The Doom That Came To Ponyville.

Twilight Sparkle huddled into the small pile of blankets and pillows she had constructed in her basement, shivering slightly. She considered pacing around the room to think clearer, but five hours of doing that had only netted her a worn floor and a set of tired hooves. As it was, she could only believe the world was falling apart around her. It's not like she hasn't checked, after all, she knew there are spells to do basic scrying and one might be in one of the libraries books and it would be entirely possible that she missed it the last five times she went over the entire inventory, but in the end she really didn't want to look outside.

Oh, she knew that she should, but what's the use in reaffirming that she was alone? Spike was gone, hopefully somewhere safe, while Rarity and Applejack might be in Sweet Apple Acers. Rainbow Dash might be in Cloudsdale, or somewhere, because last time Twilight checked it wasn't their anymore, but Fluttershy...

Twilight shuddered, closing her eyes involuntarily.

She was with that thing in the square. At least Pinkie Pie was okay, she was out of town and probably wouldn't even notice it's new management.

How the Princesses knew that foul thing that blatantly breaks every single natural law in existence and probably a few that have yet to be written down boggled her mind. She didn't have Spike to send a letter to conform that they were even alive, because Canterlot was covered in green mist and she feared for what might have possibly happened to cause it to be like it.

It couldn't be Discord, or the Changelings, because it would have surely spread by now. No, it had to be that thing that called itself Shrub, but even that seemed unlikely. Luna seemed to think that she was a good friend, but then again,Luna also ended up on the moon and was away during her brothers wedding-

Ug. Did she really think that?

She's been having thoughts like that for the last few days, ever since she managed to shake that clingy maid's dress off her and gathered everything she needed to live in the basement of the house. Nasty thoughts, one's that made her feel awful for even thinking about. Questioning her friends loyalties, the status of the Princesses, horrible things that made her feel like a terrible pony.

She didn't feel bad about thinking terrible thoughts about the thing in town square, though. She didn't feel bad at all.

Luna was right about her, in fact. She couldn't find anything about her in any book, tome, or scroll she had.

Suddenly, her eyes widened with realization.

That wasn't actually the case.

Applebloom, two weeks earlier, had checked out a book called the Elkdown ShardsTwilight didn't know that she had, and that it was accompanied with another copy that, accordingly, she also didn't know she had. She didn't remember getting it from Zecora, or from the Canterlot Archives, but either way she didn't remember it ever obtaining it through any means.

But at this point, she wasn't sure if she cared whatsoever. As it was, all Twilight remembered was that Shrub actually spoke to the little filly, almost calmly, and to Twilights mild shock she answered back. But Twilight mostly remembered how the little red-haired filly slurred the pesudounicorn's name into something that made Twilight itch all over. She didn't recall what exactly she said, but it wasn't something that should have come out of her mouth, more because of the fact she wasn't sure it ponies had the organs needed to make the noises she did than any sort of foulness in the language itself.

Moving over past her pile of former friendship scrolls, she searched for the book. If it had anything to do with her unfortunate guest, it could be a lifesaver for the battle to come.

It wasn't hard to do, as it was currently staring at her.

Twilight looked at the book, lying on a small pillar of larger books, and at the big brown eye in the dead center of the cover.

The book looked back.

Twilight blinked.

The book didn't.

Twilight kept staring.

The book blinked.

"Hello?" Twilight said, very slowly and very quietly.

The book said nothing, being a book.

"This is not a bad dream, is it? This is actually happening."

The book blinked again.

"Are you a actual book, or are you some sort of magical creature?"

The book said nothing.

"Can you understand what I am saying?"

To Twilight's mild surprise, the book rolled it's eye.

"You can?"

The book glared at her.

" I really am sorry, I still don't know if this is a hallucination or not. I have been down here for a week and there's some sort of evil deity outside. Do you know what I am talking about?"

Before Twilight could start breaking down and laughing at how she was talking to a book, said tome shook a little, seemingly agitated.

"You do, that's great! Now, do you know how to get rid of it?" Twilight said excitedly, not really caring whatsoever that the book just moved by itself.

The book made a gesture that might have been a nod, if it had a head.

"That's great, wonderful even. Now, what do I need to do?" Twilight said giddily.

The book's eye closed quickly, and the book flipped itself open.

Twilight, after a few scant moments of hesitation, started reading it.

While there was nothing directly stated in it, the basic concept's seemed to fit what she already knew. It wasn't really a book of magic so much as what one could do with magic, with some scant passages about certain objects or creatures that Twilight had never heard of before.

After a hour or so of having her eyes glued to the Shards, Twilight closed it happily, as it was apparent that she could, in fact, do what needed to be done.

Humming slightly as she prepared her things, a bag of arcane ingredients and a small piece of chalk, she started walking up the stairs and only stopped when she suddenly found herself in the way of a falling Great and Powerful Trixie clade in a black robe, wide surprised eyes a dark-wine color.