It was later.

For her part, Twilight’s panic attack had only lasted a few minutes before she’d managed to calm herself down, likely due to the wonder of being in a distant foreign city she’d read so much about.

Sunset, on the other hoof, didn’t have a real panic attack. While she had them from time to time, this was not one of those times. Instead, she had—by her own admission—thrown a tantrum. She’d ranted to the sky and the sun and the sand, stomping around like some ticked-off manticore for nearly a quarter of an hour. In the end, only the heat of the Saddle Arabian sun had driven her to seek the cool of the bookstore’s shaded patio.

During all of it, the Saddle Arabian stallion had leaned against the wall of his bookstore and chuckled quietly to himself.

If he weren’t so annoyingly calm and affable, Sunset would have hated him a little for that.

After both mares had reacted in their chosen fashion, the stallion had led them through the bookstore and into a small office in the back of the shop. It was a surprisingly neat and tidy place, looking more like the office of a manager at a sales company than one of a used bookstore owner. There were a few file cabinets, some pictures of what Sunset assumed to be the stallion’s family, and a large desk, with only a hoofful of books scattered about on various surfaces.

“Ah, yes, here we are,” the stallion said as he re-entered his office, a small platter on his back. “I find this particular blend always soothes me when I’m feeling particularly stressed.”

With that strange earth pony ease, he set two glasses of an orange-colored tea in front of them, complete with little fruits on the rims.

“What was it again?” Sunset asked, trying to keep the general annoyance at the world out of her voice and probably failing miserably.

If the stallion noticed, he made no comment because his smile never faded. “Chilled mango tea. Please, young ones, drink up. It’s sure to soothe your jangled nerves.”

Twilight took up her glass in her magic and took a sip, then blinked in surprise. “This is good. Really good!”

“I have plenty more if you require a refill, but refills cost a story, young ones.”

“Who are you, anyway?” Sunset said, glaring at her tea and ignoring the bait.

“Ah, yes, introductions.” The stallion chuckled. “Forgive me. The niceties were forgotten upon finding two fillies wandering around my shop before business hours. You may call me Pathseeker. You are in my beloved place of business, the Wayfinder. Might I inquire as to your names, young ones?”

“I’m… uh… Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight answered, adjusting her glasses and chewing her lip a little. “And this is Sunset Shimmer.”

“And from your accent, I would wager you hail from Equestria.” His ears flicked a little. “Canterlot, I believe.”

“That’s… impressive,” Sunset said, cocking an eyebrow and eyeing the stallion.

“A knack, nothing more. Accents and dialects is simply something I’ve picked up through my long years in this wonderful city.” He sighed. “And beyond, of course. But, you are not here for stories about my past, yes?”

“We’re not supposed to be here at all,” Sunset muttered, crossing her hooves in front of her and pointedly not looking at the pony beside her.

“Sunset, try the tea!” Twilight said, her glass already half empty. “It’ll help.”

Sunset rolled her eyes, but since they were currently in a foreign nation, it probably wouldn’t be wise to offend their host by refusing his hospitality. Sunset vaguely remembered hospitality being a very big deal in this part of the world. So, she picked up her cup and took a quick swig, only for the blast of mango to wash away her sore throat. She blinked and stared at it.

“I see you enjoy the recipe. I would be delighted to share it with you, if you so desire.”

“Uh… thanks.” Sunset took a long, deep drink and followed it up with an equally long, deep breath. “Sorry if I’m… snappy. It’s been a difficult night.”

“Then I take it from your reactions to your location—and your use of the word ‘night’—you did not come here by choice?” Pathseeker folded his hooves on his desk and leaned forward.

“Not… exactly.” Twilight blushed and ran a hoof along one of her bangs. “You see… we’re um… actually looking for a rare book. We were in Canterlot, in a used bookstore called Wandering Pages and—”

The stallion’s ears stuck straight up and he let out a great belly laugh. “Ah! You are from Canterlot in Equestria and you were in Wandering Pages? Ah, by the Sands, I wonder if you are now playing games with me!”

“What?” Sunset protested. “No! Of course not! Why would you think that?”

“Tell me, young ones, have you ever heard of Narrative Causality?”

Sunset facehoofed.

“That’s not a real thing!” Twilight cried, flailing her hooves around. “It’s just a theory Sir Flat Earth used in his books!”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. I cannot say for sure. But tell me, what is the likelihood of you appearing in the broom closet of someone—on the other side of the world—who knows of the very bookstore from whence you came? You seem like the type gifted in mathematics and statistics, Miss Sparkle. Could you calculate such odds?”

“What? Just because I wear glasses?” Twilight demanded in a huff.

“Twilight, he’s not wrong. What’re the odds?” Sunset grumbled, hoof still planted firmly on her face.

“I… low enough to defy any rational likelihood without an external force,” Twilight admitted.

Sunset groaned, pulled her hoof away and took another long drink from her tea.

“And there you are,” Pathseeker said with another belly laugh. “Ah, I delight in it, be it Causality or coincidence, I do so delight in it. Now, onto the topic at hoof. Am I to suppose that dear old Lost Pages has finally made progress with her research at the former site of the Royal Canterlot Archives?”

Sunset just barely managed to not spit her tea across Pathseeker’s desk. “You know her? I mean… the fact you know the bookstore is one thing, but that you personally know Lost Pages herself? And what she was doing?”

“Oh, yes, though it has been many, many years since we’ve seen one another.” He leaned back and ran a hoof through his graying black mane, smiling as if lost in memory. “She was the… what is the phrase… ‘point pony’? Yes, the ‘point pony’ for her beloved RCA when the ruins of the Anugypt civilization were uncovered just six days trot from here. I worked with her for some time, leading various expeditions into the dunes.

“Yes, those were exciting days in Jeddahoof. Sadly, these old bones no longer guide creatures into the sands, but instead, simply move about town and, of course, work my humble establishment. All for the next generation of Seekers. Ah, Lost Page was one of the greatest Seekers I have ever known.”

Sunset and Twilight shared a glance.

“That’s… great,” Sunset said slowly. “But… Lost Page’s research is why we’re unwillingly here. How do you know about it?”

“We may be on the other side of the world, young ones,” Pathseeker chuckled, “but we still do have a very efficient postal service. We correspond once or twice a month. She always was quite obsessed with leylines and their history long before she purchased Wandering Pages. When she found the floor of the Linking Chamber… it all but consumed her.”

“This is your idol, by the way.” Sunset gave Twilight a pointed look.

Twilight’s ears fell and she flushed, not saying a word as she nearly drained the rest of her tea.

“Now, now, there is no need for recrimination. If you are friends—or at least customers—of Lost Page, then I am happy to render assistance however I can. But to do so, I must know what has transpired. If you would please continue your tale, Miss Sparkle?”

“Well, um…” Twilight glanced at Sunset briefly before turning her attention back to Pathseeker. “You see… she… knew who I was. I work at the current Royal Canterlot Archives, you see. And… one thing led to another and she showed us the floor with the leyline map, arcane patterns and runic inscriptions. We knew a little something about it, so as Lost Page went to go find Sunset’s book, we… may have… played around a little with it.”

Sunset bit back her addition to the story, namely that Twilight had played a bit too much with it. As the reality of their situation sunk in, it was getting harder to remain sympathetic to Twilight’s little ‘mistake.’

“And you actually engaged a Linking Chamber, yes?” Pathseeker supplied.

Twilight nodded, biting her lip and playing with the glass in her hooves.

“Remarkable. Simply remarkable,” Pathseeker leaned back in his chair and considered them. “Such a thing has not been done in… I cannot even say. You have stepped into a world of rumor, mythology and secrets, young ones. I do hope you are up to the challenge.”

He chuckled with a sparkle in his eye.

“I don’t suppose you know what a Linking Chamber actually is?” Sunset muttered. “That little detail has escaped us.”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Pathseeker replied. “A moment, please. I must retrieve a book and a refill for Miss Sparkle and yourself.”

He bowed his head to each of them in turn and stepped out, closing the door behind him. An awkward silence descended on the room. Sunset couldn’t even look at Twilight. To think for just a second, she had seen stars in the mare’s eyes. For one second, she’d been—

“I’m sorry, Sunset,” Twilight sniffled, her voice trembling all over again. “I… I really believed you. I thought we’d just be somewhere inside Wandering Pages. I… part of me wants to jump up and down at the idea of getting to see Jeddahoof itself! The rest of me thinks… how… how could I do this to you? My curiosity ripped you from Canterlot, from everything. We’re not even any closer to finding your book!”

“That’s… not strictly true,” Sunset replied, unable to take the warble in Twilight’s voice. “Before the spell triggered, Lost Page shouted there might be a copy in ‘The Store,’ whatever that is.”

Twilight whirled to stare at her, her face nearly white with shock and horror. “No! Not there! We can’t—”

The moment the door opened, her muzzle snapped shut and her ears went flat against her skull. The look in her eyes said it all: not here, not now.

Sunset had no idea what that was about, but it wasn’t worth arguing. The situation was complicated enough as it was. And it wasn’t like they could do anything. Canterlot—and ’The Store,’ whatever that was—was on the other side of the planet.

Pathseeker smiled as he set two more cups before them and slipped a large jug of the tea onto a small stand that looked to be built precisely for that purpose. Then, he settled a large, thick tome on the desk..

“I’ve… never seen this book before,” Twilight whispered as she quickly swapped glasses.

“Oh, you’ve seen them all?” Pathseeker smiled.

Sunset snickered, despite her mood. “You’d be surprised. There’s a reason she’s the youngest Assistant Lead Archivist in RCA history.”

Pathseeker raised an eyebrow and smiled even wider. “In that case, you should enjoy this greatly, Miss Sparkle. You have told me a story. I shall repay you with more tea and a story of my own. Ironic that it should begin far from here… in the very place you came from.”

Sunset leaned forward, curious, even if she was still vaguely annoyed. If this stallion knew something about how they got here, maybe he might have the key to getting them home. And, she had to admit, the information they had managed to dig up on leylines had been sparse. There was a chance this could even lead to a better solution to their ongoing problems with the Spire.

And maybe get it working again without Moon Dancer.

Sunset winced at the thought, unsure if it came from her or the voice in the back of her head.

“Once, long ago, but after your kind settled in Equestria,” Pathseeker said as he opened to the first page, “ponies found special places in their land where their magic grew stronger. And it was not limited to unicorns, but also pegasi and earth ponies. Scholars sought to understand this strange effect. They found what would one day be called the Circumference Line.”

Pathseeker drew his large hoof around the page, highlighting the familiar-looking map of Equestria’s leylines. Sunset peered down at it. It looked almost as detailed as the floor in Wandering Pages.

“Indeed, on and around this line, ponies found it easier to grow food, do advanced magics or fly faster than they thought possible,” Pathseeker continued. “So, scholars of the era continued their search, seeking more locations. And they found them, as you can see from this map. To this day, spellcasters and thaumaturgic scientists still seek more branches of magical power beneath the land.”

“You’re not telling us anything we don’t know,” Sunset said flatly. “We’re a bit more educated than the average pony when it comes to leylines.”

Twilight just sipped her tea.

“Oh, I know that, Sunset Shimmer. I would expect as much from the first student of the Princess of the Sun.”

Sunset paled, her heart skipping a beat. “How… how can you know who I am?”

Pathseeker rummaged around under his desk, then flopped down… a newspaper? Yes, a newspaper with a picture of her along with her friends and Princess Celestia. All… covered in snow and laughing. Even Twilight was there.

“The… snowball fight?”

“This is one of many,” he said easily then smiled his easygoing smile. “I have a subscription to the Canterlot Weekly. I also have one to a newspaper in most major capitals of the world. I enjoy keeping in the know of the world around me. Jeddahoof is our greatest trading port. Things such as this are not hard to come by. And I particularly enjoy the image of the Princess of the Sun coated with snow!”

He unleashed another belly laugh, then his face grew a little more somber. “But, in truth, who you are changes little. Before me, I see two young ones with no small amount of fear in their eyes. I do not care about your name. I care about your quest to return home”

Now, he had Sunset’s full attention. “Can you get us home?”

“No,” he replied, not meeting her eyes for the first time since they sat down. “In truth, I cannot even say why you appeared in my broom closet, though I have a whisper of an idea. And that idea may yet yield a solution. But first, you must understand the history behind what has happened to you this day.”

Sunset leaned back and nodded slowly, putting her drink on his desk. She found she wasn’t really in the mood for it anymore.

“Go on,” Sunset said.

Beside her, Twilight nodded. She kept her drink.

“I have told you of the discovery of the leylines. Through the centuries, the knowledge of them spread. Sometimes that knowledge came from ponykind, sometimes they were discovered by another race with no outside interference. All eventually started to ask questions, such as why these things happened. Was there a pattern? What of the places where leylines converged? One of the most popular questions was precisely what they were. Creatures all over the world came up with many theories. Some believed they were simply crystalline conduits that grew deep in the earth that allowed magic to flow from one place of power to another. Some believe they remnants of a great, world-spanning civilization, though who’s civilization depended on the race considering question.”

“The Alicorn Imperium,” Twilight muttered to herself.

“The what?” Sunset’s head swiveled to stare at her.

Twilight hesitated, but when Pathseeker smiled again and urged her to go on, she nibbled on a bang before continuing.

“It’s… an old myth, one of many constructs to explain the existence of alicorns, in this case, Princess Celestia. The Imperium used to span the globe, with alicorns enslaving nearly every other race. They built a marvelous civilization built upon magic and slavery.” Twilight blushed fiercely. “Centuries passed, then, two of their number—unable to stand the sight of the other races oppressed—tried to put an end to it by empowering the creatures beneath them with magics of their own. The Imperium shattered under the weight of the uprising, but the many races were scattered to the winds. As for the rest of the alicorns, they fled this world, forcing the two rebels to remain behind. One of those was Celestia. The other… well, her name is a bit muddled in some texts. There are dozens of different names given to her…”

“And therein lies the problem,” Pathseeker said, his eyes dancing at the telling of the story. “History itself is ‘muddled,’ even as far back as a few hundred years. Details become lost, facts wander into myth, myth falls to legend and legend breaks into fragments.”

“But you know more than that,” Sunset insisted. “You have to.”

“Indeed I do. But I believe in context, you will find the key.” Pathseeker turned the page. “Great sorcerers once studied the leylines, ones such as Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever. There were fantastic deerkin sorceresses who also studied them, for their lands are filled with leylines great and small. The Saddle Arabians, we had mages who sought the waters of the many oases throughout lands and in so doing, found our leylines and delved into their mysteries. Still, accounts clash and disagree. But I am getting ahead of myself.”

On the pages were a long list of the names of different creatures. Some were pony names, some were griffon, or Saddle Arabian, or deerkin. There were even hippogriff and yak names, if Sunset was reading it right.

“I’m not seeing how this is helping us,” Sunset said, her patience beginning to fray. “None of these leads to a way home.”

“Then allow me to speed things up,” Pathseeker said, sounding entirely unruffled. He flipped through a few dozen pages before he came to a new version of the map… this one of the entire world with every major leyline highlighted.

“About eight hundred years ago, your kind were founding great cities. Canterlot had already been built, but Manehattan, Baltimare and Tall Tale were all under construction. Ponies naturally create cities on leylines or leyline nexuses. So did most other races, be it griffons, yaks, arabians or hippogriffs. But there was one other thing they had in common… literacy.”

“They could read.” Sunset raised an eyebrow, her voice flat. “Shocker.”

“Sunset!” Twilight hissed. “Stop interrupting!”

Sunset glanced over and saw Twilight completely enraptured by the tale. Which was also a shocker. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Believe it or not, there were many cultures where reading and writing were reserved for a select few. And the concept of public libraries was another matter entirely. During that time, simply a beginning of a spark of an idea.” Pathseeker chuckled. “Still, each of these races held magic of their own. And, as literacy grew, each tended to write books on all manner of things, not least of all: magic. With the rise of libraries in each of these lands, those magic books were often collected into the same place.”

Suddenly, Sunset had a nagging suspicion where this was going.

“Ah, you see,” Pathseeker nodded approvingly at her. “Magic tends to attract more magic. And when enough magic remains in the same place for long enough…”

“It begins to subtly alter reality,” Sunset whispered.

“And since most major centers of civilization were built upon leylines?” Pathseeker prompted, reminding her of a know-it-all history professor back at GU.

“They linked.” Twilight’s hooves flew to her mouth. “They linked!”

Pathseeker turned the page, showing a lot of text and an illustration of twisting, winding passages of bookshelves that seemed to change every dozen feet or so.

“There are rumors of creatures lost in the depths of both library and bookstore, only to find themselves in another place of books entirely. Though to be fair, not all return, or if they do return, they do not return from whence they came.” Pathseeker’s voice became grave. “This is why understanding the history of leylines is important. One reason. You must know that they are ancient. We do not understand them even to this day. We use them—if only at a fraction of the capacity we once did—but do not know what they truly are. I have heard stories that leylines are a strange sort of space outside our own, though others say such stories are foolishness, I’ve seen things that make me wonder.”

“So, we can use one of these passages to simply walk back to Canterlot?” Sunset said, leaning forward in her chair. “A ‘back alley’ in a bookstore?”

“It is not that simple. And we have one more question to answer. Namely… what a Linking Chamber is.”

“And?” Twilight leaned forward too, but not before taking another drink.

“What you experienced in Wandering Pages is…” he hesitated, looking really uncomfortable. “It is not what they were meant to do. Linking Chambers were developed through an intense series of exchange programs with the libraries of the world. They were not built to teleport living beings. They were built for the communication of information through scroll or book. They are—to oversimplify it a great deal—a very advanced magical lending system, or a very long-range communication system. Yes, they utilize leylines, but they were never intended for creatures.”

“Wait,” Sunset said as it started to finally sink in. She grabbed the book and flipped back to the world map, then traced a single leyline with a hoof. “You’re telling me that we somehow triggered the old RCA Linking Chamber… and then that thing teleported us by leyline? We actually traveled through a damn leyline to get here?”

“No… that’s… I don't believe this! You’re serious!” Twilight squeaked as she bounced in her chair. “Leyline travel is practically mythical! Only ponies who are as powerful as Starswirl or Celestia could do such a thing! And it’s said that when Starswirl managed to do it, he actually lost a bell off his hat! A bell!”

Pathseeker smiled, a smile far too easy for Sunset’s current mood. “It is said that there were others. The Sorceress Mistmane had such power, using nature as her guide.”

“We… we actually traveled by leyline. Directly,” Twilight murmured, shakily putting her teacup back on the table. “I… oh wow. I think I feel a little lightheaded! This… Sunset, you don’t understand what this means!”

“It means that it’s daytime outside because we’re on the other side of the planet!” Sunset rolled her eyes.

“Yes, but what we could learn from this…”

“All I want to learn is how to get back.”

“But…”

“No!” Sunset snapped. She shot Twilight a look, then peered up at Pathseeker. “I felt the power beneath that spell matrix or Linking Chamber of whatever you call it. The intensity was so high I could begin to guess at how it would rate on the Planter Scale. I think even Princess Celestia would have trouble sustaining that level of power.”

“Power should not be your concern.” Pathseeker crossed his hooves on his desk and leaned forward. “Your concern, young ones, is accessibility.”

“What are you talking about?” Sunset demanded.

Pathseeker shook his head and stood. “I said I had a whisper of an idea as to how you came to be here, yes?”

Sunset and Twilight shared a look and nodded together.

“It’s rather simple, actually. You fell short of your intended destination.”

With that, he stood, drew the drapes, and flung open his back window, revealing a massive expanse of homes stretching out for at least a mile. Each was brightly colored with flapping banners and beautiful wrought-iron fences. Hundreds of Saddle Arabians were scattered through the picture. They seemed to be busy with their lives as if nothing odd had happened and they didn’t suddenly have two visitors from Equestria who’d been flung here against their will.

“I don’t…” Twilight started.

Pathseeker raised their heads to the horizon with a hoof and Twilight’s breath caught.

Sunset just blinked a few times and whispered, “Okay, now that’s impressive.”

Overlooking the large sprawl of homes was a towering structure at least twenty stories tall. It had to be at least the size of Canterlot Castle, if not larger. Four large pillars jutted up into the shimmering desert air on the three corners they could see, and Sunset guessed there was a fourth they couldn’t on the far side. Sun glinted off enormous panes of stained glass built into the walls, illuminating the sides in brilliant splashes of red, gold, blue and violet.

“Behold, young ones, the Grand Arabian Athenaeum. The very heart of knowledge in all of Saddle Arabia. While the Reinyadh may have the Imperial Libraries, ours is far older and far grander. No matter what the Sultan may claim.”

Pathseeker threw his head back a little, shaking his mane. Sunset got the impression there were some sort of grudge match going on between the two libraries.

“That’s where we were supposed to go, isn’t it?” Twilight asked.

Pathseeker nodded, a warm wind gusting through the shrubs behind his shop. “I do believe so, Miss Sparkle. However, due to the many variables involved—an unused and unmaintained Chamber, the teleportation of ponies instead of objects, certain kinds of interference—you could not make it all the way. Instead, the magic dropped you off just a short distance at a safe place. Granted, it is only a hypothesis, but I believe there is some merit to it. If true, I find it miraculous you arrived here at all.”

“Is that how we get home? Use their Linking Chamber?” Twilight asked as Pathseeker returned to his seat, flipping through the book.

Pathseeker let out a sigh and hung his head. “And that… I’m afraid… is where your problems begin. I’m afraid such a thing… it would take months, perhaps years. The Athenaeum, as grand as it may be, is run by a mare with the title Curator, a staunch traditionalist. She is… extremely unlikely to give you access, despite your circumstances or your status in Equestria. She is difficult to work with, even for a native. To get access to the Athenaeum’s Linking Chamber… I suspect either the Sultan or Princess Celestia would have to be in attendance to allow such a thing.”

“Okay, that’s obviously not an option.” Sunset turned from the view to peer at the book, but she couldn’t read the text. It seemed some sort of ancient form of Old Ponyish, but linguistics had never come easily to her. She huffed at it and glared at the stallion.

“Then why tell us any of this if you’re simply going to tell us we can’t use it?” Sunset demanded.

His hoof stroked the book as he considered his words. “In case you are unwilling to go through normal means to get home.”

“‘Normal means?’” Twilight asked, stepping up beside Sunset.

Pathseeker looked down at both of them from his chair, which still made him taller than either of them. “I have an… option. But it is not without its risks. I would dearly ask you to seek normal transportation home.”

“Is that right? And how long does it take to get from here to Canterlot by airship?” Sunset demanded.

Pathseeker sighed. “Perhaps… two weeks on a standard vessel? A fast runner could make it in a week, but they are quite expensive.”

Sunset glanced at Twilight. Despite her lingering annoyance with the mare, she was part of this. Twilight looked horrified at the prospect, which told her enough.

“Not an option.”

“I believe I should have started with a sailing vessel,” Pathseeker muttered ruefully. “The airship would have sounded better after speaking of a month at sea.”

Sunset let out a little growl, which did nothing to impress Pathseeker. He just shrugged with a sigh.

“I suspected you would react in such a way. And it is fair, I would not want to be away from home for so long. I also suspect you have little in the way of coin or provisions for any extended journey. Trying to acquire such things would take a similar amount of time and you would need transportation to the Equestrian Embassy in the capital, which is a three-day journey.”

“Right on all three,” Sunset snapped. “Now, what’s the real option? The one that might actually get us home? The one you’ve been leading us to all this time.”

“Jeddahoof does rest upon a leyline nexus so—”

“You can’t be serious!” Twilight interrupted, shoving Sunset aside so she could get nose-to-nose with Pathseeker. “Are you going to suggest we try to teleport by leyline again, but this time without the finely-tuned craftsponyship of the RCA Linking Chamber? You’re mad! Completely mad!”

“No, I am quite sane. However, the individual I have in mind… ‘mad’ is a somewhat subtle term for his state.”

“What’s your idea, Pathseeker?” Sunset demanded, pushing Twilight back out of the way. “Just lay it out for us. My patience is pretty much gone at this point.”

“There is an… individual within this city that runs a bookstore, of a sort. Within the walls of his bookstore, time and space do not always work properly. He may know… secrets about leylines. Shortcuts and hidden paths.”

“Then why the history lesson?” Sunset cried. “Why all of this pomp and circumstance? There’s something you’re not telling us!”

Pathseeker leaned forward, his friendly demeanor vanishing as if burned away by the desert sun.

“Did you ever stop to wonder why they ceased the use of Linking Chambers?” He asked as he stood to loom over the pair of them. “I, for one, know that very specialized spells or uniquely enchanted ley crystals are required to utilize them. Not only that— and I say this with no intended offense—I doubt either of you possesses such a spell or crystal. And even if you did...”

He trailed off and worked his jaw.

Sunset took a step back from the sudden change in Pathseeker while he flipped to a page with another illustration.

An illustration of darkness flowing through what could be a library or a bookstore.

“Five hundred years ago, the Linking Chambers began to break. Sometimes, things would vanish. Other things, things never sought would appear, but blackened and corrupted. It wasn’t until the attack in Griffonstone Tower of Records that all knew something had gone wrong.”

“What… sort of attack?” Twilight squeaked.

Pathseeker turned another page and shook his head. “Accounts have been lost over the years with Griffonstone’s fall from grace. But most believe that a very aggressive something came out of a Linking Chamber. It cost the griffons greatly to seal it away, having to drop the entire tower on the Chamber to destroy the creature.”

“This… doesn’t sound like such a good idea after all,” Twilight whispered, shivering. “Maybe… there are some things we shouldn’t be learning. At least, not on our own…”

“There are other tales of that time, rumors and stories, mostly. Similar things. Even happening in bookstores near libraries… and some, even farther, but always on a leyline. To my knowledge, no one has ever been seriously hurt—save for the Griffonstone incident—but…”

Pathseeker swallowed and slowly closed the book. Only now did Sunset see the title: The Rise and Fall of The Leyline Networks.

“If you are to go through with this and seek the aid of this individual and he succeeds, you should know the risks. Many believe—including myself—that there is something within the leylines of this world. Something which is not friendly.”

“But you know next to nothing about it!” Sunset shouted. “How can we protect against something we know nothing about?”

He smiled again, though it was more subdued than before. “That, at least, I can answer. And the answer is simple. Of this world’s magics, none are greater than the power of Harmony. It would be suicide to venture alone into the leyline network. But together, you can keep one another strong and bright. Whatever lurks in there is a thing of darkness, and all darkness fears the light. Let your light shine true, both of you… and I believe you will succeed.”

Sunset smirked despite herself. “Have you been waiting to give that speech for a while?”

“Oh, no,” Pathseeker said, matching her smile. “I have used it many times whenever my foals are afraid of the dark.”

“Did it work?” Twilight asked nervously.

“They usually slept like angels… until one of them decided to pick on one another, then they were at each other like dragons and griffons.” He laughed again. “Now, as I know you have no desire to stay here for very long, how about I get you on your way?”

“Sounds like a pla—” Sunset began.

“Wait!” Twilight cried, cutting Sunset off. “I almost forgot… um… we’re actually looking for a book and since we’re actually in Saddle Arabia we thought you might possibly hopefully have a copy and we don’t have to keep searching the entire world for—”

Sunset cut her off with a groan. “Teahouses of Saddle Arabia by Saffron Nabat. And it needs to be first edition.”

“I know of this book...” Pathseeker tapped a hoof on his chin for a few moments before drifting over to one of the file cabinets. He flipped through a few folders and files until he pulled out one in particular. “Yes, here it is… I had enough tourists seeking the book, I decided to do some research on it a few years ago…”

Sunset dared to let herself hope just a little.

Pathseeker sighed and shook his head. “You will not find this book for sale in Saddle Arabia. First edition or otherwise. It was written and published for Equestrians, I fear. The knowledge contained within that book is known by every family from here to Reindyh. No, you are far more likely to find it within Equestria, young ones.”

Sunset’s heart sank. Even Twilight sagged.

“But…” Pathseeker let out another sigh. “Well, what I said is not the truth. There is one place in Saddle Arabia you may—and please understand I am saying this is the ghost of a chance—find it, it would actually be where I intend to send you. A store called ‘I Sell Mostly Sand-Free Books!’ I know, it is an odd name, but he is… an odd individual. Come, I shall help you a bit farther. I have some of my old traveling supplies in my storeroom.”

He guided the two of them out of his office, only to hesitate and step back inside to pick up the book on his desk. Without a word, he held it out for Sunset.

Sunset stared between him and the book. She reached into the coat she’d draped over the chair. “I… I don’t have a lot of money with me.”

“No charge.”

“Why?” Sunset narrowed her eyes at the tall stallion. “We pop into your store, drink your tea, demand question after question… Not to sound ungrateful, but you don’t know us. Why are you helping us?”

Pathseeker knelt down to put a hoof on her shoulder. “Young one, you are not the first wayward soul I have met in my time on world. And I doubt you will be the last. So, I offer a guide to help you on the way home.”

Sunset found herself unable to think of a response as Pathseeker slipped by them and headed for another door on the other side of the bookstore.

“You okay, Sunset?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah… I… even this far away from home, I guess harmony’s still around, huh?” Sunset felt a strange warmth in her chest she couldn’t quite explain.

Twilight nodded slowly, looking after Pathseeker. “He does seem like he wants to help.”

Sunset finally lifted her head and sighed. “Then we should let him.”

The two mares reached Pathseeker as he was unlocking the storage room. There were shelves of books filling most of the room, save for several lockers against the wall.

“Now, I shall see if I have something in your size,” Pathseeker said as he began to rummage through the lockers. “The store in question is currently located in the Marina Marketplace.”

“Why do you keep acting so… strange about describing this creature?” Twilight asked. “You’re not sending us… We’re not going to some… black market bookseller are we?”

The expression of barely-contained horror on Twilight’s face was simply priceless. Sunset snorted in laughter despite herself. However… when Pathseeker didn’t answer right away, Sunset found herself turning toward the stallion, her amusement cooling into curiosity.

“Is he?” Sunset asked.

“While I am not precisely sure what you mean by that term, your tone is rather telling.” Pathseeker replied. He looked awkward as he pulled out a pair of khaki vests and some large saddlebags. “Truthfully, even after all these years, I do not know what he is. His store seems to appear and disappear without rhyme nor reason. He has… oddities in his shop. Things that cannot exist. My wife has made his acquaintance. When I asked her what she thought of him, she gave me the best description I have ever heard of him.”

“And… what is that description?” Twilight asked in a small voice.

For some reason, Sunset thought she should have heard the roll of thunder in Pathseeker’s hesitation. But he turned around to give him both an awkward smile.

“‘My dear, I am sure of one thing. He is indeed from Saddle Arabia. Just not any Saddle Arabia we’ve ever been to, seen or heard of.’”

Sunset blinked a few times, trying to parse that particular tidbit of information. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, closed it, opened it again, and then closed it one final time with a frown.

“I will offer one last piece of advice regarding this creature, who currently goes by the name ‘Desert Winds.’” Pathseeker’s voice became grave as he opened yet another locker. “He tends to know things. Things about a pony, a place, or a time. Things he should not know. He speaks… strangely, yet every word you may think is nonsense may be a truth you have yet to realize, or a trial you have yet to face. And he does not lie.”

“You’re not filling us with confidence here,” Sunset groaned.

“I am sending you to him, for good or for ill, so I must speak the truth.” Pathseeker tossed out a few canteens, which clattered on the floor. “I have seen him cause small amounts of harm to create a greater good. Be focused when around him. And be prepared.”

“Okay?” Twilight squeaked.

“I shall write you a letter of introduction before I send you on your way. There is also an offering, of a sort. Be sure to provide the letter first. But for now, let’s make sure these fit you properly. All from my years when I wandered the deserts with heroes and adventurers… but still in excellent condition. With any luck, maybe you’ll be back in Canterlot in a few hours.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at the stallion. “What part about this day seems that we have any luck with anything?”

Pathseeker’s smile never faltered, but he didn’t directly respond to Sunset. “You must prepare for the next part of your journey. Come.”

With that, Twilight and Sunset started to go through the equipment and clothing. Sunset hoped they wouldn’t need it.

She also suspected that particular hope wouldn't amount to much.

Sunset Shimmer is world-renowned for her attempted a snowball laden coup of Equestria. Neat, huh?

Ah, Pathseeker, my old friend. I know he tends to ramble on, but I've been teasing leylines since the introduction of the Spire Project. I felt it was high past time to talk about just what ponies know... or what they think they know. We all have that friend who just won't shut up about specific topics... and it just so happens that Pathseeker's topic is leylines! There is a ton of worldbuilding and lore crammed into his words. Some of it is critical for this story, some of it critical for stories far down the road.

I will say this though: the leylines of Equestria are actually based on certain elements of Equestria we have seen from the show. I can't tell you what they were though. That would take out all the fun!

...but I can promise we've got more on leylines coming up real soon.