>> Truth.
I was in the invasion too Pace! But I didn’t verbally assault an innocent expatriate who just offered to help topple her own native country! She told us, we never would have figured it out on our own. What? Oh, that’s right, I was talking about time… This is a long story, there will be time for that later. <<
It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Ponyville. The sun was shining as if Celestia wanted to give one last reminder of summer before autumn ended and winter began. The running of the leaves was just around the corner but today was bright and warm, full of promise. Which was great, because the team dynamic of the Time Ponies was in critical condition after Inquisitor’s secret had been revealed.
“You’re a changeling!” shouted Perfect Pace, walking up to stare into Inky’s eyes. “All these years... I remember talking to you after the invasion!”
“And all those things I said were true, and still are. I do not in any way support the hive's attack on Equestria, or Canterlot specifically. I told you, I faked my own death to leave the hive!”
“Would you appreciate it if you were held responsible for a crime your grandfather committed after you had already disowned him?” asked Perfect Timing.
“No,” said Pace, taking a step back.
“And telling us what she knows about the hive should clearly show where her loyalties lie. Unless you wish to question her word?”
Pace looked at Timing and Inky. Starlight held her breath, this would be the deciding moment. Would they accept her easily, or would this be a wedge between them on their very first mission together.
“No.” Pace stepped up to offer Inky his hoof, which she shook. “Whatever else you are, you’re one of us. And the Time Ponies stick together, through thick and thin.”
“Yeah, you’re still you, even if you are a scary bugpony that parents tell their foals about on Nightmare Night,” added Minuette. Starlight facehoofed. Still, nopony seemed too upset, they could make this work.
“I’m glad you’re telling us. That’s important,” added Driver.
Starlight started heading downstairs with Time Turner to run one final check on the machine. She had planned this to give the others time to get used to the revelation and the information on the hive before going on their trip. She led the way into the lift but let the Doctor pull the lever. “That seems to be going well. I was worried there for a minute.”
“We are a tightly knit group, Starlight. Many of these ponies were unable to find anypony to share their hobby with until they found us. We have been meeting together for years, and not just in the official meetings. We’re as closely knit as a city block, or some extended families. I knew they’d be fine. The only one we were ever worried about was you.”
While they had been talking the lift had reached the basement and they walked into the workshop. Then the lift headed back up. “That’s odd,” said Time Turner, turning back. “I wonder who’s coming down so soon.”
Starlight looked around the workshop. It was cleaner than she had ever seen it. There were still a few machines that she didn’t understand, but the smaller ones had been removed and the big ones were all up against the walls, leaving enough room for all eleven of them. “Looks like you and Rose did a great job making room down here.”
“Actually she only cleaned up upstairs. Come to think of it, I can’t remember the last time she came down here.”
Just then the lift opened and Extra Time came out, wearing a pair of saddlebags. “Hello there my friends. I hope today finds you well?”
“I’m a little nervous about the mission, but mostly good,” answered Starlight.
“Excellent. Do you mind if I set up for recording in the room with the portal?”
“Not at all good chap, come on in.”
Extra reached back and placed an odd wooden contraption on his back and then followed the Doctor into the room. He walked over to an empty spot against the wall and took the wooden thing off his back and unfolded it, revealing it to be a table.
“That’s a neat table, did you come up with the idea yourself?” Starlight asked.
“No, I found it in a specialty furniture shop in Canterlot. I doubt they sell them in a country town like Ponyville.” He set a sheet of parchment and an ink bottle on the table, then placed a quill next to them. “Please don’t mind me, I’ll just record events as they transpire. Also I would appreciate it if any of you would tell me what happened when you come back.”
“Well then, let’s run the final tests.” The Doctor trotted over to the readout machine and pressed a few buttons. It began whirring and printing. When it stopped the Doctor looked over the results. “All the readings appear to be good. And I checked the machine itself this morning. Everything appears to be in jolly good order. There is one other thing I wanted to talk to you about. It will be easier on the machine if we let a little time pass on this side. I was thinking we could have one hour on this side correspond to 70 on the other side.”
“That should be fine. Shall we test the beacons? I was thinking we could use the wasteland world since it didn’t seem time sensitive.”
“A fine choice. They're in that box.” He pointed at an open box with the crystals Starlight had enchanted earlier that month. They would send a magical signal when activated that should be received by their matched receiver from any distance and even across realities, but be undetected by anything else. They had all been matched to one gem which the Doctor had hooked up to the readout machine since they normally required a unicorn to read them. The signal would include a time and place for him and Pace to lock in on and let them return.
She grabbed one in her magic and levitated it over next to the mirror that had been fitted into the metal frame which would house the portal. “Ready Doctor.”
He fiddled with the pillar and then the mirror began to glow a bright green, the shade of the diamond, and pure white in alternating circles moving too quickly to track. Then there was a flash of white so bright all three of them covered their eyes and looked away. When they looked back the portal had calmed down. It was a slowly swirling vortex of green and white.
“I say,” exclaimed Extra, “that was quite the show! Will it always do that?”
“I believe so. It is a bit bright, but no problems. Shall we continue? I’ve set it to a one to one ratio of time for this experiment.”
“Right.” Starlight levitated one of the crystals and set it to go off in five seconds. Then she tossed it through the portal. Time Turner closed the portal. Five seconds later the portal opened automatically upon receiving the beacon’s signal. “I’ll get it.” Starlight walked over to the portal, only for the Doctor to put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Are you sure?”
“There was nothing in sight of the map but dust and dead trees,” Starlight started to say confidently, but by the end she was looking dejectedly at the ground. “Nopony will see me, because there’s nopony to do the seeing.”
Time Turner started to say something, but then thought better of it. Then Extra Time said, “Maybe it was just Ponyville that was destroyed?”
“I hope so. Either way, I’ll be safe.” Then she stepped through.
There was a spinning sensation, coupled with tumbling, while the world around her was a riotous rainbow of colors. It was almost enough to make her want to vomit, but not quite. After just a few seconds she flew up and then tumbled out onto hard dusty ground. The wind was just as strong as she remembered. A few feet in front of her she saw the beacon glowing turquoise, indicating that it was activated. She turned it off and then turned back to the map, which they were using as the binding point. But then she saw a dark figure looming on the next hill. They were as big as Celestia, and somehow she knew they were as evil as Celestia was good. She jumped through the portal as fast as she could, terror overpowering any feelings of nausea on the return trip.
As soon as the world stopped being rainbows she shouted, “Close it! Close it now!” She held her eyes shut to help with the spinning in her head. “There’s something out there!”
“It’s okay, I closed it,” she heard Time Turner say, and she let herself relax.
“What did you see?” asked Extra Time, in a voice that seemed far too eager to Starlight.
“I don’t know. It was bigger than a pony, and very dark, but I left before I could see anything else. As soon as I saw them I knew they were evil. And powerful. It was like there was an aura of evil it was emanating, like Celestia radiates a warm comfort.”
She heard some scritching of a quill on parchment. Then the Doctor spoke up “Well, whatever it was it shouldn’t be able to reach us now. The portal is most definitely closed.”
“Shouldn’t? As in ‘unlikely but it could happen?’” asked Extra Time.
“Well, we can cross dimensions, as can Starswirl and Discord. However those are the only three powers we have ever known to manage the feat. Hopefully this mysterious foe is not one of the rare individuals who can solve the puzzle of interdimensional travel. Also, I doubt they know which dimension we came from. I am nearly certain they will not be a problem until we next go to that world. We might want to put that one off for now though.”
“Yes!” shouted Starlight. “That one is last. Definitely.”
“One of the other threats is Discord. Are you so sure this is worse?” asked the Doctor.
“I hate to disagree with you on this old sport, but I agree with Ms. Glimmer. Discord is a great threat, but we’ve seen him before, he is a known quantity. This fellow we know nothing about.”
Starlight opened her eyes and stood up. “I think we are ready to call the others down and start the mission.”
Time Turner walked over to the lift and started it up. “So,” asked Extra Time, “you said they were dark, did you mean dark colored or that they sucked up the light around them?”
“I just meant they were darkly colored. I don’t know what color though, the whole place looked gray and brown. When Twilight and I first went there we looked drab, and that was after only a few seconds of exposure to the dust.”
“So we have no hints as to who it was?”
“No. I’ve never felt anything like it, but I’ve also never met any of the likely candidates. I doubt it was Discord though. The wasteland was far too monotonous to be his doing.”
“Indeed.” A silence fell between them, broken only by the scraping of the lift. When it opened, Perfect Pace and Derpy walked out. Pace sent the lift back up and then they walked into the workshop.
“Hi Starlight! Inquisitor is doing great! Everypony’s being friendly and getting along,” said Derpy. Starlight noticed she was in a gold set of chainmail with golden shoes and cloak, carrying an iron tipped wooden spear.
“Indeed. I am sorry for my rash response. She has been a loyal friend for years, this changes nothing between us.”
“Glad to see you got that through your head,” shot Extra Time from behind his table.
“Not today Extra. Now is not the time.”
“Fair enough.”
Starlight looked between them. “Is there a problem between you two?”
Minuette stepped in with Perfect Timing following. “They’ve never gotten along. Nopony knows why, they’ve been at it longer than either’s been in the club.”
“But rest assured, we can work together in a professional context,” added Perfect Pace.
“The Time Ponies stick together, through thick and thin,” said Extra, drawing a look from Pace.
“Derpy, do you know how to use that spear?” Starlight asked.
“It’s part of the standard training for the E.U.P. guard, both active and reserve. We’re only supposed to use them in wartime, and there hasn’t been a war in a century, but we still practice just in case. And this sounds like a war we’re walking into. So I brought mine along.”
Starlight blinked. “Right.” She studied her paper saying who would be coming today. She was a powerful unicorn, Derpy was in the reserves, Inky was a changeling, Perfect Timing was a deputy, and Minuette was a graduate from Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. These were ponies who could be useful in a fight. But then there were the others. Driver the cabby, Emerald the bookseller, and Sandstorm the weather pony. Starlight looked at the mirror. It was just large enough for two ponies to walk abreast through it without touching. She looked up and saw everypony was in the room.
“Alright everypony, here’s the plan. We’ll go in pairs. Me and Inky will go first.”
“Inky?” asked Minuette.
“She means me. It’s a nickname.”
“Right. After that will be Derpy and Perfect Timing. Then Minuette and Driver. Emerald and Sandstorm are up last. There is already a fight going on, so be ready to be spun around and then thrown at the enemy. It is a bit... okay it’s very disorienting but as long as nopony has motion sickness it should be fine.”
Time Turner chimed in, “I’ll wait to increase the time dilation until after everypony is through. Also, I’ll make sure to set the portal to open on one of the trees near the map. It’s easier when we can use a mirror, but not required. This way you will come out upright.”
“Are there any questions before we begin?” asked Starlight.
“What is our plan of attack?” asked Derpy.
“Um... try to save as many of the natives as we can. Twilight told me that the ones covered in mud are truly as they appear. Something about zebra magic.”
“None of the hostiles will be ponies covered in mud. Understood ma’am!”
“Isn’t that a bit much soldier talk?” asked Perfect Timing.
“I’m just trying to follow the E.U.P. guidebook. Did I do something wrong?”
“No Derpy, you did fine. It’s just a little surprising when you go from friendly mailmare to royal guard like that,” said Starlight. “Speaking of, have you ever been on active duty?”
“I served in the aerial assault on Lord Tirek.” Derpy looked down.
“Hey, that wasn’t your fault. Nopony could take on Discord and Tirek together,” Perfect Timing reassured her. “You're the best soldier I know.”
“Really?”
“Better than me or Inky. We've never seen combat.”
“Are there any more questions?” Starlight waited but nopony spoke up this time. “Alright then. Let’s get into position.” The team filed into the pairs they had been assigned in a column in front of the mirror. “Start the countdown. Everypony else close your eyes. Open them on go.”
The Doctor fiddled with the pillar. It began to activate, going through the same process as before. “Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Go!”