Chapter 25: The Meaning of Time

“I cannot imagine Vines being happy with this,” With one hoof, Gearhead tapped the stack of papers representing the contract he was drafting. He expected Snowbelle to look his way in curiosity, then remembered that she was feigning disinterest in everything that had anything to do with him. Of course, that tended to fall apart whenever she needed or wanted something. Gearhead felt he did not have any choices, except to roll with whatever came.

The defence contract Gearhead was drafting would enter him into an agreement with the Principality of Equestria. The Crown would supply most, if not all, of the material he needed to build and install the protective turbines, and Gearhead would build and install them. Because most of the material would be coming from the Crown, the Crown would legally own the protective turbines, and have near-complete control over them.

This made sense since the Crown would be purchasing the turbines in the first place, however what Gearhead expected would get Vines riled up was that Gearhead was about to sell Engine technology to the Crown when he had refused to do so for his own Herd. There were some key differences, which Gearhead had to be certain Vines and his supporters saw, which was why he planned on sending a draft of the contract home for approval.

Scale was the biggest difference: whereas Vines wanted to be able to equip individual ponies with mass production-type Alicorn Engines, Gearhead was opting instead to build city-scale defensive arrays. He would trade the massive quantity of materials required to supply ponies with their own Engines for what he hoped to be a lesser, and more reasonable amount of materials, and for turbines that would be completely stationary.

While the single-core Alicorn Engine Gearhead used had a series of safeguards to prevent theft, tampering, and industrial espionage the standing turbines would need additional layers of security because they would be stationary and highly visible targets for all of these and more. Gearhead had to be sure they could not be used against either the Crown or the Herd, and to do that he had to ensure he put in remote and manual overrides and shut-down procedures that he could use if things went wrong.

And if the turbines having more security did not mollify Vines, perhaps the fact that they would be too large and heavy to reasonably move around would. Or at least, Gearhead hoped that would be the case. Thinking of this led Gearhead back to the turbines’ design, and how they could be deployed within a given city to form an effective defensive array.

Gearhead believed that the best deployment pattern for the array involved anywhere between four and eight turbines, stationed on the town or city’s perimeter. The number of turbines needed would depend upon the settlement’s size: Ponyville was fairly small, so it might do with five or six. Appleloosia, unless it had grown, was a four-turbine town. Canterlot, Manehatten, and other major cities, including Hoofington, would need the full eight measure. The encircling turbines, built to roughly the same size as Ponyville’s water tower, would be able to deploy a spherical shield around the settlement whenever it was threatened.

Of course, until Gearhead tested the twin-core Engine prototype he had, he did not know how having more than one turbine active within proximity of another would come out. He hoped they would resonate with each other and strengthen their particle output. That was what the calculations he had made, and asked Twilight to check, said would happen. But all of that was theoretical. In practice, who knew what could happen?

“Nothing for it but to jump in,” Gearhead said. In his opinion this applied to both of his current concerns. So he finished up the draft of the contract and prepared it for the courier. He would know soon enough what Father and Vines thought of this. As to the twin-core prototype and the later array, he would only know when it came time for testing.

The door’s bell was so sudden within the context of the shop’s silence that Gearhead was startled enough to jump a bit. Wondering what was going on, he went down to answer the caller since he was available. He was certainly surprised to see Twilight Sparkle there, as it was unusual for her to come by so early. “Good mor—“

“No time for pleasantries,” Twilight gasped. Clearly she had been galloping around the town for a significant amount of time. That was not like her. “We have to disaster-proof Ponyville, and we have to do it now!”

“Are these Princess Celestia’s orders?”

“No, but it’s got to be something even she doesn’t know about: I was visited by a me from one week from now, and she looked like she’d been through a terrible war!”

“The future-you, you mean?”

“Yes!”

“What did future-you say, exactly?”

“Not much, actually. She didn’t have enough time to explain what was going on before she vanished. I have to assume she was returned to her own time. I don’t know what changes in one week, but she looked awful!”

“It is unfortunate future-you was only in the present for a few seconds, then. I assume you have a plan, so how can I help?”

“Could you go around Ponyville and do some repairs on the buildings and infrastructure?”

“Certainly. Geomantic repair is foal’s play for me now. I will just get my Alicorn Engine, and then...” But when Gearhead turned back to the doorway, Twilight was already cantering away. “Wow, but she is in a panic. Snowbelle, we could really use some oversight about now.”

The Dragoness sighed and seemed to have to drag herself up onto her hind legs, but once she was airbourne she took to her task happily enough. Gearhead locked the shop door and then went down to the laboratory to don the Alicorn Engine and its stabilizer. He did not know how much power he would need, but he wanted to have it all available at a moment’s notice: while Twilight’s assumption of a war was just that, he would not take any chances if it was to bear out as true.

<All clear so far,> Snowbelle said as Gearhead headed out.

<Thank you. Let me, or somepony nearby, know the moment you spot anything suspicious.>

<Understood,> If Snowbelle was not speaking to Gearhead on personal matters, at least she was willing to communicate on crucial matters.

First Gearhead flew to the Ponyville Hydromagical Dam. Since it had burst the last time, the town’s workers had gone over it once before, looking for similar faults. Of course, Gearhead had not been around at that time, even as Dusty, so he did not know what had happened then – other than the fact that Dash, Mare-Do-Well, and Fixit had all been on the scene.

As the Earth Pony neared, he saw that they had missed a few weak spots, but Applejack and Rarity were already there working to repair it the hard way. Still flying in, Gearhead zipped the shoes on his forehooves up, clapped them together, and then tapped them to the dam even as he slowed to a stop. A magical circle bloomed, radiating outward to a radius of seven meters before it sent out a turquoise energy wave that repaired every crack. With a little extra focus, Gearhead reinforced the structure so it would hold better than the last time.

“I wish it was always so easy,” Applejack said.

“I’ll just go over it once to be sure, but I think it’s safe to say that Ponyville is safe from a repeat flooding threat,” Rarity said.

With the repair job completed at the dam, Gearhead moved on to the nearest bridge. He made his way systematically through all of the roadways, and even slowed down to inspect buildings as he passed them.

When Gearhead completed his town-wide tour, he returned to the town square where everypony was meeting up. “Good work, everypony,” Twilight said as reports of large and small disasters averted came in.

“Will you need anything further?” Gearhead asked.

“Hm. Maybe you could do a similar check on Canterlot? I know it’s a lot to ask, but if something’s going to spring up, it might spring up there.”

“What about the Everfree?”

“Already got it covered and cleared,” Dash said.

“Good, then we’re on-track to prevent whatever it will be that makes future-me look the way she will.”

“Except if we manage to prevent whatever it ‘will be,’ will that not erase that future, and that future version of yourself?”

“Oh, you’re right: it won’t be,”

“Please tell me I’m not the only one not getting this,” Dash said.

“Time travel is a headache,” Gearhead said. “If I am going to go do a sweep of Canterlot, I had better leave now.” No sooner had he said that did a large three-headed bulldog jump out from between the trees and houses.

“What is that?” Dash asked as she stared at the roaring dog.

“That’s Cerberus, but he’s supposed to be guarding the Gates of Tartarus!” Twilight said. “But the good news is that this is on the scale of the disaster future-me was warning me about. If we handle this...”

“Gimme a break,” Dash groaned. That was because Fluttershy already had Cerberus at her mercy with a little sweet talk and a belly rub.

“Pinkie Pie, do you have any balls around here?”

“Of course,” Pinkie rummaged in the bole of a tree. “I have them stashed all around town in case of ball-related emergencies,” she said, passing the toy to Twilight.

“What do you not have stashed around town?”

“I dunno. What?”

“Oh. It was not a riddle, I was honestly asking.”

“That’s disappointing,” Pinkie said. “I wanted a riddle.”

“If you guys keep an eye out for anything else, I’ll take Cerberus here back to the Gates. Hopefully none of the evil monsters will have noticed that he left his post.”

“In that case, you’d better get going, Twilight,” Dash said.

“Right!” And Twilight led the giant dog off, moving as fast as it could.

“Do we really have to keep all this up?” Dash asked.

“I do believe Twilight expects us to,” Gearhead said.

“Yay!” Pinkie cheered.

“Oh, but she also expects you to go to Canterlot,” Dash said.

“Oh, that is correct. I had best be off,” and Gearhead lifted off. Snowbelle agreed with his plan for her to stay behind so she could relay information to him, and he to her if something did happen.

While the stabilizer allowed Gearhead to fly to Canterlot faster than he would have with just the Alicorn Engine, it was naturally slower than when he transformed himself into light or lightning as Dusty. Although Gearhead was more than happy to have put those days behind him, he could not help making the comparison.

Gearhead’s first step once he got to Equestria’s capital was to check in with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

“If I understand you correctly,” Princess Celestia said, “Twilight believes something terrible will happen between now and next Tuesday because she was visited by herself from that time, even though that future self did not give any specific details.”

“That is correct,”

“It would not hurt to take preventative measures,” Luna said.

“All the same, I was certain that she didn’t have access to time-based spells, so I wonder when she might have learned them.”

“I do not know either,” Gearhead said.

“Regardless, this ‘disaster-proofing’ is a good idea. I will dispatch the Guard to assist you. This letter I’m penning now will give you unrestricted access to matters of infrastructure throughout Equestria, so that no matter where you end up going for the remainder of the week, you shouldn’t have any trouble with the officials.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“I’m only hoping this turns out not to be anything at all,” the older Alicorn said.

“Indeed, that would be the most favourable result.”

“Well then, I will get started, just in case that is not the case,” Gearhead said, and he left the chamber. Soon he was flying around Canterlot with a small Pegasus escort from the Royal Guard. Periodically they found a part of the city that was in a state of disrepair, and fixed it. More often than not, however, affluent Canterlot was in good shape.

It occurred to Gearhead that this would be a good time to check the mountain as well. If we went and checked in with the Jackrabbit Colony and the Goblin Kingdom, maybe he could join their patrols for a short time. He could also check up on Snowbelle’s mother without her being there to witness her weakened state.

The situation in Ponyville seemed to be under control, so Fluttershy decided to retire to her cottage. If anypony needed her, they could send Pinkie to get her. This was where she was when Snowbelle winged in through the open top portion of her door. “Well hello. I haven’t seen you in awhile.”

“Do you not you think it is time you cut all the nonsense and became honest about yourself and Father?” Snowbelle said, turning to hang from the ceiling like a bat. Her voice was light and tinkled like a bell, but the words were harsh.

“What... pardon? You can talk?!”

“Of course I can talk,” Snowbelle snapped. “I just did not have anything to say until now!”

“Well, I appreciate your coming to me, but I don’t know if there’s anything I should or can do.”

Snowbelle flew down to land right in front of Fluttershy and look her straight in the eye. “Except you are the only one who can do it.”

“I don’t want to hurt you or Gearhead,”

“You are just afraid, but that fear is more hurtful than anything else could ever be. I know you are both depressed to have to avoid each other, and you are awkward when you have to be in each other’s company. It is too much for me to stand and watch, so I refuse to do so any longer!”

“You saw what I was like. I just don’t want to hurt—“

“Or be hurt? I call ‘bull!’ Because what do you suppose you are doing now? Despite your element being Kindness, you can be exceptionally cruel, especially to those you love the most: yourself and Father.”

“That... that hurts,” Fluttershy was beyond the point of tears welling up: Snowbelle’s tirade against her cut her to the core.

“Good, because this is the pain that Father and you and I all feel, all because you are both inept at expressing your true feelings. If you love each other, you ought to be together.”

“We... I can’t,”

“Really?” Snowbelle took several steps back. “If your answer will be ‘no,’ then you must make it clear. Let Father go, so you can both move on.”

“But--!”

“And if you cannot make your feelings clear, then I do not want you near him again. Yes, do so much as speak to him too affectionately, or get too close to him physically, and I will give you a new coat made of frost.”

“Ah.. oh... ooh,” Fluttershy mewled as she shivered, making herself very small despite the one confronting her being much smaller than her.

“Maybe now you will appreciate the damage you have done. Oh, and speak a word of this to Father, and I will cover you in snow.” With that, Snowbelle turned and left the cottage and a terrified Fluttershy behind.

Fluttershy didn’t know what to do. She did like Gearhead and Snowbelle, and the last thing she wanted to do was to hurt them, or any of her friends, but Snowbelle was an Ice Dragon, and the look in her eyes showed that she was serious about her threats. How close is too close? Fluttershy wondered.

Oh no! She won’t let me get close to him ever again!

Snowbelle paused in her flight as a sour sensation welled up inside her. She looked all around to make sure nopony was around who would see, and then started crying even as she continued to fly, albeit with less of a goal in mind.

Young as she was, Snowbelle knew how cruel of a thing she had just done. She had done it in the belief that all the drama would have ended if Fluttershy had only been brave enough to call Snowbelle’s bluff, or even brave enough to tell the Dragon how she felt about Father. But she had not been brave at all.

Snowbelle supposed that it could have been the shock that she was suddenly talking to Fluttershy, combined with the atmosphere of confrontation, and that a little girl like her was doing the confronting in the first place. And threatening Fluttershy could not have helped any, but Snowbelle wanted it to be clear, what Father meant to her, and that if Fluttershy wanted to have a close relationship with him, she would have to be proactive and fight for it.

Whether shocked or genuinely frightened, Fluttershy had not shown any courage at all, allowing Snowbelle to control the entire conversation. Conversation? I did all the talking! And she just learned how to balance patience and compassion with assertiveness.

But Snowbelle could not suppress her disappointment and sadness: Father would not take the initiative and speak with Fluttershy because he was waiting for her to come to terms with what she wanted first, not to mention his belief that he should not court any mare seriously before he got rid of his title of Black Sheep. Before Snowbelle confronted Fluttershy, she had not looked anywhere near ready enough to talk to Father, so their relationship had practically been reset. And Snowbelle had felt that they had been very close to forming a new family, thus her disappointment. Her sadness came from the sentiment that if Father could not have the affection he needed in his life, Snowbelle herself should not have it either.

So she cried as she flew, until she did not have any tears left, and the snowflakes she left behind melted before they hit the ground. Eyes dry once more, Snowbelle turned around and headed for home. She was exhausted, and needed to rest.

Tired, Gearhead returned to Ponyville satisfied that he and the Royal Guard had secured Canterlot and the caves behind it. First he checked in with Twilight at the library. She looked likewise worn out from escorting Cerberus back to his post, along with whatever else had happened along the way.

Most of Ponyville’s other residents also seemed to have become exhausted from a full day of disaster proofing. Gearhead wondered if Twilight would have had the Everfree encased in bubble wrap if she could, but then he discarded the idea as going too far, even for her. It was full evening by the time he got home.

Snowbelle was already asleep, so Gearhead put his gear away, washed, and ate a quick dinner before going to bed himself. Hopefully whatever catastrophe future-Twilight had come to the past to warn Twilight about had been averted.

Gearhead divided his time over the following week between follow-up patrols, solidifying his plans, mining resources, and running the shop. Snowbelle did the latter with him, but otherwise she was taciturn and moody, not even speaking mind-to-mind unless she needed to. He could not guess what was wrong, but he was not the type to ask for information not freely given anyway.

Pony and Dragon saw little of their friends, being busy, and the least of Fluttershy out of all of them. When Gearhead spotted the mare in town, she often crossed the street or pretended not to see him even though he knew she had spotted him too. When they were with their friends, Fluttershy stood as far away from Gearhead as possible, and she refused to speak to him unless he asked her a question.

He had promised to wait until she was comfortable, so he could not ask her what was going on. He did have a clue, though, given Snowbelle’s mood: she had done something, and whatever that was had made Fluttershy want to avoid both of them. With how close the three of them had been until recently, that had to hurt the mare.

It was not long before the Crusaders came to the shop to get some equipment for their latest attempt. As Gearhead loaded them up and instructed them on how to safely use everything, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked around.

“Where’s Fluttershy?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I do not know, but I do not think you will be seeing her around here often, if at all.”

“Don’t tell us you broke up,” Scootaloo said.

“We did,”

“But you were so good together!” Sweetie Belle said. “Who did the breaking up?”

“It was a mutual agreement,”

“The ‘we need space’ thing?” Sweetie Belle looked like she did not believe in that excuse, scrunching up her face in the biggest expression of skepticism Gearhead had ever seen.

“Aren’t you gonna go and talk to her?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yeah, you gotta get her back,” Scootaloo said. “Unless you think she’s too good for you?”

“That is possible,” Gearhead said, scratching his chin with a hoof. He had not quite thought about it that way, but that was exactly what he was doing when he felt that he should not court any mare as long as he was a Black Sheep.

“So,” Sweetie Belle said, “who’s going to be Snowbelle’s mom now?”

Gearhead turned and stared at the Unicorn filly. Snowbelle sat bolt-upright, and then with a ‘scree!’ she flew upstairs at top speed. “Whoa,” Scootaloo said, “she can really move!”

“I think I should go up and apologize,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Do so if you can catch her,” Gearhead said. “If she thinks she needs a breather you will not get there in time.”

“Oh no!” Sweetie Belle went up the stairs as quickly as she could. She came back down a few moments later, downcast and near tears herself. “I’m sorry. She’s gone.”

Gearhead gave over the last of the equipment, and then walked back around the corner. “I am going to go after her, so I need to close up shop.”

“Okay,” Apple Bloom said as she, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle collected everything.

“Again, I’m so sorry,” Sweetie Belle said.

“I will bring her back, so you can apologize to her face-to-face,” Gearhead said, showing them out the door. He locked up and then retrieved the Alicorn Engine as quickly as he could. The stabilizer was still equipped to it from last night, and Gearhead decided that it was better off that way. He launched.

Although Gearhead could not read Snowbelle’s mind when she closed it off from him, the connection still allowed them to feel each other’s presence. The closer Gearhead got to Snowbelle, the stronger he felt her. He could also feel strong emotions, such as the sadness, grief, and frustration she currently felt. Anxious, Gearhead took an intercept course and closed at full speed: even at her best, Snowbelle could not hope to outrun or outperform him when he flew using the stabilized Engine – Gearhead would really have to think of a better term for that!

When Gearhead caught up to Snowbelle, she was perched at the very tip of the tallest branch in the tallest tree in the Ponyville area. She had quite obviously given up running, and she was waiting for him instead. Although she was not crying, Gearhead was able to sense through the link that she had been. He came to a hovering stop beside her, and rested as much weight on the next branch as he dared.

“Please talk to me,” Gearhead said.

The dragon turned away.

<Would you prefer speaking this way?>

<Maybe,>

<I am sorry. I am not strong enough to talk to her either. And I do not know if I am ready for a relationship anyway.>

<It is not your fault, Father.>

<I am also sorry I did not realize you were thinking of her that way.>

Snowbelle turned and looked at him. <I am not strong enough, am I?>

<You are a child; who says you need to be strong already?>

She flew over and nestled under his chin, crying openly. <This really is my fault, though.>

<You can tell me,>

<It is okay if you get mad. Actually, I think you should: after you closed your mind to me I figured out that you had decided not to see Miss Fluttershy anymore. I got angry with you, and with her, because I knew it would not happen unless she agreed to it. So while you were out fixing things, I confronted her and told her to choose between being together with us and not being near us at all.>

<You spoke to her?>

<That is not all: I... threatened her.>

<I know you would never carry through with that: You love her too deeply.>

<I know that, and you know that, but she was... scared. Of me. I terrified her. And then I got angry and frustrated that she would not fight to stay together, that she would not be brave for us.>

<You demanded that she show a different kind of courage from the types she has known before, and she did not know where to find it, I think.>

<I acted out of anger, and now she does not want to be near us. She is too afraid.>

<I would be terrified if a dragon threatened me, too. There is quite literally Dragonfear, and I think you learned how to use yours.>

<Oh,>

<The solution is the same as before: we must wait for Fluttershy to find the kind of courage to push through the terror and tell us what is on her mind despite that. In the meantime, I need to find a balance between the Black Sheep’s humility and providing you with the care and love you need to grow.>

<You do not need to rush to find a mother for me, you know.>

<I know, but I love you so. I would want you to receive the love that all children are supposed to have, from a whole family.>

<We are a whole family,>

<Thank you for saying so,> Gearhead held Snowbelle a little tighter. <Now, should we go find Sweetie Belle so she can apologize to you?>

<She does not have to do that!>

<It will make her feel better,>

<Oh, alright,>

<Is it alright with you if I keep some parts of my mind closed to you?>

<I think there are some things I am not meant to know yet, so yes.>

<Will you open back up to me?>

<As long as you likewise do not mind not knowing my every thought,>

<Very well,>

Barely thirty seconds after Gearhead arrived at the tree, he took off with Snowbelle riding happily on his back.

“What do you think?” Patriarch Redwood asked, glancing at Vines, who sat at the table beside him. They had both spent considerable time poring over Gearhead’s contract draft, looking for flaws to fix.

“It’s fairly good for a first draft, if it is indeed the first attempt. But the flaws he’s managed to fix are all the easiest ones to see, like supply, price, and safeguards. I still don’t really understand how he plans to keep others from copying the designs when the projectors will all be standing out in the open. And what happens if one of them stops working, or gets destroyed? Does the whole array go down?”

“I have to agree,” Father said. “It’s almost as if he believes that those are impossible events.”

“Gearhead’s Gadgets has an impeccable reputation as far as quality is concerned, but these arrays are meant for defence. Of course they’ll come under attack once the invader or invaders realize what they are. Gearhead will be responsible for repairs as well as maintenance. And because you’re his employer now, any mistake on his part marks you as well.”

“That’s why he sent a draft of the contract to us first, before bringing it to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

“So lets keep plugging at those holes. I suppose the part he felt I’d object to was the array’s ownership. But it makes sense for the principality to get that since they’d be buying the devices and using them to protect the citizens where they live. Still, supply is a problem: Gearhead said he needed a large amount of gemstones to build his one Engine, so how would the principality support up to eight units for just Canterlot or Manehattan?”

“And the treasury can’t use its gold, just gemstones. Fortunately we can supplement the supply with our own.”

“In that case, would Herd Verdant gain partial ownership over the arrays that we helped build?”

“We already would, because Gearhead has a hoof on the switch at all times, in case a safeguard gets triggered. If he can shut down an array at any time, then as far as defence goes he stands above any mayor, or even the princesses. At the same time, we know he’d never endanger anyone. But we should still ask him for a clarification.”

“So we supply materials of our own from our mining operations, but where should we send them?”

“Gearhead already planned for the crown to supply most of the materials, so maybe to the city or town where he’d be building the array.”

“And where until then?”

“Our mines are all over Equestria, and even over the borders. It would be best to have protected depots throughout, but that takes a lot of ponypower. And if we build a centralized depot, it would have to be somewhere central, so materials can get anywhere equally quickly.”

“Like Canterlot? As the capital, wouldn’t it face the most heat in an attack?”

“Ponyville, then?”

“Maybe making it a target, and it’s not so far from Canterlot that a large or fast enough force couldn’t hit both at once.”

“Unfortunate but true. Lets look into the decentralized model and see how many depots we can afford to guard.”

“With what? We’re farmers, miners, and craftsponies. Do you want us to rely on the crown, or on our neighbours in the Alliance?”

“Maybe this is something we should bring before the Alliance,” Father said.

“Not before we talk to the Council, I think.”

“That goes without saying, since we’d be using the Herd’s resources. It’s clear, though, that this is no longer just a matter for me as an employer.”

“If they work, these arrays will change the way Equestria is protected, and that changes how closely we should tie ourselves to the Crown.”

“I hate to do it again so soon, but we need to call Gearhead back here to speak with him.”

“It’s the fastest way to finalize the contract. If this is going to work, he’ll need to get on construction as soon as he’s able. Before something happens, hopefully. And again, assuming any of this works.”

“Hopefully it will,” Father said, pulling a blank scroll and a pen closer to him to start writing the letter of summons. “I wish there was a faster way to do this,” he said.

“Then why not ask the Conclave, whom you and Gearhead are so proud are our allies?”

“An excellent suggestion.”

“So glad I thought of it,” Vines rolled his eyes. It seemed they were stuck for this, but he could only imagine Gearhead’s expression when he found out Vines, of all ponies, was going to support even the spirit of the contract. Essentially, though, he was only opposed to close ties to the Crown assuming it fell, and took everypony else with it. If Gearhead was involved in the principality’s defense, the only way the Crown could fall was if Princess Celestia or Princess Luna did something politically foolish. And how many centuries had they ruled? That seemed unlikely.

But not impossible. Ponies did foolish things all the time, when they were stressed, afraid, or angry. Or when things were going well and they got complacent.

When Gearhead and Snowbelle decided to go check in on Twilight, they were both shocked to see the library festooned in scientific and mathematical equations and equipment. “Miss Twilight,” Gearhead said, “are you okay?”

The Unicorn seemed not to hear, muttering something to herself and galloping from one side of the library to another, while Spike wore a worried expression.

“Twilight?” Nothing. “Twilight Sparkle?” Still nothing. “Twi?” No response.

Pinkie made a circular motion with one hoof beside her head. She’s gone loco in the coco, the other Earth Pony seemed to be saying.

“Pinkie, did you adjust the aperture in the...”

Gearhead did not pay attention to the rest of the question: ‘aperture’ most likely referred to the telescope toward which Twilight was already moving. Gearhead imagined a cold wind to put condensation on the lenses, and one developed out of nowhere while Snowbelle flew over and breathed on the lens on the telescopes’s thicker end.

“What the..? I thought I cleaned the –“

“Twily!”

“What are you..? You’re not my brother,”

“You have a brother?” Pinkie asked. “Why haven’t we met?”

“Pay attention, Pinkie: we’re trying to avert a potential disaster here, and we’ve only got four more days!”

“Actually, it’s Monday, silly.”

“That can’t be right,” Twilight checked the calendar, then looked through the defrosting telescope again.

“It is true,” Gearhead said.

“She thinks she’s only been awake for three days,” Pinkie said.

“Twilight, go to sleep. Now!”

“I told Pinkie already, I can sleep when all this is over. I only have a matter of hours before morning, and whatever happened to future-me to make her look like that will have happened.”

“But we already disaster-proofed most of Equestria,” Gearhead said.

“Don’t you see? The signs are still happening: the hair and bandana, the paper cut on my cheek, everything!”

“You need to rest, or you will be unable to think crooked, let alone straight,” Gearhead said.

“Why don’t you understand? I don’t have time for rest anymore... that’s it, there’s only one thing left to do: I must stop time!”

Gearhead was overcome by the sudden urge to slap Twilight across the face. Not hard, but hopefully enough to force her to her senses. Snowbelle looped around from where she had been hopping on the telescope to force it away from pointing at the sun, and slapped Twilight with her left wing as she flew past.

“What was that for?”

“That depends: are you done sleep-talking yet?” Gearhead asked deadpan. “If you are not, Snowbelle would be happy to give you another if it will bring you back to your senses.”

“I’m being serious! Future-me said the spell was in the Starswirl Wing of the Canterlot Library. All I have to do is go over there and learn it.”

“Twilight, you said the scar on your cheek was from a paper cut.”

“Princess Celestia sent me a notice about Cerberus being missing, and it cut me when Spike spat it up.”

“What about the bandana?”

“A pot fell on my head. It was Pinkie Sense-related.”

“And... your mane?”

“I tried doing nothing, and Spike and Rainbow started horsing around. Spike got some fire on me by accident.”

“And these small incidents are signs of disaster, how?”

“Because future-me looked like she’d been through a war, that’s how!”

“Between now and tomorrow morning, how many of these ‘signs’ are left?”

“Well, I’m not missing an eye and I’m not wearing a ripped-up black ops suit.”

“I have one of those,” Pinkie said. “And also an eye-patch,” she added, rummaging in the chimney and bringing one out.

“Gah! Another sign,” Twilight said, pointing at the patch.

“You would be wearing it if you had looked through the telescope as you had it set,”

“Pinkie, I asked you to adjust it!”

“And you actually thought I knew what you were talking about?” Pinkie snorted. “You really are feeling loopy, Twilight!”

“Well, I’ve adjust it now,” Twilight said. “Just in time for the lenses to defrost, apparently.”

Gearhead sighed. “It seems we are not getting anywhere here,” he said while Snowbelle looped around to land on his shoulders.

“Right! Pinkie. Spike. We’re going to Canterlot, tonight.” Twilight glared at Gearhead. “Soon we’ll find out that I’m right!”

Gearhead sighed again. “Yes, I believe we shall leave you to it,” he said, and he left the library. He had other things to which to attend in the meantime.

Nopony in Ponyville saw Twilight and the others for awhile after that, but the next day sunrise came, and the world continued to turn.

<So she is wrong,> Snowbelle said.

<Yes, but we shall not hold it against her.>

<Understood, Father.> Next Chapter: 26. The Meaning of Family Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 16 Minutes