7 Sock Party!
The words night and day don’t have nearly the same meaning when you’re in outer space. This was more true for Applejack, whose habit was to rise with the sun, and rest when the moon took its place. With no sun and moon, she began looking for a clock, and was the first of her group to notice the lack of timepieces throughout the entire amusement park.
Interesting footnote, Twilight takes turns with Cadence and Flurry Heart filling Celestia’s former role at the yearly Summer Sun Celebration. She’s always done an exemplary job at the actual celebration. Pity she confused the New Year’s Eve countdown with the Summer Sun Celebration on four separate occasions.
Ponies were told that they could eat when they’re hungry and sleep when they’re tired. The hotel had an all day buffet and sound proof rooms. It was as though Twilight wanted everypony to lose track of time.
At some point, AJ realized she was both tired and hungry; she probably would have noticed this sooner if not for the mix of adrenalin and upside-down fast moving rides. “Spike, what time is it?”, she asked as they were getting off a roller coaster.
“10:04!”
“Land Sakes! Why didn’t you tell us it was getting so late?” What were they to do now?
Pinkie didn’t seem all that perturbed by it. She was more used to keeping flexible hours than most. Rainbow Dash was too psyched to let the night end.
“Hey Pinkie,” Rainbow called,“let’s ride the Rainboom Coaster again.
“Okie Dokie Loci,” came her excited reply. The two galloped off towards the roller coaster.
Applejack turned to Spike, and Fluttershy. “I suppose it’s just us three.”
Fluttershy looked around. “Where’s Rarity?”
Twilight heard a knock on her door. It was a knock she recognized very well. You see, most of Twilight’s friends have their own unique knock. This was a kindness on their part. There was always the chance that Twilight would be confused about what day it was, and expect somepony who couldn’t possibly be at the door.
This knock went:
hard, hard, space,
soft, soft, space,
hard, soft, space,
hard, space,
hard, soft, hard, hard, space,
repeat.
Nice and simple, it was Minty’s name in pony code. Though, Twilight had no idea why she bothered to always repeat the code twice. It’s not like she would miss it the first time.
Minty still needed time to get through her second knocking sequence, so Twilight quickly checked her hair. She noticed the pictures around her mirror. It had long been her habit to have pictures of dear friends and treasured moments be the first thing she see in the morning. Some of these photos were so old, Starlight Glimmer had to develop a spell to stop them from fading. She noticed there were least seven pictures with Minty.
Would Minty think this was weird? After almost a thousand years, even the mane six was down to one group photo and three event pics. Should she hide a few of Minty’s pictures? In the end Twilight left the photos, she only had time to either take down photos or tease her eyelashes before Minty finished her second knocking sequence, even with the extra minute it always takes her to remember the Y in ponish code.
“Yeah, Twilight is having one of her sock parties tonight.” Spike spoke as he landed another basket at ski ball.
Applejack had to admit, those things at the end of Spikes wrists seemed better suited for this game then her hooves were. Though, she’d probably cream him if he let her use her bucking legs.
“So, her and Minty just get together and talk about socks.” As she spoke she lined up her next shot.
“Oh they don’t just talk about them. They knit, sew, model, darn.” Just as he said darn, Spike missed a shot. AJ wondered if he meant ‘to mend a hole in fabric’ or ‘darn I missed.’
Twilight’s book of sock designs was on the nightstand. It was just full of new ideas. There was one she was particularly proud of; buy leftover Pegasus mane from barber shops to make socks that let earth ponies and unicorns walk on clouds. Of course she already had spells that make this feat possible, but it was still a neat little idea. Actually why was the book so full of new ideas. Usually she would come up with two or three designs, then go to Minty for a sock party. This was one of the few ways Twilight’s mind could process the passage of time. She knew it had been too long since her last sock party.
Finally Twilight opened the door. To her surprise, the first pony she saw didn’t have a green coat, or a pink and white mane. No, the colour scheme was all wrong. Sure anything goes with white, but purple just didn’t have the same contrast as pink did with mint green.
“Oh, uh… hello Rarity.”
“Hello, darling. I met your friend on the way in and she suggested I join in. If that’s okay with you, of course.”
Twilight looked at Rarity with a twinge of uncertainty. Hesitantly, she moved aside letting Rarity enter her room. Rarity wondered if she should even come. Next, Twilight poked her head outside the door, but Minty approached just as she did, and they bumped noses.
Twilight apologized. “Oh horsefeathers, that was clumsy of me. Are you okay.”
“Sure Twi, I’m fine.”
They grabbed a few paper bags that Minty had set just outside in the hall. When all were inside, Twilight closed the door. She looked to Rarity then back to Minty, as though waiting for an explanation.
“They used to have two sock parties a week. For a while, I wondered if sock party was some sort of euphemism, like maybe Twilight was doing something she didn’t want me to know about.”
“Was she?” Applejack asked.
“Naw, Eventually they started a business together, selling custom Hearth’s warming Eve socks by mail order.”
“So it’s totally innocent?”
“Is everything okay darling?” She could sense Twilights unease.
“Sure, everything is fine. I mean, why wouldn’t it be fine? Everything is just peachy. Will you excuse us for just one minute Rarity.” Twilight bit on Minty’s ear and pulled her into the bathroom, shutting the door behind them.
“What are you thinking bringing Rarity here?”
Minty spoke as if she was oblivious to Twilights reaction; and probably was. “Oh well, I met her on the way to the hotel, and we got to talking. She was way more approachable then I expected. Do you know that Rarity was one of my heroes growing up? I used to look at the dresses she designed and think what socks would go with them. Of course I eventually realized you don’t really need the dresses, I mean were ponies right? Still there’s nothing like a cozy pair of socks.”
“You’re rambling.” Twilight touched a hoof on the other mare’s shoulder. “Minty, this was going to be our night.”
“I thought you’d be happy,” she whined.
Twilight paced in a circle around the tiny room. “At some point you’re going to go back to your time, and there will be this past version of me there. We’ll be together for the rest of your life.”
“I like that,” Minty told her. She nuzzled closer to Twilight.
“Yes, I did too.” Twilight was close to crying. She wondered if she would have to spell it out for her. Tell her about all the days afterwards. She was actually thankful for her condition, in that most days she mistakenly believed that she had just seen Minty or could visit her any time she wanted.
“Well, Rarity is close to you, and she loves fashion. She said a sock party would be delightful. Hardly any pony says sock parties are delightful. I thought she must be the one you had sock parties with before you met me.”
“There was no pony I had sock parties with before you.”
“Really, cause you’d been a princess for about six hundred years before we met.” Minty thought for a second. “Maybe you’re just confusing before and after again.”
“Minty, there was no pony before you or after you!”
“There must have been some pony after me.”
“There wasn’t,” Twilight insisted. “Okay, maybe there were a few nights with Princess Luna, but it wasn’t what we had. Luna and I just did things to make each other feel better. I think maybe it was a little too close to around the time that Celestia was lost to us. Maybe she even regrets it.”
Twilight wondered why she was even telling her about that.
“Twilight,” Minty was on the verge of tears, “I want there to be ponies after me. I don’t want you to be alone.”
How was Twilight supposed to respond to that? What could she say? This mare named Minty, she felt blessed to have shared one lifetime with her. How could any pony replace her? How could Minty be the one trying to replace herself?
“When the party ends, Rarity is going to stay here in this time, right Twilight?”
“She doesn’t know that yet. If I were even going to do this with her, it shouldn’t be before I tell her. Besides, even I’m not sure what’s really going to happen.” Twilight turned her head and thought for a second. “Tomorrow I’ll tell them the truth about the predestination paradox. I’ll try to make them understand, and if any of them still insist on going home then I’ll try to send them.”
“Wait,” said Minty, “I thought they couldn’t go back to their time because they didn’t go back to their time.”
Predestination paradoxes were confusing. The basic jist is that you can’t change the past because the time travel is already part of that past.
“We have working time travel spells. The only way to figure out why they didn’t go back is to try to send them back, and see what goes wrong. I’d rather they not take the risk, but it’s their choice and I won’t take that away from them.”
Minty said nothing. She just nuzzled closer to Twilight in an affectionate manner. Twilight loved the mint smell.
After a while like that, it occurred to Twilight that Rarity was still waiting for them in the next room.
Finally they opened the door and went to meet her.
When the door opened, Rarity leapt in surprise. She positioned her hooves to cover herself up, as though ponies weren’t usually bare anyway. This drew attention to what she was wearing.
“Oh, darlings, I’m sorry. I found them in Minty’s bag and couldn’t resist trying them on.”
Pulled up to the hind of her legs were four socks. They were black with purple stripes. The wool was in a flawless double knit weave and just exuded a feeling of cozyness.
Minty pulled out a tissue. She felt a nosebleed coming on.
Suddenly there was a flash of light. In less time then the flash itself, Twilight had grabbed a camera and taken a picture.
“This is so going on the mirror,” she thought.
The next morning Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were sitting around a breakfast table.
Pinkie just got back from the brunch line, and joined them. She laid down a stack of waffles covered in strawberry coulis and maple syrup. In her other hoof she held a coffee cup.
“Since when do you drink coffee, sugar-cube?”
“It’s a white hot chocolate mocha. It’s really sweet, I love how they froth the milk. And they’ll wright any name you want on your cup. I got them to write Fili-Second on mine; from the time when we were Power Ponies.”
“I got the same chocolate mocha. They are good.” Rainbow Dash commented.
“What did they write on your cup?” Pinkie asked.
“Just my name,” Rainbow Dash had the name on her cup turned away from Pinkie at the moment.
Applejack and Fluttershy talked about their rooms, and how they slept. Rarity, came to join them.
“Hello, darlings.”
“Dang’t, Rarity, were have you be. You just up and disappeared on us.”
“I am ever so sorry. I got to talking with a pony named Minty last night. She invited me to join her and Twilight for a sock party.”
“Sock party?”
“It was delightful. I never thought I could have that sort of fun with Twilight.” She tilted her head in wonderment. “Perhaps I should try to teach her what I learned from her when we go home to our time.”
Everypony needed a moment to wrap their heads around that; mostly because of the time travel part.
Rainbow Dash overheard some ponies in the next table talking. You see, every pony had their favourite flower waiting for them in their rooms last night, another of Twilight’s surprises. However, her Hydrangea didn’t seem too healthy.
"When you need them the most, these memories will return to you. I promise they will." Celestia’s voice echoed in her head.
Rainbow apologized for interrupting and started offering the ponies tips about building up the root system and how certain fertilizers could offset PH.
Applejack eyed the exchange suspiciously. Since when does Rainbow Dash know anything about flowers? As she leaned in, Applejack noticed something else. The name written on Rainbow Dash’s cup was ‘Rainbow Daisy.’
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The Author's notes are both in the chapter and on their respective place. You should fix that.
8586952
Done
There's a reason most forms of mind-altering magic is forbidden. Dash should get help soon, if there's any to be had at this point.
We thing their discovery of the paradox should come somewhat slowly at first. It should be an uneasy feeling in the back of their minds; an odd statement here, a weird pattern there. It might ease the feelings of deception that will arise and prompt them to start seeking the resolution instead of arguing.
Fluttershy should definitely meet up with Discord, this could be one of the oddity hints mentioned above.
Keep going! ;)
Um... hands? Arms? And not always when referring to Spike? Yet there's no anthro tag... maybe I'm just going crazy, but is this story anthro or not?