Dystoponia

Chapter 1:

Experiment

“Gently...don't force the magic...let it flow naturally annnnnd...”

Twilight Sparkle let fly with a small beam of channeled magical energy from her horn and directed it towards the large apple sitting on the table. The apple became enveloped in the purple glow and levitated off the table Twilight's expression brightened and she redoubled her efforts, channeling the more power to the spell and  working out the calculations in her head.

The apple floated above Twilight's head and began to spin. Slowly at first, then with increasing velocity. The purple glow slowly changed to blue, then green and moved further up the spectrum until it had become a whirling ball of white light.

“It's working!” Twilight cheered. “It's actually working!”

The space around the whirling apple began to warp as Twilight channeled more magic into the field. Soon the ball was hovering in front of a small hole in space. Twilight's grin widened. Just a few more seconds and the experiment would--

“TWILIGHT!”

Twilight shrieked and channeled too much power into the spell. The apple stopped spinning and exploded, covering the unicorn's face in fruity pulp. Twilight blinked and looked to her left where Pinkie Pie was ginning at her.

“Wow! That was cool!” the pink earth pony said,  “Are you making applesauce? I love applesauce. Of course, nobody makes applesauce like Applejack, but I'm sure your applesauce is just as good. Oh, you know what we need?”

“Pinkie...” Twilight grumbled.

“Oatmeal cookies! Nothing goes better with applesauce than oatmeal cookies. Wait! I think I have some in here somewhere.” Pinkie began rummaging in a large sack that has inexplicably appeared out of nowhere. A variety of objects sailed through the air including balloons, streamers, the complete works of Ralph Waldo Equestrian, a rubber chicken, seven pairs of socks--

“PINKIE!”

Pinkie pulled her head out of the bag, an oversized foam cowpony hat on her head. “What?”

Twilight sighed and levitated a rag over and wiped the apple mush off her face before looking at her friend. “Was there something you wanted? You know, before you interrupted a very delicate spell that could have reduced both of us into our component atoms if it had gone worse than it did?”

“Component atoms? I wonder what that would be like? Ooh! Maybe it's like a really big sneeze, you know, like one of those where you think you're going to sneeze but it stops and then a few minutes later it's a  REALLY big sneeze that scares everypony half to death and then they say 'eeeeeewwww' because there's--”

“What do you want, Pinkie?” Twilight said, wanting to cut Pinkie off before she went into an overly detailed explanation of why a pony would say “ewww” after a really big sneeze.

“Oh, right!” Pinkie said, putting the bag wherever she hid things like that. “Mrs. Cake sent me over to see if you had any books on how to prepare exotic fruits. Zecora gave her these really juicy mango like things she's been growing, but she said they had to be prepared correctly or anything they get put in is going to be horrible.”

“Hmm,” Twilight said, walking over to the appropriate shelves, “Sounds like Olfafruit. She gave me a couple last year. They're great raw, but if you cut them up wrong and bake them the smell is—well, remember when Applejack had to dig that outhouse when her plumbing backed up last summer?”

“Oh yeah...that was awful! Smelled like something crawled up--”

“Let's see here!” Twilight said quickly “Ah, here we go! 'Fragrant Fruits For Festive Feasting.'  This should help her out!”

Pinkie took the book from where it was hovering. “Thanks, Twilight! She'll really appreciate it. Oh! Are you still coming to Applejack's Post-Harvest Barbecue tonight?”

“Wouldn't miss it for the world,” Twilight said. “Do I need to bring anything?”

“Nope! AJ said just bring your appetite.” Pinkie got a furtive expression and leaned in towards Twilight. “But I've got something special for tonight.”

“Special?” Twilight quirked an eyebrow. The last time Pinkie had something “special” planned for one of Applejack's barbecues, they had all ended up spending six hours clearing seven tons of whipped cream out of the barn.

“Yep. REALLY special!” Pinkie was grinning like a maniac. Twilight knew it was futile but she felt she should make a token effort for Applejack's sake.

“When you say 'special,' Pinkie--”

“Nope! Can't tell you any more. Then it'd spoil the surprise! See you tonight, Twilight!” With that, Pinkie vanished out of the library, the slamming door the only indicator of how she had departed.

Twilight sighed, and shook her head in a mix of amusement and disbelief. Only Pinkie Pie.

She turned back to the table and used her magic to pick up the rag again, intending to clean up the residue of the exploded apple, when she noticed the foam cowpony hat still sitting on the floor where Pinkie had left it. Twilight sighed and was about to pick it up when there was a knock at the door.

Twilight turned back, leaving the hat where it was, and opened the door. Derpy Hooves, her perpetually cross-eyed smiling expression in place, was there, holding out a package.

“Special Delivery for Twilight Sparkle!” she said.

“Oh! Thanks.” Twilight took the package and signed on the clipboard Derpy had pulled from her mail pouch. “Who's it from?”

“Came all the way from Canterlot!” Derpy replied. “Gotta go! Gotta get the mail to Sweet Apple Acres!” The gray pegasus took off like a shot...

...in the wrong direction.

“Derpy! Wait! Sweet Apple Acres is...” Twilight trailed off as Derpy was already out of earshot. Well, she'd find her way eventually. She always did.

Twilight turned her attention to the package, and blinked as she saw the return address was the royal palace. That was odd. Usually when Princess Celestia sent her something it came via Spike.

Twilight quickly opened the box and found the reason why it had been sent through the standard mail. Inside the box was the usual rolled up letter with the princess's seal, but there was also four scrolls and a very old book. There was no title on the cover. Instead, an ornate imprint of a sideways hourglass was stamped into the leather cover.

Twilight's eyes widened and a smile crept across her lips. She had gotten permission. Celestia had actually given her permission to do it! She quickly broke the seal and read the letter.

--

My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

I apologize for the delay in getting back to you regarding your request but I had to make this decision very carefully.

After receiving your letter regarding your recent adventure in time travel, I knew that a request to study the magic involved would not be long in coming. I also knew that you would not let the subject go...perhaps even going so far as to try breaking into a library you already have permission to access again, hmmm?

So instead, I have decided to let you study temporal magic. Enclosed you will find four of Starswirl the Bearded's original scrolls on the theory and practice of temporal magic, as well as the Tempus Codex of  Crystal Hourglass, one of Equestria's foremost experts on the subject.

However, in providing you with this information, I must issue this one condition. You may study temporal magic, you may even experiment with it, but I absolutely must make this clear:

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO SEND ANY LIVING CREATURE THROUGH TIME.

As you read the Tempus Codex, you will see that even Crystal Hourglass herself makes it clear that sending anything alive through the timestream could have unintended side effects. Even sending a living plant through time could inadvertantly change the history of Equestria as we know it. You were lucky that your own recent journey merely closed an existing time loop, thanks to the one-time nature of the spell.

If you must experiment with temporal manipulation, limit your experiments to inanimate pony-made objects or even better, rocks. Rocks and stones are already ancient and their repositioning in history will affect things minimally if at all. Although I also recommend not sending anything through time for any period greater than one day.

I am putting a great deal of faith in you by allowing you access to this information, my trusted student. Temporal magic is one of the most difficult and dangerous types of magic to learn, and it must be used responsibly...which is to say rarely, if ever.

I am allowing you to study this field because I know if I do not, the attraction will be all the greater. Please do not let my faith be misplaced. Be careful, Twilight. Time is not something to be trifled with. The consequences can, and will, be dire.

Your loving teacher,

Princess Celestia

–

Sweet Apple Acres was a farm that ran on tradition. The Apple family had run the farm since before the founding of Ponyville, and they hadn't seen the need to change any of the traditions that made them a success, from the procedures to make Zap Apple Jam to the secret method by which they made the Equestria famous Sweet Apple Cider.

But, that didn't mean the Apples were against creating new traditions. About two years previous, Twilight Sparkle had mentioned to Applejack that it seemed a shame that there wasn't any sort of celebration for all of their hard work once the apple harvest was in for another year. This suggestion happened to be made within earshot of Pinkie Pie and before the Apples knew it, the Sweet Apple Acres Post-Harvest Barbecue had been officially declared.

The Barbecue had been a hit, and the Apples had decided to make it an annual tradition, inviting the whole town to celebrate the closing of another year. The Cakes provided dessert and a newcomer to Ponyville, Hickory Smoke, turned out to know his way around a grill, serving up some of the best barbecued fruits and veggies anyone had ever tasted. It became one of the high points of the year. Something that nopony in Ponyville wanted to miss.

Which is why when Twilight Sparkle arrived out of breath and looking flustered, Applejack noticed.

“Well, hey there, sugarcube!” the cowpony said as she trotted up to her friend. “I was just wonderin' what happened to you.”

“Sorry I'm late, Applejack,” Twilight apologized, “I got a package from Princess Celestia and I...”

“Lost track of time, did ya?” Applejack grinned. “Don't worry about it. Things just barely kicked into high gear, and Pinkie Pie hasn't even shown up yet.”

“Really?” Twilight said as the two of them made their way over to the large picnic table that had been set up next to the grill as a buffet for the side dishes. Twilight levitated a paper plate and began loading food onto it as she and Applejack talked. “That's not like her. Isn't she usually the first one here?”

“Pretty much. If it wasn't for the fact that I threatened to tie her to a tree if she showed up at the crack of dawn like she did last year, I would have expected to see her right after lunch.”

“That's weird. She mentioned having some sort of surprise for the barbecue when she stopped by this morning. You know anything about that?”

“She said the same thing to me too,” Applejack replied. “But you know Pinkie. That pony's not happy unless she's scarin' everypony half to death with her surprises.”

The two friends giggled at the description as they walked over to where Rarity and Fluttershy were sitting on a picnic blanket under one of the largest trees in the orchard.

“Twilight, darling!” Rarity called as they sat down on the blanket. “We wondered where you had gotten too.

“We were worried you weren't coming” said Fluttershy.

“Please, you think I'm going to miss this? No, I just got caught up in some research.”

“Research? On a beautiful day like today?” Rarity asked, “What could possibly be more important than one of the biggest events in Ponyville?”

Twilight took a quick look around and motioned for her friends to move in closer. “Well, you see, a couple of months ago I--”

“HEADS UP!” came a voice from above, right before a volleyball crash landed right on Twilight's loaded plate, sending everything from potato salad to barbecue baked beans flying all over the four ponies. Rarity shrieked and began frantically looking for something to clean the food off of her coat.

“For cryin' out loud, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack said, glaring up where the rainbow maned pegasus was flying. “This is EXACTLY why I told y'all to keep the volleyball game on the other side of the yard!”

“Sorry, AJ, the ball went out of bounds. I was trying to catch it before it landed. Didn't quite make it.”

Rainbow Dash dropped the ground and began helping her friends clean up the mess. After the mess had been cleaned up, a new blanket and food acquired, and Rarity was cleaned up to her satisfaction, the five friends sat back down and  began enjoying their meals.

“So, um, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, “You were telling us what you were researching?”

“Oh, right,” Twilight leaned forward. “Princess Celestia gave me permission to study temporal magic.”

“Is she out of her mind?!” Rarity shrieked.

“Keep your voice down! I don't want everypony to know!” Twilight hissed.

“Twilight,” Rarity said, a serious look on her face. “I may not make magic a high priority in my life, but even I know that temporal magic is something one does not simply start fooling around with out of idle curiosity.”

“I KNOW that. The princess even warned me about experimenting with it. And I know the risks. I have it under control Rarity.”

“I don't get it,” Rainbow Dash said, “What's the big deal about this temporal magic stuff?”

Twilight sighed. “It's magic which allows you to manipulate or travel through time.”

“Seriously?” Applejack said.

Twilight nodded. “I actually did it a couple of months ago. It's a long story, but the short version is I made a short one time trip through time and it was incredible. I had to know how it worked, so I asked the princess if I could study it.”

“So you can send stuff through time?” Rainbow asked. “That is so COOL. Come on, send something through time! It'll be awesome!”

“Certainly not!” Rarity said. “Twilight is simply studying the theory. There is no way she would be so reckless as to actually perform any of that magic just to entertain you.”

“Actually...” Twilight murmured. “I could try.”

“Twilight!” Rarity said, shocked.

“I spent all afternoon studying the theory, and Princess Celestia said as long as I limited anything I send through time to rocks and didn't do anything too fancy, I could experiment.”

“Applejack,” Rarity said. “Talk some sense into her!”

“Actually, I'd kinda like to see that. I mean, if she sticks to what the princess said, I don't rightly see the harm.”

“Fluttershy!” Rarity turned to the yellow pegasus. “You've got a clear head. Tell her not to do anything foolish.”

“Well, I...um...” Fluttershy began, “I mean, if the princess said it was okay and if Twilight's pretty sure she can do it, maybe she could just send a rock into the future...like maybe a minute? That should be safe, right?”

“Oh for the love of Celestia,” Rarity huffed. “All right, fine! Since you all refuse to listen to reason, go ahead Twilight. But if something goes wrong--”

“You have every right to say 'I told you so.'” Twilight finished. “Let's see here...”

She looked around and found a small smooth rock. She levitated it over and held it in the air in the center of the circle of ponies. “Now, I'm going to send this rock one minute into the future. I need everyone to keep quiet. I need total concentration. Everybody understand?”

There were varying noises of assent. Twilight nodded and began to channel the spell she had read up on in the Tempus Codex. The rock began to slowly spin, much like the apple had earlier. Only this time the spin was more controlled, more focused. While she had been trying to send the apple through time earlier, something had felt off even before Pinkie Pie had interrupted her.

But this time, the calculations were right, the magic was perfectly controlled. The rock began spinning faster and soon it was a spinning ball of white light. All the other ponies stared, transfixed. The space around the rock began to twist and Twilight felt a grin cross her face. She was doing it. She was actually doing it. She was going to send something to the future...

“PONY ISLAND CORN LOGS!” cried Pinkie Pie as she cannonballed into the center of the group, six of the famous fair food treats in her hooves. She landed with a loud thud in the center of the ring of ponies, causing all five of them to shriek in surprise.

“Pinkie!” Rarity yelped. “Twilight was casting a very delicate--”

The rock, spinning madly, suddenly stretched to an impossible length and vanished through the hole in space, which promptly began growing at an unbelievable rate. Twilight stared in horror as air began rushing through the hole, taking the plates and the food with it. The ponies scrabbled to keep ahold of something as the wind began howling. The six friends looked at each other as they held on for dear life. Applejack summed up the situation beautifully.

“Well, horseapples.”

–

Twilight groaned as she slowly came back to consciousness. Her head was pounding and she raised her head, looking around.

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw her friends lying on the ground, each of them making assorted noises as they woke up. Applejack rubbed the back of her head with a hoof as she looked around for her hat.

“I ain't felt like that since the day Big Macintosh found that barrel of forgotten cider in the cellar and  we drank it so it wouldn't go bad.”

“What's wrong with that?” Rainbow Dash asked, stretching her wings and making sure nothing was broken.

Applejack found her hat and placed it back on her head. “We didn't realize it had fermented until the next morning.” She looked around and let out a gasp.

“AJ?” Pinkie said, “You okay.”

“The moon!” Fluttershy cried. “Look at the moon!”

The group looked up and echoes Fluttershy's wail. The moon hung in the sky, but while it was still mostly round, it was shattered. Fragments hung in the sky, looking bleak and ruined. Around the horizon was a dark red ring of light. It was impossible to tell if it was day or night.

“What in Equestria happened?” Twilight said. “Where are we?”

“No...” Applejack whispered. Unlike the rest of them, she hadn't looked up at the moon. Instead she was staring into the grove of blighted and ruined trees that surrounded them.

“Applejack?” Rarity asked, lightly poking her friend with a hoof. “Are you all right?”

“It's gone,” Applejack turned to look at Rarity, a haunted look on her face and tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “It's all gone.”

“What's gone?” Twilight asked, walking over to them. “Applejack? Do you know where we are?”

“You bet I know where we are,” Applejack said. “I'd know this place anywhere.”

“You do?” Pinkie asked, looking around at the dreary landscape. “Why would you know about a yucky place like this? I mean, okay, maybe yucky isn't the right word, but it's definitely not the kind of place I would hang out inMMMMPH!”

“Put a cork in it, Pinkie.” Rainbow said, slapping her hooves over Pinkie's mouth.

“You've hung out here lots of times, sugarcube,” Applejack said sadly. She hung her head and closed her eyes, the tears beginning to flow. “We all have. We didn't go anywhere. This is Sweet Apple Acres.”

The other ponies eyes widened as they looked around at the blighted trees, the crabgrass that grew everywhere, and the general bleakness of the surroundings. In the distance, a half demolished barn that they all knew very well was visible, the sight making their hearts sink.

Applejack turned to Rarity and buried her face in the other mare's shoulder. Rarity put a hoof around Applejack's shoulders as the cowpony began to sob quietly. Twilight closed her eyes, unsure of what to say, hoping that when she opened them the ruined orchard would be back to being lush and vibrant.

“Twilight,” Rarity said quietly. Twilight opened her eyes and looked at Rarity, who had a sad look on her face.

“I told you so.”