What happens when the Warden of Time loses in a bet? He goes and possesses a unicorn, of course!
Ouros, mostly known as Ouroboros, the great Warden of Time, made a bet one night with Oneiroi, Keeper of the Dream Realm. On his drunken stupor, Ouros lost the bet and is now in a land of pastel-colored, peace-loving, magic-using equines. And now, either by luck or misfortune, he is stuck in the body of a certain bookworm. Surely he could've gotten someone, er, somepony else...
"Come on, it would be fun!" A feminine voice said, ecstatic about something. "If you beat me, I will, most definitely, give you a lot of Diamonds," she said, clearly wanting the other to participate.
"Diamonds? Please, I'm more into Emeralds, thank you very much!" The masculine voice said, quite annoyed with the challenger.
"Lies! You were literally eating Diamonds before," she said, pouting at the snake-like being. "Come on, Ouros! Please? I didn't spike the beer!" Ouros, the snake-like being, well, not exactly as he still had hands, turned around and glared at the woman behind him, annoying him to no end. He had grayish hair, some sort of suit that screamed "class", an emblem of the symbol of "infinity" at his left pocket, and a really long and scaly tail. "Look, Oneiroi, I do not want to drink with you, nor will I be tempted to even try," Ouros said, as he looked upon Oneiroi with disdain. Oneiroi, in contrast with the scary snake being, was beautiful and elegant to some extent. She had really long hair, even reaching the back of her knees, ever flowing with the midnight stars. She was wearing a silk dress, with a moon emblem located at the chest. She was floating unlike Ouros, who was walking in the Neversphere, an ability that Ouros was jealous of.
Oneiroi pouted, crossed her arms and floated beside Ouros, thinking of some way to actually get the stoic snake to drink with her. "If it helps, these are fresh from that N'hir Vhanna place or whatever the name was," she tilted her head, looked back and forth, and whispered, "Seriously, that name kinda sucks." She slumped back, awaiting a response. Ouros then stopped walking as he looked upon Oneiroi. "The one in constant war because of some warlord, with said warlord being trapped in another dimension filled with equines?" Ouros said, cautious. That place did reek of malice, or at least, that iteration. "Yeah!" Oneiroi exclaimed, "That one!"
Ouros pondered, silent as the place around him. He then gazed upon Oneiroi. "Primes be damned, let's go!" He exclaimed, surprising Oneiroi. Had she known that merely stating that the beer came from N'hir Vhanna would work, she wouldn't have bothered Ouros for literally 4 hours.
The day turned into night, or at least, a version of what night is in the Neversphere, and Ouros, along with Oneiroi, drank and drank their sweet yet powerful N'hir Vhannian beer. Ouros laughed all the way while Oneiroi was tipsy. It was then that she had a bright, and probably the best, idea she has ever had. "Hey, Ouros, want to have a bet?" She said, almost falling from her floating position. Ouros, still drunk, laughed at her face. "YOu ChalLenGe Me? WhAt A CuTE OffEr," he said, slurring some bits and pieces of the sentence. Oneiroi giggled at this, petting his hair. "Okay, okay, here's the bet, hehe," Oneiroi said, taking a swig from her barrel before continuing. "If you," she snickers, "if you can beat me in uhh," she said as she looked around, and even at her almost empty barrel. "Aha! If you can beat me in a drinking contest, then I will," she stuttered and paused, thinking of a reward for the mighty Ouros. She then blushed, almost looking away from him. "I will... marry you... or something"
Ouros pondered, snickered, then pointed at Oneiroi. "HA! As IF I wIlL MarRy SomEOnE LikE YoU! I'D raTheR MarRy a CacTus!" Exclaimed Ourus, boastful that he would win. "BuT SinCE yoU WanTEd A BeT," he paused, taking a swig at his own barrel, "I wiLL CoMPly. If I LoSE, I wiLl PurPosEfUlLY gO to ThAT EquInE PlacE." He tossed his own barrel, grabbed another, and drank the contents within before he continued. "AnD If I WiN, YOu WIlL gO anD MaRrY a CacTUs! HAH! I SwEAr on tHE KeEpeR of OaThS"
Dismayed by this idiotic snake, Oneiroi accepted. What Ouros didn't know though is that she was planning something to win. Not because of fear that she could end up with a cactus or whatever she might say as a consequence, no no. This became personal. It became personal the moment the stupid snake decided that he was better off with a cactus than with her. The nerve of this snake.
And so the challenge began. With how drunk Ouros already is, it was more of a breeze for Oneiroi to win. After all, she was the Keeper of Dreams, being intoxicated is one thing that she can handle better than the others. Something Ouros was aware of, had he been sober. And so they drank and drank. Barrel after barrel, consumed every minute. To Oneiroi's surprise, however, Ouros was keeping up with her despite already being under the influence. It was only after the 900th barrel that Ouros finally collapsed, with a lanky smile upon his muzzle. One more sip and she would have lost, thank the Primes for that. By some mere coincidence, or by sheer misfortune, however, the very same being known as the Keeper of Oaths came by and checked upon them. And of course, as the title suggested, he made sure that he transported Ouros to the wonderful world of Equestria (free of charge). Of course, he got help from the Guardian of Space for transportation to even be possible.
Waking up after such drinks of such scale, it would be impossible, even for a Prime, to not even suffer hangovers. "Fuckin' hell, how much have I been drinking?" Ouros looked around, only to see an empty void. "Well... shit." The searing pain of his skull sent shivers upon his entire existence. "Where in the Underworld am I?" Slowly, a bright light engulfed the left side of his body. To his surprise, he converted back to his serpent-self. "Well, at least I know I am still me," he chuckled before he got up and slithered towards the bright light. It looked like circular windows. What's worse than one circular window? Two circular windows, and probably some termites, the fuckers... However, he noticed that outside the windows were some tree like branches. "Huh, perhaps I am in a forest," he said. Almost by instinct, the windows closed, and then reopened. "What?" he asked, confused at the windows. It was then that he can hear some chirps outside the windows. He looked around the void, looking for another pair of windows. Surely this weird void-house-unit thing has other windows.
Suddenly, the scenery moved, as if by command. There were birds outside, a few shrubbery, and... windows? "Ok, I've seen different temple designs, but this has got to be the weirdest," he said, unamused at the sight. "Who puts two windows together in the same room?" That's when he noticed. "Wait, the room moved." He then slithered to the left, a few words escaping his mouth, "I wonder." And sure enough, the scenery changed, now it was pointing to a door, well, the frame of a door. "Oh... I'm inside of a person," he said, calmly.
He inhaled, exhaled, look left and right, and sighed. "Not the first time, but holy shit, the last time was really really long ago." Seeing that he is inside of a person, and given he has the experience, he proceeded to focus all his energy to try and maintain control. "Whoever you are, wherever you are, apologies, but I'll take over for now," he said as the void glowed with a bluish-white hue. He was now in control.
"Alright, let's see..." The body began to rise, stretching a few times before getting out of bed. The person then fell flat on their face the moment he tried to walk upright. "Weird, is this body limp or something?" He tried again, and again, and again. For 28 times, he had tried. For 28 times, he fell. This body can't take much more of this abuse, so he decided to at least try and crawl. However, the moment he tried to walk on four legs, it felt... natural.
"Strange..." It was all he could muster from the experience. He decided to walk forwards, backwards, and spin a little. "Locomotion seems to be more natural while walking on all fours... Perhaps this body is more of a quadruped in nature." He then gulped. "Shit, please don't be a canine, please don't be a damned dog!" Annoyed, he tried to find the nearest mirror. Not knowing if this body can use magic, or even handle magic, he decided to dart towards a cabinet. "Aha, a mirror, now to see what I look-" he gasped. That's all that he can do. Not only did he transform into a quadruped, but he also transformed into a unicorn. A. GOD. DAMNED. UNICORN. One of the things Oneiroi sees within the dreams of little children. No wait...
He screamed, a scream to awake the dead. An ear piercing scream that could have awoken the slumbering Fafnir out of his cave. And then, a sudden realization took place.
"Oh no... Please don't be THAT iteration..."
He quickly opened the cabinets, looking for a piece of parchment. Should he find that specific parchment containing the questions for a certain warlord, then all hope is gone for this unicorn. All he can do while trapped in this body is to go and warn the princesses, or lords, or whatever this iteration has for rulers. As he plundered this poor mare's items for that piece of paper, a panicked voice can be heard, prompting him to temporarily stop his search. It was a pudgy baby drake by the door, with an apron on and a spatula for a weapon.
"Twilight! Are you okay?? What happened?!" he said, trembling as he approached the unicorn. Without breaking a sweat, he grabbed unto the baby dragon and shook him. He had to know. "Have we encountered a lost tomb in a forest? Have we?! Did a certain filly fall upon a sinkhole?! Answer quickly!" Ouros said, shaking the poor drake.
"No-o-oo we haven't! Sto-oo-op!" He said, almost turning green as he became sick from the shaking.
Satisfied, Ouros let go of the poor drake. "Oh okay, thank you," he said, smiling, and then fainting, or well, the body was. The only thing he can hear was the baby drake, yelling out "Twilight" as the voices faded.
"Good. At least we aren't in that dimension. Though, I could've handled that situation better..." Admitted Ouros.
"Are you sure Twilight was acting... weird weird, and not the normal kind of weird?" Pondered the cyan pegasus with a raspy voice, floating gently above the bed.
"I have to agree," interjected a white unicorn, regal and defined, "While Twilight is our dear friend, she does have... some tendencies to be 'weird', so to speak."
"Mhmm! Twilight's weird but not a bad sort of weird! She's the best kind of weird," exclaimed an energetic pink pony.
"Oh great, it's the others," Ouros said, listening in on the conversations. Despite being in "the void of the mind", he is still conscious, and as such, he can still hear what was going on. He knows who they are to some extent, after all, he is the one responsible for keeping the flow of time. He holds a vast amount of knowledge from different universes, and yet, when it comes to this specific place, he shirks that knowledge away. "Primes be damned, looks like I can't skip learning about this world now."
If there was one benefit to being in the mind of someone, or in this case, somepony else, it's that one is free to use their memories for reference. "Fuckin' hell, is this mare part library?" He said, irked with how many memories of literal books Twilight contained. As with every memory-hopping, he decided to "watch" the first of her memories, or more specifically, memories where Twilight can read. After all, baby books still contain a bit of history. He then heard the creak of a door, the rest going downstairs, obviously still talking about Twilight as their voices fade. "Ah well, I guess I have to apologize to my host for ruining her reputation," Ouros shrugged as he continued to watch her memories, trying to learn of the crucial things, skimming through memory after memory.
Returning at the present world, the baby drake panted as he went back and forth from the living room to the kitchen, serving the others tea whilst preparing meals for them. Spike was, on normal days, a more calm and collected assistant to Twilight. However, the way Twilight acted shook him, both literally and figuratively, thus losing his normal composure. It didn't help that he was asked about some sort of parchment and a lost tomb. Was she having a nightmare? Perhaps he should stop her from reading too much of those "Daring Do" books.
And then came their friends, worried about the situation. So now he had to prepare more food instead of the usual amount. Within the library sat 5 of his friends, the Elements of Harmony. Floating above the rest was the cyan mare, Rainbow Dash. She was looking at the books, trying to find something she can enjoy, but judging from her expression, it appears most of the books were boring or not her type. The white unicorn quietly sipping tea, known as Rarity, used her magic to bring forth a cube of sugar to her cup. To her side was a timid pegasus, yellow in color, named Fluttershy, as she read about the different types of fish. And then there was the pink ball of energy, Pinkie Pie, who by sheer coincidence was already inside the house before the event happened. Talking with Pinkie was a mare with a Stetson hat, Applejack, who was casually glancing back and forth at the library books while entertaining the shenanigans of the bouncing Pinkie.
Spike had to remember to thank Applejack properly, as she was the one who brought the others. He went to the living room, placing down pieces of toasts with butter, a full kettle of hot water, and some fried eggs on the table. He sighed, and sat down, tired of doing extra work at such a time. This all changed though as Rarity decided to pat the young drake.
"So, anypony else got an idea as to what happened?" Applejack said as she took a bite on her toast, confused at the sudden outburst of her friend. Everypony, at this point, all shook their heads. Well, almost everypony, as Pinkie Pie was busy inhaling the food in front of her.
"Maybe, uhm, it really was just a nightmare," Fluttershy said, timid as ever, even with her friends. "We never encountered a... oh my, the thought is enough to scare me." Thinking about a tomb and a filly falling in a sinkhole really worried her. This spook not only her, but also the others. Was it some sort of precognition? Nopony really knows at this point.
"Okay, so the Summer Sun Celebration brought forth these ponies and they are now bound to their elements... Well shit," Ouros said, surprised and intrigued by this power. "Had the Elements of Harmony manifested at the Leaf War, that would have been an interesting watch!"
Just then, the void glowed a purplish hue. Baffled, he quickly closed the memories and looked at the cause of the light. It was her, the lavender unicorn, Twilight in the flesh - er, mind? Anyway, now was his chance to explain the situation to her. Of course, since he now knows that this version of Twilight has never encountered the Scourge (or at least, that version of him anyway), he wanted to apologize for ruining her possible reputation to the young drake, and possibly her friends.
"Hello! Greetings, my friend!" He said, waving his tail as he was still in his serpentine self. However, the figure did not respond. Instead, the figure moved and stared directly at the giant eye-windows. She opened them, causing a bright light to fill the void. And, as if nothing happened, she began to go towards the mirror and brush her mane.
"This will be a good day!" Twilight said. Ouros groaned, perhaps it was still too early for her mind to connect with his. As such, he'll just have to make do.
Twilight woke up from a really good sleep. She stretched her hooves, walked towards the mirror, and using her magic, began to brush her mane, telling herself that this would be a good day. She then opened the door, walking with a pep in her step as she went downstairs to greet her number one assistant, Spike. "Morning Spike-" she stopped as she saw that her friends were there too. "Morning girls! You're all here early," she said, a smile forming on her face.
The girls greeted her back, although, with worried looks upon their faces. Twilight noticed this and paused with her walking. "Is there something wrong?" She asked, not really knowing what to do with the situation. Finally, Applejack spoke out, walking towards her. "Are you alright, sugarcube?" She asked with genuine concern. Twilight, who at this point didn't know about what happened earlier, spoke truthfully at Applejack, though still concerned that she missed something.
"Yeah... I'm alright. Did something happen though?" She asked, tilting her head at her friends, making the situation even more confusing.
"Okay, she really was acting weird weird." Rainbow said, crossing her arms while flapping towards Twilight. "Twilight, you seriously don't remember?"
"N-No, did something happen? Did I do something?" Twilight, panicking at the thought that she did something to ruin her friendships with her friends, said with such fervor in her voice. Rainbow, however, not realizing the intensity of the situation, decided to "lighten the mood".
"Twilight! You changed into a werepony! The whole town is looking for you!" Rainbow said, panicking while shaking Twilight. This simply made Twilight's eyes shrink.
"Oh no, no, no! H-how could this h-happen?! Did..." Twilight froze as she tried to remember anything from last night. She sniffed, hugging onto Rainbow. "Please... don't tell me... t-that I hurt somepony! W-what would Princess Celestia say?! I'll no longer be her student, and I'll be outcasted, and, and..." She lied down, covering her eyes as she cried, "Oh no-o-o! What have I DONE?!"
"Rainbow, look what you did!" Applejack reprimanded, while Rainbow tried to hide her snickers. It was a bit of a mean prank, but hey, it was the only time she can actually do it. Twilight looked upon Applejack with confusion, tears still upon her eyes. "W-what?" She sniffed, wanting to know what is really going on. She then turned to Rainbow Dash who was hiding her muzzle with her hoof. Pinkie joined in, hiding her own snickers, while Rarity glared at the both of them. She can't believe it, she was pranked. Again.
Twilight quickly got up and scolded the two. "That wasn't funny!" Rainbow, no longer able to hide her laughter, fell to the ground as she held her belly, laughing at Twilight's disarray. "You have to admit, it was a bit funny!" She said, giggling at the situation. Rarity just simply rolled her eyes at the shenanigans and calmly walked to Twilight. "Darling, are you alright? Do you really not recall everything that happened this morning?"
"No," replied Twilight. She just woke up after all. With this information, Rarity and the others decided to tell Twilight what was going on, with Spike explaining about the things Twilight told him, like the filly being stuck in a sinkhole and a tomb found in a forest.
Ouros, upon hearing them explain, groaned and bit his lip, hiding his embarrassment from the quick judgement that he had done. Meanwhile, Twilight just sat there, dumbstruck. She really didn't remember anything about those things.
"Uh... well, I really don't know what you are all talking about." She said, calmly.
The rest looked at each other, and then at Spike and Pinkie. It seems that both parties are telling the truth. Well, that and Applejack heard her scream when she was passing near the library. She's the reason why everypony was present anyway, which made the situation more worrisome. If Twilight, who does not remember anything at all, Spike and Pinkie, who were both witnesses, and Applejack who heard the scream, were all telling the truth, then something isn't right. However, Pinkie, ever the life of the party, decided not to linger too much on the details and made everypony laugh with her shenanigans.
Ouros, on the other hand, silently pondered at the current turn of events. "Strange. Normally, people who I have bonded with in the mindscape can remember what I have done for advantage purposes..." A smirk was then placed upon his lips. "I don't know how I got here, but I have a feeling," he paused to reconsider. Could he really use this mare to do things he wants and not out of duty to protect? Could he really use such a tactic for this purpose?
Yes, most definitely yes. Now all he needs to do is to find out the waking patterns of his "roommate". But then again, should things go awry, he should probably talk to his roommate. He really needs to talk to Twilight at some point in order to avoid some malice in the future.
And with that, with Twilight off to go with her friends on some random adventure the day brings, Ouros decided that memory-hopping would be the best course of action for now. "I love books and all, but really, this mare needs to find someone."
Ouros waited a few days after "the incident" to test out his theory. After all, it would be weird, as the cyan mare suggested, if Twilight, who suddenly became agitated over something they didn't know, becomes somepony entirely different from what they know of.
What a preposterous notion! This is Pony World!
Still, if he wants to actually do some of the things he calls fun, and not garner any suspicion, he should at least try and act like his host. It is for that reason as to why he even gave his host a few more days before acting upon what he wants. And what he wants to do is to paint. Seeing that no one was in the mindscape, he decided that it was time.
Twilight woke up, earlier than Spike and earlier than the sun. She opened the window by her bed and looked around. Nopony was around, probably still sleeping.
"No shit," she muttered to herself, careful not to speak out loud. "Of course they are all a sleep! This isn't a battlefield!" She then went downstairs towards the kitchen, hungry for whatever things she can find. Ransacking the fridge for some eggs, tomatoes, and bread, she decided to make herself an egg sandwich.
Living for an infinite amount means that one can learn a lot of skills. That doesn't mean that those skills are permanent. Ouros believes that, much like how humans, and other sapient creatures, if they simply learn a skill, and not even use it for a long period of time, then those skills would be worthless by the end. And so, he practices every skill that he has learned every time he gets a chance, which considering his job, isn't really much. Maintaining the timestream (mostly the "Prime" Timeline), reprimanding those foolish and pesky time-travelers, and even meeting with other versions of the Warden of Time to discuss about certain conflicts, was all too much to be honest.
With such dexterous skills, Twilight easily made herself "The Perfect Sandwich", not even realizing that Spike was watching her. Spike was baffled at what he could see. Twilight, his Twilight, the bookworm that couldn't even handle a pan and boil an egg even if her life depended on it, was cooking like a Master Chef. It was weird. So weird in fact that he decided to go back to bed. Maybe the stress really got to him.
Twilight indulged herself with her breakfast, and without even looking at the clock to tell the time, decided to go outside and scout the perfect place to paint. She remembered a lake where she and her friends had a picnic once, and decided to go there. It was much more serene than the memories. All she needs now were her art supplies.
"Creating some items should be easy, right?" She said, laughing nervously.
Hell, if Ouros can't even do something this simple, then there is no hope in trying to even pretend to be his host in times like this.
And so, mustering all her magic, she focused and thought of a canvas, some oil paints, an easel, some paintbrushes, paint thinner, and a palette. It took some time, but eventually, she did it. "Haha! You can't best me, objects, for my name is Twilight Van Sparkle!" She shouted, particularly to nopony. "Now, let's see here..." Twilight said calmly, as if she didn't even shout a moment ago, picking up the paintbrush and palette with her hooves while squeezing out some oil paints with her magic. "What do I want to paint?"
A few hours later, Spike woke up from his pleasant and weird dream. He yawned, stretched, and looked towards Twilight's bed, only to find it empty. "Huh, must have gone to the bathroom," Spike said groggily. Everyday, he wakes up early to prepare not only for the day but to also prepare breakfast for Twilight. When he went down, he called out to Twilight, only to find no answer. "Twilight? Are you sleeping in the bathroom?" He asked innocently. Perhaps Twilight sleepwalked in the middle of the night. There was no response, and so, he decided to open the door, risking being reprimanded in the hopes to know if Twilight was safe. He opened the door, closing his eyes in a hurry, and shouted, "Twilight!"
Upon hearing no response, he slowly opened his eyes, seeing that nopony was in the bathroom. "Huh, if Twilight wasn't here, then..." Fear suddenly engulfed the young drake as he quivered in place. The worst has happened. "Twilight is missing!" Spike said, unaware of the situation. As such, he rushed over towards the door and quickly ran towards Sugarcube Corner, seeing that it was the closest house out of everypony in their friend group. As he ran, he encountered a familiar face, one who was pulling a cart filled with apples. "Applejack!" he cried out. Applejack broke her stride, surprised to see Spike being so frantic in the morning. "Oh boy," Applejack muttered to herself, hoping that this matter does not include Twilight being "weird".
She faced Spike, hid her worries, and greeted him. "Howdy, Spike. What can I do for you?" Applejack said, perturbed by the way Spike was acting. He was being fidgety, his eyes were darting around in a frantic way. "Twilight is missing!" Spike said, panicking.
Applejack was taken aback. Twilight, missing? Perhaps Spike had a nightmare. "Spike, calm down. I'm sure Twilight just had a little walk, is all." Applejack said, hoping it would calm down the tiny dragon.
But it didn't. Spike explained the situation. Seeing that Twilight, who normally wakes up at 8 in the morning, was gone before that time must have really riled Spike. And so, being his friend, she decided to offer her own time to look for Twilight. Spike nodded to this and began to run towards the different houses of his friends. Of course, Applejack helped out too, offering to go and get both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. When they reached their friends' houses, they both explained the situation to their friends, and all of them setting out to look for Twilight.
It was Rainbow Dash who first spotted Twilight. Being their fastest flier has its own benefits, after all. However, instead of grabbing her friends, she decided to confront Twilight on her own.
Twilight was busy adding the final details on her painting, when a familiar pegasus landed behind her. She did not notice though, as she was focused in her masterpiece. Rainbow wanted to say something, unfortunately, she was too enamored at the painting itself. She never really liked paintings, but this painting, it somehow speaks with her.
"Woah," was all that Rainbow could speak before Twilight turned towards her, a warm smile plastered on the mare's face. "Fascinating, isn't it?" Twilight said as she placed the palette and the brush down gently. "Y-yeah. I didn't know you could paint, Twi," Rainbow said, stunned at the art piece in front of her. "I don't really paint," Twilight said as she dipped the brushes in the paint thinner. "Do you want it?" Twilight asked, confusing Rainbow even further. "W-what? What do you mean you can't paint?" She then looked at the painting, "And can I really have it?"
Twilight laughed a bit, gently hitting Rainbow's shoulder. "Of course you can! It's yours." Twilight said, giving a relaxed sigh. "Let's just say I feel so different."
Rainbow Dash doesn't really get it but if she can get this painting framed for her house, then it's all good. Then, Twilight said something that bamboozled her for the rest of the day. "Do you want to prank the others?"
The mere mention of pranks and the pony who said it made her brain stop working for a second before becoming excited. She hugged onto Twilight, almost crying from enjoyment. "I never thought I can hear this from you, I never even dreamed that this day would come!" She said, dashing towards the sky while screaming "Yes".
"But no mean pranks, okay?" Twilight said, conjuring a frame for her painting and a case for said painting. Rainbow gladly accepted the painting and the rule, and flew high in the clouds towards her house before coming back. She saluted at Twilight, offering her a serious look.
"Good, here's the plan," Twilight said, snickering.
"I wonder if Rainbow Dash found Twilight yet," Fluttershy said worriedly. It was a few hours ago when Applejack knocked on her front door, saying things like Twilight was missing and that Spike was panicking.
She was going towards the library, the place where they all planned to meet after looking for Twilight. To her surprise, her friends were already there, but with no sign of Rainbow and Twilight. This made her assume for the worst, only to stop herself when she saw how Spike was acting. The poor guy, shaken to the core.
"No luck either, huh, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked, concerned and stressed about the whole situation. Rarity has told everypony else about her findings, and it appears Fluttershy was the most recent out of their friend group. Strange though, considering Rainbow, upon hearing the situation, was the fastest to even react out of all of them. She didn't ask questions, she didn't even try to make excuses. The moment she heard what Applejack said, she immediately darted out of her house.
"I'm sure everything is fine, Spikey-Wikey," Rarity said, trying to calm Spike down. He was on the verge of tears.
"I just hope everything is oka-", Spike said as he was interrupted by the sounds of Rainbow screaming, barreling towards them.
"GIRLS!" She cried out, almost crashing next to them. "I found Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said, bringing joy to everypony. Unfortunately, that joy would soon turn to concern when they saw how frantic and worried Rainbow was. Something shook her to the core.
"Rainbow, darling, what's wrong?" Rarity asked, holding her hoof out to Rainbow. Pinkie hopped towards her friend and gave her a towel, "Yeah, what's wrong Rainbow?" Pinkie repeated.
"Twilight... Lake... Painting!" She panted, tired from flying.
"Come again, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, confused as to why Rainbow said what she said. Rainbow then darted off, almost as quickly as crashing towards them. "Come on! Follow me!" She said in an almost commanding way. They simply understood this as a means to hurry. Whatever has happened to Twilight and, well, that painting, they had to go and move.
When they reached the lake, they saw Rainbow Dash staring at the painting. What they saw baffled them. It was a painting of Twilight, scared to the brim. It then dawned upon Pinkie Pie. "She's trapped in the painting!"
"Hang on, Twi! We'll get you out of there!" Applejack said, thinking of a way to get her out. Fluttershy stared unto the painting, worried for her friend. "Oh no," she muttered, "What or who could have done this?"
"It doesn't matter who has done this, Fluttershy," Rarity interjected, scanning the area for some clues. "What matters is that we get Twilight out of there." This prompted Pinkie to nod and pull out a case filled with paint thinner. "This will do the trick!" Pinkie said, confident in what she is planning to do. The others didn't question where she got the paint thinner, it was Pinkie after all. And so, she doused the canvas with paint thinner, hoping that the evil paint would release Twilight. Spike gave a hoofbump to Pinkie for the brilliant idea, thinking that it would all be over.
However, the painting screamed. Pinkie panicked when she heard the screams of Twilight. "Oh no! Twilight!" Everypony said. "I just don't know what went wrong!" Pinkie exclaimed, pulling on her hair, screaming her lungs out.
Spike, in his carelessness, belched out a green flame towards the canvas, burning it in the process. Everypony was shocked, not even realizing that Rainbow wasn't with them anymore. "TWILIGHT!" cried Spike, as he knelt in the ground, hitting his hands towards the floor. "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!!" Spike said. Everypony couldn't help but tear up. They lost Twilight. "How could this even happen, I-", Applejack said, pausing as she heard Rainbow Dash snicker behind her.
"Consarn it, Rainbow Dash, are you seriously laughing at a time like this? We lost Twilight!" She said, furious at the laughing pegasus. Everypony looked at her, confused.
Fluttershy, who has had enough, walked towards Rainbow Dash with righteous fury, finally putting her hoof down. "RAINBOW DASH, HOW COULD YOU?" She shouted as loud as she can, which really isn't loud. Rainbow stopped laughing as the butter yellow pegasus came marching towards her. "Laughing at something serious like this, how could-", but before she could even finish her sentence, another snicker can be heard behind some bushes. When they went to investigate, all they saw was a picnic blanket laid under a tree, breakfast items filling the basket. And there she was, Twilight, in the flesh and not in a painting, snickering as she heard the commotion.
"We got you all good," chuckled Twilight as Rainbow flew next to her. "Yeah!" Rainbow said as she made a hoofbump with Twilight. "But, but, but-" Rarity stuttered. Pinkie immediately hopped towards them as she giggled, "You really did get us good!"
"T-twilight?? Pranking?? Okay, this definitely is the weirdest day of my life." Applejack said. Fluttershy said nothing as she simply sighed, glad that her friend was alright. Spike, on the other hand, simply teared up and hugged Twilight, only to stop as he recalled his "dream".
"You can cook?!" Spike said, annoyed that what he thought was a dream turned out to be reality. Twilight simply shrugged, grinning at Spike before giving him the exact same answer she gave to Rainbow Dash. "I don't really cook, but, let's just say I feel so different." They all chuckled at this, glad to see that no one was hurt. Of course, after the breakfast picnic, everypony went on their separate ways, doing whatever they want to do for the day.
When night came, and the need for sleep called out to the body, Ouros simply let go of control. He had done painting, and a bit of pranking. Maybe next time he can go for poetry, but then again, he has never felt this good. Being able to prank as the host without repercussions made him feel alive again.
"Bowling it is," Ouros said, grinning at the thought.
When morning came, however, and Twilight (the actual Twilight) came downstairs, she became very confused. For one, Spike was asking her for her recipe on some poached eggs, to which she doesn't even know what to answer. Rainbow then visited her, thanking her for some painting that she apparently made, and for the prank, to which she has no recollection of. Of course, being the responsible one of the group, she reprimanded Rainbow for pulling off such pranks. It soured Rainbow's mood a bit, but didn't pay it too much thought.
"Sweet Celestia, I should really lay off reading at night."
Mornings for a farmer were quite productive, even more so than the other ponies in town. Once you become a farmer, you'll have to wake up early, make breakfast for yourself and for your family, doublecheck on inventory, feed the chickens and the pigs, check on the cows, and check on the crops. Such is the life of the Apples. Nopony other than other farmers can do such a thing, and do it at a really early pace. So imagine their surprise when the apples they were about to harvest were already in barrels upon barrels, all of which were done by none other than the least fit (according to Applejack at least) pony that she has ever seen.
"What in tarnation?!" was all she could say before Twilight, not even using her magic, bucked the next set of trees, each of the apples falling perfectly onto the barrels placed. Who needs a basket when you could immediately place it on the barrels? The other Apple Family members, one with a bright pink bow resting on her head and the other with a hors- or rather- a pony collar, were also quite shocked. The old green mare with them, however, just looked in awe at the intruder. "Well fancy that, she has done most of our work even before we woke up," Granny Smith said, chuckling to herself while the others were constantly looking back and forth, from her to the mare bucking the trees. But what could've made Twilight, out of all ponies, do this??
"I want to try farming," Twilight casually said to Spike, who in turn just looked at her as if she grew nine heads. Twilight has already been acting weird, but not "wanting to do chores" weird. Well, weirder than painting and cooking, and if what Rainbow said was true, pranking. Nevertheless, he has known Twilight, and this is not something Twilight would do. "And why do YOU want to go farming?" Spike asked, questioning her decisions, to which Twilight answered, "I read it in a book, and I have always been curious about it."
Spike, ever the loyal and curious dragon, rose his eyebrow on this but decided not to question it further. "Maybe I'm just blowing this whole thing out of proportion. Besides, Twilight has changed a lot since coming into Ponyville," Spike thought trying to reassess the situation. "Alright, let's go and ask Applejack and-" Spike said, interrupted by none other than Owlowiscious. "Hoot hoot!" Owlowiscious hooted. Annoyed that he has been interrupted, Spike dropped all of the books he was carrying and looked at the owl menace. "I was talking!" Spike said furiously, to which Owlowiscious simply looked away, hooting once more. This prompted Spike to chase after the good-for-nothing owl.
"Twilight" on the other hoof simply sat down and watched both of their shenanigans. She wasn't laughing nor giggling, simply lost in thought and staring at her book. "Damn," she thought, "this might be the first time I take control of this body for 2 days straight..."
Ouros was bored... yet again. To be fair, though, he is stuck in a position to which he can't simply do what he wants. He is stuck inside the mind of a mare, and that limits quite a lot of the things he wanted to do, like sunbathing (literally), lest he risks melting the entire population and his host. Still, to feel like such a parasite every time, not even managing to communicate properly with his host, it does drain a bit of his sanity. Still, it is weird that his host did not appear the next day. Usually she does, but this time, she didn't, which makes him today's biggest loser.
And because he is in control at the moment, he has to act as natural as he can. So what better way to do so than to "help out" Twilight's friends... while also doing what he wants. Naturally, this means that he might just wake up at 2 in the morning and do some chores for Applejack, that is if his host does not seek control. Still, he needs a way to at least communicate with his host, and given time, communicate with the others. Though not really his sort of type to mingle with, they eventually grew to him. This place is peaceful and just, serene in a way (unless some villain attacks), and is quite possibly the best place he has ever gone into.
The next day came, but he did not move from his spot. He waited, and waited, yet there was no sign of his host. This can mean only two things: either Twilight's mind is adapting to certain changes and the lack of memories, or that he might have accidentally destroyed his host. The first one is the most probable, since destroying the host requires him to be present with the host and, well, attacking it (and besting it). And even if he had done it accidentally, why doesn't he remember? Still, it was 1:53 in the morning, and he wanted to have a head start. Farming, after all, is something he respects. Still, not wanting to leave Spike hungry, he prepared him breakfast containing toasted bread and a pouched egg, masterfully seasoned as always. He also placed a single ruby upon his plate, covering it with a cloche he made magically.
"Alright, time for farming!"
"So tell me, me, why must I go to the farm at exactly 2:30 in the morning?" Twilight spoke to herself, not really expecting an answer. "Oh, I do not know. Maybe it's because we want to do it in the morning?" Twilight answered. Twilight sighed, "Yeah, perhaps that's for the best. Wouldn't want to waste quite a lot of time." Twilight muttered. "Besides, it's not like I need to sleep or anything," Twilight sighed. Talking to herself like this? It's just downright sad and degrading. She just hopes Pinkie does not hear about this, unless she wants more chaos in the mix. Then again, she could just force Pinkie to keep this as a secret, since she follows through with her Pinkie Promises.
As she walked towards the barn, she could hear a dog barking. It was probably the Apple family's pet dog, Winona. What she was barking at, she had no idea. That was until Winona charged at her. "Go away, intruder!" Winona barked. "Winona, it's me, Twilight!"
Winona tilted her head, "Twilight? You smell... different..." Twilight simply sighed as she gently picked the dog up and placed her down, allowing the dog to walk with her. "That's because I really am not... in a way," Twilight said, much to the confusion of Winona. "But... if you're not Twilight, then who are you?" Twilight was about to answer until she remembered something. Fluttershy... She can talk to animals, and by that logic, she can deduce whatever it is Twilight told Winona. As such, Twilight looked at the dog, who was still tilting her head. "Sleep, this is all a dream," Twilight said as she casted a powerful spell to make Winona fall asleep. Winona, having a sudden shift in her vision and her strength, simply fell onto the ground, under the effects of the spell Twilight casted. Twilight, in turn, gently wrapped her magic onto the lying dog and decided to bring her back to the barn.
"Now then, to do what I came here to do," Twilight said as she summoned multiple barrels. She also invoked a silencing spell, lest she wakes up the actual owners of the farm. She, in turn, thought of a logical approach to answer their questions, should they actually ask her about it.
The Apples were simply in awe at what was going on in front of them. Here was Twilight, the sometimes grumpy, quite dorky, and the least athletic of their friend group, managing to buck half of the orchard all by herself... Half... in one morning, no less! It took quite a lot of time for Applejack to buck all those trees by herself when her brother Big Mac got injured, and even then, it took her almost 3 to 4 days with no rest! And here was Twilight, who was almost done with THE WHOLE ORCHARD!
Applejack almost fainted, had it not been for Twilight walking towards them, focus seen in her eyes. "Well, good morning, uhh, sugarcube?" Applejack spoke, awkwardly smiling at the unicorn mare. The rest followed, smiling at Twilight, with the exception of Granny Smith and Apple Bloom, who genuinely smiled at her. "Never thought of you to have some meat in your bones," Granny Smith said, chuckling at the display before her. Apple Bloom simply hopped in place, knowing full well that she can finally goof around with her friends early in the weekend morning, something that seems to be rare. The group was interrupted when a huffing dragon ran towards them, a gem clutched upon his hands.
"Have... you seen... Twilight..." Spike said, tired at wasting his energy early in the morning. While he was thankful that he no longer needs to prepare breakfast for both Twilight and for himself, he was still worried since Twilight wasn't at home. That worry soon drifted away like the ruby he had on his hand (or mouth now at least) as he saw Twilight pulling a cart filled to the brim with barrels full of apples. "Since when can Twilight pull a cart?" Spike asked Applejack, who simply shrugged. "Beats me, I'm confused and concerned as well," Applejack said, once again looking at the unicorn mare who was now unloading the barrels like it were made of cotton.
"Eeyup," Big Mac simply said, confused to the max. "Well, can I go and play now? The chores are pretty much done," Apple Bloom said with glee, much to the annoyance of her big sister. "Apple Bloom, you do realize that Twilight has done ALL of our work in just one morning, right?"
Apple Bloom simply nodded, "Yeah, which means I get to finally go with wherever Scoots and Sweetie go in the morning!" Applejack simply face-hoofed, but decided not to push it further. "Well, I guess we do have quite a lot of free time..." Big Mac stated, pointing at the lavender unicorn, who was about to buck the last apple tree. All of them nodded, some with slight enthusiasm. "Well, better get the oven ready and bake her something for her hard work," Granny Smith said, smirking at the other two, "At least she done the whole thing in just a few hours. A new Apple Record, if you ask me," Granny Smith said, both teasing the other two whilst being impressed with the hard work of the mare, "More time for me to get my beauty sleep."
Twilight finally stopped once she reached the barn again, this time with only one barrel on the cart. "And that's done!" She exclaimed proudly, much to the chagrin of Applejack. "Twilight, we need to talk." Twilight suddenly stopped and looked at her friend. "Did I do something wrong?" Applejack, upon looking at the now saddened Twilight, simply sighed and shook her head. "No, you didn't. In fact, I should be thanking you," she said, now guilty for making Twilight feel this way. "It's just... you shouldn't do other pony's chores without telling them beforehand, you know?"
She got a point. What if the chores require serious knowledge, and one mishap can lead to a disaster. It's like trying to be a doctor simply because she wanted to be one. Yeah, her friend has vast knowledge, but sometimes common sense can be her... weakness. "Twilight, I appreciate what you've done. You've freed up most of our schedule, at such a busy time, and for that, I thank you kindly, sugarcube," Applejack said, trying to lift her spirits up. "Next time, though, tell me in advance, okay?"
"Okay..." Twilight simply said. She then feigned a yawn, to which Applejack bought. "She must feel really tired, poor Twilight," she thought to herself. "Well, go back home and rest, Twi, you need it more than me."
Twilight simply nodded and walked towards the gate, only for Granny Smith to call back to her. "Where are you goin'? Youngins these days... Applejack, what did you say to her?" Applejack was surprised by this and simply answered that Twilight is tired. Perhaps after she rests that she would ask her questions, and maybe even give her the rewards Granny Smith has planned.
Back at the library, Twilight simply plopped to her bed, thanking Spike for his hard work at making the bed, only for her to ruin it again. Spike simply chuckled and told his best friend and sister to have sweet dreams. Of course, this is the only time where Ouros actually "logs off".
A few hours into the day, Twilight, the actual Twilight woke up. "Good morning, Spike- Spike?" She glanced around her room, looking at the window. The sun was setting in the horizon, but she didn't know that. She checked her clock, 5:44. "Huh, Princess Celestia must have brought the sun earlier than normal. I wonder where Spike is?" She opened the door and walked down towards the stairs, only to see her friends and the rest of the Apples at Ponyville chatting in her living room. "Ah, here she is! The Legendary FarMARE Twilight!" Pinkie gleefully said, bouncing towards Twilight. "How'd you do it, Twi?" Rainbow inquired, to which Rarity simply looked at Twilight's bed mane and chuckled. "Dashie, Pinkie, give the poor mare some space, please."
The two simply went back down and allowed Twilight some room to breathe.
And all she spoke afterwards got everypony else laughing. "What?"
It has been a few days since the "Farming Incident", and Twilight was restless. Well, Ouros at least. He can't help but feel a little odd, especially if the ponies begin to suspect more of his and his host's actions. He was lucky that he possessed Twilight's body at the right time to simply answer their questions. Thank goodness for switching to manual. While having no side effects, it would seem a bit rude to interrupt his host. He, in turn, decided to give his host the memories missing. Unfortunately, he isn't connected with his host yet, which means all those memories can't be viewed nor be remembered by his host. It was at this moment that Ouros decided to face-tail.
It was at this point that he decided that he must have a contingency plan, or for the very least, somepony to backup his claims. And upon thinking about this, one pony came to mind.
"Pinkie Pie," Ouros thought. While she seems like the last choice to go for, the least qualified candidate, she was, in all honesty, the best at keeping secrets, especially if Ouros made her Pinkie Promise (oh, if only he knew). "Applejack was the worst liar of the group. Rainbow Dash was really brash and would definitely attack me or report me to the princesses..." He pondered as he muttered to himself. "Rarity gossips a lot, and Fluttershy... Well, it might not be the best to open up to her, even if she is the Element of Kindness."
Ouros simply sighed as he watched his host and her actions. She was, most definitely, worried, especially about the missing memories. Luckily, he managed to calm her down by simply writing down notes on the previous days, allowing Twilight to at least take a mental break, since the notes were answering her questions. Though, this was only a temporary solution. The more permanent solution is stuck in a barrier at the moment, that being him and Twilight co-existing and interacting. Right now, he'll have to wait for his host to fall asleep before asking Pinkie.
Hopefully it works.
It was 10:46 p.m. at Ponyville. A time where everypony is asleep while Princess Luna guards their dreams. Funnily enough, it seems that the Princess of the Night does not notice the absence of one of her subjects. Perhaps Twilight slept so late at night on a regular basis that the Princess doesn't even notice. Or perhaps she was really busy. Either way, she was thankful for that.
Twilight decided to sneak unto Sugarcube Corner, in the hopes of talking to Pinkie in private. While talking in the day is normal, it would be much easier to speak privately at night. That and she doesn't want to garner any attention whatsoever from the other ponies, especially when talking to Pinkie. Twilight unlocked the doors and closed it ever so silently with her magic as she walked towards Pinkie's room. When she opened the door, Pinkie was right there, peacefully in her own dream world, hugging an equally peaceful Gummy. One day, she'll have that philosophical talk with Gummy.
She slowly approached Pinkie and gently nudged her sides, which in turn made Pinkie giggle in her sleep. "Pinkie," she whispered. "Pinkie, wake up," she said as she gently removed Pinkie's blanket. Pinkie tossed and turned, shivering in the cold as she slowly opened her eyes to see Twilight on her room. "Ah, so you're finally awake," Twilight said, smiling softly at the sleepy mare.
Pinkie, not used to this kind of surprises, almost shrieked in terror, only for Twilight to cast a silencing spell. "Calm down, I know this is really out of the blue, but I want to talk with you..."
Pinkie looked confused but decided to trust in her friend. "Twilight?" Pinkie asked as she rubbed her eyes, "What time is it?" Twilight simply raised an eyebrow as she looked at Pinkie's clock. "It's currently 10:53 p.m., Pinkie," she said as Pinkie sat on her bed, now smiling at Twilight. "So, what brings you so late at night in Sugarcube Corner?" Twilight, who was smiling at her, suddenly shifted her tone. "I need to tell you something, Pinkie, and it can't wait tomorrow."
Pinkie gasped as she bounced up and down at her own bed. "Is it a secret? Huh? Huh?" Pinkie asked cheerfully, despite it being late at night, her energy coming back from nowhere. Twilight, in turn, used her magic and teleported them... somewhere.
"What is this place, and why is it so... empty?" Pinkie asked, her enthusiasm gone as she looked around what seems to be a void. "This is my personal pocket dimension... I haven't changed it in a while," Twilight said, awkwardly smiling at her friend. She then changed the scenery, one that resembles a cozy cabin with a lit fireplace. The furniture looked similar, and yet, it does not match what a pony usually have. In fact, most are, quite literally, bigger than the ponies inside. There was a sword attached on the wall. For a pony, it would seem like a greatsword. The chairs were fit to be Princess Celestia's thrones rather than just being normal chairs, which Pinkie found to be quite comfortable. "Would you like some tea?" Twilight asked as she sat upon her chair. "Yup! I would like some-" Pinkie said, interrupted only when a cup filled itself with whatever tea she was thinking about. "H-how?"
"I thought you shouldn't question things, Pinkie?" Twilight said, giggling a bit as the tides have turned. Twilight picked up her own cup and drank tea from it. Pinkie, on the other hoof, sat quietly for the first time in years. Befuddled by all of this, Pinkie sat there deep in thought. "I know you've been breaking your laws of physics, by means only known to some," Twilight said casually, taking another sip from her cup. "Your abilities came from a dream. A dream that of which got powered due to the Sonic Rainboom, did it not?"
Pinkie could only look at Twilight with confusion. She was shocked beyond belief. She remembered all the nightmares she had, only for an Alligator-like being to calm her down and give her dreams of relief and happiness. And after that encounter, she found herself being able to do things she can't do before. It only manifested once, and by that time, was even limited. The time where it became permanent was because of the Sonic Rainboom, and since then, she treated it as normal. Twilight smiled as she pulled out a staff from her mane, something she thought she could only do. She wasn't just scared. She was terrified.
"You are not in trouble, Pinkie, if that is what you are thinking," she said as she gently placed the staff in the wall with her magic. With hesitation, Pinkie spoke, "Can you read my mind?" Twilight simply nodded, and then shook her head. "I can and cannot. I can read your mind here in my pocket dimension, but not on the overworld." Twilight then sighed, "Besides, this isn't why I wanted to talk with you."
Pinkie held her cup and drank slowly, looking at everything inside the cozy cabin. She waited for Twilight to speak, smiling as if nothing has happened. Twilight gently returned the smile, and nodded. "Pinkie... I am not Twilight," she said, expecting something to happ-
"WHAT?!"
And there it was.
Pinkie stood on the chair, now threatened AND terrified. If this was not Twilight, then who was this in front of her? Was it a changeling? Wait, what even is a changeling, and why did she think of it? If so, she must tell Princess Celestia about this! Twilight simply raised a hoof and told her to calm down. "Pinkie, this may sound weird, but this is still Twilight, but the one talking to you, isn't." Pinkie simply tilted her head, suspicious of the mare in front of her. "W-what? What are you- what are you talking about?"
Twilight simply sighed. "A few months ago, there was an "accident". You probably know of this, thanks to a certain young drake," Twilight said as she made the cup float, only for the cup to disappear. "It was when Twilight screamed something about, and I quote, 'a filly missing and an ancient tomb located', to which nowadays seem to be forgotten by most of your friends." She continued, "That was not Twilight. That was me, Pinkie..."
Twilight's appearance suddenly changed to that of a large white snake, a blue diamond crest lay atop of his head, with eyes as orange as the sun. "I am known simply as Ouroboros, the Warden of Time, Keeper of the Realm and Chief Strategist amongst the Order, respected member of the High Council of the Order, the All-Knowing," the snake then sighed, "and I am trapped in a conundrum." Pinkie was indeed petrified in the sudden appearance of the snake, and the sudden shift in the voice of Twilight. "I have been stuck inside the mind of your friend, doing things I have always wanted to do in the body of my host. I'll let you piece those things together."
Pinkie thought long and hard about what the snake was saying. "W-wait, so, you were the ones behind ALL of those things Twilight has done? You were the one who shouted those?" The snake simply nodded. "Then, you were the one who helped Applejack?" The snake, yet again, simply nodded. Pinkie, however, snickered and laughed, smiling wholeheartedly at the snake. "What is so funny to you, Pinkie?" Pinkie slowly rose up, wiping a tear from her eye, "Well, you did help Applejack, so you aren't reaalllyy a meany pants, right?"
The snake simply chuckled, "That much is true, I guess," The snake then shifted back into Twilight as he sighed. "Still, being trapped inside Twilight with no means of talking to her is a detriment. I've tried giving her notes, only for her to not recall writing any of it and placing it in the trash..."
Pinkie giggled, "Yep, that's Twilight alright!" Twilight then looked at Pinkie, "In truth, I am lost, though I will still try to contact her." She then turned around, looking at the flames of the fireplace. "I only ask that you do not speak of this to anypony, not even Twilight," she said, tiredly. "Pinkie, do you Pinkie Promise to keep it a secret? I feel they are not yet ready to know of such a thing. If something happens, it would be terrible for the both of us... The innocence of Twilight would be tarnished... She who does not know of what is going on would become an outcast due to the fear and panic of the others... While I would either be banished or turned to stone..." Pinkie, who was giggling, stopped for a moment to take in the seriousness of the being in front of her. Does she want to? Does she need to? This being helped Applejack on such a busy day, and even pranked everypony, giving all of them a nice picnic breakfast. Slowly pondering, she made her choice, "Cross my heart, and hope to fly! Stick a cupcake in my eye," she said as she did the motions. Twilight simply smiled at this, "Thank you, Pinkie."
Pinkie nodded, her enthusiasm back. Seeing her cup be filled with chocolate milk instead of tea got her impressed. "Can Twilight do this?" Pinkie asked Twilight, to which Twilight shook her head. "I believe Twilight can do this, if, and only if, we manage to communicate. Despite her being so adept in magic, there are limits to it. There were other beings of which they have the same magical aptitude, yet never learn beyond the third grade."
Pinkie, of course, was confused. "Other beings?" Twilight smiled at her, "Yes, other beings. This is not the first time I am with a host." Twilight's horn began to glow as the cabin faded and all that is left is a white void, until it transformed itself into a theater. "I'll be honest with you, Pinkie. If you were any other being, I would have instantly teleported us to this place."
Twilight then sighed, "As I've said before, I am the Keeper of the Realm, and as such, I have met different beings far from your universe. The multiverse exists, and I have seen... terrible things involving this one." She sighed, "With beings being displaced, video games being reality, horrific creatures transported, and even wars being ever present. Some ponies were even transported in another world. There may even be a universe where there are beings reading our thoughts and expressions, as if it was a narrative, in a site known as FiMFiction..." She shuddered at the thought. Pinkie, too, shuddered at the thought. The horrors she might have experienced had she been in another universe... It was all too scary. Noticing the fear in her friend, Twilight hugged her gently, "Worry not, I am here. I will not let those who seek to harm you get close to you."
Pinkie let out a breath, comforted by her friend and friend. "Soooo, can you tell me about your adventures in the multiverse?" Twilight simply laughed. "Sure!" she said,
It was fun for the both of them, each telling stories and sharing things, their bond growing ever deeper. And yet, Pinkie was still a bit sad, knowing Twilight, her Twilight, would not remember any of this. Still, she had fun with her new friend Ouros. If the secret does come out, she would be there to help Ouros explain. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.
Morning came and Twilight was refreshed. She checked around, seeing if everything is "normal". It was, everything was normal. She sighed, relieved that nothing bad has happened. "GOOD MORNING TWILIGHT!" shouted Pinkie, who was under her bed. "GYAHH!"
"Here's your breakfast!" Pinkie said, "Spike and I prepared it! Oop, would you look at the time, I gotta go, bye!" Pinkie swiftly said, galloping towards the door. Twilight was left there, bewildered by it all, but still managed to giggle at her friend's antics. Right in front of her were pancakes drizzled with chocolate syrup.
"Well, this day became a lot better! Thank you Pinkie and Spike!" She said as she was about to take a bite, only for Spike to appear right next to her side. "GYAHH!" "GWAHH!" Both screamed, startled by each other for no apparent reason.
This caused the pancakes and the syrup to fly for a whopping 3 seconds flat, only for it to land somewhat gracefully on Spike and Twilight, with the syrup now covering her mane.
It was that time again. A time where crystals are needed for spectacular fashion! Not that there is a specific day for crystals to be in a dress or a coat, mind you. No, today was the day that Rarity gets herself more gems, and by her side was Spikey-Wikey. Together, they shall make haste to the Crystal Mines, in search of rubies, maybe even the exotic garnets, or even some magnificent diamonds!
However, upon entering the caverns, they met another pony digging up some gems. It was Twilight, much to Spike's chagrin. After all, this was supposed to be his alone time with Rarity. "Good heavens Twilight, why are you in the Crystal Mines?" Rarity asked as she fixed her helmet. She gasped afterwards when she saw that Twilight was not wearing any gear to protect herself from danger. "Twilight? Are you aware that you are underneath a cavern, where rocks can fall any second?" She asked, fuming at the lack of safety her friend has. "Oh, hi Rarity!" Twilight said, waving at her friend. "I'm just searching for something to test my theory, to see if it works," she then glanced at her reflection in one of the crystals and summoned forth a helmet, or more specifically, a dwarvish mountain helmet, one that made Rarity both impressed and dizzy by its appearance. It has two horns on the side, with both edges flat for holding the candles. "Thanks for reminding me, Rarity," Twilight said as she smiled, casting a flame to the candles. Rarity and Spike simply sighed.
Rarity's interests were piqued, however, as she noticed Twilight looking around the cavern. "She said she was looking for something, but what?" Rarity pondered as she, too, was also picking up some gems for her new clothing line and for her previous ones. Spike, of course, was too distracted to even notice Twilight rummaging around the cavern. That was, until, he heard a loud "AHA!" from Twilight.
"Found it!" Twilight said, holding what appears to be a diamond. Rarity was about to comment about the pure and rich aspect of the diamond, only for Twilight to rub her cheeks on the diamond and chomp on it. A loud clang can be heard, with Twilight slowly rubbing her cheeks with her hoof. "Ow", Twilight said.
"Whatever did you do that for? You could have hurt yourself," Rarity scolded as she rushed to her friend's side, using her magic to pry open Twilight's mouth while looking for damages on her friend's teeth. "Whatever has gotten into you, darling?" Rarity asked genuinely, worried about her friend's antics. "Yeah, what gives Twi? Are you trying to be a dragon?" Spike interjected as he continued picking up the gems Rarity dropped. "Owwie," Twilight simply muttered. "I was trying to... nevermind, Spike is right, maybe ponies aren't fit to bite through gems..." Twilight sulked as Rarity did a double take. "That was what Twilight was doing?" Rarity thought. "So... you tried to bite through the diamond because you wanted to test 'biting through a gem'?"
"That and I was hungry... It has been a while since I ate some..." Twilight thought to herself.
In hindsight, that was probably the stupidest excuse Twilight could give, so she had to think about another thing. "That and I wanted to see if one can use diamonds as a pickaxe." Rarity was not having it. "Right, I believe we gathered enough gems, Spikey-Wikey. Let us all go to the spa and relax. I'm sure you're really tired, darling."
Twilight simply nodded and followed as she gave Spike her diamond. Spike gratefully ate both of the gems he was given. "Still though, Twilight, whatever had made you try and bite that?" Twilight, who was walking beside Rarity, simply sighed... "Well, it's a long story but I managed to... craft an iron pickaxe... and when I saw the diamond, I initially thought it was a lapis lazuli." Twilight then grinned, "Turns out it was a real diamond, and then shenanigans began." Rarity was shocked to say the least. Spike, however, was just busy eating his gems to even bother interjecting.
"Wait, you made an iron pickaxe?" Twilight then nodded. "Where did you make one? Wait, you said you wanted to make a pickaxe out of diamonds too!" Twilight, once again, nodded. "I kind of asked Iron Hammer to lend me his anvil, and I made myself a pickaxe," Twilight paused as she was looking at the sky. "I then thought about what would happen if I made a pickaxe from the toughest gems on Equestria."
In reality though, she just wanted to eat the diamonds.
The spa is... surprisingly relaxing. Ouros never really enjoyed going into spas back at the Neversphere as it was always crowded, filled to the brim with those he did not want to associate with at the moment. He'd much rather rest at the nearby hot springs, where he can actually collect his thoughts and regulate his temperature. So it was such a surprise when he agreed to Rarity's demands. Spike was there too, though what should he talk to him about? He cannot simply explain the situation, nor should he attempt to explain the theoretical aspects of specific spells. Sometimes he just wishes he could be in another body so he could talk to Twilight. Still, though, at least he can talk with Pinkie more openly now.
"So uhh, you go here often?" He asked Spike, trying to get a conversation started. "Huh, did you say something, Twilight?" Spike asked innocently as he dropped his comic book. "Oh, nothing Spike, don't worry about it."
Rarity went ahead as she talked with the spa receptionists. Ouros found it funny to hear their names being Aloe and Lotus, truly befitting for a spa. "This ponies... really do have weird naming patterns," he said as he silently watched Rarity talk to the receptionists. He was baffled on how she could talk for... 14 minutes straight. It approximately took a minute to make the request, and yet Rarity managed to add the discussion of the weather, the increased damage to her hooves due to the lanky roads and how she needs to get it done via her usual hooficure sessions, and the new split ends that happened to her mane due to the stress of her work. "Hmph," he simply muttered as he drank some coffee provided by one of the receptionists. "Still though, this coffee is great."
"And you wouldn't believe how some customers wanted their orders! Hmph, the nerve of some ponies!" Rarity said as she sat at the sauna with Twilight. Twilight, on the other hoof, simply nodded as she relaxed. Spike huddled closer to Rarity, how cute of him. A few minutes go by and the sauna session was done. Twilight now found herself relaxing as the spa attendants began their facial treatments.
This was her least favorite session as she questioned a few things. "Why do they need to place cucumbers on their eyelids? Where's Oneiroi when you need her?" She thought to herself, not wanting to offend the others. Spike simply slept through the facial treatment. Rarity then continued her rant, only this time, she was talking about her hooves being damaged due to some of the poorly maintained roads in Ponyville. "So there I was, walking towards the Town Hall when I almost tripped due to a rock poking out. Do you have any idea how that feels? My poor, poor hoof, almost cracking due to that wretched stone on the ground. I swear, I really have to talk to Mayor Mare for this blasphemy! This is an outrage, I tell you. An outrage!"
Twilight simply nodded once again, making sure to make noises in order for Rarity to hear a response. Still, this piqued her interest. "I wonder if I can fix some of those," Twilight said. "Oh, pshh, darling! No need for you to destroy your own hooves too!" After the facial treatment was done, the spa attendants were fixing their seats in order for them to do a proper hooficure. This is a new experience for Ouros, since he had permitted no one to touch him when he rests in the hot springs. "Hey, Rarity, mind if I ask you something?" Rarity simply nodded as she spoke. "Of course darling, what is it that you wish to ask?" Twilight then placed a hoof on her chin as she thought about what she wanted to say. "Have you tried to go to a hot spring and would the others enjoy it too?" Rarity thought long and hard about that question. "Well, I suppose a hot spring would be nice, and I am sure that the others would love the feeling too, Spike especially," she said as she looked at the peacefully sleeping dragon. She chuckled a bit and looked at Twilight. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, well, I just wanted to bring us all to a hot spring next time, though I am still looking for one here in Equestria."
Rarity was pleased with this answer as she let out a relaxed sigh. "I'll take your word for it, darling," She said as the spa attendants gently massaged her hoof.
So far, it was a relaxing afternoon. Twilight simply picked Spike up with her magic and placed him on her back. She waved goodbye to Rarity as they both went in their separate ways. In all honesty, Twilight was tired, and she wanted to rest as well. But before she could, however, she decided to write down a note, in hopes that the real Twilight could comprehend such actions.
As soon as the real Twilight woke up, it was 5:36 in the afternoon. Spike was also sleeping on his bed. She got up and walked towards the door, slowly opening it as to not wake up her sleeping assistant. As she walked down the steps and went to the kitchen, she noticed a few notes on her table, ones she doesn't remember writing. She wanted to scream at Spike for not setting the table, only stopping herself when she remembered that he was sleeping soundly. She picked one up and decided to read it. Unsurprisingly, it was a note written by herself indicating what happened during the day with Rarity, for herself!
It read as follows:
Dear future Twilight Sparkle, aka myself,
Seeing that I tend to forget more things, and that I throw away notes that do not make any sense to me whatsoever, I decided that I shall make my notes like a friendship report. I have woken up at exactly 6:37 a.m., alongside Spike. He prepared us breakfast consisting of eggs and toast. Spike was a bit hyper due to the fact that Rarity was coming. Of course, he can't wait to see her. Rarity picked him up at exactly 8:24 a.m., and went back to Carousel Boutique. What time they got there, I do not know, but normal calculations en route would define that they reached their destination at approximately 8:39 a.m., should they walk towards their destination. At the same time, I decided to ask Iron Hammer for his anvil, to which I crafted an Iron Pickaxe. I pondered about the implications of having a more durable pickaxe by substituting iron for diamonds, the toughest crystal yet (we know that there are probably newer crystals tougher, but these aren't discovered yet).
I went down to the Crystal mines at exactly 8:59 a.m., and found a few crystal shards consisting of rubies, emeralds, and garnets. As there was no clock, I was not able to determine how many hours I have spent searching for diamonds. At least I didn't mine at night. Rarity came by with Spike as she ran out of crystals, and as such, met me near the new route. I forgot my safety gear and decided to conjure up a helmet. We then went to the spa (by Rarity's decision) and enjoyed our time there in peaceful bliss. We first ate lunch at 11:29 a.m., before going to the Ponyville Day Spa. We left at exactly 2:27 p.m., after having a wonderful time. If I am reading this, then it must mean that I am awake. Do not throw this one out.
Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle
P.S. Apologies for any mistake, I am far too tired to double check and or triple check the grammar and or spelling mistakes.
Twilight simply sighed as the new revelation dawned on her. Perhaps she was "healing" and has now come into her own senses. Still, her past self really did so much for her, since now she knows what happened. Her stomach then growled, causing Twilight to blush. "Okay, maybe I am still a bit peckish," Twilight said as she placed the paper down. "I just hope this doesn't go on, this memory loss thing."
She slumped down to the ground, hoping, praying to Princess Celestia that she did not have some sort of dementia. She has so much to do with her life, so many memories to make. The thought of forgetting those memories are eating her at her very core.
"Hopefully," she muttered. Oh how she was wrong on so many levels...
Living in the moment, basking in the glory, that's what Rainbow Dash often stands for. That and the Element of Loyalty, of course. But sometimes, there are days in which Rainbow simply basks in the sunlight, like a reptile simply relaxing and taking in the warmth of the sun. Laying up there in the sky in a comfortable cloud, such is the life of the one who wishes to soar into newer heights. Such is the life of a future Wonderbolt.
And yet, she wasn't in her comfy cloud bed, nor is she up there in the sky with the wind flowing through her wings. No, she was on the ground, lying down on the grass, giggling alongside her friend, Twilight Sparkle. How is it possible for someone like her to be stuck on the very place she dreaded? On the ground where being slow is the normal? Well, it all happened a few moments ago...
"Okay, maybe one more lap," Rainbow said as she stretched her wings once again, preparing herself to fly in order to beat her previous record. With one graceful leap, she flew towards the air, leaving behind dust as she tried to break the sound barrier. She began to increase her altitude, 5 seconds in, 6 seconds in, swiftly and steadily, a practiced maneuver. A few more seconds in and she began to dive in such a way that whistling and cracking sounds can be heard, like an arrow being shot from an enchanted long bow. And just like an arrow, her form was sleek and steady, her hooves in front of her. Like a speeding torpedo breaking the water current, the air pressure forming around her as it tried to stop her. She increased in her speed, and finally, she's done it. The Sonic Rainboom, as she calls it, was achieved at a staggering 29 seconds flat! She managed to at least beat her record of 37 seconds.
She flew towards her landing zone, smiling like a filly. Her achievement of the day, breaking her record. She sat down as a pony offered her a towel. "Heh, thanks - GAH!"
There upon her side was none other than Twilight, with a towel and a water bottle. How did she get in here without her noticing? More importantly, WHEN did she get here? There was the egghead of the group, the mare that brought her to "glory" in a sense, as she became the Element of Loyalty. There sat Twilight, smiling ever so gently at her as she offered her a towel. "H-hey Twi, what's up?" Rainbow asked, still trying to get over the initial fright. "Nothing much," Twilight said as she looked at the sky. "Nice thing you did there, Dash!"
Nice? NICE? That's all that she could say? "Ugh," Rainbow simply muttered as she face-hoofed. Nevertheless, she gladly picked up the towel and wiped herself off. Still, she never truly explained it to Twilight what she wanted to do, so she could at least forgive her for simply calling her achievement as "nice". "So, what brings you here, Twi?" The lavender unicorn simply looked at her and smiled. "Nothing much, just visiting a friend."
Rainbow nodded. "And, uh, you've told Spike where you are, right?" Twilight nodded slowly. "So, uhh, what do you plan to do?" Rainbow said as she wanted to at least continue the conversation. She finds the whole "Twilight Shenanigans" weird, as one moment she remembers stuff, the next she doesn't. Perhaps she's talking to a different Twilight, perhaps she's not. She thought it was a shapeshifter at first, especially from one of those comic books Spike have, and yet, Twilight could still answer her questions with ease, except for certain days, such as the day she started painting. Either way, this whole situation is a bit... crazy.
"Walk with me," Twilight simply said, "through the autumn leaves", catching the pegasus off guard. "Come again?" Rainbow replied, only to see Twilight already walking away. "Well, I guess I could," Rainbow muttered as she got up and walked with her friend. She was, most definitely, with the weird Twilight, but hey, she hasn't done anything bad... Yet...
The autumn breeze was cold, but it was bearable, unlike the winter chills. It didn't bother her, not one bit at all. And yet she could see Twilight shiver a bit as the winds blew unto her coat. "Freezing, isn't it?" Twilight said as she smiled at Rainbow. Rainbow simply smiled back, unamused and a bit lost in thought, pondering over what really is happening. She isn't a shapeshifter, she isn't a ghost. An alien, perhaps? No, that's stupid, and the rest would probably think so too.
Still though, looking at Twilight, there was no other pony that she could think of that would replace Twilight for those shenanigans. And if Twilight was indeed replaced, where do they hide the body? She tried to investigate it as she was cautious of the whole thing, and yet, there were no bodies stashed in a chest, no traces of a hidden body, no nothing! Perhaps Rarity was right with her theory, maybe she really did a spell that backfired. It was the most obvious, after all. Twilight finds book, book contains spells, eggheadedness begins.
Walking with Twilight was not really what she had in mind when she said that she would spend her time wisely. The leaves were falling off the trees as the winds blew, yet only a few were falling. Sooner or later, the next Running of the Leaves would start and she would definitely win this time. Twilight snickered at something as Rainbow looked at her. "What? What's so funny?" Rainbow asked innocently. Twilight simply pulled the leaf with a snail on it off of her mane as the cyan pegasus never noticed. "Rainbow Dash, snail magnet," Twilight snickered once more as Rainbow simply stared at her with annoyance. "Lighten up, Rainbow! It's merely a jest," Twilight said as she continued to walk, with Rainbow simply following suite. It was... awkward, for her at least. Twilight then stopped as she stared at a tree, making Rainbow look at her with confusion.
"Would you still be my friend, even if I forget you?" Twilight's words hung in her heart. Would she still be her friend? Of course! Yet, why must she ask such a thing? "Twi, are you serious? Of course I'll still be your friend!" She said earnestly. "Even if I do random things?" Rainbow nodded as she went in front of Twilight. "Even if I am a different pony?" Rainbow, again, nodded as she slowly became worried about her friend. Twilight, meanwhile, simply chuckled as she smiled once again. "Thank you," she said as Rainbow smiled.
Then, out of nowhere, Twilight booped her nose as she laughed and ran away. "Oh, that's it!" Rainbow said playfully as she chased down Twilight through the autumn leaves.
They ran and ran, tagging each other once they had the chance. Sometimes running in circles, other times running in a straight line. In all of them, they were smiling, laughing even. Twilight tripped unto a pile of leaves, Rainbow hitting a branch, and yet, they laughed. Like fillies in a park for the first time, they ran and stopped, looking at different things that piqued their interests. A snail on a falling leaf, a few fish in the pond, all of it spent with Twilight as they laughed and smiled. At some point, Twilight made a silly face that scared the birds who were simply resting by the pond. As soon as the birds flew away, Twilight ran towards the edges of the pond and splashed a bit of water onto Rainbow. Rainbow, in turn, splashed the unicorn mare. They laughed at their shenanigans.
Twilight then jumped unto the pond, inviting Rainbow to swim with her. Rainbow, at first, didn't want to but seeing her friend smile like never before quickly changed her mind. She launched herself unto the air, mustering the largest jump to make the BIGGEST SPLASH Twilight has ever seen. "Cannonball!" Rainbow shouted as she hurled into a ball, making contact with the water. They had fun, splishing and splashing, swimming to their hearts' content. The both of them then went out of the water, shaking themselves off as they saw a hayburger stand. Twilight bought 2 hayburgers, giving the other one to Rainbow. They ate with haste while enjoying their food as they then continued their walk, looking at the tall birch trees. They even reacted to the mushrooms growing on the ground, as if they never saw mushrooms in their lives before. From anthills to running away from snakes, all the while laughing. They talked about their days, they talked about Daring Do, they talked about anything!
It was after a few minutes of walking that they found themselves the perfect place to rest. A clearing, just right outside the forest, near the edges of Applejack's orchard.
After a relaxing day, Twilight decided to lay down as she stared at the clouds that floated ever so freely. She invited Rainbow to lie down next to her. They stayed like that for who knows how long. Twilight finally broke the silence as she gazed up in the clouds. "Dashie, how does it feel to fly?" Twilight asked, her voice was soft.
Dashie looked at her as she tried to find the words that can fit. "Well, it's windy and awesome! The way the wind goes through my feathers is an amazing experience, and and-" Twilight simply shushed her friend as she giggled. "I don't mean the physical aspects," she said. Dashie looked at her, bewildered. She fell silent as she thought about it. How did she feel? "You know, Twi, I can take you there some time, up off the ground..." Silence loomed as the two stared at the passing clouds.
"It feels... or well, I feel free up there, like nopony can stop me. I have no worries, other than being a passable excuse of a Wonderbolt, heh. In fact, whenever I'm up there, I feel... calm in a sense. Like, there's no pressure, no weights... no expectations! I'm free up there, so free that I can just sleep in a cloud... But in a sense, I like it here. Here has you, Twi, with Pinkie, Rarity, AJ, heck even Fluttershy is here on the ground. I'm free up there, but I'm all alone up there. I may not be so free here, but I'm not as alone, soo..." Rainbow said as she herself was confused. Had she become sappy over a simple question? Twilight smiled, still staring at the clouds. "If I have wings, I'd definitely make a cloud fort filled with books," she said as she giggled.
Silence. That was it, peaceful silence. The calm, serene silence, where the chirping of the birds and the crickets can be heard. It truly was a relaxing day, not only for Rainbow, but also for Twilight. "Is there something wrong, Twi?" Rainbow asked, concerned about something. "No," Twilight said, and no, she thought. For the moment, nothing was wrong. And it should be that way. And there, right there, made the rainbow mare's heart ache at so many thoughts. Whoever or whatever it was that made Twilight forget things, be it an unknown alien or a shapeshifter, or whatever, she would make them pay.
"Nopony hurts my friends," she muttered. And nopony should ever dare. By the time the sun was setting, both ponies went back home. She had to admit, she had fun, but a looming sense of dread was ever more present. What if that wasn't Twilight? Maybe it was her... but... "UGH! I don't know anymore!" Rainbow screamed as she placed her head on her pillow, muffling her voice. "Stupid curse alien shapeshifter thing, making Twilight so confusing!" She inhaled and exhaled, allowing herself to calm down. "No, something needs to be done." She glanced at her desk and drew forth a piece of paper and wrote on it.
Fluttershy was not a morning pony in comparison to her other friends such as Applejack, but she manages. She manages for the sake of her animal friends. Friends that are often seen as dangerous and or wild by some, but friends to her nonetheless. Had she asked Princess Celestia to allow her to "take care" of the manticore she found in the Everfree Forest many moons ago, she would probably have not just one manticore, but maybe 20 manticores, 35 hydras, that one Ursa Major and her little baby Ursa Minor, and maybe a few more dangerous creatures. Sadly, she knows not to disturb such creatures, even if she wanted to study and befriend them.
So imagine her surprise when she heard the voice of none other than Twilight! The library mare, who often needed Spike to wake her up due to her late night studies, was in her yard, talking with some of the creatures as she gave the ducks some birdseed. Normally, ponies would often give ducks bread, not really knowing the danger it can cause, and often times, she wanted to scream at them. Of course, she can't just scream at them, that would just make them hate her. But here was Twilight, giving them simple birdseed.
"To be fair though," she thought to herself, "she is a librarian." Twilight is constantly surrounded with books, so it should have been no surprise if Twilight managed to read about ducks and learn about their diet. Yet here she was, stunned that her friend was in her front door, mumbling and speaking to her animal friends like she has known them for so long.
Did I mention that it was 4 in the morning?
Clearly not the normal time Twilight wakes up, nor will it ever be. While Fluttershy, embarrassed and concerned at the fact that she may have made Twilight wait for her, rapidly went down the stairs, a light tapping in the floorboards can be heard. There he was, Angel, arms crossed and annoyed, glaring at Fluttershy. "Oh Angel," she muttered, "not now, please?" Fluttershy weakly said to the annoyed bunny, making a ruckus for whatever reason he was thinking.
However, she had to stop whatever she was about to do as she saw Twilight right in front of her, holding what appears to be a puppy. What made it more confusing was that the puppy was chewing what appears to be... a knife?!
Twilight was bored. Bored enough to try and manipulate the very fabric of reality. But this was not Twilight, oh no. This was merely Ouros, being bored, in a body of someone who gets bored for the wrong things. Seriously, this body's host finds fun in the wrong actions. Reading, sure, it fills the gaps of imagination, bringing the reader in a land of their own creation. But if the host finds daring adventures and fun rides to be a waste of time, then there has got to be something wrong with this mare. Seriously, again, who thinks memorizing the Periodic Table of Elements a hundred times, mind you, is considered fun? That is just tedious, and Ouros was not pleased, especially since he is forced to simply watch in the sidelines when all of this is happening. The good thing though, for him at least, is that he knows more about this world, and he enjoys it a bit. It's peaceful (to some extent) and serene, unlike his work.
So Twilight, currently in the possession of Ouros, was bored. She thought it would be a great idea to bring something (or someone) in this world. And thus, shenanigans began, with Twilight summoning a rift between worlds.
Honestly, though, he just misses his pet Trebuchet. By thinking of his pet, however, the portal showed different people's pets.
"Hmm," Twilight muttered, "which one of you would be a fun candidate?" She glanced around the different timelines and different worlds, pondering on who to bring.
Ouros may be the Warden of Time, but he can still access different worlds. After all, before there was the Guardian of Space, there was only the emptiness of the void, of which he and a few just sat around and watched as the universe was created, and the concept of time was birthed from the upper echelons of the Order.
Anyways, Twilight saw an opportunity to pluck an animal out of their world. Making a copy of that exact animal takes quite a lot of time, and she was bored. And she found just the right cutie. She was really tempted, however, to bring forth a mighty wyvern sleeping upon a mountain of gold, protecting and sharing not a single coin to the mortals of that realm. That Arkenstone does look important, it would be a shame if she were to simply give it to Spike as a breakfast meal. Imagine the chaos it would bring! But, seeing as she does not want to bring absolute destruction to this world, she had to hold those thoughts. If the Scourge was not here, then why must he act like him?
As she whisked away the unwilling victim, a bright light silently filled the room, its warmth embracing everything in the library, including a sleeping drake, who was hugging a plush of her friend, Rarity.
And there stood before her a puppy. With a sword, or at least, a greatsword. It almost looks like a wooden sword, but the sword was most definitely real, though, it was a bit too big for the poor puppy. Way too big for the puppy. So, instead of doing the responsible thing, she simply shrank the sword. The pup appears to be a week old, maybe a few weeks old, however, she knows that the puppy was at least older than that. After all, the moment he plucked it from its world, it was on the verge of death, or rather, already dead. Great! Now she has an undead puppy with a big stick sword. Shame though, that the pup had to suffer death, though, I guess she can consider this as "saving a life" while the puppy considers this a "second chance".
"Trebuchet will like you, little one!" Twilight cooed, nuzzling the puppy, who growled adorably. Despite being "irresponsible" to not even remove the sword (or simply leaving the sword), she was still responsible enough to know that the puppy needs medical treatment, though she did not worry much since the pup only has a few scratches. Perhaps being plucked from its world reverted most of the damages and turned it back into a puppy. And so, with one pony knowing what to do with injured animals, she ventured off, leaving a note for Spike in case he awakes. She doesn't want the whole "Twilight is Missing" incident to happen again.
"The puppy's chewing a knife?!" Fluttershy shrieked, zooming to Twilight with speeds unknown to her before, instantly grabbing the puppy. "And she's hurt, you poor dear, where did you find her?" Twilight simply wobbled before shaking her head. "I found her while I was testing a spell," she lied as casually as she breathed. "One moment there was a bang, the next, there was a puppy in front of me." When Angel saw the wolf, he immediately ran towards Fluttershy's room. It's one thing to boss around the other animals, but bossing around an animal with a weapon? That would certainly mean his doom, even if it was at the paws of a very cute puppy. A carnivorous, knife wielding, puppy but nevertheless.
The poor thing, she must have been so scared, but that doesn't answer as to why she has a large and dangerous knife on her maw. Fluttershy tried to gently remove the knife from the puppy, even saying that it is too dangerous for her. The only response the puppy gave was a growl and a sneer, especially when her hoof came close to the knife. Giving up on the notion to simply pluck the sword from her mouth, she quickly placed her on a table and brought forth medical supplies. "Seriously, Twilight, you should be a bit careful," she paused, giving a meek smile to Twilight after saying such "harsh" words to her, "if you wouldn't mind?"
Twilight, who at this point simply tapped the nose of the puppy, shrugged and agreed, petting the puppy as she dropped the knife. Fluttershy was stunned at this. The wolf listened to Twilight in an instant? How... nice of the puppy, not that she was jealous or anything. "What do you plan to do with her, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, petting the puppy after giving her some treats for behaving.
Twilight, who was pondering with a hoof on her chin, simply grinned and said, "I've always wanted a dog!" This irked Fluttershy. It actually made her narrow her eyes on Twilight. And with the "painting incident" that happened, she doesn't know if she was pranking her or not. "Twilight," she gently said, "she's a wolf." With a deadpan stare as she was hugging the wolf pup, Fluttershy hovered in front of Twilight, to which the latter had a squirrel mimicking the same exact movements. Twilight simply shrugged, "It does look like a Norwegian Bellafrost Wolf-dog, sorry Fluttershy." Fluttershy was simply dumbstruck. What's a Norwegian Bellafrost Wolf-dog? Confused by this, she simply gave the wolf back to Twilight. "From now on, you shall be named... Sif!" Fluttershy clapped, happy to see another creature be adopted in a loving home, though she soon frowned when the wolf went back for the knife. She tried to do the stare, but the wolf was merely a puppy, and she didn't want to scare the tiny and cute wolf. What confused her the most, though, was that she can't understand the puppy at all, though she can still understand her body language.
Maybe it is a new species like that Norwegian Boarfrost Wolf-dog that Twilight said? Or was it Bell-frost? Bellafrost? Probably that one. Regardless, all she can do now is to accompany Twilight home as Twilight continued to nuzzle the puppy. While a bit jealous, she is truly happy for her. "I wonder how Spike would react to her?" Fluttershy thought to herself.
To say that Spike was shocked was an understatement. First, Twilight managed to cook so perfectly. Then, she says that she doesn't know how to cook, even going so far as to not share her knowledge of recipes. And now, there was a wolf, looking straight at him, her head cocked to the side as if she was confused at what she was seeing. Then, the wolf began to yip and bark, pouncing at the poor drake.
"Gyaah!" Spike reacted, running towards the table in an attempt to lose the chasing pup. Spike doesn't know much about dogs, so of course he thought he was going to be mauled. For all he knows, he looks like a purple plushie or a purple chew toy! "TWILIGHT!" cried Spike, who was getting tired at being chased all around the living room. To his surprise, however, Fluttershy was there, and Twilight simply giggled. "Sif, come here girl," Fluttershy said, cooing at the wolf. Thankfully for Spike, the wolf, now known as Sif, ran towards Fluttershy, licking her in the process. Apparently after a few minutes, or hours, of bonding with the wolf, the wolf now trusts this pegasus.
Twilight walked up to Spike, petting him in the process. "Morning, Spike!" Twilight casually said as she brought forth breakfast for all three of them. Sif already ate back at Fluttershy's house, but that didn't mean that the wolf puppy was not eyeing down their food. "Uh, Twi, where'd you get the wolf?" Spike asked, confused at the sudden visitor. "Tis a long story, my helpful assistant," Twilight said as she continued, "Sif will be staying with us! I can't wait to show her to everyone!" Spike turned to Twilight, confused at her last statement. What does "everyone" mean? More importantly, the wolf is staying with them?? Unacceptable, only he has the right to be Twilight's BEST ASSISTANT, and he already told that to Owlowiscious. Nopony, nor this cute puppy, would take that away from him! He grunted, dismayed that a wolf was living with them. A few hours into the day, however, he changed his mind. The puppy took a liking to him, to which he decided to reciprocate it by giving her some treats. He was surprised to see that the puppy was very polite and obedient, to some extent at least. "Smart puppy," he said, to which he got a happy bark.
When they met with their friends, they received a various amount of responses. Applejack simply played with the wolf, even inviting them towards Sweet Apple Acres for a puppy playdate. "Would you look at that, Winona likes you!" Applejack said, cooing at the puppy as she gave her belly rubs. Winona, of course, licked the puppy and played with her. Apple Bloom, Applejack's sister, even joined in on the fun, with everyone watching the cute scene. Upon meeting Rainbow Dash, Sif for some reason, loved nibbling on her tail, much to Dashie's chagrin. She, of course, went to reprimand the wolf, only for her heart to melt upon seeing the puppy's sad expression. Lots of belly rubs ensued that day.
Rarity, as much as she wanted to bring them inside, found herself tired as she picked Opal up, stopping her from chasing the puppy. To Rarity's surprise, however, Sif stood her ground, not even alarmed by the threats of her own cat. This earned Rarity's respect, much to everypony's surprise. Meeting Pinkie, however, scared the poor puppy. However, after some time and some coaching from Fluttershy, the two got along, even nuzzling each other. Pinkie soon introduced Gummy to the wolf, to which both were just staring at each other. This lasted for a few minutes before Fluttershy simply picked Sif up while saying their goodbyes to each other.
Overall, after being with Sif, Spike now knew that this was not a wolf to be afraid of... It's a cute wolf puppy! A puppy who still became aggressive when you pick up her knife, but still an obedient and cute little puppy!
Twilight woke up, energized for some reason. She can't place a hoof as to what gave her energy, but it would not matter. She's happy, she's energized, and now she felt a fuzzy feeling on her hind legs. Wait, fuzzy feeling?
Twilight simply removed the covers of her blankets, surprised to see a puppy on her bed. After a few minutes of staring, she couldn't handle it anymore.
And thus, she screamed, knowing that something happened without her even knowing about it... AGAIN!
Somewhere in the Neversphere, 12:04 a.m., Neveryear 1449R
"So," said the creature with a deep voice, echoing throughout the realm, "let's make a few things clear." The creature, as tall as the buildings and as long as a few trains, with rows of spikes upon his back, an appearance of one of those the mortals call an "Eastern Dragon", spoke with a commanding tone.
"First, Ouroboros, the Warden of Time, Keeper of the Realm and Chief Strategist amongst the Order, respected member of the High Council of the Order, the All-Knowing, is now in the world of Equus," the creature said as he glanced at the three figures in front of him, glaring at the three before he continued, "is that information correct?"
"That is correct, Prime Omegus," the man with a staff said, hooded to the point that only his eyes can be seen, as it shone in the shadows. Omegus, staring directly at the man, sneered. "Of course, then that shall lead me to my next problem," leering at the three, "Do you wish for me to proceed, Guardian of Space, Deros?" Deros immediately nodded respectfully, awaiting for Omegus to continue on the interrogation. "Continuing onwards, that the reason he is now in Equus is because of a, and I quote, 'a stupid bet'. Am I correct in stating this, Keeper of the Dream Realm, Oneiroi?" Oneiroi sheepishly grinned, only to remember who she was in the presence of. She immediately bowed as she started to speak.
"Apologies, Prime Omegus," she frantically said, "I did not know it would go this far!" Omegus simply exhaled, thick smoke blaring out from his nostrils. Omegus simply turned to the other figure as he continued. "Lastly," he continued, "am I correct with the knowledge that he was transported by none other than you, Keeper of Oaths, Mythir?"
Mythir was a man with a tall stature, a stoic expression plastered amongst his face, only breaking a bit when he is in front of the Prime, Omegus. "That is true, Prime Omegus," he said, bowing as he retained his view on the Prime. What happened next shocked all three as the Prime finally lost his temper, exhaling a great flame in the "sky" above them as he bellowed a mighty roar!
Omegus, controlling his temper, closed his mouth, smoke barely coming out from the space of his teeth. "And you think that it would be the best... course... of action?" Omegus grunted, holding himself back at burning the fools in front of him. He glanced at Mythir, who was visibly shaking, cowering at his feet. "You do realize that not EVERY BET should be taken seriously, that this bet was indeed a STUPID BET?!"
Oneiroi, quivering at the enraged Prime in front of him, boldly tried to speak. "Well... he did swear it on his name... so." she nervously giggled, thinking that it was a good reason. This only angered the Prime even more. "And do you THINK that is a GOOD reason?"
"No sir..." She said, immediately hiding behind a pillar, as if that would save her. He then glanced towards Deros. "And you? Do you even have an excuse for such a travesty?" Deros simply shook his head, afraid to speak out as it would only backfire.
As Omegus glared at the three, he sighed and shook his head, his hand across his face as he squeezed the ridge between his nose. Breathe in, breathe out, or at least, those are what the psychologists told him to do. "I'm not mad, just disappointed." He then looked at the three with a calm demeanor, his anger no longer getting the best of him. "Just, bring him back, as soon as possible. I fear that his servants are not enough to maintain the time streams."
The three of those in the receiving end simply glanced at each other, unable to even speak their minds on the subject. This caused Omegus to stare at them, dumbfounded and confused. "Why are you simply standing there? Did I not order you to bring him back?" Not a single one of them wanted to state the "accident".
It was only when they were glared at by Omegus, as he readied himself to spew flames, that Oneiroi spoke. She spoke with fear, gulping and stuttering, afraid to even tell the truth. "Well... Prime Omegus... I, I mean, we," she muttered, gesturing at the two behind, "it kind of... backfired." She, again, grinned sheepishly, trying to hide her face from the Prime in front of her.
Mythir coughed, gaining the attention of the angry dragon in front of them. "Well, there has been... an incident, sir," he said, not even bothering to look at him in the eyes. "While... bringing him to that dimension, he... somehow did something..." Deros said, copying the actions of the one that spoke before him.
"Mind you, he was... drunk when he did it... My fault, I admit," Oneiroi added. If looks could kill, the three would definitely keel over and perish on the spot, only to resurrect themselves and perish once more on the spot.
"Explain," was all Omegus stated.
Oneiroi, braving the depths, step forth and did so. "Well..."
"Well, let's get on with it then!" Deros said, unamused that he was summoned for such a purpose. Although, seeing the drunken stupor of the man who was initially "dead inside" made it a bit worthwhile.
"WhErE ThE FuCK aM I?" Ouros said as he was being carried by Deros and Mythir. The fact that Ouros was this drunk made no sense to the both of them, after all, he was a heavy drinker. The moment they saw Oneiroi, however, they immediately understood. "Did you use your dreamwake ability to outdrink him?" Mythir questioned, to which Oneiroi nodded, wobbly after the barrage of alcohol ingestion. "I won't lie, even with my dreamwake, it was a really close match!"
The two men simply nodded as they looked upon the mountain of empty barrels. "What made you two do this gamble in the first place?" Deros, this time, questioned as he struggled to help the clumsy drunkard. Oneiroi, breathing heavily, decided to sit down before explaining things.
"It all started with me managing to acquire a certain stock of alcohol. I just wanted to share it with Ouros, only, he was too busy. So, I kind of challenged him, even offering diamonds for him to eat. He-" Oneiroi paused as she tried to forcefully swallow what's left of her stomach. She exhaled, and continued on with the explanation.
"He then denied, but the moment I mentioned what type of alcohol it was, he just dropped whatever he was doing and accompanied me to drink. We were drinking quite a lot, and I might have made a deal with him..." She blushed as she remembered what she said, only to frown when she remembered what that oaf has said to her. "I think it is already obvious enough that I like him, but he denied that, saying that he'd rather marry a cactus!" Oneiroi was furious now, glaring at the already drunk Ouros.
"WhAt tHE fUcK aRE yOu LoOKiNg At, ShRiMp?" was all that Ouros said, before almost passing out. The two simply rolled their eyes at his shenanigans. Oneiroi simply continued, "And, well, I guess it became a bit... personal... so I used my ability to kind of... cheat."
"Well, since it was like that, and since he swore on his name, might as well do what I do best," Mythir shrugged as he nodded towards Deros. Deros opened a portal to the world of Equus, as the one who said it vowed upon his name. They were about to simply place him on the portal, as it was set near what the equines call the "Everfree" forest, only for Ouros to use his powers and counter the portal. While the portal was not directed at that iteration, it might as well be as Ouros decided to wake up and struggle at the wrong time. He turned himself into his serpentine form and decided to "devour" the portal. It did not work though, but it did have some consequences. One being that he is now looping back and forth in a rift, tumbling through different variations of the world of Equus. The other, being stuck in his serpentine form. Deros and Mythir tried their best to try and reduce the anomaly, only for the portal to simply close.
"Oh... shit."
"... and that's basically what happened."
Oneiroi, who at this point feels like being spiked through the Neversphere, expecting a sudden "GAME" announcement, decided to hold her ground as she awkwardly smiled at the now silent Prime. To say that this would be the most awkward moment of her entire life would NOT be an understatement. It was silent, no breaths, no snorts, no nothing. They glanced upwards, shocked at what they saw. Omegus fainted!
"So... I guess this is our time to... leave?" Oneiroi said, trying to lighten the mood for the others. The others, simply too afraid of what might happen next, nodded and bolted away with Oneiroi. It turns out, however, that that was the right decision as mere seconds later, Omegus woke up and simply roared one really loud roar that pierced the very fabric of reality, spewing great flames on everything inside.
Twilight was trying her best to outrun the unknown puppy, even asking Spike for assistance. Spike, of course, was confused. "Twilight, it's your puppy, right?" Twilight, who teleported at the top of one of her bookshelves, shook her head, aghast at Spike's comment. "I never planned for a dog!" Spike, who was petting the puppy as she licked him, narrowed his eyes at Twilight. "She's a wolf, and her name is Sif... You named her, Twi!"
Twilight, who was still at the shelf, looked at Spike, confusion in her eyes. "Spike, I never took in a puppy!" She slowly got down and sat away from... Sif. "Spike, I don't know what's happening anymore..." Spike, worried as to what was happening, simply walked towards Twilight as he tried to calm her down. "I know, I know. Can you at least remember what happened, like, at all?" Twilight shook her head, "No... I don't."
Just then, the front doors opened, revealing a pink pony with a green alligator nibbling on her mane, and along with her were her friends, bringing their own pets as well. "Good morning Twilight! This is going to be soo much fun!" Pinkie said as she ruffled Owlowiscious' feathers. "Indeed, I expect Opal to finally be on her best behavior! Isn't that right Opal?" Rarity cooed as Opal hissed at her, offering a stern look from the unicorn. Rainbow simply brought Tank, even going so far as putting him on an "Aerial Ace" attire. "Yeah, this pet playdate's gonna be awesome!" Rainbow then picked up Sif as she cooed at him and nuzzled the cute little furball. "Winona's mighty excited too, aren't you girl?" Applejack asked as Winona barked in response. Fluttershy, smiling as wide as Pinkie, simply floated towards Rainbow and Sif, giving the latter a nuzzle.
Twilight, however, was not pleased. Tired, annoyed, and possibly covered in wild mutt saliva filled with unknown diseases, Twilight simply bellowed in a loud enough tone, "ENOUGH! I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!" garnering everypony's attention. Sif, however, simply scratched her ear as she ran towards Twilight. Twilight, in response, placed the pup in a bubble, which irked Fluttershy... Again.
"Twilight! That's rude! Release Sif this instant!" Rarity ordered, with the rest following her attitude towards Twilight. They all stared at her. "I-I... okay," Twilight muttered, defeated. Sif, because of this action that triggered some sort of PTSD, decided to run towards Spike, hiding behind his back, and growled at Twilight. "Look what you did, you scared her!" Fluttershy said, staring at her friend. "Apologize to Sif, Twilight."
Twilight, not wanting to anger her, or her friends even more, quietly and wholeheartedly apologized. Applejack, worried about her friend, asked what Spike was thinking before they barged in. "Twilight, is something wrong?"
"Yes! Well, no! But... UGH!" Twilight shook her head. At least this quelled their anger at her for a while. "I really don't know what is going on, I really don't," she said, sniffing as tears began to form. "One moment, Spike told me that I was talking about a filly being in danger, then I learn that I somehow managed to cook without even having experience. Then, somehow I began to prank you guys, buck an entire orchard, and and-" she coughed a bit as she held back her tears, "and then I learn that I went to a spa with Rarity after finding out that I was biting a gem for an experiment... only for me to forget those things... I just..." She could no longer hold her tears as she cried, genuinely upset about everything and nothing at the same time.
She then looked at them, and with a sincere look upon her face, she asked, "Am I... going crazy?"
"Twilight, you aren't!" Spike declared.
"Oh no dear, you're not going crazy!" Rarity affirmed as she sat right in front of Twilight.
"Sugarcube, you aren't. Don't even think about that, okay?" Applejack reassured as she pressed her hoof unto her withers.
"Yeah Twilly, you are the bestest and most not crazy pony I know of!" Pinkie stated as she went closer.
"Please don't let yourself down, you aren't going crazy..." Fluttershy muttered, holding unto Sif.
"Ehh, I mean, you kinda are," Rainbow Dash said, to which everyone glared at her. For some reason, though, Pinkie Pie was sweating. Rainbow looked at the sweating pink mare. "Something's up with Pinkie," Rainbow thought to herself, deciding not to press the issue at the moment. Applejack, who was the closest to her, decided to smack the pegasus. "Owwie!" Rainbow shrieked. "What?! It's not like I'm the only one who thought about it!" Everypony except Pinkie, who was still sweating, shifted in place, for they too were kind of thinking it.
"I'm sure there is an explanation! She can't possible become crazy all of a sudden!" Rarity exclaimed. Twilight, who at this point doesn't know whether to smile or to cry, especially when she knows what is really happening, blew her nose from a napkin Spike provided. "Twilight," Rarity spoke again, "do you remember doing any type of spell BEFORE waking up randomly and, well, shaking Spike and asking some weird questions?" Twilight pondered then spoke. "No, I wasn't doing any spells before that particular day. I was only reading Daring Do..."
"Hmm," pondered Rarity. "I know this might hurt you but," she said as she glanced around, "for now, try to limit your... magic and well... reading about magic." Everypony gasped. Twilight? Having to limit herself from magic, reading AND gaining knowledge?? IMPOSSIBLE! PREPOSTEROUS!! BLASPHEMY AND HERESY OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!!!
Of course, Twilight was shocked the most, and before she could even start a tirade, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stepped in, with Rainbow Dash accompanying Applejack with placing her hoof on the crying mare's withers. "Twilight, calm yourself. This is only a 'temporary' solution, okay?" Applejack stated. "Yeah, you know, 'Too much water can overflow a bowl' or whatever the saying was!" Rainbow Dash said as she hovered in front of her. "Besides, you're already too much of an egghead, don't want to see you turn into an Ultra Egghead." Twilight, while still annoyed at Rainbow, giggled at her. She hugged everypony and thanked them for their unending support. She, of course, walked towards the new family member, as Applejack puts it, and decided to make things right.
"Hello, uh, Sif! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I hope you give me another chance," she glanced at the puppy, still behind Spike's back. It honestly hurt her when the wolf hid behind Spike as she got close. "It would really help me with understanding you better!" She reached her hoof out, allowing Sif to sniff her hoof. After a while, Sif came out and decided to lick her owner, making Twilight giggle a bit.
"Don't worry, Twilight, we will find out what is going on with you, and we will help you," Rarity spoke, "isn't that right, girls?" Everypony nodded, and everypony started their pet playdate. Twilight was laughing as she got to know more about Sif.
On the other hand, Ouros simply listened. "Ah... well shit," he exclaimed. Crap, he knew what he did was too much. And now everyone, er, everypony, is now a bit more suspicious of his actions. Perhaps it was time to reveal the truth... Or...
Perhaps he can simply remove their memories as well. But that won't do, as it would only bring nasty business. If he did remove their memories, what would happen to Sif? What would happen if he overdid it? What would happen to the Pinkie Promise? Looking back, Pinkie has kept her part of the deal, so maybe he can give her an exception, or maybe just remove her memories of him.
No, that would be too much. No memory wiping, no erasing, no nothing.
It might break not only the timeline (which he was sure is already broken by simply being there), but also their world in the process. Still, though, that could only lead him to two options; to go forth and abuse this power of his, or be responsible. Of course, he is responsible. That also leads to two options; to reveal himself now or to reveal himself later.
It's a tough decision as he wanted to do more things before his host, his roommate, knows about him. He sighed, groggily slithering towards his host's memories. He can't just break her friendship with the others. It was pure. He closed his eyes as he tore a rift, going into his own personal pocket dimension, and watched the future. It was already diverging, yet it still held true that she would become an alicorn princess, future ruler of Equestria. However, he could also see far into the future where magic disappeared. He doesn't want that to happen, personally, but perhaps that was the world's set future. Of course, if he meddles even more, he'll have to think twice and trice and yet again before taking action. He could try and maintain a different outcome, one where that future would not happen, but before he does that, he has to ponder about it. This is not his world, nor was he tasked to even meddle with it. The only times where he was in a host body were to save their world from extinction, war, or something else. And as such, him meddling with the timeline to achieve the necessary and probable future is a must. He is the Warden of Time, after all, and even if some people think that meddling with someone's outcome can ruin the future, they were dead wrong, for without him meddling, it would actually cause more damage.
It's why he lets a certain Doctor do his thing, as not only does it help the timeline, it actually manages to repair said timeline. That and he makes his job easier. Even if he annoys him... though he did see him as a her at some point, perhaps she regenerated. He could also sense the same being in this world. Interesting, perhaps he should look unto that situation.
But for now, he'll have to wait. Something this pure and serene, he doesn't want to ruin...
Still though, why can he hear Omegus roaring? "I bet he's pissed again, but from what?" He said as he left his personal pocket dimension. Well, at least he can still read from his "personal library" aka, Twilight's memories. Though, he really needs to figure out how to link their minds. He could try for a Neural Handshake, but he doesn't want to control 1/2 of the brain...
Well, he's got time to think things through, at least. For now, he'll just sleep for a bit. Rest is important, after all.
Somewhere in the Dream Realm (Equus), 9:43 p.m., Year 2011
Ouros was watching the events play out right before him. Twilight, in a manner of speaking, was dreaming about... reading a book. And not just any book, mind you. She was reading the entirety of the Daring Do book series even though she's been reading it in the waking world. A few months of being inactive, and all Ouros gets is... this. Still, it was good that he didn't do much despite his want to do things. It might have tarnished Twilight's relationship with the others. Besides, due to Rarity's semi-brilliant idea of Twilight not reading (and by extension practicing magic), Ouros managed to simply let things pass by without any need to take control. In turn, that made the suspicions grow less and less by the day. So, here we are. A few months passed with not a speck of confusing "incidents" and a semi-normal and decent life for his host. May the Primes bless her heart; she really does care for her current friendships. Now if only she focused that care on her "older" friendships.
Ouros had learned a lot about this world, and honestly, it was starting to grow on him. The normal and peaceful lives they live (until some bad guy appears) are quite the sight. Still, one problem sticks out like a thorn on his side, and that being communication with his host. He had found out that she was afraid of serpents, which made things harder for him, considering his lack of ability to transform (and that he was a serpent himself). He even tried to do so on multiple occasions, especially in her dreams, but it all failed. So not only was he frustrated, he can't even vent that frustration on the outside world.
Still, watching her dreams were... intriguing. She'd rarely dream of something else, like a tea party with her mentor, Princess Celestia, rather, she'd dream of acing tests, reading books, acing another test regarding that book, and reading another book for another test, which in turn makes her read more about references for said book for her tests. It's like watching an inception play out. He wasn't really fond of the constant time loops most worlds put themselves through (like that one world where a Chronosapien is doomed to fail due to the Omnitrix wielder), but at least those were more interesting to watch.
So what was Ouros watching today? Well, he was watching his host read through her Daring Do books, but with a twist! Not an exciting twist, but a twist nonetheless. She was reading it INSIDE the library, but this time her chairs were blue in color. Ouros simply had to tailpalm at that. The one thing that changed, it was a fucking chair color swap. This is much more irritating than those stallions fighting over the official length of tables.
So, enough was enough. He has had it. He could try and change her dreams, maybe make it a bit more exciting, maybe even help her fight off her fear of snakes. And so, he did what he had to do. But first, he gave her a letter, just to see see if she can actually interact with, well, whatever it was that he was planning.
Twilight, on the other hand, was busy enjoying her book. She was reading peacefully until she heard a simple "poof" coming from one of her shelves. "So far, so good," hummed Ouros as he succeeded this time in getting Twilight's attention.
Curious about the sound, Twilight got up and went to check on her shelves. She, of course, was surprised to see a letter popping out ever so slightly in one of her books. She grabbed it by her magic and opened it.
"I've always been watching you," it read. Test letter was a success! Sensational! Now if only she could actually interact with Ouros. Twilight, who at this point was a bit creeped out, decided to throw away the letter as she grabbed another book. Apparently she finished reading all of the Daring Do books in a span of a few minutes. This is her dream, after all, and she has control over it, or rather, she does not have control over it. She wasn't lucid dreaming, after all, which begs the question: How the hell can she even read her normal books if this wasn't even lucid dreaming?!
Ouros, annoyed by it all, wrote another piece of letter as he slammed it into another book. "You can't interact with me," he hissed, "but I'm about to change that!"
Twilight, gullible as she is, was startled by her reading. "What's going on here?!"
She dashed towards the noise as she gaped at the sight in front of her. Her fully arranged books of alphabetical order, unorganized! IT. WAS. HORRIBLE!
Ouros was about to bash his head into a wall, only to spot Twilight at the last second. She held the letter in her hooves as she opened it. Who knew letters would be the worst thing to happen in her dreams? She cleared her throat as she read the letter.
"To Twilight Sparkle," it read as she snorted, "That's me, I'm Twilight Sparkle."
"You are to be tested in a game of wits. Look upon the letter as it whisks you away to a maze of unholy proportions."
She merely stared at the letter. "What?"
She continued to read, it was definitely a sight to see. Her tongue was sticking out of her muzzle, her brows furrowed with concentration. Finally, it would be the time to reveal himself! Ouros, the Ouros, who was trapped in her body, can finally talk to her-
"Meh," she shrugged as she tore the letter. "I'm currently busy reading Vectors and Diagrams: A guide to the perfect presentation. As if I'd take that maze over this!"
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"
That was all that it took for the dream realm to shake. And that was all that it took for it to turn into a nightmare. "S-s-s-snake!!" Twilight yelled as she, for the first time in her life, saw Ouros. He hissed and he slithered as he glared at Twilight. "Oh, now you see me?!" She screamed even more.
She screamed and she screamed, tossing and turning in her sleep, eventually waking in the real world as she fumbled out of her bed. "Oof! Ough!" She clutched her head with her hoof, her hind legs were stuck due to her blanket. Spike, the heavy sleeper, merely got up, blinked, and went back to sleep. The mad lad, didn't even care that Twilight almost had a panic attack. Regardless, she was awake now, and no damn snake would EVER get near her again, let alone a snake that size!
For years, he had been stuck as a stone. Years had he been stuck as an ornament for a garden not even available to the public most of the time. For years, he had suffered the unholy wrath of the pesky flying rodents known as birds. No more. It was time to make a move, but how? He was still stuck as a stone decoration, not much can he do with that. That was until three fillies bickered amongst themselves and caused sweet, juicy, satisfying to say the least, amounts of chaos enough to break him out of his prison. Oh, such sweet, sweet chaos, the epitome of life! Seriously, why bother being placed here if three unassuming fillies can easily break him out? Not that he is complaining, after all, he's finally breaking out! He's finally-
Free at last! Oh, you have no idea how hard it was to be stuck in that pose ALL the time! I tell you, the amount of joint pain I have, I might need to put some oil in them!
A mismatched being, it slithered in the air as it performed yoga exercises.
Oh pish posh! Who needs exercise when I can simply turn my bones to jello?
He grunted and turned, cracking his lower back as he finally snapped his fingers. Evidently, that was a stupid idea as he now turned into a puddle. The puddle grew legs, and then a body, arms, and finally a toothy grin.
Perfection! Now now, no need to applaud! Today, my debut starts, and I am the star of the show!
The being laughed and cackled as he snapped things that defy the laws of physics.
And lo, and behold, the messiah as she ran forth against the dogged stigma borne upon the unicorns. The godless heathens mocked and jeered as she crossed over the bridge - the crowd made of curious folk sported their daily needs, hoisted upon their backs as they watch silently. Few dared to whisper about what was happening.
The five heathens laughed at her, for they did not believe. Nay, such faith upon the messiah was not needed. And so, unto them, the messiah spoke. "Spike", she called out with such fervor in her voice, "give unto me the ball."
And Spike did as she commanded, fear upon his eyes. Celestia bless his soul as he wept for his friend. He knelt and prayed upon Celestia's Sun and Luna's Moon that the messiah be saved from such harm, but such notion was not needed. For the messiah was graced upon birth by the Sun and the Moon, the dusk and the dawn as the light of the warm sun and coolness of the moon brought forth a culmination of light and dark.
And her disciples stood in shock and sheer wanton fear; her wolf amongst her side wailed and whimpered, and her fifth disciple fainted, her fuchsia mane covering her face. Her third disciple, however, braved onwards as Loyalty called upon her name, yet she did not know what to do. Disgruntled, was she, as she was forced to be a part of the crowd.
"Forsayeth, unto you, such stigma must be quenched!" The messiah spoke, her brow as fierce as a lion's stare. "Let it be known that love and tolerance shall be thine own goal in life, lest you lose those you care for."
And the bells chimed, and she was alone against the five heathens. Godless were they as they rushed at her, but she did not falter. With the grace of a hummingbird, she crossed over the first as she dove before the second tackled her. Strong was her will to grace upon the rings of fire, her blood boiling with silent wrath. She continued to push on; the crowd was flummoxed and her disciples silent, basking in their messiah's glory, marveling at how she graced the battlefield.
Left, then right, the ball moved freely at her hooves as she crossed the unholy gap. With a roar, she dove over the last heathen, her hooves reaching upon the ring of fire that they had failed to protect. The ring bellowed a blue flame, such a magnificent sight.
The crowd cheered, the once silent crowd blew forth a loud cry at their messiah. The ring reverbed a loud echo as the ball passed through with such strength. And the messiah spoke, "I cast upon thee," she said as she hung at the basket, "the Divine Intervention!"
And the fire bellowed once more, the heathens shook in fear as they saw the messiah's strength. "Could she be ballin," one of the heathens said, "with such fervor in her steps?"
And the others shook their heads, for they do not wish to believe. "Thine actions... 'twas but a fluke!" One heathen said as he passed the ball unto the messiah once more. And she shook her head. "You wish not to listen, for you fear the truth."
She dribbled the ball once more, the silence ever looming as the ball continued to bounce. Then she set her gaze upon the darkened skies; she gasped and stared as the light parted through the clouds, shining over her. The warmth of the sun blessed her with the conviction to move forward. With such warmth, she closed her eyes and placed her right hoof upon her chest as she breathed in deeply. She kissed her hoof as she looked up once more, raising her right hoof upward as she muttered, "I dedicate mine own goal upon thee."
And so unto the heathens, she charged, aiming to dunk the ball upon the ring of fire once more. But she was stopped by a wall of heathens. As she looked upon the sun, she smiled and jumped, her hoof throwing with all her might just to reach the ring. And the ball had reached it, and the ball had fallen in. "Praise be, I cast, the Holy Hoof Grenade!"
And the crowd started to believe! And the crowd cheered once more. And the heathens gaped like fishes on the dry land. And they stared at the messiah with such fear. And so, unto the messiah, they gave the ball once more. And this time, they were ready.
And the messiah was prepared, but even she did not see such coordination from the heathens, as they grabbed the ball and passed it with the others. She had lost her ball, but she did not give up. They tried to confuse the messiah, but that did not work, for she was the messiah! Graced was she by the light and the dark, her name forever the lock and key for both. And she shone brightly with the light of the sun, her sweet face adorned with a crown of leaves. With her brow anointed by her own sweat, she began to run once more as she grabbed the ball mid bounce. As she did so, she crossed once more, breaking one of the heathen's fetlock.
"Cast unto thee, the Holy Cross!"
She dabbled over what to do, for she was surrounded. And the crowd was worried. Thus, unto them, she ran and within a mere second, turned with the grace of a butterfly as she held the ball with her right hoof. She had outdone them, and was now approaching the ring. A loud reverb came once more from the ring as she hang from it, the crowd cheered louder as her first disciple blew through a horn, sounding her presence.
And thus it continued for a few more turns. But the messiah was not merely a soldier, nay, she was a sentry as well. As the heathen leapt towards her ring, she too, leapt and smote the ball away, casting it out of her fire. "Look upon my wonders," she said as she stretched her hoof to grab the ball, "and weep at it, for I am as merciful as I am stern!"
"And thusly, I cast unto thee, the Sacred Shield!" And she glowed with the light of the sun, her purple mane flowing in the wind; graceful were her steps as she ran towards their ring, but stopped at the middle as she jumped. And her mark was true as the ball fell inside the ring once more. And she kissed her hoof once more as she raised it high in the air, as the crowd spoketh with such fervor in their voice! Loud were they as they saw the true meaning of belief.
And Spike wept with joy as he fainted, the sight of the messiah, nay, the sight of his friend was all but too much. And the fifth disciple cheered loudly, her wings fluttering in the air like a hummingbird's. And the messiah banished the shadows that casted upon the ball, her hoof drenched with the sweat and dirt.
And the messiah looked upon the heathens. "Be not afraid," she spoke, "for it is thine truth that thy fear."
And the messiah gave them the ball. And the heathens sneered at the messiah, for they are losing their wills. And one heathen spoke, "Thine own actions are but faults! Thy art using magic, admit it!"
And the messiah shook her head, "Nay," she spoke with a calm that rivaled a still bowl. "Mine own skills are that of mine own wits and strength." And the messiah looked at them with determination. "And mine own skills prove that I, too, am ballin'," she said with certainty.
And she stood at the ready, her words running deep within their psyche. Here was the messiah who they mocked, destroying their very conviction to carry on. Silent were the crowds once more as they watch with uncontested intent. They were waiting for their move against the lone messiah. How is it that five heathens could not even beat one measly challenger?
But they knew that they were wrong, for the messiah was right in front of them. And the messiah's words wrung their hearts. They could not admit it, not now.
And so, unto the messiah, they dashed forward. But the messiah was ready, and like a wave hitting the the rocks, it was strong yet smooth; her movements were quick and steady, her hooves grabbing upon the ball. And lo, and behold, she jumped. As if she grew a pair of wings, she jumped higher than any of the heathens. She jumped as she threw the ball with all her might. And the shot was once more true, as it dinged the board and fell unto the ring. And the messiah won against the heathens.
And the heathens collapsed unto the ground. Tired were they as they lay upon their bellies. And the messiah walked upon their direction.
"And so," she said with kindness in her voice, "Didst mine own words flow through thine minds?" The messiah then raised her hoof and gently helped them up their hooves. "Thou art arrogant in thine own ways, yet so blind at what is in front of thee. Look upon the others and lose thine thorns upon thine hearts and minds, open forth for the sake of those who wish to know thee."
And the messiah calmly walked towards her disciples, and her disciples cheered. And her wolf yipped in place, barking at the messiah. And the wolf had cuddled upon her warmth, as the messiah gently carried the wolf pup. Yes, the messiah's word hung upon each and everypony's minds that day.
And the messiah stood with pride and dignity amongst her disciples.
And the messiah showed ponykind the power of love and friendship.
And the messiah spoke with a light tone, thus-
"Hiya Featherweight! Whatcha up ta?" Apple Bloom said as she waltzed in the Foal Free Press. Featherweight was a small and gaunt little pegasus colt, with a brown mane and a short brown tail, with a feather cutie mark befitting his name. He was currently wearing what appeared to be robes as he was writing underneath a candlelit room... which was surprising since the room has decent lighting. Apple Bloom, along with the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, were staring at him curiously.
"Uhh... Fan-fiction! Yes." Featherweight said without much conviction. The rest of the CMC's, however, bought it. "Ooh, can I read it? I love reading fan-fiction. What's it about?" Sweetie Belle asked, hoping to get a peek at what Featherweight was writing.
Scootaloo, however, was confused. "Uhh, I thought you liked taking photos? Why are you writing instead?"
Featherweight simply looked at them. "Well... just because I like taking photos doesn't mean that I have to stop doing other things." He then turned to look at Sweetie Belle. "Oh, and uh, that's just a draft for something. I, uhh, actually have a finished product for a fanfic I've written about Beauty and the Beast!" Featherweight said, happily giving out one of his actual fanfiction to Sweetie Belle if it meant that she wouldn't snoop around.
"Really?! Thanks!" Sweetie squeaked. "Yeah, this is, uhh, a draft for another fanfiction for the Power Ponies. Yeah." Apple Bloom simply narrowed her eyes at Featherweight, his sweat dripping ever so slightly.
"Oh, aight then! See ya later, Featherweight!" Apple Bloom said, motioning for the other crusaders to follow her. Scootaloo simply looked bored but Sweetie Belle was bouncing up and down, excited to read another fan-fiction of her favorite play. They all waved him goodbye as they left.
As they closed the door, they continued to bicker amongst themselves. "Have ya seen Twilight playin' that game, uhh, what was it called again?"
"Hoofball?" The voice of Sweetie Belle said as they walked further and further from the Foal Free Press, clutching the folder of fanfiction with her magic. "I think it was basketball," the distant voice of Scootaloo said, and the rest of their conversations were inaudible from there.
Thankful that he wasn't prodded any further, Featherweight picked up his quill once more and continued to write.
"They will never understand..." he muttered as he wrote underneath the calming light of the candles.
Interlude 2: So a Timelord, a Unicorn, a Paradox, and an Earth Pony go into a tavern...
Ponyville, 4:37 p.m., Year 2011... 2 Days before Discord's Awakening
"And that's why a cupcake should never mix with a pancake!" The pink fluffy earth pony stated with such fervor in her voice as she bounced right next to a purple unicorn. "Indeed, indeed," the unicorn said as she walked calmly.
It seems both Pinkie Pie and Twilight are walking to... somewhere...
"So, Ouro, can I call you that? I can call you that right? But maybe you wanted something cuter, hmm, how about... No, that wouldn't work..." Pinkie said as she pondered what to call her new friend, Ouros. It had been a while since Ouros talked to her about "the secret", and it had been a few days since he came out again. Honestly, when she first heard that an immortal alien time god possessed her new friend Twilight, she didn't know what to do. That was, like, one of the biggest revelations of all time, even beating the biggest cookie of all time, and no one ever beats the biggest cookie of all time, which is ironic because it really isn't a cookie cookie, per se, but, the biggest thing to ever happen in Equestria!
"Pinkie, you can even call me Oreo if you wish," Twilight chuckled as she walked with a calm and leisurely pace. She had opted to talk to Pinkie about "the secret" along with certain... individuals who would probably know more than her.
"Oookie Dokie! Wait-" Pinkie said as she halted her bouncing mid-air, a feat of defying gravity at her own pleasure. "What the hay is an Oreo?"
Twilight chuckled at Pinkie's antics as she gently pulled her down with her magic. "An Oreo is a type of cookie that you dunk in milk. It's chocolate with a cream spreading in the middle." Twilight then glanced at her as she continued to walk. "Super tasty, perhaps you can make some for your next birthday parties?"
Pinkie gasped as she saluted, pronking alongside Twilight. Twilight then stopped right beside her as she stared at a certain bar. "Ah, this would do just fine," Twilight said as she walked inside, much to the confusion of Pinkie. After all, they were talking about secrets, and what better place to tell a secret than in a super secret place? Pinkie simply shrugged as she followed Twilight inside.
"Welcome to the Salted Caramel!" A voice rang from inside the bar. "We aren't open yet," the voice, a young mare if Pinkie was right at her assumption, said with a cheerful tone. "If you would maybe come back here at 7 in the evening, that would be most appreciated."
"Oh, don't mind us. We're simply waiting for our friends, who said they'd meet us here. We'll be off your bar real soon," Twilight said courteously as she waved her hoof, smiling softly at the young mare.
Confused, and a bit flustered, the young waitress retreated back towards the kitchen.
"So... why exactly are we waiting at a yet to open bar in the morning? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm normally one for waiting and being excited for new friends but... isn't this a bit too much?" Pinkie said, confused at the whole thing. Who were they waiting for and why here of all places?
"You'll see, my dear. You'll see," said the unicorn as she drank tea from a cup that wasn't there a while ago.
Pinkie looked down, smiling as she had her own cup of chocolatey goodness. In one gulp, she finished her drink. Knowing Twilight, er, Ouros, the cup would be refilled the moment she plopped it down. It was, only this time, it was a vanilla smoothie.
"Silly billy! Vanilla smoothies should only come as a desert!" Pinkie said, who still drank the whole thing. Twilight chuckled at her antics, rolling her eyes with a smirk as the door opened.
"Bloody hell... this isn't the time vortex to Agalon 12 Major!" said the mysterious stranger. He had a brown, spiky mane, blue eyes that matches the sky, and a green necktie.
"Ah, hiya Time Turner!" Pinkie waved as the stallion looked over at them. He was... eccentric to say the least, but confused nonetheless. He waved back, smiling a bit, only to frown as he brought forth a small contraption the size of a pen, well, bigger than a pen at least, along with a rectangle framed glasses. He then proceeded to scan the doorway, the small object beeping for a bit before he inspected it.
"Strange, this sort of anomaly rarely happens, but it happens nonetheless. Further research needed on that," he said, closing his contraption, "I do apologize for barging in like that, Pinkie, Twilight."
"Pay it no mind, - - - - -, I mean, Doctor," Twilight then shifted awkwardly. "Or, well, Time Turner, I guess."
"You're not Twilight," the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes. He then scanned Twilight, only to find that biologically, it is her.
"What-"
"Something something, we'll have to wait for another to answer your questions," Twilight smiled as she offered him a cup of green tea along with a culmination of different foods such as seaweed truffles and pudding. Quirking a brow, the Doctor sat down, observing the self-filling cup of random assortment. "Right, that isn't the weirdest thing I've seen in this world."
"I know right? I was thinking about it being as large of a revelation as the biggest cookie of all time, but then I remembered this really isn't a cookie, and more of a cup of random things I wanted!" Pinkie said with her natural burst of energy.
"Still, it begs the question: Does the cup know how to shuffle the liquid itself for the customer, or is there some sort of space for it? Most items like it depend on a separate dimension for it to work the way it works," the Doctor said, fascinated with never ending cup of random assortments.
It was then that Twilight spoke up. "It does, doesn't it? For a moment, most people tend to forget that there would always be something behind an object. Well, for the most part, it is a bit of both. A complex matrix using the higher forms of the arcane tend to be like that: both of the same time. Tend to look for an answer, and you can get both answers. For this, though, it's a simple spell that's quite underestimated."
"Desiderium cordis?" The Doctor asked, in which Pinkie looked at the both of them, baffled at what was happening. "You mean, my heart's desire?" Pinkie then said, rubbing her chin with her hoof.
"Precisely," Twilight said, taking a sip. "Of course, for the more complex stuff, one can always assume that something is making it. That, too, happens in yet another space, otherwise, it would only provide the raw essentials."
"Ah, yes, the arcane truly is a fascinating view point in most places I've been to," the Doctor said, smiling.
"You know, there are probably a lot of universes where they can read our thoughts. Perhaps, being called 'the Doctor', all the time would tire out the readers, no?" Pinkie said, nonchalantly as she continued to munch on her plate of strawberry doughnuts.
The Doctor merely chuckled. "Perhaps. Alright then, for this instance, Turner should do the trick? Or, hmm, maybe Time Turner. Alas, woe is me, having a hard time to consider a name!"
"Then 10th shall do it, no?" Twilight said, drinking daintily, careful not to spill a single drop of whatever she was drinking now.
10th hummed as he shook his head. "I'm afraid that wouldn't do. How about... Smith?"
"Ohhh how about TT?" Pinkie said, raising her hoof wildly.
"A conundrum, this is. Very well, for the most part, we will simply call you Time Turner, since you are here in Ponyville."
"Fair enough," Time Turner smiled. He took a bite and melted from the sweetness of the pudding. For a moment, all was peaceful, until the doors opened once more, revealing yet another stranger, this time, a human. Brown hair, goggles on his neck, a pristine white lab coat, there was no mistaking it, a Paradox was here.
"Good evening, or is it morning? I simply cannot tell these days," he chuckled as he walked towards the group. "Ah, Paradox, good to see you, as always," Time Turner said with glee in his voice. "How goes the Prime Universe of the Omnitrix bearer?"
Paradox smiled, only to frown for a bit. "Pardon me for a second, if you would be so kind, perhaps my form might frighten the residents of this town."
Twilight simply nodded, casting a spell to change his form from a human to a stallion. "Ah, excellent as always. Now then, I believe we were in a middle of a discussion. Quite frankly, it is and always will be interesting to see, though there are now quite a lot of versions with different people wearing it." Paradox chuckled as he thanked Twilight for the simple fish and chips on his plate.
"The Prime Universe do tend to shift, after all. Even now, there is a Prime Universe where... I believe her name is Gwendolyn, wears the watch instead." Twilight said as she looked outside the window.
"Now, that brings us to where we are. I am quite certain that not even the Celestial Sapiens would dare try and change the outcome of this world just because of you, my dear friend." Paradox said, raising his cup of black coffee.
Pinkie, for the most part, was just happy to there, looking at both Time Turner and Paradox. "Hi! I'm-"
"Miss Pinkie, of course I haven't forgotten you are there. In fact, I was waiting for you to say that... or did you already say it?"
Pinkie Pie gasped, yet another time pony in front of her. She giggled as she spoke. "No spoilers! I've always wanted to say that!"
Twilight, however, merely looked melancholic. "I'm making more of a mess here, aren't I?" The three then looked at her. "This really is the Prime Universe of this place, or well, I'm sure of it. After all, I'm the one who was supposed to guard all of it."
"Hmm, that is certainly true." Time Turner said. "I should've spotted it but it took me a while to figure it out myself. Ouros, are you alright?"
Twilight merely shook her head. "For all the things I've been doing, I have forgotten that it is my responsibility not to meddle much... and yet, here we are."
"The damage to Twilight's psyche can cause a lot of problems in the near future, I'm afraid," Paradox said, as he sipped his coffee. As he did that, Twilight tapped her hoof in a pattern, making a circling gesture on the table as the world around them changed. Now, there they were, at a bar where they weren't the only people there.
"Ah, that should do it." They were everywhere and nowhere at the same time, the outside merely being a void with no stars in sight. No swirling galaxies, nor a beautiful mix of nebulas. They truly were nowhere, but everywhere.
"I know now why I cannot merge my mind with my host," she spoke with a solemn tone, "for it was truly a mistake in my part. There are no known timelines where I have done this, no known barrier to stop myself."
The three nodded, with Pinkie looking at Twilight sadly. She knew what she was going to say.
"I pity the timelines that exist, with grief and strife, to the point where even I had to interfere. Now I feel like the one with the reincarnation of a soul, transplanted to a new life, only to hurt more than I would ever know."
"Ah, are you perhaps talking of Ryoto from the Akamine clan?" Time Turner said gloomily. "Great man for his time. Once, I was tempted to help him, but in doing such a thing, I ruin more lives than I can ever imagine."
"Exactly that," Twilight sighed. "Or yet another world ruled by desolation."
"Thalion..." Paradox said, sadly. "I hate to admit it, but in helping him escape, a far darker being would lurk in the shadows."
"It pains me not that I am the first and last of my existence; no different versions, no casual changes, just me working for me. But now, now I fear my other timelines might spot the missing origin, and would abandon all efforts in an attempt to fix the mistake I have made."
Twilight then stood up and walked towards the window. "That is why I need help in maintaining this world's timeline... lest it all crumbles down due to the lack of... me."
Pinkie gazed upon Twilight, briefly seeing her friend and the one occupying her friend's mind.
"C-can I help out too?" Pinkie said shakily. She didn't want to see her friends being sad. And hey, the thoughts of different universes and timelines colliding with hers does sound fun... but what about the ones where there are no fun? Only sadness... only pain.
Twilight looked at her, no, Ouros looked at her. They smiled gently at her as they bowed. "Then I am in need of your services."
Pinkie giggled. It lifted the mood for a bit before another being appeared. The being was, to say the least, mismatched in every angle. Horns of different creatures, a long serpentine body with fur and scales, surprisingly no wings, yet having arms of a crab, an octopus, with the legs of a dragon.
"Heyyy, I said no spoilers!" Pinkie huffed.
"Technically, he isn't a spoiler now is he, Pinkie?" Paradox said.
"Aye, not really one if it doesn't fit the D-i-s-c appearance." Time Turner chuckled. For it was in fact, not a spoiler, if it wasn't the same creature, now was it?
"Ah, Mismatch, a pleasure to see you again, my friend," Twilight said as she bowed to the creature.
"Ouros, a pleasure to see you as well," Mismatch said, looking at everyone. "It appears you have arrived far too early, I'm not even open for business yet."
"We'd be honored to be your first customers then," Time Turner said. "Perhaps, a certain tavern would appear soon around the universe?"
"Oh, I do plan to. It's just hard to find the time, you know?" Mismatch said, polishing a glass with a dish towel.
"To a jolly cooperation then, in helping to maintain this world's Prime Timeline!" Paradox said, raising a glass high with what appears to be chocolate milk.
"You know, there's a joke around here somewhere regarding the title," Pinkie giggled soon after as she raised her glass high as well.
Indeed, the mood had brightened up.
After the meeting with two time-travellers (wow, who knew Time Turner was one?) both Pinkie and Twilight decided to walk towards the lake. Pinkie then remembered something.
"Hey, Oreo, what happened to the waitress in the other bar?"
Twilight looked at her as she smiled. "Oh, you know, time-y wimey, wibbly wobbly stuff."
Pinkie looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "That... doesn't make sense, and even I know how make or break a sense."
"Well, let's just say that she never saw us nor has she interacted with us the moment she entered the kitchen."
"Ohhh, like the Men in Black?"
Twilight merely laughed at the comparison. "Yes, exactly like the neuralyzer they used... or something else."
"Ohh! I get it now! So the moment she got inside, that's when you casted a spell in which she forgot that she had customers who weren't supposed to be there?"
Pinkie then stopped as she looked back. "Wow, must be hard for Warm Glass then, huh?"
"Well, not really. We simply weren't the customers she was looking for."
And Pinkie giggled as she pronked once more at Twilight's side.
