//------------------------------// // Day 1 // Story: Time to Shine // by Silver Inkwell //------------------------------// Day 1 I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock going off. I listened to the song and it was the same as yesterday. A bit weird that they would play the same song two days in a row, but nothing too strange or unusual, but that’s when I heard the reporter talk. “Good morning Ponyville! It’s a bright sunny day outside today and there’s no rain scheduled for today so there’s no need for any jackets or umbrellas! Anyhow have a very lovely Tuesday and we’ll see you all later on today I guess!” Wait, did he say Tuesday, no way, that couldn’t be true, either this was some elaborate joke or she was going crazy and insane. She hoped that it really was the first option. But wait, then she remembered why she was here. Yes, of course, duh, it was all so simple and plain. She went back in time to stop the thing, the creature, the beast, the monster, whatever it was called, she didn’t know, and now it seemed like she was starting her day all over again, excellent, this would give her more than enough time to stop the future from happening. My stomach grumbled very loudly then as it did yesterday yearning for food, or wait, would that be today instead? Ugh, time travel was really confusing, and very annoying too as well. “Sorry stomach, you’ll just have to wait, I have to warn the princesses about the danger that’s coming,” I said patting it very gently and lightly and softly too as well, and then I started to question why I was speaking out loud to myself. Eh, probably better not to, I might just go insane and crazy thinking about it, or this, which was time travel. And speaking of time travel I decided to keep this journal on me to write in and write with, pretty nice, isn’t it? Anyhow I rushed downstairs not even bothering to put my cape and makeup on as I usually do, and it’s something that I did yesterday, or rather today. Argh, I think I need a system for the days here, how about I call this Day 1 since this is my first time going back in time? Yeah, that works out, and day Zero can be the day that was before today, or yesterday, or rather today. You know what it’s just too confusing to try explaining it, so just never mind. Anyhow I quickly rushed downstairs to see Twilight and Starlight say goodbye to Spike as he went for the boy’s day out. “Well hello there Trixie, I didn’t expect to see you down here so early,” she said. “Yeah, I have a feeling that today’s going to be a bit more different than usual, like in a very bad sort of way.” “So not the usual strange odd weird way then?” “No, I think that something very dangerous and deadly will attack today, and don’t ask me why, trust me, I could be right about this and I need to speak to the princesses like right now about this whole entire thing and matter.” “Alright, fine then, I’ll take you to the princesses, but I want an explanation for this when we finally get there.” “Don’t worry, you’ll get one, eventually,” I said grabbing one of her hooves as Starlight looked at me sadly. “So, no special day to ourselves today then?” “Sorry, maybe tomorrow? Please forgive me and understand when I finally explain myself?” I said trying to put on my best sympathy smile for her. “Yeah, sure thing, tomorrow, promise.” “I promise,” I said not knowing that tomorrow wouldn’t come for a very, very, VERY long time. “Come on Twilight, let’s go now,” I said. And with that she teleported us away to Canterlot castle. “Twilight? Why are you here now exactly?” Celestia said upon seeing the two of us. “My friend here wishes to address you about something very important.” “Then let her speak, you have my undivided attention,” she said as I examined the room, it was very fancy, regal, and elegant, exactly fit for a princess. Red and gold and white and silver and blue were the aligned color themes to create a more natural environment that one felt safe inside of. “Princess, tonight something will attack Ponyville, I know this.” Her eyebrows raised very slightly in great surprise and shock. “And how would that be so exactly?” “I sort of traveled back in time and now this day has restarted again and now I can change the events of the future by warning you that your sister fights this thing, but I don’t know if it will end well since I left before it could do any harm to our town, her, or any pony else too as well.” “Wait, you say that the danger will fight my sister?” “Yeah, the thing, I don’t know what to call it, it looked like a human, but more shadow than corporeal, and your sister said that it was also made out of nightmares too as well.” “No, it can’t be… not him… not that… anything but that,” Celestia muttered to herself. “Wait, you know what this thing is, whatever this creature is?” I said. “Yes, and it is not good news if what you say is true… this thing… this creature… it is one of the most deadly things in any universe, its name is walker, one of  the void, all other names are useless, it is wraith, it is pain, it is agony, it is strife, it is sorrow, it is despair, it is suffering, it is woe, it is death, it is shadow, it is nightmare, it has many names yet still none that can perfectly describe it. It is called Shahkrah and Shakrah, and if it is here then that can only mean one thing for all of us, certain doom. It won’t stop until it has achieved its goal, and then it will move unto the next world, so we must stop it before it can or does.” “That’s a very vague and general answer, care to be a bit more specific?” “No, I do not wish to say its name, for even I fear it.” “If it’s that bad then how can we stop it?” “It only has one weakness, death.” “But how do we will it exactly?” “We don’t, we send it somewhere to something that can do just that.” “Should I even question who or what that is exactly?” “No, you should not.” “Very well then, fine, I won’t.” “Very good then, now then when will the monster attack?” “Tonight.” “Of course, I should have expected it at that time.” “Princess, just one more question, what will happen if we fail?” “We can’t, but if we do our whole entire world will be no more.” “Oh, well then, I see why we can’t fail.” “Yes, indeed, and that I why I will be there to protect my sister tonight.” “Well then that’s all I had to tell you and honestly I expected some disbelief and argument at the very least.” “I’m used to time travel spells, you’re nothing new to me, nothing strange or unusual or odd or different at all.” “Oh, well then goodbye for now I guess,” I said slowly tuning my back on her. “Goodbye, stay safe my little pony.” And with that said I turned back to Twilight, “Ready to go now?” “As I’ll ever be, come on, let’s go,” she said taking my hoof in one of her own and then we teleported back to the castle and once we did Starlight suddenly perked up instantly at my arrival. “You’re back,” she said smiling, “I honestly really didn’t expect you back this soon, did it go well or not?” “I think that it did, but we’ll have to wait until tonight to see the results.” “Oh, so now that you’re done care to explain what’s going on here exactly?” “Just two words for you, time travel,” I said smiling. “Oh, really, how?” “Twilight made a machine that sent me back into time after I pressed a few buttons and flipped a few switches on it.” “Wait, you did what?” Twilight said very frantically, “Didn’t I warn you about the consequences of time travel? Didn’t I try to stop you?” “Well you did actually, it’s just that I really honestly don’t care.” “Well that’s just great, because guess what? You’ve already rewritten time because I don’t have a time machine or plans for it or even had the idea of ever building it, and now we have no idea what might happen after what you told the princess, I mean what if in your timeline Luna was supposed to fail and die? If that was the case Celestia protecting Luna could change that.” “But wouldn’t both princesses being alive be better?” “NO! Because of your actions I have no idea what might result from this good or bad, trust me Trixie, you haven’t saved Ponyville, you’ve only delayed its doom.” “No, that can’t be true.” “Yes, it is, and I know because Starlight tried to change the past once and each universe that I went to was generally worse than the last one. Each universe was not one that we would ever want or wish to live in. And now because you changed the past we have no idea what will occur. I just hope for your sake that it’s good.” And with that said Twilight stomped off very angrily. “Well, I guess that she takes this whole entire manner very well considering it is time travel and all, but honestly you should have asked me for advice before turning the device on, I could have helped you at the very least you know.” “Yeah, I do, but Starlight, I need to tell you something very important…” “Yes?” she said very anxiously and expectedly. “I-I…” I couldn’t say it, I couldn’t say the words to her, I had said I love you before plenty of times before, but not these five very small simple tiny little words. “You what?” Starlight said. “I forgot to put on makeup this morning,” I said coming up with a very plausible excuse to get out of talking to her about what I really truly wanted. “Well I didn’t even notice, but you still look very lovely.” “Thanks a lot, but Starlight, if today is our last day, if the princesses do fail, let’s make the day very special, okay?” “Yeah, sure thing, anything for you my love, what did you have in mind exactly?” “How about some of our favorite spots?” “That sounds very nice,” she said smiling as we leaned in to kiss and this time I noticed the scent in her hair it smelled like pears. “Hmmm… your hair… it smells very lovely,” I said after we finally pulled apart. “Thank you very much,” she said, “But come on, let’s go now.” And with that said we went around the whole entire town in the same manner and route as we did on day Zero. And then when the moon finally came up this time I got very nervous. “It should be coming soon,” I said. “The thing, the creature, the beast?” Starlight said looking up at the moon. “Yes, it was after we went into Twilight’s treehouse that it came, but now I think that we should watch for it just in case.” “Yeah, sure thing, why not, anything’s romantic with you even if the thing we face means certain doom and death filled with peril and danger.” “Yeah, I guess so,” I said smiling as we sat down on a bench and waited for it to show up. As we did I saw Luna walk up to the town fountain. I didn’t know why she was here though unless she knew that the monster was already coming, curious I decided to ask her instead. “Princess Luna? What are you doing here in Ponyville of all the places that you can possibly be right now?” “I’m going to face an enemy of mine, and you can’t stop me.” “No, but we can protect you,” Celestia said floating down gently from the sky and landing on the very soft freshly trimmed green grass. “Sister? What are you doing here exactly? Shouldn’t you be back at Canterlot right now?” Luna said with great shock and surprise as she looked at her very deeply in the eyes. “I should be wherever I am needed the most, and right now you need me the most,” she said embracing her in a very tight quick hug. “Oh, that’s so sweet,” I said to Starlight very softly. “Thank you, sister, but I can do this alone.” “No, you can’t, not yet, not against this monster, not against it.” “Don’t you trust me sister?” “I do, I just don’t want you to get hurt.” “Trust me sister, at the end of the day it will be the one hurting.” And with that said they waited for it to come. But it never did as they sat for many hours. “Okay, I think that it’s safe to say that it’s not coming,” I said, “But why? What does this mean for the timeline exactly? Is this good or bad?” “I don’t know, I think that it’s good since it probably detected that you went back in time and changed things, and now maybe it won’t show itself out of fear against our combined power, or it could be very bad if it’s trying to play the long game and alter time for itself instead.” “Well I hope that it’s good, anyhow thanks for listening and believing in me.” “You’re welcome, but please come talk to me tomorrow, okay?” “Yeah, sure thing, anything for you princess,” I said as I watched them fly away. “Well, that was a bit anticlimactic, I expected a fight and battle at the very least and not this,” Starlight said walking over to me as we stood over the fountain’s edge. “Yeah, well we can’t always get what we want.” “Yeah, so true,” she said leaning over and kissing me. “Yes, indeed, too bad that I have to do this to you,” a voice from the fountain said. “Wait, what was that exactly?” I said very nervously with great fear. “Oh, that would be me, how rude of me, let me introduce myself first,” the voice said as water started to rise and form into a shadow human and then suddenly I saw yellow eyes where its face (if it had one) should be, and then it let out a smile as human skin started to form around its whole entire body. “Sorry for my last form, I didn’t have time to appear as a human then, but now I have more than enough thanks to your due efforts and energy.” “Why are you here and what do you want exactly?” I said shaking with fear. It laughed, “What I want is very simple, it’s to teach you a lesson, you see I am one of the most dangerous creatures in any universe as Celestia says that I am, but I can also be very kind, nice, and generous too as well, for example I give one native from every universe a chance and opportunity to stop me by passing one very small simple tiny little test, and guess what, you’re that native.” “But why me? What makes me so special?” It smiled, “I have my own reasons for that, but ever since you touched that time machine I was intrigued and interested in you, so I decided to make you the contestant in my game, if you succeed you save Equestria, fail and there will be consequences, now then do you agree or do I have to choose another instead?” “What does this game entail exactly?” “Whatever I want for however long I want.” “And how will I know when I pass?” “When I say so.” “And what about failing?” “When I say so.” “Yes, of course, very well then, I agree, but only if you tell me your name first.” It smiled, “Call me Jake, I’m a void walker, don’t ask what that is please.” “Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to, I said. “Very good then, now then here’s your test, do good and face your fears, you will have a thousand years to do this, I think that it will be more than enough.” “Wait, what? Care to explain what’s going on here?” “No, not yet, you’ll find out very soon enough,” Jake said smiling, “Have some very great good fun in your very first day of today forever!” And with that said he suddenly pulled out a knife and quickly stabbed Starlight in the heart. “Good day then,” he said wiping his knife clean in the fountain water as he suddenly vanished. When he stabbed Starlight it felt like my heart was being stabbed too as well, in fact it felt like my whole entire world was starting to finally fall apart and tear away, I screamed, I cried, I demanded answers from him, but he just said that he didn’t have to give any since that wasn’t part of the deal, he also said that I would soon see my love again. I had no idea what he was talking about then, but now I do. Eventually I finally managed to eventually stop crying and then fell to sleep.