Fifty-three
New Equestria
Derpy
On a newborn planet, lush and green, a city stands. The city is still finding its footing, becoming a center of civilization, creating effective defenses against the dangerous wildlife, discovering and perfecting a distinctive style of architecture.
In the center of the city stands a great church, home to the gods. The gods were humble, but the people insisted. In return, the gods insisted that the people were as welcome there as they were anywhere in the city.
Derpy steps out from the front of the church, taking a moment to bask in the warm sunlight. Several of the citizens of the city smile and greet her. Children of Fire, Earth, Air and Water. All three heroes were very confused upon reaching their new land; shouldn’t the people of the world be ponies as well? What were these? They walked on two legs and had hands at the ends of the other two, bore no coat, and had no tail, though they did still have manes. Doc only had a vague idea himself- a slight abnormality in the genetic code Cheerilee created- but these creatures were just as intelligent as any pony, and they embraced the heroes as much as the heroes embraced them.
The Children of the world were intelligent, but for the brief time they existed before the heroes arrived, they lacked direction, inspiration, purpose. But when the gods arrived, they found what they were lacking. With the help and direction of the three ponies, the first city of the new world was founded. They called it Eclipse, as a way of honoring Princesses Celestia and Luna, the heroes who created their old world.
Derpy makes her way through the city to the square on the opposite side. Before she reaches it, she can already hear music. As she approaches, she can hear Fancy Pants’ voice in tune with the guitar.
“Over mountains paved with gold and through the valleys of the slain…
Our quest will lead us onwards to the journey of the brave…
When the time has come to stand for the power we believe…
We will ring the sound of victory for one and all to see…”
Derpy sits with the audience to listen. Fancy Pants has adapted to his role as Bard very well since settling here; he learned to play Leeroy’s guitar, learned to sing, and how to sing the songs of Equestria. He turned the stories of his games to epics to be told around the fireplace. Through him, more so than Doc or Derpy, the old Equestria lives on.
It has been five years already since Sgraze ended. It was hard for the three to come to terms with the fact that Leeroy and Quick Fix weren’t going to join them, but they took comfort in the fact that Discord would not, either. The first city of Eclipse was just beginning to flourish, and more towns and cities were sure to follow as the Children of the world set out to find new land and opportunity.
Someone taps Derpy on the shoulder, and she turns to see Doc standing behind her, smiling wide. She grins in turn and hugs him warmly, then gives him a gentle kiss. “How are you today, my dear?” Doc asks.
“Pretty good!” she responds. “Just been thinking about… stuff. About where we go from here.”
“Well, I suppose that’s a pretty normal thing to think. Most every intelligent creature wonders where the future will take it… But it’s different for us, isn’t it? We control not only our own fates, but the fates of an entire other race of people.”
“Yeah… makes you appreciate what Celestia and Luna did for us. But I was also thinking… We’re the last ponies, aren’t we? A unicorn, a pegasus and an earth pony, or we used to be.”
“We might be…” Doc agrees, “Although there were plenty of other parties playing the game as well. It was a difficult trial to be sure, and we were quite lucky to make it through, but who’s to say we were the only ones? Perhaps there are other budding worlds somewhere out there, with other ponies guiding them?”
Derpy nods. “That’s true. We might not ever find them though. So it’s up to just us to make sure this place is such a good place as Equestria was.” Doc nods in agreement. “Did we ever find the Quest Beds on this planet? Fancy Pants said the two that didn’t get used were here now.”
“We found one.” Doc confirmed. “Cheerilee’s. It’s actually not far from here, just over the large hills to the west. We haven’t located Leeroy’s yet, though.”
“That’s a good start.” Derpy commented. “It’ll be enough while we try and find the other.”
“We’ve got one extra line of defense, as well.” Doc added. “I didn’t mention it before, because I still hope we won’t need it. The TARDIS came with us from my old home. I had Fancy Pants grab it. The message I left myself said that it could save us in a pinch.”
Derpy nodded again. “That’s good. Always nice to be prepared. But like you said, I hope we don’t need it…”
Years in the future, but not many…
Time passes in New Equestria. Civilization grows, expands. Much like a parent watching their child move away to their own home, the heroes had a difficult time allowing the Children of the world to settle away from Eclipse, where they would not be able to be with them and watch over them. But they knew it was necessary. Towns began growing further north, near the eastern coast and the western mountains. Few settlements were made to the south at first, as the dangerous fauna of the world called that place home.
At last, one day Fancy Pants returned to Eclipse, bearing news that Leeroy’s Quest Bed had been located in the crags north of a small town called Emberton. A small stone building was erected around it to protect it from further weathering, just as they had done for Cheerilee’s. If these items needed to be used, they were ready.
Thirty years had now passed. As gods, the three heroes had not aged a day. Fancy Pants was visiting the western city of Baltimare, and Doc and Derpy were simply relaxing in Eclipse, sprawled out across the balcony of the great church.
“Hey Doc…” Derpy begins. Doc turns to face her, eyes attentive. “Have you, um… Thought about what we might do next?”
Doc frowns. “That’s a bit of a vague question. What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, just you and me. Not, like, what we’re going to do next for the world and the Children and all that… but where we’re going to go with our, you know, relationship.”
Doc’s eyes widen, and he nods in agreement. “I had been thinking much the same! We’ve been in the same place for quite some time… Do you think it’s time to take the next step?”
“I think so, yeah.” Derpy confirms. She chuckles. “Who’s going to be able to marry a couple of gods though?”
Both laugh happily for a few minutes, eventually becoming snuggled up together.
They both hear a pair of sounds, startling them. After a few moments, they realize what it was; their communication devices, which until then had been completely unused for years. Both devices show the same single message:
GA: Ready defenses, get people to safety, get weapons ready. I’m on my way. He’s here.
Derpy’s and Doc’s eyes widen in alarm. There is only one thing this can mean. They nod to each other, and both leap into the air. They had hoped that this would never come to pass, but had prepared well in advance, and are now immeasurably thankful.
Derpy flies up to the great bell of the church, and pulls it three times, the chime sounding across the city. The people in the streets look up, first in curiosity, then anxiously. They had drilled this procedure plenty of times in the past, and know what they need to do; head for the entrances to the system of tunnels underneath the city. They begin making their way to the designated buildings which contain the entrances, and Derpy and Doc make their way around the city, instructing the people to do as they had learned, and that this is not a drill.
Everyone is safe and sound under the city by the time the distorted shape makes its way slowly, deliberately, towards them. The heroes are hidden, ready to act.
“Come out, heroes of Equestria!” a familiar voice shouts. “There’s no fooling me this time. I’ve already run into the Hero of Hope. He’s a persistent one, I’ll give him that. Had to leave him in the dust rather than kill him.”
After several moments of silence, he continues. “Before I got here though, don’t get me started. I flew for literally YEARS before I ran into a universe. I figured ‘This can only be them. I’ll find them and finish the job.’ So I enter the universe, find the primary inhabited planet, and begin exploring, trying to find you. These weird creatures start attacking me, but they’re just the residents of the planet, nothing to worry about.
“But then the heroes of the land find me and start attacking me. And- get this- they WEREN’T you. I somehow wandered so far off track that I ended up in a completely different universe! Before I could cause much damage though, yet another foreign creature arrived on the scene. Some hero of space from yet another session, some lady with blue skin. She was dangerous; she had a First Guardian with her. Perhaps through some alliance, I don’t know, but it was obeying her every command.
“I was teleported away! That First Guardian sent me to some other corner of paradox space! So I kept flying. I found another world. It still wasn’t you. And the space lady and her pet guardian showed up again! Can you BELIEVE her nerve? And she did it again, just slingshot me to some far reach of paradox space. I visited SIXTEEN other planets before I found you! And that BITCH is probably on her way again! What’s her problem?!”
Discord sighed, composed himself, and returned to his normal condescending self. “But I digress. I’ve found what I wanted. Once I’ve destroyed this place, I’ll be satisfied to call whatever rock I land on next my home. And believe me, I’ve had practice. At least half of those worlds I visited before this one are too broken to recover.”
How many countless millions of people has he killed in his bloodlust? Derpy wonders. He surely must be stopped now.
Her communication device vibrates once, alerting her to a new message without alerting Discord.
AT: We don’t yet know how the Quest Beds will work, or how they can help us. I’m making my way to the TARDIS. Hold on tight, you two.
“Not going to come willingly, eh?” Discord taunts somewhat angrily. “Fine then.”
He readies his weapon, but Derpy floats into the open. Discord smiles gleefully. “There you are! I’ve got to say, it’s nice to see you again after these long years.”
“Wish I could say the same.” Derpy retorts. “I thought we left you behind.”
“You certainly tried, I’ll give you that. And you’ve convinced me; you truly don’t want me ruling your world. So fine, I won’t. But Equestria’s legacy is mine. I will simply destroy this place.”
“How did you find us here? How did you even escape from the Incipisphere?” Derpy asks. She’s stalling for time, but Discord either doesn’t notice, or is too happy to gloat to mind.
“There are no walls between worlds save the ones we imagine. And a virtual wall of evil tentacle monsters. I chopped my way through them, reaching the empty space beyond the Furthest Ring, home of the Horrorterrors. Once I did that, I just drifted for a while, relying on my own navigation skills to find the nearest normal universe, where I assumed you would be. But as I said, this was not the case, and it took me some extra time to find you. I’ve been blasting my way through these worlds for… Oh, I don’t know, around three months now. The rest of these years have just been wandering through the void.”
“You sure are bent on this, aren’t you?”
“It’s my sole purpose, as far as I am concerned.” Discord replied. “And no space between universes, meddling heroes from other sessions, or you stalling is going to keep me from it.”
Discord readies the Blade of Blood, and Derpy equips her boomerang in response. The two stare each other down, daring the other to move first, until Discord finally launches himself forward at her. She dodges out of the way of his initial attack, then parries his follow-up. Adopting a determined expression, she pivots in midair with her wings and spins forward, forcing Discord to raise his own weapon to block the flurry of attacks. He spins backward once, buying himself enough space to swing his weapon, and delivers enough force to send Derpy reeling back.
He charges forward again, eager to use his momentum and Derpy’s imbalance, but she is ready. As he approaches, she releases a huge wave of wind, knocking him off balance and dislodging several roof tiles from the buildings below. Both combatants regain their midair balance and charge at each other again.
The air is soon filled with the sounds of clashing metal, Derpy’s bladed boomerang ringing against Discord’s stolen weapon. The people of New Equestria hold each other close, praying they are safe, praying for the safety and victory of their gods against this powerful interloper.
Derpy swings, and Discord blocks. Discord swings, and Derpy blocks. With Discord having spent many years unable to train, and Derpy having nothing but time to sharpen her skills, the two are almost perfectly matched at swordplay.
Derpy leaps back, and Discord readies his sword to pursue. However, a blast of energy explodes in his side, and he turns angrily to see Fancy Pants hovering a slight distance away, rifle at the ready.
“What did we tell you?” Fancy Pants says. “This is our world, and you are not part of it.”
“I’m aware of your stance on the matter.” Discord replied. “And as I’ve told your friend, I’m through trying. Call me a sore loser if you must, but if I’m not going to rule this land, you’re certainly not going to either. I no longer wish to rule this place, only to destroy it.”
“Y’know, you used to be smarter.” Fancy Pants commented dryly. “Before, you sought control, wanted to usurp us and rule over the world. You had something to gain. All those years wandering must have dulled your wit, because you’re not nearly as good as you once were. ‘Grr, I’m gonna destroy the world!’ Not going to lie, I’m not too intimidated.”
“You’re no gods over me.” Discord replied. “I won’t be judged by those I will destroy.”
Discord raises his sword to the sky, red energy arcing away from the blade. Fancy Pants and Derpy both ready their weapons, and as the energy storm grows more intense, Fancy Pants opens fire. One of the bolts of energy intercepts his attack, arcs straight back to Fancy Pants, and sends a jolt through his body. He is paralyzed for a split second, drifting slowly to the ground, before he shakes himself back to his senses and turns his attention back to Discord.
Discord grins maniacally, and spins the Blade of Blood once in his hand, before thrusting it into the ground. The ground begins to shake violently, red energy blasting through the dirt like geysers. One arcs to the side, cutting straight through the great church in the center of the city. Derpy and Fancy Pants move closer to Discord, working around the energy filling the air, careful to not be hit by the deadly blast. Fancy Pants opens fire once more, but this time his attack doesn’t even connect, deflected into a building below. The ground is shattering.
The air is filled with a different red light. The energy freezes, as does Discord himself, and the movement of the ground below. Pieces of earth hang suspended in the air.
Derpy turns around frantically, hoping to see the source of this new disturbance. Finally, hers and Fancy Pants’ eyes fall upon something quite out of place: a blue box hanging in the air, scarcely bigger than either of them. A door opens on one side, and Doc pokes his head out, beckoning them to join him. Derpy and Fancy Pants don’t even need to exchange a glance, and fly over to him. They hesitate at the door to the box, but shrug and step inside.
Eyes widen as they view the interior. Despite its appearance on the outside, they find themselves in a sizeable control room of inscrutable devices. Doc stands over the circular central panel, reading the information displayed on the various screens.
Fancy Pants chuckles slightly, trying to find words. “It’s… Hah, what can I say…? It’s bigger on the inside. Guess it would have to be.”
Doc nods. “I haven’t quite wrapped my head around it either. And your guess is as good as mine about what half of these devices do. But I did find one good one!” He gestures dramatically to a machine that resembles some kind of cannon, currently glowing with deep red energy. “Time lock device! This baby is keeping all of New Equestria, and Discord, frozen in time.”
“That’s amazing!” Fancy Pants says. “But… How long can it hold them?”
Doc sighs. “I’m not sure. It should hold New Equestria indefinitely, but Discord… His strength is wildly unpredictable. He will surely break free sooner or later, but I can make no estimates about how long it will take.”
“So what should we do?” Derpy asks. “Run?”
Doc shakes his head. “The time lock device has to stay within range. If we take the TARDIS and run, Discord will be free the moment we leave range, and New Equestria will be destroyed. However… It may not look like it, but the TARDIS is a strong old girl. If we need to, we could tether it to the planet itself and tow it along with us.”
Fancy Pants’ eyes widen greatly. “This thing is too amazing… So, what if we take the planet with us, but leave Discord behind? Do you think we could get enough of a headstart to outrun him?”
“Where would we go?” Doc replies sadly. “THIS was our safe haven from him, and he’s found us. Where else is there for us to go?”
“Well, if we just sit here like foals, he’ll break free and finish the job. We need to get ourselves, and the planet, in a different place than he is.”
None of the three say anything for a long minute, lost in thought. Finally, Doc speaks again: “There is one other factor that could help us. In the logbook I left myself before, I wrote that, should I ever need to use the TARDIS like this, I should first find a certain old family heirloom.” He holds up a shimmering object on a chain, an old but intricate pocket watch. “This is it, there’s no doubt in my mind about it. I think… I think I’m meant to open it?”
Derpy frowns and holds up a hoof to give Doc pause. “Doc… Do you know what that is?”
Doc frowns as well. “Well… no. Wait, do you?”
“Yeah. Well, sorta.” Derpy explains. “When I saw you before- your old life- I saw that watch a few times. See, first you used…” She looks around the interior of the TARDIS, searching for something in particular, then points a hoof to a device against one of the walls. “That! You used that, and it… changed you. Sometimes it wasn’t as noticeable, but you seemed to lose your memories. Until you opened that watch. When you did that, you went back to normal, and got your memories back.”
Doc eyes the watch warily now. “So if I open this… I’ll stop being a pony, and go back to being a Timelord. Will I remember what I’ve done while in this form?”
Derpy nods. “I think so, yeah.”
Doc considers the watch for a time, then nods. “We have it if we need it. But will that save us here? And more importantly, is it our best option?”
No one answers. A few moments pass, then an unfamiliar noise sounds from the central control panel. Doc accesses the device curiously.
“It’s a transmission from… Someone.” he says, “It says ‘The demon Discord has entered your universe, and has likely caused extensive damage to your planet. Please place your planet in a time lock and make your way to the Green Sun. The coordinates for this location are enclosed.”
“Well there’s our answer.” Fancy Pants states. “Let’s tether New Equestria to this ship and get moving. We can’t risk leaving it here and letting Discord finish it off. Maybe whoever sent this message from this Green Sun place can help.”
Doc nods. “It sounds like this is our best option. I believe the tethering device is over here…” Doc readies the TARDIS and the planet itself for departure. “Get ready, everyone.”
Soon, a noise echoes throughout the TARDIS, apparently signaling its departure, and it begins to move quickly through space with New Equestria in tow. The three ponies inside wait silently, nervously. At their current pace, it will take them a little over three days to reach their destination. They can only pray that the time lock will hold until then.
When the group grows tired, they sleep in shifts. What would normally be morning comes, and Discord is still contained. It occurs to the team that he may simply be along for the ride in order to reach the Green Sun and cause more havoc, but they realize that they have no choice but to continue.
Fancy Pants glances out the window, and inhales sharply. “Something’s happening down there! I think he’s breaking his time lock!”
Doc and Derpy rush to the door. Sparks of red energy are arcing away from the planet, the spot where Discord surely is. Doc moves to the time lock device, hoping to keep Discord frozen or refreeze him, while Derpy and Fancy Pants ready their weapons.
The excess energy continues to grow in strength. The TARDIS seems to have some form of shielding, as none of the bolts are hitting the vessel. Finally, there seems to be a sudden explosion of energy, then nothing. Luckily, it doesn’t seem to have harmed the planet.
Discord rushes forward, eyes filled with rage, Blade of Blood at the ready.
Another sword parries his, stopping him short. A woman stands before him, broadsword held in one hand, long silver hair flowing down the back of her Space God Tier outfit. A humorless expression is on her blue face and in her violet eyes.
If Discord wasn’t angry before, he was absolutely livid now. He pulls back his sword, ready for another strike, but another form leaps onto the scene, a mighty white lion. Derpy can tell immediately that it is a First Guardian; it has the same lack of hue and face that Discord did before his transformation. With a mighty roar and flash of green energy, Discord disappears.
The woman turns to the three. “You are already making your way to the Green Sun, correct?”
Derpy nods, confused. “Yeah, but… Who are you? Where did Discord go?”
“My name is Ciella. I was the one who sent you the coordinates to the Green Sun.” She looks back at New Equestria. “I’ve been intercepting this demon for some time, with assistance from my old friend. However… This time was different. You are the heroes he has been searching for, are you not?”
Derpy nods sadly. “Then he likely has a lock on your location. He will be able to find you again. You must hurry.”
“What will we find at the Green Sun?” Doc asks.
“At the very least, the Green Sun is a safe place.” Ciella explains. “First Guardians cannot go there; it is the source of their power, and moving too close to it will cause a violent reaction. There, we will be able to plan in peace, and find a permanent solution.
“I must leave you for now. My own people need me; they were harmed by Discord’s actions as well. Please hurry, and be safe. I will see you soon.”
The three watch as she teleports away, assisted by her First Guardian lion companion. After a few moments, they move silently back to their posts. Soon, they are moving towards the Green Sun once more, ever wary of Discord returning again.