//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: It's Also About Time // by Glimmerglaze //------------------------------// When she closed the door behind her and looked down the hallway, she saw them, engaged in very casual, hushed chatter a perfectly sensible distance from the study away, giving off a very distinct impression that they’d spent their time doing what they were doing for quite some time now, and that definitely none of them had done anything untoward for the environment they were in, particularly not eavesdrop. Twilight couldn’t help picking up on that, but before she had a chance to become suspicious she was spotted. Pinkie Pie was first; she hugged her long-lost friend in almost a strangling fashion and then lifted her up in the air with an exuberance that turned the lift into a toss. Twilight briefly feared for her life as she saw the ground rushing on, but her other friends had quickly formed a circle and prepared their hooves to catch them in their midst. The ensuing rough-and-tumble group hug was accompanied by many tears, much laughter and several instances of Twilight trying desperately to breathe and failing. Pain had never been easier to endure. Eventually Twilight was released for the sake of her own health. She still had tears in her eyes and tried to wink them away to catch a good glimpse around. They really were there. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She’d needed them so much. Applejack crossed her legs and held her head high. “Told ya I’d catch up! Managed to round all of these guys up, too, thought ya wouldn’t mind.” “Oh Applejack, of course not! How did you all make it here so fast?” Twilight asked, still tears in her eyes and looking around ever so slightly in disbelief. “Well, I had a courier sent for these two here, since they live in Canterlot anyway. Figured they’d have the shortest route. Still managed to be dead last, though.” Applejack eyed Rarity accusingly. An eyebrow was raised in response. “Why are you looking at me, dear?” “Well, what was it that took ya so long, then? Sure it wasn’t yer makeup needing prissyin’ up or somesuch?” Twilight’s joy was a bit dulled, but she let out a breath of relief when she saw the poorly-suppressed smiles on Applejack’s and Rarity’s faces. They’d come a long, long way since that sleepover. “As a matter of fact, I had my boutique locked up and a notice for my canceled appointments posted on the door in a matter of minutes. It was Pinkie Pie’s fault. She insisted on trying to get that party cannon of hers past security! Took us ages to talk her out of it!” “Yup! Sorry! We still made it in time though! And guess what!” she yelled, producing a bright pink instrument of artillery warfare with balloons painted on the barrel from seemingly out of nowhere. “We can totally get this party started at a moment’s notice!” Rarity just stared at the contraption like she’d seen a ghost. “But! You left that at security!” “I never leave home without my spare party cannon!” “But ... Where did you ... How … Whaaa?!” “Movin’ right along,” Applejack rose her voice and looked in Rainbow Dash’s general direction, who simply rose an eyebrow. “Rainbow Dash got my message through the magical telegraph at the Cloudsdale Wonderbolt Academy, and …” Rainbow Dash coughed in an interrupting manner. “How did I make it here so fast? That’s a pretty dumb question to ask me of all ponies, don’t you think?” “Right. Sorry ‘bout that. As for Fluttershy, ‘parently Sweetie Belle told ‘er ya came back and went to Canterlot with me, and she flew right on over. Actually was th’ first one to get ‘ere.” Fluttershy just smiled at that, blushing a little. “I’m glad it’s okay that I came without being asked to. If it’s okay. I mean, if it isn’t okay, then I’m sorry,” she frowned briefly, but smiled again, “but not very much.” “As for mahself,” Applejack said, “while I got done rounding ‘em up, I also secured ourselves a conference room to use down that hallway, where we should probably go now so we don’t keep on causin’ a ruckus out ‘ere.” Of course, the staff kept all places within palace grounds in perfect condition and readiness. The comfiest cushions and benches were arranged in a circle, not a wrinkle out of place, with an array of exquisite bottles of soda, juice, and the finest sparkling water next to every seat. Two magnificent oil paintings decorated the rear wall, and between them stood a bust of Straight Mantle, one of the first presidents of the Equestrian Royal Council, responsible for creating most of its rules of protocol still in effect to that day. It was all so pristine that Twilight actually hesitated when she came in. Rationally, she knew that every room in the castle was there to be used. But they were just six friends wanting to catch up on each other. Was it really appropriate for them to… There was a bang, and several whistles and at least one quacking noise, and streamers, confetti and bonbons in a multitude of colors were slung all over the place. As if by providence of some kind, there was one pink-white striped cone-shaped party hat mixed in the payload, and it managed to end up just slightly crooked on Straight Mantle’s monocled marble visage. “Pinkie Pie!” Rarity exclaimed, annoyed, “We can’t have a party just yet! There’s still so much to talk about!” “I know, I’m sorry! Couldn’t resist!” Pinkie replied, giggling. She didn’t sound very sorry. Twilight just stared at the mayhem, then chuckled. So much for that. Might as well use the room now that they’d ruined it. While they all placed their haunches on a party-favor-laden bench, Twilight couldn’t help but study her friends as best as she could. Like Applejack, none of them looked all that different. Neither Rarity nor Pinkie Pie, in fact, looked a single hair older than she remembered. Fluttershy was a bit leaner, but still kind and serene as she’d always been. While she was athletic as always, Rainbow Dash’s facial features seemed to have hardened a bit; though that went away when she smiled or laughed, as she had done when Pinkie had exasperated Rarity with the reveal of her spare party cannon. It didn’t look or feel like ten years had passed between when she’d seen them last and now. Not in the least. But that was just Twilight’s perspective - a natural one to default to since, for her, there had been no ten years. “You’ve got to tell me everything!” she blurted out after everyone had settled. “Celestia told me all about Merrok, what happened to you? What have you been up to? What are you doing now? I want to know everything!” The language of expressions as her friends shared looks with each other was quite vivid and easy to read. ‘So, which one of y’all gonna go first?’ said Applejack’s. ‘Oh my goodness! Not me!’ said Fluttershy’s. ‘As a lady, I would not dream of hogging the spotlight like that,’ said Rarity’s. ‘Your faces are all so funny! Look at mine, look at mine!’, said Pinkie’s, and Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes and finally spoke up. “Well, first we gave that Merrok a vicious beating like you wouldn’t believe. Not sure if Celestia told you all the details, so I want it on the record I hit him square in the jaw twice and gave him at least one really good kick to the stomach. One time he tried to run, so I took a dive at him from the air and slammed him to the ground with a full bodycheck.” She threw out her chest with pride. “One does not simply run from Rainbow Danger Dash.” “That one time he had ya pinned down pretty good though,” Applejack said with an innocent look. “Like he might just slice yer head off.” Rainbow Dash just grinned. “Oh yeah, I remember.” “Looked pretty scared there, didn’t ya?” “Of course I looked scared. Had to keep him complacent while you ran up for your kick, right?” Applejack snickered. “That was dang good actin’ then.” “It was also a dang good kick.” “Mighty kind o’ ya.” “And right when he was trying to get back up from that, I think that was when Pinkie arrived with the bowling balls disguised as pies.” Pinkie didn’t comment, but giggled at the memory. Applejack nodded. “Dodged ‘em all after the first one, but it kept him on his paws.” “What about his spells?” Twilight asked. “Never cast one,” Applejack said. “I think he tried,” Rainbow Dash added, “but I think he never managed to concentrate enough. I think having Rarity’s teeth clamped on his tail the entire time didn’t help.” Twilight’s eyes widened and she stared at her unicorn friend, who inspected her hooves for imperfections at this very moment as if the conversation didn’t concern her. When she caught Twilight’s glance, she sighed. “Well, yes. It was the first thing I could think of, and he tried so hard to get rid of me I figured that if he was in so much pain, there really was no reason to release him from it.” “Why would the first thing you think of be to bite his tail?” asked Pinkie Pie with a completely serious expression, startling the entire room (except for a slightly embarassed Rarity), though things were set right again, after a fashion, when she slowly rose a pipe to her snout and thoughtfully blew into it, producing tiny bubbles. Rarity shot Pinkie an unamused raised eyebrow. “I might not have kept my composure to utmost perfection in the heat of the moment. There are limits, even for a lady. You will notice that even when a lady is forced into somewhat violent action, she restricts it to the strictly necessary, and she does not gloat about it.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Strictly necessary, huh?” Applejack repeated with a smirk. “Oh, of course! Every. Single. Tiny. Morsel. Of agony.” Her eyes went murderous for a split-second. As a shiver went down the spine of everypony present, Rarity allowed herself a refined cough. “I do not think we need to dwell on my modest contribution to the villain’s just punishment. You did most of the work, after all. And then there was Fluttershy.” The pegasus, who had looked increasingly uncomfortable during the retelling of that day’s events, yelped and hid under her mane and hooves. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie just nodded sagely. “Can’t really describe it better than that,” added Rainbow. “I actually almost felt sorry for him. Right after that, he put up the barrier.” “Yeah. Shining Armor almost went mad tryin’ to break it down, but …” Twilight waved her hooves to stop a pained-looking Applejack from having to retell that particular part. “I know all about that from Celestia. Just tell me, what have you all been doing since then, other than waiting for me to come back?” She looked at Pinkie Pie and Rarity. “If I understood right, you both live in Canterlot?” “Better than that! We’re neighbors!” exclaimed Pinkie, clearly ecstatic, bouncing over then hugging the white unicorn tightly to emphasize their wonderful connection. “Yes, that we are,” Rarity mumbled, clearly not ecstatic. Once she’d dislodged herself from Pinkie’s grasp, she took it upon herself to elaborate. “As my reputation grew, I decided to move my boutique to Canterlot, to be easier to find and so I could participate in Canterlot high society in a more regular fashion. Pinkie threw me a party for the opening, and in some manner I cannot divine it henceforth became the standard all other Canterlotian parties would be judged by. Suddenly she was showered in requests to organize Pinkie-style parties all over the place.” Pinkie giggled. “They took some warming up, but Canterlot ponies are absolutely amazing partiers!” “Of course, then I heard that Pinkie was throwing the parties for free and paying for party favors out of her own pocket, so I had to intervene.” Rarity still didn’t show an inch of mirth. “Now she has a thriving business right next to my boutique. She sells all manners of party supplies, books with party tips and instructions she writes herself and which apparently have been translated into eight languages, including griffon, and of course she’s available as an organizer for hire, for a stately sum. She makes more money than I do.” “Don’t be silly, Rarity! You always get half of everything!” Pinkie exclaimed happily. “I know, and you’re a lunatic!” Rarity snapped at her, her patience finally having worn thin. “I keep telling you, I only wanted to start you off with some capital! You were supposed to buy back my shares once the profits started flowing! What happened to the letter I sent you last week?!” “What letter?” “I was offering them at a tenth of their current worth! Just what do I have to do to get you to make a sensible business decision on this one thing? I know you have the acumen! I heard you managed to get your publisher to outright double your salary and profit share for your new book. He was in bed for days after the negotiations!” Pinkie giggled. “Oh, I remember! That was a good after-negotiation party.” “Just tell me, how far down do I have to go? Would you take them as a gift?” “Nope!” “But why?!” “Because I love sharing! I want to be business partners with you forever!” “Celestia lend me strength,” Rarity whispered. “Pinkie, that’s sweet of you, but I don’t know what to even do with all that money anymore! The director of the orphanage association wrote me that they couldn’t accept my latest check because every single orphan is just one rung removed from living in luxury by now. The university wrote me that the pony pox are completely eradicated. Every single rickety bridge I could find in the land is completely renovated and painted bright pink! Ugh! I’ve actually had to hire ponies to research charities! To spend your money!” Pinkie just beamed. “And you’re completely okay with this!” Pinkie nodded, still beaming. “Which means I have to start squandering it all like a madpony to make you finally take your shares back!” Rarity exclaimed in sudden elation. “You would do that?” asked Pinkie innocently. Rarity’s mood dropped again in an instant. “Oh, shut up.” Twilight finally couldn’t resist cracking up any longer. Applejack and Rainbow Dash smirked openly, and Fluttershy couldn’t resist a dainty giggle either. Hearing her friends laugh also managed to break down Rarity’s front, and she blushed and smiled herself. When the laughter had died down a bit, she cleared her throat in a ladylike fashion. “Be that as it may, I have been enjoying quite some success of my own. I have designed outfits for just about every member of high society of note and my shows number among the biggest fashion events of the year. I am insanely busy, but I’m lucky to have apprenticed several exceptionally talented students of fashion who take a lot of work off my hooves, and I like to think they learn a lot from me in return.” “I’m absolutely certain they do, Rarity!” Twilight said with earnest admiration. “I’m so happy for you!” “I’m quite happy myself, my dear, especially now that you’re back,” Rarity said, smiling brightly. Then her eyes went watery, and there was a slight tug in her features - and all of a sudden, the years were there, plain to see. A ten-year-old pain and the heavy heart they built. Then Rarity wiped her eyes with a swift motion of a hoof, and it was gone again - she went back to being the Rarity she’d always known, who hadn’t aged a day. Or at least she would have, if Twilight hadn’t paid attention. But that was fine. Twilight knew that none of her friends could have made it through ten years without changing in some way. What she needed to know, needed to find out, was how well they made it. If they had found happiness. And Rarity and Pinkie Pie were unimaginably happy, living close to one another and doing what they loved for a living, letting others share in their joy. There was no such thing as a perfect life, but they had something close to it, and Twilight was relieved to know it. “What about you, Rainbow Dash?” she asked. “Applejack said you were at the Wonderbolt Academy. You did make the Wonderbolts then, I take it?” “With flying colors, Twilight. What do you think?” Rainbow laughed. “I’m record winner in several of the big Wonderbolt Derbies, I hold the all-time speed world record of, if I remember the dude from the Academic Society correctly, ‘every living thing that has ever flown we know of’, and most of the moves taught in the highest level flying classes are moves I invented.” She stuck out her chest. “You are actually looking at the current Captain of the 1st Wonderbolts and this year’s instructor of the Wonderbolt cadets.” “Oh, so that’s what you were doin’. I got this return telegraph about how you were currently in class and they’d contact you but not promise anythin’, and then a second remindin’ me to remind ya to send another telegram with the order to stop.” Applejack scratched her head looking at the note in her hoof. “Don’t say to stop what.” Rainbow Dash furrowed her brows and looked at her hoofwatch. “Meh. They can do laps for another half hour at least.” “Anyway, what she ain’t told ya yet is that she’s received the Equestrian Medal of Courage twice for savin’ up to several thousand lives by dissolving massive storms comin’ in from the Everfree, almost all on her lonesome,” Applejack said, glancing affectionately at Rainbow, who grew uncomfortable. “Had nothing to do with courage. Anypony would’ve done it,” she mumbled. “Ya still were the one who did it.” “Only because I had the wingpower for the maneuver. I had to order all my wingponies back several times before they listened, because they all had the courage, too, just not the wingpower. I shouldn’t have gotten a medal for it when they didn’t. They should have made a wingpower medal if they wanted to give me something that much.” Applejack blinked and now looked more concerned. “Still a sore spot? I thought they all got medals, too, after you protested.” “After I protested,” Rainbow grumbled, then sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s the principle of the thing. They fixed it okay. I just don’t like to mention it.” “I’m mighty sorry then for mentionin’. I thought Twilight would wanna know, is all,” Applejack said, apologetic. Twilight had grown increasingly uncomfortable during Applejack’s and Rainbow’s exchange, after she’d realized that Applejack had touched on something that Rainbow didn’t like to talk about. She’d listened intently, to find out just what was going on between two friends of hers, but she’d felt bad about it, too - because it felt like she was intruding - eavesdropping, essentially - on something that didn’t concern her. And now Applejack had all but said so outright - that she’d mentioned something personal about Rainbow Dash that Twilight wasn’t supposed to hear. It stung, deep - to feel excluded. Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide all of a sudden. She turned to look at Twilight. Maybe she realized what was going on or maybe she didn’t, but the words couldn’t have rushed out of her mouth faster if she’d tried. “Nonono, that’s okay! Twilight can know! Twilight should know everything!” she blurted out, gesticulating wildly. Twilight felt relief wash over her, and the sting was gone. Left behind was only a bit of unease. She’d hear and come to know a lot about those ten years, but never everything. Was that truly the important thing, though? It was clear Rainbow Dash still thought of her as a friend, and still wanted to share everything with her. The same was true for all the others - Twilight was sure of that. If it was hard for her to adapt to them having lived ten years without her, how hard did it have to be for them to adapt to her being back after those ten years? “Well, um. I think you got the gist of it, Twilight. Everything else, I’d have to show you. Some of the tricks I can do will blow your mind.” “What does it feel like, being a Wonderbolt?” “It feels great. It’s a whole lot of work, but I love every second of it,” Rainbow said, proudly sticking out her chest. “What about you, Applejack?” Twilight asked. “You’re still on the farm, aren’t you? I couldn’t imagine you anywhere else.” “Me neither!” Applejack laughed, “Fully plannin’ on growin’ old there! It’s a bit bigger now than you might remember. Had a couple good years, and some smart business moves, and some good fortune. Didn’t hafta re-raise the barn in years, which helped. Got some employees workin’ full-time to help me and my brother out, ‘specially since Applebloom left to do her own thing. Shoot, Twilight, I can’t possibly do it justice. Ya gotta come out with me so I can show ya ev’rythin’.” “Definitely. Fluttershy, what about you?” Twilight asked, realizing that Fluttershy hadn’t said a word of anything since they’d entered the conference room. “Oh, it’s all fine!” Fluttershy said, beaming. “You’re still in Ponyville, right? Still at the cottage and taking care of animals?” Fluttershy nodded. “Uh-huh!” While Twilight wondered about the next question to ask, Rainbow Dash smacked her forehead with a hoof and suddenly took to the air, swooping down next to her shy pegasus friend. “She’s also Professor honoris causa Fluttershy, Equestria’s foremost expert on animal psychology and healthcare!” she exclaimed proudly. Twilight’s eyes became saucers. Fluttershy blushed and looked at the floor. Rainbow Dash snickered. “Come on, we both know you’d never gotten around to telling her on your own!” “You should visit one of her lectures at the Royal University some time,” Rarity said, happily. “You have never seen a larger room full of people this quiet. Several hundred students of animal care from all over the land, straining to understand Fluttershy speak! If you let a pin drop in there, you’d burst eardrums!” “... I’ve gotten better,” Fluttershy mumbled. A little smile snuck its way onto her face. “They’re such wonderful students. One of them made a sign saying ‘Louder’ that he held up when it got too bad. I was really grateful. He must have gotten in trouble over it, because in the next lecture he had a black eye and it said ‘Louder, please!’ instead. Twilight, what’s wrong?” What was wrong indeed? Twilight tried to get the tears to stop gathering. “I’m just so proud! A professor!” She fiddled with her hooves. “Do you get to meet other professors?” Fluttershy nodded. “There are dinners, sometimes. I get invitations. I usually go with Rarity, if I can find someone for the animals. They’re all really nice and very polite, even though I never went to university myself.” “Have you met … Shimmervale the Magnificent?” Fluttershy nodded, and was a bit taken aback at Twilight’s sudden squealing. Rarity nudged her excitable unicorn friend sharply in the side to snap her back to reality. “Sorry.” “I think that’s really all about me now, though. I’m really happy that I get to help so many animals, every day, by teaching what I know. And I’m really, really happy that you’re back. I’ve missed you so, so much.” And now the tears were everywhere, because Fluttershy hadn’t really been speaking for just herself anymore. All of them had started looking at Twilight, and with their eyes they all agreed. They’d waited ten years for her to come back, and now that she was, they were whole again. Twilight tried to clear her sight and calm down enough to talk. Eventually, she succeeded. “What about Cadance and Shining Armor? Are they doing well?” Rarity giggled. “Oh, they are! Cadance is still ruling the Crystal Ponies, though Shining has temporarily resigned from his commission as Captain of the Royal Guard to take care of the foals.” “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Twilight exclaimed. She blinked, and blinked again. “Wait, foals? Their foals?” Rarity nodded, smiling her brightest smile. “Shiny’s a dad?!” A pause. “I’m an AUNT?!” Her friends smiled as Twilight went crazy with glee, bouncing around the room. That was a well-executed surprise indeed. “If you want, Twilight, I’ll take the entire rest of the day off and accompany you on the train to the Crystal Empire personally!” Rarity announced. “I’m comin’ along, if’n ya don’t mind,” Applejack added. “Been wanting to visit the place again for ages.” “Ooh! Me me me!” Twilight laughed. “Oh, girls! I’d love to! I can’t wait to meet them!” Think about it for as long as you have to, Twilight. Her mood darkened. She slowly trotted back to her seat and lowered herself down. She looked around into worried faces. Everypony could tell something was wrong. And if Twilight was honest with herself, she hadn’t tried to hide it. Celestia might not have told her friends anything about what happened, or at least not the full story, but she also hadn’t ordered Twilight to keep it a secret from them. They were her friends - she trusted all of them completely. They could know, and they should know. Maybe they could help her find out what she had to do. And she had to talk about this with them now. Once she actually visited her nieces and nephews, once she had faces to connect them with, that would settle the entire thing. There just would be no way she could bring herself to use the counterspell then. She had to make her decision before she got too attached to the timeline she was currently experiencing. “If seeing just one little foal is enough to keep you from casting the counterspell, maybe that’s a hint that you shouldn’t be considering it in the first place,” a tiny nagging voice in her head said. She shook her head. Yes, there was a chance that everyone born between now and ten years ago would not have been born in the original time stream. But there was an equal chance, at least, that someone had not been born who would have. Like Celestia had said, both of those time streams had an equal right to exist. That was what made the decision so hard in the first place. She shook her head. Her friends had been waiting long enough for her to say something. She took a deep breath, and paused. She breathed out again. “Rainbow Dash, you should probably send that telegram now. We’ll be talking about this for a while.”