//------------------------------// // Loop 74 // Story: The Time Thief // by Reading4HalfMyLife //------------------------------// It was purely luck that Astral had found the old costume. Whether it was good or bad was up to you to decide. She had been poking around in Rarity's backstorage, looking for a scary costume for a prank when she found it. Mare Do Well's suit. She had, of course, heard the stories about the mysterious mare who had helped save Ponyville for a week before vanishing off the face of the earth. But- Aunt Rarity?! That made no sense. Rarity wasn't strong enough to stop a carriage, and she certainly couldn't fly- -Oh dear Gods, it was a team effort. What the hell. Her mother was a literal superhero. Thank you, for making those boots so much bigger to fill. Still . . . She tugged the cape around her. Perhaps was the time to knock another item off her to do list. Nimbus was usually a very methodical pony- he was almost always on time. Almost. Today he had been running late while dispersing clouds, and was now trotting through the streets to get home to his family, wings too sore to even consider flying, even with the saddlebags tied around his barrel. He took several, out of character short cuts, one of which led him down a dark alley. And, like most dark alleys, this one had a looming figure at the end of it. Somehow, against all odds, Nimbus didn't actually see him until they were almost chest to chest. "Oh, excuse me" he said, sidestepping . . only for the stallion to copy his movements. Nimbus blinked, before trying again, with the stranger copying his movements again. The Pegasi swallowed nervously. He remembered when he was very young, a mare had come to their class to talk about stranger danger, but after all those years of living in Ponyville, he had forgotten most of those warnings. He took a small step back, and the larger stallion copied, horn glowing amber as Nimbus let out a surprised squeak at the feeling of his saddlebags being untied. "What are you doing?!" The Unicorn glared at him, features harsh in the orange light, and Nimbus took yet another step back, only to start as the bags hit the ground with a thump. The other stallion's eyes were white with fear, and his ears were pinned back as he stared up at something. He took a few stumbling steps back, away from Nimbus and his saddlebags. "Mare do well?" He whispered. Nimbus glanced over his shoulder, and it took a second for him to register what he was seeing. There, balanced on a small ledge, wearing a mask and a slightly torn cape, was a strange mare. Nimbus squinted up at her. "Wha- who is that?" But it was no use. The other stallion had long since vanished, as had the masked mare. Rainbow Dash was not happy. She had been in the kitchen with Pinkie - not baking, nopony in their right mind would let her near an oven- when she heard the news. Her stepdaughter had stumbled in with a newspaper and a huge grin, and just like that, Rainbow knew it was goin to be bad. "Mare Do Well's back!" She chirped, placing the newspaper on the table. Slowly, very, very slowly, Rainbow turned her head to glare at Pinkie Pie, who blinked innocently and held up a hoof as if to say 'not me this time, I swear.' Snatching the paper up, the Pegasus scanned it, brow furrowing. Apparentally Mare Do Well had stopped a mugging. The victim in question hadn't been around when she first came around, so had decided to ask around, which gained the attention of the press. Rainbow groaned. Wonderful . . . "We need to talk to the girls." Pinkie decided to host a 'Mare Do Well has returned' party, which would usually make Rainbow ticked, but it gave her the perfect oppurtinty to talk to the others. The others in question saw her storming up to them by a mile. "It wasn't me" Twilight said, before she could even open her mouth. Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy all nodded. "Ah haven't touched it in years." "I hated all the eyes on me." "So last year!" "Okay, okay, stop!" Rainbow Dash made frantic hoof gestures. "I get it, it wasn't you guys! But if it wasn't, then who was it?" "There's only one way to find out!" Nopony flinched when Pinkie somehow appeared beside Rainbow Dash with a giant smile. "We gotta catch 'em!" They're going to try and catch me. That was Astral's first thought upon seeing the Elements of Harmony spread out among the streets, not noticing the masked figure laying on her stomach on the roof above them. Key word being try. Waiting a bit for them to dissapear from sight, she pushed herself up and started jumping from roof to roof. It was, she realised, a very thrilling feeling. She never really got to practise her parkour or gymnastics that much, unless in battle, and was a little rusty. She felt like a kid on monkey bars. She landed on the edge of a chimney, skidding to a stop as she surveyed the area, only to stop at the loud "hey!" Peering down, she saw a very familiar orange Earth Pony and blue Pegasus, the latter of which was already flying towards her. Oh shit! She spun on one hoof, jumping off the roof and landing on a cart below and sinking into the hay. Immediately pushing herself up again, she hit the ground sprinting for the nearest alleyway. She wasn't an idiot, she knew her top speed was nothing compared to Rainbow Dash in air or Applejack on ground, but maybe . . . Astral's horn glowed, and, with a pop, she vanished. Only to find herself face to face with Rarity and Fluttershy. Oh, give me a break. This time, she didn't even hesitate, ducking Fluttershy's outstretched hoof and diving past the two stunned ponies. Snapping out of her shock, Rarity spun around and snapped "excuse me!" But Astral had already turned the corner and vanished. Gods, the only way this could get worse is- She was enveloped in a light purple field. Oh for fucks sake She turned to face her mother, and sent out a telekinetic blast that she blocked with a shield. Desperately, Astral turned inwards, trying to undo her mother's telekinetic grip. It was beautiful, almost flawless, and such a shade of magic that it made Astral's heart hurt. Ah well. She undid it quickly, before casting a concussive blast outwards, shocking her mother and sending her flying backwards with a surprised cry. Astral stood stock still for a moment. I just hit my mother. It was then that Astral realized the very angry ponies around her, all horrified at the sight of their hero attacking their princess. It wouldn't be long until one idiot decided to attack her, prompting the rest to join in. Before that could happen though, Astral vanished again. So much for superhero. Goals Get a cutie mark Help CMC get cutie marks See Alchemy Graduate from Beginner to Intermediate Beat Shining Armour in a duel Beat the Princesses in a duel Travel Be a superhero