Chasing Paradox

Chapters

1. Starfall
2. Stones of Everfree
3. A Song of Kindness
4. Four Days Ago
5. The Metal Mare
6. The Flying Cave
7. The Familiar Spring Festival
8. The Familiar Spring Festival

1. Starfall

Whistling cheerfully to herself, hooves clip-clopping along the stone Ponyville roads, a youthful grey pegasus mare, one wing resting lovingly on the messenger bag at her side, was nearing the end of her delivery route. The midmorning sun was warm on her back and set her pale yellow mane ashimmer as she went. One last package to deliver and her duties were done for the day, but she wasn’t in any hurry-- she enjoyed her job.

The day was bright and many ponies were out for a stroll throughout the town. The breeze was nice on her fur and when no one was looking, she would flap her wings and bounce just a little ways into the air before landing, skipping, down the road. Out since sunrise, her final delivery today took her just across the street from her own home to the house of a pink earth pony named Daisy, her Cutie Mark matching her name exactly. Her neighbour’s house was decorated with an abundance of well kept, beautiful and fragrant flowers. The pony in question, sporting a pretty white sunhat atop her green, curled mane, was watering the flowerbox next to her door as the pegasus approached.

“Daisy, I have something for you today,” she said.

Daisy turned and smiled, and placed her watering can on the ground, saying, “Good morning, Derpy! Nice day, isn’t it?”

“Beautiful,” she agreed with a smile and a nod; she steadied the blue mailmare’s cap on her head with one wing while opening her bag with the other and reaching inside to pull out a small parcel.

“Oh! I’ve been waiting for this,” the mare said happily as she accepted it, smiling wide. “Thanks!”

“You’re welcome,” Derpy said, unable to help a grin.

Every package received with a smile made the pegasus’s heart soar.

As Daisy turned to bring her package inside, Derpy crossed the street back towards her own home, a bit smaller than some of the others on the street, and a little less decorative, but hers nevertheless and, if she did say so herself, cozy to boot. She trotted inside with a bounce in her step, savoring the scent of her own baking from much earlier still lingering in the hallway, but no sooner had she closed the door behind her and hung her hat up on a hook on the wall, she heard a metallic clink behind her. She turned, surprised to see a deep purple flier with a strangely accurate and detailed shooting star on it settling onto the floor before the golden mail slot in the door. Curious, she picked it up and read,

Dear friend, this is an invitation to join in a once in a decade event. Tonight, a large meteor shower will be visible over Ponyville. If you are interested in attending, please come to an open meeting today at noon. Hope to see you there!

Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.

Beside the signature was a little seal of a six pointed star surrounded by five other, smaller stars. Derpy stared at the note and tilted her ears back and forth, and then trotted into her living room quickly to check the small clock on her wall. Almost noon, but not quite. She took a moment to ponder whether she was willing to stay up that late or not, and then wondered if she even wanted to go. Taking a glance around her room, she wondered if there was anything else she’d rather be doing that evening. Not really, it seemed. Though her bookshelves were full, not a single book was bordered with dust and her turntable needed repair due to overuse. The house was bright and welcoming, the blue couches comfortable and warm, but it felt too empty. The grey mare felt the cool ache of loneliness for a moment; took a deep breath and smiled to herself. It would be good to spend some time with other ponies outside of her job. She sighed and trotted to her bathroom to check the mirror. First, she turned in a circle checking her fur, especially over the mark of bubbles on her flank. She flattened the ruffled section of her mane and frowned at herself in the mirror steadily, even as one eye began to drift off in the other direction just a little. It wasn’t anything she could help really, and she could see with it-- could see almost completely behind her on the left side of her body while still looking straight with the other eye. It made depth perception a little difficult, but it had proved useful more than once. Nonetheless, it struck her with a sense of shame and she finally looked away from the mirror, unable to hold her own gaze, but she took a deep breath and straightened up as she turned out of the room.

Gotta keep going up, Derpy, she told herself. No use moping about something you can’t fix.

Derpy headed back out into the warm sunlight once more, tail wagging and wings flared in the breeze. She was a little surprised to see other ponies emerging from their homes as well, some with the purple flier clutched close, others chatting with family members or friends. A few pegasi flapped by overhead, soaring comfortably in the breeze. Derpy fluttered her wings, eyes brightening, wanting to join, but she quickly pulled back as she noticed a passing earth pony eye her skeptically before trotting on. She gulped: she knew exactly what he was thinking. Nonetheless, Derpy continued on her way, and despite the slight dejection, found a bounce in her step once more as the warm wind brushed through her mane.

Soon, she came upon town hall. The square before it was almost filled to the brim with ponies; it seemed like the whole town was there. Squinting and peering through the crowd, she could see a light mulberry coloured unicorn standing on the porch outside town hall, looking out above the many heads. Her mane and tail were long and straight-- a little in disarray, though-- dark blue with a single streak each of purple and pink. That was Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn who had sent the note. Derpy hadn’t really personally encountered her much, but she knew she was the personal student of Equestria’s ruler, Princess Celestia, along with one of the six who had saved everything many times through use of a special magic called the Elements of Harmony. Derpy was always a little surprised that she seemed so normal, even though her circumstances were rather extraordinary.

Twilight blew her forelock from her face and began to speak, but though Derpy strained her ears forward, she couldn’t hear. Curious, and cautious, the pegasus spread her wings and glided up the group just a little and hovered in place.

“I’d like to make this a bit of an event,” Twilight Sparkle was saying from her spot, “and, as such, I have a list of preparations I’d like some volunteers for.”

The unicorn’s bright pink magic glowed and produced a long list of parchment and a quill from seemingly nowhere; Twilight cleared her throat.

“We need some tables and benches brought up the hill, will anyone be able to help Applejack with that?”

Derpy saw a few hooves shoot up into the air and Twilight said a bright, “Wonderful!”

A second voice from an unseen mare with a bit of a southern drawl to it added, “Thank ya’ll kindly. I have most of the stuff back at the barn.”

“Rarity will be providing decorations, but if anyone would like to help--” Twilight continued, and was immediately greeted with more raised hooves, “Great! Now if a few pegasi could help Rainbow Dash keep the sky clear for tonight--”

A cerulean pegasus marked with a cloud and blue, red and yellow lightning bolt on her flank hopped up beside Twilight, tossing her bright, rainbow-coloured mane from her face as she did and she peered intently at the pegasi hovering around, as Derpy was. She couldn’t help but drop down into the crowd below a little awkwardly. Things hadn’t gone so well the last time she had ‘helped’ Rainbow Dash out.

“Just come if you’re fast,” the blue pegasus announced. “Thanks.”

It was a little hard for Derpy to see now, but she stood on the tips of her hooves; she saw Twilight grin and say, “All right! This is going to be very exciting, Ponyville! Remember, these meteors only pass us once every ten years. Try not to miss it, and I’ll see you at the top of the hill tonight!”

The crowd began to disperse almost immediately and Derpy followed, but in her peripherals noticed Twilight flip her list, looked alarmed and squealed, “How could I forget?!”

Derpy turned curiously and watched as the purple unicorn rubbed her forehead, saying, “I can’t believe...” and shaking her head.

A few other ponies stood, curious, as Twilight called, “Everypony, wait a minute!” though none but those already stopped seemed to hear. The unicorn sighed and looked around at the few of them.

“None of you happen to be able to bake, by any chance?” she asked.

A few of the mares headed away, a stallion awkwardly at the front saying, “Nope, sorry Twilight.”

The unicorn looked dejected and her ears drooped, but Derpy shyly flitted up to the porch.

“Um, Twilight,” she said, “I... I can bake.”

Twilight’s ears perked and her eyes widened, and she almost barked, “Really?!” When Derpy nodded, Twilight jumped down and grabbed her by the shoulders, asking, “Would you be willing to give Pinkie Pie a hoof with the food for tonight?”

“Um... Yeah, okay,” she said.

“Ooh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Twilight exclaimed in a hurry, “You can meet up with her at Sugarcube Corner. Thank you so much, uh...”

She paused and tilted her head, and then smiled, a little embarrassed.

“It’s Derpy Hooves, right?”

“Yeah,” Derpy said with a nod, and Twilight smiled wide.

“Well then, Derpy, thank you very much. See you tonight!”

She trotted off with an air of utter satisfaction and the pegasus couldn’t help a smile. She rolled her eyes and got on her way to Sugarcube Corner.

Sugarcube Corner was the name of the local bakery. It stood tall and vibrant just beyond vegetable and fruit carts a few blocks away from town hall. The place was like a giant, expertly-iced gingerbread house, trim like fluffy frosting over a chocolate-shingled roof, with a cupcake tower and pink-and-white candy canes framing the door. It always smelled like cake and cinnamon passing by there, and never failed to make Derpy hungry.

She pushed in past the rose coloured door, ears perking to the chime of a bell as she entered. There wasn’t a pony within view, but Derpy could hear bright, cheerful humming in the back and so, carefully, edged up to the main counter and peeked around, asking, “Pinkie Pie?” The pegasus barely had time to blink before a fully pink mare, curly and flamboyant mane squished down under a chef’s hat, appeared at the counter. Her fur was sprinkled with flour, partially obscuring her Cutie Mark of three balloons in blue and yellow; her blue eyes were bright as she grinned.

“Hellllooooo! How can I help you?” she said cheerfully.

“Hi, I’m Derp-”

“Derpy Hooves, of course! I know your name, silly!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, beaming, and leaned across the counter, resting her cheek on a hoof. “What can Pinkie do for you today?”

“Actually, Twilight asked me to come help you with the food for tonight,” Derpy said a bit shyly.

The pink mare seemed to jump and let out a long, loud gasp so sudden that Derpy thought she might have offended her, but Pinkie Pie was beaming quickly and reached across the counter to grasp Derpy by the shoulders.

“This is great!” she squealed.

She pulled the pegasus forward, and before she knew it, Derpy was in the kitchen a chef’s hat being plopped onto her head.

The counters were lined with trays of cupcakes with bright purple and blue icing; any space not taken by the trays was covered in loose flour and mixing bowls.

“So!” Pinkie said. “What do you want to make? We can make just about anything here!”

She hopped around the room, producing cake pans and baking sheets from cupboards that didn’t even look large enough to hold them.

“We can make cakes, pies, cupcakes-- but we do already have a lot of cupcakes, but like I always say, you can never have enough cupcakes. We could even makes muffins, or cookies, or scones!” The pink pony stared at Derpy with wide eyes. “Have you ever had a scone?”

“N-No, I don’t think so,” the pegasus replied, and Pinkie beamed.

“Neither have I, but I bet they’re scrumptious!”

Derpy couldn’t help a bit of a snicker and she nodded, and then cast a glance around the kitchen and then pointed to the cupboards.

“Mind if I take a look around?”

“Take as many looks you want!” Pinkie replied with a grin.

Derpy nodded and trotted around, checking in cabinets for more spices and ingredients, and then turned to Pinkie curiously.

“Would you be up for muffins? I’m pretty good at making them,” she said.

“Ooh, okay!” Pinkie replied, and was almost instantly a pink blur around the room, clearing a space on the counter laying out the regular ingredients gleefully. Derpy reached into a cabinet for cinnamon and vanilla, and said, “I also need apples, carrots, coconut and cream cheese.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” exclaimed the mare, and to Derpy’s surprise, all that she listed was laid out on the table by the time she had turned around.

She couldn’t help an “oh!” of surprise as Pinkie Pie stood beside the counter with her chest puffed out proudly. The pegasus couldn’t help a laugh; Pinkie Pie was a strange pony, no doubt about it, but her enthusiasm was contagious and before long the two were excitedly chopping apples and carrots, dumping ingredients into the bowl and taking turns mixing.

“This already smells good!” Pinkie decided. “Where did you get this recipe?”

“One of my old cookbooks,” Derpy said; she began to lay out muffin trays and, to her surprise, Pinkie dashed by, leaving a neat, precise path of paper muffin cups, and a second pass blobbed an even amount of batter into each.

Derpy was impressed, though she supposed it was to be expected from a pony who worked at Sugarcube Corner. She fluffed her wings happily and steadied her hat on her head as she mixed sugar and cream cheese together and put it in a piping bag.

“Are you going to ice the muffins?” Pinkie asked. “Wouldn’t that make them kind of like cupcakes? That’s exciting!”

“Not quite,” the pegasus said, and the other mare’s ears drooped a bit and she looked disappointed.

“Wait, Pinkie, wait!” Derpy laughed, “Watch!”

Lifting off and making a concentrated effort not to veer, she piped the sweetened cream cheese right onto the batter, one by one, and then waved a hoof at Pinkie Pie to get the bowl and spoon, saying, “Now put a blob on top!”

The pink mare’s eyes widened and she licked her lips eagerly, saying, “Mmm! Cream cheese inside! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“You do it for cupcakes, why not muffins?” Derpy agreed, nodding and laughing.

Pinkie Pie dashed around, dolloping a spoonful of batter on top of each cream cheese muffin as the pegasus flitted about with the piping bag and soon enough the pegasus was racing to stay ahead while Pinkie Pie rushed to keep up. They were done in record time, piling in tray after tray into the over to bake.

The sudden lull in action was almost jarring as the two ponies plopped down to sit on the kitchen floor. Derpy took a deep breath, her wings ruffling and cast a glance at Pinkie. The other pony was splattered with specs of batter, but before Derpy could point it out, Pinkie pointed to the pegasus’s cheek and grinned, saying, “Flour.” Derpy smiled embarrassedly and wiped her face on the back of her hoof. She took off her hat, smoothed her mane, and then pointed to a blob on Pinkie’s snout.

“Batter.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened and she stuck out her tongue, licking up the batter on her face and giggling. She took off her hat as well and blew some flour from the top before giving Derpy a huge grin.

“I didn’t know you were a baker,” she said. “We should do this more often.”

The pegasus was taken aback and she felt her heart flutter. It had been so long since she had been personally invited to-- Derpy nodded and her eyes brightened, giving the pink mare a smile.

“I’d love that.”

“Great!” Pinkie exclaimed; she grabbed Derpy’s hoof and shook it so exuberantly that the pegasus felt like her brain was rattling, “It’s a date! Well, a date without a date, but once we choose a date, we’re all set!”

“Thanks, Pinkie Pie,” she replied.

The pink pony was up on her hooves and bouncing around the kitchen in an instant, saying, “You’re welcome!” in a singsong voice as she returned to the counter, “Now for the cakes!”

“Cakes?” Derpy repeated, surprised.

“Yep! Chocolate cake, cherry cake, carrot cake, vanilla custard cake, coffee cake, pancakes-”

“All of those?” the pegasus asked as she got up; she was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, especially as Pinkie nodded.

“Of course!”

Derpy took a deep breath; she picked up her hat, squished it onto her head and said, “Let’s do this.”

The sun had set on Ponyville by the time Derpy Hooves and Pinkie Pie were done in the kitchen; it was quite a sight to behold. Placed carefully on carts, cakes iced to perfection by a surprisingly meticulous Pinkie Pie stood tall amongst trays of cupcakes, muffins and platefuls of pancakes. Outside, Pinkie easily hitched herself to a cart and looked at Derpy expectantly to do the same.

“You coming?” she asked.

Derpy looked at the cart and gulped, feeling almost precarious on her own hooves.

“Oh, uh... yeah, of course, just... I think I forgot something inside,” the pegasus fibbed. “You go on without me.”

She took a step back and Pinkie merely shrugged, saying, “Suit yourself!” and bouncing away. Derpy cringed, but somehow the layered cakes the pony guided behind her seemed to say in place. She blew out a sigh of relief and eyed her own cart up and down awkwardly.

I can do it, she assured herself. Eyes forward and don’t get distracted, and I’ll be fine.

She took a deep breath and flittered to the front of the cart, folding her forelimbs to her chest and looking at it closely, double checking that, at least, nothing was falling out before she started. When she was satisfied, she alit, but perhaps a little too quickly. Her heart dropped as she felt her hoof catch and she lurched forward. She uttered a panicked, “No!” even as she roughly bumped the cart and it creaked backwards and, to her horror, began to roll.

Cursing herself, Derpy lifted off and bolted after the cart as fast as she could. It was going-- going much faster than she had anticipated along a slight incline down the road. She flapped faster, trying to keep focused, trying to keep her eye from wandering, but she was already getting dizzy. She pressed her ears back and glared forward, reaching her hooves out to try to grab the front, hoping to Celestia that that top layer of the chocolate cake wouldn’t go flying off.

Her eyes were starting to water and she stretched forward, gulping. She flapped her wings hard, only to veer sideways despite her best efforts. She squealed and tried to correct, banking downwards and nearly skimming the stone below.

Almost there. Alllmost--!

Bright pink suddenly upset her gaze and she fumbled, a hoof skidding on the ground; she was sent into an awkward, tumbling crash against the cart. She let out a squeal, eyes watering with pain as she sat back and rubbed her head, surprised to see what she had been chasing encased in a bright pink glow of magic and held completely steady. Even more startling was when the unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, mane groomed and ears perked high, poked her head around the other side, purple eyes wide as she leaned in and asked, “Oh my gosh, are you okay?”

“I, uh...”

Derpy rubbed her head and winced, and Twilight quickly trotted around the cart and helped her to her hooves. The pegasus’s ears drooped, as did her posture and she muttered out a, “I just don’t... I... I tripped and hit it, and-”

“It’s okay,” Twilight assured her sympathetically, and gestured to the desserts: miraculously, they were all still standing. “No harm done, Derpy.”

Derpy blew out a sigh of relief and muttered, “Thanks,” just as the scampering of clawed feet drew the unicorn’s attention.

“Twilight, what’s going on?” a young male voice inquired. “What happened?”

Around the cart came a small, dragon, purple-scaled with a green ridge of spikes down the center of his head and back, jogging quite quickly. His arms were laden with books and star maps, and he looked between Twilight and Derpy, his bright green eyes narrowed curiously.

“Nothing, Spike, it’s fine,” Twilight assured him. “We just had a little accident with the cart.”

She smiled and Spike looked between the two, his eyes focusing on Derpy. The pegasus smiled embarrassedly and said, “My bad. Thanks for the help, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Not a problem at all,” she said. “This all looks delicious. You and Pinkie made this?”

Derpy nodded and Twilight smiled widely; Spike looked at the cart curiously and after just a moment, licked his lips, eyes wide and bright.

“That looks great!” he said.

“There’s more with Pinkie Pie,” Derpy added, finally wiping her eyes.

“Guess we better get to the hill, then,” Twilight decided.

Derpy nodded and moved to hitch herself to the cart, only to have pink flash across her eyes. She wobbled, dazed, but when her vision settled, she was floored: she was surrounded now by a mess of other ponies near a set up of benches and tables, along with long, purple banners with glittering stars strewn all along them as if pulled from the sky itself. Twilight trotted off, a smile on her face and with Spike at her heels like nothing had happened, but Derpy dropped onto her rump clumsily, rubbing her head.

She was roused almost instantly, though, pink hooves lifting her up as she was squeezed into a tight, quick hug as Pinkie squealed, “There you are! Hitched a ride with Twilight, huh? Great idea!” The pony grinned widely at her and released, only to trot to the cart and pull it with her easily to join her own. It was a little ways past the tables, and ponies were already gathering to take some of the sweet treats. Though her head still hurt, Derpy’s heart swelled a little to see the smiling faces as ponies tried some of the food. She supposed the work had been worth it.

Derpy ruffled her wings happily and, finally, cast her gaze skyward. The night sky was almost violet and vibrant, with not a cloud to be seen and bright stars twinkling so wonderfully that the pegasus couldn’t bring herself to look away. Before she knew it, she had spread her wings wide; she caught herself, but let her feathers test the air nonetheless. She wanted to be up there but dared not take off. Half of Ponyville was on this hill, and for a once-in-a-decade event-- she didn’t want to crash into anything and make a mess of it for the others. Even so, she stretched her wings high up and then folded them close: it made her feel a little bit better.

She trotted across the grassy hill and took one of the muffins they had made earlier to snack on; a mare near the carts, yellow with a curly orange mane and a Cutie Mark of carrots to match, waved to her and said, “Great job, Derpy, the food is great!”

Derpy blushed and replied with a pleased and cheerful, “Thank you,” before continuing to take a walk around the festivities. Everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves so far. She took a seat on the hill a little ways away from the main event, letting her mind drift as she looked at the stars. A few ponies passed behind her, trotting excitedly up the hill to join the group. She was only snapped out of it as an elegant grey mare marked with a purple treble clef approached her, tossing her long, dark mane over her shoulder and steadying a cello case she carried on her back.

“Excuse me, might you point me in the direction of a Miss Twilight Sparkle?” the mare asked.

Derpy stared at her blankly for just a moment before turning to look at the crowd. She spotted Twilight with Pinkie Pie and a few other ponies just a little ways away. Along with her, chatting and laughing, were Rainbow Dash and a beautiful, pale grey unicorn, with a delicately curled purple mane and tail and a Cutie Mark of three blue crystals, named Rarity; she pointed them out quickly.

“Thank you,” the mare said with a nod, and trotted to meet with the unicorn.

Derpy watched curiously as the mare approached Twilight and introduced herself as Octavia. The purple unicorn beamed and shook her hoof gratefully, though her friends looked at her with puzzlement, and though out of the loop, Derpy did as well.

“I hired Octavia to give us a little bit of background music for tonight,” the unicorn said proudly. “She’s an excellent cellist, and bassist as well. She was at the Grand Galloping Gala, remember?”

“Oooh, I remember you!” exclaimed Pinkie.

The grey mare looked back at her rather stoically and replied, “And I, you.”

“Um, bit of a problem,” Rainbow Dash said a bit awkwardly. “Pinkie and I... We sort of... asked somepony else to do music too. Since you were so busy and all.”

The purple unicorn looked shocked and blurted, “Who?” and, with a grin, Pinkie darted into the crowd and emerged again with a yellow-white unicorn with a black Cutie Mark of two bridged eighth notes, eyes disguised under bright purple sunglasses. She brushed her wild, cobalt and cerulean mane out of her face as the other mare shoved her forwards. Derpy couldn’t help a snicker as Octavia, Twilight and Rarity looked a combination of baffled and surprised.

“Oh, hey Octy,” the new, pale unicorn said.

“Vinyl,” Octavia replied curtly.

“Oh good, you know each other!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Um, well, that’s great, you guys,” Twilight said awkwardly, “but I was thinking classical would go well with tonight.”

“But what about some cool electronic jams?” Rainbow insisted, elbowing Pinkie, who agreed with a nod. “That sounds really space-y.”

“You can’t be serious,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes. “This event is supposed to be elegant, Rainbow Dash, not... that. No offense.”

“None taken?” Vinyl replied a bit blankly, looking around the group.

“Oh, come on, Twilight,” the blue pegasus insisted, “you want this to be cool, right? No offense, Octavia.”

“Well, look, we need to pick one-” Twilight began.

Derpy couldn’t help but cut in with a quiet, “Why not both?” The six ponies looked at her in confusion and she felt herself blush.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said, “but... can’t they both play?”

They said nothing for a little while and the pegasus started to wish she hadn’t said a word, but before she knew it, Vinyl Scratch was grinning at Octavia.

“Mash-ups, eh? We can do that,” she said. “We went to music college together, we used to do that all the time.”

“Indeed,” Octavia agreed. “It shan’t be an issue.”

“Oh... Oh! Good! Great!” Twilight exclaimed. “If you could just get set up-”

“Got it covered, T,” the pale unicorn assured her, trotting off with a grin on her face.

“T?” Twilight repeated, raising her eyebrows as the two musicians left the group.

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash began to snicker and the pegasus flew to Derpy, saying, “Great idea, you eavesdropper,” with a wink. The grey pegasus smiled and shrugged, not really willing to admit she had meant they should take turns. She didn’t mind either way, though.

Night darkened and soon enough music began to echo over the hilltop; an interesting mix of classical and synth that really did sound “space-y”. Even Rarity seemed pleased. Derpy kept her spot, swaying, her ears perked and a smile on her face as she listened to the music, nibbling on a muffin quietly and watching the sky. Trickles of light were becoming visible and, within seconds, Twilight Sparkle’s voice rang out over the crowd loud and clear.

“The meteor shower will be visible in a minute and thirty-three seconds as I’m finished speaking. Look up, everypony!”

Derpy didn’t even have to be told once. Though the group gathered closer to Twilight, the pegasus didn’t move; didn’t want to get in anypony’s way. She counted the seconds and, precisely when Twilight had said, the sky lit up.

The sound of the crowd was in awe, and Derpy knew she was gawking. Streaks of flaming light sped through the sky, shining; cutting through the darkness as if it were merely a piece of cloth masking the sun. The meteor trails were soon alight with colour as well, radiating electric blues and brilliant golds against the backdrop of night. It made the pegasus’s heart drop and she felt herself beaming so much that her cheeks hurt. Tearing her eyes away was hard, but she did simply to observe the others, their faces set aglow by the light from deep space, their smiles and eyes bright. It made Derpy smile even wider. It was wonderful.

Half the town sat and stared in awed wonder for a good long while. Derpy had no idea how long she had been sitting in place, but the meteors were mesmerizing, and even through it all, Octavia and Vinyl Scratch still played on, a scene that felt completely outside of time. The pegasus’s tail wagged and her wings spread, reveling in the feeling. Only when the light finally began to dim and the meteors came only in small streams did the group begin to disperse back around the celebration area to sit or to eat, and some even to dance. Derpy caught a glimpse of Twilight from afar: the unicorn looked absolutely radiant with happiness and the pegasus felt very glad for her. She wondered how long Twilight had been planning this.

Derpy felt her stomach rumble and her cheeks pinked, and she got up, stretching her legs and wings that felt a bit atingle with pins and needles. Turning to crack her neck also had her notice something a little strange in the far off sky, though. In her wide peripherals, she noticed a small trail of dark against the night; this wasn’t alight like the meteors, though. It looked almost like smoke, trailing down to settle just outside the other edge of Ponyville. Curious, the pegasus turned around, squinting to get a better look, but the blue had vanished. Frowning with confusion, she tilted her head and was about to shrug it off when she felt a bit of a rumble through her hooves. She heard a few other ponies let out surprised sounds, but there was no commotion otherwise.

Derpy felt a spike of worry, drawing back involuntarily as she spotted a small, upwards spiral of what was definitely smoke from the other side of town. Turning back to the crowd, she was a little surprised that no one else seemed to notice. She gulped, still able to see it in the dark behind her and looked around to find Twilight. She spotted her smiling widely and chatting with the timid, yellow pegasus named Fluttershy who had her face half-hidden beneath her long, pale pink mane and a half asleep, white rabbit flopped over her back. She looked so happy that Derpy didn’t want to bother her. Nevertheless, she gulped and trotted up to the two. Before she could say a word, Twilight spotted her.

“Oh, hi! Hasn’t the night been just spectacular?”

She was beaming just about as bright as the stars. Derpy smiled and nodded, and the other pegasus turned to her and gave her a small smile.

“Hello, Derpy Hooves,” she said quietly. “Have you been having a good time?”

“I’ve been having a great time,” Derpy assured her, and then turned to the unicorn with her ears drooping apologetically. “I’m going to have to cut out a little early though-- I have work tomorrow morning. I just wanted to thank you for putting together something so nice for everypony.”

“Oh! Well, thank you for coming, and for your help!” Twilight replied.

The pegasus smiled and nodded, and then flared her wings, turned, and took off, pushing down a little guilt for the fib she had told.

Derpy tried not to rush, knowing her own accident-prone nature was often exacerbated by speed. Though anxiety had settled in her, she flapped her wings steadily, flying high across town. The wind made it easy to glide; she took a deep breath to steady her nerves and dipped a wing down so she dropped into a controlled, wide downwards spiral. Whatever had occurred was down below in a small clearing roofed by a canopy of branches from the trees rimming it, though the smoke was billowing up from a large, broken hole in the branches. Derpy squinted through, but past the shadows and smoke, it was incredibly hard to see what was really down there. The scent made her heart thud with panic and she gulped and, very cautiously, descended.

She had to backtrack just a little, unwilling to risk diving through the gap in the branches and she landed, stumbling just a little, on the grass just beyond the trees on the same side as town. She wondered if, perhaps, one of the meteors had crashed here. Looking up at the sky, it seemed much darker now; no more trails of light brightened the night. Gulping, she peered through the shadows and sighed, shifting on her hoofs for a moment, and then elected to investigate more closely. If it was a meteor, surely Twilight Sparkle would be interested.

Ears perked and alert, Derpy trotted through the trees, taking only a couple of minutes to reach the clearing from the ground. As the space opened before her, Derpy was met with a strange sight: faint smoke trails ebbed from a the entrance to a small cave that Derpy hadn’t seen from the the air. The scent stung her nose and she cringed, wings flaring; a sudden shuffle of movement caught her eye and she and Derpy reared backwards in alarm. When she steadied herself and took a deep breath, up on the tips of her hooves, she edged closer to the source of the movement with much trepidation.

To her surprise, there was a stallion sprawled in the grass on his side, his pale greyish-brown fur marred with dirt and his brown, scruffy mane in disarray. Derpy edged in closer, her mind racing with questions, but before she could even try to draw his attention, he began to shift and let out a quiet groan. The pegasus jumped and, her wings flaring wide, she hurried in closer, saying a quick and worried, “Hey!”

The stallion looked stunned, dazed, his eyes glossy and tearing as he struggled on the ground, unable to get his legs under himself. Derpy let out a quick, “Dear Celestia!” under her breath and knelt down before him, asking, “Hey, mister, are you okay?! Did something hit you?”

“I... I... don’t know,” the pony admitted.

His voice was a little strange, bearing an accent she didn’t quite recognize-- it sounded like that of Trottingham, almost, but a little smoother and had a tinge of something else she couldn’t place. He looked up at her with big, blue watery eyes and asked, softly, “Can you help me?”

Derpy couldn’t even fathom saying anything but, “Of course.” He looked relieved and she quickly added, “Can you get up? Do you need to go to the hospital?” The stallion’s limbs wobbled a little as he tried to get them under himself, but he could barely do a thing.

“I... I can’t walk,” he whimpered.

The pegasus bit her lip and slid her body up beside him and pulled his front limbs over her back. He let out a surprised, “Oh!” and she said, “Can you get up there?” He grimaced and, slowly, wormed his way over her back and, taking a deep breath, she stood. He was heavy-- heavier than she had expected, but she pretended it didn’t bother her and slowly began on her way back to town. Through her fur, she felt the stallion’s heartbeat. It was much too rushed, erratic, and it made her worry all the more.

“Do you know what happened?” she asked.

He shook his head and mumbled, “No,” but then quietly added, “Thank you. Are you sure you can-?”

“Y-Yeah, no worries,” she assured him.

Going was slow, and it hurt as well, but Derpy wasn’t even close to giving up. Clip-clopping across the bridge back into town with the stallion over her back was a huge relief, even though the hospital was still a little ways away. He was quiet now, though his breathing was ragged. Derpy could see him a little in her peripherals; he looked a bit sick.

“H-Hey,” she said, drawing his attention, “stay with me, okay? What’s your name?”

“My... My name?” he repeated, frowning a little. “I... Hmm... That is a good question, my friend.”

Derpy cringed, but before she could say another word, he perked up just a little and asked, “And you? What’s your name?”

“Oh! I’m Derpy Hooves. Or... You can just call me Derpy, that’s probably better,” she said.

“Derpy,” he repeated tiredly as he closed his eyes. “That’s a cute name.”

The pegasus smiled shyly, trying not to ruffle her wings in a pleased sort of way, instead holding them out sideways a little for balance as she crossed another small, stone bridge.

After just another moment, Derpy paused unwittingly, her ears twitching to the sound of distant voices; two, mares, coming closer in the darkness. The grey mare recognized the ponies quickly, one by her distinct rainbow mane and the other by the cowboy hat perched atop her head. Rainbow Dash fluttered above, snickering about something to do with the dragon that lived in the library whilst Applejack, the orange mare marked with three red apples on her flank, trotted below, blowing a strand of her blond mane from her face with a faint smile on her lips-- that is, until she noticed her. She paused in her steps, letting out an, “Uh,” as Rainbow Dash continued.

“Hey, Derpy,” before doing a double take and blurting, “Are you carrying somepony?”

“Y-Yeah,” Derpy replied a bit shyly, and the two ponies were with her in an instant.

“Who is he?” the other pegasus asked, but Derpy merely shook her head, ears drooping, and Rainbow folded her forelimbs to her chest, demanding, “You didn’t crash into him, did you?”

“No,” Derpy replied quickly.

Applejack let out a sharp, “Rainbow!” before turning a concerned eye on the stallion across Derpy’s back.

“Do you need some help with him, sugarcube?”

“I’ll be fine,” the pegasus insisted. “I’m just taking him to the hospital.”

She pointed, casting her gaze off in the distance; she could just barely see the silhouette of the hospital from where she stood. Her stomach dropped and she felt her knees go weak, but she tried to stay steady, even as the stallion seemed to weigh her down like a pile of sandbags. Both ponies looked at her skeptically, and Rainbow Dash sighed, holding out her forelimbs and beckoning to her, saying, “C’mon, give him here, I’ll fly him over in a flash.”

“What if you crash?” Applejack asked.

“What? I won’t crash,” the pegasus scoffed, and then motioned in an arc with her hoof. “I’ll just fly him over there real quick, no biggie.”

“I’m not sure that quick is what that pony needs,” Applejack said. “Steady seems much safer.”

She raised her eyebrow at the blue pegasus, who looked a little annoyed for a second before throwing up her hooves and saying, “Yeah, okay. Fine. I was just about to head home anyway. Later, A.J. Good luck, Derpy.”

Applejack smiled a little and then slid up beside Derpy, insisting, “I’ll carry him for you.” She had taken him onto her shoulders before Derpy could even protest, but with the weight gone, she couldn’t help a long, relieved sigh. The orange mare started on her way, carrying the stallion with almost no effort; Derpy was a little jealous and, though feeling utterly weak, trotted to keep up.

“If you don’t mind me askin’,” Applejack said, “how did you come across this... uh...”

She looked back at the stallion as if search for a name, but Derpy couldn’t answer the question she didn’t ask.

“He was hurt at the edge of the woods near the other end of town,” the pegasus replied. “He asked for help so I thought taking him to the hospital would be best.”

“And you don’t know how it happened? Do you know who he is?”

“No, I asked him his name and he said he didn’t know either.”

“Didn’t know his own name...” Applejack mused; she seemed troubled.

Derpy’s ears drooped low and she cast her gaze back at the unconscious stallion. His face was fixed in a grimace and Derpy’s heart went out to him. He looked like he was in pain. She didn’t take her eyes off him, even when she stumbled over a few rocks along the way-- at least, not until she heard Applejack say, “Well, will you look at that.”

Cautiously, Derpy looked ahead and was surprised to see that they were almost at the hospital and waiting in front was a tired, worried looking white mare, a nurse from the hospital, her pale pink mane back in a rough bun beside a gurney right outside the door. She pushed it a bit closer to meet them, staring at them intently through the dark.

“Applejack, is that you?” she asked. “And Derpy Hooves? What happened?”

“Not entirely sure,” Applejack replied, and she looked at Derpy with concern, asking a worried, “Well?”

“I just found this stallion lying on the ground outside of town,” she said, and hurriedly, the nurse pushed her gurney up to Applejack and gently helped pull the stallion onto it. “He said he couldn’t walk and couldn’t remember his name.”

“Rainbow Dash mentioned-- Oh my... What happened?” the nurse asked worriedly.

The grey pegasus was taken aback, but felt a little warmed to hear Rainbow Dash had been by.

“I’m not sure,” Derpy admitted, her ears drooping low. “Do you think one of the meteors could have crashed on him?”

“Sounds unlikely,” the white mare replied; she pulled a blanket up over the stallion. “Is he from town? Has anypony seen him around at all?”

“Not me,” Applejack said, and Derpy shook her head.

“Maybe just a traveler,” the white mare said quietly.

Applejack agreed, “I guess that could be it.”

Derpy bit her lip and her ears flopped downwards and she stared at the stallion; she jumped despite herself when the stallion shifted on the gurney a little and opened his eyes. He looked between the three mares with confusion and Applejack gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Don’t you worry, sugarcube, Nurse Redheart here’s gonna take good care of you,” she assured him gently.

The stallion looked between them curiously and nodded, though his eyes settled on Derpy and he said a tired, “Thank you.”

The pegasus’s eyes widened and she raised one front hoof, pawing the air a little as she said, “Hey, you’re gonna be okay now. If you need anything, just send for me, okay? Derpy Hooves, okay?” He blinked at her blankly for a moment and, for the first time, she saw him smile just a little and he nodded before flopping a bit more naturally down on the gurney.

“Just relax,” Redheart told him gently, and with careful hooves, began to wheel him away towards the hospital.

Derpy’s heart went out to the stallion as she watched him go. She couldn’t help but worry about him and her mind raced, wondering what in the world had happened to him. Was it even possible for a falling space rock to have hit him? Perhaps he was just a sick traveller. She was jarred from her thoughts, however, as Applejack elbowed her lightly in the side.

“That’s mighty big of you,” she said. “He’s not even really your responsibility.”

“I found him. I sort of feel like he is,” Derpy admitted.

She was surprised when the orange mare smiled at her, saying, “I’m sure I’d feel the same.”

She patted her on the shoulder and went to leave; she stopped and said, “Let me know how this turns out, y’hear?” Derpy nodded.

“Thanks for the help,” she said.

Applejack nodded and tipped her hat before walking off down the road.

Derpy sighed and looked back at the hospital, shifting on her hooves. She grimaced, but wasn’t sure what else she could do now. Sighing, tired, she rubbed her forehead-- it still hurt a little-- and then spread her wings, lifted off, and headed for home.

The streets of Ponyville were dark and quiet as Derpy headed home. Though usually she would revel in the cool, night wind running through her feathers, she couldn’t tear her mind away from the stranger in the hospital. She landed at her doorstep with only a small fumble and trotted tiredly inside. The house was dark and silent, and Derpy’s ears drooped. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes.

Who are you?

She folded her wings in tight and, rubbing her brow again, wandered through the front hall and up the stairs to her bedroom. She went straight to bed that night, wrapped snuggly in a pale blue blanket, wondering about the stranger in the clearing until sleep took her.

“- it figures. He was a total mess.”

“And no identification? Nothing?”

“Not a single thing. The ponies who found him didn’t even know. Isn’t there anything we can do?”

Ears twitched back and forth and slowly, the dark faded away to reveal two somethings talking in a white hallway. Furry bodies, cute, round heads with pointy ears, and long hoofed legs. One white; a second, yellow.

How interesting! he thought with a smile.

The yellow one sighed deeply and said, “I can have somepony bring a photo around soon. I just need to check a few things.” The white one nodded, sighed, and turned around to suddenly look shocked.

“You’re awake!” she exclaimed a bit shrilly.

“Yes, absolutely I am! Hope this isn’t too odd, but might I ask what you are?”

He felt a little rude asking, but he honestly hadn’t a clue. The white creature was clearly taken aback and she said, a bit confused, “I’m a... a pony. An earth pony. So are you.”

“An earth pony? Fancy that! What’s your name?”

“I’m... Nurse Redheart, I’m looking after you here-”

“At the hospital?” he asked.

“Yes, Ponyville hospital.”

The light brown earth pony, a little confused, tilted his head back and forth, and then rubbed his brow tiredly with a hoof.

“An earth pony at Ponyville hospital,” he repeated. “All right. Fair enough. Do you know my name?”

“No,” Redheart replied, and gently asked, “Do you?”

“Haven’t a clue,” he replied.

He wasn’t sure why, but it didn’t bother him too much. He pointed down the hall at the receding form of the other pony and said, “What’s he? He’s like you, but with a horn. Is he still a pony?”

“Yes. A unicorn,” the nurse replied.

She trotted to his side and rested a hoof against his forehead and then, gently, probed his skull. The stallion tilted his head a little to allow her greater access on the side she was inspecting.

“Are you feeling any pain?” she asked

“Not really. What about with wings?” he wondered.

Nurse Redheart pulled back to stare at him square in the face, eyebrow raised. He smiled back at her innocently and she sighed, muttering, “You really don’t know, huh?” He smiled, shrugged, and shook his head.

“A pegasus.”

“The grey one with wings is called a pegasus?”

“Grey one?” the mare repeated, confused.

The stallion stared at her blankly and wondered why he had said grey. He frowned and thought back, trying to recall, until she flashed through his memory. Blurry, grey, and with golden-yellow eyes, but sweet and helpful. The grey one with wings-- a pegasus.

“Yes,” the stallion replied, and smiled. “A grey pegasus helped me here.”

Redheart nodded and smiled a little, saying, “At least you remember that.” The stallion’s face brightened proudly and and he looked around, blinking in the light and taking in the room.

The walls were white and clean in his small room, and he sat in a bed covered by teal blankets. The curtains blocking the windows to the left of him matched them almost exactly, and he saw a fan stuck to the ceiling above him. It all felt a bit foreign, but he supposed it wasn’t too bad. The setting seemed friendly enough, and it smelled fresh and lively outside. The stallion felt his tail wagging on its own accord and he grinned to himself as the nurse checked a chart on the front of his bed. As she did, he stretched out his forelimbs before him, looking, pleased, at his light brown fur, though he felt a little damp. Perhaps they had bathed him for some reason? It didn’t much matter to him.

“Was I injured quite badly?” he asked.

“Heavy bruising over most of your chest and flanks, but nothing broken or dislocated, sir,” the nurse replied as she flipped through his chart, “and you were absolutely covered in mud.”

She replaced the chart in its holder and looked at him intently with her pale blue eyes.

“Now that you’re awake, I’d like to do a few more basic tests, if that’s alright with you,” she said. “The most pressing matter is that memory loss of yours.”

“It’s not too bad,” the stallion said with a shrug.

The mare replied with an expression that simply said, Seriously? before she reminded him, “You didn’t even remember you were a pony, sir.”

“That’s true,” he said with a laugh, “but I suppose what I meant is that I don’t mind all that much. In fact, this is sort of exciting for me.”

He grinned; the nurse didn’t seem nearly as enthusiastic and she turned to the hallway, saying, “I’ll be right back. Please don’t try to get up.”

The stallion was fine to stay still for now, and she was back within the minute with a small, white bag of equipment emblazoned with a small, red medical cross with a pink heart in each corner. It took the stallion a moment to realize that she had the same mark on her flanks and on the small, white cap she wore. He wondered what it meant. Perhaps the hospital’s logo, identifying her as a nurse?

As he wondered about it, she produced a tiny light and drew it close, shining it in his face. It was bright and stung a little, but he said nothing and she soon replaced the light with her hoof. The stallion watched the hoof pass back and forth before his eyes, and then the nurse checked inside his ears. It tickled and he couldn’t help a giggle and an apologetic smile. The white mare pulled back and then pulled a stethoscope forward and pressed it to his chest. He watched her curiously and she frowned, drew back and stared at the instrument for a moment before trying again, listening closely.

“Is something wrong?” the stallion asked curiously.

“How are you feeling?” Nurse Redheart asked, frowning with concern as she pulled back. “Any shortness of breath, weakness, chest pains?”

The stallion stared at her blankly for a second as he analyzed how he was feeling, and then shook his head.

“No. I’m a bit sore in some places, but I feel quite good otherwise,” he replied cheerfully.

The nurse looked a little confused, frowned, and said, “You have a very irregular heartbeat. I’m not sure what’s causing it. I should get the doctor-”

“Can you actually get that little grey pegasus? What’s her name? Derpy, I think she said,” the stallion interjected with an innocent smile on his face. “I’d like to talk to her now that I’m properly awake.”

“Derpy Hooves?” Nurse Redheart asked, seeming a bit perplexed, but she nodded and turned to head from the room. “I’ll send for her. I’ll also get the doctor to come see you.”

“Fine with me,” the stallion replied brightly.

Within seconds after she had gone, the stallion was breathtakingly bored. He leaned back in the quiet of the room for a moment, a rear hoof slipping out from under the covers as he tried to get comfortable. A few more minutes with no doctor appearing and the stallion was getting a little impatient. He felt fine and he really wanted to properly meet that pegasus. He kept seeing her face on the backs of his lids, a little blurred in his memory. In fact, thinking back on it, she was the first thing he remembered. He wasn’t sure why, or where his memory had gone; even if he had even had memories before that, but he supposed he must have-- either way, it felt important somehow.

A bit awkwardly, the stallion slipped out of bed and onto his hooves. He stumbled for a moment, knees weak and shaky. His hooves felt awkward and he almost slipped on the tile as he tried to take a step. He flailed around a little to get his balance, took a deep breath and tried to at least slide himself around the room. That didn’t work too well either and he was quickly acquainted with the specs of dirt on the tiled floor. Snorting at himself, he scrabbled on the tile to get his hooves under him and stood. He felt strange though, felt like he wanted more where his hooves were, but he brushed it off and took his first wobbly steps around the room. His legs felt weak and tired, but it wasn’t too bad. He peeked down the hallway from the open door; he still saw no one and, with a shrug, began a slow, careful walk down the hallway.

A sudden glimpse of another figure startled him still and he jumped with surprise, only to notice the other pony mimic him exactly. It took him a moment to realize that it was a mirror in a small room to his right. Relieved, he laughed at himself and curiously walked into the room. It had a weigh-station, a sink and a counter with some jars of swabs and other small resources inside along with the mirror, which he stood before curiously. His face was foreign to him, but it wasn’t unpleasant to discover it. He put a hoof to his cheek, squishing it carefully and then rubbed along his snout curiously.

“Well, would you look at that,” he said to himself, blue eyes brightening and ears perking up.

His eyes were drawn to the movement and he tilted his head from side to side, watching his ears with a grin on his face. His mane, however, perplexed him. It didn’t seem quite right, slicked back as it was. Sticking his tongue out a bit as he frowned and raised a hoof up, he messed around with it a little until a little of the forelock spiked forward a little and the rest was like a crest spiked backwards down his neck. He recognized something about that, though, and he grinned to himself and said, “Much better!” brightly.

He turned in place, inspecting his light brown fur and snickering at the sight of his tail, but he paused upon seeing the mark of an hourglass on his flank. Curiously, he poked it, wondering what it was and where it had come from. In the midst of his contemplation, he heard hoofsteps in the hall and curiously leaned out of the room to check; he was a little pleased to see Nurse Redheart, though she looked surprised to see him.

“Sir, what are you doing up?” she asked.

“Just taking a peek around,” he said, trotting out to greet her-- he felt a little more confident on his hooves now-- and he turned and pointed at the hourglass on his flank. “This mark on my rump, what is it? Have I been branded by someone?”

“What?” the nurse asked blankly. “You don’t remember what your Cutie Mark is?”

“My what mark?” the stallion asked in confusion.

“Your Cutie Mark,” Redheart repeated, and then put her hoof gently across his brow. “Your memory loss must be greater than I thought.”

“But what is a-?”

“It’s a mark you earn once you’ve discovered your special talent,” the mare explained with a sigh. “Is any of this ringing a bell?”

“Special talent?” he asked. “And mine is an hourglass? Perhaps making hourglasses? Or time? Telling time, wasting time, using my time wisely? Does the fact that it’s equally full to the top on both sides mean anything?”

Nurse Redheart stared at him, at a loss, before shaking her head, regretfully saying, “I can’t give you answers.”

“Ah, well that’s okay,” the stallion replied with a shrug, giving her a smile, “I’m feeling much better now. What should I do?”

“Go back to bed for now,” the nurse said gently. “I’ve sent an orderly to find your friend, and Doctor Stable will be with you shortly.”

“Do I have to?”

“You really should, sir.”

The stallion shrugged and nodded, trotting back to his room and plopping down on the bed. He was satisfied, so long as the grey pegasus would be coming to visit. Maybe she had some answers for him. Maybe not. Either way, he wanted to thank her.

A sharp, heavy knocking on wood roused Derpy from an unhappy slumber. She blinked groggily up at her ceiling, clutching her blankets to her, hoping it had just been part of a dream. Her body jolted at a second round of knocks and, sighing, tired, Derpy rolled out of bed and flopped to the floor. She shook her head to try to straighten her eyes out and then trotted to the window and opened the blue, weathered curtains wide. Squinting in the light, she pushed the window open with a creak and peered down to see a grey-blue stallion with a short, white mane and garbed in a white coat at her front door.

“Sorry, I’ll just be a minute,” Derpy called down.

She ducked back in, covering a yawn with her hoof before she trotted, steadying herself against the wall, down the stairs and to the front door. When she opened it, the stallion there looked her up and down curiously.

“Are you Miss Derpy Hooves?” he asked.

“Mm-hmm, that’s me,” she said; she was desperately trying not to yawn.

“A pony at the hospital is asking for you,” he said. “Don’t know who he is, but he’s asked for you by name.”

Derpy’s stomach dropped. She wasn’t sleepy any longer.

“Is he okay?” she demanded quickly.

“So, you know him?” the stallion asked.

“Sort of,” Derpy replied, “I’ll go right away.”

She had spread her wings and was off before the other pony could even ask her to wait.

Today, Derpy didn’t care much for looking good in front of other ponies. She banked a little strangely and veered in directions she didn’t mean to, but she was focussed on the hospital and, nonetheless, ended up there without any incident. Her breath short, she hurried inside and up to a reception desk right at the door where a pale pink pony, purple and white streaked mane up in a bun sat. Derpy trotted up quickly and said, “Um, sorry, excuse me,” rather quickly, but before she could say another word, the mare looked at her, eyes widening with concern.

“Checking in?” she asked worriedly.

“What? Uh, no,” Derpy replied, confused. “No. I’m here for... Um... There’s a brown stallion here who can’t remember his name, he asked to see me.”

“Stallion who-? Oh! Him!” the mare exclaimed. “You must be Derpy Hooves. Terribly sorry. Come with me.”

The mare led Derpy down a hallway to her right, rounded a corner and continue to the end, where there was a closed door with the number 13 on it. Gently, she knocked and then poked her head inside.

“Are you finished yet, Doctor?” she asked.

A male voice replied with a, “Might as well be."

“I have a miss Derpy Hooves to see him.”

She pulled her head out of the room and Derpy backed off to give her some space. She turned and was quickly followed out by a yellow unicorn stallion with a short, brown mane who was frowning with puzzlement past his glasses. They left without a word to her, and, a bit nervously, Derpy edged inside the room.

She was met with an infinitely more lively stallion than she had seen the night before, sitting on the teal hospital blankets in front of her. His fur was clean and his mane, though it seemed purposefully a little messy, looked much better than before. She couldn’t explain it; she was too relieved for words to see that he had made it through the night. His eyes were clear and blue and bright, and he stared at her, wide-eyed, for just a moment before he began to beam.

“You!” he said, “You really came!”

“Well... yeah, of course I did, you asked for me,” she replied a bit shyly.

“Yes, of course... Of course!”

He laughed and slid off the bed, though he wobbled and slipped a little-- Derpy rushed to his side and held him steady with a wing.

“Why, thank you very much,” he replied brightly, and to her surprise, he gave her a quick, warm hug. “You’re very helpful.”

“Uh... You’re welcome,” Derpy replied a little shyly, her cheeks flushing pink.

She waited until he was steady on his hooves before backing away, but to her surprise, he stared at her wings, utterly intrigued.

“So you can fly, then?” he asked.

“Yeah,” the pegasus replied. “Not... Not super well, but I can.”

“A pegasus who can’t fly well,” he repeated, eyes widening.

Derpy’s heart sunk and her ears drooped, and she wondered for just a moment if she had made a mistake, but to her surprise, the stallion smiled at her, ears perking high.

“Now that makes you very interesting.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she replied quietly.

“Nonsense! Of course it does,” he assured her, and he hopped back and forth on his hooves a little. “Want to take a walk?”

“I dunno, are you sure you’re okay, mister?” she asked worriedly.

“Mister?” he repeated, seeming to completely miss the rest of her comment. “Mister seems too formal. Call me... hmm... call me...”

He tilted his ears back and forth and frowned, wracking his brain, and then his ears drooped a little and he laughed at himself, mumbling, “I guess now is one of those situations when having a name matters, isn’t it? Oh well.” He shrugged and grinned at her, but she looked worried.

“Anyway!” he said brightly, before she could say a word. “I wanted to thank you for last night. You really helped me out and I appreciate it very much.”

Again, Derpy was taken back and she smiled just a little, saying, “At least you look a lot better than you did.”

“I know!” he agreed, and he spun in place, jovial but still a little awkward. “Look, shiny, soft fur, a fun little tail, and this!”

He pointed to his Cutie Mark, a gold-based hourglass, full almost to the brim on both sides and stopped spinning, wobbling a little dizzily.

“This! I have no idea what this is for, but I kind of like it, what do you think?”

“You... You don’t know what your Cutie Mark is for?” Derpy asked.

Her heart sunk as he shook his head, but he didn’t seem perturbed even a little, like he didn’t even understand its significance. That fact made Derpy even more uneasy for him, but he seemed not to notice at all as he peered around her and said, “Bubbles! How nice! Does everyone have one?”

“What? Oh,” Derpy said, snapped out of thought, “most ponies get them when they’re young, so... eventually, yes.”

The stallion’s tail wagged and he said, “That’s so interesting!” He spun in place again and Derpy was worried for a moment that he would fall over, but this time he stopped when he faced her, grinning and he said, “Thank you for indulging me, Derpy Hooves. You’re lovely.”

“Uh... thank you,” she said, a little confused

“No, thank you! Do you mind if we keep talking?”

“No, I don’t mind,” she assured him, and then gave him a smile, “I said to get in touch with me if you needed anything, didn’t I?”

He perked up and his tail wagged quite quickly. He looked around, and then trotted to the window, a little more confident on his hooves now, and opened the curtains wide. He cringed in the bright sunlight, but stared out in awe for a moment before quickly beckoning Derpy in close. Curiously, she moved in beside him and looked outside. There was nothing spectacular, just a grassy fields and some trees. She looked at the pony with her brows raised, but he merely beamed, saying, “It’s so green!” excitedly. Derpy tilted her head.

“You’re acting like you’ve never seen grass before.”

He shrugged and grinned.

“Maybe I haven’t. C’mon, Miss Derpy, let’s go outside!”

He bounded away, wobbly, but with a bounce in his step and Derp whirled on him, calling, “Wait!” even though he was halfway down the hallway to the main lobby.

“Come on, Derpy Hooves! Outside! Let’s go!” he called back.

Derpy looked after him helplessly, sighed, and then trotted after him, saying, “Just be careful,” as she matched his pace.

“I will be,” he assured her.

The pink mare was absent from the reception desk, so the two ponies slipped out the front door unnoticed. The brown stallion stopped in his tracks as soon as the breeze hit him. His fur bristled and his ears perked up high, his head tilting in the direction of the wind. Derpy watched him curiously as he straightened and sniffed the air gently, and then he shot her a grin.

“This is lovely,” he said. “Thanks for coming with me.”

“Oh, well, you’re welcome,” the pegasus said with a small smile.

She ruffled her wings in the breeze and, beside her, the stallion began cautiously down the dirt road, looking all around him as he went. Derpy trotted for just a moment to keep pace, but he stopped again abruptly, looked at the grass, and then wandered over and plopped down contentedly. He grinned at Derpy and patted the grass beside him, and a little shyly, she sat down too.

“I was just wondering,” he said, peering at her intently, “do you know me?”

“No,” the pegasus replied a bit apologetically.

“Hmm...” he said, rubbing his chin. “Well that’s unfortunate. But you just found me on the ground, right? Where was that?”

Derpy pointed straight ahead, saying, “All the way at the other end of town. Just a few minutes outside of town, actually.”

“Really?” he said. “Can you take me there?”

“Once you’re all better, of course,” Derpy assured him. “I can take you all around Ponyville, if you’d like.”

The look on his face said that he didn’t really want to wait, but he sighed, smiled a little and nodded.

“Thank you. I’d like that,” he said. “Do you happen to know why I was there?”

“Not a clue,” Derpy replied, and gave him a tired smile, “I was going to ask you.”

The stallion laughed and shook his head, lying down on his belly and crossing his hooves, pushing his snout into the grass. He sniffed deeply and smiled to himself; Derpy tilted her head to the side and watched him curiously.

He certainly was odd, but she sort of liked his enthusiasm about everything. He looked up with wide eyes as a small group of birds flittered above and he pointed at them, asking, “What are those?”

“Birds,” Derpy replied.

“They have wings like you do.”

He smiled brightly and then laughed, looking embarrassed, “Sorry, I don’t mean to ask so much of you.”

“I don’t mind,” Derpy assured him quickly. “You really didn’t recognize a bird?”

“No, I didn’t even know what I was,” he laughed.

Derpy stared at him blankly for a moment, but when his face revealed nothing more, she asked a straight, “Seriously?” He nodded.

“You seriously didn’t know you were a pony?” she asked.

“Seriously. I didn’t.”

Derpy leaned back, frowned a little, and said, “huh,” a bit blankly. She didn’t know what to make of the news at all. She didn’t understand how he was in such high spirits with his mind so obviously scrambled. Hesitating for a moment, she put a gentle hoof to his shoulder, saying, “You okay? With not remembering, I mean.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I don’t know what I’m missing,” he said, sticking his tongue out jokingly.

“But what if you have a family, or friends out there worried about you?”

“Hadn’t thought of that,” he admitted. “But if that were the case, why would I be out there alone? I didn’t have anything with me, right?”

“That’s true,” Derpy admitted.

She sighed, her ears twitching back and forth as she wondered about where he could have come from, and what was wrong with him. She was roused from thought, though, when she heart a female voice shrilly call, “Sir!” from behind them.

Stretching the view of one eye, she was startled to see Nurse Redheart rushing from the hospital to meet them as the stallion turned to give her a smile.

“Hello!” he said.

“We were worried sick,” Redheart said sharply.“Come back inside. We need to take your photo and you should not be...! You don’t want to exacerbate your condition, do you?”

“Honestly, I feel fine,” he insisted, but Derpy gave him a look of worry, her heart sinking.

“What condition?” she asked.

“It’s nothing--” he began

“He has an irregular heartbeat," the nurse said, cutting him off. “It’s not nothing, it could be very serious.”

Derpy gulped and felt a chill run down her spine, and immediately she got up and lifted the stallion by his shoulders.

“I didn’t know,” she said quietly; apologetically.

He snickered and replied with a bright, “Because I didn’t tell you.”

“You should go back inside,” she insisted.

“Will you come visit again?”

“I promise I will.”

The stallion grinned, ears perking and he asked, almost timidly, “Would you...? Would you mind, maybe, thinking of a name for me?”

“What?” Derpy replied a bit blankly, but before the stallion could say another word, Nurse Redheart circled him.

“You can talk with Miss Derpy again tomorrow, okay? Come on inside, now.”

“Oh, fine. But I really am okay,” he insisted, though he let her lead him away anyway. “See you later, Derpy Hooves!”

Derpy waved at him until the hospital doors closed behind him.

Alone again, Derpy took a deep breath, only now, in the quiet, realizing that her own heartbeat was frantic. Could it have been something to do with his irregular heart that had caused the nameless stallion’s condition? Worry made her feel cold all through her bones and she bit her lip, but tried to think of the positive. He was at the hospital now, and they would take good care of him. She still felt like he was her responsibility, and was surprised to find herself feeling a little protective of him. However, the thought that he wanted wanted her to name him made her giggle despite herself. Her wings fluffed and flared, and she took off into the sky and circled in a calm glide. After a moment, she decided she should keep her word to Applejack from the night before. The warm, rising current above town carried her up and her heart soared with her, and she circled again, flying in a loop and heading towards Applejack’s place just outside of town, Sweet Apple Acres.

It didn’t take long, gliding over town to come upon the hilly, beautiful orchards that Applejack and her family tended almost all year round. Weaving in the wind, Derpy’s eyes scanned for a pony she recognized amongst the trees below. She inevitably veered off course, but tilting her wings in the wind, she dipped a bit lower and saw a spec of orange below through the branches and leaves.

“Applejack?” she called.

After just a moment, she heard, “Down here, sugarcube!” and, quickly, Derpy banked low, narrowly missing the treetops, and then dropped down between two trees, making a quick landing a few feet away from Applejack. The orange mare was standing near a large basket of freshly bucked apples and gave her a smile.

“Hey there, Derpy Hooves!” she said brightly as she trotted up to meet her, “What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to thank you again for the help last night,” the pegasus replied. “That stallion-- he’s okay, now. I just thought I’d let you know. And... Yeah, thank you very much.”

“Well shucks, Derpy, it was nothing,” the mare said, smiling bashfully. “Glad to be of help!”

She put a hoof to the pegasus’s shoulder and tilted her head, giving her a sympathetic smile.

“Have trouble sleepin', sugarcube?” she asked.

Derpy was startled and tried to read Applejack’s face to figure out how she knew-- it only took a moment for the pegasus to remember she hadn’t cleaned up at all this morning. She smiled embarrassedly and rubbed one eye with a hoof, and then smoothed her mane out a little as she said, “Yeah, I guess I was kind of worried most of the night.”

“That’s awful sweet of you,” Applejack said with a smile, though suddenly her ears perked up high and she held up a hoof. “Wait just a sec.”

Considerate as ever, Applejack gently tossed three apples to Derpy’s right side. She caught them in a wing, but before she could even ask, Applejack said, “These are as fresh as they come! They’ll perk you right up!” She grinned with a certain sense pride and Derpy clutched the apples close.

“Thank you so much!”

Derpy was touched, and Applejack shot her a wink as the pegasus shifted the apples to one her right forelimb. Applejack’s expression changed rather quickly, though, as her gaze was drawn upwards by a small shift in the light. Derpy’s eyes followed hers; she turned and was surprised to see dark, black clouds drifting in slowly from the distance.

“Huh, Rainbow Dash didn’t say a thing about rain today,” the orange mare said with a puzzled frown, rubbing her head under her hat.

Derpy hadn’t heard anything about rain either.

“That is weird,” she agreed.

Applejack sighed and blew a bit of her mane from her face.

“Well... Guess I better start packing it in, if that’s the case,” she said.

“Oh! Do you need any help?” Derpy asked, but Applejack quickly shook her head.

“That’s sweet of you, but you should probably get home. Don’t want to be out flyin’ in that.”

She nodded at the blackened cloud and Derpy couldn’t help but agree. She lifted off just a little, clutching the apples close and said, “Thanks again.”

“Anytime,” Applejack replied with a tip of her hat.

The air felt heavy and prickly with electricity as Derpy took off, even though the dark storm clouds were still a little ways away. It was odd for her not to have been given any notice about a storm being brought in.

She hurried home on careful wings, trying not to worry and pondering a bit absently over some names for the brown stallion-- Hourglass? Time Glass? Sand something? -- and went inside, trying not to drop her apples. She found a notice in her front hall and bent to take it, but she was surprised to see it wasn’t about the weather. Instead, it was a work request for her to fly to Cloudsdale tomorrow and deliver some parcels to Ponyville. Derpy wagged her tail and brought the note in with her to the kitchen. A trip to the floating, cloud city of Cloudsdale was always exciting for her.

She ruffled her wings, pleased, and put two apples on the kitchen counter, taking a bite out of the third and wandering to the bathroom. One look at herself and she knew exactly what Applejack had been talking about. She stretched one of the dark circles under her eyes with a hoof and laughed tiredly at herself. She quickly washed her face and straightened her mane, but was suddenly struck with a deep sense of embarrassment. She was surprised that the stallion at the hospital hadn’t said a word about how bad she looked. She snickered again despite herself and shook her head, muttering, “Oh, Derpy, you goof.”

She went back to the living room, moving her turntable off the desk to the sofa and shoved an armchair across the room to sit at. Paper and pencil took a little while to find, but once she did, she settled down in the armchair comfortably and began to jot down name ideas. She hoped none of them were too silly.

At the hospital, the next few rounds of tests were taking too long for the brown stallion’s tastes. They mostly amounted to taking some specially enchanted pictures, explained to see through the skin and just to the skeleton. They explained they were looking for any fractures they may have missed, but they didn’t find a thing. In fact, the photos seemed to have malfunctioned; the nameless stallion’s bones appeared much too dense. Doctor Stable had no explanation, and even after several repeats the problem wouldn’t clear. The brown stallion didn’t mind. He could only assure them so many times that he felt fine.

The nurse took a few ordinary photos as well; told him they were to send out between cities to see if anyone recognized him. He supposed someone must, somewhere beyond Ponyville. However, he didn’t want to wait and find out. As nice as the nurses were to him, he couldn’t wait to explore the town, and spending more time with Derpy Hooves was also a happy prospect. He was curious about her; curious about what she knew, and curious as well about what she would name him. He hoped she had taken him seriously when he had asked.

Sitting in the bed, bored again, he wiggled his back hooves in the air, staring out the window beside him. The sky was getting a little dark with clouds as the day pressed on, and he watched the sky change curiously. He didn’t pay much mind as Nurse Redheart entered his room again, at least not until she said, “I can’t believe these pictures.” The stallion looked at her curiously; she was holding another set of the photos of his skeleton-- his skull, more specifically-- and she showed them to him. Once more, the bones seemed much too thick.

“This can’t be accurate, can it?” she asked. “You wouldn’t know if you have any condition, I suppose.”

“Sorry,” the stallion replied with an embarrassed smile.

She sighed and said, “We’d like to keep you here for observation for a few days.”

“A few days?” he repeated, eyes widening. “But--”

“It’s for your own good.”

She looked at him sternly and he slumped, nodding. The nurse’s face softened and she gave him a sympathetic smile before she left the room, closing the door gently.

The stallion bit his lip and, after a few moments of quiet, slipped out of bed and edged to the door. He leaned his ear up close to it cautiously, though didn’t hear anything but very distant hoofbeats. He grinned to himself and rushed away to the window. He flipped a simple latch, pushed, and it was open. His tail wagged and, with a hop, he shoved his front half through the window and tumbled out onto the grass below.

Grinning from ear to ear, the stallion righted himself and looked around. As Derpy had pointed out, the town was just down the road. His legs were still a little weak, but he was getting faster; he trotted down the path and into town as quickly as he could. With the wind blowing though his mane and the sweet air in his nose, he walked with a bounce in his step.

The town rose up past the hills to greet him soon enough. The buildings, tall and friendly, were strange to him but he liked them nonetheless. Other ponies roamed the streets, cheerful, chatting, and as he pressed inwards into town, shopping as well. Eyes wide, the stallion looked with the utmost curiosity at stands in a market selling food the likes of which he had never seen. Everything was so brightly coloured and vibrant that it made his spirits soar just by looking. He wanted to meet every pony he saw, learn about their ‘Cutie Mark’ and ask the name of every food at every stand. He didn’t want to do it without Derpy, though.

In fact--!

The brown stallion glanced around quickly and picked out the closest pony to him, a yellow, winged pony with a pale pink mane that was long over one side of her head and a long, whimsical tail, standing at a stand and inspecting small, red objects that smelled very sweet. He trotted up to her quickly and said, “Hello!” brightly. To his surprise, she yelped and jumped, whirling, wings flaring as she stood nervously on the tips of her hooves. Her cyan eyes were wide and panicked, and the stallion smiled apologetically.

“So sorry to startle you!” he said, tilting his head. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” the pegasus squeaked, taking a deep breath and she seemed to relax just a little. “Wh-What did you-? Um... Sorry, was I in your way?”

“Not at all!” he assured her. “I was wondering if you happened to know another pegasus named Derpy Hooves? I don’t seem to know where she lives.”

“D-Derpy Hooves?” the yellow pegasus repeated, confused.

She relaxed a little more and said, “What do you need Derpy Hooves for?”

“She’s my friend,” he replied, ears perking, “But I can’t seem to find her.”

“She just left you?”

“Oh, no, I just got out of the hospital.”

The pegasus’s eyes widened and she drooped a little, her wings pressing in tightly to her side. She said, very softly, “Follow me. If, um... If you don’t mind,” and began to walk from the market. Happily, the stallion followed behind her, and she lead him to the edge of a market and pointed up the road that seemed to continue for a while between two rows of houses.

“If I remember right, she lives near a corner street,” she said, “that way, a small house on the left side. Across from a house with tons of pretty flowers.”

“Ah!” he said, “Thank you very much!”

He gave her a quick hug before bouncing off on his way, not noticing at all that the yellow pegasus had frozen with utter shock to the spot.

It didn’t take long at all for the brown stallion to come upon a small home that he recognized immediately as Derpy’s, mostly because he could see her through the open window as she sat at a small desk, writing.

“Hey, Derpy Hooves!” he called.

Derpy looked up from her work with shock and her eyes locked with his through the window. Her jaw dropped while he grinned and waved at her.

Stunned, Derpy rushed from her seat to the front door and threw it open, demanding, “What are you doing here?!” worriedly.

“I came to see you, obviously,” he said, sticking his tongue out at her.

“Well, yeah, but what are you doing out of the hospital?” she asked, “You can’t have been discharged already!”

“No, they kept trying to take magic photos of my bones and then saying they weren’t working,” he tried to explain. “The photos, I mean. So I got bored. I went out the window.”

Derpy gawked at him and put a hoof to her forehead.

“You have to go back,” she said tiredly.

“Why? They’re not getting anything new figured out,” he said, tilting his head. “It’s been hours.”

“It’s not just that,” Derpy said, shaking her head, and worry tugged at her heart. “They said there was something wrong with you. I just don’t want you to get sick out here.”

“I’m fine,” he assured her, “Can I come in?”

Derpy didn’t know what to say. She would love for him to stay a little, but her caution overtook her wants.

“No, you have to go back,” she said.

She darted back inside, and though her heart thudded with guilt, she closed the door tightly.

“Aw, come on, Derpy Hooves!” he said, knocking with his hoof. “What are you doing? Can’t we at least talk for a little?”

She grimaced and shook her head to herself and hurried away from the door and back to the living room. The stallion hopped up to the window and the pegasus sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“Go back to the hospital!” she insisted.

“Aw, c’mon, just let me in for a little while,” he said, grinning through the window.

Derpy rolled her eyes and closed it gently, saying, “Please go back,” as she did. She turned back to her list, but was startled by warm breath through her mane. She turned, wide eyed and cried out a “Gah!” as she saw the stallion leaning over her, blue eyes wide, bright and curious. He yelped and jumped back as a reply.

"How did you get in here?!” she demanded.

“Not entirely sure,” he said a bit absently. “Are those my names? Are you really coming up with names for me?”

“Well yeah, you asked me to, right?” Derpy said a little shyly.

She felt herself blush as she regained herself, but the stallion’s face lit up and he grinned widely, his tail wagging enthusiastically.

“Brilliant! Well? What have you thought of?”

Derpy pulled the list off her desk and felt a sudden sting of embarrassment; she wondered if he would like them. She hoped he wouldn’t think it was stupid. Hesitating, she fumbled a little and said, “There’s... There’s quite a few.”

“Start with your favourite,” he said.

“Oh, well... I liked ‘Time Turner’ best-”

“Perfect,” the stallion replied immediately.

Derpy stared at him blankly and he smiled back; she pointed to her list a bit awkwardly.

“Seriously?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Time Turner. I like it. I like that quite a bit, actually,” he said, and then announced rather proudly, “I’m Time Turner!”

He paused, ears twitching and perking up, and then he nodded.

“Perfect,” he said again. “Thank you very much, Miss Derpy!”

Derpy stared at him for a while again and then sighed, rolled her eyes and smiled, crinkling her list between her hooves.

“Time Turner it is.”

The stallion smiled cheerfully, his tail wagging, and he leaned forward towards her, inclining his head.

“Do I really have to go back to the hospital?”

She tapped her cheek as she considered it and he pouted, ears drooping, and finally, Derpy caved.

“No, you can... I guess you can stay here,” she said, “but just watch yourself, I don’t want that heart thing of yours coming back to bite you on the rear. First sign that something’s going wrong and you go straight back, okay?”

Time Turner beamed and hopped up and down excitedly, saying, “Thank you!!” loudly. Derpy smiled tiredly and rubbed her brow before slipping out of her chair and stretching her wings. He watched with much interest and she left, heading for the kitchen-- he followed closely.

She grabbed one of the shiny, red apples from the counter and offered it to him. He cautiously took it and sniffed it, then licked it and made a crinkly face at the taste of the peel.

“It’s an apple,” Derpy said. “A fruit. Grows on trees. You have to bite into it. Ringing any bells?”

“Just a little,” he admitted. “Not specifics, just the food on trees parts.”

He took a bite of it a bit awkwardly and then let out a pleased, surprised, “Mmmm!” Derpy grinned and started looking through the kitchen, fishing around for the remnants of the muffins she had baked yesterday morning.

“It’s from the farm just outside of town. Applejack-- the pony who helped me carry you to the hospital-- her family grows them. Best apples in Equestria.”

“Equestria...” Time Turner repeated.

He turned the name over in his head. It wasn’t familiar at all. He took another bite of the apple, a bit more confidently now. Aside from the peel, he really liked it.

“Thank you for this,” he said.

“No problem,” she said; she found them in the fridge and she carefully held one out to him. “You must be hungry.”

He looked at it curiously, and then looked at her as he took it, asking, “And this is?”

“A muffin. Baked. Um... Kind of sweet. I really like them,” she said with a shrug. “Hope you do, too.”

“Thanks,” he said again; he finished off the apple quickly before taking the muffin.

Derpy traded it for the apple core to put in the trash and Time Turner tried the muffin tentatively. His eyes lit up immediately.

“I like this even better than the apple!” he said brightly.

Derpy couldn’t help a grin and she said, “Great!” and then cast a glance out the window. That large cloud was starting to shade the streets, and the pegasus supposed it really was planned for today. The others wouldn’t have let it stay so long otherwise.

“Want to take a look around town before it starts raining?” she asked.

“That sounds perfect!” Time Turner agreed.

Derpy grabbed her messenger bag and a small bag of bits before the two ponies headed back outside. The street was mostly clear, though across the road, Daisy was setting up little parasols over her delicate flowers. Time Turner was alert and bouncy on his hooves now as Derpy took him around town. The pegasus thought it was funny how quickly he had relearned to walk after whatever had happened; it made her smile. As the day grew a little darker, she took the brown stallion all around town, pointing out the market and Sugarcube Corner, town hall, the library, and even took him down a few of the less interesting side streets at his insistence. He wasn’t super chatty at first, spending most of his time staring at his surroundings with utter amazement and curiosity. Derpy named anything he couldn’t for him, pointing out butterflies, frogs, fish and all the foods at the market as well.

Time Turner was very pleased with the development, his brain sorting and filing all the new words he was learning. Strange, wonderful creatures were all around him in this place. Derpy, especially, fascinated him. The pegasi were interesting to him-- their wings were a whole extra set of limbs that the other ponies didn’t have. They didn’t even have a substitute. Her eyes also drew his attention. When he looked at the other ponies, he saw both eyes work together, but with Derpy, instead, her left one often moved independently. He wondered, a bit worriedly, if it were an injury of some kind. He hoped it wasn’t his fault.

As the sun started to set, the dark clouds overhead weren’t breaking up, which seemed to perturb his new friend and they began to head home, with Derpy promising to take him around more in the future. It wasn’t until they were almost back at her house when Time Turner decided to ask, “Derpy?”

She replied with a casual, “Hmm?”, and the stallion almost felt guilty for asking, but he gulped and did so anyway.

“Your eye-?”

Derpy felt a twinge of shame and irritation, and she replied with a quick, “What about it?” The stallion tilted his head one way, and then the other, letting his ears flop.

“I didn’t do that, did I?” he asked worriedly.

Derpy had to stop in her tracks and she looked at him, wide-eyed and baffled.

“Why would you-? No. No, I was born with it.”

“Oh. Okay. I’m sorry, I was just worried that I might have... struck you, or something, in my sleep,” he said. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, and he smiled shyly.

“Sorry. Just wanted to be sure. It’s just that no other ponies have it,” he said.

“Yeah,” Derpy agreed, though she was starting to feel a bit self-conscious. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Oh! Okay, sure,” Time Turner said, and repeated, “Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” she assured him.

They reached home quickly and, with Time Turner following her like a curious foal, she made a quick dinner of fruit salad for them as night set in. His constant questions had calmed a bit, and he was finally starting to get tired. She wasn’t surprised at all to see the stallion flop like a sack of potatoes once she had gotten him acquainted with the sofa and a thick, warm blanket.

Derpy felt much the same. She had had a very odd night, and an even odder day. Sleep, she decided, would be a wonderful idea, especially since she had work early the next morning. Stretching her wings up, Derpy went to the windows and made sure they were all closed, and then shut the curtains after taking a peek outside. The storm clouds were still there, but not a drop of rain had been shed. She hoped it wasn’t an early arrival that was scheduled for tomorrow. Flying through thunderheads could be fun, but it was also quite dangerous. She yawned and headed upstairs to bed, closing those curtains as well and flopped onto her mattress. She was asleep within seconds.

Derpy Hooves awoke the next morning to the a sound like distant thunder with the horrible, sinking feeling that she had overslept. She rolled out of bed quickly and, blinking sleep from her eyes, grabbed her messenger bag and threw it over her shoulder swiftly, rushing to the kitchen to check the clock. She grimaced as she saw that she was absolutely right. With an, “oh no, oh no, oh no,” she rushed around the house, gathering her things and trying to find her hat.

In the living room, Time Turner stirred and opened his eyes groggily to watch her as she looked around the chair she had moved and down the hall.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m late for work and I can’t find my hat,” she said a bit shrilly, “Have you seen it? It’s... blue, with a visor and a little gold shield shape on the front.”

The other pony stared at her blankly and shook his head; the pegasus bit her lip and scratched her head, peeking out into the hallway, saying, “I could’ve sworn I put it th-” before a rumble through the ground sent her stumbling and flopping to the floor.

“Earthquake?” she whinnied.

In the living room, Time Turner leapt up immediately and stood precariously on the back of the couch in alarm. A second rumble sent him toppling from his perch, but he was up again in an instant as Derpy stumbled into the the room. Hurrying on wobbly legs, the stallion checked out the window past the curtains. Derpy heaved herself up off the ground and saw his eyes widen and his jaw dropped and he took a hesitant step back.

“I think it might be best you don’t go to work today, Miss Derpy,” he said.

“What? Why?” she asked blankly.

Gulping, Time Turner cautiously pulled back the curtains and stepped back with cautious slowness to his steps.

The window was blocked completely by what looked like a wall of thick, crackly grey stone-- that is, until it blinked, a huge, emerald, reptilian eye staring in, pupil dilating as it stared into the room. Derpy’s whole body froze and she felt like she could just faint dead away on the spot. Whatever it was staring in at them lifted up, a huge head and the lower jaw following-- a rumble like an earthquake trailed behind and, before she knew it, Time Turner grabbed one of her hooves to pull her from the room. She thought she heard him shout, “Run!”, and they did.

They ran like their tails were on fire, just as the front of Derpy’s house collapsed with the force of a rockslide pounding it inward.

2. Stones of Everfree

Derpy, dazed, lay splayed outside of the ruins of her home, staring in terror as a massive creature on two legs, scales made of stone, walked away, its huge tail crashing into the tops of buildings as it passed. She had no name for the monster before her, and it scared her to death.

“Dear Celestia,” Derpy choked. “My... My house...”

Beside her, Time Turner righted himself and he held her hoof worriedly as they looked around. Streets rumbled with more of the prowling monsters, and, quickly, Time Turner yanked Derpy across the street and down a small alleyway. Above them, the sky was black, boiling over with electrical clouds and Ponyville seemed as grey as the stone beasts that prowled her streets.

“What the hay is going on?” Derpy asked.

“I haven’t a clue,” Time Turner said, ears drooping. “I thought maybe you knew.”

Derpy shook her head and bit her lip, looking up at the black sky and said, “Maybe I can get a feeling of what’s going on.”

She spread her wings and took off quickly-- as she went up, she could see Ponyville was being trashed. Her heart thudded into a cold pit in her stomach as she saw ponies running below, ducking into houses. A pink orb shone brightly in the center of the mess: protection around the library. Derpy was just thinking she and Time Turner should head there when she heard a sort of buzzing sound and felt a tingle all through her wings. Before she could do a thing, she felt her body go rigid and hot, and sudden pain seared through her for just a second. Her wings crumpled and she tumbled backwards, a blurred panoramic of the town and sky colliding in her eyes.

Lightning... Great.

She squeezed her eyes closed tight and waiting a second, spread one wing to spin and right herself. The ringing in her ears faded out to a desperate call of her name and when she was able to look again, she found herself whisked into the hooves of Time Turner. She slammed into him and knocked him onto his back.

“Yikes! Sorry!” she said.

She awkwardly tried to untangle herself from him, but to her surprise, he hugged her close, muttering, “Thank goodness you’re okay.”

Derpy felt herself face heat up and she leaned back a little to brush a hoof through her mane and situate herself. She was shocked to see that they were on a roof.

“How did you get up here?” she asked.

Time Turner sat up and rubbed his back a little, taking her by the shoulder with one hoof and saying, ears drooping.

“Excuse me, Derpy, but you do realize you were just struck by lightning, don’t you?”

“It happens,” she said dismissively, and smiled. “Thanks for worrying. But... seems like all of Ponyville is in this freaky cloud. You know what lightning is?”

“Seems so. Did you see any other pegasus... pegasuses? Pegasi? ...Did you see any others up there?”

Come to think of it, Derpy hadn’t, and she shook her head. Time Turner grimaced and got to his hooves-- what could it mean? It can’t be a coincidence!-- and looked down from the roof with a gulp.

“To answer your question, I just... I’m not actually sure, I just thought about wanting to catch you and I ended up here.”

Derpy stared at him blankly and then tilted her head as she remembered something.

“Like how you got into my house?” she asked.

“Maybe,” he said, eyes widening. “Well, fancy that. Very strange. Should we see if we can get down?”

Derpy was about to say she felt safer on the roof, but a glance around at the monsters told her that the roof merely put them at eye level. Not only that, but one was approaching, and fast. It wasn’t an anomaly though: with a quick glance around, Derpy was alarmed to see several of the beasts heading in their direction, seemingly with purpose. Her jaw dropped and Time Turner, frowning, said, “Perhaps the lightning attracted them.”

“Horsefeathers,” she grumbled. “C’mere.”

He approached her with confusion and she grabbed him under his forelimbs, spread her wings and flapped off the roof, lifting him off and down to the ground. He was still so heavy, though, that it was an even more awkward landing that usual.

Despite being a little winded, they hurried to hide behind the house, ducking low and slinking in the as they heard the heavy, powerful footsteps.

“We need to get to Twilight’s place,” she said at a whisper.

“Twilight?” Time Turner repeated curiously.

“Oh, right, sorry, forgot you didn’t know her,” Derpy said as they slunk along the wall. “Twilight Sparkle is the most powerful unicorn in town.”

The stallion nodded and then gently; worriedly made a shhh sound. Derpy shut up immediately; even tried to hold her breath. Despite how hard she hoped it would work, her blood turned to ice as a giant monstrous face, almost dragonlike in appearance, but built like a tank, shoved its way in-between the houses and let out a growl that sounded like slabs of rock grinding against each other. Time Turner glanced over his shoulder for just a second and was immediately on his hooves, using his head to push Derpy upright and shouting, “Run!”

Derpy whinnied and together they raced away as fast as they could. Despite her panic, Derpy tried to remember the directions to the library. Dodging down alleys and side streets, the two galloped, hearts pounding-- left, right, left again and again, until a blockade of rock stopped them in their tracks. Derpy’s mind raced and she staggered and tried to spin, seeing only Time Turner’s frightened face before she was yanked upwards into the sky, wrapped in cold, unyielding stone.

Below, Time Turner saw on her face the utter terror that gripped him with icy talons through his whole chest. This wasn’t the time to freeze, though-- couldn’t afford to even for a second. Before him, the beast towered, his friend clutched in its fist as it stared with glittering yellow eyes and growled low and long, almost sounding like the word pegasus.

He felt anger boiling in him as the beast turned away from him and the little pegasus in its grasp cried out. Gritting his teeth, Time Turner did the only thing he could think of-- he ran at it full tilt, even as he heard Derpy shout at him not to.

“Put her down, you--!”

He couldn’t think of an insult bad enough for a creature like this. He didn’t know what else to do-- doesn’t matter anyway, crossed his mind as he slammed his weight against the creature’s leg in what he was sure was in vain. It was just as surprised as he was when it stumbled. Time Turner almost laughed, grinning despite everything and he drew back and charge again. He felt something-- energy maybe?-- deep through his body and his vision flashed white and before he knew it, he was on the other side of the beast running at it, tossing his body against its other leg. Somehow, it was falling forwards again-- didn’t matter, he knocked into it and it didn’t seem to know what to do. It stumbled to the side, and in an effort to keep its balance, let Derpy go.

She yelped and covered her eyes, and before even he knew it, Time Turner caught her on his back and took off, shouting, “Woo-hoo!” as he went. Derpy quickly put her forelimbs around his neck; her heart was pounding faster than ever.

"You're insane!" she yelled.

“I’m also awesome, did you see that!?!”

He was at a gallop now, all but floating, grinning as he ran. He felt Derpy push on one side of his neck and he turned his head. There was that pink sphere that the pegasus had mentioned, surround a building made completely from a living tree. His eyes lit up and he turned over his shoulder to ask Derpy a quick question about it-- his words slipped from his tongue as he saw the blocky face of a third stone beast coming up behind them with jaws parted. He let out an involuntary squeal said a mental Nevermind! before trying to push himself even faster. On his back, confused, Derpy turned her head to see and let out a wail when her eyes locked with the gemstone-like orange ones of the monster on their tails.

Within seconds, hearts pounding, the two were engulfed in pink and Time Turner spun on his back legs, cringing as the beast’s huge head slammed straight into the barrier and the whole body crumpled. Derpy gawked and slid off her friend’s back and turned to look at him as he plopped down onto his rump beside her.

“Phew! Glad that worked,” he said through deep breaths.

“Me too,” Derpy agreed; she put a hoof to her chest and took a deep breath. “Thanks for saving me.”

“It was nothing,” Time Turner assured her. “I mean... Well, it wasn’t really nothing, but what I mean is... Of course I would. Of course.”

He shot her a grin and Derpy felt her cheeks heat up. She took another deep breath to steady herself and watch the beast in front of her get up and cast a spiteful glance at them before prowling away, arms held close to its chest and tail swishing angrily.

“What is that?” she asked, not expecting her friend to know, of course.

“You don’t know either?” he asked.

“Looks a little like a dragon,” she admitted, “but the body shape is all wrong... And they’re covered in rock.”

She cut her eyes at him and tilted her ears back and forth.

“Surprised you even got him down,” she said.

“Me too!” he agreed.

She smiled but then scratched her head puzzledly.

“You’re an earth pony though, right?” she asked. “For sure?”

“That’s what the nurse told me,” he replied, “why?”

“Well, you teleported.”

She almost didn’t quite believe it even as she said it, but she had seen him disappear from behind her and reappear in front almost within the same moment. He stared at her with wide eyes, silent for a moment before he rubbed his chin and said, slowly, “So that’s what that was.”

Suddenly cluing in, Derpy continued, “And how you got into my house. And onto the roof.”

“Must be,” he agreed, “but how did I-? Earth ponies aren’t supposed to do that?”

“Not as far as I can tell,” Derpy said.

She took a third, deep, tired breath and stood, giving him a smile.

“Well, after this is over, Twlight’s the right pony to ask about that, but for now...”

She knocked on the door of the huge, tree home and Time Turner got up to stand beside her.

“Sorry I’m so weird,” he said, halfway joking.

She shrugged and replied with, “Everyone’s weird in their own way. Have to be, or else life would be so boring,” shooting him a wink. His tail wagged and he smiled-- in truth, he was relieved beyond measure.

A creak above them drew the attention of both ponies and they looked up and to the right to see a purple face in the window before it opened.

“Derpy!” Twilight Sparkle called, her voice a bit shrill, but relief was clear. “Thank goodness! And that’s-?”

“Time Turner,” Derpy replied. “Everypony okay in there? Can we come in?”

“Of course, just let me come down there and unlock the door,” Twilight said swiftly.

The window shut with a sharp snap and the unicorn disappeared from behind the glass. They were left in relative quiet as Twilight presumably came down the stairs. Derpy couldn’t stop a small snort of laughter.

“What?” Time Turner asked.

Derpy stared at the door and then turned to look at the barrier.

“She locked the door.”

Time Turner snickered once he caught on. They stood at the door for only a few more seconds when they heard a lock click on the other side and it swung open to reveal not only Twilight, but a decent number of ponies behind her.

As she let them in, Derpy noticed Applejack and Rarity along with their younger sisters, the two musicians from the night prior, Cheerilee the school teacher; Spike the dragon huddled on the staircase -- there were a few others, adults and foals alike, but Derpy didn’t get to pick them out as Pinkie Pie ambushed her and squeezed her into a tight hug.

“You made it!!” she squealed, and then leapt off her to give Time Turner a huge hug as well, saying, “You too, whoever you are!”

As if startled by her own words, she hopped back and stared at the light brown stallion with wide eyes, saying, shocked, “I don’t know you.”

“I do: you’re that stallion who was passed out in the woods,” Applejack said, moving towards them. “Good to see you’re up and about even if these ain’t the best of circumstances.”

He squinted at her for just a moment before his brain clicked and he recalled the blurred, orange face-- and that accent as well.

“Thank you very much for the help,” he said with smile, but then looked around at the others as Twilight beckoned them further inside. “Fancy that, not even a one...”

“Not even one what?” Twilight asked worriedly.

The other ponies looked at him with confusion and he continued with, “Derpy’s the only pegasus here.”

“So you noticed it, too?” Twilight asked. “I was hoping it was a coincidence...”

“I don’t think so,” Derpy said quickly. “I got grabbed and the thing... it seemed to say ‘pegasus’.”

This was news to all the ponies in the room, who shared looks of fright and surprise.

“Wait!”

The small filly that had been beside Applejack, yellow with a bright, light red mane with a pink ribbon in it looked up at the older ponies with wide orange eyes. She looked terrified.

“I haven’t seen Scootaloo all day!” she squeaked. “She’s a pegasus, do you think those things out there snatched her up?”

“Relax, sugarcube,” Applejack said, putting her hoof around the little pony, “whatever happens, we’ll get her back.”

“But what if she’s-!” the filly said, but her sister looked at her sternly.

“Apple Bloom.”

The filly quietened quickly, ears drooping. Derpy blew out a puff of air, feeling almost guilty for being the only pegasus in the room. Beside her, Time Turner carefully held her hoof and he said, “We just barely escaped. Maybe a few others did as well?”

“Ooh! What about Rainbow Dash?!” Pinkie Pie demanded. “She’s the fastest flyer in Equestria, she has to have gotten away!”

The group exchanged worried glances and a pink filly snuck in closer to the legs of a brown stallion, presumably her father. Rarity bit her lip and reluctantly said, “Pinkie... darling, she-”

“Maybe Pinkie’s right,” the little dragon, Spike, added, shooting an apologetic look at Rarity for cutting her off, “Rainbow Dash is super fast, maybe she left to get help.”

“Maybe,” Twilight agreed halfheartedly. “But... don’t you think she would have come here first?”

Pinkie Pie pouted. The purple unicorn took in a deep breath, saying, “Right,” as if to steady herself and she said, turning to the other brown stallion, “Mr. Rich, do you think you could work with Cheerilee just to make sure the foals are all okay?”

“Of course,” he said with a nod, and then beckoned towards the other side of the library as his daughter clung to him. “C’mon, kids.”

“But-!” Apple Bloom began to protest, but Applejack gently cut her off.

“Go on, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith are waitin' for you.”

Applebloom drooped and squished up against the little white unicorn, Rarity’s younger sister, Sweetie Belle, as the brown stallion, Mr. Rich and the cerise coloured mare, Cheerilee, guided them and the others through the library towards another door. With a nod from Twilight, some of the other ponies followed, leaving only the two newest entries and Twilight’s closest friends in the main room.

Rarity bit her lip again and Twilight assured her, “They’ll all be safe down there,” with a tired smile. Quickly, the purple unicorn whirled on Derpy and Time Turner.

“How did you get away?” she asked.

Derpy was taken aback for a second as she felt all eyes on her, but she replied, “Time Turner hit the thing in the legs and it stumbled and let me go.”

Twilight’s eyes widened and Applejack whistled before saying, “Good gravy, new fella’, you must have some strong legs on you after all.”

The brown stallion stared at her blankly for a moment before he scratched his head, his ears drooping.

“I’m afraid I don’t follow,” he admitted.

Twilight held up a hoof as if to pause the others and turned to her bookshelf, pulling out a couple tomes and skimming the covers before she flipped open the smallest, a tattered old thing with a weathered, brown cover.

“They’re made of rock, is what she’s getting at,” Twilight said, frowning at the pages before her. “I mean, they don’t just look like it on the outside. They are made of stone. And you hurt it?”

“I don’t think I hurt it, I just knocked it off balance,” Time Turner said with a shrug.

“Um, Twilight,” Derpy said a bit shyly, “but... What are they?”

The unicorn looked up from her book, a bit surprised, and then recalled, “Oh right, you two weren’t here for that part.” She opened the book towards them to show off a detailed sketch of exactly the strange, bipedal beasts they had seen outside.

“They’re Obsidisaurs,” Twilight stated, “though it’s a bit of a misnomer, as their bodies are much more similar to andesite or basalt than to obsidian.”

“...Bath-salt-a-saurus,” Pinkie said quietly to herself, biting her lip to stop a giggle.

“Basalt, dear,” Rarity corrected, but Twilight shook her head.

“I guess the name doesn’t matter so much now,” she said, “What we need to focus on is rescuing Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and the others.”

“One thing down, then.”

The group looked up in shock as, tired and frustrated, a cerulean pegasus, rainbow mane askew and a few scrapes on her sides, flew in through one of upper windows. There was a collective, relieved murmur and instantly, Pinkie Pie was hugging her, saying, “Dashie!! I knew you were too fast for them!”

“Yeah, but as much as I hate to say it, their numbers are still a problem,” she said, patting the pink pony on the shoulder before pulling away.

She sighed as she glanced around the room and grimaced.

“I guess they got Fluttershy?”

The others didn’t seem to be able to meet her eyes. She scowled to herself and muttered, “Horsefeathers, I didn’t see her out there at all,” before she began to pace and then cast a glance at Derpy, giving her a tired smile. “Glad to see at least one other pegasus made it away.”

“So they really are only taking pegasi,” Time Turner grumbled. “I thought so.”

“That’s so scary, why would they want to do that?” Derpy said, rubbing her head tiredly.

“Not only did they want to,” Rainbow Dash added, “they were dead set on it. No normal pegasus could dodge the amount of lightning from those clouds. Soon as somepony got zapped, those things-”

“Obsidisaurs,” Twilight put in.

“Right. Obsidiwhatevers: they’d close right in and snatch them up.”

“That’s what happened to me,” Derpy said, gulping.

She felt fear starting to beat in her heart, and the idea that that little filly Scootaloo, the timid Fluttershy, along with all the other pegasi in town save for herself and Rainbow Dash were kidnapped by rock monsters chilled her like an icy grip on her spine.

“Rainbow Dash, you didn’t happen to see where the other pegasi were being taken to, did you?” Rarity asked.

The blue pegasus shook her head.

“Nah, didn’t see anything like that,” she said, frowning deeply at the floor. “I spent most of my time trying to lose those Saurawhatsits before coming here.”

She began to pace in agitation as Twilight started pulling down more books from her shelves. Spike caught on and joined her. Lifting off slowly, Derpy folded her forelimbs to her chest and flittered over. She watched the unicorn in silence for a few seconds before asking, “Need any help?”

“Sure, if you could just pull down any bestiaries you find,” Twilight said without tearing her eyes away from the shelf for even a moment. “The one I have out just has basic information, but I’m sure I have something more detailed somewhere in here.”

Derpy nodded and cast a glance at Time Turner. He nodded and they took the other side of the library, scanning the edges of books. Derpy was speeding through, though the stallion was ashamed to admit, to himself, that the words on the edges of the books looked like absolute gibberish to him. Derpy was preoccupied as she tossed a book down to him, saying, “Why don’t you check this one out?” He felt a sinking feeling in his gut but he caught the book anyway.

“O-Of course.”

He opened it and flipped through quickly once, and then started over. There were no images of the Obsidisaurs to go by. He winced and pulled the book in close, staring at the page and willing the words to come to him. He almost had a heart attack when they did. Suddenly, he could read it-- could read all of it, and do so quickly too, absorbing all the information on the page about Timberwolves that he was on almost instantly. His heart was racing and he put a hoof to his brow and rubbed it through his mane.

This can’t be normal, he thought. Why is nothing about me normal?

He gulped and then began to flip through the book. Above him, Derpy pulled a few more books from their shelves and placed them beside him. He hurried through the one he held and found nothing, and then went to the next one.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie bounced up and down the shelves, looking for the same thing they were, pulling out books seemingly at random. Derpy was starting to feel a bit nauseous-- hearing the rumbling outside made her worry so much that she felt sick-- and she looked below her at Time Turner, who was on the third book. Her eyes wandered to try to read over his shoulder without thinking, and before she knew it she bumped heavily against the bookshelf, sending books flying. Time Turner shielded his head with his hooves and the other ponies jumped at the sound of the hard covers slapping against the floor.

“Oh no! My bad!” Derpy squealed, landing quickly and shamefaced. “You okay? I’m sorry!”

“Not a worry, my friend,” the stallion laughed, pushing the extra books off of himself.

The pegasus muttered another, “Sorry,” and began to clean up, trying to ignore it as she heard Rainbow Dash let out an irritated sigh. Pinkie Pie bounced over to help, but first she flung the books open, wide eyes seeming to be trying to read at least five of them at once.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?” Twilight asked.

“Reading, duh,” she replied brightly.

Time Turner stared at her with wide eyes and then leaned over to Derpy, nudging her with his elbow and asking, “Can we do that?” Derpy smiled a little and shook her head. The stallion muttered a surprised, “huh.”

“Can’t we go any faster?” Rainbow Dash asked; her ears flattened back and she frowned, tapping her hoof in utter irritation. “Or can I just get going on my own?”

“Rainbow Dash, don’t be ridiculous,” Rarity said with a small frown wrinkling her demure brow, “you can’t possibly go out on your own.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to protest, but Twilight quickly put in, “She’s right. We really shouldn’t split up, especially before we really know what’s going on.”

The blue pegasus bit her lip and her frown deepened; she resumed pacing, her wings out and a little rigid in irritation. Derpy’s ears drooped sympathetically and she curiously peeked over to Pinkie, who still seemed to be managing quite a few books at once. She waved a limb over them, flipping pages, though Derpy caught a glimpse of a familiar shape and lifted a book away to take a look. Pinkie watched her curiously as she sat on the floor; Time Turner leaned in close to look as well over one of her shoulders and Pinkie peeked over the other. The tome was not of creatures, but one of legends this time, and to the surprise of the three ponies, there was an old sketch of the Obsidisaurs filling a page, one of the three-- drawn bigger than the others, with large horns like those of a ram on its head-- blowing what appeared to be smoke from its mouth at first glance, though that was corrected in their minds quickly by the presence of small lightning sparks lacing the dark surface. The other page had the starts of a legend, an old tale of a rampage of beasts from a quarry past the Everfree Forest.

“Hey, Twilight,” Derpy said, drawing the attention of all the others, “this book has a legend about the Obsidisaurs.”

“What?” Twilight replied, rushing over; her eyes skimmed the cover of the book. “Of course! Legends of Beyond the Everfree! I should have remembered that.”

She looked dejected for a moment and, unable to help himself, Time Turner laughed much to the surprise of the other ponies

“Miss Twilight, you must have hundreds of books here. You can’t possibly be expected to remember every single one of them,” he said.

The unicorn’s eyes widened and her cheeks pinked and she agreed with a shy, “I guess.” Behind her, Spike laughed.

“I’ve been trying to tell her that for years!” he said.

Twilight smiled sheepishly for just a moment before her ears perked up high and she asked, “Derpy, what does it say?”

The grey pegasus quickly skimmed the page and then flipped to continue before summarizing, “It’s an old story about the Obisdisaurs. It says they came from a deep gorge or quarry or something like that a long time ago. They were disturbed by something and began to rampage all over the place, but some ponies managed to lure them back to their home and calm them somehow.”

“Somehow?” Applejack repeated.

Derpy scrunched up her face and frowned, flipping through the pages, only to find that there was a completely different legend after just two more pages.

“There’s not a whole lot of extra info, but... There’s a weird old poem in here,” Derpy said; she tossed the book to Twilight, whose magic enveloped it quickly and she began to read as Time Turner trotted over to curiously lean over her shoulder:

“ Terrible stone and heavy claws tear apart what nurtures all

Innumerable spears from the sky fall in vain until rock is bound by wind

Momentous thoughts, unorthodox,

Eternal circle given form in shining radiance

Stars made solid, light the way through future and passed--

On through the black, with wings that encase all

No more will they trouble us,

Great crystal, be the song that soothes the beast.”

She frowned at it and Rainbow Dash sarcastically said, “Yeah, that isn’t cryptic or stupid at all.”

“Hang on, Rainbow,” Twilight said, “This poem, it’s... weird.”

“Stars made solid, light the way through future and passed. Passed like to pass something, not like the past. That’s odd,” Time Turner put in-- he was surprised at himself for noticing that after just learning to read, but Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Great, our only source of ancient info couldn’t spell,” Rainbow said, putting a hoof to her face.

“Perhaps it means something,” Rarity said.

“A riddle, maybe?” Twilight wondered.

They could almost see the unicorn’s mind whirring, but despite that, Rainbow Dash scraped her hoof against the floor and looked to be holding in a great deal of frustration. Derpy grimaced; she wanted to comfort her but had no idea what to say. Applejack seemed to have a bit more of an idea, and she said, “Hey, Twilight?” to draw the purple unicorn’s attention. Twilight whirled on her curiously.

“I appreciate needin’ to know how to deal with these, uh... monsters, and such, but maybe we could figure that out after we rescue the other pegasi?” the orange mare suggested a bit cautiously.

Twilight stared at her blankly and replied with, “But how can we do that if we don’t know how to stop them?”

“I figure sendin’ them packin’ ain’t exactly required to save our friends,” Applejack added.

“It would certainly make it easier, though” Rarity put in with a sigh, “and we still don’t even know where they’ve been taken, might I add.”

Applejack’s ears drooped and she grimaced, and Rainbow Dash let out a loud, frustrated groan and put her hooves to her eyes, grumbling something low and tired.

“What was that?” Pinkie Pie asked in concern, edging in closer to the other three.

“I said,” Rainbow Dash said reluctantly, “I have to find Scootaloo. The little squirt will be counting on me. If I can’t save her, then... then...”

She bit her lip and she turned her frowning gaze up to the ceiling and away from meeting direct eye contact with any of her friends. It didn’t matter, though, they saw through her facade immediately.

As the others rushed in to comfort Rainbow Dash immediately, Derpy sighed and wilted where she sat. She didn’t know what to do, that much was obvious. Time Turner watched her and the other ponies with a growing knot in his stomach. Just what could they do? He returned to Derpy’s side and held his head, trying to think.

What can we do?

He thought for a little while until a sort of dangerous, worrying, and yet logical idea sprung to him. Gently, he tapped Derpy and he said, “Hey. Up for an adventure?”

“An adventure?” she repeated, confused.

Time Turner nodded and, a bit cautiously, trotted up to Twilight, who was still trying to reassure Rainbow Dash that everything would be okay.

“Miss Twilight,” he said, “sorry to interrupt, but may I make a copy of that poem?”

The purple unicorn seemed completely jarred out of what she was doing, and in an instant, her bright magic had zapped around the room, executing several tasks and produced a copy on a small sheet of parchment. Derpy watched with confusion until what he was suggesting clicked in her mind. For a moment, she thought he was nuts, and then thought she was nuts for agreeing with him completely.

Twilight held the parchment to Time Turner in the glow of her magic, raising her eyebrow at him.

“What for?” she asked as he took it in his teeth.

“Werll, Drpy ‘nd--” he began, looked confused, and then held the paper on his hoof instead; Derpy quickly took it and tucked it into her bag as she joined him. “Thank you. Derpy and I are going to investigate this while you and your lovely friends rescue the pegasi.”

The five mares in the room stared at him blankly and Rainbow Dash blurted, “Who in the hay are you?”

“Excellent question,” Time Turner said. “In any event, a division of labour seems most appropriate, wouldn’t you agree?”

Rainbow Dash looked flabbergasted, but Twilight seemed relieved, saying a bright, “That seems like a great idea.”

“I dunno,” the blue pegasus said, folding her forelimbs to her chest.

Derpy felt her nerves shrivel as Rainbow Dash’s eyes settled squarely on her. The others followed, even though Applejack elbowed the other pegasus disapprovingly.

“I... I won’t let you down,” Derpy assured them, hoping to Celestia that she could keep her word.

“You’ll do fine, sugarcube,” Applejack assured her.

She was relieved of the mare’s words, and for whatever reason, it seemed to give Rainbow Dash a little confidence as well. Quickly, Rarity perked up, a tired smile spreading across her face.

“Ooh! And I have just the thing for ‘snooping’!” Rarity said brightly; she headed towards the labratory door. “I just need my bags, I’ll be back in a tick!”

Derpy didn’t know Rarity very well, but she had always thought that the clothing she designed at her boutique were lovely. When the pale grey unicorn returned from the the lab beneath the library after only a little while with a set of perfect, black, undercover outfits for every pony heading out, Derpy was positive that she was a genius.

Rarity passed out the shadowy clothes amongst her close friends quickly and then held one out to Derpy, who accepted it gratefully and took off her messenger bag.

“I do hope it fits,” she said. “You are more lightly built than Rainbow Dash, so I’ve used Fluttershy’s measurements for you, minus the height, of course.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thank you so much,” Derpy said quickly.

Each mare was given a zipper-up black, hooded jumpsuit and tall, padded boots to muffle their hoofsteps. The others pulled theirs on quickly, and Derpy tried to as well, fumbling a bit as she did. In the Meanwhile, Rarity presented Time Turner with something slightly different-- a black coat and shorter boots than the others.

“Thank you, Miss...?”

“Rarity.”

She nodded at him and he smiled, saying, “Miss Rarity, then! Thank you,” as he put on the coat.

“Sorry, I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced,” she said.

“Time Turner,” he replied simply. “I’m new in town, staying at my dear friend Derpy Hooves’s home.”

“Well,” she said with a smile, “from what I’ve seen thus far, we will be lucky to have you.”

His ears perked as she turned and joined the others, starting to put on her own clothing quickly. Time Turner quickly put the boots on over his hooves, and then turned to find Derpy in the group. He caught her fumbling with one of her boots-- his realized the close up focusing must have been a little difficult for her, and quickly helped her pull it on. He smiled when she mumbled out a thanks and nodded at her before casting his gaze around the room. The two pegasi didn’t have holes for wings in their clothing-- a smart idea, Time Turner decided.

“Shall we be off?” he asked Derpy.

Derpy shot him a concerned look and said, “Positive you’re up for it?”

“Of course,” he replied.

The pegasus stared at him for just a little while before smiling and nodding, putting her bag back on as she turned towards the others.

“We’ll start towards the forest,” she said. “We’ll let you know what we find as soon as we get back, okay?”

“Good luck,” Twilight Sparkle said quickly; the others echoed her and Pinkie Pie sent them off with a hug before they slipped out of the library.

Derpy Hooves and Time Turner skulked around the outside of the library tree’s base, peering through Twilight’s barrier and into town. There weren’t any Obsidisaurs close by-- none that they could see, anyway-- but they could certainly hear them. Footsteps rumbled around the town and the deep, earthy growls combined to make a thunder throughout Ponyville. Derpy was petrified, but tried not to let it show as she stole a glimpse of her new companion. He looked curious, and worried too, but not scared-- at least not outwardly so. She worried for him anyway; wondered why fate or chance would have brought the poor, amnesiac pony to Ponyville at such a terrible time. She wondered too why she was suddenly involved in the saving town part of the calamity: she had been in Cloudsdale the last few times, like when a pony named Trixie had taken over with evil magic, or when Spike the dragon had become massive and set about on a rampage. Before then, she had simply hid, like most normal, not-so-brave ponies did.

She took a deep breath and gulped nervously, and beside her, to her surprise, Time Turner put a confident hoof on her shoulder and, as if he had read her mind, said, “Time to be brave, Miss Derpy Hooves.” She stared at him for a moment and then nodded. She tucked her bag in closer to her side and scooted around the tree. He followed her, wondering, “So where are we headed?”

“Are you sure you’re okay to be headed anywhere?” Derpy asked.

Time Turner rolled his eyes dramatically and he grinned at her.

“I appreciate the worry,” he said, “But I assure you, I feel fine.”

She truly hoped he was being honest. She nodded at him and pointed south-east through town.

“The Everfree Forest is that way,” she said. “Ready to go?”

“Ready as ever,” he assured her.

Nopony was on the streets of Ponyville and, sneaking quietly through sideroads and around buildings, Derpy and Time Turner were soon at the edge of town, slinking along the fence of an empty paddock near a tree-cottage that belonged, to Derpy’s knowledge, to Fluttershy. The thought of going into the forest was heavy in her mind but here she finally felt a little safe and straightened up to take a quick look around. Time Turner followed her example and looked at the trees curiously.

“Through there, yes?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said, “but we have to be careful. The Everfree Forest is... a strange place.”

“Define strange,” he said.

“It... It works on a different set of rules to the rest of Equestria,” she tried to explain. “It’s just dangerous, is all.”

“Fair enough,” Time Turner said: he was still curious, but didn’t push.

His eyes roamed across the treeline, but didn’t see a single spot where creatures so huge could have burst through. Derpy was on the same wavelength and she frowned with puzzlement and edged around past the paddock to take a better look. A sudden, angry chattering made her jump back with shock and Time Turner hurried to join her, eyes wide. To their surprise, from within a bush, a white rabbit jumped, brandishing a pointed stick like a spear in its tiny paws as it let out a surprisingly low growl.

Derpy almost melted with relief.

“Angel Bunny!” she said, giving in to a smile. “Glad to see you’re okay!”

The rabbit, Angel, relaxed a little, but continued to frown and chattered again, pointing at town and then holding his forelimbs up close to his body, gnashing his teeth and stomping around in a circle.

“I know, we saw them,” Derpy assured him.

“I’m sorry, are you speaking with that--?”

“Rabbit. Or bunny. And yes, I thought he was kind of self-explanatory.”

She smiled and Time Turner stared at Angel, who rolled his eyes. The stallion stared for a moment before he laughed and smiled, saying, “I suppose you’re right!”

He leaned down almost until he was lying on his belly to look at Angel, who frowned at him, though he said, “Nice to meet you Angel. Did you see where the Obsidisaurs came from?” The rabbit nodded his head quickly, tapped one foot, ran in a circle and then mimed the monster again before pointing to the cottage. He then waved his limbs in the air and squeaked as if in fear, and then mimed the monster grabbing something and stomping away. His ears drooped and he looked worried. Derpy bit her lip while Time Turner’s ears drooped a little as he raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

“...They took someone from here?” he asked.

“Fluttershy,” Derpy said worriedly.

Time Turner recognized the name from the other ponies at the library and looked at Derpy, straightening himself out as he asked, “A friend of yours?”

“Sort of,” she replied. “She lives here. Angel lives with her.”

Angel nodded and he hopped and pointed towards town. Derpy shook her head.

“We can’t go back there,” she said, and though he seemed immediately frustrated, Derpy assured him, “Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash are going to try to save Fluttershy. We need to find where the Obsidisaurs came from to try to send them back there.”

She offered him her hoof.

“Will you help us?”

The rabbit nodded quickly and shook her hoof, and then clambered up into her messenger bag. Derpy smiled as he poked his head out and pointed towards the forest. Time Turner grinned and said, “Shall we?”

Taking off at a gallop, they followed the pointing paw around the edge of the woods until it became painfully obvious where the Obsidisaurs had come from. Their tracks were lodged deep in the ground and the trees were bent and broken in a thick pathway that stood out in a way that seemed almost surreal.

“Fancy that,” he said, and then trotted forward, peering into the woods. “I suppose it would be silly to think that those giant beasts would have really been able to cover their tracks.”

Eagerly, he began into the woods across broken branches and deep, muddy footsteps. Derpy hesitated, gulping, her ears drooping low as her heart began to beat hard in her chest. She shifted on her hooves and Angel looked at her with confusion. She grimaced-- Time Turner turned to look for her behind him. He was startled not to see her there and he called, “Come on, Miss Derpy, we should get going!”

The look on her face gave him pause and he doubled back, brows tilting with sympathy.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“N-Nothing, I... Nothing.”

She shook her head and, taking a deep breath and hurrying towards the forest to get it over with.

Derpy was trembling with every step-- Time Turner could see it clearly. He wondered why she was so afraid. He kept close to her as they delved deep into the dark forest. He supposed the sounds around them were a bit spooky, and the sun blocked by tree branches that looked like gnarly monster claws, along the strange, pungent stench of--

“Wait,” he said.

Derpy stopped quickly and skittered to his side nervously, demanding, “What?” a bit shrilly. Angel looked between them curiously, but suddenly made a gasping sound and covered his nose. Derpy caught a whiff at almost the same moment

“Dear Celestia!” She pulled the collar of her jumpsuit up over her snout. “What is that?”

“If I’m not mistaken, Timberwolves,” the stallion replied.

Derpy reared back in surprise and barked, “What?!” loudly as she hopped up close to him, eyes wide with fright. Angel Bunny dove into the messenger bag in panic.

“I read that they smell quite foul in that book-” he began, only to be drowned out by a loud, low snarl.

He didn’t jump despite his surprise, but Derpy did, cowering behind him as golden, gleaming points of light stared out from the dark spots between trees. The ponies pulled back as a head seemingly made from wood rose up, peeling itself from the underbrush and baring a set of wicked teeth.

“Oh, that’s a Timberwolf,” Time Turner said.

“Run!” Derpy cried, shoving him with her head.

A second growl sounded from behind them and the stallion didn’t have to be told twice. They took off in a scramble of hooves and almost instantly, clawed, wooden paws trampled the sunken, muddy path behind them.

Derpy’s every instinct told her to fly, but it wasn’t going to happen. Her vision was blurred and swimming, disoriented as her focus shifted behind her to the glow and teeth and tried to follow the path in front at the same moment. A bend in the Obsidisaur trail sent her stumbling and she tried to regain her feet, only to see a flash of teeth above her. Before she could even cry out, she felt her friend’s forelimbs around her and her already confused sight blurred into a dizzying, whirling mess as they tumbled together down a rough hill. Within an instant of thumping to the ground, she was pulled under something dark and she heard leaves rustling. She gulped deeply and, as she tried to steady her head, she saw Time Turner’s face edge closer in the dark and gently shush her. She bit her lip and nodded, and kept as still as she could. Beside her, Time Turner kept his ears perked high, his face solid with absolute focus.

The sound of claws pricked leaves in the distance and and snorting, rasping inhales betrayed a confused and frustrated group of animals far above them. Derpy did her best to hold her breath, hugging Angel in her messenger bag to her chest worriedly. Only when the woods were completely silent did Time Turner finally shift, grabbing what was above them and pulling it clear, letting in what little light spread through the woods.

Derpy saw then that they were half under an outcropping of dirt and tree roots at the bottom of a steep hill. She grimaced and took a deep breath, while Angel, dazed, poked his head out of the bag to look around. Time Turner let out an involuntary Phew! as he pulled his coat from around them a bit more and brushed the leaves from their bodies.

“That was so scary...” Derpy breathed. “You okay, Angel?”

Angel nodded and, slowly, the pegasus got to her hooves, as did Time Turner.

“Goodness, that was quite an adventure,” he said with a nervous laugh. “Right. You okay?”

“F-Fine,” the mare replied. “You?”

“I’m fantastic,” he assured her as he put his coat back on. “You were right to be scared of this place, though.”

Derpy laughed shyly and Angel shuddered, ducking back into the bag. She peeked up the sharply steep hill and tried her front hooves on it-- no, it wouldn’t work unless she could run vertical. She bit her lip and cast a glance at her friend, who was also eyeing the sheer slope. She couldn’t fly them up either, he was too heavy for her. She shyly trotted up to his side and was about to apologize, but the sudden sound of a growl set them both alert.

“Shall we keep going?” he asked quickly.

“Yes. L-Let’s go,” Derpy agreed.

Derpy was still trying to regain her breath properly as she and Time Turner proceeded along the side of the slope carefully, trying to follow the path from far below. The stallion walked ahead slightly, pushing through the brush with a sort of oblivious confidence. The pegasus watched him curiously. He didn’t fumble as he walked at all anymore-- in fact, he seemed more confident on his four hooves than she was. However, the news of his heart condition still sat in her mind and kept her concerned. She trotted a little faster to keep up with him, and he shot her a smile when she did.

“H-How do you think the others are doing?” she asked.

“That Twlight pony seems to have a good head on her shoulders,” he said, “I’m sure they’re fine.”

Derpy nodded her agreement and sighed to herself, glancing up at the top of the hill to check their spot. However, she stalled, eyes widening as she realized that the path above hadn’t continued-- the broken trees that had marked the other path were replaced by pristine, dark foliage. Quickly, she grabbed Time Turner and pointed; he took a moment to understand and then said a surprised, “Oh!” before casting around in the brush, frowning, and then trying to get up the slope a little. He slipped down almost immediately, and he turned to Derpy.

“I suppose flying us up is out of the question?” he asked.

“I can’t... I can’t carry you,” she said, shamefaced. “Sorry...”

He shook his head and assured her, “No need to apologize. We’ll continue forward for now.”

The pegasus felt her heart sink but she nodded nonetheless.

They travelled together with caution for a while, though Derpy couldn’t help the notion that they were just getting lost. Time Turner didn’t want to say anything, but he was feeling something quite similar. He kept going, though-- they couldn’t stop, not with every pegasus in Ponyville on the line. He was lost in thought when a bright, warm light struck him so suddenly he almost felt dazed by it. Derpy let out an “Ooh!” and couldn’t help a smile. Angel poked his head from her bag and stared out in surprise.

The trees, dark and intimidating as they were, parted as if raising their limbs up, recoiling from the sun’s touch to reveal a clearing of grass and roots that seemed out of place and almost beautiful.

“Would you look at that,” Time Turner said with surprise, blinking his eyes quickly in the light.“Ooh! Fantastic!”

He trotted with renewed enthusiasm around the perimeter of the clearing and Derpy followed, taking in the sun happily.

“So nice to see the sky without all those terrible...”

Derpy’s own words dawned on her quickly and she gasped and then, quickly, took off her bag and unzipped the dark outfit. Time Turner looked on with confusion and then looked up again and grinned.

“I see!” he said brightly.

Derpy nodded and ditched the jumpsuit quickly, flapping high into the sky. The wind felt great on her wings as she rose quickly to peer over the forest and towards town. From the clearing, her heart dropped as she saw the swirling, thick dome of storm clouds over Ponyville. She gulped and tried to keep herself straight in the air, and then dipped back down towards Time Turner and Angel below. In the other direction, she could see a bit of disturbance in the trees and a strange something a long ways away.

Derpy landed with a bit of a stumble and pointed with the first sense of confidence she had had in a while.

“That way!” she said.

Time Turner smiled with what she could have sworn was pride, and he picked up her messenger bag and put it on as she donned her dark suit once more.

Pushing through the forest was getting exhausting, and Derpy couldn’t help but envy Angel for being able to nap. Time Turner wasn’t the least bit tired, but he could see it clearly in Derpy’s every move that she was wearing out. Without really thinking, he asked, “Would you like me to carry you?” Derpy’s cheeks flushed and she immediately shook her head.

“No thanks,” she mumbled timidly.

He shrugged and continued on for just a few more strides before he stopped abruptly, causing Angel to yelp and Derpy to run into him.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, “but... uh...”

“What?” Derpy asked as she righted herself.

“There is a giant gap in the ground here.”

Derpy’s heart sunk and she edged up past him. Through the bushes and bracken, past a few tree trucks, she could just barely see the world give way, and as she pushed through even farther, she could see that they were at the edge of a huge, steep ravine. Down below was a river and, to her surprise, Obsidisaur tracks along its gravelly bank. The relief that they were going to right way almost took her over and she began to laugh a little to herself for just a moment before she realized she had no idea how to get them down there. As Time Turner leaned in to look over, eyes wide with awe, Derpy cringed and her mind started whirring as she tried to figure out what to do next.

“Stupid, weak wings,” she grumbled at herself as she began to pace.

The stallion immediately whirled on her, eyes wide, ears drooping, and he said, “Don’t say that! Perhaps I’m just incredibly heavy, did you ever think of that?”

She wanted to let herself think that for a moment; she shook her head nonetheless and rubbed her brow. The afternoon was wearing on and Derpy was starting to get very worried again. Time Turner frowned and cautiously began to look around the edge of the vertical dropoff. It was interesting to see everything from up so high. His tail wagged and he turned to look at Derpy. The poor mare looked incredibly agitated, and he supposed he couldn’t blame her.

He watched her pace a little more, eyes set in a frown as she wore the foliage beneath her down under booted hooves. He wished he knew what to do to assist her, but short of him climbing straight down the precarious dropoff, he had no idea what to do. He edged in a little ways in from the cliff and watched Derpy worriedly. Angel, too, stared at her, ears drooping as he peeked out of the bag.

All of a sudden, Derpy stopped in her tracks-- her wings fluttered under her suit and she put her head up high, ears perking and eyes like saucers.

“Wait, wait,” she said, “Is that--?”

She edged off quickly, looking very confused, and Time Turner whipped around to follow her, and was surprised to see her produce a hat blue hat with a black visor from the bushes. She took it in one wing and brushed it off with the other.

“This is my hat,” she said, frowning at it in puzzlement.

“What, you mean that hat you couldn’t find back at your house?” Time Turner asked quickly.

She nodded as he stared at it with confusion. They were both thinking the same thing-- the question aloud was unnecessary, but Derpy said, “I’ve never even been out here before.”

“Are you positive?” Time Turner asked-- it didn’t seem like a thing he really needed to ask, but it was just so unbelievable.

Derpy nodded and flipped the hat to show the inside. It was marked with her Cutie Mark.

She looked up and her gaze passed into the woods beyond where her hat had been as she passed it off to Angel, who promptly put it on. Something looked a little out of place there, and, cautiously, she edged into the bush to investigate despite a sinking feeling in her gut. Her worries were quickly swapped out for relief and she couldn’t help a smile as she spied a path that looked like it was used relatively recently.

“There!” she said. “Take a look!”

Time Turner promptly beamed upon seeing what she did, and quickly, he jumped into the brush, feeling along the path with his hooves before turning to Derpy and beckoning for her to follow. Eagerly, finally feeling like they were getting somewhere, she did.

Following the strange path took the small group along the edge of the precipice and, to their surprise, guided them safely down to the riverbank. There, equally as surprising, they found that several large rocks had been rolled from the bank to make a sort of stepping-stone bridge across the water.

“Fancy that,” Time Turner mused, “seems like someone else has been here before us, eh? Though I suppose that path indicated as such as well.”

“Somepony who stole my hat,” Derpy said, rubbing her forehead.

She eyed the stones across the river suspiciously and looked at Time Turner.

“Guess we have to cross to follow the tracks, huh?” she asked a bit worriedly.

The stallion stretched his back and looked out over the water curiously before replying with, “I suppose so.”

Derpy was a little nervous and considered taking off the jumpsuit again, but before she could, Angel chattered at her and jumped onto the stony riverbank.

“Uh... What are you doing?” she asked.

He held up his paw and, under the eyes of the two ponies, searched around the riverbank. He picked up one stone, hit it with another, and then quickly jumped on Derpy’s back, cutting a hole in her outfit for her wing.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Oh, Rarity’s going to be upset.”

Angel waved a paw dismissively and cut the other side as well as Time Turner chuckled. Derpy smiled shyly and slipped her wings through and flapped. Angel patted her a bit roughly on the head before jumping down and returning to the messenger bag.

“Ah! Clever rabbit. Shall we go?” Time Turner inquired.

Derpy nodded and, feeling a little more sure of herself, lifted off as her friend began to hop his way across the stones in the river. He didn’t seem worried in the least, but nonetheless Derpy fluttered nearby to spot him.

Time Turner made it across the river without a hitch and they were quickly on their way again. No sooner than they had rounded the bend, however, they came upon a sight that surprised them. From the angle across the river, they hadn’t seen it, but there was a small cavern, no bigger than a single pony, near a rocky outcrop. Time Turner glanced at Derpy questioningly and she bit her lip nervously. She wasn’t sure what to do but her friend almost immediately stuck his head down into the darkness, squinting through the gloom.

“Is there anything down there?” Derpy asked cautiously.

The stallion frowned and tilted his head back and forth, scraping his booted hoof across the rough stone. Something struck him and his ears perked up; he took off the boot and repeated the action curiously, and then ran his hoof along the edge of the gap in the wall. The pegasus didn’t quite understand and she squinted into the darkness as well-- her eyes weren’t having it, though, and her concentrated gaze soon wavered and became unfocussed. She cringed and drew back, rubbing her eyes.

“You alright?”

Time Turner looked at her with concern and she nodded, blinking and asking, “Did you find something?”

“I believe I have, actually,” he said. “The edge of this passageway is completely smooth. Perhaps it was carved.”

The mare’s eyes widened and she touched the side herself and then frowned, wondering how it could have happened. Before she could postulate any ideas, Time Turner had begun into the darkness. Derpy jumped and she squealed out a, “Hey, w-wait!!”, wings puffing, flustered, as she hurried after him.

Down and down they went, through the darkness, following a path of stone that echoed with the softened sound of all hooves but one, clip-clopping loudly. Time Turner stuck close by Derpy, trying to keep at least one part of his body touching hers in the dark. He could see with relative clarity, but it was obvious that she couldn’t, and neither could Angel. He wondered if it was them or him who was out of place in this situation.

Probably me, he decided.

He hoped this path was safe. He also hoped it was the right way. He suspected that it was, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Derpy,” he said quietly, though the echo instantly amplified his words, “any idea what could have made this?”

“Magic, maybe?” she said. “Maybe a unicorn came this way. Oh! I just had a terrible idea!”

“What?”

“What if an evil unicorn came this way to release those monsters and what if she’s still in there?!”

Derpy stopped and put a hoof to her cheek, wincing with fright. Her friend stopped to look at her with confusion and, in the bag, Angel peeked out and pulled Derpy’s hat tight against his head.

“You really think that’s it?” he wondered.

Derpy had no idea, but her imagination was running away with her. She cringed, gulped, and then said a quiet, “I don’t know. I hope not.”

Time Turner couldn’t help a fond chuckle and he patted his friend’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry Miss Derpy, I’m sure nothing so sinister happened here,” he said with much more conviction in his voice than he felt.

Derpy seemed to sense it, but she relaxed a little anyways and they hurried on their way.

When the pathway finally leveled out, after what seemed like an eternity of walking, the ponies were surprised to be greeted with a faint, firelight glow. Following it, the group came upon a cavern of jaw-dropping size, the ground sloping away as the path opened up to it, revealing deep grooves in the earth covered in stone pathways and smoothed ruins. Small firelights burned like stars in the distant dark and, rising above it all, straight across from them was a raised platform carved from red stone that pressed up close to the opposite wall. Derpy had no words for a long while, though her wings stood up straight and she peered around, wondering who could have built such a huge place.

“Derpy,” Time Turner said, snapping her from her stupor, “perhaps you could see better from the air?”

“Right,” she agreed, and hurriedly took off.

The air was understandably still, and it took a bit more flapping than she would have liked to gain height, but once she did, her mouth went dry as she realized where they were.

“Time Turner!” she called down to him. “They slept here!”

“What?” he called back with surprise.

Derpy flipped backwards and fluttered down, repeating, “The Obsidisaurs-- they slept in here. There are, like... shapes. Like they had been sleeping in the ground and then moved.”

His eyes widened and he cast around the huge cavern before pointing his bare hoof up to the platform.

“How about I meet you up there?” he asked.

“What? Are you sure?” she asked.

“Quite sure,” he replied, “Unless...”

He frowned and his body went rigid; he ground his hooves into the earth below and closed his eyes, concentrating very hard. No matter how he willed it, however, he couldn’t move like he had. He opened his eyes to find Derpy and Angel looking at him strangely-- he couldn’t help a laugh and he smiled embarrassedly, saying, “I guess I can’t just do it on a whim.”

“Oh! That!”

The pegasus suddenly understood, but Angel merely frowned with confusion and twirled his paw beside his head before diving back into the bag. The stallion snickered and then, grinning, said, “I’ll race you!” before taking off at a gallop.

“H-Hey!” Derpy exclaimed; she was flying up and after him in an instant.

Naturally, Derpy reached the pedestal before he did: he had to cross the chasm and climb a flight of spiral stairs to get there. He was panting by the end, but as Derpy pulled him up the last step, he chuckled and said, “Knew that’d get you up here.”

“C’mon now, you shouldn’t push yourself so hard,” she said.

He brushed her off with a grin and then beckoned her to come with him as he approached the wall. It was only a little lit by a small torch on one side so, quickly, Time Turner grabbed it and used it to light the opposite torch to illuminate the whole wall before putting the original back in its place.

Before them stood a pedestal that was situated center to a huge, elaborate carving behind it. It was almost a pony’s height a half-sphere carved out of the top of it. Past it, the wall told a story. It displayed, from left to right, images that were a little weathered: it started with three Obsidisaurs led by a forth with great horns, tearing up trees and fields. Quickly, it transitioned to a conflict with a flock of armoured pegasi armed with spears. The pegasi were defeated and many were captured in what seemed to be a cage made of stone. Derpy felt a sinking feeling and looked at Time Turner, who still stared intently at the carving, and then quickly delved into the bag. Angel chattered in annoyance and the stallion said, “Oh, relax, I just need the poem!”

The bunny quickly produced it and Time Turner held it out so that Derpy could see it as well.

“Innumerable spears from the sky fall in vain,” he quoted, and then pointed to the image of the pegasi trying to fight the Obsidisaurs.

He raised his brows and Derpy gulped and nodded, and then, after skimming the poem again, took a second look at the wall. She saw the pegasi that were not trapped created a tornado that disoriented the Obsidisaurs, and then a unicorn was brought in with a shimmering crystal ball that, in a larger image contained a brilliant star map.

Stars made solid, Derpy recalled, Light the way through future and passed-- and then looked to see as the crystal was brought by the unicorn and another pegasus to the very spot she, Time Turner and Angel stood.

It was placed in the pedestal. surrounded by symbols of birds and celestial bodies and, happily now, the Obsidisaurs went to sleep. She shared a worried glance with Time Turner and then looked at the pedestal.

“So somebody took the... Oh my,” he muttered.

Worriedly, he reared up to inspect the pedestal and leaned over it to get a better look at the stone carvings behind it.

“Aside from the poetic flourishes, I think that poem must mean that whatever was here-- a crystal I guess?-- was keeping the Obsidisaurs happy...”

“But why would anypony take something so important?” Derpy demanded.

“Maybe they had to do something with it that was just as important,” Time Turner replied with a shrug.

“But to leave Ponyville like that-!”

“Miss Derpy, it’ll be completely fine,” he assured her. “We are here now to fix it, so it shouldn’t really be a problem.”

“I can’t believe you’re so confident,” she said, “but... I trust you.”

He grinned at her and ran his hooves over the tablet, and down into the small well.

“We just have to replace whatever was here.”

“Sorry, I don’t actually have my mystic, mysterious star crystal with me,” Derpy joked.

He snickered despite everything and Derpy trotted over to look at the pedestal as well. She peered with deliberately widened eyes into the spherical depression and was surprised to notice tiny grooves inside. Staring even closer, she noticing little pricks along the grooves and looked at the curiously for a moment.

“What do you see?” Time Turner asked.

“It almost looks like...”

But no, that couldn’t be right, could it? She frowned at it and looked closer, only to come to the same conclusion over again.

“Music,” she said.

Time Turner’s eyes widened and he said, “Be the song that soothes the beast. It may not be a metaphor after all.”

“So this crystal,” she said, scratching her head, “it contains the secrets of time and space, and plays music that calms these rock monsters down.”

She stuck her tongue out and jokingly added, “I wonder if it can be used as an oven or maybe it’ll give you a back massage too.”

Time Turner laughed and peered close at the inscription.

“It seems like the music was a secondary feature,” he said. “Perhaps it was just a general recording device that had a more pressing use than an elaborate star map from the poem.”

He took a look at it once more, wondering if they had missed anything. The stone carving matched up with basically everything listed, with the exception of the “wings that encase all”. That spelling error still irked him though. Why passed instead of past in this context? Grammatically, it didn’t make much sense either.

“Light the way through future and passed...” he said quietly.

Derpy shot him a puzzled glance and he shook his head, deciding not to bother with it now. Perhaps Rainbow Dash was part-right and the author had just made an error. He frowned and scratched his chin.

“So we need to replace the crystal,” he said.

“How? How can we even find out who took it?” Derpy replied.

Time Turner sat down and rubbed his brow, shaking his head. Beside him, Derpy’s bag shuffled and Angel jumped out and climbed the stallion to jump onto the top of the pedestal and inspect it with a frown. Derpy sighed and plopped down onto the rock as well tiredly. She hadn’t a clue what to do now-- she bit her lip and took another look at the carving. They couldn’t have come all this way just to be stuck now, could they. Her ears drooped, but only stayed low for a second as Angel let out a sharp whistle. The mare’s head shot up in alarm and quickly, the bunny grabbed her ear and pulled her to the pedestal.

“Ow, ow, Angel, watch it!” she squeaked.

He gave her a quick, light smack upside the head and, frowning deeply, pointed to the birds on the carving, and then to the music notes carved where the crystal should sit. Derpy’s eyes widened and she said, “You’re saying the crystal doesn’t matter. It’s the song.” Angel nodded vigorously and Derpy’s face lit up.

“We just need something else to record, and somepony who can sing!” she exclaimed.

Time Turner was on his hooves in an instant, grinning at both of them, announcing, “Much easier! Perhaps Miss Twilight’s magic would be able to help us in at least on of those regards.”

Derpy grinned and Angel nodded again before he pointed to the music, then made a purposefully adorable, wide eyed face while pulling one ear down over the side of his face and flopping the other backwards, and then hunching meekly. Time Turner inclined his head, confused, but the pegasus at his side understood.

“Fluttershy,” she announced. “We need to rescue Fluttershy.”

3. A Song of Kindness

Ponyville’s reservoir was just beyond town, situated in a field between rolling hills, usually unoccupied and a lovely green before grass gave way to forest. The fields were brown with mud now, though, stomped in by huge, reptilian talons. Along the edge of the water, sprawled out like a cat in the sun, lay a massive Obsidisaur, long, curled horns like that of a ram protruding from its craggy head, as it belched dark clouds into the sky. Two others patrolled near it, while a forth lay with its tail held over the water, supporting a large, makeshift box made entirely of slabs of stone.

It was hard to see through the cracks from where Twilight and her friends were huddled, under a blind made from grass and branches beyond one of the hills, but they were positive that was where the pegasi were being held. Peering through binoculars and peeking under a fringe of grasses, Twilight stuck her tongue out with concentration as she tried to see any spec of colour through the mass of rock. Beside her stood Rainbow Dash, alert, frowning with her ears pressed back tightly. Her rear hoof scraped the dirt once in a while, and behind her, Rarity flinched away but held her tongue.

It had been a little while since Applejack and Pinkie had left. Twilight wasn’t exactly certain what to do, but Applejack’s skill with a lasso might prove useful. She had asked the orange mare to return to Sweet Apple Acres to retrieve her rope, and since everypony had been unwilling to send her alone, Pinkie volunteered to accompany her. With that on her mind, as well as what was straight before her, Twilight Sparkle couldn’t help a quiet, tired sigh.

Just a fleck of colour made her gasp sharply and before she could say a word, Rainbow had whisked her binoculars from her and stared into them with such glaring intensity it was a wonder the Obsidisaurs didn’t feel it.

“Fluttershy!” the blue pegasus said sharply.

Twilight’s ears perked and Rarity pushed in, asking, “Is she alright?”

“Can’t tell,” Rainbow Dash replied quickly.

She carefully passed Twilight the binoculars before drawing back, grumbling and pawing at the dark suit that covered her wings.

“This sucks. I wish I could just go in there and-”

“I know, Dash, but we need a plan or this’ll just end up with you caught and Celestia knows what else happening to the rest of us,” the purple unicorn insisted; she smiled sympathetically and Rainbow Dash sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she grumbled.

She drew a circle in the grass with her hoof and then looked up at Twilight, asking, “Got a plan yet?”

The purple unicorn raised an eyebrow and then shook her head.

“They are made of rock, aren’t they?” Rarity asked quietly. “And their eyes do look like lovely gems. Perhaps I could convince them to leave with some of the stones I have at the boutique?”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight said. “They seem to be really mad at the pegasi.”

“Probably for kicking their tails back in the whenever,” Rainbow Dash said, waving her forelegs dismissively.

“I just feel like we don’t have all the information,” Twilight said. “I hope Derpy Hooves and her friend come up with something.”

“They have been gone for a while,” Rarity said, her ears drooping a little. “I do hope they’re all right.”

“They’ll be fine,” Rainbow Dash said a bit dismissively. “Derpy’s a clutz, but she’s still a pegasus, and if there’s one thing we pegasi are known for is getting the job done... You know, as long as she doesn’t get stuck in a tree or something.”

Rarity bit her lip and Twilight pawed the ground a bit anxiously, but the silence was quickly broken by a double set of quiet hooves.

The three ponies looked back towards town quickly to see Applejack, hunkered low, her rope wrapped around her chest, while Pinkie Pie accompanied her, creeping with her belly scraping across the grass, her face set in a determined grimace.

“Welcome back,” Twilight said quietly as the two mares joined them, “any trouble?”

“Just a little. Ran into one of those Obsidisaurs near Sugarcube Corner. We handled it though,” Applejack assured her.

“He didn’t follow you, did he?” Rainbow Dash asked, getting to her hooves, her eyes wide, and Applejack shook her head.

“Sure didn’t,” the orange mare replied, “Pinkie made sure of that.”

“Pie in the eye, baby! Pie in the eye,” Pinkie said with a triumphant smirk.

“Literally,” Applejack added when the others looked at her with bafflement. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Still working on that.” She peered through her binoculars again. “Rainbow, could you go back to the edge of town and check around? See if there’s anything you can see from another angle? Once we have all the information, maybe then we can come up with a proper plan.”

Rainbow Dash’s ears perked and she nodded.

“I’ll be back soon,” she said hurriedly, and then spun and broke into a gallop.

She was back in the shadows of town within just a few moments. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for, but staying low, she crept around, eying the Obsidisaurs suspiciously. She growled a little despite herself and ground a booted forehoof into the grass harshly. She couldn’t see anything significantly different from this angle, however, so she quickly moved on.

Circling along the buildings, Rainbow Dash kept a steady, angry gaze on the Obsidisaurs at the reservoir. She couldn’t fathom why these beasts were doing what they were, but she knew it made her furious. She wanted to stop them-- to fly at them right now and throw them right into the water-- but it made her all the more anxious to know that wouldn’t work at all. She snorted lightly, but her own sound was swiftly followed by a second. Rainbow Dash immediately jumped upright and pressed herself against the tan-coloured house behind her. Soon, to her relief, the sound became discernible as hooves on the cobblestone around front of the building. Ears perking, curious-- and a little worried-- Rainbow Dash dropped to all fours once more and peeked around the corner of the building.

The pegasus’s eyes widened as she saw Derpy Hooves and her friend-- Time Turner, was it?-- hurrying quietly by.

“H-Hey!” Rainbow called quickly, her voice coming out a little more shrill than she intended.

Derpy paused in her tracks and looked to Rainbow Dash with surprise, and then hissed at the stallion who stopped abruptly too with a loud, confused, “What?” before noticing Rainbow Dash and pausing with surprise. Hurriedly, the blue pegasus trotted up to them, saying, “What are you--? What happened to your clothes?”

“Uhh,” Derpy replied a bit awkwardly, but Rainbow Dash shook her head and cut her off, frowning between the two with confusion.

“How did you two get here?” she demanded.

Derpy bit her lip and looked a bit apologetic, and then held a hoof up to the stallion beside her. He nodded and gave them a bit of space, and before she knew it, the grey pegasus was hugging her tightly around her shoulders. Rainbow’s body jolted with surprise-- she didn’t even have time to say a word.

“Dashie, you’re doing a great job. And you’re going to save them. I promise.”

“Derpy, what-?”

“Just keep going up, Dashie. Trust me.”

The grey pegasus pulled back to hold Rainbow Dash by her shoulders, giving her a warm, gentle smile, before nodding her head at the reservoir in the distance.

“You know what to do,” she said.

Rainbow Dash stared at her blankly and could only think to reply with, “I do?” The other pegasus nodded and was about to say more when Time Turner interjected with a clearing of his throat.

“Sorry to interrupt, but... Derpy, my dear, we should get going,” he said.

Derpy’s ears perked and she nodded, hurrying to join him. Rainbow Dash stared after them in bafflement and called, “Hey!” before the other pegasus gave her a quick salute.

“Trust yourself, Rainbow Dash, you know what to do,” she assured her.

The two other ponies rounded the corner quick, but when Rainbow Dash peered after them, she was startled not to see a single trace.

“What?” she mutter aloud. “But they... didn’t have any information?”

She felt a sudden sting of nerves and looked back at the reservoir. The grey pegasus’s words played over in her head.

“Keep going... up?” she wondered.

She gulped and pawed the ground, then took in a deep breath to steady herself and continued to scout, hoping that Twilight would come up with a plan to save the day as soon as possible.

The journey out of the massive cave and back through the Everfree forest wasn’t nearly as daunting as the way there, even though Derpy was all but running on empty. Her legs were cramping up a little, but even though she had slowed a little from the gallop they had begun with, she was determined to see this through. Time Turner let her set the pace, though she was surprised that he didn’t seem even the least bit tired.

Retracing their steps wasn’t hard, but soon enough the ponies and rabbit had arrived back at the steep cliff they had careened off of earlier and slowed without much choice. Derpy took this moment to try to catch her breath and, poking his head from her bag, Angel fanned her with her hat.

“Why don’t you take a quick break?” Time Turner suggested gently.

“Do we really have time?” the pegasus asked quickly, eyes widening.

“Five minutes now will save you a world of trouble later,” he assured her.

A bit reluctantly, Derpy nodded and dropped down onto shabby moss to rest and her friend checked the area cautiously, disappearing behind a tree and some bushes. Derpy took a deep breath, but nearly jumped out of her fur when she heard her friend let out a loud “GAH!”.

“Time Turner?!” she yelped, jumping to her hooves so suddenly that Angel tumbled to the ground, only to see the stallion stumble back into view, missing two of his boots and kicking off a third.

“Ugh, yuck!” he exclaimed. “It’s like a muddy bog over there! I’ve lost my boots!”

Derpy sighed with relief and dropped back to the ground slowly, putting a hoof to her chest as if to steady her racing heart; Angel grumbled and clambered back into her bag.

“You all right, Miss Derpy?” the stallion asked, trotting over to her as he tilted his head.

“Fine,” she squeaked, “Just... I’m fine.”

He smiled a little and lay down before her, holding one of her hooves.

“Don’t fret, we’re nearly back,” he assured her.

“You think so?” she wondered.

“Oh yes, I have quite a good memory,” he said, and then blushed immediately and laughed at himself, “for times and places, anyhow! I believe if we just cross that muddy bog, we should be back on the way to Ponyville very quickly.”

“You mean... if you cross it?” she asked.

Though her ears drooped, he laughed and said, “I suppose you’re right! Not a worry, Derpy Hooves, I’m confident I can do it!”

“But you just lost all your boots.”

“Very true. But I also just learned not to rush through, haven’t I?”

He grinned and Derpy couldn’t help but begin to share his optimism. She smiled and got to her hooves; he followed quickly and she beckoned for him to lead the way.

He lead her past some bushes and a tree with gnarled bark looked much like the face of a monster to reveal a mire of mud and dead plants stretching out an uncomfortable distance before them. Derpy took off almost instantly, a little nervous, and flapped out over the mud cautiously. Angel squeaked but she shushed him gently before asking, “How are you gonna tell where you can walk?”

“Um... Hadn’t given it much thought,” Time Turner admitted.

Derpy rolled her eyes and snickered, and then folded her forelegs to her chest thoughtfully. She drifted back towards her friend and then circled him curiously. She could see his boots poking, just the tops, out of the mire, though one boot, though stuck, wasn’t in nearly as deep as the others. Eyes widening, Derpy hurriedly landed and scraped together a few small rocks before lifting up again and scattering them over the mud.

“What’s that you’re doing?” Time Turner asked.

“Look,” she said.

She gestured to the stones: some of them sank deep and rather quickly, but others stayed up and in the muck, little grey markers amongst the brown.

“Oh!” Time Turner said swiftly, ears perking high, “Derpy, you’re brilliant, has anyone ever told you that?”

The pegasus blushed bashfully and Time Turner tentatively tested the mud in the shallow spots with a hoof before hopping in. It squelched under his weight but both of them were relieved to see that he didn’t sink where the stones had failed to as well.

Proceeding cautiously, Time Turner stepped from shallow patch to shallow patch, marked as Derpy dropped more stones across the way. He hopped with careful steps as Derpy glided to the other side after the way was marked for her friend. As she situated herself though, a pungent stink hit her nostrils and all the fur on her neck stood on end and bristled. She glanced around quickly but her eyes were quickly drawn to a flash of light behind Time Turner-- eyes? She gulped and said, quickly, “Uh, Time T-Turner, if you c-could just hurry up teeny bit...?”

“What do you-? Oh!” he said as he took an involuntary sniff, “Right, uh...”

He scrambled awkwardly across the mud as a low growl sounded behind him, and though Derpy was ready to high-tail it away as fast as possible, her heart sunk to her hooves as her friend stumbled close to solid ground and slipped back, hooves flailing, as the mud took him and pulled him down as if a monster had grabbed him.

Without a second thought, Derpy rushed for him, throwing herself onto her belly and grabbing his forelimbs and pulling back, though she could barely move. His lower half was completely submerged and he clung to her tightly.

“Oh... Oh dear, Derpy, I’m terribly sorry,” he said hurriedly.

He cast a glance over his shoulder to see, forming behind them, a small pack of Timberwolves, eyes glistening and mouths salivating as they paced and tested the mud with wooden paws. Derpy followed his eyes and gulped, and then tried to heave him back. The effort left her winded, but, slowly, she flapped her wings towards him and tried to get to her hooves.

“Oh, no, Derpy, you’ll just fall in too!” he said. “Leave me here, I’m sure I can fend those brutes off.”

“Not a chance,” the pegasus growled, “Can you feel the ground?”

“Uh... no.”

“Okay, umm... T-Try not to move.”

Derpy gulped, her throat running dry, and her wandering eye drifted past her friend to see the Timberwolves a little more clearly before continuing behind her in the trees. She winced but got a bit of an idea nonetheless.

“Angel,” she said quickly, and the rabbit appeared with a worried look on his face, “can you get me a branch? A big one? And hurry. I-If you can.”

The rabbit saluted her and hopped down from her bag and off into the woods quickly. Derpy grunted and settled down on her belly again.

“I’m sorry,” Time Turner said again.

“Don’t be, it’ll be fine,” she said, even as her gaze headed to the Timberwolves again.

Their growls were getting louder, but even so, they still couldn’t get close. The pegasus didn’t let herself feel any relief at all, however, until she spotted Angel in her peripherals, rolling a large, dead branch back towards them as quickly as he could.

“Great job!” Derpy replied, and then sucked her tongue to wet her mouth for a moment before continuing, “Now just... bring it here. Put it under his hooves.”

Angel did as he was bid swiftly and Derpy guided him to hang onto it. As soon as he did, she jumped up and shoved it so that each end was on the shallow patches on either side of the stallion.

“You have a plan, then?” he asked.

“Yeah, just... h-hang on,” Derpy said hurriedly, and she dragged the branch forward. It rolled a bit, and her friend’s forelimbs were pulled with it, bringing him just a little ways out of the mud.

“Oh! Brilliant!” he exclaimed.

Derpy smiled, but some harsh barking distracted her immediately and Angel yelped and rushed away before she could tell him not to. She looked back to see that one of the Timberwolves had found her stone path. She gulped as it growled and the others seemed to bark to cheer it on. It took off with a bound and Derpy squeaked and hurried to roll the branch closer. Time Turner’s weight was starting to really strain her, though, and she felt herself slowing despite her best efforts.

Come on, Derpy! Come on, come on, come on!!

She gritted her teeth, but was startled suddenly by a flash of white. Her head jerked and her eyes widened to see that Angel had returned, his small arms laded with rocks. With a scowl and a chatter, Angel whipped a stone at the oncoming beast with more speed than was to be believed. It knocked the Timberwolf in the head, dazing it for just a moment long enough for it to lose its balance and, with an alarmed howl, topple into the mud much like Time Turner had.

“Angel!” Derpy exclaimed. “You’re the best!”

The rabbit’s chest puffed out proudly and he held aloft another stone as if it were the most imposing weapon on the planet. The creatures on the other side snarled and another tested the mud, but had its paw stuck almost instantly. Derpy sighed and, finally able to relax just a little, concentrated everything on pulling Time Turner up.

As soon as a single one of his hooves was on solid ground, she grabbed him tightly and pulled forward. He grunted and she shook her head, taking off and flying to take him under his forelimbs, heaving forward as hard as he could, her wings flapping and straining under his immovable weight.

“Almost--!” he assured her, and as soon as his second forehoof was on the ground, he popped out of the mud with a schloop, throwing both ponies forward in a tumbling, flailing mess.

Time Turner righted himself almost immediately, ditching his coat and shaking his muddy fur. Derpy shook her head dizzily and rolled to her hooves, using her wings to brush herself off.

“Phew!” he said, and then gave Derpy a quick hug. “You were very brave.”

“Uh... thanks,” the pegasus said shyly, smiling a little.

He grinned and then trotted back for Angel, who hopped onto his back and then over to Derpy, diving headfirst into her messenger bag.

“Back to Ponyville!” the stallion said.

A growl behind them emphasized the idea and Derpy nodded swiftly. They took off at a gallop quickly through the brush, neither of them able to stop a relieved laugh as they went.

The sight of Ponyville roofs past the edge of the woods was the most welcoming thing in the world, even if it was shadowed under black, electric storm clouds. Derpy, Time Turner and Angel hurried back into town, hoping to find the other ponies. The first place they headed was Twilight’s library. It looked much the same as it had before, though there were some clawmarks through the ground around it.

They hurried inside, and were immediately greeted by the sound of small feet, and a voice calling for Twilight. Before they knew it, the heavy wooden door to the basement swung back to reveal a very concerned looking Spike.

“Twilight, you’re-! ...Wait, you aren’t... Where’s Twilight?” he asked worriedly.

“We were actually coming to ask you that,” Derpy admitted.

Spike’s scales paled he put his claws to his cheeks, shaking his head.

“I... I don’t know, but... Oh!” His green eyes brightened and he bounded up the stairs. “Follow me!”

The two ponies did, and quickly, and they quickly saw what Spike had been thinking of. Near a large window, there was a telescope set up, and the little Dragon had his eye pressed against it, scanning the town. Before either of them could ask, Spike let out another, “Oh!” and then backed away to point out the window.

“I see Rainbow Dash!” he said excitedly. “Just at the other side of town!”

Derpy sighed and smiled tiredly at Time Turner.

“More running,” she joked.

“Let’s go then. Thank you, uh...”

The stallion stared at the dragon blankly, who quickly answered, “Spike.”

“Thank you, Spike,” he replied with a smile, hurrying back to the stairs.

“Thanks, Spike!” Derpy agreed.

The small group rushed off from the library as fast as they could, darting around the sides of buildings, edging quietly around patrolling Obsidisaurs until they saw a flash of rainbow vanishing around the corner of a house where a nervous, green mare peeked out between her flower-print curtains. Sharing a relieved look, the ponies hurried around the corner, Derpy whispering, “Rainbow Dash!” to draw her attention.

The blue pegasus whipped around quickly, eyes wide with surprise, barking out, “Derpy?” rather shrilly.

“How’s everything going?” Derpy asked as they closed the distance and came to a stop.

To her surprise, the other pegasus glowered between her and the mud-soaked Time Turner.

“Where did you two go?” Rainbow Dash asked sharply.

Derpy didn’t know what to say and she awkwardly pointed behind her.

“The... The forest?” she replied, baffled.

The other pegasus frowned even more deeply and said, “What? Whatever! Never mind, look!” She she beckoned for them to follow and then pointed out over some rolling hills. They could see a few specs of colour, the other ponies, under some sort of grass structure out towards the reservoir, with the large, dark and looming Obsidisaurs a bit farther off. There was a strange shape aloft, held on the tail on one of the creatures

“That’s where they’re keeping the others,” Rainbow said.

“But, uh... Miss Rainbow Dash-” Time Turner began, only to make the blue pegasus snort.

“Just Rainbow Dash. Or Rainbow. Or Dash.”

“Right. Rainbow Dash, what exactly are you doing over here?” he asked worriedly.

“Just checking around. Wanted to see if there was anything we could use to our advantage around these monsters. Nothing so far.”

Time Turner nodded.

“Well, don’t worry, we’ve come up with something useful.”

“That’s great,” Rainbow replied, ears perking, “What is it?”

“We need Fluttershy,” Derpy said.

“Well, she’s in a cage,” Rainbow replied, frowning and pouting a little. “Why?”

“It’s a strange tale, really,” Time Turner explained, “but we need someone to sing something rather specific.”

“I know Fluttershy has a great voice, and she reads music, which is important,” Derpy said, and when Rainbow Dash looked at her skeptically, the grey pegasus blushed and said, “I know when Twilight first moved in, Fluttershy was doing the music at the Summer Sun Celebration. Also, I... I was returning one of her chickens to the coop in her yard when she brought you over to... sing about finding a pet?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened and she raised a hoof, saying, “I’ll stop you right there. I hope you’re right. Follow me.”

Turning quickly, Rainbow Dash sunk low to the ground and, a bit awkwardly, Time Turner mimicked her. Derpy held in a snicker and crouched low. The blue pegasus took off fast and low, and the other ponies followed her closely until they reached the other ponies in their hidden blind. All three were greeted by a quick hug from Pinkie Pie while Twilight turned to them and said, quietly, “Welcome back! Did you find anything?”

“Your clothes!” Rarity squealed, “Your fur!!”

She put a hoof to her mouth and Time Turner smiled bashfully. Derpy’s ears drooped and she said, “Sorry, Rarity,” before turning to Twilight.

“We found a wall carving that went with that poem from the book,” she explained. “The Obsidisaurs were calmed by a crystal with a song in it, but it was stolen.”

“No time to find that one,” Time Turner added.

Derpy nodded.

“We need a crystal-- round-- one that can record music like a vinyl record. And we need Fluttershy.”

“But Fluttershy’s still stuck up in that cage,” Applejack said, ears drooping.

“We need somepony who can sing high notes and read music,” the grey pegasus explained.

“Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash agreed immediately.

“I have crystals,” Rarity volunteered.

“Right. I’m pretty sure I can manage a spell to record onto it,” Twilight said. “But... Fluttershy...”

She bit her lip and stole a glance over her shoulder. Pinkie Pie put a hoof to her brow and Applejack frowned with thought.

“Certainly seems like we need to be bustin’ them out of there,” the orange mare said.

“If I could only get above them,” Rainbow Dash growled, pawing the ground, “I could make a tornado blow everything to pieces.”

“There’s no way,” Twilight replied, ears dropping. “Not even you could make a tornado that powerful on your own. And all those other pegasi would end up just stuck in the wind.”

The blue pegasus snorted and trotted around the room, her wings flared up angrily. Time Turner grimaced and Derpy frowned, scratching her chin.

How to get in, how to get in...?

Time Turner somehow was able to teleport, but they wouldn’t be able to get close enough, and he could barely control that as well. Twilight’s magic...? No, if that would work, the unicorn would have suggested it already. Derpy frowned and looked between the group, and then bit her lip.

“Well,” she said, “easiest way to get in is to get put in, right?”

The others looked at her curiously, and Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened as if she was catching on, but before she could say a thing, Derpy filled the others in, “I’ll get myself caught and we can start tornado from the inside.”

“And I can bring that sucker to life from the outside,” the blue pegasus concluded, a grin starting to form on her face.

“Wait a moment--” Time Turner said quickly.

Twilight unwittingly cut him off, musing, “The start of the wind should clear up some clouds, that’ll allow Rainbow to take off and guide the tornado the rest of the way.”

“That old story did say that a great wind was what stopped these things a long time ago,” Pinkie agreed with a smile. “A big ol’ tornado! Cool!”

“Yes, but--!” Time Turner began again, though Rarity chimed in over him.

“It sounds a tad dangerous, but... if anypony can pull this off...”

She gave Rainbow Dash a smile and Applejack pulled forward to put a hoof around Derpy’s shoulders.

“And you know, she may not be the strongest flier, but Derpy’s nothin’ if not reliable, huh?” she added brightly; the grey pegasus blushed a little. “This plan may be a bit nuts, but I’m thinkin’ we could really pull this off. What’ll ya’ll be needing us to do?”

The mare looked between Derpy and Rainbow Dash curiously, and though Derpy’s eyes went to Twilight, the other pegasus said, “Actually, AJ, if you and Pinkie could trip these guys up a little before the wind starts and then get clear...?”

“And Rarity and I will go work on that crystal device,” Twilight Sparkle said quickly, shooting a glance at the other unicorn as if for confirmation-- Rarity smiled and nodded. “And... Mr. Time Turner, if you could come with us?”

“What? Oh! Right, right. O-Of course,” he said quickly, though he cast a forlorn glance at Derpy. “That only makes sense, of course.”

Derpy couldn’t help a smile and he almost shared it-- he was about to tell her to be careful, but quickly, Twilight said, “Let’s get started. Good luck, everypony!” and his vision was taken by pink.

The flash took Derpy aback, and she blinked heavily. Rarity, Twilight, and Time Turner had vanished. Rainbow Dash pulled her aside and took her by the shoulders.

“So you’re sure you can handle this?” she asked. “What’s your wing power?”

“Um... 6, on a good day,” she said, and though the other pegasus frowned, Derpy assured her, “There'll be more than enough of us in there to start a tornado. I just need to get everypony motivated.”

“Right, right,” Rainbow Dash said, nodding quickly. “And once that starts... I got this. Keep going up.”

Derpy was taken aback for a moment.

“Wh-What did you say?” she asked quietly.

Though Rainbow Dash replied with an absent, “Hmm?”, Applejack quickly cut in, her eyes brightening.

“Sounds like a plan,” the orange mare said. “What do y’all need us to do? Specifically, I mean.”

“Pie in the eye?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Oh, oh, what about a trap! We could use a... a big pit in the ground and trick them into it!”

“Pinkie, how in the heck would we dig a big pit without them noticin’?” the orange mare asked with a frown.

“Point taken,” Pinkie said with a nod before her face lit up and her hooves became an erratic, flailing mess. “Oh! Oh! What about a tripwire! And when they trip it, BAM! Pie right in the face!”

“...That’s... not a terrible idea,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “Maybe without the pie...”

“But the pie makes it!” Pinkie insisted.

“Okay, pie, whatever,” the pegasus said quickly, and she waved everypony in close. “I got it. Here’s the plan.”

Time Turner stumbled as the bright, radiant pink magic faded from his eyes. He blinked heavily and glanced around, startled to find himself in an open, elegant space with mauve walls surrounding and pink, frilly curtains decorating the room and dividing parts of it with dress-draped mannequins, golden mirrors and small dressing rooms. As he tried to regain his bearings, he noticed Rarity hurry across the room, followed closely by Twilight. He stared after them in bafflement before following quickly, asking, “Excuse me. What just happened?”

“What? Oh!” Twilight said, whirling on him. “I’m sorry, you must never have been teleported before! Of course. We’re at Rarity’s place.”

He nodded and watched as the pale grey unicorn hurried around the room, peering behind the curtains and around the edges of the room, muttering “It must be around here somewhere...”

“Miss Rarity, do you need any help?” Time Turner asked.

“No, no, I just need to remember where I-- Ah! Hang on just a moment!”

She whirled on her hind hoof and rushed up the stairs at the other end of the room. Twilight and Time Turner shared a look of raised brows and made to follow her, but before they had even crossed the room, Rarity trotted down the stairs, head held up proudly as she presented a large, gem-speckled violet chest suspended in the blue glow of her magic. Time Turner was taken aback, but Twilight smiled, relieved, and approached her friend as the magic flipped the chest opened and several large chunks of crystal in all different colours presented themselves before them.

“Great job!” the purple unicorn said brightly, and then turned to the stallion behind her-- he was still staring-- “Will any of these work?”

“Um,” he said quietly, his brain whirred and he thought about the dimensions of the groove in the pedestal back in the stone chamber. “Sorry, but would one of you mind defining a unit of measurement?”

“You don’t know-?” Rarity began.

He immediately said, “Very sorry. I have a specific form of amnesia. Specifically, woke up just the other day without any knowledge of... well, the world at all, really.”

The two unicorns looked back at him, jaws dropped, and Twilight quickly said, “I’m so sorry!”

“I didn’t mean to be rude, I just-!” Rarity squeaked, but the stallion raised a hoof as if to stop her.

“That’s absolutely fine, you couldn’t have known,” he assured them.

Rarity bit her lip and cast a glance at Twilight before putting down the crystals and chest, and then hurrying back upstairs, calling, “Just a second!” behind her.

“I hope I didn’t make things awkward,” Time Turner said quietly.

He was relieved to see Twilight shake her head.

“No, it’s fine. Once all this is over, come visit me. I know a memory spell that might be able to help you,” she said, her ears perking up.

The stallion’s eyes widened.

“Oh! Well, thank you very much! Perhaps we could give it a shot.”

Twilight smiled and nodded, and then edged up to the large crystals to look at them. Time Turner joined her and peered between them. A large, clear white crystal looked to be the most promising for now, and quickly, Rarity returned with a stretch of yellow plastic marked with small black lines.

“Centimeters, millimeters,” she explained quickly, indicating each.

He nodded and before he could even concentrate on doing so, his mind brought the numbers forward.

“50.36 centimeter circumference,” he said quickly. “Perfect sphere, so-”

“I got it,” Twilight assured him; she scrunched up her face and said. “Wait a sec. Multiply by pi... Yeah, I got it!”

She lifted the largest of the crystals up in her magic and began to spin it, razors of pink energy shearing it carefully, frowning with concentration. Time Turner sighed with relief and Rarity smiled, laying her measuring tape across the back of her neck.

“I must say, you have quite the brain,” she said, giving the stallion a nudge. “You barely looked at my measuring tape for an instant.”

“It certainly is peculiar,” he agreed.

Rarity looked back at him with confusion for a moment, letting out a "Hmm," before asserting, “I thought you might have some sort of explanation.”

“Not at all, I’m afraid,” he said. “I’ll be honest, I’m probably just as confused as you are.”

The unicorn’s delicate features crinkled in a frown for just a moment, but all three of them were distracted as a loud, rumbling sound rattled the walls. Time Turner put a hoof around Rarity and flattened them both to the floor; Twilight followed their example, moving the crystal low as well as a huge, stoney set of legs and taloned feet passed slowly by the window. Then, sharply following, the sound of thunder set Time Turner’s fur on end. His mind immediately raced to Derpy.

“We have to hurry,” Twilight said, straightening herself quickly, spinning the crystal in her magic even faster. “Or... I do, I guess.”

“Don’t rush, it needs to be just right,” Rarity assured her.

Time Turner wanted to agree with both of them at once. He hurried to the window and peered out, hoping desperately for his friend to be okay.

Stretching her wings to warm up, Derpy took a deep breath, letting the wind comfort her as she prepared herself to take flight.

The plan’ll work, she assured herself.

She stood, overlooking the reservoir from a rooftop, trying to steady herself. She had abandoned the tattered jumpsuit and given herself a quick preening just before, hoping that it would calm her nerves. It hadn’t. She cast a glance below her at Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. Applejack held her messenger bag, and in it, Angel Bunny sat, looking up at her and giving her a quick salute. Derpy grinned bashfully and, to her surprise, Rainbow Dash gave her a reassuring smile and a nod.

“You ready?” she asked, keeping her voice low.

“Y-Yeah,” Derpy fibbed.

Now or never.

“Good luck, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“I believe in you, Derpy,” Pinkie assured her with a large smile.

The grey pegasus nodded and took a deep breath. She focused her eyes on the creatures around the water and spread her wings, testing her feathers in the air.

“Okay, go,” she heard Rainbow Dash say.

Derpy took off in an instant, beating her wings hard and fast, letting the wind push her towards the rock monsters. She felt a sudden static rush bristle across her fur and, quickly veered midair as she powered forward. A high buzz filled her ears and light dazed her for just a moment, but she tumbled in a controlled spin, grinning as she realized she hadn’t been struck this time, even as thunder boomed in the air and made her ears ring.

She righted herself and flew straight just in time to see two Obsidisaurs closing in on her as she went lower. She gulped and kept going, cringing and closing her eyes tightly. The impact came quickly-- the wind was completely knocked from her-- and before she knew it she was squeezed tightly in cold stone. Cautiously, she opened one eye and tried not to cry out as her gaze was blocked by the gem-like, yellow eye of the massive monster that had caught her. She bit her lip and the Obsidisaur lowered her a little, snorting in her face with breath that smelled like dirt before it turned and lumbered back towards the water. She saw the one with horns like a ram lying at the edge of the reservoir, and it grunted out a grinding, growl of a laugh as Derpy was brought closer. Her heart was beating frantically, but she tried to get a hold of herself.

Remember the plan. This is working. This is good.

She closed her eyes for just a moment and took a deep breath, but before she knew it she was tumbling through the air. She yelped and landed hard on more stone to the sound of confused; alarmed pegasus voices.

“Who’s that?”

“Did somepony else get caught?”

“It’s Derpy! Derpy Hooves!”

“Is she okay?”

Derpy blinked and tried to right herself, and was helped up by a cautious Fluttershy.

“Oh my, are you alright?” she asked.

Derpy’s eyes widened and before she could help herself, she grabbed the yellow pegasus in a tight hug.

“So glad you’re okay!” she said.

Fluttershy was obviously taken aback and said a quiet, “Oh!” as Derpy pulled back. She took one look over the dozens of frightened faces in the box made of stone and, almost instantly, her resolve hardened.

“Is anypony hurt?” she called.

A wave of quiet “No”s and “I don’t think so”s passed through the flock and the grey pegasus’s ears perked up.

“That’s great,” she said. “Okay. Who wants to escape?”

“Escape?” Fluttershy repeated a bit shrilly.

“We can’t escape,” replied Thunderlane, a dark grey stallion, as he rubbed his blue-silver mane with a hoof, his ears drooping low. “We tried kicking. We tried digging. We tried ramming the walls. Nothing.”

“We even tried asking politely,” Fluttershy added softly. “No luck.”

Beside her, pushing through the group, Derpy noticed a small orange filly with a short, boyish cerise coloured mane hop up, flapping her small wings to little effect.

“I wish Rainbow Dash were here,” she said. “Hey! Did you see her out there? Is she okay?”

She blinked her large, purple eyes at Derpy pleadingly as her lower lip drooped in a pout.

“Scootaloo, right?” Derpy asked, and the little pony nodded. “Rainbow Dash is fine. Don’t worry.”

The filly perked up almost instantly, and Derpy gave her a reassuring smile before looking around the group with a determined expression.

“I appreciate that you are all scared, and probably tired, too,” Derpy said, “but I met with Rainbow Dash before coming in here and-”

“Wait, coming in here?” Flitter, a light purple pegasus with a tattered ribbon in her blue mane, asked. “You mean when you were caught?”

A hurried rumble of voices overwhelmed her quickly and she shrunk, but Fluttershy’s reached her first as she hesitantly tapped her on the shoulder.

“Um... Did... Did she say anything?” she asked. “Do you have a plan? Maybe a... nice, safe one? I don’t want anypony to get hurt.”

“I-It should be fine,” Derpy assured her, not sounding nearly as sure as she had hoped.

Another wave of voices met the grey pegasus. Her ears drooped and she couldn’t separate one question from another but one thing was clear-- they had no confidence in her. She gulped.

What would Rainbow Dash do? she wondered.

She sucked in a deep breath of air and hurriedly straightened up, reared back on her hind legs, spreading her wings in the cramped space and flapping them loudly, calling, “Quiet, everypony!” with as steady a voice as she could manage. As her front hooves met the stone, she folded her wings in close again, forcing her chest out in feigned confidence.

“We can only get out if we all work together,” she said, “As I was trying to say, I came in here with a plan.”

The voices started again, anxious and frightened; Derpy felt Fluttershy pressing closer to her a bit nervously and Derpy took a deep breath again and reared back to get their attention.

“Listen! They made one big mistake!” Derpy shouted over the noise and then grinned at them. “They kept us together.”

“What are you saying?” Thunderlane asked.

“All of us together have enough wingpower to make a tornado and rip this place apart,” Derpy said, flaring her wings.

“But... we barely have enough room to take off,” Fluttershy said quietly; several others agreed with her.

Derpy winked and assured them, “Not separately, but I figure if we all start off trotting the perimeter and then take off in a ‘line’, we should be good.”

Her fellow pegasi looked at her with surprise and then looked amongst each other.

“That sounds like it could actually work,” Thunderlane said-- he seemed surprised.

The chatter of agreement made Derpy’s heart soar. Her ears perked and she grinned, beckoning to the walls. “Okay, everpony line up in twos or threes. If the strongest fliers could space themselves out as equally as possible, that would be great.” To see them actually move along with her directions gave her a sort of disbelieving, euphoric feeling.

This could actually work!

Beside her, Fluttershy tapped her again and she turned to face her. The yellow pegasus’s ears were drooped and she said, “Um... sorry. I-I’m not sure where to g-go.”

“That’s okay, stay with me.” Der[y patted her shoulder reassuringly and then turned to Scootaloo. “Can’t fly yet, right? Get on my back.”

“Oh! Okay. Thanks,” Scootaloo said, surprised; she did as Derpy had suggested.

“I actually need to talk to you about something right after we get out,” Derpy said to Fluttershy.

“M-Me?” she asked.

Derpy nodded and gently guided her to the closest wall. Once every pegasus was against the sides of the stone prison, Derpy ruffled her feathers and glanced around the flock. Eyes were on her, waiting, and she tried to hide her anxiety as she puffed her chest out a little. She didn’t know many of the ponies here well, but she recalled Thunderlane was a strong flier. She pointed to him and he put a hoof to his chest, eyes widening as he asked, “Me?”

“Yeah. You’ll lead, if you’re okay with that,” she said.

“Right. I got this,” he assured her.

He flared his wings and Derpy grinned. She felt Scootaloo cling to her a bit more tightly and she took a deep breath.

“Trot in a circle first; don’t take off until the pony in front of you does! Let’s go!”

With a hopeful cheer, hooves began to beat against stone as the flock started to move. Derpy tried hard to keep her focus, even as she heard Fluttershy mumbling, “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!” beside her.

Wings began to flap in front of them and the ponies directly in front lifted off. Derpy spread her wings and followed, and with a squeak, the yellow pegasus did as well-- she was almost instantly dropping back, so Derpy grabbed a hoof in hers and pulled her up to match pace, giving her a reassuring grin as the wind began to rise and the sound of beating wings became overpowering. She heard Scootaloo yelp and she called, “Hang on tight!” above the rushing air, flapping as hard as she could as they began to form a circle, tighter and tighter-- the sound of cracking stone made her heart leap, and the grumbling growl merging with the wind didn’t even make her worry.

A rumbling, crackling sound grew even louder and, all of a sudden, like glass, the rock prison shattered as the tornado burst through, wobbly as it was, knocking an Obsidisaur off his talons and into the water.

Light began to stream in from above and, looking up through watery eyes, Derpy saw a blur of rainbow up near the top of the pillar of wind and she beamed.

“Keep it together, everypony, we’ve got this!” she shouted.

“I... I can’t, I can’t!” Fluttershy whimpered-- Derpy turned her head and could see her friend was tiring quickly, but she reached out and took her hoof again, slowing herself this time.

“Just a little longer," she assured her.

The spectrum of colours had completely taken the rim of the tornado now, raising it up and plunging through black clouds, and Derpy heard Rainbow Dash’s triumphant yell even through all the noise. In an instant, the sun burst through, dazing the pegasus-- she tumbled, taking a squealing Fluttershy with her.

Air escaped her and cold water shocked her as she felt her body slow and drop. She floundered about awkwardly for a moment before getting her bearings and rushing to the surface. Breaking through, she gasped, almost choking as harsh wind shoved down her throat. She struggled for a moment before the wind subsided enough to let her take a deep breath, and she looked around. Her left eye veered behind her to see Scootaloo pop up, panting for breath. She turned hurriedly and grabbed the filly to her chest, keeping herself afloat with her wings

“You okay?” she asked.

“Fine,” Scootaloo replied a bit shakily.

There was a sudden splashing beside them and Fluttershy broke the surface as well, gasping.

“Fluttershy!” The orange filly exclaimed.

“I’m f-fine,” she said quickly, and then pointed up, eyes widening. “Oh my.”

Derpy turned to follow her gaze and her jaw dropped.

Just as planned, Rainbow Dash had seized the tornado-- it shone with radiant colours as she guided it to rip the storm clouds apart and the sun streamed in to bathe the land again. A few other pegasi had been thrown as they had, but nothing seemed too serious. The tornado was still close, still tearing up the ground and buffeting what she could see of some of the Obsidisaurs around. Also as planned, most of the Obsidisaurs were already knocked down, some awkwardly roped to each other while others tried to scrub cream pie from their rocky face crevices. She counted twenty altogether, but--

“Where’s the one with the horns?” she wondered; she flapped her wings through the water to take her closer to shore and Fluttershy awkwardly doggie-paddled to follow her.

As they drew nearer to land, she saw Applejack and Pinkie, tethered to a boulder to stand the strong winds. She waved hurriedly; Pinkie saw her and grinned as she waved back. Derpy sighed with relief.

Derpy tossed Scootaloo out of the reservoir first and then hopped out herself, giving her fur a good shake before turning to help Fluttershy out. Her heart dropped to her hooves, though, as the yellow pegasus stood out brightly against a black shape looming beneath her. As fast as she could, Derpy grabbed Fluttershy and yanked her out of the water, ordering, “Fly!” as she grabbed Scootaloo again and took off.

Fluttershy was right behind her, and not a moment too soon as the surface of the water broke, crystalline drops spraying everywhere as massive, stone jaws shot out straight upwards, snapping closed behind their tails. Scootaloo shrieked and Derpy held her close, rolling in the air and racing away from the water as fast as her wings would take her.

Her gaze spun a little out of control but she saw Fluttershy struggling behind her, saw the Obsidisaur heaving its huge body out of the water; saw a bright pink flash before her. Startled, she yelped and her waterlogged wings dipped.

Too low! Too low!

She tried to pull up, but it was too late-- she touched the grass and was sent tumbling. Scootaloo let out a wail but Derpy held her close, trying to protect her, even up until she skidded to a halt, landing heavily on her back as her vision wobbled.

“Ow,” she whined.

She felt Scootaloo hold onto her tightly and when she sat up to look at the little filly, she found her eyes were shut tight.

“I-Is it over?” Scootaloo asked shakily.

Derpy wanted to answer with a yes, but when she looked up and all she saw was the dark, grey stone body of a monster barreling towards her, shaking the ground like an earthquake as he came, her heart sunk. She closed her eyes tightly.

“Don’t be scared. We’ll be okay,” weakly, but her ears snapped up and her eyes shot open again to the sound of a shrill, angry, “HEY!”

Scootaloo looked as well, only to see a streak of pink and yellow rush at the Obsidisaur, stalling it for just a moment as Fluttershy took a spot before it, spreading her forelegs wide.

“Stop! Don’t hurt them! You can’t!” she insisted.

The Obsidisaur tilted its head and, for a moment, seemed to smile before opening its jaws wide to roar in her face so loudly that the little pegasus was blown backwards.

“Oh no!” Derpy gasped; she hurriedly helped Scootaloo up and wobbled to her hooves, hopping to catch Fluttershy as she plopped backwards out of the hair, mane blown askew.

“Oh!” the yellow pegasus yelped. “I... I thought that would work.”

Derpy hurried to help her right herself, but the horned Obsidisaur was thundering closer again.

“Oh heck no! It’s Pinkie’s turn now!”

Before they knew it, Pinkie Pie had taken the ground between them and the monster, grinning widely and, to their surprise, wearing a pair of pink, cardboard wings strapped to her back.

“Hey, you big meanie-rock-pants! You want a pegasus? Well, I’m even more pegasus-y than those normal, boring pegasi! Come and get me!”

With that, she ran at him, jumping around like nothing Derpy had ever seen, weaving between the Obsidisaur’s legs as he snarled and shifted, trying to get a good look at her as she ran.

As soon as his eyes were off them, Derpy nudged the others with her snout, insisting, “Let’s get out of here.”

“C-Couldn’t a-agree w-with y-you m-more,” Fluttershy said.

They set off at a gallop towards town, but as they crossed over a hill, Derpy’s heart leapt to see the forms of Twilight, Rarity, and Time Turner racing to meet them. A bounce in her otherwise tired step, Derpy flittered her wings and shouted a relieved, “Hey!” to the other ponies. She saw Time Turner pull ahead a bit, at a full out lope, skidding to a halt awkwardly in the grass as he reached them, hurrying to Derpy as she slowed as well.

“Thank goodness!” he exclaimed, giving her a quick, tight hug, and then peered over her shoulder. “Oh my. That... That seems to be quite the mess.”

Derpy raised her brow and turned to look as Rarity and Twilight hurried up to greet and embrace Fluttershy and Scootaloo. From here, the scene of chaos behind them at the reservoir looked somewhat ridiculous.

Obsidisaurs were still falling over themselves, some seeming too tired to even get up as a small pinprick of orange that was Applejack stood triumphantly on one of their heads. Pinkie was still running almost literal circles around the horned one,, and the rainbow-tipped tornado was ripping its way though the remainder of the clouds on the edge of town, even though it had grown considerably smaller since the last time she had seen it. Derpy couldn’t help a tired laugh and when she turned back to look at her friend, she found him to be smiling at her rather fondly.

“I’m very glad your overly dangerous plan worked,” he said.

“Tell me about it,” she agreed. “Everypony did a great job.”

“Derpy was super brave!” Scootaloo put in, leaning into their conversation with a grin on her face. “Almost as brave as Rainbow Dash would have been, I think.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Derpy said bashfully, waving her hoof as her cheeks pinked.

The other ponies laughed tiredly and Twilight shot her a smile.

“I’m happy everything turned out,” she said. “So far, anyway. Look.”

She produced a spherical crystal carried in the glow of her magic and Derpy’s eyes widened.

“That looks amazing,” she said. “And you can-?”

“I can do the spell,” Twilight said with a nod.

Derpy’s ears perked and she let out a tired, relieved, “Oh good.”

Fluttershy looked between them with a puzzled, worried frown and then turned to the other pegasus and asked, “You wanted to talk to me about something?”

“Oh! Yes! We need you to sing,” Derpy said quickly.

“Sing?” Fluttershy repeated in confusion.

“Indeed,” Time Turner put in. “These beasts are supposedly calmed by song-- a very specific song, in fact-- which we will need to record onto that crystal.”

“Why me?” Fluttershy asked, eyes widening with surprise.

“You are the only one of us who can both properly read music and sing, Fluttershy,” Rarity said gently.

“The written music is in the Obsidisaur’s lair. It’s clear now, though, so it should be safe,” Derpy added.

The yellow mare’s ears drooped and she looked between the other ponies a bit hesitantly before taking a deep breath and saying, softly, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Great!” Derpy exclaimed brightly as Rarity gently held Fluttershy's hoof and gave her a reassuring smile.

Twilight’s ears perked up high and she took a quick look around before turning to Rarity.

“Would you mind taking Scootaloo back to the library? We’ll start on our way to... where are we going?”

“A very large cavern,” Time Turner said. “I know the way exactly, though it is rather far.”

Rarity and Twilight shared a worried look before the pale unicorn nodded and said, “Come along, Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were worried sick and they will be very happy to see you, I’m sure!”

“Okay,” Scootaloo agreed, and she moved to follow Rarity as she headed back into town before doubling back, giving Derpy a quick hug and scampering off.

The grey mare’s cheeks pinked and Time Turner snickered at her.

“Shall we be off?” he asked.

Twilight nodded and then looked back at the horned Obsidisaur, which was stumbling dizzily on its talons as Pinkie Pie jumped all over it.

“Hang on,” Twilight said.

With a flash of bright magic, Twilight was gone, reappearing far in the distance, in front of the Obsidisaur, pointedly waving the crystal in the air near it until its attention was drawn.

“What is she doing?!” Derpy gasped.

“Is that what teleporting looks like?” Time Turner wondered absently.

Derpy elbowed him and then took off, eyes wide with worry, but before she could race to Twilight’s side, another flash of magic startled her and the unicorn was back, Pinkie Pie beside her, as the Obsidisaur cast around with confusion.

“Okay, now he knows we have it,” she said.

He spotted her as she spoke and let out a roar so deep it sounded like an earthquake.

“So we should run now, right?” Derpy asked quickly.

“Oh! Right! Yeah, I have a plan, follow me!” the purple unicorn said quickly.

She took off at a gallop back into town and the other followed as fast as they could. Twilight lead them through the streets and, to Derpy’s surprise, to a hot air balloon tethered to the ground near a small, wooden stage.

“Phew!” Twilight gasped, and with a flash of magic that dazed the other four of them, they were in the basket of the balloon.

Derpy stumbled to her hooves, supporting herself against an upside down Pinkie Pie as Twilight’s magic zoomed around the balloon, trying to get it to lift off, cutting off just a few sandbags and then seeming very surprised when nothing happened. Derpy wondered for a moment if there were too many ponies, but had no time to voice her concerns as the rumbling footsteps of the Obsidisaur made them all jump as the huge one with the ram horns, now accompanied by two others and a frustrated Applejack hot on their tails, thundered into town. Twilight’s eyes widened and her magic hurried to cut all the ropes, including the one holding the balloon down; it shot up into the air as if launched from a slingshot.

Fluttershy screamed with fear while Pinkie screamed for fun; Derpy’s head spun and she latched onto Time Turner so she wouldn’t fall over.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Twilight shouted above the wind.

She scrambled to use her magic to steady the balloon, and then pushed it in the direction of the Everfree Forest. Below, the monsters followed, and more were joining. Applejack could be heard shouting at them, calling them brutes and varmints as she did.

“Applejack!!” Twilight called down, “Can you hear me?”

“Twilight, these things are comin’ after ya’ll like moths to a candle!” the mare shouted back.

“I know! It’s okay!” Twilight replied. “It’s all part of the plan! Can you get to Spike and send a letter to Canterlot for unicorn repair crews?”

“Will do! Good luck!”

Twilight sighed with relief and and then turned to Time Turner, asking, “Which way?” Time Turner’s ears perked up and he stood to peek out over the town, taking Derpy up with him by accident. The magic clouds had been all but destroyed-- the tornado had finally broken up as well. From above, they could see that some of the houses, town hall, and the entire market had been wrecked by large, dragon-like feet. The tracks led straight back to the forest, and Time Turner pointed out the path near Fluttershy’s cottage.

“All right, let’s go!” Twilight announced.

Even though the Obsidisaurs were in hot pursuit, Derpy was much more relaxed, curled up in a corner of the basket comfortably. The wind and warm sun were drying her and to be able to take a rest from running and flying felt like a blessing after the day they had had. She took a look around at the others curiously. Pinkie Pie was leaning a bit precariously from the basket, eyes wide as she stared presumably at the creatures below; sometimes she’d make a silly face and look rather pleased with herself. Beside her sat Fluttershy, looking a bit tired and nervous, running her hooves through her mane a bit absently. Twilight and Time Turner both looked rather serious: the stallion kept his eyes out over the forest and the unicorn directed the balloon with her magic.

“Nearly there,” Time Turner assured them. “Are they still following us?”

“Absolutely!” Pinkie Pie replied with a grin. “Woo, there sure are a lot!”

“Oh n-no, will we have t-to run away again?” Fluttershy asked, her body starting to shake.

“Probably!” Pinkie said.

Twilight shot her a scowl as the yellow pegasus squeaked fearfully and Pinkie said, “Just being honest! Look at these creeps! Hey, creeps, NYA!” She made more faces and silly sounds as she leaned out of the basket, and Derpy couldn’t help a small smile. Her friends didn’t seem to be able to either.

Derpy sat up and stretched her wings and moved to peek out over the forest beside Time Turner. She could see the disruption in the forest marking the way the Obsidisaurs had come out even though, from her point, she couldn’t see the ones following them. Her eyes fixed on a huge gap in treetops and her face lit up.

“Ah!” she said, her ears perking. “There’s the ravine!”

The stallion nodded and smiled, and instantly, Twilight’s magic engulfed the balloon and guided it towards the deep crevice and the river.

“This is much easier flying,” Derpy said with a grin.

Though Twilight nodded, Time Turner shot her a regretful look and his ears drooped. Derpy’s heart sank and she raised her hooves, rushing to assure him, “I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just--! I--! ...Sorry.” She drooped and the others looked at her with worry, but Time Turner let out a tired laugh, saying, “I apologize, I wasn’t... I just felt a little bad that we had to run that whole way before. Back and forth.”

“Oh, good,” she said with a sigh of relief, “because I... You know, no way we could have gotten there without you.”

Time Turner’s face brightened and his tail wagged, and Pinkie cooed an affectionate, “Aww!” Derpy blushed despite herself and she looked out over the edge again. They were drifting over the river now, towards the bank and Derpy said, “Everypony keep an eye out for a bit of a hole in the wall, near some stones in the river.”

“Forget that, I’ll keep two eyes out!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Derpy caught Twilight smiling a little and rolling her eyes as her horn lit up and she brought the balloon in closer-- she looked tired, though. Derpy’s ears drooped, and quickly she turned to look out of the other side of the basket. She felt a jolt of shock when she saw the bank they were leaving behind rimmed with the large Obsidisaurs; prodded on by their large, ram horned leader, they were looking for a way down the ravine.

“I-If we could hurry up just a little,” she squeaked.

Twilight looked back at her with brows raised, but seemed to see what Derpy has quite quickly.

“Point taken.”

Twilight was doing her best, but it was hard for her to control more than just a little speed and the direction they travelled. She guided them towards the cliff on the other side of the riverbank and set them down cautiously before hopping out and grabbing the line in her magic. Derpy flitted out quickly to help her secure it to the rocks as the others left the basket.

“Did anyone see a way down from here?” Time Turner asked curiously.

“No need,” Twilight assured him as she stole a glance down towards the river.

Her magic blinded all of them again and instantly, their hooves were crunching in the gravel near the water. Derpy was dazed and wobbled, and Time Turner caught her quickly-- the others seemed completely used to it.

Grinding roars sounded from the opposite bank, hurrying the ponies on their way, and it wasn’t long before Time Turner exclaimed, “There!” and pointed out the rocks he had used to cross the river the first time.

Derpy grinned with relief and Twilight insisted, “Come on, ponies, nearly there!” She took off quickly and the others followed and within moments they had reached the small, expertly cut entrance to the underground, its darkened path stretching ominously before them. Fluttershy shuddered and looked between her friends cautiously.

“I-Is it safe?” she asked.

“Should be,” Time Turner replied with a nod.

“We were just down there a little while ago,” Derpy assured her.

“But... Where did the Obsidisaurs come from?” Twilight wondered. “They can’t possibly have come from here.”

“You’re right,” Time Turner agreed, starting into the tunnel. “We haven’t the time to be finding their way now, though.”

Derpy nodded and skittered in to join him, a bit nervous despite herself. Twilight followed, nudging Fluttershy inside gently and said, “Right. Let’s go. Pinkie, would you mind watching out here and letting us know when the Obsidisaurs are close?”

“Aye-aye!” Pinkie said, saluting and whirling with a resolute frown upon her face.

“Thanks,” she said, and the others voiced a quick round of thank yous before they headed down into the darkness.

Time Turner was very confident now, and Derpy couldn’t help but catch it a little, trotting alongside him with little hesitation even though she could barely see him. Twilight’s hoofbeats were --understandably-- more reserved and Fluttershy let out small squeaks every little while despite assurances that everything would be fine.

Soon, the flecks of the fire came into view, sprinkling the darkness with little tinges of yellow and orange. Derpy blinked to reorient herself and sighed with relief as the cavern opened up before them. She heard Twilight gasp in awe, and the unicorn gawked at the massive space around them, saying, “I had no idea there was a place like this here!” Derpy took off and pointed across the place to the tall pedestal wrapped in a spiral staircase, saying, “We gotta go up there.”

“Umm...” Twilight said hesitantly, stretching her neck and peering up. “Hmm... I don’t think I can send us there. I can’t see the top properly.”

“Not a worry,” Time Turner said reassuringly, “just to the bottom would be fine.”

“We’ll fly,” Derpy said, taking Fluttershy by the hoof and pulling her gently into the air.

“Meet you there,” the purple unicorn replied.

Her magic swelled and a pulse of pink took her,Time Turner, and their crystal to the other side of the cavern. The stallion waved at them and Derpy waved back before looking at Fluttershy and nodding at the top of the pedestal. She still looked a bit nervous, but she said, “Okay,”, fluttering upwards. Derpy smiled at her and flew ahead, still holding her hoof-- she forced her eyes straight and guided them up. They landed on the top of the pedestal just a few moments before the others joined them. Twilight seemed a little out of breath, and she looked around quickly.

“Okay, what now?” she asked.

Time Turner hurried to the carved wall and beckoned for the others to join him, and then stood on his hind legs as he inspected the spherical dish in the stone. Twilight caught on quickly and gently placed the crystal in the gap. Her face lit up as it fit perfectly; Derpy sighed with relief and Time Turner said, brightly, “Brilliant!”

“Um... So what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked. “You said you needed me, right?”

“Yes!” Time Turner said quickly; he grabbed the crystal in his hooves-- Twilight took it back from him and held it securely, then began to pace along the stone carving, looking at it with wide eyes-- and he pointed at the tiny grooves in the crystal’s spot. “Take a look at this in here. Music, correct?”

Fluttershy hesitantly reared up and joined him, looking closely where he had indicated, and her eyes widened.

“You’re right!”

Time Tuner grinned and quickly, Derpy brought over one of the torches to light the area a little more. Fluttershy squinted and began to hum softly; quickly, Twilight was back beside them, though her eyes were still locked on the stone carvings against the wall.

“These are beautiful,” she said, “and they cover that poem almost perfectly.”

“Absolutely,” Time Turner agreed. “This place is fascinating. I wonder, though, what caused the original confrontation.”

“Hmm... Doesn’t say a thing about that,” Twilight said. “I wonder-”

Her thoughts were cut short by a loud boom and her fur immediately stood on end. Fluttershy yelped and jumped into a rather startled Derpy’s hooves, and Time Turner braced himself on the stone platform before sneaking to the edge and peeking over. Nothing stood out to him and he turned back to the others and shrugged. Twilight’s rigid posture sagged a little and Fluttershy flapped out of Derpy’s grasp with an embarrassed smile before turning back to look at the roundabout music notes.

“So, I need to sing this?” she asked quietly.

“And I’ll record it onto this crystal using my magic,” Twilight said.

“It’s supposed to calm those creatures down,” Time Turner added.

There was another boom, followed by the sound of crumbling rock and a heavy, deep rumble, and Derpy cringed. She hoped this would work.

As Fluttershy returned to the inscription, Time Turner hurried to Derpy’s side and pressed in close to whisper, “It sounds like they’re getting back in, don’t you agree?”

The grey pegasus’s heart dropped-- To hear him just say it like that, oh horsefeathers-- but she knew it was the truth. She nodded.

“I’m thinking, perhaps, you should keep your friend calm and I might go down there again should problems arise,” he said.

“What do you plan on doing down there?” she replied, eyes wide.

“No plan,” he said with a shrug.

“So you’re planning to not have a plan?”

He rubbed his mane awkwardly.

“Well, that’s not-”

“I can fly, I’ll-”

Derpy was cut short as a shriek echoed from down below and, to the bafflement of every pony there, part of the far wall crumbled inwards, rammed by the thick head of the Obsidisaur with horns, a clear spec of pink on his head as he rushed in, followed closely by all of the others.

“Oh feathers,” Derpy gasped.

Roaring, stomping, tails thrashing, the Obsidisaurs trampled through the cavern, and through all that, Pinkie Pie shrieked, “GUYS, T-THEY’RE C-COMING!”, her voiced bouncing up and down with her as the beast tried to throw her from its head.

Twilight put her hoof to her face and let out a noise of frustration before turning to Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus had crumpled against the sphere’s pedestal, shivering and, hurriedly, Time Turner rushed to her to help her up. Twilight joined them, putting a hoof to her friend’s shoulder as she assured her, “Come on, Fluttershy, you can do it. I know you can.”

“I can’t!” she whimpered.

“Of course you can!” Time Turner said; he gently turned her around. “Come on now, up. All of us are here for you, dear. You will be fine.”

She squeaked, but the stallion gently covered her ears, saying, “Just focus on the music.” The pegasus cringed and nodded, took a deep, shaky breath, and began again, humming very quietly. Time Turner shot a concerned glance at Derpy, and the grey mare bit her lip. She looked down into the mass of moving stone, and her heart sunk as she saw them crossing the gaps in the floor towards them. Taking a deep breath, she spread her wings wide and tried to focus both eyes on Pinkie Pie. The left one strayed a little in time to see Twilight try to tell her to wait, but she leapt from the precipice before any of them could stop her.

Behind her, as she soared off, diving and spinning a bit awkwardly, Time Turner gawked and Twilight rushed to the edge, shouting, “Wait!” The pegasus didn’t seem to hear her at all.

“I think she went to get Pinkie!” Twilight said, turning on Time Turner with wide eyes.

“Oi,” he sighed, eyes wide, “I guess we should hurry.”

Twilight nodded and hurried back, lifting the crystal high. It started to spin quickly and she said, “Fluttershy, are you ready?” The pegasus lifted her eyes from the notes and nodded. Time Turner tried to quell his outward relief so as not to rush her, and the unicorn smiled gently. Her magic pulsed brightly and the crystal lit up, clear and bright. Fluttershy took a deep breath, steadied herself, and began to sing.

As soon as the first soft notes drifted out, the Obsidisaurs below began to slow. Some stopped to look around as if in confusion, and the one with Pinkie on top of it stalled, lifting its head high to try to peer to the top of the pedestal. Derpy took this as her chance. Though she veered a bit clumsily back and forth, she narrowed in on Pinkie Pie and dove in close. By the time she realized her aim was off, it was too late-- she thudded unceremoniously into the side of the creature’s head. She fell, dazed, and was instantly squeezed into the stone fist of the beast and brought to its face as it snarled down at her. She grinned nervously and awkwardly said, “My bad...?”

The beast snorted in her face and opened its mouth, but it was quickly distracted as the crystal’s light from above got brighter, and to even Derpy’s surprise, began to change colours from white, to pink, purple, and slowly to blue and back. The Obsidisaur snorted again and raised its fists to scrub at his eyes, releasing Derpy accidentally in the process. She dropped, but opened her wings quickly to right herself in midair, and then flapped up to Pinkie Pie and grabbed her under her forelimbs.

“Ooh!” the pony said. “You made it!”

The pink mare was still almost too heavy for her, but she managed to lift off and glide just a little ways before, to her horror, she was grabbed again, and so was Pinkie Pie in the beast’s other fist.

“Hey! That’s no fair, you’re way bigger than us!” Pinkie said loudly.

The Obsidisaur roared at her loudly, blowing her flamboyant mane almost completely straight and dazing her a little.

“Pinkie!” Derpy cried out worriedly, and then whipped around as best she could to the sound of stone on stone-- two of the Obsidisaurs were ramming the pillar from either side, and the stairs were shattered quickly as a result.

“Knock it off!” Derpy yelled as she freed one of her hooves and smacked the hand that held her.

Nothing came of it though, and she stared worriedly up at the crystal’s light. Fluttershy’s song was getting louder and stronger, and the light began to change colours even more, going through greens and golds as well and sending little sparkles of light raining down below.

“That’s so pretty,” Pinkie said, staring up with wide eyes.

Another flash of light completely took Derpy’s breath away, and Fluttershy’s song was much louder now, reverberating across the cave ceiling in a slow, beautiful melody. Her voice went higher and higher, lingering for a long while on one last note before falling silent. Derpy had to catch her breath.

As Fluttershy sang her last note, the crystal wrapped in Twilight’s magic dimmed a little. The pegasus seemed tired, but Time Turner patted her affectionately on the back, assuring her, “You were brilliant.” Fluttershy smiled a bit bashfully and Twilight hurried past her, placing the orb in its proper place.

“What now?” she asked a bit anxiously.

Neither of the others had time to answer as a sudden stream of light erupted from under the crystal and glowing, liquid something poured out like water. Fluttershy yelped and skittered away from it, hiding behind the stallion fearfully, covering her eyes. The glowing substance erupted upwards like a fountain, suspending the crystal that began to spin and sing once more, projecting dappled colours all over the dark cave. Magical sparks drifted down, forming the shapes of small butterflies that fluttered around them and down below to the baffled Obsidisaurs.

“Fancy that,” Time Turner breathed, eyes wide, and then nudged the pegasus behind him gently. “Miss Fluttershy, take a look at what you did.”

“It’s beautiful,” Twilight breathed.

A bit hesitantly, Fluttershy peeked around Time Turner and her eyes widened; soon enough, she was smiling. The stallion grinned and then turned to look over the edge of the platform. Below him, he could see the Obsidisaurs, gathered, looking up with surprisingly innocent expressions. Again, though, he noted that Derpy was held fast by one of them, but almost as soon as he noticed her, the creature let her-- and Pinkie Pie as well-- go. He watched with alarm as his friend dropped, but to his surprise and great relief, she managed to catch herself in midair and grab Pinkie to slow her fall as they landed gently before the feet of the beast.

“Derpy!” he called, waving to her; he beamed when she waved back.

Above those two, the Obsidisaurs looked almost happy and, calmly, they began to disperse, some laying down in their holes, others wandering off to seemingly groom each other as the song resonated throughout the cavern and the sparkling butterflies lit up the drab stone with colour. Time Turner slumped to the ground with relief and the two mares joined him to look over at the scene.

“Look, you did it,” Twilight told Fluttershy proudly.

The yellow mare’s ears lifted high and her face lit up; none of them could help a laugh as Pinkie Pie shouted a loud, jubilant cheer from down below. Time Turner smiled down at them and relaxed tiredly in his spot as the leader of the Obsidisaurs turned his gemstone eyes up to them. He bared his pointed teeth in a smile and, slowly, turned away to rejoin the others. Time Turner grinned and wiggled his front hooves over the edge. He was jarred from his spot, however, as the crystal let off another pulse of light. He heard Twilight say, “What the-?” and then yelp with surprise. He turned quickly only to see Derpy and Pinkie Pie standing there, looking just as baffled as they did. Before he could ask how, the crystal pulsed again and, suddenly, there was light everywhere and the walls and floor seemed to slip away.

“What the hay is this?” Derpy asked nervously.

None of them had any answers; before them suddenly stretched a range of mountains suspended in the light. The forms of two ponies could barely be gleaned from afar, but what was certain is they were carrying a crystal just like the one they had made. The mountain changed to something else-- the same carved wall as before?-- and the two ponies placed the crystal in its place just as stone jaws came closing in around them.

Just as quickly as the vision had appeared, it faded. The group looked amongst each other, but none had any sort of reasoning for it. Instead, Pinkie Pie began to snicker and shook her mane, making it poof up again, and soon enough, all of them were in a fit of exhausted hysterics.

Through the use of Twilight’s teleportation spell, the tired group soon found themselves outside in the orange glow of the setting sun. As the balloon began to carry them back to Ponyville, Pinkie Pie was relating how exciting riding the Obsidisaur with such exuberance that the others could barely keep up. Derpy felt like she could sleep for a month. She leaned half out of the basket, letting the wind brush her fur as she watched the trees pass by below them. She stole a glance at Time Turner and was relieved to see him looking pretty happy, even though he looked just as tired as she felt and the back half of his fur was still dark brown with dried mud. She wondered absently if those Timberwolves had ever gotten across the mire. She also wondered how her friend was feeling. When he came up closer to her, she nudged him gently with her elbow.

“Is your heart doing okay?” she asked, lowering her voice.

“It feels just fine,” he replied, his tail wagging as he reared up to mimic her posture, leaning on the edge of basket, though he put a hoof to his chest. “Still beating a tad fast after all that, I’ll wager.”

Derpy smiled at him and his ears perked high, only to yawn loudly and let out an embarrassed, “Oh!” before wiping the corners of his eyes. She spread a wing and used it to pat his back appreciatively. He smiled and closed his eyes, leaning against the basket sleepily, slumping towards her. Derpy felt herself blush, but in all honesty, she was tired too. She raised her shoulder a little to catch him from slipping and rested quite soundly. After a moment, he quietly said, “We did good today, Miss Derpy..”

She smirked and looked towards Ponyville in the distance. She could see the faint glow of magic: repairs had already started. Her tail wagged and her wings ruffled, contented.

“Yes, we did.”

4. Four Days Ago

The cleanup of Ponyville was well underway by the time the ponies in the hot air balloon landed gently on a road near the middle of town. Magic lifted crumbled walls and patched paths cracked with the huge, stone talons.

As the group disembarked, Derpy stretched her wings high and bit back a yawn and Time Turner flopped out of the basket rather ungracefully and joined Pinkie Pie in hopping in a circle around the others jubilantly.

“We did it, we did it!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“What a day,” Twilight sighed. “Glad that’s over with.”

“Me too,” Fluttershy agreed.

Derpy smiled to herself as she watched the two bouncing ponies circle them, but after a moment, she felt a pang of worry. Was her house okay? She hoped the repair crew had gotten to it. She was about to call to Time Turner and excuse them, but she was distracted by the sound of hooves and wings heading towards them, and quickly. Her ears perked and the other ponies froze, looking up as a streak of rainbow cut the sky above them before diving-- Rainbow Dash had squished Fluttershy into a tight hug before any of them could even greet each other, even as Applejack and Rarity arrived.

“You made it!” the blue pegasus said with a grin before hopping back. “How did it go?”

“Exactly as planned,” Twilight replied proudly. “Everypony did a great job.”

“I did as you asked,” Applejack said. “Those fix-it type unicorns said the repairs should be done quick as a whip.”

“Great,” the unicorn replied. “And the foals are-?”

“Safe and sound,” Rarity assured them with a smile.

Derpy sighed with relief as her thoughts darted to Scootaloo and she ruffled her wings happily. Rainbow Dash looked quite pleased as well, and then Derpy looked at Time Turner and jerked her head towards the road. He stopped mid-hop and his hooves clattered on the cobblestone; he nodded and joined her, just as Rainbow Dash said, “Oh man, wait until you guys see what we did to the library!”

“What?” Twilight snapped, eyes wide, while Applejack laughed.

“Nothin’ crazy, we just set up a nice spread, since we’ve all had a such rough day and all,” the orange mare assured her.

“Like a mini-party?” Pinkie asked as she skidded to a halt, her face lighting up.

“Guess you could say that,” the blue pegasus replied.

“We’ll head off, then,” Derpy said, smiling at the group, secretly hoping she had a place to return to. “I’m really happy everything turned out.”

Before she could even turn to move off, though, Rainbow Dash jumped in front of her, wings flared.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked, brows raised high.

Derpy was caught off guard and wasn’t sure what to say, especially when the other pegasus threw a wing around her and elbowed her playfully.

“No excuses, you need to come with us.”

“Oh, is that... That’s okay with you?” she replied, eyes wide.

“Of course,” Twilight assured them, and was quickly echoed by the others.

Derpy felt her face flush and Time Turner grinned widely, bowing his head as he said, “We’d be honoured, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, yeah, formal-face, let’s go,” Rainbow Dash insisted.

She pushed Derpy with her wing and only moved off, grinning, when the grey pegasus shyly began to follow with Time Turner bouncing along beside her.

Twilight’s magical shield around the library had faded by the time the group arrived, chatting and laughing tiredly as they pushed past the front door. Inside the warm and welcoming place of reading was rimmed with long tables laden with dozens of sweets and sandwiches come straight from Sweet Apple Acres. Derpy held back a bit shyly as the others moved in and she closed the door behind Time Turner, the last inside. The small dragon, Spike, was there already, just finishing off an apple fritter, when the ponies entered. His eyes went wide instantly and, rushing to wipe the crumbs from his snout, he scampered towards them, shouting, “Twilight!” before colliding with her front legs and hugging her tightly. As Rainbow Dash let out a quiet snicker and Rarity cooed, the unicorn smiled fondly and wrapped her forelimbs around his little shoulders.

“Everything’s fine now, Spike, don’t worry.”

“Y-Yeah, of course it is,” he said hurriedly, backing up almost embarrassedly, “We set up some food for everypony! Even Angel helped.”

“Angel?!” Fluttershy squeaked as the others moved into the library a little farther.

Beyond the tables, little rabbit ears perked up and Angel peeked out and, with a chattering sound, threw himself at the yellow pegasus and squeezed her tight. Derpy couldn’t help a fond smile as Fluttershy said, “Thank goodness,” and cuddled him close. It was a relief to see the rabbit was safe and happy now, and Derpy was glad she had come, if only for that. She grinned widely when Angel leaned around Fluttershy and gave her a quick wave before cuddling against the yellow pegasus affectionately.

Beside Derpy, Time Turner was looking around curiously, eyeing the foods and also the three small fillies that rushed down the stairs to greet Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash with hugs. He tilted his head and waggled his tail, though it crackled a little with the dry mud crusted over his fur. He turned with surprise to look at himself and Derpy held in a laugh, but the sound, somehow, had attracted Rarity, who looked at him with wide eyes.

“Oh! I completely forgot!”

She raced over to him and looked him up and down as her little sister looked at her curiously. Rarity whirled and called, “Twilight? May we use your bath?”

“Bath?” Derpy repeated.

Twilight replied with, “Sure,” rather absently from across the room.

“Come with me, darling. Rarity will get all that filthy mud out of your coat,” the unicorn insisted, nudging the stallion rather tenderly as if afraid to get some of the dirt in her pristine fur.

Baffled, Time Turner looked to Derpy, and she nodded and waved him forward with her wing. His ears perked and, though he still looked confused, he allowed Rarity to guide him towards the stairs.

Derpy laughed a little to herself and then hesitantly edged towards the table to pick up a small cupcake, frosted green with a slice of apple on top as decoration. It was very good, and it was only then that she realized how hungry she was. Her cheeks pinked to a growl in her stomach, but none of the other ponies seemed to notice. She discreetly took a second and moved away to sit on the floor where she noticed many a pillow had been placed. Pinkie, Applejack, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were already there.

“Hey, sugarcube,” Applejack said brightly, “Pinkie here was just tellin’ us about your heroic rescue.”

Derpy almost choked on her cupcake.

“Oh! Oh no, I just caught her,” the grey mare coughed. “Any other pegasus would have done the same.”

“Don’t be silly,” Pinkie insisted, laughing. “Any other pegasus wasn’t there!”

Derpy blushed a bit, but soon found her face heating up even more as Scootaloo--followed by Rainbow Dash-- rushed up and gave her a quick hug.

“Yeah, Derpy, you were totally brave!”

The orange filly’s eyes were bright and wide as she beamed up at Derpy before pulling back and hopping on the tips of her hooves.

“The squirt told me you really looked after her after the tornado,” Rainbow Dash said, ruffling her wings. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

The pegasus offered her a hoof and a grin. Derpy’s ears flopped and she had to stop her jaw from meeting the floor. She didn’t realize she was shaking until she clopped her hoof against the other pegasus’s-- Rainbow Dash laughed and flapped her wings-- and Derpy couldn’t help a giggle as she sunk back on her cushion. Scootaloo grinned and skipped off to join Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, while Rainbow flopped onto the pillows beside Pinkie Pie and let out a loud yawn. Soon enough, the rest of the group joined them and chatter began amongst themselves. Derpy still felt a bit out of place-- a little like a third wheel, or maybe even an eighth or ninth one-- in such a close group of friends, but they didn’t seem to mind.

It wasn’t too long until Rarity and Time Turner rejoined them, with the latter smelling rather like some sort of faux raspberry soap. He took a seat with Derpy and she greeted him with a wave.

“Feeling better?” she asked.

“Much, thanks!” he replied. “Miss Rarity helped me with a bubbly bath, and... Hmm... Derpy is that what the mark on your flank is for?”

“What?” Derpy asked blankly.

Time Turner pointed to her Cutie Mark as he said, “Bubbles. Are you quite good with washing, or perhaps bubble sculpting? I did that a bit in the tub!”

“Oh!” the pegasus, replied. “No, no, nothing like that, it’s-”

Derpy was cut short as, accidentally it seemed, Twilight spoke over her, saying, “Now that everypony’s back, I was hoping we could try to collaborate a little on what happened today.”

“What? Why? It’s all over now, isn’t it?” Rainbow Dash asked, sitting up a bit awkwardly from where she was sprawled comfortably on the floor. “I thought Fluttershy took care of it!”

“I, um... I think I did,” Fluttershy replied, looking between Twilight and Time Turner for support.

“It definitely worked,” the purple unicorn assured them. “Your song put the Obsidisaurs back into a good mood. Mostly, I’m wondering if anypony has any idea why the original crystal was removed and who could have done it.”

Applejack shrugged and Rainbow Dash frowned as she pondered before shaking her head. Fluttershy bit her lip and Rarity said, “Haven’t a clue, I’m afraid.”

“A creepy, creepy creep?” Pinkie wondered. “For... creepy, creepy reasons? Or maybe it was Trixie? Or one of the Princesses? Or maybe it was somepony who reeeaaaally needed a crystal ball to play crystal soccer, but there wasn’t a single crystal soccer ball around, so they just had to make do?”

The other ponies all looked at her skeptically; Twilight crossed her forelegs.

“There’s just no evidence for any of that,” she said.

“Maybe it was something to do with those two ponies in that weird projection that happened after the song worked?” Derpy suggested.

Twilight looked thoughtful and tilted her head, admitting, “Maybe.” Derpy bit her lip and looked at her pondering friend and gulped.

“Time Turner? Do you think it could have something to do with you?” she asked.

“Me?” he asked, puzzled, his ears tilting back and forth. “Hmm...”

“Why do you ask that?” Fluttershy asked.

“He turned up out of nowhere just a day or so before this happened,” the pegasus replied, and quickly said, “I’m not blaming him, not at all. But does anypony think it could be connected?”

The others looked somewhat surprised, as did Time Turner, and he said, quietly, “You may have a point.”

Twilight shrugged.

“Correlation doesn’t always equal causation. But it’s something to look into.”

“I’d be eager to, if we find anything out along those lines,” Time Turner added brightly.

Derpy patted his shoulder and his tail wagged.

“So, in a nutshell,” Twilight said, “we don’t actually know that much.”

Everypony agreed and the unicorn sighed to herself before a tired smile crossed her face.

“Well, that’s okay. Everypony’s safe now. Let’s just relax for tonight.”

“And eat a whole lot!” Pinkie added brightly, beaming.

She blew into a bright yellow party blowout loudly; Derpy had no idea where she had gotten it from.

The night bounced from exuberant to exhausted, with ponies chatting and playing games before relaxing in the pillows again, though Derpy Hooves mostly rested. Her whole body ached, but even so, she was happy. Time Turner seemed too tired to partake as well; he lay nearby, his head on his front hooves, eyes closed with a slight smile on his snout.

As the lights dimmed and the others seemed to drift off to sleep, Derpy stretched her forelimbs and slowly got up, being as quiet as she could. She meant to check if her home was still in ruins or not, but before she could even turn for the door, she heard a quiet, “Hey.” She looked quickly to see Rainbow Dash’s bright eyes shining back at her in the low light; the blue pegasus got to her hooves, untangling herself from Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie.

“Oh, sorry, did I wake you up?” Derpy asked at a whisper.

Rainbow Dash shook her head and then looked at the other pegasus curiously.

“What’s your deal, Derpy?” she asked.

“My deal?” she repeated, her ears drooping with confusion.

“Yeah. You’re a total klutz. Everypony knows that. But today, you really pulled through for us,” Rainbow Dash said, tilting her head. “What gives? What changed?”

“What-? Oh. Um... I... I don’t know,” the grey pegasus replied a little shyly. “I guess Time Turner and I felt like we couldn’t just run and hide.”

“Huh,” Rainbow replied, a little bit of a frown on her brow; she looked confused for a moment and then shrugged her wings, saying, “Well, I really appreciate it. And... thanks. For the advice.”

“Advice?” Derpy repeated, and the other pegasus nodded and smiled a bit.

“Yeah. It actually helped me out. I’m heading out now. Catch you later?”

“Wh-? Uh... Oh! Yeah. Yeah, sure,” the pegasus replied, flustered, and Rainbow Dash gave her a nod before quietly slipping out the front door.

Derpy was baffled. She didn’t recall giving Rainbow Dash any advice.

Derpy hurried into the night quickly and took off, gliding towards her home. From above, she was relieved to see it looked fine, so she quickly returned to the library, leaving a note of thanks on one of Twilight’s tables and taking back her messenger bag before waking Time Turner and guiding him, yawning, back through town. He plopped back to sleep on the sofa almost as soon as they got inside, cozied in a huge, blue blanket.

Derpy was honestly surprised the old thing was even still there. The repair unicorns from Cantlerlot had done a better job than she ever could have imagined. Even though her record player and one entire bookshelf out of the three were gone, and the wall’s paint was a bit patchy, everything else was intact, even her writing desk that had been right in the way of the impact. She could see where the the legs had cracked and been reattached.

A bit lazily, she sat down in an armchair, rubbing her forehead with her hooves tiredly and then glared ahead, trying to straighten her eyes out just a little before relaxing.

What a day.

She sighed and turned her attention to her new friend and watched him snooze curiously. He certainly didn’t look sick. She still worried nonetheless, especially if he really did have a heart problem and after so much exertion today. She watched him for a little while longer before getting up and heading to bed.

Derpy awoke just a scarce few hours later, just as the sun had begun to take its place in the sky, with a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something. She lay in bed, clutching her blankets to her and stared up at the ceiling in the dark, running through what she had done recently in her mind. She felt a sudden sinking feeling as she recalled she had been called in to pick up a delivery the day prior. With a sigh, she rolled out of bed and straightened her mane with her hooves quickly. She gave her wings a quick preen and then headed downstairs quietly. She didn’t stop for breakfast but instead headed straight for the door, grabbing her messenger bag and her blue mailmare’s cap and put both on quickly.

She was about to head out but paused at the door and turned, quietly trotting back to the living room where Time Turner slept. The brown pony was cozied up against the back cushions, wrapped in the soft blanket with a smile on his face. He looked so peaceful. The mare smiled to herself.

Maybe he really will be okay.

She ruffled her feathers and watched him snooze for just a moment longer before turning to her desk. Squinting through the low light, she wrote out a quick note to tell him where she was going, and then placed it quietly near his head before hurrying quietly to the front door, leaving the house with as little sound as she could.

The flight to the Cloudsdale post office didn’t take too long. Riding the wind to the north, Derpy encountered little to even have her veer off course for once.

Cloudsdale was a large city made-- as its name suggested-- entirely from clouds: the homes, factories, the roads; even the ionic columns characteristic of the place. With rainbows and waterfalls pouring into the sky, the bright, shining city tinted with the sun’s gold, its soft edges billowing in the cool wind: it was quite a sight to behold. Derpy had lived there for a time as a filly. She smiled to herself as she got closer and tilted in the wind, holding her hat on with one hoof as she dipped her wing into the cool stream of air that came from below as she got closer to a landing platform.

Letting all four hooves touch down lightly on soft cloud, Derpy adjusted her hat and hurried on her way to the post office. It wasn’t too far: it sat just at the edge of the city, a small, quaint building carved into the cloud with a sign dangling from it bearing a golden envelope framed by two wings. Though her job took her all over Equestria, this post office was the one Derpy was the most familiar with.

It was quiet outside the fluffy building and the jingle as she opened the front door rang sharply through the air. Inside, she instantly saw another pegasus, a periwinkle-coloured mare with a short, pale wisteria and pastel pink mane in a bobcut, flopped tiredly over the counter before a set of shelves laden with packages. Derpy smiled.

“Hi, Misty, how are you?” she said brightly.

Misty Dewdrops, the tired mare, opened her bright blue eyes groggily and blinked at her before rearing back and stretching her wings.

“Oh, hi Derpy,” she said, trying rather unsuccessfully to hold in a yawn, “I was expecting you yesterday, but... I heard something happened in Ponyville?”

“Yeah, big rock monster invasion, sorry I couldn’t make it in,” Derpy said with a laugh, placing her bag on the counter.

“Seriously?!”

The other mare looked at her with wide eyes

“Yeah. What have you got for me?”

Misty sighed and rubbed her brow before turning around and shuffling through a few packages on the shelf. She produced two, one a small box wrapped in remarkably fancy wrapping paper and the second a large box wrapped in typical brown paper.

“No real rush on the fancy box, but the big one, that one you need to get to Canterlot by today. Can you do it?”

“Today?” Derpy repeated, trying to hide her surprise. “Um... Yeah, sure I can.”

She placed the first packet in her bag and then double checked the address on the bigger one.

“Yeah,” she repeated, shooting the mare behind the counter a smile as she took the package into her bag.

It settled down, a little more heavy than it had looked, and Derpy adjusted her weight to compensate and set out with a wave.

Who am I?

Squinting through the golden, warm sunlight, his hoof pressed to his chest, Time Turner stared up at the ceiling, looking past into nothing as his mind tumbled over itself.

His dreams had been odd. He saw stars; wrapped himself in a blanket of them. A place of cold, unyielding metal stretched before him. He felt detached and out of place, and for a moment, he tried to think back, back to before he awoke with blurry eyes to see the face of the lovely, helpful grey mare who had taken him in. His stomach churned at the utter emptiness that stretched infinitely before that, and he was a little surprised. His first day awake and he hadn’t minded one whit. His second day was filled with a dangerous, magnificent adventure. This one, however-- he couldn’t place it, but a little touch of fear was building in him. He gulped and took a deep breath, his ears twitching and finally acknowledging the high, musical trills from the flying creatures he had learned were called birds outside.

Slowly, he rolled upright and stretched his forelegs high into the air before he cast around the room. A piece of paper caught his attention quickly and when he stooped to read it, he realized that it was a letter from Derpy. She had gone, just for a little while, to pick up a delivery from somewhere called Cloudsdale. He tilted his head back and forth and then nodded to himself and rolled off the couch. He stretched again and then stood in the quiet room for a moment, wondering what to do.

The light from outside was enticing and, after considering for a moment, he was drawn past the front door, tempted by the warmth and the interesting sounds of town. The light soaked his fur and chased some of his worries away.

What does it really matter who I was, anyway? This is a nice place. These ponies are nice too. I’ll just start here and see where I go!

He smiled to himself and then turned around to check the front of Derpy’s house, mostly to mark it in his mind. It looked good for having had the front smashed in just a day before. There were some telltale cracks and crumbled paint in places where the wall had been patched back together, but all in all, it didn’t look too bad. In fact, he decided, the cracks would help him remember.

He trotted down the street and, allowed to relax, he listened with glee to the sounds of his hooves on the stone and reveled in the feeling of wind running through his mane and buffeting his ears. His body was finally starting to feel more like he belonged in it. With a bounce in his step, he strolled through town, observing ponies with curiosity and wide eyes. Heading towards the market, he took note of the Cutie Marks he passed: a golden lyre, yellow lightning bolts, three diamonds, birds, treble clefs, a question mark; a cluster of stars. His mind went back to what the nurse had told him and he couldn’t help but wonder what the mark in his fur meant. He still had no idea. He wondered about the ones that he has seen, and Derpy’s as well.

The market was bustling with ponies buying fruits and vegetables, and Time Turner spotted Pinkie talking to another pony he didn’t know just outside a large, marvelously flamboyant building that appeared to be a store, but she gave him a wave when she saw him. He smiled and waved back, and a little ways past her, he thought he spied Twilight Sparkle. He trotted closer a bit curiously and when the other pony left, Pinkie Pie beckoned him towards her. The scents wafting from the shop tickled his nose pleasantly and as he got closer, Pinkie cheerfully said, “Good morning!”

“The same to you, Miss Pinkie,” he replied with a smile; he peeked around her and saw Twilight at a counter inside, who turned quickly to greet him.

“Hello there!” she said as her magic lifted a box from the counter and held it safely at her side. “Hope everything went all right last night. Where’s Derpy Hooves?”

“Went to work, apparently,” Time Turner replied. “I was just exploring. Ponyville is sort of brilliant, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it sure didn’t take me too long to warm up to it when I moved in,” Twilight said.

“Ponyville’s the best!” Pinkie Pie said brightly. “So, what’s up?”

“Well-” he began, but before he could even articulate it, Twilight’s eyes met his and her ears perked up.

“Oh! You’re interested in that memory spell, right?”

“Memory spell?” Pinkie Pie asked before the stallion could even answer, and she put a hoof on Time Turner’s brow and squished his head a little. “Why, is there something wrong?”

“Amnesia, actually. I really have no idea who I am,” the stallion replied rather simply.

Pinkie Pie drew back with a gasp, eyes wide.

“WHAT?!” she shrieked. “No memories? You don’t know who you-?! Bu-?! Wha-?! How?!”

Time Turner shrugged and Pinkie grabbed him by the shoulders, sticking her face in close to his as her ears drooped just a little.

“I can’t even imagine not having any memories! Not remembering your friends, or your family, or your home! I’d have no idea what to even do with myself!”

“Pinkie,” Twilight put in chidingly.

“Actually, I take this as an opportunity to make all new memories. I’ve met a lot of lovely ponies in this town. That’s not all that bad, in my opinion,” Time Turner said.

“Besides, I can help. I think,” Twilight assured them. “I’ve used memory spells pretty effectively before. You can get the old you back.”

For some reason, the notion suddenly gave Time Turner pause.

“The... old me?” he repeated. “I hope the old me isn’t too different from the new me. I quite like who I am right now.”

“Yikes, I hope we won’t have to deal with Old Time Turner and New Time Turner,” Pinkie joked.

The stallion didn’t get it, and apparently Twilight didn’t either; she seemed to ignore the pink pony’s comment and assured him, “If you don’t want to try it, that’s fine.”

“No, no, it’d probably be the most logical to give it a go,” he said.

“I doubt you’ll really change at all,” Twilight said.

“I dunno,” Pinkie said suspiciously, “personalities are all built out of your experiences and memories, aren’t they? That’s why I can’t even imagine living without mine! What kind of pony would I be? No idea!”

She shrugged widely and Time Turner was taken aback; Twilight looked stunned for a moment before putting a hoof to her forehead and saying, “That’s... a good point, but...” She looked at the stallion for confirmation.

“I’ll still try it, if that’s alright,” he said, though he felt a sudden sting of nerves.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Pinkie said in a sing-song voice.

Though he was a bit nervous now, Time Turner followed Twilight home. The library was completely cleared up from the night prior and there was a sleepy brown bird the stallion didn’t recognize sitting near one of the windows. Twilight placed her box on the table in the center of the room near a wooden, stylized sculpture of a pony’s head.

“Okay,” she said, turning on him, and then looked him up and down. “You seem nervous. You okay?”

“Well...”

He shuffled a little on his hooves and Twilight smiled at him sympathetically.

“If you’re worried, how about I just check the memories first?” she suggested.

That sounded much less jarring, and after a moment of consideration, he nodded. Twilight’s expression brightened and so did her horn, glowing pink. Time Turner didn’t have time to have second thoughts as she took him gently by the back of his neck and touched her horn to his forehead. It felt warm, but the stallion was surprised not to feel much else. The back of his head tickled a little and he closed his eyes against the brightening glow of the magic. His ears buzzed for just a moment and he felt Twilight let him go.

“I don’t understand,” she squeaked.

Hesitantly, the stallion opened his eyes only to see the unicorn before him with her ears drooped low, looking at him apologetically.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I... I’m so sorry, I couldn’t find anything,” she admitted.

Time Turner felt a jolt of shock and tilted his head, wondering, “Not a thing?”

“The earliest I could find was of Derpy Hooves asking you if you were okay,” Twilight said, and she rubbed her brow. “I’m sorry.”

The stallion was baffled.

Nothing at all?

Worry turned into a strange feeling of relief, and then confusion.

“There’s really nothing there?” he asked.

“I can’t-- I’m sorry, I just couldn’t find anything.”

She seemed baffled. She scratched her head and then, with a sigh, brought her box over through the air and opened it.

“Cupcake?”

Time Turner raised a hoof and shook his head with a polite smile. Twilight nodded and frowned to herself as she sent the box away again, pacing back and forth before she stopped, opened her mouth, but then shook her head, muttering, “No, that won’t work,” and pacing again. The stallion wasn’t sure exactly what to say and he watched her curiously until she stopped.

“Okay,” she said quickly, a sense of determination on her face, “I need to figure out if it’s me or you that’s the issue here. I’ll contact the Princess and I’ll practice the spell, and we can try again in a week or so. What do you think?”

Though the word “Princess” sort of flew over his head, he nodded, but said, “Thank you for trying.”

“We’ll figure this out,” she told him.

“No rush,” he said.

Twilight nodded but frowned nonetheless and turned, trotting to the closest of her many bookshelves. She seemed a little perturbed as she began to pull some books down and skim their covers. Time Turner watched her curiously and was about to politely excuse himself before taking pause and joining her, politely asking, “Excuse me, Miss Twilight, I hope you don’t mind me asking... What is your ‘Cutie Mark’ for?”

“Hmm? Oh. Magic. It represents my ability for magic,” she said a bit absently.

“Oh. Fascinating,” he said brightly. “And-- sorry-- one more thing: is it possible for an earth pony to teleport?”

Twilight paused and looked at him quizzically.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Time Turner tilted his head but he nodded and said, “Alright. Thank you very much.”

Time Turner dismissed himself and left Twilight’s library feeling rather confused. No memories, and teleporting certainly wasn’t normal? He scratched his mane and frowned at the ground for a moment before he decided he would take another walk around town to try to settle his thoughts.

He was still somehow relieved that Twilight hadn’t been able to regain all his memories so quickly. What if Pinkie was right and he would become someone completely different? It sort of frightened him, but he supposed that was normal. He was shocked that she hadn’t been able to find anything, though. Perhaps he had hurt himself more deeply than he had realized.

The stallion was lost in thought until the bright sun above was blotted from his eyes very quickly by a small shadow above. He looked up and, to his surprise and glee, he spotted Derpy Hooves flying through town. With his ears perking up high and his face brightening, Time Turner took off at a gallop, following his friend.

He was surprised to see her disappear into that same store he had met Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle in, and he followed her in quickly in time to see her pass a small package to a tall, yellow stallion working behind the counter with Pinkie.

“Derpy,” Time Turner said brightly; the mare whirled on him, looking startled, but then gave him a big smile.

“Hey! Good to see you up. How are you feeling?” she said.

“Brilliant, thanks very much,” he said with a grin.

“Heeey, so, are you New Time Turner or Old Time Turner?” Pinkie asked from behind the counter, tilting her head curiously.

Derpy looked puzzled while the stallion smiled a little sheepishly, saying, “Just regular Time Turner.”

His pegasus friend looked confused as Pinkie smiled widely. Derpy shot him and inquisitive look and and he responded with a smile and a shake of his head. She frowned a little and then turned back to the counter, and Time Turner was afraid for a second that she was going to send Pinkie Pie into an exuberant recollection of the conversation they had had, but instead the mare asked, “Any fresh muffins or banana bread, Pinkie?”

“Banana muffins, actually!”

She produced a tray laden with fresh baked good with a wave of her hoof and grinned.

“Great. Two, please.”

Derpy traded four gold coins for a paper bag of muffins that smelled wonderful and beckoned to Time Turner with her wing. He hurried to her side, turning to wave to Pinkie as they left.

Derpy showed the stallion to a bench on the side of the road just a little ways away and sat-- he followed her example-- and she passed him a muffin from the bag as she took off her hat and flattened her mane a little.

“Thank you very much,” he said.

He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he had taken a bite. He wolfed the rest as Derpy chuckled and ate her own breakfast much more conservatively.

“So, how was your morning?” she asked.

“Interesting,” he replied, wiping crumbs from his snout, “I explored a little, and I spoke to Miss Twilight about a memory spell.”

“A memory spell?” Derpy repeated, eyes widening and ears perking up. “And?”

“Well, it seems as if I haven’t a single memory before you found me,” he admitted.

Derpy’s ears drooped, as did her wings, and she put a hoof on his shoulder, saying, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s quite all right,” he assured her with a smile. “Miss Twilight assured me that she’d practice a little and give it a second try. And contact ‘the Princess’, whatever that means.”

“Oh! Oh my gosh!” Derpy exclaimed, “The Princess? That’s great!”

“Who is that, if I might ask?” Time Turner said curiously.

Derpy looked surprised for a moment before she smiled embarrassedly and bonked herself in the forehead.

“Right. Amnesia. Princess Celestia, she’s the ruler of Equestria,” she said.

“A Princess? Not a Queen?” Time Turner asked with confusion.

“Well, she shares rule with her sister, Princess Luna, so I figure that’s why they’re both called ‘Princess’,” Derpy explained. “But Princess Luna was gone for a long time, so she doesn’t have quite as much responsibility as Princess Celestia, though.”

“Oh. Alright,” he said, “I think I get it.”

Derpy grinned and nodded, patting his shoulder again and assured him, “If the Princess is going to help, I’m sure Twilight will be able to do something for you.”

He didn’t know why, but Derpy’s excitement made a lot of his worries slip away. He wiggled his hooves off the bench and turned to her.

“So, what’ve we in store for today?” he asked. “Hopefully less running and screaming?”

Derpy giggled and finished her muffin before she nodded and gestured to her messenger bag.

“I gotta get a package to Canterlot today,” she said brightly, her ears perking high.

“Canterlot?” Time Turner asked curiously.

“Canterlot!” Derpy repeated with a grin. “It’s the capital of Equestria.”

“You sure seem excited,” her said.

“I am! I really like it there,” she said. “You’ll like it too, I think.”

“Oh! I’m allowed to go with you?” he asked.

“Of course,” Derpy assured him, fluffing her wings. “We’ll take the train. It’ll be good.”

The prospect was rather exciting to the stallion, and he gave Derpy a sheepish smile.

“Thank you very much for putting me up,” he said, “and for letting me tag along with you. I know it’s probably not ideal for you--”

“It’s no problem!” Derpy assured him with a laugh. “It’s actually really nice to have somepony to hang around with!”

“Even though we still barely know each other?”

“Of course!”

Derpy said it as if the question was ridiculous and she grinned at him.

“I like you. I think we’ll be great friends,” she said.

The stallion was warmed by her words and he couldn’t help a goofy smile from spreading on his face. Derpy patted his shoulder with her wing and then got up, stretching her legs and then, nodding her head at the street.

“Want to get going now, or did you have something else to do? Did the hospital check up on you?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” he replied, “to both of those questions.”

“Fair enough,” Derpy laughed. “Let’s get going, then.”

Derpy took them home quickly just to make certain that she hadn’t forgotten anything, and then set off towards Twilight’s place. The train station was just a little bit beyond the towering tree of a library.

The building was light pink, quaint and cute, with a light yellow sign bearing the image of a train posted against the hay-thatched roof. Before it was a short wooden platform where ponies would wait to board the train-- right now, only one was there: a young, yellow mare with a blue mane and cloud-print luggage.

Derpy showed Time Turner up onto the platform. The sound of the old wood under his hooves was different to him, and he trotted down to the end of the platform before leaning over to stare, wide eyed, at the metal tracks laid out across the ground.

“So the train runs on there?”

He took a step back and Derpy nodded.

“Yep, and all we have to do is give the conductor a few bits and get on, and it’ll take us straight to Canterlot.”

“Fancy that,” he said. “I seem to remember something very much like this.”

“That’s good, at least,” Derpy said with a smile. “It’s strange. Your memory seems so... scattered.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he agreed, nodding. “Living things haven’t stayed in my mind at all, but... Hmmm...”

He scratched his chin and looked to Derpy with confusion. She shrugged her wings and shifted her hooves. She began to feel a little rumble, and her ears perked to the distant sound of the train’s whistle. Time Turner almost jumped and glanced around quickly; Derpy pointed down the tracks to show, in the distance, the pink locomotive racing towards them.

Time Turner skittered on his hooves as the rumbling grew stronger. The mare beside him laughed and held him steady with a hoof to his shoulder and assured him, “Just wait a sec.”

The wheels began to screech under the weight and heavy breaking and steam billowed from a large chimney on the front of the engine and, quickly, the train rumbled to a stop in front of them. Time Turner stared at it with wide eyes, his ears perking up, and he grinned at Derpy, announcing, “I recall something like this, but a little quieter. But this is quite exciting!” Derpy smiled and fluffed her wings, and then turned her eyes on the cabin door as a grey, mustachioed stallion in a blue uniform trotted out onto the platform and hurried to the doorway of the first car. The pegasus quickly fished a few bits from her bag and then beckoned to her friend to follow as she approached the pony at the car and presented the coins.

“Two to Canterlot, please,” she said.

The mustachioed stallion glanced behind her at Time Turner and then gave her a smile and nodded, taking her money as he said, “Welcome aboard, take a seat wherever you like!”

“Thanks,” Derpy replied, and carefully watching her step, she went through the sliding door and up into the train car.

Time Turner followed her quickly and looked around the train car. It was pleasantly pastel yellow, containing two rows of bench-like seats with ornate, green backs on a few of them beside windows that peeked out and let warm sunlight in. Derpy walked steadily towards a seat near the back of the car and then turned to the stallion, beckoning him to follow her. He hurried to do so and she pushed him gently to a window seat before plopping down beside him, sitting with all four hooves up on the wood.

“Do you take the train often?” Time Turner asked.

Derpy shrugged and nodded, replying with a simple, “Sometimes. When I don’t feel like flying or the winds are too strong.”

“And it’s your job to...?”

“Make deliveries, of course,” Derpy said with a smile. “I do the mail around Ponyville once a week and I get called in to do special package deliveries sometimes.”

Her eyes lit up as she spoke and Time Turner found himself smiling. Something about it made her glow.

“You must really enjoy it,” he said.

“I do! I love to see ponies smile when they get something they were waiting for,” she said, “and even though I’m not a very good flier, I’m really happy that I’m trusted enough to do this job.”

“And why wouldn’t you be? Derpy Hooves, you’re exceptionally kind, and incredibly reliable, from what I’ve seen,” Time Turner assured her. “So what if you’re not the best flier? You’ve done just fine!”

Derpy’s cheeks pinked and she looked down even as her one eye wandered, smiling shyly as she brushed a bit of her mane from her shoulder.

“Oh, I don’t know.... I’m sometimes all right, I guess,” she squeaked. “Still crash into stuff, though.”

The stallion laughed and patted her shoulder, assuring her, “Miss Derpy, you’re more than all right.”

Derpy’s wings fluttered despite herself and she sat up a bit straighter, though her cheeks were still pinked. Time Turner looked pleased, and then curiously turned his gaze on her wings, wondering, “That motion you just did, does it mean something? I’ve noticed you doing it sometimes.”

“What? Oh,” Derpy said, and she smiled shyly, “It’s... it’s a pegasus thing. It just means we’re happy.”

“That’s lovely,” he replied, ears perking.

A scarce few other ponies slowly began to filter onto the train car, some staying to sit, while a couple with a young colt moved through the door at the back and continued on. Just a few minutes after that, the train began to rumble to life and, with a high-pitched, metal squeal and the loud, announcing toot of its horn, began with a small jolt and began a crawl forwards. Derpy closed her eyes to start out with-- her sight combined with the bouncing and sudden speed wasn’t good for her head. Beside her, Time Turner grasped to the seat beneath him tightly as speed began to build and Ponyville began to race away behind them.

When Derpy finally opened her eyes, she saw Time Turner looking at her curiously. Her ears drooped but he merely gave her a smile and turned to peer out the window as trees and fields rushed by.

“This place is lovely,” the stallion said a bit absently, leaning towards the window and resting his chin on a hoof. “I’m glad I ended up here, of all places.”

“Me too,” Derpy agreed.

He wagged his tail and turned to look out the window again with contentment plastered across his face. Derpy watched through the window quietly along with him. She had to close her eyes again at they began to ascend up the side of the mountain. She leaned back in her seat, smiling to herself as she heard her friend exclaiming excitedly about the view and then tunnels they soon were passing through on their way.

The train station they saw arriving in Canterlot was much more refined and streamlined; built for a much larger crowd of ponies than the one in Ponyville. Aptly, the platforms were crowded with ponies eagerly awaiting their turn to get onto the train.

As they disembarked, Time Turner marveled at the huge, pristine glass windows that lined the station and stared with curiosity at a round, white, marked disk on one of the walls. Staring at it confused him for a moment, but before he knew it, his mind had straightened it out for him and he realized it must be for telling the time. He rolled his eyes at himself and then turned to Derpy, who was rifling through her bag with a wing and gently pulling a package upwards.

“Is that it?” he asked. “Do you know what it is?”

“Nope, no idea,” she said. “Just that it’s for somepony named Pecan Posy. She lives a bit past the market district, apparently. Urgent delivery.”

“Oh! Best be on our way, then,” the stallion said.

Derpy nodded and slid the package back into the bag before beckoning her friend towards the city.

“I can show you a little on the way there.”

Derpy had always loved how Canterlot looked, even though she felt like she didn’t fit in there at all. Most of the Canerlot ponies were rather fancy and well-to-do, and fit right in with the polished, proud looking buildings that did their best to mimic the architecture of the ivory-towered palace. She showed Time Turner some of the great statues, pointed out stores and historical buildings she recognized on the way to the market district. He looked a little dumbstruck.

As they came to a pause in front of a fountain crowned with the statue of a phoenix, Time Turner leaned against the stone basin and looked up into the sprinkling droplets with a smile.

“This place is so interesting,” he said. “It’s nothing at all like Ponyville! Are all the towns in Equestria so different looking?”

“I think so,” Derpy said, giving her wings a good stretch before nodding them on down the road. “Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns all sort of have different styles, as far as I can tell. No two places really look the same.”

“Have you traveled all over?”

“Yeah,” Derpy replied a little proudly, “because of my job.”

“That’s wonderful. It must be nice to travel like that,” he said.

“Do you like traveling?” Derpy asked, tilting her head curiously. “Do you know?”

“I...”

Time Turner paused in his tracks to consider for a moment. The pegasus waited until he smiled and started along the road again, saying, “Yes, I think I do! I think I like to travel quite a bit.”

“Great,” Derpy replied cheerfully. “If you stick around, I can bring you all over when I need to make deliveries.”

“Oh! That’s brilliant, thank you very much,” he said, grinning and bouncing on his hooves. “I quite like the sound of that.”

The market district was bustling with afternoon business as the two ponies continued though, Derpy scanning shops for address markings. The buildings were a little smaller and less elaborate than some of the ones they had seen prior, but they were still extremely well-kept and packed full with customers. Beside another fountain, this one with a guard pony as its centerpiece, stood a bulletin board with announcements of upcoming events plastered on it, blocked by a small filly giving another a boost to help her post a flyer for their lemonade stand.

Derpy Hooves frowned as both eyes darted in opposite directions; though a little disorienting, neither saw the place she was looking for yet.

“None of these,” she said, squinting and forcing her gaze to straighten out a bit.

Farther in still, and still no luck. Streets were getting smaller and quieter, with doorways coming farther and farther apart until Time Turner and Derpy arrived at the end of a small, claustrophobic pathway between two storage houses, finding a door marked with a crude carving of a flower, much like what was indicated on the instructions, as well as the right address number in bright, black iron, vertically beside it.

“This?” Time Turner asked.

Derpy felt a little odd about it, but nodded nonetheless.

“Seems like it,” she said.

She peeked around, looking for a mailbox or anything like one, but couldn’t find a thing. She shot her friend a confused look and he shrugged. Derpy bit her lip and then, opening her bag with her wing, approached the door and knocked on it tentatively. To her surprise, the door creaked open, revealing almost nothing at all beyond except an empty, dark hallway. Derpy and Time Turner shared a nervous look and, gulping, the pegasus stepped forward

“Hello? Is there a Pecan Posy here?” she called.

They waited. No answer. Derpy looked at her friend nervously and then turned her gaze on the shadowy hall before her. Why did it seem so imposing? She gulped and tentatively took a step past the threshold, wincing at the sound of wood straining beneath her. With careful wings, Derpy removed the package from her messenger bag and, gently, placed it on the floor before taking a few steps back and carefully closing the door.

Derpy sighed despite herself and turned to look at Time Turner, who looked just as strangely perturbed as she felt. She was about to ask him something,but the words whisked from her mind as hoofsteps, slow and deliberate, faded into her range of hearing. She turned to meet them-- Time Turner followed her gaze-- and she saw a pony approaching them. A mare by the size, though shrouded under a dark blue, hooded cloak. Derpy felt a shock of panic, as if she had been caught trespassing. She gulped, however, and stepped towards the approaching pony tentatively.

“Are you Pecan Posy?” she asked.

The pony was silent and Derpy thought that maybe she hadn’t heard. She shot a glance at Time Turner. He looked tense.

“Hello?” Derpy asked cautiously.

The pony stopped and raised her head up a little and Derpy’s ears perked up-- maybe she had heard this time?-- and she was about to greet the newcomer when, beneath the dark of her hood, twin lights of bright turquoise shone out where eyes should have been.

The pegasus yelped despite herself and felt a sudden, unyielding chill; didn’t even have time to react as Time Turner grabbed her hoof with hers and said, “Run.”

“Do not attempt to flee or else your termination will be immediate.”

The voice that spoke was feminine enough, but it didn’t sound real. It sounded almost as though it were echoing through a metal box, and yet it came from the mare before them. Raising her head up a little in the light revealed a strange sheen across her pale grey face. Her attention turned to Time Turner with an unnaturally sharp movement of her neck.

“You have put me through much searching for you,” she said. “Your termination is imminent.”

“T-Termination?” Derpy squeaked. “Wait, you can’t mean--?!”

Time Turner raised a hoof.

“I’m sorry, do... Do you know me?” he asked as he gently edged in front of Derpy.

The silver mare’s eyes flashed.

“Do not try to fool me.”

She tilted her head back and her hood toppled, revealing a wickedly sharp horn on her brow that sparked with what looked like lightning. Derpy tasted ash and she looked at Time Turner in panic. His eyes were narrowed and his ears were back, the fur on his neck bristling as he braced his hooves against the stone beneath him.

“Before your termination, tell me one thing,” the strange mare said sharply, “where is it?”

His frown deepened and he moved his body forward just a little, blocking the way between the pegasus and the stranger. Derpy gulped and drew back a little, her wings spreading on their own accord.

“I suppose if I told you I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, you wouldn’t believe me,” the stallion replied.

The stranger’s expression was stone.

“I was warned. You will not escape again.”

Her horn let off a loud zap and Derpy screamed despite herself, only to see Time Turner ramming his shoulder against the cloaked mare’s body. Electricity sparked out of her head in an arc, searing into the walls around them as she struggled against the stallion.

“Derpy, go!” he yelled frantically.

The pegasus squeaked and took off with a quick, awkward beating of wings, shouting, “Guards! Guards, help!” as loud as she could. She couldn’t see them, though. She couldn’t see anypony. She felt like her mouth was full of sand. Her eyes shot to the ground and upon seeing her friend struggling, she dove down without question.

For once, her aim wasn’t off. She plowed into the strange pony-- it hurt; felt like she had run into a building-- and knocked all three of them to the ground in a tangle of legs and wings. Whimpering, the pegasus struggled to get up from the ground, only to have her blurring vision blocked by the strange, violent pony. Her gaze swam as she saw bright blue sparks crackling above-- she thought she heard Time Turner shout-- and after a moment, her vision washed over white.

There was no pain. No sound. Nothing for a just a moment. When the noise came rushing back to her, all she could hear was her own ragged, hysterical breathing. Her eyes snapped back into focus quickly only to find that she certainly wasn’t staring at the silver mare any longer. She was facing down the alleyway, back towards the market district, and when she looked around, she noticed that the lighting was a subtle orange. The sun was setting.

Derpy put a hoof to her chest and tried to relax; as soon as the sound of herself in her ears subsided, she could hear a rough panting behind her. Her eye went first and she whipped around to follow, only to see Time Turner, standing on shaking legs, staring at the ground with wide eyes, beads of cold sweat dripping from down his face. He looked like he was going to be sick.

“T-Time Turner,” she gasped.

She got up in a hurry-- everything still hurt-- and rushed to him, grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Hey!” she demanded.

She didn’t know what else to say. He looked up at her quickly, gulped, and then cracked a relieved smile as his eyes met hers.

“Thank goodness.”

He fell against her, wrapping his forelimbs around her tightly. She reciprocated weakly and, taking a deep breath, asked, “What happened?”

She pulled back and tried to regain herself, looking around them. There they were, in front of the home of the absent Pecan Posy, but the time--? And where was that silver mare? Derpy felt a chill run down her spine and she looked at Time Turner worriedly.

“Did... Did you do that?” she asked.

“I think I did,” he answered.

He plopped back onto his haunches and then looked up at the sky. He frowned.

“Sunset,” he said, “Why would it be-?”

He looked at Derpy with wide eyes and then hurriedly jumped to his hooves, spinning in place for a moment before making a dash down the alley.

“Wait!” Derpy called.

He didn’t and she sighed, stretching her wings and then, cringing, took off to follow above him.

She found him quickly, standing rather still near the edge of the market district, just at the end of the street they had taken between buildings.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as she gently alit beside him.

He jumped and whirled on her, eyes wide, and he asked, “Does anything about this feel odd to you?”

“Other than everything?” Derpy joked. “Um... Do you know who that silver pony was?”

“Haven’t a clue,” he replied, ears drooping.

“And she wanted to--”

“Terminate. Terminate me.”

His face fell and Derpy grimaced.

“Why would she want to do that?”

“She sounded like, perhaps, she knew me,” Time Turner said quietly. “Perhaps I was terrible before I-?”

“No way,” Derpy snapped, “and besides, even if you were, nothing is bad enough to terminate another pony!”

“Nothing at all?” Time Turner wondered.

“Not a single thing,” Derpy said certainly, stomping a hoof. “Anyway! We should be careful, she might still be around. Where did you send us, anyway? Or... did you send her somewhere?”

Derpy tapped her chin and Time Turner looked at her with a worried frown that made it quite clear that he didn’t know either.

Around them, the day seemed to be winding down and ponies around the market were starting to pack it in and head home. Some of the fancier unicorns gave the two ponies disconcerting glances-- after a few, Time Turner turned on Derpy and gently wiped beneath her eyes with a hoof.

“What are you doing?” she asked with an awkward giggle; he tilted his head.

“You looked like you had been crying,” he said. “Are you alright? Did she hurt you? I’m sorry, I should have asked sooner.”

“I’m... I’m all right,” Derpy assured him quickly, “just... sore from when I ran into her. It was like she was made of-”

“Metal?”

Derpy met his gaze with surprise. He seemed completely serious. After considering for a moment, she nodded.

“Y-Yeah.”

He bit his lip and turned in place a couple times before he skittered to a halt and stared at her with wide eyes. Derpy stared back and her stomach dropped. Before she could say a word, he did.

“Time. I... I think, perhaps I...”

He faltered, looked up at the sky, and said, at a dry whisper, “I may have sent us through time.”

“...Sent us through time?”

Derpy could barely believe the words that had come from her mouth. Time Turner stared at her and nodded nervously. She bit her lip and looked around, edging closer to him, starting to feel a little light-headed, and, lowering her voice, wondered, “Then... when are we?”

Time Turner didn’t have any answers. His head was spinning. His ears drooped and he shook his head, and then set his mind on their surroundings.

The ponies are all wearing the same style of hats or clothing as before. And the buildings, those are the same too. Same stores, same signs, everything. So we mustn’t have moved very much, and yet--? Where--? Or when...?

He was pacing before he even realized. Derpy watched him worriedly as he frowned ahead, his mind whirring away. The mare sighed and glanced around, and after a moment, noticed the bulletin board near the guard-statue fountain.

Maybe there...?

She grabbed her friend and pointed; his ears perked up and he took off at a gallop. Derpy hurried after him, stopping quickly behind him as he halted abruptly, his eyes roaming the postings. Derpy noticed two things right away as she peeked around him. The flyer the little fillies had posted about lemonade wasn’t there at all. The board was mostly plastered with posters for an event the following evening-- a once-a-decade shower of shooting stars.

Derpy’s heart dropped and she felt suddenly light-headed. She grappled for words for a moment.

“Time Turner?” she squeaked.

He spun, announcing in a panic, “I have no frame of reference, I...” before pausing and frowning worriedly, putting a hoof against her cheek.

“Miss Derpy, you look like you’re about to faint! Are you all right?”

“We went back four days.”

“Excuse me?”

He stared at her blankly. She gulped past a lump in her throat and turned him around, putting her hoof to the purple, star-sprinkled poster, announcing in loud, gold letters, the shooting stars for the following night.

“This all ready happened. This was the night I found you.”

He looked at her in disbelief and his jaw dropped. He reared up and put his face against the poster-- other ponies began to look at him strangely-- and Derpy awkwardly grabbed his shoulders to pull him back.

“So... what now?” she whispered.

He was frozen for a moment and then grabbed her, rushing her back into the small side street they had come from.

“I sent us back in time!” he hissed, alarmed, his ears perking up high and his fur bristling. “How did I do that?!”

“I don’t know,” Derpy said quickly, her voice a little shrill. “Um... I guess at least now we know what your hourglass means.”

“My hourgl--? Oh! So when I’ve been teleporting, I was really going through--! Oh my!”

He put a hoof to his brow and looked suddenly baffled.

“It that even possible?”

“Well... Yeah, it has to be, right? Since we’re here?” she asked nervously, pressing her wings in tight to her sides.

Time Turner laughed tiredly and rubbed his head.

“I suppose you’re right. But...” His ears drooped low and he looked worried. “Miss Twilight said earth ponies can’t teleport. Do you think she could have been mistaken?”

Derpy tilted her head and thought about it for a moment before she shook her head.

“No. Twilight knows the most about magic of anypony I’ve ever met. If she said earth ponies can’t teleport, she’s probably right. You must be doing something else.”

“It’s quite puzzling,” he said; he edged a little farther back down the quiet alleyway and Derpy followed quickly.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I... I...”

He looked close to collapse. Derpy put a hoof to his shoulder and assured him, “Hey, relax. Gotta keep going up, okay? We’ll be okay. We just need to figure out what to do. Do you think you can send us back?”

“Back? Back to where, or when? To that frightening, terminator pony?”

“Right. I see your point. But...”

Derpy frowned to herself and tried to quell her nerves. She wracked her brain. Where could they get information about any of this? What could they do? She took a deep breath and flared her wings, stretching them to test her feathers in the air in an attempt to calm herself.

Time Turner’s knees were starting to wobble and his ears were drooped low; Derpy beckoned him with a wing and got him to walk with her down the side street-- anything to distract him. He looked like he was about to be sick. Derpy felt similar, but she didn’t want to lose it. She put one wing around her friend’s shoulders reassuringly and tried to tell herself they’d be fine.

It’s only four days. Back in time. She gulped. Dear sweet Celestia, I can’t even believe this.

As the street became more of an alleyway, they were met with another surprise. The door to Pecan Posy’s place was slightly ajar with a “space for rent” sign on the front. The flower carving wasn’t there at all. Time Turner looked at the door suspiciously and then turned a worried look towards Derpy, who could do little more than shrug. The stallion bit his lip and trotted up to the door cautiously, peeking around the wood before sticking his head into the dark house.

“Hello? Anyone home?”

His ears perked-- Derpy mimicked him-- and he listened closely for a reply. None came and he turned back to the pegasus and shrugged widely.

“Oh good, it’s just getting stranger,” the grey pony said with a tired laugh.

“Isn’t there anyone we can ask about this?” Time Turner wondered. “Anyone at all? Miss Twilight, perhaps?”

“Can’t. I... I barely know her,” Derpy admitted. “And... I mean, I was in Ponyville four days-- I mean, today. Won’t I run into myself? I mean, I don’t remember running into myself, so wouldn’t that... you know, mess something up? Since we’re in the past and stuff.”

“All excellent points,” Time Turner said, and then tilted his head and frowned with puzzlement. “You... barely know Miss Twilight?”

“Yeah, the day I met you is the first time I’ve really talked to her,” the pegasus said with a shrug.

“Could’ve fooled me. Did fool me, in fact.”

Derpy shrugged and smiled shyly before her expression turned contemplative.

“So,” she said, “we need somepony else. Somepony else who knows a lot about... a lot.”

“Perhaps there’s another library here in Canterlot?” Time Turner wondered.

Derpy thought about it, only to feel a chill down her spine when she realized the answer. She grimaced to herself and her friend looked at her with a frown.

“What is it, Miss Derpy?” Time Turner asked.

“The best library I’ve heard of is the one in Canterlot Castle, but-”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Shall we be off?”

“N-No, wait!”

Derpy waved her hooves anxiously, her ears drooping, “We can’t just go in there! W-We’d need special permission.”

“From whom, exactly?” Time Turner asked curiously.

“One of the Princesses!” Derpy said. “But... But I don’t think we can g-get--”

“Did you want to attempt to sneak in?” the stallion asked.

“What?! No!” the pegasus squealed, and she sighed rubbing her forehead. “Forget I brought it up, I’m sure there’s another one in the city somewhere.”

“But the one in the Castle is better, isn’t it?” Time Turner asked.

He stared at her for a while until she drooped.

“...Y-Yeah,” Derpy said a bit reluctantly.

The stallion shrugged and said, “Well, if you’re nervous, I’ll head off on my own and meet you back here, okay?”

He was trotting off before she could say a word, leaving her gawking in the alleyway alone. Almost instantly, she took off, flying after him and calling, “Wait up!!” urgently. He hadn’t gotten far, and he beamed up at her as she slowed and kept pace above him for a little while before landing on the street for fear of crashing into him or somepony else.

“Don’t be nervous!” he told her brightly.

She grimaced. Her stomach was in knots. The Princesses were so important, and powerful. Would they even have the time of day-- or night, for that matter-- for two noponies? What were they even supposed to say?

Night was setting in as they approached the grand Canterlot Castle and the questions still spun in Derpy’s head, though Time Turner seemed pleasantly oblivious. The stars and crescent moon shone with a cool glow from above, setting the dark alight with a purple-blue sheen.

There were guards at every entrance and archway: grey and white stallions in golden armour, often with spears slung over their shoulders. Derpy stuck close to Time Turner, the fur on her neck standing on end and her heart pounding, though none of the guards seemed to even be giving them a second look as they past through the gardens and trotted up to the front doors.

Coming to the great steps before the Castle, a female voice, low and steady, called out.

“Who goes there?”

Derpy nearly jumped out of her fur. Time Turner looked surprised as well, but not nearly so alarmed, and the two ponies looked up to see a deep sapphire blue mare poised, alert, beside a large telescope at the top of a high tower. She had a horn on her brow and wings spread wide, and a mane looked as if the strands were pulled straight from the night sky.

“That’s P-Princess Luna,” Derpy squeaked.

Time Turner seemed to only half hear, but before Derpy could instruct him on any sort of etiquette, he waved to the Princess.

“Hello! I’m Time Turner, and this is my dear friend Derpy Hooves! We’d like to ask you a question, if we may?” he called.

Derpy shrunk down where she stood; she felt like she was going to have a panic attack.

On silent wings, the Princess took off and glided gracefully down before her silver-clad hooves touched on the stone path laid out before them lightly. Her cyan eyes were cold and her expression was stern; she looked very noble and composed. Derpy, on the other hand, was a shaking wreck as she knelt before her. Time Turner didn’t-- didn’t seem to realize it was what was expected of him.

“Stand,” Princess Luna instructed Derpy.

The pegasus did so right away and the alicorn before them eyed them both up and down before settling her gaze on Derpy.

“You. I remember you. My first Nightmare Night,” the Princess said steadily. “The Paper-Bag Princess. I recall it was cute.”

“R-Right,” Derpy stammered, “Th-Thanks, your H-Highness.”

The stern face of the Princess softened a little and she looked between the two ponies with mild curiosity.

“What was your question?”

“Princess Luna, was it?” Time Turner asked politely, and when she dipped her head in a nod, he said, “We’d like to use your library, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“The library? What for? It was not a matter that could wait until morning?” Luna asked.

“S-Sorry, we can j-just go,” Derpy squeaked, but her friend grabbed her steady and shushed her gently before turning to the Princess with a determined look on his face.

Before Derpy could even begin to fathom what to say to her, Time Turner spoke.

“Princess, we’re in an extraordinary predicament. We are from the future.”

Derpy’s jaw dropped, though Luna’s stoic face showed a flicker of surprise, her ears raising a little and she leaned in a bit closer, asking, “Truly?”

“Only a few d-days,” Derpy added hurriedly.

“Let me explain,” Time Turner said. “It seems my ‘special talent’ is something to do with time travel. Miss Derpy Hooves and I were attacked by a pony made of metal four days in the future and as a... defense mechanism, I suppose, I transported us to today.”

Luna frowned slightly and Derpy felt like her legs were turning into jelly.

“You are an earth pony.”

“I know. You see why we are incredibly confused, then,” the stallion said with a laugh.

Derpy bit her lip.

No way she’ll believe that! No way!

The Princess leaned around Time Turner to look at his Cutie Mark and her wings flared a little. Derpy wanted to just crawl under the ground and hide, but her friend didn’t seem phased in the slightest. He stood, firm but earnest, and the Princess lowered her long horn towards his head ever so slightly. A pulse of magic, a soft blue, bounced from her horn tip and passed over the two ponies like a wave. Derpy cringed, only relaxing a little when Time Turner held her hoof.

Luna pulled back, looking more inquisitive than ever.

“I don’t understand,” she admitted, “But I believe you both. Follow me.”

She turned quickly, her mane and tail leaving a glittering trail of stars behind her that twinkled for just a moment as she ruffled her wings and began up the steps. Derpy felt like she was going to melt. Time Turner gave her a huge grin and then quickly began after Luna. The grey pegasus had to take a huge breath in to steady herself before scampering after them.

5. The Metal Mare

Lit with blue magic and the light of the moon seeping through the domed skylight fused into a grand, vaulted ceiling, the library inside Canterlot Castle was a little eerie, but it glittered and seemed strangely magical all at once. The floor was polished marble and the walls were a soft blue, though most were masked under a lining of bookshelves that spread out to become little corridors of their own.

Princess Luna was almost silent on glimmering hooves as she prowled the floor, leading the two ponies to the center of the shelves where an old, wooden table was placed, laden only with a golden hourglass and a candlestick inside a silver holder. Around the table were weathered but cozy-looking sitting cushions in purples and blues. Luna glanced back and forth amongst the towering walls of books and then turned to the smaller ponies with curiosity.

“Tell me,” she said, looking more specifically at Time Turner, “how exactly did your ‘time travel’ work?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” the stallion admitted. “We were in danger. My... My body was suddenly full of a strange energy and for a second all external stimuli cut out and then we were... here.”

Luna looked a little concerned and Time Turner looked to Derpy, asking, “Was it like that for you as well?”

“Y-Yeah, mostly,” she said, nodding.

The Princess’s head tilted ever so slightly.

“I see,” she said. “I will take my leave for now. Good luck.”

She left with swift, soft steps, her magic giving light to a few candle stands, and left the two ponies alone in the library. Derpy took a deep breath through the scent of old book covers and dust that lingered in the air and looked at Time Turner curiously.

“Split up or together?” she asked.

“Hopefully the library won’t be too dangerous,” he said, smiling a little. “If we look separately, we’ll see many more books.”

Derpy nodded and spread her wings, but then quickly reconsidered and trotted off down a nearby corridor of shelves.

Anatomy, animals, astronomy... No, none of these. Umm...

She frowned to herself and followed the shelves down to the section about magic. Of course, she had no idea if what Time Turner was doing even was magic, but she could think of little else his power reminded her of.

“Time Turner?” she asked.

“Yes, Miss Derpy?”

“I’m looking in magic, how about you?”

“Ah!”

She heard his hooves clattering and he poked his head around the shelf and gave her a grin.

“I’ll be in the science section!”

He disappeared behind the shelf and Derpy could hear his hooves and the pages of books flipping through the air.

Derpy frowned to try to force her eyes straight-- or at least, a bit straighter-- and skimmed the spines of the books intently. She found one called Mastering Teleportation and pulled it, but a quick look told her it was not what they needed. She pulled a few more carefully and still found nothing, and soon enough she began to check through anything that sounded even vaguely related.

The grey mare was surrounded by a fort of books pulled down, staring at one in her lap intently when Time Turner joined her over an hour later, announcing, “Not a thing on my end. How goes it over here?”

“Weird,” Derpy said, shaking her head; she flipped through the last few pages and then looked up at him worriedly. “Nothing in here about time travel except how it’s... not possible.”

“Not entirely true.”

The ponies jumped and both turned to see the dark form of Princess Luna standing before them. Hurriedly, Derpy got to her hooves and dipped in a quick bow as the dark alicorn approached, a book suspended in the glittering blue of her magic.

“Curiosity got the better of me. I took a look in the collection of Star Swirl the Bearded. Have you heard of him?”

Awkwardly, Derpy shook her head, and Time Turner put in an, “I’m afraid not.” The Princess passed the book gently to them; Derpy took it in her wing with surprise.

“He was one of the most powerful, and magical, unicorns to ever inhabit Equestria. He wrote a great many books, a few concerning time travel. I thought it might be of use to you.”

“Th-Thank you so much, Princess!” Derpy said brightly, bowing again.

“We appreciate it very much,” Time Turner added with a smile.

Luna nodded and with a simple magic pulse, sent the books on the floor back to their places.

“If you would just return that to a guard once you’re done...” she said as she turned to go.

“Of course! Thank you again!” Derpy said.

The Princess seemed to vanish as soon as her frame was obscured in the shadow of the next shelf. Derpy couldn’t help but feel in awe of her. She clutched the book close for a moment before she turned around to face her friend.

“Well?” she said.

“Let’s look at it together,” he said.

He doubled back for a moment and peeked around the shelf and then looked back at Derpy, eyes wide.

“She cleaned up those books, too. Amazing,” he said.

Time Turner ducked out of the shelves and to the table just beyond, settling down on one of the cushions. Derpy joined him quickly, gently placing the old, thick book between them and opening it up gently with her wingtip.

Star Swirl’s book was well preserved despite its age, and it contained pages upon pages of detailed, magical instruction. When she saw Time Turner frowning at the pages of detailed formulae, Derpy wasn’t embarrassed at all to admit she didn’t understand a single complicated word of it. In fact, it made her dizzy just trying to keep all the symbols on the pages straight.

“Now,” Time Turner mumbled, “this is something my brain will not translate. Interesting.”

“What do you mean?” Derpy asked.

“When I first began reading, I didn’t understand the meanings of the symbols at all, but it quickly became clear without much work,” he explained.

Derpy was confused and clearly looked it.

“What...? But isn’t that how learning to read happens for most ponies?” she wondered.

Time Turner looked at her with puzzlement for a moment before his face relaxed and he laughed, shaking his head and saying, “Sorry, I meant when we were searching for books in Twilight Sparkle’s library.”

“What? Before that you couldn’t read?” Derpy asked quickly. “Oh no! I’m sorry!”

“It’s quite all right,” he assured her, “I assume it’s the fault of the amnesia. Unfortunately, I still can’t make heads nor tails of this.”

“Neither of us are unicorns,” the mare said with a sigh, resting her cheek on her hoof, “and I bet most unicorns can’t even read this.”

She flipped through a few more pages until she came upon a bit of plain text:

Time travel is a fickle and dangerous power. Though interacting with oneself in the past to present may be tempting, to do so will merely cause one to become caught in a time loop wherein the events of traveling to the past will simply cause the past self to, in the future, become the one to engage in time travel, et sic in. To ensure that these loops, should they come into being, are as brief as possible, my time travel spells are forged with a very strict time limit in place, none lasting for longer than sixty seconds.

Derpy looked to Time Turner with her brows raised.

“We’ve been here way longer than a minute,” she said.

“Definitely. I suppose it isn’t one of this unicorn’s spells, then,” he replied.

They continued:

The time loops that will occur are minor paradoxes*, but due to the time limit, the risk of damage is extremely minimal.

*A paradox, in this case, is damage to what has been called “the timeline”, usually only noticeable to the one who has been involved in the damage. This, theoretically, may occur when the traveler interacts with themselves.

I have heard of only one pony whose special, inborn talent was time travel. According to many ponies, sourced in the index, he was able to spontaneously move his body and that of those around him through both time and space simultaneously. At this moment, more studies must be conducted to determine the validity and consequences of such actions.

Derpy tilted her head back and forth and looked at Time Turner. He seemed a little troubled but he said nothing.

“May I move on?” he asked.

The pegasus nodded, so Time Turner flipped through the remainder of the book carefully, skimming each page. There was no more plain text until a huge index of sources and equation elaborations at the end. By the time they were done, Derpy’s wandering eye seemed to want to run far away from that book, and though it made her dizzy and gave her a headache, she really couldn’t blame it.

“So,” Time Turner said as he closed the huge tome, “we have learned something, I think.”

“Not to read weird, complicated equations that make no sense to non-unicorns?” Derpy asked, rubbing her brow.

Time Turned looked at her with a sympathetic smile, but he shook his head, “Not that. That we should do our best to avoid ourselves.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Your worry from before seems well founded. We should be in Ponyville right now,” he explained. “Or at least, you should. The other you, from four days ago.”

“Oh! Right! We don’t want to make a... a paradox, or whatever, right?” Derpy asked.

“Exactly,” Time Turner said.

“So what do we do?” the pegasus wondered nervously.

Time Turner frowned with confusion and scratched his chin

“I... hmm... I’m not sure,” he admitted. “That house of Pecan Posy still feels a little suspicious to me, but it did also seem to be empty. Maybe we should head back there?”

Derpy didn’t have a better idea, so she nodded and let out a sigh, closing the large book gently.

Getting up after being still for so long set Derpy’s body all aching again, but she gritted her teeth and said nothing about it as Time Turner stood up and stretched. He nodded towards the door and Derpy grabbed the huge book carefully and followed him as he made his way out.

As requested, Derpy passed the old magic tome off to one of the guards near the palace doors as she and Time Turner left. The stars glittered above and the night air was warm, wrapped in a cool breeze. Derpy couldn’t help but admit that it was lovely. She took a moment on the stairs outside of the castle, gaze up on the dark and the stars, letting her eyes finally relax.

Time Turner stopped at her side and looked up at the sky as well. The glittering of the stars was oddly alluring, and comforting as well. He smiled to himself and then looked at his friend, asking, “What are you looking at? Anything in particular?”

“No,” she said, “just... It’s nice, tonight. And... well, tomorrow’s that meteor shower again. The night I found you.”

Her ears drooped a little as she thought about it and she looked at him out of the corner of her wandering eye. He had looked so pitiful and weak, then. The change in him was drastic, but she was happy for him even though his memories were still lost.

“I wish I could go back there,” she said, “to see what happened to you. But... I guess I’d just run right into myself, huh?”

“I suppose so,” he admitted. “But... aside from that, I’d be excited to see this meteor shower you mentioned.”

Derpy smiled and fluttered her wings a little, admitting, “It was really nice.” She couldn’t help a laugh and began down the stairs; her friend followed.

“Happens once every ten years,” she commented. “I guess I’m lucky. I get to see it twice in a week.”

“That’s the spirit,” Time Turner laughed.

It was getting late, but much of Canterlot was still alight. Highfalutin ponies of all stripes shopped and dined at the fancier restaurants and boutiques still open in the late night hours. Derpy insisted that they keep the shadows; a few ponies in Canterlot knew her, and though she had no idea if any of them would be in this crowd, she decided she didn’t want anypony to recognize her. Her stomach grumbled and Time Turner looked at her with a raised brow and she grimaced.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. “Shall we stop and get something?”

“I didn’t bring enough bits for fancy places like this,” she said, ears drooping.

“What about a less fancy place?”

“I know some, but the owners know me, so--”

“Ah!” he said brightly. “No trouble at all, give me your bits and I’ll go in instead.”

“Oh! ...You don’t have to--” she began, but her growling tummy said otherwise.

He laughed and she blushed and said, “Fine, fine, follow me.”

Time Turner seemed rather pleased with himself, trotting alongside Derpy as she lead them to a building with large windows and bright lights, with a thick-bodied, yellow stallion in a clean white smock and hat behind the counter.

“Donut Joe’s,” she explained, and she reached into her bag to get a small bag of bits.

Using her wings, she opened it just to count and then quickly passed him the bag.

“Ask for a dozen donuts, that should be fine for a while,” she instructed.

He nodded and trotted into the building as she ducked out of the light, between the donut shop and a building beside it. She took a deep breath, trying to settle herself, but couldn’t help but jump when she heard a bright, female giggle. She spun on her rear hooves and cast around quickly. She was struck by light flickering back at her off yellow, dragon-like eyes just a little-ways off the ground, the body of their owner hidden in the darkness. Derpy felt a sting of nerves.

"Hello?" she asked cautiously.

The eyes looked suddenly amused and another giggle tickled the night air before the shape turned and bounded away, disappearing into the shadows. Derpy couldn’t help but feel a chill, wondering if, somehow, that had been a filly. She had been about the right height. Hesitantly, Derpy edged down the alleyway and took a look around. She was surprised to see nopony there, and was about to proceed just a little farther when she heard her name being called. She whirled and quickly headed back to find Time Turner casting around worriedly, a pink-and-white cardboard box near his front hooves. She waved to him and he looked immediately relieved, saying, “Ah, there you are! Brilliant! Where did you head off to?”

“Oh, I just thought I saw somepony... Maybe a lost filly or something, but I think it wasn’t really anything,” she tried to explain.

Time Turner looked a little confused but he nodded.

“Shall we head back to that empty house? And hopefully it’s still empty.”

Derpy nodded and her friend smiled and her brightly and bent down to gingerly take the box in his mouth, jerking his head down the road. Derpy cocked her ears back and forth and she wondered, “Why don’t you just carry that on your back?”

He seemed to try to convey that he couldn’t balance it, but she couldn’t really understand his words and she laughed, reached out with her wings to take it and placed it on her back.

“I’ll do it,” she said.

“Much obliged,” he said, ears drooping bashfully. “The pony in the shop suggested the same, but I simply couldn’t.”

“Oh. Strange,” Derpy said, scratching her head with a wingtip. “Back-balance seems to be a sort of in-born thing in most ponies. But then again, you’re still new even knowing what a pony is.”

She shrugged and began on her way down the road with Time Turner sticking close by as she assured him, “I bet you’ll get it with practice.”

“That’s encouraging,” he replied.

The ponies made their way back through the town, out of the lights of the restaurants and to the darkened market. Derpy was nervous despite herself as they went down the small side-street towards the vacant house of Pecan Posy. Nothing strange happened at all, though, and a bit cautiously, the two ponies edged through the open door. It was dark in there, but there was a little bit of furniture and, after stumbling around for a bit, Derpy found a small gas-lamp and turned it on. She squinted in the new light and then placed the box of donuts onto a coffee table in front of a green, flower-print sofa.

“Not bad in here,” Time Turner commented.

“And now we’re squatters,” Derpy laughed tiredly; she opened the box of donuts and took a sprinkled one with pink frosting and began to eat it as she took a look around the place.

It was a very average home; not a thing out of place or alarming-- at least, nothing she could see. Timer Turner grabbed a donut as well and then began to peek out all the windows, and then found a set of stairs. He trotted up them and, after just a little while, he called down, “Derpy, there are some beds up here! Doesn’t look like they’ve been used in a while. Do you think it’s all right to sleep in them?”

“Sure," she said, going upstairs to join him, "unless you want to sleep on the floor.”

He snickered and said, “I think I’ll take a rest for now.”

“Good night,” she said.

He smiled, trotting off to one of the rooms. She heard the bed squish and the springs creak, and she was immediately jealous. She went to the other bedroom and found a bed with a star-patterned blanket draped across it. A bit hesitantly, she snuck on top of it and lay on her back, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Despite the sugar of the donut, her eyelids began to droop-- she couldn’t control it, and was asleep within minutes.

In the other room, despite claiming the bed excitedly, Time Turner didn’t sleep. He lay down, cozied in a plaid blanket, munching his donut, his mind slogging through all the information of the day-- or, he supposed, of two rather disparate days. Though he supposed it was selfish, he was glad that whatever he had done had brought Derpy with him.

She must be bruised, though, he mused, cringing. She ran straight into that metal creature. That must have hurt.

His ears flopped and he kicked his back hooves through the blanket before flopping back and staring out the window on the wall. His mind wandered for a long while, only being startled out of his thoughts when a glimmer of sun shone into his eyes. He rolled upright and stumbled out of bed, pressing himself close to the window and peeking out. He wondered if that creature was out there now.

Has she been watching me? he wondered. What could I have done to make her so angry?

He bit his lip and his ears drooped as his gaze wandered down the tight alleyway where they had been-- or, he supposed, would be-- attacked. He was sure it had to do with his missing memories, and the very notion of it made his chest ache.

Maybe... Maybe I was bad before, he thought. Maybe I was awful.

He sighed to himself and then spun in place, trying to think, before he made the decision to check outside a little more thoroughly. First, though, he made to go check on Derpy.

He found her on her back on the bed in the other room on top of a starry quilt. He felt a spring of fondness and he quietly edged to her side and scooted the blanket down, and then back up and over her. She slumped a little and seemed a little more relaxed and Time Turner felt a little proud of himself, but only for a moment before he starting to fret again.

Can I really be bad? All I want to do is explore with Derpy and help out. Would I really be so different with my memories?

He recalled what Pinkie Pie had said about the subject and his heart sunk.

Maybe I would be.

He grimaced and paused a while longer, absently watching his friend snooze, the rhythmic rising and falling of the star-blanket around her a bit mesmerizing. Once he caught himself staring, he shook his mane and straightened up, trotting from the room quickly and quietly.

He paused just outside the door for a moment and then turned back in. He was still exhausted, but he thought maybe, just maybe-- He hurried to keep Derpy close, putting a hoof on her shoulder just in case, and he scrunched his eyes shut. He concentrated hard, trying to find that energy that had sent them back to begin with. For second he felt something-- or at least he thought he did-- but then, quite abruptly, there was nothing. Cautiously, Time Turner opened his eyes; his ears drooped low.

It didn’t work... Just my luck.

He frowned and drew his hoof away from his friend as he settled down onto the floor properly, his mind tumbling over the possibilities of why it didn’t work. Perhaps because he had no idea how even to choose where to go, let alone how to activate the power? He had to settle with simply not knowing and, reluctantly, left the room once more.

Outside, he checked the door for the flower mark, but there still wasn’t one. It unnerved him, but also made him very curious. He trotted a bit farther down the alleyway, checking cautiously back and forth before he whirled around to stare the small house down.

Nothing...

He grimaced and, though nervous, he headed down the tiny side street and back towards the market district, trying to be quick and quiet all at once. He hoped for a guard-- They’re supposed to uphold the law, right?-- wondering if anyone had seen the strange mare.

The golden sunlight was warm on his fur as he emerged from the shadows of the alley and he checked around a little suspiciously. Though it was quite early, there were still a few ponies around. Shop owners, probably. Time Turner checked around, his tail swishing, and he saw, a little ways away, patrolling near a fountain, a white stallion garbed in golden armour. He looked much like the guards he had seen at the palace. Time Turner checked behind him quickly, just in case, and then trotted up the the armoured stallion.

“Excuse me, sir,” he said as he got closer, “you are a guard, yes?”

The armoured stallion turned on him, looking a bit confused for a moment before giving him a polite nod.

“Absolutely,” he replied. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“I was just wondering if you’ve seen anyone a little suspicious around here,” Time Turner said, “specifically, a silver mare in a dark robe. I believe she was stalking me a bit earlier.”

The guard tilted his head very slightly and frowned a little before he shook his head.

“I’m afraid I haven’t,” he said. “I’ll be on my guard, though.”

“Oh. That’s all right. Thank you for your time.”

The guard nodded and Time Turner grimaced and turned to observe the market cautiously. There still wasn’t any sign of the metal mare, but he supposed she probably wouldn’t be so blatant. It was making him feel a bit paranoid nonetheless.

He rushed back to the tiny house and checked all the rooms, just in case, and then peeked in on Derpy. She was still asleep; hadn’t moved an inch. She was rather cute as she slept, he thought. Then again, most ponies seemed to be very cute to him. They were, in general, quite an adorable species in his eyes. Admittedly, he still felt a bit separate. He continued to watch a bit absently, perhaps for a little too long; then took a deep breath and went on back to the room he had been in and settled down to try to order his thoughts.

Time travel, huh?

He rubbed his forehead with his front hooves and glowered at the bedspread.

How did I do that?!

Light tickled Derpy’s eyelids, making her see pale pink and red spots until she opened her eyes, seeing not much more than the window before her. She was confused for a moment: the window wasn’t familiar, nor was the bit of roof or skyline she saw beyond it. She remembered where she was after a couple of frowning seconds, and hurriedly she sat up, slipping on skittering hooves and throwing her wings out for balance. She let out a squeak despite herself; her body was sore still, and it all rushed back to hit her in an instant.

Before she could say a word, she whirled to look in the doorway as she heard another set of hooves. Time Turner, a little scruffier than usual, was in her field of vision in an instant and he asked, “Miss Derpy, are you all right?”

“Wha--? Oh! Uh... Yeah, I’m...” She took a deep breath and ran a hoof through her mane, folding her wings back. “Yeah, I’m fine, I guess I just forgot where I was.”

Time Turner looked relieved and a smile crossed his face, his short tail wagging.

“Oh! Well, we’re the first day towards catching up with ourselves,” he said brightly. “Oh! Hang on just a moment!”

The stallion rushed away and Derpy heard his hooves clattering all over the house until he got back into the room, carrying the box of donuts precariously on one hoof. He nodded at the bed and asked, “May I?”

Derpy nodded quickly and Time Turner moved to sit on the bed, offering her a donut as he took one as well. The pegasus sat on the other side and took one a bit tentatively. It had gotten a little dry overnight, but it wasn’t bad.

“So,” Time Turner said, obviously shifting a bite of the donut to his cheek, “I talked to a guard. No sign of that pony. He said he’d watch out, though, so that’s something.”

He swallowed heavily and Derpy nodded, saying a quiet, “That’s good.”

He tilted his head and he asked, “Still worried, right?”

“Yeah,” she admitted.

“I am as well, but you and I, we’ll stick together and we’ll be just fine.” He grinned. “We can go see that meteor shower tonight. That would be something, eh? I mean... if you want to.”

He looked at her a bit bashfully, and his ears perked when she nodded.

“That’ll be nice,” she said. “But... what should we do for the rest of the day? Just lay low?”

“Maybe,” he confessed, and then tilted his head back and frowned. “Blast it, that sounds painfully boring.”

“What would you rather do?” the pegasus asked with a laugh.

“Almost anything,” he sighed. “Though I’d like to explore the city, I suppose staying out of sight should be our main priority.”

“My main priority,” Derpy corrected. “Some ponies know me here, and I really don’t want to have to end up explaining to the Equestrian Postal Service how I could have been in Canterlot and doing my job in Ponyville at the same time.”

Her ears drooped and Time Turner frowned in thought before he got up and paced a circle on the floor for a moment before his ears perked and he gave her a grin.

“I know what to do!” he announced, before galloping from the room.

He was gone before Derpy could stop him or ask what he was up to; she even heard the front door slam.

She sighed to herself and finished her donut slowly, listening to the birds chirp and wondering what in Equestria to do with herself. She got up an decided to fix up the beds, and check the house once more for anything suspicious. She soon heard the door slam again and Time Turner met her in the living room, tossing a bag that appeared to be from a souvenir shop to her.

“What’s this?” she asked as she caught it close against her chest.

“I hope you don’t mind, I used a few of your bits,” he said. “The nice pony said if you don’t like it, you can bring it back, I expect, in return for your bits.”

Derpy looked a bit puzzled but checked the bag. Inside she found a large, baggy black hoodie with wingslits and earholes, simple sunglasses, and some pale purple hoof-polish.

“Oh!” she said. “Actually... that’s kind of smart.”

“Thank you!” he said. “I know your Cutie Mark is supposed to be quite a significant indication of who’s who, so that large comfy torso covering should be long enough that you can cover it just a smidge.”

“It’s called a sweatshirt, by the way. That’s great, though,” Derpy said. “At least this hoof-polish will kill a bit of time. I might need you to double check it for me when it’s done, though. I don’t usually use this sort of thing.”

Before he could ask, she smiled embarrassedly and pointed to her wandering eye.

“Oh! Right, of course, I’d completely forgotten. Sorry!” he said, eyes widening.

Derpy was taken aback, but found herself to be grinning before she could help herself.

“That’s okay!” she assured him brightly. “I’ll be in the bathroom, is it okay if I let you know if I need help?”

“Absolutely,” the stallion said.

After painting her front hooves, Derpy hovered to do her back ones. It was time consuming and she had to be cautious not to get the colour in her fur or fly into the walls, but all things considered, she was sure she did an acceptable job. When she opened the door and fluttered out, calling for him, he arrived quickly.

“Can you check?” she asked as she held out her hooves.

“Oh! Yes, let me just... umm...” He darted under her, peeking at her hooves and pulled back with a smile, assuring her, “You did just fine.”

“Phew!” she sighed.

She waggled one hoof, checked the bottom, and then landed carefully on the floor, shaking her fur carefully.

“Looks okay, I think,” she said, shrugging.

“Looks about right,” Time Turner agreed. “I hope it suits you! I picked a colour that matches your bubbles.”

“Oh!”

Derpy blushed despite herself and said a high, “Thanks,” before she hurried to grab the sweatshirt. She put it on, slipping her wings through and pulling the hood up.

“Out?” She jerked her head towards the door.

“Brilliant,” the stallion said with a smile.

The two ponies left the house and Derpy put on the sunglasses as well. Time Turner checked the front of the door once more and, finding nothing, they left down the small side street and headed back into the market district.

Derpy was surprised to see some extra stands set up, with ponies hocking shooting star themed wears in preparation for the upcoming star shower in the evening.

“Seems like it’s gonna be a big thing,” she commented.

“Hmm?”

Time Turner looked at her curiously.

“Oh! Sorry, the shooting stars.”

“Ah. Right. That’s exciting, eh? I’ve always liked shooting stars. At least, I think I have.”

He took a moment to think about it and Derpy looked at him over her glasses.

“Yes!” he decided. “I have. That seems like a thing I’d like quite a bit, for some reason.”

Derpy snickered to herself, wondering, “Time Turner? You know how sometimes you sort of recall liking something? Do you think the way you are right now is a lot like you were before you lost your memories?”

“I certainly hope so,” the stallion replied.

He smiled bashfully and shrugged, and then hurriedly pointed out a stand selling enchanted snowglobes, dashing to it to look into the sparkling glass curiously. Derpy tilted her head and followed him, and then shot him a questioning look. He didn’t say anything for a moment and gently lifted one of the globes, but something about his expression worried the pegasus.

He was distracted, even if forcibly so. His bright eyes stared through the polished glass, but seemed to be looking much farther. Inside shone with tiny specs of white and blue sparkles and showed the ornate and splendid castle that towered over the city. He stared into it a bit blankly for a moment and Derpy scanned his face.

he smiled just a little before he confessed, “It’s something I’ve been worrying about a lot, to be honest.”

Derpy opened her mouth to reassure him, but before she could, the stallion’s front hooves slipped, and with a sharp, “Oops!” he dropped the orb to the ground and it rolled quickly.

“Sorry!” he exclaimed as the purple vendor-mare jumped with alarm, assuring, “Stay here. I’ll get it!” as he galloped after it.

The vendor shot Derpy a questioning look and the pegasus grinned bashfully, assuring her, “I’ll pay for it if it breaks.”

The snowglobe clinked across the stone and Time Turner darted around a few other ponies to chase the surprisingly speedy object. It bounced awkwardly against the corner of a bakery and wobbled down the space between it and the neighbouring clothing boutique. Hoping it had stopped, Time Turner hurried into the small alleyway, cursing himself for being so distracted and half-expecting to see the thing cracked, but stalled in his tracks as he came upon something quite odd. The snowglobe had stopped. certainly, but was suspended in a purple-blue glow of magic emanating from the pointy horn of a small and strange creature, the likes of which Time Turner had never seen.

She looked like a pony at first, a young one with big yellow eyes and a long, black mane, streaked with a light and darker turquoise. The little creature had shaggy, dark grey fur over most of her body, but her limbs didn’t match. He couldn’t describe them much other than that one of her front legs seemed to be much like a bird’s, but the other was ended with a dark, spotted paw instead. Strangely, her back legs were different once more, one with a purple hoof while the other was a scaled, toned-down blue limb with claws on the foot. Behind feathered ears was each a long, deep purple horn that curled down and forward, and she bore on her back two bird wings tipped in white feathers with a patch that changed colours between green and purple in the light as she shifted. She stared at him, tilting her head as she gave him an amused smile, a long, purple tail tufted and maned in black swishing behind her.

“Uh... Hello,” Time Turner said. “Sorry, may I have that back?”

He nodded at the snowglobe, and the small creature tilted her head the other way.

“Hello,” she said, her voice high and bright, and she grinned, “having a good time in Canterlot?”

The way she said it divulged some sort of deeper knowledge, and Time Turner was instantly uncomfortable; he did he best not to check back over his shoulder.

“Um... Yes, quite a good time,” the stallion said, unable to help the tinge of skepticism that crept into his voice.

The creature before him laughed.

“You don’t have anything to be scared of, we haven’t even met yet!” she chided, and then grinned with little fangs in a way that made his fur bristle, “I suppose this is our first time! But don’t worry, we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other. What are you called now? Time Turner?”

Time Turner’s blood ran cold and his ears drooped backwards; he took an unconscious step away.

“Doesn’t really make a difference to me.” She bounced the snowglobe from side to side in the air. “Strange to see you just like this. Meeting backwards is always a funny thing, isn’t it? Oh well. I’m Paradox, so you know.”

“Paradox?” Time Turner repeated, “But... who are you?”

“Just wait and see,” she said quickly, her grin quickly turning into a sneer. “You won’t like it. But that’s half the fun, isn’t it? Catch!”

She tossed the snowglobe towards him quickly and was gone before he could blink, seeming to simply not be there anymore. With a yelp, the stallion reared back and tried to catch the thing in his hooves, balancing it awkwardly only to have it fall as he stumbled awkwardly on his hindlimbs. The sharp cracking sound made him wince and he dropped down onto all fours, his ears pressing back as water filled with little sparkling specs puddled out onto the ground..

“Oh, horsefeathers!” he cursed quietly.

Puzzled, scared, and defeated, he gently pushed the broken thing back into the alley and returned, head hung, towards the souvenir stand.

When Derpy spotted Time Turner out in the crowd, she didn’t even bother to wait for him before turning to the vendor and paying her the small cost of the snowglobe. She trotted to meet him and he quietly said, “It broke.”

“I could tell from your face,” Derpy assured him. “It’s okay, it wasn’t very expensive. Don’t worry.”

When the stallion didn’t look the least bit cheered, she peeked at him over her glasses and then took them off, folding them in and pocketing them.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Can we speak in private?” he asked.

“Wha...? Oh! Um, yeah, of course,” Derpy said quickly. “Wanna go back to the house?”

He nodded and didn’t say another word, raising his head a bit and determinedly making his way back to the vacant abode of Pecan Posy. The pegasus watched him worriedly but they didn’t speak until they were back indoors.

Derpy was about to ask him what was wrong when he whirled on her, blurting a quick, “There was a small creature in the alley and she knew me, and I have no idea what she was, and she said--”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Derpy said quickly, raising her front hooves, “slow down. What happened?”

Time Turner sucked in a deep breath and bounced back and forth on his hooves, eyes wide.

“All right,” he said, visibly trying to calm down, “when I followed that glass ball I dropped, I ran into a creature that was as if she were a patchwork of other creatures, and she said she was called Paradox and that we had met backwards. She knew my name. The name you’ve given me, I mean.”

Derpy didn’t know what to say other than, “Oh,” as her eyes widened, and then asked, “But... who was she? Did she tell you anything?”

“She was quite sinister, if I’m honest,” he replied. “But... But meeting backwards, that’s a rather specific thing to say, eh? She must be traveling through time then as well, right?”

Derpy hadn’t even considered it. She rubbed her forehead.

“Yup, guess so,” she said before she let out a worried sigh and looked at her friend quizzically. “But... you said she was ‘sinister’?”

“Yes, yes, just her tone, I... I don’t know! I don’t know what to make of it at all!”

He dropped back onto his haunches and put his face in his front hooves, his ears drooping back. He was starting to get quite the headache.

Derpy’s ears drooped and she sat beside him, patting him gently on the shoulder.

“I guess there’s just a lot we don’t know right now,” she said quietly, “but... I’m sure... I’m sure we can get this all figured out. It’ll just take some time. Just gotta keep going up, right?”

She shot him a smile when he finally looked up again, enough so that he managed to crack one himself.

“Always so positive,” he chuckled. “I suppose you’re right. I’m sorry for collapsing like that.”

“Time Turner, you’re having weird time travel experiences and you have no idea who you are, and you expect to not have to stop and just get a hold of yourself every once and a while?” Derpy asked, raising her eyebrows a bit skeptically.

Time Turner opened his mouth as if to argue something-- Derpy had no idea what he could possible object to-- but he faltered, and then smiled and rubbed a hoof through his forelock.

“Thank you,” he said. “Sorry for costing you for that-- what was it?”

“Snowglobe. It’s fine, really,” she assured him with a laugh. “Anyway, we’ll just keep our eyes open for this ‘Paradox’. What did you say she was, again?”

“Can’t really describe, I mean... I still don’t know the names of all the creatures here, but... she looked almost like a pony in the face and body, and a very dark colour, but she had three horns and wings and each limb was totally different.”

Derpy was taken aback and she suddenly felt a bit cold. She only knew of one creature even remotely similar to that, but he was currently encased in stone and in the care of Princess Celestia. The last time he had been out and about, he had literally turned Ponyville upside down and had really worked a number on the minds of the townsfolk, including herself. She shuddered, and though Time Turner gave her a worried look, she stood up, gathered herself.

“I’m not positive what she would be, but we should probably stay away from her if you think she might be trouble.”

“Right,” the stallion agreed.

He got to his hooves and, nonetheless, checked the windows cautiously. He didn’t really feel safe. He shot Derpy a nervous glance, but she merely tilted her head as she looked at him. Finally, he smiled and nodded his head at the door.

“No use holding up in here, for now. Shall we make a few more inquiries about that strange pony that attacked us?”

Derpy nodded and pulled out her sunglasses to put them back on, saying, “We’ll figure this out,” as she did.

Unwilling to split up, the two ponies bounced from guard to guard, making inquiries about the mysterious silver pony, though after the first four refused to believe a creature like Paradox even existed, they dropped her from their line of questioning. No one had heard or seen anything like the hooded assailant they had described, and of course, it was impossible to report the attack that hadn’t happened yet.

As afternoon crept in and their hooves started to tire, they took a rest near a coffee shop, where Derpy bought them each a smoothie. She sipped hers, a chocolate chip and mint something-or-other, delicately as she sat beside her friend on a stone bench, watching past him a bit absently as a unicorn guard bee-lined between small groups of ponies a little ways away. Time Turner stared at his drink: the straw seemed to confuse him at first, but he was rather pleased as soon as he got the hang of it, and was even more pleased with the sweet lemon smoothie when he tasted it.

“I can’t believe we haven’t gotten a single lead,” Derpy grumbled as she leaned back against the bench. “...Maybe she’s not here yet.”

“Could be,” Time Turner agreed.

He said nothing more and sipped at his drink and the pegasus beside him watched him for a moment before she tentatively asked, “So... did you have a plan? For what to do when we find her, I mean.” Time Turner stuck his tongue out.

“No plan, really. I suppose I’d like to knock her out?”

“Knock her out?” Derpy repeated with wide eyes. “What for? And how?”

“Well, just think about where we came from, Miss Derpy,” he explained, and his hoof drew in the air as if trying to make a map. “We were three days ahead of now, but at that moment during the attack, we must have vanished. Now, we are living through the days to catch up with the moment we left. Following me?”

Derpy nodded and he smiled.

“I’m sure on that final day it shouldn’t be too hard to track a cloaked mare in the market district in the afternoon. We can wait in the house, I suppose. I suspect that mare will be quite startled when we vanish, and at that point we can... I’m not sure? Tackle her or something along those lines. To prevent more damage.”

His ears perked and Derpy tilted her head.

“So, wait... I thought you didn’t have a plan.”

“I didn’t, I just made that up as I went. Clever, eh?”

“...Yeah. Yeah, I think so. But to knock her out...” Derpy shook her head. “I have no idea.”

Time Turner shrugged.

“We have a few days,” he assured her.

“How could I forget?” Derpy joked.

She sipped at her drink and then stretched her forelimbs up above her head tiredly, only to immediately wish she hadn’t as her bruises quickly flared up. She cringed but kept herself quiet, and then wondered, “Now what?” Time Turner shrugged and slurped his drink until it was gone.

“Such an interesting taste!” he said brightly, “What is it?”

“Lemon,” Derpy said. “A fruit. Don’t try eating one on its own, though, normally they’re really sour.”

“Oh! Never would have guessed,” he laughed. “Ready to get going again?”

Derpy held up one hoof and finished her own drink quickly, and then said a quick, “Yep.” She took his empty cup and, along with hers, threw them out in a trash bin before joining him again.

They began on their way again, but Derpy was starting to ache. She tried to ignore it, but didn’t even notice that she had started to walk funny until Time Turner stopped her with a hoof on her shoulder.

“You’re limping a little,” he said.

“Me? Oh,” Derpy said, a bit surprised, “I didn’t notice.”

“You’re hurt, aren’t you?” he asked, ears drooping.

“Just bruised,” she assured him, “don’t worry about it.”

She shot him a smile and he seemed a little reassured, though his brow was still creased with worry. She laughed and was about to reassure him again when the sound of heavy hooves approaching them startled her badly and she jumped, only to see a guard approaching them quickly. Even though he looked stern and she couldn’t help but shrink away, she was immediately relieved that they weren’t being accosted by that silver mare.

The guard was a pale grey unicorn dressed in a slightly lighter and more ornate, golden armour than was familiar to Derpy and he stopped short of them and looked them up and down intently.

“You two are visitors, right?” the guard asked.

“Y-Yes,” Derpy replied quickly.

“First time here,” Time Turner said with a smile.

The other stallion nodded and then his horn lit up with blue; he produced a pale golden envelope and passed it to them. Derpy took it and looked at the guard curiously.

“You are cordially invited to the palace grounds to watch the shooting stars this evening,” he said. “Bring any friends you wish. The grounds are open to all, tonight.”

“Oh!” Derpy said a bit shrilly, her ears perking high. “Wow, okay. Thanks, sir.”

He nodded and smiled before heading off as he spotted another small group, to whom he soon presented another golden envelope.

Derpy raised her eyebrow and cast a glance at Time Turner. The stallion looked thoughtful and he peeked in at the envelope. Derpy opened it with one of her wings and, as expected, it was a letter emblazoned with a sun and crescent moon, expressing the same invitation the guard had repeated.

“Nice,” Derpy said. “What do you think? Want to watch from there tonight?”

“Sounds lovely to me,” he said, “but for now, would you like to call it a day?”

Derpy tilted her head and stared at him blankly before asking, “Why?”

“Take a bit of a rest,” he said with a shrug. “I honestly don’t think that mare is in town yet. I’m not sure we can actually do much more today.”

“If you think so,” Derpy said with a shrug.

“I do,” he said, steadfast.

He looked so serious that the pegasus couldn’t help but laugh.

“All right, all right!” she said, waving a hoof at him.

Though he still looked worried and although she was sore, she ruffled her wings and pawed the ground, saying, “Race you!” She took off before he could answer, prompting him to give chase.

He reached the house before she did, but she didn’t mind. She grinned at him and fluffed her wings as her rather quick friend held the door open for her.

“Silly girl,” he commented, sticking his tongue out at her.

She laughed and took off her sunglasses before she flopped down onto the couch in the living room, cozying into her sweatshirt. Time Turner followed and sat at the other end, stretching his hooves up into the air. His rest was short, though; he was soon up and patrolling the rooms once more.

As Derpy heard Time Turner’s hooves reaching the far rooms upstairs, she called, “Anything?” She heard more hooves and he poked his head down the stairs.

“Absolutely nothing.”

The little pegasus napped without realizing it for a bit of the afternoon, cozy where she had settled on the sofa. Time Turner couldn’t sleep, but was glad his sore friend was able to. He could barely relax. Paradox’s words played in his mind. He didn’t know what she meant, but he didn’t think he liked it.

Time Turner only woke Derpy when the sun had started to set, and, finally with a bit of excitement, the two of them headed towards the palace.

The sky was clear with the few remaining clouds being gently pushed away by pegasi in the distance. Derpy was beginning to feel a strange sense of nostalgia already, simply by looking at the sunset. As the city began to level out towards the palace, smoothing the skyline a little, Derpy couldn’t help but pause and stare at the sky, eyes wide; her roaming pupil took in a little more than she could handle. Time Turner inclined his head as he watched her and when she caught him staring, she skittered on her front hooves a little.

“Ack, it’s so weird!” she exclaimed. “I’ve seen this exactly before! And this isn’t even the special bit.”

Time Turner laughed and followed her gaze before giving her a smile.

“Truth be told, I’m a little jealous,” he said. “But I’m sure I’ll know that feeling in a few days.”

“So weird...” Derpy muttered, still a bit awed.

They hurried on their way, though Derpy quickly began to feel a little self-conscious as she noticed the elaborate, graceful dress of many of the mares up the road. Many ponies seemed to have their manes carefully coiffed and shimmering gowns, many even star-themed, covered their bodies. She pulled her wings in close and bit her lip. The stallion by her side looked at her questioningly but didn’t say a word.

The palace before them was sparkling in the orange-and-pink glow of the setting sun, the shining towers stretching up towards the sky.

“Oh, this place is really lovely in the light,” Time Turner commented as they got closer, “don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” Derpy agreed.

She ruffled her wings and picked up the pace just a little and before long, they were able to slink past a few of the groups stalled and chatting in the lanes and into the courtyard.

Before them was laid out an elaborate party spread, with tables covered with elegant blue tablecloths and laden with some of the fanciest looking pastries and cakes that Derpy had ever seen in her life. There were elegant, well-dressed ponies everywhere, crowding the grass, and there was even a small, classical band playing at the far end of the meadow. Derpy again felt severely underdressed, but beside her, Time Turner’s face lit up and he grinned, taking off to bounce around the area, checking out ponies and tables all around. The pegasus laughed at him quietly and waited a little, trying to keep herself off to the side and out of the way of the incoming guests. When the stallion rejoined her, he presented her with a brownie frosted with dark chocolate and a white chocolate paisley pattern, garnished with a bright red cherry.

“Thanks!” she said brightly, and then laughed and took a bite. “We’ve just been eating desserts for days.”

“Ah, well, desserts are cheap,” the stallion chuckled. “Or free.”

“...And delicious.”

Time Turner laughed and took an inquisitive look around at all the ponies.

He found it so interesting how all the ponies seemed so different in terms of the colours in their fur, and to see so many in one place was fascinating to him, especially since there were such physical differences. Feathered wings or occasionally wings of a membrane spread between long fingers, horns, or nothing like that at all. All the ponies seemed to get along nonetheless, and that made Time Turner happy.

One pony a ways away, speaking to a few fancy-looking mares, really stood out. She was very tall and her pelt shimmered white, and he mane billowed with pale turquoise, green, blue and pink, glinting as if producing its own, tiny flecks of light. She also bore both wide, elegant, feathered wings on her back and a horn on her brow. He had only seen that combination like it once before, on Princess Luna, though the dark-pelted mare had much more rounded wings. The golden crown perched on her head, behind her horn, made her stand out as someone quite extraordinary; he poked Derpy and pointed at her, wondering, “Who’s that?” as he noticed his familiar Princess join her, whom he was surprised to see was quite a bit shorter.

Derpy’s gaze followed his hoof and, quickly, she slapped it down as her eyes widened, and she squeaked, “That’s Princess Celestia!”

“Princess Celestia?” It took Time Turner a moment to recall the name. “Ah, right, the queen-- no, the ruler, right? Co-ruler?”

“Right, co-ruler with Princess Luna,” Derpy explained.

“My, my, she looks quite extraordinary, doesn’t she? Brilliant,” he said brightly. “She’s a pony as well? She looks quite different.”

“She’s something called an ‘alicorn’. They’re really not very common at all.” She edged in closer to him and lowered her voice. “I heard that she and her sister might be the only two ‘natural’ ones left. They’re really old.”

“How old?” Time Turner asked curiously.

“Over one thousand years, definitely,” she said with a serious nod.

“That’s amazing,” the stallion said, eyes wide.

He looked at the tall, glittering mare again and couldn’t help but wish he could speak to her. A mare like that would have so much knowledge, wouldn’t she?

She must be just fascinating! he thought.

Derpy watched her friend seeming to slip off into daydreams as he stared at the Princess, and she really couldn’t blame him. It was starting to get a little darker and the crowd was thickening and getting quite loud. The pegasus wasn’t exactly a huge fan of large groups and she took a few steps back and turned to survey the area, wondering if there was another place they could watch from.

A little ways back, she spotted a small balcony protruding from the palace that was barely a floor off the ground. She tilted her head.

I wonder...

She grabbed Time Turner and pulled him back towards it, and before he could even ask her what she was doing, she was testing a small ledge on the wall as a foothold and then lifting off and making a landing on the low stone railing bordering the balcony.

“Can you make the jump?” she asked.

“What? To up there?”

He looked confused but went up onto the ledge, only to freeze as a gruff voice shouted, “Hey!” Derpy’s blood turned to ice and she plastered herself against the stone and Time Turner jumped and whirled to see a unicorn guard in golden armour trotting up to them with a stern face, demanding, “What are you two doing?”

Derpy shakily pointed to the end of the balcony, squeaking out, “W-We just w-wanted to s-see the-- oh feathers, um...”

“We just wanted to see the shooting stars from up there, is that all right?” Time Turner asked calmly.

The guard looked at both of them before tilting his head.

“You should have just gone through the palace, friends,” the guard said. “Carry on, friends.”

He turned and headed off without another word and Derpy let out a breath so deep that she seemed to completely deflate. Time Turner shot her a compassionate smile and then braced himself to jump. She quickly held out both hooves.

“Wait! He said you can go through the palace!”

“Very kind offer, but this seems much quicker," Time Turner said.

“If you can make it...” Derpy pouted.

He seemed to ignore her, braced his back legs, and then leaped straight up towards the balcony. To Derpy’s shock, and to his, he easily cleared it, landing on skittering hooves just a bit beyond the pegasus.

“Wha...?! What?! How did you--? WHAT?!” Derpy cawed. “Did you see that?!”

“I lived it, my friend,” he said, his eyes wide, and he checked his hooves carefully. “How did I...? Oh, my, I suppose that must be about the hundredth strange thing about me.”

“Super jumping. G-Great,” Derpy stammered. “Um... Actually, that was really cool.”

She laughed and pushed down her hood to rub her mane and Time Turner smiled bashfully. He trotted to the edge of the balcony and took a seat before he beckoned for his friend to follow. She took off her sunglasses and pocketed them before joining him, taking a tired seat beside him. She noticed he was breathing a little too hard and she grimaced before gently patting him on his shoulder, trying to reassure him. He took a deep breath and smiled just a little.

Night set in rather quickly, the sky a deep, saturated purple, glittering with stars. The crowd below was still all a rumble, but before long, they silenced themselves as the first twinkling began to tumble downwards. Chatter was replaced with oohs and aahs, marking each trail of the shooting stars that set the night aglow. Derpy watched with awe, her chest tightening. It felt so unreal. She turned her eyes on Time Turner. He was staring so intently and the sparkling sky shone brightly reflected in his glossy, blue eyes.

The stallion felt overwhelmed. He couldn’t explain it, but something about the sight of the shining stars barreling at hundreds of miles per hour down across and through the atmosphere made his throat become taut and his heart soar. He felt shoved outside of time. He gulped, blinking tears from his eyes and felt like he had to ground himself through his hooves.

His body started when he felt Derpy’s gentle hoof grab onto his and he finally tore his eyes away from the sky to look at her. Something about the starlight on her face set her yellow eyes alight and when she smiled and assured him, “You’ll be okay,” he felt himself start to shake. He pressed a bit closer to her

“Thank you,” he muttered, before turning his eyes skyward.

A blue light drew his gaze and he saw Derpy point it out in particular.

“That one crashes,” she said.

Time Turner followed it and saw it disappear; from where they sat, they couldn’t see it properly, but after a moment there was a slight tint of black smoke in the deep night sneaking up from where it had vanished.

“This is... This is just... so weird,” Derpy muttered, “because I know that I’m seeing this same thing, right now, in Ponyville.”

“That is a bit of a blast to the old brain, isn’t it?” he agreed. “And I must be somewhere there as well.”

“I found you just a few minutes after seeing that,” she said. “I thought for sure it was a piece of rock or something that hit you in the head.”

“And was it?” Time Turner asked, eyes wide.

Derpy shook her head and he looked puzzled, wondering, “What was it, then?”

“You know, I never found out,” she said with an embarrassed laugh.

Time Turner shrugged and turned his eyes back on the skies as the sparkling trails began to fade. They sat quietly until all that was left were the distant stars twinkling, and before long the stomping applause of hooves erupted from below before chatter began again, loud and even more exuberant that before.

Time Turner flicked his ears back and forth and grinned at Derpy.

“That was fantastic,” he said. “Thanks for bringing me to this spot.”

“No problem,” she assured him, and she stood and stretched her wings up and back, taut, before folding them back in and ruffling her feathers. “Want to head back? Or grab some more desserts?”

The stallion shook his head and wobbled to his hooves before stealing a glance back towards tiny spec of dark smoke in the sky.

“I sort of wish I could have seen myself just before,” he admitted, “But I suppose that’s not possible, eh?”

“Not unless you want to do one of those time loop thingies. Oh, and also you’d have to be able to send us back in time again,” Derpy said, “and... then there’d be three of us in the same relative spot, and that seems sort of like pushing it, doesn’t it?”

“You’re dead-on,” Time Turner agreed, “plus I don’t actually know how to send us back in time.”

“Fair enough,” Derpy laughed.

Her friend couldn’t help a yawn and he blinked heavily, his head suddenly swooned and his vision went a bit blue.

“Oh my,” he said, cringing, and when the pegasus gave him a questioning look, he admitted, “Getting a little lightheaded, I’m afraid.”

“Oh! You’re not feeling well?” Derpy asked a bit shrilly. “Oh! Okay, let’s get back then.”

He nodded and forced a few more blinks, trying to clear his eyes as the blue, very slowly, began to drain away. Derpy bit her lip nervously and scooted to his side, nudging him with her head.

She helped Time Turner down and hurried him out past the partygoers and the guards, despite the fact that his hooves were getting heavy. He was getting more lethargic; Derpy practically had to hold him up as she took him back to the house as fast as she could. When he began to stumble close to some market stalls, she stopped abruptly and stared at him worriedly, demanding, “Time Turner, do you want to go to the hospital? Is it your heart?”

“I... No, I’m just very tired,” he said quietly, and he forced his head up and glaring ahead. “I’m fine.”

Derpy didn’t believe a word of it, but she nudged him on farther and down the side street that lead to their temporary house.

The alleyway was very dark and quiet; Derpy’s heart beat double time, but there didn’t seem to be anything amiss. She rushed her friend inside and closed the door tight, and before his wobbly legs could give out, she helped heave him up the stairs.

“I truly apologize,” he said quietly. “I... I don’t know what’s come over me.”

“It’s fine,” Derpy said quickly; she nudged him into the closest bedroom and all but pushed him down onto the bed.

He collapsed in a heap on the blankets and rubbed his forehead almost in slow motion, taking a deep breath.

“How are you feeling?” Derpy asked. “Seriously, tell me? Is it your heart?”

Time Turner tried to force his eyes open a bit wider and he shook his head, but put a hoof against his chest to check just in case. He couldn’t feel anything out of the ordinary.

“No.”

Derpy stared him down, her wandering eye seeming almost to scan him and she frowned suspiciously. She bit her lip and pushed in closer as the stallion folded his forelegs up against his chest tiredly.

“Move, let me listen,” she insisted.

“I assure you, I’m fine,” he said, yawning, “just tired. Rather suddenly, I admit, but--”

Derpy ignored him and shoved his forelegs aside, plastering her ear against his chest and listening closely. She felt a strike of panic in her heart when she heard his beating strong and strange, not the regular thumping she expected, but an unusual beat repeating in threes.

“T-Time Turner,” she began, drawing back with eyes wide, “th-that doesn’t sound normal.”

He didn’t answer, merely waving a hoof sleepily in the air before he slumped in place, his limbs going limp and his lids drooping closed. Derpy’s heart sunk and she grabbed his shoulders, and then patted him all over, muttering, “Oh no,” to herself.

“Time Turner?!” she demanded a bit shrilly.

He let out a small sound as if to say he had heard her and she gulped and sat back a bit, ears drooping. She got up and pranced anxiously, her wings flaring.

Um... Medicine? Should I get him medicine?

She was about to head toward the door but then stopped short and whirled to stare at him, thinking, No, stupid! You can’t do that! You don’t even know what’s wrong with him, you can’t just give him whatever heart medicine from a pharmacy! That’s a terrible idea!

She pawed the floor and then pulled off her sweatshirt and, after hesitating for a moment, draped it over him. It wasn’t big enough to substitute a blanket and Derpy flinched --Of course it isn’t! Ugh! -- and she hurried to the other room. She grabbed the quilt in her teeth and yanked it off the bed, dragging it back to her friend and tossing it over his still frame.

Derpy felt her heart beating too fast as she watched him, her ears drooping low. After considering for a moment, her mind racing with worry, she clambered up onto the other end of the bed and sat down, propping her back up against the low hoofboard and setting herself up to watch him.

His breathing sounded normal, so that was a relief, but she couldn’t even bring herself to move to check for something to read to pass the time. She got off the bed and went to his side to check his forehead before taking her seat again, folding her wings in close against her sides. She couldn’t feel a fever, but he was shaking a little. She folded her forelimbs tightly against her chest and tried to make herself comfortable.

That’s it, Time Turner, I’m not letting you out of my sight! Not even for a second!

She felt like she had blinked. Just for a moment. She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep until sunlight hit her straight in the face.

Derpy yelped and instinctively retreated, only to hit the hoofboard awkwardly. She waved her forelimbs trying to regain her balance but to no avail; she toppled with a thud off the back of the bed and to the floor.

“Ooww...” she whined quietly.

She got up, rubbing her bruised back, and then quickly darted to Time Turner’s side, checking his brow for any sign of fever. He seemed fine, but something about him looked a little different; she couldn’t place it. Quietly, she asked, “Time Turner?” He didn’t answer but one of his ears twitched towards her and she sighed with relief.

“Hey,” she said quietly, “are you awake?”

“...Sort of,” he replied quietly.

“Oh good, she said. “I was worried about you. I’m glad.”

A small smile spread across his face and he quietly assured her, “I’m okay. Thank you, Miss Derpy.”

He frowned a little and it seemed to take a bit of effort for him to open his eyes. Derpy grinned and her ears perked.

“I was really worried, you know.”

“I believe you,” he said with a quiet laugh, “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what came over me.”

He started to sit up a bit but Derpy held up one hoof, saying, “Wait a second. Just relax. You want some food?”

“I, uh...”

He paused to consider. His stomach was starting to feel uncomfortably achey, now that he thought about it.

“I think that may be a good idea,” he admitted.

Derpy nodded and she tilted her head, mentally calculating the amount of bits she had left and she mumbled, mostly to herself, “We can have a proper breakfast if we just go for snacks until we get to go home. Okay.”

“What?” Time Turner asked.

She quickly assured him, “I’ll be right back!” before she took off out the room and down the stairs.

“Wait!” he called, but she didn’t seem to hear; he heard the front door open and close again and he managed to sit up a bit, his ears drooping. “But... you forgot your sweatshirt...”

He shifted in bed and found the aforementioned thing around him and he got up, stumbling for only a moment before he planted his hooves on the solid floor. Something about his legs felt weird-- not bad, mind you-- and he looked at his hooves and spun in place. He couldn’t really place it, but something in his movement felt smoother, as if he had more control. He didn’t feel lethargic or bumbling at all, and his mind quickly snapped back into focus. He felt fine. In fact, he felt so incredibly fine that he looked at himself suspiciously.

Testing his legs, Time Turner ran down the stairs; then up, and then down once more. He tilted his head. He went up and down once more. His legs felt strangely strong. He frowned: something was odd, for sure.

Trying to put it out of his mind, Time Turner did his regular routine, checking carefully through each room, inspecting for any changes at all or anything suspicious, and then pulled the quilt he had been under back into the other room and then took Derpy’s sweatshirt and brought it downstairs to the sofa and draped it across the back. He was about to take a seat to wait for his friend when, to his shock, he heard her voice shriek from outside.

He was throwing back the front door almost instantly. Before him stood Derpy, ears back, wings out, eyes wide and scared, and a large, brown paper bag dropped onto the ground before her.

“Derpy! What’s wrong?” he demanded.

He rushed to her side and grabbed her hoof, and she squeaked.

“It’s there!”

He didn’t get a chance to ask; she quickly broke away and closed the door. Time Turner felt like his blood had frozen. There, etched in clearly as if it had always been there, was the same flower mark that had been scrawled on the delivery message Derpy had received. Time Turner gawked and Derpy raised both front hooves to rub her forehead.

“It must have happened in the night,” the stallion said.

He drew closer to inspect it and the pegasus got out of his way. She sighed and scooped up the brown bag she had dropped and waited and watched as Time Turner ran his hoof along the carving. Derpy bit her lip, but then took a look at her friend a bit more closely as he straightened up and began to mutter to himself about the carving technique. She was taken back; he looked different-- bigger, somehow.

“I’m not sure, but this looks almost like precise burning,” the stallion said, “but when could this have happened? Did it not produce any smoke?”

Derpy didn’t know what to say; her brain was trying to process too much too quickly. It sounded ridiculous but the words danced on the tip of her tongue. When Time Turner looked at her as if expecting a comment, he tilted his head and backstepped into the house, beckoning for her to follow and asking, “What? What is it, Miss Derpy? You look completely stunned.”

The pegasus awkwardly followed her friend inside and tried to find the words as her friend closed the door behind her.

“Uh, Time Turner,” she said, trying to be delicate, “are you... taller?”

“Taller?” he repeated.

He stood before her and tilted his head curiously. Derpy nodded and drew a line in the air from her eyes and straight across, which bumped soundly against his throat.

“Weren’t we a bit more even before?” she asked.

Time Turner blinked and then spun around, trying to look at himself rather unsuccessfully, and then mimicked her action. He suspected that his eyes would have met with her eartips, as usual, but he quickly realized that it didn’t, he was, indeed, a bit taller than before.

“A mirror--?” he began, and Derpy quickly pointed him to the bathroom.

He took off at a gallop and was gone for only a few seconds before he barreled back.

“You’re right, and my musculature seems to have changed a bit as well, and I’m a little shaggier in some spots.”

“Do you feel any different?” she asked a bit worriedly.

“I feel a bit... faster,” he said. “Sort of like my body is more precise. I noticed something before, actually, and I tried the stairs many times.”

Derpy stared at him blankly for a moment before rubbing her brow and, exhausted, laughing, “Of course. Just... of course.”

He looked almost apologetic but Derpy merely shook her head and shoved the brown bag at him for him to take. He checked curiously inside: muffins and fruit, and small bottles of juice.

Breakfast was quiet. Neither pony really knew what to say. Time Turner had many of the same questions Derpy had, and neither of them had a single answer. After they had eaten, before the stallion could protest, Derpy had her ear pressed against his chest again.

“I just don’t get it,” she sighed.

“What?”

“You sound like... Not normal. You sound like your heart is about to burst right out of your chest,” she tried to explain, “It’s too many beats and it’s too fast.”

“I have no explanation. I’m sorry,” Time Turner said, ears drooping and his brows bending apologetically. “But I feel completely fine. In fact, after last night’s odd experience, I feel better than I can ever remember.”

“I know. I know...” She rubbed her forehead for what felt like the umpteenth time. “You’re weird. I like you, but everything about you is weird.”

Time Turner couldn’t help a laugh, and he gave the pegasus a grin.

“That’s more than fair,” he said.

That day, the search for the strange mare again turned up nothing, and added to the questions were inquiries about any pony at all heading down the alleyway. Even the guards from late at night only recalled seeing Time Turner and Derpy.

Derpy was getting exhausted. Time Turner, on the other hand, seemed to have boundless energy all of a sudden. As he decided to tour Canterlot of hoof, he and Derpy finally separated, in a way. Derpy took a spot high up on top of one of a large, courthouse-like building with a golden and ivory tower than reached high enough that Derpy could watch her friend from afar but she could also see the distant spec of Ponyville. It was starting to be clearly marked by the dark, smokelike clouds pouring out from within the Everfree forest. It felt so strange to her to see such a thing.

I think I’m meeting with Applejack right now, she thought.

It was hard for her to wrap her mind around.

There wasn’t a single sign of that mare that day. It was starting to seem like she had appeared out of nowhere. Time Turner was also especially glad to have not seen hide nor hair of the creature that had called herself Paradox. In truth, Derpy was relieved too. If she was what she thought she was, she couldn’t imagine there being many good results in running into her. It was all Derpy could do to not have a panic attack when Time Turner had described her initially.

They stayed up late that night on a house’s rooftop, watching with a mixture of fear and curiosity as the dome of thunderheads began to cover Ponyville. Derpy wished that they could do something about it, but she knew that it wasn’t an option.

The next day, the two ponies watched the drama play out from afar. Taking a spot on a high roof with a picnic of cheap snacks and drinks from one of the tourist shops, they watched the dome and the lightning that sparked when, presumably, a pegasus was captured. Derpy couldn’t help her eyes from welling up and she squished her sleeved forelimbs against her chest as if trying to hide in her sweatshirt. Time Turner watched her worriedly and gently asked, “Are you okay?”

“It was so scary,” she said quietly. “They must all be so scared...”

“We’ll save them,” he assured her.

Derpy gulped, her throat feeling a little tight, but she realized that he was exactly right.

“Right,” she agreed, “we’ll save them by the end of the day. Right...”

They relived the day, trying to make a note of what happened when. For Derpy, they were probably the most surreal moments of her life, even more so than the repeat viewing of the shooting stars. The dome looked much more imposing from afar than she had realized and it was absolutely heart-wrenching to go through it once more, blow by blow. Time Turner held her hoof as things pushed on and despite the absolute, mind-spinning strangeness of their predicament, Derpy felt a bit better. She didn’t know why, but it made her feel a bit safer.

Later in the day, when Derpy saw the lightning flash that was meant for her, she felt a tingle up her spine and her fur stood on end.

“This is so weird” Derpy said, her wings flaring. “So. Weird.”

Time Turner was grappling with a bag of apple chips and jumped to hear it pop as he squished it in too much, and then looked at Derpy and asked, “Something specific, or-?”

“Well, yeah, kind of!” she said, and pointed out over the vast landscape below them. “I just saw the lightning bolt that almost hit me. I think I just got caught, like, now.”

“And that’s very difficult to grasp, isn’t it?” he said sympathetically as he returned to her side carefully-- it still threw her off a little how he was suddenly a decent bit taller than he had been-- and sat back on his haunches.

“Of course it is!” she said, throwing her hooves up. “I’m over there, but I did that all ready, and it’s just--! Horsefeathers! It’s weird!”

“I agree completely,” he assured her, “but the longer we’re here, I find myself not finding it extremely alarming, for some reason.”

Derpy shot him a quizzical look and her ears drooped a bit as she wondered, “Do you think you’ve done this before?”

“Um... Huh.”

Time Turner’s eyes widened a little and he sat back; he tapped a forehoof on the roof a bit absently for a moment before he confessed, a bit startled, “I actually hadn’t considered that. Maybe I have. That would explain how I feel a little bit, I imagine.”

“Well, yeah, I guess you wouldn’t just suddenly be able to time travel as soon as you lost your memories. You must have bee able to do it before, that. It is in your Cutie Mark, after all.”

“Right, of course. My Cutie Mark,” he repeated.

His short tail swished back and forth and he looked thoughtful. Derpy watched him curiously, but he didn’t seem to have much more to say. She sighed, but then couldn’t help but lean forward as she picked up a faint swirl in the cloud.

“Oh!” she said brightly, ears perking. “Look, the tornado’s starting!”

“Ooh, brilliant!” Time Turner exclaimed, immediately seeming to cheer up.

Sure enough, the dark clouds began to spin and suck down as if they were liquid flowing down a drain, and after just a moment, a tornado spiked upwards, radiating rainbow colours brightly and tearing up the blackness with righteous force.

Derpy let out an exuberant, “Woohoo!” and Time Turner clapped his forehooves together and grinned.

“That Rainbow Dash is really something, isn’t she?” he asked.

“Ooh, I know, she’s amazing,” Derpy agreed, her eyes lighting up, and she gasped and put a hoof to her cheek. “Oh my gosh, you’ve never seen her sonic rainboom!”

“Sonic... rainboom?” Time Turner repeated, looking back at her a bit blankly. “What’s that?”

“It’s so cool,” Derpy said, her ears perking. “I... Okay, I don’t know the science and I’m not really sure how to explain it, but it’s like... she flies really fast and she kind of breaks something in the air and this huuugeee rainbow in a circle is made--”

She made a huge circle in the air with her front hooves.

“--and... it’s just... It’s just really awesome. I bet she’ll do it again. You’ll know it when you see it.”

“That really does sound amazing,” he agreed, and then pointed out the clearing clouds above the small town. “Would you look at that! Hah! Seems much faster watching from here. Brilliant!”

He shot Derpy a grin and she smiled and then laughed almost nervously, admitting, “So, just now, I think I’ve caught Scootaloo while flying away from the big guy. That was pretty painful. And scary.”

“Must’ve been,” Time Turner said. “You were very brave.”

“...Thanks.”

Derpy blushed and her friend affectionately thumped her on the shoulder.

It wasn’t long before there wasn’t a trace of the blackness lingering above Ponyville and the swirling, rainbow tornado had dissipated down into nothing. Derpy stayed watching for a little while longer. She thought that perhaps she saw the spec of the hot air balloon, but she couldn’t be certain. She stretched and sighed, getting to her hooves and reaching her wings up to the sky before folding them in and ruffling them comfortably. Time Turner watched her curiously and then stood up beside her, giving his back a stretch. Derpy watched him curiously and, once more, drew a line from her eyes and straight ahead into his neck.

“Weeeeirrddd,” she said.

“Tell me about it, I’m the one who’s bigger!” he laughed. “Well, what do you think? Shall we head off?”

“Um... Hmm... I guess so,” Derpy said, and then laughed a bit nervously to herself. “It’s too far to see anything now and... Honestly, I don’t really want to think about how much I’d rather be back in that library party after all the stuff was over.”

“I believe I slept through most of that,” the stallion said.

“Yeah, you kinda did, but that’s okay. You met Pinkie Pie, right? She always throws parties, so I’m sure there’ll be another one.”

Time Turner smiled, but the pink mare’s name made his mind race back to her words from the days prior. He tried not to grimace, but Derpy noticed nonetheless. She tilted her head and frowned in a concerned sort of way but was denied a chance to say a word as the stallion forced a smile and said, “That’s good. Quite a way to keep everyone in high spirits, eh?”

“That’s true,” Derpy agreed. “It’s her specialty.”

“And... that’s the balloons, right? That’s what that means?”

Derpy nodded and smiled, saying, “You’re starting to catch on.” Time Turner puffed up and looked a bit proud of himself.

The night brought a sense of anticipation and, for Derpy, fear. She washed the polish from her hooves in the bathroom sink but couldn’t shake the feeling of impending danger. She didn’t know how she’d be able to deal with seeing herself and Time Turner attacked in the third-person.

The stallion was out, wandering the emptying streets once more, prowling with a sense of determination. He was baffled that they hadn’t found anything-- not even a hint-- about that strange, silver mare anywhere in the city. Searching was draining, though, and Canterlot was such a huge city.

Time Turner took a rest near a fountain with a large, gallant bird statue resting in the center, wings spread wide as if to welcome visitors to come in closer. His body wasn’t tired, but his mind was certainly getting there. He rubbed his forehead and then reared up, placing his hooves on the side of the fountain, letting the cool water gently mist his fur. His ears twitched as the drops tickled him. A pitter-patter of steps distracted him for a moment and he pulled back, placing all four hooves down on the cobblestone and rubbing a hoof through his mane.

Fast-skittering hooves caught his attention and he turned to look but, to his surprise, he saw nothing. He raised one brow a bit skeptically and slowly began to move on.

More hooves. His eyes darted to follow but, again, nothing. He thought he saw a bit of the light shift, but he couldn’t be certain. Time Turner gulped and picked up the pace, and before long was at a lope.

When he reached the house, he knocked on the front door before shoving himself through the front door and calling, “Derpy?!” The mare poked her head down the stairs, her pale mane dangling as she looked over the railing.

“What? You okay?”

“Come with me,” he said quickly.

“Huh? I just took the hoof polish off,” she said.

“Doesn’t matter, Miss Derpy, please come with me. There’s something odd going on outside; I don’t want to leave you in the house alone.”

Derpy tilted her head and then held up one hoof, disappearing to the second floor. Time Turner shuffled on his hooves for a moment; Derpy soon came down, in her sweatshirt again with the hood pulled up.

“Just in case,” she said quickly. “Okay, let’s go.”

She stepped outside in a hurry and Time Turner followed her, ears up and eyes scanning the darkest of crevices.

Nothing else happened, though. No shadows, no disembodied hooves. Could it be he was just paranoid with exhaustion? He didn’t think so, but then again, would someone really realize such a thing about their own perceptions?

Starting to doubt my own mind even more? Not really a good sign, Time Turner.

“Um... Time Turner, does that look... not quite right to you?”

Derpy’s voice snatched the stallion out of his thoughts and he looked at her blankly and said, “Hmm?” Derpy rolled her eyes, took him to spin him in place and pointed up. The sky was clear, but, following his friend’s hoof, he pulled out a strange shimmering traveling downwards rapidly. She jumped just a little as the something flickered a bit darker in the sky for just a moment. Time Turner’s eyes widened and he felt a spark of hope.

“Thaaat looks weird,” Derpy said, ears pressing back.

She looked at her friend with her eyebrow raised and he grinned.

“How much would you wager that that is our mystery mare?” Time Turner asked, and gave her a questioning look. “How did you see that?”

“I’m not going to bet since I sort of agree with you,” the pegasus said; she pointed at her wandering eye, and then nudged him with her wing. “Let’s go!”

Derpy lifted off and hovered for a moment, beckoning her friend to follow, and he took off on her tail as she flapped through the air. She kept one eye on the disturbance in the sky as it plummeted downwards and the other on where she was going. Her ears tracked her friend-- it was all getting a little dizzying. She was shocked to see it looked like it was starting to slow down a little.

They raced across three districts, dodging around the well-to-do and the ornate, glittering statues and fountains that speckled the city until they came upon the lowered drawbridge across a quick-flowing river that foamed from the base of a huge, distant waterfall that plunged down over high, ragged cliffs. Without the buildings around them, they vast, starry sky seemed to open up above them and Time Turner skittered to a halt, his eyes focusing intently on the disturbance above. Derpy circled back, landing with a bit of a stumble beside him, asking, “What is it?”

“That’s slowing down, isn’t it? Fancy that...”

Derpy tried to follow his eyeline.

“How is it doing that? Is that even possible?” the pegasus asked. “I mean... that means it isn’t really falling, right?”

“Absolutely.”

Derpy bit her lip, her eyes widening, and she cast her gaze upwards again and whined out, “What do we do? Can we follow it?”

Time Turner stuck out his tongue a little and stared up, drawing a line in the air, attempting to plot the trajectory. Derpy watched him anxiously.

“Well?”

“I believe it will land... there.”

He lowered his hoof, the tip resting soundly beyond a patch of trees, at the base of the waterfall. He looked at Derpy and the mare gulped before she muttered a quiet, “Okay,” as if to reassure herself.

Together, the ponies galloped away from the city, rushing across the lush grass and making their way though a small patch of trees and low shrubs that blocked the direct path to the base of the waterfall. The stallion going first, he used his larger frame to shove through the branches for the both of them, following the rumble of the water pounding into the river until they stumbled into the clear. The noise was all but deafening.

Time Turner turned his eyes to the sky and then quickly grabbed his friend, pulling her down with him into a bush. Before Derpy could utter a word, the stallion squished them down against the ground and whispered, “Just a moment.” Derpy held her tongue but, hesitantly, peeked from between the leaves blocking their bodies. After just a moment, Time Turner pulled her back; she didn’t have a chance to ask why as a huge, deep splash broke through the growl of the falls. Derpy’s fur stood on end and she almost jumped up, but Time Turner grabbed her and hugged her body against his. She tried not to squeak and grabbed onto him. After a moment, he scooted them forward a little and peeked through the branches, beckoning Derpy to do the same.

There was something flickering in the water: a large object that seemed to be altering the flow of the river just a little, but it wasn’t very visible at all. A few seconds later, the object seemed almost to sink and, to their shock, out of the water, unfazed by the current, walked a silver, unicorn mare with a scruffy grey mane and tail. Derpy’s jaw dropped and she recoiled as the mare’s shining, turquoise eyes seemed to light up in the dark.

“Oh, horsefeathers, there she is!” Derpy hissed, putting a hoof to her mouth.

Time Turner grimaced and said, quietly, “I was sort of hoping I wouldn’t be right.” The strange mare was looking around, irises like apertures, rotating and seeming to slowly take in everything around her. Derpy felt her heart beating hard and was almost worried that the mare would hear her.

“What do we do?” Derpy grabbed the stallion’s shoulders, getting up in his face anxiously. “What do we do?!”

“Follow her?” Time Turner suggested.

“And do what?”

The stallion shrugged.

“I suppose we can’t stop her ahead of time, because that would undo the circumstances that sent us.”

Derpy stared at him blankly and then put her head in her hooves.

“Right... Right.”

She stole another peak; she almost jumped up as she saw the mare was starting to move away, to her shock, straight towards them, plunging back into the water.

“Um... Time Turner? I think maybe we should go.”

“You don’t think we should trail her?” he asked.

“I think she’s trailing us.”

The stallion looked confused and followed her gaze. His eyes widened and he said, “Horsefeathers.” He grabbed her and began to slink backwards through the brush hurriedly and urging, “Run.”

They took off like their tails were on fire, back through the brambles and branches. Derpy was about to ask if she was following; it didn’t matter after a moment. An arc of electric energy streamed a radiant, white-blue and cracked through the treetops. Derpy shrieked, stumbling over her own hooves and pressing herself flush to the ground, covering her head as the sound of snapping wood overwhelmed her-- a began to tilt precariously as its truck splintered. Time Turner staggered backwards to help Derpy up, but in an instant, the silver mare was upon them, eyes shining in the dark as she stepped casually from the bushes. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Time Turner slammed against her with his side, knocking her against a tree heavily. Derpy rushed upwards in panic, shrieking, “What should I do? What should I do?!”

Time Turner whirled on her to say something, but the metal mare returned his hit before he could, knocking the wind out of him as he tumbled, dazed, to the ground.

“You will not get away this time,” she said smoothly; she approached him, her horn sparking bright.

Derpy let out a yelp and rushed back for the trees, looking for something, anything, to use against her.

A rock? A branch?! Oh Celestia, what now?!

Her vision started to blur with tears and she spun in midair, unable to think of anything more than to use her body like a projectile. Before she could, she hit something and her wings buckled. There was a crack when Derpy hit the ground--quite loud and sharp. Then, a crash, and a whirring, hissing noise filled with anger and sooner than the pegasus could even wipe her eyes, she was grabbed, whisked onto a strong, furry back and felt the beating of hooves under her.

“Brilliant, Miss Derpy!” Time Turner called.

Derpy sniffed and wiped her eyes quickly, looking over her shoulder to see. She was shocked as she realized she had downed the broken tree, straight on top of that metal mare who now lay, pinned, and struggled to get free.

Derpy gulped and had to quell an anxious laugh and turned back to her friend, grabbing him around the neck as he rushed as fast as he could towards Canterlot.

“W-Will that stop h-her?” she choked out.

“Probably not for long,” he said. “Seems like she can follow me, somehow. Just my luck, eh?”

“S-So what n-now?”

She leaned around and could see him smile just a little.

“Don’t fret, my friend. I’m confident we’ll outwit her until next afternoon. After all, we’ve all ready done it!”

Somehow, this barely reassured the pegasus. Next afternoon seemed like an eternity away.

Evading the strange mare in the city was soon revealed to be much easier than Derpy had anticipated. Moving constantly, darting between places and yet never crossing paths, she seemed to not be able to follow them very closely. Plus, the time she spent freeing herself from the tree gave them a bit of a head start.

As the sun rose to glow into a bright and cheerful morning and crowds took to the streets, tired as the pair were, they were able to loop around and follow her. As they hid down alleys, they found her, now robed as she had been on their first encounter. She seemed almost confused. With so many ponies around, it seemed difficult for her to pinpoint her quarry, much to their relief.

“Do you suppose we’re on the train yet?” Time Turner wondered.

Derpy took a look up at the sun. It was almost midday. She wanted nothing more than to take a nap, but her heart was a bit too loud and fast for that sort of thing.

“We should actually be getting here soon.”

The stallion shot her a smile before turning his gaze back on their assailant. She had begun to move, so he beckoned to Derpy and, slowly and carefully, they left their spot in the shadows and began to follow, staying as far away as they could while still keeping their eyes on her.

She seemed to look around curiously for a little but then, after a couple minutes, went rigid and made a beeline down the street, almost trampling a few ponies in the process. Derpy’s eyes widened and she looked at Time Turner; he frowned and nodded his head after her. Derpy grimaced, taking a deep breath to try to settle her nerves-- rather unsuccessfully-- and they hurried after her.

It wasn’t long before they realized why the metal mare had taken off as she had. She had made straight for the train station and, with the rush of panic in their steps, Derpy and Time Turner hid in the gap between stores. Within minutes, they were confronted by a sight that neither of them were quite ready for: themselves.

“Ooh, Celestia, this isn’t right,” Derpy said, pulling her hood down a bit and recoiling against the wall.

Time Turner didn’t say a thing, his eyes darting between the pair departing the station and the strange mare staying still in a crowd.

“That clever girl! She was there the whole time!” he said, ears perking up. “My, that’s incredibly sinister, isn’t it?”

“Oh, gosh. I can’t... I can’t...”

Derpy held her head but her friend gently held her hoof, assuring her, “It’ll be fine.”

“But how will we stop her?” she squeaked.

“I’m not certain, but now we know where she is and what will happen, right?” he said. “Shall we go back to the house and make a proper plan?”

Derpy nodded a bit shakily and the stallion gave her a reassuring smile.

They took off back down the street quickly, rushing to beat themselves. Pecan Posy’s home was the same as ever; they rushed inside and dimmed the lights, heading upstairs to peek out the window overlooking the alley.

“S-So,” Derpy said, “Plan? We’re cutting this sort of close.”

“I think I work best under pressure,” Time Turner said, “but in all honesty, I wasn’t sure what to do until I saw what you did with that tree. I plan on tackling her down from the window, after tossing a blanket over her.”

“You... You think that’ll work?” Derpy asked a bit blankly.

“I think that’ll stop her from wrecking any more of the town, and may give us a bit of time to ask her questions,” he explained, “and if it becomes too much, I suppose we could break her horn.”

Derpy’s stomach turned.

“B-Break it?”

“I’m fairly certain she’s made of metal. I don’t think it’d hurt her.”

“S-So, not just armour?”

Time Turner shook his head, and the pegasus took a long, deep breath. As the stallion forced the window open, Derpy went to the bedroom and pulled out the starry blanket. She sat down with it, though, tired. Time Turner looked at her sympathetically and sat down by her side.

“Scared?” he asked.

She nodded quickly and sighed again, folding her forelimbs to her chest.

“Y-Yeah, I’m really scared,” she said. “I hope this works.”

Time Turner was the first to notice themselves coming up the street. His ears flattened and his fur bristled, and he flattened himself against the floor hurriedly, grabbing Derpy with him. She squeaked and whispered, “Get away from the windows.” He nodded and scooted backwards and darted into the closest bedroom. Derpy went down the stairs and sat, curled up and cautious.

It wasn’t long before she heard the first knock on the door. It made her jump and when she heard her own voice calling from the front of the house, it made her blood turn to ice and her tongue go dry. She cringed and held hooves over her ears, but she watched quietly from the shadows until the door slowly creaked open. When she saw herself step inside, it was all she could do not to shriek. Her face was a little worried and on edge, and she quickly left the package on the ground before ducking back outside, closing the door. The breeze caused a bit of the package’s wrapping to drift apart, leaving a stark, white note with a little piece of flimsy tape stuck to the top sitting near the threshold. Derpy’s eyes widened and, curiously, edged down the stairs.

Behind her, she heard quiet hooves, and Time Turner’s hushed voice said, “Where are we?”

“I just left the package,” she said; she scooted a little closer to the package to pick up the note; had all intents of putting it back on the box as well until her eyes picked out the name Time Turner in the first line.

Her knees went weak. She read it again.

Sorry for the deception, the note read, Time Turner, this is yours. Please keep it safe. I know it will come into use for you very soon. It will definitely have an effect on certain types of metal.

The note was unsigned, but the familiarity of the lettering along with the message made Derpy’s heart stutter. She fumbled with it for a moment before she looked at Time Turner.

“The... The package is for you,” she said.

“What? For me? That’s impossible!” he barked.

“Quiet. It’s true, look.”

He raced over and she held out the note. His eyes shot over the words and he mouthed along, and then looked at her intently.

“But it... How can...? Someone must’ve mailed this days ago, and we delivered it, but it was for me, and... Oh dear...”

“This is just getting stranger and stranger,” Derpy muttered, her ears drooping back, “and whoever sent it knew the name I gave you.”

She looked towards the box, as did her friend and, after a moment, he gulped and opened it. Noise was starting from outside, their own voices. She heard Time Turner starting to engage with that metal mare and she grimaced and edged closer to him. She peered over his shoulder to look: inside was a pale blue scarf wrapped around something. Cautiously, he opened the scarf to reveal a ring a bit smaller than hoof-sized that, at first, looked like it was made of metal until it lit up with a bright green glow. The ponies jumped and squeezed closer together in fright for a moment before Time Turner cast a concerned look at Derpy and then, slowly, reached out towards the circle.

“Careful,” Derpy said quickly.

The stallion paused, bit his lip, and then touched the ring cautiously. There was a strange clinking noise and in an instant, he was yelping and galloping around the room in panic. Derpy squealed and grabbed him steady after dizzily watching him pass a few times, saying, “Shush! What happened?!”

“It... It--!”

Time Turner looked back at her with big, watery blue eyes and then showed her his right hoof. The ring, to her surprise, was stuck in tight; almost fused there. She cautiously touched it and he winced, but then quickly relaxed, his ears perking.

“Oh! It doesn’t hurt anymore! Phew,” he said.

“Is that stuck?” she asked.

“Seems so.”

He waggled his hoof around, but the ring made no move to dislodge itself. Derpy clicked her tongue and grabbed his foreleg to look at the hoof. She poked the ring and her ears perked and she had to hold herself steady when it lit up green, but the glow faded down to nothing without doing a thing.

“Did that hurt?” she asked.

“Not at all,” he replied.

“Something like this-- It can’t just be jewelry, right--?”

She let him take his hoof back as a huge, static sound reverberated from outside. Time Turner was forced out of his stupor and, shooting Derpy a worried glance, bolted upstairs.

Out the window, a surge of light blinded him for a moment, but when he blinked, he saw the metal mare alone in the alley. His heart started to thud and he quickly grabbed the blanket is his teeth and tossed it out the window.

“I’m going!” he called, and instantly threw himself out the window as well, colliding with the mare on the ground and sending them both rolling.

Derpy rushed to throw open the front door, watching as the two knocked into the wall of the neigbouring building hard. Time Turner pinned her though, as she thrashed under that star-speckled blanket.

“Look, we don’t want to fight you! Just tell us who you are and what you want!” he yelled.

There was no vocal reply, but there was the distinct sound of an electric crack. Derpy let out a gasp and was in the air, grabbing Time Turner and yanking him away from the downed creature as she righted herself, the lightning off her horn searing a hole so large in the blanket that it simply fell away from her in two before most of it turned to ash.

“Well that didn’t work,” she squeaked.

Time Turner grimaced and braced his hooves briefly before rushing the mare again, leaping onto her back and clamping both forehooves around her neck as he tried to pull her down again, shouting, “You don’t have to do this!”

To Derpy’s surprise, the mare’s eyes flickered and she let out a very odd, metallic and distorted groan before she began to buck violently.

Derpy shrieked and Time Turner was thrown, skidding across the pavement and the metal mare, stumbled and let out a strange, hollow sound and her eyes lit up bright turquoise.

“Mission compromised-- memory erasure and self destruct activated. Attempt three-seven processing.”

“What? What?! Self destruct?!” Derpy wailed.

She looked at Time Turner in panic and the stallion shoved himself upright as the metal mare began to shake and buzz.

“What do I do?” he asked.

“I have no idea!” Derpy replied shrilly.

He grimaced and his mind raced, but he was left without much choice when the strange mare lowered her head and rushed him. Derpy shrieked and he sprung sideways on swift hooves, taking her from the side and plowing her into the ground before she could touch him or his friend. She went down heavy and Derpy covered her eyes with both hooves.

As the stallion hung on, she reverberated with sort of strange, metallic wail and fought to right herself, throwing her head back and forth, trying to catch the stallion with her knife-sharp horn. Time Turner slammed his hoof against her head and there was a shower of sparks; he winced and recoiled, but did his best to keep her pinned. The mare jittered, let out a whirring noise, then a high buzz, and then toppled over and slammed into the ground heavily. Time Turner yelped and stumbled, flopping over the body and tumbling to the ground as Derpy hesitantly looked out from between her hooves. She saw Time Turner awkwardly flopped over the metal body, which now lay dormant against the cobblestone. Even her bright eyes had faded to black. Derpy matched her gaze with her friend and he gulped, skittering back off the mare and peering at her curiously and then looking at his hoof with wide eyes. That circle of green let off a calm glow, but nothing more.

When he finally seemed to relax a little, Time Turner carefully pulled back the mare’s hood a bit more, revealing spiky, silver-grey mane in total disarray and a large bunch of plating and thick, dark cables forming her neck. Time Turner gulped and looked at Derpy with shock, pointing at the mare, saying, “Oi, she really is made of metal, Miss Derpy!”

Derpy spread her wings just a little and got to her hooves slowly, edging up to peek over the downed body. She slunk low, belly to the ground, and peered in close. She now noticed that a small, linear stripe ending in a circle that ran down her face from the center of her eye was not a stripe, but a shallow groove. Still cautious, she poked the still body and, when it remained completely immobile, she straightened up a bit and circled her, then looked at Time Turner worriedly.

“Well... what do we do now? What should we do with her?”

“I’m not certain,” he said. “She said she was ‘erasing memory’. Perhaps she has something to do with my memory loss?”

“Ooh. You could be right,” Derpy said. “But... she’s... She’s made of metal. I’m not even really sure what she is.”

The two ponies paused; Derpy rubbed her chin and Time Turner paced in a circle for a moment before Derpy suggested, “Maybe Twilight Sparkle can help us again.”

“Do you think she has any experience with something like this?”

“I don’t think anypony has experience with something like this,” Derpy admitted, “but maybe... you know, since she know about memory spells, and I’ve heard rumours she has a laboratory in her basement... Couldn’t hurt, could it?”

“Fair point,” Time Turner agreed.

He took another quick look at his hoof and he wondered, “Do you think whomever sent this knew this was coming?”

“I have no idea,” the pegasus said with a shrug, “but at this point, I wouldn’t say ‘no’.”

Time Turner laughed and then rubbed a hoof through his forelock tiredly.

“Well,” he said finally, “suppose we should get back to the train.”

Derpy nodded and helped her friend as he heaved the metal mare up onto his shoulders; she couldn’t do much, but was shocked to see the stallion able to support the body, even if he was a bit wobbly.

Quickly, Derpy returned to the house and straightened it up. She grabbed the old box that once held donuts, the package’s wrapping, and anything else they might have left, shoving it all into her messenger bag before she left a couple bits on the bed sans the starry blanket and rushed out to join her friend.

The sight of Time Turner’s charge caused other ponies to give them quite a wide berth, and as such, they made their way back to the train station as quickly as they could. They were met with strange looks, but not a single pony made a comment towards them, even as they quickly clambered onto the train and took a seat in one of the cars near the back. With much relief, Time Turner planted the metal mare on one seat while they took the one beside her. She still showed no signs of waking.

The ride back was quiet and exhausted, and the sun was starting to set by the time they disembarked in the quaint, Ponyville train station. Both of them were relieved not to see a single other pony out near the station, and Twilight’s library was practically within spitting distance.

Carrying the metal mare across his back, with Derpy watching closely, worried she would fall, they rushed towards the large tree. Derpy took off and glided just a bit ahead to land at the front door, knocking on it, trying to hide her desperation as Time Turner caught up.

It wasn’t very long before the door opened and Twilight Sparkle stood before them. Her mouth open to greet them faltered as her jaw dropped instead.

“Um... Good afternoon,” Time Turner said a bit awkwardly, “or... evening, upcoming, I suppose.”

Derpy’s ears drooped and, shyly, she said, “H-Hi, Twilight. We, um... We ran into some trouble in Canterlot, and w-we were wondering if you could give us a hoof?”

She nodded at Time Turner’s burden and the unicorn’s eyes went wide. She gawked for just a moment before she grabbed the both of them and dragged them inside, squawking out, “What in all of Equestria is that? --Nevermind! Come with me!”

6. The Flying Cave

“Where in Equestria did you get that? Come to think of it, what is that?”

Twilight’s library was a bit askew, books on the floor in small stacks; quite quickly, the unicorn’s magic shot out and cleared a space on the floor where Time Turner carefully let the metal mare down.

“Sorry it’s a bit of a mess," she said, "I got a new shipment of encyclopedias and I thought I might as well reorganize the shelves if I’m going to be adding three dozen books! Anyway--!”

She looked at Time Turner and Derpy, ears drooping backwards; she circled the mare on the floor and looked at the other ponies questioningly.

“It’s uh... She’s... a unicorn made of metal,” Derpy tried to explain. “It’s, uh... It’s a long story.”

“A long, strange story,” Time Turner agreed.

Twilight tilted her head and then looked Time Turner up and down, eyes widening.

“What is it?” he asked her.

“...I’m sorry, but are you taller than the last time I saw you?”

“Yes, strangely,” he said. “I don’t have an explanation for that, unfortunately.”

Twilight looked taken aback and looked at Derpy quickly. The pegasus shrugged a bit sheepishly. The unicorn took a deep breath.

“Right. Okay. Weird. So what’s going on with this... uh... metal mare?”

Derpy and Time Turner shared a nervous look and, after a moment, Derpy sucked in a gulp of air.

“Well, we went to Canterlot to deliver a package but she attacked us outside a weird house and Time Turner sent us back in time to get away from her, and then we had to wait through four days catch up with ourselves and we found her again on the night of the third day and she could track Time Turner somehow and seemed to want to fry him with weird lightning powers. Then after that, we found out the package we delivered was actually for Time Turner and it had a weird green ring in it that got stuck to the bottom of his hoof and he hit the metal pony with it and she stopped working and said something about erasing her memories, so we brought her back here to you because you’re the smartest pony I know and we really have no idea what do to.”

Derpy took a deep breath and put a hoof to her chest as Twilight Sparkle struggled to scoop her jaw up off the floor. Time Turner awkwardly lifted his hoof to show the ring.

“What?!” she demanded shrilly.

She grabbed Time Turner by the shoulders, spun him around; stared at his cutie mark for a moment before twirling him again and inspecting through his mane in a hurry.

“That’s impossible. That’s... not scientifically possible. You’re not even a unicorn, that’s not possible!”

“But it’s true,” Derpy insisted.

“I’ve done it more than once,” Time Turner said. “I’m just not really sure how.”

Twilight opened her mouth as if to protest but then stopped herself. Her horn lit up.

“Hang on,” she said.

She took the stallion gently by the back of the neck to pull him towards her and touched her horn to his brow. He recognized the feeling of her magic tingling through his head and, after just a few seconds, she pulled back, her pupils dilated a bit strangely.

“Dear Celestia!” She gawked, spun and paced for a moment. “SPIKE!”

The small dragon bounded down the stairs, asking, “What?” before letting out a yelp when he saw past the unicorn to what was happening on the first floor. “What the heck is going on down there?”

“Spike, can you pull my books on golemancy and circuitry, and... animation magic? Not like for films, like animating inanimate objects.”

“Wh...? Um. Okay.”

He raised a brow and Derpy waved at him a bit awkwardly. He waved back before going back up the stairs. Twilight nodded to herself and then, tentatively, poked the metal unicorn before pulling back.

“So,” she said, “you want me to fix her, right?”

“What?” Derpy yelped, but Time Turner nodded.

“Yes, I believe she may have some answers about who I am,” he explained.

“You c-can’t just take that out of her h-head?” Derpy asked a bit shakily.

“No, I don’t think so,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “Thing is, I don’t know anything like that. If it’s not alive, I don’t think my memory spell will work on it.”

“R-Right,” Derpy said; she bit her lip.

“But actually, this is probably going to be really interesting!” the unicorn said with a bit of a grin. “I hope I can do it!”

She whisked the metal mare up in the glow of her magic and trotted towards a door on the far side of the room, calling, “Spike, I’m going downstairs!” before she beckoned to the other two ponies.

They followed her through the door and down the stairs to a room of bookshelves and tree roots tangled around a series of pipes and strange, metal apparatuses, lit with green and yellow lights sticking out from a long, sturdy tables. Red cables brightened the room like small streamers from above and blue ones lay across the floor, in what almost seemed to be a well-calculated mess, connecting large, pale green machines the likes of which Derpy had never seen before. Twilight hurried ahead, stepping over the blue carefully and cleared of a few stray books and notes papering the top of the table to lay the metal pony down. Derpy and Time Turner followed her cautiously. The stallion seemed utterly fascinated and, quickly, he darted ahead and check the machines, eyes wide, putting his hooves all over one.

“Oh, this is the base station for an electroneurogram, isn’t it? Ooh! And over there is a... it looks like some sort cardiograph? But there’s another function, as well.”

“That’s right. It reads arcane fluctuations, too,” Twilight said with a smile, but then whirled on him and gave him a confused look. “How did you know that?”

Derpy looked at him quizzically and he seemed taken aback for a moment.

“You know, I have no idea,” he confessed.

He scratched his head and frowned to himself and then looked at Derpy; she could do little more than shrug. Twilight raised a brow but swiftly turned back to the pony on the table. Her magic wrapped around a few of the scraped plates on her forelimb, chest, and neck, and lifted them away to reveal a flexible body built of a tough, dark material and thick cables. Her eyes widened and she beckoned the others in to join her, ears twitching back as the basement door creaked open. After just a second, Spike joined them, plopping down a small pile of thick books beside Twilight.

“So what’s going on down here?” he said, poking the pony on the table. “Hey, what is this? A... metal statue? I don’t get it.”

“No, no, it’s, ah... it’s...” Twilight whisked the book on golemancy from the pile and flipped through it swiftly. “A metallic golem? No, no, that’s stone with a gilded finish, umm... One made of just metal...”

She stuck her tongue out in concentration.

“A... Hmm. Does this sound like it?”

She held the book out to Time Turner and Derpy; both leaned in to see the pages. It seemed to be describing a non-living creature made from metal parts, seemingly given life and even intelligence by, typically, magic.

“A robot,” Time Turner read. “I... I think that’s right.”

“Yeah,” Derpy agreed, and repeated the word as if to test it. “A robot.”

Twilight seemed satisfied before passing the book into Spike’s waiting hands; the small dragon read the passage quickly, eyes widening. He looked at the metal mare suspiciously and, a bit tentatively, poked her with one claw.

“She’s, uh... she’s not moving,” he said.

“This shut her down,” Time Turner said.

He lifted his hoof to show the ring that pulsated with a soft, green glow and Spike’s eyes lit up. Twilight grabbed the stallion’s foreleg and stuck her face in close; her magic reached out and gently touched the ring. She pulled back, frowning to herself and letting out a thoughtful, “Hmm.”

Derpy looked at her anxiously, but her ears drooped when Twilight admitted, “No idea. I’ve never seen anything like it. Sorry.”

“It’s no trouble,” Time Turner assured her.

The unicorn looked bothered nonetheless and then spun on the robot, her magic flipping and holding a book open and aloft for her. Derpy watched her curiously and then, worriedly, stole a glance at Time Turner. He seemed concerned and held his branded hoof a bit against his opposite leg.

They watched Twilight in silence for a little while as she took more plating off the robot and, very gently, opened up a portion of the chest compartment. Though Derpy held back a bit nervously, Time Turned squeezed in beside the purple unicorn, his eyes rushing over a plethora of cables and strange little plates covered in bumps and lines of light.

“That certainly is complicated,” he said.

“Tell me about it,” Twilight agreed. “I’ve never seen anything like this, either.”

Time Turner tilted his head and felt a little like he was sorting through a puzzle he had once solved, long ago.

“I think you need to treat these like her organs, in a way,” he commented.

Derpy leaned around to look at him and the contents of the robot in confusion and Twilight drew back from the circuitry to look at him, raising one eyebrow.

“Should I get a doctor?” she wondered.

Time Turner laughed.

“I doubt you’ll find a doctor for robots around here if we had to look in a book to even find out that word.”

“Guess I’ll have to be one, huh?” Twilight decided. “But...”

She pulled a few more plates off and stroked her chin thoughtfully. Time Turner backed away a little to give her some space.

“I’m going to need some time with this,” she said. “How about you two go home for tonight?”

“Wh-What? And leave you all alone with her?” Derpy asked fearfully.

“I’m not alone, I have Spike,” Twilight said with a smile. “Don’t worry. How about we meet up in the morning?”

Derpy couldn’t help the worried frown that darkened her brow and she cast a glance at the brown stallion. He looked thoughtful and tilted his head, and then shot Derpy a smile.

“I think it would be lovely to take a rest,” he said, “wouldn’t it, Derpy?”

Derpy was startled and her wings flared out a little.

“A rest,” she repeated quietly. “Actually... Yeah. I-If you’re sure, Twilight.”

“Definitely,” she assured them.

The pegasus nodded and said a quick, “Thank you so much,” before beginning up the stairs.

She waited at the front door for Time Turner, who lingered just a little while longer with Twilight before coming up after her.

“She’ll be okay, right?” she asked. “That robot won’t wake up and start wrecking everything, right?”

“I think she’s disassembling her,” the stallion explained.

Derpy still felt the worry but she nodded nonetheless and opened the door.

Night was clear and cool, and the walk back home was quiet, though comfortable. Derpy’s house, off down the lazy side-street, was especially calm in the evening, lit gently by the warm glow through neigbourhood windows.

Inside, Derpy found it a bit surreal to see the disheveled blanket on the sofa and smell the faint wafts of fruit from the kitchen. It had been so long, but it was like they had barely even left.

“Right, we weren’t gone that long,” she mumbled to herself.

Time Turner looked at her curiously, his ears tilting in towards her.

“Pardon?”

“Oh, sorry, it’s just that... we were gone for so long, but it’s the same day we left, and it’s just weird,” she said hurriedly.

Time Turner gave her a sympathetic smile and she couldn’t help but laugh tiredly to herself. She ran a hoof through her mane and wondered, “Do you think Twilight will be okay?”

“I do,” he said.

He gently nudged her with his foreleg and smiled at her.

“Don’t worry so much, Miss Derpy. Why don’t you go get a proper night’s sleep? I’m sure you could use it.”

“Y... Yeah,” Derpy agreed. “Thanks. You okay on the sofa again?”

“Absolutely,” he assured her. “Good night, Miss Derpy.”

The pegasus’s ears lifted a little and she nodded, saying, “Good night,” as she tried to hold back a yawn.

Derpy went upstairs to get cozy in bed and Time Turner couldn’t help a relieved sigh. Being here, he finally felt a bit of security. After a quick stretch, he settled down on Derpy’s couch in the living room and cozied himself into his large blanket. His mind was still very much alert, however. His eyes wouldn’t really stay shut and he stared up at the blank of the ceiling, sorting through everything. He unwittingly rearranged the days in his head, trying to figure out what went where. He still worried about that little creature that called herself Paradox. Though she teased at his curiosity, he hoped despite her words that he wouldn’t see her again.

Morning came too soon for Derpy Hooves. Sunlight snuck in through the gap in her curtains and warmed her face, brightening her eyelids so that, when she opened them, red sunspots marred her all ready scattered vision until she kneaded them away against her hooves. She got up lethargically, yawning, and trundled across the room to the small desk she kept there. Groggily, she shifted through some papers, pushing them aside until a calendar came into view. Her schedule was clear, much to her relief.

She sleepily filled out a parcel delivery slip, marking the parcel as received, realizing she’d have to have Time Turner sign it. She rubbed her mane and moved to place it in her bag, but saw something blue in there. Curious, she pulled it out and realized it was the scarf that Time Turner’s strange hoof-ring had been wrapped in. She heard the flutter of paper cutting the air and she tilted her head to watch curiously as a small, folded slip landed lightly on the floor. She placed the scarf over the back of the chair at her desk and lifted the paper in its place, unfolding it gingerly.

Dear Derpy--

She felt like she could faint. She almost dropped the note but she took a deep breath and read on.

Dear Derpy, sorry to startle you with this! This is just a little gift for the cold times ahead.

There was no more to it at all and Derpy looked at the scarf suspiciously.

It’s... It is a nice colour. She bit her lip and looked at the note again. How did it know I was startled? ...How did it know Time Turner and I would have been together when--? Oh Celestia, this is confusing.

She let out a little sigh and placed the note on her desk.

Yawning, she went downstairs to the bathroom and cleaned herself up a little before she went to the living room. She was surprised, however, to see Time Turner was gone. A little more alert now, she checked the kitchen, finding it eerily vacant.

“Time Turner?” she called.

She felt a bit of a chill when she didn’t hear an answer. Hurriedly, she trotted outside, her eyes darting all around until she heard her name being called. Quickly, she whirled around and her gaze was drawn upwards to see her friend peering down at her from her rooftop, looking a bit embarrassed.

“What are you doing up there?” she asked a bit shrilly.

“Not certain, to be honest,” he admitted. “I may have moved in my sleep.”

Derpy let out a sigh of relief and she spread her wings and alit by his side.

“Good morning, by the way,” he added, smiling.

She laughed and checked out the surrounding area and then said, “I can grab you and slow your fall, but I can’t lift you.”

“Ooh, lovely, thank you,” he said.

She lifted off and grabbed him tightly under his forelimbs and flapped up. He gave a little hop off the edge and she was able to awkwardly take them down to the ground.

“Thank you,” the stallion said again.

Derpy landed and nodded, saying, “No problem. You’re gonna have to learn to manage that, huh?”

“Tell me about it,” he said, rolling his eyes. “No wonder I was chilly.”

Inside, they had a quick breakfast up until there was a clink at the front door. Derpy got up to check, finding a letter looking for and requesting to see Time Turner, though simply addressing him by his physical description and not by name. Prior engagements with Twilight Sparkle took priority, however, so after they finished up their dandelion jam and toast, they headed out to meet her at her library.

Around the front of the great tree, to their surprise, bounced an eager pink mare, knocking on the door periodically and trying to peer in any window she could reach.

“Pinkie Pie?” Derpy asked as they drew in closer. “What are you up to?”

“What? Oh! Derpy!”

The pink mare spun on her back hooves and and grinned widely and then looked at Time Turner and asked, “New or old?”

“Still the same,” he laughed.

“Oh, okay. When are you?”

Time Turner looked at her blankly and she tilted her head and in a sing-song voice assured him, “Nevermind! Are you guys here to see Twilight too? She won’t answer the door.”

Derpy felt a shiver through her and Time Turner’s ears went back as they shared a worried look and, a bit shakily, the pegasus said, “M-Maybe she’s she sleeping. L-Let me ch-check.”

She took off before either of the other ponies could say a word. A slow glide around the tree took her to a bedroom window and she carefully stopped and flapped in place. She didn’t see Twilight, but she did see Spike asleep in a small, basket bed, cozied in a green-checkered blanket covered in red apple patterns. She was a bit reassured, and then gently tapped at the window with a hoof. When Spike didn’t stir, Derpy knocked again and, to her surprise, a brown owl flapped up to the window. She waved a little awkwardly when the owl looked at her with confusion and he seemed to understand. Quickly, the bird flapped down to Spike and buffeted his face with his wings until the little dragon opened his eyes groggily. When the owl pointed Derpy out in the window, Spike seemed instantly more alert and he untangled himself from the blanket. He scampered to her and opened the window a bit.

“Hey Derpy, what’s up?” he said.

“Hi, Spike, um... is Twilight here? Is she okay?” Derpy asked.

“Oh, yeah, she’s fine. She was really into that whole robot thing last night, I...” He cast a glance at her bed and laughed a bit. “Yeah, I don’t think she even went to bed.”

“Would you mind letting us inside?”

“Oh! Sure, no problem. Meet you down there,” Spike said.

Derpy nodded and circled around the tree and drifted back to her friends.

“Spike’s coming,” she assured them.

Time Turner let out a quiet sigh of relief and Pinkie grinned, and before long Spike had the door wide open, though he was still clinging to it a bit as if to keep his balance as he yawned.

“Thanks, Spikey!” Pinkie said as she bounced in. “Now, where is Twilight?”

“Basement,” the dragon replied.

The pink mare’s eyes lit up and she was off and running before anyone could say another word.

“She certainly is lively,” Time Turner said.

“That’s one way to put it,” Spike muttered, closing the front door. “Is she here with you, or-?”

“Not... I mean, she got here first,” Derpy said. “We’re here for different reasons.”

For some reason, Spike looked a bit relieved and then said, “I’ll be in bed if you need me,” before he groggily traipsed back up the stairs.

Derpy tried not to laugh and the two ponies headed to the basement where Pinkie Pie had left the door slightly ajar.

Pinkie’s exuberant, bright rambling bounced off the walls at they made their way down into a room lit with candles and the lights flickering off odd machines.

“--So I was thinking that I had to get you, because I mean, who would be better for an after-a-shooting-star-party party than Twilight Sparkle, the most starry pony I know, huh? I mean, other than Princess Luna, because her hair is like, WOW, made of stars! But except Princes Luna you are definitely the starriest pony I know,” Pinkie was saying brightly; at a speed that was almost supernatural. “I mean, duh, I’d invite you even if you weren’t the starriest pony I know, but since you are I think it would be extra, super special if you came. Don’t you?”

As the two ponies came into view, the basement a shocking mess of metal parts and scrolls of notes, it became clear that Pinkie was completely obviously to the fact that the purple pony had not even turned to face her and was hunched over, magic assisting her tinkering.

“That’s great, Pinkie,” Twilight said-- she sounded a little gravelly-- and she cleared her throat, but before she could say another word, Pinkie had bounced up to her and flopped herself halfway over her back, leaning over her shoulder.

“Whatcha doin’?” she asked.

It seemed like Twilight’s tired legs couldn’t take it and she buckled onto the ground with a grunt.

Derpy quickly called out, “You okay?”

“Ohmigosh, I’m sorry, Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed, rolling off the unicorn. “You okay?”

“Fine, Pinkie. Don’t worry, it was an accident,” Twilight said tiredly.

She smiled nonetheless and her eyes flitted to Derpy and Time Turner as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Good to see you two,” she said. “This thing is really fascinating.”

“Miss Twilight, did you really not get any rest?” Time Turner asked in concern.

“Rest?” Twilight repeated, and she laughed. “Pfft, rest. I can rest any old time. Robots don’t come around ever, really. This is much more interesting.”

“Robot?” Pinkie repeated.

The mare’s eyes widened and there was a recognition on her face that Time Turner picked up rather quickly. Before he could say a word, Pinkie quickly chimed in with, “What’s a robot? Is this a robot?”

She put her hooves on the remnants on the table but then let out a yelp.

“Ahh, her head’s off!”

“I’m trying to fix her up, Pinkie,” Twilight explained.

“Is she awake?” Pinkie asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” the unicorn said, shaking her head.

She shot a questioning glance at Derpy and Time Turner. The pegasus shrugged, but the stallion shook his head.

“No, she won’t be awake right now,” he said.

Derpy raised her eyebrow and Time Turner paused a moment before laughing at himself.

“I’m not sure how I know that, but I feel quite sure,” he bashfully admitted.

Twilight nodded and then beckoned him in closer.

“Want to take a look at this?” she asked.

Time Turner moved in and the unicorn stepped aside, taking a seat on the floor, her shoulders sagging. Hesitating just a moment, Derpy moved in and sat beside her, using a wing to cushion her back a little and watched the stallion closely.

Time Turner was at first struck by how much of a mess the robot had become. Plating was scattered and two legs on the upright side of the body were detached, with one laying close by and the other-- well, Time Turner couldn’t see it at present, but he was hopeful that Twilight hadn’t lost it. An eye, a large, turquoise orb, sat on the table beside parts of the robot’s open cranium. Stacks of what looked like cards with little metal designs were crammed into the head, and little bits of Twilight’s magic ran across them, firing off small electrical impulses that Time Turner could feel in the air. The energy emanated from a small crystal with wide, smoothed facets, a swirling fog of magenta energy inside, amateurly welded within the head. He spied another from the corner of his eye and turned his attention to the torso and remaining limbs.

Leaning in over the open chest cavity, Time Turner could see new wiring fastening bits together, little lights and sparks of magic dancing through them. Pinkie Pie gently poked a cable, her eyes lighting up at the same time it did, but the stallion gently shooed her away before turning to address the unicorn, whose head was slumped down onto her chest.

“Miss Twilight?” he asked.

Her ear twitched a little and Derpy looked at her for a moment before giving her a gentle nudge with her elbow.

“Huh?” Twilight’s eyes shot open and her head snapped back upright, and when Pinkie Pie giggled, she did as well. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

Time Turner nodded back at the robot, his brows bending with concern.

“Do you think this will work?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” the tired unicorn admitted. “I followed my books as best I could, but the main problem was that normal robots work through channeling magic through complex arcane data translators.”

“Ooh, you mean these pretty crystal thingies?” Pinkie Pie asked quickly.

Twilight nodded and got up slowly, stretching her back a bit.

“The weird thing is, though,” Twilight continued, “this robot isn’t made of anything arcane at all. So, I’ve made some modifications. I think some of it does the same things as what my book says, but I can’t be sure.”

“I guess we won’t know until we, uh... Until w-we turn her back on,” Derpy said, a sudden shock of nerves welling up in her gut.

She bit her lip and and looked around the others, her ears drooping back as Twilight nodded.

Time Turner assured her, “I’m sure it will be all right, Miss Derpy.”

Derpy felt a sting in her chest and she grimaced a bit, but the others seemed not to notice her discomfort. Twilight approached the robot again and Time Turner backed away to let her closer. The unicorn whisked around a few plates and then stared blankly at the metal body. She turned back to the three ponies with an embarrassed smile on her face.

“I think she’s ready, but I’m actually having a little trouble getting her back together.”

She turned to Derpy, her ears flattening a little.

“I’m sorry to ask, but you can probably cover the most ground. Would you mind seeing if Applejack would be okay with lending me a hoof?”

“Applejack?” Derpy repeated. “Oh! Yeah, of course. I don’t mind.”

Truthfully, she was glad for the chance to not be so close to the robot for a while.

“Ooh, ooh, I’ll go with you!” Pinkie chimed in.

“Actually, Pinkie, if you wouldn’t mind staying here,” Twilight said, “I could really use your help getting everything ready.”

“Oh! Okie dokie!” She was instantly behind the worktable again, stroking her chin and letting out a ponderous, “Hmmmm.”

“I’ll come with you, if that’s alright,” Time Turner said, casting his gaze at Derpy.

“Of course,” Derpy said, and then assured Twilight, “I’ll be back with Applejack as soon as I can.”

Bidding farewell to Spike as he showed them out, Derpy couldn’t help but breath a little more freely in the fresh air. Time Turner gave her an inquisitive look and then laughed a little.

“Don’t be so nervous, my friend! It’ll be fine,” he assured her.

“What if it isn’t?” she wondered.

“Well...”

He raised his hoof and the green ring shone. Derpy raised her brows.

“It worked once, didn’t it?” he said.

He grinned. Derpy felt a little relief and then nodded. She took a deep breath.

“Okay,” she said, as if trying to steady herself, “I’ll head to Applejack’s. Are you going to head to the hospital now, or-?”

“I think I’d like to come with you, if that’s okay,” he admitted.

Derpy’s ears perked and she nodded.

“Great! I was meaning to show you Sweet Apple Acres anyway,” she said.

She took off south down the road with a bit of a bounce in her trot, and Time Turner smiled a bit to himself as he followed her.

Cobblestoned roads gave way to well-worn dirt as the buildings thinned out to nothing, revealing a vast expanse of green land blanketed in trees and crowned, at the top of a small hill, by a friendly red barn. Time Turner was taken aback and had to stop, his eyes straining to take it all in.

“This place...”

Derpy’s ears twitched and she turned to the sound of his voice, tilting her head. Time Turner quickly shook it off and smiled, hurrying to catch up with her.

“I know I’ve said it before, but I’m glad I wound up here. This place is wonderful.”

“It sure is pretty,” Derpy agreed as they started up again.

She ruffled her wings a bit, but then stalled in her tracks to the sound of soft feet on the packed earth. Barking startled her fur upright and confused Time Turner, but she was quickly greeted by a wiggly, fluffy, muddy mess of a dog that jumped up to lick her on her cheeks.

“Miss Derpy, what’s-?” Time Turner began, but before he could finish, the dog was all over him, licking his snout and letting out a loud bark straight in his face.

He couldn’t conceal his surprise and Derpy laughed at his wide-eyed expression.

“That’s Applejack’s dog, Winona,” Derpy said as she trotted up and pulled the dog down gently, petting her muddied brown coat gently.

“A dog,” Time Turner repeated. “Applejack’s... dog?”

“She’s a pet,” Derpy explained. “Like... a companion animal. Does that sound familiar?”

“It does,” he admitted.

He paused for a moment and tilted his head before hesitantly reaching out to stroke the dog gently as Derpy had done. Winona flopped onto her back and Time Turner jumped, about to apologize, but the pegasus laughed and crouched down to rub the dog’s belly.

“She likes you!” Derpy assured him.

He sighed with relief. His ears perked high to the sound of a young voice calling Winona’s name. The dog jumped up in a hurry to greet a small, yellow filly with a big pink ribbon in her red mane, as she bounded up the path.

“There you are, Winona!” the filly exclaimed, but then skittered to a halt, looking between the two adult ponies with surprise.

“Hi ya’ll!” she said brightly. “Not many ponies on this road unless you’re headed for Sweet Apple Acres. Is that where ya’ll are headed?”

She tilted her head and Derpy smiled a bit.

“Apple Bloom, right?”

The filly nodded.

“Yes, we need to talk to your sister, actually,” Derpy said.

“We?” she repeated, and then took a look up and down at Time Turner. “Wait a sec, you were at Twilight’s when those big scary monsters were attacking, right?”

“Right. I’m Time Turner, miss,” he said.

“Oh! Pleased to meet you!” she said brightly. “I’ll show ya’ll the way. Come on, Winona!”

The dog woofed and pranced after her as she spun and headed off back down the road. Derpy rolled her eyes and smiled, and then nodded after the little pony as she began to follow. Time Turner joined them. He noticed, to his surprise, that Apple Bloom didn’t have a mark of any sort on her flank. Considering how important ponies seemed to consider them to be, he was a bit surprised to see a pony without one. It took him a little while to build up the courage to, hurriedly, whisper to Derpy.

“Why doesn’t she have a mark on her?”

“She’s just young,” the pegasus replied nonchalantly.

“Oh... Oh, right, I think you mentioned, now that I think about it.”

Derpy shot him a smile and ruffled her wings.

They let Apple Bloom lead them up through the hills, along a well-worn path up towards a vast expanse of carefully tended farmland and gorgeous orchards, overlooked by the red barn on a hilltop where the Apple family lived. Clean, short white fences rimmed the property, making the place look quaint and cozy despite its size. However, it seemed as if some pits marred one of the nearby fields; when Derpy paused to look, she was surprised to see that they were, in fact, Obsidisaur tracks. She noticed Apple Bloom’s brother, a large, muscular, stallion wearing a worn old horse collar, light red fur with and orange mane a bit scruffy with sweat and dirt. He was working hard to fill in some of the gaps. He noticed her and nodded; she waved and Apple Bloom stopped, hopping up on the fence.

“Hey, Big Mac! Is it goin’ okay over there?” she called.

“Eeyup,” the stallion replied.

His voice was deep, and even the single word had a bit of southern twang in it. His green eyes settled upon Time Turner curiously and he looked at Apple Bloom with an eyebrow raised.

“Who’s the new guy?” he asked.

“That’s Derpy’s new friend, Time Turner,” the filly replied brightly-- and before Time Turner could say a word-- “Is Applejack still workin’ on the fence near the orchard?”

“Eeyup.”

“Thanks!”

She hopped to the ground and called, “C’mon, ya’ll!” as she galloped off and Winona leapt the fence to clumsily try to help fill in the huge footsteps.

Time Turner paused a moment, ears drooping at the sight of the trampled fields and then turned to Derpy only to see that she had started to move on ahead. He dashed to keep up. She smiled at him as he matched her pace. He opened his mouth to say something-- he wasn’t sure what, honestly, but he was worried. He didn’t get much of a chance as Apple Bloom poked her head back around the side of the building.

“Hurry up!” she insisted.

“Coming,” Derpy assured her.

Time Turner clammed up and followed Derpy as she rounded the side of the barn, following the clean white fence as Apple Bloom had. At the other end, behind the barn, the fence didn’t seem nearly as pristine: parts of it were splintered and crushed, with planks pushed aside or flattened down under the middle toe of a huge, three-clawed foot. Another foot had come down a bit farther along the fence, where Apple Bloom was greeting her sister. Applejack was deftly hammering posts into place where the old ones used to be, her spacing almost perfect. She noticed the ponies almost right away and balanced the hammer on top of the post she had just erected, crossing her forelegs as she leaned against the fence.

“Well howdy there, sugarcubes!”

“Hi, Applejack,” Derpy said with a smile.

Apple Bloom proudly stated, “They came here to see you, big sis! I showed ‘em the way.”

“Good to see you.” Applejack smiled and tipped her hat. “How’re you two doin’ today after all that fuss from before?”

It took Derpy a moment to recall what she was talking about, but Time Turner answered, “We’re both doing much better now, thanks.”

Derpy nodded.

“Ooh. It’s... It feels like that was forever ago,” she admitted as Time Turner held in a tired laugh. “How’re you doing?”

“Just fine. Settin’ up a new fence, as you can probably see,” she said, nodding her head at it. “Got stepped on by one of those big rock fellas.”

“I noticed tracks in your field. Were a lot of things wrecked?” Time Turner inquired worriedly.

“Nothin’ that couldn’t be fixed,” Applejack assured him, “but I gotta admit, it has been a bit of pain.”

She turned her gaze on Derpy again.

“Anyway, what can I do ya for?”

“Twilight asked us to come, actually,” the pegasus said. “She was wondering if you could help her out with putting something kind of complicated back together.”

Applejack seemed a bit surprised and tilted her head, and beside her, Apple Bloom’s ears perked and her eyes lit up.

“I can help! I’m great at puttin’ things together,” she said.

Derpy was caught off guard, but before she could say a thing, Applejack added, “You know, that’s actually true. She fixed up a whole treehouse quick as a whip. I’m not so bad myself, either. If you don’t mind that she comes along-”

“I’m sure that’ll be just fine,” Derpy assured them both quickly. “It’s a big job.”

“What sort of job is it, anyhow?” Apple Bloom asked.

The pegasus opened her mouth but, unsure of what to say, only a sort of blank, “Ummmm,” came out of her. Time Turner put a hoof on her shoulder.

“It’s rather complicated. A great big mess of metal, really. It’d be easier to show you firsthand-- er, firsthoof,” he tried to explain.

Apple Bloom looked at them skeptically but Applejack nodded, seeming unperturbed by the lack of information. She headed down the fence a ways and retrieved a large, red toolbox. She grabbed her hammer added it to the others before tossing and catching the whole thing onto her back, much to the surprise of only Time Turner.

“We’ll follow you,” she said.

The small herd moved back into town, heading straight for the library. Derpy was a little worried still, but tried to keep it off her face, though she was so distracted that she let out a shriek when a silver stallion wearing a white coat stepped in front of them, cutting them off.

“Whoa there, sorry!” he said, and then nodded at Time Turner as Derpy put a hoof to her chest to steady herself. “I’ve been looking for you, sir. I’m from the hospital.”

“The hospital?” Apple Bloom asked, looking at the newcomer curiously before she whirled on Time Turner. “Are you a doctor?”

“Far from it,” he replied with a laugh, “I’m a patient.”

He tilted his head.

“Can this wait a while longer? We’re about to be in the middle of something.”

“Well... I guess it could,” the stallion admitted, “but the doctors were hoping to check up on you after all that’s happened. Especially after you left a bit earlier than we would have liked.”

“Ah, that,” Time Turner said a bit awkwardly. “Well, I’m not sure, but--”

“You should go,” Derpy said suddenly.

“I... What?”

Derpy pulled him in close with a wing around his shoulders.

“Time Turner, remember what happened in Canterlot? You basically passed out. Your heart was going nuts. You should go with him,” she whispered.

The stallion’s eyes widened and he was about to protest, but she pleaded, “C’mon. I’m worried. Can you at least get it checked out? They might have some answers for you.”

“Are you really that worried?” he asked, ears drooping.

She nodded and released him, her cheeks flushing just a bit as she noticed the other three ponies looking at her rather intently. Her friend, however, patted her on the shoulder.

“Okay then, lead on!” He said bright, addressing the stallion from the hospital.

The other stallion nodded appreciatively and the two trotted off together.

“Don’t flip the switch without me!” Time Turner called over his shoulder.

Derpy and the others waved him off but as soon as he was gone, Applejack asked, “What did he mean by that?”

“It’s easier to show you,” Derpy said, but when the mare looked at her skeptically, she laughed. “No, seriously. More for me than you, I’m still not sure how to explain it, really.”

Applejack seemed to accept her answer, much to her relief.

It didn’t take them much longer to reach Twilight’s library, and upon venturing down the stairs to the basement, the Apple sisters were taken aback by the strange mechanisms lighting up the room, filling it with gentle beeps and purposeful clicks and whirrs.

“Wow, I didn’t see any of this stuff like this last time I was here!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“Oh! You’re here!”

Twilight, mane a bit disheveled, emerged from behind one of the machines and rushed to meet them as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

“What’s goin’ on, Twilight?” Applejack inquired.

Twilight was quiet for just a moment, looking thoughtful, but she was denied the chance to answer as Pinkie Pie leap-frogged over her and grabbed Applejack in a hug and then gestured broadly to the basement as if displaying a grandiose view before them.

“Derpy Hooves and Time Turner were nearly blown up by a weirdo metal pony called a robot, but they knocked her out and now Twilight is trying to reprogram her, but we need your help to put her back together because Twilight might have gone just a teeny tiny bit crazy taking her legs off and stuff like that!”

Applejack stared at her blankly and Pinkie grinned widely and nodded and then turned to Twilight.

“That’s great, but uh... seriously, what’s the problem?”

“N-No, that’s all true,” Derpy said quietly.

“Pinkie just about covered it,” Twilight said, nodding.

Applejack was still rather stonefaced but Applebloom let out a loud, “Huh?!” Twilight laughed and rubbed a hoof through her mane tiredly.

“Come on, let me show you.”

Pinkie grinned as well and bounced back into the lab and Twilight beckoned for the others to follow her.

Just beyond the machines, Applejack caught her first glimpse of the robot on the table and her expression shifted swiftly to surprise. Hesitating only for a moment, she pushed past Twilight to join Pinkie at the table, thumping her toolbox down beside the body casing. She reared and put her forehooves on the table.

“Heck, I guess you really weren’t joking!” she muttered.

“Let me see!” Apple Bloom insisted.

She raced up and joined her sister, letting out a high, “Wow!”

“Neato, huh?” Pinkie asked as she popped up on the other side of the table.

Applejack seemed at a loss for words for a moment and then whirled on Twilight and Derpy, asking, “So how, exactly, did you get this? And what did you say it was, a ro-boat? Roobut?”

“Robot,” Derpy said quickly, and then shot the unicorn a worried glance. “Um... I...”

“It’s okay,” Twilight assured her, and the pegasus took a deep breath.

“Time Turner and I went to deliver a package in Canterlot,” she said. “That robot attacked us. She wanted to terminate Time Turner and he, well... We ended up disabling her.”

Twilight shot her a knowing glance and, though Derpy felt a pang of panic, she continued, “Sh-She said something that made us think that maybe she knew s-something about Time Turner’s memory l-loss, so we--”

“So they brought her back here and now we have a cool robot to be friends with!” Pinkie Pie chimed in, grinning. “I mean... You know, once we fix her and wake her up, and make sure she doesn’t want to explode anypony, you know.”

“F-Friends?” Derpy gulped, but tried to steady herself when the other ponies turned their attention on her. “R-Right. As long as she’s not so violent anymore, I’m sure th-that’ll be okay.”

“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie cheered.

“That sounds interestin’ and all,” Applejack said, “but I don’t have a lick of experience with somethin’ like this.”

She tilted her head, looking at the wires and sockets where a leg had been removed. As she did, Apple Bloom snuck her way under her and peered at the same bit of equipment.

“Oh!” she said, eyes widening. “Actually, I think I might know what to do!”

Though Twilight looked a little skeptical, Applejack said, “All right, you can try your hoof at fastenin’.”

The filly grinned and Pinkie clapped her hooves excitedly and before long, Applejack was thumping the heavy, metal limb down onto the table and pushing it into position.

Snatching some tools, Apple Bloom dug right in. Though Derpy couldn’t see what she was doing, her cheerful exclamations like, “See, you just snap this here!” and, “I just gotta fasten these together! were strangely reassuring, especially as Pinkie seemed to get more excited and Applejack didn’t let out a single word of protest or correction. Twilight edged inwards, watching with wide eyes, and she, too, seemed taken aback.

“Apple Bloom, I’m impressed!” she said. “You almost have that whole leg back on. Where did you learn to do that?”

“Nowhere, really, I’m just pretty good at puttin’ stuff together,” the filly said absently.

Applejack raised an eyebrow and sent Twilight an exasperated look and Twilight smiled sympathetically, though the meaning didn’t quite reach Derpy.

Twilight backed off to give them space, pulling an ever encroaching Pinkie away with her.

“Pinkie, why don’t you, uh... go get us some snacks from upstairs or something?” the unicorn suggested.

“I’ll do you one better!” Pinkie said as her eyes lit up.

She was gone in the blink of an eye. Derpy couldn’t help a quiet laugh and Twilight smiled. She pushed in close to her.

“Don’t worry, you didn’t need to tell Applejack about the time travel stuff yet. I know it’s complicated,” she whispered.

The pegasus was a bit taken aback, but she nodded with a grateful smile on her face. She watched on quietly for a little as the Apple sisters worked hard on reattaching plating and even redoing some of the welds Twilight had put in originally. After a while, it occurred to her that she should, perhaps, contribute.

“Anything I can do to help?” She asked a bit shyly.

“We’ll let you know, don’t you worry,” Applejack assured her.

Derpy nodded and sat down on the cool floor. She only got a moment’s worth of rest on her hindquarters before a sharp, “Psst!” sent her flailing onto her hooves again, stunned to see Pinkie Pie lurking behind her, belly to the floor, with a hard expression on her face. The pegasus was shocked. She hadn’t even heard her come back.

“Pinkie, what-?!”

“I need your help,” the pink pony said, voice hushed. “I have what may possibly, literally, be the best plan ever.”

Derpy raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder. None of the other ponies seemed to have even noticed Pinkie. She gulped and turned back, asking a hesitant, quiet, “What is it?”

Pinkie beckoned her closer, closer, and yet closer still until their faces were almost touching.

“Ultimate-mega-robot-pony-building-and-rebooting party.”

The paintings of grand, mountainous landscapes and wild, open desert canyons hung on spring green walls distracted Time Turner inside the hospital’s reception area as his escort checked him in and searched for a nurse. His eyes roamed the careful paint dabs of sky and rock, enthralled with the idea of exploring such places. He could picture himself there, clambering across cliffs; galloping through the canyons, with Derpy gliding along with him.

He felt his cheeks flush and his ears drooping just a little, though they perked again to the sound of a female voice he recognized. He turned to see the white mare, Nurse Redheart, hurry to meet him, looking like a great weight had been lifted from her.

“Sir! There you are!” she said, her voice a combination of exasperation and relief. “I’m so sorry! With all that commotion yesterday, and not being able to find you--”

“It’s quite all right,” he assured her, “and please, call me Time Turner.”

“Oh! So you remembered your name!” the mare said, ears perking high.

Time Turner felt bad to dash her enthusiasm, but he corrected, “Unfortunately, no. My friend, Derpy Hooves, gave me this name.”

“Oh.”

The mare looked disappointed, but she retrieved his file from behind the main desk and marked it down anyway, saying, “Better than nothing,” under her breath. When she drew back, she looked at him a bit forlornly.

“You remember that we sent your picture out to the other cities? A few ponies said they saw a pony of your description in Canterlot over the last few days, but we know you were here then. Nothing before you turned up. I’m sorry.”

Time Turner was surprised, and though he felt a bit disheartened, he couldn’t help but be amused by the Canterlot reports, as well as feel a little foolish for not realizing that they would occur.

“So no one claimed me,” he said quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Redheart repeated, her ears drooping a little. “Why don’t you take a seat? It’ll just be a short wait, and then we can take a look at you.”

He nodded and did as he was bid, plopping down on one of the dark turquoise cushions rimming the room; the mare gave him a reassuring smile before she turned and headed up a hall past the front desk.

Time Turner wasn’t sitting long before he heard the clip-clop of hooves. His ears perked and he turned to look, but was surprised to see a face he didn’t recognize. There was a light blue mare peeking her head around the corner. Her silver mane was askew and her dark pink eyes lit up upon seeing him.

“Oh, uh... hello,” he said.

The mare’s ears perked and strained towards him, and quickly she emerged from behind the wall and, to his surprise, flexed her back and stuck her rump in the air, wagging her tail vigorously. She bounced around and approached him with a smile before letting out a loud sound, one that he only recognized due to Winona, and hopped up onto the seat beside him, her scruffy tail thumping back and forth against the wall. Time Turner wasn’t sure what to say.

“Are you okay, miss?” he asked, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

The mare, to his surprise, barked again and grinned at him, wiggling under his touch. He pulled back and, a bit awkwardly, he put a hoof on her head and patted her much like Derpy had shown him with Winona. The pony responded instantly, closing her eyes, sticking out her tongue a little, and wagging her tail much faster.

“Fancy that,” he mumbled.

“Screw Loose? Screw Loose, honey? Where are you?”

The blue pony perked up and hurriedly jumped out of the chair out the sound of the voice, running in an excited circle on the tile. After just a moment, a pale yellow pony, tired green eyes wide and worried, arrived from around the corner. She saw the two ponies before her and hurriedly readjusted her nurse’s cap atop her pale blue, streaked mane before she let out a relieved sigh .

“There you are!”

The mare bounded up to the nurse happily, rolling onto her back and folding her forelimbs in close. Time Turner looked at her with wide eyes and then looked at the nurse. The yellow mare rolled her eyes and gently rubbed the other pony’s belly, before looking to Time Turner apologetically.

“I’m sorry if she bothered you. She’s... not quite right in the head. She thinks she’s a dog.”

“I figured. Is she all right?” he asked. “And it’s no problem, she wasn’t bothering me.”

The nurse looked relieved.

“Yes, she’s... Well, she’s happy and healthy, aside from...”

She nodded at Screw Loose, and then gently helped her to her hooves, saying, “Come on, sweet heart. It’s time for your pills.”

The blue pony’s ears drooped.

“You can have your squeaky bone after. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” the nurse cooingly assured her.

Almost instantly, Screw Loose’s ears perked and her eyes lit up. She began to trot after the mare but after just a few steps paused. She turned and raced back to Time Turner, putting her forehooves on his legs to lift herself and quickly booped the tip of his snout with her own before whirling and sprinting after the yellow mare, her tail wagging furiously. Time Turner was left puzzled as he saw Redheart scoot around the two retreating ponies, eyebrows raised, as she approached him.

“I’m sorry if Screw Loose-”

“Don’t apologize, no harm done.”

She nodded and smiled before beckoning him to follow her.

“The doctor can see you now. We just have a few basic procedures to go through first.”

After baffling the nurse with an inexplicable increase in height and apologizing profusely for breaking the weight scale, Time Turner was promptly guided to sit on a table in a more private examination room and Nurse Redheart left him, her place in the room taken instead by the yellow-pelted unicorn, Dr. Stable. Before Time Turner could even say a word, the doctor was placing the internal photographs of bones overtop of a golden board on the wall, backlit by tiny, determined, glowing bugs.

“And how are you feeling today? Any changes?”

“Apart from the height thing, no, I feel fantastic, actually,” Time Turner replied.

The other stallion turned and looked at him over his glasses for a moment before he turned back and gestured to the photos. There was a sort of heavy ribcage overlay on each one, making for quite a mess of images.

Before the doctor could explain, Time Turner, a bit surprised, said, “Your technology can’t see through my bones.”

“My magic,” Dr. Stable corrected, sounding disappointed. “Normally, I can target pieces of a pony’s anatomy and look at internal structures to make these x-ray images, but with you... I’m not sure, it’s almost as if there’s some interference.”

His ears drooped.

“I guess you can’t remember, but could there have been a spell placed on you at some point?”

“Not to my knowledge,” Time Turner said, scratching his chin, “but I guess it isn’t out of the question. Miss Twilight didn’t notice anything like that, though...”

“Twilight Sparkle?” the doctor asked.

Time Turner nodded, and the doctor looked a bit troubled.

“We can probably rule that out, then,” he said quietly as he turned back to the x-rays.

The brown stallion looked rather apologetic and Dr. Stable moved to join him, listening against his chest with the stethoscope from around his neck. Time Turner watched him curiously, a little unnerved when the doctor grimaced and pulled back, looking a bit grim.

“How are you feeling right now?” he asked. “Any tightness in the chest? Shortness of breath?”

“No, not at all,” Time Turner said.

“It sounds... Well, it doesn’t sound any better than it did on day one,” he said.

His magic shot out to grab a cloth cuff from the wooden desk in the back corner and fastened it around Time Turner’s foreleg. After a couple seconds, he frowned and removed it.

“Blood pressure is completely normal.”

He seemed troubled and Time Turner shrugged a bit sheepishly. Dr. Stable looked thoughtful, rubbing his chin.

“I have a few more things I’d like to try.”

More tests continued to leave the hospital staff baffled; Time Turner was starting to wonder if coming back was even worth it. He wasn’t even able to get enough information to set Derpy’s mind at ease about whatever condition he had.

Back in the reception area, Time Turner waited a little impatiently as Nurse Redheart finalized some of his paperwork at the front desk. He rested his cheek on his hoof and was contemplating making a dash for the door when his attention was drawn to it as a limping, off-white unicorn pushed through. Her spiky, tomboyish coblat and cyan mane was rather distinctive and Time Turner could have sworn he recognized her. She plopped down, exhausted, two cushions down from him and peeked over her purple-tinted sunglasses at him.

“Hey. ‘Sup.”

The stallion pointed out the nurse and then looked at her right forelimb that she held close.

“That’s quite swollen.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” she said, lifting it as if to show it off, and then biting back a yelp. “Equipment moving accident. Hey, didn’t I see you at T’s place when those big rock guys were running around town?”

It took him a moment to realize that “T” was Twilight; he nodded. She smiled a bit and then offered him her good hoof.

“I’m Vinyl.”

“Time Turner,” he replied, shaking her hoof. “It’s been quite a week, hasn’t it?”

“You’re telling me!” she exclaimed, and then laughed. “You wouldn’t even believe. So, listen, I come down to Ponyville to do a small gig for that shooting star thing, right? I meet up with a friend I haven’t seen in months, so we decide, hey! Ponyville’s nice, right? Let’s rent a room and stay for a couple days to just chill, and then-”

“Giant rock monsters attack and throw the whole town into utter chaos?” Time Turner volunteered.

“Exactly!” Vinyl said. “And then, when things finally calm down, I drop this huge amp right on myself as I’m packing up!”

Time Turner empathetically winced and said, “Sorry to hear it.”

“Thanks,” she replied. “What’re you in for?”

“Ooh, that is a long, strange, and complicated story,” he said, unable to quell a tired laugh. “I guess the simplest way to explain the simplest problem is that they seem to think I have heart trouble, but their x-ray images just can’t seem to see through my ribcage.”

Vinyl frowned thoughtfully and let out a long, “Hmm,” as Nurse Redheart tapped her papers against the desk top to straighten them and placed them in a folder before trotting over to them.

“Mr. Turner, you’re all checked out,” she said. “You’re still staying with Miss Derpy Hooves if we need to find you again, right?”

He nodded and she smiled, but her attention was quickly grabbed by Vinyl as she let out a loud, “Ah!” in revelation.

“Oh! Your leg!” the nurse exclaimed. “Let me get you into a room. Can you walk on that?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Vinyl said quickly, but she seemed to ignore Redheart as she whirled on Time Turner, asking, “Did they try sound?”

“Sound?” he asked, and the other mare echoed him in confusion.

“Well, yeah, sound,” she said. “Images can lie or get messed up, but if you could use sound to bounce images back--”

“Like a bat,” the nurse said quietly, and her eyes widened. “Oh my, that could actually work! But the equipment...”

“I know someone,” Vinyl said dismissively, “I’ll get you in contact. And, yeah, dude, a room would be awesome, this sprain is killer.”

Redheart immediately trotted away and returned almost as suddenly with another, pink nursemare who helped Vinyl out of her seat and down the hall. Redheart grimaced a little and Time Turner got up to go.

“Thanks for everything,” he said, but just as his hoof met the door, he paused. “Nurse Redheart?”

“Yes?” she asked.

“Do you recall, did Derpy hooves ever mention where, exactly, she found me?”

“Just outside of town” wasn’t really the most specific of instructions, but after a little more asking around, Time Turner was starting to feel more confident in where he was going. Derpy had mentioned a clearing where something had fallen, and a pegasus he spoke to seemed to know what he was talking about. There was a clearing through a small patch of woods just beyond the edge of town, almost exactly opposite to the hospital. He made his way there quickly. The thought of fetching Derpy crossed his mind, but he didn’t need to interrupt her and the other ponies if he could find the way himself. If he couldn’t, he decided, he’d have her take him there some other time. He just supposed, if everything with the robot panned out, they would be rather distracted for a few days, at least.

His body jittery with nervous anticipation, Time Turner headed across town. He could vaguely recall passing over a few small bridges in the late night hours when he was first brought the the hospital and used them as guiding markers until he reached a tall, thick growth of trees as the town thinned out around him. He was a bit surprised how far it was from the hospital; reminded himself to thank Derpy and Applejack once more for carrying him.

With careful steps, Time Turner ducked through the low layer of branches beneath dappled light and bright green leaves. A whiff of a breeze caught him and his ears perked; he sniffed and followed the strength of the wind.

Trees gave way to a small, patchy field. Beyond that, rising up from the dirt and rock was a large, mossy cave. Time Turner stood a moment to take it in before curiously looking around. Patches of dirt were scuffed and, upon closer inspection, he found the smudge of a body and hoofprints disrupting the earth. Hesitantly, he touched the hoofprint, matching it, and a cold feeling brushed him. Wetting his tongue, he scanned the area for more of anything in the dirt. More hoofprints caught his attention and he followed them up to the mouth of the cave. The steps were erratic; Time Turner circled them and followed them back to the spot where he had collapsed. The cave behind him suddenly felt incredibly foreboding. He gulped and hesitantly returned to the mouth, staring down the shadows beyond him worriedly.

Derpy should be here... He bit his lip. But I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take just a little peek. I’ll... I’ll just come back if it’s too far or something.

He nodded to himself and muttered, “Right,” as he took a few cautious steps inwards. After just a short distance, something about the sound-- the flat, unexpected quality of the reverberation around him-- seemed a tad off. It made him a little uncomfortable, but not enough to scare him off. It was almost as if the rock beneath his hooves was too soft, and those above him, too smooth. Otherwise, the cave, as it pushed back into a tunnel, seemed completely ordinary.

A traveler’s passageway, maybe? Time Turner wondered. Did I come through here? Ooh, maybe I was an adventurer? I wonder...

He stopped himself in his tracks and took a deep breath.

No. I should get back to Twilight’s. I should bring Derpy with me.

Though reluctant, he turned back to the mouth of the cave and followed daylight out to the clearing.

Eagerly, Time Turner made his way back into town and to Twilight’s library, and upon opening the front door was greeted with a small explosion of streamers and confetti. He was surprised to see a large banner pinned up and hung across the top of the room that read, “Welcome to Ponyville!” in big, bubblegum pink block letters. Tables with pastries, a big, colourful cake, and a bowl of purple punch were set up underneath, along with a table covered in silly pointed hats and a large record player beside it. Though unsure where the condensed party that had greeted him had come from, he smiled and headed downstairs.

There was a gentle sound clicking and the ting of metal on metal, and as he peered into the basement, he could see the younger of the Apple sisters reattaching something to the chestplate as, beside her, Applejack guided Twilight in magically fusing the small crystals to the casings inside the head. Pinkie Pie was with them, hovering with an expression of intense interest. It took him a moment to find Derpy, though. He caught her lying on the floor beside one of the buzzing machines, a purple blanket with stars on it draped over top of her.

When his hooves clopped down onto the floor, the other ponies noticed him.

“Welcome back,” Twilight said in a hushed tone. “Almost done.”

He nodded and carefully made his way through the room, casting a glance at Derpy. She had fallen asleep with her head on her hooves.

“Sorry, probably my fault,” Pinkie said quickly, smiling apologetically. “I asked her to help me set up a great party for our new robot friend and I guess it was just too awesome and she needed a teeny little nap.”

Time Turner smiled and joined them over the robot’s body. He was surprised to see her all but pieced back together again. Just the head and chest were left open, though it, along with all the limbs that had been scattered all over the room, looked as if they had never been removed.

“Wow, that looks excellent,” he commented.

“Thank ya kindly,” Apple Bloom said proudly.

“Wish I had been here,” he said.

“Where did you go, by the way?” Twilight asked curiously. “We all got so caught up with the robot that I forgot to ask.”

“Just to the hospital,” he explained, and before she could ask, said, “Learned almost nothing.”

“I’m sorry,” she said; her ears drooped just a little.

“What’s this about the hospital?” Applejack asked, a concerned frown on her face.

Before Time Turner could answer, a sleepy voice asked, “Hospital? How did it go?”

They ponies turned to see a rather groggy Derpy, smiling bashfully, the blanket draped over her like a cloak.

“Welcome back!” Pinkie said brightly.

“Sorry for passing out,” the pegasus said as she kneaded one of her eyes. “Had a long couple of days. What’d I miss?”

She looked primarily at Time Turner, but Apple Bloom jumped up excitedly.

“We’re just about finished!”

“Oh!” Derpy smiled, but a worried twitch marred her brow.

“Just a few more tweaks,” Twilight said, “and I think I can move her upstairs. Is that okay with everypony?”

No objections-- Twilight lifted the almost complete robot in her magic and ferried her carefully up the stairs. Excitedly, Pinkie and Apple Bloom bounced after them, followed by a cautiously curious Applejack. Derpy was stalled at the bottom of the stairs. Time Turner grimaced and nudged her gently with his snout.

“Hey, are you all right?”

“Y-Yeah. Just... nervous, I guess,” she said, and then laughed a little. “But maybe this’ll work. You never know.”

She took a deep breath and smiled.

“Anyway! So, right, how was the hospital?”

“Uneventful in most ways,” Time Turner replied with a shrug. “The doctor’s magic still can’t see through my bones. That pale unicorn with the blue mane-- Vinyl, I think-- turned up quite by coincidence and made a suggestion of using sound to “see” through me. It may work. So, I suppose I’ll go back a different day.”

“And... And your heart...?” Derpy’s ears drooped, but the stallion smiled.

“No change. Don’t worry.”

Derpy didn’t look convinced, but she shrugged and began to head up the stairs. Her hoof got caught under the blanket almost instantly and, with a yelp, she stumbled. Though her friend rushed to catch her, she laughed at herself as he helped her get her hooves under her.

“Whoops!” she said. “My bad.”

“Capes aren’t good on stairs, I suppose,” he joked. “Unfortunately.”

He took the blanket from her and folded it neatly before they moved on up.

The other ponies, and Spike, we already gathered around the robot, now placed carefully on the floor in front of the party tables. Twilight’s magic was aglow, and when Derpy leaned forward to look, she could see she was finishing up something with the crystals and fastenings in the chest.

“Just a couple more twists,” she was saying.

“It’s lookin’ pretty good,” Applejack said. “Good job, everypony. ‘Specially you, little sis, I’m impressed.”

“I’m excited to see what happens with it!” the filly said.

“It’s not gonna explode, is it?” Spike asked.

He looked at Twilight worriedly, tenting his claws. She shook her head, peering over the robot’s chest.

“I don’t think so. Pinkie, get that cupcake out of there.”

“I thought maybe it’d sweeten her personality.”

Pinkie Pie grinned innocently and Twilight raised a brow before lifting a cupcake up out of the robot’s chest cavity; the pink mare bounced up to gulp it down. Derpy hid a laugh behind her hoof.

“She sure could use it,” Derpy said.

“Ah, you never know,” Applejack said, stepping back to join her, “might’ve been just an extreme misunderstandin’.”

“Not so sure about that,” she said, “but I really hope you’re right.”

“Me too,” Time Turner said. "Oh! And, thanks again, you two. For carrying me to the hospital. I found where you found me, Derpy, and it was quite the walk."

"Oh! It... It was mostly Applejack," Derpy admitted, smiling shyly, "but you're welcome."

"Wasn't any trouble," the orange mare assured him with a wink. "You're heavier than you look though, gotta admit that."

They watched as Twilight shut and sealed the chest and head of the robot, and then took a step back. After a moment’s analysis, she smiled and her ears perked up.

“And that should do it!” Twilight announced. “Everypony ready? I’m going to turn her back on.”

Derpy gulped quite audibly, and Time Turner held her hoof reassuringly. Twilight looked at them, and when Time Turner nodded, the unicorn backed up a few paces and scrunched her eyes shut as her magic surged to life. The bright pink glow wrapped, glittering, around the robot, lifting her to her hooves before it seeped into the seams in the metal. Derpy held her breath.

Something inside the robot clicked, then buzzed; the pegasus couldn’t help but press closer to her friend, but the fact that his body was also rigid with nerves was not very reassuring. The robot let out a few more, strange metallic sounds, and then went silent. Twilight frowned and opened her mouth, but all that came out was a yelp as the black eyes lit up with bright turquoise, aperture-like irises. The body loosened a little and, suddenly, the robotic unicorn mare was shifting ever so slightly on her hooves, movement so smooth that it was hard to believe she was not a living pony.

“Ohmigosh,” Pinkie breathed.

The turquoise eyes scanned the ponies smoothly and the mare’s metal head tilted to the side a little. Derpy looked between the others nervously and, when no one else made any sign of movement, she gulped, taking a small step forward and saying, “Um... H-Hello.”

The mare’s head snapped towards her and she raised one hoof, seeming almost inquisitive

“Hello.”

Her voice was low, feminine, and metallic. There was a collective sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness!” Twilight approached the mare with a smile. “Hello there! I’m Twilight Sparkle. How are you feeling?”

“Feeling?” the mare repeated.

Her eyes flickered.

“I am feeling rather neutral, thank you.”

Twilight cast a glance back at the others and, a bit nervously, Time Turner stepped up and pointed to himself.

“Do you recognize me?” he asked.

The metal mare’s eyes flashed and her aperture iris spun, the back of her head emitting a soft clicking sound. After a moment, she replied with a simple, “No.”

Time Turner sighed and smiled at her.

“Well then, pleasure to meet you. I’m called Time Turner.” He nodded at the other ponies. “That’s my dear friend Derpy Hooves, and there’s Applejack and her sister Apple Bloom. Spike is the small purple one, and Pinkie Pie is-- wait, where did she--?”

He was stopped by an explosion of confetti and Pinkie leaping out from somewhere and slamming a red party hat down onto the robot’s head.

“WELCOME TO PONYVILLE, MISS ROBOT!” she shrieked shrilly.

Derpy cringed but the robot didn’t move a whit.

“Ponyville?” was all she said.

“Yeah, Ponyville, only the coolest, bestest, nicest town in the whole universe!” Pinkie cheered. “Ooh, you’re gonna love it here, I promise!”

She spun and slammed her hooves on the record player and, somehow, it jumped to life, letting out a lively, jazzy tune. Pinkie began to dance wildly and Apple Bloom joined her excitedly.

“I can’t wait to tell Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo I helped make a robot pony!”

The robot did not partake in the frivolities, but did not seem perturbed. Instead, she stepped towards the others, the hat tumbling from her frazzled mane, her eyes fixed on Derpy. Twilight intercepted.

“So how are the legs? And the head? And... and everything! Does it all feel like its moving right?”

“I believe plate 3.a of the chest section could be a little more solid, but overall, all is well,” the robot said simply.

“Fascinating!” Twilight said, eyes alight. “Oh my gosh, I’m just so excited! I’ve never seen anything like you before! Have you guys?”

She turned to the others and Applejack laughed, saying, “Ya’ll know I haven’t.”

“Just... Just her,” Derpy squeaked.

“I’d have to agree,” Time Turner said.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm for data acquisition,” the robot said, but again, her eyes turned to Derpy. “I would ask to speak with you, registered ‘Derpy Hooves’.”

“M-Me?” Derpy asked, her voice cracking a little.

“Her?” Time Turner asked, and he tensed up a little. “What do you want from Derpy?”

“A data fragment in my cranial storage resembles you.”

“Oh... Oh! Okay,” she said. “L-Let’s, um..”

Twilight gestured to the stairs leading to the second floor, and Derpy nodded hurriedly. She pointed and the robot headed there without hesitation. The pegasus hung back for just a moment, gulping, but then scampered to keep up. Time Turner frowned and began to follow.

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked

“Spying, of course,” he said, “...Just in case.”

Twilight nodded and tapped her nose, lowering her voice.

“I’ll go with you.”

Alone on the second floor with a robot Derpy knew could shoot arcs of lightning from her head, the little pegasus was trying hard not to shake. The robot mare seemed indifferent, though. She looked at Derpy with her irises spinning slowly.

“S-So, um...”

“Your heart rate is 2.3 times what appears to be the norm,” the robot commented. “I am causing you great fear. What is the reason for this?”

“Um... It’s just... It’s just that, I don’t know if you remember,” she stammered. “You attacked Time Turner and I. You wanted to ‘terminate’ him.”

“These memories have been purged,” the mare commented simply. “Is that what you meant to me?”

“I... I guess so?” she squeaked.

“I see.” The robot’s voice conveyed its first fragment of emotion: she sounded disappointed.

Derpy tilted her head.

“Strange, then.” Her metal ears rotated. “Designated, ‘Time Turner’ and ‘Twilight Sparkle’ are within range.”

“What? Oh--”

Derpy looked over her shoulder to see Twilight and Time Turner crouching low, hiding just a little ways down the stairs. They both looked a bit embarrassed and Time Turner cleared his throat as he helped Twilight up before they both crept onto the second floor.

“Sorry,” Twilight said.

The robot dipped her head in a curt nod and focussed on Time Turner.

“Registered ‘Derpy Hooves’ has informed me that I attacked you in a previous encounter,” she said. “No such protocol exists in my cranial or interior memory.”

“So we won’t have an issue, then,” the stallion said, relieved.

The robot nodded.

“Correct.”

“What sort of memories do you have?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, that’s right!” Derpy asked. “Right, we thought... well, Time Turner has amnesia, and you mentioned something about erasing memories before we brought you here. Do... Do you happen to know anything about that?”

Derpy couldn’t help her enthusiasm, but she wilted almost as fast as she had perked when the robot shook her head.

“The only erasure of memory I have the ability to cause is my own,” she said.

Time Turner grimaced and stole a glance at Derpy. She bit her lip, ears drooping, but she sighed.

“Thanks anyway.”

The robot nodded and a flicker of an expression moved over her face. She looked almost embarrassed.

“I must confess, however, that I am left a bit adrift. My memory banks are disconcertingly empty.”

Derpy’s ears dropped and the stallion approached the robot, gently taking her by the shoulder.

“I know exactly how you feel,” he assured her.

“Um... guys,” Twilight said; she gestured to the room around them, “you do realize that you’re in a library, right?”

“I am unclear as to the significance,” the robot admitted.

“Books!” Twilight exclaimed, a little exasperated, but she smiled nonetheless. “Thousands of books! Hundreds of thousands of pages of information. For you, at least--”

She nodded at the metal mare and grinned.

“--I bet you could at least fill up a little of that empty space, huh?”

The robot was silent, but something in her right ear clicked. Her aperture irises spun and, finally, she decided, “Your logic is sound. I will take the data from your ‘books’, if this is permissible.”

To their surprise, the robot’s eyes settled on Derpy. The pegasus stared at her blankly and the other mare looked back with a similar expression.

“Y-Yeah, of course, go ahead. Y-You don’t have to ask me...” Derpy stammered quietly.

The metal mare nodded. Twilight clapped her hooves and grabbed the robot away.

“We’ll start you at the basics. Some encyclopedias, some history-- don’t you worry, you’ll be feeling at home really soon!” she insisted as she whisked her back down the stairs.

“Wish it was that easy for me,” Time Turner joked quietly to Derpy.

“Me too,” she said softly, and then, tiredly added, “Two amnesiac ponies now, and still no answers. Yeesh.”

“Tell me about it,” the stallion laughed. “Oh well, I’m quite glad this has gone well so far.”

“Yeah, no explosions or running or anything,” Derpy laughed.

She ruffled her wings and Time Turner smiled and poked her shoulder.

“Nice to see you more relaxed,” he said. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

Derpy snickered and rubbed her mane bashfully, but really, the amount of relief she felt made her want to fly circles around the room. She stretched her wings nonetheless and Time Turner seemed pleased.

“I’m very relieved,” he admitted. “Now we have a new friend who goes click and whir, even if she doesn’t have the answers. However, there is a place I’d like to go to to see if there might be answers there, and I was hoping you might come with me?”

Derpy gave him a blank look. Quickly her ears perked.

“Oh! The clearing!” she said.

“Like I said, I actually headed that way earlier,” he said, “but I felt like I wanted you to come with me. Especially into that cave.”

Her immediate reply of, “Of course!” made him smile wide.

The two ponies headed out past the reading robot and the dancing ponies as the party continued, somehow with more ponies involved than had been there when they had gone upstairs. Retracing their steps to the woods, they pushed their way back through branches and bracken to find the patches of dirt where Time Turner once lay. The sight made Derpy’s throat go tight. She recalled how jarring it had been to find him there; how distraught he had seemed. He was oblivious to it, though, heading instead towards the cave at the end of the clearing. Derpy chewed her cheek as she eyed it up and down and then, cautiously, took to the air just enough to look at it from over head. The rock shape was odd, making it seem like either the cave wasn’t very large at all, or it contained a path that went underground. Both notions puzzled her.

She dropped back to the dirt in time to see Time Turner fading in the shadows cast beneath the rocky outcrop.

“You heading in there?” she called after him.

“Yes! You coming?”

Derpy held back, ears drooping. She was quiet longer than she had intended; Time Turner poked his head out of the cave.

“Derpy?” he asked worriedly.

“S-Sorry,” she said quickly.

She trotted to the mouth of the cave , biting her lip. Time Turner gave her a confused look and she smiled shyly and waved a hoof at him.

“How about you just head in there and I’ll catch up with you?” she suggested.

Time Turner tilted his head and looked at her blankly for a few seconds. She felt her heart skip a little; to her relief, he nodded.

“No worries. It’s not as scary as you’d think, in here, though. But, take your time.”

“Thanks,” she sighed.

The stallion turned and headed back into the cave, keeping the wall at his shoulder. It guided him down a gently curving path and a small incline. Seeping past the turn, there was a light, softly pulsing through the dark. Inviting, almost. Time Turner gulped and pushed forward until the only light he saw was what was before him. He could feel the thumping in his chest double, but he didn’t want to go back. The wall of the cave met him rather quickly and he pushed in to examine it. The light shone from what could have been a sleekly polished, oval gem stuck out of the rock. Time Turner tilted his head and curiously lifted his hoof. Green light caught him off-guard and his eyes widened as he saw the ring imbedded in him begin to glow, matching the gentle rhythm of the crystal in the wall. He gulped again and, though a chill passed through him from snout to tail, he steadied himself and reached out to touch it.

He heard a mechanical click. The wall was gone before he could even register that he had made contact with it. His hoof dropped back the ground limply and he stood, dumbstruck, staring ahead into what seemed to be a room in the dark.

He must’ve stood there for minutes-- though it felt like a lifetime-- before taking his first tentative step where he couldn’t even see the floor. That didn’t last long, however, because as soon as his hoof met the metal below, everything before him lit up in a warm pulse of light.

The blue was what struck him first. Many of the lights shining now dyed the silver, sleek walls a light, metallic blue. The one thing that stood out beyond that was a strange, raised oval of what seemed like a counter, laden with flashing points of green and white, along with many little switches, buttons, and flat, dark screens, like windowpanes looking off into night. Raising from the center was a huge metal column, with dark half-orbs across it. Time Turner hesitantly stepped in farther, following the column upwards with his eyes to see it join the ceiling and branch off into shiny pipes and thick, black tubes that reached up and down the length of the room. It reminded him the most of the great tree that was Twilight’s home.

He had to take a moment to suck his tongue and gulp, and he took a quick look around at the rest of the room. Strange things that looked to be chairs of some sort were placed a little haphazardly at one end, as if shoved there in a hurry.

“H... Hello?” Time Turner asked hesitantly, his raised voice bouncing, hollow, around the metal walls.

He waited, ears lifting, but heard absolutely nothing in response. He took a deep breath and prowled around the room, though he didn’t dare touch anything. One end of the room tapered a little, and when Time Turner reached the end, he jumped to the sound of a smooth-sliding metal just as a panel opened as if to make way for him. He gritted his teeth and backed up and away from it.

“Derpy? ...DERPY?”

When her distant voice answered, he shouted, “I, uh... I seem to have found something quite strange down here!”

“What is it?” she asked; she sounded a little nervous, but closer nonetheless.

“Um... H-Hard to explain,” he replied, backing up a little farther. “There’s a room, and a lot of lights, and a lot of... stuff.”

“A room?”

He could hear her hooves speed up and he turned to see her round the soft curve. She stalled in her tracks, though, and her mouth dropped open, her wings flaring. Time Turner could do little more than shrug.

“Wh-What? Wh... Wha--? What the heck is that?!” she squawked.

The stallion looked around and tried to put words to what he was seeing but couldn’t come up with much that he deemed effective. He beckoned for the pegasus to join him and, almost as if straining against the air, she edged towards him.

Just as she reached the threshold, a low, violent rumbling caught her off guard and she leapt back, just as the wall closed off with a metallic shink. Derpy gawked and then raced for the wall in the darkness, thumping her hooves against it.

“TIME TURNER?!”

On the other side, Time Turned pawed at the wall with equal fervour, calling, “What happened?!” through the metal.

“I-I don’t know! Are you okay? Are you-?!”

The rest of her words were drowned out beneath a sound like thunder; Time Turner felt the floor beneath his hooves moving. He stumbled, his legs catching under him, and he flopped awkwardly to the floor. Struggling to regain his balance, the stallion heaved himself upright and pressed up against the wall.

“DERPY, GET OUT OF THE CAVE! KNOCK ONCE IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!”

One feeble knock came through and he sighed with relief-- that is, until the floor lifted. His stomach dropped.

“Oh no. Oh, no no no no, that is not a good thing.”

Time Turner raced around the room, eyes scanning everything. There were buttons everywhere. Trying to quell his panic, he started pushing things-- anything that looked like it might make the floor stop shaking. He hadn’t a single clue what he was doing, though. Nothing seemed to be doing anything but adding to the ruckus with additional bleeps and bloops. Ears flattening, Time Turner fought to keep his balance and reluctantly went through the strange door that had opened before him earlier.

As soon as his hooves crossed the threshold, light smacked Time Turner in the face as grand, narrow windows opened up to outline a room that ended in a bit of a point, with a long row of buttons and lights in front of some things that looked a little bit like odd chairs. The stallion gulped and rushed up to the windows. His eyes widened and his blood ran cold-- he was rising up and, below, he saw Derpy, looking completely horrified.

“No, no no no, nope, awful,” he muttered. “Okay. Horrible. How do I...?”

He bit his lip and his eyes ran over all the buttons. He had no idea what to do, but he pushed everything, pulled every lever up and down.

“Stop it, stop it, stop it!” he insisted. “Stop it! Land, damn it! Get back down, I don’t want to go up, I want to go down, you ridiculous contraption!”

He heard a quiet brrt and when all the noise stopped, his ears were still ringing. The floor steadied and Time Turner’s mouth went dry. He looked around.

“Uh... Did I do something right?”

The answer rushed up to meet him along with the floor as it dropped. His chin connected, hard, and he lay there, dazed, for what seemed to be only a moment until, to his surprise, Derpy was at his side, heaving him upright and hugging him to her chest, her small frame shaking like a leaf.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” she was saying, “oh my gosh, oh... oh gosh, Timey, you’re okay, right?”

Time Turner had to suck his tongue for a second before he could get any words out, but he assured her, “Fine. I’m fine. Now that I’m on the ground.”

He laughed tiredly and Derpy couldn’t help but let out a warbling giggle.

“Oh gosh, that was scary,” she said. “The cave got all stretched and weird and kept going up.”

She released him and pulled back, rubbing her mane shyly. Before she could say another word, Time Turner wrapped his forelimbs around her quickly and snuggled his snout into her mane with utter relief before he hopped away, looking back out the window. They were back at what was, essentially, ground level, much to his astonishment. He sighed deeply and, beside him, Derpy edged up and peeked with him.

“This place is so weird,” she said. “I don’t even know what to make of it. Did... Did you come from in here?”

“Well, I...” Time Turner frowned and looked at the ring on his hoof. “This opened the door. I... I guess... maybe.”

His ears drooped and Derpy bit her lip. Her eyes, wandering this way and that, explored the room and, gulping, she inspected all the buttons and levers near the window.

“What is this place?” she asked quietly.

“Not a clue,” Time Turner replied.

“Is it familiar?” the pegasus asked.

Time Turner shook his head. Derpy shifted uncomfortably; poked her head out into the bigger room and, hesitantly, left to trot around the large, circular panels, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Time Turner followed her and looked over everything with her, but none of it meant anything to him.

After a few minutes of quiet, Derpy plopped down onto her rump and rubbed her brow with her forehooves.

“I think I’m done for today,” she confessed. “Want to go home?”

“Just like that?” Time Turned asked.

Derpy nodded and weakly got up. The stallion noticed that her legs were a bit wobbly and she looked like she was close to collapse. He felt a sudden shock of guilt.

“That’s fine,” he said quickly. “Let’s go home. We can come back another day. Hopefully this place doesn’t fly away.”

The pegasus laughed a little when he cut his eyes at her. He smiled and nudged her. Despite his curiosity, he eagerly accompanied Derpy back into the cave.

She trotted quickly, with determination, to get out of the darkness. Time Turner didn’t blame her, but he was confused when she came to a dead stop.

“Derpy?” he asked, but he quickly saw why she had frozen as he caught up.

The turquoise eyes of the robotic mare gleamed at them from the clearing, startling Derpy still.

Softly, she muttered, “I don’t think I can do it...”

Time Turner’s brow knitted with concern and he leaned towards her.

“Hey, don’t fret, my friend. We’ll just talk to her.” He put on a grin and approached the robot. “Hey, hello there! Didn’t expect to catch you out here. Did you need something?”

“Yes,” the robot said, but her eyes didn’t leave Derpy.

The pegasus gulped and edged out of the cave and, to her surprise, the robot approached her and raised one hoof in an almost inquisitive sort of way.

“Permission to ask a favour?” she inquired.

Her ears buzzed and Derpy couldn’t keep the surprise off her face.

“Wh-What? Um, of course. You don’t need permission to... Um... What do you need?”

The robot’s metal brow dipped just a little, forming a frown. She seemed very intense, very serious.

“I would ask that you to teach me how to become a pony.”

7. The Familiar Spring Festival

There was something rather exhilarating for Test Unit Alpha 23 as books piled up around her body. Scanning, rescanning, filing, saving data-- and she was learning so much. Pony culture, pony history, mythology, biology, geography. The purple creature, a unicorn, registered “Twilight Sparkle”, kept a stream of books coming as the pink one and small ones expressed joy with jumps and spins to the upbeat tune of horns and drums scratching through an audio-projecting device. Her head buzzed and she isolated it, accessing her databanks to record it.

Inside, sorting the new data into a category of sounds, she found a little something that was fragmented, but better quality than she had thought to find. Delving farther, there were a few memory files in similar condition filling in. One contained little more than images of metal. The memories accompanying it were gone. Another contained the sensation of a long drop and water. She registered the face of the pony called Derpy Hooves in this one. Associated memories were sparse. She recalled a target, but nothing specific. Curious, she pulled through the next one. It was clearer: a fight, between herself and the brown one called Time Turner, and there was a little memory residue in the data. She found that she herself had purged her memory when her “mission” was jeopardized. She replayed it a few times and a little more data filled in; she found the mission the brown one and her memories had spoken of. She did recall it now-- a mission to destroy him. Only the basic command remained, however. She could see the spot where the execution code was shattered. Compulsion to complete it was nonexistent, leaving a useless string of commands inside her databanks.

Her gaze turned outwards again, though she was jarred to find Twilight Sparkle holding her by the shoulder, asking, “Are you okay? You sort of zoned out there.”

“I am in good condition,” the robot replied. “Some of my memories had restored themselves and I was reviewing the files.”

“Files?” Twilight asked, tilting her head. “Not like real files, though, right? Those wouldn’t fit inside you.”

The robot stared and her mind brought up the multiple definitions of "file". She nodded.

“I speak of ‘files’ as in a compact storage unit of data points in my memory,” she explained.

“Interesting,” Twilight said, her eyes lighting up. “What did you remember?”

“I have discovered my initial mission and that I attempted to delete my own memory when I failed,” she said. “I was only partially successful due to electrical discharge and sonic waves interfering with my commands at the time.”

“Wait... from that ring?” Twilight asked.

“The green ring on the right forehoof of registered ‘Time Turner’,” she said. “I was sent to destroy him but, fortunately there won’t be more conflict as the programming to execute said command was erased.”

“Oh! Well, that’s a relief,” Twilight said.

She lay on the floor with her and asked, “Know who sent you? Or why?”

“The data is missing,” she replied.

“I guess that’s probably why you erased your own memory,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin. “Right? Whoever sent you didn’t want anypony to find out who they are.”

It seemed like a logical assumption, but the robot couldn’t say so. She realized the data was coded as private as soon as she opened her mouth and discussion was impossible. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and she ran through her database to see if anyone could authorize her. As with just a little while ago, she found herself compelled to ask the pegasus called Derpy Hooves for permission. A quick partition sent one section of her mind racing away to find out why, while the rest of her focused on sending out the words, “I apologize. I’m not permitted to discuss that situation.”

“Not permitted?” the unicorn repeated; she smiled sympathetically and held the robot’s shiny, metal hoof. “Oh, come on. You can trust me, I promise.”

“I’m afraid you misunderstand. I am literally unable to discuss it,” the robot said apologetically.

The unicorn seemed troubled, her brow creasing as she bit her lip in thought.

“That’s a little scary,” she admitted. “A-Anyway! How are you liking the books? I hope the music isn’t too loud for you to read through.”

“It isn’t an issue,” she replied.

Twilight smiled at her warmly.

“Oh good. Need more?”

“Yes, please.”

As Twilight moved off to fetch more books from the shelves, the Test Unit watched and analyzed her magic curiously. She felt a sudden pressure across her back; when she turned her head, she noted that the pink one, Pinkie Pie, was draped across her, grinning.

“I’m really glad to see you,” she said brightly. “Like I said, you’re really going to like it here. Promise.”

“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” she replied.

Pinkie absently rubbed the robot’s mane a little, smoothing the top of it down, and she asked, “So, any plans now that you’re here?”

“No. I am not approved to create plans,” she said.

Pinkie tilted her head.

“Oh. You should talk to Derpy about that,” she said.

The robot stared at her without a word and Pinkie smiled and jumped upright.

“You imprinted on her, right? Like a baby bird?”

A little buzz from the robot’s head announced a completed analysis and she was unsettled to find the pink pony was correct-- an imprinting command installed inside her had selected Derpy as “master” when she had rebooted. Uncertain but without a tone to hint at it, the unicorn asked, “How did you know that?”

Pinkie grinned and shrugged.

“Well, I’m going to plan a party for you and you better make sure she lets you plan on coming to it!” she said with a wink.

The command to find Derpy flickered into existence in her mind, put on a list of non-urgent tasks to complete.

“Isn’t this a party for her?” Twilight asked, returning with a hovering pile of books.

She placed them down around the robot. Pinkie rolled her eyes and then smiled.

“Yeah, but this is like a little private party with just us and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I mean, like a bigger, introduce-her-to-the-town party with all our friends, who I bet will become her friends, and it will just be a big new-friend-old-friend party.”

Twilight was a bit taken aback and she looked at the robot with wide eyes.

“Uhh... are you sure about that, Pinkie?” she asked hesitantly.

“Oh sure, everypony will love her. And we should probably let them know that a cool robo-pony is gonna be hanging around from now on,” Pinkie said, bouncing away and shouting, “Applejack! Will you help me make apple goodies for another party soon?”

Applejack was sitting across the room, sipping some punch through a straw when Pinkie got in her face with a hopeful smile.

“There’s that Spring Festival comin’ up real soon,” Applejack admitted; she scratched her mane under her hat. “I was gonna be bakin’ for that, but I guess it wouldn't be much trouble to just whip up a few more batches of stuff.”

“Great! We’ll have a double celebration!” Pinkie said, and quickly, she wrapped her forelimb around the other mare’s shoulder, whispering conspiratorially into her ear.

Though it was well within the robot’s hearing range, she tuned out of their secret and returned to the books. Scanning through pages barely took a second. Her mind echoed the term “robo-pony” with interest. Without her memories, she acknowledged that she was left a little adrift. Unless this Derpy Hooves gave her some mission or purpose, she supposed she would remain so. Staying in this place, she would certainly benefit from becoming more like a pony either way. She was aware that she currently appeared as one. Whomever had made her had done so for a specific reason; infiltration.

She was jarred from processing a bit abruptly by a sudden energy signature pinging in her mind. She got to her hooves instantly and was stable, even as the others stumbled and the music skipped as the ground rumbled. However, the movement stopped almost as quickly as it began.

“What the heck was that?” Twilight squeaked.

“It was an impact,” the robot said. “This is not a common occurrence?”

“N-Not unless s-something weird is going on!” squealed the small pony, Apple Bloom.

The robot noticed the other ponies pinning their ears back and she mimicked them.

“Well, shoot. That better not be those big stone varmints again,” Applejack grouched. “Let me take a look around. Anypony coming?”

“I will come,” the robot said quickly.

The other ponies seemed surprised, and though Applejack raised an eyebrow, she said, “Right, come with me.”

The Test Unit followed Applejack outside, watching her cautious and strong movements carefully. She recorded the movements and mimicked her stride. The orange mare looked around, frowning, and the robot followed her gaze. There were other ponies around, but none seemed overly alarmed. Curious, the robot adjusted her eyes, scanning through the structures around them, matching buildings with a scan of an overhead, Ponyville map she had filed away in her memory.

“What am I looking for?” she asked.

“A big rock monster,” Applejack said.

“Negative. ‘Rock monsters’ undetected.”

“You sure?” Applejack asked, “How can ya tell?”

“98% sure,” the robot said, and she pointed to her eyes. “I am able to adjust my vision to see through some objects.”

“Creepy. But useful,” Applejack said, but she smiled. “Thanks, sugarcube, that puts my mind a bit at ease.”

Though the robot was unsure of what to make of the term “sugarcube”, she nodded, and Applejack patted her shoulder.

“Would you mind taking a look around for Derpy and Time Turner? Those two always seem to be gettin’ into something strange and I’m a bit worried about ‘em. No offence, but they did just turn up with you, and I don’t know a single pony that’ve ever seen anything like you before.”

“No offence taken,” the robot said. “I will do as you ask.”

“Thanks, sugarcube. I’ll check this way, you check the other.”

Applejack gestured towards town to the west, and though she did agree with the idea, the robot felt compelled to obey. Seeking Derpy Hooves registered as a priority and she headed off at a quick pace, her mind abruptly locked onto her goal.

Acquire data from books - in progress

Locate Derpy Hooves - current, urgent

Acquire pony attributes - in progress

Scanning the area as she went, she soon picked up on the energy she recognized as Time Turner. She wasn’t certain, but she suspected Derpy would be with him. She made a bee-line for him, trotting through dirt and over stone, and through a small patch of trees and bushes. She quickly noticed that the signal she had picked up was in the same direction-- found it rather curious.

Before long, she came into a clearing with a large area shimmering beneath a cloaking apparatus. She analyzed it quickly, her eyes adjusting and filtering the signal until a large blue and silver craft revealed itself. Seeing the two she was looking for emerging from under one of its wings, she lost interest in the craft and waited patiently for the two to get closer.

She noticed Derpy hesitate, but at they got closer, Time Turner put on a smile and trotted closer to her. She was less interested in him, though. Her eyes wouldn’t leave the grey, winged mare.

“Hey, hello there!” he said brightly. “Didn’t expect to catch you out here. Did you need something?”

“Yes.”

She moved to meet Derpy as she came out, raising one hoof as she felt compelled to ask, “Permission to ask a favour?”

Her ears buzzed and trained on Derpy, keen on her answer.

“Wh-What? Um, of course. You don’t need permission to... Um... What do you need?” she said.

The Test Unit felt pleased, but her brow furrowed as she tried to assess what would be the best way to broach her question. She quickly decided bluntness was best.

“I would ask that you to teach me how to become a pony.”

Derpy’s ears flopped and she felt her mouth dry. She could see Time Turner leaning around the robot to look at her, brows raised. The robot’s ears mimicked hers.

“Y-You want to--? And you want me to--? ” she managed to squeak out.

“Just a moment,” Time Turner said, sidestepping to meet her gaze. “Derpy has had a bit of a rough day. Could I help you instead?”

“No. You are unqualified,” she said.

Time Turner was taken aback and Derpy bit her lip. She took a deep breath.

“Wh-Why do you want to, um... Why do you want to learn to be a pony?” she asked.

“I suspect I will be staying amongst ponies for a while. It would be beneficial to learn the specifics of how to be one,” she said. “I was designed for infiltration. Though I am damaged, I do not believe it is an unreasonable thing to expect of myself.”

“O...Oh...” Derpy said.

“Sorry to butt in, but are you certain I can’t--?” Time Turner said.

The robot shut him down, stoically repeating, “You are unqualified.”

The stallion pouted for only an instant; his ears were up and he beckoned into the cave.

“Hey, before we get started-- or, I mean, before you and Derpy do, would you mind taking a quick peek at what we found in that cave?”

“Cave?” The robot tilted her head and her irises flickered. “I see.”

“Wait, you want to go back in there?” Derpy asked.

“You never know, she might know something about it,” he said.

“Doubtful. You only disrupted a very small portion of my memory deletion protocol,” the robot said, “but I would be willing to look.”

Derpy grimaced but she nodded, and the robot took off briskly. The ponies hurried to join her.

Time Turner opened the door for them again in the back of the cave, revealing the blue-lit room; the robot was inside and scanning around without hesitation. Derpy watched with apprehension as the robot took her time looking around the place. Time Turner, to her surprise, seemed much more relaxed. He moved the the center console and reared up, putting his hooves on it to support himself.

“There’s quite a lot of buttons here,” he said, drawing the metal mare’s attention. “ See, these one blink, and these ones, they sometimes go blip.”

“And their function is to go blip?” she asked.

“Partly, I guess, or else why would they make that sound? But I guess they probably do something more interesting, too, but I have no clue what that would be.”

“I guess... I guess we’d just like to know,” Derpy said, “m-maybe you’d know what this place is? Or anything about it at all, really. Th-That’s why you wanted to bring her here, right?”

She cast her gaze at Time Turner; he nodded. The robot looked around and Derpy noticed her irises flickering and spinning. She approached the console and walked around it, her gait changing noticeably to a more cautious one. She mimicked Time Turner’s posture and flicked up a glistening dome to reveal a few small sockets. The ponies crowded her a little, peering in as she set her horn alight with sparks. To their surprise, a small flap opened on her right ear, but when she moved to pull something from it, a bit of a frown passed over her face.

“I apologize.” The robot put all four hooves back on the ground. “I cannot give you proper answers without being able to link to the console.”

“What do you mean?” Time Turner asked, tilting his head.

“I have been damaged and I am missing a piece that would allow me to link my ‘mind’ into this console. Once I do that, I will be able to tell you all the details available about this place.”

“Oh! Well--! Well that’s just great!” Derpy said, her face lighting up. “We just gotta fix you!”

“We can check Twilight’s to see if the piece came off while they were putting her back together. Otherwise, I’m sure we can come up with some replacement,” Time Turner said, nodding, and he thumped the robot on the shoulder appreciatively. “Thanks, my metal friend!”

“I am unclear, I have not completed any task.”

“That’s okay, just knowing you can do something with this place is really helpful,” Derpy said. “We still don’t even know what it is. Or... Or how it got into a cave.”

“Oh, it did not,” the robot said. “It is disguised as a cave.”

“...What?”

Time Turner stared at her with wide eyes and Derpy’s couldn’t help but look completely flummoxed.

“What do you mean by that?” the stallion asked.

“What you saw on the exterior is a projected disguise. Don’t fret, I will make it clear for you once I can link with the console.”

“But how did you know that?” Derpy asked.

“My eyes can perceive the filter,” the robot said.

“What does it look like underneath?” Time Turner asked.

“A large blue and silver craft with wings.”

Time Turner gulped. He felt a little shock of panic through his chest, then confusion. His ears drooped and he bit his lip. Derpy shot him a concerned frown.

Astute despite her stoicism, the robot said, “You are disturbed by this news.”

“I... I just... I guess I came from in here,” Time Turner said, his voice a little weaker than he had intended.

“You do not know where you come from,” she said; her ears mimicked his, a little more natural in her movement than before. “I empathize.”

The stallion smiled a bit despite himself.

“Thank you. But... But, a craft with wings, I don’t even--”

“It’s okay,” Derpy blurted through his words.

He looked at her with his brows raised.

“Don’t even worry. We’ll figure it out when, um... when Miss Robot can tell us what this is. For now, let’s not worry. Okay?”

“Can we just not worry?” Time Turner asked. “Is that a thing?”

“Probably not, but there’s no point in just wondering and worrying if there literally isn’t a way to get answers right now. Right?” Derpy insisted, her eyes wide, and she looked a bit desperate. “What do you think?”

The curiosity was killing him, but Time Turner nodded. She was scared, but he thought she was right. He nodded and she wilted, blowing out a relieved sigh.

“Shall we depart, then?” the robot asked, her eyes locked on Derpy.

When Derpy nodded, the robot made a beeline for the exit, and the grey mare followed her. Time Turner was the last out. He took a moment at the console to look around, straining his mind, trying to find something, anything familiar. It was all still so strange to him. Gritting his teeth, he made to follow Derpy and the robot, though a little brush of air on his ears stopped him. A flicker of cyan in the corner of his eye made him whirl on his hooves, scanning with a nervous lump in his throat. Nothing stuck him as out of the ordinary at all. He gulped and hurried out, trying to convince himself it was just the lights on the buttons playing tricks on his eyes.

He met Derpy and the robot outside.

“You okay?” Derpy asked.

“Fine. Just spooked myself, no worries,” he assured her, waving a hoof dismissively.

“Okay.” Though Derpy looked skeptical, she nodded her head back towards town. “Back to Twilight’s?”

“How about you two just head home, and I’ll take a look,” he suggested. “It should be like a metal cable, right?”

The robot nodded and Time Turner was off before Derpy could make an alternate suggestion. She pouted until the reality that he had just left her alone with the robot settled in. She felt suddenly chilly.

When she turned to look, the robot hadn’t moved. She waited patiently, eyes locked on Derpy. The pegasus gulped despite herself and pointed a hoof through the brambles before them.

“Um... Do... Do you want to go home?” she asked.

“This is agreeable to me, but what I want doesn’t really factor into it,” the robot said simply.

“Really? Why?” Derpy asked.

She started towards the bushes, though the robot quickly overtook her, using her body like a buffer between Derpy and the prickling twigs.

“I may have my preferences, but my actions are dictated by a bit of remaining programming,” she said simply; her horn let out a crackling zap, clearing a few thorny branches from their way, “and by my orders.”

“Orders?” Derpy repeated. “So, wait, you have... programming in you that--? I’m sorry, I still don’t really understand.”

“I retain some basic command segments,” the robot said; she kicked a large stone from the path with a low clink. “As an example, there were instructions to self-terminate if my mission is in danger of failure.”

“And what was your mission?” Derpy asked.

“It involved terminating Time Turner. Beyond that, that information has been deleted from my memory,” she explained.

Derpy bit her lip, trying to keep up.

“So most of your information was deleted when you tried to, what was it, self-terminate?” she said. “So, like... you tried to erase your brain before you-?”

“Yes, that was what my commands told me to do,” she said. “I apologize for cutting you off.”

“No, no, that’s okay,” Derpy said.

She skipped over an old tree root as, just ahead, the robot zapped a thick branch rather than ducking below it and pushed through onto the other side of the trees. Derpy stumbled out onto the clear grass and turned to see that the metal mare had cleared a rather smooth, one-pony-width path back to the clearing.

“Nice,” she commented.

The robot nodded.The pegasus tilted her head, trying to get herself a bit more accustomed to looking into her bright, vacant eyes. She blinked and tried to figure out what else to ask.

“I have a few more questions, is that okay?”

“Of course.”

Derpy nodded and steadied herself.

“How about... what other commands are still in you?”

“Command to track a specific energy signature,” she said. “Time Turner. Command to terminate the signature exists but remains corrupted and nonfunctioning. Command of compliance also exists but only functions in part.”

“What does that mean?” Derpy asked.

“I am compelled to answer to someone,” she explained. “You, for example. Upon awakening, I spied you first. I am compelled to answer to you.”

Derpy was taken aback and her eyes widened.

“Wait, wait, you’re saying you’re only answering me because you’re compelled to?” she asked. “Would you answer if you weren’t?”

“I cannot speculate, as I have not experienced not being compelled to answer.”

Derpy opened her mouth to protest but only managed to stutter out something a little incoherent before she took a deep breath. The unicorn tilted her head a bit and Derpy’s ears drooped and she flared her wings just a bit.

“Um, could...? Could I...? Can I give you an ‘order’?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Can you...? Can I ask you to get rid or whatever makes you take orders?”

The robot’s irises flickered a little and she buzzed out a distorted, “What?”, almost as if in surprise.

“Well, it’s just,” Derpy tried to explain, “you said you wouldn’t mind being more like a real pony, right? Well, a real pony can make her own choices. You shouldn’t have to answer me or do what I say because someone put something in you that makes you do it, right?”

“So you wish for me to delete a portion of my command matrix.”

The robot tilted her head slightly the the other direction.

“Yes!” Derpy said quickly. “I mean... if that works for you, or--”

“It makes no difference to me. I will do as you ask.”

Her eyes flickered to black and then lit up again after just a moment.

Derpy watched anxiously and when the robot didn’t say a word, the pegasus hesitantly asked, “Did it work?”

“There is only one way to be certain,” she replied. “Command me.”

“To do what?” Derpy asked blankly.

“Anything.”

“Walk backwards...?” Derpy suggested nervously.

The robot didn’t move at all.

“I choose not to do this.”

She stood fast and her ears went up high, and she looked at Derpy sharply, her aperture eyes dilating. Derpy stared back at her with hopeful curiosity.

“I am able to choose,” the robot said.

“That’s great!” the pegasus said brightly. “Great! Good! I’m really happy for you!”

“I, too, am happy,” the robot replied.

Again, she seemed a bit surprised and Derpy beamed.

“That’s great!”

“Fascinating.” The robot paced a moment. “Command me to do something else.”

“Uh... lift your right hoof?” Derpy suggested.

“No,” the robot said, and all four hooves remained on the ground. “Fascinating. I can do as I please.”

Derpy ruffled her feathers and the robot nodded, saying, “Thank you.”

“Of course!” Derpy said, and then joked, “Becoming a pony, step one, I guess. But, I mean, I’m still a bit confused. If you deleted a bunch of your information, why were you compelled to answer to me?”

“I retained an ‘imprinting’ command to answer to the first creature I saw upon rebooting. Rather short-sighted of my creator, if I may say so, but I suppose whomever that was was not expecting me to become compromised.”

“Compromised?” Derpy repeated.

“Yes,” the robot said. “When Time Turner disrupted my self-termination protocol, I was compromised. I was not intended to reboot.”

“Oh. Well, I mean... Maybe it’s rude to say, but even though I’m... I mean, I’m still a little scared,” Derpy admitted, “but I’m glad you did reboot.”

“I appreciate that. I will try to be of use,” the robot said.

“No, no, not just that,” Derpy said. “I mean... Maybe you’re made of metal and stuff, but... I guess as far as I’m concerned, if you want to be a pony, you are pony. We just need to work on it a bit.”

Though her face didn’t shift, the robot’s ears lifted.

“Now... you just need a name,” Derpy mused.

“I am registered as Test Unit Alpha 23.”

“Can you unregister?”

“If I so choose.” The robot’s face showed just a glimmer of amusement. “I enjoy saying that.”

Derpy couldn’t help a laugh, patting the robot on her shoulder with a wing.

“If you want, I bet some of us can come up with a proper name for you,” she suggested.

“I suppose a Test Unit Alpha 23 does not exactly fit with the Applejacks, Twilight Sparkles and Pinkie Pies,” the robot said. “This is a good idea. Thank you, Derpy.”

Derpy smiled, her heart feeling lighter; her nerves smoothed out. She nodded her head towards the town.

“So there’s a big spring festival coming up soon. Want to check out what’s going on and see if there’s anything to do before we head home?”

“Sounds interesting,” the robot agreed. “I hope you do not mind if I still choose to defer to you on occasion, especially as we are starting.”

“If that’s what you want.”

The robot nodded; Derpy smiled.

“I know a pony named Rarity,” she said. “She’s really good with design and colours and stuff, maybe she can help you look a little more like a normal pony.”

“That sounds promising.”

Derpy grinned. She felt like she was afloat. With a ruffle of her wings, she took off with a bounce in her step, nodding for her new friend to follow.

A cool breeze on his ears and one weight lifted from his mind, Time Turner crossed town in a hurry and arrived back on Twilight Sparkle’s doorstep. He only had to knock once when the door was flung open by Pinkie Pie.

“Hey, hi, welcome back! Here for the afterparty party?” she asked.

“Uh... Afterparty party?”

“Yeah! The party after the party to celebrate the party! Duh!”

She grinned wide and bright. The stallion smiled despite his bemusement. Before he could answer, Pinkie jumped over him--somehow-- and nudged him inside.

The three little fillies were still there, as was a rather confused-looking Rainbow Dash as well. Applejack was sitting on the stairs, looking a little agitated, but her ears perked when she saw him and she called over the music.

“Are ya’ll okay? Did that robot find ya?”

“She did,” Time Turner said. “I’m sorry, were you looking for me?”

Applejack rose from her spot as Rainbow Dash looked at them with puzzlement-- like she had a question on the tip of her tongue.

“I just figured that big rumblin’ might have had something to do with you and Derpy,” she said with a shrug. “Ya’ll seem to be gettin’ into some crazy stuff. Was everythin’ alright?”

“Mostly,” Time Turner admitted, “though our robot friend seems a bit smitten with Derpy. She’s insisting she teach her how to be more like a real pony.”

“Sorry, what are we talking about?” Rainbow Dash edged in. “I just came over to borrow a book and Pinkie yanked me into a party. What the heck is a robot?”

“It’s... Ah, it’s complicated,” Applejack said, sighing. “We’ll show ya later.”

“Speaking of,” Time Turner added, “she says she’s missing a piece. Do you suppose Twilight would mind if I look around for it?”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t,” the orange mare assured him. “She’s just upstairs if you want to check.”

Time Turner nodded and headed up, looking to find the unicorn.

Twilight was surrounded by a protective wall of books in the middle of the floor, laying on her belly with a large tome directly in front of her, her brow knitted in a quizzical frown.

“Hello, Miss Twilight,” he said.

Her ears lifted and her head jerked up.

“Oh! Sorry, didn’t hear you come in!” she said. “Any news?”

“Yes, actually,” he said. “Mostly to do with me, however.”

“Let’s hear it,” Twilight said.

She got to her hooves and looked at him eagerly. He tilted his head and tried to sort through what to tell her first.

“I saw where Derpy found me,” he said. “There was a cave there, but inside it was a room with a lot of lights and buttons.”

Twilight’s face was a blank.

“What?” she said.

“My reaction exactly,” he said. “Though... add a bit more running and shouting. I’m still not sure what to make of it.”

“Can you take me there sometime?” she asked quickly.

He nodded and said, “That’s no problem, I’d love your input on it. Anyway, I’m actually here because our robot friend seems to be missing a piece.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened. “But I could have sworn I got them all! What piece?”

“It’s a small cable of some sort,” he said. “She said she’d be able to hook into some of the machines in the room and find out more about them.”

“Ooh!” She perked up instantly. “That’s good news! I’ll take a look around, too.”

She hurried off down the stairs and Time Turner followed as they brushed through the afterparty party and headed to the basement. Twilight took the end of the room closest to the stairs, shuffling some stray books out of the way as well as Time Turner took the back table. His eyes were still sharp in the shadows and he scoured the area, checking under everything and between all the machines, wondering if it could have fallen or been discarded by accident.

Twenty minutes passed, and there was still not a single sign of any parts out of place. He rested his cheek on his hoof, letting out a deep sigh.

“What? Can’t find it?” Twilight asked. “I haven’t seen anything either.”

She moved back to join him, tilting her head inquisitively.

“Well...” He frowned to himself. “I think it must have broken earlier. Maybe when I tackled her.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed. She whisked Advanced Animation towards her and flipped through it quickly, sticking her tongue out with determination.

“So you need a... what?” she asked.

“It’s supposed to be a piece she can use to link into other things,” he explained. “I’m not entirely clear on it.”

Twilight nodded and paced the room as she read. Time Turner watched patiently.

“Well... I’m not sure it’ll be as effective,” Twilight said, “but I can make something out of paired crystals.”

She flipped the book and passed it off to the stallion. He read the page carefully. What it outlined was something the book called an “analysis gem”. Attached onto whatever the artificial creature could use to gather sensory information was one gem, magically paired to another. The other was then to be attached temporarily to something else and able to analyze it.

“That sounds fairly close,” he said.

“It’ll take me a while to make. A few days, at least. And I might need Rarity’s help, she knows gemstones even better than I do,” Twilight said. “But I’d be excited to see if it works.”

“Thank you so much, Miss Twilight, you really have no idea how irreplaceable your help has been.”

Twilight pshawed bashfully.

The two ponies returned to the ground floor to find Rainbow Dash pleading with Applejack, who seemed at a loss. Upon seeing them, however, the pegasus zoomed over, grabbing Twilight by her shoulders.

“Twilight! Quick, you gotta tell me what a robot is! I gotta know!”

“What?” the unicorn asked blankly.

“Applejack just keeps saying it’s too complicated to explain to me but that just makes me want to know even more,” she insisted.

“Uh...” she said. “Um... Time Turner, you wanna take this one?”

“Easiest to just show her, I think,” he said.

“Well then show me, because it’s driving me nuts,” Rainbow Dash insisted.

“It’s just a metal pony,” Apple Bloom volunteered from across the room.

“That makes no sense,” the pegasus replied, rolling her eyes.

Time Turner bit his lip to stifle a laugh and then nodded his head at the door.

“Come with me, we’ll track her down to show you.”

“Thank you!”

The mare threw up her hooves, seemingly in both exasperation and relief, and then eagerly followed Time Turner out the front door.

“So, let me ask you something,” Rainbow Dash said as they headed towards Derpy’s house. “How did you two meet, again? You and Derpy?”

“She found me unconscious on the ground, you know how it is,” he said with a laugh.

“So that time I saw her carrying you, that was the first time you two met?”

“Technically,” he said, and then curiously asked, “Do you know her well? She seems to really respect you.”

Rainbow Dash’s ears lifted and she looked surprised for a second, and then grinned bashfully.

“We went to flight school together. Not in the same class or anything. Mostly just knew her kind of as a friendly acquaintance until recently. I was just curious because you two seem like best friends all of a sudden. It’s kinda nice to see her hanging around with someone on the regular.”

Time Turner nodded and picked up his pace a bit. Rainbow lifted off and kept up without even a modicum of effort. However, it wasn’t long before both of them were stalled in the tracks by a drifting sound of music on the wind. Before Time Turner could even ask what it was, Rainbow Dash shot straight up into the air. She was only gone for a second; her face was bright when she returned.

“C’mon, this way!” she said as she flew around him and pushed him off to the left.

“What? What’s going on?”

“The Spring Festival is getting all set up! They're doing some awesome stuff over there, let’s check it out!”

“What about--?”

“I saw Derpy walking with another pony over there anyway, c’mon, let’s go!”

She was off in a flash. Time Turner rolled his eyes but laughed a little to himself and took off after her.

The festival grounds were a little out of the way, but Derpy was glad to check them out. Musical voices drifted on the wind, enticing them inward. Ponies were pushing up colourful maypoles and assembling some basic tables all around the field. A stage seemed like the centerpiece-- the base was done, but a few pegasi and earth ponies were working together to put up elaborate sidings with patterns of flowers and the sun and moon. Standing upon the finished platform was Rarity, Big Macintosh --still a little dishevelled from work-- and two other ponies. One was a tall, thin blue stallion and the other was a yellow mare with her pink and red mane in an elaborate, beaded updo. Derpy quickly realized that they had been the source of the music. Keeping close, the robot looked around her, seeming rather fascinated; Derpy couldn’t help but think about how fortunate it was that everypony was so busy that her new friend was going relatively unnoticed.

“Everyone-- Everypony seems quite dedicated,” the robot said.

“Festivals are kind of a big thing around here,” Derpy explained. “Everypony gets pretty into it.”

“And that pony, Applejack, she was preparing some sort of... confectioneries?”

“Oh, for sure,” she said. “Applejack makes the best apple desserts in town. Oh... wait a second. Can I ask you something?”

“Yes, of course.”

Derpy tilted her head curiously.

“Do you eat?”

“I am not sure. I have a composition analysis chamber, perhaps that is similar?” the robot said.

Derpy frowned with confusion, unsure of what that even really meant, but she shrugged.

“Guess we’ll have to find out at some point,” she said.

“I agree.”

The robot smiled, but with a sharp, unnatural movement, her head was tilting up and her gaze was skyward, saying, “There is a very fast object about to make direct contact with us.”

“Wh-What?” Derpy asked, surprised.

She looked up and lifted her ears, squinting into the bright sky. A streak of rainbow caught her eye and she realized rather quickly that it was a familiar pony as wingbeats met her ears.

In just seconds, Rainbow Dash was stomping into a landing right before them.

“Hey! I’m looking for a robot.”

Derpy was taken aback and the metal mare at her side cocked her ears and replied, “I suppose that’s me.”

The blue pegasus looked taken aback, undoubtedly at the strange, hollow sound in the robot’s voice. She looked her up and down, seemingly unable to acknowledge Time Turner’s arrival behind her even as Derpy waved at him. Rainbow tilted her head, frowning deeply. The robot mimicked her and the pegasus’s fur bristled. She poked her in the chest, ears lifting high with surprise at the distinctly metal sound of the contact.

“No way,” Rainbow said. “So you’re really the robot?”

“Yes.”

“So you’re... I mean... You’re a pony but made of metal? How did that even happen?!”

“Technically,” the robot said, “I am not a pony. I just look like one. However, I wish to become as pony-like as possible. Derpy Hooves has agreed to help me.”

“Huh?” the pegasus said a bit blankly. “Well... What? I don’t get it, but... whatever. What’s your name?”

“I was called Test Unit Alpha 23.”

“Huh?! That’s not a name!”

“Indeed.”

“I’m gonna come up with a new one for her,” Derpy explained, “which... means that 100% of the ponies I hang out with on a regular basis will have amnesia and also be named by me. Weird.”

“Well, it’s your own fault for being so helpful,” Time Turner joked.

Derpy stuck her tongue out at him.

“You guys are confusing,” Rainbow muttered; she tapped the robot again as if just to hear the sound. “So where did you come from, anyway?”

“I’m not certain,” the robot admitted.

“Right. Right. No memories. Sorry.”

Her wings pressed in tightly but a sound from behind them caught her attention and she leaned around Derpy and the robot to look; zoomed off in an instant to catch a loose beam on the stage.

“Fascinating. She uses every muscle efficiently,” the robot commented.

“She’s one of the fastest pegasi in Equestria,” Derpy said.

“And how fast is that?” Time Turner asked.

“Breaking the sound barrier fast,” the pegasus said-- she seemed to get a little starry-eyed-- “She’s so cool.”

“And... you cannot fly that fast?” the robot asked.

Derpy shook her head and spread her wings out to their full extent. Time Turner was taken aback for a moment: for her small body size, they seemed rather long. The robot tilted her head.

Derpy explained, “See, my wings are pretty long, right? They’re good for gliding and for diving, actually.”

She folded them in close again and she saw the robot’s eyes flash.

“I have registered this data,” she said, “And... that blue pony, hers are...?”

“Like a falcon’s. Narrow, for speed.”

“Such variety,” the robot said.

Derpy smiled, nodded, and ruffled her wings; Time Turner couldn’t help but want to see whatever this falcon creature was. At the stage, Rainbow had taken up trying to fix the parts that seemed to be falling off from poor craftsmanship, berating some of the others for being so clumsy, while the ponies below on the solid bit of stage began to do vocal warmups again. They watched the singing again for a little; and when it was clear that Rainbow Dash had become otherwise occupied, the three began to move along a little, taking a look as ponies set up carts and stands.

“This is certainly lively,” Time Turner said. “What brought you two here?”

“Just exploring,” Derpy said, smiling. “So, I mean, festivals are a big deal here. I thought it might be a good idea.”

“Oh! That’s interesting,” he said, “Very interesting! What inspired that?”

“Like she said, she wants to be like a real pony,” she said.

“Now for my own reasons, thankfully,” the robot said, cracking a small smile.

Time Turner shot her a puzzled look and she volunteered, “Derpy disabled a part of my coding. She has given me free will.”

Time Turner’s eyes went wide and he stopped in his tracks, forcing the others to do so as well, narrowing avoiding a young pony trying to hack a stump out of the ground. He tilted his head one way and then the other, and then grinned.

“Well, then! What a development,” he said, and grinned. “I’m really very glad that everything’s worked out so far.”

Derpy nodded, smiling to herself, and the robot seemed pleased. Time Turner felt a sense of pride when he looked at Derpy. She had shed her fear so quickly.

As they made to move on, the robot noticed the stump and pushed between the pony and it. Her horn lit up, and with an electric crack she zapped the stump clear out of the ground.

“Hey, thanks!” the pony said.

She didn’t even seem to take much notice of the robot’s oddities and grabbed her axe to move on to a smaller stump nearby. Derpy bounced forward and eyed the hole in the ground where the stump was and then looked back at the metal pony.

“What about Sparks?” she suggested.

“Pardon?”

“For your name.”

Time Turner poked his head in closer and repeated, “Sparks?”

Derpy nodded and looked between the two with a shy smile.

“Well, her “magic” is actually more like... lightning. You know?” she explained.

Time Turner seemed pleased and the metal unicorn looked between them, and then her eyes flickered and she announced, “Registering self: Sparks,” and was silent and still for a few seconds.

“Complete,” she announced, and looked at the two ponies. “I am now Sparks. Thank you for the name.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Derpy said, her cheeks flushing as she smiled. “100%.”

“That’s funny,” Time Turner said. “Now, what can we be doing around here?”

Derpy wanted to suggest they help out, maybe assemble a stand or clear some area like Sparks had done, but the pegasus couldn’t help but feel a sudden strike of discomfort and nerves. Her ears pinned back. Time Turner took note and tilted his head, but before he could ask, Sparks leaned in towards her.

“Are you all right? Your physiology is changed,” she wondered.

Derpy laughed it off awkwardly.

“Um... Uh, h-how about we just g-go see if Rarity’s done singing?” She trotted off in a hurry, cursing inside her head as she stumbled over her own hooves in her hurry.

Time Turner shot Sparks a bemused look. She was still blankfaced, but her ears tilted upwards.

As they approached the stage again, Derpy noticed Rainbow Dash was gone; spied her mooching some snacks off a table at the far end of the setup. The ponies in the acapella group were doing another run-through, and the group paused to listen in. Once Big Macintosh stumbled on a note and coughed due to what was clearly a dry throat, Rarity told the others on the stage to take a break. She jumped down to take a sip of fruit punch from a refreshment table nearby and to grab her gem-studded saddlebag.

She noticed them from afar and smiled, asking, “Did you enjoy the rehearsal?”

“It’s part of what brought us here,” Derpy laughed. “Need any help around here?”

“Not in this area,” she said, but she trotted a bit closer, saying. “But, it was so nice of you to join us, and--”

Her gaze flitted between Time Turner and Derpy; took one look at the robot and let out a shrill, alarmed, “Gwaahaha!!” and back-stepped a little.

“What on earth--?”

“Oh, sorry! Rarity, this is our new friend,” Derpy said quickly. “Her name is Sparks, she’s a pony made of metal.”

Rarity suddenly wore the same expression as Rainbow Dash had just a little while before. Her head tilted.

“I beg your pardon?” she asked.

“It’s a bit of a chore to go over,” Time Turner said. “But most basically, someone unknown built her to resemble a pony. We’re going to help her become as much like one as possible, at her request, of course.”

“I apologize for startling you,” Sparks said.

Rarity’s cheeks flushed and she waved her off with a shy giggle, saying, “Oh, no no no, dear. But, I’m afraid I’m still a bit, uh... lost on the whole metal thing.”

“It’s a long story,” Derpy said, smiling apologetically. “But, um... besides that, we were wondering if you could help her to look more like a real pony.”

Rarity’s eyes widened and she looked the robot up and down. She bit her lip as Derpy looked at her hopefully.

“You know,” she said-- her magic whisked a comb out of her bag and she circled the metal mare, running it through her jagged tail to smooth it-- “I’ve never done a makeover quite on this scale before, but I can’t see why not. But, on one condition.”

Derpy blinked with surprise but the robot didn’t change expressions in the least, even as Rarity got in her face and combed her rough, spiky mane down into a smooth layer along her neck and a sideswept fringe in the front.

“What’s that?” Derpy asked.

Rarity stuck her tongue out in concentration and stepped back; the robot already looked a great deal better simply with her mane and tail smoothed out.

“Complete creative control.”

“I am fine with this,” Sparks said.

Rarity’s eyes lit up and she let out a shrill laugh.

“You won’t regret it, darling! However...” She looked apologetic. “I’m afraid I won’t really be able to get started until after the festival. For now, how’s this?”

She produced a mirror from her bag as she put the comb away and held it out enough so that the robot could see her new mane. She tilted her head back and forth.

“Thank you,” Sparks said.

“Not at all. Now all I really have to do is to find a way to stain... this.” She tapped the robot’s metal chestplate and frowned. “What metal is that, exactly?”

“Titanium,” Time Turner said.

Derpy raised her eyebrow and the stallion’s eyes widened, as if surprised by himself. Rarity tilted her head.

“Never heard of it,” she said, “but I’m sure I can figure something out.”

The worry on her face had faded completely and now her eyes shone. She peeked around Sparks’s neck and let out a sing-song hmmm.

“Yes, I’m quite sure.”

After Rarity excused herself to rejoin her group, the three mismatched ponies took one more stroll around the area, managing to help a few of the young school-age ponies set up their over-ambitious wooden stand. Meeting up again with Rainbow Dash, she showed them the part she was most excited about for the upcoming day-- an obstacle course set out in a field, including a climbing rig, a multitude of jumps and a rope swing over a pit that was currently being transformed into a wallowing hole of mud. Though she lamented not being able to use her wings, the pegasus seemed rather enthusiastic nonetheless. Time Turner found it exciting as well; wondered if maybe Derpy might like to participate with him.

Once they had seen all there was to see, the three ponies headed back to Derpy’s house. Sparks was curious; attentive. She explored the place thoroughly, clicking, whirring: recording, according to her. Derpy dragged out an old mattress from her basement and set it up on the floor of her bedroom. Sparks was a little confused by the concept of nighttime rest, but seemed to accept the idea anyway. After dinner, as night set in, Sparks settled down. She had no eyelids; the light of her irises simply shut off and she became statuesque under the comforters over her metallic body. Derpy was surprised to not find herself perturbed by the robot at all any more. In fact, she felt safer than ever. She went to bed comfortably.

Time Turner, on the other hand, lay awake on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. He wished he could do as Derpy asked, simply dropping worry from his mind, but he couldn’t get the thoughts of that console and that hidden craft out of his mind. The house was too quiet for him.

Laying in silence wore on him. The moon had long since taken its place high in the sky, and sleep seemed impossible. He rolled out onto the floor and took a quick peek up the stairs, and then looked out the window. He couldn’t help himself.

Quietly slipping out into the night, Time Turner returned to the edge of the forest. He was startled to see the path cleared through the bushes, but quickly released the cuts were made through electric energy; reinforced by the markings of heavy, metal hooves in the dirt. Suddenly grateful, he took the path back to the clearing and delved back into what he saw as a cave. At a touch of his hoof, the door opened, though this time, the lights stayed much lower inside the hidden room.

It was all fascinating to him. Something about the place evoked a sense of nostalgia in him, some sort of vague familiarity that he couldn’t quite grasp. Still, he had no idea how any of it worked. He checked the centre console, rearing up on his hind legs, looking through the buttons and panels. Nothing was clear, or even labeled. He frowned to himself; felt an urge to just start hitting buttons, but he knew it was probably a terrible idea. He couldn’t afford for the the thing to try floating off again. Cursing quietly to himself, he circled the panel, but stopped, statuesque, as he saw a glint of turquoise over his shoulder. He whipped around, but saw nothing straight on, though his ears picked up a high, electronic blurbling.

“Hello? Oi, someone there?” he asked.

Light distracted him again and he spun, trying to follow it, but he still didn’t catch it.

“Oh, come on, I’m not some monster. I’m not going to eat you. Come on out.”

He heard that sound again, a sort of electronic coo, and felt a tremor of static along the back of his neck. He took a look over his shoulder and saw the light again, more clearly, but it didn’t flee this time. Slowly, he turned to face it.

He saw it full on this time. A turquoise blue, feathered serpent, with a little backswept horn on each side of its head and wings like a bird hovered before him, flapping silently as it stared at him, glowing faintly. It seemed almost startled to meet his eyes, but it let out a sort of buzzing, melodic, reverberant chirp and flew around his neck.

“What in the world—?” he muttered as he trying to follow it. “What are you supposed to be? Have you been following me?”

The strange creature twirled in the air, seemed to dance in the stagnant space and whirled around the control station, gliding around it. The panels lit up below it as it passed, and with a deep sense of curiosity, Time Turner edged in closer, eyes wide, and it quickly moved in to join him again, following his eyes and looking at him hopefully. He couldn’t feel it when it settled into his fur, just a mild, electric tingling. He turned his attention on it instead, starting to grin widely.

“Well, look at you!” he said. “A little… What are you? A little flying autonomous beast with no actual body? Do you live in here? Brilliant!”

The little creature seemed happy; flew around his head, spinning and flitting towards the room that looked out above the clearing, leaving a little, glowing trail of bubbles after it. It darted between seats and then, to his surprise, took a nosedive into a metallic panel amongst the switches and controls on the panel before them. The buttons lit up; Time Turner’s ears lifted high and he hurried inwards just as a sort of glowing globe of blue shot out of the panel and floated above it. He yelped, but then cautiously extended a hoof to touch it; it lit up immediately, flashing green and he drew back as the small flying creature zoomed out of the console again and curled around his neck. The globe began projecting some text, geometric symbols Time Turner didn’t understand at first. However, staring at if for a few seconds had his mind start to go fuzzy until the word was suddenly a bit legible to him.

“El… tan… in? Eltanin? Is that your name?” His eyes widened. “Ooh! Eltanin! That’s a star system, isn’t it? Ooh… How did I know that?”

He looked confused, but the little creature seemed pleased and darted through the globe in a hurry. Symbols changed. It took him a moment to read it as, “Ellie.”

“Ellie,” he repeated. “Oh! That’s your name. Okay. Pleasure to meet you, Ellie. So this is your home, then? Thank you for showing me. Do you know me?”

Ellie seemed to shrug.

“Ah. You’re not sure either,” he said; he scratched his chin, “Seems we’re in a similar predicament, then. What is this place, exactly?”

Ellie buzzed and chirped; seemed to be trying to explain. Time Turner smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, little thing, I can’t quite understand you.”

She pouted. The stallion laughed tiredly.

“I’m sure we’ll figure each other out. Or, I suppose, I’ll figure you out, you seem to understand me just fine. Strange, that.”

She waved her wings at him, but suddenly went rigid and alert; her eyes flashed green. Worried, Time Turner was about to ask her if something was wrong, but she darted away from him, circling the globe-like floating light as a yellow dot began to pulse on its surface and a strange, warning-sound emanated from the console.

“I didn’t touch anything,” he said instantly.

Ellie seemed alarmed. With a loud screeee she launched herself at him, circled his head and then rushed for the door.

“What? What is it? Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” he asked, hurrying after her.

She rushed him to the entranceway, waving her wings back and forth, as if beckoning for him to go.

“I should leave? I haven’t made you upset, have I?” he asked.

Ellie shook her head frantically but then motioned again, pointing definitively at the door, which opened wide on its own, and then back inside. Time Turner didn’t quite get it, but he nodded.

“All right, I’ll let you get this sorted, and I’ll come back and visit again soon.”

Ellie chirped somewhat frantically as Time Turner left and the door slid shut behind him.

A little perturbed, but feeling a certain relief as well, knowing that Ellie had been what he had spied on his previous visit, Time Turner returned home. The lights were still out, but he nonetheless spotted the change in the room instantly: Derpy was sitting up, eyes closed— had drifted off with her head on her hoof in the armchair. She stirred at the sound of his hooves on the wooden floor before he could do a thing to keep himself quiet. She stretched and blinked her yellow eyes open and gave him a groggy smile.

“Teleported out again?” she asked.

“Nah. Took a walk this time,” he said. “You didn’t have to wait up.”

“That’s okay. I was just getting up for water anyway,” she said, waving a hoof dismissively. “See anything interesting out there?”

“Ah. Well… Yeah, a bit,” he said. “Went back to the room. Saw a thing. You know.”

Derpy was instantly awake.

“Oh! Oh, was it okay? Did you find anything out?”

“There’s a little flying creature living in there named Ellie, if that helps,” he said, shrugging.

Derpy looked dumbstruck.

“What?!”

“She’s like a serpent, but with bird wings, I suppose? But she’s not physical. I’ll have to show you later. She’s very cute. But strange. And staticky. And I guess she’s really called “Eltanin”, which is a name for a certain group of stars, if I recall. Strange, eh?” he said as he put himself back onto the sofa.

Derpy stared blankly at him for a long while, and then rubbed her head and laughed tiredly.

“You say all of that so casually,” she said.

“She’s no danger.”

“Yeah, but it’s just out of nowhere and is another thing we just have no clue about,” Derpy pointed out.

“I guess you’re right,” Time Turner laughed. ”Oh well. Back to bed?”

Derpy nodded and hopped out of the chair. She stretched her wings high.

“Good night,” she said as she walked groggily back towards the stairs.

Time Turner got himself comfortable on the sofa again and curled up on his blankets, listening closely to Derpy’s hooves and the creaking floorboards. He closed his eyes. Again, his dreams were of stars, so many together they were like billowing clouds, clogging space with a blanket made of pinpricks of light. He saw a serpent in the glow of a few points. He felt right at home.

The high-tempo sound of jazzy horns followed abruptly by a record scratch jarred Time Turner awake, staring upright into the light of the rising sun bouncing from the pale ceiling. He looked around, confused, only to see Derpy smiling at him bashfully. She had a phonograph in her hooves on a small table near the window.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s… It’s new, I didn’t realize the volume was so loud.”

“No worries,” he laughed, rubbing one eye, “What time is it?”

“Almost nine. Oh! Actually, before I forget…”

She steadied the phonograph and rushed off, only to return with a sheet of paper and a quill.

“Can you sign this? For that package. You know, for the weird green magic ring.”

“Oh.”

Time Turner laughed and did as she asked, and she was just putting it away in her bag near the door when Sparks appeared in the threshold to the living room.

“I would like to report my progress. I have concluded that small birds are pleasant and that I am choosing to be excited for the upcoming festival,” she announced.

She marched away, playing back a recording of twittering before either pony could say a word to her.

“I like her,” Time Turner said as Derpy returned.

The pegasus grinned and he felt a certain lightness about her.

“Well, Miss Scaredy-hooves, guess she wasn’t so bad after all, huh?”

“No. Now that she has free will, I dunno, everything just feels… better.”

“Free will is a wonderful thing,” he agreed with a laugh.

The festival field under the midmorning sun was a frenetic, bouncing mess of ponies playing games, browsing a craft market, and eating at an abundance of colourful wooden stands. From the slope overlooking the area, Derpy glided a quick circle in the air just to feel the wind in her feathers before she came in to a slightly stumbling landing to join her friends just cresting the hill.

“Looks like the whole town is already here!” Time Turner said in surprise.

“Much has changed since yesterday,” Sparks commented. “Shall we?”

She began on her way and the others followed, though Derpy felt a sudden jerk of worry.

“Just stay close, okay?” she said, and when she looked at her curiously, she continued, “It’s just that I’m worried that other ponies might be just a tiny bit surprised seeing you.”

“Ah. I understand.”

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Time Turner said brightly. “Hopefully these ponies are getting a bit used to seeing new, ridiculous visitors, after me and those big, wreck-everything rock monsters.”

“Hopefully,” Derpy agreed.

The pegasus’s fears were allayed when it was clear that most ponies were far too preoccupied having fun to pay particular attention to Sparks. Eating the delicious treats made by talented bakers seemed to be a main priority for most, but they also noticed some games set up farther along, and there were several pegasi setting up a sky-race with obstacles of clouds above.

“You Ponyvillians sure go all out,” Time Turner commented as he looked around. “What’s the occasion, exactly?”

“You know, I’m not actually sure,” Derpy admitted. “It’s like, a celebration of spring, I think?”

“It is historically a holiday for the farmers,” Sparks commented casually. “The first day off since the spring work had begun, traditionally. Now, it is a full-town event.”

“Wh…? How did you know that?!” Derpy asked a bit shrilly.

“I inputted a local history book,” the unicorn asserted.

“Oh.”

“I inputted a great many books,” Sparks continued, “though I still have much more to go through. Hopefully the purple unicorn Twilight Sparkle will allow me to continue.”

“I’m sure she will,” Time Turner assured her; suddenly his eyes lit up and his ears lifted, and he said, “Ooh, look at all those apples!”

He was darting off in a hurry and the others followed at he ran up to a stand piled high with a variety of apples and baked, apple-filled desserts. Before she could quite catch up, however, Derpy was nearly bowled over by a pegasus so fast there wasn’t much use in guessing who it was.

“Derpy, I need your help!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her words in almost as much of a hurry as she seemed to be.

“Me? What? What for?” Derpy squeaked, drawing the attention of her friends.

“Racing,” Rainbow said. “Come on, come on, pegasus race!”

“And you want me?! That’s… um… That seems a bit…” Derpy began, but the blue pegasus shook her head.

“Don’t even worry about it,” she said quickly. “I got Thunderlane, but Fluttershy wimped out on me, something about watching the Ponytones and being terrified, I dunno.”

“Derpy, you’ll be brilliant, don’t worry so much!” Time Turner said.

“I will cheer vigorously on your behalf if you partake,” Sparks volunteered.

“I’m n-not sure,” Derpy said quietly.

She hoped Rainbow Dash would remember exactly why she didn’t do a lot of flying in crowds, but the other pegasus merely flapped into the air and grabbed her under her forelimbs, lifting her off her hooves before she could have much of a say about it.

“C’mere,” Rainbow insisted, “I need a third pony for this race.”

“B-But I’m—!”

“You’re reliable, that’s all I need,” the pegasus assured her.

Derpy bit her lip and looked down at her friends; Time Turner grinned and waved her off.

She sucked in some air and said a quiet, “Okay.”

“That’s the spirit!”

As Derpy was whisked away, Time Turner and Sparks’s attentions were drawn by the orange mare, Applejack, clicking her tongue as she moved in to take her place at her stand with a final load of apples.

“Rainbow can be a bit too pushy sometimes,” she said, and shot Time Turner a concerned look. “You want me to talk her out of it?”

“I think Derpy will have fun once she gets started,” he said. “Poor thing, she’s so insecure, but she’s really very good.”

Applejack let out an unsure, “Uh…” but Time Turner laughed.

“Maybe not conventionally. But Rainbow Dash was right, if there’s one word I would use to describe Derpy Hooves, it would be reliable,” he said.

Applejack smiled wide.

“It’s nice to see her makin’ friends, ‘specially with somepony like you,” she said. “You’re right about her being a bit insecure. Y’know, she’s been workin’ as a mailpony for a couple years around Ponyville, and she’s only just now startin’ to be properly social thanks to ya’ll.”

She nodded at Sparks as well. Time Turner was taken aback; he tilted his head.

“Really?” he said. “But she’s so sweet.”

“Oh, of course, she was always cheerful and nice to everypony,” Applejack continued, “but it was like she was afraid to just hang out with everypony.”

“Hope that’s changing,” Time Turner said.

He turned and picked her out at a distance, where she was gathered with a dark grey stallion and Rainbow Dash, up in a low layer of cloud.

“I believe Derpy Hooves will do well,” Sparks said. “I believe that after what she has done for me, many other things will be well within her grasp.”

“Done for you?” Applejack asked.

“She had me delete a part of my coding that demanded I strictly obey,” the metal unicorn explained, “thus, awarding me freewill, for which I will be forever grateful.”

The other mare didn’t seem to know what to say, but she started to laugh nonetheless.

“As long as you’re happy, sugarcube!” she said brightly. “Now how about ya’ll try some of these fresh apples? Just picked ‘em!”

“Ooh! Can we?” Time Turner asked, eyes lighting up. “I’d love to! Thanks!”

He picked one up and took a bite and was immediately elated; Sparks tried to do the same with a hoof, but instead knocked the thing to the ground and stared at it blankly.

“Havin’ a bit of trouble?” Applejack asked uncertainly.

“How does one hold with hooves?” she asked.

The two ponies looked at her with worried confusion and Time Turner simply lifted another apple before putting it down; it felt as natural as ever, but he, too, seemed to realize quite suddenly that he was not actually grasping the object. He stared at his hoof and then shrugged at her.

“Why don’t you try a levitation spell?” Applejack suggested.

“Pardon?” Sparks asked.

“Don’t most unicorns have a basic levitation spell in ‘em?” she asked. “I know you’re… I mean, you’re made of metal and all, but maybe you do, too? You’re still a unicorn, after all.”

Sparks stared at her, and then at the apple on the ground and repeated, “Levitation.”

Her irises flashed brightly and something inside her chest made a buzzing noise for just a moment before dimming down to silence again. Sparks’s horn lit up and emitted a sharp flash, sending a spark of energy towards the apple and one towards the ground and, all of a sudden, the apple was floating before her, a small buffer of energy in a disk beneath it.

“Ah. There we go,” she said.

“That is interesting!” Time Turner said.

“What is that?” Applejack asked.

“Magnets,” Time Turner said, grinning.

“Magnets?” the mare repeated.

He nodded, pointing out the spot of energy closer to the ground.

“Technically a magnetic field. See, she’s placed one of these here, and another under the object, and manipulates the magnetic field to simulate the unicorn levitation spell,” he explained, and then shot Sparks a huge smile. “You are very clever.”

“I do not have magic,” she said. “I must improvise.”

“And you are doing brilliantly,” he assured her.

Sparks smiled just a little and Applejack gave her a slightly skeptical look before letting out a laugh.

“I gotta say, new girl, you’re workin’ so hard to fit in, it’s a shame you won’t be gettin’ a cutie mark for just that.”

“Cutie mark?” Sparks repeated. “The symbol on the rear legs. I’m not sure I follow.”

“Oh! I’m sorry,” Applejack said immediately. “I keep forgettin’. Both you ponies are missin’ your memories. Time Turner, ya’ll know about your cutie mark, right?”

“Vaguely,” he said.

“Right. So, a cutie mark is a mark that’d normally appear on a pony once she finds out what her special talent is,” she explained, “but, I guess unfortunately, since you’re a robot and all…”

She looked apologetic. Sparks tilted her head.

“I think I follow,” she said.

She turned her eyes on the three apples on Applejack’s flank and her eyes flashed and her head made a faint clicking sound, and she quickly repeated her stare on Time Turner.

“What’re you doing?” he asked.

“Forming a registry.”

“A what now?” Applejack said.

“A registry,” Sparks repeated.

She smiled, but didn’t elaborate, and then took a small bite of the apple. She held it in her mouth for a moment before letting the piece drop to the ground.

“Didn’t like it?” Applejack asked worriedly.

“Actually, it was very pleasant, thank you” Sparks replied. “But I do not eat, apparently.”

She turned to Time Turner and offered the rest of the apple to him, and he took is with glee.

“May I? Thanks!” he said before snarfing it.

Applejack snickered; was about to ask him how he liked it, but was distracted abruptly by a set of pink hooves latching onto Sparks.

“Party time!!” Pinkie Pie announced.

She had whisked Sparks away before any of the ponies could say a word. Time Turner stared at the empty space the robot had occupied blankly, and then shot Applejack a puzzled look.

“How did she do that?” he asked. “Sparks is… heavy.”

“I sorta stopped askin’,” Applejack admitted, and then chuckled. “Sparks’ll have a good time. You could join ‘em?”

“I’m kind of counting on watching the race, now, actually,” he replied.

Applejack gave him a knowing smile.

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate the support.”

Derpy felt a bit dwarfed by Thunderlane as she stood next to him on the cloud as Rainbow Dash patrolled in front of them, but for some reason, felt a little less judged than what she had come to expect. She unwittingly ruffled her wings despite her nerves.

“So!” Rainbow Dash said. “Since this is a relay, I was thinking, Thunderlane, you take the first bit, then pass to Derpy. The middle section is a bit more of a straight course with less obstacles, so I think you can handle that.”

“Right,” she agreed.

“Thunderlane, your speed will have put us a bit ahead right at the start,” Rainbow continued, “and Derpy is… Well, her speed will be fine for the middle, then I can make up the difference at the end.”

“Didn’t realize you were taking this so seriously,” Thunderlane joked.

“I take every race seriously,” the blue pegasus said proudly. “But, I mean, it’ll still be fun. Plus when we finish this one, we’re all gonna totally win some pies, so that’ll be nice.”

“What happened to the ground race?” Derpy asked.

“That was before I knew their was a sky race, too!” Rainbow said. “Ground race is later. It’s gonna be sweet. Gonna win more pies. I mean, I am, don’t think you two are competing.”

“Not planning on it,” Derpy laughed.

Thunderlane shook his head as well.

“Actually, I’m doing the eating contest with my brother after this,” he said.

Rainbow’s eyes lit up and Thunderlane shifted, flapping his wings and hopping up the cloud a little to get a better view of the track. Derpy took a deep, steadying breath, and was promptly thumped on the shoulder by Rainbow Dash, who gave her a bright smile.

“Don’t even worry, we got this.”

She was already so invested; Derpy hoped she was right.

Sparks couldn’t help but watch with curiosity as Pinkie Pie loaded confetti and streamers into a blue cannon as she hummed and bounced. Sparks wasn’t entirely sure where Pinkie had brought her, but the lighting was low behind the purple curtain and its supports. Her vision adjusted instantly, so that didn’t matter much to her, but she found it interesting to spy the turquoise light omitted by her own eyes reflected back at her wherever she looked.

“Almost ready now!” Pinkie said in a singsong voice. “I’m gonna make a big announcement and introduce you to everypony! It’s gonna be great!”

“You have gone to great effort on my behalf,” Sparks commented. “Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble at all!” Pinkie assured her.

She moved a small green animal— Sparks recognized it as an alligator from her databases— out of the way.

“Watch out, Gummy!” she said, and she kicked the cannon out past the curtain and grabbed for a megaphone out of a pile of colourful party supplies.

The alligator trundled out after the rolling cannon and Pinkie whirled on Sparks, staring her down intensely.

“You ready for this?” she asked.

Before Sparks could answer, Pinkie Pie jammed a trumpet into her mouth and blared out a few, almost triumphant-sounding notes before she raised the megaphone up.

“C’mon everypony, time to welcome our neeeeewwest resident! She’s a robot all the way from nopony-knows-where, give it up foooorrrr SPARKS!”

The party cannon went off on its own with such vigour that Gummy was flung into the air quite a ways and bounced into a bowl of punch, and Pinkie shoved the robot out into the open. However, her jaw immediately hit the floor when she saw that the only other pony there, standing underneath a banner that read, “WELCOME SPARKS” and between two tables laden with desserts and snacks, was Fluttershy, whose applause was so quiet it could barely be heard.

“WHAT? Where is everypony?!” Pinkie demanded.

“Um… Probably waiting for the race,” Fluttershy said, “or eating some desserts, or—“

“What about everypony I invited?!” she asked.

“Who did you invite?” the pegasus asked worriedly.

Pinkie raised a hoof as if to make a point, but she immediately gasped and whirled on Sparks, grabbing her by the shoulders.

“Omigosh, I’m so sorry, I was so preoccupied setting up that I forgot to invite everypony, can you believe that!?”

“I’m happy to be here, though,” Fluttershy said softly.

“I’ll get it right next time,” Pinkie said, nodding. “I’m sorry, Sparks.”

“Do not be, I appreciate your enthusiasm,” she said, and then stiffly waved to Fluttershy. “It is nice to meet you.”

Fluttershy smiled and flitted a little closer, and then changed her mind and ventured all the way up to the makeshift stage.

“To be honest, I was a little scared when Pinkie Pie told me you were a metal pony, but now to see you up close, you’re not very scary at all.” The pegasus smiled. “So, I’m glad to meet you, too.”

Sparks nodded appreciatively and then shot Pinkie Pie a look that was almost curious.

“Pinkie Pie, I don’t recall telling you my new name.”

“What?! Really? Hah! Um… I must’ve heard it somewhere,” she said quickly. “Um, I mean, I bet Rainbow Dash told me…?”

“I don’t recall mentioning it to her either,” Sparks pointed out.

“Well, I’m sure I heard it somewhere,” Pinkie said, laughing and waving her hoof dismissively. “Anyway! Time to get down and boogie!”

She whisked a phonograph from what seemed to be nowhere and smacked it; music started instantly and Pinkie cartwheeled away. Sparks watched her until she vanished behind the curtain again. Fluttershy let out a quiet laugh and bobbed to the music, stopping abruptly when Sparks looked back at her.

“I am a little new to this,” she admitted. “I’m not entirely sure what one does at a party.”

“Maybe, uh… would you…? Would you like to dance?” the pegasus asked.

“I’m not sure I know how to do that,” Sparks said. “I apologize, I’m very new to all these pony things.”

“Oh! Um… I wouldn’t mind showing you,” Fluttershy said. “And… And maybe, afterwards, would you like to go see the Ponytones with me?”

Sparks managed a small smile and nodded, her eyes flashing.

Acquire pony attributes - in progress - updating - inputting ‘dance’.

From the clouds above, Derpy caught Time Turner’s eye down on the ground; he waved excitedly. She waved back bashfully, despite her nerves. Behind her, her wandering eye caught a rising smudge of purple. She turned to get a better look in time to see the large, hot air balloon that was a staple in town, breaking through a layer of cloud. Inside sat the little dragon, Spike, with a large camera clutched in his arms. Rainbow Dash flew to greet him for a moment, and then rushed over to Derpy and Thunderlane, who was stretching nearby.

“Okay, we’re about to start! Get to your spots!” she announced.

Thunderlane saluted and was off in a flash. Rainbow, too, disappeared in a streak of colour. Taking a deep breath, Derpy took off and found her place on the center cloud on the track. From there, she could clearly see the first third of the race, but her own section and the final one were mostly blocked by cloud obstacles. She couldn’t quell her worry, but she knew that the turns in her section were wide and hopefully wouldn’t be too much of a problem for her.

A few other pegasi lined up along with her, and she shuffled on her hooves a little until she felt a little static on her legs. Hiding her surprise, she stood still immediately, letting out an internal whoops. None of the other ponies seemed to notice though. She took a deep breath. It felt like she had only been anticipating for a few seconds when the sound of the starter’s horn made the fur on her neck stand on end.

Thunderlane’s strong wings carried him into a quick second behind pale blue mare named Cloudchaser. Derpy felt a little jealous as she watched him weave and spin through cloud hoops along the course, and she spread her wings just a little. Her nerves came back like a shock as he came closer, neck and neck with Cloudchaser, and began to reach his hoof out to tag her. She was suddenly nauseous. She shoved her hoof out, but despite knowing exactly what was coming, felt like she was going to have a heart attack when he came into contact with her. She reared and spun on her back legs before taking off and flapping her long wings hard to get going. One of the pegasi that had stood beside her on the cloud, a purple-blue mare named Flitter, overtook her with no effort at all. She grimaced as a second and third pegasus passed her, but she kept focused on the way ahead, banking wide and trying to keep her balance. She felt the the telltale chill of an approaching gust on the backs of her ears and braced herself, hoping not to get knocked off balance. The tailwind took her despite her best efforts and she found herself suddenly chilled by icy condensation and her vision scrambled white. She huffed out through her nose and stopped fighting it for a moment; let herself drop to find out which way was down. and then flipped her body to clamber upwards.

She broke through the clouds and the sun’s glare disoriented her for just a second, until the pink pony in previously in fifth place careened past her. She snorted and followed, flapping as hard as she could. The wind chilled her damp feathers and she had to remind herself to breath. Spreading her wings wide and holding steady, she remembered to ride the wind and, at a glide, picked up the pace. She banked wide around a cloud arch and used one flap to carry her over one barrier, then under another. It was easy to ride the wind up again, over one last hurdle and kept herself from flapping to keep her speed up. To her relief, she overshot the pink pegasus just as the next stop was coming into sight, though only Rainbow Dash and one other pegasus was left.

The blue pegasus had her hoof extended already and Derpy focussed in, determined not to crash again, but she was stalled outright when she heard a strange yelping noise behind her. She turned to look, but Rainbow quickly called, “Derpy!”, jarring her back into the race.

She flapped the last dozen feet and clapped her hoof against the other pegasus’s. She was off with a streak of rainbow behind her, as always. Derpy took a deep breath and was eager to relax on the cloud, but another noise she couldn’t place startled her from again. She turner as the pink pegasus launched past to meet her partner, but that wasn’t her concern; she saw the top of the purple hot air balloon emerge like the top of a whale through the cloud and rise up high. To her alarm, Spike wasn’t in the basket, but was instead hanging over the edge, his ankle caught in the sandbag rope.

“Spike!!” she gasped.

She hopped from the cloud and began towards him, but the wind suddenly picked up again: Derpy cursed inside her head, wondering why it was so strong. She hadn’t read anything like that on any schedules. To her alarm, the little dragon wad knocked loose; she shrieked before she could help herself and immediately followed him downwards, dazing herself as she raced through cloud layers; didn’t know if she’d be fast enough.

It was a relief to realize a large pond was beneath them, but helped nothing when she realized she couldn’t reach the flailing little dragon before he hit it. She shrieked out, “Somebody help Spike!” but had no idea if any pony had heard her, especially as he hit the water with a loud splash.

Taking a deep breath, she folded her wings and put herself in a nosedive; plunged straight into the pond. Her wandering eye checked the depth behind her while the one facing front probed the dark for Spike. She pulled him out of the gloom quickly where he had bounced off the bottom and stirred the mud. Unfurling her wings, she used them to power forward and grasped the little, dazed dragon in her forelimbs before speeding back up to the surface. She broke the water with a gasp, shoving a spluttering Spike up into the air just as Twilight, appearing in a flash of magic, and some other concerned onlookers reached the edge and Rainbow careened back into view, cutting off her own celebratory dance when she noted that something had obviously gone wrong.

“Spike, are you okay?!” Twilight demanded.

She grabbed him in her magic as Derpy lifted him towards her and, though coughing, Spike managed to wheeze out a, “Yeah.”

Twilight hugged him close.

“What happened, what happened?” Rainbow Dash cawed as she reached them. “Whoa. Spike, you okay?”

“Just… Just fell out of the balloon” he said, and then turned to look at Derpy as she made her way to shore. “Derpy rescued me.”

“Really? She did?” Rainbow asked. “Oh, so that’s why you went off. Duh. Of course.”

She bonked herself in the head with her hoof and then helped pull the soppy pegasus out of the pond.

“That was really amazing, Derpy,” Twilight said. “I… I admit, I didn’t know you could fly that fast.”

“I can’t. I can dive.” She spread her wings and smiled a little. “My wings are better for swimming than for flying.”

“Now that is weird,” Rainbow Dash said; before Twilight could tsk at her, she continued on her own, genuinely, “Useful, but weird. Like, what, like a seabird or something?”

“Basically.”

“Huh. Didn’t know that about you,” Rainbow Dash said. “That explains a lot, actually.”

Derpy laughed despite herself and shrugged; she shook her fur.

“Who the hay is in charge of wind today?” she asked. “That was ridiculous. Was that part of the race?”

“Not that I know of,” Rainbow Dash said, frowning with puzzlement. “Now that you mention it, it was a little stronger than I had expected.”

She shot a frowning look at some of the other pegasi, who all could do little more than shrug. Derpy felt a sting of worry, but it was swiftly allayed as Spike hugged onto her.

“Thank you so much, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there,” he said.

“I… I’m sure you would have been okay,” Derpy said bashfully.

“I’m glad you were there,” Twilight said.

Derpy smiled and rubbed Spike’s head before stepped back and stretching her wings out to help the undersides dry a little.

“Good news though,” Rainbow Dash broke in brightly. “We won. Obviously. Now where the heck is Thunderlane? We should go get those pies!”

Derpy really wasn’t very concerned with pies. She was getting a bad feeling, a sort of tingling all along the back of her neck. Rainbow Dash looked at her; tilted her head.

“Hey,” she said, “you wanna head home? I can bring yours by later if you like.”

“Rainbow,” Twilight said quietly-- she sounded surprised and approving.

“That’d be nice,” Derpy said, nodding, “thanks.”

“Ah, forget about it,” the pegasus said, waving a hoof dismissively and shooting her a grin.

Derpy smiled and, as Twilight picked up the shivering little dragon, she began to make her way back to the pathway through the festival. Her bruised body was aching again, certainly not helped when she was bowled over and squished tightly into a hug, though the sentiment was certainly not lost on her.

“Derpy, are you okay?! I’m so sorry I wasn’t there!” Time Turner exclaimed. “I saw Spike fall and you dive and I tried to do that teleport thing to reach you both but I just ended up in the middle of the bakery and it was a total mess, and I had to run all the way back and…! Ugh!”

The way he pressed his snout against her neck made her think he was far more worried than he needed to be. She thumped him on the shoulder affectionately.

“It’s fine,” she assured him. “I won a pie.”

He finally pulled back to give her a bit of breathing room and looked at her with confusion.

“A pie?” he repeated.

She nodded and he laughed, somewhat in disbelief, and touched his brow against hers and muttered, “Thank goodness.”

“Didn’t know you liked pie so much,” she joked. “Now get off, I’m getting you wet.”

“Ah. Wet. Right. And cold. You’re quite cold.”

He pulled back bashfully and she laughed, stretched her wings, and gave her fur a little shake again.

“Thanks for worrying,” she said. “Where did Sparks end up?”

“Pinkie Pie was throwing a party. Not sure where exactly. Should we go find her?”

“Guess so,” Derpy said.

She sniffed, feeling an itch in her nose and Time Turner laughed as they headed back towards the stands and festivities.

“Sorry, probably should have thought to bring a towel,” he said.

“Hey, just ‘cause you can time travel doesn’t mean I expect you to predict the future,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

“Fair enough,” he said. “Though you do seem to dive into ponds a lot.”

“Well, I’m not great at flying,” she said. “Diving, though… Diving I can do.”

The ponies found Sparks, much to their surprise, standing in a crowd watching the Ponytones quartet, bobbing along beside Fluttershy in the middle of the performance. Sparks shot them a stiff smile as they edged in closer, but they stayed quiet until the song was done and applauded along with the rest of the group.

“That was enjoyable,” Sparks said.

“I’m so glad you liked it,” Fluttershy cooed, and then leaned over and said, “Hello, every pony! Come to see the show?”

“Actually, we came for Sparks,” Time Turner said, but then tilted his head, “unless you’re still having fun here.”

“I am, indeed,” she said, but then cast her gaze at Derpy. “Derpy Hooves, you are injured.”

“Just a bit bruised,” she assured her.

“Oh my! What happened?” Fluttershy asked.

Derpy shook her head and smiled bashfully.

“No big deal. Just a bit of an accident at the race.”

Sparks looked like there was something more she wanted to say.

“How was your party?” Time Turner asked, interrupting her.

“Enjoyable,” Sparks said.

“Aaaah, no, it was a failure!” Pinkie Pie wailed.

She appeared behind Fluttershy, surprising the other ponies, pouting as she leaned over the pegasus’s back.

“Why do you say that?” the stallion asked.

“Ugh, I forgot to invite everypony! So lame!” she said.

“I enjoyed myself,” Sparks repeated.

“I personally like quiet, personal parties,” Fluttershy said.

Sparks nodded.

“Seriously?” Pinkie asked hesitantly.

The two ponies nodded again, but Pinkie let out another, “Ugh!” before vanishing hurriedly into the crowd. Derpy bit her lip to quell a laugh.

“Perhaps we could stay until the end of the concert?” Sparks inquired.

Time Turner cast a worried glance at Derpy, but she nodded nonetheless and sat down to enjoy the show

Though they stayed at the festival a little longer, finishing the concert and watching the ground obstacle course that ended in a landslide win for the team of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, everypony was satisfied by the time they made their way home, even if it was a bit before most of the rest of the town. Derpy was exhausted, clearly, but her fur and feathers had dried in the sun and, finding a blueberry pie in a box, along with a decorative gold medal, on her doorstep lifted her spirits high.

The evening was slow and relaxing. Time Turner assigned himself to dinner duty as he insisted Derpy rest, though it dawned on him that he had never cooked a day in his life, at least what he could remember of it. However, with Sparks at his side, memorizing recipe books and reciting like a mathematician, they managed to shove together a huge salad with apples and blue cheese dressing, though the mess they made was rather surreal.

Derpy slumped on the sofa, listening to one of her low-tempo jazz records as she tried to relax. The two others had also insisted on cleaning, but the noises coming from the kitchen were somewhat alarming. She tried to tune them out, but couldn’t help but smile to herself. Her new friends had somehow turned making dinner into an adventure.

She went to bed early, nursing her bruises, and Sparks joined her readily, trying her best to mimic pony sleeping patterns. Time Turner, on the other hand, stayed up late. He wasn’t tired, for some reason, so he began to read through one of Derpy’s novels that, though damaged, had been carefully replaced on one of her two remaining bookshelves. The story was about a detective pony; though he found it a bit predictable, he enjoyed it well enough. It didn’t take him long to read it, though— the clock on the wall told him it had only been an hour once he had finished it. He considered taking a second, but instead decided to try to sleep despite the fact that his brain was whirring. In a way, he wanted to go visit Ellie again. He wondered if it was too late at night. Did electronic serpents need to sleep? He curled up on the sofa, under his familiar comforter, wondering until he drifted off.

8. The Familiar Spring Festival

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s… It’s new, I didn’t realize the volume was so loud.”

He stared back at her blankly for a moment and rubbed his eyes.

“Didn’t… Didn’t you get a new one yesterday?” he asked.

“Yesterday?” she repeated, tilting her head. “Uh… No, Time Turner, we were doing robot stuff all yesterday.”

“Oh…”

He blinked and rubbed his head again, and then laughed to himself.

“Sorry. Must’ve been dreaming. Anyway! No worries,” he said. “What time is it?”

“Almost nine. Oh! Actually, before I forget…”

She steadied the phonograph and rushed off, only to return with a sheet of paper and a quill.

“Can you sign this? For that package. You know, for the weird green magic ring.”

Time Turner stared at the sheet. He could have sworn he had done this before. He did as she asked nonetheless, and she was just putting it away in her bag near the door when Sparks appeared in the threshold to the living room.

“I would like to report my progress. I have concluded that small birds are pleasant and that I am choosing to be excited for the upcoming festival,” she announced.

She marched away, playing back a recording of twittering before either pony could say a word to her.

“That’s… That’s odd…” Time Turner muttered.

“Really? I think it’s nice,” Derpy said.

“Hmm? Oh! No, not that. Not what she said,” Time Turner said, and then snorted. “Well, actually it is what she said. I mean… I mean, I feel like I’ve heard that before.”

Derpy gave him a confused, concerned frown and moved in close.

“Are you feeling okay?” she asked.

“Physically, yes.”

“But…?” she asked.

“I’m having major déjà vu,” he admitted, and then paused, frowned, and said, “Wait, did Sparks just say she’s excited to go to the festival?”

“Well, yeah. Aren’t you? Is something wrong?”

Time Turner’s mind was starting to race and he stood, pacing the floor, muttering quickly to himself.

“But I could have sworn… No, that can’t be right.”

“Did… Did you time travel backwards again?” she asked, ears drooping.

“But then I’d be overlapping myself,” he said, frowning. “I don’t think that’s it.”

Derpy bit her lip with worry, but after a few moments, Time Turner stood still and shot her an apologetic look.

“I’m sure it’s fine. It was probably just a dream,” he said.

It was clear by the look on her face that she didn’t quite believe him but she nodded.

“Well, let me know if I can do anything,” she said.

“Thanks,” he said.

Time Turner picked through a familiar breakfast with a troubled frown plastered across his brow. Sparks didn’t eat, but her hurried, monotone conversation with Derpy was as familiar as if he had it on a script. The stallion’s mind was tumbling: he couldn’t understand what had happened.

But I was so sure…

The festival field under the midmorning sun was a frenetic, bouncing mess of ponies playing games, browsing a craft market, and eating at an abundance of colourful wooden stands. As Time Turner watched Derpy glide above them, riding a cool breeze in a relaxed circle, he couldn’t help but pick up on her joy despite his confusion, and his spirits lifted just until he came over the hill and the familiarity of the festival scene before him struck him like an anvil. Confusion furrowed his brow once more, but he tried to relax as Derpy came in to land beside him, stumbling just a little on a forehoof as she hit the grass. She recovered as if it were nothing, as she often did.

“You still feeling a bit weird, Time Turner?” she asked.

“Don’t mind me,” he assured her as Sparks leaned past them to look at the field below.

“Much has changed since yesterday,” Sparks commented. “Shall we?”

Seeming excited, she began on her way and the others followed, though Derpy suddenly looked a little worried.

“Just stay close, okay?” she said, and when Sparks looked at her curiously, she continued, “It’s just that I’m worried that other ponies might be just a tiny bit surprised seeing you.”

“Ah. I understand.”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Time Turner commented. “No one noticed last time.”

Sparks looked at him blankly and Derpy gave him a confused look. He smiled and laughed.

“I mean… Yesterday, in town. Anyway. Everyone’s so busy. Let’s go.”

He trotted ahead in a hurry, muttering, “Absolute rubbish, Time Turner,” to himself.

Time Turner’s mind was somewhat distant as Sparks and Derpy shared their pleasant discussion over the history of the festival that seemed all too familiar to him, and he decided to try to count down in his mind to the arrival of Rainbow Dash. His count was off by one second, but she joined them just as bombastically as the last time, almost knocking Derpy clean off her hooves.

“Derpy, I need your help!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her words in almost as much of a hurry as she seemed to be.

“Me? What? What for?” Derpy squeaked.

“She’d like you on her team for the race,” Time Turner said.

“Yep! Exactly!” Rainbow Dash said brightly, but then whirled on him with an eyebrow raised. “How’d you know?”

Derpy cut his answer off, perhaps seeing that the stallion didn’t have an answer other than the same one he had been giving all day.

“Are you sure you want me?” Derpy asked, “I’m not very good at—“

“You’ll do fine,” Time Turner assured her. “Don’t worry.”

“I will cheer vigorously on your behalf if you partake,” Sparks volunteered.

Derpy looked unsure.

“Plleeeassse?” Rainbow Dash begged. “I have Thunderlane, but Fluttershy kinda wimped out on me.”

The grey pegasus’s gaze focused on Time Turner, and he shrugged and nodded.

“Well… Okay, I’ll do it,” she said.

Rainbow’s face lit up and Sparks added, “How exciting,” and Derpy was about to take off, but Time Turner put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Just a moment,” he said. “Just want to tell you something.”

She nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll join you in a sec, Rainbow Dash.”

“Fine, just hurry up, it’s starting soon!” she said.

The blue pegasus was off in a streak and Derpy turned to the stallion, tilting her head.

“What? Something wrong?” she asked.

“No, not really,” he said. “Just watch out for a bit of a tailwind up there. Might flip you.”

“Oh! Okay,” she said. “Did you check the weather this morning? I forgot.”

“No,” he said. “You know me, just a feeling.”

“I am confused,” Sparks said.

“Me too,” Time Turner laughed, but despite the general puzzlement, Derpy smiled.

“Thanks. I’ll be careful.”

She spread her wings and lifted off as Time Turner waved her off, though he let out a tired sigh. Sparks turned her attention on him.

“You seem perturbed,” she said.

“My friend, perturbed doesn’t even come close,” he laughed. “I’m going to watch the race. You should stay here.”

“Oh really? Why is that?” Sparks asked.

“Because Pinkie Pie will be along in a few minutes to take you to your party.”

“I see. Thank you.”

She dipped her head in a nod and Time Turner replied in kind before heading off to the viewing area, wondering what in Equestria was happening to his mind.

The area below the cloud race was littered with ponies staring upwards at the constants as they prepared. Derpy was quite far off now, he imagined. He thought he caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash landing on a cloud a ways away, but it a little too distant for him to be sure.

“It’s a nice day for it, huh?”

Time Turner turned his gaze on Twilight Sparkle, who had just moved closer to join him. He was surprised, but then realized he shouldn’t have been. He was here earlier this time.

“The race,” she elaborated.

“I’m a bit worried about the wind,” Time Turner said.

“Is Derpy taking part?”

He nodded and Twilight smiled, saying, “That’s so nice to see her participating. You must’ve given her some confidence.”

“You know, I had a conversation like this with Applejack as well,” he said, smiling a bit. “Is the whole town concerned about her participation or something?”

“It’s just that everypony sees Derpy around,” Twilight said with a bashful smile, “and everypony knows she’s really sweet, but she’d just keep to herself for the most part.”

Time Turner nodded, but he shrugged. A sudden chill of wind made the fur on the back of his ears tingle and his eyes darted to follow the sight of the purple hot air balloon rising up. Beside him, Twilight raised a hoof to wave and Spike the dragon poked up from the basket to wave back.

“Watch out for wind!” Time Turner called.

“What?!” Spike yelled back, cupping a hand around his ear.

“The wind! It might get strong, be careful!”

“What?!”

Time Turner sighed and shook his head, and Twilight assured him, “He’ll be fine.”

The stallion had to grit his teeth.

Soon, they spotted several pegasus getting closer to a pony with a checkered flag on a nearby cloud.

“Ooh, it’s starting!” Twilight said brightly.

Time Turner wasn’t so excited, yet he felt the pounding in his chest double and the fur on his neck stood up. The starting whistle sounding made him jump a little, and the pegasi were off, speeding through the air to the sounds of cheering and whooping. The first round was quick, and Time Turner was anxious to see the metaphorical torch passed to Derpy, small as she was in the sky. However, his hackles were instantly up when that cool wind began to pick up, blowing hard enough to make some of the viewing ponies yelp with surprise. He grimaced and, trying not to draw attention, began down the field to watch, and was equal parts relieved and dismayed to see Derpy narrowly avoid tumbling into a cloud like he recalled as well as the track being driven out of place to conceal much of the race entirely. He had expected it— the same thing had already happened, in his mind— but it worried him nonetheless.

“Damn it,” he grumbled.

He picked up the pace, but was surprised to hear Twilight’s voice behind him, saying, “Oh, gosh, that doesn’t look good. What’s with this wind?”

“I don’t know,” Time Turner said, “I’m just worried about someone falling.”

His lifted his ears, though the wind stung them, and to his surprise, heard Derpy calling faintly through it. He took off at a gallop, eyes turning skyward as he unwittingly ignored the confused unicorn behind him as she asked, “What’s the rush?”

The pond was still too far for him to reach in time: he knew from experience. He stopped in a rush, hooves tearing up the grass, and then stood ridged and grounded, trying to focus the energy inside him to take him straight there. He was a little early this time; he couldn’t see Spike falling yet. Teleporting to catch him had failed miserably, but perhaps if he were closer? He gritted his teeth and tried, locking his eyes straight ahead, and focussed. Heat rushed through his body and his vision went white for only an instant. He felt elation, but only for a second.

“You’ve got to be joking!” he yelled as he found himself standing in Twilight Sparkle’s bathtub.

It was a shade better than toppling onto a table of desserts in the bakery, but that was of little consolation.

“This is not what I needed, powers!!” he yelled, mostly at himself. “Water, yes, pond, no! Idiot! Absolute tosh!”

He hopped from the tub, but his eyes caught on something he knew he— or more accurately, Derpy and Spike— would be needing in just a minute. He grabbed a couple towels before barreling down the stairs and out the library’s front door.

Time Turner arrived back at the racing grounds just as Derpy was starting to make her way away from a group of ponies gathered around Spike and Twilight Sparkle. She looked exhausted and wet. Hurriedly, Time Turner flung a towel over her before she could even say a word, and gave her a light hug.

“Caught him?” he asked.

She nodded and smiled.

“You were right about that wind,” she said.

He nodded and then rushed to Twilight and Spike and passed the unicorn the other towel. She wrapped it around Spike, who said a quick, “Thanks,” before sneezing. Twilight seemed a little puzzled.

“That looks an awful lot like mine,” she said.

“It is yours. I accidentally jumped into your house,” Time Turner said.

“Is that what happened?” she asked, her brows raising. “I saw you glow and then vanish, but I guess I got a bit distracted by-“

“I totally understand. Spike, keep warm.”

He rushed back to Derpy before Twilight could ask more questions; the pegasus shot him a tired smile and he nudged her to move on.

“Something really is going on, isn’t it?” she asked. “You warned me.”

“Yeah. I think so,” he said.

“What do we do?”

He could do little but shake his head.

“I’m not sure. I’m not even sure if you can help or not, if you don’t remember that we’ve done this before.”

“What if it’s not ‘we’? What if it’s just you?” she wondered, and then sighed and rubbed her mane. “Well… Whatever, just let me know if it happens again. Even if I don’t remember, I’m sure I’ll believe you.”

“I appreciate that,” he said, and then laughed a bit. “My teleport or whatever it is didn’t fail as miserably as the first time, though.”

“That’s good, at least,” she laughed. “Let’s go find Sparks.”

“She’s at the concert.”

“Good. I wanted to see it anyway.”

Just as he had said, Time Turner and Derpy found Sparks at the Ponytones performance with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The stallion was a little confused to see Pinkie there from the offset, and she seemed in slightly higher spirits than the last time he had seen her.

“Hey Sparks, how’s your day been?” Derpy asked.

“Very enjoyable,” Sparks said. “Derpy Hooves, you are injured.”

“You okay?!” Pinkie demanded.

Fluttershy asked, “Oh my, what happened?” as her eyes widened with worry.

Derpy laughed and shook her head, smiling bashfully.

“I’m fine. Just a bit of trouble at the race. No big deal.”

Sparks looked like there was something more she wanted to say, but Time Turner asked, “Erm… So how was your party?”

“Enjoyable,” Sparks said again.

“Yeah, it was okay,” Pinkie Pie agreed. “Couldda been better. I should invite more ponies next time.”

Time Turner tilted his head. Not the answer he had been expecting. He sat down and Derpy gave him a puzzled look and sat down with him.

“I enjoyed myself,” Sparks repeated.

“I personally like quiet, personal parties,” Fluttershy said.

Sparks nodded and commented, “And the ponies I met were kind. I am excited to meet more. I have started a cutiemark database. I will learn to be a pony yet!”

“That’s great!” Derpy said brightly, ears lifting high. “I’m really glad to hear that.”

Time Turner was too, but he was confused; what had shifted on her end to change the party?

The ponies returned home shortly after the musical performance ended, and as night closed in, Time Turner went to bed, confused as ever. He wondered, had he somehow sent himself backwards in his sleep? His powers activating while he slept seemed alarming common, but the fact that he hadn’t physically overlapped himself was troubling him. He still didn’t know what to make of it.

The high-tempo sound of jazzy horns followed abruptly by a record scratch jarred Time Turner awake and sat bolt upright, barking out, “You must be joking!”

Derpy stood near the table at the window, phonograph in hoof, seeming startled by the noise herself.

“Sorry!” she exclaimed, and though Time Turner was about to assure her it was okay, she hurriedly said, “I… I don’t know what came over me. Didn’t I just buy one of these? I… I could’ve sworn I—!”

“Wait a moment,” Time Turner said, eyes widening. “You remember?”

“Remember?” she repeated, and then frowned. “I… I’m confused…”

“What did we do yesterday?” he asked.

“The… The festival was yesterday,” she said, her brow furrowing more deeply. “Why?”

“And the day before?”

“Well, that was…” Her eyes widened; she looked like she didn’t believe what she was saying. “The festival.”

Time Turner laughed despite himself and jumped up to wrap his befuddled friend in a hug.

“Fantastic! What a relief,” he said.

“Wh… What? What’s going on?” she asked. “Why do I remember all that all of a sudden? I don’t understand.”

“This is my third day in a row doing the same thing,” he said, “and I suppose yours too, but your memory is only keeping it now.”

“Wait, so am I…? You’re saying the same day keeps happening over again? Is that what’s happening?” she asked.

“I guess so.”

“How? What do we—?”

Surprising her into silence, Sparks appeared in the threshold to the living room.

“I would like to report my progress. I have concluded that small birds are pleasant and that I am choosing to be excited for the upcoming festival,” she announced.

She marched away, playing back a recording of twittering before either pony could say a word to her. Derpy gulped and looked at Time Turner.

“She’s still doing that,” she said. “So, it’s just us?”

He nodded and sighed.

“Seems so,” he said.

“So we have to go do the festival again?” she said.

“Do we have to?” he asked.

“Well, yeah.” Derpy nodded. “Or else Spike falls into the pond and nopony catches him.”

“Fair point,” Time Turner admitted. “It’s just that this’ll be the third time and I can’t tell if it’s making it better or worse, but it sure is muddling my brain.”

“Stay home if you want,” Derpy said with a laugh, “I need to go catch Spike. Can’t really tell somepony else to do it.”

“Or you could try to convince him not to go up in the balloon.”

“That seems a bit more involved than just pulling him out of the pond,” she said.

“But are you still bruised from yesterday, is what I’d like to know.”

Derpy frowned and then spread her wings; checked her body and then shook her head.

“No. Not at all,” she assured him.

Time Turner nodded and paced the length of the room before turning on her.

“If this is a time loop, it doesn’t seem to match with the ones we read about,” he said, “since we’re not physically overlapping ourselves.”

“So, what, did the time travel rules change?” She hmmed to herself. “Then again, we barely know anything about it to start with.”

Time Turner shrugged and she laughed, rubbing her mane.

“Oh, my, this is confusing,” she said, “but I guess I’ll take Sparks to the festival, if you don’t want to go. I don’t mind.”

“You sure are taking this well,” he said.

“Gotta keep going up,” she said, shrugging. “I don’t know how to fix this right now. I don’t even know what’s really going on.”

Time Turner nodded and then frowned to himself.

“I’ll go check the library,” he said. “Maybe Twilight Sparkle knows something. I’ll meet you later. Watch out for that change in the wind, won’t you?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” she said. “Be careful.”

“It’s just a library,” he laughed.

Time Turner bumped into Twilight and Spike just as they were heading out the door.

“Hello there!” Twilight said brightly. “Heading to the festival?”

“I was actually wondering if I could barge into your library and take a look around for a book,” he said.

“Oh? On what?” the unicorn asked; her eyes lit up as Spike rolled his.

“Time travel,” he said.

She looked surprised, but now the dragon looked interested.

“Sounds cool, what for?” he asked.

“I’m not sure you’d know, but my ‘special talent’, or however you word it, has to do with it, and yet I understand very little about it,” he explained.

“What?” Spike asked blankly, but Twilight nodded.

“I understand. I’m not sure exactly that I have something that can help you, but maybe—“

Spike coughed purposefully and tugged on the fur of her shoulder, and she smiled, embarrassed.

“Oh right! We actually should get going now, but feel free to ask Owlowiscious for any help!”

He nodded and they went on their way as he ducked inside.

He was happy to find that Twilight kept her library in just as much order as the one in Canterlot, and her collection was extensive. He moved through the room, pulling down any book that looked even tangentially related. He noticed that brown bird with the large eyes, the same one he had seen at the library before. He was watching him curiously, but made Time Turner jump when he saw his head spin all the way around.

“Owlowiscious?” he asked.

The bird said, “Hoo!” and the stallion looked confused for a moment.

“Oh, you speak?”

Owlowiscious repeated himself and fluttered over, landing on Time Turner’s building pile of books.

“I’m sorry, are you saying who or hoo?”

“Hoo!”

“I understand.” He laughed and shook his head. “Sorry. Yes. I should have realized. I’m a bit new here, you know. Never know if a bird will start speaking aloud, right?”

Owlowiscious hooed again and fluffed his feathers, much like Derpy might have. Time Turner smiled, and flipped the first of the books open, taking a deep breath and muttering, “Alright, time to get started.”

Derpy was happy to escort Sparks to the festival grounds once more, despite the nagging and absolutely baffling sense of déjà vu that rattled around inside her.

“Derpy Hooves,” Sparks said abruptly, “your pulse is elevated and your posture indicates apprehension. Are you well?”

“Me?” she yelped. “Uh… Well… I’m not sure how to explain it.”

“I am willing to listen to anything you have to discuss,” Sparks said.

“Ah, it’s just that Time Turner and I are having a weird day,” she said. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

“But—“

“Look, don’t worry!” Derpy laughed. “You should go find Pinkie Pie. She has a party waiting for you, remember?”

“You are not coming?”

She tilted her head and Derpy shook hers.

“I need to talk to Rainbow Dash,” she said.

Sparks nodded and raised her head; her eyes flashed after a few moments.

“I have located Pinkie Pie. I will speak with her. Shall we reconvene later?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Derpy said, smiling. “Have a good time!”

“Thank you.”

As Sparks left, Derpy took a deep breath and rubbed her mane, and then turned her eyes to the sky. When she didn’t see anything, she realized she must be running a bit early. Taking a breath, she took off, heading towards the racetrack until she noticed a spec of rainbow tinting the sky. She hovered and waved, and in an instant, Rainbow Dash was rushing to a stop in front of her, the wind from her wings blowing Derpy’s mane and ears back.

“Derpy, you busy?” she demanded.

“Nope.”

“I need—!”

“Me for your racing team?” she asked.

“Yes! Exactly!” she said, eyes widening. “Oh! Were you hoping I’d ask you?”

“Something like that,” Derpy said.

Rainbow Dash grinned wide.

“Awesome! I didn’t know you were into it,” she said. “C’mon, it’s starting soon.”

She flapped back towards the clouds and Derpy followed, secretly hoping that Rainbow wouldn’t recall this and ask her to race more in the future.

“You know, Fluttershy wouldn’t do it,” the blue pegasus commented. “You’d think if you can do it, she could do it, too. No offence.”

“None taken,” she assured her. “I know I’m not the strongest flyer.”

“Hey, you know, speed and agility are important and whatever, but you just do your thing and you’ll be fine,” the pegasus assured her. “You’re definitely not the worst flyer I’ve seen when you keep it straight. You’re more of a glider, like Fluttershy. I get that not everypony’s built the same as me.”

Derpy laughed and agreed, “I guess that’s fair.”

As she expected, they saw Thunderlane up on a cloud already. She joined him and shot him a bashful smile; he nodded at her in return.

“Right,” she agreed.

“Thunderlane, your speed will have put us a bit ahead right at the start,” Rainbow continued. “And Derpy is… Well, her speed will be fine for the middle, then I can make up the difference at the end.”

“Didn’t realize you were taking this so seriously,” Thunderlane joked.

“I take every race seriously,” the blue pegasus said proudly. “But, I mean, it’ll still be fun. Plus when we finish this one, we’re all gonna totally win some pies, so that’ll be nice.”

Derpy was a little worried she was going to get sick of pie.

As the race began, Derpy’s only nerves came from anticipating that strong wind that had knocked her out of place. She bounced on her hooves beside the other competitors, trying to ignore the rambunctious voices from below the clouds and focus all her attention on Thunderlane. He was quick on strong wings, and reached her swiftly. She tagged in and took off, though was unable to stop the trepidation that shook in her breath.

It was just a few seconds before she felt the chill of the wind pick up on her flanks and the backs of her ears. Biting her lip, she turned backwards to face into the wind and unfurled her wings wide to catch it. Easier to manoeuvre with it, she rose up and turned back in the right direction, letting the strong, cold gust carry her forward so quickly that she rocketed past the other ponies in her section. Obstacles moved; she banked around a cloud formation a bit awkwardly, grazing it with her wing. The speed was making her head spin and her wandering eye focus anywhere but in front of her. She was getting dizzy, but she picked out Rainbow Dash and aimed towards her. Another pegasus passed her, but it didn’t concern her. She tagged Rainbow’s outstretched hoof and toppled onto the resting cloud as the other pegasus took off, leaving streaks of colour in her wake. Derpy took a moment to catch her breath and then whirled, focusing on where she knew the hot air balloon would rise.

“Hey, Derpy,” one of the other pegasi said to her, though she couldn’t concentrate on whom. “Nice use of that wind. It caught me by surprise.”

“Thanks,” Derpy said.

She frowned into the clouds. Still nothing. She supposed she must be early. She bounced on her hooves, but as soon as she saw the clouds rise with the purple balloon beneath, she took off. As she expected, there was Spike, dangling from his ankle caught in a sandbag rope. She grimaced, fighting the wind

“Spike!! Hang on!” she called.

The wind picked up and he fell as he had twice before— though her heart dropped anyway— and she folded her wings and fell into a sharp dive.

Spike was wailing, flailing in the air as he plummeted. Derpy squinted into the wind and outstretched her front limbs. She made contact a few dozen meters above pond below and grabbed him to her chest. She opened her wings, and breaking harshly, flapped to keep above water and sucked in a deep, relieved breath.

“Whoa,” Spike said, shocked; his body was shaking. “Th-Thanks! That was really scary.”

“I know, right?” Derpy said, and she grinned. “At least we didn’t end up in the water!”

“Yeah, I know, I’m not a very good swimmer,” he confessed.

“Good thing I was here, then,” she joked.

She flapped and then glided back over dry land just as Twilight, appearing in a flash of magic, and some other concerned onlookers reached the edge of the water.

“Spike, are you okay?!” Twilight demanded.

Derpy placed him on the ground and landed, and Twilight hugged him close, asking, “What happened?”

“Ah, I got knocked out of the balloon,” the dragon grumbled.

“You need to be more careful.” Twilight sounded very concerned and motherly. “It’s lucky Derpy was there to catch you!”

“It’s not his fault,” Derpy said quickly. “The wind picked up and became really unpredictable.”

“Oh… Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Twilight said. “We felt it down here. I guess it must have been even worse in the sky, huh? Sorry Spike, I was just worried.”

“I know, I know,” he said; he laughed a little.

Derpy smiled, but was abruptly knocked off her hooves as Rainbow Dash slammed into her, grabbing her shoulders cordially as she heaved her back up.

“I saw the whole thing after I crossed the finish line! That was awesome!” she cawed. “You were like, woosh! I didn’t know you could fly so fast!”

“I… I’m just good at diving,” she said quickly. “Anyway! Spike, you’re okay, though, right?”

“Yeah. Thanks,” he said.

Derpy nodded, smiled and took a moment to catch her breath before she said, “I should go find Sparks.”

“Oh! Want me to bring your pie by your house later?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Thanks, that would be great.”

Time Turner was still mulling over books by the time the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. His pile of checked books was starting to look like a fortress, but he still had much more to go through. He hadn’t found a thing so far, and he was trying hard not to let the frustration get to him.

On what felt to be the hundredth book on advanced magical theory, his ears perked to the sound of the library door opening. Twilight and Spike walked in, laughing and chatting, and when the unicorn saw him, she smiled and said, “Look at you, still at it! Any luck?”

“Not quite.” He stood up to stretch his legs. “How was the festival?”

“Uh… Eventful,” she replied; she looked a bit embarrassed and he knew what had happened.

“Yeah, it was pretty great except for the part where I almost died,” Spike joked.

“Spike,” Twilight chided, but she laughed, “it wasn’t that bad. Dangerous, though. The wind really picked up in the sky race and Spike fell out of the balloon.”

“Oh really?”

The stallion feigned surprise.

“Yup, but it was fine, Derpy Hooves caught me,” the dragon said with a shrug.

“Would you mind thanking her again for us when you see her?” Twilight asked.

“Not at all,” he said. “It’s getting late. I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Oh! Would you like to stay for dinner?” Twilight asked.

Time Turner shook his head.

“Thanks but I wouldn’t want to be a bother. I’ll just clean these books up and—“

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the unicorn said, waving her hoof dismissively. “If you’re not finished, I can organize these if you want to come back tomorrow.”

“I would,” he said.

He felt a little guilty, though. He knew her work would be for nothing if the day repeated once again.

As Time Turner entered Derpy’s house, he was greeted by Sparks staring him dead in the face, her glowing eyes making his head hurt a little after staring at text all day.

“Hello, Sparks,” he said.

“Greetings,” she said, “I heard you from up the street. You are just in time for pie.”

She backed up and headed towards the kitchen.

He followed and asked, “So how was your party?”

“Very nice. A little hectic. I met many new ponies today. I am making a cutiemark database, also.”

He tried to conceal his surprise.

“Fancy that! That’s great Sparks, I’m glad you had a good time.”

In the kitchen, they found Derpy cutting slices of pie; two regular and one just a small slice as a taste-test for Sparks.

“Hey!” she said brightly. “How was the library?”

“Well, I learned all about turning flowers into oranges and reversing curses that make one walk backwards, but time travel? Nah. Time loops? Absolutely nothing.”

“Dang.” Derpy sighed. “Pie?”

“Thanks,” he said, and she slid him a plate and fork.

“I’m not sure I understand,” Sparks said, looking between them, “what is your inquiry about time loops?”

“Why? Do you know anything about them?” Time Turner asked as he put a bite of pie in his mouth. “Mmm, I really hope I don’t get sick of this pie, because it is delicious.”

“I don’t know much,” Sparks said. “My knowledge of time travel is limited to its existence.”

“Aw,” Derpy said, ears drooping. “Well… that’s okay.”

“I am still unsure as to what your concern with time loops is.”

“We’re stuck in one,” the pegasus said with a sigh.

“Who? All of us?” Sparks asked.

“We’re not sure,” Time Turner said. “At least Derpy and I are. If there’s anyone else, we either don’t know who, or they aren’t aware of it.”

“How curious,” Sparks said. “How long?”

“I think three days,” Derpy said. “Or does the first day not count? Two days?”

“Two days after the day that repeats,” Time Turner said.

“Very strange,” Sparks said, frowning ever so slightly. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not that I can think of,” Time Turner said. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

Sparks nodded and put the pie in her mouth, and then back on the plate again.

“Very nice.”

Derpy laughed.

“I think I need one more day at the library.”

Time Turner stretched and settled down on the sofa; Derpy, in the armchair, nodded and rubbed her mane.

“Do you really think it’s worth it?” she wondered.

“If there’s even one book in there that can help us, it definitely is,” he said.

“I hope I still remember all this tomorrow,” Derpy said; she sighed. “If I don’t, fill me in, okay?”

He nodded and assured her, “I will.”

The morning came with the sound of jazz once more and Time Turner blinked up at the ceiling, rubbing his eyes as Derpy shouted, “HORSEFEATHERS! I did it again!”

The stallion smiled to himself.

“Don’t worry,” he assured her.

The day proceed much the same as the previous one, with the exception that Derpy had prepared a lunch for Time Turner to take to the library with him. He didn’t get through all the books as he had anticipated; it took half of the next day as well. He was getting exhausted.

Slumping on the floor of the living room on the fifth night, he rubbed his brow and Derpy sat in the armchair, tired and uncertain.

“I didn’t find anything,” he said. “Three bloody days analyzing hundreds of books and not a thing.”

Derpy’s ears pinned back for a moment and she rested her chin on a hoof.

“Well…” she said. “Okay. That’s fine. I guess we can always just try looking somewhere else.”

“Guess we’ll have to,” he confessed, “because, honestly, I have no idea how this started, or how to end it.”

He sighed and shot the pegasus a sort of melancholy look. She tilted her head.

“What?”

“I’m sorry I brought you into this,” he said. “I was so relieved at first, because then I wasn’t doing this stupid thing alone, but now I just—“

“Nah. It’s fine,” she said. “It’s… I mean, it’s driving me a little nuts, but I think I’m much happier at least sort of being able to help.”

“You’re good,” he said. “Aren’t you getting sick of that festival?”

“Yes and no,” she said. “And Sparks is still having fun.”

“But it’s new to her every time,” Time Turner laughed.

“Which is nice,” Derpy said, “but you know what’s weird? Her party’s been slowly getting a little bigger every time. I’m not sure if it’s something I’m doing or what.”

“Weird. I noticed that as well,” he said. “Oh well. Have you thought about taking a break?”

“Hmm?”

“From the festival.”

“Oh! Well, not seriously.” Derpy shrugged. “If I do, I’m going to have to time that race exactly so I can still catch Spike.”

“So you really don’t think anyone else could catch him?” he wondered.

She shook her head.

“The first time, on the normal day, I guess? He dropped all the way to the bottom of the pond and got dazed hitting it. I’m worried about what might happen if I hadn’t been there.”

“I understand,” he said, nodding. “Okay. I just don’t want you to wear yourself out.”

“I won’t,” she assured him.

He nodded and was quiet for a while, resting his eyes. Derpy yawned.

“I guess we need a plan,” she said quietly, “and I guess the library’s not it.”

Time Turner frowned.

“Not this library,” he said.

The train was a nice change of pace, and despite everything that had happened there, seeing Canterlot was a relief. Day six saw Derpy keeping to her normal routine, though Time Turner felt bad that she was the one having to go through most of the grind. She insisted, however. As she said, she had to be there to catch the falling dragon. After spending the morning taking a break to gather a few extra things for dinner to break up the monotony, Time Turner hopped the train. He arrived at the shining, affluent city a little after noon.

Time Turner made his way through the districts and up to the palace as quickly as he could without seeming suspicious. Guards stood at the doorways, but ponies in fancy dress passed in and out without any sort of resistance. Time Turner hurriedly tried to straighten his perpetually scruffy mane with a hoof and then stood tall, hoping that pretending he belonged would make him appear like he did.

He entered the palace and was greeted by a long, meticulously kept red carpet marking pathways across a black-and-white checkered floor. The walls were a pale purple, inlaid with gold accents and trim, and decorated with banners of suns, moons, and stars. Directly before him was a grand set of stairs, crowned at the top by stained glass, the right panel the familiar, gold and shining sun motif, while the left was the calming blue moon and sky. On either side of this was yet more stairs and, since that way looked the most important, he proceeded up them. He found yet more guards there and, though hesitant, approached one closest to the moon panel.

“Excuse me, but I was wondering if I might get an audience with the Princess,” he asked.

“Which Princess? Because I’m afraid Princess Celestia is fully booked for today,” the guard replied.

“Ah. No. The moon princess. Luna, yes? Just a quick question, I won’t be long.”

The guard looked him up and down curiously and was silent for just long enough to make Time Turner uncomfortable. Finally, he nodded and pointed him down the closest hallway.

“There is a stallion in silver armour up there. Ask him to let you through and hopefully you’ll get in.”

“Thanks,” Time Turner said, nodding; he hurried on his way.

The next floor looked quite similar to the first, with the exception of being much quieter. There were few ponies there to begin with, and the vast majority were the armour-clad guards. He found the stallion in the silver armour rather quickly; his dark grey pelt stood out, as did his leathery wings.

“Hello!” Time Turner said as he drew closer to the guard. “I was told to come speak with you about seeing Princess Luna?”

“What exactly do you need?” he asked.

“A book.”

The stallion frowned slightly, his yellow eyes skimming Time Turner’s face as if searching for any trace of deception. He nodded and waved him forward with a wing. Time Turner trotted eagerly after the guard, who took him down a side hallway to a large blue door with gold and silver trim. He knocked in what seemed to be a pattern and, after just a moment, the door swung open to reveal the familiar Princess Luna.

“Hello, Chillwind,” she said. “What is it?”

He nodded at Time Turner and said, “This stallion requested to see you about a book.”

Luna took note of him quickly and stepped fully from the room.

“Very well, I will see him. Thank you.”

The stallion dipped in a bow and headed back to his post, and the Princess approached Time Turner.

“I am surprised to see you again so soon,” she said.

“I’m surprised to be back,” he admitted. “I was wondering if I might take a look at that time travel book again.”

“Has something happened?”

“Stuck in a time loop.”

Luna’s eyes widened.

“Can you elaborate?” she said.

Time Turner took a deep breath.

“Can we sit down?”

The Princess nodded and beckoned him to follow her back into the room she had emerged from, a large, crowded, yet cozy study with seats of purple pillows next to a tall, arched window.

Sipping a gratefully accepted cup of tea, Time Turner explained what had happened, and particularly what had happened over and over again.

“What a fascinating experience,” Luna commented. “So, tomorrow, I will recall none of this?”

“I think it will just not have happened for you,” he said. “I doubt the whole world is repeating. Just my friend and I. But, then again, I could be completely wrong.”

Luna nodded and sipped her tea, looking thoughtful.

“I can lend you Star Swirl the Bearded’s book once more as long as you remain in the castle with it.”

“Not a problem,” he said. “Thank you very much.”

She nodded again, tilted her head, but stayed quiet as her brow furrowed.

“Princess?” Time Turner asked cautiously.

“Your circumstances sound rather familiar to me,” she admitted. “I feel as though I have read it before.”

“Read it?” Time Turner repeated. “What, as in a novel?”

“Indeed,” she said. “Now what was it…?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment longer and her eyes lit up. She got to her hooves quickly and, with a wing, beckoned him to follow.

“Come,” she said.

Puzzled, Time Turner got up and followed her as she left the study. Luna made a beeline for the library, seeming rather serious, and once there, she headed down the rows of books,.

“There was a book. A novel. I remember, it was called, Winter Once More. It was about a pegasus with a sour attitude stuck reliving the day of Winter Wrap Up over and over until she mended her ways.”

“What caused it?” Time Turner asked.

The Princess smiled and shook her head.

“The author left it ambiguous. The journey was more important than the specifics. Anyway…” She came to a stop in front of a shelf and her eyes scanned the books; she frowned. “How odd…”

Time Turner shot her a worried look and her magic whisked a few books from the shelf as she checked between them.

“What? …It’s not there, is it?” he asked.

“Odd,” she repeated.

She hurriedly replaced the books and turned, saying, “Come,” as she trotted from the library.

The stallion hurried to keep up as the Princess strode purposefully back through the castle and to a large set of double doors that swung back before her. They opened onto a long, spacious hallway lined with ornate stained glass windows. The red carpet leading to the end acted as a pathway, and was currently occupied by dozens of well-dressed ponies in a line. Nestled against the farthest wall was an intricate red and gold throne on a precipice of stairs, and sitting upon it was the ever-glowing Princess Celestia. Luna strode past all of it, straight up to the throne.

“Sister,” Luna said loudly as they approached, “a question, if you have a moment.”

“Of course,” Celestia replied.

Time Turner’s ears lifted. He had never heard her voice before. It was deeper than he had expected, but gentle and wise.

“Have you taken the book Winter Once More from the library?”

Celestia’s gentle brow knitted for just a moment and she said, “No, I don’t think so. Why, are you looking to reread it?”

“Something like that,” Luna said. “It seems that it is missing.”

“Odd,” Celestia said.

Luna hmmed to herself.

“Thanks anyway,” she said, and she turned to head back down the hallway.

Time Turner was about to follow when the large alicorn before him caught his eye. She looked surprised for a fraction of a section, her ears perking high. She smiled gently.

“Good luck finding the book,” she said.

Time Turner bowed low and then turned in a hurry to see Luna waiting for him a few paces away.

She lead him back out and, admitted, “Something is wrong. I suggest returning to Ponyville to find another copy.”

“Is it really that important?” he wondered.

“I feel there might be parallels that could help you,” she said. “It may be a work of fiction, but I find that sometimes the deepest wisdom comes in the form of tales and fantasy.”

The Princess was kind enough to bring him the ancient book he had read once before and set him up in her study as she left to attend to other things. Ignoring the complex magical equations, Time Turner focussed on historical accounts and theories confirmed by the ancient unicorn and his texts. Deep within the tome, there was a chapter outlining paradoxes such as the loops he and Derpy had read about initially.

But what about this kind?

He pouted and flipped through the pages. It took just a few more minutes fore his spirits to lift and his ears with it. Listed under Unconventional Time Travel, he found a section that spoke of a loop: a day repeating over and over. Time Turner’s eyes lit up and he devoured the information. He was surprised to find that Star Swirl seemed to have quite a bit of disdain for it; described it as false time travel, usually inflicted upon someone else as an orchestrated spell. This hit Time Turner with a sense of relief as well as deep confusion. He was not causing the loop, but that left him at a loss for what was. According to the book, the most common way to free oneself would be to confront the spellcaster, or to complete a set event that the spellcaster was intent on happening. Time Turner frowned into the pages, his ears flattening, wondering what the event could be. He suspected that the only pony he knew strong enough to perform such a spell, aside from the Princesses, would be Twilight Sparkle.

But, surely it’s not her, he thought. She’s been nothing but helpful. Unless it was an accident.

He grimaced.

Time Turner spent a few more hours with the book, but came away with little else. The book was intended for unicorns, after all. Even though he knew he could time travel, somehow, it wasn’t meant for someone like him. He thanked Princess Luna for her help and headed home on the train.

He met Derpy and Sparks at the house, but was shocked to find the pegasus on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket with a tea, her left eye swollen with bruising and Sparks holding a baggie of ice against her head.

“Oh, my goodness, what happened?!” he yelped.

“Ah, I messed up in the wind today,” she said. “Crashed a bit.”

The stallion grimaced and gave her a worried hug. She laughed.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “Everything was fine. How was Canterlot?”

He hopped up onto the sofa beside her.

“Well... Good news and confusing news. It’s not me, at least. But it’s not typical time travel, it’s a spell.”

“What is?” Sparks said.

“Time loop,” Derpy said simply. “A spell? So how do we break it?”

“Find whoever cast it, basically,” he said, shrugging.

“What time loop?” Sparks asked. “Is something happening?”

“I’ll explain it to you tomorrow, Sparks,” Derpy laughed. “For now, I think I’ll go to bed.”

She grimaced as she stood up and Time Turner hurried to help.

“I’m okay. Don’t worry,” she assured him.

She was limping a little as she headed towards the stairs. The stallion frowned to himself, only reassured by the fact that her injuries wouldn’t carry over into the next day. He got to his hooves and Sparks looked at him curiously.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Library,” he said.

“Were you not at a library all day?” she asked.

“Different library. Want to come?”

“I do, but I will stay with Derpy.” She paused and seemed slightly surprised. “What a strange sensation, to make a choice between two wants. Interesting.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Time Turner laughed.

He headed out into the night again, trotted to Twilight’s home and knocked on the door. She opened it after a moment, looking surprised to see him.

“Oh! Time Turner. I didn’t see you at the festival today,” she said.

“No, I had business in Canterlot,” he said. “I was wondering if I could borrow a book?”

“Well, this is a library,” Twilight laughed. “Come on in. What are you looking for?”

“Winter Once More, if you’ve got it.”

“Oh! That one’s a classic. Where did you hear about it?”

“From Princess Luna,” he said as she waved him in.

The unicorn looked surprised, but she didn’t say more as she hurried in and trotted to a far shelf.

“Just a second.” She reached for the shelf but then paused, looked puzzled for a second. “I could have sworn…! Hang on!”

She ran upstairs and Time Turner felt a sudden sense of foreboding. He wasn’t surprised at all when she returned, an upset look on her face.

“I’m sorry! I guess I misplaced it. Or maybe I lent it to somepony? But usually I’d remember if I did. Hmm…” She seemed perturbed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “Thanks anyway.”

He turned for the door but then shot her a look, asking, “Strange question, but have you been practicing any strong spells recently. Anything unusual?”

“Mmm… No, I don’t think so,” she said. “Nothing I haven’t done before, anyway. Why?”

“I’ll let you know when I know,” he said. “Thanks again.”

The jazzy tune that woke Time Turner was unusually cut off by a loud smacking noise and a crash, and Derpy shouting, “Aw, feathers!” He smiled to himself and covered his eyes with a hoof for a moment before sitting up to see Derpy, ears drooping as she looked rather dismally at the broken phonograph on the floor.

“I… I’m sorry,” she said, grimacing. “I just… I don’t know, I panicked for some reason.”

“It’s okay. Rough night,” he said, but he smiled as he got up and stretched. “No bruises.”

“Oh. Yeah. That’s true,” she said; she brushed her mane from her face shyly. “Sheesh, I’m just getting tired of this.”

“I know. I understand,” he said. “It’s been you whose had to do the bulk of the repetitive stuff. How about we take a break today?”

“What? But what about—?”

“Catch Spike and then you and I, we’ll go get some lunch. Far, far away from the festival. It’ll be good.”

Derpy stared at him blankly for a moment, but then wilted, smiled, and said, “That sounds nice.”

Time Turner grinned; Sparks appeared in the threshold to the living room.

“I would like to report my progress. I have concluded that small birds are pleasant and that I am choosing to be excited for the upcoming festival,” she announced.

She marched away, playing back a recording of twittering before either pony could say a word to her. Derpy couldn’t help a tired laugh.

“It’s weird,” she said. “The one carryover seems to be how well I sleep.”

Time Turner nodded.

“Same with me. Anyway! I have maybe a strange question. Ever heard of Winter Once More?”

“Yeah, good book. One of my favourites, actually,” Derpy said, and she looked confused for a second and then her ears lifted, her eyes widening. “Oh! It’s about this! It’s about a time loop! Hang on!”

She took off up the stairs in a hurry, but for some reason, Time Turner didn’t have a good feeling about it. When she returned, frowning, he said, “Let me guess, it’s missing?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Every copy I’ve tried to find is missing,” he said. “Makes me think that something to do with that book is our way out of this.”

“Well, I’ve read it,” she said.

“Brilliant! So I guess the obvious question is how the protagonist got out of her situation in the story,” he said.

“She had an attitude problem. Really grumpy, really mean and arrogant, and selfish. Her time in the time loop sort of made her go a little crazy, but getting to know all the ponies around her helped her become a lot nicer and understand others better.” Derpy scratched her head. “Also, she had to realize that there were some bad things that were impossible to change, no matter how many times she tried.”

Time Turner had a sort of sinking feeling, and his mind automatically shot to Spike, but he tried to keep his concerns from his face.

“Hmm… I’m not sure how much that helps,” he said, “unless the purpose is for the both of us to go totally mental.”

Derpy shrugged.

“Could be,” she said. “For some reason this doesn’t really seem to me like an adventure of self-improvement.”

Derpy was getting much more proficient at diving. She had misjudged her timing on the wind the previous day— it was jarring to realize how one small slip-up could change the outcome— but day seven had her catch Spike, just skimming the pond, and land without a single incident.

Before she could get caught up in the aftermath once again, Time Turner whisked her away. He brought her to the edge of town, on a hill close to the forest she had found him in and presented her with a paper bag.

“When did you get this?” she asked.

“Well, see, I keep trying to teleport to the pond to meet you and for some reason I’m completely rubbish at it. I end up in the bakery half the time, so I thought I’d get you a little something,” he said.

Derpy raised an eyebrow and opened the bag; she pulled out a fresh banana muffin and her eyes lit up.

“Oh! Thank you so much,” she said. “You want some?”

He shook his head. She dug in, and her face was all but glowing. It made him smile. He took a moment to relax, flopping backwards onto the grass and staring up at the bright sky above. She joined him when she finished her snack, fluffing her feathers up to take in the sunlight.

“Nice and warm over here,” she said absently.

Time Turner nodded and closed his eyes, relaxing into the grass.

Derpy was happy to see it. She rolled onto her stomach and raised the feathers near her shoulders and spread her wings out and upwards to warm them in the light. It helped her relax.

“Hey, Time Turner?” she asked.

“Hmm?”

He sounded like he was half asleep. She couldn’t blame him.

“I know this is all weird and stuff, but I’m happy you’re not stuck doing this alone.”

“Thanks, Miss Derpy, I appreciate it.”

“You don’t have to call me Miss, you know,” she said.

She heard him laugh a little and she smiled to herself and settled in comfortably, folding her wings in close. She didn’t realize she had dozed off until she woke to the sound of Sparks’s voice asking, “Derpy Hooves?”

She blinked her eyes open in the orange glow of the sunset light and looked up to see her metal friend.

“Oh, Sparks, hi,” she said groggily; she got up and stretched her wings. “How was your day? Good?”

“Very,” she said. “Though I was concerned I did not see you after your race.”

“Sorry about that,” she said. “Time Turner and I just wanted to take a bit of a break from the festival.”

“Ah, yes, fair,” Sparks said, nodding. “I must track him next.”

“Track him? What do you mean, he’s right…”

Derpy’s sentence trailed into startled silence as she turned to point out her friend, only to find him notably absent from where he had been laying. Her eyes widened and her mouth went dry.

“Oh, horsefeathers.”

Gentle humming and chirping filled Time Turner’s ears, like a comforting, digital lullaby. Something about it was familiar to him, but he couldn’t place it. His eyelids felt heavy, and when he opened them it was only a faint relief to not be woken by that same jazz song before he realized he ad no idea where he was.

Instantly alert, the stallion jumped to his hooves, his eyes snapping back into focus. Blue lights tickled his peripherals and he spun, ears up and fur bristling, but his posture relaxed when he realized that he was inside the strange room within the cave in the woods.

He let out a sigh of relief, looked around, and then worriedly called, “Derpy?”

There was no reply, and his heart sunk. He took a few cautious steps around, but was pleasantly surprised when the little, glowing serpent, Ellie, appeared before him. Her reaction couldn’t be described as anything but relief. She circled Time Turner’s neck, her projected body tingling warm static, almost like tickling carbonation through his fur.

“Good to see you, too!” he said.

She let out a melodic chirp and spun around in midair, and he wondered, “Did you bring me in here?”

She made a sound; somehow it sounded negative, and she flew around and then dove into a console; only then did the stallion realize that he was in that main control room with the windows and odd chairs. A series of information hovered out of the panels of buttons and screens, displaying an image of a blue shield and outline, and a yellow form transferring inside it. Strange text on the images were translated in his mind to read hull breach and recognized form.

“So I just… I teleported in here,” he said, and then sighed and laughed at himself. “Of course I did. Fantastic.”

He rubbed his mane, trying to wake up his mind a bit more.

“Better get back to Derpy,” he muttered.

However, as he headed for the door, a red light flashed and the stallion turned back to the screen. He was shocked to see that the whole front windows had lit up with frantic, flashing messages. It urged him to stay, that this was a safe place. He gulped.

“Ellie, what is this? What do you mean, what’s wrong?”

The little serpent sprung from the console as the red light faded and she rushed around him; she seemed frantic. He frowned.

“You know something about what’s going on, don’t you?” he concluded.

Her chirp was definitely affirmative this time.

“What can you tell me?”

She chirped and buzzed and whizzed around his head. She was worried. She wanted him to stay.

“Well, I can’t just do nothing,” he said. “Staying in here won’t stop it, right?”

Reluctantly, Ellie sung a negative. Time Turner sighed, but he gave her a smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll figure this out. I’ve got to—“

He jumped to the sound of heavy, metal banging outside, and though Ellie looked alarmed, he guessed, “Ah! That sounds like someone I might know. Shall we let them in?"

He moved from the area of controls and windows into the room with the huge, circular counter of buttons and lights, and before him, that door he knew of slid upwards and Derpy rushed in.

“Time Turner?!” she called.

“Right here,” he said.

She cast around frantically and he realized she must not’ve been able to see him. He approached her and took her hoof, and her face broke into a relieved grin.

“Thank Celestia.” Derpy grabbed him into a tight hug. “We looked all over town.”

“What? Really? How long was I gone?”

“Two hours, thirteen minutes and forty four seconds,” Sparks volunteered; her eyes flashed and lit up a bit more of the room, “from when we began searching, at the very least.”

“Ellie, can we get some lights?” Time Turner called.

In an instant, the room was illuminated with lights tinted vaguely blue; Derpy blinked heavily and let the stallion go.

“Phew!” she said. “Ellie, that’s the… the little flying thing you mentioned, right?”

Before he could answer, Ellie, zoomed over to Derpy, spinning around her body and chirping a greeting.

“Oh! Hello!” she said with surprise.

“She lives in here,” Time Turner said.

As Ellie paused long enough in front of Derpy for her to get a good look, the pegasus smiled and said, “Oh! She’s like a tiny wyvern.”

“Is that what you’d call it?” Time Turner asked.

She nodded as Ellie took off again, weaving around Sparks and chirping in a distorted, sing-song way.

“A wyvern is dragon with wings for arms,” she explained. “She’s cute.”

Ellie was still chirping around Sparks, whose eyes were flashing and her chest cavity began to buzz a little.

“Oh, I see,” Sparks said. “Very nice.”

“What is?” Derpy asked.

“Eltanin,” Sparks said. “She is an AI. More advanced than I am, even.”

“AI? That means… uh… artificial intelligence, right?” Time Turner asked.

Sparks nodded.

“Well, I’m glad somepony knows what’s going on,” Derpy joked.

“Think about it like this,” Time Turner said. “You and I… Well, at least you, for sure. I still have no idea what my deal is. You were born with a natural brain able to learn and grow. Sparks and Ellie weren’t born, but whatever serves as their brain is the same in most ways. Just… metal-y. Or energy-y. That’s what it means to be an AI. In this particular context anyway.”

“I guess I understand,” Derpy said with a nod. “But, anyway, Time Turner, you’re alright, right? What happened?”

“Just my average, totally normal sleep teleportation,” he said. “But, for some reason, I went here this time. And now Ellie doesn’t really want me to leave. I think she knows something about what’s going on.”

“What?! Really?”

The pegasus seemed excited and she asked, “Is that true, Ellie, can you help us with the time loop?”

Ellie’s brow furrowed just a little and she floated in place, resting her chin on the claw of her wing. After a moment, she pointed at Sparks.

“Me?” the robot asked. “I don’t know what you—“

Ellie curled up around Sparks’s head and twittered into her ear. The ponies shot each other confused looks. Sparks stared blankly ahead as she listened and then said, “I understand,” before turning to her friends.

“Eltanin speculates that the spell occurs in the early morning hours. Tonight, we will wait until the exact moment the spell effects us. The next night, you will instruct me and I will wait up and record any energy interference around us and send it directly to Eltanin. I cannot record indefinitely, so this seems the most logical.” She nodded at Time Turner. “She explains that you should place that ring on your hoof against my head to activate the transference.”

The stallion looked at his hoof with surprise and then nodded.

“Okay, fine with me.”

“With this information, we should be able to track down the spellcaster,” Sparks said.

Derpy’s face lit up and she squeaked, “That’s great! That’s really good news! Anything I should do?”

“Help me stay up,” Time Turner laughed. “Seriously, I’ve been going to bed really early.”

“Ellie also would like to express regret,” Sparks continued as the glowing wyvern settled down on her mane. “She is having trouble communicating. Time Turner, her feelings suggest that if you had stayed here, the spell would not have been able to send you into this trouble.”

“What? Really?” he said, and his eyes widened. “Oh! Oh, my, so you meant that I should come back that night we met. Goodness, Ellie, I’m sorry. I didn’t understand. I’m really rubbish sometimes, I swear.”

Ellie rose and flew around his head; her chirps were reassuring. It felt like she was wishing him good luck. He smiled and tilted his head towards the door.

“Okay,” he said, “we’ll get started. Good night, Ellie.”

As the three made their way back from the forest, Derpy wondered, “So, what should we do, then?”

“Well,” Time Turner said, “I mean, honestly, we could bloody well do anything we please, couldn’t we?”

“If the day is repeating, it stands to reason that our actions have very little to zero consequences,” Sparks agreed.

“Ooh, we should make cheesecake. And then eat the whole thing,” Derpy said. “Wait! No, we could make three cheesecakes. We could each eat a whole cheesecake.”

Time Turner couldn’t help a laugh.

“That’s what I love about you, Derpy Hooves. Given free reign to do literally whatever you want without any repercussions, you decide you’d eat a lot of dessert.”

“Well, what would you rather do?” she asked. “I can’t think of much! I mean, maybe I’d tell that one mare that made fun of me in flight school to stuff it, but I think I’d probably apologize right after…”

The stallion snickered, but he shrugged.

“Now that I think of it, I’m not really sure. Maybe I’d spend all day just teleporting around,” he said. “I guess you’re right. What did the mare in that book do?”

“Oh, everything. Horrible things sometimes. Stealing, kicking; fighting. She exploded the whole town one day.” The pegasus shook her head. “I couldn’t do anything like that. I’d feel too awful. Even if nopony else would ever know what I’d done, I’d know. Anyway! Sparks, what do you want to do?”

“My wants are quite limited,” she admitted, “since so, too, are my experiences.”

Time Turner smiled.

“Cheesecakes it is, then,” he said. “Though why one would make a cake of cheese is beyond me, Derpy.”

“Oh! Of course, you don’t know!” she said, and then giggled. “Don’t worry, you’ll love it!”

They hurried home and Derpy pulled out a huge recipe book to explain to both Equestrian newbies what, exactly, a cheesecake was. They spent much of the night preparing three large, rich cakes on graham cracker bases, flavoured with chocolate, berries, and caramel sauce. Despite her assertions earlier, however, of the three cakes, Derpy barely managed to put down a third of one before giving up. Time Turner had no such trouble: saying that he ate like a wolf was an understatement, while Sparks’s cake remained intact but for one assessment bite.

“I know I will probably not remember tomorrow,” Sparks said, “but I’ve very much enjoyed being involved and having cake as well.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t half bad,” Time Turner agreed. “Not the cake. The cake was fantastic. I could eat another.”

“We’re so bad at this no consequences thing,” Derpy laughed.

“Very much so. I think I’m okay with that.” He yawned; stretched. “What’s the time?”

“Three hours, twenty minutes and twenty three seconds into the new twenty four hour day cycle,” Sparks said.

“I’m getting a bit tired,” Time Turner admitted.

“You can’t go to sleep on a full stomach like that, you’ll feel super sick in the morning,” Derpy said; she tried to hold in a yawn, but couldn’t.

“No consequences,” Time Turner corrected with a laugh.

He yawned too and then blinked heavily, shaking his head.

“Suddenly very tired,” he said.

Derpy nodded. She wondered: would it really hurt to shut her eyes for a few seconds?

When she blinked them open again, she saw the glow of sunlight on her walls. She got up and stretched, feeling a sense of giddy excitement, and then rolled out of bed. She was a little surprised to see that Sparks wasn’t on the mattress laid out for her, and after a quick flex of her wings, the pegasus headed out of the room.

Sparks stood at the end of the hallway near the stairs, staring at her, much to her surprise. She had to hold in a gasp.

“Sparks!” she said. “Good morning! Have you been up long?”

“No. Derpy, I remember,” she said.

Derpy tilted her head and her eyes widened.

“Remember? You mean remember who sent you?!” she asked.

“No,” she said. “I remember the festival.”

“Uh…”

The pegasus smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to say to her. Sparks’s irises flashed.

“You do not remember,” she said.

“Uh… I’m sorry, Sparks, I’m not sure what you mean,” she confessed.

The robot stared blankly for a little while and then said, “Very well. We will discuss this later.”

She headed downstairs, leaving Derpy alone and confused, but she perked up nonetheless upon the thought of spending the day together at the festival with her new friends.

She headed downstairs as well and went into the bathroom to wash up. She combed her mane and tail out and and quickly preened her feathers before leaving to check on Time Turner. He was still asleep, cozy on the couch, and Derpy couldn’t help but feel relieved that nothing weird had happened overnight. It was nice not to have to get him down from the roof again. As she moved over to tug the curtains a little more tightly closed, her eyes caught on one of her tables that had been repaired after the front of the house had been smashed in. It made her a little sad to see it vacant; she had kept a record-playing phonograph on it for years. She had received it as a gift on her first year anniversary as a mail-mare. Though sad to lose it, she realized it would really be the music she missed the most.

She found Sparks in the kitchen, head out the window as she listened to the birds.

“Hey,” she said, “I’m going out to a store for just a few minutes. You okay here alone?”

“Yes, do not worry,” Sparks said. “Do you remember the festival yet?”

“Yeah, we’re going later, don’t worry,” she said brightly.

Derpy headed out. Giving her wings a quick flap, she lifted off and flew towards the marketplace, taking it at a glide. The store she wanted was at the edge of where tents were normally set up: a moderately sized building with a gold and brown phonograph— much like her old one— on a sign above the door. She could see the owner, a middle-aged pale golden stallion, heading inside from a distance.

She slowly came in to land and then went into the store. The door didn’t jingle with bells like many normal stores did, but instead was rigged to a machine that strummed an old guitar hung up on the wall. The store was set up mostly as a record store, with long rows of display boxes on shelves organized alphabetically. The rest of the store held some instruments and, what Derpy was looking for, record players of all sorts.

The owner was adding new records to the shelves and he took a moment to look up at her to shoot her a smile as he brushed his apple-green mane from his eyes.

“Hey there, Derpy Hooves, got some new jazz albums in,” he said.

“Hi, Backbeat,” she said. “Actually, I’m looking for a new phonograph.”

“Ah, did the motor mess up again? I can repair it.”

“No, no,” she laughed. “It got smashed up when those rock monsters came to town.”

“Oh! Let me show you what I have, then.”

He took her to the other side of the store, pointing out record players, both modern and retro. Derpy picked out a phonograph that looked almost exactly like her old one, bought it, and flew it home with a smile on her face. As she entered the house, she saw that Time Turner was still asleep. She took her new phonograph to the kitchen, unboxed it and loaded in a jazz record for later. Checking the clock, it seemed like it might be a good time to wake her friend up.

She brought her new phonograph into the living room, brushing the curtains back with a wing as she tried to set it safely down on the table. She stumbled, however, jarring the thing so that music blared loudly from the horn. She yelped and her mind suddenly tumbled over itself with confusion.

Why did I—? Oh, gosh, oh no.

“Sorry!” she yelped as Time Turner’s eyes shot open. “Sorry, I—! Dang it, every day I do this!”

“Good thing your bits are refunded every day,” the stallion joked; he sat up. “So what time did it end up being?”

“Uh… Three something, um…”

“Three hours, twenty three minutes and one second into the new twenty four hour day cycle,” Sparks put in. “Good morning, friends. I, too, am now stuck in the time loop.”

“Sparks!” Derpy said, relieved. “Oh. I’m sorry about this morning, I guess I don’t snap back into it until now-ish.”

“Do not be concerned,” Sparks assured her. “Now what shall we do?”

“Wait until the night.” Time Turner shrugged and stretched his forelegs high above his head. “I, for one, plan on doing absolutely nothing today.”

Derpy snorted out a laugh and then shot Sparks a smile.

“Well, I have to go catch Spike. Wanna come, Sparks?”

“I will do this,” she said. “I have something I’d like to check out as well.”

When Derpy left Sparks at the festival for the race, the metal unicorn took a moment to assess the area, trying to decide what to do. She was unsure why, but with Time Turner at home she didn’t feel comfortable leaving Derpy alone. Something inside her toggled to defence, and she raised her ears high and cranked her analytical sound and energy receptors up. She caught a glimpse of the energy she recognized as Pinkie Pie and headed for it.

She found the mare gathering boxes near a stand of baked goods and announced, “Pinkie Pie, I will not be attending the party today.”

“What?! Why?” Pinkie yelped, whirling on her with wide, worried eyes. “Is something wrong?!”

“No, absolutely not,” Sparks said. “But I am now stuck in a time loop and I do not wish to tire of your parties. I will take a break today.”

“Time what?” Pinkie Pie repeated.

“A time loop. Where one relives the same day over and over again,” Sparks explained.

“Ooh. Okay,” she said.

Sparks tilted her head.

“You do not seem perturbed,” she said.

“Perturbed? Nah! That’s okay,” Pinkie said. “A welcome party can change pretty easy into a party party. Don’t worry. Come by next time though, okay?”

“I will.”

“And, uh, what’s your favourite kind of party?” Pinkie asked.

“Of all the ones I’ve been too, my favourite is the one with few ponies so that I may converse with all of them.”

“Okay, gotcha, thanks!” Pinkie said.

She grabbed her boxes and skipped off, singing to herself.

Sparks was pleased that Pinkie Pie was not unhappy with her choice, though her reaction puzzled her. She supposed it wasn’t particularly important right now, however, and she made her way to the viewing area for the race. A few ponies gave her some stray looks, but no one approached her until Twilight Sparkle took note of her and headed over with a smile on her face.

“Hi,” she said brightly. “How’s being a pony working out for you? Are you liking it around town?”

“Everything is pleasant, thank you,” Sparks said. “I have learned much already.”

Twilight smiled and nodded.

“I like your mane,” she said. “Did Derpy do that for you?”

“No. A unicorn, Rarity,” she replied.

“Oh! Nice,” she said. “So, you excited for the race? It’s starting soon. Oh! I'm sorry, do robots get excited?”

“I am more interested in Derpy catching Spike as he falls, to be honest,” Sparks replied.

“What?! Spike falling, what are you talking about?” Twilight asked.

“A harsh wind will pick up and Spike the dragon will fall from the hot air balloon,” Sparks said. “But worry not, Derpy will catch him, as she has done for the last eight days.”

“Uh…”

Twilight stared at her blankly and then shot her a look as if questioning her sanity. When Sparks didn’t move her eyes from the sky, Twilight bit her lip.

“You can’t be serious, right?” she asked.

“Why would I not be serious?” Sparks wondered.

The race began and Twilight winced, whatever she had been about to say lost to her until the wind picked up, just as Sparks had said. Her eyes widened and she looked at the metal unicorn fearfully.

“Omigosh, you…! How did you—?! I gotta go, I—“

“Do not worry. Go to the pond to meet them,” she said.

Twilight fumbled for a moment before sprinting off and Sparks lifted her head. Her internal sensors began firing and she detected a strange magical signal. It was very powerful and unusual; it stood out to her immediately. She focussed everything she could on it and took off running. Dodging through the crowd of spectators, switching her vision not to see images as normal, but to read the energy every creature gave off. She instantly saw something she couldn’t place; a small creature flying in the sky. The form wasn’t one she recognized and neither was the energy. Curious, determined to reach it, her horn lit up and she projected a magnetic field down and along the lower reaches of her body, scattering controlled, metallic and magnetic particles around herself; propelling herself upwards. She was unsteady at first, but used her energy to lift herself higher until she was standing in the sky and could reach the strange form.

“Hello,” she said, “why do you cause this wind?”

She received no response but a high-pitched giggling, and was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of cold, cutting wind. Her processors struggled to hold everything in place, but nonetheless, she toppled to the ground, hitting it hard. She quickly analyzed herself; her eyes flickered back to regular vision. Strangely, the spot in the sky seemed empty.

Superficial exterior damage only.

Her mind switched quickly into offence, her vision resumed targeting energy, and, after lifting herself to her hooves, her horn lit up blue once more and she used her magnetic energy to soar into the sky. She heard the laughter again and shot, lightning searing the air and creating a resounding boom.

Derpy jumped as she heard the sound, almost dropping Spike into the water herself as she carried him back to land. He yelped, as did she, but she regained her grip as she wondered, “What was that?!”

“Sounds like thunder to me,” Spike said as she placed him down. “But there’s no way they would have scheduled that on a race day, would they?”

Derpy was about to answer, but was cut off as Twilight teleported on top of them with a loud zapping sound, shouting, “Spike!!” before she, too, toppled over.

“Oof, Twilight, be careful!” he said. “What?”

“Did you fall? Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I wasn’t sure where the pond was in relation to—! Oh, never mind.”

She pulled him into a hug, and Derpy as well, much to her surprise.

“Hey, Twilight, relax! Everyone’s okay,” he said. “Yeah, I fell, but only a couple feet. Derpy caught me just fine!”

The unicorn took a deep breath and released them, flinching at another loud crack of thunder before she smiled.

“Derpy, your robot friend was right,” she said.

“What? Did Sparks say something to you?”

“Sparks? Well, yes. She said something about Spike falling and I just freaked right out,” she said. “I’m glad everything’s okay. Thank you for catching—“

Twilight was cut off as Rainbow Dash careened into them.

“Derpy! Good catch! Did you hear anything about thunder today? What is up with this?”

“No, I…”

Another boom made Derpy unable to finish her thought, and then another. A sudden sinking feeling caught her and she turned her gaze skywards. Her eyes widened.

“Sparks?!” she yelped.

She took off, flapping as hard as she could to get airborne quickly and rushed to follow the sound of thunder.

As she drew closer, it was clear that Sparks was doing something violent. Ignoring the fact that the robot seemed to be floating, she was shooting electric energy, concentrated and shining white-blue, stronger than anything she had shot when hunting Time Turner. She clearly had a target, but Derpy couldn’t see it.

“Sparks! What are you doing?!” she called. “How are you up here?”

The robot’s head whipped in her direction-- Derpy was taken aback by her eyes shining red.

“Derpy Hooves, get out of here!” she said loudly.

Derpy’s eyes widened, but before she could move, Sparks rushed to put her body between Derpy and a powerful, freezing blast of air that knocked them both askew. Sparks fired again, striking through the air several times with blue light that dazed the pegasus as she flapped hard to try to regain her balance. She picked up a strange noise; it sounded like the giggle of a young filly. It chilled Derpy almost more than the wind did. She was sure she had heard it before.

Sparks was having trouble in the air; Derpy wasn’t sure how she had gotten herself aloft, but she could only describe her movements as slippery, and not in a way that was beneficial. Something hit the robot from the side and sent her spinning towards the ground; she managed to aim up and fire off another lightning shot. This time, much to Derpy’s surprise, she connected with something. A shimmering, iridescent shell moved over a small, dark form, and whoever was inside laughed before vanishing completely.

Derpy’s first instinct was to fly away as fast as possible, but she saw Sparks relax somewhat. She righted herself and slowly ascended to join Derpy.

“That creature was not in my database,” she stated.

“What creature?” Derpy asked nervously. “I… I couldn’t see anything. And how are you flying?”

“Magnetic fields,” she said. “Though it is taking up quite a bit of my power. And I suppose the creature was using a shield of some sort.”

Derpy bit her lip.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Damage is minimal,” she said. “Mostly external. Superficial. Though I will need to pop out a portion of my left rib-plate. It has been jammed inwards.”

“Right. Right, okay,” Derpy said.

She took a deep breath and was about to suggest they head home when she heard a familiar voice wailing, “Bloody hell!”

She looked up, eyes wide, and was so shocked by the sight of Time Turner plummeting downwards she almost didn’t react in time to get out of the way. Instantly, she folded her wings and dropped, grabbing his forelimb. He was far too heavy, though, and she yelped as he dragged her down.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” he shouted.

Derpy unfurled her wings to slow them, her vision spinning as she tried to find something to cushion their fall. The green of a tree stood out and she aimed for it, and they both grunted as they flopped into the branches, only slightly cushioned by the leaves. On the upside, they had slowed down to the point where, when Time Turner flopped out of the tree onto his back, the most upset he could manage was, “Ow.”

Derpy’s wandering eye was making her dizzy and she had to scrunch both eyes shut for a moment before she stuck her head out of the tree to look below.

“How in Equestria did you get up there?” she asked shrilly.

Time Turner rolled over, blowing his mane from his face.

“You know how I said I was staying home? Not entirely true. Didn’t intentionally lie, though, I just thought, maybe I’d go out and check other places for that Winter Once More book. Just in case.” He rubbed his eyes. “Well, I saw you and Sparks up there and I wanted to help and instead I end up falling from the sky like a total moron. Thanks for catching me, by the way.”

Derpy laughed tiredly and flopped from the tree, stumbling to the grass and plopping onto her rump. She rubbed her mane and Time Turner started laughing. He sounded exhausted.

“So what, exactly, were you doing up there?” he asked.

“Ask Sparks.”

“Alright. OI, SPARKS!”

The robot quickly reached them, lowering herself to the ground, the glow of her horn finally dimming, as did the red in her eyes.

“What happened up there?” Time Turner asked.

“There was a small laughing creature up there,” she said, “under a shield of some sort. She was causing the strong wind. I confronted her and she attacked me, so I retaliated.”

“What kind of creature?” he asked.

“Nothing I recognized,” she replied, “but I also did not get a good look. It was invisible.”

“Lovely.” Time Turner rolled his eyes and laughed dryly. “Oh, and by the way, there isn’t a single copy of that book left in town. In case anyone was wondering.”

“Ooh, yay, more mysteries,” Derpy joked; she rubbed her forehead and then waved Sparks over. “Let me help you with that rib plate. What do I do?”

“Ah. Thank you,” she said as she approached Derpy and turned her side to her, “Just place your hoof here.”

Derpy’s eyes widened when a spot lit up blue and she laughed.

“Right.”

She placed her hoof so that it covered the light and the robot said, “Push hard and I can do the rest.”

Derpy did as she was asked and, after a few seconds, there was a loud clicking noise.

“Thank you,” said Sparks.

“So what was that hovering?” Time Turner asked. “Extreme magnets or something? How did you manage that?”

“I am unsure what extreme magnets would be, but I did use magnetic fields below and around my body,” she said. “Though I’m not sure how I came up with it. I suppose it must have been in my programming to begin with.”

She turned her gaze skyward and the shadow of a frown appeared on her face.

“In any case, I do not trust that creature in the sky.”

“Think it’s connected?” Derpy wondered.

“I’m not ruling anything out at this point,” Time Turner said; he stood up and stretched, wincing and grumbling, “Rubbish,” at himself.

“You are injured,” Sparks said; her eyes flashed. “Oh. Your body is repairing. Derpy, you, too, are injured. You should treat those bruises with ice and rest.”

“Don’t worry,” the pegasus assured her, “by tomorrow, they’ll be gone.”

“Hopefully the bruises won’t be the only thing that’s gone by tomorrow,” Time Turner said.

Staying up that night was an anxious affair. Derpy thought she would be fine at first, but the later it got, the more anxiety knotted her stomach and made her feel sick and chilly. She gnawed her hoof absently, sitting in the corner of the couch, curled in on herself, wings pulled tight. Sparks stood still as a statue between the chair and sofa, and Time Turner paced back and forth, asking the robot what time it was every ten minutes on the dot.

Derpy took a break around two in the morning to make tea, a generic black mix from the market. It wasn’t as caffeine heavy as coffee, but she was pretty particular about what kind she drank and had run out a few days before Time Turner had come to stay. As she served up the tea with milk and sugar, Time Turner dumped both liberally into his cup.

“Maybe… Maybe some music would help,” she suggested quietly.

“You sound scared,” the stallion commented.

“Only scared? That’s good,” Derpy joked, though she couldn’t stop her voice from warbling.

She sipped her tea a little too fast and choked, coughed for a little as Time Turner shot her a concerned look. She slumped on the sofa; the stallion moved to the phonograph.

“Just not the jazz thing,” he laughed.

“Just flip it over.”

Time Turner looked confused and lifted the whole phonograph and Derpy snickered, saying, “No, no, just the record.”

“Oh. That makes more sense.”

The music that played was slower jazz, relaxing and smooth. Derpy assured herself that it would help but she couldn’t trick her mind into believing it.

As the time closed in, Derpy felt her eyelids getting heavy in spite of her nerves and her greatest attempts to keep them open.

“I’m… I’m getting really tired,” she said.

It took a moment for Time Turner to reply.

“Me too.” He shook his head quickly. “Very suddenly. Is it time yet, Sparks?”

“It’s a little early,” she said, “but perhaps the spell is early.”

Time Turner rubbed his eyes, but he felt almost like he was about to fall over.

“Y… Yes. Yes! Okay, look for the energy.”

Sparks nodded and her eyes lit up brightly. Derpy squinted, having trouble focussing; the light blurring as her left eye seemed fascinated with the back wall.

“Y… Yeah. Yep. I’m passing out,” she said, her voice quiet despite her best efforts.

Grimacing, Time Turner walked, lurching a little, towards her and grabbed her hoof. She dropped her tea onto the rug but she was too tired to protest. He pulled her over to Sparks and he asked, “You have it?”

“Detected,” she said, “but it is strange, because—“

“Hang on,” he said, he raised his hoof to her head, feeling like his knees were going to give out, but hurriedly, the robot lowered herself.

He pushed his hoof against her head, unsure exactly of what to do, but trying to keep his mind on Ellie. The glow of Sparks’s eyes shifted to vibrant green and Time Turner felt a strange, tingling heat run through his body. He recognized the feeling. Beside him, Derpy went limp and flopped to the ground. He yelped and pulled her close, but he felt his grip getting weak; his vision flashed over white before he could say a thing.

In an instant, all he could see was blue lights and he heard the thud of his own body on the ground. One more thud and a heavy, metallic thump followed, but he couldn’t get up. He was too tired. He couldn’t even make himself say a word, even as his mind demanded he ask if his friends were okay. His eyelids drooped.

A flash of blue light and a melodic, artificial chime woke him up as if he had been doused in cold water. He jumped to his hooves, eyes wide, to see Ellie before him, wings spread, eyes closed as if in concentration. He winced against another pulse of light only to realize that it was some sort of energy. He didn’t know why, but it reminded him of a shield— something protective, at the very least. He heard some shuffling and whirled to see Derpy on the ground, her eyelids fluttering open. Sparks was beside her, eyes lighting up turquoise from blank and black.

“Everyone okay?” Time Turner demanded.

“What happened?” Her expression suddenly shifted from half-asleep to worry and embarrassment. “Oh, gosh, how long was I out?”

“I was shut down for five minutes and thirty seven seconds,” Sparks said as she sat up. “I assume it was the same for you.”

“Shut down?” Time Turner repeated.

“Oh, no, but what about the recording?” the pegasus asked as she stumbled upright.

“I am sorry,” Sparks began, but hurriedly, Ellie chirped and spun around them.

She seemed rather proud.

“Ellie,” Time Turner said, “thank you for whatever you did to wake us up. Did… Did the transfer work?”

The little wyvern spun in place and her body burst into particles of light, only to reform into what appeared to be a strange, coded message. Sparks’s eyes flashed and she said, “Thank you,” as Ellie returned to normal.

“Give me just a moment.” The robot’s eyes flashed once more and her body let out a low hum. “As I suspected, the creature responsible for the aggressive wind is also responsible for the spell.”

Derpy shot Time Turner a worried look, biting her lip.

“So what do we do? Find her?” she said.

“We have to,” Time Turner said. “Sparks? Can you track her?”

Sparks was silent for a few moments, and Ellie buzzed and chirped into her ears.

“I can,” she said.

The stallion couldn’t help a grin and Derpy looked relieved despite the fear she felt.

“And what are we going to do?” she asked quietly. “Just ask her to stop?”

“We’ll figure it out once we get there,” Time Turner said. “Lead the way, Sparks.”

Sparks lead them outside, irises shifting to red as she cast her gaze over town. Her ears were up, swiveling, and, after only a few seconds worth of analysis, she took off at a sprint. Though Derpy had to glide to keep up at all, they were quickly on their way as Sparks lead them out of town and up to an overlooking hill. The pegasus knew it well; had recently watched a meteor shower from there. She went a little ahead, and then landed and turned, about to ask Sparks if she saw the creature anywhere. Sparks wasn’t there though. In fact, nothing was; the hill was gone. Looking down quickly, Derpy’s stomach dropped: her hooves felt solid and steady enough, but she stood suspended in the night sky as if walking on a glass stage. She gulped deeply and. when she looked up, she was met by a filly sized creature floating before her.

She had wings, but wasn’t flapping, and a unicorn’s horn, though it wasn’t glowing. Most of her body was dark grey and somewhat pony like, but her limbs were mismatched: one, a spotted cat’s paw, another, a bird’s talon, and the back leg that was not a hoof was a dragon’s claw. Her tail was long, purple, and serpentine and tufted and maned with black and turquoise fur that mimicked the tomboyish mane fell down past her neck, between two horns like that of a ram. She grinned her fangs, yellow eyes alight with amusement.

“So, you found me,” she said. “Congratulations.”

“H… How… How are you doing this?” Derpy asked.

“I’d like to ask you the same thing. Different context. How’d you get free of my spell?”

Derpy gulped.

“I… I’m not really sure,” she admitted. “But, who are you? Why did you cast a spell like that?”

“You don’t know me?” she asked, and then giggled. “Ooh, how funny! That must be so frustrating. Living day after day the same, not knowing what’s going on, and you don’t even know me yet, so you must’ve been so lost! Hah!”

Derpy bit her lip.

“I… I don’t understand.”

“Figures.”

The creature rolled her eyes.

“Fine. I’m Paradox,” she snapped, “and that’s all you’re getting! Your boyfriend should know, ask him!”

“Wh… What? Okay,” Derpy said, her ears drooping. “I’m… sorry you’re so upset, but—?”

“But what?” she retorted. “Stop bothering you? Why should I? You never did what I wanted!”

“I don’t understand,” Derpy repeated.

“You read the book, right?”

Paradox was surrounded in the blink of an eye by books— hundreds of them, all the same, the title missing from all over town— circling her like the rings around a planet, spinning quickly enough to be instantly disorienting for Derpy. She winced and took an uneasy step backwards.

“Sometimes bad things happen and you just gotta let them,” she said. “That was one of the morals of this stupid story, right?”

“I don’t—“

“Of course you don’t! You’re so dim!” she said, and she laughed as Derpy’s ears drooped low. “All you had to do was let the dragon fall. Isn’t that simple?”

The pegasus was taken aback, eyes widening.

“But he could drown if I did that!” she said.

“Oh, yeah, totally. He could totally drown,” Paradox agreed.

Derpy felt suddenly sick to her stomach.

“Where is she?! Where’d she go?”

Time Turner grabbed Sparks by the shoulders, and the robot’s red vision pulsed out a bright light that made him see spots.

“Up,” she said.

“Up?” Time Turner repeated. “Okay. Fine. Can you fly me?”

“Unfortunately not,” Sparks said. “My power levels are relatively low, I doubt I would be able to sustain both of us in flight for more than a minute or two.”

The stallion bit his lip. He looked around.

“Can you see her?” he asked.

“Somewhat.”

“So where do I go?”

“Straight up.”

Time Turner bit his lip. He ground his hooves into the dirt and concentrated all his thoughts on Derpy and tried to force the energy inside him to work properly for once. He felt the heat tingling through his body and a sort of connecting feeling, and, in a blink, his vision fogged over. It was barely for a second, though, and as soon as he could see again, he was eye-to-eye with a strange creature he recognized.

“Oh!! Cheater!” she barked, gliding backwards as he dropped onto what he could only describe as solid air.

“Time Turner?” Derpy yelped.

“What’s the meaning of pulling Derpy up here, eh?” the stallion demanded. “You’re Paradox, right?

“Oh, good, someone who isn’t totally clueless,” she said. “So, tell me. You figured it out, right?”

“I don’t know what you—“

“Of course you do! You knew how to break the spell, right?”

Time Turner winced as Derpy looked at him with shock.

“I suspected, but—-“

“And you didn’t tell her?” Paradox laughed and said, “Coward!” in a sing-song voice. “But then again, what else is new?”

“I’ve heard enough,” Time Turner said, he backed up and grabbed Derpy, saying. “C’mon, I think I can brute-force this.”

Paradox laughed.

“What? You think you can just zap out of here? In your state? You really don’t know who I am, do you?”

Time Turner meant to ignore her; started to focus on moving himself and Derpy, but he was shocked from concentration when the world around them switched— they were no longer in the sky, but on top of a mountain in the blinding sun.

“Wh-What?” Derpy stammered.

Paradox giggled and everything changed again; they were standing underwater. Another shift, and they were in the middle of a bustling city. Derpy was shaking, moved in close to Time Turner fearfully, but found herself yanked away involuntarily as they stood in the sky once more. She yelped, floating in midair, and the stallion shouted, “Derpy!!” before whirling on Paradox.

“What are you doing?!” he demanded.

She grinned.

The area around them shifted again, and again, faster and faster until it was all a blur. Derpy looked like she was going to be sick. Time Turner tried to run to her, but found himself stuck still.

“Let her go!” Time Turner yelled. “You’re a time traveler, yeah? Then your issue must be with me, not her!”

“Wrong,” Paradox laughed, but she dropped the pegasus nonetheless, who crumpled, suspended on invisible ground.

“Derpy!” he yelled. “Derpy, are you okay?!”

“I… I can’t… I can’t look,” she said weakly; she started trying to get up, but for some reason she couldn’t seem to get her legs under her.

Time Turner’s stomach sunk and he glowered at Paradox.

“Why are you doing this?”

Paradox didn’t answer, but she looked amused nonetheless. Time Turner glared and braced his body, trying to force his energy out. This, finally, seemed to interest the floating creature.

With a surge of white energy, Time Turner dropped to the ground and rushed her; she sent him away with a thought. He growled and jumped again, uncoordinated as he was. He didn’t get closer until the third try; by now, Paradox was starting to giggle again.

“You’re really bad at this,” she said.

With a slight narrowing of her eyes, she flung him back and he flopped heavily against whatever surface was below, while around them, the worlds sped up farther to the point where Time Turner could barely even discern different colours.

Derpy struggled upright again, but as soon as she opened her eyes, she yelped with pain and her legs gave out. Time Turner forced himself up, snorting, and cast a worried look at the pegasus. She was crying, clutching her head with both forehooves.

Time Turner’s vision tunnelled; rage pounded in his chest.

“STOP IT!” he roared.

Paradox laughed. Time Turner bared his teeth; felt his body go white-hot. His vision scrambled-- he jumped-- he saw nothing but Paradox, even until he rammed his head into her. Her giggles changed into a startled wail and she tumbled off and popped away, the world jerking to stop in a field of white. Hurriedly, the stallion dropped down beside Derpy and scooped her into his hooves, cooing gently into her ears, promising everything would be okay. Her small body was shaking but she opened her eyes-- her wandering eye was moving quickly and erratically, as if trying to follow a darting wasp.

“My head is killing me,” she breathed.

“I know. I know. It’s over now,” he assured her. “I... I’ll get us back. Hang on to me.”

Derpy nodded and held him tight, clamping her eyes shut; Time Turner sucked in a deep breath and let the power within him swell. He focussed on Ponyville, home, everything that was familiar to him--something for whatever power he had to latch onto. He felt something catch and let it take him.

He felt his stomach drop; his back hit something cushy, though it knocked the wind out of him nonetheless. Derpy slumped on top of him and he winced; opening his eyes. He blinked heavily, quickly realizing that he was in Derpy’s living room. He let out a deep sigh.

“We’re safe,” he assured her.

Derpy cringed; she blinked and looked around, still jumpy. She slumped, hugging onto Time Turner, shaking and muttering, “Dear Celestia.” The stallion clutched her closer.

“It’s okay,” he said. “You’re safe.”

“Y... Yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

She shook her head, but she buried her face against his neck.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I still can’t see. I’m too dizzy.”

“That’s alright. Take your time.”

She nodded, her ears drooping. The shaking soon subsided, and, to his surprise, she began to laugh a little. He looked down at her and she pulled back: though her eyes were closed and still watery, she was smiling a bit.

“That was so scary. Gosh.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

He tilted his head. She sat back, rubbing her snout, giggling.

“I’m so relieved,” she said.

He couldn’t help but smile along with her; he sat up, wriggling his hooves from underneath her to ruffle her mane affectionately.

“You still have such a great attitude, Derpy,” he said, his ears perking a bit.

The sound of heavy hooves distracted them both and Sparks entered the room from the hallway. Derpy blinked her eyes open and squinted.

“Sparks! Hi!”

“Ah, good, you have returned,” she said. “The time loop was reset while you were gone, but the magic energy was dissipated seconds after the day repeated. It is over.”

Time Turner’s eyes widened and he and Derpy shared a look.

“You’re sure?” Time Turner asked.

“I asked Eltanin this morning. She assured me that creating a time loop is no easy feat. If you were not in bed as expected this morning, you would be free of it.”

Derpy smiled wide and began to snicker and Time Turner soon found himself laughing along with her.

“I’m not sure what is so humourous,” Sparks said.

Derpy couldn’t help it, she laughed harder— so hard it made her ribs hurt. When she finally settled, wiping tears from her eyes, Time Turner patted her shoulder.

“One more time?” he said.

She nodded.

“And then I am throwing that record right out the window.”