As a teenage pony, you travel back and forth in time in order to save Equestria from a devastating future, while also learning how to accept the magic of friendship and leave behind a painful past.
As a teenage pony, travel you back and forth in time in order to save Equestria from a devastating future, while also learning how to accept the magic of friendship and leave behind a painful past.
2nd POV story in which your OC is the main character. Each chapter will have three alternatives based on your OC's pony race. References to the OC will be gender neutral in writing.
The story takes place in the same universe as "Apostle", though little to no spoilers will be present.
The school's western courtyard was quite active during the usual hours of the day. Though not as popular as the other areas of the building, the courtyard was often occupied by students seeking a place to study in solace, somepony wanting to eat their lunch away from the crowded mess hall, or a class performing a special lesson or experiment.
Today, though, way after school was over, you are the courtyard's only inhabitant.
You sit on your belly on a stone bench, reading the latest book assigned by your literature teacher. You have already finished your math and science work for today, and with nothing really waiting for you at home, it just seemed proper to enjoy the peaceful ambiance surrounding you for as long as possible.
The novel itself, a simple story centered around betrayal, war, love, and hope in a medieval setting, is nothing too intriguing for you, despite your admiration for the few good books you have encountered. The book in front of you is not so terrible on its own merits, but with how long this school year has been, you are just simply tired of teachers dumping homework and assignments all over you.
Luckily, you're a senior. In fact, just a few weeks from now you'll never have to return back here at all. All the mess with teachers, students, and general difficulties will soon be swept under the rug. As your literature teacher once said to a classroom full of distracted, disinterested adolescents with no experience in the adult world:
"The world will be yours for the taking! So cheer up!"
Something wet and cold hits the side of your head as you were finishing up the thirteenth chapter of the story. The foreign projectile catches you by surprise, knocking you down face-first onto the cobblestone ground while your hindlegs poke out into the air. Your hoof reaches your targeted cheek to feel the sense of the offending object, and once your eyes are trained on it, you discover the culprit to be a scoop of orange ice cream.
"Like the treat, Meep?"
You look up to stare at the source of the feminine voice, and once you do your heart cringes at the sight in front of you.
Celestia, no.
A pair of ponies, one a dark blue earth pony colt and the other an orange pegasus filly, that you were familiar with, now raised the population of the courtyard by three residents when all you wanted was for it to stay limited to one. Sadly, these newcomers show no effort in being peaceful neighbors, as their devilish smirks portrayed anything other than a warm welcome.
"Sunny was asking you a question, Meep," says the colt, smiling at his companion. The filly herself was carrying an ice cream cone in one hoof, no doubt the source of your injury. "I swear, some ponies are just ungrateful."
With a glow of your horn, you swipe away the ice cream from your face and levitate it above a nearby flower bed before letting it go. You scowl at the duo still present -- both of them continuing to pester you with their smug expressions. You were hoping that most students would be gone from the school, but apparently, that isn't the case for today.
"You know what I don't understand, Bran?" Sunny asks. "Why is Meep even here after all that's been going on? It's been weeks since the festival, and they still don't get the point of how this school isn't actually welcoming to klutzes."
You get up off the ground and dust yourself off. "My name isn't Meep."
Bran laughs loudly. "Well, guess what? It's what we're calling ya. In fact, it's all that everypony's been calling you, so it doesn't change squat if we quit at it, you dolt."
"It would still be nice if you could call me by my real name."
Without warning, Sunny floats over to the stone bench where you are and retrieves your book with her right wing. "What's this little story you're reading?" she teases.
"That doesn't belong to you!" you shout in frustration and nervousness, knowing just how bad these two are. As the pegasus runs through the novel's pages with little attention, you summon your magic to pull back your property into your possession. Sunny put up some resistance, tugging around the hard cover with both wings and even her teeth, but eventually you win and float the book into your nearby saddlebags.
No. Not today. Definitely not today. I can't deal with this.
You levitate your saddlebags and place them over your back. You search for a way out of the courtyard and find an exit door within a corridor on your left. You sprint away from the two bullies behind you in a race toward the corridor, when Sunny suddenly appears in front of you, blocking the way out. As much as you know it not healthy to do, you summon enough magic to perform a teleportation spell.
Before you know it, you find yourself crashing into the exit door, which leads to you tumbling down a flight of stairs until you pause midway. As you pull yourself up, a ringing buzz vibrates through your ears, and your sight itself is all fuzzy like misted glass. Though the teleportation spell harmed your vision, you are adamant that you have done your part in exiting the school, as evident by the familiar buildings of Canterlot in the distance that you've seen before.
You scramble to your hooves as quickly as you can and hurry down the rest of the stairs. You turn left and run down a cobblestone sidewalk, trying your best not to bump into any fellow Canterlot residents. All you had to do was find a place to lay low until you were certain that Sunny and Bran were no longer interested in bothering you. Perhaps an alleyway or a random shop to be a pretend customer would suffice until they got bored of searching.
Before you could make up your mind, you feel a heavy weight slam into your backside before you even get around the corner of the sidewalk. With nearly a quarter of your breath taken away, you remain helpless as a familiar orange figure takes advantage of your stunned state to lift you up and pin you against the wall of an unknown establishment.
"You're not going anywhere, Meep!" Sunny taunts. "We're still having fun!"
Just behind her, an exhausted Bran comes running down the sidewalk. A sidewalk that, sadly, did not have many other ponies anymore as before. "You got them?"
Sunny smiles menacingly at you. "Yep. Got 'em right here."
You squirm and thrash against the filly's grasp as best as you can, only to be met with little success. You even seek some sort of salvation from your horn, but the magic within you has been used up so much from before that you can't even get out a faint glow from the tip. Your troubles worsen when Bran catches up to Sunny's side, and soon you find yourself being stared down by these two gleeful fiends.
Why is it always like this? Why can't ponies leave me alone? I'm not trying to make anyone's life worse. Can't these blockheads get that?
"So, what you want to do with them?" Bran asks his friend. Without warning, the blue colt grabs a tug of your mane, wretches your neck forwards, and then slams the back of your head into the wall. "There's nopony around to help this slowpoke, but somepony could come around soon if we're not fast enough."
"Hmm..." Sunny mused over the question, all the while continuing to stare down at you. The slam you received from Bran made your head throb and buzz, and with no way of caressing the injured spot, you were left to just deal with the pain. Matters were made much worse when Bran randomly bucks you in the torso, causing you to gasp in pain as you fall to the ground.
Sunny looks to her friend, rather annoyed. "Dude, I haven't made up my mind."
Bran shrugged. "You took too long, so I got bored. If you haven't made up your mind, we can just rough them up for a good while."
The orange pegasus steps over you, ignoring the display of distress you're in as you clutch to your stomach with your forelegs. She walks for a few seconds down the sidewalk until she comes across an alleyway just near the corner. Another cruel smirk springs from her lips as she stares into the dark space.
"This alley right here seems real nice. Grab 'em."
"Now that's just what we need!" Bran chuckles. The blue earth pony suddenly looms over you like a menacing shadow. "It's too bad a loser like you doesn't have friends anymore. Some company would be really useful right now, I bet. But you just had to ruin things for everypony."
Bran bites into your mane and drags you against the sidewalk's friction, walking backward as he follows Sunny into the alleyway. Any resistance you may have had previously was wiped aside by the kick that you received, and thus you are left completely at the mercy of these two thugs that you've had to deal with for several years. It wasn't until recently that their antics against you have grown worse -- and you know completely why that is.
For over a month you've had to deal with all forms of harassment and mistreatment from many ponies in your school -- including not only students but even negligent, ill-mannered teachers who should know better. From behind-your-back-but-within-earshot gossip and outright name-calling, to spitballs, tripping, and shoved into walls, nearly half of the high school had shown either their disdain or lack of respect for you.
And all because of one stupid mistake that you never saw coming -- and would have avoided if you knew that you were heading toward it.
"After we're done with you," Sunny says, "you'll probably learn your lesson and never show up---"
A flash. A purple flash. Take all it took to silence the orange filly before she went on to boast.
The flash catches the attention of all three of you. Whatever it was, it was emitting itself far away into the city, but still close enough to cause you to put your hoof up against your eyes. The powerful source of energy pulsates like a strobe light, growing bigger and bigger as it expands into the sky. The three of you are left in awe at the sight, with even Bran letting go of your mane to gawk.
"W-what in T-tartarus is that?" he asks, his bravado from before suddenly diminished into a whimper.
Before another word could be said, a cloud of dust and air erupted near the purple light source, followed by a horrific boom that rattled through the ground and through everypony's bones like a winter's frostbite --- causing the trio to stand straight up as if by instinct. In just a few seconds, the dust cloud shoots through the entire neighborhood, the rushing wind knocking you and the others back down to the ground as quickly as you got up from it.
All around you are the sounds of glass shattering, ponies screaming incoherently, and the relentless roar of the wind. For a moment, as you lay crouched on the ground and eyes closed in a pathetic manner, you swear that you hear the groans of buildings collapsing from afar. The chaos happening is beyond startling. Beyond breathtaking. You refuse to open your eyes to witness the sight, that is until you hear Sunny speak.
"Oh, crap! Not another one!"
That comment is the push you need to gain the courage to pull up your eyelids. Dust fills the afternoon air, causing the atmosphere to adopt a hazy yellow appearance, resembling the air-polluted cities outside of Equestria that you've learned about. Buildings of all shapes and sizes are left in damaged conditions, from broken windows and missing doors to large holes caused by objects thrown through by the explosion. Luckily, the building behind you had few windows, meaning that none of the falling glass had a chance of striking you.
But the eery, dead sky and harmed dwellings are the least of your worries. Through the dust, another purple flash, though dimmer, had sprung up in the city, this time to the east of where the first flash was emitted. More unfortunate is that this flash is much closer to you than the previous one -- perhaps by six or seven blocks. As soon as your eyes caught sight of the event, ponies run frantically through the streets to get away from the current and impending mayhems.
With no care for her friend, Sunny shakes off the dust on her coat and mane and took off to the sky, the yellow clouds obscuring any further sightings of the pegasus. Any concern or feelings of betrayal that Bran has are unknown to you, as the frightened earth pony takes off around the corner of the sidewalk and disappears as well. Taking the hint, you yourself get up and turn back toward the alley that was meant to be your doom.
The shadows of the alleyway did little to block out the purple light that spilled in, but you have hope that somehow the cramped space would give you protection from the upcoming blast. And the certainty of your guess is just about to be answered
The ground underneath shook harder than ever before with the strength of an earthquake. Before your brain could have any grasp of what was occurring, your body is launched off its hooves and sent crashing into a nearby duo of trash cans. A rush of dust from the explosion managed to find its way into the narrow opening of the alleyway and invades the entire cramped space that you occupy. The back of your body is coated in specks of grey and yellow like a rooftop covered in snow.
You groan as your weak limbs pull you up away from metal cans and garbage bags that did little to cushion your flight. Getting to your hooves amidst the dust-filled environment, you do everything you can to keep your body afloat -- along with your mental state -- but you find that hard to do. Your legs wobble underneath you and your heart is pumping adrenaline like a racehorse, all while your ears are ringing from the explosion and your lungs choke up every once and a while.
But despite your dazed state, you can spot an opening out of the alleyway ahead. Through sheer will, you brave through your shock and take the first steps needed to reach your destination. You have no idea where you are going to go from here. The thought of returning back to the school entered, but you did not know how damaged it could have been from the second explosion. The next choice would be home, but you have no idea if they'll be any more explosions, even though the house was in the opposite direction of the chaos. You made up your mind that if home was unsafe, that you'll have to leave Canterlot.
"If you weren't such a screw-up before, you certainly are now, you ass."
You're just a step away from leaving the alley when you stop and place a hoof over your chest, as an unbearable pain spreads throughout your body. Your blood vessels feel as though they've been filled with piercing minuscule icicles, your bones are victims to a relentless pounding sensation as if a hammer was going to work on them, and your heart is weighed down as if gravel was pouring down its chambers.
But in a surprising way, the physical trauma you're undergoing is not what daunts you the most. It's the nightmare occurring within your psyche burning like cruel wildfire. Inside of your head are whispers you've heard time and time again --- whispers that weaken your spirit and waste away at your confidence. Or any you had left.
There are so many whispers in your head, and nothing you do can get them out.
"Geez. If this is how you plan events, no wonder nopony would screw themselves over by being friends with you."
"What the hell is wrong with you, you weirdo? Get out of here and go live with the mole rats! In a burrow!"
"Really? You decided to come here. Wow. You're pretty bold. Or dense."
"Well, it's no surprise why you and your parents have a crappy relationship. I'd be ashamed too if my child was a damn loser!"
"It wasn't my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault..."
Tears run down your face and your murmurs turn to choking sobs as you lay down on the ground -- clutching onto your sides with your forelegs again. Your eyes are shut so tight, and you yourself are so lost in your pain, that you don't pick up on the sight around you at first.
Out of thin air, crackles of purple electricity dance all around you and strike at random places in the alleyway, burning most of what they touch to ash. That electricity soon turns into a bubble that surrounds you and expands outward. Eventually, you open your moist eyes when you feel yourself lifted off the ground, and you find that your body is floating up into the air --- with the bubble acting as your transportation.
You're halfway between the building when it hits you. The pain you felt before is now amplified by up to five times that of what you've experienced so far. You let out a piercing scream as the electricity strikes you over and over again with purple lightning bolts. The voices in your head repeat themselves with a much louder volume and intensity. You stretch out your appendages as you're desperate to seek out some form of relief.
No. This is not your destiny.
And within a white flash of light, you disappear from the alleyway.
The school's western courtyard was quite active during the usual hours of the day. Though not as popular as the other areas of the building, the courtyard was often occupied by students seeking a place to study in solace, somepony wanting to eat their lunch away from the crowded mess hall, or a class performing a special lesson or experiment.
Today, though, way after school was over, you are the courtyard's only inhabitant.
You sit on your belly on a stone bench, reading the latest book assigned by your literature teacher. You have already finished your math and science work for today, and with nothing really waiting for you at home, it just seemed proper to enjoy the peaceful ambiance surrounding you for as long as possible.
The novel itself, a simple story centered around betrayal, war, love, and hope in a medieval setting, is nothing too intriguing for you, despite your admiration for the few good books you have encountered. The book in front of you is not so terrible on its own merits, but with how long this school year has been, you are just simply tired of teachers dumping homework and assignments all over you.
Luckily, you're a senior. In fact, just a few weeks from now you'll never have to return back here at all. All the mess with teachers, students, and general difficulties will soon be swept under the rug. As your literature teacher once said to a classroom full of distracted, disinterested adolescents with no experience in the adult world:
"The world will be yours for the taking! So cheer up!"
Something wet and cold hits the side of your head as you were finishing up the thirteenth chapter of the story. The foreign projectile catches you by surprise, knocking you down face-first onto the cobblestone ground while your hindlegs poke out into the air. Your hoof reaches your targeted cheek to feel the sense of the offending object, and once your eyes are trained on it, you discover the culprit to be a scoop of orange ice cream.
"Like the treat, Meep?"
You look up to stare at the source of the feminine voice, and once you do your heart cringes at the sight in front of you.
Celestia, no.
A pair of ponies, one a dark blue earth pony colt and the other an orange pegasus filly, that you were familiar with, now raised the population of the courtyard by three residents when all you wanted was for it to stay limited to one. Sadly, these newcomers show no effort in being peaceful neighbors, as their devilish smirks portrayed anything other than a warm welcome.
"Sunny was asking you a question, Meep," says the colt, smiling at his companion. The filly herself was carrying an ice cream cone in one hoof, no doubt the source of your injury. "I swear, some ponies are just ungrateful."
With help from your wing's tip, you swipe away the ice cream from your face and throw it into a nearby flower bed. You scowl at the duo still present -- both of them continuing to pester you with their smug expressions. You were hoping that most students would be gone from the school, but apparently, that isn't the case for today.
"You know what I don't understand, Bran?" Sunny asks. "Why is Meep even here after all that's been going on? It's been weeks since the festival, and they still don't get the point of how this school isn't actually welcoming to klutzes."
You get up off the ground and dust yourself off. "My name isn't Meep."
Bran laughs loudly. "Well, guess what? It's what we're calling ya. In fact, it's all that everypony's been calling you, so it doesn't change squat if we quit at it, you dolt."
"It would still be nice if you could call me by my real name."
Without warning, Sunny floats over to the stone bench where you are and retrieves your book with her right wing. "What's this little story you're reading?" she teases.
"That doesn't belong to you!" you shout in frustration and nervousness, knowing just how bad these two are. As the pegasus runs through the novel's pages with little attention, you walk up to her and with a swipe of your wing take it back, taking her by surprise. You retreat to your saddlebags and place the book safely inside.
No. Not today. Definitely not today. I can't deal with this.
You lean down and place your saddlebags over your back. Deciding that your time here is done, you spread out your wings and take flight to the skies. Once out of the courtyard, you look around at all of the familiar buildings of Canterlot near the school. All you had to do was find a place to lay low until you were certain that Sunny and Bran were no longer interested in bothering you. Perhaps an alleyway or a random shop to be a pretend customer would suffice until they got bored of searching.
Before you could make up your mind, you feel a heavy weight slam into your backside, followed by a grip placed around your forelegs and torso.
"You're not going anywhere, Meep!" Sunny taunts. "We're still having fun!"
"I don't really see this as fun," you retort.
You crane your neck forward before springing back up real quickly, the action resulting in the back of your head striking Sunny in her nose. The desired result occurs when she releases you to tend to her bleeding snout, cursing you with explicit language as she does so. As you fly below her, you wonder if you went too far, with that thing called a conscious plaguing your mind, but you soon toss away any guilt upon realizing that worse would have been done to you.
Before you could finally choose where to go, Sunny again jumps on your back from above, this time holding onto one of your wings with both hooves while biting into the other one. Luckily for you, the ground is close below to not hurt you as the two of you tumble onto the sidewalk from your lost of flight control.
"You're gonna pay for my nose, bitch!" Sunny yells. Though you can't see her face, you knew she was not going to be your favorite pony today.
Just behind her, an exhausted Bran comes running down the sidewalk. A sidewalk that, sadly, did not have many other ponies anymore as before. "You got them?"
"Yep. Got 'em right here."
You squirm and thrash against the filly's grasp as best as you can, only to be met with little success. Sunny gets off your back and brings you up to your hindlegs, pinning you against the wall. The orange filly smiles at you with a disturbing display of her blood-smeared teeth. Your troubles worsen when Bran catches up to Sunny's side, and soon you find yourself being stared down by these two gleeful fiends.
Why is it always like this? Why can't ponies leave me alone? I'm not trying to make anyone's life worse. Can't these blockheads get that?
"So, what you want to do with them?" Bran asks his friend. Without warning, the blue colt grabs a tug of your mane, wretches your neck forwards, and then slams the back of your head into the wall. "There's nopony around to help this slowpoke, but somepony could come around soon if we're not fast enough."
"Hmm..." Sunny mused over the question, all the while continuing to stare down at you. The slam you received from Bran made your head throb and buzz, and with no way of caressing the injured spot, you were left to just deal with the pain. Matters were made much worse when Bran randomly bucks you in the torso, causing you to gasp in pain as you fall to the ground. The fall you took caused your chest and stomach to end up rather bruised, so his kick did a major diservice to you.
Sunny looks to her friend, rather annoyed. "Dude, I haven't made up my mind."
Bran shrugged. "You took too long, so I got bored. If you haven't made up your mind, we can just rough them up for a good while."
The orange pegasus steps over you, ignoring the display of distress you're in as you clutch to your stomach with your forelegs. She walks for a few seconds down the sidewalk until she comes across an alleyway just near the corner. Another cruel smirk springs from her lips as she stares into the dark space.
"This alley right here seems real nice. Grab 'em."
"Now that's just what we need!" Bran chuckles. The blue earth pony suddenly looms over you like a menacing shadow. "It's too bad a loser like you doesn't have friends anymore. Some company would be really useful right now, I bet. But you just had to ruin things for everypony."
Bran bites into your mane and drags you against the sidewalk's friction, walking backward as he follows Sunny into the alleyway. Any resistance you may have had previously was wiped aside by both the fall and kick that you received, and thus you are left completely at the mercy of these two thugs that you've had to deal with for several years. It wasn't until recently that their antics against you have grown worse -- and you know completely why that is.
For over a month you've had to deal with all forms of harassment and mistreatment from many ponies in your school -- including not only students but even negligent, ill-mannered teachers who should know better. From behind-your-back-but-within-earshot gossip and outright name-calling, to spitballs, tripping, and shoved into walls, nearly half of the high school had shown either their disdain or lack of respect for you.
And all because of one stupid mistake that you never saw coming -- and would have avoided if you knew that you were heading toward it.
"After we're done with you," Sunny says, "you'll probably learn your lesson and never show up---"
A flash. A purple flash. Take all it took to silence the orange filly before she went on to boast.
The flash catches the attention of all three of you. Whatever it was, it was emitting itself far away into the city, but still close enough to cause you to put your hoof up against your eyes. The powerful source of energy pulsates like a strobe light, growing bigger and bigger as it expands into the sky. The three of you are left in awe at the sight, with even Bran letting go of your mane to gawk.
"W-what in T-tartarus is that?" he asks, his bravado from before suddenly diminished into a whimper.
Before another word could be said, a cloud of dust and air erupted near the purple light source, followed by a horrific boom that rattled through the ground and through everypony's bones like a winter's frostbite --- causing the trio to stand straight up as if by instinct. In just a few seconds, the dust cloud shoots through the entire neighborhood, the rushing wind knocking you and the others back down to the ground as quickly as you got up from it.
All around you are the sounds of glass shattering, ponies screaming incoherently, and the relentless roar of the wind. For a moment, as you lay crouched on the ground and eyes closed in a pathetic manner, you swear that you hear the groans of buildings collapsing from afar. The chaos happening is beyond startling. Beyond breathtaking. You refuse to open your eyes to witness the sight, that is until you hear Sunny speak.
"Oh, crap! Not another one!"
That comment is the push you need to gain the courage to pull up your eyelids. Dust fills the afternoon air, causing the atmosphere to adopt a hazy yellow appearance, resembling the air-polluted cities outside of Equestria that you've learned about. Buildings of all shapes and sizes are left in damaged conditions, from broken windows and missing doors to large holes caused by objects thrown through by the explosion. Luckily, the building behind you had few windows, meaning that none of the falling glass had a chance of striking you.
But the eery, dead sky and harmed dwellings are the least of your worries. Through the dust, another purple flash, though dimmer, had sprung up in the city, this time to the east of where the first flash was emitted. More unfortunate is that this flash is much closer to you than the previous one -- perhaps by six or seven blocks. As soon as your eyes caught sight of the event, ponies run frantically through the streets to get away from the current and impending mayhems.
With no care for her friend, Sunny shakes off the dust on her coat and mane and took off to the sky, the yellow clouds obscuring any further sightings of the pegasus. Any concern or feelings of betrayal that Bran has are unknown to you, as the frightened earth pony takes off around the corner of the sidewalk and disappears as well. Taking the hint, you yourself get up and turn back toward the alley that was meant to be your doom.
The shadows of the alleyway did little to block out the purple light that spilled in, but you have hope that somehow the cramped space would give you protection from the upcoming blast. And the certainty of your guess is just about to be answered
The ground underneath shook harder than ever before with the strength of an earthquake. Before your brain could have any grasp of what was occurring, your body is launched off its hooves and sent crashing into a nearby duo of trash cans. A rush of dust from the explosion managed to find its way into the narrow opening of the alleyway and invades the entire cramped space that you occupy. The back of your body is coated in specks of grey and yellow like a rooftop covered in snow.
You groan as your weak limbs pull you up away from metal cans and garbage bags that did little to cushion your flight. Getting to your hooves amidst the dust-filled environment, you do everything you can to keep your body afloat -- along with your mental state -- but you find that hard to do. Your legs wobble underneath you and your heart is pumping adrenaline like a racehorse, all while your ears are ringing from the explosion and your lungs choke up every once and a while. Any attempt of flying out of here was unlikely, as you're certain your body could collapse before you got above five feet.
But despite your dazed state, you can spot an opening out of the alleyway ahead. Through sheer will, you brave through your shock and take the first steps needed to reach your destination. You have no idea where you are going to go from here. The thought of returning back to the school entered, but you did not know how damaged it could have been from the second explosion. The next choice would be home, but you have no idea if they'll be any more explosions, even though the house was in the opposite direction of the chaos. You made up your mind that if home was unsafe, that you'll have to leave Canterlot.
"If you weren't such a screw-up before, you certainly are now, you ass."
You're just a step away from leaving the alley when you stop and place a hoof over your chest, as an unbearable pain spreads throughout your body. Your blood vessels feel as though they've been filled with piercing minuscule icicles, your bones are victims to a relentless pounding sensation as if a hammer was going to work on them, and your heart is weighed down as if gravel was pouring down its chambers.
But in a surprising way, the physical trauma you're undergoing is not what daunts you the most. It's the nightmare occurring within your psyche burning like cruel wildfire. Inside of your head are whispers you've heard time and time again --- whispers that weaken your spirit and waste away at your confidence. Or any you had left.
There are so many whispers in your head, and nothing you do can get them out.
"Geez. If this is how you plan events, no wonder nopony would screw themselves over by being friends with you."
"What the hell is wrong with you, you weirdo? Get out of here and go live with the mole rats! In a burrow!"
"Really? You decided to come here. Wow. You're pretty bold. Or dense."
"Well, it's no surprise why you and your parents have a crappy relationship. I'd be ashamed too if my child was a damn loser!"
"It wasn't my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault..."
Tears run down your face and your murmurs turn to choking sobs as you lay down on the ground -- clutching onto your sides with your forelegs again. Your eyes are shut so tight, and you yourself are so lost in your pain, that you don't pick up on the sight around you at first.
Out of thin air, crackles of purple electricity dance all around you and strike at random places in the alleyway, burning most of what they touch to ash. That electricity soon turns into a bubble that surrounds you and expands outward. Eventually, you open your moist eyes when you feel yourself lifted off the ground, and you find that your body is floating up into the air --- with the bubble acting as your transportation.
You're halfway between the building when it hits you. The pain you felt before is now amplified by up to five times that of what you've experienced so far. You let out a piercing scream as the electricity strikes you over and over again with purple lightning bolts. The voices in your head repeat themselves with a much louder volume and intensity. You stretch out your appendages as you're desperate to seek out some form of relief.
No. This is not your destiny.
And within a white flash of light, you disappear from the alleyway.
The school's western courtyard was quite active during the usual hours of the day. Though not as popular as the other areas of the building, the courtyard was often occupied by students seeking a place to study in solace, somepony wanting to eat their lunch away from the crowded mess hall, or a class performing a special lesson or experiment.
Today, though, way after school was over, you are the courtyard's only inhabitant.
You sit on your belly on a stone bench, reading the latest book assigned by your literature teacher. You have already finished your math and science work for today, and with nothing really waiting for you at home, it just seemed proper to enjoy the peaceful ambiance surrounding you for as long as possible.
The novel itself, a simple story centered around betrayal, war, love, and hope in a medieval setting, is nothing too intriguing for you, despite your admiration for the few good books you have encountered. The book in front of you is not so terrible on its own merits, but with how long this school year has been, you are just simply tired of teachers dumping homework and assignments all over you.
Luckily, you're a senior. In fact, just a few weeks from now you'll never have to return back here at all. All the mess with teachers, students, and general difficulties will soon be swept under the rug. As your literature teacher once said to a classroom full of distracted, disinterested adolescents with no experience in the adult world:
"The world will be yours for the taking! So cheer up!"
Something wet and cold hits the side of your head as you were finishing up the thirteenth chapter of the story. The foreign projectile catches you by surprise, knocking you down face-first onto the cobblestone ground while your hindlegs poke out into the air. Your hoof reaches your targeted cheek to feel the sense of the offending object, and once your eyes are trained on it, you discover the culprit to be a scoop of orange ice cream.
"Like the treat, Meep?"
You look up to stare at the source of the feminine voice, and once you do your heart cringes at the sight in front of you.
Celestia, no.
A pair of ponies, one a dark blue earth pony colt and the other an orange pegasus filly, that you were familiar with, now raised the population of the courtyard by three residents when all you wanted was for it to stay limited to one. Sadly, these newcomers show no effort in being peaceful neighbors, as their devilish smirks portrayed anything other than a warm welcome.
"Sunny was asking you a question, Meep," says the colt, smiling at his companion. The filly herself was carrying an ice cream cone in one hoof, no doubt the source of your injury. "I swear, some ponies are just ungrateful."
You wipe away the ice cream from your face and throw it into a nearby flower bed. You scowl at the duo still present -- both of them continuing to pester you with their smug expressions. You were hoping that most students would be gone from the school, but apparently, that isn't the case for today.
"You know what I don't understand, Bran?" Sunny asks. "Why is Meep even here after all that's been going on? It's been weeks since the festival, and they still don't get the point of how this school isn't actually welcoming to klutzes."
You get up off the ground and dust yourself off. "My name isn't Meep."
Bran laughs loudly. "Well, guess what? It's what we're calling ya. In fact, it's all that everypony's been calling you, so it doesn't change squat if we quit at it, you dolt."
"It would still be nice if you could call me by my real name."
Without warning, Sunny floats over to the stone bench where you are and retrieves your book with her right wing. "What's this little story you're reading?" she teases.
"That doesn't belong to you!" you shout in frustration and nervousness, knowing just how bad these two are. As the pegasus runs through the novel's pages with little attention, you leap forward and grab it with your teeth. Sunny put up some resistance, tugging around the hard cover with both wings and even her own teeth, but eventually you win the tussle and put the book into your nearby saddlebags.
No. Not today. Definitely not today. I can't deal with this.
You bend downward and place your saddlebags over your back. You search for a way out of the courtyard and find an exit door within a corridor on your left. You sprint away from the two bullies behind you in a race toward the corridor, when Sunny suddenly appears in front of you, blocking the way out. Not knowing any other solution, you take a small step to the side and slam your head and torso into the filly's side, knocking her down to the ground. It would seem a bit much for some ponies, but these two are really rotten.
Before you know it, you find yourself crashing into the exit door, which leads to you tumbling down a flight of stairs until you pause midway. The sight of the familiar buildings of Canterlot in the distance that you've seen before gives you hope that you'll be able to evade your bullies just yet.
You scramble to your hooves as quickly as you can and hurry down the rest of the stairs. You turn left and run down a cobblestone sidewalk, trying your best not to bump into any fellow Canterlot residents. All you had to do was find a place to lay low until you were certain that Sunny and Bran were no longer interested in bothering you. Perhaps an alleyway or a random shop to be a pretend customer would suffice until they got bored of searching.
Before you could make up your mind, you feel a heavy weight slam into your backside before you even get around the corner of the sidewalk. With nearly a quarter of your breath taken away, you remain helpless as a familiar orange figure takes advantage of your stunned state to lift you up and pin you against the wall of an unknown establishment.
"You're not going anywhere, Meep!" Sunny taunts. "We're still having fun! And I don't really appreciate that body slam of yours back there."
Just behind her, an exhausted Bran comes running down the sidewalk. A sidewalk that, sadly, did not have many other ponies anymore as before. "You got them?"
Sunny smiles menacingly at you. "Yep. Got 'em right here."
You squirm and thrash against the filly's grasp as best as you can, only to be met with little success. Your troubles worsen when Bran catches up to Sunny's side, and soon you find yourself being stared down by these two gleeful fiends.
Why is it always like this? Why can't ponies leave me alone? I'm not trying to make anyone's life worse. Can't these blockheads get that?
"So, what you want to do with them?" Bran asks his friend. Without warning, the blue colt grabs a tug of your mane, wretches your neck forwards, and then slams the back of your head into the wall. "There's nopony around to help this slowpoke, but somepony could come around soon if we're not fast enough."
"Hmm..." Sunny mused over the question, all the while continuing to stare down at you. The slam you received from Bran made your head throb and buzz, and with no way of caressing the injured spot, you were left to just deal with the pain. Matters were made much worse when Bran randomly bucks you in the torso, causing you to gasp in pain as you fall to the ground. Luckily for you, you had enough tolerance to get over the pain rather quickly.
Sunny looks to her friend, rather annoyed. "Dude, I haven't made up my mind."
Bran shrugged. "You took too long, so I got bored. If you haven't made up your mind, we can just rough them up for a good while."
The orange pegasus steps over you, ignoring your mild discomfort. She walks for a few seconds down the sidewalk until she comes across an alleyway just near the corner. Another cruel smirk springs from her lips as she stares into the dark space.
"This alley right here seems real nice. Grab 'em."
"Now that's just what we need!" Bran chuckles. The blue earth pony suddenly looms over you like a menacing shadow. "It's too bad a loser like you doesn't have friends anymore. Some company would be really useful right now, I bet. But you just had to ruin things for everypony."
Bran bites into your mane and drags you against the sidewalk's friction, walking backward as he follows Sunny into the alleyway. Any resistance you displayed was not enough to deter Bran, who was much stronger than you, and thus you are left completely at the mercy of these two thugs that you've had to deal with for several years. It wasn't until recently that their antics against you have grown worse -- and you know completely why that is.
For over a month you've had to deal with all forms of harassment and mistreatment from many ponies in your school -- including not only students but even negligent, ill-mannered teachers who should know better. From behind-your-back-but-within-earshot gossip and outright name-calling, to spitballs, tripping, and shoved into walls, nearly half of the high school had shown either their disdain or lack of respect for you.
And all because of one stupid mistake that you never saw coming -- and would have avoided if you knew that you were heading toward it.
"After we're done with you," Sunny says, "you'll probably learn your lesson and never show up---"
A flash. A purple flash. Take all it took to silence the orange filly before she went on to boast.
The flash catches the attention of all three of you. Whatever it was, it was emitting itself far away into the city, but still close enough to cause you to put your hoof up against your eyes. The powerful source of energy pulsates like a strobe light, growing bigger and bigger as it expands into the sky. The three of you are left in awe at the sight, with even Bran letting go of your mane to gawk.
"W-what in T-tartarus is that?" he asks, his bravado from before suddenly diminished into a whimper.
Before another word could be said, a cloud of dust and air erupted near the purple light source, followed by a horrific boom that rattled through the ground and through everypony's bones like a winter's frostbite --- causing the trio to stand straight up as if by instinct. In just a few seconds, the dust cloud shoots through the entire neighborhood, the rushing wind knocking you and the others back down to the ground as quickly as you got up from it.
All around you are the sounds of glass shattering, ponies screaming incoherently, and the relentless roar of the wind. For a moment, as you lay crouched on the ground and eyes closed in a pathetic manner, you swear that you hear the groans of buildings collapsing from afar. The chaos happening is beyond startling. Beyond breathtaking. You refuse to open your eyes to witness the sight, that is until you hear Sunny speak.
"Oh, crap! Not another one!"
That comment is the push you need to gain the courage to pull up your eyelids. Dust fills the afternoon air, causing the atmosphere to adopt a hazy yellow appearance, resembling the air-polluted cities outside of Equestria that you've learned about. Buildings of all shapes and sizes are left in damaged conditions, from broken windows and missing doors to large holes caused by objects thrown through by the explosion. Luckily, the building behind you had few windows, meaning that none of the falling glass had a chance of striking you.
But the eery, dead sky and harmed dwellings are the least of your worries. Through the dust, another purple flash, though dimmer, had sprung up in the city, this time to the east of where the first flash was emitted. More unfortunate is that this flash is much closer to you than the previous one -- perhaps by six or seven blocks. As soon as your eyes caught sight of the event, ponies run frantically through the streets to get away from the current and impending mayhems.
With no care for her friend, Sunny shakes off the dust on her coat and mane and took off to the sky, the yellow clouds obscuring any further sightings of the pegasus. Any concern or feelings of betrayal that Bran has are unknown to you, as the frightened earth pony takes off around the corner of the sidewalk and disappears as well. Taking the hint, you yourself get up and turn back toward the alley that was meant to be your doom.
The shadows of the alleyway did little to block out the purple light that spilled in, but you have hope that somehow the cramped space would give you protection from the upcoming blast. And the certainty of your guess is just about to be answered
The ground underneath shook harder than ever before with the strength of an earthquake. Before your brain could have any grasp of what was occurring, your body is launched off its hooves and sent crashing into a nearby duo of trash cans. A rush of dust from the explosion managed to find its way into the narrow opening of the alleyway and invades the entire cramped space that you occupy. The back of your body is coated in specks of grey and yellow like a rooftop covered in snow.
You groan as your weak limbs pull you up away from metal cans and garbage bags that did little to cushion your flight. Getting to your hooves amidst the dust-filled environment, you do everything you can to keep your body afloat -- along with your mental state -- but you find that hard to do. Your legs wobble underneath you and your heart is pumping adrenaline like a racehorse, all while your ears are ringing from the explosion and your lungs choke up every once and a while.
But despite your dazed state, you can spot an opening out of the alleyway ahead. Through sheer will, you brave through your shock and take the first steps needed to reach your destination. You have no idea where you are going to go from here. The thought of returning back to the school entered, but you did not know how damaged it could have been from the second explosion. The next choice would be home, but you have no idea if they'll be any more explosions, even though the house was in the opposite direction of the chaos. You made up your mind that if home was unsafe, that you'll have to leave Canterlot.
"If you weren't such a screw-up before, you certainly are now, you ass."
You're just a step away from leaving the alley when you stop and place a hoof over your chest, as an unbearable pain spreads throughout your body. Your blood vessels feel as though they've been filled with piercing minuscule icicles, your bones are victims to a relentless pounding sensation as if a hammer was going to work on them, and your heart is weighed down as if gravel was pouring down its chambers.
But in a surprising way, the physical trauma you're undergoing is not what daunts you the most. It's the nightmare occurring within your psyche burning like cruel wildfire. Inside of your head are whispers you've heard time and time again --- whispers that weaken your spirit and waste away at your confidence. Or any you had left.
There are so many whispers in your head, and nothing you do can get them out.
"Geez. If this is how you plan events, no wonder nopony would screw themselves over by being friends with you."
"What the hell is wrong with you, you weirdo? Get out of here and go live with the mole rats! In a burrow!"
"Really? You decided to come here. Wow. You're pretty bold. Or dense."
"Well, it's no surprise why you and your parents have a crappy relationship. I'd be ashamed too if my child was a damn loser!"
"It wasn't my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault..."
Tears run down your face and your murmurs turn to choking sobs as you lay down on the ground -- clutching onto your sides with your forelegs again. Your eyes are shut so tight, and you yourself are so lost in your pain, that you don't pick up on the sight around you at first.
Out of thin air, crackles of purple electricity dance all around you and strike at random places in the alleyway, burning most of what they touch to ash. That electricity soon turns into a bubble that surrounds you and expands outward. Eventually, you open your moist eyes when you feel yourself lifted off the ground, and you find that your body is floating up into the air --- with the bubble acting as your transportation.
You're halfway between the building when it hits you. The pain you felt before is now amplified by up to five times that of what you've experienced so far. You let out a piercing scream as the electricity strikes you over and over again with purple lightning bolts. The voices in your head repeat themselves with a much louder volume and intensity. You stretch out your appendages as you're desperate to seek out some form of relief.
No. This is not your destiny.
And within a white flash of light, you disappear from the alleyway.
A darkness has fallen over Equestria, and you may be the only one who can help stop it.
I have no knowledge of the troubles you face, but this school will be your guide.
You must learn what you can here, about the joys and necessities of friendship.
Or else be the case, Equestria will be gone.
I will send my assistant after you, but the task is up to you.
[...]
RING
As your eyes and consciousness come awake, you feel the familiar sense of grass and dirt underneath your stomach. Your blurred vision is temporarily blinded by the sun from above, but when the rays of light dial it down a bit, you're able to find yourself laying on the ground in a grass field surrounded by two buildings.
Wherever you are, it definitely isn't the busy, noisy, active streets of Canterlot (Which are now in flames). Aside from the songs of birds and the monotone sound of rushing water, that you could not find, the outdoors you're experiencing are relatively calm and peaceful. But though the warm beams of sunshine and gentle breezes in the air do their best to welcome you, your body refuses to get comfortable.
Your brain expands and pounds against the inside of your skull, and your vision is still blurry, to the point where you lift a weak hoof to wipe away at your eye as if there was actual mist or fog present on your pupils. Worst of all is your body, which suddenly feels like a poorly made construction project that's about to collapse. You swear to Celestia that your appendages are going to tear themselves away from your torso if you even though about moving an inch from where you are.
While your body was aching and in need of recovery, your mind is anxious about the previous events of today -- that is to say the unexplained explosions that rocked Canterlot. So many thoughts and questions ran through your head as you lay motionless, to the point where your condition is of secondary concern.
What were those blasts? How many lives were lost? Are Sunny and Bran alive? Was your family near any of the explosions? Why are you far away from the city? What is this place?
Your home, including the people in your life and the places you've known and been to for years, is in pieces -- and there's no telling what the future of the city will be like with everything in tatters.
Thought fear urged you to get up and find out the answers on your own, your urge to do so would have to wait. For now, you were simply a helpless sap. All you could do was stay flat on the ground. hoping that someone would notice an injured young pony and all for the appropriate medical services. Though your vision is unlikely to heal itself any time soon, you could still make out the images in front of you.
Some yards beyond the grass field in front of you is an average size lake, which itself is actually in the middle between the two buildings that first caught your eye. The building on your right was purple and had what must be waterfalls running down from several places, and the building on your left was also purple, except unlike the former, this one had a serious shine on it -- as if it is made out of crystals.
You turn your head back to the left and see a mountain far, far away from wherever you are.
The moment you spot it, you're hit with a cannon blast of emotions -- ranging from confusion and fear to momentary relief. It just does not make any sense. In fact, it seems so surreal, with all the unholy events you've witnessed today. But there's no way that your eyes could be deceiving you. Even with poor sight, you recognize the significant icon on such a familiar mountain.
"There's no smoke," you say in awe, summoning your weak limbs beneath you to raise. "There's no smoke. How--"
A fierce jolt of pain shoots through your spine and your legs give out. When your body hits the ground again, you feel a punch of breath leave your lungs, rendering you nearly breathless as you gasp for extra air -- your tongue even grazing against the few tall blades of grass.
Like a flickering light, you feel your eyelids begin to droop down, caused by the exhaustion taking a huge toll on your body. You struggle as best as you can against the looming shadow of sleep, wanting to find out the answers to all the questions running through your head. But in the end, the unseen goliath wins out in the end.
Your eyes shut down along with your consciousness.
Waking up, the first thing you notice is the smell, which seems to be some form of a sanitizer or an air freshener. Opening your eyes, you find yourself tucked underneath some sheets on a bed, though you could tell from the feeling of rubbery plastic on your back that the bed had no regular mattress. The room you're in is small, but still large enough to hold two other beds, a gurney, a set of chairs, and a desk where a pony was sat in front of you.
"Excuse me," you call out weakly.
The pony at the desk, a white earth mare with a pink mane in a bun and a nursing cap on, turns around to look at you.
"My stars!" the mare exclaims. "You're awake! I'll go get them! Just stay there."
Ignoring her words, you try to get up out of bed, but your forelegs cave in before you're even able to take off the covers. The nurse rushes over to your side, gently placing her hooves on your forehead and lowering you back on the pillow. Though you judge the bed to be unusual, with how your body and mind are you're not exactly picky about finding a replacement anytime soon.
"You have to stay in bed," the nurse warns. "You had quite a fever when you were brought in from outside. It feels like it's gone down, but don't take any risks."
The nurse trots away from you and heads for the opened door nearby. "I'll be right back. I'm getting the school staff. They want to ask some questions for you."
She disappears into the hallway outside, her hoofsteps audible for just a few seconds until they themselves fade away. Eventually, your catch up on the sound of two or more voices conversing with each other. The stomping of hooves, more than one set this time, comes back into your earshot, and soon the nurse returns with two other ponies behind her. One was a blue unicorn mare with a lighter blue mane and a purple dress decorated with blue and yellow stars. The other was an orange unicorn stallion with a red mane that matched his noticeable beard, glasses, and a dark blue robe with turquoise stars embedded.
"Thank Celestia you're awake," says the stallion. "We were worried that you really had it bad back there for a moment."
"I was?" You ask. "For how long?"
"It's been less than an hour since we found you outside the school and brought you here," says the unicorn mare. "We were just on our way back from lunch in town, and encountering you was definitely not scheduled for today."
The unicorn stallion continued. "Anyway, how do you feel? When we first saw you we thought you were taking a nap, but then we saw you breathing really heavily and noticed all the sweat."
Learning from last time, you slowly rise up your top half from the bed, though you never spring to the floor.
"I got a bit of a headache," you say. "And I feel a bit tired -- maybe even a bit hungry and thirsty."
The stallion looks over to the nurse. "Could you go over to the staff room and get them a wrapped sandwich and a juice bottle?" He turns back to you. "You don't have any allergies or preferences, do you?"
You shake your head. "Normally, I would be picky, but today isn't the best day for that."
The nurse nods to the stallion before leaving. With just the three of you left, the two unicorns each levitate a chair behind them and sit themselves down at the foot of your bed.
"You really are lucky that Nurse Redheart decided to come in today to check inventory," the mare says with a worry-free smile. "Otherwise, we would have to take you over to the general hospital -- which we would have done if you didn't wake up sooner, but taking you there ourselves would be a bit harder."
You nod. "I guess I'm very lucky."
"Well," the stallion says, "I believe it's only proper for us to all introduce ourselves. My name is Sunburst. I'm the vice-principal of the school here."
"And I am Trixie Lulamoon," says the mare. "The guidance counselor. And you are...?"
You tell them your full name (As well as any nickname(s) you might have.), but then you ponder over a certain fact that Sunburst made.
"I'm at a school?"
"Yes. You're at a school," Sunburst answers with a smile. "Not just any school. This is the School of Friendship, founded by Princess Twilight herself -- right here in Ponyville."
Your eyes widen. "Ponyville?" You've heard of the town. In fact, with it being the former residence of Princess Twilight, everycreature in Equestira and beyond knew of the place's significance in helping the ruler ascend to the throne. But still...
Why in Equestria am I so far away from home?
Both unicorns seem taken aback by your confusion, as evident by them looking at each other for a quick moment.
"Yes, this is Ponyville. Home of Equestria's greatest heroes, " Trixie states in a grandeur tone. "From the Elements of Harmony themselves to even the principal of this very school. I'm assuming you made a visit here for some reason like that?"
"I know a bit about Ponyville," you say. "But I didn't come here to meet anypony."
"Well then, can you tell us why you're here in the first place?" Sunburst asks hesitantly. "I don't say that to be a busybody, but something must have really gone down for you to have been tired out like that."
"I..." You look down at the sheets as you wait for the words that you're searching for. "I... I can't really remember how I got here. Or why I'm here in the first place. It's all just... fuzzy."
What you said was true. For some reason, your mind had no storage of any recent memories before you woke up. The most you can remember is preparing to leave your house in anticipation of school during the morning. The experience is like skipping through the middle portion of an intriguing movie, with your only knowledge being of the dull beginning and the dynamic ending.
A forceful attempt at digging in deeper into your memories is met with a push-back in the form of a very offended headache. You place a forehoof on the spot where the pain originates, rubbing it in smooth, small circles.
As you tend to your twinge, you see Sunburst and Trixie stare at each other again with the same looks of uncertainty and surprise.
"You have to understand that it's a bit concerning if you can't remember much of why you're here," Sunburst states. "Where you with other people on a trip somewhere? Were you on a train ride to another town and happened just to make a visit here?"
"I promise, I"m telling you the truth. I can't recall leaving home to come down to Ponyville."
Trixie adds in. "We really don't mean to be pushy, but you seem to be a minor -- or at least a young adult. If you don't know why you're here then you'll have to find a way to get back home."
"Since we didn't find any belongings on you," Sunburst says, "we going to guess that you don't have any funds for a train or carriage. Unless you think you've misplaced your items somewhere."
You shake your head. "If I did, I don't know where it is."
Coming through the door, Nurse Redheart returns to the room with a tray of food carefully balanced on her back. Before you had a chance to do anything, Sunburst points his hoof towards you. "If your headache is serious, I'd rather you didn't use your magic yourself. I got it."
With a yellow glow of his horn, the unicorn levitates the tray off the nurse and floats it to you. Feeling it rest on your lap, you look down to examines the items meant for you: a sunflower sandwich, a square cardboard juice box, a small bowl of miscellaneous fruit, and a small stack of crackers wrapped in plastic. Your stomach ceases its stressful rumbles as the sight of food sets your mind and your hunger at peace.
You pick up the sandwich with your hooves and bite your bottom lip as you bring it closer to your mouth. Before you're able to delve into your meal, you look back at Sunburst.
"Thank you, sir," you say with evident gratitude to the unicorn, who grins back. You say the same to Redheart before taking it your first bite of the sandwich.
"It's no problem," Sunburst says. "But back to the matter at hoof. We just need to know where your home is so we can provide you some money for transportation. Maybe even contact your family, so that they know you're safe."
You pause from eating. "I live in Canterlot. And as for my family...., they're off on a trip to Manehattan. So I have the entire house to myself."
That last part about your family is untrue, but with how things back home have been, you didn't want your folks to have another issue on their hooves to worry about. Luckily for you, it seems that neither Sunburst nor Trixie are hesitant to trust the lie you've said.
Sunburst nods. "Canterlot. That's less than a day's trip by train." The stallion gets off his seat and heads to the door. "I'll be right back. I just need to get some bits for your ride back home. I won't be long."
With Sunburst gone, and Trixie and Redheart sitting around while attending to their own businesses, you retreat to eating your sandwich in peace, thinking about your situation. Despite your inability to recall the event or events that led you here, you strangely felt at ease -- as if the mystery was barely bothering you at all. It might have been because of the hospitality of the ponies of this school, or because of the food you're enjoying right now, but whatever the reason is, you feel that today is going to work in your best interest.
And to be honest, another good bit of news was that you did not have to go to school -- at least for today. Of course, once you got back home your family would compel you to go back, but for now, at least you did not have to worry about any hate or harassment from anycreature. Tomorrow or the day after might be a different story, but right now things are fine.
"Canterlot, huh?" Trixie quips to you. "It's been a long while since I've been there. The last time I went was for the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle."
"Okay," you simply state. She must have been a little filly when that happened. You've just finished your sunflower sandwich and decide you switch over to the open bowl of fruit -- respectfully digging your snout into the contents with some sense of dignity.
"I wouldn't call the princess my best friend," Trixie continues, "but over time we have grown accustomed to each other, so I guess you can stay that we're both on good terms as acquaintances."
"Well, that's nice to know." This used to be the Princess' school, so it makes sense that she might want to get a bit familiar with the staff here.
"Still, despite how close we are, I still wonder how she's able to cope with her responsibilities as Equestria's leader. Though it seems like a luxury and anypony's dream, being a princess has to come with a lot of hardships that even I couldn't bear."
"Well, after two decades of ruling with little to no national crises, I can say that the princess is doing a fine job overseeing the country."
Trixie raises her eyebrows. "Decades? What do you mean by that?"
"Well, it's been twenty years since she replaced Celestia and Luna. And with how things are, I think she's done good with keeping the peace."
Trixie looks over to the nurse -- with both mares seeming confused and in disbelief with something you must have said. They both look back at you with concern.
"I think you're mistaken," Trixie says. "It's only been a year and a half since Twilight took the throne. Not twenty years."
The urge to finish your food is squashed as you try to understand Trixie's comment. "Um, no. No, it has been twenty years since Princess Twilight took over."
Trixie shakes her head, her face displaying little sign of agreeing with your assessment. "No, it hasn't."
Confusion, and maybe a slight bit of frustration, takes hold of you as you try to comprehend the mare's insistent, false claims. "Well, we're in the year 10XX, and she was coronated in 10YY. So it's been twenty years."
"But 10YY was a year and six months ago. We're in the year 10ZZ, now."
With a light purple glow of her horn, Trixie levitates a calendar from the nurse's table and places it right in front your face. Through the transparent purple glow, you read the calendar's writing. The current page of the calendar displayed the last month of summer in place of what should have been the last month of spring. But the month isn't what catches your attention.
"That doesn't make any sense."
You grip the calendar with your magic and rapidly flip back the pages to observe the details of the months that have already passed by, before finally flipping up to the months leading to the end of the year. A bulky feeling of alarm pumps out your heart and works its way up to your throat, as you breathe heavily.
Each month on the calendar indicates that you are nearly 19 years into the past.
A darkness has fallen over Equestria, and you may be the only one who can help stop it.
I have no knowledge of the troubles you face, but this school will be your guide.
You must learn what you can here, about the joys and necessities of friendship.
Or else be the case, Equestria will be gone.
I will send my assistant after you, but the task is up to you.
[...]
RING
As your eyes and consciousness come awake, you feel the familiar sense of grass and dirt underneath your stomach. Your blurred vision is temporarily blinded by the sun from above, but when the rays of light dial it down a bit, you're able to find yourself laying on the ground in a grass field surrounded by two buildings.
Wherever you are, it definitely isn't the busy, noisy, active streets of Canterlot (Which are now in flames). Aside from the songs of birds and the monotone sound of rushing water, that you could not find, the outdoors you're experiencing are relatively calm and peaceful. But though the warm beams of sunshine and gentle breezes in the air do their best to welcome you, your body refuses to get comfortable.
Your brain expands and pounds against the inside of your skull, and your vision is still blurry, to the point where you lift a weak hoof to wipe away at your eye as if there was actual mist or fog present on your pupils. Worst of all is your body, which suddenly feels like a poorly made construction project that's about to collapse. You swear to Celestia that your appendages are going to tear themselves away from your torso if you even though about moving an inch from where you are.
While your body was aching and in need of recovery, your mind is anxious about the previous events of today -- that is to say the unexplained explosions that rocked Canterlot. So many thoughts and questions ran through your head as you lay motionless, to the point where your condition is of secondary concern.
What were those blasts? How many lives were lost? Are Sunny and Bran alive? Was your family near any of the explosions? Why are you far away from the city? What is this place?
Your home, including the people in your life and the places you've known and been to for years, is in pieces -- and there's no telling what the future of the city will be like with everything in tatters.
Thought fear urged you to get up and find out the answers on your own, your urge to do so would have to wait. For now, you were simply a helpless sap. All you could do was stay flat on the ground. hoping that someone would notice an injured young pony and all for the appropriate medical services. Though your vision is unlikely to heal itself any time soon, you could still make out the images in front of you.
Some yards beyond the grass field in front of you is an average size lake, which itself is actually in the middle between the two buildings that first caught your eye. The building on your right was purple and had what must be waterfalls running down from several places, and the building on your left was also purple, except unlike the former, this one had a serious shine on it -- as if it is made out of crystals.
You turn your head back to the left and see a mountain far, far away from wherever you are.
The moment you spot it, you're hit with a cannon blast of emotions -- ranging from confusion and fear to momentary relief. It just does not make any sense. In fact, it seems so surreal, with all the unholy events you've witnessed today. But there's no way that your eyes could be deceiving you. Even with poor sight, you recognize the significant icon on such a familiar mountain.
"There's no smoke," you say in awe, summoning your weak limbs beneath you to raise. "There's no smoke. How--"
A fierce jolt of pain shoots through your spine and your legs give out. When your body hits the ground again, you feel a punch of breath leave your lungs, rendering you nearly breathless as you gasp for extra air -- your tongue even grazing against the few tall blades of grass.
Like a flickering light, you feel your eyelids begin to droop down, caused by the exhaustion taking a huge toll on your body. You struggle as best as you can against the looming shadow of sleep, wanting to find out the answers to all the questions running through your head. But in the end, the unseen goliath wins out in the end.
Your eyes shut down along with your consciousness.
Waking up, the first thing you notice is the smell, which seems to be some form of a sanitizer or an air freshener. Opening your eyes, you find yourself tucked underneath some sheets on a bed, though you could tell from the feeling of rubbery plastic on your back that the bed had no regular mattress. The room you're in is small, but still large enough to hold two other beds, a gurney, a set of chairs, and a desk where a pony was sat in front of you.
"Excuse me," you call out weakly.
The pony at the desk, a white earth mare with a pink mane in a bun and a nursing cap on, turns around to look at you.
"My stars!" the mare exclaims. "You're awake! I'll go get them! Just stay there."
Ignoring her words, you try to get up out of bed, but your forelegs cave in before you're even able to take off the covers. The nurse rushes over to your side, gently placing her hooves on your forehead and lowering you back on the pillow. Though you judge the bed to be unusual, with how your body and mind are you're not exactly picky about finding a replacement anytime soon.
"You have to stay in bed," the nurse warns. "You had quite a fever when you were brought in from outside. It feels like it's gone down, but don't take any risks."
The nurse trots away from you and heads for the opened door nearby. "I'll be right back. I'm getting the school staff. They want to ask some questions for you."
She disappears into the hallway outside, her hoofsteps audible for just a few seconds until they themselves fade away. Eventually, your catch up on the sound of two or more voices conversing with each other. The stomping of hooves, more than one set this time, comes back into your earshot, and soon the nurse returns with two other ponies behind her. One was a blue unicorn mare with a lighter blue mane and a purple dress decorated by blue and yellow stars. The other was an orange unicorn stallion with a red mane that matched his noticeable beard, glasses, and a dark blue robe with turquoise stars embedded.
"Thank Celestia you're awake," says the stallion. "We were worried that you really had it bad back there for a moment."
"I was?" You ask. "For how long?"
"It's been less than an hour since we found you outside the school and brought you here," says the unicorn mare. "We were just on our way back from lunch in town, and encountering you was definitely not scheduled for today."
The unicorn stallion continued. "Anyway, how do you feel? When we first saw you we thought you were taking a nap, but then we saw you breathing really heavily and noticed all the sweat."
Learning from last time, you slowly rise up your top half from the bed, though you never spring to the floor.
"I got a bit of a headache," you say. "And I feel a bit tired -- maybe even a bit hungry and thirsty."
The stallion looks over to the nurse. "Could you go over to the staff room and get them a wrapped sandwich and a juice bottle?" He turns back to you. "You don't have any allergies or preferences, do you?"
You shake your head. "Normally, I would be picky, but today isn't the best day for that."
The nurse nods to the stallion before leaving. With just the three of you left, the two unicorns each levitate a chair behind them and sit themselves down at the foot of your bed.
"You really are lucky that Nurse Redheart decided to come in today to check inventory," the mare says with a worry-free smile. "Otherwise, we would have to take you over to the general hospital -- which we would have done if you didn't wake up sooner, but taking you there ourselves would be a bit harder."
You nod. "I guess I'm very lucky."
"Well," the stallion says, "I believe it's only proper for us to all introduce ourselves. My name is Sunburst. I'm the vice-principal of the school here."
"And I am Trixie Lulamoon," says the mare. "The guidance counselor. And you are...?"
You tell them your full name (As well as any nickname(s) you might have.), but then you ponder over a certain fact that Sunburst made.
"I'm at a school?"
"Yes. You're at a school," Sunburst answers with a smile. "Not just any school. This is the School of Friendship, founded by Princess Twilight herself -- right here in Ponyville."
Your eyes widen. "Ponyville?" You've heard of the town. In fact, with it being the former residence of Princess Twilight, everycreature in Equestira and beyond knew of the place's significance in helping the ruler ascend to the throne. But still...
Why in Equestria am I so far away from home?
Both unicorns seem taken aback by your confusion, as evident by them looking at each other for a quick moment.
"Yes, this is Ponyville. Home of Equestria's greatest heroes, " Trixie states in a grandeur tone. "From the Elements of Harmony themselves to even the principal of this very school. I'm assuming you made a visit here for some reason like that?"
"I know a bit about Ponyville," you say. "But I didn't come here to meet anypony."
"Well then, can you tell us why you're here in the first place?" Sunburst asks hesitantly. "I don't say that to be a busybody, but something must have really gone down for you to have been tired out like that."
"I..." You look down at the sheets as you wait for the words that you're searching for. "I... I can't really remember how I got here. Or why I'm here in the first place. It's all just... fuzzy."
What you said was true. For some reason, your mind had no storage of any recent memories before you woke up. The most you can remember is preparing to leave your house in anticipation of school during the morning. The experience is like skipping through the middle portion of an intriguing movie, with your only knowledge being of the dull beginning and the dynamic ending.
A forceful attempt at digging in deeper into your memories is met with a push-back in the form of a very offended headache. You place a forehoof on the spot where the pain originates, rubbing it in smooth, small circles.
As you tend to your twinge, you see Sunburst and Trixie stare at each other again with the same looks of uncertainty and surprise.
"You have to understand that it's a bit concerning if you can't remember much of why you're here," Sunburst states. "Where you with other people on a trip somewhere? Were you on a train ride to another town and happened just to make a visit here?"
"I promise, I"m telling you the truth. I can't recall leaving home to come down to Ponyville."
Trixie adds in. "We really don't mean to be pushy, but you seem to be a minor -- or at least a young adult. If you don't know why you're here then you'll have to find a way to get back home."
"Since we didn't find any belongings on you," Sunburst says, "we going to guess that you don't have any funds for a train or carriage. Unless you think you've misplaced your items somewhere."
You shake your head. "If I did, I don't know where it is."
Coming through the door, Nurse Redheart returns to the room with a tray of food carefully balanced on her back. Before you had a chance to do anything, Sunburst points his hoof towards you. "Don't get up. I got it."
With a yellow glow of his horn, the unicorn levitates the tray off the nurse and floats it to you. Feeling it rest on your lap, you look down to examines the items meant for you: a sunflower sandwich, a square cardboard juice box, a small bowl of miscellaneous fruit, and a small stack of crackers wrapped in plastic. Your stomach ceases its stressful rumbles as the sight of food sets your mind and your hunger at peace.
You pick up the sandwich with your hooves and bite your bottom lip as you bring it closer to your mouth. Before you're able to delve into your meal, you look back at Sunburst.
"Thank you, sir," you say with evident gratitude to the unicorn, who grins back. You say the same to Redheart before taking your first bite of the sandwich.
"It's no problem," Sunburst says. "But back to the matter at hoof. We just need to know where your home is so we can provide you some money for transportation. Maybe even contact your family, so that they know you're safe."
You pause from eating. "I live in Canterlot. And as for my family...., they're off on a trip to Manehattan. So I have the entire house to myself."
That last part about your family is untrue, but with how things back home have been, you didn't want your folks to have another issue on their hooves to worry about. Luckily for you, it seems that neither Sunburst nor Trixie are hesitant to trust the lie you've said.
Sunburst nods. "Canterlot. That's less than a day's trip by train." The stallion gets off his seat and heads to the door. "I'll be right back. I just need to get some bits for your ride back home. I won't be long."
With Sunburst gone, and Trixie and Redheart sitting around while attending to their own businesses, you retreat to eating your sandwich in peace, thinking about your situation. Despite your inability to recall the event or events that led you here, you strangely felt at ease -- as if the mystery was barely bothering you at all. It might have been because of the hospitality of the ponies of this school, or because of the food you're enjoying right now, but whatever the reason is, you feel that today is going to work in your best interest.
And to be honest, another good bit of news was that you did not have to go to school -- at least for today. Of course, once you got back home your family would compel you to go back, but for now, at least you did not have to worry about any hate or harassment from anycreature. Tomorrow or the day after might be a different story, but right now things are fine.
"Canterlot, huh?" Trixie quips to you. "It's been a long while since I've been there. The last time I went was for the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle."
"Okay," you simply state. She must have been a little filly when that happened. You've just finished your sunflower sandwich and decide you switch over to the open bowl of fruit -- respectfully digging your snout into the contents with some sense of dignity.
"I wouldn't call the princess my best friend," Trixie continues, "but over time we have grown accustomed to each other, so I guess you can stay that we're both on good terms as acquaintances."
"Well, that's nice to know." This used to be the Princess' school, so it makes sense that she might want to get a bit familiar with the staff here.
"Still, despite how close we are, I still wonder how she's able to cope with her responsibilities as Equestria's leader. Though it seems like a luxury and anypony's dream, being a princess has to come with a lot of hardships that even I couldn't bear."
"Well, after two decades of ruling with little to no national crises, I can say that the princess is doing a fine job overseeing the country."
Trixie raises her eyebrows. "Decades? What do you mean by that?"
"Well, it's been twenty years since she replaced Celestia and Luna. And with how things are, I think she's done good with keeping the peace."
Trixie looks over to the nurse -- with both mares seeming confused and in disbelief with something you must have said. They both look back at you with concern.
"I think you're mistaken," Trixie says. "It's only been a year and a half since Twilight took the throne. Not twenty years."
The urge to finish your food is squashed as you try to understand Trixie's comment. "Um, no. No, it has been twenty years since Princess Twilight took over."
Trixie shakes her head, her face displaying little sign of agreeing with your assessment. "No, it hasn't."
Confusion, and maybe a slight bit of frustration, takes hold of you as you try to comprehend the mare's insistent, false claims. "Well, we're in the year 10XX, and she was coronated in 10YY. So it's been twenty years."
"But 10YY was a year and six months ago. We're in the year 10ZZ, now."
With a light purple glow of her horn, Trixie levitates a calendar from the nurse's table and places it right in front your face. Through the transparent purple glow, you read the calendar's writing. The current page of the calendar displayed the last month of summer in place of what should have been the last month of spring. But the month isn't what catches your attention.
"That doesn't make any sense."
You grip the calendar with both hooves and rapidly flip back the pages to observe the details of the months that have already passed by, before finally flipping up to the months leading to the end of the year. A bulky feeling of alarm pumps out your heart and works its way up to your throat, as you breathe heavily.
Each month on the calendar indicates that you are nearly 19 years into the past.
This is all some joke, right? They're just playing with me. Right?
What in Tartarus is going on? First I can't remember how I got here, now all of a sudden time's gone backwards? What does that even mean?!?!?
[...]
Those thoughts and many others spiral around your mind like gnats in the humid air attracted to sweat and salt. For what must have been a minute in the real world feels like a near eternity for you ever since you laid your eyes on the calendar Trixie gave you. Speaking of the unicorn, she and Nurse Redheart stare at you with concern and uncertainty, as if you're some foreign device that could go off at any second.
Trixie calls you by your name. "Is everything okay? You've been blanking out for a while."
This can't be real. This has to be a prank! Or maybe it's a dream! I just need to need to WAKE UP!!!
Sadly, nothing about this seems fabricated to you as time went on. Unless these two mares, along with Sunburst, are some of the meanest and lowly ponies you've ever met, you see no reason as for why they would play just an unnecessary gag on you, especially with how much time has passed. And as for a dream, while it may be true, the unsettling feeling in your stomach is enough to motivate you to wake up, if possible.
Without warning, you start to shift underneath the covers, slowly squirming your way to the left side of the bed from your view. When at the edge, you poke your right fore- and hindlegs out from the covers, slowing lowering the trembling appendages down to the tiled floor. The knot in your stomach gets harder as your legs descend further.
"You shouldn't really do that," Redheart warns. "You still aren't feeling well."
"I appreciate that," you call back politely. "But I just need to wake ---"
You tried to raise your body from the mattress with your remaining legs, but instead, you manage to fall back down on the edge of the bed when your left shoulder contracts a cramp. As a result, you slip off the bed and come to a hard landing on the floor. In the process, your tray of food, which you had left on the bed's right side, is swept underneath by the moving sheets and clatters to the floor as well, spilling out all of its contents.
Trixie and Redheart gasp collectively. "Are you alright?" asks the unicorn.
Your shaky legs hold you back from standing upright immediately, and even when you do gain the upper hoof in the end, you still struggle to keep yourself from collapsing. The weight in your lower abdomen has grown even heavier than before, and before you realize it, the feelings of nausea and short-sightedness come in to join the misery contest.
You were certain that you would be passing out in any second, but any regard to that fact was of minimum importance to you as you turn around. With your half-misty eyes now trained on the opened door in front of you, you walked, or rather shuffle, towards the visible hallway of the school. When the first steps prove to be laborious, you stand on your hindlegs and lean against one of the other office beds for support.
Before you can move past to the other bed nearby, Redheart intercepts your path and places her forehooves on your shoulders. With a stern, yet calm look, she refers to you by your name.
"I'm afraid I can't let you go any further," she cautions, pushing her own weight against yours. Beads of sweat start to pour down your head, and your head starts to pound, but none of that stops you from trying to make it past her.
"I'm fine," you say in between coughs. "I just need to wake up, and it'll all be over."
You lift a hoof to touch the next bed, but the nurse swats it away. "No," she says. "You need to lie in bed, then everything will be fine. Just go back to bed."
Your efforts to push pass Redheart are utterly futile, but nonetheless the nurse looks towards Trixie. Taking the hint, the guideance counselor lit up her horn and covers you over in a magical purple aura. The tickling, buzzing sensation sets your off, and you try to shoot past and under the nurse's forelegs to the door, but all four of your hooves are lifted off the floor. As you float backwards, you look back to see Trixie levitating you back to the bed you're trying to escape from. Along with holding you in the air, she also manages to open up the covers with her magic, leaving a nice spot for you to rest on.
I just need to wake up. Damn it! Why am I in this dream?
FWOOSH!!!
You find yourself fallen on the floor. A forceful blast of blinding blue light fills the nurse's office, followed by a powerful gust of cold, freezing air that rushes through all three ponies' furs. Countless sheets of paper from the desk fly through the environment and then flutter down like autumn leaves, while the room itself is subjected to a roar that soon subsides. As quickly as it appeared, the light dies out.
Though the spectacle is over, you still keep a hoof over your injured eyes full of dancing stars and dark splotches. From the female groans that you hear, it seems that both Trixie and Redheart were also victims of the blast in a way similar to your experience.
"Well, that'll teach me to manage my time."
The unexpected voice took you by surprise, as it came by a male figure instead of from either of the mares inside --- and the voice itself sounded too deep and gruff to be that of Sunburst's.
You open your eyes to the source of this newcomer, and see, through the stars and splotches littering your sight, a stallion standing in between Trixie and Redheart, who are rubbing their own eyes. He is a light green unicorn with a green and yellow mane and is wearing a brown robe with yellow edges.
"There you are!" the stallion exclaims with a toothy smile, showing no regard towards the two stunned mares beside him. "Well then, it's time to get going!"
"What?" you say in confusion.
Before another appropriate response could be given, the stallion lights up his horn with a blue glow. Soon, you yourself are surrounded by an aura of a similar color and are left to helplessly gawk at the floor as you are floated up into the air.
"What are you---"
In another flash of blue light, though gentler this time and without much wind, you and the stallion are gone from the room. The two mares left behind look in shock at the spots that the two of you once were. Not even the sound of galloping outside of the room could disturb the duo out of their trance. Once the sound stops, an anxious and wide-eyed Sunburst pops his head through the door frame.
"What was that!?!?"
Miles northwest of Ponyville lays a hilly meadow, full of several luscious green trees. Though summer is soon to end with the arrival of autumn, the shimmering afternoon heat of the day drove many woodland critters to the shady abode of the meadow. Sojourners of all shapes and sizes, from rabbits and squirrels, to even foxes and snakes, took refuge underneath tall trees in order to cool down their heated skins or furs.
Many of these animals took much time to rest in the meadow and would have continued to do so --- if not for a bright flash of blue light. The spontaneous event drove off many visitors from their resting spots, especially those in the center of the hill, and away towards the outer reaches where few of the trees' shadows stretched out. Though the incident was quick, it was alarming enough to prevent most of the animals from returning.
When the light faded away, the things left behind in its spot are two ponies --- one a male unicorn and the other a teenager, who happens to be you.
Just literally a second ago, you were in a nurse's office at Princess Twilight's School of Friendship in Ponyville, far away from your home in Canterlot --- without any explanation as for why you were there in the first place. Worst of all, you're somehow in a scenario where you were nearly two decades back into the past, which you believed (and still believe) to be a dream. But before you could wake up, this unicorn stallion in front of you kidnapped you at the last minute.
Laying on your belly, you look up at your captor with a scowl that conveyed startlement more than anger. The green unicorn doesn't meet your eyes, instead staring at something behind you. Though still weak, you're able to get up on your hooves and turn around to look off to the unicorn's direction, where off to the horizon you could see several buildings of Ponyville, including a bright purple castle.
"Several minutes at Jack's Tavern," the unicorn says, with an accent that one from Canterlot or the Griffith Isles would have. "Several minutes is what I said to myself. Afterward, I was supposed to be coming back to the school to check on you."
You turn back around to face the unicorn, holding on to your scowl towards him. Whether your facial expression is noticeable to him or not is unknown to you, but it does nothing to deter the stallion from giving you a relaxed smile with rosy cheeks.
"Of course, what became several minutes turned into nearly two hours of joshing and laughing with some of the boys there. Nice folks and all, but they definitely kept me busier than I meant to be --- along with the beers of course."
You raise an eyebrow. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The unicorn's unbothered face changes, as if he had a cup of water thrown at him, though the blush remains. "Oh, sorry about that. Just a bit of rambling. What I meant was that I was preoccupied with something that I should have known better than to get into. That's why I wasn't there to get you outside of the school."
"Why would you meet me outside the school? I don't know anything about you."
"Well, you're probably wondering why you're stuck in the past, right? Probably all confused about why you were pulled away from whatever you were doing in the future --- or rather the present in your case."
You drop your scowl, seeming almost relieved. "Well, this is the weirdest dream I've ever had."
The unicorn tilts his head. "Dream? What're you going on about?"
"Well, this all has to be a dream. There's no way that a stranger could suddenly know what that guidance counselor told me. So you just have to be a part of my conscious telling myself what I already know. So it's no problem."
The unicorn's confusion doesn't wash away. "No, kid. This isn't a dream. This is real life and you're back in the past. Weren't you in the middle of something?"
"I can't remember much of anything other than going to bed before school. I guess I just have to hold on until I can wake up."
The stranger examines you thoroughly from head to hoof with his dark blue eyes, his quizzical face presenting itself to you like that of a dog or cat greeted to a newcomer. His face betrays no hints as for what is going on in his thoughts, which leaves you a bit unnerved and lacking in assurance, especially with how odd things have been.
"A spell like that must have done something serious to your psyche," he says. "If that's the case, I know just the thing to fix your head up."
Before you could spit out another word, or be able to catch him on time to move out in the way, the unicorn's horn is lit up blue. Pointed in your direction, the horn shoots out a small mist of light that sprays your entire face. The cold, electrifying taste of fuzz fills your mouth and small stars smear your vision as you stumble backward and cough out. You glare at the stallion and lift up a hoof, ready to call him out for that unwanted action, when your pupils turn to pinpricks and your mouth is left a gaping opened hole.
It all comes back.
Everything.
Everything comes back.
The feeling is like a flood that overcomes the weakened structure of an old dam, devastating the land below. It's like all the fur, hair, and skin has been removed from your body in one fluid, naked, painful motion, only for everything to grown back to its original place as if nothing had transpired. It's like your body and soul were launched from the surface of the earth through a cannon, having to drift through the hostile and radioactive void of space before returning back down in a scorching fireball.
However the experience could be described, your entire mind is shattered by the knowledge that you now possess --- the knowledge being that everything that has happened so far is not some construct in your subconscious, as you can remember all that went down before you came here.
Your time studying for your class in the school's western courtyard after hours. Your encounter with the bullies Bran and Sunny that ends with you getting roughed up. And worst of all, those explosions that rocked the city of Canterlot. Even now, those roars are still present in your ears and rattle your bones, with even the smells of dust and smoke remain stuck in your nostrils.
You can even recall that time spent in the alleyway after the second blast, being surrounded by a weird surge of purple electricity as you struggle against negative thoughts inside your head, all while you were lifted up into the air. Nothing can come to your mind after that, other than waking up in the nurse's office.
"My gods," you whisper shakily, holding a hoof up to your cheek as you stare wide-eyed into the meadow. "This isn't a dream. This is real life."
With a grin, the unicorn shakes his head. "Yep. You're definitely in the past. Now I know this is all confusing to you and all, but I need you to listen to---"
Before the unicorn can finish his sentence, you grab him with both of your hooves --- your panic-soaked brain disregarding the proper etiquette of respecting other ponies' boundaries.
"I don't understand!" You shout. "Why is this happening?!? I should be at home --- not here! Why am I---"
The unicorn shoves your hooves off of him. "Calm down, now. Just calm down, lad. Everything's about to be explained to you. How about we just sit down first?"
"No! You don't understand! My home --- Canterlot --- it's being blown up! All these explosions and everything. They just came out of nowhere! I don't even know how many creatures are---"
The unicorn's eyebrow raise. "Explosions? Dear Celestia, you must have gotten picked up when it already happened.... But still..."
The unicorn walks back towards a tree and sits down on the grass against the trunk. With a calm smile, he motions for you to join in with him underneath the foliage. You hesitate for a while, of course, given how befuddled you are with how things are. But needing the answers to end your confusion, you decide to take the unicorn's offer and set down beside him under the tree, much to his approval.
"Good," the unicorn starts off. "Now then, let's introduce each other. My name is Cyrus. Simply just Cyrus. And you are...?"
You tell him your name.
Cyrus shrugs. "Hmm. Quite a name for you, I suppose." He extends his hoof out to you. "Either way, welcome to the past. I don't know how far you are from the future, but nonetheless, welcomes to you still."
You stare at Cyrus' hoof as if it was some deceased specimen on a lab tray from one of your previous science classes. The thought of touching it feels off to you, as if the world would not make any sense if you made physical contact with it. Before you could realize that you were showing a lack of respect and gratitude, Cryus pulls his foreleg away.
"Sorry," he apologizes. "This is still a bit of a shock to you. I get it."
"Well, I..." you draw out, "...appreciate the concern. But I still don't know how I got here."
"My mentor's responsible for that."
"Your mentor?"
Cyrus nods his head. "His name was Vergil. An ornery old fellow. Owned a sorcery shop up in Ginger Alley of Canterlot. That's where he trained me. I won't go too deep into what it was like to be with him, but in general he was demanding. From what he told me, he used a spell of some sort to bring you here from the past."
Your raised eyebrows add more detail to your already quizzical face. "Why would some sorcerer summon a random pony like me to the past?"
"Oh, you got it all wrong lad. You're not here by coincidence. You're connected to this big disaster and everything."
"Disaster? What do you mean?"
"Well, Virgil sensed a magical disturbance one day and decided to leave his shop to go on a journey. Left a note behind explaining this, so I never got a chance to converse with him. Then days later --- about a week ago --- I get a letter from him warning me of a looming threat that will doom Equestria in the days to come, and that I need to help in preparing a defense against it."
His non-chalant description of the details give you skepticism. "And... you just believed him?"
"Of course I believe him!" Cyrus exclaims, sounding almost offended by your curiosity. "He may have been a bit strict with things sometimes, but I doubt he would waste his time, and mine, over a serious event that would never happen. He wouldn't make a fool out of the both of us."
Your skepticism still doesn't subside. "Well, you know him better me."
Cyrus smiles back. "Thank you. Anyway, along with the warning of future dangers, he advised me to travel to Ponyville and be on the lookout for somepony from the future who would be appearing outside of the School of Friendship. That somepony, that being you, would be somepony connected to the ever-looming threat. Though he finished the spell by the time I got the letter, the spell was still taking its time into bringing you here."
"But, how did you know that I was the pony you were looking for? You admitted a while ago that you weren't near the school when I came there."
"Me finding you is all because of this little fellow." Cyrus reaches into the window of his robe and pulls out a blue irregularly shaped crystal attached to a small ring with a smaller thread of rope through it. "This crystal here can detect magical anomalies within a few miles, and since you're technically not supposed to be here without the aid of magic, it wasn't that hard to find you. See?"
The green unicorn rubs the crystal between both of his forehooves and a small blue light emits from the item. When he lets it go, the crystal leaves his forehooves and floats right in front of you. Cryus then claps his hooves four times to get it to stop floating.
"So what is this threat that Vergil was talking about?"
Cyrus shrugs. "It beats me, lad. He never specified what type of danger Equestria would be in. It could be anything from a foreign conqueror to a wide-scale natural disaster."
"Can't you just ask Vergil? If he's so worried about this threat, then shouldn't he be here himself?"
The smile onthe unicorn's face falters a bit along with his ears becoming droopy. "That's the problem. He passed away before the letter got to me --- or maybe even after. It happened right here in Ponyville, somewhere."
You can feel the air becoming awkward and colder, even just by a slight degree of change.
"I'm really sorry about that." you find yourself apologizing without realizing it.
"Oh, don't worry about it," Cryus says reassuringly. "Anyway, we should get up to date about what your role is meant to be." He looks over to the town in front of them and points a hoof forward. "You see that purple castle over there?"
You nod.
"Good. That's, as you may already know, is the Castle of Friendship, and though we can't see it, the School of Friendship is just adjacent to the castle. According to Vergil's letter, you are meant to attend the school and learn as much as you can about the value of friendship. Only once you've learned all you need to know can you stop Equestria from facing imminent doom. Or something of a similiar matter."
"What does learning about friendship have to do with saving the world?"
Cyrus can't help but chuckle. "Kid, if you haven't learned from all the times that Princess Twilight and her pals saved the world through friendship, then I feel you need a bit of catching up to do. But in your case, I really don't know what being in this school will do for you. But from what Vergil wrote, you should unlock some secrets about how to prevent the future from becoming worse."
"What types of secrets? Like a weapon or something?"
Cyrus shakes his head. "Sadly, his letter didn't reveal much. I don't even know how he found out about the future. His horn-writing was more shaky than usual, so I doubt he was in his right mind to fully dot down anything else."
If he wasn't in the right state of mind, did he really know if what he found was even that dangerous?
A mindful silence penetrates the atmosphere of the meadow as neither of you speaks another word. With this quietness now present, you take advantage of the time to think over everything that happened.
The day you've had can best be described as chaotic --- nothing more and, sadly, nothing less. From being assaulted by bullies and facing near death from blasts of energy, to traveling back in time and being forced into a role you didn't anticipate for, to say that you are overcomed by stress and confusion is a definite understatement. But aside from being stressed and confused, you felt something else: Irritation.
That irritation is directed at Vergil, for bringing you here in the first place and tearing you from your home, even if things had become bad there. It is directed at Cyrus, whose nonchalant, relaxed personality deeply constrasts your own anxieties and frustrations over this dilemma. And it is even directed at those ponies at the school who tried to keep you in your bed when you initially freaked out.
Though your negative emotions are still alive and livid, you realize that lashing out with them will do less good than you could ever hope they would. Still, you decide to continue staring off in the direction of Ponyville, watching as the wisps of clouds and black specks of birds float over the town. Off into the horizon, towards the left, you spot Mount Canterlot, and along with it the very city that the mountain is named after.
"Look, lad," Cyrus says, scooting over to you. "I get that this is all confusing, and maybe even terrifying. But you're not alone in this. Vergil's letter told a few other apprentices that he wanted to search around Equestria for any possible signs of abnormal magical activities --- especially the scary, evil, dark magic type of nonsense."
You see that Cyrus is not staring at you, but is instead looking out towards Ponyville as he continues speaking. "That's their goal, while mine is to help you out with finding out this whole mystery involving friendship." He chuckles. "Given how the old man always talked about me, I never imagined he would trust me with this big of a task. But despite that, I still believe he wouldn't just do this without a good reason."
"Well, that's good to know," you say. "But, how am I going to get back home when this is all over?"
The unicorn finally looks down on you with a sincere frown. "I don't know, kid. I'm not an expert on such time travel babble, but hopefully, there's something in his shop that you could help you out to a degree."
Your pupils shrink alongside your heart as panic nearly paralyzes you. "S-so there's n-no way for me to get back to the f-future?"
Cyrus notices the panic. "Woah, woah. I didn't say there wasn't a way. You have to remember: I said that I have no knowledge of time travel. But luckily for you, the subject was one that Vergil was very interested, so there must be some notes or books he left behind that could help you out. Not to mention that there's also his other apprentices that could help out, as well."
Though the fear never goes away from inside, you're able to calm yourself down just enough to make it look like you had collected yourself from the outside. Once you've relaxed, you get up on all four of your hooves and stare down at Cyrus, who looks up at you with curiosity.
"So if I go to this school," you say, "and learn about the importance of friendship, or whatever, I'll find out how to stop what I saw from happening somehow?"
The green stallion nods with a smile.
"So, I guess there's no other choice, then."
Cyrus stands up and places a hoof on your shoulder. "I'm glad to know you're on board. Now, let's get back to the school. We have some explaining to do."
Sadly, I've come to the conclusion that it is best that "Friends From Across Time" is a story that I will have to give up on writing. My reason for doing so is that it'll be way too long for me to finish with its original draft, and with me now working I feel that I wouldn't have enough time to complete it in such a short time.
Luckily, I am planning to write a shorter 2nd POV story that will be released around the beginning of 2022. So please, be on the lookout for that. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone who was excited for this story, but I promise to make the new release as intriguing as "Friends From Across Time".
