//------------------------------// // Bonus Chapter 2: Rule 63½ (Optional) // Story: Past, Present, and Future // by Bpkyle777 //------------------------------// Author's Pre-Note: Before you ask, just like the previous bonus chapter, this one is not required to get a better understanding of the main story. I only posted this in celebration of reaching 4,000 views and to curb you guys over until I can get some proper work done on Chapter 24. My idea behind this chapter was two-fold. First, I wrote it in an r63 alternate universe, which I will explain more about at the end of the chapter, but basically I sometimes write r63 versions of popular stories to practice my writing skill. Second, as you are soon to find out, a few details in this version of Chapters 1 and 2 have been greatly revised, even more so than just flipping some genders around. This is how I wish my first few chapters had came out; greater detail and much more fleshed out in regards to the rest of the story. Not to mention an awkward moment or two, because why not? With that in mind, I plan to do a complete rewrite of Past, Present, and Future eventually. Don't worry! I'm still gonna finish what I've already started before doing that. I predict I should be done with the current version of the story by late Spring (heh, uhh, let's just wait and see how long this will actually take), and then I'll worry about a rewrite. Anyways, on with the chapter! CHAPTER 1: Awakening (Word count: ~3,400) “…cuse me? …re yo…ay?” Ow, my head is killing me. I bet I’ve almost beat my own record for the number of consecutive head injuries in one week. “Ma’am, …ou alright?” Someone’s trying to get my attention. I should probably answer. “Uhg, w-what?” Smooth, Genny. Real smooth. “I was asking if you were alright,” he responded. The voice was clearly masculine, but gentle at the same time. “Augh. Y-yeah, I think I’ll be fine. I probably just hit my head too hard.” I groaned inwardly as my body began to ache all over. The voice chuckled. “I would be surprised if you didn’t after a crash like that.” Crash? Did I wreck a car or something? I… can’t seem to remember. Groaning again, I attempted to crack an eye open, only to be blinded by sunlight. I winced and lifted an arm up to shield my eyes, failing to notice what my ‘arm’ actually looked like. Despite my burning corneas, the voice continued, this time a little closer to me. “I’m actually surprised you’re conscious. An impact like that would usually leave anypony out for hours, if not a couple days!” “Practice,” I answered out of reflex. “Wait, anypony?” Moving the shade from my face, I was finally able to focus on who was talking to me, only to see the last I was hoping to. “Ugh, ponies.” Now, don’t get me wrong! I love My Little Pony just as much as the next fan, but let’s just say that I’ve been here already. Well, not right here. Turning my head, I could see that right here was different. I was in the middle of some sort of field between some kind of forest and… wait… Is that Ponyville? Geez, how long was I out? Er… Maybe I should back up a bit. My name is Jennifer, or just Genny to my friends. Yes, ‘Genny’, with a ‘G’. Don’t ask why, that’s just how I’ve spelled it since pre-school and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Anyways, I am 23 years old and a brony. What? Don’t look at me like that! Personally, I think whoever coined the term ‘Pegasister’ was an idiot. I prefer ‘brony’ as a gender-neutral term for adult fans of the show My little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Back on topic, about five months ago, I woke up in Equestria. ‘Yay! Every brony’s dream!’ right? Well, not exactly. For reasons that are completely unknown to me, I woke up in Equestria’s distant past, like, even before the royal brothers were, well, royal! The year was 9 AD when I arrived, or ‘After Discovory’ in regards to the discovery of Equestria. You know, the time of Starswirl the Sorceress and Waldo the Wise? Yeah, that early. Judging by the familiar town in the distance, I’d say I was currently in the time period of the show. How did I even get here? “Ponies? What do you mean ‘Ponies’? You’re a pony too, you know.” The white stallion standing next to me brought me out of my thoughts as he got closer. The pink in his tail and his short mane beneath the nurse’s cap on his head directly contrasted his bright sapphire eyes. His cutie mark was difficult to make out from this angle, but it looked like a red cross with small hearts around it. In case you hadn’t figured it out yet, this was Nurse Redhoof. Turning my attention to the limb that was currently doing a crappy job of blocking the sunlight, I found an orange hoof hanging there. “Huh. I guess you’re right.” Something was weird, though. No, not the ‘being a pony’ part. I was pony before, but I looked different for some reason. My once navy blue coat was now a slightly burnt orange color. While I was staring at my hoof, Nurse Redhoof took the opportunity to grab it and gently help me up. “AGH!” I cringed as a sharp pain went down my spine, like somepony tried to taze me while simultaneously stabbing my back with a rusty- Oh, sorry. It really hurt. That’s all you need to know. To his credit, Redhoof reacted well to my pain, instantly supporting me from behind while allowing the pain fade away. After a little bit of a struggle, and a few whimpers from me, I was finally sitting up, the pain in my back now just a dull ache. Nurse Redhoof made his way around me, inspecting my face while it was still slightly scrunched up in discomfort. While he continued to inspect me for any more injuries, I looked around the field we were in. Overall, it appeared to be slightly elevated from town, random flowers of nearly every color spotting the landscape. The grass was unusually orderly being this far from Ponyville as it was all the same height and didn’t come up past my fetlock. The occasional tree sprung up in the mostly empty field, disrupting the monotony of it all. Well, aside from nearby, where there seemed to be a huge crater of some kind, about two meters long and half a meter deep. Anything that used to be growing there was gone now. I wonder what caused that… As I turned my head to look around some more, I noticed my long mane hanging limp on the edge of my vision and used a hoof to bring it in front of me. Instead of the usual jet black color like I was used to, it was a soft brown, although the silver streak from before was still there. At least some things didn’t change. A quick glance down at the tail between my legs showed that it was also palette swapped. My headache started acting up and I lifted a hoof to my temple, rubbing in irritation. Why does everything have to get so complicated around me? I began to fix my mane to help me clear my head, when I noticed something that made me freeze in fear, a hoof to my forehead. I… oh, please don’t tell me… “Alright Ma’am,” Redhoof spoke up from behind me, “You appear to be fine everywhere else. Please extend your wings for me so I can inspect them as well.” My head veared around in shock. “W-wings?!” Right there, tucked against my side, was an orange wing. “B-but I’m not-” Turning my head, there was indeed a matching wing on the opposite side. “I wasn’t-” I shook my head, “Where’s my horn?!” I frowned, rubbing the empty spot on my head that was supposed to have a pointy magic-guiding bone protruding from it. I had really grown fond of my horn over the last five months. We’d been through a lot together. “Uhh… ‘horn’, miss?” Redhoof raised an eyebrow. “You’re clearly a Pegasus.” My frown turned into a cute pout, my eyes going wide and tears threatening to spill as I stared at the Nurse. He suddenly took a step back in shock. “O-oh, please don’t do that. I can’t-” He turned his head to look away, but his traitorous eyes remained locked with mine. “L-look, ma’am, can you just… spread your wings so I-I can see if you injured them?” Dropping the look and giving a quick huff, I glared down at the stupid replacements. “I’ll try,” I grumbled. Mentally searching for any unknown muscles in my back for a few moments, I finally managed to make them twitch a bit. After a few more failed attempts at spreading them, I sighed, looking away from Redhoof dejectedly. “I… I don’t know how.” The nurse was understandably confused. “You… don’t know how to spread your wings?” he asked, making sure he had heard me correctly. I nodded. “You mean you don’t remember how?” I simply shrugged. “Sure, let’s go with that.” Faking amnesia helped before, so why not now? “Well, I don’t want to just pry them open in case they are injured.” Redhoof hummed to himself in thought as I looked towards town. There were a few trees near the edge of town, blocking my view of the first few houses, but from my slightly elevated position in the field, I could see the thatched and shingled roofs of the homes and businesses further in. The two most prominent landmarks, however, were Town Hall, which stood at least a couple stories higher than the rest of the buildings, and what I assumed was the Library, if the huge treetop with a balcony was any indication. Sugarcube Corner must have been on the other side of town, since I couldn’t spot it. While I was inspecting the town, the mischievous smirk on Nurse Redhoof’s face barely registered in my mind until it was too late. I finally looked up as the white stallion slowly circled me, grinning, his eyes half-lidded. He suddenly stopped next to me and leaned in to whisper something in my ear. After a moment, Redhoof backed away as I stared blankly ahead. If I wasn’t blushing already, then my face was certainly on fire now. I’m not even gonna repeat what he just said, so help me God. I at least want to keep a shred of dignity to myself. Whatever his goal was, he apparently achieved it as his face quickly lit up. “Ah! There we are!” he said before making his way behind me again. Shocked, I quickly turned my head to see what he meant, only for my muzzle to hit a batch of disheveled orange feathers. I pulled my muzzle away to see that both of my wings were currently on full display, regardless of my input on the matter. Did… Did he do that on purpose?! Redhoof poked and prodded at my wings for a while, rubbing a few flight muscles to make sure they were alright before finally speaking up. “Well, except for needing to be preened, your wings appear to be in perfect condition.” He gave me a wingboner… “My best guess about the sharp pain you experienced earlier would be some sort of pulled muscle near the base of your wings.” …on purpose. “Any remaining pain should be gone within an hour or tw-” *SLAP* Everything went silent as we both sat there in shock after what I had just done. About ten seconds ticked by before Redhoof brought a hoof up to his muzzle and adjusted his jaw a bit. “I suppose I deserved that,” he chuckled. I, on the other hoof, was having a mild panic attack. “I-I’m so sorry! I don’t normally do that! I don’t know what I was thinking!” I looked down at the guilty hoof. “Bad hoof! Bad!” “Hey, it’s alri-” “But YOU!” I glared at the stallion again. “Don’t you ever DARE do that again!” I froze and retreated a bit. “U-unless, you actually mean it, cause you are kinda…” Redhoof and I both blushed as I shook my head. “You know what, nevermind. Forget this ever happened.” Nurse Redhoof chuckled as his blush faded. “Yes ma’am. Try moving your wings now,” he pointed at my half-extended wings. I turned and watched as my wings gradually relaxed. As they did so, I could feel each muscle stretch and compress. Focusing on those muscles, I slowly opened my wings back up and pointed them outward. After testing my wings’ range of motion, I tucked them back to my side and turned to face Redhoof, rubbing the back of my neck. “Uh, thanks.” The nurse chuckled as he extended his hoof. “No problem, miss…” he paused as I shook his hoof. “You know, I never got your name.” “Oh! I’m sorry!” I giggled. “My name is…” I trailed off. I couldn’t very well use Jennifer, could I? It’s not very Equestrian sounding. What did I call myself before? Oh, right. Cobalt. Ugh, I’m such an idiot sometimes. I couldn’t use that now anyways, since I was no longer blue. I glanced back at my cutie mark to see a bright red circle behind some sort of blue and gold shield. That can’t be right. I thought for sure it was an orange and gold shield. Shaking my head, I spat out the first name that popped into my mind. “Amber. Amber Guard.” Yay! I didn’t blurt a stallion’s name this time! “And you?” I asked. The last thing I wanted to do was say somepony’s name before I was properly introduced. That could easily raise a red flag to some ponies. A certain rainbow streak came to mind. Redhoof grinned. “A pleasure to meet you Miss Amber. My name is Nurse Redhoof.” He turned to walk back to town, motioning me to follow. “I work over at the local Hospital.” I shuddered slightly at the word, but he didn’t notice. “I was just on my way there when I saw you crash near the Everfree Forest.” “Really?” I rubbed my chin, somehow managing to walk with only three legs on the ground. “I can’t seem to remember too much from right before that.” Yeah, like why I was turned into a Pegasus, thrown into the future, and crashed to the ground. The nurse chuckled. “Yeah, really. Memory loss is to be expected from an impact like that, though. I don’t care how much practice you claim to have had with being knocked out, the mini-detonation that went off when you hit the ground would knock the sense right out of Prince Solaris himself.” “Was it really that bad?” I asked sheepishly. Wouldn’t be my worst accident, but it definitely sounds like it’d be in my top thirty… “Wait… I caused that crater back there?” I turned to glance back at the crater we just walked away from. Redhoof nodded. “I had to pull you out before I tried to wake you up.” Okay, it just moved up to my top twenty. He slowly glanced back as well, his expression falling a bit. “It’s… actually a miracle you managed to step away with nothing more than a headache and a pulled muscle.” I giggled at his dumbfounded expression. “What can I say? I’ve had my fair share of incidents.” The majority of which had little to do with crashing, however. Ever had magic blow up in your face? Not very pleasant. He looked at me as his brow rose. “Well, you’re obviously not from around here, or I might have seen you at work more,” he chuckled. “I’m actually from Canterlot,” I stopped in my tracks for a moment, glancing at the mountain-side castle in the distance. “I… I’m not sure why I’m all the way here in Ponyville, though.” That was the truth. This was all part of the Everfree back in the time period I was from, so why would I be out here to begin with? Redhoof noticed my frown, having stopped trotting when I did. He placed a hoof on my shoulder in an attempt to cheer me up. “Don’t worry your pretty little head,” he chuckled. “It’ll come back to you. Whether all at once or gradually with time, I’m not sure, but it will come.” I looked down at the ground for a moment before I remembered something mildly important. I’m in a bucking new time period! I should really find out ‘When’ I am so I don’t go shooting off my mouth when I shouldn’t. We continued walking as I raised my head back up to Redhoof. “What’s today’s date? Um, in full, please.” He raised a brow again, but answered anyways. “I think it’s June 18th, 1002. Just a few days before the Midsummer Solstice Festival.” 1002? That can’t be right. It was just 10 AD, and I know Arty was banished for at least a thousand years, so maybe they use a new calendar marker. “I’m sorry, but I’m old fashioned. Do you happen to know the year in A.D.?” His face cutely scrunched up in thought before realization set in. “Ooh. I’m sorry, I don’t know what year it is in A.D. off the top of my head. I didn’t even think anypony still used A.D. since the defeat of Darkhorse Knight a thousand years ago. Almost everypony in Equestria uses A.D.K. nowadays.” ‘After Darkhorse Knight’. I guess that makes sense. If that was true, then it must be two years after Artemis returned, and if the seasons of the show were literally a year each, I must have appeared not long after the Changeling invasion. So I guess I should avoid revealing the whole ‘Alicorn Prince’ thing. I just hope I’m not around for Berry’s Mirror Pool incident. I shivered a little at the thought. We continued walking for a few minutes before we stepped on a dirt road that split off in two directions. “I guess this is where we part ways,” Redhoof spoke up. “Huh?” He motioned down the path away from the center of town. “The hospital is just down this way, and I assume you want to head into town, which is in the opposite direction,” the stallion directed my attention down the path towards Ponyville. “I guess it is, then.” I smiled and turned back to him. “Thank you so much for helping me.” I giggled. “I’m happy a handsome nurse found me instead of some rogue Timberwolf.” Redhoof blushed as he scratched the back of his head. “It was nothing really. Anypony would have done the same.” Anypony in this time period, at least. “Is there anywhere in particular you need to go? I can point you in the right direction if you want.” I smiled warmly at the stallion and shook my head. “No thanks, I’m sure I can find my way around on my own. ‘When in Roam’, right?” “Alright then,” he chuckled as he turned to walk away. “I hope I don’t have to see you at work!” “Don’t worry,” I called after him. “I typically avoid Hospitals at all costs!” I turned and started my lonely trek into town. Before too long, my mind began to wander, pulling random ideas about my current situation. What the hay was I doing here? Trying to look back at the last thing I could remember, I kept drawing a blank. I vaguely recalled leaving Canterlot for some reason, but my memories wouldn’t line up for more than a split second. I would try to research what happened and send myself back, but… I sighed to myself. Magic was once again out of my grasp, probably permanently this time. Alright, so I guess I’m stuck here. I shrugged to myself, but flinched when I felt my wings try to shrug with me. Oh, yeah, and now I have two new currently-useless appendages to learn how to use. I guess flying could be fun, though. Well, as soon as I learn how to. I’m sure Solly or Arty could teach… me… My trot slowed to a stop right as I was about to enter the main street of Ponyville. Solly and Arty… They hadn’t seen me in at least a thousand years that I knew of. For some reason, I suddenly felt guilty. I felt like I had just abandoned two of my closest friends in this world, and it wasn’t even my fault! At least… I don’t think it was. I seriously hoped it wasn’t my fault. Gradually starting a trot again, I thought about what Silver would say if this ended up being my fault. Something snarky, probably. She can’t take anything seriously, even when it’s life-threatening. I giggled as I recalled my best friend mouthing off to the embodiment of Chaos herself. Well, I guess first things first. I need to get word to Solly about how I am, and the only way to do that now, since I don’t have magic anymore, is through Dusk Shine. I was abruptly shaken from my thoughts when a chestnut Earth pony mare with a dark brown mane rushed past me back toward the edge of town, nearly bowling me over. Careful there, Professor, I laughed to myself. It’s not like the world is ever in danger around you. I turned back to where she came from to see almost a literal wall of ponies crowding what I would guess to be the marketplace if the various stalls and ponies yelling about deals was any indication. “Well,” I mumbled to myself, “This ought to be fun.” CHAPTER 2: Fun? (Word count: ~5,000) I just… I’m not even gonna go into detail of how unfun it was to even step into the sea of Technicolor ponies, so here’s a brief summary of what happened: “I’m sorry.” “Excuse me.” “Watch it kid!” “I’ll pay you back for what I broke later! I promise!” “Pardon me.” “Oops, my bad.” Then I was finally able to take my first step forward. Yeah, it was that bad. I was quickly surrounded by ponies of every variety and immediately became grateful to any almighty being out there that I wasn’t claustrophobic. There appeared to be a great deal more ponies living in Ponyville than the show ever made it seem. Mares were actually slightly more prominent as well. I guess that just comes down to lazy animators. It wasn’t until I was about twenty meters in that I could do something that vaguely resembled breathing again, but I kept moving regardless. Glancing around for Town Hall, I failed to notice the pony that stepped right in front of me and we both fell to the ground, their pink tail briefly hitting my face. I scrambled to get back up before a large blue stallion could step on my head. “That was my bad.” “I’m so sorry.” My ears perked at the gentle voice. Was that Butterscotch? I turned around to search for the shy Pegasus, but he was already gone, consumed by the crowd again. Oh well, I’ll probably get to meet him later. I quickly stepped off to the side of the crowd to avoid getting run down again. After making sure I wouldn’t break anything standing there, I looked around the skyline in hopes of spotting the top of Town Hall or the Library, but the only things I could see were the buildings that lined the street, most of which were just indoor businesses, like just to my left was the Joke Shop in all its jester’s-hat glory. Sweeping my gaze back over the masses, I spotted a familiar orange stallion working a familiar apple stall on the other side of the street. I guess some directions to Town Hall wouldn’t hurt right now. I carefully stepped my way back into the conglomerate of color, trying to avoid getting plowed over. But when does anything ever work in my favor? Halfway across the busy road, a loud ringing noise sounded from the Joke Shop behind me, causing me to pause mid-trot and look around. Unfortunately while I was doing so, a grey stallion backed up into me, bringing us both down to kiss the dirt. Ugh, if I hit the ground one more time today, I swear… And why can’t I breathe? I turned my head to see the stallion’s bubble-covered rump crushing my wing and ribcage. Ohmygosh! It’s Dopey! I would have audibly squee’d if I wasn’t being suffocated and turning slightly purple at the moment. The Pegasus sitting on me shook his head and looked around before finally noticing me. He suddenly gasped and stood up, turning back to face me. With his weight now missing, I gave in to my lungs' demands and inhaled as much oxygen as I could in a single gulp. Stallions are heavy! “I-I’m so sorry, miss!” Dopey said, reaching for my hooves to help me up. “I didn’t see you there!” I grabbed his hooves and began to pull myself up. “It’s no big deal. It was my- Eep!” Before I could balance myself properly, a pony nearby bumped into my flank, instantly sending me to the ground again. Thankfully without somepony on top of me this time. “Oh dear,” Dopey said as he pulled me up again, using his wings to fly and lift me quicker this time. “Are you alright, miss?” “Yeah, I’m fine,” I giggled as I got my bearings back. When he landed I could see directly into his golden eyes, which were, in fact, slightly diverged, but nowhere near the extreme that appeared in the show. He was smiling sheepishly and rubbing one of his forelegs with the other. Across his back, he sported a light brown set of saddlebags, probably filled with goods from the market. His short blond mane and grey coat were slightly dirty from the fall, immediately causing me to become self conscious of how bad I probably looked. I should definitely get cleaned up soon. My mane probably looks like a train wreck. We stood there awkwardly for a moment before another stallion nearly bumped into me again, shaking me from my thoughts. “Uh, let’s keep moving to avoid a massive pony pile-up, shall we?” Dopey chuckled nervously as we both turned to walk further down the street. “Right. Again, I’m really sorry about that.” “It’s no big deal,” I smiled. “It was my fault for stopping in the middle of the road. I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t be a little scatterbrained at times.” The Pegasus chuckled. “I know how you feel. My name’s Clutzy Doo, by the way, but my friends call me Dopey.” “Dopey, huh?” I smirked. “That sounds like a mean thing to call somepony’s friend.” It really did, but I mean, come on! It just seemed so cute how it fit the clumsy stallion so well! The grey Pegasus just smiled. “I don’t really mind. It’s just a nickname, like calling a short pony ‘Tiny’ or something. Besides,” Dopey's grin brightened up a bit more, “I’ve really grown fond of it ever since I moved here from Cloudsdale.” His smile seemed contagious as a larger one made its way onto my face. “Well, Dopey, my name is Amber Guard. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” “Right back at ya! It’s always wonderful meeting new ponies.” Dopey looked me over critically. “You wouldn’t happen to be new in town, would you?” “Mhmm,” I nodded. “I actually just got here from Canterlot. I was just trying to find my way to the local library when I bumped into you.” Dopey’s head tilted to one side. “You came all this way just to visit the library?” “No,” I giggled. “More specifically, I’m here to meet Dusk Shine. I’ve always loved magic, so I really wanted to meet the Element of Magic himself!” Both statements were technically true. “Huh,” Dopey blinked. “I’ve never met anypony who likes magic that much who isn’t a unicorn. Do you want me to show you where he lives?” He looked away as he rubbed his neck. “It’s the least I could do for sitting on you.” Dopey and I finally stepped out of the crowd as we approached town square, Town Hall looming high not too far away. “Are you sure?” I asked. “I don’t really want to be an inconvenience.” “It’s no problem,” Dopey waved me off. “I needed to go past there to get home anyways.” A quick glance in every direction still showed no sign of the Library’s large canopy. “Heh, I suppose that’d be nice. Ponyville is much larger than I thought it would be. I might accidentally get lost on my own.” “You know you’re a Pegasus, right?” I could recognize that scratchy voice anywhere. Dopey and I looked up just as Rainbow Blitz glided down in front of us. “You could just fly to find where you need to go!” Ugh, this guy. Of all the ponies I could have met today, he had to be one of them. I watched as Blitz crossed his arms and look at me smugly before suddenly realizing that he was waiting for a response. Quick, Genny! Come up with an excuse! You’re great at making those! “I’ll have you know, I’m… not allowed to fly! Yeah! Doctor’s orders.” Perfect! “I sprained my wing coming out of a dive a couple days ago, so I’m temporarily grounded.” Blitz winced. “I sprained my wing once. It was not a pleasant experience.” “Oh! I’m so sorry!” Dopey blurted, looking over one of my wings. “I had no idea it was injured! I didn’t make it worse when I sat on it, did I?” Rainbow snickered. “You sat on her?” Dopey quickly stopped inspecting my wing and turned away, blushing. “Don’t worry, Dopey. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” I turned back to Blitz again. “Yes, we had a bit of a collision in the marketplace earlier.” Blitz rolled his eyes. “Why am I not surprised?” he mumbled. I glared at him. Well, that was rude! Before I could voice my thought, however, Blitz suddenly spoke up again. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around town before,” he said, looking me over. “She just got here from Canterlot!” Dopey perked up. “Canterlot, huh? Well then, the name’s Rainbow Blitz, fastest Pegasus in Equestria!” he bragged, doing a back flip in the air before hovering near my face. “But I’m sure you already knew that.” I frowned. “Amber,” I returned curtly, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. I didn’t have anything against Blitz personally, but over the past few months I had grown to absolutely despise ponies who were so full of themselves. I know Silver acted like that sometimes, but it was all in jest. She knew how much I couldn’t stand it. Turning back to the grey stallion next to me, I smiled again and motioned forward. “Come on, Dopey. I want to get to the Library before lunch time. I heard Dusk’s assistant makes the best nachos.” He happily nodded as we stepped forward before looking back at the colorful floating Pegasus. “You wanna come with, Blitz?” Doooppeeeyyyy, nooooo… “Sure, I don’t see why not,” Rainbow replied, quickly catching up to us. “I needed to get something from him anyways.” I sighed in defeat as Dopey led the way down one of the many dirt roads branching away from Town Hall. Things actually managed to stay quiet for a few minutes until Blitz came up next to me, flying backwards with his hooves behind his head. “So, what brings a pretty mare like you to Ponyville?” This time I didn’t bother to hold back my rolling eyes. “I came to meet the Element of Magic. I enjoy learning about magic-” I could see Blitz’s interest suddenly drop, probably because I’m just another ‘egghead’, “-and Prince Solaris always talks about his prized student, so I figured, why not?” Dopey gasped. “You know the Prince?!” I smiled and nodded. “That’s so cool! How’d you meet him? What’s he like? Is he really as tall as they say?” I giggled at Dopey’s excitement, but Blitz looked skeptically at me. “You know Prince Solaris?” he asked. “Eeyup,” I smirked. “Best friends with him, actually.” “Pfft, yeah right,” he chuckled. “Quit lying.” “What makes you so sure I am?” I asked. “Is it because I don’t act like Nobility?” I stopped, quickly shifting to a more poised stance and speaking in a snooty accent, “Because I will have you know, good sir, that I am not, in fact, ‘lying’, as you so eloquently put it. It is simply you who is misconstruing the truth!” Dopey started chuckling. I thought I sounded quite convincing. Rainbow Blitz just glared at me. “How do I know you’re not just a spy, though?” he asked, meeting me almost muzzle to muzzle. “You could just be making something up so you can get close to one of my friends!” “Blitz, come on. Just leave her al-” “Stay out of this, Dopey!” Rainbow shot Dopey a quick glare before looking back at me. “Don’t yell at him!” I stuck the sharp tip of my hoof to his chest and promptly shoved him away, causing him to wince. “I’m as much a spy as Elusive was when you accused him!” Blitz’s eyes widened a little. “Wha- See?! Only a spy would know that I accused him!” I rolled my eyes. They fall for that every time. “Actually, I just took a wild guess. You’re the one who just confessed to doing it.” That’s interesting to know that he thought Elusive was a spy, though. Confusion crossed the cyan stallion’s face for a moment before he huffed and glared at me again. “I’m watching you.” Blitz prompted turned and took off again, only making it half a meter in the air before suddenly slamming to the ground. “Oops,” I said innocently, lifting my hoof off the prismatic tail next to me. “I’m so sorry.” I failed to keep a smile off my face. Glancing toward him, I saw Dopey try to hide his behind a hoof. “What the buck?!” Blitz said, sitting up and wiping the dirt out of his tail. “You did that on purpose!” “What?” I brought a hoof to my chest. “Moi? I would never. Although I do have to ask; do you treat all new ponies like this? Or just the mares? I’d say it was karma getting back at you for being rude.” Rainbow blushed but grumbled to himself before taking off on his own in the direction we were just walking. “Blitz, wait up!” Dopey called, running in his direction. I followed silently, assuming we were still heading to the Library. Was I too mean? I idly wondered, but immediately shook my head. No, he had that coming, getting all up in my face like that! And he yelled at Dopey! The only thing worse than yelling at Dopey is making Butterscotch cry, like Guilder did. I kept my pace with Dopey as we turned the next corner. The Library was visible near the end of the street. Then why do I feel so bad about it? I groaned inwardly as my conscious decided to act up again. About halfway there, we saw Blitz fly in through the open balcony doors at high speeds. Can he even stop that quic- *Crash* …I guess not. Dopey and I eventually slowed to a stop in front of the library’s door. Even though I still felt fine, the Pegasus next to me was panting slightly. “Sorry,” he breathed. “I’m not as used to running as I am to flying.” Well then why didn’t you fly? He started stretching, extending his hindlegs backwards until I heard a soft pop. Sighing in delight, he smiled back at me and motioned to the library. “Welp, here we are I guess.” “Thanks for helping me, Dopey,” I grinned. “I really appreciate it.” “It really wasn’t a problem. I’m sorry about Blitz, though.” He rubbed his neck. “He… can be pretty brash sometimes.” “I hadn’t noticed,” I giggled. “I’m sure once you get to know him better, he’ll turn out to be a great guy,” Dopey reassured me. “He really is an awesome flier and friend.” “I’m sure he is. He just doesn’t have to go shoving it in everypony’s faces, though.” Dopey laughed. “I guess you got me there.” He started to flap his wings and hovered in the air slightly. “I guess I’ll see you again at the party?” I tilted my head. “Party?” “Yeah! You said you were new to Ponyville, right? I don’t know if you’ve met him yet, but Bubble Berry throws every new pony a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party.” “Ooh,” I smiled. I forgot about Berry. I wonder why I haven’t run into him yet… “Well then, sure! I’ll see you there!” I waved goodbye to Dopey as he flew down the street, waving back at me and not watching where he was going. “Dopey! Watch out for that-” *Whack* “…tree.” I giggled at Dopey’s blush as he got back up and flew away again before turning back to the library. The whole thing stood at least three stories high with various windows strewn about. Its leaves were well-trimmed with very few branches hanging out of place. The front door held a picture of a cand- Wait, why am I describing it this much? It looks almost exactly like it did in the show! Well, everything but the sign right next to the entrance. It held a large picture of a book, like I remembered, but it also had words underneath in bright gold lettering that read ‘Golden Oaks Public Library’. Stepping up to the door, I hesitated as I was about to knock. Do I even need to knock? It is a public library, after all. But then again, it’s also somepony’s home. I debated for a few seconds before deciding to just walk right in. His room’s on the second floor, so I don’t think he’d mind. I cracked the door open slightly and poked my head inside just to be safe, though. The small entrance area only extended about a meter in before it quickly expanded into the main room of library. There was a small window right next to the door and a strange plant hanging from the wall to my left. All I could see of the main area from here was a few bookshelves, the circular table in the center with a woodcarving of a horse’s head on it, and a staircase near the back wall that led up and out of sight. Deciding that it was safe to enter, I pushed the door open the rest of the way, causing a bell to ring above the door. “Just a moment!” I heard a young girl’s voice call out. After closing the door behind me, I stepped into the huge open space that served as library’s primary reading room/study. There were a few books and notes still scattered across the table, suggesting Dusk had just been there. Every wall held bookshelves that were loaded with… well, books of course, and above some of those were small cubby holes, a few of which contained windows that let light in the library during the day. Spanning across almost the entire ceiling was a large painting of a sun that looked similar to Solly’s cutie mark. Just to the right of the staircase was a large door that probably led to the rest of the library. A noise that sounded like muffled yelling came from the top of the stairs. There were a couple ladders leaning against the bookshelves, one of which held the small purple dragon that I had heard earlier. She was currently putting up a few books in their proper places, somehow balancing a stack of ten or so in her other claw. I was about to grab her attention when I heard Dusk Shine come stomping down the stairs, his voice finally becoming audible. “-the fifth time this month! I wish you’d find somewhere better to crash, preferably somewhere far from my house!” Rainbow Blitz was slowly hovering behind the angry unicorn, frowning from being scolded. Right as Dusk hit the bottom step, he stuck a hoof out towards the front door behind me, still yelling at his friend. “Why can’t you just enter through the door like a normal po- Oh!” He suddenly stopped when he realized I was standing right where he was pointing. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Barbara, you didn’t tell me we had a visitor.” The dragon glanced over her shoulder at me before she shrugged and continued organizing the books. “Sorry, Dusk. She only just now walked in.” Blitz looked at me as well, only for his expression to fall to an annoyed one. “That’s alright,” I giggled. “You’re clearly busy with something, so I can just wait.” “No, no. I’m not busy,” Dusk smiled. “Welcome to the Golden Oaks Library! My name is Dusk Shine, the local librarian-” “And bearer of the Element of Magic,” I continued for him, “responsible for the spectacular defeats of Darkhorse Knight and Eris. Not to mention helping with the Changelings in Canterlot recently.” Dusk’s eyes widened as Blitz’s gaze shifted to a glare. “Uh…” Dusk began. “It’s just… you and your friends are pretty well known around Equestria,” I explained, as Barbara stepped next to her boss, her claws now empty. “I’m sorry if I freaked you out at all.” “Oh, no, sorry,” the unicorn shook his head. “I’m just not use to getting that much recognition,” he chuckled. “How can I help you, miss…?” “My name is Amber Guard,” I replied. “I’m actually here to meet you and possibly discuss something in private regarding a certain Prince of the Sun.” I quickly glanced at the other two, hoping they would catch the hint. Thankfully at least Barb did. “I think I’ll go and clean up Rainbow Blitz’s mess upstairs,” she said, ascending the steps nearby. It apparently went right over Blitz’s head, though, as he approached me angrily. “Dude, she claims she’s all buddy-buddy with the Prince!” he said, poking my chest. “I don’t believe her one bit, though! She’s gotta be lying!” “Really?” Dusk asked, analyzing me. “Just because it sounds improbable doesn’t make it impossible.” He looked back at his friend. “Do you have any proof that she’s lying?” Blitz backed off and rubbed his head “Well, u-uh… not really.” He quickly huffed and crossed his forelegs. “Something about her just rubs me the wrong way.” Too easy, I smirked to myself. “Oh, puh-lease!” I rolled my eyes. “Like any mare would want to rub you any kind of way!” The library fell silent as Blitz just stared at me, slack-jawed. Dusk was clearly torn between wanting to defend his friend or just laugh at him. After a few moments, Barb’s footsteps could be heard running across the floor upstairs before she stuck her head out the bedroom door. “Buuuuuurrrrrn!” she called down the stairwell. That seemed to snap him out of it as Blitz started growling at me. I just stuck my tongue out at him. “That’s what you get for getting up in my face and calling me a spy.” “What?” Dusk turned back to his friend. “What’d I tell you about accusing everypony like that? You really need to be more considerate of the ponies you meet.” Blitz scoffed. “Well, soooorry for trying to protect my friends! I just want to make sure nopony does anything bad to y’all!” Dusk sighed. He really takes his role as the Element of Loyalty seriously, doesn’t he? Once again, my conscious reared its head, making me feel worse about everything. I hung my head as my self-induced guilt trip succeeded. “Look, Blitz. I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting. I don’t normal act like this.” The Pegasus looked at me suspiciously. “Really? You’ve done nothing but give me the cold shoulder since we met.” I cringed and rubbed my mane. “I… have a natural hatred for selfish, egotistical ponies, but now I see that you aren’t. Uh, selfish, that is.” “Thanks!” He paused and turned to the unicorn. “What does egotistical mean?” he whispered. “It means you’re full of yourself,” Dusk stated simply. Blitz raised an eyebrow for a moment before shrugging. “Eh, you got me there.” He glanced at me before frowning and looking away. “I guess I’m sorry, too. You know, for accusing you without any real proof.” Blitz quickly glared at me again. “But I’m still keeping my eyes on you!” I giggled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know I’m hard to resist,” I said as I struck a quick pose, fluttering my eyes at him. “You know,” Blitz chuckled, “That would probably work a little better if you didn’t have twigs sticking out of your mane.” “What?!” I quickly sat down and started rubbing my head for the offending shrubbery. After a few moments of frantic searching and doing nothing but messing up my mane even more, Blitz started laughing at me. Oh, that little… I glared at him as he opened the door to leave the library. “Blitz, hold up!” Dusk called out. “Did you want to see me about something?” The Pegasus looked confused for a moment before realization dawned. “Oh! I came to borrow the fourth Daunting Deeds book for Scootaroll! He loves them almost as much as I do.” The unicorn chuckled as his horn lit up and pulled a seemingly random book from a nearby shelf. “I thought he would. He reminds me a lot of you, actually.” I stared at the violet glow that surround the book as it floated towards Blitz and sighed. I already miss magic, and it hasn’t even been more than a couple hours for me. “Of course he does!” Blitz said as he grabbed the book from the air and hovered over to the exit. “I’m sure before too long, he’ll be the second fastest flier in Equestria. Smell ya later!” He gave us a quick mock salute goodbye before taking off out the door, the sudden rush of wind slamming the door shut behind him. “So,” Dusk began, drawing my attention back to him, “You really know Prince Solaris?” “Eeyup!” I nodded. “I met him and Artemis a really long time ago, and after helping each other with a crisis or two, we all sorta became close friends.” “Is that so?” Dusk rubbed his chin. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard the Prince mention you.” “I don’t doubt that,” since Solly’s never heard of Amber Guard before, “but I’m still telling the truth.” “Hmm… Well then you wouldn’t mind if I confirmed it with him then?” “No, go right ahead. I’ve got time.” I started to walk around the room, skimming the book titles. It’s not like that was why I came here in the first place. “Well, alright then. Just so you know, he may be in Day Court right now, so we may not get a reply for a while.” Somehow, I really doubt it will take that long, I thought as Dusk turned to the stairs. “Baaarrrb!” “Coming!” she called back. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have any books on Transformation Magic, would you?” I asked. Maybe they’ve learned some new stuff while I was away. Dusk frowned and shook his head. “Sorry, but I don’t. Literature on the topic is surprisingly scarce.” He sighed. “There are a few ponies who learn a little bit of it on their own, but nopony knows enough to even have a minor of it at Canterlot University.” Oooor not. “The last known expert on Transformation magic was Cobalt Justice, and she’s only mentioned in a few of Starswirl’s notes, but nowhere else.” Aww, Swirly mentioned me? “She claimed that Justice was so well versed in it, that she could turn an Earth pony into a Pegasus or Unicorn or vice versa, while all Starswirl managed to accomplish giving a pony some frilly butterfly wings.” It feels nice to get a few compliments from the recluse. Barb walked down the steps. “Whatcha need, Dusk?” “Oh, there you are! Would you please take a letter for me?” “Sure thing.” Barbara suddenly pulled some parchment and a quill out of nowhere. “It it another friendship report?” she asked. “It’s a bit early in the week for that, isn’t it?” I giggled at Dusk’s annoyed glare. “No, Barb. I just need to run something by the Prince.” The baby dragon shrugged and prepared to start writing as Dusk cleared his throat. “Dear Prince Solaris, I apologize if this comes across as any inconvenience, but a mysterious mare by the name of ‘Amber Guard’ has approached me, claiming to be your friend.” Wait, since he doesn’t know that name, I need to give him something that will prove I’m me… Aha! “Just to make sure he remembers me,” I interrupted, “tell him I asked if he remembers that one time the sun rose in the west and his bucket of dirty trout that followed shortly after.” ‘Bucket of dirty trout’, of course, being a euphemism only he’d remember. The duo stared at me in confusion for a moment before Barb looked up to Dusk for confirmation. The lavender stallion just gave a shrug and a quick nod to Barb before continuing. “Please let me know at your earliest convenience if you do indeed know this mare. Signed, your faithful student, Dusk Shine.” “…Dusk…Shine,” Barb muttered as she wrote. “Is that it?” “Yep, go ahead and send it.” A quick seal and breath of fire later, and the letter was on its way to Canterlot. “What did that bit about trout have to do with anything?” Dusk asked. “Yeah, and that part about the sun rising in the West?” Barb added. “It’s actually a fun story,” I giggled. “Solly gets so embarrassed every time I tell it to somepony.” I briefly saw Barb mouth ‘Solly’ to Dusk but ignored it for now. “It all started a couple months after I met him. For some reason, we each made a bet that the other couldn’t stay up for over forty-eight hours, so the second night, Artemis got the bright idea of-” *BURP* “Oh, shoot. I guess it’ll have to wait till another time then.” Dusk was surprised at the Prince’s quick response and grabbed the letter. “ ‘Dear Dusk Shine,’ ” he read aloud, “ ‘Thank you for informing me of her arrival. I wish to let you know that I do, in fact, know her and have requested that you and Miss Guard come to Canterlot immediately.’ ” Dusk’s eyes slowly widened the more he read. “ ‘I have dispatched a chariot to pick you two up and it should be there shortly. Signed, Prince Solaris’ ” Dusk quickly dropped the letter and ran upstairs, carrying a few pieces of parchment and quills in his telekinetic grasp with him, panic spread across his face. After he entered his room, Barb picked up the letter and read over it herself. “Oh, there’s something else here. ‘P.S. Tell Miss Guard to not reveal anything about that incident. If she insists on doing so, then disregard anything she says.’ ” “Aww, Solly, you’re no fun,” I said, crossing my forelegs in a pout. I glanced up at the stairs as a small crash sounded before glancing at the dragon next to me. “Hey, Barb. Do we have time for nachos?” Author's Post-Note: Like I mentioned before, I sometimes write r63 versions of popular stories. Anything ranging from One-shots to single chapters from lengthier stories. Hay, even a clop-fic or two. I don't upload any of these because that would require getting permission from the authors of said stories and doing work. Ugh. And then there's the fanon debates on names. Barbara or Spines? Prince or Lord? Darkhorse Knight or Nightterror Nebula? Dopey or gender-neutral Derpy? There's just too much debate to post anything successfully. I go into more detail about my unintended Hiatus since Hearth's Warming in this blog post, but basically I ignored the warnings I got from various other authors and burned my inspiration out for this story, at least temporarily. I'm still holding that goal of the end of Spring for finishing PP&F and finally moving on to other projects! For anypony that's been to my User Page, you'd have seen that I have quite a few other stories in the works, but I don't want to give them much attention until I'm out of my slump for this one, hence the 'writing r63 for practice' in the meantime. Oh! And just because I wanted too: Excerpt from CHAPTER 6: All is Revealed: "By the very definition of ‘infinity’, anything could exist in some universe somewhere, right?” I asked. Dusk thought about it. “Yeah, I suppose so.” “That means that it’s possible for there to be a universe so different from yours, ponies don’t even exist!” Some of the guys gasped in shock. “There may be one that’s similar to yours, except everypony was born the opposite gender, like, I don’t know,” I motioned to Dusk, “You would be Twilight Sparkle, faithful student of the great Princess Celestia.” “That’s kind of disturbing,” Blitz said. I just giggled. “Yeah, just a bit. But it could exist somewhere."