(Author's Note: Timeskip is not my own character. They were invented by BlackRoseBandKitsune, and they are used with permission. Everything used to describe this character is intended to be, but may not be, 100% accurate as to how they actually are. Now, without further ado...)
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The incessant ticking of the clock was insanity. Timeskip slouched lazily in her seat, trying to convince her brain to turn it into a song. The teacher droned on and on, something about ancient beings that roamed Equestria a long time ago. She didn’t care about monsters that were as old as the Old World itself; she wanted to know what could pose a threat to her right now.
Finally, a screeching of the bell released her from her seat. Without missing a beat, Timeskip tightened her saddlebags and raced out of the school, much to the displeasure of the faculty. She had a lot of homework to do that day, and she wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. As her name might suggest, Timeskip was always in a rush to complete every task she was given as quickly as she could. She didn’t show enough respect to care about the past, and she was too young to really plan for the future—she only cared about what was happening “in the now.”
Timeskip raced down the street, ahead of all of her classmates—but she suddenly stopped in front of a dark alley. She had always been told by both her parents to never go into that alley, but she never quite understood why. The long alley cut right through the center of her town, built around rather highrise buildings. It was true that it stayed dark at all times of day…but it was such an ideal route of transport; why didn’t anypony ever use it?
Of course, it would have only taken thirty more seconds for her to reach her home had she gone around the alley, but that was the last thing on Timeskip’s mind at the time. Something within her brain seemed rather rebellious that day, and thus, she continued her little sprint onto the dark, dismal path.
As she was, Timeskip took no interest of her surroundings, but if she had looked around, she would have felt much more uncomfortable going through the alley. The buildings all seemed to be purple; the windows empty of any light. With such a uniform color scheme, it looked like something out of a horror movie—surreal and very offsetting.
Timeskip sped along, hoping to reach home as quickly as she could, when a dark figure flying overhead turned straight down and landed directly in front of her. Scared half to death, she stopped dead and looked over the black outline of the figure rapidly. The first thing that was notable was that they were significantly larger than her—about the size of fair Princess Celestia, though Timeskip wasn’t going to think of that immediately. They had the distinct squarish muzzle of a colt, and they had wings…and a horn? Who was this mysterious attacker?!
As if to answer her question, the darkness seemed to part around the figure, revealing his attributes in color. The light glinted off of his pure silver mane, which seemed to be flowing despite the sheer lack of wind. His hair had a color not unlike ancient parchment, and his barely colored gray-purple eyes seemed to have a haze over them; focused, yet somewhere else entirely. Mind racing, Timeskip looked for the quickest unique indication—his cutie mark. With him standing directly in front of her, it was out of her vision, but a silver pocket watch hanging around his neck provided an even better indicator.
The figure calmly folded up his wings, and bent down to look at his prey more closely. It didn’t matter if she tried to run; it was too late for any running, anyway. Naturally, Timeskip took a step back. The figure seemed distantly familiar, and she desperately wracked her brain, trying to remember who it was. Suddenly, it came to her, and knowing who it was only worsened her fear. Timeskip started trembling nervously, knowing panic that wasn’t directly linked to time for the first time in her life. “I know you! You’re…you’re…”
The figure smiled sadistically. “Good…I’m glad they’re teaching you something in school these days.” This was even easier than he had expected.
Timeskip stumbled backwards, hoping she could get away from this ancient force. “My—my mama said you only came after bad fillies…! What do you want from me…?!” With tears of fear welling up in her eyes, it was then that Timeskip tried to run back to where she had entered the alley.
And as Timeskip made her escape move, the figure made a move of his own. “Your mama lied to you, kid,” he said in his naturally cold tone of voice, his horn lighting up a dust-brown color. Particles seemed to lift up from the ground itself and surround Timeskip. Soon, she found herself encased in some sort of glass dome.
As the figure released his magic, Timeskip could literally feel her body falling apart—as if decay was rapidly taking hold of it, making its very essence fall apart and tumble into some tiny hole at the bottom of the dome. The figure looked at his handiwork, a smile of satisfaction on his face. “Life’s got a lot of bumps, kid,” he said in an eerily calm voice. “If you wind up surviving this one, you’d best be ready the next time one comes around.” With that, the figure calmly walked to the mouth of the alley, looking out into the street. All Timeskip could do now was cry—cry, and pray somepony would come looking for her before it was all too late.
Slightly accustomed to the darkness of the alley, the figure blinked in the sunlight for a few seconds. Off in the distance, he spotted another city—this did not surprise him; it had been a while since he had headed this way. To be honest, it frightened him a little, as he did not want to attract the attention of the Princesses by attacking so close to their home. Upon briefly darting out into the street and consulting a sign as to the name of the town, the figure sprang into the air and soared on powerfully towards his location. On the wind, one could hear his casual voice speaking once more: “Ponyville…sounds like a nice place to live, actually.”