Back To The Future IV: The Return of Discord

by Dr Dash

Chapter 7: Home on the Range

Small clouds of dust billowed up around Twilight’s hooves as she walked down the dusty road. Twilight began to worry as the particulate clouded around her disguise necklace, for fear it would damage the intricate electronics. She used her magic to put a small protection spell around the false gem, and kept walking. Spike slept on her back, tired from his earlier antics in Ponyville. Thankfully, they had managed to get out of town before the three dragons regained consciousness.

Twilight came to a fork in the road. A post had been planted in the ground, the painted words upon it faded from years in the sunlight. One sign pointed left, towards the Everfree forest, still dark and foreboding even during midday. The other pointed right, down another dusty road. In the distance, Twilight could see what appeared to be a barn. She set off towards the structure.

---

If Sweet Apple Acres could be considered the embodiment of happiness, this place was its exact opposite. A large, flat expanse of dry earth dominated the area. Rocks were scattered about, piled into stacks or left alone in the sun. A small farmhouse and barn were the only buildings, sun-bleached to a dull white. No trees existed on this parched ground, and Celestia’s golden orb beat down mercilessly on Twilight and Spike. A small sign had been stuck into the ground at the end of the path.

“Rocky Ford Fields,” read Twilight.

She looked up at the barren land, and was surprised to see a flash of pink exiting the barn. Twilight moved closer, and gasped as she saw what had become of the party pony. Her frightened wheeze awoke Spike with a start. He looked around, and laid his eyes on their friend with the same shock.

Pinkie was startlingly different. Her usually frizzy mane and tail lay flat, drooped to her right side. Even her pink color had been dulled, tarnished with the grey dust of a lifetime working with stones, and her flank was bare. Her bright blue eyes had lost their spark, and glanced listlessly at Twilight and Spike. No smile crossed her face as she trotted over to her friends, minus the trademark spring in her step.

“Can I help y’all?” she asked. Pinkie’s voice matched her outward appearance, monotone and devoid of fun. Shockingly, she had developed a slight accent similar to a certain apple farmer. Twilight stood silent for several seconds before answering.

“P...P...Pinkie Pie?” stammered Twilight, unable to comprehend the drastic changes the alternate universe had inflicted upon her friend.

“Pinkie Pie?” she responded, “That’s a new one. Most’a the time ponies just call me ‘Hey, You!’ or ‘Hey, Crazy Rock Mare!’” Pinkie sighed, and her eyes looked past Twilight as she cast her gaze around the rock farm. She looked back at Twilight.

“My name, if y’all’d care ta know it, is Pinkamena Diane Pie. I prefer ta be called Diane.”

“Nice to meet you...Diane,” said Twilight, still somewhat shaken. “I’m Sally Scoop and this is my associate, Spike. We’re doing a story on local businesses, and I was told to come here.”

Diane laughed bitterly. “Who’n their right mind sent you ta me? I’m the most borin’ pony in Equestria!” Twilight remained silent. Diane pushed one of the rocks into a larger pile with her hoof. She sighed again.

“Well, It looks like y’all’re determined ta get this interview.” She pointed her hoof at the farmhouse. “We oughta go inside, get out ah this heat.”

---

The inside of the house matched its barren exterior. A simple kitchen with a rickety table and four chairs stood to the left of the doorway. On the right, a small sitting room with a fireplace and a single armchair. A staircase was directly ahead, presumably leading to bedrooms on the second floor. Diane walked into the kitchen, followed by Twilight and Spike

“I’m afraid I can’t offer y’all more than water,” she said, “But workin’ a rock farm aint exactly the cash cow y’all might expect.”

Twilight sat at the shabby table with Spike as Diane filled three glasses from the sink. She put them on the table and sat across from Twilight.

“Now then, how about this here interview?” she said.

“Diane,” Twilight said, “I need to tell you something. My name isn’t Sally Scoop.”

“Well of course it aint! Soon as ya said it I knew somethin’ was up. My tail never lies!”

Twilight paused momentarily, startled by the existence of Diane’s Pinkie Sense.

“Your tail?” she asked, quizzically.

“Yes my tail!” replied Diane grumpily. “It gets twitchy when somepony aint tellin me the truth. Now, what’s your real name, and why’d ya come to my farm?”

Twilight’s horn glowed as she levitated the necklace onto the table. Diane didn’t move an inch, but her eyes flashed with curiosity as Twilight reverted back to her normal self.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’ve come here from a different universe to set time back on its correct path. I’m here at your farm because you are one of my five best friends. I need your help to fix this world, and correct the flow of time.”

Diane sat still for several seconds. Her brow furrowed in thought as she considered everything Twilight had said. She slowly nodded.

“I might jus’ be a simple farm pony,” she said, “but I know the truth when I hear it. I always figured there was a better life fer me.”

“Diane, how did you end up here on the rock farm?” asked Twilight.

Diane sighed, and looked past Twilight to a picture hanging on the kitchen wall. An elder burnt orange stallion with a grey mane, and his wife, pale grey with grey-blue hair, stood with their three fillies. One grey with a dark grey mane, one purple with a light grey mane, and one light pink with a bright pink mane. The three fillies all shared the same straight mane-cut as Diane, and nopony in the picture was smiling. She turned back to Twilight.

“I ended up here ‘cause I was born here. I’ve worked this here rock farm since I was a filly, along with my family. As we grew older, my sisters found their special talents, neither ah which were related to rocks. They left as soon as they could, and not long after that my ma passed away. My pa lived fer a few more years, but he was never the same after she was gone. He moved on t’be with her a couple’a years ago, and it’s jus’ been me here ever since.”

Diane stopped, and Twilight saw her holding back tears. Twilight jumped up and ran around the table, grabbing her friend in a hug.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that, Diane” said Twilight. “But if you’ll help me, we can fix the world so that it never actually happens.”

Diane looked at Twilight and nodded, then hugged her friend back. As she did so, the third white star appeared on Twilight’s flank. Twilight smiled, and Diane sat back in her chair.

“Thanks.” she said. “I needed that.”

Twilight’s horn glowed as she opened her saddlebag and levitated out the photograph. She placed it in front of Diane.

“Do you know anypony in this picture?” asked Twilight. “Besides Rarity, that is.”

Diane studied the photo and the same look of concentration once again crossed her face.

“Well, I don’t know any of ‘em face to face, but I have seen pictures of the orange one before. What was her name...Applesnack? Grapplejack?”

“Applejack!” exclaimed Twilight

“Yeah! That’s it!” said Diane. “I’ve seen pictures of her when I go ta borrow farm equipment from the Apple family.”

“I guess we know our next stop!” said Twilight cheerily.

Spike explained the plan to meet up at Doctor Flutter’s lab to Diane, and after sending off another scroll to the Doctor, he jumped onto Twilight’s back.

“Hurry Twilight! We’ve got some Apples to pick!” he said happily.

Diane watched from the door of her house as Twilight and Spike headed across the farm to the road. The corners of her mouth twitched, and she smiled for the first time in her life. With a loud BOING her hair suddenly frizzed out in all directions. She jumped slightly at the sudden change.

“Great.” she said. “Where did I put that comb...”

Comments

[Twilight midnight]

The PONK is eternal not even Discord can stop her