Four Ponies & A Time Machine

by SkelePone

Chapter XVI: Four Dreams

“Time doesn't take away from friendship, nor does separation.”
― Tennessee Williams, Memoirs

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Roseluck was running for her life.

She didn't know who or what from, or where she was going, or even how she got into this mess in the first place. All she knew was she didn't want the noisy thing taking chase to catch her. It would do awful things to her. It would hurt her. She could tell by the filthy sounds it made.

She continued to gallop, rounding corners roughly. Her hooves clambered noisily on the pavement. She was in Ponyville. At night. What should have been a comforting and calming sight was only eliciting more panic. Whatever was chasing her was gaining on her.

Rose was feeling short of breath. She couldn't keep running. She had already been running for Celestia knows how long. Rose was scared. She could hear the monster behind her snarling and growling, letting out cackling laughs.

She didn't dare look behind her.

But then she tripped over a jutting cobblestone, falling to the street painfully. She cried out in terror as the thing swooped down upon her.

It was Carnegie Porter.

But this wasn't the Carnegie she knew and had come to love.

He reeked of alcohol, not the good kind. And certainly not the sweetness of mead or the aroma of whiskey. He smelled awful. The way he stumbled and staggered told her he was drunk. But he wasn't the happy drunk she knew he was. This Carnegie was angry. Angry at her.

"Ya stupid bitch!" He growled, slapping her across the face with his hoof. She let out a cry of pain, and she felt tears well in her eyes. What had she done? Why was Carnegie being so mean and vile? Where was the stallion she loved?

"Lookit me when I'm talkin' to ya!" He bellowed as he delivered a swift kick to her stomach. Rose doubled over in pain. She started to sob, begging for the evil drunk to stop. He merely laughed, and pulled out a jug of piss-smelling alcohol. He took a deep slug and rounded on her again.

"Ya wan' me ta stop eh? Well GET UP THEN!" He roared. Rose couldn't; she was too scared. She lay on her back, covering her bruising face as she sobbed wishing she could die, right here, before he did anything worse. Almost like he could read her mind, the evil Carnegie began to beat her harder and then proceeded to rape her.

She yelped as he kicked her over, she landed on her sore belly, still raw from Carnegie's kicks. She screamed as the drunk began to mount her, smacking the back of her head with her hooves as he did his business, calling her horrible names and making fun of her screams and cries.

---

Time Turner was lost.

There was nothing at all, the shadows blinded him. And then he saw something, barely able to be made out through the darkness.

He galloped towards the thing, desperate to get some bearing on where and when he was, before he realized with horror that it was Roseluck. She was dead, lying on the ground. The pale yellow mare covered in bruises. Time Turner tried his best not to vomit before turning and running away from the corpse.

Then he stumbled across another body.

It was Carnegie. The stallion, his roommate, was lying on his side, his stomach had been ripped open and he had been disemboweled. This time, Time Turner couldn't help but vomit. The gross taste of bile in his mouth and the rancid smell of rot attacking his nostrils, he continued to run. He saw more bodies as he did so.

The Crystal ponies they had saved. The deer from what seemed like so long ago. Starswirl. The Princesses. All of them dead, murdered by some unseen killer.

Then Time Turner saw them. They were in each others embrace, desperately trying to shield each other from the killer, who was still nowhere to be seen. Time Turner's heart leapt in hope as he realized they were still alive, feebly reaching for him.

It was Derpy and Dinky.

He galloped full speed towards them, falling to his haunches as he held them close. He felt tears streak down his face.

Then Derpy looked to him, and whispered:
"You could have saved us..."
Then they were gone, the light leaving their eyes as they clouded over.

Time Turner let out a scream of horror and pain, his heart dying with them.

---

Carnegie Porter was burning.

He was literally on fire, the flames licked at his coat as he howled in agony.

The world around him burned as well. A house, his house, burned in the distance. He could hear Rose's screams, and the screams of several foals, from inside the burning house. He knew that was his family. And he couldn't do anything to save them. Porter realized he was crying, his tears evaporating as he went up in flames.

He saw a brewery, his brewery, burning as well. The shack was crumbling around several vats and lit barrels. He heard cries of pain and sadness all around him. He knew this time there would be no tall mystery unicorn coming to save him.

Porter was going to watch as his beautiful world burned.

And it was more painful than the burning he felt spread all over himself.

---

Derpy Hooves was alone.

She had been left behind. She knew that much.

She had vague memories of Time Turner telling her that he had never loved her. Roseluck saying how sad and pitiful excuse of a pony she was. Carnegie Porter laughing as he told her that they weren't her friends. That they had never been her friends.

Derpy felt tears streak down her cheeks from her walleyes. She blamed her eyes. Nopony loved her because of them. Nopony except for Dinky.

Suddenly Dinky Hooves was there. Standing before her mother, sneering.

"I hate you, Mommy!" She screamed. Derpy's eyes went wide as she stifled a scream.
"Nopony will be my friend because of you! I hate you! Doctor Time Turner hates you! EVERYPONY HATES YOU!"

---

In the large cell of the dungeon, the four lay asleep.
They writhed and twisted, each in their own nightmare cursed upon them by Sombra. The umbrum king had left them there, to scream and cry at unseen forces until they died in their sleep.

Thanks to the intruders, he would soon have the Princesses and the Wizard at his mercy.