Dear Mental Diary,
Today marks three days that I've been in bed. I don't know what day today is except that it's still the Summer Sun Celebration. I think it's been a few months of the same day, also, I think I've already said all this a couple days ago in my other mental diary. Everything is the same, day after day, after day, after day.
Angel wakes me up every morning and I fed him almost every morning and the same for all my animals. Normally it would be the perfect start to my day and for a while it was. Now every morning they're in the same place, waiting for the same food, the same stories, the same songs.
I don't know what to do now that my friends that have come from all over Equestria and I've tried everything to get them all happy and having fun it never ends that way. Twilight can't help me and I've tried learning her science but it's mostly too complicated for me to understand.
I've spent the past couple weeks just visiting with them until they start to argue then I come home. I guess this is all there is now. Just staying in bed until I'm old and ... what if I never age. What then? will I spend the next thousand years trapped like Luna?
Oh, why me, Celestia, what did I do?
"Celestia! That's it, I have to see princess Celestia. She'll know what's happening."
Fluttershy hopped out of bed passing Angel and all her other animals and made for the library. Landing and running to the door she tried and tried but it was locked. "It's never been locked before," frustrated she began kicking the door with her forelegs and calling for Twilight.
"Hey, it's barely after sunrise, stop shouting and go back to bed," somepony yelled from her window, making Fluttershy stop her efforts.
"Hmm, well, maybe because she doesn't live here and there's no librarian today because the holiday she must have a key to get in, which means that she's in her castle," Fluttershy flew to the castle and to the balcony, knocking heavily on the crystal doors to Twilights room.
Twilight hopped out of bed at the sound of panicked rapping at her balcony doors and with a groan she trotted and opened them, "Uh, Fluttershy, is everything okay, Celestia just raised the sun, are you that excited to..."
"Twilight, you had a crush on your first grade elementary teacher Mrs. Lemon Lime and you loved when she wore and orange vest, you have to help me find princess Celestia because I'm trapped in time," Fluttershy said in one exasperated breath.
Taking a couple steps back Twilight tried to wrap her mind around what was just said, "Uh, how did you-? I never told anyone about-, trapped in time? Uh, Fluttershy, I understand-"
"Yeah, I know, its circumstantial and illogical and you want to run tests with your multi-spectrum analyzer to check my metabolic rate and thyroid systems as well as my neurological synapse reactions after you ask me a boring series of baseline test questions. No time for that! I need help, this is the third month, I think, and I'm going crazy. I can't even feed my animal friends anymore, it's not fun anymore. IT'S NOT FUN."
Falling to all her knees Fluttershy crawled to Twilight and pleaded, "Please, I need to see tomorrow, every day is today."
"Uh, okay, I think you're proving a strong case here, I'll take you to Princess Celestia, I think you may have a real problem, but how did you know about, I mean did you tell anyone about- Oh buck me, you know that I'm..."
Fluttershy stopped her pleading and looked at Twilight with her best 'really' face.
"Okay, let's go," Twilight said as she opened her wings and cast a teleportation spell.
"Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight wishes to see you," a royal guard asked from the doorway to the throne room.
"Oh, that's a surprise, I thought she was in Ponyville until tomorrow afternoon. Send her in."
"You may enter, your highness."
Walking in Twilight, with Fluttershy close behind, trotted to Celestia as a dozen professionally dressed diplomats were dismissed as they entered. Celestia smiled and bowed her head slightly, her mighty horn, elegant and white always impressed Twilight. "Princess Celestia, I'm sorry to bother you today, and so early too, but Fluttershy has a problem. She says she's trapped in a temporal loop, living today over and over and over again. Do you know of anything like this happening before or if it's even possible?"
Standing up Celestia frowned. She looked at Fluttershy, sizing her up and looking into her eyes, almost as though she were peering into Fluttershys soul. Celestia began to cast a spell without warning startling Twilight and Fluttershy, then they were in a dark domed room, illuminated by what seemed to be enchanted crystals, with a loud whinny a gigantic Clydesdale horse appeared in front of them. Twilight and Fluttershy fell backwards onto their rumps and clutched each other tightly as the large horse looked forward with glowing white unblinking eyes.
"What is your request, child?" The horse bellowed in royal volume, it's voice echoing and resounding through the room, the walls glowing with reverberation, showing the room to be more like a sealed cave.
Responding in kind, "Old one, I am Celestia, sister of Luna, Daughter of Sol. I have reason to believe this mare to be locked in time, is that so?"
A grumbling could be heard as the horses eyes blinked, turning black then a soft yellow, "I see it is so. She will repeat this day until the day is over."
Well that's vague thought Fluttershy and Twilight in unison.
Twilight and Fluttershy released each other and stood, walking next to Celestia's side and staying safely close, "What's that mean, princess?" Twilight asked.
Ignoring her Celestia continued, "I recall the last time this happened, and what ended it, what will help her end her day?"
"Love is the truest test for her to pass. She has the love of many, yet none. Her friends have the love of many, yet are in disharmony. She will live today until she passes the test," the horse bellowed, its eyes turning light red.
"Wh-what does that mean?" Fluttershy shivered as she tried to speak.
Looking at her, the horse spoke, "You have been told all you need to know. Find the answer yourself and suffer immortality until you do."
Covering their ears Twilight and Fluttershy looked at princess Celestia, "Old one, thank you for your time and I wish you a good rest."
With that Celestia cast a spell and they returned to the throne room.
"B-But princess, I don't understand, who was that horse? What did you mean last time this happened? What about Flut-" Twilight was cut short by a stern glance from Celestia.
"A long long time ago, Luna and I were trapped in a repeating day. It was the worst day of our lives and it lasted for longer than either of us could remember. Luna and I tried every spell and trick and potion but none worked. The Old One, one of the founders of our world, helped us get out of it, but first, Luna had to give in to her darkest desires: She had to become Nightmare Moon."
Twilight gasped as she raised a hoof to her mouth. Fluttershy felt the weight of the world on her back suddenly as she fell to the floor.
"So, I have to become evil and be trapped in the moon for a thousand years to be free from today, or something like that?" she said wearily.
"Oh, no no no Fluttershy," Celestia said opening a wing and pulling in the whimpering Fluttershy close, "what happened to us was what we needed to do. It taught us a true lesson about power, controlling ourselves, and the loss that our powers can cause. We are wiser for it, and the experiences of spending years in the same day helped us to become the wise experienced rulers we are now. Fluttershy, I can't answer the riddle for you, but maybe when you see tomorrow, your bond with your animals will be stronger than anyone could know."
"B-b-but p-princess, I don't want to spend another day in, today. I want it to be tomorrow, I have my animals and my friends. I see them everyday doing the same thing, what am I to do?"
Looking at Fluttershy kindly Celestia thought for a moment, "Fluttershy, I can not answer that. You have to simply find the right answer to the riddle. It may take you a couple years or maybe a week. It sounded like you have to find love and bring harmony to your friends."
Those were not the words Fluttershy wanted to hear and she fell to the floor and cried harder than she had in years.
When she was finally consoled she looked at Twilight and Celestia and asked a simple question, "Can I leave now?"
"Of course, you may leave and return any time you need to, just tell me you're in a time loop and we spoke with the Old One, I may have nothing new to offer you but maybe I will. Only time will tell."