//------------------------------// // Repercussions Ch.1: Insight // Story: Repercussions // by The Usurper //------------------------------// Luna's luminous moon bathed Ponyville in a soft glow that lit the otherwise darkened town's many streets and alleyways. Celestia's sun had set many hours ago, heralding the end of the evening and the beginning of the night. Almost everypony slept soundly, the occasional snore breaking the total silence that had blanketed the town. Nopony had the endurance or willpower to stay awake so deep into the night. All except one. Nopony would have been surprised to see the library's windows illuminated, nor the occasional silhouette of a pony that trotted in and out of view. It was a habit of Ponyville's resident librarian to continue studying deep into the night, and everypony knew it. Though one would have wondered why solid thunk noises issued constantly from the top floor of the tree. Twilight continued to forcefully knock her head against the desk while she flipped through the pages of the book she was reading. The cover was emblazoned with the words: Star Swirl the Bearded’s Comprehensive Book of Spells lV, complete with the image of the light grey unicorn wizard himself occupying most of the first page. His serene expression, however, was a stark contrast to Twilight’s annoyed and exhausted look. “No… no… no… no… NO!” Twilight finally gave up injuring her skull with the table and angrily used her magic to fling the book across the room. It joined a pile of another seven books gathered in the corner, all having suffered from Twilight’s tantrums. The unicorn stood up from behind her desk and headed towards the bookshelves for what seemed like the millionth time that night. A certain purple and green dragon sat up with a groan as Twilight slammed the door behind her. “Geez, Twi, why do you keep making such a racket? It’s getting hard for me to sleep…” Spike scrambled to his feet as a colossal boom echoed throughout the tree. He rushed to the door and pulled it open. True enough, to his dismay, Twilight was situated underneath a large stack of books that collapsed on her from the shelves above. “Oh no!” he cried as he rushed down the stairs. “It’s gonna take me forever to clean this mess up!” He paused as Twilight gave him a stern look. “I mean, are you okay?” He quickly offered. Twilight sighed and levitated the books back up to their respective shelves. “Spike, where is that book on magic spells?” “All the books about magic should all be over there- wait, where did they go?” Spike scratched his head in confusion as he stared at the empty shelf. He suddenly remembered what Twilight’s number one rule was when it came to library books: Never misplace the book. He immediately threw himself to his knees. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but I’m sure I left the books there! Please don’t punish me!” He begged, giving her his best “baby eyes”. Twilight giggled, probably the first sign of contentment she had displayed that night. “Don’t worry, Spike, I took all the books up into my bedroom. I’m talking about the new one I bought a few days ago. It’s full of new spells I want to learn but I can’t remember where I left it. Unfortunately, I forgot the title too, so I had to look through the books on the shelf to see whether it was the one I lost.” She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry for making you worry.” Spike grumbled before getting up. “You could have just told me about it and I wouldn’t have had to do that. It’s a good thing nopony saw it.” He stopped short when he heard a familiar “who?”. He snapped his head to the right and saw Owlowiscious holding a blinking camera in his direction. “Hey! What are you doing with Princess Celestia’s prototype camera! Come here, you!” Spike leapt into the air after Owlowiscious, who flew away before Spike could reach him. The dragon crashed into the ground with a resounding thud that probably woke up half the town. Spike continued to chase the owl around the room. He had just managed to grab hold of Owlowiscious’ leg when Twilight spoke. “Spike, let go of him. I need you to tell me where the book is.” “Huh? Oh alright.” Spike reluctantly released his grip on Owlowiscious, who flew away with a triumphant “who”. "Just promise me that you won't tell anypony." The librarian laughed. "Fine. If I tell anypony, then you can tell everypony that it was me who started the Smarty Pants incident." "Deal!" Spike rushed forward to shake Twilight's hoof. All of his bases covered, Spike racked his brain to remember where the book was. “Um, where did you last leave it?” Twilight responded immediately. “I left it on the writing desk, but I already checked and it’s not there.” “Hmm, the desk…” Spike pondered over this for a moment. “Wait! When did you see it?” “Yesterday.” Twilight’s hopes rose as she saw recognition dawning on her young assistant’s face. “Well, while I was emptying the bin next to your desk yesterday, I saw a new-looking book in it. I assumed that it was a library book damaged somehow by somepony, so I didn’t pay much attention.” Spike responded, guilt etched on his face. All Twilight’s hope drained away instantly, leaving a dark void. She dashed off towards the front door, Spike straining to catch up. She majicked the library door open violently, resulting in a sharp crack that woke up the rest of the sleeping town. Spying the full trash bin standing outside her door, she rushed towards it and tipped it upside down with her magic. The trash bin, surrounded by a faint purple aura, obeyed Twilight’s command and emptied its contents out onto the road. There, on top of all the garbage, was a dirtied but recognisable book. Its title, stitched onto the cover by an expert hand, was: The Book of Spells Version XXVI. Underneath the title, added in black ink, were the words: The biggest book of spells ever written! Twilight gingerly levitated it with her magic and brushed the dirt marks off its sky-blue cover. She turned just in time to see Spike by the door, gaping at the mess she had made. “Spike! You’re here!” Twilight exclaimed. “Just in time, too! Clean up this mess for me, will you?” Without waiting for a response, she trotted back into the tree, brushing past Spike, who was frozen in place, the only form of movement his twitching eye. Closing the door behind her, she ignored the very loud grumbling from outside the library as Spike lamented his fate. Twilight trotted back upstairs, opening the book in front of her. She scanned the contents page, sitting down and making herself comfortable as she did so. Her eyes stopped at a certain title. “Future Sight?” her curiosity was instantly piqued. “Page 1035… Ah! There we go.” The more she read, the more her eyes widened, up to the point where they appeared to be large saucers glued to the side of her head where her eyes should be. “The others aren’t going to want to miss this.” **** Spike rose groggily to his feet. His eyes struggled to reorient themselves, and when they finally succeeded, he was shocked to find himself outside the library, on the stone street that ran past the hollow tree. After a few more seconds, his brain managed to access his memories, and he remembered why he was sprawled on the street. “I still can’t believe Twilight forgot about me and locked the door!” he complained. “After she made me clean up the mess she made and everything, she still- Wait, what is that stench?” Spike surveyed his surroundings, searching for anything that might be the source of the unbearable stink. It took a few seconds to realise that he was the one giving out the odour. He was on the verge of hammering on the door and hollering for Twilight to let him in when he caught sight of a purple haired, white coated unicorn, and then his brain ceased to function entirely. “-the loud pop sound woke me up, and when I turned to the source, I found this letter lying on my bedside table! It was from Twilight, of course. She must have teleported it in. Who else could do that?” Rarity commented as she trotted towards the library, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie in tow. “Ah hope she has a good reason fer draggin’ us here.” Applejack said, her voice thick with her trademark accent. “Ah could hear the noises all the way from Sweet Apple Acres, and ah knew it was her ‘cause she’s the only pony awake at two in the mornin’.” “I could hear her too!” Pinkie Pie started, bouncing all the way. “I was sleeping, but then suddenly there was this thud that woke me up. Then I went to my window and saw that the library was the only place with the lights on so then I went GASP because since the sound came from the library, Twilight could be hurt! But while I was being such a Worrier McWorry Pants I heard another crack and then I turned and saw that Twilight just came out and then I was like oh ok Twilight’s fine and then I bounced back into my bed and fell asleep.” “Wait, you fell back asleep? I couldn’t sleep at all after that!” Rainbow Dash complained as she drew up alongside Pinkie’s bouncing form, wings flapping vigorously. “I’m so tired!” Applejack chuckled. “Ya always sleep till noon, freeloader! I gotta remember ta tell Twilight ta wake ya up early more often.” The five approached, all oblivious to their surroundings. That is, until the smell emanating from Spike’s body hit them like a brick wall. All simultaneously began coughing and hacking, trying to cleanse their lungs of the putrid abomination that had found its way down their windpipes. “What is that foul stench? It reminds me of the time Spike tried to move my garbage for me!” Rarity exclaimed in between coughs. “Need to get into the tree and escape the smell!” Rainbow Dash wheezed. As if on cue, the library door swung open, revealing Twilight Sparkle behind it. Her nose wrinkled up a little in response to the odour, but her reaction was minimal, considering that she had already acquainted herself with the smell the previous night. She turned to Spike, who was still staring at Rarity with a love struck expression on his face. Shaking her head, she quickly motioned to the others to come in. Applejack was the first to respond, rushing into the stench-free library. The others quickly followed suit, slamming the door behind them as fast as they could. Spike was only released from his trance by the soft *click* sound of the door’s lock, and then he remembered why he was still outside. “Wait, Twi, you forgot about me! Twi? Twi? Let me in!” **** “It’s still coming in, Twilight! Do something!” Rainbow gasped. “I’m trying!” Twilight said, her horn glowing brightly. The stench permeated the room, causing everypony to gasp for breath desperately. After a few near-breathless minutes, Twilight’s horn finally stopped glowing, and she collapsed in a heap. Her friends would have rushed to help her, if they weren’t gulping down very welcome lungfuls of fresh air. The smell had dispersed, and the constant hammering on the door had been reduced to a soft thud. “There!” Twilight rasped, standing up unsteadily. Her legs wobbled like jelly and threatened to give out beneath her. “I soundproofed and smellproofed the room. We’re safe now.” Everypony took advantage of the lull in the conversation to take in more air to fuel their oxygen-deprived bodies. It was a few minutes before Twilight remembered why she had called them here. Fluttershy remembered at the same time. “So, uh, Twilight? Can you tell us why you asked us to come? I-If you don’t mind, that is.” Twilight’s legs finally steadied themselves, and she was able to trot over to the reception desk of the library and levitate the spellbook with her weakened magic. Flipping to page 1035, she dropped it on the ground in front of her friends, allowing her magic to recuperate. Everypony leaned forward to inspect the page. Before they could finish, however, Twilight lapsed into lecture mode and began speaking. “This spell is called Future Sight.” She began. “When activated, it allows those present to experience a possible future through their future selves’ eyes.” Murmurs of astonishment spread throughout the room. “However, this would mean that you can only experience events within your lifetime. In addition, you are unable to take control of your host, as you are merely a spectator. You will only be able to access the five basic senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. You cannot know what your host is thinking. Also, if one of your host’s lives end, all of us will be sucked out of the spell.” The atmosphere in the room shifted from excitement to mild disappointment. “But just think about it.” Twilight’s eyes sparkled. “You will see how successful you could be! If you’re lucky, you can even find out how to achieve your goals in life through conversations with friends or some other means. This could be the key to your futures!” “I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt!” Rainbow exclaimed. “We haven’t actually looked yet.” Twilight deadpanned. But it was too late. The others began to fantasize about their futures too. “I’ll be the most successful fashion designer in all of Equestria!” Rarity squealed. “I’m going to throw parties for everypony everywhere and all the time to help them turn their frowns upside down!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing with joy. “I can meet and take care of animals all over Equestria! That’s my dream. But, um, whatever you want to do is fine.” Fluttershy muttered. “Ah’ll sell so many apples and earn tons a’ money for the Apple family!” Applejack nearly shouted in glee. “But we haven’t even looked yet! Your dreams may not come true! I don’t want you to raise your hopes too high and then get disappointed to the point that- you’re not really listening, are you?” Twilight sighed. Without even emerging from their dream worlds, all five nodded in unison. “Nope.” Twilight groaned. “Well, if you can’t beat them, join them.” She thought about what dreams she had. “I would like to be surrounded by books and have all the time in the world to read them. I wish my library had as many books as the Canterlot Royal Archive, or the Manehattan Public Library. Ah, wouldn’t that be just great…” Twilight soon became aware of five sets of eyes staring at her as if she was mad. “What? I just happen to really like reading.” “So ya invited us ‘ere so we could see our futures? That’s mighty kind of ya to think of us.” Applejack said, trying to change the topic. Twilight looked sheepish. “Well, that, and I needed another unicorn to help me perform the spell. It’s too hard for me to do by myself.” All eyes focused on Rarity. Finding herself the centre of attention, Rarity sighed. “Alright. What do I need to do?” Twilight clapped her hooves in glee. “Okay, this is what you have to do. Rarity, stand in this circle and feed me power.” A chalk surrounded by a distinct purple aura worked its way around the library floor, leaving a white trail behind it. “Everypony else, just stand in the circle.” Everypony moved to their assigned positions as Twilight prepared to begin the spell. Having memorised the Future Sight spell by heart, Twilight had no need for the spellbook. A purple aura surrounded Rarity, creating a power line to Twilight’s body. The magical build-up in her horn caused it to glow ever brighter. Soon, Twilight noticed that her vision was slowly becoming lighter and lighter until everything in front of her disappeared, and the world fell away. The whiteness became her entire universe. **** After what seemed like an eternity, the whiteness began to subside, and her sight slowly returned to her. As the whiteness slowly retreated from her field of vision, her surroundings became more apparent. She was in a large library, with oak wood bookshelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling. The line of bookshelves continued all the way until she couldn’t see any further. Twilight would have loved to bounce around like Pinkie Pie, screaming like a little filly who was surrounded by toys, except that when she tried to move, her limbs refused to acknowledge the command. Of course, she thought. I’m not in control of my future self’s body. She would have expected her host to be more excited, but she was nonchalantly strolling along the shelves, gazing at books but never reading them. Twilight soon began to tire of this. She mentally hummed a tune, trying to kill time. Twenty minutes and ten bookshelves later, her host finally selected a book and pulled it from the shelf with her magic. The book, trapped within a glowing purple aura, gently floated off the shelf and in front of her host. Twilight caught sight of the book’s cover: It had no title, just a smooth brown surface, inlaid with jewels arrayed in a pattern designed to look like the Elements of Harmony. However, there was one more feature that designated Twilight’s location. Along the spine of the book was a label: Property of the Canterlot Royal Archive. Twilight’s mind reeled from the sudden revelation. The Canterlot Royal Archive was out of bounds for everypony except the Princesses. Even she, the Princess’ prized student, had never been in here! Ever the pony to overreact, her mind instantly began jumping to conclusions. 'Oh no! Did I sneak in here without permission? Is the Princess going to punish me? She might banish me from Equestria! Or throw me in a dungeon! Or she might banish me then throw me into dungeon in the place that she banished me to! Wait, how did I even get in here? There should be Royal Guards protecting the Archive at all times! Or did the Princess allow me to come in here? But why should she do that? Maybe I needed something from here. I’m sure the Archive has many more books than my library in Ponyville does. Yeah, that makes sense.' Just as Twilight began to relax, the sound of the massive doors of the Archive opening and closing reached her ears. The sound of hoofsteps echoed throughout the great chamber, accompanied by a clinking sound of metal hitting metal. Her host looked up just in time to see a flustered Royal Guard, clad in customary shining golden armour and sweating profusely, round the corner around the bookshelves and trot up to her. “Your Highness, it is almost dawn. You must come and raise the sun to begin the day.” 'Princess Celestia is here?' Twilight thought. Her limited field of vision did not allow her to ascertain the Sun Princess’ presence, and as such, she was completely unprepared for what happened next. Her host nodded. “Thank you for reminding me, Captain. Prepare the court for my presence after I raise the sun.” The guard bowed. “As you wish, Princess Twilight.” 'What the hay is going on here?' **** The whiteness slowly faded away, but was only replaced by an inky darkness. Fluttershy was thoroughly confused. 'Did something go wrong? Did Twilight mess up the spell? Oh dear, I hope-' Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill ringing. All her worries instantly disappeared as the blackness receded when her host opened her eyes. Now Fluttershy could see that her host was lying down on a bed. Her bed, to be exact. It was the clearly the bedroom of her cottage, but with a few differences. The number of bird nests among the rafters had doubled, and the walls were filled with mouse holes. Strangest of all, all the spaces unoccupied by animal homes were filled up with clocks. Also, Angel wasn’t the one waking her up. The rabbit would usually be in her face, waving a small hoofheld clock and pointing at it, indicating the time. The strange ear-piercing ringing was coming from her right. Her future self groaned and slammed her hoof down on the offending object without looking. The ringing immediately ceased. A few seconds later, the clock on the far wall started chiming. Her host rolled over and covered her ears with a pillow in a pathetic attempt to block out the noise. With the bedside table now in view, Fluttershy caught sight of a smashed-in alarm clock, springs and other essential mechanisms scattered about the table. Finally running out of patience, her host got up with a frustrated “Aargh!” and trotted over to the clock shakily. With the press of a button, the chiming stopped. That was when all the other clocks in the room started producing their respective alarms. Fortunately, her future self was probably used to this happening every morning. Amid the cacophony of ringing and chiming, she rushed over to a section of the wall with a panel labelled Clock Master Control and depressed the OFF button. The deafening racket instantly gave way to a total silence that was very welcome in Fluttershy’s tired ears. Her host turned to gaze at her bed, possibly contemplating getting back in, then shook her head to dispel the tempting thoughts. She ambled down the stairs calmly, avoiding the occasional bird or critter that came close to crashing into her. Fluttershy took note of the surplus of animals as her host made her way downstairs, to the kitchen. On normal days, she didn’t even have half the animals now present in the living room. There was only one animal missing. 'Where is Angel?' Fluttershy thought, recalling his absence earlier. 'He would usually be helping me cook breakfast right about now.' Out of the corner of her host’s eye, she caught sight of the rambunctious rabbit’s basket, a lump beneath the blanket emitting loud snoring noises. 'Must still be asleep…' By the time Fluttershy turned her attention back to her host’s cooking, she was surprised to find that it was already done. Her future self bent down to pick the plate up with her mouth and carried it off to the breakfast table. Ordinarily, Fluttershy would take ages to cook her food without Angel helping her. The lack of easily manipulated front limbs was a hindrance, one that was overcome by Angel’s assistance. Now at the breakfast table, her host hungrily wolfed down the meal. The daffodil sandwich and apple juice tasted heavenly to Fluttershy. Only then did she remember that she hadn’t eaten since the night before she found the letter by her bedside, not wanting to turn up late to meet Twilight. Soon, the sandwich and the apple juice all but gone, Future Fluttershy trundled to the door, opening it with a hoof and stepping out into the harsh sunlight. The last thing that caught Fluttershy’s eye before the door shut was a squirrel clambering out of Angel’s basket, out from underneath the blanket that had covered it. Fluttershy’s host, instead of trotting out onto the lane that led to Ponyville, turned ninety degrees and headed towards the backyard. As the obstruction that was the house slowly moved out of view and a small shrine with a tombstone in front of it appeared, Fluttershy internally cringed. Who could this grave belong to? Her host adopted a semi-kneeling position in front of the shrine, prevented from fully kneeling by pony anatomical limitations, and gazed downwards at the tombstone. Small splashes of water dripped from her future self’s eyes as she wept. Her mouth opened, uttering a few words, “If only I hadn’t made that mistake… I still miss you, even after eight years. I would never forget the anniversary of your death.” Fluttershy, however, did not pay much attention to her host. She was too transfixed and horrified by the words on the tombstone. Carved into the solid grey, marble smooth rock, immortalised for eternity, were the words: In Loving Memory of my Best Friend, Angel Bunny **** Rainbow Dash did not have to wait long for the whiteness to disperse. She recognised her cloud kitchen instantly, as the fact that it was made out of clouds was a dead giveaway. Her taste buds registered the very familiar taste of one of Applejack’s apples instantly. Rainbow inwardly smirked. After all this time, she still resorted to stealing the apples off Applejack’s trees. She inwardly frowned as another thought occurred to her. She might have just bought it. A shout from below, deeper than she remembered but still laced with that unmistakable accent, echoed throughout the cloud house. “Rainbow Dash, yer no-good thief, come down ‘ere so ah c’n pound ya!” Well, so much for that theory. Her host opened her mouth and words came tumbling forth in a way that Rainbow would deem “cool”. Of course, anything she did was cool. She was the awesomest pony in Equestria! “Yeah yeah, don’t blow your top, Applejack. I’ll be there soon, just need to get presentable.” 'Wait, presentable?' Rainbow thought. 'Since when have I ever cared about being presentable?' Her host devoured the rest of the apple quickly and trotted to the bathroom. She found herself looking back at her in the bathroom mirror. She was clearly older, as could be seen by her height alone. She was much taller now, though she still doubted she would be able to match up to Big Macintosh. Her body was also more streamlined, and her wings were larger than when she last remembered. A few bruises and scrapes adorned her body, probably the result of some unfortunate flying sessions. After combing her mane as best she could with her hooves, she began speaking again. “All ready! Now it just needs one last touch.” She proceeded to the cloud cabinet embedded in the wall, and pulled it open, revealing its contents. Had Rainbow been in control of her body, her jaw would have dropped. All the way to the floor. In front of her, hanging in her cabinet, was the blue and yellow-striped uniform of the Wonderbolts, replete with the customary goggles. Without pause, her host donned the uniform, smoothing out any creases, then dived through the clouds at breakneck speed. “Okay.” Rainbow heard her future self recite. “Goggles, check. Wonderbolt uniform, check. Trailing thunder clouds?” Her host turned to look behind her just long enough to note the dark-grey trails of thunder clouds appearing behind her. “Check.” She sped up, accelerating towards Applejack’s tiny form. As Applejack grew larger in her sights, she angled herself upwards, trading speed for altitude. Finally, she turned and headed straight for the ground. Rainbow Dash winced, remembering that her sense of touch was still active during Future Sight. 'Man, have I gotten soft?' She thought. 'Now I crash on purpose?' Just at the last moment, inches away from the hard, unforgiving ground, she pulled up with astonishing speed and agility. She let her hooves drag on the ground, creating friction. She slowed to a stop right in front of a very angry Applejack, whose rage was almost boiling over at this point. “Rainbow Dash, c’n ya just come outta yer house without doin’ all those fancy-shmancy tricks a’ yers? ‘Specially since ya know ah’ve been waitin’ down ‘ere fer a good ten minutes now?” Rainbow Dash gave the Applejack of the future a once-over. She, like herself of the future, was taller now, and her legs were more muscular. Her blond mane had turned more golden-brown, but otherwise, she looked relatively unchanged. Even her signature Stetson hat, now frayed and faded with time, was faithfully perched on her head. “So yeah, Applejack, what do you want me for?” Her future self decided to play dumb first. Applejack, however, had no intention of beating around the bush. “Rainbow, gimme one good reason why ya keep swipin’ mah hard work off the Apple Family’s trees. They. Ain’t. YERS!” Rainbow’s host somehow managed to keep a cool exterior under the verbal assault. “Hey, I just thought that since you’re, like, the legal owner of Sweet Apple Acres now, you could spare your friend an apple of two. Congrats on inheriting the farm, by the way.” “YA WILL NOT CONGRATULATE ME ON MAH KIN’S DEATH!” Applejack yelled, finally eliciting a flinch from Rainbow’s future self. “THAT’S NOT A GOOD THING! IT…it’s mah fault they’re gone. It’s all mah fault. Big Mac, Granny Smith, even… even li’l Applebloom! THEY’RE GONE AN’ IT’S ALL ‘CAUSE A’ ME!” By now, the enraged look on Applejack’s face had shifted to one of sorrow, the tears streaming from her eyes, muddying the ground beneath her. Rainbow’s host reached her hoof forward in a comforting gesture, her voice taking on a softer, more compassionate tone. “There, there, Applejack, it’s not your fault that the manticore came to the farm while you were in Canterlot . Everypony knows that the Everfree Forest’s been wild lately.” Rainbow’s future self’s face contorted into one of rage. “Ever since Princess Celestia and Princess Luna died, all of Equestria’s been turned upside down. And we all know who we can thank for that.” Rainbow’s mind was thrown into turmoil. 'The Princesses are dead? What happened? Who killed them? Applejack’s folks died, too? Because of a manticore? They should all be in the Everfree Forest! How is it wild, anyway?' “Stop. Stop, ah can’t take it no more.” Applejack sobs were more drawn-out now. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her entire body shook every time she sobbed. “I don’t want ta think ‘bout them.” Rainbow’s host took a step forward, but Applejack slowly backed away. “Rainbow… I really appreciate ya tryin’ ta help me… Ah do… but… ah really want ta be alone right now.” Turning, Applejack ran off, back towards Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow’s host waited until Applejack had disappeared from view, then let out a sinister chuckle. “Ha! Works every time.” **** Applejack was horrified. She had heard every word and absorbed every ounce of information. It shocked her to the core. Was this all the future had to offer? Pain and suffering? Fate had chosen to conspire against her by robbing her of her family, one of the greatest joys she had in life. Her future self fled down the path, away from the reminders of the horrors she had experienced… and, worse of all, been forced to live through. Trees and bushes along the path became a blur through the tears that clouded her vision. Still she ran, ignoring the burning pain in her hooves and her entire body screaming for oxygen. After what seemed like an eternity, the monolithic structure of the barn loomed ahead. Her host, eyes still teary and red, pushed the door open and entered the darkened living room. Pictures of Big Mac, Granny Smith and Applebloom lined the walls. Their prized belongings, possessing no actual monetary value but worth billions in sentimental value, occupied most of the free spaces in the room. Granny Smith’s old rocking chair, which Applejack respectfully didn’t use. Big Macintosh’s plow. Applebloom’s bow, chewed up by the manticore but mostly intact. As her gaze fell upon each of them in turn, Applejack’s host shed even more tears for everypony she had lost. However, one object seemed out of place, belonging to none of the Apple Family members. It was a grey rag doll, old and aged with time. It had two button eyes, one red and one blue. It wore blue polka-dotted pants, its colours all faded. Next to it lay a quill, a notebook, and a picture of a lavender unicorn, framed in gold. Her host wandered up to the rag doll and pulled it down from the shelf it sat on. Her future self’s breathing turned from ragged gasps of pain to deep breaths of pure, unyielding anger. Applejack felt her host leap into the air and stomp the helpless rag doll into the dust. Every strike damaged the doll further, causing some tears and rips to appear on its surface. Both button eyes popped out, and whatever mop of hair it may have had left was ground to dust under her fury. Eventually, her future self stopped, the pain overriding the anger. The angry breaths turned back into sobs as Applejack of the future clutched the semi-destroyed doll close to her chest, shedding more tears with every passing moment. “What happened ta the Twilight who was mah friend?” **** When the whiteness cleared from her vision, Rarity found herself staring straight at a newspaper enveloped in a white aura. Her future self was intently focused on the article on the cover. The front page displayed its content proudly. The headlines read: Rarity’s fashions once again win Best in Equestria! The remaining results of the competition were displayed in a table below the picture of an elated Rarity magically levitating the champion trophy, posing for the camera with a grace that only she could muster. She was taller now, and her purple mane possessed a few almost unnoticeable grey hairs. But other than that, she was the same Rarity she knew from glancing in the mirror every day to style her mane. Rarity felt her future self’s lips curl upwards into a smile. Even Rarity herself couldn’t help but feel proud of her success, even when she hadn’t actually succeeded yet. Rarity was so entranced by her accomplishments that she failed to notice the date on the top of the newspaper. It was dated Year 5 of the Twilight Calendar. Her host levitated a quill and a notepad from a nearby shelf over and began writing. The quill, held in the air by an invisible force, scribbled out seemingly random names on the notepad that rested on the table in front of her. Hmm… Rarity thought. Wait… those names… Rarity looked at the newspaper, then at the notepad, then back at the newspaper again, comparing the names. True enough, future Rarity had copied down the names of the runner-ups in the fashion competition. 'It appears that I have not disposed of my habit to check out my worthy opponents’ designs,' Rarity mused. 'No wonder I’m the most famous designer in all of Equestria now.' Her host ripped the piece of paper out of the notebook and rolled it up like a scroll. She then headed to the breakfast table in the kitchen, where an already prepared breakfast of toast and eggs accompanied by two glasses of orange juice sat on the table, next to a very excited Sweetie Belle. “Good morning, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle chirped. She was no longer a filly; her body having outgrown that phase and formed into that of a young mare. A cutie mark of a black treble clef graced her flanks. “Do you like the breakfast I made today?” Rarity’s host leaned forward to take a bite of the toast. Rarity winced, remembering how well Sweetie Belle cooked breakfast the last time she had the opportunity to. When her future self took a bite, however, she was pleasantly surprised. Rarity felt the brown, crispy bread on her tongue, producing a wonderful, tasty sensation that made Rarity wish that she could cook that well. 'I thought I’d never see the day when Sweetie Belle could cook better than I.' Rarity thought. Future Rarity licked her lips, savouring the taste. “Why Sweetie Belle, that has to be the best meal you have made yet. Much better than the first time you tried to cook to earn your cutie mark.” They both shared a pleasant laugh, then sat down to finish the meal. “Yesterday, a hundred thousand ponies turned up to hear me sing!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed in excitement while she gobbled down her breakfast. “The Canterlot stadium was completely full! I never thought I’d be this popular!” Rarity felt her host’s lips adopt a soft smile. “That’s great Sweetie. I hope your concert tomorrow will be just as spectacular.” Rarity couldn’t help but notice that her future self didn’t mention the competition she had won. 'I suppose my future self doesn’t want Sweetie Belle to feel overshadowed by my… um… her achievements.' When Rarity swallowed the last of her breakfast, she stood up and turned to Sweetie Belle. “I’m going out to check my competitors’ designs now.” Rarity told her. “Don’t practice too hard, or your voice might crack.” “You got it, big sis!” Sweetie Belle excitedly trotted to her room to begin practicing. “See you later!” “Goodbye, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity majicked the door open and trotted out into the morning sun, bringing the newspaper and quill along with her. As soon as she was out of sight, her future self ducked into an alleyway near Sugarcube Corner. Her surroundings instantly darkened. Rarity’s host selected an old, rotting wooden door in the side of the bakery and pushed it open. Rarity couldn’t believe what she saw. The grey, dull walls were covered with pictures of ponies crossed out with huge red crosses. Rarity caught sight of a picture of Applebloom and Diamond Tiara taking pride on the wall behind a solitary brown wooden desk before the door creaked open and a very familiar pink earth pony trotted in. “Hello, Rarity.” Pinkie Pie’s usual fluffy pink mane and tail had deflated, leaving them as straight lines that flowed directly downwards. She no longer bounced crazily, defying gravity and all known laws of physics, but instead trotted with a slow, steady gait. Her ears shot up into the air at every single noise. This was no longer the Pinkie Pie Rarity knew. This was Pinkamena Diane Pie. “Who do you wish me to eliminate now?” Pinkamena spoke cautiously, taking care not to let any emotions show through her neutral expression. Rarity slid the piece of paper that was torn out of the notebook across the desk, avoiding the newspaper and quill and letting it rest before the subdued earth pony. “Here are the names. Find them, then take them out.” “By manticore again? Or some other method?” Pinkamena’s expression turned from a neutral one to a curious one. “Any method. I don’t really care.” Rarity’s host grinned evilly. “Just make sure they never get back up again.” Pinkamena did not even wince when Rarity’s future self spoke those words. “Won’t the Princess suspect something eventually? It can’t be a coincidence that all your competitors are constantly murdered.” Rarity’s host’s grin widened. “Twilight won’t betray me, not after all I went through to put her on the throne. She may be a Princess now, but she never forgets who her real friends are.” “Okay. It will be over by tomorrow.” Pinkamena strode out of the room purposefully, shutting the door behind her. Rarity’s host magically levitated the newspaper off the table where she had left it, and with two strokes of the quill, crossed out all the runner ups’ names. **** Pinkie Pie watched on helplessly as Pinkamena trotted out of the small room, mouth clamped tightly around the paper containing all the target’s names. Pinkie did not want to experience her madness a second time. It brought back all too painful memories. Pinkamena trotted up the staircase into her room. When the door opened, a metre-long toothless alligator greeted her. In addition, situated on various stools around a long table and complete with party hats, were Pinkie’s “friends” during her period of madness. A sack of flour, a pile of rocks, a bucket of turnips, and a small pile of lint. Pinkamena dropped the sheet of paper onto the table and spoke up. “Okay, I’m going to be gone for a while, so the party will just have to go on without me. Madam Le’Flour, you’re in charge. I’m sure you can make Gummy’s twenty-first birthday party the best party ever!” The sack of flour sagged, the party hat falling off its precarious perch and onto the ground. Without another word, Pinkamena trotted over to her bedside table and pulled open the drawer with her teeth. She extracted a long, sharp sword that glinted in the dim light. It had a hilt in the shape of a phoenix, with gold inlay and assorted jewels. The guard of the sword was made out of deep green jade, a pair of parasprites carved into it. The scabbard was made of gold and had rubies placed along its length at regular intervals. Pinkamena drew the sword out of the scabbard slowly, revealing the dark red of crusted blood that stained its otherwise perfect shiny silver hue. It was elegant and deadly, built to kill, not wound. Its design had Rarity written all over it. Pinkamena hefted the blade onto her back, then covered herself with a dark cloak to hide the sword. She trotted over to the table to collect the piece of paper with the names of the targets. Trotting over to the window, the unlatched it and climbed onto the ledge. Eyeing the rooftop of another building, she leapt into the air and just managed to catch the edge of the roof. Pinkamena pulled herself up and galloped across the flat surface. When she spied a protrusion that could function as a table, she spat the paper out onto it and scanned it. First Target: Jade Eyes Location: Ponyville Dress Shop She rolled the paper into a scroll once more and tucked it into one of the pockets of her cloak. She continued her mad dash to the end of the rooftop and nimbly cleared the gap between the two buildings. From her vantage point, she quickly located the Dress Shop, easily identifiable by the large carving of a beautiful dress dominating its rooftop. Pinkamena continued to leap from rooftop to rooftop, closing in on the dress shop like a predator stalking its prey. The hunt was on. **** The rag doll was thoroughly soaked by the time Applejack’s future self finally ran out of tears to cry. She sniffled in a very un-Applejack like way, gazing at the picture of a smiling Twilight after the first Running of the Leaves her lavender friend had participated in. Seeming to have made up her mind, Applejack’s host trotted out of the barn and to the apple cellar, where she kept all of the apples collected during the latest Applebuck Season. Opening the door, she stepped into the darkness of the cellar. She dragged a wagonful of apples out of the cellar, enough to sustain her for ten days. Lastly, she entered the barn once more, retrieving a sharpened chopper from the kitchen. Carrying the knife in her mouth, she trotted back outside where the wagon of apples patiently awaited her return. She pushed her head into the pile of apples as far as she could, then dropped the knife into it. Satisfied, she proceeded to the front of the wagon, where she began to don the harness dangling from bolts rammed into the side of the wooden vehicle. “Ah’ve missed ya fer long enough, Twi.” Applejack’s host mumbled, directing her stare at the distant Canterlot, precariously built on the side of a mountain. “Ah’m goin’ ta git ya back.” “Or die tryin’.” To be continued in Repercussions Chapter 2: Elucidation!