Sorry guys- this chapter is about 1300 words longer than the normal 3000 words for an average chapter in my stories. Just making up for the short prologue, so- enjoy!
Rainbow let out a deep and relaxed sigh, her sun glasses shielding her eyes from the bright and burning sun. Thank goodness she had a cup of iced orange juice on the table next to her. She had her arms folded behind her head as she relaxed back into the lawn chair, the grass tickling her back hooves as the grass wavered gently in the summer breeze.
She took the opportunity and stretched her wings, the cooling breeze brushing against her feathers. She didn't think it could get more comfortable, but it just did. Being up here in Cloudsdale, there's always a gentle breeze. One of the many reasons she loved the City of the Pegasi.
She heard Octavia snoozing gently on the swing bed under the balcony, her tail curled tightly around her body.
"Eye test seventy percent today." Magnum yawned, stretching and walking onto the balcony, flinching as her bare hooves touched the baking wood. A few months ago she had lost her vision when acid got sprayed in her face- but the combination of magic and scientific treatment was giving her a fast recovery.
"Almost fully recovered, aye?" Rainbow asked.
"Almost." Magnum said. "So darn close."
Then everything plunged back into silence, all but the chirping of the birds and rustling of leaves as the breeze passed through the trees.
With Dainty at school and not around, they found it relatively dull at times like these. They didn't have the only cheerful little pony that would always cause a good laugh for all of them around them. Dainty was the only one whom they could look at and immediately feel much more cheered up.
"Do you ever feel guilty..?" Magnum asked, leaning on the handrails of the balcony.
"I know what you mean." Rainbow looked down, her eyes unreadable as they were hidden behind the shades.
Dainty may have been the only one who was innocent among them- and they dragged her into the bounty hunting business. Each one of them gets twenty five percent of the pay, while Dainty gets fifty bits pocket money which she is pretty proud of.
"And I'm going to say yes, many times before." Rainbow said. "She could've stayed out for longer- but sometimes I tell myself that we didn't have a choice."
"Mmm." Magnum hummed. Dainty had been the first pony to have ever been revived from the dead, and has seen many horrifying things she wasn't meant to learn about until she grew up.
"She's strong though." Rainbow let out a deep sigh. "She didn't crack like most of us did. She's still herself- and that's what she's doing better than any of us."
"Agreed." Magnum said, feeling slightly tired as Octavia continued her soft snoring.
*
The bell ringed again, and the fillies cheered. Dainty quickly stuffed her books into her bag, heading outside for lunch. It was a nice and sunny day- and she wondered what Rainbow and the other older ponies were doing. Probably sulking in the sun.
She sat down in her usual spot on the field- out of the many much more comfortable places to sit down and have lunch, Dainty's place was always the worn wooden bench under the tall old tree, beside the playground. It provided decent shade, and the occasional sunlight that leaked through the thick leaves was enough to warm her up if she got cold.
She placed her bag down on the ground like she did many times before, taking out her lunchbox and signature juice box.
There was a gentle thud and giggling as Lily sat down next to her. Lily was the only one true friend Dainty had- the other fillies were merely friendly. Lily was part of the gang that used to bully Dainty- but she was always the one that stood on the side and said nothing. Maybe secretly she thought the entire idea was wrong, but never really spoke up. Quite ironic, considering they were now laughing as they traded stories.
The gang of ponies that used to bully Dainty now all sat under the old tree, giggling as they chatted away with each other. Of course, they had stopped picking on Dainty and could almost be considered friends by now- but this was the group everypony always hung out in.
How times change- just a few months ago they were neck to neck with each other, but now... Everything just seemed to disperse into a new much better world.
"You got a new lunchbox." Lily noticed, peering curiously at the shiny new box.
"Oh, haha... I got some extra pocket money..." Dainty chuckled.
"What from?" Lily munched on an oatmeal sandwich.
Hacking security systems. Helping catch bad guys. "Er... Cleaning the dishes?" Dainty raised an eyebrow at herself.
"How many dishes? My mom only gives me two bits for each day." Lily said frustratedly.
"Er... I've been saving up..." Dainty went with that.
"But just last week you got a brand new pencil case..." Lily pointed out. "Eh... You ok?"
"Maybe." Dainty sheepishly sucked the remaining nectar out of the juice box.
*
Cordy rubbed her forehead frustratedly. So much work to mark, and some of the fillies are falling behind on their grades again... Sometimes being a teacher can be such a headache. Then she has to plan for tomorrow- and now there's no time for her to enjoy the sunshine. She scrambled the papers out of frustration, sending some floating into the air.
Her office wasn't particularly big, but good enough. It was lit through one single window, overlooking the playground and grass field.
She gazed out that window, at first only at the light. Then her eyes adjusted, and she spotted Dainty with the group that always picked on her, laughing and giggling as though nothing ever happened between them before.
Cordy smiled inwardly- funny how some things can turn out. She looked back down at her work, now in a much better mood. Time to finish marking these papers.
*
Vinyl Scratch took off her head phones and pushed away the microphone, slumping into the office chair; momentum sending her slowly turning around. She quickly took a gulp from a nearby glass of water, since her mouth was dry from a morning of being the popular radio DJ.
She snoozed a little as DJ Nunes came in to take the midday shift, yawning.
So everything's back to normal- and that'll take some getting used to after all she'd seen.
She rolled the office chair over to the huge glass window on the side wall. It was pretty much a glass wall, bright natural light pouring in. It really softened Vinyl's eyes after staring at sheet music and written lyrics for the entire morning.
The office was located high up in one of the few modern Canterlot skyscrapers, overlooking the capital city of Equestria. Ponyville was a few miles away, its distinct hay and wood buildings little dots in the distance. Cloudsdale was a mere white haze in the sky, the fog making it look transparent. Manehatten was a grey mass of concrete and steel in a corner, only just visible and hiding behind a large mountain.
Vinyl rubbed her head. So much had happened- and it was giving her a headache just thinking about it. It was normal now- but different. Many things have changed- sure, normal; but very different.
*
"Hi~" Blithy grinned friendlily as two royal guards escorted scar-face and the blue stallion into their cells. They growled at her, and her grin spread even wider.
She watched them until they disappeared around a corner, and she backed away from her cell door.
She fell back and landed on her bed, sinking deep into the mattress before bouncing back up again.
"Whoops." she said as she heard a loud crack from the bed frame. Her robotic half was much more heavier than her natural side- and sometimes she forgets.
Threads of golden sunlight leaked through the small barred window high above her head. Sure, she could easily break out; but she knew what she'd done wrong and was determined to pay up for it.
Rainbow kept thinking Val and Blithy were two different ponies- but Blithy knew they were the same. Right now, they were just changed. Changed like they did many years before, into a bloodthirsty killing machine that killed everypony around them.
Rainbow may be wrong, but she still managed to change Blithy once again.
Blithy closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep as her subconscious started coming up with new plans for super weapons that'll destroy the world.
*
There was a slight heat wave in the shadows in the narrow alley way, a disrupted area of air that many chose to ignore for good.
The Warden of Light had found her hiding spot for now. Hiding- like she wasn't supposed to be. But she preferred it this way. Neon looked down at her invisible claw. She was using her mind to disrupt the light around her to create a mirage, but needed more practice as she could still see the outline of her long razor sharp claws.
She concentrated harder, the outline fading slowly and the wavering stilling. But then she let out a deep breath and the cloak faded.
This'll need a lot of practice.
The stripes of white light on her body lit the area around her, her eyes a bright white and two glowing discs in the darkness.
The Element of Loyalty crystal must've done something to her spirit almost two years back. Back then she was a machine, obeying orders and serving no other purpose than to accomplish a task. Now, she had her own thoughts and her own freedom.
Nightshade, Captain of the Night Guards, had chosen her to be the Warden of Light, to keep the universe in the way it is. It was good news, since she had basically nothing to do. She doesn't eat, doesn't drink, doesn't sleep... Still a machine, but with its own thoughts.
There was a gentle pulse of light, and she was gone, looking for something to correct.
*
Blaze and Halcyon were hanging out outside the ice-cream store again. The two royal guards were disguised as normal ponies, their air of authority gone away with their armor and uniform mane and tail style.
Being two of the Captain Shining Armor's best, they were always on some sort of duty; especially guarding the Princess's side. But today, on the only sunny day in weeks, the princess has decided to stay indoors. The two have their suspicions that this was intentional so they could get a break, and secretly thanked the princess for such a nice day out.
Blaze's ice-cream was beginning to melt again, and Halcyon tapped the rim of the glass cup with a hoof. The gentle ringing echoed softly around as a bit of magic was added to it, and the ice-cream was restored to its normal state.
The Wardens of Fire and Ice certainly enjoyed their free time. The Science Faction is in the process of being completely cleaned up, now too weak to cause any major issues. The two of the princess's royal bodyguards don't need to help with any assaults- the normal royal guards can handle that.
"This feels really weird..." Halcyon said, stirring her cup of frozen drink.
Usually the two spent their romantic evenings taking down criminals and standing guard next to the princess, and to have a normal date... That would've been unheard of to them a few weeks ago. The definition of 'normal' no longer made sense to them, but they gladly accepted it anyways.
"Needs some getting used to." Blaze said, finishing the last of his ice-cream and chewing on the plastic spoon, leaning back into the chair.
"Yep." Halcyon said, taking slow sips out of the glass.
"I remember I used to completely gulp down my drinks when I was a filly." Blaze said, looking down at his half-empty cup.
"Looks like military training does something to you." Halcyon said, placing the cup down gently, making the barest of clunks as it touched the table.
They sat there in silence, thinking back to when they were still fillies.
"No reason why we can't still do it." Blaze suddenly said, pouring the remains of his cup down his throat.
Halcyon blushed, taking sensible sips out of her cup as Blaze belched loudly; drawing annoyed glances from nearby ponies.
"Doesn't feel as fun though." Blaze said boringly, going back to chewing on the spoon.
*
"Nothing like going back to our time to keep our minds sane!" Doctor Whooves said cheerfully as he skipped out of the TARDIS, the blue telephone box's light pulsing gently as it settled down. "What a sunny day! Cheerio to the Daleks!"
"Are we in... Cloudsdale?" Derpy Hooves raised an eyebrow as she exited the time machine, peering at the bright white all around her.
"Good old' Cloudsdale, twenty-twelve." the Doctor said, looking around him, the ponies seemingly ignoring the time machine that just appeared out of thin air in the middle of the street. "Back to our time. I should give you some time to catch up with your friends, I suppose. Do excuse me while I go fetch a muffin or two. Blueberry? I know you like blueberry."
But Derpy didn't reply, and the Doctor raised an eyebrow. He turned around, a slight frown on his face as he didn't see his companion. Usually Derpy doesn't just leave without a notice- and she'd often yelp with delight at the prospect of a blueberry muffin.
"Compelling..." the Doctor mumbled, turning back to the TARDIS and checking behind the time machine. "Derpy? You there? Quit horse'n around now."
He heard a soft click from inside the TARDIS, and peered inside.
"Now don't touch anything- remember how that ended last time..." the Doctor walked in, the door closing with a click behind him.
But the grey pegasus was nowhere to be seen in the vast interior of the time machine. The control console pulsed and whirred gently, glowing a light green. Perhaps the pegasus was snoozing off under the consoles or something... After all, it's Derpy Hooves- anything is possible with her around. One of the many reasons the Doctor adores his companion. Exceptionally this one, in particular. Well of course, who doesn't love the cross-eyed grey mare?
"Derpy Hooves? Come on, I know you're in here- and then we can go get those muffins! We could go to the Sugarcube Corner retail store! Come on, now." Doctor Whooves bent down and looked under the console, but she wasn't there.
His ears twitched, and he whirled around.
"Odd. Could've sworn I heard hoof steps here." he raised an eyebrow, cautiously approaching the door of the TARDIS.
There was a soft click behind him, and he froze as he felt the barrel of a peculiar weapon press against the back of his head, buzzing quietly.
Slowly, he turned around, aware that the weapon was still aimed at his head. To his surprise, he didn't see anything there.
"Cloaking device, eh... Clever...." he muttered, staring through the presence-filled nothingness in front of him.
"Doctor Whooves..." a deep voice said, and the air in front of him started rippling.
In no time at all, the haze faded to reveal a robotic figure standing in front of him, an energy weapon aimed right between his eyes.
"Where is she? Where is Derpy?"
"You are in no position to ask questions right now." the pony was obviously not a robot- since the Doctor could hear breathing when the pony spoke. It's either some sort of suit, or just a cyborg. "All I want is your ship, time machine, whatever you may call it. Now if you would kindly step out..."
"I'm not leaving her." the Doctor said firmly.
"It's either her or your companion. Your choice." the pony robot said, the weapon gently pulsing a dark purple.
"What do you wish to accomplish with the TARDIS?" the Doctor tilted his head to one side. "You know, you can't pilot her without me."
"We'll see about that." the robot pony said. "My partner is taking care of that right now- and until you get out, he'll be keeping that anti-matter rifle glued to your companion's temple."
"I'm sure we can come to an agre-" the Doctor began.
"We have nothing to agree to. There is only one thing we want, and we're getting it regardless." the pony robot said.
There was a soft beep as another pony robot exited cloaking, his form appearing out of thin air. A large robotic hand was clasped over Derpy's mouth, preventing her from making any sound.
Both of the Doctor's hearts broke as he saw the fright in her large eyes, and tried to convey a look that would calm her down. But he saw no way out of this situation, and he didn't think the look achieved the desired effect.
"Please- let's just lower our weapons and-"
"Never mind that. Get out." the pony robot said.
"This is my-"
"Don't give a hay. Get out." the pony said again, flicking the anti-matter rifle at the door.
"Hey- that thing can't kill me-"
There was a purple flash, and the Doctor's left hind leg was gone in a bloody mist and an explosion. The blast caused his other legs to buckle, and he crumpled onto the ground in a painful pile, screaming in agony.
The regeneration was starting, but it was still painful none the less.
"I only pulled the trigger once." the pony said, Derpy trying to yell at him but being held back by his partner. "This is a beam rifle. If I hold the trigger long enough- the potential explosion could wipe out everypony in this room. Everypony without a heavy armor suit, that is."
"Well of course..." the Doctor managed to say. When anti-matter meets normal matter, it often ends in something quite explosive.
"Throw them out." the pony said, turning away and towards the console, plucking a small data storage device from his belt and stabbing it into the TARDIS.
"No!" the Doctor yelled as sparks flew and the lights flickered.
"We'll take it from here." the pony said, and the TARDIS stopped reacting to anything. The programming has been loaded, and now it's on full manual.
"No! Goddamnit- NO!" the other pony robot grabbed Doctor Whooves by the neck, throwing both him and Derpy outside.
The Doctor landed hard on his shoulder, bouncing up slightly as the clouds contracted.
"Shuck- No!" he scrambled to his hooves, charging at the door- but it was locked.
"Doctor-" Derpy moaned.
"Damnit- come on! COME ON!" the Doctor fumbled with his pocket, bringing out the sonic screwdriver. "Curse these hooves- I want hands!" he yelled, the screwdriver buzzing and the tip glowing a bright green.
But the time machine was already leaving.
"How could this be happening? No!" the locks clicked, but he couldn't open the door. The pony robot must be blocking it on the other side.
He backed away, and charged at the door. But instead of the expected impact, he hit thin air and fell down onto the floor again.
The TARDIS was gone.
"Doctor..." Derpy said weakly.
"No... Goddamnit..." Doctor stared the ground, ignoring the paranoid glances shot at him from nearby ponies. Then he heard somepony scream, and turned around.
"Doctor...?" Derpy asked weakly, blood caking her side. Some of the anti-matter must've escaped the rifle and attached themselves to her.
"DERPY!" the Doctor quickly ran to her side, allowing her to crumble into his arms.
*
Starswirl had just finished the book when he heard a gentle tap from outside the window. It was snowing, and the night air chilled his spine as he opened the windows. They opened with a squeak, the rusted metal scraping against each other.
The night air gushed in, blowing in flakes of snow and upsetting the paperwork on Starswirl's desk. He had accomplished many things as a filly already, and was looking to creating his own magical spells. His research was now scattered all over the floor, but he could sort that out in no time.
He peered out of the window, looking around and trying to see who had made the tapping noise.
Outside, there was nothing but black and grey as the night turned everything into a monochromatic blizzard- all but the bright yellow lights from candles that lit the interiors and leaked out the windows.
Convinced he was just hallucinating, he turned back to pick up his scattered research, but froze as he heard a loud crunch behind him.
He whipped around. At first he saw nothing, but then looked down and saw a piece of his research crushed under an invisible hoof-shaped object.
Curious, he thought it was just some magic spell used to prank him. He was about to move forward when he froze, a heavy puff of warm breath rolling down his neck and sending chills down his spine. Still he could hear the heavy breathing, and could detect the heavy presence in front of him.
There was a soft knock on his bedroom door, and Starswirl's mother opened the it.
"I brought you some sliced apples- you've been up all night. You really should get some rest- and do close the window... It's just freezing, isn't it?" she said, levitating some fresh apples on a plate as she walked in.
"No- MOM! Get out NOW!" Starswirl yelled as a purple glow filled the room- but it was too late.
He watched his mother's head disappear into pink mist, splattering the apples crimson red. The headless body collapsed to the floor, blood splattering over the soft carpet.
"NO!!" Starswirl screamed, falling back in shock and yelling at his mother's corpse. There was a loud clang as the plate of apples shattered against the floor. "MOM!!"
There was a soft beep, and the air next to Starswirl rippled. He scrambled away in fright, staring as a large creature made of metal appeared out of thin air. It had hands- and every move it made made a whirring sound. In its right hand was a long thin device, parts of it glowing purple. It pointed the object between Starswirl's eyes.
"What are you...?" Starswirl pressed his back against the far wall, tears pouring down his face as his heart pounded against his chest. "WHAT THE HAY ARE YOU!!???"
"Your doom." the creature said in a deep voice, the purple object glowing brightly. It flashed, and the greatest unicorn to-be collapsed onto the floor, now headless and dead as ever.
*
"Derpy... No..." the Doctor tried to mend his broken hearts, holding onto the grey pegasus's hoof tightly- but he could feel her life slipping away. "DOCTOR! SOMEPONY CALL A DOCTOR!!"
"I thought you were... The doctor...." Derpy said weakly, her beautiful bright yellow crossed-eyes half closed. Her chest heaved with each breath, weak and slowing down.
"Goddamnit! How did everything go so wrong!? HOW!!??" the Doctor hugged her tightly, eyes watering.
"Doctor... Am I going to... Die...?"
Doctor Whooves froze. The pieces of his broken heart had just been obliterated as Derpy asked the question.
"No... I won't let you! You hear me!? I WON'T LET YOU!!" the Doctor tore his own jacket with his teeth, wrapping the torn fabric tightly around Derpy's wound- but she was already suffering from radiation poisoning.
There was a loud bang, and a shockwave swept over them, upsetting their manes and sending them whipping about. The time wave is approaching.
There were panicked screams everywhere as the world slowly began brightening, becoming even brighter than almost the sun.
"Wait for me, alright?" the Doctor said, his voice almost drowned out by a loud ringing. Distant objects began to fade as the world became too bright to see that far- the far horizon was just a blinding white now. "Wherever you are in the new time line, I'll find you!" he yelled over the growing ringing. "WAIT FOR ME!!!"
Derpy smiled, her mane whipping about her face violently as a strong gust of wind rushed over them.
"I will."
*
"Shuck! What the hay is going on!!??" Rainbow yelled. A loud ringing had started filling the air- and she was certain it wasn't her ears.
"Is there something wrong with my eyes..?" Magnum rubbed her eyes desperately as the world became a bright white.
"What the hay..." Rainbow looked around her as distant objects began disappearing.
There was a shockwave and a bang earlier too, which woke Octavia from her sleep.
"Huh.... I thought I had already woken up..." she said sleepily.
"Is it a nuke?" Magnum had to shout for her voice to travel over the ringing.
"Doesn't seem like it...." Rainbow covered her eyes as the light began hurting them.
A strong gust of wind hit her, knocking her off her hooves. She fell onto the floor, everything a blur. She tried getting back up, only to be knocked back down again by the wind.
"What the hay is going on!!??" she yelled, leaning against the wind and getting up.
"RAINBOW! MAGNUM!! WHERE ARE YOU!!??" Octavia yelled- the light was like a smoke screen- shielding everything off from sight.
Rainbow screamed as a wave of pain swept over her head, and she fell to her knees.
"What... Is... This...." she watched wide eyed as her front hooves split apart into those familiar demon claws- those claws she used to be able to control, now tearing her apart just like the first time. Her blood drifted in long crimson red streaks as the wind blew.
Another wave of pain hammered her head- and it felt like her skull was about to split. She curled onto the ground, screaming and clutching her head. Her throat felt like it could rip apart as her screams were drowned away in the ringing and howling of the wind.
"Goddamnit... Make it stop..." Rainbow struggled to look up at her only hope of keeping sane. "OCTAVIA!!"