Guardians of Forever

by TheGreatEater

Chapter 1 pt. 1: Before the Droppings Hit the Fan

~The Night of the Winter Solstice:~

Royal Pin cantered over to Glint Spark with three steaming mugs of coffee, as she was busy looking over spreadsheets of the morning shift. Giving her a playful nudge, she squawked in shock before looking at Royal Pin, “Sorry sir. I was busy making sure everything was in order before the Agency Winter Solstice Celebration.”

“Glint, we don’t have to be formal when we aren’t technically working, you know?” Royal Pin joked.

“I know, it’s a habit of mine. Although I can’t believe I understudied with a member of the Royal Guard for my post-technical graduation. I swear that pony was nuts,” Glint Spark said, rubbing the back of her neck with her left forehoof.

“It’s no problem, although Time Saver takes more pleasure from ribbing you about it than I do,” he replied, as he handed her a mug.

“Thanks, so I’ve been going over everything, and other than Warpers being overly active as most tend to be on major holidays, a few knots in time space that those in the field are working on taking care of, and Trixie for some reason being more problematic than usual. Things are rather slow,” Glint Spark reported.

It had been five long years, but Time Saver, Glint Spark, and Royal Pin made quite the Trio. Although he’d still not gotten farther than friends with Glint Spark due to his own fears of advancing things, and exasperation on the loopholes Time Saver could find to sleep during the job. But it was a plus on having the ability to time travel, in a building storing time workers. Was his stable loops didn’t actually interfere with work. As he put it, if he works his shift and time travels back into the past. Technically he’s still working.

Of course it was Royal Pin who was stuck with the paperwork of his shenanigans. But as the office joke went one couldn’t use a sheet of toilet paper without filling, in triplicate, the necessary forms. Then waiting a month for a reply. And Luna help you if you have to use the sheet for the job lest you get stuck with even more forms and reports on why you had to destroy government property to wipe your plot.

But Royal Pin wouldn’t have it any other way. He was the Coordinate Administrator of Field and Office activities. The very hub of where all the work happened. It was also the hub of the most grueling paperwork, oversight, and administration duties in CORE. Although he bet that the Sectional Captains who answered directly to the Head of Office had it worse sometimes having to deal with the paperwork and needs of several CAs.

There was a ritual most workers did when starting a shift or throughout the day. A small picture, trinket, or what have you of somepony special to them. Whether it was family, friend, or special somepony. Was kept near them, and they would use that to reflect on.

It was a way to remember that what they were doing was worth it. As well as motivation to get the job done right. As Time Saver and Glint Spark sat by the table before their shift started, Royal Pin gave a happy sigh, “You know I’m the luckiest pony in the world.”

“How so?” Time Saver asked.

“I got two of the best ponies a pony could know working with me, and I got a job in the easiest vocation in Equestria. Nothing major happens, we’re hundreds of feet beneath a mountain so there’s no chance of getting hurt from external events, and the co-workers are phenomenal.”

Glint Spark looked abashed, and if Royal Pin didn’t know any better he’d say she was blushing, “D’awwww! Thank Pins. You aren’t too bad yourself. I think the only reason everything seems easy is because you’re a great boss. Charismatic, compassionate, and you aren’t afraid to do the hard stuff yourself.”

Not having the benefit of a darker or red based coat, his blush was visible, which drew a laugh from Time Saver, “I’d say you two should just kiss already. But seeing you two play around the issue is too adorable.”

“Time Saver, if you’re not careful I’m gonna buck you to the sun,” Glint Spark groused.

“And yet neither of you two deny it when I tease you,” Time Saver said giving Glint Spark a playful punch on the foreleg.

“Okay! Different subject,” Royal Pin said fishing for a topic to dispel the awkwardness, “What do you guys think about us drawing the short straws this year?”

“Meh! I don’t mind working for the Winter Solstice, just as long as I get my Nightmare Night time off, and Hearth’s Warming, I don’t mind the work,” Time Saver said, “That and technically I just woke up an hour ago. So I’m all ready to go.”

“Time Saver one of these days you’re going to tell me how you are sleeping in a stasis pod in the infirmary and working here at the same time without entering an infinite loop,” Glint said with more than a tiny hint of annoyance.

“Glitterbug, if I did that then there would be no mystery. That and I’m not called Time Saver for nothing,” Time Saver replied cockily.

“I swear I’ll find out one of these days. There’s a betting pool and I put down a lot of bits that you aren’t in fact some time clone from the future, and that it doesn’t involve a forbidden artifact from the Dungeon. But then I might’ve put more money on a top secret spell you made somehow,” Glint said with an embarrassed scuffing of her forehooves.

“You’ll find out sooner or later. Hint, my Cutie Mark,” Time Saver said with a wink.

As Glint Spark gasped and ran off, Royal Pin looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “you never did tell me the story behind your Cutie Mark or why Glint Spark’s nickname was Glitterbug. You just laugh at me or anypony who asks.”

“Ah! You’re catching on, and I promise you’ll find out someday. But I like a bit of mystery. It makes me look better with the mares if you get what I’m saying,” Time Saver said with a cheesy grin.

“Not really, I mean you’re no Solid Snake, or Ace in Clover,” Royal Pin ribbed Time Saver.

Saver responded by placing a hoof over his heart and swooning, “You wound me good sir! Now I shall bleed to death from the pain you have inflicted.”

“I’m sure I’ll say a nice eulogy,” Royal Pin snarked, which earned him a laugh. If there was one thing Royal Pin knew, this was the best job in Equestria. And nothing truly bad ever happened inside the walls of CORE.

Author's Note:

Time Saver's Special Talent is using Time Manipulation for time management, as well as a knack of finding ways to do more results with less work. That includes cloning oneself and letting quantum entanglement, and a time glitch to allow one of himself to sleep while the other works. Beats coffee any day of the week.

Liked this chapter. My editors / pre-readers wanted more than just the events, and to give more meat to the story. So I came out with the idea of a part 1 and part 2. Then After Chapter 2 came out I did the prologue which Ikept on the same spirit as the previously made chapters.