Day 43,480
The past few days were the happiest days I've had in thirteen years. I showed Apple Jack and Travis around the slightly reconstructed Ponyville. After Apple Jack showed up the apple tree saplings finally poked out of the soil. We've already rebuilt two buildings with the four of us working together. I've stopped trying to enter Pinkie's apartment. I see no reason to continue trying. I've parted with most of my sad feelings and she finally started feeling true joy once again. Now I know what Travis meant by a crack splitting down the center of my stone heart. I like reading Travis' poems. He wrote one or two more for me and sometimes I'd stay up late into the night reading them Sweetie Bell's magic was getting much better. She could teleport herself a few feet now, soon enough she'll be able to teleport herself all through Ponyville. Travis almost obliterated my emotional problems. I knew it was hurting him just as much as it was hurting me. Maybe even more since he cared so much about everypony. He hated to see people sad or angry, whenever he saw somepony hurt or crying he would do everything in his power to make them as happy as he could. Apple Jack was working with Sweetie Bell to make some special fertilizer for the apple trees. If it works Apple Jack says they'll have enough apples to feed fifty ponies, let alone four... Or five. Twilight found another pony. But he was in Ponyville, not in the forest. His name was Coda Singer. He had a white coat of fur and a brown mane. He didn't remember anything either. I did the usual lie detector test, he didn't seem like he wanted to harm us or stop us. He was just as confused as they were when this all started. The others and I have already carved a room for him in the cave as well as a new room in case anypony else showed up. Coda loved singing. It's literally in his name. Some nights Coda and Sweetie Bell would sing together, Travis (being a poet) would write some lyrics for them. Life seems to be looking up. But I've been thinking about why all these ponies are showing up and I think I have a theory. Anyways I'd better go. Apple Jack's coming back with some wood to make furniture, we've been thinking about carving out another room. Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight closed her book and smiled. She turned around and saw three of her friends talking and laughing together. Coda sat next to Sweetie Bell on a sofa they had constructed. Travis sat in a chair across from them with a smile on his face. He wasn't as much of a nuisance as Twilight made him out to be, he could use his magic so he helped out around the cave and the town a lot. He was a hard worker even though he wasn't made to be a worker Changeling, and he doesn't need normal pony food. He just feeds off of the love in the air, and now that Apple Jack had come back Travis had a feast before him which continued to restock with every bite. Coda was helping as well, he could do some heavy lifting and he was great for entertainment. Twilight chuckled at that thought. In fifteen years she'd never thought she'd be looking for entertainment. The door opened with a creak and Apple Jack walked in with some planks of wood over her back.
"Hey, yall! I'm back!" Everyone turned and smiled at her. Apple Jack trotted next to the fireplace and set the wood down, she wiped her brow and smirked. "The apple saplins' are doin' well, they're goin' to grow up into some mighty fine trees."
"Good," Said Twilight, "Soon enough we'll have enough food to last us a very long time." Everyone in the room cheered. "Sweetie Bell? Can you help Apple Jack make some furniture in the other room?"
"Sure!" She said happily. Sweetie Bell levitated the planks of wood off of the ground and followed Apple Jack into the other room. Twilight trotted over to the others and sat down where Sweetie Bell had sat. Travis smiled and looked over to Coda.
"So, Coda! What's your story again?" Coda shook his head.
"You can never remember can you?" Travis chuckled. "Alright, I grew up in Baltimere. Me and my family owned a small house next to a ditch. I didn't have much to do so I got into singing. I fell in love with the arts, I started acting, performing, I even learned how to play the piano. That's when I got this." Coda gestured to his flank where there was a set of eighth notes inside of a heart. "Once I was 12 I moved to Ponyville, I spent two and a half years living here until everything just stopped. I woke up in the place where my house used to be and I found Twilight and Apple Jack. They brought me in and here I am."
"Okay, I'll remember that this time." Said Travis. Twilight giggled and looked around at her friends with a smile. The sounds of banging hammers sounded from the room with Apple Jack and Sweetie bell. Twilight paused.
"Apple Jack! Can you come in here for a second?" Apple jack entered the room while Sweetie Bell kept working.
"Yeah?" Said Apple Jack.
"Close the door." Apple Jack looked confused, but did what Twilight said. Now Apple Jack, Travis, Coda and Twilight were alone. "Okay, I've been thinking a lot about why ponies have been appearing out of nowhere, and I think I have a theory." Everypony looked at each other, then looked back to Twilight. Travis had a look of excitement which stood out against the other two's expressions. "I think the spell Discord cast is being reversed."
"Reversed by what?" Asked Coda.
"Time." They all looked confused. "I've been studying spells for a long time, and I can't recall Discord casting anything to sustain the History Wipe spell."
"I didn't understand a word you just said." Laughed Apple Jack.
"Most powerful spells, like the History Wipe, need another spell or power source to keep it in action. I don't remember seeing a power source for the spell to use. I think it was kept alive by the pure energy that it sucked in when it wiped out Equestria. And after fifteen years that energy ran out."
"Wait wait wait... I'm still confused." Said Travis.
"Think of it like this. The spell needs food to survive, and the feast just ended." Travis seemed to understand.
"Well it's a nice theory but how do we know if it's true?" Asked Apple Jack. twilight looked between her friends.
"Follow me." Twilight hopped from the sofa and walked out the door. Her friends looked at each other then followed. Twilight lead them deeper into the forest. after a few minutes the four of them arrived at what looked like half of a tree. it looked like something extremely sharp sliced it straight down the middle. But as they got closer they noticed the tree's stump was hollow and there were several tribal looking masks hanging from the walls. Half of a cauldron was sitting in the middle of the hollowed room.
"Is That?" Began Apple Jack, but Twilight finished her sentence.
"Zecora's hut." The other ponies looked at each other. Twilight looked down at her time dial. "Wait for it!" Slowly more of the tree appeared out of thin air. The tree and cauldron stopped growing. There was barely more than half the tree left now. Twilight looked at her friends and smiled. "History is being rewritten."
"Okay so... what are we supposed to do?" Twilight, Travis, Apple Jack and Coda had returned to the cave an Travis began questioning Twilight.
"Well every day a couple centimeters is restored. This pace it'll be..." Twilight paused, adding numbers in her mind. "At least a few months before it starts restoring Ponyville. I think we should wait and see what we can find when it gets that far."
"And what about the ponies appearing?" Asked Travis. "What's your theory on that?"
"Well I don't think they're appearing in any sort of order, it looks like so far it's been completely random."
"So you don't think we can expect Zecora knocking on our door any time soon?" Asked Apple Jack
"You can expect Zecora to be knocking on our door at any time at all. She could appear in a couple years, she could appear in a few seconds, I don't know?" Twilight explained.
"What about Discord, Sombra and Nightmare Moon? Surely they'll try to reverse... the reverse." Said Travis.
"Unless they can get another Chrysalis head, I don't think they'll... Shit!" Twilight looked at the ground with a worried look.
"What is it?" Asked Coda, all of Twilight's friends ran to her. Twilight looked at Apple Jack, then looked to Apple Jack's stomach.
"Apple Jack was shot through the stomach with a spell. She died, yet here she is, in tact."
"So?" Said Apple Jack, lifting her hoof to her stomach, looking at the spot where a gaping, charred hole once was.
"If you're back with no injuries, then who's to say Chrysalis won't come back as well?" The others looked at each other, seeming to realize what she was saying.
"What are we supposed to do?" Asked Travis, starting to get worried. Even though he was bred to love Chrysalis, he had his own hatred and fear for her. Twilight seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in.
"Well if time really is reversing we'll need to-"
"Time is reversing!?" Twilight looked back and saw Sweetie bell sitting in the doorway.
"Sweetie Bell... You weren't supposed to hear that."
"What's this thing about Time reversing?" Sweetie Bell walked further into the room and sat down next to Twilight. Twilight looked around at her friends. They all nodded.
"Sweetie Bell... The spell Discord cast is reversing. That's why ponies are coming back. We even saw Zecora's hut being rebuilt further into the forest."
"Elaborate." Said Sweetie bell flatly. Twilight felt a spark of pride shoot through her chest.
"Almost like a kind of ripple effect going over Equestria. The ripple is turning everything it passes over back to the way it was."
"The way it was when?" Said Sweetie Bell. Twilight didn't understand. Sweetie Bell smiled at Twilight's confused expression. "I mean, if it's being reversed to the way things were. What date is it being reversed to?" Twilight finally understood.
"I would expect, just before the spell was cast. Maybe a few days to a week before." Sweetie Bell seemed to analyze this new information.
"Well when this ripple passes over the cave... If what you say is true, all of our furniture and journals, all of the new rooms will disappear." Twilight paused, she didn't think about that. "I also think we need to get as far away fro the ripple as possible." This confused Twilight once again. "if it passes over us, we could lose our memories. Travis will fall under Chrysalis' control again, Apple Jack could die again. Coda would..." Sweetie Bell stopped. "Coda would go back to Ponyville? I guess nothing bad would really happen to him." Coda shrugged.
"I've got a good life."
"Anyways," Sweetie Bell continued. "How long until the ripple passes over us?" Twilight did some math in her head.
"About a week or two." She said with confidence.
"I say we spend at least two days here then we head out to get as far away from this ripple as possible." Twilight looked to the others who all nodded. Twilight looked at Sweetie Bell who looked back at Twilight. She nodded and Sweetie Bell smiled. "Alright it's settled." Sweetie Bell stood up and began walking back towards her previous room. Twilight followed and put her hoof around Sweetie Bell's shoulders, pulling her into a half hug.
"I'm proud of you." Sweetie Bell looked up and smiled at Twilight. "I didn't know you had it in ya." Sweetie Bell hugged her back.
"I guess you underestimated me." She winked and trotted into the room. Apple Jack punched Twilight in the shoulder.
"Let's hope Discord was caught in the ripple already." Twilight nodded and watched her enter the room with Sweetie bell. They had already finished half of a chair which would go in the main room... or would've gone into the main room. Twilight thought about what Apple Jack had said. She did hope Discord was caught in the ripple already. But Twilight didn't think he actually did. He was way too clever for that. Twilight also knew they would eventually get caught in the ripple no matter how far they ran. She just hoped she could find a way to fix the past before she was sent there. Twilight brushed off the thought and said bye to Travis and Coda as they went into their rooms. She reached into her saddle bag which was lying on her desk. She pulled out Travis' poetry book. She smiled at the sight of it. She carried the book to her own bedroom where Apple Jack's bed still stood. Twilight climbed into her own bed and began reading.