Silver Oak was an old, wizened man. The ongoing torrent of time was unfortunately not something he, like all those who expected long lives, could control.
Long white hair traveled down to the small of his back, held in place by a band he had taken to wrapping around it in his younger days
The ponytail was a sort of treasure to him, as it made him feel unique in a way. Not many men could pull off a ponytail, especially one that zig-zagged down his back like a winding road.
His bangs framed his face well and complimented his features. Specifically the baby blue eyes that seemed to stare into the souls of everyone his gaze just so happen to land on.
The odd wrinkle adorned his forehead, as well as his face, though those seemed content with their placement, remaining around the corners his eyes and mouth, and not daring to encroach upon the man any further, as if they were afraid of the constant serious expression he wore at his job.
He worked at a coffee shop. No...it would be better to say he owned the coffee shop.
It was a rather modest establishment. More along the lines of your average bar than a multi bit chain of shops.
That was because it wasn't a chain. His shop was the only coffee shop in all of Manehattan, and not too many people found their way to him.
Don't get the wrong idea. He did get the occasional customer, but those were mostly travelers.
The few native Manehattanites who did just so happen to wander over to his little abode however, never left unsatisfied.
The place was clean as a whistle at all times. Silver Oak made sure of that. The floors and counters shined brightly, reflecting the light of the chandelier that hung on the ceiling.
The atmosphere was peaceful and relaxed, and the few people who did come in for a late night drink were always quick to comment on how calm they felt whenever they entered his shop.
Silver Oak's coffee shop only opened at night, when he could catch the stragglers who just so happened to still be up so late.
He loved nighttime. It was always so peaceful. He loved watching Princess Luna's moon as it shone so brightly in the sky. He liked to think it was her way of watching over the people of her kingdom.
He loved the peace and quiet the night brought with it. It was like someone put a blanket over the world and said, "Good night. Sweet dreams."
No one ever spoke when they entered his store, and if they did, it was in a whisper. And that was fine. He liked it that way. The only time anyone ever made a sound was when ordering their coffee. Anything after that was to be kept as low as possible. It was an unspoken rule.
They'd come up to the counter, say what they wanted, and without a word, he'd serve it to them, at which point the shop would lapse back into silence, without even a thank you to the man who poured it.
That was fine too. He didn't need thanks. He found that the smiles on the faces of the people he served were thanks enough. They'd take a seat at one of the few tables present and enjoy their cup in silence once more.
And when they left, He'd watch them go, a smile gracing his lips as he did so.
And then he'd look out a window, and see the rain.
He loved the rain almost as much as he loved the night. The quiet darkness went so well with the gentle tapping sounds of the little droplets as they hit his rooftop.
The sound always relaxed him, and he often found himself letting out a long heavy sigh of relief that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
But now, that peace and quiet that Silver Oak loved so much, was about to be broken in a matter of moments. For as he stood there behind the counter, quietly cleaning out one of the many cups in his inventory,
He heard the door open.
He heard the roar of the rain outside said door.
He heard the bell ring.
He had a customer.
Silver Oak simply stood there, watching closely as the newcomer, clad in quite the 'fitting' outfit, came up to the counter.
They wore a black trench coat, a scarf that was obviously way too big, a pair of black jeans that stopped just before the tongue of their black shoes, a hat, and some black gloves.
It appeared as though they were dressed a little too appropriately for the weather.
Silver Oak's attention was brought away from the figure's garments, and to their face. Or at least the little bit he could see that wasn't covered by the hat and the scarf.
He noticed they had green eyes. Eyes so green in fact, that they appeared less like eyes, and more like polished emerald orbs.
These eyes were framed by a flash of flaming red and gold hair. The only bit he could see from the hat they wore.
He took note of the fact that they hadn't said anything for a while, and was about to ask what they would like to order, when he was cut off by a quick,
"Sunrise Latte. Iced with milk."
The figure, who Silver could tell by the rather feminine tone of voice was in fact a female, made their order and walked off, opting to sit down at one of the tables.
Silver Oak followed her movements, and saw that she had decided to join the other two customers present in the shop at their table.
Those two had been here for fifteen minutes, and had yet to order a drink. It made Silver wonder if they had been waiting for the other customer to arrive before getting started. It made sense. Why have fun without everyone around to participate.
Silver decided to move out from behind the counter and take the other twos' orders now.
He walked over to them at a slow, measured pace before asking, "And what can I get the two of you today, ladies?"
"Dawn Blue Mocha."
"Starstruck Iced Latte."
Came the two girls responses. They came so quick that Silver almost didn't expect it. But he nodded and went back to his station, ready to prepare the three orders.
Not a word was exchanged between the three girls until their drinks had arrived. And it was then, and only then, that the newest of the three, decided to join them at the table and sit down.
The girl now removed her coat, revealing the white short sleeve shirt underneath. The design on the shirt was a simple dual colored sun, one side orange, the other yellow. She also wore a pair of blue skinny jeans-held up by a silver belt-that led all the way down to a pair of sneakers with a similar design as the graphics on her shirt. Lastly, were the many bracelets she wore on her wrists.
And it was then, after she had removed her all too appropriate clothing, that it began.
"Hello, Sunset Shimmer." One of the girls at the table whispered. This girl had on a hood-less black jacket over a baby blue graphic shirt with the design of a glittery purple star surrounded by two blue swirls Her gloves were finger-less and studded, and the same could be said for her belt, which held up a pair of black jeans that led all the way down to some black boots. And for some reason she was wearing sunglasses inside. They were pure black and matched well with her clothing.
"Hello, Starlight, Twilight Sparkle."
"What a coincidence seeing you here of all places. I didn't expect for you to come back now of all times. And to here? Are you really that sentimental?"
The now named Twilight spoke up. She wore a long sleeve black jean jacket with a white lining. It reached to just above her waistline and had the design of a purple six pointed star, with little white stars surrounding the outskirts of it. The shirt she wore underneath was white, and she too had black jeans on, though they didn't stop at her shoes. Instead they were cut off and swallowed up by her purple boots, She wore a purple headband, and had on no gloves.
"You're wrong Twilight. You should have said, 'We didn't expect you to come back at all.'."
The three fell into silence, their drinks yet untouched. Then Sunset started up the conversation again.
"Oh why don't you both just shut up. You don't know where i've been, so don't pretend that you do."
"Well, isn't that just great. Little Sunset's misunderstood. We wouldn't have to pretend if you would just tell us where you were." Starlight whisper-yelled back, putting as much sarcasm as she could into her words.
"You know I can't do that." Sunset said, not daring to meet Starlight's eyes, and not giving even the slightest indication of her emotions.
"And why the hell not, huh? Is it because you're hiding something from us? Or is it because you're too scared to let your own family know where you've been for the past ten years!" Starlight whisper-yelled once more, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.
"Calm down, Starlight." Came Twilight's voice. "She'll tell us when she's ready."
"Well, exactly when will she be ready? Huh? When we're all old and dead? Will she tell us in heaven? Huh, Twilight? When?"
"I don't know." was her reply. "I don't know, but...I hope she'll tell us soon." She looked up at Sunset.
"We're sisters, Sunny. We're family. And family doesn't keep secrets. What's wrong? Come on. Tell us. Tell us so we don't have to worry anymore. Tell us so..."
She looked down at her hands, which were placed in her lap. "So we can be together again. Like we used to."
Starlight took on a worried expression, and placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "It's okay, Twilight. Everything's gonna be fine. We'll be a family again."
She looked up at Sunset, who had yet to look up at either of them. "Right, Sunset? We'll be a family again, right? You'll tell us what it is you're hiding, right?"
Sunset only shook her head, still not looking at them. "I'm sorry. I just...I can't..." As she said this, her voice began to crack with sobs.
Starlight lost it. Not even bothering to keep quiet anymore, she yelled, "Aaaaaarrrrgggghhh! You always do this! You've always done this! Even when were kids! You always lied to us! Kept things from us! You told us we were too young to know what you were doing, and that we should 'wait till we're older.'! Well, we're older now, Sunset! Tell us what's going on with you!!"
"I'm telling you I can't do it!" Sunset yelled, shooting up from her chair. Her eyes were flowing tears and her chest was heaving with barely contained rage. But it also contained grief, and sadness.
"And I'm telling you to stop lying to us! You even used to lie to mom! Always saying 'I promise I won't do this. I promise I won't do that.' You're such a hypocrite! You didn't even tell mom about what Dad was doing! I had to hide my face because you didn't want to tell mom that dad did this to me!"
Starlight pulled off her sunglasses and showed Sunset her eyes. One was her normal sky blue, while the other was a dark red. The color of blood. It pulsed with magic.
"Look at me, Sunset. Look at me! ...This...is what he did. This...is what you let him do to me."
Sunset was shocked. "S-starlight... I'm... your eye, I'm..."
"I can't even see out of this eye, anymore, Sunset. I'm blind now. Blind! Just like i'd always been. But now I can see the truth. I can see everything for what it is. I can see dad for what he is, and I can see you for what you-"
But then everything stopped, and Starlight let out a gasp of realization.
"Dad. It was all dad. That's what this was. You knew what he was doing. You knew what he was doing and you didn't tell us!"
"W-what does dad have to do with-"
"Shut up! I knew it! I knew you hated us!"
"Wha- Hated you? Why would I hate you?! You're family!" Sunset's voice was leaving her now with the strain of yelling.
"Oh, so we're family now is that it?! You love us now? Now, after all that time apart? What a joke." Starlight found herself laughing. "Aha! Hahahahahahahaha... That's rich."
"Starlight, what are you talking ab-"
"You were the one that left with dad! You knew what he was doing and you didn't stop him! You're the reason mom broke up with dad and left with us! You're the reason she died! Its all your fault! You could've stopped him! You could've run away with us. You could've-"
SMACK
Everything fell silent once more. The rain was still tapping away at the roof, and Sliver Oak was still quietly cleaning his cups behind the counter. But those were the only sounds in the room.
But then, Starlight's voice broke the silence once more. "What...what in the....WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"
Sunset glared at her sister, her face serious. She wasn't crying anymore, but the evidence of her plight still stained her face.
"Mom always knew."
Starlight's eyes widened. Her mouth gaped open.
"Wh-what?"
"You heard me. Mom knew everything. She knew it all. All about dad and his secret. She knew about his late nights in his lab, his exhaustion from overworking himself. His...research."
Starlight was still shocked. "Wha- Research? No. I don't believe you. You're lying again. You're lying just like always!"
"No, I'm not!" Sunset sighed. "Just...just hear me out."
Starlight look at her older sister with skepticism, but shrugged and crossed her arms. "I'm listening."
Sunset stood up straight and cleared her throat. "Okay. Here goes."
Starlight raised an eyebrow, tapping her finger on her arm impatiently.
"Alright now Sunset." said a male voice, as he spoke to his daughter. His face was shrouded in shadow and the only thing you could see were the green of his eyes. He spoke in a way that told of something of great importance. Sunset was all too familiar with this tone.
"I need you to listen closely. You understand?"
"Yes, I do. I understand."
"Good. Because this is very important. Now...about...my research..."
Sunset stopped. She had known he was doing something in his lab, and that's why he kept showing up tired at home, but she never heard anything about any research. "What...do you mean, dad?"
"What I mean is...Well, what I mean is...um..."
"Oh just say it honey! She's old enough to know what it is!" came the voice of Sunset's mother. Her face was cast in shadow too, the only thing visible being her bluish-purple eyes.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to show you." He got to his feet and began walking to where Sunset knew his lab to be. Her mother followed, shaking her head and sighing in frustration.
When they were finally down into the lab, He flicked on the lights, and Sunset was assaulted by a sight she had never experienced before. There was more technology here than there was in Celestia's school!
"Welcome to my lab! I suppose this is the first you ever actually seen of it."
Sunset nodded her head excitedly. Her father only laughed.
"Ahahahahaha! Well, unfortunately there's not time for a tour. This is important business."
Sunset's face went serious immediately.
"Good. Now..."
With that, he lead her through the lab. She went past computers, microscopes telescopes, test tubes, beakers, as well as some giant blob in a bucket. As she got to the back she started seeing the other, more advanced things.
She saw magical tech far beyond the simple house cleaners she remembered. There were robotic ponies, self- organizing inventory bags, Self-sorting filing systems, and many other things.
It was all so new to her.
When she was finally where she needed to be, her father called for her.
"Here we are! Sunset! Come and look at this!"
She did as she was told, only to be amazed at what she saw.
Before her was a giant holographic display, depicting several things she knew nothing about, and the sheer size of the projector nearly made her want to jump in and try and see if she'd manage to get out.
"This...is the Future Sight. The only piece of magical tech able to copy starswirl's spell and use it to send people through dimensions."
"Dimensions?" Sunset said, awestruck at her father's words.
"That's right. But that's not what I want to show you. Look at this."
He pointed to a point on the hologram that looked like a barren landscape.
"What is it, dad?"
"Its a potential future. More Specifically, its my potential future."
"Dad, your future doesn't look too good."
Her father chuckled. "Ahahaha! No, I suppose it doesn't, sweetheart. That's why I'm going to go there and fix it."
This shocked Sunset. "You're gonna go to the future?"
"Yeah, well. I've already done all I can do about the past, so..."
"Wait."
"What is it hon?"
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"Why yes it is!"
"I...don't want you to get hurt...You're my dad..."
"Well, I won't be getting hurt. Because you'll be coming with me."
"What?"
"You heard me. I need you, to come with me, to this future, so we can fix it."
"Me? To the future? But what can I do?"
"More than you think, My dear Sunny. More than you think."
After explaining the process to Sunset, Her father, Desert Shine, and her mother, Sunset Blaze, set the labb up and prepared her for the dimensional jump. She was placed on a bed inside of something her father, called a Time Tube, and was soon joined by him.
With the corrections made by his wife, Desert Blaze gave the okay, and they were off.
Once in this new barren dimesion, Sunset was surprised to see that it was in fact, just as barren as she had first thought.
She was helped out of her Tube by her father and led to the center of the section of land they now occupied, which appeared to Sunset to be a burned down clearing.
Desert cleared his throat to get his daughter's attention. Once he had it, he began speaking.
"Now. I have good news, and I have bad news."
"What is it, dad?" Sunset was in full serious mode once again. Desert smiled, happy that his daughter was taking this seriously.
"The good news is. Now that we're here, we can reverse the wasteland."
"And what's the bad news?"
"The bad news is... to do it, I...have to leave you here."
Sunset stopped. "What...what do you mean, 'leave me here'?! Dad! Don't joke about that!"
"It's not a joke, Sweetie. I'm sorry but..."
"No! No, it can't be true! I won't let you leave me here. I have to go back home! What about Starlight and Twilight! They'll need me!"
"Who do you think raised you three girls? They'll be fine! But you have to stay here."
"But...why?"
Desert sighed. "I guess its time."
"Time for what?" Sunset sniffled.
"Time to tell you the truth."
"The truth about what?"
"About my research."
Sunset was silent, waiting for her father to explain.
"Well, you see...Do you know what I am, Sunset?"
"You're an alicorn, Dad. Everyone knows that."
""Not everyone knows that i'm the only male alicorn. The last remaining male alicorn that is.
"Wait. You're the only one left?"
"That's right."
"Well, what happened to everyone else? Where did they all go?"
"They were hunted down by the princesses."
"Hunted...down?" Sunset gasped in shock and horror. The thought of someone being hunted killed did not sit right with her, and she almost wanted to throw up.
"That's right. You see, alicorns aren't born. They are made. You have to become one. That's because all the male alicorns were killed off by the princesses."
"Dad...But why?"
"Because we're cursed."
"Cursed?!" Sunset nearly jumped when she heard that word.
"Yeah....cursed. Male alicorns are cursed to go mad and turn evil. According to my research the first male alicorn angered the goddess of the earth by using his magic to wreak havoc upon the plants and animals. She noticed this and banished him, cursing him to go mad and die hated and alone."
"That sounds horrible."
"It was. The goddess created the Everfree to keep my ancestors away from the forest and its creatures. And princesses Celestia and Luna hunted down my kind every time they went mad and killed them, And now, the same think is gonna happen to me."
Sunset gasped. "Dad, no!"
"I'm afraid so, Sweetheart. And that brings me to why I brought you here."
"Oh yeah! Why did you bring me here, dad? You said we'd save this wasteland together, but-"
""No, Sunset. I won't save this wasteland. You will."
"WHAT?"
"You have tremendous magical potential, my daughter. You've had it since you were a baby. I need you to learn to use that magic. And what better way to do that, than to get you used to the very place you're going to save!"
Desert brought a smile, but Sunset was not convinced.
"Dad. What if I can't do it? What if I fail? What if I can't save everyone. And what's worse, what if I become strong enough, and come back too late to be of any help?"
"That won't happen."
"How can you be so sure dad?"
"Because I believe in you Sunset. I trust you with all that I am. You're my daughter after all."
Sunset took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, looking up at her father with new determination.
"Okay."
"Good. Now, let me just get you my book of spells and..."
"So that's where you were?" Starlight said, "Some wasteland in the future for ten years?"
"That's right." Sunset said, a smirk coming to her face despite herself. "The future. Mom got you out of that house knowing where I was, and what was happening to her husband. I was getting stronger using my dad's spell books to unlock and learn about my magic potential. But my dad was wrong. Before I could come back and fix it all, it had already happened. I've been trying to find you since then. My only choice now is to go back to that time when he showed me the truth, and stick around until it happens."
"But how will you hide? You can't go back in time and expect him to remember you, can you?." Twilight said, finally making her presence know again.
Sunset went over to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Oh, little sister... Don't you think I know that all ready?"
Without another word, Sunset's eyes glowed white.
"Wait. Sunny! What are you doing?!"
Sunset grinned and yelled over the whirlwind currently sweeping them all up. "Bringing witnesses!"
With that that they were gone in a flash of light, leaving Silver Oak to think,
'Most interesting customers i've had in decades.'