Seventh Senseby Aceman67Chapters1 - A Day Like Any Other2 - The Hardest Thing To Do...3 - "I thought this was supposed to make me feel better..."4 - To You, a Gift...1 - A Day Like Any OtherWhen you've gone through the many things that I've experienced, you'd be hard pressed to wear a smile on your face. But when you have a secret like mine, one learns to be very good at hiding the nightmares that would plague lesser ponies into insanity. My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, ponies just call me Pinkie. I've lived with this secret since I was a filly, and eighty-three winters is a long time to keep something like this from everypony, but the love of my life asked me to write this down when it was my time. You don't break a Pinkie promise. 'My time' - that's a funny statement. I know you can't see me as I'm writing this, but believe that I'm laughing, a familiar sight for those that know me. Even though I've done things, changed things, whether for good or ill is up for speculation and I'll let you decide that, the concept of 'time' becomes a very subjective thing. Knowing the exact moment of one's end while having the knowledge that you can change everything else makes the concept of 'my time' mean everything to me among the fluid backdrop of existence. Two years, three days, nineteen hours and forty-three minutes from the time I am writing this, I will die of a myocardial infarction, a heart attack. How do I know this, you ask? I saw it in a vision the moment I picked up the stone that fell from the sky one morning. The same stone that struck my sister Marble dead in front of me. I saw it clear as day; as if I was there. Since then, I've had visions of the same moment with differing circumstances. Sometimes I'm at the market buying groceries, at the library, or throwing a party. I've lost count how many times I've witnessed myself clutch my chest and collapse, and no matter how many different ways it happens, only two things remains the same: I die at Three Fifty-Eight in the afternoon, and I always seem to be the same age as I was when I had the vision. That was until the last ten years when my age started to appear consistent as well. It was then that I became aware of the date. Shortly before the death of my beloved, the visions started to show newspapers and calendars with the dates crossed off. It would seem my time comes on the twenty-third day of summer. That being known, I've tried to live my life as healthy as I could. Considering where I work and what I do for a living, its easier said than done. Being a master confectioner while trying to keep your heart healthy is no easy task. I couldn't have done it really without my loving husband. The fact that I'm eighty-three years young is a testament to that. Now, I'm sure you're asking yourself why I said that Marble had died. Well, she did. Only she didn't. But now she is. A difficult concept to understand at first, but I'm sure you'll catch on when everything becomes clear. This is the story of when I realized that I could change the past. But before that could happen, I had to watch someone very close to me die. When I was ten, I was left to care for my foalsister Marble while my parents took my sister Limestone to see the dentist. This was a couple years before I would see the rainbow in the sky that would forever change the direction of my life, setting me down the path to becoming the element of laughter. Life on the farm was quiet and full of hard work, so when a day comes when no work needed to be done, you didn't pass it up. Marble always had a sneaky streak to her. She loved to hide, and considering that she only came up to my withers (and I was pretty small myself back then), she was very difficult to find. Even in a barren field of rocks. "Marble! Where are you?" I cried. The game was getting tiresome, the sun was beginning its slow descent to the horizon and our parents would be home soon. Frustrated, I raised my voice to sing. "Outtie outtie lets be free!" Continuing my search, I trotted into the north field where the largest rocks were, with the idea that if anyone would hide, this is where they would go. "Outtie outtie lets be free" I sang out again. "Boo!" came a voice behind me, followed by a childish giggle that only served to rile my frustration even further. We had been playing for too long and our daily chores needed to be done or we would be left to explain why to our parents. But before I could admonish my sister, there was a loud crack in the sky. I snapped my head to where I thought the sound came from, only to see a trail of smoke leading right in front of me. Distracted by the sight, I had missed the sound of Marble collapsing to the ground. "What was that?" I asked Marble. I turned towards her, and my heart caught in my chest. Before me lay my sister. Her eyes were staring up at the sky unseeing. All I remember of that moment was that I screamed. I screamed until I couldn't scream anymore. Then I fainted. When I awoke, I was strangely calm. Here I was, laying next to the body of my sister. I looked down at her and for the first time, I noticed the clean hole on her temple. Not wanting to look at it anymore, I turned my head away. It was then that I saw it. A small stone laying in a crater twice its size. It looked to be the size of my hoof. It had the lustre of gold, but the transparency of glass. Oddly, it never seemed to keep the same shape. One moment it looked like an uncut diamond, the next a perfect cube. Reaching down, I picked it up and my whole world went white. Now, this sensation is difficult, if not impossible to explain. Being aware of everything yet not being a part of it is disconcerting, to say the least. To a young filly of only ten? I was terrified. "Thank you again for doing this, I didn't know who to ask. To be honest, I didn't even think of asking you to plan my bachelor party until you asked where it was going to be held." A tall, bulky red stallion said. Stotting along next to him was an energetic pony with a pink coat and a puffy mane that seemed to defy gravity. "Think nothing of it Big Mac! This is going to be so bucking AWESOME!" she screamed, looking as if she were about to explode. This drew passive attention of everypony nearby, but they seemed to just carry on; as if it were a normal occurrence. "Oh, we're here." The pink pony said nonchalantly. They both proceeded into the building with a bright golden sign featuring two mugs overflowing with froth. "Hey, Big Mac! Great to see ya! What brings you to my fine establishment at this hour? You normally don't come in till after five." A unicorn stallion greeted them. He had a light yellow coat, greyish blue mane and a comet cutie mark. "AJ gave me the day off, so I thought I'd ask someone to help me." "I'm planning his Bachelor Party. Shhh... It's a secret!" the pink pony whispered loudly for everypony to hear, then gave him a very conspicuous wink. The unicorn smiled mischievously. "Big Mac, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, you're not welcome back until the day that this will happen." "Yes, we have planning to do." The pink pony said; donning an eerily identical mischievous grin, but it was then that her eyes opened wide and the smile left her face in an instant. Clutching her chest and her eyes rolling to the back of her head, she collapsed onto Big Mac's side. "Pinkie!?" Big Mac cried out. "Comet! Go get the doctor! Pinkie!? Can you hear me?" He cried, beginning to be drowned out by the clocktowers bells tolling four times. If you thought that being aware of everything but not being present was difficult to explain, then the sensation of the world rushing in, collapsing on itself, well, justice can't be done to it either. The next thing I knew, I awoke in my bed with a start. My coat was wet and clammy with a cold sweat and my breathing ragged. Panicking, I looked around my room to see my sisters, Limestone and Marble, asleep in their beds. I was snapped back to reality when I heard the door open. "Oh, good, you're awake. Pinkamena, I would like you watch over Marble while we take Limestone to the dentist." Cloudy Quartz said. Still in a state, I didn't know how to respond. I looked down at my hooves to see that I had the golden stone in my possession. It shone back up at me, now a perfect sphere. "Mother?" I called out, seeing that she had walked off, leaving the door open. "Yes, dear?" "I was wondering..." I began to ask. "Would it be alright if I took Marble into Ponyville? I wanted to get a book from the library." I lied, making it up on the spot. Author's Note I have removed the gore tag after rereading the story several times and debating is relevancy. Personally, I think this site should have a violence and gore tag; because the two are not the same, and I feel that a violence tag would suit in this situation. I am leaving this message at the top of the story as a warning for those that still wouldn't want to read such things. The depictions of injury and blood in this story, which necessitated the gore tag originally, are not going to be graphic, and will be appropriate for a teen level audience. This is my first MLP fan-fiction, so I'm a little out of my comfort zone. Normally, I stick to what I know extremely well: Star Trek and Mass Effect. I have two stories to my credit, the first being on hiatus, the second in progress, but I just had to get this idea out of my head after I finished the second chapter of the game "Life Is Strange". The time travel mechanic really intrigued me and while a nasty bout of insomnia (brought on by the impending dentist appointment in an hour) made me think about Pinkie's Pinkie sense, and what if there was something more to it. So, there you have it, the first chapter of what I hope is a good story. Enjoy. 2 - The Hardest Thing To Do...There's only one pony left who would truly understand that writing this down is one of the hardest things somepony like me can do. I've spent my life bringing joy to others, so, admitting that I had been lying to my friends all their lives, right up till their deathbeds with the exception of one... "Great," I said to nopony in particular, spitting the word out like an epithet while tossing the quill I was using into the waste bin by my desk. Its enchantment having worn off. Twilight had given me a set of enchanted quills when I told her I wanted to write down my thoughts, but the arthritis in my hoofs made writing all but impossible for me. It was a pretty impressive piece of magic, all I had to do was speak my thoughts, and the quill will write it down for me. Sure, I could write like everypony else does, but after a while it leaves me in a great deal of pain, and the breakthrough pain medication that I was prescribed leave me feeling stoned and eventually put me to sleep. Not conducive to the creative process. Nope. With a sigh and a grunt of effort, I rose from my chair and made my way down into the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner. Getting around these days is tiresome, so I slowly meander down the stairs, almost slipping on the final step. Thankfully, I was bathed in a pale blue light that was Pumpkin Cake's magic as she carefully steadied my stance at the foot of the stairs. "Well now, look who's decided to join us today." Pumpkin said with a sly grin on her face. She may just be my cousin, but she got her sarcasm from me. "Come, sit, I made some dandelion tea." The elderly unicorn said, gesturing to a chair at the kitchen table. Now in her sixties, Pumpkin had grown into a lovely mare. With the exception of her flowing orange locks fading with gray, time had been kind to her and she didn't look a day over forty. Taking after her mother, she enrolled in Manehatten University culinary arts program and excelled. After her parents and I retired from the bakery, she took over the family business and between her and Pound, expanded it threefold. Pound was now living with his wife managing the location in Canterlot while Pumpkin's daughter, Angel, is in Manehatten herself working on opening up a location of her own. It always fills my heart with pride when I think about her. While Pumpkin had taken after her mother Cup, doing things no one thought possible with baked goods, Angel had taken after me. I had taught my protégé everything I knew about making candy, and she used her skills for evil, striking fear into children's dentists everywhere. Mine is a maniacal laugh. Ahem. "So, what exactly are you doing up there?" Pumpkin asked as I gingerly take a sip from my tea, it still being a tad on the hot side. "Since you're probably going to contrive some convoluted scheme to get into my room and find out for yourself..." "Damn, foiled again." Pumpkin said, feigning shock. "I'm writing my memoirs," I admitted. "The last of the enchanted quills that Twilight gave me wore out." "I look forward to reading it when you're done." Pumpkin said with a genuine smile. Now that she knew what I was doing, I knew I could trust her to respect my privacy. "Do you want me to walk with you to Twilights to get more quills?" "No, I think I go by myself." I responded, finishing the tea. "Thank you for the offer though; I just think that I could use some fresh air and some alone time with my thoughts." Getting up, I give Pumpkin a warm hug and a kiss on the top of her head below her horn. Before I left, I playfully ruffled her mane, only to get a playful jab to my shoulder. Feigning offense, I glared at her for a few seconds before both of us burst into a solid giggle. Ponyville had changed over the decades, but a lot of it had stayed the same. Gone were the cobblestone streets, replaced with smooth pavement. There were shops, restaurants, even a strip mall! All this had fanned out around the centerpiece of the Friendship Rainbow Kingdom, Twilight's Castle. Even the town square had changed. Gone was the communal water well, having been replaced with a resplendent solid crystal statue of Rainbow Dash donated by the Crystal Empire. When the sun hits it at just the right angle, it casts a beautiful rainbow onto the square. Thankfully they had the sense to enchant it so that the glare wouldn't blind anyone. Stopping at its base, I read the dedication plaque, as I had done many many times before. In Memoriam Lieutenant Commander Rainbow Dash 984 Solar Age - 22 Age of Harmony First Equine to set hoof upon the Moon Loving Mother, Loyal Friend Gone, but never forgotten "Anything worth doing is hard, so why not the stars?" ~ Rainbow Dash Equestirian Aeronautical Space Agency Complex dedication ceremony, 12 Age of Harmony "I miss you, my friend," I said to myself quietly and walked away. The trip down what was now main street was quiet and uneventful. Despite the town's population slowly approaching five digits, everypony was still friendly and greeted me as such. Finally getting away from the hustle and bustle of town, main street gave way to a carefully maintained park with a golden cobblestone road leading up to the castle. It was spring, so flowers of every colour were in bloom and cherry blossom trees weren't quite ready to lose their vibrant pink petals. Finally coming to the entrance, I stop at a very tall and proud stallion of the castle guard. "Hello, Stout Heart. How's Grace?" I asked, inquiring about his daughter. "As rambunctious as ever, Missus Pie. The Cute-ceañera you held for her is all she's been talkin' about. Won't take the decorations down." "Just let her know that she can't have another party unless the last one ends," I tell the earth pony with a wink and giggle. "I'll inform her of such. Here to see the Princess, I presume?" He inquires, to which I give a smiling nod. "Go right on in, she's in the library, but you already knew that." Making my way towards the stairs that lead up to the library, I marvel at the decor that Twilight had maintained through the years. She hadn't changed it, saying that it was a testament to Rarity's legacy. A sorrowful smile graces my lips as memories of the unicorn flood my mind. Only running out of breath half way up the stairs breaks my chain of thought, forcing me to sit on the steps to recover. Getting old sucks. "Miss Pie, are you alright?" somepony asks. "Oh, I'm fine. Were these stairs always so long?" I say with a smile. I couldn't place the name of the unicorn, but judging by the robes he wore, he was a court scribe, entrusted with recording business brought to the Friendship court's attention. "I'm heading to the library to visit the Princess." answering an unasked question. "Well, let me assist." Giving a nod, he picks me up with his magic and walks with me to the library. "Ahem. A Miss Pie to see you, ma'am." "Thank you, Aldo." a melodic, calming voice said from behind one of the libraries many shelves. "Pinkie, its so good to see you!" Twilight Sparkle said, embracing her friend in a warm hug. It never ceases to amaze me at the majestic Alicorn Twilight had become. Many years ago, there was concern that Twilight wouldn't gain the appearance of a true alicorn because of the circumstances of her accession. This had caused Celestia and Luna much worry, but all of it was unfounded, thankfully. As time went on, Twilight grew into the regalness that is associated with alicorns. Her long straight mane had given way to flowing waves reminiscent of Celestia's, but it still had the trademark colour highlights that had always been Twilight's. Despite the change in appearance, the caring look of her eyes will always let you know that you're among friends with her. Twilight will always be Twilight. "If you told me you were coming, I could have met you in my study downstairs." Twilight said, showing concern for me. "Stairs at your age cannot be easy." "Oh, I'm fine, you don't need to worry yourself over little old me, and I didn't want to trouble you. That is, until I got here. I have something to tell you, and it's important." "Ok... Spike, can you tell Aldo to clear my schedule for the afternoon, then give us some privacy?" "Sure thing Twilight." the dragon responded, lifting his head and turning towards twilight. He was sunning himself from the light coming through the window atop one of the tall shelves. Spike too had grown; into a magnificent dragon. Standing as tall as Twilight, he had a lithe figure that while thin, the way he carried himself conveyed strength. With a single flap of his wings, he flew across the vaulted ceiling and out the door. "Twilight," I started, tears beginning to well in my eyes. "I've been keeping something from you for so long..." Author's Note Dates are a funny thing in MLP, so I took inspiration from the story "A Pony Displaced" by Arvindr (great story btw, go read it), and used the dating system used there. If you do the math, Rainbow Dash would have been 16 when Princess Luna returned from the moon and the elements of Harmony were rediscovered, and was 38 when she died. This also makes the current year in the story 67. The circumstances of which will be discussed in a future chapter. 3 - "I thought this was supposed to make me feel better..."Princess Twilight Sparkle just sat there, stunned and utterly speechless. She probably thinks I'm crazy, just another senile pony making grandiose stories up. I can't really blame her either. The majority of the time we've known each other I've played the fool. Well, a part of me is a fool, but on the off occasion that I've been serious, it was rare for me to be taken seriously. If it quacks like a duck... well, you get the idea. "So. Let me see if I'm understanding this." Twilight started, placing a hoof on her temple, a rare act that meant she was actually having a difficult time with something. "You found this rock that fell from the sky..." "Yes." "That killed your sister at the age of 7, who lived into her late sixties..." "Yes." "And you think this rock has given you the ability to go back and change the past." "Give the mare a gold star," I said with a playful tone, reaching into my mane, but instead of pulling an actual gold star sticker, I produced the gem in question. Presently it was in the shape of an octahedron. Twilight made a move to pick up the gem, but I pulled it away. "Don't touch it," I told her, in a quiet solemn voice. "Not even with your magic." "But..." "No buts. The last pony who picked this up was driven insane by the visions it gives." I told her, meeting her gaze with all the seriousness I could muster. "Why should I believe any of this? The amount of magic it would require to enchant an object to do what you're telling me... would... it would destroy the pony casting it, And that includes the Princess' and I!" Twilight rambled, now pacing. "Because we've had this exact conversation before; twice, in fact." Stopping mid-stride, Twilight turned once again to meet my gaze. "Prove it," the alicorn said, her tone giving into exasperation. "Forty-three years ago you had a brief love affair with your Captain of the guard." I began, and when the realization dawned in Twilight's mind, the blood drained from her face. "You and Flash Sentry had started to make plans to be married when you found out you were-" "Stop," Twilight said, choking on the word. "with foal, but there was a problem with the chi-" "I SAID STOP!" Twilight screamed; her voice amplified not only by her magic, but her anger as well. I physically recoiled in genuine fear. Never had I seen Twilight lash out in this way; but I understood why. The anger in Twilights eyes flashing to abject horror at what she had done; then to grief, only confirmed it. The pain and grief had never truly healed. Collapsing onto her haunches, Twilight just looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me; or any of us?" she asked, pleading with me. "Because none of you believed me, Rarity and Fluttershy laughed it off as some prank I was pulling," I explained. "But what really made me keep it a secret was when I told Rainbow Dash and Applejack. They called me insane and a liar. The embodiment of loyalty and honesty did that to me. So I kept it to myself." "Why would they do that?" the Princess said, shocked that two ponies she knew very well would do something so uncharacteristic. "I didn't have the proof then like I did just now. That was something you hadn't told a soul, never recorded it in your journal." "But if I didn't believe you, why would I tell you something so private?" Twilight inquired. "You didn't believe me, but the scholar in you, the part of you who is open to facts and evidence won out," I explained. "You did make me Pinkie promise not to tell anypony else though," I said with a wink. "This is an amazing thing, Pinkie. All the good that could be done..." Twilight began, starting off on a rambling tangent. "Is it, Twilight? Really? You of all ponies knows the dangers that come with messing with time." I said in admonishment. "For me to do the good you're thinking about; for me to stop the terrible from happening: they have to happen first." I let the statement sit for a moment in Twilight's mind as the realization started to sink in. "Oh." "You don't remember the time the sign for Quills and Sofas fell on Scootaloo, paralyzing her, or finding Zacora crushed by a tree after a bad rainstorm," I said with a sob. "I've watched almost everypony I know at one time or another get hurt or worse." Unable to hold it together any longer, I begin to cry uncontrollably. Twilight pulled me into her warm embrace and cooed softly until I finished. "I'm sorry." she said. "Sorry?" I responded through the tears. "For what?" "That you had to carry this burden for so long. I take back what I said. This isn't amazing, it's a curse." She explained, then paused for a long time. "If you've been going back in time, changing the past to prevent ponies from being hurt, then what about all-" "Twilight, I know you've read Starswirl's treatise 'Time travel: A Theory for Disaster', right?" "You've read it?" Twilight asked in amazement. "Duh! I read it when I was fourteen. Didn't understand it all then, still don't today, really. Too many words, not enough pictures. Anyways, out of all of his theories, one of them stands out to me. Time is like a rubber band. The more you push on it, the harder it'll snap back. You can, however, push gently, a little at a time, the band doesn't snap back" I explained. "But one thing I am certain of is that the bigger the change you try to make, the worse things get. What happened to Rainbow Dash taught me that." "Pinkie, there was nothing that could have been done, it was just an accident," Twilight said, trying to comfort me, but there was something off in her voice, I knew she was lying. "Griffonia destroying one of its own satellites intentionally to destroy the International Space Station does not qualify as an accident," I told her. "How do you know that?" She asked, I just raised my eyebrow in a knowing stare and held up the golden gem in my hoof. It changed shape from a heart-shaped diamond to a cube. "I'm sorry, I should have known. It's just that there're only a hundred or so ponies who know the truth. Even now if word got out, it could start a war." "I'm surprised you haven't asked me yet." "Asked what?" "How it all works, silly filly," I say, changing the subject and eliciting a laugh out of the Princess. "Its quite simple really, I only have to hold the gem between my hooves, close my eyes and POOF!, I wake up back in my bed in the morning of that day. It's as simple as that." "Huh... I would have thought there would be more to it." Twilight said, pondering. "Twilight?" I say, getting her attention. "I thought this was supposed to make me feel better..." I admit. "I don't know if anything can. But that's not going to stop me from trying. One thing I can tell you though; is that you're not alone in this anymore, and that will make it easier." "Is everypony there?" a scratchy voice echoed over a radio. "Not everypony, commander. Applejack couldn't make it and Rarity is in Manehatten. Fluttershy and Pinkie are here though." Twilight Sparkle spoke into the microphone. The atmosphere in the EASA mission control room was grim. "That's alright, mission control, I know you tried. Fluttershy?" "Yes? I'm here." The yellow pegasus replied, choking back sobs. "Take care of Macintosh for me. He didn't show it when I talked with him, but he's not going to take this well." Rainbow Dash told her with a calming serenity in her voice. "You know I will." Fluttershy sobbed, falling apart. Twilight rushed over and held her distraught friend. "Rainbow?" I say, speaking into the microphone, not able to hold back my tears. "I'm going to miss you." "I know Pinkie. I know. But it won't be all bad. You'll still have the memories of all the awesome parties we had." An alarm from one of the control stations in the room sounded, getting everypony's attention. "I guess I don't have much time left huh. Goodbye Mission Control, I know you did your best. Oh, Celestia, it's getting hot in he---*static*" Sitting on my haunches, I watch the memory fade away. Wiping the tears away from my face, I turn around to face the presence I knew had been there for some time. "Hello, Princess Luna." "We never knew you were so skilled at the art of lucid dreaming. When Twilight told us of what transpired today, we knew that we had to speak to you ourself." "When I was a filly, I suffered from nightmares, my parents brought me to a doctor, the ones that work with your noggin. She taught me how to control my dreams, and slowly the nightmares stopped, but not always." "The Visions. Twilight mentioned you said that; but failed to inquire about it." The Princess of the Night stated. "We do recall you occasionally having what seemed like nightmares, but we were not concerned because when they happened, things would eventually get happy in your dreams. You were hiding these visions from us." "Yes," I admitted flatly. Before the two of us, a scene unfolded. I was sitting at the kitchen table in Sugarcube Corner with Pumpkin sharing our afternoon tea. We were laughing and carrying on. On the wall was a calendar showing that it was the twenty-third day of summer in the sixty-ninth year of The Age of Harmony. The clock on the wall read three fifty-six. I knew what was coming, but Luna watched intently, and when it happened, Luna didn't flinch, but her bottom lip began to quiver and a single tear fell from her eye. "Oh, little one, you should have told us." "I know," I said, staring off into the blackness now that the vision had faded away. "You know, until today, my husband was the only one who truly knew me. When I told him, he accepted it without question and he helped me carry on." "Noteworthy was an exemplary stallion. You were a blessed mare to have him in your life." Before them, another scene unfolded, but this was a happy memory. Before a crowd stood two ponies, A blue stallion donning a dashing tuxedo; and a pink mare, blushing in a brilliant white dress. Author's Note Is it a good thing that the only time I can write is when I'm having a bout of insomnia? 4 - To You, a Gift...I awoke that morning more at ease with myself than any other time in my life. Twilight was right; while I still carried the burden of the knowledge of the things I had seen, not being alone any longer made it easier. When I left Twilight's, she gave me a new set of quills, ensuring me that the enchantments this time would last significantly longer, but made me promise to bring her what I had written. So I got to work. Page after page flowed out of me with newfound inspiration. The very act of putting everything down on to a permanent record was cathartic. The more I wrote, the easier the burden became. This labour had taken days. I rarely left my room. After the first day, Pumpkin had started bringing my meals to my room, and after the second, started forcing me to take breaks, if only to share a tea. She had shown me great patience to me throughout my life. With the exception of Noteworthy, she was the only pony that genuinely put up with my antics, and now, despite the worry she had over me shutting myself in my room for days, she was allowing me to finish my work. On my last quill, I was able to finish one more sentence and I placed the depleted feather down. Staring at the page for a long while, realization finally dawned on me. I was done. Looking at the clock, I realized that it was early in the morning, Celestia had yet to raise the sun. Pumpkin would soon be rising to start the day, getting the morning coffee ready for the bakery employees when they come in for their shift. Suddenly inspired, I walked into the bakery's industrial kitchen and started to work. There was a batch of chocolates to make. Gathering my ingredients, I carefully measured out what I needed. Eventually, I found myself with two cups of cocoa powder, three-quarter cup of soft butter, half cup of sugar, a two-third cup of milk, a quarter cup of powdered sugar and a cup of water. Setting the water to heat up till it was just below boiling, I set to mixing the cocoa with the butter. Cheating, I used an immersion blender until I was satisfied that I had eliminated the lumps. I poured the mixture into the hot water and stirred gently while bringing the temperature back up to just below boiling until the mixture was a fine paste. After pouring the newly made paste into a bowl, I sifted the powdered sugar and coarse sugar together, removing any clumps and added it to the cocoa paste. Adding the milk I had let set till it was room temperature, I stirred until it was a perfect consistency. Reaching up to the cabinet where the chocolate molds were stored, I was frustrated that I couldn't quite reach the mold I wanted. Finally resigning myself to the fact I was A) short, B) old, I set off to find the hoof stool. "Something smells good in here," a voice said behind me. Turning I was greeted by a young stallion earth pony with pastel brown fur and a long, very dark blond mane kept a single braid down his neck. "Chestnut! Just the stallion I needed. I need the horseshoe mold from the cabinet before this batch sets. I don't want to risk ruining it heating it back up." "Sure thing, Miss Pie," Chestnut said while he easily retrieved the mold in question for me. "We haven't seen you down here lately, some of us were getting a little worried. "Mrs. Cake was tight-lipped about the whole thing." "I was writing my memoirs," I told him while deftly spooning the chocolate into the mold with a practiced hoof, not wasting a drop. "I finished late this morning." "That's awesome!" "Now, that partially explains why I'm down here this early; why are you here? Your shift doesn't start for another hour, Pumpkin isn't even up yet." "She hasn't told you?" Chestnut said, moderately surprised. "Toffee Twirl is moving to Las Pegasus, and Mrs. Cake has asked me to take over managing the bakery. She's been showing me how to take care of the bookkeeping before the day starts." "Congratulations! Guess I'm going to have to throw you two a party! Ooo... this is going to be so much fun!" I said, starting off on an unintelligible ramble as I took the molds and placed them in the cooler to set so they would be ready for the evening. Planning a Farewell/Promotion party took planning, and consultation with smart ponies who knew about such things, so that left only me. "You seem chipper this morning." Pumpkin said, making her way into the kitchen. "I know! Isn't that weird?" I say, pulling Pumpkin into a hug. "I finished what I was writing this morning, I'll give it to you to read tonight. There's a batch of chocolates in the cooler for you when you're reading it. Now, this old mare is going to go take a nap." Making my way through the bakery to the stairs that lead to my room, I felt a rush of happiness that put a smile on my face. After joyfully trotting up the stairs like a mare half my age, I found myself in my room. Turning my desk lamp off, I put my hoof on the stack of papers that told my story. Feeling more at peace with myself than I had ever felt in my life, I got into bed and drifted to sleep. I found myself with that familiar feeling again. I had long since gotten used to it, watching myself go through my day, oblivious to what was coming. When it first happened, it filled me with fear. Eventually, I came to accept it, and a part of me had started to look forward to that day. But this time it was different. For the longest time, I watched myself write. Hour after hour, I tirelessly worked until put the quill down and stretched. When it finally dawned on me what I was watching; before I had the chance to feel any fear, a wave of calm and peace washed over me. I couldn't feel fear or sadness even if I wanted too. I watched as I made my way into the kitchen and began making chocolate. I listened to the conversation I had with Chestnut, and the hug I gave Pumpkin. I marveled at my youthfulness as I made my way up the stairs, realizing that I had not felt any pain. When I watched myself fall asleep, my world went white. "Hello, Pinkamena." A young gray colt greeted me. "I've been waiting to meet you for a very long time." I found myself standing on the shores of a great river. On both sides was a verdant forest whose beauty and serenity could not be described. I watched in wonder as a flock of bluebirds fluttered through the air. "Where am I?" I asked the tiny pony. "It was your time, so I brought you here." "My time...? Oh." I said in surprise. "A common reaction, don't be afraid." He told me. "Who are you?" "I'm the ferryman. I guide the souls of those who pass down the river of time to Elysium." "Aren't you a little tiny to be a ferryman?" "I take the form of whatever puts the soul in my charge at ease. Pinkamena, you spent your life bringing joy and happiness to the world, mostly to the young. What brings you the most fulfillment is the look of innocent wonder in a young colt or filly's eyes; so here I am." He explained. "I actually wanted to speak with you. I wanted to apologize." "For what?" "The guiding stone that belonged to me found its way to your world. In my hooves, it shows me when somepony's time is upon them, allowing me to comfort them and guide them to where they need to go. In the hooves of a mortal, well, you can fill in the blanks." He told me, sitting down on his haunches, scratching at the dirt. "It was an accident. I was careless. In one brief moment, I brought pain and misery to your life." I sat along side him. For a long while we were silent. I thought on what he had told me, and found myself still at ease. At peace. What I did next was an easy and simple choice. "I forgive you," I told him, pulling the diminutive pony into a hug. "Thank you, Pinkamena." He said, getting up and facing me. "Now, to you, a gift." "Ooo... I like gifts." "I know," He said with a chuckle. "Ordinarily, I am forbidden from altering the past, but in this instance, I have been allowed to do so. I am going to change it so that my guiding stone never comes to your world. Your life will unfold as it did with the changes you made, but you will not know the heartache and sorrow my mistake brought you. The makers are forgoing one of their most sacred laws for you." He continued. "When it was made known that you had a guiding stone, the fates debated that you should be brought to the afterlife so that it could be retrieved, but only after you had completed your destiny as the element of laughter. "That's why your vision's constantly showed you your time over and over again, but the circumstances ever in flux." He explained. "I was able to stay fates hoof when I pointed out that despite the power you had, even at a young age, you didn't use it for selfish gain, which you could have easily. Instead, you used it to help others; like somehow you knew the stones intrinsic purpose, so we left you to live out your natural life. The very fact that despite the sadness and hardship you endured, you still fulfilled what you were meant to do, and that served to only bolster their faith in you. "But the actions you took when you revealed your secret to Twilight Sparkle and Luna Eveningstar, and the personal peace you found from those actions, it was decided that you be brought here, so that we could retrieve the stone; because subconsciously you had realized that you had no more use for it." "So, what now?" "Now," He said, reaching up and retrieving the stone from my poofy, unruly mane. "We set things right." Placing the stone between his hooves, he closed his eyes and everything changed. I woke up in my bed to the ticking of my alarm clock. Slightly annoyed that I had woken up before the sun, I turned my alarm face down. Getting out of bed, I made my way over to my desk and placed my hoof on a stack of paper that was my professional life's work. Contained in the pages was 'The Big Book of Confectionary, or Pinkie Pie's Guide to Happiness Through Chocolate'. The title itself should get a laugh out of Pumpkin. Making my way to the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. Before me was the visage of a wrinkled old mare, but I had a smile on, so that made it all better. After brushing my teeth and splashing water on my face, I felt inspired. "I'm going to make some chocolates." Author's Note The recipe in the story is an actual one to make a simple batch of chocolate, try it out for yourself. Before anyone points out a plot hole, it is intended that the reader assumes that the ferryman made another stone. Thank you for reading. This is actually a big deal for me. Out of all the stories I've written over the years, this is the first one that I've seen through to the end. Here's to many more...
1 - A Day Like Any OtherWhen you've gone through the many things that I've experienced, you'd be hard pressed to wear a smile on your face. But when you have a secret like mine, one learns to be very good at hiding the nightmares that would plague lesser ponies into insanity. My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, ponies just call me Pinkie. I've lived with this secret since I was a filly, and eighty-three winters is a long time to keep something like this from everypony, but the love of my life asked me to write this down when it was my time. You don't break a Pinkie promise. 'My time' - that's a funny statement. I know you can't see me as I'm writing this, but believe that I'm laughing, a familiar sight for those that know me. Even though I've done things, changed things, whether for good or ill is up for speculation and I'll let you decide that, the concept of 'time' becomes a very subjective thing. Knowing the exact moment of one's end while having the knowledge that you can change everything else makes the concept of 'my time' mean everything to me among the fluid backdrop of existence. Two years, three days, nineteen hours and forty-three minutes from the time I am writing this, I will die of a myocardial infarction, a heart attack. How do I know this, you ask? I saw it in a vision the moment I picked up the stone that fell from the sky one morning. The same stone that struck my sister Marble dead in front of me. I saw it clear as day; as if I was there. Since then, I've had visions of the same moment with differing circumstances. Sometimes I'm at the market buying groceries, at the library, or throwing a party. I've lost count how many times I've witnessed myself clutch my chest and collapse, and no matter how many different ways it happens, only two things remains the same: I die at Three Fifty-Eight in the afternoon, and I always seem to be the same age as I was when I had the vision. That was until the last ten years when my age started to appear consistent as well. It was then that I became aware of the date. Shortly before the death of my beloved, the visions started to show newspapers and calendars with the dates crossed off. It would seem my time comes on the twenty-third day of summer. That being known, I've tried to live my life as healthy as I could. Considering where I work and what I do for a living, its easier said than done. Being a master confectioner while trying to keep your heart healthy is no easy task. I couldn't have done it really without my loving husband. The fact that I'm eighty-three years young is a testament to that. Now, I'm sure you're asking yourself why I said that Marble had died. Well, she did. Only she didn't. But now she is. A difficult concept to understand at first, but I'm sure you'll catch on when everything becomes clear. This is the story of when I realized that I could change the past. But before that could happen, I had to watch someone very close to me die. When I was ten, I was left to care for my foalsister Marble while my parents took my sister Limestone to see the dentist. This was a couple years before I would see the rainbow in the sky that would forever change the direction of my life, setting me down the path to becoming the element of laughter. Life on the farm was quiet and full of hard work, so when a day comes when no work needed to be done, you didn't pass it up. Marble always had a sneaky streak to her. She loved to hide, and considering that she only came up to my withers (and I was pretty small myself back then), she was very difficult to find. Even in a barren field of rocks. "Marble! Where are you?" I cried. The game was getting tiresome, the sun was beginning its slow descent to the horizon and our parents would be home soon. Frustrated, I raised my voice to sing. "Outtie outtie lets be free!" Continuing my search, I trotted into the north field where the largest rocks were, with the idea that if anyone would hide, this is where they would go. "Outtie outtie lets be free" I sang out again. "Boo!" came a voice behind me, followed by a childish giggle that only served to rile my frustration even further. We had been playing for too long and our daily chores needed to be done or we would be left to explain why to our parents. But before I could admonish my sister, there was a loud crack in the sky. I snapped my head to where I thought the sound came from, only to see a trail of smoke leading right in front of me. Distracted by the sight, I had missed the sound of Marble collapsing to the ground. "What was that?" I asked Marble. I turned towards her, and my heart caught in my chest. Before me lay my sister. Her eyes were staring up at the sky unseeing. All I remember of that moment was that I screamed. I screamed until I couldn't scream anymore. Then I fainted. When I awoke, I was strangely calm. Here I was, laying next to the body of my sister. I looked down at her and for the first time, I noticed the clean hole on her temple. Not wanting to look at it anymore, I turned my head away. It was then that I saw it. A small stone laying in a crater twice its size. It looked to be the size of my hoof. It had the lustre of gold, but the transparency of glass. Oddly, it never seemed to keep the same shape. One moment it looked like an uncut diamond, the next a perfect cube. Reaching down, I picked it up and my whole world went white. Now, this sensation is difficult, if not impossible to explain. Being aware of everything yet not being a part of it is disconcerting, to say the least. To a young filly of only ten? I was terrified. "Thank you again for doing this, I didn't know who to ask. To be honest, I didn't even think of asking you to plan my bachelor party until you asked where it was going to be held." A tall, bulky red stallion said. Stotting along next to him was an energetic pony with a pink coat and a puffy mane that seemed to defy gravity. "Think nothing of it Big Mac! This is going to be so bucking AWESOME!" she screamed, looking as if she were about to explode. This drew passive attention of everypony nearby, but they seemed to just carry on; as if it were a normal occurrence. "Oh, we're here." The pink pony said nonchalantly. They both proceeded into the building with a bright golden sign featuring two mugs overflowing with froth. "Hey, Big Mac! Great to see ya! What brings you to my fine establishment at this hour? You normally don't come in till after five." A unicorn stallion greeted them. He had a light yellow coat, greyish blue mane and a comet cutie mark. "AJ gave me the day off, so I thought I'd ask someone to help me." "I'm planning his Bachelor Party. Shhh... It's a secret!" the pink pony whispered loudly for everypony to hear, then gave him a very conspicuous wink. The unicorn smiled mischievously. "Big Mac, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, you're not welcome back until the day that this will happen." "Yes, we have planning to do." The pink pony said; donning an eerily identical mischievous grin, but it was then that her eyes opened wide and the smile left her face in an instant. Clutching her chest and her eyes rolling to the back of her head, she collapsed onto Big Mac's side. "Pinkie!?" Big Mac cried out. "Comet! Go get the doctor! Pinkie!? Can you hear me?" He cried, beginning to be drowned out by the clocktowers bells tolling four times. If you thought that being aware of everything but not being present was difficult to explain, then the sensation of the world rushing in, collapsing on itself, well, justice can't be done to it either. The next thing I knew, I awoke in my bed with a start. My coat was wet and clammy with a cold sweat and my breathing ragged. Panicking, I looked around my room to see my sisters, Limestone and Marble, asleep in their beds. I was snapped back to reality when I heard the door open. "Oh, good, you're awake. Pinkamena, I would like you watch over Marble while we take Limestone to the dentist." Cloudy Quartz said. Still in a state, I didn't know how to respond. I looked down at my hooves to see that I had the golden stone in my possession. It shone back up at me, now a perfect sphere. "Mother?" I called out, seeing that she had walked off, leaving the door open. "Yes, dear?" "I was wondering..." I began to ask. "Would it be alright if I took Marble into Ponyville? I wanted to get a book from the library." I lied, making it up on the spot. Author's Note I have removed the gore tag after rereading the story several times and debating is relevancy. Personally, I think this site should have a violence and gore tag; because the two are not the same, and I feel that a violence tag would suit in this situation. I am leaving this message at the top of the story as a warning for those that still wouldn't want to read such things. The depictions of injury and blood in this story, which necessitated the gore tag originally, are not going to be graphic, and will be appropriate for a teen level audience. This is my first MLP fan-fiction, so I'm a little out of my comfort zone. Normally, I stick to what I know extremely well: Star Trek and Mass Effect. I have two stories to my credit, the first being on hiatus, the second in progress, but I just had to get this idea out of my head after I finished the second chapter of the game "Life Is Strange". The time travel mechanic really intrigued me and while a nasty bout of insomnia (brought on by the impending dentist appointment in an hour) made me think about Pinkie's Pinkie sense, and what if there was something more to it. So, there you have it, the first chapter of what I hope is a good story. Enjoy.
2 - The Hardest Thing To Do...There's only one pony left who would truly understand that writing this down is one of the hardest things somepony like me can do. I've spent my life bringing joy to others, so, admitting that I had been lying to my friends all their lives, right up till their deathbeds with the exception of one... "Great," I said to nopony in particular, spitting the word out like an epithet while tossing the quill I was using into the waste bin by my desk. Its enchantment having worn off. Twilight had given me a set of enchanted quills when I told her I wanted to write down my thoughts, but the arthritis in my hoofs made writing all but impossible for me. It was a pretty impressive piece of magic, all I had to do was speak my thoughts, and the quill will write it down for me. Sure, I could write like everypony else does, but after a while it leaves me in a great deal of pain, and the breakthrough pain medication that I was prescribed leave me feeling stoned and eventually put me to sleep. Not conducive to the creative process. Nope. With a sigh and a grunt of effort, I rose from my chair and made my way down into the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner. Getting around these days is tiresome, so I slowly meander down the stairs, almost slipping on the final step. Thankfully, I was bathed in a pale blue light that was Pumpkin Cake's magic as she carefully steadied my stance at the foot of the stairs. "Well now, look who's decided to join us today." Pumpkin said with a sly grin on her face. She may just be my cousin, but she got her sarcasm from me. "Come, sit, I made some dandelion tea." The elderly unicorn said, gesturing to a chair at the kitchen table. Now in her sixties, Pumpkin had grown into a lovely mare. With the exception of her flowing orange locks fading with gray, time had been kind to her and she didn't look a day over forty. Taking after her mother, she enrolled in Manehatten University culinary arts program and excelled. After her parents and I retired from the bakery, she took over the family business and between her and Pound, expanded it threefold. Pound was now living with his wife managing the location in Canterlot while Pumpkin's daughter, Angel, is in Manehatten herself working on opening up a location of her own. It always fills my heart with pride when I think about her. While Pumpkin had taken after her mother Cup, doing things no one thought possible with baked goods, Angel had taken after me. I had taught my protégé everything I knew about making candy, and she used her skills for evil, striking fear into children's dentists everywhere. Mine is a maniacal laugh. Ahem. "So, what exactly are you doing up there?" Pumpkin asked as I gingerly take a sip from my tea, it still being a tad on the hot side. "Since you're probably going to contrive some convoluted scheme to get into my room and find out for yourself..." "Damn, foiled again." Pumpkin said, feigning shock. "I'm writing my memoirs," I admitted. "The last of the enchanted quills that Twilight gave me wore out." "I look forward to reading it when you're done." Pumpkin said with a genuine smile. Now that she knew what I was doing, I knew I could trust her to respect my privacy. "Do you want me to walk with you to Twilights to get more quills?" "No, I think I go by myself." I responded, finishing the tea. "Thank you for the offer though; I just think that I could use some fresh air and some alone time with my thoughts." Getting up, I give Pumpkin a warm hug and a kiss on the top of her head below her horn. Before I left, I playfully ruffled her mane, only to get a playful jab to my shoulder. Feigning offense, I glared at her for a few seconds before both of us burst into a solid giggle. Ponyville had changed over the decades, but a lot of it had stayed the same. Gone were the cobblestone streets, replaced with smooth pavement. There were shops, restaurants, even a strip mall! All this had fanned out around the centerpiece of the Friendship Rainbow Kingdom, Twilight's Castle. Even the town square had changed. Gone was the communal water well, having been replaced with a resplendent solid crystal statue of Rainbow Dash donated by the Crystal Empire. When the sun hits it at just the right angle, it casts a beautiful rainbow onto the square. Thankfully they had the sense to enchant it so that the glare wouldn't blind anyone. Stopping at its base, I read the dedication plaque, as I had done many many times before. In Memoriam Lieutenant Commander Rainbow Dash 984 Solar Age - 22 Age of Harmony First Equine to set hoof upon the Moon Loving Mother, Loyal Friend Gone, but never forgotten "Anything worth doing is hard, so why not the stars?" ~ Rainbow Dash Equestirian Aeronautical Space Agency Complex dedication ceremony, 12 Age of Harmony "I miss you, my friend," I said to myself quietly and walked away. The trip down what was now main street was quiet and uneventful. Despite the town's population slowly approaching five digits, everypony was still friendly and greeted me as such. Finally getting away from the hustle and bustle of town, main street gave way to a carefully maintained park with a golden cobblestone road leading up to the castle. It was spring, so flowers of every colour were in bloom and cherry blossom trees weren't quite ready to lose their vibrant pink petals. Finally coming to the entrance, I stop at a very tall and proud stallion of the castle guard. "Hello, Stout Heart. How's Grace?" I asked, inquiring about his daughter. "As rambunctious as ever, Missus Pie. The Cute-ceañera you held for her is all she's been talkin' about. Won't take the decorations down." "Just let her know that she can't have another party unless the last one ends," I tell the earth pony with a wink and giggle. "I'll inform her of such. Here to see the Princess, I presume?" He inquires, to which I give a smiling nod. "Go right on in, she's in the library, but you already knew that." Making my way towards the stairs that lead up to the library, I marvel at the decor that Twilight had maintained through the years. She hadn't changed it, saying that it was a testament to Rarity's legacy. A sorrowful smile graces my lips as memories of the unicorn flood my mind. Only running out of breath half way up the stairs breaks my chain of thought, forcing me to sit on the steps to recover. Getting old sucks. "Miss Pie, are you alright?" somepony asks. "Oh, I'm fine. Were these stairs always so long?" I say with a smile. I couldn't place the name of the unicorn, but judging by the robes he wore, he was a court scribe, entrusted with recording business brought to the Friendship court's attention. "I'm heading to the library to visit the Princess." answering an unasked question. "Well, let me assist." Giving a nod, he picks me up with his magic and walks with me to the library. "Ahem. A Miss Pie to see you, ma'am." "Thank you, Aldo." a melodic, calming voice said from behind one of the libraries many shelves. "Pinkie, its so good to see you!" Twilight Sparkle said, embracing her friend in a warm hug. It never ceases to amaze me at the majestic Alicorn Twilight had become. Many years ago, there was concern that Twilight wouldn't gain the appearance of a true alicorn because of the circumstances of her accession. This had caused Celestia and Luna much worry, but all of it was unfounded, thankfully. As time went on, Twilight grew into the regalness that is associated with alicorns. Her long straight mane had given way to flowing waves reminiscent of Celestia's, but it still had the trademark colour highlights that had always been Twilight's. Despite the change in appearance, the caring look of her eyes will always let you know that you're among friends with her. Twilight will always be Twilight. "If you told me you were coming, I could have met you in my study downstairs." Twilight said, showing concern for me. "Stairs at your age cannot be easy." "Oh, I'm fine, you don't need to worry yourself over little old me, and I didn't want to trouble you. That is, until I got here. I have something to tell you, and it's important." "Ok... Spike, can you tell Aldo to clear my schedule for the afternoon, then give us some privacy?" "Sure thing Twilight." the dragon responded, lifting his head and turning towards twilight. He was sunning himself from the light coming through the window atop one of the tall shelves. Spike too had grown; into a magnificent dragon. Standing as tall as Twilight, he had a lithe figure that while thin, the way he carried himself conveyed strength. With a single flap of his wings, he flew across the vaulted ceiling and out the door. "Twilight," I started, tears beginning to well in my eyes. "I've been keeping something from you for so long..." Author's Note Dates are a funny thing in MLP, so I took inspiration from the story "A Pony Displaced" by Arvindr (great story btw, go read it), and used the dating system used there. If you do the math, Rainbow Dash would have been 16 when Princess Luna returned from the moon and the elements of Harmony were rediscovered, and was 38 when she died. This also makes the current year in the story 67. The circumstances of which will be discussed in a future chapter.
3 - "I thought this was supposed to make me feel better..."Princess Twilight Sparkle just sat there, stunned and utterly speechless. She probably thinks I'm crazy, just another senile pony making grandiose stories up. I can't really blame her either. The majority of the time we've known each other I've played the fool. Well, a part of me is a fool, but on the off occasion that I've been serious, it was rare for me to be taken seriously. If it quacks like a duck... well, you get the idea. "So. Let me see if I'm understanding this." Twilight started, placing a hoof on her temple, a rare act that meant she was actually having a difficult time with something. "You found this rock that fell from the sky..." "Yes." "That killed your sister at the age of 7, who lived into her late sixties..." "Yes." "And you think this rock has given you the ability to go back and change the past." "Give the mare a gold star," I said with a playful tone, reaching into my mane, but instead of pulling an actual gold star sticker, I produced the gem in question. Presently it was in the shape of an octahedron. Twilight made a move to pick up the gem, but I pulled it away. "Don't touch it," I told her, in a quiet solemn voice. "Not even with your magic." "But..." "No buts. The last pony who picked this up was driven insane by the visions it gives." I told her, meeting her gaze with all the seriousness I could muster. "Why should I believe any of this? The amount of magic it would require to enchant an object to do what you're telling me... would... it would destroy the pony casting it, And that includes the Princess' and I!" Twilight rambled, now pacing. "Because we've had this exact conversation before; twice, in fact." Stopping mid-stride, Twilight turned once again to meet my gaze. "Prove it," the alicorn said, her tone giving into exasperation. "Forty-three years ago you had a brief love affair with your Captain of the guard." I began, and when the realization dawned in Twilight's mind, the blood drained from her face. "You and Flash Sentry had started to make plans to be married when you found out you were-" "Stop," Twilight said, choking on the word. "with foal, but there was a problem with the chi-" "I SAID STOP!" Twilight screamed; her voice amplified not only by her magic, but her anger as well. I physically recoiled in genuine fear. Never had I seen Twilight lash out in this way; but I understood why. The anger in Twilights eyes flashing to abject horror at what she had done; then to grief, only confirmed it. The pain and grief had never truly healed. Collapsing onto her haunches, Twilight just looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me; or any of us?" she asked, pleading with me. "Because none of you believed me, Rarity and Fluttershy laughed it off as some prank I was pulling," I explained. "But what really made me keep it a secret was when I told Rainbow Dash and Applejack. They called me insane and a liar. The embodiment of loyalty and honesty did that to me. So I kept it to myself." "Why would they do that?" the Princess said, shocked that two ponies she knew very well would do something so uncharacteristic. "I didn't have the proof then like I did just now. That was something you hadn't told a soul, never recorded it in your journal." "But if I didn't believe you, why would I tell you something so private?" Twilight inquired. "You didn't believe me, but the scholar in you, the part of you who is open to facts and evidence won out," I explained. "You did make me Pinkie promise not to tell anypony else though," I said with a wink. "This is an amazing thing, Pinkie. All the good that could be done..." Twilight began, starting off on a rambling tangent. "Is it, Twilight? Really? You of all ponies knows the dangers that come with messing with time." I said in admonishment. "For me to do the good you're thinking about; for me to stop the terrible from happening: they have to happen first." I let the statement sit for a moment in Twilight's mind as the realization started to sink in. "Oh." "You don't remember the time the sign for Quills and Sofas fell on Scootaloo, paralyzing her, or finding Zacora crushed by a tree after a bad rainstorm," I said with a sob. "I've watched almost everypony I know at one time or another get hurt or worse." Unable to hold it together any longer, I begin to cry uncontrollably. Twilight pulled me into her warm embrace and cooed softly until I finished. "I'm sorry." she said. "Sorry?" I responded through the tears. "For what?" "That you had to carry this burden for so long. I take back what I said. This isn't amazing, it's a curse." She explained, then paused for a long time. "If you've been going back in time, changing the past to prevent ponies from being hurt, then what about all-" "Twilight, I know you've read Starswirl's treatise 'Time travel: A Theory for Disaster', right?" "You've read it?" Twilight asked in amazement. "Duh! I read it when I was fourteen. Didn't understand it all then, still don't today, really. Too many words, not enough pictures. Anyways, out of all of his theories, one of them stands out to me. Time is like a rubber band. The more you push on it, the harder it'll snap back. You can, however, push gently, a little at a time, the band doesn't snap back" I explained. "But one thing I am certain of is that the bigger the change you try to make, the worse things get. What happened to Rainbow Dash taught me that." "Pinkie, there was nothing that could have been done, it was just an accident," Twilight said, trying to comfort me, but there was something off in her voice, I knew she was lying. "Griffonia destroying one of its own satellites intentionally to destroy the International Space Station does not qualify as an accident," I told her. "How do you know that?" She asked, I just raised my eyebrow in a knowing stare and held up the golden gem in my hoof. It changed shape from a heart-shaped diamond to a cube. "I'm sorry, I should have known. It's just that there're only a hundred or so ponies who know the truth. Even now if word got out, it could start a war." "I'm surprised you haven't asked me yet." "Asked what?" "How it all works, silly filly," I say, changing the subject and eliciting a laugh out of the Princess. "Its quite simple really, I only have to hold the gem between my hooves, close my eyes and POOF!, I wake up back in my bed in the morning of that day. It's as simple as that." "Huh... I would have thought there would be more to it." Twilight said, pondering. "Twilight?" I say, getting her attention. "I thought this was supposed to make me feel better..." I admit. "I don't know if anything can. But that's not going to stop me from trying. One thing I can tell you though; is that you're not alone in this anymore, and that will make it easier." "Is everypony there?" a scratchy voice echoed over a radio. "Not everypony, commander. Applejack couldn't make it and Rarity is in Manehatten. Fluttershy and Pinkie are here though." Twilight Sparkle spoke into the microphone. The atmosphere in the EASA mission control room was grim. "That's alright, mission control, I know you tried. Fluttershy?" "Yes? I'm here." The yellow pegasus replied, choking back sobs. "Take care of Macintosh for me. He didn't show it when I talked with him, but he's not going to take this well." Rainbow Dash told her with a calming serenity in her voice. "You know I will." Fluttershy sobbed, falling apart. Twilight rushed over and held her distraught friend. "Rainbow?" I say, speaking into the microphone, not able to hold back my tears. "I'm going to miss you." "I know Pinkie. I know. But it won't be all bad. You'll still have the memories of all the awesome parties we had." An alarm from one of the control stations in the room sounded, getting everypony's attention. "I guess I don't have much time left huh. Goodbye Mission Control, I know you did your best. Oh, Celestia, it's getting hot in he---*static*" Sitting on my haunches, I watch the memory fade away. Wiping the tears away from my face, I turn around to face the presence I knew had been there for some time. "Hello, Princess Luna." "We never knew you were so skilled at the art of lucid dreaming. When Twilight told us of what transpired today, we knew that we had to speak to you ourself." "When I was a filly, I suffered from nightmares, my parents brought me to a doctor, the ones that work with your noggin. She taught me how to control my dreams, and slowly the nightmares stopped, but not always." "The Visions. Twilight mentioned you said that; but failed to inquire about it." The Princess of the Night stated. "We do recall you occasionally having what seemed like nightmares, but we were not concerned because when they happened, things would eventually get happy in your dreams. You were hiding these visions from us." "Yes," I admitted flatly. Before the two of us, a scene unfolded. I was sitting at the kitchen table in Sugarcube Corner with Pumpkin sharing our afternoon tea. We were laughing and carrying on. On the wall was a calendar showing that it was the twenty-third day of summer in the sixty-ninth year of The Age of Harmony. The clock on the wall read three fifty-six. I knew what was coming, but Luna watched intently, and when it happened, Luna didn't flinch, but her bottom lip began to quiver and a single tear fell from her eye. "Oh, little one, you should have told us." "I know," I said, staring off into the blackness now that the vision had faded away. "You know, until today, my husband was the only one who truly knew me. When I told him, he accepted it without question and he helped me carry on." "Noteworthy was an exemplary stallion. You were a blessed mare to have him in your life." Before them, another scene unfolded, but this was a happy memory. Before a crowd stood two ponies, A blue stallion donning a dashing tuxedo; and a pink mare, blushing in a brilliant white dress. Author's Note Is it a good thing that the only time I can write is when I'm having a bout of insomnia?
4 - To You, a Gift...I awoke that morning more at ease with myself than any other time in my life. Twilight was right; while I still carried the burden of the knowledge of the things I had seen, not being alone any longer made it easier. When I left Twilight's, she gave me a new set of quills, ensuring me that the enchantments this time would last significantly longer, but made me promise to bring her what I had written. So I got to work. Page after page flowed out of me with newfound inspiration. The very act of putting everything down on to a permanent record was cathartic. The more I wrote, the easier the burden became. This labour had taken days. I rarely left my room. After the first day, Pumpkin had started bringing my meals to my room, and after the second, started forcing me to take breaks, if only to share a tea. She had shown me great patience to me throughout my life. With the exception of Noteworthy, she was the only pony that genuinely put up with my antics, and now, despite the worry she had over me shutting myself in my room for days, she was allowing me to finish my work. On my last quill, I was able to finish one more sentence and I placed the depleted feather down. Staring at the page for a long while, realization finally dawned on me. I was done. Looking at the clock, I realized that it was early in the morning, Celestia had yet to raise the sun. Pumpkin would soon be rising to start the day, getting the morning coffee ready for the bakery employees when they come in for their shift. Suddenly inspired, I walked into the bakery's industrial kitchen and started to work. There was a batch of chocolates to make. Gathering my ingredients, I carefully measured out what I needed. Eventually, I found myself with two cups of cocoa powder, three-quarter cup of soft butter, half cup of sugar, a two-third cup of milk, a quarter cup of powdered sugar and a cup of water. Setting the water to heat up till it was just below boiling, I set to mixing the cocoa with the butter. Cheating, I used an immersion blender until I was satisfied that I had eliminated the lumps. I poured the mixture into the hot water and stirred gently while bringing the temperature back up to just below boiling until the mixture was a fine paste. After pouring the newly made paste into a bowl, I sifted the powdered sugar and coarse sugar together, removing any clumps and added it to the cocoa paste. Adding the milk I had let set till it was room temperature, I stirred until it was a perfect consistency. Reaching up to the cabinet where the chocolate molds were stored, I was frustrated that I couldn't quite reach the mold I wanted. Finally resigning myself to the fact I was A) short, B) old, I set off to find the hoof stool. "Something smells good in here," a voice said behind me. Turning I was greeted by a young stallion earth pony with pastel brown fur and a long, very dark blond mane kept a single braid down his neck. "Chestnut! Just the stallion I needed. I need the horseshoe mold from the cabinet before this batch sets. I don't want to risk ruining it heating it back up." "Sure thing, Miss Pie," Chestnut said while he easily retrieved the mold in question for me. "We haven't seen you down here lately, some of us were getting a little worried. "Mrs. Cake was tight-lipped about the whole thing." "I was writing my memoirs," I told him while deftly spooning the chocolate into the mold with a practiced hoof, not wasting a drop. "I finished late this morning." "That's awesome!" "Now, that partially explains why I'm down here this early; why are you here? Your shift doesn't start for another hour, Pumpkin isn't even up yet." "She hasn't told you?" Chestnut said, moderately surprised. "Toffee Twirl is moving to Las Pegasus, and Mrs. Cake has asked me to take over managing the bakery. She's been showing me how to take care of the bookkeeping before the day starts." "Congratulations! Guess I'm going to have to throw you two a party! Ooo... this is going to be so much fun!" I said, starting off on an unintelligible ramble as I took the molds and placed them in the cooler to set so they would be ready for the evening. Planning a Farewell/Promotion party took planning, and consultation with smart ponies who knew about such things, so that left only me. "You seem chipper this morning." Pumpkin said, making her way into the kitchen. "I know! Isn't that weird?" I say, pulling Pumpkin into a hug. "I finished what I was writing this morning, I'll give it to you to read tonight. There's a batch of chocolates in the cooler for you when you're reading it. Now, this old mare is going to go take a nap." Making my way through the bakery to the stairs that lead to my room, I felt a rush of happiness that put a smile on my face. After joyfully trotting up the stairs like a mare half my age, I found myself in my room. Turning my desk lamp off, I put my hoof on the stack of papers that told my story. Feeling more at peace with myself than I had ever felt in my life, I got into bed and drifted to sleep. I found myself with that familiar feeling again. I had long since gotten used to it, watching myself go through my day, oblivious to what was coming. When it first happened, it filled me with fear. Eventually, I came to accept it, and a part of me had started to look forward to that day. But this time it was different. For the longest time, I watched myself write. Hour after hour, I tirelessly worked until put the quill down and stretched. When it finally dawned on me what I was watching; before I had the chance to feel any fear, a wave of calm and peace washed over me. I couldn't feel fear or sadness even if I wanted too. I watched as I made my way into the kitchen and began making chocolate. I listened to the conversation I had with Chestnut, and the hug I gave Pumpkin. I marveled at my youthfulness as I made my way up the stairs, realizing that I had not felt any pain. When I watched myself fall asleep, my world went white. "Hello, Pinkamena." A young gray colt greeted me. "I've been waiting to meet you for a very long time." I found myself standing on the shores of a great river. On both sides was a verdant forest whose beauty and serenity could not be described. I watched in wonder as a flock of bluebirds fluttered through the air. "Where am I?" I asked the tiny pony. "It was your time, so I brought you here." "My time...? Oh." I said in surprise. "A common reaction, don't be afraid." He told me. "Who are you?" "I'm the ferryman. I guide the souls of those who pass down the river of time to Elysium." "Aren't you a little tiny to be a ferryman?" "I take the form of whatever puts the soul in my charge at ease. Pinkamena, you spent your life bringing joy and happiness to the world, mostly to the young. What brings you the most fulfillment is the look of innocent wonder in a young colt or filly's eyes; so here I am." He explained. "I actually wanted to speak with you. I wanted to apologize." "For what?" "The guiding stone that belonged to me found its way to your world. In my hooves, it shows me when somepony's time is upon them, allowing me to comfort them and guide them to where they need to go. In the hooves of a mortal, well, you can fill in the blanks." He told me, sitting down on his haunches, scratching at the dirt. "It was an accident. I was careless. In one brief moment, I brought pain and misery to your life." I sat along side him. For a long while we were silent. I thought on what he had told me, and found myself still at ease. At peace. What I did next was an easy and simple choice. "I forgive you," I told him, pulling the diminutive pony into a hug. "Thank you, Pinkamena." He said, getting up and facing me. "Now, to you, a gift." "Ooo... I like gifts." "I know," He said with a chuckle. "Ordinarily, I am forbidden from altering the past, but in this instance, I have been allowed to do so. I am going to change it so that my guiding stone never comes to your world. Your life will unfold as it did with the changes you made, but you will not know the heartache and sorrow my mistake brought you. The makers are forgoing one of their most sacred laws for you." He continued. "When it was made known that you had a guiding stone, the fates debated that you should be brought to the afterlife so that it could be retrieved, but only after you had completed your destiny as the element of laughter. "That's why your vision's constantly showed you your time over and over again, but the circumstances ever in flux." He explained. "I was able to stay fates hoof when I pointed out that despite the power you had, even at a young age, you didn't use it for selfish gain, which you could have easily. Instead, you used it to help others; like somehow you knew the stones intrinsic purpose, so we left you to live out your natural life. The very fact that despite the sadness and hardship you endured, you still fulfilled what you were meant to do, and that served to only bolster their faith in you. "But the actions you took when you revealed your secret to Twilight Sparkle and Luna Eveningstar, and the personal peace you found from those actions, it was decided that you be brought here, so that we could retrieve the stone; because subconsciously you had realized that you had no more use for it." "So, what now?" "Now," He said, reaching up and retrieving the stone from my poofy, unruly mane. "We set things right." Placing the stone between his hooves, he closed his eyes and everything changed. I woke up in my bed to the ticking of my alarm clock. Slightly annoyed that I had woken up before the sun, I turned my alarm face down. Getting out of bed, I made my way over to my desk and placed my hoof on a stack of paper that was my professional life's work. Contained in the pages was 'The Big Book of Confectionary, or Pinkie Pie's Guide to Happiness Through Chocolate'. The title itself should get a laugh out of Pumpkin. Making my way to the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. Before me was the visage of a wrinkled old mare, but I had a smile on, so that made it all better. After brushing my teeth and splashing water on my face, I felt inspired. "I'm going to make some chocolates." Author's Note The recipe in the story is an actual one to make a simple batch of chocolate, try it out for yourself. Before anyone points out a plot hole, it is intended that the reader assumes that the ferryman made another stone. Thank you for reading. This is actually a big deal for me. Out of all the stories I've written over the years, this is the first one that I've seen through to the end. Here's to many more...
