//------------------------------// // Father Time's Castle/Turn Back the Years // Story: G5 Adventures in Rudolph's Shiny New Year // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// Shortly after their attack with Aeon, the ponies immediately got moving with all their friends again across the Sands of Time, the running from the chase having rejuvenated their spirits. They now realized what was at stake if they didn’t find the Baby New Year-- not only would the current year be repeated for all time, but the monstrous vulture would continue to forever terrorize his victims, and the Mane 6 would never return to protect Equestria and get home to their friends and families. After a long while of walking across the Sands of Time, it was then that Misty finally noticed the glow they saw earlier becoming closer and closer to them, and this caused her and all her friends to gasp. There, in front of them, was Father Time's castle, standing brilliantly in all its glory. “Father Time’s castle…” Sunny gasped. “We finally made it!” General Ticker, Rudolph and Borealis hopped off Quart’s back and the group all stood together, taking in the beauty of the castle as a song seemed to echo from within. Have a happy have a happy Have a Hap-Hap-Happy New Year! As the bells ring out, everyone will shout, "Happy New Year!" Have a happy, have a happy May each day be filled with good cheer And with nothing less than much happiness All through the year! “Oh-ho, whoa!” Zipp commented as the group gazed at the palace with their wide eyes. “I think this place may be even glitzier than our castle back in Zephyr Heights!” “Yes, it is a truly remarkable sight,” General Ticker nodded. “Just like your beacons, its radiance shines bright!” “Well, we better get inside and not keep Father Time waiting,” Rudolph told his friends. “Thank you, General, and thank you, Quart, for all your help.” “Yeah, totally! Thank you so much!” Pipp smiled. “I’ll definitely mention you two in my next ClipTrot stream!” And so, the ponies, Borealis and Rudolph bid their new friends farewell before they set off toward the large open doors. But before they could enter, they noticed that Misty and Borealis sat with wide eyes, as if… afraid to move forward. “Misty? Bori?” Hitch called. “Everything okay?” “I just… I guess I’m a little nervous for a lot of different reasons,” Misty said, her head lowered. “Me too,” Borealis nodded. “What if Father Time doesn’t like us? Or, what if he thinks sending all of us on this mission is a mistake and Rudolph and I have to go alone?” “Hey, there’s no way we would let that happen,” Zipp assured her gently. “You guys are our friends, and who our Unity Quest sent us to help. If this Father Time guy hurts you guys in any way, we’ll protect you… no matter what.” “Oh, that won’t be necessary!” The group yelped and jumped at a sudden voice, and turned to see that the castle door was wide open, and in the doorway was a gray unicorn with darker gray hooves, gentle golden eyes, a blue, lavender and cream mane and tail, a green cloak with an emerald heart and a cutie mark of a pocket watch. “Father Time is the kindest man I know, Borealis,” she said as she approached. “He won’t separate you from your new friends, I promise you that.” “Heeey… hold on,” Sunny said with a confused look. “How did you know Borealis’ name? And that we were her and Rudolph’s new friends?” “Oh, I heard you and saw you in the magic hourglass,” the unicorn responded, sounding casual. “I wanted to come and welcome you to the castle first hoof. Oh, wait… heh… where are my manners? Hi there! I’m Time Twirler, Father Time’s apprentice!” “It’s nice to meet you, Time Twirler. Sorry we jumped,” Rudolph apologized. “We’ve been having… quite a time lately.” “Oh, don’t worry about it. I do have a way of surprising people,” Time Twirler said as she brushed it off. “But may I say, Rudolph, I am your BIGGEST fan! I’ve witnessed your entire journey, from when you were a yearling all the way up to tonight! These pony friends and that little fox sister of yours really helped you get to this point.” “Uh… thanks,” Rudolph smiled at the enthusiastic unicorn. “Uh… Time Twirler?” Hitch spoke up. “Hate to be rude, but… we gotta go see Father Time now.” “Oh, of course! Silly me,” Time Twirler moved over to let them inside. “Come on in. Father Time is waiting for us in the throne room. Though, I guess I should call it the clock room since there are so many clocks in there… eh, the throne room works too. Come on, come on!” The ponies merely shrugged and giggled, following their new friend inside the castle with Rudolph and Borealis bringing up the rear. Everything in the castle seemed to be clocked themed, leaving the majesty to stare in awe and amazement as Time Twirler brought them to the throne room, where Father Time was waiting. He seemed to be an older, taller man with gentle eyes, a tuft of red hair on his head and a long white beard to match his long blue robe. “Father Time,” said Time Twirler respectfully, “may I introduce Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Borealis the arctic fox and their Equestrian entourage.” “Heh… never been called part of an entourage before,” Zipp chuckled. “But I like it!” “Why it’s true,” Father Time said, looking at Rudolph with amazement. “That nose of yours is as red as my hair used to be. They used to call me Old Red Head. Heh heh heh…” “It's a pleasure for all of us to serve you, sir,” Rudolph said as the ponies bowed. “Definitely-- huge honor!” Sunny spoke. “In a later time period, I’d like to ask you a couple questions about… you know what? Mission first, questions later.” Father Time chuckled at this before turning to the whole group again. “Rudolph, Borealis, do you or any of your friends here what really happens every New Year's Eve? Do you know how we make the change from one year to the next?” “No, sir,” Borealis shook her head honestly. “All we know is that everybody says ‘Happy New Year’.” “It is a happy occasion,” Father Time answered, “and a solemn one too. For the passing of time is awe-inspiring. It's the one certain thing in all the universe. Time Twirler?” “Of course,” the unicorn nodded. And after closing her eyes, Time Twirler’s horn lit up and cast its spell, causing a magical image of another Father Time with a small red haired baby, to appear on the floor, a crown in the previous Father Time’s hands. “Whoa…” Borealis said in awe. “I sure wish I could do that!” “Like Father Time said, the passing from one year to the next is a certain thing that happens every year,” Time Twirler said. “In a way it’s like an old king stepping down… and a new one taking his place.” “A Baby New Year starts every January 1st,” Father Time added. “Innocent and young as springtime.” As the ponies watched as the red-haired baby growing into Father Time himself, the master of time decided to sing a soft tune to help the image along. Father Time: The moving finger writes And having writ, moves on You can't hold back the clock It just ticks on and on The moving finger writes And having writ, moves on So treasure memories For what is gone is gone Choir: And though you may sweat and strife Don't you know it's great just to be alive? So... Father Time: Make every moment count Rejoice with every dawn The moving finger writes And having writ... moves... on... Time Twirler's magic soon changed the image to that of the outside of the castle, with the clock on its front a minute from midnight. “As midnight nears, the old year waits,” the gray unicorn said, “as all the clocks count down his last moments. Midnight!” As the clock in the image shifted to midnight, an imaginary crowd cheered as a diamond on top of a tall pole began to lower. “And the magic diamond is lowered to signify the end… and the beginning!” “YAY!!!” Crowd: Have a happy Happy New Year! Time Twirler soon made the image disappear as Father Time rested on his throne, looking very worried. “This year,” he said, “the diamond may not come down.” “We’re here to make sure it does, sir,” Zipp said. “But just so we know,” Misty spoke, “what happened to the Baby New Year?” “He ran away, I’m afraid,” Time Twirler frowned with an ashamed look in her eyes. “You see, little Happy was anything but happy here. And we didn't know a thing about it.” “Hmmm… do you know of any reason why would Happy would run away to begin with?” Zipp asked, pulling out her FlyPad to record some information. “Well, Happy's different from all the other little New Years,” Father Time hesitantly explained. “You see, he had... rather unusual... big ears.” “And his ears were so big,” Time Twirler went on, “anyone who saw them burst into laughter, which is why he usually wore a large top hat on his head.” “No one meant to be cruel,” Father Time continued, “but that night, poor little Happy ran away... and we haven't seen hide nor hair of him since!” Rudolph and Borealis felt a twinge of sympathy enter their souls at this... they felt that Happy's story compared so much to their own, and the ponies could sense this too. “Gee... I wish he would have come to Bori and me,” Rudolph frowned. “We know just how he felt. I bet they called him names... and wouldn't let him join in any New Year games...” Sunny walked over to them with Izzy, and the earth pony mare spoke up in comfort. “Rudolph, what you and Bori went through was awful, but I think hearing your stories might help Happy to understand that differences are a weakness... they're a strength. But first, we need to find him before the deadline. “Excuse us, Mr. Father Time?” Izzy spoke up. “Do you... do you have any idea where Happy might have gone?” Luckily, Father Time did have one idea, nodding his head. “His nurse, Nanny Nine-O'clock, said that he always wanted to see the Archipelago of Last Years.” “Arch-i-pel-a-go?” Borealis repeated. “What does that word mean, sir?” “It’s a group of islands,” Father Time said as he and Time Twirler led the group to a map of several islands, each with a different year on them. “The Archipelago of Last Years is the most fantastic archipelago of all,” Time Twirler stated. “Far north, in the most northern of all the northern seas... hidden from the rest of the world by an everlasting icy fog. Each island is an old year.” “I don't understand, Time Twirler,” Rudolph shook his head. “Neither do I,” Pipp admitted. “What do years of the past have to do with Happy or these islands?” “You see,” Father Time began to explain, “when the old year's time is done, he retires to the Archipelago and selects an island. And the island becomes his alone. Time stands still... and remains just the same as it was during the year he reigned. The Archipelago of Last Years.” “If we're right,” said Time Twirler, “Happy must be hiding on one of those islands-- on one of those long-ago years.” “One thing's for sure,” Rudolph said sternly, “the ponies, Bori and I will search every island if we have to.” “Where can we find them?” Borealis asked. “Go to where the Sands of Time meet the Sea of Auld Lang Syne,” Father Time said. “There, you will find a giant sundial.” “A sundial?” Hitch questioned. “In the middle of the night and in all that fog?” “You’ll know it when you see it,” Time Twirler stated before turning to Rudolph. “This sundial's arm points through the icy fog to the Archipelago of Last Years. Point your gleaming nose in that direction. Rudolph, do not veer from your course... and you will find you and your friends are going back... back into time.” “Giant sundial, follow the direction of the arm... got it!” Zipp said with a smile. “We’ll get moving to the Archipelago of Last Years as fast as we can and be back with Happy before New Year’s Eve!” “We wish you all the best of luck,” Time Twirler told the group before she seemed to remember something. “Oh! I almost forgot your present!” She reached in her cloak and pulled out a compass before giving it to Zipp. “This enchanted compass will let you know what islands you're heading toward, and how far it'll take to reach them. Consider it a late Christmas gift from me.” “Thank you, Time Twirler,” Zipp stuck the compass underneath her wing before turning to the others. “All right, everypony-- next stop, the Archipelago of Last Years!” XXXXXXXX Soon enough, the group managed to reach the Sea of Auld Lang Syne, with Borealis panting from such a long walk. “Finally... we made it!” she said before flopping on her belly. “That was exhausting.” “Really?” Misty asked in surprise. “I'm not all that tired.” “Well, you guys don't have stubby, short paws like I do!” “Okay, everypony, focus,” Zipp said, breaking up the arguement. “Now we need to find that sundial.” “What does a sundial even look like--? Oof!” Borealis grunted as she impacted against an object, and that object was revealed to be the giant sundial itself. “Heh heh… I think I found it!” “Good work, Bori!” Sunny said with a smile. “Now, all Rudolph has to do is light his nose in that direction.” “Right,” Rudolph nodded and did as asked. “Well… is everypony ready to time travel into the past and save our present?” “Well, uh... heh... that sentence of mixed messages could confuse somepony like crazy, but... I think so,” Hitch said. “Archipelago of Last Years, here we come!” The group sprung into the air a good ways, and continued to trot along the beach as Father Time’s voice sung a song in all their minds. Father Time: Turn back the years Live the simple life once again Live the days of ‘remember when’ Turn back the years Upon reaching the end of the beach, the group saw a small sailboat and jumped into it, and Zipp and Pipp pulled on the sail, causing the boat to set sail across the ocean. Father Time: Turn back the years Walk along any sunny lane Walking’s better than any plane Turn back the years Choir: Just remember The good times that you knew Don't remember The bad times you've been through Life disappears sooner than you would think it would Fool yourself, everybody should Father Time: Turn back the years All: Turn back the years! By the time the song was over, the enchanted compass that Time Twirler gave the group had started working, and Zipp pulled it out and studied it. “According to this, if we keep going in this direction, we should be at the first island by tomorrow morning.” “That’s great!” Izzy said, making the boat rock a bit and causing the group to yelp and maintain balance. “As long as nothing shows up to stop us, I think we’ll be okay!” “Izzy!” Pipp cried out. “You remember what happened LAST TIME when I said something like that?!” “No… what?” Suddenly, a wicked laughter filled the air, causing the group to look around in panic until Aeon flew into view from the fog. Pipp sighed under her breath, having a feeling this would happen. “Need I say more…?” “Oh no!” Rudolph cried. “It’s Aeon!” The ponies automatically assumed that he was not gonna make finding Happy easy for them, and their assumptions were confirmed when Aeon dove right for them! “HIT THE DECK!!” Everyone screamed and ducked before Aeon could hit them, but then, their eyes turned to the sky as Sunny’s alicorn form activated. “Brace yourselves for attack, everypony!” she shouted. “Because one thing is for sure… this bird is gonna be tough to take down!”