//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Saving the Family // Story: Astra (Story 1/9) // by Spikey_Wikey //------------------------------// Chapter 5: Saving the Family She had actually done it. She had escaped. It wasn’t like it had been a very difficult thing to do. After all, those two idiot ponies hadn’t been expecting her to even be alive. Yet here she was, running away from them as fast as she could, free to do as she pleased. She really should have been looking where she was going. A head on collision with something brought her out of her joyous thoughts, and as she looked at what, or rather who, she had crashed into, those joyous thoughts quickly turned to those of disbelief and dismay. “How…how are you here?” she asked, the look of surprise unmistakable on her face. “I thought I…” she glanced back through the forest she had been running through. She would have started running again if not for a sudden drowsy sensation overcoming her. This really wasn’t her day. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was feeling her head hit the soft ground. *** “Over here.” Starswirl gestured to an alley between two dilapidated houses. Polaris followed him, still looking around, bewildered. “So…when are we then?” asked Polaris. “This is supposed to be a future version of the Crystal Empire,” answered Starswirl. “So you brought us forward in time. Why?” They had reached the alley. Starswirl turned around and shrugged. “It was the first direction I thought of.” Polaris thought about that. “But…wouldn’t bringing us back in time have been better?” “Why would that possibly have been better?” asked Starswirl as he squinted at him. “We could have saved my family!” Starswirl just stared at him. “What?” asked Polaris. “Shh!” said Starswirl with a firm shake of his head. “I wasn’t even-” “Shhh!” Starswirl was silent for a few moments, eyes shut. “I don’t understand this…” he finally mumbled. “Me neither,” Polaris agreed. “Sombra’s spells should have killed the entire population, so why are there ponies walking around?” “No, no, it’s more than that,” said Starswirl shaking his head as he paced back and forth. “Based on the events we just witnessed and…” He looked at Polaris. “…caused, this doesn’t make any sense.” “What do you mean?” “Clover…” “She died of a heart attack that Sombra caused, remember? She didn’t just disappear. Shouldn’t we be focusing on how all these ponies got here anyway?” Starswirl stopped pacing and put a hoof to his chin. “But what if those two things were caused by the same event?” Polaris now had a confused look on his face. “Okay, now you’re really not making any…” He stopped as he noticed that Starswirl was now standing at the end of the alley. Polaris watched as a pony in shackles walked by. Suddenly, Starswirl grabbed her hoof in his and pulled her into the alley. “Quickly!” he whispered. “Before you’re seen.” “Wha-what is it?” she asked, and suddenly her eyes widened. “Oh, no, I’ve been chosen haven’t I. Please, I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t-” “Quiet!” hissed Starswirl. The pony immediately stopped talking, and she was soon surrounded by a magical glow. “Stay still. I’m checking for spell traces.” A few silent moments passed before he spoke again. “Of course,” he said finally. “What? What is it?” asked Polaris. “How did all these ponies come back to life?” Starswirl looked at the pony and then down at the ground. “Because they were never dead to begin with.” He looked up and turned to Polaris. “Nopony is powerful enough to cast a spell of that nature, not even me. I don’t yet know if Sombra was lying or if he was unaware of what the spell did, but these ponies were never dead.” Polaris looked at the chained pony curiously. “What exactly did it do to them then?” “It suspended them in time.” Polaris blinked. “Uh, okay then. What does that mean?” “Basically it’s as if they were paused, frozen in the same state of being while the rest of the world kept going, except for Clover.” “So you’re saying that the spell I caused him to use only killed my mother but ‘paused’ everypony else? And for that matter, why weren’t you, I, or Equina affected by it?” Starswirl was now mumbling to himself, his eyes once again shut. Polaris turned away and sat on the ground, feeling exhausted and hungry. He hadn’t eaten for a long time. “Yes…” he heard Starswirl say after a few minutes. “Yes, I think I’ve got it.” Polaris stood up and turned around again. “Got wha-” he stopped short. The enslaved pony was gone. She had run away. “Ehh, I don’t mean to alarm you, but our friend has left.” Starswirl’s eyes snapped open. He quickly turned around and looked toward the street. “We need to hurry then. The last thing we want is to be discovered.” “So tell me what’s going on.” “Before I do that, I need to be sure of something.” “And what might that be?” “I need you to think back to your final conversation with your mother. What was it like?” “What do you mean what was it like? It was horrible!” “I mean before she started dying. How did the conversation go? Specifically, what sort of things was she saying?” “Well, she…” Polaris thought about it, and the more he thought, the more he realized how strange a conversation it was. He had replayed it in his head many times but had never thought of it in this way before. Now that it was being brought to his attention, though… “It was…awkward wouldn’t be the right word…” Starswirl looked at him impatiently. “Do try to hurry. We may not have long before somepony finds us.” “It’s like she was there, but not really. Some of the things she said…she called me ‘sweetie.’ She’s never done that, and the…sort of bland way she answered what I said…it’s like she was just going through the motions, and…” he stopped now as he remembered the strangest thing of all. “She started crying.” “I would imagine so. She was having a heart attack, right?” “No, no. She started crying…before the heart attack, almost…as if…” “As if she knew it was going to happen,” Starswirl finished. Polaris stared at him with a slightly horrified look on his face. “Starswirl…what exactly is going on?” Starswirl’s face became grim. “Polaris, I promise you everything will be fine.” “And how can you know that?!” “I told you I was working on a plan, right?” Polaris nodded. “I’ve got one now. Just bear with me. It’s going to get a bit complicated.” “Where do we start?” “Well, you’re going to stay here while I go and get something.” “Go and get…what are you talking about?” Starswirl shook his head. “It isn’t here exactly. Just…hang on. I’ll be right back.” He closed his eyes as his horn lit up, and after a few seconds, he disappeared. *** Polaris had barely taken a breath before Starswirl returned, this time with another pony. At least, Polaris thought it was a pony. His first thought was that it was some sort of alicorn, but then he noticed that there were holes in its blue, paper thin wings, as well as its legs, one of which had a mysterious green aura surrounding it. Its fur and tail were completely black, even its horn, and there were fangs protruding from its mouth and horns on the top of its head. “What is it?” he asked, noticing the creature was asleep. Starswirl looked up and down the alley before answering. “She has no official name yet, but she calls herself a changeling.” “She? Changeling?” “Not so loud!” said Starswirl, putting a hoof over Polaris’s mouth. “These creatures don’t exist in this time period, and we don’t want anypony to know about them except us.” “She’s asleep.” “Yes.” “So you traveled in time and just…took her?” “Well…yes, but-” “And it seems that you’ve magically cuffed her to yourself.” “Yes. Just let me-” “And that’s just okay?” Starswirl sensed the disapproval in Polaris’s voice. “You don’t know the circumstances. I do.” Polaris looked at the changeling, and then back at Starswirl. “Fine. Where do they come from?” Starswirl shook his head. “I’ve never investigated their origin.” “Changeling…” said Polaris. Starswirl nodded. “Yes, they can take on the shape of whichever pony they choose.” “Is it permanent?” “No, they can change back at will.” “I see. So…why do we need her? Does she have a name?” “No,” said Starswirl as he shook his head again. “She’s nameless, but she is going to serve a very important purpose.” He nudged the changeling with his hoof. “Wake up.” The changeling stirred. She picked her head up and looked around, blinking the sleep out of her blue, empty eyes. “Where am I?” she asked. “Where-” she stopped as she noticed the two ponies standing in front of her. “Oh, no,” she said. “I thought I-” “Quiet!” Starswirl said sharply. He jerked the hoof with the magical cuff around it to make her stand. “Come with me.” “Where are you going?” Polaris asked as Starswirl led the changeling down the alley. “I need to have a word with her so she understands what’s happening.” “But…I don’t even really understand what’s happening.” “That’s alright. It’ll be easier if I explain as we go along, anyway.” “Explain what?” But Starswirl didn’t answer. Polaris watched as the two engaged in what seemed to be a slightly heated conversation. She was arguing with him ferociously about something, and suddenly Starswirl stomped his front hooves on the ground and yelled something. Why couldn’t he hear it? He looked up at the sky again and took note of how dreary it was and then wandered out to the other end of the alley. He stood there for a few moments, taking in the environment. Ponies of all kinds walked to and fro, completely chained, and the buildings around him were worn and neglected. He was about to turn around when something caught his eye, and when he saw it he couldn’t believe it had never occurred to him. Two young ponies, a filly and a colt had walked by, chained together. Polaris suddenly felt sick, his previous hunger dissipated. Sombra was going to pay for this. From behind him, he heard Starswirl clear his throat and turned around. “She has agreed to help us,” Starswirl said simply. “Help us with what? I don’t even know what your plan is.” Starswirl looked out at the streets, watching the enslaved ponies slowly walk by and then up at the dark, overcast sky. He began to charge up his spell as he grabbed both the changeling’s and Polaris’s hooves. “We’re going to save Clover.” Starswirl cast the spell, and the three disappeared. *** Clover sighed as she turned away from the kitchen counter. Polaris and Equina were arguing again, and she knew exactly what it was about. Like her son, she also wished Equina would stay away from Sombra; there was something almost…sinister about him. Unfortunately, she had raised Equina to be persistent (and as a result, stubborn) under Starswirl’s suggestion, and the only reason she had agreed to it was because he was from her future. If not for that fact, she most definitely would have gone about things differently. Voices outside the window shook her from her thoughts. Not wanting to get involved in yet another fruitless argument, Clover instead opted to use the back door to go and investigate. These voices were arguing with each other as well, and now that she could hear them better, they also sounded very familiar. She rounded the corner of the house, and the sight that met her eyes was confusing to say the least. Starswirl was there. That was normal. She was used to his random visits by now, however it was the ponies accompanying him that made Clover wonder if she was seeing things. Starswirl was arguing with Polaris, but that couldn’t be right because Polaris was in the living room arguing with Equina…and then there was that third pony. As Clover got closer, she realized what it was. “Is…is that…” Polaris and Starswirl stopped their bickering as they realized who had shown up. “Starswirl…what…what’s going on?” Clover asked. “Clover, my dear. So good to see you again. How have you been?” “No, no, no…no. What is going on here? Why…no. How is my son with you?” “Clover, just let us explain.” “Mom,” Polaris began. “We’re here to help you.” “Help me with what?” Clover asked indignantly. “Why are you traveling with Starswirl?” There was noticeable concern in her voice. “I’m…I’m a future version of Polaris. You see, Equina is going to go to the castle to visit Sombra in a bit, and we-” Starswirl interrupted. “If you explain to her what happened in that order, all it will do is cause her more confusion, Polaris. Let me do this.” He turned to Clover. “It is true that Equina will go to the castle, but this is not entirely about her right now.” He took a breath. “You see, after she leaves, Polaris will go up to his room, concerned for his sister. You will go in and talk to him. Well, when I say you…” His voice trailed off as he briefly looked down and then back at Clover again. “Anyway, the conversation will end with your death as Sombra fires off a spell that supposedly kills everypony in the Crystal Empire.” Clover blinked. “I’m…I’m going to die?" “No, you won’t. Well…I’ll get to that in a bit, don’t worry.” He cleared his throat. “For six months, Polaris is going to do all sorts of research in the hopes of finding a way to reverse everything. Meanwhile, the Empire will fall apart through neglect.” “What happens after six months?” Starswirl smiled. “I arrive. I search for life forms and only find your son. He and I travel back in time to-” “You only find him? So the spell actually did kill everypony?” “No, it didn’t. It…” He paused. “I’ll explain in a few seconds, but I have to finish. We don’t have much time left.” He looked at Polaris. “Go to the window and tell me how the conversation is going, but make sure you aren’t seen.” Polaris nodded and walked over to the window. He peeked in. Through the kitchen he could see his past self and his sister arguing heatedly. “We’re still talking,” he called back to Starswirl. “But all the same…” “Yes, we should still finish soon.” Starswirl agreed, and he faced Clover again. “Anyway, Polaris and I travel back in time to a few moments after Equina leaves for the castle. We teleport there, and follow her up the stairs to the balcony, invisible.” Clover nodded again. “And you couldn’t prevent her from going because Sombra may have come looking for her.” “Not only that, but who is she to listen to her brother, somepony she just finished arguing with, and an old pony whom she has never seen before in her life, especially with how stubborn she is.” Clover smiled. “I was going for perseverance when I was raising her. Anyway, what happened…or, will happen next?” “Our purpose there was merely to observe and come up with a plan to stop whatever events were to come, but it seems that the future I saw was in fact a direct result of the two of us being there in the first place. Your son decided at some point it would be a good idea to reveal himself and try to stop Sombra.” Clover glanced at Polaris, who looked down in shame. “Mom, I’m sorry. I just-” “It’s alright,” said Clover as she put a hoof on her son’s cheek. “You wanted to protect your sister. I understand.” She turned back to Starswirl. “What happened next?” “Sombra showed who he truly was and cast a spell that he claimed would kill the entire population of the Crystal Empire, you included, and he also forced Equina to drink what seemed to be a love potion.” Clover raised an eyebrow. “He was in love with her?” Starswirl nodded. “It seems so. However, your daughter, even under the potion’s effects, found the strength to break free for a few moments and force Sombra to drink some as well.” “Wait a minute. I think you’re forgetting something,” said Clover, and she looked at Polaris. “Weren’t you ever curious as to how the two of you survived Sombra’s spell?” “Oh, actually…yeah.” He looked at Starswirl. “You never answered that question.” “You became too important to the timeline. If your past self was to be affected by the spell, your future self could never be the reason it was cast in the first place. It would have caused a paradox.” Polaris was surprised to say the least, for it wasn’t Starswirl who had said all this, but Clover. Starswirl chuckled. “Clover, you are as brilliant as ever.” He turned to Polaris. “You could learn a lot from her. She always was very, very clever. Anyway…” He looked at Clover again. “Let’s finish up.” “Polaris and I then left. I chose a random point in time, and we ended up in a future where everypony is controlled by Sombra.” “So then why do you have a changeling with you?” Starswirl looked surprised. “I told you about changelings?” “From my perspective, yes, but I only know what they’re called and what they look like.” “Well, Clover, this has to do with Sombra’s spell. You see, it didn’t actually kill anypony. Well…” Clover nodded. “Alright, so then what did it do?” “It suspended the entire population of the Crystal Empire in time. The rest of the universe kept going, but they stayed still, never living, never aging, never dying.” “So then why did I die?” Starswirl now turned to the changeling. “Go ahead.” She stepped forward, staring at Clover with her blue, empty eyes. A green aura suddenly engulfed her, and in a few seconds it was gone. Clover was now staring at a perfect duplicate of herself. “As the name suggests, changelings can take on the physical appearance of whomever they choose at will and can change back at will.” Clover just stared at the changeling, her mouth open. “I…I…this is…this is incredible! Where did you find her? Are there more? How do they-” “Clover, I’m sorry, but I cannot answer any of those questions. Focus now. We’re almost out of time.” He took another breath. “Changelings have a self-destructive defense mechanism, almost like an allergy, to certain spells, one of which is the one Sombra used. In the event a changeling is unable to return to its true form, it dies of a heart attack.” “Why? That doesn’t make any sense.” “It’s because of how we feed.” The changeling suddenly spoke. Clover looked at her and saw that she had changed back. “We gather energy from love, but only when we are in our natural form. If we are unable to change back, our bodies prevent the long weeks of starvation, and instead we…” Her voice cracked a bit as it trailed off, and Clover found herself feeling sorry for her. “What?” Polaris asked. “So you’re telling me that that conversation…all those months ago…I was talking to you?” “Now you understand why it seemed so strange,” said Starswirl. “I’m assuming we didn’t have much time, if any, to explain things to her. Look inside the house.” Polaris did just that and gasped as he peered into the living room. “Equina and I are gone,” he said. “We need to do this. Now.” “Hold on a minute,” said Clover. She looked at the changeling. “Isn’t there another way we could do this?” The changeling shook her head. “No. You need to live. The world will need you to live. I am alone. I am the only one of my kind right now, and I don’t belong here.” Clover stepped toward her. “But there has to be something-” “There is no more time to discuss this.” The changeling looked at Clover one last time before the aura covered her. Clover was once again looking at herself. She put her hooves on Clover’s shoulders. “Please…make sure my death was not in vain.” “Wait-” Clover began, but it was too late. The changeling had disappeared. Clover now looked at Starswirl. “What did she mean…the world needs me to live?” “Clover, I promise you you will find out, but right now we have to leave before our past selves discover us. Grab my hoof.” Reluctantly, Clover complied, and once Polaris joined in Starswirl began the spell. “One, two, three.” *** “Wh…where are we?” asked Clover, picking her head up off the ground. “Oh, no…” Starswirl was panting and coughing. Polaris helped him up. “Is this six months later? Is this what it looks like?” They were exactly where they had been standing moments ago, but everything looked different. The streets were empty. Houses and shops were falling apart, and the plant life had begun to grow on anything it could find. “To be more precise…six months…and one day,” answered Starswirl through strained breaths. “It was a definite safe point in the timeline for us to go to,” Polaris tried. “There’s no chance of us encountering our past or future selves here.” Starswirl nodded, still slightly struggling to breathe. “Now you’re getting it. Come on…we have to get…Equina.” “No, you need to tell me exactly why that changeling had to die.” “Clover, I can’t,” Starswirl said. “If I tell you what happens, that may affect future events!” “So? That’s in the future, right? It shouldn’t matter now.” “But if what happens is different, then that means what I learn may be different, and as a result, what I tell you may be different.” Clover groaned in frustration. “Another paradox…” she muttered. “Fine, then. I have another question. What were you two arguing about?” Polaris and Starswirl looked at each other and then back at her. “Clover, there’s nothing we can do about it now. You must understand that. We can’t-” “What was it about?” Clover repeated. “…Polaris wanted to know why we couldn’t save Octan.” Clover looked at her son and then back at Starswirl. “That would require another changeling, right?” Starswirl shook his head. “Even that wouldn’t work. The changeling would have to die under the same circumstances as Octan, and that could never happen.” “Why not?” Starswirl turned to Polaris. “Perhaps you can work it out?” “Can’t you?” “I already know, but I want to see if you can do it.” “Is now really the time for this?” asked Clover, but Starswirl held up a hoof to quiet her and pointed at Polaris, who had his eyes closed. “Let him think,” Starswirl said. Polaris was talking to himself quietly, going over everything he had learned, in particular the knowledge he gained during those lonely six months. After a few moments, he opened his eyes. “A life draining spell,” he said. Starswirl nodded. “Exactly.” Polaris looked down and grimaced. “I can’t believe I never…” “Life draining spell?” Clover repeated. “Yes,” Polaris said as he looked at her. “Sombra must have cast it on him toward the beginning of his life, otherwise we would have noticed something was wrong.” “Life draining spells are really advanced magic,” Clover said. “And hiding one is even more difficult. How could Sombra have successfully performed one at such a young age?” “There’s something not right with him, mom. Dad never exhibited any signs that he was dying because the spell Sombra used prevented physical symptoms from emerging. This goes beyond the scope of what an average unicorn can accomplish. I don’t know exactly what’s going on with him, but I do intend to find out.” “And this is your chance, Polaris, because now I can explain why I brought us here,” said Starswirl. “You are going to go to the castle to rescue your sister. Though I cannot find traces of life other than ourselves right now, I’ve no doubt that she’s still alive, and you must go and get her.” “Hold on. Something still doesn’t make sense. If you can only detect the three of us right now, then what happened to Sombra?” asked Clover. “Yeah…” Polaris added. “Is he suspended in time, too? Or is he dead? Shouldn’t the spell have worn off by now?” “I don’t know, but for some reason I cannot detect him. Be careful when you get there, Polaris.” Clover stepped toward her son. “I’ll go with him. That’s my daughter, and I’m getting her back.” Starswirl shook his head. “No, Clover, you cannot go with him.” Clover was taken aback. “What?!” “You are much too important to risk losing right now. There is something more urgent you are needed for.” “And my daughter isn’t urgent enough?!” Starswirl groaned in frustration. “Do not forget that I am from the future! I know what will happen and what must happen!” He walked over to Polaris, and Clover watched as Starswirl whispered something in his ear. After a few moments, he leaned back and said, “I’ll see you soon. Now go!” Polaris nodded, then took off running toward the castle. “What was that? What did you whisper to him?” asked Clover. “It’s not important right now. He knows what he has to do,” Starswirl answered. “Now come on. We have to-” “No!” Clover yelled. “I’m not having this! I don’t care what other things I may be needed for! My daughter comes first!” With that, she took off running after Polaris. Starswirl watched her for a few moments and then began casting a spell. “I’m sorry, Clover,” he muttered, and in a moment he had teleported right in front of her. She crashed into him, and he quickly grabbed her hoof, his horn already illuminated as he began casting the time travel spell. *** Polaris cast an invisibility spell as he slowly approached the castle. Starswirl had told him a few things before he had left, one of them being to remain undetected for as long as possible, which suited him just fine. If he had to fight Sombra, he would, but now that he wasn’t important to the timeline anymore, it also meant that he could die. The goal was to find Equina as quickly as he could and get out. He slowly walked through the front doors and into the entrance hall. Corridors led off to the left and right, and the steps towards the back of course led upwards onto the second floor. Polaris decided to start searching on the balcony, the last place he had seen his sister. As he walked up the stairs, he took note of the place. Like the rest of the Crystal Empire, the castle had also fallen into a decrepit state. The stone floor was chipped and cracked, and some stones had even been moved out of place to be replaced with plants. Any tapestries or flags that were still hanging were torn and faded. The rest lay forgotten on the floor. Polaris reached the top of the steps and walked over to the balcony. Equina wasn’t there, but he hadn’t expected her to be. The table and chairs were still set up, but what Polaris found strange was that the table had been cleared. He began to think back to when he and Starswirl first confronted Sombra. ‘There was food and drink on the table when we arrived, and it was still there even as we were leaving. So what happened to it? If Sombra fell under the same effects of the potion as Equina did, food shouldn’t have mattered to them.’ He turned away from the table and began walking away from the balcony when a realization hit him. ‘Wait a minute…how did I get in here?’ he asked himself, looking around. ‘This is six months and one day after Equina left, and every time I tried to get into the castle, I couldn’t because of all the guards.’ “Gaahh!” Polaris cried out weakly as a sharp pain shot through his head. ‘How could there be guards if everypony was suspended in time?’ He collapsed onto the floor, holding his head, which was now splitting with pain. ‘The Crystal Heart…what?’ Polaris yelled as a jolt of pain went through his back and spread to the rest of his body. ‘Guards…Crystal Heart…spell…can’t get in…’ His mind was racing as he desperately tried to shake off whatever was happening to him, but it was no use. He writhed on the floor and screamed as another wave of agony engulfed his entire body. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a figure coming up the staircase. *** Polaris woke with a start. He was in a bedroom, lying on a bed, his head resting comfortably against a pillow. There was a side table next to him with a glass of water on it. He moved the sheets off of himself and sat up, grunting in pain. His body still ached from…what exactly had happened to him? He had been trying to remember how he had gotten in the castle when- “Ah.” A small stabbing pain in his head brought him out of his thoughts. Maybe he would just worry about that later. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. “Umm…come in?” Polaris didn’t know where he was or how he got there anyway, so presumably this was the pony who had put him in the bed. The door opened, and Polaris was amazed to see who it was. ‘This must be some kind of dream. There’s no way...’ “Dad…is that you?” The pony stepped into the room. “Yes, Polaris. It’s me.” *** “Take me back! Take me back! I…what…” “Clover…” said Starswirl with a cough. “What…what happened?” The Crystal Empire Clover was looking at was horrifying. As far as she could see buildings were falling apart, completely abandoned by the ponies that had once inhabited them, for they were now walking about the streets, chains around their hooves and necks. Clover turned around and saw that they were standing across the street from her house, which was in a state similar to the rest of the Empire. “Clover, look at me,” said Starswirl. As Clover turned around to face her old friend, she caught a glimpse of the castle. The once shining tower was now covered in dark crystals, and a mass of chained ponies were gathered in front of it. Looking upwards, she could see- “Clover!” Starswirl’s voice cut through her observations, and she turned around fully to look at him. “What is this awful place? Why did you bring me here?” she asked. Starswirl stared at her for a moment before speaking. “Clover…I’m not sure how to explain this to you.” “Well, you can start by telling me exactly why we had to leave my son to fend for himself against Sombra.” Starswirl shook his head. “That’s not all that important. Polaris is fine. It’s…it’s you.” Clover let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Me. I really don’t see why I’m so important right now. I did everything you asked me to do.” “And what did I ask you to do?” “Starswirl, you know I can’t tell you that.” “Well, I’ve got a feeling I probably told you to teach Equina the values of perseverance, and to teach Polaris the importance of love. Am I correct?” Clover nodded. “If you already know, then that’s fine, but does this mean you met them in your past…my future?” Starswirl looked down. “Your future…” He took a deep breath. “Polaris and Equina are inside the house waiting for you, but listen to me. You must not allow them to stay here.” “What? Why not?” “They need to leave the Crystal Empire. Please, Clover, trust me. They cannot remain here. It’s not safe.” “They can handle themselves, though. We can all defeat Sombra together! We can…” She stopped as she noticed Starswirl shaking his head again. “It’s too late for that. The Empire is lost, and you need to make sure-” “What do you mean the Empire is lost? Are you saying this can’t be fixed?” “Not right now. It’s not time yet.” Clover let out another frustrated groan. “You never make any sense! Every time I saw you, you always told me that I would understand things later, and that never happens! When will I get some answers?!” Starswirl looked away from her. “Clover…I’m sorry, but I don’t think you ever will get any answers.” “Great. So what are you saying? This is the last time I’ll see you? You’re the only one who can tell me anything, so this must be it, right?” Starswirl picked his head up, and Clover noticed that his eyes were wet. “I don’t know if I can do this. Clover…” She looked at him inquisitively. “Do what? What’s-” She was interrupted as Starswirl pulled her into a hug. “I’m so proud of you, my student,” he said with a sob. Clover returned the embrace. “Why are you crying? What’s the matter?” “Clover, I...I know so much, and I can’t…” Clover was slightly surprised. This wasn’t the first time Starswirl had become teary-eyed around her, but she had never seen him cry like this before. “Clover…” he said, trying to steady his voice. “This is the end. This is far as our crossed timelines go. The two of us…right now…we’re both the most aware of what has happened and will happen.” “What are you talking ab-” Starswirl let her go and held his hoof up to silence her. “The next version of me you see will be one that Polaris hasn’t met yet.” Clover thought about this for a few moments before responding. “Where is he from?” “What do you mean?” “What does he know? What time period is he from?” “Clover, I can’t-” “Yes…yes you can…because I’ve worked it out…” Clover’s eyes were now wet as well. “I’m going to die.” She took a shaky breath as she looked at Starswirl. “So you can tell me…you can tell me everything because it won’t matter.” Starswirl shook his head and put his hoof on her shoulder. “You aren’t going to die, Clover. That’s the whole point. You’re going to live.” She wiped her eyes. “But how? Obviously something’s coming, and whatever it is must be pretty bad. All I want to know is why we can’t prevent it now.” Starswirl moved his hoof up to her cheek. “Oh, my faithful student…we just can’t. I know what happens, and what happens must always happen. That’s the way time works.” “Time can’t be rewritten…” “Exactly.” He put his hoof back on the ground. Clover shook her head. “So now what? We just…say goodbye? I’m never going to see you again?” “Of course you will…one last time. Well…sort of. But bear in mind he won’t know anything that has happened. It will be his first trip to the Crystal Empire. Be careful of what you tell him, Clover.” “His first trip to the Empire will be dealing with whatever is coming to kill me?” “And I am living proof that he survived, and I know for a fact that you…you will, too.” Starswirl’s voice became shaky as he finished his sentence. “Well, then.” Clover sniffed and took a step backward. “Until next time.” Starswirl nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.” Clover watched as her long-time friend and teacher began to cast his time travel spell, assured that she would see him at least one more time, even if it wouldn’t be exactly him. He completed the spell, and in the blink of an eye, he had disappeared. Clover fought back tears as she began to walk across the street, understanding now why he had acted so bitter towards her the day after the Crystal Fair. ‘Each time we meet, I’ll know more, and you…’ ‘Yes.’ But that was only from her perspective, of course. Through his eyes, it was the other way around. She had even asked him why he never told her she’d be encountering younger versions of him, and only now did his answer make perfect sense. ‘It was too painful. I could never bring myself to tell you, so I decided I wouldn’t. That was selfish of me, and on top of it all, you…’ Come to think of it, a lot of the second half of that conversation didn’t make much sense. She remembered telling herself that all her questions would be answered, but when? ‘I don’t know how you do it, Clover. You are so much stronger than I am.’ ‘Do what?’ ‘Cope with…no, I can’t. I can’t discuss it.’ Cope with what, though? Loss? She had comforted him, and then… ‘Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it when it comes.’ And then he had hugged her. Realization suddenly hit Clover as she understood that that Starswirl she had spoken to all those years ago was the same one she had just said goodbye to. Whatever he had seen happen to her must have affected him so much that he was willing to lie to her over and over again just to make sure she was as content as possible, but Starswirl had told her she wasn’t going to die, so what could possibly… Clover had reached the door at this point, now very confused. What could be worse than death? Or, maybe…what could hurt Starswirl more than his best student and friend dying? Clover didn’t know, and she certainly wasn’t looking forward to finding out. ??? “You’re…you’re…I…I don’t understand,” said the pony. Lauren smiled. “Follow me. I’ll explain everything to you.” She nodded at Surprise. “Thank you for bringing him down.” “No problem!” Surprise answered. Lauren now turned back to the pony. “Do you have a name yet?” The pony looked confused. “What do you mean ‘yet’? My name is…um…” He glanced over at Surprise, who was now talking with a gray pegasus. What was his name again? Why couldn’t he remember? “You don’t know your name, and let me guess. You think you’re supposed to be a human?” The pony looked at Lauren again. “No, I know I’m supposed to be a human.” Lauren shook her head. “You’re a pony, and that’s what you’re meant to be. Bear with me. This is going to get confusing, so just ask questions, and I’ll answer them.” The pony nodded. “Alright. Where am I?” “You’re in a safehouse in Ponyville.” “Okay…how did I get to Ponyville?” She tilted her head as she thought about her answer. “Hmm…well…you were always here. You were just waiting to…I guess exist would be the best word.” “That doesn’t make any sense. How can I suddenly just start existing? I was a human, and now I’m a pony.” “No, not exactly. You’re a ponysona.” The pony blinked. “A what?” “Ponysona,” she repeated. “A version of yourself inhabiting a pony body.” “It just sounds like I’m a human that went to Ponyville.” “Mmm…not really. There are two ways that can happen, one where an actual human winds up in Equestria, and one where a human becomes a pony and winds up in Equestria. Neither of those apply to you because your human self still exists somewhere else.” The pony nodded slowly. “Okay…I think I understand. What am I doing here?” “You have a strong creative connection with the pony world as a result of the stories you’re writing, but you were more drawn to this place.” “And what exactly is this place? I mean, I know it’s Ponyville, but…something’s different.” Lauren nodded. “This place reflects my original vision. All of the characters here and the events that have happened represent what I originally intended before The Company began interfering.” “The Company?” “Yes. I’m sure you’re aware of a television show called My Little Pony.” The pony thought for a moment. “Yeah…yeah, I think I remember that. Why do I remember that?” “It’s part of the knowledge you share with your ponysona.” The pony gave her a blank look. “Alright, wait…if I’m a pony right now, why are you still talking to me like I’m a human?” Lauren sighed. “The connection hasn’t been completely established yet. Your ponysona right now is acting based on your emotions and experiences. It doesn’t have its own personality. That comes with time. It doesn’t even know its own name yet.” “So how do I help it?” Lauren shook her head. “There’s not much you can do. As far as I know, it’s a process that must be completed by itself. Your ponysona will gradually gain more and more independence of you and will eventually be able to act of its own accord. At that point you can begin sharing experiences with each other. Right now you’re only projecting.” “I can’t even help it figure out its own name?” “Well…there might be one way. Close your eyes. Try to relax your mind for a moment. You should feel a sort of secondary presence there.” The pony did as he was told. He forgot about all his thoughts and emotions, trying to sense out this second person…pony. A few minutes went by, and still nothing had happened. His mind was absolutely quiet. After a few more moments, he felt it. It was faint, but he knew it was there. ‘What is your name?’ he asked it. It was silent for a few moments, and then finally…‘Webster. My name is Webster.’ The pony opened his eyes. “Webster,” he said. Lauren nodded. “Then that’s how I’ll address you from now on. It’ll probably help speed up the connection process. Do you have any more questions?” “Yes. You said that this world represents your original plans for the show before The Company started getting heavily involved. What do you mean by that?” “The Company discovered that my persona had a strong connection to this world, and then they discovered how to artificially recreate the connection. They started using some of their people almost as agents to work behind the scenes and interfere with the world’s events.” “Why would they do that?” “To make the world more marketable. In the beginning, most episodes of the show were based off of the writers’ creativity, but over time, as the agents started sending more and more information to this company about the world, they began finding ways to change it.” The pony was confused. “That doesn’t make sense. Why go through all the trouble of actually using agents and whatnot when they could have just made up episodes by themselves?” “That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Derpy Hooves, the pony Surprise is talking to, is an ex-agent, as well as Doctor Whooves.” “Are there any confirmed agents?” “We only know two of them right now. Their names are Lyra Heartstrings and Octavia.” “I see…so how do I fit in to all of this? What is my purpose?” “As I said, you share a strong connection with the pony world, but not the one that is seen on television. You’re more closely linked to the world I originally envisioned.” “That’s why Surprise seemed so familiar…” “Yes. She was originally Pinkie Pie. All around the safehouse and outside you’ll see ponies like that - Twilight Sparkle without wings, Rainbow Dash as an earth pony. We believe that you might be able to change the events of the world the show is currently reflecting.” “How?” “You began writing while the third season of the show was being aired, and your connection was established after it ended.” “What does that mean?” “It means that you can change events simply by writing about them. Whatever information the company is currently gathering, however they’ve interfered, it won’t matter. When the fourth season airs, it may not be accurate at all.” “And how can I just make these changes?” “A few reasons, the biggest one being the strength of your creative connection, which is not something The Company has. The other reason is because of where you started telling your stories from. You began at a point very early into the timeline of the pony world, and so you have the power to set up events that can happen many years down the line, so long as those events occur after the third season.” “Wait, hold on. How do you even know about my stories?” “One of our agents found them and told me about them. We’ve been waiting to be able to talk to you ever since then.” “And I’m guessing you couldn’t contact me before now because it was too difficult.” “Exactly. Here it’s much easier to talk without The Company finding out, and that is also the reason why you need to be careful when you get to the time period the first three seasons take place in.” “Why is that?” “Anything you change during that time, the agents will know about. They’ll find this world and this safehouse and destroy it. The beauty of this is if you create characters or set up events in a time before the agents came, they’ll go unnoticed.” “How do you know that?” Lauren smiled again. “Do you remember an episode called Hearth’s Warming Eve?” “Yes.” “Well, I actually had a heavy hand in the creation of that episode, and what I found was that the agents simply remembered the events of that episode happening, despite that not being the case before it was written. How far this ability can be pushed has yet to be discovered.” “So you really think I can do this?” “Of course. You’ll have plenty of help from everypony here along the way, but what’s important right now is that you just keep writing and working on completing the connection.” The pony nodded. “Alright. That sounds fair enough. What happens now?” “I think it would be best for you to try and help Webster. The sooner we have two of you working, the better. If you get tired, you can go sleep in the room you were in earlier and there’s a kitchen on the far side of this room if you get hungry. It’s night time so I wouldn’t recommend going outside just yet.” “Okay…okay. I just have one more question. How do I know that any of this is real? How do I know this is actually happening?” Lauren thought for a moment. “I know this is hard to accept. Just…give it some time, and keep helping Webster.” The pony sighed. “Alright...I just need some time to myself. I need to…wrap my head around this.” He began walking back toward the stairwell. “Thank you.” “No, thank you,” replied Lauren as she turned and walked away. The pony opened the door and made his way up to the second floor. His mind raced as he walked down the hallway to the bedroom he had been in. This was almost unreal. A television show based off of a real world, secret agents, ‘creative connections,’ whatever that meant…he walked into the room and laid down on the bed. Despite that he had woken up not that long ago, he couldn’t help but feel tired. He closed his eyes and allowed his now chaotic mind to burn itself out, eventually drifting off to sleep.