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no_vampires_plz) wrote2012-07-04 09:22 am
no_vampires_plz) wrote2012-07-04 09:22 am
It's About Time, part 3
Just over twenty-four hours since Future Twilight's visit, current Twilight trots back into the Books and Branches Library, tired and weatherbeaten but triumphant. Spike is there to greet her at the door. "Hey, Twilight. How'd it go with Cerberus?"
"Great!" says Twilight proudly. "I got him back and dealt with all the evil creatures that escaped."
Spike looks like he's about to reply, but instead he doubles over, looking nauseous. Twilight leans forward, concerned, only to take a scroll to the face as Spike belches up a letter. She feels a stinging pain in her cheek as the parchment hits.
On a particular spot on her cheek, at that.
"Oh no..." She dashes off to the nearest mirror, hoping and praying that her hunch is wrong.
"What's the big deal?" asks Spike as he peers at the newly arrived letter. "It's just a 'Lost Dog' flyer. I guess the Princess hasn't heard we found Cerberus yet."
"It's not that... it's this!" She turns back to Spike and points out the fresh cut on her cheek.
"A paper cut?" Spike is unimpressed. "Come on, Twilight, you really need to toughen up. Just clean it out and you'll be fine."
"The cut's in the exact same spot as the scar on Future Twilight's cheek," explains Twilight with growing alarm. "We haven't changed the future at all! The disaster is still coming!"
The next half-hour is spent frantically pacing in a circle, trying to think. "If the disaster wasn't caused by Cerberus getting loose," says Twilight for the umpteenth time, "then what could it possibly be?"
Spike snickers. "I dunno, but maybe you ought to give the pacing a rest. You've worn a groove into the floor."
"I don't have time for another one of your lectures, Spike," says Twilight testily. "This is serious!"
"My lectures?" replies Spike, nonplussed, but Twilight barely noticies.
"I did everything I could think of to change the future, but it didn't work. So maybe it's not what I do... maybe it's what I don't do." POOF. Twilight teleports over to the far corner of the room. "If I stand right here and don't move a muscle until next Tuesday, I can't possibly do whatever it is that Future Twilight wanted to warn me not to do!" With that, she freezes dead on the spot.
"Really?" Spike walks in a circle around the stationary unicorn, looking impish. "So, no matter what happens, you're not gonna move a muscle, huh? Then, maybe you won't mind if I... eat an entire tub of ice cream!"
He dashes off to the kitchen and returns with a spoon and a half-gallon tub of Strawberry Fudge Ripple.
Twilight doesn't move.
He digs in with the spoon and holds the full scoop out in front of Twilight's nose, taunting her.
She still doesn't move.
He swallows the spoonful of ice cream in one gulp, not even bothering to chew. "Mmm... so good..."
Okay, she can't let this go on. "Spike, stop," she grunts between clenched teeth. "Think of the stomachache."
"Stomachache, huh? That's Future Spike's problem." Another spoonful down the hatch, and now he's dispensed with the utensils and is sticking his snout straight into the tub.
There's a knock at the door, and Rainbow Dash, as is her wont, bursts in without bothering to wait for an answer. "Hey, Twilight, another pegasus just got back from Baltimare with an all-clear and--" She stares in bewilderment, then bursts out laughing when she spots the tableau in front of her. "What's going on? Aren't you gonna stop him?"
"She sure isn't," says Spike, coming up for air. "In fact, she's not gonna move 'til next Tuesday! She thinks it'll prevent the disaster from happening!"
"Oh, this is too rich." Dash snickers, then mock-gasps. "Hey, Twilight! There's a mouse right behind you!"
Twilight starts in alarm, but still doesn't move from the spot. Spike and Rainbow Dash both burst out laughing again. Twilight just gives the pair of them a death glare.
"Wait wait wait, let me try!" Spike grabs a quill from the nearest desk and starts tickling Twilight with it. First under her chin, then her belly, then her nose... finally, Twilight can stand it no longer, and telekinetically flings the dragon against the far wall.
She realizes this was a bad idea when Spike reflexively burps up a fireball right back at her face.
When her vision clears, both the dragon and the pegasus are staring at her in alarm. "Oh no..." moans Rainbow Dash.
"What happened." It's not a question.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, it was a total accident..." Spike babbles nervously.
Twilight is not amused. "Show me."
Dash hesitates. "Uh... I'm not so sure that's a--"
"Show me."
Reluctantly, Spike picks up the mirror and holds it up for Twilight.
"Oh no..." breathes Twilight. While her skin and pelt survived intact, her mane has been singed several inches shorter and is sticking straight up in a ragged mohawk. "This is the same mane cut as future Twilight!"
"Y'know," offers Dash, "it really doesn't look too bad..."
"I don't care how it looks! It's just another sign that the future hasn't changed! Not doing anything didn't work either!" She starts pacing in a circle again. "Oh, I wish there was a way to know what was going to happen so I could stop it..."
"You want to see the future?" Spike rubs his scaly chin thoughtfully. "I might know somepony who can help..."
"Great!" says Twilight proudly. "I got him back and dealt with all the evil creatures that escaped."
Spike looks like he's about to reply, but instead he doubles over, looking nauseous. Twilight leans forward, concerned, only to take a scroll to the face as Spike belches up a letter. She feels a stinging pain in her cheek as the parchment hits.
On a particular spot on her cheek, at that.
"Oh no..." She dashes off to the nearest mirror, hoping and praying that her hunch is wrong.
"What's the big deal?" asks Spike as he peers at the newly arrived letter. "It's just a 'Lost Dog' flyer. I guess the Princess hasn't heard we found Cerberus yet."
"It's not that... it's this!" She turns back to Spike and points out the fresh cut on her cheek.
"A paper cut?" Spike is unimpressed. "Come on, Twilight, you really need to toughen up. Just clean it out and you'll be fine."
"The cut's in the exact same spot as the scar on Future Twilight's cheek," explains Twilight with growing alarm. "We haven't changed the future at all! The disaster is still coming!"
The next half-hour is spent frantically pacing in a circle, trying to think. "If the disaster wasn't caused by Cerberus getting loose," says Twilight for the umpteenth time, "then what could it possibly be?"
Spike snickers. "I dunno, but maybe you ought to give the pacing a rest. You've worn a groove into the floor."
"I don't have time for another one of your lectures, Spike," says Twilight testily. "This is serious!"
"My lectures?" replies Spike, nonplussed, but Twilight barely noticies.
"I did everything I could think of to change the future, but it didn't work. So maybe it's not what I do... maybe it's what I don't do." POOF. Twilight teleports over to the far corner of the room. "If I stand right here and don't move a muscle until next Tuesday, I can't possibly do whatever it is that Future Twilight wanted to warn me not to do!" With that, she freezes dead on the spot.
"Really?" Spike walks in a circle around the stationary unicorn, looking impish. "So, no matter what happens, you're not gonna move a muscle, huh? Then, maybe you won't mind if I... eat an entire tub of ice cream!"
He dashes off to the kitchen and returns with a spoon and a half-gallon tub of Strawberry Fudge Ripple.
Twilight doesn't move.
He digs in with the spoon and holds the full scoop out in front of Twilight's nose, taunting her.
She still doesn't move.
He swallows the spoonful of ice cream in one gulp, not even bothering to chew. "Mmm... so good..."
Okay, she can't let this go on. "Spike, stop," she grunts between clenched teeth. "Think of the stomachache."
"Stomachache, huh? That's Future Spike's problem." Another spoonful down the hatch, and now he's dispensed with the utensils and is sticking his snout straight into the tub.
There's a knock at the door, and Rainbow Dash, as is her wont, bursts in without bothering to wait for an answer. "Hey, Twilight, another pegasus just got back from Baltimare with an all-clear and--" She stares in bewilderment, then bursts out laughing when she spots the tableau in front of her. "What's going on? Aren't you gonna stop him?"
"She sure isn't," says Spike, coming up for air. "In fact, she's not gonna move 'til next Tuesday! She thinks it'll prevent the disaster from happening!"
"Oh, this is too rich." Dash snickers, then mock-gasps. "Hey, Twilight! There's a mouse right behind you!"
Twilight starts in alarm, but still doesn't move from the spot. Spike and Rainbow Dash both burst out laughing again. Twilight just gives the pair of them a death glare.
"Wait wait wait, let me try!" Spike grabs a quill from the nearest desk and starts tickling Twilight with it. First under her chin, then her belly, then her nose... finally, Twilight can stand it no longer, and telekinetically flings the dragon against the far wall.
She realizes this was a bad idea when Spike reflexively burps up a fireball right back at her face.
When her vision clears, both the dragon and the pegasus are staring at her in alarm. "Oh no..." moans Rainbow Dash.
"What happened." It's not a question.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, it was a total accident..." Spike babbles nervously.
Twilight is not amused. "Show me."
Dash hesitates. "Uh... I'm not so sure that's a--"
"Show me."
Reluctantly, Spike picks up the mirror and holds it up for Twilight.
"Oh no..." breathes Twilight. While her skin and pelt survived intact, her mane has been singed several inches shorter and is sticking straight up in a ragged mohawk. "This is the same mane cut as future Twilight!"
"Y'know," offers Dash, "it really doesn't look too bad..."
"I don't care how it looks! It's just another sign that the future hasn't changed! Not doing anything didn't work either!" She starts pacing in a circle again. "Oh, I wish there was a way to know what was going to happen so I could stop it..."
"You want to see the future?" Spike rubs his scaly chin thoughtfully. "I might know somepony who can help..."