[Chapter 11] Broken Harmony
[Chapter 11] Broken Harmony
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Nova looked down at the frightened mare, extending a hoof to lift her up off the ground.
Twilight sneered at her as she ignored the hoof, getting up by her own volition. “What the hay are you doing here?!” She barked. “I thought we agreed that you needed to go home!”
“I’m sorry Twilight,” Nova squeaked. “I... I just wanted to see if I could help you out...” She timidly backed away, wearing the most pitiful face she could muster. “I... I... followed you into the forest. I lost you for a about a minute, but then I heard screams coming from here. That’s when I found you lying here. I thought you were dead and-”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Twilight interrupted. “Did you say a minute?” Twilight was dumbfounded. The walk through the pathway alone had felt to have taken her over half an hour, not to mention the sights she witnessed had lasted for much longer than that.
“Yeah, I was behind you the whole way but then I must have missed you go into this clearing-”
Twilight turned away in thought, blatanly ignoring the rest of what Nova had to say. “Could it all just have been a dream? No, it couldn’t have. It felt so real. All of it!” She looked around the room for any proof of her experience, but nothing seemed to be there. The pile of snow in the center looked undisturbed and the ground around it was sealed tight. She walked towards it to inspect the ground further for the cracks where it should have split, but then she noticed something odd.
The ground was completely smooth.
Twilight quickly brushed away the patches of moss to discover that the etchings in the ground had all vanished. “No this can’t be!” She panicked. “What I saw was real!”
Nova curiously watched the unicorn as she continued to brush moss away from the ground, getting more frantic the more she uncovered. “Twilight, what did you see?”
-----
Rarity sat in the monorail car, staring at the picture she had taken from Sweetie’s cottage, remembering everything about the filly. Her hair was so difficult to maintain; it had thick natural curls in it that would always seem to get tangled up from who knows what she did with her friends. Even though it wasn’t her style, she loved the way Sweetie Belle would return home covered in filth, but smiling. Sure she gave her a hard time about it, but something about the way Sweetie had fun just completed Rarity. She was so carefree back then.
But what she grew up to be was something different altogether. Rarity’s absence completely destroyed that innocence she once held. She was so cautious and cold now, often how a criminal would be. Rarity was determined. She would not let Sweetie Belle fall any farther. She would make it up to her, no matter the cost.
Something inside Rarity clicked at that moment. Sure she had heard the words and understood them clearly before, but all the lessons she was taught and promises she made about parenting; they all started to make sense. She needed to be strong, despite the situation before her. She had to give in and make the hardest apology of her life, even though it would be easier just to quit and submit to the last words her sister said to her. This is what it meant to be a mother. She could only hope that it wasn’t a lesson learned too late.
Rarity quickly unraveled the scroll that had been sent to her from Princess Luna at the library, reading through it just to be certain that it would absolve her sister of any crimes and allow her captors to release her on the spot. She made sure that the Royal insignia was clearly watermarked at the bottom of the page and Luna’s signature was indeed hers. She had already done all this many times before, but with something this important, she just had to be sure.
Satisfied, she put the scroll and the picture back in her bag. There was nothing left to do but wait. Wait for the train to reach the island of Manehattan. Wait and count the moments before she would be reunited with her sister.
Up ahead, she could see the skyline of the iron jungle that was downtown Manehattan. The light from the moon created a dull glow through the clouds high above, but these weren’t clouds as she knew them. They were pollution from the factories and machines that Manehattan’s citizens had grown so fond of. Once the train crossed over the river into the city, the tracks up ahead suddenly dropped down below the street level, leaving nothing but dirty walls to look at from here on out. Occasionally, another train would come flying by, scaring Rarity out of her skin.
How anypony could become accustomed to this drab setting was beyond her. After about a mile of wall, the train quickly began to slow down, lining up perfectly with the station as it came to a stop. The station was well lit, but judging by the filth that covered the floor and walls, Rarity would’ve preferred that it wasn’t. As the doors opened, a mass of ponies started to flow into the train. Rarity struggled to force her way out of the doors just before they shut closed.
Along the path that led to the stairs, unkempt ponies loitered around the area, all with their eyes trained to Rarity. Some looked as if they were about to mug her, dressed like hoodlums and gang members. The others; the filthy, unkempt ones, reached out a hoof as if Rarity was supposed to give them something. She began to pick up the pace, lowering her head as she tried to avoid the stares of these lost souls. Was this really what had become of one of the most cultured cities in all of Equestria? Vagabonds and hoodlums loitering around waiting for their next target to prey upon like a bunch of cave dwellers? Rarity couldn’t wait to get back above ground.
The city wasn’t much better, but it was nice to be able to have a breeze, even though it wasn’t exactly what one would consider fresh air. The city had changed so much since she had last visited. It had appeared that the city had adapted to the perpetual night by imitating cities like Las Pegasus, where lights seemed to shine from every possible direction, which was exceptionally irritating with her astigmatism. The streets were bustling with strange metal contraptions that looked like miniature versions of the monorail cars. They would zip by, tethered to a network of wires that hung overhead.
Luckily for her, the streets were still the same. While she never had a reason to go there before, she at least knew how to find the prison on her own. It was a bit far for walking distance, but she was utterly terrified of the metal contraptions that whizzed by. With that, she took the first step to begin her journey.
As soon as her hoof made contact with the floor, a group of hooded ponies turned to her, all shushing each other and pointing as if their tourist radar had gone off. Rarity froze in place before awkwardly turning around slowly to find another route. Behind her, a group of unkempt vagabonds were sitting, instantly spotting Rarity and holding their hooves out.
“Taxi!” She called out.
-----
The ride wasn’t as bad as she had expected, even though she could say the opposite about the fare. She grumpily handed the bits to the driver as she stepped out in front of the correctional facility. The colt gave her a dirty look as if to question what a mare like her was doing in a place like this before turning and driving off.
She didn’t have time to dwell on it. If her assumptions were correct, her sister was somewhere on the other side of the unscalable stone walls. The building wasn’t modern like the rest of the city. It almost resembled a dungeon like from olden times. Rarity made her way to the front door only to be greeted by a stallion peeking through a tiny window in the middle of the door.
“What do you want?” He said with a voice that resembled gravel in a blender.
Rarity timidly held the scroll up to the tiny window. “I am here to retrieve my sister,” she squeaked. The window suddenly shut closed and a small drop box opened up below it. Rarity dropped the scroll into the box which shut almost before she had a chance to remove her hoof.
After a couple seconds, the window slid open again and the Guard peeked through once more. “It’s fake. Go away,” he said bluntly before slamming the window closed again.
Rarity was pissed. Her horn started to glow as she stood up on her hind legs. She pressed her hooves against the door, forcing them through the solid object as if she was some kind of spectre and grabbed the stallion by his armor, pulling him against the door as hard as she could.
As she expected, the window opened up again with a shaky stallion standing on the other side, his voice losing any hint of toughness. “Is... is there something I can assist you with?” He stuttered.
“Yes there is. This letter was delivered to me personally by Princess Luna herself. I assure you, it’s real.” She had appeared to roar like a manticore without even raising her voice.
“Let me just fetch my supervisor,” he timidly responded.
Rarity let him go with a smirk.
-----
After verifying the insignia, signature, and watermark, the guards let Rarity in without another word. They had never before received an order like this, so there was no proper procedure for something like this. As far as they knew, they had to escort her around as if she was the Princess herself.
They led her down a damp and cold corridor to a cell with a young mare laying on a pile of hay with her back turned to the gate. Rarity wanted to call out to her, but she was afraid of how Sweetie Belle would react.
“Sweetie Anna Belle, you are being released by order of Princess Luna,” the guard announced as he pushed the key into the lock.
“Oh ha ha. You guys are funny,” she mocked as she raised herself up. “Don’t you ever get tired of harassing-” Sweetie Belle looked up to see Rarity standing in the frame of the open gate. Her eyes were shining with tears of joy as she stared at the young mare. She could tell that her sister wasn’t going to make the first move. She couldn’t. She was at the mercy of the young mare.
Sweetie Belle wanted to yell at her. Just push her out of the way and run away forever, finally a free mare. She tried to turn away, tears soaking her cheeks, but somehow, her gaze kept drifting back to the unicorn before her.
“I’m sorry,” Rarity said. It would be superfluous to say anything more. Trite to try and make excuses or say that it was all her fault as she begged for forgiveness. Both Rarity and Sweetie Belle knew this. They would get so frustrated every time a character would prolong the apologies in their romance novels and movies.
Even though she was a free mare now, she felt a weight on her chest preventing her from running out the doors to reclaim whatever life she missed out on. She stamped her hoof on the ground in frustration. “What is there left for me? My friends, all gone. My life, missed out on. The only thing left for me...” She was done running. She rushed over to her sister and threw her hooves around her as tight as they would go, crying as hard as her eyes would allow.
Rarity returned the hug, never wanting to be apart from her sister again.
“I’m so sorry. I never meant to say those things-”
Rarity shushed the bawling unicorn. “You had a right to hate me. I’m just glad you were able to forgive me for what I’d done. It was always my fault. If I hadn’t been so selfish to try and reclaim a day of lost time, I would never have lost fifteen years instead.”
Rarity nudged her sister gently with her nose to gesture that they should probably get out of the prison. “Let’s go home.”
-----
If Twilight had been alright to walk, she would have led Nova by her ear back to Ponyville. Instead, she was forced to use her as a crutch. Her head ached and her vision was blurred from tears. She replayed the scenes in her head over and over again. It was crystal clear, everything that had happened, but still she couldn’t find any proof that it indeed did happen.
Nova felt a mixture of pride and shame as she led her idol back to Ponyville. She was proud that she was able to help in her own small way, but her parents were probably going to find out where she had gone now. Twilight was sure to tell them.
Just at the outskirts of Ponyville, Twilight lowered herself off the shoulder of the young mare. “I am going to take you straight to the station, and I am not going to let you out of my sight until you are on the train and the doors are closed,” she scolded. “What were you even thinking, following me into the Everfree Forest?”
Twilight didn’t even wait for an answer before she began to forcefully escort Nova to the station. It was a long and quiet walk, something that Nova was grateful for. Though, she really felt like she wanted to say something like an apology. Even though she meant no harm, she had been a little annoying and not to mention she went against Twilight’s wishes and lied to her. Nova slumped her head down, sighing deeply. “I sure am one annoying fan.”
As they rounded the corner to the station, they noticed that the entrance to the platforms was blocked off. Twilight rushed over to the information booth, rapping frantically against the window.
An old mare turned around in her chair and lazily responded to the frantic unicorn. “Miss, can I help you?”
“What’s going on? Why is the station closed? I need to get somepony back to Canterlot right now.”
“Look lady. I don’t know what to tell ya, but there are no more outbound trains for today. Somethin’ about servicing the northbound rails up near Canterlot.” She quickly turned the sign on her window around to the side that read “Closed” in cursive letters. “You’ll just have ta come back tomorrow.”
Nova wanted to smirk, but her better judgement told her not to. Twilight looked back at the young mare with an exasperated look on her face. “Looks like you’re spending the night.”
Nova’s cheeks felt tight.
-----
Twilight returned to the Library, letting herself in. “I’m home!” She called out with the hopes that Spike was around.
The dragon came slowly to the balcony, having just snapped out of a mid-study nap. “T-Twilight? You’re back!” He called down before noticing the young mare standing beside her. “Uh, who’s your friend?”
“She’s just a mare that got lost along the way. She was supposed to be back in Canterlot,” Twilight remarked, shooting a stink eye in the direction of Nova. “But the monorails are closed and I couldn’t just leave her out there on her own. Spike, can I ask you for a favor?”
Spike descended the steps until he was down with the two mares. “Anything Twi.”
“I need you to look after Nova here while I go get our friends.” Twilight leaned in towards Spike as if to recklessly tell him a secret. “She needs help with her studies, so could you keep her occupied?” She requested, giving him a rather obvious wink.
Nova looked back at Twilight, pleadingly. “Oh please no! Can’t I come with you? I promise I won’t get in the way!”
Twilight leaned in even closer to Spike, legitimately whispering something else to him. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”
Spike gave her a salute as he prepared some of his more advanced books.
“Thanks Spike. You always were, my number one assistant.”
“Aw Twi. I haven’t gone by that in years,” he chuckled.
-----
Twilight planned to make her first stop at the hospital where Fluttershy was still recovering. The mess from earlier had been cleaned as several ponies worked on installing a new door. Twilight made her way around them and over to the counter where a shivering nurse stood, wrapped tight in a sweater and standing in front of a personal space heater.
“Hello, c-can I h-help you?” She stuttered.
“Is Fluttershy still checked in?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, she is up on the second floor. Would you like me to show you the way?” The nurse offered hopefully.
“No that’s alright. I know where it is.”
For some reason, the nurse looked disappointed.
-----
Fluttershy’s room was barely open, but inside, Twilight could hear the sounds of her sobbing. Twilight knocked on the door to signify her presence but Fluttershy didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was crying. She just turned towards the unicorn with tears flowing down her cheeks.
“Fluttershy, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked as she rushed to the side of the bed.
“Its... its Angel!” Fluttershy cried falling onto Twilight’s shoulder. Her cold tears trickled down Twilight’s back, causing her to shiver. She had never seen Fluttershy cry this hard, and with her, that was saying a lot.
“What happened? Is he okay?!”
The distraught pegasus pointed her hoof over to a note on the table as she continued to sob.
Twilight couldn’t make sense of the strange scribbles on the paper. It was apparent, however, that one of Fluttershy’s animals had written it. “I don’t understand. What happened?”
“He’s dead!”
-----
It had taken a lot of time, but Twilight was able to calm Fluttershy down to the point where she could talk again. The tears, however, never stopped pouring from her eyes.
“Cherub told me that Angel passed in his sleep,” Fluttershy cried. “She said her father was happy, and that he loved me very much. I just can’t believe he’s really gone.”
Twilight lovingly stroked her mane as the butter-yellow pegasus confided in her. Fluttershy had been with angel since she found him as a newborn baby bunny. It was only natural that she would grieve this much. Still, Twilight felt a sense of impatience growing in her. With the help of all the Elements, Twilight could go back to a time when everypony was happy. Back when all their worries seemed so small.
But that’s when Fluttershy asked her the question that she didn’t really expect her to care about.
“I’m sorry, I’ve wasted all your time with my grieving. Did you have something that you wanted to see me about?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight wanted to tell her. She wanted to confess that she only came with the hopes that Fluttershy would help her get back to her own time. Did it really matter how she felt right now? Angel was alive in Twilight’s time. Wouldn’t that be enough for Fluttershy?
“Twilight, are-”
“No,” Twilight interrupted. “No, it’s nothing. I’m here for you.”
-----
With a little convincing, they were able to check Fluttershy out of the on account of a “family emergency,” as they put it. They had returned to Fluttershy’s cottage to a host of animals that had gathered around, some carrying flowers or small offerings while others just wept silently.
In the center of the room, there was a small bed with an old hare lying motionless in it. Cherub let out an audible squeak of despair as she stroked his paw.
Fluttershy walked forward by her own accord, ignoring the pain in her hoof as she continued to cry for her little angel. The crowd of animals parted in front of her to allow her into the ring. Seeing the pegasus, Cherub rushed over and hugged her leg as tight as she could. With her wing, Fluttershy brought the white rabbit up to her cheek and nuzzled her gently before allowing her to climb up onto her head.
Twilight couldn’t help but let a tear roll down her cheek. The emotions of the room were rubbing off on her.
Fluttershy lowered herself to the deceased hare, unsure of how to continue. As a pony who spent her life taking care of animals, she had seen death multiple times; not that it ever got easier to handle the more she saw it-, but this one was different. Never before had she witnessed the death of something so close to her heart as Angel.
With one hoof wiping away tears from her eyes, she began to move the rabbit’s arms so that his paws rested over his chest. With the same hoof that was wiping away tears, she held the mane out of her face and lowered herself down to Angel, giving him a kiss on the forehead before whispering something into his ear.
Beside Twilight, an otter had dragged a small log into the cottage. He tugged on her tail gently before gesturing towards the log. Twilight knew what she had to do.
-----
With the little magic Twilight was capable of performing without exerting herself, she had whittled the log into a casket, which Fluttershy accepted and placed Angel in. In the back of her garden, she had chosen a spot right below the tree where she wanted his final resting place to be.
“I’m so sorry, Twilight, for dragging you into this.” Fluttershy squeaked as Twilight dug the hole with her magic.
“No, Fluttershy. I’m here for you,” Twilight cooed. “I didn’t want you to go through this alone.”
In one quick motion, the pegasus pulled Twilight in and wrapped her up in a hug. “I couldn’t have gone through this without you, Twilight,” she sobbed. “You really are a good friend.”
-----
After helping Fluttershy lay the bunny to rest, Twilight found herself going back through Ponyville. It was her plan to go see Pinkie Pie on the way to Sweet Apple Acres and hopefully convince Pinkie to come with her so they could help her to reclaim her sanity. Twilight, didn’t have a plan for it, but she didn’t really feel like she took the right approach last time.
Right before she decided to continue on towards Pinkamena’s shack, she noticed a rainbow colored streak in the sky. “Rainbow!” Twilight called out, hoping that she could hear her.
Immediately, the streak changed course and zipped right in front of Twilight. “Twilight!” Dash panted. “Have you seen Scootaloo?! I can’t find her anywhere. She left so quickly but I thought she’d come back home and-”
“Dash!” Twilight shouted, shoving a hoof in the rainbow maned pegasus’s mouth. “What happened?”
Rainbow Dash sighed heavily before wiping the wetness from her eyes, possibly from snow hitting her face while she was flying.
“I hurt Scootaloo. Bad. Real bad,” Dash admitted. "I have to find her but I have no idea where she would have gone.”
“Maybe you should take a break and clear your mind,” Twilight offered, feeling a little bit selfish at the moment. “I kind of need your help with something too.”
“Twi, there’s no time. I’ll help you out later, but Scootaloo needs me now.” Dash was uncharacteristically perspective of Twilight’s disappointment as she said that. “Please don’t hate me for saying no but I’ve gotta do this.”
She wanted to protest more, but she had never seen Dash this determined before. Not with her sonic rainboom. Not with the Wonderbolts. Not ever. She could see it in the way that Dash wasn’t ashamed of her tears. In truth, she wasn’t even aware that she was crying at the moment. “I understand. I’ll wait for you here in Ponyville, no matter how long it takes. Just go make it up to Scootaloo.” Twilight didn’t even feel disappointed in saying that this time.
“Thank you for understanding Twilight. You’re a good friend.” With a quick nod, Rainbow Dash turned to take off, but she felt something tug at her tail. “Twilight, please. I really have to go-”
“Try their clubhouse.” Twilight suggested.
-----
Pinkamena lay on her couch clutching her two friends tightly against her chest. She had not moved from that spot for a few hours, yet she hadn’t been tired in the least. Something had irked her to the point where she couldn’t even sit up without having a panic attack. Rarity hadn’t been very talkative since Violet Diamond had left. In fact, Rarity hadn’t even said a word since.
But Pinkamena didn’t even waste time speculating or trying to ask her why. She already knew that she wouldn’t answer her. There was something that Rarity saw in the mare that really changed everything about how they felt about their friendship. It was much like the feeling of nostalgia you get when you’re feeling depressed and you look back on the past to much happier times. Everything seems so much brighter back then.
“Pinkie, don’t let it bother you. I’m sure she’ll come around,” the Twilight doll suggested.
“What makes you think I want to see that mare again?” Pinkamena barked.
The Twilight doll crossed her arms condescendingly. “I meant Rarity.”
Suddenly there was a knock at the door which caused Pinkamena to perk up in elation.
The Twilight doll only snickered derisively, causing Pinkamena to slump down in embarrassment.
“Shut up Twi,” she harrumphed.
There was another knock at the door, followed by a familiar voice. “Pinkamena. I don’t know if you’re in there, but I wanted to talk to you.”
Pinkamena rolled over onto the ground and scurried behind the couch. Quietly, she wiped at the window to clear away some of the dirt that obscured her view. She peered through the hole to try and get a view of the mare at the door, but to her dismay, the angle was off and the window was still blurry from the dirt. She could only make out certain shades of purple.
“I know we kind of left on bad terms last time, but I just wanted to try and make it up to you,” the mare continued.
Pinkamena stayed silent, trying to decide whether or not this mare was worth trusting. She walked quietly over to the door and reached for the handle, but she stopped suddenly, unable to bring herself to open up. “As long as we have each other, we would never need anypony else,” she thought. She looked over to the Twilight doll who just remained smiling from the couch, and then over to the Rarity doll. The doll was slumped over, lifelessly against the arm of the couch, remaining silent.
-----
Twilight raised a hoof to attempt knocking again, but then quickly retracted it, kicking up some snow in front of her. Disappointed, she turned and began to walk back into the flurry of snow.
Suddenly, there came the sound of rusty hinges squeaking, causing Twilight to stop and turn around. There, standing in the doorway, was the grayish-pink mare with the long, straight, pink mane.
“D... do you want to come in?” She timidly offered.
“I’d love to,” Twilight smiled.
-----
Twilight poured the contents of the packet into the cup of boiling water, mixing it gently with her magic. She held the cup up to Pinkamena’s face, inviting her to take it. “Hot cocoa?”
“Thank you,” Pinkamena shyly accepted.
“I’m really sorry for how I acted, Pinkamena. I just wanted you to remember me. I know I’ve been gone for a long time, and I’m so sorry I left you without saying goodbye.”
Pinkamena slumped over, staring into the cup of cocoa. “I’m... I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you. I’m trying really hard, but I don’t think we’ve ever met. I remember everypony. You may have me mistaken for somepony else.”
Twilight was deflated. “Maybe I am mistaken... but if that’s the case,” Twilight looked up with a smile on her face. “I hear you throw an awesome party for everypony you meet.”
-----
Twilight and Pinkamena had spent almost the entire evening baking, decorating and getting to know each other. The party had just gone in full swing. For the first time in a long time, Pinkamena wore a smile across her face as she happily introduced Twilight to her own friends.
“This here is Twilight.” Pinkamena smiled, holding the Twilight doll up to Twilight’s face.
“Pleasure to meet you, Twilight!” She played along. “I’ve heard a lot about you, that you are a very smart and powerful mare.” The opportunity to stroke her own ego was a little too good to pass up.
Then Pinkamena retrieved the Rarity doll, which had been sitting on the couch since Twilight had arrived. “This is Rarity. I’m sorry she’s been so quiet. She’s been a little grumpy ever since Violet left.”
Twilight stood a little perplexed, but decided that it wasn’t important enough to concern herself with. “Hello Rarity, I really love your mane. What’s your secret?” She joked. For some reason, pretending to have a conversation with the lifeless objects didn’t bother Twilight as much as she thought it would. Really, it only felt like when she would play with her Smarty Pants doll when she was a child. Though the real pleasure came from spending time with Pinkie. It didn’t matter to Twilight that Pinkie thought she was somepony else, even though she hoped that she would remember, but to see her smiling was enough to make Twilight happy. She playfully took the Rarity doll and swung her around, using her magic to start the record player off in the corner. After a few squeaks, some party music began to play. Twilight danced around with the doll spinning and bouncing around the room.
Excitedly, Pinkamena joined in, grabbing the Twilight doll and joining Twilight in the dancing. Together, the two mares giggled wildly as they danced the night away, so to speak.
-----
The festivities began to dwindle down as the two mares sat, partied out on the couch. The music continued to play softly as the occasional giggle could be heard from one of them.
“I had a lot of fun today.” Pinkamena said.
“Me too Pinkamena-”
“Call me Pinkie,” She interrupted. "All my friends call me that."
Twilight smiled at the mare. “So does this mean that-”
“Yeah. I think this is going to be the start of a really good friendship.” Pinkie continued. “You are really fun to be around. I’m really glad I met you Starlight.” she said before hopping forward and giving Twilight a hug.
As the two embraced, a single hair popped out of place in Pinkamena’s mane.
-----
Twilight wasn’t surprised to find Applejack hard at work, but she was surprised to see that it was to collect the zap apple harvest. Big Macintosh and Applebloom were hard at work, bucking as many trees as fast as they could, given the time constraints they had against them. Twilight was having trouble keeping up the pace as Applejack rushed from tree to tree, giving each one hard buck, causing the rainbow skinned fruit to fall into bushels waiting below.
“I’m sorry Twi. I’d love to help ya out, but I’ve got a lot of work to do,” Applejack panted.
“Please just hear me out for a second!” Twilight shouted.
With a heavy sigh, Applejack slowed down to a stop in front of Twilight. “Look Twi, I believe you that ya had this vision, but if little ol’ Fluttershy can’t help ya, Dash can’t help ya, and Pinkie don’t even remember you, then how can you be sure this’ll even work?”
“That’s why I’m here. If we can get the elements back in harmony, then we just may have a shot,” Twilight tried desperately to explain. “I can get back to my own time, save Celestia, and stop all this from ever happening! But first, I really need your help convincing the others.”
“Now hold up. Do you even have a plan for when you get back, IF you ever get back? I thought you said that Celestia died because her time was up.” Applejack removed her hat as she placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Believe me, I want to help ya with all my heart, but from what you’ve told me, you can’t even use the elements, none of our friends can help you, and you don’t even have a plan to fix this even if you do get back.”
“Well...”
“You’re asking me to take a big risk,” Applejack continued. “Ever since the sun disappeared, we’ve been struggling just to get by. Heck, we’re late on our loan payment for the house and the farm. Now, I’m not very keen on the idea of luck and whatnot, but as luck would have it, this is the biggest crop of zap apples I’ve ever seen in all my days of applebuckin’. With this harvest, we can save the farm, but without it, well, I don’t even wanna think about it.”
“But I’ve got a year to come up with a plan. I can figure this out.” Twilight begged.
“I’m not worried about the plan. I’m sure you’ll think of somethin’,” Applejack assured. “What worries me is that you don’t know if this will even work or how long it could take. I’ll go with you, Sugarcube, but only if you can swear to me, with one hundred percent certainty, that this will work. Can you do that for me?”
“I’m almost certain-”
“Can you swear to me?”
Twilight contemplated the circumstances. Applejack was right. She was a long way from being certain. Not to mention, all the evidence seemed to point out that she had only imagined the meeting with the hologram. All the markings in that ruin were gone. The ground appeared to be undisturbed. Even the timeframe didn’t allow for any of what she saw. Maybe she was only losing her mind. Maybe she was only chasing ghosts.
“No... I... I can’t.”
Applejack put her hat back on as she walked over next to Twilight. “I appreciate your honesty Twilight. I really hope you can make it back to your own time, but for now, I’ve gotta get back to work.” With that, Applejack placed a hoof around the mare and gave her a modest hug before turning to go buck more apples.
“Wait!” Twilight called out to the workhorse. “Can I help out?”
-----
Rarity and Sweetie Belle had arrived in Ponyville, finally home together after fifteen years. Sweetie Belle was elated. For so long, home to her had been wherever the guards wouldn’t go. Friendship was waiting for letters to arrive, often spending weeks without any correspondence. Family... But all that was going to change. Everything would be better now that she was free and her sister was back.
Rarity looked back at Sweetie Belle’s flank to see a stylized bell with a ribbon encircling it. “What a lovely Cutie Mark, Sweetie. Do tell me how you got it.”
“Oh this?” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Well, I was on the streets not long after I ran away and I was really hungry and needed money. That was when I met another street urchin. He was a very good dancer and, looking back on it, I think he really liked me. He would perform in the park for a few bits, but one day, somepony stole his record player. He was really sad, but then I started to sing for him. The same song he loved to dance to. It was incredible Rarity. Like the whole world had stopped and it was just him and me flowing perfectly in harmony.” Sweetie Belle closed her eyes as she reminisced about the young colt. “That’s when I got my Cutie Mark. But I found out that singing isn’t all I can do. With a little magic, I can make my voice do anything!”
“That’s wonderful, darling!” Rarity praised. “What ever happened to this colt you met. He sounds charming.”
Sweetie Belle stopped in her tracks as Rarity brought up the sore subject, but she didn’t intend to keep any secrets. “We were in Canterlot and he was taken by the Marefia. They told me that he wouldn’t be hurt if I agreed to take the fall for a bank robbery. I’m sure you know the rest of what happened to me. I never saw him again after that, not since I had to start running.”
Rarity put a hoof up to her mouth in shock. “I’m so sorry Sweetie Belle.”
“Don’t worry. It was a long time ago. All I want now is to go home.”
-----
The two unicorns arrived at Carousel Boutique. The walls were worn down and the windows boarded up. It didn’t appear that anypony had been there since they both left. Sweetie Belle magicked the boards off the door and let herself in, busting the lock by plowing into the door with her shoulder.
Dust flew everywhere, saturating the air and causing the two unicorns to cough and sneeze. Everything seemed to be in place and, other than a few broken windows, there hadn’t appeared to be any significant damage. Luckily for them, the utilities had been shut off long before the blizzard, so there were no broken pipes. All in all, the place really just needed a good cleaning.
“Shall we?” Rarity suggested levitating a feather duster up in front of her.
-----
A few hours had passed and their home had been returned to a liveable state. The two unicorns sat around the table, lit by a single candle, and told each other stories about their adventures over the past few days for Rarity and the past fifteen years for Sweetie Belle. Despite the cold of the building, the two could not have been happier.
There came a knock at the door, followed by the familiar voice of Twilight. “Hello, Rarity? Are you there?”
“Come in, darling,” Rarity called out with the knowledge that the lock was already busted open.
Twilight entered the building immediately noticing Sweetie Belle sitting next to Rarity. She was a little piqued since the last time she saw her was when she was being pushed out of a train, but she was happy that Rarity had finally found her sister.
“Twilight, I’m so sorry for what I did to you back in Canterlot,” Sweetie Belle apologized. “If I had known... well it was wrong of me either way.”
“It’s alright. I understand and forgive you. I glad everything went well for you two.”
Rarity spoke up, curious with Twilight’s tone. It was a little too calm and formal, an obvious sign that something was bothering her. “And how did your trip go?”
“Good... well bad,” she began. “Actually, I’m not really sure. I think I have a way to get us back to our own time, but at the same rate, none of our friends are really able to help.”
“I’m sorry Twilight,” Rarity comforted, “if there’s anything-”
“Actually, I think we’ll be alright. Over the past few days, nothing else really mattered to me but getting back, but now that I’ve seen everypony and what they’ve gone through, I just want to help them in any way I can.” Twilight walked over to the window to look out towards the moon. “Maybe one day, we’ll get the Elements back in harmony, but for now, I’m just looking forward to making up for all the lost time with our friends.” She turned back to Rarity with a smile on her face and a tear in her eye. “Who knows, maybe this is what I was meant to learn from all this. We can’t know how much time we have left in this world, so we’ve got to make the most of every second we’re given.”
Rarity held her sister tight at the impact of the message. “I’m really glad to hear you say that Twilight. It’s very generous of you to sacrifice so much for us.” Quickly, she cantered over to Twilight and gave her a hug. “You are a good friend Twilight.”
With that, Twilight left on her way to the library, ready to begin her new life.
-----
Pinkamena was busy cleaning the last remnants of the party. On the couch, both Twilight and Rarity were fast asleep. She danced around as she swept, still feeling the joy of the party she had with her new friend. As she passed a mirror, she noticed the single curly hair in her mane. She began to curiously poke at it with her hoof, but a knock at the door broke her train of thought.
“Oh! That must be Starlight again!” She thought as she skipped over to the door. With one quick motion, she opened up the door, but to her surprise, instead of the unicorn whom she met earlier, it was a hooded figure completely dressed in black.
Before she had a chance to react, a hoof flew in and contacted her right in the nose, sending her reeling back until she fell down on the floor. She clutched her nose as she cried in pain, struggling to scramble away from her assailant. It was no use, she had been backed into a wall as the hooded figure casually walked ever closer.
“So Pinkie.” The figure spoke in a raspy voice as she approached the fearful mare. “I heard you went insane.”
The figure flashed a toothy grin before reaching down towards the pink mare.
-----
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WOOT new chapter i've been waiting forever
Please be ok pinkie
Your on the top
624316
What what WHAT!?
AAAALRIGHT!
wow how did you come up with such a greet idea for a story i am lovin it
624340
Oh just a lot of over analyzing things. My mind does that sometimes.
Oh my what a cliffhanger you've left us
CURSE YOU CLIFFHANGERS!
PINKIE NOOO
Wait... what just happened? Wouldn't the bearers be in the past as well and capable of handling themselves there? Why even go through all this effort when it will be irrelevant?
On another note... Piiiinnnnkieee... they're coming to take you away haha!
can't wait until the next chapter. Way to go!
624455
Well, according to her vision, with the power of the elements, Twilight has access to enough power to send her back to her own time. However, if the other elements aren't in harmony, she can't even get to her own time.
Been waiting for this to update. I was actually thinking about this a little while ago. :)
And the next chapter is posted when...?
624477 ahhh.... so what's with the 1 year time limit? I think I misunderstood that or missed it completely.
624557
In a previous chapter, I stated that Celestia died 1 year after Twilight and Rarity disappeared.
624563 So?... Can't she just timetravel back to whenever she needs too? Also, she could warn the OTHER elements of harmony in the past using Starswirl's time-travel spell, even if she'd only be there for a bit.
624273 XD Last I checked, Pinkie's already damaged goods. Let's just hope mysterious black cloaked figure doesn't add to that, aye?
624577
Aye, but she was starting to recover from the past problems
624573
Woah now. You're talking 4000+ years of time travel.
15 years almost killed Twilight.
Besides, Twilight is one to err on the side of caution. She would probably not want to go past before she disappeared, lest she meet her past self and cause a rift in time, and to go to right before the Princess dies would leave no time for planning.
Nice update. Getting the Elements back in Harmony should be interesting. And nooo, Pinkie! Not when things were finally looking up for her!
Durn Cliffhangers!
Ahhhhh Cliffhanger!
I hate you! ♥
So much happened in this chapter. Twi finally seems to accept the fact that maybe she's stuck in this timeline forever, which I find extremely sad and depressing. Don't loose hope Twi! You can do it!
Read. Liked. Faved. Moustached.
This is an amazing piece of work. I'm hoping Twilight is able to help her friends out, and that Pinkie's okay. Wonder if the poor dear will get back to normal...
Oh, The Manestream. It led me to this Fic. I can Just Give 6/5 Moustaches.
Following The Updating Patron, You will leave us with a Clliffhanger Until August.
624939
Nonono. Not this time. I should have it within two weeks at most.
And thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
624951
Two... Weeks?
My Whines have been... Granted? Meh, Whatever that goes along with those lines
Nah, No problem, This Fic's just Awesome-er Than RD. And that's a Lot.
624963
I give myself such a far deadline because sometimes, things hardly go my way.
But I will try harder if at all possible.
Poor Pinkie...it's not paranoia if they are really after you.
2 WEEKS!? I HAVE TO WAIT FOR TWO WEEKS TO FIND OUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME? NOOOOOOOOOO!
Pinkie, how many times have I told you to stop barging into my comments?
I never counted! Let's throw a PARTYYYYYYYYY!
My point exactly.
poor pinkie, never saw it coming.
This story is ubelivably good. as long as i keep my "TIME DO NOT WORK THAT WAY" Sense back.
Fluttershy sad makes me sad...
625376 Very nice reference
Pinkie Approves
624577
Pinkie Defies logic again, Usually this is bad sign in cartoons...For Pinkie it is good
Dat chapter ending. Hope Pinkie's gonna be alright
I hate to break it to you guys, but
scranton.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4758-6b7.png
-Glassed
This chapter made my day. Probably the best chapter in this story, in my opinion. Great job and keep updating!
Who could this mysterious assailant be? My money's on Nova. Then again, toothy grin? Yeah... Still Nova.
AAH! PINKIE! NO! PINKIE! AAAGH!!!!!
Quick! Everyone brainstorm as to who the assailant might be! WE MUST SAVE HER!!!1!!
Join the "Save a Pinkie" foundation today and make the world a happier place!
625037
>>> Never before had she [Fluttershy] witnessed the death of something so close to her heart as Angel.
What about Twilight and Rarity? I know, she didn’t actually see them die (or know how they died) but the past 15 years she had considered them dead, right? And while she didn’t know them for that long as she knew Angel they still should have been just as important in her heart.
Otherwise… great story, good chapter.
631036
YOU HATH DAMNED US ALL!
YES!!
Do they not realize that when they return to their own time, everything in this future will cease to exist? It's basic temporal physics
632678
This is amazing. PLEASE write more now. I command you.
One more problem has to happen. Argh Pinkie snap out of it! Looking forward to more!
Oh man i have been checking this all day! I DEMAND MORE!!!!
This is a beautiful fanfiction. I stumbled across this on Gaia a few days ago and was so frustrated when I couldn't find a way to contact the author. I've only read the prologue, but this is so beautifully written. I have a tendency to mentally edit as I read, but I couldn't find a thing that needed to be changed. The writing is descriptive without being too eloquent for the subject matter. This is just amazing. I can't wait to read the rest!
644405
Wow. Gaia... That was a loooong time ago for me. Lol.
I'm glad you like it. There's plenty more in store for you. I hope you enjoy the rest!
Poor Pinkie...
Anyhow, this story is lacking something. It's, hm, how to put it? Maybe... No, that wouldn't work. Perhaps... No, not that either.
Ah! I know! IT'S NEEDS AN UPDATE!
Other than that, well done
Man its getting late...better make this my last chapter. "So Pinkie I heard you went insane." One more!