Time Fetch

by MrAwesome343

Chapter 1: Ruins

Chapter 1: Ruins

A magenta unicorn walked through the ruins of the old Canterlot Castle. Once her home. Her home... and her best friend's home. Taro, his name was. The former king of Equestria. Only former because of his absence from the kingdom. He was a dragon rider. "Was" because his dragon had died. Like all other dragon riders, he had developed wings. Like all others... if there were any others. The dragons from his world, the human world, and their riders had died off, except for a few eggs that still hadn't hatched, wherever they were now. The unicorn picked out a stone from the side of a wall that was once her room.
"Nothing's left. It's all like this," said a man from behind him. Taro. He wore his tan overcoat and fedora that he had become known for over the past few years. "Well, aside from this." He held up a green sword that shimmered different shade of green.
"Can that thing even get scratched?"
"Probably..."
"I can't believe we let this happen," complained the unicorn.
"Hey, Silus," Taro knelt down next to her, "It's not like we did it on purpose. Besides, others could have survived."
"But what about the rest of Equestria? Look outside, it's completely deserted."
"Come on, we need to keep moving. Maybe we'll visit what might be left of Ponyville or some other town to see if it's alright."

Seventy Years Ago

Silus closed the log book. It had almost been filled up. She would need a new one soon. The book contained every forecast she had created for Canterlot and Ponyville. Most ponies couldn't believe that a unicorn was the Weather Director, but they couldn't deny the three sparkling water droplets on her flank. Silus left her desk by her bed to the window on the other side of her desk. Outside, pegesi flew around, completing the weather assignment she had issued. Sunny day for Canterlot, as the Weather Council had agreed upon, with a slight breeze from south due north.
Silus turned her attention to the three photos on her desk. One of Taro, the current king of Equestria, her not-so-secret crush, and her best friend, one of her other friend, Faust the alicorn and raiser of the sun and moon, and the last one of her and Taro with a strange man. He traveled through time and space, saving entire civilizations. He did not give a name, just "The Doctor" he said. He was once a pony, but that is another story.
The unicorn sighed. Not bad for a misfit from Manehattan, she thought to herself. Silus and Taro met three years ago. Taro was on a mission and found her being picked on. She had been alone her entire life. Taro took her back to the castle to let her live with him. After two years, they had met the Doctor. One regeneration into a human form later and Silus's love for her friend had been spilled. Taro only had one love throughout his long life. All 1757 years of it. It wasn't Silus. A year later, Silus had been living happily in the castle with her friend once again. A good life, she was living. Not bad at all... she thought again.
She turned toward the door and saw Taro in the doorway, a neutral expression on his face. "Hey Taro. What's up?" Taro walked toward her. "Taro?" He picked her up and lay her on the bed. "Taro, what are you doing?" Taro continued. He flipped her and rolled her, as if searching, ignoring the grunts from Silus. He grabbed her leg and looked around. "Taro, I-I thought you didn't like me like..." Taro put it down. "Hey, come on..." Taro's eyes rested on her horn. He smiled and reached for it. Suddenly his head dropped forward as a book struck it from behind.
"Run Silus!" Taro shouted from the door.
"Taro? How are there..." Silus was interrupted when the Taro next to her grabbed her head and turned toward the window.
"Jierda!" A bolt of energy burst out of Door-Taro's hand, causing the other Taro to drop Silus. Door-Taro quickly grabbed Silus off the ground and ran out the door.
"Taro, what the heck is going on? Why were you grabbing me from the door? Which you is you?"
"Silus, trust me, I'm actually saying something." Taro put Silus down and let her run.
"What are we running from, then?"
"Tell you later, just keep running." As they ran down the stairs passed some guards, Taro said to them, "Go for blood, he's at his weakest state he'll ever be at!"
"Why aren't you fighting?" Silus asked.
"Because keeping you safe is my top priority. You and Faust are in the most danger." Taro and Silus turned toward the library where Faust was last seen, but as they turned the corner, a crash echoed the halls. A blast of dust and a hole in the ceiling later, the other Taro was in front of them.
It landed and ran straight for Taro and Silus. "Go, run!" They instantly turned around and ran down another hall.
"How are we supposed to get to Faust if that thing is going to stop us?" Silus asked.
"Oh, we... hope for the best..." Taro replied. They turned again and saw a large dome window in front of them.
"What do you mean?" Silus asked.
"That thing is getting too close. There's only one hope of outrunning it. It may have wings like me, but it can't fly."
"I don't understand, what does this have to do with Faust?"
"I can't risk loosing you and Faust. Too much is at stake."
"What does that mean?"
"This!" Taro grabbed Silus and flew straight at the glass wall. He turned his back to it and crashed into it, breaking through it.
"Taro, what are you doing?"
"Getting you out of here! If I got anypony, I'm glad it's you, Faust can fly herself to safety. Provided she knows to fly, of course."
"Taro we can't leave her! Go back!"
"I can't! That thing is after you too! If I go back, what's going to stop it from taking you!"
"What's going to stop it from taking Faust!"
"I don't know! I'm worried about her too!"
"So go back!"
"Look, Silus! Sometimes I need to make a decision that I don't entirely approve of myself! I went for you right away because Faust knows how to fly! You don't! I'd rather a chance of her getting away than with you being dead on the spot! Had I not made that decision, you WOULD have died! Now shut up, we can't go back!"
"Where are we going anyway?"
"I don't know, which is good. If I don't know, neither will what's after you."
Taro eventually found a small forest. He landed in a thick area, hidden from sight. "Now," he said, adding some wood to the fire in front of him and Silus, "I owe you some explanations. That thing that attacked you is... well, that's just it. I don't know what it is. It takes the form of one being that it's seen. No one knows what it actually looks like, probably because it keeps changing. It feasts on power, and it needs a lot to stay alive. Once it gets enough, it can stay alive for... well, let's just say a while. But I don't think it was after just a life source."
"Then why did it want me? I'm not very powerful," Silus said.
Taro laughed lightly. "Not very powerful? How many other unicorns can control weather? You need a lot of power to do that."
"Well what about Faust? How many other ponies can move the sun and moon?"
"Well, I'm no pony, but..."
"You're kidding, right?"
"No. I never told you? The alicorns who lived last, Luna and Celestia, before they died, the gave me the ability to move the moon and the sun. Another reason I left Faust behind. I am extremely powerful, as well as you. I'm hoping they focus on us more than her."
"Are we staying the night?" Silus asked, concerned.
Taro nodded slowly. "I wish we could return. Tomorrow morning, I'll leave for the castle."
The two sat around the fire silently until Silus spoke up again. "You know, shouldn't today have been longer?"
"What do you mean?" Taro asked.
"I don't know, it just it feels like it was too... short."
"A lot has happened, Silus. Come on, let's go to bed."

Taro woke up, the sun shining bright in his face. It was a quarter way up the sky. Too far up for so early in the morning. Taro ignored it and shook Silus, who woke up.
"I'm going back to the castle. You stay here, I don't want you to get hurt," Taro instructed.
"Okay, hurry back," she said, sleepily.
"Will do." Taro jumped into the air. His wings pumped and he made it through the thick crowns of the tree. Taro searched the nearby area for the mountain that held the city in the air. He floated to the edge of the forest. He saw the mountain, but nothing was on it. "Uh oh..." Taro immediately flew back to Silus.
"Wow, that was fast," she said upon his return.
"It's not that. We got a problem."
"What do you mean 'problem'..."
Taro grabbed her and flew outside the forest. "This is the problem. Can you tell me where Canterlot is?"
"Well it's right..." Silus looked in the direction of their old home. It was dark and gray and torn into ruins as if it was from 100 years ago. "What happened to our home!"
"I don't know, but I think I can guess. Remember your comment last night about the sun going too fast?" Silus nodded. "I think we went forward. Like... way forward."
"How far forward?"
Taro landed and set Silus down. He then dug into his trench coat and pulled out a silver pocket watch the Doctor had given him over one-thousand years ago. "Really far forward." Taro closed the fob watch and looked at Silus. "And I mean REALLY far."
"What happened to Canterlot..."
"I wish I could tell you. That evil essence that took my form. It wanted power, so it sought after you. That means it needed a lot of power. I'm just concerned at what it needed it to do it for. I'm guessing we could find some answers at the old castle."
"What if she didn't make it?" Silus asked.
Taro took a deep breath. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but decided against it. "Come on, let's get to the castle."

A short flight later, they arrived. "The entire city is destroyed," Taro said to himself.
"What do you think he got his hands on to do this?" Silus asked.
"To be honest, I AM pretty worried. But I don't think it was Faust. Her power is stronger than that."
"But what if it didn't use all of its power to do this?"
Taro continued walking through the castle. "Look for anything that remained. Books, ink, a bag of marbles, basically anything but the wall. We'll split up. I'll take the bottom two floors, you take the third and fourth."
"'Kay," Silus replied.

Taro walked through the heating room of the castle. Not even close to the way he left it. He remembered back to when he was there. That was where he discovered himself.

Taro drew his ever-sharp sword, Kveykva, from its sheathe. "What are you here for?"
He didn't answer himself. Instead he lunged at Taro with great speed. Taro was knocked to the floor, but not before he could thrust Kveykva into the monster's gut. The monster halted for a minute on top of him before it stood and ran away. Taro lay on his back for half a second before he threw down Kveykva and ran for Silus.

Taro looked around with his eyes, staying in his same position. a glimmer caught his eye. The reason he was here. He bent down and picked up Kveykva. "Excellent," he said to himself quietly.
He went upstairs to find Silus digging in the wall. "Nothing's left. It's all like this," he said. Silus turned around. "Well, aside from this." He held up Kveykva.
"Can that thing even get scratched?"
"Probably..."
"I can't believe we let this happen," Silus complained.
"Hey, Silus," Taro knelt down next to her, "It's not like we did it on purpose. Besides, others could have survived."
"But what about the rest of Equestria? Look outside, it's completely deserted."
"Come on, we need to keep moving. Maybe we'll visit what might be left of Ponyville or some other town to see if it's alright." They started to walk toward the castle exit.
"Fine, I guess. How long do you think we've been gone?"
"Hard to say. Could be a few months. Maybe days. Maybe Centuries. Can't really tell by these ruins. Who knows how powerful the monster was when he did this."
"Okay, we need to give a name to this thing, we can't keep calling it Monster."
Taro laughed. "Okay, fine. What are you thinking?"
Silus thought. "Hmm... How about... Specter?"
"Alright, fine. Specter, we'll call him."
A raspy voice echoed through the castle. "Hmm, Specter. I like it." It was dark as if from a nightmare. "I'll take it."
Taro pulled out Kveykva. "Show yourself!"
The voice laughed. "Oh Taro, I'm not even here. You can't hurt me. I can't even hurt you."
"If you're not here, then where are you?" Taro asked.
"Now why would I tell the only threat to me my location? But boy has it been a while. I sensed someone in my old castle and decided to take a look. It turns out it was the same person I drove out of this castle so long ago. And look at you, you haven't aged a bit."
"Yeah, curse of a dragon rider," Taro mumbled.
"But this one hasn't aged either. How can you explain that?"
"Well, that's a good question. We went into a forest for a day, next thing we know, we're some time in the future."
"Oh well, not like it matters anyway."
"Oh it matters. We're here now, and I'm going to find out what you did and reverse it!"
"Good luck. And now that I know you're here, I'm coming for you both. I could always use more power and energy." The voice laughed and trailed off.
Taro turned to Silus. "Come on. Let's go to Ponyville."