My Little Pony: Through Space and Time

by Magic Step

Showdown

The past selves were surrounded by purple flames which licked up their bodies, igniting them, but none of them noticed. They were too lost in their thoughts.

"This can't be," Aunt Jackie whispered.

"We've failed again," Captain Dash said, tracing her hoof in the ground.

But Dame Fluttershy shook her head. "No. I won't let this happen again." She swooped towards Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy," she whispered in her past self's ear. "Can you hear me? Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy didn't respond.

After hesitating for a moment, Dame Fluttershy pulled her past self into a hug. The flames hurt a bit, but not nearly as much as it normally hurt when you hugged something on fire.

Fluttershy unfroze and the snarl left her face. "Wh-what...?"

"F-Fluttershy..." Dame Fluttershy smoothed her past self's hair, measuring carefully what she would say next. She didn't want her younger self becoming jaded and cruel before her time... but the only way she could think of to convince her of a different path would be to tell her all sorts of things that she didn't really believe.

Sometimes a lie is easier to take, she thought bitterly.

"Fluttershy," Dame Fluttershy whispered. "You can't let a few bad ponies, or good ponies with a few bad days, shake your worldview. You have many happy memories of your friends, don't you? Happy memories of when they helped you?"

Fluttershy sighed. "I think... I think..."

She shook her head. "But those were so fleeting..."

"No, no, Fluttershy, don't believe it!" Dame Fluttershy said, shaking her past self lightly. "Don't let the ShadowFires lie to you! Ponies may have dark thoughts. They may be selfish. They may be sick and twisted at times..."

"Hey, ShyGuy!" Captain Dash said. "I thought you were supposed to be trying to help?"

Dame Fluttershy sighed. "But... but...

Arguments fell away from her like spiderwebs in the rain.

"But, Fluttershy, ponies may say they like their lives the way they are, but... but ponies... they want to be good. Something deep inside them wishes they could be good people. Something that wishes that they could find joy... joy that they will only find by living to make others happy. But they're lost. How will they know how to live a happy life unless you show them?"

Fluttershy didn't respond.

"Well?" Dame Fluttershy said. "Will you keep trying? Or will you give up?"

The flames surrounding Fluttershy turned lighter and lighter. A look of determination crossed Fluttershy's face.

"I... will... keep trying. I will help... everypony."

Then she cried out as the flames exploded off of her, seeping across the ground and flickering out.

"You did it!" Princess Rarity cried. "Oh, my goodness... Rarity!"

She swooped next to her past self and spread a wing over her.

For Princess Rarity, this was much harder. It was easy for everypony, even Dame Fluttershy, to see what had happened to her. But Princess Rarity wasn't exactly sure. What had gone wrong?

"Hey, Dashie," Captain Dash said, swooping next to her younger self. "Get up off the ground and stop moping. Tell you what, friends forgive friends. They forgive and forget. Just because you are the element of loyalty doesn't mean your friends aren't loyal. And if they aren't- I mean, if they leave you when the going gets tough- I mean, if they aren't willing to put up with you-" she swallowed hard. "Hey, I'm sure s-somepony will appreciate your loyalty, even if they d-don't. Who needs them, huh?"

"I need them!" Rainbow Dash wailed.

"No," Captain Dash said. "Friendship is give and take, you know? And if all your friends do is take..." Captain Dash began blinking rapidly. "Then maybe they aren't really your friends."

"Hey!" Princess Rarity said, marching over to the two Dashes. "It's not like that! We aren't trying to be mean to you! We just don't always understand..." she sniffed. "We just don't always know what you need."

Oh, Princess Rarity thought.

"Y-yeah, right!" Captain Dash said, looking relieved. "Right! Your friends really may think you don't care, because you never tell them. You just suck it up and nod for fear they'll leave you. They don't mean to exclude you. But you need to communicate- not just agree. Understand?"

Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense." She smiled at her future self.

Then with a loud bang, purple flames exploded outward from Rainbow Dash, then evaporated like smoke.

"Two down..." Diane Pie said.

Princess Rarity turned to her past self. Things were beginning to make sense to her.

"Rarity," she said. "You can't just stop helping ponies because sometimes your help missed the mark. You have to pay attention to what they actually need- not what they want, not what you want for them. And like all things, this takes practice. Your first dress wasn't perfect, was it?"

Rarity swiped her tears away firmly and tossed her mane. "You're right, future self. I will never get anything I want if I don't persist. And that goes for generosity as well!"

The purple flames scattered off Rarity, leaving her coat pure white again.

"Whoa, that was fast," Captain Dash said.

"All righty," Aunt Jackie said. "Now what?"

"My turn," Diane Pie said. She smiled. It wasn't a bitter smile or a sad smile- just a little stiff.

"Hey, Pinkie," she said to her past self. "Gosh. I can hardly remember when I used to go by that name, I mean it just started seeming so silly, but boy how I miss it, I miss when I used to do things just because they were silly, and oh my gosh I can't remember the last sentence I've said that was this long and was so short on periods. You're already starting to make me feel better, Pinkie. And that's your talent, isn't it? Making ponies happy? That's what makes you happy, right? And you can't do that when you're sad.

"And never, ever believe that your powers are unnatural." Tears appeared in Diane Pie's eyes. "Never, ever. They are a gift you were given when you were born. They make you different, but they were on purpose. It was m-meant to be." She hugged Pinkie Pie. "So just b-be careful, okay? Everything will turn out right in the end. Okay?"

"Okay," Pinkie Pie said.

With a bang and a flash, both Pinkie Pie and Diane Pie's manes poofed up again, and the flames exploded off of Pinkie Pie. Spontaneously, both of them started giggling. Then rolling on the floor with laughter.

Aunt Jackie watched as Applejack stomped away, purple flames licking up her sides.

"What are you waiting for?" Captain Dash said. "You're the only pony left! I mean, you know, besides... Twilight."

"But you all knew what to say ahead of time because you were confessing your own sins. Ah'm not sure what Applejack's problem is. This never happened to me."

"Oh, give me a break! I can't believe you! You stuck up jerk!" Captain Dash shouted.

"What'd you say?" Aunt Jackie said confrontationally.

"What do you mean this never happened to you?" Captain Dash demanded, landing and glaring straight at Aunt Jackie. "She's doing exactly what you did! She's turning away from her friends because she thinks they're all corrupt!"

"But Ah was correct. So's she."

Captain Dash screamed with frustration.

"Dear?" Princess Rarity said. "I know it's hard to admit that you are wrong. But you've done it before-"

"Ah'm not wrong!" Aunt Jackie shouted.

"Th-that doesn't matter!" Dame Fluttershy said, fury in her eyes. "I mean, I'm sorry, yes, you were right. We were acting like jerks. And we're sorry. Really. But you can't just walk away! We need you!"

Aunt Jackie watched as Applejack draped her front hooves over the edge of the tower and glared sullenly at the ground.

"Fine," she said. "Ah'll see what Ah can do." She trotted over to her past self. "Hey, Jacki- Applejack."

Applejack muttered something under her breath.

"Hey. Ah know your friends are headed down a dark path, but you can't just up and leave right now. You've been given a rare and precious gift. You get to see the future."

"Ah hate it," Applejack growled.

"You and me both. But maybe this will inspire you to try and reign your friends in a little harder than I did. You can't give up hope this quickly."

Applejack whirled around on Aunt Jackie. "Of course Ah'm not giving up! What makes you think Ah'm giving up?"

Aunt Jackie backed off a bit. "Well, uh..."

"Ah mean, sure, the thought crossed my mind, but hay, Ah've had these friends for years and you stick with what works. If it's broke, you fix it, you don't just throw it away. Ah know what needs to be done." Applejack slowly turned back around and draped her hooves over the edge again. "Ah just reserve the right to mope for a bit first, okay?" she added more softly.

Aunt Jackie stared at Applejack in disbelief for a second. Then she tipped an invisible hat to Applejack. "Good for you, sugar cube. My hopes and prayers are with you."

Purple flames slowly slid down Applejack's back like water, dripping to the ground and evaporating into nothing.

---

"I am the only one...

"Huh..."

Twilight Sparkle looked at her friends for a bit. She shrugged and smiled.

"That's silly," she said. "My friends were doing fine before I ever got there. Sure, I'll help them if they need my help. But I can't control them."

Flames slowly sunk down Twilight's form, creating a puddle at her hooves.

"Hmm, where was I anyway?" Twilight said, staring at the sky.

Her future self was in the air, glowing brilliant violet.

Twilight blinked.

"I understand her now," she whispered. "I know the problem."

---

Diane Pie was laughing. Princess Rarity was smiling. Dame Fluttershy was tenderly hugging a pony. Captain Dash and Aunt Jackie stood side by side- tense, but not hostile.

A tear slid down Princess Twilight's cheek.

I miss them...

But it's far too late for you, Princess Twilight Sparkle. You surrendered control, and now there is nothing for you but ShadowFire.

More tears fell.

I'm sorry, she told her friends. It's too late. Now there is only one thing you can do. Destroy us both.

---

Diane Pie stopped laughing and sat up in shock.

"What?" she demanded of the violet flamed pony. "No!"

"This can't be!" Aunt Jackie said. "There's gotta be a way to save you!"

No. There is nothing.

"No, no, no!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, leaping to her hooves and pointing at her future self. "No. You don't understand. ShadowFire lies. That's what went wrong. You should have known that ShadowFire is a liar, but you chose to believe him. That's why he has power over you- because you believe he does. But Luna broke free of Nightmare Moon. It's not too late, Twilight! Come back! Let your love and friendship bring you back to your friends! As long as there is life-"

-there is hope.

You liar. I am the one in control.

No, you lie. You're fooling yourself, Twilight. We are the ones in control. We've been manipulating you through threats to your little dragon pet for years. You've done all manner of things you said you'd never do. Remember the university? Remember the laws you let Fluttershy pass? Remember the dungeons?

I'm sorry. I'll fix it.

It's too late. We have you now.

No! I can fix it!

The flaming alicorn thrashed around. Sometimes the flames nearly came detached, leaving Twilight's regular lavender coat untouched, but they always reattached.

"No, Sparkie!" Princess Rarity said. "It will be okay! You are not alone!"

She flew up into the air and hugged Princess Twilight, stopping her thrashing. Captain Dash joined her, and together they pulled Princess Twilight down to the tower, upon which all of the future selves surrounded the princess in a group hug.

"Don't give up!" Diane Pie urged her.

"We can work together to make everything right again," Dame Fluttershy whispered.

"Ah promise Ah won't leave again," Aunt Jackie said.

"And I promise that I'll stop being such a yes-mare," Captain Dash said.

"And I promise to give and take advice," Princess Rarity said.

"I promise to stop being so selfish," Diane Pie said.

"I promise to look on the bright side again," Dame Fluttershy said.

Slowly, slowly, the purple flames sunk down off of Princess Twilight.

No. No!

Princess Twilight blinked and looked at herself. The flames were gone.

"My past self was right," she whispered. "I knew that they were liars..."

Then she started crying.