It's About Time, part 1

It's been a sleepless night in the Books and Branches Library... for 50% of the residents, at least. It was already nearly midnight when Twilight discovered something alarming: while she had the entire month's schedule sorted out down to the last minute, she had neglected to budget any time for putting together next month's schedule. The past six hours have been spent going over her calendar, looking for any possible edits she can make.

The sun's just beginning to rise when she hits a breakthrough. "Ohmygosh--I think I did it!" she shouts to the empty room. "If I can find a way to read The Art of Invisibility Spells and Thornhill's Brief History of Canterlot at the same time, that could leave me a half-hour scheduling window--"

A strange breeze across her flank makes her look up. "Huh?"

There's a whirlwind rising in the middle of the room, scattering papers and books everywhere. The source of the wind seems to be an orb of pale pink light, growing in size and brightness by the second.

"What's going on??" Twilight backs away, shielding her face from the whirling papers and the brilliant light.

The orb keeps growing until it almost fills the room, then shrinks into a single blindingly bright point--

It's About Time, part 2

"Future Twilight?"

Twilight blinks rapidly to clear the spots from her eyes in the wake of her future self's departure. She's once again alone in the room, with nothing but scattered papers and a scorch mark on the floor to indicate that the visitor from the future was ever there.

"Oh no! What was she trying to warn me about? Her clothes, her mane, that scar... oh, what a mess she is! ...I mean, I am... or I... will be..." Twilight gasps in sudden realization. "She must want me to prevent whatever horrible thing happens in the future!"

She turns and gallops down the stairs and out the front door. Whatever is going to happen, it's far, far more important than fixing the month's schedule.

It's About Time, part 2.5: Journey to Tartarus

As the three humans, one Hyrulian, one unicorn, and one demon-dog press forward, the character of the woods around them changes. The undergrowth gets denser, the canopy above lets in less light, and the flora in general is much more... exotic than what one usually sees in the woods by the lake.

"Now, I know that the pathway to Tartarus starts somewhere in this general area," says Twilight. "But I don't know of its exact location. It's not something that ponies really want to advertise."