Chapter Two: The Road Not Taken [Blueshift]
Twilight screamed as the town hall exploded into a blazing inferno. A fireball rose out of the ground, consuming it and everything at ground zero into a broiling mass. Immediately the outrush of heat hit her, and she braced herself against the earth as the grass turned to ash and all around her ponies blackened into cinders. Everything was black, black and red, seemingly frozen forever in one terrible instant.
After a few more moments screaming, Twilight realised that everything was frozen. She frowned, checking her hooves first for any signs of harm. She was fine. Nothing else was. Ponyville was devastated; flames frozen in place as they licked around the wailing, dying ponies that were scattered as if in some bizarre tableau.
“Am… am I dead?” She finally brought up the courage to speak, her voice echoing around the macabre scene. “Was that it?”
“No my faithful student.” Twilight turned as the figure of Celestia appeared from thin air beside her, wrapping a comforting wing around her side. “This is but a glimpse of the future that can happen – will happen – if you fail in your mission.”
Twilight’s mouth dropped open. “Mission, Princess? What do you mean? What could cause this terrible disaster?”
Celestia’s eyes took on a faraway gaze, as she looked out towards the centre of the terrible fireball. “Equestria is in danger, Twilight Sparkle. Already the Enemy is moving their pawns in a strategy even I cannot fully comprehend. Princess Luna is currently battling to stop a second moon from rising from beneath the sea and shining its terrible light over the land. Princess Cadance is attempting to stop the Coal People from fusing themselves into a new, more evil form of crystal. So it is up to you, Twilight, to stop the Enemy from using the Elements of Harmony. You must – “
“What?” Twilight gulped hard. “You want me to get my friends together and battle this mysterious foe?”
“No.” Celestia sunk her head. “I do not yet know what the Enemy plans, but he or she has incredible powers. That is why I have frozen time in this sliver of an alternate reality to talk to you. If you tell anyone of your mission, if you even think about the reasons for your mission for any instant once time has restarted, the Enemy will realise what we are up to, and what you see here will come to pass.” She scuffed a hoof sadly in the ashes of a desiccated pony.
“And my mission?” Twilight asked in a quivering voice.
“Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia was at once commanding and yet sympathetic. “It is a heavy task I ask of you. To prevent the Elements of Harmony from being twisted and used for evil, you must kill your friends. I call this Operation: Ponemurdered.” She raised a hoof to silence a horrified Twilight. “I will restore them to life once the crisis is over and the Enemy defeated. But until then, they must be removed from this earthly plain, and death is the only answer. Do you understand?”
Tears prickled at the edge of Twilight’s eyes, and she gulped, the fire and brimstone all around her casting terrible shadows. “A-and I can’t tell them why I’m doing it, or even think about the real reasons?”
Celestia shook her head. “No, my faithful student. The risks are too high. If you do, the Enemy will at once realise my strategy and what you see will come to pass. But they will be restored, I promise you.”
Twilight stepped forwards into the frozen conflagration. This was the future if she didn’t act. She knew that. “I’ll do it, Princess,” she finally replied. “I’ll kill my friends.”
“Thank you, Twilight.” Celestia faded, and before Twilight’s eyes the ruined centre of Ponyville vanished, to be replaced by the bright happy midday sun and the sight of dozens of cheerful ponies all around her. She swallowed hard.
***
A party, that was what the stranger had ordered. Vinyl Scratch didn’t care much for their attitude, but money was money, after all, and the bits in her hooves allayed any doubts about the odd request. Normally someone would request her DJ services for an event or party, some sort of special occasion. But this pony just wanted her to set up her equipment in the park and play a certain record.
It was very weird. Even weirder was the fact that as she tried to recall the earlier conversation, she couldn’t remember what the stranger looked like. Not even if it was a mare or a colt. She shrugged as she put the finishing touches to her turnstiles. “Fillies and gentlecolts!” she shouted to no-one in particular. “I have been asked to perform the latest in musical taste, all the way from Canterlot!”
The record the stranger had given her was heavy in her hooves. It felt cold and clammy, not like what she was used to. Ignoring the uncomfortable sensations, she placed the record on the turnstile and hit play, hoping that this wouldn’t damage her reputation too much. The music began to blare out through the loudspeakers and into the park.
It sounded like screaming.
***
“Why, Twilight!” Busy Bumble the shopkeeper looked up from his desk and smiled at the determined looking purple unicorn that stood before him. “I’ve not seen you in a while! You’ve never popped into my store before, what can I do for you?”
Twilight kept her mind clear. She needed to stay focussed, not let her thoughts drift for one moment. She had seen the shop many times before. It was nestled in between ‘Sofas and Quills’ and ‘Fans and Whistles’. Twilight never had a reason to enter ‘Chainsaws, Quicklime and Binbags’ in the past.
She smiled sweetly at the shopkeeper. “I’d like to place an order, please…”
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I wonder if the shopkeeper has any resemblance to dexter morgan
My plan would've been just set a bomb off in a party
... Okay then! *Gets his popcorn*
Talk about an enterence
HEY! Ponyville stores only ever sell TWO things! Chainsaws, Quicklime and Binbags is not natural. THE STORE IS A LIE!
Wait, kill her friends...who's the author, I think I've read a story like this before...
Are the Author's Notes going to be just as entertaining as the actual story, because that would be amazing.
Murder your friends to stop an evil from happening.
Well. Ok. That sound legit.
Also Chainsaw's and Binbags? If it works...
On I go!
~Skeeter The Lurker
It's quite easy, have Pinkie hold a party for all of them, then when everyponys there, that's when you pull out you're automatic rifle and discretly gun them all down on full auto.
What a convenient shop !
No way, bro!
I would rather commit suicide than kill my friends!
World burns? Not my problem!
Deal with it yourself, princess 'i'm too busy to care about friendship'!
The world is so cruel! No, Twilight! Wait...that is a villain is disguise, isn't it?
Somepony shape-shifted into princess Celestia... Chrysalis!
Damn it, ponies! Why are you so gullible!?
I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.
...I think...
...
Well, this can only end well
2850270
No, it sells two things: chainsaws, and binbags and quicklime. You can't buy some quicklime by itself, you have to buy binbags and quicklime.
2852955
We flying rocket ships?!
2851156
I literally flailed around on my bed for a good thirty seconds. COULDN'T DEAL WITH IT
2852955 it' that escalated quickly
Still a better lovestory that Planesplanked
2850278 lol I hope so, it's so funny reading the different authors ideas 25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m86xfqhqGP1rcjmu8o1_500.gif sorry... I just had to okay!
this already makes no sense....
Awesome!
Why did you write twilight as Nicholas Cage?
2850234
Thank you so much for reminding me of my popcorn.
I don't understand what is happening BUT I LOVE IT!
Well, this was certainly not what I expected, but okay. Blueshift has given us an interesting plot to work with, with plenty of wiggle room built in. The question is, will it survive to the end of the story? Actually, the real question is, why do I have the feeling this is going to end up becoming the writers version of that telephone game we all used to play as kids? Also, I don't quite know what to make of this side plot with Vinyl.
Thank you, Blueshift.
Thank you so much.
2852955
It accelerated so quickly, it initiated the Doppler Effect. Look back and see the blueshift.
Whaaaaatthafaaaack?
Celestia: Hey, slave! I have a mission for you!
Twilight: Yes Princess, I'll ignore the explosion, which could have been just a quiet pond or meadow in an alternate universe, that you made just so we could talk in private.
Celestia: TWILIGHT SPARKLE YOU HAVE TO KILL YOUR BEST FRIENDS SO AN ANTAGONIST I HAVE NOT EXPLAINED TO YOU IN ANY DETAIL CAN BE DEFEATEEEEED!
Twilight: Okay.
Srsly, wtf?
SPOOPY
Smash the coal people! They like it, really! So long as you overkill smash, anyways...
7018692
And such is canonically accurate