• Published 12th Oct 2014
  • 3,852 Views, 518 Comments

DayBreak - MyHobby



After an attempt is made on Celestia's life, Twilight Sparkle must assemble a team to track down the assassin and bring her to justice. Danger awaits as they delve into the origins of both the attacker and alicorns.

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Goodbye

“She’s awake.”

Care shifted on her bed as the doctor’s voice came from outside the door. Her mane pulled until she lifted her back to let it free. She looped the mane over her shoulder and smoothed out her bed sheets to make herself the least bit presentable. When the open door revealed two princesses on the other side, she bowed her head with a quick nod.

“Your Majesty, your Highness.” Care cleared her throat. “I would bow, but—”

“No need for apologies, Captain,” Luna said. She walked to the far side of the room to give Twilight space to enter. “You are looking much better.”

Care lifted her hoof, where a single intravenous cord was feeding her painkillers. “They took me off ambrosia yesterday, once my muscles healed.” She touched the bandage on her forehead that sat just above her eye. “So, to what do I owe the visit?”

Twilight levitated a scroll from her saddlebags. A pen followed it out. “Are you ready to talk about the attack, Care? It’s fine if you aren’t but… well…”

Luna extended a wing. “We must do it eventually, but only when you are ready. Would you tell us about that night at the opera?”

Care rested against the pillow. “The guards outside told Caution what was going on, so he went out to help. A few minutes later, a pegasus mare tore the curtain away and stabbed the princess with a guard’s spear. She shouted”—Care squinted as she thought—“‘Thus to all usurpers.’”

Twilight scribbled on the scroll. She looked to Luna. “Usurpers? Is she a tribalist? Or maybe a pegasus purist?”

“It does us no credit to jump to conclusions, Twilight.” Luna inclined her head. “Can you describe the mare?”

“Yes,” Care said. “Pale blue coat. Wispy white mane and tail. Gray eyes.”

Luna tilted her head. She was silent for a long moment. “Curious. Distinguishing features?”

The tip of Care’s tongue stuck out from between her lips. “There was a deep scar on her left cheek. The skin immediately around it was bald. It looked like it came from an untreated wound.”

Luna pressed her hooves together and propped her chin up. She shook her head. “Nay. Too much of a coincidence.”

Care pulled the blanket higher. “I’m sorry?”

“Consulting with myself. Please forgive me.” Luna placed her wingtip on Twilight’s shoulder. “Would you carry on?”

“Of course,” Twilight said. She put pen to paper. “Can you describe the mare’s cutie mark, Care?”

Care’s jaw clenched tight. “Yes,” she hissed. “It was a cloud pattern, spiraling outward. Storm clouds heavy with rain. There was a small hollow in the center.”

Twilight dotted an “I.” “That’s odd. It’s a—”

“Hurricane,” Luna said. She drew up beside Care’s bed. “Captain, think very hard. How did Celestia react to the appearance of this mare?”

Care’s eyes flicked from Luna to Twilight, but the younger princess just shrugged. “With surprise,” Care said. “So shocked she couldn’t move. She said ‘Hurricane’ just before the mare stabbed her.”

Twilight nearly dropped her pen. “What? Who could shock Celestia so badly that she wouldn’t be able to react—?” She stood up. “Luna? Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen… um…”

Luna stared ahead with wide eyes. Her jaw was slack and her wings drooped. “I-it is alright, Twilight. It is a c-cliché, but it is apt.” She finished with a whisper, “I look as though I have seen a ghost.”

Care sighed. She stared up at Luna with bitter intensity. “So did Celestia.”

“Okay,” Twilight said. She combed a hoof through her mane. “Okay. But why? Whose ghost?”

“Why?” Luna rubbed her eyes. “‘Why’ is because the mare with those colors, that scar, and that cutie mark has been dead for years. There is no conceivable way for her to exist in the here and now.”

“Please.” Twilight walked around to the other side of the bed. “If something is inconceivable, that just means that nopony’s thought of it yet.” She unfurled the scroll and raised her feather pen. “Now then, who do you believe the mare is?”

“Commander Hurricane.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, and her pen did not move. “Commander Hurricane.”

“Yes.”

The Commander Hurricane.”

“Yes.”

“The one Rainbow Dash played in the Hearth’s Warming Eve play?”

“Yes, Twilight.” Luna took a deep breath. “Yes.”

Twilight gritted her teeth. “You’re right. That’s impossible.”

“I know.” Luna bowed her head. “But impossibility has a habit of laughing in my face.”

“Okay,” Twilight said. Her eye twitched. “Let’s take a moment to pointlessly speculate on why one of the founders of Equestria would rise from the dead, murder Royal Guards, and try to put the princess on ice.” She grinned with not an ounce of humor. “Captain, what are your thoughts on the matter?”

Care shifted away from her. “I couldn’t say.”

“We value your input. Luna?” Twilight turned her false smile on the elder princess. “Care to address my growing concern for your mental state?”

Luna scowled. “It is dwarfed by mine for yours! Get a hold of yourself. We have only begun.”

“Only begun?” Twilight’s wings flared out. “Only begun! Six ponies are dead and four are hospitalized, one of them Celestia! How much farther are we going to have to go, Luna?”

“We keep going until the assassin is defeated!” Luna stood tall. The room darkened as the shadows grew around her, cloaking her in blackness. “Do not take me for a fool, Twilight, I am aware of the price ponies have already paid!”

Care’s throat went dry at the display. She turned to Twilight, who grimaced with unadulterated belligerence. After several heartbeats, the purple alicorn closed her eyes and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “I have nothing to be angry with you about.”

The shadows faded. “We all have reasons to be angry, Twilight,” Luna said. “But most certainly not at each other. Please stay by my side. I need that magnificent brain of yours.”

Twilight smirked. “Well, I think you’re stuck with it.”

Care tapped her hooves together. “May I ask something?”

Luna and Twilight started in place. They turned to the unicorn they’d both forgotten about. “Yes, you may, Captain,” Luna said.

“Well, how could a mare from ancient history be in the here and now?” Care shrugged. “How is that possible?”

“I’d like to ask the same thing,” Twilight said.

Luna smiled. “Aren’t you the mare who told me about the time you were visited by yourself from the future?”

“But… but that…” Twilight floundered. “But that was a week, and you’re talking—”

“Hundreds of years.” Luna sucked in a long breath. “But stranger things have I seen.”

“It’s a place to start,” Twilight said. “As long as the assassin isn’t some insane history buff who’s decided she’s the reincarnation of Commander Hurricane and wants to cleanse the world of impurity.”

Luna flicked her ears forward. “I believe you will do well to follow this small lead.”

Twilight tapped a hoof on the floor. “Luna, what reason would Hurricane have for attacking Celestia? What does she want?”

“I do not know, Twilight.” Luna peered out the small window in the hospital room, which overlooked Canterlot downtown. “She never seemed to dislike us, in all the time we spent with her.” She closed her eyes. “It was she who taught us to fight.”

Twilight wrote down a few notes. “Fine. I’ll take what I know and look for clues. I know a few subject matter experts I could consult, too.”

“Thank you.” Luna hugged Twilight from the side. “I believe the matters of state shall be easier to handle knowing that this mission is in your capable hooves.”

“I want in, too,” Care said.

Both princesses looked at her in silence. Care pressed her case, “I want to help you with the mission. I’m Celestia’s personal guard. I keep her safe. Right now, that means tracking down her attacker and stopping them before they come back to finish the job. Please let me do this. At the very least, I can help… apprehend the assassin.”

“‘Apprehend,’” Luna repeated. “And bring her to justice.”

“Justice. Absolutely.” Care gave her a firm nod. “May I help?”

Luna stared into her eyes. When Care held her gaze, the princess lifted her head. “If Twilight has no objections.”

“No, I don’t,” Twilight said. “I’m sure you’ll be a big help, Care.”

“Thank you,” Care Carrot said. “I won’t let you down.”

After Twilight and Luna had left, she added under her breath, “Again.”

***

Spike was waiting outside the door. “Well? Do you have anything to go on? Can you find the attacker?”

Twilight stuffed the scroll in her bags. “Not much more than a hunch, but it’s better than nothing. I’ll be heading back to Ponyville at the end of the week. You should go today.”

Spike wrung his hands together. “What if Celestia wakes up before then?”

“Then you’ll still be one of the first to know, and you can hop on the next train right away.” Twilight rubbed his back as they and Luna walked down the hall. “I promise, she’s safe in the hospital. She wouldn’t want you worrying over her all the time.”

“No, and she wouldn’t want to be alone, either.” He stomped a foot, and his claws made marks in the floor. He hunched his shoulders and shied away from a passing nurse. “Sorry. Sorry.”

Twilight walked on. She wrapped her wing around his shoulders. “Spike, I think it’ll be good for you. You’re gonna make yourself sick if you just stay here.” She held a hoof to his lips. “Don’t say you’re abandoning her. You’re not. You can do so much more good going about your own daily life than standing outside her door sending up prayers.”

They came to the stairs. Twilight smiled as best she could. “So, are you gonna go back home?”

“Yeah.” He looked away. “Ponyville needs a librarian, I guess.”

Before going down the stairs, he waved at Luna. “Princess, I wanna apologize, but I was listening at the door.”

Luna frowned. “That is rude and dangerous, young dragon.”

“I know, but what I heard…” He shifted from all fours to his hind legs. “The mare said ‘Thus to all usurpers. I think that means you’re the next target, Princess Luna.’” He looked from one pony to the other. “Be careful. Both of you.”

He skittered down the staircase.

“I think he loves too well,” Luna said.

“It is impossible to love ‘too well,’” Twilight said. “What is that even supposed to mean?”

“It is like you said, he will make himself sick out of worry. If he stays, he’ll completely abandon his own care. He will grow weaker until he runs out of love to give, and then he’ll be a mere shell.” Luna opened a nearby window. “You were right to send him away.”

“I didn’t send him away, I sent him ahead.” Twilight rubbed her foreleg as she watched Luna climb out the window. “What are you doing?”

Luna hovered beside the hospital building. She pointed her horn at the horizon. “It’s time to do my duty.” She gasped as her eyes glowed white.

The horizon took on a purple sheen that gradually faded to orange. The stars winked out one by one. The inky blackness of space was pushed aside by the rising sun. When the Greater Light was high in the sky, the moon dipped beneath the earth.

Luna exhaled in a rush, her wings making slow, even flaps. She lowered herself to the ground and lay so that her trembling limbs could regain their strength. Twilight landed beside her.

“Celestia would be proud,” she said. “It was beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Luna said. “I-I have not practiced much besides the last few days.”

They sat together on the lawn, the sun warming them with its bright rays. Luna closed her eyes and lifted her chin. “We must decide what to tell the people. We cannot hide the fact that she was attacked.”

Twilight frowned. “What’s to tell? She’s alive. It’ll bring hope.”

“Yes.” Luna spread her wings to catch more heat. “But if the assassin were to find out that she failed in her mission, would she not try again?”

Twilight rubbed the short blades of grass with her wingtip. “I don’t feel comfortable using Celestia as bait.”

“No, I shall serve as bait, Twilight.” Luna opened her blue eyes. “Spike, I feel, was right in that regard. So, is there a way to reassure the people while dissuading the assassin?”

“Maybe—” Twilight started. She nibbled the tip of her mane. “Maybe we can tell the truth… but make it a lie.”

Luna lowered her eyebrows. “I do not follow.”

“Tell the people Celestia is alive, but tell it in a way that seems unbelievable.” Twilight framed a box with her hooves. “Tell them how well she’s doing. How fully she’s recovering. Tell them how much she misses being out and about, and how she can’t wait to get back to her duties.”

Luna sneered. “Those falsehoods would taste sour on my tongue.”

“Exactly.” Twilight leaned closer, pulling he mane out of her mouth. “It’ll be obvious you’re lying. Most people want to believe Celestia’s okay, they’ll take what you say at face value. Anypony who’s looking for a lie will notice yours right away. The assassin knows what she did. She knows that nopony who takes a spear to the chest is gonna be up and about so soon.”

Luna’s mouth dipped open. “And ‘Hurricane’ will believe the opposite of what I say.” She sniffed. “When did you become a politician, Twilight?”

Twilight shook her head. “I can’t remember if it was before or after I sold my soul to Tirek.”

Luna gave her a startled double-take.

“That was a joke, Luna,” Twilight said. “Just joking.”

***

Care knocked before entering Caution’s room. The earth pony stallion lifted his head. “Come in, or were yah gonna do that regardless?”

“Probably.” Care wheedled her intravenous drip along behind her in a cart. “We have a lead on Celestia’s attacker.”

“Great,” Caution Tape said. “Lemme know when the kids down in tracking nab the witch.”

Care pulled up a chair and sat beside his bed. She looked around his room and saw a bundle of balloons next to the window. By his bedside, a pile of cards sat in various positions. “Family visited?”

“True enough. You’d ’ave thought oi stopped an army of diamond dogs singlehandedly, from the hero’s welcome oi got.”

Care smiled. “I thought you did that daily.”

“Naw, only for special occasions.” He narrowed one eye. “Speakin’ of which, wot’s the occasion for visiting me?”

“Like I said, we have a lead on the attacker.” Care crossed her forelegs. “I want you on my team when we track her down.”

Caution yawned. He winced and held his bandaged head. “Oog. You mean now, don’t yah?”

“As soon as we’re on our hooves,” Care said. She rolled her shoulders. “You don’t wanna come.”

“They offered me three months leave, not includin’ hospital time.” Caution put his hooves behind his head. “After the beating we took, oi’m inclined to accept.”

Care’s teeth snapped together. “You can’t just give up—!”

“Oi ain’t givin’ up!” Caution sat up. His eyes crossed from the swirling in his head, but he soon found his balance. “The princess is alive an’ safe. That’s our job, Captain. Now oi’m gonna take some well-earned time off an’ spend it with moi family. You’d do best followin’ moi lead.”

“The job isn’t done,” Care said. “Celestia is down, and it’s up to us to make sure she gets the chance to get back up.”

“No it ain’t.” Caution lowered himself back into his bed and drew up his covers. “Oi’ll come back when the time comes, but for now, moi part’s over.”

“I’m not gonna rest until the assassin is dead meat, Caution.”

“You’re not gonna rest until you get yourself killed.” Caution put his hoof on Care’s shoulder. “Don’t do this to yourself. Don’t go provin’ the ponies right wot say a soldier’s job is to die.”

Care scowled. “Isn’t it?”

Caution shook his head. “No. A soldier’s job is to make sure that people get to live peacefully, and the bad guys get put in their place.” He let his hoof drop. “Here in Equestria, at least. We’re here to protect.”

“I failed that mission, Caution.” Care tested her horn before grabbing a cup of water with her hooves. “I hesitated. I let the assassin—this ‘Hurricane’ person—hurt the ruler of our nation, and, and a friend. And…” She shut her eyes tight. “And she killed the ponies in our squad. She murdered them outright. How can you stand for that?”

“Oi can’t. And oi won’t.” Caution shuddered. “But oi ain’t ready to go back yet, Captain. Sometimes all yah can do is sit back an’ pray that the Creator intercedes.”

He flashed pearly white teeth. “Oi’m gonna get moiself recharged and then come out with hooves swingin’. Don’t be worryin’ ’bout that.”

Care laughed. She slugged his shoulder and stood. “I’ll see you at the funeral, then?”

“Aye.” Caution rolled onto his side. He blinked moisture from his eyes. “Full dress uniform. The works. Our mates deserve all oi have tah give.”

Care sniffed. She walked out of the room, failing every attempt to wipe the gnarled frown from her face. “They do, Caution. And Hurricane will deserve everything I give her, too.”

Caution covered up his head with his blankets. “Don’t do anything stupid, Captain. Please.”

***

Crowds lined the streets on a breezy, early-autumn day. Red, yellow, and orange leaves drifted down with every step of the hoof. A few foals ran and played somewhere behind their parents. Their laughter carried through the otherwise quiet air.

Care’s face was stone. Unmoving, unexpressive, solid. Her armor was polished to a shine, down to the last rivet. The purple sash of her captain’s rank was draped over her shoulder and across her chest. Her orange coat and turquoise mane were hidden under the illusory white and blonde of the Royal Guard.

She marched before six caskets in silence, save for the rattling of her armor. Caution followed close behind her, pulling the caskets with his full might. Bringing up the rear of the procession was Windblown, the pegasus guard who had escaped the assassination with dislocated wings. He carried the Banner of the Alicorn Sisters with one foreleg as they walked through the streets of Canterlot.

Only three of the nine remained, and barely that.

Caution flicked a switch on his yoke, separating the front three caskets from the rest. He carried them across a field, to where three fresh graves had been dug. Luna waited for him there.

“Each of these coffins holds an earth pony soldier; the brave souls who fell defending their princess and their country. They will be honored by their families, and live on in stories told by those that loved them. May they one day be reunited.” Her horn glowed as she lowered them into the graves. “Sons and daughter of the earth, return to the clay from whence you came. Bring life to the land you worked, that others may follow in your stead.”

Windblown stood by two of the caskets. With the banner still in his grip, he nudged his burden forward with his forehead. He came to a series of stone slabs, stacked in a pyramid. Luna flew over, and again gripped the coffins with her magic.

“Each of these coffins holds a pegasus soldier; the brave souls who fell defending their princess and their country. They will be respected by their fellows, and followed in their wing beats. May they forever fly, until the day they return.” She set the caskets down and lit the pyre. “Sons of the sky, return to the wind you were born into. Fly free and remind us how much we need each other.”

The caskets and the bodies within burned, and their ash filled the sky. Luna retreated from the altar, turning to the final pony.

They walked together a ways, pulling the final coffin between them. They were followed by the other soldiers from a distance. They came to a series of cave opening in the side of the mountain.

Care pulled the casket into one cave. Her horn glowed the same pink as her eyes, lighting the way. She and the princess found an alcove marked with a family seal.

“This coffin holds a unicorn soldier; the brave soul who fell defending his princess and his country. He will be honored by history, and remembered throughout the age. May he lie in eternal sleep, until the time when all awake.” Luna pushed the coffin into the recess. “Son of the sun and moon, enter your rest. Light the sky with your warmest dreams, and fill our hearts with the fullest of hopes.”

They left the cave. Caution rolled a large stone over the entrance, ending the ceremony with the resounding crash of rock on rock. The guards lined up before Luna and bowed.

“Please stand, my little ponies.” Luna waited until they were upright. At that point, she bent her knee and lowered her own head. “It is to you I must give reverence. To all of you. Without you, my sister would have fallen that night.” Her lips trembled as water dripped from the corners of her eyes. “Thank you. So much.”

Care felt a lump form in her throat. “Th-that’s why we’re here, your Majesty.”

Luna took a calming breath. “Caution, Windblown, your leave begins now. Care, I think there is somewhere else you need to be.”

The crowds had already dispersed by the time the guards reached the city. The returned to the barracks, removed their armor, and exchanged a final embrace.

They went their separate ways.

***

Bronze parts clattered on the tabletop. Gears, levers, springs, casings, screws. Ticking was heard all around as an earth pony worked diligently at his latest creation. He gripped a screwdriver between his lips, making small adjustments here and there. He rubbed oil onto the joints with a cloth, then sat back.

“Come on then, my little beauty,” he said to his device, “walk.”

His brown hoof wound the key on the back of the machine. He set it gently on the table and released it. It ticked and tocked as a thin leg moved forward at a painfully slow pace. It touched the table, and another of its four legs made the journey forward.

He tousled his own unruly, dark brown mane. “Maybe there’s too many teeth in the one gear. Or too few in the other. Maybe I got them switched around.” He nudged the device with his nose. It tottered on two legs for a second, then righted itself. “Gyroscope works just fine. I’d say that makes it a success.”

He lowered a pair of dark goggles over his eyes and lifted a blowtorch. “And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, there’s no success that can’t be made better with a second draft!”

There was a knock at the door. Dinky Doo poked her head in. “Mister Turner? There’s somepony here to see you.”

“Tell them I’m in a meeting,” Time Turner said. He opened the gas nozzle of the torch. “Tell them I’m speaking with some very important people.”

Dinky narrowed her eyes. “More important than a princess?”

“No… no, probably not.” He pushed up his goggles and turned to her. He flicked a piece of flint across a rock absently. “What? Why’d that come to mind?”

Dinky pushed the door open all the way, revealing the clock shop where she worked as a cashier. “Because the pony that wants to see you is Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

The flint scratched one last time. “Princ—”

The torch ignited from the spark. Time Turner held it away from his body with a yelp. “Shoot! Blast! Cuss darn you—!”

Dinky’s horn glinted as she turned the gas valve off from across the room. “You need to be more careful, Mister Turner.”

“You don’t say, you really don’t say.” He set the blowtorch down and hunched over his table. “Did the princess say why she paid a visit?”

Dinky shrugged. “Just that it was urgent.”

“Ah. Urgent visits are always the most pleasant.” He gripped a gear between his hooves. “Nopony just takes their time anymore. Nopony just takes it easy.”

His device reached the edge of the table and stopped. The ticking resumed as it switched directions.

“Time Turner,” Twilight Sparkle said from behind Dinky, “did I come at a bad, well, time?”

“Of course not, of course not.” He turned his chair around with a plastic smile on his face. “Tell me, what brings Ponyville’s favorite princess to my humble little clock shop?”

Twilight Sparkle wore a warm saddle to keep off the autumn chill. She walked into the back room of Time Turner’s shop and sat in the middle of the floor. “In a phrase, time travel.”

Time Turner grinned. “Begging your pardon, your Highness, but from what I hear, you’re the only pony in this room who’s time traveled.”

“Turner, do us both a favor and drop the attitude.” Twilight pointed at him. “I know about what you did as a Knight of Harmony. Are you really going to sit there and deny all the work you’ve done—?”

“Absolutely,” Time Turner said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

“Actually, Mister Turner, I was just about to close up shop for the night.” Dinky crossed one lanky foreleg over the other. “If that’s alright with you.”

A clock on the wall of his workroom, one of many, chimed a “Cuckoo! Cuckoo!” as it struck five. Time slid out of his chair and waved a hoof. “Go on home, Dinky. I’ll lock up. Tell your mother I said hullo.”

Dinky smiled, bowed to Twilight, and slipped out the front door.

“That beanpole of a girl finally learned to stop tripping over her own hooves, but hasn’t quite managed not to trip over Pipsqueak,” Time Turner said. “Bless their hearts.”

Twilight’s cheek pulled back in a half-smile, which disappeared almost instantly. “What they hay is the blowtorch for? I could understand a welder, but—”

“None of your business.” Time shoved his chair up to the table, causing his device to wobble. It creaked to a halt once the spring was fully unwound. “In fact, I don’t think any of my life is your business, and if it is, it does not belong to you exclusively. I would be much obliged if you would please step out.”

Twilight forced a groan of exasperation back down into her chest. With some effort, it didn’t come out. “I need your help, Turner. It’s a matter of life and death.”

He scooped the various baubles off of the table and into a plastic box. He carried it over to a shelf and shoved it into place. “Well, that’s a matter in and of itself. Whose life and whose death are we talking about?”

“Princess Celestia’s,” Twilight said.

“Oh.” Time Turner’s forelegs fell limp at his sides as he sat beside the shelf. “Oh, well that’s—”

He rubbed his head and pulled out a chair. He indicated another on the far side of the table. “Very well, you’ve got my attention. Spell it out. What happened?”

“There was an assassination attempt. Her injuries aren't public yet, so don’t tell anypony.”

Time Turner blew a long breath through his lips. “Yes, because when you think of ponies who blab, I’m the first to come to mind.”

“I wasn’t saying…” Twilight rubbed her temples. “Never mind. The thing is, she’s alive, but she’s hurting. We need to track down the assassin before she strikes again.”

Time Turner lifted a wry eyebrow. “Time is of the essence.”

“Don’t be a smart-aleck.”

“I wasn’t. I was being candid.” Time leaned on the table. His hoof bumped his walking machine, causing it to wobble. “I want to help Celestia. Creator knows I owe it to her. But I’m not a knight anymore, Princess. I can’t do it. I can’t just go gallivanting off.”

“I’m not asking that.” Twilight brought her hooves together. “I just want to consult with you in an area of your expertise. And believe me, you’re the expert here.”

Time Turner looked around his workroom. Clocks in various states of disrepair lined the walls, some in the process of restoration, some cannibalized for parts. He settled on the one functioning cuckoo clock, ticking away. “What do you want to know?”

“We have a small lead. It might be nothing, but right now…” Twilight shrugged. “We think the assassin might be a time traveler. Is it possible to travel into the future?”

Time chuckled. “Of course it is. As a matter of fact, we do it all the time. We’re all on a one-way trip to the future, Sparkle.”

“I mean magically—”

“Magically assisted, of course.” Time’s chair groaned as he pushed it back. “Theoretically, you can go as far forward as you want.”

Twilight’s shoulders slumped. “Even a thousand years?”

Time Turner’s back went stiff. The hairs on his back stood up. “It is very much not recommended. You… can’t go back.”

“Huh?” Twilight said. “I went back in time.”

“Yes. Yes you did.” Time flicked his tail. “How much power did that take?”

Twilight gulped. “Too much.”

“For how long did you stay before being ripped back to the future?”

“About thirty seconds.”

Time Turner nodded slowly. He stood up and walked around the room. He gave one broken clock more scrutiny than it really needed. “That’s the thing. You can’t change the course of time. You can interrupt it. You can speed it up. Slow it. You can fudge it a little. You can’t turn it back on itself without getting hurt.”

Time bowed his head. “You got hurt, didn’t you? How far back did you go?”

Twilight licked her lips. “A week.”

“Seven days.” Time’s ears bent low. “And when you were pulled back, you aged, didn’t you? One year for each of those days.”

Twilight cleared her throat. She cleared it again before she could get the words out. “Yes.”

“Did anypony notice?”

“No,” Twilight said. “I wasn’t… I didn’t look my best.”

“But when you got cleaned up, you noticed.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “You were—what?—seventeen?”

“Yeah.” Her lips trembled. She took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. “It was kinda a shock. I got over it.”

“And you hid it.” Time smirked. “Makeup and illusion spells are wondrous things, are they not?”

Twilight Sparkle’s lip twitched. “You got hurt, too, didn’t you?”

Time Turner ignored her. He continued around his shop in a loop, scratching his cheek. “So to answer your original question: Yes, it’s possible to travel a thousand years into the future with a powerful enough spell. Or device. It’s not recommended, because you’ll leave behind everything you ever thought you knew.”

Twilight stretched her wings. “What could drive a pony to do something like that?”

“Terrible things, Princess,” Time Turner said. “Blasted terrible things.”

Twilight stood up. She folded her wings against her saddle and backed toward the door. “Well, thank you for your time, Turner. You have been helpful, despite yourself.”

As she reached for the door handle, Time Turner spoke up. “Princess Sparkle—”

He wound up his walking machine and set it wobbling across the tabletop. “If you need anything else… if it’ll help Celestia… please let me know. I do want to help her.”

Twilight tilted her head with a small smile. “I’ll keep in touch.”

Author's Note:

Here we start to slowly, surely meet the members of the team. I'm not above alternate interpretations of characters.