> Your Friends From Across Time
>  by EquestrianKnight97
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Act I: An Old Threat Arises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer was coming to an end in Ponyville, and with that came both the departures and arrivals of many activities. Ponies who had left town to vacation elsewhere in Equestria would soon be returning home en masse through the trains, and many festivals and games enjoyed by the villagers would be put on hold for some time until those events were permitted once more. With the coming of autumn, the weather teams of Cloudsdale had plans to lower down the temperature, while the ponies on the ground intended on having another successful Running of the Leaves soon.

And with the end of summer came the opening of schools, much to either the delight or despair of many young ponies. One such school that would open its doors soon would be the world-renowned School of Friendship, which brought creatures from all around the known world together to be taught and apply the lessons of companionship, love, hope, and magic. Though the light-purple building was unoccupied on this late summer morning, an orange unicorn stallion was making his way to the school from an adjacent purple crystal castle.

Sunburst's mind was bursting with cranial fireworks of various ideas as he walked around the castle to reach the bridge leading to the school. His saddlebags were filled with books and paperwork that he intended to show to Starlight, Trixie, and the rest of the staff when they arrived for their last meeting concerning the overall curriculum for the school year. He had been the vice-principal for less than a year --- though the beginning of fall would soon make it a full year --- yet Sunburst already had proposals in place that he knew would help expand and enrich the school's vision.

Though Sunburst knew it was irresponsible, he could not help himself from levitating one of his scrolls right in front of him to read, with him taking a quick break to make sure he made it across the bridge instead of falling into the lake separating the castle and the school --- saving him from ruining his hard work.

The unicorn could barely contain his excitement as the smile his lips curled gave away his inner feelings. 

He had so many suggestions that he wanted to tell the others about when they arrived: the possibility of launching study-abroad programs to countries like Yakyakistan, Mount Aris, or the kirins' homeland; field trips to the newly allied nations of Farasi, Abyssinia, Orinithia, and the Diamond Dog kingdom; and even the construction of a scientific wing with a built-in observatory.

Even the scroll coated in an orange glow in front of his very eyes, listing in detail his goal of the school having additional sports equipment so that teams other than the buckball one could be formed, was enough to give Sunburst hope for all that this school could offer to creatures everywhere. Though the school was ultimately under Starlight's care, he figured that he could still add in his fair share of ideas. 

"*Hoff* *Hoff* *Hoff* "

"Huh?"

The weak, yet audible sound surprised Sunburst --- nearly causing him to let go of his scroll above the lake. 

"*Hoff* *Hoff* *Hoff* *Hak!* *Hak!* *Hoff!*"

It did not take Sunburst long to find the source of those strange noises, as it was right in front of his sights once he levitated the scroll to the side. 

At the foot of the school's stained glass doors sat a pony dressed in a dark red hooded cloak that covered their facial features. The pony was huddled up against the doors with their legs buddled inwards, almost as if they were cold, or perhaps trying to sleep.

Concerned, Sunburst floated his scroll into his saddlebags and hastily trotted over to the school's entrance while keeping a keen eye on the uninvited visitor. 

"Um, hello there --- I guess," the orange unicorn greeted awkwardly to the immobile pony. "I don't mean to be disturbing you, but you're not exactly meant to be on school property this early in the day. Are you here just to take a nap?"

Even with them being merely four meters away from Sunburst, the stranger was either unable or unwilling to respond. Though he could not exactly tell what it was, the appearance of this pony unsettled him greatly, as if their very being was meant to serve as a warning of some sort. Outside of the semesters, nocreature was out this early to gain entrance into the school. Was this pony truly a visitor or tourist wishing to catch a glimpse of the school, or were they just a traveler seeking to rest here for a while without permission?

Despite his non-confrontational nature, Sunburst continued to approach the pony, all while summoning a much sterner look to his face. 

"Excuse me," Sunburst stated in a firm yet controlled tone. "I'm certain you're very tired, but unless you're here to see the school via a tour, I insist that you leave the premises."

"*HAAK!* *HAAK!* Ugh."

Having coughed up something fierce, the pony on the ground slowly raised their head up to see Sunburst, revealing themselves to be a brown unicorn stallion with a long grey mane underneath his hood. When Sunburst witnessed the pony's elderly, worn-out face, the vice principal was left in shock at what was evident.

The older stallion was pouring out clear, transparent bullets of sweat that ran down his face and soaked the outer edges of his cloak. Most of his body, from his legs to even his clenching teeth, shook ferociously as if the summer heat was absent from the air. Worst of all, from Sunburst's perspective, were the stallion's eyes. His red, veiny bloodshot eyes were deprived of any sort of moisture, like an oasis having been conquered by the desert heat. Whatever color the irises originally were were now replaced by a deep black shade.

Once the elder pony laid his eyes on the younger unicorn, he tried to summon whatever strength he had left within him to overcome his chattering teeth and form something coherent. Before he could be successful, Sunburst crouched down to his level --- the worry and panic on his face having overcome the slight annoyance from before.

"Oh, Celestia!" the orange unicorn exclaimed. "I didn't even think that you were hurt! Don't do anything! I'm coming back to get some help!"

Sunburst got back on his hooves, ready to embark back to the castle to alert Starlight of the stranger and help deliver him to Ponyville General. But before he could even start a trot, some type of force gripped onto his blue cloak and paused him in his tracks. He turned around in time to see the older pony holding on to his apparel. 

"I... I thought... that they would be here. It's... what was shown... to me."

The older pony's voice was fragile and low, as if his vocal cords had been rubbed callously against the coarsest of sandpaper. Sunburst himself was surprised that the stallion could even muster enough strength to lift a hoof, let alone use his voice. But those details mattered very little to Sunburst. If he didn't get this stallion any help as soon as possible, things would likely take a turn for the worst. 

"Sir, please," Sunburst pleaded, his breathing becoming as heavy and panicked as the pony he addressed. "You have to let me go. There's no time for this. I have ---"

"HAAAAAAKKK!"

The elderly unicorn let out one final cough. Saliva slowly yet surely made its way out of the corner of his mouth, and at that moment his body went limp, loosening his grip on the cloak. The cough was a very gruesome and unexpected one, as it even shook Sunburst to his bones and made his back hairs stand up. 

"Time...*Wheeze*," the elderly unicorn started, "it's something... that is of very short supply... *Wheeze* for many creatures these days."

A faint blue glow emitted from the older pony's horn. At the same time, a blue aura illuminated around the satchel that the stallion was carrying. The flap of the satchel was opened up and a thick brown book was lifted out. The elderly unicorn levitated the book over to Sunburst's face, but the vice-principal simply looked at it with an uncertainty of how to handle it, all while the elder before him continued to breathe heavily.

"I don't understand what this is for," Sunburst said, looking at the stranger with lost, perplexed eyes.

"There's.... *Wheeze* something coming. I... I... hope I did enough. *Wheeze* It's up... to them now..."

The blue aura around the book began to flicker like a faulty light blub before it dropped in front of Sunburst's hooves. The orange unicorn looked over to the older pony to find him collapsed to the floor --- motionless and with an opened mouth where the last of his essence had left his body. 

Sunburst, however, was unaware of this demise. Thinking that there was still time left, the unicorn made a plan up to hurry back to the castle and inform Starlight. But before he departed, he stared down at the brown book before his hooves, which was engraved with runic drawings on the front cover and had stick notes embedded in the pages.

What was supposed to be a day of enthusiasm for the future had become a day of passing and confusion.
> Chapter 1 (Unicorn OC's) (Non-Canon)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing to come back to you was your sense of pain.

An uncomfortable throbbing sensation vibrated throughout the entirety of your skull --- drawing out a distressed groan from your dry lips. 

The next thing you noticed, thanks in part to your foggy vision, was the orientation at which your body was set up. There was something about your spatial awareness that seemed just off, and you were only proven more right by the sight of the blurry green grass below you. You crane your head up and discover the end of your rear legs tied up with rope, which extended upward towards a tree branch. 

"Well, um, I'm glad to see that you're up, at least."

The male voice coming from your right compelled you to turn your head around. Despite your poor sight, you could tell who your neighbor was --- a cream-colored earth pony stallion with a somewhat spiky orange mane. And like you, he was also suspended upside-down by another piece of rope around the same branch.

"Gallop?" you managed to squeeze out of your mouth. "I thought you got away from them?"

The stallion chuckled. "I thought so, [Y/N], and I think I almost had an opening, too, but I made a wrong turn in the woods and caught blasted by some powder or something."

A collection of foreign mumbles from below made you and Gallop look down at the ground, where you spotted nearly a dozen tiny, furry anthropomorphic creatures huddled around a large black object. The chants --- incoherent to you --- from the furry creatures were squeaky and loud, and though you would not describe the sounds as angry, there was much excitement in the tone of those voices. The fact the creatures got rowdy just as you woke up did nothing to soothe the anxiety festering in your mind.

But any goal you had of calming yourself failed once your vision fully returned to you. The creatures down below, with furs of grey, black, or brown colors,  were given a much clearer appearance, as you could see their beady black eyes and their sharp tooth smiles as they shout up at you and Gallop. 

But the sight that disturbed you the most was that of the black object on the ground. It was a large cauldron filled with a purplish-blue liquid that bubbled and steamed and swirled with the aid of one of the creatures revolving a stick through the thick medium while on a stool.

The worst part of that sight was that the cauldron was right beneath both you and Gallop by either fifteen to twenty feet, and as far you were aware, there was no escape from what you were sure was about to happen.

"Hey," Gallop started, "I know you just woke up like me, but you wouldn't mind using your magic to get us out of this, would you?"

You looked at Gallop, who was now staring down at the same cauldron. Though the panic was free from his voice, the stallion's green pinprick eyes were in contradiction to the act of courage that he was displaying.

Pushing through your doubts, you decide to give Gallop's advice a fair chance. You lit up your horn in its usual color and focus your efforts on moving the cauldron on its side, hoping to spill out the contents onto the ground. You close your eyes and direct your attention to the cauldron --- imagining the whole bowl rocking back and forth on its short legs. 

Though you couldn't see it, for a moment your magic managed to grab a hold on the object of your desire, but when you tired to move the cauldron, the lights around it flicked until they disappeared. The resistant weight of the bowl, alongside the persistent headache you had, prevented you from carrying out your plan. It seemed that your hunch from before was correct.

"Well, at least you gave it a shot," Gallop commented, with you sighing as a response.

Though the effort with the cauldron was in vain, that lack of success was not what was souring your mood right now. The creatures below had caught on to the trick you tried to play on them, and from above you could hear the change in their voices. The change in tone was that of anger, but more of panic, as if they were worried about you actually finding a way out of your bondage.

Out from the crowd, you notice one of the creatures running past the cauldron with either an ax or a hatchet in their hands. The sight itself is enough to worry you, and you feel compelled to turn your head around. When that did not work out, likely because of the awkward way you were left hanging in the air, you had to twist your body around in order to get a better view.

From behind you and Gallop, the ropes that held the both of you and were wrapped around the tree branch each had one end that descended downward and was wrapped around another tree's trunk. And as you feared, the weapon-wielder was running straight for that tree. 

The strain from turning became overwhelming and so your body twisted itself back to its original position. Having seen enough, you know you did not need another peek to understand what was going to  happen.

"No." The word slipped carelessly out of your lips, but the panic throbbing in your heart prevented you from feeling much shame in that.

"What's going on?" Gallop exclaimed. "What are you seeing? Is something happening?"

From outside of your view, as you dreaded your awaiting fate, the furry creature finally reached the tree where the two ropes were wrapped around. The creature looked up at both you and Gallop as hung helplessly from the tree branch, and then returned his gaze to the trunk. The creature, with a determined stare, raised the ax up above his head --- very much ready to strike the first blow on one of the ropes. 

FWOOSH!!!

The creature with the ax hesitated from bringing down the tool, as the alien sound was now the focus of his attention instead of the tree. Just past the tree, the creature could see a bright, twinkling orange light from the treeline distances away from the field. What failed to initially register in the creature's mind was the closeness and speed at which the light was gaining. By the time the creature felt the urge to react, in one quick motion, the light exploded several feet from him. 

The explosion itself was basically a powerful puff of orange magical dust, barely strong enough to sizzle the grass below. But it was strong enough to affect one individual.

The ax wielder dropped his tool and went to the ground on his knees. The creature let out a panicked shrill, as his fingertips frantically rubbed against his closed eyelids. The distressed noise caused the rest of the furry creatures to turn their heads to the tree where the ropes were tied, and the sight of their distressed companion was enough to draw expressions of concern and anxiety from their small faces. 

"What the hay was that?" Gallop exclaimed again. The cream-colored stallion looked to you as if you held the answers he was seeking. As far as you were aware, you both were clueless as to what the mishap was. All you could catch were a few of the creatures running in the direction of where the screaming was coming from, while the rest stayed nervously in their places.

As you observed the confused bundle of creatures down below, you spot a small orange light shining from the treelines beyond. This same light eventually grew in size as it encroached further and further into the field. When the light was close enough to illuminate the nearby, unsuspecting creatures, you found an instinctual urge within yourself to close your eyes tight. Despite not knowing the specifics of the danger, you felt correct in taking action once you heard a muffled explosion --- followed by several more high-pitched screams similar to the one behind you.

"AH! My eyes!" 

Gallop, however, was not as lucky as you when it came to protecting his sight.

As you stayed suspended in the air, the chorus of shrieking, along with Gallop's own complaints, filled your ears, making it hard for you to keep your headache from growing ever worse. You had no clue as to what was occurring all around you, but you just hoped that it would end soon with both you and Gallop ending up alright in the end. You just never thought that a trip to the White Tail Woods would end up like this.

"Hey, dude. You can open your eyes now."

The female voice caught you off guard, not just because you were not expecting anyone else to come, but because of how close the voice was to your ear. For some reason, you decided not to trust whoever was around you with their request.

"Alright, then. I guess we'll just have to leave this place with your eyes closed, then. But we still need to hurry up."

When you hear the gruff voice again, your ears pick up on the familiar tone of the speaker. Opening your eyes, you see floating in front of you a greyish-purple and black-haired griffon with a magenta scarf. The griffon gave you a calm smile as she stared at you with her yellow eyes, just mere inches away from your upside-down face.

"Georgia?" You asked. "What are you doing here?"

Instead of answering your question, the griffon floats up further to where the rope is tied to the branch and swiped at it with her grey talons.

"Georgia! Wait---"

In one fluid motion, the rope holding you snapped and you found yourself falling down into the cauldron, but before you become engulfed in the liquid your body paused midair --- just as you were entering the rim of the enormous bowl. With an orange glow developed around your entirety, you are lifted from the cauldron's opening and the ropes around you are loosened and fall to the ground. 

Standing up on all four hooves, you meet a pink unicorn mare with a luscious orange-and-yellow mane right in front of you. Though you do not crack a smile or let out a thanks, the sight of the mare is enough to electrify your heart with gratitude and comfort. You could swear that your headache was at least half better now due to her being here, even with the cries of the creatures vibrating in your skull.

"There you go," Georgia muttered. "Easy does it."

Above, the griffon held a befuddled Gallop in her arms while she floated down to the ground. Ripping off the rest of the ropes, Georgia let go of Gallop and the stallion managed to stand up on his own after struggling with his balance.

"If everycreature's alright, we need to go. Now!" shouted the pink unicorn. 

Following the mare's lead, you, Gallop, and a still-floating Georgia make your way across the field and head over to the nearby treeline at a brisk pace. You, the mare, and Gallop try your best not to collide with any of the stunned creatures that come across your way, but the latter of you three was unsuccessful as he ended up bumping headfirst with a creature. With a roll of her eyes and a sigh of annoyance, the pink unicorn lit her horn and levitated the earth pony to her side, despite the strain it caused her.

"Just stay by my side," she instructed.

Shaking his head, Gallop struggled to look at the mare as he ran. "I appreciate the save, Luster, but it would have been nice if you told us beforehand that you had a trick like that under your horseshoe. You already have too many spells for me to remember."

The mare never diverted her vision from the treeline. "Your eyes will clear up soon," she replied. "But so will theirs. That's why we need to hurry up. Just don't leave my side."

When you reached the treeline, you could see two figures hiding behind a couple of bushes. One was a brown yak with a golden nose ring and orange hair that covered her face, and the other was a tanish-grey kirin with a teal-colored mane and a red horn. When all four of you were out of the field, the two creatures emerged from their hiding spots and followed you into the deeper parts of the White Tail Woods.

The part of the woods that you were racing through held a bountiful amount of trees that, with the aid of the sun, shined down the bright autumn colors of red, brown, orange, and yellow upon the forest land. Though there were few dead trees or ponds or depressions that got it your way, the woods around you got hilly at times, and thus all six of you would have to fight against gravity.

The autumn beauty of the woods would have normally stopped you in your tracks so that you could admire more of it. But given the race against time and the hostile creatures behind you, you didn't have luxury or lack of sense to just put everything on hold.

"Oh, crap!" Gallop shouted as he watched over his steps. "We forgot to get our token back there!"

"I didn't see any of the grundles with it," Luster said. "They must have moved it somewhere else. Sorry about that."

"Did you at least get yours?" you asked.

Georgia, floating right above you, answered for Luster. "Yeah. The two of us got our's." The griffon reached into the messenger bag she wore and pulled out a large silver coin the size of an orange. "It wasn't hard to get past them with my speed and Lust's magic."

Gallop let out an annoyed and loud grunt. "I was so close to getting out of there! All that hard work down the drain just because I took the wrong stupid turn!"

"Pony should not be so hard on himself," said the yak with a deep female voice. "Yak and River Song took a long time to get their token. In fact, we almost lost ours when the furry grundles chased after us."

The teal maned kirin, who was behind you and right beside the yak, let out a bubbly giggle, which seemed unfitting to you given the surrounding circumstances. "Yelena's right, Gallop! We were soooo close to getting busted back there! I was able to scare most of them away with a little bit of fire if you know what I mean, so it turned out okay."

"You didn't end up burning down a part of the forest, did you?" Georgia asked the kirin with a raised eyebrow.

Though annoyed, River Song replied back calmly. "Of course not. I just sizzled a bit of grass, is all. Besides, I doubt I could generate enough fire to bring down an entire field of trees."

Luster looked up at the griffon. "Georgia, can you rush ahead of us and see what the path home looks like? We need to be sure we're in the right direction."

With a silent salute and a smile, Georgia zoomed off beyond you and the others and disappeared into the foliage of the trees. 

For the next few minutes, the only sounds that emanated in the forest were the crunching steps of all five of you against the dead leaves below, the gasps of air you each took as you all ran, and the distant cries of the grundles that you just realized were on your tracks. Like a robust train pushing its gears throughout the midnight, the five of you did not dawdle in your race throughout the woods. 

However, if there was one creature amongst the bunch that was losing traction, it would have to be you. You could not tell if it was fatigue from running or the effects of the powder that put you to sleep early on, but you were losing speed as you were barely in between both River Song and Yelena now. You looked over at Gallop, your temporarily drugged-up companion, and you found him to be going at a very good pace alongside Luster. That sight either meant the powder was wearing off for him or that the earth pony just had better stamina and energy than you. Given how you have always witnessed Gallop in peak shape and fitness despite having a huge appetite that went along with a hyperactive metabolism, your mind went with the latter option.

Regardless of someone else's situation, you yourself were not doing so good. Your breathing became heavier and heavier with each step you took, while the pounding your hooves took to the ground bored into your bones and ached all the way up to each of your legs. If you and your classmates really were running like a train, then you were about to be that one faulty gear or wheel that stalled the whole trip for everycreature.

With your body on autopilot as you galloped, you gazed up into the foliage above where freckles of sunlight poured through the leaves and dotted up your face. You closed your eyes like a pious creature in prayer.

Dear princesses, please just let us make it. Please. I need this.

When you opened your eyes, those speckles of light were now replaced by the whole sun, no longer sequestered by any trees above. Putting your head down, you discovered that you and the others were now running through another grassy field that was surrounded by trees on all sides. But only one treeline caught your eye in particular, and that was the one in front you from distances away.

Just beyond that treeline was the upper half of a mountain miles and miles and days away from the White Tail Woods. But it wasn't just any ordinary mountain, for this one held on its side the outlines of a barely visible city, a city of which you have seen many times before since you arrived at your new school. On most days, you barely cared to view Mount Canterlot, but now the far-distance city was a signal of hope.

This small town that you lived in for only a few months was almost within your reach. 

You were almost safe from the danger right behind you.

A smile crept its way onto your face as this new fact dawned on you. As the joyful seconds went on, your breathing became slower and steadier while your legs gained a new sense of purpose as you ran faster than before. You could already imagine yourself in the comforts of your dorm room, as if it was beckoning you to come back. You could even see some joy in the faces of your classmates around you, and if they were happy then that must mean that things were turning out okay.

"WE GOT TROUBLE!!!"

The voice from afar snatched you out of your daydream and back into reality. Looking forward, you spot a black figure far away in the sky that was coming directly at you and the group. When the five of you made it halfway across the field, the figure was close enough for you to recognize it as a familiar griffon, who was missing her usual calm demeanor. Meeting the rest of you in the middle, Georgia floated down above Luster.

"There's like two dozens of those guys coming right at us!" Georgia said in a panic. "And they got like ropes and slingshots and all that stuff! One of them almost got me with one of those powder pellets."

Gallop groaned. "Great! Now we're about to be sandwiched!"

Across the field, you could spot small specks of brown, grey, and black creatures approaching from the direction that Georgia had come from. It would likely take them some time to get to you, yet the angry mumbling from behind reminded you that you had no time to feel safe. When the grundles that had chased you come out of the woods, the six of you all bundled up together into a circle, with twelve nervous eyes taking watch of every direction.

"Friends aren't in such a good predicament," Yelena said. 

"No kidding," Gallop replied.

Taking a big gulp, River Song looked over anxiously at Luster. "Maybe we should head back into the woods from either the left or the right," the kirin said. "That way we can lose them in the trees."

Frowning, Luster shook her head. "I don't think so," she said with a stoic voice. "The woods to the sides are too far away. Regardless of which direction we go in, they'll likely catch up to us in time."

You decided to add in a suggestion. "What if we split up?"

The pink unicorn shook her head again. "I doubt that would make a difference. They seem to have enough numbers to split up as well."

"If you want," Georgia said, "I can take the rest of the tokens and head back to Ponyville." 

"No. We need to do this together. That seems like our best option." A small conniving grin grew on Luster's face that contrasted strongly against the uneasy expressions of everyone else. Though she appeared like a mischievous foal about to commit a heinous act, you knew her enough --- though just a little bit --- to know that she had come up with a useful idea.

"River," she said. "I need you to get angry enough to build a fire-wall behind us. And when you're done, I need you to stay mad until we reach the trees ahead."

The kirin calmed down enough to look back at Luster before leaving the circle. As River Song walked away, she closed her eyes and took deep, heavy breaths that resonated throughout her tense body. Soon, the breaths became gasps, which soon turned into nasty snarls that matched with the scowl forming on the kirin's face.

"Frost Shower messing with my make-up drawer. Last-minute homework assignments. Pink socks don't go with a brown dress. Frost Shower messing with my make-up drawer. Last-minute..."

As River Song growled out her mantra, you could see steam rising from her mane and tail. Soon, her regular turquoise hair exploded into a fiery combination of red, blue, and purple flames. The heat from her body was now strong enough to sizzle the grass below with each hoof-step she took, leaving behind dark circles of burnt soil. 

"Last-minute homework assignments. Pink socks don't go with..."

You were so distracted by River Song that you didn't even notice Luster's hoof on your shoulder until she yanked you towards herself.

"So here's the plan, [Y/N]," she said. "I need you to use your magic to help me move River's heat towards the grundles in front of us." 

You raise your hoof like a student in class.

"And before you ask, it won't be hard for you to do. I'll hit River with a spell that'll radiate her body heat, along with a few others. I just need you to perform a telekinesis spell on her and act like your trying to push her." Luster then looked over Georgia, Gallop, and Yelena. "The rest of you will follow behind us with the tokens. We're all going to get out of here."

"PINK SOCKS DON'T GO WITH A BROWN DRESS!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The hair-raising scream from behind snapped everycreature's neck towards the direction of River Song, whose scaly tanish-grey coat was now charcoal-black like a night sky, and whose eyes were devoid of any pupils or irises. With another shrieking howl, the nirik opened her mouth and forged a large jet of red, blue, and purple fire that burnt the ground. Moving her head to the side, River Song formed a semi-circle that protected you and the others from the grundles behind you, who immediately stopped in their tracks at the sight of the multicolored flames --- along with the image of an angry, burning creature.

Luster saw their opening. "River! Get in front of us and keep those flames on! Everyone else, stay behind me!"

Once the nirik had made her way around the group and bolted straight to the treeline leading home, leaving behind patches of burnt grass along the way, you and the others followed Luster's lead --- with you being the first behind the pink unicorn. With a quick glance around your shoulder, you noticed that the grundles to the back had made it past the fire-wall that River Song set up, but it did its job in delaying their advance, given how far away they were from you.

Your head turned back in time to spot Luster casting a spell or two on River Song's body, while up ahead you could see the grundles getting closer and closer to you. Like Georgia had mentioned, they held ropes and nets and slingshots in their hands, and their lack of slowing down meant to you that they fully intended on using those devices.

"[Y/N]!" Luster shouted, drawing your eyes to her. "I need you to perform the telekinesis spell, now! I'll be helping you out, but I'll be on the lookout for any projectiles as well! Georgia, keep an eye behind us!"

With a simple nod, you close your eyes and concentrate. You imagine a repeating wave of energy coursing through your body, starting at frogs of your hooves and traveling up to the tip of your horn. When you felt your horn begin to illuminate, you open your eyes and grab a magical hold on the nirik. 

Following Luster's instruction, you imagined pushing River Song in front of you. Instead of you moving her, a shimmer or mirage emerged from her body that morphed and twisted the air like a ripple traveling throughout a body of water. Though the shimmer never went back in your face, you could feel the intense heat radiating off of the nirik on your face and neck. The feeling reminded you of when you laid too close to a radiator or a heater during the colder seasons. 

By now, the grundles in front were close enough for you to see their beady black eyes and snarling teeth. The only reason they did not advance further was likely because of River Song's menancing appearance, but some of them that were in the lead crouched down with their slingshots as they reached into their pouches.

"They're getting out the powder again!" Gallop yelled.

"I got it!" Luster replied. "[Y/N], keep a hold on River, I need to take care of this."

Your eyes widen. "What? Luster I don't know if I can---"

"It won't be long! Just keep a hold of your concentration!"

Whatever protest was in your mind, you decided to keep it in there. Even if you did say something in objections to Luster, she had already let go of her magic on the nirik, as you could feel a heavier magical weight on you as you did your spell. The feeling was like moving a shopping cart down the aisle, only to experience some resistance when in the middle of the journey somecreature placed in extra materials inside. 

In front of you, the grundles with slingshots had let go of their pellets and sent them flying at the group. Before they could hit anycreature, the pellets exploded into puffs of white dust midair when they collided with several well-placed orange magical circles. The slingshot wielders tried a second time, and the same event occurred, leaving the furry creatures a bit baffled.

"Watch your backs, everyone!" Luster yelled. "We're about to push through!"

And on cue, that's what happened. When all six of you rushed past the first row of grundles, the creatures that had once been shooting at you were now swaying and collapsing onto the grass floor, clutching their forehooves and breathing aggressively before doing so. Approaching the second row of enemies, with most of them carrying ropes and nets, River Song's heat overwhelmed the ones closest to you all, causing them to fall to the ground en masse like foals falling asleep after a hyperactive day.

There were still many more of those furry worriers up ahead, but you were getting closer to the treeline. Just a few more hurdles left and you would make it back home. After the way things were this early in the day, you felt that you needed to rest up.

But things were never truly that simple.

You all had made it midway through the crowd with River Song's aid, but now something was going wrong. You could feel it. Your hold on River Song was faltering, and as before the sensation was equal to trying to push a heavy cart, but this time the cart was wobbling and was about to fall down on its side. 

You looked over to Luster with pleading eyes, but the pink unicorn had her own hooves full. From what you could tell, the few grundles left standing from the rows you passed had given her a hard time with their nets and ropes, as several such objects were being levitated by Luster before popping out of existence. And with a dozen or more grundles left to deal with, you knew that she would not be able to help you anytime soon. 

The six of you ran into a third row, and like before the heatwave managed to knock some of the grundles off their feet. The ones with weapons of all sorts were being disarmed by Luster's magic whenever she got the chance. Georgia, who had been given a slingshot and pellet pouch when you were not looking, was shooting the unsuspecting and vulnerable victims down below. When you took a glance behind, Gallop and Yelena bumped their torsos occasionally at any grundle that tried to sneak up on them, sending them flying backward. 

The part you were playing, though, was different from the others. Without Luster's magic to guide you through this, you found it harder and harder to keep River Song's heatwave up. As much as you tried, the cart was just too heavy for you to deal with on your own. Your head started to pound, making you grit your teeth as you resisted the invisible load pressing down on you. You look over at Luster to your side. 

"Luster!" you shouted. "I can't keep it up!"

The magical glow on your horn flickered on and off like a deficient lightbulb, and that lack of efficiency coincided with the loss of concentration you had over the nirik in front of you. Eventually, too much was too much, and you had to let River Song go to save you from over-exertion. 

Though the grundles were not aware of your inability to keep your magic up, they eventually found out that the heatwave was down when none of them grew weary anymore, and that itself opened an opportunity for them. When River Song ran past many of them, not aware that they would not be passing out anytime soon, some of the grundles found their opening and came at you and Luster with their ropes and nets.

While the pink unicorn was lucky enough to dodge one of the ropes in time, your reflexes were less refined than hers. In trying to recover mentally after using your magic, you missed the sight of a net coming down on you. As you got tangled in the fibers, you lost your footing and ended up tumbling down to the ground. Through the mesh, you could see a few of the furry creatures with slingshots coming right at you, ready to shoot.

Just then, a puff of white smoke hits one of the grundles in the chest, incapitating them. You look above to see Georgia with her slingshot still in her grasp. The fallen grundle was enough of a distratction to stun the rest of their companions, so you use your magic to raise the net off of your body and get on your hooves. Before you can think of what to do next, you hear a fierce bellow from behind that you recognized, followed by the feeling of the earth shaking.

An angered Yelena faced you once you turned around, and the sight of the charging yak sent both you and surrounding grundles into a panic. Though knowing that you were not the source of her ire, you were quick enough to move --- or rather leap --- out of her way. The yak shot right past you and into the crowd of furry creatures. Most of them were lucky enough to escape Yelena, but one of them collided with her head-on and ended up clinging onto her horns for dear life as she tried to thrash them off.

Another shrill catches your attention, and you spot out of the corner of your eye a grundle running at you with a rope of their own. Before you could react in time, the grundle throws the lasso right at you, but the material stops midair, suspended by an orange glow. With the movement and fluidity of a snake, the rope wrapped itself around the confused grundle's body, rendering them immobile and on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Luster asked as she approached your side.

"I guess," you answered. "Do you think that maybe---" 

"GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!"

Without warning, Gallops ran past the both of you as two upset, shrieking grundles clings to his face, obscuring his view. Eventually, the stallion skidded in his tracks and thrashed about, managing to launched the duo into the air. Exhausted, Gallop ignored the situation around him for just a moment in order to collect his breath. When he was done, he looked up at you and held a bewildered stare in his eyes, yet you felt that it was not meant for you.

The collective roar of many high-pitched voices was enough to send the hairs on your neck standing up. Turning around, you see that the army of grundles you had evaded in the woods were now enclosing on your position. Though the distance was too far, you could already imagine that they were more than peeved at being blinded and having to chase you for a long time. 

You plan on informing Luster about the sight, but it appeared she already got on. Having finished up tying another grundle up with their own rope,  she stood in between you and Gallop.

"Everycreature, to me!"

You and Gallop do as she said and come to her side. A few seconds later, Georgia and Yelena, the latter having gotten rid of her grundle rider, came over to the group as well, seeming as drained as Gallop was. Finally, River Song, who was still lit up with flames leaped over in front of you. For a moment, you were concerned that she had made it into the treeline without everycreature else.

"I was about to make a break for it when I looked back and saw all you guys surrounded," River Song said. "What happened to the plan of sticking together?"

Despite the imminent danger approaching, embarrassment overcame your sense of worry. You did not want anycreature to delve into the topic any further, so you willingly left the nirik hanging on for an answer. 

"We'll talk about what went wrong later," said Luster. "Right now we need to focus on this."

Once again united in a circle, the six of you stood off against the grundles. Though most of them were coming from the south, there were still enough around all of you that it would be hard for everycreature to make it into the forest without some resistance. You just hoped that whatever plan Luster had, that she would make it work soon. Before it was too---

RRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!

A loud whistle rang throughout the clear afternoon air. Immediately, the grundles stopped in their track and in turn lowered their weapons. You and your classmates, knowing what that sound meant, were able to lower your guard and relax, which included River Song extinguishing her flames. You had doubts, however, as to whether or not you yourself were really able to relax. If things could end by going sour, then there was nothing for you to relax about.

"That's its, everycreature!" a female voice said. "Time's up!"

You, along with the others, look up above at the sky. Floating down in the air was a light-blue changeling with light-red insect wings who landed right between the six of you and the grundles. When she landed on the ground, you could see the turquoise sclerae of her eyes as she stared at you with a smile, along with the whistle around her neck. 

"Are the six of you all right?" the changeling asked with a calm, serene voice. "None of you are hurt, are you?"

Yelena was the first to respond, shaking her head. "No, Professor Ocellus. Friends are all alright, including yak."

"Speak for yourself," Gallop grumbled. "I think I have fur in my mouth. I might have even been scratched by one of them."

The changeling's smile did not change a bit at this news. "Well, if that's the case we'll get it looked at back at the school. Other than that, I'm glad to know nocreature got seriously hurt --- at least concerning you six. I have to say, this activity for your midterm didn't seem like a bad idea, even though I originally had my doubts. I was definitely impressed with how Luster and Georgia got a hold of their token."

"Well, um, thank you, professor," Luster said. Even though you did not look at her, you could imagine the pink unicorn saying her gratitude with a blush and a sheepish smile. "I was really worried about getting caught and causing a conflict with the grundles, at least at first, but I'm glad to know that my illusion-plus-mimic spell worked out so well."

"Thank you, professor," Georgia said simply.

The rustling of leaves from behind caught you off-guard and in response you turn your head to spot four ponies trotting out of the treeline leading to Ponyville, along with a single grundle that wore a crown made out of sticks, vines, and flowers. Two of the ponies -- both being pegasus stallions --- were seniors at the school that you knew somewhat about. The third pony was an orange pegasus mare with a long purple mane whose most noticeable features were the wings on her back that were smaller than that of an average adult pegasus.

The final pony, who walked side-by-side with the crowned grundle, had the most memorable appearance out of the five new individuals. He was an orange unicorn stallion with circular glasses and a long orange-red beard that went down to his chest, and around him was a dark blue robe that was dotted with turquoise stars.

Seeing the newcomers, Ocellus turned to face the small grundle army, who sat down peacefully on the grass like foals preparing for a story in a classroom instead of the menaces they once were. In a light-blue flash, the changeling was transformed into a copy of one of the furry creatures, albeit with the unusual shade of blue fur instead of brown, grey, or black. Clearing her throat, Ocellus began to speak to the grundles in a language unfamiliar to you, yet whatever speech she had was enough to grasp the audience's attention.

From behind you, you saw the crowned grundle approach Ocellus to stand by her side as she continued speaking. Eventually, the robed unicorn also left the group to join Ocellus.  That left the other three ponies to converse among themselves, which you paid strict attention to. Though each had a turn to talk, it appeared that the seniors were mostly informing the orange pegasus on something, with the mare occasionally nodding her head and adding in her own comments.

The only sounds that came from the trio were mumblings that you could not translate for yourself. They could have been conversing about anything as far as anycreature knew, but you knew for a fact what they were going over. And if things turned south, the outcomes would be ones unpleasing to you. With angst and suspicion clouding your mind, you sat down on your haunches like everycreature else around you had done. Though you knew that relaxing would not prevent any misfortune to rain on your day when it came, you hoped that the grass bed below would at least cushion the mental blows.

"Well, this is just awesome," Gallop complained as he laid on his back. "I'm definitely not gonna pass this midterm."

"Pony doesn't know that for certain," Yelena assured as she played with the grass in front of her.

Georgia, who was sitting on Yelena's back, added her own comment. "If you've seen his grades like I have, you wouldn't be saying that."

River Song winched. "Ouch. I mean, I don't know the full story so it could be true, but that's a bit harsh."

Georgia shrugged. "Sorry. I'm just trying to be objective about things."

"Well your objectivity isn't going to help me out," Gallop snapped back. "I can't believe I fumbled the bag so hard. After all the studying I did for weeks, it's gone down the drain."

Luster's ears shot up. "Studying? If I recall correctly, you didn't put in much time during those study sessions we had together. You would blank out and somecreature would have to call you out."

"Well, that's just when I'm with you guys. When I'm by myself, I'm totally on my A-game."

Georgia failed to stifle a laugh. "Really? Cause I remember a time last spring when Rumble and Pip mentioned you sacrificed a weekend of studying to go hang out with them in Chicoltgo for a buckball game."

Gallop shot up and sat on his haunches. "Hey! It was the finals, and Rumble bugged me about how he was gonna give the third ticket to someone else if I couldn't decide."

Luster continued with her criticism. "And if I remember, the game wasn't the only final you should have worried about at the time."

"I gotta agree with her, Gallop," River Song said. "I think you were pretty bummed out that you didn't make it above the top tens for your classes."

The earth pony shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "At least I passed my freshman year."

"Barely," Georgia coughed, though it was more a whisper, given that Gallop did not react strongly to it.

"There must be a reason for Gallop to be failing classes," Yelena said.

"It's just general laziness," said Georgia, much to Gallop's groans.

"Still, maybe we should try to delve deeper into the issue," River Song added. "Maybe you have to change your diet or sleep schedule. I've heard that eating too much is, like, totally not good for your mind when it comes to thinking. It like, slows your brain down or something. It's just something I've heard of, but it's something to take seriously."

You personally knew that Gallop ate a lot whenever he got the opportunity. Despite being a bit chubbier as a colt, based on a picture you caught a glimpse of, he had apparently gained a slimmer figure over the years. Whether that was due to exercise you had no clue, but his apparent weight change did nothing to make him abhor greedy eating. Once, while in a study group, you had seen the stallion chow down on five hayburgers at the local Burger Village, then went down to Sugarcube Corner for cupcakes, cookies, a slice of pie, and half a cake, before finally going to BonBon's candy store for extra sweets.

"Or, maybe you just need to manage your time better," Luster commented with a reminiscing smile. "I have a personal planner where I organize all of my activities for the day, both educational and leisure-based. It really helped me when I was at Celestia's School, and as far as I'm aware I've never had a moment since when my free-time overlapped with my studies. You should really invest in getting one."

Gallop mused with the thought over in his head. "It could work. I'll give it a chance." He then turned over to look at you. "I'm sorry about what happened, [Y/N]."

You stared at him with a confused frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't help out when the grundles caught you. I freaked out and worried about myself, and even then I got caught. With this being a loyalty test, I didn't do a good job of staying loyal and watching your back."

You take a moment to consider his words and how sincere they are. "It's okay. I don't have anything personal to hold against you. It was a crazy experience. Besides, you had the token, so I get why you wanted to get out of there."

You personally had bigger things to worry about than Gallop's guilt. Though you did not know for certain how bad Gallop's grades were, you knew for a fact that yours were probably not much better. While an average student when it came to the usual classroom and homework assignments, you had not done so well with the previous three midterms, even though they seemed like simple tasks at first. 

If this midterm turned out bad, and if you could not get a good grade for the next one, then your family would be given notice of your failings. Given how shaky things already were with them, you did not want to aggravate them any further.

"Welp," Georgia said, getting off Yelena to float in the air for a quick stretch. "Regardless of how this ends---" She looked down at you and Gallop. "--- at least for some of us, I know for a fact that Professor Silverstream's midterm is gonna be a bit easier."

With a heavenly gasp, River Song's ears perked up while her purple eyes sparkled. "Oh my gosh! You're right! We might have had no options with Professor Scootaloo's raffle, but with the laughter midterm Professor Silverstream said we can choose for ourselves what to get graded on." The kirin giggled bubbly. "This should all be easy."

"Then it's settled," Georgia continued. "We'll meet tomorrow in the afternoon to have a study session and pick our project. I'm pretty sure we're all too sweaty and zapped out to do that today. How does that sound?"

"Sure," Gallop said.

"Yak will be there," Yelena said.

"I guess," you mumbled.

"I'll be sure to bring some snacks just in case!" River Song exclaimed with cheer.

"I haven't checked my schedule yet, but I should be free at the right time," Luster said.

A familiar female voice suddenly called out from behind you and the others. "Hey, guys!"

Turning around, you saw that the orange pegasus mare was approaching you, while the pegasi students had already taken to the air and went on their way back to Ponyville.   By her side was Ocellus, who you never realized had finished talking to the grundles. When you looked back at where the crowd was, they all were on their way home back to the White Tail Woods. The cloaked orange unicorn was also making his way back to you.

Having gained the attention of the professor, you and the other five students rise up and face her.

"Good to know that everycreature is okay," she said with a smile. "I bet this whole thing has been a crazy three-hour experience for you all, with being chased by grundles and all. But I like to think of this midterm as an important lesson on the value of loyalty, regardless of how well you've done."

"Overall, I believe this event went off pretty well," the unicorn stallion pronounced from behind. "This is the first time in the school's history where we had the natives of the White Tail Woods agree to be involved in our activities. I'm definitely surprised with how the king allowed for his subjects to be volunteers, as long as we assured that no serious harm came to them. I'm very impressed that you students did nothing to bring a single complaint to Ocellus and the king."

Scootaloo chuckled. "You seem very upbeat by this, Sunburst."

"Well, of course I am!" the unicorn exclaimed with a stunned look. "This is the first time that the grundles have interacted with Equestrians outside of limited trading. They're such a solitary species, so I'm very excited that we've even received such an opportunity to begin with. This could be the start of something. For all we know, the king might allow some children to attend the school, or perhaps even permit some grundles to visit Ponyville! Think of the cultural exchange!"

Still smiling, Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm very happy for you. Ocellus and I pulled a few strings for all of this to happen. But maybe we can talk about interspecies interactions later on."

Sunburst grinned sheepishly. "Of course. I'm pretty sure the students want to know how they did."

The orange pegasus looked at all six of you before clearing her throat. "I know some of you might not have been pleased with getting this as your project, but I can promise you that the other students in class have also faced, or will face, some form of difficulty with their own midterm. I won't spoil it, but in a way, yours was easier than others."

"What easier about being chased by overgrown teddy bears?" Gallop whispered to River Song. Though the earth pony was lucky enough to not be heard by his teacher, he still received a scolding in the form of a shoulder bump from the kirin.

"In the end, the main purpose of this midterm is to demonstrate the principles of loyalty as best as possible. Though everycreature did not do things perfectly, and without declaring your definite grade at the moment, I can say that there are some points that I can acknowledge. First of all: Luster Dawn and Georgia..."

From the line you all formed, you could spot Luster tensing up a bit. You could not really blame her, as you felt a knot form in your own stomach.

"From what Professor Ocellus told me about observing you two, you did well with coordination and communication. Luster, you had a very well-thought-out plan with using your magic to lure out the grundles guarding the token. And Georgia, I appreciate you for listening to Luster's suggestions on which trees to hide in as you made your way to the token. And as you were making your way back home, it was an excellent choice to using your wings to your advantage and help Luster navigate past the patrols.

"However, Luster, you had some trouble on the way back here, even though I congratulate you for saving Gallop and [Y/N]. Your plan of using River's heat to push past the grundles was excellent in thought, but you managed to leave some cracks exposed. Ocellus noticed that [Y/N] was struggling with their magic to keep the spells you used going. I understand that you had your hooves full, but it would have been best to check with them about their endurance. Other than that, you did well with your last-minute plan."

Scootaloo paused, giving consideration to her thoughts and next words as you looked among the students. Sadly, the teacher's silence did little to undo the knot that was already tightening.

"River Song and Yelena. Unlike the other two groups, Zoom told me you both had an earlier encounter with the grundles that I'm sure you didn't want. Yelena, I appreciate you not wanting to be too bossy, but it's important for you to provide your opinion when needed. It may have helped you two avoid that encounter with the patrol. But even with that, I have to commend your ability to stand by each other when one of you were in trouble, like how you, River, fended off the grundles while Yelena got away with the token."

Taking another pause, the orange pegasus stared at you for a moment with her light purple eyes before drifting them away, likely to examine Gallop next. In that brief moment, your stomach's knot snapped in half, though the pain remained and grew larger. It amazed you that your legs did not wobble on the spot, but you somehow managed your outward composure.

"Gallop and [Y/N]. Sparrow Jet seemed to believe that the two of you were very determined with getting your tokens, especially when passing through patrols. But one mistake he spotted was that you two didn't exactly have a plan for how to get around the guards in a clever way. It seemed that the two of you were in a hurry to just get the token and then bolt out of there. And given that's exactly what happened, you shouldn't be surprised by what happened. And Sparrow told me about how you left [Y/N] behind, Mr. Fry.

"Like I said before, I haven't decided your grades yet. Just think of what I've said as like a quick summary of what they could be. I need to go into further discussion with the observers about what they saw, and I need to take into consideration any complaints you all may have. I don't need them now, unless you think you'll forget. Just come by my office on Monday or leave a note in my letterbox. Any thoughts or questions?"

Not a single peep arose from any of you in the line. While others were probably quiet due to being calm or anxious over the uncertainty of their grade, you knew for certain that you were in the latter camp. The professor's description of your character in the midterm was not that long or detailed, since it was really focused on both yours and Gallop's faults, but the lack of positive qualities in that report did nothing to ease the tension growing in your mind.

After everything was said that needed to be said, Scootaloo felt it best to give everycreature before her a smile."Alrighty. I get you guys are all ready to get back home. Maybe take a shower, grab dinner, and then go to bed. Try not to worry too much about your grade. You still got one more midterm left, and from what I've heard from the other professors, most of the sophomores got good grades on the previous ones. I just hope you six are a part of that group."

"Yes," Sunburst said. "Please remember to be ready for the last midterm. With winter break coming up, I'm certain none of you want to stay behind during the holidays for extra credit."

With a smile and a wink, Scootaloo wished all six of you "goodluck" before turning around to head back into the treeline. With the advantage of owning wings, Ocellus and Georgia soared ahead of everycreature toward the direction of the school. 

"See you all tomorrow!" the black griffon announced as she departed into the skies.

The rest of you took your time walking back to the school. You allowed everyone else to go ahead of you, since as far as you were concerned you had no reason to hurry. Despite wanting to return home during the midterm, you had no ambition with getting there so soon and would rather take in the nature around you for as long as possible. 

"[Y/N]?"

The call of your name drew your eyes upward from the grass that you wanted your eyes to be preoccupied with. Up ahead, the vice-principal of the school gave you a concerned glance.

"Yes, vice-headstallion?" you asked.

"Is everything alright with you?" Sunburst asked in turn. "You seem a bit down."

You returned your sight to the ground. "It's fine. Just spacing out is all."

"Hmph. Well, with all the excitement that went on this afternoon, I guess I'm not allowed to blame you for feeling tired. Luckily it's a half-an-hour trip back to the school."

"Uh-huh," was all that you got out of your mouth alongside a quick agreeing nod. You hoped that that was the end of his concerns and that he would simply leave you be.

"Has anycreature given you any trouble here?"

You struggled to keep down a sigh that was bellowing down in your chest, just waiting to come out. "No, sir. My time here has been... okay."

Sunburst kept quiet, yet you knew that he would say something again sometime soon.

"Okay, then. Just tell me if there are any accommodations to be made. And don't forget that Counselor Lulamoon is also available when you need her."

Believing that to be the end of everything, you replied. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
> Chapter 1 (Pegasus OC's) (Non-Canon)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing to come back to you was your sense of pain.

An uncomfortable throbbing sensation vibrated throughout the entirety of your skull --- drawing out a distressed groan from your dry lips. 

The next thing you noticed, thanks in part to your foggy vision, was the orientation at which your body was set up. There was something about your spatial awareness that seemed just off, and you were only proven more right by the sight of the blurry green grass below you. You crane your head up and discover the end of your rear legs tied up with rope, which extended upward towards a tree branch. 

"Well, um, I'm glad to see that you're up, at least."

The male voice coming from your right compelled you to turn your head around. Despite your poor sight, you could tell who your neighbor was --- a cream-colored earth pony stallion with a somewhat spiky orange mane. And like you, he was also suspended upside-down by another piece of rope around the same branch.

"Gallop?" you managed to squeeze out of your mouth. "I thought you got away from them?"

The stallion chuckled. "I thought so, [Y/N], and I think I almost had an opening, too, but I made a wrong turn in the woods and caught blasted by some powder or something."

A collection of foreign mumbles from below made you and Gallop look down at the ground, where you spotted nearly a dozen tiny, furry anthropomorphic creatures huddled around a large black object. The chants --- incoherent to you --- from the furry creatures were squeaky and loud, and though you would not describe the sounds as angry, there was much excitement in the tone of those voices. The fact the creatures got rowdy just as you woke up did nothing to soothe the anxiety festering in your mind.

But any goal you had of calming yourself failed once your vision fully returned to you. The creatures down below, with furs of grey, black, or brown colors,  were given a much clearer appearance, as you could see their beady black eyes and their sharp tooth smiles as they shout up at you and Gallop. 

But the sight that disturbed you the most was that of the black object on the ground. It was a large cauldron filled with a purplish-blue liquid that bubbled and steamed and swirled with the aid of one of the creatures revolving a stick through the thick medium while on a stool.

The worst part of that sight was that the cauldron was right beneath both you and Gallop by either fifteen to twenty feet, and as far you were aware, there was no escape from what you were sure was about to happen.

"Hey," Gallop started, "I know you just woke up like me, but can you try breaking out of these ropes? My mine are super tight, so there's no way I'm getting out."

You looked at Gallop, who was now staring down at the same cauldron. Though the panic was free from his voice, the stallion's green pinprick eyes were in contradiction to the act of courage that he was displaying.

Pushing through your doubts, you decide to give Gallop's advice a fair chance. With your bundled-up legs, you pushed as hard as you could against the ropes in every direction you could think of. Though your hindlegs were practically useless as you soon found out, your frontlegs did everything they could to break free from the linen cocoon, but even their efforts were in vain. 

Though your legs were out of the equation, you had one pair of appendages left that you could rely on. Straining your back muscles, you tried to spring your wings to life, seeing if maybe perhaps they were strong enough to push through your bondage. You could feel the ropes arch above the pressures your wings placed on them and for a moment it seemed a feather would at least peek through the cracks.  

However, your strength suddenly left you as the headache you had suddenly returned. That same fatigue and pain spread throughout the rest of body, which included your wings, and it was only a matter of time before your resistance came to an end. With your efforts wasted, you look over to your companion with a grimace. 

"Well, at least you gave it a shot," Gallop commented, with you sighing as a response.

Though the effort with breaking free was in vain, that lack of success was not what was souring your mood right now. The creatures below had caught on to the trick you tried to play on them, and from above you could hear the change in their voices. The change in tone was that of anger, but more of panic, as if they were worried about you actually finding a way out of your bondage.

Out from the crowd, you notice one of the creatures running past the cauldron with either an ax or a hatchet in their hands. The sight itself is enough to worry you, and you feel compelled to turn your head around. When that did not work out, likely because of the awkward way you were left hanging in the air, you had to twist your body around in order to get a better view.

From behind you and Gallop, the ropes that held the both of you and were wrapped around the tree branch each had one end that descended downward and was wrapped around another tree's trunk. And as you feared, the weapon-wielder was running straight for that tree. 

The strain from turning became overwhelming and so your body twisted itself back to its original position. Having seen enough, you know you did not need another peek to understand what was going to  happen.

"No." The word slipped carelessly out of your lips, but the panic throbbing in your heart prevented you from feeling much shame in that.

"What's going on?" Gallop exclaimed. "What are you seeing? Is something happening?"

From outside of your view, as you dreaded your awaiting fate, the furry creature finally reached the tree where the two ropes were wrapped around. The creature looked up at both you and Gallop as hung helplessly from the tree branch, and then returned his gaze to the trunk. The creature, with a determined stare, raised the ax up above his head --- very much ready to strike the first blow on one of the ropes. 

FWOOSH!!!

The creature with the ax hesitated from bringing down the tool, as the alien sound was now the focus of his attention instead of the tree. Just past the tree, the creature could see a bright, twinkling orange light from the treeline distances away from the field. What failed to initially register in the creature's mind was the closeness and speed at which the light was gaining. By the time the creature felt the urge to react, in one quick motion, the light exploded several feet from him. 

The explosion itself was basically a powerful puff of orange magical dust, barely strong enough to sizzle the grass below. But it was strong enough to affect one individual.

The ax wielder dropped his tool and went to the ground on his knees. The creature let out a panicked shrill, as his fingertips frantically rubbed against his closed eyelids. The distressed noise caused the rest of the furry creatures to turn their heads to the tree where the ropes were tied, and the sight of their distressed companion was enough to draw expressions of concern and anxiety from their small faces. 

"What the hay was that?" Gallop exclaimed again. The cream-colored stallion looked to you as if you held the answers he was seeking. As far as you were aware, you both were clueless as to what the mishap was. All you could catch were a few of the creatures running in the direction of where the screaming was coming from, while the rest stayed nervously in their places.

As you observed the confused bundle of creatures down below, you spot a small orange light shining from the treelines beyond. This same light eventually grew in size as it encroached further and further into the field. When the light was close enough to illuminate the nearby, unsuspecting creatures, you found an instinctual urge within yourself to close your eyes tight. Despite not knowing the specifics of the danger, you felt correct in taking action once you heard a muffled explosion --- followed by several more high-pitched screams similar to the one behind you.

"AH! My eyes!" 

Gallop, however, was not as lucky as you when it came to protecting his sight.

As you stayed suspended in the air, the chorus of shrieking, along with Gallop's own complaints, filled your ears, making it hard for you to keep your headache from growing ever worse. You had no clue as to what was occurring all around you, but you just hoped that it would end soon with both you and Gallop ending up alright in the end. You just never thought that a trip to the White Tail Woods would end up like this.

"Hey, dude. You can open your eyes now."

The female voice caught you off guard, not just because you were not expecting anyone else to come, but because of how close the voice was to your ear. For some reason, you decided not to trust whoever was around you with their request.

"Alright, then. I guess we'll just have to leave this place with your eyes closed, then. But we still need to hurry up."

When you hear the gruff voice again, your ears pick up on the familiar tone of the speaker. Opening your eyes, you see floating in front of you a greyish-purple and black-haired griffon with a magenta scarf. The griffon gave you a calm smile as she stared at you with her yellow eyes, just mere inches away from your upside-down face.

"Georgia?" You asked. "What are you doing here?"

Instead of answering your question, the griffon floats up further to where the rope is tied to the branch and swiped at it with her grey talons.

"Georgia! Wait---"

In one fluid motion, the rope holding you snapped and you found yourself falling down into the cauldron, but before you become engulfed in the liquid your body paused midair --- just as you were entering the rim of the enormous bowl. With an orange glow developed around your entirety, you are lifted from the cauldron's opening and the ropes around you are loosened and fall to the ground. 

Standing up on all four hooves, you meet a pink unicorn mare with a luscious orange-and-yellow mane right in front of you. Though you do not crack a smile or let out a thanks, the sight of the mare is enough to electrify your heart with gratitude and comfort. You could swear that your headache was at least half better now due to her being here, even with the cries of the creatures vibrating in your skull.

"There you go," Georgia muttered. "Easy does it."

Above, the griffon held a befuddled Gallop in her arms while she floated down to the ground. Ripping off the rest of the ropes, Georgia let go of Gallop and the stallion managed to stand up on his own after struggling with his balance.

"If everycreature's alright, we need to go. Now!" shouted the pink unicorn. 

Following the mare's lead, you, Gallop, and a still-floating Georgia make your way across the field and head over to the nearby treeline at a brisk pace. You, the mare, and Gallop try your best not to collide with any of the stunned creatures that come across your way, but the latter of you three was unsuccessful as he ended up bumping headfirst with a creature. With a roll of her eyes and a sigh of annoyance, the pink unicorn lit her horn and levitated the earth pony to her side, despite the strain it caused her.

"Just stay by my side," she instructed.

Shaking his head, Gallop struggled to look at the mare as he ran. "I appreciate the save, Luster, but it would have been nice if you told us beforehand that you had a trick like that under your horseshoe. You already have too many spells for me to remember."

The mare never diverted her vision from the treeline. "Your eyes will clear up soon," she replied. "But so will theirs. That's why we need to hurry up. Just don't leave my side."

The sight of Georgia reminded you that it would probably be faster for you to rely on flying to escape instead of your legs. Unfurling your wings, you flapped them up and down as fast and as hard as you could, but you never found yourself floating above the grass you ran on and jumped from. You could only surmise that the powder pellets those creatures shot at you were still messing with your systems.

When you reached the treeline, you could see two figures hiding behind a couple of bushes. One was a brown yak with a golden nose ring and orange hair that covered her face, and the other was a tanish-grey kirin with a teal-colored mane and a red horn. When all four of you were out of the field, the two creatures emerged from their hiding spots and followed you into the deeper parts of the White Tail Woods.

The part of the woods that you were racing through held a bountiful amount of trees that, with the aid of the sun, shined down the bright autumn colors of red, brown, orange, and yellow upon the forest land. Though there were few dead trees or ponds or depressions that got it your way, the woods around you got hilly at times, and thus all six of you would have to fight against gravity.

The autumn beauty of the woods would have normally stopped you in your tracks so that you could admire more of it. But given the race against time and the hostile creatures behind you, you didn't have luxury or lack of sense to just put everything on hold.

"Oh, crap!" Gallop shouted as he watched over his steps. "We forgot to get our token back there!"

"I didn't see any of the grundles with it," Luster said. "They must have moved it somewhere else. Sorry about that."

"Did you at least get yours?" you asked.

Georgia, floating right above you, answered for Luster. "Yeah. The two of us got our's." The griffon reached into the messenger bag she wore and pulled out a large silver coin the size of an orange. "It wasn't hard to get past them with my speed and Lust's magic."

Gallop let out an annoyed and loud grunt. "I was so close to getting out of there! All that hard work down the drain just because I took the wrong stupid turn!"

"Pony should not be so hard on himself," said the yak with a deep female voice. "Yak and River Song took a long time to get their token. In fact, we almost lost ours when the furry grundles chased after us."

The teal maned kirin, who was behind you and right beside the yak, let out a bubbly giggle, which seemed unfitting to you given the surrounding circumstances. "Yelena's right, Gallop! We were soooo close to getting busted back there! I was able to scare most of them away with a little bit of fire if you know what I mean, so it turned out okay."

"You didn't end up burning down a part of the forest, did you?" Georgia asked the kirin with a raised eyebrow.

Though annoyed, River Song replied back calmly. "Of course not. I just sizzled a bit of grass, is all. Besides, I doubt I could generate enough fire to bring down an entire field of trees."

Luster looked up at the griffon. "Georgia, can you rush ahead of us and see what the path home looks like? We need to be sure we're in the right direction."

With a silent salute and a smile, Georgia zoomed off beyond you and the others and disappeared into the foliage of the trees. 

For the next few minutes, the only sounds that emanated in the forest were the crunching steps of all five of you against the dead leaves below, the gasps of air you each took as you all ran, and the distant cries of the grundles that you just realized were on your tracks. Like a robust train pushing its gears throughout the midnight, the five of you did not dawdle in your race throughout the woods. 

However, if there was one creature amongst the bunch that was losing traction, it would have to be you. You could not tell if it was fatigue from running or the effects of the powder that put you to sleep early on, but you were losing speed as you were barely in between both River Song and Yelena now. You looked over at Gallop, your temporarily drugged-up companion, and you found him to be going at a very good pace alongside Luster. That sight either meant the powder was wearing off for him or that the earth pony just had better stamina and energy than you. Given how you have always witnessed Gallop in peak shape and fitness despite having a huge appetite that went along with a hyperactive metabolism, your mind went with the latter option.

Regardless of someone else's situation, you yourself were not doing so good. Your breathing became heavier and heavier with each step you took, while the pounding your hooves took to the ground bored into your bones and ached all the way up to each of your legs. If you and your classmates really were running like a train, then you were about to be that one faulty gear or wheel that stalled the whole trip for everycreature.

With your body on autopilot as you galloped, you gazed up into the foliage above where freckles of sunlight poured through the leaves and dotted up your face. You closed your eyes like a pious creature in prayer.

Dear princesses, please just let us make it. Please. I need this.

When you opened your eyes, those speckles of light were now replaced by the whole sun, no longer sequestered by any trees above. Putting your head down, you discovered that you and the others were now running through another grassy field that was surrounded by trees on all sides. But only one treeline caught your eye in particular, and that was the one in front you from distances away.

Just beyond that treeline was the upper half of a mountain miles and miles and days away from the White Tail Woods. But it wasn't just any ordinary mountain, for this one held on its side the outlines of a barely visible city, a city of which you have seen many times before since you arrived at your new school. On most days, you barely cared to view Mount Canterlot, but now the far-distance city was a signal of hope.

This small town that you lived in for only a few months was almost within your reach. 

You were almost safe from the danger right behind you.

A smile crept its way onto your face as this new fact dawned on you. As the joyful seconds went on, your breathing became slower and steadier while your legs gained a new sense of purpose as you ran faster than before. You could already imagine yourself in the comforts of your dorm room, as if it was beckoning you to come back. You could even see some joy in the faces of your classmates around you, and if they were happy then that must mean that things were turning out okay.

"WE GOT TROUBLE!!!"

The voice from afar snatched you out of your daydream and back into reality. Looking forward, you spot a black figure far away in the sky that was coming directly at you and the group. When the five of you made it halfway across the field, the figure was close enough for you to recognize it as a familiar griffon, who was missing her usual calm demeanor. Meeting the rest of you in the middle, Georgia floated down above Luster.

"There's like two dozens of those guys coming right at us!" Georgia said in a panic. "And they got like ropes and slingshots and all that stuff! One of them almost got me with one of those powder pellets."

Gallop groaned. "Great! Now we're about to be sandwiched!"

Across the field, you could spot small specks of brown, grey, and black creatures approaching from the direction that Georgia had come from. It would likely take them some time to get to you, yet the angry mumbling from behind reminded you that you had no time to feel safe. When the grundles that had chased you come out of the woods, the six of you all bundled up together into a circle, with twelve nervous eyes taking watch of every direction.

"Friends aren't in such a good predicament," Yelena said. 

"No kidding," Gallop replied.

Taking a big gulp, River Song looked over anxiously at Luster. "Maybe we should head back into the woods from either the left or the right," the kirin said. "That way we can lose them in the trees."

Frowning, Luster shook her head. "I don't think so," she said with a stoic voice. "The woods to the sides are too far away. Regardless of which direction we go in, they'll likely catch up to us in time."

You decided to add in a suggestion. "What if we split up?"

The pink unicorn shook her head again. "I doubt that would make a difference. They seem to have enough numbers to split up as well."

"If you want," Georgia said, "I can take the rest of the tokens and head back to Ponyville." 

"No. We need to do this together. That seems like our best option." A small conniving grin grew on Luster's face that contrasted strongly against the uneasy expressions of everyone else. Though she appeared like a mischievous foal about to commit a heinous act, you knew her enough --- though just a little bit --- to know that she had come up with a useful idea.

"River," she said. "I need you to get angry enough to build a fire-wall behind us. And when you're done, I need you to stay mad until we reach the trees ahead."

The kirin calmed down enough to look back at Luster before leaving the circle. As River Song walked away, she closed her eyes and took deep, heavy breaths that resonated throughout her tense body. Soon, the breaths became gasps, which soon turned into nasty snarls that matched with the scowl forming on the kirin's face.

"Frost Shower messing with my make-up drawer. Last-minute homework assignments. Pink socks don't go with a brown dress. Frost Shower messing with my make-up drawer. Last-minute..."

As River Song growled out her mantra, you could see steam rising from her mane and tail. Soon, her regular turquoise hair exploded into a fiery combination of red, blue, and purple flames. The heat from her body was now strong enough to sizzle the grass below with each hoof-step she took, leaving behind dark circles of burnt soil. 

"Last-minute homework assignments. Pink socks don't go with..."

You were so distracted by River Song that you didn't even notice Luster's hoof on your shoulder until she yanked you towards herself.

"So here's the plan, [Y/N]," she said before glancing at Georgia. "You need to hear this, too, Georgia. I need the both of you to form a tornado large enough to scare the grundles in front of us."

Panic formed in your eyes. "But I've never made a tornado before. The most I've done is mess with clouds to make rain or snow."

"I've done it once with a friend," Georgia said to you. "All you need to do is just follow my speed as best as you can and stay close to me. How far do you want us to go, Lust?"

"Just get in halfway between us and the grundles in the front," the pink unicorn responded. "That way nocreature will get caught up in the winds. But if the tornado seems too strong, I'll use my magic to cancel it out as best as I can."

"PINK SOCKS DON'T GO WITH A BROWN DRESS!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The hair-raising scream from behind snapped everycreature's neck towards the direction of River Song, whose scaly tanish-grey coat was now charcoal-black like a night sky, and whose eyes were devoid of any pupils or irises. With another shrieking howl, the nirik opened her mouth and forged a large jet of red, blue, and purple fire that burnt the ground. Moving her head to the side, River Song formed a semi-circle that protected you and the others from the grundles behind you, who immediately stopped in their tracks at the sight of the multicolored flames --- along with the image of an angry, burning creature.

Luster saw their opening. "River! Get in front of us and keep those flames on! Everyone else, stay behind me!"

Once the nirik had made her way around the group and bolted straight to the treeline leading home, leaving behind patches of burnt grass along the way, you and the others followed Luster's lead --- with you being the first behind the pink unicorn. With a quick glance around your shoulder, you noticed that the grundles to the back had made it past the fire-wall that River Song set up, but it did its job in delaying their advance, given how far away they were from you.

Georgia nudged you on the side of your head. "You ready to fly?"

You flexed your wings up and down, seeing if perhaps the resistance you faced before had gone away. Surely enough, the was no trouble with getting them to work, and so you jumped off the ground, floating right next to Georgia. The griffon delivered you a friendly grin once she saw you in the air and nodded ahead. In one fluid motion, she zoomed off ahead of you, making you double your speed in response. 

Your head was still fuzzy from being knocked out, but overall you could feel a gradual change in how your body was operating. The lungs in your chest were willing to accept the rushing air that collided into you, while your wing muscles used their source of blood and energy to enthusiastically flap your feathery appendages. The joy in finding out that you soar brought a smile to your mouth. 

The griffon in front of you made an upward curve in the air and remembering her previous advice you followed her movement. You quickly looked back down to see your other classmates trailing behind, with the grundles close on their tails. From your distance high above, they all looked like colorful dots on the ground.  

"Here we go!" Georgia shouted. "Remember: try to keep up with me!"

She made a sudden turn to the right and curved her way upward. A similar maneuver was done in the left direction upward until Georgia settled for flying around and around in a circle. You make your way up to the griffon and end up spinning directly below her. The wind you felt before was now twice as strong, ripping through your mane and coat hairs as if they were blades of grass.

The motions you took made your entire vision as blurry as to when you first woke up suspended from that tree. The only images you could make out were the blue of the sky above, the various shades of green of the wilderness below, and the streak of black in the middle that was Georgia. You did your best to keep up with the griffon, who proved herself to be the better flyer, being two or three meters ahead of you. A few attempts were made on your part to match her speed, but an uneasy weight in your stomach made its way to your throat each time, keeping you from your goal.

Eventually, you could feel a change in the environment from your left side. Turning your head around, you see a column of air had formed inside the circle you two made. This column expanded and expanded until the two of you were engulfed in a swirling sea of grey clouds and roaring winds. The experience was very shocking and unexpected for you, yet your nerves were still intact to your surprise.

If anything, the grey, stormy atmosphere was somewhat calming --- probably the most calming sight you had seen all day.

Though you could not see anything from within the tornado, aside from Georgia's silouhette, you could tell from the surroundings that it was big. It may not have been the size of a disaster-causing havoc, but you were certain at least that it was visible to everycreature down below. In particular, you hoped that the grundles on both sides were already running away in fear.

But things were never truly that simple.

That heavy weight you felt in your stomach had returned and managed its way up to your throat again, and with that, the feeling of needing to throw up caused the sensation of nausea to spread through your body. You moved your hooves to cover your mouth, yet sadly you could do nothing to stop the discomfort from spreading everywhere else --- which included the appendages on your back.

You had just regained control of your wings not so long ago, and yet it seemed that you would no longer be able to function them. Your wings had a hard time moving up and down, as if they were weighed down by invisible wax or glue, and without any motion to guide your flight you found your altitude gradually decreasing. 

As you fell to the ground below, the tornado you and Georgia had worked on forming quickly fell apart into nothingness. You were spiraling so fast and so out of control that you had a difficult time knowing if Georgia had notice your absence or not. But with the manufactured vortex now nonexistent, you could clearly see what was happening on the surface beneath you.  

From what you could tell, the flaming River Song was still leading the rest of your classmates toward the treeline. The grundles from behind were gaining on the group, while the grundles at the front seemed a bit scattered, so perhaps that tornado did indeed begin to scare them off at first.  

But the success of the tornado was not your concern at the moment. What was of concern to you was that you could not stop yourself from spiraling down to the ground without any command over your own wings. As gravity brought you spinning to the earth, you feared how intense the impact would be, given how high you and Georgia were at the start. 

Luckily for you, an orange glow envelops itself around your body when you were nearly three meters away from some form of an injury. While suspended upside-down, you saw a familiar pink unicorn mare with a lit-up horn facing you. The light on her horn dissipated and you fell on you back with an audible thud. 

"Are you okay?" Luster asked with a worried tone. "Why did the tornado break down?"

You turned on your stomach and got up. "I started not to feel so good and I lost control of my wings."

"Well, my plan seemed to work for a little bit. I think a few of the ones scared off are coming back now that it's gone."

A thud to the side catches your attention, and you see Georgia walking over to you. "Dude," she said, "what happened to you?"

You hated repeating yourself, especially with the grundles around, yet you did it anyway. "I just lost control. I don't really know why it happened." 

"GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!"

Without warning, Gallops ran past the three of you as two upset, shrieking grundles clings to his face, obscuring his view. Eventually, the stallion skidded in his tracks and thrashed about, managing to launched the duo into the air. Exhausted, Gallop ignored the situation around him for just a moment in order to collect his breath. When he was done, he looked up at you and held a bewildered stare in his eyes, yet you felt that it was not meant for you.

The collective roar of many high-pitched voices was enough to send the hairs on your neck standing up. Turning around, you see that the army of grundles you had evaded in the woods was now enclosing on your position. Though the distance was too far, you could already imagine that they were more than peeved at being blinded and having to chase you for a long time. 

You plan on informing Luster about the sight, but it appeared she already got on. Having finished up tying a grundle up with their own rope,  she stood in between you and Gallop.

"Everycreature, to me!"

You, Georgia, and Gallop do as she said and come to her side. A few seconds later, Yelena came over to the group as well, seeming as drained as Gallop was. Finally, River Song, who was still lit up with flames leaped over in front of you. 

"I know some of them got spooked off, but I think the tornado should have stayed up just a bit longer," River Song said. "I mean, we didn't even make it into the trees yet! 

Despite the imminent danger approaching, embarrassment overcame your sense of worry. You did not want anycreature else to delve into the topic any further, so you willingly left the nirik hanging on for an answer. 

"We'll talk about what went wrong later," said Luster. "Right now we need to focus on this."

Once again united in a circle, the six of you stood off against the grundles. Though most of them were coming from the south, there were still enough around all of you that it would be hard for everycreature to make it into the forest without some resistance. You just hoped that whatever plan Luster had, that she would make it work soon. Before it was too---

RRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!

A loud whistle rang throughout the clear afternoon air. Immediately, the grundles stopped in their track and in turn lowered their weapons. You and your classmates, knowing what that sound meant, were able to lower your guard and relax, which included River Song extinguishing her flames. You had doubts, however, as to whether or not you yourself were really able to relax. If things could end by going sour, then there was nothing for you to relax about.

"That's its, everycreature!" a female voice said. "Time's up!"

You, along with the others, look up above at the sky. Floating down in the air was a light-blue changeling with light-red insect wings who landed right between the six of you and the grundles. When she landed on the ground, you could see the turquoise sclerae of her eyes as she stared at you with a smile, along with the whistle around her neck. 

"Are the six of you all right?" the changeling asked with a calm, serene voice. "None of you are hurt, are you?"

Yelena was the first to respond, shaking her head. "No, Professor Ocellus. Friends are all alright, including yak."

"Speak for yourself," Gallop grumbled. "I think I have fur in my mouth. I might have even been scratched by one of them."

The changeling's smile did not change a bit at this news. "Well, if that's the case we'll get it looked at back at the school. Other than that, I'm glad to know nocreature got seriously hurt --- at least concerning you six. I have to say, this activity for your midterm didn't seem like a bad idea, even though I originally had my doubts. I was definitely impressed with how Luster and Georgia got a hold of their token."

"Well, um, thank you, professor," Luster said. Even though you did not look at her, you could imagine the pink unicorn saying her gratitude with a blush and a sheepish smile. "I was really worried about getting caught and causing a conflict with the grundles, at least at first, but I'm glad to know that my illusion-plus-mimic spell worked out so well."

"Thank you, professor," Georgia said simply.

The rustling of leaves from behind caught you off-guard and in response you turn your head to spot four ponies trotting out of the treeline leading to Ponyville, along with a single grundle that wore a crown made out of sticks, vines, and flowers. Two of the ponies -- both being pegasus stallions --- were seniors at the school that you knew somewhat about. The third pony was an orange pegasus mare with a long purple mane whose most noticeable features were the wings on her back that were smaller than that of an average adult pegasus.

The final pony, who walked side-by-side with the crowned grundle, had the most memorable appearance out of the five new individuals. He was an orange unicorn stallion with circular glasses and a long orange-red beard that went down to his chest, and around him was a dark blue robe that was dotted with turquoise stars.

Seeing the newcomers, Ocellus turned to face the small grundle army, who sat down peacefully on the grass like foals preparing for a story in a classroom instead of the menaces they once were. In a light-blue flash, the changeling was transformed into a copy of one of the furry creatures, albeit with the unusual shade of blue fur instead of brown, grey, or black. Clearing her throat, Ocellus began to speak to the grundles in a language unfamiliar to you, yet whatever speech she had was enough to grasp the audience's attention.

From behind you, you saw the crowned grundle approach Ocellus to stand by her side as she continued speaking. Eventually, the robed unicorn also left the group to join Ocellus.  That left the other three ponies to converse among themselves, which you paid strict attention to. Though each had a turn to talk, it appeared that the seniors were mostly informing the orange pegasus on something, with the mare occasionally nodding her head and adding in her own comments.

The only sounds that came from the trio were mumblings that you could not translate for yourself. They could have been conversing about anything as far as anycreature knew, but you knew for a fact what they were going over. And if things turned south, the outcomes would be ones unpleasing to you. With angst and suspicion clouding your mind, you sat down on your haunches like everycreature else around you had done. Though you knew that relaxing would not prevent any misfortune to rain on your day when it came, you hoped that the grass bed below would at least cushion the mental blows.

"Well, this is just awesome," Gallop complained as he laid on his back. "I'm definitely not gonna pass this midterm."

"Pony doesn't know that for certain," Yelena assured as she played with the grass in front of her.

Georgia, who was sitting on Yelena's back, added her own comment. "If you've seen his grades like I have, you wouldn't be saying that."

River Song winched. "Ouch. I mean, I don't know the full story so it could be true, but that's a bit harsh."

Georgia shrugged. "Sorry. I'm just trying to be objective about things."

"Well your objectivity isn't going to help me out," Gallop snapped back. "I can't believe I fumbled the bag so hard. After all the studying I did for weeks, it's gone down the drain."

Luster's ears shot up. "Studying? If I recall correctly, you didn't put in much time during those study sessions we had together. You would blank out and somecreature would have to call you out."

"Well, that's just when I'm with you guys. When I'm by myself, I'm totally on my A-game."

Georgia failed to stifle a laugh. "Really? Cause I remember a time last spring when Rumble and Pip mentioned you sacrificed a weekend of studying to go hang out with them in Chicoltgo for a buckball game."

Gallop shot up and sat on his haunches. "Hey! It was the finals, and Rumble bugged me about how he was gonna give the third ticket to someone else if I couldn't decide."

Luster continued with her criticism. "And if I remember, the game wasn't the only final you should have worried about at the time."

"I gotta agree with her, Gallop," River Song said. "I think you were pretty bummed out that you didn't make it above the top tens for your classes."

The earth pony shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "At least I passed my freshman year."

"Barely," Georgia coughed, though it was more a whisper, given that Gallop did not react strongly to it.

"There must be a reason for Gallop to be failing classes," Yelena said.

"It's just general laziness," said Georgia, much to Gallop's groans.

"Still, maybe we should try to delve deeper into the issue," River Song added. "Maybe you have to change your diet or sleep schedule. I've heard that eating too much is, like, totally not good for your mind when it comes to thinking. It like, slows your brain down or something. It's just something I've heard of, but it's something to take seriously."

You personally knew that Gallop ate a lot whenever he got the opportunity. Despite being a bit chubbier as a colt, based on a picture you caught a glimpse of, he had apparently gained a slimmer figure over the years. Whether that was due to exercise you had no clue, but his apparent weight change did nothing to make him abhor greedy eating. Once, while in a study group, you had seen the stallion chow down on five hayburgers at the local Burger Village, then went down to Sugarcube Corner for cupcakes, cookies, a slice of pie, and half a cake, before finally going to BonBon's candy store for extra sweets.

"Or, maybe you just need to manage your time better," Luster commented with a reminiscing smile. "I have a personal planner where I organize all of my activities for the day, both educational and leisure-based. It really helped me when I was at Celestia's School, and as far as I'm aware I've never had a moment since when my free-time overlapped with my studies. You should really invest in getting one."

Gallop mused with the thought over in his head. "It could work. I'll give it a chance." He then turned over to look at you. "I'm sorry about what happened, [Y/N]."

You stared at him with a confused frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't help out when the grundles caught you. I freaked out and worried about myself, and even then I got caught. With this being a loyalty test, I didn't do a good job of staying loyal and watching your back."

You take a moment to consider his words and how sincere they are. "It's okay. I don't have anything personal to hold against you. It was a crazy experience. Besides, you had the token, so I get why you wanted to get out of there."

You personally had bigger things to worry about than Gallop's guilt. Though you did not know for certain how bad Gallop's grades were, you knew for a fact that yours were probably not much better. While an average student when it came to the usual classroom and homework assignments, you had not done so well with the previous three midterms, even though they seemed like simple tasks at first. 

If this midterm turned out bad, and if you could not get a good grade for the next one, then your family would be given notice of your failings. Given how shaky things already were with them, you did not want to aggravate them any further.

"Welp," Georgia said, getting off Yelena to float in the air for a quick stretch. "Regardless of how this ends---" She looked down at you and Gallop. "--- at least for some of us, I know for a fact that Professor Silverstream's midterm is gonna be a bit easier."

With a heavenly gasp, River Song's ears perked up while her purple eyes sparkled. "Oh my gosh! You're right! We might have had no options with Professor Scootaloo's raffle, but with the laughter midterm Professor Silverstream said we can choose for ourselves what to get graded on." The kirin giggled bubbly. "This should all be easy."

"Then it's settled," Georgia continued. "We'll meet tomorrow in the afternoon to have a study session and pick our project. I'm pretty sure we're all too sweaty and zapped out to do that today. How does that sound?"

"Sure," Gallop said.

"Yak will be there," Yelena said.

"I guess," you mumbled.

"I'll be sure to bring some snacks just in case!" River Song exclaimed with cheer.

"I haven't checked my schedule yet, but I should be free at the right time," Luster said.

A familiar female voice suddenly called out from behind you and the others. "Hey, guys!"

Turning around, you saw that the orange pegasus mare was approaching you, while the pegasi students had already taken to the air and went on their way back to Ponyville.   By her side was Ocellus, who you never realized had finished talking to the grundles. When you looked back at where the crowd was, they all were on their way home back to the White Tail Woods. The cloaked orange unicorn was also making his way back to you.

Having gained the attention of the professor, you and the other five students rise up and face her.

"Good to know that everycreature is okay," she said with a smile. "I bet this whole thing has been a crazy three-hour experience for you all, with being chased by grundles and all. But I like to think of this midterm as an important lesson on the value of loyalty, regardless of how well you've done."

"Overall, I believe this event went off pretty well," the unicorn stallion pronounced from behind. "This is the first time in the school's history where we had the natives of the White Tail Woods agree to be involved in our activities. I'm definitely surprised with how the king allowed for his subjects to be volunteers, as long as we assured that no serious harm came to them. I'm very impressed that you students did nothing to bring a single complaint to Ocellus and the king."

Scootaloo chuckled. "You seem very upbeat by this, Sunburst."

"Well, of course I am!" the unicorn exclaimed with a stunned look. "This is the first time that the grundles have interacted with Equestrians outside of limited trading. They're such a solitary species, so I'm very excited that we've even received such an opportunity to begin with. This could be the start of something. For all we know, the king might allow some children to attend the school, or perhaps even permit some grundles to visit Ponyville! Think of the cultural exchange!"

Still smiling, Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm very happy for you. Ocellus and I pulled a few strings for all of this to happen. But maybe we can talk about interspecies interactions later on."

Sunburst grinned sheepishly. "Of course. I'm pretty sure the students want to know how they did."

The orange pegasus looked at all six of you before clearing her throat. "I know some of you might not have been pleased with getting this as your project, but I can promise you that the other students in class have also faced, or will face, some form of difficulty with their own midterm. I won't spoil it, but in a way, yours was easier than others."

"What easier about being chased by overgrown teddy bears?" Gallop whispered to River Song. Though the earth pony was lucky enough to not be heard by his teacher, he still received a scolding in the form of a shoulder bump from the kirin.

"In the end, the main purpose of this midterm is to demonstrate the principles of loyalty as best as possible. Though everycreature did not do things perfectly, and without declaring your definite grade at the moment, I can say that there are some points that I can acknowledge. First of all: Luster Dawn and Georgia..."

From the line you all formed, you could spot Luster tensing up a bit. You could not really blame her, as you felt a knot form in your own stomach.

"From what Professor Ocellus told me about observing you two, you did well with coordination and communication. Luster, you had a very well-thought-out plan with using your magic to lure out the grundles guarding the token. And Georgia, I appreciate you for listening to Luster's suggestions on which trees to hide in as you made your way to the token. And as you were making your way back home, it was an excellent choice to use your wings to your advantage and help Luster navigate past the patrols.

"However, Luster, you had some trouble on the way back here, even though I congratulate you for saving Gallop and [Y/N]. Your plan of having Georgia and [Y/N] create a tornado was excellent in thought, but you managed to leave some cracks exposed. Ocellus noticed that [Y/N] was struggling with keeping the tornado afloat, since they couldn't stay in it for that long. I understand that you had your hooves full, but it would have been best to check with them about what their stamina was like. I do have to say that you could have told both of them how close you wanted the tornado to be, so this problem wouldn't happen.  Other than that, you did well with your last-minute plan."

Scootaloo paused, giving consideration to her thoughts and next words as you looked among the students. Sadly, the teacher's silence did little to undo the knot that was already tightening.

"River Song and Yelena. Unlike the other two groups, Zoom told me you both had an earlier encounter with the grundles that I'm sure you didn't want. Yelena, I appreciate you not wanting to be too bossy, but it's important for you to provide your opinion when needed. It may have helped you two avoid that encounter with the patrol. But even with that, I have to commend your ability to stand by each other when one of you were in trouble, like how you, River, fended off the grundles while Yelena got away with the token."

Taking another pause, the orange pegasus stared at you for a moment with her light purple eyes before drifting them away, likely to examine Gallop next. In that brief moment, your stomach's knot snapped in half, though the pain remained and grew larger. It amazed you that your legs did not wobble on the spot, but you somehow managed your outward composure.

"Gallop and [Y/N]. Sparrow Jet seemed to believe that the two of you were very determined with getting your tokens, especially when passing through patrols. But one mistake he spotted was that you two didn't exactly have a plan for how to get around the guards in a clever way. It seemed that the two of you were in a hurry to just get the token and then bolt out of there. And given that's exactly what happened, you shouldn't be surprised by what happened. And Sparrow told me about how you left [Y/N] behind, Mr. Fry.

"Like I said before, I haven't decided your grades yet. Just think of what I've said as like a quick summary of what they could be. I need to go into further discussion with the observers about what they saw, and I need to take into consideration any complaints you all may have. I don't need them now, unless you think you'll forget. Just come by my office on Monday or leave a note in my letterbox. Any thoughts or questions?"

Not a single peep arose from any of you in the line. While others were probably quiet due to being calm or anxious over the uncertainty of their grade, you knew for certain that you were in the latter camp. The professor's description of your character in the midterm was not that long or detailed, since it was really focused on both yours and Gallop's faults, but the lack of positive qualities in that report did nothing to ease the tension growing in your mind.

After everything was said that needed to be said, Scootaloo felt it best to give everycreature before her a smile."Alrighty. I get you guys are all ready to get back home. Maybe take a shower, grab dinner, and then go to bed. Try not to worry too much about your grade. You still got one more midterm left, and from what I've heard from the other professors, most of the sophomores got good grades on the previous ones. I just hope you six are a part of that group."

"Yes," Sunburst said. "Please remember to be ready for the last midterm. With winter break coming up, I'm certain none of you want to stay behind during the holidays for extra credit."

With a smile and a wink, Scootaloo wished all six of you "goodluck" before turning around to head back into the treeline. With the advantage of owning wings, Ocellus and Georgia soared ahead of everycreature toward the direction of the school. 

"See you all tomorrow!" the black griffon announced as she departed into the skies.

The rest of you took your time walking back to the school. You allowed everyone else to go ahead of you, since as far as you were concerned you had no reason to hurry. Despite wanting to return home during the midterm, you had no ambition with getting there so soon and would rather take in the nature around you for as long as possible. Besides, you wanted to give your wings a day's rest before you used them again.

"[Y/N]?"

The call of your name drew your eyes upward from the grass that you wanted your eyes to be preoccupied with. Up ahead, the vice-principal of the school gave you a concerned glance.

"Yes, vice-headstallion?" you asked.

"Is everything alright with you?" Sunburst asked in turn. "You seem a bit down."

You returned your sight to the ground. "It's fine. Just spacing out is all."

"Hmph. Well, with all the excitement that went on this afternoon, I guess I'm not allowed to blame you for feeling tired. Luckily it's a half-an-hour trip back to the school."

"Uh-huh," was all that you got out of your mouth alongside a quick agreeing nod. You hoped that that was the end of his concerns and that he would simply leave you be.

"Has anycreature given you any trouble here?"

You struggled to keep down a sigh that was bellowing down in your chest, just waiting to come out. "No, sir. My time here has been... okay."

Sunburst kept quiet, yet you knew that he would say something again sometime soon.

"Okay, then. Just tell me if there are any accommodations to be made. And don't forget that Counselor Lulamoon is also available when you need her."

Believing that to be the end of everything, you replied. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
> Chapter 1 (Earth Pony OC's) (Canon)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing to come back to you was your sense of pain.

An uncomfortable throbbing sensation vibrated throughout the entirety of your skull --- drawing out a distressed groan from your dry lips. 

The next thing you noticed, thanks in part to your foggy vision, was the orientation at which your body was set up. There was something about your spatial awareness that seemed just off, and you were only proven more right by the sight of the blurry green grass below you. You crane your head up and discover the end of your rear legs tied up with rope, which extended upward towards a tree branch. 

"Well, um, I'm glad to see that you're up, at least."

The male voice coming from your right compelled you to turn your head around. Despite your poor sight, you could tell who your neighbor was --- a cream-colored earth pony stallion with a somewhat spiky orange mane. And like you, he was also suspended upside-down by another piece of rope around the same branch.

"Gallop?" you managed to squeeze out of your mouth. "I thought you got away from them?"

The stallion chuckled. "I thought so, [Y/N], and I think I almost had an opening, too, but I made a wrong turn in the woods and caught blasted by some powder or something."

A collection of foreign mumbles from below made you and Gallop look down at the ground, where you spotted nearly a dozen tiny, furry anthropomorphic creatures huddled around a large black object. The chants --- incoherent to you --- from the furry creatures were squeaky and loud, and though you would not describe the sounds as angry, there was much excitement in the tone of those voices. The fact the creatures got rowdy just as you woke up did nothing to soothe the anxiety festering in your mind.

But any goal you had of calming yourself failed once your vision fully returned to you. The creatures down below, with furs of grey, black, or brown colors,  were given a much clearer appearance, as you could see their beady black eyes and their sharp tooth smiles as they shout up at you and Gallop. 

But the sight that disturbed you the most was that of the black object on the ground. It was a large cauldron filled with a purplish-blue liquid that bubbled and steamed and swirled with the aid of one of the creatures revolving a stick through the thick medium while on a stool.

The worst part of that sight was that the cauldron was right beneath both you and Gallop by either fifteen to twenty feet, and as far you were aware, there was no escape from what you were sure was about to happen.

"Hey," Gallop started, "I know you just woke up like me, but can you try breaking out of these ropes? My mine are super tight, so there's no way I'm getting out."

You looked at Gallop, who was now staring down at the same cauldron. Though the panic was free from his voice, the stallion's green pinprick eyes were in contradiction to the act of courage that he was displaying.

Pushing through your doubts, you decide to give Gallop's advice a fair chance. With your bundled-up legs, you pushed as hard as you could against the ropes in every direction you could think of. Though your hindlegs were practically useless as you soon found out, your frontlegs did everything they could to break free from the linen cocoon, but even their efforts were in vain. 

"Well, at least you gave it a shot," Gallop commented, with you sighing as a response.

Though the effort with breaking free was in vain, that lack of success was not what was souring your mood right now. The creatures below had caught on to the trick you tried to play on them, and from above you could hear the change in their voices. The change in tone was that of anger, but more of panic, as if they were worried about you actually finding a way out of your bondage.

Out from the crowd, you notice one of the creatures running past the cauldron with either an ax or a hatchet in their hands. The sight itself is enough to worry you, and you feel compelled to turn your head around. When that did not work out, likely because of the awkward way you were left hanging in the air, you had to twist your body around in order to get a better view.

From behind you and Gallop, the ropes that held the both of you and were wrapped around the tree branch each had one end that descended downward and was wrapped around another tree's trunk. And as you feared, the weapon-wielder was running straight for that tree. 

The strain from turning became overwhelming and so your body twisted itself back to its original position. Having seen enough, you know you did not need another peek to understand what was going to  happen.

"No." The word slipped carelessly out of your lips, but the panic throbbing in your heart prevented you from feeling much shame in that.

"What's going on?" Gallop exclaimed. "What are you seeing? Is something happening?"

From outside of your view, as you dreaded your awaiting fate, the furry creature finally reached the tree where the two ropes were wrapped around. The creature looked up at both you and Gallop as hung helplessly from the tree branch, and then returned his gaze to the trunk. The creature, with a determined stare, raised the ax up above his head --- very much ready to strike the first blow on one of the ropes. 

FWOOSH!!!

The creature with the ax hesitated from bringing down the tool, as the alien sound was now the focus of his attention instead of the tree. Just past the tree, the creature could see a bright, twinkling orange light from the treeline distances away from the field. What failed to initially register in the creature's mind was the closeness and speed at which the light was gaining. By the time the creature felt the urge to react, in one quick motion, the light exploded several feet from him. 

The explosion itself was basically a powerful puff of orange magical dust, barely strong enough to sizzle the grass below. But it was strong enough to affect one individual.

The ax wielder dropped his tool and went to the ground on his knees. The creature let out a panicked shrill, as his fingertips frantically rubbed against his closed eyelids. The distressed noise caused the rest of the furry creatures to turn their heads to the tree where the ropes were tied, and the sight of their distressed companion was enough to draw expressions of concern and anxiety from their small faces. 

"What the hay was that?" Gallop exclaimed again. The cream-colored stallion looked to you as if you held the answers he was seeking. As far as you were aware, you both were clueless as to what the mishap was. All you could catch were a few of the creatures running in the direction of where the screaming was coming from, while the rest stayed nervously in their places.

As you observed the confused bundle of creatures down below, you spot a small orange light shining from the treelines beyond. This same light eventually grew in size as it encroached further and further into the field. When the light was close enough to illuminate the nearby, unsuspecting creatures, you found an instinctual urge within yourself to close your eyes tight. Despite not knowing the specifics of the danger, you felt correct in taking action once you heard a muffled explosion --- followed by several more high-pitched screams similar to the one behind you.

"AH! My eyes!" 

Gallop, however, was not as lucky as you when it came to protecting his sight.

As you stayed suspended in the air, the chorus of shrieking, along with Gallop's own complaints, filled your ears, making it hard for you to keep your headache from growing ever worse. You had no clue as to what was occurring all around you, but you just hoped that it would end soon with both you and Gallop ending up alright in the end. You just never thought that a trip to the White Tail Woods would end up like this.

"Hey, dude. You can open your eyes now."

The female voice caught you off guard, not just because you were not expecting anyone else to come, but because of how close the voice was to your ear. For some reason, you decided not to trust whoever was around you with their request.

"Alright, then. I guess we'll just have to leave this place with your eyes closed, then. But we still need to hurry up."

When you hear the gruff voice again, your ears pick up on the familiar tone of the speaker. Opening your eyes, you see floating in front of you a greyish-purple and black-haired griffon with a magenta scarf. The griffon gave you a calm smile as she stared at you with her yellow eyes, just mere inches away from your upside-down face.

"Georgia?" You asked. "What are you doing here?"

Instead of answering your question, the griffon floats up further to where the rope is tied to the branch and swiped at it with her grey talons.

"Georgia! Wait---"

In one fluid motion, the rope holding you snapped and you found yourself falling down into the cauldron, but before you become engulfed in the liquid your body paused midair --- just as you were entering the rim of the enormous bowl. With an orange glow developed around your entirety, you are lifted from the cauldron's opening and the ropes around you are loosened and fall to the ground. 

Standing up on all four hooves, you meet a pink unicorn mare with a luscious orange-and-yellow mane right in front of you. Though you do not crack a smile or let out a thanks, the sight of the mare is enough to electrify your heart with gratitude and comfort. You could swear that your headache was at least half better now due to her being here, even with the cries of the creatures vibrating in your skull.

"There you go," Georgia muttered. "Easy does it."

Above, the griffon held a befuddled Gallop in her arms while she floated down to the ground. Ripping off the rest of the ropes, Georgia let go of Gallop and the stallion managed to stand up on his own after struggling with his balance.

"If everycreature's alright, we need to go. Now!" shouted the pink unicorn. 

Following the mare's lead, you, Gallop, and a still-floating Georgia make your way across the field and head over to the nearby treeline at a brisk pace. You, the mare, and Gallop try your best not to collide with any of the stunned creatures that come across your way, but the latter of you three was unsuccessful as he ended up bumping headfirst with a creature. With a roll of her eyes and a sigh of annoyance, the pink unicorn lit her horn and levitated the earth pony to her side, despite the strain it caused her.

"Just stay by my side," she instructed.

Shaking his head, Gallop struggled to look at the mare as he ran. "I appreciate the save, Luster, but it would have been nice if you told us beforehand that you had a trick like that under your horseshoe. You already have too many spells for me to remember."

The mare never diverted her vision from the treeline. "Your eyes will clear up soon," she replied. "But so will theirs. That's why we need to hurry up. Just don't leave my side."

When you reached the treeline, you could see two figures hiding behind a couple of bushes. One was a brown yak with a golden nose ring and orange hair that covered her face, and the other was a tanish-grey kirin with a teal-colored mane and a red horn. When all four of you were out of the field, the two creatures emerged from their hiding spots and followed you into the deeper parts of the White Tail Woods.

The part of the woods that you were racing through held a bountiful amount of trees that, with the aid of the sun, shined down the bright autumn colors of red, brown, orange, and yellow upon the forest land. Though there were few dead trees or ponds or depressions that got it your way, the woods around you got hilly at times, and thus all six of you would have to fight against gravity.

The autumn beauty of the woods would have normally stopped you in your tracks so that you could admire more of it. But given the race against time and the hostile creatures behind you, you didn't have luxury or lack of sense to just put everything on hold.

"Oh, crap!" Gallop shouted as he watched over his steps. "We forgot to get our token back there!"

"I didn't see any of the grundles with it," Luster said. "They must have moved it somewhere else. Sorry about that."

"Did you at least get yours?" you asked.

Georgia, floating right above you, answered for Luster. "Yeah. The two of us got our's." The griffon reached into the messenger bag she wore and pulled out a large silver coin the size of an orange. "It wasn't hard to get past them with my speed and Lust's magic."

Gallop let out an annoyed and loud grunt. "I was so close to getting out of there! All that hard work down the drain just because I took the wrong stupid turn!"

"Pony should not be so hard on himself," said the yak with a deep female voice. "Yak and River Song took a long time to get their token. In fact, we almost lost ours when the furry grundles chased after us."

The teal maned kirin, who was behind you and right beside the yak, let out a bubbly giggle, which seemed unfitting to you given the surrounding circumstances. "Yelena's right, Gallop! We were soooo close to getting busted back there! I was able to scare most of them away with a little bit of fire if you know what I mean, so it turned out okay."

"You didn't end up burning down a part of the forest, did you?" Georgia asked the kirin with a raised eyebrow.

Though annoyed, River Song replied back calmly. "Of course not. I just sizzled a bit of grass, is all. Besides, I doubt I could generate enough fire to bring down an entire field of trees."

Luster looked up at the griffon. "Georgia, can you rush ahead of us and see what the path home looks like? We need to be sure we're in the right direction."

With a silent salute and a smile, Georgia zoomed off beyond you and the others and disappeared into the foliage of the trees. 

For the next few minutes, the only sounds that emanated in the forest were the crunching steps of all five of you against the dead leaves below, the gasps of air you each took as you all ran, and the distant cries of the grundles that you just realized were on your tracks. Like a robust train pushing its gears throughout the midnight, the five of you did not dawdle in your race throughout the woods. 

However, if there was one creature amongst the bunch that was losing traction, it would have to be you. You could not tell if it was fatigue from running or the effects of the powder that put you to sleep early on, but you were losing speed as you were barely in between both River Song and Yelena now. You looked over at Gallop, your temporarily drugged-up companion, and you found him to be going at a very good pace alongside Luster. That sight either meant the powder was wearing off for him or that the earth pony just had better stamina and energy than you. Given how you have always witnessed Gallop in peak shape and fitness despite having a huge appetite that went along with a hyperactive metabolism, your mind went with the latter option.

Regardless of someone else's situation, you yourself were not doing so good. Your breathing became heavier and heavier with each step you took, while the pounding your hooves took to the ground bored into your bones and ached all the way up to each of your legs. If you and your classmates really were running like a train, then you were about to be that one faulty gear or wheel that stalled the whole trip for everycreature.

With your body on autopilot as you galloped, you gazed up into the foliage above where freckles of sunlight poured through the leaves and dotted up your face. You closed your eyes like a pious creature in prayer.

Dear princesses, please just let us make it. Please. I need this.

When you opened your eyes, those speckles of light were now replaced by the whole sun, no longer sequestered by any trees above. Putting your head down, you discovered that you and the others were now running through another grassy field that was surrounded by trees on all sides. But only one treeline caught your eye in particular, and that was the one in front you from distances away.

Just beyond that treeline was the upper half of a mountain miles and miles and days away from the White Tail Woods. But it wasn't just any ordinary mountain, for this one held on its side the outlines of a barely visible city, a city of which you have seen many times before since you arrived at your new school. On most days, you barely cared to view Mount Canterlot, but now the far-distance city was a signal of hope.

This small town that you lived in for only a few months was almost within your reach. 

You were almost safe from the danger right behind you.

A smile crept its way onto your face as this new fact dawned on you. As the joyful seconds went on, your breathing became slower and steadier while your legs gained a new sense of purpose as you ran faster than before. You could already imagine yourself in the comforts of your dorm room, as if it was beckoning you to come back. You could even see some joy in the faces of your classmates around you, and if they were happy then that must mean that things were turning out okay.

"WE GOT TROUBLE!!!"

The voice from afar snatched you out of your daydream and back into reality. Looking forward, you spot a black figure far away in the sky that was coming directly at you and the group. When the five of you made it halfway across the field, the figure was close enough for you to recognize it as a familiar griffon, who was missing her usual calm demeanor. Meeting the rest of you in the middle, Georgia floated down above Luster.

"There's like two dozens of those guys coming right at us!" Georgia said in a panic. "And they got like ropes and slingshots and all that stuff! One of them almost got me with one of those powder pellets."

Gallop groaned. "Great! Now we're about to be sandwiched!"

Across the field, you could spot small specks of brown, grey, and black creatures approaching from the direction that Georgia had come from. It would likely take them some time to get to you, yet the angry mumbling from behind reminded you that you had no time to feel safe. When the grundles that had chased you come out of the woods, the six of you all bundled up together into a circle, with twelve nervous eyes taking watch of every direction.

"Friends aren't in such a good predicament," Yelena said. 

"No kidding," Gallop replied.

Taking a big gulp, River Song looked over anxiously at Luster. "Maybe we should head back into the woods from either the left or the right," the kirin said. "That way we can lose them in the trees."

Frowning, Luster shook her head. "I don't think so," she said with a stoic voice. "The woods to the sides are too far away. Regardless of which direction we go in, they'll likely catch up to us in time."

You decided to add in a suggestion. "What if we split up?"

The pink unicorn shook her head again. "I doubt that would make a difference. They seem to have enough numbers to split up as well."

"If you want," Georgia said, "I can take the rest of the tokens and head back to Ponyville." 

"No. We need to do this together. That seems like our best option." A small conniving grin grew on Luster's face that contrasted strongly against the uneasy expressions of everyone else. Though she appeared like a mischievous foal about to commit a heinous act, you knew her enough --- though just a little bit --- to know that she had come up with a useful idea.

"River," she said. "I need you to get angry enough to build a fire-wall behind us. And when you're done, I need you to stay mad until we reach the trees ahead."

The kirin calmed down enough to look back at Luster before leaving the circle. As River Song walked away, she closed her eyes and took deep, heavy breaths that resonated throughout her tense body. Soon, the breaths became gasps, which soon turned into nasty snarls that matched with the scowl forming on the kirin's face.

"Frost Shower messing with my make-up drawer. Last-minute homework assignments. Pink socks don't go with a brown dress. Frost Shower messing with my make-up drawer. Last-minute..."

As River Song growled out her mantra, you could see steam rising from her mane and tail. Soon, her regular turquoise hair exploded into a fiery combination of red, blue, and purple flames. The heat from her body was now strong enough to sizzle the grass below with each hoof-step she took, leaving behind dark circles of burnt soil. 

"Last-minute homework assignments. Pink socks don't go with..."

"So here's the plan, everycreature," she said before glancing away at the treeline. "I'm gonna use my magic to strengthen River Song's heat to knock out the ones in front of us. While I'm doing that, I'm going to levitate any of their weapons to you when I get the chance." 

"What's the need for the weapons?" Gallop asked. "I can't we just push through them with River Song?"

"I'm not sure if the heat will reach all of them. It's better if we have a backup plan. If River loses her energy before we reach the trees, or if I end up losing concentration over her, we might end up in a scuffle. There's a big chance that things will go south with this plan, so we need to be ready for anything." 

"PINK SOCKS DON'T GO WITH A BROWN DRESS!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The hair-raising scream from behind snapped everycreature's neck towards the direction of River Song, whose scaly tanish-grey coat was now charcoal-black like a night sky, and whose eyes were devoid of any pupils or irises. With another shrieking howl, the nirik opened her mouth and forged a large jet of red, blue, and purple fire that burnt the ground. Moving her head to the side, River Song formed a semi-circle that protected you and the others from the grundles behind you, who immediately stopped in their tracks at the sight of the multicolored flames --- along with the image of an angry, burning creature.

Luster saw their opening. "River! Get in front of us and keep those flames on! Everyone else, stay behind me!"

Once the nirik had made her way around the group and bolted straight to the treeline leading home, leaving behind patches of burnt grass along the way, you and the others followed Luster's lead --- with you being the first behind the pink unicorn. With a quick glance around your shoulder, you noticed that the grundles to the back had made it past the fire-wall that River Song set up, but it did its job in delaying their advance, given how far away they were from you.

Your head turned back in time to spot Luster casting a spell or two on River Song's body, while up ahead you could see the grundles getting closer and closer to you. Like Georgia had mentioned, they held ropes and nets and slingshots in their hands, and their lack of slowing down meant to you that they fully intended on using those devices.

By now, the grundles in front were close enough for you to see their beady black eyes and snarling teeth. The only reason they did not advance further was likely because of River Song's menacing appearance, but some of them that were in the lead crouched down with their slingshots as they reached into their pouches.

"They're getting out the powder again!" Gallop yelled.

"I got it!" Luster replied. 

In front of you, the grundles with slingshots had let go of their pellets and sent them flying at the group. Before they could hit anycreature, the pellets exploded into puffs of white dust midair when they collided with several well-placed orange magical circles. The slingshot wielders tried a second time, and the same event occurred, leaving the furry creatures a bit baffled.

"Watch your backs, everyone!" Luster yelled. "We're about to push through!"

And on cue, that's what happened. When all six of you rushed past the first row of grundles, the creatures that had once been shooting at you were now swaying and collapsing onto the grass floor, clutching their forehooves and breathing aggressively before doing so. Approaching the second row of enemies, with most of them carrying ropes and nets, River Song's heat overwhelmed the ones closest to you all, causing them to fall to the ground en masse like foals falling asleep after a hyperactive day.

When the second row went down, you found a long piece of rope dangling in front of your face, which you made out to be a lasso before taking it in your mouth. Looking around, Luster had levitated a few other items to the rest of your classmates, excluding River Song. Up above, Georgia had been given a slingshot and a pellet pouch, while Gallop by your side had a net to carry in his mouth. Looking back, you saw that Yelena carried a lasso of her own just like you. 

There were still many more of those furry worriers up ahead, but you were getting closer to the treeline. Just a few more hurdles left and you would make it back home. After the way things were this early in the day, you felt that you needed to rest up.

But things were never truly that simple.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was not something you spotted at first, but once the light noise of sighing caught you off-guard, you saw that the light from Luster's horn was flittering on and off like a defective lightbulb. When your eyes were done analyzing that, they turned their attention over to the strain on the unicorn's face, which included gritted teeth, eyes closed tightly shut, and small beads of sweat pouring down from her temple.

Those sighs eventually become grunts, and those grunts eventually led to a small yell from the Luster. The glow on her horn died off, and her body temporarily slackened, depsite her keeping a steady running pace. If you were one of the grundles, having witnessed your comrades fallen to heat sickness, you would still be wary of approaching the flaming nirik. But that was not the case for you, as you knew that the trick was up and were fearful of the gurndles finding out. 

River Song ran past the third row of grundles, with many of the furry creatures having scattered about to get out of her way.  You looked as she continued on running, not even looking back to see the progress of her classmates. Though you would usually be upset, you could not find it in you to label her as selfish --- given how chaotic everything is right now.

You hoped that Luster Dawn's magic had come back by now, and that eventually River Song would come back for the both of them to use the heat trick again. But a quick look at the pink unicorn revealed to you that her horn remained unlit, and the image of the sprinting nirik only became smaller and smaller. 

Things were not appearing great so far, but you were so close to reaching the treeline. If there was a chance that Luster had one more trick left hidden, not was the time to bring it out. But just as you were about confront Luster on her next plan, you  heard the shrieks of several grundles coming directly in front of the two of you --- all armed with lassos or nets that they threw without hestiation.

While the pink unicorn was lucky enough to dodge one of the ropes in time, your reflexes were less refined than hers as you missed the sight of a net coming down on you. As you got tangled in the fibers, you lost your footing and ended up tumbling down to the ground. Through the mesh, you could see a few of the furry creatures with slingshots coming right at you, ready to shoot.

Just then, a puff of white smoke hits one of the grundles in the chest, incapitating them. You look above to see Georgia with her slingshot still in her grasp. The fallen grundle was enough of a distratction to stun the rest of their companions, so you thrash about to raise the net off of your body and get on your hooves. Before you can think of what to do next, you hear a fierce bellow from behind that you recognized, followed by the feeling of the earth shaking.

An angered Yelena faced you once you turned around, and the sight of the charging yak sent both you and surrounding grundles into a panic. Though knowing that you were not the source of her ire, you were quick enough to move --- or rather leap --- out of her way. The yak shot right past you and into the crowd of furry creatures. Most of them were lucky enough to escape Yelena, but one of them collided with her head-on and ended up clinging onto her horns for dear life as she tried to thrash them off.

Another shrill catches your attention, and you spot out of the corner of your eye a grundle running at you with a rope of their own. Before you could react in time, the grundle throws the lasso right at you, but the material stops midair, suspended by an orange glow. With the movement and fluidity of a snake, the rope wrapped itself around the confused grundle's body, rendering them immobile and on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Luster asked as she approached your side.

"I guess," you muffled through the lasso in your mouth. "Do you think that maybe---"

"GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!"

Without warning, Gallops ran past the three of you as two upset, shrieking grundles clings to his face, obscuring his view. Eventually, the stallion skidded in his tracks and thrashed about, managing to launch the duo into the air. Exhausted, Gallop ignored the situation around him for just a moment in order to collect his breath. When he was done, he looked up at you and held a bewildered stare in his eyes, yet you felt that it was not meant for you.

The collective roar of many high-pitched voices was enough to send the hairs on your neck standing up. Turning around, you see that the army of grundles you had evaded in the woods was now enclosing on your position. Though the distance was too far, you could already imagine that they were more than peeved at being blinded and having to chase you for a long time. 

You plan on informing Luster about the sight, but it appeared she already got on. Having finished up tying a grundle up with their own rope,  she stood in between you and Gallop.

You and Gallop do as she said and come to her side. A few seconds later, Georgia and Yelena, the latter having gotten rid of her grundle rider, came over to the group as well, seeming as drained as Gallop was. Finally, River Song, who was still lit up with flames leaped over in front of you. For a moment, you were concerned that she had made it into the treeline without everycreature else.

"I was about to make a break for it when I looked back and saw all you guys surrounded," River Song said. "What happened to the plan of sticking together?"

"We'll talk about what went wrong later," said Luster. "Right now we need to focus on this.

Once again united in a circle, the six of you stood off against the grundles. Though most of them were coming from the south, there were still enough around all of you that it would be hard for everycreature to make it into the forest without some resistance. You just hoped that whatever plan Luster had, that she would make it work soon. Before it was too---

RRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!

A loud whistle rang throughout the clear afternoon air. Immediately, the grundles stopped in their track and in turn lowered their weapons. You and your classmates, knowing what that sound meant, were able to lower your guard and relax, which included River Song extinguishing her flames. You had doubts, however, as to whether or not you yourself were really able to relax. If things could end by going sour, then there was nothing for you to relax about.

"That's its, everycreature!" a female voice said. "Time's up!"

You, along with the others, look up above at the sky. Floating down in the air was a light-blue changeling with light-red insect wings who landed right between the six of you and the grundles. When she landed on the ground, you could see the turquoise sclerae of her eyes as she stared at you with a smile, along with the whistle around her neck. 

"Are the six of you all right?" the changeling asked with a calm, serene voice. "None of you are hurt, are you?"

Yelena was the first to respond, shaking her head. "No, Professor Ocellus. Friends are all alright, including yak."

"Speak for yourself," Gallop grumbled. "I think I have fur in my mouth. I might have even been scratched by one of them."

The changeling's smile did not change a bit at this news. "Well, if that's the case we'll get it looked at back at the school. Other than that, I'm glad to know nocreature got seriously hurt --- at least concerning you six. I have to say, this activity for your midterm didn't seem like a bad idea, even though I originally had my doubts. I was definitely impressed with how Luster and Georgia got a hold of their token."

"Well, um, thank you, professor," Luster said. Even though you did not look at her, you could imagine the pink unicorn saying her gratitude with a blush and a sheepish smile. "I was really worried about getting caught and causing a conflict with the grundles, at least at first, but I'm glad to know that my illusion-plus-mimic spell worked out so well."

"Thank you, professor," Georgia said simply.

The rustling of leaves from behind caught you off-guard and in response you turn your head to spot four ponies trotting out of the treeline leading to Ponyville, along with a single grundle that wore a crown made out of sticks, vines, and flowers. Two of the ponies -- both being pegasus stallions --- were seniors at the school that you knew somewhat about. The third pony was an orange pegasus mare with a long purple mane whose most noticeable features were the wings on her back that were smaller than that of an average adult pegasus.

The final pony, who walked side-by-side with the crowned grundle, had the most memorable appearance out of the five new individuals. He was an orange unicorn stallion with circular glasses and a long orange-red beard that went down to his chest, and around him was a dark blue robe that was dotted with turquoise stars.

Seeing the newcomers, Ocellus turned to face the small grundle army, who sat down peacefully on the grass like foals preparing for a story in a classroom instead of the menaces they once were. In a light-blue flash, the changeling was transformed into a copy of one of the furry creatures, albeit with the unusual shade of blue fur instead of brown, grey, or black. Clearing her throat, Ocellus began to speak to the grundles in a language unfamiliar to you, yet whatever speech she had was enough to grasp the audience's attention.

From behind you, you saw the crowned grundle approach Ocellus to stand by her side as she continued speaking. Eventually, the robed unicorn also left the group to join Ocellus.  That left the other three ponies to converse among themselves, which you paid strict attention to. Though each had a turn to talk, it appeared that the seniors were mostly informing the orange pegasus on something, with the mare occasionally nodding her head and adding in her own comments.

The only sounds that came from the trio were mumblings that you could not translate for yourself. They could have been conversing about anything as far as anycreature knew, but you knew for a fact what they were going over. And if things turned south, the outcomes would be ones unpleasing to you. With angst and suspicion clouding your mind, you sat down on your haunches like everycreature else around you had done. Though you knew that relaxing would not prevent any misfortune to rain on your day when it came, you hoped that the grass bed below would at least cushion the mental blows.

"Well, this is just awesome," Gallop complained as he laid on his back. "I'm definitely not gonna pass this midterm."

"Pony doesn't know that for certain," Yelena assured as she played with the grass in front of her.

Georgia, who was sitting on Yelena's back, added her own comment. "If you've seen his grades like I have, you wouldn't be saying that."

River Song winched. "Ouch. I mean, I don't know the full story so it could be true, but that's a bit harsh."

Georgia shrugged. "Sorry. I'm just trying to be objective about things."

"Well your objectivity isn't going to help me out," Gallop snapped back. "I can't believe I fumbled the bag so hard. After all the studying I did for weeks, it's gone down the drain."

Luster's ears shot up. "Studying? If I recall correctly, you didn't put in much time during those study sessions we had together. You would blank out and somecreature would have to call you out."

"Well, that's just when I'm with you guys. When I'm by myself, I'm totally on my A-game."

Georgia failed to stifle a laugh. "Really? Cause I remember a time last spring when Rumble and Pip mentioned you sacrificed a weekend of studying to go hang out with them in Chicoltgo for a buckball game."

Gallop shot up and sat on his haunches. "Hey! It was the finals, and Rumble bugged me about how he was gonna give the third ticket to someone else if I couldn't decide."

Luster continued with her criticism. "And if I remember, the game wasn't the only final you should have worried about at the time."

"I gotta agree with her, Gallop," River Song said. "I think you were pretty bummed out that you didn't make it above the top tens for your classes."

The earth pony shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "At least I passed my freshman year."

"Barely," Georgia coughed, though it was more a whisper, given that Gallop did not react strongly to it.

"There must be a reason for Gallop to be failing classes," Yelena said.

"It's just general laziness," said Georgia, much to Gallop's groans.

"Still, maybe we should try to delve deeper into the issue," River Song added. "Maybe you have to change your diet or sleep schedule. I've heard that eating too much is, like, totally not good for your mind when it comes to thinking. It like, slows your brain down or something. It's just something I've heard of, but it's something to take seriously."

You personally knew that Gallop ate a lot whenever he got the opportunity. Despite being a bit chubbier as a colt, based on a picture you caught a glimpse of, he had apparently gained a slimmer figure over the years. Whether that was due to exercise you had no clue, but his apparent weight change did nothing to make him abhor greedy eating. Once, while in a study group, you had seen the stallion chow down on five hayburgers at the local Burger Village, then went down to Sugarcube Corner for cupcakes, cookies, a slice of pie, and half a cake, before finally going to BonBon's candy store for extra sweets.

"Or, maybe you just need to manage your time better," Luster commented with a reminiscing smile. "I have a personal planner where I organize all of my activities for the day, both educational and leisure-based. It really helped me when I was at Celestia's School, and as far as I'm aware I've never had a moment since when my free-time overlapped with my studies. You should really invest in getting one."

Gallop mused with the thought over in his head. "It could work. I'll give it a chance." He then turned over to look at you. "I'm sorry about what happened, [Y/N]."

You stared at him with a confused frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't help out when the grundles caught you. I freaked out and worried about myself, and even then I got caught. With this being a loyalty test, I didn't do a good job of staying loyal and watching your back."

You take a moment to consider his words and how sincere they are. "It's okay. I don't have anything personal to hold against you. It was a crazy experience. Besides, you had the token, so I get why you wanted to get out of there."

You personally had bigger things to worry about than Gallop's guilt. Though you did not know for certain how bad Gallop's grades were, you knew for a fact that yours were probably not much better. While an average student when it came to the usual classroom and homework assignments, you had not done so well with the previous three midterms, even though they seemed like simple tasks at first. 

If this midterm turned out bad, and if you could not get a good grade for the next one, then your family would be given notice of your failings. Given how shaky things already were with them, you did not want to aggravate them any further.

"Welp," Georgia said, getting off Yelena to float in the air for a quick stretch. "Regardless of how this ends---" She looked down at you and Gallop. "--- at least for some of us, I know for a fact that Professor Silverstream's midterm is gonna be a bit easier."

With a heavenly gasp, River Song's ears perked up while her purple eyes sparkled. "Oh my gosh! You're right! We might have had no options with Professor Scootaloo's raffle, but with the laughter midterm Professor Silverstream said we can choose for ourselves what to get graded on." The kirin giggled bubbly. "This should all be easy."

"Then it's settled," Georgia continued. "We'll meet tomorrow in the afternoon to have a study session and pick our project. I'm pretty sure we're all too sweaty and zapped out to do that today. How does that sound?"

"Sure," Gallop said.

"Yak will be there," Yelena said.

"I guess," you mumbled.

"I'll be sure to bring some snacks just in case!" River Song exclaimed with cheer.

"I haven't checked my schedule yet, but I should be free at the right time," Luster said.

A familiar female voice suddenly called out from behind you and the others. "Hey, guys!"

Turning around, you saw that the orange pegasus mare was approaching you, while the pegasi students had already taken to the air and went on their way back to Ponyville.   By her side was Ocellus, who you never realized had finished talking to the grundles. When you looked back at where the crowd was, they all were on their way home back to the White Tail Woods. The cloaked orange unicorn was also making his way back to you.

Having gained the attention of the professor, you and the other five students rise up and face her.

"Good to know that everycreature is okay," she said with a smile. "I bet this whole thing has been a crazy three-hour experience for you all, with being chased by grundles and all. But I like to think of this midterm as an important lesson on the value of loyalty, regardless of how well you've done."

"Overall, I believe this event went off pretty well," the unicorn stallion pronounced from behind. "This is the first time in the school's history where we had the natives of the White Tail Woods agree to be involved in our activities. I'm definitely surprised with how the king allowed for his subjects to be volunteers, as long as we assured that no serious harm came to them. I'm very impressed that you students did nothing to bring a single complaint to Ocellus and the king."

Scootaloo chuckled. "You seem very upbeat by this, Sunburst."

"Well, of course I am!" the unicorn exclaimed with a stunned look. "This is the first time that the grundles have interacted with Equestrians outside of limited trading. They're such a solitary species, so I'm very excited that we've even received such an opportunity to begin with. This could be the start of something. For all we know, the king might allow some children to attend the school, or perhaps even permit some grundles to visit Ponyville! Think of the cultural exchange!"

Still smiling, Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm very happy for you. Ocellus and I pulled a few strings for all of this to happen. But maybe we can talk about interspecies interactions later on."

Sunburst grinned sheepishly. "Of course. I'm pretty sure the students want to know how they did."

The orange pegasus looked at all six of you before clearing her throat. "I know some of you might not have been pleased with getting this as your project, but I can promise you that the other students in class have also faced, or will face, some form of difficulty with their own midterm. I won't spoil it, but in a way, yours was easier than others."

"What easier about being chased by overgrown teddy bears?" Gallop whispered to River Song. Though the earth pony was lucky enough to not be heard by his teacher, he still received a scolding in the form of a shoulder bump from the kirin.

"In the end, the main purpose of this midterm is to demonstrate the principles of loyalty as best as possible. Though everycreature did not do things perfectly, and without declaring your definite grade at the moment, I can say that there are some points that I can acknowledge. First of all: Luster Dawn and Georgia..."

From the line you all formed, you could spot Luster tensing up a bit. You could not really blame her, as you felt a knot form in your own stomach.

"From what Professor Ocellus told me about observing you two, you did well with coordination and communication. Luster, you had a very well-thought-out plan with using your magic to lure out the grundles guarding the token. And Georgia, I appreciate you for listening to Luster's suggestions on which trees to hide in as you made your way to the token. And as you were making your way back home, it was an excellent choice to use your wings to your advantage and help Luster navigate past the patrols.

"However, Luster, you had some trouble on the way back here, even though I congratulate you for saving Gallop and [Y/N]. Your plan of using River's heat to push past the grundles was excellent in thought, but you managed to leave some cracks exposed. Ocellus noticed that you were struggling with your magic, and given how you were all almost overwhelmed, I can only guess that you couldn't use River's heat anymore. But I can compliment you on giving most of your classmates weapons to defend themeselves."

Scootaloo paused, giving consideration to her thoughts and next words as you looked among the students. Sadly, the teacher's silence did little to undo the knot that was already tightening.

"River Song and Yelena. Unlike the other two groups, Zoom told me you both had an earlier encounter with the grundles that I'm sure you didn't want. Yelena, I appreciate you not wanting to be too bossy, but it's important for you to provide your opinion when needed. It may have helped you two avoid that encounter with the patrol. But even with that, I have to commend your ability to stand by each other when one of you were in trouble, like how you, River, fended off the grundles while Yelena got away with the token."

Taking another pause, the orange pegasus stared at you for a moment with her light purple eyes before drifting them away, likely to examine Gallop next. In that brief moment, your stomach's knot snapped in half, though the pain remained and grew larger. It amazed you that your legs did not wobble on the spot, but you somehow managed your outward composure.

"Gallop and [Y/N]. Sparrow Jet seemed to believe that the two of you were very determined with getting your tokens, especially when passing through patrols. But one mistake he spotted was that you two didn't exactly have a plan for how to get around the guards in a clever way. It seemed that the two of you were in a hurry to just get the token and then bolt out of there. And given that's exactly what happened, you shouldn't be surprised by what happened. And Sparrow told me about how you left [Y/N] behind, Mr. Fry.

"Like I said before, I haven't decided your grades yet. Just think of what I've said as like a quick summary of what they could be. I need to go into further discussion with the observers about what they saw, and I need to take into consideration any complaints you all may have. I don't need them now, unless you think you'll forget. Just come by my office on Monday or leave a note in my letterbox. Any thoughts or questions?"

Not a single peep arose from any of you in the line. While others were probably quiet due to being calm or anxious over the uncertainty of their grade, you knew for certain that you were in the latter camp. The professor's description of your character in the midterm was not that long or detailed, since it was really focused on both yours and Gallop's faults, but the lack of positive qualities in that report did nothing to ease the tension growing in your mind.

After everything was said that needed to be said, Scootaloo felt it best to give everycreature before her a smile."Alrighty. I get you guys are all ready to get back home. Maybe take a shower, grab dinner, and then go to bed. Try not to worry too much about your grade. You still got one more midterm left, and from what I've heard from the other professors, most of the sophomores got good grades on the previous ones. I just hope you six are a part of that group."

"Yes," Sunburst said. "Please remember to be ready for the last midterm. With winter break coming up, I'm certain none of you want to stay behind during the holidays for extra credit."

With a smile and a wink, Scootaloo wished all six of you "goodluck" before turning around to head back into the treeline. With the advantage of owning wings, Ocellus and Georgia soared ahead of everycreature toward the direction of the school. 

"See you all tomorrow!" the black griffon announced as she departed into the skies.

The rest of you took your time walking back to the school. You allowed everyone else to go ahead of you, since as far as you were concerned you had no reason to hurry. Despite wanting to return home during the midterm, you had no ambition with getting there so soon and would rather take in the nature around you for as long as possible.

"[Y/N]?"

The call of your name drew your eyes upward from the grass that you wanted your eyes to be preoccupied with. Up ahead, the vice-principal of the school gave you a concerned glance.

"Yes, vice-headstallion?" you asked.

"Is everything alright with you?" Sunburst asked in turn. "You seem a bit down."

You returned your sight to the ground. "It's fine. Just spacing out is all."

"Hmph. Well, with all the excitement that went on this afternoon, I guess I'm not allowed to blame you for feeling tired. Luckily it's a half-an-hour trip back to the school."

"Uh-huh," was all that you got out of your mouth alongside a quick agreeing nod. You hoped that that was the end of his concerns and that he would simply leave you be.

"Has anycreature given you any trouble here?"

You struggled to keep down a sigh that was bellowing down in your chest, just waiting to come out. "No, sir. My time here has been... okay."

Sunburst kept quiet, yet you knew that he would say something again sometime soon.

"Okay, then. Just tell me if there are any accommodations to be made. And don't forget that Counselor Lulamoon is also available when you need her."

Believing that to be the end of everything, you replied. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm telling you, Lust, that isn't going to work!" Gallop shouted. "Professor Silverstream isn't going to be impressed with us satisfying a few creatures. If we go into a city and start some noise, that'll get her attention --- and a good grade!"

Across the table, the weary pink unicorn placed a hoof on her forehead and groaned, having reached a brick wall with the earth pony. Sympathetic, Georgia patted her classmate on the back and frowned at Gallop. 

"Dude, I don't think the headmare is going to be okay with spending a bunch of money on a festival that may or may not get a lot of creatures. And considering that she might be picky on the city, it could be a while before we even get permission."

"And...," Luster started to say, "if we do get permission for the festival, it'll be too close to the deadline, so we'll only have at least a day or two to pull it off --- and maybe an extra day to set up the whole thing. I sincerely doubt that the school will be willing to spend a good chunk of its budget on your idea for a single week."

In a light purple glow, a baby carrot was lifted from the plate with its siblings and flew across the table to a saucer of hummus. Being dipped down in the condiment, the carrot was sent into the mouth of River Song, who happily and gracefully chewed it down. The kirin then was careful as she then levitated a cup of juice to drink, trying her best not to spill liquid down on any of the reading material she and Gallop owned, who was by her side.

Having finished her drink, River Song offered her thoughts. "Come on, you two. Think about it!" she exclaimed with a smile. "We're not just talking about a festival. Gallop and I are trying to start a fundraiser! You know: a charity event. Think of all the creatures in need that we could be helping! We're talking about little diamond dog pups suffering from severe kennel coughs, and orphans that need to be taken in by loving folks!"

Gallop slapped a hoof on the table, causing the plates, bowls, books, and papers to jolt. "Thank you, River!" he shouted. "That's what I've been trying to tell you guys! This isn't just about throwing a huge party, there's another benefit in all of this. If you just listen to me, you'll see that I'm making sense!"

Yelena, seated between Georgia and River Song, softly raised her hoof as if she was in class. "Um, yak does not mean to be seen as rude," she said gently. "But friends appear to be repeating themselves. Yak is certain you've made these suggestions before about why party is the best choice."

Georgia nodded. "That's exactly what's happening. I don't mean to be sassy, but you both sound like a broken record. We get it --- a city fundraiser sounds exciting and all, but it's just too late to start doing that. Let's not forget it's also that the whole thing would be a hassle in general. You guys are way too obsessed to notice this."

River Song scowled at the griffon, taking offense to her comments.  As you looked up from the page you read on The History of the Most Charitable Acts in Equestria, you could have sworn that you saw a sizzle of steam rise from the kirin's forehead. Glancing to your left, Gallop simply rolled his eyes in disbelief. 

"And what exactly are you saying when you're calling it a hassle?" he asked with a bit of snark. 

You hoped that some of the snacks left on the table would ease your neighbor's mood, but his ire was apparently too much of a distraction for him ever since he and Luster started their argument. Even the cozy, late autumn atmosphere and the serene waterfall behind all six of you were of no use in securing peace.

"Because it'll be hard keeping track of so many creatures," Luster stated. "I doubt Professor Silverstream would want us to give her so many testimonies if this event is going to draw out hundreds of spectators. She would want their testimonies to be about they genuinely got to know us over a long period of time."

Georgia spoke up. "We won't be able to connect with so many people that quick without it looking shallow."

"At most, each of us would get around three to five minutes of bonding time with each attendant we get," Luster continued. "With my idea of a cultural trip to either the bushwoolies', the grundles', or the breezies' homeland, it'll be less expensive to get there and we'll have around an entire week to connect with a select number of inhabitants as we learn about their customs firsthoof."

River Song groaned, her annoyance equaling that of Gallop's. "But that's too easy. I'm pretty sure a whole bunch of the other students are thinking the same thing about a culture visit. If we follow along, our project will be seen as unoriginal and lacking, like, creativity. We're gonna get an average grade unless we blow the professor out of the waters."

Gallop nodded. "Which is why we need to think about making our project bigger and bolder than the others'."

Georgia sighed, streaking a clawtip across her forehead. "You two really don't get what a budget is, do you? Do you really think that Principal Starlight or Vice-Principal Sunburst are really gonna spend a bunch of bits on renting a super-duper rocket spinner or a couple of street performers?"

"If we got the money for all the extracurricular stuff, I'm sure they could lend a few bits our way to help our grades."

"Gallop!" Luster exclaimed. "The school budget is meant for its namesake, the school! The staff isn't going to waste resources on a project that might not even be worth staking a midterm on. Arrgh! I swear --- you're making even me sound like a broken record. I don't know how many times I need to point it out, but..."

The idea to study outside on the school grounds was Yelena's suggestion, as she hoped that the tranquil setting of being outdoors would make studying for the laughter midterm much easier for all of you. To you, the suggestion seemed pleasant, and at first, things were going well, with you even taking part in enjoying some of the snacks that were brought. But when the discussion of what the project would be came up, all of that peace you enjoyed went out the window.

Like Yelena, you decided to stay out of the conflict while the other four verbally duked it out. Sadly for you, you were sandwiched in between Luster and Gallop, who were the most vocal with their arguments. You buried yourself into the book you had in your hooves, trying your best to drown out the noise around you while you took down notes. Eventually, you blanked out to the point where you were not even studying at all --- just staring instead at the last page that you turned to. 

While whatever was happening in the outside world was happening, your mind drifted into various thoughts --- from concerns about how you would do in class tomorrow to whether or not you wanted to grab another chocolate chip cookie, though you felt that you already had enough. But one main thought that you concentrated on was your opinions on this school.

You have been here for only four months, having left your hometown due to... reasons concerning your old high school last spring. Your family decided the School of Friendship in Ponyville was a good suit for helping you become more "social" and "considerate", and to ensure that those traits rubbed onto you they arranged for you to be enrolled in the sophomore class. To them, it seemed best that you get involved in the more advanced courses the school had to offer.

Luckily for you, you only had to be here for a full year. Once summer came around, you were no longer dependent on your folks, at least according to the law. Once you graduated, you might have to stay with them for a few uncomfortable months, but once you have earned enough bits from a good job, you should have no trouble finding a steady place to live. And if that did not work out, there was always either charity or military service to take you in. 

But for now, this school was your life for the next several months. And so far, things were going okay. The school work was creative and definitely differed from the papers upon papers of classwork and homework that your old school offered, though paper was still a part of the curriculum at times. The classrooms were had a small student-to-teacher ratio --- despite the large attendance size overall --- so you had plenty of opportunities to interact one-on-one with a professor.

Speaking of the professors, you have gotten to know a bit about them in the few months that you've been here. Since you had only six classes, there were only six professors out of the dozens here that you have gotten a general read-on. 

Despite being a dragon with spunk and attitude at times, Professor Smolder as your kindness teacher always stressed the importance of being considerate to those around you and to never mock somecreature for their harmless traits. Professor Sweetie Belle regularly had assignments for her generosity class to do outside of school, and reminded the students to follow the tenets set by her sister, one of the Equestrian Elements of Harmony. 

Professor Applebloom also lived by the philosophy of her sister, another Element bearer, with the core message behind her lessons being that the truth will always come out one way or another, and thus it was up to her students to determine when that time would come. When she did not have to deal with her Wonderbolt duties, Professor Silverstream always came to class with an upbeat personality like a school-loving filly and tried to ensure that her laughter class would carry on the same enthusiam throughout her time with them. 

Professor Ocellus was your general studies teacher, in which you choose Equestrian history as the subject you felt you needed to brush-up on. Though eager to share her knowledge with fellow students, you found her to be overall reserved and mild-mannered. And finally, Professor Scootaloo taught the importance of being true to your friends and dedicating yourself to your community, such as with her midterm the day before --- which you did not do so well in.

Speaking about grades, you yourself were not afraid to admit how much of an average student you were. Despite the messages from your folks at home demanding that you apply yourself with your studies, you found yourself doing the bare minimum when it came to your assignments in and out of class. The lack of paperwork that would usually muddle your mind as the clock ticked on was a treat, but you could only find yourself dedicating half of your willpower to following through with the teachers' instructions. 

To put it simply, you could not see the point in caring too much about the anatomy of a proper hug, nor why it was important to be so sure why you maintained eye contact for some long when telling somecreature a statement.

You knew how significant the school was in terms of recent history. Nearly two decades ago, this institution was founded by Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Element bearers as a way of ensuring that the wisdom of friendship would expand beyond Equestria's borders. Even with those six mares no longer employed in the school, the fruits of their labor came true, with several of the current professors having been the first non-pony students welcomed in. Even the principal and head counselor were ponies that the Elements rehabilitated from their corrupt ways long ago.

But despite such rich context behind the foundation of the school, it was not enough to motivate you to go pass your limits and really apply yourself.

Luckily the presence of some effort on your part prevented you from being called out as a poor student by the staff, as you were not a troublemaker. Those traits did nothing, though, to stop your grades from being a mix of B's and C's. 

At the start of the semester, you did not mind those grades, as you figured that perhaps you could pass the school year without trying so hard. But now the previous flunked three midterms were on your mind, and a part of you was certain that you would get a poor report for your loyalty test. You knew that these midterms made a big chunk of your grade, so after a while you began to take your studies seriously.

That's where your five classmates came into play.

You had known them for some time, given that you shared at least one class with each of them, excluding Yelena, but after you bombed your generosity midterm, you decided to take Georgia's offer to join her friends for their usual scheduled study meetings. It was at these meetings that you got to know a bit more about your classmates, who have been together since their freshman year.

Georgia and you shared the same laughter class at the same period. The griffon was very relaxed and polite at times, seeming to not have a care in the world regardless of the circumstances around her, but when she felt like it she could be blunt and crass. Outside of classses, you could spot her playing her guitar on a serene spot on school grounds. And from one conversation she regularly attended public poetry sessions in Ponyville where the comedy club was.

RIver Song was in your honesty class. While she was an attentive student when the teacher was present, outside of the classroom the kirin was the spitting image of a bubbly extrovert. She was the one creature that you could find in a good and chipper mood for most of the day, with a bit of a talkative side to her that bragged about everything from the latest Carousel Boutique merchandise she bought to the any gossip going around in Ponyville. You rarely saw her get angry, though when she was frustrated a bit a steam would sizzle from her horn.

Luckily for you, yesterday was the only time you saw her burst into flames.

Yelena was the only one who you did not interact with during class hours, but your time with her during the latest study group sessions allowed you to see her personality. From what you could tell she was a very humble and respectful yak, always permitting others to have a say or make a choice before providing for herself. She was always curious and eager to learn more about foreign customs and was at times apologetic when creatures did not understand her ways of talking or communicating with others.

Like Georgia, Yelena could be frank at times, especially when something or somecreature confused her, but unlike the griffon she was usually unaware of how her critiques could sting or bother others.

Gallop J. Fry was very ... interesting to you. You do not call him nor see him as a friend, yet he is the only student here at the school that you have had the most interactions with. Out of the study group, Gallop is the only one in which you shared two classes with, one being loyalty and the other generosity. Thus, you got double the experience of being around him and understanding his habits.

As far as you were aware, he was struggling in academics just like you, but that did not mean that you two were exactly alike. In the classroom, though he never meant to by his account, he was often disruptive at random moments --- either by eating his secret snacks too loudly or mumbling too much to himself about whatever was on his mind --- which often led to a reprimand by Professor Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle. 

Outside of school hours, the earth pony was just as erratic and impulsive. Regardless of the conversation, Gallop always found a way to make a joke out of it or compliment those around him with a sarcastic remark. You could not for the life of you keep count of all the times that this pony has been on your nerves with his wise-crack, goofy antics that he always seemed committed to, despite the times he had been bitten on the rear because of them. 

And then there was Luster Dawn. If this group of friends represented different parts of a body, the pink unicorn would be the head. As far as you were aware, she was by far the brightest and most inquisitive out of the bunch. Those traits were evident by the fact that she led most of the discussions at the study sessions, and that everycreature --- including you --- took copies of her well-detailed notes whenever you got the chance.

She was also a model student, as given by her squeaky-clean behavior in your kindness class. She was always attentive, obedient to the professor's instructions, asked questions at the appropriate times, and was willing to help out her classmates during assignments. This charitable behavior extended even outside of the classroom, with her being a tutor on the weekends when needed and even volunteering to work at places such as Sweet Apple Acres and the Sweet Feather Sanctuary for animals outside of town.

Given that she was a protege of the princess, you were not surprised by her initiative of applying herself to her studies.

These five classmates have been your only meaningful interaction with the school's student body since you had arrived. Yet despite all the help you had received from them through these sessions, and the help you would give them occasionally, you ironically could not see them as anything more than acquaintances in this place meant to foster friendship and love. You did not know what it was in general, but you just could not connect with them. It was like trying to fit a plug into a clogged up outlet. The idea of being close to them just was not going to work.

And with the arguing going on around you, you definitely did not feel motivated to test that feeling again.

"An appreciation of different cultures is surely going to be enough to lift up the hearts of these species," Luster stated with annoyance. "We're already on good terms with them, so it wouldn't hurt to get to know them a bit more."

"Do you know diverse Equestria has been since Princess Twilight came to the throne?!?" Gallop asked with a raised voice. "We already got a good idea about how different various species are! We might as well just focus on getting as many creatures as possible to come together for a good cause, while having fun at the same time."

"And we can add in, like, audiovisual testmony-thingies for our project," River Song chimed in. "That way we can comb through the ones we like the most and present them to the professor. It might take a few hours to choose, but I think it's a smart plan."

After the kirin finished, Georgia let out a loud groan that prevented anycreature else from speaking up. 

"This is killing me," she said with a sigh. "Look. We've been bickering for nearly half an hour. We still need to get focused on studying. I'm not saying this should be a permanent decision, but let take a vote on this so we can get it out of the way. At least for now."

Gallop and River Song looked over at each other for a brief moment.

"Well, I'm not giving up on the city fundraiser party plan," he said.

"Me neither," she said.

Luster Dawn sighed, the signs of exhaustion clearly evident on her face. Her hooves rhythmically tapped on the surface of the table until she looked over at Georgia. 

"I'm guessing you're still with me on the culture trip?"

The griffon nodded in agreement, which brought a small smile to the unicorn's face. Georgia looked over at Yelena, who had buried her nose in one of her books. 

"Yelena, what you do think?" she asked. "What idea is the best?"

Caught off guard, the yak raised her head and looked around the table before responding. "Yak is not trying to make friends feel bad for their choices. Yak can't choose."

"Yelena, you keep doing this every time we make a big decision on something," Gallop said. "It's okay if you have your own thoughts about this."

"But if you could, try to give some thought to the city idea," River Song added in with a hopeful smile.

Yelena shook her head. "Yak isn't afraid to be honest, but the project needs to go well for good grade. Yak doesn't know which choice is best, and yak doesn't want to bring trouble by dividing friends. Yak chooses not to say anything."

Gallop grunted in defeat and sought comfort in the form of eating a bag of potato chips. 

"So, [Y/N]," Georgia started to say. "What's your final verdict?"

The call of your name was unexpected, given your lack of involvement within the study group due to daydreaming, and suddenly you found yourself in a similar position as Yelena did. 

"My verdict?" you asked with sincere confusion. 

"You know --- about what our project is gonna be about. Do you think a cultural visit is better, or some party in a city?"

"Oh! Um... Well..."

Like Yelena, you did not want to rock the boat. You've been to a few group meetings before, but today was the first instance in which a big argument broke out between most of the friends. You did not know what would happen if you took the wrong side here. These study sessions were important to you, and if heated discourse lead to the collapse of these sessions, you could count your chances of graduating goodbye.

As everycreature at the table stared at you for an answer to leave your mouth, you tried your best to think of a statement that would nullify any issues.

"They, um... both sound like good ideas," you finished with a nervous chuckle. "But if I'm being honest, I don't think I'm the right judge for this decision. I mean, I don't have any experience with choices like these. Since you guys have been through these exams before, I think it's best that you choose what project is best. Just... you know... keep it civil."

The disappointment in the air was easy to sense, with most of your classmates bestowing upon you looks of frustration and disbelief.

"Dude, we can't have a stalemate," Gallop complained. "Yelena's not gonna vote either, so we need you to be the tiebreaker."

Keeping your quaint smile, you could only manage a shrug.

"It's alright, everyone," Luster declared. "I know a way that we can solve this." The unicorn let out another sigh, as if she was almost unwilling to go through with whatever she announced. "I don't want this to be a permanent decision, but to get this out of the way, I'm going to flip a coin to end the vote."

Gallop grinned, his annoyance over your decision having gone away. "Well, I'm obviously going to go with heads."

Luster nodded. "Alright then, Let me just reach into my saddlebags."

Her horn glowed orange as she levitated up her saddlebags, which were situated between you and her. The flap on the left bag was flipped open, and to everycreatures' surprise a strange material was present inside. 

"What is that?" Luster asked with a puzzled look.

A pink poofy substance, resembling the appearance of cotton candy, was sticking out of the unicorn's bag. You knew nothing about what Luster had placed in her bag before she got the table, but given her reaction you knew that this thing was not something she was expecting to find. 

Suddenly, the substance began to wiggle and stretch itself within the bag, poking against the fabric. Eventually, a foal's face popped out from the bag with a big, wide smile. 

"Hey, guys!"

You and Luster both let out a shout at the appearance of this invasive foal. The unicorn herself was so shocked that she even dropped the bag to the ground. When the bag made contact, the foal inside produced a little "oof!" with a blank expression, but was overall alright. The foal's smile returned back to them and they managed to wiggle their way out of the saddlebag. 

Standing up on all four hooves, the earth pony foal gazed up at you six bewildered students. The foal was bright yellow, with green eyes and a pink poofy tail that matched their mane. On their flank was a cutiemark of some sort of pie slice, and within their mane was a yellow rubber toy, resembling either a duck or a chicken.

"Sorry for the scare," the young pony said. "I just thought that now was a good time to show up."

The atmosphere of panic died down once you and the others were aware of who was addressing you --- though your panic turned into a bit of annoyance rather than calmness. River Song was the first to greet the foal.

"Hey, there, Li'l Cheese," she said with a smile. "What brings you here today?"

A sparkle shone in the foal's eyes. "Well, I just wanted to bring in some treats today!" 

"He, she, or they today?" the kirin asked.

Li'l Cheese tapped a hoof under their chin while they mused the thought about inside their mind. "He."

Satisfied with the answer, River Song could only manage a nod. The little colt bent down to put his hooves back into Luster's opened saddlebag. After some rummaging around, he pulled out a thin box with a clear plastic roof --- the kind of box meant to store desserts such as cupcakes, cookies, and muffins. Inside of the box, you could see several colorful pieces of some sort of sweet.

Everycreature around Ponyville knew who Li'l Cheese was. Besides being the child of two of Equestria's greatest party planners --- with one of those planners being an Element of Harmony --- the colt was known for his unusual antics that occurred on a daily basis. At times, the colt was capable of doing absurd, unexplainable acts without the assistance of unicorn magic, such as being able to predict certain creatures' decisions like when they would sneeze, or suddenly popping into existence at random places like today.

You knew that the colt was not a troublemaker, yet you could not help but feel uncomfortable when near his presence. The first time you met Li'l Cheese was just a few days after you arrived to Ponyville, when you were traveling down the marketplace to get a better feel of the town. Just as you were thinking about buying a snack from a nearby stall, this little filly, as she was identifying as at the moment, sprang out from the hat of a neighboring pony to warn you about a baby duck you were about to collide with. 

Her advice came too late, as you accidentally flicked an unseen duckling with your hoof was you were looking at the filly with a bewildered expression. The baby was more stunned than hurt by your kick, as it got back up without a cry, but the act was not left unseen by the baby's mother. The bigger animal quacked at you with such ferocity before it charged at you to peck you in the face numerous times. It took about a few minutes for you to get the mother off your tracks, though Li'l Cheese was behind the both of you trying to help.

Though you never faced an incident like that again, you did occasionally see the colt perform various performances afterward that unsettled you. You were always courteous to him, given that he was always upbeat and polite to creatures, yet you never sought to extend the amount of time you were obligated to spent with him out of respect. His energy was just too much for you to handle, and having encountered his parents on just one occasion, you could understand where he got it from.

"Is that what I think it is?" Gallop asked with a proud smirk.

Li'l Cheese nodded rapidly. "It sure is!"

Luster levitated the box and placed it on the edge of the table after moving a few books and snacks out of the way. Flipping the top half up, the unicorn revealed that the contents inside were what looked like to you to be macarons. After examining the treats, Luster looked down at the colt. 

"Did you use three-fourth of the formula I gave you? And one-fifth of each of the food condiments?" Luster asked with a raised eyebrow. 

The colt nodded again.

"And you mixed the almond flour with cinnamon powder and lemon extract for around five minutes like my grandma did, right?" Gallop asked. 

The colt nodded once more.

"And the almonds were carmel, right? Not nonpareil?"

The colt nodded a finally time, his grin failing to fall off with against the rapid motion. "I followed it exactly like your grandma would!" 

Gallop's proud smirk grew bigger, as if Li'l Cheese was his own child. "That's what I'm talking about! I can't wait to try another one!"

"Um, what did little pony make?" Yelena asked, though in  a way she was speaking for you, too.

Li'l Cheese beamed at her. "They're macarons! They're for a special occasion, but I'm thinking about getting mom and dad to add them to the menu at the shop."

"Gallop and I were helping him back a few days ago to make sure he got them right," Luster said to her classmates. 

"I can understand him needing Gallop's help," River Song said, "since it's his grandma's recipe, but why did you need to be there?"

A sly smirk appeared on Luster's face as she scooted the box towards the table's center, the sight of which worried you. Though a serious student, Luster had her rare occasions of being mischievous or teaseful, as you were sometimes a witness to her acts. "Why don't the rest of you give a try first? Gallop and I already taste-tested them, and Li'l Cheese did okay with the first patch."

"Be careful!" Li'l Cheese warned. "They have a bit of a kick to them! So just take one bite at first."

River Song levitated one of the macarons to her face, one that was orange with a white middle filling. As the kirin examined the treat, Georgia and Yelena took possession of their own --- the griffon grabbing a pink and blue one while the yak possessed a brown and red one. You, however, declined to take a macaron. The combination of the colt's presence and Luster's cat-like grin served as an omen to you to be an observer instead of a participant.

The first one to take a bite was River Song, followed by Yelena and Georgia. Taking in the colt's advice, all three of them slowly chewed their bites, as seen through their puffed-up cheeks. Once each of them swallowed, they all looked at Li'l Cheese with uncertainity.

River Song was the one to break the silence. "I don't really feel anyth---"

A puff of orange and white smoke erupted from the kirin's unsuspecting mouth. The unseeable reaction scared her, as could to told by her wide, pinpricked eyes and the gagging she produced. Just seconds later, Yelena and Georgia went through the same uncomfortable experience. As they coughed and gagged through tearful eyes, smoke came out of their mouth that matched the colors of their macarons.

The smoke eventually dissipated, but what remained were tiny sparks that floated down to the table. When those sparks touched the surface, they burned brighter and brighter to the point where you realized that they were growing in size, and perhaps even shifting their shapes. When the lights died out, what was shown in front of you made your jaw drop.

In front of River Song were at least five small cups of orange and white ice cream. Yelena had several cinnamon sticks in her presence. And Georgia herself had a wide variety of berries at her disposal, with her talon tips she picking up a raspberry to examine up-close.

"Woah," the griffon said in an awe that you rarely saw her in. Seeing what was in front of them, the three girls decided to sample of the food items that came from their mouths. The initial shock from before eventually went away as they ate. The food they had must have been genuine, as you could smell the mixed aroma of berries, cinnamon, and orange ice cream in the air.

"Yep," Luster proclaimed with her smugness still intact. "All that is due to magic. It's all from a little formula I made with the usage of a multiplicity charm and a shrinkage spell combo."

"It, um --- koff, koff --- certainly was a surpise," River Song coughed out inbetween eating. 

"Yak thinks --- koff --- that pony should have warned about this happening," Yelena stated. "This wasn't so humorous to yak."

Luster giggled, though you noticed some consideration in her eyes. "I guess I could have warned you all, but it was somewhat funny to see your reactions firsthoof. And there was no danger of choking or anything. The same thing happened to Gallop and I, so you all were safe."

"True, but what's the reason for making these things?" Georgia asked, grabbing some cinnamon sticks and ice cream. "Is there some special occasion, or was this just a random magic experiment again?"

"There for the Grateful Festival tomorrow," Li'l Cheese answered. "It took me a while but with Luster and Gallop I was able to get mom and dad to be okay with my Marvelous Macarons idea! Mom said it's best probably just to make them for just the festival, since it involves a lot of magic, but I'm certain that after tomorrow that everycreature will want more of them to buy at Sugarcube Corner."

"If that's the case, I'll be more than happy with you making more," Gallop announced. "Grandma told me to trust the recipe with somecreature that was worthy enough to have it, and I think you make the cut, little dude."

The yellow colt hopped into the air. "Thanks! So how do you guys like them? Are they great?"

"The idea's pretty rad," Georgia admitted. "Making more food out of food sounds like a perfect solution to never going hungry ever again. That's really stellar."

"Pony did a good job with making macarons taste good," Yelena said. "But yak coughed too much from powder. If little pony could get rid of problem, then macarons might sell well."

River Song giggled. "Well, I think they're really nice, Cheezie. Not just the macarons, but even the ice cream. I can't believe you managed to get these inside!"

The smiling feedback seemed to uplift the colt's heart, as given by his constant bouncing through the whole thing. If he beamed anymore, you would have sworn that he would have shone as bright as the sun. But despite your overall feelings on the colt, you could not deny that his presence today lessened the tension going on with the group. So, you guess that you could be bit grateful for his uninvited arrival in a way.

"Well, enjoy those while you can, ladies," Li'l Cheese said. "There won't be any more until tomorrow. Be sure to stop by the Sugarcube Corner stall at the fairgrounds. I'll be there with Pumpkin and Little Mac."

"Crap!" Georgia shouted, snapping her talons. "I forgot about the festival! I gotta see how much bits I have back at the dorms when this is over. I hope I have enough for all those rides that should be up."

"Well, we got around less than an hour to finish studying," Luster proclaimed to the group. "Let's just finish with our readings and then we can share notes at the end."

"But first, we need to do the coin toss," Gallop reminded.

"Right. Of course. I almost forgot. Let me just get that coin I was talking about."

The pink unicorn levitated her saddlebags and drew out a small purple coin pouch with a rope tied at the top. Loosening the rope, the entrance opened up and a single golden bit floated outside of its habitat and above the middle of the table. As the coin stayed suspended in midair, you bit your bottom lip in anticipation for the outcome. The calm you enjoyed for several minutes might soon be nonexistent based on how the others would react.

Eventually, the orange glow on the coin evaporated, and the coin itself went falling down to the table below.
> Important Update 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello, fellow reader!

I want you to know that the story will continue on, so you don't need to worry about any cancellations. But one thing that might change will be the race of the main character in the story.

Along with Your Friends From Across Time, I am also writing Apostle and "might" release the first chapter of a third story perhaps by the end of the summer. 

Because of the two latter stories mentioned above, it might take a bit longer to finish a chapter of Your Friends From Across TIme --- especially if that chapter has three variations based on each of the three pony races.

Therefore, I have thought about retconning the main character's race. Instead of being either an unicorn, earth pony, or pegasus, the main character (aka your OC) will simply be an earth pony. To make things a little bit better, the main character at some point in the story will be able to transform into both a unicorn and a pegasus; so hopefully, this will satisfy those with pegasus or unicorn OC's.

However, if you would prefer that I make variations of most of the chapters based on your OC's race, please let me know in the comments. I am not saying that your opinion will or will not change my mind about this retcon, since I am dealing with multiple stories and my life outside of FimFiction, but I would greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Other than that, I hope everycreature has a good summer.

From,
EquestrianKnight97
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The beaten-down baseball was tossed into the air before returning back down into Gallop's hoof. The young earth pony stared at the red-and-white bullseye target with squinted eyes. Without breaking contact with the object in front of him, Gallop tossed the ball up in the air and waited for it to come down again. 

A growl snarled out of his lips, like a defensive dog besieged by an intruder. A pause went on for a while until he eventually tossed the ball up again. Another pause occurred, followed by another toss. The seconds that went on throughout Gallop tossing the ball up and down felt like minutes to you as you watched on in boredom, and you were certain that those behind you felt the same with the few yarns your ears caught.

"Hey, buddy! I'm pretty sure other people have a better throwing leg than you! Why don't you give them a shot?!?"

The snubbing comment came from a chubby green-blue unicorn stallion right in front of Gallop. The older stallion himself was situated in a glass-encased dunk tank and seemed to be very jovial. Sitting relaxed in his suspended, feetless chair, the unicorn flashed a smile that did little to ease the younger stallion's tension.

"Come on, pretty boy!"

With that last insult came the long-waited shot. Propelled by Gallop's leg, the ball shot out of his hoof and spiraled toward the bullseye attached to the dunk tank. You, along with the neighboring crowd of creatures, kept track of the sphere, waiting to see the end of its destination. 

To everycreatures' disappointment, the ball did not have a triumphal sendoff. Its end came in the form of bouncing off the surface of the bullseye, falling to the ground, and rolling in the grass for a brief moment before coming to a halt. A chorus of groans sang from the crowd near you, while you yourself stared at the ball with a blank expression. Given by the haughty laughter from the dunk tank, there was at least one person that was cheerful.

"That's three in a row, mate!" the unicorn exclaimed, clapping his hooves together. "Pay up!"

Grumbling, Gallop hunched down to shake off his saddlebags. Digging around, he eventually pulled out a coin pouch and used his teeth to pull open the string entrance. Just then, a light purple glow encased the pouch, drawing out three bits and floating them away from Gallop's direction. The coins eventually ended up in the hooves of a lanky, amber unicorn mare with a long neck, a green mane, and a cutiemark of a snail. 

"Thanks for the bits, Gallop," the mare said. "I gotta say, Snips, this dunk tank idea of yours is really pulling off." The mare floated the money into a glass jar on a table next to the dunk tank.

"Yep!" the unicorn shouted from behind the glass. "The whole gist is that we get some sweet bits while our lovely customers here have a chance to let out their frustrations."

The amber unicorn rose a confused eyebrow. "But nocreature put you in the water, yet."

"That's true, but they probably don't want to hurt me too much. After all, I'm not the reason they're mad all the time."

"But you did say some real nasty stuff lately."

With little consideration, Snips shrugged. "I'm just trying to give them some motivation, is all, Glitter."

The perplexity on the mare's face melted away into a satisfied smile. "Oh. That makes sense."

While the two unicorns chatted away, Gallop returned to both you and Georgia with a lowly disposition. With a lowered head and a grumpy scowl, the earth pony sat down between the two of you. 

"Those two rigged that bullseye," he complained. "I'm sure of it."

"The only thing I'm certain of is how crappy your leg is if you couldn't get him in the water --- even after you hit the target two times."

"That's not the case here. I've known these two since we were in primary school. They're always up to some sort of scheme or stupid plan, especially that Snips. I just gotta wait for someone to expose them, then they can give back all the money they took."

Georgia rolled her eyes. "It's not like they have half of Ponyville coming to the tank. If you look at the jar right now, not many creatures showed up since the festival started. I could barely buy textbooks with that much cash. Let's just let it go."

Gallop crossed his forelegs. "I guess. I'm just gonna drive myself crazy with them. Let's head---"

"Um..., excuse me?"

A little voice from behind caught all three of your attention. Turning around, you spot a small, brown griffon with red eyes sitting down on the ground, staring back at you with a humble and hesitant gaze. Though a familiar and rather innocent creature, you were surprised to see him, knowing that you and the others had forgotten about him. 

"What's up, Garrick?" Georgia asked with a smile.

The young griffon slowly approached the three of you with some hesitation. Stopping, Garrick twiddled his talontips together as he stared at the ground below.

"I like to give it a try," he said softly. "If that's okay."

The request was quite surprising to you, as well as the other two. Though a sophomore like you, Garrick was still a child with a tendency towards reservedness and quietness. For him to make a choice in putting somecreature in an embarrassing situation on purpose was something that you would never have expected from him. 

"You talking about the dunk tank?" Gallop asked, despite it being obvious.

The little griffon nodded his head, finally meeting his eye with the three of you.

"I'm not so sure about this,' Georgia added. "I don't want you wasting all your bits on nothing, especially if Gallop is right about those two."

For a moment the elder griffon's dissuasion seemed to do its effect, as Garrick lowered his face again with a doubtful expression, but he quickly regained his composure and looked up at Georgia. 

"I'm certain. There's this move that I want to try out again, and it'll only cost me one bit if I get it wrong. I just need to try it one time."

Georgia hesitated from answering immediately as she went over Garrick's words in her head. You personally hoped that she would be able to persuade him to just let it go and save his bits for some snacks or carnival rides. But luck was once again not on your side.

Georgia relented, letting out a sigh. "I guess one bit wouldn't hurt. But just remember that your folks aren't gonna give you any more money than they already do."

A white, beamy smile grew from the younger griffon's mouth. "Yes!" Taking a coin from the pouch tied around his neck, Garrick floated in the air and buzzed toward the dunk tank. The sight of the cheerful child managed to lower your already damaged spirit, as well as chip away at your patience.

An hour here is more than enough, you thought to yourself. I need to get out of here soon.

"If I had a hard time with that tank, I doubt he'll do any better," Gallop proclaimed. 

Georgia shrugged. "Maybe. But I'll give him a chance. It took a bit to convince him to come out here. Last year he just stayed at the dorms."

"What kind of move was he talking about, exactly? Do you have any clue?"

"Nope, but I think he's been hanging out with some kids that are into the Wonderbolts. I think they may be a part of the Rainbow Dash Fan Club."

The little griffon stopped in front of Glitter and Snips, who paused their conversation.

"Well, hello there, squirt," Snips greeted behind the glass. "Whatcha doin'?"

Garrick held out his claw to reveal the golden coin laying in his palm. "One bit for one throw, please."

Both unicorns glanced at each other with perplexed looks before returning their eyes to the younger creature. 

"Uh, don't you want to use three bits, instead?" Glitter asked. "You know --- just in case you get the first throw wrong?"

Garrick shook his head, betraying no lack of confidence. "One try should be enough."

Though not understanding the griffon's reasoning, Glitter levitated the coin out of his claw and into the jar on the nearby table. Snips, however, began to laugh out loud as his partner levitated a ball over to Garrick.

"Really, squirt? Just one throw? You can't be that afraid of big ol' me, can ya? I'm sure I'm not like those monsters under your bed that'll come and try to eat you at night! HA!"

Throughout Snips' laughing streak, Garrick was able to keep it all together and neither lashed out in anger nor rushed to defend himself --- a detail that you found yourself respecting the little griffon for. With an annoyed scowl, Garrick floated off the ground to place some distance between him and the dunk tank, before turning around and stretching out the arm that gripped the ball.

Staring at the bullseye ahead, Garrick took several relaxed, deep breaths that lifted his chest up and down. Once he was done, he began to spin horizontally while in midair, something that did not seem to impress you that much, as he seemed to be going at a below-average speed. However, as the seconds passed on, you noticed a change beginning to occur --- or rather several changes.

At first you could see the outline of Garrick's body like his legs, torso, and head, but by now he had become a swirling mess of brown colors. As the griffon spun around, the blades of grass below him began to blow away in the opposite direction, unable to withstand the winds beating down on them. Eventually, the spinning got so intense that you could hear the small howling of wind and saw thin jets of air encircle him. You looked around to the spot the reactions of everycreature else, and so far most of the crowd, including Georgia and Gallop, were enchanted by the young griffon's act.

You managed to look back just in time to see the griffon's final part. Still spinning, Garrick managed to launch himself straight up into the air, not too far up, but just enough to allow him to fly backward in an arch or "U" formation. Once he was back near his original position, the little griffon stopped spinning and threw the ball directly at the bullseye. 

A loud, clunky noise was generated when the ball slammed into the bullseye's center, causing it to fold in on itself. Snips, enthralled by Garrick's performance like everycreature else, shook his head once he realized what had just happened.

"Oh, n---" were the only words that came out of the unicorn's mouth before he was submerged into the tank's cold water. It took a while, as most of the crowd were still stunned by what transpired, but eventually, a loud cheer rang out, though you opted to stay silent. 

Without warning, many in the crowd rushed over to Garrick to either shake his claw or roughly play with his hair in a display of affection. When they were all done, they hurried around Glitter and held up their hooves, paws, or claws while demanding their money back. Nervous and backed into a corner, Glitter used her magic to levitate the money jar and open it up.

"Ok, folks," she said, giving three bits back to each creature. "Don't worry. A promise is a promise."

When everycreature was done congratulating Garrick, Gallop and Georgia went over to greet the young griffon, while you stayed back. With all three of your classmates distracted, you looked around for an opening to make your escape. You wanted to pick the right spot and time to move out so that you would not get caught. As you searched, you listened in on the others talking in excitement.

"How'd you do something like that?!?" Gallop asked Garrick with a big grin on his face.

"Yeah, man," Georgia added in. "Did you learn that move from one of your friends? I don't remember you ever telling me about anything like that."

With a bashful blush, the young griffon stared down at the ground as he floated and twiddled with his fingers again. "Yeah. There's this pegasus name Sunfeather in the Rainbow Dash club. He's huge into the Wonderbolts, and he taught me this technique that cadets have to learn when throwing clouds puffs or lightning bolts."

Gallop patted Garrick on the back. "Well, you that ball you threw was definitely a lightning bolt. I'm glad you gave that dolt what he was asking for. And I guess I was right about the bullseye being rigged if that's what it took to send him in."

Garrick looked up and greeted the earth pony with a smile. "Thanks. Is it okay if we can head somewhere else? I'm actually getting a bit hungry."

"Sure, dude," Georgia said, nudging her little companion. "Let's get that one bit of yours, first."

You gazed back in time to spot your three classmates heading over to the dunk tank booth --- having done nothing to get your attention or call you over. Not knowing how long it would take for them to realize your absence, you quicken your search for an exit, darting you eyes in all directions. Eventually, you spot an opening where you could blend in with a dense crowd to get away from the others.

You made your first move --- moving a leg forward as you plan to head toward your destination. But before you could take a second step, you feel two gripping claws on your forelegs and find yourself being lifted up to your hindlegs.

"Huh, almost forgot about you," Georgia said. She turned the two of you around and floated you over to where Gallop and Garrick were. "Come on, you. We're gonna get some grub."

A thousand protests ran through your head as you were carried off to the dunk tank like a toddler --- from a complaint about your hooves hurting to an untrue fact about your hatred for high-processed festival food. The idea of even wriggling out of the griffon's grasp seemed like something you were willing to follow through with. Yet, a small voice in your head told you that you were not getting out of this, and that any resistance would cause more problem for you down the road.

The griffon let go of you once you two reached the other pair. Glitter Shell was able to pry herself from the bombarding crowd so that she could give Garrick his one bit back, along with a tiny slip of paper. As the four of you headed away from the dunk tank, you yourself were able to catch a single sentence from a soaking-wet Snips, who had found his way back to his seat above the water.

"I could have sworn I tighten that thing good enough," he mumbled. 

If you were a righteously angry pony, you would have informed everycreature around of the stallion's deception, and he definitely would have gotten a well-deserved shaming. But the idea of revealing this trick was far from your mind, as your concerns laid somewhere else.

"So, what'd you get?" Gallop asked Garrick, eyeing the slip in the griffon's grasp.

Garrick stretched the slip between both claws and read the words on it.

"It's a 200 bit coupon for the Fondue Palace in Canterlot," he said. "I'm not really big on cheese, though. I'm not sure about going."

The news made Gallop lick and smack his lips. "Well, if that's the case, then I don't mind taking that from you. Hopefully, I---"

"Now, hold on, you bottomless pit," Georgia intervened, before turning her attention to Garrick. "Don't just give stuff to others just because you might not want it. You gotta see if there's any good reason to keep it. Let's see if the restaurant has anytime else on their menu, then" --- she glared at Gallop --- "you can make up your mind."

"Oh," Garrick said. "Well, I guess."

Gallop was able to brush off Georgia's stare with a smile. "So, [Y/N] --- how do you feel about going to Canterlot for a stroll after visiting the Fondue Palace?"

Keeping your eyes to the front, you answered, "It wouldn't be much of a surprise to me."

You could hear the disappointment in his voice after he sighed while behind you. "Right, I forgot. But still, it would be nice to go to Restaurant Row and chow down on some good dining. I mean, the places might be too fancy --- and expensive --- but the food's gotta be worth it."

"Well, for now we're stuck with junk food here," Georgia added. "And with your job, I doubt you'll be going to Restaurant Row soon. For now, how about we try to find the Sugarcube Corner stall?"

"Ooo! Could I get some creampuffs and a cookie? Please?" Garrick pleaded with his fellow griffon, ambushing her with his beady red eyes.

"Well, I guess I can let you can get a little bit of sugar in your system. Just try to keep any hyperactivity to a minimum."

None of you knew exactly where the stall was, as Li'l Cheese failed to mentioned that during his visit yesterday, but the fairgrounds were not that big here, so it would not take that long for you to spot it out somewhere. As the other three chatted away, your mind took this walk as an opportunity to rewind through the tapes of its memories.

Because of the Grateful Festival, classes were cut in half today, which left you with enough time to roam through the town when school was over. Though not a studious student, your classes and homework kept you occupied through most of the week, so you only had a few hours each week to really explore Ponyville.

This small, yet relevant, town was not as big or diverse as your home was, but it still had some features that you admired as you roamed around it these past months. 

You often found solace in the peaceful, rustic ambience of Sweet Apple Acres, with its bountiful fields and hills of luscious apple trees. Though you were not granted admission into the deeper acres, the Apple Family still allowed you and other villagers the privilege of hanging around the entrances of the farm in order to enjoy the surrounding nature.

Sugarcube Corner was also a pleasant place to visit (as long as... they weren't around). The bakery held a wide variety of sweets for you to munch down on when you had time after school. You have never been one to have a sweet tooth of any kind, but with the absence of parents or guardians to keep an eye on you, you suddenly found yourself spending a lot of your money buying chocolate-covered strawberries, peppermint-flavored pretzels, orange-glazed muffins, caramel popcorn, and so on. 

The movie theater and the arcade were also good spots to hang around when not busy, but today you decided to head over to Sweet Feather Sanctuary to clear your head. The Element of Kindness, who was usually around the premises to administer to the animals, was not present at moment, neither was her companion, the renowned Lord of Chaos. The only staff present when you arrived were Sandbar and few student volunteers. 

Not really relaxed with the sanctuary, you decided to leave, and your journey caused you to end up at the fairgrounds where the Grateful Festival was held. The festival, which happens at the end of autumn and days before the snowfall of winter began, came about less than a year after the founding of Equestria. Before the coldest season of the year arrived, ponies would receive gifts, food, and labor from each other by doing quick favors or by winning cunning games.

From what you can recall from your limited knowledge of your country's history, the purpose of the Grateful Festival was so that those with more would give to those in need without expecting any payment in return, and that those with less would learn to be grateful to those who provide for them by helping said providers. Despite being held only once a year, the holiday was meant to strengthen bonds --- especially as the three pony races had just united.

The festival seemed a stimulating sight from afar, with its mishmash collection of booths, stages, and amusement rides, so you decided to take a short amount of time out of your day to check it out. Just out of curiosity. There was so much going on that you could only recall two events that stood out to you. One was a stage event where the owner of the bowling alley would give away free pizzas for half a year to any young creature who could clean the most bowling pins before time ran out. And the other was a small, closed-off section of the field where Dr. Fauna would award whoever got the most exercise in with their animal companion a coupon for several free spa sessions.

Not really interested in the ordeals going on, you decided you saw enough and wanted to go back to the dorms. But just before you could reach the boundaries of the fairgrounds, you heard two familiar voices behind you before two sets of hooves and claws grabbed a whole of you. 

Georgia and Gallop had been the ones to greet you, with Garrick in the background watching your forced participation in the festival. Their domineering presence and insistence that you should not "miss out on the fun" prevented you from speaking up. 

And that's how you got stuck with your three classmates for the rest of the day. But at least you were going to a place that might be able to clear the stress clouding your mind --- at least for a little bit.

After some traveling, the four of you managed to spot a pink booth far off to the left that held at the top a sign of a pink cupcake with a blue wrapper. Inside the booth were a yellow unicorn mare with a blue bow in her orange mane and a very familiar yellow foal with poofy pink hair. As she levitated a brown paper bag to one of the creatures in front of her, the unicorn spotted you four coming at her. With a big smile, she waved, with only Gallop, Georgia, and Garrick returning back the gesture. 

"Hey, guys!" the unicorn greeted, keeping her big smile. She then levitated a few bits from the customer she gave the bag to before accepting the next one. As the line in front of the unicorn was shorter than the one Li'l Cheese had to deal with, you all get behind the two creatures that arrived before you. 

When the first customer finished his order of strawberry scones with a peach milkshake, the unicorn returned her attention to you.

"So, how's it been for you guys?" she asked.

"It's been all right, Pumpkin," Gallop said, waving a hoof away in a dismissive way.

Pumpkin giggled, using her magic to float a few scones into a paper bag. "That's good to know. But you guys must've been busy the past few weeks. It's been a while since I saw you at Sugarcube Corner."

"Well, that's what happens when midterms get in the way," Georgia said plainly. "Fun is kinda a second priority."

Pumpkin gasped, though not in a horrific way. "I thought you were done with midterms. Silly me. That makes a lot of sense now."

"Milkshake's done," said a soft voice from behind Pumpkin.

The unicorn turned around to grasp a clear plastic cup with her magic, along with a straw that she inserted. Having given the ordered items to the pony in front of her, Pumpkin gratefully took the customer's bits and gave a polite farewell. She then urged the next customer, a diamond dog, forward, who ordered six doughnuts and a cherry-flavored crepe. 

As Pumpkin wrapped the doughnuts in plastic, Garrick floated up to look inside the booth. 

"Hey there, Mackie," the young griffon greeted with a wave.

After hearing the sound of something clanging onto something else, you saw the head of a purple colt with freckles and a short orange mane pop out from the booth's opening in between Pumpkin and Li'l Cheese. At the sight of the floating griffon, the earth pony revealed a small smile.

"Hey, Gar," he said with a soft voice. "How's school?"

The griffon's own smile grew a bit bigger. "Well, the tests are kind of kicking my butt, but I should make it out okay. How did the last fall harvest go?"

"It went well. Me, pa, and my aunties got a whole workload done last week. Ah'm gonna be helping ma make some pies and strudels for the winter sales when I get back home."

Pumpkin giggled. "Well, it's nice that you two are getting to chat, but I still need you to keep an eye on heating that crepe right, Mackie."

The purple colt's ears perked up. "Oh, right! Sorry, Pumpkin!"

And just like that, you saw the colt disappear behind the scenes again. 

The colt, Little Mac, also known as Mackie, was a friend of Li'l Cheese and Garrick, and was a pony you sometimes met during your trips to Sweet Apple Acres. He was the nephew of both the Element of Honesty and your honesty class teacher, and was known to be as gentle and soft-spoken as his stoic giant of a father. Outside of the farm, you would spot him at the market selling apple-derived treats with his unicorn mother, who often spoke up about how her son had taken the time to craft such delicious food to passersbys.

Pumpkin Cake was another pony that you had gotten to know outside of school. It made sense that you saw her a lot as she was a worker at Sugarcube Corner, which used to be owned by her parents before they retired a while back. The creamy-yellow unicorn was very nice to you, greeting you with a supposedly heartfelt welcome each time she saw you arrive. She appeared to have a very patient disposition, as you rarely if ever saw her get upset when rush-hour customers or unsuspected circumstances overwhelmed her.

You remember at one visit while with Luster, Gallop, and River Song that the latter two had teased you about Pumpkin having "feelings" for you due to how you got a few extra peanut butter cups from her that day. Personally, you did not think much of it as more than a simple mistake.

Pumpkin's pegasus twin brother, Pound Cake, was also another pony that you had a few interactions with. He was very polite and talkative like his sister, but unlike her he had a limited amount of patience and often said obscene things that Pumpkin would lightly scold him for. But unlike Gallop --- luckily --- he was not too much to handle when you had to encounter him.

So in a way, you had a life outside of school, with Li'l Cheese, Little Mac, Pumpkin Cake, and Pound Cake being your weekly acquaintances. You only hoped that those four would not seek to make your relationships with them any more serious than you wanted them to remain.

"So, you sell any of those macaroons, Cheezie?" Gallop chuckled. "I'm sure they blew some creatures away."

"Sure thing!" Li'l Cheese exclaimed. "I warned them like I did yesterday, but they still got taken by surprise when they bit into them."

"He's been really pushy about selling them to whoever came," Pumpkin interjected. "But he was doing it in a businesspony manner."

The yellow unicorn turned around and looked down, presumably at Little Mac. The next thing she did was levitate a red-colored crepe with whip cream and cherries into an aluminum foil container with a plastic top before handing it over to the diamond dog. In return, the customer handed over a few bits and left with his items.

With the last customer gone, the four of you move up to face Pumpkin Cake.

"Like a businesspony, huh?" Gallop asked. "Well, assertiveness is a good quality for running a place. You gotta let others know how you want things. If you keep that attitude up, you'll be running the Corner in no time."

You saw Georgia roll her eyes. "Cheezie, maybe don't take that advice too close to heart," she warned. "If you're too pushy you might turn away some customers, instead."

"Well, that'll be a while before it happens," Li'l Cheese said. "I'm fine with mom and dad running things for now."

"So...," Pumpkin said, "what can I get you four? Are you all paying separately?"

Gallop, who was the first in line, nodded and pulled out his own bag of bits. "I'll have two cherry-filled donuts and some caramel chews."

"Warm donuts or regular?"

"Regular. I'm a bit too hungry to wait another minute or two."

In one fluid moment, Pumpkin floated a few bits from Gallop's bag into a money jar, and along with that placed two doughnuts and some caramel squares into their own separate bags. She handed them over to Gallop, who decided to sit at a nearby bench to enjoy his snack. With him gone, Georgia and Garrick went up. 

"Hey, [Y/N]!" Li'l Cheese shouted. "There's nocreature in this line anymore. You can come up here!"

You hesitated for a moment, wondering if the colt would seek to ambush you with a long-winded conversation as you waited for your treats. Regardless of what your mind was thinking, your stomach had the strongest will in the end when it rumbled and sent ripples throughout your abdomen.

Looking around to make sure that nocreature would beat you to it, you made your way to the other line of the booth and before the beaming yellow colt. 

"So, what can I get you?" he asked with genuine excitement in his voice. "You want any more of those macaroons?"

"Um...," you started to say. "Actually, I just want---"

"Come to think of it, you actually didn't try one now that I remember. How about a strawberry cheesecake one? Or are you more into vanilla bean? Or vanilla in general?"

"I don't know if I---"

Li'l Cheese's green eyes sparkled. "OH! What about the breakfast mix?!? Gallop really liked that one! It has a combo of eggs, hay bacon, pancakes, and plant sausage! That should be enough to fill---"

You coughed. Loudly. Loud enough for Li'l Cheese and the others at the booth to look at you with concern and confusion, with Li'l Cheese being more of the former.

"Are you okay?" he asked sincerely. You saw that his smile was replaced with a frown, and for a moment you felt bad for doing what you did. 

"Yeah," you answered. "I'm good. It's just... something was in my throat, is all. But it's good now."

"Oh. Okay." The worry on the colt's face went away, and slowly his cheerful attitude came back. "Well, we have some juices and milkshakes if you need them."

"Sure. I'll have a mint chocolate chip milkshake with some creampuffs and one orange-glazed muffin."

The colt nodded before disappearing into the background. "Coming right up."

It took less than two minutes, but you were finally given your treats from Li'l Cheese --- all brought together in a plastic bag for you to carry within your teeth. Once you paid with the appropriate bits, you decided to head over to the table where Gallop had went to. By now, Garrick and Georgia were also there eating their own sweets. You first thought of sneaking away to eat back at the school, but you knew that you would likely be caught. Not to mention that you were too hungry to wait for less than an hour before eating.

You take your seat next to Georgia and Garrick, with Gallop eating his donuts and caramel squares on the other side. You yourself got out your muffin, box of creampuffs, and styrofoam milkshake cup and started to pop some creampuffs into your mouth. As you enjoyed the rich, milky texture of the baked spheres, you tuned in to the conversation going on with the others.

"So, where are we going after this?" Georgia asked after she finished chowing down on a bite of her pastry. "We still got a few hours left until we have to head back to school. Anycreature have any games in mind we missed?"

Gallop, taking a break from his eating, decided to mention something. "I think Button is giving away free tickets for five months to whoever can beat him at Stable Rangers XIII in under five minutes. Then there's Blossom Valley with her gardening contest, but I don't remember what the prize is exactly. And we could always try to go to the musical chairs competition that Indie Harp is doing. I think she's offering free tickets to the Fusion Concert that Vinyl---"

"Ugh!" Georgia interrupted with a groan. "We need to do something exciting. We're all pent up from our exams, not to mention the fact that we still got one more to go. I just don't think that a speed round of Trivia Trot and a dunk-tank session is enough to unwind us. There has to be something else."

Putting down his cupcake, topped with blue icing and sprinkles, Garrick meekly spoke up. "Um, we could always try some rides."

As you went on you eat your orange muffin, Gallop and Georgia stared at Garrick.

"What kind of rides?" Gallop asked.

"Well, there's a small drop tower that we can see from over here. And then we could go to some bumper cars if they have them. I also think there's a pendulum or gravitron that I heard some classmates talk about near the end of the fairgrounds."

Georgia took another bite out of her pastry and swallowed "Hmm. Maybe we could do the pendulum and the drop tower. I'm not really big on bumper cars, and I'm not confident that you can handle a gravitron yet. Especially after just eating."

Gallop raised an offended eyebrow. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "I don't have a thing against bumper cars. And I could always make sure Gar has help with handling a gravitron."

Georgia scoffed. "And how exactly would you help him? By cleaning up his puke with a few napkins he brought?"

The younger griffon brought his head down. "I wouldn't puke," he said quietly, which was still loud enough to bother Georgia. 

"I didn't mean it like a bad thing, Gar," she assured with a pat on his back. "It's just that you're still too young. Your stomach might not handle it. And I didn't really say no. Let's just eat first and then we can think  about where to go."

From there, your three classmates went on to discuss other subjects, mostly related to school. Though you tried your best to block them out with your own separate thoughts, your ears did catch stray nuggets of information --- such as what they thought would be tested on the laughter midterm and how the school's buckball team would do with their next game.

Eventually, as you finished your muffin and went on to consume your milkshake and remaining creampuffs, you managed to find some form of solace amongst the talking, like a construction worker getting used to the loud noises around them days after their arrival. If things could stay like this, with them not bothering you, perhaps you would not mind staying with them for the rest of the day. 

"Hey, guys!"

A familiar voice took you out of your concentration, and you turn to your left to look past Georgia and Garrick. Passing by several booths, four creatures were coming your way --- and you recognized all of them. 

At the front was Luster Dawn, the one who greeted you, wearing her signature saddlebags as she levitated a notebook in front of her. Behind the pink unicorn were River Song and Yelena. The kirin was levitating both a soda cup and a carrot dog in a bun, taking her time to take a bite or sip when possible. The yak herself was simply traveling in her usual attire.

But it was the fourth creature that really got your attention in comparison to the former three.

And not in a good way.

The sight of her caused your eyes to bulge wide as if you were one of those toys that enlarge when squeezed.

Your mouth was left agape as if your mandible would soon fall off, and your eyelids blinked rapidly in an attempt to fully understand who was before you.

Your vision was not mistaken. 

Her pink coat, her enormous pink poofy mane and tail littered with various items...

It was definitely her.

Approaching was a mare who you have been good at avoiding for months ever since you had learned of how overwhelming and spontaneous she was. Despite being a renowned Equestrian hero, as the Element of Laughter, this earth pony was not somecreature that you emulated. She instead appeared before you like a harbinger of annoyances, confusion, and discomfort to come.

Immediately, memories of her came rushing through your mind like a catastrophic flood through a village. The excessive, nonstop chattering, the unannounced bouts of ludicrous laughter, and the lack of personal space filled your sight as you stared at the group coming at you. The recollection of those very events made your poor body as stiff as a cadaver --- or rather as a possum playing dead.

No... No. Not her.

Garrick, Gallop, and Georgia, however, were not as jaded as you, for the sight of the pink mare brought them all to bright, childlike smiles.

"Hey, Lust!" the older griffon cheered with a wave.

Gallop nearly got up out of his seat as he stared at the group. "Is that... Mrs. Pinkie Pie?"

Georgia squinted her eyes. "Yeah. I think it is. I wonder why she's with them."

Luster, River Song, and Yelena had made their way to your table, with River Song sitting next to Garrick while the other two sat beside Gallop on the other side. Pinkie Pie herself went over to the Sugarcube Corner booth, and while you prayed that meant she was not coming over here, you kept a discreet eye on her just in case as you hesitantly resumed your drinking.

"So, how's it been for you girls?" Gallop asked. "You've been enjoying the fairgrounds?"

"Yak's been very good with games here," Yelena proclaimed happily. "Yak even won a few prizes from nice creatures."

"What did you get?" Garrick asked with curious wonder in his voice.

While small talk broke out throughout the table, you tuned your ears to what was happening over at the booth.

After waiting in line for some time, Pinkie Pie reached the front and looked up at Li'l Cheese, who was still at his station. When the colt realized who was facing him, he paused his activities and welcomed his mother with a smile.

"Hi, mom!" the colt shouted with a frantic wave.

Though you could not catch a glimpse of the mare's face, you heard a giggle come out of her.

"Hi there, Cheezie. How's my sugarbean doing?"

"Good so far! The sales have been going up. I even managed to sell a few macaroons!"

"Oh! Well that's good to hear. I know you worked very hard with them, so it's great to know there's a payoff." The pink mare turned her head over to her left. "Hiya, Pumpkin. Hello, Mackie."

The yellow unicorn shot her usual smile. "Hi, Aunt Pinkie!"

You could not see him, but Little Mac made a response as well.

"Hello, ma'am."

"How're your parents doing, Pump? Are they here? I really couldn't tell with all creatures running around."

Pumpkin shook her head. "They're back home. Momma said her head wasn't feeling so well."

"Awwh," PInkie Pie said with a bit of disappointment. "Well, tell her to get well, and that I recommended that. And where's Pound Cake?"

Though keeping her usual disposition, the unicorn rolled her eyes. "Probably hanging out with the boys, again. Either that or somewhere in Cloudsdale. I think he said he might catch a movie there."

Suddenly, Li'l Cheese got in between the two of them. "Is there anything you need, mom?" he asked cheerfully.

Instead of being annoyed, the two mares giggled.

"It's fine, Cheezie," Pinkie assured. "I already had a bit to eat before coming here." She reached over and ruffled the colt's similiar pink mane. "I just wanted to check up on you. But I need to have a chat with your friends over there."

Her head tilt over to the table nearly made your heart skip a beat. Not wanting to catch her attention, you looked back down at your milkshake and heavily sucked your straw.

Please don't notice me. Please don't notice me...

Your lack of focus on Pinkie Pie brought your senses back to the events transpiring adjacent to you, and you tuned into the conversations your classmates were having.

"So why was Mrs. Pie with you guys?" Gallop asked Luster. 

The pink unicorn smiled. "We didn't really mean to meet her, but when she saw us she wanted to know how school was. So we got into a bit of a discussion about our classes and favorite projects, and then the subject of midterms came up and we mentioned how those turned out. When I stated how we were trying to figure out how to pull through with our laughter midterm, Mrs. Pie was kind enough to offer some advice."

"So we decided to come over here to get the good scoop," River Song chimed in.  "It makes sense, since she's the Element of Laughter, and she used to be a laughter professor."

"So that's what that floating notepad was for," Georgia said.

Before anything else could be added from your classmates, you heard Pinkie Pie's voice calling to all of you. 

"Hey-ya, folks!"

Though you kept your head down, the upper edge of your vision could spot a pink object moving along the side of the table where Yelena, Luster, and Gallop were.

"Do you mind if squeeze in between you two?" the pink mare asked.

"Sure thing, ma'am," Luster said.

In a short moment with a few grunts, Pinkie Pie managed to sit down between Luster and Gallop. "It's a very nice day out today. In just a few more days winter will be here, and suddenly it'll be all ---" she suddenly wrapped her forelegs around herself "--- brrrrr!, if you know what I mean. Haha! So how have you been, Gallop?"

The stallion was caught off guard a bit. "Me? Oh, well, um...," he stammered. "Well, classes have been good, so far. I'm a bit stressed out over the midterms, but hey, I made it past my freshman year, so this shouldn't be any different."

Pinkie Pie grinned. "Well, just keep up that can-do attitude, mister. I'm sure you'll end up alright. " She turned her attention over to your side of the table. "And how have things been with you, Georgia?"

"It's been fine, ma'am," the griffon said with confidence. "Just keeping up with my lessons and guitar practice, and making sure that this little one doesn't get into any danger."

"And how have you been... Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot your name, little one."

"Garrick," the younger griffon said with much patience.

"Garrick!" Pinkie exclaimed with a bit of a snort. "Well, Garrick, I hope you really stay out of trouble. You need to keep your nose in those books, got it?"

The little griffon nodded. "Understood."

"So, [Y/N], how has your day been?"

The call of your name catches you off-guard, but you should have expected that you would catch her attention eventually. You were a bit surprised that she even remembered your name, given your few, though memorable, moments together.

At first, you thought about simply ignoring her, but that would just cause a weird scene, and the last thing you wanted was to draw more attention to yourself. It was just best to acknowledge her a little.

You lifted your gaze from the table surface and stared at Pinkie Pie with a plain expression. The pink mare simply smiled back at you with her light blue eyes that held a childlike amazement to them, despite the bags underneath that betrayed her age. You waited for her to make another statement, but she simply kept her calm grin on.

Being nearly in front of her, you could make out a finer description of the mare than you could when she was afar. Her poofy pink mane must have been two or three feet tall and inside of it was a mess of confetti, a cinnamon bun, and for some reason a rubber duck. You had no doubt that her tail was in a similar state, as she always had a disorganized appearance whenever you met her.

"It's been good, ma'am," you finally say, keeping your stoic mask on. "Thank you for asking."

Despite it being a simple statement, your collection of words was enough to raise the mare's cheeks up into a smile as her eyes twinkled. 

"Good? Well, I hope the next day will be better than 'good," the mare said. "Every day should be more than just average in my opinion. Life's just too darn short, after all. I hope you get to do something that really brightens your mood like the sun."

Her enthusiasm was something a bit too much for you, and you had to nearly contain yourself from rolling your eyes or exhaling a moody huff.

"Thank you, ma'am," was all you could give her before returning to your drink. Luckily for you, your simple awareness of her presence was enough to let her leave you alone and focus her concentration elsewhere. As long as it was not directed at you, you did not mind how much she chatted. It was something you could block out.

"Well, Luster," Pinkie Pie began to say, "are you ready for my lecture?"

With a glowing notebook and pen floating right beside her, the pink unicorn nodded her head with focus painted on her face.

"Well, it's not a long lecture. And even though I'm not a teacher anymore, I still have to make sure that I don't help you too much, especially if Silverstream doesn't want you to get too much outside assistance. But I'm sure a little advice wouldn't hurt. Can you just remind me what the purpose of the midterm is?"

River Song was the one to speak up. "We're supposed to do something nice for another creature, or group of creatures. It has to be something that, like, lifts their spirits up and makes their day."

"'Makes their day'..." The pink mare tapped her chin and looked up into the air. "Let me just reach into my noggin and see if I can pull something out."

Seconds passed by as the older pony went through the files in her mind. While you were certain that the others were anticipating a quick answer, especially Luster, you yourself did not mind the autumn silence, despite the fact that you could hear festival-goers all around you.

Finally, Pinkie Pie's ears perked up at a revelation, and a gasp left her mouth. "Oh! I got it! If there's anything I'm allowed to tell you, it's that if you really want to make somecreature have a good time, all you should do is remember the good moments you had with your friends and try to replicate them with that swell stranger!"

Gallop was a bit confused, as evident by the tone of his voice. "So all we have to do is do things with them that I already do with my friends? That seems basic. We've learned that already."

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes, but in an amusing way. "Well, of course when you put it like that it sounds simple. But it's more complicated than that. You don't have to do exactly the same stuff you would do with your friends with this stranger. What I mean is this: think about what made your moments with your friends special and try to replicate that same feeling with a newcomer."

While the other students, excluding you, seemed unable to fully grasp the mare's point, Luster's pondering face indicated that she felt otherwise.

"So what  you're saying," she said, "is that we need to remember the core lessons we learned with the moments we had together as friends and try to pass on those lessons to any creature we try to help out?"

Excited, Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves together at the solving of this great mystery. "That's exactly what I meant! So just brainstorm away and think of anything you learned from your times together! Especially if those morals lifted your spirits."

"Okay. Well, I'm guessing these can't just be ordinary moments," Georgia said. "Does anycreature know a time when we had fun together and learned something memorable?"

The table became quiet again as the students pondered on what to say next. You yourself would perhaps contribute if there was anything you could offer, but you have not been with this group long enough to even have any good memories. But it was always possible for you to mention...


[...]


This was such a fun thing to do! I'm glad you suggested it. I would have been bored all day!...


[...]


You mentally shook the thought away, blinking your eyes rapidly while doing so. 

You were never meant to think about that.

Eventually, a hesitant voice broke through the silence.

"If friends are okay with yak speaking," Yelena said, holding up a nervous hoof, "yak has a past moment to suggest."

The students all shot glances at each other until River Song spoke. "Sure, Yelena. Shoot away."

Being the center of attention now, the yak tapped her hooves on the table surface as she sought the words to say.

"Do friends remember when we were visiting Princess Flurry Heart in the Crystal Empire, and then she got kidnapped by Mivznagar, the evil witch doctor?"

A few of the students nodded. "Yeah," Georgia answered.

Yelena continued. "Well, after we had that big fight to save the princess and beat Mivznagar, we went to a nearby yak town for the night before taking her home. Mivznagar was causing trouble for the yaks, and when they learned we defeated him, they held a krilvinda on our behalf."

"A krilvinda?" Gallop said. "That sounds very familiar. I think I learned about it last year in a global culture class."

"A krilvinda is a traditional yak celebration that happens after a great evil has been vanquished," Luster answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Usually, the evil is defeated by yak who was seeking to protect their village or neighbors." 

"Pony is right," Yelena assured. "After we told the village chief about Mivznagar, the village sought to honor us for our deed. The elders braided our manes and tails, food for special occasions was cooked on our behalf, games were played, calfs wanted to see us, and music filled the air as we danced."

By now, you had finished your drink, and along with that the rest of the food you bought from the stall. You gave a quick look at your classmates and saw that they were all staring at each other with warm smiles. Seeing as this happened a year before you arrived, you could not join in on the recollection.

"I remember that night!" Gallop exclaimed. "Man, it was nice getting a big old welcome party after the mess we went through to save Flurry."

"The food was definitely something," Georgia said. "I never knew that I would get a craving for bronze potatoes filled with leeks, mushrooms, and goat cheese."

River Song giggled. "Those braids were a bit cute. Maybe I should have held onto them a bit longer. I really like yours, Yelena. You too, Luster."

A faint blush bloomed on Luster's cheeks. "Really?" she asked, taken aback as she lightly brushed her mane.

The kirin nodded. "Yep. Those pigtails with those winter flowers inside of them made you look so cute! I wish we brought a camera with us. Even though, of course, saving Flurry was a bigger priority. But still --- you looked so cute!"

"They had a few fun games,  too," Gallop said. "I can't remember what this one was called, but I had a blast trying to get to the finish line with a calf on my back while dodging snowballs."

Georgia chuckled, trying her best not to cough on her remaining pastry. "I think you totally washed that competition. I remember your coming to the food tent all defeated with snow covering your grumpy mug."

Yelena laughed softly. "Yak thinks that one snowball that you knocked you out was mine."

Georgia, River, Yelena, and even Garrick, laughed at the revelation, while Gallop was left to himself to slightly brood. Luster herself was focused on scribbling on her notepad, but you could see her lips form a faint grin.


[...]


Damn. That was a blast [Y/N]! Did you see how Circuit got tossed into the ball pit? We need to come back next year!


[...]


You shake your head, though not too much to draw any attention to you. You blink rapidly again, and you begin to squirm in your seat, as if the space below you was poking into your skin. Gulping, you look around to see if anycreature is aware of your discomfort, but instead they were too immersed in their laughter and memories.

To your surprise, Pinkie Pie was rather quiet during your classmates' conversation, only staring at the students with a calm and controlled smile. Perhaps things will go well if she continued to keep up this demeanor.

"Well, that's definitely a good memory," Pinkie Pie said once the talks went down. "But can anycreature tell me what you learned having spent time with the yaks? Something that maybe you want your special stranger to learn when you make their day?"

The cheer died down a bit around the table as your classmates pondered on the question --- their smiles replaced with contemplating frowns. Eventually, the pink unicorn raised her hoof as if they were all still in class.

"Yes, Luster?" Pinkie Pie said.

"Given that this all happened during the early half of my freshman year, our visit to the yak village was the first instance in which I interacted with a foreign culture firsthand. At least foreign from my perspective. I knew very little about the yaks at the time besides some extra studying I did at unicorn school, but a personal encounter with their culture that night helped me to appreciate how different they lived their lives from those back home."

Satisfied, the pink mare gave her approval with a nod, at which point Luster scribbled in her notepad again as the elder pony talked.

"That's good, Luster. I've been to Yakyakistan many times in the past, and I've even brought some students on trips every couple of years. But no matter how often I visited, I always learned something new about the yaks that I've come to admire.
So if you go out of your way to find somecreature that isn't used to Equestria, show them what they could appreciate from being in a new place. There are plenty of those who could use a helpful introduction to some good ole' Equestrian culture."

"Well, that was a fun reminder!" Gallop exclaimed. "Does anycreature have any other memories to work on?"

This time, it did not take long for somecreature to come up with a proposal, as River Song instantly raised up her hoof and began shouting: "Oh! Oh! Oh!"

"Yeah, River?" asked Gallop.

Excitement shot out of the kirin's radiant purple eyes like laser beams while a broad smile stretched across her cheeks. Barely able to hold it all inside, she began to ramble. 

"Ok. So, do you guys remember how last year after we all met that the faculty decided to host a haunted house theme event for the whole school on Nightmare Night? We had an extra two free days just to get the whole school set up. Like, I think half of the town was going to be there, so we really had to make a good effort in scaring the heck out of them."

"Yeah, I remember that," Luster said, while the other looked on at the kirin.

"Well, while other groups chose to work on scary costumes or decorate the rooms in cobwebs and skeletons, the five of us told the principal that we wanted to work on traps and practical effects. We even got Li'l Cheese to loan us his party cannon and silly goop. Don't you guys remember all the work we did?"

Georgia was the first to respond, snapping her talons. "Yeah! I remember, too! I brought some storm clouds into the hallways to hide in while I made some thunder and lightning. I even chased a few creatures away into some traps." The griffon chuckled. "Man, I know I should feel bad, but it was really funny cornering that one student with rainwater. Luckily, he didn't hold it against me."

"Yak thinks your plan was okay," Yelena said. "But yak also thinks that my idea was a tiny, bit okay, as well. Creatures seemed really shaken with yak's booming voice when they could not see yak in the shadows. The things yak said were very haunting. Taunting creatures with being eaten and never found again makes for a good scare."

"Yeah, practical effects are nice and all, but they don't compare to all the traps me and River orchestrated," Gallop said with confident smugness. "Dropping these huge curtains to separate groups and then ambushing them with goo balls and silly string was a big step-up from what faculty originally planned."

Georgia laughed again. "Yeah, I saw how you pelted everycreature from above. I think you were a bit over-zealous with how you went for some of the younger creatures, though."

"Hey! Hey! Don't forget about me!" River Song urged. "I did my part, too! It was my idea to use my magic to chase creatures with floating ghosts that were on fire! I really wanted to use real fire, but of course, that was a safety hazard and Headmare Starlight wouldn't let me do that. But, I'm so glad that Luster showed me a spell to use fake fire, instead!"

The pink unicorn looked up from her writing. "Don't mention it," she said calmly.

"Still, it would have been nice if you could have persuaded the principals into using some of the Everfree animals for our scares," Gallop said. "I'm sure you would have had it under control with your magic."

Luster scowled. "Don't forget that it was thanks to me that the headmare and vice-headstallion even accepted most of our proposals. And they only agreed once they posted a warning of what would happen outside the school entrance. I'm sure a warning about live, dangerous animals would have turned away most attendees."

Unamused, Gallop sighed. "Well, you at least could have participated. It was nice of you to cloak us in that invisibility spell, and even set up some of the traps, but that's all you did."

The unicorn shrugged. "I didn't really feel like it. Pranking creatures to that degree isn't for me. Being an observer and making sure things run smoothly is more in line with what I'm meant to do."

"Like a puppet-master?" Yelena asked.

"No. More like ... a conductor."

"Either way," Georgia said. "I'm glad that you got the school to go along with our ideas, girl. Despite how chaotic and scary we made that night, people were very thrilled with the experience for the next few days."

"Yeah!" shouted River Song. "I kept hearing talks about it non-stop during lunchtime. I even got a few compliments about my fire ghosts. What about you, Garrick? I can't remember seeing you in any of the halls. Were you there to enjoy it?"

The little griffon shook his head. "No. I don't like being scared, especially on Nightmare Night. I just stayed in my room. But when I went to the Rainbow Dash fan club, everycreature that went was talking about how scared they were, but in a good way, I think. I think they liked all the noise and effects and everything else."

Gallop chuckled, regaining his smugness. "Well, if we impressed more youngsters than we did scare them, I say we did a pretty good job that night."

Seeing a slight shadow loom over to your side of the table, you lift you eyes to see Gallop leaning over the surface to smile at you.

"I wish you were there, [Y/N]," he said, staring you down with those green eyes of his. "I'm sure you would have liked it. I think you're into that paranormal, supernatural stuff, right?"


[...]


I think some of the class liked the project, even if they still think we're a bunch of losers. It definitely made Mr. Burnwater's class more exciting than usual. We should do another one like this. 

Okay. It's official. You get the drinks and junk food. I'll bring the music and decorations. I just know that she's gonna love this. It doesn't matter what they said about her at lunch. We think she's all that. And that's the end of it.

We got a long way to go, but if we keep saving and doing more around the block, we can go to Power Ponypalooza this spring break.... Of course my uncle is okay with us going with him. You all just have to convince the rest of your folks to let him take all of us to Seaddle... It's a shot we need to take. We need to live our lives, after all.


[...]


With a wincing gasp, you twist your head to the right and look down at the ground, avoiding Gallop's gaze. A foreign pressure squeezed at your lungs, forcing you to make heavy, yet hushed breaths. You put a hoof to your chest in an attempt to calm yourself, but your heartbeat seemed to stay on a rapid course that it suddenly took just now. Even breathing through your nose with clenched teeth did nothing to alleviate your anxiety.

As you tapped your right hind hoof against the ground, you hoped that you could sequester your behavior from the others, even though unknown to you, Gallop had shot a confused glare at Georgia, who was also aware of your sudden conduct. 

After staying quiet for some time, Pinkie Pie giggled. 

"Well, those all sound like very fun stories. There's nothing like a good Nightmare Night scare to jolt your body awake, and there's no doubt those party-goers really enjoyed being spooked. But what did you learn from that night? What made that night a thrill for everycreature?"

"Eh. I'm gonna give it a shot and say that teamwork had something to do with it," Gallop commented. "You know: working together to make the night as scary as possible. Is that it?"

"E-xact-ly! Now, when I was a bit younger, I used to plan out parties by myself, and I did a good job building a reputation as the town's to-go party-planner. But once I got more friends and got hitched, I learned all sorts of new ways to make creatures happy just by working with others! Two or more heads are always better than one, and all those heads together in the same room are sure to come up with some way of making somecreature's day!" 

"Hold up," Georgia warned. "I just pulled another memory out of my skull."

"And what would that be, Georgia?" Pinkie Pie asked. No one

"This all happened just this summer, so nocreature should have forgotten about this."

River Song gasped. "Are you talking about the Dragon Lands?!?" she asked with a squeal of excitement. "Oh, I know exactly what you're gonna bring up!"

"Well hold on a minute," the griffon requested. "Don't spoil it for Mrs. Pie. Anyway, me, Luster, River, Gallop, and Yelena decided that our summer project would be to write an essay of our time in the Dragon Lands for one month. We had a good time there, learning about the culture, taking interviews and photos of the place, this and that. But by the end of the month, something bad had happened."

Pinkie Pie frowned. "I don't remember hearing Ember say anything about a whoopsie in the Dragon Lands."

"I guess it wasn't a big deal for her to tell you, but there was an outbreak of the stony pox in the capital. They were able to get most of it under control, even making sure that most of the dragon eggs were protected, but that's were the bad new comes in. At least two dozen eggs were infected, and if nothing was done about it, the eggs would never hatch. Luckily, there was a way to save them. There was a special volcano in the middle of the country, one that had magic lava, and it had been used before to cure illnesses.

"All the dragons had to do was get the eggs to the grounds of the volcano and have them hatch over there. But there was this other problem --- most of the adult dragons were sick, including the princess. Even if she got extra help from the other villages, it would take too long for them to reach the volcano before it was too late for the eggs. The capital was the closest one. So with a few of the adults not out of commission, we all decided to chip in and go on the journey, too.

"Well, that was very nice of you all," Pinkie Pie said with a proud grin.

The griffon smiled back. "Thanks. But things only get worse from there. On the way to the volcano, we got ambushed by a couple of rocs. You know --- the big birds that chase after molting dragons. We were in the air, but when they attacked we had to get to the ground so we wouldn't drop the eggs."

Shocked, Pinkie Pie placed her hooves over her mouth. "Goodness!" she cried out, worry evident in her voice. "I can't believe you all were in so much danger!"

Unbothered, Georgia waved away the mare's concerns with her claw. "We all turned out okay. Barely a scratch on any of us. No need to be upset, ma'am."

Pinkie Pie was not convinced. "But you must have been scared out of your minds! How did you even escape the rocs?"

Luster groaned, prying herself away from her writing. "It was my idea," she declared with melancholy. "But I was really hesitant about it. We had some spices and incense with us that we meant to bring back home. Having done my research on rocs, I knew that they were attracted to power scents. So I had a plan to get them off our back."

"Which was to dose all of our non-essentials in spice and incense once we reached the ground," Gallop interjected, unamused. "Which included all of our notes, photos, collected antiques, so on and so on. Even though it was her idea, I had to hold her back from going back to get some of the stuff back."

"I was afraid of us losing half of our grade," Luster retorted, though she had a defeated attitude. "All that studying just... gone. But still, I can't get any kind of grade if I'm inside the belly of a beast."

"So that's how you all got to the volcano grounds?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Satisfied, Georgia nodded. "Yep. We went to the volcano and stayed there a few days until the eggs hatched. All healthy and without any problems. We took a different route than the one before, but after a while we got back to the princess. She and others were so stoked to see that the hatchlings were okay that they threw a huge celebration for us!"

"Luckily, she also promised to send a letter back to the school explaining why we lost most of our project material," Luster added, still a bit sore from the memory. 

"And how do you think that experience relates to how you should treat this midterm, Georgia?" Pinkie Pie asked, curious to see where the griffon was about to go.

Prepping herself, Georgia cleared her throat with a cough. "Well, obviously, sometimes when you want to make somecreature happy,  you might need to sacrifice something personal so you can give them that happiness. That sacrifice can be money, time, service --- anything, really. That's just what friends do for each other. They sacrifice their time to brighten up the days of those in their life. They don't just think about themselves and only what they want."


[...]


It's just a few months away, but we got to start planning for this soon. The school needs to know we matter, too.

Okay. So you're doing the painting, [Y/N]. I think you got a bit of an artist in you, so I know you can handle this. You can't mess this up.

You want to bring him in this?... I don't know. He doesn't seem into this stuff... Well, I guess we can at least give him a chance... Effects? I'll think on it.


[...]


A sudden pain twisted in your stomach as if a blade had been plunged into the organ. By sheer instinct, you wrap your forelegs around your abdomen and grind your teeth together as one would do with two sheets of sandpaper. This new twinge only doubled your misery, as your lungs were still forcing you to make desperate gasps for air. Soon. nausea was flooding your mind and senses, causing your vision to shift and stretch and change like a funhouse mirror.

Unlike before, nocreature was aware of your dilemma. Everyone was too focused on Pinkie Pie's words of inspiration.

"That's very good, Georgia!" the pink mare proclaimed with an endearing glee in her voice that pained your hearing. "Sometimes you have to lose something in order to gain something else! If you really, and I mean really, want to blast a potential friend away, you have to spend as time and effort as you can in making sure that they experience everything and anything possible! That way they'll want to stay with you!"


[...]


Alright, guys. It's show time! Let's do this and kick some butt!

Hey. I don't remember that being there before. [Y/N], did you put that there? I thought---


[...]


"If you can make at least one friend just through this midterm, then I can say for certain that you'll definitely get the best grade possible. Once they see how far you'll go for them, they just won't stop thinking about you! You'll be on their mind 24/7, because who would want to forget a creature so willing to put others before themselves?"


[...]


[Y/N], what did you do?


[...]


It was automatic. 

Spontaneous.

An instinctive knee-jerk that you had no control over. 

You got out of your seat and started running. 

Running away from the table and from the Sugarcube Corner booth. Going in the opposite direction of the path you, Gallop, Georgia, and Garrick had taken, you tried your best to avoid colliding with the various creatures in your way, though you failed to prevent yourself from bumping into two or three members of the crowd.

As you dashed past booths, games, rides, and befuddled onlookers, your fear-driven brain pushed you to keep moving on, to not stop for any creature or any reason until you got back to your dorm room. 

Ever since your classmates forced you to stay in the fairgrounds, going back to the school was always on your mind, but you felt you had to keep an appearance to make others happy. Now, after becoming more and more agitated and restless, you had reached your breaking point. Nothing would satisfy you more than a good rest in your bed.

Eventually, your galloping took you to the edge of the fairgrounds, as evident by the lack of a festival setting. You stopped in your tracks, nearly skidding across the ground. Looking around, you tried to find out where you should go next, having forgotten how you entered the field. To your far right, you spot creatures coming through a wooden arched entryway.

With salvation ahead of you, you could have made a quick trot out of the entrance and headed back to the school. Going around the town would take about an hour, but it was better than spending another minute here. Yet, to your surprise, you sat down on the grass floor and simply stared at the arch and those either arriving late or leaving the festival.

Time was something that you failed to keep track of, and it was only now that you saw that the sun had gone down halfway across the horizon. The rose-pink sky above was a soothing sight to your nerves, and the thin white strips of clouds up above floated in such a manner that you wish you could go to sleep on them. All of this calming lull was enough to get you to evaluate the state of your body.

Your lungs and heart had been restored to their usual rhythms, as you could tell when you rested a hoof on your chest and felt a steady beat. The sharp pain in your stomach was absent now, and your vision was clear and free of any illusions. Aside from the running, you no longer needed to take deep breaths of air.

But your mind was another story.

Despite the sky calming you down, you were still bombarded by thoughts of anxiety and paranoia. You felt as if a shadow was looming over you, and that if you even neglected to check your back every other second, then that shadow would consume you and pull you down into an inescapable void.

And then there were those thoughts --- swarming around your brain like gnats or locusts to fruit left out in the summer heat. Sticking to your like glue, their whispers scratched and clawed their way through your ear canals, and they were so loud to you that you swore that others should hear these voices coming out of your head. 


[...]


What have you done, you little bastard?!? ARE YOU THAT DUMB?!?


[...]


You clasped your hooves over your ears, sparing everycreature else of your thoughts. With eyes shut tight, you rocked back and forth, hoping to ease your mind and end the voices. But they kept coming. They always kept coming back.


[...]


Well, kid. I've never seen a screw-up this bad before. 


[...]


You wished you had wings to fly up away into the atmosphere,  or a horn that would teleport you as far north of the Crystal Mountains as possible. Anything that would have ended your torment, you would have taken it.


[...]


You're just a walking accident, and now you've brought everyone else down with you. I hope you're proud of yourself.


[...]


A single call of your name brought you out of your despondency, and you turned around to face the source of the voice.

Galloping towards you was Luster. The pink unicorn's orange and yellow mane covered half of her face as she took a brisk pace, but you could guess that she was feeling very concerned and confused.

Sadly for her, you were not in the mood to answer any of her questions.

Standing up on all four hooves, you made your way to the arch, turning your back on her. You did not feel like running, especially if she was here to see you flee from her in such an embarrassing scene. Besides, your legs were too worn out from galloping before. As an unathletic pony, it would take some time for your body to regain its stamina.

She would just have to settle with talking to a brick wall.

"[Y/N]!" Luster shouted. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" You could hear the mare's galloping come to a stop, meaning that she was right behind you.

"I'm completely fine," you said plainly. But you knew that would not be enough for her.

"Fine? I'm sorry, but you're not fine. A fine pony wouldn't have just bolted from their friends out of nowhere. What's happening with you?"

Why does she think we're friends?

"My stomach's been bothering me, is all. I just need some rest at the school."

You felt a presence to your right and look over to see Luster trotting besides you.

"I don't believe that," she said with determination on her face. "Georgia and Gallop told me you've been acting all closed off ever since you came to the festival with them. Is something up?"

She was half right. You never wanted to be with anycreature today, or any other day for that matter, but your body really has been kicking itself for some reason you could not understand.

You pushed air out of your nostrils. "I'm fine. Really. I just don't feel like staying."

"But this is the first time you've been with us outside of school. You shouldn't miss out on an opportunity to hang out with your friends and relax."

We're not friends. We're just study partners.

"I thought you all were listening to Mrs. Pie for the next midterm?" you mentioned. "That sounds like schoolwork."

"Well, that was just for a few minutes. After she was done, we were gonna hang out a bit more and see what we could do together. I'm pretty sure it would be very fun if you joined in. Maybe you might have some fun suggestions."

Doubtful, you chuckled. "Me? I'm not so sure that I would make things exciting," you scoffed. "Since when have I ever been the go-to pony for fun? If anything, I'm like the exact opposite of a court jester."

Luster frowned. "Don't say that about yourself. I'm certain you have it in you to make things exciting for anyone you meet."

"That's not what I've been hearing around school."

The unicorn winced, knowing that you had a point. 

"Okay," she admitted. "Perhaps I forgot some of the topics discussed around the school when it comes to you. But, to be honest and objective, you can be described as a bit fearful of friendship."

You bit your bottom lip. "I'm not afraid of friendship."

"Well, maybe you don't shriek in fear at the sight of two or more creatures getting along, but I have noticed you possess a tendency to withdraw yourself from situations where you could positively engage with others."

You didn't reply back, hoping that the brick wall prophecy would come true and that this analytical pony would leave.

"I mean, most of your interactions with Professor Smolder involve you being lightly scolded for not putting in the effort to give somecreature a genuine compliment. And I do mean that when I say she's lightly scolding you, so don't think she's being hard on you."

Luster's efforts to shame you into giving her an answer did nothing more than irritate you. You bit your lip again and rolled your eyes at her feeble attempt to cause something to leave your lips. You were even certain that she got the message when you heard a sigh from her, hoping it was a sign of defeat and of retreat, but instead you heard more from the unicorn.

"You know, it's been three months since you been at the school. Between those three months, we've had so many events that you didn't show up to --- or even tried to show up to. We've had a group fair and a few sports games that would have helped you relax after classes. Gallop sent you an invitation to the Running of the Leaves and even saved a reservation for you. And even Georgia and River spent a week trying to see if you would help them with Nightmare Night. I was so excited to see you here today because I thought it meant you were actually starting to make connections, but now it seems like you don't even want to be here at all."

Princesses above! What will it take for you to leave me alone?!? I don't have to be involved in every little thing!

You quicken your steps, though you were still too hesitant to make a full sprint and make a coward out of yourself. Your upper and lower teeth grind against their counterparts as you try to ignore what Luster had just said. You did not even keep an eye on her, centering your gaze squarely and solely on the arch, which was nearly a few yards away. 

"I understand that with what happened at home you might want to avoid being around creatures. You might even be afraid of making friends because of how they would only see you for your past. But Ponyville isn't the kind of place to ---"

You paused.

Not only in terms of you stopping your body when you were just a few feet from the entrance, but also mentally.

Time froze in place like a photograph. The birds, the floating clouds, the moving blades of grass and leaves, the steps of creatures all around you --- if they were moving your vision did not pick up on it.

Even the sound of laughter and thrill in the air was absent, replaced by complete silence.

The only thing you could hear were the voices.


[...]


We'll never recover from this. It's all ruined, thanks to you!

Hey, look. It's that little idiot. You know, the one everycreature is talking about.

What's wrong? You don't have anyone to sit with... Good. Maybe that'll teach you something.

You think I want to talk to you? I won't even be here for long because of you. Get the message and leave, before I send you a harsher one.

That's what you deserve. Don't leave the floor until we're gone. And I'm taking this, too.


[...]


"[Y/N]? Are you okay?"

By now Luster Dawn was in front of you, waving a hoof near your gaped face to see if you would respond. While the action did break you out of your daze, you made no noise or sudden movements as the two of you ponies stared at each other.

"Oh, gosh.  I'm so sorry," Luster apologized. "I didn't even think to ask you if you wanted to talk about that. You don't have to if it still bothers you."

You furrowed your eyebrows at the mare, and not in a good way. Automatically, and with no control of the circumstances, your body began to react hostile toward the pony in front of you, as if she was an invasive threat to an animal. The corner of your mouth twitched in a pulsating manner, displaying your gritted teeth. Breaths of air escaped through your nostirls in a way similar to that of a tempermental bull, causing your torso and neck to move up and down.

The pink unicorn was also aware of this sudden change, and her eyes widen in surprise.

Fortunately for the both of you, there was no desire to hurt her raging inside of you. But her mention of your past was enough to set you off, especially with how patronizing she sounded. At this point, you did not care how she would take it, even if it meant you could no longer take part in her little study group.

You just wanted to give her a piece of your mind.

As you take a step towards her to get closer, you put a single hoof down on the ground. Suddenly, you hear a large boom echo throughout the air. Confused, you look down below at your hoof to examine it. You knew that you were angry, but you did not think that you stepped on the ground with such force to create such a loud noise.

It was then that you realized it. 

There was no other sound that you could hear. 

The air was completely dead.

Unlike before, you knew that you were not fazing out of reality. 

This was real.

Looking away from your hoof, you see that nearly every creature around you, Luster included, had stopped where they were to look at something beyond the boundaries of the fairgrounds. Soon, your own eyes laid on the very sight that had caused the festival atmosphere to die out. 

Beyond the entrance, on a hill far away, was a train that laid still on the railroad tracks. But only the upper half of the train remained on the tracks. The lower half of the locomotive had been blasted off, with those train cars having fallen down the hill, some on top of each other. At the end of the upper half, a large billow of charcoal-black smoke rose up into the air and mixed in with the clouds above.

"Dear Celestia," a creature in the crowd gasped. "Someone needs to do something! There's creatures trapped in---"

A terrible, deafening noise rang out for all to hear, and in an instance, you clasp your hooves over your ears to block out the regrettable sound. The noise was like the shrieking of nails against a chalkboard but somehow amplified five times over to encompass the entire fairgrounds. It shook your bones and caused your hairs to stand up. It was as if what you were hearing was a toxin coursing through your body, trying to shut down all of your systems.

As the shriek went on, you could see that Luster and the others were also afflicted, with some creatures kneeling  to the ground with tight faces as they plugged in their ears.

Eventually, the offensive sound died down, and it seemed that that was it. You continued to look on at the train, wondering what would happen to the unfortunate passengers if help did not come in time. Would some volunteers from the town or the Wonderbolts up in Cloudsdale come to rescue the wounded? That was what you were thinking. 

And it was then that you saw it.

Despite how big and dark and black the smoke from the train was, through the cloud, you spotted a silhouette. But it wasn't the silhouette of a regular-sized creature who might have been a passenger on board. This shadow was huge, nearly the size of one of the train cars, and its body was morbidly shaped unlike any kind of creature you knew. The sight of it was enough for you to take a step back.

"L-Luster," you stammered, barely able to hide your fright. "We need to---"

Another scream fills the air. Though this one was less pain-inducing than the previous one, it still struck fear into your chest and sped the beat of your heart. 

With wide, terror-filled eyes, you watch as a pair of enormous wings emerged from the smoke, and soon after the head of a monster with eyes that prey upon the attendees of the festival.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Screams and cries vibrated throughout the air like a religious choir. At the sight of the monster spreading its wings, many of the creatures that had arrived at the entrance were now in a hurry to get out of the fairground and back into the town. Several of these citizens even trampled over top of those who had tripped or were not fast enough to get out of the way, but even those that were stepped on were able to get up and leave.

You, Luster, and a few others had an opportunity to leave through the arch, but the sight of the behemoth flying in the distance was too much to behold. For you, it felt like you were suddenly trapped in a bad dream that you hoped you would soon wake up from. Surely Ponyville, one of the most mundane places in Equestria, was safe from any kind of danger that would be encountered in the border regions.

"[Y/N]!" Luster yelled, frantically taking a hold of your right foreleg. "We need to go!"

The physical touch from the pink unicorn reminded you that you were not dreaming. This was all, indeed, very real. 

You gain sense and possession over your legs again, and you find yourself eager to use them again. You looked at the arch, and it appeared to be only a few meters away. If you and Luster were quick enough, maybe you could---

A crunching boom echoed out, as the monster landed just feet away from the entrance. A growl escaped from its mouth, and that is all you need to indicate to you that this beast is unlikely a friendly animal.

Without hesitation, you and Luster turned around and sprinted away from the monster, heading in the opposite direction you traveled when you had your fit. You did not dare to look back, knowing that doing so would cause you to pause in fright at the image of a ravaging beast coming your way. All you could do was look forward.

You and Luster ran past booths and stalls and tents that hours ago were filled with creatures ready and optimistic for another Equestrian holiday. But now, those places were emptied, with most of the former owners and visitors now running in front of you, trying to get to safety somewhere.

Your spatial awareness was working overtime, doing its best to ensure that your legs did not trip over something left on the ground that would impede your progress. Every corner you were about to pass was thoroughly inspected beforehand, ensuring that the monster was not about to pop out of nowhere.

A huge boom forced your head to turn to the right, and up above you see a few tents, some chairs and tables, and other miscellaneous items flying into the air --- all accompanied by several screams and a mighty, bone-chilling roar that brought your heart up into your throat. 

Only a few of these items fell in front of you and Luster, but that did nothing to ease your tension. As much as you prayed for the opposite, you had a feeling that the monster was close at hand to reaching the both of you. And from the yelling you heard before, it may have already encountered a few poor souls.

"We need to get back to the table!" Luster yelled over the chaos.

"What?" you asked. You too focused on survival to fully understand what the mare was talking about.

"The table! Near the Sugarcube Corner booth! Mrs. Pie and the others might still be there! We need to get to them first!"

Your eyes nearly ballooned out of their sockets. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!?" you shouted as loud as you could, staring at your classmate. "Do you really think they would stay still after seeing that creature up on that hill?!? They're likely gone by now --- and so should we!"

Though nearly as frightened as you, Luster was unfazed by your proposal. "There's no way I'm taking that chance! The entrance isn't even that close to the booth! They may not have even seen the monster!"

"Well, to be honest, the crowd of screaming creatures running past them might have given them the idea of---"

"NO!" she spat with stubborn, flared nostrils. "I'm not taking that chance, at all! Once we get there, I'll teleport all of us away to the school!"

"Can't you just teleport us to the table and then to the school?!?"

The pink unicorn shook her head. "I don't have a keen sense of teleportation, yet! I can only do it one time before getting magically drained! That would put us in a bad spot if that monster corners us! Besides, we should be there soon! Just stay with me."

An unpleasant weight sank down to the bottom of your stomach as you ran on. Seeing the determination on the mare's face was proof enough that she was serious about staying in the fairgrounds to find the rest of her classmates, even if it meant risking her life by becoming the monster's meal if she were to encounter it.

You knew that she was free to put her own neck out in a dangerous situation, but you on the other hand were more reserved about doing the same thing. In a way, resentment was bubbling in your mind toward Luster for even suggesting that you put yourself near death's door to save creatures who may not even be in danger.

It was then that a whisper crept into your ear:

You need to leave her...

For a moment, you were ashamed at the thought, and that shame was the only emotion you thought you would feel. Another look at Luster was enough to get you to doubt your feelings of abandonment. One sight of the scared yet relentless mare charging through this mess to save those close to her was enough to prick your heart for failing to measure up to her level of courage.

But reminiscing over the dilemma at the moment gave you time to develop a mixed sense of both dread and survival that collided with that shame. Your realism seemed to clash with Luster's naive optimism like two rival buckball teams in your brain, and the former team was winning.

You truly did not know if the monster would turn around and decide to leave the remainder of the fairgrounds be, or if the beast would continue its rampage until a greater force came to stop it. For all you know, the situation was a matter of 'when' instead of---

A colorful explosion of various items blinded your vision and impeded your progress. Some stuff even hit your face and torso, causing you to retreat back. Luster, who was in front of you the whole time, was suddenly sent flying into a nearby stall in a pink and orange flash. 

"LUSTER!" you cried out. 

Once your classmate had zoomed away, you saw in front of you the very thing that harmed her. It was a pink scaly tail, perhaps as long as a sea serpent, with a bush of yellow hair at the end in the shape of an ordinary paintbrush tip. Sadly, the tail was not the only object that you had to worry about.

Before you, as you stood shaking in fear with wide eyes, was the monster.

Unlike before, when you were too concentrated on running away to worry about what it looked like, you now had a clear picture of this beast.

The monster's whole pink body was slick and shiny and scaly like a reptile, with a streak of yellow fur and several orange fins on its back. Its bulky legs were scaly at the top, but the bottom portions were covered in yellow fur, and it had orange claws or talons that were nearly a meter long.

But worse of all was the monster's face, resembling that of either a lion or tiger with a thick yellow mane and two orange horns. Its black, beady, soulless eyes stared down at you as if you were nothing, while a set of sharp, dirty teeth were snarled in your direction. 

As the monster growled at the sight of you, you stayed where you were, nearly paralyzed at the sight before you. Though you could barely use your own free will to move, you hoped that staying still was the trick to getting out of this alive. You remember a foggy memory from school about remaining motionless when faced with a dangerous predator. It was supposed to be a survival technique, in which the predator would eventually leave the prey be.

As the seconds went on, the monster slowly swirled around, its tail knocking down another stall or two. Its whole body was in front of you, and as it continued to growl at you, it lowered its upper half down to the ground, like a dog or cat ready to pounce.

That was more than enough for you to break out of your trance,

You run. 

You turn around and run away.

You had no idea where you were going to go, as your brain was on full auto-pilot, but you knew it was better than staying still just to end up as food. And the familiar roar of the beast behind you, along with the shaking of the ground, only strengthened your resolve to keep moving forward.

You passed a few booths and stalls before making a right turn through an opening. As you ran past more booths and stalls, you could hear the monster crashing into those very objects, a sure indicator that it was right on your trail. Your tired legs kept pushing you through it, and your exhausted heart and lungs kept pumping as much blood and air as possible to keep your other body parts --- mostly your legs --- afloat. 

But you knew that your body was not enough. You had to think of a way to get out of this monster's sights before you collapsed and became easy prey on a platter. Despite the seriousness of the situation, and the fear coursing through your very being, you could not help but wonder if maybe joining some extracurricular activities after school would have helped right now.

A loud boom behind you ripped the thought out of your head, and though you did not think that it was possible, you galloped even faster than you were previously. Your newfound speed nearly made your heart jump out of your chest, giving you a bit of a fright. Though not as much of a fright as the terror on your plot.

But time was of the essence, and so you ignored whatever pains or troubles your body was facing.

As you made another right turn, you looked around at your environment to see if there was anything you could find that would help you. You thought about hiding in one of the booths or stalls when you were out of eyesight, but the monster might be able to find you in such a small-spaced area.

Just as you thought about continuing with your galloping, you saw it. A tent. A huge, white tent that must have been able to hold a hundred creatures, and it was right in front of you.

With a new destination in sight, an idea popped into your mind, and you knew what you had to do. 

You kept sprinting until you went through the flaps of the tent. Inside the littered area, you spotted a podium with a microphone, numerous metallic chairs in rows, and a few tables with cloth on them that held food and beverages. Your eyes concentrated on the tables, which were on the side of the tent instead of in the middle like the podium and chairs.

Another roar erupted from behind you, and by pure instinct, you hide underneath the table closest to the flaps, pushing past the cloths. 

Please work.

Away from your sight, you heard the boisterous ripping of fabric and the clattering of several metallic objects, likely the chairs. Along with those noises was the loud thumping of the monster as it rampaged throughout the tent. The ground below you shook like an earthquake was occurring, and a part of you was afraid that such vibrations would make the cloth slip off the table. 

The monster's stomping never died down, but soon you realized that the sound was getting lower and lower. Curiosity became a neighbor of the fear within your brain, and soon you found yourself putting a hoof right underneath the cloth. You stopped yourself, though, not knowing whether or not it was safe. For all you knew, it could come back.

After nearly half a minute, the stomping became as audible as a mouse's pitter-patter. 

Bravely, or stupidly, you lifted your hoof and brought up a piece of the cloth. Poking your head out from beneath, you saw the damage that was done. Nearly half of the tent's roof had collapsed to the ground on itself, causing the tent to be split into two sections. To your right, you see that the tent's flaps were gone --- replaced by an opening into a part of the fairgrounds.

Without hesitation, you sprung out from the table and gallop through the opening. Going in the opposite direction, you follow the path that you took to escape from the monster. You needed to get to the entrance of the fairgrounds and find a place in the town to hide in. You could not risk heading towards the school if it meant encountering the beast again. You only hoped that Ponyville was on high alert by now due to the panicked citizens from the festival running into the streets.

"[Y/N]!"

After exiting a corner, you stop in your tracks at the call of your name, knowing that the monster was an unlikely candidate for the voice directed at you. A turn to your right brought you much relief as you saw who it was.

"Luster!" you exclaimed, barely able to keep your smile hidden. "Are you okay?"

The unicorn trotted over to you, seemingly out of breath. The mare looked roughed up after she was hit by the monster, with her long orange-yellow mane all frazzled up and her pink coat a matted mess. But other than those details, Luster seemed to be doing just fine.

"I'm alright," she stated. "A bit shook, but alright."

Hearing her confirm your suspicions, you prance in place. "Okay, well that's great. We need to get a move on. I don't think that thing is gonna---"

"We can't just leave, yet," Luster interrupted. "We need to go back to the booth and see if the others are still there."

The words nearly took the breath out of your lungs as you stared at the mare with a dropped jaw. "You can't be serious! We already talked about this! They have to be gone after hearing that thing!"

Luster shook her head. "I'm not taking that chance. They wouldn't have left us behind! I just know it! They might be waiting for us!"

"And if they aren't there?" you angrily retorted. By now you could feel the hot air leave your nostrils.

The unicorn seemed tired of your resistance. "Well, then when we get there and you're proven right, we'll just teleport to the school and hope that they made it there."

"Luster, I saw where that creature was going. It's heading in the direction where the table was! Your friends aren't going to just stand there next to that thing! Just teleport the two of us out of here!"

"If you're right about where the monster is going, then that's just another reason for me to get going."

With a tenacious attitude, Luster turned around and began to gallop in the direction where the monster was rampaging through. You had no clue as to what she wanted your cue to be, as she never turned back to call your name. But seeing her go in the opposite direction put dread in your heart.

"Luster, please," you began to say. "Let's just go and---"

"Darn it, [Y/N]!" she shouted, turning back to you with a glare. "I came back for you because I cared, even with what happened to me." She pointed her hoof away from her body. "Now I'm going back for them. I care too much about them just to hope they stopped worrying about me so they could save their own skin! They're my friends, and if I'm not willing to do what's best for them and put my own selfish concerns to the side, then I don't deserve them in my life!"


[...]


You didn't even think about us, did you?!? You only cared about making yourself look good!


[...]


A phantom knife pierced through your heart, and you immediately go down to the ground --- gripping your chest with gritted teeth. Pain and confusion seethed through your mouth via animalistic growls as you thrashed against the grass floor. It was all so sudden, yet you remember this as the same pain you felt earlier on, but amplified ten times over.

Scared and taken aback, Luster ran over to your body. "[Y/N]!"

Standing over you, the pink unicorn grabbed you by the pits of your forelegs and tried to lift you up, but when your torso came off the ground, a terrible jolt of pain rushed through your body. It was as if someone sank you into a frozen pool full of needles or icicles. Involuntarily, you threw yourself away from Luster's embrace and fell back down to the ground, screaming bloody murder.

"[Y/N]!" Luster yelled, standing over you again. "What going on with you?!? Talk to me!"

You could barely understand Luster's pleading, but it was not because of the screeching or the wailing that resonated throughout the fairgrounds and hills. The true sounds that closed you off from the outside world were the ones inside your head, untranslateable to any other creature but you. They were voices that you were too familiar with.


[...]


What the hell happened to communication? You know that shouldn't have done that, and now look where we are!

It's over. Do you get it? We're done with you. All of us.

We trusted you, dude. How could you do this to us? Did you even think about us?

I never want to see your face again, you hear?.... NO! Don't even try to defend this crap you pulled. Just hearing your voice is too much for me!

We already talked about this, [Y/N], but you did it anyway. If you cared, you would have listened to us.


[...]


"[Y/N]! [Y/N]! W-what happening?" 

Oblivious, your body was being shaken by the unicorn on top of you, who used her hooves in an effort to get you out of your hysteria. Luster was terrified at what was going on, as it was very much evident through her shaky voice and pinpricked eyes. The usually calm and collective mare had no idea of how to fix you.

"[Y/N], please, t-talk to me! Say s-something! Anythin---"

A purple light flashed before Luster and shocked her. The static was volatile enough to send her flying just a few feet away from you with an audible thud. As Luster, stunned and befuddled, got up to her hooves, her mouth dropped down at the sight before her.

Crackling purple electricity swirled all around you like sea serpents, but you were too immersed with the torment in your head to evaluate on whether or not your body was being zapped. Nonetheless, you managed to stop your screaming once the electricity erupted, but in the place of those screams came white-hot tears that burned into your face as they rushed from your shut eyes.

Though she wanted to come to your rescue, Luster stayed where she was --- unable to do anything else but watch helplessly. That collection of electricity was unlike anything she saw before. She was certain that it was some form of magic, but without any experience, knowledge, or references to rely on, there was nothing she could do that would be of any use. She could only watch you writhe and moan in agony.

"I'm sorry..."

Though faint, your words reached Luster's ears, and the concern on her face only grew as she wondered if you was talking to her. 

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Your begging turned into low, croaking sobs. From Luster's point of view, it was as if you were a little foal unable to wake up from a nightmare, even though you were pleading to be let out.

"I won't do it again. I swear..."

You were lifted up into the air by an unseen force, with the spirals of electricity forming into a sphere that encased you as you went higher and higher. The electricity grew in strength, as evident by the increase in purple lighting that spread around your coat, and by a pulsating sound being generated.

But instead of being frightened out of your wits and questioning your reality, all you could manage to do was huddle yourself into a ball of tears and anguish. 


[...]


I never should have invited you in.


[...]


"I'm sorry..."


[...]


You broke our hearts...


[...]


"I never meant to do that..."


[...]


Keep your damn distance from us.


[...]


"I can make this right..."


[...]


You can't fix this, [Y/N].


[...]


"Just don't leave me... Please..."

Like a tsunami appearing after a major earthquake, a white light pure and unblemished like snow floods your vision, and soon the voices in your head disappeared.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Something is coming. I do not know what it is, but it threatens the entire existence of Equestria, and maybe even the whole world.



I am sending you somewhere that is peaceful, where you will learn to overcome your struggle and understand the powerful endeavor of hope. 



But you must move past your hardships if you are to save our home. Failing to do so may lead to the end of Equestrian civilization.



Please..., fight for all of us. Only then will you be able to return home.






RING





The basic, earthy smell of dirt near your nostrils greeted you as you woke up from your slumber. As you raised your head up, your blurry vision soon cleared up to reveal more than a dozen trees in front of you. Slowly and weakly, you got up on all four hooves and looked around your environment. 

Surrounding you were several more dense trees, along with a few bushes on the side. Chirping got your attention, and so you looked up in time to spot six or more birds flying through the air before vanishing into the foliage. With your eyes pointed upward, you saw that the sky was a purple or dark-pinkish color, indicating that sunset had arrived.

"What in the world..." was all you could manage as your concerns over your situation came to mind.

The forest was unfamiliar to you, though you wondered if maybe you had ended up in a section of the Everfree. After all, the last place you were at was the animal sanctuary after you left school. Perhaps you got bored and decided to head over to the Treehouse you heard about all semester, before you passed out from exhaustion. If you could recall correctly, you probably did not get much sleep last night.

"Pretty dangerous to take a nap in the Everfree," you said to yourself. 

You heard stories of how treacherous the forest was before you were born. But after the Tree of Harmony was brought to life the dangers of this place faded away over time. Still, there was the possible occasion of something lurking in the shadows of the deeper parts of the forest, but you had a bit of confidence in your safety, and some assurance that you were not deep inside.

"Well, I best get back before the prefects wonder where I've been."

The only thing that was of trouble to you was that you did not know how you would leave the forest. The grass below was too robust and healthy for there to be any hints of hoofprints that you may have left behind. It was a moment like this that made you wish that you had wings.

"There's gotta be a way out."

For a good while, you turned your body around in a slow circle, searching with squinted eyes for anything useful that the forest could reveal to you. Most of the area was too dimly lit for you to see past their shadows, and so for a while you were faced with much difficulty and confusion. But then you spotted it.

At a sixty-degree angle from where your body was initially positioned,  there was a window of light between two adjacent trees. The background of the window was either pink or purple, but there was something else within the light. 

It was a rainbow. 

It was faint and too far away, but you could make out a single beam of multiple colors shooting up into the sky.

On instinct, you walked in the direction of where the rainbow was. You had no clue as to the significance of the rainbow, but given that the Grateful Festival was going on today, perhaps it was set up as a spectacle for everycreature nearby to see. Luckily for you, it would take you back to the school.

You moved past a tree or two and headed deep into the woods, anxious to see your bed after what must have been a crazy and busy day for you. But as you took your steps across the grass, an anomaly occurred throughout your body. 

It spread from the back of your neck and rushed down the rest of your spine with the ferocity of a waterfall --- but not a soothing waterfall. The feeling was akin to having your vertebrae dunked in icy-cold water.

The hairs on your neck stood up as you spot something around the corner of your right eye. At first, you dismissed as maybe a small fly or gnat that got on your face, but the shadow itself appeared to grew larger in size, as if it was right behind you.

With panic evident in your voice, you let out a shriek as you turned around, but the dread on your face melted away once you saw nothing more than the surrounding trees looking back at you. 

You scratched the back of your neck, trying to get rid of the uneasiness that seemed to stick to you like honey. Another quick check of the sky above reminded that the day was soon coming to an end, and that you had to get back to the school before you got in trouble for being out late. Your folks back home did not need more of a reason to be peeved with you.

So you continued your way throughout the woods, passing over flora and elevated tree roots whenever you had to. Your eyes stayed trained on the rainbow for the most part, though the foilage of low-hanging branches sometimes got in the way.

But as you went on, something felt weird in the air. It was not the dreaded experience you went through just before, as that had to do with your body. This sensation was all about how your environment was situated.

Walking through the forest, this whole world was just... wrong to you  --- or rather different than how it was supposed to be. It was as if you were walking upside down, and the land was not even trying to punish you for defying gravity. The trees, the cloudy sky, and even the little critters who crossed your paths seemed to you like misplaced furniture that would freak out a returning homeowner.

You have heard that the Everfree can be a bit haunting at times, especially at night, despite the past dangers now long gone. But this whole time that you have been traveling, you were never afraid of being ambushed by some monster of some sort. The fear inside of you was that of never being able to go back home.

But after minutes of walking, you no longer had to worry about the forest engulfing you. In fact, a sense of relief overcame you when the light you were following grew brighter and brighter, promoting you to trot faster.

You had made it out of the forest and now stood on what must have been a small hill. The hill overlooked a small field with a dirt road in the center, and tracing the road led your eyes to a small yellow house that must have been half a mile away. And beyond that house was a structure that quite surprised you.

It was a tall blue building situated over a cliff, perhaps big enough for you to consider it a tower, but the anatomy of the whole thing was weird. The upper portions of the tower were mostly made out of glass, as evident by the reflected gleam emitted by the setting sun. But even still, that was not a feature that you were focused on.

The rainbow, the spectrum of light that you had been following this whole time, was shooting from the very top of that building. With the forest no longer obscuring your view, you could see that the beam was soaring up into the very heavens of space, eventually disappearing into the atmosphere.

The quiet spectacle was quite a beautiful sight to witness but seeing it left you with questions that you wanted to be answered. 

Your tours around Ponvyille have never brought you to any place like the building where the rainbow originated from, and the field where the house and road were seemed misplaced to you --- like they were not meant to be there. Were the two buildings recently built? Did you just happen to end up on the side of the Everfree away from the town? How would you have even gotten to the other side of the Everfree without realizing or remembering it?

The relief you had gained after leaving the forest began to dwindle away as the presence of disorientation loomed above your head like a storm cloud. 

You began to wonder if what was before you was even reality. Perhaps you were suspended in an intense dream, and thus the only way to get out of rid was to ride through the waves until it all ended. But even if this was a dream, you guessed that you could amuse yourself by trying to find a way home.

You looked down at the yellow house below, wondering if anycreature would be there to greet you. On the chance that this was not a dream, you thought it best to at least ask for directions back to town, or more precisely to the school. With how the day was about to end, you were now in a huge hurry to get back.

"I guess knocking wouldn't hurt," you said.





Having followed the cobblestone path, you found yourself approaching the house. It was a small, two-story yellow building with a brown roof and two flowerbeds, one on each side of the path near the windows. The flowers, as you went by them, were a variety of red, purple, blue, and orange colors. It was odd that the autumn weather, and approaching winter season, did not cause them to wilt away, but you chalked up their resistance as a form of magic.

Walking up the stairs and heading underneath the portico, you knocked on the green door, waiting for a response of some sort. When the seconds passed by and became a minute, you knocked again, this time a bit louder and harder than before. Still, no response came through. The door held a window for you to look through, but all you could see was a painting of a teapot and two tea cups hanging up on the hallway wall.

"Careful, Dahlia! You gave me the wrong one!"

The feminine voice caught your ears and you looked around the porch to see where it was coming from.

"Oops. Sorry about that. I thought you meant heaven cloud extract, not lemon cloud extract."

Another voice, also feminine, made you leave the porch, as this one was much clearer for you to locate. It was somewhere on the other side of the house, and so you made your way around the right flowerbed and to the same side of the house. Eventually, you made it to the back of the house, where you saw a garden filled with a collection of larger flowers, such as sunflowers and hardy hibiscus, all supported by lattices and sticks. 

But as was obvious to you, you were not alone here. Before you were two earth pony mares standing by a table where several flowers and gardening tools were situated. One mare had a light yellow coat with a large green bow that held her pink mane in a ponytail, and a similar green bow was around her tail. The other mare had a light pink coat and a turquoise mane, and around her neck, you spotted what must have been a crimson or purple scarf.

"Um, excuse me?" you called out meekly.

The two mares turned around and looked at you with sharp gasps, obviously taken by surprise at your sudden appearance. A bashful side of yourself made you want to retreat back into the woods for interrupting their gardening, but you knew that it was important for you to find your way back to the school, so you moved forward --- eager to converse with them.

"I don't mean to be rude, but---"

The sight before you made you gulp down on any remaining words you would have said. The yellow mare with the green bows had traded in her shocked expression for an annoyed scowl that seemed to run across your skin like a swarm of fire ants. Despite the regret being plastered clear on your face, it did nothing to stop the mare from trotting at you at a brisk pace.

"What are you doing here, kid?!?" she shouted. "Don't you have some homework to do? You better not be trying to play a prank on me with my flowers or anything!"

"What? No, I was just---"

By now the mare was nearly two feet away from you, her own face shadowing over yours.

"I know how you brats love your mean jokes! If I see even one flowerhead hanging by a stem, I'm gonna have a nice chat with you and your parents!"

It took everything within you not to completely cower before her. Though the mare was not physically intimidating with her appearance, her demeanor was enough for you to consider how you wanted to deliver your next words.

"Posey, please hold on a moment." 

The other mare had caught up to her yellow companion and placed a hoof over her shoulder. Though the yellow mare backed away a bit, she still regarded your presence with contempt, side-eyeing you like a grumpy, territorial cat.

"Let's just let them explain first, then we can check to see if anything happened."

The turquoise mare, who you assumed was Dahlia, allowed you a grateful sigh of relief. It was good to know that one of the residents had a cool head --- a fact that even grew a small smile from your face.

"Thank you," you said evenly. "My name is [Y/N]. I'm from the School of Friendship. I got lost in the Everfree and ended up here. Do you know the quickest way to Ponyville?"

Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "Um, could you say that again?"

"I'm from Ponyville. I just want to get back to the School of Friendship before I get in trouble for being out late."

The mare looked at you with confusion, as if unsure of how to assess what you just said. Posey, on the otherhoof, retained her annoyance at you.

"What the heck is Ponyville? Are you trying to pull our legs?"

"I have to agree," Dahlia said. "I never heard of a place called Ponyville before."

Your small smile eventually slipped away from you. "What do you mean? How do you not know what Ponyville is?"

Dahlia continued. "Is that a new settlement that ponies are flocking to? I know there have been talks about expanding ever since magic returned."

"What? No. It's not a new place. It's been around for less than a hundred years. And ponies don't just live there. There's also griffons and hippogriffs and dragons and ---"

Posey lifted up a hoof. "Okay, kid, sure. You definitely live with dragons. How about you stop joking around and go back to Maretime Bay before your folks wonder where you are?"

"Maretime Bay? Where's that?"

By now, both mares seemed concerned over you, as if you were a lost puppy that stumbled to their home in the middle of the night, though Dahlia seemed to be the more passionate out of the two. You could feel something unpleasant beginning to grow.

"You... don't know where Maretime Bay is?" Dahlia asked hesitantly. Her words sounded soft as if she regarded you as fragile pottery and thus was afraid of you breaking if she did not speak to you in a guiding manner. The concern she had for you did the opposite of making you comfortable.

"No... I've never heard of a place like that anywhere near Ponyville."

"Well, you can't be from anywhere else," Posey retorted. "Every earth pony lives in Maretime Bay. You're not a unicorn, so you're not from Bridlewood. And you're definitely not sprouting any wings, so I know for certain that you're not getting up to Zephyr Heights any time soon."

Maretime Bay? Bridlewood? Zephyr Heights?

"I've never heard of those towns before," you admitted. "And why would the three pony races be living in separate locations? I can understand Zephyr Heights if it's a cloud city, but why would the earth ponies and unicorns have their own areas?"

The atmosphere drastically changed as the two mares' eyes widen to the point that their pupils shrank. They both stared at each other to share their discomfort as if you had called them a bad name. The lack of communication worsened your anxiety, causing hindlegs to buckle against each other.

"W-what's wrong?" you asked, though the hesitancy in your voice made it seem like you did not want an answer.

"Did you get your head hit by a rock or something?" Posey asked. "It's been hundreds of years since all the three pony races were united. I really think you are just trying to pull my leg with this joke of yours."

A worried Dahlia shook her head. "I don't know, Posey. I think something's wrong with them. Maybe we should get them to see a doctor. Or maybe Sunny could come and help."

"I'm not just going to waste my time helping somepony just because they're pretending to play dumb. How about this, I can..."

The mares' conversation became mere background noise as you pondered on that one sentence that Posey mentioned. Like busy bees, the words swarmed around your mind, never giving you a moment's rest.

It's been hundreds of years since all the three pony races were united...

Hundreds of years...

Hundreds...

You could not fully explain it to yourself, but you were in some sort of... a trance.

A daze.

A dream.

A sourful wonderland.

Whatever it was, or however you could describe it, the reality around you was no longer within your peripherals or on your mind.

Left felt like right, the sun was the moon, day was night, and warmth felt like coldness. 

You floated around space, untethered from gravity and from the earth that shrank as you ascended.

The sky above seemed to be a sea that you were about to freefall into and be consumed by the waves. 

The ground below your hooves felt like a cold slush that you were sinking into, and the claustrophobia got to you as the surface met with your neck.

Only the firm grip of a hoof on your shoulder brought you back to the land of the living.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Dahlia asked.

All you could do was stare at them --- Dahlia with her own anxious concerns and Posey with her neverending irritation at you. But you were not truly staring at them, but past them instead, as if they were nothing more than roadblocks.

You did not know what you were looking at, perhaps an invisible mountain or a guardian angel, but whatever it was, you hope it could answer just one question you had.

Where am I?

"Come on, Dahlia," Posey said. "We're not getting anywhere with them."

WIthout any decency to ask for consent, the yellow earth pony jabbed a hoof in your chest. Whether she expected a reaction from you was unclear, but you remained as unbothered as a statue.

"Listen, kid. It's been nice and all, but you need to---"

A robust roar rang out throughout the air --- its vibrations making their way into your ears and rattling your bones as they went through your body. Whatever dream-state you were in, you were now awakened from it as you watched the dismay painted on the two mares' faces. 

You turned around and looked in the direction that the mares were staring at. From the hills that you exited from moments ago, a black flock of birds flew out of the trees and headed in your direction. There must have been three or four dozens of the quaint avian creatures, screeching and crying into the sky that darkened as numerous grey clouds appeared out of nowhere and swallowed up the sunset atmosphere.

A sudden wind picked up from out of nowhere, starting off small at first as it went throughout the garden and brushed against the potted flowers. But as the seconds went on, the wind grew in strength, toppling over several plants and spilling their contents onto the ground. Even the mares' manes flew back and forth in their face.

And then the roar came again, this time much clearer. From what you could pick out amongst the howling air, the roar was not that of a monster, but rather it was the boisterous moan of an approaching thunderstorm in the distance. It made sense to assume that a storm was coming on its way, but something else occurred that dismissed that guess of yours.

Numerous woodland critters --- rabbits, foxes, squirrels, and raccoons --- came scurrying out of the forest and raced down the hills, with some even tumbling as they went. 

"That's it!" Posey yelled, grabbing a nearby flowerpot with one hoof. "I'm bringing my flowers in! Whoever you are, don't touch anything!"

The yellow earth pony walked past you and headed over to her house. You paid her no mind, as your eyes remained on the stampede of animals, pondering on just what they were running away from.

"Posey, wait!" Dahlia shouted. "We can't just leave them here in this storm!"

The other mare groaned, halfway between the garden and the opened door. "If you want to take them into town or to Sunny, go ahead! I gotta make sure my babies don't get blown away and---"

A third roar erupted, this time shaking the ground and causing all three of you to fall to the ground. More pots fell and cracked below as huge gusts of winds now swept through the garden, shrieking like banshees. But even with you laying on your stomach, you still kept your focus on the animals leaving the woods. 

And it was there that you saw it.

A shadow, some type of dark, black essence, emerged from the treeline of the hills and swallowed up a swath of the creatures running away like a tidal wave. And like a tidal wave, the shadow raced down the hill, consuming more animals that were unfortunate enough to cross its path. What happened to the animals was unclear to you, as you saw no trace of them amongst the shadow.

One thing that was clear, was that the shadow was coming for the house.

"Oh my goodness!" Dahlia yelled, with shaky panic in her voice. "Wh-what is that?"

When Posey turned around at the sight, she dropped her flowerpot on the ground, shattering it into a collection of broken pottery shards, soil, and several flowers. Her eyes nearly went white.

"GET IN THE HOUSE!" the yellow earth pony shrieked as she followed her own instructions. 

Wasting no time, Dahlia followed suit, running right past you and making it to the door. You would have done the same, but there was a problem. 

Your body would not allow you to move. 

Inside your mind were nearly a dozen ways for how you wanted to escape from the shadow, from running inside with the other two, to running back into the woods once you got past the threat. But your body kept your legs glued to the ground and your eyes on the shadow.

You did not know what was wrong with you. You wanted to scream, as loud as you could, hoping that doing so would by some miracle deter the essence from pursuing you. But even your lips were sealed shut, as if by zippers. It was almost like your body was trying to warn you that any attempt to escape the shadow would only make things worse for you. 

But any attempt to fight your self-defense mechanism would be futile by now. It was already too late.

In the blink of an eye, the shadowy essence stood before you like a colossus, casting its own darkness over you and the garden. It was as if the sun itself had ceased to exist. With you being so close to it, you could make a full description of the blobby entity.

It held neither a face nor head --- no sharp, snarling teeth ready to kill, nor any piercing huge eyes that preyed upon you. The whole essence consisted of a twirling storm of black, shadowy tendrils like an octopus, and a mist of black smoke that emerged from its bottom. You could hardly tell if the thing was even an animal, yet if it was from the deepest part of Everfree Forest, perhaps that was the reason for why you have never heard of such a monster.

In that moment of observation, you managed to gain control of your right hindleg. Your nervous system --- in an act spurred on by its fight-or-flight system --- decided that the best course of action was to raise your leg and bring it backwards.

Your body must have had plans to move the other appendages, as you could feel sparks ignite in the muscles of your inert legs. But in an instance, those embers of freedom died out. 

The first to be gripped was your torso, then your right foreleg, and then your left foreleg. Lastly, a final tendril wrapped itself  around your neck, nearly cutting off the supply route of oxygen to your body.

You gasped for air, all while your body was lifted off the ground by the tendrils. Your hindlegs swung and bucked, trying to reconnect you with the land below. As you stared at the black, empty abyss in front of you, to the side you could hear the muffled voices of the mares you were conversing with. 

"We have to save them!"

"Dahlia --- no! It's too dangerous out there!"

A loud groan erupted from the shadowy essence. Its boisterous noise poured down your eardrums like a flood. From the abyss that you were staring at, a small gust of grey wind appeared, but instead of it coming from the abyss, it was heading towards it. 

You look down in time to see that the wind was coming off your body, and the sight that you saw horrified you.

Before your very eyes, the skin of your torso shrank, revealing the outlines of the very bones that made up your ribcage. It was as if your body was malnourished after having gone without food for a month. The sight was enough to get you to start thrashing again, but as you did so, your strength began to decay.

It started with your bones, which felt as brittle as chalk and as fragile as glass. Then your muscles began to deflate as if the meat inside of them was just ripped out in huge chunks. Finally, your organs began to fail on you, from your poorly-timed heart beating to the pair of lungs in your chest that suddenly shrank in size.

Even out of your eye-sight, other aspects of yourself changed. Your mane and tail became grey and lifeless, with even several lumps of hair falling out of place. And as if time itself was passing throughout your body, the smooth details of your face became wrinkled and prune. 

You had no fire left within you to fight against the monster. 

You could not do anything at all. 

You were helpless and at its complete mercy.

As the color in your eyes turned a lifeless, milky white, and your vision left you, thoughts about your life ran throughout your head. Your actions and your regrets. The things you could have done, and the things you never did. Most of all, you thought about the ones you would leave behind. 

Would they ever know what happened to you? And if they did, would they have thought about how things could have been different?

You could not even say that you were scared. Your life was about to be lost, and the aspect of death was never on your mind.

All you knew was that you were tired. Tired of living. Tired of fighting. Tired of being hurt.

You just wanted things to end. It was as if you had read an entire book from start to finish in one try and now all you wanted to do was rest.

A colorful light filled your vision, and you thought that perhaps this was it. The end. But a roar revived your dull senses, and soon you were able able to see clearly again.

Before you, the top of the shadow essence was being continuously hit by a bright beam of rainbow lights. The beam shone down on it like a waterfall, tearing through its tendrils and ripping out chunks of its body onto the ground. Slowly, the tendrils that held you in place loosened their grip, until eventually you slipped through and fell to the ground. Any pain you would have felt from the impact was dulled out.

Whatever was happening to your body had ceased, as you could feel your health and youth returning to you. But while your body was fine, your mind was maxed out on stress, and that led to you wanting to stay on the ground as sleep began to take hold of you.

The robust roaring of the monster shifted into a high-pitched shrieking as the beam continued to pour down on it. Like an injured dog, it shrank and curled away from you and began to race towards the forest, where it eventually disappeared. With the monster gone, nature regain a hold of its senses as the winds and storm clouds evaporated, leaving behind a calm sunset evening once more.

With the monster gone, the beam of colorful light left its target and began to retreat. With lidded eyes, you watched as the rainbow retracted itself, and saw that it was heading back to the blue building you saw earlier on. 

The image of the blue building with the rainbow shooting out of the sky was the last thing you saw before your consciousness went away, finally giving you the slumber you desired.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

You remembered.

You remembered everything that happened.

The attack on the festival by that horrible monster that chased you and Luster. The incredible pain you felt throughout your body, right before you woke up in a strange forest. The shadowy entity that attacked you at the house, where you hoped you would find the answers for a way back to Ponyville. And the beam of rainbows that struck the creature and made it retreat into the woods.

Yet, despite all those harms that came your way, there was only one thought that swarmed your mind above the rest. It was like a fog that would not stop bothering you. It was the quote from that yellow mare you met --- Posey, you believed her name to be:

Did you get your head hit by a rock or something? It's been hundreds of years since all the three pony races were united. I really think you are just trying to pull my leg with this joke of yours.

You did not know much about the mare, but you were certain that she was not trying to play dumb with you, given her irritable attitude once you had entered her home space. Even the other mare, Dahlia, seemed confused and worried when you talked to the two about Ponyville, the school, and the pony races. Unless this was an elaborate prank by somecreature from school or town --- in which you guessed that Gallop would be the likely mastermind --- you had no doubts that these two were serious about everything they said to you regarding what Equestria was like now.

Has it really been over a hundred years? Did I really travel forward into the future? What kind of magic even brought me here, to begin with?

You had awakened up suddenly from your sleep with cold sweat running down you face, and a chest so exhausted that you found yourself gasping for air. As the thoughts of your predicament raced through your mind, your eyes traced the environment that you were in.

You were laying on a simple, red couch. with either a blue or black cover over top of you. To your left was a circular window that revealed that the day was over, as the night-time sky cast a shadow over everything else outside, though you spotted some light clouds floating in the distance. 

Turning your eyes away from the window, you looked around the area you were in. Given the couch, the chimney fireplace, the rug underneath a small glass table, and the few sofa chairs and cabinets spread around, you came to the conclusion that you were in a living room. Far beyond the foot of the couch was a door, and through the window you spotted what appeared to be flowers standing on a table.

This must be the same house.

Twisting around underneath the cover, you found yourself looking beyond the head of the couch, where there was an opening leading out of the living room. The room ahead was lit with lights, where inside you saw drawers attached to the wall, and above the drawers was a faucet. But the most noticeable details of the room were the noises that emanated from there. You could not make out the sounds clearly, but to you they seemed like whispers, as if somecreature or creatures were talking lowly.

Slowly, you lifted the cover off of you and planted your hooves gently on the wooden floor. As you stood in between the couch and the glass table, you tuned your ears to the sounds emitted from the kitchen, and those the noises were still heard to discern, you were somewhat certain that they were whispers. 

You saw no faces in the kitchen, yet alone any shadows, but you were driven to enter inside and find out who was there. Perhaps it was Dahlia and/or Posey, and if that was the case then maybe you could ask them some more questions that were on your mind. Mainly, you wanted to know why the pony races had separated until recently, and perhaps even learn what that monster truly was.

You were cautious with your movements, though --- not wanting to take any quick or heavy steps that would scare whoever was in the kitchen. Once you reached the entrance space, you would announce yourself and ask to come in. You were sure that they would be surprised by your presence, but it seemed a better plan than just barging in.

"Oh! You're awake!"

You nearly lept into the air as you jolted around, letting out an embarrassing, high-pitched yelp. Your heart pounded against your ribcage in anticipation of whatever danger was now coming your way. Luckily, the panic in the brain died down as quickly as it came once you saw what was before you. 

It was a pony. A simple unicorn mare. Despite the darkness in the living room, a purplish light glowed from the unicorn's horn that revealed her light purple coat and long blue mane. Around her in their own auras were a blanket, two pillows, a tray of cookies, and a glass of what you guessed was milk.

The most telling thing the light revealed was the unicorn's smile. The mare had a wholesome, unbothered smile on her face, a face that did not seem to even register how startled you were by her sudden appearance. Even as you stayed in a crouching position, like a cautious cat, the mare continued to grin at you without any shift in expression.

"I didn't know if you were allergic to any nuts, so I got you just chocolate chip and raisin cookies. Oh, and you don't need to drink the milk if you're, you know, lactose intolerant."

"I..., um...," was all you could muster before you heard several sets of hooves coming from behind you.

Turning around, you spotted four ponies coming out of the kitchen. Two of them, who you recognized, were Dahlia and Posey, which confirmed that you were still at the same house. The other two ponies were ones you had not met yet.

One was an orange earth pony mare with a long purple ponytail with rainbow highlights, with a blue satchel around her neck. The other was a yellow earth pony stallion with either light green or light blue mane, with a sash around his chest that held an emblem of a silver star within a horseshoe.

Dahlia, the mare, and the stallion all came to you with looks of concern, with a rather angry Posey being the exception.

"Izzy! What are you doing with my pillows and blanket?!? And are those--- When the hay did you get into the cookie cabinet and my fridge?!?"

Like with your reaction to her, the unicorn was unfazed by Posey's irritation. "Oh, well you told me to take care of your guest after you didn't want me talking to you for some reason. So, I figured I make them all cozy until they woke up. That's why I decided to get more comfortable with some pillows and another blanket. I figured that they might need them."

That explanation was not enough to calm down the yellow mare. "But why did you take my food?!? I didn't even see you come back to the kitchen!" She glared at the others. "Did any of you spot her? Without telling me?"

"Well, I was too busy listening to you and Dahlia explaining what happened," the stallion said.

"And I was too busy checking up on them to have been in the kitchen," the orange mare added in.

Dahlia scratched the back of her neck. "I guess I was still a bit shaken up by everything to have noticed anything Izzy was doing, especially with Hitch interviewing us."

After the other three ponies gave their own answers, Izzy giggled. "Well, I guess that's just my medium sneakiness. But I thought you really wanted them to feel at home, so I thought some cookies and milk would do the trick."

Posey stomped her forehoof. "Ugh! I didn't mean that you could just take whatever you wanted. You had to ask me first. It's basic common manners."

Izzy seemed genuinely surprised by that statement.  "Oh. Sorry. Well..., would you have been okay with me giving them all of this if I asked?"

"No," Posey plainly said. "They're mine, not anypony else's."

The unicorn tilted her head in confusion. "Well, that doesn't seem like basic common manners. You're always supposed to treat a guest well when they come to your house."

You could have sworn that a vein popped off on Posey's temple. "I didn't decide to take the kid in, alright! The brat just showed up out of nowhere talking about all this nonsense. If you think---"

Stepping forward, the stallion put a hoof up in front of Posey, who donned the appalled face of somecreature who had just gotten slapped, even though the stallion made no contact with her.

"I think we're all getting off-topic," he stated with a mix of authority and calmness in his voice. The stallion moved forward between you and the mares from the kitchen. With a small smile, he offered a hoof for you to take, which you reluctantly did after staring at it for a quick while.

"Hello, I'm Hitch Trailblazer," he stated. "I'm the sheriff of Maretime Bay. I can ask what you're name is?"

"Um, my name is [Y/N]," you said.

The sheriff kept his smile. "Well, that sounds like an interesting name. But to get to the point, the reason me and my friends came here is because of the monster attack that occurred here not so long ago. We just had some questions for you about what happened."

"How do you know about the monster?" you asked.

"Well, the Unity Crystals shot their magic toward Posey's house a few hours ago. That's when Sunny and Izzy got me from the sheriff's station. And when we all got here, Posey and Dahlia told us all about what happened."

You tilted your head. "Unity Crystals? What are those?"

A realization came upon Hitch's face. "Oh, right. I forgot about your amnesia or whatever it is you have. Sorry. The Unity Crystals are from the Crystal Brighthouse. You must have seen it when you came to this house. It's hard to miss. It's the blue building in the distance with the rainbow shooting out into the sky."

You connected the pieces together. "Yeah... I remember. That's where the rainbow came from that saved me."

"Me and Izzy were just doing our own thing when the Brighthouse just shook out of nowhere," spoke the orange mare. "When we went outside, we saw the beam heading outside of town. After we got Hitch, we came across Dahlia who told us about what happened. So we all raced here to talk with Posey."

You could only give the mare a deadpan stare. "Um..., okay."

"I should probably introduce you to everypony else," Hitch said. "I see that you already met Posey and Dahlia. The one with the pillows and stuff is Izzy, and the one you just talked to is Sunny. They both live in the Brighthouse. But back to my original question: do you know what happened when you encountered the monster?"

"Posey and I couldn't really much of what was happening to you," Dahlia admitted with a shiver. "That thing just seemed to swallow you up."

"Well...," you started to say. "It felt like the monster was sucking away at my entire essence. My bones felt weak. I could barely lift a muscle. I felt like I was suffocating. In general, my life was slipping away from me. If it wasn't for that rainbow, I might not..."

You had been looking down at the carpeted floor when you said those words, but you hoped that the sheriff and the others were able to get what you were saying: you had almost died because of that beast. 

Oddly enough, you felt a hoof press against your shoulder. Looking up, you saw the orange mare --- Sunny --- staring at you with sincere, apologetic green eyes, as if she was attempting to make amends with you over a slight.

"I'm so sorry," she said with sadness in her voice. "Nopony should ever have to go through something like that."

Instinctively, you backed away from the earth pony, as one would from a snake. You had no real control over the action, but you were not really appreciative of the mare's action either. Though you know she probably meant no harm, it was undesirable for you to be touched like that, especially by somecreature you just met.

When you looked back at her, Sunny seemed neither sad nor upset, but rather calm and understanding of your reaction. As you examined her, you noticed something that made your eyes widen a bit. On the strap of her satchel were three pins, each with its own symbol. But these were not just any symbols, they were cutiemarks. 

The cutiemarks of three of the Elements of Harmony.

Having grown up with the stories of the Elements ever since you were a foal in school, you recognized each of the cutiemarks. One was of Rainbow Dash, the other was Fluttershy's, and the final was the cutiemark of Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. You only lifted your eyes off the pins once you heard the sheriff's voice.

"[Y/N], when I was talking to Dahlia and Posey about the monster attack, they mentioned something that bothered them. Before the attack, they said that you basically had no knowledge of what Equestria has been like for the last hundreds of years. You were talking about a town they never heard of, you mentioned creatures that nopony has seen in moons, and even though you're an earth pony you've apparently never lived in Maretime Bay."

"You mentioned that you were from Ponyville," Sunny said. "But nopony's been there in ages. It's been so long, that it's not even on the map anymore."

That last line made your heart sink. You were certain that you were not able to hide the despair on your face. "Has it been that long?" you muttered.

"'That long'?" Sunny repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

You looked past Izzy and to the couch. "Is it okay if I sit down?" you said, looking back at the sheriff.

"I don't mind," Hitch said. "But it's not my house. Posey, is it okay with you?"

The mare in question gave you a light scowl. "Just don't mess up anything."

Taking her hostility as reluctant approval, you went over to the furniture and sat on the cover. Everycreature else came closer into the living room, with Izzy placing the blanket, pillows, cookies, and milk on the glass table. The unicorn made her way to one of the couch chairs, but Posey beat her to it, blocking the path by standing on her hindlegs.

"No way! I don't need you messing around with more of my stuff!"

Sunny frowned. "She just wants to sit down, Posey. Don't be like that."

Posey planted herself on the chair. "And she can, just NOT on my chairs. It's my house, after all."

You could not help but wrinkle your nose at the mare and her contaminating attitude, but Izzy on the other hoof seemed to take it with many strides. "Oh, well! I guess I'll just be hanging around, then."

Unlike with Izzy, Posey seemed to have no trouble with Hitch occupying the other chair. When he sat down, he bestowed on  you a stoic stare, eagerly waiting for you to explain yourself. Sunny and Dahlia chose to stand in between you and Hitch.

"We're all ready, [Y/N]," Hitch announced. You took a while to collect your recent memories and the thoughts that have been in your mind for some time. When you were ready, you spoke.

"I think I know what happened to me, even though I don't understand why or how I got here. But I'm certain it has something to do with magic." You take a deep breath. "I'm from the past --- back when the pony races were still united."

To yourself, what you said sounded stupid, and definitely unbelievable, even though you knew it to be the likely truth. And to be additionally honest with yourself, you were certain that the ponies before you would have casted doubt on your simple explanation and told you to stop fooling around.

But as Hitch's eyes met yours, you saw that you were continuing to receive his attention, with the stallion waiting for you to finish speaking with a stoic expression. Other than an uninterested Posey, everycreature else seemed patient for your next comment. Sunny, however, had her own questions.

"Wait, you're from the past? Like, when the princesses reigned over Equestria?"

You nodded. "I am. Though, technically, Princess Twilight was the ruler when I was born, since Luna and Celestia were already in retirement."

You could have sworn that you saw a twinkle shine in Sunny's eyes, but before you could examine them any further your attention was brought back to Hitch.

"Do you have any memory of what happened before you got here?" he asked. 

"Well, I was just exploring the town after my classes at the School of Friendship were over," you answered. "After school was done, my classmates---"

"Wait a minute," Sunny interrupted, taking a few steps closer to you. "The School of Friendship? As in the one in Ponyville? You're a student there?"

With each question, Sunny's voice was raised up a bit, making you somewhat weary of the earth pony. "Yes, that's the same school. But I'm not really from Ponyville, I'm from---"

A white, toothful smile sprang from the mare, and that same twinkle you saw in her eyes returned in full force.

"Oh my hoofness! Did you meet any of the Guardians of Harmony? Like Applejack or Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie? My dad's research suggests that they were the first teachers of the school, and that Princess Twilight was the founder."

You squirmed on the couch a little as the mare approached you. "The Guardians? They're still referred to as the Elements from my time. But yes, they were the first professors of the school, but they retired by the time I came by. Applejack's and Rarity's sisters were teachers, though, and I was in their classes."

"Ok, but, like did you meet any of the Guardians? Did you meet Twilight Sparkle herself? You have to tell me!"

Though not particularly eager to answer the excited mare, you reluctantly responded to Sunny. "Well, I've never actually met the Princess. She was always busy in her castle, and when she was out, I wasn't there to see her. Rarity and Rainbow Dash were mostly outside of Ponyville doing their own businesses. The only mares I got to know about a little were Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, mostly because they were still active with the school."

Without any pre-caution, Sunny let out a high-pitched, sugary squeal throughout the living room that surprised everycreature, even Posey. Having been close enough to you, she grabs your shoulders with both of her forehooves and nearly rammed her face into yours. Your confused and bothered expression did nothing to convince her to let go of you.

"This is just AMAZING!	 I have sooo many questions for you! What kind of ponies were the Guardians like that you knew about? Other than being heroes, they must have had their own personalities!"

"Well, I guess my favorite was Fluttershy because of how---"

"OH! What was the golden age of Old Equestria like under Twilight before the ponies started fighting? Was it truly peaceful when she ascended to the throne?"

"Well, before I was born the last big threats were the Legion of Doom and the Knights of Harmony. But other than that, Equestria's been pretty---"

Sunny pressed her nose against yours, never letting go of that smile of hers. Instead, you were sure that it grew wider. "What was it like living with the non-pony races? I heard that Old Equestria was teeming with dragons and changelings and hippogriffs and yaks, but now nopony knows where they went! Did you learn anything about their cultures?"

You gulped, with a single bead of sweat beginning to form on your forehead. "I exactly don't know that much about other species' cultures, but I can promise you that the school brought creatures from all over the Known World together. In fact, some of my teachers were non-ponies. But I really want to get back to telling my stor---"

"But there's more you know right?" Sunny interrputed, not willing to hear you out. "Were there any signs that Equestrian society was about to collapse? You're the only pony who might know about what could have happened besides Dis---"

You saw that the mare's excitement died down once she turned around to find an unamused Hitch with his hoof on one of her shoulders.

"I really, really, would like it if you could stay on the same page as me and help us get back on track to the original discussion."

With an embarrassed blush, Sunny let out a nervous chuckle as she stared at you. "Sorry," she apologized, letting go of you. "I didn't exactly mean to scare you like that. It's just that I'm big into Equestrian history, and finding another puzzle piece to understanding what society was like a long time ago is just too much for my brain to handle."

"Great," you heard Posey mutttered. "Like like school all over again."

You turned your attention back to Sunny, with a bit of apprehension toward the seemingly calm mare on your part. "It's okay."

"I'm sure it won't happen again," the sheriff promised you. "So you can go back to telling your story."

Having been handled roughly by Sunny, you readjusted your position on the couch, making sure you were comfortably suited. You looked around the room again and saw that most of the ponies here were still giving you their attention.

"Well, as I was saying," you began. "One day, classes ended a bit early because that day was the Grateful Festival. I meant to spend some time to myself, but my classmates dragged me to the festival in town. It... wasn't really for me, but all of a sudden this monster came and attacked the fairgrounds. I was trying to escape from it when I felt this pain spread throughout my whole body. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a forest not far from Posey's home. I used this rainbow I saw shooting into the sky to get out of the woods."

"The light from the Brighthouse," Hitch added in.

You nodded. "I went over there to talk to Posey and Dahlia, and that's where we all got confused about what time period I thought I was in. Then the sky got cloudy and there was all this wind, and we all saw this... monster come out from the woods. It managed to swallow up a few animals before it got to me. I already told you how it felt to be in its grasp. The next thing I knew, the... Brighthouse shot its rainbow at the monster and it went back to the forest."

"And then you fell asleep?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah. I guess the monster must have drained something out of me. But that's about it. That's everything that happened to me until I woke up."

Dahlia spoke up. "So, you're from the past, and you suddenly found yourself here in the future?"

You hear the reluctance of belief in her voice, and you were certain that most of the ponies, excluding an attentive Sunny and curious Izzy, were doubtful of your claims of having been born centuries ago. Posey herself had been dismissive the whole time, with her eyes roaming around elsewhere besides where you were, and Hitch only stared at you with his stoic amber eyes.

"And this creature, was it like the one that attacked you here?"

You shook your head. "No, they weren't similar at all. The one back home was like a giant lion with wings."

Hitch sighed, which made you a bit uneasy. "I don't know about this. Are you certain you're from the past? Maybe something happened to you earlier on that messed up your memory. I just don't see how this time travel thing is possible."

"It has to be," you answered back. "I don't see how else I ended up here. I have to be from the past."

"I have to agree with them, Hitch," Sunny interjected, smiling. "It all makes too much sense."

Amazed, the sheriff shot a look at the mare, who held on to her upbeat demeanor. "Sunny, what do you mean?"

"Well, it's just too much of a coincidence. Remember what the message from the Unity Crystals? It said that magic is now stronger than ever. So maybe something magical brought them here."

"She's right," chimed in Izzy. "The giant hologram mare did say that."

Sunny seemed appreciative of her friend's comment. "And that's not the only thing. There's another reason why they're not from here: their cutiemarks."

Hitch tilted his head. "Their cutiemarks?"

"I just noticed it, but they have a cutiemark on each of their hindquarters, not just the right one. Back in the times of Old Equestria, ponies had two cutiemarks instead of just one, but that all changed after a while for some reason."

You looked over at Sunny and Dahlia and were taken aback by what you witnessed. Their left hindquarters were completely blanked, with no cutiemark in sight to be seen. You knew, however, that Dahlia had one, which you think was a magenta-colored box, and you were certain that the others in the room definitely had their own. 

"I guess we were too shook up to notice that," Dahlia admitted. "We just grabbed them and placed them on the couch."

"Well...., I guess that makes it clear, then," you said, looking at Hitch. "If ponies only had two cutiemarks in the past, then that means I'm telling the truth."

Leaving the couch chair, Hitch walked around the glass table and came to your right side, inspecting your hindquarter. When he was done, she shifted over to your left to look down at the other one. 

"I see what you're talking about, Sunny," Hitch admitted before facing you. "But just to be sure, can you lick your hoof and rub your left flank? Just where your mark is."

The request irked you a bit, as you knew that there were enough reasons for everycreature here to believe in your story. But the unmoving stare that the sheriff gave you made you give in. You gave your forehoof three tongue strikes before rubbing it against your flank for a good ten seconds.

Hitch crouched a bit to examine your flank but quickly came back up. 

"It seems you really are telling the truth here, [Y/N]," he said to you. "So... You really are from the past?"

With that last sentence, you noticed that the confidence in his voice was dialed down a bit, as if he was uncertain of what to say to you.

"Yes. I'm from the past. I don't know how else to explain it, but I'm here."

Hitch straightened himself up a bit more. "Of course. Well, if that's the case, then I'm sorry to say that we can't really do much for you."

"What do you mean?" you asked, trying not to sound worried.

"What I mean is that we don't really any clue how to send you back," the sheriff answered. "We don't exactly have any technology that can defy the physics of time travel."

You rubbed the back of your neck. "Well, what about magic spells? Ones that unicorns can perform? You guys have to have like wizards or sorcerers among you, right?"

"You see, the thing is that won't work either," Izzy said. "Magic's been here for less than a year and all we unicorns can do is move things up and down. Nopony here is really an expert on magic --- except maybe Rufus. But he's an earth pony, and also more of a magician than a wizard."

"Wait. What was that thing about magic?"

Sunny spoke up. "When the pony races were brought back together, it returned magic back to the land of Equestria. Unicorns could use spells and the pegasi were able to fly again. Magic went away sometime after the races were divided."

You returned your eyes back to Izzy. "Ok, but you still have books for spells, though, right? The headmare of the school, Starlight Glimmer, once talked about a time when she used a spell to travel back in time to mess around with events."

Sunny gasped. "Oh my goodness! You met Starlight, too?!?"

"Sunny...," Hitch scolded. 

The mare grinned sheepishly. "Oops! Sorry."

"Books?" Izzy said. "Well, I know we unicorns have a library back at Bridlewood with books and scrolls containing spells, but as the moons pass on plenty of them either get lost or just ended up getting messed up. Magic had been gone for so long that we barely read that stuff. There may not even be a time spell anywhere."

"Oh," was all you managed to get out. A hopeless gloom overtook you and separated you from the others in the room. You thought about whether or not you would ever make it back to your time, given the news that Izzy brought to you. Looking for those books might be one thing that could be feasible, but finding a unicorn who could perform the spell that you desired was something else.

But from that darkness of yours came another thought: the disaster at the festival. So many creatures must have been injured, or faced something worse, because of that monster. And for all you know, one of those creatures was Luster --- whose concerns were more for others' sake than for her own.

With you disappearing into the future, you had no clue as to whether or not she was safe from that beast, or whether she was a victim of it. And then there were the others to think about at the picnic table. Did they make it out of the fairgrounds safely, or did they go seeking out Luster instead? Was it possible that they crossed that monster's path?

"Well, there's always Discord to ask," Izzy said. "Maybe he could help."

The gloom around you weakened. "Wait. What did you say?"

Unfazed, Izzy looked back at you. "Discord. You know --- the Spirit of Chaos. He could help you get back home."

"Discord? He's still here?"

"Well, kind of. It's really complicated. We tracked him down to Canterlot after he took the pegasus unity crystal and---"

"Canterlot?" You nearly jumped into the air as you got off the couch. "Canterlot is still around, too?"

Sunny's face soured a bit. "It's not how it might have been to you all those years ago. It's a ruin now. Basically nopony lived there except for him and a few of his animal friends." She turned to look at Izzy. "I don't think Discord will be able to help them. We don't even know where he is."

"Well, that's the thing," Izzy said all upbeat. "You weren't here when it happened, but Pipp told me about a message she got from this pony who lives in this old abandoned town near the coast. I can't remember everything she told me, but the pony said in his message that he might know where Discord is."

Hitch spoke up. "It could just be another red herring, like all the ones before, Izzy."

"I know. I said the same thing to her, but Pipp was certain that this one was different. She had this feeling about it, you know?"

"I don't understand," you said. "Why is Discord hiding from creatures?"

"It's a bit too much to explain everything right now," Sunny told you. "But to sum it up real quick, there are three unity crystals out there that hold all of Equestria's magic, and Discord took one of them so he could find a way to destroy magic."

"Yeah. That's why the thief is on the run from us," Hitch stated with contempt.

The answers given were not enough for you. "That doesn't make any sense. I don't know much about him, but I've met him a few times to know he's kind of a chill guy. Why would he want to get rid of magic? Doesn't he know that he's dooming the world?"

"Eh. I don't know about that last part," Izzy said. "Remember. We all spent many moons without magic so getting rid of it again wouldn't really do too much damage. But, I know he said something about ponies fighting each other again due to their magical differences or something."

"Still," Hitch started, "there's nothing to prove that the pony who messaged Pipp actually saw Discord. And with Pipp over at Zephyr Heights with Zipp, we won't know how authentic this message is until they both come back tomorrow."

"But maybe Izzy's idea isn't so far off to ignore," Sunny suggested. "From my dad's research, Discord can bend reality and travel to different dimensions. As the Lord of Chaos, he might be able to open up a portal through time, or space-time."

"You're telling me you want to take a chance with Pipp's message and go to this abandoned place?"

The orange earth pony nodded. "We're already looking for Discord and the crystal, and it's obvious that [Y/N] is from the past. We'll be solving two problems at the same time if we take them with us."

The sheriff sighed. "If you insist on going with Pipp to this place, then I can't do much. But are you sure that taking [Y/N] with you is going to work out? Discord might see it as a trap."

"We have to at least try, Hitch. What kind of example would we be setting if we didn't help a pony in need? But at the same time, I won't force them to come if they don't want to." The mare turned her face to you. "It may be a long shot, and maybe even a dead end, but if Discord can bring you back to your time, you should at least give it a chance."

Silence filled the room, indicating to you that it was your turn to talk. You stared at your hooves for what must have been two minutes as thoughts raced through your head on what to do. 

"Guess I don't have much of a choice," you finally uttered out. "I've seen a bit of Discord's magic before --- never on a huge scale or anything like that, but enough to convince me that he could do some serious stuff. I just hope that he can help me."

Sunny was unable to hide her grin. "That's just wonderful! It'll be a while, but we'll take you to him as soon as our friends come back from a royal meeting in Zephyr Heights."

Izzy trotted over to you with a similar smile. "That means you can stay at the Brighthouse until we go on our trip. There's plenty of space in the living room for you to sleep tonight."

"Yes," Posey cut in curtly. "I would very much appreciate it if you didn't stay here."
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The light of today's sun shone on your face, slowly prying your eyelids open. When your sight came fully to you, you saw that you were situated within the living room of a house, though not the same one as in Posey's residence. You yourself laid on a rather comfortable couch while underneath a blanket. 

With the side of your head resting on a pillow, you looked around the living room for a little bit, before finally resigning to the disappointment that you were afraid of. No matter how long you waited, this reality that you hoped was an illusion was what you feared it to be --- reality. You did not wake up to find yourself in your bedroom at the dorms, ready to start off the day with breakfast and then classes. 

This was where you were. And if that was the case, that meant that everything from yesterday was true. The attack on the festival. The monster that nearly ended your life. The meeting with the sheriff and his friends.

Well, I guess I'm not really going anywhere for a while.

As you slowly raised yourself off the couch cushions, your ears picked up on a strange noise that came from behind you. You pushed the blanket off of you and planted your hooves on the floor. Turning past the couch, you reach an opening in the wall that connected the living room into the kitchen, and as you went through the opening, the strange noise translated itself into humming.

It was when you reached the inside of the kitchen that you discovered what --- or rather who --- the source was. Standing over a stove was a purple unicorn mare with a chef's hat on. The unicorn was singing to herself, unaware that you were in the room with her. Around her in purple glows were two spatulas, one blue and the other red, and upon the stove were two skillets that steamed with heat. 

Not knowing what to do, you stood still near the opening as Izzy continued to sing --- with her humming transforming into a lyrical performance.

"Breakfast! Breakfast! I am making breakfast! This breakfast is gonna be so good --- ooo! --- you just won't believe it! Breakfast! Breakfast! When you..."

"Good morning, everypony!" 

You turned around abruptly to see Sunny enter the kitchen. The earth pony mare bestowed upon you and Izzy this morning a smile that a kindergarten teacher would greet her foals with at the start of class. 

Izzy paused her singing to face her friend. "Morning, Sunny!"

In turn, you saw it as only appropriate to give a similar, though more restrained, comment. 

"Good morning."

Sunny beamed at you. "How did you sleep, [Y/N]? I hope that the couch was comfortable enough for you."

"Oh, it was. I slept really fine, actually."

"Well, that's great to hear! I was worried for a moment that you wouldn't be able to go to sleep." The orange mare walked past you and approached the stove. Standing next to Izzy, she took a nice sniff of the contents cooking on the skillets. "Pancakes and hash browns? I'm sure that's gonna taste really good!"

"Aww. Thanks, Sunny!" Izzy replied receptively. "I added some blueberries and almonds into the mix. The last time it was my turn for breakfast, I felt like the bananas and cinnamon pancakes I made weren't that great."

Sunny became worried. "Almonds?" She turned back to you. "You're not allergic to nuts, are you?"

You shook your head. "No."

Relief came over her face. "Okay. Well, thanks for telling me. I left some stuff in the bathroom for you to clean up with. You should probably go do that, since it'll be a while before breakfast is ready."

You looked over at Izzy, and saw that the unicorn was pouring pancake batter onto one of the skillets.

"Yeah. I'll go ahead and do that."

"Do you remember where the bathroom is?"

You nodded, having a good memory of where it was from the night before. Sunny seemed content with your answer.

"Alright then. We'll see you soon," she said.

You turned around to leave the kitchen, moving right past the couch and for a door on the left side of the living room. Twisting the knob with your hoof, you entered a small bathroom, the kind that a creature would encounter in a hotel. It had a sink and toilet but lacked a bathtub or shower section. On the sink were a toothbrush and toothpaste in a cup, a small bottle of facial cleanser, a washcloth, a small towel, and a bottle of soap. A rack with two more towels was mounted next to the sink.

You went over to the sink and grabbed the toothpaste with one hoof while undoing the cap with your teeth. Once that was done, you squeezed the toothpaste directly on the toothbrush until a pea-sized amount of paste came on the brush. After turning on the faucet and holding the toothbrush underneath the cold water, you turned the faucet back off and begun to work on your teeth.

As you guided the toothbrush throughout all the right places amongst your dentures, your mind wandered over to your memory concerning the previous night. 

Before going to bed, you were reminded by Sunny and Izzy that they would help you search for Discord once their other friends, two sisters named Zipp and Pipp, returned from their hometown --- since it was one of them who received the message about the draconequus' possible whereabouts.

Your thoughts about the Lord of Chaos stalled your rigorous brushing. With it having been centuries since the Equestria that you knew and grew up in had fallen apart, your pondered on the possibility that Discord might not even remember you. During your short semester at the school, you only really interacted with the spirit a hoofful of times at the animal sanctuary while with numerous classmates. And as far as you remember, you never even spoke a single word to him, while other students were likely to have conversed with him at times.

With enough minutes having passed by, you spit out the toothpaste foam into the sink, take the cup, turn on the faucet to put some water inside, and then take a quick swig of water to clean the inside of your mouth. Spitting into the sink once more, you grab and cleanser and begin to work on your face.

You wetted your face and then pressed down on the pump to let the solution out on your hoof. You rubbed both hooves together and pressed the minty foam against your cheeks before spreading it throughout the rest of your face. Just like before, a new thought entered your brain as you minded your hygiene. And like before, it was about Discord.

Was it even possible for Discord to bring you back to the past? Even before you came to Ponyville, you remember the foalhood stories of the many mischievous feats of the Lord of Chaos before he went good, so you were aware of his immense powers that could alter the very fabric of reality. 

However, reality was one field, while time was another. You have never heard of the spirit being able to travel back in time in order to change things. If he was able to do so, then he probably would have done so in an attempt to beat the Old Princesses and the Elements a long time ago. And with how he was reformed, he probably would have done gone back in time to prevent Equestria from even falling apart.

And if he could not bring you back home, then how exactly would you get back to where you belong? 

You shook your head, accidentally getting a few specks of foam on the mirror and sink. Delving into that subject was not going to help you in any way at the moment. You knew that you were only get yourself worked up, and that was not something you needed. For now, you just had to hold on to the hope that Discord, if you and the others could find him, will be able to aid you. As of now, you just needed to relax and hope that Sunny and her friends will work things out.

Wetting the washcloth, you rubbed and patted off the foam from your face, before putting the cloth underneath the running faucet and wringing out the residue. You then used the towel to dry off your face and finally used it to wipe away any remaining water and facial wash foam from the sink and mirror. Having no use for either object, you placed both the towel and washcloth on the closed toilet seat. You figured that Sunny and Izzy would not mind, as you did not know where else to put them. 

You finally left the bathroom after what you guessed must have been around five minutes inside. You went back to the kitchen and saw that the table was finally set up. In the center was a bowl of hash browns, a ketchup bottle, a bottle of syrup, a pitcher of juice, and two platters --- both with what you guessed held less than a dozen pancakes. On one side of the table were a plate, a fork, a knife, a glass cup, and a napkin, with two similar sets on the other side being used by two mares.

"Hi, again!" Sunny said to you cheerfully as you approached the other side of the table. 

"Hello... again," was all that you could think of before taking your seat. Being at the table, you could clearly see the texture of the food that was provided for you. The hash browns were crispy and golden to the point where there was a shine to them, and the pancakes themselves were as fluffy as fine cooking would allow them to be. The previous day was eventful enough for you to be less concerned about eating, but now you could nearly feel your stomach rumble and a small fountain sprout from the corner of your mouth.

"I hope you enjoy it all!" Izzy proclaimed to you. "When it's my turn, I always make sure to make breakfast with lots of TLC. I even gave an extra squeeze for each orange I used!"

"Um... Thanks..., Izzy. I really appreciate you doing all of this for me."

Izzy grinned back at you. "Aw, thanks! Don't be afraid to take as much as you need! But leave some for the rest of us!"

"I... definitely will."

You picked up a blue spatula that you just noticed on the table near the platters and used it to lift off four pancakes from their stack. Placing the pancakes on your plate, you grabbed both a fork and knife to cut out four wedges to insert in your mouth. Immediately, a heavenly, buttery feeling overwhelmed your taste buds, with a side tangy blueberry and nutty almonds. The sensation was enough to widen your eyes --- which was an event that did not go unnoticed at the table.

"I can see you really like them," Izzy stated with a smug grin. 

Biting your lip in embarrassment, you could only really nod in response.

"Well, don't forget the hash browns. My friends always tell me how well I do them."

Taking her advice, you look over at the bowl of hash browns and spot another spatula, this one red. You use it once to collect a nice chunk of the food and place it on your plate. Having been accustomed to having hash browns with ketchup for as long as you can remember, you took the red bottle nearby and squirted the condiment on the shredded potato pieces.

Taking a chunk out of the hash browns with your fork and consuming it whole, you were left once again surprised at how good it all tasted. The thin potato strips had a perfect texture of oil, salt, and pepper to them that was just right, and you tried as best as you could to keep the taste within your mouth, before realizing that you still had more on your plate to finish.

The minutes passed on with you going back and forth between eating your pancakes and hash browns, and it was not long before you took the pitcher of orange juice and poured some into your own glass. Aside from the refreshing taste, the juice was also useful in washing down any remaining foodstuff down your throat, especially as you whished it around your mouth.

It was not until halfway through completing your meal that you realized just how much you needed to eat something after the events of yesterday. It was not only the taste that drove you to eat but also a bit of hunger that you only just noticed. The fact that you could even eat anything at all made you appreciate how Sunny and Izzy took you in and decided to help get you back home, especially when others would assume that you could have taken advantage of their hospitality and become a thief before sneaking away.

The only thing that you could really find awkward was that you spent the night in a house with two older mares, even if they slept upstairs from you.

"I know I usually say this when it's your turn, but you really made a good breakfast, Izzy!" Sunny said to her friend. "The pancakes are really soft and fluffy, but not in a fragile way. And I have to say that the hash browns are definitely the best part of this morning! They're just so crispy and buttery!"

"Aww. Thanks, Sun," the unicorn replied out of gratefulness. "I made sure to put an extra bit of love in my cooking today. Especially with our guest here."

As you continued eating, your mind pondered on Sunny's comments. There was a lot of optimism and cheerfulness in such a compliment over something that was not a huge feat to accomplish. Such random positivity reminded you of a certain poofy-maned mare and her energetic child. Though you were receptive to her hospitality, you hoped that Sunny was not like those two ponies.

The next few minutes afterward were spent in silence, with neither pony at the table saying a word. As you were almost done with your plate, you contemplated on what you would do next after breakfast, since you were not interested in second helpings. 

You remember somecreature telling you after you left Posey's home that they would help you look for Discord once their other two friends returned home from a trip, but you did not know how long that would be. If it was going to be a long wait, you did not know if you could handle staying at the Brighthouse for so many days. You never really had the patience for staying couped up indoors for so long.

"Um..., [Y/N]?" 

Hearing Sunny's voice, you lifted your head up from your plate and swallowed the remaining bits of food left in your mouth. 

"Yes?" you said.

The orange mare's eyes shifted a bit, avoiding your gaze for a brief moment. There was definitely some uncertainty in her demeanor, but that did not stop her from speaking.

"What exactly do you think about Sheriff Hitch?"

You had to force your mouth from dropping down. The question was definitely unexpected, yet you already had an answer ready for her. 

"I... won't lie. I was a bit... intimidated by him at first. But after a while, I kind of realized that he was probably just doing his job."

Sunny nodded, seeming pleased. "That's good to know. Hitch isn't really scary, he just takes his responsibilities very seriously. We all know the truth now, but we had to take into account the possibility you might have been lying."

"I understand."

The mare grinned. "Anyway, I know you said you slept well, but do you feel any different from last night when we were at Posey's?"

You pondered on her question for a while. "So far, I'm doing okay. I'm definitely better now than how I was after that monster attacked me."

Sunny nodded again. "Okay. That's good." A few more seconds of silence passed by before she spoke up again. "Is it okay if I... ask you a few questions?"

You lifted your head from your plate again, ready to ask Sunny what she meant by questions. But once you saw her pull out a notebook and pencil from her satchel on the floor, it was easy to guess what those questions would be about. Given her conduct the previous day, you should have known that eventually that the mare would want to know more about a pony from the past, but you were at least glad that she did not pounce on you with questions at the start of this morning.

"You see," Sunny said, "I tried to ask you a few questions back at Posey's place, but Hitch wanted us to focus on your situation. And when we got back here, I figured that you were tired so I didn't want to bother you. But now that you're rested and almost done with your food, I was thinking that now is the best time to ask most of these questions I have."

You swallowed down another bite of pancakes. "So, this is like an interview you have planned?" you asked.

"Yes. Other than Discord, you're the only pony from Old Equestria that I've ever met. The last meeting I had with Discord didn't really give me an opportunity to ask him that much, so I figured I got another chance with you. If you don't mind."

You thought the matter over in your head. You remember how amused and talkative Sunny was when she first learned that you were from the past. Though her excitement might have seemed innocent to her, you were a bit overwhelmed by her interests. But you remembered that there probably was not much to do after breakfast, so you figured that it would not hurt to answer a few of her questions. For all you know, you might understand some things about the future, too.

"I... guess we can talk. But---"

She was quick to cut you off. 

"Okay! Wonderful! So..." She flipped through pages until she came halfway through her book. Though the pencil now occupying her mouth, Sunny was able to speak coherently to you. "Question number one: what were the Guardians of Harmony like during your time? That includes Discord, too."

You did not want to leave too many questions unanswered, so you thought as hard as you could about the individuals she was refering to. Given that you had only been in Ponyville for a few months, you did not have that much time to truly understand anyone she wanted to know about.

"The Elements? Well... like I said before I'm not really familiar with Princess Twilight, Rarity, or Rainbow Dash. As far as I was concerned they were always too busy to stay in Ponyville. But I know somewhat about the others, including Discord."

"Ooh! Can you start with Discord, first?" Izzy asked. "That guy's been a real enigma!"

"Okay, sure. Discord wasn't a teacher, but I did see him whenever my kindness class went over to the animal sanctuary to see Ms. Fluttershy. He was... chill, I guess, and had an odd sense of humor about him."

Sunny wrote down a few quick lines. "What kind of humor?"

"Well, he would always use his magic to transform into something or just morph a part of his body. I remember one time we visited the sanctuary that he changed into a bamboo tree because the sanctuary didn't have one. Ms. Fluttershy was showing us the kind of trees that herbivores consume. It was a bit jarring to see pandas and monkeys taking bites off of him, but he didn't mind, and some of the others found it funny."

"But did you ever encounter him outside of school? What were his other personality traits?"

"I didn't really see him that much outside of the sanctuary. I heard he had a good relationship with Big Macintosh --- Ms. Applejack's brother --- and that he would visit the apple orchards to see him. I also heard that he could be a bit of a prankster at times, messing with creatures. I do know that he was very sweet on Ms. Fluttershy. You could see that the two of them really cared about each other --- with all the compliments they made."

Sunny seemed a bit let down. "But that's it?"

You nodded. "Speaking of Ms. Fluttershy, I have to say that she was a very patient and understanding pony. A lot of creatures who visited the sanctuary did not have any previous experience with animals, so whenever anycreature freaked out about something going wrong, she would be there to keep them calm and collected. She never really raised her voice or got irritated by any of the students having trouble."

"Have you ever spoken to Fluttershy? Like directly, I mean?"

"Only in brief conversations. Like if I needed a question answered."

"Okay, then. Well, what about the other Guardians that you got to meet?"

It was quite easy to imagine the next creature that you thought Sunny would not mind talking about.

"I guess we can talk about Ms. Applejack. If you're okay with it."

The mare nodded once more, never losing the spark of interest in her eyes. "Of course!"

"She was still a big farmer by the time I got to Ponyville. I saw her plenty of times because my honesty class would have lessons about hard work at Sweet Apple Acres."

"What kind of hard work?"

"Applebucking. Sorting out the good apples from the rotten ones. Making apple treats. Basically anything related to apples. But we also did a few other tasks like cleaning and farm work."

"What was Applejack like?"

"Ms. Applejack? Well, I guess she could be a bit strict, considering that a bunch of students were all over her farm occasionally. Mostly I remember her getting on some creatures for either bucking too hard or not hard enough, or if they had a hard time telling a good apple from a bad one. But she was never vulgar or insulting. She usually gave compliments to whoever she saw doing a good job."

"And her interactions with you?"

"We never really had any long conversations with each other. I remember her saying that I didn't have good form when I first tried applebucking, and then she said that I made an 'okay' apple pie the next time I visited the orchard."

"So you two got along?" Izzy asked. 

"Like I said, Ms. Applejack was strict, but she could also be fair. I guess I can say that I got along with her, as long as I made sure not to do anything wrong or careless."

"And you only encountered her when you were at the orchard for schoolwork?" Sunny asked.

You nodded again. "Basically. I would see her at the Ponyville market at times, but I never felt the need to speak to her."

Sunny finished writing down a few more notes before speaking again. "Okay, then. All that's left is Pinkie Pie. What was she like?"

"Mrs. Pie? Well, she was... um...."

You thought very carefully about your next words. It was clearly evident that Sunny had an admiration for the Elements, so you wanted to make sure that anything you say would not appear to be tarnishing the names of those heroes. Even if it meant excluding how you really felt.

"She was very... energetic. I never met her through my classes, but the times I saw her in public showed me that she was very social and... cheerful. She really wanted to be everycreature's friend, if you what I mean."

"Okay. What did she do for a living when you came to Ponyville?" Sunny asked.

"She was still in charge of Sugarcube Corner --- a bakery in town. She ran it with her family and a few family friends."

"Did you ever go there?"

"Yeah. Occasionally. Lots of students went. It was a pretty popular place to hang out after school."

"And she treated you well?"

"You could... say that."

"Okay. Well, I'm glad you could tell me as much as you can about the Guardians that you knew about on a personal level. But I kept thinking about the others like Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Spike, and Princess Twilight. I know you said you never met them before, but if there's anything basic about them that you know, I would really appreciate it if you could tell me."

You nearly grinned when you realized how easy that task would be. "Okay, that's fine. I can tell you a bit about them. Rarity had her clothing stores to manage all over Equestria. Her chain of stores was called Carousel Boutique. She had her own house in Ponyville, but she also owned a few wealthier houses around the country for her business trips. Rainbow Dash was the captain of the Wonderbolts. Do you know who the Wonderbolts were?"

Sunny nodded. "Yep. A team of elite fliers. Most of them pegasi."

"Got it. Well, being the captain, she didn't really stay in Ponyville that often. And when she did visit, I wasn't around at the time to see her. Spike was the Princess' assistant, as well as a friendship ambassador for a few neighboring countries. Whenever he wasn't in Canterlot he would be on diplomatic business helping those outside of Equestria. And as for the Princess herself, I can't say much about her. I'm not a bigger follower of politics, but I guess she's doing a good job so far."

The orange mare could not stop herself from giggling. "Well, it makes sense that you wouldn't know that much about politics. You're still a teenager. But I also have to ask about some of the staff members of the school you went you. Mainly Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon."

"Sure, I can do that. Ms. Glimmer was the headmare of the school and Ms. Trixie was the head guidance counselor. I never really had to interact with them, but from what the other students and teachers said they both did an okay job. That's all I can really tell you."

Sunny scribbled out a few more sentences before putting the pencil down. "This is all really amazing, [Y/N]. I only knew a little bit about the Guardians from my dad's research, but it's nice to get a first-hoof account on what they were really like."

"I still don't know much about them," you admitted. "I'd only been at the school for a few months."

"True. But compared to other ponies --- besides Discord --- you're the only one in all of Equestria who understood what our national heroes were like. I only wish I could know what they were like. It'd be nice to talk with them, especially the Princess. But let's head on to question number two: what was it like to be a student at the School of Friendship?"

"The school? Well, it was a bit unorthodox in comparison to other schools. There were a few general studies classes like math and history, but for the most part the school offered a hands-on or hooves-on experience for the students. Basically, your grades weren't just dependent on what you did with paper and pencil."

"What kind of hooves-on experience?" Sunny asked.

You bit your bottom lip. Even though you've been at the school for less than half a year, you barely had any recollection of the earlier assignments and tests you had. Whenever you had to do something at school, you would do it, and once the task was done you would instantly forget what you had done. You did not even want to come to the school in the first place, so you had no intention of making any meaningful memories. But luckily for you, you remembered some of the latest work you did.

"Well, for one example, before I came here I had just finished taking my midterm exam for my loyalty class. I had a partner with me and our task was to work together to retrieve a token from this group of grundles in the Whitetail Woods."

"What are grundles?" Izzy asked, with a hooffull of breakfast still in her mouth.

"They're this race of furry creatures that lived in the woods. Nothing dangerous happened, but the grundles put up a fight to stop us from getting the token. There were teachers and aides around to make sure things were restrained, but the experience was still a bit overwhelming --- having to fight with them, you know."

Sunny seemed a bit concerned. "Well, I hope things weren't always that hectic."

You shook your head. "Not really. My loyalty professor just thought that me and my classmates needed to know what it was like to have each other's back in a struggle --- or something like that. But for the most part, classes were really chilled. For my laughter class, our professor made us do comedy performances after school in Ponyville."

"Oh. What was the purpose of doing those performances?"

"It was the laughter class, so I guess it was to make other creatures happy."

"Okay. Well, what kind of jokes did you make?"

"I... honestly can't remember. The only one I vaguely remember had something to do with squirrels and mac n' cheese, and to be honest I had no idea what I was trying to do with that. But I got a C, so they couldn't have been that bad."

"I'm pretty sure there were a few people in the crowd that must have liked what you said."

"Really? Well, like I said I don't really remember that much about the performance."

"Okay, then. Well, next question: were there any non-pony students at the school? If so, what was it like being around some many different creatures?"

You scratched the back of your neck. "Sure. There were plenty of different species at the school. There were griffons, yaks, dragons, hippogriffs, changelings, kirins, diamond dogs, abyssinians, avians --- you name it. I'd already grown up in a multicultural town, so I was pretty much used to seeing creatures besides ponies around."

The orange mare's eyes shined a bit, and her smile grew. "Did you learn anything interesting about the other creatures' cultures? Whether it be at school or your home?"

You bit your lip again. "I don't know that much about any culture other than my own. I think that money and gold were still important to griffons, but some of the younger generations were trying to move away from that type of greed. I also believe that kirins valued honesty very much, and changelings held charity to a high regard. Sorry, but I'm not a cultural expert."

Sunny's cheerfulness did not disappear. "No, it's fine. Anything helps, no matter how small. I just have one final question for you: how peaceful was Equestria during your time, and was there any conflict between the three pony races arising at the time?"

"Well, I like I saw before, I'm not really a big follower of politics, so I don't exactly know if Equestria was in any trouble. But we didn't have any wars or famines or major disease outbreaks after I was born, so I guess that the country was at harmony, or something like that. The last major conflicts before I was born was the Legion of Doom causing chaos and the Knights of Harmony attacking Canterlot."

"But there was no conflict between the three races?"

You shook your head. "No. There wasn't any infighting amongst ponies. But there were cases of speciesism toward non-pony creatures in Equestria, especially where I was from. Not every pony approved of so many immigrants coming into the country --- definitely not the older generations. I remember hearing a lot of gripes about how Equestria had to belong to ponies only."

The details you mentioned seemed to bother Sunny. "That's a shame. I personally would love to share Equestrian culture with any creature that came here. As long as they were friendly. It's very sad that bigotry existed even during Equestria's golden age."

After saying that, Sunny brought her eyes back to her book. Keeping to herself for a short while, she muttered and flipped back and forth between different pages until she closed the book.

"Well, I got to say that that's all the questions I have for you right now," she said.

"Really?" Izzy asked, tilting her head. "I thought you would have more to ask them."

"I know. I thought I would, too, but maybe that'll change later on." Without warning, she hugged the book close to her chest and bubbled out a few squeals. "OH! I just can't wait to ask you more questions for this book I'm planning! I don't know if I'll be able to find a publisher, especially since it might be a small book, but I still need everypony in Equestria to know what our heroes and the old days were like!"

Like Izzy, you were also surprised that Sunny did not pile you on with more questions about what Equestria was like during your time, though that fact did not leave you disappointed. You were glad that Sunny was satisfied at the moment, as it was a fear of yours that she would begin to ask some questions that might have been invasive to you.

But you had to admit hearing Sunny rely on your narrative of what Equestria was like made you feel old.

Hearing the sound of a clink, you turned toward Izzy and saw her empty cup and her plate vacant of everything except utensils, a puddle of syrup, and a few crumbs of hash browns.

"Boy, am I full," Izzy announced, rubbing her stomach with content. "Do you guys want anymore food?"

Sunny shook her head. "No thanks, Izzy. I'm good, too. What about you, [Y/N]?"

You looked down at your plate and was surprised to see that like Izzy you had finished your breakfast, aside from the cup of orange juice you still needed to drink. You also took a peak at the platters, but despite how appealing the food was, the sight did not induce within you any feelings of hunger.

"I'm good," you said before addressing Izzy. "Thank you for the breakfast."

"Yeah, Izzy. Thanks again for cooking," Sunny said.

Izzy got out of her chair. "Thanks, guys! I'll just take care of the dishes and food lickety-split!"

Your vision was suddenly overwhelmed by a flash of purple light. Once you unshielded your eyes, you saw that the plates, platers, and other items on the table --- excluding your own cup --- were encased in a purple aura. Everything surrounded by the aura was then lifted into the air and floated over to Izzy, whose horn was glowing a similar color.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna get your cup."

Surrounded by a ring of stuff, Izzy walked over to the kitchen but was stopped when Sunny called out to her. 

"You don't have to wash the dishes or wrap up the platters," the earth pony said with a smile. "It's only fair I do them since you did breakfast."

Izzy did not seem to mind that proposal. "Sure, Sunny! Let me just put them on the counter!"

Sunny got up from her seat and headed to the kitchen. After a minute, Izzy returned to the table, seating herself at her original spot. Without turning around, you heard the running water of the faucet turn on, indicating that Sunny was beginning her cleaning.

"So, you're really from the past?" Izzy asked you.

You nodded. "Yep."

"So Equestria really used to be this big huge place full of all sorts of creatures?"

"It was. Like I told Sunny, ponies weren't the only residents when I was born. Also, Equestria wasn't just limited to three towns."

Your last sentences worried you. You pondered on what exactly could have happened to your home to cause places like Manehatten and Las Pegasus to be depopulated, as well as cause the non-pony races to disappear. The fact that nocreature here could tell you what caused Equestria to fall apart scared you as to how far into the future you were sent.

"Well, Maretime Bay isn't that big of a place," Izzy continued, "but the town still has some sights and stuff that you might enjoy. Now that I'm thinking about it, how do you feel about going on a tour?"

"A tour?"

"Yeah. It'll be a while before Zipp and Pipp get back, so while we're waiting we could go around and show you what this place has to offer. So, how does that sound to you?"

You brought your attention to the living room. Besides the couch you slept on, a few chairs, and a weird, black rectangle that was pressed up against the wall, you could not really find anything in the house that you wanted to occupy yourself with. And given that the mares' rooms were all that were upstairs, you felt yourself confined to the main floor.

"I guess we could do something like that," you said. "It's definitely better than staying in the house all day."

"I hope you guys don't mind if I overheard you all," Sunny said, returning to the table. "I was just gonna ask if you wanted to watch TV with while we wait for Zipp and Pipp to come back, but going around Maretime Bay is a much better idea."

You tilted your head. "What's a TV?"
> Chapter 8 (Pt 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After being talked to by Izzy and Sunny about what a TV was, the two mares took you on a trip throughout most of Maretime Bay. Izzy herself swore that the tour would be "mindblowing" and would in general make you want to live in the beach town. 

The first place they took you to was this playground for all ages in the forests not so far away from the Crystal Brighthouse. It was equipped with the usual standard equipment --- swings, slides, climbers, spinners --- all of which were already occupied by various ponies, both young and old. Curious, Izzy asked you if you wanted to try and play around for a bit before continuing on the tour, but you politely declined, not really feeling energetic after a big meal --- even though you probably would still turn the offer down if you were not stuffed.

Leaving the playground, you and the others journeyed down the hill leading to the town, where you come across a building just off the outskirts. You were told that it was an art gallery and was brought inside to observe the masterpieces in at least one wing. You all spent nearly half an hour there with Izzy doing most of the commentary on what she liked the most before Sunny reminded her that there was still more of the town to show off.

When you actually reached the town of Maretime Bay, you were a bit let down, as your expectations for what the place was like was far from what you actually encountered. For a place that was supposed to house all earth ponies, you assumed that the place would be a bustling city with skyscrapers and streets filled with passersbys. But instead, Maretime Bay resembled a simple small town with average size colored buildings, and while there were ponies coming and going, the environment was not as busy as that of a city like Canterlot or Manehattan.

Eventually, the three of you came across a parked trolley car that was in front of a movie theater. Deciding it was a good idea to take a ride toward a place called Canterlogic, Sunny ushered both you and Izzy into the car past other ponies coming and going. Around two minutes after you took a seat somewhere in the middle, the trolley car began to move.

As the journey took its start, Sunny explained to you that Canterlogic was a company that made numerous devices for the residents of Maretime Bay. Before the three pony races were united once again, Canterlogic specialized in creating items meant to fight against any possible threat that the unicorns and pegasi may have posed against earth ponies. With tensions now over though, the place was now focused on manufacturing simple household items.

Just a few minutes later, the trolley took you to the foot of a small hill, which held on top of a huge building with a glass section in the front that held a giant pair of pink glasses. Once you all got out of the car, the three of you went up the hill, but once you actually reached the front doors, a guard stationed there informed you all that the building was temporarily closed to visitors due to maintenance changes.

You could see for a brief moment that Sunny was somewhat let down by the news, but she quickly beamed once she realized that there was still more of the town of you to be shown. The main thing she wanted you to see was the beach, but before going there she wanted to make one more stop, so she suggested that all of you head back to the trolley stop.

After waiting for another car to come through, the three of you took your ride back downtown. The place that Sunny mentioned wasn't that far away, and she promised that she would not force you to do anything you did not want to do. The last statement made you a bit nervous, as you became worried that you may have sent off a vibe indicating that you were not really engaging with the tour. 

You all finally reached your destination after a couple of blocks, as was evident once Sunny stopped you and Izzy. The three of you were in front of a small light-pink building with flowerbeds below the first-story windows. To the right of the building was a colorful sign that held three musical notes stuck together, and each end of the triplet was a wing.

"And this is Mane Melody!" Sunny exclaimed to you, pointing excitedly to the building. "Maretime Bay's one and only musical salon."

"It's run by our friend Pipp," Izzy interjected. "She's the one in Zephyr Heights right now with her sister Zipp."

You tilted your head. "A musical... salon?"

"Yep," Sunny answered. "Not only is this a place where you can get your hooves or mane done, but you can also listen to ponies perform on the stage."

"And ponies... like coming here?"

Without warning, Izzy wrapped her foreleg around your neck --- leaning gently against you. "Yeah, it's a very popular spot around here. Especially on the weekends."

Luckily before things got more awkward, the unicorn let go of you as soon as Sunny opened the door.

"Let's go in. I'm sure you'll be blown away by the inside," the earth pony said.

Following close behind Izzy, you entered through the front doors of the salon. Though you were not 'blown away' like Sunny suggested you would be, you were still impressed with the interior of the building. Mostly everything in the salon was either a shade of pink, purple, or gold, with just a dash of sparkles here and there. There were tables and chairs that were filled with ponies getting their manes done or receiving hooficures, and the disco ball on the ceiling and the stage with speakers in the back proved to you that Sunny was not kidding about the place being a musical setting as well.

"Luckily, there aren't many ponies here today," Sunny said. "Or at least for now. There are some days where it can get really hectic in here."

"True. But most of the time you need to make an appointment before you come here," Izzy added.

The three of you approached a teal-colored earth pony mare with an orange and purple mane. The mare was at a table --- delicately attending to another pony's hooves with polish. 

"Hey, Jazz!" Sunny said out loud.

When the teal mare turned around, she smiled back once she saw who was in front of her. "Hey, Sunny! Hey, Izzy! How are you guys?"

"We're doing just great," replied Sunny. "Has it been real busy for you today?"

Jazz turned back to her client. "It's been alright today. I think more ponies are supposed to be coming tomorrow." She looked back at you for a bit. "So, who's your new friend? I know this town is big, but haven't seen them around before."

Sunny's ears perked up. "Oh! I completely forgot about introductions! This is [Y/N]. They're, um, not from here. But, they're a newcomer and I thought it was only appropriate that I show them all that Maretime Bay has to offer. [Y/N], this is Jazz. She works here as a hooficurist."

Jazz gave a confused frown. "But they're an earth pony. Where else would they have come from?"

"Sunny! Why don't you just tell her they're from the past?" Izzy asked.

Jazz's eyes widen. "Wait. What do you mean from the past?"

"You know --- the past! Like, years and years ago. It's a long story, but basically [Y/N] is from a time when Equestria was still united and had different creatures besides ponies. Sunny's gonna make a book about their experience if you're interested."

Though Izzy was unabashed with what she just said, Sunny blushed out of embarrassment, with an apologetic smile on the side. "Sorry about that," she said. "I didn't know if I should have mentioned that. I didn't know how you would take it."

The teal mare did not seem offended. "Sunny, it's okay. I'm taking it rather well. Given all the things that magic has been causing since it returned, it makes sense that something like this would eventually happen. They are here because of magic, right?"

"It... might be the reason," Sunny answered. "None of us are really certain how they got here, but we think we might be able to find a way to help them out with getting back home."

Jazz shrugged. "Either way, while they're still here, do you think that they'll mind having a hooficure? It might take me a while to get to you, though, but I'm sure we'll find something in your style."

You were rather quick to address her question. "Oh, no. Thank you, though. I'm not really into that type of stuff --- at least for now."

The teal mare gave you a quick examination from hoof to head. "Well, maybe you could use a hair-change, if you want? I don't think that Rocky's busy with anything. I could go get him real quick."

Again you declined. "I really appreciate it, but I'm---"

"Hey! Hey!" a male voice called out. "I heard somepony call my name!"

You looked up to the side to see a cream-colored pegasus with golden wings and a crimson mane floating down. When the pegasus landed in between you and Jazz, you saw that they were a stallion with a necklace of a golden guitar and a mole on their cheek.

"Is this a new customer?" the stallion said, smiling at you. 

"This is [Y/N]," Jazz said without turning away from her client. "They're with Sunny and Izzy."

The stallion's eyebrows raised themselves up. "Sunny! Izzy! I'm so sorry I didn't say hello to you guys first!"

"It's okay, Rocky," Sunny said before nudging you. "[Y/N], this is Rocky. He's the manestylist here, and also a singer like Jazz whenever you need music in this place."

Without asking, Rocky took your front hoof and shook it. "[Y/N], huh? That's an interesting name. So, is there anything I can do about your mane? We have a catalog at every chair that shows all types of styles you can choose from. And we got plenty of hairspray options as well."

You gave a meek smile. "I really am grateful for the offer, but I'm just on a quick tour with Sunny and Izzy. I'm not really here for a do-over."

Fortunately for you, Rocky was unbothered by your decline. "Oh, okay. Well, I--- wait. You're an earth pony. Why do you need a tour of Maretime Bay?"

Before you could speak, Izzy took the words right out of your mouth. 

"Yeah, about that. They're actually from the past, but some magical doohicky-mishap happened and now they're stuck here. We're gonna try and get them back home, though."

"Izzy," said Sunny. "We should probably let [Y/N] decide what they want to say to other ponies."

Izzy replied, defending herself. "Well, a lot of other ponies know like Hitch and Posey and Dahlia and Jazz over here. I figured that sooner or later nearly everypony in town is gonna know."

"So you're really from the past?" Rocky asked you. "How far back do you go?"

"I was born during Princess Twilight's time as ruler. Back before the three races broke apart."

"Wow... I've never met a pony from the past before. But like you said before, you're on a trip with those two, so I won't ask about any other stuff." Rocky turned to Sunny. "So, are Pipp and Zipp back yet?"

The orange mare shook her head. "They haven't come back to the Brighthouse yet. They're either on their way right now or they're still doing their princess duties in Zephyr Heights."

Rocky grinned. "Well, say hello to them for me when you get the chance."

With Sunny and Izzy saying their goodbyes, the three of you exited the building. But as soon as you all hit the sidewalk, a thought occurred to you. 

"What exactly did you mean by your friends having 'princess duties'?" you asked Sunny.

"We didn't tell you?" Izzy asked. "I thought we already talked about it. Zipp and Pipp are royalty."

"Royalty?"

Sunny interjected. "The pegasi of Zephyr Heights are led by Queen Haven --- Zipp's and Pipp's mom. Kind of like how Old Equestria was run by Celestia and Luna and Twilight."

"So... is there a monarch here?"

Izzy shook her head. "Nope. Maretime Bay just has a mayor, and the closest thing we unicorns have to leaders are our elders in Bridlewood."

"Oh," you said. "So, where are we going next?"

"The beach, remember?" Sunny reminded you with a smile. "It's the last place I want us to go to, and then we'll be back at the Brighthouse to get ready for Pipp and Zipp to come back."

"So, is it a huge beach? Is there anything special about it?"

"Well, it's about half the size of the town, so there's plenty of space. As for anything special about it, there are some caves nearby that--- huh?"

Sunny stopped walking, looking off to somewhere to her side. You and Izzy, both a bit confused, stayed where you were as Sunny kept her gaze.

"Um, Sun? Are you okay?" Izzy asked.

"I'm... okay, Izzy," Sunny replied, though her tone suggested that she was not truly focused on addressing Izzy's concern. "It's just that... I think that..."

Turning to her right, Sunny walked over to the front section of a nearby building. Once Izzy started to follow Sunny, you decided it was best to do the same, and as you got closer to the building you saw a golden sign that resembled a star within a horseshoe. Below that sign, Sunny stood by a bulletin board that was adjacent to the front door. 

As you and Izzy approached Sunny, you got a better look at what was on the board --- which held the title "General Information from the Sheriff's Office". There were various leaflets attached to the board describing miscellaneous facts that were not a real concern to you. What did catch your attention, and what probably caught Sunny's attention as well, were two posters, each one holding a picture of a stallion. Above each picture was the title "MISSING".

One poster was of a red earth pony stallion with green eyes and a short golden mane. He had a smile to him that seemed very smug to you, and despite never having met him before, you had a feeling that he must be the type of creature to always radiant that type of arrogant energy. The other poster was of a purple stallion with blue eyes and a short, puffy pink mane. Unlike the former stallion, this one's expression was a humble smile.

With there being a bit of unspoken tension in the air, you decided to talk. "Do you know any of them?"

Sunny answered you without averting her eyes. "The red one is named Sprout. He's an old foalhood friend despite... past disagreements. The other one is Sugarpuff Lilac. I don't know that much about him, though, but he seemed friendly enough."

"Have they been gone for a while?"

She shook her head. "No. That's the part that's bothering me. They both disappeared around the same time last night. Look."

You and Izzy both inched your way closer to the bulletin board. You got a clearer perspective of the posters, seeing everything from the descriptions of the stallions' cutiemarks to the location, time, and date concerning where they were last seen. From the rest of the information that you read, both Sprout and Sugarpuff were last seen sometime between 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm yesterday near the outer edges of the town. 

Out of your own control, your mouth agape out of realization. "Did you say that they disappeared last night?"

"Yeah," Sunny said, turning to you. 

"Do you know what time Posey and that other mare said I arrived at the house?"

"Hm... Well, I don't remember everything that Posey and Dahlia told Hitch, but from what I can remember it was sometime after six o'clock when the Unity Crystals shot that rainbow toward the house. And it must have been half an hour when me and Izzy came across Dahlia. So combine that with getting Hitch, we probably got to Posey's by 7:30."

Your legs wobbled slightly underneath your weight. "So, d-do you think th-that the monster is still out there?"

Sunny's teal eyes widen, as if you two had just held a convention sharing your own worst thoughts with each other.

"No. I don't think..." she began to say before her sentence died out. Turning to her left, she made her way to the front door. "We should ask Hitch first. Just to make things clear."

Sunny pulled the door opened, making her way inside and followed behind by Izzy. Though the monster was still in your mind, you had enough strength in your body to follow the mares into the office. Pulling the door aside, you were met by the sound of two creatures arguing.

"I promise you that the volunteers are more than capable of looking for clues about where he went."

"But they're not experienced or disciplined like you are! You can't expect them to look over every little detail! They could miss something crucial!"

"Mrs. Cloverleaf, these ponies have helped me out before."

"I doubt that rounding up a posse to stop some critters from stealing from food stalls during a festival is the same thing as looking for grown ponies that have gone missing!"

"Ma'am, that incident is nothing compared to all the other times that those volunteers have pulled through for me."

Before you were two ponies, one of whom you recognized immediately. Sheriff Hitch sat behind a desk that was littered with paperwork, and in front of the desk stood a rather irate mare. She was a light pink earth pony with a curly, blond beehive  manestyle, and she wore glasses and a pearl necklace.

"Hitch," Sunny said. "Is everything oka---"

A sharp "Shush!" radiated from the pink mare's lips, startling Sunny. "I'm in the middle of a conversation here," she harshly declared before turning back to the sheriff. "You need to stay here to find him. I won't have it any other way."

Though not as angry as the pink mare, Hitch's face displayed all the signs of an irritated stallion pushed to his limits. "Mrs. Cloverleaf, I told you before that I can't stay here. Discord still has the pegasus crystal, and I need to help find him before magic is put in any more jeopardy."

"Now I understand that everypony in Equestria was worried about how magic glitched out all those days ago, but I doubt a lack of magic is going to cause ponies to disappear --- which is the real problem you should be dealing with!"

"I am dealing with that, but some things take priority over others!"

The mare, Mrs. Cloverleaf, was taken aback. "Priority? So saving your childhood friend isn't a priority? The same childhood friend that was by your side as your deputy for years? The same friend who never made any attempt to besmirch your name so he could be sheriff, even though we both know how bad he wanted it? Are you telling me that you don't care about him?"

Hitch's ears dropped. "I... didn't mean it like that. Of course, Sprout still matters to me. But I---" When the sheriff realized that whatever words he was searching for were out of his reach, he substituted them with a defeated groan. "I guess I could stay for a few days to lead the search. Hopefully, Sunny and the other girls won't really need me when they go out to meet with that stranger."

Relieved, Mrs. Cloverleaf took a sigh. "Thank you, sheriff," she announced with a smile. "I promise you that this will all be worth it in the end. Considering that that other pony disappeared as well, something is definitely afoot. It only makes sense that you get to the bottom of it."

Mrs. Cloverleaf turned around, heading for the door behind you. As the older mare past Sunny and Izzy, she gave a quick nonchalant glance but did not say anything to them. Once she was out of the office, the three of you approached Hitch at his desk. With his eyes laid on some paperwork, the stallion spoke up.

"I'm sorry, girls," he said apologetically. "I'm not going to be able to make it to the lighthouse with you to find Discord. My hooves are a bit tied here."

"It's fine, Hitch," Sunny said. "I know how protective you can be of us, but you don't need to worry. If anything happens, I'm sure my abilities can take care of it."

"That's true. But maybe Mrs. Cloverleaf had a point. If there's a real danger out there, I need to help solve it before more ponies end up missing."

"So what exactly happened to Sprout and Sugarpuff? We read the poster outside, but is there anything else you found that could help with finding them?"

Hitch looked up at the three of you --- his amber eyes devoid of any rest or solace. "I've been working on this since sometime after midnight. Mrs. Cloverleaf and Sugarpuff's relatives came by to tell me about how the two of them never came home. I've been running on only four hours of sleep ever since making those posters and trying to find clues, but so far I've gotten nowhere." He yawned. "I don't even know if I should take a quick nap before helping the volunteers search the forests. There might be a time limit before..."

Hitch did not finish that sentence, but you had a feeling of what he was trying to say. Luckily for you, Sunny was able to be a bit more optimistic than the two of you.

"I'm sure you'll find something, especially if you have other ponies helping you."

"Yeah, but it's still best to be extra careful in the forests," Izzy said. "Especially if there are some nasty monsters out there."

"You mean like the one that attacked [Y/N]?" Hitch asked. "I've been thinking about that, too. It can't just be a coincidence that Sprout and Sugarpuff disappeared the night you and that monster came here, but I've only told the volunteers about that. If everypony in Maretime Bay knew, it would cause more chaos than anything else."

"Wouldn't it be best to let everypony know what exactly is out there?" you asked. "It might be better if everycreature was on guard."

The yellow stallion shook his head. "I don't know how long you'll be here, but if it's for a while, one thing you'll realize about most of the residents is that they're very... panicky when it comes to a threat that they know exists. There could be drastic actions taken that would do more harm then good."

"He's not wrong there," Izzy said. "When I first came here, everypony was super-freaked out about seeing a unicorn for the first time in like years. In fact, they were so spooked that they all got together to build a big, giant machine to take over Bridlewood."

You were unsettled. "Things got that bad between ponies?"

"That's all thanks to Sprout," Hitch groaned. "It's a bit of a story, but let's just say I left him in charge of the town for a bit while I went away to do something important, except he went overboard and decided it was best to go on the offensive and rally the residents against the unicorns and pegasi."

"That's kind of the reason we have a complicated relationship with him," said Sunny. "And also because he destroyed my previous home when we tried to stop him. But still, I don't hate him, and I definitely want him back home as soon as possible."

Wow. You thought. She's really forgiving about all that.

"Well, when we get back from finding Discord and help [Y/N], I promise that we'll all help with finding Sprout and Sugarpuff," continued Sunny. "I'm pretty sure that Zipp's detective skills will come in handy."

Hitch gave a small smile. "Thanks, Sunny. So, why are you and Izzy here with [Y/N]?"

"Oh, we were just showing them around Maretime Bay," Izzy answered. "We're actually going to take them to the beach next before we leave town."

"Oh, Okay. Well, I hope it all goes well. Now if you don't mind, I better do some more work before I meet the volunteers."

With Hitch occupied once more, Sunny, Izzy, and you say your farewells to the sheriff before leaving the office.
> Chapter 8 (Pt 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took less than an hour, but you finally arrived at the beach of Maretime Bay. Technically, as Sunny told you, everything south of the town consisted of sand and ocean, but it was the southwestern part of town that most ponies went to to relax and play at, as it had the most space.

As the three of you walked amongst the sand heading southeast, Sunny tried to entice you with the history of the beach and the annual events that occurred there, mostly during the summers. Your ears managed to collect bits and pieces of what Sunny was telling you, but most of your attention was focused on the layout of the beach. 

By now, it must have been sometime in the afternoon, and yet the atmosphere radiated the feeling that you were experiencing a blissful sunset evening. Though you never stopped in your tracks behind Sunny and Izzy, you took your time taking in all that you could of your surroundings.

The sand before you was of a royal amber-gold color, and the grains were small and sparse enough for them to deliver a soft texture beneath your hooves, even when they clung to your fur. Beyond to your left, the loud, dark blue ocean waves crashed into each other, creating sprays of white foam that flew into the air. And above in the clear sapphire sky flew a fleet of white birds that cried out as they soared underneath the warm sun.

Though the beach was not crowded, you and the two mares were not the only creatures here. There were plenty of ponies around you that decided to spend their time here doing various activities, but as you noticed, most of the playing was done by the foals and teenagers. Along with the native language of the birds high up, the laughter and shouts of the younger ponies filled your ears. 

"Are you okay, [Y/N]?"

Caught off guard, you looked up to see Izzy staring at you with a concerned frown. 

"You've kinda been staring at a bunch of nothing for a while now."

You realized what she meant when you realized that you had been admiring the sand you had been stepping on for a while. It was almost like you were in a wonderland daze that felt too comforting for you to wake up from. It did not make much sense --- being around mere dirt and water --- and yet you felt like you could build a foundation here.

"Oh. I'm fine," you answered. "It's just that I've... never been to the beach before."

"Were there any beaches in Old Equestria?"

You nodded. "There were, it's just that my family never took me to one. Outside of field trips,.... I've never really been outside of my home, at least before I was sent to Ponyville to attend the school."

"But you had fun at home, right?" Izzy asked. 

You shrugged. "I guess. My home had movie theaters and parks and arcades, but mainly I just stayed at home reading comic books and manga."

"What's a...' The unicorn's face scrunched up. "manga?"

"It's like a comic book, except they aren't made in Equestria. They were from this place called Neighpon. I don't know if it exists anymore, but it was filled with creatures like kappas and onis. Ponies began living there long before I was born."

Sunny decided to involve herself in the conversation. "Did you do all of these things on your own? I mean, did you have anypony to spend time with?"

You nearly flinched, which embarrassed you. Luckily, it did not seem that any of the mares noticed that. 

"I didn't have any friends back home --- if that's what you mean. I was mostly by myself."

"What about when you went to the School of Friendship?" Sunny asked once more. "You must have gotten along with a bunch of creatures at a place centered on friendship."

"I got along with creatures at the school --- both students and teachers --- but I didn't make any relationships there. At most, I was part of a study group from time to time."

"Geez. That sounds a bit lonely," Izzy chimed in. 

"I was okay with it. I've never been much of a social pony anyway."

"Well, I guess if that makes you more comfortable," Sunny said. "But I hope you do find somepony to get closer to when we bring you back home. I know it's not my business, but life gets more colorful if there's someone else to share it with."

You bestowed a faux smile on your face. "I don't doubt that. But thank you."

"So, what do you like about the beach? Since it's your first time to one?"

You were a bit caught off by the initiation of what you guessed was small talk, but you had a confidence in yourself that convinced you that nothing invasive was going to occur.

"The beach?" you started off. "Well, I like the sand, it's not as rough as I thought it would be. And I don't want to go out swimming, but the ocean seems nice to be in --- as long as I don't get swept up in the waves."

Sunny chuckled. "Even though Maretime Bay's beach is the only one I've been to, I have to agree with what you said. Is there anything else here that interests you?"

You bit your bottom lip. "I guess the atmosphere is nice. The sun is out so it's warm, but it's not too humid either. And I do like the sounds of the waves and birds. I guess it's something you could lose yourself in."

The orange earth pony brightened her smile toward you. "See? Doesn't it feel good sharing your experience with somepony else? You wouldn't be able to do that with yourself."

It took a lot of willpower to resist rolling your eyes. Sunny meant well, but she was not going to get you to be a very talkative creature anytime soon. And given that you probably would not be around her and Izzy for much longer, you did not see a need to get to know any of them. But right now did not seem like the right time to mention that --- though perhaps it was best to never mention it at all.

"Well, I still don't know if---"

"SUNNY! IZZY! HEY!"

A high-pitched feminine voice rang out, causing you to look all around for the source. It was not until you looked at Izzy and Sunny that your eyes followed where their gaze went. High above in the air, two winged creatures began to float down --- the sun's glare sequestering their appearance in a shadowy cloak. With the sunlight being too much, you held your foreleg above your eyebrows. 

"That sounds like Pipp," Izzy commented. 

"Wow! They're back earlier than I thought they would be," Sunny said before waving. "Hey, girls!"

The duo of winged creatures were close enough to the ground that you were able to see that they were both pegasi. One was a white mare with a short, slick pink mane with a blue strip through the middle. The other pegasus was a pink mare with an average, wavy purple mane. For the latter mare, there was a glint near her head that you noticed, which you guessed was just reflected sunlight.

The two pegasi landed gently in front of the three of you, sending particles of sand floating into the air. You and the other two mares continued to walk forward.

"Hey, Sunny. Hey, Izzy!" greeted the white pegasus. She, along with the pink pegasus, smiled right at the earth pony and unicorn. "You girls doing okay?"

"We're all right," Sunny replied. "How was your meeting in Zephyr Height?"

"Well, you know how I feel about royal duties and all that," said the white pegasus. "Always a drag. Always repetitious and mundane. I'm just lucky that Founders' Day isn't the busiest pegasus holiday we have."

"Oh, come on, Zipp," said the pink pegasus. "You of all ponies should recognize how important history is. I thought you would be excited with celebrating how our family founded Zephyr Heights."

The other pegasus rolled her eyes. "First of all, our family didn't find the city --- they just became the rulers after a whole mess of other bad leaders. And second, we barely even teach the foals that much about all that happened during the Resistance. We don't go into the complexities of how the family came to the throne. All we do is say that everypony else involved was the bad guy and then play some silly games."

The pink pegasus sighed. "Okay, well, I rather not get into it with you right now. So, Sunny, Iz --- what did you do while we were gone?"

"Oh, nothing too big happened," Izzy answered. "Other than taking care of this pony behind us and showing them around the town."

"You mean them?" the white pegasus asked, pointing a forehoof toward you. "What exactly do they need help with?"

"Well...," you began to say. "You see, I---"

"Maybe it's best that I introduce all three of you to each other," interrupted Sunny, before pointing to the white pegasus. "[Y/N], this is Zipp, and the pony next to her is Pipp. They're the royal sisters that we told you about earlier. Zipp and Pipp, this is [Y/N]. They're kind of a... visitor to Maretime Bay."

"A visitor?" Pipp stated perplexedly. "But they're an earth pony. How can they be from anywhere other than here?"

Sunny chuckled sheepishly. "You see, that's another thing. It might seem a bit off, but they're apparently from the past. Though given how magic has returned to Equestria, I think something like this was bound to happen."

"Yeah!" chimed in Izzy energetically. "They came from like waaay back when all the ponies got along, and the princesses were still around, and Equestria had other creatures, and---"

"Woah, woah, woah," Zipp said, holding up a hoof. "Hold on a minute. You're telling me that they're from hundreds of moons ago? As in --- they somehow traveled to the future?"

"Well, duh, Zipp!" Izzy replied, unamused. "You're just repeating what Sunny said."

Zipp looked over to her sister, at which the two shared a concerned look. "We've been flying for a while now. We were actually at the Brighthouse earlier on until we realized that you two weren't there. Is it okay if we go back there to talk?"





The walk back to the Crystal Brighthouse took less than an hour. Even though you wished to stay a bit longer at the beach, you knew that there were more pressing matters to take care of, and those matters were discussed at the kitchen table.

With it having been hours since you last ate, Sunny worked up some dandelion sandwiches with chips --- you had plain ones --- and brought cups and a pitcher of juice over to the table. While taking breaks in between bites, you and Sunny told the pegasi sisters about your journey here --- from the events at the festival in the past, to the monster attack outside of Posey's home.

Needless to say, both sisters were rather taken aback, despite how short the recap really was.

Zipp was the first one to speak up. "So, you have no idea what or who sent you here from the past?" 

You shook your head. "I far as I was aware, I didn't see a unicorn or any other creature cast a spell around me. But then again, I was in too much pain to really notice anything."

"And you're certain that the monster outside of Posey's place wasn't the same monster that attacked you at the fair back home?"

"They definitely looked different. The one back home looked like a big cat, and the one here was like a shadowy blob."

Zipp tapped a hoof under her chin, adopting a stoic face as she glared at the table. Pipp, on the other hand, carefully rubbed her hooves together as she looked at you. 

"So..., [Y/N], is it?"

"That's my name."

"Right, okay. So, how exactly do you plan on getting back home? I mean, I'm glad to have you here and I hope you're enjoying your stay, but I imagine you want get back to the past, right?". So, have you got a clue about how to do that?"

"Oh, we're gonna have Discord help bring them back when we find him," Izzy said with a smile.

"Discord?" Pipp asked, stunned. "I thought we were just going to get the pegasus crystal from him. I kinda doubt that he's just going to help us or them."

The unicorn smirked. "Oh, I'm certain we can convince him with just the right words. He seems like a grumpy old draconequus, but I know he's a big softy deep down inside."

Pipp crossed her forelegs. "Well, he didn't seem like a great guy the first time we met him. But you're coming with us tomorrow to Candlebright Cove, aren't you, [Y/N]?"

"If that's where Discord is," you stated.

"Well, technically he may not be there. It's just that there's a pony there with info on where Discord may be."

"Sunny," said Zipp, "do you know if anypony here saw or heard anything strange since last night after that monster showed up?"

"Well, Sprout and Sugarpuff disappeared last night. We saw missing posters outside of the sheriff's office, and they disappeared sometime after I went to Posey's place with Hitch and Izzy,"

"Yeah," Izzy commented. "I hope Sprout is alright, even if he is a bit of a meanie."

"And is Hitch doing anything about it?" continued Zipp.

Sunny answered. "He's staying here with some volunteers to keep looking for the two of them. Mrs. Cloverleaf managed to talk him out of coming with us to find Discord."

"That's probably for the best. If that second monster is still around somewhere, it may be the reason why Sprout and Sugarpuff haven't shown up yet. But I'm gonna talk to Hitch and tell him to be extra careful out there and see what he's found out already. If anything dangerous happens while he's searching, I want him to call us --- even if we're on the way to Candlebright Cove."

"Definitely. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning, so take all the time you need, Zipp."

The white pegasus scooted out of her chair, taking her finished plate with her mouth and using her wing her grip her emptied cup. After going over to the sink to dispose of the items, Zipp lifted herself off the floor and floated away from the table and out of the kitchen.

"So, you're all friends with the sheriff?" you asked anycreature who would answer.

"Yeah," spoke Pipp. "All five of us went on this great big journey to find the Unity Crystals, even though we didn't exactly have the same motives for doing so. But hey! We bonded with each other, we brought magic back, and we reunited all of ponykind. Those kinds of accomplishments, like, have to be proof that our friendship is really important --- right?"

"I... guess." You looked over to Sunny. "I know that we had to come back here, but were you done with the tour?"

"By the time Zipp and Pipp came by, the tour was mostly done," she explained. "I mean, we didn't exactly take you everywhere in town, but if you want we can visit one more time before nightfall."

You mulled the proposition over in your head. "I'm good. I appreciate it, but I think I had my full of traveling for today, even though I did like the beach."

Izzy leaned across the table, beaming right at you with a smile. "So, what do you want to do here? Do you want to watch TV?"

"Oh, TV. That's like... what did you call it?"

"It's like watching a movie, except it's all in a small metal box."

"And we can watch... anything on it?"

The unicorn nodded. "Yep. We could watch ponies acting, ponies playing sports, ponies announcing the weather --- basically anything. Though to be honest we don't really get anything out of watching the weather forecast, aside from looking at the nice drawings of the sun and clouds. So, what do you think?"

"Well, I guess if there's nothing else to do... sure."

"Alrighty then!" Izzy leapt out of her chair and headed outside of the kitchen. "Come on, let's browse through a few channels until we find something interesting! I think there's a re-run of the Trotformers series on. It's about these pony robots! I'm sure you'll love it!"
> Chapter 9 (Pt 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I think those are monarch butterflies," Sunny said. "They're not exactly the same as swallowtail butterflies."

"How so?" Izzy asked, tilting her head. 

"Well, monarch butterflies are more orange than yellow. If these butterflies were yellow then they would be swallowtails instead."

Izzy looked all around the forest surrounding her as she dragged the wagon behind her. She tried her best to stay right behind Sunny so that the cart would not stray far from the path. In every direction were several separate groups of bright butterflies gently floating on their way to wherever they were heading.

"I think the sunlight is messing with my vision," Izzy confessed. "I could have sworn those wings were yellow."

Sunny giggled. "Well, I'm certain there are swallowtails out here somewhere. If we're in butterfly season like I think, we should be seeing all sorts of them."

"Well, if that's the case, let's just guess a different kind of creature."

"Okay. That's fair. What about squirrels? There's grey squirrels and red squirrels and fox squirrels ---"

"Oh! I can do that. We definitely had plenty of squirrels in Bridlewood! I should be able to point them all out!"

You watched the earth pony and unicorn converse as you were trailing them from a considerable distance. You were not far enough to be deaf to what they were saying, but you feared that you might cause Izzy some trouble if she were to swing the wagon and you happened to be too close. As well, you thought it was best to give the two their space, though it was more for your benefit than theirs.

At least you were outside once more to enjoy the fresh air. After your tour, you spent most of yesterday on the couch watching TV with Izzy, even after dinner. You went through numerous episodes of the Trotformers  series --- which you admit was very entertaining and action-packed, though it came with a side of campiness --- was stuck with two unbearably cheesey romcom shows, and sat through an hour-long session of weather forecast concerning the rainstorm that would be arriving today.

Despite being an immediate neighbor to Izzy on the couch, you barely talked with her while the programs were on, aside from a few agreeable mumbles whenever the unicorn made a comment. Once you realized that she was fine with being the main creature talking, you figured you did not have to contribute much to the conversation.

But that was all during the previous day, which ended after a quick shower before going to bed. Today, Sunny had woken you up while the bottom half of the bronze sun was still sequestered by the horizon. After breakfast, you helped the mares pack up their belongings and camp supplies into a rented wagon, which Sunny volunteered to pull first.

Pipp, who had received the message about Discord's location, told you and the others that Candlebright Cove was somewhere southwest of Maretime Bay along the coast, and based on an old, dusty map that Sunny had, it would take more than a day to get there at an average pace. 

At first, the hours went by fast during the morning, perhaps due to a boost of caffeine. Hours later, though, when you could barely see the structures of the town behind you, weariness had kicked the vigor out from your body, especially from your legs. It was not even the heat that got to you --- just the plain fact that you had trekked so far for so long.

Luckily for you, the mares were just as tired as you, including the pegasi sisters, who had to rest their wings after flapping them constantly. Even Sunny, despite her early optimism that they could all make it just a bit longer, admitted defeat in the end. It made sense, given that she was driving the wagon with tons of material. After a much-needed half-hour break, you all were on the move again, except this time Zipp volunteered to be the wagon driver.

After a few more hours, you all took another thirty-minute break, this time deciding to unpack the lunch that was brought for the journey. Izzy, feeling better with a fuller stomach, offered to drive the wagon this time. Based on just a mere hunch, you figured that it was now some time in the afternoon based on the position of the sun right above you all. 

You knew that in just a few more moments you and the mares would have to take another break, and you wondered in your head if you should volunteer to drive the wagon next. It would be the proper thing to do, after all --- as a way of showing gratefulness towards the hospitality that these ponies have shown you. Especially with Sunny and Izzy.

"Hey, [Y/N]."

You turned your head to your left where the voice came from. To your side was Zipp, who was once again hovering in the air.

"Hello?" you said to her.

"I got your name right, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Oh. Okay, that's good. Well, how have the past two days been?"

"Well..., aside from being sent to the future and being attacked by monsters, I say it's been alright."

The white pegasus looked down in embarrassment. "Yeah..., that makes sense. Well, I hope you at least enjoyed the tour Sunny and Izzy gave you. But I can understand if you wanted to see more of the Bay before Pipp and I came back."

You kept your straight face. "I got what I could out of it."

"It's just, you know, seemed important that we talked about how a pony from long ago just came here out of nowhere. Especially if magic's return to Equestria has anything to do with it."

"It's okay. That's a fair point."

Silence grew in the air as you continued to walk the same path through the forest. But an uneasiness in the back of your head advised you to be ready for that silence to break very soon.

"So...," Zipp began to say. "If you don't mind me asking, do you know anything about what may have caused Old Equestria to fall?"

"I already told Sunny and Izzy yesterday about how I didn't notice anything going wrong in Equestria." 

"I know. Sunny and I went through her notes while you were watching TV with Izzy. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that she probably didn't go farther with her questions." 

With her forehoof, Zipp reached underneath her wing and pulled out a light-blue box that was small and thin, and with her other forehoof she pressed on a black surface on top of the box that reminded you of the screen of the TV back at the Brighthouse before it was turned on. Once Zipp pressed on the black surface of the box, the surface lit up bright and colorful in a way you were not certain of how to describe it. With a few more touches to the box, the surface changed its appearance a few times and made some weird noises before she pointed it at you.

"Question number one: to your knowledge was there---"

You could not help but interrupt and point. "I'm sorry, but --- what is that?"

Zipp looked down at the object in her hoof. "This? Oh! I guess Sunny never exactly got to teaching you about our technology." She pressed on the surface again, generating another noise. "This is called a phone, or a cellphone. It can do a lot of things, but to make this quick it's mainly used for communicating with other ponies from long distances. But right now I'm using it to record our conversation."

"That sounds a bit like a telephone., except they're a bit larger and have to be connected to an outlet."

"Yep. We still have telephones here, but nearly everypony has their own cellphone. They're much easier to carry around. But back to my original question..." She resumed touching the screen and pointed the device at you. "So, question number one: As far as you are aware, were there ever any ponies in your time that tried to divide the three races, or at least proclaimed that one race was better than the others."

You breathed through your nose, not sure how you felt about addressing more questions --- especially if you had no good answers to deliver this time.

"I'm pretty sure ponies like that existed, but I don't know of any prominent ponies that tried to cause division like that. The only prejudice going around in Equestria was towards non-pony species. There's this group called the Homefront Foundation that has all these chapters all over Equestria, and one of their... grieveances is that Equestria was letting in too many immigrants, and that country was in danger of being overrun or something like that."

"Okay. Question number two: during your time, did there exist crystals that could house large amounts of magic? If so, how many existed?"

"I don't know that any magical crystals besides the Crystal Heart in the Crystal Empire's capital. I best I can tell you is that it kept the empire safe from magical snowstorms and other evils."

"Okay, then. I guess the Unity Crystals weren't made yet before you came here."

"Oh!" another voice exclaimed. "Is that the place where all those ponies used to shine like crystals? Sunny told me all about them once! The pippsqueaks definitely need to know about that place!"

Zipp's eyes widen. With incoherent, flabbergasted sputtering, she looked all around her until she gazed up. Following her gaze, you spotted Pipp floating right above you in the treeline --- higher than Zipp --- with her own cellphone in her hooves.

"PIPP!" Zipp shouted anxiously. "Are you really livestreaming right now?!? You're gonna tip off Discord and let him know where we are!"

"Ugh! Zipp!" the pink pegasus complained as she pressed on the phone's screen. "I'm not careless enough to do a livestream when we're in the middle of a mission! I'm just recording a video that I'm gonna edit later when we get back home. Think of how many ponies are gonna want to see somepony from the past!"

Pipp floated down to the same level that Zipp was at, except she was to your right. Like her sister, she brought the back of her phone towards your face --- her eyes beady with joyous anticipation.

"So, [Y/N]. If you don't mind me asking, what's it like being in the future? I mean, aside from ponykind being at each others' throats for moons and moons, don't you think that this time period is pretty rad with what you've seen?"

"Well, if ponies are at harmony with each other again, I guess this... timeline is alright."

Pipp nodded. "Okay. Okay. But like, what else do you like about the future? Is there anything here that you don't have back home?"

"I guess I can say that aside from the phones and TV, nothing seems really that advanced here."

"Really? So like you all had running water and electricity even back then?"

"Yeah. We did."

"Hey, Pipp," Zipp butted in. "I wasn't quite done yet with my questions. So how about you wait your turn, huh?"

In reluctant resignation, Pipp placed her phone underneath her wing, but not without a smack of her lips. "Well fine, then."

As the pink pegasus flew back a bit, the other pegasus sent out a sigh of relief. "Sorry about that. She's very serious about getting views from ponies whenever she can get the chance."

"What do you mean by views?" you asked. 

"Oh, right. You don't know what the Canternet is either. I guess the best way I can put it is that the Canternet is like this... reality where ponies can talk to each other and share information without being in the same room --- mainly by using their phones. There's all these sections of the Canternet like ClipTrot and Ponygram where ponies can look into each others' businesses. Pipp has a bunch of followers on the Canternet, and she wants to please them with new content whenever an opportunity comes."

You shuddered. "Other creatures getting involved in my life sounds like a nightmare."

Zipp failed to stifle her chuckle. "I get what you mean. I have my own accounts, but I also try to keep my social life as private as possible. Which I have to admit is a bit difficult for a princess." She pulled out her phone. "But back to where we were before. I do have one more question: does Equestria have any old spells or weapons or artifacts that can be used to defeat a great evil? And if you can, can you tell me where they might be?"

You bit your lip in contemplation. "Well, there's the Crystal Heart, which I already mentioned is at the Crystal Empire. Then there's this Alicorn Amulet that my guidance counselor had when she was going up against Princess Twilight. It was supposed to enhance a pony's magical abilities, but it could also corrupt their mind. After the princess defeated the counselor, the amulet was hidden somewhere secret."

"Are those the only devices you can recall?"

"Well, there are the Elements. They're these magical artifacts that can be used to defeat evil. The Elements came from these magical trees. Six of these trees actually used to exist, but the one in the Equestria was destroyed by King Sombra before I was born --- including the Elements it had."

"Where exactly are the other trees?"

"I know that each tree has a unique name, but I can't remember them, though. I do know that one is in Farasi, the homeland of zebras, abadas, and kelpies. One is in Caninia, the kingdom of the diamond dogs. Abyssinia, the home of these cat-like creatures. Ornithia, the home of the avians, these bird creatures. And then there's Cunabula, where the Knights of Harmony came from. And now that I think about it, there's the Cutie Map back at the Castle of Friendship in Ponyville. But the only thing it does is send creatures on missions involving friendship."

"And that's it?"

Confident in your answers, you nodded.

"This is all really interesting," Zipp admitted. She brought her phone closer to herself and tapped on it a few times. "Note to self: when given the chance, conduct research on the Crystal Heart in the Crystal Empire and contemplate on a possible journey there, as well as the Cutie Map in Ponyville's Friendship Castle. Given the hidden nature of the Alicorn Amulet, and the distance from the other countries that have their own Elements, it's unlikely that I'll find any of those objects."

With her short soliloquy done, Zipp hid her phone underneath her wing, all with a content smile evident on her face. "I'm sorry if my questions seemed a bit too much. It's just that when me and my friends went to look for the pegasus crystal, Discord told us how the crystals were created because of a pony who managed to cause disharmony in Equestria by dividing the three races. Since you're from the past, it made sense to assume you would know a lot of things that we don't know today."

You kicked a rock that was in your way. "It's okay. If you're trying to stop something like that from happening again, I guess you would want to be prepared."

"Well, I'm glad you understand. I probably have a few more questions for you later on, but I'm done for now." The white pegasus flew a little bit ahead of you while maintaining eye contact. "Even though I wasn't there, I'm pretty sure Sunny was losing it when she found out that you were around when Princess Twilight and the others were still kicking."

"Something like that," you admitted with a straight face.

"Well, I'm not as much of a cheerleader as she is, but I'm still excited to know somepony who has a first-hoof account of Old Equestrian history and culture in their noggin. But I'm not gonna bother you anymore. There's something I need to tell Sunny."

With those last words, Zipp zoomed ahead of you to meet up with the two mares at the front. Alone once more, you attempted to take in the environment around you --- especially the trees with their thick canopies. But less than a minute into your visual exploration, you heard a strange set of noises to your right. Turning your head in that direction, you were greeted by Pipp pointing her phone at you.

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of celebrities were around during your time? I'm just dying to know what kind of, like, cultural influence they brought to Equestria."

An irrepressible sigh escaped your lips.
> Chapter 9 (Pt 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you expected, you and the mares took another quick break in the forest before you began your journey once more. To your surprise, Izzy volunteered once again to pull the wagon once the break was over. Though you had planned on offering your assistance if need be, you felt no need to get in her way, especially if she insisted that she still had enough energy to keep going.

Throughout the trek after the third break, you found yourself once again by yourself as you trailed behind the four other ponies. You felt like you needed the semi-solitude after the barrage of questions that Pipp dumped on you. To the best of your teenage knowledge, you could only recall a few pop culture icons that your folks back home would reminisce about, such as Sapphire Shores, Countess Coloratura, Feather Bangs, and Songbird Serenade.

The highlight of your conversation with the princess, though, seemed to be when you mentioned how Rarity built a clothing empire across and beyond Equestria that revolutionized fashion --- at least that is what you had heard during your foalhood. She was overjoyed to know that some details about the Element of Generosity that Sunny had shared with her were true and that she hoped that she would be able to find a Carousel Boutique store the next time she went with the others to Old Equestria. 

Eventually, you all heard a rumbling boom vibrate through the air that coincided with the darkening of the sky. You looked up to see enormous dark clouds, most of them blocking the sun as they passed through. Before Sunny even suggested it, you knew that you all would have to camp somewhere with adequate shelter against the incoming rain.

Zipp and Pipp took up the task of flying ahead to search for such a place to hunker down while you continued on with Sunny and Izzy. Just as you worried about having to sleep in the rain within a muddy tent, the pegasi returned minutes later with fortunate news of a nearby cave with enough room to house the wagon.

Within no time, you all arrived at the cave and unpacked a few belongings from the wagon --- such as the sleeping bags, lanterns, pre-cut firewood, and other miscellaneous camping materials. By luck, the cave was deep enough that the wagon's placement inside of it still left enough walking room, and the floor was even enough that you did not have to worry about the wagon or anything else moving out of place. As a safety precaution, Izzy set up what she called "an alarm system" near the entrance of the cave, consisting of a long string packed with empty tin cans and glass bottles --- so that during the night they would be aware of any animal trying to enter.

With the camp made up, Izzy got to setting up the fire with the wood and some stones she found outside to make an encircling ring. With a tripod placed on top of the fire to hold a cooking pot, Izzy made a helping of chowder soup that consisted of carrots, peas, corn, and potatoes. Sitting in one of the foldable chairs that were brought, you waited for nearly an hour for the soup to be made --- simply staring at the embers from the fire that floated to the cave ceiling. 

Dinnertime went by relatively fast. The soup itself was good, and the bread loaf and cheese wedge you had alongside it also helped to fill you up. As much as you wanted seconds, it was best to not be a burden on the food supply, even if the place you were going to was less than a day away by now. 

When everycreature else was done, they went off to do their own thing in the cave, as by now the rain had begun to fall down to the earth by the sound of it. Pipp was on her phone trying to do something with it, but the only thing you heard from her was a complaint about a lack of 'Canternet service'. Izzy was in her own little corner trying to construct what you assumed to be paper mache items or some form of crafts. You saw that she had a lot of glitter bottles, glue, and paper on her side. Zipp and Sunny stayed at the fire in their own chairs just like you.

"Are you sure about that?" Sunny said. "They couldn't all have been like that."

"Well, most of them were like that," Zipp asserted, irritation barely concealed in her voice. "I'm telling you, Sunny, I could barely hold it all together having to hear those snooty nobles go on about how Zephyr Heights was being overrun by 'dullard' earth ponies and 'fanatical' unicorns. If that's who I have to share governing the kingdom with, I'm going to re-find Tartarus just to put them all in there."

"It's just that I haven't heard Izzy say anything about earth ponies and pegasi having a hard time after moving to Bridlewood, and as far as I'm aware Posey is the only one upset about all the newcomers arriving. I really thought we changed things after finding the Unity Crystals."

The white pegasus leaned back in her chair. "I'm pretty sure it's just the upper crust of the city that feel that way, but the fact that some of them are influencers just gets to me. If their bigotry gets a huge platform on the Canternet then a bunch of pegasi are gonna get the same mindset, and that might undo a lot of the work we all put in to reunite Equestria." She let out a huge sigh. "I don't know. I just... really wanted to leave that Founders' Day party. But, of course, mom wouldn't have appreciated that."

"Well, maybe you can get Pipp to do a livestream confronting how there's still prejudice in Zephyr Heights. I know that's probably not your thing, but I figure you could still help out."

"Maybe. But even if we get the majority of pegasi to be more tolerable, it's the pegasi that make the laws that still have the final say. They're all just so stuck in their ways."

"Well, how about we just talk about something else?" Sunny suggested. "Those ponies aren't with us right now, so we can't try to change their minds anyway."

Zipp exhaled again. "Sure. Well, there was thing funny thing that happened with one of our cousins at the punch bowl table..."

Whatever the two mares adjacent to you were now talking about ceased to enter your head. All that mattered to you right now was the fire before you, whose light cast the cave floor and walls with a low orange glow that strangely emanated a feeling of safety in your mind. It was as if a blanket was wrapped around you so snuggly that it convinced you that nothing in the outside world could lay a claw on you, even if your mental troubles were a different issue.

You kept your gaze on the embers that arose from the crackling firewood. Whenever a group of them escaped from the flames, your eyes would follow them as they gently floated up to the ceiling, before they finally disintegrated into nothingness. Then you would start the whole thing all over again.

For some reason, you could not help but be mesmerized by the fire. It was almost like you were a moth, except you had the common sense to not let such a dangerous entity engulf you fully, at least physically that is. You were searching for something within the flame, a great enigma that you just could not wrap your mind around. There was something about the sight before you that reminded you of something from your life.

You hoped that the answers would come before you in the embers that buzzed through the smoke-filled air. You squinted your eyes at them, with a glare to examine each and every glowing speck as if they were an insect.


[...]


I don't know if I told you this before, [Y/N], but I really love fireflies. I know there aren't that much here, but back at my grandparents' place, whenever I visited, I would stay outside as long as I could after dinner to catch them all in this glass jar. Then, I would go to bed with them before letting them go the next day. You really have to come to the countryside when you can. There's more open air there.


[...]


Oh...

Now you remembered. Honestly, you wished you had not now that you thought of it. You would not be tracing the embers anymore, just the solitary flame from the wood stack.

"Are you okay?"

With your trance disturbed, you looked abruptly to your side to see Izzy bestowing a blank stare upon you. Her horn was glowing bright purple as she levitated what looked like a pack of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, a wrapped chocolate bar, some napkins, and five thin sticks bundled together. 

"What did you say?" you asked the unicorn.

"I wanted to know if you're okay. You've just been staring at the fire ever since dinner ended, and that was a long time ago."

A short silence passed as you stared at the floor. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Cause it seems that something is really eating you up."

You sighed, pulling up your head. "No. I'm really okay. Just have some small stuff on my mind."

You looked up at Izzy, waiting to see if she would remain persistent in you telling her the truth. But aside from a skeptical frown, she did not seem willing to push the matter any further.

"Okay, then," she then said with a smile. "I'll leave you alone. But just remember it's not good to bottle things up. It reflects badly on your sparkle. But anyway, I'm gonna have myself a snack."

Humming to herself, the unicorn sat down in a chair to your left, with all of her items now on the floor. Izzy opened up the bag, drew out a single marshmallow, and plunged a stick into the sugary treat with her own hooves. Content, she drew the stick over the fire, watching as the marshmallow lit up and began to burn. 

In no time, a strong, sweet smell blended with the scent of burnt wood within the cave, and it soon became evident to you that Izzy would not be the only one enjoying a snack once you saw Zipp and Sunny leave their chairs.

"Hey, Iz," Zipp said. "Do you mind if we have some, too?"

"Of course! Why do you think I brought four more sticks? Come get as much as you want!"

Though your attention was mainly on the fire once more, you heard rustling that suggested that the other two mares were getting what they needed for their own s'mores. Having what they came for, Zipp and Sunny returned to their chairs, scooted them a bit closer to the fire circle, and plunged their marshmallow-headed sticks into the flames.

"So, what are we going to tell Discord to convince him to give back the pegasus crystal?" Izzy asked out loud. By now, her marshmallow was hot enough that she withdrew it from the flames and used her magic to sandwich it between two chocolate squares and two crackers. "He really wanted to hold on to it the last time we talked."

"We just need to convince Discord of how magic allows ponies to be more of themselves," Sunny said. "How it allows them to embrace their talents and realize their potential in the world. That's all."

Zipp scoffed. "I'm pretty sure you mentioned something like that to him already when we were at Canterlot. What we really need to do is find a way to distract him and take the crystal when he's not looking."

The earth pony shook her head. "That won't work. He'll just come back for it. And even if we hide that crystal, he'll probably take the other two back at home. We need to find a way to change his heart. Maybe we can stress how Twilight and the others would have wanted ponies to accept each others' differences rather than fear each other. If we can show him how everypony's been getting along for the past several months, he'll have to see that their efforts weren't in vain."

"Well, if we do get around to talking it out with him, let's be sure not to introduce him to Posey or any of the Zephyr Heights royals."

By now, Sunny's and Zipp's marshmallows had adopted a golden tint within the flames, and white, gooey droplets began to drip down. Both mares drew back their sticks and began to construct their own s'mores. Abruptly, a groan roared out throughout the cave that even unsettled you, until you looked to see that it was an upset Pipp, who floated towards Izzy with her phone in her hoof.

"I can't believe this wishy-washy service!" the pink pegasus whined as she landed next to the unicorn. "I can barely access the Canternet from here!"

"We are in a cave, Pipp," Zipp said, unamused, until a sly smile sprang from her lips. "If you really want to, you can go outside where there might be better reception."

Pipp glared. "Ha, ha. Very funny, Zipp." Looking down at her phone, she sighed in defeat. "Iz? Do you mind if I have some s'mores? I'm, like, really stressed that I can't get anything done in here."

"Sure!" Izzy said before taking another bite from her half-eaten treat. With her magic, she levitated a stick to Pipp, who stuck it inside a marshmallow she got. The pink pegasus sat down in the last seat around the fire, just between Izzy and Sunny, and held the stick over the fire. In that short amount of time, Pipp went from upset to at ease, as seen by her smile.

"So, girls," Pipp said. "You all remember that filly that emailed me after I made that post about the day everypony at Zephyr Heights found out I couldn't fly?"

Sunny nodded, readying another marshmallow for the fire. "I remember. I think you said her name was Felicity."

Pipp giggled at the answer. "That's right. Well, she sent me another message while we were on our journey. She got her friends' parents to agree to have them spend the weekends with her whenever she goes to her grandparents' back at Bridlewood. I won't be able to bring it up on my phone, but she just told me how she's been having fun playing with her friends in the woods and having her first sleepover."

Sunny could not help but giggle herself. "That sounds like good news!"

"Yeah!" Izzy added. "I remember making memories of my playtimes in the Bridlewood forests when I was a wee foal. It's good to know that other foals are discovering those wonders, too."

Surrounded by warm, colorful feelings, Pipp hugged herself and sighed. "I'm just glad that she was able to get her friends back after lying just to impress them. I was really worried that she had lost their trust forever when I first read her message, but I'm glad to know that they changed their minds after she explained to them why she lied in the first place."


[...]


We trusted you, dude. How could you do this to us? Did you even think about us?]


[...]


You squinted your eyes and shook your head, trying desperately to get that memory out.

"I've seen friendships break down before," Izzy shuddered. "It's nothing pretty, so it's good that they were able to talk it out."

"I just hope that we never have to go through anything like that that could end our friendship," Sunny admitted solemnly. "I hate to do anything that would hurt you guys."

"Are you kidding, Sunny?" Zipp exclaimed. "You don't have an ounce of bad in you to drive us away." She bestowed a prideful smile on the earth pony. "Trust me: we're not going anywhere."

"Friends are like family, Sunny," said Izzy. "Nothing's ever gonna pull us apart from each other. Even on our bad days."


[...]


I never want to see your face again, you hear?.... NO! Don't even try to defend this crap you pulled. Just hearing your voice is too much for me!


[...]


You hissed like a viper, but not out of territorial anger. It was as if somecreature was driving a red-hot needle into the side of your brain and then pulling it out to repeat the process --- all while taking sadist delight in watching you wither and squirm. You brought a hoof to your forehead and closed your eyes, hoping that the darkness would ease you in place of the failure of a camp's fire that once nurtured you.

"[Y/N]?" you heard Sunny ask. "Are you okay?"

You opened your eyes and were met with the worrying stares of four mares around you. They were no longer preparing s'mores to eat, as your incident had alerted them to something more pressing.

The first excuse that came to your mind was to say that it was nothing, but even with your throbbing headache, you could remember the pained sound you made. So, another idea that arrived was to blame the event on some kind of insect that bit you. It was a cave, after all, so anything could be in here that was not obvious to spot upon an initial search.

But as the excuses came, that was when the weight came over you.

The weight of a thousand shadows that laid across your bare back so forcefully that breathing almost felt like a herculean task. With the weight of those shadows came the whispers of contempt and ridicule in numerous languages that you were sadly familiar with, and the more you became an opponent to truth, the more invasive that weight and those whispers became. You gritted your teeth against the pain as you felt something lodge in your throat that wanted to spew itself out, even if it meant showing a gross public display, and your breathing quickened as your chest heaved and sunk.  

It became too much. You had to let it out. It had been eating at your sides and spine this entire time. You knew that you would be consumed by it if you did not.

You had to.

You had to.

Even if the mares could offer no assistance.

Accepting this, shadows lifted themselves off of you one by one, and with their weights left their whispers as well. Your breaths became more steady and the lump in your throat vanished. 

Those several seconds of intensity felt like hell, but at least it was over.

But a new challenge was before you.

Not much had changed in the outside world while you had your dilemma. The mares still gave you their own unique frowns, but those looks all held the same silent concern that stifled the air, leaving alive only the crackling of firewood and the beating of raindrops.

You bit your lip and looked down at the ground with a pained expression, unable to meet anycreature's eye. Either one of the others would have to say something first, or you would have to be the one to initiate a conversation. 

Finally, you broke the silence.

"What if... what if I can't go back home?" You continued on when nocreature else talked. "What if Discord decides not to bring me back to the past --- or can't even if he wanted to? What if I'm stuck here? I just... can't see anything good coming out of all of this. I'm grateful --- really, I am. But..."

You felt entitled and embarrassed --- spilling your guts out to these ponies when that was probably the last thing they wanted to sit through. All they sought was to have a good time around the campfire sharing the best stories of their lives, and you went ahead and ruined that for your own selfishness. All you wanted to do was curl up into a ball and vanish.

A few minutes passed by in silence, as nocreature else could think of what words to say. The only conversation that occured was between the firewood and the raindrops. To be honest with yourself, you preferred that no one else talked about what you just spoke of. It would be better, though unrealistic, for the mares to simply resume their previous talks. Suddenly, Pipp cleared her throat with a cough.

"Well... I'll be honest. As somepony who was once technically homeless like you --- although not in the same way that you are and it was for a short time--- I can get the feeling of not knowing if you'll ever see the one place that you want to go back to ever again. But, you're not really alone. You got us. And you can always just stay with us at the Brighthouse in Maretime Bay until we find a way to get you back to the past."

Seeing an opportunity, Sunny spoke up after Pipp. "I know that with how we've talked about Discord stealing the crystal that it seems like he's a person who's uncaring, but please don't get it wrong. There's good in everybody. How else do you think that Fluttershy was able to get through to him after Celestia wanted him freed from stone? I'm sure that once he recognizes you as a friendship student that he'll be more than willing to give it a chance at bringing you back. Especially if he remembers you."

"Yeah," Zipp added in, smiling. "It might take some time, but I'm sure that if we can combine Discord's chaos magic with a powerful spell that a really talented unicorn can use, then we might be able to have some idea on how to bring you back home."

"And even if Zipp's idea doesn't work, we're not gonna give up trying!" Izzy cheered with a supportive grin.

"I know it seems hard right now, [Y/N], but don't give up even a shred of hope just yet," Sunny urged softly. "Especially when you have friends by your side."

You sat still in your chair, your mouth slightly agape. A part of you had envisioned that the mares would be a mixture of confused, disgusted, and annoyed at your small rant. But instead, each of the four of them granted you with warm smiles and bright optimism --- the complete opposite of what you thought you had coming. And you could tell, somehow, that their support was genuine, and that there were no masks that could be pulled off.

But...

Nothing changed.

Nothing changed for you.

The shadows were no longer on you, but a darkness still surrounded you on all sides --- relentless in its efforts to swallow you whole. It was strong enough to cast your head down, as you were ashamed that the doubts in your mind overcame your caretakers' gentle words.

You had to be honest with them. It was not right to pretend that what they said had gotten to you. But at the very least you could be thankful for their attempts.

"I... I really---"

A bright, white light overcame your vision and numbed your senses. Like an eraser against a whiteboard, your connection to the world was terminated and you ceased to be. 

You were nothing.

You were gone.
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I got them! I think I got them!"

"Are you sure?"

"I can feel their consciousness coming back!"

"So can I! I feel it, too! It's faint, but it's there, Luster! Keep trying to get a hold of it!"

"I... I think I know what you mean! I'm sensing something strange!"

"Just keep trying! I know it's hard, but we're almost there!"


[...]


The sounds were low to your ears, but you could hear creatures talking as you stared at the great white void. Everything else was numb to you, though, as if your nervous system had decided to completely clock-out for the day. Your body floated across a sea of nothingness, drifting aimlessly. Yet you could not keep yourself from the faint voices in the distance, even though you could not tell where it was coming from.


[...]


"Don't let off just yet!"

"I'm doing all I can! But the trance is fighting back!"

"Then we just need to push back a little harder!"


[...]


Suddenly, a great grasp took hold of your waist, and without warning you were hoisted up at a great speed. Your body rushed through the sea of nothingness, with columns of bubbles clashing against you, and soon enough the white light began to fade. You could see something beyond it but your vision was too weak to get a good description of it. But whatever it was, it was becoming clearer and clearer by the second.


[...]


"I think we got---"


[...]


You were brought out of the void.

But like a fish ripped from its aquatic home, the experience was beyond unpleasant. 

You closed your eyes and grasped your chest as it failed to take in air, leading you to produce the nastiest mixture of gasps and groans and coughs. Once your skin and fur were exposed to the cold, naked air after being submerged in that sea, you swore you were going into shock, as you flipped and rolled over endlessly on whatever surface you were on.

"Give them some space!" you heard a female voice shout. "Give them space!"

Rolling over on your back, you opened your misty eyes. Once your tears left the corners of your eyes, you sat up on your flank and looked at your surroundings. You were in the classroom where you took your history lessons with Professor Ocellus, as evident by the amphitheater environment. As you already knew, you were not alone in the room. Three ponies, all very familiar to you, stared down at you with concern.

To your left was Luster Dawn, and to your right were two of the most important ponies of the school: Vice-Principal Sunburst and the headmare of the school, Starlight Glimmer, a light purple unicorn mare with a purple and teal-streaked mane and who wore a magenta dress with a dark purple skirt.

Staggering, you got up on all four hooves. You looked back and forth between Luster and the pair of older ponies, waiting for any of them to say something to you, but the seconds passed on with nocreature breaking the silence. Below your vision, you spotted something unfamiliar on the floor, and so you were met with a drawn magical circle that you happened to be standing in.

"What is this---"

You barely finished before a horrible disturbance deep in your stomach crawled its way up your throat with haste. Sweat beaded from your forehead as you searched and searched until you found a small trash can at the side of the desk behind you. You rushed over to it until your legs suddenly gave in under your weight, but by then you were able to crawl over. Then, with your head placed over the can's entrance --- you expelled.

Luster called out your name, and the pink unicorn went over to sit by your side as you retched and trembled. She patted and rubbed your back as you continued your disposal, which went on until you merely spat. Heaving, and with a blush of embarrassment, you took your face out of the trash can and saw a floating tissue wrapped in a golden light. Knowing it was Luster, you took the tissue, wiping off the disgusting residue from your lips and chin.

"Th-Thank you," you uttered weakly. You brought your back to the front of the desk and breathed in and out, trying to calm down. Sadly, along with your upset stomach came a headache that throbbed and split your brain in half. Even trying to touch your forehead was enough to draw out a stinging hiss. 

"What happened to me?"

Luster answered. "After we got away from the monster, we were beginning to leave the fairgrounds when you yelled in pain. The next thing I know, this field of electricity pulled you off the ground, and then it vanished in a flash, dropping you. You had your eyes opened, but they were all white and milky, like you were under some type of curse. It took me a while, but I brought you to the school for Headmare Starlight and Vice Principal Sunburst to help you out."

"What? No. I disappeared. I..." You doubted for a moment whether or not to tell the truth, but you continued once you thought of how important it was to be honest. "I went to the future."

"The future?" asked Sunburst, with a confused frown. "What are you talking about?"

"I know it sounds crazy, it's true. I woke up in this forest outside a place called Maretime Bay. I followed a rainbow in the distance, and that lead me to... to..."

Your tongue was in a twist. You knew actually what you wanted to say --- that you went to the house of a grumpy mare who lived outside of the town while she and her friend were taking care of their outdoor plants. But there was a problem:

You could not remember her name. 

But it was not just her name that slipped your mind. 

You could not remember any of the names of the ponies you met when you left the present. All you had were images of them. The two mares you first met when you left the forest. The unicorn and earth pony who brought you to their home. The stallion who was sheriff of the town. The two pegasi princesses. The puzzle pieces in your head were there when it came to their faces, but you were missing the pieces for knowing who they were exactly.

"I... I... I can't remember their names. I can see their faces, but I don't remember who they were."

"[Y/N]," Starlight called out. The purple unicorn walked forward and sat in front of you, tenderness present on her face. "We need you to keep going on about what you went through. It's important. We don't know what happened, but when Luster brought you here we found out that you were in some type of magical trance."

"A very strong one at that," Sunburst admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "It took us a while of searching just to find the right counter-spell, but the hard part was bringing your consciousness back. It was like trying to get a toy with a barely functioning claw machine."

"I... I..." Your thoughts still hovered over the mystery of why you could barely remember the identities of the ponies you spent nearly three days with. You felt as if you were repeatedly ramming a block against a round hole like a toddler every time you tried to solve the conundrum on your own. 

"[Y/N]," the headmare called out to you again, pleading with her patient blue eyes.  "We really need you to explain what you encounter."

As much as you felt like getting lost in the enigma you faced, you knew that the ponies with more experience with magic were likely the ones who could help you find the answers that you were seeking.

"I... went to this mare's house outside of Maretime Bay, and when I talked to her about where I could find Ponyville, we talked until she evidently told me that it had been many moons since the three pony races were last united. Then I got attacked by a monster that knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I talked with the town's sheriff and some mares about how I wasn't from their time period. They eventually told me that I could join them to find this... spirit who could help me come back home. Two days later, I left with the mares to find the spirit and we camped down in a cave. That was the last thing I remember before waking up here."

You knew that what you said was very condensed and lacking in some other details, but honestly you were too drained to explain everything. 

"[Y/N]," Sunburst said. "You said that you were stuck in the future for two days?"

"Roughly two and a half," you said. "It must have been in the evening by the time I got sent to the forest."

Sunburst's frown grew. "That can't be. [Y/N], it's only been a few hours since Luster brought you here after the monster attack. It's not even midnight yet."

Your eyes widen. "What? No. I swear. I was there at Maretime Bay for more than one day. I even took a tour with the mares around the town. We went to the park and the sheriff's office and the beach and I---"

"We don't know for certain if you really went into the future," Starlight calmly interrupted. "It's possible that the magical trance you were under simply altered your perception of time --- making things go faster than they actually were in the outside world."

You looked down at your hooves that shook with fatigue. "But... But... I remember it all. Everything aside from the ponies' names. It all... felt so real to me."

"Magic is very complicated, [Y/N]. There are a number of spells out there that can affect both the body and mind in ways incomprehensible to some creatures less experienced with it."

"And trust us," Sunburst interjected, "this trance was definitely something else. I performed an analysis spell on you while you were out of it, and aside from your cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, your body's entire metabolism was in a preserved, frozen state. It was as if time itself halted most of your cells' activities."

You could detect the scientific interest within the vice principal's words, but you on the other hoof were not intrigued with the invasion of privacy that the trance had imposed upon you, even if it was all over now. 

"I... I still don't feel so good," you admitted.

"What hurts?" Luster asked.

"I guess my head and stomach, mainly. But my throat is a bit dry, too."

Luster got up on her hooves. "I'll head to the nurse and get some water and painkillers."

You nodded. "Thanks."

The pink unicorn left your side and went over to the door leading out of the classroom. Once the door closed, Starlight sat up and walked back to Sunburst, and you drew your eyes to the floor to collect your thoughts. 

Were you really sent many of years ahead to the future? A future where ponykind was rebuilding itself after being separated for so long? A future in which Equestria's non-pony residents were nowhere left to be seen? What caused such a place to exist in the first place? 

And most of all... why did it bother you.

You were back home, in your appropriate timeline, with creatures that you were familiar with and at a place you have known for months. Why did it matter to you that you accomplished the very thing that the mares of Maretime Bay tried to help you out with? And if Headmare Starlight was right, then none of it was real to begin with. It was all in your head. Though you wonder what caused you to fall under that spell to begin with.

Minutes passed on until Luster came back to the classroom, levitating three clear bottles of water and a small vial of medicine pills. You were surprised that the headmare and vice principal had nothing else to say to you after the pink unicorn had left --- simply staring at anything else other than you.

"Here you go," Luster said, placing the items before your hooves. 

"Thank you," you said. After reading the instructions, you twisted the cap on the vial and shook out two painkiller pills before popping them into your mouth. While the pills sat on top of your tongue, you opened up the bottle and drank a fair 
amount of water to wash the medicine down your esophagus.

Looking at the older unicorns in the room, you spoke up. "What happened to the monster at the fairgrounds?"

Both ponies gazed at each other with apprehension. Just as you thought that there would be no answer to your question, Luster kicked out the awkward silence.

"When I was trying to get you to the school, we came across the monster again. Luckily, Discord arrived to put it inside of a magical bubble. He told me that Georgia went to Fluttershy's cottage to look for him. She and the others are safe."

"Was... anycreature hurt?"

A frown brought Luster's face down. "Yes. I went back to the fairgrounds to help the injured while Headmare Starlight and Vice Principal Sunburst looked for the counterspell. No creature lost their life, but... something happened to some of them. It's like their essence or livelihood was stripped from them. They're still alive, it's just that they're in a half-conscious state and need to be taken care of by others. It might be due to the monster, but there's no certainty yet."

That unsettled you. "Were they in a trance like me?"

The pink unicorn shook her head. "Not exactly. They can still move around, it's just in an aimless, directionless manner unless they have guidance. They even need help consuming food and water. But worse of all were their eyes. They just seemed so... soulless."

The last part of her sentence was said with a near shutter, betraying her vulnerability. Nonetheless, she continued.

"Even the mayor got turned into that state. Luckily Vice-Mayor Tiara is handling the situation as best as she can."

"So, nocreature knows why the monster came out of the train?" you asked.

"There were creatures that evacuated the train, but they weren't in the car where the monster came out of. The ones that were..." She bit her bottom lip. "They didn't make it through the explosion."

A shadow fell over your face. You had the fortune to not see the horrors within that burnt car, but it did not stop you from realizing that, even at a distance, you had stared at the smoking grave of several creatures. Between the monster attack and your possible journey to the future, you had no clue as to how you were holding it all together.

In fact, you were certain that you were just a ticking timebomb waiting to go off at the slightest news of another tragedy or mishap.

"[Y/N]," Starlight said. Her voice took you off guard, as there was a near minute of silence after learning about the demise of the unfortunate train passengers. "There's something you need to know."

"Starlight," Sunburst interrupted hastily. "Please. Now isn't the best time for them."

The purple unicorn looked over to her colleague. "If we don't tell them now, they'll learn about it eventually. It's better that they learn it from us rather than be angry later on for keeping the truth from them." She brought her eyes back to you. "I have to tell you something, but you need to understand that as much as you may want to, you're not in any position to do anything --- especially since you're still a minor under the school's care."

You stared blankly at her, waiting for her to deliver the news, whatever it may be. 

"While we were looking for a spell to get you out of the trance, one of the staff came by with a radio. The channel that was on talked about multiple explosions throughout central Equestria, and that moments later monsters came out and attacked residents. Some of these events occurred in small towns, like Ponyville. But most of them were in cities."

You stayed silent as stone, all while Starlight took in a deep breath --- unable to look at you.

"[Y/N], this is going to be hard to hear, but one of those cities were---"

You did not even wait.

In one swift, fluid moment, you jumped off your hooves, galloped past the three unicorns, and shoulder-checked the door wide open. It was completely an autopilot decision. Nothing else mattered to you except finding the school's entrance. It was the only set of doors that you were familiar with going through ever since you came here.

You could hear voices behind you as you ran from hallway to hallway, but you could not distinguish who they belonged to. The beating of your heart and lungs against your ribcage and the thunder of your hoof steps blurred your senses to the outside world like a bull seeing red. To your luck, the school seemed completely deserted, otherwise, you would have found yourself barrelling into various creatures, regardless of their grade or profession.

Taking a sharp turn, you recognized that you were at one of the two hallways that connected to the front doors, as evident by the row of columns with attached banners that you passed. Throughout your whole gallop, you had only one anxious thought in your head on repeat like a broken record player.

Don't let it be true. Don't let it be true. Don't let it be true. Don't...

You bolted to the left and came in front of a grand pair of closed doors, much larger than the one you busted through in the classroom. They were filled with a type of teal stained glass, and the crest of the school, a golden shield with a six-pointed star and six gems separated between the points, was split in the middle. Standing on your hindlegs, you grabbed both handlebars and pushed. Once there was enough space, you lept in between the doors and made your way to the bridge over the school's lake.

As you crossed the bridge in a hurry, you heard the voices once again behind you, but the blood rushing through your head muffled any translation of what they meant. 

You had to see it for yourself.

You just had to.

Maybe she was wrong.

Maybe it was as untouched as a respected museum relic.

Once your hooves touched grass instead of cold stone, that was when you turned around, skidding against the ground in an attempt to halt yourself. By the time you did stop, fatigue held your head down as you caught your breath. You almost did not want to face it, as fear began to get the better of you. But a single ounce of stubbornness prevented you from turning back from your dire sense of curiosity.

You looked up.

You looked up...

You looked up...

And your world came crashing down.

Your heart nearly stopped pumping blood as your vessels ran ice cold, and your lungs weakened while your brain went numb from overload. Your mouth dropped wide open in horror, and the most painful of gasps and groans arose from your vocal cords, as if you were about the retch up something once again. 

"No. No. No."

You paced back and forth as your youthful eyes were glued to the horror before you, even though your legs shook underneath your weight. You continued to sputter your incomprehensible nonsense, though the few whispers that did escape could not make sense of what you saw.

"This... This isn't real... It can't be... No..."

"[Y/N]!"

Your eyes were still stuck on what you were witnessing, but in the corner of your sight, you could see three dots --- one pink, the second orange, and the final purple --- rushing towards you from the bridge of the school. You took the time to look at the three unicorns as they met you on the field, each of them out of breath.

There was no mirror present before you, but you knew in your spirit that you were obliterated. Your lips trembled viciously, and your eyelids squinted to prevent the flow of tears from pouring out. Even beyond your sight, you could feel the contortions your face was making as you tried to hold it all together out of some asinine sense of pride.

In return for your lack of strength, each of the ponies held a solemn frown, though Luster was the only one to look you in the eyes. They seemed to be a sense of pleading on her face, but no words came out of her in an effort to argue her case to you. 

You wanted to say something --- anything --- that could make things easier for you. Even a dark, insensitive joke came to your brain, but you failed to find the correct speech in time. An invisible wave of nausea took hold of your mind, and soon your body went numb. Before you noticed it, your legs were swept from under you and you fell to the ground on your side with a heavy thud.

"[Y/N]!" you heard Luster yell through a muffle. By now the world was beginning to exit itself from your sight and hearing, slowly yet surely. With everything becoming blurry and with dark spots floating around, you saw the three unicorns hurry over to you. Luster was the first to reach you, putting a hoof on your cheek while her mouth moved frantically. 

Before you went out, before the world became shrouded in darkness, you looked past Luster and past the school at the mountain miles away. By now, the sun was on the other side of the horizon, but the dark purple sky twinkling with the brightest of early-bird stars was a perfect background for such a mountain. But today was an exception. On the side of the mountain laid a city, a city that was now a victim to tendrils of black smoke and large flickering spots of flames.

It was Canterlot.

Your home.
> Chapter 11 (Pt 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The taste of sulfur and wet wood caused you to sit up and spit out the horrible sensation as much as your could.

"Oh. Yur awake now. That's good to know."

Opening your eyes, you looked to your left and saw a bright yellow earth pony mare sitting on a chair. She had amber eyes, a long, thick red mane with a dark pink bow, and wore a pink shawl with a blue emblem of a mare in the center. The mare held a small bowl that had a spoon stuck in some greenish-yellow substance, and to the side of the chair on the ground was a pair of brown saddlebags. 

"Professor Apple Bloom?" you said weakly.

The mare smiled back at you. "Hello, [Y/N]. Ah'm sorry about the awful taste. It's just a remedy Ah made to help make ya wake up is all. Ah learned it from a friend who used to live around here a long time ago."

You looked down and saw that your body was underneath the covers of a bed you laid on, but the covers were not just those of some random bed. They were your covers. And upon looking around your environment and spotting familiar objects, such as a small white refrigerator with a bit of external rust, a mess of books on one of the two desks, and a radio set on a cabinet, you realized that you were in your dorm room. 

You took a deep breath, your main senses being a bit soggy. 

"What happened to me?" you asked your honesty professor. "The last thing I remember is..."

You paused. You recalled the black, dreadful moment you saw your home ablaze and smoldering in the distance. The sight had taken all of the strength out of your body and made you collapse to the ground. When the headmare tried to explain to you what was happening, you took no precautions to her warnings, hoping that she was wrong. Now you lay in bed, knowing what you experienced, but still hoping that it was all a dark fantasy.

"[Y/N]?" Apple Bloom called out. "Are ya alright?"

You were pulled out of your daze, realizing that your eyes were set on the ceiling of the room. You then directed them to your professor with a face overcast by a melancholy shadow.

"Do... Do you know about Canterlot?"

The earth pony copied your expression. "Ah do. The damage is really bad, and from what Ah heard they're still tryin' to find survivors after nearly two days."

Your eyes widen. "I've been asleep for two days?"

"Technically a day and a half. Ah don't know much details 'bout the trance, but the headmare and vice-principal told me that it must have still had a hold on ya even after they took ya out of it. That night and the day after, ya were mainly watched by some of the nurses, but this mornin' they called me in to see if Ah could wake ya up."

"Well, hopefully I won't be going to sleep anytime soon unless I want to."

Apple Bloom sturred the spoon within the remedy and took out an average-sized scoop. "Here. Remember, it's to make sure ya stay awake."

Reluctantly, you opened your mouth, trying your best to keep it that way until the mare placed the spoon inside. Closing your lips, you sucked in the foul substance and swallowed it down your throat. 

"How come I wasn't taken to the hospital?" you asked.

"With all the creatures that were attacked durin' the festival, and the creatures injured on that train, the hospital is a bit full right now. And to be honest, yur condition was more mental than physical if ya catch mah meanin'. We just figured that ya needed some rest. That was until, ya know, they called me in."

"Don't you have classes, though?"

Apple Bloom chuckled. "Nope. Given everythin' that's happened, Headmare Starlight decided to cancel classes for the rest of the week. But she did order an emergency meetin' this afternoon after lunch. The whole school is supposed to meet in the main hallway, though she told me that ya don't have to go if ya still feel unwell."

"I think I'm okay to go."

"Well, then, that might be because of the remedy, even if it does taste mighty awful."

You frowned at what was meant to be an amusing statement that was accompanied by a wink. Your honesty professor had an odd sense of humor when it came to conversing with her students, but that was probably because she was a generation behind you all. At least she was not as miserable about her job as your previous teachers. That made you extremely grateful.

A sudden glimmer of light right behind Apple Bloom guided your eyes to two light-blue baskets situated on the desk you usually did your homework on --- at least when you were not in the library. The two baskets were wrapped in clear plastic, but you could not tell what was inside of them, only that the items looked very colorful.

"Those are from Luster and Gallop and the others," Apple Bloom answered before you could ask the question. "Ah wasn't here when they dropped them by, but Ah got a bit noisy and read the get-well note that came along. There's all a bunch of goodies in the baskets like candies and soda and snacks. Ah think Ah even saw a container of bubbles, too." She chuckled again. "But Ah have to admit that ya might be too old for that."

"That's... very nice of them."

You frowned. A realization came upon you --- one that may have been more appropriate to have arrived sooner, but given the state of your hometown in your mind, perhaps you could ease up on yourself just a little bit.

"My roommate. Are they okay?"

The professor was caught off guard. "Oh! Oh, dear. Ah forgot about that." She mused on her next words, all with the hesitation of an apprehensive foal. She eventually met you with her downcast amber eyes. "Ah'm sorry to tell ya this, but they were at the festival and got attacked by the monster. They're under some type of daze where they can't do anyhin' for themselves. Sadly, that's what happened to most of the creatures that got attacked."

You sighed. "Yeah. Luster told me about what the monster did to creatures."

You were not exactly close to your roommate. You got along with them, as they caused you no trouble, but the two of you could not be described as buddies. You both merely stayed out of each other's business, barely recognizing the other's existence except when it was time for bed or the morning you all woke up. In fact, your roommate had their own niche of friends that gravitated them out of the room most of the time, which you preferred when you wanted to be alone.

But still, you pitied them. Having your own encounter with the monster, you could only imagine what they were going through when face-to-face with such a threat. You did not know who was in charge of watching over the victims, but you could only hope that there would be somecreature to come in to solve their dilemma. But given what the headmare had you, Ponyville and Canterlot were not the only places that needed assistance, so you knew that any rescue effort that existed could only stretch so far.

And just like that, your thoughts returned to your home. You only looked at the city for a few seconds before passing out, and yet you could tell that the damage was immense. Aside from the numerous city blocks that must have been replaced by blackened ruins and roaring flames, there must have been at least a dozen monsters unleashed that were draining the consciousness out of creatures. 

You tried to squash out the thoughts of fire and monstrosities from your head, but they continued to ooze out from your mind, along with questions that had horrible implications.

Was the castle damaged by an explosion? Were there monsters lurking around the halls looking for more victims? Was Princess Twilight among the fallen, or was she absent just in time? And if the princess was a victim, who was in charge of the kingdom then? Would it be Princess Cadence from the Crystal Empire? Would the capital be moved somewhere else?

And what about the creatures you knew from home? Your neighbors and your folks? Were they anywhere near the blast zones? Did they evacuate in time without alerting the monsters? If they did evacuate, where were they now? 

Was this an attack by an enemy? Was this an experiment that went wrong? Where did the monsters come from? And why did the monsters arrive with the explosions? Would this happen again? Was Equestria the only place where this was happening?

New thoughts came through, and old thoughts repeated endlessly, swimming in the sea of your mind. They pestered you like bees, yet you knew that no answer would arrive from them as you sat in bed. It was not until Apple Bloom spoke that you were brought back to reality.

"[Y/N]. Ah know this is all a bit too much right now, but you don't need to worry. We have creatures all 'round Equestria tryin' their best to help those in need. Ah know Princess Twilight, and a creature as smart as her is definitely goin' to stop this from happenin' again."

A minor weight lifted itself off your back, but it was enough for a breath of relief to escape your lips. "The Princess is okay?" you asked your professor.

She nodded. "Right as rain. The castle was a bit shook, but luckily there wasn't much damage. Ah listened to the radio this mornin' and the monsters in the city were taken care of. Most got sent off to Tartarus by S.M.I.L.E." 

You could almost feel a smile spring from your lips, but your willpower overcame the strength of your facial muscles. Still, there was a light of hope in your heart, enough for you to ask some more questions.

"If the castle wasn't hurt, then that must mean that other parts of the city must have been left alone, too. Right? I mean, there have to be other survivors. There just got to be."

Apple Bloom's look seemed to pity you, much to your discomfort. "There are survivors. Most of them are in the mountain's train tunnel systems, though they're probably not goin' to be there forever. But..." she paused for a moment. "There were a lot of losses, [Y/N],  and many creatures are in that helpless state Ah mentioned. Ah said before they're still lookin' for more survivors in the rubble, but Ah don't know how successful that's been, to be frank. So, Ah don't know if..."

She brought her head down, shame keeping her from saying anything else.

But you knew in your heart what the words would have been: 

That your folks at home may not be amongst the living. 

That you might never be able to see them again.

It was funny. After all the grief they gave you over the incident, a part of you was relieved to learn that they were sending you off somewhere else. Their complaints and frustrations at you were not as bad as the venom you received from others, but the only peace you got from them was when you were at the train station heading for Ponyville at the end of this summer. 

Despite the homework and classes that made no sense, you were at ease knowing that your caretakers back home could not rain down upon you endless wave of unhappy comments and silent frowns that they hoped would take everything back to how they were. The only contact you technically had with them was through letters they sent, though you always gave half-hearted responses due to how they nagged about you being on your best behavior twenty-four-seven.

But now... you had no idea what they were going through. 

You had no idea if they were amongst the conscious survivors, had their minds dulled and personalities stripped, were trapped underneath smoking debris, or worse. 

All the arguments and tears and slammed doors --- you wondered if that still mattered to them as their home was being burned to the ground while monsters roamed the streets. Did they think of how little it meant to them, knowing they may never see you again? Or worse, were they consumed by one of the numerous explosions before they even realized what was happening?

If the latter was the case... did they still dislike you?

Once again, you were brought out of the clouds by an outside disturbance --- this time being a knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" a muffled female voice said. "[Y/N]? Are you there?"

Before you could say anything, Apple Bloom spoke up. "Ya can come in."

With the turn of the knob, Pumpkin Cake came into the room, levitating a gift basket within a light blue glow. When her eyes met yours, she stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, my!" the creamy-yellow unicorn exclaimed. "I thought you be out of bed by now. I'm sorry. If you want, I can come back another time."

Again, much to your annoyance, Apple Bloom answered on your behalf without asking. "No, it's fine. They said that they've been feelin' a bit better, so they'll be up soon. Ah see you brought them somethin'."

Closing the door behind her, Pumpkin went over to the side of the bed between you and the professor. Seeing the other baskets on the desk, she placed hers right next to them with her magic. 

"There was a lot of chaos going on at the festival with creatures running away from the monster, but afterward we found Luster. She told us how the two of you faced off the monster, and then you were placed under some type of magical curse."

"Yeah," you answered Pumpkin. "It wasn't exactly the best time for me."

A small smile formed on her lips. "Well, I'm glad to know that you're safe now. That's what really matters. I've been worrying nonstop about you ever since. I wanted to visit you after I was done helping cheer up the injured at the hospital yesterday, but I was so tired after being there all day. I hope you don't mind."

Confused, you shook your head. "What do you mean? I'm not entitled to anything. There were creatures in more need than me."

"No! Don't say that!" Pumpkin pleaded. "You're my friend, and what you went through was just as bad as what the monster did to the others."

Friend?

You almost wanted to chuckle, but you knew better than to be like that toward a creature generous enough to check in on you. Still, you wanted to be somewhat honest.

"I don't know if I really had it that bad."

"Well, still, I feel like you still should have something nice, just like most creatures at the hospital did. I put some of your favorite treats from Sugarcube Corner in that gift basket over there before I went to bed last night. It has chocolate-covered strawberries, peppermint pretzels, peanut butter cups, and a big orange-glazed muffin. I know you won't eat it all in one go, but I figured it should keep you content for a week."

You could barely see anything through the plastic wrapping of Pumpkin's basket, yet the description of the familiar treats you ate at the town's popular confectionary nearly made your mouth water. Given that you had not had breakfast yet, you definitely needed to get something in your stomach.

"Um..., thanks, Pumpkin," you managed to say. "How did you know that these are my favorite?"

"You always get one or two of those whenever you come to the Corner, [Y/N]. It makes sense that I would remember them."

"Yeah, but you guys get a bunch of customers every day, and I only show up a few times a week. I just imagined that you wouldn't have time to remember what I prefer."

Fully understanding your question, the unicorn's eyes widen in shock, as if she had been caught doing something that she would usually do in private. "Oh! W-Well, y-you see," she stammered, sheepishly looking away from you. "I just happened to... to be the one that does your orders most of the time, t-that's all. It...It's just a total coincidence."

You had no idea why she was so flustered about a single question, and Apple Bloom's smirk towards you did nothing but further perplex you.

"Well, I guess that makes sense," you eventually said. It was not that big of an issue to continue.

Pumpkin eventually got over her bashfulness, but she quickly went to the desk to retrieve something from her basket. 

"I almost forgot to give this to you, but it's a get-well card from the Pies and us Cakes. I was able to get everycreature to sign it."

Walking over to your side again, the unicorn handed you a large yellow card. Taking it in your forehooves, you read the front exterior of the card which stated "GET WELL!" in pink font, with a sparkling rainbow in the background that had clouds on both ends. You opened the card to see what its contents were inside, but upon doing so a blast of confetti flew in your face, accompanied by the sound of an air horn. Immediately, the scent of vanilla filled the room as you dropped the card, coughed and spat, and rubbed the confetti off your face.

"Well, that was sure somethin'!" you heard Apple Bloom laugh. Pumpkin, though, was not as amused. 

"Oh my gosh, [Y/N]!"  she cried out. "I'm so so sorry! I swear I had nothing to do with that! I don't know how that got in there! Maybe Li'l Cheese or Aunt Pinkie did it at the last minute! Oh! I hope you're not hurt!"

Once you opened your eyes, you could see the creamy-yellow mare blushing out of embarrassment as she looked down at you anxiously. 

"It's fine," you said, though you knew that you were irritated. "I know you wouldn't try to do something like that on purpose."

"But still! I could have checked it myself before coming here. I mean, the Pies are kind of known for their pranks around Ponyville, so it makes sense that something like this would happen. But I'm sure that whoever did this did it as just a jest. I don't that it was meanspirited."

You ran your forehooves through your mane to get out any remaining confetti. "I'm sure you're right. It was probably meant to be a surprise, is all."

You picked up the card from your lap and looked inside it, where there were numerous messages written in black ink:


[Y/N], please get better, dearie. We're all thinking about you.


--- Mrs. Cake



Hope you're feeling better, sport! Be sure to stop by SCC when you're ready! The next treat you want is free!


--- Mr. Sandwich



You're in our thoughts, [Y/N]. Get as much rest as you can.


--- Mr. Cake



Hey, [Y/N]! Mrs. Pinkie Pie here! The Pies and Cakes want you to know that we're rooting for you to get better. Just hang on there!


--- Mrs. Pinkie Pie



Hey, dude. I know you're not feeling well, but I'm sure that's going to pass. Can't wait to see you!


--- Pound



I'm really sorry you got hurt! Hope you get well!


--- Your pal, Cheezie



Sorry. It's Mrs. Pinkie, again. I forgot to make a message for Gummy. I know he can't talk, but I'm sure he wants you to get better, too!


--- Please get better! Gummy



[Y/N]. Please get better. We're all worrying about you. Remember that you have creatures that are looking out for you.


--- Pumpkin


Finished with your reading, you placed the card to your side. "That was really nice of you all," you said to Pumpkin. "Thanks for coming by."

Pumpkin beamed. "Oh! That's so good to know!" The mare took a hurried step forward but suddenly stopped herself just as she had raised one of her forelegs in your direction. You took notice of her bizarre movement, but she managed to cough it away before you were curious enough to ask what just happened.

"Well, um, I guess I'll be leaving, then," she continued, before looking at your professor. "Professor Bloom. Can I ask why you're here? If you don't mind."

"Ah was just givin' them some medicine to help them wake up. And Ah just got to give them one more batch of another remedy before Ah'll be going, too."

Pumpkin nodded. "Okay. Well, it was nice seeing you, [Y/N]. I better go back to the hospital. There are some injured kids that might need some more cheering up."

The creamy-yellow unicorn turned out and walked toward the door of your room. Just as she was about to make her exit, she halted in her tracks, her hoof hesitantly reaching for the knob. Eventually, she brought it down and turned back to look at you with a bashful yet gentle smile.

"I meant what I said about not being able to get you off my mind once I learned what happened. I know that you're probably not in a good shape right now, but just know that we're all glad that you're still here. Please remember that."

The mare finally picked her hoof back up to touch the knob and leave the room. Once the door was shut again, Apple Bloom leaned down in her chair to rummage through her saddlebags.

"Ya really should be grateful for somecreature like her," she told you. "That's not to say that no one else in this town is friendly, though."

You bit your bottom lip. "Yeah. You're right. She's a... good pony to know"

Having found what she was looking for, the professor sat upright, carrying a clear cylinder vial of blue liquid. Using her mouth, she took out the stopper plug and spat it on the floor. 

"Now, to be honest --- as Ah always stress in mah class --- this is just goin' to be just a bit less bitter than the first remedy Ah gave ya. Ya might feel a bit jolty, too, but this one is meant to keep ya energized for the rest of the day, instead of just wakin' ya up." Apple Bloom hovered the vial in your face. "Say 'ah', please."

Doing as your professor said, you opened your mouth.
> Chapter 11 (Pt 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

You walked down a familiar hallway of the school, surrounded by students who were heading in the same direction as you. Just a minute ago or so, a female creature using the school's ceiling speakers announced that the emergency meeting in the main hallway was starting in less than ten minutes, though you were already out of your room by then. 

Hours ago, you were in the dorm bathroom cleaning out the remaining confetti from your mane, before returning back to your room to enjoy some of the snacks that Pumpkin and the others had brought you. While you had your lunch, you listened in on the radio in your room to any updates about the monster attacks. According to the emergency broadcast channel, a few towns, villages, and hamlets were attacked, but most of the damage occurred in central cities such as Chicoltgo, Des Manes, Springfilly, and Lincolt. 

Canterlot, as you expected, received the worst of it.

The death toll was high all around in the major cities, but there were occasional reports that updated the number of survivors and wounded found. In addition, rescue workers from all corners of the kingdom came to the central region to help out the best they could. While the rural areas were left --- mostly --- the same, there were refugee camps situated throughout the hit cities within less than two days, with most citizens leaving their homes to escape the firestorms caused by the explosions. Weather pegasi from cloud cities such as Santa Foal, Cloudsdale, and Las Pegasus offered their assistance through the use of rain clouds. 

All the while, you waited for them to list the names of those who were dead or missing, though you knew the likelihood of hearing such things was low. You at the very least hoped that the survivors in the cities would want to release their names, races, and professions out to the public, in order to placate the fears of their distant relatives and confirm that they were indeed safe from harm. But as the hours went by, all you got was casualty tolls and updates on sections of the cities that were about to catch on fire.

By the time you realized that there were nearly fifteen minutes left until one o'clock PM arrived, you reluctantly turned off the radio and headed out of your room, making your way through the dorms until you finally made it to the main building of the school. You just hoped that you did not miss anything of importance on the radio once you returned.

With another turn to the right, you entered another hallway, and through the opening up ahead you could see rows of creatures sitting in chairs within the main hallway. You were almost there, and you assumed that whatever the headmare had to say would be quick enough for there to be extra time between you and the radio.

But as you got closer to the exit of the hallway, you knew from the sight ahead that you might have to wait a while to get to your seat.

"[Y/N]!" Luster Dawn shouted. 

The mare, wasting no time, trotted over to meet you head-on, and right on her tail were Gallop, Georgia, River Song, Yelena, and Garrick. All six of them held a look of worry on their face, which made your upcoming situation a bit more complicated than you wanted it to be.

"[Y/N]! Are you okay?" the pink unicorn asked. Soon, her friends were by her side with their own comments.

"Yeah, dude. Are you alright?" Gallop asked. "I'm real sorry that we didn't come to help you and Lust, but with everycreature running around trying to get away from that beast, there was too much stuff going on."

You sighed. "It's okay, guys. Really, I'm---"

"No, it's not okay!" River Song interrupted. "That monster almost got the two of you, just like it did with a lot of other creatures before Discord came! And then to make it worse, you got trapped in that magical curse until the headmare got you out of it."

"Yelena was very frightened seeing friend unconscious," Yelena admitted. "We thought the worst when your eyes wouldn't close."

Garrick gave a very audible gulp. "It was really scary seeing you like that. But I'm also really glad that you're okay now."

"Thank you, Garrick," you said plainly. "But I don't think I---"

"So did you really go into the future?" asked River, innocently. "I mean, I know your body was still here, but your mind must have been somewhere else, right? Is it true what Luster said? That the pony races are going to separate later on down the road? What does that mean for Equestria?"

"River, stop it," Georgia admonished. "We don't know if that's the case. It's likely that it's just an illusion curse, like the ones Professor Philosophy talks about."

"But still, why did it happen?" asked Gallop. "What you've been through wasn't the same as what the other creatures went through. [Y/N], did something strange go on before that trance kicked in? I mean, besides from the monster."

You sighed again. "Other than the lightning sparks, I don't have a good idea of why that all happened to me."

"Guys, please," interjected Luster. "I'm pretty sure that they don't want to be bombarded with so many questions." She turned to face you. "But still --- are you okay? Are you sure that you want to be up right now?"

"I'm not really tired anymore. Professor Bloom helped me wake up, and she mentioned how I don't have any injuries. I'll be okay."

"Well, that's good to know," Georgia commented. 

"Yes, very good," Yelena added in.

A sharp chime rang through the hallway, followed by a loud female voice.

"Attention students and staff. The emergency meeting will commence in about five minutes. Please head to the main hallway if you have not done so already."

Gallop spoke up. "I guess that's our call to get going."

Just as you were about to head into the main hallway, Luster stopped you with an extended foreleg in your path. "You guys go on ahead. There's something I need to tell, [Y/N]."

River raised a curious eyebrow. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine. It's just a private thing between the two of us."

"Well... okay, then."

The other five went on their way to their seats, while you looked at the pink unicorn with a light scowl.

"Can I ask what that was all about?"

Luster put her leg down once the others were out of earshot. "I'm sorry about that. But... I just need to ask, especially with what happened before you passed out."

With little effort, you knew what she was going to ask, and that added more fuel to your irritation. "I'm fine. I meant what I said," you declared strongly.

"[Y/N], please. I haven't even told the others. They still don't know where you come from. But there should be at least one creature you should talk to about what happened to your home. And if not me, at least somecreature like Counselor Trixie."

Luster's pleading words, accompanied by her sincere amber eyes, did nothing to shake your conviction.

"There's no reason for me to talk to anycreature about Canterlot, because as far as I know the worst hasn't happened. The radios haven't even revealed the names of the dead yet, Luster. For all I know, I could be lucky, and everycreature from home that I know is okay."

"But, if---"

"No." Stressed, you brought a hoof to your temple. "I'm sure you think you have good intentions, but I don't need some therapist or someone like Counselor Trixie giving me hugs and a teddy bear. Alright?"

If she had another response, you did not wait for it. Once you said what you said, that was the end of the conversation for you. You walked right past her and headed over to the seats. 

The main hallway, as it was known throughout the school, was by far the largest hall in the building. Aside from being the place where the main entrance was, the hallway also included elegant pillars, cold statues, and fancy paintings, and just perpendicular to the hallway were the stairs leading to the headmare's office. Though your interests in this school were non-existent, you had to admit that you were set aback by the architecture of the hallway, which was made mostly of marble, crystal, and stone, when you first arrived for freshmen orientation --- though technically you entered as a sophomore.

The overall design of the school was probably a reason why it received so many tourists every year, some of whom you encountered while on your way to classes.

But today was different. There were no classes to go to, and there would be no more visitors for probably the rest of the year. Today, something big was about to be announced, but you doubt that whatever it was could top what has been happening for the past two days.

Amongst the rows of seats, you chose one in the back that was a bit more isolated from the other students. Sitting down, you looked around at all the other creatures around you. Given the seriousness of recent events, it made sense only a few students here were freely conversing with each other, while the rest were mostly in sober silence. But it was the ones that were more cumbersome, the ones displaying the most serious traits of fear, uncertainty, and anxiety that got your attention.

A few souls gazed off at the ceiling or floor with pained or lost expressions. Some nervously bounced their legs against the floor, and some bit on their thumb, fingers, or forehooves. Others were either holding off tears or letting them flow freely, though nocreature was distressed enough to break down into sobs in public. Those who were fortunate enough to be near a friend or pitying person may have found comfort through a hug or gentle words, but there was no real telling if that would stop their condition. The younger students, and even those around your own age, seemed to be hit the hardest by what had been going on, as they could barely hide their vulnerability. 

The creatures stuck within their grief and despair were of various species, but despite how thick the crowd was, most seemed to be ponies from your observation. For you, that made sense. Ponyville was not the only place attacked by such a horrible monster. Some of these ponies must have come from various places within the center of the kingdom, and there was no doubt that many came from the sites of the explosions and attacks.

As far as you were aware, there had been no mention from the school about parents and guardians wanting the younger students to come home, nor anything about the relatives of the older students reaching out to let them know that they were okay. For all they knew, their loved ones were one of the many unfortunate victims lost to the flames and monsters. 

The scene all around you was nauseating --- it was as if you were onboard a small boat lost in a storming sea, and the turbulence was becoming too much for you, You got up out of your seat and walked through a small vertical space in the hallway that divided the rows of chairs into two different groups. Eventually, you made your way to the very first row on your right and took a vacant seat. You had no immediate neighbors to your right, but there was one student to your left side. Nonetheless, at least you were spared from having to witness the anguish going on in the room.

But now you had another view of something else. Before you, above the stairs leading to the headmare's office, were the staff of the school in their own chairs, who were split on opposite ends of a podium with the school's crest. You recognized your own teachers amongst them. Professors Ocellus, Smolder, and Silverstream sat on the right side of the podium, while professors Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were on the left. 

You could even call out teachers whose classes you did not take, just by their reputation throughout the school and Equestria alone. To the left was Professor Maud Pie, a sister of Pinkie Pie who taught geology and generosity. Though polite, you were always a bit unnerved by the grey earth pony mare's constant deadpan expression. Also to the left was Professor Mudbriar, a grey earth pony stallion with a short brown mane, who taught honesty and the study of sticks --- the formal name of which you could not recollect. You definitely thought that honesty was the best subject for him to teach, as he often, to most creatures' chagrin, corrected them whenever they said something incorrect in his eyes --- usually by starting the sentence with the word 'technically', though he had been trying for many years to erase that habit.

To the right was Professor Coloratura, a blueish-grey earth pony mare who taught music and honesty. She was perhaps one of the more famous teachers in the school, due to her past history as the popstar singer Countess Coloratura. Not too far from Professor Coloratura was a light indigo pegasus mare named Wind Sprint, a former buckball athlete who recently came to the school to teach loyalty and athletics. 

Turning your attention back to the left side of the podium, you spotted two more teachers that you knew. Apollo Mustang, a white pegasus stallion with a long black mane with a grey streak, was a loyalty professor as well as an athletics teacher, but he was best known as a former member of the Sojourners, a group of adventurers of all species types that went around the world helping creatures in need. 

And then there was Sonnet Philosophy, a grey unicorn stallion with glasses who had a curly, greying black mane. Known as the Apostle of Friendship, due to the stories you heard about him from foalhood, Philosophy was also a former Sojourner and was known for his battles against the group of pony supremacists called Zealots. Aside from being a professor of kindness, the stallion also taught a special class known as Magical Defenses, which was taken by all sorts of creatures.

There were also other staff members that you recognized, with most of them being maintenance, library, and dining workers that you would cross from time to time. All of the staff at the top of the stairs, both familiar and unfamiliar, held a solemn look, even when conversing with each other. There was not a single light of joy within the crowd in front of you, and you knew exactly what had snuffed it out.

You saw something shifting in the distance between the two groups of staff members, and soon realized that it was the door to the headmare's office opening. From out of the room came three ponies --- one was Headmare Glimmer, the other was Vice Principal Sunburst, and the last was the main guidance counselor, Trixie Lulamoon, a light blue unicorn mare with a whiteish-blue mane who wore her signature purple dress with yellow and blue stars stitched on. 

The latter two made their way to their own spots with the other staff, while the headmare went forward to the podium. Standing on her hindlegs, Starlight placed her forehooves on the top of the podium near the microphone, and soon enough a metallic scraping sound vibrated throughout the hallway. At once, any talking from the staff and students ceased as everyone delivered their attention to the purple mare.

"Hello and good afternoon, everycreature," she started off saying. "I am pleased that you are all here with me today, and I will assure you all that this meeting will not be long."

A silence fell over the room as the mare stared down at her hooves, which was uncomfortable enough for you to nearly squirm in your seat. Even with her refusing to speak, no other creature in the hallway uttered even a peep. Everyone was in anticipation of what Headmare Glimmer had to say, even if they already had a good guess of what it was.

"I won't try to deny it. I know that everycreature has been scared and uncertain for the past few days --- me included. Several students and staff were injured and cursed by that monster, and it hurts me deeply to know that I can't do much to help them. And worst of all, many towns and cities throughout central Equestria have suffered even worse than Ponyville, and I know that many of you here are from such places and are worrying about your loved ones."

A few sniffles arose from the crowd.

"But please, be assured that there are creatures out there that are working on fixing the damages, and who are also working to ensure that the causes of these tragedies are discovered. Despite the devastation that Canterlot has faced, Princess Twilight is safe and is doing her best to oversee this task. And though it may not change what has happened, from a report last night all of the monsters have been either dealt with or detained and sent to Tartarus. 

"Though the monsters are no longer a problem, in the event that such a time arises that there will be more incidents like the previous days, it is best to know about the nature of these monsters, even if the information we have now is limited. The beasts come in all shapes and sizes, with the largest one being reported as nearly ten meters in height. Nearly all of them have represented some twisted form of an animal, such as a dog, a bear, and even aquatic lifeforms. 

"But the most important thing to know is that these monsters, while aggressive and will hurt those in their path, do not eat or maim their victims. Rather, through their mouth or eyes they perform some type of magical spell that strips away a creature's sense of preservation and social interaction, leaving them mentally impaired. 

"As for the victims at the festival, they are all being watched over at the town's hospital, but soon those who have been cursed will be sent to a specialized psych ward in Fillydelphia where the princess has her main mages and scientists at. They will do all they can to give them efficient treatment and uncover a way to revert their condition. Though there is no certainty that this will happen again, Princess Twilight is not taking any chances. As of this morning, she has ordered that at least one thousand guards be sent to every major city center in the kingdom in the event that more monsters appear. Because Canterlot has taken significant damage, Ponyville will receive said soldiers in less than a day.

"But as principal of this school, there is one more matter that I need to address, and that is what to do with the students under my care. While the world outside of these walls handles its own problems, I must ensure the safety and well-being of all of you here today. For those underage students whose caregivers are still in contact with the school, they will have to return to said caregivers sometime this week upon their request. Those of you who are of age can stay here or leave at your own discretion, but please come to Counselor Trixie's office before making your choice official.

"For underage students whose caregivers the school is unable to contact, they will be allowed to stay on school grounds until further notice. As for the academic semester, it is thus suspended until Princess Twilight has declared the situation solved. However, it would be greatly appreciated if the students who are staying will assist the incoming refugees from Canterlot who will arrive tomorrow. 

"That is all I have to say on the matter for now, but please be on the lookout for further updates. You are all allowed to resume trips to Ponyville, but curfew will remain the same for the minor students. And please remember, despite the present dangers and potential ones ahead, you all have staff members here who are dedicated to protecting you. You are all dismissed."

Another high-pitch rang out as Headmare Glimmer touched the microphone controls. Once she left the podium, both students and staff alike began to get out of their chairs and headed toward their own destinations. You got up from your seat as well, deciding to stretch all of your legs despite the short meeting. You turned right and began to head for your dorm room when you stopped. Ahead of you, and beyond a small crowd, were Luster, Gallop, and the others. They all stood near the hallway that you needed to go through to get to your room.

You bit your bottom lip as a wave of negativity washed over you. Was it best to avoid them and hope that they would not notice you slipping past them? Or should you go another, albeit longer, way around the school to get to the dorms? Either way, the sight of Luster did not make you feel good at all, yet you knew that it was not because Luster would do anything harmful to you. So why were you hesitating to see her?

"[Y/N]?"

You turned around to see Vice-Principal Sunburst staring at you from the stairs above, his face looking concerned, yet not anxious.

"Yes, Vice-Principal?"

"Headmare Glimmer would like to see you in her office. It's very important, and it can't wait."

You looked over to Luster again, thinking about how convenient it was for you to receive a way out of having to converse with her just as you were hoping for one. But as you walked up the stairs behind the vice-principal, you began to wonder if whatever the headmare had in store for you would be truly preferrable to a simple talk with your kindness classmate.
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As far as you were aware, there had never been an incident in which a student was sent to the headmare's office for misbehavior, unlike at your previous school, where there were over ten students a day taking a trip to see the principal. It was possible that there were rare instances in the past where students did get in trouble, but since the day you arrived here, everycreature seemed to be so polite with each other and obedient to the rules. Even the freshmen seemed to understand what type of atmosphere this school both needed and thrived on.

But soon the thought of a scolding was removed out of your head as you trailed behind Vice-Principal Sunburst. You did not know for certain what you were going to see Headmare Glimmer for, but given the recent days, you assumed it had to do with your illusion. Perhaps she had discovered while you were unconscious that you were indeed hallucinating or dreaming about your trip to the future. But then again, if that was the case, why did the vice-principal not just say it to you after the meeting?

Whatever the reason was, you would receive an answer soon, as Sunburst opened the door to the office. Having never been inside the room before, you were a bit taken aback by how big it was. It was nearly the size of an average classroom, with its spatial environment being that of a semi-circle. The floor was made of cold, grey stone, though there was a purple and golden rectangular rug at the entrance of the room that you walked on, and another purple circular rug that the headmare's desk and a single chair were on.

The office was separated into two levels of equal height by a pink semi-circle balcony. On the top level was a large clock surrounded on both sides by two teal stained-glass windows, and on the bottom level behind the desk was a clear window with two glass cabinets on both ends. Embedded in the walls on both levels were shelves containing numerous books, as well as marble pillars with hot pink crystals on the top and bottom. 

Just like on your first day of orientation, you stared in amazement at the architecture around you, but you snapped out of your daze once you remembered that you and Sunburst were not the only creatures in this room. Sitting at her desk was Headmare Glimmer and by her side was Counselor Trixie, lowly speaking in the former's ear. Another pony was present in the office, and that was Professor Philosophy, who stood over a half-constructed magical circle drawn on the section of the floor not covered by the rugs, while leviating a single piece of chalk.

Eventually, Trixie lifted her head to see you in time to nudge the headmare, who took her eyes off the desk. 

"[Y/N]," Starlight said calmly. "I'm glad that you're awake. I'm hoping that you're feeling much better."

You approached the front of her desk and stopped, awkwardly looking around in the room at everycreature else. The sight of the magical circle was something that your eyes lingered on for a bit before returning them to the headmare.

"I'm... doing well," you answered slowly. "I think it had something to do with Professor Bloom's remedies."

Despite how tired she looked, Starlight was able to unveil a small smile. "That's good to know. We were all worried for you when you didn't wake up yesterday."

Trixie walked around the desk and came to your side, and raised her hoof out toward you. 

"Hello, again," she greeted warmly. "I'm Guidance Counselor Trixie. I don't know if you remember me, but I helped out with orientation for the freshmen this year."

You shook her hoof. "You remember me?"

"Of course. You made a bit of an impression when you didn't really participate in the group activities we had."

"Oh, sorry. I'm... not that much of an active pony."

Trixie giggled. "Well, that's fine. I kind of hoped you would at least want to get involved in the scavenger hunt I came up with, but there's no hard feelings to be had."

"Hello, Mx. [Y/N]," you heard a male voice say from behind you. "I"m glad that you're awake and well."

Turning around, you realized that Sonnet Philosophy was the one who greeted you, as Sunburst's voice was a bit higher by your interactions with him. 

"Hello, Professor Philosophy," you replied. 

Without looking away from the half-finished circle that he was still drawing, Sonnet continued to hold a conversation with you. "I don't think I've ever met you before. I'm sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances, but I promise it's for the best."

"What do you mean by that?"

Before the grey unicorn could speak, Starlight spoke up. "We're all here to get to the bottom of what you saw during your trance. To see if it's all true or not."

A lump formed in your throat. Though a small arrogant part of you should have been proud at guessing correctly at the reason for you being called to the office, you were left hanging by a thread as to what events would transpire next.

"So, you think it's possible that I really went to the future?"

Starlight nodded. "We don't know for certain if you truly did travel throughout time. After all, your body had remained here while you were unconscious after the festival, and when you did wake up you mentioned that your time in the future was much longer than how much time had actually passed in the present."

"But we do have other concerns," Sunburst said from your side. "It's a bit odd that at the same time that the monster attacks occurred, you just happened to go through your trance. It could just be a coincidence, but it's better to be safer than sorry."

"You can take a seat if you want," said Trixie as she levitated a notepad and pen from off the desk. "I wasn't here when you woke up after the attack, but the headmare and vice-principal told me what you told them."

"I also learned about what you went through," Sonnet said, still attending to his work. "But still, it might be better if you can tell us a less condensed version of your trip. It would be best to give us all that you can remember without leaving anything important out."

Taking the guidance counselor's advice, you sat down on the chair in front of the desk. Though its cushion was comfortable enough for your rear, it did nothing to soothe your anxiousness. There were only four other creatures in the room, and yet it felt like the whole world was an audience to your discomforting squirms. For a while, you just sat there with your forehooves pressed together as you stared at either the floor or the desk, but you soon found the sense to answer the older ponies' curiosity.

You started off with how you followed a rainbow through the canopy of a forest until you made it out and found the source of the rainbow from a building. In between the forest and the building was a house that belonged to maybe mares, who was outside gardening. After mentioning to those in the room that you could not recall the two mares' names, you discovered from the mares that you were in the future, as they talked about how it had been many years since the three pony races were last united. There were also no accounts of any non-pony species residing within Equestria.

Just as you learned of how far away from the present you were, a shadowy tendril monster came out of the forest devouring the fleeing animals in its path after a dark, windy storm had arrived. Before you could get inside the house, you were overcome by fear and unable to move, allowing the monster to entrap you. You felt like you were going to die until the rainbow from the building you talked of blasted the monster away, making it retreat into the forest.

You were left unconscious, but you later woke up inside the house, where you met the two mares again, alongside the sheriff of the town called Maretime Bay, and his two friends. You told the sheriff and his friends that you were from the past, and had no clue as to how to get back home. One of the sheriff's friends mentioned how a spirit that could bend reality had taken a crystal that held a portion of Equestria's magic, and that perhaps they could persuade the spirit to send you back to the past and while getting the crystal back.

You agreed that you would go with them on their journey, but first you retreated to the home of the other mares, as they had to wait for a few friends of theirs to return from the pegasus kingdom. You had spent some time at Maretime Bay, a mostly earth pony town, where you discovered that two ponies went missing not long after you were attacked by the monster. Eventually, the other friends from the pegasus kingdom, who were actually princesses and daughters of the queen of the kingdom, came back and they went on a trip the next day to find the spirit. The sheriff, meanwhile, stayed behind to look into the missing cases.

You ended it off by saying how the last thing you remember about being in the future was being inside of a cave during a rainstorm in the evening or at night. With your storytelling completed, you gained the courage to look up and around at the older ponies, who aside from the laboring Sonnet, all looked at you and each other with uncertainty, though lacking in fear. Trixie, who had been writing down the details, placed the notepad down.

"This monster that you mentioned," said Sunburst, "what exactly did it look like?"

"It was like a mess of dark, black tentacles," you answered. 

"And it didn't resemble any kind of animal that you can recall?"

You shook your head. 

"You said that this monster was absorbing your strength until the... crystals stopped it," Trixie mentioned. "Is that correct?"

"Yes. I felt like I was going to die. My whole body was losing muscle, and I could even see my own ribcage."

"Are you sure that it was trying to kill you? Perhaps this monster was trying to simply curse you, like the victims of the attacks so far."

"No. That can't be the case," Sunburst directed toward Trixie. "The monsters of the past two days never left their victims physically weak, nor did they ever took anycreature's life. The monster from [Y/N]'s journey to the future --- if we can call it a journey --- likely isn't of the same origin as the ones Equestria's been dealing with."

"All right. It's done," you heard Sonnet say. You turned around in your seat to see Sonnet walking away from a completed magical circle on the floor and towards you. 

"Can I ask what that is for?" you stated.

He gave you a small smile. "That's for you."

You frowned. "Me?"

The grey unicorn nodded. "You see, you're here to help us with two questions. One: to see if you're under the influence of any spells we're not aware of. And two: finding out whether or not your mind really went to the future, like Headmare Glimmer suggested." He stopped right to your side. "Hopefully, answering both questions will help us understand more of what's been going on lately."

You looked back at the headmare, your mouth slightly agape before you spoke. 

"Is he talking about the monster attacks? What do I have to do with that?"

"Like Vice-Principal Sunburst said, it might be a coincidence, but it is peculiar that your trance happened not long after the attack in Ponyville. In fact, most of the explosions occurred around the same time of the day. Nonetheless, it's better to just try to get to the bottom of this. That's why I have Professor Philosophy with us. He's more knowledgable about the types of spells that he'll perform."

"I know that we're just school staff members," Sunburst said, "but we've all been friends with Princess Twilight for a long time --- before there was a school to manage and even before Princesses Celestia and Luna left. We all owe it to her to do whatever we can to help her with ensuring that nothing like this happens again."

Starlight continued. "And you being a student won't do anything to stop you from helping as well. If what happened was an attack, the princess will need all the creatures she can afford to have by her side."

"But you don't need to worry about us sending you into actual danger," Sonnet promised. "You'll still be safe within the walls of this school."

A hand of apprehension pushed your head down, making you stare down at the purple carpet. 

There was no malice or pressure from any of the adults in the room --- only explanations and assurances. And yet, a ghost whispered in your ear that things would only get worse if you allowed them to go through with their plans. That once you crossed that line, your safety would never be guaranteed. That you would always have a target on your back while you pretended to be some hero as the headmare suggested.

A hero.

A hero.

You laughed in your head, though you expressed your humor through a small smile that was concealed with you facing the floor. The thought amused you. You truly could not imagine that somehow you would end up as some sort of Equestrian legend if you carried out what the school staff expected you to do. You knew for certain though that it would amuse your folks if you told them that you were doing your part to protect the kingdom. 

Your folks.

Just so simply, you wondered about them once more, and soon your smile disappeared. You concerned yourself with the radio in your room and desperately hoped that you did not miss anything of importance concerning the survivors and the deceased at Canterlot. 

It was all too much for you. You could feel yourself squirming in your chair again. You wished you could fly or teleport away from this school, this town, and back to your home, where you would find the answers you had been hoping would just come to your lap. But you were not a pegasus with Wonderbolts-level stamina, nor a highly talented unicorn, and so you were stuck here like a helpless baby bird in a nest.

Was there truly nothing you could do for those back home?

No. You refused to believe that. It was impossible for you to do jack-all. If what Headmare Glimmer said in the main hallway about the threat repeating itself was possible, then that meant more creatures could get hurt --- even those in the areas already hit. 

So maybe, just maybe, there was at least one thing you could do to try and make things better.

"I guess...," you started off saying, twisting your tongue in your mouth. "I guess if this will help other creatures, then we should go ahead and do the spells."

Courage pulled your head back up, and you were able to face the headmare. Starlight beamed proudly at you as if she knew that you would make the right choice in the end. You swore that you could feel your chest puff up with a quarter of pride.

"Sonnet?" Starlight said. "Could you explain to them the spells?"

You looked up at the professor, who had his own smirk. 

"Of course," he said, before turning to you. "The first spell I'm going to perform is meant to see if you're still under the effects of any spells. Some long-lasting spells give off an invisible residue or aura, so that's what I'll be looking for."

"What do you need me to do?" you asked.

"All I need from you is to stay as still as possible. You won't even feel a thing." 

The grey unicorn closed his brown eyes and soon a golden aura shone around his horn. The entire interaction lasted less than ten seconds, and as he had said you barely noticed anything amiss with your body or senses. Though, when the stallion opened his sight again, you could have sworn that there was a brief flash or shimmer across his eyes. Sonnet examined you closely from top to bottom with a stoic scowl.

"Odd," he said. "There seem to be three spells present within you."

"Three spells?" Sunburst stated in shock. "Can you tell what type of magic each one is?"

Sonnet nodded at the vice-principal, but directed his further attention to Starlight. "One is a magical curse. I can't tell exactly what it's meant to do, but its aura is similar to the curses afflicting the victims of the monster attack when I went to the hospital."

Starlight's eyes widen in shock. "[Y/N], did the monster at the festival get a chance to attack you like it did with the others? Luster told me there was a brief moment when you two got separated."

"No," you answered. "There were a few close calls, but I never got drained of anything."

Your answer did nothing to alleviate the mare's worries. 

"That doesn't make any sense. If you weren't attacked, then why is such a spell even present?"

"I can't answer that for you," Sonnet intervened. "But you don't have to worry about it kicking in anytime soon. That's where the second spell comes into play. The curse is being thwarted by a very strong disabling spell. Both auras are interwined with one another, but the second spell is definitely the more dominant partner."

"And the third spell?" Trixie asked. 

"That's where things get a bit tricky. The third spell seems to be based on ethereal magic." The professor turned to you. "That type of magic involves spells concerning a creature's soul or mind, instead of their physical self. But the problem is that I have no idea how it relates to the previous two spells. One thing I can say for certain though is that, by the auras, all three spells were activated around the same time, but that makes it hard to say which one was cast exactly first."

Sunburst placed a hoof under his chin. "Hmm. Maybe it's not hard to guess the order. It's likely that the curse was the first spell cast by an unknown source. And even though this is just speculation at the moment, the second and third spells must have been done by another magic user. The role of the second spell makes sense, but there's no known purpose for the third one. If the third spell is based on ethereal magic, then maybe it's meant to protect [Y/N]'s mind or spirit. But no, that would defeat the purpose of the second spell, since it already made the curse impotent. But maybe the third spell is just extra protection."

"Or maybe the third spell has to do with [Y/N]'s supposed journey to the future," said Trixie. "I know I'm still a bit of a novice when it comes to advanced magic, but maybe the second magic user was the one who placed them under that trance. I know it's slim, but..."

"No. You could be on to something," Starlight reassured the guidance counselor. "It's likely that the third spell had something to do with their vision. But, [Y/N]. Before we go through with finding out whether or not your experience was genuine or not, I need to ask: did you notice anycreature casting a spell around you before you went to the future? Perhaps you might have saw a unicorn's horn glow."

You searched inside your brain but were left with a shake of your head to give to the headmare. "No, I'm sorry. There was too much chaos going on. I didn't notice any magic being performed, and I kind of doubt that a creature would just be standing still with a monster around."

"Well... I suppose that makes sense."

"I guess we can go ahead and move on to the second part, then," Sonnet announced. "[Y/N], could you follow me?"

You got up out of your seat and did as your professor said. The trip across the room was rather short, as you simply ended up near the magic circle that Sonnet had completed earlier. Encased in the thin outer ring of the circle were runic symbols, and in the center was a smaller circle that surrounded a symbol that looked like a half-opened eye. In addition, five lines of runic symbols connected the inner circle to the outer ring in the formation of a five-pointed star.

"In case you forgot, this is for you," Sonnet explained. "We'll be looking inside your memories to find out whether or not what you experienced was real or just an illusion. This spell is going to be a bit sensitive for you, but it won't be painful. From my experience, you'll feel a bit of a rush, like being on a roller coaster."

"Wait, you can look into someone's memories with magic?" you asked.

Sonnet smirked. "Well, this is the only spell that I'm aware of that works like that. The problem though is that it only works if the recipient is willing to have their memories looked at."

"Oh. Well, I..."

"We'll only be looking at your memories of the past two days. We won't go beyond that, so there's nothing for you to worry about. Unless you did something wrong or embarrassing two days ago."

A nervous chuckle came out of your sheepish grin. "No. Nothing like that happened."

"Well, that's good to know. And don't worry about us watching you do stuff like going to the bathroom. This spell mainly focuses on important events that mattered to you during that time."

"But, won't it take too long to go over two days?"

"No. The benefit of the spell is that we'll be traveling through your memories faster than how time will pass in the real world. It should take around a minute for us to complete everything. Now, if you don't mind, I just need you to lay flat on this middle circle. I apologize in advance for the chalk getting on your fur."

Once again, you follow through with the directions given to you. You tried your best to avoid stepping on the lines leading to the middle circle until you reached the appropriate location. You sat on your haunches at first but eventually lowered your back on the floor, allowing you to get a good view of the elegant ceiling of the office. From out of your sight, you heard Sonnet guide the other creatures in the room on what to do.

"One of you should be at their hooves, while the other two should be at each of their side."

You heard several hoofsteps around you as Sunburst, Sonnet, Trixie, and Starlight made their way to their respective spot.

"Does everycreature remember what I said to do?" Sonnet asked. "Just concentrate on opening a window in your mind."

Each of the other three ponies responded in their own way that they remembered the professor's instructions.

"[Y/N], remember what I said. Just try to relax your body and keep an open mind."

A few seconds after Sonnet's last words, nothing seemed to happen, as evident by the still air. But soon, you heard sharp sounds that reminded you of whenever a unicorn's horn would glow. With your eyes still trained on the ceiling, you could feel that atmosphere shift from that of calmness to one of ominousness, as if the whole office was suddenly inhabited by spirits. The swift change took you by surprise --- a reminder of how foreign you were to the world of unicorn magic, or rather the world of magic in general.

Your time observing the ceiling was cut short, as soon a sharp shock spread through your spine, accompanied by a a blinding, bright white light that overcame your vision. You gasped out loud, as nearly every emotion imaginable to you --- fear, uncertainty, happiness, sadness, anger, and even boredom --- rushed through the neurons of your brain at lightning-fast speed.

But as quickly as the light came, it soon vanished and your sight was returned to you, but you were not watching the ceiling again. 

Instead, you were back in your dorm room, getting up out of your bed at the sound of your alarm clock, alongside your roommate. You went to the dorms' bathroom with your morning materials to freshen up, before returning back to your room to gather up your saddlebags for class. 

You went to the dining hall to eat breakfast by your lonesome. Soon you were off to your earlier classes, each one of them shorter than they usually were due to how today was a half day. You then ate lunch before finishing the rest of your classes, and once school was over you took it upon yourself to spend your free time roaming around the Ponyville wilderness until you made it to Sweet Feather Sanctuary. 

The sanctuary itself was sparse, aside from Sandbar, a few other volunteers, and of course, the animals who made it their home there. Having your fill, you decided to head back to the school, but along your journey, you came across the fairgrounds where the Grateful Festival was happening. Just as you were almost home, Gallop and Georgia had coerced you into joining them and Garrick in the festivities.

After touring around, you and the others ended up at a picnic table with Luster, Yelena, River Song, and Pinkie Pie to eat some sweets from the food stalls. For some reason, you left the table and were followed to the fairgrounds' entrance by Luster, who tried to explain why you should come back and join the rest.

Then the chaos happened.

You, Luster, and other residents were drawn to the sight of a train incident not so far away, where a monster emerged from the ruin and smoke. Everycreature scattered in a frenzied panic as the monster flew overhead. You and Luster were temporarily separated when the monster attacked her, but after evading it you reunited with the pink unicorn. You wanted to leave the fairgrounds, but Luster wanted to find the rest of her friends. 

Just as you were arguing with her, a pain unlike anything you ever felt overtook your body, making you shut your eyes in an attempt to block it out. You were crying, and making apologies to creatures who were not there. Your vision then goes white, where you hear a male voice call out to you.

When you opened your eyes once more, you were lying on the floor of a forest, where through the canopy you spotted a rainbow in the sky. After some time, you reached the outside of the forest and saw a building in the distance where the rainbow was coming from. Between you and the building was a small house that you traveled to. Upon reaching it, you encountered two mares in a garden. You asked them how to reach Ponyville, and after a while you discovered a terrible truth: that you may have traveled into a future where for many moons the three pony races had lost contact with each other.

Then, like before at the festival back in the present, a monster came out of the forest and tried to kill you, until the rainbow from the nearby building shot itself at the monster, driving it back from where it came from. Weak from the attack, you fell unconscious, waking up at the house you visited and greeted by the two mares, a sheriff, and two of the sheriff's friends. You all delved into a conversation concerning your situation, and it was agreed upon that you would join the sheriff and his friends on a journey to look for a spirit that could bring you back to the past.

For the time being, you joined the sheriff's friends at their home, which was the building where the radiating rainbow was coming from. The next day, you joined the two mares, a unicorn and an earth pony, on a tour throughout a nearby town called Maretime Bay. Eventually, you met the sheriff again after finding out that some ponies went missing around the time you were attacked by the monster. Because of the missing cases, the sheriff had to stay in town instead of accompanying you all the next day to find the spirit.

In a short amount of time after that, you encountered the rest of the sheriff's friends, two pegasi mares, who were princesses of the pegasus kingdom of Zephyr Heights, while at the town's beach. Afterward, you went back to the Crystal Brighthouse to get some rest for the next day, where you joined the four mares on a journey to find the spirit. The trip for the day ended with you all camping out in a cave. You were expressing your worries of never returning home when a flash of light blinded your vision.

You woke on the floor of a classroom, surrounded by Luster, Sunburst, and Starlight, who had all performed a spell to get you out of a trance. After a discussion about your experience in the future and the monster attack on the festival, you rushed out of the school after Starlight had implied that your home was one of many places in Equestria that was also under attack. Once you saw the heartbreaking sight of Canterlot up in smoke, it was too much for your heart to take, and so you collapsed.

You then woke up in your dorm room after nearly two days --- attended to by Apple Bloom, who explained to you what was happening in Canterlot, as well as what happened to your roommate. You were then visited by Pumpkin Cake, who offered you her condolences and a gift basket with a confetti-exploding get-well card. After some more medication from Apple Bloom, you were left alone in your room to eat before the emergency meeting in the main hallway.

You then left to journey the hallways that lead to the main hallway, until you eventually met Luster and her friends. After her friends expressed their concerns, Luster sent them away to ask you personally if you were talking to anyone about what happened at home. Irritated, you replied that there was no reason to talk to anyone about problems that may not even exist. You then sat through the emergency meeting listening to Starlight's comments on recent and future events.

Just as you were about to return to the dorms, you were called upon by Sunburst to the headmare's office. 

But as you were reaching the door to the office, your vision began to shimmer and grey, as if that color was draining from your environment. The whole event reminded you of a film reel stuck on a loop. Eventually, that greyness became brighter and brighter until whiteness overcame all of your senses.

And then in a flash, from a pinpoint to the whole thing, you returned to watching the ceiling of the office. As before, a rush of emotions passed through your body as you bolted up on your haunches --- finding it difficult to suppress the cement-heavy gasps that rose out of your chest. You were not the only one affected by the spell, as you looked all around you to see the four unicorns in hunched positions as they panted.

"Geez, Sonnet," commented Sunburst. "You weren't kidding before when said that this spell would be a bit difficult."

"Well, I like to think I'm handling it better than I did the last time I performed it," admitted the grey unicorn.

From your own observation, he may have made a good point. While Sunburst and Trixie were still struggling to find their breaths, Sonnet had already composed himself. Even Starlight herself seemed to have regained her energy, as she stood nearly as still as a statue. The professor's and the headmare's fortitudes were enough to reaffirm the popular beliefs going on that these two were the strongest unicorns in the whole school, though Starlight was said to be the one magic user who could actually beat Sonnet.

"Can I... can I get up?" you asked aloud.

"You can," answered Sonnet.

You got back up on all four hooves, albeit the wobbliness of your legs made you take your time. Though you were not taking in air frantically anymore, you still took slow breaths to steady yourself. The experience you went through was truly... something. You looked at the window behind the desk, and saw that the light outside had not dimmed, indicating that little time had past since the spell was cast.

It was all so surreal. You could see and feel every moment of what you went through as if you were touring through a museum. You remembered nearly every word either you said or somecreature had said to you. And yet, at the same time, you sped through it all so fast, like viewing zipping trees from the safety of a train car. The days you spent in the past were as short as they were long.

"What they said is true," Sonnet said, drawing your and the others' attention. "They must have gone into the future. Their story matches up with what they told us. We wouldn't have seen what we saw if [Y/N] was only dreaming or hallucinating."

"My goodness," said Sunburst. "Maybe what Trixie said about the third spell was right. If there's ethereal magic present in [Y/N], then perhaps that spell was what sent their essence to the future while their body remained here."

"But how could somecreature perform a spell like that?" Starlight asked. "The only spell I know that could successfully send someone through time was the scroll made by Starswirl the Bearded, and that was lost through a portal after Twilight and Spike convinced me to stop altering time."

"We may not know who enchanted [Y/N] with the ethereal spell," Sonnet said, "but I have a guess as to why as they were chosen by whoever the caster was." He directed his eyes toward you. "Do you remember what you heard before you were sent to the future? After your vision went bright, there was a voice talking to you."

You flipped through the scrapbook of your mental journey until you reached the part where you were writhing in pain. Indeed, after your eyes were blinded by a white light, there was a male voice calling out to you in the void:


Something is coming. I do not know what it is, but it threatens the entire existence of Equestria, and maybe even the whole world.



I am sending you somewhere that is peaceful, where you will learn to overcome your struggle and understand the powerful endeavor of hope. 



But you must move past your hardships if you are to save our home. Failing to do so may lead to the end of Equestrian civilization.



Please..., fight for all of us. Only then will you be able to return home.


"Yeah, I remember."

"Whoever said that must have known about monster attacks ahead of time," Sonnet said. "Somehow, for some reason, you're connected to all of this. And perhaps that's why you were sent to the future --- to prevent Equestria from facing an unknown danger. There's no doubt that whatever happened two days ago could happen again soon."

A morbid frown came upon your face. The image of a burning Canterlot returned to your vision as you imagined a multitude of similar incidents happening around Equestria. You looked around at the adults besides Sonnet, trying to find some sort of solace from them --- perhaps in a reassurance or a rebuttal against the professor. But you found no comfort from anyone. Sunburst had his mouth left hanging in disbelief while looking at Starlight, who herself was wide-eyed and with a lack of words. Trixie, as well, was stunned by what she heard, and with a shaking disposition, stared down at the floor.

"There's no denying what we all heard the voice say," Sonnet continued. "And by now, we can doubt that [Y/N]'s trip to the future is just a coincidence with all that's been happening."

Finally, Sunburst woke up from his stupor with a furious shake of his head. "Well, if it's the case that [Y/N] is meant to solve what's going on in the present by going to the future, how do we send them back? We disabled the spell that put them in that trance in the first place."

"We disabled it, but it's still present in their body," Sonnet answered. "All we have to do is reactivate it and their mind will be sent back."

You backed away as if a tangible threat was present in the room. "Wait a minute. You want to send me back there? But I almost died there!"

Sonnet held a hoof up. "I'm not saying that we do that anytime soon, but it might be worth considering."

"I don't think it is," you said hastily. "I don't want that monster to come back and finish the job."

"I'm not okay with the idea of sending you back, either, [Y/N]," admitted Sunburst. "We'll try to do some more research about the ethereal spell you're under. But if we're left with few options and little time..." The vice-principal looked down in either embarrassment or shame --- it was hard for you to tell. "I don't believe it's right to put a child in danger like this, but even if there were no other options, I promise you we would do everything we can to ensure your safety if we sent you back to the future."

You could barely believe what you were hearing. Just minutes ago Sonnet had promised that you would be safe, that your involvement in protecting Equestria would not take you beyond the school. But now you were being told that you might have to put your neck on the line and go back to a place where you nearly lost your life. You felt like a fool knowing that the ghost of doubt was right. 

You were angry and distrustful of these adults who were meant to protect you when you were so far away from home. An animosity even grew toward Starlight and Trixie, who said nothing in your defense, convincing you that they were also just as two-faced.

But as quickly as that sense of betrayal came, a realization of hypocrisy came over you as well. Just before, you swore that you were willing to do whatever it took to ensure that what happened at Ponyville and Canterlot would never happen again. But now that you knew for certain that there were actual threats that you may have to face, you wanted to back away from your oath.

Why was that fire of courage in your heart extinguished so fast? Where did your frustration of not being able to do anything go? Were you so scared of dying that you were able to give up your motivation for the sake of your own skin?

You felt the walls closing in around you as your mind was a battlefield between your sense of preservation and the disappointment of your frail integrity. Your tense heart felt as if it was being wrapped around by rope, causing you to start taking deep breaths as your vision seemed to darken. You could swear that you were going to go blind as you wondered whether or not you were a pony whose word could even be trusted.

"We're not going to solve anything today," Starlight said abruptly.

Her voice surprised you enough to bring you out of your tunnel vision and calm you down --- reminding you that you were not alone in the room. You watched the headmare leave her spot on the magical circle and return to her desk, her shocked disposition was no longer present --- replaced now by a stoic demeanor.

"There is a lot for me to think about," she continued, looking at you as she took her seat. "But what I know for certain is that I'll have to tell the princess about today's discovery sometime soon. I won't place you in any more danger than you've already been in. We'll try to see if there are alternatives to sending you to the future. You're excused for now, but we might call you back later on if we find something that requires your time and assistance."

In regards to leaving, you did not heed her request immediately, as your brain tried to imagine some immediate solution to the unanswered question as to what your fate would be. But enough time passed for you to realize that everycreature else in the room probably wanted to discuss further topics without you present, so you eventually summoned enough strength in your legs to turn around and walk to the office door.

With your hoof just centimeters from touching the door handle, you paused it in place and looked back over your shoulder at the four unicorns. You did not know for certain what you were searching for by looking at them, but all you received were worried or blank expressions. You eventually realized that you would get nothing from them besides those looks, and so you left the room. 

You closed the door behind you and turned to face the main hallway. By now, the chairs that were meant for the students and staff this afternoon were gone, and as far as you could see there was not an individual in sight. The emptiness of the environment nearly made you shudder as if you were wearing an itchy sweater. As far as you were aware, the main hallway was always a lively place full of creatures walking to and through different places, talking and laughing as they went their way. Even at nighttime, the place would have creatures hovering around doing various activities, from studying to playing board and card games.

But now, there was no electricity in the air, nor any festive characters roaming around. You were never quite a social pony here, but the deafening silence was getting too much for you to bear. You had to leave this dreaded atmosphere that could only be found at a funeral.

You made your way to the stairs where Sunburst had found you, your echoing hoofsteps vibrating throughout the open space. A dark cloud hovered over you as the last half-hour replayed itself in your head. You expected nothing like that when you were called into the office, and now you had no idea what you should do with the knowledge you acquired, nor the heavy responsibility that may have just been put on your back.

But there was one particular thought running through your head as you made your way to your room. It was a question that you desperately wanted the answer to, even if the key to its respective hole would not change anything that might happen in the next several days once you twisted it.

Why me?






END OF ACT 1

> Act II: The War Between Hope and Fear Begins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bright yellow fireplace was the only source of warm colors within Jasper's studies. The dark blue stone walls of the small room made the environment cold and devoid of life, or at least that was the impression he could read from the subordinates who were bothered by the ambiance when they visited. To Jasper, he preferred the lifeless stillness of the room. It helped him concentrate on matters that he needed to deal with in private, a task that would be harder if he was surrounded by more vibrant designs. 

And the most suitable, and most obvious, place that Jasper conducted important business in the room was at his desk, just adjacent to the fireplace. With his head craned down, the white earth pony scanned the book that was before him in silence, though the inconsistent crackling of the fire occasionally sidelined at least a quarter of his attention. But at this point in the middle of the day, Jasper started to believe that he would soon be losing his mind. 

Though this was the fifth book today that Jasper had taken notes from, it was overall the thirteenth book that he had chosen to study from his collection ever since he began his research three days ago. Ever since he encountered the catalyst that drove him toward his quest, the stallion had spent most of his time sequestered in his studies, only ever coming out to eat, relieve himself, and retreat to his bedroom at night.

What Jasper sought was real simple --- a technique to help him track down objects of immense magical power across vast distances. So far, he had only come across spells or artifacts that would either point him in the direction of an unknown magical object or would reveal magical objects within a short radius. Cautious as always, he took notes of these other methods, in the event that they could be useful in the future, but the earth pony strained himself to keep searching for the solution he sought after the most.

As much as it pained him to grit and grind his teeth, Jasper could not diminish the vein-throbbing frustration building up. He wanted to be calm and collected about his mission. The world's inhabitants, as far as they were aware, did not know the true cause of the earthshaking events that had graced them days ago, so there was no army for Jasper to battle at this moment. And yet, he felt like he was doing very little as the sands of time's hourglass trickled down. 

But then again, perhaps what Jasper sought was not truly needed for the task he had been given. Maybe such a powerful object, as sacred as it was to him and the others, could be forsaken temporarily, at least until the final stages were underway. Yet, the stallion felt like it was below him to be lacking in providing every possible asset to the table. 

A robust knock resounded through the door of the room, drawing Jasper out of the depths of his thoughts. The stallion straightened his neck away from the book and placed his purple eyes on the door. 

"You may come in."

Having received his blessing, the creature on the other end opened the door and passed it to enter the room. Jasper was greeted by a bulky, grey pegasus stallion with a platinum blonde mane. The pegasus held a mean glare that complimented his green eyes, but Jasper was able to find satisfaction in his gloomy appearance. In a way, he had been hoping for a small distraction from his work after working himself up, even if just for a while.

"Stone Hail, my friend," Jasper delivered with a smile. "As you can see I am at hard work, as always. But I hope that you've brought me good or important news."

The pegasus' scold failed to falter. "The triplets have completed the key," he said with a low, rough tone. 

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "So soon? Well, this is indeed a very welcoming update."

"Do you wish for them to present it to you?"

"I... am a bit curious to see it. Please go and fetch them."

"We---"

"Are already---"

"Here."

Three coarse, monotone voices, a feminine one, a masculine one, and another feminine one, resonated throughout the room. From behind Stone Hail, three purple unicorns cloaked in black robes entered the studies and approached Jasper in a neat row. The one on the left was a mare with a long hot pink mane, the middle unicorn was a stallion with a short green mohawk, and the mare on the right possessed a short light blue mane. 

Unlike the stuck face of annoyance that Stone Hail held, the three unicorns each stared blankly at Jasper with their own cold golden eyes. There was a lifelessness in their faces that would make one believe that they were staring into an invisible void rather than at any creature that they might have come across. But like with the first visitor, Jasper could not help but smirk at the three, especially when the one in the middle levitated an object of great interest to him.

Jasper looked at the row from left to right while in his chair. "Wraith. Razor. Mayhem. I truly appreciate the hard work you have done to bring me this. Would it be of any trouble if I touched it?"

"By all means---" said Wraith.

"You may," said Razor. "But please---"

"Be gentle with it," said Mayhem. "After all, it is---"

"Still a copy," said Razor, "of---"

Wraith finished. "The original."

Jasper held out both hooves and at once the magical aura around the object ceased to be, allowing it to fall into the earth pony's grasp. His eyes examined it --- a large, cone-shaped purple crystal with a silver ring around the circular end. The sight  of it and its weight in its hooves were able to split apart Jasper's lips, transforming his smirk into a toothful grin.

"I wasn't expecting his arrival so soon, as you all know," Jasper announced. "If I was a bit more prepared, I would have had someone within S.M.I.L.E. or the guard find us a way into Tartarus. But given recent events, I'm sure that the place will be heavily monitored, especially with the new monsters arriving there. But with this new Key of Unfettered Entrance, getting in should be a breeze."

The white stallion brought his eyes up and looked at Stone Hail. "Stone. I'm sure that security will be intense, so select fifty of our best followers to go with you when I decide when the time is right. And I would like for Mayhem to go with you. She's very skilled with potions, so perhaps she'll find a way to subdue most of the guards there."

Mayhem bowed her head. "I am honored."

"Of course, Jasper," Stone Hail intervened. "But may I ask how your search is going?"

Jasper brought the key forward to the triplets, and Wraith levitated it with her magic. The earth pony then shifted his body to face his desk, staring down at the book. "I haven't heard anything yet from Harvest about any further findings. But I am currently trying to uncover a way to find see if we can detect it's magical aura. But these books have been of little help." 

"Well, our enemies are blinded right now. I'm certain that they won't take precautions to hide what we're seeking. But is there any assistance I can offer in your search?"

Jasper did not bother to tear his eyes away from the pages. "No, Stone. Just focus on training the creatures you'll be choosing. Me and Harvest will take care of the rest. You're all dismissed."

One by one, the four other ponies left the room with the last closing the door. With their absence, the still ambience returned to the cold room, with the only source of sound being the crackling of firewood.
> Chapter 13 (Pt 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

You walked along the dry dirt road within the forest southeast of Ponyville, surrounded on both sides by trees still imbued with their gorgeous autumn colors. It was still a bit early in the day --- noon had not yet arrived --- but you felt a urging this morning to just... walk around. After breakfast at school, you went to one of the town's parks, taking in the environment around you without essentially interacting with any other creature there. Eventually, you got tired of the small space and decided that you needed to be somewhere more vast, and that led to you your journey to the woods.

You had no idea where you would go once the forest path had ended. You knew that Sweet Feather Sanctuary and the Everfree Forest were close to where you were, but if you were being honest with yourself, those places had little appeal to you today. But despite that, you were still surprised that you were able to journey outside the school for the first time ever since the festival five days ago. For the most part, you stayed mostly in your room, listening to the radio, which mostly consisted of news about the damages and refugees, and less about the idenities of the deceased or tranced.

Sadly, the past few days have been on your mind since you woke up today. There was no visible trigger once you opened your eyes --- your existence was enough to be a reminder of what had happened. The festival attack, the journey to the future, the faraway sight of your home smoking underneath the sunset, the emergency meeting, and the spells performed in the headmare's office --- all replayed themselves in your head when you got out of bed, when you were in the bathroom, when you ate at the cafeteria, and when you left the school.

But as rousing as those memories were, what was really at the forefront of your mind was the event that transpired just two days ago. The day after the emergency meeting, you were called back to the headmare's office, where you were met once again by Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst, Trixie, and Sonnet Philosophy. You were told that they would be attempting to transfer the ethereal spell that sent you to the future from your essence into Sonnet's, so that the task you were given by the mysterious voice would be left up to the professor.

Like before, you were instructed to lay upon a magical circle on the floor, with Sonnet's head nearly on top of yours as he laid on the other side. The other three unicorns followed all of the guidelines needed for the spell to work, but despite their best efforts, there was no transfer of magic from you to Sonnet. A second attempt was made once more, with the headmare taking Sonnet's place, but the results were still the same. 

You were sent out of the office with the assurance that all four of them would keep trying to find a solution to the impending problem that did not come at the risk of your life. But though you knew that the ponies were trying their best, you feared deep down that you would have to go back into the unknown that was the future --- where hidden dangers could be waiting for you.

With your head down for most of the latter half of the journey, you were surprised when the shadows of the canopies went away, replaced by a lighting that shone on the dirt road. Looking up, you saw that you were no longer surrounded by trees and that the path ahead seemed to decline --- indicating that you were about to come down a hill. 

Careful not to tumble down, you took your time descending the bulky slope, staying on the road so that the friction would keep you balanced. You looked over to your right, where distances ahead were the treelines of the Everfree Forest, which was very distinguishable from the other forests near the town due to the fact that the leaves retained their dark green hue. You knew that the Treehouse of Harmony was somewhere in the middle of the forest. It was a popular spot for students after school, though you had never been there yourself.

But today would not be the day you went there. You were perfectly content with staying within the town's boundaries for now. Besides, once you turned your head to the left, you saw something that drew your attention more than a youth hangout would be able to.

Roughly a mile southwest of the hill you were walking on was a camp, a large collection of tents and wagons of various colors. Small pillars of smoke were rising from all over the camp, likely from firewood, and you could spot a few creatures walking back and forth. Just behind the camp were the roofs of several of Ponyville's buildings, showing that the place was not far from the town. The sight of it reminded you of a music festival that you had been dragged to before, but soon you were overcome with embarrassment once you remembered why the camp existed in the first place.

You had forgotten that just two days ago, nearly a thousand refugees from Canterlot came to Ponyville with whatever they could bring. As well, nearly five hundred guards were stationed here, with their base being at town hall. Most of the refugees were set up at this camp, though a lucky few, mainly families, were able to be housed in buildings in town that had enough space. Two of those places happened to be both the Castle of Friendship and the School of Friendship, with the headmare gladly offering rooms and free meals at the cafeteria.

You were a bit taken aback waking up to find vacant dorm rooms filling up with adults and their families, even though very few students had left the school since the emergency meeting. You had even spent some time near the refugees when at breakfast, and some were even roaming around Ponyville's streets, having conversations about the small home of most of the Elements of Harmony.

You stopped in your tracks, resting at the foot of the hill with your eyes glued to the campsite. You remained stationary for what must have been a few minutes, withstanding even the wind that blew through the hairs of your coat, until eventually, you lifted a foreleg to take a step forward before immediately placing it back on the ground. The urge to wander there was still present, as you had a desire, though a recent one, to find something of interest to you. But the fear of finding the wrong answer kept you at bay at the same time, as you could already see your world crashing down the moment you learned of a painful truth.

"HEY, [Y/N]!"

A loud feminine voice rang out somewhere near you, and you twisted and turned your body in all directions until you looked towards the Everfree Forest, where an orange and yellow object was flying in the air. As it got closer, you realized that the object was a creature of some sort, based on how you could spot the wings. And within a few yards, the creature landed right in front of you on the road, revealing themself to be a very familiar dragon.

"Professor Smolder?" you asked in confusion.

The dragon slowly approached you, as she had to be careful with the clear plastic box she was carrying in both hands which held many objects, excluding the mess of rope that was around her neck.

"Hey there!" the professor greeted with a grin. "I didn't expect to see you this far away from the town."

"I like to take long walks sometimes," you answered, though your curious eyes were on the box she was holding. "Can I ask what you're doing?"

"Oh. I'm just gathering stuff for the folks at the camp behind you. Me and a few volunteers have been all over town getting things and then coming back. I was just leaving the animal sanctuary with some feed when I saw you on the road."

You looked up at her, frowning a bit. "I thought the soldiers here were responsible for taking care of the refugees."

"They are," Smolder confirmed. "But they mainly hand out food and water. You know --- the essentials. Most of the refugees weren't able to get all their stuff before leaving Canterlot, so they've been putting out requests for random things to make life a bit easier for them. And with the semester canceled, I figured I use my time to help those in need. And with some many creatures, I've been busy. This is my fifth run today, and it's not even afternoon, yet!"

You took a quick inspection of the box again before addressing your teacher. "And you've gotten all of this stuff for free?"

The dragon shrugged. "Well, only a few not-very-important things were free. Despite everything that's happened, creatures can't afford to turn their businesses into charities. Most of this stuff I had to pay for with my own bits, but I was able to sign out a few IOU's, so technically some of this stuff is free, at least for today."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that."

Smolder chuckled. "It's alright. I'm still getting paid by the school even with this crisis, so I'm set. At least I have a good home and creatures to rely on. Can't complain about that, really."

You nodded. "That is true."

To you, Professor Smolder was an alright teacher. She was usually cool and collected when lecturing, and as far as you were aware you never saw or heard of her losing her temper at anycreature. Thus, you were really surprised to have learned from Professors Ocellus and Silverstream that the dragon once had a very rebellious and firey attitude back when she was a student at the school. 

The dragon unfurled her wings and flapped them, lifting herself off of the ground. "Well, I don't mean to keep you from your walking. I just saw you and wanted to say hi. I'll be on my way to the camp to drop this stuff off before seeing if there's any more requests."

Smolder barely got ten yards away before you lifted a hoof towards her. "WAIT!"

The dragon stopped midair and turned to give you a puzzled look. "Is everything alright?"

You gulped before stammering out a few words. "Well... I-I, um... I was t-thinking that..."

Though you had gotten your professor's attention, you were not confident in whether or not you wanted to be committed to what you were planning. The thought of finding an unpleasant truth returned to plagued your mind, along with the possibility that you would just come across dead ends in the form of clueless creatures who had no idea of what you were asking them. Was it simply best to just go back home and wait for the authorities on the radio to give you the updates that you've been longing for? Eventually, there would have to be news about the deceased and the tranced victims.

But once you were collected enough to look at your professor, your sight soon passed her and landed on the camp. In a move that caused you to nearly gasp, a golden warmth spread throughout your chest when the tents and wagons camp to your vision, and with it came a sense of longing that seemed to wash away the stain of doubt and fear. 

"I... I wanted to know if there's anything I could do to help the camp," you finished, surprising the dragon, who floated back to you.

"Are you sure about that? I mean --- you don't want to finish your little stroll or something?"

You shook your head. "I'm good. I don't mean to stay for more than a few hours before heading back to the school. But..., I'm curious to see if I can do anything here. I mean, I would want help in a time when I needed it, and it must be right to do a good thing."

The dragon silently contemplated the thought to herself with an unsure face, until she finally cracked a beaming smile. "Alright then! Sure, you can help! There's a reception desk near the front of the camp where I'm heading. I'm in a bit of a hurry, but when I fly there and drop this stuff off, I'll tell them about you and they'll give you something to do."

You nodded again. "Thank you, professor."

Smolder chuckled. "I gotta say, [Y/N], you've never been any trouble in class, but I never really thought of you as an attentive student, either. No offense."

Out of politeness, you grew a small smile, though you did not know if it was genuine or not. "None taken."

"But," she continued, "I am glad to see you've embraced the second tenet of kindness that I always stress in class: a creature who helps others essentially helps themselves, too. Lots of well-to-do creatures would turn from a sight like the camp. Sure, it's not a good thing to see others in distress, but ignoring them doesn't work, either." The dragon turned around and flew off. "You'll get a lot of good karma from this! I promise!"

You watched as your kindness professor shrank and shrank into the distance until you could barely see her. Once that was the case, you picked up your legs and began to march through the grass towards the camp. The karma comment replayed itself in your ear, and in a way you were ashamed. Though you would be helping creatures in need, you had your own hidden motives for being in such a place.





You handed the can of baby formula over to the orange earth pony mare, who placed it in a basket on the ground that held another can and some over-the-counter medicine. With the can out of her mouth, the mare looked behind her at two foals near the opening of a tent mashing toy stallions together while making rambunctious, miscellaneous noises. 

"Thank you so much for bringing us all of this, young man," she said to you with a smile. "I was really worried that the requests wouldn't come through until tomorrow. The essentials are important, but it's good to know that the kids will have their hooves busy while we're all here."

You nodded. "You're welcome, ma'am. Is there anything else that I can do for you? Like any more requests?"

The mare shook her head. "No. I think we're be okay for now. There's enough formula for Frazzle to last a week, and the cold medicine should help Dasher with his cough. But thank you for your concern. I just hope that we'll be back home before the month is over, even if the new house will be missing some old things."

"Well, I heard that the weather teams in Cloudsdale won't be delivering snow here anytime soon --- given recent events. So you don't need to worry about it being too cold."

The mare sighed. "That's a real relief. It's good to know that somecreature is thinking with their head up there. But still, it's all just a shock. I had so many plans for the family next month, especially once Hearth's Warming came, and now with these explosions and monsters happening all over Equestria, it just seems that the holidays this year won't be really festive for anycreature."

You yourself looked over to the playing foals and the mobile baby crib next to a foldable chair, where you could spot a single foal lying within. "It's rough right now, but I'm sure the princess will take care of everything."

"Oh, I have faith, too. But still... Well, thank you again. I won't keep you busy."

The mare turned began to walk over to the chair, but you managed to halt her progress. 

"Wait," you said aloud, causing the mare to pause in her tracks.

"Is everything alright?" she asked you. "I don't think I forgot anything."

You moved up closer to her. "I just have a quick question is all. I know it's unlikely, given how many of you left Canterlot, but if you could just tell me if you recognized some creatures before you left, I would greatly appreciate it."

The mother stared at you with a blank, uncertain face. "Well, I can try if I can. Who exactly do you think I might have saw?"

You gave a quick detail of your background, including your name and the fact that you were from Canterlot. You then provided information on your family to her, including their names, race, physical descriptions, and occupations. You even mentioned the part of the city where they lived. But once you finished explaining yourself, the mare bestowed you a pitying frown as if you were a lost kitten or puppy.

"Oh, my dear," she said with dolor. "I'm so, so sorry. I don't remember ever seeing anycreature fitting your story before leaving the city. But... But... I'm sure that maybe I just missed them. Maybe they're here somewhere, or maybe they were one of those that got their consciousness taken away. They just have to be somewhere." 

You know she meant well. As a mother herself, she could easily imagine the fear of not knowing what happened to those close to her once something truly bad had happened. And yet, you had to resist the twitching urge to scowl at her for her palpable pity for you, a fault that you strongly scolded yourself for in your mind as unwarranted.

"Well..., thank you for being honest with me," you said with a fake smile. "I'll be going now. If you need any more help, just go to the reception desk."

The mare sat back in the chair she was in before you came by her tent. "I will. Thanks for reminding me. And good luck on your search!"

With a nod at her, you turned around and went over to a small wooden cart parked on the grassy lane between the two rows of tents and wagons. Amongst the various items littered throughout you grabbed a small clipboard holding a pencil and a few written layers of papers. Taking the pencil out, you crossed away at the wording of "Tent 67", along with the list of requested items below. 

"Next one is Tent Forty-Two," you said before putting the clipboard back.

You moved around the side of the cart to reach its front, where a metal harness was held in place by two poles. Working your way around the necessary steps, you finally got your torso within the harness, and once that was done you pulled the cart behind you as you walked through the lane and headed to your destination.

Once you had arrived at the reception desk of the camp, you were quickly given the task of delivering supplies and other items to creatures upon the workers realizing that you were the pony that Smolder had mentioned to them. The workers quickly explained to you the organization of the tents and wagons, all of which held their own unique number and were organized into several rows. Thus, you only had to make a few short turns before reaching the next tent, though it could have been a wagon as well.

But you took your time in reaching the next location. Aside from not wanting something from the cart to fall out from a bump in the lanes that you might run into, you wanted to get a good look at the inside of the camp.

Despite being less than a week old, the place gave off the ambiance of an old shanty town. The tents were of various sizes, with most being of a medium built meant to hold at least four creatures, though there were also extremes on both ends. The largest tent you laid your eyes on since coming here reminded you of the ones that usually held religious events, and of course, there were also tents for a single creature to live in. The wagons here were old and rickety for the most part, though some were a bit colorful, reminding you of the retired wagon that Counselor Trixie once showed off during orientation. Regardless of their size or complexion, each tent and wagon had a number sign either attached to it or placed on an adjacent pole in the ground.

With each tent or wagon you passed by, you were careful to see if you could spot an opening into its interior, though not too sluggish to be tardy with your duties or impede others' progress. So far, most creatures were out of their cramp homes, walking or flying about or simply conversing with one another. Whenever you failed to spot someone of familiarity through those openings you looked for, your eyes scanned out the inhabitants around you. But so far, the ones you searched for were nowhere in sight. 

But you would have to put your search on pause for now. You had arrived at your second destination today --- an orange circular tent with a pointy roof that had a sign labeled "42" hung up above the entrance flaps. Keeping your harness on, in case nocreature was here, you approached the flaps and cleared your throat. 

"Hello? Is anycreature inside? I got some items for Tent Forty-Two."

Just seconds later, you heard a muffled collection of noises from the other side of the flaps, along with what sounded like static. You backed yourself and the cart away just in time for a male griffon with blue and white feathers to come from inside of the tent.

"You said that there's stuff for this tent?" he asked. "Tent Forty-Two?"

You nodded. "Yes. Did you request the walking cane, bowl, lamp, and a pillow?"

The griffon smiled politely, floating over to the back of the cart. "Ah, yes. We do need those things."

You quickly undid your harness and joined the griffon. "Do you mind if I help you out?"

The griffon frowned. "Thank you, but it's not that much."

"I know. It's just that I have some questions to ask everycreature in the tent. That's all. So I figured I help out a bit."

"Oh. Well, sure then."

You had grabbed the lamp with your forehoof and the cane with your mouth, while the griffon collected the other items. You followed him into the tent, where you were greeted by a glowing orange atmosphere with a brown tint. Occupying the tent, besides two bunk beds, a sleeping bag, and a glass table holding an active radio, were an elderly male griffon in a rocking chair, a middle-aged female griffon knitting what looked like a sweater while also sitting in a chair, and two child griffons sitting on the rug of the tent while playing a board game.

The male griffon approached the female one, who lifted her eyes and ceased her work. 

"It's just a volunteer, Mom," he said before leaving the pillow on top of the sleeping bag on the ground. "They brought over the stuff we asked for."

The female griffon smiled at you. "Well, that's very generous of you to spend your time helping us," she said. "You can give the cane over to my father over there. Gale will take the lamp off your hooves." 

Upon hearing his name, the male griffon floated over to you and held out his claws, by which you handed over the handle of the lamp. You walked over to the elderly griffon on the right side of the tent and gently placed the walking cane on the "wall" right behind his chair.

The elder looked at his new cane before slowly and shakily turning his sight on you, his eyelids barely revealing anything.

"Thank you so much, youngster," he spoke in a creaky voice. "As you can see, I'm not as sturdy as I used to be. Poor Gale basically had to stay by my side ever since the monster attacks. I didn't have enough time to get my old stick from the house when all that terror happened."

You gave him a small smile. "Well, I'm glad you can get around on your own again, sir. Is there anything else you need?"

Slowly, the elderly griffon shook his head. "Nope. Gale, Gerlinda. Is there anything that you or the little ones want?"

"No, Grandpa," Gale answered. 

"I'm pretty sure we're all okay for now, Dad," replied the female griffon as she continued knitting.

"Well, then," resumed the elderly griffon, "I guess you're free to go, youngster. There's others that need help."

"Actually, um..., there's one thing I need to ask you," you admitted awkwardly. "It's a bit personal to me."

The elderly griffon frowned in confusion. "And what would that be?"

Like before with the earth pony mother, you explained to him all the relevant information about the members of your family, in the hopes that it would jog his memory in case he did come across them. When you were done delivering the details, there was a near silence in the room that was uncomfortable, even with the radio going off about irrelevant, simple subjects. You noticed that the elderly griffon's frown had become one of pity, and when looking behind yourself, Gale's and Gerlinda's faces each held a picture of discomfort.

"I'm so sorry," the elderly griffon apologized. "As old as I am, I feel like I would have noticed someone like the ones you mentioned. Then again, it was crowded at the safe zone before we left Canterlot."

"I can't remember seeing those creatures either," Gale admitted gravely. "Like Grandpa said, there were a lot of us that evacuated outside the city. Maybe they got on the train before us, or maybe they're one of the tranced. But I imagine that the latter isn't good."

"I was with the younger ones when the attacks happened," said Gerlinda. "I made it to the safe zone before Gale and Dad, but I can't remember seeing anycreature you talked about. It was all chaotic when we evacuated Canterlot, and there were so many creatures getting on the trains to leave the mountain. It's hard to tell if I even bumped into one of them."

It was hard to hide the disappointment etching itself onto your face, but you still wanted to drag this out as long as necessary before giving up.

"What about the camp here?" you asked quickly. "Maybe you crossed into somecreature that matches what I told."

Gerlinda was the first one to speak up. "When we all came here together we mainly kept to ourselves. We haven't really traveled far from the tent, besides Gale. I'm sorry, but we haven't seen anyone like the ones you described."

You turned over to the male griffon, who was quick to answer you. "I've been getting out from time to time to stretch my wings while flying around the town, so I haven't really walked around the camp, you know? And though I've been into town a few times, I'm mostly near creatures who've lived here before the explosions occurred."

You looked around for a while, hoping that a buried memory would pop up in one of these creatures' minds and that they would burst with information relevant to your search. As the seconds went on, though, all you received were sad stares from the adults of the room, while the children clanked their pieces on the board game. Eventually, you closed your eyes and let out a sigh.

"Well, thank you for... trying to help," you said with a low tone. "I greatly appreciate it."

"Can I ask what your name is?" asked Gerlinda, her eyes still pitying you.

You told her your name.

"And where are you staying, dear?"

"At the School of Friendship on the north end of town. I'm a student there."

Despite the atmosphere of the tent, Gerlinda summoned a hopeful smile. "Well, I'll try to get out a bit when Gale isn't too busy to watch his siblings. And when that does happen, I'll be sure to be on the lookout for those creatures you mentioned and tell them about you. Just... please don't lose faith."

You smirked, though like with Professor Smolder over an hour ago, you did not know if it was genuine or just done out of politeness.

"I'll try to keep faith," you said. "Thank you."

Turning around, you exited the tent, passing by the entrance flap to enter back into the outside space of the camp. The bright light of the sun stunned you for a bit after being without it for a few minutes, but once you were over it you went over to your parked cart. To your surprise, nocreature seemed to have taken anything out of it, including the clipboard you grabbed, though perhaps that type of thinking was on you for assuming that most creatures would abandon their sense of decency just because they're in a difficult spot. Then again, maybe the guards present were a sort of deterrent against crime. Being isolated in a cell of some sort with limited freedom was probably worse off than living in a tent or wagon.

Grabbing the pencil with your mouth, you crossed off "Tent 42" on the clipboard and read the requested items under "Tent 107". Looking back at the cart, you saw that the requested items for the next tent were the last things present. Therefore, once you were done with your last delivery, you thought it best to return to the reception desk for any more tasks.

Tossing the clipboard back in, you went around the cart and attached the harness to your chest. Knowing where to go, you dragged the cart behind you as you went on your way through the camp. Like before, you took your time as you traveled, being careful to examine the faces of every creature you came across, and being sure to look into the clear, open spaces of whatever tents or wagons you came across. 

Though the idea crossed your mind, you felt like it was best not to intrude on these refugees' personal boundaries, even if you could use the excuse of being a volunteer to bother them. If you were lagging in your responsibilities by asking everycreature here about your family, you would probably have your privileges removed and be kicked out of camp, as the only outsiders allowed were guards and approved volunteers. 

As much as it may be simple blind wishing, you had to hope that you would get lucky and get the information you needed from one of the creatures that you were tasked with helping. You quickly thought back to Gerlinda, the female griffon, who said that she promised to tell your family members where you were if she came across them. It was good to know that somecreature was willing to help you out through your troubles. Indeed, it was really comforting to know that you were not alone in your source.

But... as you were swimming in a sea of good feelings, a question occurred to you that made you stop in your tracks between the rows of tents and wagons. It was a horrifying thought that you were ashamed only came to you now instead of two days ago, and it was so troubling that it gripped your heart in a vice:

Why would your family come to you only when someone told them where you were? 

It was a question that haunted you... because your family should have known where to find you. 

They sent you to the school before summer ended. They knew that you would be in Ponyville.

So if they were here..., why was it taking them so long to find you?

They should have stopped by the school two days ago when they arrived with the rest of the refugees. 

You knew that once the refugees had registered themselves at the camp that they were free to travel amongst the town to look for loved ones and buy supplies if they had enough bits, so there was no excuse for them to have not come to the school and reunite with you.

To hold you.

To see if you were okay.

To tell you that they would not leave you alone again.

So...

Where were they?

With your mouth agape, you remained motionless as creatures walked and flew all around you, oblivious to the nauseating spell that you were under. Your eyes laid on the grass below you, yet a raging shadow soon blinded your vision until you saw the most terrible of things with your new sight. 

Charred black bodies in the aftermath of an explosion.

Bruised corpses lying underneath piles of rubble.

Bloody, half-alive creatures on the brink of death after being crushed by a careless monster.

Body after body, one messed up situation after the next replayed itself in your head. You could smell the iron in the blood underneath your hooves and the burning of skin and fur, and the crying and screaming and begging for late help ran from one ear canal and out of the next. Sensations and noises you have never experienced before began to weigh you down, so much so in fact that you croaked as if you were a frog that was being squeezed by a rough child.

Yet, through the head-spinning, dizzy ordeal, the one thing to bring you out of your hallucinating stupor was a small stream of water that ran down your cheek. 

Feeling the wet and cold sensation, you blinked, and the horror show was soon replaced with fields of grass and the noise of the real world. You looked all around with a blank stare, searching for any telltale signs of death and misery hiding amongst the vibrant and living population. When, to your comfort, nothing was out of order, you brought a hoof up to underneath your eye to wipe away at the wetness.

You can save them for when it becomes true. 

You continued on your way to Tent One Hundred and Seven, making sure to not bump into anycreature as you resumed your pass-by searches. 

You had not received a clear-cut answer yet, so you repressed those bodies deep inside of your mind where they would not pop up again for some time. You just hoped that nothing would ooze from underneath the door of your mental closet.

In time, after just a few minutes, you reached it --- a large, green, rectangular tent with the number sign placed above the entrance flaps. Nocreature was outside near it, so once you parked in front of the tent and left the cart, you approached the entrance and called out with a loud voice.

"Hello? Is anycreature inside? I have some items that somecreature requested!"

"Yeah! Hold on!" you heard a male voice say.

From out of the flaps appeared a light-indigo pegasus stallion with a short dark-blue mane. He appeared to be middle-aged,  had stubble that matched his mane color, and wore both a pair of glasses and a white dress shirt with a black tie. The sight of the stallion, though not objectively offensive, bothered you. For some reason, his appearance reminded you of something unpleasant, but you could not put your tongue on the exact issue.

"Hello, there," the stallion greeted. "Are you a camp worker?"

Caught off guard by his question, you rapidly shook your head to get rid of the confused frown that sprung up. "Um..., yes. I'm a volunteer."

The stallion continued on as he went to the cart. "And I'm guessing that you're here to deliver five notebooks, a typewriter, and a mane brush?"

You went back to the cart too and brought out the clipboard. Despite knowing these were the last items, you wanted to be sure that those at the reception desk still gave you the right things.

"That... seems to be it," you confirmed. 

The stallion smirked. "Yeah. The foals I'm looking after need to keep themselves preoccupied. They're mostly high school seniors, but without any guardians for them to be with, I have to take care of them until this whole thing is over."

You frowned again. "Oh... Well, I hope things get better for them."

Without taking anything, the stallion walked back over to the tent. "Sadly, all we can do is hope. May the princess find a solution soon. But anyway, I need to go talk to another teacher real quick, so I'll get the students who asked for this stuff." The stallion pushed aside one side of the flaps and poked his head inside. "Maple! Valor! Your stuff is here!"

In one instance, you felt as if the ground had vanished from underneath your hooves, and you quickly had to lean yourself against the cart to stop yourself from falling. A thousand cellular and chemical reactions enacted themselves throughout your body, from the blood in your vessels no longer rushing to your brain and making you light-headed and panting, to   your sweat glands going into overdrive underneath your now damp fur. 

So many things occurred in such little time, and it was all because of those two simple names you heard the stallion call out.

You wanted so much to believe that the two ponies you feared seeing the most were not in that tent. In fact, you had a quick moment of doubt that it was truly them. Maple and Valor must have been common names, right? And the stallion did not even mention Maple's full name, so it could be an entirely different creature. But that moment in your head was only quick because you soon remembered that the stallion said that he was looking after high school students.

At that realization, you could feel your shaky legs trying to make a break for it on their own accord, completely disregarding the task you were assigned to and the ulterior motive you had for being at this camp. In these few seconds, you were reduced back to the fearful foal that you were for months before leaving Canterlot, and as you struggled to get back up you knew that you did not want to face that pain again.

"Hey. Are you okay?" you heard the stallion from earshot.

Coming slightly back to your senses, you lifted your head up to address him, and in doing so, you saw that the pegasus was no longer alone. Right to his side were two teenage ponies, one an earth pony and the other a unicorn. The earth pony, a filly, had a hot pink coat, a curly brown mane with a ladybug hairpin, and her agaped mouth revealed her braces. The unicorn, a chubby colt who was shorter than the filly, had a bright yellow coat, a sleek black mane, and an agaped face as well.

You stared at the two younger ponies with their mouths wide open, all while the indigo stallion looked between you and the pair in utter confusion. To be honest, you could not blame the older pony for being befuddled at this awkward contest between the remaining three of you. You truly had no idea of what to say or do.

After all, out of all the places in Equestria that two of your former friends could have ended up at, you never imagined them to meet you right here in Ponyville.
> Chapter 13 (Pt 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite the air of livelihood all around, brought in by the camp refugees conversing with one another and performing other tasks, there was a small bubble encasing you and the other three ponies that cut you all off from the outside world with a grave mute button. While the indigo pegasus stallion had a more disciplined composure with only a simple frown to give, you and the two teenage ponies were still stuck in a stalemate of flabbergasted expressions.

"Alright now, kids," said the stallion, breaking the silence. "Is there some type of joke I'm not getting, or---"

Being able to finally pick her jaw up from the ground, the pink earth pony filly was able to speak, in which your name was said. 

Upon hearing your name, the stallion looked back at you with a shocked face at first, before the it eventually turned into a sober yet judgemental scowl.

"Oh... I thought you looked familiar," the stallion said in a displeased tone. "It's been a while since I've last seen you."

The stone-cold glare and harsh voice from the pegasus made you cringe backward. His sudden change in demeanor made you try to shrink yourself down as small as you could, hoping that your existence would not be seen as offensive to him any longer. But instead of going in on the offensive, as you feared he would, the stallion turned around and walked away from the tent.

"Maple Bug. Valor. I'll be talking to Mrs. Treehope about some supply issues. I won't be far from the tent for long, but tell the others to behave themselves while I'm gone."

Whether it was because of a hurry he was in, or because he was eager to get away from you, the stallion did not even bother to get a straight answer from the two teenagers as he went on his way. With him gone, though, you summoned enough strength in all four legs to stand up straight while next to the cart, all while keeping your eyes on your former friends. You slightly opened your mouth, unsure of what words would proceed from your lips, but the decision to initiate a conversation was done by the chubby, short yellow colt.

"[Y/N]? What are you doing here?" he asked with a low, skittish voice. "I thought you left Canterlot months ago. You're not supposed to be here like the rest of us."

You hesitated for a bit before answering. "I... I... I was sent to the School of Friendship before summer ended by my folks. I'm a student there, not a refugee, Valor."

The pink filly gasped. "Woah. I didn't think your family would send you to such a fancy school."

You felt like chuckling a bit, but you suppressed that. "I wouldn't really call it fancy, Maple. There's no tuition involved. Maybe prestigious is better."

"Oh. I just mean that I'm surprised they even let you in at all considering..." A look of embarrassment overcame the pink filly before she lightly slapped her hoof against her forehead. "Man! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have even brought that up!"

You knew exactly what she was referring to: the reason for you even being in Ponyville in the first place. One relief you had gotten from being away from Canterlot was that only a few creatures around you knew what you had done, as the event was mainly local news back home. So to be reminded about it verbally, even slightly, by somecreature else managed to elevate at least one vein from beneath your skin.

But this was Maple. You knew she would never intend to make you uncomfortable. Still, you wanted to change the issue as quickly as possible.

"That stallion that I met," you said, "who is he?"

"That's Mr. Night Soaring," Valor answered. "He's a philosophy teacher at the high school."

It clicked with you why you were a bit bothered with meeting him. "I had a feeling I saw him before."

"Yeah. He only teaches seniors. That's probably why it took a while for the both of you to recognize each other."

"Yeah, but... why are you two with him?" you asked.

Both Maple and Valor avoided looking at you for a bit as if they were in search of an excuse to place their attentions elsewhere, but with no alternate routes to take their faces came back to your sight rather quickly.

"You see," Maple started off with, "a lot of students lost contact with their parents and guardians when the explosions and monsters happened. So the princess ordered that schools take in their students who were by themselves before evacuating."

Your eyes grew in horror, so much so that you were certain that your pupils were surrounded by white seas.

"H-hold on now. A-are you, a-are y-you saying-g that your---"

"Not me, [Y/N]!" a worried Maple exclaimed with reassurance while frantically waving her hooves. "Not me! My parents and my little brother are alive. But they were tranced by a monster, so they're with a few others at a mental hospital in Baltimare. But..."

Maple looked down again, uncertain of what to say next. It took you a while to realize what she was hinting at, but you met Valor's depressing gaze when you noticed he had not said anything yet.

"An... explosion happened near my house," Valor said quietly. "My parents and grandma... they didn't make it."

You gasped at the news, your mind racing through the memories of your encounters with those family members just mentioned to you. You barely interacted with any of those individuals whenever you visited either Maple's or Valor's homes,  but your moments with them were at least amiable enough for you to take the blows from hearing of their fates. Half of you was at least grateful to know that Maple's family might make it out of this situation if a cure is found for them, but the second half pondered on the last moments of Valor's loved ones.

In the end, you managed to speak out a few mere words. "I'm... sorry about that. For both of you."

It took some time for words to be spoken again.

"Look, [Y/N]," said Valor with his usual nervousness. "I'm really glad for your condolences and all, and I'm happy to know that you weren't in Canterlot when everything was blowing up, but I think you should just give us what we requested and go on your way."

You tilted your head. There was no malice in Valor's voice, so you knew that he was not irritated by your presence and wanted you gone for his sanity.

"What's the rush for?" you asked.

"It's just that some of the tents in this row are filled with teachers and kids from our school. If anycreature comes out and sees you, well... I don't want to be around that type of trouble. I'm just glad that Mr. Soaring didn't do anything at."

Valor's precautions and worries were enough to make you snort through your nose, which was bit a usual for you during your times with him.

"I like to think that anyone from school would have more important things to worry about than what happened during spring," you stated bluntly, unable to hide the annoyance in your words. "You know --- like being homeless."

The yellow unicorn scratched the back of his head. "That is true, but I like to think it's better to be safer, you know? What happened is still fresh to everycreature."

With a light scowl, you turned your attention to Maple, who addressed you with a nervous smile.

"Valor's right, [Y/N]. I'm glad you're safe and all, but maybe you should---"

A male voice suddenly yelled out from within the tent. "Mape! Valor! What's taking so long?"

Popping out of the tent came two teenage colts. The first to come out was a cyan pegasus with a long creamy-yellow mane that covered half of his face, and the last was a tall, lanky unicorn with an orange coat, a mane with lime-green, white, and orange stripes, and a pair of thin glasses. At the sight of them, your legs jerked --- nearly pleading with your brain to get ready to make a break for it despite remaining still.

When the duo first came out of the tent, their attention was mainly on Maple and Valor right beside them. But after a few quick glances in your direction, the orange unicorn nudged over at the cyan peagsus and pointed straight at you with an agape mouth similar to what Maple and Valor had on earlier. That opened mouth belonging to the unicorn turned into a scowl once he had gotten the attention of his friend.

And as for the cyan pegasus, he held nothing back. As soon as his orange eyes laid sight on you, he bared his pure white teeth at you like a guard dog being tested. It was a very unsettling image that your brain would be forced to replay to you occasionally in the future. It was an event that you feared encountering once you realized that Maple and Valor were here. 

But then again, you should have known that those two would not have been as volatile to seeing you as the other two were. It was them who were the most adamant about never seeing you again.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the cyan pegasus asked, the venom nearly dripping from his hissing tone. 

You sighed, knowing that this was the last thing you wanted to deal with.

"Hello, Olly," you said dryly, before looking at the orange unicorn. "Hey, Circuit."

"I didn't say hello to you, you prick," the cyan pegasus asserted. "I said, 'what the hell are you doing here?'"

Moving away from the entrance flaps of the tent, Olly approached you with an unpleasant grimace on his face. Involuntarily, you gulped, not knowing where to go nor what would happen once it was too late to go anywhere. Just as the gap was getting closer between the two of you, Valor stepped in front of the pegasus' warpath, looking up at his friend with a terrified, appeasing smile.

"Hey, Olly!" the unicorn squeaked. "Guess what? [Y/N] is at the School of Friendship! That's where their folks sent them after summer! Isn't it cool that they're attending a place founded by the princess?"

With little effort against Valor's distraction, Olly stepped to the side and finally came face to face with you --- close enough that you could spot your own guilty reflection in his burning eyes.

"I don't care about that," he retorted. "What are you doing here?"

You said nothing. Whether it was out of annoyance or fear, you could not tell the two emotions apart. All you did was stare into Olly's eyes, waiting for something to transpire on its own accord. You simply remained as still as a cold marble statue.

"Olly, please!" begged Maple, lifting a hoof up. "They were just helping refugees. They didn't know that we were here until they came to the tent."

Circuit, the tall orange unicorn, snorted. "Well, if that's the case, then they should have just dropped off the stuff and left the moment they saw you and Valor."

"I'm sure they're not here for trouble, Circ," Valor said meekly.

"Well, like I said, if that's true," Circuit said before turning back to you, "you should drop off what Mape and Valor asked and buzz off."

"Guys, come on," Maple requested with annoyance. "We're living in tents while Canterlot is half of a ruin! We got bigger issues to deal with than being angry at someone who's doing volunteer work."

"I doubt that [Y/N] is here for the sake of charity," Olly argued, his sight still present all over your body. "I'm sure they're gonna get some extra credit back at that school for just hauling stuff around. It's easy work and it benefits them in the long run. Looking out for themself is in their nature, so I don't blame them one bit for taking advantage of a situation like this."

A slight twitch of your mouth broke through your stoic facade, making you let out a brief scowl. But as quick as it was, the pegasus' eagle vision seemed to be able to spot it down, as evident by a smirk followed by a head tilt.

"Something I said bother you?" Olly taunted quietly. "Well guess what? If me calling you out on what's true bothers you so much, then do your job, unpack the crap you're meant to deliver, and give it to us. Then you can go and worry only about yourself."

"I'll... I'll go get it real quick," Valor muttered. The unicorn turned over to the cart, but before he could move, Olly unfurled a wing and blocked his path. 

"No, Valor. Let them do it. If they're here to help others, then they can lug this stuff back and forth to the tent until it's all done. We're not in a hurry today."

Maple inched herself closer to the pegasus.

"Olly, come on. This is too much. Valor can just bring the stuff in with his magic."

Olly shrugged and actually broke eye contact with you to address the pink earth pony. "It should take like two or three minutes to bring this all in. You can even guide them to where to put it. It's not like I'm torturing them, Maple."

"But you don't even want them around you."

Olly took a deep sigh. "That's true," he admitted with underlying anger. "But, I think this is a chance for them to prove to us that they can actually do right by others, instead of just putting on an act." He turned back to you, albeit backing up a bit. "So go ahead. The notebooks and brush should be easy, though I know that the typewriter might make you put a little work into that back of yours."

Your glare returned to you in full as you kept looking at the pegasus. A thousand responses piled up in your mind initially, all of them involving telling Olly to shove it one way or another. But as your eyes looked over at a nervous Maple and Valor, and you thought of the ways that Olly would try to shoot down any attempts of assertiveness, the idea of resistance just became as tiring as trying to do extra house chores after a long work day. There were more important things to do.

With little effort, you turned around and went to the back of the cart. Leaning your upper body inside a bit, you grabbed the mane book with your mouth while you grabbed a thick notebook with your forehoof. Exiting the cart, you walked with three moving legs to the entrance of the tent, which Valor opened with the use of his magic.

"I'll show you where you can put everything," the unicorn said with a frown.

Following Valor, with the others behind you, you entered into the tent. Like the previous orange one you were in with the griffons, the green colors of the tent glowed on everycreature inside. The tent included several items, such as five bunk beds spread out, a sleeping bag in the middle, a few storage totes near the beds, a few rugs on the ground, and other miscellaneous devices you supposed made camp life easier.

Aside from you and your former friends, there were six other creatures inside --- all teenagers. One was a dragon, another was a hippogriff, and the other four were ponies. You paid little attention to them, though, focusing only on going to the right corner of the tent that Valor led you to. Eventually, he stopped in front of a storage tote in the tent's corner, just between a bunk bed on the east wall and a bunk bed on the north wall.

"Well, here we are," Valor said after turning to you. "The bunk bed on the right is mine and Maple's. You can just leave the book and brush on the box behind me."

Doing what he suggested, you moved forward to the tote and dropped the brush from your mouth, followed by the notebook. You then turned around and walked through the tent to reach the cart, while Olly, Circuit, Maple, and Valor stayed behind. At the cart, you took a notebook in your mouth and another with your forehoof before heading back to the tent.

Within the tent, you walked over to Valor's bunk bed where he and the others remained. As you went about your way, you heard some whispering to the side and turned your head in the direction it came from. The dragon, the hippogriff, and two ponies were conversing near a bunk bed with quiet voices while taking occasional glances at you. And when you turned to the other side, you were met with silent scowls from the other two ponies. 

Having looked at each teenager in the tent, their faces and/or names began to come back to you from deep within your memories' closet. You knew you shared a few classes in high school with at least some of them, while the rest were just students you may have run across every so often back then. But though they were not as confrontational as Olly about what you did months ago, you still preferred to not be a subject of conversation while here.

You dropped the notebook off at the same spot and then headed back out to the cart to get the remaining two notebooks. You used your mouth and hoof again, but you stopped for a while to look at the typewriter --- the very last thing you needed to get. It would be difficult to carry on your back, and you knew for certain that Olly would try to bulldoze Valor from helping you out, but you figured that you would come up with a solution when you were done with the notebooks.

Entering back into the tent, you could tell that the other students were still conversing about you based on their sly looks and barely audible voices. You quickly ignored it, though, wanting all of this to be over as soon as possible. 

Moving past your former friends once more, you placed the notebooks with the others and turned around to get the typewriter. Before you could get any further, Olly stepped in front of your way, probably ready to say what you imagined he would demand earlier on.

"I'm sure you can handle the last thing without anyone helping you," he said with a calm scowl. "Right guys?"

While Circuit nodded, Maple and Valor timidly looked away from you and the pegasus --- their eyes searching for anything else to examine. Without a rebuttal from you nor any fuss from Olly, you moved right past him and exited the tent. 

Reaching the back of the cart, you stared at the black box-like device, thinking of how to get it inside. You knew that balancing it on your back without it being tied to your torso would not work, as even one clumsy step would make it slide off and get damaged. Luckily for you, the decision to simply walk on your hindlegs while carrying the typewriter with your forelegs came to your mind rather quickly.

Having found a solution, you leaned into the cart and pulled the typewriter forward until it reached your chest. Wrapping your forelegs around the black box, you raised yourself on your hindlegs and lifted up the object. As you expected, the weight of the typewriter gave your wobbly forelegs some trouble with carrying it, and soon even your hindlegs began to quiver with the mere awkward steps you took to the tent.

Moving past the flaps, your eyes remained on the storage tote where the notebooks and brushes were, and you were set on reaching that spot. Even with the typewriter desiring to meet the ground rather than stay in your grasp, you pushed through with gritted teeth and possibly a popped vein or two. You were completely adamant about not having anycreature here gloat after seeing you fail at your task, especially Olly and Circuit.

You were nearly halfway through the tent, and yet you could already feel your body aching. To you, your fatigue was pathetic in a way --- given that you were an earth pony still in their youth. The idea even came to you to simply take a quick break, perhaps maybe thirty seconds at most. But that thought was quickly pushed away. Whether it was because of an eagerness to just it get over with, a desire to avoid being told to not quit by Olly, or perhaps to prove Olly wrong about how you were not capable of such a task, you continued on.

As you wobbled on, you looked on at the faces of your former friends once you were close enough. Valor and Maple bestowed you with uncomfortable frowns as if they sympathized with your struggle, while Circuit and Olly themselves continued on with their judgemental glares as if you insisted on being an eyesore to them. 

But in time, you were able to reach the tent's corner once you passed by all four of them. You lifted the typewriter a little higher up before gently lowering it down on the tote with the rest of the books. With your forelegs tender and sore, you felt much-needed relief once you lowered them on the ground. You remained stationary for a while --- allowing your body to cool down from the exhaustion while you caught your breath.

"Well, the work's done. You can go off now."

You recognized Olly's voice. You were not quick to respond, but you eventually turned around to look at the cyan pegasus. The colt stood in front of you with such a confident air of disdainfulness towards you that you nearly mistook him for a pouty seven-year-old instead of a teen one year away from adulthood.

In a way, maybe you were right to see him like that.

Other than the typewriter, what did he really get out of making you go back and forth to bring the notebooks and brush in by yourself? You had already gotten chewed out by him and Circuit months ago, and you were expelled from the school before summer even began. Was Olly really that spiteful that he still believed that he hadn't had his fill yet? Did he need to prioritize seeing you suffer, even when he and the others should worry about when they could get back home?

But in the end... why did it matter what his reasons for this petty victory were?

Whatever you had with him was gone.

Circuit felt the same way about you, too, and even Valor and Maple could not defend what you did despite how tame the two of them were. Not that ever wanted that much of a defense for your error. But...

Tired of being here, of being around them, you moved forward and headed for the tent flaps. You just wanted to continue on with your duties and get some fresh air to clear your head. You could even feel the weight of the past few months began to creep up on your mind as you left behind the four ponies who reminded you of what you had done. But while you were halfway to the exit, you stopped, as the thoughts of a few more creatures who were bothered by what you had done crossed your mind.

"My family," you said, speaking for the first time since you met Olly and Circuit just minutes ago. You turned back around and approached the group again, staring at all four ponies. "Have... Have any of you seen them?"

"What?" Olly asked angerily, taking a few steps forward. "What did you say?"

You repeated yourself. "My family. I don't know if any of them are here in camp, and they haven't come to the school yet to see me. I'm hoping that they were out of the city when the explosions and monsters came, or maybe they're one of the victims in a mental hospital. But... could you tell me if you----"

"Seriously?!?" the pegasus interrupted. "That's the first thing you want to say to me? That you want to know how your family is doing? I knew it! You're just here to help yourself! Why the hell would I help you find the losers who raised you?"

Valor's mouth dropped, and even Circuit seemed a bit taken aback.

"Geez, dude," the taller unicorn said in shock. 

Maple, however, did not hold back in giving Olly a scowl when she went over to his side. 

"Why in the world would even say that, Olympus?!?" she asked angrily. "That was completely uncalled for!"

Olly did not even budge. "Well, it's not fault that they didn't do a good enough job at raising them. I would actually care about them if they taught them to---"

"CELESTIA'S SAKE! I'M TALKING ABOUT MY FAMILY! JUST HELP ME, PLEASE!"

The air of the tent became stiff and silent. Olly, Maple, Circuit, and Valor were wide-eyed, none of them able to say a single word about the outburst you had. You had even gotten the attention of the other six creatures far away, as they stopped whatever you were doing to look at you with confused and stunned faces.

And to be honest, even you were shaken up yourself by what had just came out of your mouth. You never saw it coming, nor did you even plan to say those words, but you could only assume that your body had been ready to burst with the emotions that had been plaguing you for some time --- from days ago, to months ago. 

Even now, with you having let it all out, you could feel the foundations of your body shaking, and your breathing as well was ragged. Though self-discipline might have taken some time, you tried to compose yourself as you addressed Olly and the other three.

"I...I get it, man," you started off with. "I really do. What I did..., it ruined the school. Even if I didn't mean to do it, I made life difficult for every student and teacher back home. I get that you don't want me to be around you. I get that. But..." You tried so hard to not let any cracks show through your fortitude that was already hanging by a thread. "But this my family I'm asking for. They were just as angry with me about what I did. That's why they sent me away. I just... need to know if they're safe. And if that's not the case, I need to know what happened to them. What I did was not their fault."

Silence fell over the tent again. Maple and Valor resumed the pitying frowns they had when you were carrying stuff in. Circuit himself let go of the grudge he had to look down at the ground in melancholy. Olly's face, though as not furious as before, softened into a simple, bothered glare, but he did not meet your eyes, looking to the side instead. 

One crack was able to push through your facade. 

"Please," you begged instinctively.

Olly closed his eyes tightly, before finally opening them again with a deep sigh.

"I... don't know anything. When the evacuation began, there were a lot of creatures from different parts of the city around me. It was chaos, and I wasn't able to meet anyone I recognized until I was assigned to be looked over by the teachers of the school. And that's only because..." He stopped for a moment until he looked back at you. "Because I don't know what happened to my folks either. They never came around the evac zone, so eventually I was set up with Maple and the others. I don't know what happened to your family."

With Olly finished with his words, your frantic eyes darted back and forth between the other three ponies. They all eventually caught wind of what you were pleading for, with Maple being the first to answer.

"I didn't see your family, [Y/N]. I'm sorry."

"Sorry, dude," Valor said, also adding in his sympathies. "I can't remember seeing your folks anywhere. Either here or back at Canterlot."

In time, Circuit lifted up his head to look at you.

"You know my uncle, [Y/N]. After my parents passed, he wasn't really that upbeat about raising me. So when all this madness happened and our house got trashed, I told him that I wanted to stay with my friends rather than join him with my relatives in Bostrot. I'm glad that the old man didn't put up much of a fight, but I... guess I could have asked him if he had seen your folks before he left. I remember that he knew them a bit."

"But you haven't seen them?" you asked.

The orange unicorn shook his head. "No. Sorry."

With four answers given to you, you stared down at your hooves. The shadow of negativity came over you again, making you spiral down that pit of thoughts that plagued your mind after you left the tent with the griffons. The images and senses arrived back to you slightly, but just strong enough to make you want to heave with a sick stomach. 

"Look," you heard Olly say curtly. "You got what you wanted. Alright? You can go now."

The bad thoughts still buzzed around in your head. In fact, you had a feeling that you were not going to get rid of them for some time today. But your vision was clear enough that you could lift your head up and look straight at Olly. You had one more question left.

"Turquoise," you said. "What happened to him? Is he at a different tent?"

Olly continued to display his silent annoyance, but Circuit was free enough to answer, drawing your attention.

"He's not here. After you left, he mentioned to me how his parents would be taking him out of Canterlot when the semester was over. I think he's at a fancy school in the Crystal Empire. Given how... you did what you did, I guess they wanted him to finish high school somewhere better."

Olly produced a scoffing sound. "We didn't really knew him for that long, but I guess it's a good thing his parents pulled him out of Canterlot in time. That's one saving grace behind your screw-up."

You looked back at Olly with a blank stare that hid your anger, but the pegasus simply matched you with his own glare. The image of a brick wall came to mind, and soon the idea of arguing with him quickly died down. In fact, with the mental fog you were dealing with, you just did not have the time nor desire to continue any conflict. You had been inactive in your volunteering for some time, so it was best to resume that.

"I won't waste any of you guys' time anymore," you declared. "I don't think I can control who I'm meant to help, so for your sake I won't be volunteering here anymore."

"Yeah. Our sake," Olly scoffed once more. 

With a sigh, you looked over at your former friends one last time and found that nothing really changed about their composures. Maple and Valor were hunched with sadness, Circuit looked away from you with a frown, and Olly continued to bestow his judgemental eyes down upon you. It appeared that things were just as they were months ago, so much so that even the memories of when the four of them were not like this seem more like dreams by now.

You turned around and walked away, heading straight for the tent's exit. You did not bother to look behind for even a split second, nor did you look to the sides at the other creatures, who had halted their whispers about you. Your eyes were simply glued to the exit until you pushed aside a flap.

Back again in the outside world, you were stunned slightly by the sunlight above in the sky, making you raise a hoof over your face. You went over to the parked cart and leaned forward to retrieve the clipboard, crossing off the items of Tent 107 with the pencil. 

You placed the clipboard back where it was, but you did not take any other movements. You simply leaned against the side of the cart with your head resting on your foreleg, looking down at the grass below. A weariness had overcome you, and you felt a desire to escape this world through a slumber as your eyelids began to slide down.

Something about being here, surrounded by just..., everything, made you just want to neglect whatever tasks life had planned for you in the future and simply rest. 

"Hey, [Y/N]!"

The sound of a familiar voice pulled you out from the lake of despondency you were drowning in. You looked up in time to see Smolder flying down to land right between you and the tent you just left. 

"There you are!" she continued, walking over to you with a grin. "You're needed at the castle."

You got off of the cart and landed your forehooves on the ground, doing your best to command your muscles into allowing you to be poised.

"You mean the Friendship Castle?" you asked. 

Smolder stopped by your side, looking down into the cart. "Yeah. Headmare Starlight needs you there. I was in town when Counselor Trixie asked me if I saw you. When she told me to tell you the news, I let her know that I would get you from camp."

You frowned. "Does she need me now?"

She looked back at you and shook her head. "Not right now. She'll need you in about three hours. But just in case, you might want to leave right now, since the counselor did seem to be worried about finding you."

As much as you were getting sick of being in camp, the implications of seeing the headmare made you hesitant to leave. 

"What about the volunteer work?" you asked under the guise of concern.

Smolder waved her claw at you. "Oh, don't worry about it. You can just explain to the desk that you're needed back at school. Besides, we don't exactly have a shortage of volunteers, and from how the cart looks I say that you've already done your part today. Albeit, not a grand one. You can always come back to help another day."

As much as you wanted to argue, like with Olly minutes ago you had no drive in you to insist that you could be doing anything. You did not like the situation you were in, but you hoped at the very least that whatever Headmare Glimmer needed to see you for was the ppposite of what you have been dreading for the past few days.

"Well..." you said. "I guess I'll be going off, then."

Smolder beamed at you. "Alright, then! I'll see you later! Don't worry about the cart, I'll take care of it."

Knowing that your duties were at an end, you turned away from the cart and your professor to find your way to the front desk of the camp. Your eagerness to leave this place had been somewhat satisfied... somewhat. But you were now worried that you were heading into something that would make your day worse.





Based on previous walks you had gone on, it takes usually an hour or so to go from the southern limits of Ponyville to its northern limits, and vice-versa. After your visit to the front desk, you went around half of the camp before heading into town to make your way to the castle. Eventually, after you made it through the cluster of cottage houses and other colorful buildings, you reached the upper space of the town where the school and castle were.

You stayed along the dirt road for your trek, fearful that wandering off from it would make you wander off from the castle in general. Despite the lack of ardor on your part to go there, you did not feel the need to be rebellious today either. There was not anywhere else for you to go other than the school, and you knew that hiding out even there would be futile, as the staff would be looking for you after some time.

Yet, as the purple and blue crystal structure in the distance got closer to you with each advancing step, a thorn continued to drill itself into your side with such irritation that you wondered if being obedient was really the right choice. If the outcome for coming would be as you expected, then maybe running away would be the best choice. Sure, perhaps it was something unrelated, like news about your family, but at this point that was just wishful thinking to you.

You almost died in the future, and you were so scared that you would be trapped there forever. 

Luster, Starlight, and Sunburst may have gotten you out of there, but would a second-time work? How would they even know when you were in danger while in there? And if you did die or get hurt, would it affect your body in the present? As far as you were aware, you did all of the things in the past that a living body was capable of doing as designed by nature, and yet you were never told by those who brought you back that your unconscious body was temporarily became thin and ghastly --- just as it was with that monster you encountered.

You hated this.

You hated worrying. You hated being hurt. You hated being reminded of your struggles and mistakes --- whether it be past, present, or those yet to come. It hasn't even been a week since the monster disaster and your trip to the future, and yet you were already done with life. Everything just seemed to remind you that life was not worth it if it meant being bombarded with meteors of bad news and inconveniences.

Why me? Why do I have to be centered around all of this? It's bad enough that my home is gone and my friends hate me, but now I have something to do with the fate of Equestria? Why? What can I do? What can some kid do to save everycreature?

You were close enough to the castle now that you could see the few golden features that it had, mainly the roofs, balconies, and front stairs. And at those very stairs, you spotted a pink figure at the base that seemed to shift and move. As you transitioned into a trot, the pink object transformed in your sight with each succeeding step into a familiar unicorn mare with a luscious orange and yellow mane.

"Luster?" you called out.

The mare, sitting on the ground, turned around to face you, having been looking up at the sky.

"[Y/N]!" she said, getting off her haunches to stand up as you approached. "I wasn't expecting you to come so soon."

You stopped in your tracks, roughly six feet between you and your kindness classmate.

"I decided to come a bit early. Better to get on with it, you know?"

Luster nodded. "I understand."

You suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Why were you expecting me?"

"The headmare and vice-principal called me to the castle, too. They told me that the meeting had everything to do with you. They sent Counselor Trixie to go find you while they let me in on what needed to happen. When I was done being taught, I decided to just hang out here until you came."

"So..., what do you know about the meeting?"

"It's about your trip... to the future."

Frowning, she spoke those last words with reluctance, probably by how she read either your face or understood the tone in your voice. It probably did not matter which one she caught first, but it was likely that by now you both knew of how you did not desire to go through the ordeal again.

"Did they tell you about what happened in the office after the emergency meeting? And the day after?" 

Luster nodded. "They tried, [Y/N]," she pleaded. "They really did try, but the ethereal spell is so strong that it's basically a part of you. Transferring it to another creature is just impossible."

You looked down at the ground, your shadowy face hardly changing. "I guess there's no other way then."

"There are some updates that are more on the... upside," you heard Luster say. "You'll still be going to the future on your own, but you'll have some protection. But perhaps it's best if the headmare and vice-principal explain more to you. Since you're early, it's best to get as much done as possible today."

Slowly, you lifted your head up, your eyes meeting with Luster's amber ones.

"Sure," you said in defeat. "I'm right behind you."

She continued to frown at you for some time, but soon her pitying came to an end as she turned around and began to ascend the stairs. You followed suit.

"Have you been here before?" she asked.

"No."

"Well, they're both in the Hall of Friendship. It's where the Cutie Map is. I'll show you where."

She had reached the top of the stairs where the dual entrance doors were, and with little effort encased the handles on one side in an orange glow. Before she could open the door all the way, you reached a single hoof out toward her and called out.

"Wait."

Immediately, the pink unicorn halted the door's progress, leaving it a quarter open. She looked down at you with an uncertain expression.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

"I, um, wanted to apologize for how I acted at the emergency meeting in the hallway. You were only trying to look out for me, and I ended up making you think that you were being a bother instead."

Luster's eyes quickly shifted over to the side, as if she was acknowledging another creature present. 

"You're... apologizing for that?"

You nodded with an accompanying, embarrassed chuckle. "Yeah. I mean, what I said was a bit insensitive."

The mare seemed to mull over your words a bit to herself, but soon her pondering glare turned into a humored grin.

"I can see what you mean, but I wasn't really hurt by what you said. I know you, [Y/N], and you like to keep things to yourself. So when you reacted the way you did, I wasn't happy with it, but I understood that you didn't want me to intervene in your life and decisions."

"But I... could have been a bit more---"

"[Y/N]. It's alright. I promise. We're friends, right?"

You stared up at your towering classmate, her smile failing to have falter in any way. Suddenly, a weird phenomenon happened. Whether it was magic or something spiritual, it was hard to tell, but you felt it all pass through your cells. An invisible energy radiated from her that seemed to warm your cheeks and freshen your dull sight while also adding in sparkles. Youthful vigor struck your muscles and spine, making you stand up straight instead of being slumped as before.

The pink unicorn herself did not transform into a beautiful goddess or sun spirit by any means, but yet an eerie sense of worship crossed your mind as a way to show your gratitude for her bestowing her grace upon you. With how grim things have been today, both with the camp and Olly, Luster's smile seemed to wash off the grime of despair that had clung to your fur for days. Not even the cheerful looks from Smolder and some of the refugees you encountered were able to lift up your spirits.

It passed, though, as quickly as it came, and yet you could still feel its odd yet pleasant residue. It was such a strange experience, and yet you welcomed it with your own bashful smile, which you did not hide from Luster.

"Well, I wouldn't say we're..." you began to say, though you trailed off from saying anything diminishing. "Well..., thanks for not holding a grudge. I appreciate that. Especially today."

A light giggle escaped from the unicorn. "It's no problem. Let's go in."

With her magic, Luster swung the door open and the two of you entered the castle. Once you had made it inside, Luster closed the door, separating you from the outside world.
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the doors closed behind you, you stood right behind Luster Dawn, who walked over to a golden set of doors filled with green stained glass. 

"The Hall of Friendship is right here," the pink unicorn said to you. "They're already expecting us."

Luster pushed open the door and disappeared inside the room, and soon you walked forward to enter as well. In the span of just a few seconds between the two sets of doors, you looked around at the interior of the castle. The floor was made mostly of blue stone, though there were also large, connected streaks of burgundy stones that seemed to direct creatures to where the hallways led. So far, there were three hallways that you saw, one on the left where the room that Luster entered was, one in front of you that split in left and right at the end, and one on the right. 

There were a few doors spread around the hallways that were also golden with green stained glass windows. The walls of the castle were made of purple-blue stone and held various tapestries and banners. You even noticed tall crystal columns of a similar blue color attached to the walls. You caught no sight of any refugees in the hallways, so you assumed that they must have been deeper within the castle.

Your short sight-seeing ended once you entered the Hall, and the sight before you was quite something to take in. With a gaped mouth, you examined the elegant and even bizarre features of the room. 

The floor was made of a dark purple stone, and four purple-blue crystal columns were situated on the north, south, west, and east ends of the room. The door you entered through was encased within the south column, while there were green windows encased within the bottoms of the other three columns, though there were also windows present higher up in the room. 

Attached to the ceiling of the room was a large, brown tree trunk with colored crystals hanging off the roots. Also on the ceiling behind that massive trunk was a duo of banners displaying a leafless teal tree against a green background surrounded by yellow borders. 

But the grandest detail of the Hall, at least to you, was what was at the center of the room: a circular, white crystal table surrounded by what appeared to be seven white crystal chairs or thrones. Besides a very small chair, each of the other six held one of the Elements of Harmony's cutiemark --- symbols which had been ingrained in your mind since you were a little foal learning about the feats of such Equestrian heroes in school.

You stopped, or at least paused, your investigation of the Hall once you remembered that you were not the only creature present. Besides Luster, four other ponies were standing near the crystal table. You recognized Headmare Glimmer, Vice-Principal Sunburst, and Professor Philosophy, but there was a mare present whom you had never seen before. She was a light yellow unicorn with teal eyes and a yellow and red mane that resembled a flame to you.

"Hello, [Y/N]," Starlight greeted with a smile. "I'm glad you came a bit early. How has your day been?"

You approached the table, not wanting to seem isolated from everycreature else.

"It's... been alright," you said, despite knowing the exact opposite. "I was at the refugee camp. Just helping out a bit."

Starlight seemed proud. "That's really nice of you. I'm certain it was great to help out other creatures."

Nervously, you bit your lip. "Thank you. But... I guess I'm just a bit anxious, too. Since I know why I have to come here today."

The headmare's smile faltered at your confession, despite her knowing what would soon be happening before you even did. 

"Yes. I understand your concern, despite our reassurances days ago," she said with a hint of guilt. "As much as we tried to find alternative solutions, it seems that we can't get out the ethereal spell that sends you to the future."

"I believe you," you assured her, though your face lacked any genuine happiness. 

"We informed the princess of our efforts to find other methods to go to the future," Sunburst informed you. "She did not say directly that you have to go back there, but she did suggest that reactivating the ethereal spell may be needed if nothing else works. She doesn't really know for certain if or where any more monster attacks will occur."

You cast your head down. "So we're still on a time limit."

The news of Princess Twilight needing your help was not as awesome to you as it probably would have been to any other Equestrian citizen. You could imagine a starry-eyed younger version of yourself being optimistic at the chance to prove your worth to the ruler of the country just like most impressionable foals. But having your fill of monster encounters in the past few days, both in the present and the future, you were not eager to face any more danger.

"Yes, we are," you heard Sonnet declare. "But luckily the princess has provided some magical assistance for you for when you do go back to the future. And everycreature in this room will do their best to make sure that your trip is safe."

You lifted up your neck to look at everyone in the room, but your eyes soon stopped at the yellow unicorn.

"Um...," you began to say, uncertain of what should proceed from your lips.

"Oh!" Starlight suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot to introduce the two of you. [Y/N], this is Sunset Shimmer. She's a friend of mine, and of the princess, too. She came here yesterday to help us find other ways of going to the future."

The yellow unicorn approached you with a smile, and instinctively you reached out your hoof for her to shake. 

"Hello, [Y/N]," she said warmly. "Starlight told me all about you."

You brought your foreleg down once Sunset let go of your hoof. "Thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry you had to come here to just to help me out."

"Oh, it's fine. It's been a while since I've been back in Equestria. Even though I wish it was under different circumstances, it's nice to see old faces here."

"You were in another country?"

For some reason, she chuckled. "Not exactly. I live in a different dimension than the one Equestria and the other nations are in. It's called the human world. You may have heard about it."

"I... might have heard of something like that," you admitted. You remember during middle school that you learned of how other universes existed beyond the one you lived in, and how all of them were filled with different species that were not present in this world. The term "human" sounded familiar to you as well. Perhaps they were creatures that resided in one of the few universes that are known to be in existence.

"But still, I'm sorry that we couldn't find another way to do this," Sunset said, her smile now absent. "Even with the data the Starlight and the others gave me, I couldn't really do much with it."

"I understand. But how exactly are we going to... do this?"

Sunburst came over to you. "Well, it's not exactly rocket science, but I'll explain how it'll go down." He pointed over to the crystal table. "You see the map?"

You looked over at it. "You mean the Cutie Map? I'm guessing that's the Cutie Map. It's the first time I'm seeing it."

With a grin, the vice principal nodded. "You are correct. As you may have also guessed, it is also a powerful source of magical energy, to the point where it can be used to aid in the performance of spells. Princess Twilight informed us that we can use its magic to help your essence travel forward in time once we reactivate the ethereal spell. The headmare, Professor Philosophy, Sunset, and I will split into teams of two. One team will keep the spell active for roughly twelve hours, while the other team will take over for the same amount of time."

"Won't you all get tired, though?" you asked. "What if one of you accidentally loses focus and discontinues the spell? Would that bring me back here or would I be stuck in the future?"

"If one or both members of a team broke concentration, you would be brought back to the present," Sunburst answered. "But to combat that, the princess sent us what basically amounts to stamina potions. They're mainly used by soldiers, but they help combat tiredness, hunger, and the need for one to relieve themselves for nearly half a day."

"So, if we combine the teams' total hours, then I should be in the future for one day in real life?"

"Yes," Starlight adruptly answered "But besides the stamina potions' time limit, there's another reason why your trip to the future will be limited to one day in the present. When Sunburst, Luster, and I brought you back to the present, we seemed to have damaged the ethereal spell. We believe that whoever cast it on you intended for you to be the future for a much longer period of time. From the data we collected two days ago, it appears that we'll only be able to keep the spell active for about twenty-four hours."

"But, Professor Philosophy said I would have some assistance for when I go back to the future," you said out loud, though meekly. "What exactly does that mean?"

The headmare answered your concerns. "Along with the potions, Princess Twilight sent us a scroll of a modified hypervigilance spell. It's been tweaked to accommodate for the ethereal spell. Aside from heightening your senses to spot dangers that you may not be aware of yet, there's also a mechanism in place that will bring you back to the present the moment you face a life-threatening event."

"So one unicorn will cast the ethereal spell while the other performs the hypervigilance spell?"

"No," Sunset said. "The reactivation spell requires two unicorns. Luster Dawn and Trixie, when she gets here, will take turns casting the hypervigilance spell on you."

"It'll be roughly twelve hours for us, too," Luster admitted. "So we'll be taking stamina potions."

"Do you think you understand everything, [Y/N]?" Sonnet asked you. 

You replayed the recent information given to you inside your head, which was not that long given how easy it was to remember the steps explained to you.

"No," you stated. "I think I get how all of this magic will be used."

Starlight seemed content. "Well, then. Since this can be considered as a mission, we should go over your objectives for while you're in the future."

A flash of embarrassment came over your face. "Oh. I guess I should have asked about that, too."

"It's okay. It makes sense that you may not remember everything that we talked about three days ago. But your goals are based on what that mysterious voice said to you."

"Yeah. I actually remember a bit about that. I know he said that I had to do something in the future to save Equestria."

The purple unicorn nodded. "Yes. The voice said that he was sending you forward in time to do two things to save the kingdom: to understand the power of hope and overcome your struggles."

After a couple of blank blinks, you tilted your head. "That's all I have to do?"

"Those were the instructions given to you. Given that you were likely sent to an alternate timeline where Equestria is at peace, the voice must have wanted you to be in an environment where little strife is present to get a good grasp of hope. You may even have to conduct research into hope-based magic --- if magic truly is involved. But I feel like appreciating the concept in a positive setting may be enough."

"During the days in which we'll take breaks from sending you to the future," said Sunburst, "we'll also be doing research into the power of hope. Luckily the library here and in the school is full of many good books."

"We also sent a request to the princess to ask her mages and scholars for any insight into hope-based magic," Sonnet added in.

"And then there are your struggles," Starlight continued. "The voice said that you have to get over them somehow. That's also essential to saving Equestria."

A confused frown sprouted from your lips. "I'm not really struggling with anything right now. Aside from... not knowing where my family is, at least."

"Well, yes, there is that. But perhaps... there's more that's on your mind than just your family."

You could sense the hesitancy in the headmare's voice. "What do you mean?"

Despite her reluctance, the words came out.

"I won't go into detail here, for your sake. But given what happened back home in Canterlot, before you came here, I can imagine that it might still bother you. Healing and coming to terms with it will be a lengthy process, but you need to try to start somewhere. Not just for your sake."

You failed to stop your frown from turning into a light scowl.

"I'm not bothered by what happened back home," you asserted to Starlight, who remained composed and unoffended. "Whatever happened back there is just a bad memory."

A quick yet overwhelming rush of emotions coursed through your hunched body at the mere implication of the incident. You looked around at the worried expressions of everyone else in the room, aside from the stoic headmare. You knew that she, Sunburst, and Luster were aware of what happened back home, but you were not eager for Sonnet and Sunset to learn even a sliver of the event.

"Like I said, [Y/N], I won't go into further detail. But I need to bring it up in some way. Eventually, you'll have to face what happened and learn how to not let it hold you back from being a content pony."

That little reassurance from Starlight was enough for you to let your guard down and ease the tension in your body, but though your glare also disappeared, you were still visibly troubled. 

It's not that easy. How am I supposed to leave behind such a clutter of a disaster?

"Okay," you said. "So learn about the importance of hope and... the other thing. I think I got it. Do you all think there's anything else I need to do when I get to the future?"

"That town you were at --- Maretime Bay?" Sunburst said. "Perhaps you could start there. We don't exactly know how far into the future you're being sent to, but I like to hope that they would have something of a library or school where you could learn a bit about hope --- either from a magical or philosophical viewpoint."

"There's also the city of Zephyr Heights and that unicorn village --- Bridlewood, I think," Sonnet interjected. "You should go to both locations to find the same thing, especially if the unicorns made any such discoveries."

"The last place I was at was in a cave far from Maretime Bay," you admitted. "If I'm sent back there, it'll be a bit of a long trip back, unless I'm sent back to the exact second I was talking to those mares." You rubbed your head. "It's weird how I can't remember their names."

"I agree. You may not have noticed it, but there was a buzzing sound whenever somecreature mentioned a name during the memory spell. It must be a side effect of when you were disconnected from the ethereal spell. But as for where you'll be dropped off at, let's just hope that you won't have to travel far to Maretime Bay."

"You should also try to see if those mares and the sheriff you met will help you with your tasks," said Starlight. "They all seemed very friendly to you, so it doesn't hurt to try."

You nodded. "I should be able to do that."

"So, are you ready, then?" Sunburst asked. 

You breathed out a sigh, looking up at the tree trunk and its crystals above. 

"If there's more monster attacks coming soon, it's best that we take care of this as soon as possible. So, yeah, I'm good to go."

When you heard nothing come out of anycreature's mouth, you brought your gaze away from the trunk and looked around at the bodies surrounding you. Aside from a proud smile from the headmare and a blank expression from Sunset, the other three unicorns seemed genuinely surprised by your response. And in a way, you were also taken aback by a lack of protest or a desire to lengthen the wait time.

"I promise that you'll be safe in the future with the help that the princess has provided," Starlight reassured. "No creature here is taking your commitment for granted."

If you were a more sensitive and emotional pony, such a comment would have made your cheeks as red as tomatoes. Instead, you only gave the purple unicorn a courteous nod.

"I appreciate that."

"Well, we're not exactly in quite a rush yet. Have you eaten yet?"

With that question, it came to you that you haven't had a meal since breakfast, which was roughly six hours ago at the school before your walk through town. Aside from a somewhat now noticeable hunger, there was also a fiery weight present in your bladder.

"It's been a while since I've ate," you admitted.

"I don't mind getting something from the kitchen," Sunburst said as he trotted over to the door. "I don't think the castle kitchen is as vast as the school's, but is there anything in particular you want?"

"I guess anything that's not too light," you answered. "I'm not really picky."

Using his magic, the vice principal opened the door and exited the Hall. Once the stallion was gone, you turned your attention over to the headmare. 

"It's also been a while since I've used the bathroom. Could you point me to where it is?"

"Of course," Starlight said, before turning to Luster. "Luster, could you show them where the bathrooms are? I've just got to check the spells one more time, and given how this place was like a maze when I first came here, I don't want them to get lost."

The pink unicorn nodded. "Follow me."

You exited the Hall right behind Luster and followed her throughout a portion of the castle to the restrooms. While she waited outside, you did your business and washed your hooves, impressed at the crystal architecture of the room that was more elegant than the school's bathrooms. 

When you were done, you followed Luster back to the Hall, and by the time you got there, Sunburst had also arrived. He, Sonnet, Sunset, and Starlight were sitting at their own thrones at the Cutie Map, with Starlight herself observing some scrolls laid before her. You approached the area of the map where the throne with the Element of Geneoristy's cutiemark was, and in front of it on the map's surface was a plastic plate of orange fries and a sandwich, with a juice box on the side.

"I made you a sunflower sandwich with sweet potato fries," Sunburst said to you. "The juice box is apple juice, too. Just something real quick for you to eat."

You walked around the throne and sat your rump down on it. You caught Luster doing the same across the map with the throne holding the Element of Loyalty's cutiemark.

"Thank you, Vice-Principal."

You proceeded to take bites out of your sandwich and fries, which tasted quite good, and took occasional sips from the juice box. You stared down at your snack while you ate, your mind somewhat blank as nocreature else made a sound at the map. But soon the silence made you retreat into your mind, and the first serious thought that came to you was a replaying of your decision to go back to the future just minutes ago.

You could feel everyone's eyes on you once Sunburst asked if you were ready, and yet you quickly ruled out peer pressure or potential begging as a reason for making your choice so easily. You remembered how you had a sense of duty to go through with the memory spell three days ago in the headmare's office, but you could not recover such a similiar emotion for going through with the reactivation spell.

The confusion nagged at you like an affectionate gnat flying within your vision. If creature-pleasing nor a desire to serve one's country were not driving you, then what was?

"Looking out for themself is in their nature..."

With wide, surprised eyes, you paused your chewing of a portion of the sandwich. It had not even been half a day since you heard Olly say that about yourself, yet it rang out clearly in your ears as if he was right next to you in this room to repeat it. But when you turned to your sides, he was nowhere to be seen.

Was that the reason why you were going through with this? To prove him wrong? To prove to him, yourself, and the others that you were not a selfish waste of space? Were you really that desperate to risk your life and soul to disprove such assertions?

You chuckled.

No.

Such a thought like that could not have been what was driving you. You had given up caring about what Olly thought about you for a long time by now, and the others were not involved in your life for you to care about their opinions either. Perhaps you may never know what made you eager to go to the future.

One thing that was evident to you, though, was that if you found what you needed in the future to save Equestria in the present, you could always hold it over Olly's head once the news spread throughout the kingdom of what you did.

I'm going to do a bit more in my life than you ever did. You prick.

Content with your confidence, you resumed snacking, though this time your eyes wandered around the room. Starlight and Luster were hunched down over their own magical scrolls, while Sunburst, Sunset, and Sonnet simply sat in their chairs without uttering a word. You found it weird at first, but then you assumed that if they had been in this room longer than you, then perhaps they had already had their fill of conversations.

Still, you found the silence a bit uncomfortable. Luckily for you, some new thoughts had come to your mind that you wished to voice to the headmare.

"Headmare Glimmer?"

The purple unicorn brought her face up from the scrolls. 

"Yes, [Y/N]?"

"You know how the tranced victims are still being sent to mental hospitals in major cities?"

"Yes?"

"Well... could you see if my family is in any of those hospitals? I know that the other outcome is also possible, but if there's a chance that they're out there somewhere... I just need to know."

The unicorn frowned, likely knowing what you meant with the first part of your last sentence. Yet she quickly donned a small, comforting smile toward your direction. 

"I don't know how much leeway I have as a principal, but I'll ask the princess if she could give me authority to ask the hospitals about the types of patients they have. I promise to update you sometime soon."

"Thank you," you said gratefully.

You swallowed the final large chunk of your sandwich before moving on to devour the rest of the fries in quick succession. With your food finished, you grabbed the juice box and sucked on the tip of the straw, draining the small container of all of its delicious liquid until a suction sound reverberated throughout the room --- reminding you very much of your elementary school years.

You looked down at your plate, which was empty besides the food crumbs and a caved-in juice box on top. Their statuses as simple items were evident to you, and yet they also meant more to you than that. It was as if you were staring at a door that was slowly closing, with only a few seconds left for you to make it through the frame in time. Yet, with so little time remaining, your imaginary self simply remained still on their haunches, content with where you were staying.

"[Y/N]? Are you okay?"

You heard Starlight's voice and looked up from the plate. By now, not only did the headmare have her curious sights on you, but so did every other creature in the room. With so much attention on you, you wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"I'm fine. I'm... ready to go, actually."

Starlight looked over at Sonnet and Sunset and pointed a hoof at the two of them. 

"If you two want, you can leave. It'll be a while before you and Trixie have your turn."

The two other unicorns looked at each other before leaving their seats. 

"I'll be in town checking on some of the girls," Sunset declared as she and Sonnet went to the door. Once it was closed, Starlight directed her attention back to you.

"I just need you to lay on the map on your back. We'll be ready soon."

Starlight levitated the scrolls down into some saddlebags that were next to her throne, and from those same saddlebags floated out three thin cylinder vials filled with green liquid. Uncapping the vials, Starlight hovered one over to Sunburst and another to Luster, while keeping the third for herself to consume. The blue glow around the other unicorns' vials disappeared as they used their own magic to grip the vials and drink from the tops. 

Scooting your throne back, you grabbed your plate with your mouth and turned around to place it on the seat of the throne. You turned back around to face the map and placed your two forehooves on its surface before swinging your right hindleg over top. You lifted yourself on the map and walked over to the center, where you soon lay on your back. Above you, you stared at the tree trunk and its crystal attachments.

"Luster, do you remember what you told you to do?" you heard Starlight ask --- along with the sound of hoofsteps.

"Yes. You said to only perform the spell once the two of you reactivate the ethereal spell."

"Yes, that's right. But you need to make sure that you do the spell as soon as Sunburst and I send them back to the future."

"Of course. I believe I got it all figured out."

"Good. Sunburst? Are you ready?"

"I am," you heard the vice-principal affirm. "Just ready for your go-ahead."

"[Y/N]? How are you?"

You kept your eyes on the trunk while addressing the headmare. "I'm relaxed. Or relaxed as can be."

"We're about to begin. Just try to keep a clear mind. Like I said before, you'll be safe when you get there. You won't be alone. I promise."

"Thank you, ma'am."

The cold surface of the map itched its way underneath the skin of your back and neck. making you want to squirm and shift a bit. Luckily, you had enough resolve to follow through with the headmare's instructions and move your discomfort from the forefront of your mind. But still, an eery feeling came over you once you heard the activation of unicorn horns from outside of your vision. 

You felt as if you were on an operating table, about to go through intensive surgery, albeit you did not know if the anesthesia given to you would truly protect or numb you from all danger. A part of you preferred the experience at the headmare's office, which felt like a trip to a foal-friendly dentist in comparison to now. 

But there was no going back for you.

You and the others you met with today had already made your commitments.

And yet, besides from not wanting to mess the magical process, you could not find whatever was driving you to make such a commitment. 

But whatever that drive could have been, you did not have much time to think it through.

A physiological jolt had spread throughout your body, starting from the organelles of your very cells. 

And soon enough, your vision went blank white --- eradicating the world around you.
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





RING





The flash of white light disappeared from your sight as quickly as it had arrived. Though your eyes were stunned, they cleared up well enough for you to see what was before you. Soon, the chit-chat of birds and other wildlife greeted your ears.

You stood on all four legs amongst dirt and grass, surrounded by trees underneath a warm blue sky --- trees whose leaves were either pink or purple or blue or red. Though a mirror was absent within the forest, you were certain that your face was that of utter befuddlement.

"Well, that's... odd. Not where I thought I would be."

Aside from wondering why you made the stupid choice of going back to the future, you also thought about whether you would be sent back to the exact moment you left the cave, or if you would be sent to the cave days after Sunny, Izzy, Zipp, and Pipp had left for Candlebright Cove to find Discord. You were hoping that the former would be the outcome to transpire, given that you would not have to worry about traveling back to Maretime Bay by yourself with little to no guidance.

Staring up at the sky, you searched for anything that resembled a rainbow, but to no luck. You sighed to yourself, kicking away a little stick before you.

"Back to square one, again. Let's hope I don't run into somecreature like Posey again."

The utterance of that grumpy mare's name sparked a fascinating fact within your brain:

You remembered the names of most of the ponies you met while in the beach town.

Posey and her much kinder friend Dahlia.

Sunny and her friend Izzy, along with Sheriff Hitch.

Jazz and Rocky, the two workers at Mane Melody.

Mrs. Cloverleaf, the mother of one of the two missing ponies, who insisted that Hitch stay in town to conduct the search.

And the pegasi princesses Pipp and Zipp, who were also Sunny's friends.

You assumed that you would have to relearn everycreature's name again once you returned, yet those names all rang so clearly in your head. It was a fact that you were truly grateful for, but you knew that you could not just stand in the middle of nowhere doing nothing. 

You were on a mission after all.

It was a bit of a gamble to you --- that being where you would go --- but you decided to just move forward in the hopes that you would come across some friendly creature. If you found yourself heading nowhere, you hoped that you could at least make another turn in the right direction toward civilization. With it being either morning or afternoon, you had to be aware of any hints that you were going the wrong way before it got too dark.

But with seemingly enough time in the day, you wandered off to other thoughts that were piling up in your consciousness as you walked between the trees --- the calming sounds of nature helping you concentrate.

You stressed to yourself the objectives of your mission: to understand the concept of hope and overcome your... struggles.

You remembered that you had to perform some type of research into hope, both from a literal sense and a magical point of view, as either perspective could hold the key to saving Equestria. Whether it be Maretime Bay, Bridlewood, or Zephyr Heights, you needed to find a library or something similar with enough books or resources that centered on hope. Hopefully, if you arrived at Maretime Bay you would be able to get the sheriff to help you with your search, and maybe Sunny and the others if they came back from looking for Discord.

As for the second objective... 

You did not know what to make of it.

What was so special about the future that you had to deal with your life problems here?

It was not even that safe here considering the monster attack and the disappearances --- which may have also been caused by that beast.

And just like that, the memory of the monster dominated your concern for the mission.

You would not go as far as to admit that you were brought back to that exact life-threatening event as if it was happening all over again, but it was as if a ghastly grey hand of death was gripping the back of your neck tighter and tighter with each passing second. You began to gulp repeatedly as if something ugly from deep in your throat was trying to spew its way out of your mouth.

Suddenly, those animal sounds that had brought you short comfort made you paranoid. Darting your eyes, you were plagued with the fear that within this forest may be the very kind of monster that nearly killed you. Or bad enough, there may be other regular animals in these woods just as dangerous, such as wolves or bears, if there were any in this unknown region that you were just plopped into. For all you knew, they could be stalking you at this very moment, which meant that you had to be careful.

Or at least you would have been... had you been looking where you were going instead of behind yourself.

It all happened so fast, yet in one swift moment the ground below your leading forehoof disappeared, and you soon found yourself diving face-first into the dirt.

With a loud groan, you picked your body up from the ground and looked behind at the small cliff that you had fallen from --- at which moment you felt a heat of embarrassment flush through your cheeks.

I guess I should consider myself a danger, too.

While you stared at the cause of your mishap, your ears picked up on a sudden sound not so far away from you. Turning around once again, you saw a sight that filled your heart with gleeful satisfaction.

Yards away, between some trees were three unicorns moving away from you, but they were just close enough for you to see their mouths moving.

At last, you had found civilization. Or at least some travelers. But something was better than nothing.

You trotted away from the bottom of the cliff and headed over to the three ponies. The first important question you knew that you had to ask them was whether or not Maretime Bay was nearby, with the second one being whether or not they knew of Sunny and her friends. Regardless of what answers they had for you, you had a good feeling that life would be showing you many favors today while in the future.

"Excuse me!" you called out to the trio when close enough to them. The three unicorns, two stallions and one mare, stopped walking and turned around to face you. With several feet separating you from them, you spoke up once more.

"I don't mean to bother you, but can you tell me where I am?"

The trio looked at each other briefly before one of the stallions greeted you.

"Hello, there, my dude. You're in Bridlewood."

You smiled. "Bridlewood? That's where the unicorns live, right?"

"Yeah," said the mare. "Though some of us moved to Zephyr Heights and Maretime Bay quite a while ago."

"Are you lost or something, kid?" asked the second stallion. 

"Um..., yes. You could say that. I was actually... sightseeing when I got separated from my group not that long ago."

"Are you from Maretime Bay?" the mare asked.

You nodded, keeping your polite smile. "I am. I think my group might be back in town by now, so could you point me in the direction of Maretime?"

The trio looked at each other again before the first stallion spoke to you again.

"Well, Maretime Bay is to the southwest of here, but it takes nearly a day or two to get there."

"We're a bit too busy to help you get there," declared the mare. "But, you can always go to the Crystal Tea Room. Alphabittle should be able to get you a map."

"The Crystal Tea Room?" you asked. "Is that here in Bridlewood?"

"You bet it," said the second stallion with a nod. "Right in the center of town. It's a nice place with tea and music and amusement, kid. Ever since Izzy and her friends brought back magic and reunited Equestria, pegasi and earth ponies like yourself always stop by to visit the village, and most of them always head to the Crystal Tea Room."

Your ears shot up. 

"I'm sorry, but did you mention someone named Izzy?"

The second stallion spoke again. "Yeah, Bridlewood's own Izzy Moonbow. You know --- Sunny Starscout's friend."

"Does Izzy live in Maretime Bay now?"

The first stallion gave you a confused look. "Yeah, she left to live with Sunny and the pegasi princesses in that brand new lighthouse months ago. But I think she's visiting Bridlewood right now. I know that I saw her here just yesterday."

"You're from Maretime Bay, though, so you should know this," the mare mentioned. 

Your eyes widen. "Oh! I... I do. I just wanted to make sure that we were talking about the same Izzy, is all. Do you know where she is? I just had to ask her a few questions that I didn't get to ask before leaving home. Then I'll be on my way to the Crystal Tea Room."

"Well, I don't know where her house is," said the mare. "What about you guys?"

Both stallions shook their heads in answer. 

"Alphabittle might be able to tell you," said the first stallion. "He's friends with Izzy. So just go straight to the Crystal Tea Room."

You nodded. "Got it. And where is the Crystal Tea Room?"

"Just head to the center of Bridlewood. Go straight forward and then take a left turn when you come across a store called the Golden Basket.  It's roughly fifteen minutes to the center."

Wasting no time, you trotted past the trio.

"Thank you so much!" you called out to them with a quick turn of your head.

You became grateful for how things were turning in your favor. Despite not being sent to Maretime Bay or to Sunny and her friends, life in the future seemed to be giving you some leeway in finding your way through this world. At least you were sent closer to civilization than last time, and from the looks of it the beach town you needed to go to was not that far away from here.

And for all you knew, Izzy could help you with some research into hope from any sources available in Bridlewood when you found her. Of course, you had to credit the three unicorns for telling you about her being here, though you did feel bad for lying to them about who you were. You did not want to draw any suspicions or questions from the community about you being from the future --- at least not until you found Izzy amongst this town.

In fact, you wondered, after minutes of trotting, when you would encounter any buildings that showed that you were within the limits of Bridlewood. So far, you have only walked in between trees while on the dirt road. If you were truly heading for the center of town, you thought that it would perhaps be best to have seen an abundance of ponies by now.

But then, a sight caught your eyes and you delayed your steps.

A unicorn stallion with a unicorn colt before him exited from the front of a tree ahead of you to the right. With a glow of his horn, the stallion closed the door attached to the tree and went with the colt in the opposite direction you were going. When the two unicorns passed you, you went over to the tree to inspect it, in which you spotted the door along with some windows embedded within the trunk.

As you continued on at a normal pace, curious for more insight, you darted your eyes back and forth between the trees in your path. Like the one you had observed closely, most of them seemed to be houses of some sort, as evident by their built-in doors, windows, and balconies. 

Unicorns live in trees?

Maybe you had a bit of a bias, being an earth pony that lived in a city dominated by unicorns, and though you knew better than to see creatures as just their stereotypes, you could never see the majority of your horned pony companions living in such a rustic setting. If Canterlot and other cities with an abundance of unicorns were truly gone by now, you had to figure out why Bridlewood itself was not a bustling metropolis.

In a short amount of time, you came across the store that you were told to go to. The Golden Basket, as was titled by the sign in front, was a large yellow tree with teal leaves. The sign also described it as a place for buying furniture, beds, mattresses, and other household items. You looked over to the dirt road on your left and saw scattered about a few unicorns yards away walking in different directions.

Guess I must be getting close.

You turned to the left as instructed, keeping an eye out for anything that would point you to the Crystal Tea Room. You assumed by now that the place must be in a tree like the Golden Basket was, and so you were careful not to overlook the features of any trunk you passed by.

Though you saw no signs similar to that of the Golden Basket's, you did find one strange thing: 

Crystals. 

An abundance of them, actually.

At first, when you spotted them on the ground to your sides, you mistook them for large blueish stones until you caught the sunlight shining off of them. The ones you saw seemed to be of all types of sizes, with the tallest being the height of three average ponies stacked up together. 

It was a surprising sight for you. As far as you were aware, crystals in Equestria mainly existed in caves and caverns, not right out in the open. But given how it was the future, you guessed that things must have changed drastically in the past few centuries. Still, as pretty and alluring as they were, you could not forget to pay extra attention to the trees around you.

But as your eyes were searching, your mind was thinking of what to do when you finally met Izzy.

One thing you would have to ask her was whether she, Sunny, and the others were able to get the crystal back from Discord, while the other subject would be to know how much time had past between that moment in the cave and today. You knew that time in the future moved quicker than in the present, so it must have been some time since you disappeared. 

There was also the matter of your mission. Whether it be in Bridlewood, Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights, or somewhere else, you needed help with understanding the importance of hope. If Izzy, Sunny, or Sheriff Hitch could help you find a place with such knowledge, you needed to know for certain. And luckily for you, you seemed to be close to approaching the location you were heading for.

Minutes later, the dirt road you traveled on led you to a roundabout situated around a tall tree. With there being a bunch more unicorns and trees present in the area, you felt safe to assume that this public spot was the center of Bridlewood. Now that you had arrived, the next step for you was to find the Crystal Tea Room.

You entered the roundabout and walked counter-clockwise amongst the new road. Passing by unicorns going about their business, you searched for a sign of some sort to know which tree you should go to. Many of the ones that you approached seemed to be stores or businesses of some sort, such as "The Grand Horseshoe" or "Aqua's Emporium" to name a few.

But finally, once you were halfway through the circle, you found it. A large blue tree with red leaves that had a dual set of doors made of purple shades of stained glass. Amongst the purple stained glass was a teal teapot on the left side and a steaming green cup on the other side. To the right of the door was a triangular window made of blue, green, yellow, and magenta stained glass. Above that window was a wooden sign in the form of a teapot with actual smoke coming out of it, which was titled "Crystal Tea Room".

You grinned at the sight before you, knowing that things were still getting better for you. You walked over to the double doors at the base of the tree along the road exiting the roundabout. Based on its design, you pulled backward on the door to your right, and once it was opened wide enough you passed through the entrance space into the tree.

For a moment, your eyes had to adjust to the new, dimmer setting, but soon you had a clear image of the space you had entered. 

Many of the unicorns were sitting down on pillows around tables with stone bottoms and wooden tops. On top of the tables and hanging off wires amongst the walls were lit lanterns that basked the environment in a dim brown-orange glow --- bestowing the atmosphere with a placid and cozy feeling that reminded you of a nightlight in a kid's room during bedtime.

To the far-off left was a wooden bar counter with a few unoccupied stools in place, and behind the bar was a single unicorn stallion. Drawing everycreature's attention to the far right of the room was a stage where three unicorns were on. One unicorn, a mare with a scarf, played a saxophone with a gentle tempo. The other unicorn, a stallion with a large puffy mane, played with a pair of bongo drums at a steady beat. And the final unicorn, a mare wearing a beret, stood before a microphone stand as the other two performed with their instruments.

The room also had a few picture frames littered across the walls, but with it being dim you could not make out what they all showed. In addition, several smaller trees that lined the walls and reached the ceiling were present.

Based on your limited knowledge of how bars work as places to get info, as you have seen in movies, you walked over to the counter. As you went on your way, you heard an amplified monotone voice from behind you. Still walking, you turned your head around real quick to see the unicorn with the beret speaking into the microphone.


"River, river, take me away.


Take me to a new refuge,


where I can safely stay.


This world is so cold,


as it reminds me of


scars so old."


Reaching the bar, you grabbed a hold of one of the stools to the right side and sat yourself up on the seat. The unicorn stallion behind the counter, who had a grey coat, was now crouched down and facing away from you. As you waited for him to rise and face you, you looked at the shelves that he was under. A mishmash of miscellaneous objects stood in their own place on the walls, including a rubber chicken, a lava lamp, a tennis rack, and a few pictures.

A little squeak caught your ear, along with the feeling of something warm and wet pressed against your right forehoof. Looking down, you saw a small tan armadillo with ruffled green hair on the counter pressing its snout up against your hoof. Surprised, you withdrew your hoof away from the creature, but still curious, it came back to your body part to bestow it with tiny licks. A few more squeaks sounded off from the right side, and you saw two larger armadillos, with the same tan color and ruffled green hair, approach the smaller one to nuzzle at it.

"Hello there, traveler. What can I do for you?"

Hearing the voice in front of you, you brought your sight away from the armadillos to look straight forward. The unicorn stallion behind the bar was now facing you, or rather facing down at you, as despite his elderly appearance due to his white mane, beard, and sideburns, the bartender was a large pony, even with you being on a stool.

"Um..., yes," you finally answered. "I'm just looking for Alphabittle."

The unicorn smirked at you. "Well, then, you have found him right here. So, how do you need my help?"

You looked over at the armadillos, who were now off to the side watching back at you, before returning to Alphabittle.

"I'm just looking for where I can find Izzy."

"You mean Izzy Moonbow?"

You nodded. "Yes. I'm a friend of hers and Sunny. I heard that she was here visiting."

Alphabittle frowned. "Well, I saw her yesterday, and I think she's at her old house. But why do you need to see her?"

Nervous, you wrung your hooves. "Well..., I just needed to catch up on some things with her, is all."

The unicorn suddenly bestowed you with a calm yet skeptical scowl. "Such as...?"

You felt like a foal caught with their hoof in a cookie jar, as you could already feel your lucky streak reaching a limit you could not conceive of before in your head.

You lightly chuckled. "You know, stuff like... Maretime Bay events. I never got to finish talking with her about what's going on back home, so I really need to see her."

The unmoving glare from Alphabittle was enough for you to realize that your poorly planned lying was not doing you any favors. You might as well have just grown a long wooden snout for everycreature to see. For a while, the two of you just stared at each other, with him likely expecting you to say something else. In the meantime, you could hear the singer on the stage recite another verse against the background of jazz music.


"Must I be reminded


of the faces that I


have slighted?


Is time only a current


that must go forward?"


"Sorry, kid," the stallion finally said. "I'm not trying to be judgemental, but I'm not really sure it be good to tell you where Izzy lives. I just don't know you that well, is all. If you're telling the truth, you'll just have to wait until she goes back to Maretime Bay."

You slumped somewhat in your stool. If Alphabittle truly was close to Izzy, you guess you could not blame him for being hesitant to share such personal information with a stranger like yourself. But it was still frustrating to you that you may be starting all over again in this timeline. You supposed that you could just search for Izzy on your own, but you had no clue of how big Bridlewood truly was. Even if you met somecreature else who could tell you where Izzy was, she might have been on her way back to Maretime Bay by then.

There was also the thought of telling Alphabittle of your true history with Izzy, but for all you knew that could just make your situation complicated. At best, he might brush off the idea that you're a time traveler from the past and simply ignore you, but at worst he could badger you with eager questions of your life experiences, which could draw further unwanted attention from the denizens of Bridlewood if word got out --- slowing your search for Izzy.

In the end, it was probably best to keep your mouth shut about the truth, but you still could not give up on finding her.

You straightened up a bit and looked up at Alphabittle.

"Well, could you at least tell Izzy that I'll be heading over to Maretime Bay if you see her?"

"Sure," Alphabittle affirmed, much to your relief. "Mind telling me your name?"

You told him your name. 

"Well, [Y/N}, I'll be sure to let her know you were asking about her. So, do you know your way to Maretime Bay from here?"

You scratched the back of your head. "I know it's to the south of here."

"Southwest. There are directions on the roads between here and there, but it wouldn't hurt for you to bring a map with you."

The unicorn crouched down underneath the bar for a short while, before popping back up with a small, tan, rolled-up scroll of some sort in his hoof. He laid it down before you, and soon the armadillos began to poke at it with their inspective noses.

"Here you go," he said with a smile. "Should take you a day or two to get there. You have a bag to carry that in?"

"No. Sorry, I was... here with a group of friends, but I decided to stay here to talk with Izzy for a bit when I heard she was in Bridlewood. The others were the ones who had saddlebags."

"Huh. I guess you'll need a bag, too. I'm not usually one for handouts, but since you're young I want you to be as safe as possible. I don't really want to have you haunting my conscious if you get hurt."

You frowned. "Why would I get hurt? Is the--- I mean, nothing really bad happened to us on the way here."

"Well, you guys must have gotten lucky. Nopony's been hurt yet, but there's talk of some type of monster lurking in the woods between here and the Bay."

You felt the fur on the back of your neck stand up. 

"There's a--- a what?" you asked in a stammer.

"A monster," Alphabittle replied plainly. "Or at least a large animal. A few nights ago some unicorns coming back from Maretime Bay ran back home all spooked over something they saw in the forest. It was large and shrieking at them until they high-tailed it. The same happened to another traveler coming back two nights ago."

You failed to suppress a gulp in your throat. "D-Did this monster d-do anything to them?"

The unicorn shook his head. "Nope. Luckily, it just lurked around in the treelines just stalking them each time, so nopony got a good look at it. Still, though, you should take advantage of it being morning and just leave now. But let me go get you a saddlebag, or satchel. I know I got one in the back."

Alphabittle walked away and went over to a door to your left, leaving you alone with the armadillos, your thoughts, and a terrible knot in your stomach. Your shadowy face stared down at the map on the counter, but your mind was focused on the last sentences from the bartender. 

There was no clear description of what the monster looked like, but you already jumped to the conclusion that it was the same one that attacked you outside of Posey's home. To you, it was obvious. How much of a coincidence could it be that a large creature that lived in the woods was of a different breed?

But if that was the case, then why was it so far away from Maretime Bay?

And if it was travelling in between places without having attacked anycreature, then was it looking for someone in particular?

"Wow! I wasn't expecting to see you here!"

Just as you were about to dive deep into despair, a chippery female voice to your left reached your ear. Looking over in that direction, you saw that you were not the only pony at the bar. Sitting on their own stools were two unicorns. The one further off was a very peculiar-looking filly. She had a coat that was mainly purplish brown, but there were splotches of white on her too, as if someone spilled paint on her. Accompanying her odd coat were purple, teal, and pink dreadlocks, and on her flank was a cutiemark of a heart-shaped paint board with two brushes. 

However, your main attention was on the closer, second unicorn. A very familiar purple mare with long blue hair.

"Izzy?" you spat out abruptly.

With an unmoving smile, the mare nodded. "Yep! That's me! And you're [Y/N], right?"

"Um... yes."

"Oh, well I'm glad I got that right. I know you left quite an impression on us when we first met, but that was months ago. So I didn't know if I got your name right at first."

"Months? It's been months since you've last seen me?"

"Yeah. You disappeared in that cave a long time ago in a big flash of light! Sunny and I were worried and wanted to find you, but Zipp said we had to focus on finding Discord. She even mentioned that perhaps you went back to your own time somehow."

You chuckled sheepishly. "Well... that's basically what happened."

Izzy's smile dropped into a confused frown. "Then why are you back here if you found a way home?"

"It's actually a bit complicated, but I guess I can start with---"

"Here you go!"

The boom of a nearby male voice cut you off from the start of your explanation. Alphabittle had come around the corner where he had originally disappeared into nearly a minute ago. To his side, in a purple glow that matched the one on his horn, was a pair of beige saddlebags. The stallion stood in front of you and leviated the bags over to the stool on your right. He opened his mouth to say something else to you, but stopped once he spotted the other two unicorns at the bar.

"Izzy. What a coincidence," he said in with a smile. "I was just talking about you with this kid over here. Do you know them?"

"Yeah!" Izzy responded cheerfully. "They're a friend from like waaaay back."

Alphabittle turned back to you. "Well, then. I guess you don't have to travel to Maretime Bay since she's here, huh?"

"Do you need the bag back?" you asked him, only to be answered with a dismissive hoof wave.

"Keep it. I got too much junk anyway, and it's not like I gave you the best saddlebags. Now, Izzy, Violette, what can I get the two of you?"

Izzy spoke up. "Me and Vi are just here for a quick tea break from our Gala work." She turned around in her stool to look over at the stage. "Onyx, Dapple, and Primrose sure are killing it this morning with the poetry slam!"

Alphabittle chuckled, igniting his horn to levitate over two small cups and a steaming tea kettle from a nearby shelf. "They sure are. So, what do you two want to drink?"

Izzy looked down at the filly to her side and nudged her lightly. "You can go ahead and choose. I'm still deciding in my head between honey hibiscus and peppermint today."

The brown and white filly brought both hooves up to the counter and looked at Alphabittle.

"I'll have a cup of ginger chai tea. Hot, please."

The stallion nodded. "I'll be right on it, little lady. And what about you, Izzy?"

"I.... guess I could have some hot honey hibiscus." The mare set her eyes on you. "What about you? Have you had anything to drink yet?"

"I'm... not really thirsty right now," you responded. "And I don't have any bits to pay for tea."

"Well, water is free here, if you want any," Alphabittle added in.

"I'm good, but thank you. I just need to talk to Izzy about something."

Alphabittle shrugged, placing the cups before Izzy and the filly. A jar of shriveled, dark red leaves was brought up in a purple glow from underneath the bar on Alphabittle's side, along with a jar of sugar, a jar of what looked like honey, and a small spoon. The stallion dumped a few leaves in Izzy's cup, then he tilted the jar of honey over the cup until just enough gooey yellow liquid drooped out. Finally, after scooping a bit of sugar with the small spoon and placing both in the cup, Alphabittle brought over the kettle to the cup with his magic and poured out a bit of steaming hot water.

Izzy herself took hold of the cup and spoon with her magic, swirling the spoon within the liquid until she floated the cup up to her lips to blow on. Meanwhile, Alphabittle attended to preparing the other cup, though you did not pay close attention to the process, as the filly spoke up and pointed her hoof at you.

"Izzy. Is that the time traveler you were talking about before?"

After a few more blows, the mare took a sip of her tea before addressing the filly's question.

"They sure are! [Y/N], this here is my art protege, Violette Rainbow!"

With her answer received, the filly bestowed you with wonder-filled eyes and an opened awestruck mouth. 

"Woooow! I can't believe it. You're really from the past? Like when Twilight Sparkle and her friends were around?"

"Uh... yeah," you said, unprepared for Violette's enthusiasm. "You can say that."

"Woah! So that means that you're from a time when all types of creatures roamed around Equestria? Like dragons and hippogriffs and changelings? I've only read stories about them!"

"You're right. Equestria by the time I was born was very diverse. I'm just surprised that there aren't many other creatures here anymore besides ponies."

"Yeah. Nopony really knows where most of the other creatures went, but Equestria still has some zebras in it. I'm friends with one. Her name is Skye."

Curiosity livened up your eyes. "There are zebras here?"

Smiling, Violette nodded. "Sure! At least in Maretime Bay. Sheriff Hitch also has a baby dragon, too. His name is Sparky."

"So there aren't any other dragons around?"

"Nope. But Equestria is still a place full of lots of wonderful creatures if you ask me."

The second cup floated down in front of the filly, full of a steaming, creamy brown liquid and a spoon. 

"A time traveler, huh?" Alphabittle chimed in. "With magic's return, I guess anything is possible. I'm gonna take a guess and say that you were telling a little fib about being here with your friends."

"I'm sorry about that," you apologized, scratching the back of your head. "I just didn't know what would happen if I told the truth. The last thing I needed was more attention and questions from ponies."

"Well, I understand. At least no harm was done on your part."

"But still," butted in Izzy, "I want to know why you're back here if you found a way back to your time already."

"I was sent back here because I need to help save Equestira," you answered. "There were these monster attacks throughout the kingdom, and though I don't understand why, I have to be in the future to stop more attacks from happening."

"Well, what do you have to do here?"

"I need to understand the concept of hope for some reason. I might need to learn about it from a philosophical viewpoint, but magic could also play a part. Do you know any spells or artifacts in Equestria that have to deal with hope?"

Izzy donned a quizzical frown as she tapped her hoof underneath her chin.

"I don't know anything about any spells or magical doohickies. I don't think any unicorn does. Ever since magic came back, all we can do make things float."

"Don't you have any spell books?"

"We did, but that was many years ago --- before we lost our magic. Once it disappeared, nopony really felt the need to keep track of any of those books. They could be anywhere --- or nowhere at all."

"So all unicorns can do is levitate?"

The purple unicorn sipped her tea. "Yep. Like I said. But maybe you can find something in Canterlot."

For the second time today, your ears immediately shot up.

"Canterlot?" you asked with a heightened voice. "But I thought the only places creatures lived in were either Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights, or here."

Izzy only smiled at your confusion. "Well, nopony really lives there besides Discord. But a lot of ponies are going to be visiting the city soon, so maybe you can come with us."

"Discord?" you said in a normal voice. "You found him?"

"Yep. It's a bit of a long story, but we were able to get him to give back the pegasus crystal. We convinced him that with magic restored, ponies could reach their pull potential and use their abilities for good. So luckily, nopony has to worry about losing their magic anymore."

"But why are ponies going to Canterlot if only Discord lives there?"

"Well, you know my friend Pipp?"

You nodded. "Yeah. She's one of the princesses."

"Well, she got the idea to hold a Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot, like in the old days. She even got Queen Haven to help clean up a part of the city so ponies can have a place to stay during their visit. Me and Violette have been busy making decorations for the gala. That's why we're here now to take a break and listen to some music."

"The Gala?"

"Yeah, it's coming up soon. Ponies have already been planning to go there. Once we're done with the decorations, we'll be heading to the city, too."

"But what can I find in Canterlot to help me with my mission?"

"Well, it's a city. But not just any city. It used to be the capital of Equestria, right? So there must be a huge magical library in there for you to learn all about hope! We can ask Discord to help us look for something like that."

Izzy's suggestion generated a spark in interest in your eyes. "You really think that's the case?"

The mare nonchalantly shrugged. "It beats me. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. Do you have a place to stay for now?"

"No. It's been at least an hour since I've been here."

Izzy grinned. "Well, I guess you can stay with me for a bit at my old villa. Me and Violette are heading back soon, so you can just follow us."

Though it came gradually, an unexpectant smile from you was given right back to Izzy.

"Wow. I... um... thanks. That definitely makes things easier for me."

"Sure thing! But you mind if we just hang out here a little bit longer? I really like Onyx's lines so far."

You nodded, not wanting to force things to go your way. If Canterlot was far away from here, than it would likely take some time for you to get there with or without Izzy's help. And to be honest with yourself, it was probably best that you had a place to eat and rest before going on such a journey. You were not going anywhere soon, but at least you had somecreature to assist you, which was not something you expected so soon.

So for now, you remained in your stool, listening to the bereted unicorn speak her poem on stage, all while Izzy and Violette sipped tea. 


"I've tried and tried to


change my road.


But I will always be haunted


by scars so old.


My muses and angels,


and all my beloved dears,


have left me alone,


alone with my tears."