//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Time Flows at a Snail's Pace // by JesterOfDestiny //------------------------------// This is it, I’ve reached my wit’s end. It simply won’t leave me, until it takes everything away from me. This needs to be the last time I see them die, because I can’t reverse it anymore. It has taken away everypony I loved and it has now taken away my only method of getting them back again. Decades of work down the drain. Dr. Minuette may be my last chance. By Celestia, I hope I don’t drag her into this as well! Then suddenly, I forgot everything about that day. I was standing in the middle of my clinic, unable to remember what happened beforehand and what I was supposed to be doing with my patient. He seemed to have noticed that something was wrong and asked about it through his cheek retractors. I assured him, not wanting to bring unnecessary tension into the room, that I just remembered something important. I quickly checked the calendar and the schedule to piece together what I was supposed to be doing and I managed to finish the procedure without further issues. He was the last on my schedule for the day. Once he was gone, I had plenty of time to make sense of my situation. I seemed to have rearranged something that morning, because things were in different places than they usually were and something was missing. I didn’t know what; I could just feel that something was missing. Beyond that, I also had an intense feeling of déjà vu. As if something like this has happened to me before. That last part wasn’t unusual. I always had these episodes during my life, where suddenly, out of nowhere, this intense feeling of déjà vu takes me over and I feel like I just woke up from a dream and what’s happening in front of me is what I was dreaming about. It usually goes away after a short while, but the feeling sticks with me for much longer. I remember I used to have them almost daily as a foal; I was convinced that I was a time-traveller. I’ve been told that it’s basically a miniature seizure that stops before it goes out of control. Nopony really knew what was causing it, but since it did not cause any disruption in my life, I just left it the way it was. But none of it was this intense and I certainly never had spontaneous amnesia before. Later that day I met up with my gals, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine and Moondancer, at Donut Joe’s, like I usually do. This time Lyra was visiting as well, so I had to be there. I don’t see her often since she moved to Ponyville, but every time we meet, it’s like we were apart for only a day. She bought her favourite extra salty treats. Lemon took one once and she almost died of thirst right there. I don’t know how Lyra can eat that, but hey, I haven’t been following my diet either, so who am I to judge? And who could blame me, Joe just had a brand new donut that I couldn’t wait to try out. Moondancer talked about her new favourite book: “Creatures from Beyond”. She was always fascinated with the unproven corners of magic, accounts of otherworldly spells and mysterious ponies. Her brain is a black hole of knowledge; once it absorbs the facts, it starts to hunger for the speculations and legends. This one was about creatures that supposedly live between planes of reality. Lemon was unimpressed by the concept, but Twinkleshine and Lyra were enamoured with it. Meanwhile Moondancer drew no conclusions on whether these creatures exist or not. She even commented on the implausibility of the claims. I drifted off midway through; I couldn’t stop thinking of that sudden amnesia a few hours ago. I wondered if it had any link to my déjà vu, or if it was something else. If so, what? Lemon noticed that I was unusually quiet and asked me: “Minuette… Is something wrong?” I snapped back into reality, as I pulled my head out of my own thoughts. “Another déjà vu?” Lyra asked, with a knowing smile. “No, well… Not right now.” I said. “I kind of had one during my last procedure, but it was something different.” “What do you mean?” Twinkleshine asked, now with all of them staring at me with concern. “I… Well… It kind of wiped my memories of the day and for a moment I didn’t know where I was.” Lyra chuckled. “It’s like when the teacher asks you something, while you’re drawing an unflattering portrait of her in your textbook.” “No, not really… It was more like… Like the memories of the rest of the day were blown away by a strong gust and I was having a déjà vu about those vanished memories.” “Has something like this happened to you before?” Moondancer inquired further. “Not that I know of. It was just the déjà vu so far.” “Maybe you should see a doctor again.” Lemon advised. “It’d be a good idea to catch it in time, if it’s something serious.” “Dude, this is legit scary.” Lyra commented. “Imagine that happening in a serious situation. Like being chased by a monster. One moment you’re running for your life, then you’re all ‘wait, what am I running from?’ Chomp!” “Actually,” Moondancer steered the thought to a new direction, “remember that memory spell that Twilight created?” “Well, she didn’t create it.” Lemon corrected. “Eh, she did base it on an existing one, but it’s still considered a new spell.” I raised my head up. “Good thing you say that, Moondancer,” I cheered, “I was just thinking about digging it up.” “It’s in the restricted section, waiting to be experimented with.” Moondancer hinted. “And I’d be happy to help you explore its capabilities.” Lemon interrupted that thought. “Maybe it’d be a better idea to take a break tomorrow and get it looked at by a doctor. Casting untested spells on yourself may not turn out well.” “I would, but I also don’t want to cancel all the appointments.” I said. “But if it happens again, I’ll call somepony.” “Let’s hope it doesn’t.” Twinkleshine finished the thought. I felt much better after they showed their concern for me. I slowly forgot about it as I got absorbed into one of Lyra’s silly rants that never go anywhere. But she had to hurry away. She would normally stay with me, but her sister was graduating, so she was staying with her parents. The rest of us stayed for a while afterwards, but as the sun went down and Joe was about to close up, we dispersed and went home. It was a pleasant end to a strange afternoon, but I couldn’t stop thinking about my amnesia. I hoped that I didn’t forget anything terribly important and that it never happens again. But at the same time, I was weaving a plan just in case. A strange stallion was waiting for me outside. He was there in the donut shop as well, but I didn’t pay any attention to him at the time. “E-excuse me!” He stepped up to me rather meekly, once I was by myself. “Doctor Minuette, if I’m not mistaken.” “Y-yes... That’s me.” I replied, expecting the stallion to book an appointment with me, though I wasn’t particularly keen on doing so at the time. He did look rather familiar to me, but I just couldn’t place it. We must have met before. “I’ve taken a very careful look at your cutie-mark and-” “Beg your pardon?” I cut him off to let him rethink what he just said. He must have realized what he was implying, because his cheeks turned red slightly. “Oh, no no no, I just noticed that we have the same cutie-mark.” He turned sideways and sure enough, he had an hourglass cutie-mark, just like I do. “I was just looking for those subtle differences that would set them apart.” “Oh I see. Still a bit weird.” He turned serious. “Do not misconstrue my intentions, doctor, this is important.” “What do you mean?” “Well...” The confidence dispersed from him again. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation and you mentioned having episodes of déjà vu, throughout your life.” “Right... Wait, that was like a few hours ago. How long have you been eavesdropping on us? He was stumped. He hummed, trying to find the right thing to say, but eventually gave up and cut to the point. “I do apologize for my bizarre behaviour, but I’ve been researching something very personal to me and I’ve grown desperate to find answers.” “If this is about the déjà vu, I’ve been told it’s a miniature seizure.” “Yes, but I’ve never been satisfied with that explanation. There must be something more than just a quirk of the brain. I think its source may be magical in origin. And seeing that you’re a unicorn, you might help me uncover the mystery.” “You say it’s personal, does that mean you have it as well?” “Y-yes, haven’t I mentioned that already?” “Nope...” “Oh... Well then it’s probably time to do so. I’ve had episodes of déjà vu throughout my life as well. So much so, that as a wee colt I was convinced that I was a time traveller.” “Oh wow, the same with me!” “But a few years ago, I started having particularly intense episodes every few months, where entire days’ worth of memories would disappear and only leave behind the feeling of déjà vu.” “Uh-oh, that’s what I had today. Is this gonna get worse for me as well?” “Perhaps not, if we crack the mystery in time. Now, I’d like to show you something.” He pranced away. I stayed behind. I mean, I don’t know this stallion and he’s calling me away from the crowd... He might have been the most honest pony alive, but he surely wasn’t acting like such. He stopped and turned back to me. “Is something wrong?” “I’m sorry, but between you staring at my flank and listening to conversations and now you calling me away who knows where... It’s all starting to feel like a kidnapping of sort.” “Oh, heavens, no!” He was shocked at my interpretation of his behaviour. “This would feel weird coming from one of my weird friends and from a stranger it’s honestly a little scary.” “Oh, have I forgotten to introduce myself?” “Well, I certainly don’t know who you are.” “How rude of me. My name is Doctor Hooves...” “Oh, that kooky scientist from Ponyville?” “...Not the most flattering description, but I suppose it’s accurate.” “I have heard of you from my friend Lyra. She lives in Ponyville as well. Do you know her?” “Yes, she was the one who told me about you having the same cutie-mark as I do! She’s the reason I came to Canterlot to see you!” “...Wait... So you were looking for me?” Thinking back to the way he looked, it was really funny. But at the time I couldn’t really appreciate the humour of the situation. It all felt like I had a stalker or something. He froze in place, his eyes darted around as he looked for the rope that could pull the right words from his mouth. “Y-yes...” He stuttered. “...Sooo... You could have just told me everything upfront in the donut shop...” “Hmm... Perhaps I did overcomplicate it for myself.” “Don’t worry, that’s how first dates usually go.” I tried to lighten the mood. “Oh no, I just need you for an experiment.” The joke totally went over his head. “If we both have the same condition, on top of having the same exact cutie-marks, then there must be some kind of connection. I just refuse to believe it’s a coincidence.” “And what do you think the reason for it is?” “Hmm... I certainly have a few theories, but I’ll withhold my judgment. I just need you to cast a single spell.” Though this gentlecolt had a very odd vibe to him, I still decided to go along with him. I figured that if he does pose a danger to me... Well, I went to Celestia’s school, so I know a few spells that could get me out of trouble, in case he ever tries something sketchy. And I wasn’t worried about him being a changeling either, even if the fall of Chrysalis was rather recent. Honestly, I was just curious about his findings of our condition. Especially if it was going to get as bad as he said. I definitely want to prevent that from happening. I followed him into a hotel room, which he turned into a complete mess. There were graphs laying everywhere, calendars full of incomprehensible scribbles, along with sketches and books on sea snails... There were also several bags of salt lying around... I wanted to ask questions, but I just didn’t know where to start. But the most peculiar thing was what appeared to be a giant machine. It seemed to have been broken. Not through a mechanical failure, but more as if something bashed it apart and rendered it dysfunctional. “Alright, here’s the spell I would like you to cast.” He flipped through a magic school textbook. “It supposedly reveals the true nature of things.” “Oh, veritatem revelandam?” “You know it?” “Yeah, it’s one of the final exam items.” “Splendid! Can you cast it?” “Sure, but why? Are you suspecting somepony of being a changeling?” “Well... Not a changeling... It’s a bit complicated and I feel I already overwhelmed you with too much new information. I’ll tell you after you describe what you see.” They say curiosity is a trait that sets apart the exceptional from the average, but it can also be a fool’s game and downright dangerous. I felt like I was that fool for going along with Hooves’ ideas. The potential for knowledge was beckoning me, as if casting that spell was going to answer all of my questions. So I did it. I closed my eyes, casted the spell and the world turned inside-out around me. I looked around, while keeping my eyes closed and saw that some of Hooves’ items had this odd distorted aura around them. Like their existence was not meant to be. But these were just books and papers. The broken machine was phasing in and out of existence before my eyes. But the most peculiar thing was the aura around Doctor Hooves. When somepony isn’t what they seem to be, then I’d see the silhouette of their real form. The silhouette around Hooves looked like a hole in space and time, a shapeless crystal ball that can show past present and future. I’ve been told that what the spell shows can be vague and there are ponies who studied the right way of interpreting these visions... I didn’t, so I had no idea what I was looking at. “What do you see?” He asked me. “I... I’m not sure...” “...What does it look like?” He pressed further. “Your silhouette... It looks like... Like... Like a hole in reality... Where the beginning and end of the universe are happening at the same time over and over again.” “Interesting...” He didn’t know what to do with that information. To be fair to him, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was saying either. “Some of your items have a similar aura as well.” “Ah, this might be the right time to tell you why I needed you to cast this spell. You see-“ “What is that?” I cut him off in surprise. As I glanced back at him I saw this enormous mass of fleshy glob-entity following him around. It had a shell, covered in eyes forming and unforming repeatedly, many of them extending into thin tendrils, coiling around Hooves’ silhouette. And they were all fixated on him, like a cat waiting for an opportunity to pounce. “What is it? What do you see?” His voice got filled with a hint of worry. I couldn’t answer. I saw the creature’s eyes suddenly turning to me. Its formless body expanded and a pitch-black opening appeared in its middle. The opening suddenly reached out and like a frog’s tongue, it launched out to me. My vision blackened and I could feel it jerking my head around violently. I opened my eyes and everything was back to normal, except for Hooves’ distressed expression. “Oh no!” He trembled. “What is it? What happened?” I started panicking. “...N-no... Don’t worry... Stay calm and listen to me.” He frantically attempted a calm demeanour. “I can feel something on my horn, what is it?” I panicked further. “No! No... Don’t worry about it. Here is a spell that can fix it.” “It hurts! It’s hurting my horn!” I tried to shoot an energy beam to get rid of it. But whatever attached itself to my horn has absorbed it and expanded. It felt heavy and slimy and began dripping down on my face. “Don’t look at it! Here!” Hooves showed a scroll in my face. “I used this spell for my time-machine, it will fix it!” “Time machine?! What is going on?!” “Just do it! There is still time! I’ll explain later!” I would have questioned further, but the blob of flesh was now chipping away at the outer keratin layers on my horn and it was extremely painful. So I panicked and casted the spell. It looked like a very complicated spell, so I just winged it. I casted it as I read along, without really understanding what any of it meant. There was a bright flash of light. A loud dissonant mess of voices blasted past my ears, words and laughter flew back into my throat and the pain in my horn disappeared without a trace... ...