"Did you get the blankets?"
"Yep!" Twilight checked The blankets off of her checklist and looked around at the now empty cave. She had spent over fifteen years in this cave and now she had to leave it after two days. Twilight looked down to double check her list.
"Food, Blankets, Pillows, Saddle Bags, C.L.A.M.P, Journals, Poetry book!" Twilight opened her saddle bags and rummaged through them, after a few seconds she retrieved the brown book which now had the words, "Poems of a Changeling," Stitched in golden thread onto the cover. Sweetie Bell was surprisingly good a sewing, practice from Rarity's dress shop. Twilight smiled, slipped the book back into her saddle bag and checked the poetry book off.
"I think that's everything!" Said Apple Jack, rummaging through her own saddle bags looking for lost items.
"Let's head out!" Said Sweetie bell, trotting out the door. They traveled for at least three days. As they wandered they made camp in a forest on the other side of Ponyville. They figured the further away they were from the ripple, the safer they were. But where they camped far enough away it would take the ripple a few days to get to them.
"So you've been writing poetry?" Coda asked Travis. He chuckled to himself.
"What's so funny?" Asked Travis, seeing no reason to laugh.
"We're in a baron wasteland, being chased by a ripple in time that'll erase out memories and send us to the past and you still have time to write poetry?" Coda laughed a little harder. "Aaaah..." Coda wiped a tear from his eye. "It's the little things in life that keep your spirits up." There was a loud snapping noise. "Gaah!" Coda was lifted into the air by his back leg which had a rope tied around it. there was a sickening crack as Coda smacked his head against a tree trunk on his way up. Twilight slid out her blade while Sweetie Bell and Travis illuminated their horns.
"Who's there?" Called Twilight. A sharp wooden stick poked out of the darkness. Twilight's eyes focused and she saw a pale green pony lifting the stick, with a couple other ponies behind him, holding sharpened sticks of their own, one of the Ponies looked like he had a sword levitating in front of him.
"Who are you!?" The pony screamed, thrusting the stick forwards.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle," She explained, "And these are my friends. Apple Jack, Sweetie Bell, Coda," Twilight gestured to Coda who was still hanging in the air. Blood was now leaking from his head and trickling down his white fur. "And this is Travis." The ponies backed away when they saw the Changeling. His good fang bared and his horn illuminated, ready to cast a spell at anypony who attacked. "Don't worry, he's friendly."
"Only to those who are friendly back." Said Travis, kicking some dirt behind him, ready to charge.
"Anyways, we don't mean any harm and we would like it if you could let our friend down, he's losing blood quickly." A solid stream of blood was now pouring from Coda's open skin. The green pony nodded and Coda slowly began descending to the ground. Sweetie Bell ran to him and began casting a healing spell.
"Thank you." Said Twilight, "Now I'd like to speak to the pony in charge."
"That would be me." Said a deep and stern voice from behind the green pony. The silhouette of the pony levitating the sword stepped into the light. He was a unicorn who had a dark brown coat with a jet black mane. "Name's Cinder, and I don't like other ponies trespassing on our territory."
"I'm sincerely sorry, we didn't know this was private property we're just trying to get as far west as possible." Explained Twilight.
"Why're you heading in that direction." Asked Cinder, lowering his sword slightly in confusion.
"long story."
"I've got time." Cinder sheathed his sword and looked at Twilight with intent.
"Fine." Twilight slid her own blade away and sat down. "The reason you all woke up one day with no memory as to why Equestria is a wasteland is because the spirit of chaos, Discord, cast a spell."
"What kind of spell?" Interrupted Cinder.
"A spell that would make every victory that I've ever had, and turn it into a failure." Cinder laughed, making no attempt to hide his non belief in Twilight's story.
"Nopony is that important. Nopony is important enough to destroy all of Equestria if they're lives are reversed or... Whatever you said."
"And yet, here we are." Cinder fell quiet. "Anyways, the spell he cast is being undone. There is a ripple in time, that's slowly making it's way west and the farther away we get from it the better."
"But why are you runnun' from it?" Questioned Cinder.
"If we get caught in it, we'll lose all of our memories and be sent back into the past, before it all started."
"Well that's good isn't it?" Said Cinder, confused. "We'll be sent back to civilization and warm beds!" The ponies behind him muttered in agreement. "I say we head as far east as possible and be sent back to our old lives!"
"Yeah!" Shouted all the ponies behind him.
"Sugar Rush, go tell the colony we'll be coming back with prisoners and a way back!"
"Right away!" Said a female pony, she turned and began galloping away behind the others.
"Why are you runnin' away from your old lives?" Said Cinder with disbelief in his voice.
"I'd like to figure out a way to stop the apocalypse before I go to the past and have it restart." Cinder smirked.
"Whatever. Once news spreads to the colony we'll head east and go back to our old lives."
"If you go east you'll just relive the apocalypse all over again." Said Apple jack, finally speaking up after holding back her arguments. "There's no point in goin' east. You should come with us and go west. With a colony at our sides, we can stop the apocalypse with no problem." Cinder chuckled.
"I'll have to politely decline thank you very much. I'll send you on your way... You know... Away from your lives." Cinder turned and waved to the others. they turned and began walking deeper into the forest.
"How many ponies are at your camp!?" Twilight called to Cinder.
"Just over 63, wh- AAAH!" Twilight had leapt towards Cinder with her blade held outwards. She tackled Cinder and held her blade point to his throat.
"Twilight!" Apple Jack screamed. After a few seconds Twilight was tackled by two other ponies and wrestled to the ground. Soon some twine was wrapped and knotted around Twilights hooves behind her back. Twilight looked to her friends and winked with a grin on her face. Cinder brushed off his fur and got to his hooves.
"Capture them all!" He screamed. "Marching towards death or not, these ponies are now our prisoners." Apple Jack, Sweetie Bell and Travis were all tackled and bound. The two ponies who tackled and tied them up, lifted them and set them in a cart behind a tree. Cinder began trotting away towards the colony while the two ponies began pulling the cart.
"Twilight!" Apple Jack whisper shouted. "Why did you attack him!?"
"I figured it would be easier to stop the apocalypse if we have a couple recruits with us."
"Even so, how will we escape?" Twilight smiled.
"I've got a plan."