//------------------------------// // 15. Piece of the Past: Revelations // Story: Time Ticks on // by Golden Script //------------------------------// I was starting to get used to the feeling of stasis; the cold, the motionlessness, the sensation of solitude. It wasn’t the best feeling in the world, but damn if the power to stop time wasn’t useful. Not to mention the fact I could apparently bring living things with me, if Luna was any indication. I looked at the midnight mare. Her head was covered in my coat. It lead down her back, and luckily didn’t drag. Her face was once of determination, looking for the town that we were heading for. It was cute, really. Her scrunched face would be scary, if her eyes weren’t so young. I realized at that moment exactly what I was thinking. I was calling a horse cute. After a moment of consideration, I found that it really wasn’t all that weird. It was like calling a cat adorable. Perfectly normal. So why did I panic like that? There was a moment when I questioned my sanity, thinking she was cute. I don’t understand my own thought processes, sometimes. I reached down and patted Luna on the head, trying to comfort myself more than anything. When my hand made contact there was a moment of idle rubbing followed when she began lightly pushing up into my hand. We continued walking. ----- JUST OUTSIDE LAS PEGASUS I’d lead Michael to the town, and now we were just on the outskirts. Already, the visions I’d shown Michael were proving to be a reality. Still several hundred meters away from the town, we could see buildings floating in the sky, clumps of earth stuck to their bases. We continued walking, reaching the first buildings minutes later. The first pony we found was in the middle of sneezing, it seemed, as his eyes were closed tight and his head was forward with his mouth in the “oo” form. Other evidence was the dust cloud around him; the particles I could see looked like flakes of pepper. Michael walked past this scene, ignoring it completely. I decided that I should follow, not wanting to lose the only moving thing in this world of stillness. We wandered through the town for a long time before coming to the center. Town center was probably the worst of them all, no less than three dozen ponies were scattered throughout the large empty space, all in different poses of randomness. And in the middle of it all sat Discord on his throne of chaos. When I looked up at Michael there was a dark look in his eyes. One thing was for sure, he was angry. After a few minutes of standing there, staring at Michael’s betrayal, I pulled on his pant leg with my magic. He looked down at me, suddenly snapped out of his rage. And without a word—not that he could give one, anyway—he walked away, back towards the field we’d spent most of our time in. I debated trying to escape, but found that he’d need somepony to help him through this. I realized that I’d just thought of abandoning Michael in his one time of need, and chastised myself for it. Trotting to catch up to the human, we began our trek back towards the forest, and ultimately, the meadow. ----- WHITETAIL WOODS He’d betrayed me. He’d abused my trust. He’d tricked me. He’d pay. This was my general thought process the whole walk back. Luna was on my heels the whole way back, trying to get my attention. She tried pulling my pant legs, but I was moving too fast; she tried getting in front of me, but I’d just walk around her without a second glance; she even tried moving with me, in which case I’d simply ignore her. I was in no mood for her to comfort me. When we arrived back at the field I sat down and festered. My emotions boiled over, leaking into my clenched fists. I thought that Discord was a force for freedom, but he was just another type of inhibition. I now found myself without any allies, let alone friends. I was once again alone. The universe has it out for me it seems. First I’m ripped from the people I know and love and the only being that would take me in turned out to be a fraud. What next? I felt something tap my shoulder. When I looked around I found Luna with a worried expression. The following epiphany snapped me out of any depression I might have. There was one more I could put my trust in: Luna. As fast as I could, I pulled my watch out and recommenced the flow of time, allowing us to talk. “Michael, are you ok?” Her voice was music to my ears. “I think so. Luna, can you promise me that under your rule the beings of this land are happy and prosperous?” I grabbed her by the shoulders—or the equivalent for her species—and looked deep into her eyes. She took a moment to comprehend the desperate look in my eyes, answering moments later with a confident “yes.” “Ok… ok, then. I’ll help you.” I said, still fearing what might happen if she turned out to be using me, too. “Really?” Her joyful surprise a light contrast to my wary fear. “Yes, just as long as you keep your promise.” I stood, trying to distract myself with action. “I will.” She said, looking up at me. “Good.” ----- LAS PEGASUS Chaos is such a wonderful thing, isn’t it? When you wish to have a laugh, it’s always there to supply. If you’re craving a drink, it’ll donate some cranberry juice. Don’t enjoy someponies company, ejector seats are always fun. But I digress; chaos is the one thing that I love, more than anything. It has been with me for my entire life. My several thousand year-long life. How old was I again? I don’t remember… was it forty seven thousand? No, that’s too short… ah, whatever. Anyway, I was just causing some well-deserved chaos when I felt something. It was something I was expecting, but it nonetheless surprised me. Michael had left the field. I quickly looked up, seeing it was still fairly early in the morning. One thought came to my head. ‘TIME FOR BREAKFAST!’ And I teleported into the Whitetail Woods.