, now completely red, were the only thing she could see clearly through the tears.

“Shut up! Shut up, you stupid foal!”

Lyra's mouth felt like it was filled with cotton, but she made herself speak, drawing each word out of her burning lungs with a gasp. “You're better than it.”

“What?”

She couldn't tell if Trixie was actually listening, or how much of the real Trixie was left, but she pressed on. “You don't need it, it needs you. It's nothing without you, and even then it has to lie through the teeth it doesn't have to get you to wear it.”

Trixie's eyes were still glowing red, but she had stopped slamming Lyra against the tree. Lyra dared to let herself hope that she might be getting through.

“You wouldn't say that if you had ever worn it,” said Trixie. “It... it has so much power.”

“Power?” said Lyra. “What good is power if you can't make your own choices? What good is power if you're not free?”

“I'm making my own choices,” growled Trixie.

“Please, we both know that that thing is driving the cart,” said Lyra, gesturing feebly to Trixie's neck. “And all its supposed power didn't help you in your contest against Twilight.”

“She cheated!”

“She won a magical duel without casting a single spell,” said Lyra. “If that doesn't make her the greatest magician in Equestria, I don't know what does.”

“What exactly do you want from me?” asked Trixie. Lyra felt the magical force pressing against her increase.

“I want you to take that thing off!” yelled Lyra.

“So you and Twilight can laugh at me! So you can keep looking down your nose at me!”

“So I can see—” Lyra was slammed against the tree trunk again. She tasted blood in her mouth, but kept spitting out words. “So I can see what you can do! Where's the Great and Powerful Trixie? You think you're the greatest magician in Equestria, show me you!”

Tears were forming at the corners of Trixie's eyes. Her body shook.

“That thing wasn't there when you passed Twilight's test. That was just you.”

Trixie closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “It... it might be too late, Lyra. You might need to go get the Princess, and—and—”

“It's not too late,” whispered Lyra. “Just take it off. I know you can, because you can do anything. You are the Great and Powerful Trixie. You are limitless.”

Trixie's ears twitched, and Lyra realized that hers wasn't the only voice that the other unicorn was listening too. It was clear that the amulet had a mind of its own, and maybe it was just the blows to the head she had taken, but Lyra swore she could hear it too—a voice, barely on the edge of hearing, screaming, begging, berating. It was throwing everything it had at Trixie, who was fighting an invisible war behind her closed eyelids.

“Don't listen to it,” said Lyra. “It's powerless. It's got nothing on you.”

There was a long moment of silence, and then Trixie's horn shined lightly. The clasp on the amulet was undone with a small click, and it and Lyra fell to the ground at the same time. Lyra crumpled in the roots of the tree, gasping for breath. Trixie sat down softly, her eyes still closed, small tears falling down her face.

“Trixie, I—” started Lyra.

“Shut up,” said Trixie softly. “Just let me be for a moment.”

Lyra struggled to her hooves. She moved her legs and her neck, trying to feel if anything was broken or sprained. Her whole body ached, and her head and horn still felt like they were about to burst, but she decided that she was probably going to be okay. She looked down at the amulet lying in the dirt. The red eye glared back at the, the black wings shining in the moonlight. As discreetly as she could, she kicked the thing under a bush, then stuck her head around the tree.

“Thanks for your help, Vinyl,” she said dryly.

The DJ was still lying at the base of the tree, her hooves over her head and her body curled into a ball. When Lyra spoke to her, she peered up and smiled weakly.

“You, ah, seemed like you had everything under control.”

As Vinyl got up and crept slowly around the tree, Lyra turned her attention back to Trixie. The blue unicorn looked as tired as Lyra felt, and met her gaze with heavy-lidded eyes.

“So, Trixie,” said Vinyl. “You, uh, all cool now?”

“Yes, Vinyl,” Trixie said dully. “Trixie is all cool.”

“Sweet. So, if anypony can figure out how to get back to Zecora's—”

Vinyl was interrupted by a loud crash and the sound of falling branches. The ground beneath them shook, and all three heads turned in the direction of the noise. Lyra couldn't see anything in the darkness, but it sounded like something enormous was moving through the trees towards them.

“What the hay is that?” she breathed.

“I don't know, and I'm not finding out!” replied Vinyl as she took off into the woods.

“For Celestia's sake, Vinyl!” cried Lyra as she bounded after her companion. She began to gallop once more through the forest, praying she didn't trip over anything. The sound of Trixie's hooves followed close behind her, and farther back, the crashing and rumbling of whatever creature had found them. It quickly became clear that whatever it was, it was following them.

Lyra was exhausted, and her entire body screamed in pain, but she forced herself onward. She caught glimpses of Vinyl ahead of her as she ran, and did her best to follow the other unicorn. Just when she thought she would collapse, the world opened up. Her hooves kept moving her forward against her will, tripping over the rocky ground that suddenly replaced the grassy forest floor, and she almost ran straight into Vinyl. The white unicorn had come to a stop, and as Trixie skidded to a halt behind them, Lyra peered over her shoulder and saw why.

It looked like nothing less than the end of the world. A rocky cliff dropped straight down, disappearing into fog far below. If Lyra squinted, she could barely make out a similar cliff on the far side. The canyon stretched to either side as far she could see.

“Right,” said Vinyl, her voice cracking. “Time to turn back!”

As the three turned around, a deafening roar met them, coming horrifyingly close by.

“Ponyfeathers,” whimpered Vinyl.

A giant form began to emerge from the shadows of the trees. It stood on four legs, moving ponderously but deliberately, each heavy footfall shaking the ground. Its giant hunched back reached the tops of the trees itself, and as it stepped past the treeline mere yards away, Lyra gasped in wonder as much as in fear.

It looked like a gigantic bear, but its flesh was almost ethereal. Lyra almost couldn't tell what she was looking at, but looking at the creature's body was almost like looking at a clear night sky. Stars and galaxies swirled and danced in what seemed to be another world, floating in a dark purple cloud.

Less mesmerizing and more terrifying was the beasts yellow eyes and giant fangs. It peered at them and snorted, its mouth beginning to curl into a snarl.

“Of course,” said Trixie, her voice slightly hysterical. “Why not?”

“What is it?” whispered Vinyl.

“Ursa Major,” replied Trixie.

The beast opened its mouth and let out another roar, and Lyra had to fight to stay upright against the wind that blew over them. It was close enough that if she had the time and inclination, she could count each of its teeth as she stared into its gaping mouth.

“Maybe you should have held onto that amulet for a bit longer,” said Vinyl.

“Do you think you can cast that teleportation spell, Trixie?” asked Lyra.

Trixie closed her eyes, and her horn sparked feebly. Her voice shook.

“Trixe—Trixie doesn't think so. And I definitely can't move three ponies with it.”

The Ursa Major took another step forward, gazing viciously down at them.

“How about two?” asked Vinyl.

“Vinyl!”

“No, you know what?” said Trixie softly. A small, slight unsteady smile had appeared on her face. “You were right, Lyra.”

“About what?”

“When you said that Trixie could do anything.”

“Trixie, I was just trying to—”

“But you were right! Trixie—Trixie is limitless! You know why?” Trixie was grinning maniacally now. “Because I am the Great,” she broke into a gallop, charging straight at the monstrous bear, “and Powerful,” her horn lit up, and her voice rose in a breathless yell, “Trixie!”

The Ursa Major rose a giant paw, its claws gleaming, ready to crush the tiny pony beneath it. But just as it began to bear down on her, Trixie came to a stop, her legs spread in a defiant stance. The light around her horn grew, bright as daylight, and Lyra could only watch in wonder as the beast grew still.

Then, softly, she began to hear music, or something like it. It was the same music she had heard in her experiments with Twilight, the peculiar flow of the Forest's magic. It was a beat she couldn't quite keep, a tune she couldn't quite follow. She wasn't performing any spell, but she could feel the magic of the forest all around her. She turned to look at Vinyl, and the other unicorn's wide eyes confirmed that they felt the same thing.

It sang, it drove, it pushed onwards. They both sat entranced by whatever it was that Trixie was doing, and the Ursa Major was likewise stupefied, its eyes glazed over and its paw hanging as it stared down at the unicorn. Trixie herself was almost lost in the glare from her own horn, but seemed to be standing steady. The light grew until it hurt Lyra's eyes. The music, the wild magic that was flowing through her horn, also grew, louder and louder, swelling, crescendoing—and then it all fell away. Trixie's horn went dark. Silence fell.

It was an utterly complete silence. For the first time that night, there were no bird cries, no calls from creatures in the woods. The wind itself seemed to have gone still, and Lyra realized that both her and Vinyl were holding their breaths.

Slowly, still in a daze, the Ursa Major backed up until all they could hear of it was the rustle of branches, and then still more until there was nothing to say that the creature had even been there at all.

Without a sound, Trixie's legs gave out beneath her, and she fell to the ground. Lyra and Vinyl rushed to her side, arguing breathlessly and incoherently about what to do, whether they should carry or go for help, and what in Celestia's name had just happened. They were still babbling at each other when Twilight found them.

Forest IV

For the first night since she had come to the forest, Trixie did not dream. There were no painful memories or nightmarish landscapes, no glowing eyes or spreading black wings. She was barely aware of anything at all, only the dull ache of her body and the comfort of oblivion. She had won, somehow. It wasn't clear anymore what she had won, but she had, and for a long time that was enough. But eventually more coherent sensations returned to her mind and body. She was lying in a bed, a scratchy and warm blanket enfolding her. Low voices occasionally reached her ears. Spikes of pain occasionally shot through her horn, but they seemed less and less frequent. Sometimes the fog lifted enough for her to open her eyes, and she saw blurry shapes moving in the flickering light of a fire. She wasn't exactly happy, but there was no more fear.

When she finally woke up fully, there was sunlight coming in through the windows of the hut. She shuffled in her sheets, sitting up and blinking her eyes groggily. This attracted the attention of her companions, and almost as soon as she was aware of her surroundings, they were filled with the eager and concerned voices of the other ponies.

“She's awake!”

“How's it going, Tricks?”

“Don't crowd her, everypony stand back please.”

Five colorful faces stared down at her. She shifted beneath her heavy blanket and focused on Twilight Sparkle, whose face was heavy with concern.

“How are you feeling, Trixie?” the Princess asked.

The effort of speaking seemed gargantuan. Trixie tried to sit up and failed. She could already feel sleep creeping back over her brain, and her eyes flickered shut, but she smiled.

“Tired,” she muttered. “But I did it,Twilight Sparkle. You weren't there, but I did it. I made new magic.”

“Er... not quite.”

Her eyes flickered back open. “What?”

“Well, I'm still not exactly sure what happened. When you put on the amulet, pretty much every animal in the forest went wild. I mean, more so than usual. And at first I though that you—or it—was controlling them. But I think that it was more like a reaction; I don't want to say that the forest can think, exactly, but something out there knew that something was wrong and lashed out in the only way it knew how.”

With the mention of the amulet, the full memories of what had happened, what she had done, came flooding back. Putting on the amulet, the rush of power, the battle with the Ursa Major. What she had done to Lyra. What she had almost done to everypony.

She wanted to crawl back under the covers and hide away forever, but she settled for burying her face in her pillow. “I'm sorry, Twilight. I'm so sorry.”

“I'm that one who should be sorry, Trixie. I knew that the amulet might still have a connection to you, and I brought you here anyway. I put you in unnecessary danger.”

“Danger?” said Trixie, her voice still muffled by fabric. “Twilight Sparkle, I was the one that put all of you in danger. Just to try and prove myself.”

“You're being to hard on yourself,” said Twilight. “The Alicorn Amulet was a extremely powerful magical artifact, not to mention a malevolent one. It choose you for its purposes, but anypony could have fallen victim to it.”

Trixie turned to look at Twilight. “'Was'? The Amulet is still out there, Twilight, and I'm not sure if anypony is safe while—”

Twilight levitated a familiar black necklace into view, and Trixie practically screamed. She recoiled violently from the amulet, and almost fell out of bed as she entangled herself in the sheets.

“Get it away! Get it away from me!”

“It's alright!” said Twilight, reaching a hoof out to keep Trixie steady. “It's okay! It's harmless now, look!”

The amulet floated between the two of them, inert and motionless. Trixie reached out a hoof, cautious, and kicked it. It swayed, but nothing happened.

“Is it... dead?”

“Well, it wasn't really alive, but yes. Lyra told me about what happened in the forest.”

Trixie turned toward the green mare, who was smiling nervously.

“Lyra,” said Trixie. “Trixie is—I'm sorry. If you hadn't—I might have—”

“Woah, hey, whatever. You'd have done the same, I'm sure. And, uh, Vinyl helped too, you know.”

“You bet your flank I did!”

“Anyway,” said Twilight, “Once we got you back here, Zecora and I went out to find it again, but it was totally lifeless. All the magic's gone out of it.”

“Why?” asked Trixie, frowning down at the amulet. The ruby eye still stared back at her, and she had a hard time suppressing a shiver.

“My guess is that it came down to you taking it off—not because you were forced, not because you were tricked, but entirely out of your own free will. It needed somepony to feed off, you see. Somepony it could trick into doing its bidding. And when you rejected it, that was it for the amulet. It's totally useless now. Well, except maybe as a really ugly fashion accessory.”

Trixie sighed, then pushed the amulet away. Twilight's magic was released, and it fell to the bedside table with a soft clatter.

“Take it away,” said Trixie. “Smash it, bury it, I don't care. I don't want to see it again.”

Twilight nodded, but she wasn't done. “I also wanted to talk about what happened with the Ursa Major.”

Trixie perked up, and glared defiantly at Twilight. “I did it, Twilight. It was new magic.”

“Again, not quite.”

“It was! They saw it, ask them!” said Trixie, pointing a hoof at Lyra and Vinyl.

“Um,” said Lyra. “I'm not sure what we saw. You faced down the bear—”

“Which was so hardcore, by the way.”

“—and your horn lit up, and then the whole forest went quiet. What exactly did you do?”

“It was amazing,” said Trixie. “I tapped into my magic, and it was there. The whole forest, every tree, every rock, I could feel all of it, and I told it—I told it to sit down and shut up.”

“A suggestion spell,” said Twilight.

Trixie frowned. “What?”

“You used to use them in your performances, I'm assuming. When the actual magic was too hard for you, or a trick didn't go right, you'd fall back on casting spells on the audience themselves. Make them think they saw something they hadn't.”

Trixie glared at Twilight, who merely raised an eyebrow. “Well, am I right?” asked Twilight.

“Perhaps,” said Trixie with a pout.

“What you did with the Ursa Major was that... times a thousand, I suppose. On the scale of the entire forest. Which was an incredible feat! But not what we're looking for.”

Trixie frowned, and then slumped against the bedframe. Her sleepiness was catching up with her. She wanted to curl up, maybe with a bowl of Zecora's soup, and not think about anything for awhile.

Fleur stepped forward and cleared her throat. “So what do we do now?”

“I think we'd better let Trixie get some more rest,” said Twilight.

“I mean, with regards to our research.”

Twilight chewed her lip, and shared a glance with Zecora, who nodded silently. “I think that our research could use a break,” she said. “And I think that we've learned all that we're going to here in the Everfree. It's time to move on.”

“But we were getting so close!” said Lyra.

“It's been an exciting week, Lyra, but we're not getting anywhere. The mysteries of the Everfree will have remain mysterious for the time being. We need to pursue other paths for our research.”

“But—”

“She's right, kiddo,” said Vinyl. “You've gotta know when to fold 'em, and all that.”

“Don't worry, Lyra,” said Twilight with a smile. “I've got plenty planned for our next session.”

“The next session,” said Trixie. Her throat felt dry. “Twilight, I don't think that—”

“I know,” said Twilight. “I know you're worried. But don't decide anything yet, okay? Sleep on it first.”

It was the best advice Trixie had ever heard, and her eyelids were already closed as she nodded to Twilight. She pulled the blankets around her, and the world once again fell into a comforting darkness.

Fleur took one last look at the interior of Zecora's hut. It was strange to think that she was actually going to miss the cramped, dark, and frankly smelly cottage. But somewhere along the line, their peculiar host, with her rhymes and potions and platitudes, had grown on her. Zecora had a certain serenity, a confidence in her bearing, which Fleur had come to admire. She thought that if Zecora was the type to move to Canterlot, she might make a wonderful model.

She stepped out into the morning light and found herself alone in the clearing with Trixie. The blue mare was scraping at the dirt with her hooves, lost in thought. Her hat was gone now, though she still wore the violet cape. Fleur approached her cautiously.

“Are you alright?”

“What? Yes, Trixie is... I'm fine. And once again, I'm sorry. About everything.”

“You've made your apologies already, and we've accepted them. There's no need for any more.”

Trixie laughed. “As if it's that easy. But I put everypony in danger, all for the sake of my own stupid pride. Again! Maybe that should be my special talent. Trixie, the Great and Powerful? More like Trixie, the walking disaster!”

“Does that mean that you won't be joining us for the next session?”

“I shouldn't have been here for this one. I don't belong on this... this team, or whatever.”

“I think we all doubt our own credentials, to a certain extent,” said Fleur. “But the Princess has confidence in us. She believes in this team. I can't pretend to understand why, but I think that I trust her now.”

Trixie bit her lip. She wasn't meeting Fleur's eyes, and spoke in a harsh mutter.

“I'm pretty sure her test failed. You know why? Twilight said that the fact that we tried, when everpony else gave up, meant that there was something special about us, that we were willing to face the impossible. But that wasn't what I was doing. I was... I was angry with her. I thought she was mocking me, singling me out with a fake, impossible test. And so I just pulled a spell out of my hat, just to spite her, really. It wasn't anything particularly difficult, just a light spell that I used in my performances. Something I had a knack for. It was my way of spitting in her face, but then she was smiling and telling me how impressed she was, and how I had passed, and how I had something special. I'm still not sure that she's right.”

“I wouldn't worry so much about that. My own experience during the test was less than edifying. When Twilight asked me to do the impossible, all I was really thinking about was my husband. He had been so excited for me, so encouraging. I knew that if I walked away without trying something, that I wouldn't be able to face his disappointment. I don't believe I have a 'special something' any more than you do.”

“Then what's your point?”

“My point is that if you can't do it for yourself, do it for somepony else.”

Trixie snorted. “Who? Who would I be helping by staying on the team?”

“Her Majesty, for one. It may not seem like it, but I really do think that she needs our help.”

Trixie was silent for a long moment as she thought about this, then turned to frown at Fleur. “What do you care? Why do you want me to stay?”

“Because we're doing something important,” said Fleur. “And I really do think that we'll be worse off without you. After all, you did something incredible last night.”

“I did a lot of things, most of them incredibly stupid. And one thing that was mostly an accident, and wasn't even what we were trying to do.”

“How about this, then. The Princess likes you. She believes in you. And... and I do too. If you just walk out, if you give up, you're not just letting yourself down. You're letting down all of us.”

Trixie finally turned to look her in the face, and Fleur found herself once again wondering exactly who Trixie was, where she had come from. There was such fierceness in her eyes. Where does she get it? Fleur wondered. Does she even know?

The sound of hoofsteps came up behind them. They turned to find Twilight and the others walking out of the hut, saddlebags full. Twilight walked up to them, chewing her lip nervously.

“Well, Trixie?” she said. “What have you decided?”

Trixie gazed at Twilight, then to Fleur's surprise, turned her head with a scoff. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will of course be staying on the team. She—that is, I doubt that you would make much progress without my help.”

Twilight looked startled for a second, but then broke out in a smile. “Well, then the Great and Powerful Trixie had better get her Great and Powerful rear into gear. It's time to head back to Ponyville.”

Zecora gave each of them a low and graceful bow as they made their finally preparations. As they began their trek out of the forest, Fleur found herself walking side by side with Trixie. The blue mare was silent for a long stretch, and Fleur did not feel inclined to break it. Finally, Trixie made a noise that sounded like something between a cough and a choking noise.

“Excuse me?” said Fleur.

Trixie took in a deep breath, then, in grating, barely audibly voice, managed to say “Thank you,” then trotted quickly forward before Fleur could do anything but give her a bemused smile.

They had only been gone for a week and a half, but Lyra had almost forgotten how bright the world outside of the Everfree Forest was. The sun was setting over Ponyville, but even in the dim light of the evening the town was a thousand times more colorful and cheerful than the forest at midday. It was a joke to call the town square “crowded”, but after the solitude of the forest Lyra felt a little claustrophobic being surrounded by more than a handful of ponies at once.

“You alright, kiddo?”

Vinyl peered at her from over the edge of Fleur's chariot. Trixie had already left for the train station, dodging questions about her destination but assuring them all, one last time, that she would be returning for the next session. Fleur had offered Vinyl a ride back to Canterlot, and the two were saying one last goodbye before they left.

“Yeah, I'm good. You're coming back, right? For the next session?”

“Of course I am. You'd think I'd want to miss out on something this crazy?”

“What about that time you freaked out in the woods?”

“Yeah, well,” said Vinyl, running a hoof through her mane, “I've been meaning to apologize for that. And to thank you, for coming after me and taking care of my sorry flank. But it was kind of fun, wasn't it? You and me, off in the woods, danger on every side, overcoming huge magical monsters with just our wits and our magic. Most excitement I've had in a while, I'll tell you that.”

“The way I remember it, it was terrifying. And Trixie was the one who drove off the Ursa Major.”

“Please. She couldn't have done it without me. Er, without us.”

Lyra chuckled. “I just hope that the next session won't be quite so perilous.”

“I wouldn't count on it,” said Vinyl. “Either way, stay out of trouble until then, okay?”

“What do you mean?”

Vinyl shot a meaningful glance towards Twilight, who was chatting with the chariot drivers. “I mean, don't do anything stupid.”

Lyra frowned. “I know what I'm doing, Vinyl.”

Her friend lowered her voice. “You really think now is the best time to approach her? After everything that happened in the forest, you should really give it some more time. Sleep on it.”

“I've slept on it for long enough. Besides, I've gone face-to-face with an Ursa Major. How dangerous can asking somepony on a date be?”

“You'd be surprised,” said Vinyl, not smiling.

“What are you two whispering about over there?”

Lyra turned to find Twilight looking quizzically at her. “Oh, just, uh, trading some musician's secrets. You know.” She grinned sheepishly.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but any questions were forestalled by Fleur stepping into the chariot behind Vinyl. The tall unicorn gave Twilight a small smile as she bowed her head.

“I do not mean to be rude, Your Majesty,” she said, “but we must be off if we are to reach Canterlot before it is too dark.”

“Of course. And really, Fleur, you can call me Twilight. Get plenty of rest while you're in Canterlot—I've got big plans for the next session. I'll send you the details in a week or so.”

“Wouldn't miss it for the world,” said Vinyl. “Catch ya later, Sparks.”

“You too, Vinyl.”

Vinyl turned back to Lyra, and looked as if she had something she needed to say. After a short moment, thought, all she said was “Good luck, kiddo.”

With a nod from Fleur, the drivers began to beat their wings. Dust rose from the ground as the chariot began to lift off. In a few short moments, the vehicle was airborne, rising in a slow circle over the village square before it cleared the rooftops of Ponyville. Soon the chariot was nothing but a small dot in the sky above them; Twilight and Lyra stood waving goodbye until it disappeared in the dusk towards Canterlot.

Twilight sighed. “'Sparks.' I'm not one for formality, but I am still a Princess. I should probably do something about that.”

Lyra giggled. “It might be already too late.”

“So, you live over on Horseshoe Lane, right?”

“Oh! Yeah,” said Lyra. “But, um, I could walk you home. If you like.”

Twilight shrugged. “Sure, I guess. If it's not too far out of your way.”

“No, it's, uh, no problem.”

They began to make their way through the streets to the library. Light and music spilled out from the occasional restaurant, and here and there a pony or small group passed them, but for the most part the streets were dark and deserted. The two ponies also walked in silence for some time. Twilight seemed lost in thought, her face an unreadable mask. For her own part, Lyra's heart was pounding. A thousand unspoken thoughts crowded in her brain, and she couldn't find the courage to give voice to a single one.

No limits, she told herself.

“So,” she said suddenly. “I think that the first, uh, session, went well, don't you? I mean, we didn't discover any new magic, but we learned a lot about the forest. And, um, each other. I mean, we got to know each other, you know?”

Twilight nodded, smiling absently. As the light grew dimmer, her features seemed to Lyra to take on an otherworldly beauty. The soft, gleaming eyes, the grace of her gait. Even the shade of her coat seemed to take on an extraordinary color in the growing moonlight. Twilight spoke softly.

“I think it was a success as well. It makes me optimistic for the project overall.” She turned and gave a Lyra a warmer smile. “And I think quite a lot of it has to do with you. You've impressed me quite a lot, Lyra. Especially with what you did for Trixie. I'm glad she had somepony like you there for her needed it.”

“Well, what are friends for?” Lyra laughed nervously. “And I'm real glad to be on the team. It's been awesome so far. Real, uh, awesome.”

The library loomed above them, its lights already lit against the coming night. Twilight was pulling ahead, trotting toward the door. Lyra's legs shook. Her heart hammered against her ribcage.

No limits.

“Twilight!” she blurted, her voice ringing too loud in her own ears. “I was wondering if you'd, maybe, like to go on a date sometime.”

Twilight stopped in her tracks. She turned her head slowly to look at Lyra, her brow furrowed and a small frown on her face.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, I feel like we've gotten to know each other, you know? Over the past couple of weeks. And, I don't know how you feel about me, but I find myself quite, um, you know, like, I like you, Twilight! I like you a lot. And if you would give me a chance, I mean, if you would go out with me, I think I could, um, I hope that you might find that maybe you could—maybe you might like me too.”

Twilight chuckled. “Lyra, I—really, I'm flattered, but I really don't think that that sort of thing would be appropriate.”

Lyra felt her heart sink in her chest. “Please, Twilight. It would mean a lot to me if you would just give me a chance. This isn't—this isn't easy for me, to finally confess my feelings like this, and I know it's asking a lot, but—”

“Wait, 'finally'?” asked Twilight, her eyes narrowing. “What do you mean, 'finally'?”

“Okay, I—I admit, I may have, um, been thinking about this, I mean, thinking about you, for awhile. Like, since we both came to Ponyville, and I noticed you, and, okay, that sounded weird, I know this all sounds weird, but I've always, I've always admired you.”

Twilight was backing away from her. “Are... are you saying that you've been stalking me?”

“No! No, of course not! I mean, we both live in the same town, and Ponyville's pretty small, and you're super famous, so why wouldn't I know who you were? But I'm not saying I just like you because you're famous! Like, I knew who you were before that, back at Celestia's school, remember? I mean, you probably don't remember me, but, uh, I thought that maybe if I joined this whole research project thing, then we could get to know each other, and you could get to know me, and maybe—”

“So the real reason you joined my team was because you were... attracted to me.”

“No! I mean, not just that, it's complicated.”

“Do you even care about our research at all?”

“Yes! I just care about you too!”

“I have to say that I'm disappointed, Lyra. All this time I thought you were somepony different. Somepony who cared about the work we were doing. But this was all just about some silly crush, wasn't it?”

“That's not—I'm not—it's not a crush!” yelled Lyra. “I'm in love with you, Twilight!”

Those last words echoed in the empty street around them. The sun had finished setting during the course of their conversation, and now only the soft light shining out of the library window illuminated them. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, there was neither warmth nor anger in her face, just a neutral coolness.

“I'm sorry, Lyra, if I ever gave you the impression that our relationship was anything other than—was something that it wasn't. And I think that this fixation of yours is nothing but unhealthy. I can't accept your request.”

“Twilight—”

“In fact, I think that it would be best if you didn't return for our next session.”

“What?! You can't—”

“I can,” said Twilight sternly. “Trying to work together after something like this would be too difficult. For both of us. Again, I'm very sorry.”

Lyra's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Her vision was blurry with the beginnings of tears, but she could make out Twilight as the alicorn turned her back on her.

“Just—just please go,” said Twilight.

The library door opened and slammed shut behind Twilight. Lyra sat there in the darkness for a long time as the lights in the library were shut off one by one. Her mind was a jumbled mess, and grasping for something, anything, she pulled out her lyre. She plucked out a note, then one more, but couldn't advance beyond that, and the instrument fell out of her magical grip and fell softly into the grass. All she could do was stare at the space where Twilight had stood.

The moon rose, and the cool summer night settled in around her.

Author's Note

From the grave it rises, like some sort of shambling horror, ready to eviscerate B-list movie stars.

When I put up the prologue, I forgot to give credit to the wonderful and insightful—not to mention patient—Amacita for editing. When I put up the prologue, it was also almost five months ago, and I'm sure a lot of people have given up on me ever updating. But here's the first session—act? arc? part? superchapter? whatever you want to call it—and I plan on more to come. There will be a short intermission chapter, and then the next one, and hopefully neither will take as long as this one did. If you're still here, then thank you, and I hope you enjoy this weird little story I wrote about magical ponies.