Escape from the nightmareby kalakalaChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter TenChapter ElevenChapter 1Tick... Tock… Tick… the clock endlessly kept up its tortuous song of monotony and boredom, the bane of foals everywhere as they glanced up helplessly at it’s merciless face, praying to Princess Celestia that the time would fly by and playground joys could be had. This clock in particular was signalling the final stretch of the school day, giving hope to the room and strengthening the resolve of those naysayers who claim that the day is infinite and the end would never come. In fact, focussing in on this large room, I think I spot. Ah, here we go,the focus of our story is in this room. But which little filly has the honour? Perhaps describing them might give me some hidden insight. Let’s start with this orange filly, with a mane of purple she certainly does stand out from the crowd, with eyes but a small shade lighter than her hair, she doodles in her schoolbook instead of listening to her mauve teacher titillating the class with knowledge of history and the events of the Griffon Civil War, not five hundred years ago. I certainly hope that this is not the one I’m looking for, she seems like she has a hard time obeying authority and I would hate to see her put herself to risk due to it. Oh, maybe it’s this one, yes the one with the light pink coat! Yes, she’s probably itching to go on an adventure, let’s listen to what she’s whispering to her other companion and… Oh, oh dear, let’s have none of that shall we. Yes, it appears that I was quite mistaken about her she seems rather like some schoolyard bully and I think I shall keep my distance from her. Damn it! This is going nowhere fast. Think, you fool! Think! Look at the light glaring through the windows picking out the dust as it travels its way to the floor. Look at the high rafters which support the roof above our heads and provide a small shelter for the few insects that make their way to it. Look at all these things and THINK! ... M-Maybe I should calm down. If one of these fillies is the focus of my attention, then all I have to do is wait for the moment where something interesting happens… Speak of the devil and he shall come, this is quite a spectacular sight as the mysterious Princess Luna teleports into the room, thoroughly interrupting the lesson. I shall take this time to paint myself a picture. With a coat the same colour of a light night sky, one of those nights where you can still look around and see the world under the pale light of the moon, her body is devoid of pattern or markings until you reach her cutie mark, a crescent moon surrounded by a painters splotch of darker blue contrasting her coat. Not many people know the true significance of this taint upon her flank, they only see the moon and the hope within. However those who are wise see the mark and that the nightmare will always leave an impact on our fragile princess. Apart from that, she wears dark regalia, one piece of barrel armour and two gauntlets. Her mane sparkles with the stars of the night sky ready to be released upon the world. After the silence that marked her arrival, the kids let loose and the now tired and wary teacher, called for a break as she tried to discern the reason for the Princess’s visit. Undaunted by this mix of chaos that she let loose, Princess Luna walked calmly up to one of the desks, currently occupied by a small light yellow filly with a red mane, and struck up a conversation. From what I could discern the filly had done a small favor for the Princess last nightmare night and in way of reward the young, for an alicorn, Princess now invited the filly to Canterlot Castle for a sleepover. The filly who I now believe to be called Apple Bloom, hurriedly declined stating that she was not worthy. However, having none of that Princess Luna pressed on and taking a risk… Oh my, she took of her regalia. A sight not normally seen from either of the two princesses, now shown for a little filly, either way Luna was no longer asking as a Princess, but as a friend. Needless to say, Bloom then proceeded to agree and plans were set, if her sister gave their permission (she did). At seven o’clock pm on friday, Apple Bloom, daughter of farmers, would stay at the most sought after venue of all-time, with not just anypony. No, she is staying with the Goddess who puts the moon in our night sky. Chapter 2Huh, who is it? Oh, just you. Well, I suppose we can go check on Luna if you really want, but the sleepovers not for ages. Come on then, let’s go to Canterlot, a city of gleaming gold and ivory towers, both literal and figurative. But we are ignoring the roving side-streets and the expansive river and are instead heading for the epicentre of it all. Canterlot Castle! Created just after the battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon, it has been an integral part of Equestrian culture for just over one thousand years now. Walking in, you come immediately to the Throne Room, where the one gleaming throne, shared between Celestia and Luna after realising that they could not add another due to this throne being made into the stone itself, adding one to the side would just look tacky. Moving on, we can continue through a large corridor, connecting the kitchens and Royal Bedrooms, although why Celestia had her room built next to the kitchens is a mystery to all but the baker, who tolerates her nightly cake binges. It is in this large kitchen that we currently find Celestia, however instead of stuffing her face, she is trying to prevent her sister from stuffing a small fillies face, making all sorts of arguments from comparing the weight of the food to the weight of the filly, the filly would have to eat ten times her body weight in food just to finish it all., to yelling how the cooks wouldn’t have enough food to cook meals the next day. However, showing the same stubbornness that she displayed with the filly in question, Luna ignored Celestias warnings and continued to make a mounting pile of food for the sleepover. Sighing in resignation, Celestia demanded that Luna go prepare the room which she would be sparing with the small filly. Pulling her face from the fridge, Luna realised she had not actually prepped anything other than food for the last two hours. With a pop, she took the food through the shadows and into her room, where it still had torture devices from the age of Sombra. Hurriedly, she swept them away into the cupboard and began preparing a clear area on the floor. Placing the food, which now swayed in the light draft from the window, Luna checked the clock. One more hour and then the fun shall begin. It was as she was checking the timekeeper, a special clock made in Trottingham, that Celestia walked casually into the room, placing her ivory flanks on the ground, she then used her magic to spice up the room for her sister, who had no sense of interior design. I might as well describe the room now that it’s all ready for tonight. Let’s start with the walls, shall we? Yes, people do tend to forget about them when they can truly bring a room together, for instance in this most important of rooms, they were a dark blue, matching the coat colour of it owner, the texture was not flat, but instead matted in order to create the lovely effect that it was alive with the stars. While a similar effect could be achieved using magic, Luna prefered to have all of the major parts of her room to not be touched by magic, she feels it cheapens the effort of the builders and the architect if they were just painted over by magic. The ceiling was much the same, however Luna had conceded to have magic lights placed, mimicking the night sky and changing when the great blue canvas was repainted. The door was a spartan affair of bare double doors painted blue. The windows were much the same being simple squares without embellishment. This didn’t matter for the most part as they were always covered by great blue silk curtains, which flowed just like Lunas mane. Yes, it does appear that it will be a good night for the Princess and Bloom,even if they don’t have fun, that’ll just make it all the more interesting to watch. Now shoo until seven, wake me up then and we’ll go visit them again. Chapter 3What! You still insist on disturbing me? Well, I guess since you made the effort, we shall look at the other participant in this nightly venture. The bustling streets of ponyville hold many secrets for those willing to search for them, The bustling small town atmosphere that permeates the multicoloured buildings and small streets was merely a ruse for the large events that changed Equestria’s very history. For example, it was in this town that our current heroes, the Elements of Harmony currently live and yet for all bar one, they were not born in this town. Merely gravitated toward it as life went on. It’s in one of these small streets that we find Apple Bloom, navigating the busy market and heading toward a single goal. Golden oaks Library. A strange building which contrasted the surrounding buildings due to the simple fact of it’s materials… It was a tree. Ignoring this rather strange fact, it was quite a nice home, hollowed out with a central room which served as the public library and then with an upper level where housing accommodation had been set up. It is here that we can hear the door swing open as Apple Bloom enters this repository of knowledge and searching for it’s guardian looks around scanning the room, before setting her sights on the stairs. Taking cautious steps towards them, she continued looking, occasionally glancing over the titles of various books. This had the unfortunate side effect of her not noticing she had reached the stairs, so instead of beginning her short climb, she tripped over majestically and made a large resounding thud. This sound which tore through the quiet atmosphere of the library, did have the beneficial effect of alerting the librarian, a humble mare by the name of Twilight Sparkle, that she had company. However, it was an odd sight for Apple Bloom as Twilight came down the stairs. You see normally, Twilight was quite was a very neat, almost obsessively, mare. As you can imagine this tends to lead towards a very clean dress sense and mane cut. It was quite a shock for Apple Bloom then, when Twilight came down with an appallingly messy mane cut. However, being only a foal, Bloom skipped over what this might mean and so started to discuss with Twilight the fact that she had been invited to one of the most exclusive sleepovers of all time, barring the one between the great god Faust and Celestia of course. Either way, Twilight sat patiently throughout the explosive enthusiasm of the filly, though she did make a note to talk with Applejack about Apple Blooms sugar intake. After having supplied the information about the sleepover to Twilight, Bloom started asking all sorts of questions, for example, how should she act and what should she wear. As down to earth as a pony might be, when a princess invited you to a sleepover, certain decorum had to be expected. Attempting to reassure the Twilight told Bloom that the only thing she would have to do is to be on her best behavior, although not having been around Luna as she had Celestia, the shy side of Luna was the first thing many would notice should they make the effort and if her image of Luna from Nightmare Night was anything to go by, then Luna was probably not one for grand affairs like the Grand Galloping Gala. Just after reassuring Bloom, Twilight did make sure that Bloom had Applejacks permission, which she did, before telling her that if nothing else, just to be herself around the princess. A much more relaxed Apple Bloom, thanked Twilight and set off for home to finish her own preparations for the sleepover. There, we looked at Apple Bloom, are you happy? Now, listen closely and do not disturb me until 7-ish when the sleepover takes place. Chapter 4Finally, the night is here and the sleepover is nigh. Let’s head over to the Apple Clan to wait for Luna to collect our little Bloom,not a moment too soon as we see Luna pulling up in her midnight blue chariot, pulled by two hardened bat ponies. Knocking on the door she is met with Applejack, who bowed and welcomed her in and did all of the things a Regal Princess would expect of a loyal subject. Luna was not a regal princess and so awkwardly accepted the small fuss. With a call, Applejack signalled to Bloom, whom came down the stairs brandishing a small pack containing all she would need for a sleepover, from blankets to a first aid kit, put in after much fussing from Applejack. With goodbye and a promise to stay safe from Applejack, the two trotted back to the chariot, where they flew to Canterlot. Who would have thought that but a small farmers daughter would be welcomed into a castle by Princess Luna herself. Attempting to keep out of the noble’s sight, they hurried along corridors before making it to the chamber they sought. Needless to say, it was still as I described it earlier. The duo settled down into a night of merriment, with delightful activities such as playing games, gossiping and make up. It was around midnight, when Apple Bloom was starting to waver due to how long she had stayed up compared to her usual 9 o’clock bedtime, that things went wrong. Luna in her infinite wisdom had brought along an old spell book, simply put this book described itself with spells that promised “Joyful visits to amazing locations”. Just before she casts the spell, I should explain that the book was only half-right, while the spells might take you to wonderful areas, it could also send you to Tartarus. The spell you see, was not a pocket dimension or a teleportation spell, but something altogether more strange and a good example why you shouldn’t trust ancient books found in a dusty archive for good and clean sleepover fun. That book was the final manuscript ever produced by Starswirl the Bearded and very simply closed off his research on time. While I say it was his final, I mean that it was not his choice to stop. All that was written about the spell was merely theory and never tested. This is all a rather roundabout way to tell you that the spell would send you back in time an unknown amount. Rather by chance, it was just as they were casting this spell that Celestia was sneaking past their room in order to reach the kitchens for her nightly cake raid. After hearing a large crash come from the room, she decided that she should check on the damage the two had wrought on the innocent room. Having entered the room, she searched out the pair and was surprised when she couldn’t find them anywhere in the wrecked room. Growing worried, she cast a scrying spell in order to locate the two. Had her coat not already been a pure white, it would have paled significantly when she couldn’t find them. Moving right on to the next morning, we can see that Celestia has brought herself to Ponyville and more specifically to the doorstep of the Sweet Apple Acres farm house. I can’t bring myself to watch as she delivers the news of Apple Blooms disappearance to the three members of the Apple family. As expected Applejack begins crying, Big Mac straightens up and I suspect it will be a long while before he talks again. The most heartwrenching is Granny Smith, who simply curls up on herself with an expression of loss. Chapter 5Ugh, look around us just tree after tree after tree! All dark and mysterious with a high canopy leading me to believe that we are in the Everfree Forest. Yes, there’s the sound of buzzing insects as they trundle along trying to kill anypony which invades their area. Oh, there’s the footprint of an ursa major! By Faust, there’s a Loco nest… Wait hang on, those have been extinct for several centuries. Well, it appears that Luna has mucked up and we’re in the very distant past, this certainly has got interesting. Ah, there’s the two time travelers, looks like they're just about ready to throw off the oppression of unconsciousness and greet the new, or old, world they’ve gotten themselves into. First one up is Luna, who appearing startled from waking up in one of the most dangerous places in pony history, whips her head around to get a bearing of her surroundings, as a reasonable pony who lived in the era of the vermin like Loco bird, she too recognises the egg and realises how badly she messed up. You see, the Loco went extinct during Nightmare Moons rampage, she tripped over a nest of one of the more prominent and breeding Locos and used a spell to make all of their eggs diseased. Those chicks then picked up the breeding capabilities of their parents, spread the disease around and within a decade the entire Loco population was destroyed. Pity, since they were quite tasty. Either way, this means that we’ve arrived before Nightmare Moon so I'd say that we're back at least a thousand years, good thing too as thats where all the most interesting bits of Equestrian history are. Luna doesn’t seem as happy about the prospect, most likely due to the fact that one thousand years ago also happened to be the most dangerous time in Equestrian history. She slowly picked her way to Apple Bloom and poked her in the side with a hoof, stirring her into the land of the living. She too seemed rather scared of the fact that she was not in the castle and that she was in the Everfree Forest. I think I’ll leave you here quickly while Luna tries to calm her down and I’ll get a better sense of our surroundings… … Ah, they’re done now, better yet Luna has a plan. They’re going to go to the old capital of Equestria, an outpost within the Everfree Forest which was chosen due to it’s defensive capabilities, then find aid with both her past self and her sister. if all went well, they should be back in their time relatively quickly, as long as she could remember the counter-spell allowing them to go back the way they came. With a quick nuzzle of reassurance they set, keeping close to each other and their eyes and ears searching for threats in the dark forest. This is great, I thought the sleepover was getting rather dull, don’t you think? Chapter 6The pristine halls of the Two Sisters Castle, a bastion for the current pony society who have to deal with all sorts of threats from their own borders and beyond. Their only advantage are the two rulers whom rule side by side. The castle itself is a lot less grand than its future cousin and a good deal darker too, due to the architect and decorators agreeing that a darker mood would fit the Everfree and make it blend in more in case of attack. Princess Luna and Applebloom were currently approaching this capital, forgetting that she wa no longer the only Luna around. Due to this the guards immediately seized them on suspicion of being changelings. A great hustle and bustle then proceeded as the two current diarchs were brought from court and slumber to the dungeon where they were held. It was not long until heated words were shouted by Celestia, who back in the day had a much shorter temper, especially for changelings after a recent betrayal. Our should be future dwelling Luna begged for them to, at least, check. Caving, Past Luna used a true vision spell, quite complicated but simple for an experienced caster. After it was discovered they were not, in fact, changelings, another hustle and bustle occurred where they were put in the opulent tea room. several seconds later sipping on a nice earl gray, Luna explained their story of sleepovers and mistake. In shock, Past Luna could not respond. Celestia, however had begun to ponder possible solutions to the problem at hand, namely telling her future self about the situation and to lay off the cake. To go on a tangent, dragonfire is immensely useful due to its uncanny ability to carry paper, a quite convenient object, anywhere in the world. Over the many years of rule, both of the princesses have learned to replicate the effects, after having frozen a dragons fire and, rather recklessly, eating it. Doing so granted them the same ability as well as a high tolerance for spicy food. This may not be a tangent though, as it appears Celestia as come to a rather strange conclusion. They will send a message back to the future via dragons fire! It would require a good deal of concentration, however due to the fact that, well, no one had ever tried it before. I think I’d better go get us some fire-proof suits... … Ah, they’re done writing out a letter, I see. Well now we just have to wait for them to send it. A quite spectacular explosion as befitting a travel through time. If any pony tried to survive that, well we’d be scraping them off the floor and putting their ashes in an urn. Well, looks like they’re going to rest after a rather stressful day or night? Since it took place during their little play date and all. No matter, we should follow their lead, only so much snooping we can do. Chapter 7Hmm? It’s day now, must have slept straight through the night! Seems longer. Anyway, I’ll go check on our quarry. Oh god, they’re all snuggled up together, all four of them! Celestia, both the Lunas and Applebloom, all wrapped in one massive blanket, help I’m allergic to cuteness… Ahem, they appear to be getting up now. All stretching and yawning and brushing. Both of the past pony princesses are going off for their shower while the future follies are trying to figure out what to do next, they have to get back to the future and I see no flux capacitors anywhere. In fact, I’d go so far to say that for the time being, they are completely stuck, along with us, of course. The past problems are drying their hair using a magical monstrosity that can shout really loudly, at a frequency that nobody can hear, except for estate agents, sending air out at a whopping 50 MPH. Completely unnecessary, quite like this description of it. We move on as they decide to go consult one of the most skilled magicians alive, Starswirl the stubbled as he is currently known. A unicorn who has recently acquired the position of Arch-Mage after his predecessor was retired, forcefully. And while the predecessor would have been much more entertaining, we are stuck with blandy mcbland, the Gordon Brown of Magic. It was quite lucky that he was already working on a spell that was all about time travel, a spell that could take you back in time, for five minutes, once. Theoretically, it’s just a very simple matter to make it go forwards. You see, a little known fact about Unicorn magic, is that it spins. Not many know this and the knowledge was lost to the ages. All they had to do was switch the spell from clockwise to anticlockwise and make a good basis for them to continue working on removing the 5 minute limit. However, as seen with the spell that caused all this in the first place, things rarely go to plan with magic. It was due to this, that instead of taking anyone forward in time, all the spell did was make Starswirl turn from Starswirl the stubbled, a name that fits with alliteration, to Starswirl the bearded. Why a prominent mage should only be remembered by his facial hair, I do not know. Well, with that deus ex machina method failed, they’ll have to find a new way to bring us all back home, oh and Applebloom started crying, fantastic. I’m going to go get something to eat, you just keep an eye on them.Hopefully, we’ll get through this without getting caught by them. That would be unfortunate. Author's Note Sorry for the short chapter, trying to get back into the writing style for this one. But at least it’s off hiatus! Chapter 8Damn, no way home, one crying filly and now both the past princesses are arguing about it. What a brilliant way to start the day, only future Luna seems to be comforting the filly as both of the Pasters storm off, although Luna looked the most pissed. Hang on, what year is this again? Quickly to the library! Date, date, date. Not pottery or history or magic or even agriculture. I want a date, I need a calendar, I need the year, hurry up! Ah, here we go a calendar with drawings of cats on, bloody perfect! And the year is… Oh fuck. It appears my dear travelling companion that this is the year where Luna goes crazy, declaring herself Nightmare Moon and attempting to take the sun out of the sky. As you can probably tell, this is one of the worst places we could be right now. And if that argument was any clue, I would say that Princess Luna and Applebloom caused Nightmare Moon, not us, we are innocent, mere observers but them. No, they interfered, they talked to their past selves and now all we can do is watch and hope and try to find a way back home. What? You want to keep following them? Forget that, I’m going to go grab Starswirl’s tome, where he had the spell written down, see if I can’t change the spell. No, let go of my leg, and my hand and my mauth. Cough, fine, WE will keep watching them, but don’t blame me if you die a thousand years before you should have! Ok, have they made any progress at all? No, they only succeeded in getting Applebloom to stop crying, which in the grand scheme of thing is not very good considering that we’ll all probably be dead in a few days. Surely Luna has to remember this place? Did the Nightmare take her memory of this day? Or are we changing history? Our mere presence causing a hundred different changes that results in a present that we can no longer relate to. You know what, I think it’ll be quite entertaining. Author's Note Yes another short chapter, I know. But, this was to start up the Nightmare part of the story. not very subtle, but it works. Chapter 9Ok, hopefully this situation will get unbuggered, I’m going to go check on the past Luna, you go check on the past Celestia. And go quickly and quietly! Ok, report. Yes, yes, mmm, yes, what was that last bit? Cake? Ok, well her cake eating habits aside, Luna has gone full retard. She has started a spell which should it come through to completion would get rid of Celestia in one fell swoop, that is not how history goes. So, no other solutions forthcoming, I’m going to go drop a piece of paper telling her about this. Wish me luck! Yes, read it absorb the information that just came fluttering down from the dark ceiling and go and stop your sister. There she goes running to her sisters bedroom, slamming the door open and hitting her with a stun spell. Wait, that's bad, Luna beginning to glow and change and shit, shes Nightmare Moon now. This is all happening really quick isn’t it? Anyway, I’m running see you later. No, we are not staying, you can but I’m saying goodbye. We’ll pick up those two brats who sent us here on the way. Yes, we’re bloody revealing ourselves we don’t have much choice, you get the filly, I’ll get the Princess. A quick sleep spell, heft her over my shoulder and now, in a calm manner, I’ll give you a order. Run. Dash through the halls that are already crumbling around us, dodge the throne being thrown, clamber over fences and barriers, all to get away from the destruction that occurs when two great objects as the sun and moon collide. Now, we run for where Ponyville would be, then we can get our bearing and make a plan. Hopefully, we make it out of this in one piece. Author's Note Short again, to be honest, I’m just trying to end this now. only a few more chapters to go. Chapter TenThe edge of Ponyville-to-be, I can still hear the sheer cataclysmic forces that are waging fierce battle in the capital, in the sky both inter-planetary bodies are risen, one threatening to block out the other. Ignore the stallion stooped placing his aged tome in a hole and help me think of a plan. It has to be flashy, it has to be a dues ex machina and most importantly we must get back to our own time! We’ll leave the two sleeping beauties here for now, hey you, unicorn over there! Can you protect these two fair maidens until we get back? Yes? Good, we’ll be back in a minute. Ok, think, I’ve watched over deities, kings, queens and everything in between, surely I must have picked up some morsel of a time travel spell. Why are you looking at me like that? What is that whistlin- RUN! Nightmare Moon comes crashing from the sky, causing a near earthquake as she strikes the ground, leaving a crater. Celestia soon teleporting in to fire bolts at her sister,as she haphazardly prepares the Elements of Harmony. Wait, maybe it’s a good thing that the battle has been brought here! If I can get near the Nightmare when she is struck by the elements, I might be able to briefly wield their power sending you and the other two back. They don’t deserve to be stuck in this time and I’ve had enough of merely lurking in the shadows, let that bright light take me, at least they will be saved. I better hurry, the fight is reaching its crescendo and the elements will soon be used. Remember me, my dear companion. That is the last thing I say to them, as I throw myself at the Nightmare, the rainbow of the Elements already darting their way toward her, it hits, both me and a god stuck at the centre of a spell so powerful that if used improperly would have destroyed the earth. If used on one alone, it would have killed the Nightmare. As it was, I turned my sole focus to taking, that crazy fool of a follower, Applebloom and the future Princess Luna, back to the future, leaving only a broken, pale unicorn who had been guarding them. I could barely breath as the Elements spell warped, banishing the Nightmare to the moon for a thousand years and leaving me in a twisted body, a body that was neither earth, unicorn or pegasus. It left me blank, no power to call my own as I collapsed before the Solar Princess. For her part, she took me back to the castle and nursed me back to health. With the wisdom of years experienced, she could deduce that I was the one who left the note and was also brought with the filly and Luna to the past. I lived there for a while, before moving on when the next capital was planned to be built on a mountain. Instead, I began travelling, visiting lands across the world, no longer merely experiencing it hidden, but able to explore it for myself. In years to come, I realise just what the elements had done to me. They took my magic, but in return granted me immortality. I can’t wait to see that fool that followed me again. Author's Note I'm pretty sure that no -one is even reading this story anymore. Chapter ElevenA thousand years into the future, if I could only describe all that I have experienced in those years, well, it would make a much more interesting story than this one. Regardless, as the years went by I was more open with the world than I had been before, up until a certain date began looming and I began to once again sneak in the shadows, to watch the watcher, beginning by watching my own birth. A experience I have no need to re-do. I watched myself grow up, shun the light and on one fine morning, begin watching a little filly named Applebloom. I followed to Canterlot and saw the flash as they all vanished, keeping a better distance this time. Then, I waited, waited until I saw another flash and saw a face I had seen not a couple of seconds ago and yet have been separated from for a thousand years. While, I would tell you the rest of what happened to dear little Applebloom and Luna, I would not know. for you see, I no longer have a wish to sneak and tell the stories of others, no. Now, I want to tell my own story. I’ve already thought of a few titles and have only the starting point to think of. You know, I think this story might serve well as a prequel. Author's Note Finished, sorry that this is not a very long final chapter, but I finished writing the end of first paragraph and realised that it had no need to be any longer. Thank you to my pre-readers, Jamin P Rose and RainbowDash1.
Chapter 1Tick... Tock… Tick… the clock endlessly kept up its tortuous song of monotony and boredom, the bane of foals everywhere as they glanced up helplessly at it’s merciless face, praying to Princess Celestia that the time would fly by and playground joys could be had. This clock in particular was signalling the final stretch of the school day, giving hope to the room and strengthening the resolve of those naysayers who claim that the day is infinite and the end would never come. In fact, focussing in on this large room, I think I spot. Ah, here we go,the focus of our story is in this room. But which little filly has the honour? Perhaps describing them might give me some hidden insight. Let’s start with this orange filly, with a mane of purple she certainly does stand out from the crowd, with eyes but a small shade lighter than her hair, she doodles in her schoolbook instead of listening to her mauve teacher titillating the class with knowledge of history and the events of the Griffon Civil War, not five hundred years ago. I certainly hope that this is not the one I’m looking for, she seems like she has a hard time obeying authority and I would hate to see her put herself to risk due to it. Oh, maybe it’s this one, yes the one with the light pink coat! Yes, she’s probably itching to go on an adventure, let’s listen to what she’s whispering to her other companion and… Oh, oh dear, let’s have none of that shall we. Yes, it appears that I was quite mistaken about her she seems rather like some schoolyard bully and I think I shall keep my distance from her. Damn it! This is going nowhere fast. Think, you fool! Think! Look at the light glaring through the windows picking out the dust as it travels its way to the floor. Look at the high rafters which support the roof above our heads and provide a small shelter for the few insects that make their way to it. Look at all these things and THINK! ... M-Maybe I should calm down. If one of these fillies is the focus of my attention, then all I have to do is wait for the moment where something interesting happens… Speak of the devil and he shall come, this is quite a spectacular sight as the mysterious Princess Luna teleports into the room, thoroughly interrupting the lesson. I shall take this time to paint myself a picture. With a coat the same colour of a light night sky, one of those nights where you can still look around and see the world under the pale light of the moon, her body is devoid of pattern or markings until you reach her cutie mark, a crescent moon surrounded by a painters splotch of darker blue contrasting her coat. Not many people know the true significance of this taint upon her flank, they only see the moon and the hope within. However those who are wise see the mark and that the nightmare will always leave an impact on our fragile princess. Apart from that, she wears dark regalia, one piece of barrel armour and two gauntlets. Her mane sparkles with the stars of the night sky ready to be released upon the world. After the silence that marked her arrival, the kids let loose and the now tired and wary teacher, called for a break as she tried to discern the reason for the Princess’s visit. Undaunted by this mix of chaos that she let loose, Princess Luna walked calmly up to one of the desks, currently occupied by a small light yellow filly with a red mane, and struck up a conversation. From what I could discern the filly had done a small favor for the Princess last nightmare night and in way of reward the young, for an alicorn, Princess now invited the filly to Canterlot Castle for a sleepover. The filly who I now believe to be called Apple Bloom, hurriedly declined stating that she was not worthy. However, having none of that Princess Luna pressed on and taking a risk… Oh my, she took of her regalia. A sight not normally seen from either of the two princesses, now shown for a little filly, either way Luna was no longer asking as a Princess, but as a friend. Needless to say, Bloom then proceeded to agree and plans were set, if her sister gave their permission (she did). At seven o’clock pm on friday, Apple Bloom, daughter of farmers, would stay at the most sought after venue of all-time, with not just anypony. No, she is staying with the Goddess who puts the moon in our night sky.
Chapter 2Huh, who is it? Oh, just you. Well, I suppose we can go check on Luna if you really want, but the sleepovers not for ages. Come on then, let’s go to Canterlot, a city of gleaming gold and ivory towers, both literal and figurative. But we are ignoring the roving side-streets and the expansive river and are instead heading for the epicentre of it all. Canterlot Castle! Created just after the battle between Celestia and Nightmare Moon, it has been an integral part of Equestrian culture for just over one thousand years now. Walking in, you come immediately to the Throne Room, where the one gleaming throne, shared between Celestia and Luna after realising that they could not add another due to this throne being made into the stone itself, adding one to the side would just look tacky. Moving on, we can continue through a large corridor, connecting the kitchens and Royal Bedrooms, although why Celestia had her room built next to the kitchens is a mystery to all but the baker, who tolerates her nightly cake binges. It is in this large kitchen that we currently find Celestia, however instead of stuffing her face, she is trying to prevent her sister from stuffing a small fillies face, making all sorts of arguments from comparing the weight of the food to the weight of the filly, the filly would have to eat ten times her body weight in food just to finish it all., to yelling how the cooks wouldn’t have enough food to cook meals the next day. However, showing the same stubbornness that she displayed with the filly in question, Luna ignored Celestias warnings and continued to make a mounting pile of food for the sleepover. Sighing in resignation, Celestia demanded that Luna go prepare the room which she would be sparing with the small filly. Pulling her face from the fridge, Luna realised she had not actually prepped anything other than food for the last two hours. With a pop, she took the food through the shadows and into her room, where it still had torture devices from the age of Sombra. Hurriedly, she swept them away into the cupboard and began preparing a clear area on the floor. Placing the food, which now swayed in the light draft from the window, Luna checked the clock. One more hour and then the fun shall begin. It was as she was checking the timekeeper, a special clock made in Trottingham, that Celestia walked casually into the room, placing her ivory flanks on the ground, she then used her magic to spice up the room for her sister, who had no sense of interior design. I might as well describe the room now that it’s all ready for tonight. Let’s start with the walls, shall we? Yes, people do tend to forget about them when they can truly bring a room together, for instance in this most important of rooms, they were a dark blue, matching the coat colour of it owner, the texture was not flat, but instead matted in order to create the lovely effect that it was alive with the stars. While a similar effect could be achieved using magic, Luna prefered to have all of the major parts of her room to not be touched by magic, she feels it cheapens the effort of the builders and the architect if they were just painted over by magic. The ceiling was much the same, however Luna had conceded to have magic lights placed, mimicking the night sky and changing when the great blue canvas was repainted. The door was a spartan affair of bare double doors painted blue. The windows were much the same being simple squares without embellishment. This didn’t matter for the most part as they were always covered by great blue silk curtains, which flowed just like Lunas mane. Yes, it does appear that it will be a good night for the Princess and Bloom,even if they don’t have fun, that’ll just make it all the more interesting to watch. Now shoo until seven, wake me up then and we’ll go visit them again.
Chapter 3What! You still insist on disturbing me? Well, I guess since you made the effort, we shall look at the other participant in this nightly venture. The bustling streets of ponyville hold many secrets for those willing to search for them, The bustling small town atmosphere that permeates the multicoloured buildings and small streets was merely a ruse for the large events that changed Equestria’s very history. For example, it was in this town that our current heroes, the Elements of Harmony currently live and yet for all bar one, they were not born in this town. Merely gravitated toward it as life went on. It’s in one of these small streets that we find Apple Bloom, navigating the busy market and heading toward a single goal. Golden oaks Library. A strange building which contrasted the surrounding buildings due to the simple fact of it’s materials… It was a tree. Ignoring this rather strange fact, it was quite a nice home, hollowed out with a central room which served as the public library and then with an upper level where housing accommodation had been set up. It is here that we can hear the door swing open as Apple Bloom enters this repository of knowledge and searching for it’s guardian looks around scanning the room, before setting her sights on the stairs. Taking cautious steps towards them, she continued looking, occasionally glancing over the titles of various books. This had the unfortunate side effect of her not noticing she had reached the stairs, so instead of beginning her short climb, she tripped over majestically and made a large resounding thud. This sound which tore through the quiet atmosphere of the library, did have the beneficial effect of alerting the librarian, a humble mare by the name of Twilight Sparkle, that she had company. However, it was an odd sight for Apple Bloom as Twilight came down the stairs. You see normally, Twilight was quite was a very neat, almost obsessively, mare. As you can imagine this tends to lead towards a very clean dress sense and mane cut. It was quite a shock for Apple Bloom then, when Twilight came down with an appallingly messy mane cut. However, being only a foal, Bloom skipped over what this might mean and so started to discuss with Twilight the fact that she had been invited to one of the most exclusive sleepovers of all time, barring the one between the great god Faust and Celestia of course. Either way, Twilight sat patiently throughout the explosive enthusiasm of the filly, though she did make a note to talk with Applejack about Apple Blooms sugar intake. After having supplied the information about the sleepover to Twilight, Bloom started asking all sorts of questions, for example, how should she act and what should she wear. As down to earth as a pony might be, when a princess invited you to a sleepover, certain decorum had to be expected. Attempting to reassure the Twilight told Bloom that the only thing she would have to do is to be on her best behavior, although not having been around Luna as she had Celestia, the shy side of Luna was the first thing many would notice should they make the effort and if her image of Luna from Nightmare Night was anything to go by, then Luna was probably not one for grand affairs like the Grand Galloping Gala. Just after reassuring Bloom, Twilight did make sure that Bloom had Applejacks permission, which she did, before telling her that if nothing else, just to be herself around the princess. A much more relaxed Apple Bloom, thanked Twilight and set off for home to finish her own preparations for the sleepover. There, we looked at Apple Bloom, are you happy? Now, listen closely and do not disturb me until 7-ish when the sleepover takes place.
Chapter 4Finally, the night is here and the sleepover is nigh. Let’s head over to the Apple Clan to wait for Luna to collect our little Bloom,not a moment too soon as we see Luna pulling up in her midnight blue chariot, pulled by two hardened bat ponies. Knocking on the door she is met with Applejack, who bowed and welcomed her in and did all of the things a Regal Princess would expect of a loyal subject. Luna was not a regal princess and so awkwardly accepted the small fuss. With a call, Applejack signalled to Bloom, whom came down the stairs brandishing a small pack containing all she would need for a sleepover, from blankets to a first aid kit, put in after much fussing from Applejack. With goodbye and a promise to stay safe from Applejack, the two trotted back to the chariot, where they flew to Canterlot. Who would have thought that but a small farmers daughter would be welcomed into a castle by Princess Luna herself. Attempting to keep out of the noble’s sight, they hurried along corridors before making it to the chamber they sought. Needless to say, it was still as I described it earlier. The duo settled down into a night of merriment, with delightful activities such as playing games, gossiping and make up. It was around midnight, when Apple Bloom was starting to waver due to how long she had stayed up compared to her usual 9 o’clock bedtime, that things went wrong. Luna in her infinite wisdom had brought along an old spell book, simply put this book described itself with spells that promised “Joyful visits to amazing locations”. Just before she casts the spell, I should explain that the book was only half-right, while the spells might take you to wonderful areas, it could also send you to Tartarus. The spell you see, was not a pocket dimension or a teleportation spell, but something altogether more strange and a good example why you shouldn’t trust ancient books found in a dusty archive for good and clean sleepover fun. That book was the final manuscript ever produced by Starswirl the Bearded and very simply closed off his research on time. While I say it was his final, I mean that it was not his choice to stop. All that was written about the spell was merely theory and never tested. This is all a rather roundabout way to tell you that the spell would send you back in time an unknown amount. Rather by chance, it was just as they were casting this spell that Celestia was sneaking past their room in order to reach the kitchens for her nightly cake raid. After hearing a large crash come from the room, she decided that she should check on the damage the two had wrought on the innocent room. Having entered the room, she searched out the pair and was surprised when she couldn’t find them anywhere in the wrecked room. Growing worried, she cast a scrying spell in order to locate the two. Had her coat not already been a pure white, it would have paled significantly when she couldn’t find them. Moving right on to the next morning, we can see that Celestia has brought herself to Ponyville and more specifically to the doorstep of the Sweet Apple Acres farm house. I can’t bring myself to watch as she delivers the news of Apple Blooms disappearance to the three members of the Apple family. As expected Applejack begins crying, Big Mac straightens up and I suspect it will be a long while before he talks again. The most heartwrenching is Granny Smith, who simply curls up on herself with an expression of loss.
Chapter 5Ugh, look around us just tree after tree after tree! All dark and mysterious with a high canopy leading me to believe that we are in the Everfree Forest. Yes, there’s the sound of buzzing insects as they trundle along trying to kill anypony which invades their area. Oh, there’s the footprint of an ursa major! By Faust, there’s a Loco nest… Wait hang on, those have been extinct for several centuries. Well, it appears that Luna has mucked up and we’re in the very distant past, this certainly has got interesting. Ah, there’s the two time travelers, looks like they're just about ready to throw off the oppression of unconsciousness and greet the new, or old, world they’ve gotten themselves into. First one up is Luna, who appearing startled from waking up in one of the most dangerous places in pony history, whips her head around to get a bearing of her surroundings, as a reasonable pony who lived in the era of the vermin like Loco bird, she too recognises the egg and realises how badly she messed up. You see, the Loco went extinct during Nightmare Moons rampage, she tripped over a nest of one of the more prominent and breeding Locos and used a spell to make all of their eggs diseased. Those chicks then picked up the breeding capabilities of their parents, spread the disease around and within a decade the entire Loco population was destroyed. Pity, since they were quite tasty. Either way, this means that we’ve arrived before Nightmare Moon so I'd say that we're back at least a thousand years, good thing too as thats where all the most interesting bits of Equestrian history are. Luna doesn’t seem as happy about the prospect, most likely due to the fact that one thousand years ago also happened to be the most dangerous time in Equestrian history. She slowly picked her way to Apple Bloom and poked her in the side with a hoof, stirring her into the land of the living. She too seemed rather scared of the fact that she was not in the castle and that she was in the Everfree Forest. I think I’ll leave you here quickly while Luna tries to calm her down and I’ll get a better sense of our surroundings… … Ah, they’re done now, better yet Luna has a plan. They’re going to go to the old capital of Equestria, an outpost within the Everfree Forest which was chosen due to it’s defensive capabilities, then find aid with both her past self and her sister. if all went well, they should be back in their time relatively quickly, as long as she could remember the counter-spell allowing them to go back the way they came. With a quick nuzzle of reassurance they set, keeping close to each other and their eyes and ears searching for threats in the dark forest. This is great, I thought the sleepover was getting rather dull, don’t you think?
Chapter 6The pristine halls of the Two Sisters Castle, a bastion for the current pony society who have to deal with all sorts of threats from their own borders and beyond. Their only advantage are the two rulers whom rule side by side. The castle itself is a lot less grand than its future cousin and a good deal darker too, due to the architect and decorators agreeing that a darker mood would fit the Everfree and make it blend in more in case of attack. Princess Luna and Applebloom were currently approaching this capital, forgetting that she wa no longer the only Luna around. Due to this the guards immediately seized them on suspicion of being changelings. A great hustle and bustle then proceeded as the two current diarchs were brought from court and slumber to the dungeon where they were held. It was not long until heated words were shouted by Celestia, who back in the day had a much shorter temper, especially for changelings after a recent betrayal. Our should be future dwelling Luna begged for them to, at least, check. Caving, Past Luna used a true vision spell, quite complicated but simple for an experienced caster. After it was discovered they were not, in fact, changelings, another hustle and bustle occurred where they were put in the opulent tea room. several seconds later sipping on a nice earl gray, Luna explained their story of sleepovers and mistake. In shock, Past Luna could not respond. Celestia, however had begun to ponder possible solutions to the problem at hand, namely telling her future self about the situation and to lay off the cake. To go on a tangent, dragonfire is immensely useful due to its uncanny ability to carry paper, a quite convenient object, anywhere in the world. Over the many years of rule, both of the princesses have learned to replicate the effects, after having frozen a dragons fire and, rather recklessly, eating it. Doing so granted them the same ability as well as a high tolerance for spicy food. This may not be a tangent though, as it appears Celestia as come to a rather strange conclusion. They will send a message back to the future via dragons fire! It would require a good deal of concentration, however due to the fact that, well, no one had ever tried it before. I think I’d better go get us some fire-proof suits... … Ah, they’re done writing out a letter, I see. Well now we just have to wait for them to send it. A quite spectacular explosion as befitting a travel through time. If any pony tried to survive that, well we’d be scraping them off the floor and putting their ashes in an urn. Well, looks like they’re going to rest after a rather stressful day or night? Since it took place during their little play date and all. No matter, we should follow their lead, only so much snooping we can do.
Chapter 7Hmm? It’s day now, must have slept straight through the night! Seems longer. Anyway, I’ll go check on our quarry. Oh god, they’re all snuggled up together, all four of them! Celestia, both the Lunas and Applebloom, all wrapped in one massive blanket, help I’m allergic to cuteness… Ahem, they appear to be getting up now. All stretching and yawning and brushing. Both of the past pony princesses are going off for their shower while the future follies are trying to figure out what to do next, they have to get back to the future and I see no flux capacitors anywhere. In fact, I’d go so far to say that for the time being, they are completely stuck, along with us, of course. The past problems are drying their hair using a magical monstrosity that can shout really loudly, at a frequency that nobody can hear, except for estate agents, sending air out at a whopping 50 MPH. Completely unnecessary, quite like this description of it. We move on as they decide to go consult one of the most skilled magicians alive, Starswirl the stubbled as he is currently known. A unicorn who has recently acquired the position of Arch-Mage after his predecessor was retired, forcefully. And while the predecessor would have been much more entertaining, we are stuck with blandy mcbland, the Gordon Brown of Magic. It was quite lucky that he was already working on a spell that was all about time travel, a spell that could take you back in time, for five minutes, once. Theoretically, it’s just a very simple matter to make it go forwards. You see, a little known fact about Unicorn magic, is that it spins. Not many know this and the knowledge was lost to the ages. All they had to do was switch the spell from clockwise to anticlockwise and make a good basis for them to continue working on removing the 5 minute limit. However, as seen with the spell that caused all this in the first place, things rarely go to plan with magic. It was due to this, that instead of taking anyone forward in time, all the spell did was make Starswirl turn from Starswirl the stubbled, a name that fits with alliteration, to Starswirl the bearded. Why a prominent mage should only be remembered by his facial hair, I do not know. Well, with that deus ex machina method failed, they’ll have to find a new way to bring us all back home, oh and Applebloom started crying, fantastic. I’m going to go get something to eat, you just keep an eye on them.Hopefully, we’ll get through this without getting caught by them. That would be unfortunate. Author's Note Sorry for the short chapter, trying to get back into the writing style for this one. But at least it’s off hiatus!
Chapter 8Damn, no way home, one crying filly and now both the past princesses are arguing about it. What a brilliant way to start the day, only future Luna seems to be comforting the filly as both of the Pasters storm off, although Luna looked the most pissed. Hang on, what year is this again? Quickly to the library! Date, date, date. Not pottery or history or magic or even agriculture. I want a date, I need a calendar, I need the year, hurry up! Ah, here we go a calendar with drawings of cats on, bloody perfect! And the year is… Oh fuck. It appears my dear travelling companion that this is the year where Luna goes crazy, declaring herself Nightmare Moon and attempting to take the sun out of the sky. As you can probably tell, this is one of the worst places we could be right now. And if that argument was any clue, I would say that Princess Luna and Applebloom caused Nightmare Moon, not us, we are innocent, mere observers but them. No, they interfered, they talked to their past selves and now all we can do is watch and hope and try to find a way back home. What? You want to keep following them? Forget that, I’m going to go grab Starswirl’s tome, where he had the spell written down, see if I can’t change the spell. No, let go of my leg, and my hand and my mauth. Cough, fine, WE will keep watching them, but don’t blame me if you die a thousand years before you should have! Ok, have they made any progress at all? No, they only succeeded in getting Applebloom to stop crying, which in the grand scheme of thing is not very good considering that we’ll all probably be dead in a few days. Surely Luna has to remember this place? Did the Nightmare take her memory of this day? Or are we changing history? Our mere presence causing a hundred different changes that results in a present that we can no longer relate to. You know what, I think it’ll be quite entertaining. Author's Note Yes another short chapter, I know. But, this was to start up the Nightmare part of the story. not very subtle, but it works.
Chapter 9Ok, hopefully this situation will get unbuggered, I’m going to go check on the past Luna, you go check on the past Celestia. And go quickly and quietly! Ok, report. Yes, yes, mmm, yes, what was that last bit? Cake? Ok, well her cake eating habits aside, Luna has gone full retard. She has started a spell which should it come through to completion would get rid of Celestia in one fell swoop, that is not how history goes. So, no other solutions forthcoming, I’m going to go drop a piece of paper telling her about this. Wish me luck! Yes, read it absorb the information that just came fluttering down from the dark ceiling and go and stop your sister. There she goes running to her sisters bedroom, slamming the door open and hitting her with a stun spell. Wait, that's bad, Luna beginning to glow and change and shit, shes Nightmare Moon now. This is all happening really quick isn’t it? Anyway, I’m running see you later. No, we are not staying, you can but I’m saying goodbye. We’ll pick up those two brats who sent us here on the way. Yes, we’re bloody revealing ourselves we don’t have much choice, you get the filly, I’ll get the Princess. A quick sleep spell, heft her over my shoulder and now, in a calm manner, I’ll give you a order. Run. Dash through the halls that are already crumbling around us, dodge the throne being thrown, clamber over fences and barriers, all to get away from the destruction that occurs when two great objects as the sun and moon collide. Now, we run for where Ponyville would be, then we can get our bearing and make a plan. Hopefully, we make it out of this in one piece. Author's Note Short again, to be honest, I’m just trying to end this now. only a few more chapters to go.
Chapter TenThe edge of Ponyville-to-be, I can still hear the sheer cataclysmic forces that are waging fierce battle in the capital, in the sky both inter-planetary bodies are risen, one threatening to block out the other. Ignore the stallion stooped placing his aged tome in a hole and help me think of a plan. It has to be flashy, it has to be a dues ex machina and most importantly we must get back to our own time! We’ll leave the two sleeping beauties here for now, hey you, unicorn over there! Can you protect these two fair maidens until we get back? Yes? Good, we’ll be back in a minute. Ok, think, I’ve watched over deities, kings, queens and everything in between, surely I must have picked up some morsel of a time travel spell. Why are you looking at me like that? What is that whistlin- RUN! Nightmare Moon comes crashing from the sky, causing a near earthquake as she strikes the ground, leaving a crater. Celestia soon teleporting in to fire bolts at her sister,as she haphazardly prepares the Elements of Harmony. Wait, maybe it’s a good thing that the battle has been brought here! If I can get near the Nightmare when she is struck by the elements, I might be able to briefly wield their power sending you and the other two back. They don’t deserve to be stuck in this time and I’ve had enough of merely lurking in the shadows, let that bright light take me, at least they will be saved. I better hurry, the fight is reaching its crescendo and the elements will soon be used. Remember me, my dear companion. That is the last thing I say to them, as I throw myself at the Nightmare, the rainbow of the Elements already darting their way toward her, it hits, both me and a god stuck at the centre of a spell so powerful that if used improperly would have destroyed the earth. If used on one alone, it would have killed the Nightmare. As it was, I turned my sole focus to taking, that crazy fool of a follower, Applebloom and the future Princess Luna, back to the future, leaving only a broken, pale unicorn who had been guarding them. I could barely breath as the Elements spell warped, banishing the Nightmare to the moon for a thousand years and leaving me in a twisted body, a body that was neither earth, unicorn or pegasus. It left me blank, no power to call my own as I collapsed before the Solar Princess. For her part, she took me back to the castle and nursed me back to health. With the wisdom of years experienced, she could deduce that I was the one who left the note and was also brought with the filly and Luna to the past. I lived there for a while, before moving on when the next capital was planned to be built on a mountain. Instead, I began travelling, visiting lands across the world, no longer merely experiencing it hidden, but able to explore it for myself. In years to come, I realise just what the elements had done to me. They took my magic, but in return granted me immortality. I can’t wait to see that fool that followed me again. Author's Note I'm pretty sure that no -one is even reading this story anymore.
Chapter ElevenA thousand years into the future, if I could only describe all that I have experienced in those years, well, it would make a much more interesting story than this one. Regardless, as the years went by I was more open with the world than I had been before, up until a certain date began looming and I began to once again sneak in the shadows, to watch the watcher, beginning by watching my own birth. A experience I have no need to re-do. I watched myself grow up, shun the light and on one fine morning, begin watching a little filly named Applebloom. I followed to Canterlot and saw the flash as they all vanished, keeping a better distance this time. Then, I waited, waited until I saw another flash and saw a face I had seen not a couple of seconds ago and yet have been separated from for a thousand years. While, I would tell you the rest of what happened to dear little Applebloom and Luna, I would not know. for you see, I no longer have a wish to sneak and tell the stories of others, no. Now, I want to tell my own story. I’ve already thought of a few titles and have only the starting point to think of. You know, I think this story might serve well as a prequel. Author's Note Finished, sorry that this is not a very long final chapter, but I finished writing the end of first paragraph and realised that it had no need to be any longer. Thank you to my pre-readers, Jamin P Rose and RainbowDash1.
