The Right Place in the Wrong Time

by RunicTreetops

Izzy Come Izzy Go

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, Izzy! There's just a lot in here."

You grunted as you attempted to pull the hairbrush out of Izzy's tangled mane. You were making a lot of progress, but this is certainly a project.

Yesterday's research took the entire evening, and you only managed to get through about half of the books you had acquired. You started the day ready to dive back into it, but rather than a pile of books greeting you at the Crystal Brighthouse, you were met with Izzy excitedly bounding towards you the moment you opened the door. She had insisted that you accompany her on one of her "dives." Poor, innocent you thought "yeah, why not?" Had you known that she was referring to digging through literal garbage for hours on end, you might have reconsidered.

Still, though. It is very hard to stay mad at that mare. She's just so... bubbly. Your first thought was that she was similar to Pinkie Pie, but after getting to spend a bit more time with her, you found that she's actually a lot more down-to-earth, so to speak. She was just as full of energy, just as quick to get around, and just as full of non sequiturs, but she was also a lot easier to just... talk to (not that you have any issues with Pinkie, of course). You found yourselves being engaged in many conversations as you worked, from "unicycling" ideas to your experiences with magic, and you were both having a great time.

Your fun came to a fairly quick end when Izzy decided to dive into the wrong pile of trash. You had ultimately decided that you didn't want to dumpster dive with the same ferocity that she did, but you still dug through your fair share of rubbish whenever another pile would catch her eye in search of unicycling materials. This pile, however, was not as it seemed. It was full of trash bags, the contents of which could not be deduced from a simple glance. That, of course, did not stop Izzy from jumping right in, only to find that the bags were filled with cockleburs. Apparently the owner of said trash was an earth pony that was still working on their magic. Izzy's fun stopped pretty much immediately as you heard her cry out in pain. This poor mare doesn't deserve that.

So, you took the bur-covered mare back to the Brighthouse. Zipp was still avidly reading (you made sure to get her permission before joining Izzy on her excursion) but took a break to ensure her friend's well-being. You brought Izzy to the bathroom and started cleaning her off as best you could. She had picked the majority of the burs out of her coat already, and her telekinesis helped with that quite a bit, though she didn't have the best view of her back. After getting her coat cleaned up, all that remained was her mane, which was a sight to behold. Normally, Izzy's mane is very pretty. The bright blue color seems to glow in sunlight, and it always looks silky smooth and soft. Now that you have the opportunity to touch it, you can confirm that this is indeed the case. Granted, it's full of prickly cockleburs right now, but still.

So, here you are, brushing Izzy's mane to the best of your ability in an attempt to get dozens of burs out of the tangled mess. Izzy seems to appreciate your help, even if you aren't doing the best job in the world. Ironically you've only brushed a mare with a mane that's consistently flowing, so dealing with one that is stationary is throwing you off.

Eventually, you get her all cleaned up, and she jumps off of the stool with as much energy as when you first met up this morning.

"Thank you for all of your help today! I know it didn't end well, but we got so many useful materials! I have so many great ideas for Izzy Does It!"

"Well, thank you for having me! I had a great time, Izzy. That said, why did you invite me at all? I didn't really do much."

"Aw, come on, silly! It wasn't about the job! It was about getting to know you!"

"Oh! Well, I'm flattered. Did you learn everything you wanted to?"

"All that and more! You had a bunch of great unicycling suggestions, you don't like digging through trash, your 'finger' thingies are really useful for handling stuff, and you tell the best jokes!" You don't remember telling all that many jokes, but at least she's happy. "Anyway, why don't we see what Zipp is up to? Maybe she's figured out where your Time thingy is!"

Perhaps so. You make your way back to the table where Zipp was reading previously. She is still there, reading intently.

...Really intently. Does she need her face that close to the book to read it? Oh, never mind. She's asleep. You glance at the nearby clock. It is a lot later in the day than you thought. Izzy spoke up, though much quieter than before.

"Do you mind if I read some of these? I know I'm not Sunny or Zipp, but I want to help you out, too!"

"Go ahead. Maybe you'll find something we couldn't." You were probably whispering a bit quieter than you needed to, but oh well. You get the feeling that Zipp is the cranky type when she wakes up.

So, the two of you dug through even more of the books from the pile. After a bit, Sunny and Pipp returned to the Brighthouse as well. Sunny gladly joined the two of you while Pipp decided to retire early for the night, dragging (with great difficulty) her unconscious sister with her. Sunny, Izzy, and yourself engaged in light conversation as you read, either about the material you were reading or about you. Sunny loved hearing your personal accounts of your friends, whom she had looked up to all throughout her life, and Izzy enjoyed hearing about the many antics you all got up to on an almost daily basis. As you continued to turn the pages, the words seemed to blend together into a collage of nothingness. Sentences started to lose their meaning, either because you were getting really bored, or because you were losing focus. It seemed as though Sunny was feeling the same thing, though Izzy never seemed to lose her pace. You and Sunny realized this at about the same time, and you set aside your books in favor of just talking to each other.

You have a lot in common with Sunny and Izzy. You also have a similar feeling about Zipp, Pipp, and Hitch. They were all just... pleasant to be around. It's a very familiar feeling to what it's like to live in Ponyville. You know you need to leave. When you do, you'll likely never see these ponies again. But whether it's Twilight's influence or your own intuition, you feel like the bonds you've created with them will transcend time. You hear the two mares laugh at a well timed joke on your part.

The more time you spend with these ponies, the less of a rush you feel to get back home. Well, sort of. You really miss Tia. What you wouldn't give to be able to send her a letter letting her know you're okay. Maybe you could tell her about a friendship lesson these future ponies have taught you or something, haha.

"Hey, did you already look at this one? It has your signature on it." You look at Izzy quizzically, and Sunny does the same. "...What? It's right here."

She slides the book to you. You glance at the cover. It reads "Journal of Friendship." Wait... you've seen this before. Not too long ago, Twilight made this. Whenever you or any of your friends learned a friendship lesson, you were supposed to record it in the journal for future reference. Except... you haven't written in it yet.

You look back at the open page Izzy was reading. Yeah, that's definitely your handwriting. Actually, it's dated the day after you got sent here.

"Dear Diary,

Friends really can be found anywhere. No matter how far from home you wander, hold your head high! There will always be someone willing to help you, and there is always hope that you will find your way back. And who knows? These new friends may have even more in common with you than anyone you've ever met."

Yup, that's definitely your signature. It makes sense, you suppose. That is indeed a friendship lesson you've learned while being here. What's this about having something in common with them, though? You already surmised that you do have things in common with them, but you can't imagine pointing that out specifically in the journal when you got home.

Wait. There's something else written at the bottom of the page. Those are some really small letters, but it still looks like your handwriting.

"PS. If I'm reading this, the thing I'm looking for is at my friend's house. Just make sure she doesn't unicycle it."

Huh? "If I'm reading this?" What does that mean? Well, you ARE the author, and you are also the one reading it. You are looking for the Time Tuner, yes? And your friend's house? Other than Hitch, they all live here, right? And this last part? Make sure she doesn't unicycle it? ...Hold on!

"Izzy!"

"Woah!" Oops, you might have said that louder than you meant to.

"Do you have a house that isn't this one?"

"Of course I do! Where do you think I lived before moving here? I've got a house over in Bridlewood!"

Sunny spoke up. "It's a lovely home, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I think that's where the Time Tuner is!"

"Huh?" The mares tilted their heads in unison. You explained the Journal of Friendship to them.

"So, you think that you left, or I guess, 'leave,' that message for yourself when you get back home, and you do so to tell your past, or, 'present,' self how to find the Time Tuner?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Izzy starting beaming. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get you home!"

You glance out the window. The sun is setting, and beyond that, Zipp and Pipp are in bed already.

"Why don't we head there tomorrow?"

Sunny was getting excited, too. "I'll go too! I can close my stand for the day. I really want to see you off, and I can take care of the Time Tuner after you're gone."

"Alright, it sounds like a plan!"

You neatly put away the books you had piling up around you and said your goodnights before heading back to Hitch's place. Tomorrow, you're finally going to be able to go home. In truth, you're actually a bit sad to leave. A mixture of excitement and anxiety fills you as you do your best to drift to sleep.

Tomorrow is going to be great.

Comments

[joElecTeen]

"PS. If I'm reading this, the thing I'm looking for is at my friend's house. Just make sure she doesn't unicycle it."

Cryptic

[Totally Not A Pony]

11394432
Cryptic enough to foil anyone else who might have stumbled across the note in the intervening centuries and decided to have a look themselves, since of course without knowing about Izzy (who for most of that time hadn’t even been born yet) it can at best send the reader on a wild goose chase. But also clear enough to point “You” in the right direction straight away.

[mommy5260]

The Time Travel Fuckery (tm) and the solutions to it are fucking awesome and trippy as hell

m e l i e k

[coopda]

"So, you think that you left, or I guess, 'leave,' that message for yourself when you get back home, and you do so to tell your past, or, 'present,' self how to find the Time Tuner?"

Causal loops everywhere are in pain right now