Prologue - A Very Important Date

“How do you date a socially awkward pony? One day at a time.”

---

“Man… this cider’s not half bad for Earth pony produce… might even beat them Canterlot’s moonshine…”
A slightly greyish pony, speaking with a well refined accent, broke the silence that had lingered for five minutes since the group had gathered.
“Prob’s is - thems stuff so hard they’d crack your head wide open.” A light purple mare guffawed, amused by his attempt to imitate the native tongue.
“Ha!” Another blue mare piped up. “Methinks you two are right drunk!”
An awkward silence fell.
“We just arrived, Moon Prancer.” The purple mare sulked, “You should know better the meta-“
“Okay, okay.” Moon sighed; knowing full well what would happen were the purple mare were allowed to continue. “Ash is getting bored.”
“That’s Jack for you, good sir.” The grey stallion retorted. “I know you respect the Acherons but –“
“-what’s you think of the Rich enterprise anyways, Twilight?” Dancer again derailed the topic, nodding to the purple mare.
“-ethanol needs at least 15 minutes to metabolize even for a small mare- and stop changing the subject Night-“
Night slapped her hoof to her face. “Why are we here so early, anyway?” She sighed. “We know: A) Ash hates the suburb and B) Twi could bore a rock to sleep with her lectures-“
“To see the fireworks, remember?” Jack cut in. “I wouldn’t have left Canterlot were it not for the pre-party festivities.”
“What’s with the Riches, anyway?” Twilight Velvet finally got the hint, and turned to Moon.
“They’re the ones who sponsored this year’s Summer Sun festival.”
“To coincide with our prom? Why?” Twilight asked.
“It’s the Apples.” Jack said in a harsh whisper. “Rumor has it Celestia is going to negotiate with them herself!”
“You need to stop reading the Enquirer, Jack.” Twilight muttered as she sipped her cider. “They-“
She was interrupted by the whistle of the Cantelot Express. “Whoop. That’s the 9. 30; the fireworks are
in half an hour!”
Moon seemed shocked by the revelation. “We’ve been at the train station for half an hour?”

An hour later, the rest of the graduating class had gathered at the Town Hall.
“Tonight we celebrate, for the first time in Ponyville, the Summer Sun Celebration, brought to you by our very own Stinking Filthy Richmond-“
The PA briefly cut off amid background chatter. “-sorry, Samuel Fitch Richmond, in collaboration with the Apple Smith Farmsteed who has provided us with a wonderful dinner and drinks. Also we are glad to announce that the prom for this year’s Canterlot University graduates will now begin.”

The town hall quickly began to fill with chatter.
“Soooooo.” Moon asked Twilight suggestively.
“So what?” The purple mare looked genuinely confused.
“So what what?” Moon scolded, “tonight’s dance!”
“Celestia’s beard – I completely forgot!” Twilight panicked, looking around desperately.
“I thought you were already spoken for.” Moon gave a quick sideways glance at Jack.
Twilight glanced Jack at the corner of her eye, her body never moving.
Moon inched closer to Jack. “Ya gotta make the first move, Ash.” She whispered, “Hurry!”
“Now?” Jack asked excitedly. “In front of everypony?”
“You rather dance with the mop?”
Jack shook his head, and then carefully approached Twilight.
“Velvet.”
The mare turned her head.
“Who are you dancing with tonight?”
Moon groaned.
“Nopony.” Twilight muttered. “I thought I’d figure something out by today…”
Jack gave Moon a sideways glance. “I-“
“The horror, THE HORROR!” A scream pierced the hall.
“Oh great.” Twilight galloped towards the source of the scream. “I gotta help Rosebud. Again.”
Jack and Moon quickly followed.
“Twilight, this is a disaster- and I mean it this time.” Rosebud hyperventilated.
“What’s wrong?”
Twilight raised her head, only to be greeted by the horde of classmates staring awkwardly at each other.
“Rose.” Twilight asked. “How long has the music been playing?”
Jack and Moon looked at each other in utter confusion.
“Five. Whole. Minutes.”
Moon groaned. “Twi, you should know better by now not to take anything that Rose says seriously-”
Jack tapped Moon on the shoulder.
“Moon?” He asked in a mixture of confusion and horror. “Why is nobody dancing?”

---

“Nopony has a date.”
Twilight’s declaration had left the once jovial atmosphere silent. “So everypony thinking somepony’s gonna proposition them, and nopony bothers to ask anypony.”
“Wait – there was supposed to be a dance?”
“I thought this was our graduation ceremony.”
“No… wait… it says ‘Summer Sun Festival’ here…”
Twilight fell deep in thought as the youngsters fell into panicked speculation. “Mother of Celestia, what is going on?”
“I guess we just need a little… camaraderie”.
A strange pink figure entered the room, silencing all in the room.
“Who is this unicorn – no, wait, - an ailcorn?” Twilight asked.
“Mi Amore Consonanza, representative of the Crystal Kingdom.” The newcomer replied.
“Isn’t the Crystal Kingdom a myth?”
“For all intents and purposes, yes.” She glanced at the nervous crowd. “And soon, I and my kingdom will return to myth until a better time.”
“What does that even mean?”
“That-“ the ailcorn declared as her eyes glowed white, “that means you will have no memory of what I will do next.”
The hall was bathed in a white light, and just as quickly, the light and the pony it came from disappeared to nothingness.

I - For the Greater Good

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“Tonight we celebrate, for the first time in Ponyville, the Summer Sun Celebration, brought to you by our very own Stinking Filthy Richmond-sorry, Samuel Fitch Richmond, in collaboration with the Apple Smith Farmsteed who has provided us with a wonderful dinner and drinks. Also we are glad to announce that the prom for this year’s Canterlot University graduates will now begin.”

Twilight had a strange sense of deja vu as her class cheered the beginning of the prom.
“Twi?”
She blinked.
“Helloooo? Anypony home?”
“Oh, sorry Moon.” The light purple mare replied. “I was thinking about memory spells…”
“Oh man – a bookworm till the very end.” Moon Prancer sighed. “The dance?”
“Celestia’s beard! I hope I can pick up a straggler…” Twilight ran off into the distance to look for unpartnered stallions.
Moon inched closer to Jack. “Ya gotta make the first move, Ash.” She whispered, “Hurry!”
“Now?” Jack asked excitedly. “In front of everypony?”
“You rather dance with the mop?”
Jack threw a sideways glance at the mop, still dripping wet from its last use. “I don’t think Twi has anypony to dance with.”
“So just ask her already!”
Jack gave a snort as he cantered down the hallway. She has me as my default. Who else could hope to win her heart?
Moon looked, as if knowing what was in Jack’s head. Silly pony, he thinks he can attract the girls just by existing?

Twilight glanced around as she tried to read the body language of the crowd. Look for the fidgeting stallions – glazed looks, scratching the floor with their hooves, looking out for others. She knew very well she had Jack as her fallback, but was loathe using the idea. They don’t call him Jackass for nothing.
She did not have to look far to spot a dark blue stallion chatting away with some of the rest of the boys. OK, easy. You’ve worked with them. Head high. Genuine smile. Confident speech.
“Oh, hi boys.” Twilight tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. “What’s up?”
Her target rolled his eyes, knowing full well her intent. “Oh, hey Twi. You need a date for the dance?”
“Sorry I didn’t see you back there Night Light.” She lied. “And just as well- I’d been so busy studying I totally forgot who to invite!”
“Ahem.” A deep voice sounded from the back. “I believe you deserve better than that.”
Twilight turned around to find Jack, arrogantly glaring at the other group as if Twilight were his prize. “So what’chu gonna do for the date? Square dancing? Sharing soggy slices of pizza? Playing your videogames till sunrise?” Jack spat. “The buck’s them newfangled ‘videogame’ anyway?”
Twilight could hear Night scowling even with her back facing him.
“Anyway, my girl Twilight Velvet will be having a most glorious evening dancing under the stars and having the best gourmet food, followed by a VIP view of the ceremony, of course.”
Twilight could hardly believe her ears. For the period she’d known Jack she’d seen his arrogant side but never manifested with such malice and hate.
“Jack.”
“Hmm?” Jack smiled, as if victory was assured.
“I’m going out with Night Light.”
Night’s jaw dropped, and Jack was taken aback. “Why?”
“Because he asked me first.” She said. And with that, she tapped on her date’s shoulder and the two walked past the shocked Jack. But he did not take long to regain his composure.
“I’m going to enjoy this…”

The clock tower stuck midnight.
“Summer’s finally here.” Night sighed.
Twilight turned to her partner. “You sound sad. Shouldn’t you be happy we finally graduated?”
“Exactly.” He declared. “But there’s still so much to learn – so many things to do…”
“Pah.” Twilight dismissed. “Let’s just enjoy the party.”
The two exited the moonlit square into the bustling where the crowd had just finished a rendition of Auld Lang Syne. “Don’t they sing that for New Year’s?” Night asked.
“It’s as good as one.” Twilight led Night into the crowd. “Not just a new year, too. New places, New relationships…”
“Why’d you accept my offer, anyway?” Night queried.
“What?”
“I mean, er, what I mean to say is –“ Night blushed, with no idea how to continue.
“Why’d I pick you to be my date tonight?”
There was a short pause.
“Yea, that.”
“Like I said to Jack – you asked me first.”
“Ugh, that’s not what I mean!” Night blushed harder. “What I was saying was you could have used any excuse to avoid Jack – why’d you have to dance with me?”
“You asked me.”
Night’s face had turned completely red. “Wait, you think me as your boyfriend?”
It was Twilight’s turn to blush. “Well… you are a boy… friend… thing…” She scratched the ground. “Yeah.”
Night tried to look away as if it would resolve the tension. “I mean we’ve been friends for so long but this is so sudden and you asked me to go to the dance and stargaze and all that-“
“Ooo, someone’s got a girlfriend.”
Twilight blushed as the Jack descended on the young couple like a vulture stalking the soon-to-be-dead.
“Hrah, pigs will fly.” Jack declared. “I could’ve sworn you were allergic to the female species, Nighty.”
“Horsefeathers.” Steam began to rise from Night’s face. “We just dance tonight, we watch the sun rise, we say good day.”
“Meh.” Jack turned to Twilight. “Why’re you hanging out with this deadbeat Earthborn, anyways?”
Night’s face hardened to stone. “I am as much a unicorn as you are, Jack!” He hissed. “What’s it to you, anyway?”
“Oh, nothing, nothing.” Jack never turned back to face Night. “I’d just hate to see Twi being sullied by a mudblood…”
Twilight gasped incredulously. Night looked like he would die of embarrassment on the spot.
“Jack!” Twilight yelled. “That’s enough!”
“Oh, sorry Twi.” Jack gave an apology dripping with insincerity. “My tongue slipped.”
Night bit his lip.
“I’ll just ask again politely then.” Jack continued, “What’s with you and Night?”
“Nothing! Nothing at all!”
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I had the next dance with you?”
Night gave a look that suggested he was contemplating throwing the punch (or a punch, for that matter) right into Jack’s face.
Twilight blew a rapid, high-pitched rasp. “Why, you don’t have a date?”
“I am hurt, Twi!” Jack declared sarcastically. “Can’t I decide to play the field a little?”
“Yea, play jerk for all I care.”
Jack gave a snort. “Ah well, I guess I’ll go with Moon then – she bombed out with her date.”
“Was he always this annoying?” Night ask, as Jack left.
“Only while drunk.” Twilight rolled her eyes.
“Showing his true colours, methinks.” Night exhaled. “I’ve heard rumours of him sprouting racist comments to some of the other boys.”
“You should come and see our side of the camp – the girls have tales that paint him as a player…”
“How bad?”
“Nothing serious, fortunately. Just the occasional flirt peppered with flowery language.”
“I’d hate to see what you think as a ‘serious’ player.”
Twilight shook her head. “I thought Jack was just trying to be funny, first time I met him. He’d be somewhat annoying one minute and say the funniest stuff the next.”
“Kind of like freshman year for everypony else.”
“Yeah, but he always stayed fresh. Like he never wanted to grow up.”
The two fell silent.
“None of us really want to grow up, deep down in our hearts.” Night spoke. “Just that some of us exhibit it in more obvious ways…”
“Not true.” Twilight rebutted. “You already got yourself a girlfriend.”
“R-really?” Night stammered. “You want to date me?”
“Why not?” Twilight shrugged. “We already know each other so long – and I daresay the feeling is mutual.”
“Heh.” Night blushed again. “I bet that’ll throw a spanner into Jack’s plans.”

“Wow.”
With the sun raised over Ponyville, the crowd cheered as Princess Celestia prepared for her speech.
“The sunrise?” Twilight questioned.
“And everything before that.” Night replied. “I had a great date with you.”
“Oh, you.” Twilight smiled coyly.
“Filles and gentlecolts – Princess Celestia.”
“Thank you.” The ruler stepped up to the podium to begin her speech. “Never since Nightmare Moon was banished has there been such a wonderful Summer Sun celebration.”
I bet she says that to everypony. Twilight thought she could hear jack mutter under his breath.
“Ponyville and their citizens have been stellar in their performance for last night’s celebrations. Let’s give them a big hoof.”
After a brief round of applause, the princess continued. “Also, I would like to congratulate our graduates from Canterlot University for all their hard work. May their future endeavors be as bright as the sun above us.”
More applause.
“I will be giving my Summer speech in a moments time, for those who would like to listen. Naturally, a transcript will be made available tomorrow at the Equestrian Daily. A few last words for those leaving: may you always find love and peace, and good day.”
The crowd burst into cheer and Celestia stepped down for the poidium.
“Ponyville residents, please exit through the front door. Passengers to the Canterlot Express, please take the west exit. The next train will arrive in half an hour.”

“So… problem solved?”
Back stage, a pair of ponies looked relieved beyond measure over the successful night.
“I don’t feel like dying, at the very least…” The dark purple mare gasped.
Her brown-coated companion glared at her. “Don’t joke around. Your well-being is paramount to our mission…”
“… and our mission involves the very integrity of the timeline.” The mare huffed, as if having just ran a marathon. “Glad Celestia recommended you for the job then, Time Turner.”
“Please, call me Doctor Hooves.” The brown stallion blushed. “You need not address me by my assumed name.” He looked around. “Not that anypony would know any of this.”
Sure is humble for a doctor in quantum physics, the purple mare mused. “As you wish, Doctor.” She stood up to help herself to a glass of punch. “I thought the timeline was supposed to be circular to interference, like the Tuesday incident?”
“Timestream, Miss Sparkle.” The stallion corrected. “Our existence is surprisingly resilient to distortion; splitting into little streams and rejoining the main flow –“
The purple mare choked on her punch, spitting liquid on the floor.
“- but not entirely invulnerable to corruption.” Hooves concluded darkly. “We are not out of danger.”

II - Turning Time

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“Don’t wander too far, Twily!”
“Kay, B.B.B.F.F!”
Shining Armor had his doubts on whether the “Bring Your Sibling to Work Day” was the best idea to boost troop morale. After all, most of his squadmates were only children (probably the reason they had the energy to attend boot camp, anyhow). But Twilight had been bugging him to see the Crystal Wing ever since he’d first described it to his sister.

Granted, the wing was more like a small garden filled with geodes and crystals, true to its namesake, but Shining could see its appeal, despite no one having any idea what the under-used wing was truly for. It was a pity to let it go, for sure, and it taking up a relatively small amount of space meant no one was willing to demolish it, so it stayed as it was.

To the young filly, though, the Wing was the most impressive thing ever since she saw Celestia raise the sun for the first time. She was sure her cutie mark lay somewhere in the Wing – after all, it was rumored this was the nexus of Starswirl the Bearded’s research – so logically, the Wing would have plenty of magic to rub off onto her.

Not that Twilight had any idea what exactly she was looking for. She circled around the Wing looking for points of interest when she noticed a crack on a floor. She tapped the crack as if expecting a crystal cache, but instead the floor gave way to a small hole. The filly took a close look at the crystal floor when she suddenly she saw a strange form in it.
A gemstone? No, they can’t be that big. Titling her head in an attempt to identify the object, she then realized the object was something that should not have belonged in the floor.
“Shiny? You won’t believe what I found in the Wing…”

---

“What the hay? A pony? IN the crystal?”
Shining’s squad mates were filled with shock and disbelief as they peered through the floor in an attempt to disprove they own eyes.
“Maybe it’s a crystal pony?”
The whole squad broke into sardonic laughter, much to Shining’s disapproval. “Or a body that needs to be identified.” He spoke grimly. “The poor soul must have been trapped for who knows how long…”
“What’s this about a crystal pony?” A loud voice boomed
“Princess Celestia!” The squad immediately bowed in respect, as the monarch entered the Wing.
“Twilight says she found a body.” Shining Armor wasted no time in explaining the situation. “She spotted it buried inside the floor of this very Wing.”
The young filly grimaced at the thought of her gristly find.
“Excavate the remains now." The princess ordered, sending waves of discomfort amongst the ranks. "We need to identify them as soon as possible.”
“Don’t we need a permit for that?” A voice chimed.
Celestia turned to face the voice, her face betraying a hint of disgust.
“A permit to lay this pony into proper peace?”
The squad fell silent.
Shining examined the floor again. “There should be fault lines near the crystal where the body is. I’ll use telekinesis to extract it.” He closed his eyes and muttered a prayer for the war dead – a prayer no pony had reason to utter for a long time. Twilight knew very well that her brother was just as disturbed on the find as she was, despite him being trained to maintain calm under such situations.
“Commencing extraction.” His horn glowed as he attempted to control the rate of extraction. Carefully, he carved a small cut into the crystal floor and led it to the fault line.
The sound of crystal cracking echoed though the wing's wall, reverberating through the ponies as they kept a silent vigil, all trying to ignore the nagging thought of property damage to retrieve a body.
“Removing debris.” A chunk of crystal, once blocking access to the body, floated gently to Celestia’s side.
“Extracting remains…” The body was slowly lifted out into the Wing’s surface as Shining tried hard not to think of the discomfort the process much have surely brought to his sister.
“That can’t be… right.” Shining let the body down onto the floor but his magic still surrounded it.
Twilight tentatively approached the body, fully expecting to be gripped by horror. Instead, all she felt was a sense of tranquility emanating from it.
“Big brother?” The young filly asked in curiosity rather than in fear. “It looks like she’s just sleeping…”
“Starswirl’s beard… could it be a stasis spell?” Shining exclaimed. “I heard of it being used as a last-ditch preservation spell… but…”
Celestia nodded slightly. “All of you, please come with me to the throne room.”
Shining was taken aback by her sudden declaration. "Do you know this pony?"
The monarch nodded again. "I hope so."

---

“Just as I suspected.”
Celestia gave the frozen pony another look over before turning to face the crowd. “This pony is very much alive – but stuck in time.” The audience erupted into excited chatter, everyone speculating on the incredulous implications of her statement. “She is, in fact, the princess of the Crystal Kingdom, once thought lost to a curse.”
“A... crystal Kingdom?” Shining Armor asked.
“An area once thought lost to the frozen North,” came the reply. “She is proof that the Kingdom may one day yet be saved.”
“Well, you can wake her up, can’t you, Princess?” Twilight pleaded.
“Why, yes, I can,” she assured. “But we must make sure she doesn’t get a shock when she wakes up. After all, it has been about a thousand years.”
“Woah, that’s a long time!” Twilight's eyes grew big at the thought of a pony sleeping for a thousand years/"
“It is.” She looked up to face the rest. “She will wake up to a different reality then the one she was locked into.” Celestia faced the frozen pony one last time as her horn began to glow with magic.
“Shining Armor.”
“Yes, your Highness?” The stallion replied in confusion.
“Take good care of her.”
"Wha-"
The last thing the group saw was a flash of white.

---

“Shiny? You won’t believe what I found in the Wing…”
“Twily, back so soon?”
“Shiny, look, a real princess!”
Shining Armor looked up to see a pink ailcorn with a crystal heart cutie mark. He'd heard rumors of the royal family, but never a relative of the princess up close... until now. Her tall stature and regal form was proof enough of her bloodline... and yet, the look in her eyes were that of a down-to-earth pony, her build not much different from a regular unicorn, save the wings...
“Mi Amore Cadanceza.” She offered her hoof to Shining, breaking his stunned trace. “But you can call me Cadence. Nice to meet you.” She broke into a smile.
“L-likewise.” Shining stammered, unsure of how to reply. “Shining Armor.” His face turned beet red, embarrassed that a member of royalty would talk so causally to a commoner like himself.
“Your sister is quite the filly!” Cadence exclaimed proudly, as Twilight grinned from ear to ear. “She wasted no time on insisting I meet you.”
“Oh, really?” Shining blushed again. “She wanted me to see a princess this badly?”
"She told me you were quite the stallion." She explained. "Tell me more about yourself..."

“Celestia blocked our memories with your… future daughter.” Twilight explained. “She fully intended not to tell us about the stasis spell until the Crystal Kingdom came back... and even then..." The mare trailed, her face pained with concern.
“Sombra feeds off fear.” Hooves explained. “She would have reason to believe prematurely breaking the curse would only doom the crystal ponies to another age of slavery..." He shook his head and sighed. "Undoing the stasis for one pony was risky enough… in fact Celestia think that Discord’s return was linked to Cadence...”
“Discord came back?”
“Oh, horsefeathers. I forgot that isn’t supposed to happen yet.” Hooves exclaimed.
“No need to be concerned.” Consonance assured. “What is meant to happen will happen.”
“I hope so for my sake.” Twilight added. “But was I meant to exist, or did my future self decide that for me?”
"All answers in time." Hooves gave a glancing smirk. "But let us continue on how we manage to free Consonance in this time period."

Just In Time

by spoiltcheese

Prologue - A Very Important Date

I - For the Greater Good

II - Turning Time