CHAPTER SIX

The sprawl of Ponyville lay in front of the two nervous mares, both standing outside the town and casting each other nervous glances.

"I don't think we should get any closer until we have a plan." Twilight whispered, ushering towards a small, somehow still living shrub. The two ponies ducked underneath it, a weak hiding place, but one nonetheless.

"Now then." Twilight continued. "This should be really familiar to you, right Fluttershy?"

"Yeah. Well, I mean, its not a lot to get used to..."

"That...is sort of what I feared. So you have no idea what year this is? Month?"

"Every single day looks exactly the same here, Twilight. It all sort of blurs into one after awhile."

Twilight peaked out from behind the shrub, examining Ponyville. The town looked quite similar to the last time she had seen it...in fact, it looked exactly the same as when she had first wandered into it so long ago. The same ramshackle buildings and decrepit alleyways plagued the town, with a dangerous looking electric fence encasing it all like an exhibition at a zoo. The only building that looked like it wasn't about to collapse was the large brick building towering above everything else, but Twilight knew that within that building lay the hideously inhumane excuse for a prison that she had first met Fluttershy in. The thought of Fluttershy's malnourished and crippled form still sent shivers of disgust and anger down Twilight's spine. She would never have wished such a state of abuse on anypony, much less any of her friends.

"Okay...Forget knowing what year it is. Listen up." Twilight turned back to the nervous pegasus, narrowing her eyes to illustrate just how important her next instructions were. "We're time travelers now. Anything and everything we say and do is going to affect Equestria in the future. We're here to make sure it is affected in the good way, but this also means not interfering with things that are supposed to happen, alright?"

"I...I don't really follow..." Fluttershy said, scratching her head. "How do we know what is and isn't supposed to happen?"

"Well...we're just going to have to assume, I guess. Something tells me Nightmare Twilight doesn't care too much about covering her tracks. She's here for a reason, and its our job to make sure she does not fulfill it." Twilight cast a quick glance back where they had come, realizing how much of a miracle it was that they had not been sighted by the guards as they crossed the plains. "Speaking of Nightmare Twilight...she thinks we're both dead...but if she finds out we're both alive, she will NOT hesitate to kill us. She won't even think twice about it. Heck, I think even Nightmare Moon would kill us on sight...so we need to stay hidden no matter what."

"Nightmare...Moon?"

"Remember, we went back in time to when she ruled Equestria...she's going to be here, too. Also...there might be two of you here now, and...well, three of me; the mayor of Ponyville, Nightmare Twilight, and...myself, obviously."

"Oh...my..." Fluttershy looked completely lost, but nodded her head in an attempt to show she understood. "So...do we have a plan then?"

"I think so. The reason Nightmare Twilight even exists is because I..."

Fluttershy nodded to show she understood what she meant. Twilight smiled gratefully...it wasn't exactly easy to admit killing another pony.

"Yeah. But if we can somehow stop that from happening, then Nightmare Moon will not be able to resurrect her and turn her into a hate-infused alicorn. Without any evil or hatred to feed on, she'll never be able to harm anypony again."  Twilight Sparkle wasn't exactly sure if it would be that simple, since the chance of Equestria being completely free of hatred seemed quite unlikely, but Fluttershy seemed to be comforted significantly by her words, and she knew better than to discount them. After all, she had already removed any future hope for her, unless her desperate denial of her friends fates could be considered hope.

"Maybe...maybe we could warn Twilight..." Fluttershy offered hopefully, sounding slightly fearful about confronting this world's Twilight Sparkle.

"Even better...we can warn myself." Receiving another befuddled glare from Fluttershy, it became evident she would have to specify. "I mean, me from the past, who helped you escape Ponyville. We'll hide out somewhere in Equestria until we know I've traveled through the mirror pool...of course, that could be years...maybe even decades..."

"Umm...Twilight..." Fluttershy interjected. "Sorry for interrupting you...but you might want to see this."

Raising a trembling hoof, Fluttershy pointed at the town in the distance, a loud booming suddenly echoing across the land as a structure within Ponyville was destroyed. The town hall of Ponyville (a building as pathetic as the rest of them) crumbled and fell to the hard dirt as one of the two support beams was inexplicably destroyed. The building instantly crashed to the earth, the sound of panicked shouts quickly joining the loud crashing.

"Doesn't look like we'll have to wait long..." Fluttershy said with a light grin, while Twilight stood staring mouth-agape at the aftermath of the destruction her past-self had just caused.

"Of all the days in Equestrian history..." Twilight whispered to herself, although Fluttershy heard her quite clearly and widened her smile, misinterpreting her reaction as joy. "Of all the days she could have traveled to...and she chooses the exact day I ventured through the Mirror Pool..."

"Talk about a coincidence..." Fluttershy agreed, still smiling.

"Uh huh..." Twilight muttered in reply. "A coincidence."

She desperately hoped that Fluttershy was right, although every instinct in her knew that Nightmare Twilight had a very specific reason for choosing this particular day to change.

"We have a few hours before we escape Ponyville...it might be a good idea to get some rest while we can." Twilight finally said.

"You go ahead." Fluttershy replied, glancing at the guard towers. "I'll stay awake and keep an eye out."

"Are you sure? I can stay up if you want...you haven't slept in days."

"It's fine. Anyway, I couldn't fall asleep even if I tried." She motioned around at the landscape around her, the cold wind howling, as if it were engaged in an auditory battle for superiority over the wailing Ponyville sirens. "Plus...I'm sort of scared of Princess Luna..."

That much was certainly understandable to Twilight...after all, Fluttershy had lived under the reign of Nightmare Moon for long enough to see how low Luna's diplomacy could go. Even though she typically meant well, it seemed like Luna's actions and speech always suggested she was both displeased and importunate with whatever situation she was in. Even Luna's physical appearance was quite intimidating, her permanent glare and proud stature a great contrast to Celestia's welcoming attitude.

Twilight rose to her feet, shaking the dust off her back. "Well, if that's the case, we'll both stay awake. I don't really want to talk to Luna either."

"Did...did she do something wrong?" Fluttershy inquired, rising to her own feet.

"You could say that, yeah."

In Twilight's mind, 'doing something wrong' had to be the greatest understatement in Equestrian history. Allowing all the Elements of Harmony to be destroyed and leaving her world to die at the hands of an enemy she SHOULD have been looking out for to begin with definitely counted as more than 'doing something wrong.' As much as she respected Princess Luna and sympathized with her a great deal, it was quite evident that she was a fairly incompetent leader. Even Nightmare Moon had done a better job at keeping Equestria out of peril.

"Anyway, I think it would be best to head over to the library. Our past-counterparts should be ready to escape by time we get there, so we'd better hurry before we miss them." A sudden thought struck Twilight, a bolt of fear shooting through her. "This is a really delicate point to be messing around with...if we somehow interfere with our escape...if our actions somehow allow our past-selves to be captured..."

"They certainly wouldn't let them live." Fluttershy offered, instantly realizing what Twilight was suggesting. "Which means WE wouldn't!"

"Most likely. Although, I'm not 100% certain time works like that. Either way, I don't really want to find out."

By the time Twilight and Fluttershy reached the library, the town had quieted down significantly. The sound of the sirens was gone, but still the wind persisted, the same eerie and unrelenting howl, unchanging in both pitch and intensity and instead remaining static. Twilight was certain that wind like this wasn't natural, but even more disturbing was the fact that she did not remember it from her first visit. She hoped to Celestia she was simply noticing it for the first time.

The library was divided from the rest of Ponyville by a towering electric fence which traveled the perimeter of the tree, sealing it from both the residents of Ponyville and any outsiders wishing to breach it from beyond the town limits. Fluttershy and Twilight peered from behind a thick, spiky shrub that was most certainly not native to this part of Equestria, although Twilight was quite certain she had seen the plant in the Everfree Forest. The lights in the library were blazing, making it one of the few sources of light for miles. Any signs of life within the library were obscured by thick blinds on all the windows save for the back one, which was (quite inconveniently) the only unlit room.

Everything in Ponyville seemed to be functioning rather normally, the guards milling about the town, searching frantically for the escapee from the Ponyville Prison, unknowing of her true location within the library, most likely going over her escape with Twilight Sparkle.

"This is weird..." Fluttershy confessed, as she looked at the same conscious memories from a completely different perspective. "I can't believe there's two of me at the same time!"

"I can't believe there's FOUR of me." Twilight chuckled in reply. "So, what do you think? Should we teleport in?"

"Do you see Nightmare Moon? Didn't she go in the library to talk with you?"

"Yeah. She's gone by now though."

"How can you tell?"

"You hid on the roof of the library. And I can't see you now, which means I already told you it was safe to come back inside." Even if Nightmare Moon was not in the library, Twilight was already doubting her initial plan of simply teleporting inside...she could not imagine how her past-self would react, not to mention the fact that her magic would be easily visible by the guards. "Nah. It's too risky. We'll wait until after they escape, and then follow them after they're clear of Ponyville. I think I remember where we stopped tonight anyway. We'll meet up with them there, where it's safe."

Settling down into the far from comfortable bushes, Twilight watched the library through gaps in the foliage, trying in vain to catch a glimpse at the ponies within. The library remained silent for some time, and the guards continued searching Ponyville for what must have been hours after they first arrived. Fluttershy had dozed off, her face frozen in an expression of perpetual nervousness. Despite the discomfort, she was sleeping soundly, something Twilight was quite happy to see; she had been with Fluttershy for at least three days at this point and the poor pegasus had not rested for a single second.

Occasionally a shadow would pass one of the closed shutters as a pony within (most likely Twilight, since Fluttershy had spent the majority of her time in the library eating) paced inside. It wasn't until the back room of the library was suddenly flooded with light that Twilight sprung to life, instantly waking Fluttershy.

"It's about to happen!" She whispered excitedly to the groggy pegasus. Fluttershy blinked several times, before realizing exactly what Twilight meant. The sleep instantly vanished from her eyes and she sat up swiftly, staring at the lighted window eagerly. Twilight could see quick flashes of herself and Fluttershy, but they were for the most part well concealed under the window. In her mind, Twilight was internally running through her lecture to Fluttershy, in an attempt to predict exactly when she would teleport.

"Umm, Twi...I know it might be a bad time, but...Celestia really needs to speak with you. She said immediately." Twilight did not reply, still transfixed on the back window of the library. Fluttershy considered repeating Celestia's instructions, but decided against it when Twilight gave her a distracted nod.

Past-Twilight stepped back from the window and clearly into the line of sight of the two onlooking future versions of themselves, and the room slowly grew brighter and brighter, until a loud bang rung out like a bell into the night, shattering the library window and causing the nearby guards to whip around to face the noise. Twilight Sparkle disappeared as her form was momentarily destroyed and transported beyond the fence, where it would appear almost instantaneously. A sharp electric zapping sound followed the initial teleportation boom, followed by complete silence. Seconds passed, each one an era, and yet Twilight Sparkle did not appear.

Realizing with horror just what had just happened, Fluttershy let out a pleading shriek from within the library, as she watched the insignificant dust that was once Twilight Sparkle blow carelessly through the wind and disappear into the night. The guard ponies, who had previously been staring at the fence in confusion, began sprinting towards the library, easily breaking through the door and seizing the pony inside.

"This never happened!" Fluttershy's future counterpart hissed to her somehow still present friend. "I don't remember this happening!"

"It's because it didn't! I..I just died..." Every grain of reason suggested that she should NOT be around to even speak that, and yet here she was, alive and well after her past self had just died. "How can I be here?!" Twilight whipped around and grasped Fluttershy, staring at her for a long time with wild eyes. "You need to go. Just, away from here. To the mirror pool, I don't know. It's up to you now...I failed again, Fluttershy."

"Umm...well, Twilight, you're still here..."

"I shouldn't be!"

"Well, you are!" Fluttershy asserted with light traces of annoyance. "We need to go!"

"I shouldn't be here..." Twilight repeated softly, her voice a barely audible whisper. "And...any second now...you shouldn't be either."  

"Let's go!" Fluttershy hissed, dragging Twilight to her feet. "We're still alive, and so is Nightmare Twilight. We can't give up just because something doesn't make sense!"

Twilight wordlessly allowed herself to be helped up, still completely convinced that wherever she was, it was no longer Equestria. The Afterlife, perhaps?. As she sat pondering the complete impossibility of her present existence, Fluttershy began speaking, apparently trying to reassure her, but Twilight simply was not paying her any attention. Occasionally, a few words would seep through her own panicked mind, but for the most part Fluttershy's words fell on deaf ears. From within Ponyville, Fluttershy's pleading shrieks continued, but after some time even they stopped, quite abruptly, something that her future counterpart pretended not to notice. Instead, she continued speaking, casting the occasional sorrowful glance at Ponyville.

"...besides, Celestia said something like this might happen...she called it a worst-case-scenario...but still..."

"Wait...did you say Celestia? When did you speak to Celestia?!"

"When I fell asleep a few minutes ago. I didn't know she could dream-walk, too."

"She spoke to you?"

"Well, only for a while...and she said it would probably be better if she spoke to you, as soon as she could. She wasn't as scary as Luna...I wonder what Equestria was like when she was ruler."

"A lot better than when she wasn't." Twilight said, motioning around her. "Well, if that's the case, I need to talk to her as soon as possible." Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, trying in vain to ease her troubled mind.  "This isn't going to work...it just has to be sleep!"

Opening her eyes again, Twilight dove to the ground, coming back up with a heavy, baseball sized rock, handing it over to Fluttershy from shaking hooves.

"Here." Twilight said simply, bowing down in front of Fluttershy. "When you're ready."

"Ready...?" Fluttershy started to ask, and then realized what Twilight was suggesting. "Are...are you sure?"

"No. It's fine though. Pain is temporary."

"Twilight Sparkle!" Celestia nearly screamed as soon as the confused mare appeared in front of her. "Thank heavens...I was worried something had happened to you." Noticing the bewildered expression on Twilight's face, Celestia let out an annoyed sigh. "I can see why Luna finds repeating this obnoxious. I'm communicating to you through your dreams."

Twilight looked around her immediate area, the familiar library dream-world gone...she could have been anywhere, but a thick fog prevented any chance of seeing any familiar landmarks. Other than the dirt under her hooves, the Princess of the Sun was the only visible thing.

While Twilight knew most certainly that the pony in front of her was Celestia by her voice, Celestia herself was shrouded with a hazy mist, shimmering in and out of her direct line of sight. At best, she was a simple, featureless white silhouette of an alicorn, at the worst, she was an indecipherable mess of smoke and light, with two more clouds of colorful smoke unfurled behind her and waving like a flying flag. It took Twilight a few seconds to realize that this was Celestia's mane and tail.

"Yeah...that part makes sense to me...but what doesn't make sense is how."

"I see. You assume that since you have traveled backwards through time, I would not remember speaking to you, correct?" Celestia smiled, although nopony would have been able to decipher it from her vague form. "Well, the rules of time do not exactly apply in the realm of the dead."

"OK...but how am I even alive to talk to you?"

"My sister is to thank for that. You see, at this time which you have traveled to, Luna is still alive and well, and fully capable of her standard, powerful alicorn magic. However, at this time, she should be possessed by Nightmare Moon at least partially. Are you with me so far?"

"No. Possessed by Nightmare Moon 'at this time?' Hasn't she always been?"

"Please do not be bitter towards my sister. She has sacrificed more than you can possibly imagine, and she deserves more respect than what you have recently shown her."  While Celestia evidently meant well with her words, Twilight could easily tell she did not fully forgive Luna as much as she was currently suggesting. "As I was saying, Luna is currently alive, imprisoned in Nightmare Moon's warped imitation of her. To put it simply, the Princess Luna of our time...that is, the future of this time...has assumed control over her present-day form here."

"So wait. Luna is HERE? In this past Equestria?"

"Yes and no. Nightmare Moon is here, and Luna is currently channeling her in order to cast the magic that is currently keeping you and Fluttershy alive. She is essentially absorbing your deaths perpetually...and, in case you were curious, you died of electrocution and Fluttershy of hanging. Neither of which were completely painless, and right now, Luna is feeling ever ounce of it consistently just to keep you alive. And yet you sit here treating her like a monster."  

As Celestia chastised her, Twilight Sparkle had never felt as guilty about anything quite so much...but Celestia was far from finished.

"You may not realize this, but Luna has spoken volumes of you. She has spoken of your bravery and heroic, selfless acts to no end. And yet in the short time I have seen you, you have demonstrated none of either of those traits whatsoever...in fact, I must say, I am quite disappointed in the pony Luna made out to be so much greater. And while Luna herself refuses to admit it, instead blaming herself for Nightmare Twilight's actions, I can clearly see that you are the pony to blame. You were the pony who refused her mercy, and gave her the desire for revenge and the incentive to hate. For Luna's sake, I certainly hope you remedy what you have done."

Twilight was absolutely speech-less, as she let the words of the Princess fully sink in. Tears began to form in her eyes, and upon seeing them, Celestia's tone immediately changed.

"Please do not cry. Luna would not like to see it. I am here to help you, Twilight, but please know that what I am instructing you to do is entirely the product of Luna's own decisions. She is the pony who initially suggested this plan, and the pony who successfully exiled my doubts about you."  A sudden surge of magic from Celestia's horn cast back some of the fog, and Celestia herself grew much clearer. Slowly levitating in the air were the same familiar holographic artifacts Luna had cited as the source of Nightmare Twilight's power, but, like Celestia, they were continuously phasing in and out of form. "I must apologize. My magic in the realm of dreams is quite inept. However, you recognize these objects nonetheless, correct?"

"Of course. They're what Nightmare Twilight used to gain power."

"Exactly. Without these, she would be entirely powerless." One by one, the holograms vanished, leaving Twilight wondering whether or not this was intentionally done by Celestia. When Celestia sighed loudly and uttered a most-unprincess-like profanity, Twilight had her answer. "Now, assume somepony were to destroy these artifacts..."

"What would it matter?" Twilight asked, frowning. "She already destroyed Equestria and rose to power using them, why would destroying them change any of that?"

"Ah, you see, that is where the most vital part of our plan comes in place. You see, Nightmare Twilight collects these artifacts in secret during the months of peace after Nightmare Moon was defeated. If they were destroyed BEFORE then..."

"That...that is utterly brilliant!" Twilight screamed in delight. "Of course! Me and Fluttershy find the artifacts, destroy each of them, and then Twilight Sparkle will never be able to use them in the future! She'll just stay as a powerless unicorn and easily be destroyed by Luna!"

"Precisely. You catch on quite swiftly. I can see why you are my student in your Equestria." With another spark of magic, the artifacts were again swirling through the air, only slightly clearer. First, Celestia brought the Alicorn Amulet towards Twilight, allowing it to hover in front of her. "Luna took great care to hide these objects not long after she saw what the power of dark magic could do. She feared some mortal pony would use them to commit a crime as atrocious as she did, but she decided destroying them was a risky decision. This first artifact, the Alicorn Amulet, was cast under the roaring rapids of Canterlot River, where the great falls of Canterlot Mountain flow in a never-ending torrent."

"Not a river anymore." Twilight corrected, flashbacks of her narrow escape from a terrifying, insect-like aquatic beast shooting into her mind. "It's deep...but I should be able to cast an underwater breathing spell."

"Good." Celestia allowed the Alicorn Amulet to disappear, and brought the Crystal Heart down next. "This next object is located in the ruins of the Crystal Empire, sealed beyond a dark magic gate only the purest of hearts can penetrate. You may have a bit of trouble retrieving it."

Twilight did her best to not be offended by that last remark, and pointed upwards at the remaining artifact. "And this last one...the Tome of Manifestation?"

"The most troublesome of all the artifacts. You see, the Tome of Manifestation is by far the most powerful of all the artifacts...it is essentially the key to omnipotence. As a result, Luna took extra precaution in concealing it. It can be found on the surface of the moon."

"That should be fun." Twilight said bitterly, and Celestia nodded.

"I'm sure you'll think of something. Luna had faith in you, and right now, she is the last defender for any future hope in Equestria."

Celestia knelt down next to Twilight, only slightly intimidating was her complete lack of any features.

"I think that is pretty much everything. It is entirely up to you, now...but be warned...Luna cannot endure such magical strain for long, and as soon as she lets go, you and Fluttershy shall cease to exist. Please, for the love of all that is under the moon and sun, make haste, and destroy those artifacts as swiftly as you can, because with your death comes the death of ANY chance for a peaceful future. Good luck. Oh and Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"Do not EVER speak of my sister like that again." Next Chapter: Interlude Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 33 Minutes