Snips in Time

by FacadeArt

Zap to the future.

Snips in Time

Wednesday night
Celestia's and Luna's reign
Year 0

Snips had had enough of walking around in Ponyville in broad daylight for everypony to see! The night seemed like the best option to venture out to get the thunder cloud, and besides, the only way he could reach it was by levitating himself, and the ponies of Equestria were not yet ready to see a flying unicorn.

Stepping outside he could see that the land was covered in a shroud of pale light. The moon watched over the world from the endless vastness of the night sky. Out there, every single flickering star housed a solar system full of mystery and possibly life, wonderous places that nopony would ever have the chance to see, yet it filled their dreams with hope and curiosity.

On that night, two dreamers were gazing upon them in hopes of capturing what they were looking for. Twilight Sparkle and Lyra Heartstrings, the other quenching her curiosity, the other seeking her dreams. It was as if all the secrets of this world were presented in front of them, and all they had to do was reach out to catch them.

Yet what they saw was far from mystery, a silhouette of a flying unicorn against the pale moon, both mares thought that it could have been no other then Princess Luna herself, the noble yet once fallen princess of the night. Twilight Sparkle felt doubt in her heart when she noticed that the moon princess was not only shorter but she lacked visible wings and seemed more masculine then before.

She shook her head in protest, even that stallion could not be so skilled in levitation! Meanwhile a mint colored unicorn was humming to herself in joy. Once again that stallion was doing something very unpony like, something that she was sure, only certain bipedalled creatures could do.

Luckily for that stallion, neither mare could fly, which meant they could not confirm their suspicions.

Snips was getting quite tired of flying however and he cast the well known spell that would allow unicorns to walk on clouds. He sat on the nearest cloud and lowered his head in defeat. He had no idea where Cloudsdale was! Sure he had heard of the place as a colt, and sure he had seen it during the day floating above Ponyville, but this cursed darkness would not allow him to see it!

At that moment the actual Princess Luna herself, flew over to the flustered stallion for she was also drawn in by the mysterious sight of a flying unicorn.

Tall and proud she was, a majestic alicorn from an age of old, and graceful was her flight, and flawless was her shape, as if she had been one with the night sky since the worlds creation. And as Snips gazed upon her, not only did he feel admiration but respect for this being, that had been here before him, and that would be here even after his time on this world was long gone.

So full of sadness were her eyes and so full of memories of a time long forgotten that even Snips felt his heart grow heavy and without thinking he bowed deeply as Luna landed before him.

"It is a night full of surprises indeed, for we did not know that unicorns were yet capable of levitating themselves! Pray tell little pony, what is thy name?" said Luna in a voice that was both proud and high, like a thunder in the mountains.

"Timey?" squaked Snips in fear.

"Well met Timey son of Equestria! I am Luna Princess of the night." she said adressing herself in the more modern term of "I" instead of "we"

"Yes, I am aware of that." Snips whispered fearing that Luna could tell that he was not of this time.

"You are? We are pleased, for most unicorns would think that we are still Nightmare Moon, still you seem unlike "most unicorns" we have met so far, for were unicorn hooves not meant to remain on the earth? What has brought you to this cold night sky?" she asked.

"Uhh...I'm lost." he said truthfully.

Luna laughed at this "Lost? Quite a place you have gotten yourself lost into!" she said and then she laid herself down next to Snips which caused him to blush furiously. "Alas, it seems we are not so different, for I am lost too...in a way that you might understand."

"Wha-what do you mean?" said Snips.

Luna sighed and looked at the night sky with a longing gaze "Full of sadness and longing have been my dreams of late, for I am not a pony of this age, my time is long gone, and I have not adapted like my sister." she said.

"Your time is long gone, what time?" Snips said confused.

"I can tell you, if you would care to listen" said Luna and she turned to look at him.

Snips simply nodded, slowly.

Then he listened while Luna spoke in her clear voice of the creation of Equestria and of the alicorns of old, she told him about the forging of the elements of harmony and of Discord, who at that time was not yet named and did not seem evil, and how he ensnared the alicorns of old and stole their knowledge of magic and how the power was too much for him to control and it drove him mad.

"It was at this time" said Luna "when the alicorns of old chose Celestia and I to seek out the elements of harmony and it was at that time when they gave their remaining powers to two mortals and left this world and the world would never see such grace and power again."

Snips simply nodded again.

Luna continued her tale of the quest of freeing the world of Discord, which will not be retold here for it is a long tale full of war and deeds both good and evil, and as she spoke, Snips heard of wonders that had long ago left this world and he listened in awe.

Then after mortals had proven their valor and courage in defeating Discord, Luna and Celestia were the only alicorns remaining, and it fell on their hearts to rule over the land. A great city was built called the Everfree and in the middle of that city lay The Royal sisters palace where Luna and Celestia, still young and foolish, lived.

She told him how they were unable to unite the three races of ponies, unicorns, pegasi and the earth ponies and how Everfree became an unicorn city when the pegasi left to the white streets of Cloudsdale, and when the earth ponies moved out to the wild, seeking new lands to inhabit.

Then evil crept back to Equestria and Luna was seduced by it's promises of power to unite the pony races, and she built, in secret,The Night tower on the side of The Canterlot mountain where she bred an army of batponies to take over the land. Celestia named her "Nightmare Moon" and in another tale of glory and death, Celestia gathered the elements of harmony once more and united the pony races to defeat the dark armies of Nightmare Moon.

The Everfree city was destroyed and in it's place grew a cursed forest full of memory and anger, of the souls of the many ponies that had perished there. Canterlot was built from the remains of the night tower, and Luna was sent to the moon where she spent many bitter years lingering in regret while the rest of the world moved on without her until all that remained of the world of old was her sister.

And that's where Luna ended her tale which Snips had carefully listened to, and tough she spoke briefly the morning sun was already creeping up from the horizon.

"And such is the life of an alicorn, full of bittersweet memories of ages long gone, yet full of hope of the new exciting things to come. Even this long talk I've had with you, is to me but a brief moment in time, for your tale will end, yet mine will go on for an uncount amount of years." said Luna in a voice that made Snips feel sad.

"But...why tell me all of this?" he asked.

"Because you and I are both not of this time, and you of all mortals should understand my troubles." Luna said.

Snips stood up in fear "you knew?!" he asked.

"I have not lived so long to be fooled so easily!" she laughed "I have seen many foals in my life, and such is time for me that it is only a blink of an eye when they are already full grown. I can tell what foals will look like when they are adults and you are Snips of Ponyville are you not?" Luna asked.

Snips was about to answer but he was interrupted.

"You do not need to answer, for the ways of the future are better kept secret" Luna said "Still, you must return to your own time as soon as you can, I can tell your heart is not that of evil, yet time is not to be meddled with!"

"Can I still ask for a little help from you Princess?" Snips asked his voice quivering.

"...only once, but after that we must not meet again until the time is right" said Luna.

Snips told Luna about the thunder cloud he needed and Luna nodded knowingly, then she flew off and soon returned with a said cloud encased in pale white light.

"I have made it so you can move this cloud with your hooves even tough you are not a pegasus...remember, you must return to your own time immediately, we know that you are here, and we will be watching." Luna said and poked Snips with a hoof.

Snips smiled sheepishly "Understood, thanks." he said.

Then Luna bid him farewell and flew off leaving Snips there to stand on the cloud and to ponder for a while what had just happened. Luna had just suddenly told him the true history of Equestria! Was it because she needed to get it off of her chest or because she knew that he was a time traveler, and that he could find out what had actually happened anyway? Or that if he went to those times he would know what not to mess up? Or was it a warning of some sort?

Still he had what he needed for now and he made his way back to the time machine, levitating through the morning sky with a thundercloud in tow.

Applejack had woken up early in her usual way and she was proudly watching as the new lottery money purchased barn was being painted by Apple Bloom. That stallion had not lied, the numbers were correct and they could finally afford all the new things that they badly needed for the farm, Applejack thought she would have to find that stallion later and thank him properly...and maybe find out how'd he know the numbers.

Then she gazed upon the sky and saw the said stallion flying away with a thundercloud hanging on his hooves.

"What the hay? He was a wingless alicorn all the time? That explains a lot." she said shrugging.

Snips made it back to the time machine and stuffed the enchanted thunder cloud into the fuel compartment. Then he sat down for a while and sighed "That was certainly one magical night" he said.

"Looks like you found the thunder cloud!" the time macines AI: Sparkle said.

"Yes...yes I did, Sparkle we need to get back to the future soon, whats the next item?" said Snips.

"Whats the hurry?" said Sparkle "how was your night?"

"I don't know" said Snips "It all felt like...like it was all just a dream."

"Met the mare of your dreams did you?" said the computer teasingly.

Snips wasn't annoyed however, he felt sad "All I met was an old sad mare who will never meet the love of her dreams." he said "and if she does, she'll lose her dream in a blink of an eye."

"Well, aren't you full of riddles and poetry today" said Sparkle. "Still I should probably tell you that the time has come for the finding of the toughest ingredient to find!"

"Oh yeah?" said Snips "What's that?"

"The zap apple of course!" the computer said.

"The zap apple!?" said Snips

"Yes, and the season for zap apples was two weeks ago here." Sparkle said almost amused.

"Then...where the hay can I get my hooves on one of those fruits?" asked Snips.

"Don't know" said Sparkle "maybe you can just ask around town to find out."

"You still wont let me have that disguise kit?" Snips asked.

"Heart shaped button." Sparkle said simply.

"Say good bye to the universe then!" said Snips and trotted out of the time machine on another mindless adventure.

To be continued in:

Gotta get zap in time.

Comments

[nightmaster0]

Just the zap appels to go. Will Snip's be able to return to his time one he has everything he need's?