“Auntie gave them matching marks!” she breathed. But the old sorceress wasn’t finished yet. She blasted Lumi Nation and Blue Moon with a spell so bright, Scootaloo had to close her eyes. When she opened them again, Blue Moon’s gaze was vacant, and his teeth glinted in an eerie grin. Lumi Nation looked at Blue Moon sadly, tears streaming down her face. Auntie pointed, and the Unicorns stepped aside for her to lean over the foals.
“Leave my friends alone!” Scootaloo yelled, rushing over to stop the old Unicorn. But she ran straight through Auntie Eclipse. There was nothing she could do.…
With a loud thump, Scootaloo dropped to the floor. She blinked, surprised to find herself back in Auntie Eclipse’s dusty library. The journal she had opened lay closed on the floor beside her.
“What… just… happened?” Sweetie Belle asked, her eyes huge.
“Lumi Nation made some kinda bargain with Auntie Eclipse! She’s the one who turned ’em into zombie ponies!” Apple Bloom blurted.
“Wait. You saw that, too?” Scootaloo asked. “How? And where were we, anyway?”
“Trotsylvania,” Starlight said, looking just as surprised as Scootaloo felt. “You found Lumi Nation’s mementorial.”
“Her what?” Scootaloo frowned.
“Mementorial. It’s like a magic journal. You write down memories of what happened in your life. But instead of reading it, you feel it, just as it took place,” Starlight explained.
“I wonder if Auntie Eclipse has one, too,” Sweetie Belle mused.
“Yeah! If we find it, maybe we’ll know what her plans are to get into the Livewood! Then we’ll be able to stop her!” Apple Bloom hopped up excitedly and raced toward the library shelves.
“Wait, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo called. But it was too late. In her enthusiasm, Apple Bloom had moved out of Starlight’s protective bubble. The bad-luck curse was back. With an ominous rumble, the shelves of the library quivered.
“Oops,” Apple Bloom whispered. She ran back to her friends, but the damage had been done. The library shelves were collapsing, blocking the doors and trapping them in an avalanche of books.
“You must have triggered some kind of security spell,” Starlight yelled. “Everypony, under here!” She beckoned them to a sturdy reading table.
Scootaloo dove for the shelter, the other Crusaders and Starlight squeezing in beside her. The library continued to shake around them, books falling in dusty cascades. When they finally stopped, the table was completely buried.
Sweetie Belle shoved at the wall of books entombing them.
“It’ll take us days to dig our way out of here,” she whimpered.
“Well, start digging!” Scootaloo said, pulling a book out of the pile. Another book instantly slid in to replace it. The entire pile rumbled dangerously.
“Maybe that’s not the best idea.” Apple Bloom stared at the books warily. Scootaloo kicked the floor angrily.
“We’re supposed to protect the Livewood? We can’t even make it out of a library!”
“Okay, everypony. Take a breath,” Starlight said, looking pretty nervous herself. “Even when things seem hopeless, there’re always options.”
“What options? We’re trapped, we’re cursed, and you can’t use any magic.” Scootaloo groaned.
“True,” said Starlight, “but when the Changelings took Twilight and the others, none of us could use magic, either. And even though it seemed impossible, we kept trying. Even Discord…” Starlight trailed off mid-sentence.
“Even Discord what?” Apple Bloom asked. Starlight chewed her lip thoughtfully.
“Could that work?” Starlight mumbled to herself. “Not while my wards are up. But if I let them down…” She glanced at the Crusaders.
Scootaloo looked at the others; it was clear none of them had any idea what Starlight was talking about.
Finally, Starlight seemed to make up her mind. “I think I know a way out of here. But I’m going to have to cast a spell,” she explained. “That means I need to release the magic that’s keeping us safe.”
“So we’ll go back to being cursed again?” Apple Bloom asked. Starlight nodded.
“And you’ll be in just as much danger because you’re right next to us,” Sweetie Belle added, eyes wide.
“It’s risky, but so is staying here,” Starlight said firmly. “I need the three of you to keep perfectly still. The less you do, the less the curse has to work with. One step, a single word, anything can set it off. I just need a minute.”
Scootaloo looked at the others. She could tell they were both as nervous as she was. She was glad Starlight was here to help them, but it also proved once again that they were way out of their depth.
“Okay, y’all,” Apple Bloom said, “stand next to one another and don’t move a muscle.” The Crusaders lined up and nodded to Starlight.
“Here we go,” she said. Her horn glowed briefly, and Scootaloo could see the faint shimmer of a protective bubble flash briefly before fizzling away. She didn’t feel any different, but she knew they were back to being unlucky.
Starlight’s horn lit up as she quickly started some kind of spell. Scootaloo focused on not moving. Above her she heard a book shift. She was afraid to even glance up to see what was happening. But she could see something out of the corner of her eye. What was that? Dust! It was dust from the table. She watched the dust slowly twirl and dance in the air in front of her.
It slipped into her nose.
She could feel it tickle the inside of her nostril.
She could feel the sneeze coming on. She tried to hold it in.
“Achoo.” The slightest, smallest sneeze slipped out. It was all the curse needed.
The books above rumbled. One of the table legs splintered.
“Starlight…” Sweetie Belle whispered.
“Almost got it,” Starlight said, horn glowing bright. The tabletop groaned loudly. Books poured in as if they were being pushed. Another one of the legs snapped. “There!” Starlight yelled.
A glowing doorway appeared, shimmering in midair. Scootaloo’s jaw dropped.
“Go!” Starlight yelled, gesturing for them to step through.
