Chapter 1
Through the dark alleyways of Canterlot a lone pony crept. It was of the utmost importance that nopony discover it. Hooded and cloaked it darted from shadow to shadow. If it was discovered everything would be undone, all the hard work and planning that had gone into this night. Quickly the figure made its way across the city to the rendezvous, where hopefully the others would be waiting.
In another part of the city, another lone figure moved. This one had no need for hoods, cloaks, or shadows. Currently it was a white Pegasus with the standard royal Canterlot armor on. Peeping around a corner it spied other guards moving towards its position. With a flash of emerald fire suddenly the white Pegasus was gone and a brown mare, an earth pony, was in its place. This mare walked quickly past the Canterlot guards without raising any alarms. Once past, the mare disappeared in a flash of green and the original Pegasus guard was there. It was easier to get through the city as a guard. The only ponies who would dare question a Royal guard were other guards.
At the rendezvous the hooded pony had arrived. A grand estate on the edge of the royal gardens, it towered over the nearby houses, yet was still dwarfed by the castle behind it. After a quick look around for guards the hooded pony ran to the door of the estate and knocked. Briefly a peephole opened then shut. A moment later the door opened to reveal a midnight black unicorn stallion. He ushered the pony into the house, then after looking outside to make sure there was no one else, shut the door.
Once the door was closed the unicorn turned to the hooded pony, “I don’t believe I have ever seen you this subdued.”
“My father taught me many things,” said the other pony. Then she removed her hood with a quick flick of her head, revealing a light purple pony with a darker purple mane striped with white. The most distinctive thing about this pony however was her eyes. They focused in different directions and seemed to swirl when one stared too long. “One of the things he taught me was that there is a time for everything including subtlety.”
“That is not how I remember his last arrival,” replied the unicorn. “Cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate milk, is anything but subtle.”
“He wasn’t trying to be subtle. He was just trying to have fun,” she said, a little sadly. “Anyways you should have asked for the password when I knocked, too much is riding on this for us to let security become lax.”
“Trust me there is no possible way it could have been anypony but you. “
A knock at the door interrupted what would likely have led to a heated argument. The purple pony threw her hood on and retreated to the shadows. When she was hidden in the darkness, the dark furred unicorn went and checked the peephole of the door. This time there was a ritual exchange of passwords before the door opened to reveal a white Pegasus, wearing the armor of a Canterlot guard. In the corner the hooded pony tensed then relaxed as the guard disappeared in a wave of green fire.
In its place was a changeling. Vaguely pony shaped the changeling was black with skin that was almost scales. Its entire body seems to be that of somepony who had come out the worse in a terrible fight. Tattered ears, ripped wings, gaping holes in its legs. But the changeling didn't even notice what would be grievous wounds on any other creature.
“Isss the purple one here?” asked the changeling as it entered. It spoke with a sibilant hiss, drawing out its words.
“The purple one is here,” answered the hooded pony as she emerged from the shadows. “I am glad that you could make it, Black Scale. Were you able to acquire what we need?”
“I have acquired it, Sssscrewball,” replied Black Scale. Then turning to the unicorn, “and were you Corvussss, able to fulfill your portion?”
“Of course I was able to! Do you really think that I would be here if I didn't have it? Why don’t you just worry about what’s coming next. Will you be able to pull off everything you said you would be able to?”
“For a creature of my talentsss it will be easssy,” replied Black Scale.
“Yes and that is exactly why I needed you for this mission,” Screwball interrupted. Her patience was wearing thin with the constant arguing, but there was no other way to accomplish her mission.
“Are sssurre thisss will work?” hissed Black Scale.
“Yes I am sure. Everyone knows that these six ponies defeated both my father and Corvus’s Dark Queen. They were also instrumental in the defeat and banishment of the changeling army”
“Yes,” said Corvus, “And I, as the sun tyrant’s personal scribe have been able to discover the exact instance when we will have the ability to effect these pony’s lives the most. When our work tonight is done all three enemies of the Celestia the Tyrant will be free to do as they wish.”
“Yes. But for now we still have to complete the work. Everypony know their part? Good. Let’s head to the castle. “
* * *
In a castle tower, the princess of the Sun, Celestia, sat in her study. There was a cozy fire burning in the fireplace and a steaming cup of tea had just been delivered by one of the servants. The large pillow and rug that served the princess as her bed was covered in open books as well as several letters from her trusted pupil Twilight Sparkle. The princess had been in the middle of reading, as was often her habit, a habit she could never tell if she had passed on to or inherited from her pupil. The letters detailed books that Twilight had finished reading. As a private game between the two of them, they would try to see who finished the most books in a season. Twilight almost always won, simply because with royal duties the princess didn't have time to sit down a read several novels a week. So it was a special occasion when on nights like this when everything else was taken care of, that she could really enjoy a good book.
So it was a small annoyance when she heard a knock on her chamber door. With a small sigh the white alicorn got up and crossed to the door. It was probably just one of the guards or servants. Hopefully it wasn’t one of her personal advisers. Late night calls from them never involved good news. As she reached the door Celestia quickly composed her face, putting on her usual regal mask, so whomever was at the door wouldn’t know they were disturbing her.
But instead of an adviser with news of a brewing crisis the pony at the door was none other than Luna, the moon princess. The dark blue alicorn, with her night sky hair streaming out behind her, constantly moving and shifting as if with a strong wind, smiled at Celestia as the door opened. Her face immediately shifted to one of worry.
“I am not disturbing you, Tia, am I?” she asked.
“No not at all! Or maybe a little. How could you tell?”
“You always have that look on your face when you want to pretend that you aren’t being disturbed. That was one of the things that I missed the most about you during my… absence.”
“Oh Luna! Please come in. Maybe we can talk a little.”
“Thank you Tia,” replied Luna as she entered her sister’s chambers. “Did I disturb a good read?”
“My student Twilight Sparkle and I have a competition of who can read the most in a season. She always wins, but I was hoping that maybe this season I could be a little less behind.”
“Oh Tia,” chuckled Luna. “I really …”
She stopped speaking as both alicorns whipped their heads up focusing on a distant point somewhere beyond the room. Somewhere in the castle an extremely powerful spell was taking place. Few unicorns would have the magical sensitivity to even know something was taking place yet alone locate it, but the alicorn sisters were very powerful and had spent years training their magical sensitivity.
“What is happening?” cried Luna.”
“To the library!” called Celestia as she galloped out the room. Luna was fast on her tail.
* * *
The two sisters race through the halls of the castle, making for the royal archives where scrolls containing the most secret of knowledge and the most dangerous of spells are stored. Galloping full speed they would sometimes use their magic shunt to the side any pony who happened to be wandering the halls that late and was foolish enough to not get out of the way. In any corridor that was large enough for the two mares to fly Celestia would take wing with Luna right behind her. Following the two mares was a growing crowd of soldiers who feared that princesses were racing towards some danger they hadn’t been alerted to. Joining the soldiers was also those few unicorns who were sensitive enough to be able sense that something was going on though they could not tell what.
Upon reaching the doors to the archives Celestia slowed. She opened the door with care. She wasn’t worried about being hurt, few things can really hurt an alicorn unless they are caught unawares. Plus with Luna and half the guards and all the most powerful mages in Canterlot there was nothing in Equestria that could stand against her. The sun princess was more worried about what spell had been performed and what it would do. As she approached the Starswirl the Bearded room she felt the powerful magical whiplash as whatever spell finished. Celestia reared and kicked the door as hard as she could.
The door flew off its hinges and crashed into the bookshelves beyond. Inside was the strangest group Celestia had ever seen. A changeling lay collapsed on the floor. Next to it is the unicorn Corvus. His eyes are crossed and he looks like he can barely stand. A third pony, hovers in the air above the other two. She alone seems to be unaffected by the magic they had done. A small hat with a propeller sits on her purple and white striped mane. This last pony, whose purple eyes seem to swirl around, stared defiantly at the alicorn sisters.
“You are too late!” she cried. “With what we have done the Great Three will rise again, and there is nothing you or your precious Elements of Harmony can do about it!”
Then as Celestia and Luna moved towards them all three disappeared in a flash.
Celestia quickly looks around the room, then seeing what scroll had been used she turns and shouts to the waiting guards, “Summon the Time Marshal at once!”
“There is no need,” said a brown stallion who had just entered the room. He had a dark brown mane that was swept back from his face. His cutie mark was an hour glass. “I felt the time disturbance the moment it started.”
“I need to know what they did.” Said Celestia.
“Of course your majesty,” he replies.
Then he quickly began to pace the room muttering softly to himself. The princess knew the somewhat eccentric Time Marshal needed to work at his own pace. He had yet to fail her in a crisis.
“Your majesty, I have something,” he called. “They used a time spell to travel back in time and change something”
“How far back did they go?” “What did they change?” Celestia and Luna spoke at the same time.
“It is hard to tell how far back they went but it was many years into the past.”
“How is that possible?” asked Luna. “To go that far back they would need an insane amount of magical power!”
“Yes sister, which is no doubt why the changeling was here. I am sure that somepony here in Canterlot who has a lot of love for somepony else is missing that pony right now. He could channel the energy into Silver Horn. But what is more important than how is what”
“What indeed?” murmured the Time Marshal. “As far as I can tell of the ripples in time is that they stopped a certain Pegasus mare from winning a race years ago. And it is causing a massive amount of damage to space-time.”
“A certain mare… Marshal, can you tell if the mare would have created a sonic rainboom had she won?”
Luna looked quizzically at her sister. But she surely had a reason for asking a question that specific. The Time Marshal furrowed his brow as he tried to concentrate.
“Yes there would have been a rainboom. And because it didn’t happen all of history since then is rewriting itself. And the rewrite is happening faster and faster.”
Outside the door a Pegasus suddenly screamed as her wings snapped into a different and certainly not natural position. Next to her a unicorn gasped and disappeared without a trace.
“I don’t understand, what does this mean?” cried Luna, as another pony screamed and two more vanished.
“The first Sonic Rainboom was the reason that Twilight Sparkle and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony got their cutie marks. It’s part of the reason they have such a close connection. Now everything they did in their life is coming undone.”
“Including…” Luna stopped when she realizes what this will mean for her. “No! I can’t go back to being that evil mare! I can’t go back to being Nightmare Moon!”
Celestia turned away from her sister. She could see it in the eyes of the Time Marshal. It was already happening. There was nothing they could do. There was nothing SHE can do to prevent the tragedy of her past from repeating itself. Instead she began to channel her magic. She must activate one of the fail-safes she had prepared. Behind her, her sister sobbed. Then suddenly the sobs quieted and hysterical laughter took its place. Celestia turned to see her beloved sister no longer standing next her. Instead there stood her most feared foe, Nightmare Moon!
Tears rolled down from Celestia’s eyes as she continued to channel her magic, her horn glowing, as she hurried to finish what she had started. The world started to swirl around her as mares and stallions screamed or disappeared as their lives were rewritten in an instant. The last thing she saw as the world started to go dark was Nightmare Moon advancing on her.
“I am so sorry. My sister I am so sorry. . .”
Then there was nothing.
* * *
Stats
Page generated in 0.034 seconds
Total duration
990 users online
235,402 hits today, 1,870,739 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Great, it is very captivating. I really want to know what happens to a few background characters though. Could you give explanations what happens to Lyra and Bon Bon, please? Other than that, very good!
What a concept! Excellent delivery, too. Very well done.
Every TWO WEEKS! Please don't take that long. This is too good a story to have to wait two weeks to get an update! Please try and update more often than that.
Aside from that plea, you are doing an excellent job with this story. I've always been fascinated by time travel and what might have happened if something didn't go as our history has it recorded as. This has great potential and you have left me with two burning questions.
1. Did Nightmare Moon just get sent back to the moon?
2. Was the Time Marshal the back ground pony Time Turner/ Doctor Whooves?
Either way I can't wait for the next update but I really hope that its not in two weeks (I miget forget about what happened if you take too long)
images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111112030257/mlp/images/d/d0/Rarity_crying1_S02E05.png
I'm gonna follow this one,
OMG THE FEELS AT THE END