Killing Time

by JohnnyNorthrain

Deadlocked

Some scientist once said that the reason we fear vampires was because the fangs reminded us of a time in our ancestral history where we were chased and hunted by Saber toothed cats. Trust some scientist to try and rationalize fear. As a kid you fear so damned many things it’s impossible to keep count. Spiders and bats and your friend’s drunk father with a baseball bat. Eventually you grow up and get over your fear of such things. Spiders are just eight legged eating machines that kill the nasty bugs of the world and bats are just the airborne version of spiders filling the same role. Eventually you break a bottle over that bastard’s head for hitting your friend one too many times and you don’t fear him anymore. You don’t fear anything like that until you are confronted with something so beyond your experience and understanding that all you can do is fear. You start to appreciate that at your age something can still make you afraid. You start to embrace the feeling as your heart quakes. Fear is a powerful emotion if you learn how to use it. Unfortunately for me I never did.

My fear was running wild but I did not fear her. I had absolutely no fear left for what she could and probably would do to me. My heart was racing and my blood was cold because I’d just been ripped away from the one pony I valued more than my life itself and thrown before the Queen of the Changelings. I was down on my knees praying to Celestia and Luna and God and whomever else would listen that she had only taken me and left Lyra Heartstrings alone. I could cope with my death at her hands. That was easy enough for me to do. I couldn’t bear the thought of my friend being subject to the Queen’s whim again.

I raised my eyes from the ground with tears threatening to spill from their corners. She stood on all four hooves with her nose in the air much the same way Celestia had looked at me at our last meeting. Her tongue snaked out and licked her lips as she approached. I stood and balled my fists ready to do… what? I couldn’t fight her. There was no way I’d even hurt her. My knife and gun were gone and my hat had been lost. I liked that hat… it had been a gift from Rarity.
“You came to me my servant. You came to find me.” She loomed over me even though we were at eye level.
“I’m not going to let you win.” I croaked my throat hoarse and dry.
“It’s not about winning anymore. I need you. I need you with me and as a part of me. You and I will start a new clutch and we will hatch the strongest brood I’ve ever birthed.”
“I won’t be part of anything with you.”
“I repulse you like this. That can be changed.” Her skin crackled with that same green energy and she shifted form into Celestia with the matching voice. “I can be any pony that you wish.” Her form changed again into Luna. “Any pony at all. The only thing I require is that you love me. I’ll give you the entire world of Equestria. Everything will be yours my servant. You’ll have power and pleasure and every little desire of your heart. Love me and I will be your slave.”
“I want nothing. You have nothing you can offer that will make me join you.” My breathing was hard from the pain in my body.
“Not even if I looked like this?” Her form changed to that of Lyra.
“Don’t you dare assume her shape! Don’t you dare defile her!”

I screamed and hit her with my fists. The attack was feeble and she laughed it off changing back to her normal form. Her wings fluttered and my rage boiled hot. The fact that she had assumed Lyra’s form trying to get me to be with her angered me so much that I hardly felt the pain anymore. I wanted to break that horn off her head and ram it down her throat. I wanted to stand over her body as she gasped for air and I wanted to watch her die.

She stood on two hooves and her skin crackled again. Her form changed from a pony into a Human. Her skin became softly sun kissed and her hair was dark green and straight. Her eyes almond and her lips supple. She was clothed in a Chinese robe that shimmered green and black and her face was so beautiful it hurt to look at it. My rage quickly boiled away as I beheld this Asian beauty before me. She reached out a hand with long fingernails and touched the tip of my nose. Her eyes glowed a soft green as she smiled and canted her head to the side.
“I can be anything you wish…” Her voice was like silk sliding on chocolate.
“…anything I wish….” I echoed enraptured by her eyes.
“All you have to do is love me.” She drew her finger along my cheek and around behind my ear.
“…all I have to do…” I couldn’t help myself she was just so inviting and desirable.
“Is love me.” Her mouth came forward and she flicked the tip of her tongue over my lips.”
“…love…. I…. love….” I stammered trying to resist.
“Yesss….” She hissed drawing her lips to my ear and licking the inner curves.
“….lyra.”

It was the slightest breath of a whisper in her ear and she drew back. Before she could pull completely away from my face I pushed my mouth forward and bit down hard on her ear. She pushed me away with a yell and danced backward shifting out of that gorgeous Chinese form into her normal insect like version. I spat a small chunk of her ear from my mouth and wiped my tongue on my sleeve. She growled and there was pure fire in her eyes.

“How dare you attack your Queen!” She rose up and her horn began to glow. I fished in my pocket for something, anything to use against her. My hands clamped down around the pocket watch and I drew it out. Flicking open the face I set it for something. I did it too fast to see if it was twelve minutes or twelve hours. She threw her head forward and an orb of dripping green slime hurled itself at me. I dropped to my knees and it sailed past my head. I pushed the winding button on the watch and nothing happened. I pulled it out and pushed it again. Still nothing and she was summoning another orb to use against me. I slammed the watch down onto the ground angry that it did not work. I grabbed a large rock and raised it over my head. The damned watch was useless. The Crusader had gutted my watch and given me back a piece of junk. I brought the rock down hard into the face breaking it apart. There was a loud fizz then a spark and suddenly it exploded in electric blue light. I threw myself back and my arms up to shield my face. Something heavy hit my side hard and tumbled me out of the way. I heard a scream then the light dissipated and there was only silence.

I pulled myself up and saw Derpy with blood coming from her nose. I picked her up and checked her face. She gave me a weak smile and her wing was at a bad angle. I touched it and she cried out in pain. Ripping away the sleeve of my coat I tied the wing to her body with her crying the entire time. I couldn’t make a splint with no wood around and this had to do for now. It was broken and she wouldn’t be able to fly out of here. I hugged the little ditzy pony and she cried more. I joined her in shedding tears happy that my friend had not abandoned me. I felt so bad that she had been hurt and I pulled her to her hooves.

Spinning around ready to face Chrysalis I braced for an attack but she stood there silent. Her face was contorted in a scream and she was on her hind legs rearing up. She never moved and we waited a full minute before I picked up a small rock and tossed it. It stopped just before her suspended in the air unmoving as she was. I couldn’t make any sense of it. There was nothing that I could see stopping her from killing Derpy and myself. The rock and she were frozen in place. The remains of the pocket watch were scattered around the ground some of the pieces were suspended in front of her and others were far away. It had exploded and…

I turned hearing the whine of the Tardis before it appeared. Slowly it phased into existence and the sound stopped with a low pitched bell. The door creaked open and out of it ran a blur of aqua that crashed into me. She licked my face and kissed my lips and was completely unapologetic about hurting me. I did not care in the least. Lyra was safe and she was pinning me down. We were both crying and hugging. My body was torn up and my blood was on the sand but she was safe and that’s all that mattered.

The Doctor stepped out and tended to Derpy’s broken wing and bloody face. In between the kisses some from her and some from me I finally pushed her away enough to stand up. My legs gave way and I slammed back down on my ass hard. I gave up and just sat there with Lyra curling up in my lap. We were both exhausted from the ordeal and did not want to leave each other. I’d been ripped away from her and there was no way right now I’d chance a repeat of that.
“It exploded?” The Doctor asked seeing the pocket watch in pieces. “Oh now that’s very interesting. She’s Deadlocked.”
“Deadlocked?” I looked up over Lyra’s horn and asked the Doctor.
“What exactly happened?” He shot his eyes back to me and Derpy was standing at his side.
“The watch wouldn’t work. I tried to stop time just like Colgate said and it bloody well refused to work. So… I… broke it with a rock.”
“You broke apart a temporal device?” He grinned from ear to ear.
“Yes…” I said quietly.
“And it exploded.” He stated
“In blue light.”
“How did you escape?” He asked trotting towards me.
“Derpy slammed into me knocking me out of the way.” I looked to her and she had a smile just as big as the Doctor’s. I felt as if I had missed something important.
“You told me to fly fast when I saw him with a rock. There was a flash of light and I could see anymore. That’s when I ran into him.” Derpy beamed at the Doctor.
“You did perfect… muffin…” He nuzzled her neck and she blushed. “If Derpy had not hit you at that moment you’d be deadlocked just like the Changeling Queen.” He turned back to me.
“What the hell is deadlocked?”
“She’s beyond my help now. The device exploded and you sealed her in time. That light was the energy of the vortex exploding outward. Anything it touches gets locked into time. You effectively killed time for her. She won't age and she won't experience anything. Derpy got you away just before it could envelop you. Chrysalis… was not so lucky.” The Doctor shrugged.
“She’s permanently frozen like that?” I asked not quite believing it.
“I can’t break a deadlock seal. There might be some pony that can but for now she’s not going anywhere. You did well Mr. Northrain. You did quite well. Come on, let’s get back to the world and get you all some medical care.”

I tried to push Lyra off my lap but she was too tired and sore to budge. I picked her up and carried her towards the Tardis. The four of us stepped inside and I slumped down on the floor. The Doctor started her up and we jumped away from the badlands.

I’d fallen asleep on the Tardis. When I awoke we were in Canterlot and I was in my room again. One of these days I swore that I’d have to visit the bed without being injured. Lyra was sleeping next to me and next to her was Bon Bon. The three of us fit in the bed well enough. I guess Lyra did not want to be apart from me and Bon Bon wouldn’t leave her. I put my arms around both of them and fell back asleep. The dream was a pleasant one.

In the month following the recovery I had healed completely from the bullet and the battle in the badlands except for the small patch of skin that was still there. The gift from Chrysalis. We’d all met with Celestia and Luna. The Princesses recognized our effort in stopping Chrysalis from returning. It was subdued with no fan fair and I preferred it that way. Celestia put her nose against my forehead kissing it and telling me that I was welcome at the Palace. The train ride back was uneventful and our return to Ponyville went barely noticed. Twilight Sparkle knew what we had done. She asked me so many questions that I had to push her out of the office. No other pony in Ponyville knew what had happened. They asked Lyra and Me why we were away so long and we just told them that we’d been visiting in Canterlot. Life returned somewhat to normal.

I have to admit that I love Lyra Heartstrings but it’s not the kind of love that makes me want to marry her. It’s the kind of deep seeded love that makes me consider her my truest friend. When everything was going to hell she saved me. She put herself in harm’s way to pull me out of it. It was because of her that I was able to resist Chrysalis and stop her. I love that little pony and I grew to love her friend Bon Bon as well. The three of us settled into a good life for a while. Nothing lasts forever though. And I’m honestly glad that it doesn’t.

A month and a half after the badlands Spike burst into the office and tossed a scroll down on my desk. His sudden appearance caught me by surprise and I spilled my apple juice all over my shirt. I grabbed a towel from the kitchen and mopped up the spill. He picked up the scroll and waved it in his tiny claws.
“Johnny you have to read this. It’s from the Princess!”
“Okay Okay.. here give me that.” I took it from his hand and unrolled it.
“What’s it say?” Lyra asked from her desk.
“There’s been a murder…” I looked up from the scroll and turned my eyes to her.
“Where?” She stood from the desk and trotted around it.
“We’re going to leave on the next train and the Princess Celestia has asked for us specifically to investigate it. Get your hat kiddo… were going to Manehattan.”