//------------------------------//
// Did I Hear You Right? 
// Story: My Little Pony: Through Space and Time 
// by Magic Step 
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"So you just walked in and chatted with Captain Dash about hell over warm milk?"

"Yeah, sorta."

"Sheesh! My future self is really... wimpy."

"Ah, hush, Rainbow," said Applejack. "D'you really think that belief in hell is wimpy?"

"No, I mean why would a little nightmare throw her into such a tizzy?" said Rainbow Dash. "I thought my future self would be, y'know, braver than me."

"That ain't the point," said Applejack. "Ah thought you'd be happy to hear that yer future self is seein' the light a bit."

"I don't believe in churches," said Rainbow Dash. "So why would I be happy that my future self is getting superstitious?"

"I wonder why my future self isn't a Christian anymore," said Fluttershy. "I mean... did something happen to her? Did somepony I know hurt her feelings?"

"Does it really matter that she doesn't happen to visit a building with a certain name to hear a message you could hear anyplace, any time?" Rarity said. "You can be a good person without a church. I only care about why Future Fluttershy is behaving like she's taken a year of Iron Will's training seminars."

"And, let's face it," said Twilight Sparkle. "Obviously attending church has no effect on what your future self will become like, since Fluttershy of all creatures turned out to be such a jerk. So can we start talking about practical solutions to prevent our future corruption?"

There was a pause.

"My future self is doing just fine," said Pinkie Pie.

Everypony stared at her oddly.

"I mean, sure, she acts real nasty, but she's just grumpy," said Pinkie Pie. "She's had a lot to deal with, since her parents have died... she showed me the flashback of that."

"The... what?" said Twilight Sparkle.

"Flashback. It's like a memory, only clearer."

"Is it... some kind of recording?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Just in your head," said Pinkie Pie.

Everypony paused for a while.

"Allllll right then," said Rainbow Dash. "Whatever. I already know what I'm going to have to do if I want to stay my fun-loving, awesome self, so I'll let you scrubs figure out the other details while I nap." She dove into her bed and hid under the blanket.

"You must feel lucky, Applejack," said Fluttershy with a sigh. "You don't have to worry about your future self."

Applejack shuffled her hooves a bit. "Well, Ah'm not right sure about that, actually... Ah mean, maybe from our perspective Applejack is the only pony who survived whatever shock set us all into a corrupted state, but when you look at it the other way..." She sighed. "Maybe Ah'm like this in our timeline too, and Ah jist don't notice normally because Ah can't judge myself too good, but Ah wasn't proud of how my future self acted. At all. Ah shouldn't judge Ah figure... mayhap there is something out there so awful, the only solution is to kill it, but Ah don't reckon. And how could Ah let my little sister turn into such a killin' machine?"

"Oh, thanks a lot!" Rainbow Dash shouted, throwing off the blanket. "Of course you have to measure up to some super-high standard, you perfect little Christian pony you!"

"Rainbow!" Rarity gasped dramatically. "Of all the things to say! Why should it matter to you that Applejack holds herself to a higher standard than most? At least she isn't imposing it on you!"

"Well, her future self sure did!" Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing at Applejack accusingly. "And how can I trust your story about what you told my future self?"

"What?" said Twilight Sparkle. "Rainbow Dash, you can't tell me you're doubting the honesty of the element of, well, Honesty!"

Rainbow Dash hovered despondently in the air for a moment.

"If you guys are gonna gang up on me like this, I'm surprised my future self put up with it," she griped, folding her hooves and putting on a sour expression.

"We're not 'ganging up' on you, darling," said Rarity. "I'm just trying to tell you not to worry so much about Applejack. I'm sure whatever measures she deems appropriate will be acceptable."

"Yeah," said Applejack. "How 'bout we agree to each tend our own gardens?"

"What?" said Twilight. "We can't just split up like that! We're a team, and we need a team plan!"

"I just d-don't know what went wrong," Fluttershy sighed.

"Maybe nothing serious," said Pinkie Pie. "Maybe you turned into a grump because everypony else had turned into a grump already. It's no fun being alone. Even if you're alone because you're the only non-grump."

"Don't you remember what happened with Discord?" Twilight Sparkle demanded. "It took you all of five minutes to turn to the dark side! Anything is possible! We should have the elements on hoof at all times or something!"

"Y-you're right," Fluttershy said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm so pathetic." She bent her head and sobbed into her hooves.

"Hey!" said Rarity. "Twilight, how can you say such a thing? Discord was using some sort of magic to hypnotize us, remember? And even so, I don't recall you being totally non-gray the entire time. You wouldn't have saved the day at all if not for the timely interference of our beloved Princess Celestia!"

"Yeah, since when was saving the day the work of a single pony?" said Pinkie Pie. "We're friends! We work together!"

"I thought that's what I said!" Twilight Sparkle snapped.

"As if!" said Rainbow Dash. "The uber-competent Twilight Sparkle, whose magic can solve any problem."

"Well, yes, actually, my magic is much more powerful than any of you ponies seem to understand!" said Twilight Sparkle.

"Twilight!" Rarity said. "What are you saying? I can too use magic well! I would think you'd respect me more after that incident where-"

"We've heard enough about how you stopped the Diamond Dogs already!" Applejack shouted. "We know! We get it! Why couldn't you shut up and just trust that we think you did well?"

"I wasn't even going to-" Rarity started.

"Um, actually, Rarity didn't even use magic to do that," Fluttershy whispered.

"What do you think Ah am? Stupid?" said Applejack. "As if Ah didn't know what magic was! Jist cuz Ah aint a unicorn don't mean Ah can't recognize a spell!"

"Hey!" said Rainbow Dash. "Pegasi are plenty magical! Just because we can't teleport doesn't mean a thing! Can unicorns fly, huh? Fluttershy, don't you agree?"

Fluttershy looked annoyed. "How dare you imply all pegasi think the same way?"

Twilight shook with fury. "How can you say that, Rainbow Dash? My cloudwalk spell worked perfectly!"

"Oh, now yer sayin; yer magic can do anything we can?" said Applejack. "Ain't that jist like that silly street performer, Trixie?"

"How dare you compare Twilight to Trixie!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "Twilight's magic is real and genuine!"

"Guys?" said Spike.

Everypony stopped shouting. They'd forgotten Spike was there.

"I don't think..." Spike coughed. "I don't think you can... hear each other... you... don't know what..." He rolled off the cot and lay on the floor, shaking.

Twilight gasped and dove for Spike. She started to pick him up, but he just whined, "Don't! That hurts!"

Twilight Sparkle set Spike down. Tears appeared in her eyes.

"Please... don't fight," said Spike. "It hurts... to listen to you. Really truly."

Nopony said anything for a moment.

Then Rainbow Dash coughed. "Er... what exactly were we fighting about again?"

The ponies paused.

"Well, gee!" said Pinkie Pie. "I have no idea!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Fluttershy sighed. "I've been a bad pony."

"I feel very silly," Rarity said, blushing.

"See then?" said Applejack. "Even Ah can't protect myself from stupid corruption type stuff..."

"Well, all that matters now is that we move forward together," said Twilight Sparkle.

"Group hug!" Pinkie Pie announced.

"Noooooooooooo!"

The prison walls turned dark purple. Everypony jumped.

A dark purple cloud seeped out from one of the cots and took the shape of a black pony covered with dark purple flames. Unlike the Hunter, however, this one had neither horn nor wings.

"If I cannot corrupt you," the creature said, "then I will destroy you!"