Chapter 32- The Apex
Rainbow appeared before eight ponies in the gloomy light of the Clockwork Tower. The whirling gears and steaming pipes were almost a relief to see again. All of her friends were asleep on the metallic floor. All of them except Shadow Flare. He was gazing right at her with emotions written all over his face, yet he seemed unable to speak.
“Hey,” was all Rainbow could manage.
Shadow smiled back, a barely visible tear slipping down his cheek. “I thought something horrible may have happened. You were gone for nearly three days.”
“Three? So, he wasn’t lying,” Rainbow said. She opened her watch and looked at the needle, ticking down at its usual rhythm. It was the final day.
“Who wasn’t?” Shadow Flare stepped closer to her.
“Chrono. I saw him a year ago. He fast-forwarded time. There’s only an hour left.” Rainbow looked around at her peacefully sleeping friends. “What did you guys eat? What did you do?”
Shadow shrugged. “We ate whatever Pinkie brought, mainly cupcakes. And with her around, she can always make something to do.”
Rainbow smiled. Pinkie Pie was the same old filly from back home. Or was this home? It didn’t matter right now, it was time to get serious.
“Come on. Let’s wake them up. It’s time for our final reckoning with Chrono.”
---
After everypony was awake, they stood before the golden door with Rainbow, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity poised to use the Elements of Harmony. Together, the six friends’ amulets shot beams of light at the gilded door and it erupted to life. Hidden gears rumbled ferociously as the doors slowly opened inward. Steam poured out from behind the door, filling the room with an ominous tone.
“Here we go. It is time,” Rainbow told them as she led the way inside. They filed in through the door and ascended a flight of thirteen steps. What was it with this number? At the top was a grand hall, a throne room. Great arches rose high into the ceiling, steaming pipes following it all the way. Lights glowed from beneath the grates than ran along either side of the room’s floor and grand braziers flamed in the four corners of the room. An enormous pendulum taller than four ponies standing on their hind hooves with the same stylized dragon from the watch carved into its face swung behind an eerily familiar throne. It was decorated with intricate carvings and gears, and high on the back was a thirteen day clock approaching its final moments. On either side of the throne were the princesses that went missing a year ago. Yet they were frozen in shimmering crystal. Rainbow was scared. In the throne sat a fully armored Chrono, the golden watch hanging from his neck. And his red eyes seemed to glow in anticipation of the final hour.
“It seems you have finally made it,” Chrono spoke, his voice echoing in the great room.
Rainbow and her company walked across the hall, closing the distance between them and the notorious unicorn. “Give me the Fate Stone!” Rainbow demanded.
Chrono chortled mockingly. “You must know by now that I’m not simply going to give it to you. I want to see the look on your face when you finally realize the truth. I have been ever so patient to see this moment.” He shot a glare at Rainbow, letting her know that he was referring to the words she spoke one year ago.
“Then we’ll take it!” Twilight shouted. Before Twilight could act, Rainbow stuck out a hoof to stop her.
“Don’t. He probably has a force field set up around him,” Rainbow warned. Twilight snorted but did nothing else to attack.
“How wise,” Chrono stated. “It seems that young Rainbow Dash here is finally catching on. I can’t be stopped.”
“That’s not what I said!” Rainbow argued, stepping forward aggressively.
“Unfortunately, your wisdom comes from failing over and over again. You went through all that trouble when you could have just accepted your fate. Like Dash.” The black pegasus stepped out from behind the throne, still wearing the dark Element of Loyalty.
“How nice of you to finally catch up,” she smirked.
“Shut up!” Rainbow snarled, wings flaring.
“Make me!” Dash retorted.
Rainbow lunged forward and bowled the black pegasus over. They writhed on the ground, Dash struggling to get on top but Rainbow held fast. There was a collective gasp from her friends, but Rainbow was determined to shut Dash up once and for all. Rainbow’s doppelganger kicked Rainbow, sending her flying across the room. She righted herself in midair and flew down to attack again. Dash poised and aimed her corrupted Element at the cyan pegasus. Before the shot could be fired, Applejack tackled Dash.
Dash threw the earth pony off of her and resumed her assault on Rainbow. She flapped her ragged, black wings to fly up at her, but Pinkie Pie jumped after her and yanked her down by her tail.
“Stop meddling, you incompetent foals!” Dash shouted. “This fight is between me and her! This doesn’t concern you!”
“You’re wrong,” Twilight said, her voice brimming with confidence. “Rainbow is our friend. Unlike you, we don’t abandon our friends in their time of need.”
“Geez,” Dash muttered, “I forgot that you idiots never knew when to quit. And what about you, Rainbow? I thought you were always strong enough to fight your own battles. Are you just going to let them get in the way?” Dash flicked Pinkie off of her tail and flew up to where Rainbow was so that they were face to face.
“Maybe the old me would’ve been too prideful to let them help,” Rainbow stated. “But I’ve changed in the past thirteen days. I’ve grown wiser. I know that my friends are there to help. They will not leave me behind.”
Dash smirked. “Oh, how honorable.” She snatched the Element of Loyalty from Rainbow’s neck and smashed her in the head with her hoof. Rainbow spiraled down and landed in a dazed heap of feathers on the floor. She could hear the others rushing to attack Dash but her vision was spinning violently.
“You okay?” Jade asked, helping Rainbow to her hooves.
“I’ll be fine,” Rainbow replied. “Now you stay back.”
When her vision righted, Rainbow glanced up at the throne where Chrono still sat. He gazed right back at her with an amused smile on his face. It seemed he was simply enjoying the show.
“Got it!” she heard Scootaloo announce. Rainbow looked up and saw Scoots carrying the necklace in her teeth as she performed complicated aerobatics in order avoid Dash.
“Put it on!” Rainbow called.
“But—“ Scootaloo was about to protest.
“Just do it!” Rainbow ordered. Scootaloo obediently clasped it around her neck and twisted away from Dash at the same time. The orange pegasus landed among Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity on the far side of the room near the exit.
Dash dove towards them at an alarming speed.
“Now!” Twilight ordered. Surprisingly, the Elements of Harmony glowed and hurled bolts of energy at the same time Dash starting shooting magic with her own. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion and light filled the chamber. When the light faded, all seven ponies in the skirmish were frozen in glimmering, timeless crystal.
“Scootaloo!” Jade cried and dashed up to Scoots’ crystal prison.
Rainbow turned and glared menacingly at Chrono. “You did this didn’t you?”
“But of course,” Chrono said. “Time is short and I didn’t want you to miss the grand finale.”
“I can’t believe you!” Shadow stalked forward. “Why are you doing this?”
“I’m doing this for those that are like you and me,” Chrono replied.
“What is he talking about?” Rainbow asked Shadow.
Chrono laughed. “She doesn’t know? All this time and you haven’t told her?”
“Shadow,” Rainbow demanded, alarm sparking inside of her, “What is he saying?”
“Rainbow… I…” Shadow stuttered that strange look crossing his face once more.
“Rainbow, my dear,” Chrono said, “There are those of us that don’t truly exist. We are not born. Rather, we are created through distortions in the timeline. We are the Fallen. But there are those of us who, through miraculous happenstance, are given intelligence and a true form. We are the ones called the Tempest. I was formed through a distortion eons ago, but was banished back to the Void. However, instead of fading into oblivion like every Tempest before me, I held on to my essence. I returned. But there was hardly a chance I’d be able to do it again. And most other Tempests wouldn’t be able to manage it even once. So, during my time in the Void, awaiting the next Temporal Distortion, I came up with a plan. I would use Ragnarok to destroy the world. However, what few know is that the world can be recreated using Ragnarok’s power. It is not the death of a world, it is a rebirth. I will use Ragnarok to recreate a world so that the Tempest and Fallen can exist. We deserve a chance at life, at destiny. So, I am rebuilding a world for poor soulless beings like me… and Shadow Flare.”
“Shadow?” Rainbow turned to the black unicorn. He refused to meet her gaze. “You’re a Tempest?”
“I’m sorry, Rainbow. I should’ve told you, but I didn’t want you to put aside your quest for me. If you knew that going back to the past and restoring the timeline would erase my existence, I feared you wouldn’t try. But you still have to do this, for the sake of the world.”
Rainbow was speechless. She opened her stopwatch and looked at the time. Twenty seconds. There was no time. She tore the watch off of her neck and threw it on the ground, shattering it. All was lost.
“Come now,” said Chrono. “That was a gift from me. Do you realize how hard it was to get that to you without either of you noticing?”
“Shut up! I don’t care anymore. I have about fifteen seconds to save the world and I will do it!” Rainbow shot forward and smashed into Chrono’s shield. Rainbow instantly picked herself up and threw herself at him again. And again. And again.
...Five...
Rainbow smashed it again and saw the force field flicker.
…Four…
Chrono began to laugh eerily as the clock over his head ticked off the end of time. Rainbow strained against the shield, struggling to burst through.
…Three…
Rainbow glimpsed Shadow staring hopelessly at her. Hopeless. That’s all this was.
…Two…
Rainbow Dash slid to the ground, the sense of failure washing over her. What could she do?
…One…
A single tear ran down Rainbow’s cheek. She had failed, the end was nigh.