With the doors closed behind you, you stood right behind Luster Dawn, who walked over to a golden set of doors filled with green stained glass.
"The Hall of Friendship is right here," the pink unicorn said to you. "They're already expecting us."
Luster pushed open the door and disappeared inside the room, and soon you walked forward to enter as well. In the span of just a few seconds between the two sets of doors, you looked around at the interior of the castle. The floor was made mostly of blue stone, though there were also large, connected streaks of burgundy stones that seemed to direct creatures to where the hallways led. So far, there were three hallways that you saw, one on the left where the room that Luster entered was, one in front of you that split in left and right at the end, and one on the right.
There were a few doors spread around the hallways that were also golden with green stained glass windows. The walls of the castle were made of purple-blue stone and held various tapestries and banners. You even noticed tall crystal columns of a similar blue color attached to the walls. You caught no sight of any refugees in the hallways, so you assumed that they must have been deeper within the castle.
Your short sight-seeing ended once you entered the Hall, and the sight before you was quite something to take in. With a gaped mouth, you examined the elegant and even bizarre features of the room.
The floor was made of a dark purple stone, and four purple-blue crystal columns were situated on the north, south, west, and east ends of the room. The door you entered through was encased within the south column, while there were green windows encased within the bottoms of the other three columns, though there were also windows present higher up in the room.
Attached to the ceiling of the room was a large, brown tree trunk with colored crystals hanging off the roots. Also on the ceiling behind that massive trunk was a duo of banners displaying a leafless teal tree against a green background surrounded by yellow borders.
But the grandest detail of the Hall, at least to you, was what was at the center of the room: a circular, white crystal table surrounded by what appeared to be seven white crystal chairs or thrones. Besides a very small chair, each of the other six held one of the Elements of Harmony's cutiemark --- symbols which had been ingrained in your mind since you were a little foal learning about the feats of such Equestrian heroes in school.
You stopped, or at least paused, your investigation of the Hall once you remembered that you were not the only creature present. Besides Luster, four other ponies were standing near the crystal table. You recognized Headmare Glimmer, Vice-Principal Sunburst, and Professor Philosophy, but there was a mare present whom you had never seen before. She was a light yellow unicorn with teal eyes and a yellow and red mane that resembled a flame to you.
"Hello, [Y/N]," Starlight greeted with a smile. "I'm glad you came a bit early. How has your day been?"
You approached the table, not wanting to seem isolated from everycreature else.
"It's... been alright," you said, despite knowing the exact opposite. "I was at the refugee camp. Just helping out a bit."
Starlight seemed proud. "That's really nice of you. I'm certain it was great to help out other creatures."
Nervously, you bit your lip. "Thank you. But... I guess I'm just a bit anxious, too. Since I know why I have to come here today."
The headmare's smile faltered at your confession, despite her knowing what would soon be happening before you even did.
"Yes. I understand your concern, despite our reassurances days ago," she said with a hint of guilt. "As much as we tried to find alternative solutions, it seems that we can't get out the ethereal spell that sends you to the future."
"I believe you," you assured her, though your face lacked any genuine happiness.
"We informed the princess of our efforts to find other methods to go to the future," Sunburst informed you. "She did not say directly that you have to go back there, but she did suggest that reactivating the ethereal spell may be needed if nothing else works. She doesn't really know for certain if or where any more monster attacks will occur."
You cast your head down. "So we're still on a time limit."
The news of Princess Twilight needing your help was not as awesome to you as it probably would have been to any other Equestrian citizen. You could imagine a starry-eyed younger version of yourself being optimistic at the chance to prove your worth to the ruler of the country just like most impressionable foals. But having your fill of monster encounters in the past few days, both in the present and the future, you were not eager to face any more danger.
"Yes, we are," you heard Sonnet declare. "But luckily the princess has provided some magical assistance for you for when you do go back to the future. And everycreature in this room will do their best to make sure that your trip is safe."
You lifted up your neck to look at everyone in the room, but your eyes soon stopped at the yellow unicorn.
"Um...," you began to say, uncertain of what should proceed from your lips.
"Oh!" Starlight suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot to introduce the two of you. [Y/N], this is Sunset Shimmer. She's a friend of mine, and of the princess, too. She came here yesterday to help us find other ways of going to the future."
The yellow unicorn approached you with a smile, and instinctively you reached out your hoof for her to shake.
"Hello, [Y/N]," she said warmly. "Starlight told me all about you."
You brought your foreleg down once Sunset let go of your hoof. "Thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry you had to come here to just to help me out."
"Oh, it's fine. It's been a while since I've been back in Equestria. Even though I wish it was under different circumstances, it's nice to see old faces here."
"You were in another country?"
For some reason, she chuckled. "Not exactly. I live in a different dimension than the one Equestria and the other nations are in. It's called the human world. You may have heard about it."
"I... might have heard of something like that," you admitted. You remember during middle school that you learned of how other universes existed beyond the one you lived in, and how all of them were filled with different species that were not present in this world. The term "human" sounded familiar to you as well. Perhaps they were creatures that resided in one of the few universes that are known to be in existence.
"But still, I'm sorry that we couldn't find another way to do this," Sunset said, her smile now absent. "Even with the data the Starlight and the others gave me, I couldn't really do much with it."
"I understand. But how exactly are we going to... do this?"
Sunburst came over to you. "Well, it's not exactly rocket science, but I'll explain how it'll go down." He pointed over to the crystal table. "You see the map?"
You looked over at it. "You mean the Cutie Map? I'm guessing that's the Cutie Map. It's the first time I'm seeing it."
With a grin, the vice principal nodded. "You are correct. As you may have also guessed, it is also a powerful source of magical energy, to the point where it can be used to aid in the performance of spells. Princess Twilight informed us that we can use its magic to help your essence travel forward in time once we reactivate the ethereal spell. The headmare, Professor Philosophy, Sunset, and I will split into teams of two. One team will keep the spell active for roughly twelve hours, while the other team will take over for the same amount of time."
"Won't you all get tired, though?" you asked. "What if one of you accidentally loses focus and discontinues the spell? Would that bring me back here or would I be stuck in the future?"
"If one or both members of a team broke concentration, you would be brought back to the present," Sunburst answered. "But to combat that, the princess sent us what basically amounts to stamina potions. They're mainly used by soldiers, but they help combat tiredness, hunger, and the need for one to relieve themselves for nearly half a day."
"So, if we combine the teams' total hours, then I should be in the future for one day in real life?"
"Yes," Starlight adruptly answered "But besides the stamina potions' time limit, there's another reason why your trip to the future will be limited to one day in the present. When Sunburst, Luster, and I brought you back to the present, we seemed to have damaged the ethereal spell. We believe that whoever cast it on you intended for you to be the future for a much longer period of time. From the data we collected two days ago, it appears that we'll only be able to keep the spell active for about twenty-four hours."
"But, Professor Philosophy said I would have some assistance for when I go back to the future," you said out loud, though meekly. "What exactly does that mean?"
The headmare answered your concerns. "Along with the potions, Princess Twilight sent us a scroll of a modified hypervigilance spell. It's been tweaked to accommodate for the ethereal spell. Aside from heightening your senses to spot dangers that you may not be aware of yet, there's also a mechanism in place that will bring you back to the present the moment you face a life-threatening event."
"So one unicorn will cast the ethereal spell while the other performs the hypervigilance spell?"
"No," Sunset said. "The reactivation spell requires two unicorns. Luster Dawn and Trixie, when she gets here, will take turns casting the hypervigilance spell on you."
"It'll be roughly twelve hours for us, too," Luster admitted. "So we'll be taking stamina potions."
"Do you think you understand everything, [Y/N]?" Sonnet asked you.
You replayed the recent information given to you inside your head, which was not that long given how easy it was to remember the steps explained to you.
"No," you stated. "I think I get how all of this magic will be used."
Starlight seemed content. "Well, then. Since this can be considered as a mission, we should go over your objectives for while you're in the future."
A flash of embarrassment came over your face. "Oh. I guess I should have asked about that, too."
"It's okay. It makes sense that you may not remember everything that we talked about three days ago. But your goals are based on what that mysterious voice said to you."
"Yeah. I actually remember a bit about that. I know he said that I had to do something in the future to save Equestria."
The purple unicorn nodded. "Yes. The voice said that he was sending you forward in time to do two things to save the kingdom: to understand the power of hope and overcome your struggles."
After a couple of blank blinks, you tilted your head. "That's all I have to do?"
"Those were the instructions given to you. Given that you were likely sent to an alternate timeline where Equestria is at peace, the voice must have wanted you to be in an environment where little strife is present to get a good grasp of hope. You may even have to conduct research into hope-based magic --- if magic truly is involved. But I feel like appreciating the concept in a positive setting may be enough."
"During the days in which we'll take breaks from sending you to the future," said Sunburst, "we'll also be doing research into the power of hope. Luckily the library here and in the school is full of many good books."
"We also sent a request to the princess to ask her mages and scholars for any insight into hope-based magic," Sonnet added in.
"And then there are your struggles," Starlight continued. "The voice said that you have to get over them somehow. That's also essential to saving Equestria."
A confused frown sprouted from your lips. "I'm not really struggling with anything right now. Aside from... not knowing where my family is, at least."
"Well, yes, there is that. But perhaps... there's more that's on your mind than just your family."
You could sense the hesitancy in the headmare's voice. "What do you mean?"
Despite her reluctance, the words came out.
"I won't go into detail here, for your sake. But given what happened back home in Canterlot, before you came here, I can imagine that it might still bother you. Healing and coming to terms with it will be a lengthy process, but you need to try to start somewhere. Not just for your sake."
You failed to stop your frown from turning into a light scowl.
"I'm not bothered by what happened back home," you asserted to Starlight, who remained composed and unoffended. "Whatever happened back there is just a bad memory."
A quick yet overwhelming rush of emotions coursed through your hunched body at the mere implication of the incident. You looked around at the worried expressions of everyone else in the room, aside from the stoic headmare. You knew that she, Sunburst, and Luster were aware of what happened back home, but you were not eager for Sonnet and Sunset to learn even a sliver of the event.
"Like I said, [Y/N], I won't go into further detail. But I need to bring it up in some way. Eventually, you'll have to face what happened and learn how to not let it hold you back from being a content pony."
That little reassurance from Starlight was enough for you to let your guard down and ease the tension in your body, but though your glare also disappeared, you were still visibly troubled.
It's not that easy. How am I supposed to leave behind such a clutter of a disaster?
"Okay," you said. "So learn about the importance of hope and... the other thing. I think I got it. Do you all think there's anything else I need to do when I get to the future?"
"That town you were at --- Maretime Bay?" Sunburst said. "Perhaps you could start there. We don't exactly know how far into the future you're being sent to, but I like to hope that they would have something of a library or school where you could learn a bit about hope --- either from a magical or philosophical viewpoint."
"There's also the city of Zephyr Heights and that unicorn village --- Bridlewood, I think," Sonnet interjected. "You should go to both locations to find the same thing, especially if the unicorns made any such discoveries."
"The last place I was at was in a cave far from Maretime Bay," you admitted. "If I'm sent back there, it'll be a bit of a long trip back, unless I'm sent back to the exact second I was talking to those mares." You rubbed your head. "It's weird how I can't remember their names."
"I agree. You may not have noticed it, but there was a buzzing sound whenever somecreature mentioned a name during the memory spell. It must be a side effect of when you were disconnected from the ethereal spell. But as for where you'll be dropped off at, let's just hope that you won't have to travel far to Maretime Bay."
"You should also try to see if those mares and the sheriff you met will help you with your tasks," said Starlight. "They all seemed very friendly to you, so it doesn't hurt to try."
You nodded. "I should be able to do that."
"So, are you ready, then?" Sunburst asked.
You breathed out a sigh, looking up at the tree trunk and its crystals above.
"If there's more monster attacks coming soon, it's best that we take care of this as soon as possible. So, yeah, I'm good to go."
When you heard nothing come out of anycreature's mouth, you brought your gaze away from the trunk and looked around at the bodies surrounding you. Aside from a proud smile from the headmare and a blank expression from Sunset, the other three unicorns seemed genuinely surprised by your response. And in a way, you were also taken aback by a lack of protest or a desire to lengthen the wait time.
"I promise that you'll be safe in the future with the help that the princess has provided," Starlight reassured. "No creature here is taking your commitment for granted."
If you were a more sensitive and emotional pony, such a comment would have made your cheeks as red as tomatoes. Instead, you only gave the purple unicorn a courteous nod.
"I appreciate that."
"Well, we're not exactly in quite a rush yet. Have you eaten yet?"
With that question, it came to you that you haven't had a meal since breakfast, which was roughly six hours ago at the school before your walk through town. Aside from a somewhat now noticeable hunger, there was also a fiery weight present in your bladder.
"It's been a while since I've ate," you admitted.
"I don't mind getting something from the kitchen," Sunburst said as he trotted over to the door. "I don't think the castle kitchen is as vast as the school's, but is there anything in particular you want?"
"I guess anything that's not too light," you answered. "I'm not really picky."
Using his magic, the vice principal opened the door and exited the Hall. Once the stallion was gone, you turned your attention over to the headmare.
"It's also been a while since I've used the bathroom. Could you point me to where it is?"
"Of course," Starlight said, before turning to Luster. "Luster, could you show them where the bathrooms are? I've just got to check the spells one more time, and given how this place was like a maze when I first came here, I don't want them to get lost."
The pink unicorn nodded. "Follow me."
You exited the Hall right behind Luster and followed her throughout a portion of the castle to the restrooms. While she waited outside, you did your business and washed your hooves, impressed at the crystal architecture of the room that was more elegant than the school's bathrooms.
When you were done, you followed Luster back to the Hall, and by the time you got there, Sunburst had also arrived. He, Sonnet, Sunset, and Starlight were sitting at their own thrones at the Cutie Map, with Starlight herself observing some scrolls laid before her. You approached the area of the map where the throne with the Element of Geneoristy's cutiemark was, and in front of it on the map's surface was a plastic plate of orange fries and a sandwich, with a juice box on the side.
"I made you a sunflower sandwich with sweet potato fries," Sunburst said to you. "The juice box is apple juice, too. Just something real quick for you to eat."
You walked around the throne and sat your rump down on it. You caught Luster doing the same across the map with the throne holding the Element of Loyalty's cutiemark.
"Thank you, Vice-Principal."
You proceeded to take bites out of your sandwich and fries, which tasted quite good, and took occasional sips from the juice box. You stared down at your snack while you ate, your mind somewhat blank as nocreature else made a sound at the map. But soon the silence made you retreat into your mind, and the first serious thought that came to you was a replaying of your decision to go back to the future just minutes ago.
You could feel everyone's eyes on you once Sunburst asked if you were ready, and yet you quickly ruled out peer pressure or potential begging as a reason for making your choice so easily. You remembered how you had a sense of duty to go through with the memory spell three days ago in the headmare's office, but you could not recover such a similiar emotion for going through with the reactivation spell.
The confusion nagged at you like an affectionate gnat flying within your vision. If creature-pleasing nor a desire to serve one's country were not driving you, then what was?
"Looking out for themself is in their nature..."
With wide, surprised eyes, you paused your chewing of a portion of the sandwich. It had not even been half a day since you heard Olly say that about yourself, yet it rang out clearly in your ears as if he was right next to you in this room to repeat it. But when you turned to your sides, he was nowhere to be seen.
Was that the reason why you were going through with this? To prove him wrong? To prove to him, yourself, and the others that you were not a selfish waste of space? Were you really that desperate to risk your life and soul to disprove such assertions?
You chuckled.
No.
Such a thought like that could not have been what was driving you. You had given up caring about what Olly thought about you for a long time by now, and the others were not involved in your life for you to care about their opinions either. Perhaps you may never know what made you eager to go to the future.
One thing that was evident to you, though, was that if you found what you needed in the future to save Equestria in the present, you could always hold it over Olly's head once the news spread throughout the kingdom of what you did.
I'm going to do a bit more in my life than you ever did. You prick.
Content with your confidence, you resumed snacking, though this time your eyes wandered around the room. Starlight and Luster were hunched down over their own magical scrolls, while Sunburst, Sunset, and Sonnet simply sat in their chairs without uttering a word. You found it weird at first, but then you assumed that if they had been in this room longer than you, then perhaps they had already had their fill of conversations.
Still, you found the silence a bit uncomfortable. Luckily for you, some new thoughts had come to your mind that you wished to voice to the headmare.
"Headmare Glimmer?"
The purple unicorn brought her face up from the scrolls.
"Yes, [Y/N]?"
"You know how the tranced victims are still being sent to mental hospitals in major cities?"
"Yes?"
"Well... could you see if my family is in any of those hospitals? I know that the other outcome is also possible, but if there's a chance that they're out there somewhere... I just need to know."
The unicorn frowned, likely knowing what you meant with the first part of your last sentence. Yet she quickly donned a small, comforting smile toward your direction.
"I don't know how much leeway I have as a principal, but I'll ask the princess if she could give me authority to ask the hospitals about the types of patients they have. I promise to update you sometime soon."
"Thank you," you said gratefully.
You swallowed the final large chunk of your sandwich before moving on to devour the rest of the fries in quick succession. With your food finished, you grabbed the juice box and sucked on the tip of the straw, draining the small container of all of its delicious liquid until a suction sound reverberated throughout the room --- reminding you very much of your elementary school years.
You looked down at your plate, which was empty besides the food crumbs and a caved-in juice box on top. Their statuses as simple items were evident to you, and yet they also meant more to you than that. It was as if you were staring at a door that was slowly closing, with only a few seconds left for you to make it through the frame in time. Yet, with so little time remaining, your imaginary self simply remained still on their haunches, content with where you were staying.
"[Y/N]? Are you okay?"
You heard Starlight's voice and looked up from the plate. By now, not only did the headmare have her curious sights on you, but so did every other creature in the room. With so much attention on you, you wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
"I'm fine. I'm... ready to go, actually."
Starlight looked over at Sonnet and Sunset and pointed a hoof at the two of them.
"If you two want, you can leave. It'll be a while before you and Trixie have your turn."
The two other unicorns looked at each other before leaving their seats.
"I'll be in town checking on some of the girls," Sunset declared as she and Sonnet went to the door. Once it was closed, Starlight directed her attention back to you.
"I just need you to lay on the map on your back. We'll be ready soon."
Starlight levitated the scrolls down into some saddlebags that were next to her throne, and from those same saddlebags floated out three thin cylinder vials filled with green liquid. Uncapping the vials, Starlight hovered one over to Sunburst and another to Luster, while keeping the third for herself to consume. The blue glow around the other unicorns' vials disappeared as they used their own magic to grip the vials and drink from the tops.
Scooting your throne back, you grabbed your plate with your mouth and turned around to place it on the seat of the throne. You turned back around to face the map and placed your two forehooves on its surface before swinging your right hindleg over top. You lifted yourself on the map and walked over to the center, where you soon lay on your back. Above you, you stared at the tree trunk and its crystal attachments.
"Luster, do you remember what you told you to do?" you heard Starlight ask --- along with the sound of hoofsteps.
"Yes. You said to only perform the spell once the two of you reactivate the ethereal spell."
"Yes, that's right. But you need to make sure that you do the spell as soon as Sunburst and I send them back to the future."
"Of course. I believe I got it all figured out."
"Good. Sunburst? Are you ready?"
"I am," you heard the vice-principal affirm. "Just ready for your go-ahead."
"[Y/N]? How are you?"
You kept your eyes on the trunk while addressing the headmare. "I'm relaxed. Or relaxed as can be."
"We're about to begin. Just try to keep a clear mind. Like I said before, you'll be safe when you get there. You won't be alone. I promise."
"Thank you, ma'am."
The cold surface of the map itched its way underneath the skin of your back and neck. making you want to squirm and shift a bit. Luckily, you had enough resolve to follow through with the headmare's instructions and move your discomfort from the forefront of your mind. But still, an eery feeling came over you once you heard the activation of unicorn horns from outside of your vision.
You felt as if you were on an operating table, about to go through intensive surgery, albeit you did not know if the anesthesia given to you would truly protect or numb you from all danger. A part of you preferred the experience at the headmare's office, which felt like a trip to a foal-friendly dentist in comparison to now.
But there was no going back for you.
You and the others you met with today had already made your commitments.
And yet, besides from not wanting to mess the magical process, you could not find whatever was driving you to make such a commitment.
But whatever that drive could have been, you did not have much time to think it through.
A physiological jolt had spread throughout your body, starting from the organelles of your very cells.
And soon enough, your vision went blank white --- eradicating the world around you.