The archaeologists had already arrived when Twilight got back to the library. As she became acquainted with the Head Archeologist, Diggs, Applejack arrived with a wagon and food for the journey. The group set up as Twilight became familiar with the layout of the ruins. When they arrived, Twilight was not prepared for what she saw. The brilliant white towers were decayed, the orange glow of the sun casting a warm gloom over the entire forest. Birds scattered from tattered flags, and doors rotted wide open. Sure enough, stalks of Nightcap and other rare mushrooms were gathered around the ancient Enchanters Guild Warehouse. Twilight sorted the team into 5 groups, each tasked with a different goal. Some had to collect as many herbs as possible, while others had to locate Luna's things. The crew only had a few hours before it was completely dark, so they needed to make the best of it. Twilight asked Applejack to keep watch outside and asked one of the other archeologists to help keep Applejack company.

Twilight took Diggs into the library with her to examine what books were worth retrieving. The library was extremely large, with spines of many faded colors organized in neat groups. As the wizened pegasi looked at the upper shelves, Twilight examined the lower bookshelves. There were many books that needed a new cover, and still some where the text was faded away and nigh unreadable. Twilight's eye caught on a book with an almost pristine binding. As Twilight pulled on it, the shelf moved to reveal a back entrance into another hallway. “You stay here.” Twilight mumbled quietly to Diggs, who was engrossed in an original copy of The Elements of Harmony. Twilight trotted along in the dark tunnel, nearly tripping over a rock on the ground. A faint light emanated from a connecting room in the dim hallway, light coming from an open flame and revealing a pile of broken bricks strewn across the floor.

She looked inside to find a small alcove housing a few ceremonial candles and a large, dusty, and cobweb-covered tome with some visible yellow. She relit the room's old but functioning candles and saw that the entrance had been sealed before but was blasted away. Sparkle looked around and blew dust off the cover, revealing a black exterior with gold lettering. It was... well, illegible. Gold insets from over a thousand years ago tend not to be in your modern language. She flipped it open to see illustrations with shining descriptions... but the illustrations were moving. One showed a pony entering the maw of a greater pony. Twilight watched as the jaw crushed down with excruciating detail, sending blood to cover the majority of the page. The next page showed a pony with her hair growing and choking others. After that, a it showed pony with spikes bursting from the base, and a pony with their skin melting off, and another getting thinner until their bones grew too big for their flesh. Blood oozed from the actual book now, covering Twilight's hooves in red syrup. Twilight lifted them up and examined the glistening stuff as it dripped to the floor. Her tongue touched the viscous liquid. Salty, she thought.

"Twi'?" called a familiar voice from the hallway. The noise startled Twilight. She quickly slammed the book shut and put it in her bag with a flick of her horn.

"Y-yes, Applejack?" stuttered Twilight as she regained her composure. Applejack poked her head into the small room her hat somewhat unsettled on her head.

"Just wonderin' where you went off to. Th' others were gettin' mighty worried! You alright there, sugarcube? You look white as a rattler!" concerned Applejack.

"I'm just fine, just found an old book and got some dust in my nose is all." reassured Twilight, adding in a weak 'a-choo'. The blood on her hooves was gone. Was it even there in the first place? Was Twilight going... mad?

"Alrigh' then, don't go off without warnin' us nex' time." urged an uneasy Applejack as she went back in the direction of the main library. Twilight followed, adding in a few coughs for good measure. The remainder of the day was uneventful, and the team returned with most of the items on the list. Twilight didn't mention the book she found, nor did she talk about the illustrations contained within.

Twilight bid the others ado and entered her abode with the book on her mind. She still had it, but it was unreadable. That night, she set to work learning the language. She had a few days before she had any appointments, so there was no rush. She flipped through the pages, but the illustrations were gone. Instead, the menacing figures had been replaced by a sheet of symbols with a line below them. On each page the same sheet of symbols was followed by an underscore... nay, a signature line...