The Trouble With Time Travel

by Mike the Red

7. "I've Been Gone for How Long?"

It was another beautiful day in Ponyville, as the birds chirped and a few lazy clouds drifted by in the early morning sky. Fluttershy was feeding her animals and cautioned Angel Bunny not to eat his breakfast too quickly, but for some strange reason he stopped eating his carrot, defiantly refusing to eat any more of it, tossing it a fair distance. The yellow pegasus picked up the half-eaten carrot and asked her little bunny to eat some more of it, but he kicked it away after being asked three times. She noticed him start coughing, so she asked about several different possibilities, to which the bunny furiously shook his head, then finally pointed at the source, which was a black cloud of smoke emanating from a high mountain and billowed over Ponyville as it was carried by the wind current. As the yellow pegasus turned to head towards town, a half-eaten carrot caromed off her head, causing her to glare at her bunny for a second.

Fluttershy dashed into town as quickly as she could and tried to get everypony's attention to warn them about the cloud of smoke headed their way, but nopony seemed willing to listen to her words, save for a dark purple unicorn mare, who relayed the information to her housemate. A certain sky-blue pegasus was bouncing a ball on her head, counting each bounce. The yellow pegasus tried to get Dash's attention but was failing miserably, then Pinkie Pie showed up and announced that there was cause for celebration, though Fluttershy expressed a different opinion. As the ponies milled about, paying no attention to the concerns of the animal caretaker, a voice rang out from a different direction.

"Listen up!" Twilight shouted, using magic to amplify her voice a little. Everypony turned their attention to the librarian who had her dragon assistant on her back, her housemate just a little bit behind her. "Smoke is spreading across Equestria," she began in her normal voice. She was interrupted momentarily by Fluttershy jumping up and down.

"That's what I've been trying to say," the pegasus stated with as much exasperation as she could muster.

"I have received a letter from Princess Celestia. The smoke is not coming from a fire -- it's coming from a dragon." These words elicited a collective gasp from everypony present, save for Amethyst, who simply nodded her head in agreement. "Amethyst, I will need for you to bring the other Element Bearers to the library so we can formulate a plan to address this issue. Fluttershy, please help Ammy with this task," Twilight stated and returned to the library.

It took about an hour, but when everypony had been gathered in the library, Applejack asked what a full-grown dragon was doing in Equestria, to which the librarian tersely responded that it was sleeping. She then went on to explain that the dragon's snoring was the source of the smoke. When asked what to do about it, the cyan pegasus suggested giving him the boot, illustrating her point by attacking a small sculpture, which the lavender mare had to stabilize with her magic.

"We need to encourage him to take a nap somewhere else," Twilight offered. "Princess Celestia has given us this mission and we cannot afford to fail. If we do, Equestria will be covered in smoke for the next one hundred years."

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration there, Twi," Amethyst stated flatly.

"Regardless of that, darling, something needs to be done about it! Talk about getting a beauty sleep," Rarity mused.

"All right, everypony, I need you to gather supplies for this mission. Meet back here in an hour," said Twilight. "Ammy, I have a letter from Princess Celestia for you. You're not going on this mission with us."

"WHAT? Why not?" the purple mare asked incredulously.

"Read the letter," her housemate stated almost dismissively.

Amethyst took the letter in her pale blue aura and levitated it in front of her so she could read it. "Dear Amethyst Shadow. Twilight has informed me of your recent actions with regard to a couple of visitors to Ponyville, namely Gilda and Trixie. My student has told me that your actions bespoke of poor judgment, so I must ask you to return to the Castle at your earliest convenience. I have enclosed a one-way ticket from Ponyville to Canterlot. You have until the end of today to arrive at the Castle and meet with me, as there are certain matters we must discuss. Do NOT be tardy, lest you provoke my ire. Sincerely, your esteemed leader, Princess Celestia of Equestria," the purple mare stated as she read the letter aloud, then used her magic to wad the letter into a tight ball and almost angrily threw it against the wall. "There is so much more I would like to do around here, Twilight. If anypony asks, let them know I hope to return. If not, please understand that I'm going to miss all of you. I guess I'd better be off then. I just hope this isn't a final good-bye, Twilight."

The librarian smiled softly. "I'm going to miss you too, Ammy. If this is not a final good-bye, I hope you return soon."

"Please let me get a hug from you -- I just want to thank you for everything you've done for me," her housemate sighed. Twilight approached and both of them met in a warm embrace and shared a fairly long hug. The librarian was the first to break from the embrace.

"I know you don't want to let me go, but you have to. You don't want to keep the Princess waiting!" Twilight chided.

The purple mare wiped away a tear, turning to leave the library for what might be the last time. Before she exited through the front door, she turned to give her housemate one last look. "Okay, good-bye, or seeya later, Twi," she said as she turned once again and left the library. The purple unicorn slowly trudged her way toward the train station, her head hung low, her ears drooping. Ponies moved out of her way, but those who knew her asked her what was wrong. Her curt response was a hurt-sounding, "Nothing," as she continued her slow trek to the train station. Normally, the trot would take no more than half an hour, but for Amethyst, this trek took slightly longer than a whole hour. On the way there, she inadvertently bumped into another pony who didn't see her coming, and Amethyst wasn't paying close enough attention to where she was headed as she was pretty much looking down at the ground as she trudged along.

"Hey, watch where you're -- hey! You're -- Amethyst Shadow, right?" asked a certain great and powerful show-mare.

"I recognize that voice," the purple mare stated. "Trixie? What brings you back here?"

"Trixie has come to reclaim her property, or what's left of it," the azure mare stated flatly, examining the broken remains of her caravan. She idly picked up a few pieces with her pink aura, then let them drop to the ground. "That Ursa destroyed my home! What is Trixie going to do now?"

"Here, let me help you," Amethyst offered. She lit her horn, her pale blue aura enveloping all the broken pieces and levitating all of them. She maneuvered them to try to fit them together.

"Trixie doesn't want your ..." the show-mare began, but watched in amazement as the purple unicorn's horn glowed with a second blue aura and then a third as she conjoined the broken pieces, then bonded them together as more of the pieces were fitted together like a random jigsaw puzzle. Amethyst strained under the power of her magic, her eyes glowing white as she channeled more magic through her horn. Another five minutes of putting the wagon back together and bonding the pieces together had it completed. The purple mare then slowly lowered the fully rebuilt caravan to the ground, then powered down her horn. Her body was dripping with sweat from the exertion, but she turned to the show-mare, her mouth still agape and smiled at her.

"Pleasure to have been of service to you, Trixie," the purple mare stated confidently, then trotted toward the train station feeling quite a bit better now than before. The show-mare cantered to catch up to her.

"Trixie wants to thank you for what you did," she said softly.

"You're very welcome, Trixie," Amethyst stated softly as she continued her trek.

"Where did you learn how to do that kind of magic?"

"Twilight taught me a few things over the past few years," the purple mare stated flatly, not bothering to make eye contact with the show-mare, who had to canter to keep up with her.

"Trixie wants to learn how to wield that kind of magic," she almost pleaded.

"I would teach you if I had time, but I have to head to Canterlot as soon as possible," Amethyst stated sullenly, her pace slowing a little as she remembered her earlier feeling of regret. "I'd offer you to join me, but I only have a one-way ticket and no money for anything else."

"Trixie doesn't think she'd be welcome in Canterlot," she mused. "Trixie thanks you for repairing her wagon. Trixie will see you again some time," she said and turned around to trot back to her wagon.

Amethyst arrived at the train station about ten minutes later and waited for the next train to arrive. While she was waiting, a certain pink earth pony popped out from behind the bench she was sitting on.

"Hey, Ammy, what'cha doing?" asked the baker.

"I can't join you all on your mission to see about that dragon," the purple mare stated dejectedly.

"Why not? You haven't done anything bad, have you?"

"Twilight showed me a letter from the Princess. Apparently, I have been ordered to return to the Castle and meet with her Majesty. I'd like to join you all on your journey, but the Princess doesn't want to be kept waiting."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ammy -- cheer up, you'll be back! I know you're probably feeling sad about having to go away, but my Pinkie Sense tells me you'll be coming back to see us again!" she giggled and gave the purple mare a quick hug.

"Thanks for your vote of confidence, Pinkie. I'm still somewhat worried about what might happen, though." The train pulled up just as the words left her mouth. "Seeya later, Pinkie -- that, or maybe it's good-bye. Shouldn't you be at the library with Twilight and the others?"

"They know they can't go anywhere without me!" the pink pony giggled, then seemed to disappear. The purple mare smiled, then frowned, then boarded the train, the conductor taking the ticket and tearing it in half, hoofing her the stub. She then took a seat in the front coach and patiently waited for the train to take her to Canterlot.

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Back at the library, everypony had gathered their supplies together and Twilight had told them she had mapped out the fastest route to make it up the mountain before nightfall, a prospect which made Fluttershy quite nervous, or at least considerably more nervous than she already was. Applejack commented that the mountaintop appeared pretty cold, whereupon Rainbow Dash informed the farmer that the higher you went, the chillier it got. The yellow pegasus gulped as she took in the sight of the mountaintop, shrouded in the large thick cloud of black smoke. She was having second thoughts about accompanying her friends and tried to get the lavender unicorn's attention while she examined her map.

Fluttershy expressed her desire to stay behind and take care of her animals but was told Spike would look after them for her, though the pegasus doubted the dragon's ability to do so. Rainbow pulled the librarian aside and asked if taking Fluttershy along was such a good idea, as the yellow pegasus was scared of her own shadow, which was quickly illustrated as she caught her shadow out of the corner of her eye and meeped, jumping into a bush to hide from it.

"She's just a little nervous -- once we get going, I'm sure she'll be fine," the librarian said to the cyan pegasus. Her confidence faltered somewhat when she saw the yellow pegasus jump into the bush. Undeterred, she called on everypony to move out, picking up and carrying the fearful pegasus with them. As they approached the mountain, they heard the dragon snore once again, more smoke billowing into the sky. The group looked up the mountain, contemplating the task ahead. The cyan pegasus decided she was going to fly to the top without the others before having her tail yanked by Applejack again.

"We're all going together, Rainbow -- safety in numbers and all," the orange earth pony stated.

"Oh, all right," Rainbow stated dejectedly, folding her forelegs across her chest.

As they trekked up the mountainside, they chatted among themselves, Rarity expressing the idea of the dragon's nest being crafted of jewels, sparkling even brighter than their scales. Twilight considered Fluttershy's ability to interact with animals and asked the timid pegasus her opinion on what the dragon would be like, only to find that she had stayed at the base of the mountain. Rainbow encouraged her to flap her wings and fly up to meet them, but when she got to their level, the dragon snored again, frightening the yellow pegasus into folding her wings against her body, then falling to a bush near the base. Applejack offered to take Fluttershy around the mountain to meet up with them, though Twilight expressed annoyance at how long it would take as the farmer slid down the mountain to meet up with the pegasus at the base, who promptly fainted when the dragon snored again, the noise causing the ground to tremble.

Twilight and the others waited impatiently on a ledge, their boredom causing Pinkie Pie and Rarity to play games of tic-tac-toe, the pink party pony winning 35 games in a row. Twilight decided to get the team moving again as Applejack finally dragged the yellow pegasus to meet them. They continued their trek to the dragon's cave at this point.

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The train pulled into the Canterlot station and a rather disgruntled Amethyst departed the train, slowly trudging toward the Castle. The day was starting to get late, causing the purple mare to quicken her pace a little, arriving at the front gate with about half an hour til sunset. Two Royal Guardsponies stood at the front gate.

"I am Amethyst Shadow, and her Majesty, Princess Celestia has demanded an audience with me," she stated flatly. The guardsponies silently opened the gate for her, allowing her onto the grounds leading up to the actual Castle gates, guarded by two more Royal Guard Unicorns. Right Face was one of the stallions standing guard.

"I am Amethyst Shadow --" she began. Right Face glowered at her.

"I know who you are and why you're here. I want you to know I still remember what you did to me, and I'm not going to forgive you for it," he stated angrily.

"Please let me through, her Majesty has requested my presence," the mare stated, attempting contrition.

"Not before you apologize to me," he replied.

"Look, I told Princess Celestia to relay my apology to you, Right Face. I am terribly sorry for tricking you like that. I have a feeling that this may be the last time you see me, though."

"What does that mean?" he asked, his anger still present.

"If the Princess has summoned me, maybe she's found a way to send me back to my original timeline. I have traveled back in time to this universe, though I should have been more careful when attempting one of Starswirl's spells," she explained.

"You traveled back in time? You cast a spell written by Starswirl the Bearded? You impress me, Amethyst," he stated, his anger having left him.

"Please, Right Face, I cannot keep her Majesty waiting!" she implored.

"Very well then, Amethyst. I shall allow you to pass. We will have words tonight," he stated sternly.

"I hope we might have more than an exchange of words," she said softly, giving him an impish smile. This brought a hint of a smile to his lips, though he did his level best to maintain his decorum. He and his companion moved aside and opened the front gate of the Castle for her, allowing her to trot through the Great Hall which was the main entry point. Right Face decided to escort the purple mare to the Royal Throne Room, where Celestia was wrapping up Solar Court for the day.

"Right Face? You're escorting me? Very well then," she stated flatly.

"If I had known you had that kind of magic at your disposal," he mused.

"I have lots of surprises, Right Face," she chortled. "Let's not tarry, the Princess is waiting for me."

"Shall we double-time trot then?" he asked.

"Sounds like a good idea -- I could use a little exercise," she replied, offering a hint of a giggle. The two unicorns then trotted at a brisk pace through the carpeted hallways, up four staircases, making the turns needed to arrive at the huge double-doors set with the Solar and Lunar sigils.

"Amethyst Shadow, to see her Majesty, Princess Celestia," her escort stated solemnly. The two guardsponies stood aside and opened the doors for the purple unicorn, who was beckoned towards the throne by the Sun Goddess.

"Approach, Amethyst Shadow," the Alicorn stated sternly. She complied with the order, bowing deeply before the throne, averting her eyes from the steely gaze that seemed to bore into her. The purple mare seemed to sense the weight of that gaze upon her form.

"Your Majesty," she stated reverently.

"I assume you understand why I have summoned you here," the Alicorn stated flatly.

"Your Majesty, I wish to apologize for my ... poor judgment," she stated, her voice trembling slightly.

"I have also been informed you repaired Trixie's wagon, asking nothing in return. I appreciate such gestures of kindness."

"Thank you, your Majesty -- I felt it was the least I could do," she offered.

"There is another reason why I have called you here. You have a couple of visitors who have traveled a great distance to meet you," the Solar Princess smiled. She raised her left fore-hoof and gestured to a far wall, magically opening a door. Two unicorns entered the throne room through the opened door and Amethyst gasped in surprise at seeing them. Upon seeing her, they galloped to her as quickly as they could.

"MAMA!!" they cried in unison.

"EJ? Stephanie? Oh ... my ... Celestia! How ... did ..."

"Mama, if I may," Stephanie began. "I go by the name of Galaxy now. Please don't call me Stephanie any more," she pleaded.

"That was the name I gave you," the purple mare stated. "You've grown so big! How long has it been?"

"Twenty years, Mama," EJ stated sullenly. "We never thought we'd EVER see you again!"

"How did you get here?" asked Amethyst.

"Galaxy used a time travel spell while I was holding her. Twilight had been visited by a future version of herself and said that the time travel spell was in the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the Canterlot Archives," her son stated flatly.

The purple mare shook her head sadly and chuckled softly. "That's how I got here," she replied, her words tinged by a sad chuckling. "So tell me, Steph -- I mean, Galaxy -- what has happened in those twenty years? I see you got your cutie mark." The cutie mark in question was a nearly white image of a four-armed spiral galaxy which nearly covered her entire flank area on both flanks.

"Yeah, Princess Luna was thrilled that I was so into stargazing, and she was quite proud to have me as her protege. I have learned some very powerful magic and I practice every day. I also research magic in the Canterlot Archives as well, but it was when I was visiting with Twilight that her future self stopped by. Mama, why do you look so much like me?"

"I don't know if Twilight ever told you, but I was in a copy of her body when I gave birth to you. I had actually been transformed into a human for a couple of weeks before I met up with Princess Celestia -- Galaxy, this is a long story, one which I will tell you when I have more time."

"Mama, it's time for you to come home," EJ stated firmly.

"But ... but ... I have developed friendships HERE!" Amethyst protested. "Besides, how am I supposed to return to ... wherever it is YOU came from? If twenty years have passed in that universe ..."

"I have mastered time travel," her daughter stated flatly. "I have spent the past five years researching everything I possibly could on Starswirl's time travel spells, improving my efficiency and strength so I could find you, mama. I can take all three of us back home!"

"Princess Celestia? As much as I would like to stay here, I guess I can't. Please give Twilight and the others my best wishes," Amethyst stated sadly, a tear trickling from her eye.

"Mama, it's time to come home. We have missed you so much!" EJ said, his voice nearly cracking with his emotion.

"Fare well, Amethyst, EJ, Stephanie. Give my counterpart my greetings," the Sun Goddess stated, smiling warmly.

The three unicorns gathered into a group hug and Stephanie cast her spell, enveloping all three of them in her dark purple aura. Her horn glowed with four separate auras, each one paler than the first. A rune circle appeared beneath them, glowing white with astonishing levels of magical energy as her eyes went full white, then the four auras around her horn turned a brilliant white. Celestia had to shield her eyes from the brilliance as Stephanie completed her spell. The three of them then blinked out, leaving the Alicorn seated on her throne, who smiled softly as they vanished.

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The three of them reappeared before the Golden Oaks Library. The tree had grown a bit taller and larger over the years, but still served as the Ponyville Library. Amethyst broke the hug and knocked on the door to the library. A considerably larger dragon answered the door, standing about half a head taller than the purple mare.

"Spike! You've grown up!" Amethyst smiled. The dragon rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"Twilight! Twilight! Come quick! Amethyst is BACK!" he shouted up the stairs. A slow tromping was heard as the librarian slowly made her way down the stairs. She took a few moments to trot through the front door. Upon seeing her old housemate, she broke into a grin and gave the purple mare a tight hug. The hug was returned with her full intensity.

"Oh, my ... Twilight .. I'm so sorry!" the purple mare stated, another tear trickling from her eye. "How old are you now? I'm so sorry, please forgive me, Twi."

"Well, Ammy -- if my memory serves me correctly, I'll be celebrating my 47th birthday in about three months. You've got a lot of catching up to do -- and while you've been away, your daughter has been in charge of the library. I'm now an emeritus librarian, even though it's still my home as well," the lavender mare stated. Her mane and tail had streaks of grey in them and her face had lines and creases associated with middle age.

"EJ? What have you been doing?"

"Well, I have to get back to the Castle as soon as possible. I was given leave for today, but the train takes a bit longer these days. It's almost never on time, either. Anyway, I've been promoted to second in command of the Royal Guard, and have my eyes on the Captain's position. Shining Armor has been such a help to me, I'm deeply in his debt for his advice!"

"What about Pinkie Pie?"

"Well, why not head over to Sugarcube Corner and find out for yourself, Ammy?" asked Twilight. "She's still over there, but she now manages the store and has ponies doing the baking and working the counters. She's had to have the bakery enlarged a bit to handle the influx of new customers -- Ponyville's gotten quite a bit bigger since you left!"

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As the purple mare walked through Ponyville, she was astonished to see all the changes that had occurred over the past twenty years. Her children were now about her age, and the former Cutie Mark Crusaders were now about four years older than her. As she trotted through town, she was escorted by her children, who took the time to explain things to her. Rainbow Dash had been accepted into the Wonderbolts, and several years later had been promoted into the lead trainer position, She had risen through the ranks quickly and held a very high position, supervising training and promotions. They passed by Sweet Apple Acres, the farm having expanded considerably as well. There were a great many ponies now assisting the Apple family with their farm. Presently, they reached the bakery.

The first change Amethyst noticed with the bakery was just how large the place had become. Carrot and Cup Cake, as the owners of the bakery, had promoted Pinkie Pie to lead supervisor, in charge of making sure everything was done correctly, accounting and employment. There were five counters, laden with baked goods along with quite a good number of tables with various ponies seated, enjoying their purchases. Occasionally, a pony of one sort or another would enter from the kitchen and restock a particular item that had sold out. Business was brisk, to say the least. Pinkie Pie came out from the kitchen shortly after she had been told of a new visitor.

"Wow! Ammy! Is it really you? It's been soooooo long!" the pink pony exclaimed, cantering over to meet the purple mare in a warm hug. She had lost her bouncing quality and her mane and tail wasn't quite as poofy as the purple mare remembered, then spotted quite a few grey strands of hair in her mane and tail. Her face showed some lines and creases as well. Her coat had dulled a little, but this was only noticeable upon close inspection.

"Pinkie Pie. It's good to see you again, though it has been -- wait a minute. I just met you at the train station -- oh, that was the other timeline. I am so sorry, Pinkie -- I never meant to be gone that long. I was wanting to find a way back, but got sidetracked by Nightmare Moon," the purple mare stated sadly as she hung her head.

"Whoa! What happened?"

"I met up with you and Twilight and the others -- you all used the Elements of Harmony on her to banish the Nightmare and restore Luna," Amethyst replied.

"I remember we faced her a looooooong time ago, but I don't remember you from that time -- you said -- another timeline? Twilight has told me about time travel and alternate universes, but I never thought I'd meet a pony who did that! But you're here now! We need to throw you a welcome back party!"

"I would be honored, Pinkie," the purple mare said softly. "But I need to catch up on lost time -- maybe later, okay?"

"Okie dokie lokie," she said somewhat sullenly. "But don't make me wait too long!" she giggled and returned to the kitchen.

"How much for a cupcake?" the purple mare asked the pony behind a counter with many different cupcakes on display.

"Fifty bits, ma'am," came the response.

"Whoa, I remember them only costing three bits -- has inflation hit that hard?"

"Don't worry, mama, I've got it," EJ stated, placing a card on the counter.

"EJ! We give a discount to the Royal Guard! For you, it's only forty bits!" the pony behind the counter smiled, hoofing a chocolate cupcake and swiping the card through a reader on the side of the register. EJ took the cupcake in his light grey aura and offered it to his mother, who took it in her light blue aura and lightly nibbled on it.

"Doesn't taste as good as I remember them," Amethyst mused. "Needs a little more sugar."

"Mama, please! Sugarcube Corner has the best cupcakes in Equestria!" her daughter said, some exasperation in her voice. The three of them left the bakery and trotted a little further down the street, encountering more ponies on the way to Rarity's boutique -- except that it was no longer being run by the fashionista, who had relocated to Canterlot about a dozen years ago. Carousel Boutique was now being run by Sweetie Belle, who had apprenticed under Rarity until she had become as practiced at fashion as her sister. The purple mare rang the doorbell.

"Mama, Sweetie Belle might be too busy today," her daughter stated. "If you're looking for Rarity, she's in Canterlot these days."

"Coming, coming, hold your horses!" came a female voice from inside the boutique. An alabaster unicorn mare with green eyes and a bouncy light purple and pink mane and tail answered the door. Her cutie mark was a symbol representing an eighth-note along with a silver-colored bell. Upon seeing the dark purple mare along with her full-grown children, she gave a big smile and gave Amethyst a big hug. "Ammy! I was wondering when you were going to come back! It's been so long! What have you been doing?"

"Sweetie Belle -- I see you're running this shop now. Believe it or not, I've only been gone for about four weeks -- time has a way of doing crazy things when you teleport through it willy-nilly," the purple mare stated.

"Four weeks?! It's been twenty YEARS!" the alabaster mare exclaimed in exasperation.

"For you, yes -- for me, it's been four weeks. Where I was, you were still a little filly without her cutie mark."

Sweetie involuntarily craned her neck around to double-check her flanks, making sure she still had her cutie mark, exhaling a little in relief. "What do you mean?"

"I cast a time-travel spell -- that's how Galaxy managed to bring me back here. I had no idea that THAT much time would pass in my absence. I am so sorry, Sweetie -- I hope to travel to Canterlot to meet up with Princess Celestia tomorrow."

"My advice to you is to be careful," the alabaster mare said softly, casting her eyes nervously left and right. "Celestia is not too keen on visitors any more."

"Doesn't Twilight visit her every once in awhile?"

"Yes, she does, but only once a year," EJ interrupted. "I have to be going back later on today, so if you'd like, you may join me on the train, mama."

"That sounds like a good idea. I just hope Princess Celestia isn't too upset with me for using one of Starswirl's spells," the purple mare mused.

"Mama, I have some experience with Celestia as well. She was the one who allowed me to peruse Starswirl's works at great length, on the condition I find you and return you to this timeline. I believe she might be happy to see you, though she might express some disappointment with your, um, hasty action some twenty years ago or thereabouts," Galaxy explained.

"That doesn't sound too reassuring," Amethyst stated, a worried expression on her face. "But I suppose the Princess would eventually request my presence at some point anyway, so I guess we ought to head towards the train station."

"Mama, we still have at least four hours before the train leaves for Canterlot," her daughter stated. "I am sure you would like to get a little more reacquainted with everypony here."

"Okay, Steph -- Galaxy, sorry. I need to get used to your new name," the purple mare stated, her daughter giving her a stern look. "Look, Galaxy, as I said before, it's only been four weeks for me, even though it's been twenty years for you. You were still a little filly when I left you, and I'm very truly sorry for having abandoned you like that when you needed me to be there for you. Please, please forgive me."

Mother and daughter hugged once again, a single tear trickling down the mother's left cheek.

"I promise you I will never leave you like that again," Amethyst stated softly. Galaxy hugged her a little more tightly.

"Mama, how about one for me as well?" asked EJ.

"Of course, EJ, I can't forget about you!" she smiled and wrapped her fore-legs around his withers, holding him tightly. "You'll always be my little baby, even if you're a little bigger than me," she giggled. He blushed slightly at being called that.

"Come on, mama, how old are you?" he asked in a chiding tone.

"You know, I never asked Princess Celestia how old she started me off at -- I had been in a male human body immediately before she transformed me into my current form, and that was pretty close to four years ago -- if I had to guess, I'd say I'm probably close to 25 years old in this body. Remind me to ask the Princess that question so I'll have a definitive answer," the purple mare explained.

"Mama, that would make me a couple years older than you!" he exclaimed incredulously. Her daughter gave her a very quizzical look.

"Mama, what does a human look like?" she asked.

"I'm surprised Twilight hasn't told you, or the Princess for that matter. Humans walk around on two legs, they are pretty much hairless except for what they have atop their heads -- Galaxy, I will explain my story to you when we're on that train ride later on -- it's very lengthy, but I'm sure you'd probably want to know your origin, wouldn't you?"

"Mama, you have twenty years of history to catch up on -- and yes, I would definitely like to know my origin! There's so much I want to know that you would know about me!" her daughter exclaimed, almost excitedly. "I want to know what you did while you were in that other timeline!"

"Those are stories which should also wait for our train ride," Amethyst stated. "I had a pretty good time there and I was in the process of rebuilding the friendships I had made while here in this timeline. Unfortunately, since it's been twenty years here, I'm afraid almost everypony will have forgotten about me, save for the ponies who knew me best. So what about Fluttershy?"

"Um, mama -- what do you remember about her?" asked her daughter.

"I remember her living in a small cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest, or about half-way between Ponyville and the forest. She was very kind, gentle, and extremely shy -- even scared of her own shadow. She had a way with animals and allowed a great many of them to maintain residence inside her cottage," Amethyst mused. "We never really talked that much, as I was usually quite busy in the Library helping out Twilight."

"Well, mama, it's just that -- Fluttershy became a recluse about twelve years ago after Angel Bunny passed. That little bunny of hers was a very special friend to her. After he died, she retreated inside herself, never seeming quite the same as before. We tried to cheer her up as best we could, even going so far as to bring her another pet bunny, but it just wasn't the same. I don't even know if Fluttershy wants anypony to stop by her cottage any more," Galaxy stated softly.

"Maybe I can cheer her up -- perhaps seeing me might make her happy once again," the purple mare mused.

"It's worth a try, mama -- let's go!"

The three of them trotted back through town, making their way towards Fluttershy's cottage, greeting ponies as they went. The cobblestones had grown quite weathered over the years, and many of them needed replacing. Amethyst commented on this and was informed that one of the previous mayors had embezzled funds from the coffers for personal use, leaving the town indebted to the tune of ten million bits, a sum which would have to be recovered through property taxes and municipal sales taxes. When told who this crooked mayor was, the dark purple mare burst into laughter.

"You mean to tell me that the ponies in this town voted for Flim and Flam?!" she asked incredulously. "I thought they'd have learned their lesson from the time those two tried peddling low-quality cider!"

"Sometimes memories are short," EJ stated, some contempt creeping into his voice upon recalling that unfortunate memory.

The three of them trotted out of town on the path leading towards the Everfree, chatting a little further on events that had happened during Amethyst's long absence. Presently they arrived at Fluttershy's cottage. Normally the timid pegasus would be tending to her animals, cooing to them, making them happy, which in turn made her happy. The years had not been kind to the cottage, the flora growing wild around it and any animals that happened by the cottage ventured nowhere near it. The roof appeared to sag in the center, causing the purple mare to wonder aloud how much longer it would be before it finally caved in. She knocked on the door three times with her right fore-hoof.

"Go away," came a faint voice from inside.

"Fluttershy! It's me, Amethyst Shadow!" the purple mare practically shouted at the door. A furious flapping of wings could be heard from inside the cottage, then the front door burst open as the yellow pegasus hurried outside to greet her friend.

"Oh, Ammy! It's been so long!" she cried, embracing the purple mare tightly and sobbing into her chest. "I thought you were gone forever! Why have you been gone so long?"

"Shh, Flutters, I'm here now -- I won't be leaving this timeline any more -- I've been told it's been twenty years since the day I left with Twilight for Canterlot Castle to visit the Archives. I cast one of Starswirl's spells and found myself in a different timeline. I was trying to find a way back, but Galaxy found me first."

"Ammy, you need to tell me everything that happened!" the pegasus exclaimed, almost excitedly.

"I don't know if I have enough time to tell you everything, but what I can tell you is that I was gone for only four weeks in that other timeline -- one where I got to see Nightmare Moon in the flesh and watched you and the others use the Elements of Harmony on her, as well as seeing Gilda roar in your face," explained Amethyst.

"Gilda. Hmm. Haven't seen her in a very long time. I wonder whatever happened to her," mused the pegasus.

"Fluttershy, Gilda died in that war between the Griffons and Zebras about eight years ago," EJ stated flatly. "I'm sorry."

"Oh. I suppose I should get out more often -- things haven't been the same since my little Angel Bunny died," the pegasus said sadly, a tear trickling down her right cheek upon reminding herself of that tragedy.

"Is there anything I can do to help you, Fluttershy?" asked Amethyst.

"I'm glad to see you're back, Ammy -- but I would appreciate it if you would stop by more often and talk to me. I get so lonely -- my animals left me a long time ago, and I just don't seem to have it in me anymore to take another pet." The years had not been kind to the pegasus, either, as she appeared quite gaunt.

"Um, Flutters, it looks like you haven't been eating much -- if I had some money, I would buy you some food. I'm supposed to be going to Canterlot to meet with the Princess, but I will return as soon as I can. There is so much for me to catch up on, and I am so sorry for leaving all of you behind like that."

"Okay, Ammy, but please hurry! I need somepony to keep me company, and Rainbow's been so busy in Cloudsdale -- it's like she doesn't even want to visit me anymore.

"I promise you I will return as soon as I can," the purple mare stated confidently. "EJ, Galaxy? Do we have enough time to stop by the farm and say hi to Applejack?"

"It'll have to be quick, mama -- the train will be here in a couple of hours," the grey stallion replied. "I cannot miss that train, either. I have only been given today on leave, and my duties are quite important."

"Okay, then, let's go!" the purple mare smiled.

The trek to the farm took about fifteen minutes, but Amethyst was struck by just how large the farm had become. She saw a good number of ponies in the orchards, bucking trees. She saw several more ponies plowing various fields. She saw a large number of cows in another penned-off area. She then spotted a red stallion with a dirty-blonde mane and tail, a stalk of wheat in his mouth.

"Big MacIntosh! Hey! Big Mac!" the purple mare shouted to him. He turned his head to glance at the mare who called his name, and upon seeing her smiled and trotted slowly to meet the three unicorns.

"Howdy, there, Ammy! Been a while," he stated flatly. He had gained quite a bit of weight and the yoke he wore seemed to be weighing him down considerably.

"I know, Mac. Crazy thing is, it's only been four weeks for me, even though it's been twenty years for you. I'm sorry to have left without saying good-bye to all of you."

"That's okay, Ammy. Ya wanna talk ta mah sis?"

"Yes, Mac, I'd like that very much!" the purple mare grinned. The stallion entered the farmhouse and the three waited for a good ten minutes before the orange earth pony exited the front door. Upon seeing the purple mare, she smiled very broadly and cantered to meet her in a warm hug.

"Oh, Ammy! Ah've missed ya so much! Why didn't ya tell me ya'd be gone fer so long?"

"AJ, I'm so sorry for leaving you like that. I had no idea what was going to happen when I cast that spell. Didn't Twilight tell you all what happened?"

"Yeah, she did -- but that was so long ago, it's a fuzzy memory at best. Tell me yer not gonna leave us like that again, okay, sugarcube?"

"You have my word, AJ. I'd like to stay and chat longer, but my son has to go back to Canterlot. I've decided to accompany him so I may have an audience with the Princess. I'm kind of curious to know how she'll react to seeing me for the first time in twenty years."

"Um, Ammy -- Ah'm not sure if that's such a good idea," the farmer stated apprehensively. "She's not much fer visitors anymore."

"Yeah, I've heard that. Even so, I feel compelled to meet her again and inform her of my travels," the purple mare stated. "I'm sure she'll understand."

"Ah hope so, Ammy. Be safe, fer mah sake, 'kay?"

"Sure thing, AJ. Seeya later!" The three unicorns then trotted back through Ponyville once again, stopping by the Bakery to pick up a few treats to take on the train ride to Canterlot, Amethyst exchanging some more pleasantries with Pinkie Pie. The purple mare noticed the market had changed quite a bit as well, as there was a wide open area lined with storefronts where the market once stood. Each shop had taken the place of a stall -- and Applejack's fruit stand was now occupied by a greengrocer's. Trixie had settled down in Ponyville and was running a magic shop, dabbling in psychic readings, though this was probably a racket to help her with her finances. The giveaway was the cutie mark sign above the door, which caught the purple mare's eye. She decided to stop in for a moment, though EJ and Galaxy implored her that time was short.

"Welcome to Trixie's magic shop, how may I help you?" asked the azure unicorn. The years hadn't been kind to her, either, as her aging showed a bit more prominently, her features appearing rather weathered, a scar on her left cheek.

"Trixie? Is that you?" the purple mare asked.

"Amethyst? Amethyst Shadow?" Trixie asked, her face breaking into a wide smile. "Where have you been for the last twenty years? I have missed you so much!"

"I cast a time-travel spell -- I ended up in a different universe as well. I just wanted to stop and say hi, as we are headed to Canterlot so I can meet up with Princess Celestia."

"Um, Amethyst ... I don't want anything sad to happen to you -- Celestia's not --"

"Oh, come on, Trixie -- I've heard that from at least three ponies so far. I think she might be happy to see me after so long, even though it's been just four weeks for me. One of these days, I'm going to have everypony gather so I can regale them with my travels!"

"Just be careful, okay? Be safe," she said softly.

"I will, Trixie. Seeya later," the purple mare stated and left the shop.

"Okay, mama, no more distractions or diversions. We have to get to the train station!" EJ stated firmly.

Comments

[cijik]

What happened to the 3 last chapters? Did you decide to rewrite them?

[Mike the Red]

2690435 I went through the story and condensed a few chapters into larger chunks, deleting the extras. I am disappointed that this story hasn't gotten better ratings, as I consider this to be one of my better stories.