//------------------------------// // Faithful Family // Story: My Little Chrono Triggers Are Magic // by Pav Feira //------------------------------// 1000 AD Equus The coastline of Equus boasted a clear-blue oceanic view. Foamy waves crested and crashed upon the shoreline. A few restless seagulls soared through the skies above, their calls drifting peacefully through the sun-filled skies. The salty ocean breeze wafted through the town, offering its nostalgic scent to anypony who might care to enjoy it. The tranquil midday view was violently disrupted when a pair of cyan hooves erupted from the water’s surface, about a hundred meters from shore. The hooves were followed by a muzzle that was coughing up seawater and spouting vulgarities. The mouth was followed by a rainbow-hued mane, hanging damply from the waterlogged pegasus’s head. “Freaking—cough cough—shortcut!” Rainbow Dash screamed, gasping for breath. “Why the heck did we listen to Zecora?” “I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy. The weighted robopony clung tightly to Rainbow Dash as the pair kicked their way toward the shoreline. “I did find it odd when she mentioned the shortcut involved a whirlpool, but I didn’t want to seem ungrateful.” “I just want to know,” sputtered Twilight Sparkle as her mouth bobbed over and under the water level, “how we managed to cross an entire ocean while underwater.” She weakly doggy-paddled behind Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie slid past everypony, gliding through the water with a graceful sidestroke. “You guys really need to lighten up! That whirlpool was fun! I want to ride it again.” The four arrived on the coasts of Equus after a few minutes of swimming. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash sprawled out on the sandy coasts, coughing the last bits of saltwater out of their lungs. Fluttershy graciously stood above the prone pair, attempting to dry them with the heat of her exhaust vents. Pinkie Pie hopped up and down on one hoof, desperately trying to shake water out of her ear. “Okay,” said Twilight Sparkle, her breath slowly returning to a normal rate. “In any case, we’re back in Equus. We can head to the fairgrounds, use the Gate, and—” A hoof jabbed itself roughly into her chest, causing her to stagger. “No, Twilight,” said Rainbow Dash, who continued to jab her friend, “we are not heading to the fairgrounds now. Would you like to know why? I’ll give you a hint. What special event, documented in all of your stupid history books, took place three days, nineteen hours, and fifty seven minutes ago?” Her voice quivering with fury as she slowly advanced toward Twilight Sparkle; the latter pony instinctively backpedaled. “Give up? That was when I ate dinner. A thick stew with carrots, beets, potatoes, and celery. Garden salad on the side. Ice-cold strawberry-orange punch to drink. ‘What was so special about this dinner,’ you ask? I have not eaten since! Oh sure, maybe you’re fine with fasting for a measly three-and-a-half days, but I’m not! I feel like I haven’t eaten in eight months! So no, Twilight, I will not travel through time. I am getting something to eat, and not you, or anypony else, is getting in my way!” Twilight Sparkle buried her face in her forehooves. “We get it. You are hungry. For Pete’s sake, sometimes you can act like such a newborn.” Leaving one hoof covering her face, she angrily gestured toward the town with her other hoof. “That’s your house right there. Go. Eat. Shaddap.” She looked up just in time to see a rainbow-streaked blur and feel a light gust of wind ruffle her mane. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ 1000 AD Rainbow Dash’s House As Pinkie Pie and the friends entered Rainbow Dash’s home, they were greeted by a unholy ruckus. In the kitchen, a cyan rump and rainbow tail were sticking out of one of the cupboards, swaying rhythmically as the front half of the pony gathered up anything remotely edible. Rainbow Dash dumped the stockpile of sundries on the counter, scowling. “Ugh, where the heck does she... Mom! Where do you keep the pasta?!” The ponies heard the sound of shattering glass above them, causing them to instinctively look upward. This sound was promptly followed by the pounding of hooves across the ceiling and down the staircase. A middle-aged pegasus with a faint pink coat crashed onto the staircase landing. Her cutie mark was of a glass prism which was refracting a beam of rainbow light. Her eyes were puffy, and her long-flowing, rainbow-streaked mane was bedraggled. Aurora Glow gasped, “Dash?” Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder, giving a nonchalant nod. “Sup. I think we’re out of pasta. Do we have any rolls, or maybe some—whoa!” She was knocked off her hooves as her mother flew straight into her, pinning her against the cupboards. Rainbow Dash felt her coat grow damp from a cascade of tears and kisses. “D-don’t you ever do that to me again! You hear me, Rainbow Dash?” said Aurora Glow, heaving between sobs. “They told me you had b-been executed. My sweet, little filly...” Aurora Glow tightened her grip around her daughter’s torso. “I couldn’t bear to lose you, too. Not after... after...” For the first time in three days and twenty hours, Rainbow Dash forgot her hunger. The gnawing feeling in her gut was replaced by a sharp pang in her chest. “Mom...” Hesitating slightly, Rainbow Dash reached up and gently returned her mother’s hug. Mother and daughter held this embrace in silence, as the other ponies in the room looked on. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ The kitchen erupted in laughter. Aurora Glow held her aching sides as she doubled over in a fit of giggles. “Oh, Pinkie Pie,” she said between gasps for air, “you are an absolute riot. I’m sure that these two Serious Sallies are much better off with you in the group, livening things up.” Aurora Glow was in the process of putting together an impressive lunchtime feast in short order. The small kitchen table was piling up high with sandwiches, soup bowls, flower bouquets, fruit salad, potato salad, garden salad, pasta salad (“The pasta was behind the flour, silly.”), wheat fries, whole-grain toast, hay bacon, zucchini bread, and last but certainly not least of all, her infamous peach cobbler. In the meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was putting forth her best effort to devour the dishes as fast as they arrived. Her plate was loaded to capacity with samples of every entree, plus an unfortunate napkin which had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Foregoing fork and hoof, she buried her face into the food pile, emerging every thirty seconds or so for a quick breath. Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle, while more civilized and self-moderated, had also been fasting for the past few days, so they were more than delighted to take part in the loads of fresh home-cooking. Aurora Glow walked over from the oven, carrying a fresh tray of piping-hot chocolate chip muffins. “How is everything, girls? Fluttershy, I didn’t steam those veggies for too long, did I?” Fluttershy quickly set her plate down when Aurora Glow turned toward her. She had been secretly scraping the contents of her plate onto Rainbow Dash’s when the motherly mare wasn’t looking. “Oh, no no, everything looks wonderful. Thank you so much for working so hard.” “You really did outdo yourself, Mrs. Glow,” agreed Twilight Sparkle with a friendly smile. “You didn’t need to go through so much trouble just for our sake. Still, everything you’ve made is just heavenly.” She reached a hoof out to grab a slice from the loaf of zucchini bread, but quickly withdrew it to avoid getting bitten by Rainbow Dash. The latter pony gave her a deadly glare and a feral growl before inhaling the loaf in a single bite. “Well, everything I’ve been able to try, anyway,” Twilight Sparkle added bitterly. “Oh please, Twilight, you know full well that friends of Rainbow Dash’s are as good as family in this house.” Aurora Glow gave an understanding chuckle. “And besides, with an appetite like this one’s in the family, you learn to buy groceries in bulk.” She returned to the stove top and stirred a tomato soup that was coming to a low boil. “So, Rainbow Dash?” Taking a rare break, Rainbow Dash swallowed all of the food in her mouth and lifted her head fully out of her makeshift trough. She reached for a nearby glass of lemonade. “Yeah, Mom?” Aurora Glow nonchalantly added some herbs and seasonings to the soup. “You never did tell me what the future was like. Anything exciting? Flying carriages and lasers, that sort of thing?” Rainbow Dash pinched the glass between her hooves, carefully lifting it towards her mouth. “Eh, not really. It was actually kinda—ow!” The blow to the back of her head caused her to drop the glass, spilling lemonade down her front side. “What is your problem?” scolded Twilight Sparkle. “Do you seriously not understand the possible ramifications of telling every single pony in the world that we’ve been—” Aurora Glow laughed good-naturedly at the feuding friends. She glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, go easy on her, Twilight. She didn’t tell me anything.” “What? But then, how did you—” She returned to the kitchen table, grinning slyly at each of the four ponies in turn. “She didn’t have to. I mean, after all, when she came back home, she was accompanying the lovely Princess Pinkamena,” she said with a respectful curtsey to Pinkie Pie. Once again, Pinkie Pie coughed and covered her face, dropping her voice an octave. “Princess? Me? I’m just a normal, tax-paying, law-abiding citizen.” Aurora Glow turned her mischievous grin toward Rainbow Dash. “The very same Princess, I might add, whom my daughter was charged with foalnapping.” “Hey! Not guilty! I had a trial and everything.” “This foalnapping took place on the first day of the Celebration,” she continued, winking at Twilight Sparkle. “Your father mentioned there was a minor incident involving mysterious portals.” Twilight Sparkle scrunched up her face and massaged her temples. “Blabbermouths. I’m surrounded by blabbermouths.” “When the trial ended, the lot of you—with your mysterious portal, I might add—disappeared for a few days. Lo and behold, by the time you reappeared, you had made friends with a futuristic-looking robot.” Fluttershy’s body went rigid at the mention of her identity. “Oh, that’s—that is to say, I’m not—you see, this is actually a suit of armor, and—Twilight didn’t... Yes, ma’am,” she said, lowering her gaze. Aurora Glow leaned her elbows onto the kitchen table, resting her head on her hooves. “So like I was saying, Dash, how was the future?” “Oh right, that future,” said Rainbow Dash, rubbing her hoof on the back of her head. “It was, uh, pretty cool. Lots of machinery and cool futury stuff. Oh, and ponies! Tons of ponies. Everypony’s happy. World peace, y’know?” Aurora Glow’s gaze turned sullen and drifted out the kitchen window. “That bad, huh?” Rainbow Dash gave a nervous glance to Pinkie Pie, who met her with a reassuring nod. “Mom, look, I’m sorry, but we can’t stay here. The four of us have something really important that needs to be taken care of, and I’m not gonna sit here and argue with you about—” Aurora Glow leaned across the table and closed her daughter’s mouth with a hoof. She smiled gently. “Heh. Listen to you, getting all fired up. Airy would be so proud of you right now.” “Airy?” asked Pinkie Pie. “Sweet Air,” explained Rainbow Dash. “She was my mom.” Pinkie Pie frowned. She pointed at Aurora Glow and opened her mouth. “My other mom.” “Oh.” Aurora Glow motioned to a framed portrait that hung prominently on the living room wall. In the photograph, a younger Aurora Glow was sitting upright in a bed, cuddling a tiny foal in her forelegs. Standing beside them was a blue pegasus with a blonde mane, short and unkempt. She had a jetlike wisp of cloud for a cutie mark. She was flashing a smug grin at the camera while resting her head lovingly against Aurora Glow’s. One of her eyes was blackened, and her coat was speckled with cuts and scrapes. “Airy was such a loose cannon,” mused Aurora Glow. “Always picking fights, or getting herself hurt, or disappearing for days on end. Despite it all, that mare stole my heart. Curse my youthfulness, I suppose.” She chuckled lightly, but the glistening in her eyes told a different story. “She left this world behind several years ago, but not before leaving me a beautiful daughter. Well, the beauty she inherited from me,” she said with a wink. “Rainbow certainly inherited her mother’s reckless spirit though. No questions there.” “Oh, um, this always confused me, ever so slightly,” said Fluttershy. “I had thought that a stallion and a mare were required for ponies to produce offspring. Yet I always see young ponies who have two fathers or two mothers, and—oh!” She partially hid her face under the lip of the table. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I was just curious, is all.” Aurora Glow smirked at Rainbow Dash, as the latter blushed and fidgeted awkwardly. “Well, I guess I can spare you the intimate details for now, but both Airy and I are her biological parents. Suffice it to say, there’s unicorn magic involved.” “I see.” “And that’s my point, Rainbow,” she continued, resting a hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “You’ll always be my little filly, but at the same time, you’ve got Airy’s blood running in your veins, too. If you’ve got your mind set on some grand adventure, I know that there’s nothing I can do or say to stop you. Just, please, watch out for each other.” Rainbow Dash nuzzled her mother, then flashed her a bold smile. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Mom! The four of us are going to save the world. Just you watch!” Aurora Glow gave her a peck on the cheek. “That’s my girl. Soup!” She raced back to the stove top, where the tomato soup was starting to burn to the bottom of the pot. “We’ve been blabbing too long. Eat your food before it gets cold.” She snickered. “My little warriors will need all the nourishment they can get.” ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ 1000 AD Equus “Whew! Dashie, can your mom cook, or can your mom cook?” said Pinkie Pie, massaging her bulging belly as she left Rainbow Dash’s house. “That sure hit the spot!” “I’ll say,” agreed Twilight Sparkle. She gave Rainbow Dash an askew glance. “So how about it? Are you done griping about how hungry you are?” Rainbow Dash strolled a few paces behind her friends. The corners of her mouth were upturned in a subtle, blissful smile. She closed her eyes and inhaled the ocean breeze. “Yeah,” she sighed. “I am completely stuffed. Mom’s great.” “She did seem very lovely,” said Fluttershy. “Sweet Air also sounded like she was quite a special pony, the way that your mother talked about her.” “Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, rubbing the back of neck. “Mom’s told me just about every story there is to tell. Sweet Air sounded like one rocking mare. She got into all sorts of crazy stuff. Truth is, I probably set my sights on joining the Wonderbolts because I wanted to have awesome adventures, just like her. It sucks that I never really got a chance to meet her.” “I was so surprised, though!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “I mean, I had no idea that Rainbow Dash had two—” “Anyway, we should be all set here,” said Rainbow Dash. “Ready to hit that Gate, Twi?” “Oh, but don’t all three of you live here?” asked Fluttershy. “We only got to visit Rainbow’s family. Pinkie Pie, would you—” “No.” “Oh, I-I’m sorry,” stuttered Fluttershy. “Well, um, Twilight, what about your family?” She contemplated for a moment. “Actually, yeah, could we stop by for a second? I’d just like to check in on them, make sure that everypony is doing alright.” Fluttershy nodded. “Of course, Twilight! Family is always worth making time for.” ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ 1000 AD Twilight Sparkle’s House “I’m home!” called out Twilight Sparkle. Night Light looked up from his workbench. “Oh, you’re just in time.” With his horn’s magic, he picked up the helmet he had been working on. Twilight Sparkle smirked and rolled her eyes. “Good to see you too, Dad.” Grinning sheepishly, Night Light walked up to his daughter and gave her a kiss. “Welcome home, sweetie. Now here, try it on! I just know you’ll love this model.” She removed her own hat, replacing it with her father’s newer model. She fidgeted and adjusted the helm, nodding approvingly. “Not bad. The fit’s good.” Night Light puffed out his chest. “Not bad? I’ll have you know that I dropped the weight by fourteen percent, while simultaneously raising the defensive integrity by thirty seven percent.” “Whoa, seriously? How’d you manage that?” “Well, you see, I started with a new alloy, consisting mostly of—” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “So yeah,” she said to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. “This here is Egghead Central.” “Nice place!” said Pinkie Pie. Twilight Sparkle’s house was a cluttered mess of knowledge and research. Bookshelves ran along every wall of the living room, holding a vast store of books, tomes, and scrolls. The floor was littered with open notebooks, loose cabling, and a few primitive electronic components. The room served as a workshop and study for both father and daughter. “Oh, that reminds me,” continued Night Light. “Your mother tried your latest batch of Adhoofsive. The tests, ah, didn’t go so well.” Twilight Sparkle slapped her forehead and laughed. “Oh no... It wasn’t Batch #52, was it? That one wasn’t ready for her to test yet.” “Hmm, let’s see here.” Night Light scooped a notebook off the ground and flipped through its pages. Finding the notes he was looking for, he quickly skimmed the page. “Oh dear, sure enough. Well, that explains the poor tests results, doesn’t it?” “Poor Mom, always stuck being our guinea pig,” said Twilight Sparkle with a giggle. “I’m gonna go check on her. Mom? Mom, I’m home!” She trotted into a nearby doorway and vanished up a staircase. Her friends instinctively started to follow her. When they reached the doorway, Rainbow Dash stopped suddenly and held out her forelegs, blocking the other ponies. “Whoa, hold up a sec. Listen.” She pulled her friends closer, checking to ensure that Night Light was out of earshot. “Just wanted to warn you before we head up there. Twilight’s mom is... sick. She’s been stuck in bed, like, ever since the two of us were fillies.” “Oh no,” gasped Fluttershy. “How horrible!” “She’s still super-upbeat and friendly,” Rainbow Dash said with a hesitant smile, “so, y’know, just try to act natural.” With a nod, the three ponies walked up the staircase. Above them, Twilight Sparkle was having a warm reunion with Twilight Wish, her mother. The mare was seated upright in her bed, with her forehooves folded neatly across her lap. An oversized sun hat rested on top of her violet-and-white striped mane. She also wore a simple green sundress over her soft white coat. Pinkie Pie noted with some sadness that Twilight Wish was fully dressed up for a warm summer day, yet was cooped up in her bedroom. “Well, that explains the awful taste,” laughed Twilight Wish. “Sorry, Mom,” said Twilight Sparkle with a blush. “I don’t know how that batch ended up in the testing queue. Don’t worry, though! I have a few new ideas to try, and—” “Twilie, you really should relax. You don’t need to run at a hundred and ten percent all of the time. Oh, Rainbow! What a pleasant surprise.” Rainbow Dash smiled broadly. “Hey, Mrs. Wish. What’s up?” “Oh, you know me.” Twilight Wish smiled peacefully. “Getting plenty of rest.” Rainbow Dash laughed good-naturedly at the joke. “I sure envy that!” “Mom, let me introduce you to some new friends of mine. This is Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.” “Friends?” Twilight Wish smiled at her daughter before addressing the other ponies. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, do take care of Twilie for me, won’t you?” “Of course!” said Pinkie Pie. “Twilight’s a great friend of ours.” Twilight Sparkle’s face lit up. “Stop it, both of you. You’re embarrassing me. Oh! Mom, let me help you with that.” Twilight Wish’s hooves were grasped around a glass of juice on her nightstand. Her limbs trembled, but the glass remained in place. Twilight Sparkle’s aura surrounded the glass, lifting it toward her mother, who took a small sip from its straw. “Thank you, honey.” Rainbow Dash stepped forward. “About that, Mrs. Wish. The four of us were actually going to be taking a trip, kinda.” “A vacation?” said Twilight Wish. “Oh, that sounds lovely. This summer weather is just perfect for traveling.” Twilight Sparkle walked back toward her friends. “We’ll probably be gone for a few days or so. We’ll be sure to be extra careful, though.” Twilight Wish gently waved farewell. “I know you will, Twilie. Have a fun time!” She looked to her nightstand, where a bright red apple was perched next to her juice glass. “Oh, before you go, could—nevermind, I can reach it.” She leaned out of the bed, reaching toward the apple, but slipped and lost her balance. Her front hooves landed on the ground first, but instantly crumpled under her own weight, causing her to spill out onto the hardwood floor. “Mom!” Twilight Sparkle raced back to the bedside. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she said reassuringly. “Just got a bit overeager there. I didn’t mean to give you a scare like that.” Pinkie Pie let out a sharp gasp. Realizing her mistake too late, she tried in vain to cover her mouth. Twilight Wish’s sun hat had fallen off her head during the fall. Now that Twilight Wish’s head was exposed, Pinkie Pie could see that her horn had been roughly snapped in half. The jagged horn stub had healed over in time, but its core was still visible to everypony in the room. Twilight Sparkle gently lifted her mother back into the bed. She perched the sun hat back onto her head, and tucked her bedsheets in. Planting a soft kiss on her mother’s cheek, she said, “We need to be heading out. Be sure to get some rest.” “Okay, sweetie. Stay safe,” said Twilight Wish. Twilight Sparkle turned toward the staircase and walked briskly past her friends, avoiding their gazes. When she reached the top of the stairs, her mother called out to her. “Twilie? I’ll always love you. You know that, right?” Without turning back or answering, Twilight Sparkle fled down the staircase. Rainbow Dash rapidly looked between the vacant staircase and the bedridden unicorn. “Twilight! Wait! Um, Mrs. Wish, are you—” Twilight Wish smiled weakly and motioned them towards the staircase. “I’m fine, Rainbow. Please, go after her. She needs her friends right now.” ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ 1000 AD Equus Twilight Sparkle walked slowly through the streets of Equus. Her friends walked several paces behind her, unsure of what to do or what to say. The only sounds came from nearby Diane Square, where the Millenium Summer Sun Celebration was still running at high capacity. “Twilight?” said Pinkie Pie, finally breaking the silence. “I’m really sorry. I mean, I’m sorry for what happened to your mom, but also I’m sorry for gasping like that.” Twilight Sparkle’s gait slowed. Each hoofstep became more and more labored, until she finally came to a standstill in front of the fairground entrance. “Please don’t be mad at me.” Tears welled up in the corners of Pinkie Pie’s eyes. “It was an accident. Really! I promise, I’ll be on extra-good behavior from now on, so please—” “Recycling,” said Twilight Sparkle. “What?” “A device for use in collecting, shredding, and repurposing matter. In short, a recycling machine. That was the first invention I ever worked on, with my father’s help.” Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “Your first invention? Wait, but you always told me that you didn’t remember.” Twilight Sparkle remained motionless, facing away from her friends. “We ran out of parts at one point, so Dad ran out to the markets. It was just Mom and I in the house. I wanted to show off how much work we’d done so far. I was so proud.” “Oh no,” whispered Pinkie Pie. “Mom got caught in the machine’s thrasher. It snapped both of her forelegs… and her horn. Her legs have regained a bit of strength over time, thanks to the doctors’ help. Her horn, though… you can’t heal damage like that.” “Twilight,” whimpered Fluttershy. “The best part?” said Twilight Sparkle with a hollow laugh. “When the whole ordeal was over, we realized that this had appeared during all of the chaos.” She reached back and tapped her flank with a hoof. “As if I didn’t feel responsible enough for failing to stop the machine, fate decided that I had earned my cutie mark for my stellar understanding of technology.” She wiped a hoof across her eyes before turning to face her friends. Her face was darkened and determined. “That’s when I swore to myself that it would never happen again. I refused to ever find myself again in a situation where my own ineptitude caused another pony to get hurt. So, that’s why I study everything. Why I invent. Why I don’t give up in the face of impossible odds. Because if knowing Sugardia law will help save one of my friends… If a hoof adhesive will make somepony’s life easier… If a crazy time travelling mission will save countless lives in the future…” Fluttershy stepped forward, reaching out to hug her, but Twilight Sparkle turned away at the last moment. “Sorry, I… I’m fine,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I just needed to get that off my chest. Anyway, time travelling or no, Nightmare Moon won’t wait forever. Time to head back in time.” She galloped forward into the fairgrounds. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy made to follow her, but stopped when they realized they were missing somepony. “Rainbow Dash?” asked Pinkie Pie. “What’s up? Aren’t you coming?” Rainbow Dash’s mouth hung agape. Her eyes bore shrunken irises which stared vacantly at her fleeing friend. “She… she never told me. We’ve known each other our whole lives, and she never told me.”