My Little Pony: The Element of Time

by Thunderwing250

Chapter 5: Journey Through The Tower of Kronos

The next morning, Twilight, and her friends awoke from a long night and continued their journey to the Smokey Mountain. The Archivist, alongside Doctor Hooves, followed from behind. As the group of friends gossiped, Doctor Hooves turned to the Archivist.

“I overheard you telling Twilight about the Element of Time. You know the master doesn’t like when ponies hear about the Element. It could bring danger,” Doctor Hooves said.

“Twilight means well, but she's been prying too much into the ancient knowledge, so I gave her little story about that,” The Archivist replied.

“So, you threatened her that if she found it, she would suffer the same fate by becoming stone,” he replied, disappointed.

“Threaten? I'd call it a warning,” The Archivist responded.

Within five minutes, the group halted at the bottom of the Smokey Mountain. Felt like a déjà vu to Twilight, only this time it wasn’t a dragon sleeping. Confident that they would resolve the problem, the group climbed up the mountain and avoided avalanche areas.

Half way up the mountain, Fluttershy began feeling worried thinking there maybe another dragon. Applejack turned and looked at her shaking.

“What’s wrong, sugercube?” Applejack asked.

“Oh. I’m just feeling and little scared. It’s like we’re going back up the mountain to stop a dragon,” Fluttershy whispered. “It's still scary.”

“Don’t you worry, now. We’ll keep you safe,” Applejack assured her.

“Really?” Fluttershy responded.

“You betcha, Fluttershy. As long as we’re together, we’ll stay strong,” Rainbow Dash replied, puffing out her chest.

From behind, the Archivist watched and observed the ponies’ attitude and determination with one another. More importantly, their strength with keeping each other safe, which made the Archivist smile. Doctor Hooves chuckled.

“Well now. This is the first time I’ve seen you smile, my friend,” he said.

The Archivist blushed.

“Well,uh... I’ve had my moments, and this is one of those moments. It just amazes me, how close these six are. It’s like they would put their own life on the line for one another just like that. I’m just speechless,” she replied.

“We’re here. Again,” Twilight said, looking at the cave entrance. “Alright, everypony, let’s go in together, but stay close. This seems stranger than before.”

She continued onwards as all her friends followed.

“Strange that the force of whatever lies in there did not react to our presence,” Doctor Hooves commented.

The Archivist noticed the unusual silence. She grimaced.

“Everypony stay alert,” she said. “Be cautious. We still are not sure what's inside.”

After a few minutes of walking into the cave, they all realized the dragon’s gold remained there. Yet, no dragon was in sight. The Archivist began to examine the gold to see if there is any evidence of something else lurking there. However, Pinkie Pie, hopping around, spotted a trail of scattered coins leading deeper into the mountain. However, the area Pinkie Pie was following looked darker that the rest. The Archivist grabbed an old, worn staff from the treasure and ignited the top as she brandished it in her magic.

“Oh, it’s absolutely dark. Even with that torch,” Rarity said

“And slimy, too,” Twilight grumbled.

The Archivist used her magic to brighten the torch, only to noticed carvings on the walls. The group were in awe as they tried to study the wall carvings. In the form of hieroglyphics, none of them could interpret them. The Archivist and Twilight walked closer and noticed something unusual. Shining the light to a strange-looking figure, she noticed something almost out of place beside it.

“Is that...?” Twilight began.

“Yes, Twilight. It’s the Element of Time. It appears when the Tower was destroyed, the Archivists of the Tower came here to carve out its history. However, it’s strange that I haven’t seen this, nor any written documents in the Temple of Inception’s Library. Truly strange,” The Archivist replied.

As they continued to study the walls, the group went deeper and deeper into the mountain, until they reached a massive hall, filled with giant pillars. Viewing these ancient ruins amazed the group, until The Archivist noticed a bright light in room. Running to the light, she noticed a large sarcophagus sitting in the middle of the room. The group followed and noticed the tomb. Walking around it, The Archivist observed the object carefully, and soon picked out an inscription on the top. Twilight walked next to her to see it.

“Do you know what it says?” Twilight asked.

The Archivist shook her head.

“For some reason, I don’t know. I’ve never seen this language before,” she replied.

Doctor Hooves blew away the dust from the top, and in shock, both he and the Archivist realized something. They shared a look.

“The Smokey Mountain is the Tower of Kronos!” they both said.

Twilight tilted her head.

“Whoa, whoa! Ya mean to tell us this is some kind tower down here?” Applejack asked.

“What even is a Tower of Kronos anyway?” Rainbow Dash demanded.

“It’s the Tower that houses the Element of Time. An ancient element said to contain powers beyond even the strongest Alicorns,” Twilight responded.

The Archivist continued to examine the sarcophagus, yet seemed rather puzzled.

“If this is the tomb of the young princess, then that means--”

Suddenly, a loud cry was heard within the Tower, only to echo continuously. Twilight cast about with worry, looking at her friends. Rarity and Fluttershy cowered together, while Applejack had a worried, confused frown on her face. Pinkie's expression was alert and she was a little twitchy. Rainbow Dash's fur and feathers were bristling and she pawed the ground with her hoof.

“Everypony, hurry, let's get out of here!” she announced.

“Gladly,” Rarity said.

She nudged Fluttershy, who hurried back the way they had come gladly. The others followed, but The Archivist remained. So did Doctor Hooves, who looked at The Archivist with a concerned frown.

“Come on, Archivist. We have to go,” Twilight pleaded.

The Archivist frowned. In her eyes, something was truly wrong.

“If this is the Tower of Kronos and she’s buried here, where’s the Element of Time?” she wondered.

As the wailing sound grew louder, Twilight couldn't help the fear building in her.

“Archivist! Come on, now, we have to leave!” she called.

Completely in disarray, the Archivist followed Twilight and the group out of the room. A wall of ethereal blue stopped them, an unnatural wind chilling the ponies to the bone. It took them a moment to realize what confronted them were spectral equines, Windegos.

Rushing out, their exit was cut off, trapping them inside. Surrounded by Windegos, the group stood their ground, forming a circle to guard each other's backs. The Archivist grimaced.

“Now I understand why nothing halted our intrusion. Something in here knew we were coming and now, we fell for their trap.”