Editor Required

by stupidhand14

Chapter 2: Akashic Records

The next morning, Sunset found herself waiting at the front of school far ahead of her usual schedule. Most of her friends didn’t even show up until five minutes before the first bell rang, but she had arrived thirty minutes early.

Yawning loudly, Sunset stretched in her spot on the front steps of the school. Although autumn was already in full swing, it wasn’t a cold morning. Sunset checked her phone for the fourth time that minute. Twilight should have been at school already, but she hadn’t shown up with the last bus.

The sound of an approaching bus shook Sunset out of her sleepy state. Smiling, Sunset waited patiently for the bus to approach and deposit Twilight for another day of learning. The bus stopped and students got off, but Twilight was not one of them.

Sunset immediately pulled out her phone and sent a text to Twilight. It read simply, “Are you running late today? I need to talk to you before class starts.”

Returning to her waiting, Sunset thought back on her plan, making sure every detail was correct before trying to explain it. Sunset watched as another bus came by, and still no Twilight.

Determined to wait until Twilight arrived, Sunset practically jumped up when she felt a hand shake her shoulder. Standing behind her was Twilight, backpack already gone.

“Hey, Sunset,” Twilight greeted with a smile. “You needed something?”

“How’d you get here so fast?” Sunset asked in shock. She had been at school and watched the first bus as it arrived, and she was certain Twilight didn’t know how to drive.

“Someone in my first period offered me a ride, so I took them up on their offer.” Twilight sat down next to Sunset, her smile growing a bit wider. “This school’s students are so much nicer than Crystal Prep. If someone offered you a ride from there, they would demand a fee.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty good.” Sunset shook her head, clearing her thoughts. “Anyways, can you come over to my place after school?”

“Uh… I’ll ask my mom, but she’ll probably be fine with it.” Twilight pulled out her phone and sent of a quick text before depositing it back into her pocket. “So, what do you need me over for?”

“It’s… it’s complicated.” Sunset let out a loud sigh. “Long story short, something happened to the past, and now you don’t even remember one of our friends because they’ve changed. I have an idea on how to fix it, but I need you to watch over me while I do it.”

Twilight leaned back against the step, her head nodding slowly as her mind worked its way around all the new information. After several seconds, she turned to Sunset.

“Alright,” she said simply, pulling out her phone again to send off a quick text.

“Wait, that’s it? You’re not gonna ask a bunch of questions concerning what I need you to do or what I just said?”

“Nope.” Twilight looked around for her backpack and, noticing its absence, looked a touch glummer. “If what you’re saying is right, and I have no reason not to believe it’s true, then asking questions would prove itself moot as, if you do succeed in restoring our memories, then I’d understand what you meant.”

“I guess that’s one way to look at it…” Sunset sat back with Twilight, who was already getting up. “Where are you going?”

“I need to go jot down notes on how I’m feeling and what I know, as well as how I reacted to what you said. If I’m going to do my own, safe research on magic, then I need any data I can get. Anyways, gotta go!” Without waiting for a response, Twilight rushed over to the doors, presumably to go jot down said notes.

With a playful rolling of her eyes, Sunset looked down at her phone. She still had twenty minutes before her first period started.

“Uuuugh!” Sunset slumped back on the stairs, practically laying down. “Why did I get here so early?”

---

Six and a half hours later saw Sunset returning home with a very anxious Twilight in step, trying to jot down any notes she could.

“So, did you feel anything other than dread when you saw Rainbow Dash, or some other sense that told you something was wrong?”

“Nothing magical, I think.” Sunset had been answering questions the entire trip, and was starting to get tired of answering them. She was carrying a bucket full of ice in front of her, for use later.

“And when you saw Rainbow Dash, you still recognized her, though it was not reciprocated?”

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.” Sunset sent up a silent prayer to speed up the journey, which was answered immediately as she finally saw her house. Picking up the pace, Sunset all but slammed into her door, pushing it open. “Finally, we’re here.”

Twilight entered in after her, her notebook still out. Sunset led her into the living room, where she finally put down the bucket full of ice. Letting out a big huff of air, Sunset sat on her couch, ignoring the remaining mess in her house.

“So, what do I need to do?” Twilight sat on the couch as Sunset began to put some water in the bucket.

“It’s very simple, really.” Sunset continued to put water in the bucket as she spoke. “I’m going to try to connect with the magical energies, but I don’t know what’s gonna happen when I do.”

“Isn’t that really dangerous?” Twilight asked in a worried tone.

“No, as long as you’re here I should be fine.” Sunset gave Twilight an assuring smile. “I’m only to be connected with the energies for two hours. Once those two hours are up, shake me to bring me back.”

“What if that doesn’t work?”

“That’s where this comes in.” Sunset motioned to the bucket, now full of ice and water. “If you can’t wake me up by shaking me, do not hesitate to dunk my head in the bucket to shock me out. That’s the best way to wake someone up when they’re exploring unknown magical energies of this type.”

“Okay, I think I understand.”

Sunset left the living room, coming back with the Book of History in hand. Placing the book on the table, Sunset assumed a comfortable meditating position. For her, it was laying down.

Closing her eyes, Sunset projected her mind outward again, towards the book. She could feel it clearly, still feeling the magic being channeled through it, like water through a gateway. Letting out a deep breath, Sunset let go of her body and focused on the gateway more, allowing herself to be pulled into it.

With a blinding flash, everything changed. Sunset could see a million colors swirling around her in a wondrous mix. She lost all sense of time in the colorful swirls, but eventually it all ended. Sensation returned to her. Nothing felt wrong, though she couldn’t feel her home’s carpet she was probably still laying on.

With a forced effort, Sunset opened her eyes and found herself in a strange, new place. Looking around, she found herself surrounded completely by walls of bookshelves. There seemed to be ample light, but no source could be found. It seemed to simply exist above the smooth, white marble tiles.

Sunset glanced around, searching for an entrance or exit. Her eyes, however, kept focusing on a book in front of her. This particular book caught her eye as it had bookmark sticking out from the top of it. Following her first instinct, Sunset waved her horn, withdrawing the book. She flipped through the pages to see that it was the section that was in her own Book of History, but with much more detail.

Carrying the book next to her, she began to explore the wonderous place she found herself in. There were rows and rows of books, reaching high into the sky. There didn’t appear to be an end, appearing as more a labyrinth than a library. Eventually, she found her way to what appeared to be a different area entirely.

It was a small clearing, with a desk on one of the sides. In the other three directions were entranceways back into the collection of books. Between the desk and her was a large fountain, except the water within it wasn’t blue; it was a dark purple.

Sunset began to make her way over to the desk, her hoofsteps sounding louder with every impact, echoing off the bookshelves and walls. Sunset made her way past the fountain to the desk. Looking over it, she found it in pristine condition, without a single bit of dust, grime, or use. After seeing nothing was amiss, she turned and began to make her way towards one of the entrances.

“Another visitor?” a voice said, coming from behind her. “How intriguing.”

Sunset turned to face the creature that spoke. Sitting at the desk, which was now a chaotic mess, was some form of creature. It’s body was very unique, with a nearly flat angular face. Its skin was a pale brown. It was missing its nose and ears, but its mouth was made in a wide smile.

“No one comes for two thousand years, and now two visitors in the span of days.” The creature’s smile grew, its body becoming more casual. “More interesting is that one is an Equestrian.”

“H-how did you know that?” Sunset asked, pointing a hoof at him. When her hoof entered her vision, she realized that her form had changed. She looked at the offending limb with incredulity before realizing she was a pony again.

“It appears somepony is a bit behind.” He got up from his desk and grabbed her hoof, giving it a hard shake. “I suppose I should introduce myself. I am HaSt Soporific. I work here, sometimes.”

“Where is here?” Sunset pulled her hoof away from Hast. He simply moved back to sit behind the desk again.

“You don’t even know where you are? What are they teaching you?” Hast swirled his finger in the air, creating a floating sign saying, “Welcome to the Akashic Records”. “Does this answer you question?” His smile transformed itself into an annoying smirk, making his face all the more punchable.

“That doesn’t tell me anything!” Sunset jumped up onto her hind legs, placing her forelegs on the desk. “What. Is. This. Place?”

“It’s the center of all knowledge. Any and all ideas, thoughts, events, and general history are stored here, for the select few that manage to make it here… which hasn’t happened in a long time, though some manage to tap into part of it.”

“So this is where all that comes from…” Sunset trailed off, realizing where all the information from the Continuous History enchanted books came from.

“Now, Ms. Shimmer…” Hast outfit had changed to that of a secretary, complete with tiny glasses and a clipboard in front of him. “You seem to fit most of the requirements, so I will offer you it now. Do you wish to be an Editor?”

Sunset felt herself get teleported over to a chair in front of the desk. Glaring at Hast, she tried to get comfortable. “What’s that?”

“Well, you’ll be required to go back in time and fix whatever errors the Records find. Very simple, I assure you.” The clipboard disappeared in a puff of smoke, in its place a stack of papers. “All you have to do is sign this contract and you’ll be granted full rights as an Editor.”

“Contract?” Sunset’s mind raced back to her time as Celestia’s pupil. “Can I read through it first, just to make sure there’s nothing wrong with it?”

“Ms. Shimmer, I’m a very busy entity.” Hast pointed behind her, where now stood a line of Hast’s all waiting impatiently. “But, if you wish to hold up the line, please, go ahead and waste your time reading it.”

Sunset took the stack of papers and levitated it over to her, her magic feeling as natural as it had when she was Celestia’s pupil. Reading over the front page, there were four numbered statements.

1) I may not look at my own future or change my past.
2) Any consequences that come, I must accept. If that means what I fixed leads to an undesired outcome, I don't have the right to complain to any entity of the Records.
3) A fee will be paid to the Editor based on the problems they fix, and in what way.
4) I may not ever tell anyone else of the way to get into the Records.

Sunset flipped to the next page only to notice that it had the same exact words. Flipping through the next several pages, suspicions began to grow and were confirmed. Every single page was the exact same, with no deviations.

“Why did you give me a bunch of copies of the same page?” Sunset asked, pointing a hoof at the accused.

“Backup copies, of course. You only need to fill out one, obviously.” Hast’s all too innocent smile spelled his guilt clearly. “So, do you wish to accept this contract? I assure you, it will bring about quite the adventure.”

Sighing, Sunset levitated one of the pens from his desk. Slowly, deliberately, she signed her name on the very bottom of the sheet. After her name was fully written, the letters shined a brilliant gold before the contract disappeared.

“A pleasure to have you, Ms. Shimmer, and since I’m feeling generous, why don’t I give you a little tour?” Without waiting for an answer, Hast snapped, teleporting Sunset across the room into a theater chair. With a snap, Hast was sitting next to her with a large bag of popcorn. With another snap, a projector appeared into existence behind them while a projection board was placed in front of them. Without missing a beat, Hast pulled out a remote, giving it a click.

The first of many pictures appeared on the screen in front of them. It was just the title page for the power point, though most of it was filled up by the words, “Created by Hast Soporific.”

A second Hast appeared by the images, a pointer in his hand. Hast pulled a remote out of thin air and pointed it towards the projector, giving it a press. The picture changed to show wide rows of bookshelves.

“These are the bookshelves of history, each one containing information on a certain person or a certain time or even a certain event. I won’t go into the details of how it works, just that it does,” the Hast at the front said.

The image changed again, this time showing a map of the records.

“As you can see, there are three main library wings of history and then the editor’s area, where only editors are allowed in. If anyone else tried… well, nothing bad would happen, per se, but nothing would happen. They wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

The scene changed again, this time showing a strange looking portal and clothing.

“This is the Time Displacer. It allows for editors to go back in time to fix disturbances in the past. The clothing on the left will allow you to go unseen. You have to wear it or the butterfly effect might harm someone.”

Hast continued his lecture for a few more minutes, but he mostly went on about how the cafeteria was top notch in the editor’s wing.

“By the way, did anyone else come through here recently?” Sunset interrupted just before he could start talking about the glories of mystery meat.

“Yes, I told you that earlier. Weren’t you listening?” Hast reached over and pulled a cotton ball out of her ear. “Ah, I see the problem. Cotton in your little pony ears. I didn’t know it was a problem for equines as well as humans.”

“Who were they?” Sunset leaned towards him, trying to draw the answer out of him.

“I have no idea who they were, I just gave them the tour like I did you. And they were much nicer about it!” Hast hmpfed and teleported a small distance away. “Now, if you don’t need me, I must be going.”

“Wait!” Sunset called out to him, which he surprisingly obeyed. “Can you at least tell me what they looked like?”

“Ah, alas, I’m not good with faces. I might remember something later, though.” With a smirk he tried to hid behind his hands, Hast teleported away, leaving Sunset alone, the chairs and projector disappearing with him.

Getting off the chair, Sunset moved to the right of the main desk, finding a small key card slider there. Glaring at it, she felt a tap on her chest. Looking down, she found a lanyard around her neck with an obscured picture of her as well as all her details. Sliding it through the keypad, the door slowly opened.

Returning after grabbing the book she was supposed to fix, she walked through the door and into a long hallway. There were many doors, but, according to the map, the Time Displacer would be at the very end of it. After a minute of walking, she finally got to the end of the Hallway, and found the machine and the suit that was in the slide show.

The suit was a dark shade of purple, with lilac trimmings. It covered the full body, and was her perfect fit. Putting on all but the hood, Sunset turned back to the main machine. It looked like a large gateway, but to one side was a lectern. Walking over to it, she placed the book into the lectern and took a step back.

The machine sprang to life. A swirling vortex with multiple time symbols covered the gateway. Already a picture could be made out, but it wasn’t focused. Returning to the book, Sunset flipped through a few of the pages and found the picture changing, getting more focused. When she flipped to the page with the error, the vortex showed Rainbow sliding into another player’s ankle.

Taking a step back again, Sunset gathered her courage. Taking a deep breathe, she strengthened her resolve. She needed to fix the past. She couldn’t let anything stop her. She ran towards the portal, and everything went white.

---

The first thing Sunset could feel was cold water on her face. She was almost out of air, and someone was forcibly pushing her head into ice cold water, barely giving her enough time to breathe. Everything was a mixture of color in the water, and Sunset felt physically drained, as if she could do nothing.

After several more seconds, her head was raised out of the water for several seconds, only to be met face to face with Twilight Sparkle, who was peering right into her eyes.

“Sunset, are you back?” Twilight asked, adjusting the bucket.

“Yes! Yes, I’m back!” Sunset all but shouted. Twilight’s shoulders relaxed and she let go of Sunset’s head. “What happened? Why did you bring me back?”

In response, Twilight silently pointed to the clock that hung on the wall. The time was two and a quarter hours past when they had started. Sunset, still catching her breathe, turned back to Twilight.

“Listen, I need to go back for just a few more hours. Wake me up in---” Before she could continue, Twilight covered her mouth with her hand.

“No, Sunset. You can’t do that.” Removing her hand, Twilight sat back. “I need to go home, and you look worn out. You started sweating while you were… over there. You started to move, shout weird things…” Twilight looked away, not meeting Sunset’s eyes. “You scared me.”

For the first time since being pulled back, Sunset examined herself. Her arms were heavy, as were her legs. She felt as if she could eat an entire wedding cake designed by Pinkie. Already she could feel exhaustion overflowing her.

“But I have to go back, I have to fix this as soon as possible.” Sunset tried to reach for the book, only to be stopped by Twilight again.

“Sunset, if you change the past, will it change the present?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Sunset answered after a moment of thought. “That’s how it was changed in the first place and why you can’t remember Rainbow.”

“That means you can fix it any time and it won’t have any negative effects on Rainbow or anyone’s past. You don’t have to rush through it, harming yourself in the process.”

“But I have to help her!”

“And you will, but for now you need to rest. Even I can tell you need it, and I’m terrible at reading people.”

The two sat in silence as Sunset mulled it over. She didn’t enjoy being forced to wait, but going back to that place could prove dangerous when exhausted. Sighing, Sunset gave Twilight a nod, prompting her to smile.

“Do you even know what you have to do in order to fix it?”

“No.” Sunset sighed, laying down on the floor. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing when I go to fix it. I have no idea what the ‘right’ choice is or how to bring it about.”

The two sat in silence for a few more moments, thinking. Twilight moved off the couch and lay next to her friend.

“Why not just ask Rainbow Dash what happened that day?” Twilight proposed.

Sunset looked at her, thinking it through. “That would be helpful, and give me more information…”

The two let silence return, preferring instead to simply think and relax. The peace did not last long, however, as a buzzing in Twilight’s pocket cut through the silence. Retrieving her phone, Twilight read the text and got up.

“My mom’s here,” she said, moving to grab her backpack. “See you tomorrow at school.” Twilight waved a goodbye and exited the door, closing it on her way out.

“Bye.” Sunset locked the door before moving to the kitchen to grab and eat some leftovers. While eating, the Book of History mocked her, taunting her with the chance to save one of her closest friends.

After eating, Sunset moved over and forced herself to close the book. Twilight was right. Extensive magical use without rest could prove disastrous. Sunset started to clean up the mess that was made. It was then that she noticed something had changed. Below the title were four little words: “Property of Sunset Shimmer”.

Author's Note:

Apologies for taking so long (Though two weeks isn't too bad for me). Oh well, it's hear now. Hope you enjoyed it!

Remember, Criticism is always welcome.

Comments

[Mares-a-Mares]

I wonder if the other person was Starlight Glimmer over in the Equestria Girls world or something? After all, her pony counterpart changed Rainbow's past , and this might be a similar situation or something...Either way, I remain quite curious.

[NotSoWickedWitch]

Another amazing chapter you got there, mate! Can't wait for the next.

[Votederpycausemufins]

i'm guessing since it got her name after she became the editor, but someone obviously edited something without their name being there, the other editor got a hold of the first book twilight sent that didn't make it through