The Timepony’s Journal

by Penny_Shavins109

Chapter 15 - A New Home

Lifting her head off of the floor, Radiance groggily awoke from her slumber. She had a lot back now, her early memories, her TARDIS, and with it the freedom of time and space. She rubbed her temples, hoping to eradicate the pain. Meeting her past self had taken more of a toll on her than first appeared. Maybe if she entered her own Zero Room she could feel safe and sane again.

No, now wasn’t the time. Even though she wasn’t whole she still had to figure out what to do about her past and more malevolent self. She took a few readings from the console and saw that she was in Modern Equestria, but several years after she’d left. She was far from other civilizations. It was a newer colony, just freshly started too. The databanks stated that it was the first of many cities that would become a part of the new technological age a few decades later. But right now it was just a plain old stone fortress.

It wasn’t quite like the castle in Canterlot, built more for commoners sheltering themselves from the harsh vegetation and light swamps outdoors. Stepping outside she found herself in another garden, causing the TARDIS to only shift in the outer vegetation rather than change shape entirely. The leaves and branches crunched beneath her hooves softly, birds chirping as they flew past.

The garden was lined with tan and grey stoned paths no doubt spanning a large distance. After a few minutes of walking the path ended at an iron gate with a sign reading: Longsdale Gardens, open from 8 AM to 10 PM. Nopony seemed to mind that she was there as it was a public place in its opening hours. The town square lay outside before her, bustling with the activity of a mid-morning rush hour.

It was all too much at the moment, too much activity. Radiance browsed the local shop signs before finding a cafe. If she was lucky she could get a quick cup before the small store was jam-packed. The walls were painted teal on the inside and a little ding sounded after opening the door. She sighed a breath of relief as she saw a few empty tables.

“Be right with you.” said an orange mare at the bar.

She took a seat on one of the bar stools before she came back. The mare’s mane was brown and she had a sandwich for a cutie mark.

“What can I getcha?”

“Oh, I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t been feeling myself lately.”

“That’s a shame. Here, I’ll get you a cup o’ joe right away.”

It was only a few minutes before she came back with a small white mug of dark brown coffee. After taking a sip Radiance shivered a little before feeling warm again. She hadn’t even noticed how cold she’d gotten. After the first few sips she noticed that she didn’t have any money on her, frantically searching as if she had a coat or a jacket.

“No worries, a customer’s first cup is on the house. I can tell you’re from out of town, no offense.”

“None taken. And thank you, I don’t know if I’m looking for relaxation or excitement right now. Maybe I need to get off holiday. Where are my manners, I’m Radiance.”

“I’m Sugar Cream, pleased to meetcha. And if you’re looking for some excitement Mr.Fiction is looking for a library assistant.”

“I don’t exactly think that a library holds that much excitement. At least typically it doesn’t.”

“Oh you’ll see. Just go and check the west tower.”

“Which floor?”

“Just visit the west tower, you’ll find it easily.” Sugar Cream smiled.

---

Radiance looked almost directly upward. The whole interior of the tower was a spiraling spire with thousands of tombs being moved along on carts. Every book seemed to be a different color of the rainbow except for those coming in series or volumes. The vast amount of knowledge at her hoof tips felt endless.

“Excuse me, Miss, can I help you?” Asked an elderly brown stallion with a reddish mane.

His mane was beginning to turn grey and small bags under his eyes showed his age. He was either in his forties or in his thirties and just very tired.

“Yes, are you Mr. Fiction? I heard you had some kind of job opening right now? I’m Radiance by the way.”

“Technically yes, but I’m Non Fiction. My son Pulp Fiction has the job opening.”

A younger yellow stallion with an equally brown mane in the back looked up from his book and waved. Radiance shyly waved back.

“But yes, we do have a job opening for shelving books. Are you familiar with the Dewey Decimal system?”

“Of course, I met Dewey the colt myself... I think.”

“Right... well it’s more of a volunteer job so it doesn’t pay very much if at all. If you have any credentials I’d be willing to offer you a possibly higher position.”

“I’m a traveler though so most of my credentials have either been changed too much or lost. Also... I don’t ...remember who I am. Exactly.” said Radiance with a sheepish grin.

“Very well then. We’ll start you out with our lowest pay grade and you can work your way up.”

“It’s alright that I don’t have any credentials?”

“I can tell that you’re trying to be honest. Believe me, I’ve seen my fair share of liars. I want to build this library on the foundation of trust, as is our colony. And to get trust you need to give it as much relieving it. If you want, you can start work tomorrow.”

“T-thank you! That’s all I know to say. Can you tell me more? I’ve only just arrived.”

“How about I let my son do more of the talking.”

Non Fiction guided Radiance over to where his younger son sat. Pulp Fiction looked up from his book once more before putting a bookmark in for the page he was on.

“Sorry about that, is there anything I can do to help?” he asked politely.

“Yes, I’d like you to guide Miss Radiance here around a bit. She’s new in town and needs somepony to help her out.”

“That’s alright by me, I wasn’t really too busy with my book anyway.”

“Can we stay in the library first? I want to browse a bit. I know that I could probably learn a bit more outdoors, but it’s really overwhelming right now. I’ve been under a lot of stress and need some kind of relief. Actually... I think I’m getting a bit of a headache right now.”

Radiance shivered before rubbing her temples. Strands of her black mane fell in front of her face as she looked down. She felt some kind of disturbance, like something somewhere nearby wasn’t quite right.

---

Meanwhile in another alleyway a light green mare dropped her apples and oranges, spooked by something that moved in the corner behind some old boxes she was supposed to move later. She worked at the soup kitchen next door and was supposed to be bringing fresh fruits and vegetables for the kitchen.

Thankfully all the fruits that were dropped onto the stone pavement would be thoroughly checked for any bruises or dirt but now more were likely to be both literal and figurative bad apples.

What she didn’t notice was how something in the wall had cracked open. It was like the bricks themselves were dissolving into nothingness. Unfortunately for the mare, whatever was coming out of that wall pulled her in, right into the unknown.

Just like that, the crack lightly sealed itself. Not fully, but enough to mask its presence.

---

Radiance shook her head , the pain starting to subside. There was still something there but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it.

“Is everything alright?” asked Pulp Fiction.

“Yeah, yeah. Just took a funny turn. Well, it felt like everything took a funny turn but me.”

“Do you need to rest first? You did say that you weren’t feeling yourself.”

“I should be fine in a moment. I’ve been trying to shake off that feeling for almost two days now. Relaxation only got me so far so I wondered if a routine would make things better.”

“And a library does seem like the best of both worlds.”

“Yeah, is there anything I can do to help? I know I just had a little moment but I don’t know what to do. I used to like helping... I still do. I’ve just gotten out of touch.”

“You could start shelving right now but I don’t know if you’ll be okay.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m sure I can handle myself.”

They both laughed and shared small talk while Pulp directed Radiance to the back room where books were stored. There was a light hum coming from the ceiling above. It was the sorting and processing area where all the books went through first before being placed into carts. Those carts laid before her, tagged and ready to be shelved.

“Just take one of these carts and start from the bottom floor up. The higher you go the higher the number. Here’s a map just in case you get lost.”

Pulp handed her a small pamphlet from a rack of them on the wall. They were all there for staff use so it should be returned later just in case.

“Thank you.” Radiance smiled.

She took one of the carts and silently moved across the bottom floor. A spiraling wooden balcony went upwards along the shelves using ramps instead of stairs. This helped the carts move swiftly and silently around as she worked slowly. Ironic for her situation she had a great memory, but only for the parts of herself that she couldn’t remember. Bits and pieces of her old life were coming back to her , after the garden.

She was scolded for leaving her TARDIS in the garden. Luckily since this was her first offense she was only suspended from entering a TARDIS for 100 years. Most specifically hers as it was impounded for the time being. To her it was torture, not being able to do what she loved. That was the day she wanted to leave. There was no going back now, even her friend the Doctor had run away for a different reason.

They were both growing old and nearing the end of their first regeneration. It’d been centuries after both incidents as she didn’t want to risk or lose anything. But she made therfinal decision. She came out of her trance-like state upon realizing that she’d gone too far. Looking to her right she saw an alcove in the shelves, leading to a small reading corner three by three yards wide . Something was calling her in there, the same feeling that she’d felt earlier but less painful.

She took a few steps forward and saw something small tearing down the bookshelf. It was a dark crack of nothingness. She was facing herself again.

“Hello again, I’m guessing you’re gonna try and do something now that we’re alone.”

The black outline of a pony stepped out of the growing crack in the shelves, more of a void than anything else. It was hard to tell but it was looking at her as the void slowly shifted from side to side.

“What would be the point? I’ve already won, and you, or I have succeeded in our mission.”

“Maybe it matters because I’m living proof that you’ve failed.”

“Not necessarily, who’s to say I didn’t wipe your mind on purpose, let you go as a part of my plan?”

“I think we both know that I still have a chance. Crossing my own time stream may be a part of my own history. Harmony’s grand destiny to stop you. Seeing as we’re so different, literally black and white , what do I call you. Because I certainly know that you’re not an integral part of me.”

“Oh you’re right, because I’m so much more than you. You may call me Iridescence. It’s strange, isn’t it? Seeing what you’ve become. And I know you’ll remember me soon enough. I can see into all of eternity, everything that ever is, ever was, or ever will be. The timelords locked me away, us away, deep in the cloisters. But as the war ticked on and fire rained from the skies, they stopped caring about me. It’s odd, isn’t it, how I know everything about you yet you know nothing about me despite being my future.

You’ll be back... soon. And I’ll always be waiting.”

“The war...”

Radiance paused and shuddered, knowing that she was still missing so much. She only knew her innocent stage of life but nothing else. Iridescence laughed and walked back into the wall, turning a small shade of light green before vanishing away. The crack fully sealed and there was nothing she could do about it. But the past version of herself was right, she was in her past and she would catch up to her again.

The only question was, would she still be sane once knowing her full past?