Hours Later, around sunset Keen Wit, Archimedes, Time Turner and Pinkie Pie, with all her seemingly eternally youthful vigor, were sitting around the machine Keen Wit had designed. It was meant to cook and dispense different tea recipes as needed. There was even a simple green tea I could tolerate without gagging that he made a point to include in the dispenser's options.
"Are you done putting your stuff away yet, Moss? Your tea is about cooled to the temperature you like. If you take much longer it will get cold."
I turned off the lamps I had been using to see and did my best to slip Hope's birthday present to the hidden compartment. I then stubbed my toe in the dark backroom of the workshop shortly after, having miscalculated where I was. I could turn it off after I stepped to the door, but I wanted to keep my gift a secret. Not for any particular reason. Others could know and it would still end up fine, but I was rather fond of the idea of it being a surprise. The extra steps, while silly, helped me reinforce just how important it was to me.
"Gah!... I'll... Be fine. I'm coming back. Just had to get some things ready for Scrap's shift in the morning. Orders to be filled, what basic stock and supplies I want manufactured and replenished when he has time, notes on the billing and the discount I agreed on for the Apple Family's order he'll be working on."
As I came to the table, Keen Wit levitated my double portion mug over to me. It was the one that he would serve me when he wanted to cue me in that I needed to sip it slowly and engage in the conversation. If I had a normal sized pony cup, I'd drink it faster than the ponies and one way or another it would cause a bit of an awkward scene if I needed to stay. He didn't always serve my tea in it, though and would let me slip away sometimes, depending. Yet, for whatever reason, he emphasized that he needed my presence with it.
I heard Time Turner compliment Keen Wit's invention as I sat down. "Ah! Not the best cup of chamomile I've ever had, but for a machined tea, I am rightly impressed!"
Archimedes didn't partake in any tea, but was happy to have half a sweet biscuit to gnaw on his custom seat/perch at the table. Pulling away from the holder that held the biscuit up, he gently pecked at the buttons next to him.
"Good. Always," his speaking perch said for him. We had to fill in the gaps between the words, but it worked well enough if precise details weren't necessary. We had refined the tech considerably since the prototype he was using, but we hadn't gotten a mobile version of it for him made quite yet. The mobile version would need a translator element to it for the diplomacy missions. That would weigh it down to the point of still needing a dedicated carrier backpack for Spike, at least at current tech levels. Until we could even get that made, the cards we made for him would have to do.
"I'll be sure to relay that to my mother then, Archimedes." Keen Wit replied, raising his cup to the bird in toast.
Pinkie Pie finished putting her umpteenth cube of sugar in her tea and was satisfied when she saw it couldn't all dissolve into the tea. She then took it and looked at me as she cooled it. "Thanks again for healing me the other day, Moss. Being sick is never fun."
I looked at her odd. "Pinkie, I've only healed scrapes and bruises as of late. I haven't had to heal somepony from being sick in a long time. I think the only time I ever treated you for being sick was over seven years ago."
Time Turner lost his oddly chipper attitude and turned to glare at Pinkie.
"Still no sign of the counter sign for tingly tongue..." Was all that she could say, looking up in thought and not noticing his glare. "Huh. If it's not about Moss, then I wonder what that means. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."
She then pulled out a notebook and a pencil. Turning back to me, she asked. "So... do you think you could set me straight then? Perhaps help me remember exactly when we interacted and how I responded? Like every single time from when we first met to now?"
Time Turner slapped his hoof to his head, "As always, subtle as a brick."
Having learned to not question the pink mare, I shook my head and said, "Whatever this is about, fine, but you owe me one. We will have to skip all the parties you pull me into as that would take too long, but I think you have all those on file anyway."
She scribbled a quick note, mumbling "Pulls Moss to parties..." as her pencil moved in her teeth to write.
"I think the first time we met, I showed you a letter with Princess Twilight's cutie mark on it and you pointed me to the ca-"
Suddenly, the door to the shop were busted down and guards were flooding the shop, calling to everypony "Everypony down! On the ground!"
Pinkie screamed and flailed in panic as the rest of us just dove to the ground. Pinkie was tackled after managing to dodge a good deal of the guards, and the rest of us were pinned, with twice as many pinning me as the others due to my size.
One of the guards looked around with a device and called to the leader, "The sensor is indicating three possible sources of sirenite."
"Then show us!"
He pulled the device close to me, then down to my chest. "It appears to be in his necklace."
With what they were looking for dawning on me, I shifted my lungs and called out "That would be my old translation amulet. I still use it from time to time when my lungs get tired speaking Equestrian in the raw."
I could feel them levitating my amulet off of me, and knew my translation would end when it floated out from around my head.
"No need to tear up the shop. I also know where the other two are and I will direct you to them. My old music box on the top left shelf of the larger workstation in the back, and a small pendant containing a small sliver of the same crystal to contain a single song I was going to give as a present. It is in the secret compartment in between the two drawers on the right of that same work bench. The key is on my wrist... My front right ankle."
Everypony was worried, and even Archimedes was netted, but Pinkie was in an absolute panic still, crying as the guards still held her down.
Shortly after a few guards were sent to the back room, they came back and had the items I described in tow.
"The two necklaces are far too small to be the item stolen, leaving the music box. Are we sure there are no others?"
The guard with the detector looked carefully at the screen. "Yes sir. with all three gathered together, I'm getting no further cross resonance. These are the only three in range of the scanner."
"If you have all the data you need and confirmed my amulet isn't the culprit, can I have it back, please? My lungs tire quickly by talking like this even without being pinned down."
After a moment, the Guards apologized and returned my amulet to around my neck, saying they were following a lead of a thief that resembled Time Turner that had stolen a powerful and dangerous artifact from one of the Royal Family's vaults only an hour or so before. The only lead they had was that it was made of sirenite, and the description of the thief.
I sighed and realized I wouldn't be able to press my amulet while being pinned. "Well, I figured you had a reason busting in here, but you can see that crystal, while... tosipovi," I tried to imitate the way they lipped the word for the crystal type, "has been in that box for the last five years, with the aging on the welds holding it in to prove it. I have had it at multiple birthday parties and Pinkie has photos showing me singing at these parties. Time Turner has also been with us at the get together since noon. I doubt he is the pony you are looking for."
The guard looked at Pinkie about this. With this, she spoke very plainly, and blandly. "Pound and Pumpkin Cake can show you my files on the parties." It sounded like something she would respond with, but compared to when I normally was with her, it felt like she had rehearsed the answer, not that the guards would notice.
About an hour later, the guards that were sent came back and confirmed what we had said. We were let up and allowed to return to our business.
"Thank you for acting so quickly, Moss." Time Turner called out, with Keen Wit nodding in kind.
"That could have been a lot worse. They would have wrecked the shop looking for those if it hadn't been for your quick thinking."
I nodded in kind, stretching my sides, then pressing my amulet to give my lungs a break.
"This wasn't my first rodeo with being arrested. On top of that, unlike in my home world, the guards here actually do have the best interest of the people in mind. That said, however, what were you looking for?"
The guard shook his head. "I'm sorry but that is classified."
Pinkie looked at the guard in a stern glare. "You ruined our tea party."
The guard just shook his head, "Look, it's not about manners, It's about-"
She cut him off with a hoof to his mouth. "Clearance level, Element of Harmony. Element Bearer number two, Pinkamena Diane Pie, bearer of the element of laughter. Clearance passcode: Gama point Alpha Delta. What were you looking for?"
The guard's own sign of rank glowed light pink for a moment at what Pinkie Pie said, causing the head guard to look at her in shock.
"Miss Pie... My apologies." he gathered his thoughts then continued. "The crystal we are on the hunt for was originally an unauthorized attempt to imitate the elements of harmony and their ability to focus and store raw magic. The experiment wound up being both a success and a failure. It did gain the ability to store energy into it, though it could absorb positive or negative emotional energy, not just positive. It also had a negative effect on the test subject, overloading them with an emotion they weren't used to. This caused them to die from complications later after we discharged its energy to store it safely. It is basically an extremely difficult to wield equivalent to any one of the elements that can be wielded by anypony. Its one flaw is that the energy must be first focused into it and stored rather than recharging itself over time. But we were holding it until we could find a way to neutralize it safely. In the wrong hooves, it is a danger to everypony, including the one who uses it."
He gestured his guards out in haste, stopping at the door for one last moment.
"We must recover it before whoever wanted it has a chance to charge it. Please let us know if you discover anything."
Without skipping a beat, Pinkie went back to the tea machine and got it to turn on. Picking up her cup, she just about swigged the old tea before I caught her.
"That thing is packed with sugars and has been sitting out for an hour. Let me at least purify it."
With a wave of my hand, I called out to Archimedes "Partner?" and blue mist quickly formed, going to all the tea, killing any bacteria that may have grown and any nasty stuff left behind from them. I then rubbed my fingers together, and called out "Hocus." After that, the tea warmed back up again, allowing Pinkie Pie to drink it quickly and get back to her notes, "Alright, Moss, continue."
I only shook my head and saw Keen Wit do the same. Time Turner at least helped get the front back in order as I entertained Pinkie's request.
Keen Wit had decided to calm his and Time Turner's nerves with a bit of his mother's personal blend and was just getting sat back down after cleaning up the shop.
"And then I showed you my music box about four years ago, which made you want to have me show it off at parties. A decision I still have some reservations about to this day, if I'm being honest. After that, it was pretty much just you dragging me to parties."
Time Turner looked at Pinkie, "Alright. With that, are we done here yet, Pinkie?"
"Almost. Other me told me there would be one last interruption right about..." She looked at the clock on the wall as it changed minutes. "Now!"
At first nothing happened, but then we heard a loud mechanical whining in the back of the workshop.
Quickly, we ran to the back room as I called out, "Barata," a few times and snapped my fingers, lighting up the oil lamps in the back room.
It was transparent at first, but quickly became solid. A large box in the middle of the room. We all were dumbfounded but I was even more so because it had words written on it. Not in Equestrian, but in English:
Two large words of POLICE and BOX with the words PUBLIC CALL written between them in a smaller font.
"Well I suspect I know where this is heading." Time Turner called out as he came forward and just about knocked on the door, only for it to open.
Another Time Turner came out of the box, calling out "Now there's no need for that, you handsome devil!"
Time Turner smirked and retorted back in a playful quip. "Oh, and you should know! You just as handsome looking devil!"
"I'd say so! I am you a few adventures down the line after all!"
"Hey! What's going on here!" Keen Wit called out from the doorway, "And why is your giant box in my shop, Time Turner!?"
Everypony in the room was suddenly looking at a very irritated Keen Wit, who clearly had very little patience left.
"I think I can answer that," a mare's voice called from the machine.
Looking back to the box, a dark brown unicorn mare stepped out and looked at Pinkie. "Tingly tongue telling you Time Turner needs your help again, Pinkie?"
Pinkie's mouth opened wide as her tongue started to spasm a little, her eyes wide in excitement. "That's it!" She said as her tongue stopped its spasm. "That's what tingly tongue meant! I have to wright that down!"
Keen Wit, looking like he was at the end of his rope, called out. "Look, I don't know who you are miss, but I am about fed up with... Wait..."
His anger diminished considerably, with curiosity and astonishment taking precedent.
The mare finished stepping out of the box as Keen Wit circled her. She cocked her head and followed him as he did so, shifting her posture to allow him to get a good look at her every angle with a coy confidence.
She didn't seem to be all that impressive a looker, from what I had learned of pony standards, but Keen Wit didn't have a look of infatuation in his eyes. More along the lines of disbelief.
Finishing his circling, Keen Wit came up to her, face to face, and asked, "Who... Who are you?"
She gave a smirk and refused to answer him, instead taunting. "Oh, come now Keen Wit. Aren't you going to at least try to live up to that name your father gave you? I know you're sharper than that."
His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as I saw something dawn on him. "G-g-g-g-g."
She gave a patient nod and cooed maternally to him "Go on."
At first I thought he was going to leap at her, but instead collapsed trying. She met him half way and they embraced as he started balling his eyes out. "Gran-Gran Sharp Cookie! It's you!"
She held him while gently rubbing his main and back. "Let it out. Let it out, Keen Wit."
The two Time Turners looked rightly proud at the sight before them. The one that came from the box muttered "Still beautiful the second time round."
I, meanwhile, looked back at the two embracing and pressed my amulet. "Hold up. How could you be his grandma? You look like you're the same age as him."
Sharp Cookie turned and gave me a blushed smile. "Well thank you! But I'm currently twenty two, not nineteen. From my point of view I haven't even given birth to his father yet but I do still love my grandson non the less. And that big blue box is a time machine. Do try to do the math and keep up."
I paused and looked at everypony, not really believing what I just heard.
"She's telling the truth, Moss." I heard Archimedes call to me.
He flew down to the workbench and cawed a little. "And I know for a fact we need to get in that box and go with him, because I was there at the other end. I'm sorry I had to keep this a secret from you, but the you I remember from back then was just as surprised as you are now. Please."
Both of the Time Turners looked at me and said, "Seriously?" Before looking at each other. The one that had been with us gestured to the one from the box to continue.
"I don't know exactly what words your owl is saying to you right now, but I'm pretty sure he's right about coming with us." He gave an air of disinterest as he looked to his box. "If you don't go back and do the events you're supposed to do, it could rip up the entire timeline."
The first Time Turner continued, "Everypony you ever knew and loved, gone. Killed off in a terrible event-"
The other jumped in, adding a flare to his words, picking up the pendant I was going to give Hope from the workbench. "Or worse, they will have never existed at all... Ancestors dying, grandfather paradox and all that."
The one with the pendant put it down as the first one piped in again, "Tell you what. Do it and we'll owe you one in the future, or rather you owe us one from our point of view and we'll both be paying each other back in each other's point of view. How's that?"
I was confused for a moment as they finally stopped talking. A lot of their time travel stuff wasn't making sense and I wasn't going to waste brain power throwing it all together, but I got the basics. I do it or bad thing happen.
I shook my head and looked back at the box. Seeing the writing, I looked back at them.
"You've been to Earth... That's Earth writing. Could you-"
"Take you back?" one of them interrupted. I had lost track of which was which. "Theoretically, yes. It might be possible, but it would be a doozy. Even then you'd probably want to do something about those fin ears and that complexion before you take that ticket. Don't think you'd want your friends back home dissecting you."
I looked at my green tinted hands and nodded. "And I don't think they are ready for magic, anyway. No way to guarantee it wouldn't end badly. Besides, Archimedes needs to stay here, but I'd have to drag him with me if I went home."
I looked back at them and thought a little bit.
"Time Turner isn't your real name, is it? You're not even from Equis."
The other took their turn and said. "We have a sharp one here! And to answer your question, no, I'm not from Equis. Time Turner is just my local alias. But before you ask for my real name, I think you already know why I can't give it to you. Lets just say when I'm on a mission and not taking time off on Equis, you can call me the Doctor instead. So, all aboard?"
I looked at Archimedes. "This is not an order, just to keep the familiar magic in check, but I ask you to swear to me. If you swear to me on her memory, on the oath you gave her that you know what you're doing, then I'll go. Anything short of that and I'm staying here."
Archimedes didn't hesitate to fly up and hover in mid air a few yards in front of me, looking me dead in the eyes, head holding still as the rest of him bobbed like birds could do. His emotions burned through his divine catalyst connection with absolute, suffocating zeal in his earnestness.
"I swear by the memory of my one and only beloved, Ebony Nexus, and to the oath I made to her to protect this world in her memory that this is no prank, and that you will make it back alive. If ever you trusted me, trust me now, Moss."
I stared into his eyes for only a few seconds as I saw that same abyss of absolute conviction I once had in my own. I just nodded and moved towards the box.
One of the Time Turners came with me and looked at the two ponies holding each other, one sobbing on the floor.
"Sharp Cookie, are you coming with us?"
With her practically in a death grip from him still holding her so tightly, showing no signs of stopping, Sharp Cookie looked back and called out "I'm sorry, Doctor, but it looks like I'm going to have to sit this one out. You'll have to deal with out me until he gets dropped back off."
Before we go, you will need to change out your amulet's songs. You're going to need numbers three, seven and seventeen."
I looked at him odd, then put my fingers to my temples a moment later to cue the others in on who I was talking to. "That will take up my entire amulet. I won't even have room for a single translation charge. My amulet won't be able to speak for me at all."
"I know. But you will need them."
I could only whine, knowing my lungs were going to be screaming at me by the time I got back without any translator aid.
"Archimedes says I gotta change my amulet's settings first. I should probably get my tinkering tools and component pouch too. Did I have my armor back then?"
Archimedes looked away and didn't answer me initially.
"Archimedes..."
"Just the protective bits of your good workshop gear..."
My head ached a little as he said that. My good workshop gear was something Keen Wit and I made to help Scraps and myself work our alchemy in the field. While Keen Wit specialized in prosthetics and neural control of those prosthetics, Scraps and I were both alchemy specialists. It was what let us higher him in the first place. We had experimented and found a few solid recipes that could be expedited with a kit that held pre made mixes of what we needed, like a refined version of Keen Wit's tea machine. Just the last step of mixing it with water and infusing our magic into it was needed to get a working potion. Otherwise, it would take hours to prepare a potion we might not end up needing by the time it expired with a conventional alchemists kit.
The main apron in the gear not only housed the potion kit, it also acted as an equivalent of magically reinforced leather armor, which was quieter and overheated less easily than my preferred armor, but was more Scraps' style than mine. It was less protective than the armor I would have used otherwise, despite our attempts to augment it with a few leathery bits of protection for my limbs, but it was far more expensive than my dragon scale armor in spite of this.
As I thought about this, I went across the room to the area I kept the workshop gear next to the portable tool pack.
"I should probably grab my vial holder too, then."
I was about to reach for my gear as Archimedes finished.
"...And you will end up losing the gear in the past, permanently."
I keeled over a little, leaning towards the spot I kept my kits as I found my headache growing exponentially.