Once we got to Sugarcube Corner, I asked Twilight and Spike how they were feeling. Twilight was obviously pretty nervous that I was here, but I tried my best to make sure she was comfortable.

"-and I didn't even know that the teleportation spell was the total de-materialization of a pony and sudden passage them across a generalized area with a success average of 97.7 percent until I was about 12! Not to mention that when somepony is teleported, or teleports, they also have a chance of either bringing a small piece of something near or even into an object! Although, while that part is rare, or even common with certain unicorns depending on their magical prowess, there have also been reports of said Unicorn being burnt, bruised, or with an injury. But you don't need to worry about-"

Okay, maybe she was a bit too comfortable. I glanced over to Spike, who looked more interested in what was going on behind us rather than what we were discussing.

"-so yeah, I think I can teleport fairly well."

"Nice. I've been known to teleport from time to time. Though, a bit differently." I stated.

"How is it different?" She asked, raising her drink to her mouth.

'Za Worldo' I thought.

Slowing time to a halt, I took her drink and went to the kitchen of Sugar Cube Corner and dumped her drink out and replaced it with water. Then, I went back and got into the same position I was, her drink in her magical grasp, and resumed time.

I watched as she took a drink of her Cranberry juice, only to taste plain water. Then fully douse herself in said water.

"What the!?" She said, realizing what had happened. Oops.

"Like I said, my version of teleportation is different from the norm." I said, giving an apologetic smile.

"You got me wet! Wha, how, when, WHAT!? This has to be magic! Maybe a speed spell?"

"Nope, no magic, just pure speed." I said, smiling at her innocently.

"Uh huh. And I'll find no trace amounts of magical residue around my drink if I scan it, right?" She questioned, her magic wringing out a bit of leftover moisture from her fur.

"Correctamundo my friend!" I said happily.

I saw her horn light up more and scanned her cup with her magic. Her muzzle scrunched up for a second before she stopped and looked at me with a confused look.

"How did you do that? I can't find a single trace of magical residue anywhere in my drink!"

"I have my ways." I said cryptically.

"Well then, should we wrap up our meeting? Not to sound rude or anything, but I have some things I have to do today. Preferably not soaked in water." She said, giving me a nervous look.

"Like cleaning the library?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, seems legit. I'll let you two go now. N-not that I was holding you here against your will that is, just... Oh never mind." I said, tripping up my words and fumbling the save.

"Okay then. See you Prince Franz." She said, giving a giggle.

"Just call me Franz for now. We're friends, aren't we?" I said with an awkward smile.

"Uh, yeah! S-sure. Anyways, goodbye!" Twilight said before trotting away. I think I may have made her nervous, or even scared. Least Spike didn't mind. Oh right!

"Later Spike! See ya Twilight!" I said, earning a wave from him and an awkward glance back from her. Letting out a sigh, I smiled. Ah, what it was like to be young and hardly a worry in their lives. I lost that smile the moment I felt something ripple throughout me. I wasn't sure what happened, but it felt off, almost like something arrived, but with little to no noticeable entry. I felt that ripple in my core, but I could only guess as to what it was. Was it nearby? It felt so foreign, yet familiar.

"Your Highness, are you okay?" A waiter asked, noticing my surprised look.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Thank you for the concern." I said, getting up and leaving her a nice tip. she thanked me and I went to the park for a bit to think on what I felt.

I passed many ponies either running or walking about. Most of them moving like they have a purpose. Some noticed me, bowed, and continued on like before. Probably because I wasn't as well-known as Celestia.

Finding a bench, I sat on it and wondered what I felt. It seemed eerily familiar, to the point where I knew I could probably replicate it, but I couldn't place where I felt it before. Maybe I felt it when I gained this power? I'm not sure.

"Hmm." I mumbled.

Pulling up my visor, I connected to the ship in orbit and scanned the local area for anything unusual. After about a solid minute, I found nothing out of the ordinary and I frowned. Why did it feel so familiar? And why did I have a sense of dread and hopelessness when I did?

Brushing it off as nothing but a trick of the mind, I put my visor back on my chest and took in a breath of air.

*thwack*

'What the?' I thought.

Not noticing until now, I realized I was near Sweet Apple Acres. A pleasant surprise, if I say.

Walking up the trail, I saw Applejack kicking some trees with her hind legs. I was about to call for her, but my visor began flashing red and vibrating.

Confused, I pulled up my visor and checked what was calling my attention. When I checked, however, there was a warning saying there was an unidentified anomaly near the Canterlot Castle.

I looked for the area where the anomaly would be, but the warning disappeared before I could get a proper marker on it.

'That was odd' I thought. Thinking nothing much of it, I decided to restart my suit and refresh my armor's sensors, as well as it's software.

"Hey Applejack! How're you doing?" I called, catching her attention.

"Prince Franz?!" She said, seemingly startled by my presence. She looked at my direction and smiled.

"Well howdy there Your Highness! What brings you 'round these parts?" She said, bowing slightly.

"You don't have to bow to me Applejack. We're friends, remember?" I motioned.

"Oh, well in that case, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! Home of some of the finest apples across Equestria!"

"Nice." I said, nodding my head. She seemed awkward, almost a little forced, then I remembered that this is Loop B, not A.

"So, uh Franz, did ya need anything? Because Royalty don't swing by these parts very often."

"Nothing really. I just wanted to check in on you personally after the Nightmare Night Incident."

"Ah, well I'm doing mighty fine since then, thank you for askin. Say, how is Princess Luna? Everything good between you two?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're doing fine. Just getting accustomed given the bizarre situation we're in."

"I'll say! Must've been one heck of a reunion! Even family reunions don't get as wild as that. And we have some strong cider." Applejack said jokingly, as if trying to ease into a more bearable state. I think I also caught her trying to offer me cider?

"Yep, it was pretty weird for a bit, but she warmed up quickly after." I said.

"Yeah. Well, if ya wanted, I could let you come inside the house, and we can talk some more there."

"Sure, let's go."

We went to the large home and I saw a more older looking pony sitting out in the front. She had a pale green coat, and what looked like a scarf or something.

"Come on now, Granny Smith needs her resting." Applejack said, leading me past the sleeping pony.

"Ah, I see."

We got into the living room, and I sat on the chair opposite of Applejack, who sat on the couch.

"Ya can start with the questions anytime you'd like."

"Okay, let's dive right in then." I said.

"What do you remember from that night?" I asked, watching her face.

"Well, I remember the celebration part, then Princess Celestia not showing up, then Nightmare Moon coming along and spooking the town like a fox would a hen house. And after that we went through the Everfree Forest to get these Elements of Harmony gizmos, but before we could use that, you popped up and started fighting her. One thing led to another, and we won. Pretty much what happened that night." She explained.

"Anything else?" I asked, which earned a smile from her.

"Well, yeah. We saved each others tails a few times back there."

"Can you elaborate?" I asked.

Applejack and I spent the next two hours recalling that night. She mostly asked where I was during that time, but I explained it as me being freed when Luna showed up and attacked them.

"I'll talk to you later AJ, it was good seeing you." I said, opening the door and taking my leave.

"Alrighty then, take care now, ya hear?" She replied, giving me a small wave with her hoof.

"Yep, catch you on the flip side." I said, closing the door and taking my leave. I heard the grandma wake up, followed by Applejack most likely telling her who it was.

Spreading my wings, I took off before anyone saw me. It was still a bit too early, so I figured I could grab something to eat.

Swooping down to the cafe I usually went to; I didn't have to wait long before I was attended to by a waiter.

"I'll have the usual, thanks you." I said, not thinking.

"But Your Highness! I don't believe you've ever eaten here before, let alone visited before." Said the waiter guy.

"Oh, right." I said awkwardly.

"Is there, something you'd like?" He asked again.

"I'll just take the sandwich for now, thank you."

"And to drink?"

"A lemonade."

With that, he finished writing on his notepad and left back to the restaurant. Taking this opportunity, I thought about some things now that I had time.

I thought about what I felt earlier that wave of discomfort, and familiarity. Don't think I'll know what that was, even if I did feel it before, and I doubt I'll want to replicate it.

After a few minutes, they brought me my plate and I offered to pay them, but they insisted that the first meal was on the house. I tried to pay, but they were both insistent, and persuasive. I ate in relative silence, no one really trying to grab my attention, and I felt content.

Finishing up my meal after some thorough chewing, I left with a generous tip. Figuring I should head back to Canterlot, I stretched my wings and took off with no problem. Sure, there were some ponies that were watching me, but I suppose being the only male Alicorn does that.

I made it about halfway before I felt another wave of discomfort, and eerie familiarity. My body made a sudden barrel roll as a beam of magic shot past me and into the ground.

"Dear Franz! Where hath thou been!?" Luna called loudly, her voice easily reaching me.

"Luna! I went to Ponyville to check up on the Elements. What's wrong!?" I called back to her. She came closer and I did the same.

"We were worried about thee! Surely you realized that."

"Ah, sorry. Just slipped my mind to come back to you, even though I was gone for a day." I said.

"Let us get to Canterlot, I wish to speak with thou." She said, seemingly in a rush.

"Okay." I thought.

'Maybe she knows what's up with what I felt earlier'

We arrived at the Canterlot Castle, and Luna immediately teleported us to her room. Feeling disoriented, a shiver ran through me, and I looked at Luna, who was staring at me intensely, almost hungrily.

"Uh, Luna, you know that it's just your heat, right?" I asked her. Her gaze never left mine, and she smiled.

"Oh, Franz, relax thyself. We shall take care of thee for now." She said, getting next to me and nudging me to the bed.

"Luna? I know you may be feeling it, but I don't really feel it right now." I said, giving her a sheepish look. She only smiled in response.

"Well, surely we can convince thy that thou need this. After all, when was the last time thou have experienced an orgasm?" She asked. I blushed lightly from that.

"Like I'm going to tell you that." I said, averting my eyes and looking at a random object in her room.

"Oh dear Franz, while we do not expect it right away, we do hope that thou will tell us when thee is sexually active at the very least." Luna said with a smile. Giving a sigh, I decided to try and get some sleep. I wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring, so I should get sleeping out of the way.

"Dear Franz? Is something the matter?" She asked.

"Nah, just a bit tired is all. Long day with heavy questions drains you" I replied. She seemed to accept this. Climbing into her bed, I followed as Luna climbed in between my legs, making me the big spoon.

"You comfy?" I asked, smiling at her. She hummed before answering.

"Yes, we are very much so." She answered, her breathing slowing and her eyes closing. I rested my head on her shoulder and felt myself drifting off too. I was actually kind of thankful she didn't try and push her boundaries with sex. I mean, it's not like I didn't want to do it with her, I just haven't felt much of a sex drive ever since Loop A ended.

My eyes closed, and I soon passed out in a realm of unconsciousness.

Opening my eyes, I noticed I was in a pitch-black room, with a table being illuminated and someone sitting on the other side of the table. Their features seemed, distorted, for some reason, making all I could make of them a dull white shape. Not thinking much on it, I walked up to the table and created a chair. Sitting on it, I glanced at the distorted figure from across from me.

"So, who are you?" I said.

Nothing.

"Any idea where we are? It seems like my mind, of course, but I'm not sure. What do you think?"

The distorted figure looked at me, and I heard a heavily raspy voice.

"You were never supposed to be one of them." He said.

"I don't follow." I replied.

"The rules of incarnation are fixed. The process, un-interruptible by anyone. It is to remain that way, and it still should. You not only endangered the ones you love, but all of existence within the infinite realms, and the many more due to the acts of your selfishness." He said.

"Bah, your just my PTSD given form, fight?" I asked.

You will refer to me as the lesser savior of time, Franz. I am not here to help; I am here to warn you." He said.

"From what?" I asked. What could I need to be warned about if almost nothing can hurt me?

"The Light is shining and is reaching the depths of your psyche. You must stop him before he kills you. Only you have the power potent enough to hurt him, even kill him should it come to it." He said.

"What do you mean? Just who are you?" I asked, hoping to grab his actual name before he faded away from my memory like almost every other thing I think of.

"I am simply known as Higher Deity Tempus, or Time, as you are uneducated. Your level of strength is far above mine, as you are a Fundamental Element. As I was saying, The Light is Shining, and it's reaching the depths of your psyche. I pray that this alternate flow will be the one you succeed in. You tire me, Franz, you really do." He said, sounding like he was having trouble breathing as he went on.

"I'm still lost. But you mean to tell me that you're Father Time?" I asked, still not over the fact that this was thee Father Time.

"My time is running thin. Whatever you do, do not let Luna out of your sight. He will use your love for her against you. Go for his eyes, and don't hold ba-urk!" He was cut off before he suddenly coughed up blood. His image got clearer, and I saw a mostly destroyed face, save for a single golden eye, and a mouth.

"Tempus!? Are you alright?!" I said, getting up.

He pushed the table into me, and I was sent off an invisible cliff. I gasped in shock, and watched in horror as Tempus was impaled by a blinding white blade of some sort. It wasn't until I realized what I was looking at was the one Tempus was referring too.

"We will meet again, Franz, and in this one, I won't let you make another doomed variant!"

I saw his eyes. Those dead eyes that seemed to bend my will just looking into them. He frowned at me, before I woke up in a cold sweat.

Jolting up from my spot on the cold, yet hot bed, I saw that it was morning, and Luna was most likely getting something to eat.

Luna.

Getting off the bed, I called my armor on and started making my way to the Royal Dining Room or something. What time is it? It seemed like it was closer to lunch than breakfast.

As I passed another pair of guards, I spotted Prince Blueblood ahead of me yammering on some maid that seemed to be doing her best to do his impossible commands.

I didn't pay too much attention to what he was saying, but I'm fairly sure I caught a few possible racial slurs in there since he said feather and brain a little too close together.

"Hey, Blueblood, you haven't seen Luna around, have you?" I asked. He froze and turned to me slowly. His eyes bearing that of either fear, or embarrassment.

"Oh, hello Uncle Franz. Pleasure to meet you again?" He said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Sure, but back to my question. Have you seen Luna anywhere?" I asked again, this time more casually.

"Last I saw her was in The Throne Room. Why do you need her?" He asked.

"No reason. Just wanted to know where she was." I said.

"Well, I'm gonna go grab something to eat. Catch you later kid."

Stopping a few meters after passing him, I stopped.

"Oh, and Blueblood." I said, not turning my head.

"Yes?" He asked.

Looking at him through the corner of my eye, I gave him a blank look.

"I'd watch how you treat the staff around here. You wouldn't want to make them upset, would you?" I said, making my eyes flash red for a second.

He didn't respond, and only nodded before leaving the maid to her own devices and ran off. I kept walking and left the mare alone. Jeez, what is the matter with that guy. It's like he's the asshole no matter which timeline I'm in.

Arriving to the dining room, I got into the chair closest to Luna's and glanced around before making something from thin air again. It was just a fish and rice combo, and I didn't think much on it. One of the servants here, should I call them servants? It feels weird to call them that. Anyways, she came to me and noticed the fish I was picking apart.

"Um, Your Majesty, are you eating a fish?" She said, slightly disturbed by it.

Looking at her, I saw that she was a Unicorn. Oh right, they didn't eat meat.

"Oh, sorry about that. Kind of forgot that not everyone eats fish." I said, staring back at my plate.

"It's perfectly fine, Your Highness. But I have one thing Princess Luna wanted to tell you." She said.

"Oh, sure. What did she want to say?" I asked.

"Princess Luna wanted to tell you that she wished for your presence in the Throne Room to help with the daily Court." She said.

"Ah, okay. I'll be there once I'm done." I said, returning to my plate once she bowed and left. Finishing off my plate, I made my way to the Courtyard. I'm not entirely sure why they needed me there, but from what I could tell, they wanted to one, bond with me, or two, have me help them with court stuff. I really didn't mind, not like I had anything planned today to begin with.

Once I got to the courtyard, I opened the doors and saw Celestia and Luna therewith a short line of people waiting to take their turn to, from my guess, either file complaints, or ask for stuff. I didn't care too much, but I think I have to for this bit. Who knows, maybe I'll gain some insight to how this whole thing works. Everyone turned to me and bowed, making a wide berth for me to pass through.

"Hey you two, heard you needed some company today. So why not?" I said, giving a grin.

"Dearest Franz! Come this way, we have a seat reserved for thou!" Luna exclaimed, patting a seat in between them. It was a large, soft blue throne chair decorated with way too many ornaments on it.

"Franz, do take a seat. We would be most delighted to have you with us today." Celestia said, smiling at me. She wasn't as overjoyed as Luna, but I have a feeling it's to keep an air of professionalism. Smart too, since I see a couple of ponies here that have fancy attire on.

Making my way to the spare throne, I sat down. It was comfortable, chair was padded and seemed to encourage sitting straight, but I think after a few hours of sitting it would begin to hurt.

"So, let's get started, shall we?" I asked.

Three Hours Later

I thought that most of these people came here because they were going to offer solutions to better either the community, or boost something, but they were all assholes! One guy wanted to tear down an orphanage to build a casino, and that the 'Brats' didn't need to live rent free. They're fucking children for gods sake!. And I thought that would be the worst of it, until Luna told me that this guy has been doing this on and off for the last few months, even before Luna came back and I started Loop B.

I made sure to shut him down before he tried justifying his reasons, and maybe used a bit of intimidation to do it. Don't think Celestia approved of my method, but I could see that she was happy it happened. Luna loved it, since she had the ideology that fear tactics are good every once in a while.

"We are glad thou told that stallion off. We hear that pony has been harassing dear sister about it for close to half a year now. Believe us Dear Franz, but the first time we encountered such a heathen, we would have made an example of him." Luna said, scribbling something on a parchment. Probably the list of ponies that wanted to do day court.

"Yeah, he was beginning to irritate me. Plus, if anything, I could just get a remodeling crew to fix up the place. That's your guy's property, right?" I asked.

Luna gave a soft hum of agreement.

"We would also like to see if we could have the orphanage remodeled. Perhaps even improved." Luna said.

"Yep. Hell, I'll even toss some of my tech in so they can get better results with education. Side note, I'm going to go for a stroll, would you like to come with me?" I asked her.

"Apologies Dear Franz, but we, I, feel tired from today's court. Normally I would rest in the day, and become active during the night, but I would enjoy accompanying you if it is still an option under our moon." She offered, sounding very precise too.

"Oh yeah, I hear you. You can rest for now; I can always wait until later." I counter-offered.

She let out a sigh.

"Thank thou Dear, we truly appreciate thy kindness." Luna said.

"Of course, anytime!" I said, giving her a soft grin.

"I'm gonna be in the garden for now, catch you later tonight, okay Lulu?" I asked, her ears perked up and she smiled.

"Of course, my love." She said, blowing me a kiss.

Pretending to catch it, I put it in a metaphorical pocket, and made took my leave. I noted that Celestia was silent that whole exchange, almost enjoying our playful banter.

Putting that on the back of my mind for now, I closed the door and went to the garden. It was a nice spot to kick back and relax, but I had something else in mind until then.

Choosing a spot under a blooming tree, I put my visor on my face and began scrolling through my files. The Ship was still up there, and making a slowly deteriorating orbit to the planet still. I'd figured I would put it in a pocket dimension, but I'm not sure how much space I even have there to begin with.

Still, I have to basically start over from scratch.

Ditzy...

I'm not sure how I would approach her, and I can't just walk up to her and say, 'Hey! We used to be a couple in a splintered timeline, so let's date again!', because that would seem a bit too much for her to process at once. Not to mention the media would be all over her trying to get 'the scoop'. Always hated how the media does that. It was horrible in Loop A, who knows what would happen now.

Something popped up in my motion tracker, and it caught my attention. It was an orange blip, not red, or green. It didn't stay on my motion tracker for long, because it disappeared as soon as I noticed it.

'Maybe it was a fluke or something, but I might never know.' I thought, getting up and heading to where it was, which was where I was a few minutes ago.

A feeling of concern, and fear crept into me, and I made my way back to Luna's room at a quick pace. The orange blip popped up again, and I made it forcefully identify it. As soon as I did, it turned red.

Teleporting to Luna's room, I had my armor on, and I was ready to fight whatever this thing was. Only to be met with a sleeping Luna on her bed. Checking my Motion Tracker, I didn't see the orange blip anymore, so I thought it was most likely some bird I haven't seen before. I elected to take a page out of Luna's book and remained there, hiding in the dark corners and turning myself invisible.

Whatever this might be, if it exists at all, won't be ready for me.

Author's Note

It's been a while, but we're back! Kinda sort of. WOOOO!