In the Hands of a Hidden Caretaker

Chapters

Explanations and Apologies
A Morning Routine
Relaxing and Moving
A New Normal
Food for Thought
A New Start
Expeditions and a Confrontation

Explanations and Apologies

It had been a few hours since Duke and Tempora’s argument. Duke was walking through the hallways still a bit angry about the ordeal he was in.

“This is Just great! I’m stuck in some freakazoid coma, and the only thing my brain can give me for company is a bunch of babies, and a stupid incompetent, OW!”

Duke’s horn whacked into a low hanging tree branch.

“If this thing is just an illusion, then why does it actually hurt?” Duke asked no one in particular.

Duke walked into an indoor garden of sorts and plopped down on a bench. The ceiling was in ruins, revealing the moon in the sky.

“what am I gonna do?” Duke asked himself as he drifted to sleep.

The little pink foal watched as the new pony stopped moving.

“why is new pony not moving?” she thought.

The foal looked down at the bag she had dragged from the kitchen.

“new pony’s not smiling. Mommy gives me num nums when I’m not smiling, so it should work for new pony, right?”

Duke had been in a deep sleep for a few minutes when he felt something tugging at his scarf.

“ng… who in their right mind would be up this hour?” Duke thought to himself.

Duke opened his eyes to a pair of blue eyes staring back at him a few inches away.

“Wha!” exclaimed Duke as tumbled off one side of the bench.

The foal walked around the bench to find duke flat on his back.

“Ok, maybe these new additions aren’t illusions.” wheezed duke.

The foal looked at Duke concerned.

“Don’t worry about me kid, I’m fine,” Duke said consoling the foal.

“What are you doing out here?” Duke asked as he stood up, “you shouldn’t be up around this hour.”

The pink foal looked up at Duke with a smile, before trotting over to a large bag lying on its side, next to the bench. The foal went inside the bag and came out slowly pushing a plate about as big as herself.

On the plate was a single slice of a white bread loaf.

The foal then pushed the plate until it was in front of duke’s front legs.

“Uh, is this for me?” duke asked pointing to the bread than to himself.

The foal nodded her head.

“Um, thank you,” Duke said as he gave the foal a light pat on the head, to which the foal giggled.

“ok, this kid’s definitely special.” Duke thought to himself as he looked from the foal to the bread. “now, how to eat this.”

A few minutes later, Duke was left with a pink foal and a squashed piece of bread.

“This would be so much easier with hands…” Duke said out loud.

Then an idea came to Duke.

“That’s it! I’ll just take the scarf off! Easy as pie, just gotta get this under here…”

The foal watched duke struggle with the scarf with an expression that can only be described as “confusion divided by curiosity.”

After several minutes messing with the scarf, duke gave up and sat down with his back to the bench.

Duke closed his eyes. “I wish I could have my old body back.”

Duke was almost asleep when the foal started nudging his hand.

Wait, hand?

Duke’s eyes shot open at the fact he could feel the floor with his fingers!

“How did I…” Duke asked. He just stared at his hands for a few minutes as the pink foal looked at him in awe.

“How did new pony do that?” The foal thought as she looked from duke to her own hoof, “can I do that?”

Then something occurred that hadn't happened in nearly five years.

Duke started to giggle, then it became full-on laughter as he started to jump and dance around the room. The foal joined in, even though she didn’t know why. She was just happy that the new pony was all smiley.

“HA HA! WHOO! Can you believe it, kid?! I got my hands back!”

The foal stopped dancing, instead opting to sit still like she was concentrating on something really hard.

“h-hamds.”

Duke looked at the foal with his jaw hanging low. Here he was, probably in a coma, and the foal he was practically babysitting, had quite just possibly said her first word. And it was about his hands.

A small smile crossed Duke’s face.

“That’s right kid, these are hands, see?” said Duke as he sat down showing his hands to the foal. The foal tensely reached out one of her hooves and touched his hand.

“hamds?” Repeated the foal.

Duke nodded his head encouragingly.

“hamds,” said the foal again, a smile spreading across her face. “Hamds!” she said excitedly.

“hamds, hamds, hamds, hamds!” the foal chanted happily as she bounced around the room.

“CHAYA!”

Duke turned to the source of the voice as Tempora walked in. her mane was a little frazzled and eyes looked tired.

“Where have you been? Do you know how long I've been looking for you?” Tempora asked the foal.

Her voice didn’t sound like an older sister, angry at her siblings, rather a mother, scared for her child.

The foal, whose name was Chaya, looked back up at Tempora with a confused look on her face. She had just wanted to see the new pony smile, what was wrong with that?

“Um, excuse me?” Tempora turned her head to look at Duke.

“Has she ever talked before?” asked Duke pointing at Chaya.

Tempora sighed, “Ignoring the fact about you being you being your old self again, no unless you count baby gibberish as talking.”

Duke grinned a little before scooting up next to Chaya.

“Your gonna love this. Kid?” the foal looked at Duke.

“What are these?” Duke asked, gesturing to his hands.

“hamds!” said Chaya excitedly.

Duke looked Tempora as her jaw hung low.

“She said her first word! And it was about you!” Tempora exclaimed dejectedly.

“Aw, don’t be sad Tempora! You’ll get your chance with one of the other five I’m sure!” Duke said encouragingly, a bit taken aback on how sad Tempora had become.

“Let’s just get this little lady back to bed and then we can talk, ok?

“Ok.” Replied Tempora.

It had been half an hour since Tempora had found Chaya. She and Duke were out on a balcony looking up at the night sky.

“It really is incredible.” Said duke.

“What is?” asked Tempora.

“The fact that there’s still daylight in that nursery, though it just looks a bit more like dusk now.”

An awkward silence followed suit as the two adults looked up at the sky.

“Look I’m sorry,” said the adults at the same time, causing them to chuckle a bit.

“Sorry, Ladies first.” Said duke.

Tempora took a deep breath, “I'm sorry about what I said about your mother, I'm sure she’s a great lady. Uh, if its ok, what’s she like?”

Duke twiddled his thumbs, “She was kind, always cared about me, made the best pumpkin pie."

“Was?”

“Yeah, mom and dad died in a car crash, some drunk guy was harassing them on the road.”

“Car crash?”

“Oh, uh you don’t know what cars are, do you?”

“Nope.”

“Uh, it’s like a complicated box on wheels that people use to get around.”

“Like a carriage?”

“Yeah, just without anyone pulling it.”

“How?!” Tempora asked in bewilderment.

Duke chuckled a bit.

“Don’t ask me, I don’t know how it works. And anyway I'm sorry too, I shouldn’t have said those things about you. you're a great mom! You’re just a bit desperate.”

“Thanks.” Said Tempora. The two became quiet for a little while before Tempora spoke up.

“There's something that has been on my mind since you told me your name, are you royalty?”

“what? Oh No no no no, it’s a nickname, kinda.”

Tempora nodded her head for Duke to continue.

“Well, my full name is Arthur Duke Winters, but most of my friends called me Duke.”

“That’s a long name, why did your friends call you that?”

“Back when I was still in school, a friend of mine was being picked on by a bully. I stood up to him, and kinda got beat up. But ever since then people started calling me Duke, saying that it was noble of me for doing that. Most of them didn’t even know it was my middle name!” Duke said with a laugh.

Tempora laughed with him, and after a while, things went quiet again.

“So, I got two questions.” Said duke.

“Yes?” said Tempora.

“First, how did I adapt to being a pony so fast? I didn’t even trip over my hooves the entire time!”

“Ah, that’s easy! Its part of the spell in the scarf, it’s a full transformation spell, biology, and everything. the spell put a bit of basic instinct into your head, and the basic of the basic is walking and talking I guess.

“Okay, smart. two, how did a nice mare like you get in here?”

Tempora looked away.

“You don’t have to tell me you know, it was just a question.” Consoled duke.

“No, it's fine.” Said Tempora. And with a deep breath, she began to tell her tale.

“I was about six when it happened, I was playing with my friend in the woods behind our house when they came.

A figure dressed in a dark green cloak. They foal napped me and put a curse on me binding me to this castle, giving me a warning that if I ever left, I would become like sand.

My friend ran to my parents and told them what happened, and they tried everything to get me out. Counterspells, totems, anything you can think off.

Eventually, they just left me there with the promise of return, ever since then, they hired a local farmer and baker to supply me with food.

But my parents are gone now, and nopony but the farmer and baker know I’m here. Though they haven't come in a while and if I hadn't found that farm in one of the other rooms, I would have starved long ago. And now I’m just waiting for my time to be up.”

“Wow,” Duke said appalled.

“And you know what? I still don’t know why they trapped me here. Did they know about the foals? Was it dumb luck that the foals were brought here? Was it destiny?”

“Maybe it was coincidental fate or something.”

Tempora facehooved and let out a giggle.

“It's not called fate if it’s coincidental, Duke.”

“Oh, whatever.”

The two suddenly noticed the change in atmosphere.

“Uh you know what, I think I should go to bed…” said Duke a bit quicker than he meant to.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Responded Tempora.

Duke walk back inside and turned down the hallway as Tempora watched a bit reluctantly.

Then Duke came back out.

“Uh, where do I sleep?” Duke asked.

The blue mare giggled a bit. “Come on, Sleepyhead.”

The two walked until the came up to the nursery.

“Isn’t this the nursery?” asked Duke.

“Yeah, but most of the other rooms are normal bedrooms. Pick any room you like!”

Duke looked at the doors lining both sides of the hallway.

“That one,” Duke said as he pointed to the door, two spaces to the left of the nursery.

“Oh well, isn’t that coincidence!” said Tempora, smiling a little.

“What’s is it??” asked Duke.

“Oh, nothing, just its next to my room! Were neighbors!”

Duke smiled at the mare’s antics as he opened the door to his room and was met with a dust cloud.

“Guess this room hasn’t been used for a while,” Duke said through a fit of coughs.

Tempora let out a laugh. “Here let me help you with that.” She said before lighting her horn.

One minute later and the whole room was spotless.

“You know, every time you use your magic, I keep wondering how much mine can do,” Duke commented.

“Well I teach you later, but right now,” Tempora paused with a yawn, “bedtime.”

“Hey, Tempora?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not mad about Chaya’s first words being about me, are you?”

“No of course not. I just wish I was around when it happened.” Tempora looked at the floor.

“Ok, just wondering. good night Tempy.” Duke said trying to lift the unicorn’s spirits.

Tempora smiled. “Goodnight duke.” She said before entering her room.

Duke gave himself a pat on the back before going into his room.

The room was dark, save the moonlight coming through the window on the opposite side of the room from the door. It was rather cozy, looking more like a room from an old English farmhouse, rather than a castle.

Duke plopped onto the bed.
“If this isn’t a dream, I think I can handle it, for a little while anyway.” Duke thought as he drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

well... didn't realize that people would actually like this story (though I don't know how long that's going to last.)

thanks to viper pit for the name Arthur.

Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are welcome.

Edits made on 7/9/18

A Morning Routine

Duke was running.

He wasn’t sure where he was, but it looked like somewhere in the Amazon rainforest.

He looked behind him to see a giant purple banana chasing him.

“Resistance is futile! You will accept the way of theBANANA SPLIT!!!!” the banana titan screamed as it started to throw various flavors of ice cream at Duke.

“I always hated eating that dessert!” Duke yelled back at him, right before running straight into a tree.

Duke woke up to the smell of something he wasn’t expecting.

Breakfast. Like something straight out of one of those old brunch diners.

“Guess this isn’t a dream.” Thought duke. “can’t really sleep in a dream, that’d just be redundant.”

Grumble

“Guess I should go see what Tempora's cooking.” Thought Duke as he got out of bed.

“Tempora?” Duke called out as he exited his room.

“In here,” Tempora Responded from her room.

As Duke entered the room the scent of breakfast became much stronger. Tempora’s room looked how it smelled, like a diner. Complete with a single glass pane window, records on the walls, a sink and griddle, and even a jukebox to boot!

The only thing that made it a bedroom was the bed behind the countertop.

“Morning sleepy head!” the blue mare cheerfully greeted.

“Morning Tempora.” Replied Duke with a yawn.

“Aw, dropping my nickname so soon?” asked Tempora with an exaggerated frown and puppy-dog eyes.

Duke shook his head a little at the unicorn’s antics, “Isn’t pouting a bit childish?”

“What’s the point of being an adult if you can’t be childish sometimes?”

Duke shrugged. “I don’t know how to argue with that. So, what…”

Whaaa!!!

“Didn’t this happen yesterday?” Duke thought to himself.

“Whoops! Looks like the girls are awake. Could you get the highchairs out of the closet, while I get the foals?”

“What about the food?” asked Duke pointing at the meals on the stove, most of which were meatless.

“Oh, it’ll be fine, I’ll only be a minute.”

Duke looked around for a minute as he searched for a closet door. The only doors he found other then the one that led to the hallway were two that should have led to his room.

“Welp has to be one of them. What could go wrong?” Duke asked sarcastically.

Tempora walked into the nursery to find the six foals starting to wake.

“Hey, there girls! Ready to meet my new friend?”

Five of the foals let a little happy squeal as Tempora lift them out of their cribs.

Tempora noticed that the sixth was still sleeping quietly as she lifted the foal out of her crib.

The little foal dreamed that she was following a thin little thing fluttering through the air. The wind flowed through her pink mane as she trotted after the fluttery thing.

“Wait come back!” she thought.

“Havin?” the fluttery thing asked as it stopped and turned around.

The foal slowed down in front of it.

“Havin, Sweetie it’s time to wake up!”

The foal drowsily opened her eyes to see she was laying on the back of her mommy.

“Good morning sweetie have a good nap?”

Havin nodded. She was happy she and her sisters lived with mommy. Before that, all she could remember was screaming, and that scared her. But now everything was ok, they weren’t there anymore.

“Fwoomp”

“Clank Clang Clonk”

Hearing this Havin tried to hide in her mommy’s fur.

“Oh dear, what was that?” thought Tempora as she rushed out of the nursery, as the foals followed her.

When she walked into her room she found Duke on his back with several sticks wrapped in fabric in a multitude of different colors laying on top of her guest.

“What happened to you?” Tempora asked.

Duke looked up at her. “How is it that you don’t know what cars are, but you have a room full of umbrellas!?”

“Ok two things, I don’t know what an umbrella is, and thank you for opening that door.”

“Why are you thanking me for opening the door?”

“Because every door in this castle has something different in it, and I didn’t know what that one had behind it.”

“But it’s in your room. Why didn’t you open it?” Duke asked as he got up.

“Because this castle has thrown some weird stuff at me and when the foals came I decided to take a break from exploring.”

“So that’s what you did with your time? Exploring the castle?”

“More or less,” Tempora admitted as she went behind the counter. “You’d be surprised how big the place is, it’s like it goes on forever!”

“Maybe we could go explore it some time,” Duke Suggested.

Tempora raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Arthur Duke Winters. are you asking me on a date?”

Duke let out a snort. “You wish! I've only known you for less than a day, Tempy.”

Tempora stuck out her tongue than giggled.

“I knew you weren’t going to drop the nickname!”

Duke rolled his eyes as he walked over to take a seat at the counter. He noticed that his left leg had gotten heavier. He looked down to see Chaya hugging his leg giggling, while the four other foals stood around his feet looking up at him.

“Um, hi?” Duke said to the foals, waving his hand uncertainly.

“Hamds!” said Chaya eagerly.

The foals looked at Chaya, then back up at Duke, then at each other.

“Wa!” they all exclaimed eagerly as they all jumped on top of duke toppling him to the ground.

“Aw! Isn’t that cute!” exclaimed Tempora watching the foals greet the newcomer as she flipped a flapjack.

“Help!” pleaded Duke from underneath the cuddle pile.

“And take away the foals’ chance at making a new friend?” Tempora put her hoof to her chin in thought, “Nah!” she said with a grin.

“Well, at least give me their names!”

“Oh goodness, where are my manners!” Tempora said in a posh accent.

“The violet one with the indigo mane’s is named Alena, the orange one with the golden mane is named Theresa, the white one with the purple mane is named Phaedra, the cyan one with the rainbow mane is named Norah, the yellow one with the pink mane ridding on my back is named Havin, and you already know Chaya.” Tempora elaborated.

“Ok, ok wait, don’t nuzzle my arm I’m tickleihihihihish!” Duke pleaded with the foals nuzzling just about everywhere.

Half an hour later

After the pile of cuteness, the group had a rather rumbustious breakfast, leaving most of the foals with syrup, bits of pancake, waffles, and French toast in their fur and manes. This resulted in a trip to a rather English-looking bathroom, complete with a bubble bath, another thing that Tempora was new to, and something the foals enjoyed greatly.

“Why did you eat half of your breakfast and then try to use the rest of it as clothing?” Duke asked the white foal as he dried her off, whipping his hair to the side to get it out of his eyes.

Phaedra just giggled at the human’s wet hair, which resembled a used mop.

“Oh, you think this is funny?” Duke asked as he flicked his hair the other way, while he reached for a hairbrush.

Phaedra just giggled some more as Duke started to brush her mane.

“Hey, Tempora?” the mare looked over to Duke as she dried the rest of the foals with her magic and some towels. “Does this sort of thing happen a lot around here?” Duke asked.

“Oh, no much…” Tempora said as she sheepishly looked away from him. “like once a month-ish?”

“This happens every morning doesn’t it?” Duke asked with a deadpan expression.

Tempora sighed, “Am I that easy to read?”

“Almost.” Replied Duke. “I thought you were a pancake type of person, ere, pony, then you go and surprise me with you having French toast for breakfast! You're sneaky sometimes, you know that?”

Tempora smirked, “Well you’re a bit sneaky too! Here I thought you were waffle pony, um, person, and you eat pancakes! I’ve never even made pancakes before!”

“Waffa?” asked Chaya.

Everyone in the room looked at her.

Then Norah deiced to try. “Waffa…”

Five minutes later the room was filled with the sounds of foals trying to speak.

Tempora just looked shocked as Duke just grinned.

“Well, they’re mimicking you now!”

Duke noticed Havin shivering on her towel covering her ears.

“Hey, hey! Kids quiet down.” Duke gently scolded as he put a finger to his mouth.

It took a few minutes for the foals to quiet down, but the room did get quieter.

Duke scooted over to Havin and scooped her up in his arms.

“Hey, you ok?” Duke softly asked.

Havin looked up at Duke a couple of tears forming in her eyes as she opened her mouth.

“hehhhh hahhhh hehhh,” Havin tried speaking, but Duke noticed her voice sounded unnaturally strained. Duke looked at Tempora. the look of concern on her face was obvious.

“Shh, if it hurts don’t try to talk, I don’t want you hurting yourself ok?” Duke spoke quietly.

Havin buried her head in Duke’s chest and started to cry as Duke got up and moved into the nursery.

Duke sat down by one of the cribs as he started humming a lullaby he couldn’t remember the words to.

Havin quieted down after a few minutes but as Duke started to move her into her crib, Havin’s horn lit up and Duke saw a teal aura around his arms as they pulled Havin in close.

Duke chuckled a little as he sat back down. Then Tempora entered the room with the other foals in her magical grasp quietly sleeping.

“The foals seem to like you, especially Havin. It took about a month for her to even trust me, let alone get that close to her.” Tempora spoke quietly so she didn’t wake the foals. “You’re really good with children.”

“Something I never found out I guess, I was an only child, and I never really had a girlfriend. The thought of having kids never really crossed my mind, let alone if I would be any good at it.”

“Maybe that’s your special talent.” Suggested Tempora as she put the foals in their cribs for a nap.

“Huh?”

“Well you see, when a pony is around their teen years, they usually try and find their place in the world. When they do, a picture appears on their flank representing said talent, we call them ‘cutie marks’. So, I thought maybe your talent has to do with children.”

“If I may ask where’s your mark?” Duke asked looking at Tempora.

Tempora snickered and waggled her eyebrows, “Ignoring the fact that you’ve been looking at my flank,” Tempora paused and playful look died in her eyes as she looked down at the floor.

“For some reason, I was born with my mark. The front face of a clock. Doctors were astounded, Wizards were baffled, and I have never figured out what it represented. You know what makes it even worse? It disappeared after I was cursed.”

Duke looked at his friend in concern. “I’m sorry, these ‘cutie marks’ sound important. To have yours taken away from you…”

“It’s fine, really. I’ve gotten over it.” Tempora stated. She looked back up a duke. “You two would make a really cute painting, it’s almost like your father and daughter,” Tempora said with a smile.

Duke smiled back. “It would be a lot cuter if it had a mother in it too.” Said Duke, as he motioned her to sit by him.

Tempora walked over, sat down, and cuddled up next to Duke, and closed her eyes.

They sat like this for a while content, like nothing in the world could stop them from enjoying the moment.

“Hey Tempora?” asked Duke.

“Hm?”

“You think we could look around this castle later? It would be nice to know where the front door is.”

Tempora smiled. “It’s a date.”

Author's Note

Guess who experienced the JOYS of Writer's block!!

seriously though, thanks for reading. I'm surprised that this has gained as much traction as it has.

Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are welcome.

Relaxing and Moving

Duke sighed. It had been about an hour since they had laid down to relax, however when Duke decided he was ready to stretch his legs, this happened.

“Hey Tempora?” asked Duke.

“Hmm?” came her lazy reply.

“Don’t you think we should get up now?”

“Just a few more minutes. You're comfy!”

Duke rolled his eyes as he got up, only to pushed back down by Tempora, determined not to lose her new favorite sapient pillow.

“Come on, Tempy,” Duke said attempting to get up again.

“Nuoooaawa…” the unicorn lazily whined half-heartedly.

“Tempora, we have to get up sooner or later.”

“Yes, Later. Snuggles, Now.”

Duke looked at Tempora as she smiled and snuggled his arm. It was comfortable, to say the least and true to her word, she didn’t bite.

“Come Tempora, I need to stretch my legs. I’ll come back in a few minutes.”

“Stay. You're Comfy…”

“Omfy?” the two adults looked over next to them to see a drowsy lavender foal.

“Oh dear, did we wake you up, Alena?” Tempora asked the foal, to which Alena just sleepily crawled over and plopped down on duke’s chest.

Tempora looked at Duke with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Looks like somepony wants to sleep with their daddy!”

Duke just sighed, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to lie here for a little while longer…”

As Alena got settled on her new pillow, Tempora thought of something, “Did you really mean it when you said that we were family?”

Duke stayed silent for several seconds, trying to put his own thoughts together.

“I think so, but I feel a bit, uncertain for lack of a better word.”

Tempora nodded encouragingly as she listened.

“This is all new to me, I don’t know this worlds culture, how it operates, or what ponies normally eat! Heck, my change back to my human form was a complete accident! I feel like I’ll need to transform again, and I don’t know how I did it! And another thing, I am going to take theses foals away from here, I would lose track of any kind of moral compass if I didn’t, but…” Duke’s voice raised a little and his breathing became shallow.

Tempora nuzzled Duke’s arm, “Don’t worry, everypony goes through this when they get to this point in their lives. I don’t blame you feeling this way considering all that you have been through in the past day. In fact, I would imagine that you’re taking this far better then you should, keeping everything that’s happened in mind.”

“And as for the scarf, it runs on an auditory command spell, just say when you want to change, and it’ll happen.”

Duke looked at Tempora with a little bit of surprise.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, I can be serious when I need to be,” Tempora said with a playful huff.

A tiny smile pulled the sides of Duke’s lips before disappearing.

“I don’t know how to take care of children…” Duke said soberly.

“Nopony does when they start, I know I didn’t...” Tempora replied.

While the adults continued their conversation, Alena’s gaze had wandered over to the crystal encrusted walls.

“They looked so shiny. what do they taste like?” the curious little filly thought to herself.

Alena shakily got up on her hooves and walked over to a red crystal, only to be stopped by a blue aura.

“Now where do you think you’re going, little missy?” Her mother asked in a caring, but firm voice.

“Uwa uh da!” Alena said as she pointed over to the crystals, trying to get her point across.

“The manatite crystals? You can’t play with those I’m afraid, they would burn your hooves right off if handled incorrectly.” Alena wasn’t sure what her mother had just said, but what she did understand was she couldn’t go over to the glowy things.

Alena’s eyes started to water, but before she could start crying she felt something tap her nose. She turned to see the new pony with a stern look on his face.

“None of that now, your mom is keeping you away from those crystals to keep you safe. Those will hurt you if you’re not careful.” The new pony’s features softened a little, “You’ll get another chance to handle them when you’re older, ok?”

Alena just whimpered as she crawled back over to her mom, and the new pony.
Her mom pulled her into a hug, “Hey, don’t be like that, there’s still a lot you’ll get to see today, you will find something you can mess around with, I’m sure.” Her mom said with a smile.

As Duke looked at Tempora and Alena, he smiled, “Looks like kids are the same on every world.” Duke said in contentment as he gave Alena a small pat on the head, Alena giving a tiny smile as he did.

Ten Minutes Later

“Well… this isn’t something I thought I would be seeing today…” Duke stated.

Duke was sitting next to a large, white and yellow lighthouse, which stood tall in the center of a medium sized island made of silver stone and sand.

Duke stared across the of a vast ocean surrounding the island, as strange rock formations moved slowly across the dark waters.

Tempora smiled as she looked over from nearby with the foals, “I know the feeling. The places in this castle never stop astonishing me… Woah now,” Tempora noticed Norah trying to sneak off to the bay.

Tempora’s aura grabbed Norah before she dived into the water, “No way am I letting you jump into that mess young lady, you don’t even know how to swim yet.”
Norah gave a large pout, as she started to cry.

“Crying won’t get you anywhere young lady, now come on.” Tempora floated Norah back over to the group.
As Norah continued to cry, Duke had an idea.

“Hey, Tempora? The transformation just has to have a command to make it work, right?”

Tempora nodded with a curious look, “What are you planning on doing…”

Duke got up and walked about a yard or two away while rubbing his hands together, “Ok kids, ready to see a trick?” the foals looked at him with curiosity in their eyes.

“Duke, what are you,” without warning Duke did a backflip.

“Transform me,” Duke whispered as he was in midair.

An ice blue flash of light surrounded duke and a second later the grey and ice blue maned alicorn remained in his place.
Thud

“Duke!” Tempora and the foals rushed over to their guest as he laid splayed out on the ground.

“Tada… ow.” Duke said into the silver beach, his voice being muffled by the sand.

Tempora summoned a first-aid kit with her magic as she began checking duke for any injuries.

“What were you thinking?!” Tempora asked frustrated.

“My original thought was to entertain the foals with a cool trick, and to help Norah to stop crying.”

“Well you certainly stopped her from crying, now stop talking into the beach. Eating sand isn’t healthy.”

Duke lifted his head to see Chaya nuzzling his cheek while the other foals curiously watched from a few feet away. “I’m ok Chaya, don’t worry,” Duke reassured the foal.

“You don’t have any bruises, but you will be sore for a while.” Tempora put some oil on Duke’s back. “This should help with the soreness.”

“Thank you Dr. Tempy,” Duke said jokingly.

Tempora smirked, “I assure you, I am by no means a Doctor…” Tempora looked over to the darkened sea. “Looks like a storm is coming in, we should move to somewhere else.”

“Agreed, don’t want the foals to catch a cold.”

Before Duke could get up though, Havin slowly crawled on his back, nestling herself in.

Tempora smiled at the scene, “Come on Papa Winters, I know just where to go next!”

Duke looked over at Tempora, “Don’t call me that again, like ever…”

“Make me Winters.” The blue unicorn stuck her tongue out playfully while giving him a wink.

Duke just rolled his eyes as he stood up.

“Sheesh, walking on four legs feels still feels weird...” Duke mumbled to himself.

The group walked around the lighthouse un till the came across a pair of open doors. One led inside the lighthouse, a spiral staircase leading to the top deck. The other leading back to the castle hallways.

As the group walked into the hallways it started to rain dark blue water onto the silver island.

“Wow, that was nearly timed perfectly,” Duke said in surprise.

“It’s just a small trick I learned when I was younger… The first time I did it perfectly, I got my mark…” Tempora commented quietly.

Duke’s expression became regretful, “Sorry I brought it up. Enough about that, where to next?”

Tempora perked up a little bit, “Right this way!” She led the group down the hall.

As the group walked down the hall Duke noticed a few of the doors lining both sides of the hallway had gold door handles, while the majority of them had wooden or silver handles, all of which were varied in size and shape.

The group walked to the end of the hallway then went up a flight of stairs and then walked down another hallway before Tempora settled on a door.

“Here we are!” the dark wooden door had oriental designs carved into it from top to bottom, as well as a wooden handle. A sign on the door had the numbers 5, 8, 4, on it.

Tempora opened the door to show a pathway leading into a lush amber forest. As the group walked in Duke could only marvel at the beauty.

As the group continued walking down a leaf covered cobblestone path, Duke looked around the landscape to see patches of red, yellow, and orange flowers.

“Tempora? Where are we going?” Duke asked.

“You see that cottage up ahead?” Tempora pointed out a small cottage in the distance, “right over there.”

A few minutes later, the group walked up to the front of the cottage. It was a small one-story house with a few windows.

“Welcome to my humble abode.” The blue mare said as she opened the door to reveal a cozy interior, with dark brown walls, a few red couches, and an unlit stone fireplace. A painting of the ocean that the group was just at hung on the mantle of the fireplace. A few doors led to other rooms of the house, including a kitchen, and a bathroom, and two bedrooms.

“One of three it seems,” Duke said as he entered, Havin looking around curiously from Duke’s back.

“One of several many actually,” Tempora said sheepishly, “After a while, my adventures in this castle start getting farther and farther away from my room, so I just started making some of the more peaceful rooms into “safe rooms” I guess is the best term for them. It became a hobby of sorts.”

Duke nodded his head and he laid down so Havin could get off and explore. “So, since we don’t seem to be going anywhere at the moment, I have a few questions.”

“Go ahead, I’m all ears.” Tempora went over and sat on one of the couches.

Duke got up from the floor and sat on the couch opposite of the one Tempora was sitting in, “You said you couldn’t leave the castle, right?”

“Mhm.” Tempora nodded her head.

“We’ve been on a mountainside, an island in the middle of the ocean, and, well here! what’s stopping you from leaving the castle and taking care of the foals yourself? Those doors work like portals, right?”

Tempora sighed, “We haven’t left the castle…”

“Come again?” Duke asked.

“I’ve told you before that it's like this castle goes on forever, right? It’s bigger than you can imagine…”

The foals started to sit down next to Tempora or duke on the floor in front of them while Tempora continued.

“Did you notice that some of the doors in the hallways have gold handles? Only those lead to the outside world. Silver handled doors have danger behind them, and wooden handled doors don’t.”
Duke looked shocked, “How many doors have you been through?”

“I lost count at 75…. Hundred… and there are still millions of rooms to go! There’s a staircase where you can see all the levels of this castle, you can’t even see the top, and were on the five-hundredth floor!”

Duke was silent for a moment before he asked, “Why did we come here anyway?”

“This is one of, if not the safest places for the foals to stay before you have to leave with them. There is a small tree house nearby with a swing set the foals can use to play as well.”

“How do you not know what an umbrella is, but you know what a swing set is?”
Tempora giggled as she levitated a book from the shelf over to Duke. “I learned it from that.”

Duke examined the book. It was the same color at the door to this… ‘room’ and it had the numbers 5 8 4 on the cover.

“It’s from the castle’s library, every room has is in its own personal book in the library, describing in detail everything that’s in it,” Tempora explained.

“Wow…” Duke opened the book and saw a picture of the flowers he had seen on the way up to the cottage.

“Two months until this place is torn down?” Duke asked.

“Yes…” Tempora said sadly.

Duke closed the book and looked at Tempora, “Then let’s make it the best two months these foals have ever seen.”

Author's Note

OK. this might sound like something you've heard before, but that took to long for my own liking. hopefully you people can bear with me as I get this story on its legs... :twilightblush: anywho...... if you have any ideas for some moments between Duke and the foals I would love to hear them! (please post them here on this chapter so I can, you know, organize them.)

Constructive Criticism, comments, welcome here, yadda yadda yadda.........

A New Normal

A few days had passed as the newly made family had settled in to the cottage.

Duke was in human form looking around in the amber forest a little way from the cottage.

“Let’s see… the book says the playground is right over… Here!” Duke said as he looked up from the picture of the treehouse and swing set in the book.

The tree house was about an average size, made with the same materials as the cottage, and a big and sturdy spiral staircase leads around the trunk to a good sized deck and the front door both the staircase and the deck enclosed with side rails about as tall as his waist. two orange colored windows were on the left wall and one on the right.

The swing set had four seats and a frame made out of the same materials as the cottage.

Both were covered in a bit more moss than the ones in the picture, but other than that they looked completely stable.

“Ok, maybe just a little bit of clean up and then…” Duke trailed off as he heard something rustle behind him.

Duke held in a breath as he laid a hand on the handle of his dagger on his belt, then turned around quickly, only to let out a small sigh of relief as he saw an orange foal, covered in dirt and leaves.

“Theresa, what are you doing following me out here? you should be napping. And look at you! You’re filthy!”

Theresa just crawled up to him and gave his leg a hug.

Duke sighed and knelt down and ruffled Theresa’s mane, “You’re too cute for your own good you know that?” Duke said as he tickled her belly, to which Theresa squirmed out of his reach giggling as ran off and hid in the treehouse.
Duke smiled and followed the foal inside.

“Hmm… now where did Theresa go, I wonder?” Duke said in a silly tone.

Duke could hear the foal giggling from behind him.

“She’s so sneaky, I bet she could get in the cottage I would never notice…. I gotcha!”

Duke quickly turned around and scooped up the orange foal in his arms, Theresa laughing the whole time.

“You need to practice a little bit more before you get one on your dad, you little sunflower.”

Duke had come up with nicknames for each of the foals over the past week after the group moved into the cottage.

Theresa giggled as Duke put her down.

“Now come on kiddo, let’s see what your mom cooked up for lunch,” Duke said as he changed to his pony form and knelt down as Theresa got on his back, a new favorite activity of the foals when they got to go outside the cottage with Duke or Tempora.

“Hold on tight Theresa!” Duke said as he galloped off towards the cottage, “High Ho Winters! Away!”

“Wheeee!!!!” Theresa hollered as she held tight to one that she had come to see as her dad.

Tempora was cooking in the kitchen while the foals were taking a nap.

The kitchen was an average size, with a stove, a fridge, and a lot of counter space. there was a window-like hole in the wall that led out to the living room, with a table-like bar set on the bottom of it. a screen door led outside to a side porch.

She looked out an open window over the stove to see Duke gallop into the yard with Theresa on his back.

“I see you got followed,” Tempora said with a smirk.

“Yeah, this little gal followed me all the way to the playgrounds, quite the little adventurer if you ask me,” Duke said as he slowed to a stop in front of the window, while Theresa gave a little wave to her mom, which was returned.

“Alright my two adventurers, let’s get you inside and cleaned up for lunch,” Tempora said as she cut up some potatoes.

“Fine by me Tempy,” Duke said as he came in through the kitchen’s open screen door, lowering himself so Theresa could get off. “What’s for lunch?”

“Some potato salads for us and some applesauce for the foals, it’s not much but we’re running out of veggies, butter, and a few other things as well, ill have to stop by the storeroom to pick those up.” Tempora said as she worked on lunch, “After you get yourselves cleaned up could you wake the foals for lunch?”

“Sure,” Duke said as he changed to human form then walked to the bathroom, with Theresa following close behind.

The bathroom looked about as normal as you could get. A marble toilet and a matching sink, and a tub next to the wall with a showerhead. some wooden tile covered the floor.

Duke walked over to the tub and turned on the water, testing every so often to make sure it was a good bathing temperature.

When it was ready Duke added some bubbles to the water then picked up Theresa and slowly put her in the tub.

Theresa giggled as she played with the bubbles ending up making herself a beard.

Duke smiled at the filly’s antics as he started to softly wash out the dirt and grime from her coat, mane, and tail.

A few minutes later duke opened the stop to the tub’s drain and Theresa watched in awe as the water spiraled down into the drain.

“Come on Theresa, let's get you dry,” Duke said as he put a towel around her and lifted her out of the tub.

A quick rub down later and Theresa was seated at the bar in the wall, while Duke went into the bedrooms to wake the others from their nap.

As Duke walked over to the foals’ new bedroom, said foal tumbled out of the door awakened by the smell of food.

Duke smiled as he ushered the foals over to the table bar, though he noticed something.

“Where’s Phaedra?” He thought.

Phaedra was scared. Scared of the voices. They were angry. They wouldn’t stop yelling at her. They had found her again.
As she woke up crying she felt two arms wrap around her in a soft embrace.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok, it’s ok… daddy here…. shhh…” Duke said as soothingly as he could as he hugged Phaedra.

Duke had taken Phaedra out of her crib and had sat down next to it and was cradling her in his arms.

Phaedra looked up at duke before burying her face in his shirt, crying and still very scared.

As Duke continued to hug the white and violet foal, Tempora rushed in front of the doorway to the bedroom.

“What happened?” Tempora asked worriedly.

“I think she had a bad dream… she didn’t come out with the others, so I came back to look around for her and I find her crying in her sleep…” Duke said quietly to Tempora.

Tempora sighed sadly, “You’ll have to watch out for that in the future… all of the foals have woken up screaming and or crying every once and a while…”

“Go ahead and serve lunch Tempora… we’ll join you in a moment…” Duke reassured the blue unicorn.

“Alright…” Tempora walked back to the kitchen.

Duke cuddled Phaedra in his arms while humming the lullaby that he had uses calm Havin down a few days prior.

A few minutes later Phaedra calmed down and Duke whipped her tears away with his sleeve.

“Feeling better?” Duke asked softly.

Phaedra nodded her head as she cuddled in closer to Duke.

Grumble

Duke looked at Phaedra gave her belly a tickle, “You ready for lunch now?”

Phaedra looked up to him with a silly smile and giggled as she started to squirm in his arms.

“Ok, lunch it is then.” Duke chuckled as he got up and carried Phaedra out of the room.

Tempora was eating when Duke and Phaedra came out to the table. She got up and walked over to them.

“You feeling better?” Tempora asked as she nuzzled Phaedra’s cheek.

Phaedra just cooed as she was picked up out of Duke’s arms with Tempora’s magic.

“Seems so.” Tempora Chuckled as she pulled out another plate and bowl of food. “That melody of yours seems to do wonders for these girls.” Tempora looked at Duke.

“It was a song my mother sang to me whenever I Scared or crying, I can’t remember the words now, but the music stayed with me all these years…” Duke said as he looked at the salad.

“Don’t worry, I did some looking up in the library, and oddly enough had some information on your race’s diet…… I also learned about some types of monsters from beyond the stars…” Tempora trailed off.

Duke decided to change the subject, “Hey you didn’t happen to find anything on flying while you were over there, did you?”

“Yes actually, I found a few books on flying, but do you think you’re ready to learn?” Tempora asked.

“I have a feeling that if I have wings I’ll be expected to be able to fly at some point later, so why not figure it out now?” Duke said.

Tempora nodded, “Ok, I’ll let you do some reading on it and then we can see if we can at least get you off the ground tomorrow.” The blue mare said with a small chuckle. “I’ll also look around to see if I can find anything on magic casting for you as well.”

Duke nodded and started to eat, “Not bad Tempora. Best potato salad I’ve ever had. Granted it’s also the only potato salad I’ve ever had but still its good!”

“Well regardless, I’m glad you like it!” Tempora said smiling at her friend’s praise.

The day flew past peacefully until the moon was in the sky.

Tempora was tossing around in her bed, having the same nightmare that had been bothered her for some time. She made enough noise to wake up Duke who was in the living room sleeping on the couch in his human form.

Duke looked around before checking on the foals who were soundly asleep before going to Tempora’s room, to find that she had fallen off her bed and woken up in a cold sweat.

“Hey, you ok?” Duke asked concerned.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m… no. No, I’m not.” Tempora sais frustrated.

Duke sat next to Tempora, “What's wrong?”

“It’s the nightmares I keep having… I think I’m, ready to talk about it now…”

Tempora took a deep breath then let out before continuing, “They start off as dreams… I see what the foals’ futures… their first day of school, their wedding days, days that show them at their best… but then I see really dark outcomes… what they’ll become if they go down the wrong path… but just now? It wasn’t just the foals, you were there too.”

Duke stayed quiet but motioned for Tempora to continue encouragingly.

“I don’t know what to do Duke… I want to help you raise the foals, I really do. but can’t leave this place. And I'm going to… to…” Tempora quietly broke down into tears leaning into Duke as he gave her a hug.

“I don’t know what will happen Tempy, but I promise you I’ll raise these foals as best I can. And the will know about you I promise.” Duke consoled his friend.

“That doesn’t change what will happen soon.” Tempora sniffed.

“I know, but we have to be strong. For the foals’ sake and ours.” Duke said softly.

The two sat there for a few moments.

“How about we get back to bed shall we?” Duke asked softly.

“Wait. Can… can we just stay like this for a little bit?”

“Alright,” Duke said as he and Tempora cuddled next to the bed.

Outside, a pony in an oversized green hooded cloak watched the cottage diligently from the shadows of the of the forest.

“Just a little bit longer now…”

Author's Note

Oh look! another Chapter, and it didnt take over a month!!!!! :twilightsmile:

Comments and constructive criticism are welcome as is normaly the case here.

Food for Thought

Tempora slowly opened her tired eyes, blinking a little at the sunrise coming through the bedroom window.

As Tempora slowly stirred into consciousness, she realized her head was on Duke’s shoulder. The night before had been pleasant, even though they had just sat by her bed and talked.

The human out of his element was sleeping soundly next to Tempora’s bed, as it seemed the two of them had fallen asleep next to it.

Tempora giggled quietly as she silently removed herself from the wraps of blankets she and Duke had been using. Then she walked out of her bedroom out to the living room.

Tempora shook her head to wake herself up a little as she went to check on the foals.

The foals were all sound asleep, Chaya, for some reason, had her head underneath a round, baby blue pillow with pink trim around the edge. The pink filly’s muzzle was sticking out from underneath it.

Tempora shook her head fondly at the pink filly’s antics as she carefully pulled the sleeping pink alicorn out from under the pillow and softly laid the filly on top of it.

She didn’t know why, but Tempora had found Chaya sleeping with that pillow a few nights after she had taken the foals under her wing. She had it any time she took a nap, went to sleep, or anything similar.

Tempora walked out of the foals’ room and walked into the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets to grab some bread… only to remember two seconds too late that she had used up the last of the food items to make dinner the night before.

“Ok… I really am tired.” Tempora thought with a quiet laugh, then put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“It wouldn’t take too long to walk over to the farm… if I use the shortcut. It would take several hours to get to the eleventh floor… and I don’t have that kind of time…” Tempora said to herself quietly.

Tempora paced in the kitchen think to herself for a few minutes, until a small growl from her midsection made the decision made her think about breakfast, not just for herself, but for the family she had become a part of.

“I’ll just leave a note.” Tempora thought as she quickly scribbled a note and left it on the counter. “I mean… I’ve done this a bunch of times before when the girls were sleeping… this isn’t too different of a scenario… right?”

Tempora quietly left the cottage through the kitchen door and made her way down to a large oak tree. The unicorn walked around the wide trunk of the tree until she found a narrow door just wide enough for her to slip through with a wooden door knob.

“Just a hop skip and a jump over to the farm and…” Tempora trailed off as she heard the sound of leaves rustling on the ground behind her.

Tempora cautiously looked behind her to see Chaya yawning sleepily.

“What are you doing up this early Chaya?” Tempora sat down and picked up her daughter in her magical grasp, much to Chaya’s delight.

“Did I wake you up stomping around the house?” Tempora said in a silly tone as she booped Chaya’s nose, To which Chaya sleepily giggled.

Tempora looked back at the door in the large tree and gave a small sigh, “Come on, let’s get you back to the house before your Daddy wakes up and starts to worry.” Tempora said as she placed the pink filly on her back and walked back to the house.

As Tempora moved closer to the cottage duke stumbled out in his alicorn form.

“Chaya is Gone, Where-” Duke managed to say Before he fell flat on his face from sheer drowsiness.

“Don’t worry, she’s right here. and you need some a little more shut-eye, both of you.” Tempora said softly as she gently lifted a very tired Duke and helped him back inside.

Tempora led Duke to the couch where he laid down and started to lull back sleep.

“I’m going to hop over to a farm next door to get some food, I’ll be back soon ok?” Tempora whispered in Duke’s ear.

“Sure thing, Tempy…” Duke mumbled softly as he returned to sleep.

Tempora smiled as she watched Duke return to his slumber, then she quietly walked into the Foal’s room to put Chaya back to bed.

As she slowly levitated Chaya back into her crib Chaya started to shift around, looking for the pillow she had a few minutes earlier, only to find she was laying on top of it.

Chaya cooed a little before settling down to sleep for a little while longer.

Tempora smiled at the sleeping pink Filly, then gave her a small kiss on the top of her head.

“Sleep tight, my little Rose.” Tempora said softly before leaving the room. while the unicorn mare didn’t notice, Chaya had a small sleepy smile on her face.

Tempora, with a pair of satchels draped over her back, was walking back down the trail to the “short cut,” thinking about what lay ahead, and what would be last days of her life.

“would it be too much to ask to go with them? Or am I supposed to stay here until it's over?” Tempora thought soberly about what Duke had said the night before.

“Two mares he said… one wanted to go in and see what was inside here… while the other wants it torn down as soon as possible. I suppose it was going to happen eventually, I just wish I could have been let out sooner maybe I could have…” Tempora shook her head, no need to get herself depressed on what ifs and should haves.

Duke wanted to give the foals something that resembled a loving family as closely as possible for at least two months. If she got herself depressed now, it might ruin that…no. it would ruin that.

“Why should I help Duke to make them smile happily now if they just going to be sad later?" Tempora asked herself quietly as she reached the large tree with the door to the farm.

“Because they going to be sad later…” Tempora thought sadly as she opened the door to reveal Grassy plains, arrays of field and orchards with thousands of different crops, all separated by white wood fences, all engrossed in the first rays of the golden morning light.

“Enjoy the good times now while you still have them…because they won’t last forever, you stupid mare…” Tempora though to herself as she crossed the doorway from a forest of Fall to a valley of Spring.

“Potatoes? Check. Carrots? Check. Flour? Check. Eggs? Check.” Tempora thought to herself aloud as she and checked one item after another off a mental list.

“Alright, I think I have everything for breakfast.” Tempora said to herself as she started to walk back to the shortcut to the cottage.

As she did her mind began to wander back to before her time in this castle, when she still had her mark, a face of a clock… and with that mark came an incredible skill, Time. She could manipulate it any way she wanted to, and she could see into the future as well as the past.

Her parents, unsure of what to do with her, hired the last grand wizard of their time, Silver Scroll… and under her tutelage, Tempora began to learn how to use her power responsively.

But as Tempora grew older her powers only continued to grow, and she became even more confident.

The week after her sixth birthday, she invited a friend over to help with a small secret project… Time travel.

Tempora had found an ancient scroll that kept the secrets to this awesome ability…and Tempora knew she could pull it off.

And she did. she had transported herself and her friend nearly forty thousand generations into the past.

For a brief moment, Tempora was excited, Master Silver Scroll would be so proud of her, recreating such a difficult and forgotten spell.

But her master was anything but proud… to say she was livid would be an understatement. The Wizard had teleported the two children back through time and space back to their proper time and place. Tempora could still hear the conversation she had heard from her master…

“You foolish child! I told you I would teach you this when you were ready, and not a moment before!” Silver scroll said, her brow pursed and her expression furious.

“I was Ready! Didn’t you see?! I did it! I traveled through time!” Tempora objected, a bit confused and angry that her master was acting this way.

“Did you know where you went?” The Wizard asked raising an eyebrow.

“I..I…Uh…” Tempora mumbled.

“Exactly! You don’t know! You were Lucky you transported yourself to a secluded area!” Silver Scroll said rubbing her forehead, making sure not to hit the silver horn on her head.

“Time travel is not something where you can just randomly pick a destination and do whatever you want there. If you talk to someone in the past, it could lead to a major change to their future even something as small as bumping into someone can lead to a completely different course of events…” Silver scroll sighed and looked at her student with a disappointed and angered expression.

“And until you show you can make fair judgments on where and when you can and can’t go, I will never teach you this information.”

“But I know the basics, and I taught myself all of that time travel stuff because you wouldn’t teach me! And I can do it again with the rest of that knowledge!” Tempora said resentfully.

“Not without your mark you can’t.” The Grand Wizard said, the frown on her lips never leaving.

“What are you- AAGH!!!!” Tempora screamed in agony as her mark was magically torn away from her body.

“Tempora. You are hereby sentenced to a life imprisoned in your own wish. You want to travel through time. Fine. But you be put back to where you went to and you will not return until I have deemed you have learned what you must.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense!” Tempora yelled in pain, as she was lifted off the ground in her master magical grasp.

“um, Grandmaster Scroll?” the addressed wizard looked over to the other occupant in the room who had been silent this entire time.

“Speak your name.” The aged wizard said.

“Rosebud, Sir… um… isn’t this a bit harsh?” the younger mare asked, the concern for her friend evident on her face.

“the harsher the lesson, the easier it is to remember later.” The Last Grandmaster of her time Said as she turned her attention back to her student.

“Wait! You can’t do this! My parents won’t allow it!” Tempora said, desperately trying to get out of punishment.

“Your parents died five years ago, you have been gone for ten. Your parents left me in charge of you, and until you learn what it means to be responsible, you will have to be responsible for yourself.”

And with that, Tempora was teleported back forty thousand generations into the past, crashing into a tree.

“You can’t do this to Me!!!” Tempora yelled out in anger as she kicked the tree…. which opened like a door… and on the other side of that door…was a small cottage in the middle of an autumn colored forest.

Tempora stood in front of the short cut back to the cottage…the bag of farm produce over her shoulder and she sighed.

This is where she had entered this life… and she had calmed down a little after that first week, and her master had always come to check on her every day.

But it was after the last day of the first month that she met a young filly exploring the ruins, and as time went by that filly began to bring Tempora food.

But after several years of having only two companions, she heard the cries of several foals. and what she found that day. was six foals, all with the horns of a Unicorn and the wings of a Pegasus.

And later still she had met Duke. someone that she had never expected to meet but was happy that she had met him none the less.

This life was something she was happy with… but in her heart, Tempora knew that this “punishment” would not last much longer.

Author's Note

Oh great....Im one fo those Authors now..... the kind that only updates their stories every once and a while, Ugh.... :facehoof: now i know how thats feels from both sides of fiction.

I'm sorry for taking so long and making you wait for basicly a filler chapter. I felt like doing a Tempora Focused chapter and that kinda got my brainblock working so I had to rewrite what i was writing about about five times.

Anyways, uh, I dont know how often this will be updated but I do intend on finishing this story.

And Comments and Constructive crit- HOLD ON- THIS IS FUTURE ME WRITING THIS. THE STORIE'S BEEN CANCELED... Sorry.... More below... :fluttercry:

https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/970001/ooookaaay

A New Start

It was a cold, day in the town of Manhattan. A somewhat normal occurrence, considering the time of year. And while for some, the holidays were holly and jolly, for Duke Winters, it was less the enjoyable. He sat on his bed looking around his apartment. “Five years.” He thought, “Five, Flipping, Years,”

RRRRRIIINNG

‘Ugh, who could that be?’ Duke thought as he answered his phone. “hello?”

“Hey, man, was’up?” greeted a cheery voice from the other end.

“Hi Tido, what do you need?” asked Duke.

“What do I need? Oho, my friend, it is not what I need, but what You need, man.”

“Dude, you may be my best friend since high-school, but this is overstepping the line.”

“Look, man, I know you need your alone time this time of year, but Mel’s getting a bit over worried down here, and well….”

Duke sighed, “Say no more, you and I both know I can’t argue with your sister. I know she means well. I’ll be down in 15, alright?”

“Aye! Aye! Captain. Don’t worry about what you're getting into, it’ll just be me, you, Mel, Popcorn, and some Good old Christmas movies!”

The Next Morning

Duke walked down the snow-covered streets. As the frozen wind blew in his face, his mind began to think about his job.

“Okay, I’m late. I’m late and Mr. Z is gonna put me on a double Load if I don’t get there quick. Just have to catch the bus…”

Duke’s muttering drifted away on cold winds as he watched the bus leave the bus stop.

“Oh, Come ON!” He screamed at the departing bus.

As Duke trudged to his destination the snow, he started to sink in it.

Duke didn’t register the change until it got to his knees. And when that happened, the snow piled up faster.

As he the snow reached his waist he called out for help but to no avail. The world was frozen. Caught between one second, and the next.

As the snow finally reached over Duke’s head, something strange occurred. The snow began to crack as if it were ice. As Duke struggled to escape his prison, the cracks quickly grew larger.

When the snow shattered, for a split-second Duke thought he was free!

That feeling did not last long. For he was falling. Falling through an infinite space of color that would put the Bifrost to shame.

For what felt like eons he fell through this space, alone, scared, and afraid.

Though these feelings did end.

Because he fell unconscious.

Duke did not know how long he was out. But he saw he was in a courtyard. Surrounded by a dark, cloudy void.

Surrounding him were several gateways, each impossibly leading to a different location.

"Ok, don’t panic.” Duke tried to calm himself. “Your dreaming. Just pinch yourself and this will all be over.”

Duke pinched his arm and realized he wasn’t waking up.

Duke started to worry. “Ok, maybe I’m in a coma?”

“I can assure you, you are not mentally or physically damaged.” Said an ethereal voice from one of the doors.

As Duke looked at the newcomer, he couldn’t help but be a little surprised. Standing in the doorway was a blue, unicorn?

The Unicorn gave Duke a small smile as she continued speaking. “As much as I would like to say hello, I suggest that you come on through before someone else notices your over there.”

Duke gave a small huff, “And why should I trust you?”

A roar resounded from a different gateway as a large eye silently watched from another.

“You can’t.”

“OK, ok! fine.”

Duke briskly walked over to the gateway of possible safety.

“Okay, now that I’m in here, who are You?” Asked Duke.

The Unicorn gave a small chuckle. “My name is Tempora, but when I still breathed most of my friends called me Tempy.”

“Alright, Tempora, I’m Duke and, wait a second. You said still breathing, does that mean your...”

“Hello!”

“Huh? What was that for?”

“Well, I did say that I wanted to say hello!”

“Uhg, whatever, like I was asking, are you…”

“Whaaa!!”

“Oh, dear. Looks like the foals are awake. Want to meet them?”

“Will you let me finish my question if I do?”

“Sure! Come on!”

Tempora started trotting down the hallway.

“Talking Unicorns and babies… what have I gotten myself into?” Duke thought to himself as he followed Tempora.

“So? What’s your question?"

“You said that your friends called you Tempy when you were still breathing, right?”

“Yeah? Its fine if you want to call me that!”

“Fine, but what I wanted to ask was, are you dead?”

“Oh. That’s a tough one.”

“What so tough about it? You're either alive or dead. Simple as that.”

“No, you misunderstand. When I said still breathing, I meant still breathing fresh air. As for the alive or dead question, I’m on a time limit. I going to die at noon two months from now. That’s the tough part.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. That was a dumb question to ask.”

“Don’t be. Death by castle debris isn’t the worst way to go.”

“Wait, what?”

“The local higher-ups have decided to tear down this castle in, well, two months.”

“If that’s the problem, then why don’t you just leave the castle.”

“To put it simply, I’m cursed. I can’t leave this place lest I die.”

“Oh. That would make that harder to leave. So how long have you been here?”

“Twenty years.”

“Do you have food?”

“Yes.”

“what kind?”

“Sparing some details, this castle has a garden.”

“Oh-Kay. And how did you get kids if you stuck in here?”

“The foals came around recently.”

“How does that work?”

“Well, the foals are… very special.”

“Wow!” Duke says with sarcasm. “But that still doesn’t explain why they’re in here.”

“Beats me. My best guess is that their parents didn’t want them and brought them here, hoping that they would be rid of them when the castle comes crashing down.”

“Geez.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve been taking care of them the best I can…”

The two quietly walk down the hallway until they came to a door.

Tempora spoke up. “Like I said before, they’re a little bit different than most foals, so prepare yourself for a shock.”

“I don't know what is normal around here, remember?”

“Oh, right. Wait, hang on a minute.”

Tempora’s horn started to glow white, and after a few seconds, a purple scarf popped out of thin air.

Duke’s jaw hung low. “How did you do that?”

“Teleportation. Now put this on.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

As Duke put the Scarf on his body began to glow a light sky-blue color, surrounding his whole body like, well, light. Rhe glowing stopped, and what had stood in his place before, was now a light grey Unicorn with wings, sporting the scarf, and an ice colored mane and tail.

“what. The. HECK??!?!?!?” Duke Screamed.

“Duke, Calm Down! This is completely normal, aside from you having both wings and a horn…”

“What Are You Talking About?”

“Just calm down, and I’ll explain. The scarf is a disguise, more or less. Basically, it puts you into the most fitting of the three pony races.”

“And those are?” Duke asked, a bit calmer now that he was before.

“Normally It gives either, a Unicorn’s body, like myself who can do magic feats like the teleportation that you saw. A Pegasus’ body, who can fly. Or an Earth pony’s body, who while don’t have wings or a horn, they’re the strongest when it comes to pure muscle. But…”

“But?”

Tempora looked down at the floor. “You got an Alicorn, a fusion of all the other three. It’s never done that before.”

“Why?”

Tempora looked up at Duke. “Alicorns are the rarest of all the pony kinds. The only ones that I knew of before I got trapped in here are royalty…….” Tempora drifted off into thought.

“Maybe it’s because I’m not from here?” asked Duke trying to get the unicorn out of cloud nine.

“Yeah, maybe…”

“well, that didn’t work.” Duke thought. “So why did you give me the scarf?” he asked aloud.

“Hm? Oh, I just didn’t want you to scare the foals.”

“Wow, thanks… is it reversible?”

“I believe so. shall we?” Tempora says motioning to the door.

“Ok…”

As the door open on its own, Duke yelped in surprise.

“How did you...?”

“Magic.”

Duke rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, right.”

As Duke walked into the room, his jaw hit the ground in awe. The walls looked to be made of trees, grown straight from the ground. Golden sunlight passed through their branches and danced across the grass-like floor. But the centerpiece of the room was six medium cribs.

“Did you make all of this?” Duke asked.

“Oh, goodness no. This whole castle has been here for as long as I can remember. Maybe that’s part of the reason why they want to tear it down.”

Duke walked over to one of the cribs, only to find something a bit shocking. In the crib staring back up at him, was a small, Bright blue eyed, pink pony foal……

“It’s like me…” Duke says.

“She’s like you, and they’re all Alicorns,” Tempora replies as she cradles a yellow foal in her telekinetic grasp.

“But I thought you said Alicorns are rare. How can six be born at the same time?”

“I don’t know, but maybe their parents got scared by them…”

“Scared by Babies?” Duke’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Most ponies’ are scared by things that are different. Alicorns are the most powerful when it comes to magic, and they’re some of the fastest flyers if legends are to be believed. Not to mention that fact they can easily beat a minotaur when it comes to raw strength. Maybe their parents got scared of them because they can be so powerful.”

“Minotaurs exist here?” Duke thought to himself. “Putting aside whatever happened with their parents, what are we going to do with them? They deserve to live just as much as anyone else does!”

“I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

“You don’t have the curse the binds me here, and neither do they. You could leave with them and raise them.”

“What.”

“I know, I know, it’s a big ask. But I can’t think of anything else at the moment.”

“Ok. Two things. One, I don’t know how to care for kids. Two, I don’t know how to use this new body. Three, I don’t know anything about this world.”

“That’s three things…”

“Yeah so?”

Tempora facepalms, or face hooves I guess.

“Look, I can teach you about Equis, I can teach you how to use magic, and I can try to teach you to fly. I just want these foals to be away from the castle when It comes crashing down. Your best chance to get out of here alive.” Tempora says, raising her voice a little.

“And you’re just trusting a complete stranger with what’s basically your own children?!” Duke retorted.

“Ok, so I’m taking a gamble! Is that so bad?”

“It’s irresponsible, that’s what it is!” Argued Duke.

“OH! So, your expert on raising children, Are you?” Tempora snapped back at Duke.

“I know enough to know not to trust complete strangers with your children!”

“Oh, I pity the hag who had to raise YOU!” Tempora Said angerly before covering her mouth with one hoof.

Silence filled the air like cold rainwater in a pond.

“Ok. You can insult me all you want. But no one Insults my Parents. Got it?” said Duke.

Duke then turned and stormed out the doorway.

“Duke come back! I got carried away I didn’t…”

“CAN IT!” came an angry reply.

Tempora watched Duke’s silhouette disappear down the hallway. Then collapsed, crying the more tears then she ever had before.

Unbeknownst to both of the adults, the small pink foal was following Duke, with a look of determination in her blue eyes.

Author's Note

another new story.
and I do have an idea of where I want this to go.

comments, questions, and consrtuctive criticism are welcome.

Edits made on 7/6/18

Expeditions and a Confrontation

Tempora was in a white void.

She couldn’t smell anything.

She couldn’t taste anything.

She couldn’t feel anything.

She couldn’t see anything but white.

But she could hear everything. It was all a blur.

But she knew how this ended. It was always the same.

Large, Heavy hoofsteps approached.

“Right on time.” Thought Tempora with a little bit of dread.

“WHO ARE YOU TO STAND AGAINST ME!?”

Tempora’s eyes shot open as she woke up from her nap in a cold sweat.

As she scrambled to her hooves she woke up Duke.

“Whoa, Whoa, hey! Are you, all right?" Duke asked in concern, noticing Tempora’s frantic demeanor.

Tempora let out a frustrated sigh.

“I’m fine, just a bad dream.”

“You want to talk about?”

“Not really.” Tempora looked away.

Duke raised an eyebrow, “Ok, let me rephrase the question, should you talk about it?”

Tempora sighed, “Probably, just not right now ok?”

Satisfied with the answer, Duke nodded, then stood up cradling Havin in his arms.

“So, are there rooms in this castle that are safe for the foals?

“Yes, I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.” Replied Tempora.

Duke looked down at the foal in his arms, “I wonder what your dreaming of.” He thought.

Havin looked over the green grass to see a new fluttery thing. Rather than running toward it, Havin kept her pace slow as she walked up to it. As Havin moved closer she held out her hoof to it.

“Friends?” she thought as she looked at the fluttering thing.

The thing fluttered around her head before landing on her hoof.

When it did, it glowed.

Next thing she knew, she was looking at the new pony’s calm smiling face.

“Hi, kiddo, did you sleep well?”

Havin looked up at the pony who had helped her sleep.

“Is this the one mommy said I was going to meet one day? Daddy?”

“da…Daa……(cough)

The new pony’s face looked a little bit surprised, but a little stern to. Though overall, his face looked comforting.

“Now what did I tell you earlier? If it hurts, don’t talk, remember?” he scolded gently as he put one of his hooves to his mouth while making a little noise. “Shh.”

Havin mimicked the new pony’s position, “Shh.”

“Right.” the new pony said with an encouraging smile as he softly put the foal on the ground. Havin smiled back at him.

A few minutes later

Duke, Tempora, and the foals were leaving Tempora’s room to have look around the castle.

“Did she try to call me dad?” Duke asked himself as he looked at Havin. “I know I cradled her to sleep earlier, but does that alone give me the right to be called her dad?”

“Remind me why you grabbed one of those unbrellas?” asked Tempora getting duke’s attention.

“Umbrella, and you never know when you might need one!” replied Duke, dramatically pointing the recently acquired High-quality black umbrella at Tempora like an oversized finger.

Tempora just rolled her eyes as she thought of where to bring Duke and the foals on their first outing.

“Maybe we should go that stone place in the stars! or maybe that café under the sea! Or maybe the city in the trees! Or maybe,”

Tempora’s thoughts were interrupted as the castle shook violently, scarring the foals.

“What was that?” asked Duke as he comforted Havin, who was trembling in his arms.

“I don’t know!” Tempora replied in shock.

A loud voice ominous voice came from the left side of the hallway, interrupted the unicorn.

“I KNOW YOU IN THERE, SO WHY DON’T YOU COME OUT AND PLAY? YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME FOREVER!!!”

There was a loud Boom, then silence. After the adults calmed the foals down, Duke spoke up.

“Take the foals and find a safe place to hide, I’m going to check if it’s gone.” He whispered to Tempora as he laid he gripped his umbrella like a sword.

“Are you crazy?” Tempora hissed.

“It’s either that or cower in here forever, and I don’t think I want that, not for me or my family.”

Tempora relented from arguing, “Family, huh? Does that mean I’m your...?” she said with a small but wary smirk.

“not now, we'll talk about this later,” Duke said as he moved closer to the door.

“Wait, take this.” Said Tempora before teleporting a small ice colored dagger next to Duke on the floor.

“If you insist on doing this, bring that with you. You're going to need more than that umbrellda to defend yourself with. Go through that door, it leads to a room with a window to the rest of the world.” Tempora said as she looked at the door, then looked back at Duke with a pleading look in her eyes.

“Please come back. we’ve already lost our parents, I don’t want these foals to lose one of theirs’.”

Duke nodded to Tempora, then quickly opened the door, slipped inside.

This room had more of a castle look to it, however, it had reddish-orange brick walls, compared to the colorless grey hallways. A couple of wooden crates were scattered around the room, and just as Tempora had said, there was a narrow, vertical window to his left.

“Ok, now what?” Duke thought to himself as he closed the door.

Click

“Didst thou hear something sister?” a new voice came from below the window. It sounded feminine, and around his own age.

“Oh crud.” Thought duke as he pressed his back against the wall, readying both of his weapons should he need them.

“Thou heard nothing, my sister.” Another voice replied. This voice sounded a little bit older than the first.

“Phew.” Duke closed his eyes in relief.

“But sister,” the first voice continued, “dost thou not see the ruins in front of us? “Destiny’s gate.” It is said that one could get to anywhere in Equestria, nay, anywhere in the world and beyond in its halls!”

“Huh, an interesting bit of info there.”

“Legend tells of a young maiden was kidnaped from a noble house of old.”

“Wait, what?” Duke’s eyes shot open in surprise.

“The maiden was cursed to never leave yonder ruins lest she becomes like the sands of time.”

“Say what now?!” duke’s jaw fell.

“And the curse would never be lifted till a knight in shining armor came to save her!”

“Uhhh…” Duke.exe proceeded to reboot.

“Sadly, the knight never came, but if he did, we think they would have fallen in love and have gotten married! A magnificent tale indeed!” the voice concluded wistfully.

“Whaaaaat!!!!!!!!!!” duke’s face proceeded to become a light cherry color. (or was it cinnamon…….)

“My sister, there is nopony in that castle, and that “legend” was a story spun by a local storyteller.” The other voice sounded a little irritated.

Duke tried to calm himself down and relax, a tad bit relieved that what he had heard was just a story.

“But sister, there must be some truth to the tale! Why else would Discord…”

“Doth Discord need a reason to do anything!?” snapped the second voice, “And to think, the last of the once noble, honorable Draconequus race, and he acts like an immature child! I can’t believe a decedent of the lords of ORDER could cause so much CHAOS!!!”

Duke quietly listened trying to discern if it would be wise to introduce himself or not.

“But sister, if he thought there was enough reason to attack these ruins, then surely…”

“I will not argue with you on this matter sister. This castle is more trouble than it is worth. I have been waiting eight thousand years for this place to be torn down, I will not postpone it collapse for a treasure that does not exist. The sooner these ruins come down, the sooner our abode will be built.”

Duke gripped his weapons tighter as he listened to the conversation.

The second voice sighed, “Come we must head home.”

“What of Discord?” asked the first voice.

“You know what they say, sister, “keep thine friends close, keep thine enemies closer.”

Duke waited for a while before he dared peek out the window when he did what he saw astonished him. A vast, lush, green forest. Like something from a nature park.

“I should go find Tempora and the foals,” Duke said as he snapped himself back into reality.

He got up and entered the hallway.

“Tempora?” he called out.

“In here!” came the reply from behind one of the doors.

Duke opened the door, only to be met with an icy gust of wind.

Duke stepped through the door and into a thick layer of snow was laid across the ground, and found himself high up in a mountain range, surrounded the night sky.

Duke looked at the snow to see a bunch of hoof track leading behind him and to his right.

Duke looked behind him to see a shallow dent in the mountainside, leading to a small opening, where Tempora was motioning for him to come in.

“Quick, before you catch a cold!”

As duke walked into the opening he was met with a large cave. Glowing crystals of varying lengths, widths, and colors were scattered along the walls. The foals were sleeping near the back of the cave on some quilts.

“Everything alright?” Tempora asked she rolled a large stone to partially block off the cold winds, “you look worried.”

“Apparently some creature called Discord was attacking the castle. He was stopped by a pair of sisters before I went into the room. While I’m supposing he’s imprisoned, the reason he was attacking the castle is worrying me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think he was after the foals, or you…”

“Why would somepony named Discord search for me?”

“Apparently someone wrote a story about you. said you were “A maiden of a noble house” or something. Wait, are you?”

“No, my family wasn’t even that rich.”

“Then if he was after the foals, how did he even know where to look?”

“Well, at least he’s gone now, right?” Tempora tried to comfort Duke.

Duke sighed, “Maybe.”

Tempora nuzzled his arm, “Come on, let’s relax with the foals, I think we need it.”

Duke nodded and walked over to an empty quilt and laid down.

“Where did you get these quilts anyway?”

Tempora smiled, “Before the foals came, this was a place I visited often, it just kind of helps me calm down. Whenever I got angry over something, I usually found myself coming here. When I realized that came here as often as I did I started to bring stuff with me to make it a bit homelier. I guess it became like a second bedroom.”

“Huh, that’s interesting.”

As his eyes closed, he felt movement next to his chest.

“Tempy, what are you doing?” Duke asked opening one of his eyes to look at Tempora.

“We need to get you warmed up. And while the cave walls are able to retain some heat, this way is faster.” The unicorn said as she levitated a blanket over both of them, then looked up at Duke with a grin. “What, never been this close with a mare before?”

“I’ve never been this close to anyone, period.” Duke answered bluntly, “well, except for my parents.”

Tempora giggled. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.”

As the two adults cuddled together, far away in a different castle a young blue alicorn was pondering if she really had heard something at the ruins of “Destiny’s gate”.

Author's Note

ok, this will get edited If I can find someone to help me with ye olde speech...

and now you know when this takes place...kinda...

and if anyone can guess the second voice's identity, (it kind of easy...) then bear with me, I have a reason for her behavior.

Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are welcome.

Edit suggestions for Ye Olde Butcherde Englishe given by TomRedlion

edits made on 7/10/18