Pushing Forward
1000 AD
Diane’s Square—Telepod
“Wowwie, I can’t believe the Celebration is still this busy!” said Pinkie Pie. She eagerly bounced about the different displays of the fairgrounds as they tickled each of her senses. She stepped up to one of the vendors, purchased a bag of kettle corn, and munched away at it. Having a mouthful of food didn’t deter her from vocalizing her exuberance. “I mean, I’m not surprised it’s still going on, or anything. After all, I was helping Scratchy plan the whole thing, so I know that it’s supposed to last for another couple of weeks. ‘The thousandth anniversary of the founding of such a grand kingdom comes only once,’ I told her, ‘so we better throw one crazy, over-the-top, knock-your-socks-off party-ganza-bration!’ And lemme tell ya, this turned out...” Her voice faded out of range as she continued her “royal assessment” of the festivities.
“Oh dear. Pinkie Pie? Come back, please,” said Fluttershy. “We’re just about ready to leave.” She quickly trotted after the bouncing mare.
Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash stepped up to the Telepod’s display. While the device was inactive—neglected since its earlier demonstration—its new primary function was still intact. A small, fluctuating anomaly sat in the center of the display, guarding a pathway to four hundred years into the past. Twilight Sparkle slowly fished around in her saddlebags for the Gate Key. Rainbow Dash stood a few paces behind her, stone-faced.
After stalling for what she deemed to be an unreasonable amount of time, Twilight Sparkle closed her saddlebags. “You’re awfully quiet,” she said tersely. “Is there anything you’d like to say to me?”
Rainbow Dash grunted.
Twilight Sparkle rubbed one foreleg across the back of her other. “Anything at all?”
“I was thinking about it,” said Rainbow Dash after a pause, “and your mom is right. Maybe we should take a vacation. Maybe we should, I don’t know, go mountain climbing?”
Twilight Sparkle whirled around, glaring daggers at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus returned an equally hostile look. “I—You—That—” Twilight Sparkle stuttered, too enraged to form a cohesive thought.
“How dare you!” Rainbow Dash yelled in her face. “Keeping secrets from me this whole time... I deserved to know the truth!” She stomped her hooves.
Twilight Sparkle’s eyes teared up. “What?” she shouted. “You think I owed you the truth?”
“Didn’t you?” she snapped.
“Oh, well forgive me,” yelled Twilight Sparkle. “Next time my life falls apart, I’ll be sure to focus on how that affects you first!”
“Sorry, girls,” said Fluttershy. She and Pinkie Pie trotted up to the Telepod’s exhibit. “Pinkie Pie got a bit ahead of me, but now we can—” She glanced between the two rage-filled faces before her. “Oh my goodness, what’s wrong?”
Twilight Sparkle spun around, facing the closed Gate. “Nothing,” she said. Her voice rang hollow. “Nothing is wrong. Let’s go.” She swung the Gate Key in front of her, tearing apart the fabric of space-time. She quickly trotted into the purple portal.
“Oh, I s-see,” stuttered Fluttershy. She slowly followed after Twilight Sparkle.
Pinkie Pie held out a plate. “Hey Rainbow Dash, I found a funnel cake vendor! You want some?”
“I’m not hungry.” Rainbow Dash stepped into the Gate and disappeared.
“Oh. Alrighty then! More for me.” Pinkie Pie inhaled the rest of the fried treat before following her friends through the gateway. With all four ponies safely inside, the Gate sealed behind them.
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The End of Time
“Hello!” From down the pathway, underneath his lamp post, The Doctor waved energetically to the four ponies, wearing his usual smile.
Pinkie Pie gasped sharply. “Oh no! Now we’ve really gone and done it.” She clutched her head and trembled. “We were trying to travel back in time, but we didn’t travel back to 600 AD; we traveled back in our own timeline, back to when we first arrived in the End of Time and met The Doctor!”
Without a word, Twilight Sparkle turned and stepped into a column of light on the opposite corner of the platform. The white beam shot her skyward, hurling her into a different point in the space-time continuum.
“Twilight!” Fluttershy called out. “W-wait for us, please.” She quickly trotted over to the same column and hopped inside, travelling after her friend.
“Wait!” Pinkie Pie protested. “You’ll just keep going further and further back into our own past! First Magno Dome, then the trial, then Manerial Abbey. If you keep going, you’ll end up traveling back to before we met each other!”
Rainbow Dash snorted and glared out into the abyss. “Fine by me. Let ‘em go.”
The door behind the lamp post swung open. Trixie poked her head through the doorway, cackling with glee. “Oh, this is too rich. The Great and Powerful Trixie sets you on your way with all of the tools you could ever need, and a few hours later, your little rag-tag group is already falling apart. How utterly tragic.”
The Doctor gave Trixie an admonishing look. “Now, Trixie, let’s try to stay civil when we have guests.” Trixie turned her nose skyward, while The Doctor trotted to Pinkie Pie’s platform. “No, my dear, it’s nothing as far-fetched as you’re theorizing there. I just saw fit to detour you momentarily.”
“Oh whew,” sighed Pinkie Pie. “So we can still get back to 600 AD?”
“Weren’t you listening to a thing that foolish stallion told you?” said Trixie. With a burst of silvery light, she disappeared from her doorway, reappearing mere centimeters from Pinkie Pie’s face. “This is the hub for your time travels. Now that you’ve used that Gate, you can travel from here to any other Gate you’ve visited.”
“Ah, yes, quite right, Ms. Great and Powerful,” said The Doctor as he gently nudged her to the side. “All of your Gates will lead here now. Much more convenient, I’d say. Plus, I’d be more than happy to offer my advice and expertise, where I can.”
“Oh. Neat!” cheered Pinkie Pie. “Well, let’s see... Ooo, we figured out who made Lavos. It was Nightmare Moon!”
The Doctor’s eyes bulged. “Made Lavos? Heavens, I had no idea. And you said it was Nightmare Moon, was it? That was that, ahm,” he said, tapping his hoof against his chin, “that crazy one. Middle Ages. Led a whole country of Mystics against ponykind.” He shrugged. “Afraid I can’t tell you much more than that. Far as I can tell, she just appeared one day, out of nowhere. Still, that’s quite odd. I mean, if Lavos was created in the Middle Ages...” He shook his head. “Ah well. It’ll all make sense in the end, I’m sure. Always does.”
Pinkie Pie grinned. “Sounds good! We’ll be sure to come back and visit soon. C’mon, Dashie!” With that, the two friends stepped into the column of light and drifted up into the air.
“Best of luck to you!” said The Doctor as he waved farewell.
“Try not to lose in too humiliating a fashion.”
“Trixie! Honestly now, we ought to be helping them.”
“What? The Great and Powerful Trixie simply wanted them to keep their dignity intact when they inevitably fail.”
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600 AD
Sugardia Castle
The pair of guards at the castle’s front entrance snapped to attention. “Ah, milady,” said one, “what an honor to see you once again.”
“I am so sick of that self-centered little brat!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as she trotted past the guards.
“You don’t say,” muttered the guard under his breath.
“Twilight!” gasped a mortified Fluttershy. “You can’t possibly mean that. Rainbow Dash is your very best friend.”
“Oh yes, my best friend,” she said with a derisive laugh. “I sure know how to pick ‘em. That arrogant, ostentatious—”
“Lady Twilight Sparkle?”
“—narcissistic braggart!”
Chancellor Octavia huffed. “Well.”
Twilight Sparkle gasped, racing toward the verbally-wounded Chancellor. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry, Madam Chancellor, I didn’t see you there, and I definitely wasn’t directing that name-calling at you, it’s just that I was—”
She held up a hoof, silencing Twilight Sparkle. “Time, Lady Twilight, is a precious commodity which we have nearly exhausted. You are to have an audience with the Queen and King immediately. This way.” She trotted into the castle proper, passing through the throne room.
“We will?” asked Fluttershy. “Wonderful. After all, that’s why we’re here.”
The two ponies followed after the Chancellor at a respectable distance. Once out of earshot, Twilight Sparkle leaned in and hissed a continuation of her rant. “I mean, do you have any idea how hard that was? Nopony knew the truth about what happened that day, aside from my family and the doctors. When anypony asked, Dad would just give a hoof-waving story about some terrible fall while mountain-climbing. So a decade later, when I’m finally ready to tell the complete truth, in the company of my closest friends, what happens? That fricking egotist makes it all about herself! Sure, she’s hardly the most empathetic pony, but even for her, that was just... just... urgh!” She bolted ahead, following the Chancellor up the staircase to the Queen’s chamber.
Fluttershy held a hoof to her face. “Oh dear,” she said to herself. “This is even worse than I thought.”
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600 AD
Equus
“Oh no,” said Pinkie Pie. “What happened here? Everypony is so... flat.”
The villagers of Equus slumped on the lawns in front of their homes, staring vacantly at one another. The lawns themselves were trimmed down to the soil; nary a blade of grass remained in sight. A heavy sense of dread and hopelessness hung in the air. The scene looked all too familiar to the two ponies.
“This is just like the future, isn’t it?” Rainbow Dash muttered rhetorically. She strode up to one of the townsponies. “Hey. What’s wrong with everypony?”
Groaning lightly, the unicorn stallion replied, “No food... Those demonic Mystics destroyed all of our food. There’s no hope left for us.”
“Ack!” cried Pinkie Pie. She leapt to Rainbow Dash’s side, quickly covering her friend’s ears with her hooves. “Don’t listen to them, Dashie. Plenty of food here! We definitely did not just travel back into an era with no food.”
“Wait, is that her? Lady Rainbow Dash? Is it really you?!”
Ignoring Pinkie Pie’s antics, Rainbow Dash turned to the pony who addressed her. “What do you want?”
The Sugardian knight grinned. “It is! It is you, Lady Rainbow Dash! Oh, fortune clearly smiles on us. Please, for the sake of all of Sugardia, I beg of you: help us in our hour of need!”
“I said, what do you want?”
He gulped. “F-forgive me, milady. I’ll get right to the point. Nightmare Moon’s forces are on the offensive. The Zebran Bridge is about to fall. It’s our last line of defense; if it falls, Sugardia Castle itself is next.” He motioned to the despondent townsponies. “I had returned to Equus to gather any able-bodied ponies to bolster our defense. Instead, I find the heroic Lady Rainbow Dash herself! The mare who saved our—”
“You need me to chop up some bad guys. Got it.” With a crack of her neck, Rainbow Dash marched past the knight.
From overhead, Pinkie Pie bounced into view, blocking Rainbow Dash’s path. She frowned at her friend. “What’s gotten into you, Rainbow Dash? You don’t sound like yourself at all.”
“What’s gotten into me?” Rainbow Dash shot her a venomous glare, causing her to cringe. “In case you didn’t notice, I just found out that my lifelong friend didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth about how her mom got hurt. I just found out this so-called friend has been lying to me for ten years. I just found out that, apparently, out friendship isn’t as important as I thought.” Rainbow Dash took to the air, racing ahead toward the battle at Zebran Bridge. “So excuse me for being pissy!”
Pinkie Pie wilted as she watched her friend disappear into the distance. “Rainbow Dash...”
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600 AD
Sugardia Castle—Queen Diane’s Chamber
Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy opened the door to Queen Diane’s private chamber, pushing their way past the bustling chambermaids and frantic nurses. Chancellor Octavia led them in, working her way to the center of the room where the 21st King of Sugardia was pacing back and forth. After a brief whispered exchange, the King turned toward the two ponies, wearing a warm smile.
“Lady Twilight! Your arrival in such a dark hour is a most fortuitous omen.”
The two ponies bowed respectfully to the King. “Your Majesty,” said Twilight Sparkle, “please forgive our sudden disappearance and reappearance. We’ve come seeking your assistance with putting a stop to Nightmare Moon.”
The King relaxed his shoulders. “Oh, most fortuitous indeed. Once more, the kingdom will forever be in your debt. Alas, we cannot be of much assistance.” He gestured to the south with a dramatic sweep of his hoof. “Even as we speak, Nightmare Moon’s forces threaten to breach our last line of defense. Our country’s foodstores have been ravaged. Truly, our fighting forces are nearing their breaking point.”
“Your Majesty, Sir?” said Fluttershy. “You said that your food was ‘ravaged’?”
King Sugardia closed his eyes. “Over the course of the war, our food supplies had been dwindling at an alarming rate. We always assumed it was natural attrition due to our war efforts. However, we recently discovered the truth: parasprites.”
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said. “Parasprites are certainly known for their voracious appetites. Getting an infestation now, of all times, is quite misfortunate.”
“I’m afraid you misunderstand, miss,” said Chancellor Octavia. “It is no mere coincidence. We have evidence that the parasprites were intentionally sent to us by Nightmare Moon in an attempt to starve us out.”
Fluttershy reeled backwards, clutching her chest as if struck. “She what? That’s horrible... No, it’s downright evil. Without food, everypony will starve to death. Not just the knights, but the innocent townsponies and their little foals. How could anypony do something as despicable as destroying food?”
From the back of the room, a quiet voice replied, “Such is the extent of Nightmare Moon’s evil ways.”
King Sugardia’s regal facade cracked as soon as the voice spoke. He turned quickly and strode in the direction of the voice. As Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle followed behind, they were shocked to find Queen Diane resting in her bed. Bandages were wrapped tightly around her torso and left foreleg. A small team of doctors bustled above her bedside, attending to her injuries and conferencing amongst themselves.
“Oh no!” gasped Fluttershy. “Your Highness, what has happened to you?”
Queen Diane smiled weakly. “I thank you for your concern, companion of Lady Twilight. I will be fine.” Her expression hardened as she looked out of her window to the open countryside. “When the defenses at the Zebran Bridge began to falter, I took up my blade and joined the front lines.”
“What?!” shouted Twilight Sparkle. “But Queen Diane, that’s so reckless. You could have been seriously—” Her jaw snapped shut as a pair of purple eyes glared at her, centimeters from her face.
Chancellor Octavia’s voice was colder than ice. “You will do well,” she hissed, “to watch your tone when addressing Her Majesty The Queen.”
The Queen rested a hoof gently on the Chancellor’s side. “It is alright, Octavia. Lady Twilight is correct, after all. I was injured due to my own carelessness. While I would gladly lay down my life to protect the country I love, it would not be prudent for Sugardia to lose her ruler in a time such as this.”
King Sugardia stepped forward. “Please, Lady Twilight, I must call upon your heroism once more. Will you drive back the forces at Zebran Bridge, and put a stop to Nightmare Moon?”
Twilight Sparkle saluted. “We’ll do our best. After all, the fate of the future is at stake.”
The King nodded. “Well said. Before you leave, I would ask that you check in with the kitchen staff. They should be working on putting together what little food remains for the knights on the front lines.”
“Got it!”
“Oh, and Lady Twilight? One other task for you,” said Queen Diane. “Should you reach the other side of the bridge, it would be prudent of you to seek out the legendary hero.”
Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle shared a look. “The legendary hero, Your Highness?”
The Queen nodded. “Yes. The bearer of the Hero's Medal!”
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600 AD
Zebran Bridge
Firefly landed heavily on the bridge, dropping her broadsword beside herself. Her wing muscles burned from the strain of one too many acrobatic maneuvers. “Fall back!” she yelled to some nearby knights. “Don’t let them draw you out of position. We must hold this bridge at all costs.” She panted for breath. Ponyfeathers... Even barking orders is leaving me winded. Though, this scratch isn’t doing me any favors, either. Firefly held a hoof against her bleeding side, where an unlucky arrow had found a gap in her armor.
“Oh no! You’re hurt?” Pinkie Pie quickly leapt to the pegasus’s side, holding her hooves against the injury. “Don’t worry, Firefly. You’ll be fit as a fiddle in a flash!”
“My thanks, Pinkie,” said Firefly. She winced lightly as Pinkie Pie pressed against the injury, but she still managed an appreciative smile. “You and Lady Rainbow arrived not a moment too soon. My troops are nearing exhaustion. With the two of you breathing new life into the fight, we just might make it through.” She blinked, and looked down at her side. “What in Sugardia? My wound is healed! What manner of sorcery was that, Pinkie Pie?”
She giggled and rolled her eyes. “Aww c’mon, we’ve been over this already! Like I said last time, it’s not like I’m able to cast magical healing spells or anything like that.” She looked down at her hooves. Sparkles of crystal-blue magic spun around them, casting a gentle warming glow onto Firefly’s hide. “Oh. I guess I can, now. My bad!”
Firefly stared at the magical glow. “That’s amazing,” she whispered. “I had thought only Mystics were capable of these types of magic. Yet here you are: an earth pony who is able to rival their powers. I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t seeing with my own two eyes.” She and Pinkie Pie turned their gazes further down the bridge. “And of course, this is saying nothing about your companion.”
At the center of the bridge, wave after wave of Mystic soldiers crashed helplessly against the unstoppable fury of Rainbow Dash’s attacks. She leapt over a charging ogre, gashing its backside. She landed in front of a pair of gargoyles, who spread out in a feeble attempt to flank her. As they flew toward her with a flurry of spinning kicks, she retaliated with a spin of her own. Her Cyclone strike ended the gargoyles before they could cry out. Seizing the opportunity, a half-dozen imps rushed the pegasus. They were met by a wave of Rainbow Dash’s electrical currents, which sent them flying off the side of the bridge and into the ocean below.
Pinkie Pie bit her lip. “Poor Rainbow Dash.”
“Poor her? More like poor demons,” laughed Firefly. “Pardon the pun, but she’s downright electric out there. The soddy monsters don’t stand a chance.” Her eyes turned upward as she lost herself in thought. With a smirk, she added, “Y’know, between your magic, and the legendary hero’s blade, the three of you just might be able to stop Nightmare Moon on your own!”
Pinkie Pie’s eyes dilated. She grabbed ahold of Firefly, assaulting her with words. “Great galloping gumdrops! There’s another hero? That’s totally awesome! I mean, we’ve got the four of us already, but you can never have too many heroes, and you can never ever have too many friends. You gotta tell me everything about her. What’s her name? What’s she like? What’s her favorite jelly bean flavor? Oops, I mean, is she even a she, or is she a he? Totally made an assumption there, my bad. But seriously! I’ve only just heard about this legendary hero and I already can’t wait to meet her!”
Firefly laughed, gently prying herself out of Pinkie Pie’s grip. “Easy, milady. Save that energy for fighting Nightmare Moon. Anyway, yes, a legendary hero. You know how these things go: an ancient legend about a hero saving Sugardia in its darkest hour. He’ll wear a medal representing his courage, wield an ancient blade with no equal, and such. Just some silly fairy tale you tell the foals at bedtime.”
Pinkie Pie nodded energetically. “Yep! Sounds pretty standard to me.”
Firefly trotted over and retrieved her discarded broadsword. “Except, as fate would have it, this fairy tale just might come true. A colt arrived at Sugardia Castle yesterday. Not only does he possess the Hero's Medal, but he claims that he will find the legendary blade and strike down Nightmare Moon!”
“Hmm.” Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin. “That does sound like it would fulfill the prophecy. So where is this hero now?”
“Well, he wanted to head back to South Zebran in order to search for the blade.” A clap of thunder rolled out from the center of the bridge, where Rainbow Dash was single-hoofedly keeping the advancing army at bay. Firefly grimaced. “That was right about the time when this battle broke out. It was all we could do to sneak the hero and his friend across the bridge. We took a fair number of injuries for our efforts.” She sighed. “It burns me that my Bolt Knights can’t do more to protect the country, but it looks like we have no other choice but to rely on heroes like you and him.”
“Hey! Don’t sell yourself short!” Pinkie Pie smiled at Firefly. “I’m sure your knights have sacrificed so much, just to keep everypony safe. If it wasn’t for you gals, Sugardia would’ve fallen way before now. Just because you’re getting a little bit of help doesn’t mean that everything you’ve done up until now is meaningless! You should be proud of all that you’ve done.”
Firefly weakly returned Pinkie Pie’s smile. “You’re far too kind, Pinkie.” Her smile vanished when she turned to look at her recovering knights. “Still, even with you and Lady Rainbow, my troops are beyond their limits. They will not survive much longer without being fed. Where in the blazes is Medley with those rations?”
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600 AD
Sugardia Castle—Mess Hall
Medley glared at the two ponies who had intruded into her kitchen. “So, let me guess,” she said, staring down at a cowering Fluttershy. “That dumb jerk, Firefly, sent you, demanding more rations.”
Fluttershy squeaked. “N-n-no, you see, we were actually sent here by—”
“Because let me tell you something: that idiot thinks of nopony except herself!”
Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. Seems to be a lot of that going around today.
Medley turned toward the kitchen, where a small team of chefs were hard at work with the last of the ingredients. She addressed a mare who was attending to a stew on the stovetop. “Cotton Candy, that’s still too thick. Water it down some more.”
“It’s practically just water at this point,” said Cotton Candy, shrugging in protest. “There’s no way that this will fill anypony up.”
“We don’t have a choice,” retorted Medley. She partially turned to Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy, addressing them as much as she was addressing her cook. “With the parasprites in full effect, there’s simply not enough food to go around. We’ve got knights, civilians, patients, and foals to feed. Some ponies are going to be hungry; there’s no avoiding that. We just need to keep everypony from starving to death for as long as we can. Certain ponies need to understand that they are not the center of the universe, and that sometimes the needs of others are more important.”
Twilight Sparkle smiled and nodded. “You’re quite right, miss. Sorry to have disturbed you. Best of luck to you.” Medley and Twilight Sparkle turned away, respectively heading to the kitchen and the exit.
Fluttershy rose to her hooves and chased after Twilight Sparkle. “Please, Twilight, won’t you give Rainbow Dash a second chance?”
Twilight Sparkle locked her jaw. “I’ve been giving her second chances ever since we met. She’s somewhere near her twenty thousandth chance. And this wasn’t something silly like an overdue loan or a forgotten birthday; I revealed a secret that I’ve kept bottled up for a decade, and yet Rainbow completely disregarded my feelings! Sorry, but I’m going to need a halfway-decent apology from her before I’ll even consider forgiving her this time.”
“I don’t think that she did disregard your feelings, though. I think that, in her own way, Rainbow Dash is showing you just how much she cares about you.”
Twilight Sparkle froze in her tracks at the base of the stairwell leading up to the ground floor. She cocked her head back. “I’m sorry, but... what? She’s caring about herself. How does that translate into caring about me?”
“I’m sorry. Perhaps I’m misunderstanding the situation.” Fluttershy shifted her weight from hoof to hoof. “It’s just that, well, Rainbow Dash clearly seemed so angry. Could it be that she was angry, not because she felt entitled to know the truth, but because she had wanted to be there for you at a difficult time in your life?” Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth to interject, but Fluttershy took a step forward and quickly continued her theory. “She may have a different way of showing her feelings, but she definitely feels just as strongly about your friendship as you do. At least, that’s what I believe.”
“I dunno, Fluttershy. It seems like you’re giving her too much credit. I mean, if you think about this week alone, she... well...” Twilight Sparkle turned away. As she closed her eyes, a slideshow of memories played against her eyelids.
The day before the Millennial Summer Sun Celebration. Rainbow and I are eating at a cafe. She just agreed to help with the demonstration of my invention. She’ll probably end up oversleeping or forgetting. Still, it’s the same day as her plans to audition with—or at least field-rush—the Wonderbolts. That was awfully generous of her...
Magno Dome. Fluttershy is in pieces, strewn all over the floor. I want to repair her so badly, but I can’t; it’s just not possible. And yet, there’s Rainbow Dash. Hugging me. Telling me not to give up. She has no clue how feasible or infeasible the task actually is, and yet I trust her when she tells me to believe in myself...
Our prison cell in Sugardia Castle. We’re scheduled to never see another sunrise. Rainbow Dash couldn’t care less. Not only is she plotting our escape plan, but she’s taking the time to assure me that I haven’t ruined my chances of being Pinkie’s friend. It’s totally not the time for a conversation like that, but regardless she’s keeping me from giving up...
A slow sigh escaped from deep within Twilight Sparkle’s chest. “Okay, okay. She really does care about our friendship.” Her head jerked upright. “But that still doesn’t justify her attitude from today! If she does care, then why was she acting like a Grade A jerk?”
“Hey, wait up.”
Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy turned around in time to see Medley flying over from the kitchen. She landed in front of the two ponies, dropping a small package at their hooves. She silently glared at the wall.
Twilight Sparkle lifted the package and peeked inside. “Wait. Medley, are these apple turnovers? I thought that we were in the middle of a famine. How did you—”
“You tell that idiot,” said Medley, continuing to avoid eye contact, “that everypony is counting on her. So, she better not do something stupid, like die on me. You got that?” Before either pony could reply, Medley raced back into the kitchen.
Twilight Sparkle held her hoof against her closed eyes. “Yes. Yes, I get it.” Raising her head, she motioned to Fluttershy. “C’mon. Let’s go find Dash.”
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600 AD
Zebran Bridge
“Come on!” yelled Rainbow Dash.
She dived down from the cloud cover into the fray on the bridge. Her blade sliced through the row of naga with almost no resistance.
“Is that the best you’ve got?”
She raised her hoof overhead. It crackled and surged with magically-summoned voltage. As she brought her hoof down, the bolt of lightning leapt from foe to foe, causing the rest of the enemy squadron to collapse into a fit of spasms.
“I thought you guys were supposed to be tough!” she screamed. “Well, news flash: you’re not! Why don’t you send a real competitor down here to fight me? Ack!” She yelped as a creature tackled her from behind.
“I don’t care what you say, Dashie,” said Pinkie Pie as she tightly clung to the pegasus. “I’m gonna keep hugging ya until you’re your old self again!”
“Pinkie, let go!” rebuked Rainbow Dash. She futilely attempted to shake herself free from Pinkie Pie’s grip. “There’ll be more monsters here any minute.”
“No! You’re clearly not okay, Dashie.” Pinkie Pie’s eyes misted over. She swung around Rainbow Dash’s neck, hanging underneath the other mare and looked up imploringly at her. “I just can’t stand by and watch you suffer by yourself like this!”
“Suffer? What, you mean that thing with Twi?” Rainbow Dash snorted. “Whatever. I’m totally over that already.”
Pinkie Pie frowned. “Are not! You’re getting meaner and meaner by the minute! Can’t you find it in your heart to forgive her?”
“Forgive her?!” yelled Rainbow Dash. “After she threw our friendship in the garbage? That is so not going to happen.”
“You’ve got it all wrong. She does too care about you. I mean, why do you think you were one of the first ponies she told that story to?”
“Yeah, ten years later.”
“Dashieee, c’mooon,” groaned Pinkie Pie, throwing her head back. “Can you please give her a break? She’s had a really rough week.”
“All of us have!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She flailed her hooves, nearly losing her balance due to Pinkie Pie’s added weight. “It’s not like she’s had more of a—”
Manerial Abbey. Twilight collapses into a fit of bitter tears. She’s talking about how she wishes she could be more helpful, but she’s too terrified of all the creepy-crawlies in the abbey. Idiot. Doesn’t she know that just being here is enough...
“Well, okay, maybe she’s had it slightly worse than the rest of us, but it’s not like I was treating her—”
My trial in Sugardia Castle. She’s all bleary-eyed, and scatterbrained, and talking about being my laywer. Why is she even here? When did she even have time to learn about law? It’s a dumb plan, and I tell her so. She smiles at me...
“Y-yeah, well... but I didn’t...”
Barngor Dome. We just escaped from prison. I’m trying to use Twi’s tools to free us from the shackles. I’m standing over her, ready to cut her shackle, and she’s completely losing her shit, screaming like a little foal. What’s her problem, anyway? I’m not a klutz. Why’s she crying that I’m going to accidentally cut her horn off...
The contents of Rainbow Dash’s stomach did a somersault. She hung her head low, staring unfocused at the wood beneath her hooves. A low groan vibrated from the back of her throat. “I really screwed up, huh? Guess I needa go find Twi and say I’m sorry.”
Pinkie Pie smiled gently. She lifted Rainbow Dash’s head and pointed it toward the end of the bridge. “Why don’t you tell her now?”
At the knight’s camp, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy were conversing with Firefly. Firefly peered into a box that had been set at her hooves. She looked off toward Sugardia Castle on the horizon and smiled, before grabbing the box in her mouth and carrying it toward her resting troops. Fluttershy noticed the two friends in the middle of the bridge. She nudged Twilight Sparkle, who quickly spun to face Rainbow Dash. They trotted toward each other, slowly coming to a standstill on the near end of the bridge.
“Hi,” said Twilight Sparkle. Her cheeks were glowing a light hue of pink.
“Sup,” replied Rainbow Dash. Her eyes drifted to the Sugardian camp behind her friends. “Is that a package of food? I thought they were all out.”
“Yeah. Long story.” Twilight Sparkle leaned to her side, curiously examining her friends. “Is Pinkie Pie sitting on your back and hugging you?”
“Long story.”
The battlefield fell silent. The fighting on the bridge had stopped.
“I should start by—”
“Look, Twi, about—”
The two friends paused, awkwardly motioning for each other to go first.
“I should start by apologizing,” Twilight Sparkle eventually said. “I had been feeding you a bogus story about a mountain climbing accident for the past ten years. You had every right to be mad at me for keeping such a big secret.”
“No way!” Rainbow Dash rushed up to her side. “I was being a huge jerk. That must’ve been super-hard for you to tell me, and I wasn’t empa... empath...” She rapidly shook her head. “I wasn’t sensitive enough to how you felt.” She stared down at the bridge, tapping her hoof lightly against it. “I’m real sorry, Twi.”
Pinkie Pie gave Rainbow Dash an extra squeeze for good measure, then leapt off her back and trotted to the side of the bridge, watching the scene unfold with Fluttershy.
Twilight Sparkle grinned sheepishly. “So, still friends?”
Rainbow Dash tried to mask her emotions with her traditional cavalier grin. “Duh.”
The two childhood friends embraced. In an instant, their anger and resentment melted away. Deep in their hearts, they knew that nothing could ever destroy the bonds of their friendship.
“Aww. What a tender moment,” said a voice from the far end of the bridge.
“Not!” added a second.
“If y’all two are done bein’ sappy now,” said a third, “maybe we could git back to the matter at hoof.”
The friends turned toward the unfamiliar voices. Standing boldly in the middle of the bridge were a trio of young mares, wearing menacing grins and long, crimson capes. They were spread out across the bridge, preventing anypony from passing them. The four friends trotted up to meet the three peculiar ponies.
“Hi there!” said Pinkie Pie. She waved to the new faces. “My name’s Pinkie Pie. Who’re you?” She gasped as an idea struck her. “Hey, wait a minute. Are the three of you friends with the legendary hero?”
The three young mares howled with laughter. “Heroes? Us?” said a yellow earth pony with a bright red mane. “‘Fraid you’re mistaken.”
“We’re the total opposite of heroes,” squeaked a white unicorn with a two-tone mane. “For you see—”
An orange pegasus with a purple mane charged to the front of the group. “You’re looking at Nightmare Moon’s newest generals.”
Twilight Sparkle did a double-take. “You three are working for Nightmare Moon?” Triple-take. “Generals?! But you’re so young. And why would ponies like you be working for the bad guys?”
“Scootaloo,” scolded the earth pony, “we’re not all generals. Only Sweetie Belle gits to be one.”
“Whaaat?” whined Scootaloo. “No fair. Why is Sweetie Belle a general if we’re not?”
“Because,” said the unicorn, “Nightmare Moon said so. Besides, I’m the one who came up with the idea a few days ago, remember? So it’s only fair that I get to be the leader.”
Quadruple-take. “They became generals in the war against Sugardia just a few days ago?” Twilight Sparkle hissed to Rainbow Dash. “This doesn’t add up.”
“You two can get ranks too, though,” continued Sweetie Belle. “Nightmare Moon didn’t say that I couldn’t promote anypony, anyway.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Apple Bloom, you can be... oh! You can be my captain!”
“Captain Apple Bloom?” She grinned. “Ha! That’s got a ring to it.”
“And Scootaloo, you can be my... my, um...” Sweetie Belle stared vacantly out across the ocean. “What other ranks are there, anyway?” Her two friends joined her in racking their brains.
Rainbow Dash sighed. “Okay. Seriously? Do we need to be here for this? We kinda need to get across, so if you three could just—”
“Ooo!” shouted Sweetie Belle, her voice cracking into an upper octave. “I know. Scootaloo, you can be my private!”
Scootaloo’s face turned dark red. She snapped her hooves upward to cover her open mouth. “Sweetie Belle!” she gasped.
“Huh?”
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t mean like that, you nincompoop. A ‘private’ is a kind of military rank.”
“Right,” said Sweetie Belle with a nod. “Why? What did Scootaloo think I meant?”
“It’s too low of a rank, though,” mused Apple Bloom. “Maybe she could be a sergeant?”
“Sergeant Scootaloo? Nice,” she cheered. “Thanks, Apple Bloom.”
“No problem!”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Right.” She motioned for her friends to follow. “C’mon. Let’s just slip past while they’re busy doing whatever it is that they’re—”
The three young mares leapt back into their original positions, blockading the bridge. They reared up on their hind legs and excitedly flailed their forelegs.
“Sergeant Scootaloo!”
“Cap’n Apple Bloom!”
“And General Sweetie Belle! Together, the three of us are—”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER LEADERS OF THE MYSTIC ARMY! YAY!”
Pinkie Pie massaged her ears, trying to get them to stop ringing. “Ow,” she groaned.
Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “Wait, what exactly is that supposed to mean? Cutie Mark Crusaders?”
“The three of us ’re on a mission,” said Apple Bloom.
“We’re traveling the world, trying our hooves at everything,” said Scootaloo, flaring her wings. “Including serving the almighty Nightmare Moon, of course.”
“And we’re going to keep at it until we all discover our special talents,” Sweetie Belle said, puffing out her chest, “and earn our cutie marks!”
Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie exchanged confused glances with each other. Their eyes shifted from one another, to the three young mares, and back again.
Fluttershy’s servos hummed lightly as she stepped toward her friends. “Um, I’m sorry, everypony. I think I’m missing something. Did they say something odd?”
Rainbow Dash leaned to the side, trying to get a better look at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Meh, no good,” she muttered. “Their capes are too long. I can’t tell.”
“You see, Fluttershy,” explained Twilight Sparkle, “ponies typically earn their cutie marks when they’re fillies or colts. There isn’t a set age, per se; it can happen somewhere in a three-year span or thereabouts. But—”
Pinkie Pie hopped to the front of the pack. “You girls are, like, only a few years younger than us, right? Shouldn’t you have earned your cutie marks years ago?”
The faces of the three mares darkened in unison. “Why don’t you mind your own business, lady?” growled Sweetie Belle.
“I don’t go around asking you invasive questions about your cutie mark, you little... little... balloon butt!” yelled Scootaloo, hopping into the air for added emphasis.
Pinkie Pie giggled. “Balloon butt? Heehee, good one!”
“Hey now, cut it out, you two,” snapped Apple Bloom. “Just cuz we’re the bad guys doesn’t mean we gotta resort to name-callin’ and other nasty business. Let’s just stick to the plan and release them parasprites.”
The four friends stiffened in unison. “Parasprites?” gasped Twilight Sparkle. “The King was right. You’re releasing them intentionally!”
Scootaloo grinned sadistically. “Yep! That one was my idea. Nopony wants to fight with a grumbly tummy, right?”
“So if we used parasprites to eat all of the food,” said Apple Bloom with an equally dark grin, “everypony would be too hungry to fight back, and Nightmare Moon could take over, nice and easy-like.”
“Yeah!” cheered Sweetie Belle with a smirk of her own. “Nightmare Moon loved our plan so much, that’s probably why she agreed to make us the leaders of her troops.”
Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth. “Now look, you little punks. Messing with somepony’s food is—”
Fluttershy rushed past Rainbow Dash, bumping her out of the way. She towered about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, glaring down at them. “That’s horrible. You’re worried about hurting other ponies’ feelings with name-calling, yet you’re proud at unleashing famine on tens of thousands of ponies? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders instinctively curled into the fetal position, trying to hide themselves from Fluttershy’s intimidating stare. Their eyes began to water over from the harsh rebuke. “W-we’re sorry, ma’am,” Apple Bloom eventually replied, “but we—”
“Don’t you ‘but we’ me, young lady!” scolded Fluttershy. “It’s not me you need to be apologizing to. I want the three of you to go to Sugardia Castle and apologize to everypony this instant.”
Twilight Sparkle buried her face in her hoof. “These are the leaders of the Mystic Army? A couple of kids who burst into tears the second somepony points out they’re evil?”
“Dude, whatever,” said Rainbow Dash. She stared, unblinking and pale, at the robopony in front of her. “Fluttershy is scary.”
“Fall back!” yelled Sweetie Belle. “They’re too strong! Run for it!”
Apple Bloom shakily rose to her hooves. “Let’s jus’ summon the parasprites and run, while we still can!”
“Eh? Oh, r-right,” said Scootaloo. “Leave it to me!” The pegasus leapt into the air, buzzing her small wings rapidly to hover in the air. The four friends looked up and watched as she floated in the air above them. Scootaloo’s entire body shimmered with a pale blue light, as above her, a magical circle drew itself onto the low cloud cover. From inside the circle, a flood of hundreds of parasprites spilled forth, blotting out the sun.
The four ponies’ jaws collectively dropped, save Fluttershy’s as it was welded shut. “This is gonna be a problem, isn’t it?” quipped Rainbow Dash.
The swarm of parasprites landed on the bridge’s center, providing cover as the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their army fled to the south. The small creatures crawled on top of each other in a writhing blob. Under the midday sun, they warmed their tiny gossamer wings, which were attached to either side of their tiny spherical bodies. Periodically, one of the many creatures would hack and cough, and spit out a gnarled, soggy cocoon. Mere seconds after each cocoon was created in this manner, it hatched into yet another parasprite. The writhing mass of parasprites quickly grew in size, and began to take on a roughly equestrian-shaped form. The “head” of the towering “ponysprite” glared down at the smaller pony friends.
Rainbow Dash drew her katana and crouched low into her ready pose.
“What?” asked Twilight Sparkle, raising her hoof. “You’re just gonna fly in there and start whacking it with your sword?”
“Well, yeah. Did you have a better idea?”
“Run away?” whimpered Fluttershy. “Those Crusaders seemed to think it was a good plan.”
Twilight Sparkle pulled open her saddlebags. “I should have an entomology book somewhere in here.”
“Ahem!” Pinkie Pie cleared her throat noisily. “Ladies?” She held her hoof aloft, which was radiating with an arctic chill.
“Oh. Heh.” Twilight Sparkle rubbed the back of her head. “Magic. Right. Good call, Pinkie.”
No longer content to watch them strategize, the ponysprite leapt to the offensive. It swiped at Rainbow Dash with its massive front hooves, trying to knock the tiny pegasus off the bridge. Rainbow Dash parried each blow as best as she could with her katana, but this just resulted in the “hoof” shattering into a rain of parasprites. The small insects covered her body, scratching her with their tiny claws.
“Hey!” yelled Fluttershy. Twin panels ejected from her withers, exposing a pair of laser cannons. “Quit hurting Rainbow Dash!” The cannons fired, sending bolts of dark energy tearing into the ponysprite. Each blast dropped a small cluster of the winged insects, leaving a gaping hole in the large pony’s side. The holes didn’t last for long, as the terrifying reproductive rate of the parasprites soon provided replacements to repair the damage.
Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie leapt to opposite edges of the bridge. Crouching and concentrating, they called forth focused orbs of magical energy. The two ponies flung the magical bursts toward the ponysprite, where they respectively exploded into torrents of flame and blocks of ice. The ponysprite bucked and whinnied as each magic attack tore into it, yet the parasprite colony remained resilient.
“Keep up the pressure!” yelled Rainbow Dash. “They can’t keep making more of themselves forever.”
“Gee, Dash, I hope you’re right,” said Fluttershy. “Parasprites are very rapid breeders. I’m not certain that we’re having any effect.” She bucked one of the ponysprite’s hind legs, causing it to explode in a shower of insects. The swarm, missing one of its limbs, fell off-balance.
“Careful! Our spells are going to miss!” called out Twilight Sparkle. Their magic whizzed over the head of the staggered ponysprite. Without a proper target, the bolts continued along their courses until they collided with each other. The resulting explosion rocked the bridge, fragmenting the ponysprite completely. The shockwaves sent everypony flying as well. Due to her poor position, Twilight Sparkle careened off the side of the bridge, crashing into the ocean waters below.
“Twi!” Rainbow Dash called out.
“Holy cow, did you see that!” screamed Pinkie Pie. She clung to the railings on her side of the bridge, having narrowly avoided the same fate as Twilight Sparkle. “That thing was intense!”
The hundreds of parasprite flew back toward the bridge from all directions. The massive ponysprite slowly took form once more, though the mass remained immobile as it rebuilt itself.
“Pinkie, make sure that Twi is okay.” Rainbow Dash flew over to the overturned Fluttershy, helping to upright her. “In the meantime, I think they had the right idea. Time to team up, Fluttershy!”
“Eep? R-Rainbow, what are you doing back there?”
Rainbow Dash straddled herself over Fluttershy’s back, giving a kick to her ribs. “Giddy up, robopony!”
“...Pardon me?”
“C’mon!” She pointed eagerly at the swarm in front of them. “Y’know, use your rockets, and your lasers, and all that nifty stuff!”
“O-okay, I’ll try. Whoa!” Fluttershy’s wing-mounted jets surged to life with unexpected force, sending the pair hurtling through the air toward the reforming ponysprite. Due to Rainbow Dash’s extra, unbalanced weight, she spiraled wildly out of control. “Heeelp!”
Rainbow Dash laughed and flapping her wings as hard as she could muster. “Faster! Lasers! Go nuts!” She held her katana at the ready, while Fluttershy’s laser cannons came to life. As the spinning pair hurtled through the mass of parasprites, their Supersonic Spin ravaged the swarm with slicing and searing.
The pair landing on the other side of the wounded swarm. Fluttershy staggered on the ground as her balance sensors attempted to recalibrate. Rainbow Dash giggled. “Fluttershy, that attack was wicked! You’re pretty tough, y’know that?”
“Oh! T-thanks,” Fluttershy tittered.
“Dashie!” Pinkie Pie waved her hooves to gain attention. “Up high! Let’s finish this!” She launched a wave of ice magic up into the air above the ponysprite.
Rainbow Dash grinned. “I’m on it!” She raced through the air, catching the magic directly onto her katana. The mystical energy absorbed into the steel, vibrating with potential. She somersaulted in midair before taking a nosedive directly into the swarm. The magic within the Ice Sword attack exploded on contact, encasing the majority of the parasprites within a solid ice block. The few remaining insects scattered, flying off into the distance.
A tumultuous cheer rose up from the knight’s camp. “They did it! Lady Rainbow Dash defeated their forces. Zebran Bridge is ours once more! Huzzah!”
Rainbow Dash flipped through the air. “Aww yeah! Those lousy flies didn’t stand a chance. With these new powers, we’re basically unstoppable!”
Twilight Sparkle trudged her way back onto the bridge. Her mane hung damply against her side. Each hoofstep left a small puddle of water behind. “Well, that was a refreshing swim. Second one today,” she muttered.
“Right, Dashie?” said Pinkie Pie. “Me and Twilight made that insane explosion thing, and then you and Fluttershy did that crazy spinny move, and then you and me did that awesome sword attack!”
“So intense!” agreed Rainbow Dash. “Honestly, I had no clue if that was gonna work, but man, that did some serious damage!”
“Oh!” Twilight Sparkle shifted her attention away from drying herself. “I think I understand why Pinkie’s and my magic exploded like that. You see, fire and water are opposing forces in the magical domain; they’re antipodes, in a sense. Combining their attack spells forms a sort of Antipode Bomb, which...” Her voice trailed off as she realized that nopony was listening. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were heavily engaged in recounting the last battle, and pantomiming their newest attacks.
Fluttershy staggered up to her, still recovering from her aerial spins. “Oh, Twilight, thank goodness. I was so worried.” She paused. Twilight Sparkle continued to stare at her other friends as they conversed. “Twilight? Are you feeling okay?”
Twilight Sparkle gave her a weak smile. “Yeah. I’ll be fine."
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1) Start uploading chapter
2) Help unload equipment out of a truck in the pouring rain
3) Finish uploading chapter
4) Do something about my soaked pants
Priorities.
I would side with Rainbow Dash on the whole argument thing.
Also, I'm glad that they didn't mention quite how many deaths the famine would cause.
I don't think, though, that going up to Sugardia and apologizing a bit for starving everything would work out well.
650490
Aww, I wish it was raining here.
It doesn't rain enough.
(In my opinion, it NEVER rains enough!)
Oh you silly filly, pants are important!
Love it. Well done sir.
650490 Soaked pants from the rain, or from excitement?
Well, I suppose the CMC make good comic relief villains.
651182
That they do.
The Twilight-Rainbow argument was well-handled. I particularly liked Rainbow trying to work out her issues by going hyper-aggressive on the monsters, and Pinkie's solution of just trying to hug the problem away.
*facedesk* PLEASE tell me the CMC aren't the actual versions of Ozzie, Flea, and Slash. Because this is just taking things to a new degree of comedy that falls kinda flat.
And another thing, robopony from the future doesn't cause any problems with Middle Ages folk?
That's kinda odd. I mean, I know they did that in the game, but still, you've proven that you're evolving the story beyond what the game did.
I did like the brief falling out between Rainbow and Twilight. The two of them can be kinda hard-headed at times. Also, Rainbow's knee-jerk reaction is more what I would have expected from the Mare-Do-Well episode.
On another note, next chapter will reunite Rainbow Dash with Braeburn! And they'll hear about the Rainbow Shell, which they won't get to for a while.
Didn't see that comin'. CMC filling an odd role, but it's funny so no complaints!
What’s her problem, anyway? I’m not a klutz. Why’s she crying that I’m going to accidentally cut her horn off...Dash wtf girl...
652363
Have to admit, that was some really nice foreshadowing. Back when the scene happened in chapter 9, I (and presumably most other readers) assumed Twilight was just being her normal high-strung neurotic self. Finding out about Twilight's mom adds a real twist of the knife to that scene.
652946 Yes, yes it does, its one thing to be scared in theory of damage to the appendage that makes it possible for you to live your life as a unicorn, its quite enough to have watched your mother's horn be destroyed in a machine.
651279
But really though, this chapter's appearance was mostly just to set the stage for them. Further chapters will get a chance to unveil my plans for the trio, so it should hopefully all work out in the end (though I hate making that excuse for myself). And frankly, this isn't my biggest crack-casting decision in store. Still trying to plan how I'll sell some of these. 
They're all made with the best of intentions, though. Promise.
> PLEASE tell me the CMC aren't the actual versions of Ozzie, Flea, and Slash.
Fifth Amendment.
>robopony from the future doesn't cause any problems with Middle Ages folk?
Yeah, balancing act I suppose. I disliked how nearly no one called attention to it in the game (or Frog... or half-naked Ayla, for that matter). On the other hoof, I don't want to beat it into the ground, like certain appetite-related humor.
I gotta say: I automatically favorited this JUST for the idea alone.
BNut reading the first couple chapters, I gotta say.....I loved my decision. I dont regret it in the slightest.
Not only are the characters still believable, but the backdrop itself is just divine! If only this got more views. It needs them.
I love how the soulless machine is the one to point out to Twilight why Rainbow is angry with her. There's a spark in that there contraption.
Wow, now the decision to have Twi be Dash's lawyer makes more sense. Among other things. Good going, author. That's some planning!
Nice fight at the bridge and all the ways the characters are figuring out how to use their powers and how to combine them. And they don't have to finish a battle in order to do it! Experimenting in the thick of things is where it's at!
They are finally getting some good use of those magical powers and I like that falling-out conflict between Twi and Dash. I like how Medley and Firefly's relationship kinda mirrors theirs and its great to see some old foreshadowing coming back into play.
Silver out!
660307
Well, in the 600s, I always figured they thought Robo was a guy in armor, and in the 1000, one of Lucca's inventions. In any other time period, they either:
1. have something comparable, or
2. Lack a frame of reference to have a freak out.
As for Ayla, think of it this way.
You see a half naked amazonian blonde walk down the street, and she can toss boulders at targets like pebbles. Whatever your time frame, are you gonna say anything?
As for Frog...
In the 1000's, they just think he's a peaceful mystic.
In 2300, they couldn't care less what he is, unless he's edible.
In Zeal, they think he's the result of a magic experiment.
In Prehistoria, Ayla thinks he's edible.
In essence, each time period has a valid reason not to make a fuss about the characters who don't belong. As strange as they are, there are far more reasonable explanations for them then "they're time travellers". As for this story, Rainbow's been telling everypony they meet that they're time traveling, so what of it?
My personal 'recognition wtf' is when I have Magus as my party leader and I'm talking to King Guardia in 600 ad. No difference in reaction when the darklord/Fiendlord is standing right in front of him. I find it oddly hilarious when he congratulats Magus once again for defeating the Fiendlord.
This. This was the point where I realized this was way more than just a ponified Chrono Trigger, and that you had some seriously awesome story ideas to add to it. Before this, it felt like a fun and hilarious pony parody, which was already awesome, but this moment really sold it as a story.
Well done.
650490 Damn straight priorities, betch.Gotta move dem boxes, yo.
Eh, Rocket Roll has a better ring to it.