"I can take every single vun of you and scatter you all throughout cross-time, banishing each of you into separate universes!"
Our heroes all dig in their hooves, struggling to keep themselves from getting sucked into the black holes. Spike loses his footing and is caught in the suction, but he grabs onto Rarity's tail holding on as though his very life depended on it.
Anarchy places his hooves back on the ground and says "I hope you've all enjoyed living in this vorld...” He raises his front hooves and makes them glow while saying “...because it is the last time any of you vill ever see it…” He stomps his glowing hooves on the ground while saying “...AGAIN!"
"Girls, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but don't panic! We'll find a way out of this, for we still have the magic of friendship on our side!"
Zoom in on Rarity and Spike.
"Spike, whatever you do, don't let go!"
"Don't worry, Rarity, I'm hanging on tight!"
We cut to the middle of the Everfree Forest. A black hole suddenly appears a few feet above the ground. Rarity and Spike come falling out. “Whoa!” They then land on the ground as though they were thrown out of some place. “Oof!” The black hole then closes behind them, trapping them in this dimension.
They get up and examine their surroundings. “What are we doing in the Everfree Forest, Rarity?”
“I don't know, Spike, but we should get out of here right away.”
The two then proceed to walk towards somewhere close to an exit.
As Rarity and Spike are exploring the Everfree Forest, they suddenly hear a mare’s voice, followed by the roar of timberwolves. Thinking it odd, they split a set of bushes open to take a look. They see a young mare (who unbeknownst to them is a young Granny Smith) being chased by a pack of timberwolves.
“That pony is being chased by the timberwolves!” Spike speaks up. “We gotta help her!”
“I’ve got an idea,” Rarity pipes up. “Help me fire up a log and I’ll take care of the rest.”
As the timberwolves gang up on the chased girl, suddenly a fiery log floats right next to the wolves. Naturally, since the wolves are made of wood, they would have to be afraid of fire. So when they see the log, they stop dead in their tracks, turn around and hightail it out of there.
The mare then stops to look behind her and wonders what just happened, when Rarity and Spike walk into the scene, Rarity dropping the log she was levitating and Spike extinguishing the flames off of it.
“Are you okay, miss?” Spike asks.
“I’m fine… but why would an unicorn and a dragon help me?”
"Well... why not?” Rarity responds. “It was only the right thing to do.”
“Yeah, because that's what friends do for each other," Spike adds.
"Friends...? My, you are a pretty peculiar pair. But I'm still grateful for your help."
Rarity extends her hoof for the mare to shake. “I’m Rarity, and the dragon is Spike.”
“Pleased to meet you, Rarity and Spike,” the mare says as she shakes Rarity’s hoof. “My name is Maria Ann Smith.”
“What were you doing out here in the forest, Maria?” asks Rarity.
“I was here to gather more fruit for my family’s garden,” Maria responds. “What are you two doing here?”
“We’re kinda lost…” Spike responds. “We need a way out and a place to get some food.”
“Why won’t you come with me to the nearby town?” Maria suggests.
Rarity and Spike nod in approval. “That sounds like a great idea, Maria. Lead the way.”
Before she takes off, Maria takes out her hat and gives it to Rarity. “By the way, you might want to wear something to cover up that horn of yours. Where we’re going, folks don't trust unicorns.”
"Don't trust unicorns?" Rarity asks, confused.
"What kind of town doesn't like unicorns?" Spike speaks up.
"I don't know, but it doesn't sound like a place I would like to live," Rarity responds.
The three then proceed to find a way out of the forest, but not before Spike voiced his opinion.
“Maria seems kinda familiar… but I can't quite put my claw on it.”
Back in the mainstream universe, Starswirl’s team is currently busy attempting to bring our heroes back. Zecora is seen using her mojo magic on each of the Elements, one at a time, trying to find each of the ponies by tracking them with their mojo hidden somewhere throughout the multiverse. As it turns out, this is what is causing our heroes to fluctuate between dimensions the first time in their adventures. When they started fluctuating, this meant Zecora had discovered just where they were.
Some of the other members of the team then examine the energy signature of each of the Elements to uncover the coordinates of each dimension the girls were in.
While that was going on, some of the other members of the team were constructing a machine, both equal parts magic and science, that they hope would bring the ponies back home.
And while all of this was going on, the Princess sisters were still worried about the ponies, but they had more urgent things to worry about, for Count Anarchy has opened wormholes in time and space that brought out armies of enemies from the past to re-attack Canterlot.
Their defenses were withering, so the Princesses had to go out and fight. They told the team to keep doing what they're doing while the Princesses defend Canterlot; the team accepts the Princesses’ orders and just keep working.
Back with Rarity and Spike, they and Maria had just left the Everfree Forest and reached the nearby town.
“Well, here we are.” Maria turned to the other two and continued. “Welcome to Ponyville.”
Rarity and Spike act appropriately freaked out. "Did you say... Ponyville?" Rarity asks Maria.
"Yep,” Maria confirms. “It is relatively new and it may not look like much now, but we're all hoping that someday, this quaint little town will become something big and wondrous, with all sorts of great things."
Spike then takes a deep breath and about to freak out, but Rarity grabs him, closes his mouth and asks Maria if she'll excuse them for a moment. Rushing over right behind a building right on the edge of the town, Rarity starts a private conversation with Spike.
"Egads Spike! If this is Ponyville and it's relatively new, then that means we've somehow traveled back in time, to the founding years of Ponyville!"
"Yeah, and now I know why Maria looks so familiar! She's Granny Smith, but a lot younger!"
"And if we are in the past, then anything we say or do here may change the future, for better or for worse!"
Suddenly the two of them start fluctuating at the same time. They look at each other, confused.
“Spike, what is going on?”
“You're asking me? I thought you knew!” Spike and Rarity touch each other and see that they go right through solid objects. “But what I do know is that I can see home… and it’s so far away…”
“Everything OK in there?” Maria is heard saying.
Suddenly Rarity and Spike stop fluctuating just in time. “Maybe somepony is trying to pull us back… we should give it some time.”
“Works for me!” The two then walk back towards Maria, Spike speaking up. “Everything’s fine, Maria!”
“Remember Spike, don't do or say anything that can change all of history,” Rarity whispers to Spike.
“Okay, got it, I’ll try not to draw attention to myself,” Spike whispers back.
As Maria shows them around town, Spike and Rarity try their best to fit in around the locals. They mess up a few times but overall nothing to raise suspicion.
Suddenly, bells are rung. These bells are the emergency alarm, meaning something bad is about to happen.
“What’s going on?” asks Rarity. She then sees that a swarm of creatures similar to gremlins wearing steampunk clothing are invading the town.
As they attack, Rarity pulls Spike to a nearby alley and says “Something’s not right here, Spike… I’ve read all about the history of Ponyville several times over. Not once does it mention anything about steampunk gremlins attacking the town during its founding years.”
“You know, Rarity,” Spike speaks up, “I’ve been thinking… remember what Count Anarchy said before he sent us through those black holes?” He then starts mimicking Anarchy as he continues. “‘I can take every single one of you and scatter you all throughout cross-time, banishing you into six separate universes’... so what if he didn’t send us into the past, but the past of a parallel world?”
“Yes… that would explain why the earth ponies of this Ponyville don’t like unicorns.”
“So that means that no matter what we do here, it wouldn’t affect our future, because this isn’t the world we ourselves belong to!”
“You’re right, Spike. Let’s go!” Rarity and Spike then go to help out the town against the steampunk gremlin invasion.
Soon enough the two of them meet up with Maria. They decide to come clear and tell her the whole truth.
"Maria, we haven't been completely honest with you,” says Rarity. “You see, we're not from around here, because we're actually from the future."
"From the future?" Maria asks in a surprised tone.
"Yeah, but from a parallel world," Spike butts in.
“A pair of what now?”
"You know: a different dimension, an alternate time-line, another universe, a 'what if' world?" Maria just stands there all silent and confused. "Uh... look, the point is we are from the future, but a different future. One that we are convinced that you yourself won't necessarily be living in when you get older."
"You see,” Rarity continues, “in the future we came from, earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi have all been friends for centuries, united under the Magic of Friendship. And the reason we know you so well is because in our future, you're known as Granny Smith, and Spike and I are best friends with your granddaughter."
"M-My granddaughter... does that mean... I'm going to be a grandmother…?"
The three suddenly duck from one of the gremlins’ attack.
"You can be if there's still a Ponyville in your future!" Spike reminds.
“Good point,” Maria agrees.
The small group keeps fending off the gremlin attack. Unfortunately, there are too many of them and the ponies are getting swarmed.
Rarity puts a determined face. “It’s magic time!” She then takes off her hat, exposing her horn. She then uses her magic to give the gremlins a real beatdown. The other earth ponies were shocked to find out that there was an unicorn among them
After some beat-em' up stuff, Rarity manages to drive the gremlin swarm out of town, and the last of them is seen running out of town with his butt on fire, courtesy of Spike. As the two of them turn around, the earth ponies capture them, and tie them up to wooden poles with ropes. A bucket was placed on Rarity’s forehead created out of Maginite, a special element that prevents her from using magic, and a fireproof bag was placed on Spike’s mouth so he can’t draw out firebreath. The earth ponies then take Rarity and Spike to town square to put them on trial.
Meanwhile, the gremlins decide that if the ponies want to play hard-ball, then it's time to unleash their secret weapon.
We then find Rarity and Spike having the poles they are tied to planted in the ground forcing them both to stand up straight, and they are placed before the townsponies on trial. Knowing absolutely nothing about unicorns at all, plus with increased hatred towards them, they are immediately found guilty. Firewood is placed on the stacks Rarity and Spike are in, being prepared to be burned alive. After all, to the townsponies, Rarity is considered a witch, and just being a witch is enough to burn you alive.
“I’m sorry…” Spike tells Rarity.
“None of this is your fault, Spiky-wikey.”
"No, I mean that since I'm fireproof I'll survive the flames, but you won't and for that I'm sorry."
"Oh... That's OK, Spike. After all, better one of us survives then neither of us."
But before the townsponies can have the chance to set the wood on fire, there is a huge BOOM right behind them. It turns out that the gremlins have returned with their secret weapon, a huge steam powered robot made of various metals including a Maginite shell, controlled by several gremlins inside it, moving around with wheels. (Turns out these steampunk gremlins are very good engineers. Wonder if they are good enough engineers to keep a sentry from being sapped.) As the robot rampages across town, it fires off cannonballs all over the place.
The townsponies run around in panic, leaving Rarity and Spike behind.
“Aren’t you forgetting somepony?” Rarity complains.
Suddenly the two find themselves free from the ropes. Looking behind them, they see Maria was currently untying their ropes. After they are free, Maria tells them to follow her.
Currently in a safe alley, Maria looks around to make sure there are no gremlins nearby. She then turns to Rarity and Spike and asks them "Please, I just have to know. Tell me more about my granddaughter. What is she like?"
Spike responds: "Well, she's actually a lot like you: strong, brave, loyal, honest, hard-working, persistent, has a hardy appe-"
"Let's just say,” Rarity interrupts, “that anypony would be very fortunate to have a friend like her, and any mare would be proud to have her as a granddaughter."
Suddenly the buildings around the three get blasted from a cannonball, just barely missing them. "Sadly, if Ponyville is destroyed, the chances of her ever being born in your future are slim to none," Rarity finishes.
"Well what are we just standing around here for? Let's stop that crazy thing so that my future granddaughter can have a future!"
As Maria heads out to fight the robot, Spike says "Wow... now I know where Applejack gets it from."
“Indeed. Now come on,” Rarity replies. Spike then hops on Rarity's back and they ride off to join Maria.
As the robot rampages across town, Rarity, Spike and Maria all work together to help the townsponies and battle the robot, using the Magic of Friendship to work in perfect harmony together. The robot, however, proves to be tougher than they thought, especially since its Maginite shell makes it immune to Rarity's magic and Spike's fire breath doesn't do much damage either.
As the three try to find a way to stop that thing, Rarity and Spike suddenly start fluctuating again. Maria asks them what is happening.
"Uh... it's a space and time travel thing...?" Spike replies.
Rarity suddenly has an idea. "One that we may be able to use to our advantage! Spike, get in that thing and dismantle it from the inside!" Rarity then levitates Spike up and throws him inside the robot.
Once inside, Spike stops fluctuating, while outside the robot Rarity stops fluctuating as well.
So Rarity and Maria try to avoid the robot’s attacks, while inside the robot Spike starts breathing fire on the gremlins controlling the robot, then uses his fire breath on the inner workings of the robot to overheat it. Naturally, being fire and lava-proof it doesn't bother Spike, but the gremlins can't stand the heat, and neither can the main steam powered engine, meaning that the robot will explode quickly. So the gremlins all evacuate the robot, and Spike comes out last. The gremlins and Spike all soon duck for cover, then Rarity comes along and places a force field dome around the robot. The robot then explodes, but Rarity's dome smothered the blast.
When the gremlins get up they wonder what happened to the big blast. Suddenly Rarity levitates the steampunk gremlin leader right up to her face, then says "Now you listen to me! This is your only warning! Get out of town and don't ever return again!"
"And if ya'll ever do come back,” adds Maria, “then we'll be burning ya'll at the stake. Ya got that?"
The gremlin leader nods and all of the gremlins leave Ponyville for good.
All the townsponies then come out cheering for the brave trio that stopped the gremlins. The mayor steps forward. “Listen,” she says to Rarity and Spike, “we want to apologize for how we treated you.”
“That’s OK, Mayor,” Spike speaks up.
“But our town did get destroyed in the meantime…”
"Ah that's OK,” Maria speaks up, “we can just rebuild it better than new now. It'll be a lot of hard work and it may take a while, but thanks to the two of ya'll we once again have a chance for a great and prosperous future.
“You know… there may be a thing to this ‘magic of friendship’ after all… I say we should all work together, earth pony, pegasus and unicorn alike, for a better future for everypony.” The others immediately agree.
Suddenly a black hole opens just a few feet above Rarity and Spike's heads. Everyone wonders what is happening when Rarity and Spike start raising above the ground.
"Hey, maybe this is thing is our way back home!" Spike concludes.
Maria disappointingly says "Really...? Must ya'll leave so soon?"
"I'm afraid we have to,” Rarity responds, “our friends back home need us, including your granddaughter."
"Well I can respect that,” Maria agrees. “Ya'll take good care of her, ya hear?"
"Oh we will. And don't worry, as long as you keep the magic of friendship in your heart, I'm sure you'll meet us again someday in your future."
"Yeah, like, another sixty years or somethiiiii-" Rarity and Spike are sucked through the black hole real fast, then the black hole seals shut.
Maria then reflects on Spike’s last words before he was sucked through the portal along with Rarity. "Sixty years, huh? Well, I guess some friendships really are worth the wait..."
