Constant was studying the information he had collected from the books in the library. Most of the laws of physics discovered in this universe were identical to those he learned in his own, so he was able to skim over that. However, he had to study the laws of physics relating to magic more closely, given that he had no experience with it. At least, not in this universe. He had heard about the so-called magic used by the Carrionite race, and he wondered if there was some kind of connection. Unable to find one, he went back to the basics of the magic in this universe. It wasn't long after that, however, that he found himself needing to take a break. He closed the files he had written and turned away from the console. After all that work, he decided to go back to his other projects, specifically, Jethrek's newer arms and the stun weapon.
Jethrek, who had been with him this whole time watching the time probe data, looked in his direction as he walked out. "Do you need assistance?" he asked.
"No, thank you," Constant said, "Uh...How's your ability to interact with the consoles?"
Jethrek looked to the arms on his travel machine. "Slow."
"Well, that'll soon change," Constant said with a slight smile. He walked out, leaving Jethrek looking at the doorway he went through.
Constant went to the lab and looked at the progress he had made with the new equipment. He had very little left to add to them, so it only took a hour to finish them with precise detail. "Jethrek," he said through an intercom panel, "Would you come down to the lab, please?"
"On my way," Jethrek replied.
Constant waited patiently. He looked over his work thoroughly to make sure he did not miss anything. When Jethrek arrived, he looked to him. "I think I'm going to want to avoid the Daleks altogether now," he said, "the exception being you."
"Why?" Jethrek asked.
"Because of this," he said, moving aside to show Jethrek his latest work.
Jethrek was surprised. "I see what you mean," he said, "If any other Dalek saw this, they would want you as a new engineer in their forces."
"So, do you want them?" he asked.
"Yes, please," Jethrek replied, "If we are going to get back to our own universe, I must be able to interface more comfortably with the consoles."
Constant could only smile at that statement. "Then let's get started."
About an hour later, Constant had finished installing the arms on Jethrek's travel machine. He tried swiveling them around and turning the elbow joints. Then he tried picking up a small container. "The Daleks will hate you, Constant." Jethrek meant that in a playful way.
Constant laughed. "They sure will, Jethrek. Uh...hold on a moment..." He opened Jethrek's left arm and installed something cylindrical. After he closed it, he stood in front of Jethrek. "Try tapping button 4C on the left panel."
Jethrek did so, and the "palm" of Jethrek's left hand opened to reveal a hollow tube. "Explain."
"Remember when I told you that I would give you a weapon that was non-lethal?" Constant asked
"Yes," Jethrek replied.
"That weapon does only two things," Constant explained, "Stun and paralyze."
Jethrek was surprised. "Why did you go this far?"
"Well," Constant said, "One, you will need a way to defend yourself if the need arises. Two, I am demonstrating a lot of trust in you by doing this."
Jethrek nodded his eye stalk. "Has the weapon been tested yet?"
"I tested it using that target over there," Constant replied, showing a semi-scorched sheet of metal with markings on it, "but I think we should test it again since it's on your suit now."
"I agree," Jethrek said, "Should we test it in the empty chamber?"
Constant nodded. "Yeah, let's do that."
Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Maud Pie had returned, and was walking toward Golden Oaks Library. Her pace varied, as she looked back every few seconds or minutes. A few times, she even turned and walked backwards to make sure she was not being followed. Once she reached the door, she turned around one last time, looking in all possible directions. Turning so that her right side faced the door, she opened the door and rushed in as quickly as possible, breathing heavily.
Spike, who was reading a book near the staircase, looked in her direction. "Maud! Wow, you were in a hurry to get here. What happened?"
Maud panted one last time before answering. "Is...Constant here?"
Spike sat up. "I think so. He should be in the Monitor right now. Why?"
Maud sighed. "My family and I had to move out of Rockville temporarily. Some of our customers started disappearing in the middle of preparations."
Twilight could easily tell that Maud was scared about what she was talking about. She was hiding no emotions at this time. "Disappearing?"
"Do you mean 'run away' disappearing or 'poof' disappearing?" Spike asked.
Maud looked to Spike. "'Poof' disappearing," she replied, "I asked around, and I even went to the families of some of the customers, and they said that the ponies I was looking for had...died. They showed me their graves."
Spike gulped. "So they were killed? But how?"
"Well, from the dates on the tombstones," Maud replied, "It was one of two things: One, they were already dead, and we had seen their ghosts...or two, they were thrown back in time."
Twilight looked to her. "How can that be? The last time I tried going back in time, I couldn't stay very long. It only lasted for a minute before I returned to the present."
"Well, it seems that when these ponies went back in time," Maud said, "they were there to stay."
Twilight nodded. "Okay, I think we should definitely talk to Constant about this. Come with me." She led Maud and Spike outside to where the Monitor was disguised as the extraneous branch on the library. She knocked where she believed the door was.
Constant and Jethrek had just finished testing the new stun weapon when a nearby control panel beeped. Jethrek walked over and pressed the panel, and the screen above it showed that Twilight, Maud Pie, and Spike were outside, and that Twilight had knocked on the entrance door. "Looks like we have company, Jethrek," Constant said, "Let's see what they want." They went to the main control room and Constant set the door to manually open so that the sound wouldn't attract too much attention. "Hello, Twilight, Spike, and Maud. What can we do for the three of you?"
"Actually, it's Maud who needs your help the most," Twilight stated, "Her family’s customers have been disappearing and she believes that it's time-related."
"Oh?" Constant asked.
Maud nodded.
Constant looked around. "Okay, uh, Jethrek, would you prefer to stay here or accompany me to the library?"
Jethrek looked to him, "I'll accompany you."
"Alright," Constant said. He turned on his perception filter and set the systems to automatic scanning. After that, he and Jethrek accompanied the two ponies and one dragon inside the library. "Okay," Constant said, "So, start from the beginning."
"It started last week," Maud explained, and she told him and Jethrek everything she had told Twilight. "We had to move out because of this. We're currently staying in Cherry Hill Ranch."
"Wait a minute, does Pinkie Pie know about this yet?" Spike asked.
"No," Maud replied, "I was in a hurry to get here."
"Let us review what you explained," Jethrek said, "You said that your customers disappeared without a trace and that you found out later that they died some time in the past?"
Maud nodded.
Constant stood up from the seat he had taken. "There are several possibilities, the way I see it. Some more likely than others. Narrowing it down..." He took a device out of his jacket pocket and used it to link with the Monitor. Looking at the screen on said device, he typed in commands and waited for the results. "I'm definitely seeing something in Rockville...Temporal distortions...That narrows it down to one possibility...but I'd have to go there personally to confirm it."
"Can you save the ponies who were lost then?" Maud asked.
Constant looked down. He was afraid that someone would ask that question. "If it is what I think it is, then no," he replied, "All I can possibly do is prevent more ponies from disappearing like that."
"Why can't you save them, then?" Spike asked, "What do you think caused the ponies to disappear?"
Constant did a final scan of the nearby area. "Hang on a second," he said, scanning the area nearby. "Good, there's no indication that it followed you, Maud."
"What could have followed me?" Maud asked.
Constant sat down again, putting his device back in his pocket. "Did you see a statue when each of your customers disappeared?"
Maud raised an eyebrow. "Yes, now that you mention it," she said, "It just showed up at our rock farm one day. We thought maybe someone had left it behind, so we just left it there. We didn't even take it with us to Cherry Hill Ranch."
"Did it have wings?" Constant asked.
Maud nodded again.
Constant looked to Jethrek, who looked to him. "One last thing," Constant asked, looking back to Maud, "Did it follow you?"
Maud's eyes widened slightly, but only for a moment. "Uh...now that you mention it...I thought I did see it move a few steps away from the rock farm when we left..."
"That's not good," Constant said, "Jethrek, are you aware of a race called Weeping Angels?"
Jethrek looked to him, surprised. "The Daleks have heard stories about them, but we considered them to be a superstitious myth."
"They aren't," Constant said, shaking his head.
"Weeping...Angels?" Twilight asked.
"Before I go into that, "Constant said, "Maud, how many statues did you see?"
"Just one," Maud replied.
"Are you sure?" Constant asked, "Absolutely?"
Maud nodded again, this time her face showing slight worry.
Constant sighed again. "Well that's only partly a relief." Everyone else looked to him. He moved to a different seat at the table so he could face them. "The Weeping Angels are one of the oldest races in the universe Jethrek and I come from. Some say that they are nearly as old as the universe itself. The reason why they end up in ghost stories is because of their nature. Anyone who has seen one, or several, would have only seen stone statues, but once they looked away...chances are that their friends would never have seen them again."
"So you're saying that they throw anyone they see back in time or something?" Spike asked.
"Yes," Constant replied, "You see, the Weeping Angels are a quantum-locked species. They are stone statues as long as you look at them, but once you blink, or once you look away, they are free to move as long as either action prevents you from looking at them, and they move very fast. One touch, and they can send you back in time. The reason is so that they can live off your potential temporal energy, the time you would have lived."
Spike's eyes went wide. Maud looked down slightly, unable to hold back any indication of sadness or fear. As much as it also scared Twilight a little, she was also curious. "How far back do they send you?" she asked.
"That varies," Constant replied, "Sometimes they'll send you a century back, or longer, sometimes they'll send you later than a century back, and sometimes, they'll even send you back at just the right moment that your life ends at the exact moment that you were taken...or a little earlier or later."
"But if this is all true," Jethrek said, "Then why are they called 'Weeping Angels'? I do not see how any of that information relates to the name."
Constant looked to him. "A very good question, Jethrek. You see, they can also turn to stone when they look at each other." He turned off his perception filter. "So anyone who has seen a Weeping Angel firsthand would have seen them covering their faces like this." He put his hands over his face. "It's not because they're crying, it's because they need to give each other the chance to move."
"Now it is clear," Jethrek said.
Constant turned his head back so that he could face everyone at the same time. "I did more extensive research on them in my free time. As it turns out, the Weeping Angels have more tricks up their sleeves. If you were to look into an Angel's eyes, you would be infected by them because their image imprints itself in your mind. Eventually you become an angel yourself. Another is that if their image is captured by any kind of imaging device, a camera, or otherwise, that image is itself an angel. As a result, they can come out of the image and take their victims. One last thing...they can take control of statues since they are in the forms of living beings."
Spike gulped. "Well, what are we going to do about it?"
Constant sighed, a solemn expression on his face. "That...I don't know. There is no other way to study the Angel except in person. We'll have to make sure that it's not from this universe, and that's only a part of it. "
"So are you going to keep him aboard your ship?" Twilight asked.
"No, that would be dangerous," Constant said, "There is enough time energy in there for them to feast on for a lifetime. Twilight, do you recall when you stopped Nightmare Moon from turning the skies dark forever?"
"Yes," Twilight replied.
"Well imagine what would happen if there was no sun at all," Constant stated with a serious face.
Twilight and Maud both took a step back in surprise. "No sun?" Twilight asked.
"Without the sun," Jethrek pondered, "There wouldn't be enough light for the plant life to absorb...everyone on the planet would have to have a mobile light source...--wait...the Weeping Angels...The Weeping Angels could hide in plain sight more easily!"
"Exactly, Jethrek," Constant said, "They wouldn't even give the population of a planet the chance to freeze to death due to lack of heat."
"I'll have to write a letter to Princess Celestia about this," Twilight said.
"Might as well," Constant said, remembering that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were aware of the situation he and Jethrek were in. "Jethrek, let's go back to the Monitor. We're going to make preparations before I go out there and help deal with this new problem."
"Of course," Jethrek said. Then it dawned on him what Constant said, "Wait...you? You're going alone?"
"I'm afraid so, Jethrek," Constant replied, "You see, you have a holographic screen inside your travel machine, which can capture the image of the Angel. If that Angel happens to create a visual record of itself in that system, it will actually be able to get you because it can leave the image."
The eyes of Jethrek's avatar went wide, but only for a moment. "The Daleks would be wise to avoid them," he said.
"Yes, they would," Constant agreed. He thought for a moment. "Maybe you can help in a way, actually. Sound by itself doesn't seem to present a problem when it comes to the Angels."
"You suggest that I stay aboard the Monitor and observe your progress through audio channels?" Jethrek asked.
Constant nodded. "Exactly."
Jethrek thought for a few moments, then let his avatar nod as well. "Very well."
Twilight looked to Constant. "Uh..should I ask Princess Celestia to prepare a portal spell to take it to another universe?"
Constant looked to her. "Good idea, except...Wait a minute...I heard from Applejack that you once took a trip to a universe where humans existed. Was that the only universe ever accessed from here?"
"I...don't know," Twilight replied honestly.
"That's a problem," Constant said, sighing, looking to Jethrek, "A really big problem. If that angel is indeed from our universe, then it is most likely the reason for us landing here in the first place. Every universe has it's own quantum signature, and I'm not willing to risk sending it off to some other universe where no one has seen or heard of the Weeping Angels in the first place...at any time."
There was a pause. Spike broke the silence. "What about mirrors?"
Constant looked to Spike. "Mirrors?"
"Yeah, mirrors," Spike went on, "If we bring plenty of mirrors, I'm sure that we can use them as a defense against the Angel. You said that they cover their eyes so they don't risk looking at each other, right?"
Constant could immediately see what Spike was thinking. "So what if they looked at themselves? Good thinking, Spike. Jethrek, I'll need your help to make some reflective surfaces.
Jethrek nodded. "What dimensions will they have to be?"
Constant pondered that. "Big enough so that they stand as tall as the person...or pony...who is carrying them."
"Might I recommend a curved surface, then?" Jethrek asked, pondering the idea further.
Constant nodded. "Good idea."
"So that means we have a solution?" Maud asked.
"Well, only part of the solution," Constant replied, "With the reflective surfaces, we have a way to contain the Angel, but only as long as we're there. We'd have to hold our defenses until real help comes."
"Not to mention that eventually the Angel will see past our trick and start attacking blind," Twilight observed, "Wait, can they hear when they're statues?"
"They can," Constant replied, "and that makes it a little more problematic."
"I'd better get working on that letter right away, then," Twilight said.
"Right, and I'll get the necessary equipment for this mission," Constant said, "Jethrek, I'll need your help preparing reflective surfaces. They'll need to be light enough for us to carry around with us."
Jethrek made his avatar nod. "Very well."
"What about my family?" Maud asked, "The rock farm is our main source of income and...if we lose it permanently..."
Constant could immediately tell what Maud was trying to say. "I understand, Maud," he said, "Just tell them that the situation is being taken care of and that you'll have your rock farm back soon. Also tell them that when this all blows over, no one will disappear anymore."
Maud nodded. "Okay."
Spike walked up. "Uh...so who's going to look after the library?"
They all looked to each other at the question. "Well we can't let this operation go public," Constant replied, "and now that I think about it, I think you should come along as well, Spike. We'll need you to send a message to Princess Celestia once we have the Weeping Angel trapped."
"That makes sense," Spike said, seeing that part of Constant's plan.
"Then I think it's settled," Constant said, "Unless....does anyone else have any...objections? Or things they want to add on?"
"Uh...Pinkie might want to know what's going on," Maud said.
Constant nodded. "Yeah, good point." He paused..."Go ahead and tell her. If she wants to join in, she's free to. We'll need all the help we can get in this situation."
Maud nodded in agreement.
"Seeing that we're going to need to do this as quickly as possible," Jethrek spoke up, "I'd recommend we use the Monitor to travel a short distance away from the rock farm. Then I can bring it back here."
Constant nodded. "Good idea." He turned to the ponies and Spike. "I just ask that the lot of you keep an open mind before you step into my ship."
Twilight looked to Constant in confusion. "Why?"
"Let's just say that some things are not always what they seem. You'll know more once we're ready to go."
Twilight looked to Spike, then to Maud, and then back to Constant again. "Okay."
A few hours passed before Constant was ready to go to Rockville. He wasn't sure if Pinkie Pie was coming, but he made a reflective surface for her to carry around just in case. Each reflective surface was made so it could fold and be carried like a backpack. Once Twilight, Maud, and Spike were standing in front of the Monitor, Constant knew it was time to get going. Twilight knocked on the Monitor's entrance door, and Constant opened it at once.
"The course is locked in," he said, "Are you ready to go?"
"Yep!" Spike replied. He was eager to go on this mission despite Twilight's concerns.
Suddenly Pinkie Pie sprung out from the right. "Hey!" she called out quietly, "Hold on, I'm coming too!"
Constant looked to her. "Ah, so Maud has briefed you on what's going on?"
Pinkie nodded.
Constant smiled, "Good, because I made a spare reflective surface for you to carry around when we get there."
"What for?" Pinkie asked.
"Weeping Angels are as much a threat to themselves as they are to others if they are in an environment where they are constantly looking at themselves," Constant explained, "So as long as each of us has a reflective surface, we're double-protected against the Angel in Rockville."
"Ah ha!" Pinkie said, seeing what Constant was talking about, "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"
"Of course," Constant said, "Time's a-wasting, and we don't want anypony else being thrown back in time." He and Jethrek lead everyone else inside the Monitor. As he expected, there were mixed reactions. Twilight's face was one of shock, Spike had some time to pause before he started running around to look at everything, and Maud was doing her best to keep a straight face when she walked in. The only being whose reaction was unusual was Pinkie Pie. When she walked in, one look around, and she was holding her breath. "Uh...Pinkie Pie?" Constant asked, "Are you alright?"
Pinkie nodded slowly. When Constant closed the doors, she let out a loud "WOW!" which startled him and just about everyone else. Even Jethrek had "side-stepped" in his travel machine from the console he was working on in reaction to her scream.
And speaking of which, his eye stalk turned to her. "Hello, Pinkie Pie," he greeted her.
"Hello to you too, Jethrek!" Pinkie replied.
If there was any moment for Maud to break her seemingly emotionless expression again, it was now. One look, and her eyes fully opened, and she backed up slightly. "Uh...you know him?" she asked Pinkie.
"Yeah!" Pinkie said excitedly, "We met---Oh!" She noticed Jethrek's new arms, "Uh...I see you changed your arms."
"Constant changed them," Jethrek replied, "He and I both agreed that single-jointed arms were inefficient." He went back to working at the control panel in front of him, the two fingers and one thumb on each hand clicking keys. His eye stalk turned. "Constant, the space drive is primed. We can leave at any time."
"Let's go, then!" Constant said, moving to the center console tower. "Everyone hold on to something, this might get a little quaky." Constant pressed the control key to get the Monitor moving, and the control chamber vibrated lightly. "Huh, I guess it got used to this universe more quickly than we expected," Constant observed.
It only took about 10 seconds for the Monitor to land a few miles away from Rockville. This time it was disguised as a large bush. After a few minutes, the doors opened, and Constant walked out, followed by Twilight, then Spike, and finally, Pinkie and Maud Pie. "Why did we have to land this far from Rockville?" Spike asked, carrying his reflective surface like a backpack.
Constant took out a scanner from his jacket and looked at it, turning it on. "We don't wish to alert the Angel of our presence that quickly," he replied, "The Angel would come to us very quickly and get one of us on the first step out, and then...I'll leave the rest to your imagination."
Jethrek came to the door, but did not come out. "I will only use audio signals from the time probes to keep track of your progress," he said as he opened his travel machine.
"Very good," Constant said, "I'll signal you once it's safe to take us back."
Jethrek closed the entrance doors, and a few seconds later, the Monitor vanished instantly.
"Well, let's do it," Constant said, looking to his scanner and walking. The three ponies and dragon followed. About half an hour later, Constant turned to them. Twilight, Maud, and Pinkie were all wearing their reflective surfaces like saddle packs, much like Spike was carrying his. "Those reflectors aren't too heavy, are they?" he asked.
"No," Twilight replied, "Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering because I didn't think to bring a cart if that was the case," Constant replied. He wasn't having trouble carrying his own reflective surface, as he carried it the same way Spike did. The walk was long, and Constant was continuously scanning the area ahead of them as they did. Even before they reached the outskirts of Rockville, he was already detecting indications of temporal activity. "I'm definitely detecting temporal anomalies in the area," he said, "All signs of temporal displacement...all going backwards in time."
"Any sign that the Angel is still here?" Twilight asked.
"I'm checking," Constant replied, "Scanning for motion...Yes, everyone get your reflective surfaces out now." Everyone took the reflective surfaces off their backs and unfolded them before holding them out like shields. "Keep an eye out," Constant instructed, "Look everywhere. We can't be careless just because we have these reflectors at our disposal." Pinkie Pie looked around like her life depended on it, shifting the direction her reflector was facing every once in a while. Everyone else did the same, except not as hastily. Spike had to look in opposite directions from his reflector, seeing that it was a little too big for him to be facing forward clearly, but he looked above it every chance he could. "I can't keep track of it's position," Constant reported, "It's moving too fast."
"Then I suggest we huddle together," Maud said, "Looking outward of course, that way we can catch it---"
Suddenly, there was the sound of metal clanging, followed by Spike crying out "Ow!" Everyone looked in his direction to find him sitting up on the ground holding his nose, and his reflector dented and half-folded. But he was not the center of attention for long, as everyone saw what it was that caused it to happen in the first place. There, standing with one front hoof on the ground and the other leg covering it's eyes was the Weeping Angel they were looking for. Because everyone was looking at him, he was now solid stone.
"Spike, move!" Constant exclaimed, "Get away from him!" Spike did so and rushed away as quickly as possible. "Everyone, focus on the Angel! Don't blink, don't look away, don't get distracted!" Constant said, "I need to scan him!" Constant pulled out his scanner and did so. "Scanning the quantum signature...Oh boy, he's definitely from my universe."
Twillight sighed. "So what now? You said we needed to contain him, right?"
"Yes," Constant confirmed, "but right now, he's trying to attack blind. I'm surprised he took the form of a pegasus, though. I thought he would retain his humanoid form. "
After a few minutes of Constant's scanning, Spike found that he couldn't keep his eyes open. "Constant, I really need to blink right now," he said, "My eyeballs feel dry."
"So do mine," Twilight said, "Isn't there another way we can do this?"
"I'm not sure yet," Constant said, "There's a reason Jethrek and I made these reflectors out of metal in the first place. Glass breaks more easily with the force that dented Spike's reflector, so standard mirrors aren't as reliable.
"Well you'd better think of something quick!" Pinkie said, worried, "I'm about to blink too!"
Constant looked up at the Angel. "Alright, everyone blink now!" Everyone did except for him. "Is that enough?"
"For the moment," Maud said.
Constant looked to the Angel, then to Spike, then to the trio of ponies. Before he could speak, however, he saw Twilight's horn glowing. "Don't do anything!" he said, but it was too late. Twilight fired her spell at the Angel, but it had no effect. "Twilight, an Angel is invincible when he or she has turned to stone. I was about to suggest that you use your magic to hold the reflectors around the Angel while the rest of us surround him."
"Are you sure that would work?" Twilight asked.
"It has to," Constant said, "Otherwise there's no way to contain him." He looked up at the sky. "We'd better hurry too. We're losing sunlight." At that moment, a slight gust of wind blew through Rockville. Everyone closed their eyes for a moment, but immediately regretted it when they saw the Angel standing dangerously close to Spike. Spike was paralyzed with fear, and the Angel was now looking closely at Spike's face, baring his fangs at him. "Spike, don't look in his eyes! Move!"
But at the moment, Spike was distracted by the fact that he was about to sneeze. Sneezing meant that he would have to close his eyes. He did remember Constant saying how dangerous it was to look into a Weeping Angel's eyes before they left the library, so he knew to look away from his eyes. "Ah....AAAH...."
Everyone tried to keep their eyes on Spike and the Angel, but the wind was still blowing dust. Even Constant had to blink at this point. Unfortunately, they picked a bad time to blink because at that moment, Spike sneezed, blowing out a mighty flame from his mouth. "AAAAH-CHOO---AAA--!" When everyone looked in his direction again, Spike was nowhere to be seen. The Angel, however, was covering his face and his mouth was open in such a way to indicate that he would have been screaming in pain due to the fire.
"SPIKE!" Twilight exclaimed, "NOOOO!"
Everyone else looked at the Angel in shock and misery, but Constant rushed over to where the Angel was and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, running it and waving it around him as he scanned.
"Constant, what are you doing?!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"Scanning this new anomaly while it's still fresh!" Constant replied, "I need to find out how far back the Angel sent him!" He got out his radio. "Constant to Jethrek! Constant to Jethrek, do you read me?"
"I am receiving," Jethrek replied over the radio, "What is your status?"
"We found the Angel," Constant said, "But we lost Spike."
"I will scan the probe data to find him," Jethrek replied.
Constant put his radio down on the ground as he kept working, kicking it away. Twilight, Maud and Pinkie kept looking at the Angel as they carefully approached him. "Constant, you've got to stop!" Twilight said, "You can't keep this up!...We can't keep this up!"
"Twilight," Constant said, keep his eye on the Angel every moment he could, "My arrival here was a mistake. I have reason to believe that this Angel was part of the cause. Even if he wasn't, I have reason to believe that he's a stowaway, which means I am responsible for what happened to Spike! Given the adventures that I've seen him go on with you and otherwise, I can tell that he's an important factor to the history of this world, and probably this universe! That's why I'm doing this!" His scanner beeped, and he looked to it. "I've got it!" he exclaimed, "By these readings, he's been sent ba---" Constant could not finish his sentence because at that moment, Twilight, Pinkie, and Maud were all in a position where they either had to blink because of the dust, or they were focused on Constant, which gave the Angel the advantage to strike.
Constant was gone.
"OH NO!" Pinkie exclaimed, "CONSTANT!"
Maud, seeing that the Angel was now facing forwards, rushed over with her reflector and faced it at the Angel.
"Jethrek to Constant."
The three ponies looked to the radio which Constant had kicked away from himself.
"Jethrek to Constant, please respond!"
They looked to each other, and Pinkie walked over to it.
"Constant, please respond! I have found when Spike was sent back!"
Pinkie tapped a button on the radio. "Uh...J--Jethrek...Pinkie Pie here."
"Pinkie Pie?" Jethrek asked, "Where is Constant?"
"The...the Angel got him," Pinkie whimpered.
There was a short pause. "I understand," Jethrek said, "What is your current---"
"Your efforts to trap me are useless."
Everypony looked in the direction of the Angel, each swearing that they heard Spike's voice.
"Spike?!" Twilight said, looking around with a tear in her eye, "Is that you, where are you?"
"You will not succeed."
Maud, who was still holding the reflector up, looked to the Angel and leaned her ear toward him.
"You will not be able to hold me here forever. Eventually something will break my line of sight toward the reflective contraption and I will be free."
Maud was surprised, but didn't show it. "It's the Angel. He's speaking in Spike's voice."
Twilight and Pinkie looked at the Angel in shock.
"If you do not wish to be thrown back in time you will comply with my demands," the Angel continued in Spike's voice, "You will escort me to the temporal travel machine."
"Do not listen to him!" Jethrek said over the radio.
"How do we know you'll keep your word?" Twilight asked.
"The situation dictates that you ha---" The Angel stopped speaking suddenly. All that could be heard now were only attempts to speak.
"That we have what?" Pinkie asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked back to the Angel
The Weeping Angel continued to attempt speaking, but to no avail.
"I think he was trying to say that we have no choice in the matter," Maud said.
With that said, the Angel stopped trying to speak.
"Stand by," Jethrek said, "I will attempt to make contact with Princess Celestia and request help."
"Please hurry, Jethrek!" Twilight begged. Even she was afraid now.
Several hours passed, and it came to the point where Twilight and Pinkie decided to hold their reflectors side-by-side with Maud's.
"How long do we have to keep this up?" Maud asked.
"Not much longer, I hope," Twilight said. She was honestly uncertain.
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are in public areas as of this moment," Jethrek reported over the radio, "I cannot risk contancting them without exposing myself."
"We're already losing sunlight, Jethrek!" Twilight said, sounding slightly panicked, "What are we going to do?"
"At the moment, I am calculating possible scenarios to help us---Wait...I am detecting a life form approaching you," Jethrek said.
"Where?!" Pinkie Pie said, looking around.
"It is approaching quickly!" Jethrek reported.
"From which direction, Jethrek?" Maud asked.
"Maud, keep your eyes on the Angel!" Twilight said, "Pinkie and I will---" Suddenly, she felt something touch her left wing. She gasped, and turned her head back quickly to see a pair of eyes which at first seemed to be looking at her, but turned out to be focused on the Angel. Twilight could tell, even if she wasn't looking back. The figure who the eyes belonged to said five words to start...
"Keep your eyes on him."