Books and Branches Library

Yesterday morning, a letter arrived from Princess Celestia saying that she would be coming to Ponyville to see Twilight and her friends on an urgent matter. Exactly what that urgent matter was, the letter didn't specify, but Twilight and her friends have assembled at the appointed time nonetheless. Twilight and Spike pace in nervous circles on the turf; Rarity primps and preens; Rainbow Dash hovers impatiently; and Pinkie... well, is Pinkie.

"I love it when Princess Celestia comes to Ponyville! I got my hooves shined just like Rarity for the occasion!" Pinkie Pie holds up one gleaming hoof for Rarity to see." You like?"

"I certainly do," says Rarity, admiring her own reflection in the polished surface.

"I'm surprised she's not here yet," Twilight remarks, scanning the skies for the twentieth time in the past ten minutes. It's not like the Princess to be late for anything.

"I wonder what's taking so long?" says Spike.

"And where are Apple Jack and Fluttershy?"

"Fluttershy's detained helping Apple Jack with a mishap at Sweet Apple Acres," says Rarity, still using Pinkie's hoof as a mirror while she primps. "They'll be along."

"I still don't get why the Princess would be so late!" says Spike.

"She's bringing an important visitor," Twilight offers. "That could be part of it."

"A visitor who's important and slow," says Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe," suggests Rarity, "it's somepony so terribly important, she still had many more terribly important things to do before she got here."

"Or," says Spike with sudden alarm, "maybe the visitor has a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, and a snake tail?"

Twilight rolls her eyes. "Yeah, right. That's Discord."

Rarity giggles. "Why in the wide, wide world of Equestria would Princess Celestia bring along somepony like that?"

"M-m-maybe you should ask her." Spike points at the royal chariot coming in to land a few yards away. Actually, the two royal chariots. One is occupied by Princess Celestia, as one would expect. The other...

The other is carrying a statue. A statue with a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, a snake tail, and a horrified expression on its all-too-familiar face.



For a long moment, all the assembled ponies can do is stare in shock. Twilight is the first one to speak up. "With all due respect, Princess Celestia..." her voice raises to a shout: "How could you bring Discord HERE?! --your Majesty."

Celestia is unmoved. "I'm fully aware that the last time Discord was here, he created serious havoc."

"If by 'serious havoc,'" says Rainbow Dash, "you mean turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world."

"And tricking us all into being the opposite of our true selves," adds Rarity.

"And making yummy delicious chocolate milk rain all over the place without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it anywhere in sight!" cries Pinkie. "NOT A SINGLE DOLLOP!"

"Yes, I understand," says the Princess gently. "But I have use for Discord's magic if it can be reformed to serve good instead of evil. This is why I've brought Discord here, because I believe that you are the ponies who can help him do just that."

"This will never work!" shrieks Spike. "This is a disaster! How will we ever control him?! We're doomed!"

Celestia smiles reassuringly. "Need I remind you that you are the ponies who turned him back into stone like this in the first place?"

"I suppose we can just use the Elements of Harmony against him again if it gets out of hand," says Twilight, hesitantly. She doesn't want to question Celestia's judgment, but... really? Reforming the spirit of chaos itself? That's a tall order for anypony.

Spike, on the other hand, is already actively backing away from the statue. "Uh, w-w-we probably need a volunteer to run away from here right away to get them. I'll do it!"

"No need, Spike." Princess Celstia nods toward a gilded chest being carried out of her chariot by the guardsponies. "I have them right here, and I've cast a spell so Discord can't take them and hide them again. Now where is Fluttershy? I believe she may know best how to begin reforming Discord..."

The day of the Saddle Arabian ambassadors' visit has come and gone. Now, in the early evening hours, Twilight's showing off her magical skills for the entertainment of their foreign visitors. As she makes Fluttershy's animal friends dance in the air, she's vaguely aware of the two ambassadors murmuring to each other in awe. Twilight doesn't speak a word of Saddle Arabian, but they sound like they're impressed.

Time for the big finale. She draws the animals back up into their final formation. The woodland creatures are silhouetted brilliantly against the fireworks exploding in the sky.

...wait a second. Fireworks? Fireworks aren't part of the routine. Where'd they come from?

So.

The Great and Powerful Trixie is back in town, with a few new tricks up her sleeve. Enough new tricks to get Twilight banished from Ponyville and set up a magical forcefield to keep anypony else from getting in or out.

And on top of that, the forest path Twilight usually takes to Milliways appears to have chosen the worst possible time to go missing. She won't be getting any extradimensional backup on this one.

For lack of anything else to do, Twilight is pacing restlessly at the borders of the Everfree Forest, practicing the age spell on random plants she passes by. It's not going well. She almost got a daisy to close back into a bud, but she lost her concentration and it sprung back into bloom instantly.

"Augh! It's impossible!" Twilight shouts at the empty air. "How could Trixie know such advanced magic? Without Spike, I can't get a message to the Princess in Saddle Arabia, so who else do I know who understands strange and powerful magic?"

The moment the words have left her lips, she hesitates. Huh. Maybe there is somepony she can turn to.

Or rather, somezebra.

The milokedromorphic spell is considered to be a keystone for any unicorn who aspires to master the art of transfiguration. If one can transform an apple into an orange completely and consistently, then one is ready to move up to more complex transformations of living creatures.

This spell is the entirety of Twilight's coursework for the week, and as far as she's concerned it's more than enough. She's been studying the theory behind it for three days, and trying to put it into practice all morning, without success. She almost had it half an hour ago, but Pinkie's surprise hug threw her aim off and she ended up transfiguring a blue jay in a nearby tree instead. (The jay should turn back to normal tomorrow morning. Probably.)

She feels good about this time, though. Twilight takes a deep breath and takes careful aim at the apple on the table in front of her.

"One...two..."