> To a Time Long Gone
>  by Ironskull
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Ancient Equestria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight felt the rainbow of light vanish, but hesitated to open her eyes.  She was more or less pinned to the area of the time-carriage in front of her as Rainbow Dash decelerated from sonic speed at an only somewhat uncomfortable rate.  Twilight listened carefully, but failed to hear the sound of a thousand angry bees buzzing through the air behind them.  She did hear the sound of Rainbow Dash catching her breath from her recent exertion, but they didn't seem to be in danger.  She opened her eyes.

Discord, she noted with annoyance, didn't seem to be disturbed by the near catastrophe that had almost happened in the slightest.  Instead, he was looking over the side of the carriage with interest.

Twilight did the same, but she didn't understand why Discord seemed to be so interested in their surroundings.  It was just trees.

Wait.  Where was Ponyville?

There were trees everywhere, for as far as her eyes could see.

"Discord," began Twilight uneasily.  "Are we in the past or the future?"

"This is the past," answered Discord without looking back at her.  "Ancient history, as a matter of fact."

"Oh, good," said Twilight to herself.  This must be a time before Ponyville existed.  She didn't want to have to learn that Ponyville would be destroyed at some point in the future and overgrown by the Everfree Forest.

Suddenly she realized that Discord had added a second piece of information.  "Ancient history?"

"Yep," answered Discord.  "I've always wanted to see what all was going on when I was trapped in that statue."

"Discord," said Twilight weakly, "When are we, precisely?"

"We have been sent back in time about, oh, two thousand and three years."

"Did you just say two thousand years?" asked Rainbow Dash in disbelief.

"Whoa!" cried Twilight as the Carriage jerked.  "Be careful, Rainbow!"

"Yeah, sorry, it's just that the shock and all and I kinda forgot to... keep flying for a moment there...  But seriously, Discord, why are we two thousand years in the past?"

"Two thousand and three years," corrected Discord.  "You said pick any time at all, so I did."

"This isn't what I had in mind," declared Twilight, who was beginning to feel light headed.

"Then you should have said so," answered Discord.

"We were being chased by giant, blue, magical bees, Discord!" cried Twilight.  "I didn't have time to think about it!"

"Hey, there is nothing bad about this situation.  Any time in the past is as good as another, right?  And this way, we can go sightseeing too!"

"We are not here to sightsee!" shouted Twilight.  "We have a real problem that needs fixing!"

"And you have all the time in the world to figure out a solution," said Discord.  "Well, at least, I do.  You two don't, so you might not want to put it off for too long..."

"Discord, stop it," said Twilight.  "That's not funny.  Although... you do have a point.  But I still don't see why we should put it off."

"Twilight, why did you want to build a time machine?"

"You know why!"

"Yes, but I want to hear you say it."

"I built the time machine to facilitate the recovery of any potentially lost scientific or historic knowledge."

"Exactly!  We should take a look around before we go!"

"But... we don't belong here, Discord."

"Now I know you're making excuses.  If that's the way you think, why make the time machine at all?" said Discord.

"I just... don't feel comfortable with this," said Twilight vaguely.

"Um, Twilight?" said Rainbow Dash.  "I've already traveled to the past once before and everything worked out fine.  I think it would actually be pretty cool to take a look around.  We don't have to stay for too long."

"Also, I didn't quite answer your question yet," continued Discord.  "You asked me precisely when we are.  It is currently seven days before Celestia and Luna are officially recognized as princesses and the rulers of Equestria."

Twilight was acutely aware of her eyes bugging out.  After she managed to calm herself sufficiently, she sighed and said, "Alright.  We'll stay.  I'll admit, I would really like to see that first hand."

"Cool!" said Rainbow Dash.

"But!" cried Twilight suddenly.  "Okay, two things.  First of all, even though you and I should be fine as we are... Discord, there is no way.  We are letting anyone see you.  I mean it.  This isn't like your first trip through time.  The ponies here are going to have... strong feelings about you."

"Yes, I know," said Discord bemusedly.  "I already thought about this.  I'll just go in disguise."

Discord snapped his fingers and vanished in a flash of light.  In his place was a much smaller creature.

"Discord..." began Twilight.  "Don't you think that ponies are going to find a rabbit with horns a tad bit suspicious?"

"No," answered Discord in a slightly higher pitch than usual.  "It's called a jackalope!"

"But jackalopes don't actually exist!"

"Neither did lots of things before I changed them."

"Twilight, it's fine," interjected Rainbow Dash.  "Even if somepony doesn't believe in bunnies with horns, are they really going to say to themselves, 'Hmm, there is no such thing as a jackalope, it must be Discord in disguise!' "

"I suppose that's true," admitted Twilight.  "Okay, I guess this can work.  I can pass you off as my pet.  You'll be just like Angel."

"Blech!" said Discord.  "Do you really have to compare me to Angel?"

Twilight shot Discord a stern look.

"Okay, pet it is then," Discord said unhappily.

"Okay, so what is the second thing?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"What second thing?" asked Twilight.

"The second thing that you wanted to say before you will let us go see the princesses and stuff."

"Oh, of course.  The second thing is that I do not want to put off searching for a way to get home.  We can take a look around, but our number one goal is to figure out how we can power the time machine again and get those bees to not attack us once we actually do get back."

Rainbow Dash did not seem to like this news.  "Can't we just kinda... forget about all that until after next week?"

"Maybe you can," said Twilight, "But I can't.  I can't just sit back and do nothing when there is a problem that needs solving.  You know that."

"Great!" said Rainbow Dash.  "So you can work on that while me and Discord hang out, right?"

"You want me to do all the work?"

Rainbow Dash's expression turned slightly guilty.  "Well, kind of, yeah.  I mean, let's be honest here, what can we even do to help you?  Especially me."

Twilight rolled her eyes playfully, and then said, "Alright, I suppose that's true.  Alright then, you can... hang out or whatever, but if I need you for something, you will have to drop everything and help me."

"Deal!"

There was silence for only a moment, and then Twilight began speaking again.  "So...  I guess I can finally talk about that first time travel incident now that you two have experienced it?  Discord..."

"You lied to me."

"Did I?"

"Yes!  You told me that it didn't matter if I knew the truth, that the elements would work anyway!"

"Oh," said Discord.  "Yeah, I lied.  Sorry about that.  But the plan would not have worked if I had not lied to you."

Twilight let out a sigh.  "You manipulated my friends and myself, and I thought I was in on the plan.  Yet all for a genuinely good cause.  Only you, Discord.  Only you could pull something like that off."

"I am supposed to take that as a complement, right?" asked Discord.

"I think so," replied Twilight.  "I...  I guess that's all I have to say.  I've been wondering for all this time what I would say, but, I've thought it over and I don't see any other way that it could have worked."

Twilight returned her attention to the forest surrounding them.  "So, does anypony know where we are, and where we should be going?  This surely must be the Everfree Forest, but I don't recognize anything at all."

"You see that clearing straight ahead?" asked Rainbow Dash.  "That's Ponyville Lake.  Or, I suppose I should say it will be, when Ponyville is actually built.  Maybe we can figure out what's where from the lake?"

"Well," said Twilight, "I suppose it's a start."

About a minute later, they were flying overhead the lake.

"There's a pony down there," Rainbow Dash indicated.

Twilight looked, but saw nothing.  "Are you sure?" she asked."

"Well, I think it's a pony.  Grey coat.  You think we should ask for directions?"

"Wait a moment Rainbow," said Twilight.

"Wait?  What for?"

"I just remembered.  Ponies in this time have a different manner of speech than we are used to.  Like the way that Princess Luna speaks sometimes."

"I see..." said Rainbow.  "So... you're saying that we shouldn't ask for directions?"

"No, I'm saying that I don't want to appear any more suspicious than we have to," answered Twilight.  "I'm going to cast a translation enchantment on us.  I never dreamed that I would ever use it to merely communicate in another dialect."

"Wait a second, is this going to make me sound funny?"

"No, it's a two way spell.  You will understand everypony who speaks to you as perfectly as possible, and everypony that you speak to should hear you in the middle Equestrian dialect.  So, are you ready for the spell?"

"I guess so," answered Rainbow Dash.  She felt Twilight's magic wrap around her body for a moment, and then it was gone.

"So, we can talk to that pony down there now, right?"

"Yes," said Twilight.  "Remember, not a word about the future or the time machine unless I say so."

"Obviously," said Rainbow.

"Hmm," she continued as she flew the carriage lower.  "Pretty sure it's a stallion.  He's got a build like AJ's brother.

"What is he doing out here anyway?" Twilight wondered aloud.

"It looks like he's bucketing up water from the lake and putting it into a barrel."





"Hiya there!"

There was a masculine scream followed by a slosh of water.

"YAAAARGH!" shouted Rainbow Dash.  There was a crash from behind her as the carriage fell to the ground.  "Cold, cold, cold!  What'd you do that for?"

"Apologies!" The stallion said.  "I meant no offense!  You snuck up on me!"

"Rainbow, hold on, I'll get it!" said Twilight.

As Twilight cast her spell, Rainbow Dash suddenly felt much drier and warmer.

"I was just trying to- Whoa."

Rainbow Dash had not been able to tell from in the air, but the stallion was even bigger than she had thought.  He was much larger than even Big Mac.

"Um, okay... wow.  You're the tallest pony I've ever met..."

"Rainbow!" cried Twilight.

The stallion sighed.  "Every day, every day I tell you, I'm explaining this to somepony new.  I'm a draft pony.  Understand?"

"Um.  Yeah!  Sure!"

"Well, now that we've clarified that, perhaps you wouldn't mind introducing yourselves?"

"Yeah, sure!" answered Rainbow.  "My name is Rainbow Dash, and-"

"And my name is... Twilight," said Twilight.  "Just Twilight.  And this here," she said, indicating Discord, but then stopped.  Discord lifted his rabbit ears higher than usual. "This is... Um... Angel!" she finished hastily.  She did her best to ignore the look that Discord was giving her.  This became even more difficult when she realized that his expression was perfectly normal for real Angel.  "We're not from around here."

"Nice to meet you both," said the Stallion.  "My name is Rusty Metal.  My family is in the metal working business.  And my work is every bit as good as what you would get from the rest of my family, and don't let anypony convince you differently.  I really am sorry, Miss Rainbow Dash.  It's just that you never know what might jump out at you around here."

"Don't worry about it," muttered Rainbow.

"Pardon me, Miss Twilight, but I have to ask.  Are you related to Celestia and Luna?"

"No.  I am not actually related to them in any way, as far as I know."

"Alright.  Sorry to bother you, I had to ask."

"No offense taken.  It's perfectly understandable.  Like I said before, My friends and I are from... very far away."

"As you say," answered the stallion.  "Would you mind if I continue filling these barrels while we talk?"  He indicated a wagon with seven barrels inside and room for an eighth.  "I am in a hurry."

"Of course," answered Twilight.

"A short while ago," the stallion continued, "There was a bright flash of light followed by a noise that sounded like an explosion.  You must have seen and heard it.  Do you have any idea what that might have been?"

Twilight knew perfectly well that he was referring to Rainbow's sonic rainboom that accompanied the time travel process.  "No, I have no idea what that was," Twilight lied.  "We did hear it, but we didn't see what caused it."

"I suppose it is of little consequence," said Rusty.  "Ponies around here have learned to not question the strange things that they see.  The strange sights have greatly decreased as of late, but some chaos magic still remains.  It is surely to blame on this occasion as well."

Twilight decided to change the subject.  "May I ask, why do you have so many barrels?  Eight barrels full of water must easily weigh at least a ton and a half!"

"Well, you see, there are a lot of ponies all in one place in this forest.  Um, considering that you are foreigners, I have to ask, are you familiar with the dreaded being named Discord?"

Twilight glanced down at the jackolope next to her nervously.  Discord looked back up at her and made a gesture at her, indicating for her to 'go ahead'.

"Yes, we are," answered Twilight.  "But I was under the impression that Discord is not a problem any longer."

"For the most part, that is correct," answered Rusty.  "But, you see, when Discord was defeated, Luna sent a message to ponies across all of Equestria in the form of a dream.  The message informed everypony of Discord's defeat and invited those in need as well as those who are willing to provide aid to gather in one place.  That one place is here in this forest.  In fact, supposedly, it is the site of Discord's defeat."

"How does everypony know where to go?" asked Twilight, suddenly finding herself thirsty for information.  "This is a forest!"

"Luna gave very simple directions.  By day, follow the sun, and by night, follow the moon.  At the point where they are directly overhead, you will find the largest gathering of ponies in living memory."

"Wow," remarked Twilight.  "That's amazing!  All of Equestria is gathered into one place?"

"Most of it," corrected Rusty.  "And only at first.  Some ponies are better off staying put wherever they are at instead of making such a long journey.  And after a few days, Celestia commissioned the construction of a settlement in the clouds in order to get the weather under control.  Even though the rain of chocolate and such that Discord produced has ceased, the weather still seems to have a mind of it's own.  So, after that, we lost a large number of pegasi."

Twilight looked over to Rainbow Dash, who also appeared to be following the conversation quite closely.

"However, the rest have stayed put," continued Rusty.  "And that many ponies can drink up a lot of water.  Which is why I am temporarily acting as a water delivery pony.  As big as I am, it makes me ideal for the job.

"Which reminds me," Rusty continued.  "I don't mean to pry into your affairs, but is it not a lot to ask a single pegasus to pull a carriage of that size?"

"Oh, me?" asked Rainbow Dash in surprise.  "Don't worry about it, I've got this.  This carriage was actually enchanted by D- er, by Twilight here, so it barely weighs anything!  And to be aerodynamic enough to fly at high speeds.  Somehow."

"Remarkable.  It may be that my lack of knowledge in magic leaves me easily impressed, but I must say that that sounds very impressive."

"Umm...  Thank you." said Twilight.

"Wait for just a moment," said Rusty.  "This barrel is full.  I need to load it onto my cart."

Twilight and Rainbow Dash watched in amazement as the giant stallion heaved the fifty gallon barrel onto the cart and slid it into place.

"I do need to start moving on right away now," said Rusty.  "Are we perhaps heading for the same place?"

Twilight considered quickly.  "Possibly.  We're... looking for someone," answered Twilight.  "I think he might be able to help us.  And you said that just about everypony is at this... gathering?  I don't suppose you know of Starswirl The Bearded?"

"Whoa," whispered Rainbow Dash to herself.  It had not even occurred to her that Twilight's second role model lived in this time.

"I should be surprised to learn that anypony has not heard of Starswirl the Bearded," answered the stallion.  "He is one of the only unicorns in Equestria who ever had any degree of success in removing chaos magic, and thus is highly respected.  But I don't where you might find him.  I suspect Celestia herself would be the best pony to ask."

Twilight hesitated.  Worry erupted within her about what consequences might arise from allowing her mentor to see her.  However, the only worry that she expressed was "Would Celestia even have time to speak with me?"

"It is true that Celestia and Luna are exceptionally busy as of late," admitted Rusty, "but they always seem to find time to listen to anypony with a good reason to be talking with them.  Celestia more than Luna."

"Oh?" said Twilight.  "Why might that be?"

"I'll tell you all about it if you want to come with me," said Rusty as he attached his harness.  "Are you coming?"

"Yes, I suppose we are.  Right, Rainbow?"

"You're the boss," answered Rainbow Dash.  "I think of anything else we ought to be doing."

"Alright!  Let's get going then," said Twilight.

"Very well," said the stallion.  "Might I suggest that Rainbow Dash lead the way, if you wish to talk?"

"That makes sense," agreed Twilight.  "We just follow the sun, right?"

"That's right."

Rainbow Dash started moving forward and Rusty followed.  Twilight turned to face Discord.

"You're going to stay out of trouble, right?"

Discord saluted at her.

"So," said Rusty.  "I believe you had a question?"

"Yes, please.  You said that P- I mean, Luna is busier than Celestia is?  Why would that be?"

"Ah, yes.  When they defeated Discord, that solved a lot of problems immediately, but not nearly all of them.  Some of the changes he has made to Equestria still linger."

He hesitated for a moment.  "There's something I should show you in my wagon.  Let's stop for just a moment."

After Rainbow Dash had stopped, Rusty turned around and, with some difficulty, reached into the front of the wagon and pulled something out.  He gave it to Twilight.  "Do you know what that is?"

"What what is?" asked Rainbow Dash, who could not see.

"This is a dream catcher," said Twilight in surprise.  "They are used to trap nightmares.  And I imagine this is where Luna comes in?"

"You can't tell right now," began Rusty, "but during Discord's terrible reign in Equestria, he created terrible nightmares to plague us all.  And they are still here.  They are everywhere, drifting through the air, invisible."

"There's nightmares in the air?" asked Rainbow Dash, horrified.  "Are they getting in our heads?  Are they dangerous?"

"Don't worry," said Rusty.  "They can only affect you when you are asleep.  Which is why many ponies are even now spending many days without sleep.  These dream catchers can protect you, but they can quickly become filled to capacity.  It only takes a couple of days.  And when that happens, they must be emptied."

"And Luna is the only pony who can destroy the nightmares completely!" finished Twilight.

She glanced down at Discord once more and gave him a questioning look.  He sagged under her gaze.  Twilight decided not to press the issue.

"But if Discord has been defeated," she said to Rusty, "surely the nightmares will end?"

"Luna is certain that Discord is unable to fill Equestria with any more of his unnatural nightmares," answered Rusty.  "However, it will take a long time to remove every last one.  There will probabily be a few that escape from her for years."

Taking advantage of the momentary break in conversation, Twilight leaned down toward Discord and whispered low enough so that Rusty would not hear, "I'm not going to reopen two thousand year old wounds.  As tempting as it is to be angry with you for all of this, it wasn't you, the reformed you I mean.  But..."

Discord gave Twilight a bemused look.

"If you were to destroy those nightmares floating around and take a bit of the workload off of Princess Luna, that would be... much appreciated.  Okay?"

"You are aware that I can't just make them all vanish with a snap, right?" whispered Discord.  "I have to be able to see them."

"I'm not asking for that," replied Twilight.  "Just, when you happen to see one, make it go away, alright?"

Discord sighed and saluted at her, and then thumped a long foot on the carriage below him several times.

"...What are you doing?" asked Twilight, confused.

"Just doing what I'm told," answered Discord.  "That one there was a dream about ponies disappearing if you try to interact with them, and in that one there everypony except the dreamer is actually me in disguise and the dreamer finds out that their entire life has been a drawn out lie of my own making, and that one there-"

"I'd rather not hear about it," said Twilight, slightly put off.  "Just- get rid of them."

Twilight said nothing for a while.  She watched Rusty for a while without speaking.  Eventually, curiosity got the better of her.  "You said that you are in a metal working profession, didn't you, Rusty?"

"I did.  We're some of the best smiths in Equestria, despite what my name would lead you to believe.  My parents thought they have a sense of humor.  Actually, we're some of the only smiths in Equestria.  If you see a pony in armor, with a weapon, or with tools of labor, there is a high chance that it was made by somepony in my family.  Armor used to be in highest demand.  Weapons less so, since any decent pony doesn't kill if they can help it, even when it comes to Discord's creations.  Weapons are still sometimes necessary to drive off the pests though.

"Tools have also always been in demand, but ever sense Discord's defeat and Celestia and Luna have pushed for a united community, demand for them has increased greatly while weapons and armor are basically now not being produced whatsoever.  The general populous is more than well enough equipped to ward off pests.  There are some serious threats that still remain of course, but not in this area of the great forest.  I suppose those are problems to be solved in the future."

"How could it be that your family has some of the only metal smiths in Equestria?" Twilight asked.  "I would think that more ponies would be interested in defending themselves."

"Discord was as sly and clever as he is terrible.  He figured out a way to severely damage almost all communication and organization.  A single dirty trick ensured that everypony had a difficult time keeping with friends or family.  It made professional work almost impossible.  It made sure that most ponies had no idea where they were at any given time.  And, of course, like just about everything Discord did, it generally drove everypony crazy."

"All of that from just one trick?"

"So, what was it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Discord connected all of the doors in Equestria."

"...What?" asked Rainbow.  "What does that even mean?"

"Remember," continued Rusty, "most everything that Discord did was unpredictable and strange.  And, sometimes, even seemingly impossible.  You said that you are familiar with Discord, so you must know this to be true.  Suppose a pony is standing outside a building and they open the door.  The room that is behind that door could be inside any building in all of Equestria."

"What."

"And if the pony is inside a building and opens the door to the outside, they will find that beyond the door is a random exterior location, also anywhere in all of Equestria.  A closed door could be reopened again, but they would always lead to a new random location.  And the doors had rules to them too!  Once you opened a door, it was impossible to close it again until you step through it.  You could try to force them closed all you want, they wouldn't budge an inch.  And then, after a pony steps through the door, it slams closed.  Fortunately, Ponies touching one another could go through all go through a door without it closing until the last one steps through, so it was possible to stay in groups.  Sometimes though, it became necessary to become separated."

"Why would anypony put doors on a building?" asked Twilight in shock.  "It would be better to leave the entrance open to the outside world!"

"Except," said Rusty, "there are dangerous things out there.  To some degree, there still are.  It's easy enough to avoid just about all of them if you watch your surroundings, but ponies need to sleep some time, and the only safe place to do that is indoors.  To make matters worse, there are creatures in the forest that devour any food left out in the open, including in buildings that are not completely sealed.  Orchards and fields of crops were not owned by any one particular pony, since it was nearly impossible to stay near them for long.  Ponies would gather what was edible from wherever they happened to be and bring it inside a building.  Wherever they happen to end up, that's where they would store it.  It was not an efficient system.

"But my family had a rather unique advantage.  There aren't many things out there that are willing to tangle with a pony the size of a bear.  Our workshop has no door.  I almost feel ashamed that we had somewhat less to worry about than average ponies, but we made up for it by providing ponies with the best defenses they could ask for."

"Of course, Discord didn't appreciate that very much.  He once tried to intervene personally.  I don't know what he did to us, but I should probably be thankful that we couldn't remember it afterward.  All I know is that Luna had somehow followed Discord and drove him away before any serious damage could be done."

Rusty Shuddered.  "Having Discord show up in the flesh was almost certainly the worst thing that could happen to a pony.  There was no telling what he might decide to do.  If a pony was lucky, he would be satisfied with simply scaring them half to death.  If they were not lucky, they might never be the same again.  Sometimes Discord would alter their personality, and the changes were never pleasant.  Sometimes he would alter them physically.  In fact, I know of a pony that is missing their entire body, except for his head, thanks to Discord.  He spends all day stuck to a wall!"

"And last of all, sometimes he simply decided to mocks his victims.  One common example is to show a pony an entire world that is lush and beautiful and free from terrible things, only to remind them that they do not exist in such a world."

"This all sounds terrible!" said Twilight.  "You are all very strong ponies to have endured for so long."

"I'm still stuck on the door thing!" said Rainbow Dash.  "How does that even work?"

"Discord made the impossible possible," answered Rusty.  "A pony would also experience something similar if they traveled to the borders of Equestria.  If a pony tried to leave Equestria, they would inexplicably find themselves walking toward the way they came from, no matter how many times they attempted it.  Nopony has been able to leave the borders of Equestria in years.  And nopony has ever come from outside in as long, so presumably they would experience something sooner.  I believe that you three are some of the first foreigners in over a century."

"Whoa," said Rainbow.  "This is getting crazier every time you open your mouth."

"There were other inexplicable things.  For instance, during Discord's reign, you couldn't cross the same river twice.  It didn't make any sense.  There was no magic to be seen at work, and yet if a pony tried to cross a river that he or she had once crossed before, they just couldn't do it, no matter how they try.  One way or another, they would always fail.  And frequently hurt themselves in the process."

"Yeah, okay," said Rainbow Dash.  "I'm just going to stop trying to process what you're telling me."
> Lunatic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where is everypony?" asked Twilight, viewed her surroundings as Rainbow Dash and Rusty walked through the an enormous encampment of ponies.  There were no buildings in sight, but many families appeared to have constructed wooden canopies or other forms of temporary shelter.  And, as Twilight had noted, there were relatively few ponies about, and those that were present seemed to all either be busy with one thing or another, or sleeping.

"Everyone has a role to perform," answered Rusty.  "Nopony can afford to sit idle during these days of change.  Even many our colts and fillies volunteer to help their parents perform their duties however they can."

"Of course!" said Twilight, feeling silly.  "That should have been obvious!"

"And have my duty as well," continued Rusty.  "I'm afraid I must part ways with you now."

"Before you go," said Twilight, "Can you point us to somepony who might know where we can find Starswirl the Bearded?"

"Hmm..." Rusty mused.  "As I said before, the only pony that might know that I am aware of is Celestia or Luna...  You could probabily speak to the herald.  He makes proclamations that come directly from Celestia, so he could help you talk with her."

"Well, I suppose we could do that," said Twilight hesitantly.  "And where is the herald?"

"Keep going toward the center of the encampment, that way," said Rusty, indicating.  "You'll come across a small group of structures.  They used to be simple housing and storage for ponies during Discord's reign, but they have been repurposed to be a sort of center of the community.  You will find the herald there."

"Very well, thank you," said Twilight.

"I must go now," said Rusty.  "I hope I see you again!"

"Goodbye, Rusty."

"See you later," said Rainbow Dash.

After Rusty was out of earshot, Rainbow turned to look at Twilight and said, "You know, if everything works out, we won't be seeing him again."

"Yes," answered Twilight.  "But I do appreciate the gesture."

"So..." continued Rainbow.  "Are you really going to ask Celestia for help?  Aren't we supposed to avoid her, since she knows us in the future and everything?"

"If I go alone and don't let on about who I am, she won't associate me with the Twilight in the future."

"Twilight, you're an alicorn," said Rainbow Dash in deadpan.  "There is no way the Princesses will forget meeting you."

"I know," said Twilight."  "But I didn't used to be an alicorn.  Celestia will have no reason to believe that my future self could be the same pony as a pony she spoke to for a few minutes two thousand years ago, especially if I don't even have my wings initially.  And when I do get them, she will see it as a remarkable coincidence, but nothing more."

"Twilight, she will probably figure it out sooner or later."

"Well, maybe I don't have a problem with that!" Twilight suddenly snapped.

"Huh?"

"Why shouldn't I let her figure out who I am?  She won't figure it out until two thousand years from this time, and we will be long gone by then.  Don't you think that I want to share this experience with her when we manage to go home?"

"I didn't mean that," Rainbow answered hastily.  "But, are you really going to keep all this a secret from Princess Celestia for two thousand years?"

"I'm won't be keeping a secret," answered Twilight.  "After all, I won't be around to tell her.  Think of it more as... a surprise."

"A surprise?"

"Yeah!  Why not?"

"You mean, like, a prank?  Or something?"

"... I guess you could view it that way.  The word 'prank' is rather difficult to define, so, by some definitions, you could say that it's a prank..."

"Twilight, are you planning on pulling a prank on Princess Celestia that is two thousand years in the making?"

"Well... yes."

Rainbow Dash gave Twilight an incredulous look.

"I... am so down with this idea!"

"Good!" answered Twilight, relieved.  "So, shall we see if we can locate that herald pony?"

"Sure," said Rainbow Dash, grinning.





"It sure is more crowded around here," remarked Rainbow Dash as she trotted toward some crude and unpainted buildings.

"Well, Dusty did say that this is the 'community center'."

"What I don't understand," said Rainbow Dash, "is why ponies around here don't seem to be particularly surprised to see an alicorn riding in a carriage.  I mean, they notice us, but you would think you would hold their attention for longer."

"Ponies here aren't used to thinking of alicorns as royalty," explained Twilight.  "To them alicorns are just ponies, even if it's not every day that they see one.  I like it.  It can get uncomfortable when visiting other towns in Equestria than Ponyville."

"I guess."

Twilight and Rainbow both stopped talking as they realized that the crowd around them had suddenly grown quiet.  They heard a stallion asking for everypony's attention.

"It is time for this evening's business," the voice declared.  "First, the settlement of Cloudsdale is in great need of a pegasus trained in weather management to serve as an instructor.  If you..."

"Why would they want an instructor for weather management?" Rainbow asked Twilight.  "Every pegasus learns how to make a cloud rain or disappear when they're foals.  Some ponies could learn to do it faster, but if that's the problem, they should be looking for a workout instructor instead, shouldn't they?"

"Rainbow, I just realized something," answered Twilight, sounding slightly shocked.

"What?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Nopony knows how to manipulate a cloud."

"What?" asked Rainbow Dash incredulously.

"I'm serious!" said Twilight.  "For all of their lives, the ponies of this time have lived under Discord's crazy weather.  All of the ponies who had any experience with weather control have long since passed away, and their children haven't controlled the clouds for years and years."

"Seriously?  Wait, what about Princess Celestia and Luna?  They could teach everypony, right?"

"Rainbow, the Prin- er, I mean, Celestia and luna- they aren't princesses yet- Probably are overloaded with work already as it is!  They probably don't have time to personally teach pegasi!"

"But they have to!  If there's really nopony in all of Equestria who can teach them this stuff, it will take them forever to learn, and the weather will be haywire in the meantime!"

"They might just have to," agreed Twilight.  "I can't imagine how they can keep up with the demands that are placed on them for no reason other than that they are they only ponies who have certain knowledge!"

"Twilight."

"Yes?"

"I could go."

"What?" asked Twilight, shocked.  "You want to-  ...  Actually, yes.  You could.  But..."

"But what?" demanded Rainbow Dash.  "You don't have confidence in my ability to teach?"

"No!" cried Twilight.  "I know that you can teach if you put your mind to it.  It's just that...  Don't you realize what it would mean if you, a mare from the future, were to share knowledge with the ponies of Cloudsdale?"

"Well, why not?" asked Rainbow.  "They need that knowledge.  I've got it.  I'm here.  It seems pretty simple to me!"

"We shouldn't be here!" cried Twilight.  "We don't belong here!  The further back in time we go, the more severe the effects of our actions, and we are way far back!"

"Twilight!  I thought we already sorted this out!  If we're going to change the future, we're going to change it for the better!  Right?"

"No, not right!" answered Twilight.  "What if we make a mistake, and make the future worse without meaning to?"

"Twilight, that is a question that we all have to live with every single day, even in our own time.  And it never has stopped us from taking action before."

"...  Rainbow Dash, did you just rebuttal me with philosophy?"

"Did I?" asked Rainbow in surprise.  Then she shook her head.  "It doesn't matter.  Remember, we are stuck here until we can figure out how to power the machine.  Until then, we can't help but change the world.  Especially if you plan on getting help from Starswirl.  So, we might as well try to be helpful while we are here, right?"

"..."

"Right?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"Alright then.  Can you try to not forget that?  I don't want you to have a panic attack because you're worried about changing the future or something."

"Rainbow," said Twilight in slight annoyance.  But then she let out a laugh.  "Yes, I'll try to remember."

There was a moment of silence, except for the voices of the crowd in front of them.

"I suppose we missed the rest of the announcements, huh?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah," agreed Rainbow Dash.  "Hope we didn't miss anything like 'Egghead needed for crazy magic project'!"

"Rainbow," said Twilight, "even if there was such a thing, my top priority is finding a way home."

"Alright then...  So I guess I should get going then, huh?"

"What?  You mean now?"

"Yeah, now.  The sooner the better.  And besides, you said so yourself that you wanted... Angel and I out of your mane when you meet with Celestia."

"Shouldn't we let somepony know that you're answering the request?"

"Aw, but there's probably paperwork and stuff involved."

"In this case, I doubt it," answered Twilight.  "But alright, whatever.  I'll work it out for you.  You're right, it would be best if you disappear now.

"Thanks," said Rainbow Dash in a sarcastic tone.

"And don't worry about the carriage, I can at least pull it myself."

"So...  I'll see you soon then?"

"I'll make sure to contact you if it turns out that I need your help with something.  Or, if not, then as soon as we have a way home."

"Alright.  ...  Goodbye for now then." said Rainbow Dash as she unhitched herself from the carriage.

"Goodbye, Rainbow.  I'll see you soon."

Twilight watched Rainbow take off and fly over the tree line.

"Well, I guess that's that," declared Twilight.  She turned around to look at Discord.  "And I guess it's time for you to disappear too."

Wordlessly, Discord vanished with a quiet 'pop' noise.

Twilight stared for a moment.

"Um... are you still there?  I wasn't done yet."

Nothing happened.

"Well... if you're still there... make sure to keep in touch with both Rainbow and myself.  Although I'm sure that I don't have to tell you that, and even if you are really gone, you'll do that all by yourself anyway without me asking you to.  ...  And come and get the other of us if one of us gets into trouble."

Discord failed to give an answer.

Twilight sighed and turned back to the crowd.

I think I heard the herald's voice coming from this direction... she thought.

Several ponies around her glanced at her and the chariot in interest as she moved through the crowd, but none stopped to talk to her.

Suddenly Twilight saw a sight that made her feel her stomach in her mouth.

"Agh!" she cried, after which she stared at a stallion in shock.

Or, at least, the head of a stallion.  It appeared to be jutting out of the outer wall of one of the structures.

"Oh no, please don't scream," the head begged her.

"I'm not screaming!" insisted Twilight, her voice higher pitched than usual.  She coughed a couple of times to correct this problem.  "You just surprised me is all."

"Right."

"You're not, um, stuck through the wall, are you." declared Twilight.

"No, I'm not.  Discord made me like this.  Now I serve my fellow ponies in just about the only way I can.  I'm the herald."

"I see," said Twilight, sympathetically, now mostly recovered from the shock.  "I heard about you from somepony named Rusty, but I didn't actually expect I would run into you."

"Giant of a pony?" asked the herald.

"Yeah."

"Tell him hello for me if you get the chance.  I sure don't get the chance very often."

The herald burst out laughing.

Twilight waited for him to calm down before saying, "You sure seem to have a good attitude about your situation."

"Hey," answered the herald, "if I don't laugh, I'd cry, and I don't want that.  Don't worry, it's not all bad.  At least I still have my magic."

Twilight noted that the stallion did in fact have a horn, and, presumably, it was fully functional.  She also noted that there was a bell hanging on the wall next to the herald.

"What is that bell for?" she asked.

"Well," began the stallion, "you see, sometimes I get news from ponies that needs to be conveyed to Celestia.  So, she gave me this enchanted bell to ring when I have something for her.  She has a bell just like it on the wall of her place, and when I ring this one, that one rings too.  Or at least, that's what she said.  I guess I can't go see for myself!"

He burst out laughing again.

"Do you know if Celestia is terribly busy at the moment?" Twilight asked.  "I really need to speak with her."

The herald eyed critically her for a moment, making Twilight feel uncomfortable, but then cried "Oh!  Yes, of course, why didn't you say so?"

His horn lit up with magic as the bell shook and made a jingle sound.

"I hope you don't mind waiting for a bit.  She's always in the middle of something or other, but she always wraps up her work for long enough to come when she's needed."	

"I hope I'm not inconveniencing her," said Twilight, feeling guilty.

"Don't worry about it.  If you were to wait for her to have free time, you would have to wait forever."

Neither pony spoke for a moment.

"So how long will we have to wait?" asked Twilight as politely as she could.

"Oh, I'd say, ten minutes?  I could tell you a story or something while we wait, if you like."

"Tell me a story?" asked Twilight in surprise.

"Sure.  I like to tell stories.  It's one of the few things that I'm still good at."

He chuckled at this.

"I bet you're wondering how I got like this, right?" he continued.

"Um... is this a violent story?" asked Twilight carefully.

"Nah.  It's actually pretty short.  Sometimes, Discord would  tease the same ponies multiple times.  Me included.  So, the last time I laid eyes on that monster, I started to freak out, because I really didn't want to go through the same thing he put me through last time.  But, he didn't.  Instead, he said to me 'Don't lose your head!'  But I guess I didn't take his advice, because I did!"

The herald burst out laughing once more.

"Why are you laughing?" asked Twilight in shock.  "That's terrible!"

"Yes," agreed the herald.  "It is terrible.  But you have to admit, that line was hilarious, right?"

"Not really..."

"Well, I thought it was funny anyway," said the herald.  "After thinking it over for a while."

"How did you manage to... leave?"

"One of my family found me some time later.  They were upset, but they took care of me.  I'm not so bad off now."

"What happened to your body?"

"It's still out there somewhere," answered the herald.  I know it is, because I still have to eat for it.  Also, a couple ponies have told me that they've seen it."

"It's still walking around on it's own?" asked Twilight.

"Oh sure.  Probably get's into all sorts of trouble too.  Can't see what it's doing.  I've tried asking Celestia if she could go find it and put me back together, but in the end she just has too much to do to go on a hopeless wild goose chase like that.  Plus. she figures that the only one who could put me back together is the one who made me like this in the first place, and we both know that there's no chance of that happening."

Twilight said nothing, but was thinking very hard.  But there is a chance of it happening.  We couldn't let anyone know that Discord himself put things right, but it could happen.  ...  How can we leave this time behind when Discord- the Discord that I know- might be the only hope for ponies like this?

"So... yeah," continued the herald, "That's the story.  It's not a terribly good one.  I could tell you about the first time I saw Discord instead, it's much more interesting."

"You don't have to," said Twilight.  "If it makes you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to."

"No, I like this story, because it actually has a good ending."

"Well, okay."

"Alright, so the first time I saw Discord, I was just a colt.  I actually heard him before I saw him.  Specifically, I heard some strange music and I went to investigate.  That was a mistake.  Discord was playing a strange tune on a pipe and everyone that listened fell under a strange spell.  So, about a dozen other foals plus myself were enthralled by this music and followed him deep into the forest.  It was very strange.  I swear that it was like I was being forced to watch someone else do something in my body.  I was aware of what I was doing, but I couldn't do anything to stop it."

"That does sound like Discord's magic." replied Twilight.

"Now, I don't know what Discord was planning to do with us, but, fortunately, I never found out.  Somehow, Luna had sensed that Discord was up to no good and intercepted him.  I remember her demanding Discord to release us all from the spell.  Discord's response to that was to laugh and say that he would do so on one condition.  Luna had to drink a truth telling potion."

"A truth telling potion?" asked Twilight, surprised.  "As in, a potion that forces the drinker to answer all questions truthfully for a certain duration?"

"Exactly," replied the herald.  "And she agreed."

"She agreed?" said Twilight.  "She let Discord have his way?"

"Not quite.  Discord was true to his word to release us once Luna had drank that potion.  All of us foals sort of snapped out of the enchantment and realized where we were and who we were next to.  Most of us started screaming and ran off.  But I didn't.  I couldn't stay and leave Luna.  I knew I couldn't help her, but I just had to stay and find out how this ended."

"So, Discord starts asking Luna the questions.  First he asks her what she cares about most.  Luna answers 'My sister, Celestia."

"That answer makes sense," said Twilight.  "I can't imagine that Discord didn't figure that already though.

"And then it started getting weird," continued the herald.  "Discord asked her how she found him.  Luna told him she put a tracking spell on him."

"Luna managed to put a tracking spell on Discord without him discovering it?" asked Twilight, not certain she should believe it.

"No.  She didn't.  It wasn't true."

"What?"  How could that be?  Was Discord's potion defective?"

"I don't think so.  It sure startled Discord though.  His face kept scrunching up.  I think he was trying to pinpoint the spell.  It didn't exist, but he didn't know that.  Eventually he gives up and tries again, asks her what she fears most."

"And Luna lied again?" guessed Twilight.

"Sort of.  Her answer was 'fifteen'."

"... What?  That doesn't even make sense."

"Finally Discord asks where Celestia is.  And Luna answers, "Right there!" and points behind Discord."

"Another lie?"

"Yep.  But Discord at least believed that it was possible, because he turns around and starts sweeping the area looking for her.  With a broom.  And while his back is turned, Luna ran for it.  And took me with her.  Somehow she knew I was still there.  And then she eventually returned me to my parents.  I don't know what happened to Discord we left, but I like to think that he just sat there, confused for a while."

"I'm confused too," said Twilight.  "How did Luna manage to lie like that under the effects of a truth potion?  Does the potion not work on alicorns?"

"I was curious about that too, so while Luna was taking me back home, I asked her the very same question.  She told me that everything that she had told Discord was in fact true... in the world of her imagination.  But Discord didn't know that particular detail."

Twilight tilted her head.  "Huh!  So luna literally thwarted Discord with her imagination?"

"Yes."

"Wow, that's actually super simple, and yet... really crafty!"

"Indeed," said a new, familiar voice.  "My sister can be most cunning."

Twilight quickly turned around to face the soon-to-be princess.  Words failed her.

Celestia truly hasn't physically aged a day in at least two thousand years! she thought.

"Ah, Celestia!" said the Herald.  "I was so busy telling my story that I didn't see you arrive!"

"Worry not, I enjoy listening to stories of my sister's cleverness.  Perhaps you would care to introduce me to your audience?"

The herald seemed baffled.  Eventually, he said, "So, you're not related?"  He indicated Twilight with a nod.

"Did this mare claim to be related to me in some way?" asked Celestia with a frown.

This spurred Twilight into action.  "No, I didn't!  I only asked to speak with you!"

Perfect! thought Twilight.  The last thing I need is to make a bad first impression in front of Celestia!

"She's telling the truth," said the herald quickly.  "I just assumed that, since... what with you both being alicorns and I've never seen anypony else besides you and your sister who-"

"I understand," said Celestia.  "However, you have not yet told me your name," she finished, addressing Twilight.

"My name... is Twilight."

This is surreal, thought Twilight.  I'm introducing myself to the pony who raised and taught me for the majority of my life!

"Twilight," said Celestia.

"Yes," answered Twilight.  "Just Twilight.  I'm from rather far away."

"I see," answered Celestia.  "I can't help but wonder, what manner of contraption is this that you are carrying in your carriage?"

"It's nothing!" said Twilight quickly.  "Um, that is, it is something, it is an advanced piece of magical equipment, but it isn't working right now."

Twilight could tell that Celestia was still curious, but she took the hint and dropped the subject and instead asked "What can I do for you, Twilight?"

"I actually have two things I wish to speak with you about," said Twilight.  "The first thing is that a friend of mine heard the request for a weather management teacher in Cloudsdale and decided to take the job."

"Truly?" asked Celestia in surprise.  "Where did your friend receive her training?"

Before Twilight could answer, Celestia cut her off.  "Oh, I'm such a foolish old nag!" she cried, tapping her head with a front hoof.  "You have already told me that you are not from Equestria.  Is your friend nearby?"

"I'm afraid that she's not," answered Twilight.  "She didn't want to waste any time, so she has already left."

"That is unfortunate," said Celestia.  "I would have liked to speak with her before her departure."

"I can vouch for her," said Twilight.  "I know that she won't fail the ponies of Cloudsdale."

"I hope so," said Celestia.  "If your friend is successful, it will remove a great burden from our shoulders.  What is your friend's name?"

"Rainbow," replied Twilight.  And then she remembered that Rainbow had already given her full name to at least one pony, and presumably would continue to do so.  "Rainbow Dash."

"Then I shall see that Rainbow Dash is appropriately rewarded for her service, if she performs to your expectations.  What is the second issue that you wished to speak with me about?"

Twilight's expression turned uncertain.

"It's... complicated," she said.  "It concerns this... device."  She indicated the time machine inside the carriage.

"I see.  Perhaps you would be open to a proposition?" asked Celestia.

"A proposition?" repeated Twilight, confused.

"It is getting late," said Celestia.  "Would you like to come with me and we can discuss your problem while having a bite to eat?"

Celestia is inviting me to have dinner with her? Twilight thought.  I was hoping to keep my association with her brief...  But on the other hoof, it would also be easier to talk to her in private.

"Alright," said Twilight.  I'll come with you."





They did not have to walk far.  Celestia was apparently residing in one of the buildings nearby.  There were two armored ponies outside of the door to the plain looking wooden structure.  Their equipment was a far cry from the shiny golden apparel of the royal guard, but certainly just as functional.

"What about my carriage?" asked Twilight.  "I can't bring it in there, and I'd rather not leave it out in the open for somepony to harm the machinery by accident."

"You two," said Celestia, addressing the guards.  "You are to watch this carriage and ensure that it comes to no harm.  Do not let anypony touch it until this mare comes to reclaim it."

"Yes ma'am!" said both guards.

Twilight released her harness and followed Celestia through the door.

"Luna!" cried Celestia.  "We have company."

Twilight saw Luna's shift in the poorly lit building.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" asked Luna in surprise.

"This is Twilight," declared Celestia.  She turned to Twilight.  "She is not from Equestria.  And I am glad to be out of the street away from the ears of others.  It has been a long time since my sister and I have laid eyes on another who is like us."

"Um..." said Twilight, feeling uncomfortable.

"Where are you from, Twilight?" asked Luna, approaching.

There was no escaping the question now.  She had been asked directly.

Twilight hesitated.

"Will you not tell us?" asked Luna.

"Please understand," began Twilight, trying to ignore the heat that was building up in her head.  "It was entirely an accident that I am in your land at all.  I'm not supposed to be here."

Celestia and Luna both returned a confused stare.

"I can't tell you where I am from," continued Twilight, hanging her head.  "But I need your help all the same!"

"How can you expect us to help you when you are keeping secrets?" demanded Luna.

"It's alright, Luna," said Celestia.  "Ponies are entitled to their secrets, and they are no less friendly for it."

"But what do you want from us?" asked Luna.

"Very little, actually.  All I want to know is where I can find Starswirl the Bearded."

"Starswirl?" asked Celestia.  "Whatever for?"

"I have a magical device that is in need of repair," Twilight explained for Luna's benefit.  "I can't tell you what it is for, but it is imperative that it is in working order before I return to my home.  I am certain that Starswirl the Bearded is the only pony who can assist me in this."

"Do you doubt our understanding of magic?" asked Luna.  "You don't need to keep this secret from us.  We could help you!"

"Leave her be!" Celestia said.  "Twilight is entitled to her privacy so long as she does not harm anypony, and I believe we can trust her.  We are busy enough as it is."

"Yes, I suppose we are," said Luna.  "It would be best if I return to work, actually."

Twilight watched her return to the corner of the room and withdraw a dream catcher from a nearby box, and then set it on the table in front of her.  Luna's horn lit up, but this was all that Twilight could see.

"I will tell you where to find Starswirl the Bearded," said Celestia.  "But it will take you about an hour to arrive at his location by flight, and it is late.  Will you not stay and eat with us?"

Luna cast her looked toward Celestia.

"Is it time already?" she asked, surprised.  "My, how time flies when one is having fun.  Twilight, do you like avocado?"

"Avacado?" repeated Twilight in surprise.  "Do you actually grow Avocados in the Everfree Forest?"

"The 'Everfree' Forest?" repeated Celestia.  "I have never heard the forest referred to as such before."

"Oh, don't you see, sister?" said Luna, suddenly excited.  "The name is positively genius!  For it was in this very forest that we ourselves ended Discord's tyrannical rule, and from that day on, every pony in Equestria would forevermore be free!  Twilight, how did you come by such a clever name?"

Oh no, thought Twilight.  Did I just create a loop?  Oh no, oh no.  If I learned the name of the Everfree from Princess Celestia, and she in turn learned the name from me, then who originally came up with the name for the forest?  It doesn't make any logical sense!  Don'tthinkaboutit, Don'tthinkaboutit, Don'tthinkaboutit.

"Twilight?" said Luna.

"I, uh... made it up?" said Twilight.  Oh no, did I really just take credit for naming the biggest forest in Equestria?

"Remarkable," said Celestia thoughtfully.  "However, to answer your question, no.  Avocados do not grow in the forest.  You are not from Equestria, so you would not know, but during Discord's rule, one could travel from one corner of Equestria to another in the blink of an eye, only you never knew where you would end up."

"I was told all about it," said Twilight.  "A pony named Rusty Metal told me all about the hardships ponies faced throughout Discord's rule."

"You have become acquainted with Rusty?" asked Celestia approvingly.  "I see that it shouldn't be necessary to explain for ourselves then.  Avocados do grow in other parts of Equestria, but they were stored all across Equestria.  And, while Discord's curse has been lifted, for the moment, we happen to have a surplus of avocados."

"Enjoy them while the last," Luna told Celestia.  "It will be a long time before you see an avocado again after we consume all that we have."

"I wish we could tell that dragon the same thing," said Celestia, suddenly melancholy.

"Huh?" asked Twilight.  "Is there a dragon that is giving you trouble?"

"Yes," answered Celestia gloomily.  "It is a terrible irony, but Discord actually kept the ponies of Equestria safe from our more troublesome neighbors.  This dragon is demanding a tribute of gems.  We do not have gems, and we do not have any way of finding them either.  Most of the ponies outside do not know of this.  I'm at my wits end trying to figure out some kind of solution.  I really would prefer to avoid a violent confrontation."

"There will be time to worry about that later," said Luna as two long bread sandwiches levitated over to Celestia and Twilight.  "Stress is bad for the digestion."

Celestia sighed.  "You know I can't help it."  She took a bite out of her sandwich.

"... I can help," said Twilight.

"You can?" asked Luna, astonished.  Celestia also appeared to be surprised, but waited to swallow before speaking.

"You have a solution?" Celestia asked.

"Well, yes," said Twilight nervously.  "I know a spell.  A gem finding spell."

"A gem finding spell?" asked Celestia in disbelief.  "I have never heard of such a thing!  And I consider myself to be well learned in such matters!"

"Well, you see," explained Twilight, "Crystalline structures have the unique property of being able to 'store' magic.  They can absorb ambient magic.  Any spell cast near a crystal or gem will resonate in that crystal or gem to an ever-so-slight degree.  But, with the right spell, the crystal will absorb far more of the magic than usual, and you can pinpoint their location based on where the magic moves to.  Here, I can show you."

Twilight's horn lit up as she began casting Rarity's spell.  But then, she cut it off abruptly and cried out "Whoa!" and began rubbing her head.

"Twilight?" asked Celestia, concerned.  "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine.  I just wasn't expecting such overwhelming feedback.  What in the..."

As she trailed off, she looked over toward the corner where Luna had been working.

"Is something wrong?" asked Luna.

"The elements of harmony..." whispered Twilight.  "You're keeping them here with you."

The elements are here, thought Twilight.  They were used to power the time machine once before.  Could they be used for the same purpose again?

No, she decided.  It only worked last time because Discord showed his face, and that is the VERY LAST thing that I want to happen now.  I'll have to find another way.

"You know?" whispered Luna.

"About the elements?" asked Twilight.  "I thought everyone knew."

"No.  Nopony knows," said Celestia.  "My sister, myself, and Discord should be the only ones aware of their existence."

"But why not tell everypony?" asked Twilight, confused.  "Don't you want them to all know the truth?"

"We do, but..." Celestia trailed off.

"We fear that we might lose their respect if ponies should discover that it was not by our power that Discord was defeated," finished Luna.

"But it was by your power that Discord was defeated!" cried Twilight.  "It was your bond with your sister that provided the strength to imprison Discord!  That's how the elements work!  They channel your bonds of friendship!"

"We know that," said Luna.  "But the ponies out there, they do not."

Celestia spoke.  "But how do you know this?  What do you know of the elements?"

"I..."

Twilight didn't speak for a full thirty seconds.

"I need to go," she said finally.

"Go?" cried Luna.

"Yes.  I promise you I will explain everything!  Just, not today.  I've stayed her for too long already.  I need to speak with Starswirl as soon as possible.  I can eat this sandwich on the way."

"Alright, Twilight," said Celestia.  "If that is what you think, then I will oblige.  Starswirl the Bearded lives in his tower, north west of here at a distance of approximately one hour's flight away.  It stands tall and is visible for miles away.  You will not miss it."

"Thank you," said Twilight unsteadily.  "I should leave now.  Goodbye."

"Farewell Twilight," said Celestia.

"Farewell," repeated Luna.

About a minute after Twilight had left their building, Luna said to Celestia "Are you sure we have never met her before?"

"I feel certain I would have remembered," said Celestia.  "But it did feel like she knew us, did it not?"

"Indeed."





By the time Twilight reached Starswirl's tower, Celestia had set the sun.  Twilight hoped that Starswirl wasn't early to go to bed.  She stopped in midair to examine the home of her idol.  It was approximately five stories high and made entirely out of grey bricks.  There were no windows.  The structure had no roof.  Instead, the top was flat and had a door that led down into the top of the tower.  There was a telescope set up on the top, but Starswirl himself was nowhere in sight.  It would be rude to fly up to him unannounced anyway.

Twilight landed on the ground and looked at the door uncertainly.  Anticipation was building up quickly.  She decided to knock.

"Coming!" said a feminine voice behind the door.

Twilight paused.  This was unexpected.  Did Starswirl have a wife?  No, she knew for a fact that he never married.  Unless the history books had been wrong.  An apprentice?  Possibly.

The door opened and Twilight found herself face to face with Berry Punch.

Or at least a pony that, if not for the fact that she was a unicorn, Twilight would have mistaken for Berry Punch.  Not to mention the fact that Berry Punch herself could not possibly be present.

"... Is this the home of Starswirl the Bearded?" asked Twilight, not entirely convinced that it was.

"Hmm..." the mare appeared to consider.  "Maybe...  Why you wants to know?"

Twilight scrunched up her eyes in confusion.  The translation spell had been performing perfectly up until now.  The only explanation was that the mare was in fact speaking in an incorrect manner.

This isn't how I was expecting this to go, thought Twilight.

"I need to speak with Starswirl the Bearded," said Twilight.

"Yes, this is where he lives here," said the mare.  "Wantta come in?"

"Um, yes, if that's alright?" said Twilight.  She suddenly became aware of an aroma emanating from the mare.

This mare is drunk! Twilight realized.  I must have the wrong place?  But how many other ponies live in giant towers and keep telescopes?  This MUST be the right place!

The mare stepped back and motioned for Twilight to step inside.  Twilight did so, reluctantly.

The room was surprisingly well lit by several candles in various places.  There were stairs running along the back wall that upstairs as well as to a basement.  There was a table with several seats surrounding it, but this was the only furniture.

"So, what is your name?" asked the mare.

"My name is Twilight."

"Really..."

"Um, yes.  And who are you?"

"I'm drunk!" declared the mare, who then produced a bottle of wine.

Twilight didn't speak for a moment.  She watched the mare take a swig.

"I meant, what is your name?" asked Twilight.

"Oh!  My name is Berry!"

"Berry?!"

"Yeah... I'm Berry Blast!"

"Oh!" said Twilight.  "I'm sorry, it's just that, you remind me of somepony from home."  Only even Berry Punch isn't usually as drunk as this mare seems to be right now...

"Really?" asked Berry.  "Is she... nice?"

"Huh?  Yes, sure."

"Fantastic."

"Are you Starswirl's... apprentice?"

"Sorta!" replied Berry.  "He doesn't actually teach me very much.  Mostly he just watches me.  And keeps me from having any fun."

"Oh, I see...  Um, could I please speak with Starswirl?"

Berry's face seemed to turn angry.

"Starswirl doesn't talk to just anypony!" she cried.

"He doesn't?" asked Twilight, suddenly worried.

"No!  You must prove yourself!"

"How?"

"With magic!" declared Berry.  "Really impressive magic."

"You want me to show you my magic?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah!  Show me what you've got!"

Twilight didn't know what to think.  Under normal circumstances, she usually didn't give in to requests to show off her magic.  But if Starswirl really didn't wish to interact with ponies without magical talent, then she couldn't afford to turn the mare down.  She hoped that this wasn't true.  Perhaps this was the unpredictable whims of a pony who had too much to drink.

"What kind of magic do you want me to do?" asked Twilight, worried.

"The best you've got!"

"My best?"  Twilight wasn't actually sure what her most impressive spell was.  She knew spells that were very complex to perform, spells that required enormous amounts of raw power, and spells that were not actually terribly difficult at all, but looked more impressive than they actually were.  She had no idea what the mare was looking for from her, if anything.

"Well, I suppose I could use this spell," said Twilight.

There was a purple flash and Twilight fell upward toward the ceiling, landing on her hooves.

"Is this a sufficient demonstration?" asked Twilight.

"What?" said Berry, clearly confused.  "What're you doin' on the roof?"

"It's a reverse gravity spell," explained Twilight.

Berry's eyes lit up.  "Oooooooh!  That's actually really neat!"

"Is it good enough?" asked Twilight.

"Yep!  Hold on just a second."

Berry turned around and walked toward the staircase she took a few steps up the stairs before stopping suddenly.

"Hey, StarSWIIIIIIRL!  There's somepony here who wants to talk to you!"

Twilight had been in the process of reversing the gravity spell and tumbled to the floor in a heap.

"Tell them I'm not home!" cried a voice from upstairs.

"She can hear you, Starswirl!" shouted Berry.

"Oh, very well then," said the voice.  "I wasn't in the middle of anything important anyway.  Tell her to come up then."

"Okay!" shouted Berry back toward the upstairs.

She turned around to face Twilight, who was pulling herself off the floor.

"Starswirl says you can go up."

"I heard..." muttered Twilight.

Once Twilight had pulled herself together, both physically and mentally, she walked up the staircase.

As soon as her head was above the floor level of the second floor, she stopped and hesitated.

Starswirl was staring back at her.

She would have been embarrassed if she wasn't so busy analyzing her the old pony.

He looks just like the statue in the Starswirl the Bearded wing!  Right down to his robes and hat!  I thought that it might be an inaccurate representation that omitted wrinkles and such, but, but he looks just like it!

"Are you coming in or not?" asked Starswirl.  "Starswirl the Bearded, magician specializing in space, motion, and time, at your service.  You do have the right place, despite what that mare downstairs might lead you to believe."

"I'm sorry!" said Twilight, rushing up the stairs.  "It's just... I am a huge admirer of your work.  I'm just nervous."

Twilight looked around the room.  It was clearly a study.  There was a desk with paper stacked to a visible thickness all over it's surface in a clutter as well as the obligatory ink and quill.  The walls were lined with shelves.  Some were book shelves and Twilight immediately began to itch to look them over.  Most of them looked ancient even in the current time.  However, it appeared that Starswirl wasn't big on organization, judging from the way that some books were placed cover down on top of the books that were actually placed on the shelf appropriately.  Other shelves were stuffed full of scrolls stacked in a hexagon pattern.

In contrast to the candles in the entry room, there were several glass lamps floating near the ceiling of this room, each containing an orb of light.  Twilight realized that they were likely enchanted with a light spell.  Although this would put a slight strain on Starswirl's magic, it was probably safer than candles around his papers and books.  They were also much easier to enable and disable.

There was also an entire section of the wall that was covered entirely in equations that she could only barely follow, but not for lack of knowledge.  The equations seemed to be mashed together as tightly as possible, and there were several occasions where Starswirl had used a form of shorthand that presumably only he himself understood.

"An admirer of my work?  Most ponies haven't had an opportunity to take an interest in my 'work'.  Ah, but you must be a sister of Celestia's and Luna's.  Did they send you here to deliver a message?"

"Everypony keeps assuming that I am somehow related to them, but I'm not.  My name is Twilight.  Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight hesitated.  She wanted to get right to the point.  She had to tell Starswirl everything, including the time machine, if she was to expect him to be able to help her.  But the words refused to come out of her mouth.  She had to delay if she didn't want to just awkwardly sit there.

"About Berry..."

"You're curious as to why I, Starswirl the Bearded, am housing a drunken mare?"

"Well... yeah."

"She's unstable," explained Starswirl.  "Now, I don't normally take it upon myself to take in other ponies, but Berry has a rather unique case of magical talent combined with an enormous amount of potential and an infuriating affinity for alcohol."

"She is your apprentice?" asked Twilight.

"You could say that.  She doesn't learn much though.  She doesn't want to learn.  She doesn't need to learn.  She flies in the face of everything that you should expect from a decent magician's apprentice."

"What do you mean by 'she doesn't need to learn?' " asked Twilight, confused.

"I mean she has no idea how the spells that she casts even work," said Starswirl, clearly frustrated.  "She doesn't need to understand either.  She can cast them anyway.  I swear, she is the most interesting apprentice I have ever had, and the most stressful."

"Do you mean to say that Berry can casts spells that she has never studied before?" asked Twilight incredulously.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean!" said Starswirl.  "It is beyond baffling.  All she needs to be able to replicate a spell nearly perfectly is to see somepony else cast it, just once!  If it wasn't for her drunken irresponsibility, she would early go on to become one of the most powerful spell casters in history!"

"But she's your apprentice.  Why do you let her have alcohol?"

"First of all, I couldn't keep her from it if I tried.  I can't keep an eye on her at all hours of the day, after all.  She makes it herself.  But the main reason is that her magical potential is at it's peak when she's really good and drunk."

"... What?" cried Twilight.  "But that's impossible!  It's a well known fact that alcohol clouds the mind and severely impairs a unicorn's spell casting ability!"

"You're telling me!" cried Starswirl.  "There might be a reasonable explanation for such an anomalous phenomena, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what!  And in the near non-existent moments that Berry is sober, she is quite incapable of magic in the slightest.  At first I thought she was faking it as an excuse to get drunk, but I have been watching her for a long time now.  Her mind and body actually become more attune to magic while she is in a drunken state."

"The infuriating thing is that she is obviously quite incapable of rational thought and good decision making while drunk.  I want her to succeed in her talents, but I worry that it might be damaging to her as a mare.  It is quite the conundrum, and I don't have a solution."

Starswirl sighed.  "I apologize," he said.  "I can get rather worked up when thinking about her."

"You mentioned Celestia and Luna before," said Twilight, eager to change the subject, but still not prepared to discuss the matter that brought her here in the first place.  "Do they speak to you frequently?"

"Not really, no," answered Starswirl.  "You could say that they are also 'admirers of my work', or at least they used to be.  They have always taken great interest in my theories.  In fact, they were some of the only ponies that could follow a lot of it.  But that all stopped when Discord took over.  All of the contact that I have had with them recently involved them asking for my opinions on how to best remove chaos magic from ponies and objects alike."

"Starswirl..." began Twilight.  "I'm curious about something.  You are obviously at least acquainted with Celestia and Luna..."

"Yes, I am."

"But you were also present in Equestria when the pony tribes first arrived, before Discord's rule and back when the sun and moon were moved by the unicorn council."

"And your point?"

"... How old are you?"

Starswirl chuckled a few times.  "Come now Twilight, you should know better than to ask an old Stallion his age.  I figure you wouldn't appreciate me asking you how old you are."

"Why?  I'm only twenty-four."

"Ha!" laughed Starswirl.  "I would be a fool to believe that!"

"Why?" asked Twilight, slightly offended.  "It's true!"

"Don't tell me that," said Starswirl.  "You alicorns are all thousands of years old and never grow a day older."

"That's not true!" exclaimed Twilight.  "After all, even alicorns have to be twenty-four years old at some point in their life."

"So you insist that you are twenty-four?"

"Yes!"

"Would you be willing to put that to the test?"

"What?  How?"

"Time magic a specialty of mine," said Starswirl.  "It is not a simple subject, but one of the simpler spells is an age detecting spell.  I actually wanted to try using it on Celestia once out of curiosity, but she wouldn't let me."

"Well, I don't have a problem with it," said Twilight.  "I promise to you though, you're just going to find out that I was telling the truth all along."

"Excellent," declared Starswirl.  His horn lit up with light blue light.  Twilight felt magic briefly encompass her, and then vanish.

"Well," said Starswirl.  "That doesn't make much sense..."

"What?" asked Twilight.  "Did something go wrong?"

"I don't think the spell actually worked," said Starswirl.  "It might be that it is incompatible with alicorn physiology.  The results just don't make any sense."

"Because the spell confirmed that I am in fact twenty-four?"

"No.  It didn't.  It told me that you are approximately two thousand years old.  Only, negativetwo thousand years old.  Which is impossible."

Realization hit Twilight.  This is actually convenient, she thought to herself.  I hope this is enough proof to convince him that I am telling the truth.

"Actually, Starswirl, the spell worked perfectly."

"Did it?" asked Starswirl skeptically.

"Yes.  I was born two thousand years into the future."

"Ah!  That does explain it, actually!" said Starswirl, the confusion in his expression dissolving instantly.  "I expect you will be vanishing any moment then."

"Huh?"

"The time travel spell can only be sustained for about a minute or so at maximum before it collapses.  Although, now that I think of it, you have been here rather longer than a minute, have you not?"

Twilight didn't answer.

"Oh, of course!" cried Starswirl.  "My spell has surely been refined and made more efficient over the years!  You must have used a new version of the spell that give's you more time, correct?"

"Sort of," said Twilight.  "It's permanent."

"Permanent?" cried Starswirl.  "But that's incredible!  The amount of raw magical energy required is far beyond feasible for practical application!"

"You are right," said Twilight.  "But I was able to obtain such a source of energy.  The problem is that magic bees don't take kindly to having their nectar stolen."

"Magic bees?" asked Starswirl in confusion.

"They are very rare in my time, I think" said Twilight.  "I didn't even know that they existed until I saw them for myself.  But their nectar contains unbelievably large amounts of magic energy."

"And you stole this nectar from them?" asked Starswirl.

"I didn't know that I was stealing!" insisted Twilight.  As far as I could tell, I had simply found an unexploited source of vast magical energy!  I didn't know that it belonged to the bees!"

"I see."

"And when I was in the middle of some trial runs, the bees found me and started chasing us!  The only way we were able to escape them was to activate the time machine, and that is how I ended up here!  Only, I don't have any more nectar and I can't get home!  That is why I came to you!  I thought... maybe you can help me?"  Twilight's last sentence was practically begging.

"Well," said Starswirl.  "This certainly isn't what I was expecting when I got out of bed this morning.  And I've seen a lot of unexpected things in my time.  I noticed that you said 'us'.  You brought at least one other pony with you, didn't you?"

"Well," Twilight said, "because of complications with the new version of the spell, the machine can only trigger while physically traveling at high speed.  I cannot safely accelerate the machine to the required speed on my own, but A friend of mine... can."

"I see..." said Starswirl.  He hesitated for a moment.  "I will have to examine this 'machine' for myself to be sure, but... I'm sorry Twilight, but I honestly have no idea where you might find enough energy to power a permanent time shift spell.  Unless you were to locate these magic bees once again and 'steal' more nectar, but then you would have the same problem all over again."

"I did think of that," said Twilight.  "And I really don't want to do that.  But I don't know what I will do if I'm really stuck here."

"I wonder..." said Starswirl.

"Yes?" asked Twilight eagerly.

"I wonder if we could get enough energy if we got Berry Blast really wasted.  I'm kidding!" he added upon seeing the look on Twilight's face.  "Even she has her limits.  And that limit is when she passes out from drinking too much."

"That reminds me," said Twilight.  "Do you always ask visitors to perform feats of magic?"

"No, I don't," replied Starswirl, his tone already turning angry.  "Is Berry up to that old trick again?  There's a reason I refuse to demonstrate dangerous magic in front of that mare."  Starswirl looked straight at Twilight.  "You didn't show her anything dangerous, did you?"

Worry erupted in Twilight's chest.  "Um... I did cast a reverse gravity spell-"

Suddenly, there was a burst of light in the room.  Twilight heard Starswirl groan and say "Oh no..."

The light dimmed and vanished and Twilight saw in it's place was standing a second Starswirl.

"Sorry to interrupt your little chat," said the new Starswirl, "but I thought that you might like to know that about thirty seconds ago, Berry Blast thought it would be a great idea to try out that reverse gravity outdoors.  She is currently plummeting upward through the sky and she doesn't know the counterspell.  You should probably go save her."

The first Starswirl gaped for a moment.  "And why didn't you come and warn me about this before it happened?!" he bellowed.

"No time for that!" shouted the second Starswirl.  "Go!"  He disappeared again with a bright flash of light.

"Curse that mare!" shouted Starswirl.  "Curse that mare to tartarus!"  He disappeared with a flash of teleportation magic.

Despite her bewilderment, Twilight cast a teleportation spell as well.  She appeared just outside of Starswirl's tower.  Starswirl himself was a short distance away and staring up into the sky.

"Thirty seconds!" he shouted into the sky without moving his head.  "Do you have any idea how far that idiot has traveled in thirty seconds?  I put a tracing spell on her a long time ago, and she is definitely way out of my spell casting range.  I could probably teleport to her location, but that doesn't change the fact that she would still be traveling and ludicrous speeds while I myself would plummet to my death!  Twilight!" he shouted at her, finally looking at her.  "Any ideas?  Anything?"

"Just one!" cried Twilight.  She stepped closer to him and lit her horn.  The ground below them started to shake.

"What are you doing?" shouted Starswirl.

"We're going up the same way Berry did," said Twilight gravely.

Starswirl stumbled as the ground they were standing on broke free and started accelerating upward.

"Can you catch up with her?" asked Starswirl urgently, trying to ignore the fact that he was now standing on a circular slab of earth that was only two meters across with a rapidly increasing distance between the ground and himself.

"I can if I put some extra power into the spell," shouted Twilight, as the wind was already starting to get loud.  "But she has a huge head start!  I don't know if..."

Twilight trailed off and Starswirl didn't press the issue.  He turned his head skyward.  "If we get out of this alive," he shouted, "I'm going to kill that mare!"

Pressure began to build up in Twilight's skull as she pressed her magical ability.

I sure hope that Rainbow Dash is having a better day than I am right now, she thought.





As a matter of fact, Rainbow Dash was soaking wet at the moment.  This would have been more embarrassing if not for the fact that every pony around her was also in a similar state.

"What was that?" she demanded of a pegasus mare that looked rather a lot like Derpy.  Rainbow attempted to shake water out of her mane.

"I- I don't know!" cried the mare.  "I don't get it!"

When Rainbow Dash had initially arrived in Cloudsdale, she had discovered that the ponies were skeptic of her.  She also discovered that the same ponies were much more willing to listen to her after a demonstration.  Which led directly to her present situation.  There were only about three dozen ponies present, but it was early in the night.  At the moment she was attempting to teach how to dissipate a cloud.

The first pony to volunteer to try learn hooves on had ended with the cloud exploding in a spectacular shower of water, splashing onto everypony present.

"If clouds are made of water," continued the mare, "then how can you destroy them without getting water everywhere?"

"It's all in the kick!" said Rainbow Dash.  "If you wallop it like a foal, the only thing that will happen is the cloud exploding, like what just happened.  And you never want that to happen.  Unless you want to pull a prank on somepony or something, I guess."

"But," she continued, "A skilled pegasus can control a cloud in many different ways just by changing the technique of the kick!  If you kick it like this-  Behold, the cloud releases it's water slowly, over time.  Rain."

"And if you kick it like this-"

KER-POW

"You will cause a lightning strike.  And if you kick it like this-  The cloud will dissipate into water vapor.  No mess, no water flying everywhere.  Now, are you ready to try again?"

The mare nodded silently.

Rainbow didn't tell her, but she had never seen anypony make a cloud explode so spectacularly.

Who would have thought that you could cram that much water into such a small cloud? thought Rainbow.





Twilight noticed Starswirl light his horn with magic.  A blue barrier enveloped the air around them.

"The air up here," gasped Starswirl, "was starting to get thin!"

"Good thinking!" said Twilight.

Come to think of it, thought Twilight, I bet Discord is just having the time of his LIFE right now...





Discord was currently inside a pitch dark building.  In fact, he was mere feet away from Celestia's own residence.  There were four guards in front of the door to the building on the outside of it, but naturally he hadn't used the door.  He clapped his front paws together and the room became inexplicably lit, revealing his target, which was actually the only thing occupying the room whatsoever.

"Well well well," he said in the slightly higher pitch of his rodent form.  "Look at who we have here.  All alone.  But alone no more, for the moment."

He hopped up onto a stone hard arm.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.  "I'm you, from the future.  I can prove it too.  I know what you're thinking.  Only I could know that you are thinking of... a plaid ostrich on a unicycle!  I remember thinking of that when I was in your position."

He hopped onto the statue's head and pretended to examine his paws.  "I'm doing pretty good.  And how about you?  ...  Not so good, huh?  That's a bummer.  You have my condolences.  But you know as well as I do that I am no more capable of setting you free than you are.

"You want to hear about the future?  Some of it is pretty exciting.  Not most of it though.  Most of it is dull, dull, dull.  I'm pretty sure you go mad a couple of times.  But it's not all bad.  You won't even be in this dark room for terribly long.  Celestia will actually grow overconfident and put you out in the middle of public gardens and stuff.  Nice view.  Get's old after a while, but you learn to appreciate what you can get.  And these school groups will keep coming to stare at you and inexplicably break out into fights.

"I know you'd love to know, and I know you're not going to like it, but I'll tell you anyway.  You're going to be in there for a long time.  Two thousand, to be exact.  You might as well start a tally.  Try taking a nap for a few centuries if you like.  Save yourself some sanity.

"Oh, but when you finally do get out, oh is it great.  I don't want to spoil it, but you'll love it, trust me.  What?  You want to know just one little detail?  Well, okay!  How could I say no to myself?  Celestia will have her student and her student's friends get the elements of harmony with the intent to blast you again.  And they succeed.

"But the really funny part?  It doesn't work!  They shoot off a beam of rainbows and hit you right in the chest and nothing happens at all!  Heh, I'm starting to crack up just thinking about the expression on their faces!  They were sooooo thoroughly corrupted by chaos!  You'll love it, just wait.

"Anyway, sorry to have to say this, but I gotta go do what I do best now.  I'll have to leave you the way I found you.  Wouldn't want anypony to know that something is amiss."

He clapped his paws together again and the room went pitch black.

"See you around!"

The jackalope disappeared with a 'pop'.  A moment later he was sitting on a cloud, laughing uncontrollably.

"I'm going to hate myself for that," cried Discord.  "So much.  But right now, it's just too rich!  Serves me right anyway."
> Home is where you hang your hat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I've got her!" shouted Starswirl as his horn lit with magic.  Twilight watched as Berry Blast's form some distance above was enveloped in his magic aura and was drawn closer.  When Berry had been lowered into the magical bubble that was now the only reason there was breathable air on Twilight's tiny island, Twilight saw that Berry had her own magenta bubble, but she wasn't releasing the spell yet.  Starswirl allowed her to fall unceremoniously to the ground.

Nopony spoke for a moment.  Berry shuddered.

"Well, Miss Berry Blast-off," said Starswirl.  "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Berry dropped her magic.  "I...  I need a drink."

"You won't be having anything to drink for a long time, you fool of a mare," said Starswirl harshly, but Twilight could tell that he was holding back greater rage.

"But what did I do?" whined Berry.

"What did you do?  You threw yourself into space with no consideration for the consequences!" shouted Starswirl.

"But-"

"But?" demanded Starswirl.

"Every other time I was about to do something stupid, you always stop me before anything bad happens."

"Well, MABYE", screamed Starswirl, unleashing his rage,  I finally decided that you need to learn that your actions have CONSEQUENCES.  Maybe I've grown tired of watching you day and night!"

"...  Are you sure we don't have anything to drink?"

"ARGH! screamed Starswirl.  He lit up his horn and pulled his large pointy hat down over his eyes.

Something very unusual occurred.  Starswirl's hat completely enveloped his head and continued to swallow up his entire torso and legs until Starswirl had vanished altogether, with only his hat sitting on the ground left.

"... Starswirl?" asked Twilight, concerned.

"Not in the mood!" cried the muffled voice of Starswirl from within the hat.

"So, uh," began Berry, now speaking to Twilight.  "Can we go home now?"

Twilight sighed.  As much as she wanted to shout at the mare herself, she knew that Starswirl would give her enough of that.  "No.  It's not that simple.  We have accelerated well past the point of return.  I could magically enhance the effect of gravity on ourselves and it would still not be enough to bring us to a stop at this distance.  See for yourself."  Twilight motioned toward the edge.

Reluctantly, Berry peered over the edge of the tiny island.  She gulped and quickly backed away from the edge.

"But can't we just use telekinesis to get back?" she asked, suddenly much more worried.

"No," answered Twilight.  "Every action, and every force, has an equal and opposite reaction.  Also, the momentum of a closed system can not change.  Because my platform is now completely isolated from the outside world by a vacuum,  it is considered to be a closed system as far as motion is concerned.  While we can use magic to lift objects in relation to ourselves, the net momentum of everything on this island will remain the same.  The only way to alter our trajectory is to expel mass away from the platform.  If I were to expel the entire earth platform along with all of our air in the opposite direction of the planet, it wouldn't be enough to stop us."

"Although," interjected the muffled voice of Starswirl, "if we also tossed Berry overboard, we might be able to make it back..."

"He's not serious," Twilight said quickly.  "First of all, it wouldn't work.  And second of all, the whole reason we followed you up here was to save you.  We aren't going to abandon you."

"But how are we going to get home?" moaned Berry in despair.  "Are we going to die out here?"

Twilight shook her head and pointed a hoof directly upward.

Berry followed Twilight's hoof.  "Ohhhhh..."

Twilight was pointing straight at the moon.

"Luna has been positioning the moon directly overhead her own location," said Twilight.  "However, since we were a relatively short distance away, we are not on a perfectly straight course.  We will hit the moon at an angle.  Which means that, after we make our unscheduled landing, we can not take off immediately, or we will float off into endless space.  We will have to travel for at least a whole day before we can repeat the launch process with a suitable trajectory back toward the planet."

"A whole day?" cried Berry in shock.  "But we'll starve!"

"Berry," said Twilight, "A pony can last for far longer than one day without food and water."

"But I've never gone for twenty-eight hours without having food and something to drink before!"

"Actually," said the voice of Starswirl, apparently calmed down, "there's no need to worry about that.  I've got loads of food in my pantry here."

"Do you have any wine in there?" asked Berry, not noticing Twilight's shocked expression.

"NO!  I don't keep any of that SWILL in here!  Only good, clean, pure water!"

"Starswirl has a pantry in his hat?" asked Twilight weakly.

"He's got a whole house in there," said Berry, apparently trying to keep her voice down, but failing.  "I wanted him to show me how to cast the spell, but he wont show me.  And the hat is already enchanted, so I can't just look at the spell myself."

"And a good thing, too!" shouted Starswirl.

"But I've never seen magic like that!" protested Twilight.

"It is not unsurprising that at least some of my research was lost over the course of two thousand years," remarked Starswirl.

Twilight looked at Berry worriedly.  She didn't want to let the mare know where she was from just yet.  But Berry didn't seem to react to Starswirl's statement at all.

"I suppose we'll want a place to get some sleep soon too.  There's my bed, but that's mine.  Although, this couch here unfolds."

There was a creaking noise from within the hat.

"Yeah, this will work.  Twilight can sleep on this.  And Berry...  You can sleep on the floor."

"Awwww..."

Twilight sighed.

"Hey," said Berry.  "You're lucky.  You get a nice comfy couch to sleep on.

"It's not that," said Twilight.  "It's just... all this."

" 'All this'?"

"I'm flying on a tiny little island," said Twilight.  "Through space.  With Starswirl the Bearded."

Two thousand years in the past, Twilight added mentally.





"Everypony ruuuuuuuun!"

Rainbow Dash froze.  "Huh?"

"We're under attack!" cried the pegasus mare.  "Ruuuuun!"

Rainbow Dash's entire class suddenly started screaming and flying away in all directions.

Rainbow Dash flew up to the mare who had caused the excitement and grabbed her tail in her mouth before she too could fly away in panic.  As soon as Dash had the mare's attention, she spit the mare's tail out of her mouth.

"What do you mean we're under attack?" she demanded urgently.  "By who?"

"Them!" shouted the mare, pointing.  "They've come to pillage our town!"

Rainbow Dash followed the mare's hoof and saw three griffins zooming through the streets, terrorizing ponies.

"Griffins?!" cried Rainbow in shock.

"Griffins!" repeated the mare, her fears apparently reaffirmed.  "Run!"  She flew away.

"What do Griffins want with stealing from ponies?" shouted Rainbow Dash to nobody.  "And in the middle of the night too!  Why, of all the barbaric-"

Rainbow Dash felt her tail get tugged, stopping her from launching into the air after the griffins.  She turned around to see why.

"What are you doing?" asked the mare from before.

"What does it look like?" cried Rainbow, turning back to the griffins.  "I'm going to show them a piece of my mind!"

"But it's way too dangerous!" protested the mare.  "There are dozens more where they came from!"

"Danger is my middle name!" shouted Rainbow Dash.  

She rocketed out of the mare's grip and shot into the sky.

"Let's see how you like this!" she shouted, better judgment clouded by rage.  She flew to a suitable height and then fell into a dive-bomb.  As she came near the ground, she arced upward to level her flight, traveling at a fraction of sonic speed.

Something suddenly began interfering with her flight.  Somehow, the wind was picking up, throwing her off.  She attempted to compensate for the change.  She shot past the trio of griffins.

"What was that?" asked a griffin.

"I don't know," answered one of his accomplices.  "Some blue pony?"

Rainbow Dash watched as clouds spontaneously inflated into existence in around of her.  "What!"

She slowed down to get a better look.  There were clouds filling the city as far as her eyes could see, but they were holding stationary despite the rapidly increasing wind.  As the clouds continued to grow larger, they began converging and growing darker.

"What's going on?  Cried Rainbow Dash as she resisted the wind.

She decided to ignore the three griffins and began to fly through Cloudsdale in an attempt to discover the cause of the clouds.  She quickly discovered that streets were indeed filled with griffins.  Most of them had stopped their evil deeds to stare at the sky in confusion.

It began to rain.

Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to charge screaming toward another group of griffins, ignoring her drenched coat.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning shot out from a mega-cloud with a tremendous 'CRACK'.

"Look out!" cried a griffin.

More lighting bolts began striking in rapid succession.  It did not escape Rainbow's notice that each bolt appeared to be directly at a griffin, although none actually hit.

"WHAT is going on?" cried Rainbow Dash.  She flew off in a random direction, hoping to stumble upon the cause of the freak thunderstorm.

Suddenly the rumbling of the thunderstorm began to sound different.  Rainbow looked up at it again and decelerated to stare in shock.

The largest cloud had risen higher and taken the form of a monstrous face, which was laughing in deep, low rumbles.

Rainbow looked out into the city again.

There were claw-shaped storm clouds chasing off terrified griffins, lightning shooting out of their tips.

Suddenly, everything made sense to Rainbow Dash.

Her own terrified expression melted away and she shot upward into the sky and flew straight into the monster-cloud's mouth.  The cloud did not seem to react.  She continued flying through the core of the cloud until she noticed an area where the wind was inexplicably absent.

"Aha," she said, landing on a portion of cloud below her.  "I thought I might find you in here."

"Was it that obvious?" asked Discord, not looking toward Rainbow.  He was looking down through the cloud and down at Cloudsdale with a nasty grin.

"Well, sorta, yeah.  Hey, can you do me a favor and get this rain out of my coat?"

"Well, since you asked politely."  Discord clapped his paws together and Rainbow suddenly felt much drier and warmer.

"So, you're still walking around as a rabbit?"

"As a jackalope, yes," answered Discord.  "Even though I'm pretty sure that nopony besides you is going to see me up here, there is no reason to risk being in my usual form while we are here."

"Makes sense.  Hey, Discord."

"Yes, Rainbow Dash?"

"I owe you one."

"Oh, I would still have come even if you weren't here," said Discord dismissively.  "It's not every day I can utilize my talent for terror and chaos for a good cause."

"Well thank you anyway," said Rainbow sincerely.  "I don't think we could have actually stopped them if you weren't around.  It was kinda dumb for me to just fly at them like that."

"Hey, you said it, not me," responded Discord.

"It's a shame that you had to scare everypony else too, though.  And we can't rely on you forever," continued Rainbow Dash.  "The griffins will come back eventually.  It might be soon, and it might be years into the future, but until the griffins unite under the empire, they will keep on raiding ponies."

"I agree," said Discord.  "As fun as this is, I can't be expected to stick around twenty-four hours a day.  There's fun to be had all over Equestria."

"Cloudsdale needs to be able to defend itself," said Rainbow Dash.  "Do you have any ideas?"

"Most of my ideas involve taking care of problems as they happen.  Sorry."

"Oh well.  At least I think I have something."

"Really?  I'm so proud!"

"How many more griffins are left in Cloudsdale?"

"Oh, none," said Discord.  "I just thought I would keep the show going for a little while longer."

"Stop the storm, Discord."





Rainbow Dash flew down from the now clear sky and landed on the streets of Cloudsdale.  Already, there were ponies coming out of their homes now that the danger had apparently passed.

"There she is!" cried a mare.  It was the same mare that had told Rainbow Dash and her class to run from the griffins.  "It's Rainbow Dash!  She's the one who made that giant storm and chased the griffins away!"

"Huh?" said Rainbow Dash.

"She told me that she would give those griffins a piece of her mind, and she did!  I saw her take off into the sky and stir up that storm!"

This is ridiculous! thought Rainbow Dash.  But what am I supposed to do?  I can't tell them that DISCORD was responsible for that!

"Well, yeah..." said Rainbow reluctantly.  "I am kinda... awesome."

There was no cheering.  Instead, everypony around her was regarding her with something resembling reverence.

Reverence that she knew that she didn't deserve.

They're terrified of me, Rainbow realized.  They're afraid that I'll call a thunderstorm on them if they step one hoof out of line!

Well, I suppose at least that will put an end to the stallions who think that they know better than me during class.

"Listen!" said Rainbow, dispite the fact that the crowd around her was already silent.  "I need to talk to somepony around here who can make stuff.  An engineer, or something."

"There's my husband," offered the mare who had accredited the storm to Rainbow Dash.  "His job is to help build the cloud machines."

Rainbow Dash looked at the mare.  She realized that it was the same mare who had failed so spectacularly to dissipate that cloud.

"Sounds perfect."





"Darling!" cried the mare.

"Huh?" asked a stallion, confused.  He stepped away from his coworkers and toward Rainbow and the mare.  "What are you doing here at the cloud factory, sweetie?"

"This is Rainbow Dash," said the mare.  "She says that she has an important job that she needs done.  You should do what she says."

"What?" asked the stallion in confusion.  "The mare that's been training your weather team?"

"Yes!  She just saved the city!"

"She saved the city?!"

"It's a long story," said Rainbow Dash.  "You guys might not have noticed, but a few minutes ago, Cloudsdale was being overrun by griffins."

"We noticed," said the stallion.  "We just figured that it would be safest to stay right here."

"Right," said Rainbow Dash.  "Well, I don't want that to happen again.  I need you guys to help me make something to make sure it won't happen again."

"You should really do what she says," whispered the mare conspiratorially.

"Um, sure?" said the stallion.  "What do you need?"

"We're going to build a device to keep the griffins away," said Rainbow Dash.  "And we're going to build lots of them."

"And do you have a blueprint for this device?" asked the stallion.  Rainbow Dash gave him a blank look.  "No dimensions?  No measurements?  Not even an illustration?"

"No."

"Well, I guess we'll have to make one then."

He indicated for Rainbow to follow him.

"I'm suppose I need to go now," said the mare.  

The stallion stopped and walked back to his wife.

"Remember, do whatever she says," the mare said.

"But what-"

"Trust me.  You really want to do whatever she says."

"... Okay."

"I'll see you tonight, darling!"

Rainbow Dash turned away from them and started humming awkwardly, as she was not keen to watch two ponies kiss.

"Are you coming?" asked the stallion, walking past Rainbow.

"Yeah!" said Rainbow Dash, moving behind the stallion.  "Yeah."

He walked her over to a table.  There was a quill sitting in ink on it.  "Hold on for just a second."

He moved over to a wide box and opened it up, pulling out a giant sheet of paper.  He set it down on the table.  He then pulled the quill out in his mouth."

"Awwite," said the Stallion.  "Sho what's vis 'device' we're makin'?"

"How do you ponies survive without pencils?" wondered Rainbow Dash aloud.  The stallion gave her a confused look.

"Never mind.  So, we're going to make... an air cannon, I would call it.  They shoot out a burst of wind so strong that they can knock a pony out of the air, or a griffin, presumably.  Where I come from, they're used to stop pegasus troublemakers, but in our case, we should be able to use them to stun griffins."

"Alright," said the Stallion.  "So I suppose we need a long tube to start off with?"

"Yep."

"About how wide vould you shay the tube should be?"

"Um, I suppose... a meter?"

"A meter?" asked the stallion in surprise.

"Yeah, bigger if you can manage it.  The bigger, the better.  Also, at the base of the cannon, there is this diaphragm thing.  It's made out of... stretchy stuff.  And then we have a handle attached to the diaphragm, but also spring loaded onto the front of the tube.  So when a pony pulls back on that handle, the tube sucks in air.  And then when they let go, it lets all that air back out with the force of a catapult."

The stallion sketched onto the sheet.  After he was done, he looked at Rainbow, clearly expecting her to voice an opinion.

"Yeah, that looks about right.  Also, this thing is two pony job, since it's so big.  One pony needs to aim it and hold it steady while the other pulls the handle.  You want to have the cannon be able to spin around as well as aim up and down.  And put wheels on it too."

"Awite, said the stallion.  Tha' should be quite doable still.  We can work out optimal tube length and such ourselves."

"Yeah, it's not actually terribly complicated," said Rainbow.  "It just needs to be big."

"Is that it?" asked another voice.  Rainbow turned around and saw that the rest of the engineers had snuck up behind them while Rainbow had been talking."

"Yeah, I guess that's it," said Rainbow.  "So you guys need to get started making these things right away.  Got it?"

The engineers looked at each other.

"Yes," said the first engineer definitively.  "We will get started immediately.  Right, everyone?"

The others muttered in agreement.





"You know, I thought this would be more exciting," said Berry.

"Berry, excitement is the last thing that we need right now," said Starswirl, who was now standing on the platform again.  He was looking down over the edge alongside Berry, watching the lunar ground approach.

"I thought we were going to crash land," said Berry.

"It's easy enough to make a gradual approach with a varying strength partial reverse gravity spell," said Twilight.  "But I need to concentrate, or I might slip up."

The platform approached the ground silently.  Twilight approached the edge of the platform and stood alongside Starswirl.

"Here's something you don't see every day," she declared.

"Indeed," agreed Starswirl.  He looked up.  "And that too is a sight not seen every day.  It makes one see Equestria's beauty in a rather different light."

Twilight didn't follow his gaze.  She had to concentrate, as they were moments away from landing.  She could look in a moment.

The platform tremored as its underside touched the moon.

Twilight looked at Starswirl, feeling overwhelmed.  He returned the expression.

Berry rushed off of the platform and set foot in the dust.

"First!"

Twilight looked at her incredulously.

" 'First' ?" asked Starswirl.  "What do you mean?"

"First to get off!"

"Who cares?" said Starswirl.  He stepped off of the platform.

Twilight followed after him.

"Twilight..." said Starswirl.

"Yes?"

"It would appear as though my air bubble is... unnecessary.

"Unnecessary?" asked Twilight.

"It would appear as though there is a thin layer of breathable air on the moon," declared Starswirl.  The blue bubble disappeared.

Twilight felt her heart skip a beat, but Starswirl was telling the truth.  The air failed to rush outward into a vacuum.

"But how could that be?"

"I don't see why it shouldn't be," said Starswirl.  "After all, it doesn't have anywhere to go."

"Maybe..."

"So, should we try to walk a few miles now, or should we save the walking for tomorrow?" asked Starswirl.

Twilight realized that she was exhausted.  Unfortunately, she was far to anxious to expect a good night's sleep.

"I think we should get a rest before we go anywhere," said Twilight.

"Alright then," said Starswirl as he took off his hat.

"Don't I get to voice my opinion?" asked Berry.

Starswirl groaned.  "Berry, what do you want to do?"

"I'd like to get some sleep."

"Thank you.  Alright, you first Twilight?"

"I'm just... supposed to climb inside... your hat?" asked Twilight uncertainly.

"It's not as awkward as it looks," said Starswirl.  "Go on."

Twilight shook her head and stuck her face into the hat, feeling silly.  She gasped as she saw the inside of the hat.

Her head parted a blue fabric and emerged in a corner of a large room.  The floor, ceiling, and walls all appeared to be made out of the same blue fabric as the hat's exterior.  Curiosity pressing her forward more than anything else, Twilight pulled a hoof inside the hat and put it onto the floor.  It was soft, yet rigid, despite it's appearance.

Twilight examined the room as she pulled the rest of her limbs through.  There were at least as many bookshelves in this room as there had been inside Starswirl's study in his tower.  There was a table, but it was shoved to the side to make room for the sofa that had been unfolded into a sort of bed.  There were a couple of books on the floor.  Twilight began to feel an itch to immediately pick them up and find them a propper place, but she resisted the urge to mess with Starswirl's property.

There were several magic lamps floating here, similar to Starswirl's study.  Twilight also spotted a hatch in the ceiling.  She wondered what Starswirl might keep in an attic.  Old experiments and lab equipment, perhaps?  Perhaps not.  The famed unicorn had not been what she was expecting, and she suspected that she had her expectations of Starswirl were tinged with her own ideals.

Twilight pulled her last leg through and began to walk around the room.  There was a chess set on the far side, with the pieces positioned as though Starswirl had left it in mid-game.  Next to it was what looked like a map of Equestria.  It was covered by a grid, but it didn't look quite accurate to Twilight.  There was also a large chalk board.  Twilight wondered why Starswirl's study in his tower didn't have one like this.  How much time does he spend in here, anyway? Twilight thought.

There was also another table with three seats around it on the far end of the room.  Much of the wall behind it was occupied by a set of double doors that was slightly off the floor.  Considering how that section of the room appeared to be a dining area, these doors presumably led to the pantry.

There were also two archways into other rooms, allowing Twilight to see what was behind.

The first led to a simple bathroom.

Why doesn't it have a door?! thought Twilight.  But then she realized the answer.

It doesn't have a door because doors used to lead to everywhere in Equestria and having one would have led to problems.  Or possibly because Starswirl doesn't expect to have company in here.  Actually, that isn't likely.  The table has seating for three.

She decided to not ask about the technicalities of how the bathroom functioned.

The other archway led to a small, unlit room, but Twilight was able to see what was inside from the light that bled through from the main room.  It had a cushy looking blue bed with an end table next to it.  There was a thick tome lying face down on the bed.  This was clearly Starswirl's bedroom.

Twilight could see a strange light on the ceiling of the room.  She approached the door until she was close enough to see what it was.

Twilight gasped in surprise.  The ceiling directly over the bed was enchanted to show the sky outside.  If it wasn't an illusion spell, then Twilight wasn't sure how Starswirl had achieved this.  It was, however, a clever way to ensure that Starswirl got up the moment it became morning.  He would get a face-full of sunlight every morning.  It wouldn't work in the present location, unfortunately.  The sun would be visible in the sky constantly until they were back in Equestria.

"So," said Starswirl.  Twilight turned around to face him.  "What do you think?"

"This is probably currently one of the most lucrative places in Equestria," said Twilight.  "But couldn't you put a door into the bathroom?..."

Starswirl froze and blushed.  "We can fix that!" he spat out.  "I can hang a sheet over the door!"

"I guess that will have to do."





Twilight felt herself fly awake.  Judging by how tired she felt, she couldn't have been asleep for very long.  Great she thought.  It look long enough to get to sleep the FIRST time.

She was about to try to go back to sleep when she heard a jingling sound.

Twilight cracked her eyes open and looked toward the sound.  Berry was standing in front of the pantry.

Twilight turned her body around under the sheets that Starswirl had given to her so that she was facing Berry, but kept her eyes open by only a crack.  She didn't want Berry to realize that she had woken her up.

Twilight saw what was making the jingling sound.  Berry was magically fiddling with an oversized lock on the pantry door.  It hadn't been there when she had went to sleep.

Twilight watched Berry for a moment and listened to hear groans of frustration.  Then, she saw motion in the corner of her eye.

Apparently Twilight wasn't the only one who had been awoken by the commotion.  Starswirl was standing silently in the archway into his room.  He was wearing a nightgown that made the old stallion look so goofy that Twilight had to suppress an urge to laugh.

He approached Berry.  She didn't hear him.

"Looking for this?" he asked her, causing her to jump.  She turned around to face him as he held up a thick iron key.

Berry didn't say a word.

"The last time I let you in this place, a huge portion of my stock mysteriously went missing."

"I just want a midnight snack!" protested Berry.  "Is that so wrong?"

"Lower your voice," said Starswirl.  "You might wake Twilight as well!  Also, you just had something before we went to bed!"

"I know!  But I'm still hungry!  I gotta have something!"

"I told you, Berry.  I don't have any wine in here."

"I know," insisted Berry.  "But, I have to cope somehow!"

Berry sighed.  "Look at me, I can't even unlock this thing.  My magic is pathetic right now.  I'm a freak of nature!"

Starswirl didn't answer at first.  Eventually, he said "I'll open it up for you, and you can take what you want.  But just once.  We need to get some sleep!"

"Alright.  Deal."

Neither pony spoke any further.  Eventually both returned to their beds.

At least the floor isn't actually uncomfortable, thought Twilight as she watched Berry climb under her sheets.
> The Secret
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rainbow awoke early in the morning.  She stretched on the random cloud she had chosen for the night, and then stopped to lament the fact that she didn't have her toothbrush.  Or even a brush.  She tossed her hair in a practiced motion and combed through it with her hooves as best as she could.

Yesterday one of her students (Rainbow Dash was still getting used to having 'students') had invited her to breakfast, and she had accepted.  Since her usual morning routine was going to be cut short, the next step for the day would be to make an appearance.

She flew to the location that she had been told to be at.  It was a recreational park.  Something seemed to be off about the ponies currently occupying it though.

Why is those two hiding behind that cloud hedge? she wondered to herself.

"Hey, Rainbow!"

Rainbow suddenly saw red.

SPLASH

"YEARGH!"  Rainbow cried, trying to keep from cringing at the sensation of cold water running through her coat.

"Are you crazy?!" cried one of the ponies behind the cloud hedge.  "Do you know what she could do to you?"

"What in the-" shouted Rainbow Dash.  "Wait.  What?  Water balloons?" she swooped down and landed next to the two ponies.  "Where did you guys even get these?"

"Somepony brought box loads of them here," said the stallion who had thrown the water balloon at Rainbow.  He indicated a large box next to him that was filled with water balloons.

"Who?" asked Rainbow, confused.

"Um, I don't know," admitted the pony.  "But, we figured, may as well have some fun, right?  You want to help us pelt those guys behind the fountain?"

"Um, maybe in a minute.  I'll be right back."

"Be careful not to get hit!" shouted the pony as Rainbow took off into the air.

"Alright, where are you?" Rainbow asked into the air.

A water balloon exploded on the back of her head.

She turned around and rocketed toward the location it had come from.

She found herself flying into an alley.

"There you are!" she shouted.

Another water balloon exploded in her face.

"Dis- argh, Angel!" she shouted.

"It seemed like a shame to waste it," said the jackalope.

"What do you mean 'waste it'?" demanded Rainbow.  "You can make these things from nothing!"

"Oh, well, you know," responded Discord with a sly grin.

"What did you even do this for?" asked Rainbow Dash.  "Just because?"

"Well, as fun as this is, no.  I do actually have a valid reason for distracting everypony so I can have a word with you."

"You do?" asked Rainbow in surprise.

"Oh, do I ever," answered Discord.  "I discovered a little something.  I tried tracing Twilight's magical signature last night.  I couldn't find it."

"What does that mean?" asked Rainbow.  "I thought you could track down anyone's magic."

"I can," said Discord.  "Which means that Twilight is no longer in Equestria."

"What?" asked Rainbow, surprised.  "She left Equestria?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"What do you mean?

"Don't you see what this means?"

"No?"

"It's so obvious!"

"It is?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Discord.  The only reason Twilight wouldn't be in Equestria would be because she fixed the time machine!"

"Huh?" asked Rainbow.

"I bet you I know exactly what happened," continued Discord.  "She went to ask Starswirl the Bearded for help and he said to her, "I have a solution!"  And then Twilight got to realize how much she and Mr. Magic have in common and they suddenly started getting sweet on one another!  And then-"

"Whoa, hang-"

"And then," continued Discord, ignoring Rainbow Dash, she and Starswirl decided to take the time machine and have some time all to themselves and they forgot all about us!"

"That might be the dumbest thing I have ever heard you say!" cried Rainbow Dash.  "First of all, Starswirl is way older than Twilight is."

"That doesn't stop some ponies," Discord argued.

"Second of all," continued Rainbow Dash, "Even if Twlight did fall for him, which is by the way super unlikely, they wouldn't just take off without us.  I know Twilight better than that!"

"Well, what do you think happened?" asked Discord.

"I don't think that anything happened," answered Rainbow Dash.  "I bet you that if you go find Star Swirl's place, you'll find Twilight, Starswirl, and the time machine are all just fine."

"And the fact that I can't sense Twilight's magic?" Discord pointed out.

"Maybe it's being overpowered by whatever magical power source Starswirl whipped up for the time machine?" suggested Rainbow.

"I doubt that."

"Don't you know where Starswirl's tower is?" asked Rainbow.

"No.  I can find it though, although it might take some time."

"Well, then go check there first.  If you find that something is wrong, I'll help you look for Twilight as much as I can.  But I can't leave Cloudsdale right now."

"Very well then," said Discord.  "But if Twilight isn't there, don't say I didn't tell you so."





"Twilight!" shouted Starswirl.

"Yeagh!" cried Twilight, awakening in an instant.

"What's wrong?" asked Twilight.

"Berry is missing," said Starswirl sternly.

"What??" cried Twilight.

"She left," said Starswirl.  "I took a peek outside.  You can see her hoof prints leading away."

"But why would she leave?" asked Twilight.

"I don't know," said Starswirl.  "Maybe it's because she's unpredictable.  Maybe it's because she got mad at me.  Maybe she's just crazy.  I would believe it.  It doesn't matter, we have to go find her."

"Well, we are on the moon," said Twilight.  "How much trouble can she get into?  And she can't go anywhere without leaving hoof prints."

"Yes," agreed Starswirl.  "And the sooner we go after her, the sooner we can focus on getting back to Equestria."

Starswirl moved over toward the corner wall and threw back the fabric covering the door out.  Twilight stepped through.

After Twilight pulled all of her legs through, she stood back and looked at the hat.  It was definitely smaller than she was.  She watched Starswirl emerge.

"As you can see," indicated Starswirl, "She actually set out in the correct direction.  I don't know what she hopes to achieve though.  She knows that she is not capable of returning on her own."  He seized his hat in his magic and placed it back on his head.

"Let's go," said Twilight, and she began to follow the tracks at a slow gallop.

Twilight turned back to make sure that she wasn't going too fast for the elder stallion.  She wasn't.  In fact, he was having no difficulty with keeping up with her at all.

"How do you do it?" asked Twilight as they ran.

"Do what?" asked Starswirl.

"Stay in such great shape!" said Twilight.  "You must be at least a hundred years old.  You said so yourself that you've known for at least a century!"

"Why do you care?  You don't have to worry about it.  You're an alicorn!"

"But I'm curious!"

"Alright then, first, reach one hundred years old."

Twilight gave him a confused look.

"And then, be very careful."

"It doesn't seem like we are being very careful lately," pointed out Twilight.

"Having Berry for an apprentice has probabily taken a decade or two off of my life," agreed Starswirl.  "Do you think we can have this conversation later?  As 'good a shape' I am in, I would still prefer to save my breath."

"Do you feel something?" asked Twilight.

"...  No."

"Stop," said Twilight, coming to a halt.

Starswirl slowed to a trot and looked back to Twilight.  "Stop?"

"I feel a breeze!"	

"There shouldn't be any wind," said Star Swirl, stopping completely to confirm Twilight's statement.  "We're on the moon."

"There shouldn't be any air either," Twilight pointed out.

"Well, listen to your senses.  It's here."

"But if there is a breeze, then that must mean that something is blowing it, right?  After all, the winds of Equestria are directed by pegasus magic, but there are no pegasi on the moon."

"There is an Alicorn on the moon though, as it happens," said Starswirl.  "Are you sure this isn't your fault!"

"No!  Of course not!  ...  I don't think so..."

"Actually, you're right," said Starswirl.  "The breeze is blowing past us.  Where is it coming from?"

"That's what I've been saying!" said Twilight.

"It's getting stronger too," said Starswirl.  "It's... coming from where Berry ran toward."

"Wind doesn't blow by itself," repeated Twilight.

Starswirl began galloping off again.  Twilight chased after him.





Discord was currently confused.

Ordinarily, in the event that he couldn't understand something, his policy was to ignore it.  But this situation was too important to ignore.

Rainbow Dash had partly been right.  The time machine was still at Starswirls tower.  It was parked just outside the door.  But neither Twilight or Starswirl were anywhere to be found.

After searching throughout the tower and around it, he had only stumbled across two possible clues as to what might have happened.  Both clues, however, were utterly baffling.  There was a large slab of earth that appeared to be missing a short distance away from the tower.  And the hole appeared to be quite fresh.

The second possible clue was a busted bottle on the ground near the hole.  It was unlabeled, but it smelled like wine.  Of course, Discord knew that Twilight didn't drink, but the bottle might have something to do with her disappearance regardless.

Eventually, he decided that he should at least find a safer spot for the time machine.





"What is this? asked Starswirl in astonishment.  "If I know just one thing, it is that that is not natural."

Twilight silently stared in shock.  Berry's trail had led them to pole with a device of some sort at the top.  There was a large wire that led out of it and into the ground.

"Berry couldn't possibly be responsible for this!" cried Starswirl.  He approached the device.

"This line leads into a massive hole in the ground!  But what purpose does it serve?"

"Starswirl, look" whispered Twilight.

He looked over at her.  "A sign?  What's it say?"

"Look!"

Starswirl moved toward Twilight so that he wasn't seeing the wooden sign at a ninety degree angle.  He froze.

The sign had a colored illustration of Discord's upper half with his paw and claw outstretched.  There was jagged text below that read 'Have a chaos day!'

Twilight wordlessly moved behind the sign.  This opposite side was nearly identical.

Well, Twilight thought.  The next time I see Discord, he's going to have some explaining to do.

Eventually, Twilight spoke.  "I think I know what this thing is."

"If it has anything to do with him," said Starswirl uneasily, "I don't want anything to do with it!  I can't sense any chaos magic at work, but I still don't trust this one bit!  But," he continued, sounding defeated, "Berry's hoof prints clearly lead here!  What is it?"

"It's... um...

"I think this is a zip line."

"A what now?" asked Starswirl.

"It's a device for transportation," explained Twilight.  "Do you see this handle?  You're supposed to hold on to it with your hooves and gravity will take you where you want to go."

"Made by that fiend?"

"...That would appear to be the case."

"What do we do?" demanded Starswirl in despair.  "Berry obviously used the accursed thing!  What could have possessed her to do such a thing?  Any normal pony would have run far far away from this thing!  This may as well be a boat to tartarus!"

"All the same, shouldn't we follow Berry?" offered Twilight.

"This is obviously a trap.  There must be another way!"

"This isn't a trap," said Twilght.  "Think about it.  Ponies don't exist on the moon.  Or, at least, not usually.  The only creature that this thing is intended for is Discord himself!"

"That does not mean that it is safe!" insisted Starswirl.

"I know, but if there is something dangerous down there, we need to reach Berry as soon as possible!"

"Yes, yes!" agreed Starswirl reluctantly.  "Very well then, if we must, we must.  How do we operate the zip line?"

"Well..."  Twilight hesitated.

"Well what?" asked Starswirl.  "Time is wasting!"

"These thing's are supposed to transport one pony at a time.  And there is only one handle here."

"Then we cannot both go down together?" asked Starswirl.

"I think we can.  If you grab on first... and then I get behind you and grab the outer portion of the handle..."

"That's what we're doing then!" said Starswirl urgently.  "Hurry!"





Riding the zipline into the pitch black darkness was not the most terrifying thing Twilight had ever done.





Twilight felt herself coming to a stop at once.  The moment she actually did so, she released the handle and fell into the dirt.

A moment later, she felt Starswirl's body fall on top of her own.

There was a rattling noise and Twilight looked up and saw that the handle was somehow being drawn back up the line, leaving no apparent way to return the way they had come.

"I thought it would never end," groaned Twilight.  "I am never doing that again.  If I can help it.  Any idea why we were facing backwards by the end of it?"

"No," answered Starswirl quickly.  "Twilight," he continued.

"Huh?"

"I do believe I have lost my mind."

"You too?"

"It would appear as though we are in Equestria."

"In the forest?"

"Yeah."

"I guess we're both having the same hallucinations then."

Neither pony spoke for a moment.

"No.  Wait a minute," said Starswirl.  Twilight felt his weight lift off of her body.

"No, we're not insane," declared Starswirl.  "I don't think, anyway.  There must have been some chaos magic at work in that tunnel.  That must be it!"

"Chaos magic?" asked Twilight.

"Of course," said Starswirl.  "Discord must have used his magic to create a portal between Equestria and the moon!  And nopony had any idea!"

"But where are we?" asked Twilight.

"How should I know?" asked Starswirl.  "The important thing is that, by sheer dumb luck, we're back!  I just can't decide whether it was worth the trip, or if we should have stuck with the original plan."

"Wait," said Twilight, now looking up.

"What?"

"Something's wrong."

Starswirl looked up.

"I don't see anything wrong."

"Look at the sky."

Starswirl tried.

"I'm sorry, Twilight, I can't see it through this canopy."

"Something's wrong," repeated Twilight.  "Wait here for a moment."

Twilight took off into the air and fought through the branches of the trees until she had risen above them.

She stopped to gape at the view.

The sky was non-existent.  The forest around her continued going up and over her head in an enormous arc in all directions, converging at a point way over her head.  Any two points that were opposite from eachother were miles apart.

And green.  Green everywhere, no matter which way she looked.

It was as though she was viewing the inside of a tremendous ball from the inside.  And, in a very literal sense, she in fact was.

If she had a good telescope, she could probably see a pony on the opposite side of the vast expanse wave to her.

But only if that pony was not exactly opposite of her.  Because there would a giant ball of light in the way.

And also the giant stone shell that enveloped the light.  It had a large section sliced away, revealing the glowing orb within to the world below.

We're not on Equestria, Twilight realized.  We never even left the moon.

Twilight felt faint.

Is it possible that Luna DOESN'T know about this?