Twilight stepped out onto the landing and glanced back at Pinkie Pie who was trundling slowly and awkwardly down the stairs, a hoof wrapped around her midsection. The troll had an uncomfortable look on her face and had to stop abruptly when a belch threatened to bring up her impromptu snack. Thankfully, after a few seconds of struggling, she managed to hold it down before joining Twilight in the hallway.

“I know I asked this before, but are you sure you're okay?” Twilight pressed.

Pinkie Pie waved a dismissive hoof in the air. “It's fine. I just need time to let my tummy get to work before I can do much more than waddle around.”

Twilight stepped close to the troll, allowing her friend to lean on her as they walked towards the library. “Do you think that will be enough to finish up your regeneration?” Twilight inquired.

“I’m not sure,” Pinkie Pie admitted somewhat reluctantly. “I feel like it should be, but you never know for sure. My body might not like that magic, or the rocks. This is new territory for me, especially after what happened at the tower.”

Twilight hummed thoughtfully. “That is true. You do seem to have gained a few unique abilities due to your brush with death.”

“Quite, though I still can't bake a souffle, so these fancy powers are basically worthless,” Pinkie Pie sadly exclaimed.

Twilight chuckled. “Truly a wasted effort.”

Together the pair strode towards the library. Its doors were hanging open, revealing the alicorn statue looming over them. They could also see a table piled high with books as well as a pair of beings who were studying two of said tomes. Neither noticed as Pinkie Pie and Twilight entered the room, until the troll belched suddenly.

“Excuse me,” Pinkie Pie muttered, holding a hoof over her mouth and leaning heavily on Twilight in order to not fall over.

Rarity looked up first, her eyes widening. “Oh, there you are, darling. We have found something important but first you must tell us how it went with those dreadful golems.”

“Well,” Twilight replied, helping the troll into a chair. “With Pinkie Pie’s help, we were able to destroy them completely and ensure that they could never come back.”

“That's wonderful,” Fluttershy remarked. “You didn't happen to see the others by chance, did you?”

“I’m afraid not. They must still be below us working on those traps,” Twilight replied.

“Did we pack antacids in any of those bags of ours?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Rarity frowned and immediately grabbed her backpack, searching through its contents. “I don't think so, but please allow me to help you get somewhere more comfortable.”

“But what about the spell?” Fluttershy whispered.

“You can explain it well enough,” Rarity replied, levitating Pinkie Pie out of her chair. “This poor dear needs to rest.”

Pinkie Pie giggled as she floated along next to a struggling Rarity. “You know, normally I would opposed to being handled like this, but I suppose it's fine if it's you.”

Rarity blushed, her short horn glowing bright due to the effort. “Hush you, I’m trying to help.”

The pair slipped deeper into the library, leaving Twilight standing next to the piles of books and a somewhat hesitant Fluttershy.

“So, what was this about a spell?” Twilight inquired.

The spirit perked up and handed the unicorn a book titled Sensible Sensibilities which Twilight held in an almost reverent manner. It was clear that the book was ancient beyond measure, and she could feel a very old enchantment helping to keep it together. Not only that, but the magic itself felt familiar in a way that she couldn't quite put her hoof on.

“What is this?” Twilight asked.

“That is the book where I found this spell,” Fluttershy explained, handing the unicorn a partially unrolled scroll. “It looked important, so we riffled through the rest of the books we found searching for more.”

“And?”

“I’m sorry, but that was the only clue,” Fluttershy replied, a blush crossing her face. “Though we did find a bunch of love letters as well as more than a few bookmarks.”

“Though I doubt it, the letters might be important,” Twilight exclaimed.

Fluttershy hastily shook her head, her ethereal features becoming bright red. “I’m afraid they are not.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Alright, then.”

Looking down, she began to inspect the spell in a slow, deliberate manner. Most eye-catching was the warning, which she reread several times before continuing further down. After an initial skimming of the document, Twilight found herself struck by the simplicity of the overall spellform.

That didn't mean the entire thing wasn't perhaps the most complicated bit of magic she had ever seen. It was merely like looking upon a stone arch, with each piece interlocking so perfectly that its underlying complexity was hard to fully grasp. Twilight immediately knew that it would take some time to unpack the full depth of this one spell, and so she looked around the room. Upon finding another table, she swiftly pulled up a chair before retrieving several sheets of paper from her bag.

Placing an inkwell next to her, Twilight carefully wet her writing utensil before getting to work. Fluttershy hovered overhead, watching as the unicorn read a few lines, turned, and began to scrawl something on the other sheet. Over and over she repeated this process, expounding on the spell in ways that the spirit couldn't hope to comprehend.

“Pardon me, but do you need anything?” Fluttershy whispered.

Twilight stopped and looked around. “A snack, more quills, ink, paper, and…” She paused. “I’m also going to need several dozen reference books, though I’m not sure if they are here or back in Ponyville.”

“Well, I wasn't really thinking about-” Fluttershy began.

“Oh, and I’ll also need a focus crystal, a dozen sticks of chalk, as well as a lantern,” Twilight continued before abruptly turning back to the spell and scrawling more lines of words.

Fluttershy sighed. “Now I know how Spike feels.”

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” Twilight asked, looking up at the spirit.

“N-nothing. I was just going to see how far Rainbow Dash has gotten,” Fluttershy replied.

“Good thinking. If we can use the teleporter freely, then Spike can locate the books I need,” Twilight remarked with a grin.

“Right, that was totally what I was thinking,” Fluttershy murmured, watching as the unicorn immediately dove back into the spell. “I better get to it then. It's a good thing my legs don't get tired.”

“What do we do with this one?” Rainbow Dash asked, rubbing her chin as she stared down at the rather simple false floor trap.

Applejack removed a hoof, roots shrinking and slipping back into the mare’s limb. “Yup, there's a bunch of spikes down there alright.”

“Here,” Sunset Shimmer offered, stomping a hoof on the tile and causing it to fall. “I’ll tear the spikes out and get rid of them. Applejack, do you think you could grow a temporary replacement for the floor tile?”

“I think so?” Applejack remarked, scratching her head. “I never tried something like that.”

“Why don't we just fill it with rubble?” Rainbow Dash inquired, gesturing to a nearby collapsed wall. “There certainly is enough of the stuff.”

“That sounds better. You guys start piling while I get rid of these spikes,” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed.

“Good enough,” agreed Applejack who started doing just that.

Sunset Shimmer focused, using her magic to heat up the metal spikes before snapping them off at their base. While she did this, a growing mound of shattered stone and crumbling plaster was piled next to her. Eventually, after all the spikes were rendered useless and laying on their side, Applejack pushed the mound into the hole.

“It ain't perfect, but it’ll work,” Applejack remarked.

“Very true,” murmured Sunset Shimmer.

“On to the next one, then?” Rainbow Dash offered.

“Sure,” Sunset Shimmer replied.

The trio set off once more, walking down a nearby set of stairs and entering yet another partially destroyed floor of the undertower. This one didn't seem too bad, as a layer of webbing would have allowed them to walk over the obviously trapped main hallway which ran straight from one set of stairs to the other, with multiple rooms branching off from there.

“Say, do y'all get the feeling like something big is about to happen soon?” Applejack inquired.

“There is an army of golems coming to kill Twilight and potentially us as well,” Rainbow Dash deadpanned.

“I mean, yeah, but like, more than even that,” Applejack retorted.

“I know what you mean,” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed, lighting her horn and burning away the safety net left for them. “I know we haven't talked about it a lot, but everything seems to be pushing us towards fighting Celestia.”

“I mean, after Twi figures out how to bring back someone more powerful, then we’d have a fightin’ chance at least,” Applejack replied.

“You guys don't understand just how big Equestria is, do you?” Rainbow Dash stated.

“I do. It just feels like that's where we are headed,” Sunset Shimmer stated. “Rock me.”

Applejack handed the skeleton a hoof-sized stone, which Sunset Shimmer tossed onto the first step. The stone clattered to a stop before suddenly falling through a blue portal which opened up beneath it. It then fell out of a yellow portal that appeared directly above it, allowing the small rock to plummet back through the first opening.

It proceeded to fall several dozen times before both portals closed, and the stone bounced back between Sunset Shimmer’s legs.

“Well that's… unique,” Applejack murmured.

Sunset Shimmer lit her horn and cast a quick scanning spell. “A simple overcharge should disable it, stand back.”

The pair did just that, allowing Sunset Shimmer the space to concentrate and eventually cast a spell which caused a red bolt of lightning to leap from her horn. Upon hitting the stone tile, the bolt vanished and a second later a small cloud of red smoke rose from beneath the ground. Another scanning spell told Sunset Shimmer that the deed was done.

“I still don't think you two understand what kind of enemy we are up against,” Rainbow Dash began. “I’ve been to the meetings, and I can tell you that should the forest stop protecting us, we would be overrun within two years. Maybe four, if we were really lucky.”

“And I don't think you understand just how vain Celestia is, and how many territories she's occupying,” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed. “If we could raise an army and immediately assault Canterlot, we could bring her down in a single fell swoop.”

“It couldn't be that easy,” Applejack added, handing the mare another stone.

“Oh, it wouldn't be,” Sunset Shimmer admitted, tossing the rock, which had no effect. “A siege would be nearly impossible, and if you got bogged down for too long, the rest of her armies would return to the capital.”

“Crushing us in a single climactic battle,” Rainbow Dash stated before leaning down and holding up a hoof. “I got this one.”

The pony then pulled out a small dagger, which she used to lift a small section of the floor. Just below was a small indent, where a tripwire could be seen attached to a strange set of gears. Rainbow Dash didn't know what all the gears did, but what she did know was that the wire seemed to be the linchpin of the entire thing.

Snapping the line was done easily enough, and dodging the pair of bolts which shot from the wall was an even simpler task. Below the ground, the gears turned, and after they stopped moving, Rainbow Dash put a hoof on the plate, only for nothing to happen.

“It's clear,” Rainbow Dash stated.

“You know, I don't remember any of this from our first time down here,” Applejack remarked.

“We avoided this floor by using the teleportation glitch from that trap two floors up,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

Applejack rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Oh yeah.”

“Shall we change topics?” Sunset Shimmer offered.

“Yeah, I feel like that last one’s a bit heavy,” Applejack replied.

“I don't particularly enjoy being reminded how woefully outmatched we are on the world stage,” Rainbow Dash added.

“So…” Sunset Shimmer began somewhat tentatively. “It certainly has been a busy few months for you guys, huh?”

“That's an understatement,” Applejack exclaimed. “Only a few months ago I was convinced I would see the end of my family line in my lifetime. Now I’m already worrying about what kinda offspring would come from my brother and a troll.”

“Wait, he didn't get with that wild pony, Sugar something?” Rainbow Dash inquired.

“Nah, that didn't work out,” Applejack replied with a shrug. “The farm was a little too civilized for her taste.”

“Really?” Sunset Shimmer asked, turning away from the next tile in order to observe the other mare a little closer.

Applejack nodded. “Eeyup. Big Mac was mighty sad after that, but apparently some of Pinkie Pie’s family was visiting a while ago, and he met someone who talks about as much as he used to.”

“That certainly is an interesting turn of events,” Sunset Shimmer murmured. “Say, Applejack, could you handle this next one? I think it's another spike trap.”

Applejack nodded and stepped forward, roots sprouting from her hoof before slipping under the stone tile. “Hmm, doesn't feel like it. Ah, found something. Maybe if I-” Applejack began, only to be interrupted when a hole opened up in the wall.

From which sprung a battering ram on a rope that swung right over Rainbow Dash and hit the wall opposite of her. Both Applejack and Sunset Shimmer were ready to panic before they turned to find that their third companion had barely fit beneath the blunt object.

Sunset Shimmer stifled a giggle. “Oh my god. You are so tiny.”

“Excuse me, she prefers to be called fun-sized,” Applejack added.

Rainbow Dash sighed and rolled her eyes, slipping out from beneath the oak tree trunk suspended above her. “Yeah yeah, laugh it up. You’re just lucky that thing didn't clip me.”

“Yeah, we’d have to peel you off the wall with a spatula!” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed.

“At least it would be easy to carry ya, we could probably just dump you in a cup,” Applejack remarked with a snicker.

The two mares exchanged a hearty laugh at their petite friend’s expense.

Who was now scowling bitterly. “Let’s just go back to the library. It's been hours already.”

“What, is time growing short?” Applejack jabbed.

“I didn't know there was so little time left!” Sunset Shimmer added, already laughing.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “I hate you two so much right now.”

Several beings of various races and levels of confusion stood a good distance from a clearly distracted Twilight who was levitating two dozen books around her head while scribbling something on a new sheet of paper. Discarded sheets sat in a heap next to the table, while even more heavy tomes rested just out of reach, waiting for their turn to be used. Next to that rested a dozen apple cores in a bucket beneath the work surface while her magic continued to hum faintly as she worked.

“What do you think she's doing?” whispered a curious Rainbow Dash.

“I dunno, but it seems mighty in depth,” muttered Applejack.

“She's totally figured out time travel. I can feel it,” Pinkie Pie excitedly remarked.

“I can attest to our friend’s brilliance but she's only been down here a few hours,” Rarity replied.

“Time travel does seem like a stretch even for her,” added Fluttershy.

“Well, maybe not all forms of time travel, but this specific instance anyway,” Pinkie Pie explained.

“You are all wrong,” Sunset Shimmer interrupted. “It's clearly some kind of powerful necromantic spell. After all, it's the only kind of magic she can actually cast.”

“What if it's a time travel necromancy spell?” Spike offered.

Pinkie Pie wrapped a hoof around the dragon’s shoulders and gave the young male a squeeze. “That's what I’m talking about. See, this guy gets it,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Pfft, it's probably just some kind of high-minded magical mumbo jumbo,” Rainbow Dash dismissed. “Like finding the square root of a quadrillion.”

Pinkie Pie pursed her lips. “Three point one six two two eight times ten to the seven.”

“I feel like you’re wrong, but you stated that so confidently,” Rarity murmured.

“I don't wanna spend all day calculating that,” Spike added.

“It sounds right?” Sunset Shimmer remarked, scratching her skull.

“Y'all are getting off topic,” Applejack pointed out.

“Well, she ran out of ink again and hasn't asked for more,” Spike exclaimed.

“She must be nearly done,” stated Fluttershy.

“Hey, Twilight, are you almost done?” Rainbow Dash shouted.

The undead unicorn blinked, her floating ethereal hooves flickering briefly before the books they held fell unceremoniously to the floor. Twilight hastily scooped them up before depositing the fallen tomes on her desk and facing her friends.

“Oh, I didn't notice you all there. And yes, I am nearly done,” Twilight remarked.

“What did you figure out?” Sunset Shimmer asked curiously.

“Quite a bit,” Twilight replied. “This spell is astonishing. Truly a masterpiece of thaumaturgical engineering.”

“She's just saying that ‘cause she wrote it,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, causing Spike to snicker.

“I am not!” Twilight declared, huffing indignantly.

“So, what's it do?” Applejack interrupted. “It's not time travel, is it?”

“Why, yes, it is actually, but using the soul as the vector for travel,” Twilight explained. “It would allow me to go back in time to a point before the war. Once there, I could speak directly with Lu- you know who before she died.”

“Hmm, you know, being correct about this isn't nearly as satisfying as I imagined,” Sunset Shimmer murmured.

“And you all thought I was crazy,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, sticking her tongue out.

“That was for unrelated reasons,” Rainbow Dash remarked, exchanging a hoof bump and snicker with Applejack.

“You try to make meat cake one time!” Pinkie Pie yelled in an exasperated fashion, throwing a forehoof in the air and falling over.

Rarity leaned down and patted the troll’s back.

“So, you can use it, right? I mean, that warning did look pretty intense,” Spike pointed out.

“Like I explained earlier, the soul contains a certain amount of memories. This means my soul also existed within my previous incarnations,” Twilight began. “As such, this spell would see these other me’s as myself, allowing me to go back in time.”

“Or forward?” Sunset Shimmer inquired.

“Oh, that would be cool,” Rainbow Dash murmured, hopping up. “If you do go forward, let me know who shot the burned man. The seventh book is only coming out in like three years or something.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’ll save you the hope and just tell you that I can't go forward unless it's back to the same point I came from, sort of. It’s all very… fuzzy.”

“Fuzzy like a bear, or fuzzy like morally grey?” Fluttershy inquired.

“Neither?” Twilight frowned and scratched her head. “There are some strange restrictions on what kind of information can be passed back and forth through time.”

“Strange how?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Yeah, I’m feeling a might bit lost here,” Applejack admitted. “What do you even mean by information?”

Twilight sighed and grabbed a seemingly random diagram far too complex for anyone but her as well as Sunset to understand. “Do you see this? This strange construct, or universal law doesn't allow things that haven't already happened to occur.”

“What?” Rarity muttered.

“Perhaps there is a different way you could explain this?” Fluttershy offered.

Twilight ran a hoof down her face. “I’m trying to, but understanding the laws which govern time travel based solely on this spell is like reverse engineering a steam motor by listening to it from another room.”

“Okay, so you can't go forward, and you’ll only remember certain information anyway,” Sunset Shimmer inferred. “What else do you know?”

“That it’s not dangerous, and that maneuvering through the time stream is intent-based,” Twilight replied.

“In common?” Rainbow Dash pressed.

“I don't need to have a set time in mind, and I should be able to simply focus on something I want to know. The spell should then guide me to the point in history where I could either find that information, or when I already knew it,” Twilight explained.

A pure black cat hopped up on the desk and sprawled out across her work station, purring contentedly.

“Okay, but are you really going to try using it?” Fluttershy inquired. “It sounds dangerous.”

“It is a rather intensive spell, but it's well within the range of my abilities,” Twilight stated confidently.

“Alright, so, what are ya lookin’ for then?” Applejack pressed. “‘Cause if you are going back in time, then why don't ya try and find out where our princess is buried.”

“Or she could go back to find a dragon to learn the language from,” added Spike.

“Maybe her past self already cracked the code. A previous incarnation did nearly revive the Spirit of Chaos, after all,” Rarity pointed out.

“Nah, she should do a test run and go back to last week and stop me from accidentally ruining my souffle,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in a hopeful tone.

Twilight chuckled. “I hope to do two or more of those non-baking-related tasks at once.”

“Daw.” Pinkie Pie pouted.

“Hey, hold up,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “What is a level seven spell anyway? You mentioned it before but never explained it.”

“I can answer that,” Sunset announced. “Each level is measured by the thaums necessary to cast it. So anything between a single thaum and nine hundred and ninety-nine is level one.”

“And so on and so on every thousand thaums,” Twilight added. “Level nine is the highest anyone’s been able to cast without turning it into a ritual in order to allow other casters to donate their energy.”

“And ten is only theoretical as magic struggles to stay together when condensed to that point,” Sunset remarked.

“True,” Twilight stated.

“Okay, so it's super hard then? You could have just said that,” Rainbow Dash groused.

“I was!” Twilight shouted, throwing up her hooves.

“Are you really doing this?” Spike asked, the dragon frowning slightly as he clutched his hands together tightly.

“We need a win, and quickly,” Twilight stressed, stepping forward and putting a hoof on his shoulder. “Celestia’s army is coming, and we need to even the playing field.”

“I agree in theory, but we haven't exhausted all leads,” Sunset Shimmer pointed out. “There is plenty left to try.”

“Maybe we shouldn't use it,” Fluttershy whispered, tapping her forehooves together. “What if something goes wrong?”

“There are plenty of redundancies, I should be fine,” Twilight claimed, taking a step back.

“How did you even understand all this gobbledygook?” Rainbow Dash asked, turning the spell scroll this way and that as if different lighting would help her figure it out.

Twilight smacked the thestral’s hoof and took the paper from her. “Be careful with that.”

Rainbow Dash nursed her injured limb while shooting the unicorn a glare. “Ah, come on, it's not that brittle.”

“It's at least a thousand years old, and the protection charm on it is nearly failing,” Twilight retorted.

“Augh, fine, I’m sorry,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, muttering bitterly under her breath.

“And to answer your question, it was written in old ponish and not the bastardized version Trixie uses on occasion,” Twilight explained.

“Then why could we understand the warning?” Fluttershy asked.

“There is a translation spell on that part, ensuring that whomever is reading the page understands what they are getting into,” Twilight explained.

“Most spell scrolls have that kind of enchantment placed on the warnings, if nothing else,” Sunset Shimmer added.

“That's smart. Not sliced bread smart, but still up there,” Pinkie Pie remarked.

“It certainly is a good addition,” Rarity admitted, fixing the still living unicorn a firm look. “If you’re so certain about its use, I assume you are intent on using it soon then.”

“Today, preferably,” Twilight declared. “The faster we get answers, the faster we can start stacking the odds in our favour.”

“What I think Rares was tryin’ to say is that this all seems a bit rushed,” Applejack stated. “We just found this super special spell that dropped out of nowhere, and now you’re just going to cast it without even having Sunset look it over for ya.”

“Her math seems solid at least,” remarked Sunset Shimmer, who was pouring over Twilight’s notes.

“Look, I know how it sounds, and I know that there are other options, but this is the best chance to get what we need right now,” Twilight stated, stomping her hoof.

“Well, if you’re certain it will work,” Fluttershy murmured.

“Plus win or lose, I should be able to return to the exact point I left, so no matter what, I’ll only waste a few minutes of time at most,” Twilight continued.

“That's if time travel works that way,” Spike pointed out.

“How else would it work exactly?” asked Applejack.

“Oooh, I wonder if Daring Do and the Terrible Timepiece was right,” Rainbow Dash remarked.

“The Time Traveler's wife operates under much more reasonable rules,” Rarity countered.

“Nah, it's totally going to be a hot tub time machine type deal,” Pinkie Pie stated with a shocking level of confidence.

“I don't know what any of those things are, but there is no hot tub involved,” Twilight stated.

“Daww,” Pinkie Pie muttered, kicking the ground.

“So, that's it then, you’re going to cast this spell right here?” Sunset Shimmer inquired.

“No, not here,” Twilight hastily replied. “The cave would be a much more suitable location.”

“The cave?” asked Sunset Shimmer.

“Ahh, that creepy secret room way down at the bottom,” Applejack inferred.

“Yes, that room,” Twilight answered. “It was designed to isolate magical energy. This should allow me to cast larger spells without having to worry about any interference or outside noise.”

“Well, better get going then,” Rainbow Dash announced, hopping up from her spot next to Fluttershy. “I wanna get this over and done with before my next shift starts.”

“It would be nice to get back to my animals soon,” Fluttershy murmured. “The grove needs a good onceover.”

“And I bet Zecora’s already mumbling about how I’ll never complete my shaman training at this rate,” Pinkie Pie remarked.

“Hold on, what exactly is this cave thing you spoke of?” Sunset Shimmer interrupted. “I know you explained its purpose, but a thaumatic isolation chamber can take many forms.”

“It's what it sounds like,” Twilight began. “A secret room carved from stone which functions like a traditional anti-interference glitch, only better, as you don't have to deal with any magic whatsoever.”

Sunset Shimmer stroked her bony chin thoughtfully. “That would be convenient. Having to account for only the isolation glyph’s magic makes things easier. Without that step you could potentially cast some very powerful spells without worrying about something messing with your work.”

“So, is everyone ready?” Twilight inquired, the nightmare kitty standing tall atop the undead’s head.

Spike hopped up. “I think so, Dusk, let's go.”

Sunset Shimmer wished she had lips in order to whistle, though she made the closest approximation she could manage. “This is a nice set up, even if it is rather… rugged.”

“More like morbid,” murmured Rarity.

“I’m just going to wait outside if you don't mind,” Fluttershy exclaimed from the doorway. “This room doesn't feel right.”

“I’ll be out here too,” added Rainbow Dash.

“Anyone else?” Twilight asked, glancing to the rest of the group.

“Nah, I think we’re good,” Spike remarked.

“Alright then, just give me a little room. The spell requires several focusing circles to function,” Twilight declared.

“Need a hoof?” offered Sunset.

“I’m afraid every part of the spell needs to be tied to my signature,” Twilight replied, pulling out a few sticks of chalk. “It has to be me from start to finish, or there is a chance something will go wrong.”

“And if things did go south, then what would happen?” Applejack inquired, settling down near a wall.

Twilight’s hoof stopped mid-movement. “I’m fairly certain a chunk of the other pony’s soul would get torn out of their body. Killing them, potentially, though there is a chance of something far worse happening.”

Pinkie Pie pulled her tongue back into her mouth and made a note to not lick the chalk.

“What could be worse than that?” Spike asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You don't want to know,” Twilight stated.

“But-”

“Trust her on this one,” Sunset Shimmer interrupted.

Spike sighed. “Fine. Just don't screw it up, alright? I’ve already lost one purple-haired nerd in my lifetime. I don't want to lose a second.”

Twilight smiled and gave the dragon a nod. “I won't, Spike. I promise.”

“Right then, someone wake me when things get interesting. All this darkness is making me sleepy,” Applejack exclaimed before yawning and sprawling out on the ground, snoring mere seconds later.

“How does she do that?” Rarity murmured, poking a spindly leg into the farmer’s side. “It's like she has a switch that she can just flick whenever she wants.”

“Oh, it's not that hard, see?” Pinkie Pie announced before suddenly ragdolling, snoring only a second later.

“Now that would be a convenient trick to learn when I was alive,” Sunset Shimmer remarked. “Speaking of which, how did you do that multiple hoof levitation thing back there?”

Twilight perked up, turning to the skeleton. “Oh, that? I just realized that I could split a small part of my soul in order to create additional limbs. The spell itself requires only a visualization of what you want to use that bit of your lifeforce to accomplish, after all.”

“That is quite creative,” Sunset Shimmer murmured.

“And a little messed up,” Spike added. “I mean, you’re splitting your soul.”

“That can't be good for you, darling,” Rarity exclaimed.

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. “Trust me. It's fine. The soul is not something that can be easily damaged. It's like…”

The unicorn stopped her chalk hoof and hummed thoughtfully for a moment. “It's like dough. If you split it or cut it, you can just put it back into the mass, and it's fine. Sure, you can screw it up, but I’m not cutting anything off, just changing its shape ever so slightly.”

“Still doesn't sound healthy to me,” Spike murmured. “Also, that metaphor sucked.”

“Look I can appreciate you all have your very valid concerns, but I really must focus,” Twilight remarked before kneeling back down and continuing her work.

“Right, is there anything I can do in the meantime?” Sunset Shimmer offered. “More snacks, extra chalk? A back rub?”

“Although that last one does sound nice, I don't require anything at the moment,” Twilight replied.

“Alright then, I’ll leave you to it,” Sunset Shimmer murmured.

Twilight nodded and picked up the chalk once more, returning right back to where she had left off.

“Is this really necessary?” Rarity asked Sunset Shimmer in a low tone, gesturing to the magic circle being etched right before them. “We did have other leads, and though I admit time is of the essence, this seems like a bit much.”

Sunset Shimmer nodded. “I agree, but ultimately this isn't up to us. Twilight wants to protect her new home, and she's willing to do anything it takes to accomplish that.”

“Still,” Spike murmured, “using a random spell we found just because it was placed there by a previous incarnation of hers seems reckless.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Sunset Shimmer stated evenly.

Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all stood next to one another just outside the ritual room. Together they watched as Twilight stood in the center of a multi-layered circle that in one skeleton’s eyes seemed more like an art piece than magical focus. The dense array of tightly packed arcane, mana charged lines, and incredibly detailed glyph work Sunset expected, simply werent there.

They had been replaced by multiple images of the Sun, Moon, Equis, and even the stars above. Each one of these images were bound in small arrays of their own which fed into a relatively simple central circle. Sure, there were a few of the normal charge runes one would expect, but everything before her had a certain level of artistry that modern spellcasting lacked.

It was quite visually appealing, though it made Sunset Shimmer’s more analytical side cry out in barely contained rage. It was just so… inefficient, though even then she had to admit that since it was pure necromancy, it likely had different rules than the ones she was used to. Rules which she had yet to fully grasp given she was only able to cast a very small selection of necromantic spells.

Which were limited almost entirely to those that dealt with healing and nothing like what she saw before her.

“Do you think she's faking it?” Rainbow Dash whispered.

“Now, why would she go and do something like that?” Applejack retorted.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “She's been standing there motionless for a long while already. Maybe she screwed up and doesn't want to admit it.”

“Now, darling, you know very well that Twilight wouldn't do that,” Rarity exclaimed. “This is a very complicated and very new spell. Give her time.”

“Yeah yeah, just growing impatient, is all,” Rainbow Dash murmured. “You’d think there would at least be a light show or something.”

Fluttershy’s ears perked up. “Do you all feel that?”

“It's like something crawling up my spine,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, shivering in disgust.

“I don't feel any-” Sunset Shimmer shuddered, her bones clattering against one another. “Oh, that's spooky. Like someone walked over my grave.”

“There's pressure in the air. I think it’s working,” Applejack murmured.

“Shh, somethings happening,” whispered Spike, pointing towards the circle.

Which had begun to glow with the faint greenish purple that seemed to permeate every one of Twilight’s spells. The eerie light cast the room in a strange, unnatural glow, one which made the hair rise on the back of everyone’s neck, if they still had hair.

They could also hear the undead unicorn whisper something over and over in a strangely musical tone of voice. There was no clear rhythm to the mare’s words, and yet it moved them, made them want to stomp their hooves and feet. The necromancer also swayed on her hooves, body twisting and moving as if caught on a powerful, as well as fickle wind.

“Mana, yood, sushai, avime, avake, voril,” Twilight murmured, her voice warbling in a strange and unfamiliar manner that only served to unnerve the listeners even more.

“What’s happening?” Rarity whispered, tapping her limbs while bobbing up and down.

“It's like a heartsong, only a lot stranger,” Sunset Shimmer remarked.

“I don't feel so good,” Fluttershy added, her eyes rolling around in her semi-ethereal head while the spirit stomped and shook herself along to the chaotic beat.

“Should we tell her to stop?” Rainbow Dash asked, similarly moving as did the rest of her friends.

“No, that would only make things worse,” Spike quickly stated. “Interrupting this much power would be disastrous.”

“Spike is right. At this point, there is nothing we can do but observe,” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed.

Their gazes remained glued to Twilight as her body shook and contorted. Her voice rose and fell, while the shadow beneath her emerged from the ground in thick twisting blobs of black. It looked almost like paint running down a canvas, only it defied gravity, rising into the air and nearly obscuring Twilight completely.

Even the nightmare seemed to have been drawn into the music as the undulating mass of twisting darkness rose and fell. It was like the shapeless mass was dancing, parts of its body forming strange shapes in a chaotic yet orderly manner. It was a difficult thing to put into words, though the beings watching the necromancer quickly felt their gaze pulled towards Twilight’s eyes.

Which were slowly filling with a darkness so black that it seemed to pull the very light from the room. The swirling mass grew and grew until the mare’s eyes were completely gone, replaced entirely by the void. The thumping of some distant war drum became more noticeable as the light of the circle grew brighter.

The energy which poured from it was now so potent that it began to pool around their waists, taking the form of a deep greenish blue fog. Peering into the strange smokey mist, Twilight’s friends were shocked to see the faces of many strange creatures. Some were species they had seen before like ponies, minotaurs, and changelings while there were others they didn't recognize.

Weird four-legged creatures that looked like dogs mixed with insects, hairless apes, short grey bipeds, as well as many others none of them could place. Each one of these creatures seemed to peer out of the mists curiously, a look of shock and confusion on their faces. A very select few quickly began to try and push their way out of the fog, but their smokey forms vanished mere moments after this happened.

Despite all that strangeness, all eyes were once more drawn back to Twilight who had suddenly become still. The ethereal outline of a horn sprung up on her head, the long, curved appendage glowing with a faint magenta energy. The fog grew thicker, boiling up around the undead mare’s body until she was nearly completely obscured.

Her voice continued to rise, the mumbled words becoming clearer, yet no less identifiable. Until at last she rose up onto her back legs, forehooves extended above her, a single terrible word bursting from her lips.

“Aeternum!” she screamed.

The word exploded with such force that it knocked everyone back while also sending the fog all across the room. Twilight, however, never saw this, nor did she feel her body slump to the ground, the familiar light vanishing in the wake of the spell’s completion.

For the necromancer was already long gone.

Twilight fell through something, though fell may not have been the proper way to describe what was happening to her. She tumbled clumsily through a strangely viscous substance which surrounded her on all sides. Her first instinct was to flail her legs, to cry out and panic, but she resisted all those urges.

She knew this was coming, even if her friends didn't.

Twilight remembered well the warning to keep her destination clear and at the forefront of her mind. Something that was becoming increasingly difficult the longer she felt herself falling forwards through the slurping mass of the otherworldly greenish blue gel which encapsulated her. It was an altogether bizarre experience, but compared to dying, even the odd, tumbling sense of vertigo wasn't unbearable.

I wish to go when I knew where Luna was buried, and where I can learn the language of the first dragons, Twilight repeated to herself over and over.

The strange tug which she had felt since entering this alien dimension shifted suddenly and instead of falling forwards, she began to rapidly ascend, rising up through the churning mass of weird liquid, Twilight felt hope begin to bloom within her. Whatever was happening felt right, and Twilight was certain she was going where she wanted to go.

It may have taken every last scrap of magic she had, including part of the nightmare’s own, but that was acceptable. Twilight Sparkle was going to save her new family, no matter the personal cost.

She turned her eyes upwards, or at least what felt like up. To where a pony-sized white hole had opened up in the slimy mass. Though distance was hard to calculate in this bizarre world of churning liquid, it didn't feel like it was very far away. At her current pace, it would only take a few more seconds, and she would be through the opening and back into reality once more.

The blinding white light made it impossible to see her destination, but Twilight still felt confident that it was where she wanted to be. With mere moments away from arriving at the time she wished, curiosity got the better of her, and she looked around the strange ocean she found herself adrift within.

A feeling of deja vu overtook her, and she felt her gaze turn downward, towards an enormous pair of purple eyes. Just one of which had to be miles across, glowing brightly in the swirling nightmare sea. The second she stared within those strangely familiar orbs Twilight suddenly felt calm, and as though she were looking into a mirror.

Then it was gone, and there was only white.

Sunset Shimmer collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Her body nearly came apart the second she felt the stone rush up to meet her, yet with grim determination, she held herself together. After the skeleton managed the herculean task of standing back up, she began to look nervously around the room.

“Is everyone okay?” Sunset Shimmer hastily asked, turning around to find that most of her friends were slowly picking themselves off the ground.

“That was, quite, something,” murmured Rarity as she rubbed her head.

“Wowee zowee, now that was an exit,” Pinkie Pie added, awkwardly climbing back up into a stand.

“Where’s Twilight?” Spike asked before he could even stand back up.

Applejack grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and hoisted him back up. “She’s right where we left her.”

Fluttershy frowned as she gazed upon the still form of their undead friend. “I don't know, something doesn't feel right.”

“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “It's just Twilight. She's probably already back from her time travelling adventure”

Twilight’s eyes opened to reveal that they had returned to normal, or at least they seemed normal, anyway. The second Spike gazed within the oddly familiar orbs, his hope vanished, and he quickly realized he was looking upon a stranger. One who seemed eerily nonplussed by her strange arrival, merely glancing around the room in a distinctly cold, almost calculating manner.

“I don't think that's your Twilight anymore,” Spike murmured.

Upon hearing the voice, the stranger raised an eyebrow and observed the group closely. Her gaze fixed mainly on Sunset Shimmer, though she inspected them all so intensely that none could avoid feeling at least slightly uncomfortable by the look they were being given. She then opened her mouth and asked something in a language no one understood, though it sounded strangely familiar.

“Is she doing that show voice thing, but only worse?” Spike inquired.

“Who cares, tell us who you are and what you did to Twilight!” Rainbow Dash demanded.

The stranger sighed and closed her eyes, only to gasp and look up at her broken horn in shock. She then began to mutter what were clearly curses, an irritated look crossing her face.

“Stay back, she might have been trying to cast a spell at us,” Applejack exclaimed, striding forward and putting herself between her friends and the stranger.

“I don't know, that looked like she was trying to communicate,” Sunset Shimmer interjected. “Here, let me cast a simple translation spell.”

The second the spell was complete, the stranger tentatively spoke.

“Calm, positivity, acceptance,” she whispered in a soft tone.

“Relax, curiosity, Pinkie Pie,” stated the troll, who put a forehoof against her chest.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You don't have to talk like she does.”

The stranger gasped in surprise. “You can understand me? Fascinating.”

“Uh, yeah, it's a translation spell. That's what it's supposed to do,” Sunset Shimmer deadpanned.

“In my time we can only convey base emotions using such a spell,” the stranger replied. “I must be far in the future if you have come so far.”

“Wait, so you’re past Twilight?” Spike asked in a slightly hopeful tone.

“It seems so,” murmured the stranger coldly. “Though I’ve never seen any of you before, nor have I ever seen any of the species you seem to belong to.”

“Wait, not even dragons?” Spike asked, pointing to himself.

“That does seem a might bit far-fetched,” Applejack remarked. “They are one of the oldest races around, ya know.”

“I am well aware they are the oldest species native to Equis,” the stranger replied. “But this is a drakeling. No doubt the spawn of one of the altered dragons several dozen generations down the line.”

“Drakeling?” Fluttershy asked.

The stranger trotted up to Spike and gently but firmly grabbed his head, forcing him to look left and right as she inspected him. “The spell must have worked as planned. You have clearly pony-like features. Rounded eyes, more dull edges, and the spark of kindness is clear in your eyes,” she continued.

“Woah there, how about you take a step back away from the kid, alright?” Rainbow Dash interjected, a hoof placed over the hilt of her weapon.

“I don't think she's trying to be mean, Dashie,” Pinkie Pie offered.

“Merely curious. It is fascinating to see the results of my experiment,” the stranger frowned. “Though the fact that I don't remember this event is worrying, and this strange crawling sensation is quite unpleasant.”

Her shadow stretched away from her, a familiar black cat emerging from the ground, clawing her way as far away from the stranger as it could manage.

“What is…” The stranger frowned. “I don't even want to know. This is clearly not something I was meant to see and likely won't remember anyway.”

“Err, what?” Fluttershy murmured, scratching her head.

“Don't worry about it,” stated the stranger. “Now, who knows how I got to this place and era of time?”

Sunset Shimmer pulled the spell sheet from her bag and showed it to the pony. “With this spell we found.”

“Then I finished, it after all. Strangely large energy requirements though,” murmured the stranger. “That is my horn writing, however. Where did you find this?”

“In an old book called Sensible Sensibilities,” Rarity offered. “Though I’m surprised we were able to read it, since we can't understand you.”

“All my tomes have translation spells placed upon them. Spoken words may be harder to alter in real time, but words are not quite so difficult,” the stranger explained before seating herself on the ground.

“We went over this before, remember?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

“Oh, that's right,” Rarity murmured. “My apologies, darling. There has been so much magic talk that my brain feels like mush.”

“Wait, so what do you mean you don't remember this? How could you remember something before it happened?” Sunset Shimmer inquired.

“Ooh ooh! Does time travel work with hot tub time machine rules?” Pinkie Pie inquired.

“I don't know what that is, and I frankly don't have the time to explain it to you,” declared the other Twilight who rested her chin on her forehooves. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, this body seems to require rest.”

“Hold on, what do you mean you don't have the time to explain it? I think we deserve at least somewhat of an explanation,” Rarity replied, crossing her forehooves over her chest.

The stranger opened a single eye and glanced curiously up at the arachne. “It took me thirty years of study to comprehend the subtle nuances of time travel and even then I had yet to create the spell which allowed this other version of me to travel through it.”

“Wait, thirty years? I thought the other Twilight only made it to like twenty-five or something,” Rainbow Dash remarked.

“She's not my Twilight,” Spike murmured.

“Interesting,” exclaimed the stranger. “Why would you think there would only be two of us? Even in my time that assumption would be incorrect.”

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