I sat back from my notes, sighing. Something about them just seemed off, it felt like I didn’t get as much information out of my research as I could have. It was bugging me a lot; how could I expect to get anything done if I had to spend extra time researching just to get enough information? There had to be a more efficient way to apply my methods.

“Spike, have you found the book I asked for?”

“Yeah,” Spike called, perched on the ladder. “I’ve just about got it. I don’t get it though, what do you need a book about researching for? Isn’t it enough that you do it almost everyday?”

“My way of researching isn’t really the best. I think there’s some things I can be doing to get a better efficiency out of it!”

Spike rolled his eyes and reached for the book. I sighed, he just didn’t get it. I’m sure if he were to follow me through some of my research, he would understand. He just never seemed to have much interest.

He grabbed the book, and as he began to pull it from the shelf, his claws pushed against an adjacent book, sliding it out as well. The other book fell to the ground with a dull thud, splayed out on the floor.

“Spike, you need to be more careful,” I said, shaking my head and heading for the book he dropped.

“Sorry, it’s just these books are sometimes pretty hard to get out of the shelves.”

“That’s alright, just make sure you don’t hurt yourself.”

I picked it up with my magic, and as it soared away to the shelf, the cover caught my eye. I brought it back down and looked it over. A picture of some star system was printed across the entire outside of the book, with a partially transparent clock imposed on the front. The words, “Space-time and You” were stamped across the top.

“Spike, when did we get this?”

He thought in silence for a moment as he climbed back down. “I dunno.”

I flipped it open and skimmed through the introduction. My eyes grew wider as I made my way down the page.

“Do you know what this book is about?!”

“Uh, the stars?”

“It’s all about the theories behind the spells that alter time!”

“Spells that alter time? Is that like, spells that let you travel through time?”

“Maybe. It doesn’t mention much in the introduction, besides that the spells it goes through are dangerous.”

“Dangerous, huh? Maybe you should ask the princess about it before you try anything.”

“You know what, Spike? That’s a great idea. Take a letter, please.”

He pulled out a scroll and a quill as I cleared my throat.

“Dear Princess Celestia, I am writing to you today because I have discovered an interesting book in my library. It talks about spells that affect the flow of time, and I was wondering if you would be interested in discussing these spells with me. I have a lot of questions, and I’m sure you must know something about them. I look forward to hearing from you. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike finished scrawling out my name, rolled it up, and sent it off with a puff of fire.

“There ya go. Now we just have to wait and see what she says, I guess.”

I walked over and set the book on the table, pushing my notes to the side. I flipped it open to the first chapter.

“Um, Twilight? What should I do with this other book?”

“You can just put it back,” I said, waving a hoof at him. He grumbled something as he climbed back up the ladder. I ignored him, keeping my eyes moving along the book, taking in as much information as I could. It was extremely fascinating! The first chapter was all about introducing the author’s theory; that space and time are both related to each other through an intricately woven fabric that was created along with the stars. As everything moves along through time, they leave behind imprints on this fabric, creating a timeline for that object, whatever it may be. Certain objects have heavier imprints, and are therefore harder to interact with. So things like books and tables will be easily manipulated, while things like ponies or animals take much more magic to change. As I thought about it, it was a lot like transmutation. The more complex an object, the more magic you needed to use.

A loud belch from behind me brought me out of my thoughts. I turned to find Spike holding a letter with the royal seal holding it shut.

“Hey Twilight, it looks like the princess got your letter!”

He ran over, holding the note. I smiled and picked it up with my magic, breaking the seal and unfurling it. It was surprisingly short; I coughed and began to read it aloud.

To My Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle:

This book you have discovered certainly sounds interesting. I would love to discuss the contents with you, and I happen to be available today. If you would be able to travel to the castle as soon as possible, I can meet with you. Please send me a letter once you are on your way.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia

“Hey, looks like you lucked out. You could catch a train up to Canterlot in about an hour!”

I bit my lip. “Are you sure I should go? The library needs to stay open, and I still haven’t done my research … ”

“Don’t worry about it, Twilight,” he said, waving his hand. “I can handle the library. Besides, the princess is pretty busy, so this might be the only time you can see her for a while.”

“You know what, you’re right,” I smiled, grabbing my saddlebags. “Thank you, Spike. Don’t worry, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“It’s no problem!”

I swept up the book and headed out the door, with Spike waving goodbye behind me. I could hardly keep myself from jumping, I was so excited! It didn’t feel right leaving Spike to run the library, but he was right; Celestia might not have free time again for quite a while. Besides, she might have been able to tell me more information about this type of magic!

Before I knew it, I was standing on the platform with my ticket, waiting for the train. It was due to arrive only ten minutes after I got there, so that was nice. I sat on the bench and propped open the book. I started on chapter two, this one about the dangers behind performing such magic. There wasn’t really much that could go wrong, but when something did go wrong, it went wrong quickly. For instance, if you were moving something back along its timeline and it changes position, there’s a chance part of it could get left behind in the current time! I imagined what would happen to a pony and shuddered, quickly putting the thought out of my mind. There was also another interesting concept: rifts. The author stated that, when moving directly to a position on the timeline that has a large enough gap between the current time, or when getting the spell wrong, there’s a chance a rift in the fabric can open up. The book doesn’t go into much detail, but warns that spells should be sufficiently practiced on inanimate objects before attempting to interact with complex objects, and to exercise common sense when using such spells.

The train’s horn sounded, pulling my attention out of the book. I slipped it into my bag, pulled out my ticket, and boarded the train. I plopped into a seat, pulled out the book again, and used the ticket to keep my place. The third chapter was the one that finally got into the beginning spells; the first one giving you the ability to view an object’s timeline. The incantation was fairly complex for a so-called beginner spell; and not only that, the book mentioned that it would continuously drain your magical power to keep the spell up. It seemed pretty useful though, there would be ghostly images of the object at certain points for the time interval you specified! It would show you exactly where that object was at that time! I couldn’t keep the smile from spreading on my face as I imagined what sort of possibilities this would open up. I could track any book in the library and know exactly where it wound up; as long as I knew when and where it was, I wouldn’t lose anything ever again!

I looked down at my ticket, thinking about what to try the spell out on. I figured my ticket wasn’t that good of an idea, in case I set it on fire or something, so I fished around in my bag. I found an old piece of parchment crumpled in the bottom and decided to use that. I put the book down in the seat next to me and concentrated on the parchment, running through the spell in my mind. I could feel the magic reaching out from my horn and making contact with the parchment, it beginning to glow with a muted yellow light. I had decided to use one second as the time interval, and as I stared at it, I noticed the parchment would pulse every second and leave behind a translucent, colorless version of itself. Only, the apparition would disappear almost as soon as it showed up; whisking away from myself. Of course! The train was moving so fast, that when the image showed up, we would move away from that spot before I could get a good look at it. I’d need a smaller interval to see the apparitions better. Or a slower train.

Severing the spell, I stuffed the parchment back into my bags. A drop of wetness slid down my cheek, dropping onto the seat. I felt my forehead with a bit of shock; I was already sweating. After only about a minute of that spell I was already getting tired. If such a low power spell used up that much power, I could only imagine how difficult the later spells would become.

The hills rolled along in front of my eyes. I leaned against the window and rested, letting my thoughts drift. I had to be careful with these spells, even the medium level ones might take me to the edge of going unconscious. All the same, I was still excited about it. This book seemed like it could hold some pretty powerful spells by the end! The theories the author talks about are also extremely interesting. I had never given much thought to the flow of time, let alone how to affect it with magic. The thought of flinging objects around through time sounded a bit daunting, and very strange. I could understand how that could have some dangerous repercussions if you just went around messing with every thing's timeline.

The train slowed to a crawl as it reached the Canterlot station. I crammed my things back in my bags and set off for the castle. The streets of Canterlot were lined with the usual high society, everypony was either sitting and having a chat with other ponies, or were walking with their noses in the air. It always seemed a little silly to me.

I wandered into the castle, greeting the guards on the way in.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia called, coming down the stairs in the main hall to greet me.

“Princess!” I ran up and hugged her.

“It is good to see you again,” she smiled, returning the hug.

“Likewise. So, what have you got planned?”

“Come on, we’ll have some tea and talk about that book you found.”

I nodded, and she turned to lead me into the castle depths. We arrived in her room a few moments later, a small tray with a teapot and two cups resting on her desk.

“So, what’s this book you’ve found,” Celestia said, pouring tea into our cups.

“Well, it’s this book I never knew the library had called Space-time and You. Do you know anything about it?”

She thought for a moment. “No … I can’t say that it sounds familiar. What is it you said this book was about, again?”

“It starts out with great theories about how space and time are related, and it goes on to teach how to perform magic that can interact with objects through time. I can’t believe I’ve never seen anything like these spells in my studies; they’re so interesting!”

Celestia was silent for a moment. “Twilight, I’m going to tell you something, and I need for you to listen closely. The magic that book deals with is obscure for a reason. Those spells can have devastating effects when they are even slightly misused. Now, I cannot tell you what to do, but I have a request. Please do not cast any magic you learn about in that book.”

“I don’t underst-”

She raised a hoof. “I ask that you do not question me about this. I know it seems unfair, but please, trust my decision.”

“Alright,” I sighed, hanging my head. “I promise not to use any time magic.”

“Thank you, Twilight. Now, what do you say we get something to eat?”

A few hours later, I found myself riding in the back of a royal carriage on my way back to Ponyville. In my rush to make it to Canterlot, I accidentally purchased a one-way ticket for the train. I was about to just buy another ticket to go back, but Celestia insisted I use a royal carriage.

I kept the book in my bag the entire visit, even though we did talk about the theories in it. I figured she would take it away from me after her whole thing about never using the spells, and I’d much prefer to keep the book. Even if I’d never use them, it was still fun to read about the spells.

The guards brought me to the library, I thanked them as they flew off, and Spike pulled open the door after several knocks.

“Oh, hey Twilight! How’d your visit go?”

“It went alright. The princess and I had lunch and chatted about the book.” I went inside and laid my bags on the table. I pulled the book out and stared at it.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah … it’s just, the princess asked me to not use any of the spells in here.”

“What, why?”

“That’s just it though, I have no idea. She said they were dangerous, but it didn’t seem like much when I used one of the spells on the train.”

“Did you tell her that?”

“No … besides, she asked me to promise her that almost as soon as I got there. Thanks for sending a letter, by the way. I completely forgot to tell her I was on the way.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just me being an awesome friend, like always.”

“I know,” I said, laughing. “It just feels like a waste, I guess, to have all these spells and I can’t use them.”

“If I was you, I’d just get rid of the book. That way, I wouldn’t worry about breaking my promise.”

I stared at it for a while. “I can’t do that. What would ponies say if they heard I threw out a book?”. He laughed. “Besides,” I said, sweeping it up off the table. “There are some theories I think I can use for my research in here.”

I made my way down into the basement, where my lab equipment was set up. I went around setting up some experiments to run as Spike poked his head in.

“Do you need me to help with anything?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Alright, I’m gunna head into town for a little while.”

“Go ahead. I think it’s about time to close up the library anyways, right?”

“Yup,” he nodded, closing the door as he left.

The experiments ran for quite a while. I was trying to figure out exactly what it was that objects left behind in the timeline viewing spell. I knew Celestia didn’t want me using the spells, but I’d already cast this one just fine before, so what harm could come from it?

The only way I knew how late it had gotten was when Spike poked his head in again.

“Twilight, you’re still down here?”

“I guess I am. What’s up?”

“Well, the sun’s been down for a while, so I figured I’d go to bed.”

“Oh goodness, it’s night-time already?”

“Yeah. You gunna sleep anytime soon?”

“Give me a few more minutes, okay?”

“Just don’t be too loud,” he shrugged, retreating into the library.

I sat back from my work, stretching. I had made progress, but nothing conclusive. The images objects left behind seemed to be made from nothing but magic. I also had a hunch they were only visible to the pony who cast the spell, but I’d need Spike’s help for that one.

I looked over at the book. It was open to a random page, showing off how to move an object backwards through its timeline. I read through it with earnest, itching to try out the spell. I promised Celestia I wouldn’t. My mind had other plans, as it assured me that the spell was simple enough and I wouldn’t mess it up.

I knocked the book to the floor, and focused on it. My horn shone, and the book was surrounded with the same yellow glow. I gave it a push, seeing it slowly move backwards through the air, coming to a rest on the table. I broke contact with it, a grin spreading across my lips. These spells certainly seemed harmless, maybe Celestia’s fear was misplaced? It did kind of hurt, that she didn’t believe I could use these spells without screwing them up.

My brain kicked into research mode, and wondered what would happen if I tried using that spell on a pony. I sat there for a moment, considering it, before I decided what could it hurt to try. I stood up and walked across the room. I closed my eyes and went through the spell, focusing on myself. I could feel the magic wrapping itself around me, no doubt giving me the same yellow glow. However, this felt different than the book did. It felt like my magic was being drained almost.

I opened my eyes and jumped in shock. Swirling around me were deep purple clouds of magic, spitting bolts of lighting between each other! I panicked, trying to sever the spell. The spell had other ideas. My magic kept draining through my horn, getting absorbed into the clouds at an alarming rate. I felt my body grow weaker by the minute, until I could no longer stand. As my legs buckled, I felt the flow of magic stop. The clouds were still there, so I didn’t understand why at first. Only once I felt the weight on my head did I realize what happened. My element had come to my aid, and was providing the magic the clouds wanted.

They continued to swirl around me, growing larger. Papers were being thrown around the room, swirling into a tiny tornado around me. I tried using spells on the clouds, but nothing seemed to work. The clouds remained unfazed and continued swirling.

I closed my eyes and racked my brain, trying to figure out what was going on. The book detailed a lot of things, but I couldn’t remember if it said anything about this. There was something in there about rifts, and I looked at that appendix … then it hit me! There was a picture in the appendix showing a pony surrounded by the same black clouds. I had inadvertently created a rift.

The clouds had begun to close in on me. I tried to yell something, but I couldn’t find my voice. I felt utterly exhausted, and my eyes drifted shut. The clouds continued to press in around me. There was a rumble like thunder, then a quick flash of light. As I slipped into unconsciousness, I heard Spike calling my name from somewhere distant.