Your Friends From Across Time

by EquestrianKnight97

Chapter 11 (Pt 1)

The taste of sulfur and wet wood caused you to sit up and spit out the horrible sensation as much as your could.

"Oh. Yur awake now. That's good to know."

Opening your eyes, you looked to your left and saw a bright yellow earth pony mare sitting on a chair. She had amber eyes, a long, thick red mane with a dark pink bow, and wore a pink shawl with a blue emblem of a mare in the center. The mare held a small bowl that had a spoon stuck in some greenish-yellow substance, and to the side of the chair on the ground was a pair of brown saddlebags.

"Professor Apple Bloom?" you said weakly.

The mare smiled back at you. "Hello, [Y/N]. Ah'm sorry about the awful taste. It's just a remedy Ah made to help make ya wake up is all. Ah learned it from a friend who used to live around here a long time ago."

You looked down and saw that your body was underneath the covers of a bed you laid on, but the covers were not just those of some random bed. They were your covers. And upon looking around your environment and spotting familiar objects, such as a small white refrigerator with a bit of external rust, a mess of books on one of the two desks, and a radio set on a cabinet, you realized that you were in your dorm room.

You took a deep breath, your main senses being a bit soggy.

"What happened to me?" you asked your honesty professor. "The last thing I remember is..."

You paused. You recalled the black, dreadful moment you saw your home ablaze and smoldering in the distance. The sight had taken all of the strength out of your body and made you collapse to the ground. When the headmare tried to explain to you what was happening, you took no precautions to her warnings, hoping that she was wrong. Now you lay in bed, knowing what you experienced, but still hoping that it was all a dark fantasy.

"[Y/N]?" Apple Bloom called out. "Are ya alright?"

You were pulled out of your daze, realizing that your eyes were set on the ceiling of the room. You then directed them to your professor with a face overcast by a melancholy shadow.

"Do... Do you know about Canterlot?"

The earth pony copied your expression. "Ah do. The damage is really bad, and from what Ah heard they're still tryin' to find survivors after nearly two days."

Your eyes widen. "I've been asleep for two days?"

"Technically a day and a half. Ah don't know much details 'bout the trance, but the headmare and vice-principal told me that it must have still had a hold on ya even after they took ya out of it. That night and the day after, ya were mainly watched by some of the nurses, but this mornin' they called me in to see if Ah could wake ya up."

"Well, hopefully I won't be going to sleep anytime soon unless I want to."

Apple Bloom sturred the spoon within the remedy and took out an average-sized scoop. "Here. Remember, it's to make sure ya stay awake."

Reluctantly, you opened your mouth, trying your best to keep it that way until the mare placed the spoon inside. Closing your lips, you sucked in the foul substance and swallowed it down your throat.

"How come I wasn't taken to the hospital?" you asked.

"With all the creatures that were attacked durin' the festival, and the creatures injured on that train, the hospital is a bit full right now. And to be honest, yur condition was more mental than physical if ya catch mah meanin'. We just figured that ya needed some rest. That was until, ya know, they called me in."

"Don't you have classes, though?"

Apple Bloom chuckled. "Nope. Given everythin' that's happened, Headmare Starlight decided to cancel classes for the rest of the week. But she did order an emergency meetin' this afternoon after lunch. The whole school is supposed to meet in the main hallway, though she told me that ya don't have to go if ya still feel unwell."

"I think I'm okay to go."

"Well, then, that might be because of the remedy, even if it does taste mighty awful."

You frowned at what was meant to be an amusing statement that was accompanied by a wink. Your honesty professor had an odd sense of humor when it came to conversing with her students, but that was probably because she was a generation behind you all. At least she was not as miserable about her job as your previous teachers. That made you extremely grateful.

A sudden glimmer of light right behind Apple Bloom guided your eyes to two light-blue baskets situated on the desk you usually did your homework on --- at least when you were not in the library. The two baskets were wrapped in clear plastic, but you could not tell what was inside of them, only that the items looked very colorful.

"Those are from Luster and Gallop and the others," Apple Bloom answered before you could ask the question. "Ah wasn't here when they dropped them by, but Ah got a bit noisy and read the get-well note that came along. There's all a bunch of goodies in the baskets like candies and soda and snacks. Ah think Ah even saw a container of bubbles, too." She chuckled again. "But Ah have to admit that ya might be too old for that."

"That's... very nice of them."

You frowned. A realization came upon you --- one that may have been more appropriate to have arrived sooner, but given the state of your hometown in your mind, perhaps you could ease up on yourself just a little bit.

"My roommate. Are they okay?"

The professor was caught off guard. "Oh! Oh, dear. Ah forgot about that." She mused on her next words, all with the hesitation of an apprehensive foal. She eventually met you with her downcast amber eyes. "Ah'm sorry to tell ya this, but they were at the festival and got attacked by the monster. They're under some type of daze where they can't do anyhin' for themselves. Sadly, that's what happened to most of the creatures that got attacked."

You sighed. "Yeah. Luster told me about what the monster did to creatures."

You were not exactly close to your roommate. You got along with them, as they caused you no trouble, but the two of you could not be described as buddies. You both merely stayed out of each other's business, barely recognizing the other's existence except when it was time for bed or the morning you all woke up. In fact, your roommate had their own niche of friends that gravitated them out of the room most of the time, which you preferred when you wanted to be alone.

But still, you pitied them. Having your own encounter with the monster, you could only imagine what they were going through when face-to-face with such a threat. You did not know who was in charge of watching over the victims, but you could only hope that there would be somecreature to come in to solve their dilemma. But given what the headmare had you, Ponyville and Canterlot were not the only places that needed assistance, so you knew that any rescue effort that existed could only stretch so far.

And just like that, your thoughts returned to your home. You only looked at the city for a few seconds before passing out, and yet you could tell that the damage was immense. Aside from the numerous city blocks that must have been replaced by blackened ruins and roaring flames, there must have been at least a dozen monsters unleashed that were draining the consciousness out of creatures.

You tried to squash out the thoughts of fire and monstrosities from your head, but they continued to ooze out from your mind, along with questions that had horrible implications.

Was the castle damaged by an explosion? Were there monsters lurking around the halls looking for more victims? Was Princess Twilight among the fallen, or was she absent just in time? And if the princess was a victim, who was in charge of the kingdom then? Would it be Princess Cadence from the Crystal Empire? Would the capital be moved somewhere else?

And what about the creatures you knew from home? Your neighbors and your folks? Were they anywhere near the blast zones? Did they evacuate in time without alerting the monsters? If they did evacuate, where were they now?

Was this an attack by an enemy? Was this an experiment that went wrong? Where did the monsters come from? And why did the monsters arrive with the explosions? Would this happen again? Was Equestria the only place where this was happening?

New thoughts came through, and old thoughts repeated endlessly, swimming in the sea of your mind. They pestered you like bees, yet you knew that no answer would arrive from them as you sat in bed. It was not until Apple Bloom spoke that you were brought back to reality.

"[Y/N]. Ah know this is all a bit too much right now, but you don't need to worry. We have creatures all 'round Equestria tryin' their best to help those in need. Ah know Princess Twilight, and a creature as smart as her is definitely goin' to stop this from happenin' again."

A minor weight lifted itself off your back, but it was enough for a breath of relief to escape your lips. "The Princess is okay?" you asked your professor.

She nodded. "Right as rain. The castle was a bit shook, but luckily there wasn't much damage. Ah listened to the radio this mornin' and the monsters in the city were taken care of. Most got sent off to Tartarus by S.M.I.L.E."

You could almost feel a smile spring from your lips, but your willpower overcame the strength of your facial muscles. Still, there was a light of hope in your heart, enough for you to ask some more questions.

"If the castle wasn't hurt, then that must mean that other parts of the city must have been left alone, too. Right? I mean, there have to be other survivors. There just got to be."

Apple Bloom's look seemed to pity you, much to your discomfort. "There are survivors. Most of them are in the mountain's train tunnel systems, though they're probably not goin' to be there forever. But..." she paused for a moment. "There were a lot of losses, [Y/N], and many creatures are in that helpless state Ah mentioned. Ah said before they're still lookin' for more survivors in the rubble, but Ah don't know how successful that's been, to be frank. So, Ah don't know if..."

She brought her head down, shame keeping her from saying anything else.

But you knew in your heart what the words would have been:

That your folks at home may not be amongst the living.

That you might never be able to see them again.

It was funny. After all the grief they gave you over the incident, a part of you was relieved to learn that they were sending you off somewhere else. Their complaints and frustrations at you were not as bad as the venom you received from others, but the only peace you got from them was when you were at the train station heading for Ponyville at the end of this summer.

Despite the homework and classes that made no sense, you were at ease knowing that your caretakers back home could not rain down upon you endless wave of unhappy comments and silent frowns that they hoped would take everything back to how they were. The only contact you technically had with them was through letters they sent, though you always gave half-hearted responses due to how they nagged about you being on your best behavior twenty-four-seven.

But now... you had no idea what they were going through.

You had no idea if they were amongst the conscious survivors, had their minds dulled and personalities stripped, were trapped underneath smoking debris, or worse.

All the arguments and tears and slammed doors --- you wondered if that still mattered to them as their home was being burned to the ground while monsters roamed the streets. Did they think of how little it meant to them, knowing they may never see you again? Or worse, were they consumed by one of the numerous explosions before they even realized what was happening?

If the latter was the case... did they still dislike you?

Once again, you were brought out of the clouds by an outside disturbance --- this time being a knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" a muffled female voice said. "[Y/N]? Are you there?"

Before you could say anything, Apple Bloom spoke up. "Ya can come in."

With the turn of the knob, Pumpkin Cake came into the room, levitating a gift basket within a light blue glow. When her eyes met yours, she stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, my!" the creamy-yellow unicorn exclaimed. "I thought you be out of bed by now. I'm sorry. If you want, I can come back another time."

Again, much to your annoyance, Apple Bloom answered on your behalf without asking. "No, it's fine. They said that they've been feelin' a bit better, so they'll be up soon. Ah see you brought them somethin'."

Closing the door behind her, Pumpkin went over to the side of the bed between you and the professor. Seeing the other baskets on the desk, she placed hers right next to them with her magic.

"There was a lot of chaos going on at the festival with creatures running away from the monster, but afterward we found Luster. She told us how the two of you faced off the monster, and then you were placed under some type of magical curse."

"Yeah," you answered Pumpkin. "It wasn't exactly the best time for me."

A small smile formed on her lips. "Well, I'm glad to know that you're safe now. That's what really matters. I've been worrying nonstop about you ever since. I wanted to visit you after I was done helping cheer up the injured at the hospital yesterday, but I was so tired after being there all day. I hope you don't mind."

Confused, you shook your head. "What do you mean? I'm not entitled to anything. There were creatures in more need than me."

"No! Don't say that!" Pumpkin pleaded. "You're my friend, and what you went through was just as bad as what the monster did to the others."

Friend?

You almost wanted to chuckle, but you knew better than to be like that toward a creature generous enough to check in on you. Still, you wanted to be somewhat honest.

"I don't know if I really had it that bad."

"Well, still, I feel like you still should have something nice, just like most creatures at the hospital did. I put some of your favorite treats from Sugarcube Corner in that gift basket over there before I went to bed last night. It has chocolate-covered strawberries, peppermint pretzels, peanut butter cups, and a big orange-glazed muffin. I know you won't eat it all in one go, but I figured it should keep you content for a week."

You could barely see anything through the plastic wrapping of Pumpkin's basket, yet the description of the familiar treats you ate at the town's popular confectionary nearly made your mouth water. Given that you had not had breakfast yet, you definitely needed to get something in your stomach.

"Um..., thanks, Pumpkin," you managed to say. "How did you know that these are my favorite?"

"You always get one or two of those whenever you come to the Corner, [Y/N]. It makes sense that I would remember them."

"Yeah, but you guys get a bunch of customers every day, and I only show up a few times a week. I just imagined that you wouldn't have time to remember what I prefer."

Fully understanding your question, the unicorn's eyes widen in shock, as if she had been caught doing something that she would usually do in private. "Oh! W-Well, y-you see," she stammered, sheepishly looking away from you. "I just happened to... to be the one that does your orders most of the time, t-that's all. It...It's just a total coincidence."

You had no idea why she was so flustered about a single question, and Apple Bloom's smirk towards you did nothing but further perplex you.

"Well, I guess that makes sense," you eventually said. It was not that big of an issue to continue.

Pumpkin eventually got over her bashfulness, but she quickly went to the desk to retrieve something from her basket.

"I almost forgot to give this to you, but it's a get-well card from the Pies and us Cakes. I was able to get everycreature to sign it."

Walking over to your side again, the unicorn handed you a large yellow card. Taking it in your forehooves, you read the front exterior of the card which stated "GET WELL!" in pink font, with a sparkling rainbow in the background that had clouds on both ends. You opened the card to see what its contents were inside, but upon doing so a blast of confetti flew in your face, accompanied by the sound of an air horn. Immediately, the scent of vanilla filled the room as you dropped the card, coughed and spat, and rubbed the confetti off your face.

"Well, that was sure somethin'!" you heard Apple Bloom laugh. Pumpkin, though, was not as amused.

"Oh my gosh, [Y/N]!" she cried out. "I'm so so sorry! I swear I had nothing to do with that! I don't know how that got in there! Maybe Li'l Cheese or Aunt Pinkie did it at the last minute! Oh! I hope you're not hurt!"

Once you opened your eyes, you could see the creamy-yellow mare blushing out of embarrassment as she looked down at you anxiously.

"It's fine," you said, though you knew that you were irritated. "I know you wouldn't try to do something like that on purpose."

"But still! I could have checked it myself before coming here. I mean, the Pies are kind of known for their pranks around Ponyville, so it makes sense that something like this would happen. But I'm sure that whoever did this did it as just a jest. I don't that it was meanspirited."

You ran your forehooves through your mane to get out any remaining confetti. "I'm sure you're right. It was probably meant to be a surprise, is all."

You picked up the card from your lap and looked inside it, where there were numerous messages written in black ink:

Finished with your reading, you placed the card to your side. "That was really nice of you all," you said to Pumpkin. "Thanks for coming by."

Pumpkin beamed. "Oh! That's so good to know!" The mare took a hurried step forward but suddenly stopped herself just as she had raised one of her forelegs in your direction. You took notice of her bizarre movement, but she managed to cough it away before you were curious enough to ask what just happened.

"Well, um, I guess I'll be leaving, then," she continued, before looking at your professor. "Professor Bloom. Can I ask why you're here? If you don't mind."

"Ah was just givin' them some medicine to help them wake up. And Ah just got to give them one more batch of another remedy before Ah'll be going, too."

Pumpkin nodded. "Okay. Well, it was nice seeing you, [Y/N]. I better go back to the hospital. There are some injured kids that might need some more cheering up."

The creamy-yellow unicorn turned out and walked toward the door of your room. Just as she was about to make her exit, she halted in her tracks, her hoof hesitantly reaching for the knob. Eventually, she brought it down and turned back to look at you with a bashful yet gentle smile.

"I meant what I said about not being able to get you off my mind once I learned what happened. I know that you're probably not in a good shape right now, but just know that we're all glad that you're still here. Please remember that."

The mare finally picked her hoof back up to touch the knob and leave the room. Once the door was shut again, Apple Bloom leaned down in her chair to rummage through her saddlebags.

"Ya really should be grateful for somecreature like her," she told you. "That's not to say that no one else in this town is friendly, though."

You bit your bottom lip. "Yeah. You're right. She's a... good pony to know"

Having found what she was looking for, the professor sat upright, carrying a clear cylinder vial of blue liquid. Using her mouth, she took out the stopper plug and spat it on the floor.

"Now, to be honest --- as Ah always stress in mah class --- this is just goin' to be just a bit less bitter than the first remedy Ah gave ya. Ya might feel a bit jolty, too, but this one is meant to keep ya energized for the rest of the day, instead of just wakin' ya up." Apple Bloom hovered the vial in your face. "Say 'ah', please."

Doing as your professor said, you opened your mouth.