Jakhowl-Day
We open today's story in the canyon area just outside of Ponyville, where a trio of stallions were pulling a wagon while making their way through the rocks. The wagon puller, an earth pony, showed a glum frown. "I don't like the looks of this place. Those rocks up there look like they might fall any minute."
"Oh, grow a pair," another earth pony added. "You looking nervous ain't gonna help us stay undetected."
The final pony, a unicorn, nodded in agreement. "Just act natural until we get through the next town. As long as we're cool, we'll be fine." They continued on for a few more minutes, only for the sound of new hoofsteps to catch their attention. There, they saw three ponies and a certain jakhowl walking up to them.
"Hey there," Flash greeted as he waved his hoof, "Can I ask what the three of you are doing headed for Ponyville?"
"Who's asking?" The unicorn asked back.
Iron replied with, "the town's Defenders of the Peace."
Springer jumped up onto a rock next to them and crouched down. "I sensed you all coming a mile away. I also sense fear and nervousness, so you obviously have something to hide." The trio had different reactions. The unicorn glared at jakhowl, the second earth pony gave a glance of confusion at the sight of the speaking animal, and the wagon pony just looked terrified.
"We've got nothing to hide," the unicorn firmly stated as Springer scanned the stallion's aura, seeing it grow a touch darker.
"That's a lie," he jumped down with crossed paws. "But if you really don't have anything to hide, you won't mind if we check your wagon." He sensed a hint of fear at this statement, making him jump into the back of the vehicle. There, he saw a bunch of boxes, his nose picking up an odd smell. "This place could do with some washing out," he commented as he opened up a random crate. There, he found a bunch of tape recorders. "Huh. What're these?"
"See?! There's nothing in there!" the unicorn barked as his horn started to glow, picking up Springer in his magic aura and pulling him out of the wagon. "Now please, let us go about our business."
Springer raised an eyebrow at this, then pointed at the tape recorders. "Wait, just let me take a closer look at that." But as he said this, the unicorn just threw the jakhowl back, making him land on the dirt with a thud. "Ow!"
"I said, let us go about our business!"
"Hey! Now hold on there." Flash interjected as he helped Springer up. "There's no need for-Springer? What are you doing?"
The defender slightly hopped in place as Springer took his battle form. "Don't worry Flash, I got this," Springer made an Aura Blast in his paw, only for the unicorn to flare his horn. Before anyone could say anything, the unicorn fired a magical blast, causing Springer to yell, "Aura Blast!"
SHING!
Both attacks hit, the laser deflecting up as it hit the sphere. As it did this, the magic beam flew up into the rock face above them, exploding as a barrage of rocks started to tumble down the cliff.
"Everypony move!" Flash yelled as they began to run away from the collapsing canyon wall.
Springer soon followed, only to yelp as he felt his foot trip on a rock. "Ow!" he cried as his face kissed dirt. Feeling this, he tried to get back up, turning to see a pile of rocks ready to squash him. "Whoa!"
THOOM!
A cloud of dust picked up as the rocks finished their marathon, Flash quickly flapping his wings to blow the dust away. And as the rocky fog settled, Flash's eyes went wide in shock as he saw a pile of rocks now bury his partner. "Springer!" he screamed as he started digging, Iron following suit as his Celestic Gear transformed into a pickaxe.
Lightning was about to join them, but his ears caught a certain voice say, "Quick! Let's get out of here!" he turned to see the trio running away, making him growl. One spark from his horn later, three lightning bolts struck them in the back, knocking them all out.
Flash and Iron continued digging, panic setting in about Springer's fate. And as they got to the final layer of the rocks, their heads leaned back in surprise as a blue light shot out of the rocks. "What the?" Iron asked as they stepped back, the rocks surrounding the light falling away to reveal a strange blue glowing bubble. Inside the bubble was Springer, who slowly opened his eyes.
"Whoa...that was weird," he commented as the bubble disappeared, making him plop down on the ground. "Huh. How did I?" He looked at his paws, only to close his eyes and concentrate. A second later, the bubble reappeared, making the jakhowl smile with glee. "Awesome! I got a new move!"
He then dropped the shield and climbed out of the rock pile, only to see the three defenders giving him the stink eye. "What?"
Meanwhile...
Back in Ponyville, the Mane Six were having lunch, laughing at a story Pinkie had just told them. It was about her, Wild and several batches of cupcakes that had decided to turn eight different colors in one cooking session.
"How does something like that even happen?" Twilight asked with one last giggle.
Pinkie tolled her eyes again, "I don't know, but it did. You should have seen Wild's face."
They laughed again as Rainbow finished up her milkshake. "Well, I gotta get going."
"And where might I ask are you going darling?" Rarity asked.
"Nowhere important enough to explain."
"So than why do yah need to go there then?" Applejack added with a raised eyebrow.
Rainbow bit her lip at this, only to see something in the corner of her eye. "Look, literally anything else. Let's pay attention." Rainbow declared as she pointed to something behind them. The others turned to see the Defenders walking passed them, the three other stallions tied up beside them.
Twilight went wide-eyed as she saw Flash covered in dust, causing her to go up to him, "Flash, what happened?!"
"Oh, you know," Flash grumbled as he batted his body with his wing for the fourth time. "Standard interrogation turned disagreement turned almost getting crushed by a landslide because a certain somepony decided to go overboard."
"Hey! I didn't go overboard!" Springer barked back.
As Flash turned to glare at him, the others all gulped at the sight of the obvious argument about to happen. "Well...I've got somewhere to be." Rainbow commented as she disappeared into the sky.
"Same here..." Applejack began to walk backwards. "I've got apples to buck." She stared at Rarity and Fluttershy, seeing the fear in their eyes. "Didn't you two say ya'll were gonna help me?"
"Yes...we did." Fluttershy whispered as she began to follow her.
Rarity nodded and did the same. "We'd best be going."
"Come on..." Iron began to direct Lightning and the tied up ponies to the jail.
The only ones left were Pinkie and Twilight. That is, till the pink earth pony pulled a shovel out of her mane and began digging herself into a hole. With that, they were now alone as Flash spoke up, "Springer, you went way too far back there. You didn't have to go into your battle form. Heck, you could have taken him down without any of your attacks. So why did you do it?!"
"I wanted to get the fight over with," Springer barked back, crossing his paws. "Doesn't it make sense to use my best attack to end the situation as quickly as possible?!"
"Ever heard of the word overkill?!" Flash growled as he put his nose up to Springer's. "You wouldn't use a fire hose to water your garden, would you?! You went too far!" Springer would have rebuttaled, but his words died in his mouth. Seeing this, Flash huffed as he crossed his hooves now, "Ever since you got that form, you've become more and more dependent on it."
"So what?! I like using it."
"And I like using Lightbringer, but I don't use it unless it's absolutely necessary."
Seeing things beginning to take a turn, Twilight decided to step in. "Alright guys, let's just take a deep breath and try to calm do-"
"You just don't get it!" Springer interrupted, his paws almost igniting in blue flames. "You don't get what it feels like to use that form! When I first used it against Shade, I...I saw the jakhowls!" Springer let out a low sigh as he stared at his paws, "They were the ones who gave me my abilities, and when I use that form, I can...I can hear them."
"Hear them?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
Springer nodded. "Whispering in my ear, assuring me and telling me to be careful when I'm up against somepony dangerous. I can barely hear them for the little amount of time I can use that form, but...using that form, feeling the other jakhowl...they make me feel safe."
"Well, you weren't very safe back there," Flash growled as he tapped Springer's chest. "You almost got yourself crushed!"
"I'm fine," Springer replied as he swatted Flash's hoof away. "Besides, if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have discovered that cool new power!"
"Cool maybe, but what if that ability hadn't activated?! If it hadn't, you would have gotten buried for the second time today!" Springer stared down at the ground at hearing this, "Not only that, but because of that little accident you caused, we might not be able to hold those three we caught." Flash pulled out the tape deck, "This is the only evidence of what they had. The rest is now crushed under a load of rocks."
"I'm...I'm sorry," Springer whimpered out, "I just thought-"
"Sorry doesn't cut it Springer!" Flash interrupted as his eyes almost went bloodshot in anger. He then felt Twilight put her wing on him, causing him to look at her. He saw her expectant face, causing him to take a deep breath before glancing back at Springer and putting his hooves on the jakhowl's shoulders, "Listen, I know these abilities make you feel closer to the jakhowls, but...but you're being too reckless with them. Because of that, from now on, you're not allowed to use them unless I give you permission too."
"You can't do that!" Springer cried as he grabbed Flash. "Please! I'm not even at a minute with maintaining my battle form while in a fight!"
"I can and I will. And If you don't like it, then that's too bad. I'm the one in charge, and unless Twilight says so, you do what I say. Understand?" Springer turned to Twilight, seeing her slowly nod. He then let out a small angry snort as Flash asked again, "I said, do you understand?!"
Springer sighed, "Yes....I understand."
"Good." Flash took his hooves off his partner. "Now, how about-"
"No thanks." Springer interrupted as he looked away. "I...I wanna be left alone."
"Springer-" Flash tried to say, only for Twilight to put her hoof in front of the defender. He then saw her shake her head, causing him to go silent as the jakhowl walked away. And as Flash watched him, Twilight gestured him to follow her home.
As for Springer, he kept his slow pace as he made his way through Ponyville, barely paying attention to what was around him.
"I swear," Lyra Heartstrings's voice caught his ear. "I didn't have any of those sweets."
"Stop lying!" Bon Bon replied with a slight hiss. "I know it was you, because you were the only one who knew where I hid them!"
"I am?!"
It was at this point that their voices went out of range, only for the jakhowl's ears to pick up Thunderlane's voice, "Happy birthday kiddo."
"Thanks big bro," Rumble replied before the sound of munching filled the air.
"Whoa! Slow down kiddo! You're gonna give yourself a brain freeze."
Once again, the voices went out of range as Springer continued to make his way through town. He kept walking for roughly forty-five minutes, only to look up and see had wandered onto the edge of the Everfree. Blinking at this, he decided he knew where to go next.
Knock, knock, knock...
Zecora looked up from her cauldron as the sound of knocking filled her hut. With that, she opened the door to one young jakhowl. "Why hello my friend Springer, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Hey Zecora, you mind if I hang around here for a bit? I'm not really in the mood to be in Ponyville right now."
Zecora smiled and nodded. "Of course my friend. Come in indeed, feel free to stay as long as you need."
"Thanks." Springer went in and sat down near a wall, his eyes lazily watching Zecora get back to work.
After a minute or so, the zebra glanced over at the jakhowl. "Forgive me if I seem unrefined, but I sense there is something on your mind."
A small sigh escaped the jakhowl's mouth, "Flash and I had a bit of a...falling out."
Zecora nodded as she continued her work. "Even those with friendships strong, can sometimes find it hard to get along. But no disagreements exist without, a subject for the two to fight about."
"Flash wants me to stop using my new powers just because he thinks I'm using them too much." He stared at his paws as a thin blue flame covered them, flexing the fingers as he continued, "He just doesn't understand. These powers...they're the one thing that connects me to the jakhowls. He wants to cut that off, and I...I might never get to really know what it means to be a jakhowl without the connection. After all, I uh...I hate to admit it, but I seem to be the last of them." He looked up at Zecora, "You must understand. I mean, you're the only zebra around, so doing what you do must give you a connection to them."
Zecora shrugged. "It's true my work was born from zebra tradition, but I choose to perform it because it is my ambition."
"And protecting other ponies is my ambition."
"But are those powers necessary to achieve that ambition, or are they simply a distraction?"
A low growl came from the jakhowl, "You're not gonna be on my side about this, are you?" Zecora just gave him a knowing smile, causing his face to twist into anger. "Great! Just great!" He moved his head back, accidently hitting the wall behind him. The reaction caused a round bottle on a shelf above him to tilt over, its glass form now slightly sliding to the edge. And as it moved, Springer continued to rant, "You know, sometimes I wonder if I should even remain in Ponyville. I mean, I'm the only jakhowl here and I still gotta go find that blasted fox Shade at some point! Augh!" More blue flames started to ignite in his paws, "Sometimes...sometimes I just feel like I'm the odd one out! I feel like a barely know any of the ponies here, and I'm not even a pony!" He glared back at the zebra, "What do you think, huh?!"
"An answer to that question, I cannot provide. It is only you, whose fate you can decide."
"Yeah...I guess." Springer moaned as the fire in his paws started to die down. But as it did this, the bottle reached the end of the shelf. As such, it tilted again, only to then fall on one jakhowl's head.
Smash!
"Ow!" Springer clutched his head as Zecora turned back to him, seeing the bottle break and the green liquid spread all down his head.
"Springer, are you alright? That loud smash gave me quite a fright."
"I'm okay," Springer replied as he rubbed his head. "Bit of a headache though." He pulled his paw back and saw the green potion, "What is this stuff? I hope its not toxic."
Zecora laughed at that. "Have no fear, it is of no danger to you or your hair. The liquid that compressed on you, it is one that is merely shampoo."
"That's good," Springer stood up and began to help Zecora pick up the broken pieces of the bottle. But as he did this, two suddenly felt something new. The earth beneath them had begun to shake, causing the two to almost lose their balance. "What's happening? What the-"
KABOOM!
The two ran to the door, trying to see Ponyville. However, the sight shocked them, as a giant mushroom cloud flew up into the sky. "No way..." Springer whispered, only to look down as his eyes continued to widen. It was a wave of fire, and it was moving so fast that he couldn't hope to defend himself. And before he could even say a single thing, he and Zecora were consumed by the flames.
"I'm the one in charge, and unless Twilight says so, you do what I say. Understand?!"
Springer's eyes shot open, the first thing his vision now seeing was an annoyed looking Flash with a worried Twilight. The young jakhowl blinked at the sight, his eyes trying to scan anything around him. Despite this, he soon saw that everything...looked normal. "What the-"
"Springer!" he looked back at Flash, "I said, do you understand?!"
"Understand what?"
Flash rolled his eyes, "That you're not allowed to use your battle form and increased abilities without my permission."
Springer raised an eyebrow at this. "Didn't we just have this conversation?"
"Yes, we did. But you don't seem to be listening." Flash grunted as he grabbed the jakhowl by the shoulders. "Listen, I'm doing this for your safety, alright? You need to-" the defender came to a stop as Springer just looked away, pure confusion on the jakhowl's face. Unfortunately, there was still anger in Flash's mind, causing him to groan and pull his hooves away, "Nevermind. You're not listening."
With that, Flash walked away, Twilight following after him. And as they left, Springer just blinked at the sight, watching as Twilight glanced back at him before looking back at Ponyville. "What the heck?! Didn't this just happen?" he asked himself before starting a walk into Ponyville, his ears soon picking up some familiar sounds.
"I swear," Springer turned to see Lyra and Bon Bon. Lyra was chasing after Bon Bon, who had a sour look on her face. "I didn't have any of those sweets."
Bon Bon spun around to shoot daggers at the unicorn. "Stop lying! I know it was you, because you were the only one who knew where I hid them!"
Lyra's face slightly shrunk back, a small gulp following, "I am?" Bon Bon rolled her eyes before walking off, making Springer scratch his head as he continued to walk down the street.
"What in the..." he tried to say, only for another sound to prick his ears. He turned to see Rumble sitting on a bench, his brother Thunderlane walking over with a pair of ice cream bowls on his wing.
"Happy birthday kiddo."
"Thanks big bro," Rumble replied before taking the bowl, his face already in the treat.
"Whoa! Slow down kiddo! You're gonna give yourself a brain freeze." Rumble simply shrugged before continuing to eat rapidly, causing Thunderlane to chuckle and shake his head.
Springer stared at this for a second, only to turn and walk down the same route he had done before. It was here that he saw everything he had only heard the first time play out, eventually arriving at the edge of the forest again. But as he readied himself to go to Zecora's his feet stopped in place. "Okay Springer, you need to relax." he told himself as he put his paws together, a low long calm breath following. "You're not going crazy. It's probably...something you ate, or something like that."
He then felt a breeze above him, causing him to look up. Here, he saw Soarin Skies, Flash's Wonderbolt friend, fly above his head. Springer blinked at the sight, sensing the bolt's aura, which was very happy. But before he could question it, another voice spoke up, "Hello Springer."
Springer turned to see it was the town's resident scientist, Doctor Time Turner. "Hey doc."
"You okay my boy? You seem a little...out of sorts."
"I'm...not sure. I'm having the weirdest sense of déjà vu."
"Ah, we all get that from time to time."
"I...guess? Uh...sorry, but I gotta go" Springer spun around, his form quickly moving away. He didn't know where to head to, but as he walked, he started to feel something familiar. The ground was shaking, so much so that he lost his balance, his face soon kissing dirt. And as he tried to get up, memories of the last time this happened flashed before his eyes. "Mama mia..."
KABOOM!
He spun around to see a wave of fire coming straight for him. "Here I go again..."
"Understand?!" Springer blinked again as he slightly backpedaled. Flash was still glaring at him, causing the jakhowl to raise one of his eyebrows before his eyes started to glance around. "Springer! I said, do you understand?!"
"Not again..." he mumbled as he turned back to Flash and Twilight. "Uh....Flash? I know this is gonna sound super weird, but I just died twice."
Flash and Twilight leaned their heads back in confusion, glancing at each other before Flash gave Springer the stick eye. "Trying to change the subject isn't gonna work....even if I don't know where you're going with it. Are you even listening to me?!"
"Um..."
"You're not." Flash grumbled before tapping Springer's chest. "Listen Springer, this is your last warning. You will not use your powers until I say so, got it?!"
"Yeah...I got it." Springer barely replied, a low nod following.
"Good. Now, I'm going back home. You coming?"
"Errr...no. I'll catch up later." Springer said as he backpedaled away. It wasn't long till he took the same path as before, only to once again witness the scene involving Lyra and Bon Bon, Thunderlane and Rumble, and everything else he had seen and heard the last two times. "What the heck his going on?" He asked himself as he once again arrived at the edge of the forest.
"I don't understand. What could possibly do this to me?" he rubbed his chin in thought, "I mean, this definitely isn't Shade's work, as he would have already revealed himself while laughing and monologuing. If it isn't him, then...wait..." a bulb went off in his head. "Discord! He could totally do something like this!" The jakhowl's face turned into an angry glare, only for him to yell, "Alright Discord, you've had your fun! Now come out already!"
No response.
"Grrr….Discord!"
Five minutes of pointless yelling later...
"Okay Springer, its not Discord. If it was, he'd probably come out to brag the moment I spoke out to him...like Shade. Why didn't I think of that at the start?!" Springer moaned before rubbing his head in frustration. "Augh! What is happening to me?! Why is this happening to me?!"
"Springer?"
The jakhowl spun around, now seeing Time Turner standing a few feet away, "Are you alright my boy? You seem a little-"
"Out of sorts?" Springer finished for him. "That's because I am out of sorts. I've relieved this exact same hour three times now, and every time I have, the whole town explodes!"
Turner raised an eyebrow at this, "Come again?"
Springer moaned as he facepawed, "Three times now I've had an argument with Flash, then walked through town where Bon Bon argues with Lyra, Thunderlane celebrates Rumble's birthday and then a massive explosion blows me to kingdom come! The next thing I know, I'm back at the end of my argument with Flash!"
Time Turner hummed at this, tilting his head, "Sounds like you're living your own personal Hedgehog Day."
"Huh? Hedgehog Day?"
"Yes, a Hedgehog Day." Turner said with a nod, "Its a novel by Robin Danhoof. It's about an arrogant, selfish stallion that is stuck in a time-loop. He keeps living the same day again and again until he learns to be a better pony. Its quite an interesting read."
"Huh...is that what's happening to me?"
But before another word could be said, the ground began to shake, causing everyone to lose their balance. "What the-what's happening?!"
Springer let out a long sigh. "This is what happened last time. The town's about to explode."
Turner's eyes went wide at this. Crawling over to Springer, he grabbed him by the shoulder, "Listen to me Springer. If you find yourself in the loop again, come find me and say the words Hedgehog Day. Understand?"
KABOOM!
"Understand?!" Springer blinked again as he saw Flash glaring at him, "Springer! I said, do you understand?!"
"Yeah...I understand perfectly Flash." the jakhowl quickly replied before fiddling with his paws, "Um...can I go now? I uh...wanna go think about today."
Seeing the frown on Springer's face, Flash nodded before walking away, Twilight following him. And as his partner left, Springer ran to Time Turner's house at top speed. It wasn't long till he started to rapidly knock on the door, the doctor soon opening the door, "Oh, hello Springer. What can I-"
"No time!" Springer pushed his way into the house as he yelled, "Groundhog Day!"
"Um...come again?" Doc replied, blinking in confusion.
"Oh, come on! You told me that you'd understand if I said that. Groundhog Day, like that book by Robin...something or other."
Turner rubbed his chin with a slight frown, "Wait...do you mean Hedgehog Day?"
"Yes! Hedgehog Day! You said if I told you about it, you'd understand that we're in a time-loop and that the town's gonna explode!"
"I...see. So, the town's gonna explode?"
"Yes."
The earth pony then gave him a coy smile. "Very funny Springer, but something like a time loop is impossible."
"But it is! I'm living in it!"
Time leaned down, the smile still showing, "Alright then, what number am I thinking of?"
Springer's jaw dropped at this, "Are you serious?! I don't know that!"
"Ha! It was eighty-one!" The Doc puffed his chest, "If you really were in a loop, you would know that."
Springer growled at this. "Fine. Give me an hour."
Fifty-nine minutes and forty-five seconds later...
"What number am I thinking of?"
"Eighty-one," Springer smirked when he saw Doc's surprised expression.
"Lucky guess. What number am I thinking of now?"
Springer slumped over with a sigh, "This is gonna take a few tries, isn't it?"
Several explosions later...
"Eighty-one."
"Lucky guess. What number am I thinking of now?"
"Fifteen."
"And now?"
"Twenty-seven."
"How about now?"
"Three thousand, four hundred and seventy-six."
"Hmm...not bad. But what am I-"
"Pancakes. And if you're wondering about the next three answers, they're: 'extra maple syrup', you lost your fifth scarf over an accident with a metal yelling trash can, and you're current on-and-off project is just a favor for Derpy about creating the perfect muffin."
Turner's eyes went wide, blinking. "We really are stuck in a time-loop."
"Finally!" Springer moaned as he raised his paws in the air. "Augh! I can't believe how many times I had to do that..."
"Now hold on there Springer." Turner interrupted as he patted the jakhowl's shoulder, "The town's going to explode?"
"It already has exploded, several times. Are you gonna help me or not?!"
Turner nodded. "Of course. What's the plan?"
"Honestly...I have no idea."
"Alright then," Doc tapped his chin in thought, "Let's start with this question: Who would want to blow up the town?"
Springer tapped his head before snapping his paw, "Oh! The guys we brought in! I'll bet you anything that they managed to escape the cell and caused the explosion so they could get away."
"If that's the case, we should defintely tell Flash," Turner replied, only for Springer to shake his head.
"He won't believe me. Our only hope is to stake out the jail and wait for them to make their move, then stop them."
"Alright, then let's get going." Springer nodded and the two headed out, running all the way to the jail. Once the building came into sight, Springer pulled them to a stop.
"I can sense them in there. If they think we're onto them, they might not do it and we'll never learn how they did it."
"Good plan. We can wait and see how they cause the explosion, then we'll know how to stop it."
Springer nodded at this, the two now sitting and waiting...and waiting...and waiting some more. Eventually, over forty minutes passed and Springer could still sense them inside the cell. "Oh come on! They haven't moved an inch this whole time."
"I'm sure they will soon."
"But how the heck are they gonna get out and cause an explosion in the short amount of time until the explosion?"
"Maybe they figured out we're onto them?" Turner guessed.
"I mean...maybe?" Springer placed his chin into his paw. "Hopefully this means I don't end up doing all this again." Barely a second after those words left his lips, the ground started shaking. "What?" He stood up and stared at the jail, sensing the three were still in there. "But that means-"
KABOOM!
He spun around and saw the flames heading his way, "It wasn't them."
"So those three are in the clear."
Springer, who was sitting in one of Turner's comfy armchairs, sighed. "Then who was it?"
"Good question," Turner sat in another chair as he began to hum. "If it wasn't them, and there isn't anypony else new in town, then it has to be somepony who's here."
Springer sat up at this, feeling uneasy about the thought of one of his friends causing such devastation. "If that's true, there's no way they did it on purpose."
"Good point. But if it's an accident, who caused it?"
Springer laid back in the chair for a second. "Hmm...well, I remember sensing Rainbow having a twinge of nerves earlier. Maybe she's up to something that's goes out of her control."
Turner nodded at this. "Then let's go check out her place."
"How? Unless you've got an invention that allows you to fly, there's no way we'll get into her house."
Turner shined a huge smile at the question. "I think I might have something."
Springer raised an eyebrow at this, "Huh?"
A little while later, Springer was staring up at Rainbow's house. He then turned to Turner, the doctor now currently filling balloons with a special helium he had been working on. Five of those balloons were now tied around Springer's waist, the only thing keeping him from floating up being a piece of rope tied to a bush branch.
"Okay....here we go." Turner tied a sixth balloon to Springer, "Now you can float up and look into the house through the windows." He pulled out a pair of headphones attached to a mic, which he put on the jakhowl's head before taking out a walkie talkie. "If you see anything suspicious, describe it to me and I'll tell you if its an explosive."
"Got it," Springer replied as he started to let go of the rope, only for his ears to spike up. "What the-" The jakhowl turned to the doctor, "Hide! Now!" Turner nodded and pulled the jakhowl behind a tree. They then looked up at the sky and spotted a light blue pegasus flying towards the house.
"I feel like I've seen that pony before."
"Its Soarin, from the Wonderbolts. I remember spotting him in town during some of the loops."
The two watched him land in front of Rainbow's house, looking around with a nervous glare before knocking. A minute later, Rainbow opened the door and gestured him inside before shutting the door.
"Interesting. Why is Soarin here?" Turner asked next.
"Only one way to find out." With that, Springer released the rope and began to float upwards. It took the jakhowl a few minutes to get to the right height, Turner pulling him closer to the house as they adjusted themselves so Springer could peek inside. As he did, he whispered into the mic, "Okay...they're going to the living room, and now they're...wait, they left the room and they're...what is-"
It was here that Time Turner heard what could only be possibly described as the most unintelligent noise he had ever heard. "Springer?" Turner spoke through the radio, "You okay?" Springer didn't reply, instead creating a Bone Breaker that he used to pop the balloons. Turner gasped at the sight before hopping to where Springer would have landed, breaking his fall and getting the wind knocked out of him at the same time. The doctor let out a long moan as he looked up at the jakhowl, now seeing what could only be described as a cross between shock and discomfort on Springer's face. "Springer...what did you just see?!"
"Its not Rainbow. Or Soarin."
"What is-"
"IT'S NOT THEM!" Springer yelled before helping Time Turner up while hissing out, "And don't ask why."
"Okay...I won't ask why, but what did you see?"
"Something I could have gone my whole life without seeing," it was in that moment that the ground began to shake, "Seriously?! You couldn't have been a few seconds early?"
KABOOM!
Once again, Springer and Turner were in his living room, trying to go over the possible suspects. "So Rainbow's clean as well."
"Not the word I would have used," Springer mumbled to himself, "Memory, please fail me now."
"So...who do you think we should check next?"
"No idea. The only thing I can think of is maybe Lightning, Wild....or Iron."
Time Turner raised an eyebrow at this. "Why Iron?"
"Well...he lives alone on the edge of town. If he did have a bomb, nopony would be there to notice. I just don't know why he would have one."
"That's a good point Springer, but we also established that this explosion is probably part of an accident. That being said, we should still check."
And so, the two headed out. Springer scanned the town for Iron and located him at Sweet Apple Acres, obviously having gone there after dropping off the criminals. As such, when the two arrived at his shack, they found it empty. After making sure nopony was nearby with another aura scan, they sneaked inside.
Ever since Iron had came to Ponyville, the run down shack had evolved in to quite the cosy little hideaway. Now it was filled with all sorts of nick-knacks that Iron had attained over time, along with several flowery pillows and some curtains that Fluttershy had given to him as a gift.
As the two looked around, Turner noticed something sitting on a table beside the window. "Hmm...suspicious looking box."
"Careful doc, it could be the source of the explosion."
Turner nodded at this. "Understood. We'll just take this nice and slo-AUGH!" He screamed as a loud snapping sound echoed through the shack, an intense pain now shooting up his leg. The two's eyes went wide before looking down, now seeing a bear trap biting into Turner's leg.
"Sweet Celestia!" Springer cried.
"Sweet Celestia!" Turner repeated as the two screamed at one another, "SWEET CELESTIA!"
One hour later...
Springer flinched at the memory as he watched the bear trap slam shut around his Bone Breaker.
"Wow. Nice save Springer." Turner commented as he watched the aura bone snap in half before disappearing, "Can you imagine if I tripped that?"
"Yeah...I don't have to imagine it." He then heard the earth pony groan at his former incarnation's pain before tapping the box, "I uh...I think its locked."
Turner pulled out a blue screwdriver, "No problem. There's nothing me and this bad-boy can't unlock." With that, he placed the end of the screwdriver into the lock. But as the metal tapped the lock, a jolt of electricity shot into the twisting device before going to Turner's body. The scientist let out a gargled cry as he fell backwards, landing with a thud.
Springer sighed as he watched smoke escape Turner's mouth, "Seriously?!"
One hour later...
Springer watched as Turner, now equipped with insulated hoof gloves, picked the lock and opened the box. He then turned to the jakhowl, "That's the last of the traps, right?"
Springer's only response was to shrug. "Don't know. Never gotten this far before." He did a slight gulp as he slowly lifted the box's lid with his paws. The jakhowl was ready to feel anything, ready for a true surge of pain. But as he did this, he looked into the box and saw...a typewriter.
The two stared at the writing device in confusion, right before the box's last booby-trap sprayed a bunch of gray paint into their faces. They both cried out as they wiped their faces, "Why would Iron go to all this trouble to protect a typewriter?"
"I don't know," Springer took a piece of paper out of the tool. "Maybe he's writing a list of accomplishments down or something." His eyes flicked over the paper, "Never mind. This has the word kiss on it way too many times to be any of his accomplishments."
Turner took the paper and read aloud. "As the twin suns set off the Calabraien horizon, Zar wrapped his hoof around his queen's neck and pulled her succulent lips towards his own." The two turned to each other with wide eyes as Doc slowly said, "It seems Iron is writing a...sci-fi romance novel."
"Yeah...seems like it," Springer replied with a look of disgust.
"That's definitely not the last thing I thought I'd see before I die." Doc commented as the ground beneath them began to shake.
Springer sighed at this, "Speaking of which."
KABOOM!
Springer and Turner's heads stuck out from behind the fence of Sweet Apple Acres, Turner holding a pair of binoculars. "You really think it could be one of them? I thought you said you haven't tried Wild or Lightning yet."
Springer, who now had bags under his eyes, sighed. "I keep messing up with them, so now I'm just picking ponies at random. I'll get to them next...again." He had already investigated half the population of the town, only for no success in terms of anti-explosion plans. Now, they were watching Iron, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy carry some buckets of apples into the barn. It was here that Turner switched the binoculars to infrared so he could watch the insides of the barn.
"What are they saying?"
"No idea. I can see them, but I can't hear them. Reading lips isn't on my list of skills."
"Well, what are they doing?"
"It looks like they're sorting through apples...and standing around talking."
In that moment, the ground started shaking, making Springer sigh again, "Looks like they're in the clear too."
KABOOM!
The two leaned around the corner as they watched Lightning and Wild walk down a street. Springer had told Time that Wild and Lightning repeatedly discovered them thanks to Wild's puppets, causing him to keep resetting. But after memorizing the duo's full path, Springer and Turner were now at the exact distance from both puppet and the two ponies.
"So...did you see that notice in the paper?" Wild asked as they turned a corner, "They're looking for competitors to join the Ponyville's Equestria Games team."
Lightning nodded. "Yeah, I saw it."
"You gonna compete? I've seen how good your aim is. You'd definitely get gold if you played in the ice archery or other shooting events."
Lightning laughed at this. "As much as I'd love too, my schedule's pretty packed that day."
"Come again?"
"You know how many prestigious ponies are gonna be there. They need all the security they can get, so I'm on guard duty with the other Defenders and Royal Knights."
"Can't you do both?"
"Nope. And before you ask, Sentry was a little annoyed that he wasn't allowed to compete."
"Huh...Too bad you can't compete."
"Too bad, too bad." Wild's puppets repeated.
Lightning shrugged at this. "Eh, I doubt anypony would want to see me playing right now. Maybe in the next games...if I'm still free then."
"What do you mean?"
"Well...I am on probation. Come the next Grand Galloping Gala, the princesses might decide I shouldn't be allowed free."
"But they're the ones who sent you out to see the world! Plus, you've done so much since then. I'm sure they'll see you've changed."
"You've changed, you've changed."
"Except they weren't there to see all anything I've done, so-" It was that moment that the ground began to rumble, making Lightning look around in confusion. "What's going on?"
"I don't know."
"Don't know, don't know."
KABOOM!
"Lightning?"
"He's innocent."
"Vinyl or Octavia?"
"The only thing they're hiding is this awesome new cello, dub-step combo album I heard them working on."
"I really don't want to even consider it, but...Derpy?"
"Watched her the whole hour. She was eating muffins the whole time."
"That's a relief."
Springer groaned as he slumped back into the arm chair, "This is getting ridiculous. We've check almost everypony in town, and none of them seem to be the cause."
"But we haven't checked everypony," Turner told him as he marked down another name on a list. "Say...who are we missing?"
"There's Pinkie, but I have no idea where she is."
"Okay. Who else?"
The jakhowl started to sink into the chair's cushions. "Um...Flash and Twilight."
Turner looked up with a glum frown. "I'm guessing you've been putting that off until now."
"Maybe...but I know Flash and Twilight wouldn't do something like this." Springer mumbled as he kept trying to make the chair devour him into its cushions.
"Maybe not intentionally, but remember who they are." Turner remarked as he started writing on the list again. "Twilight is a newly ascended alicorn, so there may be a new magic she has access too but is unable to control. Then there's Flash and this strange new ability I've been hearing about."
"He's controlled that power before."
"I suspect he does when he was calm and focused. Am I right?"
"Mmm...yeah, probably."
"Your glum response doesn't help Springer, but I'll ignore it for this question: What would happen if he taps into it when he's frustrated or angry?"
Springer's head popped out of the chair, his frown increasing in size. "You mean like after our argument, don't you?" he smacked his paw into his forehead. "I caused him to go nuclear, don't I?"
Time Turner just shook his head at this, soon walking up and patting him on the head. "This is only a theory Springer. We can't know for sure."
"So...what do we do?"
"The same thing you said we've been doing from the start my boy. We keep an eye on Flash and Twilight to find out if either of them is the cause." Springer nodded at this, the two soon going to the building. There, Springer scanned the tree and saw that Flash was in the kitchen while Twilight was in her room. Doc rubbed his chin at this, staring at one of the windows, "Now...the issue with this situation is that we have no way of spying on them without being noticed. After all, they'll hear us if we walk into the library."
Springer waved his paw at this. "No problem. This one'll be easy." He closed his eyes and focused, soon establishing a mental connection with his partner without him realizing. There, the sounds surrounding him vanished as they were replaced with a new set of senses. Opening his eyes, he saw he was now in the library kitchen. He tried to look around, but his head wouldn't move. It was here that the jakhowl knew he had succeeded, now looking through Flash's eyes despite the fact that he couldn't dictate where he could look.
It was then that Springer heard hoofsteps, which Flash looked up to see Twilight walk into kitchen with a smirk on her face. "Hey, you finished sulking?"
Springer watched as Flash rolled his eyes. "I'm not sulking. I'm just...contemplating my decisions as of late."
"So...sulking." Springer could tell Flash was frowning as he watched Twilight take the empty cup in her magic along with another one out of the cupboard. "Want another drink?"
"Sure..." Flash grumbled before Twilight filled the cups in silence, soon sitting down opposite of him with the cups.
"Okay. Now...what are you contemplating?"
Springer watched Flash glance down at the cup, sighing as he looked back up at Twilight, "Do you think I was too hard on Springer?"
Twilight frowned at this question, humming as she tried to reply, "I don't know. I think you were right about him growing too dependent on his new abilities, but I'm not sure if banning him from was the right choice. He should focus on increasing his own skills out of that form Flash, but...that doesn't mean he shouldn't use it at all."
"I guess..." Flash took a sip of his drink. "But-"
Twilight shot him a knowing look. "Your issue isn't just a combat one, is it?"
Flash sighed but nodded. "I'm...well, I'm worried what will happen if he grows to attached to these powers. I mean, he doesn't have another jakhowl here to teach him Twilight." Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but he waved his hoof, "I know, you told me when he went on that mission with Princess Luna that he wouldn't leave me. But...I can't help but feel scared for him. Especially because last time he went looking for other jakhowls, he almost got killed by his race's arch-enemy!"
"I hardly doubt that'll happen again."
"Shade's still out there Twilight, and he can make himself look like a jakhowl." Flash grumbled as he took another sip, "And even if we forget Shade...well, what if Springer does find another jakhowl?! What happens then?!"
"So you don't want him to find one?"
"No! I do want him too! I do want him to meet other jakhowls..." Flash replied as he placed his hoof on his forehead, "I just...I know its selfish, but I'm still scared that he might not decide to come back."
Twilight rolled her eyes at this. "Don't be silly Flash. Of course he'd come back." Flash put his hoof down as he saw Twilight's smile, "Flash...you're his best friend. I know he's probably upset right now, but its not like he hates you. The two of you share a special bond."
"But for how long?" Flash whimpered out, making Twilight tilt her head in confusion. Seeing this, Flash continued, "One of the things that made Springer and I bond was because the two of us had something in common. Neither of us knew where we came from, why we were here...but now my parents are back in my life. That means that connection between us is gone..." He looked back down at his drink. "What if...what if because of this, Springer decides he and I aren't friends anymore?"
Flash waited for a response, only for silence to be the answer. Flash blinked at this, Springer also wondering why there was no response. But as Flash glanced at the mare, he saw a giant smile on her face. "You meathead. Of course Springer's not gonna stop being your friend." She got up and sat down beside him. "Not knowing where you came from might have been one of the things that bound you together, but its something much stronger that keeps you two as friends. Think about everything the two of you have done together, putting your life in others' hooves. You two have risked your necks for one another more times than I can count. You really think a bond that strong can just be broken like this?"
Flash went silent this time, tapping his chin in slight thought before replying, "Huh. I guess you've got a point."
Twilight shook her head again, "Good grief. You two should know that there's still a bunch of things you have in common. Your love of comics, music, keeping others safe....all sorts of thing. Not only that, there's also the most important thing you share."
"Which is?"
"The two of you were alone, but you found a place with others that wanted to help you. Because of that, you both have been able to reach your full potential. You think Springer feels out of place because he doesn't have a family, but what you both seem to forget is that he has a family. Its the same one you found when we met all those years ago, all back on those streets in Canterlot."
Springer felt Flash smile at this, the defender unfurling his wing and wrapping it around Twilight. "Thanks Twi."
Springer saw Twilight turn red at the embrace. "No...no problem." It was a beautiful moment, something that made Springer smile. He could feel tears about to appear, only for his body to suddenly shake. The ponies also felt this, causing Twilight to look down at the vibrating ground, "What's happening?"
"I don't know," Springer felt Flash pick himself up and go to the window, "But it sure feels weird. Why is there an earthquake-"
KABOOM!
Knock, knock, knock...
When Time Turner opened his door, he was greeted by the sight of a very exhausted looking Springer. "Oh, hello Springer. What can I do for you?"
Springer trudged into the house with a long moan, "Hedgehog Day, town explodes, personal tartarus." With that, the jakhowl landed face first into the armchair as Turner put the pieces together.
"We're stuck in a time-loop?"
"Yup," Springer mumbled into the couch, "And please don't ask me about what number you're thinking. My head hurts too much to remember."
Turner blinked at this, biting his lip as he asked, "You don't look so good. How many times have we done this?"
Springer moaned again, his head barely rising as he spun around to stare at the doctor. "You mean how many times have you asked how many times have we done this or how many times have we all been blown up."
"By your tone, I'm gonna say you've been at this for a while," Springer's only response was a nod. "Okay...maybe you should do something different. Perhaps you could use a break and have a little fun."
"Fun?! What fun?!" Springer tried to bark back, only to slump back into the chair, "All I do is blow up every single hour, and I'm sick of it!"
"Exactly." Turner remarked with a huge smirk. Springer then looked back up with a glare, only for the doctor to wave to his hoof, "Hang on there Springer. What I mean is this: If you're stuck in a time loop, that means something like consequences have no meaning."
"So you mean...no consequences? At all?" Doc nodded at the question, casuing a smile to appear on the jakhowl's face, "Ohhhh...you're right."
Cue the music...
Springer was in Sugarcube Corner's kitchen, stuffing his face with whipped cream. But as he did this, he noticed Pound and Pumpkin crawling up to him, both looking annoyed with crossed hooves. Springer smirked at the sight, the jakhowl winking as he slid a can to them, the two smiling as Pumpkin took it in her magic.
Springer was now sitting in the room of the colt named Button Mash, who was supposed to be doing his home work.
Instead, the two were playing a video game that Springer was being thrashed in. The jakhowl had already lost twice, but with a third now happening, Springer demanded one more game. Thankfully, Button Mash was a lover of victory, and he nodded for the rematch. That is, after turning the volume down for fear of his mother finding out.
Back in Sugarcube Corner, the customers were enjoying their desserts as a calm, serene mood floated around the store. But as this somber tone continued, a small flying cupcake flew through the air, striking an occupant on the back of his head.
Turning to the source with a glare, they all spotted Springer on a table with a box of the tiny cakes in paw. The jakhowl smiled before declaring a food fight. What followed was a barrage of treats zipping through the air, the rest of the ponies inside soon retaliating as the bakery became a battlefield.
Springer was back in Time Turner's house, having snuck into his lab to play with the doctor's many gadgets. He had learned that the good doctor was not very keen on others tampering with his work, so it took a few tries to get in.
Now, he was currently wearing the Mag-E-Lator three thousand and one, which he was using to shoot fireballs. That is, till its flames turned on the sprinkler system. And as the water rained on the building's insides, every single invention began to short circuit. The sight made the jakhowl gulp as he ran out the door, a miniature explosion following as the devices started to explode.
A low calm breath followed as Springer sat in Vinyl and Octavia's house, the jakhowl now listening to the earth's pony instructions over playing the violin.
But as his paws strung the bow over the instrument's strings, a screeching sound struck the whole building. The noise alone made Octavia flinch and Vinyl to put on her headphones.
Now in Iron's house, Springer stuffed a donut into his mouth as he read another page. A long snort followed as the next paragraph made the jakhowl shake his head.
Springer cheered as he won three matches in a row against Button Mash. The colt then asked him how he was so good at playing a video game he'd never played before, only to get a tap to his nose and be told that it was a trade secret.
Back in the musician's house, Springer began playing the violin as if he had been playing for years. He then turned to them with a huge smirk as he saw Octavia's jaw drop while Vinyl's shades fell to the floor.
Springer looked up from the book and nodded, "Not bad Mr. Core. Not bad at all."
At the Apple Family Barn, Iron, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy were currently delivering some buckets of apples. What they didn't know was that Springer had already snuck inside. It was here he looked down at a bunch of cards, all of them showing different colors to indicate who was talking.
"I'm just saying, it wouldn't hurt to make your barn look a little more...glamorous."
"I think mah barn's fine just the way it is."
"Yeah. As long as it does its job, then who cares what it looks like."
"I agree with you there, but there's nothing wrong with having form and function. What do you think Fluttershy?"
"Oh...um...I don't know."
"If the Apples let you remodel the place, you wouldn't be able to see it because the place would probably make you go blind."
"How?"
"By the sunlight bouncing off all the shiny stuff you'd stick to it."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic."
"Grunt."
It was at this moment that the four turned and saw Springer standing, now showing a card that read: 'Confused stares'. He then dropped it to reveal the last card, which read-
Town goes boom!
The ground began to shake as Springer spun around, a big grin on his face as another sound graced the area.
KABOOM!
Knock, knock, knock...
Time Turner opened his front door, only to be greeted by the sight of a zombie-like Springer. "Oh, hello Springer. Are you-"
"No, I am not okay! Hedgehog Day, town explodes and I have no idea how to stop it!"
"Wait....Hedgehog Day? Are you saying-"
"A time loop! And yes, its real and don't ask me what you're thinking. I already did that...I don't how many times ago!" Springer moaned as he rubbed his face, "I can't keep doing this. I feel like I'm going nuts."
"Oookay. Well Springer, if this is a time loop, have you tried-"
"Finding a culprit? Yes, did that already. Got nothing."
"And-"
"Checked all the suspects twice? Yes, did that too."
Time Turner opened his mouth again, only to slowly close it. He blinked at the sight, now seeing true misery on the jakhowl's face. "Well...if we really are stuck, did you try relaxing and-"
"Doing a fun montage? Yeah...I did. Thanks for that. You're a good friend." He continued to rub his eyes before spinning around, "But nothing's fun anymore...and I don't know what to do now."
With that, he walked away, causing a frown to grace Turner's face. "This doesn't look good." Turner commented as he followed after Springer. The doctor kept asking what he was doing, but Springer didn't reply until they reached the library.
There, he slammed the door open as he mumbled, "I'm ending this." Turner was about to ask when he meant, only to see Springer spot what he was looking for.
"WHOA!" Turner exclaimed as he saw Springer pick up Lightbringer and hold it to his neck, "Now hold on Springer! Let's not do anything crazy."
"It's the only thing I haven't tried," Springer moaned as the blade got closer. "Maybe it'll stop the loop."
"But Springer, you don't-"
"Hey!" the two hopped in place, turning to the voice to see Flash and Twilight enter the room, "What the heck is going on?"
"Don't come any closer," Springer pointed the end of the blade at his chest now.
"What is-what are you doing!?" Twilight almost screamed.
"I'm putting an end to this!" With that, Springer pushed the sword into his chest...but nothing happened. "Huh?" Springer looked down to see the sword's blade was passing through him like a ghost. "What the heck?!" He turned to Twilight and saw her horn was glowing, obviously casting whatever spell that was making the blade transparent. "Why?!"
Flash then quickly moved over to Springer, snagging the Celestic Gear away from him. "Alright bud, something's obviously wrong." The defender put the sword back into its sheath before placing both hooves on the jakhowl's shoulders, a huge glum yet worried frown on his face, "Now, do you wanna tell us what this is all about? Come on, let's figure this out."
Springer sighed as he looked away, tears filling his eyes. "It doesn't matter. You won't believe me."
Flash shook his head before grabbing Springer's head, turning him back to the pegasi, "Try me."
Tears began to flow as Springer let out a sniffle, "This is gonna sound crazy, but...I keep reliving the same hour over and over again, and its horrible! I can't stand it!" he screamed, tears now hitting the floor, "No matter what I do, the town explodes in the loop! It kills us all and I can't do anything about it!" The jakhowl's vision became blurred at this, his head looking at the ceiling as he kept crying, "And I'm completely alone in it because for some reason! I'm the only one whose aware it's happening! I just...I can't take it anymore! I can't save anypony. I...I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!" With that, the jakhowl fell over, Flash pulling him into a hug as sobs covered the defender's shoulder.
"Its okay bud, its okay." Flash replied as he started rubbing the jakhowl's back. "I understand. This must have been really hard for you."
"Yeah, but you're not gonna....huh?!" Springer pulled away from him with a face of pure shock, "You...you believe me?!"
Flash smiled and nodded. "Of course I do bud. I know you're no liar, and you wouldn't just break down like that."
"Flash....oh Flash! Thank you! Thank you for believing in me!" Springer screamed as he hugged Flash again, Twilight now walking up and embracing the two as well.
"Of course bud. We're always here for you." Flash replied again as he pulled away, Twilight just over the defender's shoulder.
The princess then patted the jakhowl with her wing, "Now, sounds like we don't have much time. Tell us everything, and quickly."
It didn't take long for Twilight to teleport everypony they needed to the library. There, Flash, Springer and Turner had a map of the town open. "Okay ponies," Flash spoke up to the Mane Seven and Defenders. "For reasons too complicated to explain, we need to search the town. Springer says that there's a bomb somewhere, and it's gonna wipe out the town in thirty minutes."
Everypony backpedaled at this revelation, only for Springer to speak up next as he continued marking spots on the map. "Alright, I've checked every single building and they're all clear."
"Wait, what?!" Iron exclaimed as he slammed his right hoof into the table, "You went into our houses?"
"Yeah....sorry about that."
Rainbow shuffled her hooves at this, "You uh...didn't see anything in my house, did you?"
"Yes, but your secret is safe with me," he watched as her fright slightly lessen before returning to the map. "Though I have to say, I'm pretty sure I looked everywhere, but...I couldn't find anything."
Seeing the returning sad look on his face, Pinkie hopped over to the jakhowl, "Don't worry, we'll find it Springer." She pulled him into a hug, only for the mud on her to cover him as well.
Springer winced as he felt the mud grace his side, "Pinkie...where'd you get so muddy?"
"In the underground gem cave," Pinkie watched as Springer raised an eyebrow at this.
"What underground gem cave?"
"The ones we first see in season six, but don't learn are under Ponyville until season seven." Pinkie then saw the confusion on everypony's faces, causing her to wave her hoof, "Don't worry about it. Its over your heads for now."
Rarity tapped her hoof on the table next. "Ignoring Pinkie's...I'm not sure what you would call it, I can safely say that I know that cave system quite well thanks to my gem seeking magic. I can lead us through it quite easily."
The others all nodded at this as Flash then said. "Sounds good to me. Everypony, time to do some spelunking!"
One rushed trip into the caves later...
Springer, Flash, Twilight and Lightning were now following Rarity as she lead them through the gem-filled caves beneath Ponyville. It was here that Flash nudged his partner, "How much longer do we have?"
"I'd say about ten to fifteen minutes."
Twilight spoke up next, "Then we can't waste any time. We've got a lot of cave to cover, and barely enough time to search it all."
"So what's the plan for when we do find it?" Lightning asked next.
"If the bomb is as powerful as Springer's says it is, then our only option is to teleport it to a place that's completely devoid of life."
Twilight saw the others nod in agreement, only to arrive at a junction with several tunnels. "Hmmm...which way now?" Rarity asked as she glanced at the corridors. "Perhaps we should split-" But before she complete her sentence, a new sound rang out in the caves. It was a rhythmic knocking, one which sounded like a song they all recognized.
"What is that?"
Twilight raised her ear while closing her eyes, "It sounds like...somepony banging against a wall."
As if on instinct, the group followed the sound down one of the tunnels. It wasn't long till they arrived the sound's origin, Rarity commenting, "I've never been down this tunnel before."
"I'd say we're somewhere below the Everfree," Twilight added.
Springer placed his ear to the wall and felt the vibration that accompanied the knocking. "Whatever it is, its coming from behind here." He jumped back and created an Aura Blast, "Hold on, I'll-"
"No," Twilight interrupted as she flared her wing in front of him, "If you do that, you could bring the whole place down on top of us." Her horn sparked and hit the wall, causing it to glow violet. "Okay, come on through. The wall's been intangified." They then blinked as four hooves walked through the rocks, soon revealing a familiar looking mare.
"Trixie?"
Trixie Lulamoon shined a giant smile, "Oh thank Celestia! You all finally found me!"
"What were you doing in there?" Flash asked, only for Lightning to step up and grab her saddlebag.
"And more importantly, what have you got in here?" He looked inside and saw a scroll, which he pulled out.
"Hey! Give that back!"
"So you can blow us up?! I don't think so!" With that, his horn sparked and shot a lightning bolt, striking the paper into dust.
"NO!" Trixie screamed as she watched it crumble. "You idiot! You've doomed us all!"
"What?!" Lightning barked back, "I just destroyed the spell that you obviously used to try and escape, but went overboard!"
"That wasn't an explosion spell you twit! It was Starswirl's Time Spell!"
This caught Twilight's attention. "The Time Spell?! What are you doing with that?!"
Trixie gulped as she looked down at the dust pile. "Well, you see...I'm from the future. Twenty four hours from now. At exactly one fifteen PM yesterday, or should I say today, Ponyville exploded and uh...killed you all." Everypony went pale at this, including Springer as she continued, "Everypony was devastated, including me...but I um...I remembered hearing about Twilight's use of the Time Spell. So I used it, but I guess my aim was a little off and I ended up stuck in that little chamber you found me in."
"Why didn't you just teleport out?" Flash asked next.
"I tried, but whatever that chamber is made out of made it impossible. I then realized I wasn't gonna be able to stop the bomb, but I still had the Time Spell. So I quickly rewrote it into a time-loop spell that I cast on me and whoever was closest to me. I wasn't sure where I was, but I knew I had to be somewhere under the town."
Springer let out a long moan at this, "Actually, you're under the forest. My guess, directly under Zecora's hut. I was the one your spell hit."
"But now that the spell's been atomized," Twilight grimaced. "And I'm guessing that probably means..."
Trixie flinched as she finished Twilight's sentence. "Yup. No more time-loops."
Flash glared at Lightning, "If we die, your probation is officially extended."
"Shove it Sentry. I'm sorry that happened, but we need to focus on the now!" Lightning barked back.
Rarity then spoke up. "So you're saying we only have about five minutes to find and stop this bomb before we blow up?!"
"Permanently," Trixie replied. "Including me."
Everypony gulped at hearing this, Springer now asking, "Please tell us you know where the bomb is."
Trixie just shook her head. "I'm sorry, we have no idea where the blast originated from. All we could determine was that the explosive used was an illegal compound called Mortebutio."
"Weird name," Lightning mumbled.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Mortebutio is illegal because of how volatile it is. A teaspoon of the stuff is enough to level a building."
Flash began to sweat as he heard that. "And how much would you need to destroy a town?"
Twilight frowned at this. "Not much. If the bomb uses it, it wouldn't have to be very big. Plus, it would give off an extremely funky smell, signalling its nearby."
"Funky smell?!" As soon as those words entered Springer's head, the million jigsaw pieces began fitting into perfect place. "Holy cow! I know where it is! We need to get back to town now, NOW!"
Hearing this, Twilight and Trixie's horns both glowed as they were all transported in a flash of light. Here, Springer turned to the library, quickly sprinting while the others followed, the others members of the Mane Six also seeing this along with Spike, Iron and Time Turner. The jakhowl slammed the door open, only to go to the main table where he grabbed a familiar tape deck with his paws. "I knew I smelled something funny coming from this thing." He pulled the front of the device off to reveal a bunch of wires wrapped around a pound of wrapped up explosive with a timer on the front. The timer showed the numbers: '4:45', which continued counting down.
"What's a bomb doing in a tape deck?" Rarity asked in shock.
Flash growled at the sight. "Who wants to bet those three were using them to smuggle the Mortebutio through towns!?!"
"I bet that wagon was full of them," Lightning added.
"But when'd this one get turned on?"
Springer gulped at this, a huge frown gracing his face, "The landslide! It must of knocked this thing into activating. This is...this is all my fault!"
"That doesn't matter right now Springer," Twilight grumbled as she and Turner looked the bomb over.
As this happened, a certain pegasus flew down next to them. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Soarin? What are you doing here?" Flash asked, causing both Soarin and Rainbow to glance at each other as nervous sweat began to appear.
"Uh..."
"Talk about that later!" Springer barked as they all turned back to the bomb, the timer now reading '3:23'.
"Can't we just pull a few wires out?!" Pinkie asked next.
"That could make it explode," Turner replied. "And I don't have the time or know how to disarm it."
Lightning glared at Twilight, "I thought you were gonna teleport it away."
Twilight nodded and took the device out of Springer's paws. But as she did this, the bomb fell to the floor, her horn fully lit yet unable to grab the device. "What the-" Twilight tried to grab it again in her magic, but the aura would not stick. "No...don't tell me. Its an anti-magic field!"
"Since when is that a thing?" Applejack yelped.
"Since always. The fact is, we can't use magic on the device. Not even a shield."
"So what can we do?" Fluttershy asked in a shivering, terrified tone.
"Evacuate," Iron suggested.
Twilight turned to him, "In three minutes?! That's impossible!"
And as the ponies started throwing around suggestions, panic settling in, Springer continued to stare at the device as it counted down to under two minutes. He glanced at his friends, his eyes staring at each one before looking out at the town through a nearby window. He stared longingly at Ponyville, the first and only home he'd ever known. "I...I know what I have to do."
The ponies stopped arguing when they saw a flash of light appear, turning to see Springer had taken his Battle Form and picked up the bomb. "Springer, what are you doing?"
Springer didn't rely, instead looking up at them with tears in his eyes. The next thing they all knew, a familiar aura shield appeared around him. "Sorry everypony, but this is the only way."
"What are you-what are you doing?!" Twilight exclaimed as she pointed at the bomb. "You can't contain that kind of explosion!"
"But you can contain my shield. Whatever's keeping you from stopping the explosion will be destroyed the minute it goes off, so I'll contain the explosion while you contain me. That why when my field drops, you'll still be able to save the town."
"Springer...you don't mean-"
The jakhowl did a small nod. "Yeah. I'll..."
"NO! Springer!" Flash yelled as he hit the sphere with his hooves. Tears were starting to form in his eyes as he said, "Springer, don't do this! There has to be a-"
"I HAVE TO FLASH!" Springer screamed as his own tears were now in full flow. "I...I have to. There's no other way. We're...outta time partner." He looked down and saw that they only had a minute left. "Put the shield up. Now."
Twilight, despite her ears now hearing Flash's protests, her horn started to shine. It created a shield as a flurry of yells graced the building, everypony telling Springer not to do this. But as she did this, Springer spoke up again, "Everypony! Please! Please...just stop. Can you all just listen and not interrupt me for fifty seconds!?" Silence started to appear as the others nodded. "Alright. I...I just want to say...thank you. Thank you, each and every one of you. You...you made me into the jakhowl I am. You taught me...you taught me so much about life and how precious it is."
Tears flowed down every face as Springer continued.
"Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack...thank you for accepting me when I first came here. I might not have wanted to stay if you hadn't." The four all nodded as he turned to Rainbow and Soarin. "You two, don't hide your relationship. You should be proud of how you feel." The two shared a look, but then nodded as he glanced at Iron. "Same with you big guy. If you like writing, then don't hide it. You're stuff's really good." He saw Iron slightly blush, but ignored it as he now stared at Lightning and Wild. "You two, don't go doing anything stupid. You keep helping others, alright?" They both nodded as well as Springer turned to Turner. "And I know you don't remember all of it, but thanks for helping me out through all of this. I wouldn't have lasted without you."
"No problem kiddo," Turner told him.
Springer then turned to Flash, Twilight and Spike. "Spike, you can have my comics. Thanks for getting me into them, it was fun while it lasted." Spike, who was bawling his eyes out, nodded as Twilight pulled him into a hug. "Twilight, you helped me learn so much about the world. I know you might not always think it, but you're gonna make a great princess. Also, do me a favor and tell Scootaloo that she's awesome and to keep reaching for the stars."
"I...I will." Twilight said through her sobs.
Finally, Springer looked at Flash. "Hey bud. Sorry it has to end like this."
"Springer..."
"I know you've been scared about us drifting apart, but you don't have to worry. Even if I'd found other jakhowls, my home is with you and the rest of our family. You did more then take me in, you helped me realize who I'm meant to be." He looked down as saw he only had ten seconds. "This is it..." five seconds. "I...I..." four, three, two, one. "I LOVE YOU ALL! GOODBYE!"
But as that last second ticked away, a life time seemed to pass in the jakhowl's brain. He could feel every tingle go off in his body, his nerves shaking. And yet, no pain. No explosion that rattled his ears. Nothing.
The very sensation confused him, causing Springer to crack an eye open. There, he saw he was still in Ponyville...but he was alone. He was back in his normal form and the bomb was gone, but so was everypony else.
"Hello? Anypony out there?"
No response.
"What in the name of-" Springer tried to say, only for a bright light to appear. The jakhowl guarded his eyes with a paw as a new voice spoke out.
"Its good to see you're alright," a familiar voice told him as the light died down. The sound of wing beats made Springer open his eyes and gasp.
"Princess Luna!"
The Princess of the Night landed in front of him. "Hello young jakhowl. It is good to see you once more."
"I...I don't understand," Springer mumbled as he backpedalled at this sight, his brain slowly clicking. An idea soon formed, causing him to glare at Luna, "Wait...please don't tell me I wasn't just dreaming this whole thing."
"My apologies Springer, but it is true. This is a dream." Luna interrupted, a small frown on her face.
"What?!" Springer yelped as he gripped his own face in disbelief, "Seriously?! But that's...all of that...how?!" he felt tears go down his face, "How long has this being going on?! How long have I been asleep?!"
"In the real world, roughly two hours. Princess Twilight sent me a letter and asked me to make sure you were alright."
"Two hours?! But that's-what is....why didn't you pull me out of this nightmare then?! Scootaloo told me about how you did it for her!"
"As much as I wanted to, I have little to no power over an artificial dream such as this one. It wasn't until now that I could do more than simply watch."
"Artificial...huh?! What do you mean, artificial dream? And when did I even fall asleep?!" Luna didn't reply, instead lighting her horn as the scenery changed around them. Here, it showed a familiar building, "This is...Zecora's hut."
"Indeed," Luna pointed at the inside of the home, "Now watch."
Springer looked inside and saw a copy of himself sitting against the wall, a familiar bottle of green liquid rolling off the shelf and hitting him in the head. "That's....wait a minute. That's what knocked me out?! I thought it was just a bottle of shampoo."
Luna chuckled at this. "That 'shampoo', is what's known as a Vision Quest Potion. Anypony who comes in contact with it while sleeping will enter a dream-like state that is designed to help them overcome any issues they might have."
"Issues?"
Luna turned to him with a small smile. "What were you thinking about before that bottle hit you on the head?"
Springer was about to reply, only to sigh as he remembered, "I...I was thinking about whether or not to stay here since I was the only Jakhowl in town."
Luna nodded at this. "Then when you were knocked out, the potion placed you in a scenario that would make you decide whether you should leave or not." With that, they teleported back outside of the library. This time, the ponies were there, acting completely normal as they went along with their lives. "You felt like you barely knew any of these ponies, but what do you think about them now?"
"Does it matter?" Springer replied as he slumped over, "If this was all a dream, then what I learnt about them wasn't real."
Luna shook her head, "Wrong again. When the bottle hit you, it caused your aura to connect to everypony in town. In doing so, their memories of the previous hour were flooded into your brain and made a part of this dream world. While none of this actually happened, everything you learned about them is very real."
"Really?" The world once again changed, this time showing Rainbow's house. The two looked up to see Soarin flying into view. "So how long has that been a thing?"
Luna hummed as she hid a tiny blush. "From their dreams, I'd say around the time Miss Dash entered the Wonderbolt Academy. It seems they've been keeping it a secret because Mr. Skies didn't want ponies to think she was being given any special favour with the Wonderbolts."
"Huh..." Springer said as the scene changed again, this time showing Iron's hut. He was now working away on his typewriter. "Now, I have got to be dreaming this up."
Luna chuckled again, "You'll have to ask Mr. Core about that."
The scene changed again, now in the library's kitchen with Flash and Twilight. The sight made Springer shine a giant frown, "He really thought I was gonna leave."
"Isn't that what you were thinking of doing before this all started? Your trust in these ponies began because you read their auras and knew they weren't a threat. And while that's been a strong jakhowl survival instinct for generations, the trust it forged wasn't true trust. It only happens when...well, when a jakhowl truly interacts with others. When they become true partners and protectors of others." She patted his side with her wing, "Now, doesn't everything you learned about the ponies of Ponyville make you feel closer to them?"
Springer smiled as he thought back to everything he had learned over these past few looping hours. "Yeah...I guess I do."
In the moment, the scene changed, and they were back outside. "Of course you do. If you didn't, you wouldn't have been willing to give up your life to protect them. You may have risked your life for them before, but actually doing it, knowing you'll die, it shows just how important they are too you. To how you truly feel."
"Yeah..." Springer nodded before his eyes went wide. "Wait a minute! That bomb....was that real too?!"
Luna nodded. "Yes, though you didn't accidently activate it. I have already informed Twilight and she has disposed of it." A small wink followed this, "Luckily, anti-magic fields don't truly exist."
Springer breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. Then again, there was a whole lotta coincidences at the end there. I should have known it was the whole dream thing at that point..."
"Heh. I wouldn't bet on that. Dreams have ways of making sure you don't notice they're dreams. Granted, I do think you should have noticed since Flash did let you just sacrifice yourself though." Luna leaned down with a wink and a smirk, "I don't think he's that kind of pony, don't you agree?"
Springer chuckled back, nodding. "Yeah...he is."
In that moment, the world around them began to ripple. "It seems you're finally beginning to wake up." Luna flapped her wings and took to the sky, "Remember to talk to the others about what you have learned. You have found your place young jakhowl, never forget that."
"I won't. And thank you."
"Of course. Farewell Springer."
With that, Luna disappeared as the world began to fade around the defender.
"I think he's coming around."
"You sure?"
"Hmmm...I don't know."
"No wait, he is! Look!"
"Give him some room then."
As Springer's eyes flickered open, he looked up to see Flash, Twilight, Spike and Scootaloo smiling down at him. A yawn followed, "Morning..."
The others all laughed. "More like mid-afternoon," Spike joked as he helped Springer up.
"You alright?" Twilight asked next.
"I...no. Maybe. I don't know." Springer moaned as he rubbed his eyes. "Is this real? I'm...still not sure."
"It is bud," Flash commented as he leaned down and wrapped his wing around the jakhowl's back. "Don't worry, you're awake and everything."
"Really?" Springer's eyes started to water, "Oh...oh thank Celestia."
"Yeah, but what happened?" Scootaloo requested as she patted his side. "Princess Luna told us about you being stuck in a 'vision quest', whatever that means."
Springer sighed as he scratched the side of his head. "I...I don't know how to explain it." He wrapped his paws around himself, his form shivering as tears went down his face. "It was...pure tartarus. I kept relieving the same hour over and over again...and the town exploded each loop."
Everyone grimaced at this, Twilight gulping as she added, "That sounds...intense."
"It was. It was...horrible. So horrible." Springer then turned to Flash, only to hug him in a vice-like grip. "I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry Flash!" Tears started to pour down his cheeks, "Please forgive me!"
"Whoa! Springer..." Flash slightly shook at the sudden hug, but as he felt the water go down his chest, the pegasi wrapped his wings completely around the young defender. "Its okay bud, its okay. I forgive you."
"I'm so sorry! I should have never gone overboard with my new powers! I'm so sorry! I won't rely on them so much, I promise!" Springer cried as he buried himself in the pegasi's chest. "I'm sorry..."
"Its okay bud, calm down." Flash replied in a comforting tone, patting the jakhowl's head. He then looked up at the others, gesturing them to help the hug. Before long, all four were hugging him, their warmth and aura covering the jakhowl.
A few minutes later, the hug ended as Springer rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "Sorry about that."
"Its fine Springer. There are always time when somepony just needs to cry." Twilight assured, patting him on the head.
"Thanks..."
"And Springer?" Springer's focus turned back to Flash, "I also want to say I'm sorry. I was out of line as well. These powers are apart of you and I shouldn't try and make you ignore them. You can use them whenever you feel, just try to show a little restraint."
Springer shined a big smile before giving a firm nod. "I will. I promise."
"That being said, what else did this...'vision quest' do for you bud?" Flash asked next.
"A lot. Mainly, it helped me learn a lot about you all. According to Luna, my aura connected to everyone in town, so I found out a bunch of stuff." Springer then did a few stretches with his arms, "In fact, I need to do a few things in town."
"What?!" Twilight hopped in place, "Oh no you don't Springer! You should be resting."
Springer turned back to her, shaking his head. "Honestly, I feel fine. Heck, I feel like I could run a marathon." With that, he ran out of the room, leaving everyone speechless as they watched him sprint away.
Knock knock knock...
A bespectacled Iron looked up from his typewriter, quickly hiding it from view before moving over to the door and cracking it open. There, he saw Springer standing, making him grumble out, "I'm busy mutt."
"I should say so, you have a lot a writing to do."
Iron was about to close the door, only to slowly take off his glasses as he glared at the jakhowl. "How did you-"
"I know you're writing a novel, and its really good. But...that ending needs a rewrite." Springer interrupted as he crossed his paws with a smirk, "Zar...he's such a misfit that at the end, all we want to do is see him embrace his new family. There's no need for what you have him do at the end. Its just a thought though..."
With that, Springer began to walk away, Iron blinking at him. Seeing this, he turned back to the typewriter as new ideas flew into his head.
Springer's next stop was Rainbow's house, where he could sense two auras inside. He cupped his paws together and cried out at the top of his voice. "Hey...Rainbow!" A second later, the door opened and Rainbow flew out.
"Hey fuzzball, glad to see you're awake."
Springer shined a cheeky smile. "So, what ya doing up there?"
Rainbow almost looked away, her eyes darting slightly, "Uh...nothing."
Springer just shook his head. "You can stop trying to come up with an excuse. I know Soarin's in there with you."
Rainbow sighed and flew back inside, returning seconds later with Soarin as she said, "How'd-"
"Doesn't matter," Springer interrupted. "Listen, I know why you two are keeping this a secret and I just wanna tell you that I won't tell anypony. Even so, I still think you should tell your friends. Nopony's gonna care that you're together, they know Rainbow is gonna earn her spot on the Wonderbolts anyways. Trust me, I don't think you wanna have this relationship be built on lies and keeping secrets from everypony."
With that, he walked off while Rainbow and Soarin both turned to one another, the two giving each other slight frowns at they thought about their relationship.
That evening...
Springer sighed as he finished writing in the friendship journal before while on the library balcony, closing it while watching as the sun and the moon swapped places. Ever since waking up, Springer had been going around, helping ponies with the problems he had learned about in his vision quest. He had gone to Lightning and told him the Princesses would be idiots to not see he had changed, then helped fix the issue Lyra and Bon Bon had been having.
He also saw Rainbow and Soarin fly to the library, knowing that the others had just arrived as well. He didn't need to be there, and instead reached down for the violin he had borrowed from Octavia. He had been wanting to test something out, and after tuning the instrument like he had been shown, Springer took the bow and began playing. The song created lulled over the town, the ponies of Ponyville now bathed in the afterglow of Springer's help.
Iron was still working on his manuscript.
Once he finished typing, he looked over his new ending before reading aloud, "And so, Zar began to gallop into the horizon, the promise he had made to return once his mission was complete fresh in his mind. After years of endless wandering, he had finally found a place to call home. He had found ponies he could call his family, and nothing would stop him from returning to them." He sat back and nodded with a smile on his face, "Not bad."
Springer smiled as he heard the females in the library all squeal. It seemed Rainbow and Soarin had come clean, making Springer happy as he ended his song.
Putting the instrument away, Springer leaned back again the tree trunk while pulling out a familiar book. "Alright Mr. Danhoof, let's see if your ending is any different from mine." He opened the book and began to read, the doubts he had been feeling earlier in the day gone.
While he may be the only jakhowl in town, Springer was far from an outcast. He had as much a place as anypony else
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I smell ship.
This part was funny.
Okay, a little dark for an E rated story.
Aww, that was a sweet ending.
9378908 Huh, I was expecting a lot more squee from you.
Happy New Year.
I've never seen Groundhog Day, I know of it, and I've read a fan fiction on this site where it's Prince Blueblood at the Grand Galloping Gala.
9378914
About what? The ship I was smelling? It kinda got overshadowed by the nightmare that was poor Springer's time loop. I mean, I was excited about it, but it kept getting overridden by my pity for Springer.
9378922 Well yeah. Considering i confirmed a ship you liked, I was expecting way more squee.
Wow, now that is an awesome way to start the new year! Springer went to hell and back on that vision quest, it got pretty dark for awhile, but he pulled through. At first I thought him goofing off without fear of consequences would be a bad thing, but it turns out to be exactly what he needed, even if he didn’t realize it at the time. The bomb scene was pretty emotional, and the reveal of it being a dream did not take anything away from it. Another great chapter for Springer.
I personally love the bits with Rainbow and Soarin. The part with Springer spying on them and freaking out was hilarious, with the implications they were having “you-know-what” together. I was actually surprised to hear they had been together for so long, nice touch keeping it a secret even from the readers until now. Glad they decided to come clean about it though.
what
way
Delete “before”
In confusion, this made me think of Alarm Clock when I try to think about it like a normal person, and not myself. In all other regards, this was GREAT! Also, if I had access to a time loop, I would also train myself to several extremes.
9378928
YAY SOARINDASH!!!
There, Pinkie squeed for her.
This was a long read, worth it, but long. Feels somewhat cheated that it was a dream, but I'll take it. So what's next for our heros?
9379771 A little development for a ship and then onto something big.
9380594
That sounds interesting. I wonder which ship is getting development? I hope it is one of my two favorites. Then whatever "big" thing that comes next sounds great.
I can't wait for the Wendy pony that is going to be with flash and iron
9386444 No Wendy pony, sorry.
9386452
Ohhhh why not. You got lightning as loxas so why not a small mare that is an air element like Wendy named ilma, sent to a fake town and became it’s protector but are not real except spirits of an ancient civilization that can destroy the whole equestria with an evil weapon of mass destruction
9387047 Because I already have a character who manipulates wind. Plus, my editor reminded me that I'm gonna be adding a character who is similar to Wendy but not her exact character.
9387061
Ok that’s fair
I'm rereading this because of Legends of Tomorrow. Loved that episode btw. Nice to see that version in this fanfic
???
Is that a Dalek reference?