//------------------------------// // Discovery // Story: Fundamentals // by TwilightFox //------------------------------// ”Discovery” The Royal Library always saw its fair share of patrons. All sorts of ponies from all walks of life frequented the library, from school colts and fillies looking for storybooks to professors from the University conducting serious research on the “next big breakthrough” in science or magic. Even the princesses themselves had been known to visit from time to time. It was nearly the end of the day, and most of the public had already come and gone, save a few stragglers. One such straggler was a regular. She had been for years. The librarians and staff at the library had come to know Twilight Sparkle very well. They had watched her grow from an eager and inquisitive young filly to an equally eager and inquisitive young mare throughout the years. Often she would spend the entire day searching the library’s shelves or exploring one of the collections for some piece of literature or lore known only to her. Tonight was no different. The elderly librarian on duty that night quietly made her way to the table that Twilight had claimed as her own earlier that morning. The light tan bodied and gray-maned pegasus looked down at the chaotic workspace with a knowing grin. Over a dozen books were scattered across the table, some stacked two or three high, others open to one page or another in cross-reference. She had no idea what the young student of Celestia was researching, but she knew that Twilight had been there for hours and would remain there unless somepony reminded her of the time. “Miss Sparkle?” the older mare began, “Are you aware of the time?” Twilight looked up from the book she had been engrossed in. “Huh?” A quick glance at the clock revealed the time. It read eight forty-five. “Oh my gosh! I completely lost track of time! I am so sorry, Mrs. Archive!” she offered an apology as she began gathering the books she was already finished with. “There’s no need to apologize, dear.” The librarian smiled. “And I’ve told you before, please just call me Golden.” Golden Archive looked down the end of her glasses teasingly. “Right. Sorry, Golden.” “That’s quite alright.” She turned to go back to her desk at the library’s entrance. “Normally I’d shelve these books myself, but you’re a fellow librarian. Besides, you know your way around here as well as I do,” Golden said with a chuckle and a genuine smile. “I’ll just be logging the last of the books from the drop off if you need me. “ Once the older mare had left, Twilight began gathering up the rest of the books she had used throughout the day. She had spent the entire day pouring through the magical archives of the library, searching for spells of interest to her. When Spike suggested she take a day off to visit Canterlot, she was pretty sure this wasn’t what he had in mind. Sure, she could have visited the Princess, had lunch with her brother, or gone shopping at some of the capital’s finer shops, but how could she pass up a chance to look at the spells in the Canterlot Magic Archives? The very spells that helped shape the magic curriculum she had studied her whole life were contained within these walls, many of which were crafted and developed at the hooves of her two life-long mentors and role models: Princess Celestia and Starswirl the Bearded. No, she wasn’t ashamed to have spent the entire day following in the hoofsteps of her idols. Not in the least. Once she had finished gathering the books she placed them on a nearby library cart, since there were too many to carry by herself. Then she gathered up her inkwell, quills, and parchment, packing the unused portions in one saddlebag before carefully stacking her notes together and placing them in the other. She had found quite a few interesting spells to look further into. There were several spells that promised to make ponies temporarily stronger, tougher, smarter, or more agile. She could see those spells coming in handy around Ponyville from time to time, helping out on Applejack’s farm or in Rarity’s boutique. There was another spell that would alert the caster if anypony entered the area, kind of like a magical security system. She figured if nothing else, she could use that one to keep Spike from raiding the ice cream in the freezer late at night. Her favorite one however, was a spell that would emblazon almost any object with an imprint of the caster’s cutie mark. The mark would remain invisible until the caster, or another mage who knew to look for it, chose to reveal it. She could hardly wait to practice that one, so she could mark all the books in her private collection. One by one, Twilight returned each of the books to its home on the proper shelf. Use of the Dewey Decimal System was a skill she had learned early on in her studies, so it didn’t take her long to place each book back where it belonged. As she returned the final book to its place, the title of the book next to it caught her eye. “Intermediate Conjuration: The Advanced Guide to Conjuring, Teleportation, and Summoning, by Starswirl the Bearded…” she read aloud. “How did I not see this before?” She took the book from the shelf and opened to the table of contents. Finding the chapter on teleportation, she turned there to skim a little. The feat of traveling short distances in the blink of an eye is to be considered quite the accomplishment by anypony, but a particularly skilled practitioner of magic should be able to expand her range to well beyond her field of view, and a master across continents if she chooses. Twilight took note of the phrase “across continents.” She continued skimming to discover that the guide offered suggestions on ways to improve the reliability of such spells, and even ways to minimize the risks associated with teleporting to places you cannot see. Out of curiosity, she continued flipping through pages until she came to the chapter on “summoning.” While conjuring objects from thin air or creating water from nothing may make an amusing party trick, and instantly traveling from one place to another is of unquestionable convenience, the true value of Conjuration lies in the art of summoning. The ability to call forth a creature or being from the far reaches of reality means that in any situation, help is never out of reach. The studious unicorn’s eyes grew wide when she read, “... call forth a creature or being from the far reaches of reality…” Could unicorn magic really do that? It could do a lot of other seemingly impossible things, so was it really that hard to believe? The idea of exploring a new type of magic excited her, almost as much as her studies on Friendship had. She had made up her mind. She closed the book, and made her way toward the librarian’s desk, carrying it with her. When Golden Archive looked up, Twilight placed the tome in front of her. “May I check this out?” she asked. The elderly pegasus pushed her glasses up higher on her nose as she leaned across the desk to take a closer look. “Hmm…” she mused, “This came from the Magical Archives, didn’t it?” Twilight nodded. “We normally don’t allow materials from that wing to leave the library…” She immediately noticed Twilight’s ears droop and the frown she fought to hide. “But… I might be able to allow the Ponyville Library to take it out on inter-library loan.” Golden smirked, knowing very well how the young student would react. “Could you?!” Twilight’s reaction did not disappoint. “I would be so grateful!” Golden Archive nodded. “Of course, dear. And since the Ponyville librarian is here tonight, she can simply take it with her. Saves on shipping that way.” She winked. “I’ll just need to fill out an inter-library loan form and have you sign it. It’ll only take a minute.” “Oh, thank you, Mrs. Archiv- I mean, Golden.” Within minutes the paperwork had been completed and Twilight left the library, her newly discovered spellbook floating in front of her as she leisurely walked the halls of the palace She was once again skimming the summoning chapter, still enthralled by the ideas it presented. She wanted nothing more than to sit down somewhere and pour through the chapter in greater detail right then. But she still had to make it back to Ponyville. Twilight glanced at a clock in the hall. Her train didn’t leave for another hour, and even if she missed it she could just catch the next one or make use of her old quarters for one more night. She grinned as she remembered the place she used to read her books on a clear beautiful night such as tonight. The Palace Gardens had a gazebo in the center that housed many of Twilight’s late night study sessions over the years when she didn’t feel like staying in her room. Its large tables and ample lighting made it a suitable alternative, as long as the wind wasn’t blowing. It had been years since she had spent the night in the garden reading, and she knew it would be nice to spend one night the way she used to. “Alright then!’ She had made up her mind. “One more night in the gardens for old time’s sake!” Twilight said to herself as she trotted off towards the courtyard that housed the Royal Gardens, her steps bouncing with her eagerness to learn.