//------------------------------// // Buying Some Time // Story: The Time-Lost Empire // by Mossbender //------------------------------// Nivath: Two Thousand Years Ago, Five Years After the Founding of Equestria, The Civil War Lord Cog Turner quickly galloped down the hall with a crumpled scroll clutched between his teeth. The reason why he was moving so quickly was because his Empress had specifically requested for him to retrieve the scroll— since it apparently contained within it the necessary information for her to complete her latest creation. Nopony knew what she was making. Not even her own personal adviser knew and he was the only one that Empress Niv still trusted in. Personally, Lord Cog Turner was honoured to be her adviser, but this secrecy had left him worried. The scientist who wrote the scroll that Lord Cog Turner was currently carrying was executed merely a few days ago when the Empress discovered what he had written. Nopony could hide anything from the Empress and get away with it. Cog Turner was an Earth Pony with a white coat and a navy blue mane. His cutie mark was a single grey cog and his eyes were the colour of dark amber. He wore a royal blue cloak that sported the symbol of Nivath pinned on the front. The symbol of Nivath was a simple design, it looked like a silver circle with three lines spread throughout the middle. It was modeled after the Empress' own cutie mark. Now that I think about it... executions have been occurring a lot more frequently than what I am accustomed to, Lord Cog Turner thought. That scientist was a good friend of mine... I only hope that whatever he had wrote will help put a stop to the uprising in a peaceful manner. A sudden boom rocked Castle Tempus — causing Lord Cog Turner to stumble — but he quickly recovered and carried on. Blast it! Those fools are merely heading straight to their own demise if they continue their assault. I only wish for there to be peace... They'll never be able to break through Castle Tempus' shields. Not very long ago, the Nivathians had discovered a unique material which they named Tempus Stone. They quickly discovered that the stone granted them power unlike anything they had ever seen. This material allowed Empress Niv and the Nivathians to greatly expand their empire and create advanced technology that allowed all of them to live in paradise. The ponies they had left behind in the land the Nivathians now called the Old World were now primitive compared to them. However, the Empress let the power of the Tempus Stone slowly warp her mind, which in turn caused a small group of ponies to form who opposed her rule. Over time, Empress Niv began to make horrible, horrible decisions. As her paranoia grew about others wanting to steal her rightful place as ruler, so did the rebellion. The rebellion clearly believed that she had to be stopped before she did anything that they would all regret. Word had spread quickly about the scientist's execution. The rebellion finally declared war and they attacked Tempus City— Empress Niv's seat of power where she was caught by surprise. Lord Cog Turner had questioned his own loyalties multiple times, but he believed that his Empress would make the right decision in the end. She just had to. As Lord Cog Turner passed through the throne room, his pace turned from a gallop to a trot. He could already hear noises coming from within Empress Niv's room as he approached her door and gently knocked. The noises suddenly became silent and a blue hologram of Empress Niv appeared before him. "We stand united as one, a nation greater than any other," the hologram said. Lord Cog Turner knew that was his cue to finish the phrase. "Our bond shall forever stand against the test of time, for we are the ponies of Nivath," Lord Cog Turner replied, successfully completing the phrase. The hologram nodded and faded away just as Empress Niv opened her door and revealed herself for the first time in days, much to Lord Cog Turner's surprise. Her mane and clothing were a mess and dark bags had formed underneath her eyes, but despite all of that she surprisingly was still able to keep her beauty. She was a Unicorn after all. Niv had a creamy white coat and her mane was naturally aqua green, although she had dyed parts of it aqua blue. Her eyes were the the same colour as that of the blue glow the Tempus Stone gave off, due to being exposed to it for extended periods at a time. Nopony could remember what her eye colour used to be. "Ah, Lord Cog Turner, it's wonderful to be able to see you with my own two eyes once again." Her eyes darted to the scroll in Cog Turner's mouth just as another boom rocked the castle. "And it looks like you've brought the scroll like I asked. Excellent. Please, do come in." Lord Cog Turner simply nodded his head and went inside, followed by Empress Niv. At first, Lord Cog Turner couldn't see anything in the darkness except for multiple blue glows. He didn't have to worry for long though. Empress Niv pressed a nearby button, causing the door to hiss shut and the lights to hum to life. Various gadgets whirred and hummed throughout the room, all giving off the same unique blue glow due to the material it was being powered by. Tempus Stone. Lord Cog Turner looked around the room in awe, having never even seen half the gadgets that he could find. "Quite the sight, don't you agree Lord Cog Turner?" Empress Niv asked. Lord Cog Turner quickly nodded as she walked over to one of the devices and lifted it from its pedestal. With the push of a button on its back, a pair of what looked to be eyes turned bright blue and it began to hover out of her hoof. It gave off a few excited beeps and nuzzled itself against Cog Turner's cheek. "There is so much we can do with this material Lord Cog Turner... We can create artificial intelligence..." Niv suddenly swatted the creation out of the air and crushed it beneath her hoof. "And take it away with ease." Lord Cog Turner used the brief pause to take the scroll out of his mouth and placed it on a nearby table, glad to have the dirty thing nowhere near his tongue anymore. He returned his gaze to Empress Niv to find that she had retrieved another device, but there was also something else that caught his eye. Something big that was covered by thick, purple silk. "And what we destroy... can also be renewed." She aimed the rod at the shattered robot. Lord Cog Turner watched in amazement as blue lightning shot out from the end of the rod, quickly repairing the machine and returning it to its pedestal. "Tell me Lord Cog Turner, what would you do if you were in my hooves with access to such power?" "I- I do not know," Lord Cog Turner stammered. "But what I do want to know is w- what you have been doing these last few days." Empress Niv smiled at Lord Cog Turner, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. "Ah yes, I believe you have waited long enough my dear." Empress Niv returned the rod to its pedastle before walking over to the object covered in silk. "Behold, the device that'll end this petty conflict and leave me as ruler of Nivath for all eternity!" She slowly took the silk off, revealing a large device that blinked and pulsed with blue light. "Behold Lord Cog Turner... the Eternity Bomb." Lord Cog Turner's eyes widened in shock and he took a step backwards. He could feel the power of multiple— no, hundreds of Tempus Stones radiating from within, power that should not be gathered all in one spot. "E- Empress Niv! What are you planning to do with that?" Lord Cog Turner took another step backwards. "This is... this is..." "Yes, it is rather wonderful isn't it? So much Tempus Stone in one spot." Empress Niv retrieved the scroll that Lord Cog Turner had brought from the table and slowly unrolled it. "All I need to do now is power it up even further and use the information contained within this scroll to properly tune it. You are going to help me finish it. Together we shall show those rebels that we are not to be trifled with! It was I who led us here! It was I who saved us all from the wretched Old World! Those who do not wish to follow shall be eliminated! And you and I can rule this land... forever." Lord Cog Turner gulped and nodded in agreement, his suspicions having secretly been confirmed at last. The rebels were right, the Empress had truly gone mad with power. He was a fool for believing otherwise, and now he was going to go down in history as the one who helped cause mass genocide... Unless... unless he could stop her. Stop her before it's too late. He just had to play along for now. "What is it that you wish me to do Empress Niv?" Lord Cog Turner asked and he bowed before her. A smile came across Niv's face and she gently patted his head. "I always knew I could count on you Lord Cog Turner. Here, you'll need this." Niv held out the open scroll towards Cog Turner which he eagerly grabbed. "I want you to calibrate the bomb using this scroll you brought to me. I'll begin to power the device by using the power of our shields, along with some of my own." Lord Cog Turner's eyes widened in surprise. "But Empress Niv! The rebels could break through! We would be left extremely vulnerable." "That will not matter once we detonate the bomb Lord Cog Turner. Let them come! The closer they are to the bomb the better. Now begin the calibrations!" Niv activated a hidden button on the wall, revealing a monitor and a microphone. "Attention all officers, divert shield power to my room. You will follow this order or suffer the consequences. That is all." A few seconds later, both of them heard the shields begin to power down outside. It was shortly followed by multiple explosions, much closer and louder than before. Empress Niv quickly pulled a nearby lever which caused a spot on the ceiling to open up, revealing a giant device that lowered and attached itself to the bomb. Meanwhile, Lord Cog Turner had begun the calibrations on the bomb, following the scroll word for word. The scroll described how devices such as bombs can become extremely unstable if not wired properly. One small mistake and there was a chance you could die a horrible death. What caught his attention the most though was the fact that the scroll contained within the calculations for... for stopping time and time travel! It was right then that he realized why Empress Niv required the scroll, and why her device was called the Eternity Bomb. So this is why she had the scientist executed... so she could keep the secret of time travel to herself! She'll most likely kill me too afterwards then. I will not idly stand by and watch thousands of innocents be murdered by this monstrosity, Lord Cog Turner thought. Now if I just cross the blue wire with the red wire... cut the yellow wire... press a few of these buttons... aaand there. That should do it. Lord Cog Turner took a step back to admire what he had accomplished when the lights suddenly flickered and dimmed. "Do not worry Lord Cog Turner, I had to also tap into Castle Tempus' power supply in order to finish the charging process. It should be done in three... two... one—" Niv never finished the countdown since a large explosion had suddenly blown up part of her room, sending the two ponies flying and slamming themselves into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Lord Cog Turner hit his head rather hard on contact, causing his vision to become blurry. When he was able to see clearly again, he saw that a large smoking hole had been left behind from the shot. He looked outside of the hole to see that multiple places had been hit. The explosion had also caused his ears to begin ringing and it made him unable to hear what Empress Niv was screaming at him. Unfortunately, the peaceful silence didn't last long. "...the bomb is complete, it's time to end this silly charade." Empress Niv pressed a button on the bomb and turned to face Lord Cog Turner. "Thank you for all of your help Lord Cog Turner, but I believe this is where we say good bye." A timer appeared on the front of the bomb and it began to count downwards. "G- goodbye?" What do you mean?" Lord Cog Turner asked. Empress Niv threw her head back and laughed. "You still don't get it, do you? You were never going to rule alongside me... for there can only be one true ruler!" She pulled out a weapon which Lord Cog Turner recognized immediately. A military grade plasma rifle which she aimed directly at his head. "It has been fun Lord Cog Turner. After I deal with you and this rebellion, I think I might take a trip back to our old home. Why only have Nivath... when I can also have the Old World? Thank you for sticking with me all this way— you will be quickly forgotten." With the push of a button, a lightning blue shot was fired directly at Lord Cog Turner's head. Fortunately, he reacted in time and tried to dodge the beam, only to have it clip his shoulder as he ducked behind a workbench. He grunted in pain as the smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils. It wasn't a pleasant scent. "Come out Cog Turner! You're only delaying the inevitable!" Cog Turner clenched his teeth in pain and anger. He was in no position to fight her, but that didn't mean he couldn't buy some more time. He quickly looked around for anything he could use and spotted the robot from earlier that had nuzzled him. He grabbed it when he was suddenly enveloped by a blue glow and lifted upwards. "Have you forgotten Cog Turner? I'm a Unicorn! I can still use magic when I can't use technology!" Niv cackled with glee as she watched Cog Turner struggle to break free. Cog Turner quickly activated the robot without a second thought and it beeped once before he tossed it towards Niv, causing her to drop him. He used the small distraction to charge towards the bomb. "Get out of my face you dumb thing! I said get— Cog Turner? What are you— No! NO!" Niv's eyes widened in horror at the sight before her. Cog Turner had somehow pushed the bomb to the edge of the hole and it was he that was smiling this time. "Don't you move another step Cog Turner! The Eternity Bomb must go off at this point!" "Your reign is at an end my dear, no Empress rules forever, especially one such as yourself." Cog Turner shook his head before he suddenly pushed himself and the bomb out of the hole. As he plummeted towards the ground, Empress Niv screamed in frustration and began to fire upon the rapidly descending pony and bomb. "This isn't over!" Empress Niv screamed. "You haven't won yet!" No, I have not, Lord Cog Turner thought. But you will be defeated. I just need... a little time is all. Lord Cog Turner closed his eyes as the countdown on the bomb reached zero just before he hit the ground. The following explosion was massive and truly a sight to behold. A light blue sphere quickly grew and enveloped most of the land of Nivath, either decimating it or curiously enough, preserving parts of it due to Lord Cog Turner's modifications. There was no sound, no wind, everything had grown still. Those not destroyed vanished without a trace, even Tempus City and Empress Niv just simply disappeared. When the explosion finished at last, the great Nivathian Empire was no more. It was as if it never existed, save for a few ruined buildings and settlements left behind in the aftermath of the Eternity Bomb's destruction. A butterfly lazily fluttered about and landed on a ruined device. The device beeped one last time before the blue glow in its eyes faded, resting forever more. Ruins of Nivath: Present Time Birds chirped in the trees and the sun shined upon what was once the mighty land of Nivath. The plants had reclaimed the land over the course of hundreds of years. Everything was peaceful until an explosion shattered the silence, scaring the critters in the vicinity. A smoking crater suddenly appeared, leaving behind a single pony covered in soot. His mane was standing on end and his clothes were tattered, but he coughed, which meant he was alive. "Ugh... my head... I'm aching all over..." Cog Turner slowly raised himself from the ground. At first he didn't recognize his surroundings, but everything slowly came back to him as he realized that he was standing in what remained of Castle Tempus' garden. "I'm... alive? I... I don't believe it! My modifications worked! I was successfully able to travel through time! But where... no... when... what year is it?" Cog Turner stepped out of the crater and began to travel to a place he knew would have the answers he needed. He hoped that the nearby monitor station survived the blast since it was built underground to keep an eye on each citizen's usage of power, as well as magic levels. Obviously, it was Empress Niv who had ordered for them to be constructed, but Cog Turner knew that they could be used for long distance surveying as well. If my memory is correct, then the entrance should be right... ah here it is. The metal hatch had been overgrown by grass and flowers, but Cog Turner easily cleared it away and kicked the hatch in, causing it to clang against the metal floor below. He jumped down into the darkness, only to find a glowing blue monitor at the end of the hall. Excellent. He quickly walked down the hall and sat in a chair that had seen better days. A touch pad laid before him and he was able to get the system up and running again, but just barely. "Computer, give me a status report." Cog Turner spun around in the chair as he waited for the computer to respond. He couldn't help himself. "Voice recognition confirmed. Welcome user Lord Cog Turner. Status report complete," a soothing female voice said. "Multiple errors found, system connection failure located in multiple areas. Year is currently 2005 E." Cog Turner rubbed his forehead in disbelief. "2005 E? I can't believe I travelled two millennium into the future! And what's with the E? Grr... Computer, perform a sweeping scan of the globe, target any points with a high concentration of magic." A radar briefly appeared on the screen, followed by a map of Nivath which shrank, revealing other areas of the world. He watched as multiple dots appeared on the map to the far east, but eventually it was only narrowed down to five dots. "Scan complete. High concentrations of magical energy have been located in five areas in the land of E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A. Is there anything else you desire?" the computer asked. "So that's where the E is from... but why is it called Equestria? Is that not the Old World? I wonder when this... Equestria... was founded." Cog Turner shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had to remain focused. "Yes computer, could you please focus on the dot closest to Nivath? Give me any information you can." Cog Turner waited patiently as the computer hummed. It at last dinged, bringing up a picture of the one he was interested in. "Results complete. Subject is known as Twilight Sparkle. Subject's race is known as Alicorn, the result of all three pony traits combined," the computer said. "Currently the Princess of Friendship and the bearer of the sixth Element of Harmony known as magic. Currently resides in a place called P.O.N.Y.V.I.L.L.E. Is there anything else you desire?" "Twilight Sparkle... curious name." Cog Turner studied the image of the lavender Alicorn. She would have to do for now. "And yes computer, can you scan my vitals? I'm not feeling too well." The computer quickly enveloped him in a blue glow and he felt a small tingling sensation wash over him. "Scanning... Scanning... Scan complete. Anomalies have been detected in your system. Mass exposure to Tempus Stone has resulted in an acceleration in the ageing process. Injury detected on the upper right shoulder, I would suggest using these supplies to heal it." The computer beeped a couple of times and a wall hissed open to his right, revealing medical supplies. The computer put an image of his body on the screen and targeted the areas where the anomalies were detected. The image was completely covered with small blue dots. "Is there anything else you desire?" Cog Turner shook his head and with a swipe of his hoof, he returned to the dots. "No thank you computer, begin shut-down protocol three-two-zero-one-five." The monitor slowly went black, never to be turned on again. "I know where I must go... but first I must make her understand, and then show her the way... time to get to work before I run out of time myself."