//------------------------------// // The Hyperbolic Time Chamber // Story: Blooming Talent // by Griffin Productions //------------------------------// Apple Bloom sat in Goten's arms beneath one of the few still-standing trees in the area; her whole body curled into his embrace with her arms around his torso tightly holding him as he held her as well. Her muzzle rested just under his chin and her head lay against his shoulder; occasionally she would nuzzle him gently to which he would do so back, and rub her shoulder comfortingly. She was still shaking slightly from the experience she had with what she couldn't fathom had been her power. Never in her wildest imagination did she ever think she could contain so much energy. She chuckled as she thought of when Big Mac would call her rambunctious back in her filly days. The thought of Big Mac caused her face to fall slightly again. She once more nuzzled Goten's face as she shut her amber eyes; the half-saiyan's touch was all she needed to at least stop thinking so actively about all the bad. He was, to her, a lighthouse in the dark sea of her mind that threatened to smash her rocking boat on the shoals. He was her guide out of the void; and he was such a kind young man. As she felt him stroke hi hand across her furry shoulder once more, she remembered what Applejack had said to her before they left King Kai's world; she had told her to not let something good slip through her hooves. She knew the "something good" was Goten, and she also knew she didn't want him to go away because she never said anything about her feelings. On the flipside, what if he didn't reciprocate her feelings for him; what if he didn't want to be with someone of an entirely different species? What if once she revealed her desires, he would run from her? She would be left in the darkness once again; alone and without savior. Goten wouldn't do that would he? He wouldn't just up and leave... "Don't let somethin' good slip through your hooves..." She didn't want to push him away though. She wanted him to stay as long as she could get him too. She was at least somewhat over her fear of her own power, now. But she had found a new fear; the fear of love. She found herself staring at him just underneath his line of sight. He must have sensed her gaze, because he turned his head down to look her in the eyes, which made her flinch little thanks t her current thought process. Sometimes she wished she could karate kick her train of thought right off it's tracks and into a ravine. She figured she would have to say something sooner or later, and she supposed now was as good a time as ever. "Goten..?" "Yeah?" She gulped a little as she tried to make the words come out of her mouth. "I---I--I gotta tell ya--that---that I--" She mentally smacked herself, and tried to force the confession from her lips. "Goten, I--!" "Hey, you two." Goku's voice cut her off. Apple Bloom wasn't sure if she wanted to hit the saiyan for interrupting or thank him for saving her from having to say anything. Now back to his normal state, Goku came closer to the two as they stood up to see what he had to say. "Get yourselves prepared for another jump using Instant Transmission. It's time for the next phase of the plan." He informed them. She was a bit worried to find out what they planned on next; if her recent display of her control over her power was any indicator, she would more likely destroy Equestria rather than save it in the next two days. "What exactly is the next step, Goku?" She asked, a bit of shakiness to her voice returning. Goku placed two fingers to his forehead, and beckoned them to come closer. They did so, and instantly they were sucked through the very fabric of space once more; the feeling of traveling faster than light was something Apple Bloom would probably never get used to. As the feeling subsided, she shook her head to get rid of the dizziness, and struggled to stay standing. Once she was sure she wouldn't fall over, she looked around. The room was extravagant, and very ornately decorated. There were two beds, a bathroom, a kitchen, and for some reason, a gigantic clock on the ceiling, which ticked by slowly. That sound was going to drive her nuts, so she focused on something else. "It's a nice place, but what is it?" She asked. "Goten knows." Goku chuckled a bit, looking at his youngest son. The half-saiyan nodded, and blinked in disbelief. "We're in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber..." The Hyperbolic Who-now? What in all of Tartarus did that mean? "What's a 'hypertonic lion tamer...'?" she asked, completely butchering the name. "Hyperbolic Time Chamber." Goku corrected with a grin. "In here, time moves so much faster than in the real world, that you can get an entire year of training in here, while only a single day will pass outside." "What?!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, not believing that such a thing was possible. Goten assured her it was true with a nod. "Just wait until you see what's outside this little hut..." He told her, pointing to the opening at the end of the room. She turned to look, and outside saw nothing but white. It must jus be a really bright light or something, she thought to herself. As she moved closer,the whiteness never cleared or even changed. She dropped her jaw wide open when she saw the place stretched out forever in complete whiteness. If there was an end to the place, she couldn't see it; it was like they were floating in the space between realities. Nothing but an infinite emptiness forever and ever going on. She sat down in disbelief, the action casing her notice two more things. The gravity was once again heavy on her body; about the same as King Kai's planet had been. She was also feeling very cold; it was like a blizzard was hiding in here somewhere, but a second later, it was scorching hot and she would start to sweat profusely. All the while, the infinite void of white remained unchanged. She was surely going to go crazy if she had to spend a whole "bucking" year in this forsaken place. As she tried to gather her rampaging thoughts, Goten put a relaxing hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see him smiling own at her. "It's a bit much to take in, isn't it?" She nodded, not able to form words now; she was far too shocked. Goku walked over to them as well, and stared out into the void. "Hey, da.." Goten piped up suddenly. "If we'rein the Time Chamber, that means were at Kami's Lookout, and that means we're on Earth...I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to be allowed...yknow, since we're dead.." Goku nodded, but his smile didn't fade away. "That would be correct, except if you remember back, this isn't technically Earth. It's another dimension entirely, therefore, the rules of Otherworld don't apply." "And you took us here...using Instant Transmission..." "Yup." "How come we can't just go to Equestria now then with that move?" Goten asked. "Apple Bloom is obviously strong enough to beat Sapphic, and if you can dimension jump with that trick, we could go there now and save everyone!" Apple Bloom squirmed uncomfortably at the mention of her monstrous power. Goku raised up two fingers as if counting. "There's two reasons: the first is simply because you two don't have all the training necessary to harness your potentials...especially Apple Bloom. You'd more likely destroy Equestria before you saved it." He said. The anthropomorphic mare chuckled a bit at her master's echoing of her earlier thoughts. "The second reason is because the only reason I'm able to Instant Transmission here is because I know it so well. If I tried to take us to Equestria that way, especially since I can't sense power levels from that world in this one, I could teleport us inside a mountain or at the center of the planet. It's too dangerous..." Goten looked slightly downcast, but Apple Bloom understood fully. She wanted to help her people more than almost anything, but like se had thought, and Goku had stated, she was too unpredictable at the moment. She needed to hone her power and skills to beat Sapphic and save Equestria. In here, she'd have a whole year to do it. "So when does the training start?" * * * Piccolo sensed the three power levels as they entered the Time Chamber. Good, it looked like Goku had successfully got them in there. He wondered how it was going to work for them getting out, since Goku had been in there twice before now. If one went in there more than twice in their lifetime, the door would lock forever. Maybe there was a hidden meaning. Afterall, Goku wasn't living right now, so that rule might not come into effect. They'd have to wait a day and see. He turned back to Trunks and Buu, who were still trying to find a way to get Buu's dimensional powers going without him needing to be enraged. Meditation hadn't worked, and neither had this silly thing called yoga. Hopefully they'd figure it out before 24 hours had passed. He started to think of Equestria again; he'd never even heard of it before Apple Bloom had come to this world, but he couldn't help but think of all the innocents that must be suffering right now as he sat here, waiting for Goku and the others to finish training in the Time Chamber. Maybe it was Kami influence in him, but he hated that he was helpless to defend them until further notice. Once he got to Equestria, though, he'd teach that bug-brain to pick on someone his own size. * * * Sapphic sat against a rock as his changeling siblings finished up desecrating the bodies of the Wonderbolts. He'd been absorbing energy from the air to heal his more serious wounds for the coming battles; the minor ones didn't matter. Unfortunately, this technique didn't heal his cracked and in some places missing exoskeleton; his glowing cyan flesh beneath pulsating like pony muscle with each movement. After a few more moments, he stood and signaled for his brothers and sisters to get ready to fly again. He was halted as he felt a hoof grasp his ankle firmly. He looked down. more curious than startled, and saw the upper remains of a gray pegasus pony with yellow eyes that seemed to look in two different directions; her Wonderbolts uniform in tatters, and her entrails dragging across the dirt. Her blonde mane was a mess, and patches were missing in several places from what his siblings had done to her. "Why..." she croaked out. "why are you...doing this...? It doesn't have to be this way..." He continued to stare at the near-death mare with the walleye gaze. After a moment he finally spoke. "I'm afraid it does, little one." He said, no maliciousness in his voice at the moment. "You ponies shunned and hurt us. Now we will do the same to you. It's just karma." With that, he raised an open palm at the mare as she continued to gaze into his hate filled emerald eyes. A quick ki blast later, and her cross-eyed stare was no more; her eyelids closing forever as a burning hole smoldered in her forehead. "Let's go." He called to the changelings who excitedly followed his order without question.