Chapter 1: The Time Machine
Sunny woke up with a start. She glanced to her left and right. Everypony was out of bed, and the sun had already risen. She threw the covers off and stretched. Heading down the stairs, she caught a whiff of her favorite breakfast: sparkle donuts and coffee. Her mouth curled into a satisfied grin and she trotted to the kitchen.
"Hi, Hitch!" Sunny greeted the pony behind the delightful aroma. "Could you pass me a donut?"
"Sure thing," he responded, picking out the one with the most sprinkles. "Coffee too?"
"Of course," Sunny replied. "No way am I passing up a nap in a cup."
Hitch laughed. "You do that. Oh, and I have to go to the sheriff's office. There have been a lot of complaints about earth shaking lately." He gazed accusingly at her.
Sunny let out an uneasy laugh and quickly changed the subject. "Where are the others?"
"Zipp's out investigating. Misty and Pipp are at Mane Melody, and Izzy is unicycling an old mailbox. Why? Were you looking for one of them?"
"No," she admitted. "It's just… maybe you shouldn't worry about all the earth shaking? Just trust me, okay?"
Hitch rolled his eyes. "Why am I surprised?" When he caught wind of Sunny's glare, he added, "I mean, I'll be heading out now." He showed a shaky smile.
When the Earth pony had gone, Sunny let out a breath. "Time to go to the basement. I have an amazing discovery to continue."
The door swung open and she stood at the top of a winding staircase downward into a dark and damp basement. Donut and coffee cup floating by magic, she carefully stepped downward into the seeming abyss. When she reached the bottom, she flipped open a book labeled, "Notes on My Projects." The page Sunny landed on was titled, "The Time Machine." She was so close to perfecting it, the thought sent tingles down her spine.
Sunny flipped a lever here and pressed a button there. She read a spell of gateway opening and blasted the crystal at the top of the machine. She picked up a pen, clicked it, watched excitedly, and… nothing happened.
Sunny waited expectantly, but a few minutes passed and the machine didn't do anything. She sighed and took a sip of coffee. Had she read the spell wrong? Was she not to press the button?
She turned away, disappointed. "If only…"
A whoosh came from behind her and she looked back.
Sunny stood appalled at the open gateway back in time. She took a cautious step. Then, another. She shrugged. "What could I lose?" She closed the space in between her and the gateway as she stepped in, instantly whooshed away.