//------------------------------// // Chapter 37 - Time Trap // Story: Off The Mark // by Goldfur //------------------------------// As soon as lunch was over, I made my way to the office of the Captain of the Royal Guards. Luck was with me and I found Polished Barding behind the desk. Because the unicorn regularly checked up on the status of the Palace Guards to keep them on their toes – or hooves in this case – it had been quite likely that I would’ve had to go looking for him. I knocked on his open door and he looked up from his paperwork. “Grand Vizier – please come in.” “Thank you, Captain.” I settled into one of the chairs. Barding steepled his forelegs and rested his chin on his hooves. “As you never come just to chat, I gather something has come up?” I nodded. “We may have a situation. Princess Twilight says that she spotted Starlight Glimmer this morning at her lecture at Celestia’s school.” The stallion frowned. “How certain is Her Highness about that?” “You know the Princess’ obsession for detail. If she said she saw Starlight, it’s almost a certainty, even if she doubts herself. That brings up a very important question.” Barding nodded. “How did Starlight Glimmer manage to infiltrate a medium-security building without any Royal Guards identifying her despite the alert we have in place specifically for that mare?” “Exactly,” I said. “And if Starlight could so easily get in there, what are the chances that she’s been able to get into the high-security areas of the castle?” “If that is the case, why hasn’t she attacked the Princess or you by now?” I shook my head. “Starlight is not the type of pony who kills her enemies; she wants to get revenge in a manner that will hurt them badly in other ways. We ruined her plans so she’ll try to do something of a similar nature. The trouble is guessing what that will be.” “So, without further information to go on, all we can do is step up security.” “For now, but this place may already be compromised. Princess Twilight and Princess Trixie have decided to go to Ponyville this afternoon after Day Court and stay in Twilight’s castle. Its smaller size will be more defensible, and we’ll be within convenient proximity to the Element Bearers if necessary. Since Twilight developed a counter-spell to Starlight’s equalization enchantment, they should not be hobbled by it again. And even if Twilight is unable to seek the other Bearers out, well, Harmony seems to have a use for me which is probably why I was able to substitute for the Element of Magic previously, so I can be a backup.” “The Guard detail currently assigned to Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle would be grossly insufficient for the task of protecting you all,” Barding pointed out. “I agree. Therefore I want you to send as many Royal Guards as you see fit to do the job along with us when we depart. They will serve as security on the trip to Ponyville, and reinforce the existing arrangements. I’ll leave the exact details to you.” “It will be done. We’ll be ready to depart when you are.” “Thank you, Captain. I’ll let you get on with your work.” I got up and we shook hooves. Barding was already calling for his adjutant before I left his office. The Captain was a competent stallion and I was confident that his preparations would be excellent. The only nagging doubt was the question that Barding himself had asked – how had Starlight Glimmer not been spotted by anyone except Twilight? And was that exception deliberate? As an extra precaution, I had taken my pegacorn form that morning and used the ley line running over the castle to charge myself up to about 90% of my capacity. If I hit 100%, I would involuntarily change into Marklestia, so I knew I needed to keep an eye on my fetlock band over the next few days. If the ponies attending that afternoon’s session of Day Court noticed the heightened security in the throne room, no one pointed it out. As soon as Court concluded, I hustled Twilight off to the waiting sky chariots where her baggage already was aboard. The ever-organized alicorn had, of course, pre-packed her bags for the trip home for the weekend, so it had been just a matter of picking them up from her room. I also arranged to have some food for her to consume along the way because she wouldn’t be stopping for dinner. Trixie and I had ours early, as well as our bodyguards. Captain Barding elected to personally guard Trixie while Crimson Boulder had been selected to mind Twilight due to his greater familiarity with Ponyville in general and the castle in particular. I gave Crimson a nod but otherwise said nothing. While I had patched up our friendship after Fluttershy’s tongue-lashing, things were not the same between us. Although I had forgiven him, the absolute trust that I’d had in him was irreparably broken, and Penny remained my personal bodyguard. We took off from Canterlot Castle without incident, along with two squads of pegasi surrounding us. A contingent of unicorns and earth ponies had been dispatched earlier by train, but the faster pegasi would still beat them to Ponyville, so a few of them rode in sky chariots along with us. What with Starlight being a unicorn, we really did not expect an attack along the way, but the Captain made no assumptions just because we were a mile off the ground. Nevertheless, the journey to Ponyville went without incident. We landed in front of the castle doors and disembarked. Half the Guards immediately peeled off to take up prearranged positions as we headed inside. The unicorns at the door scanned us before allowing us entry. We were halfway through the entry hallway when we heard shouts of alarm from outside. Our bodyguards immediately turned their attention behind us, wary of somepony following us inside who didn’t belong. Penumbra said, “Keep going. It’ll be more secure deeper within the castle. The Royal Guards can watch the entrance.” We hurried into the next room which contained the map table but no sooner had we entered than the doors slammed shut, separating us from the Guard contingent, leaving just the six of us in the chamber. I could hear somepony shouting something about the rooftop sentries, but whatever warning they were trying to give, they were too late. We were not alone. From behind Twilight’s throne, a smugly grinning Starlight Glimmer appeared. “Nice of you to—,” Starlight began. Our three bodyguards didn’t wait to hear her monologue. “Get down!” yelled Polished Barding as he shoved Trixie bodily under the map table. Penumbra tried to do the same to me but I fell to my knees, keeping the top of my head high enough to keep an eye on Starlight. The mare snarled and her horn lit. Her aura briefly surrounded the three guardsponies but slid off as they moved. Polished Barding galloped off to the left while Crimson Boulder and Penumbra sprinted right. Starlight was on the opposite side of the table so hopefully, she could not escape. As she charged her horn, Captain Barding threw a segmented strip at her that I recognized as a nullstone horn pacifier. Starlight erected a large spherical shield that burst like a soap bubble when the ring of stone touched it. The band uncurled and changed direction to head directly towards the mare’s horn. Her eyes went wide and there was a crunching sound. Just before the nullstone band reached her, Spike’s crystal throne shot into the air, catching the strip and continuing through the ceiling. “Now!” shouted Polished Barding. Twilight and the Guardspony fired blasts from their horns which ricocheted off of a new shield that Starlight threw around herself. One of the deflected bolts whizzed by my head and I flinched. I scrambled to put myself more directly behind Twilight and her shield. Then I saw two more bands fly in from the right, thrown by Crimson and Penumbra at the distracted unicorn. Starlight glanced over just in time to see the bands reach her shield. With a pop, she teleported to a spot behind Crimson and Penumbra. I looked forward again and saw the bands had now changed course and were headed for the nearest ponies casting magic —namely Polished and Twilight. As I jumped onto the map table, I heard the sounds of horn blasts behind me as the spell casters resumed their duel. I threw out my forelegs and caught the nullstone strip heading for Twilight, pulling it into my chest. It writhed as it tried to wriggle out of my grasp, almost like a living snake. I lowered my head and whispered the word “verdant” to it. The band went limp and I wasted no time diving off of the table. As I landed, I saw Polished Barding directly in front of me. He lay prone on the floor with his eyes closed. Smoke rose from his horn, now encased in the other nullstone strip. Twilight shifted position slightly to get cover from one of the other thrones while continuously casting a hail of multicolor blasts towards Starlight. I saw Starlight’s aura glow around the edges of Crimson’s armor as she backed away from the two guardsponies now charging towards her. She dived to the side to avoid a set of bolas thrown by Penumbra, apparently tipped off by the horn pacifier to not bother trying to deflect the weapon with her magic. When Crimson reached her shield and spun around to buck it, his armor split apart into two halves as the connecting straps gave way. With a telekinetic shove, Starlight flung him at Penumbra who was attempting a flanking maneuver. The earth pony’s body smashed the poor thestral into the crystal wall and she collapsed in a moaning heap. Crimson was made of sterner stuff though, and he sprang to his hooves. He yanked a spear free of Penumbra’s weapons pack and charged again. It was no good though. As our fight with Starlight back at her village had shown, she was not only a powerful magic user but a versatile one. Crimson slammed into a new shield which wrapped itself around him and lifted him off the ground. It then burst in a flash of light and a crackle of power, and when the smoke cleared, the earth pony lay motionless on the floor, his deep red coat singed all over. I was now much closer to Twilight than Starlight Glimmer so I couldn’t throw the nullstone band, and I was also wary of that trick backfiring on us again. Panting visibly, Starlight glanced once at me then stared at Twilight whose continuous barrage had the effect of collapsing the unicorn’s shield to the point where it barely covered her form. As I hurried to Twilight’s side, I saw Trixie crawl out from under the table to cast what looked like a sleep spell at Starlight. Unfortunately, it bounced off of Starlight’s shield and hit my fiancée, causing her to collapse in a heap. I desperately wanted to go to my lover’s side, but I steeled myself to only look at my enemy. Not lessening her assault, Twilight sternly demanded, “Why are you here, Starlight?” The unicorn laughed and harshly replied, “I’d tell you, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise.” She then brought out a parchment scroll which floated in a separate shield bubble in front of her. A beam from her horn illuminated the scroll, causing it to rise into the air. A burst of power shot out from the scroll and activated the holographic map on the table’s surface. Rings of light-purple magic floated upwards from the edges of the table, forming a ghostly translucent bubble about ten feet in the air above us, runes drifting over its surface. The bottom of the bubble was cut off, showing what was undoubtedly a portal of some sort. White arc-shaped sections on the sphere and around the perimeter of the opening moved periodically clockwise or counterclockwise and the sound of watch movements filled the air. I said softly to Twilight, “scroll” then moved several steps away from her. Starlight grinned triumphantly as she levitated herself and the scroll towards the portal. She was only seconds away from escaping. It was now or never. “Starlight!” I yelled to get her attention. She sneered, staring at me with disdain. I rose up, placing a hoof on the map table as I transformed into my long-maned Marklestia form. I put as much magic as I could into one of the showy stage magic spells Trixie had taught me. Rings of light danced around my horn and arcs of harmless static shot everywhere. I’m sure my eyes were glowing white with the amount of magic I was holding. I raised my wings and screamed at the top of my lungs in Celestia’s voice. “DIE!” Starlight’s confident look shattered into one of pure terror as she screamed. Just before my wide beam of light glanced harmlessly off of her shield, the bubble encasing the scroll winked out. The parchment was caught immediately by the aura of Twilight’s magic and it zoomed to the alicorn’s side. I saw a very confused unicorn reach the portal, get stretched like taffy, then disappear into its maw. “Got it!” yelled Twilight as she came to the edge of the table just to my right. Her triumphant smile disappeared as the world abruptly plunged into darkness. “What happened?” I yelped. “I… I don’t know,” Twilight replied. “Trixie – are you okay?” There was no reply, but as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I saw why. She was no longer on the floor by the table. In fact, the crystal floor was gone, replaced with dead grass and dirt. “Umm, Mark – are you seeing what I’m seeing?” I looked around at the landscape illuminated by the dim light of the moon high in the sky. “If you mean that the castle has disappeared, then yes, I am.” “But the map table is still here,” she said, looking down to the faintly glowing hologram at our hooves. “So, where’s my castle gone?” “I’ve got a better question – where has my fiancée and everypony else gone?” Not even our vanquished bodyguards were to be found. All I could see were the buildings of Ponyville silhouetted in the background. There wasn’t even a cheerful street lamp to dispel the darkness. “It must be something that Starlight has done. I think only the two of us are here because you were touching the map table and my magic was holding the scroll when Starlight entered the portal, so we were caught up in the sorcery’s effects. I’ll examine the scroll to learn what spell she used.” Twilight’s horn tip lit up and she started reading the parchment. “While you’re doing that, I’m going to scout around to see if I can pick up any clues as to what’s happened.” I shivered a bit as I put the nullstone band away into my saddlebags. Why was it so cold? And wasn’t sunset/moonrise not scheduled for half an hour yet? I spread my wings and took off, a light spell like Twilight’s on my horn. I figured that it was safer to retain my Marklestia form for the moment so that I had access to some basic magic, not to mention superior flight skills. If our Royal Guard contingent spotted me like this, I’d deal with it later. The situation was potentially too dire to worry about petty secrets. As I flew over the town though, I didn’t spot a single being, pony or otherwise. No light leaked through closed curtains and no sound came from the pub. I suddenly realized just how deathly quiet it was. Even in the middle of the night, there was always the sound of nocturnal animals and birds or even just insects. Nothing but the sigh of wind through the bare branches of the trees. Bare branches? It wasn’t Fall yet. I flew down to look closer and alighted by a stand of trees. They were all devoid of any leaves and looked quite dead, although it was hard to see clearly. My attention was so focused on the trees that I stumbled over something on the ground. Lowering my horn to see what it was, I squealed in shock as I recognized it. A skeleton. Specifically, a pony skeleton. It was just lying there in the open, untouched until I disturbed it. I hastily backed away and turned towards nearby dwellings. I went to the nearest house and rapped on the door, startled when it creaked open due to the impact of my hoof. It was totally dark inside, but my horn illuminated it as I cautiously poked my head in the doorway. “Hello? Anypony… here…?” I stopped and stared. There were ponies there – past tense. More decaying forms were huddled together like a family, perhaps waiting for their deaths. I backed out of the room and galloped over to the next house. Not bothering to knock, I opened the unlocked door and looked inside. There weren’t any bodies here, but the place looked as if it had been hastily stripped of essentials and then abandoned. House after house I checked out, some containing corpses. Then I came to the Carousel Boutique. It looked just as vacant and run down as the rest of the town. I hesitated, afraid of what I might find there. Then I chickened out and flew back to where Twilight’s castle used to be. I found the alicorn frowning heavily as she stared at the scroll. The map of Equestria on its surface was glowing much more brightly now. Twilight looked up as I alighted and said, “Did you find anything?” I shuddered. “Everything is decaying and everypony is dead or missing. Ponyville is a ghost town. Have you figured out what happened as yet?” “I’m afraid I have, or at least part of it.” She held up the scroll. “This contains Star Swirl the Bearded’s time-travel spell, only it has been modified in some way that I have yet to fully decipher to interact with the magic of the map table. It also has some other side functions that Starlight added. She’s a formidable sorceress in so many ways.” I gulped. “Time travel? Are you saying that Starlight has gone back in time and changed history to this?” I waved a hoof in the direction of the dead village. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” “Why would she want to do this to Ponyville though?” “I have no idea, but I’m afraid that it isn’t just Ponyville that has been affected. Meddling with time could have far-reaching consequences.” “Then why is the map table still here if nothing else is?” “The table is connected to the Tree of Harmony and its enormous magic must sustain and anchor it somehow. The Tree must sense that we need it.” “Can we do anything about this situation?” A determined smile grew on Twilight’s face. “Yes! Thank Celestia, you made sure to get this scroll because I can use it to reactivate the spell and we can chase after Starlight Glimmer.” “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s fix this mess!” Twilight nodded and lit up her horn. Just as Starlight had done, she triggered the spell and the time portal formed overhead once more. As we were directly under it this time, we felt ourselves drawn up into it. Then it was like we were stretched to infinity, passing through a tunnel streaked with light and images. Abruptly, we burst into daylight and we found ourselves falling through the air. We both spread our wings and glided down to the surface of a cloud with structures on it. I blinked in surprise as I recognized where we were. “Cloudsdale? We’ve moved through space as well as time?” “So it seems. Perhaps due to the link to the map table?” “Watch out!” shouted a pegasus filly as she streaked by us in a flash of color. I stared in shock. “Rainbow Dash?” Twilight observed what was happening all around them as she tucked the scroll into her saddlebags. “I think I know when we are. Rainbow has described it often enough. This is the day when she did her very first sonic rainboom.” “The one that was responsible for you and your friends getting their cutie marks?” “Yes, that one. But if Rainbow doesn’t do her rainboom…” A flash of magic enveloped us and we found ourselves trapped in a crystal block, unable to move a muscle. A smugly grinning Starlight Glimmer emerged from a cloud and levitated over to us. “If Rainbow Dash doesn’t do her sonic rainboom, no cutie marks, and no meddling alicorns!” She hovered in front of us as our crystal prison slowly sunk into the cloud. She looked at me and sneered. “Speaking of which, you’re no alicorn. That spell you hit me with wouldn’t have harmed a foal. But you made me drop the spell, so I figured you would try to come after me and stop my plans.” We couldn’t answer, but that didn’t stop her from ranting. “That’s all you do, isn’t it? Going around and meddling in other ponies’ affairs. I had built a perfect village with equality for everypony in it, but you had to go and ruin it! You turned my ponies against me and drove me out!” ‘Seems you’re forgetting how you stole our cutie marks and kept “your” citizens in line through propaganda and intimidation,’ I thought. “So, now I’m turning the tables on you and spoiling your futures. No more so-called Princess of Friendship, and no more loud-mouthed know-it-all stallions to spread dissension and question my authority.” As the crystal block slid down nearly out of sight, Starlight laughed nastily. “Goodbye, meddlers!” Then our prison slipped free of the cloud and began hurtling toward the ground far below. I was beginning to think that this was one crash that I was not going to recover from when I saw a glow out of the corner of my eye. The crystal suddenly shattered and we were free once more. “Come on!” shouted Twilight as she headed back up again. “We have to stop Starlight before it’s too late!” As I was still in Celestial form, I rapidly overtook Twilight. I didn’t wait for her though because she was right – we had to stop that crazy unicorn because the fool didn’t realize what the full consequences of her actions would be. I crested the cloud to see that the race between Rainbow Dash and the smart-mouthed colts was already underway. I looked around frantically for Starlight Glimmer but failed to spot her. As Twilight finally joined me, I saw Rainbow start the power dive that I knew was the precursor of her performing her first sonic rainboom. Then, from the concealment of a cloud bank, a beam of magic shot out to engulf the filly and bring her to a halt. Starlight emerged from the cloud, smiling smugly. “You’re too late,” she gloated. I felt as if the whole world shuddered slightly, and the temporal portal opened. It pulled Twilight and myself inexorably into its maw, and we plunged through time again. We spilled out onto the map table, once more lit only by the night sky, although it was much brighter this time. I scrambled up onto my hooves and said, “We have to go back and try again!” Twilight shook her head. “The map table needs to recharge. Do you remember how dim the table was when we first arrived in the changed future? It was recharging during your scouting mission and needs to do so again. It’s depleted now, so we’re going to have to bide our time.” “Shit!” I cursed, ignoring Twilight’s disapproving glare. Looking around, my eyes were drawn to the source of our illumination and I gasped. The sky was alive! Stars danced in patterns unseen in my entire life and meteors occasionally punctuated the display. Colorful nebulae pulsed and stretched from one horizon to the other like auroras. The full moon was the Queen of the Skies and the other heavenly bodies paid homage to her. Despite all this, the satellite somehow felt disapproving and oppressive compared to the one I knew. Tearing my eyes away, I saw that the landscape was grimly familiar. “So, why is this future so dead?” “My educated guess has to do with our friends. If our lives were changed as foals, we may never have met and teamed up to fight Nightmare Moon. Her stated intention was to make night last forever. Well, vegetation can’t survive without sunlight, and animals, including ponies, can’t live without the food produced by the plants. Eventually, everything starves. This whole world is dying, Mark.” That was a mighty kick in the gut. Equestria was the epitome of life and growth, and to see it like this was heart-wrenching. “Surely Starlight saw what went wrong? What happened to her? Is she still in the past?” “Probably. She isn’t linked to the map table the way we are because of the Elements. She doesn’t have to come back to the present to re-start her cult of equalization. By the time she finds out what a mistake she’s made, it will be too late. Not even she can beat Nightmare Moon by herself. The evidence is all around us.” That’s when I noticed something new, aside from the night sky. An overturned wagon lay a dozen hoofsteps away. “That wasn’t there before.” Twilight looked where I was staring and her face became grim. “I can’t say I’m surprised. One of the reasons time-travel is banned by Royal Decree is what’s called the ‘Parasprite Effect.’ Even the tiniest alteration in the past can start an avalanche of changes that reach into the future, getting larger and more severe the further you go. Discord and I had a long discussion on the topic.” I brightened. “Discord! He’s probably still in the Canterlot Castle gardens. Could we free him? If there is one creature that might be able to follow us through the portal and help us, it would be him.” “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mark. This timestream’s Discord would be completely unreformed. Plus, he was freed from his stone prison by chaotic events happening around his statue. This reality is nothing but order.” I sighed. “How long until the table recharges and we can try again?” “I won’t be sure until it does. If you want an educated guess, though, I’d say about twenty minutes.” I sighed. “I don’t suppose it really matters. We’ll just have to go back a little earlier than last time and try to take Starlight by surprise.” “I doubt we can do that,” Twilight replied with a frown. “If I’m interpreting these spell modifications correctly, Starlight will also be drawn back in time to the same moment. She’ll remember what happened in the last iteration and know to expect us. On the other hoof, she’ll have to stop Rainbow Dash anew every time she gets sent back. We just have to prevent her from doing that and bring her back to the present so that history can resume its correct course.” “It’s stopping her that’s the real problem, isn’t it? I can’t believe that she managed to defeat all our bodyguards and hold you off too. She’s even more powerful than we thought if she’s a match for an alicorn.” Twilight shook her head. “She’s an extraordinarily powerful unicorn, but she still can’t do earth pony or pegasus magic. She wouldn’t have an alicorn’s stamina either. However, she obviously has a special talent for spells which is why she can match me in a mage fight. And I admit that she’s a lot more ruthless than I am. I tend to hold back whereas she didn’t in the slightest.” “You’re going to have to toughen up, Twi. We’re fighting for the survival of all of Equestria and I’m certainly no match for Starlight. I can outfly her, but she’d just laugh off my unicorn magic.” I paused as I remembered something. With a slight smile, I added, “Although I might have a surprise for her if I get the chance.” “Mark – you said the town was completely lifeless, didn’t you?” Twilight was staring off into the distance behind me. “Yes, I did. Why?” “Then what are those lights?” She pointed with her hoof. I looked in that direction and immediately spotted what she meant. “Stay here – I’m going to scout around a bit.” “Be careful!” I took off and flew as silently as I could. My white coat was very conspicuous in the moonlight but I wasn’t about to sacrifice my alter-form’s superior abilities. I re-surveyed the town as I swept over the roofs, and I realized that there weren’t any dead trees anymore. There were no trees at all, nor shrubs or garden beds. The houses were in good repair. The abandoned feeling was gone, but the unseasonal cold persisted. I spotted more light sources than just the couple we had seen from the map table. Every one of them was emanating from behind poorly closed curtains – no outdoor lighting whatsoever. I landed next to a house and cautiously peered through the window. Through the narrow slit, I could see a mare whom I recognized as Minuette. She seemed to be talking to someone, but I couldn’t see who. However, that meant that there were at least two living ponies here where none had been before. I flitted to each light I saw and peered within – sometimes catching a glimpse of a pony but often not. I could hear the muffled sounds of them talking but I could not make out any of the words. I took to the skies once more and broadened my survey. That’s when I spotted the orchard on the outskirts of town. Sweet Apple Acres was still there! I hastened over and landed beside the first of the fruit trees. The leaves glistened in the moonlight and fruit hung heavy on the branches. I lit up my horn with a light spell and discovered that the foliage was all silver instead of green. The apples were a dull gray color that reminded me of something Big Mac had told me once but I couldn’t recall just what. Were the trees photosynthesizing by the light of the moon alone? I eventually tore myself away from the mystery and flew back to Twilight. “There are several ponies living there now, Twi. I don’t get it – this seems to be the same as it was before, but life still survives.” “As I said before, the tiniest change can affect the future. Perhaps Nightmare Moon used her power in some way to sustain life. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be anypony to worship her.” A thunderbolt suddenly illuminated the immediate area, and the sound nearly made me jump out of my skin. “Most perceptive of thee, intruder! Who art thou, and how didst thou free my sister?” Twilight and I stared aghast at the black alicorn with bat wings and nebulous mane and tail. Her slit eyes and fanged scowl made the mane-hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Nightmare Moon’s horn glowed with pent-up power, ready to use at a whim. “Oh, buck,” I whispered through a suddenly dry throat. # # # # # # # # #