//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15 
// Story: Your Friends From Across Time 
// by EquestrianKnight97 
//------------------------------//





RING





The flash of white light disappeared from your sight as quickly as it had arrived. Though your eyes were stunned, they cleared up well enough for you to see what was before you. Soon, the chit-chat of birds and other wildlife greeted your ears.

You stood on all four legs amongst dirt and grass, surrounded by trees underneath a warm blue sky --- trees whose leaves were either pink or purple or blue or red. Though a mirror was absent within the forest, you were certain that your face was that of utter befuddlement.

"Well, that's... odd. Not where I thought I would be."

Aside from wondering why you made the stupid choice of going back to the future, you also thought about whether you would be sent back to the exact moment you left the cave, or if you would be sent to the cave days after Sunny, Izzy, Zipp, and Pipp had left for Candlebright Cove to find Discord. You were hoping that the former would be the outcome to transpire, given that you would not have to worry about traveling back to Maretime Bay by yourself with little to no guidance.

Staring up at the sky, you searched for anything that resembled a rainbow, but to no luck. You sighed to yourself, kicking away a little stick before you.

"Back to square one, again. Let's hope I don't run into somecreature like Posey again."

The utterance of that grumpy mare's name sparked a fascinating fact within your brain:

You remembered the names of most of the ponies you met while in the beach town.

Posey and her much kinder friend Dahlia.

Sunny and her friend Izzy, along with Sheriff Hitch.

Jazz and Rocky, the two workers at Mane Melody.

Mrs. Cloverleaf, the mother of one of the two missing ponies, who insisted that Hitch stay in town to conduct the search.

And the pegasi princesses Pipp and Zipp, who were also Sunny's friends.

You assumed that you would have to relearn everycreature's name again once you returned, yet those names all rang so clearly in your head. It was a fact that you were truly grateful for, but you knew that you could not just stand in the middle of nowhere doing nothing. 

You were on a mission after all.

It was a bit of a gamble to you --- that being where you would go --- but you decided to just move forward in the hopes that you would come across some friendly creature. If you found yourself heading nowhere, you hoped that you could at least make another turn in the right direction toward civilization. With it being either morning or afternoon, you had to be aware of any hints that you were going the wrong way before it got too dark.

But with seemingly enough time in the day, you wandered off to other thoughts that were piling up in your consciousness as you walked between the trees --- the calming sounds of nature helping you concentrate.

You stressed to yourself the objectives of your mission: to understand the concept of hope and overcome your... struggles.

You remembered that you had to perform some type of research into hope, both from a literal sense and a magical point of view, as either perspective could hold the key to saving Equestria. Whether it be Maretime Bay, Bridlewood, or Zephyr Heights, you needed to find a library or something similar with enough books or resources that centered on hope. Hopefully, if you arrived at Maretime Bay you would be able to get the sheriff to help you with your search, and maybe Sunny and the others if they came back from looking for Discord.

As for the second objective... 

You did not know what to make of it.

What was so special about the future that you had to deal with your life problems here?

It was not even that safe here considering the monster attack and the disappearances --- which may have also been caused by that beast.

And just like that, the memory of the monster dominated your concern for the mission.

You would not go as far as to admit that you were brought back to that exact life-threatening event as if it was happening all over again, but it was as if a ghastly grey hand of death was gripping the back of your neck tighter and tighter with each passing second. You began to gulp repeatedly as if something ugly from deep in your throat was trying to spew its way out of your mouth.

Suddenly, those animal sounds that had brought you short comfort made you paranoid. Darting your eyes, you were plagued with the fear that within this forest may be the very kind of monster that nearly killed you. Or bad enough, there may be other regular animals in these woods just as dangerous, such as wolves or bears, if there were any in this unknown region that you were just plopped into. For all you knew, they could be stalking you at this very moment, which meant that you had to be careful.

Or at least you would have been... had you been looking where you were going instead of behind yourself.

It all happened so fast, yet in one swift moment the ground below your leading forehoof disappeared, and you soon found yourself diving face-first into the dirt.

With a loud groan, you picked your body up from the ground and looked behind at the small cliff that you had fallen from --- at which moment you felt a heat of embarrassment flush through your cheeks.

I guess I should consider myself a danger, too.

While you stared at the cause of your mishap, your ears picked up on a sudden sound not so far away from you. Turning around once again, you saw a sight that filled your heart with gleeful satisfaction.

Yards away, between some trees were three unicorns moving away from you, but they were just close enough for you to see their mouths moving.

At last, you had found civilization. Or at least some travelers. But something was better than nothing.

You trotted away from the bottom of the cliff and headed over to the three ponies. The first important question you knew that you had to ask them was whether or not Maretime Bay was nearby, with the second one being whether or not they knew of Sunny and her friends. Regardless of what answers they had for you, you had a good feeling that life would be showing you many favors today while in the future.

"Excuse me!" you called out to the trio when close enough to them. The three unicorns, two stallions and one mare, stopped walking and turned around to face you. With several feet separating you from them, you spoke up once more.

"I don't mean to bother you, but can you tell me where I am?"

The trio looked at each other briefly before one of the stallions greeted you.

"Hello, there, my dude. You're in Bridlewood."

You smiled. "Bridlewood? That's where the unicorns live, right?"

"Yeah," said the mare. "Though some of us moved to Zephyr Heights and Maretime Bay quite a while ago."

"Are you lost or something, kid?" asked the second stallion. 

"Um..., yes. You could say that. I was actually... sightseeing when I got separated from my group not that long ago."

"Are you from Maretime Bay?" the mare asked.

You nodded, keeping your polite smile. "I am. I think my group might be back in town by now, so could you point me in the direction of Maretime?"

The trio looked at each other again before the first stallion spoke to you again.

"Well, Maretime Bay is to the southwest of here, but it takes nearly a day or two to get there."

"We're a bit too busy to help you get there," declared the mare. "But, you can always go to the Crystal Tea Room. Alphabittle should be able to get you a map."

"The Crystal Tea Room?" you asked. "Is that here in Bridlewood?"

"You bet it," said the second stallion with a nod. "Right in the center of town. It's a nice place with tea and music and amusement, kid. Ever since Izzy and her friends brought back magic and reunited Equestria, pegasi and earth ponies like yourself always stop by to visit the village, and most of them always head to the Crystal Tea Room."

Your ears shot up. 

"I'm sorry, but did you mention someone named Izzy?"

The second stallion spoke again. "Yeah, Bridlewood's own Izzy Moonbow. You know --- Sunny Starscout's friend."

"Does Izzy live in Maretime Bay now?"

The first stallion gave you a confused look. "Yeah, she left to live with Sunny and the pegasi princesses in that brand new lighthouse months ago. But I think she's visiting Bridlewood right now. I know that I saw her here just yesterday."

"You're from Maretime Bay, though, so you should know this," the mare mentioned. 

Your eyes widen. "Oh! I... I do. I just wanted to make sure that we were talking about the same Izzy, is all. Do you know where she is? I just had to ask her a few questions that I didn't get to ask before leaving home. Then I'll be on my way to the Crystal Tea Room."

"Well, I don't know where her house is," said the mare. "What about you guys?"

Both stallions shook their heads in answer. 

"Alphabittle might be able to tell you," said the first stallion. "He's friends with Izzy. So just go straight to the Crystal Tea Room."

You nodded. "Got it. And where is the Crystal Tea Room?"

"Just head to the center of Bridlewood. Go straight forward and then take a left turn when you come across a store called the Golden Basket.  It's roughly fifteen minutes to the center."

Wasting no time, you trotted past the trio.

"Thank you so much!" you called out to them with a quick turn of your head.

You became grateful for how things were turning in your favor. Despite not being sent to Maretime Bay or to Sunny and her friends, life in the future seemed to be giving you some leeway in finding your way through this world. At least you were sent closer to civilization than last time, and from the looks of it the beach town you needed to go to was not that far away from here.

And for all you knew, Izzy could help you with some research into hope from any sources available in Bridlewood when you found her. Of course, you had to credit the three unicorns for telling you about her being here, though you did feel bad for lying to them about who you were. You did not want to draw any suspicions or questions from the community about you being from the future --- at least not until you found Izzy amongst this town.

In fact, you wondered, after minutes of trotting, when you would encounter any buildings that showed that you were within the limits of Bridlewood. So far, you have only walked in between trees while on the dirt road. If you were truly heading for the center of town, you thought that it would perhaps be best to have seen an abundance of ponies by now.

But then, a sight caught your eyes and you delayed your steps.

A unicorn stallion with a unicorn colt before him exited from the front of a tree ahead of you to the right. With a glow of his horn, the stallion closed the door attached to the tree and went with the colt in the opposite direction you were going. When the two unicorns passed you, you went over to the tree to inspect it, in which you spotted the door along with some windows embedded within the trunk.

As you continued on at a normal pace, curious for more insight, you darted your eyes back and forth between the trees in your path. Like the one you had observed closely, most of them seemed to be houses of some sort, as evident by their built-in doors, windows, and balconies. 

Unicorns live in trees?

Maybe you had a bit of a bias, being an earth pony that lived in a city dominated by unicorns, and though you knew better than to see creatures as just their stereotypes, you could never see the majority of your horned pony companions living in such a rustic setting. If Canterlot and other cities with an abundance of unicorns were truly gone by now, you had to figure out why Bridlewood itself was not a bustling metropolis.

In a short amount of time, you came across the store that you were told to go to. The Golden Basket, as was titled by the sign in front, was a large yellow tree with teal leaves. The sign also described it as a place for buying furniture, beds, mattresses, and other household items. You looked over to the dirt road on your left and saw scattered about a few unicorns yards away walking in different directions.

Guess I must be getting close.

You turned to the left as instructed, keeping an eye out for anything that would point you to the Crystal Tea Room. You assumed by now that the place must be in a tree like the Golden Basket was, and so you were careful not to overlook the features of any trunk you passed by.

Though you saw no signs similar to that of the Golden Basket's, you did find one strange thing: 

Crystals. 

An abundance of them, actually.

At first, when you spotted them on the ground to your sides, you mistook them for large blueish stones until you caught the sunlight shining off of them. The ones you saw seemed to be of all types of sizes, with the tallest being the height of three average ponies stacked up together. 

It was a surprising sight for you. As far as you were aware, crystals in Equestria mainly existed in caves and caverns, not right out in the open. But given how it was the future, you guessed that things must have changed drastically in the past few centuries. Still, as pretty and alluring as they were, you could not forget to pay extra attention to the trees around you.

But as your eyes were searching, your mind was thinking of what to do when you finally met Izzy.

One thing you would have to ask her was whether she, Sunny, and the others were able to get the crystal back from Discord, while the other subject would be to know how much time had past between that moment in the cave and today. You knew that time in the future moved quicker than in the present, so it must have been some time since you disappeared. 

There was also the matter of your mission. Whether it be in Bridlewood, Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights, or somewhere else, you needed help with understanding the importance of hope. If Izzy, Sunny, or Sheriff Hitch could help you find a place with such knowledge, you needed to know for certain. And luckily for you, you seemed to be close to approaching the location you were heading for.

Minutes later, the dirt road you traveled on led you to a roundabout situated around a tall tree. With there being a bunch more unicorns and trees present in the area, you felt safe to assume that this public spot was the center of Bridlewood. Now that you had arrived, the next step for you was to find the Crystal Tea Room.

You entered the roundabout and walked counter-clockwise amongst the new road. Passing by unicorns going about their business, you searched for a sign of some sort to know which tree you should go to. Many of the ones that you approached seemed to be stores or businesses of some sort, such as "The Grand Horseshoe" or "Aqua's Emporium" to name a few.

But finally, once you were halfway through the circle, you found it. A large blue tree with red leaves that had a dual set of doors made of purple shades of stained glass. Amongst the purple stained glass was a teal teapot on the left side and a steaming green cup on the other side. To the right of the door was a triangular window made of blue, green, yellow, and magenta stained glass. Above that window was a wooden sign in the form of a teapot with actual smoke coming out of it, which was titled "Crystal Tea Room".

You grinned at the sight before you, knowing that things were still getting better for you. You walked over to the double doors at the base of the tree along the road exiting the roundabout. Based on its design, you pulled backward on the door to your right, and once it was opened wide enough you passed through the entrance space into the tree.

For a moment, your eyes had to adjust to the new, dimmer setting, but soon you had a clear image of the space you had entered. 

Many of the unicorns were sitting down on pillows around tables with stone bottoms and wooden tops. On top of the tables and hanging off wires amongst the walls were lit lanterns that basked the environment in a dim brown-orange glow --- bestowing the atmosphere with a placid and cozy feeling that reminded you of a nightlight in a kid's room during bedtime.

To the far-off left was a wooden bar counter with a few unoccupied stools in place, and behind the bar was a single unicorn stallion. Drawing everycreature's attention to the far right of the room was a stage where three unicorns were on. One unicorn, a mare with a scarf, played a saxophone with a gentle tempo. The other unicorn, a stallion with a large puffy mane, played with a pair of bongo drums at a steady beat. And the final unicorn, a mare wearing a beret, stood before a microphone stand as the other two performed with their instruments.

The room also had a few picture frames littered across the walls, but with it being dim you could not make out what they all showed. In addition, several smaller trees that lined the walls and reached the ceiling were present.

Based on your limited knowledge of how bars work as places to get info, as you have seen in movies, you walked over to the counter. As you went on your way, you heard an amplified monotone voice from behind you. Still walking, you turned your head around real quick to see the unicorn with the beret speaking into the microphone.


"River, river, take me away.


Take me to a new refuge,


where I can safely stay.


This world is so cold,


as it reminds me of


scars so old."


Reaching the bar, you grabbed a hold of one of the stools to the right side and sat yourself up on the seat. The unicorn stallion behind the counter, who had a grey coat, was now crouched down and facing away from you. As you waited for him to rise and face you, you looked at the shelves that he was under. A mishmash of miscellaneous objects stood in their own place on the walls, including a rubber chicken, a lava lamp, a tennis rack, and a few pictures.

A little squeak caught your ear, along with the feeling of something warm and wet pressed against your right forehoof. Looking down, you saw a small tan armadillo with ruffled green hair on the counter pressing its snout up against your hoof. Surprised, you withdrew your hoof away from the creature, but still curious, it came back to your body part to bestow it with tiny licks. A few more squeaks sounded off from the right side, and you saw two larger armadillos, with the same tan color and ruffled green hair, approach the smaller one to nuzzle at it.

"Hello there, traveler. What can I do for you?"

Hearing the voice in front of you, you brought your sight away from the armadillos to look straight forward. The unicorn stallion behind the bar was now facing you, or rather facing down at you, as despite his elderly appearance due to his white mane, beard, and sideburns, the bartender was a large pony, even with you being on a stool.

"Um..., yes," you finally answered. "I'm just looking for Alphabittle."

The unicorn smirked at you. "Well, then, you have found him right here. So, how do you need my help?"

You looked over at the armadillos, who were now off to the side watching back at you, before returning to Alphabittle.

"I'm just looking for where I can find Izzy."

"You mean Izzy Moonbow?"

You nodded. "Yes. I'm a friend of hers and Sunny. I heard that she was here visiting."

Alphabittle frowned. "Well, I saw her yesterday, and I think she's at her old house. But why do you need to see her?"

Nervous, you wrung your hooves. "Well..., I just needed to catch up on some things with her, is all."

The unicorn suddenly bestowed you with a calm yet skeptical scowl. "Such as...?"

You felt like a foal caught with their hoof in a cookie jar, as you could already feel your lucky streak reaching a limit you could not conceive of before in your head.

You lightly chuckled. "You know, stuff like... Maretime Bay events. I never got to finish talking with her about what's going on back home, so I really need to see her."

The unmoving glare from Alphabittle was enough for you to realize that your poorly planned lying was not doing you any favors. You might as well have just grown a long wooden snout for everycreature to see. For a while, the two of you just stared at each other, with him likely expecting you to say something else. In the meantime, you could hear the singer on the stage recite another verse against the background of jazz music.


"Must I be reminded


of the faces that I


have slighted?


Is time only a current


that must go forward?"


"Sorry, kid," the stallion finally said. "I'm not trying to be judgemental, but I'm not really sure it be good to tell you where Izzy lives. I just don't know you that well, is all. If you're telling the truth, you'll just have to wait until she goes back to Maretime Bay."

You slumped somewhat in your stool. If Alphabittle truly was close to Izzy, you guess you could not blame him for being hesitant to share such personal information with a stranger like yourself. But it was still frustrating to you that you may be starting all over again in this timeline. You supposed that you could just search for Izzy on your own, but you had no clue of how big Bridlewood truly was. Even if you met somecreature else who could tell you where Izzy was, she might have been on her way back to Maretime Bay by then.

There was also the thought of telling Alphabittle of your true history with Izzy, but for all you knew that could just make your situation complicated. At best, he might brush off the idea that you're a time traveler from the past and simply ignore you, but at worst he could badger you with eager questions of your life experiences, which could draw further unwanted attention from the denizens of Bridlewood if word got out --- slowing your search for Izzy.

In the end, it was probably best to keep your mouth shut about the truth, but you still could not give up on finding her.

You straightened up a bit and looked up at Alphabittle.

"Well, could you at least tell Izzy that I'll be heading over to Maretime Bay if you see her?"

"Sure," Alphabittle affirmed, much to your relief. "Mind telling me your name?"

You told him your name. 

"Well, [Y/N}, I'll be sure to let her know you were asking about her. So, do you know your way to Maretime Bay from here?"

You scratched the back of your head. "I know it's to the south of here."

"Southwest. There are directions on the roads between here and there, but it wouldn't hurt for you to bring a map with you."

The unicorn crouched down underneath the bar for a short while, before popping back up with a small, tan, rolled-up scroll of some sort in his hoof. He laid it down before you, and soon the armadillos began to poke at it with their inspective noses.

"Here you go," he said with a smile. "Should take you a day or two to get there. You have a bag to carry that in?"

"No. Sorry, I was... here with a group of friends, but I decided to stay here to talk with Izzy for a bit when I heard she was in Bridlewood. The others were the ones who had saddlebags."

"Huh. I guess you'll need a bag, too. I'm not usually one for handouts, but since you're young I want you to be as safe as possible. I don't really want to have you haunting my conscious if you get hurt."

You frowned. "Why would I get hurt? Is the--- I mean, nothing really bad happened to us on the way here."

"Well, you guys must have gotten lucky. Nopony's been hurt yet, but there's talk of some type of monster lurking in the woods between here and the Bay."

You felt the fur on the back of your neck stand up. 

"There's a--- a what?" you asked in a stammer.

"A monster," Alphabittle replied plainly. "Or at least a large animal. A few nights ago some unicorns coming back from Maretime Bay ran back home all spooked over something they saw in the forest. It was large and shrieking at them until they high-tailed it. The same happened to another traveler coming back two nights ago."

You failed to suppress a gulp in your throat. "D-Did this monster d-do anything to them?"

The unicorn shook his head. "Nope. Luckily, it just lurked around in the treelines just stalking them each time, so nopony got a good look at it. Still, though, you should take advantage of it being morning and just leave now. But let me go get you a saddlebag, or satchel. I know I got one in the back."

Alphabittle walked away and went over to a door to your left, leaving you alone with the armadillos, your thoughts, and a terrible knot in your stomach. Your shadowy face stared down at the map on the counter, but your mind was focused on the last sentences from the bartender. 

There was no clear description of what the monster looked like, but you already jumped to the conclusion that it was the same one that attacked you outside of Posey's home. To you, it was obvious. How much of a coincidence could it be that a large creature that lived in the woods was of a different breed?

But if that was the case, then why was it so far away from Maretime Bay?

And if it was travelling in between places without having attacked anycreature, then was it looking for someone in particular?

"Wow! I wasn't expecting to see you here!"

Just as you were about to dive deep into despair, a chippery female voice to your left reached your ear. Looking over in that direction, you saw that you were not the only pony at the bar. Sitting on their own stools were two unicorns. The one further off was a very peculiar-looking filly. She had a coat that was mainly purplish brown, but there were splotches of white on her too, as if someone spilled paint on her. Accompanying her odd coat were purple, teal, and pink dreadlocks, and on her flank was a cutiemark of a heart-shaped paint board with two brushes. 

However, your main attention was on the closer, second unicorn. A very familiar purple mare with long blue hair.

"Izzy?" you spat out abruptly.

With an unmoving smile, the mare nodded. "Yep! That's me! And you're [Y/N], right?"

"Um... yes."

"Oh, well I'm glad I got that right. I know you left quite an impression on us when we first met, but that was months ago. So I didn't know if I got your name right at first."

"Months? It's been months since you've last seen me?"

"Yeah. You disappeared in that cave a long time ago in a big flash of light! Sunny and I were worried and wanted to find you, but Zipp said we had to focus on finding Discord. She even mentioned that perhaps you went back to your own time somehow."

You chuckled sheepishly. "Well... that's basically what happened."

Izzy's smile dropped into a confused frown. "Then why are you back here if you found a way home?"

"It's actually a bit complicated, but I guess I can start with---"

"Here you go!"

The boom of a nearby male voice cut you off from the start of your explanation. Alphabittle had come around the corner where he had originally disappeared into nearly a minute ago. To his side, in a purple glow that matched the one on his horn, was a pair of beige saddlebags. The stallion stood in front of you and leviated the bags over to the stool on your right. He opened his mouth to say something else to you, but stopped once he spotted the other two unicorns at the bar.

"Izzy. What a coincidence," he said in with a smile. "I was just talking about you with this kid over here. Do you know them?"

"Yeah!" Izzy responded cheerfully. "They're a friend from like waaaay back."

Alphabittle turned back to you. "Well, then. I guess you don't have to travel to Maretime Bay since she's here, huh?"

"Do you need the bag back?" you asked him, only to be answered with a dismissive hoof wave.

"Keep it. I got too much junk anyway, and it's not like I gave you the best saddlebags. Now, Izzy, Violette, what can I get the two of you?"

Izzy spoke up. "Me and Vi are just here for a quick tea break from our Gala work." She turned around in her stool to look over at the stage. "Onyx, Dapple, and Primrose sure are killing it this morning with the poetry slam!"

Alphabittle chuckled, igniting his horn to levitate over two small cups and a steaming tea kettle from a nearby shelf. "They sure are. So, what do you two want to drink?"

Izzy looked down at the filly to her side and nudged her lightly. "You can go ahead and choose. I'm still deciding in my head between honey hibiscus and peppermint today."

The brown and white filly brought both hooves up to the counter and looked at Alphabittle.

"I'll have a cup of ginger chai tea. Hot, please."

The stallion nodded. "I'll be right on it, little lady. And what about you, Izzy?"

"I.... guess I could have some hot honey hibiscus." The mare set her eyes on you. "What about you? Have you had anything to drink yet?"

"I'm... not really thirsty right now," you responded. "And I don't have any bits to pay for tea."

"Well, water is free here, if you want any," Alphabittle added in.

"I'm good, but thank you. I just need to talk to Izzy about something."

Alphabittle shrugged, placing the cups before Izzy and the filly. A jar of shriveled, dark red leaves was brought up in a purple glow from underneath the bar on Alphabittle's side, along with a jar of sugar, a jar of what looked like honey, and a small spoon. The stallion dumped a few leaves in Izzy's cup, then he tilted the jar of honey over the cup until just enough gooey yellow liquid drooped out. Finally, after scooping a bit of sugar with the small spoon and placing both in the cup, Alphabittle brought over the kettle to the cup with his magic and poured out a bit of steaming hot water.

Izzy herself took hold of the cup and spoon with her magic, swirling the spoon within the liquid until she floated the cup up to her lips to blow on. Meanwhile, Alphabittle attended to preparing the other cup, though you did not pay close attention to the process, as the filly spoke up and pointed her hoof at you.

"Izzy. Is that the time traveler you were talking about before?"

After a few more blows, the mare took a sip of her tea before addressing the filly's question.

"They sure are! [Y/N], this here is my art protege, Violette Rainbow!"

With her answer received, the filly bestowed you with wonder-filled eyes and an opened awestruck mouth. 

"Woooow! I can't believe it. You're really from the past? Like when Twilight Sparkle and her friends were around?"

"Uh... yeah," you said, unprepared for Violette's enthusiasm. "You can say that."

"Woah! So that means that you're from a time when all types of creatures roamed around Equestria? Like dragons and hippogriffs and changelings? I've only read stories about them!"

"You're right. Equestria by the time I was born was very diverse. I'm just surprised that there aren't many other creatures here anymore besides ponies."

"Yeah. Nopony really knows where most of the other creatures went, but Equestria still has some zebras in it. I'm friends with one. Her name is Skye."

Curiosity livened up your eyes. "There are zebras here?"

Smiling, Violette nodded. "Sure! At least in Maretime Bay. Sheriff Hitch also has a baby dragon, too. His name is Sparky."

"So there aren't any other dragons around?"

"Nope. But Equestria is still a place full of lots of wonderful creatures if you ask me."

The second cup floated down in front of the filly, full of a steaming, creamy brown liquid and a spoon. 

"A time traveler, huh?" Alphabittle chimed in. "With magic's return, I guess anything is possible. I'm gonna take a guess and say that you were telling a little fib about being here with your friends."

"I'm sorry about that," you apologized, scratching the back of your head. "I just didn't know what would happen if I told the truth. The last thing I needed was more attention and questions from ponies."

"Well, I understand. At least no harm was done on your part."

"But still," butted in Izzy, "I want to know why you're back here if you found a way back to your time already."

"I was sent back here because I need to help save Equestira," you answered. "There were these monster attacks throughout the kingdom, and though I don't understand why, I have to be in the future to stop more attacks from happening."

"Well, what do you have to do here?"

"I need to understand the concept of hope for some reason. I might need to learn about it from a philosophical viewpoint, but magic could also play a part. Do you know any spells or artifacts in Equestria that have to deal with hope?"

Izzy donned a quizzical frown as she tapped her hoof underneath her chin.

"I don't know anything about any spells or magical doohickies. I don't think any unicorn does. Ever since magic came back, all we can do make things float."

"Don't you have any spell books?"

"We did, but that was many years ago --- before we lost our magic. Once it disappeared, nopony really felt the need to keep track of any of those books. They could be anywhere --- or nowhere at all."

"So all unicorns can do is levitate?"

The purple unicorn sipped her tea. "Yep. Like I said. But maybe you can find something in Canterlot."

For the second time today, your ears immediately shot up.

"Canterlot?" you asked with a heightened voice. "But I thought the only places creatures lived in were either Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights, or here."

Izzy only smiled at your confusion. "Well, nopony really lives there besides Discord. But a lot of ponies are going to be visiting the city soon, so maybe you can come with us."

"Discord?" you said in a normal voice. "You found him?"

"Yep. It's a bit of a long story, but we were able to get him to give back the pegasus crystal. We convinced him that with magic restored, ponies could reach their pull potential and use their abilities for good. So luckily, nopony has to worry about losing their magic anymore."

"But why are ponies going to Canterlot if only Discord lives there?"

"Well, you know my friend Pipp?"

You nodded. "Yeah. She's one of the princesses."

"Well, she got the idea to hold a Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot, like in the old days. She even got Queen Haven to help clean up a part of the city so ponies can have a place to stay during their visit. Me and Violette have been busy making decorations for the gala. That's why we're here now to take a break and listen to some music."

"The Gala?"

"Yeah, it's coming up soon. Ponies have already been planning to go there. Once we're done with the decorations, we'll be heading to the city, too."

"But what can I find in Canterlot to help me with my mission?"

"Well, it's a city. But not just any city. It used to be the capital of Equestria, right? So there must be a huge magical library in there for you to learn all about hope! We can ask Discord to help us look for something like that."

Izzy's suggestion generated a spark in interest in your eyes. "You really think that's the case?"

The mare nonchalantly shrugged. "It beats me. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. Do you have a place to stay for now?"

"No. It's been at least an hour since I've been here."

Izzy grinned. "Well, I guess you can stay with me for a bit at my old villa. Me and Violette are heading back soon, so you can just follow us."

Though it came gradually, an unexpectant smile from you was given right back to Izzy.

"Wow. I... um... thanks. That definitely makes things easier for me."

"Sure thing! But you mind if we just hang out here a little bit longer? I really like Onyx's lines so far."

You nodded, not wanting to force things to go your way. If Canterlot was far away from here, than it would likely take some time for you to get there with or without Izzy's help. And to be honest with yourself, it was probably best that you had a place to eat and rest before going on such a journey. You were not going anywhere soon, but at least you had somecreature to assist you, which was not something you expected so soon.

So for now, you remained in your stool, listening to the bereted unicorn speak her poem on stage, all while Izzy and Violette sipped tea. 


"I've tried and tried to


change my road.


But I will always be haunted


by scars so old.


My muses and angels,


and all my beloved dears,


have left me alone,


alone with my tears."