Was it really magic?

I turned the key over and over in my hand.

It was small, unassuming, a tiny silver trinket. It had the distinctive shape of a skeleton key, a post with plain teeth and an ornate, heart-shaped loop on the end. A thin red ribbon, tattered and thin, was strung through it.

Then again, what did I have to lose?

I glanced again at the box it had come in and thought of my grandmother. I'd always wanted to believe there was magic about her, a little left the of the Old Country clinging about her, visible in the sheen of her hair and the brush of her clothes. Even as she lay dying, her Irish accent had been strong, even as she faded the power of her character, her light and life, had shone clearly through.

She had given each of her grandchildren a token. She laughed and smiled, telling us that the noticeable things had gone to our parents, but the important things, she'd left to us. A heritage, a touch of what she'd instilled in her sons and daughters, passed along in hopes we could see the world around us more clearly.

I flipped the box open, running a hesitant finger over the letter, the only other thing inside. I unfolded it again, skimming the short paragraphs again.

…the Old Country was filled with the doorways to other worlds if you only knew how to look, Rose. This key is magic, a small thing to unlock a little wonder. If you place something in this box, lock and open it, you may pull a fragment through from Elsewhere. Be careful! Magic is reflective, and not easily tamed. Use only innocent things, and be sure you never place anything hated or feared in the box. If you look with the eyes of a child, searching only for joy, it will serve you well.

Remember I love you, and…

I let the paper fall. Besides that, the letter was sentimental and private, a small package of love. I smiled nostalgically for a moment, remembering Gran's embrace, but my attention slowly shifted back to the key.

Well… I could always just try it out.

Struck by a sudden fey mood, I whirled to my feet, spinning to survey my room. It was comfortably messy, the small, busy room of an average college girl. My eyes danced across the textbooks on the desk, sliding away from impressions of responsibility and homework. I wanted something enjoyable to try this on. I skimmed the bookshelf, dismissing novels and biographies alike. Too complicated. I turned again, ignoring the fern by the window and my backpack, only pausing when my gaze lit upon the plushies piled on my bed.

Innocent, happy, the eyes of a child… those might do. I swooped down, scooping up an armful to sort through them. Nothing too large, nothing too worn. After a moment of shuffling, I ended up holding a small purple unicorn, with wings and star-shaped marking on her flank.

"Twilight!" I tossed her in the air, catching her as she fell. "You're magic, right? No-one hates or fears you. You want to be friends with everypony!" Grinning, I stepped back to the box and set her in the bottom. The toy was about the size of a beanie baby, and it fit easily in the shoe-box sized chest. I flipped the lid closed with a clack, and slotted the key in the lock.

I paused.

Really? Was I really about to do this? Did I really think something magic would happen here, just because of an old woman's letter?

Then again, it hadn't been sold to me. It hadn't been hidden, or guarded. It had come privately, and there was nothing mysterious here. Just a letter, from my Gran, telling me magic.

The key clicked over easily, clicked back smoothly. I withdrew it and placed a hand on the lid, about to flip it open, but paused.

A tingle of anticipation walked down my spine.

I wanted magic to be real. I really did. But my childish self had been exactly that; childish. She'd been enamored with the strangeness of my Gran, a vibrant old woman who was so very familiar, but also so very, very alien. I'd pretended, when I was small, because when you're small, pretend is almost as good as reality. When I grew up, I'd abandoned that wonder, lost a little of the magic… not the magic in Gran, but the magic in me. I let my hand linger on the lid of the box. I knew magic wasn't real, but for a moment, for just this moment, I could believe again. And that, in and of itself, was a wonderful gift. I sighed, preparing to throw back the lid and see my plushie.

Thump.

I jerked my hand back in shock, as something bumped the box. I glanced around, wondering what had happened. Had something fallen?

Thump.

This time the lid jerked. I stepped back again as something inside said, quietly:

"Ow."

Suddenly, my heart was thumping. The box was moving. The box was speaking. This… this wasn't normal. This wasn't what I'd expected. This was… magic?

I stilled my heart as best I could with slow, deep breaths. I reached forward carefully, silently, unsure. I froze for a second, caught in indecision, before thrusting my hand forward and flipping the lid back.

Inside, a tiny purple pony was nursing her head.

"Woah…" I couldn't stop the wondering breath.

She was, obviously, not my plushie. She was, just as obviously, here, real, and very much alive.

She glanced up, freezing as the light fell across her. Both of us remained like that, locked in place, for a good thirty seconds. She broke eye contact first, as her gaze flickered from my face, to the ceiling, to the letter, and back to my face. Her brows narrowed, and she shakily moved to stand. I leaned back as she turned a complete circle, reared up to put her hooves on the edge of the box, and stare around my room.

After a complete examination, she turned back to me. She flicked her wings wide, and a with a few lazy flaps, floated into the air.

"Thwible? Flumble nac sneegle qip?" Her voice was quiet and light, but carried her incomprehensible words clearly. She seemed to speak with a combination of sharp consonants and more breathy, horselike vowels.

"Huh?" I frowned. "Sorry, I don't…"

"Oh!" Realization dawned on her face. "Of course, English." She zipped forward, zooming around my head. I saw a blur of purple as she circled me completely. "Well, at least I ended up somewhere I could communicate."

"T-Twilight?"

"You know my name?" She flitted back a second in surprise. "Of course… to call me here, you must have… Ah!" She saw the key and the box, immediately gliding over and landing to trot around it. "Hmm, hmm! Fascinating! This looks Tuathan… So, so!" She turned back, fluttering up to eye level. "Tell me, teach me! How did you do it? Do you have notes? Instructions?" She spun, searching. She zipped over to my desk, and started nosing through my homework.

"I don't… I'm not… I got it from my Gran." I shrugged helplessly, following. "I wasn't even sure it would work at all. I had no idea what would happen."

"Experimenting?" She gave me a disapproving look.

"It seemed safe." I suddenly felt defensive. "I didn't think it was real."

"Oh, right." She nodded. "Magic isn't a thing here."

"Huh?" This time I was perplexed. "How do you know that?"

"A friend of mine studies resography." She wave a hoof in an offhand manner. "Most human-ish worlds are fairly science-y."

"Really? You've been to— Oh, right! The Mirror, in Equestria Girls?"

"And you know about that?" She flitted up to perch on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at her. "Hmmm… so, what's the connection?"

"Connection?"

"From my world to yours." She shrugged. "Miss…?"

"Rose. Rose Fairfield."

"What's the connection, Miss Fairfield?"

"Please, call me Rose." I sunk onto my bed, nearly dislodging her. "You're a story here. A cartoon; television show for children. They chronicle your friendship reports and adventures."

"Ooo! Really? Can I see?" She bounced excitedly off my shoulder, landing in my lap.

"Well… yeah." I grinned. "Yeah, that could be fun." I reached for my desk, snagging my laptop and flipping the lid open. "I'll just—"

"Diane?"

"Eeeep!" I flinched, nearly jostling the laptop onto the floor as called out from the living room. "Quick, Twilight, hide!" I scooped her up with one hand, thrusting her into the pocket on my hoodie.

"What's up? Who's that?" She shuffled herself around, tickling my stomach. Her voice was a little muffled, but she kept it low.

"My suitemate Diane— one of her friends. I'll just—"

"Diane? Rose?" He called again.

"In here!" I called back.

"Hey, Rose." He stepped into the doorframe, a thin, scruffy guy with messy brown hair and warm brown eyes. "Have you seen Diane? We were going to do something this weekend, maybe with Joel. Get a game together, maybe." He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to look casual. It almost worked.

I hadn't known him for long; he'd joined our circle at the beginning of the semester, one of the few people on the hall that wandered through the perpetually open door of our suite. He'd seemed nice enough then, but now… now I wasn't sure what to make of him. He'd disappeared for a week over spring break, falling completely off the grid; no phone, no email, no nothing. When he came back, he'd looked a year older, and his motorbike had gone. All he ever said about it was that there'd been 'trouble', but every so often I saw his eyes shift strangely when he entered the room or met someone new; assessing and measuring, the way someone who'd lived with danger did. Still, he didn't act any less friendly or polite.

"She's gone shopping," I answered uncomfortably.

"Hmm." His reply seemed distracted. His eyes flitted around the room, distracted, almost like he was tracing some unseen pattern.

"Hey! You okay?" I tried to draw him back to reality.

"Rose…" His gaze locked on the box, sharp and intent. He stepped forward, raising a hand slowly. "Where did you get that?"

"Huh?" I gave him a look of blank incomprehension. "From my Gran. It's—"

"Magic," he said decisively. Suddenly, Twilight started squirming in my pocket. I surreptitiously tried to cover the movement, crossing my arms.

"No, I don't know what— Ah!" I jumped as Twilight gave a sudden lurch, squeezing out of my grasp and leaping into the air. I froze, trying to think of something to say, something do, as the two saw each other. "Stop! Don't—"

"Twilight Sparkle?" His voice went soft as he saw the miniature alicorn.

"Wesley!" I was even more surprised when she zipped forward, throwing herself at him in a tiny hug. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again!"