Things were tense in the Golden Oak Library as Twilight sat alone in her basement. She was at her desk, scouring through an ancient and poorly-kept book. It was the kind of thing that you knew had to be handled with care, lest it disintegrate in your hooves. And so it was that, ever so slowly, Twilight turned page after page of the thing, looking upon the centuries-old inscriptions and paragraphs. Her eyes were narrowed and she showed great focus as she was reading it. But, unlike many other such study sessions, this one seemed to affect her somewhat differently. There was none of the usual enthusiasm or joy that was usually plastered over her face during such sessions. Instead, she looked, for lack of a better word, worried. When she looked to the pages before her, their surface lit by the flickering candle-flames nearby, she read carefully about its contents; ancient magical artefacts. It was, like many of the items she held securely down here, from the castle of the two sisters, nestled deep in the Everfree Forest, and as such, she knew it was dangerous. But danger seemed to be the furthest thing on her mind as she read passage after passage. Eventually, after reading quite a bit of it, she stopped for a while, raising her hoof and gently massaging her temples. When finished with that, she turned, and looked upon the display in the corner of the basement.

It was the container of the Elements of Harmony, which shined and sparkled even in the dim light of this basement. Twilight frowned slightly as she got up from her chair, walking carefully towards those Elements. When she finally reached them, she stopped, and stared at the thing in utter silence. It was an uncomfortable moment as she looked to them, glancing at each one in turn. The Element of loyalty, shining and glistening brightly, like it was supposed to. The Element of honesty, also shining brightly. Laughter, kindness, generosity, all of those five looked as they were meant to, pristine, pure and harmonious. And then, Twilight looked to her own; magic. It was not pristine. Its gem was as it had been since she first obtained it in this timeline, dark and foreboding. Her expression became one of concern as she looked to it, her mind conjuring forth the times in which she'd used its power. On the day Nightmare Moon was vanquished, it had felt somehow wrong as its power flowed through her. And as or Discord, his expression was one of utter agony as the Elements' power descended on him. Somehow, no doubt through her actions, her Element had been changed, but, no matter how many books she read, she could not fathom why, for no such texts contained any advice on artefacts such as these, or how they could be changed as they had been.

Steeling herself, Twilight reached forward with her hoof, slowly opening the glass container. She paused for a moment as her eyes never left her respective Element. Counting her breaths, Twilight eventually sighed before reaching forward yet again, ready to do something she had not attempted since first she obtained that crown; she would touch the gem itself. It took a few slow moments, but eventually, her hoof came into contact with the darkened purple star. For a time, there was no reaction, and thus, Twilight felt some small measure of relief. However, this calmness was short-lived, as all of a sudden, she began to feel something. It wasn't thought, but emotion that now poured through her mind as she touched that gem. It was raw, massive, and, to her shock, a very familiar feeling. There was rage there, and unhappiness. Resentment, fear, loss, and many other negative feelings now poured through her. She bit her lip, as if trying to hold back a scream, and soon afterwards, she pulled her hoof away. Immediately, the sensation stopped, and she finally had a moment of peace once more. She panted heavily from the experience, looking upon her Element with a look that was borderline fearful. Carefully, she took a step forward, ready to observe it once more. But, before she got the chance, she was interrupted by a loud and bubbly voice behind her.

"Hiya, Twilight!"

The young unicorn practically leapt out of her fur after hearing that, after which she spun around, only to see the smiling face of her dear friend, Pinkie Pie. It took a moment, But Twilight finally responded, albeit in a less-than-friendly manner.

"Wha...Pinkie?! What are you doing down here?!"

Only afterwards did Twilight realise how harsh she'd sounded, as her pink friend looked taken aback by her reaction. Letting out a sigh, Twilight took a few seconds to clam herself, after which she spoke up again, but in a far more reserved tone.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Pinkie. It's just...I was doing some sensitive work down here."

Pinkie looked to her friend, seeing the serious look on her face, as well as the clear signs of stress, and began to look genuinely apologetic. As one might expect, seeing a mare who was as abundantly energetic and cheerful as Pinkie suddenly become that down was an image that caused no end of guilt for Twilight. Raising a hoof, Twilight gently placed it upon her friend's shoulder, prompting the latter to look up at her. There was a moment of understanding between the two mares, during which, Pinkie regained her smile. With the tension between them defused, Twilight turned back to the glass container behind her, closing it once more before looking back to Pinkie.

"Now then, what can I do for you?"

Pinkie's smile widened further before she raised her own hoof and pointed upwards, to the door leading out of the basement.

"Did you know there's a new donkey in Ponyville? His name is Cranky and I've been trying to give him a proper welcome into town."

Twilight eyes winded as a look of understanding crossed her face. Briefly, she put on a knowing smile before clearing her throat a little.

"Really? What's he like?"

Upon hearing that question, Pinkie's smile faded, albeit only a small amount, as she thought that over for a moment. In time, she finally spoke up.

"Well...he's not exactly cheery. He's actually kinda grumpy. I tried a few times to get him to smile, but he's not budging!"

Twilight chuckled a little before looking to her friend in earnest.

"Pinkie, consider how difficult this move might be to him. He's in a new place, surrounded by strangers, none of which are his own kind. Maybe...he just feels overwhelmed by it all."

Pinkie looked to her, thinking hard over what her friend had just told her. As she looked to Pinkie, Twilight was thinking hard on something also, as evidenced by the look on her face. In time, however, she broke out into a smile as she cleared her throat again, gaining Pinkie's attention.

"You know...it might help his transition into the community if there was another donkey for him to talk to. I think I've seen one, a Jenny, around the market sometimes."

Immediately, Pinkie's face lit up as she, without warning, reached forward and grabbed Twilight's own face, bringing their snouts together as she spoke in her usual fast-paced and upbeat tone.

"Ooh! You mean Matilda! That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?! Thanks, Twilight!"

Letting go of Twilight, Pinkie said no further words, instead darting off in the direction of the stairs. After taking a moment to recover from her friend's forwardness, Twilight watched as the pink mare darted up the stairs, stopping just short of the exit. She paused for a moment, looking as if she'd just remembered something important, before turning and looking down to Twilight again. Putting on her biggest smile, she waved ferociously in a display of thanks, to which Twilight merely giggled slightly before waving back. With that done, Pinkie then returned to what she was doing before, and charged out of the door with full speed, closing it behind her. Now alone, Twilight sighed in a contented manner, silently happy in what she knew she'd just helped to happen. However, that smile faded as realisation dawned on her once more, and she turned around, looking yet again upon the Elements of Harmony. Narrowing her eyes, she stepped closer, once more raising her hoof and placing it upon the glass container. In the silence of this place, she stared at her own Element, at its darkened gem, and, just for a moment, she had this deep and uncomfortable feeling that, just maybe, it was staring right back at her. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant feeling, especially when she thought back to what she'd felt when she touched it. All those unhappy and angry feelings coursing through her, it was a shock to say the least. But, even so, she did not back away, but rather, in a surprising move, leaned forward and actually began to speak to her Element, albeit in a hushed manner.

"I know you can't answer...I know you can't hear me...but...I know those feelings. That anger. That sadness. Those dark impulses I felt within you...I know them. I...I remember them."

Her expression changed, becoming one of melancholy and regret, as she closed her eyes and carefully leaned her forehead against the glass.

"Those feelings...you got them from me, didn't you?"