Chapters Time is ever-flowing and never-ending.
It is a beast that sucks the life out of everypony.
Either it controls you…
Or you can try to control it.
— Starswirl the Bearded
Darkness everywhere.
This cold place lay empty except for the occasional rolls of film twirling on invisible axes. Thoughtless, timeless… this space could never be reached by a normal creature, much less a simple human. Yet there, surrounded by the unknown, floated the one person who had been at the center of the catastrophe.
The one who had destroyed the world with his power.
The one who had used his power to fix the world back up.
The one who sacrificed himself to prevent those events ten years ago.
It is done. The Akashic Records have been restored. Tomoe-chan never died. Everything has been fixed.
I can die in peace.
…
No, what am I saying? Of course I can’t! I can’t just leave Ayano!
Thoughts of this Ayano suddenly filled his mind as he ignored everything else— not that there was much to ignore in the first place.
He remembered the time they spent together, their first chance encounter in his home, how they fought side by side with the psychics from the Greenhouse, how he fulfilled her dream to go to school. He remembered her cute face, her beautiful smile, her kind disposition, the way she would trust him no matter what.
He gagged a bit as he remembered her cooking.
But what he remembered most was that one moment, his last before the restoration.
The tears she had shed as the realization dawned upon her…
When she feared never seeing him again.
When she spoke those words so many people long to hear in their lifetimes. Three simple words, and he held them close to his heart.
I will be back, Ayano! I’ll do everything in my power t—
Had he been paying attention, he would have noticed the small pinprick of light in the distance, the one that suddenly grew to monstrous proportions as it engulfed him.
What is this l— AAAAHHHHHHHHH!
His body began to contort into impossible shapes as a crack in the emptiness began to form, sucking him in with such force that he could do nothing against it. Not a second later, he disappeared from the void, which betrayed no signs of ever having held such a powerful person.
The forest was quiet, the shadows of trees presiding ominously over the moonlit scenery. Most of the light, however, was concentrated in the ruined temple nearby, where a battle for the fate of the world was drawing to an end.
“It creates the Sixth Element, the Element of…
“Magic!”
The crystal fragments began to unite; a bright aura enshrouded the six ponies as the Elements began to take form. At last, the Crown of Magic appeared atop Twilight’s head, the Elements charged, the attack ready to be cast…
“AAAHHHHHHHHH!”
When from up high, a human in worn clothing dropped to the ground, right in front of the Bearers.
“WAIT!” Fluttershy’s cry broke the others’ concentration. The Elements died down as the other ponies gazed at her and then at the figure blocking the path to Nightmare Moon. A curious Twilight tiptoed slowly towards it when it suddenly stirred.
“Uggghhhh.” The creature slowly rose to his feet, blinking his eyes furiously as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.
It… it walks on two legs? But it's not a dragon or a griffon, Twilight pondered.
As the human shifted his weight to the right, however, he winced in response to the fiery pain shot through his leg. One look down confirmed it: he had broken his foot with the fall.
Well, might as well check if I can still do this.
Fluttershy was about to gallop over as soon as she noticed the injury, but Twilight held up her hoof. In an instant, the human’s entire right leg turned to what looked like rolls of film, the tapes shifting around as his foot was magically fixed.
WHAT? IT KNOWS HEALING MAGIC? B-But only an alicorn can have enough power to heal that quickly!
The human once again centered his weight, testing out his newly repaired foot.
Well, I still have my power, but it took a lot more energy than I thought it would. Now, where in the w—
“Wha–What is this?” The figure began to shake his head from side to side, finally noticing the vivid hues and the six ponies that stood before him.
These colors, they’re… different. Wait a minute, I know what’s happening here.
I guess I did make it back!
The human leapt in joy, forgetting about his past injury as he cupped his hands around his mouth.
“The jig is up, Maya! You can stop the illusion! Wow, you almost got me there!”
“Um, who’s Maya?” inquired Twilight, whose voice eliciting a small yelp from the creature.
“A talking pony! I haven’t seen this type of illusion yet. Maya, you sure are getting creative!”
“This… isn’t an illusion, mister. In fact, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you?”
“What do you mean? I’m a human, a psychic. Didn’t Maya tell you? Now, could you please tell her to stop the illusion? I want to see Ayano.”
YES! I’ll be able to see her again!
But… But should Maya even have her powers, after what I d—
“You wretches, stop ignoring us!” Nightmare Moon suddenly catapulted a beam of magic straight at the human, who barely had enough time to react. On instinct, he held out his hand and created a time barrier strong enough to disintegrate the attack.
Or so he thought.
It’s taking too l—
Even though Twilight had bounded forward and cast a shield around her and the human, it was still not enough: electric ripples and piercing sparks sent both of them flying backwards at breakneck speeds, careening straight into the wall.
Maybe, if I can turn myself…
At the last second, he extended his other arm, pouring more of his energy into a small barrier to cushion the strike. Unluckily for Twilight, she had been unable to recreate her shield as her body struck the stone structure with a large cracking sound. The wall itself began to break as dangerously sharp slabs crashed down.
“Owww…” Twilight stirred slightly as the other creature stood up, sporting various scrapes and coughing violently.
“Hey, are you okay?” The creature hastily began to remove rock after rock, ignoring his own injuries for the moment. It didn’t take long for him to notice the trickle of blood flowing freely from the unicorn’s head.
“You’re bleeding! We have to get you to a doctor!”
Illusion or not, I have to help her! But that power that struck me… It was filled with malice.
“Maya, this isn’t funny anymore!”
I just don’t understand. Why would one of her illusions attack me? Don’t tell me I wasn’t able to fix it! Maybe she really wants to kill me! But then why did this purple pony set up that shield before?
The other ponies simply stood there, dumbfounded and paralyzed. Meanwhile, the human displaced the last of the rubble and crouched in front of Twilight. He could not help but notice the several other bruises riddling her body.
“Hey, can anybody tell me whe—”
“Ha! Without thine Sixth Element, we have won!” Nightmare Moon suddenly began to charge a sizeable amount of crackling magic on her horn as the other Bearers overcame their shock and galloped over to Twilight.
“If only… If only we had more time to ch-charge the Elements… we c-c—”
Twilight's voice broke mid-sentence, leaving the human with even more questions.
“The what?”
“All of you shall perish!” A dark blast barrelled forward, aimed straight for the Bearer of the last Element.
Time slowed down as if to mock the ponies and the human. The deadly electric swirls spanned the width as the entire room, and it approached at a snail’s pace, incinerating everything it touched. No detail was left concealed.
One second, Applejack and Fluttershy were rushing over to Twilight as fast as they could, hooves striking the ground with full force.
The next, the ponies were burned to piles of smoldering ashes as the attack continued towards the others.
The human stared directly at the life-threatening beam as it grew ever closer, his entire body frozen in fear as his mind toiled.
No, this is not the end. I will save you all!
In a last-ditch attempt to change fate, he let go of Twilight and summoned all his power as he slammed his right hand to the ground. From that spot arose that familiar clock circle of light, a warm power surging through it as it expanded and established a barrier. Slowly, his efforts seemed to be working, but death grew ever closer. He began to expend more power than ever before, his head aching, his heart throbbing, his hands hot as flames.
And all the while the beam engulfed Rarity and Pinkie Pie, their screams of agony stabbing through his soul as he watched Twilight slowly inch her way to the ground.
But he ignored it all as he struggled to clear his mind: he had to concentrate.
Oh, the irony— I need more time to change time.
The circle continued to grow, almost expanding to the entire temple as Twilight continued to fall. Each excruciating millisecond, the barrier covered one more tile as the pain intensified, as the looming bringer of death approached closer and closer.
DO NOT FAIL ME NOW!
“AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!”
And with a little more energy, the attack only a hair away, Twilight’s horn an inch from the ground, he finally managed to enter it…
His own “Narrow Space in Time.”
The temple scene around him shattered into millions of pieces as a white room filled with gears broke through. He could not have been happier to see the endless floor and ceiling, the many images of times past floating all around him. Panting a bit from exertion, he still wore that frightened look as he inspected the scene from which he had arrived.
That was close! Now, to change th— Wait, what?
Unlike previous times, where he had been able to call upon the rolls of time, he was now faced with interlocking puzzle pieces, each one displaying a different scenario. Multiple pieces portrayed a certain village in the background, and a couple others depicted a grand forest around a temple flooded with light from a huge explosion.
This must be where I am. But this doesn’t look right!
He attempted to cut and paste the pieces together, just as he had done before— only to fall to his knees in frustration.
W-Why? Shouldn’t this work?
“Time here is different than from when you come from, Kakeru.”
“Who said that?” The creature known as Kakeru looked around, spotting a familiar spirit. However, his empty stare quickly reminded the apparition of her pony-like body.
“Here, let me change to a different form.” In a flash of color, she transformed into the figure of that little girl from his memories— that child from ten years ago. “You look really exhausted.”
“Tomoe! What are you doing here? I thought I saved you from the crash! What is your spirit still doing here?”
“You did save me, Kakeru. All will be explained later, but your energy is running out. It seems that the magic here is counteracting your chronodiving. I can only tell you this: as a mechanism to protect against complete destruction of the world, time itself has evolved, allowing only certain pieces to fit after another. If the scenario does not fit, it will be rejected. Please keep that in mind…”
“Wait, Tomoe!”
“Do not worry. We’ll see each other again… very soon…”
With that, the spirit disappeared, leaving Kakeru alone in his dimensional barrier.
And alone he was as he struggled to stay standing, writhing in agony at the spikes of pain searing through his inner being.
Ughhh… It’s getting worse. I guess what Tomoe said was right. There’s no time to waste!
He scanned through the connected scenes, rewinding to the time when Nightmare Moon had launched that beam. He replaced the entire part with a new scene, similar to the first except for one small detail.
Small beads of sweat began to pour down his face as he struggled to find the next pieces, sifting through hundreds of parts— no, thousands, millions — for the most adequate continuation.
At this rate, I’m not going to make it!
Every plan that he had thought of so far had failed, the pieces not matching the exposed end. The scenario of stopping Nightmare Moon with the surrounding trees was rejected, all pieces with direct attacks on her refused to fit.
The pony told me all she needed was time to “charge the Elements”…
Soon, he found out exactly what the Elements would do, but the piece that showed it was otherwise useless: it had only one prong instead of two.
More time, more time. There has to be a way to give her that!
All his options seemed unfavorable: the best case was one in which a rainbow beam slowly travelled towards the larger pony. Alas, it failed to reach the target as another beam of magic knocked the six ponies back.
And finally, in the corner of his eye, he spotted that last piece, one that would provide the “Elements” enough time to charge up…
The piece that would throw him into the mix.
As he placed that last piece onto the never-ending ribbon of time, Kakeru released his hold on the dimensional barrier as it broke down. In an instant, his consciousness returned to the temple.
“—noring us!”
The attack shot towards the six ponies and Kakeru, Twilight bracing herself for impact…
BOOM
To the Bearers’ surprise, the shot collided with the alicorn head-on, sending her skidding backwards as a large accumulation of smoke rose from the spot where she had once stood.
“N-now, quickly, ch-charge the Elements.” Kakeru shakily walked closer to the point of impact, knowing exactly what awaited him.
Wait, what just happened? And how does he know about the Elements? Twilight brushed these thoughts aside, noticing the urgency of the situation.
“You heard him! Come on, let’s go!”
The six ponies aligned themselves once more and began rising from the ground, a blinding light enveloping them as Nightmare Moon arose, her anger dangerously high.
“Thou shalt pay for this tr—”
Kakeru suddenly leapt forward, wrapping his arms around her neck as he summoned a small time barrier around himself and the alicorn.
“YOU FOOL. THOU CANNOT STOP US FROM DESTROYING THE ELEMENTS!” One beam of dark magic shot out from her horn, aimed directly at Twilight…
But it never reached, almost as if it dissolved into thin air, leaving nothing but a small time circle in its wake. No matter how many times she tried to shoot out spells, they would be erased from existence as they hit the invisible cocoon.
“Quickly! Shoot it now! I can’t hold on much longer!” Kakeru’s hold on Nightmare Moon was noticeably weakening, and Nightmare Moon had easily noticed he was the cause of the disappearing spells. Her movements became even more erratic, and she was about to fly up and shake him off.
But as soon as her wings extended, the tips were erased as they left the barrier, leaving her shrieking in agony.
“Come on! What are you waiting for?”
“But we don’t know what the Elements will do t—”
“JUST SHOOT IT NOW!”
“NOOOOOOO!”
But Nightmare’s shout and thrashes proved futile as the rainbow light engulfed Kakeru and the alicorn, and slowly her body grew smaller and smaller.
Exactly as it appeared on the piece.
As for Kakeru, he began to feel a rush of energy followed by a soothing sensation…
As if all his troubles had suddenly disappeared.
As if Ayano were right beside him.
And he fell to the ground unconscious, a smile upon his face— right before a wave of rainbow-colored magic spread throughout the entire temple.
Author's Note
For those of you who have not read Psycho Busters...
A Glitch in Time Saves Three
Ah can’t believe Ah got grounded the day of the Summer Sun Celebration. How was Ah supposed to know the hay was that flammable? It’s not like Ah tried to burn down the barn…
Ah just wanted to see if Ah could be a firepony.
The young filly pondered more on her situation, her thoughts preventing any form of rest. The sun had yet to rise, but the moon’s light was strong enough to hinder her efforts to sleep.
Ah’m not even a bit tired… Granny Smith’s probably still asleep…
She lay in bed for many minutes, waiting to be whisked into the realm of the dreaming… only to toss and turn as her mind refused to shut down. After one last feeble attempt, she quietly walked down towards the kitchen.
Maybe some leftover pie will help me sleep…
However, after her second slice, she felt she could no longer eat any more. Boredom once again nipping at her hooves, she walked in and out all the other rooms, searching for anything to do, anything to keep her mind off of that missed opportunity to see the Princess raise the sun…
And find something she did: on the wall in front of her, there hung one of her sister’s lassos.
Hey, maybe Ah can try to use it! Ah can just imagine: Apple Bloom, best lasso pony in Equestria!
After a little difficulty in taking the lasso down from the hook, she picked up the rope with her mouth and galloped to the door.
Ah can’t break anything if Ah do it outside!
She quickly decreased her pace when she remembered Granny Smith. A lack of the sound of hoofsteps, however, confirmed her thought:
Good, she’s still asleep.
After slowly shutting the door behind her, Apple Bloom galloped forward, almost tripping over her own hooves in excitement. Eager to start, she turned her head from side to side…
And the lasso failed to stay in the air.
Maybe Ah’m doing it wrong…
Oh! Ah know what to do!
And that’s when she began to twirl.
Spinning and spinning…
Spinning and spinning…
Spinning as she tried to get the lasso in the air, and she noticed herself quickly becoming dizzy.
Nah, Ah have to keep trying! Ah can do this!
Twirling ever faster, she ignored the dull pain in her head… and then she noticed that the loop of rope was starting to rise, at first only a couple inches off the ground but slowly gaining height. In her excitement, she continued to spin at an increasing speed.
As luck would have it, the rushing air began to tickle her nostrils. Unfortunately for Apple Bloom, her momentum would not let her stop, and the dizziness would not let her front hooves reach her muzzle.
And still, the itch grew with each passing millisecond as she struggled to contain the inevitable…
Ah… ah… ah…
AH-CHOO!
The lasso flew out of her grip with remarkable speed as Apple Bloom crashed down muzzle-first to the ground. As she quickly recovered, she saw the rope travel quite far, and to her dismay it landed on a frantic pony’s cart.
“Oh, no, I’m going to miss the celebration!” the pony cried out as he sped up. Apple Bloom simply stared in disbelief as she watched him gallop away.
Aw, great! Applejack’s gonna ground me even more if she finds out Ah lost one of her lassos!
But wait! What if Ah get it back before she returns?
Apple Bloom quickly glanced around in case anyone was watching before making that final decision.
“Hey, mister, wait up!”
“I want to go to the Summer Sun Celebration! They told me the Wonderbolts are going to be there!”
“You’re not going! It’s too early, and you never know what could happen at this time. I have to go to work now, and I can’t be there with you. Just stay here until I finish my shift.”
“But Moooom! It’s going to start soon! I want t—”
“And I said no! What if something were to happ—”
“You never let me do anything! I’m not a little foal anymore! I can go out on my own, and that’s what I’m going to do!”
With that, the orange filly mounted her scooter and rode away, her tiny wings propelling her forward.
“SCOOTALOO!”
No, she was too far away to hear… not that she would have responded, anyway. The mare hurriedly galloped after her filly, but she was nowhere near fast enough to catch up. Tears welled up in her eyes as the dust cloud slowly began to fade, to disappear into nothingness. On instinct, she opened up her wings… only to be struck by that all-too-familiar searing pain, reminding her of her condition.
I just want you to be safe. Why can’t you understand that, Scootaloo? He would still be here today if he had been more careful…
Even more tears arose as she thought about him, that one stallion she had loved oh so long ago…
He had that same indomitable spirit you have, Scootaloo. I don’t want to lose you like I lost him. Even I couldn’t fix him up…
I just want you to be safe.
She continued to gallop, attempting to follow the tire tracks Scootaloo had left behind. Slowly, the tracks began to fade as the merciless wind picked up, but the mare paid it no heed:
She needed to find her filly, and nothing would stop her.
Scootaloo kept riding as the moon provided just enough light to see the path in front of her. The soft glow of the moonlight and the cool wind began to calm her down, but her thoughts only brought her more despair.
What have I done? I can’t believe I just did that. Why? Why did I do that? She only wants to keep me safe.
But I’m not a foal anymore! I can’t even go outside unless she’s there with me. She’s just too scared about what happened to Dad!
That last part, however, struck a nerve inside the filly. She began to recall her own loneliness… how, for the longest time, the only pony she had was her mother…
Is that how Mom is feeling now? Did I make her feel lonely?
That’s it. I have to go b—
“Mom, Dad, where are you? Rarity!” The small unicorn couldn’t spot the rest of her family with all the ponies scrambling to get away. Maybe she shouldn’t have begged her parents to take her to the Summer Sun Celebration.
Argh! I just had to go to the little fillies room. Why does this always happen to me? Can’t I have a br—
THUD
Right before her eyes, a creature unlike any other dropped from the sky and hit the ground in front of her.
“WATCH OUT!”
In that same moment, a pegasus filly on a scooter skidded to avoid this newcomer, crashing instead into the young unicorn.
“Owww…”
“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention. Are you okay?”
Fortunately, neither filly was injured, but the ruckus had been enough to almost wake this unidentified being. What did wake him up, however, occurred only seconds later.
“Yes, Ah got the lasso!”
The pony hauling the cart swerved hastily to evade the unnamed figure on the ground, and unfortunately, the filly on top of the vehicle was not prepared.
“AAAAHHHHHHHHH!” Apple Bloom shot out with substantial speed, hurtling towards the ground…
But instead, she landed on something soft, something alive, something… that rose up not a second later.
“Wha– Who’s there?” The creature looked around for the cause of the pain in his chest. The three fillies, startled to witness such a reaction from this unknown “animal,” all leapt in fright and held themselves close together.
“Wh-Where is this?” All of a sudden, a searing pain shot through the creature’s head as he struggled to remember.
After a couple of tense seconds, Sweetie Belle worked up the courage to talk to this new type of animal. “E-Excuse me, mister? Are you alright?”
A talking… pony? A kid? I don’t… But it’s impolite not to respond.
“I… I think I’m okay, I just… I’m lost, maybe…”
He doesn’t seem so bad, the unicorn filly thought, her confidence slowly rising.
“Well, mister, my name is Sweetie Belle, and this is…” She nudged Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, who broke their blank stares and introduced themselves.
“Nice to meet you, girls,” the creature replied as he stretched out his right arm. “My name is T… Topo…Toko…” Instinctively, his arms once again rose to his head as the splitting headache returned.
“Mister, are you okay?”
“Yeah… Yeah, my head just hurts a bit…”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Apple Bloom interjected, “what type of pony are you?”
“I’m not a pony. I’m a human.”
A human, that much I know. But who am I? What is my name?
“If only… my name… I can’t remember…”
“Hyoo-man. I haven’t heard that type of pony before,” responded Sweetie Belle. “I know, how about we give you a new name until you remember?”
“That sounds like a great idea! How about Super McAwesome?”
Crickets chirped in the background as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom silently rejected Scootaloo’s suggestion.
“What about Tom? It’s a simple name, and Ah’m sure you’ll get used to it in no time!”
“That’s a great idea, Apple Bloom! What do you think?”
“I… I guess that would work. Now, I d—”
GRUMBLE
“Wow, was that your stomach? You must be really hungry! Here, let’s go find you something to eat! I know this pla—” Sweetie Belle began to lead the way out of the bustle when Apple Bloom blocked her path.
“No store’ll be open with all this happening. Why don’t we go to my place at Sweet Apple Acres? Ah know we’ve got some leftover pie!”
“That sounds good,” Tom replied sheepishly as he slowly stood up, towering over the fillies. “Hey, why is everybody running around like this, anyway?”
“Oh, it’s just that some evil pony has come and is going to make the night last forever,” the unicorn responded.
“Oh… wait, how is that possible?” Tom pointed his head towards the sky, and indeed it was a dark night with the moon as the only source of light.
“I don’t know. She must have powerful magic, I guess, but she looks very scary.” Sweetie Belle began to shiver slightly as she remembered the demonic image of Nightmare Moon. Tom took no notice, lost in his own thoughts as he processed the new information.
A pony with magical powers? Powers… Why does that sound so familiar?
“Ah know a shortcut! Come on, quit dilly-dallying!”
Apple Bloom hastily galloped towards a thick grove of trees, adeptly dodging several low branches in succession.
“So, where exactly are we going again?” Scootaloo was having little trouble keeping up on her scooter despite the uneven surface, but Sweetie Belle and the human seemed to be struggling to keep up the pace.
“You’ve never heard of Sweet Apple Acres? It’s where Ah live with Applejack, Big Mac, and Gr—”
GRUMBLE
“Wow, your stomach sure likes to growl, Tom!”
“That… wasn’t me.”
“Well, if that wasn’t you, then wh—”
CRACK
The sky had been so dark that the group had failed to notice the looming thunderclouds. The ponies and the human did notice, however, when a sudden bolt of lightning crashed down behind them.
“AAAHHHHHHH!”
The fillies scurried forward at incredible speeds, leaving Tom behind as he tried to comprehend how they could gallop so fast.
“Girls, stop! We have to stick tog—”
And then he saw it. The three fillies were frozen in place as they noticed it. A huge tree loomed over Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.
But no, at first, it wasn’t the tree that had caught all four pairs of eyes. No, the bright flash and the resounding crack was what had drawn their attention.
Only then did terror overtake the three fillies as they watched the trunk break in half…
And as the top part hurtled straight towards them.
“Girls, run away! Don’t just stand there!”
The cry fell upon deaf ears: the three fillies were paralyzed with fear, eyes wide open as they watched the trunk travel closer… and closer… and closer…
And Tom was too far away. Best case scenario, he would reach the spot a split second too late.
But he refused to acknowledge it. It mattered not that he knew nothing about these ponies: they were the first ones who had talked to him, who had offered to help him… and they were only kids.
Kids whose destinies had been written, whose lives were on the verge of an abrupt end.
And still he continued to run, each muscle in his legs burning as his feet struck the mottled grass.
And still he watched as the tree made its way down, almost a couple of feet left before that decisive blow…
When Tom threw himself forward, arm extended, his hand only just reaching Sweetie Belle’s tail…
And a nearly transparent barrier arose around the three fillies as they closed their eyes and braced themselves for the impact.
…
…
“Hey…
“Am Ah dead?”
“I don’t know, Apple Bloom. I’m afraid to open my eyes.”
“You scaredy-foals. I already opened my eyes. Come on, look.”
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom obeyed, and they soon began to take in their surroundings:
Half a tree stood in front of them. The other half was nowhere to be seen.
The clouds atop the trio were white and fluffy.
The sun was slowly rising from the horizon, swirls of color painting the sky.
“We’re okay! But h—”
“TOM!”
The human lay still on the ground, unconscious and barely breathing.
“We have to help him!”
“Let’s get him to a house!”
“There’s no houses near here, and the barn’s still too far away! We can’t carry him all the way there!”
“What about that place?” Scootaloo pointed to a nearby dilapidated structure bearing a resemblance to a tree house.
“That’ll have to do. Quickly, does anyone know a doctor?”
“My mom’s a doctor! She’ll be able to help him!” With that, Scootaloo jumped on her scooter and sped away at a phenomenal speed.
“Sweetie Belle, help me pull him up there!”
The two fillies each grabbed a corner of his shirt and began to pull him closer and closer to the treehouse. The human began to slide inch by inch, but they were getting more tired by the second.
“Come on! Put your flank into it!”
Don’t worry, Tom. Help is on the way.
That’s right… my mom.
I just left her back there.
I’m a terrible filly. I don’t d—
No, stop thinking like that! Tom’s in danger, and there’s no time to waste!
Scootaloo directed all her willpower to her wings, flapping them as fast as possible. She was already halfway back when she noticed a pegasus galloping toward her, the orange hue all too familiar to the filly.
“Mom! What are you d—”
“Oh, Scootaloo, you’re safe! I was so scared!” Scootaloo’s mom held her filly close as small tears streamed down her muzzle.
“You’re safe…”
And the filly herself began to cry as she saw that mottled face, as she recognized the damage she had done.
“Mom… I’m… I’m sorry for disobeying. I-I should h—”
“Shhh… I know, Scootaloo. I know you didn’t mean to. I just g-get so scared sometimes that something will happen to you…”
The two ponies held that embrace for what seemed like forever… but no, it couldn’t have lasted that long, because Scootaloo still had a mission. The filly quickly wiped away her tears as her determination was restored.
“Mom, we need to go, quick! There’s somepony who needs your help!”
In less than a second, her mom’s expression hardened, her tone much more professional as she replied.
“Where is this pony?”
“Come on, follow me!”
The filly scooted along as her mom followed. Scootaloo took care not to ride too fast, while her mom made all the effort to not fall behind.
If there is somepony in need of help, I will be there, or my name isn’t Faith Remedy!
“Granny Smith? Apple Bloom? We’re back!”
Applejack and Big Mac had finally returned to Sweet Apple Acres. The Nightmare Moon incident had kept the mare occupied all night, and the stallion had been busy calming down many of the ponies in the same time frame. Upon arrival, they were met by the voice of a stunned old mare.
“W-Wha? Now then, Applejack, don’t ya know better than ta wake yer elders up like that?”
“Oh, sorry, Granny Smith. Ah forgot how early it still is.” Applejack smiled sheepishly before walking up to Apple Bloom’s room, taking care not to wake up the filly. She approached the untidy bed, ready to take a small peek…
Only to notice the lack of a certain pony on it.
Looks like she’s awake.
“Apple Bloom!” The mare tried to shout as quietly as possible as she traversed through the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom…
She’s not here, either?
“Hey, Big Mac, did you see Apple Bloom?”
“Nope… Wait, she’s not here?”
Fear began to seep into Applejack’s mind as she continued to search, but it was all in vain: Apple Bloom was not in the barn.
“Granny, did you see Apple Bloom?”
SNORE
This time, the old mare didn’t even respond, locked away in her own dreams. Before Applejack spoke again, however, she noticed one very crucial item missing from the wall opposite her.
She took my lasso?
“Gosh darn it! Winona!”
A brown and white collie playfully rushed up to Applejack, licking her face multiple times before the mare stopped her.
“Winona, Apple Bloom’s gone missing! Can you find her?”
The dog barked in response and began to sniff the air, all as Applejack’s expression morphed from worry to anger and back to worry. Winona lowered her nose to the ground, making small circles and other odd shapes before her entire body stiffened.
RUFF, RUFF!
Big Mac and Applejack galloped right behind the dog as she shot out of the barn, as she continued to run faster and faster…
Until she stopped abruptly. Both ponies skidded to a halt as they noticed the tracks in front of Winona, as if something large had been dragged on the ground. The small set of hoofprints right next to her was all the proof Applejack needed.
“Come on, Winona! Let’s get her!”
Winona followed the trail carved out in the earth, and Applejack had only one thing on her mind as her legs propelled her forward:
I hope you’re okay, sis.
And if you are, then you are so grounded when we return.
It took Applejack and Big Mac less than a couple minutes to reach the dilapidated structure. It took them longer to understand the situation.
“Big sis, Ah can explain. You see, we w—”
“He’s over here!”
“Scootaloo! You’re b—”
“Everypony, get back!” Faith pushed the three fillies away from the human as Applejack and Big Mac stepped aside. In an instant, she touched a hoof onto Tom’s forehead and began mumbling to herself.
“Slight fever…”
She moved her hoof onto his chest as she dug out a small pad from her saddlebag. After several seconds of dragging her hoof on Tom’s skin, she thanked Celestia when she found that familiar beating.
“Heart rate’s slow… Breaths short…
“Tell me, what was he doing before this happened?”
“We were running towards Sweet Apple Acres an-and a lightning bolt struck a tree and it was about to fall on us and then we closed our eyes and when we opened them the tree was gone and he was on the floor an—”
“That’s all I need.”
Seems like magic overexertion, but I don’t see a horn. Faith quickly placed the pad on his forehead, and for a second it seemed like she would get a response. The mare, however, was quickly interrupted.
“Excuse me, Miss, my name is App—”
“Hush! I need to concentrate!”
Well, no need to be rude about it! Applejack gave Faith an exasperated look, but she ignored it for the moment. Tom suddenly started to tremble, slowly at first but pronounced enough to strike fear in the doctor’s mind. Once again, she placed a hoof on his chest, and her expression turned much graver.
He’s in shock. If this continues, he might die! I can’t let that happen!
“Get farther back, everypony!” Faith hastily placed both her hooves on top of his heart, and she closed her eyes as she began to mutter.
I haven’t done this in a while. Let’s hope I have enough strength to fix him up.
“Ex intimo mea anima, excite mea potestatem sanare egentium.”
Instantly, her hooves began to brighten in a white aura that engulfed the human. From where she was standing, Applejack couldn’t help but notice the positive energy that radiated from Faith.
That’s… amazing. It feels so… happy and… warm…
What she didn’t notice was Faith’s pained expression, which she tried to hide as she felt her own energy draining. After a couple seconds, sweat began to trickle down her muzzle, down her forelegs as she struggled to stay awake…
And that was when every pony saw it: a large circle of light, vaguely resembling a clock, appeared below Tom, albeit only for a short second.
Faith suddenly moved her forelegs back, and the light died down as every other pony in the treehouse gazed in awe. Faith was sitting down and panting as if she had galloped a marathon, but Tom looked… different. He was no longer shaking, and his expression seemed… at peace, almost.
“MOM! Are you alright!”
“Y-Yes, Scootaloo, I’m fine. As for y-your friend, he’ll be okay after a while. I’m going to have to check up on him for a couple of days before I can be sure, though. I’m sorry, what was your name again?”
“Applejack.”
“Applejack, and you are?”
“Big Macintosh, but everypony calls me Big Mac.”
“Big Macintosh, Applejack, could you help me bring him back to my place? And Applejack, I’m sorry for cutting you off back then.”
“Oh, it’s no problem, as long as everything’s fixed. This little missy, however, has a lot of explaining to do.”
Apple Bloom wore an uneasy smile as she faced her sister.
Ah’m so grounded, aren’t I?
Author's Note
Who is this new human? And that circle... where did that appear before?
Oh, and sorry for not including the translation.
“And then the tree disappeared and then he was on the ground and we were safe and…”
Scootaloo continued to explain the events of only a couple minutes ago, not stopping to take a breath until the very end.
“And that was when you found us and when my mom saved him!”
“Okay…” Applejack’s mind, however, was not paying much attention to what Scootaloo had said. In fact, she was much more worried about the conversation that had taken place a little while back.
////
“He’s breathing again. Oh, thank goodness.”
Fluttershy placed a small damp cloth on the new pony’s forehead as she sighed in relief.
Everybody else, however, was completely astounded. Where there had once been a weird creature of mysterious power, in its place lay a pony as common as one could get. With rugged tan fur and a brown mane, this newly-appeared earth stallion lay peacefully on Fluttershy’s couch as she finished cleaning everything up.
“So, he was in a different form before you used the Elements of Harmony?”
“Yes, Princess Celestia. He was walking on two legs, and when he fell, he broke his leg and then he healed himself in an instant! I thought only alicorns could do that!” Twilight’s pensive expression grew as she rummaged through one of the only books she managed to bring from her library.
Applejack noticed a hint of worry in the princess’s next statements.
“Okay then, since he helped us save my sister and Ponyville, I doubt he is another villain. For now, Fluttershy, I leave him in your care. Make sure to contact me as soon as he feels better and we will go on from there.”
“O-okay, Princess.”
“Now, I am sorry but I must take my leave. There are a couple of things I would like to talk about with my sister.”
With that, Princess Celestia disappeared in a flash of magic, but Applejack was able to spot that small downward curve at the edge of her muzzle before she teleported away.
There’s something troubling about all this, and I don’t know what!
////
“Sis? HEY, BIG SIS!!!!”
“W-woah, what are you yelling for, Apple Bloom?”
“Sis, you’re too slow! Everypony else’ll be long gone if you don’t speed up! Come on!”
Apple Bloom quickly sped away, with Applejack galloping behind, many questions reverberating through her mind.
Why is another one of those creatures here?
What were those symbols that appear below him?
Why didn’t he turn into a pony like the other one?
But most importantly, that one thought troubled her:
Why was Princess Celestia so worried?
I have a bad feeling about this.
Small rays of light streamed through the window and illuminated the entire room. A small change in the sun’s position was all it took, and soon the light was shining directly onto the eyelids of this new pony. He stirred ever so slightly, tilting his head away from the window, but the blinding rays continued to upset his sleep.
“Ugh…”
It seemed that his groan was enough to scare the timid mare in the kitchen.
CRASH
The new pony shot straight up at the noise, and he landed on the floor right on his flank… hard. It was when he went to rub that sore spot that he first noticed something was wrong.
Why can’t I feel my… my fing—
And there he stayed, rump on the floor, eyes on that digitless appendage before him. Too bad Fluttershy was already in the living room when he opened his mouth.
…
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”
“EEEP!”
Fluttershy rapidly hid behind the couch and covered her eyes, scared out of her mind. The new pony could only stare blankly at his hooves before Rainbow Dash zoomed in through the window, smashing it to pieces.
“Fluttershy! Fluttershy, where are you? I heard a scream!”
Quickly spotting the petrified mare, Rainbow Dash picked her up and set her down on the couch.
“What happened, Flutters? Was it him? Did he do something to you?”
Instantly, Rainbow flipped around and grabbed the new pony by his scruffy neck.
“So, pal, did you do this? Huh? Do you have a death wish or something?”
Choking, the tan pony could not escape the pegasus’s hold, his body slowly growing limp, his vision getting cloudier with each passing second…
“Rainbow, what are you doing! Let him go at once!”
Twilight forced Rainbow’s forelimbs open and levitated the pony over to a chair nearby.
“He did something to Fluttershy!” responded Rainbow ragefully. “Look at her! She’s not even breathing well!”
It took ten full minutes for Fluttershy to recover, but it took ten more to calm Rainbow into not punching the living daylights out of the tan earth pony.
“He deserves to pay for what he did!”
“Now, I don’t think he meant to do it intentionally!” Twilight suddenly noticed that Fluttershy was opening her mouth.
“I-I-I’m s-sorry, I just heard a noise from h-here, and he screamed, and I got scared…”
“See, Rainbow? He didn’t mean to do it.” Twilight then turned to face the pony in the chair.
“So, I believe your name is… Kakeru?”
The earth pony slowly nodded in agreement.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle. This is Rainbow Dash, and the mare you frightened is Fluttershy. We wanted to thank you for your help in def—”
“I’m sorry, but could I ask you a question?” Kakeru forced himself to hide his confusion as he addressed the mare.
“Sure, what is it?”
“Um… Do you know what happened to my hands? In fact…” Kakeru’s eyes grew wider as he continued to inspect every inch of his new body.
“This isn’t my body, is it? I know, it must be a dream or another illusion. Snap out of it!” A quick slap to the face confirmed to Kakeru that he was indeed not dreaming.
“If you want, I can help with that,” Rainbow responded, hoof poised to strike a blow on Kakeru’s muzzle.
“Rainbow, stop that! He’s the one who helped us defeat Nightmare Moon!”
“Grrr…” Reluctantly, Rainbow listened to Twilight and lowered her forelimb.
“Now… Kakeru? Yeah, I’m not exactly sure what happened to your other body. It could have been a change at the molecular level caused by the power of the Elements of Harmony. They could have restructured your body to better harmonize your life ener—”
“But you can fix it… right?”
“Well…”
GRUMBLE
“Oh, I forgot I hadn’t eaten in a while,” Kakeru sheepishly replied as he stood up… and fell flat on his face.
“This is going to be a fun day, I can see that.”
You are just a copy…
You will never be the original.
…
You are just junk!
Tom woke with a start, his forehead sweating profusely. But no, it wasn’t sweat…
“Shh… Stay still, or else you’ll just lose consciousness again.”
Faith took off the small damp cloth from his head and left it in the sink. Tom simply stared at his saviour in bewilderment as he tried to remember, everything before his arrival to this strange world and after the falling tree obscured in complete darkness. The doctor took out a small vial from her pack on the table nearby and spread a colorless cream on his forehead, and soon Tom began to feel some of his strength returning to him. In a couple seconds, he was able to sit up straight.
“Now, no abrupt movements for a couple days. After that, you should be okay, Tom. Your name is Tom, right?”
“Y-Yes. That’s the name Apple Bloom gave me. Scootaloo wanted to call me Super McAwesome or someth—
“Apple Bloom! Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! How are they? A tree was about to fall down on them and I tr—”
He suddenly tried to stand up, but a blistering headache forced him to stop his movements and sit back down.
“I said not to move quickly! But those three are safe.”
“Oh, that’s good.” A sigh of relief escaped from his mouth as he calmed down.
“I have to thank you for saving them. From what it seemed, you created some sort of barrier to protect them. It would explain your magic exhaustion and the transparent thing that my filly told me she saw.”
“Your… your filly?”
“Yes, my filly Scootaloo. I’ll have to have a serious talk with her one of these days.”
“So wait, I saved them?” Tom racked his mind and was able to form a fuzzy picture of a clock— a white, translucent clock on the floor the second right before he blacked out…
He held out his hands and focused on them, focused with all his might… but nothing appeared.
“I don’t think it was me, though. I don’t remember too much.”
“Hmm… Amnesia is always hard to treat… I’m afraid the only thing we can do is just wait for your memory to come back.” Faith went into the kitchen to wash her hooves, and soon she returned with a set of empty plates.
“I think in a few minutes you should be able to stand up fully. For the next few days, I’ll be taking care of you here. Are there any family members I can contact? Can you remember where you live?”
“All I can remember is meeting those three small ponies up until the tree fell.”
“Well then, I guess I’ll have to ask around to see if anyone here knows about you. Maybe that way, I could find something that will jog your memory. For now, just rest a bit and I’ll get everything fixed up for you.”
“Well, thank y—”
“I’m home, Mom!” Scootaloo zoomed right into the living room, unintentionally bumping into Tom as she sat down at the table.
“Scootaloo, be more careful! Tom is still not well. He used a lot of magic to save you and your friends. You must be grateful to him! And don’t run so fast, or you’ll trip and fall!”
“I know, Mom, b—”
And as luck would have it, the ground began to shake violently.
“An earthquake? It’s an earthquake!” Scootaloo’s breath grew uneven, her mind empty of everything as she quickly galloped back and forth. Picture frames began to wobble and crash to the ground, and small crevices began to emerge in the walls as the structure creaked and groaned with no indication of stopping.
“Everyone get outside!” Faith took Scootaloo by the hoof and galloped out the door, leaving the filly a decent distance from the house. In an instant, Faith returned inside and grabbed Tom as best she could and began to guide him to the exit. However, as she was almost outside the building…
“Oh no, I have to get my chest!”
Scootaloo hurried back in and ran up the stairs, possibly matching even Rainbow Dash’s speed. Her mother, having her hooves full with Tom, could do nothing but watch as Scootaloo disappeared into the trembling edifice.
“No, Scoots! Tom, stay far away from the building!” With that, the mare chased after her filly, facing impending doom while Tom could only imagine what the outcome could be.
No. I can’t let this happen. I WON’T let this happen!
One foot in front of the other. Each step brought him closer and closer to success or failure, but he was still too slow: one wall was almost about to crumble, and the ceiling would not hold for too long.
I MUST go faster!
Pins of neverending pain drove through his feet as a dull headache began to build, success escaping from his grasp…
And then he saw them, both mare and filly charging down the stairs.
And then he saw the ceiling collapse.
And then everything clicked into place.
With an outstretched hand, he slammed the ground and called upon all his willpower to create the barrier. Time slowed to a crawl as slabs of ceiling inched their way towards the helpless ponies.
And then he saw the puzzle pieces, and instinctively, he saw the path he needed to create.
The ceiling stopped falling, and time itself began to turn back. The house was being rebuilt, cracks dissolving as pieces of wall glued together without a scratch. Faith and Scootaloo opened their eyes just in time to see the last phase of Tom’s plan. The earthquake was still raging, but the entire house was covered in a white translucent barrier, a clock of infinite hours marking the floor as pure energy poured out of his hand. For minutes, hours, days it seemed the ground would not stop shaking, but finally disaster was averted.
Silence.
All quiet except for two words.
“You’re safe.”
And Tom fell over backwards, not breathing.
