Time Traveling Kids of the Mane Six! Ch. 13

CHAPTER 13: Twins in Time (First draft. Final version in the works)

Berry Pie woke up in a panic and jumped to his feet. Cold sweat and rain ran down his body with light drips onto the wooden floor. Looking down at his twin sister sleeping safe and sound beside him, he relaxed his tense shoulders and breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost forgotten where they were until his mind fully adjusted to consciousness again. They were in the Apple farm treehouse.

How they had made it here, he couldn't remember, but at this point he didn't care as his sky-blue eyes scanned his slowly darkening surroundings. The room was full of crayon-drawn posters in a stack, a picture frame, and various other things. This did not look like the setup Berry knew as a colt or saw recently, reminding him what Bismarck said about how they had traveled back in time.

If there was any proof, the pictures and drawings of and by Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom in the room confirmed it. He approached a portrait of Scootaloo and looked at it keenly. For years, the original CMC's had played with him and his sister when he and Cherry were foals. In a way, the original Cutie Mark Crusaders were adopted aunts to them since they were as close as family. As he continued to reminisce the "past," white lightning flashed into the treehouse and reflected against the pictures with a brief strobe of light.

Seconds later, loud growls of thunder sounded off outside of their shelter, reminding him where he had been not too long ago. The pink-colored stallion turned his attention to the weather and lit the small lantern that sat on the desk before walking towards the windows and looking outside. The last rays of the sun were beginning to disappear over the horizon, the grey barricade of storm clouds nearly hiding it from sight. Heavy rain continued to splash and patter on the roof and windowpane with a single droning ambiance. Had he not been so chilled to the bone from its frigid touch, Berry would have considered it relaxing.

Looking back at Cherry Pie, he frowned. Like him, she was soaked. Her normally wavy magenta hair was now straight and dark on the floor from the water, making a puddle underneath the young pink mare. Though she was still asleep, her body could still feel the cold and shivered lightly. Berry looked around the room for anything he could use. There was not much to be found in the small room, so he would have to make due. Spotting the pink window curtains, he lightly removed them and covered his trembling sister with them. Sensing the warmth of cover, her hoof pulled it towards her body with a tight squeeze. Berry smiled as her conflicted face began to grow softer and deeper in dreamland and laid down next to her to return to sleep himself.

Before he began to drift, a feeling of fear froze him even more violently than the icy droplets that dotted his coat. Somewhere, in that storm, Bismarck and Radiance were still out there. Berry knew that with Radiance's broken leg, finding shelter would have been difficult with Bismarck having to carry her. Berry clenched his teeth with a feeling of hopelessness and frustration. He wanted more than anything to go looking for them, but somepony had to watch Cherry. Even worse, he had no idea where they were and would have to wait for the bright of day before he could attempt to search for his friends.

Sleepless rest taunted his exhausted body while the luminating softness of the moon's beams began to slowly break through the dissipating clouds above. Their silvery light shone through the treehouse windows and fell before Berry, reminding him that nighttime was officially here. Turning his head towards the moon's glow, Berry sighed.

"Please be alright." he said softly before lowering his head to sleep.

*****

Beside him, Cherry's mind raced and found rest difficult as well. Nightmares plagued her and even after the cold subsided with her new blanket, the world felt icy in her dark dream. In it, she found herself standing in the middle of Ponyville and soon realized that the town was deserted. Windows all around her were shattered and the streets were full of gangly weeds. The town was cold, grey, and lifeless to its core.

"Hello?" Cherry called out, her voice echoing through the town. "Is anypony there?"

There was no reply. Only the solitary whistling of the wind greeted her. She continued to walk through the square, desperately hoping to find someone. Rust and ash covered the ground and each hoofstep made a light crunching sound. These sounds burrowed in her mind and tormented her until, without any explanation, she began to run. Building after building was passed until she finally reached her house. Bursting her way through the door, she cried out in desperation.

"Mom?" she yelled. "Dad? Berry?"

Looking all around the house, all she found was broken china and creaky old floorboards worn by dust and decay. Her family was nowhere to be found. Sitting down on what was her parents' bed, a deep sadness that Cherry had never experienced before fell upon her heart like a heavy weight. Tears flowed from her eyes in absolute sorrow and blinded her from the dark world. There she laid on the bed, alone and cold, until reality woke her from her dream.

Morning birds chirped all over the Apple farm, proclaiming the arrival of the new day. Cherry got up slowly, awoken by the bright sun flashing through her eyelids. She needed a moment to breathe. Every ounce of her being wanted to cry again. Her soul felt torn and her tears dampened her face from the dream. With a sniffle, she wiped them with a blanket.

"A blanket?" Cherry repeated what she was thinking aloud as she looked at the cover she was using.

She did not remember how she got the window curtain, nor how she ended up in the Cutie Mark Crusader treehouse to begin with. All she could recall was the violent storm and the worried look on her brother's face. Remembering her twin, she turned her head to see Berry was sprawled on the floor next to her and snoring loudly. Trying not to wake him, Cherry looked around a bit before she opened the door and walked onto the surrounding porch. The yellow sun bathed her in tender warmth as she looked out towards the edge of Ponyville below. Branches and leaves covered the ground in the post-storm morning, the dew and remaining rain from the previous making the town glisten. At that moment, despite the carnage of the storm, Ponyville looked...

"Beautiful." Cherry whispered to herself, trying to remind herself that this was reality.

A yawn sounded off behind her, followed by a very tired looking Berry. A few moments later, he joined her at the porch and leaned on the wooden railing next to her.

"Thank you." Cherry said with a smile.

Berry nodded with a smile back.

"You're welcome."

The siblings said nothing while they looked out at the town, both secretly not wanting to mention the previous night. They couldn't. The events that were happening to them were a lot to take and the thought of their friends being lost or worse scared them. Cherry glanced at her brother with worried blue eyes. There were no words, but Berry knew what she was thinking. After a while, Berry broke the silence with a solemn icebreaker.

"I heard you crying last night."

Cherry's face contorted from the memory, still feeling like teardrops were lying on her cheeks. She said nothing, choosing to continue to watch Ponyville.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know." she said with worry. "I've never had a dream like what I did last night."

"Was it a nightmare?"

Cherry thought a moment.

"No," she answered with surprise, "and yes. I don't really know what it was. All I know is that I've never felt so sad in all my life!"

Berry pondered the thought. A puzzle was piecing in his mind.

"Bismarck had a nightmare too." he said, making the connection. "He had it when you and Radiance were sleeping at the camp. I have never seen him so worked up before."

"What do you think it means?"

Berry had no idea. Time travel, storms, and nightmares were not the kinds of things he was used to. It didn't matter though, because as soon as Cherry asked the question, voices were heard nearby.

"Hide!" the two exclaimed with panicked looks.

Their eyes darted around for an escape route. They had no time to get out of the treehouse without getting caught, so they hid on the other side of the treehouse porch, hoping the visitors would pass.

"Not a word." Berry whispered.

"I'm telling you guys," a filly was saying, "I left my cape at home. There's no way they could have gotten to it."

"Then how in tarnation did they have crusader capes?" another added. "Ah thought we were the only ones who did that!"

"I know we are!" the third exclaimed. "I made those capes myself!"

Even as children, the voices of the original CMC were unmistakable. Berry and Cherry's heads spun towards each other in awe of their situation.

"No way!" Cherry mouthed silently.

"But this is definitely my cape." Scootaloo replied as the three fillies began to climb the treehouse ramp. "Look at the stitches. They are exactly in the same place where I ripped it on Fluttershy's fence. How do you explain that?"  

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were at a loss. After yesterday's Field Day events went awry, questions were abounding about the new foals in town.

"Well it looks like we're just going to have to figure this out!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she opened the door to the treehouse.

Berry and Cherry continued to hide on the other side of the wall, hoping this visit would be over soon. Any movement could bring attention to them if they were not careful. Patience would have to be their virtue.

"Shouldn't we just talk to them?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Just ask for the truth!"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other with an "are you serious" expression and then back at her.

"While ah admire yer optimism that they'll tell us the truth," Apple Bloom said as she reached for some paper and a crayon, "ah don't think they're going to tell us anythin' right now."

"Besides," Scootaloo added, "we don't even know where they are. After the storm yesterday, I haven't seen them anywhere. I just know they're here in Ponyville because I saw them running in the opposite direction of Canterlot."

Berry and Cherry knew who they were talking about and listened closely to every word. If they had jumped back in time, then so had Orion, Peach Cobbler, and Bucky. From outside the treehouse they could hear a fluttering of paper and the spilling clacks of colorful crayons rolling on the floor. Apple Bloom began writing while her friends watched.

"If we're gonna solve the mystery and find out what's goin' on," she explained while she etched words onto the sheet, "then we're gonna hafta look at the clues we've got."

Sweetie Belle's face lit up with excitement.

"Like a puzzle! We'll be detectives!"

"Cutie Mark Detectives!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

The three fillies were in agreement. If they were going to have to figure out just what was going on with these strange new guests, they would have to investigate. With a scuffling of papers and whatever else they could grab, the three fillies collected their gear and made their way to the door.

"Come on, girls!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Let's go solve a mystery!"

The three ran down the ramp and towards town with giddy excitement. Berry and Cherry remained silent and motionless for a while longer until the coast was clear. With a sigh of relief, they relaxed against the wall, near-speechless about what was happening.
"That was close." Cherry gasped as if she had held her breath the entire time.

"Too close," Berry replied, "but I'm more worried about those three discovering Orion, Bucky, and Peach Cobbler. If they find out who they are, something tells me bad things will happen."

"Berry," Cherry sighed, "bad things always happen when they're involved in these things."

Berry peeked around the corner to see if the CMC were gone. Nothing but the occasional bird flying could be seen.

"Good point. So what should we do?"

*********

"How should I know?" Andromeda replied, aggravated by Tempest's incessant asking. "Mom never wrote a 'how NOT to time travel' book for me to read."

Tempest rolled his eyes at her while Zecora set up breakfast for them. All day they had stayed with her and recovered, using the time to come up with a plan. After they had woken up, Flora and Tempest set the table while Andromeda helped in the kitchen.

"Oh, I am so hungry!" Flora cried at the smell of the food. "Thank you very much, Zecora!"

Zecora's eyes sparkled with a soft motherliness. Ever since she had discovered who they were, her aura had immediately changed. She was just as sweet now as the kids had known her to be all their lives. With a smile, she continued to prepare the food with nervous anticipation of their reactions.

"I do not have much food to eat, but I've whipped up a little treat. I did not expect company and I only have old recipes. This food is native to my land, so I'm afraid it's nothing grand."

Tempest and Flora looked at each other with a grin. It was the same recipe she showed them when they were foals.

"It's perfect, Zecora." Andromeda said with appreciation. "Thank you."

A slamming noise rang through her ear from the other room.

"Tempest!" Andromeda shouted. "Quit pigging out! Zecora and I haven't even sat down at the table yet!"

"It's wasn't me, I swear!" he yelled back in defense.

Zecora turned the corner to see a starved Flora with a stuffed face. Her bright aqua eyes grew with a pitiful look of remorse as she sunk low in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry." She squeaked. "Please forgive me."

The tribal zebra laughed with delight.  

"It's quite alright, don't be sorry. I can now see you're quite hungry. Now let us eat. I'm famished too and I have other things to brew. For all the tales that you have said, there will be a long day up ahead."

The three ponies gathered at the small table and sat down. Tempest looked out the window as they ate, gears turning in his head.

"Hey," he began in an unsure tone, "you don't think our friends got caught in the storm do you?"

Flora looked up from her food and gulped with a panicked expression. Andromeda's sunset eyes glared him down for reminding them. Tears welled up in Flora's eyes at the thought of Peach Cobbler getting caught in the hurricane-like winds and rain.

"What if my sister was out there?!? And Orion and Bucky! And Bismarck and.."

Like her mother, she was easily distressed and soon began to hyperventilate, whimpering at the thought of her little sister alone and afraid. Tempest and Andromeda rushed to their friend to calm her down.

"They're going to be okay!" Andromeda reassured with a soothing voice. "They're probably somewhere in Ponyville right now, safe and sound."

"Besides," Tempest added, "we're going to look for them today. Don't worry about it. We'll find them."

Flora nodded and wiped her tears. No longer feeling hungry, she pushed her food away and sighed. Tempest nodded for Andromeda to follow him to the other room and led her to a private part of the hut. When they were alone, he gave a 'quiet' motion to his lips and whispered.

"I don't know if this is a good idea, Andromeda. I don't know if I can handle trying to calm her nerves. If she keeps this emotional breakdown going, she's going to alert all of Ponyville."

Andromeda peeked around the corner to see Zecora pouring some hot tea into a cup and handing it to Flora. The green Pegasus smiled lightly and thanked her kind host before drinking some to calm her nerves. Andromeda returned her gaze to Tempest and motioned to herself.

"Look at me, Tempest. I'm a spitting image of my mother! I can't risk going with you yet because I look too much like her. If I get caught, it's going to be hard to explain."

"What about me?" Tempest inquired. "I look like my mom and Flora looks like her mom."

"Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are different. Your mom is such a free spirit, nopony would even consider her ever marrying, let alone having a kid. Then there's Fluttershy, who is probably the only pony who gets embarrassed for being naked."

"But we're always naked."

"Exactly. Can you see her having kids?"

Tempest looked back at Flora as well.

"Honestly, I still can't."

"That's why you two need to go. Zecora and I will stay here to find a way for me to walk through Ponyville without drawing attention. Plus, you're both pegasi, so you can get around much faster than I could. You will need to get in, look around, and get out in as little time as possible without catching suspicion."

*****************

"No suspicion." Cherry repeated to her brother. "Got it. So first we head towards Ponyville, look for our friends, and then we find a place to hide so nopony sees us."

"Yes," Berry replied, "that's the plan."

"Then let's go!" Cherry said as she ran down the ramp, not keeping her eyes off of him. "Before we…"

With an ungraceful thud, she hit the ground hard.

"Cherry!" Berry yelled from the balcony. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Cherry groaned. The pain wasn't too bad, but it was enough for her to feel sore and scratched up a bit. She was notoriously clumsy, but when she looked  down at what she had tripped on, her pink face grew redder from humiliation.

"Pencils." She muttered. "I tripped on…."

"My pencils!" a voice cried out in shock.

The twins froze in place in silence, praying to Celestia that it was just the wind. The voice spoke up again.

"What are you doing in our treehouse?"

Berry and Cherry turned to see Sweetie Belle standing beside them.

'Oh no,' Cherry thought, 'she must have dropped her pencils and decided to come back to get them!'

'We are so dead.' Berry thought, almost reading her mind.

The two looked at each other in a desperate 'you tell them' glance before returning their attention to the three fillies they only remembered as mares. Berry knew he had to think fast.

"We're sorry." He said, hoping his sister would catch on. "We were just walking in the woods here and we saw this beautiful treehouse. Did you three make it?"

Apple Bloom beamed with a bit of pride.

"Nah, but ah did fix'er up. It was pretty rickety when we first saw it."

"Well it's very pretty." Cherry continued. "When we saw it, we thought nopony was here, so we looked around. I'm sorry about your pencils. I guess I'm a bit clumsy."

"It's okay." Sweetie Belle replied with a forgiving tone. "We have more in the treehouse."

Scootaloo, on the other hand, was more suspicious than her friends and scanned them.

"You're not from Ponyville," She said with an investigative look. "but you look like our friend Pinkie Pie. Are you two relatives or something, or did Pinkie get caught in the cloning pool again?"

Time stood still. The moment had arrived where improve was needed at its greatest, and somehow, the Pie twins thrived at it. As if by second nature, they began to weave a tale of convincing parallel to each other's contribution.

"Well," Cherry began, "you see, my brother and I are from a far-off berry farm beyond the deserts."

"We came here because we heard Ponyville has fantastic apples." Berry continued.

"When we arrived, we decided to take a walk through town first before we look at the apple orchards."

"Your town is very nice and we kind of got carried away in our exploring."

The twins were on a roll now. The Crusaders stood there, listening to their story, spoken by one and then the other, back and forth.

"We asked directions to the farm from this yellow-eyed grey Pegasus a while back," Cherry explained, "but I think she pointed us in the wrong direction."

"She pointed in one direction, but her eyes were in two others."

        "It was like they weren't on speaking terms."

"And so here we are." Berry finished with a slight grin of satisfaction. "Now we've got to get going. It was nice talking to you. Bye."

And just like that, the two pink ponies trotted off, staying slow enough to not look conspicuous. The crusaders just stood where they were, speechless and dumbfounded by their random encounter. After the twins had left their sight, they finally broke the silence.

"Uh," Apple Bloom said aloud, "what just happened?"

"I have no idea!" Sweetie Belle shrugged. "I still feel like Pinkie Pie cloned herself all over again and was talking to us."

"Yeah," Scootaloo added, "tell me about it."

***************

Meanwhile, Tempest and Flora stood at the doorway of Zecora's, looking in at their host.

"We'll be back soon." Flora said. "We need to look for our friends and family."

"Good luck to you, my little mare. Do not forget you must beware!"

"We'll be careful." Tempest nodded. "See you guys later."

The two pegasi crouched to the ground slightly.

"Ready to find your sister, Flora?" he asked.

"Ready!"

With a powerful jump, the two sprang into the air. Their green and blue wings flew open and fluttered in the wind as they broke through the forest canopy above and disappeared. Andromeda looked up with a worried look. Flora was good at blending into a crowd, but Tempest was as reckless as they came. If he didn't have an exceptional vision that was perfect for a "search and rescue mission," she would have asked him to stay behind.

'Please don't do anything rash.' She thought to herself as she returned to the hut.