//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 
// Story: Your Friends From Across Time 
// by EquestrianKnight97 
//------------------------------//

As far as you were aware, there had never been an incident in which a student was sent to the headmare's office for misbehavior, unlike at your previous school, where there were over ten students a day taking a trip to see the principal. It was possible that there were rare instances in the past where students did get in trouble, but since the day you arrived here, everycreature seemed to be so polite with each other and obedient to the rules. Even the freshmen seemed to understand what type of atmosphere this school both needed and thrived on.

But soon the thought of a scolding was removed out of your head as you trailed behind Vice-Principal Sunburst. You did not know for certain what you were going to see Headmare Glimmer for, but given the recent days, you assumed it had to do with your illusion. Perhaps she had discovered while you were unconscious that you were indeed hallucinating or dreaming about your trip to the future. But then again, if that was the case, why did the vice-principal not just say it to you after the meeting?

Whatever the reason was, you would receive an answer soon, as Sunburst opened the door to the office. Having never been inside the room before, you were a bit taken aback by how big it was. It was nearly the size of an average classroom, with its spatial environment being that of a semi-circle. The floor was made of cold, grey stone, though there was a purple and golden rectangular rug at the entrance of the room that you walked on, and another purple circular rug that the headmare's desk and a single chair were on.

The office was separated into two levels of equal height by a pink semi-circle balcony. On the top level was a large clock surrounded on both sides by two teal stained-glass windows, and on the bottom level behind the desk was a clear window with two glass cabinets on both ends. Embedded in the walls on both levels were shelves containing numerous books, as well as marble pillars with hot pink crystals on the top and bottom. 

Just like on your first day of orientation, you stared in amazement at the architecture around you, but you snapped out of your daze once you remembered that you and Sunburst were not the only creatures in this room. Sitting at her desk was Headmare Glimmer and by her side was Counselor Trixie, lowly speaking in the former's ear. Another pony was present in the office, and that was Professor Philosophy, who stood over a half-constructed magical circle drawn on the section of the floor not covered by the rugs, while leviating a single piece of chalk.

Eventually, Trixie lifted her head to see you in time to nudge the headmare, who took her eyes off the desk. 

"[Y/N]," Starlight said calmly. "I'm glad that you're awake. I'm hoping that you're feeling much better."

You approached the front of her desk and stopped, awkwardly looking around in the room at everycreature else. The sight of the magical circle was something that your eyes lingered on for a bit before returning them to the headmare.

"I'm... doing well," you answered slowly. "I think it had something to do with Professor Bloom's remedies."

Despite how tired she looked, Starlight was able to unveil a small smile. "That's good to know. We were all worried for you when you didn't wake up yesterday."

Trixie walked around the desk and came to your side, and raised her hoof out toward you. 

"Hello, again," she greeted warmly. "I'm Guidance Counselor Trixie. I don't know if you remember me, but I helped out with orientation for the freshmen this year."

You shook her hoof. "You remember me?"

"Of course. You made a bit of an impression when you didn't really participate in the group activities we had."

"Oh, sorry. I'm... not that much of an active pony."

Trixie giggled. "Well, that's fine. I kind of hoped you would at least want to get involved in the scavenger hunt I came up with, but there's no hard feelings to be had."

"Hello, Mx. [Y/N]," you heard a male voice say from behind you. "I"m glad that you're awake and well."

Turning around, you realized that Sonnet Philosophy was the one who greeted you, as Sunburst's voice was a bit higher by your interactions with him. 

"Hello, Professor Philosophy," you replied. 

Without looking away from the half-finished circle that he was still drawing, Sonnet continued to hold a conversation with you. "I don't think I've ever met you before. I'm sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances, but I promise it's for the best."

"What do you mean by that?"

Before the grey unicorn could speak, Starlight spoke up. "We're all here to get to the bottom of what you saw during your trance. To see if it's all true or not."

A lump formed in your throat. Though a small arrogant part of you should have been proud at guessing correctly at the reason for you being called to the office, you were left hanging by a thread as to what events would transpire next.

"So, you think it's possible that I really went to the future?"

Starlight nodded. "We don't know for certain if you truly did travel throughout time. After all, your body had remained here while you were unconscious after the festival, and when you did wake up you mentioned that your time in the future was much longer than how much time had actually passed in the present."

"But we do have other concerns," Sunburst said from your side. "It's a bit odd that at the same time that the monster attacks occurred, you just happened to go through your trance. It could just be a coincidence, but it's better to be safer than sorry."

"You can take a seat if you want," said Trixie as she levitated a notepad and pen from off the desk. "I wasn't here when you woke up after the attack, but the headmare and vice-principal told me what you told them."

"I also learned about what you went through," Sonnet said, still attending to his work. "But still, it might be better if you can tell us a less condensed version of your trip. It would be best to give us all that you can remember without leaving anything important out."

Taking the guidance counselor's advice, you sat down on the chair in front of the desk. Though its cushion was comfortable enough for your rear, it did nothing to soothe your anxiousness. There were only four other creatures in the room, and yet it felt like the whole world was an audience to your discomforting squirms. For a while, you just sat there with your forehooves pressed together as you stared at either the floor or the desk, but you soon found the sense to answer the older ponies' curiosity.

You started off with how you followed a rainbow through the canopy of a forest until you made it out and found the source of the rainbow from a building. In between the forest and the building was a house that belonged to maybe mares, who was outside gardening. After mentioning to those in the room that you could not recall the two mares' names, you discovered from the mares that you were in the future, as they talked about how it had been many years since the three pony races were last united. There were also no accounts of any non-pony species residing within Equestria.

Just as you learned of how far away from the present you were, a shadowy tendril monster came out of the forest devouring the fleeing animals in its path after a dark, windy storm had arrived. Before you could get inside the house, you were overcome by fear and unable to move, allowing the monster to entrap you. You felt like you were going to die until the rainbow from the building you talked of blasted the monster away, making it retreat into the forest.

You were left unconscious, but you later woke up inside the house, where you met the two mares again, alongside the sheriff of the town called Maretime Bay, and his two friends. You told the sheriff and his friends that you were from the past, and had no clue as to how to get back home. One of the sheriff's friends mentioned how a spirit that could bend reality had taken a crystal that held a portion of Equestria's magic, and that perhaps they could persuade the spirit to send you back to the past and while getting the crystal back.

You agreed that you would go with them on their journey, but first you retreated to the home of the other mares, as they had to wait for a few friends of theirs to return from the pegasus kingdom. You had spent some time at Maretime Bay, a mostly earth pony town, where you discovered that two ponies went missing not long after you were attacked by the monster. Eventually, the other friends from the pegasus kingdom, who were actually princesses and daughters of the queen of the kingdom, came back and they went on a trip the next day to find the spirit. The sheriff, meanwhile, stayed behind to look into the missing cases.

You ended it off by saying how the last thing you remember about being in the future was being inside of a cave during a rainstorm in the evening or at night. With your storytelling completed, you gained the courage to look up and around at the older ponies, who aside from the laboring Sonnet, all looked at you and each other with uncertainty, though lacking in fear. Trixie, who had been writing down the details, placed the notepad down.

"This monster that you mentioned," said Sunburst, "what exactly did it look like?"

"It was like a mess of dark, black tentacles," you answered. 

"And it didn't resemble any kind of animal that you can recall?"

You shook your head. 

"You said that this monster was absorbing your strength until the... crystals stopped it," Trixie mentioned. "Is that correct?"

"Yes. I felt like I was going to die. My whole body was losing muscle, and I could even see my own ribcage."

"Are you sure that it was trying to kill you? Perhaps this monster was trying to simply curse you, like the victims of the attacks so far."

"No. That can't be the case," Sunburst directed toward Trixie. "The monsters of the past two days never left their victims physically weak, nor did they ever took anycreature's life. The monster from [Y/N]'s journey to the future --- if we can call it a journey --- likely isn't of the same origin as the ones Equestria's been dealing with."

"All right. It's done," you heard Sonnet say. You turned around in your seat to see Sonnet walking away from a completed magical circle on the floor and towards you. 

"Can I ask what that is for?" you stated.

He gave you a small smile. "That's for you."

You frowned. "Me?"

The grey unicorn nodded. "You see, you're here to help us with two questions. One: to see if you're under the influence of any spells we're not aware of. And two: finding out whether or not your mind really went to the future, like Headmare Glimmer suggested." He stopped right to your side. "Hopefully, answering both questions will help us understand more of what's been going on lately."

You looked back at the headmare, your mouth slightly agape before you spoke. 

"Is he talking about the monster attacks? What do I have to do with that?"

"Like Vice-Principal Sunburst said, it might be a coincidence, but it is peculiar that your trance happened not long after the attack in Ponyville. In fact, most of the explosions occurred around the same time of the day. Nonetheless, it's better to just try to get to the bottom of this. That's why I have Professor Philosophy with us. He's more knowledgable about the types of spells that he'll perform."

"I know that we're just school staff members," Sunburst said, "but we've all been friends with Princess Twilight for a long time --- before there was a school to manage and even before Princesses Celestia and Luna left. We all owe it to her to do whatever we can to help her with ensuring that nothing like this happens again."

Starlight continued. "And you being a student won't do anything to stop you from helping as well. If what happened was an attack, the princess will need all the creatures she can afford to have by her side."

"But you don't need to worry about us sending you into actual danger," Sonnet promised. "You'll still be safe within the walls of this school."

A hand of apprehension pushed your head down, making you stare down at the purple carpet. 

There was no malice or pressure from any of the adults in the room --- only explanations and assurances. And yet, a ghost whispered in your ear that things would only get worse if you allowed them to go through with their plans. That once you crossed that line, your safety would never be guaranteed. That you would always have a target on your back while you pretended to be some hero as the headmare suggested.

A hero.

A hero.

You laughed in your head, though you expressed your humor through a small smile that was concealed with you facing the floor. The thought amused you. You truly could not imagine that somehow you would end up as some sort of Equestrian legend if you carried out what the school staff expected you to do. You knew for certain though that it would amuse your folks if you told them that you were doing your part to protect the kingdom. 

Your folks.

Just so simply, you wondered about them once more, and soon your smile disappeared. You concerned yourself with the radio in your room and desperately hoped that you did not miss anything of importance concerning the survivors and the deceased at Canterlot. 

It was all too much for you. You could feel yourself squirming in your chair again. You wished you could fly or teleport away from this school, this town, and back to your home, where you would find the answers you had been hoping would just come to your lap. But you were not a pegasus with Wonderbolts-level stamina, nor a highly talented unicorn, and so you were stuck here like a helpless baby bird in a nest.

Was there truly nothing you could do for those back home?

No. You refused to believe that. It was impossible for you to do jack-all. If what Headmare Glimmer said in the main hallway about the threat repeating itself was possible, then that meant more creatures could get hurt --- even those in the areas already hit. 

So maybe, just maybe, there was at least one thing you could do to try and make things better.

"I guess...," you started off saying, twisting your tongue in your mouth. "I guess if this will help other creatures, then we should go ahead and do the spells."

Courage pulled your head back up, and you were able to face the headmare. Starlight beamed proudly at you as if she knew that you would make the right choice in the end. You swore that you could feel your chest puff up with a quarter of pride.

"Sonnet?" Starlight said. "Could you explain to them the spells?"

You looked up at the professor, who had his own smirk. 

"Of course," he said, before turning to you. "The first spell I'm going to perform is meant to see if you're still under the effects of any spells. Some long-lasting spells give off an invisible residue or aura, so that's what I'll be looking for."

"What do you need me to do?" you asked.

"All I need from you is to stay as still as possible. You won't even feel a thing." 

The grey unicorn closed his brown eyes and soon a golden aura shone around his horn. The entire interaction lasted less than ten seconds, and as he had said you barely noticed anything amiss with your body or senses. Though, when the stallion opened his sight again, you could have sworn that there was a brief flash or shimmer across his eyes. Sonnet examined you closely from top to bottom with a stoic scowl.

"Odd," he said. "There seem to be three spells present within you."

"Three spells?" Sunburst stated in shock. "Can you tell what type of magic each one is?"

Sonnet nodded at the vice-principal, but directed his further attention to Starlight. "One is a magical curse. I can't tell exactly what it's meant to do, but its aura is similar to the curses afflicting the victims of the monster attack when I went to the hospital."

Starlight's eyes widen in shock. "[Y/N], did the monster at the festival get a chance to attack you like it did with the others? Luster told me there was a brief moment when you two got separated."

"No," you answered. "There were a few close calls, but I never got drained of anything."

Your answer did nothing to alleviate the mare's worries. 

"That doesn't make any sense. If you weren't attacked, then why is such a spell even present?"

"I can't answer that for you," Sonnet intervened. "But you don't have to worry about it kicking in anytime soon. That's where the second spell comes into play. The curse is being thwarted by a very strong disabling spell. Both auras are interwined with one another, but the second spell is definitely the more dominant partner."

"And the third spell?" Trixie asked. 

"That's where things get a bit tricky. The third spell seems to be based on ethereal magic." The professor turned to you. "That type of magic involves spells concerning a creature's soul or mind, instead of their physical self. But the problem is that I have no idea how it relates to the previous two spells. One thing I can say for certain though is that, by the auras, all three spells were activated around the same time, but that makes it hard to say which one was cast exactly first."

Sunburst placed a hoof under his chin. "Hmm. Maybe it's not hard to guess the order. It's likely that the curse was the first spell cast by an unknown source. And even though this is just speculation at the moment, the second and third spells must have been done by another magic user. The role of the second spell makes sense, but there's no known purpose for the third one. If the third spell is based on ethereal magic, then maybe it's meant to protect [Y/N]'s mind or spirit. But no, that would defeat the purpose of the second spell, since it already made the curse impotent. But maybe the third spell is just extra protection."

"Or maybe the third spell has to do with [Y/N]'s supposed journey to the future," said Trixie. "I know I'm still a bit of a novice when it comes to advanced magic, but maybe the second magic user was the one who placed them under that trance. I know it's slim, but..."

"No. You could be on to something," Starlight reassured the guidance counselor. "It's likely that the third spell had something to do with their vision. But, [Y/N]. Before we go through with finding out whether or not your experience was genuine or not, I need to ask: did you notice anycreature casting a spell around you before you went to the future? Perhaps you might have saw a unicorn's horn glow."

You searched inside your brain but were left with a shake of your head to give to the headmare. "No, I'm sorry. There was too much chaos going on. I didn't notice any magic being performed, and I kind of doubt that a creature would just be standing still with a monster around."

"Well... I suppose that makes sense."

"I guess we can go ahead and move on to the second part, then," Sonnet announced. "[Y/N], could you follow me?"

You got up out of your seat and did as your professor said. The trip across the room was rather short, as you simply ended up near the magic circle that Sonnet had completed earlier. Encased in the thin outer ring of the circle were runic symbols, and in the center was a smaller circle that surrounded a symbol that looked like a half-opened eye. In addition, five lines of runic symbols connected the inner circle to the outer ring in the formation of a five-pointed star.

"In case you forgot, this is for you," Sonnet explained. "We'll be looking inside your memories to find out whether or not what you experienced was real or just an illusion. This spell is going to be a bit sensitive for you, but it won't be painful. From my experience, you'll feel a bit of a rush, like being on a roller coaster."

"Wait, you can look into someone's memories with magic?" you asked.

Sonnet smirked. "Well, this is the only spell that I'm aware of that works like that. The problem though is that it only works if the recipient is willing to have their memories looked at."

"Oh. Well, I..."

"We'll only be looking at your memories of the past two days. We won't go beyond that, so there's nothing for you to worry about. Unless you did something wrong or embarrassing two days ago."

A nervous chuckle came out of your sheepish grin. "No. Nothing like that happened."

"Well, that's good to know. And don't worry about us watching you do stuff like going to the bathroom. This spell mainly focuses on important events that mattered to you during that time."

"But, won't it take too long to go over two days?"

"No. The benefit of the spell is that we'll be traveling through your memories faster than how time will pass in the real world. It should take around a minute for us to complete everything. Now, if you don't mind, I just need you to lay flat on this middle circle. I apologize in advance for the chalk getting on your fur."

Once again, you follow through with the directions given to you. You tried your best to avoid stepping on the lines leading to the middle circle until you reached the appropriate location. You sat on your haunches at first but eventually lowered your back on the floor, allowing you to get a good view of the elegant ceiling of the office. From out of your sight, you heard Sonnet guide the other creatures in the room on what to do.

"One of you should be at their hooves, while the other two should be at each of their side."

You heard several hoofsteps around you as Sunburst, Sonnet, Trixie, and Starlight made their way to their respective spot.

"Does everycreature remember what I said to do?" Sonnet asked. "Just concentrate on opening a window in your mind."

Each of the other three ponies responded in their own way that they remembered the professor's instructions.

"[Y/N], remember what I said. Just try to relax your body and keep an open mind."

A few seconds after Sonnet's last words, nothing seemed to happen, as evident by the still air. But soon, you heard sharp sounds that reminded you of whenever a unicorn's horn would glow. With your eyes still trained on the ceiling, you could feel that atmosphere shift from that of calmness to one of ominousness, as if the whole office was suddenly inhabited by spirits. The swift change took you by surprise --- a reminder of how foreign you were to the world of unicorn magic, or rather the world of magic in general.

Your time observing the ceiling was cut short, as soon a sharp shock spread through your spine, accompanied by a a blinding, bright white light that overcame your vision. You gasped out loud, as nearly every emotion imaginable to you --- fear, uncertainty, happiness, sadness, anger, and even boredom --- rushed through the neurons of your brain at lightning-fast speed.

But as quickly as the light came, it soon vanished and your sight was returned to you, but you were not watching the ceiling again. 

Instead, you were back in your dorm room, getting up out of your bed at the sound of your alarm clock, alongside your roommate. You went to the dorms' bathroom with your morning materials to freshen up, before returning back to your room to gather up your saddlebags for class. 

You went to the dining hall to eat breakfast by your lonesome. Soon you were off to your earlier classes, each one of them shorter than they usually were due to how today was a half day. You then ate lunch before finishing the rest of your classes, and once school was over you took it upon yourself to spend your free time roaming around the Ponyville wilderness until you made it to Sweet Feather Sanctuary. 

The sanctuary itself was sparse, aside from Sandbar, a few other volunteers, and of course, the animals who made it their home there. Having your fill, you decided to head back to the school, but along your journey, you came across the fairgrounds where the Grateful Festival was happening. Just as you were almost home, Gallop and Georgia had coerced you into joining them and Garrick in the festivities.

After touring around, you and the others ended up at a picnic table with Luster, Yelena, River Song, and Pinkie Pie to eat some sweets from the food stalls. For some reason, you left the table and were followed to the fairgrounds' entrance by Luster, who tried to explain why you should come back and join the rest.

Then the chaos happened.

You, Luster, and other residents were drawn to the sight of a train incident not so far away, where a monster emerged from the ruin and smoke. Everycreature scattered in a frenzied panic as the monster flew overhead. You and Luster were temporarily separated when the monster attacked her, but after evading it you reunited with the pink unicorn. You wanted to leave the fairgrounds, but Luster wanted to find the rest of her friends. 

Just as you were arguing with her, a pain unlike anything you ever felt overtook your body, making you shut your eyes in an attempt to block it out. You were crying, and making apologies to creatures who were not there. Your vision then goes white, where you hear a male voice call out to you.

When you opened your eyes once more, you were lying on the floor of a forest, where through the canopy you spotted a rainbow in the sky. After some time, you reached the outside of the forest and saw a building in the distance where the rainbow was coming from. Between you and the building was a small house that you traveled to. Upon reaching it, you encountered two mares in a garden. You asked them how to reach Ponyville, and after a while you discovered a terrible truth: that you may have traveled into a future where for many moons the three pony races had lost contact with each other.

Then, like before at the festival back in the present, a monster came out of the forest and tried to kill you, until the rainbow from the nearby building shot itself at the monster, driving it back from where it came from. Weak from the attack, you fell unconscious, waking up at the house you visited and greeted by the two mares, a sheriff, and two of the sheriff's friends. You all delved into a conversation concerning your situation, and it was agreed upon that you would join the sheriff and his friends on a journey to look for a spirit that could bring you back to the past.

For the time being, you joined the sheriff's friends at their home, which was the building where the radiating rainbow was coming from. The next day, you joined the two mares, a unicorn and an earth pony, on a tour throughout a nearby town called Maretime Bay. Eventually, you met the sheriff again after finding out that some ponies went missing around the time you were attacked by the monster. Because of the missing cases, the sheriff had to stay in town instead of accompanying you all the next day to find the spirit.

In a short amount of time after that, you encountered the rest of the sheriff's friends, two pegasi mares, who were princesses of the pegasus kingdom of Zephyr Heights, while at the town's beach. Afterward, you went back to the Crystal Brighthouse to get some rest for the next day, where you joined the four mares on a journey to find the spirit. The trip for the day ended with you all camping out in a cave. You were expressing your worries of never returning home when a flash of light blinded your vision.

You woke on the floor of a classroom, surrounded by Luster, Sunburst, and Starlight, who had all performed a spell to get you out of a trance. After a discussion about your experience in the future and the monster attack on the festival, you rushed out of the school after Starlight had implied that your home was one of many places in Equestria that was also under attack. Once you saw the heartbreaking sight of Canterlot up in smoke, it was too much for your heart to take, and so you collapsed.

You then woke up in your dorm room after nearly two days --- attended to by Apple Bloom, who explained to you what was happening in Canterlot, as well as what happened to your roommate. You were then visited by Pumpkin Cake, who offered you her condolences and a gift basket with a confetti-exploding get-well card. After some more medication from Apple Bloom, you were left alone in your room to eat before the emergency meeting in the main hallway.

You then left to journey the hallways that lead to the main hallway, until you eventually met Luster and her friends. After her friends expressed their concerns, Luster sent them away to ask you personally if you were talking to anyone about what happened at home. Irritated, you replied that there was no reason to talk to anyone about problems that may not even exist. You then sat through the emergency meeting listening to Starlight's comments on recent and future events.

Just as you were about to return to the dorms, you were called upon by Sunburst to the headmare's office. 

But as you were reaching the door to the office, your vision began to shimmer and grey, as if that color was draining from your environment. The whole event reminded you of a film reel stuck on a loop. Eventually, that greyness became brighter and brighter until whiteness overcame all of your senses.

And then in a flash, from a pinpoint to the whole thing, you returned to watching the ceiling of the office. As before, a rush of emotions passed through your body as you bolted up on your haunches --- finding it difficult to suppress the cement-heavy gasps that rose out of your chest. You were not the only one affected by the spell, as you looked all around you to see the four unicorns in hunched positions as they panted.

"Geez, Sonnet," commented Sunburst. "You weren't kidding before when said that this spell would be a bit difficult."

"Well, I like to think I'm handling it better than I did the last time I performed it," admitted the grey unicorn.

From your own observation, he may have made a good point. While Sunburst and Trixie were still struggling to find their breaths, Sonnet had already composed himself. Even Starlight herself seemed to have regained her energy, as she stood nearly as still as a statue. The professor's and the headmare's fortitudes were enough to reaffirm the popular beliefs going on that these two were the strongest unicorns in the whole school, though Starlight was said to be the one magic user who could actually beat Sonnet.

"Can I... can I get up?" you asked aloud.

"You can," answered Sonnet.

You got back up on all four hooves, albeit the wobbliness of your legs made you take your time. Though you were not taking in air frantically anymore, you still took slow breaths to steady yourself. The experience you went through was truly... something. You looked at the window behind the desk, and saw that the light outside had not dimmed, indicating that little time had past since the spell was cast.

It was all so surreal. You could see and feel every moment of what you went through as if you were touring through a museum. You remembered nearly every word either you said or somecreature had said to you. And yet, at the same time, you sped through it all so fast, like viewing zipping trees from the safety of a train car. The days you spent in the past were as short as they were long.

"What they said is true," Sonnet said, drawing your and the others' attention. "They must have gone into the future. Their story matches up with what they told us. We wouldn't have seen what we saw if [Y/N] was only dreaming or hallucinating."

"My goodness," said Sunburst. "Maybe what Trixie said about the third spell was right. If there's ethereal magic present in [Y/N], then perhaps that spell was what sent their essence to the future while their body remained here."

"But how could somecreature perform a spell like that?" Starlight asked. "The only spell I know that could successfully send someone through time was the scroll made by Starswirl the Bearded, and that was lost through a portal after Twilight and Spike convinced me to stop altering time."

"We may not know who enchanted [Y/N] with the ethereal spell," Sonnet said, "but I have a guess as to why as they were chosen by whoever the caster was." He directed his eyes toward you. "Do you remember what you heard before you were sent to the future? After your vision went bright, there was a voice talking to you."

You flipped through the scrapbook of your mental journey until you reached the part where you were writhing in pain. Indeed, after your eyes were blinded by a white light, there was a male voice calling out to you in the void:


Something is coming. I do not know what it is, but it threatens the entire existence of Equestria, and maybe even the whole world.



I am sending you somewhere that is peaceful, where you will learn to overcome your struggle and understand the powerful endeavor of hope. 



But you must move past your hardships if you are to save our home. Failing to do so may lead to the end of Equestrian civilization.



Please..., fight for all of us. Only then will you be able to return home.


"Yeah, I remember."

"Whoever said that must have known about monster attacks ahead of time," Sonnet said. "Somehow, for some reason, you're connected to all of this. And perhaps that's why you were sent to the future --- to prevent Equestria from facing an unknown danger. There's no doubt that whatever happened two days ago could happen again soon."

A morbid frown came upon your face. The image of a burning Canterlot returned to your vision as you imagined a multitude of similar incidents happening around Equestria. You looked around at the adults besides Sonnet, trying to find some sort of solace from them --- perhaps in a reassurance or a rebuttal against the professor. But you found no comfort from anyone. Sunburst had his mouth left hanging in disbelief while looking at Starlight, who herself was wide-eyed and with a lack of words. Trixie, as well, was stunned by what she heard, and with a shaking disposition, stared down at the floor.

"There's no denying what we all heard the voice say," Sonnet continued. "And by now, we can doubt that [Y/N]'s trip to the future is just a coincidence with all that's been happening."

Finally, Sunburst woke up from his stupor with a furious shake of his head. "Well, if it's the case that [Y/N] is meant to solve what's going on in the present by going to the future, how do we send them back? We disabled the spell that put them in that trance in the first place."

"We disabled it, but it's still present in their body," Sonnet answered. "All we have to do is reactivate it and their mind will be sent back."

You backed away as if a tangible threat was present in the room. "Wait a minute. You want to send me back there? But I almost died there!"

Sonnet held a hoof up. "I'm not saying that we do that anytime soon, but it might be worth considering."

"I don't think it is," you said hastily. "I don't want that monster to come back and finish the job."

"I'm not okay with the idea of sending you back, either, [Y/N]," admitted Sunburst. "We'll try to do some more research about the ethereal spell you're under. But if we're left with few options and little time..." The vice-principal looked down in either embarrassment or shame --- it was hard for you to tell. "I don't believe it's right to put a child in danger like this, but even if there were no other options, I promise you we would do everything we can to ensure your safety if we sent you back to the future."

You could barely believe what you were hearing. Just minutes ago Sonnet had promised that you would be safe, that your involvement in protecting Equestria would not take you beyond the school. But now you were being told that you might have to put your neck on the line and go back to a place where you nearly lost your life. You felt like a fool knowing that the ghost of doubt was right. 

You were angry and distrustful of these adults who were meant to protect you when you were so far away from home. An animosity even grew toward Starlight and Trixie, who said nothing in your defense, convincing you that they were also just as two-faced.

But as quickly as that sense of betrayal came, a realization of hypocrisy came over you as well. Just before, you swore that you were willing to do whatever it took to ensure that what happened at Ponyville and Canterlot would never happen again. But now that you knew for certain that there were actual threats that you may have to face, you wanted to back away from your oath.

Why was that fire of courage in your heart extinguished so fast? Where did your frustration of not being able to do anything go? Were you so scared of dying that you were able to give up your motivation for the sake of your own skin?

You felt the walls closing in around you as your mind was a battlefield between your sense of preservation and the disappointment of your frail integrity. Your tense heart felt as if it was being wrapped around by rope, causing you to start taking deep breaths as your vision seemed to darken. You could swear that you were going to go blind as you wondered whether or not you were a pony whose word could even be trusted.

"We're not going to solve anything today," Starlight said abruptly.

Her voice surprised you enough to bring you out of your tunnel vision and calm you down --- reminding you that you were not alone in the room. You watched the headmare leave her spot on the magical circle and return to her desk, her shocked disposition was no longer present --- replaced now by a stoic demeanor.

"There is a lot for me to think about," she continued, looking at you as she took her seat. "But what I know for certain is that I'll have to tell the princess about today's discovery sometime soon. I won't place you in any more danger than you've already been in. We'll try to see if there are alternatives to sending you to the future. You're excused for now, but we might call you back later on if we find something that requires your time and assistance."

In regards to leaving, you did not heed her request immediately, as your brain tried to imagine some immediate solution to the unanswered question as to what your fate would be. But enough time passed for you to realize that everycreature else in the room probably wanted to discuss further topics without you present, so you eventually summoned enough strength in your legs to turn around and walk to the office door.

With your hoof just centimeters from touching the door handle, you paused it in place and looked back over your shoulder at the four unicorns. You did not know for certain what you were searching for by looking at them, but all you received were worried or blank expressions. You eventually realized that you would get nothing from them besides those looks, and so you left the room. 

You closed the door behind you and turned to face the main hallway. By now, the chairs that were meant for the students and staff this afternoon were gone, and as far as you could see there was not an individual in sight. The emptiness of the environment nearly made you shudder as if you were wearing an itchy sweater. As far as you were aware, the main hallway was always a lively place full of creatures walking to and through different places, talking and laughing as they went their way. Even at nighttime, the place would have creatures hovering around doing various activities, from studying to playing board and card games.

But now, there was no electricity in the air, nor any festive characters roaming around. You were never quite a social pony here, but the deafening silence was getting too much for you to bear. You had to leave this dreaded atmosphere that could only be found at a funeral.

You made your way to the stairs where Sunburst had found you, your echoing hoofsteps vibrating throughout the open space. A dark cloud hovered over you as the last half-hour replayed itself in your head. You expected nothing like that when you were called into the office, and now you had no idea what you should do with the knowledge you acquired, nor the heavy responsibility that may have just been put on your back.

But there was one particular thought running through your head as you made your way to your room. It was a question that you desperately wanted the answer to, even if the key to its respective hole would not change anything that might happen in the next several days once you twisted it.

Why me?






END OF ACT 1