Fact and fiction. Reality and imagination. Truth and lies. These things were not two sides of one coin, but stood far apart. There was a solid and clear line that separated them. Twilight was always quick to notice that line, pointing out flaws in logic and putting an end to illusions. But now, for some reason, she had difficulty finding it.

Facts were absolute, and Twilight loved them for that. When facts began to be met with doubt, she had always found a way to prove things for herself in the end. (Although Pinkie Pie's "Pinkie Sense" was perhaps a rare exception...) Fiction could be good for fun and amusement, but was not to be taken seriously. Fiction was where one went to escape reality. Could it be that she was trying to live a fiction?

The walk back through the Everfree Forest was, thankfully, uneventful. Twilight was grateful for that; she didn't know if she could handle any additional drama or problems at this point. Spike and Soarin' occasionally talked to each other, but Twilight kept out of the conversation. She was still thinking about what Luna had told her.

I can't have made this up, right? she thought to herself. I honestly don't remember any of the things everypony else was talking about. I remember saving Celestia. I remember living in Ponyville. How could I think up so many lies just to cover up the truth? Still, Twilight's mind had always proven to be a powerful thing. The possibility, while remote, could not be discounted. After all, the loss of Celestia would certainly be the most traumatic thing that had ever happened in Twilight's life. It was possible that her mind just couldn't handle the strain.

After emerging from the Everfree, Spike hopped off of Twilight's back and began to walk along beside the ponies. Twilight tried to decide if this was normal behavior, but soon stopped herself. She couldn't examine every little thing around her. If she wanted evidence of her sanity, it would be found in things of more substance than Spike's walking habits. She started to think of where else she could look for evidence of Star Swirl's spell. Golden Oaks doesn't have much on time magic. Maybe in Canterlot? No. I've looked through the time spells in Canterlot's archive. There's nothing like that spell in any of those scrolls.

Still, searching for evidence based on an already drawn conclusion was not science. Twilight was a mare of science, after all. If she was to start from a solid foundation, it would be best to apply the principles of Ockhorse's razor: the burden of proof should rest on the less likely option. Given what everypony else is saying, I'd need to start with the belief that I didn't change time. The rigidly logical part of Twilight's brain said that was right, but every other part of her being said that was wrong.

The three had walked into Ponyville unhindered, and Twilight was thoroughly lost in her thoughts. Spike could tell, and he wondered if she would snap out of her trance by the time they got to the library. Yet the trio hadn't gone two blocks into town before three young fillies, a unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony, quickly approached the dragon, stallion, and mare.

"Spike!" the unicorn called.

"Soarin'!" the pegasus cried.

"Twilight!" the earth pony shouted.

"Hey guys," said Spike as the Crusaders made their way to them. "How are you doing?"

"Great!" said Scootaloo. "We were just on our way to Fluttershy's place."

"We've been helpin' her look after the animals to see if any a that stuff will turn out to be our special talent," Applebloom explained.

"Although, we're starting to run out of options," admitted Sweetie Belle. "So far we've tried bird calling, seal training, goat fainting--"

"But today, we're gonna try snake charming!" Scootaloo seemed excited by that proposition. As did Applebloom. Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, seemed less enthused.

"You okay, Sweetie Belle?" asked Soarin'.

The unicorn's mane lightly bounced as she nodded. "It's fine. I know Fluttershy's gonna be there. She's good with snakes. It's just, not the activity I would have chosen..."

Scootaloo shook her head. "Come on, Sweetie Belle. I went squirrel watching with you guys last week. It's my turn to pick something!"

"Besides, just think how cool a snake charmin' cutie mark would be!" Applebloom exclaimed.

Twilight sighed. She knew the girls' attempts were futile. It had seemed somewhat clear to her what kinds of activities each of the girls were talented in shortly after she came to Ponyville. Still, the girls always tried ridiculous things to get their cutie marks. It was not a matter of discovering some new way to look at the problem, it was a matter of looking at what they already knew and loved. Twilight had wanted to find some time to take the girls under her newly formed wings and teach them skills that might actually help them learn something of value. Not that squirrel watching wasn't useful.

"Well," said Twilight. "I hope you girls enjoy your time at Fluttershy's. You can tell her I said 'hi' and that I'm in town for a few days."

"Sure thing, Twilight," Scootaloo then prodded at each of her friends. "Come on, Crusaders! We've got snakes to charm!" The trio ran off toward Fluttershy's cottage. Sweetie Belle the only one not grinning from ear to ear.

Spike was smiling as well. He was glad that something unexpected had happened to get Twilight to come back to reality. He didn't want to try resorting to some sort of prank to grab Twilight's attention. Looking up to her, however, the dragon frowned. The unicorn's eyes had already glazed over again. He'd lost her once more.

Golden Oaks still stood tall near the center of Ponyville. From the exterior it was hard to tell that anything changed. Twilight was able to note the few small differences however. There was no telescope on the deck. Where tulips once sat out front were now daffodils. The hours of the library had changed.

Opening the door, Soarin' lead the group inside. An old earth pony mare was standing over the central table, reading a book. "Welcome to Golden Oaks Library!" she said in greeting. "Anything you're looking--" She stopped short. "Spike? Twilight?"

"Auntie Quill," Spike didn't seem surprised to see this pony in the library. "How've you been?"

"Oh, still working my old job. It's an honor to be looking after this library while you and Twilight are in Canterlot." She smiled at Twilight specifically. "It'll be in perfect condition when you get back. Just as I promised."

"Thanks... again," said Twilight, giving a weak smile. One more thing she didn't remember. Or shouldn't remember. She vaguely remembered seeing this mare in Ponyville before, but clearly their interactions had increased following her move. Just before her move? Twilight sighed. Does it even matter?

"Everything okay dear?" asked Auntie Quill.

Before Twilight could answer, her guardpony spoke up. "Would it be okay if we had some privacy?" asked Soarin'. "I don't want to tell you to leave your own library, but we have some official business to discuss."

The earth pony chuckled. "Never mind me. I'll be out of here in two shakes of a filly's tail. Besides, this is Twilight's library as far as I'm concerned." After gathering up a couple of books and stray items into a saddle bag, Auntie Quill left. Before leaving, the old mare approached Twilight and patted her on the shoulder. "Whatever the problem is, I know you'll get it figured out." She smiled at Twilight and then waved to the other two. "Good to see you boys."

"Bye," the two said.

"Bye," Twilight added a second later.

It was still a few moments before the three could talk. Auntie Quill's speed was similar to Granny Smith, but Twilight didn't mind. She was in no hurry to talk about anything.

In fact, as soon as the librarian left, Twilight said, "I just want to be alone for a while..." And began to walk up the stairs to her bedroom. Or, what was her bedroom.

"You sure?" asked Spike. "I could get you some lunch? Or maybe we could just--" He stopped himself as Twilight moved out of sight without so much as a glance in his direction. Spike looked to the floor and shook his head.

Yep, she was long gone alright. Spike wished he could break Twilight free of her worries. Sometimes that prison seemed more secure than Tartarus.

Up in her old room, Twilight found that only the furniture and books remained. Her telescopes, pictures, and anything personal was gone. It looked exactly like it did when Twilight first came to Ponyville. There was a twisting in her stomach as she experienced the mix of disheartening from seeing her belongings gone and the oddly pleasant nostalgia of remembering her first night here. This place truly held a lot of memories--almost all of them pleasant.

She walked up the steps to her bedroom and remembered the nights there. Her first sleepover with Applejack and Rarity. Waking up early on Winter Wrap Up day. Twilight hoped she could return after this ordeal and live in this place for many years to come.

No, I need to be in Canterlot to finish my studies with Luna. Wait, that's not supposed to be happening. I'm already an alicorn. Or I was. I should... I should... Twilight growled and threw herself onto her bed. Or what was once her bed. Whatever!

Twilight began to punch one of the pillows that rested there until one of the seams popped and sent feathers flying onto the floor. She grabbed the pillow with her magic and launched it across the room. It hit the opposite wall and cascaded to the floor, sending feathers everywhere. She didn't care about the mess. Her desire for order had already been overloaded by everything else that had occurred in the last two days.

Laid down in the bed, Twilight felt the lack of wings on her back once more. Even though she knew it was futile, she still tried reciting Star Swirl's spell. She wanted to use it. She tried to make her horn ignite with magic. If anything else it would prove that she wasn't going crazy. Yet, no matter how many times Twilight said the spell, the result was the same.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

So what now? She had no evidence of changes to the past and no hope for a better future. All that existed now was the present moment, and it was hardly a comfort to Twilight. Wrapping herself up in her blanket, Twilight looked out into the study below the bed chamber. A single feather was still floating after all of the time she spent trying to use the spell. In fact, the feather was beginning to move upward. And toward Twilight.

She noted the occurrence with mild curiosity, wondering what kind of air currents could be involved, when suddenly a flash of light from the feather heralded the arrival of somepony--somebody--else.

"Discord? What the hay?" Twilight was bewildered. Why would Discord show up here, and now?

"You could have at least said 'hello' first," the draconaquis said with a frown. "I don't normally bring myself out of voluntary exile. It would be nice if I was shown a little courtesy."

With a sigh, Twilight said, "Alright. Hello, Discord. What brings you here today?"

"Well," a smile rose on his face. "I just had to know the source."

Twilight waited for Discord to tell her what he meant. Discord waited for Twilight to ask. Of course, Discord won.

"Source of what?" she asked, annoyed.

"Chaos magic, of course!" Discord declared. "Well, perhaps not precisely chaos magic, but certainly something in that general neighborhood. Perhaps in an adjoining village at the very least. But whatever you've done recently was certainly worth my personal attention." In a literal flash, Twilight was standing up and Discord was opposite her. He wore a ticketed hat and held a microphone to his mouth. "So tell me, my dear. Why is it that you decided to change the fundamental fabric of the universe? Beyond the obvious reasons of 'because I can' and whatnot." He moved the microphone next to Twilight.

Twilight pushed the microphone aside. "I don't have time for your games, Discord." At that moment, the impact of his words set in. "Wait? Chaos magic? You mean I actually did change things? I'm not just going crazy."

Discord nodded. "Yes, you did change things. However, as to the state of your sanity, well, I can't say." He grinned at his joke.

"Well, thank you for letting me know Discord." Twilight then walked past the draconaquis and headed down the stairs. "But now I'm going to go downstairs and see if I can figure out how to fix all this." She didn't care to waste any time with Discord today.

"I see." Discord's various accessories vanished. "Well, perhaps you could use the help of someone who has centuries of experience working with magic that rewrites reality." He stroked his chin. "But where in the wide-wide world of Equestria would you find somepony like that?"

Groaning, Twilight put her head in her hooves. "Fine. What can you tell me?"

"Well, that's just it. With all my years of experience with sensing magic, I've never encountered anything like what you did." Twilight looked up at Discord in surprise. "I know!" he said, feigning befuddlement. "I thought to myself, 'how on earth could anypony perform chaos better than the Master of Chaos himself?' Was I losing my touch after not actively spreading chaos throughout the land for so many months?"

"But you did sense that I cast a spell," she said. "And you knew that it changed reality."

"Yes, but you must tell me the rest!" Discord was suddenly wearing a school uniform and sitting in a desk. Twilight found herself randomly holding a ruler and standing in front of a chalk board. "Clearly, the student has surpassed the Master," he declared. "Teach me, oh mighty Twilight!" Then he started to laugh.

Twilight rolled her eyes. This was getting her nowhere. Unless... she had a thought, something she had wondered about her trips to the past and their impact on the timeline. Discord might be the only being who could answer this question. "Discord," she said. "How many times did you sense that I cast this spell?"

The draconaquis smiled. "Ah! So it was you every time. I'd hoped so." The school supplies vanished and Discord was now holding up a map of Equestria. "You see," he began. "I was in exile far to the south of Equestria proper." A little Discord image appeared at the bottom, just inside the map's boundaries. "I sensed a disturbance, oh, four or five days ago now? It was just after dawn, and I could feel that something in the world had changed. Something in Equestria." The image of Discord was scratching his chin. "I wondered who could be doing this and what the magic was. So, I began to travel back north to find out." The image moved until it was on the southern shores of Equestria. "Stopping to rest for the night, I awoke the next day to, again, sense a disturbance. This time it seemed slightly larger than before. And I could tell that it was coming from the central part of Equestria." The image moved again, until it was perhaps 50 miles southwest of Ponyville. "I set up camp here, and then again, upon awakening, I sensed another use of magic. This time, I felt sure that the spell was coming from Ponyville. I had, of course, suspected as much--and I truly hoped it would be you, Twilight.

"I arrived in Ponyville, later that day, only to find no evidence of any chaos magic. And no evidence of you either." The Discord image looked around inside Ponyville, ducking behind some of the buildings on the map, and then shrugged. "So I waited. I figured that there was no reason to assume the magic wouldn't happen again the next morning. And I was right." The Discord on the map ran towards the Everfree. "I sensed it coming from here! The largest burst of magic so far, coming from that abandoned castle! And, even from the distance of Ponyville, I was now sure that it was you." Discord, the actual Discord, grinned. "Not that anything about the magic identified you, but I think we both know that, of all the ponies in Equestria, you have a special affinity for magic. If any pony were to cast something like this, it would have to be somepony like you." The map in Discord's hand rolled up itself and vanished. The little image of Discord fell to the floor and also smirked at Twilight. "So," he said. "I searched around the castle, but you weren't there. I waited to see if i could sense more magic the next day. Strangely, nothing happened the next morning. Saddened, I feared I had lost the trail of this spell. Maybe I never really sensed anything? I was just about to leave when I found you and the Princess talking in that old library. After that, I waited for you to be alone so we could talk."

The story was certainly fascinating. The fact that Discord didn't find Twilight in Ponyville two days ago proved that Twilight was dealing with one, concrete timeline and not several branching ones. Somehow, her changes were impacting reality and that reality was being rewritten on the fly. It truly did sound like chaos magic. Twilight would have liked to have time to analyze the implications of Discord's observations, but she really wanted to find a way to fix the chaos she had caused. Or, perhaps there was another way. Discord said this was chaos magic. And he does know that magic better than anyone... "Discord," she said, without hesitation. "Can you undo what I did?"

The draconaquis laughed. "Oh, my dear. I fear I haven't explained myself well enough. Should I put on the school uniform again?"

Twilight almost asked why, but stopped herself. "You don't know what I did, do you?"

"Quite right, Twilight. Quite right."

Perhaps that was for the best. It might make things easier if Discord just helped her and didn't know the full story. "Discord," she said. "The spell I have to cast to undo this requires alicorn magic. Could you make me into an alicorn?"

"Oh, ho, ho," Discord's smirk grew impossibly large, probably due to his magic. "You know," he began. "this reminds me of something exactly like this that happened hundreds of years ago... What was it again? Oh, yes. It reminds me of the time that a pony came to me and demanded that I make him an alicorn. However, he had a bargaining chip." Discord suddenly became made of stone all the way up to his neck. "He offered to free me from Celestia's stone-suit prison in exchange for his alicorn-ship." Discord went back to normal. "You, however, have no such leverage. The Elements of Harmony are now back with the Tree, so you can't even threaten to turn me back to stone."

"That's the problem," explained Twilight. "I'd need the Elements to turn me back into an alicorn, but--" Twilight then facehoofed.

Discord's eyebrows rose. "'Turn me back' you say? So you used to be an alicorn? Oh, this is priceless! Pretty little Princess Twilight Sparkle!" A scepter and cape almost identical to the ones Discord summoned for her back in her timeline appeared and Discord laughed. "Are you suggesting that the powerful magic you've been using has removed your wings?" Discord continued to laugh and Twilight's cheeks turned red.

Through gritted teeth Twilight said, "Alright, I know this sounds ridiculous, but you have to listen!"

"Oh, no wonder that last one was such a doozy! Magic that can undo alicornship?! I never thought it possible. You must tell me how--"

"DISCORD!" Twilight shouted angrily. "Stop making jokes! This isn't funny."

"Well," Discord stuck up his nose at that outburst. "It seems somepony is being awfully grumpy today. Perhaps Luna was right: you need to get some rest."

"Can you help me or not?" Twilight asked point blank. She didn't want to go around in circles with Discord all night.

"Oh, alright, since you've been so patient with me, and since you answered some of my questions, I'll answer yours." Discord leaned in and motioned for Twilight to come closer. She stepped forward some. Discord motioned again. Another step. Finally, Discord's arm literally stretched out and pulled her so that her ear was only inches from his mouth. "I'll tell you a little secret about draconaquii. But you must never tell another pony for as long as you live."

"What?" asked Twilight, still annoyed.

"Even a Master of Chaos cannot grant alicornship." Discord then began to laugh uproariously causing Twilight to step back and rub at her ear.

"Come on, Discord," she said. "I saw you take away Rainbow and Fluttershy's wings. Couldn't you use the same magic to give me wings?"

"Oh, I could give you wings in an instant, but that wouldn't make you an alicorn. I have wings. I even have two horns on my head. But you don't see me sitting on a throne raising the sun and the moon at will."

"You did once..." Twilight pointed out.

Discord stopped for a moment. "Ah, well, I supposed I did. But you get the picture. Alicorn magic is something beyond my abilities. Although I am flattered that you would think of me as all-powerful." Discord then blinked onto Twilight's other side. "Now, how about some good old fashioned quid-pro-quo? I told you my secret! How about you share yours? What is this magical spell? And why do you need to use it so desperately?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. It couldn't hurt to tell him at this point. "It's a time spell, okay. I want to go back and save Princess Celestia."

"Oh! Time magic!" If Twilight didn't know better, she would say that Discord looked impressed. "That's a very special form of chaos magic. Even I don't mess with the delicate nature of time." The next expression on Discord's face was realization. "That's what happened! You've been using this spell already! That's why I couldn't tell what it was... Messing with time. Quite the trick. And here you thought I possessed the omnipotent powers!"

"So are you going to help me or not?" Twilight asked. It was going to be the final time she asked and then she was going to go back downstairs regardless of whether Discord left.

"Hmmm, I thought you were supposed to be a good listener. Isn't that why you did so well in school? Here, let me spell this out for you." Discord materialized a parchment and quill. He took his time, drawing out letters slowly, his tongue out. Then, he turned around the paper and on it stood, in bold, perfectly formed letters spaced out with dashes:

"Is that spelled out clearly enough for you?" Discord started to laugh again.

Twilight snorted out a breath in frustration. "Like you would care," she said. "You were the one who planted those plunderseeds in the first place. I bet you don't want to help because you're glad Celestia's dead."

Discords disposition abruptly changed from amusement to anger. "Now you've gone too far, Twilight!" The draconaquis drew close and looked the mare directly in the eye. "You have no idea what the loss of Celestia means to me. And I wouldn't expect you to. If I had known what the seeds would do..." Discord growled slightly as he tried to think up words. In the end, he said, "Bah! You wouldn't understand anyway. Just know this, Twilight: believe it or not, I never intended to kill Celestia." And after a snap, the draconaquis disappeared from the room.

The unicorn let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in. That reaction to her words was not one she was expecting. Twilight wasn't sure if she had ever seen Discord truly angry. She thought he was always joking around or messing with her whenever he displayed emotions. It seemed unlikely that anything could ever genuinely upset him. And yet, somehow, that seemed to be what Twilight just did.

Or maybe it was all some kind of joke and Discord was off laughing at that moment.

Either way, the only things Twilight knew for certain from that strange visit was that her changes were real and that Discord would not be helping her correct the past.

She had tried talking to the Princess. She had even asked for help from Discord. Those were, as far as she knew, the foremost authorities on magic in all of Equestria. What was left? Where else could she go when she had so horribly, terribly, brutally messed up her whole life with magic? Twilight then turned to the only thing that had ever been able to truly help her:

Books.

As far as Twilight knew, the only way to become an alicorn was with Star Swirl's spell combined with the power of the Elements of Harmony. Since the Elements had been returned to the Tree, that option was out. This meant she needed to do research. Ponyville's library was not as complete as the Canterlot Archives, but she needed to start somewhere.

Immediately rushing down the stairs, Twilight saw Soarin' sitting in a chair. Alert and on guard as would be expected of him.

"Twilight?" he seemed confused. "I thought you wanted to be alone?"

"No time for that," she said. "I need to do some research on magic. I just have to know if there's some way I can use that spell to undo all of this."

Soarin' shook his head and laughed lightly. "Well, at least now I know for sure you're the real Twilight, and not some sort of imposter."

Rolling her eyes, Twilight asked Soarin' if he could find a particular book. Spike, who was in the kitchen, heard the request and came into the room in his apron. "Why did you change your mind?" asked Spike. "What happened?"

"Discord happened," said Twilight. The jaws of the two boys fell. "He's been sensing the time spell changing the fabric of reality. That's evidence that what I've been doing was real. And if there's a way to change reality one way, there has to be a way to change it back."

Twilight moved to the central table and began to sift through books.

"How can we help?" asked Soarin'.

She looked to her friends. Soarin' was standing tall at attention as if awaiting orders. Spike was obviously ready for some late night studying. He had abandoned his apron and moved to get the ladder for gathering books. Somewhere in herself, Twilight found a smile. "Thanks guys."

The mare, stallion, and dragon gathered up information on time spells, magic enhancing spells, spells about growing wings, and anything else Twilight could think of that might somehow give her a solution to this problem. Bringing them to the desk in the center, Twilight settled in for a full day and night of reading. The others joined her as well, occasionally pointing out something that they thought was relevant.

The team looked through dozens of books; they read hundreds of pages. When Twilight was finally tired enough to go to bed, Spike had fallen asleep on top of a book, Soarin' was fighting to keep his eyes open, and she could already see the first rays of dawn outside. Yet she had found nothing worth the time they'd spent.

Author's Notes:

It took some time, Kichi, but I was able to fit the Crusaders back into the story. It isn't much, but my next multi-chapter story is going to be featuring one of the Crusaders.

After noting some of the comments from the previous chapter, I realized rushing myself was a bad idea. So I took my time with this chapter and will do the same with the following ones.

I may not have finished before the end of the year, but I expect to finish soon. The final chapter is actually complete - I just need to finalize what's in-between.

Oh, and happy New Year!