//------------------------------// // 8. Regret // Story: The Trouble With Time Travel // by Mike the Red //------------------------------// The three of them arrived at the train station with about fifteen minutes to spare. EJ paid for the tickets, two round-trip, one one-way, and they patiently waited for the train to arrive, sitting on one of the several benches which had been provided. Amethyst chose to sit in the fashion Lyra did, which annoyed both of her children. "Mama, please don't sit like that! It's ... not normal," her daughter implored, trying to avert her gaze from her mother's almost shameless display. "Mama, there are certain things you should not do. Sitting like that is one of them," EJ offered, shaking his head sadly. When she failed to respond to his concern, he audibly groaned. "Lyra used to sit like this all the time and she was never hassled about it. Please don't forget that once upon a time, I used to be a human -- even so, I have sat like this most of the time I've been a pony," the purple mare stated flatly. "I do what I'm comfortable with." She tried to stare down her children, daring them to say something else. "It's very unbecoming, mama," said EJ, glaring in disapproval. Amethyst changed her position, but only reluctantly. "I hope you don't sit like that on the train ride, mama," he added. "Oy," she complained. Fifteen minutes turned into an hour when the train finally showed up, blowing not a whistle, but a three chime air horn, which startled the purple mare. "I haven't heard anything like that since I left Earth," she mused. "Earth? Is that the name of your original home world?" asked Galaxy. "Yes, a world of humans -- I will tell you more about it while we're on the train," Amethyst replied. The three of them boarded the train, taking seats in the front carriage. Passenger rail traffic had decreased quite a bit over the course of twenty years, so there were only two daily trains between Ponyville and Canterlot, each with just two railcars. The train ride actually took longer now than it did back then, which confused the dark purple mare. During the several hours it took the train to reach Canterlot, EJ and Galaxy told Amethyst about the many other changes which had taken place and listened attentively as the purple mare told her children about her travels. "I would have liked to have seen Nightmare Moon myself," Galaxy mused. "I've heard terrifying stories about her." "The only time I was worried was when she flung me across the floor of that old throne room -- that hurt -- but my adrenaline was so high, all she did was make me angry," Amethyst chuckled softly. "Even so, I don't think I'd wanna face her again. She was very powerful." EJ and Galaxy nodded their heads in agreement with her statement. "It must have taken a great deal of courage to face her down! You got to see the Elements of Harmony work their magic for the first time in a millennium! That must have been awesome!" EJ smiled. "Indeed it was. The memory is still fresh -- I also remember impressing Twilight with my use of a couple of Starswirl's special spells," the dark purple mare grinned. "Nightmare Moon even complimented me on using one of them!" "Whoa! That must have been intense!" EJ exclaimed. "Yeah, it was. Even more so was to see Princess Luna restored after the Nightmare was banished." The purple mare continued to regale her son and daughter with her further exploits in the other timeline, eventually announcing a serious desire to return to it. "Not until you meet the Princess, at the very least," Galaxy implored. "She has already instructed me to bring you to her upon your return, so you have to meet her!" "Very well then. I hope she isn't angry with me for what I've done," the purple mare stated somewhat dejectedly. The rest of the train ride was uneventful, aside from the three of them having a late lunch before the train finally pulled into Canterlot's Central Station. Amethyst was astonished to see relatively few ponies milling about waiting for this train, the once nearly-full station pretty close to empty, many of the ticket counters closed. EJ informed his mother that the population of Canterlot had been in decline for some time, though a recent conflict had done some serious damage. "Next stop, Vanhoover," the attendant called out. "Boooooard!" "Things sure have changed around here," Amethyst mused, taking in the rather bleak surroundings. "I don't like it at all." "Some things you'll just have to get used to, mama," EJ stated flatly. "You don't have to like it." "It doesn't look much like I remember it -- it's all dark and dirty now and there don't seem to be anywhere near as many ponies as I remember trotting around this city," the purple mare observed. The three unicorns continued trotting towards the Castle, mindful of their steps. The cobblestones looked like they had seen better days, crumbling edges of the stones making for some sharp edges and slippery surfaces making the trotting a little dangerous. "I thought they had a maintenance group keeping up with repairs to broken stones." "Falling tax revenue has forced cutbacks in certain areas of the budget -- street repairs have suffered as a result," EJ responded flatly. "Equestria hasn't been free from conflict either over the past twenty years, mama." "I'm sure the Princess will fill me in on the details, EJ. I hope those budget cuts haven't adversely affected your paycheck." EJ grumbled audibly. "Mama, don't remind me, please. I may be second in command, but even I have had to cut back on certain ... necessities." The three reached the gates of the Castle, a lone guard standing watch. He opened the gates upon seeing his superior and saluted sharply. EJ returned the salute. Upon seeing the dark purple mare, the guard did a double-take. "Uh -- Amethyst? Amethyst Shadow?" he asked hesitantly. The purple mare took a moment to reflect upon seeing the teal unicorn stallion with the two-tone brown mane and tail. "Right Face? Really? What has happened to you? I am SO sorry!" she stated, smiling sadly at him. "Twenty years is a long time, Amethyst," he replied sullenly. "I don't know if there's anything I can do for you," she responded flatly. "Smile for me one time, Amethyst. Let me know you still care about me," he offered. The dark purple mare gave him a soft smile as a single tear trickled down her right cheek. "I am so very sorry, Right Face," she said softly. "Come on, mama, we have to meet the Princess," Galaxy stated firmly. "You will have time to meet with him later." The dark purple mare followed her son and daughter as they trotted into the Castle, encountering a few Royal Guardsponies as they trotted along the corridors. EJ split off and informed his sister and mother that he had to return to barracks and check in, giving the both of them a quick farewell, a gesture which was kindly returned as the grey stallion trotted away. Their hoofsteps echoed loudly in the hallways and Amethyst wondered where the carpeting had gone, Galaxy explaining that it had suffered damage over the years, and that which wasn't damaged was either sold or salvaged for the Throne Room. Mother and daughter wound their way through the Castle to the Throne Room, a single guard standing watch. "Amethyst Shadow, to see her Majesty, Princess Celestia," the dark purple mare stated flatly. The guard silently opened the doors for her, allowing her and her daughter into the large room. Princess Celestia sat idly on her throne, a slightly bemused expression on her face. The Throne Room seemed a lot darker than Amethyst remembered it and the carpeting looked soiled in certain spots. The Alicorn seemed to be very tired as it appeared she had bags under her eyes and the colors in her mane and tail seemed to be considerably more dull and muted than she remembered. "I've been expecting you, Amethyst. You certainly took your time getting here," she chuckled softly. "About twenty years, I think. I'm disappointed in you," she stated bluntly, giving the dark purple mare a stern look, but still managed a slight smile. "Your Majesty, I am deeply sorry for my actions," the purple mare stated effusively, bowing deeply and prostrating herself before the Alicorn. "I did not say I was angry with you, Amethyst -- just disappointed. So where have you been? You have a story for me, do you not?" the Alicorn asked, giving her a small smile. "Indeed I do, your Majesty," she stated reverently and began to tell her tale of her counterpart in the other timeline and her relatively short stay of about four weeks. Celestia's jaw opened a bit in surprise at this news. "I find it difficult to believe that only four weeks have passed for you -- though I suppose that anything is possible when it comes to time travel. Now all of your friends are old, but you are still young -- younger even than your children. How does that make you feel?" "First of all, it makes me feel sorry for having abandoned my children the way I did. I am disappointed in myself for acting so selfishly. But I am also disturbed by what I have seen since my return here, and quite honestly, I would like to return to the previous timeline, if such a thing is possible," Amethyst replied. "This is not the timeline I remember nor am I familiar with it." "You cannot return to that other timeline, Amethyst -- although I believe you will be tempted to try, but I would strongly recommend against it. I am certain that any attempt you make to return to that timeline will meet with disastrous results for you. I am sorry to break the news to you like this, but you have to face the consequences of your actions -- so you must adapt to these new changes, even though you don't like them." The purple mare lowered her head, her ears drooping to lay flat against the sides of her head. "I am deeply sorry, your Majesty," she stated sullenly. "There is no need to apologize to me, though I certainly hope you have learned a valuable lesson from your actions, Amethyst." "Indeed I have, your Majesty. If there is no further business you require of me, I believe it is time for my daughter and I to return to Ponyville." "I would appreciate periodic updates from you, Amethyst. Please stop by and see me sometime, it gets lonely here without my Sister," the Alicorn stated somewhat sadly. "What has happened? Where is Princess Luna?" asked the purple mare, stunned surprise registering on her face. "I would rather not talk about that, Amethyst. Please go, you have much to do. If you need further assistance, I believe Twilight may still be able to help you -- I would recommend that be your next stop," the Alicorn stated flatly. "EJ told me about a recent conflict here in Canterlot --" the purple mare began. "The less said about that, the better. I lost a significant number of my little ponies during that ... war ... and thinking about it leaves me feeling even further depressed than I already am. I lost my Sister in that war and things have not been the same since. Please go, I do not wish for you to see me like this," the Alicorn stated sadly. "Please do not remind me of these matters -- I trust you to set them aside, for my sake. We must focus on the future, not dwell on the past, though I must admit to some degree of regret and remorse for not being there with Luna." A single tear trickled down her right cheek as her weariness seemed to have finally caught up with her. "If there were some way I could help you, your Majesty ..." Amethyst stated, letting her words trail off as the Alicorn shook her head sadly, motioning for her to leave. "Perhaps another time, Amethyst. Give Twilight my warmest regards and please let her know I would appreciate a visit more frequently from her." "Yes, Princess Celestia," she stated reverently, bowing once more before leaving the Throne Room with her daughter. "Galaxy, please keep an eye on her for me," Celestia stated just before the doors were closed. "Yes, Princess," came her reply behind the closed doors. They trotted back through the Castle to take the next train back to Ponyville, though the next train wasn't due for several more hours. "Galaxy, did she really tell you to spy on me for her?" asked Amethyst, a mix of incredulity and exasperation coloring her words. "Celestia has always been like that, mama. Just go with the flow, I'm not really going to spy on you, unless you do something really stupid," she giggled, eliciting a light giggle from her mother, which then turned into a questioning glare as she pondered the deeper ramifications of that statement. "You realize, Galaxy, that I still wish to return to the timeline you took me from. I just hope Twilight and the others managed to persuade that dragon to leave his cave," the purple mare mused. "I don't feel comfortable here, either, and with Twilight and the others here having so many responsibilities, it means little time for me to spend with them." "Mama, just give it a chance. I've met with Celestia enough times to know she's telling the truth here. I don't want to lose you a second time!" "I understand your concern, Galaxy, but I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I was supposed to develop a strong bond with you, and that was broken twice -- first, by Discord, who took you away from me shortly after you were born, and secondly when I selfishly cast that time-travel spell. I want to make up for lost time, but this ... version of Equestria ... leaves me almost as depressed as the Princess. I would like to return to the other timeline -- perhaps you might join me there?" "Mama, my place is here! It's what I've grown up with, it's what I'm familiar with! I'm sorry if it doesn't meet with your approval, but you can't just run off again like you did twenty years ago! That wouldn't be fair to me!" "Okay, Galaxy. I guess I'm going to have to accept what has happened and deal with it as best I can. Can we get something to eat and perhaps stay the night here? We have quite a bit of time before the next train for Ponyville shows up, right?" "Mama, we don't get free food and lodging any more -- Equestria's tax revenue isn't what it once was. Perhaps we can ask the Princess for her blessing, but I wouldn't press my luck." "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask Princess Celestia," Amethyst mused and turned around to head back to the Throne Room. "Mama, we just came from there! We can't go back in and ask her right after we just left!" Galaxy stated in exasperation before her mother talked with the guard pony who opened the door for her. "Mama! Wait!" "Amethyst? Was there something else?" asked the Sun Goddess, casting a quizzical glance at the purple mare. "Yes, your Majesty. It will be several hours before the next train to Ponyville arrives, and I was wanting to know if Galaxy and I could have dinner and sleep overnight in the Castle." "You have my permission, Amethyst. I'm sure you know where the Dining Hall and guest quarters are located. You may have my blessing to have dinner and an overnight stay here. Please make sure you leave first thing in the morning." "Thank you, your Majesty!" the purple mare smiled, bowing deeply before turning around and leaving the Throne Room. Galaxy stood in stunned silence, mouth agape. "Mama, don't you think you ask too much of her Majesty?" "There's a part of me that thinks she likes me somewhat," Amethyst grinned as the two of them trotted towards the dining hall. The two of them passed just a few ponies on the way, exchanging quick pleasantries. The dining hall had been changed a bit over the years, as the long table had been replaced by a much shorter one which seated only about sixteen ponies including the end chairs. They had been given a menu, though the choices were very limited. Amethyst settled on a salad and Galaxy chose a dandelion sandwich. Water or tea were the only beverages to choose from. Their food was brought to them and Amethyst was quite surprised at how small the portions were and commented rather dismissively about it. "Mama, you should be thankful they gave you any food at all! These are bad times now!" Galaxy responded in exasperation. "In the timeline I left behind, the reason why I was given short portions was due to my being a little overweight," the dark purple mare mused. "Now it's because of low tax revenue? It's a crying shame if you ask me." It didn't take long for them to finish eating and they were then escorted to a guest room with two twin beds. Galaxy opted to read a book before drifting off to sleep, but her mother immediately went to bed and tried to doze off. Sleep came fitfully to Amethyst, who dreamed about the previous timeline, wishing to return to it. The two were woken fairly early in the morning and informed that the next Friendship Express to Ponyville would be arriving in about 30 minutes. The two quickly took care of personal hygiene matters and cantered quickly to the train station, arriving at roughly the same time the train did. They boarded and took seats at the front of the first carriage, with Amethyst once again sitting human-style and Galaxy glaring at her in disapproval, even going so far as to voice her displeasure with her mother for sitting in that fashion. She relented and returned to a more pony-like posture on the bench seat. Amethyst and Galaxy remained relatively silent for the seven hour ride back to Ponyville as the conversation they had yesterday covered pretty much everything they needed to know about what had transpired in each others' timelines. They disembarked and headed toward the Library, meeting and greeting quite a few ponies on their way there. Presently they reached the Library and Galaxy entered without knocking. "Galaxy, shouldn't you knock?" her mother asked, a slight look of worry on her face. "I'm the librarian here now, remember, mama? Twilight's emeritus, but she covers for me in my absence. She spends a lot of time doing research and experiments now," she explained in a matter-of-fact fashion. Upon hearing her name, the lavender unicorn made her way down the stairs, beaming a smile upon seeing the two of them. "So, how did it go? Amethyst, I hope the Princess wasn't too angry with you," Twilight offered softly. "No, she wasn't angry -- just disappointed, Twi. What I have seen here makes me feel very depressed and I desperately want to return to the timeline I was taken from," the dark purple mare stated dejectedly. "Mama! I told you! So did Princess Celestia! You CAN'T go back! Why do you want to? Don't you want to be here with me? What's wrong with this timeline?" Amethyst hung her head sadly, a tear trickling down her right cheek. "Galaxy, I wish I could adequately explain what is wrong with this timeline. I do not wish to leave you behind, which is why I might ask you to accompany me to the previous timeline, but it seems to me that everything I know here is wrong. Even Luna isn't here anymore and I find that hard to accept. It makes me wonder if Discord succeeded in turning everypony against each other or something." "No, that's not what happened, Ammy," Twilight said as she draped a foreleg over her former housemate's withers. "You were gone for such a long time that events that have happened since you left have changed this place, and not for the better. I tried to stop you from casting that spell, remember? Yet you ignored me. You see, that's the trouble with time travel -- you never know where or when you're going to end up, and such travel almost always ends up with the caster finding themselves in a worse place than the one they left behind. If you try to return to your previous timeline, there are no guarantees you'll return exactly to the time you left." "I don't think I'll ever get used to the changes here, Twi. About the only thing I can do is merely express my regret at having cast the spell in the first place -- and perhaps hope that I might be able to make it back to the previous timeline. I was supposed to find my own way back, not accompany my grown-up foals back to this timeline," the dark purple mare protested. "Princess Celestia implored me to return to this timeline, even though it's not the same as the one I initially departed." "Mama, I didn't know! EJ and I were so happy to see you again! We wanted you to come with us! But now you're unhappy. I don't know what to do about that, mama. I'm so sorry! I should have known better than to take you away," Galaxy said somewhat sullenly, lowering her head and ears in an apologetic gesture. "If you could return me to the previous timeline, I would be deeply grateful. I will make every effort to return to the timeline when you were still just a foal without her cutie mark, as close to the time Twilight and I went to the Royal Archives as possible," Amethyst declared, an expectant look on her face. "But mama! If I do that -- there are no guarantees I'll ever see you again! I don't wanna lose you! PLEASE! Stay, just for me!" her daughter implored, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "I wish I could stay with you, Galaxy. You know I would if I could, but this is not my timeline and you know it. You will have to trust me on this -- I don't want to lose you either, but I absolutely must return to the previous timeline so I can get to the correct one. If I am successful, you and I will get to spend a great many more years together than if I were simply to remain in THIS timeline. I beg of you, Galaxy. For me, please," Amethyst stated softly. "Mama! I can't do it!" she wailed, the tears starting to trickle down her cheeks. "I think you can, Galaxy, but you don't want to. Please, I ask that you trust me on this. I know faith and trust can be ethereal at best, but deep down in your heart you know I'm right. It isn't fair to me to take me from one place or time to another without giving me an opportunity to rectify my mistakes. Galaxy, please, give me a chance to redeem myself." Galaxy started sobbing softly and embraced her mother tightly, holding her with all her might as tears flowed freely down her cheeks, her emotions in deep disarray. This display caused Twilight to shed a tear before she spoke up. "Galaxy, Amethyst has a valid point. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but if anything, you should know you still have me -- I have been like a mother to you all these years -- I even seem to recall Amethyst telling me many years ago that she was in a copy of my body when she gave birth to you. You still call me mama, too, remember? I believe Amethyst may actually succeed in her endeavor, so I am asking you to give her the benefit of the doubt. Please do this for me as well," the lavender unicorn implored. Galaxy heaved a heavy sigh of resignation and wiped the tears from her eyes. She nuzzled her mother muzzle to muzzle as a gesture of affection before she straightened up and stood resolutely. "Very well then. Mama, I wish there were another way, but if I cannot change your mind about this, then I guess I have no choice. Take my left fore-hoof, I guess we're going back," she said dejectedly as she lit her horn and concentrated her magic upon herself and her mother. They disappeared in a blinding flash of white light before Galaxy returned alone just a few seconds later. "It is done. I hope she makes it back okay," she stated flatly.