The day was as normal as every other day in Ponyville. Townsfolk have taken advantage of the nice weather in order to get their chores done. Heading through the town square is a stallion plated in gold armor. Ponies near him give him a wide berth, but few acknowledge him. Some look at him in disdain, whereas others stare in fascination.
The stallion's gaze turns to the Everfree as it comes into view. The shadows cast upon the houses bordering it do not spook him, much unlike a majority of the Ponyville citizens. He ducks into a small forest trail and begins trotting down it, heading for the more populated areas of the forest. The dirt below his hooves is dry and cold. He cannot help but feel unnerved at the sudden change of temperature and sound around him. Long gone was the heat of the sun and the pleasant chatter of the Ponyville denizens. Cold and silence was his friend now.
The forest trail winds through a number of small clearings then travels down a small valley. At the bottom of the valley is the main river that cuts through the Everfree. A worn down bridge stands between him and the rest of the trail. With a deep sigh, he begins crossing it. On any normal day, he would silently plea for Celestia to save him should things go wrong, but this did not feel like a normal day to him. The air around him is charged with an energy that spooks him and makes the hairs of his coat stand on one end.
Halfway across the bridge, a sense of great danger overcomes him. He leans against the bridge railing, breathing heavily. His gaze flicks to the shadows in the brush. The shadows looked real to him. He shakes off the paranoia that could root him in place, then continues to carefully step across the bridge. Creaking wood exacerbates his fear, forcing him to move even faster. Upon touching the dirt, he nearly collapses into it in relief. He catches his breath, shakes his head, then continues trotting.
A few moments later, his ears flick as a soft rustling sound is heard around a bend. Cautiously, he creeps forward, sticking his head out around the bend to get a better look at what caused it. He sees nothing but dirt, rocks, trees, and plants. The stallion blinks, stepping back when he hears it again. His gaze flicks down to the area in front of him and gasps somewhat loudly.
Staring back up at him is a pair of light blue eyes belonging to a very familiar looking, but very young pony. The stallion tilts his head, trying to place the appearance of the pony.
"Blue eyes, brown coat, and a black and red mane. Pegasus," He mutters. "Hey wait a... minute? D-Desert?" He would have recognized him anywhere. He recalled spotting him as he was patrolling Canterlot a few days ago. A fair amount of questions now enter his mind. The stallion clearly did not know why Desert was here, laying in the dirt and looking a lot younger.
"H-how?" He asks. The light blue eyes staring back give him no suitable answer. Not wanting to leave him here, he levitates the foal onto his back. With a worried sigh, he slowly makes his way back toward Ponyville.
"W-why? H-how? What?" He says softly and shakily, after crossing the bridge. The foal contently looks around at the scenery, seemingly fascinated by it, whereas the royal guard remains on edge. He focuses on getting out as fast as possible.
G-god damn, really? He thinks. R-really? Just what I... needed. T-Tia is going to flip when she notices I'm back early. I don't want that.
His thoughts are cut short when the trail terminates at the town. He steps out into the warm sun and wastes no time in heading toward the Ponyville train station. He completely ignores the stares and whispers of surprised citizens. It would only get worse from here on out, he reckoned.
Entering the station's main building is an easy task for him. He heads up to the ticket counter and clears his throat. "Y-you know me. One to Canterlot for the kid on my back." He nods his head to the foal. The mare behind the counter takes a look at the pegasus on his back. She prints out a ticket for the stallion and gives it to him.
"Foals ride free. Next stop is in ten," she says. The guard glances down at his ticket, then nods and heads on over to the back corner of the main building. He lays down, casting his gaze to a clock on the wall.
The foal on his back remains remarkably quiet. The guard's tail flicks. What discipline he has. Surprising, as he's a foal.
The foal catches the eyes of a few mares wandering outside the station. "Hey, that's-" One of the mares look over at a hoof on her shoulder. She then looks at the equine that touched her.
"Don't worry about it," The mare that touched her says. "The guy looks like he has it covered." She trots away, her black tail swishing in the wind. With a sigh, the other mare follows her.
With a frown, the guard turns his gaze away from the pair. He shakes his head. Damn you, Tia. Always watch my peripheries, she said. Even if it's useless, she said. I don't have eyes on the back of my head.He shakes his head again, then closes his eyes. He tenses up with every shift the colt makes on his back.
Boarding the train moments later is no issue to the guard. He heads through the cars, reaching the final passenger car with Desert in his arms and sitting down in an empty compartment. He sets the colt down in the chair across from him and glances toward the windows on either side. The scenery out of them is always the same to him. On one end, it shows off the back half of Ponyville. If he was to lean back, the guard would see the central square poke around the building's edge. The other side is boring grasslands with occasional trees scattered here and there in a Discordian fashion.
Before the constant travel between Canterlot and Ponyville, the sights were genuinely interesting to him. Canterlot was once the most beautiful city in all of Equestria. A lot of the magic was lost when he saw it for the tenth time. With a sigh, the guard shuts his eyes. As if on cue, the train jolts and starts moving down the tracks.
I was the only one? He opens an eye and gazes into the empty train station as it passes by. He did not recall anyone getting on in front or behind him, nor did he see anyone else in the station. Unease creeps back into his mind and body as if he was back in the Everfree.
"Calm down..." He says softly. The guard swallows, leaning back in his seat. "It's not an omen. If it was, others would sense things. It's just me... it's just me." He closes the open eye, choosing to ignore the scenery the train passes by.
The train weaves around gentle rolling hills before straightening out. Stretched directly ahead of the train is a large mountain. Several train-sized tunnels cut through the base of it. Waterfalls stream down the mountainsides, collecting into small lakes which then feed into a river the tracks pass over.
With a slight upward shift, the guard knows they pass over the river. The pair of wooden bridges has served as the point of crossing for both ponies and trains alike. History books pen the construction at the year 850, where settlers from Ponyville petitioned Celestia to create the bridge. It sits at 60 feet long and 45 feet wide. Engraved into the wood at either end is an emblem related to the crosser's destination. On Canterlot's side, a small town by a forest takes up the whole width of the pedestrian side. Across the bridge is a carving of the sun and moon, with the seal of the princesses between them. Very few notice the detail behind the carvings as the train speeds over it.
Upon returning to solid ground, the train begins to slow. Taking this as an indication of the close proximity of his destination, he scoops up Desert into his arms and looks down at him. The colt has long since fallen asleep, despite the ride only taking around thirty minutes. Gently, he sets the colt down on his lap.
Their surroundings quickly fall into darkness when the train moves into the mountain. Using a magically augmented mechanism within the tracks, the train begins its short climb up through the mountain. Occasional torches and holes drilled through the wall light up the way at flatter sections.
Soon, the constricting tunnel walls fall away to a large room in which one of the Canterlot stations lie. The train stops near a white sign that helpfully states it is the lower of the two stations. Below the black lettering is a map of the capitol itself, and a map of the tunnel system that snakes toward the surface. A red arrow helpfully points at the sign's current location.
Six large tunnels cut into the rock. Two sit on either side of the station. Hundreds of sets of hoofprints are scattered throughout both of the tunnels. Stone making up the tunnel walls are cracked and chipped in certain spots. Carvings along the walls are easily spotted by the guard. Three tunnels are each guarded by a pair of royal guards. The final tunnel, unseen from his location, is blocked off entirely.
Taking up a large chunk of the room is the two-story train station. Inside the purple and gold walls is a large waiting room similar to the one in Ponyville. Around forty ponies mill around the waiting room. They help themselves to water and snacks laid out on a central table. Lining the walls are red chairs facing the glass and the table. Three mares sit behind the ticket counter. Each hand out tickets with a chilling amount of efficiency. Tinted glass in the upper floor prevents anyone outside the building from looking in. A visible staircase on the lower level is staffed by an exhausted-looking armorless guard. Only a pin on his chest suggests that he is a member of the Royal Guard.
Suspended from the cavern ceiling are chandeliers. First-time travelers scattered around the room glance at miniature figures of the moon and sun eternally circling around each other. Not too far from the lights is a mural painted on the wall. Shops of all kinds line a dirt street. Lamps spaced evenly on either side cast a warm glow on the road ahead. At the end of the road are lightly guarded golden gates. Between the bars, one can make out giant front doors and two large windows. Anything in the windows is drowned out by yellow light. Ponies in foreign clothing meander the streets carrying baskets of fresh goods. The elite members of the city stand out through their elaborate dresses. One of these members, a purple-coated unicorn, exits a seamstress' shop with a black dress draped over her back. Everyone around seems to be ignoring her.
Tearing his gaze away from the surroundings, the guard stands and places Desert on his back. He steps onto the cold stone and dirt, then turns his gaze to the mural wall. With a huff of irritation, the guard trots toward the small tunnel etched into the wall. The guards' stances slacken a bit as their gaze falls on him.
"Cloud," One of the guards grunt. The guard pokes at Cloud's nose and cheek. He stares into the stallion's eyes, searching for something that is not there. Satisfied, he steps aside. The second guard does so as well.
Cloud trots past the guards. Their gazes drift to the napping colt. One of the guards opens his mouth to say something, but the second guard stops him. Ten feet into the tunnel, the sounds of his hoofsteps echo back into his ears. He takes a deep breath, fixing his gaze forward.
Down in the tunnels, Cloud's sense of time is skewed. For what feels like half an hour, the guard anxiously makes his way higher and higher up the mountain. The guard's gaze turns to the walls, hoping for a sign or a map that would show him how far he is. There is none. Stopping to listen for ponies ahead of him yields nothing. The guard shakes his head and presses on, keeping the light at the end of the tunnel in his mind.
I could teleport but... He glances back at the foal with a defeated sigh. Fuck. I'm not risking his safety and comfort. He increases the pace to a light canter. Beyond the bend, white light floods into the cave.
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Cloud squints in the sunlight as soon as he steps into it. He immediately surveys his surroundings. The area around him is fenced in on all sides by a white wall. To his right is the western castle tower, the western garden, and the path that leads into the western castle wing. In the center of the area is a fairly large white building. Displayed on the front doors is the Equestrian seal, with lettering below it:
Guard Barracks: Main Building
Cloud trots toward the building in question and enters it. Inside is a large common room, a mess hall, a doorway leading to the kitchens, and several emergency exits. Guards lounging on chairs and couches glance over at him. One stands and trots over to him.
"Back so soon, Cloud?" He asks.
"Yes, sir. I ran into a little issue," Cloud nods to Desert. His superior steps back, his gaze locked onto the foal.
"Understandable, then." He looks to his left, then to his right, then steps closer to Cloud. "Better be careful. Head to the room and keep him there."
Cloud nods, bows, then quickly heads out of the building and canters toward a building near the back wall. He opens the door to it, then trots down the main hallway. He stops in front of a door with his name nailed onto it. Cloud opens the door, sets Desert on a nearby chair, then collapses into the bed in the back corner. The walls of the room are white and bare. A desk near the bed is kept meticulously clean. A top drawer is open, showing complete patrol forms. Taking up the center of the desk is a blank copy of the form. Sitting behind it is a quill and some ink.
The stallion stares up at the ceiling, hoping it has answers he does not have. His gaze flicks over the bumps as he attempts to discern patterns in its patternless structure. Cloud grumbles, rolling onto his belly, then sliding off the bed and standing. He takes his helmet off and hangs it on a hook nailed onto the wall. With a huff, he jots down his name, position, and patrol information on the form only to pause at the patrol incidences field.
Do I? What even is the protocol behind this? He thinks. He shifts in his chair. Thoughtlessly, he pens "found foal in the Everfree. Took him to barracks. Nothing else of note" into the field, tears off the pink sheet behind it, then stuffs the original one into the drawer it belongs in. Fuck it.
Moments later, he finds himself in his bed. Locking the door with a simple thought, Cloud shifts onto his side and gives himself up to his thoughts and worries.
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The sounds of gentle knocking stir Golden out of his long slumber. Why did I decide to do this again? He thinks, opening an eye. A picture of Solacia laying on a cliff edge looking out toward the sun fills his gaze. He groans, then gets out of bed. With a yawn, the stallion opens the door.
"Yes?" He asks. Meeting his gaze is Riloxia, a blue coated and black-maned stallion with a neutral gaze.
"It happened," Riloxia says bluntly. Golden follows him down a hallway to a room in the center of Solacia's complex. They trot into an elevator in the back corner. When the door shuts, Riloxia looks at Golden.
"I know how much he meant to you," The god sighs. A LED display toward the top corner shows the elevator's coordinates in the complex. With a press of a few buttons, the elevator begins a delayed jump process to the topmost floor. A timer replaces the information in the display. Riloxia shakes his head as he picks up on Golden's subtle movements. A flick of the tail coupled with trace amounts of confusion in his eyes gives it all away to Riloxia.
"Eight minutes. You're confused. We didn't explain what exactly went on, didn't we? You know the 'what?' and not the 'why?'. You want to know the why? That is fine." Riloxia says. His attempt at sounding neutral and informative falls flat to Golden's ears. They pin back in apprehension.
"Here in this business of unfucking intangible things, we call this a dimensional shift. It is a rudimentary and rare way of correcting erroneous timelines most of the time. What was wrong with it you are poised to ask? War. War between two sides that never saw eye to eye in anything. Conflict there that would make this world very peaceful. Pacifist, even. One mistake by one very important pony set this off."
"Desert?"
"No. No no no," Riloxia laughs. "Hell no. Celestia's advisor. They sparked the keg that lit the fire. War wasn't even why the timeline had to be corrected. It was the things inside the forest. Things ferals hide away. Magical weapons that could lay ruin to sunbutt's plans. I would wager that somewhere deep within, ponies were tired of the fighting. A compromise would have wiped them out as well. What could one do, besides burn it all down. Rid the world of all conflict by making it disappear."
Golden pauses. "A bomb?"
"Extremely rudimentary. Built up over hundreds of years from tribals here and there. The clock was ticking. Someone somewhere had to step in. Arcanus. That unicorn bailed Desert out before he could perish in the world fire. Equus A-184 is dead. Their ashes are scattered around the stars now."
"Isn't that a bit... unrealistic? Overblown? The am-" Riloxia's hoof clamps over Golden's mouth. A glare in the time god's eyes shuts him up.
"For our standards, yes. Theirs? No. The world was rife with unrestrained magic from the conflicts. Look, that's all you need to know. He is safer here. Our superiors wanted this to be a future. They made it such." A jolt forces Golden to step back. Suddenly, they were where they wanted to be. A light ding fills the air just before bright light from rooms beyond flood the room.
Beyond the elevator doors is a hallway leading to a large circular room. Covering the walls are television screens of various Equestrian towns and cities. Taking up the center of the room is a holographic display of the planet.
Solacia sits behind the globe. Her eyes are glued to one of the screens showing Desert on the back of a royal guard she did not know of. The top corner of the screen displays their coordinates and the name of the location they are in. Golden flies through the holographic display and lands to Solacia's right. Like her, his gaze locks into the single display.
The two watch as the guard gets the train ticket. The view zooms in on the ticket details. Solacia switches adjacent screens to a generic view of Canterlot's main street. The view pans around to show an alternative train station identical to the one in the lower level. Ponies with brushes, brooms, and buckets disappear into and reemerge from the train. Inside the station, the lights are off and it appears to be empty aside from a few plainclothes security personnel wandering around.
Golden's interest is piqued at the sight of the train and train station. "Interesting," He says softly. "I've never... seen train maintenance before."
"We aren't here for that, Goldie," Solacia says sharply.
Golden's ears flatten slightly. He looks at the ground as Solacia's guilt gets to him.
Solacia's eyes widen when she realizes her mistake. She drapes a wing over him and pulls him into a hug. The mare shuts her eyes as she tightens the hug. Her hooves softly rub at his mane.
"I... I-I get it, Sol," Golden says. "You're not in a good state of mind. H-how could we be?"
"We should have warned you about this... dimensional shift," Sol sighs. "But we didn't. I'll take responsibility."
Golden's softening gaze drifts onto her. "Why, Sol?"
Solacia shifts a bit against the base of the projector. "We've received orders of non-interference. We-"
"No, I get it now," His tone fights back anger. The stallion swallows it away and nods. Some secrets, he figures, are better worth not telling. Golden knows the exact course of action he would take if he was told he shouldn't interfere. He would disobey the orders. Once he realizes this, he nods and tightens the hug. Golden buries his nose into Sol's soft upper belly fur. He gives it a nuzzle.
"Hey, it's not like he won't be back." She softly pets at his mane. "He's not gone forever."
"That... that him is," Golden says softly. "What if he... won't take too kindly to me when we meet next?"
Riloxia gazes at them. "This is my... realm of expertise, Sol. Want the brutally honest answer, Golden?" He sits against a screen, stretching out his hind legs. "The fact is that we won't know. If he doesn't take kindly to you, then to him, you will just exist. You will be a presence in his life. You may be hated by him, depending on how he perceives you. The worse it is, the more likely he is to despise your presence. You aren't satisfied by my answer, I know." Riloxia stares at Golden. The stallion's shoulders slump in dissatisfaction mere seconds later. He then whirls his gaze over to meet Riloxia's.
"H-hey! You knew!" Golden says. "N-not fair!"
"You are a predictable stallion. What do you want me to say? Want an answer bathed in certainty? Want me to use my third eye and tell you what facts you will face in your future? You know as well as I do that I can't. The future is just too fucking complicated for something of that scale. I won't waste my energy for poking through uncountable futures." Riloxia says coldly. Golden slumps a bit more, the words cutting straight through him. He buries his face harder in Solacia's chest.
"Take... take me from here, Sol. I have nothing more I want to see." Golden says shakily. Solacia complies, shooting Riloxia a very cold gaze. The time god is fine with this, as he is with all things.
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Moisture in the humid air glistens in Golden's fur. Raikia's soft hooves gently brush against his lower neck, back, and shoulders, imparting him with extremely relaxing feelings. His body has long since gone limp, succumbing to sensory overloads. A moist heated towel is draped on his lower back and hind legs. Naturally, this feeds further into his relaxed state. Golden winces slightly as Raikia's hooves pass over a tense shoulder muscle. She tuts, pressing down on it and giving it a harder rub.
Golden shivers slightly and lets out a soft groan. "Y-your hooves are... m-magical," He says softly.
The stallion was lucky to have caught Raikia off guard. To assuage the visible negativity in his eyes, ears, and tail, she took him into the floating island she calls her home. Near the core, she had a room constructed specifically for relaxation. Naturally heated and dampened air pours from cracks in the stone leading to the comforting feel of the room. Dim lighting around the room brings down the mood further. Raikia picks up a towel hanging above the vents and brings it over to him.
"Spread 'em," she says. Golden spreads out his wings, biting his lip and shuddering as the towel is draped over it. "F-fuck, I haven't felt this good in a while," He says.
Rai bends over and giggles into his ear. "Yes... that's good." She gives his eartip a lick, then focuses back on massaging him. As she works her way down his back, she hits more muscles that are not relaxed. Golden tenses up when she presses down hard on his lower back until it cracks. He relaxes and sighs happily.
"T-thanks for this again," He says softly. He never wanted to be upset about Riloxia's remarks. Neither did Raikia, who wanted to bring him here in the first place. When she heard what Riloxia told him, she felt a flash of anger for the first time in more than a year.
"It's my pleasure," She remarks. "Especially for someone as... kind as you."
"O-oh stop with the flattery," Golden's ears droop. Flashes of his past incarnation's anger still bother him in his dreams and in moments of peace. Why would she call him kind when he knew he got very upset in his past?
"I've said it before. Golden, your past lives do not matter for your kindness," She nibbles at his cheek. "It's there here and now that counts. What wrongs have you done here?"
"Not doing my job as the god of emotion?" Golden looks over into her violet eyes.
"Has it ever gotten bad enough to warrant you popping over to the problem area?" Rai asks. She gives his mane a stroke. "There have been very little deaths that haven't fallen from old age or... miscarriages." She winces. "The latter is my realm. You get all the other shit. We are at a time of peace in the nation. Have been for well over three hundred years."
"Ever since the banishment of the unicorn tribes," Golden recalls. Those times were particularly rough for the gods. Solacia would attempt to step in and imprison them, but they would slip through cracks in her hastily built defenses. Failing that, they would try to physically fight the unicorns. Golden never felt so much pain as he did before he felt his fur burn away. They took everything from him including his life. Flashbacks to his death rattles and the final fight often left him shaking and sobbing despite it being a different life. Riloxia, in a rare fit of compassion, tried to identify the abnormal behavior Golden experienced through the time stream. He found essentially nothing, so he and the rest of the gods written it off as a curse. As retribution from the death, Celestia finally stepped in and sealed the tribes in a dimension not even Solacia could access.
Since then, no threat has eclipsed the skirmishes. The citizens went on to do great things. First contact with Griffonstone occurred in 1300 which brought a whole new trade route into the picture. Golden always thought it was weird how the griffons got preferential treatment over the dragons in the Dragonlands. It was something none of the main four gods could explain. At the time, a much younger Golden assumed it was due to Celestia's anger at her own sister. When Golden asked if she would banish her brother, Solacia shook her head and told him that she wouldn't do it. That statement made sense to Golden at the time. What didn't was Celestia's inconsistency with her foreign policies. A year later, he resigned to the fact that things would be odd for years to come. Ponies would get mad at her decrees, then go back to their lives as if nothing had happened. That was absolutely infuriating to him.
Once Raikia's hooves brush over his flanks, he shifts in discomfort. "H-hey, be careful where you rub. I don't want to be the recipient of the love god's... very deep love, shall we say?"
"Understandable," She coos. Her hooves brush up against his lower back, eliciting a shiver from the stallion.
"And don't do what you usually do and take advantage of my weak spots," Golden sighs. "It is almost as if I know you well, dear Rai. You could do so much to me, but I know you would ask first." Her softness travels up his back and onto his neck where it remains. She gently rubs at the base of his neck, then kisses him on a clump of fur below his horn.
"You good with all this?" Raikia asks. "I have to take care of a thing or two off-dimension. If I leave you alone, promise me you won't tear down this whole place?" She giggles softly.
"I promise, Rai. Go do what you need to do. I'll be here." Golden smiles as she kisses his cheek. She trots out of the room, leaving him to stew in his own thoughts and emotions.