Time Traveling Kids of the Mane Six! Ch. 28

Chapter 28: Ya dun goofed (first draft)


“Are you sure Rainbow Dash knows?” Zecora asked the children as she poured each one a cup of tea. “For if she does, a threat she’ll pose.”

“We’re sure of it,” Orion answered.

“She told us that she would say hi to our mothers,” Peach Cobbler said.

“And we had never run into her before,” Bucky added, lightly clutching his stomach.

Flora stood up in frustration, her bangs getting in the way of her aquamarine eyes.

“I should have never let you stay at Fluttershy’s! I’ve put us all in danger!”

“We had no choice,” Bismarck comforted. “We didn’t have enough space for the kids and Fluttershy found them before we did. Getting them out of there would have been difficult. You did the right thing.”

“So now what do we do?” Cherry asked. “If Rainbow Dash has found out who they are, we’ll need to find a new place for them to stay, but if we bring them here, Fluttershy will be looking out for them.”

“Ah think it’s worth the risk,” Bismarck said. “Ah mean, as long as RD doesn’t know about this place, what harm could it do keeping them here? Other than extra mouths to feed, that is?”

“I don’t think that’s our choice,” Radiance said. “It’s up to Zecora whether or not they can stay. She’s been a very generous host this whole time and we shouldn’t just bring them in without permission.”

The zebra mare smiled warmly at her.

“Your words are very kind to me, but nopony should have to worry. I promised you I would assist and care for you all. I insist.”

“Thank you,” Radiance replied. “It means a lot to us. All of us.”

“Yes, thank you, Zecora,” Peach Cobbler added, followed by Orion and Bucky.

“So is it a plan then?” Flora asked. “Are we bringing the kids back here?”

“Not so fast,” Tempest interrupted. “How do we know my mom doesn’t already know where we are? If I know her, and I do, she’s probably been doing some reconnaissance of our activity.”

“We can’t take a gamble on paranoia, Tempest,” Radiance answered. “The kids are going to have to stay here.”

“And what happens if somepony visits Zecora? There are too many of us to hide in one small hut. What’s to stop somepony from just waltzing right in and…”

Tempest stopped talking as his attention was drawn to the front door, which was opening from the outside. His face grew pale as Twilight

Sparkle entered the hut in the midst of their conversation. She scanned the room with an aura of awe and collected containment.

“Hello kids,” she said softly. “We need to talk.”

_ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _


“I told you, I can’t talk about it,” Rainbow Dash told a frustrated Rarity.

“What do you mean you can’t talk about it?” Rarity exclaimed as she paced the room. “Why can’t we know what’s going on around here?”

With Twilight gone, the others had been left in a state of confusion and growing frustration. Fluttershy stayed upstairs with Andromeda while Rarity, AJ, RD, and Pinkie argued in the living room.

“Yeah!” Applejack said. “You made us all drop what we were doin’ to drag us out here. The least you could do is tell us what’s goin’ on!”

“For the fifth time,” Rainbow Dash grumbled as she glanced at an unconscious Andromeda sleeping on the bed, “Twilight said we had to keep an eye on her so she wouldn’t escape.”

“Oh no,” AJ said, “ah heard that clear as day. What ah’d like to know is why we’re doin’ this! Ah didn’t leave my laundry list of farm chores to play foalsitter.”

“Hey guys?” Fluttershy said softly.

“And don’t forget how Twilight just went all quiet and weird before she just took off!” Pinkie Pie added with more of a cheerful tone than her friends. “What was all that about?”

“Guys,” Fluttershy repeated.

“Look,” RD groaned, “if I tell you that it’s really really important that we don’t question things and that we keep an eye on her, will you guys just let it go?”

“No!!!” AJ and Rarity yelled simultaneously.

“Guys!” Fluttershy exclaimed, finally breaking her whispery tone.

“What?!?”

“She’s waking up!”

Andromeda’s sunset eyes fluttered open little by little. She knew that she had been asleep, but it took her a moment to remember what had happened. When she saw Fluttershy and the others standing over her, it all came back to her.

“Where’s Twilight?” she shouted as her body jerked out of bed. “I need to talk to her.”

“She went out, darling,” Rarity explained. “She should be back eventually.”

“One could only hope,” AJ muttered.

Andromeda ignored the comment, focusing only on the fact that she had been unconscious while a now suspicious Twilight was out and about.

“No, no, no, no, no, no!” she cried. “This can’t be happening!”

“It’s okay,” Pinkie Pie said soothingly. “I’m sure Twilight has a very good explanation for what’s been going on.”

“We’re so sorry for everything, by the way,” Fluttershy added. “Can I get you anything? A cup of water? Some tea?”

“No, I’m fine,” Andromeda said, not really thinking about what she said. “I have to go.”

“I’m sorry, Andi,” Rainbow Dash said, spreading her wings out to block her from the stairs, “but I can’t let you through. Twilight’s orders.”

A cold feeling flowed through Andromeda’s spine as she said that.

“Only my friends call me Andi,” she said angrily. “Now get out of my way.”  

Applejack and Rarity stood by Rainbow Dash.

“Sorry, sugarcube, but we can’t let you go just yet.”

“We may not know what’s going on,” Rarity said, “but we trust Twilight. You’re going to have to get through us first.”

Andromeda’s face grimaced as she grew closer to the barricade of ponies that stood between her and freedom.

“I plan on it.”


- - - - - - - - - -


The room grew deathly quiet as Twilight shut the door behind her and made her way to Zecora. Each kid held their breath, looking away quickly as her gaze searched the room for eye contact. This was it. They had been discovered and there was not a thing they could do to take it back.

“Twilight, dear, it’s good to see you,” Zecora began, hoping to convince Twilight that they were just guests from Canterlot, but Twi was not in the mood.

“I know who they are, Zecora,” she interrupted. “I’m here to talk to you about how we are going to keep these kids from getting discovered from the others.”

Zecora blinked rapidly for a moment and tried again.

“But these are just some friends of mine,” she said desperately. “I’m sure you…”

“Rainbow Dash knows who they are!” Twilight said, this time with a firmer tone. “She knows most of these kids by name and she knows that they are the sons and daughters of my friends. So again, I’m here to talk to you about what is going to be done now that she knows, because to be honest, I’m not sure if I can trust her to keep a secret like this.”

Zecora looked back at the kids, who were now all standing up as they listened. Since nopony else said a word, Bismarck stepped forward.

“Look, since you’ve figured it out, I have one question. Who else knows about us?” he asked.

“Only Rainbow Dash and I know. My other friends are aware that you are all time travelers, but that is the extent of their knowledge.”

“Umm,” Peach Cobbler said, stepping forward, “actually, they’re not the only ones.”

‘Oh no,’ Orion thought. ‘Don’t do it!’

“Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all figured out who we were when we were staying with my mom,” she said.  

Flora looked like she was going to lose her mind.

“So leaving you with her was all for nothing?” she exclaimed. “And you never told us this?!?”

Peach’s eyes dropped low in guilt, her aqua eyes looking away towards the ground. Twilight rubbed her temples lightly, sighing.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen to you all,” she said softly. “I’ve never seen a time dilemma like this before and I haven’t a slightest idea of how much these events will change time and history.”

The room was quiet again, with each pony listening intently.

“I wish I could take the time to spend time with you all,” she continued, “but from what Andromeda has told me, you don’t have a lot to before the spell starts making you all very sick. I’m going to continue working on this time travel spell with her until we get you guys home. I promise you… I will help in any way I can.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


“Help me out here!” Applejack yelled towards her incapacitated friends as she clung onto Andromeda’s hind leg.

Looking up, she glared at the stranger who had paralyzed Rainbow Dash before they even realized they were being attacked.

“Yer not gettin’ away from me that easily!” she grimaced.

Andromeda began to charge her horn as the country mare clung to her. Though her adrenaline was pumping to high levels, she felt a slow moment of empathy for one of the ponies she most admired growing up, but she knew that she had to escape. The safety of her friends and the future itself could depend on it.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly before closing her eyes and releasing the spell.

A blinding white light flashed throughout the room, turning all shadows into long dark figures on the walls. Applejack squinted her eyes from the overwhelming flare, but it was too late. The quick burst had sent her vision into momentary blindness, leaving her dazed enough to loosen her grip. Taking the opportunity to escape, Andromeda shook her off and bolted out the door. A worn out Rarity helped Applejack up while Fluttershy tended to Rainbow Dash.

“She’s out cold!” she cried, scared for her friend. “What do we do?”

“What we promised Twilight we’d do,” Applejack answered. “We’re gonna catch her and keep her here until she gets back!”

“We have to hurry,” Pinkie shouted from the window. “She already has a big head start!”

“What direction? Where is she going?” Rarity asked as their group rushed to the door.

“I think she’s running towards Everfree Forest!”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


“So now what do we do?” Flora asked Twilight. “Your friends know that Andromeda is a time traveler and they probably suspect that something is up. How are we going to keep this from getting any worse?”

“I’m going to need time to figure that out,” Twilight said, transitioning her tone from gentle to authoritative.

“In the meantime, nopony is allowed to leave this house except for Andromeda when she works on the time travel spell with me. If you need food, Zecora and I will get it for you. There will be no more mingling with your moms and no more adventures outside. You’ve all put yourselves at risk and we don’t need another incident! Am I clear?”

The group nodded their heads. It was no wonder Celestia made her a princess. She had a leadership quality in her that showed even when she was currently their age.

“So is this all of you?” she asked as she looked around the room. “Are we missing anypony else?

“Berry’s out gathering firewood,” Cherry said. “He’ll be back soon.”

Twilight didn’t say a word and instead turned towards Zecora, motioning for her to follow her outside. The Zebra stayed close behind and closed the door. The instant it had shut, all of the kids sprang to their feet and pressed their ears against the walls and door to listen. The words were muffled, but some of it could be made out.

“Zecora, I’m counting on you to watch them like a hawk. They cannot put themselves in any more danger. I don’t know what will happen, so we can’t risk an incident. If I…”

She paused a moment.

“Andromeda!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here? How did you escape?”

“Andromeda?” Tempest and Flora mouthed, looking at each other.

They could hear her crashing hoofsteps grow closer and closer, approaching at a quick pace.

“Just what do you think you’re doing knocking me out like that! You made a scene in front of all of your friends! Are you insane? What were you thinking!?!”

“Don’t give me that! I saved you from having to get interrogated by Rainbow Dash!” Twilight retorted.

“We’re on the same team here. You were the one who lied to me about everything, like the fact that you traveled with nine other ponies who are the sons and daughters of my friends!”

“You didn’t need to know!”

“Baloney! If you had been honest from the get-go, we would have prevented this mess. Now the time-space continuum is more screwed up than if you had just done that!”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I must have forgotten the part where you mysteriously left your friends to play ‘prison guard’ with me!” Andromeda fumed. “Because, you know, that’s not suspicious at all!”

“They were going to ask questions,” Twilight answered. “With you unconscious, I planned on using you to distract them while I talked to Zecora about fixing this mess you’ve allowed!”

Andromeda remained silent for a while, her hooves trembling.

“Dude,” Tempest said, pressing his face on the window.

“What?” Bismarck asked. “What’s going on?”

“Andromeda looks like she’s going to blow a gasket!”  

Andromeda’s face grew redder and redder until her cheeks burned almost as vibrantly as her former red-coated disguise.

“My mess?!? This is your fault this all happened! If you had just thrown that stupid spell formula away like you always said you should have, then none of this would have ever happened!”

Before Twilight could continue with a rebuttal, a noise interrupted her thought process. A rustle in the leaves made her ears twitch as they pointed in the direction of its source.

“Shhhhhhh!” she hissed. “Be quiet.”

“You know what?” Andromeda laughed. “I don’t think I will! I’ve been wanting to tell you this for some time now, so I’m going to tell it as it is!”

“I said be quiet!” Twilight whispered as loud as possible. “I think we’re being watched by…”

“Now!” a voice shouted from behind the bushes.

In an instant, a lasso flew from behind one of the trees and wrapped around Andromeda, tightening and pulling when it reached her legs, forcing her to fall to the ground forcefully like a tipped cow. Twilight jumped in reactionary fright.

“Andromeda!” she yelled.

“We got her fer ya,” Applejack said proudly as she drew closer to her catch of the day, followed by Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.

“Wow,” Pinkie exclaimed. “That sure is a big one!”

“I’m so sorry about that,” Fluttershy apologized to Andromeda. “I hope we didn’t hurt you.”

“What are you guys doing here?” Twilight asked, stunned in a state of shock. “I thought I told you to stay put. And where is Rainbow Dash?”

“Andromeda used your sleepy-sleepy spell on her and was able get past all of us, so we chased her down and… here we are!” Pinkie reported.

“We didn’t mean to mess up, but she was really fast, ” Fluttershy said.

“Well, you didn’t exactly warn us about her, though,” Rarity said. “I mean, I think she made me chip a hoof! And I just got it manicured too!”
 
Applejack smirked as she tightened her grip on the lasso.

“So would ya mind tellin’ us what’s goin’ on?” she asked. “Rainbow Dash wouldn’t tell us anything and you two have been nothin’ but cryptic since we all got together. So what is the whole hubbub about?”

“Also, why is this pony so special that we need to hold her against her will?” Pinkie added. “I hate to admit it, Twilight, but you’re beginning to scare us a bit. You and Rainbow Dash both.”

Twilight shifted a bit, trying to think fast, but her body language betrayed her. She had been caught off guard and her lack of eye contact gave something away that seemed to be very suspicious.

“I know you’re wondering what is going on, but please, I need you guys to trust me on this one. It’s better that you don’t know what’s going on.”

Her friends stared at her, their eyes all judging her every movement and inflection.

“Then I won’t be a part of whatever you’re doing,” Fluttershy said, standing up straight. “I’m not going to let you lay another hoof on Andromeda until you tell us what is going on.”

“Same here!” Rarity and Pinkie added.

“Me too,” Applejack said as she loosened the lasso.

“Fine by me,” Twilight said. “You guys go home. I’ll meet up with you in a bit.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I just realized! We chased Andromeda here and Twilight was already waiting on us. Why was she here in the first place and how did she know where Andromeda would go?”

“She’s got a point,” Fluttershy said. “You’re acting really suspicious, Twilight.”

“What’s inside the house?” Applejack inquired. “Were you stashing something away in there or are you hiding somepony from us?”

“Nopony in there but Zecora,” Andromeda said, standing to her feet as she pulled the lasso off of her.

“You know what? Ah don’t think ah believe you.”

“For the love of Equestria, Twilight!” Rarity moaned. “Just tell us what’s going on! You can both trust us to keep whatever secret you’re trying so desperately to hide.”

“Like she said,” Twilight confirmed, “there’s nothing inside but Zecora.”

Twilight watched as her friends’ expressions changed instantaneously. Their eyes all followed something that was behind her, their mouths gaped slightly. Turning around, Twilight could feel her cheeks burn bright out of anger as a clueless Berry stumbled his way towards the hut, a large pile of wood hanging over his back. Looking up for a brief second before returning his gaze to his hooves, he smiled lightly.

“Hey mom. Hey Applejack, Rarity, Fluterrrrrr… ohhhhhh….” he said, his eyes widening to the size of saucers as he looked back up at the others.

They all shared the same look of complete shock as he did. Berry let out a frustrated sigh.

“Ah, crabapples!”