My Little Chrono Triggers Are Magic

by Pav Feira

I'm Back!

King Sugardia the 21st affectionately nuzzled his Queen. “My love, it is so good to have you back, safe and sound. I was so worried for you.” They smiled, gazing adoringly into each others eyes.

The group had returned to Sugardia Castle without incident. They were gathered in the throne room, where King and Queen were reuniting, as Rainbow Dash and company looked on.

Chancellor Octavia scowled, unable to enjoy the happy mood of the occasion. “Confound that Yakra! She nearly drove this country to ruin! It is unacceptable that she impersonated me and sought to overthrow the Crown. We must put a system of justice in place, in order to convict these fiends and make them pay for their crimes. Please excuse me, Your Majesties...” Bowing respectfully, she left the chamber to begin putting her plan into motion.

Queen Diane smiled at the group. “On behalf of the Kingdom of Sugardia, you have our eternal thanks. The three of you will always be welcome guests within our castle.” The three companions kneeled respectfully.

“You are most generous, Your Highness.” Frog stated. “But I must respectfully decline your praise. Your life was put in danger because I was not strong enough to protect you. Thus, I shall depart, before I dishonor you with my presence any further.” Bowing once more, she turned sharply and hopped toward the exit.

“Frog! Wait!” Rainbow Dash called out.

Queen Diane held out a hoof. “Lady Rainbow Dash, let her go.”

Rainbow Dash turned back, confused. “Wha... But?!”

The Queen shook her head sadly. “Lady Frog has protected me and served this country for several years. But despite her talent and devotion, she has always been overly critical of herself. She never considers her best to be good enough, and always strives for perfection.” She smiled, “I am sure that once she has had some time to calm down, she will return to us.”

The King nodded in respect. “Lady Rainbow Dash... Lady Twilight Sparkle... This kingdom is truly indebted to you. This is truly a joyous occasion. There is one mystery remaining, however.”

Twilight Sparkle took a step forward. “What might that be, Your Majesty?”

He frowned. “It is the matter of the, ahh... the doppelganger. The mysterious pony that my guards mistook for my wife. We never did discover who she was...”

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash collectively gasped. They turned to look at each other, wide eyed. Pinkie Pie! They had been so caught up in breaking into the abbey and rescuing Queen Diane, that they completely forgotten their real reason for being here. “I’m very sorry, Your Highness, but my friend and I really must be going now. We have to leave and uh...”

“Drink at the tavern,” Rainbow Dash jumped in. “Use the toilet,” Twilight Sparkle finished her alibi at the same time.

The two friends shared a look.

“Use the toilet,” Rainbow Dash corrected herself. “Drink at the tavern,” said Twilight Sparkle.

They glared at each other.

Queen Diane laughed gently, interrupting them. “Please, do not inconvenience yourselves for my sake. Feel free to go about your business.” Relieved, the two ponies bowed and left the chamber, turning down a corridor.

“Rainbow, which way is the Queen’s chamber?”

“We’re already headed that way! Since Pinkie Pie disappeared there, that’s where she’s most likely to reappear, right?” she said as she stuck out her tongue. “One step ahead of ya, egghead.”

Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes and smirked. “Alright, alright, don’t let it go to your head.”

When they reached the Queen’s chamber, they spent a few minutes convincing the Royal Guards that, given their recent hero status, they should be allowed to enter, so long as it was only for a minute, and they didn’t touch anything, and they promised not to tell anypony, particularly the guard’s superior officer. As they slipped inside, they were surprised to see the room was glistening with a soft pale light. As the two ponies approached the center of the room, the intensity of the light bloomed. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were forced to cover their eyes to protect themselves from the blinding light. As the light of the room died down, Rainbow Dash was about to lower her leg and chance a look, but before she could react, she was tackled and landed on her back. As she opened her eyes, she saw a mass of curly pink mane, actively in the process of glomping her.

“Dashie!” Pinkie Pie let out a cry of joy. “Oh my goodness, I’m so glad to see you! It was so scary! I was in this empty dark room where there was no sound and no light and no ponies, and I felt so alone and cold and sad and lonely! I was so worried that I’d be stuck there forever and ever, and then I thought to myself, ‘Myself! Don’t give up hope! Your friend Rainbow Dash came to save you once already. She won’t let you down.’ And then I thought to myself, ‘Myself, you’re right! We’ve got to believe!’ And then y’know what happened next? I tackle-hugged you because you were here! And I was here!”

During this, Rainbow Dash’s expression was initially one of pure shock, as she was pinned to the ground by a friend whom she feared had disappeared forever. As Pinkie Pie’s verbal tirade proceeded, her shocked expression gradually was overtaken by a heart-warmed smile. We did it, she thought to herself. We saved Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie caught a glimpse of purple in the corner of her eye. Turning, she gasped, then turned back to Rainbow Dash. “And your friend is here, too! What’d you say her name was? Twilight Sparkle, right? Gollie, I can’t wait to introduce myself!” Standing up, releasing Rainbow Dash from the glomp, she coughed over-dramatically, then turned to Twilight Sparkle, grinning and holding out a hoof. “Hiya, Twilight Sparkle! I guess we already met at the Millennial Summer Sun Celebration, but we never got a chance to properly introduce ourselves, huh? My name... is...” Her voice trailed off into nothingness, as she was stopped cold.

Twilight Sparkle had prostrated herself in front of the pink pony. Looking up from the ground, she saw Pinkie Pie’s hoof — which had been held out with the intention of a hoofshake — and she began to tremble. Hyperventilating, she lifted her own hooves up to gently cup Pinkie Pie’s, as if she were holding a delicate porcelain sculpture that would shatter if the slightest pressure were applied to it. Staring incredulously at the hoof, her eyes slowly travelled upwards, eventually making contact with Pinkie Pie’s eyes. She grinned toothily, looking for a smile in return, or an approving nod, or any form of recognition.

The light left Pinkie Pie’s eyes, which fell slowly to the floor. She knew this look. Admittedly, it was one of the most eager looks she had ever encountered, but after a while, every look of adoration had a nauseating sameness to it. “You figured it out... huh?” she quietly asked.

Twilight Sparkle giggled gleefully, oblivious to Pinkie Pie’s change in demeanor. “I did, Princess Pinkamena! I felt like such a silly-filly, having seen you at the Millennial Summer Sun Celebration... and I didn’t even recognize you?! Oh... to think that the magnificent Princess Pinkamena was the first pony to use my Telepod! I mean, ignoring Rainbow Dash, of course...”

She continued to prattle on, entranced at the royalty before her. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie’s eyes remained glued to the floor. It seemed like she wasn’t even listening or aware of Twilight Sparkle. Rather, to Rainbow Dash, she looked like she was about to cry...

“H-hey, Twilight,” she cut her friend off. “Ease up, will ya?”

Twilight Sparkle’s cheeks turned hot pink. She bowed so deeply and quickly that her nose smooshed against the floor, but she was too embarrassed to acknowledge the pain. “Omigosh, please forgive me, Princess Pinkamena! You just rematerialized into our timeline and I haven’t given you a moment’s breath before chatting away at you! I beseech you! Please forgive my impudence!”

“No...” Pinkie Pie responded quietly. “I should be the one apologizing to you.” She turned to the pegasus, “And especially to you, Rainbow Dash. I knew it was wrong to deceive you, and I knew I would eventually need to reveal the truth to you, but... I should have confessed to you so much soon. Please, forgive me.” She bowed deeply.

Rainbow Dash was severely creeped out. Pinkie Pie’s personality had completely shifted. This was nothing like the hyperactive pink pony from the Millennial Summer Sun Celebration, or indeed, from a minute ago. Her words, rather than a flurry of incomprehensibility, were now chosen slowly and deliberately. Her demeanor was stoic and quiet. The reality of the situation dawned on her. It’s as if... as if she’s royalty.

Pinkie Pie turned and walked to the window, gazing outside. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle approached — the former with a look of concern, the latter with a starstruck euphoria. “I suppose I should introduce myself... for real, this time. Like you guessed, I’m Princess Pinkamena of Sugardia, daughter of King Sugardia the 33rd and Queen Susannah. I had never attended a Summer Sun Celebration before... I was always too busy with royal obligations. So, I pretended to be a commoner so that I could attend, without any stupid fanfare or formalities.”

Rainbow Dash winced. “So... that hyperactive personality of yours... was that just an act?”

Pinkie Pie looked mortified. “No! That wasn’t an act! It was the real me... The me I wish I could be all the time...” she sighed and looked away. “But you can’t act like a child when when you’re a princess... This me — the one right now — is the fake me. Besides, if you had known I was a princess, you would have treated me...” She avoided making eye contact with Twilight Sparkle. “...differently. You probably wouldn’t have even hung around with me at all.”

Rainbow Dash walked up and put a hoof on her shoulder, to her surprise. “Of course I would have! The friend I met today was a completely crazy pony named Pinkie Pie. If you’re her, then you’re my friend!”

Pinkie Pie looked up, shocked. “You still mean that? After everything?”

The pegasus smiled earnestly. “Of course!”

A smile started on Pinkie Pie’s face. It grew in size, stretching its way across her face. Her jaw lowered, her cheeks scrunched under her eyes, her eyes shimmered and dilated. It was as if every single muscle in her face was committed to make the largest smile physically possible. Rainbow Dash found it touching, if ever-so-slightly disturbing.

“Friends!” she cheered, leaping into the air, fluttering her hooves excitedly. “Woo hoo! Oh Rainbow, I’m so relieved... But that’s why I liked you in the first place! You’re so... so chill!”

She stopped mid-cheer and turned. Twilight Sparkle was looking on, grinning. She was sweating, and her lips were quivering, as she said, “Oh, this is wonderful news! I’m so glad that the two of you are going to remain great friends.”

Pinkie Pie hesitated. “Um... Twilight? You and Dashie have been best friends for, like... forever, right?”

“y-Yes!” her voice cracked nervously. “Ahaha, yes, Princess Pinkamena. We’ve known each other pretty much our entire lives.” She grinned again, swallowing dryly. Rainbow Dash nodded in confirmation.

Her hesitation gone, she offered Twilight Sparkle a hoofshake once again. “Well then, a friend of Rainbow Dash’s is a friend of mine. Just, call me Pinkie Pie, okay?”

Twilight Sparkle looked down at the offered hoof, and her eyes dilated. With a squeak, she promptly fainted. Pinkie Pie looked to Rainbow Dash and shrugged. Rainbow Dash sighed and buried her face in her hoof.

The ponies headed downstairs after another awkward conversation with the Royal Guards, this time explaining why one of the three ponies had fainted, and moreover why a third pony had mysteriously appeared in a sealed room, and that the third pony was in fact the doppelganger and not the real Queen Diane, so could everypony involved just please pretend that this had never happened. Rainbow Dash was really starting to appreciate the leeway that rescuing the Queen was affording her.

As they reached the castle entrance, they saw a number of familiar faces. The two entrance guards were still at their post. In front of them, a queen and a frog were saying goodbyes.

“Do take care of yourself, Lady Frog. Please know that your presence is always heralded here, no matter what you or anypony else may say.” Frog kneeled as Queen Diane turned, coming face-to-face with the three friends. “Oh, Lady Rainbow Dash, Lady Twilight Sparkle. Are you leaving us so soon?”

The ponies bowed respectfully. “Yes, Your Highness, we would love to stay longer, but unfortunately, we really must return to our homes now,” said Twilight Sparkle.

Queen Diane nodded in acknowledgement. “Then I wish you two a safe travel. Oh?” She noticed the pink pony who had rejoined the group. “Is this the pony who was mistaken for me? My, the resemblance is... uncanny.”

“Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie!” she smiled widely. “It’s so nice to meetcha! Sorry that everything got all confused because of me... but I’m so grateful for everypony taking such good care of me. I sure owe you ponies! Owe you ponies big time!”

The Queen returned a gentle smile. “You certainly are an energetic spirit. I hope that you are able to visit us once again. I’m sure we would have much to discuss.”

“Okie dokie lokie!”

She bowed politely. “Pardon me, but I must return to my duties... It would seem much has transpired in my absence. Safe travels, my little ponies.” The three ponies bowed respectfully in return as Queen Diane left for the throne room.

“My my my... you really could pass for Queen Diane’s twin.” Frog look curiously at Pinkie Pie.

“Heehee, yep! I guess so!”

Rainbow Dash looked at Pinkie Pie, puzzled. A pony-shaped frog talks to her and she doesn’t even bat an eyelash? Typical Pinkie Pie. “So, Frog... you’re really leaving?”

Frog nodded, her face determined, with a dash of sadness. “Yes, darling, t’would seem that I still need much training before I can properly... defend the Queen. I shall return to my residence, to the south near Pommel.”

“Are you kidding? You were amazing in that abbey! Heck, you probably coulda saved the Queen all by yourself! Why leave now?”

“Huh?” Twilight Sparkle looked to Rainbow Dash, thoroughly confused.

Frog smiled at Rainbow Dash. “It was fortuitous that we rescued the Queen, but as her sworn protector, I should have been able to protect her from being captured in the first place. A task such as this demands perfection, and I shall train tirelessly until I am fit to take on that mantle. Should you ever be in the area, I would certainly welcome you for some sword practice.”

Shaking the confusion from her face, Twilight Sparkle smiled and threw her hoof over Frog’s back. “Of course! We’ll definitely make time to visit with our friends.”

Frog was caught by surprise. “F-friends? Do you mean that, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yeah, what happened?” Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow. “Earlier this afternoon, you couldn’t even look at her without totally wigging out.”

Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and shook her head. “I know. I was quite rude and immature. But Frog taught me an important lesson about the magic of friendship. Everypony has many different sides to them, and you might like some of these sides better than other sides. But the most important facet of a pony is their heart. If you look into another pony’s heart, and you like their true inner nature, you’ll realize how little the other details matter.” She opened her eyes and looked at Frog. “When I looked into your heart, I saw kindness and compassion. You treated me so well despite how horrible I was to you at first, and you even encouraged me to try my best. I’d love to be friends with a pony as generous as you!”

Pinkie Pie looked at Rainbow Dash out of the corner of her eye, smiling embarrassedly.

Frog smiled heartwarmingly at the unicorn. “And I would be honored to call you my friend as well, Twilight Sparkle. And you, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie.”

Rainbow Dash grinned, thoroughly impressed. Way to go, Twi!

“In that case, my friends, let us part ways for now, until we meet again soon!” After striking one last triumphant pose, Frog turned and bounded out of the castle gate and into the distance. The three ponies waved farewell.

“Ah, there you are!” A turquoise pegasus flew up to them rapidly, whom Rainbow Dash recognized as the pegasus who was working in the mess hall earlier. “We’ve finished the preparations on your food. Would you care to eat now?”

Rainbow Dash’s stomach gurgled loudly. “By the Sun, yes please... It’s already evening and I haven’t eaten anything all day. I’d love something to eat...” she drooled with anticipation.

“Great!” Medley said, relieved. “Cotton Candy! Bring out those special dishes, please!” She turned to Pinkie Pie. “You certainly gave us some oddball requests, Miss Lookalike Queen. And quite a lot of them! I knew the real Queen didn’t eat this much... But! We gave it our all, and put together a few dishes that we think you’re going to love!”

Cotton Candy pushed out a cart laden with a number of dishes. Rainbow Dash hungrily eyed the plates, but her expression soon turned to one of confusion. The drink cups appeared to contain a clear liquid, but they were mostly filled with a heaping scoop of rice. There was a large serving platter that held a large mound of pebbles. There was also a bowl holding some type of lumpy white pudding. Rainbow Dash wasn’t certain, but it almost looked like somepony had mashed up a bunch of...

Rainbow Dash shoved her friends in the direction of the exit. “Oops! Hey, look at the time! It is late and we really need to be getting back home!”

“Hey! Dashie, wait! I wanna try those little rock things!” Pinkie Pie called out in despair as she was saved from the disastrous entrees.

“Wait, come back!” Medley called out as the ponies disappeared from view. “Aww, we can’t let this all go to waste...” She turned to the entrance guards, asking “Hey, would either of you two care for...” The guards shook their heads solemnly.

“If those ponies were the ones who ordered this food...”

“...then we’d rather starve.”

Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie walked through the quiet streets of Equus, on their way back to the canyon. Rainbow Dash flew above them, gliding through the quiet night air. The town had gone mostly quiet, as everypony was starting to turn in for the evening. Aside from the friends, the only other ponies that were out and about were a trio of mares. They seemed to be having a heated debate, but at her altitude, Rainbow Dash could only make out bits and pieces.

“...told ya we wouldn’t... Crusader Bell Makers.”

“...making a bell?”

“Aww... never find our...”

“Don’t give up now! I’ve got... idea we can... offered us jobs as...”

“Whoa! I like that plan, Sweetie...”

“CUTIE MARK... YAY!”

As the friends left the edge of town and entered the canyon, Rainbow Dash drifted down to her friends. “Hey, so, what exactly is the plan, anyway?”

No reply.

“Hellooo? Calling Twilight Sparkle, is anyone home?” She floated above her friend and playfully tapped on her head, who jolted in surprise.

“Eh?! What... Oh, Rainbow. What is it?”

“Heh. Thinking hard, or hardly thinking?” Rainbow Dash’s teasing earned a giggle from Pinkie Pie.

Twilight Sparkle frowned and contemplated for another moment before speaking slowly. “Rainbow... when we said goodbye to Frog, something jumped out at me.”

Pinkie Pie gasped. “Oh no! What was it? Spiders?”

“SPI...! Ahem. No, not spiders, or any other critter. It was a contradiction.” She looked upward at her friend. “Something you said. You told Frog that she was strong enough to save the Queen by herself.”

“Hmm? Well, yeah, don’tcha think so? I mean, it’s not like she was a better swordspony than me or anything. But did ya see the way she was swinging that broadsword around with her horn? She hardly raised a sweat, or anything! I’d totally like to challenge her to a practice match... That would be epic!”

“So... Why did Princess Pinkamena disappear?”

“Ooo, I know this one! Dashie explained everything to me. Everypony thought I was Queen Diane, so nopony saved her, so she didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have a filly, who didn’t have... me!”

“Right! Something about... bran muffins? Oh, and a pair of socks!”

“Grandmother’s Paradox,” sighed Twilight Sparkle. “And anyway, the Queen is alive. She’ll still have a chance to carry on her bloodline.”

“Right. You, me, and Frog went to the abbey and saved Queen Diane.”

“Which Frog could have done by herself.”

“Uhh, probably.”

“So if the Queen was going to be saved regardless, why did Princess Pinkamena disappear?”

“Because she... wait...” Rainbow Dash’s face contorted as she lapsed deep into thought. “I’m getting confused.”

“You and me both,” said Twilight Sparkle, rubbing her temple. “It doesn’t seem to make any sense, under basic causality.”

“Well,” said Pinkie Pie as she rubbed her chin, “maybe it was just really really close? Like, Frog might’ve had trouble by herself, so I went poof, and then everypony teamed up, so I unpoofed?”

“Hmm... so it was strictly based on probabilities? I have a hard time believing somepony would be completely erased from existence based on a dice roll... No, I’m starting to wonder if you disappeared because of something else...”

Pinkie Pie gasped. “Imps! Heads up, gals!”

Rainbow Dash looked ahead. Sure enough, a trio of imps had spotted the ponies and were rapidly approaching. She cursed under her breath and landed, unsheathing her katana. “Sorry! I got distracted and wasn’t scouting ahead.”

Twilight Sparkle smirked, levitating her dart gun out her saddlebags. “Allow me.” Taking aim, she fired two darts at the center imp, who immediately dropped to the ground. The deceased imp’s companions froze in their tracks.

“Ooo ooo! Me next, me next!” Pinkie Pie frantically waved a hoof to get the attention of her friends. Rainbow Dash was initially confused when she noticed that Pinkie Pie’s hoof was wrapped in a large metallic leg-guard covering a large amount of her foreleg below the knee. Oh, right, she remembered. I noticed that earlier, back when I first met Pinkie... What the heck is that thing?

As if answering the pegasus’s question, Pinkie Pie gave her hook a rapid shake. With a metallic sproing, the leg-guard unfurled two curved metallic braces. Each end was connected by a taut cord, running inside a groove that ran along the length of the leg-guard. Pulling against a lever with her left hoof, she pulled the cord back in the groove, locking it into place.

Twilight Sparkle gasped in appreciation. “A compact leg-mounted repeater crossbow with built-in ammo chamber! That’s amazing!”

“Hee hee, yeah! Plus, it can do this!” Tipping up onto her back legs, she took careful aim with her right hoof, stabilizing it with her left. She looked down the length of her arm, closing one eye. “Pew pew!” Pressing in with her left hoof, the crossbow fired, sending an arrow speeding through the second imp, who also fell. The last imp, sufficiently terrified by their deadly ranged attacks, began to flee in the opposite direction.

“Wow, nice shot! Now it’s my turn.” Rainbow Dash arched her back low, pawing at the ground, preparing to charge after the imp.

Pinkie Pie gasped and leapt in front of Rainbow Dash. “WAIT!”

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle looked at their friend in confusion. Even the imp looked back to see what the commotion was all about.

She closed her eyes. “Dashie... Twi... Do you know how to use Double Techs?”

“Huh?”

She stared straight into Rainbow Dash’s eyes, unblinking. “ When the Battle Gauge of two or more ponies in your party has filled, the Tech command will change into the Combo command. After selecting the Combo command, scroll down underneath your Single Techs, and you will see a list of all available Double and Triple Techs. For example, try combining Rainbow Dash’s Cyclone and Twilight Sparkle’s Flamethrower attacks. When both ponies’ Battle Gauges are full, select the Combo command for either pony. Scroll to the bottom, and in the Double Techs section, select Fire Whirl.”

“What.”

Shaking her head clear, Rainbow Dash took to the air, speeding towards the imp. “Fine, you want a Cyclone? I’ll give you a Cyclone!” She spun circles around the imp, slashing it repeatedly, as a vortex of air built up around them.

Pinkie Pie stared blankly at Twilight Sparkle, waiting. “Err... right, then.” Pulling out her Flamethrower, she fired a blast of flames at the imp, which were promptly pulled into the Cyclone. The ensuing funnel of flames, combined with Rainbow Dash’s swordsplay, made short work of the remaining enemy.

“Wow...” Rainbow Dash landed near her friends, shocked at the maneuver that she and her friend had just pulled off. “That was... crazy. That’s for the tip, Pinkie Pie!”

Blinking at last, she giggled and bounced ahead of the pack. “Hee hee! No problemo. Oh, and by the way, if you ever need me to repeat any of that, you can hear it all again by selecting the Tutorial option in the Main Menu!”

Rainbow Dash turn to her friend, and opened her mouth to ask a question.

“Nope.” Twilight Sparkle moved onward, cutting her off. “Don’t even ask.”

“Hey, gals, is this the place?” Pinkie Pie arrived first at the clearing where they had arrived in 600 AD. It was exactly as Rainbow Dash remembered it. The field was serene, with light ambient noise providing a soothing overtone.

In contrast, Twilight Sparkle trotted up to a patch of tall grass and immediately began stamping it flat with her hoof. “Hmm... where was... I know it was somewhere around... aha! Ladies, behold! A Gate!”

Rainbow Dash lowered her head to the ground and squinted at the patch of flattened grass. At first, she didn’t really see anything peculiar. Gradually, she notices there was a small irregularity above the grass: a point where light was bending and twisting, with a slight violet hue. “This little thing? I don’t see how...”

“Stand back, please.” Twilight Sparkle gently nudged her friend until they were all a safe distance away. From her saddlebags emerged a strange electronic wand. It had an arrangement of six glass orbs on the end, giving the tip an almost star-like appearance. She waved the wand in the direction of the disturbance. On cue, the disturbance grew as the fabric of spacetime was torn asunder. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gasped as the tear’s form stabilized into a black and purple sphere. It was the same vortex that they had fallen into this morning, by which they had travelled into the past.

Twilight Sparkle turned to face her friends, eyes closed, a self-important grin on her face. “Volia! Our portal back home is open again, thanks to this invention of mine!” She quickly blushed as her modesty kicked back. “Uh! I mean... Sorry, I didn’t mean to boast like that...”

Pinkie Pie looked on in awe at the vortex, then back at Twilight Sparkle. “Didn’t want to boast? Are you loco in the coco?! Check that thing out, it’s bananas! And you’re able to just summon those things at will? That’s an amazing talent! I could never figure out something like that...”

Twilight Sparkle bowed deeply. “Oh, no no no, your words are too kind, Princess Pikam...”

“GRR! Pinkie Pie! PIN! KIE! PIE! We’re friends, Twilight. You don’t need to be treating me any differently than any other pony...” she said, looking pleadingly at the unicorn.

“O-okay... sorry. Pinkie... Pie...” She felt lightheaded from the informal tone she was taking with her idol. Coughing, she continued, “Anyway, this phenomenon appears to be some type of temporal wormhole connecting two identical positions ( identical with respect to the planet’s frame of reference) in two different points in time. In this case, connecting a region just north of the town of Equus in the years 600 AD and 1000 AD. So, I’m not actually able to create them anywhere; it has to be at a specific, chosen location. For simplicity’s sake, we can just refer to this phenomenon as a Gate.”

“But, you were able to create it here,” said Rainbow Dash. “When I first traveled here from the present, I didn’t see the Gate anywhere. It just materialized here now.”

She nodded, “Yes and no. That small irregularity I showed you, buried in the tall grass... that’s a Gate in its natural state. There’s one of those irregularities back in the present too, at my Telepod. Naturally, when they’re in this state, it’s not stable enough for us to use to travel through time. We need it to be opened up wide, like it is now.” She held the strange star wand in front of her. “That’s where this baby comes in. Since the first Gate appeared when my Telepod activated, I tried replicating some of its phase distortion components in a portable format. Sure enough, activating it near an irregularity causes a stabilized Gate to form! With this... Gate Key, let’s call it, we can stabilize Gates and travel through them at will!”

Pinkie Pie clopped her hooves together appreciatively. “Twilight Sparkle to the rescue! Now we can get back home!” She blinked, “So you said we can only use this in certain spots, right? What created the spot then? Was it your invention?”

“That’s what I’m still unsure of...” she said, frowning. “The Telepod and Gate Key are both able to stabilize Gates, so there’s certainly some type of connection. But I didn’t anticipate any type of temporal impact of my spacetime waveform alteration... I had specifically aligned it to only the spacial dimensions! But then again, if my Telepod didn’t create this, then who did?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head, causing her mane to flap about. “Whatevs. The important thing is that we can get back home. I say, let’s get moving while we still have the chance.”

Her friends nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me!” chimed Twilight Sparkle. Tentatively, they took a few cautious steps into the Gate, which immediately closed around them. They began falling in several directions at once as the violet waves of the Gate swept around them. After what felt like only a few seconds, they reappeared in a familiar setting.

“Woo hoo! Way to go, Twi!” Pinkie Pie danced around the Telepod.

Rainbow Dash looked around herself. She saw the Telepod, the tents, the colorful decorations, even a few ponies still wandering about. Everything looked a bit different now in the darkness, as the sun had set over an hour ago, but there was no mistaking it. “We’re home...”

A couple of ponies were heading home for the evening, and conversing loudly with each other. “Oh, WOW! Was that show incredible, or what?”

“I KNOW! Omigosh, seeing the Wonderbolts perform live was everything I dreamed it would be.”

“Dash...” Twilight Sparkle stepped toward her friend, who was looking out toward the distance. Because of their prolonged adventure, they had missed the Wonderbolts’ performance today, thus ruining her plans to try to impress them and join their team. This was a lifelong dream of Rainbow Dash’s, and Twilight Sparkle was very worried about how her friend would handle this. “Are you... going to be okay?”

Turning back to face her friend, Rainbow Dash smiled broadly. “Of course! We made new friends, travelled through time, and rescued both a queen and a princess. Today was epic!” She paused hesitantly, before puffing out her chest. “A... And besides, we already messed with history once today. If a second historic thing happened on the same day, like the amazing Rainbow Dash joining the Wonderbolts, the universe wouldn’t be able to take it!”

Twilight Sparkle smiled warmly at her friend, admiring her maturity, even if she was hiding behind bravado. Then, she raised an eyebrow. “Err, technically, that wasn’t today; that was 400 years in the past. It only seems that way because, due to our personal perceptions of timeflow...”

“It HAS been a crazy day!” Pinkie Pie inadvertently cut off Twilight Sparkle’s technobabble. “And I don’t know about you girls, but I’m not ready for it to end!” Her eyes slowly dilated to the size of dinner plates. “Do... do you know... what we should do? We... should have...” she gasped loudly, “a PARTY! Oh man, it’ll be amazing I can get us some balloons and cake and games and drinks oh dear I am pretty hungry heehee I guess none of us got a chance to eat dinner but we can have dinner now at my PAR-TAY!” She smiled at her friends, awaiting their reactions.

“A party thrown by Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Sounds wild. I’m in!”

“A p-p-party with the P-P-Prin... I mean, with P-P-Pinkie Pie?” Twilight Sparkle was trembling violently. Coming to her senses, she dashed off. “Rainbow! Could you escort Pinkie Pie home? I just need to take a bath and pick out some formal attire and grab my camera and put together a makeover kit and pack...” The rest of her sentence faded off as she ran off toward her home.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, laughing. “Oh man, did you see the look on her face? I thought she was gonna have a heart attack.”

Pinkie Pie was facing away from Rainbow Dash. She forcefully kicked a piece of gravel in front of her. It careened through the air before hitting a tree with a soft thwap.

“Pinkie Pie! I... she...” Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply. “I’m sorry, please don’t be upset at Twilight. We’ll still have a good time tonight. At your awesome party, right?”

“I don’t want to be treated differently,” she spoke barely above a whisper. “I just want to have a normal life, with normal friends. Ponies who like the ‘real me’, not some perception of me.”

Rainbow Dash winced sharply. Horse apples... Twi was JUST telling Frog she’d learnt a lesson... One that sounded exactly like that... And then she turns around to Pinkie and... “Twilight means well, I promise! She just gets overly excited. Once she calms down a bit, she’ll be cool, really! Please don’t hate her...”

Pinkie Pie turned to face Rainbow Dash with a confused look on her face. “Hate her...?” she gasped, horrified. “Oh, no no no! I didn’t mean... No, of course I like Twilight! She’s so smart and resourceful and brave. And she’s your best friend, so I know she’s gotta be a nice pony at heart.” She looked down at the ground. “It’s not really her fault. It’s...”

The conversation lapsed into silence. Rainbow Dash bit her lip. She knew she was supposed to say something at this point, but she was drawing a complete blank. This kind of situation wasn’t really her strong point.

“Hey, Dash...” Pinkie Pie turned her head to the side, looking at the three balloons in her cutie mark. “ Do you believe in destiny?”

“D-destiny?” Rainbow Dash was taken aback by the seriousness and gravity of the question. “You mean, like...”

Pinkie Pie quickly shook her head. “Sorry, never mind. It’s not important now. Besides!” She regrouped herself, and a big grin returned to her face. “We still needa get the party started! I don’t wanna keep Twilight waiting, after all!”

“Pinkie... are you sure that...”

She shook her head again, more insistent this time. “I’m fine, I promise. Sorry that I got all mopey-dopey for a second.” She smiled as the two of them started to walk towards the castle together. “We traveled back in time, then made it back home! This is a happy occasion, so we should be celebrating! Besides, I’ve been gone from the castle all day, and I kinda snuck out without telling anypony. So, I’m sure everypony will be happy to see us!”

“SEIZE HER!”

“Dashie!”

Rainbow Dash was tackled flat by a squad of soldiers. Luckily for her, soldiers in the modern era wore lightweight protective vests, not the full-body metallic armor of the medieval era. If she had still been in 600 AD, a pony pileup of this proportion would have been perilous. As it was, she was uninjured but completely unable to move her body.

“Princess Pinkamena! We had guards looking all over the place for you! Nopony knew where you had gone.”

Rainbow Dash stretched and strained, trying to get a view of what was happening. At the top of the entrance staircase, Pinkie Pie was being held and comforted by a unicorn. This pony was wearing ornate, pale green robes with a matching muffin hat. She astutely guessed that, given the similarities to Chancellor Octavia’s outfit, this must be the Chancellor of the present era. Aside from the outfit, however, the mare appeared quite different from her predecessor. Whereas Chancellor Octavia was poised and calm, this Chancellor seemed much more animated and informal. She had a white coat and deep blue mane, with electric blue highlights streaked through her mane.

As she turned to face Rainbow Dash, she noticed the Chancellor’s piercing red eyes. Rainbow Dash was initially apprehensive. After all, the last time she met a Chancellor, she had been disturbed by her eyes. But no, this time Rainbow Dash wasn’t getting the same sense of “offness”. These were simply natural, captivating red irises. While they weren’t conveying “offness”, however, they were certainly conveying many other emotions — none of them good.

She walked towards the ponypile. “So! This is the creep who foalnapped you, isn’t it?! This punk thought she could just waltz right into the castle and demand a ransom? Not gonna happen.”

“No!” Pinkie Pie followed closely behind. “Chancellor Scratch, you’ve got it all wrong! Rainbow Dash wasn’t...”

She pointed an accusing hoof at the pegasus. “Admit it, you terrorist! You confused the poor Princess, foalnapped her, and attempted to overthrow the royal family.” She glared directly into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. “Are you a spy?”

Rainbow Dash was speechless. “Wha... spy? No, I...”

Chancellor Scratch waved her hoof dismissively. “Whatever. Save the excuses for your trial.”

Pinkie Pie stomped her hooves angrily, and yelled at the soldiers lying on top of Rainbow Dash. “Stop this at once! That’s an order!”

The Chancellor shook her head. “Scratch that order. The Princess has just been rescued and isn’t in her right mind. Take the prisoner to a holding cell. Her trial will begin first thing tomorrow morning.”

The guards unpiled off Rainbow Dash. Ignoring Pinkie Pie’s pleas, they shackled Rainbow Dash and led her off to spend the evening in the dungeon.