Angel locked her fingers and stretched her arms above her head, groaning as she leaned back in her chair. "Well, that was surprisingly easy," she said, grinning at her newly written code. "Only ten minutes, and I've already finished my first new ability. Maybe this will get Rainbow's attention."

Angel had woken up that morning absolutely famished. She'd groaned as she'd realized that she hadn't eaten anything since the first night of the con. She'd been about to head into town when she'd realized that she was severely lacking in funds. Deciding that it would be better to ask one of the ponies that knew her for help than to wander aimlessly around the panic-prone town, Angel had gone outside and started shouting up at Rainbow's cloud mansion. Unfortunately, it seemed that the pegasus either couldn't hear her, wasn't there, or was asleep. Angel had come back inside, an idea forming about how she could solve at least two of those problems.

"Good thing that Merchant gave me mad programming skills to go with my powers," Angel said as she stepped outside once more, her new ability written, compiled, and ready to test. "I never would have been able to figure it all out otherwise. She looked up at the mansion, clearing her throat. "Sonorus." She smirked at the Harry Potter reference as she felt her lungs and diaphragm changing. She took a deep breath before shouting, "HEY! RAINB-ACK"

Angel fell to her knees, clutching her throat and coughing violently, blood spewing from her mouth. She felt blood flowing down her throat and filling her lungs, searing agony shooting through her as she found herself unable to draw a breath. Her throat and chest felt like they were on fire as she fell face first to the ground, blood continuing to pour from her mouth until, mercifully, she died.

Consciousness returned to Angel as she felt something poking her in the back repeatedly. "Um, hello?" a familiar voice said. "Angel? Are you... alive yet? Or... going to be soon? Man, this is weird."

"Try it from my side," Angel muttered, climbing to her hands and knees. She stared at the blood-soaked ground, massaging her throat. "Note to self, strengthen and reinforce EVERY part of me involved next time I program an ability. Also, seeing this much blood makes me feel-" Any further words were cut off as Angel started retching, her stomach emptying itself and adding to the mess on the grass. She shuddered, sitting back on her legs and staring at the food that definitely hadn't been in her stomach when she'd woken up. "Half-digested hot dogs. Huh. Looks like it's a full body reset to when I got displaced, stomach contents and all. On that note-" She leaned forward, retching again for a few moments before turning to look at a very pale Rainbow Dash. "Hey, Dashie. Having a good day so far?"

"Mother of Faust, what happened to you!" Rainbow shouted. "How the hay did you manage to bleed that much? You don't even have your sword!"

"Tried to code a new ability," Angel said, staggering to her feet and doing her best to avoid the mess. "Makes my lungs stronger so I can shout loud enough for you to hear me from up there." She pointed up at Rainbow's house. "Didn't consider that the massive airflow would tear my throat to ribbons."

Rainbow's face was practically white at this point. "Y-you... you tried to... you didn't..." She shook her head and lept into the air, glaring at Angel as she hovered at her eye-level. "I wasn't even here! I spent all morning standing in line for cider and didn't even get any! Then I come back here to see how you're doing and I see... THIS!"

Angel winced, shuffling her feet. "Sorry, Rainbow. I... I didn't really think about how it would look if... wait." She looked up, tilting her head to one side. "Did you say cider? As in, cider season? The Flim Flam Bros?"

"Don't change the subject!" Rainbow shouted. "You-" She started, blinking a few times before narrowing her eyes. "Hey, how did you know about the Flim Flam Brothers? You were dead." She shook her head. "Man, that is weird to say."

Angel hesitaded for a moment before gaining a mischievous smirk. "Did Twilight happen to tell you about what she was doing here yesterday?"

"Ugh!" Rainbow scrunched her nose. "I don't want to hear about your weird minotaur porn."

"NOT THAT!" Angel shuddered, trying to wipe those images from her mind. "No, I mean, let me show you something."

"Please, Flim, please, Flam, help us out of this jam with your Flim Flam Brothers' Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000!"

"This is uncanny," Rainbow muttered, watching Flim and Flam dance across the screen. "How the heck did you get this?"

"It's a TV show," Angel explained. Seeing Rainbow's confused look, she raised her hand and shook her head. "Long explanation. The short version is that your world is just a story in my world. The story focuses mostly on you and your five friends solving friendship problems and battling villains. Those would be the 'usual threats' that Sora was talking about. And no, I'm not going to tell you what's going to happen. Every time travel and prophecy story ever tells me that that's a bad idea."

"Oh please," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. "This is real life, not a story."

Silence filled the room for a moment. "Rainbow-"

"I know. I heard it."

"That's it! Laaast cup!"

The long line of ponies started grumbling and complaining at Applebloom's shout. The young yellow filly grinned sheepishly. "Come on back tomorrow everypony!" she shouted, trying to be a big pony and not glance over at Applejack for help.

Thankfully, or not so thankfully, a distraction arrived to the familiar whirring and chiming of the Flim Flam Brothers' fancy cider machine, which promptly rammed the fence that Granny Smith had just finished fixing.

Flim popped up in front of Applejack, grinning smarmily. "What seems to be the problem here?"

"Oh my, oh my," his brother cried from Applejack's other side "Out of cider again?"

"That's right!" Everypony turned to stare in shock at the strange figure standing on top of the cider stand's sign, using its outstretched wings for balance.

"A-and just who are you, fine customer?" Flim asked, recovering quickly from his shock.

"Here for a delectable cup of cider?" Flam added.

Angel chuckled darkly. "Your cider? I think not. The swill created by that machine barely deserves to be called juice, much less cider."

Flim's grin twitched towards a frown for a moment before he recovered. "Well, how can you be so sure?" he asked, not noticing as Angel muttered something under her breath. "If you were to try our cider, I think you'd find that it more than compares to-"

"SILENCE, YOU FOAL!!!" Angel's voice boomed out, causing the ponies nearby to scream and cower. "YOU KNOW NOT TO WHOM YOU SPEAK! I AM THE ANGELIC APPLE OF THE EYE, THE GUARDIAN SPIRIT OF THESE ORCHARDS!"

"What the hay are you-" Applejack's retort was cut off as Rainbow appeared at her side, covering her mouth with her hoof.

"Shh," she said, barely holding back a snicker. "J-just watch."

"YOU COME TO THIS SACRED GROUND AND DARE TO TRY TO RUN THE FAMILY I HAVE GUARDED FOR GENERATION OUT OF BUSINESS?" Angel shouted, her eyes narrowing. "I THINK NOT. DUAL HAND SONIC!" A strange chime sounded as Angel's arms both transformed into long blades. "LEAVE NOW, AND I WILL SPARE YOUR MISERABLE EXISTENCES!"

"W-we aren't afraid of you!" Flim declared, trying to muster his bravado.

"YOU SHOULD BE." Angle crossed her blades above her head, glaring down at them. "CONSIDER THIS YOUR LAST WARNING. HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SPIRITS DISPLEASED! HOWLING!!!"

A horrible screech rang out from the blades, causing everypony to cry out and cover their ears. Flim and Flam scrambled over each other, diving back to the seat of the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 and powering up their magic. With a squeal of the engine, the machine jumped down the road before driving off out of town.

Angel uncrossed her blades, dismissing them as she jumped down and slowing her fall with her wings. "QUIETUS," she "whispered," her voice returning to normal. She grinned over at Rainbow Dash who was getting to her hooves. "So? How'd I do?"

Rainbow burst out laughing, leaping into the air and flying over to Angel. "That was awesome!" she shouted, slapping her on the back. "Those two-bit swindlers won't be back for a thousand moons! Mission accomplished, I'd say."

"Does somepony want to tell the rest of us just what the hay is going on?" Applejack demanded, rubbing her ears. "What the hay was that 'guardian spirit' thing?"

"Sorry, Applejack," Angel replied. "But trust me, you're better off without those two. They're nothing but a couple of con-ponies who would sell you a cup of rock cider if it would make them a quick buck. Er, bit." She turned to face everypony else, grinning as she placed her hands on her hips. "Nice to meet you, everypony! Name's Angel. Just got into town a few days ago."

"Angel?" Applebloom piped up. "Wait, ain't you that zombie my sister was talkin' about?"

"ZOMBIE!?"

Angel, sighed, resting her head in one hand as almost everypony present started screaming, turning and running for town. "Thanks a lot, Applebloom," she muttered. "You've made me the new Zecora."

Applebloom winced. "Sorry, ma'am."

"Don't worry," Twilight said, walking over. "They'll calm down once we explain everything."

"Twilight," Angel said, barely lowering her hand enough to give Twilight a look, "I'm an alien creature who can alter her body virtually at will and who has come back from the dead five times since she got here. I don't think a simple explanation will solve much."

"Five?"

Angel winced. "Yeeeeeah, that voice ability was a new one. It took a bit of... trial and error to get right."

"What do you mean, trial and error?" Applejack asked.

"Well..."

"Okay," Angel said, rubbing her throat. "Volume Enhancement 2.0. Test one. Ready, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash nodded, a clipboard in her hooves and a pencil in her mouth.

Angel nodded back, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Sonorus." Angel felt her lungs and diaphragm shifting again, this time with her throat shifting as well. She took a deep breath, turning to face away from Rainbow.

"TESTING! TESTING! ONE TWO THREEEEEEYAGH!!!"

Rainbow's jaw dropped as thirty-two small white objects went flying from Angel's mouth, Angel herself falling to her knees and clutching at her mouth.

"AAAAAH!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! HANB SONIG!" Angel summoned her blade, quickly drawing it across her throat and dropping to the ground.

Rainbow stared at the grizzly sight, glad that she was hovering a ways away from the bloody scene. She took a moment to steel herself before beginning to write. "VE2.0.1 Teeth went flying from her mouth. Test ended in suic termination of the test subject." She spat out the pencil, shuddering. "This is going to be a pattern, isn't it?"

"Okay, this time for sure!" Angel proclaimed. Confidence filled her as she mentally reviewed her code. "Lungs, diaphragm, throat, mouth, teeth, and everything in between! Nothing can go wrong this time!"

Spot had come out to watch after the "flying tooth" incident and now lay next to where rainbow way standing. The two onlookers shared a look before rolling their eyes. "Whatever you say, Angel," Rainbow replied. "Just try to keep us out of the... splash zone." She shuddered, shaking her head. "Still can't believe how casual you are about all of this."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll have a mental breakdown tonight when I let myself have time to think about it," Angel said, waving her off. "Now, let's do this! Volume Enhancement 2.1. Test one. Sonorus!" She cleared her throat, grinning out over the open fields around her house. "BEHOLD, THE POWER OF SCIENCE!"

"Well, no teeth flying or blood spurting," Rainbow muttered. "How do you feel, Angel?"

Angel turned almost to face them. "FULL DISCLOSURE, I'M FEELING A LITTLE QUEEZY. I THINK I'M GOING TO HAVE TO REINFORCE A FEW ORGANS BEFORE THIS WILL BE COMFORTABLE, BUT THAT'LL JUST TAKE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENT." She folded her arms, grinning hugely. "I THINK WE CAN COUNT THIS AS A TOTAL SUCCESS!"

"Yeah yeah," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes before jotting down a note. "Now let's see you change it back."

Angel folded her arms and snorted-

"Volume Enhancement 2.2. Test one," Angel muttered, rubbing her recently reconstructed nose as she glared at the trail of blood and gore that had been most of her last life's face. "Full head, air path, and organ reinforcement. If this doesn't work, I'm giving up."

"You and me both," Rainbow agreed. "I told you to keep me out of the splash zone!"

"Oh, quit whining," Angel griped. "It's not like you're the one who got her face blown up. Besides, you dodged it, didn't you?"

"And the last one was that night when I decided to see if the Everfree was really as dangerous as I've heard." Angel winced, remembering the feeling of several sets of teeth tearing into her flesh. "I can now confirm that my blades don't do much against Timberwolves."

"Gee, who'd have thought?" Twilight snarked as Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I honestly don't get how you can be so casual about dying over and over."

"I had a... long night to think it over," Angel said. "Lot's of crying. Lots of throwing up. You really don't want to know the details. I'm just glad Spot was there to help me get through it."

"Oh yeah," said Rainbow, looking around. "Where is Spot? I didn't think he would leave your side after everything that happened yesterday."

"He's with Fluttershy," Angel answered. "Dropped him off before coming over. I didn't think he would like my 'howl.' You know, dog ears and all."

"Dogs ain't the only ones who didn't appreciate it," Applejack grumbled, twitching her still-ringing ears.

"It might have been a bit too far," Twilight agreed. "What they were trying to do to Applejack's family was horrible, but they technically didn't do anything wrong."

"Not yet, anyway," Rainbow muttered.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Twilight looked back and forth between Angel and Rainbow, her eyes narrowing as she saw them trying to avoid eye-contact with her or each other. "Do you two know something about them that we don't?"

"Rainbow," Applejack growled. "Y'all wouldn't be hidin' somethin' from us, now would you?"

"Ehehe, well, you see AJ..."

"I didn't learn anything! I was right all along!"

Applejack and Twilight chuckled at the Applejack on the screen while Angel stood behind them, sneaking glares at Rainbow.

"Way to go, Dash."

"Look, I'm sorry."

"No, really. Smooth moves back there. 'Angel has a thing that can see the future!' Way to not crack under pressure."

"Hey! You try lying to Applejack sometime! It's almost as hard as being mean to Fluttershy!"

"Hey," Twilight said, looking back at them. "Rainbow, it says this next one is about you!"

"And we're done!" Angel walked forward, closing the laptop despite everypony's protests. "Sorry, but looking into the future is never a good idea. You'll most likely end up messing up the timeline or something like that. All that wacky stuff is best left to Discord."

"Who?"

Angel winced. "Dang it! That's right, you still don't know that you..." She trailed off, realizing which question had been asked. "Wait," she said, looking at Twilight. "What do you mean, who? Discord. Spirit of Chaos and all that jazz."

Twilight frowned, tapping her chin with a hoof. "That... does sound vaguely familiar. I think there's a statue in the Canterlot gardens with a plaque saying something about that, but I never spent much time around those old statues."

Angel's eyes went wide as she grabbed her laptop, opening it and bringing up an episode list for the show. Just as I remembered, she thought. Discord's small rampage was definitely before the SSCS6000. What's going on? Maybe this is one of those things Sora was talking about?

"Angel?" Twilight asked, concerned by the serious expression on her face. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm... not sure," Angel admitted. "Out of curiosity, how long have you been living here in Ponyville?"

"Um, no too long," Twilight answered, surprised by the question. "Not even half a year, actually. Why?"

"Damn!" Angel hissed. "That's definitely not right. It looks like the episodes we have in my world aren't in strict chronological order. I'm going to have to see if I can figure this out. There's one or two things I'd rather be prepared for."

"Oh, so it's okay for you to know the future?" Rainbow demanded, crossing her forelegs as she hovered in front of Angel. "How the hay is that fair?"

"It's fair because I don't have a choice," Angel snapped. "I already know a lot of the major things that are going to happen in the future. Better that I know when they're going to happen than running around with my head cut off trying to prevent something that isn't going to happen for another year."

"Okay, that's enough." Twilight lit her horn, wrapping Rainbow in her telekinesis and pulling her back from Angel. "Rainbow, I understand you're curious, but Angel's probably right. It might not be a great idea to mess with this. And Angel," she met the girl's eyes, "I wouldn't worry too much about it. I mean, we come through everything alright in the end every time, right?"

"Well... yeah," Angel admitted, feeling a bit silly for her panic.

Twilight smiled. "Then there's nothing to worry about! Whatever will happen will happen, and we'll all be fine."

"You sure about that, Twi?" Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded. "I know for absolute certain."

"Well hello. What have we here?"

Angel lay on her front on her bed, legs kicking back and forth behind her back as she scrolled through a page on her laptop. Rain had begun to patter against the windows a few minutes ago, but she'd paid it no heed as she looked through the text she'd found. Unable to let it rest, Angel had gone to the internet to try to find any sort of chronology that made sense for this world. Finally, on a DeviantArt page, she'd found what she'd been looking for.

"Well, Mister auren-dawnstar," Angel muttered, scrolling through his document, "let's see what you've got for us."

Someone had taken the time to put together the closest approximation they could make to a chronology of the first three seasons of My Little Pony, using clues from within the episodes to place all of the events as occurring in the span of a single year. Though many of the episodes seemed to flow in the order that they appeared in the show, there was enough disparity for Angel to take note.

"Eight more season 2 episodes that happened before the Flim Flam Bros came to town, huh? Well, let's just see what's next on the..." Angel trailed off, her eyes growing wide. She slowly turned her head to look out the window, a window that was streaked with sugary brown liquid.

"Oh, horseapples."

Author's Notes:

That's right, I'm not going in show order for these! The chronology I'm using was created by auren-dawnstar. You can find it here.

Up next, a chaotic confrontation and some uncomfortable questions. Like. Comment. Subscribe. Follow. Favorite. All that wonderful jazz.