//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: A New Old Friend // Story: Twilight's Time Traveling Troubles // by LordBrony2040 //------------------------------// “This is going to be horrible!” “Absolutely, completely horrible!” “The most horribly horrible thing that’s ever been in the history of all things horrible!” Although he completely agreed with Twilight’s ramblings as they flew through the space where time had no meaning, Spike tried to keep his mood positive, or at least navigate his caretaker towards a less than apocalyptic viewpoint. “Come on Twilight,” he said to get her attention. “The last world we were at was a complete wasteland, devoid of all life. How can the world we’re going to be worse?” Twilight spun around to face Spike, getting right in his face. “How can it be worse? It’s guaranteed to be worse! Every world we went to has been worse than the last!” she said before standing back up and looking at the time travel bubble they were in with wide eyes. “And Rainbow Dash, she knew who I was. How could she know who I was Spike? IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE!” “Well…” the little dragon said before he thought on that question for a few minutes. “Uh, we did stop in Starlight’s village. Maybe that changed something important.” Twilight got back down in Spike’s face with a frown. “Starlight’s childhood village is just some podunk little nowhere town!” “So is Ponyville,” Spike pointed out. “And, Starlight was screaming a lot. Plus, you know, you are an alicorn. Ponies tend to take notice when you do stuff, Twilight." Except when she tried to wave down a cab, then everypony tended to ignore her for some reason. "Maybe somepony saw something, and it changed something important.” After thinking it over for a second, Twilight shook her head. “That can’t be right. The whole town ran off with Sunburst to celebrate his cutie mark. They were all being too loud to hear us.” Spike blinked as he remembered one pony that wasn’t all too happy about the event. “Except Starlight,” he pointed out. “Maybe she heard us.” “No,” Twilight said before she shook her head. “She went back inside the house and uh...started crying. I heard her. My hearing has really improved since becoming an alicorn.” With his last theory shot down, Spike gave up on trying to figure out why things had changed so much, not that it mattered at the moment. If every single world they had been to up until now had taught him anything, it was that they needed to be ready for anything when they landed. Especially considering how worn down Twilight was getting. While the time with Nightmare Moon and Starlight had given the purple pony a breather, they had been jumping around for well over a day, and that spell Twilight was casting to travel through time didn’t look easy. For some reason, Starlight seemed to be plenty rested whenever they pulled her back to the past, but Twilight was just getting more and more tired. If Twilight didn’t get some rest, and soon, Spike was afraid they would run into something that would end their adventure...permanently. The time bubble began to destabilize, and Twilight let out a whine before she crouched down and covered her eyes. “Oh! I can’t look!” Spike wanted to chastise the purple pony, but thought it was better to spend his time getting on her back. He didn’t want to consider the possibility that Twilight was right and things really could be worse, but just in case they ended up in an asteroid field that had once been the planet Equis, Spike didn’t want to be separated from Twilight. Like every time before, the floor fell out from under them, and the two time traveler’s fell to the ground, one on top of the other. “I don’t want to see!” Twilight said. “Tell me Spike, where are we? What’s gone wrong this time?” With Twilight being...Twilight, Spike opened his eyes to see… “We’re...home,” he managed despite the impossibility of the sight before him. “What?” Twilight cried out as she stood up, with the dragon still on her back. “That’s impossible Spi-ke?” Twilight was barely able to finish his name as she opened her eyes, joining Spike in stunned silence as the two of them looked around at the throne room of Twilight’s crystal castle from their place on top of the Cutie Map. Walls made of crystal surrounded them and gave the dragon a much needed feeling of familiarity that had him looking to the half-a-dozen chairs that surrounded the map, with the familiar symbols on them. “We…” Spike said before something in the air must have made his allergies react, because he started tearing up. “We’re home.” It was a sentiment Twilight quickly put an end to. “Wait!” she said before turning Spike’s attention up towards the bare ceiling with a pointed hoof. “Where’s the chandelier my friends made for me?” Spike couldn’t help but scoff at the question. “Seriously?” he asked as any hope of being understanding was washed away in a fit of angry disbelief. “We finally arrive somewhere that isn’t a world on the edge of collapse, and you want to start complaining?” “But it’s not-” Twight said before the rumble of hooves from beyond the throne room door drew their attention. A second later, the door banged open to reveal a large mare with a dark red-purple coat that Spike almost mistook for a stallion when she was still upright from rearing up to kick the door, as well as a pair of armored pegasi charged into the room. “Intruders!” the mare in the lead shouted. “Surrender or be-oh! Twily...uh...what’re you doing here?” Twilight uncovered her eyes and put her ears back up to give the mystery mare a confused look. “Huh?” “We detected an unauthorized teleport into the castle and...who’s that on your back?” the large mare asked with a little frown as she moved closer along with the two other ponies. As the ponies got closer, Spike noticed a few oddities about them. The dark purple armor the pegasi were wearing was made of crystal and included a pair of thick foreleg guards that he he had never seen other ponies wear before. The big mare had on a suit of thin metal armor that was so dark it was almost black, with Twilight’s cutie mark on the front of the chest. But that was the least weird thing about her. When she got up close, Spike finally got a real sense of the mystery mare’s size. She was big, not just tall. Some mares in Canterlot were tall, taller than Twilight in fact, but they were also extremely skinny. The pony in front of Spike had both height and a full frame that was usually only found on shorter mares. Three gashes marked her right eye and a mane that looked like she had been in a fight with a pair of electric clippers made him wince. Although, the weirdest thing about the mare was her horn. The upper half of it actually seemed to be made of the same crystal as the armor the pegasi guards were wearing. It matched the color of her horn and coat, somewhat, but close inspection made it clear the top half of her horn wasn't natural. With her scar and size, the dragon thought she looked pretty bucking intimidating. “Um...this is...Spike,” Twilight said after looking back to the dragon for a moment, then back to the big mare before freezing up with the other half of the introduction. “...uh...Captain?” she finally finished. Once again, Spike had to fight to keep his usual reactions under control, especially with Twilight making her last statement sound more like a question than an actual introduction. Spike knew that his caretaker was horrible when it came to improvising on the fly, especially when she was under stress, but Twilight was quickly approaching a new low in that regard as she just stood on the map, nervously doing nothing. The other mare gave Twilight a confused look. “Yes...um...Princess?” she asked before glancing back to Spike. “What’s going on? Why is there a dragon on your back, and what’s up with the table? Not that I’m complaining, you girls have really needed something there since your castle grew. But, the dragon...I’ve got to ask, what’s going on?” Both Spike and Twilight shared an uneasy look. “Uh…” the purple princess said. “Well, that’s um…” “Uh-Oh,” the mystery mare mumbled before she motioned for the other guards to leave. Twilight tensed and looked back at her with a nervous expression. “What, uh-oh?” she asked. “Why’re you uh-ohing me?” After taking a moment to dismiss the other two ponies, the dark red-purple pony turned her attention back to Twilight. “Twily,” the mystery mare began with half-lidded eyes. “The last time you got this nervous about something, it was because your mom found out you had another Cutie Mark Coin hidden under your bed.” When Twilight tilted her head in confusion, Spike could almost see the gears turning in her head that would lead to the obvious question she would just have to ask, thus blowing what little cover they had in this world. So, Spike beat her to it. “What’s a Cutie Mark Coin?” The crystal-horned unicorn reached up to rub her temple. “They’re these magical artifacts that resemble gold coins with symbols on them. Although they don’t actually use dark magic to function, they’re still considered illegal and highly dangerous because the key component is a pony’s life force,” she explained before frowning. “The last time Twilight actually made a wish on one, she turned herself into a newborn foal for three weeks before Celestia could gather the ingredients needed to reverse the magic.” Spike looked over to Twilight in surprise. “Really?” “That’s not something I remember,” Twilight had the sense to say. Spike quickly translated it into ‘that didn’t happen to me in the real timeline’. A snort came from the big mare in front of them. “Well yeah, you were a baby,” she said before looking back to Spike. Her eyes narrowed and Spike hunkered down on Twilight as he prepared for the worst. “So, what’s with the dragon?” “I um...I found him and he...followed me home?” Twilight asked nervously. The big mystery mare frowned looked over to the purple alicorn. “So, are you not going to the convention, then?” “Um…” With Twilight freezing up again, Spike looked over to the crystal-horned mare. “What convention?” “The Daring Do fan convention,” Mystery Mare told him before looking back to Twilight. “You and Rainbow were looking forward to it for weeks. Hey, you’re going to have to deal with her learning about this when she gets to the hotel and you’re not there, got it?” Once again, Twilight latched onto what the big mare had said. “Wait, Rainbow Dash?” she asked before getting in the other pony’s face. “Is Rainbow Dash here?” Mystery Mare didn’t even blink at Twilight’s reaction. “Maybe. She was going to leave after the evening news broadcast and catch up to you on the way there.” While Spike blinked at the unfamiliar phrase, Twilight became even more excited, dancing in place for a few seconds and letting out a tiny tiny cheer. “Let’s go see her!” The mystery mare backed up a step at that. “Um...okay,” she said, actually giving Twilight a hesitant look for a moment. “I’d...better come too. You know, since you’re lying to me about the dragon and all.” Then, Twilight was in his face. “Did you hear that, Spike?” she asked. “We’re going to go see Rainbow Dash!” “Oh...goodie,” Spike said before jumping onto Twilight’s back after she climbed down from the table. The young mare let out a sharp hiss when he landed. “Uh...Twilight?” Before he could get another question, or Twilight could ask what Spike wanted, Mystery Mare spun around and looked at the two of them. “What was that?” Twilight slowly picked herself back upright. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I’m okay. Great, even. The perfect picture of health,” Twilight said before she raised a hoof. “Let’s go see Rainbow-” “I didn’t ask about your health,” the mystery mare said as she stepped forward to confirm what Spike had up until now only assumed about her height and loom over Twilight, making the purple pony cower a bit. “Now, why’re you telling me you are alright?” Twilight gulped and actually lowered herself a bit. “Ummm...I don’t think this is how a royal guard captain is supposed to act.” If anything, Twilight’s words only seemed to make Mystery Mare all that more intimidating. She frowned at the little purple pony. “You come home with a dragon that looks like he can’t be more than fifteen and I’m the one that’s acting strange?” she asked before poking Twilight in the chest. “Twily you-!” Once again, Twilight winced. “Ow!” Mystery Mare’s eyes widened. “What the? Twilight, what’s going on?” she asked in a much more concerned tone than before. Spike jumped off Twilight’s back and poked her in the side, getting another wince from the purple princess. It didn’t take much for him to figure out what was wrong. “Twilight, you’re hurt!” he exclaimed. “All that fighting and the magic blasts you took-” “WHAT? Fighting? What the buck you mean fight-” the mystery mare shouted before she quickly regained control of herself. “Alright, Twilight. Come on, we’re going to the infirmary. You can tell me what happened there.” As far as Spike knew, they didn’t have an infirmary. The mention of a new room in the castle distracted Spike for a moment as he wondered what else was different. When he looked back to Twilight, the purple pony was hesitating again. She was looking back at the table, obviously thinking about just jumping through time. “Ummm…” Mystery Mare cleared her throat and looked down at the purple pony’s legs. “Twily, I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re coming with me,” she said before looking at Twilight in the eye. “Don’t argue with me. Your legs are shaking, your mane is barely holding its shape, and I’m guessing the adrenaline is what’s  keeping you from feeling those bruises on your ribs. Now, you’re either going to come with me, or I will get your Mom. Then, when she wakes up, you can tell her why it looks like you rolled down a mountain. And then introduce her to your new friend over here.” “Oh,” Spike said as he winced at the threat. Whatever Mystery Mare’s new past with Twilight was, it seemed that she had no problems going straight to the most drastic of options. “That’s harsh.” The threat had its effect, Twilight immediately lowered herself to the floor in surrender. “...I’ll be good,” she squeaked before getting off her belly. “So uh...lead the way...Captain.” Mystery Mare turned around and started marching forward with a purpose. “Follow me, Princess,” she said without bothering to look back. Not that she needed to, ponies weren’t the most stealthy creatures when it came to walking on hard surfaces. As they got to the exit of the throne room, Spike took one last look back and frowned at the six pony-sized seats around the map. “Where’s my chair?” he mumbled. “Hm?” Mystery Mare asked as she looked back with a frown. “What was that?” The look stopped Spike in his tracks. “I...um..uh…” Although she was injured, Twilight trotted forward to frown at the guard. “Hey! Leave Spike alone!” Mystery Mare blinked at the other mare. “Oh, I...uh...sorry,” she said before kneeling down until she was on equal level with Spike. “Sorry there little guy. I know I’m pretty intimidating. I guess I’ve just been surrounded by ponies who’ve known me for so long that I take it for granted. Guess introductions are in order. And since I already know who you are, Spike. My name is Fizzlepop Berrytwist. My friends call me Fizzy.” Despite the oddity of the situation, Spike couldn’t stop himself from smirking at...that...name, and letting out a sound before he could close his lips. “Pffft!” Fizzlepop smiled back at him. “Yeah, it’s something you should have expected from a party pony. And if everything in my life had gone as it should have, I’d probably be one right now,” she said before reaching up and tapping her partially crystal horn. “But when I was just a foal, an ursa broke off my horn and nearly got my eye.” The information sent a chill down Spike’s spine. Being Twilight’s assistant, he had been around to hear all of the horror stories revolving around what happened to a unicorn who suffered that kind of injury. A unicorn’s horn acted as a funnel for their magic. Although every unicorn had a good deal of magic inside of them, they could only release a small amount of it through their horn, making it controllable. If a horn broke halfway like it had with Fizzlepop’s, she would have been capable of a great deal of magical output, but have absolutely no control. There was also the other side affect of a broken horn: the uncontrolled release of magical energy put an incredible strain on the unicorn’s body as it tried to compensate for the excess release of power. While it looked like Fizzlepop had tried to compensate with a great deal of exercise that buffed her up quite a bit, even she would wear down decades earlier than a normal pony would have. In other words, she probably wouldn’t live past her mid thirties. Except, Fizzlepop had a horn. Sort of. Unable to stop himself, Spike asked the question that was begging to be let out. “Is that why you have a crystal horn?” “Oh, this?” she asked after reaching up to tap the crystal spike and smiling. “Yeah, sort of. It’s a long story. But after I got it, I was so grateful that I hung around Canterlot and joined the military, signing up for training to be a member of the Red Guard.” Another unfamiliar term only confused Spike more. “The...Red...Guard?” “Don’t worry, we’re not the bloodthirsty meat eaters that the Empress makes us out to be,” Fizzlepop told him. “Em...Empress?” Twilight slowly stuttered. The words made Fizzlepop look up to Twilight with wide eyes. “Oh buck, what am I doing?” the crystal-horned unicorn said. “Your mom would stone me if she heard I was just standing around while you were hurt. Can you still trot, or do I need to call Star and have her gallop up here?” “I...I can still trot,” Twilight told the mare after shaking off her shock. “And what do you mean with that...stoning comment, and...the...Empress?” Fizzlepop gave Twilight a tired expression. “Okay, I know the Empress isn’t going to actually turn me to stone,” she said before sighing. “But, your mom is pretty bucking frightening when she’s angry.” “The...Empress...my mom,” Twilight replied in a stunned voice. After a few seconds of silence, Fizzlepop groaned. “Come on, let’s go before you get any worse. Up on me little guy,” she told Spike as she lowered herself so the baby dragon could climb aboard. Once he did, Fizzlepop circled around behind Twilight and nudged her along. “Okay Twily, let’s get going.”