Making Things Right

It has always been part of a foal's curriculum to be taught of Nightmare Moon and her 1000 years of banishment. And very recently the Bearers of Harmony were added to the history books. Crimson Tail knew of the two stories very well, and each of them fascinating. Growing up in Fillydelphia, he wasn't used to any excitement so he read about it. In history books, and fiction books, there was always something exciting to read about. When Crimson Tail was three, his parents Silver Stream and Brooke divorced forcing him to live with his mother Brooke. Brooke herself was an Marine Scientist and worked at nights often leaving Crimson Tail home alone.  So he'd often read quietly in his room until bed time. Because his mom was a Marine Scientist, they moved a lot for months at a time for her work.

Crimson Tail, though, was always left in a library for hours until his mother was finished for the day. And on one of these trips touring Equestria he discovered a book about a time traveling scientist in a carriage accompanied by a young stallion. He absolutely loved this book. So much in fact, he never gave it back to the library he borrowed it from. Every night before bed he would read it. Every time he would re-fall in love with this idea of time traveling. Nothing else had ever excited him more than the idea of time traveling. He started to read spells that would bend, stretch, manipulate, and travel through time. Then, he had accomplished it! At the age of five Crimson Tail had traveled back exactly a month before and traveled back with ease! He was overwhelmed with excitement and happiness so much so that he had forgotten how to speak! He danced and cheered with all his energy. The librarian had to remind him where he was and Crimson settled down.

When his mother picked him up that evening, she was shocked to see the cutie mark on his flank. Crimson Tail never noticed the cutie mark, which made him even happier! Telling his mother about everything that happened seemed like the right thing to do, but ended up being a lecture on the safety of time travel. When he was thirteen, he made his first mistake. He was visiting his grandparents in Fillydelphia because his grandma was getting very ill and was in hospice. Crimson was always very close with his grandparents and was very upset that his grandma was about to die. His mother and Grandfather warned him against using his magic to change anything about this situation, but his emotions got the better of him, and he traveled back in time to do what ever he could to fix the situation.

He went back a week ago, landing in the same hospice room he cast the spell in. Disturbing several ponies in the room, he ran out towards his grandparents' house. His grandpa explained that she took too much sugar when she wasn't supposed to have any, so all Crimson Tail had to do was convince her that taking the sugar was a bad idea. But how? He ran through the streets of Fillydelphia pondering just what to say to his grandma when he meets her. "Hello, Grandma! I am Crimson Tail from the future, and you get incredibly ill and in hospice from putting that sugar in your tea. So, would you please not put that sugar in your tea," he thought. "Yeah, that is a smart way to go about things," He mumbled to himself. But after fifteen blocks, he got to his destination. "Grandma! Grandpa! Open the door!" He yelled, knocking on the door. "Just a minute!" His grandma called.

A moment later, she was at the door. "Crimson Tail!" Exclaimed the old mare. "You're supposed to be in Ponyville!" She said again. "Can i come in, Grandma?" Crimson asked. "Yes, I was about to make up some tea, would you like some?" his grandma explained. "That's actually why I'm here," Crimson Tail explained. She lead him to the sitting room, and looked at him quizzical. Crimson sighed, and was about to explain the situation, but his grandma interceded. "You are from the future, aren't you," said his grandma. He nodded. "Celestia damn it, Crimson Tail! What have we warned you about time traveling!?" Demanded the mare. "But, Grandma, I'm saving your life!" Crimson Tail protested. "Today you mindlessly put sugar in your tea, and get sent to the hospital, and in only six days, you get moved into hospice! You know you're not supposed to have sugar, Grandma! It ruins your digestive system," explained Crimson Tail.

His grandma is shocked, but is stern. "If I am meant to die, that is the course of nature. You can't tamper with the nature of things, Crimson, serious consequences will fallow. If I don't die, then some pony else will! Like a stranger on the street, or a store clerk, or even your own mother," His grandma warned. "But you won't, that is what matters to me, grandma." His grandma sighs in defeat. "Fine, i won't add the sugar. But let this be a lesson you will never forget," His grandma explained. Crimson Tail didn't leave his grandma until she both made, and drank the tea to make sure the sugar wasn't poured. When he was satisfied, he zapped to his own time line.

His grandma wasn't in hospice, it was true, but saving her life meant killing another pony. Who? He didn't know yet, but on he and his mother traveled, him only knowing what had happened. But then he and his mother were visiting Canterlot a month later and there was where he learned his lesson. The pony he killed was none other than his Dad, whom they were visiting at the time. The funeral was three days later, but he didn't want to confront his grandma for fear she would tell him off. She found him, but said nothing, instead she gave him a look saying, "What did I tell you?" He felt the weight of shame slam itself upon him. For a full year he couldn't stop blaming himself. He wanted to go back and kick his past self in he butt for doing what he did, but he knew it was a bad idea.

He knew though, that the time line was all messed up and it had to slowly mend itself before he could do another travel through that time period. So he just waited for the pain to leave. His mother did too. She quite her job, and they settled on Appleoosa as a temporary home.  But they ended up staying there for a little over four years. When Crimson Tail was eight-teen, he moved out of his mother's house and moved back to Fillydelphia. He got a job as a librarian and bought a house right in the middle of town. He met a mare named Star Light Dreams, an earth pony working as a play director for the theater there. He was twenty, she was eight-teen. They started living together after a year of dating. After many years of misery, Crimson Tail was finally happy and living normally.

Star Light Dreams was perfect to him, and he actually thought that maybe they would be married someday. His second mistake was when he was twenty-three. Four years with Star Light Dreams and everything was perfect. So, he had an idea to go forward in time one year to see how happy he might be. He did so. He was in their bedroom exactly a year in the future. Star Light Dreams was fast asleep in their bed. He smiled and was about to go back to his time when his eyes got more used to the dark and saw Star Light dreams, not sleeping, but having sex! She was having a good time by the looks of it, "I must be covered by the sheets," Crimson said, slyly. "Oh, Chilly Pepper!" She screamed.

And he came out of the covers, it was one of the actors that worked for her! "Do you want me to do that again?" He asked, smiling. "Yes! Yes! Oh, Celestia yes!" Crimson Tail could not believe what he was seeing! Star Light was going to or was already cheating on him! "When did you say your husband was going to me home?" asked the stallion. "Not until tomorrow," Star Light explained. Crimson then left. Disgusted, and not thinking straight, He broke up with Star Light Dreams, and kicked her out of his house. He then did what he used to do when he was upset, read the story of Nightmare Moon. He always felt connected with Princess Luna's pain somehow, and always felt like he and she could compare tragedies and ultimately become friends.

Once reading the story several times, he went to bed. He totally forgot that it was the Summer Sun Festival. He woke up to what he thought was only an hour of rest, because of what he saw in the sky, but really it was 8:00 A.M. Shocked, he looked up in the sky once more. The Mare on the Moon had vanished! Nightmare Moon had returned! Panic deluded Crimson Tail. He had no idea how it happened, or what was going on! How long would the sky be like that? Would Princess Celestia banish her back to the moon? He, along with everypony else on his street, walked into the street and stared at the sky. A minute passed, an hour passed, and on the third hour a glorious glow from far, far away. If he squinted, Crimson could almost make out a rainbow. But the rainbow looked like it came from the ground. It was too far away for him to even conform it was a rainbow. But a bright light had disturbed the night. Minutes after the mysterious light, much bigger and brighter, rose. Everypony cheered in happiness and re-leaf.  It was the sun! Celestia had risen the sun.

News of what happened quickly spread all around Equestria. A Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack, and Pinkie Pie from the small town Ponyville stopped Nightmare Moon with "The Elements of Harmony" the gems said only to be rumors. An idea came to him that morning. A brilliant plan. The plan to stop all of this from happening. The good and the bad. Forever. He didn't know how to do it exactly, but he knew that he couldn't wait  even a month. He would leave for Ponyville the next week. He packed the week before and bought a  'Vacation home" in Ponyville. He was gone the next week. The idea of a life time.