Page 1544 - A Thousand Words
8th Jun 2021, 6:00 AM in Magical Mystery Cure

Definitely a trope I end up questioning a whole lot, in retrospect. “Wow, this rare ancient magical tome from a thousand years ago from one of the most brilliant minds in history, never before seen by modern eyes! …Only the very last page is important to the plot.” Meanwhile, my inner bookworm is screaming about the other 599 pages.

Twilight Sparkle: Whatever, let’s look at this spell. It’s time.
DM: Very well. You were given a package containing a very old book and a scroll from Celestia. The scroll reads: “The unfinished spell you’re looking for is on the last page of this book. If you can decipher and complete it, you may be able to unlock the power you seek. I have faith that you just might be ready.”
Twilight Sparkle: Real vote of confidence there. What else is in this book?
DM: Before the last page? It’s a very valuable tome that was penned by Star Swirl the Bearded himself. There’s lots of magical knowledge there from over a thousand years ago… But as you skim through, you realize that most of the information here has been disseminated into the modern textbooks you studied. The only new thing here is the final page.
Twilight Sparkle: Worth a shot.
DM: <scribble> Here’s the passage, if you want to read it aloud.
Twilight Sparkle: Okay… Wait, DO I want to read it aloud? Didn’t Celestia mention it was dangerous?
DM: Good catch.