"Twilight? Twiiillliiightt?" Spike called out. "It's time to get up, The library opens in an hour."

Not receiving a response, the little purple drake waddles up the stairs knocking several times on the door leading into his mother figures bedroom.

Still nothing.

Huffing, he enters to see the mare huddled underneath a pile of pillows and blankets.

"Twilight you've got to get up, the library is opening up soon."

The mare withdrew her blankets eyeing Spike as if he was an alien. "What are you talking about, we're leaving for Canterlot today?"

"Huh, what do you mean?" He gave her a questioning gaze.

Now it was Twilight's turn to do the same "What do you mean, what do I mean? Did I not tell you that yesterday? I thought for sure I did." Twilight rubbed her eyelids. "Well, not that it matters, you know now."

"When are we leaving... And why?" Questioned the drake.

"Nothing just, I need some books that we don't have here in the tree."

Just as the mare was getting out of the bed Spike saw a molded cast around one of her forehooves. His eyes went as wide as saucers.

"What happened to your leg are you alright? He shrieked.

"I actually completely forgot about that somehow." She looked down at her red cast. "Yes, I'm fine Spike I just fell when coming back from Zecoras. Don't worry I'll get better before you know it." Upon finishing the sentence Twilight trotted over to Spike placing a kiss on his scaly forehead. "Now I'm going to go wash up, you should get ready for the trip.

Spike bought the white lie but still gave a concerned look. "Umm alright Twi, just promise you'll be safe next time?"

Twilight shook her head. "After everything that's happened recently, Spike I'm not sure I can guarantee that. But what I can promise is that I'll try and be a bit more careful with what I'm doing in the future."

Spike sighed slouching his shoulders a bit. "Alright, Twi. Well, I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Twilight nodded and trotted into the bathroom, her first instinct was to look in the mirror surrounded by a wooden frame, unsurprising considering she was in fact, living in a tree.

Turning on the sink she splashed her face with some cold water before summoning a brush in her magic swiping her mane several of times.

"Do I really want to go through with this? If I get caught... No, Twilight you can't think like that, many secrets may lie in the art of dark magic, secrets that ponies can use to better their lives. Who knows maybe I can find a way to cure Scootaloo's flight, actually even better I could find a way to cure all disabilities, the skies the limit right?"

'Look at yourself, you haven't even touched dark magic yet and you're already talking to yourself.'

Twilight shook off the thoughts and open the shower curtain.

'A quick shower wouldn't hurt, it will keep my mind off of things.'

When she stepped inside she quickly wrapped a bag around her hoof and turned the nobs on the wall. Soon warm droplets of water battered her as they shot out from the shower head. But of course, it didn't take long for her thoughts to run wild again. Specifically, her mind wondered to the day Princess Celestia had sent her to the Crystal Empire.

'Those spells she taught me were quite helpful. I wonder what they were exactly, rather what they were supposed to do. Were they only made to combat other dark magic spells? It seems like it but that can't be all they do right? If so, why are they not taught to every single pony in Equestria? If that happened dark magic would never really make an appearance, it would be almost none existent. It must be a key of some kind... Like a literal failsafe. Do all forms of dark magic have a kill switch of some kind? Wow... That could be really helpful if we could somehow apply it to regular magic. It would allow for much more complicated and efficient spell weaving, why it could even be adapted to runes and other wards. The possibilities are endless, I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Imagine all the reading and cross-referencing!'

Her thoughts came to an abrupt end when noticing the strain in her neck from letting the water soak her mane for so long. She lifted her head and jumped out of the shower after a quick layer of soap.

When Twilight finished getting ready for the day she made her way down the stairs and was greeted by the sight of number one assistant cooking up a
healthy meal. That being toasted hay sandwiches, one of her favorite dishes.

"Moring Twi!" The Spike called wiping out some orange juice from the fridge.

"Good morning, Spike. Sleep well?" Twilight asked trying to strike up a conversation.

"I slept great actually, thanks for asking. You?"

"Eh, could have been better, this cast is itchy but nothing else to worry about other than that."

"It must have been a high fall if you managed to break a bone like that. Did it hurt?"

Twilight glared at him.

"Right, stupid question, sorry." He said smiling sheepishly. "So what exactly are you looking for again at Canterlot?"

Twilight exhaled. "Nothing worth noting really some, just some books I'm surprised we don't have. I also intend on studying some old material to refresh my memory. Who knows when Princess Celestia will throw another test at me."

Spike nodded his head and poured himself a glass. "Anything else we need to do while we're over there?"

"I don't think so... Maybe, we'll see." Twilight took a bite of her sandwich.

With there meals coming to an end, the two continued down onto their own paths to prepare the trip to Canterlot.

Ponyville Train Station

"Ooo, Higa Twilight!" A pink pony cheered once seeing Twilight maneuvering amongst the crowd of ponies who were trotting to and fro.

"Hello Pinkie, What are you doing here?"

"Pfft, I'm here because of the cake competition silly. I told you yesterday."

"Oh, I didn't know you remade your cakes on the last day. That doesn't seem very... smart."

"No, we started making it a few days ago it's just that our last day was yesterday so that's why we threw them into the oven."

"Did they come out alright?"

"They came out great we'll win for sure!" Pinkie beamed.

"Good to hear it, I'm sure you'll do great." Twilight smiled.

"Me three!" The Pink mare giggled.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, you mean too?"

"No you silly filly, you, me, and Gummy! Isn't that right buddy?" Pinkie pulled a reptilian out of her mane and gave it a big kiss.

"Heh heh, yeah of course, how foalish of me." The lilac mare said sarcastically. Before they could continue a shout stopped them.

"All aboard!" The train conductor called out.

The mares looked at each other momentarily before promptly embarking on one of the many passenger cars. The trip itself was uneventful but as soon as they had arrived at the station, the situation had changed. Ponies were lined up pushing their way through onto the train lacking the respect to allow the customers to depart. This of course, led to ponies rudely squeezing past one another throwing the occasional petty insult at one another. Twilight ignored them and pushed past them herself. She had important business to attend to so she could not be slowed by passer-bys. She looked over her shoulder to confirm her son was seated on her back. Upon reaching a clearing she lit her horn and teleported the drake and herself to the front of the castle gates. Were it any other pony, the guards would have rushed and tackled the possible intruder, but alas they simply opened up the gates allowing the young unicorn walk past without escort.

'That's it? They didn't even stop to see if I was a changeling.'

Sparkle groaned, she would inform the Princess about the serious oversight in security later. For what she was planning to do, she would need the lack of wandering eyes, that however, didn't make the painstakingly obvious error any less ridiculous. Once she had entered the castle she went straight to the library but stopped as soon as the doors came in her field of view.

'Am I really willing to go through with this? Come on Twilight don't get cold hooves now, you're only trying to get your hooves on the most forbidden magic know to ponykind. No big deal.'

"Are you alright Twilight? Why are you just standing here?" The drakes voice was more than enough to startle the mare.

"Ahhh! Huh, what? Oh, yeah sorry, Spike just lost in thought again. You know how I am." Twilight said sheepishly. "Why don't you go to the kitchens, I don't know about you but I'm famished after such a long trip." Twilight then pulled out a small brown bag, rattling it a bit in hopes of convincing the dragon to leave. "I'm going to be here a while so take your time."

The spiked drake didn't waste a second in getting the bag of bits in his claws. "Okay!" His enthusiasm however quickly faded. "Umm, Twilight?"

She gave him a questioning gaze. "Yes?"

"Can I..." He started.

"Spike I don't have a lot of time." Twilight snapped, she didn't want to be here any longer then she needed.

"Can I get a few gems!" Spike finished quickly. "I... Well, it's been awhile since I've had any gems so I was wondering if maybe..."

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave him a smile. "Fine, but promise me you'll only a few alright? I don't want you getting any tummy aches before we leave okay."

"I promise!" With the bustling bag of bits in tow, Spike jumped off the mares back and headed off.

"That should buy me some time." She said to no one in particular.

The library was perhaps one of the most fascinating locations in the entire castle. Its roof raised as high as some of the most expensive buildings in Canterlot and spanned far n' wide. A large, hoof painted mural coated the ceiling. It depicted a plane much like Cloudsdale. Ponies, pegasi mainly, flew around greeting one another while others trotted among the clouds. The was an occasional pony waving to others down below through a window in one of the fluffy buildings.

Twilight's gaze lowered and she set her sights on the massive bookshelves. Books of all sizes and colors filled the wooden racks, all of them organized in alphabetical order. As much as the mare wanted to trot down the aisles like a filly in a candy store, she had more important matters to attend to. With each hoof-step she became more anxious. She knew exactly where to go, a rumored set of back panels that lead into the restricted section of the archives. Princess Celestia never let her go anywhere near a particular set of bookshelves and it didn't take a rocket scientist to know why.

Twilight came to a stop when she neared the entrance to the area quickly hid behind a bookshelf, she peered over and saw a pair of heavily armed and armored Solar Guards. Two were posted there twenty-four seven, any commoner would have simply thought that they were there to keep the peace. As for how to get through Twilight didn't know. The only time they would leave is when the went on breaks or turned their duties over to Princess Luna's night guard. Sure, she might have been able to sneak in between shifts but they guards never left until the new shift had stood not one hoof from them. Only then would the old set be allowed to leave. Twilight wanted to teleport in but she had never actually seen the inside and didn't want to risk teleporting inside a wall or worse, a pony. On top of all that she was positive that wards covered the area and triggering it could set off a silent alarm.

She stopped peeping and picked up a random book off the shelf. She opened it up to a random page as she thought of a plan, it wouldn't hurt to look inconspicuous while she was there. Soon she drew up several plans in her mind but immediately trashed them. One of them was a stupid as casting the Want It, Need It enchantment. That would not only bring a lot of attention but with her history of the spell, it easily would have made her the culprit.

Eventually, she settled on a very simplistic idea, a remarkably unorthodox one for her tastes but it would have to do. She would first and foremost, create a distraction on the other side of the library so the librarian wouldn't come around the corner the second she set her plan into motion. She would then cast a powerful, offensive, stun spell on the guards after the shift change. When all was said and done, the mare would cast an illusion spell that would mimic the guards to a T. As she thought, simple, unconventional, but in the end effective.

Closing the book, Twilight trotted through the library looking for the caretaker. She spotted him on the other side of the room. Sigh 'Should have just taken my chance.' She thought bitterly. Ignoring her ire, Twilight looked around to find something to distract the librarian with while she was present. It didn't need to be something complicated, a few fallen books would do the trick. With a small smile, Twilight lit her horn and unfastened one of the screws on the shelves causing the 'For Dummies' book series to tumble to the ground eliciting a large crashing noise just loud enough for the old coot to hear. Waiting a few moments for him to start cleaning up the mess Twilight turned around.

Only to encounter two guards trotting quickly towards her. She froze, 'This wasn't how it was supposed to go!' She cried. Before the purple mare could speak up the stallions trotted... Right past her. She threw up an eyebrow and turned around. The two soldiers safeguarding the doors to the crypt seemed to have heard the crash and went to investigate. Twilight would have facehoofed at the dull stallions responsibilities but instead was overtaken by joy, through sheer luck she had gained an easy entrance to the vault. Without a second to lose Twilight trotted swiftly to the doors scoping it out one last time to confirm that the guards tending to the incident, were in fact, the ones patrolling the section. She ignited her horn once more and scanned it for any wards or runes that might have acted as a lock.

She found nothing on the books or shelves... She scanned again but this time brought her magic a little lower. There! Right on the floor, she had been looking in the wrong spot. She was surprised, though mildly so, with all the incompetence going around she thought for a second that there were no security measures on the door. Whoever placed it was clearly much more clever and wise than anypony else around. Yet, as soon as her magic grazed the ward she backed off. This was no ordinary set of magical lines and shapes.

It was one of Princess Celestia's personal spells. As such, it was much more intricate than she anticipated, thus it added complications. Twilight would have to be very, very careful with disarming it. Having experienced her spells before, she knew Celestia added several precautions when making them. A single slip would cause a chain reaction, it looked almost foal proof... Almost, Twilight peered around and immediately spotted a fake potted plant. She bent down and inspected it closely taking in each detail. After some time, she found something, a tiny chip of a crystal just barely poking out from the dirt. Bingo, she had found the power source. In most cases, wards didn't need a gem unless the user intended to keep it powered for centuries. A 'forge and forget' type of spell, something Twilight knew was forbidden in almost all countries of the world. Twilight frowned, she couldn't just yank it out, it would set off the wards. She needed time to think outside the box, and sadly for her, time wasn't something she had a lot of.

'Wait a second, time!'

"That's it!" She shouted, before slapping a hoof on her muzzle a bit harder than intended. She winced but recovered. Star Swirl The Bearded's time scroll, she remembered how to cast the spell. She could use that to try and find different methods of unlocking the door with little to no consequences, she would just have to make some modifications. Even then, she had access to Star Swirl The bearded's wing in case she ever need some help. She dashed over to a nearby desk and pulled out a piece of paper, a single quill, and an ink jar from her saddlebags. Jotting down the spell, her mind was racing with ideas on how to implement her own designs onto it.

It might have taken a common unicorn months to modify such a complex spell, but Twilight was no ordinary unicorn. She had re-written the page in a matter of minutes. Holding up her draft to go over it one more time Twilight proceeded to nod to herself in acceptance. Implementing some final fail safes she got up from the chair and readied her spell. It would not only would it send the caster back in time, it would instead, copy the user and replace the same pony in the past- a perfect clone. Twilight acknowledged that most ponies might have seen such an act as unscrupulous, but for the sake of science and a better future, the mare was ready, willing, and waiting to push past it all, she knew in her heart that it would be the best for everyone. However, it was clear that Twilight knew little of the saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Not willing to risk any more time Twilight got to work on the wards. She started by merely following the line segments. Removing wards was much like mathematics or reverse engineering. Both things Twilight was excellent at. However, just because you know the ending or sum of something, doesn't mean you know or understand how it got that way, also, solving a math problem didn't require hypotheticals, it was simple augmentation. Something she found to be quite satisfying.

'No, no, no, that won't work either.' The mare grumbled in annoyance. She had gotten so used to lowering her standards since moving to Ponyville. The sudden increase in difficulty was something she was not prepared for and that only furthered her anger, no matter, if she messed up she could always just reset time.

Speaking of a restart.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be here!" The pair of soldiers had returned. One guard rushed to intercept her while the other charged a spell.

In a bit of a rash action, Twilight made a quick hop avoiding not only the spell, but the earth pony as well. In the meantime, Twilight prepared a spell of her own and hurled it to the unicorn. He had no time to react and was hit right in exposed part of his neck. The sleep spell made quick work of him, knocking him out cold. Twilight then teleported to his body facing the earth pony. It was in the nick of time as well, the earth pony was seconds away from bucking her. After correcting his stumble he charged again. 'He's not very bright, is he?' Teleporting above him, Twilight charged a second sleep spell and launched towards him. Meeting her mark, the stallion fell to the floor.

When she landed she dusted herself off. Twilight finally had peace and quite to cast the reset spell. Twilight shivered, she had no idea what it would feel like, nor what the side effects would entail, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out. 'No risk, no reward.' She thought bitterly lighting her horn.

She felt like her whole body was dropped in hot magma, then dipped in liquid nitrogen. But as soon as it came, it left, and Twilight opened her eyes. She found herself staring at two familiar guards trotting past her. It had worked, but there was one problem. This was not the time she was aiming for, she intended to find herself at a chair and desk where she first wrote the spell. This could only mean one thing. She had found a critical flaw in her spell.

The time period the scroll sent you was completely random. Meaning it could have sent her as far back as the day she was born. In influx of sensations filled Twilight as she collapsed from the emotions that overwhelmed her. If there were such a thing as gods, they were most certainly watching over her today. She would not cast that spell again no matter what, no amount of trouble was worth the risk. After a few minutes of getting her barrings, she meekly trotted to the vault doors once more. The orchid mare had made a decent amount of progress after her first attempt, thus had a pretty good idea on how to shut off the ward without triggering it. She had to think outside of the box for the most part, instead of deconstructing the wards she, alternatively, made another one and powered it. An exact replica of Celestia's. She had created a magic ward to shut down a magic ward. It acted like generators, if you sent two separate streams of power to each other it would cause the two dynamos to shut down. A meltdown via magic overload.

Twilight visibly beamed at her accomplishment, that was one for the books. In addition, all her thinking had temporarily distracted her from the conundrum she experienced earlier. Today was a good day to be Twilight Sparkle.

She wasted no time in pulling two obviously more detailed and brighter books in unison. Doing so separated the shelves and a pair of loosely hung set of wooden panels were now visible. She pushed open the set of boards before promptly shutting them and the bookshelves behind her. It was the moment of truth, for days she had been wanting to get her hooves on even a sentence of newfound knowledge, and now she finally had it. Turning around she summoned a light from her horn allowing her to see in the pitch black room. She couldn't recognize a thing other than a set of dark oak wood doors and the start of what she believed to be a line of candles. Lighting the wax cylinders as she shook in anticipation Twilight trotted forward spreading apart the entire way. Shelves stacked with books she had never seen or heard of before were hoof fed right into her eyeballs. Were would she start? All this knowledge locked away never to see the light of day again.

Twilight pulled a couple books from the shelves that she thought would be a good start. They were named 'Necromancy For Foals', and 'Blood Magic & You'. She also pulled out a book that had no name but had leather stretched over the cover. She scanned through the pages, it appeared to be a tome that contained references to symbols and other rosters. Embedded in the textbook was a chart and a diary of sorts that seemed to contain titles of what Twilight assumed to be other books and a few notes, though most were so old they were barely legible. 'Maybe there was another pony who was studying it? Hmm, wonder what happened to them? It's clear they never got to finish. Shame too, I could have used the data they collected.'

Shaking her head Twilight decided to have look around, the room was considerably small but miraculously somehow still held a small second floor on the plus side, she had managed to scavenge a few more candles and an old oil lantern. She lit them and placed them around the stone brick chamber, it provided a little warmth but not enough to halt the fog emitting from her muzzle after every breath she took. Twilight then proceed to draw the room itself noting every little detail, she would no doubt come back here and would rather teleport in than go through all the trouble a second time. No security wards were present when she examined the room for them so Twilight Sparkle created two of her own. One was an elaborate alarm that would, like all other alarms, alert her if anyone came in. The second would set fire to it all. This would be a last resort in case she accidentally left behind some incriminating evidence that would mark her as a suspect. She didn't expect to ever use it, nor did she wish she would have to, but if she was found out about it would lead to her research coming to a complete halt. And that in and of itself was unacceptable. Even then, by the time that happened, she most likely would have cleared out most if not all the information the room contained.

In the end, when Twilight felt her magic spells were to her standers she departed in a flash of light.

Author's Note

I don't know how I feel about this chapter.

Most likely going to change it.

Love it, like it, hate it, despise it. Anything helps.