Changing Time

I couldn't wait to tell John about Luna being my new mentor. She said she'd teach me how to be more comfortable with not only accepting myself, but accepting the company of others. I was able to limp around town in my natural form, and the royal guard, along with Celestia, knew about me, so I was safe. I fell asleep that night, only to be met by my nightmare, which got worse little by little each night. Tonight, was horrible. "No, don't do it!" I sleep talk a lot and it echoes in the orphanage where I now live, and the worst part, no pony else was there. Luna is always too busy with other fillies to see my dreams, but I don't mind. In my dream, I get tortured by a masked colt in the rainbow factory without being able to escape, only to find that the masked colt is John.

When I woke up one morning, my colors were different and I was highly paranoid. I limped out to get a milkshake to calm myself down, and I heard this weird music immediately as I limped into the shop. I flew out only to fall from my sore wing not being ready to fly that fast. I looked back to see John with a music box. My colors changed back to normal. He noticed this and asked what was up.

I was hesitant to talk about my nightmares, I was too haunted by them to talk about it. I looked down in the river we were sitting by, and saw a small rainbow in it. I yelped, stumbling backwards, and crawling away. John flew over to me, comforting me once more. I told him about the dreams, what happened in them, how bad they were. He simply looked at me as I was crying, and handed me the music box.

"Here," he said, "it was my mother's, it used to calm me when I slept." I smiled and took the music box that he was handing to me. His ears then suddenly perked up and he flew into the Everfree forest. I limped after him as quickly as I could and found him in front of Zecora's looking around, and then going in. I didn't feel well, but I limped in anyways. He was making something, and I asked what it was, startling him. He suddenly said, "it's....I can't....I ca-" he was cut off, as he fainted.

I panicked and immediately flew him on my back to he hospital, very slowly. It took at least ten or fifteen minutes to get to the hospital. But we got there, and he woke up by the time we reached the bed in his room.

"No, no no no no no!!!" He suddenly said "HE TOLD ME NOT TO BE A PATIENT HERE!!!!!" I was obviously surprised as John flew outside, with me limping right behind him, so he simply said, "Long story..." There was an awkward silence after that, until it was broken by John saying, "Wanna grab a milkshake?"

I giggled seeing that he didn't want to talk about it, and said, "Sure, let's go." He bought me my shake as usual and I once again said that I would pay, with him saying that it was alright and that he wanted to pay. It was going as usual so far, but then the manager came over.

"Pay your tab Mr. Rim, it's overdue by a week." he said making it obvious that John had little money.

"But I don't have that much!" John yelled. The argument went on as I gave up and took some bits out of my saddlebag.

"Here," I said, paying for my own shake.

"But Candy," John started.

"It's fine, if you don't have enough I'd rather pay myself." I smiled and handed some more bits to the manager, "Will that cover his tab?"

"For now." The manager griped as he walked away.

We decided to go back to Zecora's after that because I needed to make a potion before a virus hit me, and since it only affects young changelings, I needed my yearly dose of the potion.

John started acting weird once we walked in, and all he said before fainting once more, was to not bring him to the hospital. I started to panic again, but then remembered that last time he was just sleeping. I put him in Zecora's bed, and started to make my potion.

My potion was about done when I heard something, "Ugh...not the pears." I looked back at John, who was sleep talking. I thought it was kind of cute, so I continued with my potion, listening to John to make sure his dreams didn't get too bad. "No, they need us!" he kept yelling, "Can't we save them?!" I saw tears roll down his cheeks, and that's when I finished my potion and limped over to wake him up. I gently shook him awake as he screamed.

He just stood there and said in relief, "It was just a dream."

"You sleep talk." I told him.

"Oh," he started, "what did you hear?"

"All of it." I said.

"Even the pears huh?" he chuckled as I nodded. I took a sip of my potion, bottled the rest, and limped back to the orphanage with John. Before we walked in John asked me to touch a spot on his chest, where his heart was. I put my hoof there as he said. There was a normal pulse. Then John told me to touch right next to his heart. I put my hoof there as well. My eyes widened as I felt a normal pulse, exactly like the other side of his chest, only a couple seconds off. I looked up at him, for I couldn't comprehend what was going on. He told me that he had a second heart, and that it was needed to for him to live. I was in disbelief, until he explained further. He explained how he was a timelord, and I had heard of these, but never gotten info on them because they were thought to be extinct. I had also heard rumors that Doctor Whooves, a mysterious brown stallion that looks similar to John, was one of these timelords due to his abnormal behavior and him being at his home all the time. Even Luna can't read his dreams. This fact confirmed my theory that Doc was John's dad, and even John admitted it afterwards.

Later that night, John decided to stay in the bunk next to me. I wasn't surprised to see him at the foot of my bed as I woke up screaming. He was mainly there to comfort me for the night, that's what he said at least.

"Nightmares again?" he asked, I nodded as a response. He came up to my bed and said to me, "Did I ever tell you why I say along'sy to you each time I leave?" I shook my head awaiting an answer, "It's my way of saying I love you." He smiled as I returned the look, blushing. I had obviously said along'sy in my sleep before I woke up, right before I fell asleep I responded.

"In that case, along'sy John," and I was out like a light after that.

I woke up a while later to John handing me something, he had obviously worked on it last night while I was asleep. I asked what it was.

"This will take your nightmares away!" John said with glee, "I put water in the top, and this potion comes out in the form of a mist, keeping away any bad dreams! I know because I fell asleep on the job."

I giggled, "Thank you, I'm happy to have a friend like you." I winked at him as I packed my stuff for my first day at school in my normal form. I'm nervous because I do have a cold, but the teacher knows I'm a changeling so I hope it'll be okay.