//------------------------------// // 3 - How to Find a Drummer // Story: Drummer Out of Time // by MrPip42 //------------------------------//    The day after found Twilight Sparkle and her assistant back inside the Golden Oak Library. One day every month was sorting day at the Library. Where Twilight, with Spike’s help, would take out and re-sort the library’s entire collection. During this process, she would reevaluate categories and books to find better places for them. Spike would often try to help with the reorganization, but his ideas for where books should be almost never matched with Twilight’s. So he often became a book holder while her magic did most of the work. “Spike, where did you put The Brief History of Appleoosa, Volume Ten?” “Over here, Twilight, with the other nine volumes. Really stretching the definition of a ‘brief’ history…”    Knock Knock Knock. “Spike! Could you get that?” “On it.”    One baby dragon came up to the front door. With a quick twist of his wrist, Spike brought open the door. Where a single scarfed stallion stood waiting.  “Oh, hey Dr. Hooves. Or is it Time Turner?” Spike asked. “Dr. Hooves will work, young man. I hope today has been a pleasant one?”  “I guess, pretty busy. Were you looking for a book today?” “A few, actually, any particular tomes centered around the theories and knowledge of time.” “Who is it, Spike?” Twilight called out from the tower of books that surrounded her.  “It’s Dr. Hooves!” “Who?” “Time Turner!” “Oh! Good Morning Mr. Turner!”    He had to hold back a sigh at the name she used. Most ponies in Ponyville still called him that. He was hoping the Dr. Hooves name would catch on quicker, but it hasn’t yet been used regularly by his neighbors. Maybe it would have if he kept it as Dr. Whooves instead. “Good Morning, Twilight Sparkle! I hope I am not interrupting anything?” “Oh it’s just time for monthly sorting. I can continue while we talk, and Spike can help with anything else.” “Yeah, sure beats having to find volume eleven.” Spike chimed in. “You said time books right? Twilight already finished that section, over there.”    Time Turner was led to one of the finished shelves in the currently chaotic mess of the library. Soon as he was reading the titles was he pulling off the books that he wanted. He quietly went about his business while Spike went back to helping Twilight Sparkle. When he finished choosing his books, he had a stack of books as tall as he was.  “I think I have found everything I need!” He exclaimed with glee. “May I have some assistance at the checkout.” “Yeah, I got it.” Spike said, returning to the front to pick up the check out sheet. His eyes looked up at the doctor’s giant stack, and raised a brow at him. “Doing some big, time themed research project or something?” “You could say that, yes!” Time Turner replied excitedly. Passing off each book one by one to let Spike write them down. In the distance, Twilight’s cheeks were growing flushed in embarrassment .  “I’m sorry for being curious… but your interest in all that isn’t because of my mess from last week?” Twilight asked him, poking her head out from behind a tower of books.  “Not exactly. Though I am curious about it. Would you be willing to tell me about your experience with time travel last week? It did cause quite the stir!” “Yeah… I'm very sorry about that.” Twilight stepped out from behind the tower and approached Time Turner and Spike. “My future self was actually just me from this past Tuesday, trying to tell me from that past week to not worry about what was going to happen on this Tuesday. Which was nothing.” “That does not sound confusing at all.” “Right? It was all just a big miscommunication with myself.” “And how exactly did that start? You used some form of magic for it, correct?” “Yes. Are you doing a research project on time travel, Mr. Turner?” Twilight asked, curious about his probing questions. Which the doctor took in stride.  “In short, yes. Though nothing more than a personal interest case.” He lied, but it wasn’t an entire lie. “It’s not like I can cast any spells, but I'd love to learn more about it.    If there was one thing Twilight was a sucker for, it was learning. So when she heard of his interest to learn, it immediately brought a bright grin to her face. “Well, the spell in question was one of many designed by the famous unicorn, Star Swirl the Bearded. His work on time travel yielded a spell that was capable of sending a unicorn back in time, but only for a short amount of time. After my incident, I read the full details of the spell. The farther in the past you try to go, the less time you’ll have to stay there. At least in the current form of the spell.” “So if one were to, say, travel back a century, how long would they have? Just as a random hypothetical.” “Well, if that were to happen, then they’d probably only be there for a few seconds. You would barely have time to blink!” “That… is fascinating!” Time Turner made a mental note of that. “And no other time travel spells exist of the sort, only this one with specific rules in place?” “Not that I know of, and I searched the entirety of Star Swirl’s portion of the royal archives. It is probably for the best.” “Oh, and why is that?” “Many of Star Swirl the Bearded’s spells are hundreds and hundreds of years old, and knowledge of how to cast spells has grown exponentially since then. While his work is still revolutionary, many of his original spells have been expanded upon and used in completely different ways. I imagine with enough time, his time travel scroll could be dissected and modified to do any number of things. Like going forward in time, or staying in the past for longer. While the ideas and possibilities fascinate me, they would be far too dangerous for any unicorn to possess. That’s why spells like it are in the archives.”     That was enough for Time Turner. He knew that his newest roommate wanted to specifically avoid Twilight. So it was best that he too kept his distance.  “Alright, all your books are checked out. Have fun with all those.” Spike said as he put his quill down. “Thank you young man, and thank you for this short lesson, Twilight Sparkle. I’m afraid I must depart.”  “Oh! Wait!” Twilight suddenly called out, right before he walked out with his books. “I wanted to ask, have you seen around town a tall, light brown pony with a pair of goggles on his head?”    …Blink Blink. “I cannot say that I have.”  “Okay.” She said, disappointment slipping into her tone. “Well if you do, let Pinkie Pie know. He may be the one pony in Ponyville Pinkie hasn’t met yet, and she may be going crazy trying to find him.” “…Ah ha! That Pinkie Pie..” Time Turner chuckled nervously, desperately hoping Twilight didn’t notice. “I will keep that in mind!” “Thank you! I hope you have a good day!”    And then the door shut behind him.    Pssssh~!    Time Turner’s laboratory had no real way of telling what time of day it was. With no windows or clear vents to look through, High Rise could only guess what time it was. His best guess was 1:12 pm, and he definitely didn’t use the clock on the wall to guess that.     The doctor had arranged for him to stay inside the basement during the day, and walk around in his house during the night. So that he could let him sleep in his spare bedroom. He wasn’t to go outside unless it was necessary. For most of today, he had been in this lab, sitting alone, afraid to touch any of the doohickeys around him in the off chance they would explode. Turner had returned a few times in the day already, the first time dropping off some books he picked up that discussed time and time travel. Theoretical stuff he said it was. He let High Rise read through them to pass the time, but the drummer wasn’t exactly the most well read of stallions. Within the first page of the first book he picked up were words and phrases that made the gears in his head grind to a halt.         Pssssh~!    The second time Turner came by, he hurriedly said he would be right back. Apparently something was happening that required his immediate attention. He urged High Rise to stay perfectly quiet while he was gone. Nothing about what he spouted made much sense. Something about a party planner on the loose. He didn’t really understand it.    Pssssh~!     So he had nothing to do, he could try and read the books again, but High Rise didn’t know if he would even understand any of it either. Academics were never his strong suit. All he could hear was the sound of the steam venting out of the machines around him… Then a thought occurred to him. High Rise’s ears perked up towards the pipe the steam released from, and then he counted.    Pssssh~!    A grin was slowly forming on High Rise’s face, he waited, and counted again.    Pssssh~!    Tap Tap Tap     Pssssh~!    Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap    Pssssh~!    The small grin he wore grew into a big smile. The sound the steam made came out in regularly spaced intervals. A few seconds between each puff. His hooves started moving before his mind did. The drummer used everything that he could reach to start a new rhythm, incorporating the steam that surrounded him. A tap on a nearby pipe, the sound of the glass on a nearby dial, or how his rear leg slammed against the stone floor.    With all of it together, a world came to life.     Imagination ran wild in the mind of High Rise. Around him, a steampunk world sprung to life from the harsh metal sounds created. A city deep within the ground, a towering cavern filled to the brim with machine powered buildings. Airships flew over the city, transporting dozens of ponies from one end of the cavern to another. The street level was dark, with simple light poles creating beacons in the darkness to travel between. The ponies of the city dressed in shades of gray and brown, with large top hats and monocles. Finding comfort and tranquility in this harsh looking universe.     As High Rise built an entire world from the music that he played, he also began to change it. The tempo slowed while his mind imagined a park, built out of smooth rock and metal. With a singular tree at its center. Somehow surviving in the depths of the earth. Foals covered in mud played around old and rusted jungle gyms. Having the time of their lives with the simplest of things. Parents watched on from afar, illuminated by spotlights to keep the park lit.     The tempo quickened again, and High Rise created the scene of a grand performance. Two ponies, dressed in robes, performed a mock battle in front of an enamored crowd surrounding them. Their choreographed moves creating a tight dance of violence that left the ponies watching them at the edge of their seats. A back and forth matchup until one of them finally got the other to trip up. The losing pony backed away as the winning one came for the final blow. Only for the unexpected to happen. The losing pony brought in a deep breath, and fire poured out to envelop the other!     The crowd cried out in surprise, but the fire soon dissipated, and what was left behind was a mare in a beautiful golden gown. She reached down to help the other pony up, and as she did so, the stallion’s robe fell away. His princely garb attracted a few oohs and aahs from the crowd. The prince and the princess, no longer fighting, came together for an embrace, and the crowd cheered.    For a short while, High Rise forgot about the circumstances of his life. No more did he worry about being in the past. Or about who he interacted with. He didn’t mind being trapped inside a small house in a town he couldn’t walk in. In this moment, he enjoyed creating the theme song for an imaginary world of his own creation. The sounds he made and the sounds around him guiding each piece of this new reality.    Until it all came crashing down around him. “Heeeey, Doc? Are you down here? I hear music!”     Psssh~!    A mare’s voice brought High Rise’s song to a clattering halt. The only note left from his music being the steam as it continued its constant release. It was no longer music, just another noise in the mix of mechanical clicks and clacks that filled this basement. The world he had envisioned disappeared as quickly as he created it.    Two sets of eyes interlocked with each other when the source of the voice poked her head through the stairway door. Correction, one and a half set of eyes locked. The mare’s other eye seemed to be pointing off towards the ceiling. High Rise didn’t know whether to ask what was up with her eye, or panic because at least one of her eyes was staring at him.  “Oh, you’re not the doc.” She said nonchalantly, walking forward into the room. A gray pegasus with a simple yellow mane and tail. Bubbles lining her flank, and a set of saddlebags tucked underneath her wings. “What are you doing here mister?” “…I could say the same to you, miss.”    The two began a fierce staredown, neither backing down. High Rise thought that this filly had an unfair advantage, she didn’t seem to blink! Then she blinked, and her eyes changed direction. The other eye was now looking at him instead. “Yeah I guess you could say that, I’m here to give a paper to him. What are you here for?”    What am I supposed to say?! High Rise thought to himself. Scrambling to find an answer that would be the least interesting to this odd looking mare. “I, ah…am a friend of Time Turner. He’s, uh, letting me stay in his house for a bit. That’s all.” “Who’s Time Turner?” She asked, cocking her head. “The Doctor.” “Oooooh…”    There was a moment of silence. Where the sounds of the machines seemed to be drowned out by the deafening staredown. High Rise had blinked multiple times, but nothing changed. Sweat began to gather at his brow. Has she grown suspicious? Maybe she’ll gossip to her friends about the weirdo in Time Turner’s basement! He had to take her, tie her up and make sure she didn’t ta- Wait, no, that’s messed up. “That makes sense, can I give you a paper to give the doc then?” She asked completely unassumingly. Thank Celestia, he didn’t have to foalnap her. Not that he actually would, a panicked mind goes to odd places.  “Sure, I'll make sure it gets to him.”     The pegasus smiled and walked up to High Rise. Presenting him a rolled up paper from her saddlebag. After he had taken it from her, the mare’s one eye began to look him over.  “I don’t know why, but you look familiar, mister. Have I met you before?” She said with another tilt of her head. “…Can’t say that we have!”  “…” Sweat beaded from the stallion’s brow, waiting for her next words. What would happen now?! “…I guess I must’ve mixed you up with somepony else.” The mare giggled. “I can be pretty forgetful sometimes. I like your goggles, by the way! They’re pretty cool.” “Oh, thanks! You’re pretty cool too.”    It was an instinctual reaction. High Rise always gave a compliment back anytime he got one. Whether he meant it or not. Not that it mattered to the pegasus, who finally blinked and looked away to hide a tint of red. “Oh, um, thank you. That’s really nice of you to say.” She beamed, and waved as she went back up the stairs. “I’ll see you around then!”    Overall, that could have gone a lot worse. An interaction like that should hardly change a thing about the future. High Rise had no idea why that pony just walked into somepony else’s house, but at least it didn’t cause the entire timeline to change. Plus, after spending all day sitting in a basement, it felt good to speak to another pony in simple conversation. At least with a pony that wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as Dr. Hooves.     With the stress of the moment in the past, High Rise thought about what to do next. He could go back to the music he was playing, but he had already lost the vision in his mind. It never came out quite as vividly the second time he does his jam sessions. It was fun while it lasted, at the very least. High Rise did however have a paper in his grasp, and while it was for Time Turner and not for him, he was just too curious. Slowly, he unwrapped the paper and read its contents.    His heart once again fell to the floor. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS COLT? Last seen locations: -Golden Oak Library -Sweet Apple Acres -Whitetail Woods If found, please contact Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner. So that she may welcome him to Ponyville!  One free cupcake and hug upon discovery.    Underneath the first line of text was an illustration of the colt the paper is searching for. To High Rise’s horror, it was a one to one perfect recreation of his own face. Somepony could mistake this artwork for an actual photograph of High Rise! It even had the smaller details of his face, and a recreation of his cutie mark in the corner. It was impossible for anypony to have gotten that good of a look of what he looked like. He wore his goggles during the Night-Mares performance, so nopony would have seen his eyes there. The band would have left for Manehattan yesterday. The other ponies who saw him only saw him briefly before he ran off. There was no way they saw this much detail. Of those left, the only other ponies who could have seen this much were Time Turner and-…    And Twilight Sparkle… “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS COLT?” Pinkie Pie yelled at the top of her lungs, startling the pony that walked by her. Pushing into her hooves a Missing Pony paper before she had any more time to react. The determined pink mare was splotched with ink, plastering copies of the poster on every building in Ponyville. As well as sharing it around herself. The cotton candy party planner had handed out stacks for local delivery ponies too. Asking them to hand out copies to every home they go to. After half of the day had passed, there wasn’t a single pony in town that hadn’t seen this poster. Including Applejack, who has found herself watching the mare in her element. “HAVE YOU SEEN THI- Oh hey Applejack! How are you today? Did you see this colt today? If so, where are his exact coordinates?” Pinkie Pie asked “Hey there, Pinkie Pie…” Applejack began, her voice grew more hesitant the more Pinkie pressed her muzzle against hers. “Ah see you, uh, have been lookin fer somepony?”  “Well DUH!” She bounced off Applejack and dashed between two buildings, gluing three posters each onto them. “I know everypony in Ponyville, except for this colt, and if I don’t know who this pony is, that means he must be new to Ponyville! Normally my neck would get all woochie woochie to tell me that there was a new pony in town, but I must have missed it when I got a whole bunch of woochie woochie’s from the rock concert! That means that this colt hasn’t been welcomed to Ponyville for TWO DAYS!!”    Applejack was about to respond, but she was cut off by more Pinkie before she could. “In order to fix that, I spent all of last night in front of a printing press, but then I realized I never actually saw his face, but I needed his face to make the picture for the missing pony template! So I woke up Twilight at 2 am, and she used her magic to give me a perfect image of the colt from when she met him. I redrew his face and cutie mark, printed five hundred and thirty three copies, and have been sharing them around town since then!” “Ah can see that Pinkie… but don’tcha think this may be a bit… much?” The concerned apple farmer finally got the pink menace to slow down. If only for a moment, so that she could blink at her exactly two times. “Too much?” Pinkie asked, confused on why her friend would say that. “How could it be too much?” “Look at the posters yer makin’, Pinkie. What do they remind ya of?” “…Find a friend posters?” “No. Foalnappin’ posters. Ya makin’ it look like this fella was foalnapped.”     The gears began to turn in that cotton candy head. Dots connected to other dots. An image formed inside of her head. One that made the situation become crystal clear to Pinkie Pie. The image was of a dancing monkey on a rolling ball, it was irrelevant to the revelation. “Oh, oooooooh…. Oooh…” “Yup, ah imagine the colt in question may become a tad scared of what all these posters are implyin’ about him.” “I don’t want to scare him! I just wanted to conduct a village-wide search for him!”    The two mares were then joined by a third. Twilight Sparkle, carrying in her magic a stack of posters. “Pinkie Pie, why do I have twenty of these dangling from my home?” “To make sure ponies saw them!” “There was one on every other tree at the front of the orchard too.” Applejack said in return, she let out a long sigh and focused her eyes on her distraught friend. “Ah know you wanna meet this fella an’ all, but you’ve never had to do all this to meet any other pony, have ya?”    The poofy mane of Pinkie deflated as her ears fell back. “No… But you girls don’t understand! It’s really important that I find him!” “And why is that, Pinkie?” Twilight asked. “We all were a bit concerned about this stranger’s behavior, sure, but hunting him down to find out why isn’t necessary.”  “Yes it IS!” Pinkie cried, stomping her hoof on the ground. “This is the latest I've ever been to welcoming somepony to Ponyville! Two whole days of wandering around the town without knowing anypony! Two days of being unsure whether he will fit in, or if ponies will think he’s weird for cracking his neck or his crooked teeth or his mane-do! I want to, no, I NEED to make sure he feels welcome in town! To know that he can fit in just fine and make lots and lots of friends, even with his front tooth being at a 3 degree angle!”    Pinkie’s outburst didn’t stop there. A pink hoof bumping into Twilight’s chest. “You told me that this colt was acting really strange two days ago, and Fluttershy found him in a flower field all alone!” Her hoof then bumped into Applejack’s chest. “And then you told me that Rainbow Dash saw him having a panic attack in the orchard! Don’t you see? He’s scared, and needs to be assured that Ponyville is a warm and welcome place that he doesn’t have to be scared of!”     The angry pink hoof finally stomped down into the dirt. A high pitched huff escaping her cheeks. Pinkie Pie did everything in her power to look angry. All it really did was make her look like a puffed up marshmallow. Even if her anger couldn’t be taken seriously, her words could. Both Applejack and Twilight shared a look that clearly understood the intentions behind Pinkie Pie’s actions. They both smiled at their shared friend.  “Alright, sugarcube. We get what ya mean.” “I’m sorry, Pinkie Pie. We didn’t mean to undermine your feelings about it. Of course we understand that you want the absolute best for this colt. Even if he is a complete stranger to you. We’ll help make sure you get the chance to welcome him, too.”  “Really?!” “Really. But why don’t we do it with a few less posters? Ah’m sure everypony in town knows what he looks like by now.”    The anger had completely subsided, and her mane poofed back up into its normal shade of pink. A giggle escaped the pink mare’s lips. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I can probably let Rainbow Dash stop flying around that banner then.” “The what now?”    All of their heads soon turned towards the sky. A rainbow streak flying through the air, with a large white and decorated banner followed behind it. On it was the face of the colt they were searching for, as well as a singular question. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS COLT? Applejack and Twilight looked back towards Pinkie, who whistled innocently to the side.     The rainbow colored distraction gave the brown stallion hiding behind a newspaper nearby plenty of time to sneak away. “Great Withering Stallions…” “We have a very big problem, Mr. High Rise.” Time Turner called out to his new roommate. Rushing down the basement stairs to meet him. High Rise already had one of the posters in his hand.  “You’re telling me…” The drummer said as he turned the poster towards Time Turner. “Dear Celestia, where did you get that?!” “A pegasus came down here and gave it to me.” “A pegasu-?!… Grey fur, bubbles for a cutie mark, eyes…?” “Looking in different directions? Yes.” “Ditzy!” The doctor released a drawn out sigh. “I asked her to stop letting herself into my home.” “Doctor.” High Rise said, rising to his hooves and approaching him. “What is going on? Why are there posters with my face on them? Disturbingly accurate versions of my face!” “Well, High Rise. It seems that you may have left a bigger impression on a few of the ponies in town than you may have thought.”     Dr. Hooves’ investigation throughout the day was then relayed to High Rise. From what he had first heard from Twilight Sparkle when he went to pick up the books. To the sudden explosion of Missing Pony papers that were scattered throughout town. It seemed that after High Rise’s panic episode two days prior, the friend group of Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy grew concerned for his well being. Since they each saw him or heard him acting strange.     Their concern eventually led them to talking about him to another member of their group. The resident baker and party planner Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie has a tradition of greeting every new pony in Ponyville, and welcoming them to the town. Many of these ponies are also given a welcome party to celebrate their arrival, so that they can make friends and feel more comfortable in the town. Every new pony wasn’t an exaggeration. So when Pinkie Pie learned that a new pony had come to Ponyville, and she had missed being able to welcome him? The party planner became dead set on finding him. Even now, Pinkie has enlisted the help of at least three of her friends in trying to find High Rise.    Which leads them to right now, where they are still out there, trying to find him. High Rise cursed himself for his bad luck. In his moment of weakness, he happened to have caught the attention of not one, not two, but five of the Elements of Harmony. It had to be some kind of divine punishment for breaking the rules of time. For him to be in this situation.    Then an even worse thought came to him. “Wait, if they’re all out there looking for me… then that means they’re all not doing the things they’re supposed to be doing!” High Rise’s hoof began to tap the ground in quick succession. “What if something important was supposed to happen today, and they weren’t there because they were looking for me?!”    TapTapTapTapTapTapTapTap- “High Rise!” The Doctor grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him violently. Ripping him from his panicked state and forcing the stallion to solely focus on him. “I need you to stay calm, and listen to me for a short amount of time, can you do that?”     High Rise nodded. “Good.” Time Turner then let go of him, and they both found themselves sitting on the ground across from each other. The Doctor then reached out and grabbed one of the books from the stack nearby. A book that detailed theories and philosophical discussions based around the flow of time. “What we are in the middle of right now, High Rise, is a theoretical idea known as The Butterfly Effect.” He opened the book to a specific page, which showed a diagram of a butterfly and detailed the effect in full. “The idea is that the smallest of changes to the world around us can have greater lasting impacts. Such as a tornado being formed a certain way because of how a butterfly flapped its wings a week earlier. The choices and actions we take, no matter how insignificant they may seem, can and will have greater consequences than anyone can expect. Your interactions with these ponies, no matter how short they were, left an effect that cascaded into what it is now. Does that make sense?” “…Yeah, it does, but that doesn’t really help me feel any calmer.” “Correct, anything you say or do can have long lasting consequences, but your reactions to that are just as capable of it!” The Doctor looked down at High Rise’s back leg, which had already started tapping again. “What I mean to say is, no matter what you do while you are in the past, there will be consequences, High Rise. There is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent that.” “Then what am I supposed to do? Let myself irreversibly change history?!” “No, but you can first relax.”     Another drawn out sigh is brought out of the Doctor before he gets back up on his hooves. Shifting around to sit next to High Rise. Gently, he raised a hoof to pat him on the back. An effect that slowed down his panic fueled tapping.  “I would never try to say I understand what it is you are going through, High Rise. You fear for a future lost because of mistakes made today, but how will you know if what you did will make the differences you believe they will? Tell me, you are trying to avoid the Elements of Harmony, is that correct?”    High Rise nodded his head. “I can’t tell you why.” “I know you cannot, and you don’t have to. Those mares have already saved Equestria twice now.” “…Wait, they already have two?” High Rise asked. “You know of the Elements of Harmony, but you don’t know when certain events occured? I suppose you don’t have exact dates to work with in your future?” “We do…but I wasn’t exactly the best in history, or math, or science. I was pretty good in music class.” “I see, well, yes. The Elements of Harmony have saved Equestria from eternal night at the hooves of Nightmare Moon. As well as from the clutches of chaos from the draconequus Discord. Us citizens of Ponyville recognize them for the heroes that they are, and already know that they will probably be there to save the day again in the future. You are afraid that your influence on the world could change events to prevent them from saving the day, is that correct?” “…Yes.”  “Then why were you not afraid of changing the future of the Night-Mares when you performed with them?”    High Rise opened his mouth to speak, but closed it soon after. His tapping had come to a stop, having to truly think about that. Being their biggest fan in one hundred years, he knew for certain that the Night-Mares met their drummer while holding auditions in Manehattan. In his mind, he thought that, as long as he didn’t stick around, everything would turn out okay. But would it really be okay? What if what he did change how they viewed their auditions? Any amount of possible changes could happen now, all because of what he did… So why wasn’t he afraid of that?    Then he thought about that walk to the Golden Oak Library, the fears that were supplanted in him as he knocked on the door. The fears that overtook him and made him run away. It all started then, when he became afraid.  “I know what it is.” High Rise finally said. “I’m not afraid of changing the future, I'm afraid of changing Twilight Sparkle’s future.”    The Doctor’s brows raised up high, taking in the information. He wanted to pry, to find out what he meant, but he couldn’t. That information wasn’t for him to know, and he- “Dr. Hooves, will you let me tell you something about the future? Something important, and it will make everything…make sense, I think.”    Well if he was offering. “As long as we do not record it, go ahead.”    High Rise took in a deep breath, for he knew what he was about to say would have far greater consequences than anything else he had done before. “In the future, there will be a different ruler of Equestria. Celestia and Luna no longer sit on the seat of power. The one who rules Equestria is Princess Twilight Sparkle.”     This time it was Dr. Hooves who blinked exactly twice. “And Princess Twilight…” _ _ _ _ “…I see.” Dr. Hooves tapped his chin. Absorbing the conversation he just had with High Rise. It was a lot to absorb, and he had no idea how to respond to it at first. “I understand why you are afraid of changing Twilight’s future now.” The weight of what he told him still held down his thoughts, but Time Turner knew he had to focus on the more important thing at this time. The problems happening 100 years in the future are not something he can solve.  “High Rise, what you have told me, it does not happen until after one hundred years from now, is that correct?”    He nodded. “Then it is not something that either of us can possibly begin to worry about. What will happen across the next century will be influenced by thousands upon thousands of ponies, including ourselves. I will not even live long enough to see it!”  “But if I can get back home, I will! What if what I did here makes things worse? How could I ever forgive myself for that?” “By understanding that it is outside of your control. You are one mere pony, High Rise. If today has proved anything to us, it is that we cannot possibly hope to control the twists and turns of time. If we wish to find any opportunity to take you back home, we have to be able to focus on it. Not constantly worrying about what you could possibly change.” “But-“ “No buts! You have already become the focus of the very mares you wished to avoid. These actions cannot be reversed, all that can be done is deciding what to do next. Can you agree to that?”    He wanted to argue, the fears he had were still at the forefront of his mind. Unfortunately, the Doctor’s reasoning was sound. What was he supposed to do? Freak out anytime he risks changing the future? He already did that, and the poster sitting next to him proved that panicking wasn’t any better. High Rise had to calm himself, to push those fears away, and think about this practically, like Time Turner has. With a calming breath, he spoke. “Yes, I agree… I can’t keep hiding and acting like this. I’m sorry, Doctor.”     After all the panic and stress, a smile finally returned to the Doctor’s face. “It’s quite alright, dear boy. If I were in your position, I do not think I would fare much better. I was the one that pushed the idea of hiding in the first place, a shortsighted idea, in retrospect.”     His hoof reached towards his back again and patted High Rise. He didn’t want to admit it, but it felt pretty good, and definitely helped calm his nerves. “So… I may have an idea.” He said to the doctor. “And what is that idea of yours?” “When that pegasus came in here, Ditzy, was it? I told her that I was an old friend of yours, and I was staying at your place for a little while. She seemed to believe what I said, and didn’t think much else of it.” “So you wish to reveal yourself? Even with the risks that would entail from it?”  “The Element of Laughter won’t stop until she finds me, right? So if I let her find me, and she sees i’m just a friend of yours, they’ll eventually forget about me and move on.”  “You do understand that this will likely mean a welcome party for you. Are you alright with that?”    Right… “Well, no, but if it’s something I can’t avoid, it’d be better to get it over with quickly, right?”    Dr. Hooves smiled wide. “Good, as long as we do not reveal your nature as a pony of the future. This should go off without a hitch. Shall we head outside now?” “Ah! Maybe not today, could I mentally prepare myself for it? First thing in the morning.” “Of course, once this is over, we can properly get started with finding you a way home!”    After their discussion had come to a close, High Rise ascended the stairs to try and get some rest. He was expecting that the fears and stress he had built up would keep him awake that night, but to his own surprise. He was soon out like a light.    While High Rise was settled into bed, Time Turner stayed behind in the basement lab. Where he pulled out his recording device. With a click, it whirred into life. Project Century, log two. From now on I will be titling these recordings as Project Century. As before, the goal of Project Century shall be to document my research into Time Travel, both magical and mundane, as well as find a way to bring the temporal anomaly High Rise back to his home, one hundred years in the future.  Today has been a most hectic day. From the moment I grabbed reading materials to the moment I record this log. Subject High Rise has gained the attention of the ponies who make up the Elements of Harmony. Specifically, the Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie. Who seeks to find the subject and welcome him to Ponyville properly. High Rise almost fell into another tapping filled panic attack at this knowledge, but thankfully, we were able to calmly discuss the situation as a whole. This conversation also revealed to me parts of the future that I will not repeat in this recording, but the contents helped me to better understand why it was that High Rise was so afraid to interact with the Elements.  Hiding High Rise, as was my original idea, was no longer a feasible option, and soon after our conversation, he agreed. We have decided to reveal him to Ponyville tomorrow morning, where he will be introduced as an old friend of mine who is staying with me. Hopefully, after the excitement of a new pony in Ponyville dies down, High Rise will be able to lay low, and I will be able to begin my research in full. I will make a detailed recording of the events that shall occur tomorrow in my next log.  Click.    Time Turner then let out a large yawn while he stored away the new log. Soon, he was off to bed as well. Tucked away into his sheets to rest until morning.     Neither Time Turner nor High Rise saw the cotton candy shadow that walked outside of their windows.