Chapter 2: Reused Sand
Chapter 2: Reused Sand
Applebloom’s panting threatened to tear her little lungs apart. The fear within her had made her break out in a sweat.
What the hay?
She gulped and looked about her room. Everything was normal. The woods did not surround her, no monstrous ponies were chasing her. None of it had happened.
Applebloom sighed in relief and wiped her forehead. It must have just been a nightmare. A terrifying, long, very real nightmare. A nightmare that left her heart pounding and a vile taste in her mouth. But a nightmare none the less. She laughed in a poor attempt to ease her frazzled nerves. She quietly decided not to borrow Scootaloo’s comic books about monster hunters and spend a good chunk of the night reading them anymore.
“Up and at ‘em everypony!” Applejack called out, her voice going through their home a much bigger relief to Applebloom than she would ever admit. “Time tah get everythin’ a goin’!”
The young filly wiped her brow and jumped down from her bed.
And froze.
Something was hanging from her neck.
Tentatively, oh so cautiously as if handling a snake ready to bite, Applebloom felt the cold metallic object on a chain and raised it up to her face.
A golden watch.
Her fear came back just as strong as she remembered it had been. She clicked it open to confirm her terror. A large three stared back at her.
It told her about everything that had happened.
No…
Everything that was going to happen.
“Applebloom!” Applejack called from downstairs. “Hurry up an’ get yer breakfast. Twi’s expecting you over thar in an hour.”
Applebloom wobbled slightly about to pass out. It was going to happen again. Her friends would be turned into those… those things. What could she-
Hold on…
She could do something about it. She had been flung back in time! None of it had happened. Not yet, and not ever. Newfound determination gripped Applebloom. She would stop it from happening if it was the last thing she ever did as a member of the Apple family.
She barged through her door and ran downstairs. “Applejack!” she cried out. “Applejack!” She ran into her sister – literally – and the two of them tumbled to the floor.
“What in tarnation,” Applejack cursed, rubbing her head. “What the hay’s gotten into you, tackling ponies fer no good reason?”
Applebloom jumped up. “Ah got tah tell yah somethin’. Ah-” Applebloom blinked as her voice got caught in her throat. I’ve got to tell you that I’ve traveled back a whole day thanks to the Master of Time to tell you that if we go to Everfree Forest tonight, you’ll be turned into a zombie, even though I have no evidence to back this fact up and it makes me sound completely insane.
Yeah, that would go over really well.
“What?” Applejack’s face… Applebloom had never noticed the way her eyes would bend when she was concerned about what Applebloom had to say.
Tears welled in her eyes. She hated this, these memories of things that never happened. No one else but her would look at her sister’s face and recollect about her becoming that… that thing.
“Are you okay, darlin’?”
No, Applebloom wasn’t. But she’d have to suffer it.
“Ah’m… (sniff) Ah’m fine. Ah just have tah tell you… Ah love you.”
Applejack was surprised by that. This wasn’t exactly what she was expecting.
“Well, shoot, sugarcube, ah love you too. Come on, is somethin’ wrong?”
Everything was wrong. “Ah don’t think Ah tell you that enough, but Ah love you with every little bit of mah heart.”
Applejack moseyed over to her sister and pulled her into an embrace. “A nightmare, right? Don’t you worry none, there. It can’t hurt ya anymore.”
It could if she didn’t do something about it. “Thanks, AJ. Promise me ya’ll always be there for me.”
“I promise, sugarcube. And you know jus’ how dependable yer sister is. She won’t ever break a promise. Ya’ll wanna tell me what yer nightmare was about?”
“Not now…” Applebloom said. Hopefully not ever. She broke away from her sister. “Ah’ll just get some toast and get goin’. Ah’m not feelin’ too hungry.”
Applejack nodded. “Alrighty then, iffin’ yer sure. Don’t ferget yer chores, okay? Ah need that all done if we’re goin’ tah see Zecora later.”
Chores… Applebloom began to think.
“Hey… where’d ya get that watch?” Applejack suddenly asked.
Applebloom was caught off guard by the question, her pupils shrinking as she struggled to think of a good explanation. But how did you explain an expensive looking gold watch? Nopony would just give it to her. Well, except maybe her uncle or aunt.
Applejack moaned a little bit as her eyes swirled in their sockets. She shook her head to clear out the dizziness. “Oh yeah, Ah remember that thing, now. Shore was nice of Uncle Orange tah send somethin’ so fancy, eh? Funny, considerin’ they’re stuffier than a pony with a cold.”
Applebloom scratched her head, then softly sighed whilst deciding not to confuse her head anymore by thinking about what just happened. “Right… Uncle Orange. Ah’ll, uh… Ah’ll jus’ be goin’, then.”
With a quick goodbye to everypony on the farm, Applebloom left as fast as she could.
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
Like she had said, she wasn’t very hungry. No breakfast meant more time. She needed every spare second she could get to think of a plan. Applebloom took the long walk through Ponyville to get to the library where Twilight Sparkle lived.
Anything for more time to herself.
Maybe she should just tell everypony what she saw, what had – no, that’s not right – what was going to happen. If she could only find some way to convince them. Twilight would never believer her, though. Twilight didn’t believe in anything she couldn’t see. Applebloom sometimes bet that Twilight didn’t even believe in air. Rarity would do like Applejack, tell her it was a nightmare and that it couldn’t actually happen. Pinkie Pie… well, she’d probably believe Applebloom, but that was hardly worth anything. Sweetie Belle would believe her, but, again, that wasn’t worth much.
She’d need to get creative. Look at this like… like one of those things Twilight did when she was bored. Puzzles, that’s it. This was a puzzle. Applebloom needed only to find the right solution, one that didn’t end in…
That.
But what? Think as she might, Applebloom was stumped. Or her mind refused to react. Understandable, considering that, for her, the horror was not more than an hour ago.
Alright, what were the facts? She had traveled back in time, and everypony would be a zombie after dusk. No, tinier details. They were going to the Everfree Forest to visit Zecora. If they didn’t visit Zecora, they wouldn’t go to the Everfree. If they didn’t go to Everfree, then no one would get turned into zombie ponies.
So, Applebloom needed to make it so they didn’t visit Zecora. How to do that?
It was not until her head began to throb that she realized she’d reached Ponyville’s library. She fell back and rubbed her sore head. A chuckle came from above her. Twilight’s assistant was laughing at her.
“You know, most ponies knock with their hooves.”
“Shut it, Spike,” Applebloom told the dragon, being in no mood for the antics she had before begged so much for. How odd. The filly couldn’t help but wonder what made this time around different.
You know exactly what’s different. Ya’ll got a memory nopony else has. Yer different. You’ve looked evil in the eye. You’ve seen dead ponies. It’s something only you’ve got.
She had an experience that nopony else had lived, she realized. Nopony could relate. She had an extra day’s worth of knowledge.
Twilight opened the door with a smile. “Good timing, Applebloom. I just got everything set up. Come on in.” Applebloom walked inside, inwardly groaning at her misfortune. She forgot that’s she’d have to sit through all the good, the bad, and the boring parts of the day. A whole few hours sitting through the history of baking followed by the invention of the house, and then a dose of filly tales for good measure. The only thing worse than sitting through all that would be sitting through it all a second time.
Except technically it was the first time, since that time never happened. But she still remembered it. Did that mean it did happen? Hold on, no one else could remember it. Did all of time reverse itself or did Applebloom’s mind simply go back? Did her body have an extra day’s worth of age? Was there an alternate timeline where everypony was still-
Oh no, Applebloom had gone cross eyed.
“Applebloom!” Twilight shouted, rousing the filly from her befuddled state. Applebloom tried to shake her eyeballs into proper alignment.
“Huh? Wha’ happened?”
“You completely zonked out on me. Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah, sorry Twi. Ah just got thinking about a really hard puzzle is all.”
Twilight beamed at that, her eyes sparkling somewhat. “Ooh, a puzzle! I can help with that. What is it?”
Applebloom rubbed her chin in thought for a moment. If anyone could solve a conundrum like this, it was Twilight Sparkle. Now Applebloom wouldn’t even have to tell her anything directly, if she spoke the right words. “Well, let’s suppose a bunch of ponies were gonna… err… were gonna do something bad.” Wow, she hadn’t realized she was so clever and deceitful. Or maybe she was big headed. “And ya knew they was gonna do it, and ya needed tah stop ‘em without getting’ caught. How would ya do that?”
Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. “A bit of a vague riddle, but nothing I can’t work with. The best thing would be to take their tools.”
“Their tools?”
“Their tools. You need stuff to do stuff, so take the stuff and they can’t do other stuff. I hope I said that right.”
Applebloom nodded, smiling brightly. “No, Ah get it, Twi’. That answers everythin’.” Yes, without stuff, you can’t do stuff. ‘Doing stuff’ would be going to Zecora’s hut to bring her some books. Take away the ‘stuff,’ the books, and you can’t bring books to Zecora. Problem solved.
“Great, then we can get started.”
“Joy.”
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
The Princesses of the Sun and Moon were not equally respected. Far back, before pony kind had matured into what it is now, ponies feared the darkness of the night. They would hide away and spend the night asleep, hiding away from the things the darkness hid away.
This angered the Princess of the Moon. She spent a great deal of effort into arranging the stars, casting the moon’s glow, weaving the gentle light of the night. But nopony would see it because they all slept.
The Moon Princess believed she was far more deserving of the attention the day received. Whilst the Moon Princess crafted an artistic night, she believed all the Sun Princess did was raise a single light into the sky. To this end, the Moon Princess refused to lower her moon one faithful night.
“They do not appreciate my night!” The Moon Princess declared with her heart filled with loneliness and jealousy. “My stars go unseen, my moon glows for nopony. Why should I end my night when only I have witnessed its glory?”
The Sun Princess tried to reason with her sister. “Please, I beg of you, let my sun rise. My light is needed so that the land may grow, so that ponies may live. Would you let them starve without my sun?”
The Moon Princess would not be moved. “Let them hunger for the day. Such ponies shall not be needed in my new world. They shall be quenched by my night or they shan’t be quenched at all!”
Try as she might, the Sun Princess could not convince her sister to lower the moon. When this had continued for a great deal of time, and ponies were crying out in fear and anguish, the Sun Princess had no choice but to fight her beloved sister for the right to control the celestial bodies of the sky.
The Sun Princess faced her sister in their chambers and, with a heavy heart, challenged her head on. The battle that ensued was the mightiest that had ever been, and perhaps ever shall be. Those that had been naught a horizon away could see the sky ripping apart as though the sun and moon themselves exchanged blows. When at last the sisters had worn themselves to the brink of exhaustion, they both made a terrible mistake.
While the sisters ruled Equestia, their friendship gave them access to the most powerful magic ever conceived: The Elements of Harmony, six gemstones of limitless magic. However, the Elements will only work so long as the bearers are in harmony themselves. The sisters, as they both tried to harness their strength, fueled and divided the Elements and caused their magic to spiral out of control. The sister’s disharmony tore apart the land and bent nature into a horrible, disfigured mess of what it once was. The trees became ugly, the animals became vicious monsters, and the very air was poisoned with jealousy and sorrow.
In the end, the Princess of the Sun was left standing, but the Moon Princess would rise again. With what little harmony the Sun Princess had left with her kingdom, she used the Elements of Harmony to banish her sister to her very own moon.
In the wake of their battle a forest sprawled where once the land’s most wondrous city spanned. A darkness and disharmony would always be in that place, whether day or night, whether there was joy or sorrow within. There was no longer harmony there, only chaos.
And, thus, the Everfree Forest was made.
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
Twilight closed the tarnished book with a satisfied smile. “So, what did you think Applebloom?”
Applebloom smiled sincerely. “Ah thought it was a pretty in’erestin’ story.”
Twilight was pleased. This was so much easier than dealing with Applejack. “Wonderful. What did you think was interesting about it?”
Interestingly, the little filly actually had paid a great deal of attention to the tale. She knew she needed to, after all. “Ah thought it was cool. It was a great story, jus’ like Grandpappy would tell. Wouldn’t that be somethin’ if the forest really was all magic and evil and stuff?” Applebloom was glad she had asked Twilight what the word ‘irony’ meant. Appreciating it made her situation a little more bearable.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “If only. I sincerely doubt that’s what happened. I think it would be in a history book rather than a filly tale book.”
Again, Applebloom grinned at the irony. “Yeah. Ah never believed any of that Nightmare Moon stuff anyhow.”
The look on Twilight’s face almost made sitting through her lessons a second time worth it. “Uh-I… well.” Twilight chuckled. “Well.”
Applebloom took Twilight’s stunned moment of silence to think. The lesson was still a waste of time, even that new story. She was hoping to maybe find some super secret information that could instantly fix the Everfree Forest and maybe what caused the zombie ponies into being, but that may have been expecting too much. Oh, why did she have to put that hole in the barn?
Time wasn’t something Applebloom had a lot of to waste, and she didn’t even have the time to let everypony know that. She needed every spare second to think and plan, even if she had done something that should ultimately stop everything.
“Well, this history lesson sure was in’erestin’, but Ah think Ah need tah get goin’. An account a’ all the chores I gotta do. Yep. Chores.”
Twilight smiled, but then frowned and scratched her head. “That’s odd. We’ve covered everything, but I can’t help but feel we ended this too early.”
Growing up on a farm kind of builds an internal clock into you. Applebloom knew what time it was without even looking at her new timepiece and thus knew that she had indeed gained a couple extra minutes than last time. “Oh well, what can ya do? Welp, see ya later Twi’. Bye.” Applebloom turned around and tried her best to make sure she didn’t just up and run out.
Twilight glance around the room at her many book covered tables as if looking for something. “Spike,” she called out, “Have you seen those books I was going to bring to Zecora?”
“On the table where we don’t eat!” Spike called from the second floor of the library. Applebloom briefly wondered what he had been doing up there all this time.
“They aren’t here!” Twilight called back.
Applebloom smiled proudly as she trotted out the door. Since Twilight couldn’t find her books, she would have no reason to visit Zecora. Don’t visit Zecora, don’t go into the woods. Don’t go into the woods, don’t find the zombie ponies. Problem solved.
Still, better to be safe than sorry. Applebloom did just so happen to have chores to accomplish that led her to all her friends who happened to want to visit Zecora. The more reasons not to go, the better. With the extra few minutes she had gained, she began to ponder what to do about Rarity…
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
Applebloom knocked on the door of the aptly named Carousal Boutique and waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
“Sorry, just a minute~,” a voice sang from the other side. Applebloom sighed. She didn’t have time for this…
The purple doors opened and a white unicorn popped her head out.
“Aah, Applebloom,” Rarity greeted with a warm smile. “How good to see you. You’re here for the scarf, right? Come in, come in, I just need to check something real quick.” Rarity hurried back inside and Applebloom followed.
Once Rarity was on the other side of the room, the filly wasted absolutely no time in grabbing Rarity’s cat off the floor where it was sleeping and tossed it into the closet meant only for rain gear as quietly as she could. Some thankfully muffled mews and tears came from within. Applebloom wiped her brow and thanked her lucky stars she came up with this on the way over.
The unicorn still had her back turned to Applebloom.
Rarity’s horn lit up with magic and she telekinetically brought Granny Smith’s favorite scarf down from a shelf and around to Applebloom. She gave the old scarf a once over. It was absolutely seamless; if there had been a tear or it had been as old as Granny Smith claimed it was, it was impossible to tell by the eye alone.
The tan earth filly was sweating. The white unicorn didn’t notice. “Does your grandmother really want to keep this old thing?” Rarity asked, giving the scarf a once over as it hung by her magic in front of her. “I’m not trying to be rude, but surely a scarf of better quality wouldn’t be so much trouble to get. I could very easily make one just like this if she wanted. It would be my pleasure.”
Applebloom took the scarf and placed it in her pack. She tried her best to relax her mind and calm her breathing, to forget about what she had to do or what would happen. She looked around the boutique and wished she could take the owner up on the offer. The many fancy fresh dresses and clothing articles on the dummies appealed to Applebloom in a way she didn’t quite understand. But Applejack and Granny would never get something as girly as the things Rarity made. Applebloom really didn’t get why.
Applebloom blinked in surprise. Those thoughts were exactly on mark with what had happened last time. Was she in a sort of rut if she didn’t actively think about the last time around? She decided to experiment with this. “Thanks, Miss Rarity, but Granny likes her scarf a whole lot. Ah don’t think you’d even get her to consider the idea.” Applebloom crossed her eyes and laid her apploosian accent on thick. “Git mahself a new scarf? Yer a fixin’s fer a whoopin’s, ain’t yah, yah no good pompous city filly!”
Rarity giggled at Applebloom’s imitation, her violet mane bouncing slightly. “Now, now, you should respect your elders little miss.”
Applebloom rolled her eyes back to normal. “Ah’m just foolin’ around. Anyway, thanks for fixin’ this. Granny will be real happy to get this for sure.”
“Why though?” a different voice asked. Applebloom smiled at Sweetie Belle as she stepped down the stairs. The younger unicorn looked thoughtful. “Why does your grandma care so much about that silly old scarf?”
“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said warningly.
“What? You called it old too.”
Rarity gaped at that. She did, didn’t she?
Applebloom focused her thoughts. That was enough of that. She couldn’t waste anymore time. “Well, that’s Granny for you. She does all sorts’a strange stuff. Anyway, Ah really gotta go do mah chores, so I’ll be seeing ya.”
“Hold on,” Rarity said, looking around. “Wasn’t Opalescence here a moment ago? Where did she go?”
Appleblom froze and struggled to allow her thoughts return to the rut. It wouldn’t. Then again, this didn’t happen last time.
“Err, Ah saw her run by me, but Ah didn’t see which was she went.”
Rarity began to panic somewhat. “Oh no. My Opalescence can’t survive without me. I need to find her! Opalescence! Opalescence! Mummy’s coming!” Off she went in the completely opposite direction that Applebloom had tossed the cat.
Sweetie Belle’s face couldn’t express all the irritation she was feeling. “Oh great, here we go. Last time that stupid cat was missing, Rarity wouldn’t stop to go get some food. We might not get to go to Zecora’s later.”
Perfect.
“That’s too bad,” Applebloom said, hoping her sincerity didn’t sound as fake as she thought it did. “Ah hope ya’ll find her, but Ah really need tah get goin’. Chores an’ stuff to do,” Applebloom zipped away, leaving her friend somewhat confused. But that was certainly better than being undead.
Now Sweetie Belle and Rarity would be safe, at the very least. It took them two hours to get ready before, and this time Rarity’s cat was missing. They’d waste their time looking for her, and even if they did find her they’d find their rain gear in ruins. No rain gear, no going into Everfree forest. No going into Everfree forest, no zombie ponies. Problem solved.
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
Time Winder’s still remained the oddest store in the town. It still remained too plain looking. And Sugarcube Corner suddenly sounded like a great place to visit. Stupid rut thoughts from the first time(?) making her think about food. Maybe skipping breakfast wasn’t such a good idea.
No, Applebloom couldn’t think like that. She needed to save as much time as she could. That meant she just had to run in, grab Big Mac’s clock, and get out. Easy peasy.
Except the same thing happened as before. She became mesmerized by the sheer quantity of the clocks and their amazing mechanical workings. Wooden ponies running in jerky circles, dragons flapping their wind while flying about, and many other strange scenes and mundane tasks.
And then Applebloom noticed something. Something peculiar. Maybe even a little scary. She had been to homes that had more than one clock before. Sometimes they were close enough together that she could hear them both at the same time. It seemed an odd thing to take notice of, but Applebloom remembered that they were always a little off of each other. Their ticking was not synced up and was always separated by a second or two.
That was not the case here. All the clocks were running together perfectly. They made a collective harmonic sound that could very well have come from a single-albeit, very loud-clock.
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
“Isn’t the way they move just marvelous?”
The filly leaped practically three feet in the air from surprise. “Holy moley! Ya’ll scared the bajeebers out a me!”
Sand Whooves chuckled slowly and offered an apologetic grin. “I tend to do that.”
Applebloom blinked. Sand Whooves was talking a bit slowly. What the…?
Sand Whooves trotted over to his hoof-made automatomic clocks and sighed wistfully. “Aren’t they all wonderful? My life’s work, clocks. They keep track of time, but I make mine special. I like to think so, anyway. Each one has a little memory in them, a small bit of time that never ages and never changes until the gears within, so like the gears of our lives, wears out. A sad fate, alas, but then where would the beauty in our lives be if it wasn’t? Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Uh…” This was bizarre. Beyond bizarre. Sand Whooves sounded far more… subdued than last time. Calmer, more relaxed. This was completely different. And the truly strange part was that Applebloom was just going down that predefined rut at this point.
The brown earth pony closed his eyes, lost in a far of memory. “I remember learning that lesson the day I received this mark upon my flanks. Some might say it’s odd that it’s an hourglass when I specialize in clocks, but I know better. Sand and gears aren’t all that different, if compared to time. Every grain of sand moves and shifts the others, like the gears in a clock do. And every tick and every falling grain leads to this moment. My, could you imagine if one were to travel even just a day back and shift the gears, or move the sand? The changes you could make, the possibilities a pony could explore…”
“Mr. Whooves…” Still following that rut.
“Oh, yes, you walked in here so you must be a customer. And, may I say, you have wonderful manners.”
“Right, thanks Mr. Whooves. Anyway, Ah’m here for mah brother’s clock, and Ah’m kind of in a hurry-”
Mr. Whooves grumbled a short chastise to himself. “Oh, how could I forget? You’re Applebloom, correct? Sister to Big Macintosh. Then you must be here that old wind up thing. Completely slipped my mind. Wait right here, little one, and I’ll get your brother’s fossil from the back.”
Amused, Applebloom nodded. Mr. Whooves quickly retreated into the back of his shop. Applebloom took this moment to be utterly baffled. What was this? How could this be? She knew that Sand Whooves moods and quirks varied drastically every time Applebloom saw him, but this… how did you even respond to this?
His mood changes transcended time!
He returned with a simple wind up clock in his mouth, which he promptly put into Applebloom’s saddlebag.
“Thanks Mr. Whooves.”
“My pleasure, little miss. An old thing like this is so easy to repair that my requiring payment to do so might constitute as robbery. In fact, just so I don’t get into any trouble with the law, here is a full refund.” Mr. Whooves placed a pile of bits into Applebloom’s hooves. “And tell your brother that he has my respect. Not many ponies would go through the trouble of keeping an old thing like that. Then again, he also keeps your granny around.”
Applebloom snorted and waved a goodbye, unable to properly say one.
“Goodbye little flower. Until the next time we meet. Heh, time. That’s a good one.”
Wow, that store really was odd.
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
Applebloom knew she had no time to spare to think about Mr. Whooves. But it was distracting. Distracting enough that the Time Rut (as Applebloom decided to call it) was not easy to follow. Applebloom did not stare in awe at Sugarcube Corner or think about pastries and candy. Her thoughts stayed with Sand Whooves and his distinct personality trait of have multiple personalities. Why did his tendencies change this time? Why didn’t he follow the Rut like everypony else was?
The chime of Ponyville’s clock tower aroused her from her thoughts. A sound that once barely registered to Applebloom now served as a reminder that the clock was ticking. Shocking as it was, mulling over Mr. Whooves would do Applebloom no good. She needed to sabotage Pinkie Pie’s plans to party at Zecora’s hut. That would be simple. There was an easy opening in the Time Rut to stop her.
Applebloom rang the bell at the front counter. She waited for a moment, wondering where Pinkie was. She remembered too late that-
“Hiya, Applebloomy!” Pinkie Pie shouted from right beside Applebloom’s ear. With a yelp, she bucked up and fell onto her back. Four times in a row, man!
“Ugh… hiya Pinkie” Applebloom greeted from the floor. She looked up at the pink pony and tried her best to give her a dirty look. “Ah didn’t notice ya come in.”
Pinkie nodded furiously in agreement and grabbed Applebloom by her bow, flipping her back onto her hooves. “Yeah, that’s super duper weird, cuz lotsa ponies tell me that whenever I answer the bell. So, are you excited about going to visit Zecora tonight? Are ya, are ya, are ya? Cuz I am! When we get there, I’m gonna bring Zecora a batch of cupcakes! And I heard from Twilight that the place where Zebra’s come from doesn’t have cupcakes, and I was like ‘Whaaaat!? Ya gotta have cupcakes, what’s life without cupcakes?’ So I’m making Zecora a batch right now with all sorts of different flavors and frostings and decorations and, oh I’m sorry, you rang the bell, which means you’re here to shop! Give me a second.” Pinkie Pie jumped behind the counter and smiled at Applebloom. “Hi, and welcome to Sugarcube Corner! How may I help you today?”
One advantage to this whole situation Applebloom found herself in was that, for once, Applebloom could predict what Pinkie Pie was going to do. “Ya’ll so crazy, Pinkie Pie.”
“And that’s what makes me a great Element of Laughter,” Pinkie retorted with a sincere but unnecessarily huge smile.
“Ah came tah pick up mah sister’s order of candy apples, iffin’ ya don’t mind.”
“Ooh, right, candy apples!” Pinkie yelled, ducking under the counter. “I know I put those here somewhere…” The many unbelievable sounds of Pinkie looking for candy apples were just as strange as the first time, but less distracting. Pinkie popped back up with the colorful box, looking pleased with herself. “Here we are. Complete with the discount given to the family that brings us the tastiest apples. Well, your family is the only family that brings us apples, but they’re still pretty darn tasty!”
“Thanks Pinkie. Ah don’t suppose you could sneak me a couple pieces ‘a fudge, now could ya?” That’s odd. Her craving had changed.
Pinkie Pie looked around. “Since nopony’s looking… a special gift from your Auntie Pinkie Pie.” Pinkie immediately pulled out a bag of treats and Applebloom blinked. How, in the name of every pony ever born, did Pinkie Pie do that?
“Uh, thanks,” Applebloom said slowly, taking the snacks and not bothering to hide her confusion. Doing anything with Pinkie was a great way to make one’s head explode.
“Hey, are you okay? You look like my sister when she found out where foals come from, except you’re not gray and your eyes are the wrong color and she didn’t wear a bow and-”
And then a thought occurred to Applebloom. She remembered what was going to happen next or at least what was supposed to happen. Pinkie wanted to tell Applebloom to bring some lights to fight off ghosties-err, ghosts. The reason was because of advice her grandma had given her, or at least it related to it. But she remembered Pinkie’s cutie mark story and how dull and lifeless her family was.
It wasted some time, but Applebloom was sure she had already succeeded. She had to ask. “Hey Pinkie.”
“-and she could play music and was really good and the cello, but she was a farmer like you, except she farmed rocks, and *gasp* yes Applebloom?”
“Ah’m gonna be bringing some candles an’ lights an’ things tah keep the ghosts away if we’re gone too long at Zecora’s place.”
Pinkie’s eyes sparkled. “Ooh, you’re doing that too? Everypony always gives me funny looks when I say I want to do that. It’s so nice to find somepony else who does it!”
“Actually, Pinkie, Ah was jus’ thinkin’ about yer Granny Pie, on account ‘a the fact Ah got the idea from her. She seems different from yer family ya told me about one time.”
Pinkie looked thoughtful. It wasn’t an appropriate look for the party pony. Her usual cheerful demeanor had dwindled a bit and left a semi-serious Pinkie Pie in its place. “Granny Pie… she really was different from Daddy Pie. But Daddy Pie was the one that was different.” She sighed solemnly. “Daddy didn’t know Granddaddy Pie. I sure as hay didn’t. So Daddy Pie had all the fun taken out of him before I was even born. Poor Daddy…” Then Pinkie smiled the way she usually did. “But that’s okay, cause I put the fun right back into him! I’m so happy I could be a blast to the past for him. He’s been so much more extra special fun since then.”
Applebloom scratched her head. “Now hold on a second, thar. Ya’ll said that yer daddy never knew yer granddaddy. How could ya be a past blast fer him?”
Pinkie’s smile only grew larger. “Daddy said I’ve got some of Granddaddy in me, since I came from Daddy and Daddy came from Granddaddy. He can look at me and see some of his Daddy. Which in funny since I would be a mommy, but I think he’s right. There’s a little bit of the past in all of us, even if we never get to see it.”
Applebloom didn’t know what to say to that. It seemed so ridiculous. Pinkie logic usually was. However, she couldn’t help but feel what Pinkie was saying was… right somehow.
What was she doing? She didn’t have time to be taking trips down memory lane, especially somepony else’s. She had to get back on track. “Say, did ya’ll leave Gummy in the tub? Ah think Ah here water runnin’.”
Pinkie gasped. “Oh my gosh! You’re right! Byeseeyoulaterdon’tforgetthelightsbye!” With that, the pink pony zipped away so fast that Applebloom couldn’t tell which way she went.
Applebloom quickly ran into the kitchen, feeling really bad about what she was about to do. A very pleasant smell was wafting from all the ovens. The many cupcakes that were meant for Zecora…
Applebloom turned all the ovens up to full power and took a quick peek inside each to make sure the flames were stronger than they needed to be. The cupcakes would be burnt and inedible, just like her own had been when Pinkie Pie had tried to be so helpful.
She walked out of Sugarcube corner, moving at a leisurely pace and feeling pretty proud of herself. No cupcakes (and possibly a burnt down building), no going to Zecora’s hut. No going to Zecora’s hut, no zombie ponies. Problem solved.
She hoped.
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
Applebloom found herself thinking about bland Apples again as the orchard of her family’s farm loomed around her. She didn’t think being bland and predictable was such a bad thing anymore. Excitement was overrated if she had to live through days like this. Sure, there was some adventure to be had in trying to make a terrible disaster never happen, but the memory… the memory was too much. She would never be able to see her sister in the same light.
Those eyes. Those cold, hungry eyes…
Applebloom yelped as she banged her head into a support beam for the barn. She was really distracted today.
“What was that?” Applejack called, followed by the sound of nails dropping.
“Erg… hiya, AJ. Got yer candy apples.”
“Hot tar!” Applejack shouted. She dropped her hammer and leapt from the second level onto the first floor. She quickly trotted over to Applebloom with a silly smile, and then suddenly frowned. “Don’t ever do that.”
Applebloom’s head was still spinning from the throbbing. “Wuzzat? Yeah, no jumpin’ from second stories. Got it.” She wobbled slightly but managed to pull out a candy apple to give to her sister.
Applejack took the apple, a single brow raised. “You okay there? Thought Ah heard somepony run into a tree.”
Applebloom shook the stars from her eyes. “Yeah, Ah’m okay. I’ve been through worse.” Much worse. “Ah was distracted is all.”
“Are ya still thinkin’ about that nightmare?”
If only it was a nightmare. “Not exactly. Ah got tah talkin’ with Pinkie, and talkin’ got me thinkin’…”
Applejack rolled her eyes. This ought to be good.
“What were our parents like?”
Applejack fumbled her candy apple. She wasn’t expecting a question like that. “What made ya think ‘a them?”
“Just tell me… please?”
Applejack scratched her head at her sister’s misty gaze. “Well… iffin’ yer really that in’erested. Gee, this is sudden. Well… Pa was a hard workin’ and dependable pony. He ran this farm with every ounce of his grit n’ spit, an’ then a little more. If there was anypony that wouldn’t let you down, it was him. Why, shoot, did ya’ll know that dear ol’ Pa saved Ponyville a couple a’ times? Ah gotta tell ya about it eventually. He was an honest, hard workin’ pony, plain and simple.”
Applebloom was wearing a smile. This was promising. “An’ Ma? What was she like?”
“Ma…” Applejack smiled fondly herself at some far off memory. “Ma was the sweetest thing. She was always helping out her friends when she could. Good pals with the mayor an’ Mrs. Cake, too. Ya know she helped ‘em get their cutie marks, but that’s a whole story all on its lonesome. And she was always trying tah help out when she could. Mind you, she didn’t always do so good at that, but her great big heart was in the right place. And she was real good at makin’ friends with anypony, if they was good enough tah be friends with. Ya wanna here more? I gots tons ‘a stories.”
“Nah. The short version’ll do fine. Thanks AJ. For everything.”
Applejack still looked confused but let the subject go. “I don’t rightly know what Ah did, but yer welcome. Now go on and get ready. We need tah get goin’ tah Zecora’s soon.”
Applebloom nodded, way more chipper than she had been before. She returned to the main house and went to the restroom to gaze into the mirror. She admired her own reflection and the bow upon her head.
“Hiya, Ma.” Applebloom said to her reflection. “Ah guess Ah don’t need tah be wondering what you an’ Pa were like anymore. If Ah wanna see Pa, Ah jus’ gotta look at Applejack. An’ if Ah wanna see you… Ah jus’ gotta look in the mirror.” She felt her heart bubble a bit, thinking that a piece of her mother was in her, always.
“Who are you talkin’ to in there?” came the slow drawl of her older brother.
Applebloom stepped out to the hall to greet Big Macintosh. “Hey there, big brother. Ah was jus’ talkin’ to mahself. Ya want that clock of yers, right?” Applebloom reached into her pack and pulled out the aforementioned time piece.
Big Mac’s expression was hard to read as he took his clock in a hoof. “Thanks, Applebloom. But, if yah don’t mind me askin’, where did you get that watch yer wearin’?”
Applebloom blinked as she suddenly registered the watch the Time Pony had given her. She had completely forgotten about it. “Err, this watch? The one around mah neck?”
“Ay-yup.”
“So… you don’t remember where Ah got it?”
“Ay-nope.”
“Yah sure?”
“Ay-yup.”
That’s odd. Why didn’t Big Mac think she got it from her Uncle like Applejack did? “It was a gift from Uncle Orange. Ya’ll seriously don’t remember?” She wondered briefly if ‘not lying to a pony’s face’ ran in the family. She could practically hear her fib in her throat.
“No, Ah don’t,” Big Mac raised a brow in suspicion.
“Go ahead an’ ask AJ, she’ll tell you. Well, Ah gotta get ready tah see Zecora, bye!” she zipped passed the large red stallion and into her room.
More questions that couldn’t be answered. First Mr. Whooves was changed beyond time’s influence, and now Big Mac was unaffected by… whatever it was that had changed Applejack’s memory.
It didn’t matter, Applebloom told herself. It was over anyway and she’d be able to put the watch away and never think about zombies or that Time Pony ever again.
Everything was going to be fine.
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
Everything was most certainly not fine.
“I suppose it’s a good thing Opalescence ruined those outfits. They were out of style anyway,” Rarity looked sad, though, in her practical but plain looking rain gear.
Sweetie Belle was enjoying the opportunity to jump around in the mud while not having to worry about Rarity getting mad at her for getting dirty. She didn’t even register that her sister had said anything.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Couldn’t be that they weren’t any good fer all the muck around us, could it?”
Rarity gave Applejack a begrudging look. “Okay, yes, there’s that too.”
Stupid, stupid, stupid. That’s what Applebloom was. Stupid. She should have known better. She should have planned for this. But she didn’t.
Twilight scratched her head, looking thoroughly confused. “I’m getting the weirdest feeling that something is missing right now. Like I’m supposed to be thankful for something…”
She should have known that Twilight, the dear and sweet friend that she was, would go out of her way to tell Zecora that the books she had meant to bring had been misplaced. Stupid.
“You know, I’m having the same feeling right now,” Rarity agreed. “Like this outfit isn’t right, like I should be wearing something else.”
She should have known that Rarity, persnickety though she was, cared a lot more about making a friend happy than the way her own self appeared. Stupid, stupid…
Applejack shrugged. “I ain’t feelin’ a thing.”
Pinkie was happily hopping along, oblivious to the greatest of queries. “You know, I’ve always wondered, why don’t they ever make paths through the forests? After all, there are all sorts of neato plants and herbs and things ponies use that I don’t even know about, and Everfree Forest is the best place to get them, so why don’t we make a safe path there, but then I think ‘Pinkie, you silly willy, there isn’t any safe path, there’s all sorts of monsters-”
“Pinkie,” Twilight said over the pink pony’s din.
“-and tear you to bits, so of course you wouldn’t come out here, but then I wonder why Zecora lives out here, and I think it can’t be that bad, but we almost got eaten by a Hydra once-”
“Pinkie,” Applejack tried to interrupt.
“-and then I told him about the time we all were climbing up that mountain to get that big ol’ dragon to go somewhere else and how scary he was and how crazy it was that he didn’t like parties and how Fluttershy totally told him what a meanie pants he was-”
And, of course, she should have known that Pinkie Pie would have a batch of emergency cupcakes at the ready in case something happened. What would Pinkie be if she didn’t have emergency party supplies? Stupid, stupid, stupid…
“-so then he was like ‘grrr’ and I was like ‘for serious?’ and he was like ‘blarg’ and I was like ‘holy gasp!’ and he was all like ‘derp’ and I was like ‘burp’ and we-”
“Pinkie,” Sweetie Belle moaned.
“-they had ice cream and chili cheese fries with extra marshmallows and all the tin cans you could ever hope to stack, which was crazy because of how wacky Mr. Dust acted at the masquerade-”
“Pinkie,” Rarity practically threatened.
“-all those insane birds! You’d think they’d never tried mustard before! But that was okay, because I found the relish in the hoof locker in the chest of drawers in the mailroom in the deepest jungle in the-”
“Pinkie!” Almost everypony shouted.
“Yes?” Pinkie replied as though she hadn’t just been screamed at.
“We’re here,” Twilight said, pointing to the large and rather creepy hut in which Zecora lived and did her work.
“Well why didn’t you say so? Cupcake time~” Pinkie Pie bounded towards the door. There was an almost collective eye roll. That was Pinkie Pie for you.
“Hey Zecora!” Pinkie cried out as she knocked on the door. “We’re here to not deliver books and have lunch and give you baked goods!”
The zebra that lived in the hut opened the door to get several hoofs to the face. “My friends – oof – how nice to see you’ve – erg – come around, but why is it – gerg – my face you must pound?”
Pinkie immediately stopped and gave a tremendous grin. “Hi-dy ho, Zecora! It’s been so long since we’ve gotten together and had lunch and I’m just soooo super duper happy to see you.”
Zecora rubbed her head and stepped aside to allow her friends to come inside. The cauldron bubbled with a sickly yellow colored soup, and the ponies present (except Pinkie and Applebloom) wondered if it was possible for something so vile looking to smell as good as they thought it did.
“My friends, come in and have some food. Though something Pinkie said has slightly dampened my mood,” Zecora raised a brow at Twilight, who sighed in return.
“I’m sorry, Zecora, I really am. I turned the whole library upside down, but I lost the books you asked for. I don’t know what
could have happened to them.”
Zecora frowned but didn’t seem angry. “Sad as that is I am glad you are here. The forest fills most visitors with fear.”
“Hey, Zecora,” Applebloom murmured as she went up to give Zecora a hug. Zecora returned it with a smile.
“Applebloom, my dearest of friends. I’m so happy you could come and see me again.” She leaned in close to Applebloom’s ear. “I see a sorrow in your slow walk. Give me a moment, and then we can talk.”
Applejack sat down at the small table along with everypony else (except Pinkie), and took her hat off. “Haven’t got the slightest idea what ya got there, but it sure smells nice.”
Zecora opened her mouth to respond, but Pinkie jumped at the chance to stuff a chocolate cupcake into in her mouth. Zecora choked.
“Aren’t they just great Zecora?” Pinkie asked as she bounced up and down. Zecora struggled to swallow the baked good. “I bet they don’t have anything like that where you come from. It’s the bestest, most tastiest thing you can get in a cup, except maybe Gummy’s favorite punch, because that stuff is really good. Ooh, ooh, I know! I could combine them! It would be super extra tasty, then it would be the bestest thing you could get in a cup!”
Applebloom sighed to herself. Reliving the exact same thing over again felt incredibly similar to when her teacher in school made her reread something over again. She really didn’t want to bother sitting through all this.
At some point, Applejack had jumped up and performed the Heimlich maneuver and forced Zecora to hack it up. “Whoa, you okay there, partner?”
Zecora breathed in relief. “Thank you Applejack, that was a bother,” she then blushed and smiled sheepishly. “Might I… trouble you for another?”
Applebloom slumped her head forward and droned out the rest of the conversation. She was scared all over again, but had a few more ideas. She needed to get everypony to leave the hut way earlier than the first time. But, just to be on the safe side, she had another idea.
She was going to ask for help.
“Our meal is nearly ready, we’ll need food ware. Applebloom, could you help me, if you care?”
Applebloom nodded and followed Zecora into another room where bowls of many sizes were stacked in rather disheveled piles. The Zebra turned to the filly and looked worried. “Your eyes betray emotions I wish you didn’t feel. I want to be the one who helps you heal. An open ear and open heart is what I lend. Anything for a dear friend.”
Applebloom took a large breath and heaved out. This was very nerve wracking. “Zecora, Ah need your help and Ah need it bad. Ah’m gonna tell ya somethin’ that Ah really hope you’ll believe…” She gulped. “Tonight, everyone is going to be turned into zombie ponies.”
Zecora guffawed at that. “Zombies? You mean the undead? Are you sure you are right in the head? How do you know this madness will take place? How do you-”
“Stop right there Zecora, don’t lie to mah face.” Applebloom shook her head. That was a strange feeling. “Ah know what’s gonna happen because Ah traveled through time. Ah lived this day already, an’ that time everypony…” Applebloom gulped and shivered. “Nopony but me made it. Yah need tah help me. Ah know you can.”
Zecora’s eyes widened slightly. “How do you know this, how can you expect me to believe? Prove it to me, if it is the truth and not an attempt to deceive.” It seemed like Zecora was begging more than anything else. If she wanted it, she would get it.
“Yah told me about yer cutie mark the other time. About yer friend that was – what was the phrase ya’ll used? – ‘betwixt an’ between life an’ death’. Back in yer home you were taught herbs by a dead zebra, an’ you helped the dead zebra an’ his dead teacher reach the afterlife or whatever. Am Ah right or am Ah right?” Applebloom was shivering. From fear? From frustration? She didn’t know and barely cared. She was running out of time and out of options.
Zecora stepped back, clutching her skull in a hoof. “I have not told that tale in so long. For you to know that… you cannot be wrong. Time travel… monstrous undead… it’s all simply too much for my poor head.”
“Can ya’ll help me Zecora?” Tears threatened to escape her eyes. Yes, she was feeling fear alright. She was getting closer and closer to… those eyes.
Those hungry, hungry eyes.
Zecora bit her lip. “I am not sure what I can do. The evil in this forest, I know it to be true. But my natural power is not enough to fight back. The books Twilight was going to bring would have shown me the right form of attack.”
Applebloom gaped. Zecora needed those books to deal with the undead zombies?
Oh, horse apples.
“Ah… oh… huh…” The tears freely flowed now. Her terror only increased.
Zecora held Applebloom close and soothed her as best she could. “Do not worry, you will be protected. There are some details you have neglected. They only gain power when the sun has set. So long as you leave before all light is gone, with them you will never have met.”
“I’m scared, Zecora.”
“I am too.” Zecora’s eyes glazed with memories. “Just like you.”
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Twilight asked. She glanced at the zebra who had been rather withdrawn practically the whole time they had been there. “It’s not that far of a walk to Ponyville.”
“I would feel better this way,” Zecora said with a smile and nod. “I want to see you home safe while it is still day. No trouble it is for me to go. Besides, I need the exercise, I’ve been feeling slow.”
Twilight shrugged. “If you’re sure,” Twilight turned and began to walk down the non-existent path with all her friends in tow.
Zecora turned to see a grateful Applebloom smiling at her.
Applebloom felt safe now. Zecora would make sure they got home safe. And it was daylight anyway. They couldn’t get them.
Still, there was something odd about the Everfree Forest. Its trees loomed around them as if they wanted to grab and never let go.
No. It was just her nerves. The sun was out. The zombies couldn’t get them now. Nothing would hurt them. That didn’t make the forest seem any less friendly. There was still something odd about the forest, something that made the forest different from any normal time.
Darker.
Quieter…
Nicer smelling?
Oh no.
Twilight suddenly stopped and looked around. “This can’t be right…”
“What is it, Twi… oh my.” Rarity looked at the fallen tree that was in the way of the sole path. It was much too large to climb over, and the trees around them were too dense to make it around.
“Ah can’t believe we didn’t hear that,” Applejack mused.
Zecora glanced at the fallen tree and then at Applebloom. They both shared the same terrified look. Why was this happening so early in the day?
“It must have happened while Pinkie was having her karaoke moment,” Rarity shook her head. “This doesn’t bode well.”
“Hold on, hold on,” Twilight said as her horn began to glow, along with the tree. With a grunt, Twilight used her magic to fling the tree into the air to who knew where. A large crash could be heard off in the distance. “Whoo… that wasn’t (wheeze) so bad…”
Sweetie Belle poked Twilight’s leg. “Um, Twilight,” she pointed ahead, and everyone groaned. A stack up of about five trees, just as large as the first, was in their way.
“Now ain’t that jus’ the dardest thing…” Applejack thought aloud. “That doesn’t seem natural.”
Pinkie Pie gasped loudly and pulled a flashlight out of her pack and held it in her mouth. “The ghosties are trying to get us!” she yelled in a muffled tone.
Twilight sighed in aggravation. “Of course. Ghosts,” Twilight turned to Pinkie and shielded her eyes from the light with a hoof. “There aren’t any ghosts here.”
“Well, duh, of course there aren’t any here or else I would laugh at them.”
Rarity placed a hoof of Twilight’s shoulders, seeing her eye twitch. “It’s best not to argue with her logic. Your head will explode.”
No, no, no, no. It was all happening again. But how? It was daylight…
“We need to get around fast,” Zecora said as she looked around, more to herself than anypony else. “Soon we shall face shadows of the past.”
Applebloom didn’t know what to do. That pleasant smell got stronger…
There she was, right on queue. Maybe if Applebloom ignored her, nopony else would notice her and they’d just keep arguing.
“Applejack, ramming it is not going to help.”
“Erg, just hold on, Twi’, iffin’ you can move it with magic, Ah can move it with mah strength.”
“Darling, I don’t think that’s what they mean by ‘use your head.’”
“Hey, everypony!” Sweetie Belle called out, getting Pinkie’s and Zecora’s attention at the least. Why, Sweetie, why? “I think I see Ditzy over there.” At the sound of a familiar name, the others perked up and turned their heads.
“That’s not Ditzy,” Pinkie declared around her light. “I know every pony in Ponyville, and unless Ditzy got younger then that is not her. Ooh, maybe she got younger and we’ll get to throw her birthday parties all over again! That would be supper to have, like, two of every birthday party you ever-”
“That isn’t our mailmare…” Rarity agreed, though with much fewer words. “That’s just a young filly.”
“Just a young filly in the middle of the Everfree forest,” Twilight interjected.
The gray filly glanced their way, then immediately hastened away into a small opening in the trees.
“Wait!” Twilight called and began running after her. Applebloom held her head as everything began to swim. She couldn’t stop it no matter how hard she tried. She began to wish that everything would just hurry along, that she could just get to the end of the nightmare all the faster…
Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock
“Since you’re here, please enjoy and help yourselves to food and drinks. There’s enough party for everypony,” Grey Hoof looked over at Pinkie Pie bouncing around wildly, blowing on a party whistle. “Looks like somepony’s already grabbing some.”
Applebloom blinked and quickly looked around. What the… how did she get here? How did they all get here?
“Something ain’t right here,” Applejack murmured to Twilight, though Applebloom and Zecora heard. “Ah can’t quite put mah hoof on it, but Ah think there’s somethin’ wrong with these ponies. I don’t know what jus’ yet…”
This happened last time, but there was a piece missing. What happened to the part where they ran here after that filly? Did anypony else notice? It didn’t seem that way. Was Applebloom the only one affected by… whatever it was that just happened? She felt that the watch around her neck had become hot. Did that have something to do with it?
“Agree with Applejack I must. There is something wrong, this place I don’t trust.”
Twilight glanced around, noticing that Rarity and Sweetie Belle had began conversing with the Ponies of Sunny Town. “It’s strange that there’s a town here that no one’s ever heard of, but they seem nice. Let’s mingle, make some friends, and ask for directions to Ponyville. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get a friendship report out of this,” Twilight stepped over to a mare looking dreamily in a rather vague direction.
Applebloom glanced around, noticing the position of the sun. It was way higher in the sky than last time. If that was the case, and all this was still happening as before, than time was a lot trickier than Applebloom first imagined.
“Applejack,” Zecora said, “I’m sure you can feel it, a bad omen hangs over this town. We must leave before it becomes sundown.”
Applejack sighed, contemplation in her features. “Ah’d like tah agree with ya, Zecora. But ya know yer supposed tah be respectable tah all ponies, even if they ain’t exactly respectable back. Remember what happened with ya when Ah was too lunkheaded tah try an’ meet you face tah face?”
Of all the times to remember Twilight’s friendship lessons, it had to be now.
Zecora chewed her lip, not sure how to respond.
“Let’s find that filly,” Applebloom said with newfound determination.
“’Zactly what Ah was thinkin’,” Applejack agreed before turning around to walk further into town.
Zecora leaned her head down close to Applebloom. “What are you doing, young filly? This suggestion you made seems quite silly.”
“That grey filly knows something,” Applebloom hissed back. “We need to find her.”
They began to follow Applejack, the two of them wary of the bright and sunny world around them.
Applebloom’s thoughts drifted to the missing chunk of time. What had happened? Why had she skipped ahead? Why was that piece of her memory missing?
… Wait. It wasn’t missing. Applebloom did remember running after the filly. She specifically remembered Grey Hoof giving Zecora a very unfriendly look. But then why did it feel like she wasn’t actually there? Bah, this was so confusing. No time to waste thinking about it. Applebloom was back in the cursed town. If she wanted to stop this, she’d have to take the fight to them. Somehow.
“Ya’ll can smell it, right? Ah don’t know how, but you can smell the curse.”
Zecora nodded. “Yes, I could smell if from afar. A scent like that of a spiritual scar. But this one is deeper than any I’ve seen before. Something besides evil has happened here, something more,” Zecora took a few gentle whiffs. “Indeed, that filly is the source of it all. I’m surprised this power can be in one so small. The others will not believe in what the eye cannot see. Stopping this will be up to you and me.”
Applebloom followed Zecora and Applejack, warily looking around at the friendly earth ponies that surrounded them. They were all in the exact same places in the exact same positions doing the exact same things. Why would that be if they were here early?
There was that pony that had lost his gift for his fillyfriend. Applebloom had to consciously tell herself not to help him. She had wasted quite a bit of time when she looked for that ruby before.
Applebloom stopped. Ruby? Wasn’t that what that filly called herself? Was this a coincidence?
“Hey, Applejack, Zecora. Ah need ya tah come with me fer a second.”
“You go on with Zecora,” Applejack said with a small wave. “Ah got some investigatin’ to do.
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
“My ruby!” the stallion shouted, grabbing the stone. “Oh, thank you so much!”
“Wasn’t a problem at all, sir,” Applebloom said just a little too kindly. The stallion got up to leave. “Hold on there a moment,” Applebloom said, stepping in front him. “Speaking of rubies, Ah heard there’s a filly around here called Ruby. Do ya know anythin’ about her?”
“Ruby? Yeah, I know her. Sweet kid, but a bit of an oddball. She and her mom live on the edge of town. She’d probably get along perfectly with you,” he pointed a hoof at Zecora, earning a slightly miffed glare. “See you all later then.”
Zecora huffed a bit. “Well, a little rude, but the point was understood. To understand more, find that home we should.”
“That’s where it started,” Applebloom said with more force than she meant to. “Everythin’ was normal until Ah looked in there. Maybe if we don’t go in, nothing will happen.”
Zecora shook her head. “That isn’t how this magic works. Your plan won’t do, I know it irks. We must gather more knowledge before the light is gone. We must discover what, in this town, went wrong. You see how they act so normal, unaware of what they hide. They have no idea what has befallen them, that a curse even here could reside.”
Applebloom gulped. She didn’t want to go back there. But she trusted Zecora. She needed to. “Ahright. Follow me.”
The town looked so festive. Applebloom almost didn’t believe that the first time happened. However, the watch she wore, Zecora’s troubling words, and the fact that everypony around them was a blank flank was evidence that there was something malicious going on. The resident ponies gave Zecora unfriendly looks and shied away from her. All the better; they didn’t need anypony getting in their way.
“The darkness grows,” Zecora murmured as they stepped into the poorly illuminated grove. “Of our presence, I am sure it knows.”
“Zecora… in that story ya told me-from the time before-you said that yer friend did in his teacher. Is that what always happens?”
Zecora seemed lost for a moment. Talking about her secret when she never even revealed it (as far as she knew) was disorienting. “The usual cause in an unjust crime. I’m sorry… it’s hard to believe you traveled through time. What did you see the first time through? And how is it that the one to do it again was you?”
“It’s all happenin’ the same way, ‘cept you didn’t come with us, an’ we got here way later,” she decided not to mention that she was the one who hid the books. “Everythin’s almost word for word ‘less Ah do somethin’ different. Ah even found that ruby, only this time I knew right where it was.”
“Was Sweetie Belle already at the house before you? Because she seems to be here too.”
Apple turned her head to see Sweetie Belle operating a crank for a well that was next to the dark house. She lifted a bucket out and used her teeth to pull out a key.
“Sweetie!” Applebloom cried out as she ran up to her friend. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you guys,” Sweetie Belle replied after putting the key in her hoof. “I couldn’t find anypony after Rarity walked off somewhere. That filly we saw before told me they were in this house, but the door was locked so I had to go find the stupid crank in that dumb warehouse to get the dumber key out of this well. And, well, here I am.”
Applebloom furrowed her brow in confusion. She didn’t have to bother with that last time. Last time, though, she had been preoccupied with other things. Had Sweetie Belle already walked in by the time Applebloom came around?
It didn’t matter. The past (or lack thereof) wasn’t important. What mattered was here and now. “Come on then. Let’s see what’s inside?”
With a click the door opened, showing the dark and nearly empty room. Zecora took in a large whiff of the air. “The source is close and near. Both of you remain calm and have no fear. For once fear enters your heart, the real nightmare will start.”
Sweetie Belle looked confused and shivered. “What the heck are you talking about? It’s just an empty cabin,” she stepped closer to the fire. “There isn’t even anything here. Just a fire… a…” Sweetie’s eyes widened as she gazed into the fire.
Zecora’s eyes did as well. “Oh my… tamu mungu...”
The room suddenly became dark. How could this be happening? It was still hours until-
Applebloom’s watch vibrated. She felt it, wondering what was happening. She opened it and gasped. The hands were moving much faster than they were supposed to. They jerked to a stop at 11:30 P.M.
Well past when the sun went down.
Sweetie Belle shrieked and ran away, crashing into the wall before finding the door.
“Stop!” Zecora called out. “We must stay together! If you go out there you’ll be trapped forever!”
“No…”
Applebloom’s heart was beating slow, but hard. It hurt her ears. She felt like her chest was going to explode. It was happening all over again.
“No, no, no, No, NO, NO, NOOOO!” Applebloom screamed, tears running from her eyes. She flailed about, utterly lost. What now? What could she do anymore? She had failed, failed her friends, and failed her sister.
Zecora grabbed Applebloom in a tight embrace, allowing Applebloom to cry as hard as she needed. “Yes, my child, let loose the tears. I understand all of your fears.”
She cried and cried and cried some more. “Ah failed everypony Zecora! Ah knew what was gonna happen and Ah couldn’t stop it! Everypony’s gonna… gonna…” She cried out again.
Zecora rubbed the filly’s head, wishing against all hope that she could do something. “Applebloom, I do not blame for crying. But you must get up and keep on trying. It is too late to help our friends, alas. But maybe if you did it once, you can again return to the past. Tell me how you did this feat. If you can try once more, than we are not beat.”
Applebloom sniffed and tried to stop her sobbing. She held the watch up and stared intently at the three in the face. “The
Pony of Time helped me before. Maybe Ah can get him to do it again. Ah met him outside town in the forest.”
“Then beg for his help we shall. Come, in this town we should not dwell.”
“Light,” Applebloom said as she pulled away. “They can’t stand light. Ah got some candles with me we can use.”
Zecora nodded and she helped Applebloom light some candles. The two made their way through the darkened woods with light in hoof.
“How did they do this, Zecora?” Applebloom asked. “How could they send us forward in time like this?”
Zecora raised a brow at this. “How do you know they sent us past dusk? Surely you can’t smell the horrible musk.”
“This watch keeps perfect time… Ah think. It showed me that we went forward.”
Zecora nodded. “Very well, you are right about our movement, but not about ‘they’. Only one sent us forward, she moved us through the day.”
Applebloom gulped, fear tightening her chest. “Only her? She’s the one makin’ the undead ponies?”
“There is much more to it than that, much more. As you know, a curse like this requires hatred and unjust at its core. The filly is the source, but not behind all you have seen. Oh my soul… such catastrophe… what could this mean?”
They reached the town, and Applebloom began to hyperventilate. It wasn’t any less terrifying the second time. Everything was again dead and ruined. Even the trees that enclosed the town were rotting away.
Zecora gave Applebloom an encouraging nuzzle and they began to walk.
THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY
“Be silent, Applebloom, less you’ll face certain doom.”
SHE WOULD HAVE SPOILED THE PARTY
Applebloom wobbled. The evil in that voice…
“Who would have spoiled it?” Zecora asked as their walk became a trot. “What do you speak of, wondering spirit?”
There was no reply from the darkness. Zecora sniffed. “Idle thoughts. Lingering hate. What could have put them in this state?”
Applebloom tried her best to wrangle her nerves in. It was taking everything she had not to run away and leave Zecora there.
Then one of them rose. It rose out of the ground. A horrifying mass of-
Sweet mercy.
-rotting flesh and disjointed bones that came together to form a vague pony shape.
But it wasn’t pony. Not anymore.
Oh… Applebloom could smell it. She immediately puked.
SHE GOT THE MARK. SHE HAD BEEN CURSED.
IT HAD BEFALLEN HER THIS VERY NIGHT. SHE HAD TO GO.
Zecora seemed much less shaken by the creature. “What mark? Who had to go? Tell me so that I can know.”
It hissed and backed away from them, hurt by the light.
“Let’s jus’ go,” Applebloom moaned, her throat burning. “They won’t talk to ya.”
Begrudgingly, Zecora conceded and they continued through the town. The same one as before – the one with the beating organs – rose up to glare at them.
PLEASE... STAY WITH US. WE WON'T LET THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO YOU. YOU'LL BE SAFE... LIKE YOUR FRIENDS.
Another came out, except it walked out from behind a crumbled well. Applebloom felt the urge to cry again.
IT'LL BE FINE. WE'LL BE SAFE NOW. COME HERE...
They stayed in place, unable to come closer to the light.
LET ME TOUCH YOU.
“Twilight Sparkle, for you my heart is sore. Come, child, we mustn’t linger anymore.”
They continued at a slow pace. More and more arose from the ground but would not move too close to their light.
And then the unthinkable happened. One that was mostly a solid piece ran forward and rammed into Zecora, knocking the candle to the ground. It stamped it out.
“Zecora!” Applebloom yelled.
“Yaaaarrr!” Pinkie Pie screamed, jumping in between Zecora and the thing as she waved her flashlight around like the maniac she was. “You want her!? You’ll have to go through me!”
“Pinkie!” Applebloom shouted, a spurt of relief washing over her. The things hissed in fury as the beam from the light hit them. What was left of their skin sizzled and burned.
“Get away from them!” Applejack shouted, running into the things and bucking them into pieces.
Applebloom wondered why Applejack hadn’t brought that helmet that could hold candles. And then she remembered… She never told her she was bringing them!
Applejack fell to the ground, too weak to fight any longer. “Zecora… they didn’t bite ya, did they?”
Zecora, who had recovered from being struck down, answered back, “No, I was not bitten. Looking at you, I can tell you are stricken.”
“Get mah sister out of here…” Applejack said, hiding her eyes with her hat. “Get her away. Don’t let her see me become one ‘a them.”
Zecora looked at the amassing things, then at the candle that had been stomped on. That feeble light would not be enough to protect them. She had only one choice. “Applejack… I will give my life to protect your kin. Applebloom, you are our only hope, the one who can still win. Remember the past, Applebloom, the past is the key. Now, goodbye, Applebloom, once I am done, you must flee.”
“Done with what?” Applebloom cried out, tears once more falling from her.
Zecora closed her eyes and immediately snapped them back open. They had become yellow lights that pierced the darkness. “Mimi kutoa maisha yangu kulinda rafiki yangu. Mwanga kwa kutuma giza mbali. Nguvu kama jua na upendo wangu,” Zecora’s whole body became engulfed in light, and Applebloom had to shield her eyes from the sun like glow. An amass of hissing filled the town. When it stopped, Applebloom opened her eyes to find the land lit up.
Everything was gone. The things. Pinkie Pie. Zecora. Applejack… all gone. Above her an orb of light shone down making the town look as though it was in the daylight.
“You cheated.” Applebloom gasped and turned around. Ruby was there, eyes hidden by her golden mane.
“You!” Applebloom shrieked, running at Ruby with murderous intent. She lunged at her and passed right through.
“That’s not fair. You get to try again. I didn’t get to try again….”
“What the hay are you ranting about!?” Applebloom shrieked. “Mah friends are gone and it’s all your fault!”
Ruby slowly turned to Applebloom and pushed her mane away. Her eyes weren’t what Applebloom expected in the slightest.
They were yellow and softly glowed, even in the mock sunshine. “Everything is my fault, isn’t it? Everything… even mommy dying.”
Applebloom was taken aback at this. Ruby sounded so sad. Monsters weren’t supposed to be sad.
“Go ahead and leave. Go try again. In the end, you won’t win. Helping ponies is useless. They’ll just hurt you. Even if you save them, you’ll be all alone like you are now,” Ruby began to fade away.
“Wait!” Applebloom yelled, but it didn’t do any good. The spirit disappeared into oblivion. The watch Applebloom wore gave a small chime and she opened it up.
Midnight. The day was officially over. That had to have been significant, but Applebloom was too dead inside to notice.
But she still had hope. It wasn’t over yet.
-tick-tock-tick-tock-
Applebloom sat in the darkness, her tears run out. She listened patiently, praying just as hard as she had the first time.
Help… please… help me once more.
It all happened again. The air froze. The wind stopped. Noise vanished without a trace. The darkness began to creep in.
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
Applebloom released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. As terrifying as the night had been, nothing scared her more than the thought of Time Dancer not returning.
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
The mechanical Alicorn stepped out from the darkness, appearing the same as he did before, still as intimidating and cold.
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
It stopped in front of her. And sat down with a heavy ‘thud’.
Applebloom gulped. “Hello,” she rasped out of her sore throat. What she wouldn’t give for some water. “Do you remember me, Time Dancer?”
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
Up, down, up, down. A nod.
“Ah messed up. Ah couldn’t do anything. Please, Time dancer, give me another chance. Ah know Ah can save mah friends.”
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
Up, down, up, down. Another nod. The watch around Applebloom’s neck flashed briefly. She held it up and gasped at the face.
In place of the large three, there was now a two.
She only had two more chances.
“Two? That’s all Ah get?” She panicked at this knowledge. Sure, she was thankful to get even the one chance. But to know for sure there was a limit? It was torture.
Time Dancer raised its hooves-
Tick…
Tock…
-Over the tarnished tribal drum. Applebloom waved her hooves frantically.
“Wait, wait! I need to know more! I have more tah ask ya!”
And then it played. A steady beat.
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Applebloom’s head began to ache. This sound was incomprehensible.
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
Everything began to swirl and blur into gray. The watch became hot and burned her. The pull of being sent to the past engulfed her being.
Tock…
Tick…
Tock…
Tick…
And then Applebloom woke up.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Wolokai · 31k words · 107 8 · 4.7k views
- Storm butt · 20k words · 114 9 · 4.4k views
- Wolokai · 35k words · 107 10 · 5.3k views
- Knackerman · 25k words · 125 1 · 3.5k views
- Dynamic Dragon · 8.4k words · 57 8 · 3.2k views
- SaddlesoapOpera · 3.7k words · 384 14 · 9.4k views
- AppleJared · 16k words · 56 0 · 1.6k views
- Akashic Brony · 6.3k words · 68 5 · 2.7k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.149 seconds
Total duration
918 users online
1,991,971 hits today, 2,073,628 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
My first thought upon reading this chapter: Great, another time travel fic. Sigh.
My second thought: Wait, this is actually handling time travel in a somewhat logical manner. Awesome!
Anyway, yeah, I'm really starting to enjoy this story. You've managed to set up a pretty big conflict; bringing in the Village of the Blanks was a nice touch. You've given us a fairly easy to handle twist: Applebloom gets to travel back one day, and try to fix everything. Still, you've also managed to include a few odd mysteries, such as Whoove's and Big Mac's behavior. I'm honestly curious as to what makes these guys so special, and I get the feeling that you're going to reveal it to us in a fairly impressive manner.
Finally, I want to comment on your inclusion of the Time Alicorn. Namely, that you're doing a great job of it. Instead of giving some convoluted explanation for its existence, you simply gave him to us. No backstory, no explanation. He's just there. And I love that.
All in all, this story actually feels like a mystery. There are so many things left to explain, elements of the story that you've kept hidden. And I desperately want to know what they are. So, bottom line, I love your story. Can't wait for the next chapter.
12113
I'll bet all my pony themed socks you read "Double Rainboom" and all it's madness.
In any case, thanks for the encouraging words. I work best with simple ideas. The only unfortunate thing is that simple ideas are the ones that are beaten to death and not used properly.
In response to the Alicorn, I'm glad someone too note of that. I'm basing him off of old fairy tales in a sense where gods and spirits did cool stuff and had rules and the like, but no real back story. He's important, but he's there just to exist which, in my opinion, isn't such a bad thing.
If this feels like a mystery, I have succeeded.
You, sir/ma'am, should have all my bits. Here. Take them. Just keep writing exactly like this.
FOREEEEEEVVVERRRRrrrrrrr...
12190 "Double Rainbow" is undoubtedly a great story. I just have no idea what the hell is going on there.
And yes, simple ideas and concepts are the best. You don't need an epic battle, a life-changing discovery, or a shocking revelation to make a great story. Just an idea, and a masterful presentation. And, again, you've certainly got the presentation down.
In conclusion, Tom Bombadil. Nuff said.
You must continue writing this piece Of art This makes the story of the blank flanks much more interesting
BRILLIANT! ingenius!! you should write more chaps (OHH! wait till they post that ep about applebloom that will appear.
PLEASE FINISH THIS. I'VE BEEN WAITING SO PATIENTLY.
46636
) I'm sorry and will post it as soon as I can get arounf to actually finishing it..
I know, I know. Real life has sucked royally for me this past month. I've been trying to perfect the first two chapters and am dealing with school and personal issues. For all of you waiting (and I sure do feel awesome knowing people are waiting!
It's nice to see a response, thanks. <3 This is the only ponyfic I've ever really gotten into. I'LL BE WAITING. >:3
This is quite an interesting tale so far...
Very well written so far, Interesting story with little to no spelling or grammatical errors!
46644
Please update soon. Is v. good!
If i EVER EVER hear static While reading something scary, The room im in will become empty.
Can you please continue this awesome story???
How were you able to put so many pony tags on this? I thought the limit was only five
4017549
They were put on before the limit was introduced.
Is this story dead?
4679077
Yes
4679084 Okay.
4679084 If the story is dead, then you should put it on 'canceled status'.
I find it upsetting how many people a neglecting to do so.
That depressing moment when one of the best stories to ever grace fimfiction dies...d**n. I had such high hopes for this too.
Why was this cancelled?