//------------------------------//
// Choice 
// Story: Guilt of a Phantom 
// by Powerdrainer 
//------------------------------//


This chapter has been edited by  Slayerseba, Halusm, Clayton the Hunter, and Clawder. 



Choice



<<>><<>><<>>


Choice has always been the problem.

It is an eternal dilemma. Do you decide to pick door number one, or door number two? Or do you choose to leave both doors closed and turn your back to them? 

What are the consequences of these choices? What will happen because of your decision? What could have been if you chose differently? Did you make the right choice, or does everything fall apart as a result of your mistake? It's impossible to know, until after you've chosen.

Yet, the real problem is that the most decisive moments are disguised as everyday interactions, like deciding to make a left, or a right turn. Whereas only a sparse few choices reveal themselves as what they are.

Even rarer are the choices which show the ensuing consequences of the decisions you could make. And even then, they only show what could be in the short term, as every choice will send out a ripple that will spread far and wide, and will result in actions and reactions unforeseeable. 

Sometimes these possibilities are for good, most of the time you find yourself wishing to have chosen differently. But even more damaging are those who remain indecisive, and choose not to choose. And even then, a choice has been made, and the consequences of such a decision almost always leads to regret; standing on the sidelines as both options disappear.

Choices. Decisions. Doubt. Regret. Fear. Wonder. Curiosity. Pressure. Actions. Reactions… Chaos. 

Choice is chaos, and chaos is choice. It's neither good, nor bad. It's always neutral, until those affected by said choices label it based on their perceived outcome.

But what about a choice based on trust? What if you believed in someone to help, only to get stabbed in the back, betraying you and the trust you've put in them? How about the ensuing consequences of such a choice?

What if you chose to trust chaos itself?

Can you still be surprised if chaos acted chaotic, knowing this is the nature of it? Or can you fool yourself in thinking something unpredictable can be trusted to do as expected? 

If you can, most often you are among the blissfully ignorant. If you can't, then how can you make a choice knowing that choice itself equals chaos. 

You can't decide? Well, unfortunately you have to. There is no middle ground. After all, choice has always been the problem.


<<>><<>><<>>


Necronomicon lay in wait for the two chosen to appear before him. And as he waited, he couldn't help but think back to what had happened so far, as he and Clockwork first set in motion the events leading up to this point. Shame and regret were some of the most prominent feelings he had, knowing just what it was that he had to do, and what he had already done. As he recalled these events, his mind caught onto one memory in particular.  

'Hold on!' Clockwork almost shouted in anger, grabbing Necky with both front hooves and pulling the book right in front of his face; Necky's green glowing eyes reflecting in Clockwork's mortal red's. 'I didn't sign up for this!'

'No, you didn't.' Necky agreed. 'You thought this to be a simple job, a few days maximum. But it isn't, and this is how it is. These are the consequences of your choices. And, although you don't like this; hate me for it even, you will do it. Because, despite all you might say, or do to me, you can't help but wonder; wonder what could be. What actions could flow forth from your presence here.' With a burst of his power, Necronomicon freed himself from Clockwork's grasp, hovering up and out of reach. 'I will go now, to your future. It will be a passing of seconds for me, but years for you. When we meet again, we will find out just how successful you have been.' —Clockwork glared with rage at Necronomicon— 'You do not like this, and you may hate me for this. But know: One day, you will thank me for it.' And with a final burst of his power, he vanished.

'Thank you for this!?' He heard Clockwork shout after him as he vanished into the portal 'I'll rip your pages from your spine!['

'I'm sure you would,' Necky muttered as he moved to the Ghost Zone. 'Especially if you fully knew what it is I'm going to do.'


<<>><<>><<>>



Many years ago, and several seconds after Necronomicon left Clockwork in the village.


With a sigh, Necronomicon flew out of the portal and into the hall of time, where the Observants were waiting for him.

"Is it done?" One of the Observants asked.

"I did as I was instructed, leaving Clockwork with the ponies to grow and learn like one of them," Necky answered, turning away from the Observants and stared at a shadowy spot near a far wall.

"And he will do as we expect from him?" another Observant queried. 

"I'm sure you already know the answer," Necronomicon answered, glaring towards the pair of glowing red eyes within the shadow. "After all, it has already happened to you, Clockwork."

Without a sound, Clockwork, in his adult form, flew out of the shadow, glaring a cold glare at Necronomicon.

"My past self will do as planned," he aimed at the Observants, never averting his eyes from Necky. "Just as I have done before, and my own future self before that."

"Pfhu, I still don't like it," Necky muttered. "I understand the consequences of my choices in regards to Discord and that something must be done. It is why I am here to begin with. But how do you fit in with all of this?"

Clockwork tightened his grip on his staff while looking down with a troubled and angry frown.

"Let's just say that certain events are going to happen in the not too distant future. Events which cannot be avoided, no matter what changes we might make. But, we can change the outcome. That is why I have come back to this time, to shape our futures. It is imperative for my younger self to accept the responsibilities that come with being the Embodiment of Time. If he… If I do not, then everything will fall apart."

"But what are these events you speak of?" an Observant demanded, worried.

"We have tried looking into the future, but are unable to do so," another continued.

"All we are able to see is a horrible distortion. That alone is worrying, but what is the cause?" 

Clockwork closed his eyes, ashamed, sighing out deeply. "A mistake. A horrible mistake of trust."

"Trust in who?" Necronomicon demanded, troubled. "... Discord?"

"No… Myself," Clockwork revealed, looking back up at Necronomicon. "There is something you must do."


<<>><<>><<>>



A very long time ago.


The sounds of a hard fought battle filled the air as ghosts fought with all they had against the undead, skeletal army of Pariah Dark; the self proclaimed king of all ghosts. Using his incredible power, increased by both the Fire Crown and the Ring of Rage, he led a devastating campaign to subjugate all creatures dead and unholy under his tyrannical rule, or destroying those who dared to oppose him. 

Swords clashed with swords. Spectral beams collided mid-air, and bolts of the same energy peppered the battlefield as the dark king's forces slowly, but surely pushed the opposing forces back.

Pariah Dark watched while laughing maniacally, standing in one of his keep's higher towers as he observed the spectacle. His trusted commander, the Fright Knight, along with his accursed steed, were cutting down any ghosts cowardly enough to turn their backs and flee the fight.

"Muwahaha," Pariah laughed darkly, a twisted grin splitting his features. "Fools. Fight all you want, there is no escape from the inevitable."

A stray beam of destructive energy shot past his head with only a hair's width to spare, yet Pariah didn't flinch, merely scowling as the searing beam blasted a crater at the wall behind him. 

Growling in anger, he rose up and flew down into the fight with both hands clenched into fists, burning brightly with what seemed like hellfire as he drew power from the Fire Crown. With a massive roar, he slammed both fists into the ground with a terrifying display of strength and ferocity; cracking the stone underneath, and sending fissures spreading out in every direction as the whole area shook in response. 

Glowering, Pariah slowly rose up to his full height, then he smirked darkly. His skeletal army let loose an unearthly roar as they aimed their swords up to the sky; cheering for their king and master as he joined in on the fight.

"THOSE OF YOU WHO WISH TO DIE A SECOND TIME, COME AND FACE ME!" Pariah declared confidently. "THOSE OF YOU WHO LACK SUCH COURAGE WILL MEET WITH A FATE MUCH WORSE!"

For a moment the battlefield was silent as all eyes were turned on the dark king. Then the fighting resumed; the king's army spurred on by their liege's words, and swords clashed with swords, sparks shooting from the metal. 

Pariah Dark calmly marched through the masses, mace in hand, and clubbing in the heads of those within reach; not differentiating between friend, or foe. 

"IS THIS ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" He proclaimed. "SHOW YOUR KING WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!"

"Very well, if you insist," an aged female voice replied in disappointment, and the Elder of the frost giants stepped towards him, her robe's hood pulled down to show her face.

Pariah chuckled lowly as he looked up at the giant, slamming his mace in an open hand.

"So, it is you who dares before all others. I'm both impressed and disappointed."

"Whereas all I can feel is nothing but disappointment in the path you've chosen for yourselves." the Elder said lowly, tightening her grip on her staff. "And I'm certainly not surprised, young one," she said while scowling. "You are one of us. An Embodiment. Wielder of incredible power. But that wasn't enough, was it? You wanted more, so much more. As could be expected from he who embodies greed. But to go so far as to claim two Embodied Artifacts not meant for you to gain your selfish desires… You have crossed a line, Pariah. And in doing so, brought unforgivable suffering to so many."

"So, is that why you appear before me and not any of the others? You, because you saw and are now here to attone for your guilt, for not acting sooner?" Pariah Dark said condescendingly, smirking.

The Elder didn't warrant him a reply. She merely secured her stance and firmly planted her staff on the ground besides her; the base freezing to the ground to keep it from falling over as she let go of it, the orange glow of her eyes fading, replaced by toxic green.

"So, it’s going to be like this then?" Pariah rumbled. "Very well, let's see which one of us has the right to claim superiority," and he secured his stance, mace at the ready.

The Elder's eyes narrowed with focus as she blocked out the sounds of chaos all around her. Small wisps of cold air rose up from her hands as arctic energy started to build, signified by the tell tale ice-blue glow surrounding her hands.

Neither one of them said anything, nor moved; waiting for the other to make the first action as the battle raged on all around them. 

Beams and bolts of green, red and even some of the more rarer colors, not often seen among ghosts blasted holes all over the battlefield. Some of which, blasting craters in the ground near the two unmoving combatants, pelting the both of them with pieces of dirt, rock and small, cutting pieces of half molten sand turned into glass. 

An explosion sounded not too far behind Pariah Dark and a burst of toxic green light illuminated the area directly behind him. Ghosts and skeletons alike screamed out in pain, and anger as they were blasted away. Both by the initial blast, and the ensuing shockwave that followed. This same shockwave also slammed into Pariah Dark's back, knocking him out of balance and towards the Elder. 

One of her claws twitched, and the Elder surged into motion with a speed not many could follow. She was there one moment, the other she stood behind the dark king, drawing back a fist before slamming it into his open side with a bone crushing blow and freezing cold.

Roaring his frustration and rage, Pariah Dark jumped out of reach; hand clutching his side as he slowly stood up. The Ring of Rage glowed in response to his rising anger, increasing his power as a result.

A wavering aura of red surrounded him as he tightened his hold over his mace, the glow spreading to surround it as well. 

With a grunt, he charged towards the Elder; swinging a controlled, but vicious strike with his mace at her torso. The Elder sidestepped, allowing the mace to pass harmlessly past her, with only one of the spikes to slice shallowly through the fur on her chest. 

Pariah growled as he turned back around, glaring at the Elder, then at her staff still standing frozen on the spot.

"Confused?" The Elder asked, relaxing her stance slightly. 

Seeing this as his chance, Pariah charged at the frost giant with a ferocious cry. 

The air exploded out of his lungs as the Elder slammed a unforgiving fist into his stomach, causing Pariah Dark to double over while wheezing for air. 

"Or are you merely surprised by the fact that someone like me can hold her own against you? You, the Embodiment of Greed and the one who falsely claimed the Embodiments of Fire, and Rage as well," the Elder asked far more calmly than the current situation would suggest. "Regardless of your answer, mine would be the same. I won't need my staff, and the Embodiment it represents to fight you, as I can see the path you're on even without it. Nor do I have need of its power in such a way."

"That only makes you more of a fool," Pariah Dark grumbled.

"A fool who sees the truth, perhaps. But you, you are a fool blinded by your own desires. A fool wielding incredible power, yet unable to properly use it, or even tap into its full potential… No, I don't need to use the powers bestowed upon me by my Embodiment. After all, I'm facing a fool blinded by greed, and lost in rage and fire."

"Blind, you say?! Lost, you say?! UNABLE TO USE THIS POWER, YOU SAY!?" Pariah Dark roared, enraged, the translucent aura surrounding him warping and growing, turning a crimson red as both the Ring of Rage, and the Fire Crown channeled their contained power into him. "We'll see about that," he added in a threateningly low voice, slamming both fists against each other.

A massive explosion of spectral destruction spread out from him, tearing apart the land and claiming multiple combatants unfortunate enough to stand in the blast zone. 

A blazing inferno of fire and spectral energy engulfed Pariah Dark, leaving only his dark silhouette to be seen, plus the incredible glow emitted by his eyes. The heat of the fire engulfing him rose and rose as the flames increased in size; the ground at his feet bubbling and boiling. 

Pariah Dark roared as he drew out more and more power from the Embodiments, fully intent on burning the Elder until nothing but ashes remained, and his foes would cower in fear before him. 

"A blind and powerful fool is still a fool," the Elder said calmly but sternly, a hint of ice in her voice. 

"What!?" Pariah Dark said, shocked. Then, a massive, frozen fist slammed him on the head, knocking off the Fire Crown.

"You are blind, Pariah. Blind and lost. You seek that what you can't have, so you take what you want with no regards to others," the Elder said coldly as her silhouette approached him through the slowly dissipating flames. "Yet, even when you have what you thought you wanted, it still isn't enough." The Elder slowly appeared before him, an aura of freezing cold surrounding her, protecting her from the flames and heat; one of her hands turned into a solid sculpture of ice with the bones visible through it. "You are blind, Pariah. Blind to what you already have; what you could have, if you only took the time to look inside yourself."

Pariah Dark spat as he scanned his surroundings, looking for the Fire Crown. 

"Looking for this?" The Elder asked, holding the crown in her unchanged hand. Pariah Dark's eyes widened in shock, his fists clenching tightly. 

"All that power, yet you were beaten down like this by an old frost giant using nothing more than the powers gained upon death, and centuries of experience. There is a lesson to be learned here, but I doubt you would see what it is."

Pariah Dark spat, used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth, then grinned darkly. 

"It would seem I'm not the only one who is blind," he grunted, and the Elder's eyes widened as she realized a moment too late the Fright Knight had snuck up behind her; spearing her with his sword.

The Elder roared in pain as she dropped the Fire Crown. It bounced on the ground, before rolling towards Pariah Dark, who easily picked it back up. With a trembling hand, she reached out for her staff; managing to grab it with only her fingertips before she and it vanished without a trace.

"My king," the Fright Knight said troubled, looking down at Pariah Dark as he slowly pushed himself back up. "Are you alright?"

"I am," he assured with a grimace, before a coy smile took its place. "Especially now, knowing where she was sent to," he muttered as he and the Fright Knight looked at the sword, the Soul Shredder, which would send anyone it touched into their worst nightmare imaginable.

The two looked back at the fight, seeing that in the short moment Pariah Dark was down, his army had advanced even further; slaying down multiple ghosts, most of which were already showing signs of spectral decay and becoming lost souls. This was something that he wanted. The more ghosts that perished and became lost, the stronger his army would become. 

The skeletons, all identical and without any personalizing features, were all made from those lost souls without purpose, cursed to traverse the void between alive and death for all eternity. They made for perfect, mindless slaves to do his bidding. And although it wasn't easy to manipulate, or even reshape these lost souls, he was able to do so, as a result of the power he gained from the Fire Crown and the Ring of Rage. 

A power he unleashed once more, turning those ghosts fallen and lost into more of his army; increasing the numbers against which the ghosts had to fight, and causing even more of them to fall. 

Pariah Dark grinned evilly as more and more skeletons rose up from the ground, clad in armor, and wielding a simple sword. 

"Your power is formidable," the Fright Knight complimented.

Pariah's grin fell as he looked at the Ring of Rage. "If that is so, then how did that old hag managed to best me so easily?"

"Even the weak and unworthy do get lucky sometimes, sire."

"No. Luck has nothing to do with it… And as much as I hate to admit it, that old hag is right. As powerful as I am now, I'm unable to draw out the full potential of these Embodiments, and thus unable to reach my full potential."

"Then surely you know of a way to overcome this problem, my king."

Pariah Dark glared at the battle raging, baring his teeth in a feral smile. "Yes. These Embodiments refuse to accept me, so I will make them. I will destroy everyone in my path. No one will be spared, alive or dead. And I will not stop until all lie broken and defeated before my feet, or have pledged their loyalty to me. And when they do, these Embodiments will have no choice but to accept me."

"THEN I WILL MAKE SURE THIS WILL NOT COME TO PASS!!" The Elder shouted as a bright flash of orange blinded Pariah Dark and the Fright Knight.

A glare of brilliant orange light surrounded the Elder, eyes aglow with power as she tightly held her staff in both hands. The Elder and an small army of ghosts had appeared out of nowhere; the Staff of Truth breaking through the curse of the Soul Shredder, returning all trapped within the realm of nightmares. 

A cry filled of pain, suffering, rage and anger rose up from within the glow as rescued spirits charged into battle. The horrors they've seen, the possibility for it to become true spurring them on, giving them strength exceeding anything the skeletal army could deal with. 

The sudden appearance and charge from their fallen brothers in arms gave renewed energy to the ghosts locked in battle. They too gave voice to their conviction and they fought with renewed vigor. 

Blinding, blazing light radiated from the Elder as she glared at Pariah Dark and the Fright Knight. Anger rolling off of her in waves, knocking into the two, forcing them to take an involuntary step back as the enraged frost giant stepped towards them. 

"YOU HAVE BETRAYED EVERYTHING YOU STOOD FOR, PARIAH DARK! ONCE, YOU WERE KIND, GENEROUS. SHARING EVERYTHING EQUALLY WITH THOSE AROUND YOU. THAT WAS WHY YOU WERE CHOSEN TO REPRESENT GREED! YOU COULD SHARE, BALANCE OUT THE NEGATIVITY OF YOUR EMBODIMENT AND BECOME GREATER THAN YOU COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED. INSTEAD, YOU ALLOWED THIS NEGATIVITY TO CORRUPT YOU, CHANGE YOU. NO MORE!! YOUR RULE ENDS HERE!" And with blurring motion, the Elder charged at the dark king; the light surrounding her growing brighter and brighter.

Pariah Dark and the Fright Knight brought their weapons up to bear, intent on taking on the giant with everything they had, yet the Elder had other plans. 

With a single swipe of her hand, she brought down the Fright Knight, who slammed into the ground several meters from where he stood. 

Pariah jumped away from her, swinging his mace as he did so. But to his shock, the Elder was no longer there, and he realized the glow surrounding her was now behind him.

"You're such a disappointment," she bemoaned, then slammed a massive fist with terrifying strength into his face, it’s concussive force powerful enough to blast him away. The helmet he wore offered little protection, and was thus blown off from the Elder’s punch. His left horn, the symbol of his power, and enlarged in response to his power as the Embodiment, broke off; flung away into the distance as he slammed into the wall of his keep, breaking through the walls until he came to a crashing halt in the middle of the throne room.

The skeletal army came to a sudden stop as their king's power diminished rapidly and the ghosts quickly seized the opportunity to turn the battle around. 

The Elder, panting from part exertion and part anger, slowly approached the hole in the wall. "We must act quickly," she said, and other cloaked beings materialized around her; holding a large sarcophagus in their combined levitational hold. "He won't stay down for long."

Together, they moved inside, quickly finding the downed king as he lay groaning on the ground amidst the rubble. One of the beings quickly removed the Fire Crown, while another claimed the Ring of Rage. The pair quickly moved away from Pariah Dark, while the rest placed the sarcophagus inside a nearby room, opened it, and then slammed Pariah Dark inside it with little care for his well being.

"Pariah Dark," several of the beings spoke simultaneously. "Your actions are unforgivable. You will remain locked inside this sarcophagus, a prison for all eternity. No longer shall your hunger for power, or tyrannical rule bring harm to another." And without another word, they slammed the sarcophagus shut; locking it with a key, and enacting the seal which would put Pariah Dark into an eternal slumber. The only kindness they could still show. 

Outside, a triumphant cry rose up from the ghosts as the skeletal army fell apart, and the cloaked beings slowly stepped outside to witness the hard fought victory. Helping the ghosts to capture the only servant of Pariah Dark remaining, the Fright Knight and his steed, Nightmare.

Not long thereafter, these beings would gather near the border of the Keep; looking at it with dismay and regret. 

Combining their power, they took hold over the land, and tore it apart; sending all parts towards different places of the Ghost Zone, with Pariah's keep being pushed near the Dark Zone.

"We should have hidden the Fire Crown and Ring of Rage. Locked away as they are, it isn't wise to keep them this close to Pariah Dark.

"I know," the Elder agreed with a tired voice. "But this is how it must be. Another ploy in Destiny's grand design."

"What did you see?" A
 tall being with mismatched body parts in various stages of decay asked.

"A lot of hardship on the road ahead, Necronomicon. A lot of hardship."


<<>><<>><<>>


Hidden from sight on one of the now free floating chunks of land, Necronomicon watched the events play out. Taking a moment to observe his old self, and his original form, he sighed out wearily.

"There aren't many who can stomach how I truly look like," he murmured, bristling his pages. 

Sighing out once more, he turned away from the group of ancients, focusing instead on the broken off horn lying on the ground beneath him. 

"The corrupted symbol of Greed's Embodiment… Or, part of it, at the very least." Necky sighed out heavily and tiredly. "We should have seen the signs from the moment he started growing these horns. Still, we chose to trust him… Looks like history truly repeats itself. A choice of trust, circling around to stab us in the back." 

Slightly opening and closing his front cover, Necronomicon then proceeded to levitate the broken horn up to eye level. 

"Now, to set in motion this mistake," he murmured, and the horn vanished within his pages. Then, opening a portal back to the Hall of Time, he too vanished from this point in time.


<<>><<>><<>>



Some time after Sunny Skies and Starlight's interaction with the shrine's mural.


Darkness surrounded them. A darkness darker than dark. 

No light, no sound, no sense of touch. Nothing, but all-consuming nothingness. 

They couldn't move. They couldn't speak. They couldn't even breathe. It was as if they had died and were buried, and all Sunny Skies and Starlight were able to do was float in the emptiness they found themselves in; even unaware of the presence of each other. 

They couldn't tell how much time has passed, or even if they hung still, or not in the void.

Then, after what seemed like years, a sudden explosion of light blinded them.

They slammed their eyes shut and shielded them with their fore legs; no longer immobilized, but failing to notice this as they acted on instinct alone.

A wave of pressure rushed over them, wiping their manes around wildly. Then, nothing. As suddenly as it had started, it stopped as well. 

Slowly, hesitantly, Sunny Skies and Starlight opened their eyes, carefully seeing if, whatever had just happened, had stopped.

Their eyes snapped open at what they saw.

The once empty void was now brimming with energy and light. Enormous clouds of gas accumulated all around them, moving with a speed as if time itself was fast-forwarded as they compressed into denser and denser spheres of superheated plasma. 

Then, ignition. And they watched in awe as, before their very eyes, a star was born. Soon followed by more and more, as the darkness of the once empty void was now filled by brilliant bright orbs of starlight. 

Time seemed to accelerate once more, as the stars surrounding the two shone their light, grew old, and died in massive explosions which filled the light filled void with all new kinds of matter. 

New stars were born, and with them, planets with landscapes alien and unknown. 

Time then moved faster and faster. The planets developed as their system calmed down. Then, as those that came before, their sun died, taking the planets with them; once more filling the void with matter. 

The cycle repeated and once more thereafter. But this time, as they watched a new star being born amidst countless others, accumulated within a massive galaxy, time gradually slowed to a normal pace as they saw a lone planet form around the small yellow star.

Before their eyes they saw the cooled world become wet as icy asteroids slammed into its surface, and vast oceans covered the cracked and barren lands. Brown turned to green, as lush green fields of grass and high reaching trees began to grow. 

More and more time passed, while at the same time, time moved slower and slower.

Neither Sunny Skies nor Starlight dared to blink, let alone breath; awed by what it was they were witnessing. Their reverence was cut short, however, when with a frightening lurch they fell towards the developed world; screaming in fear and flailing legs. 

Faster and faster they plummeted, entering the world's atmosphere, rapidly approaching the ground as they punched through the clouds. 

More and more details became clear to them the closer they came, starting with a large, wide spread forest the two of them knew all too well. It was the very same forest they lived besides in their village. 

But something was different. The forest seemed younger, and although massive, also smaller than they remembered. 

Recognizing even more landmarks, Sunny and Starlight realized the area they were rapidly approaching was the very same location their village had been built. However, there was nothing there. No burned down, crushed remains of the village as it was destroyed in the beast’s attack. No sign of the few graves they and the other survivors had dug for the few ponies whose bodies they had recovered. There was no sign of anything, really. Nothing, except a small stone pedestal standing at where the village's center would have been. And lying on top of it was a book.

The ground grew near rapidly now and both mares closed their eyes as they waited for the inevitable. They waited and they waited.

Time ticked by, both faster than normal and excruciatingly slow as they waited. But as nothing happened, even far beyond the point where they knew they would have collided with the unyielding surface, they dared a peek through almost completely closed lids.

With a startled yelp, they suddenly dropped to the ground; having hung still in the air a few hooves length above the ground.

Groaning, the two mares slowly pushed themselves up, their manes and tails horribly disheveled. Shaking their heads, they wearily looked around, then towards the lone stone pedestal. 

They glanced towards each other, unsure of what they should do. Slowly, with noticeable restraint, they made their way over to the pedestal, eyeing the black book lying on it with suspicion. 

A black book with the image of a pony's skull imprinted on its cover.

"Sunny…" Starlight said meekly, looking around as the feeling they were watched grabbed hold over her.

"I know," Sunny Skies murmured her reply, although she wasn't sure she did.

Suddenly, and completely unexpected, a flash of green burst from the book, and it slowly rose up from the pedestal, righting itself in the air until the skull imprinted on the cover looked down at the two with green glowing orbs in its, otherwise empty, sockets.

Both mares took a frightened step back, but were unable to look away as the book gradually flipped open on the centerfold; words appearing as if they were written by an invisible quill.



Sunny Skies. Starlight. You two have been chosen, and you two have chosen to take on the mantle of responsibility. To give up the last remaining links of your current lives and set hoof on a new path. To protect and safeguard those living on this world, while maintaining its delicate balance. 

The journey you've taken, from the very beginning, to where you stand now, showed you how life and death are intricately linked. Death coming from life, just as life comes from death. You will hold this knowledge, use it to shape not only yourselves, but others as well.

 It wrote and Sunny Skies and Starlight gulped as the book flew closer to them as it closed momentarily; its green glowing eyes staring first at Sunny Skies, then at Starlight before flipping open again, an unearthly glow surrounding it.



Sunny Skies, Starlight. You are hereby given these powers.



A beam of green energy shot from the book, hitting both mares. They both screamed out as the energy tore into them, engulfing them in blinding light. Yet they were still able to 'read' the words written in the book, almost as if the words were written in their minds instead.



Sunny Skies, accept these powers, and become the Embodiment of the sun. Use its might to nourish the lands you will walk on. 

Starlight, accept these powers, and become the Embodiment of the moon. Use its might to ease the minds of those asleep in the lands you'll fly above. 

Starlight, Sunny Skies, accept these powers, and relinquish all that you once were.



Sunny Skies and Starlight were in true agony, feeling something alien permeate their very being. Yet, they both knew that, as painful as it was, there was something still holding back. A final chance. One last possibility to reconsider. As the book had 'said', they needed to accept these powers.

They both grunted through gritted teeth as images of their lives flashed by; everything they had lost over the last short, yet horribly long days.

""I  -argh-, accept!"" They both screamed in anguish. It was the last thing they remembered as their world went dark in a violent burst of green.


<<>><<>><<>>


Clockwork stood in the destroyed, partially burned down remains of the village he came to call home. Necky hovered next to him, neither of them speaking as they looked down on the unconscious forms of Sunny Skies and Starlight. Or, rather, who once had been Sunny skies and Starlight.

Clockwork barely recognized them, and only the knowledge who they were before their… transformation allowed him to see the subtle similarities, but that was all he noticed. Had he been a stranger to either of them, he wouldn’t have known the ponies lying before him used to be an unicorn and a pegasus. 

Now though, they were neither of that. And yet, they were. 

A horn, much longer than any unicorn horn he had ever seen, stuck out from their foreheads, while a pair of wings lay lazily folded on their sides. Their manes and tails billowed as if struck by an unfelt breeze, and their bodies had grown exponentially. Easily twice the height of any ordinary pony. 

Clockwork looked down on them with a tight face and trembling fists. He had always known them. Known them as Celestia and Luna, their names having become known to the world as human/pony interactions grew over the years after the first tear had opened. Yet he never knew them personally Or, better, as how they used to be. Having lived with them for so long, only to have everything taken away, even if he knew this would happen, it hurt. But now, knowing what would happen to Sunny Skies and Starlight, and having been told by Necky exactly how it happened, Clockwork could only feel a great sense of shame for his involvement in all of this. 

He vowed he would never allow this to happen to anyone else, no matter the consequences. 

Slowly, eventually, the reborn mares began to stir and Necky and Clockwork left through a swirling portal, leaving the mares alone in a world unknown and hostile. 


<<>><<>><<>>


She came to with a groan, unable and unwilling to move as thousands of needles were stabbing her all over, and even inside her body. She just lay there, feeling the sharp pain slowly fade into a less noticeable, but still throbbing pain. 

She heard a similar groan next to her, and knew her sister was most likely in the same predicament as she was. Yet she was unable to reach out and comfort her, lest she agitate her own fried nerves.

Together they lay there, unmoving, unaware of just how much time had passed. But, eventually, they both slowly and clumsily rose to their hooves; blinking blearily as they tried to regain their senses, feeling something was off.

Their legs felt taller, stronger even. There was a strange, faint tugging sensation coming from their manes, as well as their tails. Not to mention the weird sensation coming from the back for one of them, or the weird surge of magic coming from her forehead for the other. 

They both blinked, clearing their vision, slowly refocusing the image of each other as they looked at one another.

Their eyes widened in shock and their bodies froze on the spot. Minutes ticked by as they both took in the full extent of the transformation they went through. Then, as if an invisible switch was flicked, they both reared back, hooves flailing as they screamed out and promptly fell on their rumps. It would be many more minutes before either of them spoke.

Eventually, though, they broke free from their shock and took the time to acknowledge, and inspect the full extent of the change they went through. Days passed after that, and having gotten used to their taller, stronger bodies, they began teaching each other how to either fly, or use magic. 

Days turned into weeks and their confidence in controlling their wings and magic grew, slowly being able to do more and more without assistance from each other. 

Weeks became months and the two sisters had set out to find the other villagers, but only finding destroyed villages, and death.

Months became years and the two sisters had managed to find the few survivors of the destroyed villages. Taking it upon themselves to protect them from any harm and, in doing so, becoming something akin to the leaders of the small but growing group.

There was also an ever increasing number of attacks on the group, either by animals, or other natural forces acting in ways that made it clear there was more behind it. It was almost as if someone, or something was trying them, pushing and prodding to see if, when, or what would break first. 

In time, these trying events would result in the two sisters’ return to their former village and then to the ravine they lost their previous life. Using their unnatural strength and abilities, aided by the ponies following them, they started constructing a well fortified village on the relatively small island on the other side of the ravine. In time, their creation would be recognized as their seat of power, with the two sisters ruling as the chosen monarchs. A role neither of them wanted, but were unable to turn down. 

Destiny, as well as their own choices, had made them into the leaders they needed to be. To lead the steadily growing herd of ponies, and to protect them. It was a task they fulfilled for several long, trying years. Until, one day, a discovery was made.

A young pegasus, going against the rules of his parents, flew down into the ravine protecting the village. What he found down there would change the world forever. 

Of course, nopony could have known just how much.

The Tree of Harmony, as they began calling it, was something never seen before. A tree bestowed with incredible power, but the source behind it a complete mystery. But then, one day, after years and years of relentless attacks by an unknown force, its mastermind finally revealed himself… Discord.

It was only then they learned just how much the chaotic individual had been holding back. The two sisters fought with all their might, yet try as they did, the two of them proved no match for the entity of chaos. It was then, after a crushing defeat at the claws and hooves of the mismatched creature they were drawn to the Tree of Harmony, and where they were given six radiant jewels which had grown from the tree itself. 

Three jewels were given to each sister, and with their powers combined, they were able to stop Discord, and return harmony to the world.

And the rest, as would be said, is history.

Yet one important detail that had faded away into the annals of history was that, after the battle against Discord, the sun and moon hung still in the air. And, although defeated, it was believed that this was a final attempt of Discord to allow his chaos to keep hold over the world. And it worked. Crops failed as nature itself was thrown completely out of whack. Even the Jewels of the Tree of Harmony were unable to help, which brought even more despair to the ponies. Yet unable and unwilling to give up, both sisters tried one more thing. An act of desperation, which neither one of them expected to work. They used their magic to reach out to the 'frozen' objects they represented and, through gritted teeth, and sheer willpower, they did the impossible. The sun and moon moved, restoring the cycle of day and night.

It was after this impossible feat of godlike power that, at least for the foreseeable future, nopony else would rise to claim rulership, their presence and abilities having permanently marked who, and what they were. They were the sun and the moon. Celestia and Luna. The royal sisters who protect, watch over and maintain the cycle of day and night, and protect all who play, and sleep under their Embodiment's light.


<<>><<>><<>>



Several millennia after Sunny Skies and Starlight made their choice.


A swirling portal of green opened high in the icy, northern sky. Necronomicon and Clockwork slowly drifted out of the portal, which then closed behind them. 

"Where are we?" Clockwork asked after the frigid air had sent a shiver down his spine. "The Far Frozen again?"

"No," Necky answered plainly. "We're still on the world of the ponies, but high up to the far North. There's… one more task that we need to complete." He explained with just the faintest hint of reluctance in his voice.

Clockwork missed the tone of voice, as a particular strong gust of wind chilled his already cold body to uncomfortable levels.

"And I thought the Far Frozen was cold," he murmured, rubbing his hands together for warmth.

"It is. It's actually colder there than here, but there does seem to be a rather chilling wind laying claim to this land."

"That hardly helps me in the current situation. Mainly, me freezing stiff to the point where rigor mortis would take hold on my body… for a second time." Necky gave a quiet chuckle at that, but remained otherwise silent. "So, why are we here, and what needs to be done?"

"You're surprisingly eager to get started," Necronomicon remarked.

"That is because I want to get this over with, and because I know the worst of what we need to do is already dealt with."

Necky's pages bristled as he tilted away from Clockwork. 'There is something you must do,' the voice of Clockwork's future self echoing through his mind.

"If only that was true," he murmured, unheard over the wind, "Let's go," he called out, diving down. "I'll explain what must be done on the way… And turn invisible. No need to start a panic," he instructed while vanishing from sight himself.

Clockwork, following after the invisible book, able to 'see' him through his ghost vision and turned invisible himself. Together they punched through several clouds on their way down and for a moment Clockwork wondered why he had brought them so high up in the sky. Then, a massive city made from crystal revealed itself to him as he flew through the last of the obscuring clouds.

"You didn't want us to be seen, right?" He shouted over the sound of the wind rushing past them, barely audible. Yet Necronomicon seemed to be able to understand him nonetheless. 

"Indeed," Necky confirmed. "But invisibility does not prevent us from being overheard, so withhold from shouting any questions until we are safely down below." 

Necky's remark certainly made sense, so for the rest of the dive down, Clockwork remained silent, choosing instead to watch the splendor of the crystal city spreading out below him. As they moved closer, the city revealed more of its beauty to them. Starting with the massive palace in the center of the city, with its high reaching spires, all made from the purest of white crystal. Further below, Clockwork saw the many houses of the ponies living there were connected by many roads all designed to form a star shape surrounding the palace. Yet the thing that surprised him the most were the far reaching plains of grass, spreading out in all directions, until it suddenly stopped by a border of snow and ice in the far distance. 

The two slowed down and came to a smooth stop several meters above the houses of the ponies milling about in the streets below; unaware of the ghostly presence hanging above them.

Necky motioned for Clockwork to follow, and they flew towards the edge of the city and into the grass plain where almost no pony could be seen in any direction.

"Okay, now would you explain to me why we're here?" Clockwork demanded, all attention back on Necronomicon.

Necky's cover twitched slightly as he took a moment to look around, silently wondering the exact same thing even though he had been told exactly why he, why they were here. 

"Balance," he finally answered, glancing sideways at Clockwork.

"What?"

"What we did to Sunny Skies and Starlight, although necessary to an extent, also shifted a certain balance this world is juggling with. Discord going crazy with power, and unleashing it on this world being one of such imbalances. To counter this, both Sunny Skies and Starlight were given the powers to make them into what they are now. But this itself is also an imbalance. There is either too much chaos, or not enough."

"And how is it a problem if there is not enough chaos? If you'd ask me, that would be a good thing."

"Is it, Clockwork? Chaos in its own is not a bad thing. Like I explained about something being either good or bad, it is a label given by those who perceive it. For instance, if lightning would strike someone's home and set it on fire, this would be seen as bad chaos. But another form of chaos would be a life changing event such as childbirth, and all consequences that flow from it. Lack of sleep, dirty diapers, the constant worry if you, or your partner would make a mistake raising your child. Yet, despite all of this, most often this chaos would be described as both expected, overwhelming, but good nonetheless."

"I suppose," Clockwork murmured, "but those examples are merely small moments of chaos."

"Exactly. Just a small moment. So, just how much do you think it will upset the balance between the perceived outcome of good and bad if there is an all powerful being of chaos running rampant? Or how much would the balance be upset if there are two god-like individuals capable of moving both the sun and the moon?"

"But what about Tree of Harmony?" Clockwork argued.

"She's… both part of the problem, and part of the solution."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me, what is harmony to chaos?"

"The opposite?"

"To put it simply, yes. In other words, for chaos, harmony is chaos, while chaos itself is harmony. What Tree of Harmony does is merely to balance the scales. If there is too much of either one, she shall either add or remove from whichever force there is too much or too little."

"But, then, why are we here?"

"To upset the balance one final time, and set this world on the proper path of recorded history."

"What!?" Clockwork exclaimed. "How!?"

"Observe," Necky said, and a green glow shone from in between his pages. 

In a sudden, if not somewhat small burst of light, a horn broken off at the base materialized before Necronomicon, bobbing gently in the air as it was held aloft in his levitation power.

"What is that?" Clockwork asked, confused.

"One of the horns of Pariah Dark."

"The fallen ghost king!?"

"Exactly," Necky confirmed.

"Why would we have need of this… thing? And why do you even have it?"

"I have it, because it is needed. As for what is going to happen with it… This horn is part of Pariah Dark. It still holds a small portion of his power, and his corruption."

"I repeat my question. Why would we have need of this thing!?"

"Excuse me, is anypony out here?" An unknown voice spoke up, and Clockwork's attention was drawn to the gray earth pony walking towards their location, looking around in confusion. 

"To create an unbalance," Necronomicon answered Clockwork, his voice heavy.

"Who said that!?" The pony said loudly, somewhat spooked.

"I did," Necronomicon exclaimed, revealing himself; eyes glowing with malice.

The pony reared back as he screamed in fright, quickly backing away while the talking, flying book moved in on him; a sharp horn floating next to it.

A glowing green dome suddenly materialized around them, locking the pony in with the book as he pressed against the glowing green dome with his back, trapped.

"What… who is doing this!? This isn't funny. Stop this now, and I promise I won't be mad."

Necronomicon pressed in closer to the frightened, panicked pony.

"STOP THIS!" 

Necronomicon halted his advance. It hadn't been the pony that shouted, but Clockwork, and for the briefest of moments Necronomicon closed his eyes while sighing out, resigning himself with what had to be done next.

'There is something you must do.'

"Don't interfere, Clockwork," Necronomicon almost growled in anger. Not anger towards the ghost who revealed himself, but towards himself.

"Like Hell I won't. I will not allow you to do whatever it is you're doing. This obviously is nothing like what was done before. No plans. No setting up events leading towards some greater scheme. No, this is something more like it is just thrown together at the last minute. How can this… this, whatever this is supposed to be helpful in the greater picture!?"

The pony, with his back pressed against the 'wall', rapidly shifted his gaze between the hovering book and alien, his heart pounding in his chest to the point it seemed like it was about to burst out. 

"This is how it is supposed to be. Now, be quiet and let me deal with this."

"No!" Clockwork stated strongly, quickly moving between Necronomicon and the pony.

"Clockwork," Necronomicon said warningly.

"I agreed to help with the Kadzite. I agreed to help with Sunny and Starlight. Heck, I even accepted the necessity to bind, no, to curse the Kadzite after having dealt with your damn sister and niece. But I refuse to be part of this!"

Necronomicon didn't say anything, but the glare he shot Clockwork could have killed him had he still been alive. 

Clockwork glanced back at the pony he was shielding, raising a hand aglow with energy and shot a beam that sliced through the dome Necky had erected. 

"Run!" Clockwork ordered firmly, eyes locking back on Necronomicon. "Run and don't look back. I'll deal with him."

"Will you, now?" Necky commented flatly.

"Yes," Clockwork stated confidently. "I have accepted my own actions regarding Sunny and Starlight, but I don't approve of them. Given the chance, I would do things differently and I made a promise to never let anyone else go through something like that," Clockwork said with forced calm, but anger bubbling behind every word. "This balance, as you called it, has already been fixed by setting up Sunny Skies and Starlight against Discord. Even the Kadzite have been made to pay for their crimes. But he," he gave a single nod towards the retreating pony, "he has nothing to do with any of this."

"Clockwork, I will give you one last chance. Stand aside, or I will deal with you as well."

"Try me," Clockwork challenged with a defying glare, hands aglow with undead energy.

A violent glow burst into life, surrounding Necronomicon entirely. With a surge of power, he launched himself at the defying ghost. 

Clockwork anticipated this, and quickly flew to the side while wiping an arm out, using his momentum to make a quick turn and slam a glowing fist in Necronomicon's back. 

Necky growled in frustration and turned to face Clockwork, launching himself at him once again without much thought. Several beams of searing energy shot from his eyes, forcing Clockwork to weave and dodge. But the sudden, close range barrage unleashed by the book of Life and Death made it impossible to evade every shot, and several beams hit him in the arms, and chest; burning through the fabric of his clothes and searing the corporeal flesh. 

Clockwork hissed in pain as he forced himself up to face the source of his years old frustration, fingers tensing into a claw as an orb of concentrated ectoplasm started to build, its glow increasing with each passing moment. 

"Don't think I will go down so easily," he spoke lowly, voice thick with anger. "I will not allow you to mess with someone's life like that again. Too many have already been hurt because of you."

"Then tell me, Clockwork. Has anyone ever gained anything but hurt through me?" Clockwork flinched, not expecting this. 

Necronomicon once more attacked, forcing Clockwork back to the defensive. 

"No," Necky answered his own question, flinging orbs of destruction at Clockwork, "Whenever someone 'uses' me to gain what they think they want, all they find is more suffering. After all, I'm the book of Death. Suffering and pain is all that I bring," he bellowed with hollow voice, peppering the area immediately around Clockwork with destructive energy, but only lightly hitting Clockwork himself. 

"Then change the balance!" Clockwork yelled, projecting a shield around himself. "You're so good at that, aren't you!?" A sudden explosion pushed him back several meters, causing him to lose sight of Necronomicon.

"Yes, yes I am," Necky spoke directly behind Clockwork, who turned around with a sharp gasp. 

Necronomicon took hold of Clockwork in his spectral hold, immobilizing him. "But there is nothing that can be changed about what I am, as I am neither good, nor bad. I'm a neutral party, who gets labeled as a result of the perceived outcome from the choices made by others. You are no different," and with a burst of his power, Clockwork was flung away, slamming him into the ground. 

"Just like what you have been doing, Clockwork," Necronomicon continued, picking Clockwork back up again, then slamming him into the ground. "You made the choice to help me and the Observants to set in motion all of this. So, what does that make you?" He slammed Clockwork into the ground again. "Don't pretend you're better than me. You're not. In fact, if you knew what I know, you'd understand just how wrong you really are; just how far your actions and choices are reaching, and just how involved you truly are." Clockwork groaned in pain as he was slammed into the ground a final time. "No, Clockwork. You can only blame yourself for all of this." Necronomicon released his hold over the beaten ghost, looking down at him with disgust. "If only you knew... Bah, one day you will. But for now, I've got a pony to catch," and he sped off.

Clockwork struggled to push himself up, lifting his head with a severe tremble of pain and effort as he glared at Necronomicon with one eye; the other too swollen to open. 

"No you won't," he grunted, pushing himself off the ground, and forcing himself to ignore his body's pleas to remain lying as he raced after Necronomicon.

"Get back here!" He yelled, firing a beam of energy into Necky's back. "I won't let you do this!" Another bolt of energy seemed to have hit Necronomicon in a weak spot, and he suddenly fell to the ground. Not wanting to give the book a chance to get away, Clockwork dove down to grab him. But his own strength was failing him, and just as he was about to grab hold of Necky, a debilitating pain shot through the core of his being and the two crashed into the ground, spectral energy clashing as they refused to give in that easily. 

However, where Clockwork was severely beaten up, Necronomicon was only lightly injured from the few hits Clockwork had managed to score and he was quick to recover. 

Using his energy, he flung Clockwork off of him, pressing the sharp point of the severed horn against his throat while hanging menacingly low above his head.

"This is your final warning, Clockwork. Do not anger me further!"

Clockwork growled in frustration, hands aglow. "Or what, you’re going to kill me again?" He asked with angered sarcasm, then slammed both glowing hands into Necronomicon. 

Necky screamed out as energy burned into his form, causing his own spectral energy to spasm violently. The hold he had over Clockwork failed, allowing the ghost to break free. However, the horn Necky was holding jerked around wildly, which Clockwork missed in his enraged state. Seeing his chance to beat down Necronomicon, Clockwork once more channeled his energy into the book, not seeing the horn slicing down at his face.

With a burst of spasming energy, the sharp tip of the horn gouged a deep lightning bolt shaped scar in the left side of his face, even slicing through his eye in the process. 

Clockwork screamed out in pain as he pushed away, clutching his face with both hands; green blood flowing past his fingers and falling to the ground. 

"You've made your choice," Necronomicon said with rasping breath. "Now deal with the consequences!" And he grabbed hold of Clockwork, zapping him with a burst of his power. 

Clockwork screamed out as the energy coursed through his body, twisting and changing him down to the cellular level. Then it ended, and smoke rose from his twitching body as he was thrown through a portal Necronomicon had opened behind the incapacitated ghost.

"Now, to set this mistake in motion," Necronomicon grunted, chasing after the pony once more, turning invisible so he wouldn't be seen.


<<>><<>><<>>


The fleeing pony, scared out of his wits, ran all the way back home; not stopping for anything, which did turn a few heads in confusion. Once home, he slammed the door shut behind him, and pressed his back against it while standing on his hind legs, breathing heavily.

"Okay, gha. Calm down, it was just a dream. A really, really bad dream," he panted, eyes jerking wildly as he tried to calm down. "There is no evil talking book, nor some weird flying alien thing. Just a dream, right," he blabbered with a nervous chuckle.

An unexpected 'click' came from the door, and his breath caught in his throat. His pupils shrunk as he nervously glanced back at the door behind him. 

With a 'swoosh' the curtains blinded the windows, covering the room in darkness while a open door leading to an adjacent room slowly swung shut.

"Just a bad dream," he squeaked, trembling.

"No, a nightmare," a menacing voice broke in, and the sickening glow of two green glowing eyes revealed themselves to him. "And this is not something you can wake up from," the voice threatened, and a horn held aloft in the same sick glow as the thing's eyes moved into view.

"You can scream if you want," the thing said to the frozen in fear pony. "No one will hear you," and the book moved towards the pony.

A loud, painful, and terrified scream rattled the windows, yet not a single sound escaped the house; a faint, almost impossible to see glimmer of green covering the entire structure.


<<>><<>><<>>


With a hollow scream, Clockwork fell out of the portal and crashed into a cold, stone floor. 

Spasming on the floor without any control, he felt his body change. With tremendous effort, he moved a trembling hand to where he could see it, and saw to his shock the skin of his hand grow old and fragile. Then his vision shifted. Not by his own action, however, but as a result of his body shrinking as it returned to a juvenile state. 

More and more his body distorted as his limbs shifted between young, adult, and old, leaving him a twitching mess unable to do anything as the uncontrolled timeshift went on, and on.

"He is over here!" A familiar voice broke through the pained and shocked haze that had clouded his mind. 

"Quick, bring the staff!" The same voice called out, coming from somewhere else.

"Gha… Wha- what is happening to me?" Clockwork managed to groan.

"Don't talk, Clockwork. You are in a most delicate state and must preserve as much of your strength as you can if you are to survive."

"I've got the staff!" The similar voice proclaimed from somewhere far away.

"Quick, there isn't much time left!"

"Lay him on his back!" Another identical voice commanded, and Clockwork felt how several claw-like hands carefully rolled his constantly changing body over.

Now able to look up, Clockwork saw the Observants surrounding him, looking down at him with their large, concerned looking eyeball heads. 

"Clockwork, hold this," one of the Observants instructed, and placed a staff in his childlike hand as it aged rapidly.

"And no matter what, do not let go. Your afterlife depends on it!"

Clockwork lost focus again, and the Observants faded away into darkness as his grip over the staff was slipping.

A sudden spike through his chest made him suck in a deep breath and his vision sharpened, then seemed to increase past his normal ability to see; a massive surge of energy flowing into his being. 

"GHAAAAAAA!!!" Clockwork screamed out as the energy burned down to his core, his limbs flailing wildly in uncontrolled spasm.

"HOLD HIM DOWN!" An Observant yelled, and several of the identical beings held him down to the floor.

"Breathe, Clockwork. Breathe. Don't allow it to consume you!"

Clockwork screamed as he felt his body tear apart from the inside, a faint glow coming from his chest, but slowly increasing in luminosity as his torture continued.

"GHYAAAAAA!!" He screamed, desperately trying to break free, yet unable to do so.

"Don't fight it, Clockwork. Allow this to run its course!"

He felt his torso cave in, the bone folding in on itself, creating a hollow space as his organs realigned itself. 

"GHNAH… NOOO, MAKE IT STOP!" He begged, tears streaming down his face.

"Don't give up, Clockwork. You're almost through!"

Clockwork screamed again as he felt something foreign fill up the empty space in his chest, and he started to hear a strange ticking sound. Not with his ears, though, but as if there was a clock ticking within him.

A final scream escaped Clockwork as something solidified in his chest, and, whatever it was that had happened stopped. He immediately passed out the moment it did.

The Observants all shared a worried look with each other, then turned to look at the pair of glowing red eyes observing from the shadows.


<<>><<>><<>>


A swirling portal opened in the Hall of Time and Necronomicon flew slowly through, clearly angry, and disgusted. 

"You have returned," Clockwork said, moving out of the shadows, frowning.

Necronomicon didn't answer, nor did he even acknowledged Clockwork as he simply drifted towards the chamber's doorway. 

"I understand how you feel and I don't blame you for feeling the way you do. After all, it wasn't too long ago I felt the same. Blaming you for all of this."

"Yet it was you who set all of this in motion," Necky growled.

"Did I?" Clockwork muttered, sighing out while shaking his head. "I set in motion the events as I remembered them to happen as I have experienced them first myself."

"Creating your future by recreating your past," Necky murmured. "A Bootstrap Paradox."

"I'm afraid so," Clockwork said. "It… has given some new perspective on my past. But all it did was create more questions, while none of the questions I already had were answered."

"Like who set all of this in motion in the first place?"

"For one, yes," Clockwork agreed.

"You understand this means we could have been going through this looped paradox for centuries, millennia even."

"I do. And it shall continue as my past self will now go through everything I have gone through, and one day set in motion these events for his own past self."

"And et cetera," Necky murmured bitterly.

"Et cetera, indeed."

"... Does this mean we don't have any free will at all in these matters?" Necky asked, staring at the empty vortex of one of the viewing portals.

Clockwork was silent as he joined Necky, staring at the emptiness for a while in contemplating silence.

"For a time, I thought I knew. My younger self certainly seems convinced he has a firm understanding of matters regarding time. As for me… I do not know. We might say we have something called free will, but only if we don't know what is going to be. Because if we do know what the future holds, we can either choose to let it happen and lose this freedom, or chose to go against it. But would that really be free will? Making a choice to do something different merely on the knowledge that, at some point, you were going to decide one way, or the other."

"So, there really isn't something as the freedom to choose our own paths?" Necky muttered, somewhat troubled.

"I think there is, actually."

"How can you be sure?"

"I can't. But I believe."

"Despite everything you have seen… and done?"

"Yes."

"Why? How?"

"Because I choose to."

"..." Necky sighed out. "Choice has always been the problem."

"Like a wise, and somewhat crazy man once said: The problem isn't the problem. The problem is your attitude towards the problem."

"Who said that?" Necky asked, but Clockwork only smirked. A smirk that soon fell when more urgent matters demanded attention.

"So, I'm correct to understand Sombra has been-"

"I attached the horn to him, yes. Using my powers to reshape and mold it to him, and to create the conflict of Harmonic Resonance," Necronomicon sighed out tiredly. "He is a Spectral, just like Sunny Skies and Starlight. Combine this with his fragile state of mind of us being there and the corruptive grasp of Pariah still present in his horn…"

"He has no choice but to succumb and become the dark entity history remembers him to be."

"... We took his life, you realize that."

"More than you know. For all those years I believed you to be responsible for what happened to him. But to find out it was I who told you to do this, it was- It was…"

"It forced you to rethink everything you thought you knew of your past," Necky answered.

"And more," Clockwork muttered. "I believed you to be someone who just played with another's life like it was nothing. To just reshape things as you saw fit. And I rebelled against it, unable to understand how, or why you could do such things. But now, knowing what I know now. Having done many similar things, I find myself wondering. Did I become this way because of you, or did you become this way because of me?"

"A Bootstrap Paradox. A set of recurring events of which the origin cannot be determined… We'd most likely never find out."

"And that is what worries me the most," Clockwork admitted. "Where did it all start? And more importantly, where is it all going to end?"

Necky glanced at Clockwork, slightly confused. "You haven't already experienced the end?"

"If I did, I wouldn't know. I'm just going through time one day at a time, not knowing what to expect."

"Then perhaps there is some measure of free will after all."

"How so?"

"What is it that you're going to do, now that your past has been secured?"

Clockwork was about to answer, but found he didn't have an answer. "I hadn't thought that far ahead, honestly."

"Which means you are uncertain about what the future, or at least your personal future might hold."

"I don't know what is going to happen next," Clockwork said, surprised. Then a small smile replaced the set frown he had ever since he came to his past timeline. "I don't know what is going to happen next."

"Congratulations, Clockwork. You managed to break free without even realising it. If all of us could be so lucky."

"You know this is also why Discord went crazy, right?" Clockwork asked.

"A being of chaos and unpredictability going crazy over the thought whether he had free will or not, and desperately trying to find out by tempting fate… Huh, if I didn't know better, I'd say he was acting just as one might expect of him."

"You would be surprised," Clockwork replied with a small chuckle, and Necronomicon looked at him with an unspoken question shining in his eyes. "Spoilers," Clockwork said before he could ask.

"Fair enough… I suppose I must also apologize for that scar I left on your face?"

Clockwork reached with a hand to the mentioned mark, gingerly tracing it with the tip of a finger. 

"No, I don't think so. I'd say we're even now."

Necronomicon released a deep sigh in answer. "So, I take it you're leaving now?"

"Yes," Clockwork confirmed. "My role in my own past has reached its end. All there is left for me now is for my past self to live through."

"He's going to hate me."

"Oh yes, yes he will."

"He did show up, his future self, your past self, shortly after this timeline's version had joined Sunny and Starlight to their village."

"I know."

"Why did you take her with you?"

 "Just… reliving an old memory." Clockwork replied, then slowly moved for the blank viewing portal; using his staff to open a path to a specific point in time.

"Before you go. What is going to happen to your younger self?"

"... The Observants will take care of him, teach him to understand his newly gained abilities, and how to use the powers that come with being the Embodiment of Time."

"In the here and now?" 

"No, he shall be taken back to a point much earlier in history. Someplace where he will learn what it means to be what he is. He has a long road ahead of him, and it is not going to be an easy one either. But in the end, he will be the timekeeper all will know him to be. And you the-know-it all-smart-ass-letting-you-figure-things-out-yourself-while-knowing-the-answer bastard I hate you so much for being."

"I believe I'm supposed to say: You're welcome," Necky said with a faint grin.

"Don't flatter yourself," Clockwork shot back, but a faint smile was present as he said so. Then he took one final deep breath. "Goodbye," and he vanished through the portal.

Necky looked at the portal through which Clockwork had vanished, sighing out before moving for the calming vortex himself.

"Just one last thing to do," he murmured, remembering the last of Clockwork's instructions. "... Of all the things he had to set in motion, I'm sure this is the one he wanted to happen." And then Necronomicon vanished into the vortex as well.


<<>><<>><<>>


With a weak groan, Clockwork came to. He tried to sit up, but gave up on trying the moment a spike of pain shot through his body and he opted to remain lying on the bed he found himself in, dimly aware of the presence of others around him. He couldn't really focus on these others, though, as something much more apparent made itself known to him. 

The moment the stab of pain shot through him, he could feel something else as well. Something foreign, something alien. Something that was definitely not him, yet seemed connected to him all the same.

Another groan escaped him, this one louder than the first.

"He is coming to," he heard the now recognizable voice of an Observant speak up, and the murmur of several identical voices grew louder all around him.

"Ngh.. Wh- what happened," Clockwork managed to ask, trying to open his eyes.

"You were cursed," came the immediate answer, and a spike of panic shot through Clockwork as his eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up once again. A fresh spike of pain, and a clawed hand holding him down convinced him otherwise. But, at the least, he was now able to look around with somewhat blurry vision.

"Wh- what do you mean, I was cursed?"

"Actually, you still are," he was answered.

"Your… disagreement with Necronomicon resulted in him afflicting you with a constant time shift. Forcing your physical form to rejuvenate and age rapidly over and over again. But not all at once, or in the same time."

"Parts of you had aged to the point where age had made your body brittle and weak, while other areas of your body had returned to a juvenile state."

"We were able to counter this… imbalance through the power of the staff currently standing besides you," an Observant explained, and Clockwork's vision followed their gaze to see a long staff made of a silver gray metal standing next to him. 

Taking a moment to study the object, he saw that the staff was mostly a smooth, long rod. But nearing the top, there was a thick band on which something resembling a two-pronged hook made of a similar colored metal and shaped with several ninety degree angles was attached. The design gave it the look of a flat square, but with the top portion cut out of it. And in its place, a small clock, similar in design to a stop watch of all things, rested. Not physically attached to the staff, but held in place by some force Clockwork couldn't quite place.

"Although its power was able to counter the mismatched shift, it was not able to stop it entirely," another Observant continued, pulling Clockwork's attention away from the staff.

"What do you m-" he started to ask, only to feel a strange, yet somewhat familiar and definitely uncomfortable sensation take hold over him. His breath escaped him in ragged gasps as he saw his arms, growing shorter, weaker, younger, and he realized the rest of his body was going through the same change. Yet as soon as it started, it also ended, and Clockwork suddenly found himself in the body of an eight year old. "WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!?" He yelled, falling out of the bed, making the staff fall on top of him.

"Please calm down," an Observant said while another carefully helped him back up on the bed. "Sudden bursts of emotions like such will only agitate your situati-" He wasn't able to finish as, with another shift, Clockwork had suddenly aged rapidly, and was now a very, very old man.

"What is happening to me?" Clockwork asked with an old voice, looking at his wrinkled, trembling hands.

"This time shift you’re afflicted with. It couldn't be stopped. But the staff near you is able to control the direction of which the shift is going. That way, you will age, or regress in age all at once and with your whole physical form. But emotional outbursts like the one you just had will accelerate the occurrence of such a shift."

"Then, how do we stop this entirely?" Clockwork asked with forced calm, hands balling into fists.

The Observants looked at one another, unsure on how to approach this matter.

"I'm afraid this goes beyond our abilities to solve."

"It was a curse placed on you by Necronomicon. One of the ancients whose powers far exceed our own."

"THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING!" Clockwork yelled, and found himself regressing in age until he was his normal, adult self again. "... Anything?"

"Not by our powers, I'm afraid," a Observant admitted sadly.

"Not by your powers?" Clockwork muttered, glaring at the ghosts around him.

"There might be a way for you to… control this shift, to some limited extent," one of them said with some hesitance. 

"But it won't be easy, and it requires some sacrifice from you."

"Sacrifice! What more do you need from me!? I already lost everything I care about."

"No, you did not. Not really," Clockwork's head snapped towards the Observant who said that, glaring murderously at him.

Clearing his nonexistent throat, the Observant clarified. "Sunny Skies and Starlight, or Celestia and Luna as they are called now, do still exist. So do you. Despite everything that has happened, and still is going to happen, you still remain. And although none of us would dare say you haven't lost anything, you must realize there is still a lot to salvage, and to gain."

"Explain," Clockwork ordered, voice flat, but filled with raging anger. He regressed back into his juvenile form.  

"The staff we used to gain some control over the time shift you’re afflicted with, it's more than just some tool we have at our disposal."

"The truth is, there exists only one of this staff, and there are only a few who can use it. But there is only one it recognizes as worthy to call its own."

"You, Clockwork, are this individual. It chose you to carry it, and take up the responsibilities as a keeper of time, and become its Embodiment."

Silence fell over everyone as Clockwork looked at the Observant who had spoken with wide, unblinking eyes. A silence which was promptly shattered as Clockwork yelled: "Are you fucking kidding me!?" And he shifted age several more times until his form settled on his elderly self.

"No, we are most certainly not, Clockwork," the Observant answered seriously. "You were chosen by the staff, the Embodied Artifact of Time."

"You already wear its mark," another picked up, and moved to Clockwork to pull away the cover Clockwork had over his body; revealing something that made Clockwork scream out once again, falling off the bed again while reverting to his adult form.

Imbedded in his chest was a clock. A pendulum was slowly swinging from side to side with every passing second, with a gentle 'tick tock' coming from within him. There was even a glass door that allowed one to see inside while closing off his chest. A chest which was now heaving as Clockwork was now in a full blown panic. 

"Clockwork, calm down."

"Calm down. CALM DOWN! There is a fucking clock in my chest! How can I possibly calm down!?" He shouted, shifting through the years all the while.

"It's because of this clock that your time shift is held under control. Without it, you would have succumbed to a uncontrolled, unequal strain on your body. It would have killed you, and I don't think it needs explaning what happens to a ghost when they die again."

Clockwork breathed in loudly, almost to the point of hyperventilating, but the words of the Observants did register and he slowly calmed down; the shifting in age slowing down as a result until he sat on the ground as the adult he was supposed to be. Gingerly and somewhat reluctantly, he moved a hand for the glass door that protected the delicate mechanism held within, feeling the cold surface of the glass as his fingers pressed against it. 

"This is real, isn't it?" He asked in a murmur, not wanting to believe it.

"I'm afraid so," an Observant answered.

"The consequences of my choices," Clockwork murmured, still not looking up. The Observants didn't know how to answer him.

Clockwork slowly looked back up, eyes set. "You want me to learn how to control… this?"

"If you so wish, yes," came the reply.

"If I do so, then what does this mean for me?"

"First and foremost, you are granted the ability to control time. You will be able to see it, shape it, influence it. But most importantly, protect it. That is the task of the Timekeeper."

"It is obvious what you're thinking, so we'll say this as clearly as we can. You can not use these powers to undo things as you see fit. Even as an Embodiment, there are rules you must follow. You can make changes, yes. But only if they do not threaten the timeline as a whole."

"Then why would I accept this… responsibility if I can't even use it to help my friends… my family?"

"Who said you couldn't help them?" 

"You can not influence things directly as you wish, but you can help indirectly."

"What are you talking abo-" Clockwork argued, then fell silent as he remembered something he and Necronomicon had talked about.

'Me?... I would think that causing so many ripples at one point in time would be even more difficult to keep hidden than just a small incursion here and there. Each and every ripple would react, and increase the distortion caused to the timeline. Especially considering there are now two of both of us. The only way something like this would remain hidden is if someone would actively monitor and manipulate the fabric of time to keep all of this hidden.'

"... Oh, you son of a… I was there. My future self was there, using these powers to keep our incursion hidden." he realized, then his eyes hardened and he looked up at the Observants. "You knew," he accused, standing up to look at them at eye level. "You knew my future self was there, didn't you?"

"Of course we did," came the simple, honest reply, which took Clockwork by surprise.

"After all, when we first approached you to help us, we did say we saw you to do so. We never made it a secret we knew about your future actions."

"But you didn't say much about it either," Clockwork grumbled.

"Nor did you ask," an Observant pointed out.

"And you still want me to work with you; to allow you to teach me?" Clockwork seethed, reverting back to his childlike self. "Are you asking, or do I even have a choice in this matter?"

"That is a question only you can answer."

"Do know we never kept any knowledge hidden from you, intentionally."

"Nor do we plan on doing so, in the future."

"You are the Timekeeper, whether you choose to be or not."

"We watch and safeguard time. But our role is also to aid you."

"You may not like us, disagree with us even, but this is something that cannot be changed."

"Your future has been set, wearing the mark of the Embodiment of time."

"So, there never has been a choice to begin with," Clockwork shot back bitterly.

"There was, back when you chose to join us. All of this is merely the ensuing consequences of your decision."

"But you do have a choice to make now."

"Do you accept the powers and responsibilities by becoming the Embodiment of Time, or do you not?"

"What difference would it make?" Clockwork growled back, turning back to his adult self. "The choice has already been made."

"Yet you can accept this, and find some manner of peace with the fate placed on you. Or you cannot. But between the two options, only one has the potential outcome of you finding a way to help yourself. And with it, your friends and family."

"So, what do you say, Clockwork? What is your answer?"

Clockwork took several deep breaths, holding them as long as he could as he willed himself to calm down.

"Fine, where do we start?" He spoke, voice as calm as he could get it.

"Right here, at the very beginning," an Observant said, and all of them together used their power to remove the room they were in.

Clockwork suddenly found himself hanging motionless in a endless void, the Observants nowhere to be seen, with only the staff floating by his side as he tried to figure out what was going on.

Then an explosion occurred, and existence itself was born.


<<>><<>><<>>



Earth. The year 2054.  Some time before Clockwork's death.


It was an average, normal day. Sunny, but with some clouds as a weak breeze blew through the streets occupied with pedestrians walking and cars driving. It gave a rumbling sound as all noises produced overlapped one another, making it impossible to distinguish a single voice, or engine roar. Yet all of this went unheard by the lone man working in his store. A place where one was able to buy clocks, as well as repair and restore them, aptly named: Clockworks.

The man, in his late forties, was diligently working on a partially deconstructed time piece brought in for repair, and the various gears lay all perfectly sorted out before him as he used a screwdriver to tighten a screw, as yet another piece in this complex puzzle was put back into place. 

Surrounding him, all ticking with their own distinct 'voice', were various clocks hanging from the walls and watches lying in their display cases. All properly cleaned and taken care of. 

The man hummed, pleased as he leaned back a bit to take a moment to observe his work, nodding approvingly before reaching for the next part. By accident, however, he knocked one of the smaller gears off of the table. Muttering under his breath over his own clumsiness as he got off his chair, he dropped to the floor in search of the missing piece, not noticing the black book hovering behind him.

"Where did you go?" The man murmured, looking around while using his fingers to try to find the part by touch, still oblivious to the entity who had snuck up on him.

Necronomicon, however, didn't want him to know; didn't want him to see. He knew what he had to do, and why. It didn't make it any less difficult. This man, this mortal, he was still innocent of the actions committed by his future self. And if he did this, then everything would be set on the same path time has followed again and again for who knew how long. 

True, he could choose to do things differently. To let Sebastian live. But how would that play out in the long run? Could he choose to break the cycle and set Sebastian free of all the burdens he knew the man had to go through should he go through with it all. 

One choice laid bare, with all the ensuing consequences revealed. The other choice, a complete unknown. 

He sighed out and shook his skull imprinted on the cover, the sound causing the man below him to freeze up for a second.

"Hello, is anyone there? I'll be with you in a second." 

'No, you won't,' Necky thought, and a green glow flashed around him. 

The same glow surrounded Sebastian's head for a split second, then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he slumped down to the floor, dead.

"I want to say I'm sorry, but you wouldn't understand," Necky murmured, looking at the dead human."But I do know that, one day, a very long time from now, you will understand what I did… What you did. And how this is your punishment to yourself." 

He knew Sebastian couldn't hear him, his soul still confused and lost by his unexpected death. 

Necky glanced slightly to the side and vanished from view, seeing the tall, scythe wielding reaper step out of the shadows and towards Sebastian.

'Until we meet again, Clockwork,' Necky thought, and he vanished through a wall.


<<>><<>><<>>



Present time


Clockwork sighed out as his hand fell away from his scar, closing the viewing portal through which he had watched Sombra’s wispy remainder. 

Shaking his head, he glowered down at the floor, knowing it was his fault, the fate that befell Sombra because, in the end, he had failed to stop Necronomicon. Why that book did what he did, he probably would never know. But he did make the promise to stop something like that from ever happening again, using the powers he gained by becoming the Embodiment of Time. Of course, had he known that trying to prevent terrible harm to others required the manipulation of individuals in much the same way Necky had first done, he would never have agreed to it. But he didn't and before he even knew it, he was meddling in the lives of others, while somehow staying on the sidelines himself… most of the time. 

His gaze drifted towards the sealed thermos standing in a dark alcove within the chamber.

Yes, he had made somewhat of an exception for his childhood hero. Being tasked to stop… no, destroy Danny Fenton as a child, before he could become the monster now locked away within that thermos was something he just couldn't stomach. So he devised a plan. An elaborate plan, which paid off handsomely. However, as he now realized. By allowing Daniel to live, a whole new course of history was set in motion. And all that was happening now: Sam's death, Danny losing faith in himself and running away, Danny going to Equestria, Shadow, Nightmare Moon, and everything else was ultimately his fault.

Yet, as he thought back at all the things he had done over the eternity he had existed, he found that this one change, this one rewrite of history, he didn't feel any regret for doing it. He might not have been able to save Sunny Skies, or Starlight from the fate that befell them. But this time, maybe he was able to help them now, as he worked to help Danny. 

It was a small comfort, but he took it. Knowing that in the coming events there would be need for every little bit of comfort anyone could find. 

He sighed out loudly, then became aware of something and turned towards one of the viewing portals, using his cane to pinpoint a certain point in time.

"... Perhaps I am able to help you as well," he murmured, then his eyes set and he flew away, leaving the room empty save for the swirling portal which showed the image of a young, orange pegasus filly moving through the Ghost Zone before it returned to normal, and the thermos which held a future that never came to pass. 

A thermos which wobbled slightly on the spot with faint, menacing laughter coming from within.