A Simple Mistake

A Simple Mistake

By Michael Ramsey

Chapter 1: A Simple Mistake

“I’m glad I finally have some time to myself,” muttered Twilight as she entered the Canterlot library. It had been a while since she last stepped through the ornate, golden doors, and with all the chaos that came with becoming a princess, some time alone was just what she needed.

No royal duties to worry about or celebrations to attend. At last she could relax, unwind, and enjoy life like any normal pony.

But first, she planned to use this time for her studies.

She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the scent of aging books as she prepared to get to work, the library’s large doors slowly closing behind her with a soft click. Before she could begin however, a voice rang out from her right, shattering the silence of the room.

“Hello, your highness.”

Lost in her thoughts, she flinched, quickly turning to see the librarian, an older grayish pony. Her silver mane was tied up neatly into a bun, her eyes were closed behind gold framed glasses, and she was bowing behind her desk, a large, tan book resting on the elegant mahogany.

It's a good thing her eyes were closed, she thought, blushing at her own surprise. "Oh, hello,” she said, trying to mask her emotions with a hopelessly forced smile.

The librarian slowly rose, easily noticing Twilight’s not-so-subtle embarrassment. She pushed it aside, adjusted her glasses, and softly cleared her throat. "Is there anything I can help you with today?"

"Oh I'm just here to catch up on some reading," replied Twilight, nervously waving a hoof. "I should be fine."

The librarian smiled, gently nodding at her reply. “Just let me know if you need anything,” she said, returning to her book.

Twilight began her tour of the library, carefully taking in the familiar sights. Sunlight poured in from the towering windows, the brilliant rays reflecting off the polished marble floor as she walked deeper into the building. A smile slowly formed as she inspected the shelves, immense towers of elegant wood layered with intricate patterns that were delicately outlined by a lustrous gold trim.

The filly inside her squealed with joy, eager to explore the countless rows of knowledge that surrounded her. The library’s contents were breathtakingly vast. The largest of tomes and the smallest of pamphlets, ancient texts and last week’s publications, the works of both the greatest and the least reputable authors, no piece of literature was excluded.

Ponies of all ages and walks of life moved among the shelves, each attending to their own tasks in perfect rhythm. A cold silence echoed through the room, oddly comforting her as she made her way to the heart of the archives.

“With everything that’s been going on I haven’t had any time to study,” she said as she levitated books from the surrounding shelves. She checked their covers, eventually returning them to their proper place with a touch of regret. “Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean I can slack off.”

She slowed to a stop as she neared the center of the library, looking around at the shelves indecisively. She circled in place, furrowing her brow in confusion as the surrounding books looked on with anger, seeming to shun her for her lack of conviction.

“Now if I only knew what to read.”

The librarian again drew her gaze from her book, noticing Twilight’s sudden pause. She slowly made her way to the princess, smiling at her obvious bewilderment. “Is everything alright, your highness?”

Twilight didn't answer at first, scrambling across the library in a final attempt to make a decision. After a few moments of frantic searching she slumped in defeat with a heavy sigh. “I can’t decide what to read," she replied. "There are just so many great books.”

The older mare chuckled at her response, rubbing her chin in thought before looking around the room. While the librarian searched, Twilight considered her strange situation. Had she really come to the library without a book in mind? This wasn’t like her at all, she was known for being well-organized.

She backpedaled through the day in her mind, but couldn’t remember anything about a book, or even deciding to come to the library. Was this all just a force of habit? She felt fine, but maybe she needed this time alone more than she realized.

After a few moments of silence, the librarian gently raised a hoof, gesturing to a nearby hallway. “Why not try the Starswirl the Bearded Wing?” she suggested, remembering Twilight’s fascination with the author in question. “We’ve recently recovered a tome containing some of his research into time travel.”

Twilight’s face instantly brightened. “There’s a new book? About time travel?” she asked, almost yelling with excitement. She bounced with anticipation, stars shining brightly in her eyes.

The librarian grinned at the younger mare’s enthusiasm. “Why yes, his work regarding the subject is really quite fascinating.” she replied, calmly adjusting her eyeglasses.

Twilight leapt with excitement, giving the librarian a quick hug. “That’s perfect! Thank you!” she squealed, rushing off toward the Starswirl the Bearded Wing and the promised book.

The librarian quickly raised a hoof in alarm. “There’s no running in the…”

“…oh, never mind” she finished with a chuckle, waving her hoof dismissingly.

Twilight slid to a halt as she reached the door, throwing it open and rushing inside. She stopped abruptly as the entirety of the wing came into view, golden sunlight delicately playing off the grand hourglass and the countless shelves surrounding it. The gentle rays accented the rustic features of the room, creating an almost dream-like atmosphere. Despite her earlier visits, it was a sight that never failed to fill the mare with awe, granting her mind a few precious seconds of peace.

After several moments of admiration she returned to her earlier mission, scanning the room for a good place to begin her search. She began slowly at first, carefully removing the texts and checking their covers before returning them with a disappointed sigh. As time wore on however, she became more and more restless, beginning to wonder if the book could be found at all.

Panic setting in, she began tearing books from their shelves, the texts soaring behind her and forming a pile as she checked and double-checked the covers, desperate to find the tome.

“No, not that one,” she said, discarding a blue tome with an aggravated grunt. She quickly spun around, lifting a green book from the shelf behind her. “That’s not right either,” she said, throwing the book away. She launched another book from the shelf, quickly retracting it with excitement. “Oh wait!” she cried, eyes wide with hope as she checked the cover again. She sank in disappointment, sending the book toward the pile again with a sigh. “No, never mind.”

Having effectively demolished a third of the wing, she threw her hooves up in frustration. “Oh, where is it?”

A loud groan escaped the princess, had the librarian lied to her? She tried to recall their earlier conversation, grinning sheepishly as she envisioned her child-like enthusiasm. She had given her little time to explain exactly where the book was, but it shouldn’t be this hard to find it, right?

She slammed her hooves into the shelf with a grunt, a large book falling from the top and bouncing off her head with a loud thump that echoed throughout the room.

She cried out in pain, rubbing her head as several books fell to the ground, her magic cut off by the sudden attack. She angrily levitated the assailing text, preparing to throw it out of the nearest window. “It's not bad enough that I can’t find the book I’m looking for… “

She stopped mid-sentence, noticing the cover. Her eyes scanned the red tome disbelievingly, as if the name would suddenly change or the book itself would disappear. Convinced she was not experiencing a pain-induced hallucination, the princess squealed with joy, satisfaction flooding her face as she relished in her victory.

“I found you!” she exclaimed, holding the book warmly in her arms. She gleefully danced around the room, a throbbing pain in her skull eventually forcing her to stop.

“Well, you sort of found me,” she added, softly rubbing her still-sore head.

Ignoring the disheveled wing around her, she approached a nearby desk and gently laid the book down, placing a hoof on the cover affectionately. “The important thing is that you’re here.”

She opened the ancient tome, eager to see what awaited her within. Her eyes drank in the numerous notes, spells, and equations lying before her, widening in awe as she realized the magnitude of Starswirl’s research.

She unwittingly raised a hoof to her mouth. “There’s so much to learn about time travel,” she began, taken aback by the sheer amount of knowledge. “This is all so complicated, I’m not sure if I can read all of this.”

She paused for a moment, going over what she had said. Since when had she been unable to complete a reading assignment? Celestia had given her countless tomes to read in the past, so why would she doubt herself now?

A chill raced up her spine, something about this whole situation felt wrong.

She quickly shook her head, trying to shrug the feeling off. After all, this wouldn’t be the first time she had overcomplicated something, and with everything she had gone through to find this book, she was going to read it. She turned the page, looking on in horror as a piece of paper slowly drifted to the floor.

She shrieked, literally jumping in fear. "What is that? Did I rip a page?" she asked, frantically flipping through the book to make sure it wasn’t damaged. "For the love of Equestria, please don't tell me I actually ripped a page out of Starswirl the Bearded's book. This is library property! What if this page was really important? What if it was… "

She paused, arching an eyebrow in confusion. "…what is it anyway?"

She retrieved the page and slowly read the contents aloud. The words were cryptic, but organized in a way that was familiar to her for some reason.

“That's weird, It almost sounds like a… “

Before she could finish, a burst of white magic flew from the book, quickly surrounding her.

“…spell” she squeaked, shrinking in fear as the aura slowly lifted her into the air.

She flailed her hooves in panic, dropping the page as her mind ran wild. Would the spell send her to the future? Send her to the past? Destroy time as she knows it? Would she be the only one affected? Would she be the only one spared? What would happen to everyone else? What could she do to stop it?

The aura pulsed, glowing rhythmically, slowly becoming brighter.

Her eyes grew wide, a wave of terror washing over her. She hurriedly looked around the room, desperately trying to assess her situation. What was this magic and why was it pulsing? What was this spell going to do?

Another pulse, and again the aura grew brighter, the glowing nearly doubling in pace.

She held her breath and winced, preparing for the worst. After several moments of silence, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Was this some kind of levitation spell? Her face warped with confusion, but the possibility of the spell being harmless quickly renewed her confidence.

Again the aura pulsed, again it grew brighter, and again the glowing increased in speed.

She raised a hoof to her mouth in thought. The light became brighter with each pulse, but why? What was its purpose? Why was it glowing?

She winced as the magic pulsed yet again, nearly doubling in brightness.

Her jaw dropped, realization dawning. The aura was storing power, gathering its strength. This was a pattern, a sequence.

This was a countdown.

Her heart sank as the aura pulsed again, drawing ever closer to completing its task.

She exhaled slowly, a look of determination forming on her face. “I have to stop this before something terrible happens,” she said, magic flowing through her horn as she prepared a counter-spell. “I just hope this works,” she said, turning her head to the side in anticipation.

She released the spell, and the aura erupted in response, sending a shockwave of white magic through the library that shattered the windows and sent several shelves crashing to the ground. The aura began draining the energy in her horn, steadily increasing in power as it fed on her magic. She quickly cut the magic off, nearly losing consciousness. Her vision blurred with each passing second as the pounding in her head steadily grew louder.

The aura pulsed a final time, and she instantly succumbed to the darkness.

“Did you find anything?” asked Spike, diligently searching the room.

“Nothin’ here,” answered Applejack, kicking the ground in disappointment. “Nothin’ that’s useful, anyway.”

Rainbow Dash grunted impatiently. “We’re wasting too much time,” she rushed, hovering nervously over the pair. “We have to get out of here now!”

“We can’t!” yelled Spike, fury flashing in his eyes. “We have to keep looking. There has to be something that we’ve missed, something we’re just not seeing.” He continued searching, scattering countless items across the room in frenzied desperation.

The two mares exchanged equally worried looks at Spike’s determination.

“Spike,” began Applejack, placing a hoof on the drake’s shoulder. “You know Twilight wouldn’t want you puttin’ yourself in danger like this.”

Spike pulled away from her, angrily spinning around to face the pair. “So, what, you guys are just going to give up on her? Just abandon her like that?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Give up? Do you know who you’re talking to?” challenged Rainbow Dash, slamming her hooves together for emphasis.

“We’re not abandonin’ Twilight, Spike,” added Applejack. “But if we keep goin’ at it like this we’ll just end up like Princess Celestia.”

He sighed submissively, mentioning the princess had struck a chord in the young dragon. “Fine,” he said, throwing his claws up in frustration. “You guys go on ahead, I’ll catch up. I... I need to take care of something first.”

The mares again exchanged worried glances before looking back to Spike, unconvinced.

“I promise,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “I’ll be right behind you.”

The trio blurred into darkness as the sounds of nature began to flood Twilight’s ears. She weakly opened her eyes, rubbing the back of her head as she slowly came to.

“This is just one of those days,” she groaned, groggily taking in her surroundings. She quickly did a double take, noticing the darkened forest around her.

“Err, one of those nights, I guess.”

She stood up and walked around, quizzically observing the surrounding woodland. “Well this is weird,” she said, arching an eyebrow. “I don’t see how this has anything to do with time travel.”

She tried to notice if anything was different than she remembered, but everything seemed to be the same. The flora, the fauna, the sky, the moon, nothing had changed. She didn’t feel any different either, aside from the throbbing pain in her skull and her horrible confusion, anyway.

“Maybe this was just a teleportation spell,” she reasoned, rubbing her head in thought. “But that doesn’t explain what it was doing in a book about time travel.”

She continued to deliberate the purpose of the spell, completely unconcerned with where she was going as she made her way through the forest.

“What if it sent me into the past? Maybe Canterlot hasn’t been built yet.”

She considered the thought before shaking her head in disagreement. “But wouldn’t that mean the spell doesn’t exist yet either? Can it do that? Can the spell send things back before the spell even existed?”

She was too captivated by her thoughts to notice the change in scenery as she slowly emerged from the forest.

“If the spell was supposed to send me to a different place in time, then why is nothing… “

Her gaze slowly shifted upward mid-sentence, her face warping in confusion.

“…different?” she finished, her mouth agape.

She had found Canterlot… or what was left of it, anyway. The quiet ruin before her barely resembled the vibrant city it had replaced. The once-mighty walls were now piles of broken rock and twisted metal. Streets once brimming with life now echoed with a dark loneliness, and the beautiful palace was little more than a blackened husk of its former self.

“No,” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. She stared into the empty streets with horror, feeling as though the entire world had collapsed around her. She shut everything out and ran toward the city, hoping to discover this was all some kind of nightmare.

“This can’t be happening,” she said, shaking her head violently. She slowed to a halt as she neared the entrance, lifting a piece of the surrounding debris. The cold stone rested roughly in her hooves, a solemn tribute to the lives it once protected. She angrily cast the fragment aside and bounded over the wall, her hoofsteps echoing loudly throughout the ruined buildings as she scrambled down the street.

“This can’t be happening,” she repeated, twitching with panic. She looked around frantically, trying to find anything that was out of place.

She neared Joe’s doughnut shop, now largely a pile of rubble. She inhaled instinctively as she passed by, the scent of ashes replacing the fresh baked goods she remembered so fondly.

She lowered her head as she rounded the corner, tears streaming down her face. She galloped blindly down the street before tripping over a mound of debris and landing hard on a toppled column, the sudden impact violently knocking the wind out of her.

She gasped painfully between sobs, her lungs desperately begging for air. Tears stained the street below as she continued to cry. She cried so much it began to hurt, her hopes of waking up drowning in a sea of tears.

She shook with a few final sobs before falling silent on the moonlit street, the cold stone stabbing into her body as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She perked up suddenly as a low rumbling invaded her ears. She turned around to find a group of changelings rushing toward her, baring their fangs and hissing as they quickly closed in.

“I guess I’m not alone after all,” she said, turning to run away. She panted heavily as she ran down the street, her body still sore from her earlier outburst. Magenta light erupted from her horn as she launched various objects toward her pursuers, striking several of the changelings down and forcing the others to run away.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” she said, breathing heavily and wincing as she gripped her aching side. She made her way down the street, trying to fit this new development into her situation.

Her train of thought was abruptly derailed as a blood curdling cry pierced the air behind her. She quickly spun around, her eyes widening in horror as an army of changelings advanced toward her.

“Of course I could be wrong,” she said, violently flapping her wings. The princess desperately struggled to get airborne, looking back at her feathered appendages with a mixture of worry and anger, the purple blurs of motion doing little to get her into the sky. She hit the ground running with a heavy sigh, confusion flooding her mind as she ran down the street.

Despite all her effort, she failed to get more than a few feet off the ground. Was there something holding her down? Did the spell do something to her?

She violently shook her head, trying to dispel the thought. ”Think later, survive now,” she said as she rounded the corner. She turned down a nearby alley, sliding to a stop as she approached a large pile of rubble. She quickly looked it over, groaning as she realized her mistake.

She turned to leave the alley but quickly turned again as another terrifying cry echoed around her. She raced to the top of the debris, knocking down nearby scaffolding onto a number of changelings as they entered the alley.

“That’s a start,” she said, panting as she tried to come up with a plan. She quickly snapped to reality as a number of changelings flew to the top of the pile, hissing as they lunged toward her.

"Of course they can fly," she said with an aggravated sigh before leaping from her perch. She slid down the rubble, rounding the corner as she reached the end of the alley.

She sprinted down the broken street, looking over her shoulder to see the changelings quickly gaining on her. Panicked, she quickly turned back around, narrowly dodging a collapsed market stall.

“The marketplace!” she said, smiling as an idea formed. She pushed forward, passing several more stalls as she approached the heart of Canterlot's bazaar. She eventually reached the market’s centerpiece, a marble fountain proudly topped with a statue of the royal sisters.

She turned to face the advancing changelings, magenta light flowing through her horn as she levitated various objects from the surrounding ruin. Trinkets and knick-knacks, various forms of carpentry, and even the stalls themselves were sent flying down the narrow street. The changelings quickly reconsidered charging into the onslaught, diving behind anything they could as more of them fell to the barrage of debris.

“Ha, it’s working!” she said, panting as the magic in her horn slowly faded. Her eyes instantly widened as a deep buzzing filled her ears. She spun around, nearly falling over as a second army of changelings landed in front of her.

“Or not,” She said weakly, beginning to back away. She heard an all too familiar hissing behind her as the changelings down the street slowly came out of hiding. She desperately searched for an escape, reluctantly finding only one way out.

A way out that she really, really didn’t want to use.

“I just hope Ponyville is safe,” she said, magenta light slowly enveloping her horn. The changelings rushed towards her, quickly closing the distance as she desperately tried to complete the spell.

“Come on,” she said, straining as the aura slowly grew brighter. The changelings scrambled over each other as they approached her, a primal cry erupting from the terrifying sea of black that sent shivers down her spine.

“Come on, work!” she yelled, sweat pouring down her body as the changelings came ever closer, a collective hiss ripping through the air. She flinched as they leapt toward her, their fangs glowing in the moonlight as they quickly neared her face.

She suddenly vanished in a blinding flash of light, the black waves crashing against each other as they washed over the space she had occupied only moments ago.

She reappeared in front of Ponyville, crying out in agony as she sank to the ground. Every inch of her body ached, an unfortunate consequence of her long-distance teleporting. She still hadn’t decided if this new-found ability was a gift or a curse, but one thing was for sure…

…it really, really hurt.

“I hate that spell,” she said, gasping as she writhed in pain. She righted herself after several moments, her blurred vision slowly adjusting to her surroundings as the aching throughout her body began to subside.

“Oh no,” she whispered, slowly walking toward the ruined town hall, its walls broken and windows shattered. She placed a hoof on the large wooden doors, their once-vibrant paint having long since faded.

“Not you too,” she said, lowering her head as her hoof slowly slid down the door.

Before she could delve any deeper into her thoughts, a passing shadow brought her back to reality. Looking up, she spotted a group of changelings flying overhead. She quickly ducked inside, carefully closing the door behind her.

“This is crazy!” she exclaimed, throwing her hooves skyward in bewilderment. She paced around the room, trying to piece together her situation. She walked over to the window, scanning the surrounding ruins despairingly.

“I just hope Spike and the girls are okay,” she said as she peered through the broken glass. In an instant she snapped to attention, a new wave of fear falling over her.

“Spike!” she yelled, her eyes widening in shock. She burst through the town hall doors and galloped toward the library, unconcerned with any sort of danger she might be in. She bolted down the empty streets, panic overtaking her as she neared the ruin of her home, its broken door hanging on what remained of its hinges.

She threw the door open and ran inside, coughing on the years of dust that had filled the library in her absence. She waved the filth away, quickly scanning the room. Books were torn from their shelves, desks were turned over, and countless items were strewn across the floor. On any other day, she would cringe upon finding her library in this condition, but her mind was preoccupied at the moment.

“Spike!” she called, magenta light pouring from her horn. She coughed as she moved across the library, stirring up more of the long settled dust that surrounded her as she searched for any sign of the young dragon.

“Maybe he hid something in one of these books,” she reasoned, lifting several tomes from their shelves and shaking away the dust before checking them for clues. She eventually returned them to their proper place with no small amount of disappointment.

She continued searching this way for what seemed like ages, her agitation steadily growing with each tome she inspected. After double checking the shelves, she began moving throughout the house, winding through the kitchen, basement, and hallways, investigating every nook and cranny in hopes of discovering anything that could help her. She called out to the missing drake as she searched, a growing fear welling up inside of her with every silent reply.

“I need to be sure,” she said, having finished her first sweep of the first floor to no avail. “I really should double check everything, just in case.”

She set off on her second search as determined as she had the first, but her nerves were quickly wearing down as the stress of the past few hours began to take its toll. She no longer returned items to their proper place after examining them, preferring to instead discard them with a heavy sigh before moving on.

Her thoughts wandered as she stumbled through the house, frustration shattering her focus. Her mind was quickly flooded by the questions she had been suppressing since she had arrived here, and none of the answers she conceived could offer her any solace.

“I’m wasting too much time,” she said, panic beginning to set in. She buried her face in her hooves, desperately trying to come up with anything useful, but when the countless horrors befalling her assistant were all she could think of, the breaking point had finally been reached.

She could almost feel her sanity leaving her as she galloped throughout the library, tears streaming down her face.

“Spike!” she cried, leaving a trail of destruction through every room as she began a final desperate attempt to find any sign of her beloved friend. After tearing through the first floor she raced up the stairs to continue her search, launching countless objects across the room in a panicked frenzy. After what felt like an eternity, she eventually collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as tears poured from her eyes.

“Oh Spike,” she began, shuddering as she buried her face in her hooves. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I did this to you, to all of you.”

Her magic slowly faded, a quiet darkness overtaking the room as the light from her horn began to die out. When the last of the light was finally gone, she cried as she had in the ruins of Canterlot. She cried until her throat burned and her sides ached, until tears refused to flow altogether, and then she simply sat in silence.

She stirred after several moments, gazing at the moonlit ruins of Ponyville through what remained of her bedroom window. She slowly stood back up, her body crying out in protest as she righted herself. Magenta light once again flowed through her horn, illuminating the room as she began carefully looking over the damage she had caused to the remnants of her home.

“I guess I got a little carried away,” she said, a sheepish half-smile forming as she continued to survey her bedroom. She paused as she neared the corner, several large cuts in the wood catching her eye.

“What’s that?” she asked, a fallen desk blocking her way as she motioned toward the wall. She moved the escritoire to the side and looked back to the wall, discovering a carving of her cutie mark with an inscription beneath it.

Twilight,

Since we can’t stay in Ponyville we’re going to the ancient castle to try and come up with a plan. I know it’s not much, but I left your saddlebags on the bed in case you need them. I don’t know when or if you will ever read this, but please, be safe.

Your number one assistant,

Spike

“Thanks Spike,” she said, smiling as she gently placed a hoof on the carving. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to the bed, finding her promised saddlebags and shaking off the dust before eventually donning them. She then set off across the library, searching for anything she could use.

After gathering what little supplies remained she walked over to the entryway, the faded red door having finally fallen from its hinges. She slowly leaned outside, scanning the area for any patrolling changelings. Confident the way was clear, she left the library and ventured toward to the Everfree Forest, hoping to find someone that wasn’t a changeling… and some answers as to what was going on.