Little Glimpses

by Skijarama

...Who We Are

Rainbow glanced at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “Twilight’s future self contacted her?”

Celestia nodded before closing her eyes. “She did. According to my own future self, the change to the timeline, while notable, was… acceptable to certain forces that wish to keep the world moving in a certain direction. The sonic rainboom was the keystone for the timeline to remain, elsewise it would have attempted to self-correct itself by way of the time traveler's Rainbow Dash saw. They were the ones to create the change, and so long as those forces wanted time repaired, they would have retained their memories of the original timeline, as well as had the autonomy needed to fix it.

“But because of the sonic Rainboom being successfully performed, all six of your destinies were solidified as they were supposed to be, and the timeline began to stabilize with the change being left alone.” Celestia explained before looking to Twilight.

“So… does the change in our time have anything to do with the flashes?” Twilight voiced her question once she realized that Celestia was waiting for it.

“It has everything to do with it,” Celestia smiled. “The ‘flashes’ were echoes and fragments of what once was, of the previous timeline reminding who we are now of who we were before. Although, only those who hold or shall hold the elements of harmony could receive these flashes. The force that saw our new time as acceptable is the same force that created the elements and decides their wielders. This link allows you to see the flashes when nopony else can.”

“Did you ever have flashes?” Twilight asked almost instantly, leaning forward with wide eyes.

Celestia blinked then nodded. “Yes… only once, though. I saw myself having a mild panic attack similar to the ones you have when you’re late on an assignment, Twilight.”

Twilight blushed and said no more.

For a moment, everypony went quiet, just taking it all in. Finally Rainbow shot Celestia a hard look. “Here’s my question… why, oh why did you wait so long to tell us all of this?” she asked incredulously before stepping forward. “I mean, this is BIG stuff you’re telling us! I mean, you could have at least told me!”

Celestia sighed heavily. “It isn’t like I wanted to keep secrets from you, Rainbow… but acting off of foreknowledge alone is dangerous enough. Sharing it with anypony could have led to cascade of unpredictable issues that would throw us off course from reaching this moment, this point. I’ve been working to bring you all together as the wielders of the elements for… years, now.”

“Why work for this moment, though?” Applejack asked pointedly. ‘Ah mean, if what yer sayin’ is true, then the sonic rainboom was the thing that needed to happen for our timeline to be stable or whatever, right?”

“A valid question, Applejack,” Celestia turned to face the farmer. “You see, the sonic rainboom was the foundation of your futures, but your gathering to obtain the elements of harmony is a crucial and critical event. This point in time, the return of Nightmare Moon, is a keystone just as much as the rainboom. I know you all will do wonderful things with the elements, but it is quite possible that you would not have reached this point without some… admittedly sneaky guidance. This became clear to me when Rainbow Dash became an orphan… With her birth parents gone, she may have never been in Ponyville, rendering the elements useless.”

“Woah, hold on a second!” Rainbow said suddenly, stepping forward and looking Celestia deep in the eyes, almost looking hurt. “Are you saying that the only reason you adopted me was so I could make it here?”

Celestia flinched back, suddenly looking very timid. “...Perhaps that was my initial motivation, yes. But please understand, Rainbow…” Celestia let herself down to be at eye level with her adopted daughter. “From the moment I took you in, even if my goal was to make you a bearer of an element of harmony, I still swore to care for you and love as any mother should. You are my daughter, Rainbow. No matter what first sent me to adopt you, or my reasons, you were always my beloved daughter first, and the element of loyalty second.”

Rainbow took a step back, looking unsure of herself.

“It is just like I said that day in Highblood’s manor. Do you remember, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow looked at Celestia again, her posture timid and her face nervous.

“I had been desiring a foal for some time… I had been wanting to grow my family, to feel the joy of being a mother. I wanted Luna to feel that similar joy of realizing she was an aunt when she came home…” Celestia shot her little sister a warm smile. “And you needed a family to draw out your potential, potential that is so much more than wielding the element of loyalty.” Celestia explained before reaching out. Rainbow, after a moment, relented and gratefully entered into an embrace with her mother.

A few moments passed before Pinkie piped up. “Sooo… if the old timeline has been popping up in our minds all these years, and the timeline was completely rewritten, how come we spoke to our future selves after we got the elements?” she said surprisingly calmly.

Rainbow and Celestia reluctantly disengaged their embrace. While Rainbow sat beside Luna to keep her some company, Celestia stood up again. “Because you obtaining the elements is what finally cemented our timeline into a firm path, as well as creating a link for the old timeline to commune with you more directly. What you saw were yourselves in the old timeline, becoming who you are now in the new one.”

“But the whole timeline was erased, wasn’t it?” Twilight pointed out with a quizzical look.

“In truth, it is actually still dissolving as we speak,” Celestia clarified before clearing her throat. “For brief moments, you moved through time, projections of your current selves speaking to your future others. But you still moved forward to do this. When you awoke in the castle, you had returned to our present. As it stands, the old timeline will still be dissolving and being overwritten until we reach the same point where it ends, in a few years.”

“On the topic of the old timeline…” Rarity began with a small cough. “I’ve been meaning to ask since we started this revelation spree, but, will we still be receiving the flashes?”

Celestia shook her head. “No. At least, it isn’t likely. As I mentioned, the return of Nightmare Moon was a keystone event. It’s outcome, no matter what it was to be, would have caused the rest of the timeline to stabilize into something structurally sound. The flashes were echoes and fragments left behind, but they only remained because our timeline was still unstable. There may yet be a few rare flashes over the next few years… if they begin to occur again, it would be wise to brace yourselves for something big. They would begin to occur at critical points and key moments.”

“Note to self: Further hallucinations of future parties are a really bad omen about things going wrong in the near future. Brace for future catastrophes accordingly.” Pinkie said to herself in a serious voice while furiously scribbling words into a notebook with a pencil held in her mane.

Celestia nodded before standing straight and stretching. “I wish I could answer more of your questions, but I am afraid I am needed at town hall soon. The mayor requested my presence immediately and I have delayed her for too long…”

“Uh, before you go!” Rainbow called, trotting up to Celestia and looking at her with hopeful eyes. “Uh… we’re staying the night here, right?”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I suppose we can. Why?”

“Well… I…” Rainbow glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes with Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity one by one before sighing. “I… kinda don’t wanna go.”

“...Me neither.” Twilight added in with a small nod. “I mean, Rainbow and I made four new friends last night and… well, you said I needed to let true friendship in, right?”

A knowing smile slowly crept onto Princess Celestia’s face. “...You want to stay here with your new friends, don’t you?”

Rainbow and Twilight nodded silently, sharing a glance.

Celestia’s smile turned a touch more solemn looking, but nonetheless, she turned to where Spike had been sleeping all night, the baby dragon tucked into his bed in the corner. “Spike! Wake up, please.”

“Huh, what?” Spike mumbled before glancing up at the room. Everypony was looking at him expectantly. “What?” he repeated.

“I need you to take a note, Spike.” Celestia said with an amused and ever-motherly smile.

“Oh, right!” Spike yipped before standing up scampering off towards an end table not far away. He pulled it open, sifted through and then withdrew a sheet of parchment and a quill. “Ready!”

“Ahem. I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, and my own daughter, Rainbow Dash, shall together begin a new mission for Equestria. They must continue to study and learn of the magic of friendship and all it can accomplish. They must report to me their findings from their new home... in Ponyville.”

Twilight cantered forward to stand next to Rainbow, and the two shared happy grins as their new friends huddled around them in a massive group hug. Twilight looked up at Celestia with tears of joy in her eyes. “Thank you so much, Princess. I promise I’ll study harder than ever before!”

“Make it a field study, eh?” Rainbow teased while playfully nudging Twilight in the shoulder.

“Oh shush!” Twilight snapped back before the lot of them snuggled deeply into their group hug. Rainbow, after a moment, looked up at Celestia before silently excusing herself from the hug and looking up at her mother.

“Yes, my daughter? Is there something more you want to say?” Celestia asked quietly, the two of them stepping away from the pony pile to have a bit more privacy in their chat.

Rainbow bit her lip. “Um… I, uh… gah, I’m so bad at all this mushy stuff…” she grumbled in an irritated whisper. Then she locked eyes with Celestia. “Just… thank you. For everything.” she then sent herself up, wrapping her forelegs around Celestia’s neck and shoulder in a tight hug.

Celestia gladly returned the embrace, nuzzling affectionately into her daughter’s shoulder. “You’re welcome, Rainbow Dash… but truly, you don’t need to thank me for anything. I’m just doing what a mother does… loving her daughter.”

Rainbow sniffled before removing herself from the hug. “Mom, what do I keep telling you about the onions?”

Celestia smiled softly. “There is nothing wrong with feeling, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow nodded slowly. “Yeah… I guess there isn’t.”

Celestia took a deep breath before turning slightly for the exit and nodding to Luna, who came forward to stand next to her. “Well… I wish you the best of luck in your new home, Rainbow Dash. Remember that there is always a place for you in Canterlot if you ever want to come back.” she shot Rainbow a small smirk. “I love you, my daughter. Farewell.”

Rainbow’s face tinted slightly as Celestia dropped the mushiest of all mush bombs, the ‘L’ bomb on her. Shaking her head to dispel it, Rainbow nodded sheepishly before slowly making her way back towards Twilight and the rest of their new friends. Celestia smiled before she and her little sister walked out.

Twilight watched them go and, while she re-welcomed Dash to the assembly, she excused herself only a moment later and made for the door. She stepped out of the library and watched after Celestia. “Princess Celestia?” she called, causing the alicorn to turn and glance back at her. “...Can I talk to you before you go back? I… I need to ask you something. Something personal.”

Celestia’s smile faltered, though she nodded. “Of course, my faithful student. I shall come see you at sunset.”

Comments

[Comickook]

Once more, excellent work on this chapter. The exchanges and characterizations were, of course, quite well done. And yeah, Celestia had some VERY good answers. Well, on to the final chapter.

[Miyukana]

Lesson Zero reference tsk...tsk...tsk...

[The Spy of the Tiger]

“Note to self: Further hallucinations of future parties are a really bad omen about things going wrong in the near future. Brace for future catastrophes accordingly.” Pinkie said to herself in a serious voice while furiously scribbling words into a notebook with a pencil held in her mane.

Did you just explain Pinkie Sense?

[Skijarama]

8767175
No, because Pinkie Sense are physical twitches or sensations, like flapping ears, knee twitches, eye flutters, twitchy tails, etc. Not at all connected to the Flashes, which is what Pinkie was talking about here.

[tsaukpaetra]

Behold, the Princess now resides in Ponyville!

[arachnidsGrip]

“Of course, my faithful student. I shall come see you at sunset.”

Was this an intentional reference to SS, or is that just the word that Celestia uses?

[That One Brony Dude]

The sonic rainboom was the keystone for the timeline to remain, elsewise it would have attempted to self-correct itself by way of the time traveler's Rainbow Dash saw.

There should not be an apostrophe in the word "travelers". The apostrophe implies that the word is either a contraction for "traveler is" (it's not), or a possessive (again, it's not).

[BleuBlooms]

I like this story and very much enjoy every moment. Until the end where a seemingly motherly presence just ups and wakes a BABY dragon ...to write a letter. Gosh I wonder what all that ancient and powerful knowledge stops her from writing a letter.

Or having great penmen ship? Let alone the everypony there with a supposed desired baby dragon there? Though she did just wake him?