Meta Gamer in Equestria Bonus Chapters: Archimedes's promise

by reflective vagrant

CH 12: Timey Whimy Heartaches.

I didn't know how long I was out, but I definitely felt like crap all over as I woke. After noticing the feeling of bandages all over me, I also felt a leathery wing holding my head up slightly and an angelic voice humming me back awake.

My eyesight was fuzzy, but I could have sworn I saw a silhouette of a dear friend above me.

"Fluttershy. It's good to see you." I called out as I forced my sluggish arm to come up to her face.

The humming stopped shortly before I reached her, and my eyes focused more clearly on the pony above me.

I just stared for a moment, not believing what I saw.

I sat up as my bearings came in to full from the sudden surge of adrenaline.

"E.... Ebony Nexus? How are you alive!?"

Her smile faded quickly. "Don't you dare give me any spoilers, Moss! I do not want to know how I will die!"

I tried to interject, "But-" only to have her swiftly bring up her hoof and fill my mouth with it.

"I said no spoilers!" Her outright angry face finally shut me up.

Upon seeing me yielding, she eased up the pressure of her hoof a little, though kept it in my mouth. It was amazing how I could hardly taste anything on it, and how ponies kept their hooves so clean.

"How am I alive? I'm guessing we picked you up at a point where I had already died. To answer your question: This me hasn't died, yet. I still have to do a few things before I get dropped of by the Doctor to..."

Her eyes watered a little and she turned away. "To go back to die."

She returned to look at me. "The version of me you saw after I went into the Doctor's blue box was... or will be?... Whatever the grammar, it was a future version of me that this me hasn't caught up with yet that left the blue box. From what the Doctor says, we will be meeting up with a past version of his blue box and I'll be making a quick dash between them, then be hidden in a back room until my past self comes onboard."

She then pulled the hoof out of my mouth, but kept it hovering nearby.

"So, no spoilers about what happens to me after I get back, alright? I don't want to know what happens until it does. I know too much already just getting the necessary bits. Any more could risk changing the timeline by accident."

She finally put her hoof down and looked past me. "Isn't that right-"

I followed her gaze and saw Time Turner as she used words from her ancient language. "-Time Guardian?"

Time Turner scratched his head as he leaned onto a grate next to what I assumed was the controls. "Ehh... You're being a little on the paranoid side. Although Time can be re-written, it can't be re written that easily. There's all kinds of hurtles one has to overcome above and beyond simply traveling through time."

He then shrugged. "But I wouldn't mind an extra safeguard. So if that's your style, knock yourself out. I've had many 'no spoilers' companions. Some of which were quite dear to me for the very parts of them that made them want to say 'no spoilers.'"

He hopped off of the controls and came up to me with a large brass bowl with a charcoal and herbal mixture inside.

"Speaking of companions. We need to re-summon yours. Archimedes told us to destroy his familiar body so he could rejoin his essence within you, allowing us to close the bubble and pick you up."

I looked at what I realized was the materials needed to cast the find familiar spell. Last time it was cast, it was actually cast for me by others to give Archimedes his owl body. I had never actually summoned him myself by casting the spell, though I had studied the spell from the book that was sent with me.

I took the paper from Time Turner and started scanning them, noticing they were a copy of my own notes.

I just about asked, "where did you even get..." When my mind was suddenly focused on something else.

"Oh hell no!" I called out as I hurried through the ritual as fast as feasible.

* * *

About an hour later, Archimedes was summoned back into his owl form.

Before he even finished his first stretch of his feathers, I was yelling at him.

"Why!? You were there with me when she was dying! So why didn't you help me heal her!?"

Archimedes came out of his stretch as fast as possible, feathers fluffing up quite indigently.

"..." I could sense his desire to speak, but not be able to form words. The energy of his message was both the indication that he couldn't form words, as well as why. For the first time since I knew him, he was angry.

No, anger was too weak a word. He was furious with me and was barely keeping his fury from pouring into outright hatred. I actually stumbled from the sudden energy, but stood my ground enough with a kneel and continued eye contact to let him know my question stood.

"Boys!" I could hear Ebony Nexus call out.

Archimedes subdued the flow of his energy through our mental connection, and I looked at her with surprise.

Ebony Nexus calmed herself but gave me a very serious face. "Bunny Angel, or I suppose you call him Archimedes now, wanted to heal me, I'm sure. Before he had to leave he was practically begging me to stay. He may not have said it directly but I could tell with his every tone that came from that machine."

By this point, Archimedes had flown to the machine Time Turner had set up for him and was getting hooked up again.

"He even told me that if I only gave him a single indication I wished it to not happen, he would send the timeline to 'Avernus' for my sake. I think that was his old world's version of Tatarus."

At this point, Ebony Nexus had picked up my hand and placed it to her heart. It was rapid for a pony's. It was even faster than what a human's should be.

"I won't deny, I'm scared. I am deathly scared of what will happen to me. But I will face that fate head on. I am a servant of the Animus Mundi of Equis. The future of Equis that I saw in your memories is a better future than I could ever hope to fight for normally. If my premature death guarantees that future comes to pass..."

She looked me dead in the eyes with a well of inner strength I had only seen once before. A pony I had grown close to once showed me that well of inner strength in her eyes, fighting for me. It was so intense that, like a stray puppy on death's door getting saved and nursed back to health, I had fallen in love with her spirit. Now I saw a kindred spirit to her in Ebony Nexus.

Ebony Nexus spoke each of her next words slowly and clearly.

"So! Be! It!"

Silence passed for a little bit as I absorbed her words. Eventually, I nodded, though my anger had only simmered.

"I... I think I get it. Your dedication. This can't be easy for either of you."

I heard Archimedes's voice coming from the machine he was hooked up to.

"No, Moss. You don't." The vinegar in his voice was not lost in translation from thought to auditory. "I have had to experience her dying three times now. Once as Bunny Angel, again when she left the Doctor's TARDIS to return to the resistance, and just a moment ago quite painfully when I heard you calling out to me for help."

Though normally silent as an owl, he cawed out mournfully. "And I will have to experience her dying yet again when we drop her off with the past version of this ship and I see her face for the last time."

He shook in contempt as Ebony Nexus came to his side. "I have had to bite my tongue on this since I discovered it was you that was going to be sent to Equis to save it from the second rift war. The moment I saw your face, I knew I was going to have to experience this time loop along side you, and had to endure that knowledge for our entire time together. So no. You don't get it. You just think you get it."

Ebony Nexus petted his head with her wing, calming his storm.

"I don't bear you any ill, Moss, and I know Bunny Angel doesn't want to hold a grudge against you either, but this isn't easy for him to hold his emotion in check now that the mission is almost done."

She left his side and started back towards me.

"Do not get me wrong. I have no doubt Bunny Angel has the strength to finish the mission and let the time loop close, but my concern is for what happens after that. When Bunny Angel had a disagreement in the past, he could hold off for the immediate task, or distance himself from them when the task was done. But with the two of you, that's not an option."

She had pointed at the brass bowl on the floor and then at my heart. I knew what she meant. We were bonded.

"I want to make sure you two can still get along after I'm out of the picture and the mission is over. I want to make sure that when you go back to the future past the point of the time loop, your friendship doesn't break because of what has to happen to me. I think the Doctor and I have a solution that will let you see Bunny Angel's point of view better, but it will be very..."

She shook her head, gave a huff and looked back to me. "The Doctor has only agreed to do it if you agree too. I can't give you details before you decide beyond it will be very, very painful for you, personally."

I sat down and thought about it with a more logical mind for a few minutes.

Ultimately, I looked at them and said, "I'm still not fond of being plucked from my home world, but I have come to experience so much joy and wholesomeness on Equis, that I don't think I'd trade it, literally, for the world. Fluttershy, Cries when Slaying and her family, Keen Wit, Scraps, that bundle of joy Hope, heck, I've even grown fond of little Tempest McBitchface. None of them would exist without the sacrifice you two are making."

I finally stood up and kept a firm grip on the railing next to the door they never bothered moving me from. "If I am to ever call myself a man of honor, or even just say I'm grateful with a straight face... Yea. I think I owe you this much. As long as I'm the only one getting hurt, lets do it."

* * *

It took a little coaxing, but they managed to get me to stay away from the door while the blue box... "traveled."

When the noise of the blue box settled again, every creature stayed away from the door at Time Turner's request as he ventured outside.

"So where..." I started to ask, then corrected myself, "So where and/or when are we?"

Ebony Nexus looked at me, "We're in your past, a point in time that you've already lived through. I can't determine the exact time, as that was left to the Doctor. I think your past self would currently be somewhere between when you released from prison for the first time, and a decent time before you were imprisoned again. As for where, we are in the Fey lands within the Everfree Forest. There is a soul here you need to speak with."

I looked at her in worry. "I thought you knew I'm not supposed to be here! I've been banished under penalty of death!"

She shook her head. "Not yet you haven't. Time travel, remember? And even so, you won't be leaving the blue box. They will be coming here. Just sit tight for a little bit."

Soon enough, Time Turner returned, calling out, "I hit a bit of a snag. He won't come in the box until he has a reason to trust us. I have it under control, though. We just have to talk to one more soul than expected."

Upon hearing the door close, we came back out of hiding to see Time Turner walking with a satyr. The satyr was old, crippled in one leg, and leaning heavily on his staff and Time Turner's withers.

"I was wondering..." The old satyr started to call out before his eyes fell on Ebony Nexus. "By the ways of the World Mother! It's you!"

Ebony Nexus's jaw dropped for a moment as she just stared at the satyr I didn't recognize.

He looked around worriedly for a moment, then gathered his strength and did his best to only lean on his staff, not Time Turner. "Do not worry, council mare. I still remember what you whispered to me when you came back from the blue box. I will not speak of the details of your death. Though I didn't really understand the request back then, I've had a while to think about what you meant."

He then looked at me, fiddling with what was left of his own hairline. "Although I'll admit I couldn't quite put the last pieces together until I saw a much younger version of the Beast-kin fall from the sky a few months back."

And so the two chatted for several minutes in the old tongue. While they did so, I could see both were a little reserved, dancing around certain subjects they were wise enough to not reveal details of. Eventually I came to realize that the satyr before me was the boy I had saved in the past with my last potion. Extrapolating from the explanations he gave Ebony Nexus, I figured out that the mangled leg had not ever healed right after my potion got the critical wounds stabilized.

As they were winding down, the satyr asked, "Would it be inappropriate to tell you my current title, council mare?"

She smiled and nodded. "By all means, old friend. You kept your promises. I think the least I can do to thank you is let you brag a little. I think I can manage that much on spoilers."

He blushed and shut his eyes for a moment before he looked at her again. "It's not the most prestigious title, but I'm known as Father Gatekeeper now. There's another member of the village council that would remember you. Mother Webweaver is a little preoccupied in keeping our village's web in working order but would likely be happy to hear of you. Would you like me to give her your regards?"

A crystalline tear went down Ebony Nexus's cheek. "No. From what I understand of current events from the Beast-kin's memories, she must not be distracted from her tasks. Please keep her and all others outside ignorant of my presence."

He was about to leave, when I called out. Pressing my amulet, I remembered I had no charges with the songs I had stored.

I shifted my lungs and spoke slowly in Equestrian so as to make sure I didn't stutter.

"You are a member of the village council. I recall an event in the near future where the council acts against me for an offense I give by accident. Don't fight that call. The punishment against me needs to happen."

Father Gatekeeper looked at me odd, but looked back at Ebony Nexus, nodded and left with Time Turner to lean on as the rest of us went to hide again. My heart felt heavy as I hid, because I was starting to more accurately piece together when we were, and who they actually wanted me to talk to.

When Time Turner came back, the doors closed and he called out, "Alright, I have the correct one this time. Come on out."

As I stepped out from hiding, I called out the one line of Tribal Griffish I knew. The only line that stuck with me in my times in the griffin lands, despite the bonds I formed there.

"Speaks with Talons."

There before me was a surprised griffin, staring at me with the sheen of his black raven feathers exactly as I remembered them.

"How do you know my name? Wait..." he called out, my amulet translating the Tribal Griffish as he got a good look at me.

"Beast-kin? You know my tongue? That's impossible. You do not even know the pony tongue, and why do you look so much older? What trickery is this?"

Predictably, he got into a defensive stance, backing for the door.

Shifting to Equestrian, I chose my words carefully. "I have lost count of how many things I wished to tell you since I saw you last." I had to hold back the urge to address him as battle brother, because I knew I hadn't earned the title in his point of view. Holding back the tears, however, was impossible.

I looked over to Ebony Nexus, sitting back holding Archimedes in both her hooves and wings, watching in respective silence.

"You fucking bastards," I softly called to them as I dropped to my knees.

'I can't tell him anything, and they know it.' I thought as my breath became hard to fight for in the sobbing.

"But I cannot. I cannot even..." I called back to the griffin. I was losing my ability to speak, given the added burden of speaking in Equistrian was compounding with my sobbing. "I cannot even say why I cannot."

Speaks with Talons had his own part to play in history. If I informed him of any of it, it might not play out right. He played multiple key parts in capturing and neutralizing the most twisted soul of my homeland that had ever been allowed on Equis. My isekai counterpart, Dalock. If the events that lead to his final defeat were undone, then both rift wars may as well have been for nothing. Dalock was so powerful and sick, there is no way the Speaks with Talons I knew would ever want to even risk that.

I tried walking to him while on my knees, but I faltered and was on my hands, sobbing my eyes out at seeing my best friend, alive and well, albeit only through a very, very temporary loophole.

I turned my head, having to collapse one of my arms down in the process and looked at the two ancient lovers.

Archimedes was watching rather coldly, yet Ebony Nexus had her eyes closed. Suddenly, I had an idea.

I put my face to the floor and muttered to myself, "No spoilers, and no regrets." and steeled myself for this next step.

I fought to get myself sat back up on my knees, then fought another battle to get my breathing under enough control to speak Equestrian again. All the while, Speaks with Talons eyes were darting every witch way, dis-trustingly.

Finally, the words came. "I know of the code of the griffin tribes. The most sacred secrets of the tribes' shamans are rarely shared even to the tribe and must never be revealed to outsiders. I do not know those secrets, for I am an outsider, but I know of the importance of the secrets staying secret. I also know you know how important those secrets are as well."

I took a few breaths to get the strength I lost saying those words in Equestrian back before wiping my face.

"I will now reveal a secret close to you, an entrusted hidden shame held to almost as high a sacredness to prove that this older version of me knows you well and is trusted by the tribe. After that, I will tell you a secret that you must never reveal to any creature after leaving this blue box, not even my younger self. A secret you must take to your grave, but a secret you must be told if my soul is to have any chance of finding rest."

He gave me a glare. If I didn't know him, I would have faltered under that glare. But I knew it was not in malice. He was trying to be cold and scary on purpose, to try to see if I would flinch, or show any other sign of lying.

Instead, I just took a deep breath and held it, then let it out to calm my tears further.

"Your full blooded sister, Cries when Slaying, has a wife, Silent Mercy. They are each other's beloved. Griffins can only have one beloved but, as they are both female, they could not conceive a child on their own. This is when your sister, Cries when Slaying, asked you to help much in the way of a widow asking the blood sibling of a fallen spouse. When you bred with Silent Mercy at the request of your sister, you were lost in the excitement and professed your romantic love for her without thinking."

I took a brief pause to breathe and let him absorb this. "Knowing she was married, you begged for forgiveness of such a claim. However, you would not take the claim back, for it was true. Silent Mercy was your sole griffin beloved. But such a declaration is basically the request of marriage for griffins. Seeing the rift this could cause in the tribes, as an apprentice of the high shaman can only take wives after being declared the new high shaman, both Silent Mercy and Cries when Slaying swore to never reveal the secret to any that could not be trusted like family."

At this point, Speaks with Talons' eyes were darting around and back to me rapidly. This wasn't in aggression as it might have seemed to any that didn't know him, but rather confusion.

After a moment, his mind seemed to settle, though I could tell he wasn't convinced.

"You had another secret. If you are going to speak it, speak! Speak or I will leave now!"

I sorely wanted to embrace him, but he was in no mood for it, so all I could do was quell the shivering in my own arms as my breath became difficult again.

"If you remember anything of this more aged version of me, remember this. I love you..."

My words died in my mouth as my sense of responsibility held back the last words. Seeing as my talking had stopped, he shook off my words and turned to Time Turner to let him out the door. The regret immediately surged back as I gave one last bout of thinking, boiling the last part down from the whole bit, to the one word I just had to get out.

"...Brother."

Speaks with Talons barely hesitated at that word, giving me the briefest of glances before turning his demanding glare back to Time Turner.

With this, I attempted to stand back up, only to fall over backwards and have Ebony Nexus grab the back of my shirt in her teeth, helping me drag myself back into the hiding spot.

Speaks with Talons was let out and I was biting a wadded up part of my shirt, quietly crying my eyes out like a baby while under cover. My mind couldn't help but wander back to the time that raw energy from Archimedes had floored me back in the rebels' cave. It felt so similar.

---

After about an hour of blue box time, and another timey wimey jump to get out of the Fey territory in the forest.

"OK. Now I get it." I shook my head, remembering Archimedes's species of celestial were extremely emotional, even if they had far better control over them. "Or at least I get it enough to hold a candle to it."

Archimedes paused for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction at my first words since we had left. I had been doing little more than breathing deeply and going through the motions of getting a tea table set up with Ebony Nexus.

Time Turner brought out a few different tea leaves I recognized from Keen Wit's mom's recipes. As Ebony Nexus pored the hot water from the kettle, Time Turner brought forth the type of tea leaf that would help calm ponies worries and held them above my cup's leaf trap.

"I know they aren't your regular tea, but it should help with your nerves."

He didn't put them in, but rather held them questioningly.

I thought for a moment, then nodded. "As strong as you dare. I probably need it."

He released the leaves from his hoof's grip, letting them slide then fall like bits of paper that had lost the static holding them up. He then grabbed a few more and maxed out the trap.

As I got my tea going, I noticed everyone else, even Archimedes was drinking my usual tea. Though his "cup" was actually a dish with a sweet biscuit on it, waiting for one of the others to poor a little of their tea in it for him to gnaw on instead of drink.

After the tea was all ready and the traps had been set aside, I noticed Ebony Nexus gave a little of her tea to Archimedes's biscuit, but didn't drink any herself. Instead she added some sugar, then let it sit while Time Turner and Archimedes started.

I finished my third sip, choking it down more like a medicine than a beverage as it did seem to be helping. Then I reached forward with both hands. Curling only a few of my fingers I formed ice cubes in her tea, then brought my hand up and shook it as if it were cold, calling out "_Ho^cu_s," to finish chilling the tea.

Archimedes looked at what I did and turned to me with a sour glare, wires from the machine still just barely staying on his head. "What are you doing, Moss? You just ruined her tea."

Ebony Nexus, on the other hand, was staring in awe at what I had done, but not in disgust.

She took a sip and almost buckled at her knees.

Coming up again, she looked at the cup and called out "Amazing."

Looking back at me, she switched back to English. "Like you, I've never really liked tea. This was the only kind I could down without complaint once the sugar was in. But chilling it has actually made it pleasant for me. Thank you."

I looked at her confused for a second, and spoke without thinking "I thought it w..." before catching myself.

I forced a smile and rethought my words. "I thought you might like it."

With that, the rest of the tea time went well and our spirits gained a much needed uplift, though we all knew what was coming around the corner. None of us really wanted it to end, but we were all eventually full on tea and couldn't think of any more excuses after my nerves were calmed.

Time Turner activated the blue box's ability to travel yet again, meeting up with the past version of the blue box.

Ebony Nexus looked us all in the eyes and said, "I suppose there's only a few things left to do once I depart for the other TARDIS. Send the message to Bunny Angel to hold on, then hop into a back room and wait to be dropped off."

I looked at her funny. "Send a message?"

She nodded her head. "Do you recall the story Archimedes told you about hearing me in his dreams? I'm a dream walker, but do you honestly think I'd be able to send a message after I'm dead? A past Time Turner will be setting me to the right night for me to contact Bunny Angel to set him on his path of meeting you, then he will be picking you up, ready to drop me off for the final time."

Leaning over to Archimedes, she nuzzled his head with her own. "Goodbye my love. Until we meet again in the existence beyond this one."

I felt sadness. I wasn't sure if it was from Archimedes not being able to keep his connection closed, or if it was my own, but I felt sadness.

Archimedes nodded in kind, his words from the machine came out as a melancholic, "Duty calls."

The blue box's doors opened and I saw another blue box with the ocean behind it. Literally behind it, as in the boxes were on their sides, but gravity was still working normally for us while we were inside.

The gap between the boxes wasn't big. She'd have to purposely seek to slip by the other blue box to not fall into it when she jumped.

As the other box's doors opened, I saw Keen Wit's grandma, Sharp Cookie and another Time Turner ready to receive her.

Just as she prepared herself to jump, I stopped Ebony Nexus.

"Hey, this is the last time we will see each other, from my point of view, right?"

She eased up, thought about it, and nodded.

With an uneasy smile, I continued. "I had a question I have to at least ask to be able to say I tried. Just what is your servant name? You guys never told me."

She stopped and stood up proper from her ready position. With a cock of her head, she opened her wing, fully extended it and made an outward arc with it not too dissimilar to a human having their fingers fully extended to where they bend slightly backwards.

She then moved her wing in such a way that I could see the glean of her crystalline form brilliantly reflected in that wing.

She then squatted back down to the ready position and bolted to the door. Before I could react, she had darted between the blue boxes and Time Turner was holding me back, in case I wanted to give chase.

I could then see her turn around and keep Sharp Cookie from closing the doors just yet. She yelled back to me.

"I'm known among the servants as the Crystal Sister!"

With this, the doors to the other blue box closed and they started fading out with that whining noise.

I turned around as the doors closed and Time Turner went to pilot our own blue box.

All of a sudden, it hit me.

"The dainty like grace of a queen..." like professor Rarity.

"Country bumpkin who wasn't afraid of earnest work..." like professor Applejack.

"Most loyal to the cause..." like professor Rainbow Dash.

"Intelligence of a bookworm..." like princess Twilight.

"Morale officer..." Like the eccentric party pony, Pinkie Pie.

"I could have sworn I saw a kindred spirit to Fluttershy..." All of the element bearers.

Another set of memories flashed through my mind as I stumbled into the railing near the door.

"This is what is known as a sage tree. Sometimes they are also called guardian trees ... They are the reincarnations of sages that served the Animus Mundi in the past."

"The Tree of Harmony is only what Equestrians call her. We among the servants call her the Crystal Sister."
I dropped to my knees as I realized just who I had been adventuring with. I looked at Archimedes, my mouth agape and my free hand pointing at him in shock.

"She... She... She... She-"

The machine he was hooked up to finished for me.

"Yes. She reincarnates as the guardian sage tree known as the Tree of Harmony in modern Equestria. I was barely able to contain myself when I found out after coming back to Equis and I couldn't be more proud of her. Sorry for not telling you before. The loop had to play out with you in ignorance."

At this point, he struggled out of the machine, cords popping off unceremoniously and he flew to my arm.

"And, even though she will have changed considerably since her death, I will be only too eager to go to her when we get back, after the loop closes and the risk of changing the timeline ends."

He half bowed, and half nodded. "That is, if my partner will be able to spare me?"

At this point, the blue box had finished its whining. With an opening of the doors, we were back in Keen Wit's and my workshop.

I smiled and gave a light patting of Archimedes's head. "Of course you old goofball. I'll call if it's important enough."

He flew ahead of me as we stepped out. "In the morning. There are legalities I need to cover. She is a national treasure after all."

No sooner had I stepped out of the blue box was I hurtled to the floor for the ump-teenth time that day. I could sense my connection to the Animus Mundi prying itself open from the other side.

I was pulled into that familiar green haze.

I could see images of nations, both pony and other, becoming industrious, polluting and generally not caring about the environment. Over and over again, I saw images of Discord coming in and utterly decimating those nations, while leaving other areas that were living in harmony with the land mostly alone. This scene played several times over in different eras and parts of the world, resetting the technology level several times over.

I saw the descendants of the tabaxi fiddling with items much like my artificery and trying to mimic the flow of shaman magic. Alongside zebra efforts, æther based healers known as the witch doctors were brought into the world. Though not as potent, the scenes showed them doing much good similar to how the servants would do so, often freeing up the servants to focus on other tasks without as much scrutiny.

I also saw the Fey working tirelessly with the land. Multiple villages were founded in secret locations. Each sacrificed to stay hidden and live in harmony with the land, eventually becoming accepted and empowered by the Animus Mundi. It was only murmurs of her old voice that played at this point of the past, but they were murmurs of her gratitude to them.

I saw the descendant of the griffin I saved come to Discord with gathered feathers of different birds, having him help them suppress their eagle heritage and founding the griffin tribes one by one from griffins that no longer wished to live by the eagle ways, adopting the bird features of the six birds they chose with Discord's chaotic magic: Raven, Owl, Toucan, Hawk, Vulture and Parrot.

I also saw Diaree closing each rift, then staying in her cell until called upon again. I could see Bunny Angel and a few others running into the last rift as Diaree closed it behind them and ended the first rift war.

The scene then changed to show me leaving the blue box, then eons later, entering it the same way I left it.

The scene shifted and showed me coming down in a meteor from the previously abandoned rift, struggling in my first days as the Animus Mundi watched me with great interest, not quite sure what to do with me and the imprint of druidic like magic as if granted to me by another Animus Mundi. Upon my feeding of the crows, the motion of the energy around me that that version of me hadn't seen around me in the moment changed and quickly started filling in the pattern, accepting it and empowering it.

After this, the scene came forward to me as I was, sprawled out on my hands and knees, having just come out of the blue box. No power was infused into me, but I heard familiar words.

"Joy from your presence, son of Gaia."

As my senses came back to me, I saw Pinkie Pie and the other Time Turner tending to me. Keen Wit and his grandma, Sharp Cookie, were talking so intensely, they had barely even registered my entrance.

"I have to go now, Keen Wit. But I don't ever want you to say you won't really be a Wonderbolt just because you know you'll be transferred out to the normal air force upon graduation. You are set to be the founder of the iron wings for goodness sake. Even if you will not fly as a Wonderbolt yourself due to the princess wanting to error to the side of caution and the artificial non-pegasus wings being thoroughly tested before being in active Wonderbolt service, you are the first, the prototype. All of their glory will be in part thanks to your sacrifice, much as yours and your father's was thanks to mine. Now stand up and tell me who you are and who you will become."

A teary-eyed Keen Wit stood up and looked his grandmother right in the face. "I am Wonderbolt Cadet Keen Wit. I am the founder of the experimental Iron Wing division of the Wonderbolts. I will be known as the first non pegasus Wonderbolt, Iron Wing number I, W, Zero, Zero, Zero, Zero!"

"Will you have put your all into shooting past even the stars!?" Sharp Cookie did her best to imitate a Wonderbolt drill instructor.

Keen Wit stood to attention and responded. "Yes, Mam!"

She turned to the box and walked towards it. "What will you be forbidden from doing because of this, soldier!?"

"Ever looking back with regret, Mam!"

She stepped inside and readied to close the door. "That is the correct answer! Dismissed soldier!"

With the door closed, the box whined away and I was left with the same crew I had had tea with a few days prior.

"Hey, Keen Wit," I called out as I managed to get to my feet with the help of Pinkie Pie and this version of Time Turner.

He turned to me with a beaming smile and tears. "Yea, partner?"

I looked down at my now vacant shield/glove arm. "A lot has happened. But once you're feeling up to it, I need your help with something."

Author's Note:

To Golden_Reflection, you may now post your,
in the chats... again.

Comments

[Golden_Reflection]

Heh, you got me there.

Yes, I called it that Ebony became The Tree of Harmony.

It was rather moving to see Moss with Speaks with Talons once more, even if just from Moss' perspective.

[Golden_Reflection]

Also, congrats on making the "tear duct bookshelf" with this story.

[Golden_Reflection]

Just checked my last "called it" moment, so that I could do the same thing here.

"I'm known among the servants as the Crystal Sister!"

"Yes. She reincarnates as the guardian sage tree known as the Tree of Harmony in modern Equestria. I was barely able to contain myself when I found out after coming back to Equis and I couldn't be more proud of her. Sorry for not telling you before. The loop had to play out with you in ignorance."

[reflective vagrant]

11892148
I hope I sufficiently described all the weird time loop, wibbly wobbly timey wimy stuff decently enough to get an idea of what was going on with Ebony Nexus, Father Gatekeeper, and Speaks with Talons?

[Golden_Reflection]

11892205
I at least believe that it was sufficiently explained.

My “moss’ perspective” part was more to do with how this is probably the last time Moss will speak with SwT (from Moss’ point of view) but it is not the last time SwT will speak with Moss (from Speaks with Talons’ point of view).

[reflective vagrant]

11892259
add the same with Ebony Nexus, and you should be golden on that stuff. Also, did you recognize who Father Gatekeeper is the father of from the old books? (yes Father Gatekeeper is a title that does not require him to actually have a kid, but he is an actual father too.)

[Golden_Reflection]

11892271
I’ve not read the original stories in some time, so nothing rang a bell and I don’t really remember specifics. But given the role he had here he seems important.

Is he possibly Hope’s grandfather?

Edit: I should re-read the whole story at some point anyway, so I don’t want the answer specifically given.

[reflective vagrant]

11892281
Like wanting to re read the lord of the rings after reading the hobbit in class or something. Glad the stories stuck with you enough to still have some interest later.

Edit: I hope you end up liking the next chapter. I put an extra dash of TLC into some aspects of it.