//------------------------------// // Splinter // Story: The Impossible Dream // by Merc the Jerk //------------------------------// The black stallions charged forward, attempting to trample Macintosh. The farmer saw them coming, but refused to even flinch. He dug his hooves as hard as he could into the stone floor, and grit his teeth. The beasts overran him, knocking him to the ground. Mac heard a grunt from his side- Tilting must have been hit as well. A wave of black assaulted his vision as the stallions jumped on him, stomping on his face, his stomach, one lucky blow hit him in the wound the monstrous unicorn had inflicted earlier. He shielded himself as best as he could from their rain of blows, but too many were getting through. He could already feel the edges of conscious thought fading with every hit. In the far distance, he could hear his sister screaming his name. He tried his best to hold on, but soon the pain was too much, and he began to drift into the inky darkness. 000 “Mac! Mac!” AJ cried, sprinting towards the group of ponies beating on her brother and Tilting. Applejack knew she wasn't going to make it in time on her own; she looked at Twilight. “Zap me,” the farmer said urgently, nearly tripping over her feet as she continued her high speed run. “What good would that do?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Besides, conducting electricity would be difficult to do in an underground area made of stone.” “Not 'zap' me, zap me!” Applejack explained in frustration. “I don't know wha- oh!” Twilight realized. She stopped and focused her horn, charging up a spell. A flash of light crossed over the two mare's vision, and Applejack found herself teleported instantly by the stallions pounding her brother. Twilight continued to run towards them, apparently afraid of entering the swarm of bodies via her spell. The farm mare jumped into the fray, the force of her landing bowling over three of the black ponies. She reared back, and delivered a powerful kick into the face of another one, blowing him back into one of his friends. AJ got hit on the back of the head by a hoof; she snapped around, yelling loudly as she delivered what could only be described as an uppercut with her front hoof, launching the stallion into the air. A snapping of ropes made Applejack whip around. The Pegasus and unicorn that were tied up had broken free of their prison, and glared furiously at the others from the massive door. “Horsefeathers,” Applejack grunted. As she observed the Pegasus rising from the ground, and the unicorn charging up a spell, one of the black stallions rammed her from behind, knocking her to the ground. Three others moved in to stamp on her. Just as they were ready to come down on her, a yellow blur side swiped the trio, and pinned one to the ground. “Unhand the mare, vile cur!” Tilting shouted at the black creature he held down. The stallion rolled its eyes at the frail pony on top of it and bucked him off, launching the Knight high into the air. The Pegasus incarnation of Nightmare Moon saw an opportunity for havoc and rose higher, intent on colliding with the yellow stallion. It charged. Just before it could hit, a semitransparent purple wall appeared instantly in front of the Pegasus. It collided like a bird hitting a window- smacking headfirst into it, and slowly sliding a few feet down. As Tilting fell, an angled bumper appeared directly below him; he landed on it and rolled down it, hitting the ground no worse for wear. Twilight felt beads of sweat cover her forehead as she stopped channeling the protective wall she had kept Tilting safe with. The translucent object vanished from existence within a heartbeat. It was a useful spell, but in order to create such a solid and focused barrier, it tore through her magical reserves quickly. If they were going to fight these creatures, they needed to win fast, before she was too drained to use any of her channeled spells. It was with this thought that the lavender unicorn got serious. She focused, calling her inner strength forward. A tingling sensation started to ring in her hooves, and she felt a surge of heat propelling through her as her magic activated. She focused this essence- her very life force- into the energy collecting into her horn, and looked dead on at the warped unicorn. Before the creature could even react, Twilight erupted a beam of pure light from the tip of her horn. It enveloped the creature, and made it utter a terrible cry as it swam in the sea of blinding light. The stallions engaging in combat with the earth ponies vanished in a tuft of black smoke. The strange unicorn fell over, its position frozen in a look of pure surprise and horror. Applejack rubbed her forehead and moved over to the odd replica of Nightmare Moon. She gave the monster a slight poke in the side. “She feels like stone,” AJ marveled. “A, uh, Paralyzing spell that uses...” Twilight trailed off, her voice becoming quiet. She stumbled on her hooves, nearly falling over. Tilting made a dive for her, and caught the lavender pony just inches off the ground. “Twi!” AJ exclaimed, raising a hoof out and preparing to quickly move towards her friend. “I'm- I'm ok, AJ,” the unicorn said. “Just a bit fatigued from that spell- it's more advanced than what I normally cast in times of duress.” “What 'n' the hay did you do ta her?” the Farmer asked, before shaking her head. “Or him, or it, or- ya know what, whatever this thing's called.” “As I was saying, it's a petrification spell- something similar to how the Elements reacted to Discord, but far less effective.” Twilight stated. “I saw no other way to defeat her quickly, so I took the initiative to cast that before anypony else got hurt.” As the two continued talking to one another, the midnight black pegasus had finally recovered enough to stand. She observed what fate had befallen its companions, and decided to retreat, quietly taking a step away from the group. It backpedaled away from the three ponies and was about ready to make a dash for the entrance- try to regroup, take stock on what happened, and take revenge on the ponies speaking to one another later, in the dead of night. As he continued stepping backwards, it bumped hard into the collapsed body of the red stallion. The creature paused, waiting with baited breath. The red mass didn't move, and the others seemed intent on studying the unicorn part of the Nightmare, leaving her free to escape. As soon as he took a step over the stallion, preparing to take flight and make a dash for the door, a hoof reached up and grabbed her foreleg. The powerful hoof pulled the beast down, where it came face to face with a furious Macintosh. The creature let out a surprised gasp, and tried to squirm free of Mac's powerful grip. The farmer would have none of that. He reared his other foreleg back, and struck the pegasus as hard as he could across the face. Its head twisted to the side violently, and Mac felt the creature go limp. The single mighty blow he landed knocked the monster unconscious. The stallion tossed the body to the side as he weakly rose, wincing slightly as he put weight on his front hooves. “T-told ya I hit hard, punk.” Macintosh sneered. He pitched forward, nearly stumbling. Applejack was by his side in an instant, supporting him. “Mac...” Applejack trailed off, looking with concern at her brother. “I'm fine, jus' a bit woozy,” he said. The stallion took a few breaths to steady himself, then pointed at the black pegasus. “What we need ta think about now is them.” The mare gave a quick tilt of her head. “What ya mean, Mac? I jus' figured we'd tie 'em up, an take 'em into town. Police can handle 'em.” The red stallion shook his head, frowning. He gave thought to his words, before speaking again. “That pegasus broke free when I tied it up, AJ. An' what happens if they get outta Ponyville's jail? We gonna risk the lives of all the town over these fella's?” Applejack narrowed her eyes, scowling. “Ya ain't sayin' what I think ya are, right?” “I'm jus' sayin' it might come down ta it, sis. In case ya didn't notice by my chest, they tried ta kill Tiltin' an' me!” Macintosh snapped. He wiped his mouth with a hoof and tried his best to keep his temper in check. Eventually, he flicked his green eyes towards Twilight. “'Bout how long that spell ya tossed on the other last?” “I would assume at least two, three days. The advanced spells tend to have a reasonable duration, after all,” Twilight said. He cocked his head towards the pegasus. “Ya got enough juice left over for that one?” “I'm not sure. I'll attempt the spell, however,” the unicorn said, bending her head down low, and pointing the horn at the creature. “If ya can't...” Macintosh quietly warned, not finishing his sentence. “We will discuss it if my spell fails,” Twilight coolly replied. “I cannot believe you would condone something so drastic so fast, Macintosh.” “I can't believe you wouldn't,” he said, feeling his temper start to bubble again. “There's too many ponies I care 'bout round here that could be hurt, if somethin' like these monsters get loose.” The stallion looked amongst the three, before focusing on Tilting. “Yer with me, right? Ya were all sorts a ready ta beat 'em 'fore the mares came 'round.” “My earlier words were clouded with fury, 'tis not fair to return them to me,” the Knight said, staring up at the high ceiling in thought. “But thine words may... may be correct, Ser Macintosh. 'Tis only fitting a monster that houses such- such evil is killed.” “Ya both should be ashamed of yerselves! Killin' ain't right, no matter who it is!” Applejack shouted. “So we should jus' roll over an' take it? That what ya want us ta do?!” Macintosh countered, his normally quiet and docile voice rising to match his sisters. AJ pushed her face directly into her brothers, close enough that their eyes were nearly touching. “If we do this, we ain't any better than 'em! We're supposed ta be the good folk!” “What is good about a monster living another day? 'Twould be best to stop it preemptively, before it has a chance to spread chaos.” Tilting said, barely keeping his emotions in check as he faced Applejack. “Horsefethers! Yer both unbelievable!” the mare spat, stomping her hooves in the ground and just barely holding back slugging the two. “Would all of you please be silent?!” Twilight loudly snapped, an unnatural amount of venom in her voice. Her outburst stunned the others into silence. “I have not even attempted my spell, don't you dare talk about killing somepony, no matter what their crimes, while there's still a chance for me to fix this.” “Twi,” Applejack quietly said, the anger she had moments ago all but vanishing. She took a quick glance towards Tilting and her brother, shocked at how quickly things had escalated between them all. The unicorn took a deep breath, focused. Concentrated. There was still a chance for this to work- still a chance for all of them to walk away from this disaster. She just had to fix this. Her horn thrummed with power, and sweat began to run profusely down her face the moment she called out to the ancient powers her father and fathers before him had wielded. She channeled the strength she found in her abilities, and the strength her friends gave her every day. At first, she felt nothing, save for a few sparks at the very tip of her horn. She refused for it to end like this, and called out to her iron will. Nothing happened. It was the very end of her channeling period, right before she was about to give up, when a miracle occurred. Her horn became enveloped in a bright light that made the others squint, then avert their eyes. She pointed her horn down, and took aim once again. A large, wide beam erupted from the tip of her horn, expanding in size until it was as wide as Big Macintosh was tall. It saturated the black pegasus, and seemed to almost briefly absorb the creature as the intense force of the spell caused him to rise off the ground. Seconds later, the spell ended, and the pegasus hit the floor with a dull clunking noise. It worked. Twilight smiled, feeling her mind awash in a sea of fatigue. The other three present looked upon her in absolute amazement. “T-told you,” she smiled, feeling a headache worse than any she'd ever had coming on. Still, she continued, “I knew if we did that, we'd,” she swallowed, her mouth surprisingly dry, “we wouldn't have to, ah-” The unicorn said no more, instead collapsing to the ground with a painful thud. 000 Twilight felt warmth and a wet coldness on either side of her face, and the jarring sensation of being shaken repeatedly. She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't find the strength. “...get her to Zecora, this way's the fastest...” A stallion's voice. Macintosh? Twilight tried to lift head off the warmth she was laying on, but couldn't. She felt rain patter on her fur, and couldn't even move shield herself from it. She groaned, her body a temple of agony. “Ya'll! I think she's gettin' ready ta wake up The unicorn felt a damp cloth resting on her forehead, and she squirmed in a vain attempt to move the cold object away. A powerful hoof held it tightly against her. “... a fever in her head. Keep her sedated, and within a bed.” That rhyming speech. It was someone she knew. Twilight strained to recall, but her thoughts were dancers, illusive creatures twirling away at the last possible moment before she could reach for them with her clawed hands. She paused. Hands? She looked down the bed she was laying on top of in alarm. Her body had undergone a horrific change. The unicorn gazed, speechless at the hard diamond scales that coated her long, bipedal body, and the long tail that snaked off the bed. Without voluntary thought, the tail twisted and squirmed. Twilight couldn't help herself, she opened her mouth, and screamed. “Oh Celestia,” a twangy voice cried out. “It's- it's ok, Twi. Yer jus' hallucinatin'- the medicine we gave ya'll did it. Jus'... jus' listen ta my voice. Focus on it. Look up at me an' wake up Twilight loudly inhaled, wincing as her head pounded like a drum. The mare quickly opened her eyes and looked down, tossing her blankets violently aside. What greeted her was her wonderful, wonderful hooves and fur. She took a glance at the sheets she had so quickly threw aside, noting their familiarity. It hit her. She was back at the library. In her room. “Ah. Yer up,” the voice of Big Macintosh drawled. Twilight twisted around in alarm at the sudden voice, before finally spotting him leaning against the doorframe, a folded newspaper under his left foreleg. Twilight put her head back on the pillow, and stared up at the ceiling. “What happened?” she asked. “Ya gave us all a scare, that's what. After that spell, ya fainted,” Macintosh quietly said, moving a few feet closer. “We got ya over ta 'Cora's, an' she took ta fixin' ya.” He gave a halfhearted chuckle. “Surprised ya don't remember anythin' 'bout it. Ya were screamin' yer head off when she loaded ya down with that medicine.” “What medicine?” Twilight questioned. “I dunno,” Macintosh shrugged, “I guess some kinda unicorn brew. She said it'd help regain lost magic power, or somethin' 'long those lines.” Twilight gave a slight nod. “I suppose I pushed past my daily limitations. It would explain the draining headache I have at the moment.” Macintosh gave an uneasy glance toward the door. “Ya got a headache, huh? Well, yer friends are all about downstairs. They was waitin' fer ya ta wake up. I can tell 'em ya ain't feelin' good enough for company, though.” “That won't be necessary,” Twilight replied. “I will be down momentarily.” The farmer nodded, taking a step toward the doorway. “And Macintosh?” “Hmm?” Twilight seemed to hesitate asking her question, waiting almost a whole five seconds before she spoke again. “Were you really going to kill those ponies back there?” The stallion paused, giving just as much thought to the answer as she had with the question. “They wern't ponies, Ms. Sparkle. They were monsters, plain as day.” He scratched his blond mane. “As fer killin' em- yeah.” He exhaled, just as displeased as Twilight was with that answer. “Yeah, I would have, if ya'll hadn't came through on that spell.” Twilight stared hard at the stallion. Macintosh unabashedly returned the gaze. “I see,” she simply said. “I didn't think you were that kind of stallion, Macintosh.” He gave a small shake of his head. She really was uncompromising sometimes. As much as it hurt, sometimes a pony needed to do things he didn't like to take care of his own. “Did you bring the creatures back to town?” the unicorn asked. “Nnope. Still at that castle. Ya said it'd last fer at least two days, right?” “Correct.” She gave a quick run through her mane with a comb, ready to see her friends. “I reckon we need ta get over an' talk with Luna by tonight, then.” The mare gave him a questioning look. “How long was I out?” “'Bout half a day. It's jus' shy of nine now.” “Nine?! But the last train left-” “-An hour ago, I know,” he said. “But there's a midnight train that stops by here to haul cargo sometimes. Jus' so happens tonight's one of their pick up runs.” Twilight nodded, pleased with the discovery. “Tilting and myself will make the late train, then.” He gave a quick roll of his neck. “I'm comin' too.” “You, Macintosh?” She blinked. “Eyup. Got me some questions 'bout those things we fought,” he said, his words hard. “What about the farm? I doubt we'll be back by tomorrow morning.” “Gonna get Braeburn ta watch over it. I'mma owe him big, but he should be able ta do it.” He shuffled on his hooves, obviously uncomfortable at the extended talk. “Ya jus' jaw with yer friends fer a bit, an' meet me by the station when we get a bit closer ta midnight. I'm gonna head home.” With that, he turned, and loudly tromped his way down the flight of stairs. Subtlety's not one of his strong points, Twilight mused. She rose, pausing to gingerly grasp her head. It felt like electricity was racking inside her skull, ricocheting in every direction before stopping in a slow, pulsating throb right between her eyes. She took a few wobbly steps, before straightening up. It didn't happen often to her, but the mare could tell she was suffering from magic exhaustion. The lavender unicorn took a few careful steps out of her room, and slowly started down the stairs, promising herself that she'd get some medicine down as soon as possible. She froze, shocked at the change the library had suffered in her absence. Glitter and balloons littered the floor, and a large banner with the words 'Get Well Soon!' was by the Library's entrance. “Surprise!” the chipper voice of Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Twilight turned around, and saw Pinkie standing at the top of the stairwell. The unicorn refused to acknowledge the impossibility of not seeing her earlier. With Pinkie Pie, the impossible was just a word. Below, at the foot of the stairs, her other friends stood, looking up at the studious mare. “Was hopin' ya would wake up soon.” “'Bout time you got down here!” “Darling! I am ever so glad you're alright.” “Um... hello.” Spike made his way past the four mares. He stood on a step below Twilight, and reached up, giving one of her forelegs a hug. “You ok?” the Dragon asked. Before Twilight could answer, a long strain of coughing took over the conversation. “Better than you are, sounds like.” Twilight wryly smiled. “You should go back to bed.” “B-but everypony's here. Even Rarity!” he complained. “Especially Rarity,” he added under his breath. “That doesn't matter, Spike. Your friends will be around after you take care of your health. I want you to go upstairs and rest, understood?” Twilight said in a motherly tone. “Yeah, yeah,” Spike answered, rolling his eyes. He brushed past the lavender pony and the pink ball of energy, and went inside Twilight's bedroom, slamming the door. “Poor little Spikey,” Rarity bemoaned, putting a hoof to her forehead. “I wish we could do something for him.” “Rest and fluids is about the only thing we can do.” Twilight shrugged. “I... uh, m-may be able to help him. I've got medicine at the house. I- I can get it for him, and watch over him tonight,” Fluttershy quietly whispered, avoiding eye contact with everything but her hooves. “That would be wonderful,” Twilight said. “However, I'd prefer you coming with me to Canterlot tonight.” 'C-Canterlot? Tonight? But... well, that is... I'd, um, rather... if it's too much to ask... not go,” Fluttershy said, her timid voice fading quietly into near inaudible range. Twilight leaned forward, just barely catching the tail end of the sentence. The lavender pony looked deeply at her gentle friend, before putting her hooves together in a pleading gesture. “Please, Fluttershy. I could really use your support for this.” The pegasus hid behind her pink mane. Finally, she gave a slight sigh, nodding gently. “What exactly do you need me for?” The unicorn gave a quick look over to Applejack. “You hadn't mentioned it to them already?” “Nah,” the Farmer replied. “Thought it might come outta yer mouth better.” Twilight swallowed nervously. The mare was far from the antisocial pony she once was, but she still hated to be the center of attention sometimes. Regardless, she stood tall, and informed the rest of her friends of the situation. “You are all aware of Tilting Windmills, correct?” The mutters of various stages of agreement among the ponies was as good of sign as any for Twilight to continue. She did so, pacing back and forth as her thoughts came to her. “He spoke in contradictions, talking about a town that doesn't show up on any map of Equestria, and of a freed Discord. I quickly dismissed him as simply an eccentric pony with an exceptionally vivid imagination.” 'However, due to Applejack's conviction that Tilting Windmills was telling the truth, I became stumped. It's hard keeping a lie intact when facing Applejack, she has a way of getting to the heart of the matter pretty easily. Thanks to this, and in light of a few other extenuating circumstances,” the Scholar gave a barely visible flick of the eyes towards Rarity. The elegant unicorn gave a slight nod back, pleased that her secret was safe, at least for now. “I came up with a theory. It may sound farfetched, odd even by a fiction's setting, let alone real life-” Pinkie Pie blinked, trotting down the stairs and passing by the unicorn to join the rest of their friends. “But Twilight, we are a fic-” “-However, it's the only idea, the only theory that I can think of that would explain everything cleanly. It's called the Multiverse theory.” Twilight loudly interrupted, refusing to let Pinkie get her off track before she finished. “Multi... verse?” Rainbow Dash repeated, running the word through his mouth like a confused child. Rainbow Dash looked skeptical, and Twilight instantly caught her expression. “I know it sounds foalish, Rainbow Dash-” “Foalish? I don't even know what the word means.” The athlete scratched the back of her head, looking completely bored at the science talk. “Oh. Oh, I see,” Twilight replied. “Well, to sum it up quickly: I have suspicions that Tilting Windmills is from another dimension. One that runs parallel to our own.” Rainbow Dash nodded, apparently relieved. “Oh! That makes perfect sense now, Twilight!” Applejack leaned in close to the rainbow maned pony. “Ya don't have a clue 'bout what she's sayin' either, huh?” she whispered. The blue pegasus gave a slight smirk. “Not a one. When Twilight goes into egghead mode, I just smile and nod. Makes it go by quicker.” The lavender pony nodded, oblivious to Rainbow Dash's remarks. “Where was I? Ah, yes,” she said, pausing for just a moment to take a step down from the stairwell. She glanced over to one of the tables, and tried to levitate a cup of punch over to her. The spell fizzled out, and the drink splattered the floor. Rarity channeled her own magic, filling up a cup, and sending it over to frazzled Twilight. “T-thank you, Rarity.” the bookish mare gratefully said. “Anytime, darling.” her white furred friend replied. She gently placed the cup down next to the mare, and stopped casting magic on the object, instead using her power to pull out a small file from her mane. She kept an attentive ear towards Twilight, as she went to work smoothing a diminutive chip from her hoof. Twilight clumsily used her hooves to bring the cup to her mouth. After having her fill of punch, she set it back down again. “I tried to contact Princess Celestia about the possibility of the Multiverse existing. As it turned out, she is currently away on a diplomacy mission. Her sister Luna received the letter.” At this, Rainbow Dash perked up slightly. “And what did miss 'thee' and 'thou' say about it?” she asked. “Well, she said that some of the top scientists in Canterlot had debated on the theory, but had yet to provide conclusive evidence for it existing. Here's where it gets interesting, though.” “Don't keep me in suspense,” Dash dryly whispered to Applejack. The orange mare gave a quick, playful shove towards her athletic friend, trying not to draw Twilight's attention. “Luna specifically requested me to bring Tilting Windmills to her,” the lavender mare said. “And it's what I'm planning on doing, tonight if possible.” “But... the last train left earlier today... unless, well, you have a better way to get there... I, uh, that is to say... “ Fluttershy stammered in her normal, roundabout way. Twilight shook her head. “Big Mac told me about a midnight train going-” “Anyyyywhere!” Pinkie Pie interrupted in a loud sing song voice. At the blank stares everypony produced, she furrowed her brows. “Really guys?” She frowned, displeased by her friends reaction, or lack thereof. “Uh... going to Canterlot is what I was going to say, Pinkie.” Twilight lightly smiled. Applejack rubbed her eyes. “The supply train Filthy Rich loads his stuff on; not bad thinkin',” she agreed. “I suppose I can spare a day away from work,” Rarity said. “Especially if I have a chance to bump into Fancy Pants on the 'morrow. I would positivity be delighted to see him again!” “Sounds like Spike's got his work cut out fer him,” Applejack said, hiding a smile by putting a hoof over mouth. Rainbow Dash gave a quick smirk in return. “I guess I can go. If you really want me to.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, secretly pleased at the chance to go to Canterlot and see the Sister of the Night work her magic. “Oh boy! Maybe this time I can get everypony in Canterlot to join in on a party! It'll be like that one time when I got everypony in Ponyville to join a dodgeball session!” Pinkie pie giggled. “But with less property damage, I presume?” Rarity quipped. “Spoilsport.” Twilight let out a small laugh, before looking at Fluttershy. “Would you please consider coming with us? I'm sure we'll have fun, once we get though this business with Luna?” “I... well...” She swallowed, before giving an accepting tilt of her head. “...Alright.” “Great!” Twilight exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. “We should pack and meet up at the train station in just a bit.” Her eyes scanned the room and she noticed something, or rather, a lack of something. “Where's Tilting?” Applejack gave a nod towards the front door. “After the rain let off, he talked 'bout goin' fer a stroll.” She paused. “Uh, does he even know 'bout us all goin' up ta Canterlot?” The unicorn deflated slightly. “Uh, probably not. I never had a chance to bring it up.” AJ gave a less than enthused nod. “I'll try ta find him. Ya'll get ready fer that train tonight.” 000 Tilting Windmills traveled the empty streets of Ponyville, lost in thought. He felt melancholy as he stared into the rain soaked streets, the moon high above him spilling light into the nooks and crannies of the main road he currently wandered. One thing he admitted to himself, within his heart of hearts was this: the earlier confrontation between Ser Macintosh and Lady Sparkle had fueled a divide in his mind. On one hoof, Tilting agreed wholeheartedly with the red stallion. The remains of the so called 'Moonlight Mare' were powerful creatures seeped in evil's thrall. The Knight could personally attest to this, being on the receiving end of a few of their blows earlier. In fact, he still was walking with a slight limp even after Zecora had tended to his wounds. However, Lady Sparkle's conviction and utter refusal to end their lives intrigued the yellow pony. It was a stubbornness he knew firsthoof, one that reminded him of his dear brother, and to a lesser extent, himself. She was a pony that was steadfast in her morals, which Tilting found admirable. There was a nobleness about anypony (anybody, he quickly corrected himself) that held onto their ideals, and refused to compromise them. He ducked into an alley, and looked up towards the now clear sky in thought. That very refusal, that very same uncompromising attitude had brought him to here and now, far away from his home and everything he once knew. Or did it? That question made him pause dead in his tracks. That thought had crossed his mind briefly earlier- a slight flutter in his subconscious, nothing more. Now though, it roared at him like an angry beast, and made his stomach churn in dread. Could it really be possible? Could it be that instead of returning to his family and familiar lifestyle that waited for him in a far, immeasurable distance that Tilting couldn't comprehend, he had been instead propelled into the future, brought to this strange time with its strange contraptions and devices? If that were the case, then he never had the chance to say goodbye. “Neigh,” Tilting said in a disbelieving tone. He couldn't let it get to him, he couldn't even let that possibility into his mind. His friends, his fellow Knight-errants, were all waiting for him to return. They had to be. … Didn't they? “Tilting,” a familiar voice stated. He looked around the dark alley, but was unable to see anypony. “Below thineself,” the cultured voice said. The Knight looked directly down, and saw a reflection of himself, albeit older and fatigued, staring straight up, the image rippling through a bizarre distortion. “Thou art... I?” the Knight asked. His double nodded in agreement, staring directly at the young stallion. “'Tis true. I am thou, and thou art I,” the double stated. “How can this be?” Tilting asked, incredulous of the magic that was being presented to him. “The power of the fairy king allowed me to look back a few years in time, and create a small 'looking glass' if thou will,” The yellow pony said, his haggard image briefly flickering and distorting as the spell presumably lost power. Tilting narrowed his eyes. “Speak, if it would please thou. Well, myself. If it would please myself.” The Knight rubbed his temple, already getting a headache. “I am here to deliver a message, brave Knight errant: Do not despair at thoughts of your comrades. They are still awaiting your arrival to Steedhelm, and will continue to wait for you. Thou just has to simply return.” Tilting Windmills frowned. “But how? Thou must tell me!” The double shook his head. “Neigh. 'Twould be folly to speak of such things to myself. It may alter the future in a way I cannot predict. I came here only to inspire you with hope, as I wished my future self had done.” The overall clad pony breathed a sigh of relief, and adjusted his 'armor' strap. He looked deeply into the others eyes, leaning towards the distortion. “Can thou speak of anything else freely?” His double perked up. “Well, there is a funny story I may regale thou with- provided that you have the time-” “Of course,” the young Knight quickly said, coming even closer to his double's image. “Well, 'tis a tale of myself and the fairy king of Avalon that occurred just the other day, as we conversed over dinner. Fairies truly are a strange being- small wisp creatures that are nearly invisible to the eye. With this information in mind, let me tell you about what happened when I unwittingly came to an occupied seat.” Tilting leaned in even closer, anticipating the story. With a startled realization, he lost his balance, tripping and falling straight toward the portal with a surprised yelp. 000 Applejack wandered the streets, looking for any clues for where the Knight had wandered off to. She checked by the schoolhouse, traveled to the currently closed Sugar Cube Corner, and had even poked her head into the small emergency response hut Nurse Redheart operated. After promising Redheart that she'd tell Big Macintosh to take better care of himself, AJ was off into the night once more, traveling down the main road of Ponyville. She stifled a heavy yawn, already feeling dead tired. It wasn't like the Apples to be out this late normally- by the time eight or nine came around, she was usually eating food, and then washing up for bed- but she figured that sometimes exceptions had to be made. The mare wearily sighed. Today had just been one thing after another, all adding up to that standoff with Macintosh earlier. She wasn't used to arguing with the large stallion often, due to his easygoing nature and quiet demeanor, but by Celestia, he had planned on killin' somepony. Before she could focus more on that grim thought, the sound of a stallion's yelp drew her attention. Applejack followed the noise, and ducked inside an alleyway, where she saw Tilting with his face inside a small rain puddle. “Uh, Tiltin'?” the mare drawled, unsure how to approach the stallion. He snapped to attention, and stood between Applejack and the puddle, raising awkwardly to a half hunched stand and extending his forelegs to either side in an attempt to hide the water from her. AJ wordlessly tried to look around the Knight, but he rose, shielding the puddle from her view. “There somethin' behind ya?” she questioned, moving her head in all sorts of directions to look around him. “N-neigh! Tis nothing, Jack,” the stallion said, his voice in near panic. Applejack gave a roll of her eyes. She crouched low, and watched him do the same, and then she used her powerful legs to propel herself up and over the stallion. She landed, and quickly glanced at the puddle, growing disappointed at seeing absolutely nothing strange about the water. Tilting let out a quiet breath of relief, inwardly pleased that his future self had apparently canceled the spell, and returned the water to normal. If he hadn't, the Knight was sure it would have caused a paradox of some sort. “Alright then,” she carefully drawled, still at a loss on why he had been so protective of the rainwater. Tilting paused, before bringing up a still fresh wound. “Art thou adequate? 'Tis quite the trial we had today, I'm sure-” “Not now, Tiltin',” Applejack crossly said, a frown spreading on her face. “I don't wanna talk 'bout that.” “As you wish.” She looked at the alleyway he was standing by. “What ya doin' outside?” Tilting Windmills swallowed, looking towards the ground. “I needed some time to meditate upon the events that transpired earlier today.” AJ crossed her forelegs and leaned against a building. She told the stallion a second ago that she didn't want to say anything about it, but decided to speak her piece. “Tiltin', why would ya even think killin' 'em was the right thing ta do?” She tried to add some fire to the sentence, she tried to scold him, but it rather came out as if she was world weary- all things considered, Applejack probably was. “I fear no beast. I merely fear what that beast could do to others.” Applejack shook her head. “You yerself said that murders were a beast. If anythin', you doin' somethin' to those ponies would make ya more feral than them. Is that what you wanted ta be, Tiltin'? A beast?” The Knight froze, seemingly rooted to the spot. He felt a stone churning in his gut at her honest words. “Neigh,” he said, his own words seeped in conviction. “Never.” “Then start actin' like the stallion I respect,” the farmer briskly said. She paused, awkwardly blinking at the words that just came out of her mouth. AJ quickly turned away from him and towards the main road. “Twi's wanting us ta head over towards Canterlot tonight. She said Luna's wanting ta speak with you.” Tilting perked up on hearing that name, his demeanor visibly brightening. “Then let us travel posthaste towards Canterlot!” he exclaimed, beginning to already travel north, towards the fabled city on the mountain. There was just one problem... “Tiltin', we're usin' the train!” Applejack cried out, chasing after him.