//------------------------------// // The First Answers // Story: Tomorrow Never Comes // by Post Script //------------------------------// “Get out of here!” I don’t know where I am, but it’s dark, and alien. I’m surrounded by other Changelings, and one of them in the distance is fighting off several others. For some reason I feel I’m off the ground, like someone’s lifting me. I can see the lone changeling being overcome by the others. “Tani, no!” I can hear my dad scream. I turn my head and see that I’m lying on his back. He’s running and crying and I’m scared, terrified for some reason. We leave whatever place we were in, and the world is a blur beneath my feet. The last thing I see is the tears in his eyes. *** I awake with a jolt, and gaze wild-eyed around my room. Wait, my room? I fell asleep in the Everfree... I guess this might mean that no matter what happens, I’ll always end up here at the start of each new cycle. I get up immediately and switch off the alarm clock, not needing it for a change. That nightmare was nothing like the ones I’ve been having recently... it felt worse, somehow. Maybe today I can use my knowledge of the timeline to have some fun, and more importantly, get some answers. I think it’s time I paid a certain pink pony a visit... “Sweetie, it’s your turn!” I hear from downstairs after a few minutes. I think today I’ll play along, see if he’ll tell me about that little black book of his if I try being nice first. “Sure Dad, be right down!” Just before I leave my bedroom I notice something warm is running down my cheeks. I check the mirror, and... yep, I’m crying. What the heck is that all about? I head downstairs, pour a little orange juice into a glass and leave the rest for him before heading outside and dealing with the garbage. “Wow, you’re being unusually cooperative today,” he says with a smile before pointing to his stupid wig, “What do you thi-“ “It looks great,” I say dismissively, not even bothering to turn to him before answering. For a moment he seems shocked. In this house, compliments are practically forbidden as part of Father-Daughter law. I grin, and wait for him to respond to this curveball. “I-It does?!” he says, and I grin even harder as I hear the surprise in his voice. If I play my cards right, today will be fun. “Yeah. Hey Dad, I have a question... do you know anyone called Tani?” Dad looks like I just killed someone in front of his eyes. He steps away from his chair, taking off his stupid wig and glasses, and in an instant the goofy idiot I had spent the last seventeen years with is gone. “W-what’s the matter?” I ask, genuinely concerned. The look in Dad’s eyes right now is actually scaring me. Without a word he runs out of the house, and I try to take after him, but once you’ve lost a shapeshifter in a crowd you’ll never find them. Damnit, stupid stupid stupid!  I got careless again... looks like now I have one more big question that I need answering. I drain the orange juice carton dry, and toss it in the bin, racking my brains for my next move. After a few minutes I hatch a plan to finally get some answers, and check my rucksack for my diary. If I’m gonna do this,  I’m gonna need proof. Pinkie, I’m coming for you. ***                      “You’re kinda late,” Cold Shoulder says when I finally make my way to the sweet store. I’m glad I took my time getting here this cycle. I wasn’t in the mood to discuss the inventory for the upteempth time anyway.                     “Has Pinkie shown up yet?” I ask, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.                     “Nope, no Pink Terror today,” he smiles, “why?”                     “I need to ask her something.”                     “What, how she keeps her figure when she eats half her weight in sugar every day?” he grins. Normally I’d find this small talk charming, but I’m in no mood for it right now.                     “I’m gonna serve at the till. You go bother Maple Leaf about all the sweets we need ordering,” I tell him, more a command than a suggestion. I’m gonna need to be alone for this...                     “What? How did you know we neede-“ he begins before freezing. I’m giving him that look he gives me sometimes, that ‘stop asking questions’ look that we have a mutual understanding to always respect.  He nods, and takes off. Within minutes I’m alone, nothing but that stupid broken clock on the wall, taunting me. I’m tempted to break it even more. After all, what’s the harm? It’s not like anyone would be hurt even if I did go on a rampage. I close my eyes after an hour of turning away customers, and think of that strange dream I had. Tani... who is Tani? And why did Dad get so upset just hearing her nam- There’s that wonderful jingling noise at the front door, and the Pink Terror herself steps in, happy as ever. I start feeling my heart beat faster in my chest, and focus my breathing.   This is it. Answer time. “Hey there Sketchy!” she says, practically bursting with enthusiasm, “Why weren’t you here yesterday?” “You mean tod-“ I stop myself. Better to play dumb until I know she’s trapped. “Pinkie, I’m sorry but your sweets are in the back room, I’ll need to go get them,” I lie to her, trying my hardest not to smirk as I do so. “Oh, sure!” I move out from behind the counter, and walk behind Pinkie, quietly locking the front door from the inside before heading to the back off the shop and doing the same. I admit, this is a wonderful feeling. Suddenly I’m about to get the truth behind this madness from the one pony in Equestria that seems to be unaffected. “Pinkie...” I turn to her, no longer bothering to hide my wide eyed, mad smile, “I have a few questions for you...” “Oh, you mean about whether I can pay? You know I always d-“ Before she can finish I throw my open diary at her feet, the book spread open, showing the endless series of identical entries. “Pinkie, what is this? What does it mean?” The smile falls off her face, and her pupils become pinpricks. She turns to the door and crashes into it. “Oh no, I’m afraid that won’t work anymore. You’ve got  some explaining to do. What does it mean?” I repeat my question, adding a hint of a threat to my voice. “T-that you’ve got a poor memory for dates?” she offers, grinning sheepishly as I back her into a corner. “Pinkie Pie, what’s going on? WHY AM I TRAPPED IN TIME?” I scream at her, my demand so loud ponies outside the window turn to look at us. Pinkie starts trembling, and in an instant the sick high I was getting from bullying her into telling me the truth is gone. I have to admit, if I want answers I’m going about this all wrong.                     “Pinkie,” I say in a gentler tone, “We’re friends, aren’t we?”                     “Y-yeah...” she says hesitantly after a moment, “But she told me not to tell you anything.”                     Bingo. First mistake down.                     “She?” I reply, “Who is ‘She’, Pinkie?”                       Pinkie whimpers, realizing her blunder. “She told me not to tell you anything, it could make things even worse for you!”                     Pinkie may seem like an airhead sometimes, but she is far, far craftier than she looks. I’m starting to think these ‘accidental’ answers she’s giving me aren’t slips of the tongue at all.                     “Pinkie, if we don’t get into specifics, can you give me yes or no answers to a few questions of mine?”                     She considers this for a few minutes before slowly, slowly nodding her head.                     “Are you the only person that is unaffected by whatever’s happening?”                     She nods, then thinks about it for a few seconds. Her eyes cross for a moment, and she ultimately shrugs. A strange answer for a strange question, I guess.                     “Pinkie, this mare you were mentioning, is she the one that gave you this letter?”                     She nods.                     “Alright, one last question for today and I’ll give you all the sweets in the shop if you want,” I say, thinking hard. It can’t be too specific, but I still need answers...                     “Pinkie Pie, the letter said that in the end, everything would be fine for me. This letter was written by me... so am I being honest? Will everything be fine?”                     She stares at me in silence for a few minutes, tears rolling silently down her cheeks. Pinkie crying is one of the saddest images I can think of, and I wince, turning my head away for a moment. I never even see whether she nods or not, but I do hear her voice.                     “Visit Twilight.”                     I hear the latch of the front door open suddenly, and Cold Shoulder walks in as Pinkie runs, sobbing from the store.                     “What the heck happened in here?” he demands crossly.                     “I was just-“                     “Just what, exactly? Upsetting our best customer, locking her in here? What the hell is wrong with you?” he says, scowling.                     “I just needed to ask her something!”                     “Ask her what, Sketch?”                     I search my head for lie, and realize that ultimately I don’t need one. The only pony that’s going to remember this just ran out the door crying, after all... I’m going to need to apologize to her next cycle.                       “I’m stuck, Cold. Stuck in a time loop. She is the only one that isn’t affected.”                     “...you’re joking at a time like this?” he snarls, even angrier than when I brought up his father, “you go out there and apologize, or you are fired.”                     Suddenly, I snap. I’m tired of this anyway, might as well vent my rage.                     “You know what, you bitter, angsty ‘leave me alone’ loser? You can keep your job.”                     “And what, you’re just going to walk away? You barely knew how to work that damn cash register, you stupid bitch!”                     I decide to break out the big guns. There’s no reason not to anymore.                     “...No wonder your father never wants to come ho-“                     In an instant, Cold Shoulder gives me a strong, sharp slap across the face. I reel from it, and for a moment the world seems to go silent. No matter how badly my days used to go, Cold Shoulder was always there for me. It was us against the world, two crazy, mixed up weirdoes laughing at the rest of them. And suddenly it feels like that one bit of stability in my life is gone.                     His jaw drops, horrified, backing away slowly.                     “Sketch, I-“                     I don’t even bother to let him finish, running out of the store and towards Twilight’s Castle. ***                     I’m not wearing my false form as I run through the streets. I can hear ponies turning and running, screaming and crying and I don't even care anymore. The guards near her castle are so shocked at my appearance that they barely have time to react as I burst through the doors.                     “Twilight!” I scream to the heavens, every pony in her castle turning to face me, “Twilight Sparkle, I need your help!”                     I have no plan. I’m too angry to think, and within moments her blue Pegasus friend barrels into me, knocking me into the wall and laying into me with punch after punch. I think I can hear someone yelling for her to stop after a few minutes, but my vision is blurry and I think I’m about to pass out. I try to focus on what’s being said, my body falling limp to the floor as a group of ponies surround me.                     “...a lone Changeling? Could it be a spy?”                     “I can’t tell for certain, but I ain’t gonna act surprised if ol’ Holehooves wants another bite at the apple...”                     “Oh my goodness, are you alright Twilight?”                     I close my eyes, groaning, the bitter taste of blood in my mouth as I feel the sharp tips of cold steel spears pointed at my throat. One of them rises me to my feet, and Twilight Sparkle herself stares at me, horning glowing in warning.                     “Are you a spy?” she asks coldly, “An assassin?”                     “No, my name is Sketch, I need your he-“                     I feel the blunt end of a spear smack into my face. This is far from the Princess Twilight I’ve heard about.                     “That’s enough,” she says to the guard, though not with the urgency I’d expect from her reacting to one of her subjects being beaten, “take them to the dungeons.”                     “Er, Twi? This place doesn’t have any dungeons,” Rainbow Dash corrects her.                     “Fine, then take her to the spare bedrooms, and make sure you use a password to recognize each other when changing shifts. If she gets out and shapeshifts, we could all be in grave danger... I’m going to contact Cadence.”                     “A-are you gonna kill me...?” I ask, terrified. I’m in no position to hide my feelings right now.                     Twilight sighs, and turns away in disgust. After a moment I’m escorted to a small bedroom, and the door is locked behind me.                     Today has been hell. Had a nightmare, slapped by my best friend,  and left my other friend in tears...                     I stare out the window until the moon hangs high in the sky, moonlight streaming through the little window above my bed, and I sigh, my itchy eyes sore from all my tears.                      For once, I’m glad I don’t have to face tomorrow.