My Little Pony: The Day Equestria Stood Still

by Thunderwing250

Chapter 7: Anticipation

Furious, attempting to reach him, Twilight tried to fly up, chasing Khaoios and Spike, but was held by the tail. The Archivist pulled her back. Angry and weak, Twilight collapsed onto the ground.

"How could you?!" Twilight cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "You knew about him! You know everything about him, and you didn't tell anypony!!! There was no way we could stop him in time, and you knew! And now Spike is gone!!!"

She began to sob, and her friends watched her hopelessly before limping to her side and cuddling to her sides. For the first time, The Archivist felt sorry for Twilight.

“I understand now,” she said softly.

Twilight frowned, confused, at her though her tears, and her friends looked at her.

“Your compassion with one another is somewhat... touching. Yet, I must admit, you are right about me. I should be blamed for my mistakes. Even if that means going against my masters.”

There was a silence, then she picked her head up.

“We have five days to find a weak spot for Khaoios, and we must move now,” The Archivist replied.

For the first time, Twilight noticed a smile on her face, as if she have been enlightened. Knowing their time was running out, Twilight and her friends got back up on their hooves, ready to perform the challenging task. Before leaving, The Archivist turned to them.

“You must locate the one they call Daring Do, and bring her along, for she will be required for your task,” she said.

“And what exactly are you gonna do?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I will locate two others that will be needed. Once we recruit them, meet us at San Palamino Desert. However, you have to wait for us, because the sands can be brutal,” The Archivist responded.

“San Palamino Desert?” Twilight repeated.

“Don’t worry. Now go. We have no time to waste,” The Archivist replied, leaving.

Twilight didn’t understand, however, she knew time was of the essence, thus preparing for her journey was of the utmost importance.

“Come on, girls,” she said, and her friends followed.

One by one, they gathered their belongings. For Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, they knew that leaving Ponyville would make it an easy target if Khaoios wished to attack again. Rarity and Rainbow Dash arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, where Zecora had stayed with the family. There, Rarity spoke to Sweetie Bell, who was crying.

“Oh what’s wrong, darling?” Rarity asked.

Sweetie Bell choked.

“Please, come back safely,” She cried.

Rarity shed a tear, for she knew this would perhaps be their hardest task.

Rainbow Dash stood in front of Scootaloo, trying to hold her tears in. Smiling, she embraced her tightly.

“Don’t worry, lil’ sis, I’ll come back. You can count on it,” Rainbow Dash said.

Scootaloo smiled.

“I know... big sis,” she whispered.

Upstairs, Applejack gather the last of her belongings, only to turn and watch as Applebloom began to cry. Big Mac, on the other hoof, held his sadness in. Granny Smith walked up.

“Now listen here, you. You better come back. Ya hear?” she said, only to cry a few seconds later.

Applejack walked up and embraced her family, shedding a tear as well.

“We’ll be back. I promise,” she said.

After a few minutes, the group arrived downstairs, and Zecora stood by.

“Do not fret. I will stay and protect them from any threat.” She said.

“Thank you, Zecora,” Applejack and Rarity said, smiling.

“My dearest friends, I did not know true friendship until I met all of you. Of all things that I know, this above all is true. Though this quest will be a terrible crucible, as long as you believe in yourselves and each other, anything is possible.” Zecora spoke just before Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash left.

Rainbow Dash smiled.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be back in one piece,” she replied, taking off as Applejack and Rarity followed.

The family waved before disappearing.

Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy stood at the northern path to Galloping Gorge, waiting for the rest of their friends. Within minutes, they regrouped and soon made their journey to visit Daring Do.

The Archivist, going in a different direction, passed by a Doctor's home. Looking around, she knocked on the door in a specific way. When the door opened, Doctor Hooves stood there. He had a brown mane and tail, with a light brown fur and an hourglass for a cutie mark. Once he saw the Archivist he was silent.

“We have a task, Doctor. I assume you received his message?” the Archivist said.

The Doctor nodded.

“Of course. I was expecting you.” He replied.

The Archivist walked inside, quietly when Derpy came down the stairs in curiosity.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

Doctor Hooves looked up.

“Nothing at all, Derpy. Just an old friend,” he replied.

Derpy returned upstairs, while the Archivist and the Doctor sat for a short conversation.

“When did you hear about Khaoios?” asked the Doctor.

“Two days ago. Apparently, he broke out of his prison hold and created the meteors, but at separate times,” The Archivist said.

“Hmmmm... That explains his Power Drains. Yet, it is strange this was quite unsuspecting of him,” The Doctor responded.

“Believe me, Doctor. Khaoios is incredibly intelligent. He caught me off guard just before, and now he has the Princess’ assistant, and she will do anything to stop him,” The Archivist continued.

The Doctor exhaled.

“You did tell her what he’s capable of... did you?”

The Archivist was silent for a moment.

“I didn’t, unfortunately. She didn’t trust me in the beginning, however, she does now, because I told her the truth about him.”

Hooves became suspicious.

“So... you lied to her?”

“Yes. It is I who doesn’t trust her. Her thirst for knowledge will only make matters worse. I’m afraid that Khaoios is here, not to unleash his vengeance, but for something else,” The Archivist replied.

The Doctor tilted his head.

“So. Khaoios came back because he was afraid that Twilight was going steal his title of Master of Intelligence?”

“Unfortunately, yes. That’s why he took her assistant.”

The Doctor then realized Khaoios unusual behavior from before and began to think. He turned.

“The other Princesses? Celestia? Luna? Cadance?” he asked.

“Celestia and Luna threw me in the dungeon, so I was unable to tell them what was happening. However, they could not sense him until he stormed across Canterlot. As for Cadance... I can assure you, she is doing exactly what she was taught,” The Archivist replied.

“Of course... How can I ever forget that?” Doctor Hooves said. “Where’s Khaoios now?”

The Archivist shook her head.

“Khaoios is smarter than that to reveal his location,” she answered.

“Understood. Where’s Twilight now?” the Doctor asked.

“She is heading to Galloping Gorge to retrieve Daring Do. She’ll be there guide her through the desert since she’s the one who almost excavated the Caves.”

The Doctor jumped.

“San Palamino? But... Archivist, you know the rule.”

“We have no choice. Once we finish going through the Temple and defeat Khaoios, everypony's minds will be wiped clean, excluding ours. It is the only way to conceal the secrets,” The Archivist retorted.

For a few minutes, Doctor Hooves knew the problem was complicated and, indeed, challenging. Fully understanding the problem, he stood up.

“Very well, then. Let’s go and assist. Should we alert Cabaleron as well?” Doctor Hooves said.

“That is our next stop. The three of us are the only ones who know of the existence of the Temple and it is our duty to see that the laws aren’t broken. That is why we will regroup with them and follow them,” The Archivist replied.

The Doctor nodded in satisfaction and called, Derpy.

“My dear. I will be gone for a few days, so please don’t cause any trouble nor make a mess in the laboratory,” he said calmly.

Derpy winked.

“Okay,” She said.

The Archivist and Doctor Hooves soon walked out of the house and proceeded to White-Tail Woods.

---

Over in Canterlot, Cadance and Shining Armor had arrived, while Princess Celestia and Princess Luna began to walk around, slowly regaining their strength. While Shining Armor stood guard outside, Cadance went into Celestia and Luna’s room and turned to the guards.

“Please leave us,” she ordered.

The guards left the room silently, as they shut the door behind them.

“What happened?” she asked.

Celestia turned, still weak.

“I am not sure, but he calls himself, Khaoios,” she replied.

“His origin is unknown to us, including his power,” Luna responded.

“However... there was this one unicorn who called herself The Archivist and seemed to have known about Khaoios. And yet..." Celestia paused.

“And what?” Cadance asked curiously.

“It was foolish of us to imprison her without giving her a chance to speak, due to our fear of ponies spying. We merely acted on instinct instead of analyzing, and for that, we take the blame for what has happened,” Luna calmly added.

Cadance exhaled.

“Where is this “Archivist” now?” she asked.

“She has gone off with Twilight and her friends to stop Khaoios. Though I told her that this is a difficult task in which I cannot afford to lose her. If anything were to happen to her... I don’t think I can live with that mistake.”

Celestia's eyes welled up with tears. Luna stumbled, for she felt a sense of guilt too. Both sisters, for the first time, felt helpless, upset that they failed to defend their subjects against an unknown beast. Suddenly, a guard ran in.

“Forgive me, Princesses. We have received word from Ponyville. It appears Khaoios attacked Ponyville, but he retreated due to his lack of power. Yet, he has also taken Princess Twilight’s assistant as prisoner. The other report I have is from Manehattan, that he has ceased his attack and now has taken refuge in the city. In addition, reports say he now has taken the city hostage, but states he will bring no harm to ponies until a five day period is up,” he reported.

The Princesses breathed a sigh of relief.

“What five day period?” Cadance asked.

The guard shook his head.

“He says only the Spirits of Friendship know and thus it is their task to meet his demands. Some of us believe it is a trick, while an unknown general states he is testing us,” he continued.

Celestia and Luna walked up.

“What Unknown General?” they asked.