Divinity
Time Turner sat in a wheelchair, rolling himself along with his remaining foreleg. The throne room of Ponyville’s castle sparkled with the fires of friendship burning deep in the crystal. The thrones lay empty, but ready. News had just reached him and his teammates that Twilight Sparkle intended to return to Equestria. Soon, the Bearers of the Elements would be reunited.
Time wasn’t sure if bringing them all so close together was a good thing. Proximity made them a potentially tantalizing target for assassins. One in particular.
“But it wouldn’t do to keep them apart,” he muttered.
“What’s that?” Care Carrot poked her head around a throne. “Were you talking to me?”
“Not really.” Time rolled to a stop. “I was thinking aloud about Sparkle’s return. She’s already been the victim of one attack…”
Care shrugged. “You lost a leg, but that hasn’t stopped you.”
“Point.” Time leaned on his hoof. “But if I fall in battle, then Ponyville is less one citizen, and my friends will mourn.” He flared his nostrils. “If an Element Bearer falls in battle, there are far more dire consequences to consider.”
He rolled up beside the Map and tapped his hoof against it. Manehattan flickered. “Princess Celestia’s loss was tragic, but her duties could, in time, be taken over by others. Unicorns can raise the sun, Princess Luna can handle matters of state, etcetera. If one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony falls, they cannot be replaced. And since it takes all six of them to activate the magic…”
He settled back. “Princess Celestia waited one-thousand years for a new set of chosen ones. I’m not keen on Equestria waiting another thousand for the new batch.”
Care frowned. She rubbed her chin as she consulted the Map. She scribbled down Cloudsdale’s position on a notepad. “So what you’re saying is that we should make their protection a priority?”
“It’s something I was going to bring up in our meeting.” Time tilted his head to the left and then to the right. “I was hoping to have an outside opinion, either for or against.”
“I think you’re on to something…” Care stuffed the notepad into her saddlebags. “But I also know that if our enemies just wanted the Elements inoperative, they could have just snuck into Lady Fluttershy’s cottage and slid a blade between her ribs.”
Time smirked, quirking an eyebrow. “After getting past her army of vicious, loving animal friends? I think she even has a vampiric jackalope in her arsenal, never mind the full-grown female bear.”
“Okay, point.” Care started walking towards the elevator, with Time following along behind her. “But there’s still easier targets to go after than Princess Twilight. The Element Bearers aren’t in immediate trouble as a whole. Our enemies have it out for alicorns specifically.”
“So I think we should spend extra care planning Princess Twilight’s security.” Time spun his chair around and settled against the elevator’s railing. “Whatever long game the assassins are playing, it focuses on taking her out. And that’s something we really can’t afford to let happen.”
Care watched the numbers over the doorway climb to the Library floor. “I agree for the most part. What did you have in mind?”
“Round-the-clock guards, naturally.” Time Turner jolted as the elevator came to a stop. “Perhaps with a few Knights of Harmony, while the rest of us search for Hurricane.”
“Split up?” Care cringed. “That always works.”
“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Captain.”
“Yes it does.”
They traveled through the hallways to the library itself. A protective sheet lay over the destroyed window, and the other debris had been cleared from the floor. Daring Do and Velvet sat around a wooden table, going over the remaining documents they’d collected from the locked archives.
Blankety Blank’s shell was once again pure black, though his horn hadn’t regrown fully. He stared up with wide, multifaceted eyes.
Andean Ursagryph glared with one eye at the comparatively tiny changeling.
Care bowed her head. “Your Grace.”
Andean clutched a volleygun tight to his chest. He gave her a terse nod. “Captain Carrot. Princess Luna said she and Stonewall would join us momentarily.”
Time Turner pulled his wheelchair beside the table and rested his head against the back of the seat. He wrinkled his brow. “How is your daughter? Is she well?”
Andean gave him a double-take. He clicked his beak before answering. “She is well. She is yet recovering, but gaining strength daily. It should only be a month before she has the strength to return home.”
“Excellent.” Time smiled. “Nice to know not everything is bleak in this twisted world we live in.”
“I coulda told you that,” Daring said. She held a book up to the light before tossing it back onto the pile. “There’s just one too many cool things to dismiss it completely. Me, for example. Another thing is—” She tapped a small notebook, dog-eared with age. “—having the occasion to say ‘eureka.’”
Andean’s head snapped up. “What have you found?”
“Nothing concrete.” Daring raised her hooves. “But it’s a really good something. You’ve heard the saying ‘a dog returns to its own vomit’?”
“Th-that’s nasty,” Blankety said.
“It’s true though, for a lot of things.” Daring patted Twilight Velvet on the shoulder. “It’s like my buddy here always says, ‘The perpetrator always returns to the scene of the crime.’”
“I’ve never said that,” Velvet muttered.
“Whatever.” Daring Do flipped through the book and traced her hoof across the lines. “We all know that Hurricane founded Cloudsdale—”
“I didn’t know that,” Andean said.
“—and we also know that Cloudsdale is an ever-growing, ever-changing landscape.” Daring grinned. “Except for one part.”
She turned to Care and waved her forward. “You have that map I asked for?”
“Close enough.” Care dug through her saddlebags. “You sure you don’t want to wait for Princess Luna?”
“I would not worry about that, Captain.”
Princess Luna entered the library with long strides. Stonewall flew close behind her, just over her shoulder. The princess folded her legs beneath her torso and nodded her head. “I apologize for the lateness. Princess Twilight is set to arrive in one day.”
“Then let’s make this quick.” Daring Do used her wings to spread Care’s map out. “Cloudsdale, when seen from the side, it a chaotic cloudbank. But when seen from above…”
Cloudsdale spiraled outward, a sea of cloudstuff and rainbows. It turned on an axis, swirling towards the center. At the center of the city-state was a plain, open, empty circle.
“A hurricane,” Time Turner said. “I think I’m going to be ill.”
“Not quite a hurricane, but it’s got the shape for it.” Daring Do pointed a feather at the center of the map. “The middle of the city, the Eye, is the only part of the city that isn’t constantly churning and changing. It’s been the same since the old days. The really, really dang old days.”
Blankety Blank leaned over Care’s shoulder. “It’s k-kinda a slum, now, isn’t it?”
“It’s not a nice neighborhood, if that’s what you’re asking.” Daring Do leafed through the notebook to a particular bookmark. “This is Hurricane’s personal planner, circa two years After Unification. It has her address. The address still exists.”
Time Turner’s eyes widened. “When you’ve been gone a long time, the first instinct is to—”
“Get home.” Care Carrot leaned on her front legs. “She’s been there. She might have left a trail that begins at her old home. She might even go back there occasionally.”
“Don’t get too excited,” Velvet said. “It’s just a hunch, and barely a clue. It’s still a good hunch, but…”
“It merits investigation.” Luna bobbed her head. “I suggest you go to Cloudsdale at the first opportunity. I will have mages standing by to enchant you with a cloudwalking spell for those who need it.”
Time Turner sucked on his lips. “If I may, Your Majesty?”
Luna’s mouth twitched. “You may.”
He sighed. “I have some concerns regarding the security of Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
“You needn’t be concerned, Specialist Turner.” Stonewall strode into the midst of the discussion. “We will have guards with her at all times, heavily armed and expertly trained. And alert.”
“Good.” Time glanced at Care. “Good. I feel, however, that your ponies would benefit from having a few fighters on hand with particular experience.”
Stonewall frowned. “Experienced in what way, Specialist?”
“Those who have fought Hurricane,” Care said, “and survived.”
Quiet fell over the room. Care glanced from face to face, then spoke. “I’m not comfortable with splitting our team up, but I do think that it would be good for you to have ponies that know what Hurricane is capable of standing by. I think Turner has a point.”
Andean tapped the butt of his volleygun against the floor. “I am inclined to agree. Too often have your people been caught unawares and suffered the consequences. And we know that the assassin does not work alone.”
Twilight Velvet touched a ginger hoof to her black eye. “Did you have any success in tracking down your traitor, Your Grace?”
“No. The only thing we are sure about is his identity.” Andean’s talons scraped across the floor. “Grenadier Lanner—an expert with explosives, firearms, and swords—never returned to his post after that night. He also fits the description you gave us, Captain Carrot, Blank. I have reasonable assurance that none of my other Blitzwings were in league with him. Reasonable.”
“I-I had a question ab-about him.” Blankety Blank scratched a perforated hoof against his chest. “When he confronted me, and—and tore my h-horn off, he gloated about h-his master.”
Luna and Andean exchanged looks. Luna brought her head closer to the changeling. “What did he say?”
“He—he called his ‘Master’ the only true alpha. And… and claimed that he was a literal god. He lives in nightmares.” Blankety Blank shrugged, his eyebrows high. “D-do you have any idea who—or wh-what—he was t-talking about?”
Andean growled deep in his throat. “If nothing else, the presence of a dark religion explains the suicidal devotion of that mare you captured.”
Luna swallowed hard. “I have met with many powerful, antagonistic forces in my lifetime, but none I would ascribe the title of ‘god’ to. Nor have I ever heard the term ‘alpha’ used to describe a sapient being. Unfortunately, I am very acquainted with nightmares.”
Twilight Velvet leaned one foreleg on the table. “The nightmares were defeated, weren’t they? Several times over?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, the magic that empowers nightmares is an immortal, undying presence.” Luna stood up and paced around the room. “It can be defeated, banished, but not destroyed.”
She tilted her head back. “If the griffon said it lives in nightmares, it leads me to suspect it is not necessarily a member of the Nightmare Forces, but something else. None of the nightmares would dare claim themselves gods. They know better.”
Daring Do folded her wings and rocked her chair back. “I’ve seen lamer creatures try to pass themselves off as godlike. Ask me about Ahuizotl’s sun fixation sometime. Maybe one of the Nightmare Forces got uppity. Delusions of grandeur, divine calling, the whole shebang.”
Andean’s feathery beard ruffled. “And we have seen nightmares possess great powers of manipulation.”
Luna flicked an ear down. “Very well, it would do us well to consider that nightmares are most likely involved. So then, we have Hurricane’s home, a rogue griffon, and a violent religion. Have I forgotten anything?”
Twilight Velvet thumped a hoof. “Viscount Dulcimer.”
“Who?” Time Turner said.
“V-Viscount Hammer Dulcimer is a unicorn steward in Prince B-Blueblood’s house.” Blankety Blank sparked his horn, but was unable to generate a magic charge. “And I‘d show you if I c-could.”
“I’ve got a picture.” Velvet fished through the pile of junk sitting in front of her. She pulled a photo from near the bottom of the stack. “Gotcha. He’s an old friend of my daughter’s. Doesn’t change the fact that he tried to assassinate Blueblood. We think he’s in league with Hurricane because—you know the ponies who attacked the castle? They’re all employed by him as security personnel.”
“With the notable exception of Lanner,” Andean rumbled.
Twilight Velvet lifted the picture in a magic bubble and floated it to Time’s waiting hoof. He drew the image close and studied the face.
Pink coat. Purple mane. Trimmed goatee. Smug smile.
Time Turner’s mouth went dry. “I know this stallion.”
“Huh?” Daring Do trotted to his side. “You seen him around Canterlot?”
“I don’t go to Canterlot much these days.” Time Turner rested the photo in his lap. He stared into the middle distance, his eyes glazing over. “No, this face is one from the past.”
Blankety Blank snuck a peek at the viscount’s face. “Is he s-somepony I’d remember?”
“No. By this time we’d been separated.” Time turned his head towards Blank. His mouth curled downward into a gnarled frown. “This is the stallion who locked me in a time loop.”
“A time loop?” Andean said. “I have been educated in the foibles of time travel, and I understand that constantly moving back and forth through time would put a wear on you that—”
“I am thirty-five.” Time brushed his graying, spiky mane back. “Do I look thirty-five to you?”
Andean snarled. “I do not appreciate backtalk. The ravages of snapping back into place lie far beyond mere physical aging. The mind cannot take the strain.”
“Time Turner speaks the truth, Andean.” Luna spread a wing towards the earth pony. “He has suffered much, but also healed much. I am assured of his ability to help us.”
Daring Do placed a hoof on Time’s shoulder. She rubbed gently. “Why did he attack you?”
“He wanted something.” Time Turner glanced back at her. “Would you get my gauntlet? The… the doohickey that stops time?”
“It’s still in pieces.” Daring gave him a half-smile. “You never got around to fixing it.”
Time lowered his eyebrows. He held his mouth open as he thought. “See if you can find the focusing gemstone. You remember; the one I showed you?”
“Yeah, sure.”
It was a quick search through the items found at the scene of the battle. A gaggle of bronze-colored parts lay in a pile, with a white, translucent crystal in the center. She brought it to him, holding it carefully in her hoof.
“This crystal is what makes the magic work.” Time peered deep into the facets and angles. “These lines carved right through the mineral… they draw magic along specific paths, changing earth pony magic into something a bit more… chronological. I assume it works with pegasi and unicorns as well, though I’ve not tested it. I had a prototype with me.”
He nodded his thanks to Daring, then turned to Andean. “He used his own ability with chronological manipulation to cause my device to malfunction. When Princess Celestia rescued me some years later, the device was missing. It’s fairly clear that he stole it.”
Twilight Velvet jerked her head back. “And it didn’t occur to you to track him down and put a stop—?”
“I retired.” Time Turner wagged his stump at her. “I got hurt, so I took the time to heal. I only decided to fight again because Celestia was in danger!”
He heaved a sigh and slumped. Daring hugged him from behind. “And until such a time as Celestia is not in danger, I shall continue to fight.”
“We all will.” Care rubbed her eyes. She lifted her head to Luna. “Is there anything else we need to put on the table?”
“Well, yes.” The princess ground her teeth together. “Dulcimer is also the one who sent them to steal the Grimoire Alicorn.”
Daring Do’s ears lay back against her mane. She exchanged a stress-filled look with Velvet. “Oh, horseapples.”
Luna pursed her lips. “I see you’ve also made a connection?”
“The Grimoire Alicorn has instructions on how to create a new alicorn.” Twilight Velvet planted her forehead on the table. She linked her hooves behind her neck. “An artificial one, but still…”
“That’s it then,” Time said. “He’s been playing the long game.”
Care tapped a nervous forehoof. “How do you mean?”
“Time travel is impossible because of what it does to the physiology and psyche.” Time Turner blew a long breath through his lips. “An alicorn does not age. Painful it might be, but he would be able to weather the ravages of time.”
“Going back as far as he wanted.” Daring Do’s pupils grew small. “Changing anything he liked.”
Andean tapped his beak. His feathers rustled against his back. “And a plot begins to form. Between Hurricane and this mysterious ‘Master,’ there are plenty of beings who would benefit from the abuse of such power.”
Blankety Blank shrunk into himself. “I suddenly feel very c-cold.”
“We need to make a plan.” Care Carrot pointed her horn at Stonewall. “I don’t suppose you’re in charge of Princess Twilight’s security?”
Stonewall flapped her wings. “No, I’m leaving that to Skyhook. I’m just providing the ponies. I myself will head up the search for Viscount Dulcimer with our best ponies.”
“Alright.” Care looked at the ponies gathered around her. “Which one of us is going to assist Princess Twilight’s bodyguards? Should it be me? I’ve got the most experience in guard duty.”
“Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the soup.” Twilight Velvet tilted her head. “What are the odds that Celestia’s personal guard and Luna’s personal guard won’t get into an argument about seniority?”
“Yeah,” Daring Do said. “I think you ought to leave Sparkle to Time and me.”
Time Turner blinked. “Why us?”
“Because they need Velvet to investigate Hurricane’s home, and they need a kick-rump fighter if the mare herself shows up.” Daring Do chucked Blankety in the shoulder. “Blank and Care both fit that description. I kinda wanna stick close to you. For reasons.”
“Good reasons, I assume.” Time tapped his chin. “It makes sense that I should remain in a more supportive role until I can walk again. Combat advisor works for me.”
Luna sat on her haunches and licked her lips. “I shall remain in Canterlot to coordinate your efforts. Andean and I will continue to search for any sign of our various villains, and examine any clues you bring up. One way or another, we shall finally bring the darkness into the light. Andean?”
The giant griffon lifted himself onto his feet. He held his volleygun out to Care Carrot. “It is not a reparation, but I feel as though anything I can do to assist you in your hunt can only come to good. This was Lanner’s volleygun, which he abandoned when you battled with him. I think it is fair to say that it is yours now.”
Care took the weapon carefully. She looked it over. It had been polished to a sheen since she had used it to threaten Hurricane. The wootz metal bayonet glistened bright. A bag hung from the midsection, holding ammo and sparkpowder.
“Um. Thank you, Your Grace.” Care sucked on the inside of her cheek. “I’ll try to see that it’s put to good use.”
Andean Ursagryph and Luna departed together, with Stonewall leaving soon after. The five teammates, Care, Time, Blank, Daring, and Velvet, all sat together around the table.
Care set the volleygun down, making it the centerpiece of their gathering. “Well, I guess we all know what we need to do.”
“Pray?” Blankety supplied.
“Something like that,” Velvet said. She nudged the shaft of the weapon. “Do you have any idea how to use this?”
“I know you only get one shot.” Care shivered. She pulled her green braid over her shoulder. “I think it’s a little conspicuous to bring to Cloudsdale.”
Time Turner leaned close to examine the bronze-colored muzzle. “I had a thought about that, actually. Both of those. Would you mind terribly if I took it to the shop and examined it?”
“As long as you don’t go busting my gift from the griffon king himself.” Care laughed lightly. “Knock yourself out. What did you have in mind?”
Time let a mischievous gleam enter his eye. He tapped the stump of his right foreleg. “Between a little metalwork, a clever gyroscope, and a sack of explosives, I think I know how to add a little kick to my footwork.”
Daring Do lowered her brow. “You were doing really great until you tried to make a pun.”
“I don’t get it,” Blankety said.
“He’s making a prosthetic, Blank. A weaponized prosthetic.” Twilight Velvet let a tiny smile stretch across her muzzle. “And I’ll be honest, I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.”
***
Hurricane shut off the water flowing from the showerhead. She rested her forelegs against the cloudstuff wall and stretched, popping her back. She spread her wings, paying especially close attention to the one that had been injured. Through liberal applications of ambrosia, it had healed nearly completely.
She spun in midair, sending water droplets flying from her coat. A gust of wind drawn by her magic dried her down completely. Her scar throbbed on her cheek. She went to the medicine cabinet to retrieve her last, precious supplies of the breezie medicine.
A whisper brushed past her ear. “Hurricane…”
She shut her eyes tight. She daubed a bit of ambrosia onto a wash cloth and patted her cheek. The pain dissipated. She sighed to herself, closing the cabinet. She wiped the fog away from the mirror and got a good look at the new Hurricane.
She was younger. Much younger. Where once was the body of a nearly forty-year-old, scarred mare, what stood before her was a rejuvenated, muscular twenty-something pony. Strong of body, sharp of mind, and dark of intentions.
“Hurricane…”
She knew that it would only be a matter of time before her skills would be called to the test—
“Hurricane.”
She threw up in the sink. A chill spread down her back, raising her hair from the tip of her tail to the crown of her head. Darkness clouded the edge of her vision. She fell to her knees, quaking.
The mirror no longer held her youthful face. It roiled and rumbled. Shadows swallowed shadows. Clouds scratched against the glass. Emptiness struck the core of her chest. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.
Two greedy green eyes glared down at her. “Hurricane. Rise.”
She was hoisted upward by the adrenaline flowing through her veins. The fire in her scar blazed. “Master. What do you want?”
“You have failed.” The apparition in the mirror narrowed its eyes. “Return to the Grove and await further instructions.”
“But I am so close!” Hurricane punched the wall beside the medicine cabinet. “I have my target, I just need troops! Dulcimer cannot be allowed to—”
“Silence!” Wind blew her mane back. “Do you think yourself wiser than me? Do you think your plans are better than mine? You shall do as I say and leave Dulcimer to his own devices.”
Hurricane heaved in a breath. She turned her face to the floor, her thoughts racing. “You want Dulcimer to succeed.”
The eyes widened. “What?”
“You want him to become an alicorn!” Hurricane shook her head, letting her mane flit across her face. “You’ve been helping him ascend, haven’t you?”
When the mirror did not reply, she replied for it. “Just as you assisted Sombra in his efforts.”
A voice hissed inside her stomach. “You have no proof. No evidence to back your claims; your baseless accusations.”
“I have intuition. You gave Sombra and Dulcimer access to golden apples.” She flared her wings. “The fruit of the Tree of Life; the key to everlasting youth. It had to be an ingredient in the birth of alicorns. Who else has access to it besides your lackeys?”
“You presume much, Daughter of the Sky! You presume that I shall not strike you down where you stand!”
Pain shot through her scar. It ran through her jaw to tear at her teeth, her eyes, her ears. It glowed from within, lit by the apparition’s magic. A vision of the snake that had bit her flashed into her mind. Fangs outstretched, venom pouring from its mouth, tail slithering through the air as it leaped.
“You are a child to me, Hurricane!” the monster roared. “I was here when the world was formed! I will live to see the end! You are a mere whisper on the wind compared to me!”
She gritted her teeth against the sting of her old injury. “No. You are wrong.” Her tail thrashed behind her. “I am far more than that!”
“Do not presume,” the darkness said, “to tell me what is and is not so.”
“My actions have decided the course of history.” The corner of her mouth tilted up. “I led ponies through the time of the windigos. I united them. I brought them to Equestria. I formed Equestria with my own blood and sweat!”
She thumped a hoof to her chest. “I created the alicorns that have all but ruled the world for a thousand years. I trained them, raised them, educated them. I am the only pony with the power to slay them.”
She scowled. “I have carved a river through history with my actions. You have been imprisoned since the First Age. Reliant on minions and pawns. You have no true power, Lord of the Sky. You have been impotent since the day you were banished to the abyss!”
“I have guided you! Freed you! Entrusted you with a kingdom!” the vile presence screamed. “Without me, you would yet be weeping in the emptiness, cursed to an eternity alone!”
“You promised me a kingdom, and all I have gotten is pain!” She slammed her hoof into the mirror. Cracks spiderwebbed outward. “I came to fulfill a noble purpose, to right my wrongs! And yet you tell me to retreat?”
She wrenched the mirror from the wall of cloudstuff. She slung it under her right wing and marched for the doorway.
“All who defy me will die!”
“As did Celestia? As did Luna and Twilight? As did the changelings who imprisoned you? I shudder at the thought.”
She kicked her door open and walked into open air. Far above she could see a clear, blue sky. Far below, there were brown fields and gray mountains. A lip of clouds sat before her doorway. She walked to the edge.
Cloudsdale’s Eye lay at the very center of the city-state. A concave wall of clouds, rising taller than any castle tower, loomed high and low. Doors and windows opened to the inside of the tube of solid clouds. Wind rushed past her face, cooling her scar.
“I will destroy the false alicorns. All four of them.” Hurricane glared at the mirror and held it over the empty expanse. “I will slay Dulcimer and burn Sombra’s book. I will lead the Equestrians to their true purpose. Their true calling as a strong, united nation!”
“You could never have succeeded without me!” The green eyes faded to gray in the light of the sun. “You will fall to your own hubris!”
“You may be right. But you? When your kingdom of lies crumbles at your feet?” Hurricane looked down. “You shall simply fall.”
She dropped the mirror. It tumbled end over end, through wispy clouds, on its path to the ground miles below.
Hurricane took a step back and ran her hooves through her mane. She fought to fill her lungs without hyperventilating. Deep breaths in and out followed her every move as she turned back to the apartment.
She caught the sound of feathers on the wind. Her ear cocked, she looked up to see a griffon male descending. His feathers and coat were charred, but obviously functional. He reached a talon out to scrape against the cloudstuff, slowing himself before his landing. He turned his head to one side to look her in the eye.
“Commander Hurricane, it’s fortunate you chose this moment to step out.” The griffon’s beak squeaked as he slid the sharp edges together. “You are a surprisingly difficult mare to find. I assume you heard that the attack on Canterlot has been called off?”
Hurricane lifted a hoof halfway. She opened the door to her apartment and gestured him inside. “Grenadier Lanner. Yes, I have. Our soldiers are still in Cloudsdale, are they not?”
“Aye.” Lanner entered the main room and shook dampness from his wings. He glanced at the sparse surroundings before taking a seat on a plain, wooden stool. “We haven’t had the time to move them out quietly, so they’ve been laying low in cells. But you, the sisters have given your removal priority.”
“Plans have changed.” Hurricane’s left ear tilted downward. “I have just finished a conversation with the Master. It seems Dulcimer has outlived his usefulness.”
Lanner’s feathery ears perked up. He glared out one eye. “I do not understand. Does this have something to do with why you threw a mirror off of Cloudsdale but a moment ago?”
“I have learned,” Hurricane said slowly, “not to question the wisdom of the Master. If he desires any trace of his presence to be removed, then I shall make it so.”
Lanner scratched beneath his beak. “Have our enemies found a way to track the magic of the Unseelie Courts?”
“Regardless, we must act quickly and quietly.” Hurricane reached up to lay a hoof on Lanner’s shoulder. “We must move to destroy Dulcimer before he has a chance to react. Show me where our ponies are hiding, and we shall assault Blueblood Manor with a full army at our back.”
Lanner lifted his head high, a grin on his face. “At long last, the trumpet of war bellows over the land! It shall be as the Master promised!”
Hurricane hovered a meter above the floor, crossing her forelegs over her chest. “Yes, it shall be as the Master promised.” She snarled deep in her throat. “All glory to the Lord of the Sky, who reigns eternal.”
She glanced through a window into the gaping expanse of the Eye. She could see Canterlot loom into view as Cloudsdale approached to bring winter to the capitol. “And death to the enemies of a freed Equestria.”
***
A chime rang above Daring Do as she stepped into Time Turner’s shop. She glanced around at the ticking clocks, each keeping time. She walked up to the counter and smiled at Dinky. “Hay. I’m here to see a stallion about a timepiece.”
“Uh huh.” Dinky leaned on her forelegs. “He’s been in his workshop all day. I think he’s getting close to being done. You can probably go in.”
“Thanks, kid.” Daring tipped her pith helmet and headed for the back room.
“So,” Dinky said. She waited for Daring to pause. “Do you love him?”
Daring gave her a double take. She narrowed one eye. “Is it any of your business?”
Dinky stretched her long, lanky legs one by one. “I dunno. He’s been like a brother to my mom. He’s been like a dad to me since I was little. He’s the stallion who’s gonna walk me down the aisle when I get married.” Dinky blew her bangs back. “You tell me. Is it any of my business if he gets hurt?”
Daring wanted to roll her eyes, but she held herself in check. She pulled her lips back and leaned her head to the ceiling. “Alright, kid—Dinky. Points for boldness, but you aren’t gonna win yourself friends if you directly confront everybody who your parental figures might have a relationship with.”
Dinky grimaced and lowered her ears.
“Look.” Daring pulled her hat from her head and shook her mane out. “Look. Why don’t we have a sit-down and talk? Girl-to-girl.”
Dinky glanced at her feet. She waved at a chair sitting beside the clock shop’s radio.
Daring pulled the chair up and sat backwards. She rested her hooves on the backrest. “First thing’s first, I think. What’s your beef with me?”
“Well…” Dinky pressed her lips together. “I know who you are. You haven’t exactly been keeping it a secret.”
“Eh. Call it an open secret.”
“I know that your books are partially biographical. Based on true stories. That sort of thing.”
“Close enough as I can get and keep an all-ages rating.” Daring chuckled. “Yeah, you’ve got me pegged. What about it?”
“You have a different boyfriend in every book.”
Daring Do froze. She cleared a sudden lump in her throat. “Aheh. Well… yeah.”
“And in every book, you’re with them for about as long as it takes for you to eventually have your big kiss.” Dinky frowned, bringing her hooves together. “And don’t think I can’t read between the lines.”
Daring Do rubbed her forehead. She leaned closer to Dinky. “Okay. You’re right again. But before you say anything, I wanna let you know that I’ve already had this conversation with Time. We’ve discussed it. We’ve gone over it.” She nodded. “And I decided I want this to be different.”
She leaned her chin on her forelegs. “You don’t want him to get hurt. I get that. I don’t want to hurt him either. He’s a really special guy. Really special.”
Dinky sat on the floor. She looked over the watches sitting in the glass case in front of her. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“Trust Time.” Daring Do bit the tip of her tongue. “Just… trust him to know whether or not he’s got a good thing going.”
Dinky lifted her head to meet Daring’s eyes. She gave her a shallow nod and pointed to the workroom. “He probably wants to show you what he’s been working on.”
“Good.” Daring placed the pith helmet deliberately on her head and smirked. “And hay, don’t worry so much, Dinky.”
“Advice for the ages,” Dinky mumbled.
Daring Do stepped into Time’s back room, by now a familiar collection of half-assembled clocks and widgets. Sparks and gaseous hisses came from the far end of the room, where Time Turner hunched over his workbench. He guided a welder with his good hoof, while his teeth clamped around a makeshift vice. He held the part steady and gave it one final touch.
“Come on, my little beauty,” he said to himself.
“Why thanks,” Daring Do laughed. “But I don’t think there’s anything little about me.”
“Daring!” Time jumped up and waved her closer. “You’re just in time to witness the inaugural run.”
The workbench held a three-jointed piece of metal, its color a shade darker than silver. At one end was a wide, broad pad, while at the other lay a series of soft straps. “I don’t suppose,” Time said, “you would help me slip it on?”
“Sure.” Daring took the object in her forelegs. It moved on its own, its three hinges curling the metalwork in a “C” shape. She shook it, causing the sections to bounce. “It’s your prosthetic?”
“The prototype, at least.” Time wiped grease on his coat. “The metal ought to support my weight, while the gyroscope should help balance me. The surprises I’ve installed will give our enemies a little fright, I’m sure.”
Daring smirked. “What sort of surprises?”
Time Turner held his stump against the straps. “If you would?”
Daring nestled his damaged foreleg into the harness. She pulled it tight, going back and forth when Time said it was too tight or too lose. It took a few moments, but eventually, she was able to step back.
Time put his new foot on the ground. He raised himself from his seat with slow, careful movements. The knee wobbled.
Daring reached to catch him, but Time shook his head. “Nope, nope. Come now,” he said. “How do you expect me to learn?”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t have to fall on your face.”
“The risks of science, Dr. Do.” He took a shaky step forward. “Very often we find ourselves fighting such natural laws as entropy and gravit—Eeeeah!”
This time, Daring caught him in her forelegs. She laughed from deep within her chest. “You goofball! You’re gonna end up breaking the other legs!”
“Well. Maybe.” Time smiled up at her. “Not so long as you’re here, I don’t think.”
Daring’s mouth became a zigzagging grin. She hefted him onto his feet. “Let’s keep it that way, Time. What else you got in there?”
“Simply put—” Time Turner lifted the artificial leg and slid aside a sheet of metal on the edge. A small, bronzed tube came out the bottom. “—a leg up on our foes.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t make puns.” Daring closed one eye to squint down the tube. “I guess this is why you wanted—”
“The volleygun, yes.” Time moved the barrel away from her face. “Please don’t look directly into the gun. You don’t know if it’s loaded.”
“I guess I trust you not to shoot me in the face.” Daring winked. “One shot, right?”
“I considered that a flaw in the original design.” Time twisted a dial. The volleygun barrel flipped around. “Two shots. I’ve removed some of the excess of the original design in order to fit it comfortably in my prosthetic. It turns out the spear-length of the shaft is mostly so that it can be used as an actual spear once the shot is fired. Since spears aren’t exactly my specialty, I removed that factor.”
“So it’s—what?” Daring fluttered her wings, and winced when a spike of pain hit the joints. “A hoof-gun?”
“Yes…” Time scrunched his muzzle. “It sounds ridiculous when you say it aloud.”
“We’ll work on the name.” Daring slid her foreleg around his grimy shoulders. “What say we practice just walking around? It’s a pretty mild night for November.”
Time rested his cheek against hers. “Give me a moment to clean up and I’ll have Dinky mind the shop. I know a restaurant on the far side of town that you’d love.”
Daring gritted her teeth. “If you’re thinking the Silver Spoon Restaurant, I’m a little underdressed—”
“Oh no, no. Not at all.” Time Turner held the door for her with his artificial foreleg. “Sugarcube Corner is much more our speed.”
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This chapter Hurricane becomes ever more isolated, while Time Turner becomes ever more awesome. Also for the conspiracy nuts (me), yet more hints to the master, and Dulcimer has one of his best chapters, even though he doesn't appear.
What magic? The stones are back in the tree, the rainbow power has been poured into a map. As far as I can tell, the harmony map that is the remaining manifestation of their link to the Elements works on a one-on-one basis.
It really does, you stay sassy Care!
Sweet. I feel embarrassed I forgot about Stella.
I'm a little confused by this, since this is a world with a crazy Luna, not a possessed Luna. This might be one more set of ancient battles we just never learn about.
Dulcimer you jerk! You don't leave someone in a temporal paradox ever, that's the worst thing to do to someone!
Ok, that's awesome. A month ago I would have gone on about how fundamentally altering the past is impossible in MLP.... but obviously that's not true. Now I want 2 things. I probably won't get them, but I really want them:
A) A look into the alternate future Dulcimer tries to create, presumably one where he is a male version of Celestia as the immortal alicorn ruler, but he doesn't try and disguise his harem as a "royal guard" like she does.
B) The Knights of Harmony pull one of the most powerful unicorns alive, an expert in chronomancy to stop Dulcimer, maybe even one that could safely disarm him by removing his time-travel cutie mark? (I know this story started too early for that, it would still be cool if Glimmy showed up).
Time Turner is getting a boomstick!
Makes sense. I wonder why though... maybe the Master can't actually move the sun and moon on his own, and needed an alicorn he thought he could quietly enslave to do the job for him if he wins and gets released from his prison?
Ok. I now have substantial new evidence to make another guess: King Orion, though he doesn't have green eyes. Or maybe Emperor Incitatus? Or maybe Dulcimer, after becoming an alicorn and traveling to the distant past, only to get jumped by Chryssi's great-great grandmother?
Hurricane you sneaky Pete!
Bluey and Fleur are still in the Crystal Empire, having candle-lit dinners, right?
Geez I hope so. Hasn't Dulcimer already fled the manor, since he knows the law is on to him?
Aww, gotta love the Dink.
Oh wow, Daring Do books are PG-13, aren't they?
Smart move, Daring.
Someone totally fell on purpose.
Turner you genius, you just reinvented the pride of the Felaccian Empire! (I do hope in the spirit of mutual sharing, he shows Andy his improved design. Otherwise, Andy would probably have some sly raven-headed griffon sneak in at night in the future, and make a copy of the schematics of this mysterious "hoof gun.")
I would love to see a climactic Dulcimer/Hurricane fight, which it looks like we may be building towards.
Spike's important enough to get this in the group for him?
Fiiiine I'll stop putting off reading it.
I've got a bit of a read ahead of me by now, don't I?
Alright, I'm caught up.
And, as I should have expected, it was fantastic. I shouldn't have put this off for so long. It's just... really good. All the new characters are extremely compelling, and all the old ones too. It's woven into the whole world you've made (although I'd say it's not quite entirely confusion free for someone stepping in at this part. Lord Mayor Applejack is all that's needed to get sufficient background on things like Andean and Merry Mare, though.) and it's really good.
And now back to the waiting game! Apparently we've entered the final act, but I can't tell if we're brushing right up against the end, or if there's actually quite a bit to come.
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I thought the agreed upon deal was that I would write all the build up, and it would be your job to make sense of it by writing the finale! Where did I put that contract signed with blood?
Nah, she survived long enough to kidnap the crusaders and get whomped by a comet-powered Twilight. Her passing was a little more violent than the classic Love Spell.
Not really. I don't think a relationship like that would work out well between my Derpy and my Time. They've got issues. It's better for them to have that brotherly/sisterly bond.
I myself regret that certain things were not meant to be. Alas, Merry's time to shine is at a later date.
The unseen is always scary...
But the next chapter will be downright horrifying.
I run under the assumption that they can only access their Rainbow Saiyan forms when together as a group. All six of the Elements resonate with each other to call power from the Tree. Certainly airplane-mode butt calls happen on a pony to pony basis, but the full power must be utilized by all six Elements.
And since it's my story, I get to say how the magic works.
The saga of Nightmare Moon involves manipulation, rather than direct control. That way we still have Luna bearing the brunt of the blame, but also Shadowfright and his cronies.
It's a good story, should I ever get to telling it.
Really? We'll see if Temporal Paradox is Worst Possible Thing once you see what I've got in store!
That's why I created the worldbuilding around temporal manipulation. The story was that Twilight couldn't go back because of how damaging it was to her. She couldn't change the past because she was ripped back before a change was possible. I think I explained most of it back in chapter two or three.
In fact, I was gonna mention something about how Time wasn't sure if changing the past was possible, because all the ponies who attempted to do so died in the act of traveling, or only stayed long enough to say a word or two. I don't know if that's necessary now, considering the finale. We'll have to see how much Dulcimer gloats.
Supremely tempting, but also ew. That, and I don't want to feel like I'm riding on the finale's coattails right on the end of a story a year old.
Same reason here. Also, I never added Starlight to the story because I didn't want to interfere with whatever the writers decided to do with her. So far, the only real issue I've had is that the Crusaders have totally different cutie marks. I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible.
I think he would make a great foreign dignitary, or perhaps the Emperor of Maretonia. Or maybe Saddle Arabia, even though the puns don't work together.
That might actually be cooler than what I've got planned...
Her books are PG. Her life is R. She literally only portrays a kiss. Nothing more. "Family friendly" is, oddly enough, the name of the game.
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Generally speaking. I put off adding this to certain groups for too long, since I wanted to wait until I was sure the story included what I was advertising.
I consider this story pivotal in Spike's arc throughout the Heart's Promise continuity.
You read the whole thing in the time it takes me to write a chapter. I'm a little jealous.
They have a bit of a kinship in that regard. They're two sides of the same coin going through the story, and they have the opportunity to become friends. But then, they also have the opportunity to show how they handle tragedy differently.
But I'd say they're both on their way to being awesome.
Nope. That's why it's consistently true that the griffons have better building materials. They've discovered Wootz Steel, and it is a doozy compared to cast iron.
I caught the comment before you edited it. I consider both appropriate.
Excellent. Just as planned. The best villains, I find, are the ones who have a point. People who you could actually see doing the things they do because of how they've thought it through. You mayn't agree with their actions, but you can see the core of their reasoning.
But I've also got a thing for completely broken individuals.
Conflicting motivations are part of any big movement. Some are more true to the ideal than others, and some are just plain more honest with themselves.
It's not what you say, in the end, it's what you do.
You're close, but no cigar.
Its a scene I've wanted to write in one form or another for absolute years! It was originally going to be in Sonata de Equestria, taking place between Sombra and Starswirl. When I cut that story short, I kept it tucked away somewhere special until I knew I could do it justice. I love how it turned out.
I don;t blame you. It's an intimidating work, both in length and subject matter. I could have screwed it up long ago. But maybe I didn't.
I work in explainations where I can. I know that Merry's villainy isn't the easiest pill to swallow, so I started out her arc with her behaving like a simple obstructive former bureaucrat. It was only after I played that out that I started to sneak in just how dastardly she was. Andean... Like Shardscale's part, I took a gamble.
Thank you. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It's been a careful work, with plenty of planning and careful puzzle-piecing. I'm excited to see it come to its grand finale at last.
I give it two chapters before something big blows up.
I'm way behind, so shorter comments. Well, that's the plan at least.
Good points regarding the loss of an Element Bearer. Even if at this point they're strange colored design Bearers.
Yeah, Fluttershy isn't exactly the easiest victim here.
Excellent!
Cloudsdale is a perpetual hurricane? Neat.
Oh my.
New wild theory, time traveled and possibly alicornized Dulcimer is this Master character.
Did they just hand an early model firearm to a magical clockwork engineer?
Possible evidence for my crazy theory above, but possibly not if this master was also helping Sombra way back when.
The changelings, eh?
Just what we all needed, Hurricane to become even more of a loose cannon.
Welp, at least in going after Dulcimer she's actually doing us all a favor.
Wuuu, Dinky is bold.
Ooooo.
A weaponized prosthetic, Honor Harrington would be proud.
Well, crap, that wasn't any shorter at all. Maybe next chapter will involve more self control.
That means Hurricane herself should die. Hurricane is a mad dog that should be put down. I hope that the term mad dog isn't offensive to the Diamond Dogs.
Okay then let's get this battle started.