[Third's POV]
The night slipped away as two creative minds, both deeply passionate about magic, pushed themselves to the brink of exhaustion. They debated, argued, and tested one idea after another until they completely lost track of time, far too absorbed in their scrolls to remember that the world beyond that small office continued turning.
By the time the sun had been traveling across the sky for quite a while after Celestia had raised it, one of the two unicorns shifted uncomfortably amidst the clutter.
Twilight was still lying across the couch in a position that would surely leave her sore once she woke up. Several books had become an improvised pillow beneath her head, while a few scrolls rested on her chest and another hung from the edge of one forehoof.
Wizbell, on the other hoof, had completely given in to exhaustion at his desk. His face rested against the wooden surface, and his gold mane spilled across the tabletop like tiny rivers, covering part of the notes they had written throughout the night. A faint murmur escaped him in his sleep, and his muzzle twitched as a feather quill, trapped between several scrolls, absentmindedly brushed the tip of his nose.
It took him quite a while before he truly woke up.
As had become routine over the years, his body tried to wake him with the first rays of daylight. But the excitement of the previous night had drained far more energy than usual. Added to that was the stress from everything that had happened the day before, and this time his routine simply lost the battle. By the time he finally opened his eyes, the sun had already been shining over Ponyville for several hours.
Wizbell swallowed, trying to moisten his dry throat after spending so many hours talking without pause. He slowly pushed himself upright, and as he did, his mane dragged several scrolls across the desk. Some slid onto the floor, while others remained stuck to his coat, held in place by ink that had dried while he slept on top of them.
He stayed perfectly still for a few seconds.
He blinked slowly, staring blankly around the office as his mind gradually woke up and sorted through the memories of the previous night. Eventually, he turned his head toward the couch.
Twilight was still completely lost in the world of dreams.
As he moved, a couple of scrolls slipped from around his neck and drifted down to the floor.
"Yaaawn..."
He stretched as much as he could while sitting in the chair, and a series of cracks traveled through his neck and back, as though that alone might undo the tension from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position.
After adjusting his posture, he glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.
His pupils shrank.
...8:52 a.m.
That was not when he usually woke up.
"For the love of horns!"
He blinked several times, chasing the last traces of sleep from his eyes, then nearly leaped to his hooves.
The sudden movement was enough to wake Twilight. At the same time, several scrolls finally peeled away from his mane and fluttered through the air.
Before the unicorn could lose her balance as she jolted upright, Wizbell caught both her and the books sliding off the couch with his magic.
Twilight remained seated, perfectly still.
Her eyes were open, but her gaze remained fixed somewhere far beyond reality.
"Morning... Yaaaawn..."
She rested her head against the armrest of the couch while trying to convince her brain to start functioning.
"I'm way behind schedule! Twi! I'll prepare the baths!!"
Without waiting for a response, Wizbell hurried out of the office toward the rooms upstairs.
Twilight continued blinking slowly.
"...Okaaaay..."
She remained silent for several long seconds.
"...Spike... where's my chocolate...?"
Another yawn escaped her muzzle.
"...Spike... I want chocolate..."
From one corner of the office, atop the tallest bookshelf, Stella watched the scene with her tail lazily swaying from side to side.
She calmly stretched her forelegs, arched her back, and jumped down to the floor.
She landed without making the slightest sound.
She remained motionless for a few seconds, staring directly at Twilight.
A mischievous little smile spread across her face.
"Twi... I like you..."
"Hic!"
Twilight's entire coat turned a soft shade of pink.
Every trace of sleep vanished instantly.
She lifted her head, searching for Wizbell, convinced she had just heard his voice whispering into her ear.
But the office was completely empty.
Only the distant sound of hooves running across the second floor reminded her that Wizbell had gone upstairs to prepare the baths.
"...I must still be dreaming..."
She placed a hoof against her chest, her heart still racing.
With her cheeks still warm, she began gathering the scattered scrolls around the office and stacking the books that had ended up on the floor.
Taking advantage of the fact that all of her attention was focused on cleaning up the previous night's mess, Stella casually walked toward the door.
Her tail swayed with satisfaction.
A moment later, she disappeared down the hallway without making the slightest sound.
After preparing both baths, Wizbell came back downstairs and called Twilight to let her know which one she could use.
"The guest room. Everything's ready."
As she climbed the stairs, he picked up a small note resting on the living room table and handed it to her.
Spike had written it before leaving.
Apparently, at some point during the night, he realized that neither of them was going to pull themselves away from the scrolls anytime soon, so he decided to head back to the library on his own.
Twilight let out a quiet giggle as she imagined him huffing to himself while writing the note before leaving.
Wizbell was just about to step into his own bathroom when he suddenly froze.
'The soaps!'
He spun around on his hooves and bolted back downstairs.
A moment later, he returned with a small bag held in his magic, remembering at the last second the strict instructions on how to use the Quiet products.
...
Once both of them had freshened up with a hot bath, they met again in the kitchen.
Sleeping on books and a desk had left their muscles much stiffer than either of them would ever admit, so the hot water had worked wonders for both of them.
Twilight took a seat, cradling a mug of hot chocolate between her hooves. She took a small sip and closed her eyes, savoring the flavor as the warmth finally chased away the last of her drowsiness.
Across from her, Wizbell held a large glass of orange juice, drinking it with obvious satisfaction before truly beginning his day.
The silence didn't last very long.
As she took a sip of her chocolate, Twilight watched Wizbell calmly enjoy his orange juice. Almost by instinct, her mind returned to the conversation they had left unfinished the night before.
"I was thinking that perhaps we could make the barrier automatically adjust to the host's size. If we also bind it to their aura, they could move freely without the spell losing stability."
The cup trembled slightly between her hooves.
Without warning, that voice echoed through her memory once again with perfect clarity.
"Twi... I like you..."
"Hic!"
The fur on her cheeks turned pink again.
'No!'
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.
'Focus... it was just your imagination.'
She took another sip of her chocolate as though nothing had happened, although she avoided looking directly at Wizbell for several seconds, far too embarrassed by the memory of something that, according to her, had never actually happened.
Stella sat at the opposite end of the table with her own tiny cup filled with orange juice, her tail swaying contentedly as she took small sips.
Wizbell had poured it for her without her even having to ask.
She watched both unicorns for a few moments.
Just as she expected...
The instant the conversation returned to the spell from the previous night, the rest of the world ceased to exist for them.
"It could work... but the purpose of the isolation is for the patient to remain still. What would happen if they tried to move and ended up trapping someone against a wall? Would it crush them against the barrier, or would that pony pass through the shield and become infected?"
"Maybe we could bind the spell to an anchor. An external physical object, like the safety systems used during expeditions into wild areas."
"Mmm... then the barrier wouldn't follow the host anymore. It would follow the anchor..."
"That would solve the mobility problem... but it would force the patient to remain within a fixed radius."
"Then we could..."
Stella let out a resigned sigh and continued drinking her juice.
Those two had a strange ability to isolate themselves from the world whenever they talked about magic. It was as though they shared a rhythm of their own, one where only scrolls, theories, and formulas existed while everything else was pushed into the background.
She was far too accustomed to it to be bothered anymore. She simply enjoyed her juice in silence while the discussion once again took over the kitchen.
Wizbell left his house and headed toward Sugarcube Corner with the intention of buying something for breakfast.
Twilight followed him without hesitation.
Their conversation about the spell continued exactly where they had left it in the kitchen. Neither of them seemed willing to abandon it just yet.
"If we modify the purification pattern..."
"...the barrier would have to recalibrate itself."
As they walked, small runes appeared in front of them for only a few seconds at a time. Sometimes Wizbell manifested them to point out a magical structure. Other times, Twilight drew a glowing formula in the air to correct a sequence before both vanished into motes of light.
When the discussion reached a particularly delicate point, Wizbell pulled a scroll from his saddlebag with his magic.
Twilight moved even closer so she could write on it without interrupting their pace.
They continued walking at the same rhythm, shoulder to shoulder.
On more than one occasion, their flanks brushed together, and whenever they both leaned over the same scroll, their cutie marks ended up touching without either of them appearing to notice.
That was when several of the mares who had spent the previous day searching through Ponyville for Wizbell looked up as they passed.
The group fell silent.
Their eyes followed the two unicorns as they continued walking, completely oblivious to the rest of the world.
Twilight gave them only a brief sideways glance before returning her attention to the scroll.
She did not even increase the distance between herself and Wizbell.
"Tch..."
One of the mares clicked her tongue in obvious annoyance.
"Those Canterlot mares always have to keep everything for themselves..."
The two of them arrived at Sugarcube Corner.
Twilight offered to buy breakfast for both of them, and Wizbell was perfectly content with the idea.
"Thanks."
He did not even look up from the scroll.
While she entered the bakery, he sat down on one of the benches outside and began transcribing all of the previous night's notes onto a fresh scroll. Between crossed-out lines, corrected formulas, and annotations written over other annotations, the original had become a complete disaster.
"...If I reorganize the sequence first..."
His quill resumed its movement without pause.
Inside the bakery, Pinkie Pie greeted Twilight with a smile as wide as ever.
However, every few seconds, she glanced toward the window to look at Wizbell, then back at Twilight... before letting out a small giggle.
"Hehehe..."
Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Nothinggg!"
Pinkie answered in an innocent singsong voice while writing down the order.
"Just give me a moment."
The instant Twilight finished speaking, Pinkie disappeared behind the counter.
"Give me a strong juice!"
"Make that two!"
"Three!"
"I'm buying the next round!"
Several mares' voices answered from the other side of the bakery between dramatic sighs.
Pinkie returned only a moment later with a box filled with pastries, a bag containing the rest of their breakfast, and two perfectly sealed cups.
"Here!"
She placed everything onto Twilight's hooves.
"Don't keep him waiting!"
Before Twilight could react, Pinkie gave her a small push that sent her back out into the street.
They were just about to continue on their way when a voice called out to them from a distance.
"Wizbell! Darling, wait!"
Twilight's ears immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
She recognized the mare even before seeing her.
Rarity approached at a brisk pace. She was not quite running, but she trotted with enough urgency to make it clear that she did not want to lose sight of them, while still taking care not to ruin her perfectly styled mane.
When she finally reached them, she caught her breath with a discreet inhale before speaking.
"Wizbell, I came to apologize."
Some of her usual confidence faded from her expression.
"I've been thinking about what happened yesterday, and... I feel that I was far too harsh with you. My intention was to help, but I couldn't stop thinking that I could have handled that conversation in a much more appropriate way."
She paused briefly.
Then her gaze drifted almost instinctively toward Wizbell's neck.
Her eyes lit up.
"Oh!"
A smile of genuine relief appeared on her face.
"You followed my advice."
The faint scent of orange was still present, but it was no longer overwhelming, nor did it envelop everything around him as it had the day before.
Rarity let out a small sigh.
"I'm so glad to see that you took me seriously."
"Yeah..."
Wizbell absentmindedly scratched one of his cheeks.
"I had to send a few letters, and Twi helped me with the shopping. Honestly, I didn't feel capable of going outside after... well... I had a small episode."
He let out a slightly embarrassed laugh.
"But, hey! Here I am."
He gave her a sincere smile.
"So really, don't worry about it. Thank you so, so much for stopping me yesterday. Now I just hope everything goes back to normal."
"And it will, darling."
Rarity answered without hesitation.
With a satisfied smile, she gave the unicorn one final look and confirmed once again that the powerful scent from the previous day was gone.
"Well, I won't take up any more of your time."
She adjusted a lock of her mane with an elegant movement of her hoof.
"I have an appointment at the spa to attend."
Her gaze moved from Wizbell to Twilight.
"It was lovely seeing both of you."
"See you, Wizbell."
"See you, Twilight."
Just before turning away, Rarity gave Twilight a discreet wink.
The unicorn responded with a confused blink.
Rarity simply smiled to herself and continued on her way with the same elegance with which she had arrived.
Twilight tilted her head slightly as she watched Rarity walk away.
'...What was that wink about?'
She did not have much time to think about it.
"I've got it!"
Wizbell's voice immediately reclaimed all of her attention.
"If we're going to use an anchor, then it wouldn't make sense to power the entire spell with the host's magic anymore."
Twilight blinked and moved back to his side.
"Are you thinking about ambient magic?"
"Exactly."
Wizbell unfurled the scroll with his magic as they resumed walking.
"The anchor could constantly absorb mana from the environment. The host would only need to maintain the connection to the barrier rather than power it entirely."
"That would reduce the consumption tremendously..."
"And it would allow the spell to remain active for days, as long as the ambient flow is sufficient."
Twilight nodded enthusiastically as she began adding new notes along the edge of the scroll.
Their conversation continued until they both arrived at the schoolhouse.
Cheerilee's voice could already be heard from inside the small building as she taught her class, mixed with the students' answers and occasional laughter.
"Hey, Wiz... could I watch you teach your class? I'm curious to see your classroom. I've only seen it from the outside."
"Of course."
Wizbell answered without slowing down.
"You can help me guide some of the students too, if you'd like. Today is a practice day, so most of them already know what to do. Some just need a little push to keep trying."
"I'd love to."