A Paradox of Sabotage and Regret

She had borrowed very many scrolls from Celestia, asking for twenty at a time, mostly. It took three and a half weeks to finish the spell cirlce. Chalk filled her coat like it were doused onto her for make up purposes. Under the tree she stood tall, in the center of a massive ring, spanning as far as the wall as would let in the huge basement. It was much larger than the tree, meant for training purposes in magical uses. But Twilight found a better use.

Dragging the chalk to a stop and adding the last link to the circle, she wiped her brow with a cold hoof. The time it took to make it perfect was almost agitating. But it was worth it. It was beautiful. The markings that glowed with their elemental charge gave off a slightly eery light, but nonetheless, their vibrant colored flames were beautiful to the young mage.

"Finally. The spell is complete. The elemental markings took a lot of magic to charge, but it was worth it."

Setting her hooves in the marked spots of the ring around her, she used her magic to activate the ring. Light shone from every chalk marking, connected to the rings or not, illuminating the otherwise dark room. The circles broke the floor apart into perfect circles which rose and started working like a mechanism of some clockwork mechanic, rotating against one another, throwing dials around, and as the spell began taking it's toll, Twilgiht began feeling weaker by the second.

Unable to keep the spell going, she let the magic fail, but it didn't stop then. The mechanism should have stopped. Though, she overlooked the hidden fail safe. An arc of magic struck her horn from each dial, forcing the magic out of her to complete the cast.

She screamed out in pain as she felt nearly all of her own life force sucked from her. But something grabbed her, taking the pain for her before she slipped into the chill of death. It was a warm touch, but very familiar. Whoever it was hugged her tightly, and kept the magic flowing to supply the magic spell on her own will. As Twilight dropped to the floor, she rolled over onto her back, looking up at the mare which saved her. She gasped at who it was.

It was her.

Not knowing what to do, she stood, but her other self wouldnt allow.

"Get...down!"

Twilgith didn't listen, and as the spell took away the gravity of the room, she kicked from the ground, grabbing hold of herself. Though, as she wrapped her forelegs around the body she knew was hers, it vanished, and the spell finished, shocking her with magic she had stored up for weeks.

The rift opened, starting from the tip of her hron, and engulfing her, then continuing to the ring. She let out a scream, but didn't register it as somethign else flashed befor eher.

Not her life, but somepony else's. Correction, everypony elses' lives. She watched several million lives pass before her, not forward, but rewinding. She was traversing in the opposite direction of time in a very accelerated manner. The stone circles which held the chalk markings, floated lively around her, rotating, leading. But leading her to where? She had used many different time symbols that were very important when traveling extended distances through the time stream, forward or back, so she'd be safe. but each also took time to get there. So, she was to find herself in a very unknown time, when she stopped.

The outermost ring which held four element symbols, turned, putting it flat against the firection they were traveling. Magic shot from the symbols, all arcing to, and meeting in the center in front of the entire mechanism. Twilight was once again swallowed by the vortex and the mechanism as well.

Right there and then, a new sight struck her mind. The mechanism that hse built, that is pushign ehr through time. It is still active, and is now on display in Celestia's hall of time. It was never there before, but it is now. Something has changed already, just her entry into the world has altered the universe she lived in.

Blacking out, she felt as searing hot flames danced across her. Touching her, but not burning. It felt pleasant, and helped her to sleep.