Orange, Lemon, Lime

Part 4

Twilight wanted to run - she wanted to sprint. She itched to use all the magic at her disposal to automatically transport herself to Sweet Apple Acres. She had to be quiet, though. So, almost leisurely, she wandered along a beaten dirt path on the outskirts of Ponyville.

On her back, Spike was nodding off. Held in her mouth, she carried a basket. Its contents were the product of her spell gone awry - and she was worried the noise from her magic would wake it, if she carried it that way. So she breathed through her nose as soundlessly as possible and meandered at a steady pace. She felt like a bird lost in a storm.

Of course, this wasn't technically the worst possible thing that could have come from a spell gone awry. It felt pretty close, though.

Just over the treetops, a crescent moon hung, hugging the earth as it set. Oh, help me now, she asked of it. Could...this...really have come from her spell? This sort of thing wasn't that uncommon. Well, in hospitals, maybe. Or...was someone out there in Equestria missing their...It was too awful for her to think about.

Twilight's legs felt wobbly again - her breath caught in her throat. She stepped off the path into the dewey grass. Wildflowers shifted under the basket where she set it down. She listened hard for any shifting inside it, but was too scared to lift up the blanket concealing her accident.

Twilight needed to get a grip. What she really needed was to get to Applejack right away, although she had no idea how Applejack would actually help. Applejack knew next to nothing about magic, although probably marginally more about...a lump formed in Twilight's throat.

It was easy to look once more at the moon as it fell slowly away. She closed her eyes, then, and took in the night breeze. It was subtly sweet. Stars above her twinkled, and Spike smacked his gob, repositioning himself. His spines dug into her spine, bringing her back from wherever she had gone.

She wanted to smile at him, but it would have only been for his sake. She had no will to smile on her own account. She picked up the basket and continued on.