//------------------------------// // Story Time // Story: Out of Time // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// The world seemed to shift around Trunks and Starlight as they followed after Clockwork. The alleyway faded away to a city street, with gas lamps and cobblestone streets. The ponies that walked those streets looked like something out of a Sherclop Holmes story. Then the scenery changed once more and the world was filled with skyscrapers that reached the heavens, flying vehicles and robots as far as the eye could see. Then the world shifted one last time and everything was back to the grungy, magic devoid world that they had arrived in. "Why is time in constant flux like this?" Starlight asked Trunks. "I can barely keep up with what's going on." "If I had to wager, he's either showing off his power, or the true timeline isn't stable despite having the fractured timelines erased," Trunks guessed. "My biggest question is why isn't he fighting us yet? In every other reality that we've been with this guy he's either fought us or at least messed with us. What's different here?" "That would be that we're in my world." Trunks and Starlight turned to see Clockwork standing besides the pair, despite having just been walking ahead of them a few moments ago. Trunks reached for his blade, remembered it was gone, and then raised his fist in preparation for battle. for a moment Starlight's horn glowed to prepare for a fight, but then she ceased her magical power and nodded to Clockwork. "You were right," she said to him. Trunks looked at her like she was crazy, while Clockwork nodded to her. "The timeline with Nightmare Moon did fall. And in doing so it revealed the true timeline. Now you've gotten what you've wanted. Now the question is, why did you want this? And, also, what happened to the timeline with the Elements of Harmony?" "That is an easy one. The timeline with Twilight and all of the others was the very fourth timeline to override this one," Clockwork revealed. "Remember how Sombra spoke of trying to make his timeline the main one? That is exactly what your Equestria manage to do so many eons ago." "How does that work?" Trunks asked, lowering his guard for just a moment to allow Clockwork to speak. "Time is not set in stone. Time is constantly flowing and moving like a river. All of the timelines are like this. However, Equestria's timeline works differently. It is not a continues timeline, but instead a world where timelines fight to be the dominate one. For example, the timeline with Twilight and her friends was not the first timeline. This one was. Then it was replaced by a timeline where Tirek was king and a human came to Equestria to help save it. The first timeline to replace this one. The first of a new generation." "So what happened to that timeline?" Starlight asked. "Like this timeline, it was eventually replaced by another timeline, the second generation, as it were. And this continued on until the current timeline to take over. The fourth generation," Clockwork revealed. "That timeline will continue until the fifth generation manages to take over it. It always happens. But then, Starlight, you changed everything. You created a fractured timeline, one that weakened the hold that the fourth generation had over my timeline. And gave me my chance to dethrone it." "But why?" Trunks asked, grabbing Clockwork by the neck and forcing him to look Trunks in the eye. "Why would you help to erase a timeline with so many lives? Why would you unravel the time space continuum?" "Why did you erase all those other timelines? To make everything right," Clockwork replied. Trunks had no response to that, so he let Clockwork go. Clockwork motioned for the both of them to follow him and they continued to walk. "So why is this world devoid of friendship and magic?" Starlight asked. "That is what I am trying to figure out," Clockwork replied. When Trunks and Starlight both gave him a confused look, he realized that he would have to elaborate. "This world, my world, has been gone for so many millennia. When a timeline is replaced, those living in it do not...die, they simply cease to be. They are gone. Replaced with a, hopefully, better and more alive timeline. But my timeline, unlike the first three generations, did not die out. It was alive and thriving, until one day, it lost everything that made it special. It lost it's magic, its life. And when that happened, it was replaced. I wish to learn why." "Maestro. Has to be him. He probably did it just to see what would happen," Trunks cut in. "No, that thought did cross my mind, but Maestro has confirmed that he had already seen that reality play out in another...way, and so he had no desire to see it repeated. That is why he agreed to help me undo all of this," Clockwork replied. "Or, at the very least, find out what happened." "And he'll probably stab you in the back when he feels like it." "Most likely." "Does that mean that my timeline isn't gone either?" Starlight asked, gaining her the attention of her two companions. "It's just been replaced by this one, and, just like this one, can be returned if the right conditions are met?" "It is...a possibility, but for that to happen I would have to allow my timeline to be taken away once more. And I will not allow that," Clockwork promised, before Trunks put a hand on his shoulder and nearly cracked the metal that made him up. "You may not have much of a say in the matter, unless you think you can best me," Trunks promised Clockwork. For a moment it looked like the two would start fighting, but then Clockwork let out a sigh and brushed Trunks hand off of his shoulder. "Come. There is work to be done and for the moment our goals align. We must learn what caused this world, while it was thriving, to be replaced by another timeline. Until we know that, we will not know how to fix it or, if necessary, how to return your timeline to it's place on the throne," Clockwork instructed. "I must know what happened. I cannot leave this be." Clockwork took the lead once more, leaving Starlight and Trunks to share a look before they walked after him. "Do you think anything he told us was the truth?" Starlight asked. "Give me a minute. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole generations thing he told us about," Trunks replied while slightly shaking his head. "Honestly, I think he's telling the truth. But after hearing what he said, there's something...familiar about Clockwork. Like he just revealed a piece of the puzzle that we've been missing the whole time and now...I just need to figure out the rest of it." "Well for the time being we should probably stick with him and try to learn more about what's going on," Starlight state. "Ah. I had forgotten about that." Trunks and Starlight lifted their heads just in time to see a massive explosion rock one of the larger skyscrapers far off in the distance. While Starlight gawked in shock and Trunks rocketed off to see who he could save, Clockwork glanced down at a pocket watch he was carrying and shrugged. "The Exon building explosion. Yes, that proves that we are in the right timeframe. Now can begin the investigation." Starlight raised an eyebrow at his words, but when Clockwork turned and started to walk to a small cavalcade of buildings, she decided to follow him. She knew that Trunks would be fine and would save those that could be saved. She didn't need to help him with that, but what she could help with was gathering more information. 'I have to restore my timeline as the right one. I won't allow it to be replaced or faded out,' Starlight promised. "Clockwork, how do you even know that it just wasn't your timelines...well, time? Perhaps like all of the other generations, it simply ran out of steam and was in dire need of replacing?" "That cannot be the case. There was still so much life and excitement. It is not possible that it was simply time. There must be a reason for why," Clockwork cut Starlight off. He then pulled out his pocketwatch once more and glanced down at it, but as soon as he did another image caught Starlight's full attention. She had no idea why she had decided to look slightly so her left, but as she did so she spied a pony. A pony with a grayish coat, white mane and mustache, a series of gears on his flank and a monocle on his eye. But what truly grabbed Starlight's attention was that he was carrying a pocketwatch. The exact same that Clockwork was carrying. For a long moment she stared at him, before she became aware that Clockwork was starting to move. For a brief second she glanced between the pair, before making her decision and running across the road to the older stallion who had the very same pocketwatch. "Hello there, sir. Mind if I walk with you for a moment?" she asked in the most friendly tone she could muster. "Of course my dear. It's nice to see a friendly face in this city," he replied with a small bow and a kind smile. "Thank you. I am new here and I've been in need of some help of where to go, but so far none of the ponies here seem to be that friendly," Starlight said as she looked around. "Yes, I can't help but notice that things seem to be darker and more dreary than they used to be. It's sad, considering that this place used to be the pinnacle of fun and amazement," the stallion said as the pair began to walk through the streets. "But it seems that things have taken a change for the worse. I don't know who is to blame for the change in the way things are, but it seems that the world has taken a turn for the darker and I cannot say that I am fond of it. But I am sure that my son will get things back to how they used to be in the end." "Your son?" "Yes, my son Thundermane. He is one of the three chosen bringers of light in this world," the stallion said with pride. "Four four seasons they've kept the world safe from all sorts of evils. Him and his friends are the true heroes of this world, despite what ponies might say about the new forth member." "Fourth member?" "You truly must be new around here. There is a new fourth member who joined this year. He is darker, most violent and far harsher than the others. I honestly do not like him or his methods. But my son and everypony else seems to like him and he gets results, so I suppose that he can't be all that bad. He just...brought a change with him. A chance that I am not sure I like. But if he can defeat Orbidon and help to bring smiles back to the world, then who am I to complain?" "So allow me to recap. For four years, your son and his two allies have fought against a foe called Orbidon, who has stolen the friendship of the world, and seeks to bring smiles back to the world. They've made some progress, but now need a darker and more...sinister member of their team to finally win the fight? Is that right?" "Well, almost. Orbidon didn't actually steal the friendship from this world. It's more like...it just vanished," the stallion sighed. "One day, we're all friendly and kind with one another and the next it's like friendship never existed to begin with. I wondered what could have happened to it? Because it seems like I'm the only one who remembers any of this. It does not bode well." A cold feeling was seeping into Starlight's gut the more she talked with the stallion, and more and more pieces of what had gone wrong with the timeline she was in started to fall into place. But she still had one last question she needed the answer to before she could confirm her suspicions. "Forgive me for being rude, but I forgot to introduce myself. I am Starlight Glimmer," she said with a small bow. "Well it is nice to make your acquaintance , Starlight. I am Clockwork."