A time-displacement spell from the distant past brings Twilight face-to-face with the one pony in history she respects the most. But... does she already know him?
Well, it was supposed to be a nice relaxing trip to Canterlot. But that never happens does it?
First, I sprain my hoof by falling down a staircase. I'm not even in Canterlot yet. Then once we get there, Discord shows up when we're greeting the Princess and acts all funny towards me. Then, to top it all off, as I'm reading a nice book, I get sucked back in time against my will. Isn't life just wonderful?
Wait.
...
Did you say Starswirl the BEARDED?!
Teen only because it might have some deeper, kinda darkish stuff in the middle. Not too dark or anything, don't worry! :D
DiscoLight (or Twicord, whichever you prefer) only if you're really looking for it. For those of you who don't like the ship, or don't like shipping in general, don't worry. No romantic moments or anything. :P
Everything was finally ready. The Princess had sent her a letter, wondering if tomorrow would be a good day for Twilight and her friends to come to Canterlot. They had not seen each other since the Summer Sun Celebration fiasco, and Celestia was hoping to visit with Twilight on a day that the world wasn't ending.
And so, Twilight had asked Spike to whip up a checklist for the trip, and she had set about packing her bags and getting the library set for her departure. Twilight decided to allow Spike to stay home, though she was asking Lyra Heartstrings to watch over him while she was gone, not wanting to come home to a library in ruins.
Speaking of Spike, it smelled as if he had made some of his delicious steamed broccoli and cheese for dinner!
Happy to finally relax, Twilight grabbed the third Daring Do book of her bedside table(she was re-reading the series for the fifth time) and left her room. She had left off at the most exciting part and couldn't wait to keep reading. A sheen of purple magic glistened over the cover as the book flipped open and floated in front of Twilight as she started walking downstairs.
She was so caught up in the book, she didn't notice the large stack of laundry blocking one side of the stairs. Suddenly, a shirt sleeve with evil intent wrapped itself around one of her hooves and Twilight cried out as she lost her balance.
She felt her trapped hoof yank painfully out of the cloth and she curled up into a protective ball as she hit each step on the way down. Twilight landed with a thud and she whimpered in pain as the Daring Do book landed on her face.
"Twilight!" Spike, who had heard the commotion, came hurrying over to the bottom of the stairs. "Twilight, are you all right?!"
She groaned and weakly lifted the book off her face. "I... I think so." She tried to push herself up, but cried out in pain and collapsed again. "Or maybe not."
"Where does it hurt?" Spike was nearly hyperventilating.
"Everywhere, Spike," Twilight deadpanned. Spike's eyes widened in horror. 'Maybe not the best time for sarcasm, Twilight' She thought to herself. "Mostly right here," She held up her left forehoof delicately. "This is the one that got caught in the laundry."
"The laundry? Oh no! I'm so sorry, Twilight!" Spike nearly burst into tears. "It's all my fault that you're hurt! I shouldn't have left it on the stairs!"
"It's not your fault, Spike," Twilight comforted him, attempting to stand up again. "I shouldn't have tried to read and walk down the stairs at the same time." She flapped her wings slightly to keep her weight off her hoof.
"I just hope this feels better by tomorrow morning, or I may not be able to see Princess Celestia!" Twilight said sadly. "I guess I should call my friends over here, and warn them that we might not be going..."
Spike's eyes brightened as he saw an opportunity to be helpful.
"I'll go get them Twilight! I'll get you your food and you can eat and wait for them to get here!" Spike beamed. He helped Twilight over to the couch, then rushed into the kitchen. Bringing out a steaming plate of broccoli, he told the purple mare to stay put, then bustled out the front door.
Twilight rolled her eyes at his antics, then dejectedly lifted a spoonful of broccoli and cheese into her mouth.
The purple alicorn's happy exclamation rang across the throne room, as the Princess of the Sun turned to greet her.
"Twilight Sparkle!" Princess Celestia curled a wing around her former student and hugged her tightly. "How are you? I am very happy that you were able to come see us after all!"
"Oh, Princess, you know a little sprained ankle wouldn't keep me from my visit!"
"Ah still don't think it's good to be up and about after that tumble ya took, Twi," Applejack grumbled, plopping her bag onto the floor next to her.
"I have to say, I do agree. We just don't want you to injure yourself further, darling," Rarity said, glancing down sheepishly.
"Aw, come on you guys! Twilight's tough!" Rainbow Dash swooped down next to the purple mare, putting a hoof around her defiantly. "Like me!"
"Yeah, she'll be a-okay in not too long!" Pinkie grinned.
"Well, it was Twilight's decision," Fluttershy put in, before shrinking back slightly. "R-remember?"
"A decision Ah don't agree with," Applejack said firmly.
"Well, I think I'm fine. I tested it out this morning, walked around a bit, and it felt alright," Twilight said, waving her front left hoof in the farm pony's face. "End of discussion."
"End of what discussion?" A familiar, deep voice spoke, echoing off the walls. Everypony's eyes narrowed slightly, save for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.
"Discord?" Fluttershy asked, perking up.
With a flash of light, the draconequus appeared next to her. "My dear Fluttershy! Looking yellow and shy as usual, I see!" He patted her lightly on the head a few times before smirking at her.
"And you're just as mix-matched and arrogant as usual, I can see," Fluttershy jabbed back before looking slightly shocked at her bravery.
Discord chuckled. "Getting better, dear, getting better, but still not good as me!" He booped her on the nose. Fluttershy smiled slightly at his hidden compliment.
"What do you want, Discord?" Celestia suppressed the urge to roll her eyes as she spoke.
"Can't I say hi to my friend as well?" Discord flashed over to her. "Never thought that you of all ponies would be selfish." He poked her crown lightly.
Scowling, Celestia moved her head out of his reach.
"By the way, I don't think anypony ever answered my question. What discussion?" Discord examined the talons on his eagle claw.
Twilight sighed. "It's not that important, Discord. I just sprained my ankle and some of my friends don't think I should be moving about," Twilight narrowed her eyes at Applejack and Rarity, though there was no real malice in her glare.
"Sprained your ankle?" Discord repeated.
If Twilight hadn't known better, she could have sworn she heard a hint of panic in his voice, but when she turned to look at him, he looked as carefree as ever, twirling a marble in his fingers.
"Yeah, I fell down the stairs at the library, that's all. I gave Spike quite a fright, but it was totally my fault, trying to go down the stairs while still reading my book," She giggled at her own stupidity.
Discord had stopped twirling the marble and was staring at Twilight as if she had grown a second head.
"What're ya staring at?" Applejack questioned.
Discord blinked and glanced at her. "Oh, just amazed how the Princess of the Year could be so clumsy, that's all."
His statement sounded normal, coming from him, but Twilight couldn't shake the odd feeling that Discord was somehow worried about the tumble down the library stairs. That feeling, and the way Discord kept throwing sidelong glances at her wrapped hoof made her slightly uncomfortable.
Celestia finally gave up and allowed herself to roll her eyes at Discord's statement. "Come now, my little ponies... and... big draconequus," She added, seeing that Discord had no intention of leaving. "I have the whole day planned!" The Princess smiled. "First, something I'm sure you'll be excited about, Twilight, they have renovated the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the castle library! I want you ponies to be the first to see it!"
Twilight's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! Let's go!" She took off, leaving the rest to follow behind, Discord slowest of all.
Under his breath, he muttered, "The Starswirl the Bearded what?"
"Woah."
That about summed it up.
The entire wing looked completely different. The walls were made of glass, giving a dizzying look down to the rest of Canterlot, while the shelves of books were made of a white marble. The floor was mahogany, and the ceiling, also made of marble, was twice as high as before, curving into a dome with beautiful embroideries covering it. As the centerpiece was a beautiful statue of swirling metal rod with several stars adorning it. The room positively glowed with impressive beauty.
"Oh. My. Gosh." Twilight had the most ridiculous expression on her face, awe mixed with happiness mixed with curiosity.
Discord, for some reason, did not take advantage of the situation to tease her, and stood quietly in the back while the rest of the ponies began to mill about.
"There are no books on parties!" Pinkie complained, throwing another book to the side. Rarity facehoofed, and began putting books back from the pile beside Pinkie.
"Of course not, darling," Rarity explained patiently. "He wouldn't have written anything about fashion either. It simply isn't what philosophers write about."
"Hey!" Applejack grinned. "Ah found one about farmin'! Apparently he was more than justa philosopher after all!" She stuck her tongue out at Rarity and began to read the book intently.
"And here's one about dangerous weather!" Rainbow crowed. "I wonder how different storms were in those days?"
Fluttershy's eyes brightened as she found a book about magical creatures. She flew over to Discord and held the book out. "Do you want to read it with me?" She asked quietly, holding it out towards him.
Discord glared at the book like it had personally offended him, then grabbed it gently from her hooves.
"Magical Creatures Across the World, huh?" He looked up at her hopeful face and sighed. "Ugh, fine."
Fluttershy clapped her hooves together in delight and settled down next to him to read.
Meanwhile, Celestia was perusing a fascinating book on ancient cultures while Twilight searched for one certain work of Starswirl's.
"Aha! Here it is!" Twilight grabbed the book out of her magic and set it down next to a cushion for her to read. It was the book that had contained Starswirl's one unfinished spell. While she knew that one far too well for her liking, there were hundreds of other spells in the book that she had never heard of!
Not two minutes after she had settled down to read, Twilight felt the oddest sensation in her stomach. It felt almost as if she was on a rollercoaster, and the ride had just taken a very sharp fall down. She began to see stars, and blinked, wondering if she was about to pass out. Suddenly, she realized that the stars were real, and surrounding her body at a very rapid pace. Twilight found her voice, and cried out. Everypony looked up in shock.
"Twilight!" Princess Celestia yelled. The white alicorn reached for her in alarm, but the strange magic surrounding her deflected both her hooves and her magic.
Next to Fluttershy's terrified form, Discord's eyes widened in an unknown emotion, and he muttered something under his breath.
"I'll save ya, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She cannoned forward, wings pumping. She promptly was knocked backward by a stray star.
All of this, which happened in mere seconds, seemed to Twilight like years. Scared out of her wits, she could only watch as the blinding light surrounded her like a cocoon. With a sudden jolt, she felt herself be thrown backwards into nothingness, and she closed her eyes against the light as she fainted.
The last panicked yell echoed through the library, fading to leave a heavy, harsh silence.
Everyone stood staring at the scorch mark that surrounded the cushion that had previously held their friend. It expanded from the center, across the floor, and up the bookshelf nearest to it. A seared spine of one of the books disconnected from its pages, and they all watched it fall slowly to the floor.
Several minutes passed before anyone moved.
Princess Celestia finally turned. Her eyes raked across the room, landing on the Spirit of Chaos standing behind the rest of them, his paw resting on Fluttershy's back in a comforting manner.
As if in a trance, he slowly looked up to meet her eyes. He nearly flinched at the anger radiating from her body, but he held his ground and stared back, the smallest hint of sadness in his gaze.
Princess Celestia shot daggers at him for a few more moments, the rest of the group slowly turning to watch them.
Finally, Celestia sighed and lowered her head.
"You didn't do it, did you?" She asked softly.
Discord raised an eyebrow at her question. "Well, if it'd make you feel better, I'll say I did it," He said in as comforting a tone as he could muster.
Celestia looked up at him. "Why couldn't I save her? It blocked my magic and my physical attempt. How could it possibly do that? Who could possibly do that?"
"Discord could," Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.
"Rainbow!" Fluttershy scolded. "Both Discord and the Princess said he didn't do it, so I'm going to believe that he didn't."
Rainbow looked slightly ashamed, looking up at the draconequus and muttering a hurried apology under her breath.
"In answer to your question, Celestia, I have no idea. No one in this day and age, I know that," Discord's eyes darkened. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the gardens," He turned and walked towards the door, shoving the book he still held into one of the shelves as he passed.
"But..." He paused. "I do know one thing for absolute certain," He glanced over his shoulder.
"All we can do now is wait."
The first thing she noticed was the smell of books. The smell of books mixed with the smell of candles. It was a heavy, musky scent, yet completely familiar to her. She had probably fallen asleep while reading late last night. That explained it.
Her sense of taste came next. A smoky taste, rough on her tongue, which made her crave water. How late had she stayed up?
She could feel hard wooden boards beneath her, uncomfortable to say the least, and she shifted slightly. Her leg was in a most awkward position and was cramping up. What had she done, fallen off her bed?
It was incredibly quiet. The sound of her own breath roared in her ears, and if she listened closely, she could hear her heart beating.
Right as she went to open her eyes, she stiffened. I wasn't in the tree library. The last thing I remember is...
Twilight jerked up, heart pounded as she peered into the darkness. Or, to be more specific, semi-darkness. There were candles placed periodically across the room, and a crescent moon shone through a window on her right. Illuminated by the light were hundreds upon hundreds of books, with countless more absorbed in the shadows. Twilight would have been thrilled had she not been more concerned about who she was with.
Directly in front of her was a figure, cloaked in shadow. The only thing she could perceive, as she strained her eyes in the dark, were the shadow's eyes. They were a deep, piercing yellow, and they stared back at her with equal intensity. The figure said nothing.
Twilight tried to speak, but no words came out. Her throat was simply too dry. Instead, she broke the stare and began studying the room more carefully, keeping the figure in the corner of her eye. It simply continued watching her.
The room seemed somewhat like her own library. If she focused, she could see a bed in the corner, and a telescope by the window. Unlike her neat, tidy study, however, papers were strewn about everywhere, on the floor and on every desk. The sight of so many books and papers laying haphazardly about the room gave Twilight a sick feeling in her stomach. The stallion in front of her obviously had no sense of organization.
Indeed, the mysterious figure sitting a few feet from her was a stallion. As her eyes adjusted, Twilight began to see the distinct shape of a male pony's head and a short beard on his chin. She could have sworn that he hadn't blinked yet.
Once again, Twilight tried to speak. As before, she seemed unable to get her words out. She gestured wildly at her throat, then mimed drinking something, hoping that the stallion would understand, and if he did, that he would care.
His eyes widened slightly. "Oh!" He exclaimed. "Water?" Twilight nodded frantically. His horn, which Twilight just now noticed, lit up with a magic as yellow as his eyes. She heard no sink run, but a glass of water floated up to her. Not caring about manners, she grabbed it desperately from his aura and gulped it down.
The stallion raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's probably a side-effect," He muttered under his breath.
Twilight drained the last drop of the precious liquid and put the cup down at her side. It disappeared with another flash of the colt's magic. "Who are you?" Twilight asked, slightly out of breath.
The stallion seemed to not hear her question as he fell over on his back in relief.
"Haha! Thank goodness!" He poked a hoof towards her as he gave a pleased sigh. "I was terribly worried that you would speak some foreign language! This is going much better than expected!" He glanced around the room.
"Goodness, it's dark in here. I guess I lost track of time, waiting for you to wake up! You took your time with it too," He glared at her darkly. "Three hours I waited! You must have been incredibly tired. Come to think of it, that's probably a side-effect as well," He began to trot around the room, lighting more candles.
"Side-effect?" Twilight gulped. "Side-effect of what? Who are you and where did you take me?" She stood up, bristling with fury before wobbling on her hooves and collapsing back to the floor.
The stallion glanced over at her and muttered, "Dizziness upon standing, that's another one."
Twilight noticed that a quill was on the desk next to her, illuminated with his magic, scribbling everything he noticed. He's taking notes on me?! What am I, a scientific experiment?
"Listen, whoever you are," Twilight began again, staying on the floor but narrowing her eyes dangerously. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic and Princess Celestia's most prestigious student," She flared her wings to emphasize her statement. "If you do not release me from whatever tests you are doing, I will make you regret ever having the very thought of kidnapping me," Twilight inwardly smirked. That'll work.
The stallion was staring at her wings in absolute fascination. Twilight held her stance for a moment, then began to droop. Did... Did he even hear me?
He seemed speechless. "You have a unicorn horn... and pegasus wings?! How is that even possible?" Candle-light danced in his eyes as he weaved through the many piles of paper that cluttered the floor.
"Do you happen to have earth pony in you as well? Now that would truly be a miracle," He stopped next to her and kneeled down to try and touch her wings. Twilight immediately slapped his hoof indignantly.
"Ow!" He snatched his hoof away and rubbed it gently. "I just wanted to look!"
"I'm not letting you anywhere near me unless you tell me where you took me," Twilight glared at him.
"My workroom/bedroom/living room/house, now if you would be so kind," The unicorn snapped, reaching for her wing again. There was something about his voice when he snapped at her that sounded familiar, though Twilight didn't pay much attention to it as she slapped his hoof away again.
"That's not a good enough answer. Tell me how you took me out of Canterlot, right out from under the Princess's nose, without being stopped!"
"Hey, hey, hey. Spoilers. I don't what any of that stuff is, so if you could refrain from telling me until I explicitly ask you, I'd be pleased," The stallion sniffed, looking quite put-out. "I was going to reveal it to you gently, but since you're being so pushy," He shoved his muzzle into her face as he said that word. "I'll just say it right out."
He grabbed a piece of paper and began scribbling on it. "So, look. Recently, I've been very interested in how different the future is from the past, and how history will remember this time period. In order to figure this out, I invented a spell that would bring one of the smartest ponies in a position of partial leadership from the future back to the past. Apparently," He turned to glare at her again. "That meant you. Though as of right now, I'm wondering if the spell malfunctioned."
Twilight bristled. "So you just dragged me from the future without any idea what I was doing and brought me here so you could question me? Then you insult me by implying I'm dumb? What kind of scientist are you?"
"The kind that puts up with arrogant brats apparently. What did you call yourself? A Princess? Wonderful. We have an monarchy in the future too," He muttered all of this under his breath as he finished drawing a diagram on the paper.
The stallion sighed heavily and looked into Twilight's blazing eyes. He managed to look slightly guilty, hurt flashing in his eyes. "Look, I know we probably got off on the wrong hoof, and I'm not terribly good with other ponies. But I promise, I'm going to send you back after I ask you a few questions. I'm not evil or anything," He added softly as he handed her the paper.
On it was a small diagram of how the spell he had described worked. It located and honed in on the smartest pony who was in a position of power, but not the highest power, and flashed them back in time. This was achieved by bending the metaphorical 'line' of time so that two specific periods of time were close enough to teleport one creature from one to the other.
Though she didn't want to admit it, Twilight was quite impressed with the stallion's power. She could hardly imagine the amount of concentration that would be required to bend time like that.
"I don't know what you call our era in the future, but ponies here are starting to call it the Renaissance," He said simply. "Does that answer your question on where you are? Or, really, when you are?"
The Renaissance Era? Twilight thought eagerly. As crazy as this is, this could actually be an incredible learning experience! Who knows what I could learn by literally living in history?!
Feeling more confident, Twilight lifted her head to look at the unicorn as he checked the diagram over her shoulder. He met her eyes and gave her a small smile.
Taking the diagram back, he trotted over to one of the desks and shoved it in a random drawer. "So, your name's Twilight Sparkle, hm?"
Twilight blinked in surprise. He did hear me when I yelled at him! "Y-Yeah," She stammered.
He gave her a curious look. "And what exactly is an Element of Magic?" He positioned another candle on his bedside table, lighting it with a sweep of his horn.
Twilight smirked. "Spoilers," She used his own word against him.
"Oho," He chuckled. "Alright then. Who's Princess Celestia?"
I guess that information wouldn't hurt too much. Twilight reasoned with herself. "She's my former teacher. She rules Equestria and raises the sun. Oh, and she's an alicorn like me." She flicked her wings out proudly.
"Is that what you call yourself?" He walked over to her. "Alicorn?" He reached out again, before stopping abruptly. Twilight stretched out a wing so he could examine it. "Fascinating," He said softly, eyes brimming with curiosity. "So, were you born like this, or-"
"I was originally a unicorn, but... Well, I don't really know exactly how, but Princess Celestia said it was because I had finished a spell. Created new magic, to be more specific," Twilight smiled to herself. The stallion let go of her wing and looked at her with interest.
"I do that all the time. Wonder why I'm not an alicorn yet," He joked, turning to scribble something else down. "Maybe I could make a spell to transform into one..." He said more quietly, under Twilight's range of hearing.
I guess alicorns either didn't exist back in this time or they were really rare. Twilight thought. She looked around the room again. "You make magic all the time?" She questioned, intrigued by the hundreds of books.
"Mmhm," He confirmed distractedly, still scribbling on the paper.
"And you invented the spell that brought me here?"
"Yeah, why?" He queried, turning his attention back to the alicorn.
"Would the spell happen to be somewhere in here? I'd love to see it," Twilight replied eagerly.
"Uh," The stallion glanced around the cluttered room, a slight grimace on his face. "Yeah, it's here somewhere. I just have to find it," He began sifting through papers, and looking in books. "Nope, that's the book on farming," He tossed a book over his shoulder, his magic catching it and laying it gently on a desk. "Ah! I remember where it is!" He turned and walked to the opposite side of the room.
He turned and grabbed a book from a desk in the corner with his magic and brought it over to her. It flipped open and stopped at a page labeled, "Time Spells".
He handed it to her, underlining a certain spell with an ink quill.
Time Spells
Time Displacement
To pull from the future, To bring to the past. To target one creature, Knowledge unsurpassed.
I know this spell! Twilight thought. This was a spell created by Starswirl the Bearded! One of the more dangerous ones at that. Princess Celestia would never allow me to practice it. And... Wait... He just underlined that spell. In the original copy of Starswirl the Bearded's book of time spells, recovered literally from his office, this specific spell is underlined. And he just said that he invented this, but... That's not possible.
Twilight slowly dragged her eyes up from the book, locking on to the stallion's golden eyes.
"Who are you?" She asked, voice barely audible as she held her breath for his answer.
He blinked. "I didn't tell you that yet? I could've sworn I did," He laughed. "Sorry, that was quite rude of me!"
The stallion held his hoof out for her to shake, smiling at her.
With a click, Twilight snapped her jaw shut. She chuckled nervously and reached out to take the stallion's hoof. Starswirl was watching her with a confused expression as she shook his hoof with enthusiasm, still giggling wildly.
Yanking his hoof from her tight grasp, he asked, "Are you quite all right, Twilight Sparkle?" Twilight nearly squealed.
Starswirl the Bearded! Starswirl the Bearded just asked if I was all right! Starswirl the Bearded just said my name! Twilight began to sway back and forth in excitement, her grin nearly too big for her face, a tiny high-pitched noise coming from the back of her throat.
"Twilight?" Starswirl's voice cracked slightly. "Hello? Earth to Twilight? Earth to Twilight Sparkle?" He levitated one of the candles over to her and waved it in front of her face. Her eye just twitched slightly as her grin somehow widened. This is what Starswirl the Bearded really looks like! I'm looking at Starswirl the Bearded!
"Um. Twilight." The mare simply sat there. Starswirl sighed and put the candle back on a desk. Reaching out with a hoof, he tapped her lightly on the nose. "Boop!"
Twilight's grin faded as she put her hoof to her muzzle in confusion. She looked back up at him as he repeated the action. She scrunched her nose and scrabbled back a few feet. "What in the name of Equestria are you doing?"
A smirk twisting across his features, the stallion began to laugh. It resonated in the room, somehow familiar but foreign all the same. Twilight stared at him as he tumbled to the ground, clutching his stomach with his hooves.
"I have absolutely no idea what just happened," He said, as he wiped tears out of his eyes. "But that was hilarious."
"What do you expect? You're Starswirl the Bearded!" Twilight snapped indignantly.
"Oh, am I important?" His yellow eyes flashed as he clapped his hooves in excitement. "If so, would you mind informing my colleagues? Maybe they'd listen to me a bit more if they knew."
"You- You aren't-" Twilight stammered. "Why-"
"I have no idea what you're trying to ask me, dear. Why don't you try completing your sentences and then I'll see what I can do."
Twilight simply sat and looked at him. Starswirl the Bearded. I can't believe this. She abruptly changed her train of thought before she started squealing again. He's not famous yet, I guess. Explains his reaction. He seems the tiniest bit self-conceited, doesn't he? So, if he's not famous, does that mean he's young, or that he just became famous after he disappeared? When did he disappear? Oh no, he's starting to look at me funny. Say something, Twilight!
"Um. Well, I can't tell you too much I guess, but," Twilight began, steadying her voice a bit as she looked into her idol's gleaming yellow eyes. "Yes, you're quite a big deal in the future."
That's an understatement.
Starswirl began beaming once again, picking up the candle with his magic. "That's wonderful! A dream come true, if you will."
He picked his way across the room, pages fluttering down from the heights of the bookshelves as he swept by.
"I suppose it would be unwise to tell me more," He threw over his shoulders, the undercurrent of frustration quite clear in his voice, "But I do so wish I could know."
"I could tell you a few things," Twilight said uncertainly. "Just ask me and I'll see what I can do."
Starswirl grinned at her. "Wonderful!" He teleported next to her, causing Twilight to jump, hitting her sprained ankle at an angle. She grimaced and held it closer to her body.
Noticing her pain, he looked down. "Oh, goodness! You didn't tell me you were hurt!" He flicked his magic into a small pile, digging out a few medical kits.
"No, no!" Twilight waved him off, smiling wanly. "It's just a sprained hoof, don't worry about it."
"But, dear, I can fix sprained hoofs," Starswirl gave her a stern look as he slipped a pair of reading glasses on. He winked at her. "These are just for show," He gestured towards the glasses. "Makes me look smart, don't you think?"
Twilight laughed as he bent down to look at her hoof.
"So what did you do to knock your hoof up so bad?" He unwrapped the bandage carefully.
Twilight winced. "Well, I fell down the stairs at the library. I gave Spike, my baby dragon, quite a fright. It was silly trying to go down the stairs while still reading my book."
The stallion chuckled as he glanced over a sheet of paper that he had taken from the med kit. "Sounds like something I'd do. What did you trip on exactly?"
"The laundry," Twilight said sheepishly. "I didn't see where my hooves were going."
Starswirl laughed again before he put the paper down. "This may tingle a little bit."
Twilight smirked. "I'm sure I've handled worse."
"I don't know, this could be pretty tough," He winked and began the spell. He was right, there was a slight tingle, but nothing more. The alicorn shook her hoof and smiled.
"Thanks!" She chirped, putting her weight on it once more.
"No problem," Starswirl's eyes sparkled. "Though, you could repay me with a little information."
"Shoot," Twilight replied, leaning back.
"Elements of Harmony. Who or what are they?"
"Hm," Twilight considered. Guess it couldn't really hurt. "Well, the Elements are these powerful artifacts that can be used to fight evil. I wield the Element of Magic. It's widely known as the most powerful and elusive element."
"Well, aren't you high on yourself," Starswirl snorted.
"Oh, shut it," Twilight glared at him.
He laughed.
Rolling her eyes, she continued, "Well there's Applejack, she's the Element of Honesty, Rainbow Dash the Element of Loyalty, and Rarity, the Element of Generosity. Fluttershy is Kindness, and Pinkie Pie's is Laughter."
"Laughter sounds like my style," Starswirl winked. "But they all seem very sappy, if you ask me. But if they're powerful, well, I guess you can deal with a little sappy."
"I guess so," Twilight laughed.
"So the Elements defeat evil, huh? What evil have you defeated thus far?"
"Well, first there was Nightmare Moon. Princess Luna was taken over by jealously for her sister, Celestia, because the ponies like her sister's sun more than her moon. We used the Elements of Harmony to drive the Nightmare from her.
"Then there was Discord. He's the self-proclaimed Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, though he lives up to it, so maybe he really is. He definitely looks the part. He split us up in the castle maze, and he turned all of my friend's personalities to their opposites. For a little while, I really thought he'd won. Chocolate milk rain and cotton candy clouds everywhere!"
Starswirl snorted again.
"But Princess Celestia sent me all the letters on friendship I had written to her and made me realize how to turn my friends back to normal. Once I did, we were able to use the Elements to turn him back to stone."
"Nice job!" Starswirl grinned at her.
"It was nothing," She deflected. "But a few months later, Princess Celestia had us release him. Fluttershy befriended him and now he's apparently 'reformed'" Twilight rolled her eyes at that. "I don't believe him, but whatever."
She proceeded to tell him about Chrysalis and the Changeling attack, as well as the Crystal Empire and Sombra, the evil king who had made the kingdom vanish for a thousand years.
"Is that all?" Starswirl asked sarcastically when she finally finished.
"Hey, you're the one who wanted to know!" Twilight stuck her tongue out at him and he cracked up.
"Yeah, yeah, you're right. Can you tell me more about Canterlot? And Ponyville? How do you guys live your daily lives?"
They talked for hours, the moon outside slowly slipping down over the horizon. As the sun finally peeked above the horizon, the candles automatically stopped burning and the light from the sun shone perfectly into the window, lighting up even more shelves of books that had been hidden in shadow. Some covers sparkled, seemingly made of glass, and others were simply dusty, shoved in a corner, forgotten.
Eventually, the two ponies began to run out of things to talk about. Starswirl shifted from his spot, stretching and looked in surprise at the sun in the window. "Hey, the sun's up."
"You didn't notice?" Twilight deadpanned.
"Of course I noticed," He replied snarkily. "I was making sure you did."
"Yeah, right," Twilight yawned, flexing her wings out behind her.
"You seem tired." He picked a book out of the clutter and levitated it over to himself. "I assume you want to be heading home now that we're through? The spell in here should do the trick."
Twilight blinked in surprise. "Well, actually, now that I know who you are, I wouldn't mind staying a little longer," She protested. "I would love to learn more about you and the Renaissance, and what better way to do so than to live it?"
"Ah, an inquisitive mind after my own heart, I see?" Starswirl turned to grin crookedly at her. "Now, I'm not always the best company, and I have places to go and people to see. Are you still up to it?"
Twilight opened her mouth to say yes, but paused.
"That spell. To send me back? It can send me to whatever time right? So, I could be gone from my time for only a few minutes but spend days here?"
"That's the intent of the spell, yes," Starswirl replied nonchalantly, scribbling something down on a stray sheet of paper.
She sighed in relief. "Good. I wouldn't want my friends to worry. In that case then, I would be honored to accompany you.”
"All right then!" The wizard strode to her side, tucking the scrap of paper into his saddlebag as he swung it over his back. He knocked over a stack of books as he did so, but to Twilight's amusement, he seemed not to notice.
"First order of business," Starswirl stuck his hoof in the air with exaggerated importance. "Off to the Council of the Pony Tribes."
Twilight's breath caught in her throat. The stallion, watching in alarm as she had a small coughing fit, levitated another glass of water over to her. She snatched it gratefully with her own magic and chugged it down.
Panting, she gasped out, "The Council of the Pony Tribes?" Her voice was filled with disbelief.
"Yeah. That sound crazy to you?" He watched Twilight as she did a small dance.
"This is gonna be so awesome!" She imitated Rainbow as she brought her hooves to her face.
Starswirl gave a strange, barking laugh. "Yeah, don't get your hopes up too much. All they do is bicker. The Commander, Queen and Chancellor may have all made up in the new land of Equestria or whatever it's called, but the ponies here are still very biased. The windigoes may be gone, but the animosity is definitely not."
Twilight gaped at him. "We're not in Equestria?"
The wizard gave a sideways smirk and trotted over to the door. "Not yet. But I hope I'll get there soon. Seems like a nicer place then here. From all I hear, Equestria's a right paradise! All three types of ponies, coming together in harmony? Almost too good to be true."
Unlocking the door with his magic, he gave a quick glance back at Twilight. His gaze lingered on her wings, and having a second thought, teleported a cloak over to her.
"We'll be walking through the unicorn part of town to get to the Council's building," He turned to look in her eyes. "Whatever you do, do not take off that cloak," His yellow eyes burned with a familiar intensity.
"I may be awed and fascinated by your wings, but others around here won't treat you with that same respect."
