//------------------------------// // Charlotte's Day Out // Story: Time, Space, and Paradoxes // by Christophe //------------------------------// A/N: Shout out to wight_raven for the Giraffe. I kinda liked the whole working a reader suggestion in so if anypony else has something they might like to see come up drop me a comment or a message and I'll see what I can do. After the bombshell Charlotte dropped on Paradox he just sat with his back to the wall staring off into space. Everypony had no idea what was wrong with him. Char was worried if she had broken him while Twilight tried to snap him out of it. Pinkie stared off into space for a second swell before pulling a bottle of Applejack Daniel's™ and holding it out to Paradox. He eagerly took the bottle and took a swig. He shook himself and stood. "Gus… are you all right?" Char was even more worried now. "Ya… I think… tomorrow you and Twilight should go off and explore Ponyville while I… think about some stuff…" he was still staring off into space while speaking. Char just nodded. --------------------- The other ponies filed out of the library and towards their respective homes. Tomorrow would be a full day for most of them. The Doctor trudged on deep in thought with Ditzy by his side. He couldn't help but wonder why Paradox had acted that way. "What's wrong Doctor?" Ditzy looked concerned and off in a random direction. "Its Paradox… he's never acted like that before in the twenty years I knew him. He always tolerated and even defended others from bigots. Something isn't right." "Maybe he's hiding something." "What could he be hiding that involves his sister and the others…" ----------------------- Paradox laid awake in bed with Twilight attached to his side. He had given his bed to Charlotte and opted to sleep on the floor since Trixie had the couch. Twilight had been firmly against him sleeping on the floor so from now on his permanent spot was right next to her. He could only smile at her sentiment but didn't have the heart to tell her that he never actually slept. He just pretended until they were asleep and read or practiced. Tonight he was racked with guilt for what he had pretended to do but when the idea had struck him he needed a way to be alone for sure. He would be sure to apologize to her soon. Now he was left with his thoughts. Tomorrow he would send all of them out and close off the library completely until his work was finished. Tomorrow he would start his search for something terrible. ----------------------- Celestia's sun peaked through the curtains of Twilight's bedroom. Paradox was already awake and making preparations and a light breakfast. Char, Twi, Trixie, and Spike came down soon after the sun's rays hit them. They found breakfast and ate in silence before Twi and Char left out towards Sweet Apple Acres and Trixie went off to find a more permanent residence. Once they were out the door Paradox went to Spike. "Spike why don't you go play with Applebloom and her friends today. I'll hold down the fort." "Ok!" Spike's inner child took over and he bolted out after the girls. Paradox's smile slowly dipped into a frown as he rushed to lock the doors and windows. He pulled all the blinds, barred the entrances, and put out every candle and light before he descended into the basement. He picked up the map he had taken from Twilight. He didn't have his usual stealth attire so he opted for a blast from the past and summoned a faded black hoodie with a large white cross on the back covered in stitch marks as if it had been patched together more times then he could count. He also conjured a pair of black and white sneakers and a pair of faded black jeans. He stuffed the map into the front pocket and forced magic through his hands. He wedged his fingers into the fabric of reality and opened a portal right into the royal archives. --------------------- Charlotte and Twilight walked down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres. Spike was riding on Twi's back as they walked. They walked in silence but every now and then Char would look at Twi and wonder. 'She might be a pony but Gus sure can pick them. Cute, smart, and totally adorkable… Why do you feel like thats cliche?' (Thats because it is.) 'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!' she started to panic inwardly but shakily dismissed it when they reached the farm. Applejack and Big Mac were getting a cart ready to go pick up a load of apples. The CMC were sitting on the porch talking, most likely about new crusading ideas. Spike hopped down and rushed towards them as Twilight and Charlotte walked over to the older apple siblings. "Mornin' Twi and mornin' to you Charlotte," Applejack tipped her hat to the visitors. "Mornin'," was all that Big Mac said as he continued to prepare the wagon. "Good morning Applejack and Big Mac. I'm taking Charlotte on a tour of Ponyville," Char smiled and nodded she wouldn't dare tell them she already knew from personal experience. They started to chat amongst themselves. Even Big Mac came and added his two bits with "Eeyups" and other short responses. They kept that up for a few minutes before the CMC and Spike came trotting up with determined looks on their faces. "Hay we got a question for y'all," Applebloom spoke up as they reached the older ponies and human. "We were… um, wondering about… yesterday when…" Sweetiebelle tried to speak but couldn't find the words. Spike patted her on the back as Scootaloo stepped up. "What does orgasm mean?" (Damn that was blunt even for me.) The older ponies were shocked into silence and Charlotte was more preoccupied that she had heard the disembodied voice again. Applejack and Twilight looked at one another with shocked expressions and simultaneously gulped. Twilight turned to Char and gripped her hand with magic before going off down the path at a quick pace. "Sorry everypony I need to get on with the tour!" Twilight called over her shoulder as she and Charlotte fled. "Ah should go help her -cough-," Applejack took off after Twilight and Charlotte. That left Big Mac alone with the curious youths. He looked at the road where Applejack had fled and then back at the children. "Granny Ah'm gonna need some help with this! -gulp-" ----------------------- Char, Twi, and AJ made their way towards Fluttershy's cottage. Animals were running and playing all around but Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. They walked up to the cottage and knocked. Char was giggling on the inside. 'It's exactly the same as the other world just… smaller,' she thought. Soon Angel opened the bottom door and looked thoroughly displeased. Charlotte smiled at her former housemate and reached down to scratch his favorite spot. When Angel stopped kicking his leg he had a look on his face like "What sorcery is this!" before bolting away. The mares and human shared a laugh before moving around back to find Fluttershy. It wasn't hard to find her once they were in the backyard. Fluttershy was singing and brushing the mane of a large manticore. Charlotte froze up at the sight of the manticore. The manticore sniffed the air and looked back at the group moving towards it. It licked it's lips and bounded over to the still frozen Charlotte. Fluttershy gasped as it opened its maw and… licked her face? Charlotte's eyes rolled back in her head as she fell back unconscious. ----------------------- Paradox had slipped past all of Celestia's ward spells with ease and a with magic keeping him invisible not even the monsters hiding here could catch him. Paradox had effectively snuck into the forbidden section of the Royal Canterlot Archives after cutting open Celestia's forcefield with his scythe. He found a central section in the archive and sat down to prepare his scrying spell. With luck he would find the book he needed quickly. ------------------------- Charlotte awoke to a soothing aroma. She opened her eyes to find Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy waving a cupcake in front of her nose. She took the cupcake and savored a bite. "I'm sorry about Fuzzy. He just loves meeting new friends," Char smiled at Fluttershy and thanked her lucky stars she hadn't been eaten. "Where are we?" Char asked. "Sugarcube corner. We thought sweets would be better to wake up to than smelling salts," Twilight said with a sheepish smile, "Plus we can see Pinkie while we're here." "Yea, speakin' of, where is she Mrs. Cake?" AJ asked. "Oh, she's up in her room playing with the foals," Mrs. Cake said as she exited the kitchen with a fresh batch of cupcakes. They ascended the stairs to Pinkie's room. Twi was about to knock when she heard yelling and laughter behind the door. They looked at each other and opened the door. Inside Pinkie was seated on a throne made from her furniture with the Cake Twins on either side. She was dressed as Julius Caesar, Pumpkin was Brutus, and Pound looked like Mark Antony. They were looking into a replica coliseum made from pillows, clothes, and stuffed animals. In the center were two figures battling with all the ferocity of a middle school slap fight. Gummy had been dressed in a little lion costume with mane included and his opponent appeared to be a familiar looking tiny giraffe wearing a centurion outfit. It even had a little sword at its side, so needless to say it was adorable. "Pinkie where did you even get a giraffe!?" Twilight was baffled by what she was seeing. "From the lord of fan service you silly filly!" Pinkie giggled as the giraffe pinned Gummy. Twilight could only face hoof. ---------------------- Paradox found the book he was looking for on the map. He almost beat his head against a bookshelf when he discovered it was in the Starswirl the bearded section. He avoided the traps and monsters until he made it to the section. 'Seriously why have two sections for one pony?' Starswirl was brilliant in many aspects… many of which Celestia did not approve of. Paradox reached out to grasp the book but hesitated. This is your last chance to go back. I won't stop you but remember you made this choice and you must live with it for eternity. Do it. Do It. DO It. DO IT. DO IT! DO IT!! DO IT!!! Paradox grasped the book and flipped though it with his magic. He found the page he needed. The title at the top read "Potion of Binding Mortality." Paradox read the ingredients. Draconequus blood (Chaos) Sand of the Hourglass (Time) Dust from the Beating Heart Diamond (Light) Extract of Harmony (Harmony) Lich tears (Darkness) Blood of the users (Captain Planet! wait… wrong reality) Paradox ignored the disembodied voice and tore out the pages and took off back towards the exit. --------------------- After putting the foals to bed the mares headed out into the streets of Ponyville. They headed towards the Carousel Boutique when Rainbow Dash flew down to greet them. Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind AJ. Dash took up a cocky stance and looked directly at Charlotte. "Hay, I didn't get a chance last night but I wanted to prove how awesome I am." (I can see her ego from here! Its bigger than mine!) Dash boasted. "Well, Gus did say something about you being great at stunts so I'm looking forward to whatever you've got," Char lied through he teeth but thankfully AJ was to busy with Fluttershy. Dash smiled and took off into the air. She performed a flurry of stunts like "The Super Speed Strut," "The Fantastic Filly Flash," and her closer "The Buckaneer Blaze." The blaze itself was so spectacular that it couldn't be accurately described with words. (I went there.) Char could only mouth "No way." ------------------ Paradox sealed the barrier behind him and opened the portal back to the library basement. Once through he pulled the map and pages from his hoodie pocket and set them on the table. He quickly changed back into his normal attire and hid his old clothes before heading upstairs to remove the barricade on the library. He returned the map and sat on the couch with the pages he stole. He started his scrying spell again to look for what he assumed to be the hardest ingredient. The sand. Visions passed before Paradox's eyes. He saw a frontier town by an apple orchard, running buffalo, and a cave hidden below a ridge in the desert. Paradox started to laugh as felt the irony of hiding sand in a desert. His laugh slowly degenerated into a cackle as he waited for his decay to recede. --------------------- The mares sat around in the Boutique and chatted away. Charlotte was entranced by all of the designs Rarity had. Some of these even trounced the Rarity she had know in the other dimension. Rarity noticed this and decided to capitalize on it. "Like my work darling?" "Oh yeah, I wish I had been this good at making clothes." "You design?" "I wouldn't say design but when we were young Gus used to buy my fabric for my birthday. He'd nearly bankrupt himself buying me imported and extremely expensive fabrics." "Really?" "Yeah, it started in high school when I made him a replica of a hoodie he wanted. It was jet black with a big white cross on the back. He wore it everywhere no matter the weather. He used to come back home covered in oozing cuts with rips in the jacket and overtime he would apologize over and over and beg me to fix it. He probably lost it over the years or it was ruined." Char started to tear up a bit. "-cough- You know Charlotte, I was wondering how did Paradox find you in that other dimension and how did you get there," Twilight was trying her best to change the subject. "Oh well, I don't really know how I got there all I remember was a big explosion and then it felt like something was pulling me through nothing until I woke up in a forest. After that I lived there for a month as a test subject basically then they sent me off to a small town to stay there and that lasted another month." "So you were only there for as long as Paradox was with us?" Dash's inner sherlock was coming out. "I guess so." Twilight was about to ask a question along the lines of " What was it like" when Paradox strolled into the library. They looked at him as he walked over to his sister and hugged her. She hugged back with a smile. "Char I'm so sorry for what I did. It was just so overwhelming after not having you for so long," Paradox made sure to crank up the feelings to throw off AJ's honesty filter, "so, I want to take you somewhere to make it up to you. You only got here yesterday but I think you'll like where I have in mind." "Where did you have in mind?" "APPLELOOSA!" A/N: Dun Dun Dun.