//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The element of Magic // Story: The future of harmony // by Storm Rival //------------------------------// After Seeing what had happened to Rainbow Dash, Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit worried about the mysteries of alicorn ascension and mortality. It'd been said that there was about an hour wait every time the machine powered up to do so again, so Twilight decided to pay a visit to Princess Celestia. When Twilight had first become Celestia's pupil, she didn't know anything about Celestia's castle except for the very important pony or ponies who lived there. Slowly as she studied to master magic, she also slowly wondered about new areas of the castle, slowly learning every corridor and hall that this place had to offer. This hobby of hers always kept her mind wondering on the studies of magic. It also gave her time away from her study too. She and her Sister-in-law, Cadence used to play all the time here as well as back at Twilight's house. Here at Canterlot castle, Twilight and Cadence would usually play hide and seek in the lengthy maze-like corridors. Cadence being somewhat abandoned royalty knew the castle like the bottom of her hoof and would usually win this game; thought there have been times when Twilight was able to hand a very humiliating loss to her sister. This hobby today, served as a distraction as she wondered the corridors.keeping her mind off the impending question; 'are ascended alicorns lives as long as any other pony's?' Twilight knew the path she'd take to Princess Celestia and this time, She knew that it would both put her mind at ease and also wonder due to the pressing question at hoof, though as she went she first something she didn't ever expect to hear, music. The music of a guitar, which was a wonder, considering it was a very rare instrument and that hooves and hands don't quite work the same on them. She continued past the corridor and into a cross section. There was a blue unicorn there playing the music. "Ah, a rare sight," he said. "Usually I come here to get away from ponies, However today, I suppose I have stumbled upon a princess." He had hoof bands on all four hooves, and as he put down his guitar, to bow all four slid down to his horseshoes. "I was hoping to get the same thing out this way today." Twilight said. "Well, care if I play something? Its the least I could do for royalty including the Princess of friendship." he replied "Maybe," Twilight replied somewhat apprehensively. "Ah, I get it, not quite used to the title, Neither was I when I took over My father's business." This was perhaps the first time Twilight met someone who was just as uncomfortable with their own title. "Well," Twilight started again. "If something is true, I'd like to if you could, pass down an old lullaby to somepony in the future." " Ah well, who's the pony?" the bard asked somewhat knowing what was going on. "I don't know..." Twilight said somewhat in tears. "Look, I'll do what I can to make sure this song is preserved in time." The colt said. "I'll make sure its passed down to my foals and theirs after." "That would really help." Twilight said wiping away her tears and clearing her throat to start to hum. The song was peaceful, harmonious, and something not too many colts or fillies knew. The guitarist slowly hummed along to the chores and soon after, began to strum accordingly. The song as well as the question slowly brought tears back to Twilight's eyes as the ending reprise hit. It was a somber yet happy note one that words alone can't describe. "I know this song, Miss Twilight," he said to her. " Thought I don't usually have it requested. I do play it after every single pony is gone for the day to know that my job of entertainment is done. Much like how a doctor I know in Ponyville does the same but in a different way." "Thank you," Twilight paused then looked up at the pony who'd played her lullaby. " What's your name?" "Derek Beauregard." He replied. "And Miss Sparkle, I hope that whatever the answer you're satisfied with it." Twilight and Derek shook hooves, "I'll try to make it so you can come here more often," she said to him. "Thank you," he replied. Both, from their brief experience just now, bid farewell to one another ----- Twilight, after the long walk, finally made way to Celestia's throne room and saw that she was busy signing important legal parchment. She slowly walked forward and Celestia, after a few moments, finally noticed her. She waved off the other ponies here for important issues and such then called as a mother would a child; "ah Twilight." "Celestia, it's been a while." Twilight said somewhat shyly "Indeed it has, Princess Twilight." Celestia replied with no angry voice but rather a calm and understanding one. "Rainbow Dash went into the machine and..." "I'm supposing that you weren't in the future." Celestia said to me "I'm not too sure why." "I was going to ask if you knew why," Twilight said with the tension building in the room. "I knew that day would eventually come and I'd tried to wrap my head around alicorn ascension myself," she said. "It is a mystery how you'd ended up where you had. I've only ever done that two times before. Each time I did it gave me more questions than answers." "I didn't know." Twilight said. "Neither did I when it came down to everything," Celestia said. "I can't seem to remember whether or not we're natural born like your niece, Flurry heart or weather we ascended Like you and your sister. Luna and I have been alive for nearly three thousand years." She sighed. "What's wrong?" Twilight asked knowing something was wrong from her first magic mentor "Its Nothing." Celestia replied. "No, Princess, I think something's wrong." "Must you press the issue?" Celestia asked somewhat angrily. Twilight was silent now, struggling for words, knowing that both Celestia and Luna had lived for that long defiantly gave more thought into the question at hoof. Twilight then thought about it and surmised that she'd never know the answer. "I-I'm sorry..." Celestia said a little flustered. "Its this whole time travel business." "I get it," Twilight said trying to wrap her head around living for three thousand years. "What happened when you tested the machine?" "How do you know I tested it?" "How else by the scientific process would you make it work for me?" "Well, very astute of you my old student," Celestia said somewhat concerned. "As for what had happened, an old lore that is only passed from natural born alicorn to natural born alicorn was proven to be true when I had tested it." "What's that?" Twilight asked curiously. "Something, I'm afraid, you can't know my young princess." "Why?" "Because; that's why, only Flurry Heart must know for now what happens after..." "After what?" Twilight said somewhat angry and upset that the only pony who would take her in and teach her any sort of magic had now kept a tight lip. Twilight opened her mouth to ask why once more, but then was silenced by Celestia. "You mustn't ask questions that you don't want the answers to." Celestia said looking shiftily from side wall to Twilight to floor even. Twilight wondered the room her head swimming in questions: 'if Celestia doesn't know who does?' 'If I'm not immortal I'll live as long as my friends but does that mean that friendship will end?' 'What does Celestia mean by what she said?' "Celestia," Twilight said before turning to leave the throne room. "Yes," Celestia said sternly, with some tears coming from her eyes. "I've missed you." she said leaving the throne room. Those words that were said to Celestia hadn't been uttered to her in such a long time. she felt nostalgia and at the same time, sorrow. She waited until Twilight left, then burst into something she'd done all too often in recent times, tears. ----- Dr. Whooves was working diligently on preparing the machine for anypony else who'd wanted to go next. He suddenly felt that he was being watched from the opposite corner of the mad science lab. "Hello? Who's there?" he asks. "Its just me Doc." Twilight said. "Ah, I said it'd be an hour before this is ready to roll. Why have you come so early?" "Just to ask a small Question." Twilight said determined to get an answer "Alright I'm sure I can give you an answer." Dr.Whooves said "What did Celestia see when she used this machine herself?" Dr. Whooves was silent. "Aren't you even going to give me an answer? I am a princess after all," Twilight said. Dr. Whooves continued working on the preparations for the time device. There were several clicks whirs and beeps along with it, and still even with the authority card being pulled from Twilight's arsenal, there was still silence. Twilight began to feel as though she is left out of everything as though she were back in Magic kindergarten. "Come on, Answer me!" she yelled out, in utter frustration. "Twilight," Dr. Whooves said. "Princess Celestia helped me make my dream of time travel without a spell come true; and since then I've been keeping what she wants kept secret just that." ----- Twilight stayed there waiting for time to pass by until, "Miss Twilight, The machine is ready for another use," Dr. Whooves said "I choose to go next." "Are you sure you won't let one of your other friends go ahead of you?" "I'm sure, especially with how much I still don't know given the fact of alicorn ascension and natural born alicorns." "Alright then," Dr. Whooves said. "This seat is ready for the Element of Magic. The seat was a purple hue, the helmet was a lot bigger than Twilight was expecting. she felt a chill run down her back causing her wings to ruffle and her whole body to slightly shake. She slowly approached the machine and finally laid down on it. Taking a few deep breaths before the helmet was attached, Twilight let her mind go blank and wanted nothing more than the next few moments to give her clarity. She fell into the darkness that is the realm between present and future. As she began to find herself in the future, she couldn't help but hear laughter. "Kids, seriously magic is not supposed to be used that way!" There was a harsh scolding from her future self. "Wait, no, where am I?" Twilight asks. It was then she saw she was among foals of many sizes and colors all running about the room. "No, anything but Magic kindergarten." Twilight said in terror, and anger. All the foals in the room were playing magic blast tag, a game Twilight couldn't do back when she was that age. Back then, she wasn't too skilled with magic and usually ended up loosing what was called the funnest game of the time. One day Twilight was chosen out of everypony else to start the round however, being that she couldn't summon magic, she wasn't able to tag anypony else. Somepony lost their lunch of quesadillas that day, while twilight, was unfortunate enough to get called purple cheesy and be the laughing stock of the school that entire year. Soon after Twilight was chosen to be Celestia's pupal, things changed from laughing stock to high and mighty respect from those whom had done the humiliating bulling. Twilight was uneasy being back here, she felt at any moment a little foal could tag her and the 'fun' would begin. Though she looked at a clock and saw that it was nearly lunch and Recess time, she breathed a sigh of relief. After the little game Twilight's future self, the teacher of the class, brought the fillies and foals to attention and continued the lesson until a bell was rung. "Alright, kids, go have your recess." she said at the ring of the bell. After that Twilight was at a loss as to how to ask the teacher something considering she was back at the place that gave her horrible memories. "Uh, Hello?" The teacher stopped grading papers handed in by her students thinking somepony was in there, though, as she looked around she saw nopony. She looked somewhat frustrated as her foals usually did cause mischief. "Excuse me, miss?" Twilight yet again tried to get the attention of the teacher. "Who's there and who's doing a very good Twilight impression?" The teacher asked. "Well you kinda won't believe it if I told you but I am Twilight from the past," there was an extension of Kinda "Oh, Really and if you 'Twilight' from the past, who was your pet before Tirek came through Ponyville?" the teacher asked. "Owlowiscious, an owl." Twilight said "Alright," The teacher said believing Twilight "If you are from the future, where are you physically?" "eh..." Twilight didn't want to answer that question, however knew that it was inevitable to answer it. "I'm, uh, ..." "Well, Spit it out." "I'm in your head." Twilight said "How is that possible?" "Look don't dwell on it, and don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to." "Alright then, Since you're Twilight, it might surprise you who I am." "Who are you?" "I'm a relative of yours, Glitterlight Sparkle." Twilight was astounded, knowing that there was somepony related to her in the future. "what how, How is it that I'm somepony you know?" Twilight questioned. "I honestly don't know, and all I can say is its a weird experience having you in my head." "How's ponyville? I know it can't survive a disaster alone!" "Oh, I know. and trust me, Ponyville get a lot better in the 'handling disasters' department a while ago." "How long ago?" "Hard to say being that Equestria had for a while everlasting harmony." How'd that happen?" Twilight asked. "Discord disappeared some time after his friends left." "Really?" Twilight asked somewhat annoyed, however somewhat complacent. "Yep." "Ok, I need to ask this Glitter; have you heard anything about Tirek or Sombra?" "No I can't say i have," Glitter replied. "I heard that they were up in the crystal Empire plotting something." "Last I heard Flurry Heart was receiving training by Clelestia and Luna to control her power completely being that she was stripped of it as a baby. As for who is ruling the Empire in her steed while she's gone I have no clue, I'm practically stuck out here in Ponyville, with no bits to ride the train with." she said with a hint of jealousy in her voice. "Well, if there were a way to do it, I'd find a way to help you." Twilight said. "Thanks, But I like my humble abode." "Alright." "I hope you don't mind, but I brought Quesadillas for lunch." Nervously, Twilight replied with a shudder, "Uh its quite alright." As soon as Glitter opened her lunch box, there was an explosion of cheese from the teacher's desk to the black board. "Well there goes my lunch..." Twilight shivered "what did you pack for a lunch?" "Quesadillas, Why?" Twilight shivered even more, this had caused a chill down Glitter's spine. "Hey, what's the deal with quesodillas?" Twilight didn't answer however, as soon as she could feel herself being pulled back to her time: "Hey, Glitter," she said braving the sensation of being covered in cheese again. "I've got to get going for a bit here, I'll be back though I'm sure of it." "I hope so, Great Grandma," was the last thing Twilight caught before completely being pulled to present day Equestria. ----- "Hey! Twilight!" Dash yelled. "AAH!" she screamed from the shock of both quesadillas and Magic kindergarten combined. "I don't want cheese!" "What was that for?" Dash asked Twilight looked around the room and saw that her friends were all staring at her. Nervously chuckling, Twilight apologized to Rainbow Dash. "So, Sugar cube, what did ya find out?" Applejack asked "Well, for starters what dash saw did happen though, the pony I saw didn't know who took over the Crystal Empire, which it could still be usurped by Tirek and Sombra." "That's still uberificly bad." Pinkie blurted. "I also went back to magic kindergarten..." Twilight said under her breath "Indeed I can't wait to go, I must know what fashions are absolutely divine so I can keep with the times. Though, knowing things I'm willing to bet Pinkie will go next." Rarity said. "You betcha," Pinkie said all hyper. "There's an order to this and not even Discord can disturb it." "Alright, Miss pie if there's an order who's next after you supposedly?" Applejack asked "Fluttershy Rarity then you," she replied. "Why am I last?" Applejack asked "dunno, maybe fate?" Pinkie said. The group left things at that, Fluttershy then asked, "how long until the next jump to the um, future Dr. Whoves?" "About an hour now," Dr. Whooves said. " I hope you have a lovely day Miss Fluttershy."