Chapter 1

“Are you sure this is the right place, Spike?”

Standing in front of a rather shady comic-book store inside an even shadier Canterlot City alley, Twilight couldn’t help but feel somewhat unsettled. Her many concerns ranged from where had Spike even found out about the store, to why was a stallion (presumably the shopkeeper) silently staring at them through the window. She briefly wondered how she could even see his disconcerting toothy grin through his apparently quite tangled beard.

“Oh!” Spike exclaimed, having seen the old stallion. “Mister Geezerbook! I’m back!”

Mister Geezerbook waved excitedly from the other side of the window, going towards the door and standing under its frame. “Come in, come in!” he said, trotting out and ushering in the princess and dragon.

The inside of the shop was covered with shelves storing a plethora of comic-books of all genres, ages, and types. The walls, the tables, there were even bookcases floating around the ceiling. Twilight suddenly understood why Spike enjoyed the shop so much, considering it was a veritable comic-book heaven.

“Prrrrrrincess Twilight!” Geezerbook exclaimed, startling the alicorn prodding at the comic books based on Starswirl the Bearded. As he spoke, several comics floated out of the bookshelves, circling Twilight. “What can I interest you in?! What story would you like to be transported to and live the life you cannot live?! ‘The True Story of Starswirl the Bearded vs The Oogly-Boogly-Moogly’?! ‘The Fall of the Bearded’?! Or… perhaps…” Another comic floated out. “‘Starswirl’s Romance: The Despair of the Great Unicorn’? Granted, the author took some liberties, but…”

Twilight blinked, admittedly finding none of those an interesting read. Besides, what in Equestria was an… Oogly-Boogly-Moogly? She’d read every single book on Starswirl, and she was pretty sure she’d remember if he’d met a creature with such a name.

“Er, no, thank you,” Twilight said, smiling amiably, her eyes following the books still floating around her, and trying not to focus on the crude drawing of Starswirl kissing—what looked alarmingly like Princess Celestia. Those were very big liberties the author had taken, hadn’t they…? There was no way she wanted to see that… extremely historically inaccurate ‘romance’ in the flesh.

She cleared her throat and continued: “Actually, I was interested in knowing if you have any novels or other mediums besides comic-books that work with the transportation spell. Maybe Daring Do books? Or the full Starswirl Encyclopedias?”

Geezerbook frowned and shook his head. “Sorry, Princess! I only have magic comic-books! Are you sure you don’t want ‘Starwirl’s Roma—”

“Very sure.”

Twilight sighed. Well, so much for that.

Unless…

“And… the spell?” she asked tentatively. “You are the only shop in Equestria that sells these type of magic books, so I would assume you’re the creator of the spell, aren’t you?”

“That I am!” the stallion declared. He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Well, I’m very interested in it! I was hoping you could teach me, please,” she said, eagerly shaking her head. She just needed that spell, and soon she’d be living all her favorite books.

Geezerbook stroked his beard, still eyeing Twilight carefully. “You want my spell, Princess? You have the largest library in Equestria, and you want to learn my spell, unique to all of Equestria?” He gasped and stepped away, a cane appearing next to him which he used to bonk her on the head. “Trying to put an old man out of business, are you, young lady?! Shame! (“Ow!”) Shame!”

“Ow! W-Wait, no!” Twilight exclaimed, stopping the cane with her own magic after the first two bonks. Once the bonking-device was neutralized, she rubbed her hoof against her head and explained, “I’m only interested in it for personal uses! I don’t want to start a business!”

Geezerbook tapped his cane against the floor. “Hmmmm. And what makes you think you can reproduce my spell? It’s not for silly little unicorns! And this is a new version of it! Improved, but highly volatile and unpredictable! This new spell isn’t for inexperienced users!”

Twilight nearly snorted. “Well, heh, I am the Princess of Magic, you know?”

“No, you’re not,” Spike said, having been lingering around reading comics. “You’re the Princess of Friendship.”

“Spike!” Twilight said, feeling herself blush. She turned back to Geezerbook and clarified, “But I am great at magic. You really don’t have to worry about that.”

“Well… If you’re not planning on putting me out of business… I suppose I could teach you, but…” He took a step towards her, poking the tip of his cane against her chest. “My spell is a feisty one, Princess Twilight. If you do not follow the story in the way it wants, it will not like you. And if it doesn’t…” he warned, voice lowering to a whisper, “your book won’t have a happy ending.”

“Well, I’m sure nothing will go wrong,” Twilight insisted, waving him off with a hoof, eager to get to the spell learning already. It wasn’t as if she was intending on tampering with stories, and it wasn’t as if the spell could even know.

It was just a spell, after all.

“Daring Do! This is the last time you will defeat me!” screamed El Chupacabra, the hideous goat creature of legend, climbing up the ladder leading out of the ancient Aztec Temple.

Below him, Daring Do (otherwise known as Twilight Sparkle) used her magic to try and block the exit. Honestly, though she admired Daring Do tremendously, having read her books over dozens of times had allowed Twilight to conclude that blocking the entrance of the temple was much more efficient than the original ending. Luckily, unlike Daring, she had magic powers — and her marefriend, which had run off a dozen minutes before screaming something about an “ideaaaaa~!”.

Less thankfully, Twilight’s magic powers didn’t work quite well when an enraged goat demon threw rocks at her horn.

“H-Hey! Wait!” she painfully called out, the magic beam she’d been preparing fizzling out when a rock landed right on target. She lifted her hoof so as to delicately rub her appendage, just in time to see El Chupacabra dangerously close to reaching the exit.

Knowing how the story ended, Twilight was well aware that if he reached the top, he’d pull up the ladder and Twili—err, Daring Do would be trapped in the ruins forever until she found the secret exit and confronted El Chupacabra again. Though technically speaking Twilight wasn’t in danger, she had been so close to outwitting both El Chupacabra and Daring Do.

“Haha! Muy tarde, pony!” he called out, letting out a shrill laugh before climbing up the last few steps, turning up and finding an absolutely irate unicorn standing at the top of the entrance.

“Pardon me, but did you just hurl a rock at my marefriend?” Rarity asked, looking down at the confused beast and smiling politely. “You did, didn’t you? Oh, that really won’t do.”

The beast stared at her, apparently confused over how she’d even managed to reach the exit before him—especially considering the fact that the ladder was supposed to be the only exit out of the volcanic-shaped ruins. “How did you—”

Rarity did not reply. After all, even if she’d been fashionably (and heroically, too) late to the confrontation, a lady never revealed her secrets to ugly monsters. She sighed, flipping her mane and then placing a hoof against a cheek. “You know, I must say I’ve always firmly believed everypony has a natural beauty,” she said, “though I’d be lying if I said your visage couldn’t benefit from some rearranging.”

Letting out her best attempt at a fighting cry, Rarity kicked El Chupacabra right in the face, afterwards watching with satisfaction as he went toppling down. He landed face-down at the bottom of the ruins, down and out for the count, and Twilight could actually see Rarity’s hoofmark right in the middle of his face.

Despite the fact that they’d defeated him somewhat earlier than in canon, the book magic seemed to accept his defeat as an acceptable ending to the tale. Before they knew it, the two mares were transported back to Twilight’s room, landing atop Twilight’s bed.

Twilight jumped off the bed and rushed to her desk, taking a timer she’d left on and clicking it to a stop.

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “We finished the book in record time!”

Rarity took the book in her hooves, leafing it through. “We still had half of it left,” she remarked. “Darling, where’s the fun in this if you don’t follow what the book says?”

Twilight ignored the question and took the next Daring Do book from her shelf. The villain of that particular book was the dreaded Chupanibre, the mutant lizard cousin of el Chupacabra, risen from the sewers in search of revenge.

“Come on, we still have time for another book before Fluttershy and Dash come,” she said, climbing onto the bed and flipping the book open. After a moment, she looked back up to find her marefriend throwing her a very displeased look. “…What?”

“Twilight, it’s my turn to pick a book.”

Twilight’s ears flicked down. “But… But…”

She drifted off, unsure of how to proceed. It wasn’t that she couldn’t enjoy the occasional romance novel, but Rarity’s picks were always so… well… so cliché and sappy and dramatic! Twilight could read just the first chapter and already know who’s going to be the love-triangle, how the main couple would break-up and how they’d dramatically get back together.

They’d been dating for almost a year and half already, and Twilight could swear she’d never seen Rarity read something that was from a different genre. Would it hurt her to have some variety?

“Twilight, I’m sorry, but it is my turn, and you know that!” Rarity continued. “I only agreed to participate in this because you promised we’d get to do my novels as well!”

Twilight sighed, dropping her book on the bed. “Fine.”

Hopefully Fluttershy and Dash wouldn’t take long.

Rarity, however, was delighted by this, jumping off the bed and rushing to her saddlebag. “Where is it? Please tell me I brought it…” she murmured, ruffling inside it. Eventually, alongside a victorious ‘ah-hah!’, she extracted a book and floated it over to Twilight.

Twilight carefully took it in her hooves, and suppressed a groan at the title. ‘Undying Love’ by Honey Fizzles, also known as a novelist famed for her rather predictable plots. The cover was decorated with the drawing of the protagonist, Heart Haven, being wrapped in the forelegs of her lover. She looked absolutely deliriously in love with the stallion, who smiled back at her with the same lovestruck stare.

“Come along, then,” Rarity exclaimed, jumping onto the bed and excitedly gesturing towards Twilight. “Cast the spell.”

If it wasn’t because Rarity’s excited smile sent flutters to her heart, she might have sighed. Her horn lit up and she smiled.

“One romance novel it is.”

“I have to follow my destiny, and you’re not in it!”

Inside a non-descript bedroom, Rarity trotted out the open door, into the hallway and towards the main hall, several suitcases floating behind her. Her sole companions during her search for destiny considering Twilight wasn’t really keen on following after her.

Twilight, still inside the bedroom, rolled her eyes and sighed deeply before ambling after Rarity. “Oh no,” she said with a passion that would put Maud Pie to shame. “Please. You can’t leave me. Whatever will I do?”

Honestly, at this point, the only thing driving her was the desire to make Rarity happy. She couldn’t be blamed! The book had taken away her wings to match the love interest, and she’d already figured out the entire plot.

“Don’t try and stop me!” Rarity continued, reaching the main hall and dramatically turning towards Twilight. “Because you can’t stop me, Sparkle! I gave you everything I had, and you threw it away! You’ll never change!” A single tear rolled down her cheek, and Twilight had to admit she was impressed by how seriously Rarity was taking the entire ordeal. “Maybe… Maybe I should get back together with Gallant Grin…”

Twilight frowned, racking her brain for the names of the novel’s characters. Gallant Grin? Who was that again? Oh, right. The ex. She half-heartedly lifted her foreleg. “Wait, don’t go,” she intoned. “I promise I’ve changed.”

“It’s too late!” Rarity rushed to the front door and swung it open, putting a hoof on her forehead and nearly swooning. “I’m leaving this instant to Manehattan!”

A silence followed in which Twilight stared at Rarity with an utterly bored expression. Maybe Rarity would actually leave and things would be a little bit more fun for once. Twilight needed some unpredictability, please.

Rarity clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I said…” She gasped dramatically again. “I’m leaving!”

Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. “Rarity, do I really have to do this?” she asked, whining slightly. “Really?”

Rarity closed the door and stomped her hoof against the floor. “Twilight, honestly, can’t you just humor me for once?” She pointed her hoof accusingly at the alicorn. “Need I remind you again that you agreed to this? Do I?!”

“But these things are always the same!” Twilight complained, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Last time was ‘The Sketchbook’, this time it’s ‘Gone with the Windigos’ and next time is gonna be what, ‘Poneo and Filliette’? I mean, don’t you get bored?”

Rarity gasped. “Last time?! Have you forgotten that the last six books you made me go through were the extended editions of six Daring Do books?! And you know very well I’m not fond of them, and did I complain? No!” she accused, whipping her tail against the floor much like Daring Do would with her whip. “You owe me, Twilight Sparkle!”

“But…” Twilight frowned, tilting her head to the side. “You’re not fond of Daring Do?” A little mischievious smile made its on her lips and she exclaimed, “But that’s impossible! You love Daring Do! You’ve lived through the extended editions of all six books! Literally!”

To her delight (and Rarity’s displeasure), a teensy smile appeared on Rarity’s lips. “Oh, very funny,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes playfully, the begrudging smile only widening at the sound of Twilight’s giggling. Nevertheless, Rarity whined and stamped her hoof against the floor again, “Twiiiiilight. It’s not fair. If you’re going to be acting this way, even I don’t want to keep this up anymore…”

That said, she unceremoniously plopped herself down on her hindquarters, hoofing at the floor and staring down with a practiced look of rejection and misery. It was exactly the kind of look she knew perfectly well Twilight couldn’t say no to, and she was doing a pretty good job at it. The only thing missing was for her to sniffle and—

Oh wait, there it was.

“Rarity…” Twilight whined, uncharacteristically sounding like her marefriend. She took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay, fine, I’ll take it seriously this time,” she relented, biting down a smile at Rarity’s excited squee and getting ready for the show to go on…

Or… unless…

It wouldn’t really hurt to magically add something exciting to the novel, would it? Sure, Geezerbook had warned her against it, but the spell was so simple and rudimentary, Twilight could use her own magic to effortlessly overpower it should the need arise. It was just a silly spell, after all.

Now, wouldn’t it be interesting if Daring Do were to come galloping into the room?

“Wait, I want to try something.”

With the spell in mind, Twilight lit up her horn, barely cognisant of Rarity questioning her actions. She visualized Daring Do in her mind, and let out a flash of her horn. After a moment, she looked at the door expectantly, but… nothing happened.

And, more than that, she realized Rarity was completely frozen in place, as if she and the rest of the book had been paralyzed.

Without warning, a bright flash nearly blinded the unicorn, and wisps of yellow magic started to appear on the wall.

“What…” She drifted off, taking a step back.

Suddenly, to the sound of a loud crack, she was expulsed from the book’s world and unceremoniously landed on the floor of her room back at Golden Oaks Library. She shook her head, gathered her bearings, and looked down at the open book on the bed.

Geezerbook wasn’t joking when he said the spell didn’t take kindly to somepony tampering with it…

“Well, fine,” she muttered grumpily, finding she’d never been rejected by a book before and she didn’t like the feeling at all. She was eager to say that Rarity probably didn’t want to even continue without Twilight, but rules dictated the book’s story had to be finished for Rarity to come out. Guess I’ll have to wait and make it up to her later… Maybe I’ll read a book the normal and safe way…

Before she could do that, however, she decided she’d prefer her marefriend landed somewhere much more comfortable than the ground. She picked up the book and delicately placed it on the bed, not indignantly throwing it if only because it A) belonged to Rarity and B) had Rarity still in it.

She trotted over to her desk and grabbed the Daring Do book, plopping herself down on her side of the bed and starting her lecture.

An hour went by, and she’d already reached chapter ten before her mind drifted off towards Rarity and the book still lying on the bed. Twilight put her own book down and pursed her lips. What was taking her so long? She was inside a romance book, and a romance book without the love of your life couldn’t be entertaining at all, could it?

She put her book down on her desk and levitated Rarity’s book, intending on figuring out if there was a way of knowing how much longer her marefriend would be. Except, rather than finding that, she found something else entirely.

The cover of the book had changed.

The title now read “Permanent Love” and what truly horrified Twilight was the fact that Heart Haven was long gone, and instead, Twilight was looking at an extremely detailed drawing of Rarity nestled in the forelegs of some random stallion, their lips brushing and—

And Twilight had never in her entire life been stricken with such absurd amount of intense jealousy in less than a second.

She flipped the book open, and her horror grew as the index table had changed as well, chapter title after chapter title. It was with dread that she opened the book to a random page and read a paragraph that made her sick the more she read.

The time had come, and she could not back down. Charming Smile had risked everything for her. His estate, his business, his life and all he asked for in return was Rarity’s complete and utter devotion. She knew she was his, fully and entirely, and nothing and nopony could ever change such a fact of life — especially not her.

She lifted her hoof and lovingly brushed his cheek. “Oh, my darling, I lov—”

Twilight never read the rest of the sentence, having slammed the book shut, her aching heart thundering in her chest. She knew, at some rational degree, that that wasn’t Rarity, but this did little to ease her horror. It seemed that, for all intents and purposes, Rarity was now a permanent addition to the book.

Twilight jumped to her hooves, her horn lighting up as fiercely as her eyes did.

If the spell wasn’t going to let Rarity come out, Twilight would gladly go fetch her herself.

She casted the spell, and moments later felt the familiar sensation of being transported inside the book. Finally, after a moment of travel, she landed with a painful thud in the middle of a bustling street, ponies too occupied by their role in the story to mind the new arrival.

She got up on her hooves, rubbing her aching head and trying to be grateful for the fact the spell had given her entry once more. She realized her wings had again been taken away from her. Did… Did that mean she was still expected to play the role of the love interest?

She looked around, trying to determine what part of the book she was in, but it was rather hard when it looked like an ordinary day in the city of Manehattan. Ponies, too, ignored her when she spoke to them, and with frustration she remembered worldbuilding elements only reacted to events leading the plot along.

A bus suddenly came to a stop in front of her, ponies going up and down to continue with their daily commute. Twilight would have paid it no mind, but her gaze landed on a very familiar unicorn looking out the window from inside the bus.

“Rarity!”

Immensely relieved, Twilight rushed towards the bus and got in, sneaking past the driver. She didn’t like not paying the fee, but she didn’t have any money, after all.

She trotted towards the end of the bus where Rarity was sitting all alone, intent on putting a stop to the fiasco right then and there. The mare hadn’t noticed her, still looking out the window while idly playing with her blue dress.

“Here you are!” she exclaimed when she reached her marefriend, the sudden movement of the bus almost making her lose her balance. She steadied herself and sat down next to Rarity, sighing with relief. “I’m so glad I found you.”

Rarity turned away from the window, contemplated Twilight for a moment before raising her eyebrow and saying, “…Pardon my rudeness, but you must have me confused with somepony else. I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”