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1. Starfall16,732 words
2. Stones of Everfree11,848 words
3. A Song of Kindness13,690 words
4. Four Days Ago12,082 words
5. The Metal Mare19,192 words
6. The Flying Cave15,586 words
7. The Familiar Spring Festival15,813 words
8. The Familiar Spring Festival17,979 words

4. Four Days Ago

The cleanup of Ponyville was well underway by the time the ponies in the hot air balloon landed gently on a road near the middle of town. Magic lifted crumbled walls and patched paths cracked with the huge, stone talons.

As the group disembarked, Derpy stretched her wings high and bit back a yawn and Time Turner flopped out of the basket rather ungracefully and joined Pinkie Pie in hopping in a circle around the others jubilantly.

“We did it, we did it!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“What a day,” Twilight sighed. “Glad that’s over with.”

“Me too,” Fluttershy agreed.

Derpy smiled to herself as she watched the two bouncing ponies circle them, but after a moment, she felt a pang of worry. Was her house okay? She hoped the repair crew had gotten to it. She was about to call to Time Turner and excuse them, but she was distracted by the sound of hooves and wings heading towards them, and quickly. Her ears perked and the other ponies froze, looking up as a streak of rainbow cut the sky above them before diving-- Rainbow Dash had squished Fluttershy into a tight hug before any of them could even greet each other, even as Applejack and Rarity arrived.

“You made it!” the blue pegasus said with a grin before hopping back. “How did it go?”

“Exactly as planned,” Twilight replied proudly. “Everypony did a great job.”

“I did as you asked,” Applejack said. “Those fix-it type unicorns said the repairs should be done quick as a whip.”

“Great,” the unicorn replied. “And the foals are-?”

“Safe and sound,” Rarity assured them with a smile.

Derpy sighed with relief as her thoughts darted to Scootaloo and she ruffled her wings happily. Rainbow Dash looked quite pleased as well, and then Derpy looked at Time Turner and jerked her head towards the road. He stopped mid-hop and his hooves clattered on the cobblestone; he nodded and joined her, just as Rainbow Dash said, “Oh man, wait until you guys see what we did to the library!”

“What?” Twilight snapped, eyes wide, while Applejack laughed.

“Nothin’ crazy, we just set up a nice spread, since we’ve all had a such rough day and all,” the orange mare assured her.

“Like a mini-party?” Pinkie asked as she skidded to a halt, her face lighting up.

“Guess you could say that,” the blue pegasus replied.

“We’ll head off, then,” Derpy said, smiling at the group, secretly hoping she had a place to return to. “I’m really happy everything turned out.”

Before she could even turn to move off, though, Rainbow Dash jumped in front of her, wings flared.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked, brows raised high.

Derpy was caught off guard and wasn’t sure what to say, especially when the other pegasus threw a wing around her and elbowed her playfully.

“No excuses, you need to come with us.”

“Oh, is that... That’s okay with you?” she replied, eyes wide.

“Of course,” Twilight assured them, and was quickly echoed by the others.

Derpy felt her face flush and Time Turner grinned widely, bowing his head as he said, “We’d be honoured, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, yeah, formal-face, let’s go,” Rainbow Dash insisted.

She pushed Derpy with her wing and only moved off, grinning, when the grey pegasus shyly began to follow with Time Turner bouncing along beside her.

---

Twilight’s magical shield around the library had faded by the time the group arrived, chatting and laughing tiredly as they pushed past the front door. Inside the warm and welcoming place of reading was rimmed with long tables laden with dozens of sweets and sandwiches come straight from Sweet Apple Acres. Derpy held back a bit shyly as the others moved in and she closed the door behind Time Turner, the last inside. The small dragon, Spike, was there already, just finishing off an apple fritter, when the ponies entered. His eyes went wide instantly and, rushing to wipe the crumbs from his snout, he scampered towards them, shouting, “Twilight!” before colliding with her front legs and hugging her tightly. As Rainbow Dash let out a quiet snicker and Rarity cooed, the unicorn smiled fondly and wrapped her forelimbs around his little shoulders.

“Everything’s fine now, Spike, don’t worry.”

“Y-Yeah, of course it is,” he said hurriedly, backing up almost embarrassedly, “We set up some food for everypony! Even Angel helped.”

“Angel?!” Fluttershy squeaked as the others moved into the library a little farther.

Beyond the tables, little rabbit ears perked up and Angel peeked out and, with a chattering sound, threw himself at the yellow pegasus and squeezed her tight. Derpy couldn’t help a fond smile as Fluttershy said, “Thank goodness,” and cuddled him close. It was a relief to see the rabbit was safe and happy now, and Derpy was glad she had come, if only for that. She grinned widely when Angel leaned around Fluttershy and gave her a quick wave before cuddling against the yellow pegasus affectionately.

Beside Derpy, Time Turner was looking around curiously, eyeing the foods and also the three small fillies that rushed down the stairs to greet Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash with hugs. He tilted his head and waggled his tail, though it crackled a little with the dry mud crusted over his fur. He turned with surprise to look at himself and Derpy held in a laugh, but the sound, somehow, had attracted Rarity, who looked at him with wide eyes.

“Oh! I completely forgot!”

She raced over to him and looked him up and down as her little sister looked at her curiously. Rarity whirled and called, “Twilight? May we use your bath?”

“Bath?” Derpy repeated.

Twilight replied with, “Sure,” rather absently from across the room.

“Come with me, darling. Rarity will get all that filthy mud out of your coat,” the unicorn insisted, nudging the stallion rather tenderly as if afraid to get some of the dirt in her pristine fur.

Baffled, Time Turner looked to Derpy, and she nodded and waved him forward with her wing. His ears perked and, though he still looked confused, he allowed Rarity to guide him towards the stairs.

Derpy laughed a little to herself and then hesitantly edged towards the table to pick up a small cupcake, frosted green with a slice of apple on top as decoration. It was very good, and it was only then that she realized how hungry she was. Her cheeks pinked to a growl in her stomach, but none of the other ponies seemed to notice. She discreetly took a second and moved away to sit on the floor where she noticed many a pillow had been placed. Pinkie, Applejack, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were already there.

“Hey, sugarcube,” Applejack said brightly, “Pinkie here was just tellin’ us about your heroic rescue.”

Derpy almost choked on her cupcake.

“Oh! Oh no, I just caught her,” the grey mare coughed. “Any other pegasus would have done the same.”

“Don’t be silly,” Pinkie insisted, laughing. “Any other pegasus wasn’t there!”

Derpy blushed a bit, but soon found her face heating up even more as Scootaloo--followed by Rainbow Dash-- rushed up and gave her a quick hug.

“Yeah, Derpy, you were totally brave!”

The orange filly’s eyes were bright and wide as she beamed up at Derpy before pulling back and hopping on the tips of her hooves.

“The squirt told me you really looked after her after the tornado,” Rainbow Dash said, ruffling her wings. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

The pegasus offered her a hoof and a grin. Derpy’s ears flopped and she had to stop her jaw from meeting the floor. She didn’t realize she was shaking until she clopped her hoof against the other pegasus’s-- Rainbow Dash laughed and flapped her wings-- and Derpy couldn’t help a giggle as she sunk back on her cushion. Scootaloo grinned and skipped off to join Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, while Rainbow flopped onto the pillows beside Pinkie Pie and let out a loud yawn. Soon enough, the rest of the group joined them and chatter began amongst themselves. Derpy still felt a bit out of place-- a little like a third wheel, or maybe even an eighth or ninth one-- in such a close group of friends, but they didn’t seem to mind.

It wasn’t too long until Rarity and Time Turner rejoined them, with the latter smelling rather like some sort of faux raspberry soap. He took a seat with Derpy and she greeted him with a wave.

“Feeling better?” she asked.

“Much, thanks!” he replied. “Miss Rarity helped me with a bubbly bath, and... Hmm... Derpy is that what the mark on your flank is for?”

“What?” Derpy asked blankly.

Time Turner pointed to her Cutie Mark as he said, “Bubbles. Are you quite good with washing, or perhaps bubble sculpting? I did that a bit in the tub!”

“Oh!” the pegasus, replied. “No, no, nothing like that, it’s-”

Derpy was cut short as, accidentally it seemed, Twilight spoke over her, saying, “Now that everypony’s back, I was hoping we could try to collaborate a little on what happened today.”

“What? Why? It’s all over now, isn’t it?” Rainbow Dash asked, sitting up a bit awkwardly from where she was sprawled comfortably on the floor. “I thought Fluttershy took care of it!”

“I, um... I think I did,” Fluttershy replied, looking between Twilight and Time Turner for support.

“It definitely worked,” the purple unicorn assured them. “Your song put the Obsidisaurs back into a good mood. Mostly, I’m wondering if anypony has any idea why the original crystal was removed and who could have done it.”

Applejack shrugged and Rainbow Dash frowned as she pondered before shaking her head. Fluttershy bit her lip and Rarity said, “Haven’t a clue, I’m afraid.”

“A creepy, creepy creep?” Pinkie wondered. “For... creepy, creepy reasons? Or maybe it was Trixie? Or one of the Princesses? Or maybe it was somepony who reeeaaaally needed a crystal ball to play crystal soccer, but there wasn’t a single crystal soccer ball around, so they just had to make do?”

The other ponies all looked at her skeptically; Twilight crossed her forelegs.

“There’s just no evidence for any of that,” she said.

“Maybe it was something to do with those two ponies in that weird projection that happened after the song worked?” Derpy suggested.

Twilight looked thoughtful and tilted her head, admitting, “Maybe.” Derpy bit her lip and looked at her pondering friend and gulped.

“Time Turner? Do you think it could have something to do with you?” she asked.

“Me?” he asked, puzzled, his ears tilting back and forth. “Hmm...”

“Why do you ask that?” Fluttershy asked.

“He turned up out of nowhere just a day or so before this happened,” the pegasus replied, and quickly said, “I’m not blaming him, not at all. But does anypony think it could be connected?”

The others looked somewhat surprised, as did Time Turner, and he said, quietly, “You may have a point.”

Twilight shrugged.

“Correlation doesn’t always equal causation. But it’s something to look into.”

“I’d be eager to, if we find anything out along those lines,” Time Turner added brightly.

Derpy patted his shoulder and his tail wagged.

“So, in a nutshell,” Twilight said, “we don’t actually know that much.”

Everypony agreed and the unicorn sighed to herself before a tired smile crossed her face.

“Well, that’s okay. Everypony’s safe now. Let’s just relax for tonight.”

“And eat a whole lot!” Pinkie added brightly, beaming.

She blew into a bright yellow party blowout loudly; Derpy had no idea where she had gotten it from.

---

The night bounced from exuberant to exhausted, with ponies chatting and playing games before relaxing in the pillows again, though Derpy Hooves mostly rested. Her whole body ached, but even so, she was happy. Time Turner seemed too tired to partake as well; he lay nearby, his head on his front hooves, eyes closed with a slight smile on his snout.

As the lights dimmed and the others seemed to drift off to sleep, Derpy stretched her forelimbs and slowly got up, being as quiet as she could. She meant to check if her home was still in ruins or not, but before she could even turn for the door, she heard a quiet, “Hey.” She looked quickly to see Rainbow Dash’s bright eyes shining back at her in the low light; the blue pegasus got to her hooves, untangling herself from Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie.

“Oh, sorry, did I wake you up?” Derpy asked at a whisper.

Rainbow Dash shook her head and then looked at the other pegasus curiously.

“What’s your deal, Derpy?” she asked.

“My deal?” she repeated, her ears drooping with confusion.

“Yeah. You’re a total klutz. Everypony knows that. But today, you really pulled through for us,” Rainbow Dash said, tilting her head. “What gives? What changed?”

“What-? Oh. Um... I... I don’t know,” the grey pegasus replied a little shyly. “I guess Time Turner and I felt like we couldn’t just run and hide.”

“Huh,” Rainbow replied, a little bit of a frown on her brow; she looked confused for a moment and then shrugged her wings, saying, “Well, I really appreciate it. And... thanks. For the advice.”

“Advice?” Derpy repeated, and the other pegasus nodded and smiled a bit.

“Yeah. It actually helped me out. I’m heading out now. Catch you later?”

“Wh-? Uh... Oh! Yeah. Yeah, sure,” the pegasus replied, flustered, and Rainbow Dash gave her a nod before quietly slipping out the front door.

Derpy was baffled. She didn’t recall giving Rainbow Dash any advice.

---

Derpy hurried into the night quickly and took off, gliding towards her home. From above, she was relieved to see it looked fine, so she quickly returned to the library, leaving a note of thanks on one of Twilight’s tables and taking back her messenger bag before waking Time Turner and guiding him, yawning, back through town. He plopped back to sleep on the sofa almost as soon as they got inside, cozied in a huge, blue blanket.

Derpy was honestly surprised the old thing was even still there. The repair unicorns from Cantlerlot had done a better job than she ever could have imagined. Even though her record player and one entire bookshelf out of the three were gone, and the wall’s paint was a bit patchy, everything else was intact, even her writing desk that had been right in the way of the impact. She could see where the the legs had cracked and been reattached.

A bit lazily, she sat down in an armchair, rubbing her forehead with her hooves tiredly and then glared ahead, trying to straighten her eyes out just a little before relaxing.

What a day.

She sighed and turned her attention to her new friend and watched him snooze curiously. He certainly didn’t look sick. She still worried nonetheless, especially if he really did have a heart problem and after so much exertion today. She watched him for a little while longer before getting up and heading to bed.

---

Derpy awoke just a scarce few hours later, just as the sun had begun to take its place in the sky, with a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something. She lay in bed, clutching her blankets to her and stared up at the ceiling in the dark, running through what she had done recently in her mind. She felt a sudden sinking feeling as she recalled she had been called in to pick up a delivery the day prior. With a sigh, she rolled out of bed and straightened her mane with her hooves quickly. She gave her wings a quick preen and then headed downstairs quietly. She didn’t stop for breakfast but instead headed straight for the door, grabbing her messenger bag and her blue mailmare’s cap and put both on quickly.

She was about to head out but paused at the door and turned, quietly trotting back to the living room where Time Turner slept. The brown pony was cozied up against the back cushions, wrapped in the soft blanket with a smile on his face. He looked so peaceful. The mare smiled to herself.

Maybe he really will be okay.

She ruffled her feathers and watched him snooze for just a moment longer before turning to her desk. Squinting through the low light, she wrote out a quick note to tell him where she was going, and then placed it quietly near his head before hurrying quietly to the front door, leaving the house with as little sound as she could.

---

The flight to the Cloudsdale post office didn’t take too long. Riding the wind to the north, Derpy encountered little to even have her veer off course for once.

Cloudsdale was a large city made-- as its name suggested-- entirely from clouds: the homes, factories, the roads; even the ionic columns characteristic of the place. With rainbows and waterfalls pouring into the sky, the bright, shining city tinted with the sun’s gold, its soft edges billowing in the cool wind: it was quite a sight to behold. Derpy had lived there for a time as a filly. She smiled to herself as she got closer and tilted in the wind, holding her hat on with one hoof as she dipped her wing into the cool stream of air that came from below as she got closer to a landing platform.

Letting all four hooves touch down lightly on soft cloud, Derpy adjusted her hat and hurried on her way to the post office. It wasn’t too far: it sat just at the edge of the city, a small, quaint building carved into the cloud with a sign dangling from it bearing a golden envelope framed by two wings. Though her job took her all over Equestria, this post office was the one Derpy was the most familiar with.

It was quiet outside the fluffy building and the jingle as she opened the front door rang sharply through the air. Inside, she instantly saw another pegasus, a periwinkle-coloured mare with a short, pale wisteria and pastel pink mane in a bobcut, flopped tiredly over the counter before a set of shelves laden with packages. Derpy smiled.

“Hi, Misty, how are you?” she said brightly.

Misty Dewdrops, the tired mare, opened her bright blue eyes groggily and blinked at her before rearing back and stretching her wings.

“Oh, hi Derpy,” she said, trying rather unsuccessfully to hold in a yawn, “I was expecting you yesterday, but... I heard something happened in Ponyville?”

“Yeah, big rock monster invasion, sorry I couldn’t make it in,” Derpy said with a laugh, placing her bag on the counter.

“Seriously?!”

The other mare looked at her with wide eyes

“Yeah. What have you got for me?”

Misty sighed and rubbed her brow before turning around and shuffling through a few packages on the shelf. She produced two, one a small box wrapped in remarkably fancy wrapping paper and the second a large box wrapped in typical brown paper.

“No real rush on the fancy box, but the big one, that one you need to get to Canterlot by today. Can you do it?”

“Today?” Derpy repeated, trying to hide her surprise. “Um... Yeah, sure I can.”

She placed the first packet in her bag and then double checked the address on the bigger one.

“Yeah,” she repeated, shooting the mare behind the counter a smile as she took the package into her bag.

It settled down, a little more heavy than it had looked, and Derpy adjusted her weight to compensate and set out with a wave.

---

Who am I?

Squinting through the golden, warm sunlight, his hoof pressed to his chest, Time Turner stared up at the ceiling, looking past into nothing as his mind tumbled over itself.

His dreams had been odd. He saw stars; wrapped himself in a blanket of them. A place of cold, unyielding metal stretched before him. He felt detached and out of place, and for a moment, he tried to think back, back to before he awoke with blurry eyes to see the face of the lovely, helpful grey mare who had taken him in. His stomach churned at the utter emptiness that stretched infinitely before that, and he was a little surprised. His first day awake and he hadn’t minded one whit. His second day was filled with a dangerous, magnificent adventure. This one, however-- he couldn’t place it, but a little touch of fear was building in him. He gulped and took a deep breath, his ears twitching and finally acknowledging the high, musical trills from the flying creatures he had learned were called birds outside.

Slowly, he rolled upright and stretched his forelegs high into the air before he cast around the room. A piece of paper caught his attention quickly and when he stooped to read it, he realized that it was a letter from Derpy. She had gone, just for a little while, to pick up a delivery from somewhere called Cloudsdale. He tilted his head back and forth and then nodded to himself and rolled off the couch. He stretched again and then stood in the quiet room for a moment, wondering what to do.

The light from outside was enticing and, after considering for a moment, he was drawn past the front door, tempted by the warmth and the interesting sounds of town. The light soaked his fur and chased some of his worries away.

What does it really matter who I was, anyway? This is a nice place. These ponies are nice too. I’ll just start here and see where I go!

He smiled to himself and then turned around to check the front of Derpy’s house, mostly to mark it in his mind. It looked good for having had the front smashed in just a day before. There were some telltale cracks and crumbled paint in places where the wall had been patched back together, but all in all, it didn’t look too bad. In fact, he decided, the cracks would help him remember.

He trotted down the street and, allowed to relax, he listened with glee to the sounds of his hooves on the stone and reveled in the feeling of wind running through his mane and buffeting his ears. His body was finally starting to feel more like he belonged in it. With a bounce in his step, he strolled through town, observing ponies with curiosity and wide eyes. Heading towards the market, he took note of the Cutie Marks he passed: a golden lyre, yellow lightning bolts, three diamonds, birds, treble clefs, a question mark; a cluster of stars. His mind went back to what the nurse had told him and he couldn’t help but wonder what the mark in his fur meant. He still had no idea. He wondered about the ones that he has seen, and Derpy’s as well.

The market was bustling with ponies buying fruits and vegetables, and Time Turner spotted Pinkie talking to another pony he didn’t know just outside a large, marvelously flamboyant building that appeared to be a store, but she gave him a wave when she saw him. He smiled and waved back, and a little ways past her, he thought he spied Twilight Sparkle. He trotted closer a bit curiously and when the other pony left, Pinkie Pie beckoned him towards her. The scents wafting from the shop tickled his nose pleasantly and as he got closer, Pinkie cheerfully said, “Good morning!”

“The same to you, Miss Pinkie,” he replied with a smile; he peeked around her and saw Twilight at a counter inside, who turned quickly to greet him.

“Hello there!” she said as her magic lifted a box from the counter and held it safely at her side. “Hope everything went all right last night. Where’s Derpy Hooves?”

“Went to work, apparently,” Time Turner replied. “I was just exploring. Ponyville is sort of brilliant, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it sure didn’t take me too long to warm up to it when I moved in,” Twilight said.

“Ponyville’s the best!” Pinkie Pie said brightly. “So, what’s up?”

“Well-” he began, but before he could even articulate it, Twilight’s eyes met his and her ears perked up.

“Oh! You’re interested in that memory spell, right?”

“Memory spell?” Pinkie Pie asked before the stallion could even answer, and she put a hoof on Time Turner’s brow and squished his head a little. “Why, is there something wrong?”

“Amnesia, actually. I really have no idea who I am,” the stallion replied rather simply.

Pinkie Pie drew back with a gasp, eyes wide.

“WHAT?!” she shrieked. “No memories? You don’t know who you-?! Bu-?! Wha-?! How?!”

Time Turner shrugged and Pinkie grabbed him by the shoulders, sticking her face in close to his as her ears drooped just a little.

“I can’t even imagine not having any memories! Not remembering your friends, or your family, or your home! I’d have no idea what to even do with myself!”

“Pinkie,” Twilight put in chidingly.

“Actually, I take this as an opportunity to make all new memories. I’ve met a lot of lovely ponies in this town. That’s not all that bad, in my opinion,” Time Turner said.

“Besides, I can help. I think,” Twilight assured them. “I’ve used memory spells pretty effectively before. You can get the old you back.”

For some reason, the notion suddenly gave Time Turner pause.

“The... old me?” he repeated. “I hope the old me isn’t too different from the new me. I quite like who I am right now.”

“Yikes, I hope we won’t have to deal with Old Time Turner and New Time Turner,” Pinkie joked.

The stallion didn’t get it, and apparently Twilight didn’t either; she seemed to ignore the pink pony’s comment and assured him, “If you don’t want to try it, that’s fine.”

“No, no, it’d probably be the most logical to give it a go,” he said.

“I doubt you’ll really change at all,” Twilight said.

“I dunno,” Pinkie said suspiciously, “personalities are all built out of your experiences and memories, aren’t they? That’s why I can’t even imagine living without mine! What kind of pony would I be? No idea!”

She shrugged widely and Time Turner was taken aback; Twilight looked stunned for a moment before putting a hoof to her forehead and saying, “That’s... a good point, but...” She looked at the stallion for confirmation.

“I’ll still try it, if that’s alright,” he said, though he felt a sudden sting of nerves.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Pinkie said in a sing-song voice.

---

Though he was a bit nervous now, Time Turner followed Twilight home. The library was completely cleared up from the night prior and there was a sleepy brown bird the stallion didn’t recognize sitting near one of the windows. Twilight placed her box on the table in the center of the room near a wooden, stylized sculpture of a pony’s head.

“Okay,” she said, turning on him, and then looked him up and down. “You seem nervous. You okay?”

“Well...”

He shuffled a little on his hooves and Twilight smiled at him sympathetically.

“If you’re worried, how about I just check the memories first?” she suggested.

That sounded much less jarring, and after a moment of consideration, he nodded. Twilight’s expression brightened and so did her horn, glowing pink. Time Turner didn’t have time to have second thoughts as she took him gently by the back of his neck and touched her horn to his forehead. It felt warm, but the stallion was surprised not to feel much else. The back of his head tickled a little and he closed his eyes against the brightening glow of the magic. His ears buzzed for just a moment and he felt Twilight let him go.

“I don’t understand,” she squeaked.

Hesitantly, the stallion opened his eyes only to see the unicorn before him with her ears drooped low, looking at him apologetically.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I... I’m so sorry, I couldn’t find anything,” she admitted.

Time Turner felt a jolt of shock and tilted his head, wondering, “Not a thing?”

“The earliest I could find was of Derpy Hooves asking you if you were okay,” Twilight said, and she rubbed her brow. “I’m sorry.”

The stallion was baffled.

Nothing at all?

Worry turned into a strange feeling of relief, and then confusion.

“There’s really nothing there?” he asked.

“I can’t-- I’m sorry, I just couldn’t find anything.”

She seemed baffled. She scratched her head and then, with a sigh, brought her box over through the air and opened it.

“Cupcake?”

Time Turner raised a hoof and shook his head with a polite smile. Twilight nodded and frowned to herself as she sent the box away again, pacing back and forth before she stopped, opened her mouth, but then shook her head, muttering, “No, that won’t work,” and pacing again. The stallion wasn’t sure exactly what to say and he watched her curiously until she stopped.

“Okay,” she said quickly, a sense of determination on her face, “I need to figure out if it’s me or you that’s the issue here. I’ll contact the Princess and I’ll practice the spell, and we can try again in a week or so. What do you think?”

Though the word “Princess” sort of flew over his head, he nodded, but said, “Thank you for trying.”

“We’ll figure this out,” she told him.

“No rush,” he said.

Twilight nodded but frowned nonetheless and turned, trotting to the closest of her many bookshelves. She seemed a little perturbed as she began to pull some books down and skim their covers. Time Turner watched her curiously and was about to politely excuse himself before taking pause and joining her, politely asking, “Excuse me, Miss Twilight, I hope you don’t mind me asking... What is your ‘Cutie Mark’ for?”

“Hmm? Oh. Magic. It represents my ability for magic,” she said a bit absently.

“Oh. Fascinating,” he said brightly. “And-- sorry-- one more thing: is it possible for an earth pony to teleport?”

Twilight paused and looked at him quizzically.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Time Turner tilted his head but he nodded and said, “Alright. Thank you very much.”

Time Turner dismissed himself and left Twilight’s library feeling rather confused. No memories, and teleporting certainly wasn’t normal? He scratched his mane and frowned at the ground for a moment before he decided he would take another walk around town to try to settle his thoughts.

He was still somehow relieved that Twilight hadn’t been able to regain all his memories so quickly. What if Pinkie was right and he would become someone completely different? It sort of frightened him, but he supposed that was normal. He was shocked that she hadn’t been able to find anything, though. Perhaps he had hurt himself more deeply than he had realized.

The stallion was lost in thought until the bright sun above was blotted from his eyes very quickly by a small shadow above. He looked up and, to his surprise and glee, he spotted Derpy Hooves flying through town. With his ears perking up high and his face brightening, Time Turner took off at a gallop, following his friend.

He was surprised to see her disappear into that same store he had met Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle in, and he followed her in quickly in time to see her pass a small package to a tall, yellow stallion working behind the counter with Pinkie.

“Derpy,” Time Turner said brightly; the mare whirled on him, looking startled, but then gave him a big smile.

“Hey! Good to see you up. How are you feeling?” she said.

“Brilliant, thanks very much,” he said with a grin.

“Heeey, so, are you New Time Turner or Old Time Turner?” Pinkie asked from behind the counter, tilting her head curiously.

Derpy looked puzzled while the stallion smiled a little sheepishly, saying, “Just regular Time Turner.”

His pegasus friend looked confused as Pinkie smiled widely. Derpy shot him and inquisitive look and and he responded with a smile and a shake of his head. She frowned a little and then turned back to the counter, and Time Turner was afraid for a second that she was going to send Pinkie Pie into an exuberant recollection of the conversation they had had, but instead the mare asked, “Any fresh muffins or banana bread, Pinkie?”

“Banana muffins, actually!”

She produced a tray laden with fresh baked good with a wave of her hoof and grinned.

“Great. Two, please.”

Derpy traded four gold coins for a paper bag of muffins that smelled wonderful and beckoned to Time Turner with her wing. He hurried to her side, turning to wave to Pinkie as they left.

Derpy showed the stallion to a bench on the side of the road just a little ways away and sat-- he followed her example-- and she passed him a muffin from the bag as she took off her hat and flattened her mane a little.

“Thank you very much,” he said.

He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he had taken a bite. He wolfed the rest as Derpy chuckled and ate her own breakfast much more conservatively.

“So, how was your morning?” she asked.

“Interesting,” he replied, wiping crumbs from his snout, “I explored a little, and I spoke to Miss Twilight about a memory spell.”

“A memory spell?” Derpy repeated, eyes widening and ears perking up. “And?”

“Well, it seems as if I haven’t a single memory before you found me,” he admitted.

Derpy’s ears drooped, as did her wings, and she put a hoof on his shoulder, saying, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s quite all right,” he assured her with a smile. “Miss Twilight assured me that she’d practice a little and give it a second try. And contact ‘the Princess’, whatever that means.”

“Oh! Oh my gosh!” Derpy exclaimed, “The Princess? That’s great!”

“Who is that, if I might ask?” Time Turner said curiously.

Derpy looked surprised for a moment before she smiled embarrassedly and bonked herself in the forehead.

“Right. Amnesia. Princess Celestia, she’s the ruler of Equestria,” she said.

“A Princess? Not a Queen?” Time Turner asked with confusion.

“Well, she shares rule with her sister, Princess Luna, so I figure that’s why they’re both called ‘Princess’,” Derpy explained. “But Princess Luna was gone for a long time, so she doesn’t have quite as much responsibility as Princess Celestia, though.”

“Oh. Alright,” he said, “I think I get it.”

Derpy grinned and nodded, patting his shoulder again and assured him, “If the Princess is going to help, I’m sure Twilight will be able to do something for you.”

He didn’t know why, but Derpy’s excitement made a lot of his worries slip away. He wiggled his hooves off the bench and turned to her.

“So, what’ve we in store for today?” he asked. “Hopefully less running and screaming?”

Derpy giggled and finished her muffin before she nodded and gestured to her messenger bag.

“I gotta get a package to Canterlot today,” she said brightly, her ears perking high.

“Canterlot?” Time Turner asked curiously.

“Canterlot!” Derpy repeated with a grin. “It’s the capital of Equestria.”

“You sure seem excited,” her said.

“I am! I really like it there,” she said. “You’ll like it too, I think.”

“Oh! I’m allowed to go with you?” he asked.

“Of course,” Derpy assured him, fluffing her wings. “We’ll take the train. It’ll be good.”

The prospect was rather exciting to the stallion, and he gave Derpy a sheepish smile.

“Thank you very much for putting me up,” he said, “and for letting me tag along with you. I know it’s probably not ideal for you--”

“It’s no problem!” Derpy assured him with a laugh. “It’s actually really nice to have somepony to hang around with!”

“Even though we still barely know each other?”

“Of course!”

Derpy said it as if the question was ridiculous and she grinned at him.

“I like you. I think we’ll be great friends,” she said.

The stallion was warmed by her words and he couldn’t help a goofy smile from spreading on his face. Derpy patted his shoulder with her wing and then got up, stretching her legs and then, nodding her head at the street.

“Want to get going now, or did you have something else to do? Did the hospital check up on you?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” he replied, “to both of those questions.”

“Fair enough,” Derpy laughed. “Let’s get going, then.”

---

Derpy took them home quickly just to make certain that she hadn’t forgotten anything, and then set off towards Twilight’s place. The train station was just a little bit beyond the towering tree of a library.

The building was light pink, quaint and cute, with a light yellow sign bearing the image of a train posted against the hay-thatched roof. Before it was a short wooden platform where ponies would wait to board the train-- right now, only one was there: a young, yellow mare with a blue mane and cloud-print luggage.

Derpy showed Time Turner up onto the platform. The sound of the old wood under his hooves was different to him, and he trotted down to the end of the platform before leaning over to stare, wide eyed, at the metal tracks laid out across the ground.

“So the train runs on there?”

He took a step back and Derpy nodded.

“Yep, and all we have to do is give the conductor a few bits and get on, and it’ll take us straight to Canterlot.”

“Fancy that,” he said. “I seem to remember something very much like this.”

“That’s good, at least,” Derpy said with a smile. “It’s strange. Your memory seems so... scattered.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he agreed, nodding. “Living things haven’t stayed in my mind at all, but... Hmmm...”

He scratched his chin and looked to Derpy with confusion. She shrugged her wings and shifted her hooves. She began to feel a little rumble, and her ears perked to the distant sound of the train’s whistle. Time Turner almost jumped and glanced around quickly; Derpy pointed down the tracks to show, in the distance, the pink locomotive racing towards them.

Time Turner skittered on his hooves as the rumbling grew stronger. The mare beside him laughed and held him steady with a hoof to his shoulder and assured him, “Just wait a sec.”

The wheels began to screech under the weight and heavy breaking and steam billowed from a large chimney on the front of the engine and, quickly, the train rumbled to a stop in front of them. Time Turner stared at it with wide eyes, his ears perking up, and he grinned at Derpy, announcing, “I recall something like this, but a little quieter. But this is quite exciting!” Derpy smiled and fluffed her wings, and then turned her eyes on the cabin door as a grey, mustachioed stallion in a blue uniform trotted out onto the platform and hurried to the doorway of the first car. The pegasus quickly fished a few bits from her bag and then beckoned to her friend to follow as she approached the pony at the car and presented the coins.

“Two to Canterlot, please,” she said.

The mustachioed stallion glanced behind her at Time Turner and then gave her a smile and nodded, taking her money as he said, “Welcome aboard, take a seat wherever you like!”

“Thanks,” Derpy replied, and carefully watching her step, she went through the sliding door and up into the train car.

Time Turner followed her quickly and looked around the train car. It was pleasantly pastel yellow, containing two rows of bench-like seats with ornate, green backs on a few of them beside windows that peeked out and let warm sunlight in. Derpy walked steadily towards a seat near the back of the car and then turned to the stallion, beckoning him to follow her. He hurried to do so and she pushed him gently to a window seat before plopping down beside him, sitting with all four hooves up on the wood.

“Do you take the train often?” Time Turner asked.

Derpy shrugged and nodded, replying with a simple, “Sometimes. When I don’t feel like flying or the winds are too strong.”

“And it’s your job to...?”

“Make deliveries, of course,” Derpy said with a smile. “I do the mail around Ponyville once a week and I get called in to do special package deliveries sometimes.”

Her eyes lit up as she spoke and Time Turner found himself smiling. Something about it made her glow.

“You must really enjoy it,” he said.

“I do! I love to see ponies smile when they get something they were waiting for,” she said, “and even though I’m not a very good flier, I’m really happy that I’m trusted enough to do this job.”

“And why wouldn’t you be? Derpy Hooves, you’re exceptionally kind, and incredibly reliable, from what I’ve seen,” Time Turner assured her. “So what if you’re not the best flier? You’ve done just fine!”

Derpy’s cheeks pinked and she looked down even as her one eye wandered, smiling shyly as she brushed a bit of her mane from her shoulder.

“Oh, I don’t know.... I’m sometimes all right, I guess,” she squeaked. “Still crash into stuff, though.”

The stallion laughed and patted her shoulder, assuring her, “Miss Derpy, you’re more than all right.”

Derpy’s wings fluttered despite herself and she sat up a bit straighter, though her cheeks were still pinked. Time Turner looked pleased, and then curiously turned his gaze on her wings, wondering, “That motion you just did, does it mean something? I’ve noticed you doing it sometimes.”

“What? Oh,” Derpy said, and she smiled shyly, “It’s... it’s a pegasus thing. It just means we’re happy.”

“That’s lovely,” he replied, ears perking.

A scarce few other ponies slowly began to filter onto the train car, some staying to sit, while a couple with a young colt moved through the door at the back and continued on. Just a few minutes after that, the train began to rumble to life and, with a high-pitched, metal squeal and the loud, announcing toot of its horn, began with a small jolt and began a crawl forwards. Derpy closed her eyes to start out with-- her sight combined with the bouncing and sudden speed wasn’t good for her head. Beside her, Time Turner grasped to the seat beneath him tightly as speed began to build and Ponyville began to race away behind them.

When Derpy finally opened her eyes, she saw Time Turner looking at her curiously. Her ears drooped but he merely gave her a smile and turned to peer out the window as trees and fields rushed by.

“This place is lovely,” the stallion said a bit absently, leaning towards the window and resting his chin on a hoof. “I’m glad I ended up here, of all places.”

“Me too,” Derpy agreed.

He wagged his tail and turned to look out the window again with contentment plastered across his face. Derpy watched through the window quietly along with him. She had to close her eyes again at they began to ascend up the side of the mountain. She leaned back in her seat, smiling to herself as she heard her friend exclaiming excitedly about the view and then tunnels they soon were passing through on their way.

The train station they saw arriving in Canterlot was much more refined and streamlined; built for a much larger crowd of ponies than the one in Ponyville. Aptly, the platforms were crowded with ponies eagerly awaiting their turn to get onto the train.

As they disembarked, Time Turner marveled at the huge, pristine glass windows that lined the station and stared with curiosity at a round, white, marked disk on one of the walls. Staring at it confused him for a moment, but before he knew it, his mind had straightened it out for him and he realized it must be for telling the time. He rolled his eyes at himself and then turned to Derpy, who was rifling through her bag with a wing and gently pulling a package upwards.

“Is that it?” he asked. “Do you know what it is?”

“Nope, no idea,” she said. “Just that it’s for somepony named Pecan Posy. She lives a bit past the market district, apparently. Urgent delivery.”

“Oh! Best be on our way, then,” the stallion said.

Derpy nodded and slid the package back into the bag before beckoning her friend towards the city.

“I can show you a little on the way there.”

Derpy had always loved how Canterlot looked, even though she felt like she didn’t fit in there at all. Most of the Canerlot ponies were rather fancy and well-to-do, and fit right in with the polished, proud looking buildings that did their best to mimic the architecture of the ivory-towered palace. She showed Time Turner some of the great statues, pointed out stores and historical buildings she recognized on the way to the market district. He looked a little dumbstruck.

As they came to a pause in front of a fountain crowned with the statue of a phoenix, Time Turner leaned against the stone basin and looked up into the sprinkling droplets with a smile.

“This place is so interesting,” he said. “It’s nothing at all like Ponyville! Are all the towns in Equestria so different looking?”

“I think so,” Derpy said, giving her wings a good stretch before nodding them on down the road. “Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns all sort of have different styles, as far as I can tell. No two places really look the same.”

“Have you traveled all over?”

“Yeah,” Derpy replied a little proudly, “because of my job.”

“That’s wonderful. It must be nice to travel like that,” he said.

“Do you like traveling?” Derpy asked, tilting her head curiously. “Do you know?”

“I...”

Time Turner paused in his tracks to consider for a moment. The pegasus waited until he smiled and started along the road again, saying, “Yes, I think I do! I think I like to travel quite a bit.”

“Great,” Derpy replied cheerfully. “If you stick around, I can bring you all over when I need to make deliveries.”

“Oh! That’s brilliant, thank you very much,” he said, grinning and bouncing on his hooves. “I quite like the sound of that.”

The market district was bustling with afternoon business as the two ponies continued though, Derpy scanning shops for address markings. The buildings were a little smaller and less elaborate than some of the ones they had seen prior, but they were still extremely well-kept and packed full with customers. Beside another fountain, this one with a guard pony as its centerpiece, stood a bulletin board with announcements of upcoming events plastered on it, blocked by a small filly giving another a boost to help her post a flyer for their lemonade stand.

Derpy Hooves frowned as both eyes darted in opposite directions; though a little disorienting, neither saw the place she was looking for yet.

“None of these,” she said, squinting and forcing her gaze to straighten out a bit.

Farther in still, and still no luck. Streets were getting smaller and quieter, with doorways coming farther and farther apart until Time Turner and Derpy arrived at the end of a small, claustrophobic pathway between two storage houses, finding a door marked with a crude carving of a flower, much like what was indicated on the instructions, as well as the right address number in bright, black iron, vertically beside it.

“This?” Time Turner asked.

Derpy felt a little odd about it, but nodded nonetheless.

“Seems like it,” she said.

She peeked around, looking for a mailbox or anything like one, but couldn’t find a thing. She shot her friend a confused look and he shrugged. Derpy bit her lip and then, opening her bag with her wing, approached the door and knocked on it tentatively. To her surprise, the door creaked open, revealing almost nothing at all beyond except an empty, dark hallway. Derpy and Time Turner shared a nervous look and, gulping, the pegasus stepped forward

“Hello? Is there a Pecan Posy here?” she called.

They waited. No answer. Derpy looked at her friend nervously and then turned her gaze on the shadowy hall before her. Why did it seem so imposing? She gulped and tentatively took a step past the threshold, wincing at the sound of wood straining beneath her. With careful wings, Derpy removed the package from her messenger bag and, gently, placed it on the floor before taking a few steps back and carefully closing the door.

Derpy sighed despite herself and turned to look at Time Turner, who looked just as strangely perturbed as she felt. She was about to ask him something,but the words whisked from her mind as hoofsteps, slow and deliberate, faded into her range of hearing. She turned to meet them-- Time Turner followed her gaze-- and she saw a pony approaching them. A mare by the size, though shrouded under a dark blue, hooded cloak. Derpy felt a shock of panic, as if she had been caught trespassing. She gulped, however, and stepped towards the approaching pony tentatively.

“Are you Pecan Posy?” she asked.

The pony was silent and Derpy thought that maybe she hadn’t heard. She shot a glance at Time Turner. He looked tense.

“Hello?” Derpy asked cautiously.

The pony stopped and raised her head up a little and Derpy’s ears perked up-- maybe she had heard this time?-- and she was about to greet the newcomer when, beneath the dark of her hood, twin lights of bright turquoise shone out where eyes should have been.

The pegasus yelped despite herself and felt a sudden, unyielding chill; didn’t even have time to react as Time Turner grabbed her hoof with hers and said, “Run.”

“Do not attempt to flee or else your termination will be immediate.”

The voice that spoke was feminine enough, but it didn’t sound real. It sounded almost as though it were echoing through a metal box, and yet it came from the mare before them. Raising her head up a little in the light revealed a strange sheen across her pale grey face. Her attention turned to Time Turner with an unnaturally sharp movement of her neck.

“You have put me through much searching for you,” she said. “Your termination is imminent.”

“T-Termination?” Derpy squeaked. “Wait, you can’t mean--?!”

Time Turner raised a hoof.

“I’m sorry, do... Do you know me?” he asked as he gently edged in front of Derpy.

The silver mare’s eyes flashed.

“Do not try to fool me.”

She tilted her head back and her hood toppled, revealing a wickedly sharp horn on her brow that sparked with what looked like lightning. Derpy tasted ash and she looked at Time Turner in panic. His eyes were narrowed and his ears were back, the fur on his neck bristling as he braced his hooves against the stone beneath him.

“Before your termination, tell me one thing,” the strange mare said sharply, “where is it?”

His frown deepened and he moved his body forward just a little, blocking the way between the pegasus and the stranger. Derpy gulped and drew back a little, her wings spreading on their own accord.

“I suppose if I told you I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, you wouldn’t believe me,” the stallion replied.

The stranger’s expression was stone.

“I was warned. You will not escape again.”

Her horn let off a loud zap and Derpy screamed despite herself, only to see Time Turner ramming his shoulder against the cloaked mare’s body. Electricity sparked out of her head in an arc, searing into the walls around them as she struggled against the stallion.

“Derpy, go!” he yelled frantically.

The pegasus squeaked and took off with a quick, awkward beating of wings, shouting, “Guards! Guards, help!” as loud as she could. She couldn’t see them, though. She couldn’t see anypony. She felt like her mouth was full of sand. Her eyes shot to the ground and upon seeing her friend struggling, she dove down without question.

For once, her aim wasn’t off. She plowed into the strange pony-- it hurt; felt like she had run into a building-- and knocked all three of them to the ground in a tangle of legs and wings. Whimpering, the pegasus struggled to get up from the ground, only to have her blurring vision blocked by the strange, violent pony. Her gaze swam as she saw bright blue sparks crackling above-- she thought she heard Time Turner shout-- and after a moment, her vision washed over white.

There was no pain. No sound. Nothing for a just a moment. When the noise came rushing back to her, all she could hear was her own ragged, hysterical breathing. Her eyes snapped back into focus quickly only to find that she certainly wasn’t staring at the silver mare any longer. She was facing down the alleyway, back towards the market district, and when she looked around, she noticed that the lighting was a subtle orange. The sun was setting.

Derpy put a hoof to her chest and tried to relax; as soon as the sound of herself in her ears subsided, she could hear a rough panting behind her. Her eye went first and she whipped around to follow, only to see Time Turner, standing on shaking legs, staring at the ground with wide eyes, beads of cold sweat dripping from down his face. He looked like he was going to be sick.

“T-Time Turner,” she gasped.

She got up in a hurry-- everything still hurt-- and rushed to him, grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Hey!” she demanded.

She didn’t know what else to say. He looked up at her quickly, gulped, and then cracked a relieved smile as his eyes met hers.

“Thank goodness.”

He fell against her, wrapping his forelimbs around her tightly. She reciprocated weakly and, taking a deep breath, asked, “What happened?”

She pulled back and tried to regain herself, looking around them. There they were, in front of the home of the absent Pecan Posy, but the time--? And where was that silver mare? Derpy felt a chill run down her spine and she looked at Time Turner worriedly.

“Did... Did you do that?” she asked.

“I think I did,” he answered.

He plopped back onto his haunches and then looked up at the sky. He frowned.

“Sunset,” he said, “Why would it be-?”

He looked at Derpy with wide eyes and then hurriedly jumped to his hooves, spinning in place for a moment before making a dash down the alley.

“Wait!” Derpy called.

He didn’t and she sighed, stretching her wings and then, cringing, took off to follow above him.

She found him quickly, standing rather still near the edge of the market district, just at the end of the street they had taken between buildings.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as she gently alit beside him.

He jumped and whirled on her, eyes wide, and he asked, “Does anything about this feel odd to you?”

“Other than everything?” Derpy joked. “Um... Do you know who that silver pony was?”

“Haven’t a clue,” he replied, ears drooping.

“And she wanted to--”

“Terminate. Terminate me.”

His face fell and Derpy grimaced.

“Why would she want to do that?”

“She sounded like, perhaps, she knew me,” Time Turner said quietly. “Perhaps I was terrible before I-?”

“No way,” Derpy snapped, “and besides, even if you were, nothing is bad enough to terminate another pony!”

“Nothing at all?” Time Turner wondered.

“Not a single thing,” Derpy said certainly, stomping a hoof. “Anyway! We should be careful, she might still be around. Where did you send us, anyway? Or... did you send her somewhere?”

Derpy tapped her chin and Time Turner looked at her with a worried frown that made it quite clear that he didn’t know either.

Around them, the day seemed to be winding down and ponies around the market were starting to pack it in and head home. Some of the fancier unicorns gave the two ponies disconcerting glances-- after a few, Time Turner turned on Derpy and gently wiped beneath her eyes with a hoof.

“What are you doing?” she asked with an awkward giggle; he tilted his head.

“You looked like you had been crying,” he said. “Are you alright? Did she hurt you? I’m sorry, I should have asked sooner.”

“I’m... I’m all right,” Derpy assured him quickly, “just... sore from when I ran into her. It was like she was made of-”

“Metal?”

Derpy met his gaze with surprise. He seemed completely serious. After considering for a moment, she nodded.

“Y-Yeah.”

He bit his lip and turned in place a couple times before he skittered to a halt and stared at her with wide eyes. Derpy stared back and her stomach dropped. Before she could say a word, he did.

“Time. I... I think, perhaps I...”

He faltered, looked up at the sky, and said, at a dry whisper, “I may have sent us through time.”

“...Sent us through time?”

Derpy could barely believe the words that had come from her mouth. Time Turner stared at her and nodded nervously. She bit her lip and looked around, edging closer to him, starting to feel a little light-headed, and, lowering her voice, wondered, “Then... when are we?”

Time Turner didn’t have any answers. His head was spinning. His ears drooped and he shook his head, and then set his mind on their surroundings.

The ponies are all wearing the same style of hats or clothing as before. And the buildings, those are the same too. Same stores, same signs, everything. So we mustn’t have moved very much, and yet--? Where--? Or when...?

He was pacing before he even realized. Derpy watched him worriedly as he frowned ahead, his mind whirring away. The mare sighed and glanced around, and after a moment, noticed the bulletin board near the guard-statue fountain.

Maybe there...?

She grabbed her friend and pointed; his ears perked up and he took off at a gallop. Derpy hurried after him, stopping quickly behind him as he halted abruptly, his eyes roaming the postings. Derpy noticed two things right away as she peeked around him. The flyer the little fillies had posted about lemonade wasn’t there at all. The board was mostly plastered with posters for an event the following evening-- a once-a-decade shower of shooting stars.

Derpy’s heart dropped and she felt suddenly light-headed. She grappled for words for a moment.

“Time Turner?” she squeaked.

He spun, announcing in a panic, “I have no frame of reference, I...” before pausing and frowning worriedly, putting a hoof against her cheek.

“Miss Derpy, you look like you’re about to faint! Are you all right?”

“We went back four days.”

“Excuse me?”

He stared at her blankly. She gulped past a lump in her throat and turned him around, putting her hoof to the purple, star-sprinkled poster, announcing in loud, gold letters, the shooting stars for the following night.

“This all ready happened. This was the night I found you.”

He looked at her in disbelief and his jaw dropped. He reared up and put his face against the poster-- other ponies began to look at him strangely-- and Derpy awkwardly grabbed his shoulders to pull him back.

“So... what now?” she whispered.

He was frozen for a moment and then grabbed her, rushing her back into the small side street they had come from.

“I sent us back in time!” he hissed, alarmed, his ears perking up high and his fur bristling. “How did I do that?!”

“I don’t know,” Derpy said quickly, her voice a little shrill. “Um... I guess at least now we know what your hourglass means.”

“My hourgl--? Oh! So when I’ve been teleporting, I was really going through--! Oh my!”

He put a hoof to his brow and looked suddenly baffled.

“It that even possible?”

“Well... Yeah, it has to be, right? Since we’re here?” she asked nervously, pressing her wings in tight to her sides.

Time Turner laughed tiredly and rubbed his head.

“I suppose you’re right. But...” His ears drooped low and he looked worried. “Miss Twilight said earth ponies can’t teleport. Do you think she could have been mistaken?”

Derpy tilted her head and thought about it for a moment before she shook her head.

“No. Twilight knows the most about magic of anypony I’ve ever met. If she said earth ponies can’t teleport, she’s probably right. You must be doing something else.”

“It’s quite puzzling,” he said; he edged a little farther back down the quiet alleyway and Derpy followed quickly.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I... I...”

He looked close to collapse. Derpy put a hoof to his shoulder and assured him, “Hey, relax. Gotta keep going up, okay? We’ll be okay. We just need to figure out what to do. Do you think you can send us back?”

“Back? Back to where, or when? To that frightening, terminator pony?”

“Right. I see your point. But...”

Derpy frowned to herself and tried to quell her nerves. She wracked her brain. Where could they get information about any of this? What could they do? She took a deep breath and flared her wings, stretching them to test her feathers in the air in an attempt to calm herself.

Time Turner’s knees were starting to wobble and his ears were drooped low; Derpy beckoned him with a wing and got him to walk with her down the side street-- anything to distract him. He looked like he was about to be sick. Derpy felt similar, but she didn’t want to lose it. She put one wing around her friend’s shoulders reassuringly and tried to tell herself they’d be fine.

It’s only four days. Back in time. She gulped. Dear sweet Celestia, I can’t even believe this.

As the street became more of an alleyway, they were met with another surprise. The door to Pecan Posy’s place was slightly ajar with a “space for rent” sign on the front. The flower carving wasn’t there at all. Time Turner looked at the door suspiciously and then turned a worried look towards Derpy, who could do little more than shrug. The stallion bit his lip and trotted up to the door cautiously, peeking around the wood before sticking his head into the dark house.

“Hello? Anyone home?”

His ears perked-- Derpy mimicked him-- and he listened closely for a reply. None came and he turned back to the pegasus and shrugged widely.

“Oh good, it’s just getting stranger,” the grey pony said with a tired laugh.

“Isn’t there anyone we can ask about this?” Time Turner wondered. “Anyone at all? Miss Twilight, perhaps?”

“Can’t. I... I barely know her,” Derpy admitted. “And... I mean, I was in Ponyville four days-- I mean, today. Won’t I run into myself? I mean, I don’t remember running into myself, so wouldn’t that... you know, mess something up? Since we’re in the past and stuff.”

“All excellent points,” Time Turner said, and then tilted his head and frowned with puzzlement. “You... barely know Miss Twilight?”

“Yeah, the day I met you is the first time I’ve really talked to her,” the pegasus said with a shrug.

“Could’ve fooled me. Did fool me, in fact.”

Derpy shrugged and smiled shyly before her expression turned contemplative.

“So,” she said, “we need somepony else. Somepony else who knows a lot about... a lot.”

“Perhaps there’s another library here in Canterlot?” Time Turner wondered.

Derpy thought about it, only to feel a chill down her spine when she realized the answer. She grimaced to herself and her friend looked at her with a frown.

“What is it, Miss Derpy?” Time Turner asked.

“The best library I’ve heard of is the one in Canterlot Castle, but-”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Shall we be off?”

“N-No, wait!”

Derpy waved her hooves anxiously, her ears drooping, “We can’t just go in there! W-We’d need special permission.”

“From whom, exactly?” Time Turner asked curiously.

“One of the Princesses!” Derpy said. “But... But I don’t think we can g-get--”

“Did you want to attempt to sneak in?” the stallion asked.

“What?! No!” the pegasus squealed, and she sighed rubbing her forehead. “Forget I brought it up, I’m sure there’s another one in the city somewhere.”

“But the one in the Castle is better, isn’t it?” Time Turner asked.

He stared at her for a while until she drooped.

“...Y-Yeah,” Derpy said a bit reluctantly.

The stallion shrugged and said, “Well, if you’re nervous, I’ll head off on my own and meet you back here, okay?”

He was trotting off before she could say a word, leaving her gawking in the alleyway alone. Almost instantly, she took off, flying after him and calling, “Wait up!!” urgently. He hadn’t gotten far, and he beamed up at her as she slowed and kept pace above him for a little while before landing on the street for fear of crashing into him or somepony else.

“Don’t be nervous!” he told her brightly.

She grimaced. Her stomach was in knots. The Princesses were so important, and powerful. Would they even have the time of day-- or night, for that matter-- for two noponies? What were they even supposed to say?

---

Night was setting in as they approached the grand Canterlot Castle and the questions still spun in Derpy’s head, though Time Turner seemed pleasantly oblivious. The stars and crescent moon shone with a cool glow from above, setting the dark alight with a purple-blue sheen.

There were guards at every entrance and archway: grey and white stallions in golden armour, often with spears slung over their shoulders. Derpy stuck close to Time Turner, the fur on her neck standing on end and her heart pounding, though none of the guards seemed to even be giving them a second look as they past through the gardens and trotted up to the front doors.

Coming to the great steps before the Castle, a female voice, low and steady, called out.

“Who goes there?”

Derpy nearly jumped out of her fur. Time Turner looked surprised as well, but not nearly so alarmed, and the two ponies looked up to see a deep sapphire blue mare poised, alert, beside a large telescope at the top of a high tower. She had a horn on her brow and wings spread wide, and a mane looked as if the strands were pulled straight from the night sky.

“That’s P-Princess Luna,” Derpy squeaked.

Time Turner seemed to only half hear, but before Derpy could instruct him on any sort of etiquette, he waved to the Princess.

“Hello! I’m Time Turner, and this is my dear friend Derpy Hooves! We’d like to ask you a question, if we may?” he called.

Derpy shrunk down where she stood; she felt like she was going to have a panic attack.

On silent wings, the Princess took off and glided gracefully down before her silver-clad hooves touched on the stone path laid out before them lightly. Her cyan eyes were cold and her expression was stern; she looked very noble and composed. Derpy, on the other hand, was a shaking wreck as she knelt before her. Time Turner didn’t-- didn’t seem to realize it was what was expected of him.

“Stand,” Princess Luna instructed Derpy.

The pegasus did so right away and the alicorn before them eyed them both up and down before settling her gaze on Derpy.

“You. I remember you. My first Nightmare Night,” the Princess said steadily. “The Paper-Bag Princess. I recall it was cute.”

“R-Right,” Derpy stammered, “Th-Thanks, your H-Highness.”

The stern face of the Princess softened a little and she looked between the two ponies with mild curiosity.

“What was your question?”

“Princess Luna, was it?” Time Turner asked politely, and when she dipped her head in a nod, he said, “We’d like to use your library, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“The library? What for? It was not a matter that could wait until morning?” Luna asked.

“S-Sorry, we can j-just go,” Derpy squeaked, but her friend grabbed her steady and shushed her gently before turning to the Princess with a determined look on his face.

Before Derpy could even begin to fathom what to say to her, Time Turner spoke.

“Princess, we’re in an extraordinary predicament. We are from the future.”

Derpy’s jaw dropped, though Luna’s stoic face showed a flicker of surprise, her ears raising a little and she leaned in a bit closer, asking, “Truly?”

“Only a few d-days,” Derpy added hurriedly.

“Let me explain,” Time Turner said. “It seems my ‘special talent’ is something to do with time travel. Miss Derpy Hooves and I were attacked by a pony made of metal four days in the future and as a... defense mechanism, I suppose, I transported us to today.”

Luna frowned slightly and Derpy felt like her legs were turning into jelly.

“You are an earth pony.”

“I know. You see why we are incredibly confused, then,” the stallion said with a laugh.

Derpy bit her lip.

No way she’ll believe that! No way!

The Princess leaned around Time Turner to look at his Cutie Mark and her wings flared a little. Derpy wanted to just crawl under the ground and hide, but her friend didn’t seem phased in the slightest. He stood, firm but earnest, and the Princess lowered her long horn towards his head ever so slightly. A pulse of magic, a soft blue, bounced from her horn tip and passed over the two ponies like a wave. Derpy cringed, only relaxing a little when Time Turner held her hoof.

Luna pulled back, looking more inquisitive than ever.

“I don’t understand,” she admitted, “But I believe you both. Follow me.”

She turned quickly, her mane and tail leaving a glittering trail of stars behind her that twinkled for just a moment as she ruffled her wings and began up the steps. Derpy felt like she was going to melt. Time Turner gave her a huge grin and then quickly began after Luna. The grey pegasus had to take a huge breath in to steady herself before scampering after them.

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