In the middle of a large room, filled with purple light and strewn with jagged blocks of broken crystal, lay a single lavender unicorn. Her body was full of bruises, and she was bleeding from several wounds. As she struggled to breathe, without moving her mouth she spoke to somepony:
“I believed I could fight them. I was wrong. I believed I could not fight destiny... I hope I was wrong too.”
-*-*-*-
It was a beautiful morning at Equestria City. The dome covering the ecumenopolis glowed with a warm and soft light. Many ponies wandered about, feeling safe in the uninterrupted peace that they had been enjoying for more than a hundred years.
The one responsible for that peace walked calmly through a wide open area, enjoying the carefree way her citizens went about their lives. She was going to meet her friends.
It had only been a few weeks since the time travel incident. Meeting her former friends again, even if just for a few hours, had lifted a load off her mind. It had been hundreds of years since the last time they had met.
As for her current friends, it was a bit of a strange friendship. She was an immortal unicorn, responsible for everything within the boundaries of the City. Her friends were five ordinary ponies.
Of course, that friendship had a reason. Everything had a reason.
She stopped. In front of her, a blonde-maned gray pegasus hovered, carrying a small package held by a string on her mouth.
“Are you Miss Administrator?”
“Yes?”
“I have a package for you.”
The gray pegasus placed the package on the ground in front of the Administrator, and flew away. “Strange,” thought the Administrator. “She did not show in the scanners.”
Quickly scanning the package with her cybernetic glasses, she determined that there was nothing dangerous in it.
With another mental command, she searched for the pegasus. The advanced systems which maintained the City responded, but could not find her. They showed that she had picked a few sweets from a food dispenser, and then disappeared. There was also no recording on where she came from.
Sighing, the Administrator telekinetically opened the package, while readying an instant shield spell, just in case. Within the package, there was only a notebook and a few stones.
She opened the notebook and started reading. Soon, her concern became alarm. Sending an urgent mental command to her personal flying machine, she started to run. There was no time to waste!
It was a beautiful morning at Ponyville. The sun shined with a warm light.
“Good morning, Spike.”
“Good morning, Twilight.”
“Did you get all the books on my checklist?”
“Are you sure you are going to read this many today?”
“Oh, Spike, it's no problem! I am going to finish them in no time at all.”
The precariously balanced pile of books ended next to the ceiling.
“Well, I am going to Rarity's while you study. She promised me a sapphire if I help her clean her house.”
“Sure, go ahead! Bye, Spike!”
“Bye, Twilight!”
While Spike left, Twilight opened the first book of the pile, humming contently.
“Hi Spike!”
“Oh, hi Pinkie Pie!”
“Have you seen Rainbow Dash? I have this super duper idea for a prank, but I have not seen her anywhere!”
“I don't know, have you tried asking the other weather ponies?”
“That's a great idea! One of them must have seen her! See you later, Spike!”
“Bye, Pinkie!”
Spike arrived at the Carousel Boutique.
“Hello?”
“Oh, Spike, I am glad you arrived. There are so many things to organize, that I do not even know where to begin!”
“No problem! It is always a pleasure helping you.”
Spike helped Rarity move several full boxes.
“How's Twilight?”
“Oh, she's fine, for now at least.”
“For now?”
“You know that she reads a lot, right?”
“Yes, and?”
“Well, I think she is overdoing it this time.”
“How much is... overdoing?”
“Take a look at the list of books that she said she will read today.”
Spike unfolded a scroll. The scroll kept unfolding until it hit a wall.
-*-*-*-
“Come back here, you two!”
“Come on, Applejack! Can't stand a little joke?”
“Yeah, very funny. And it will be even funnier when I catch you both!”
Pinkie giggled and bounced slightly faster.
“Oh, hey Fluttershy!”
“Hi! What are you three...”
Both pranksters passed by her in a blur.
“...doing?”
Applejack gave up and stopped beside Fluttershy.
“These two simply do not learn. Do you know what they did to my barn this time?”
-*-*-*-
“Hey, Rarity, what's this?” asked Spike, holding a piece of white fabric.
“Oh, that fabric. To be frank, I have no idea.”
“It smells funny.”
Rarity came closer and sniffed.
“I do not notice any smell, Spike.”
“Well, it is very weak, and, I don't know how to describe... funny?”
Rarity poked at the fabric.
“You know, Spike, that fabric appeared here at the Carousel Boutique a few months ago. I was working on a dress, and I slept! Can you imagine it? I wasn't even tired! And the dress had to be ready that same day!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Anyway, when I woke up, I had to hurry! I finished the dress in time, but the room was in such a big mess! So I had to clean it up, of course, and in the middle of the rubble, I found that thing. I have seen a lot of different kinds of fabric, but I never found anything similar to that one. Such a pity it is only such a small piece, or else I would have already found a way to turn it into a dress. For some reason, I know it would be gorgeous!”
“Have you tried asking Twilight? Perhaps she could find something about it on some book.”
Rarity thought for a bit.
“That is not such a bad idea. I did put that fabric on a drawer, and for some reason I completely forgot about it. But now that you reminded me of it, I want to know more about it. If only I could find out where to get more of it.”
-*-*-*-
That had been a mistake.
There were only a couple of books left on the pile. “I am so close!”
Twilight struggled to concentrate on the opened book in front of her. Her head throbbed with pain. It felt as if it had been run over by a horde of stampeding pegasi, followed by a fall from a cliff, and topped by hitting her head on a rock, straight at the tip of her horn.
She stumbled backwards, almost tripping on her own hoof. “There has to be a way out of this pain!” She almost called for Spike, before remembering that he was out for the day.
There had to be a way out of this pain. Twilight remembered a simple potion she learned from Zecora. “Perhaps if I combine it with a simple memory-fixing spell...” Her head hurt. “Can't think straight... getting dizzy...”
Walking groggily towards her lab, she started collecting the ingredients, while the pain only got worse.
-*-*-*-
The potion was ready.
In the back of her mind, Twilight hoped that she did not get any ingredient wrong. It was hard to think, even tough she tried to check and double-check and triple-check. “It hurts... the pain...”
She downed the potion in a single gulp, and started the memory-fixing spell.
The room started to spin. Did she do anything wrong? As her mind cleared a bit, she quickly mind-checked again the list of ingredients and spell components, and them all seemed correct. But there was something more... As if there was a resonance with some left-over spell. It only made her head hurt even more.
Twilight fell to the floor and closed her eyes, wondering if that was what death felt like. Perhaps death would be better—at least it would not hurt as much.
After a few minutes, which seemed more like hours, the pain started to clear. She opened her eyes, and the room slowly went back into focus. Her head felt clear—clearer than it had been in months.
Feeling relieved, Twilight went back to where she had been studying. The room was now a complete mess, books scattered everywhere. She must have toppled the carefully made pile of finished books while in her dizzy state. Other than that, everything was fine. Forcing herself to ignore the confusion, she slowly went towards the final three books of the day. On her way there, she looked at her reflection on a mirror.
“This is a special day for all of Ponyville. Today, one of our greatest citizens, Rainbow Dash, will be presenting, together with the Wonderbolts, a special aerial show!”
The temporary arena, built right next to the town, was packed with ponies. Four sectors of seating surrounded a large oval open space. Between two of the sectors, Mayor Mare was seated in front of a microphone, which she used to welcome all the spectators.
Outside the arena, the Wonderbolts were getting ready for the presentation.
“I can't believe we are here, Rainbow Dash! This is a dream coming true!”
Scootaloo passed Rainbow Dash the next piece of her uniform.
“Did you ever doubt it? That the awesome Rainbow Dash would join the Wonderbolts, and lead a special presentation?”
“We have only five minutes left, ‘awesome Rainbow Dash.’”
The other Wonderbolts laughed at Spitfire's teasing.
-*-*-*-
“Is it the time? Is it the time? Is it the time? Is it the time?”
“Calm down, Pinkie. There are only four minutes and forty-six seconds left until the presentation starts.”
“I think this presentation will be spetacular! Which is why I am wearing my best dress!”
“Uh-huh. Four minutes and thirteen seconds.”
“I can't wait to see how it goes,” comments Applejack.
“I am happy for her,” said Fluttershy. “She had her dream come true.”
Storm clouds formed outside the arena.
“Strange,” commented Twilight, “I am sure that the weather scheduled for today was clear skies.”
The storm clouds moved over the arena, covering the sun. Dramatic thunder reverberated from the clouds.
A lone dark unicorn entered the arena, casting a dark spell. His eyes were red, and his cutie mark was an equine skull.
“What are you doing?” asked Mayor Mare on the microphone. “You are not part of the show!”
The dark unicorn levitated Mayor Mare's microphone over to him, and spoke with a booming voice.
“CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE! THIS DAY MARKS THE BEGINNING OF YOUR DOOM! ALL OF EQUESTRIA WILL BE RULED BY ME!”
Chaotic winds flowed around the arena. In its center, next to the dark unicorn, a black vertical line appeared and widened with a crackling sound, forming a portal.
“Not again!” complained Twilight. “It is the third one this month! You know the drill, girls.” Twilight levitated the Elements of Harmony from their saddlebags. “Let's get this over with and go back to the show.”
While Twilight and her friends descended from their seating into the arena, the Wonderbolts attacked the dark unicorn, who effortlessly swatted them from the sky.
Rainbow Dash walked into the arena, meeting her friends.
“Why is it that half of the villains we face defeat the Wonderbolts without even trying? This is getting ridiculous!”
Twilight passed Rainbow Dash her Element of Harmony.
“Doesn't matter. Let's defeat him quickly,” said Twilight.
The dark unicorn looked at the six friends and laughed. Twilight rolled her eyes and activated the Elements.
From the middle of the audience, five columns of dark light erupted, accompanied by bloodcurdling screams. The columns curved and hit the dark unicorn, who kept laughing.
The power of the six Elements of Harmony hit the dark unicorn, who did not even try to escape.
The power of the six Elements of Harmony did nothing.
“YOUR ELEMENTS OF HARMONY ARE USELESS AGAINST ME! I SELECTED FIVE THEMATICALLY APPROPRIATE PONIES TO BE MY COUNTER-ELEMENTS. NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW!”
Cracks formed in the air above them, as if the air was a solid wall. While the dark unicorn continued to laugh, pieces fell, revealing holes through which a throbbing dark mass could be seen.
All ponies, except for the six friends, fled in a panic. The Wonderbolts attempted, with little success, to direct the fleeing mob.
“This is bad! If we do not stop this dark magic, everything will be destroyed!”
“What do we do, Twilight?” asked Rarity.
“I do not know!”
“I have an idea! Twilight, use the Elements again when I give the signal!” said Rainbow Dash.
Before Twilight could react, Rainbow Dash flew far away from them. Curving her path back towards the arena, Rainbow Dash increased her speed. A Mach cone formed in front of her.
“NOW!”
Twilight activated the Elements of Harmony, as Rainbow Dash dove towards the dark unicorn. The power of the six Elements of Harmony hit at the same time as Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom.
The force of the explosion blew everything away. The five ponies were flung into some distant trees. The wooden scaffolding of the arena gave way, and all the seating went down.
The cracks on the sky disappeared, washed away by the expanding circle of light.
-*-*-*-
“Rainbow?”
“Rainbow Dash!”
As the dust cleared, the five ponies could see a shallow crater where the dark unicorn had been. At its center, a familiar blue pony with rainbow mane.
“RAINBOW DASH!” Pinkie Pie ran towards the crater, her mane deflated, tears streaming from her eyes.
The other four surrounded her fallen friend and the crying Pinkie Pie. Applejack held her hat in respect.
-*-*-*-
Almost every pony from Equestria was at Canterlot.
There was no joy. There was no laughter. There was only respectful silence.
The parade proceded slowly through the main streets, ending in front of Celestia's castle.
Four of the Wonderbolts flew in formation over the crowd. One of them abruptly pulled up, leaving the formation while the other three continued until they were out of sight.
The mourning continued for a whole week. Every pony, from the whole of Equestria, brought flowers to honor the fallen hero.
At the corner of the room, wearing a black dress and covered by a black veil, Twilight Sparkle sat thinking.
“You are early, Lightning! Didn't we schedule our training for later today?”
The pegasus landed on Rainbow Wing's balcony.
“Yes, but something came up.”
“What?”
“Your death.”
Rainbow Wing did not have time to react. Her body moved by itself, barely avoiding the javelin thrown by Lightning.
“Why?!”
Lightning did not answer. Her body convulsed. Three thick dark gray tentacles suddenly erupted from within Lightning's body, interpenetrating each other in ways not physically possible in three dimensions.
The tentacles lurched towards Rainbow Wing, who evaded them effortlessly.
“My body feels lighter!”
Rainbow Wing tried to entangle the tentacles by flying between them. It did not work. The tentacles simply passed through each other, as if they were no obstacle.
“My body did not get lighter, my wings got stronger!”
Rainbow Wing escaped through the balcony towards the wide atrium, followed closely by the tentacles. The tentacles smashed through the wall, sending fragments of crystal towards the distant ground.
The forest that should be there was covered by a mass of tentacles.
“BUTTER!”
-*-*-*-
“Do not be scared, my little friends. I will protect you.”
The animals of the forest surrounded Butter. In the distance, loud crashes announced the fall of several trees.
“I hope everyone else is safe.”
All the animals stopped and stared fixedly at the butterfly-winged pegasus. None moved. There was no sound, not even the wind.
“A-Are you all right?”
All the animals convulsed at the same time. Many thick dark gray tentacles erupted from all the animals, converging on the helpless pegasus.
She cried in fear, while she was carried far above the tops of the trees.
She opened her eyes.
“R-Rainbow?”
“At least you are safe! If you hadn't jumped at the last second, I would not have been able to catch you!”
“I... jumped?”
“You were fast! I did not know your wings had such force! It happened to me too! My wings got stronger, and I escaped in the nick of time!”
“What should we do now?”
“I have no idea!”
“Let's find the Administrator. She will know what to do.”
-*-*-*-
“Alright, kids, which story do you want to hear today?”
Happy Party was seated in a bench. A dozen of foals sat in a semicircle in front of her.
“I want to hear the one where you die,” said one of the foals.
“I do not have any story like that.”
“The one where you die!” said another foal.
“The one where you die!” chanted all the foals in unison. “The one where you die!”
The foals stopped and stared at the unicorn. A single thick dark gray tentacle emerged from each foal, converging on the bench.
Happy Party fell backwards, the upturned bench covering her completely.
The bench was crushed by all the tentacles.
From a distance, Happy Party looked at the mass of tentacles, her legs shaking.
“I am lucky that my offscreen teleportation saved me,” said Happy Party to no one in particular. “I have to tell the Administrator!”
-*-*-*-
“Excuse me!”
“You were scheduled for next week. Why are you here today?”
The green unicorn entered Sweet Light's studio.
“Of course I could wait until next week! But you are such a fabulous pony, who never turns anypony down! I am sure you will help me!” The unicorn sat herself behind a low desk.
Sweet Light's deep black eyes gazed at the intruder.
“I will get you a drink.”
Sweet Light went towards one of the side rooms.
The unicorn smiled and fired a beam of energy at the pegasus' back.
Sweet Light jumped sideways and evaded the beam. At the same time, the desk lifted by itself, blocking the unicorn's sight, and several scissors and needles flew from the shelves towards the unicorn.
The desk fell to the ground with a thud, revealing the wounded unicorn.
“You are not a unicorn... How could... you use... magic...”
“Nanomachines. In the desk and tools. But that knowledge is of no use for you now.”
The unicorn closed her eyes. Without warning, a thick dark gray tentacle erupted from the unicorn's body, catching Sweet Light by surprise.
Sweet Light's body moved by itself, avoiding the tentacle.
She flew towards the door. Pursued closely by the tentacle, she went through the large corridor towards a wall, which opened itself at the last moment.
Now outside the building, she assessed the situation.
All over the city, there were tentacles like the one she had escaped from. None of the buildings visible from her position were free of the tentacles.
Obeying an unseen order, she flew towards one of the buildings.
-*-*-*-
The trees were weeping.
While Apple Seed stared in amazement, a thick black fluid oozed from the fruits of her beloved apple trees, covering the ground.
The ceiling darkened and reddened. There was a deafening scream, unlike the scream of any creature who had ever lived in Equestria.
Apple Seed ran away.
The black fluid in the ground oozed upwards into the air. Tentacles formed from it, almost encircling the fast-running pony.
She escaped the building, meeting her friends outside it.
-*-*-*-
“I am glad that you five are safe,” said the Administrator. “I will answer your questions later. First, we must deal with these.”
Around them, the air cracked.
Rainbow Wing fell to the ground. “My body is hurting!”
Happy Party contorted in pain.
“What is going on?” complained Apple Seed with a pained expression.
Butter spread herself on the ground, crying.
“Just endure it!” exclaimed Sweet Light, clenching her teeth.
A brilliant light emanated from the five ponies, hitting the Administrator, who then emanated an even brighter light. Many rays of light shot from her body, hitting and dissolving the tentacles all over the city.
The light subsided. The five ponies relaxed, no longer in pain.
“Not bad,” said the Administrator. “Not as strong as the original Elements, but it will do for now.”
“What did you do to us?” asked Apple Seed.
“That was just a simulacrum of the Elements of Harmony. You five have a similarity to the last ponies to be chosen as their bearers. I programmed the nanomachines in your bodies to amplify that similarity, so that I could use it to replicate their effects.
“I also enabled some extra hidden funcionality on the nanomachines to enhance your natural physical attributes. And I used them to cause a reflex movement in the precise moment you would have died.”
“So that is how I escaped!”
“Yes, Rainbow. I exploited my knowledge of the events to prepare the correct movement at the precise instant.”
“If you would excuse my curiosity, Administrator, but... How did you know precisely what would happen?” asked Sweet Light.
The Administrator's smile was replaced by a frown. She levitated a notebook from her saddlebag.
“A time traveler brought me this. It was sent from my future self, after you five died.”
“We died?!” jumped Happy Party.
“Unfortunately, yes. And these abominations overran the city. Few ponies survived.”
“What can we do to prevent it?” asked Butter.
“We stopped them, for now. But they will come back.
“My future self also sent me something special. Something which can change the past.”
A large black flying machine ominously arrived above the six ponies, casting a shadow.
“With what she sent, we can fix the past. We can save the fallen hero. We can stop these monsters, once and for all.
“The day Rainbow Dash died, was also the day when these monsters were the most vulnerable. We will go back to that day, and ensure that the Elements will not fail.
“To that end, I installed the crystals that I received from my future self in my personal flying machine, the Black Wing!”
It was snowing at Ponyville. The howling wind swept flocks of snow, battering them against the windows. Within a closed confectionery, three ponies huddled next to the fireplace.
“She sure is late.”
A unicorn as white as the snow, pulling a sled full of luggage, knocked on the door.
Applejack opened the door.
“Howdy, Rarity! You are late! I was starting to think you would skip our annual meeting.”
“I am so sorry! I have been so busy with my work at Canterlot, that I had to catch the last train, and I almost missed it!”
“Did you invite Twilight this time?” asked Fluttershy.
Rarity frowned.
“No, I could not even find her. I tried sending letters, and they were returned unread. I tried asking for her at her mansion, but I was told she was not there. I am starting to think that she is avoiding me.”
“She has been that way since, you know, that day,” said Fluttershy.
A silence fell over the room.
“Changing subject. Rarity, how is business going at Canterlot?” asked Applejack.
“I cannot complain. My latest line has been a complete success! With the help of Fancypants' endorsement, I am selling almost faster than I can produce.
“Sweetie Belle has also been doing great at her new college. She has made many new friends. Speaking of her, how is Apple Bloom's doing?”
“Apple Bloom has taken over the farm business, now that Granny Smith is gone. There is plenty of work for both of us, since Big Macintosh moved to Manehattan. Oh, and Big Macintosh's now married too. He says his new business is doing great there.”
“He finally married? I was wondering when that would happen.”
“It was a small ceremony, with only a few family. From his side, he only invited me and Apple Bloom.”
“And how about Scootaloo? Do you have any news?”
“She is with the Wonderbolts,” said Fluttershy. “Honorary member. She was here last month, at the inauguration of the Rainbow Dash museum. Did you know that they made Rainbow Dash's house into a museum?”
“No, I did not.”
“Hey girls, you will not believe the taste of this cake! I think it is my best one yet!”
Rarity stared at her.
“Pinkie, how can you be so happy all the time?”
Pinkie's smile was replaced by a frown.
“I have to. It is the only way to not cry.”
Her smile came back.
“Here, have a piece! Tell me, have you ever tasted anything so totally delicious?”
-*-*-*-
Celestia entered the room.
“I was told that you wanted to speak to me, Twilight Sparkle. It sounded important. What is it?”
The lavender pony, seated on a cushion at the far end of the room, raised her head from the book she had been reading.
“You know how it seems like every month there is a new threat to Equestria.”
Celestia seated herself on an elegantly decorated cushion, located at the precise geometric center of the room.
“Yes, I have noticed.”
“And every time, we have to fight against it, and defeat it.”
“Yes.”
“But why do we have to wait?”
Celestia looked quizzically at Twilight.
“Every time, we only react when it is almost too late. Why not be more proactive? Why not try to prevent it? To stop it before it becomes strong enough, dangerous enough to risk everypony's life?”
Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but Twilight interrupted her.
“This has gone on for too long. How many more ponies will have to lose their lives to our complacency?”
Twilight was becoming visibly agitated.
“This is about Rainbow Dash, isn't it?”
“NO! THIS IS ABOUT EVERYPONY! EVERY SINGLE PONY WHO HAS SUFFERED, BECAUSE WE WERE TOO LAZY TO DO ANYTHING UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE!”
Celestia recoiled at Twilight's outburst.
Twilight telekinetically opened a small glasses case next to her. From it, she lifted a pair of metallic glasses, which she levitated in front of her purple eyes.
“This ends today.”
As soon as Twilight finished putting on the glasses, several magic patterns formed quickly and flowed all over the room, moving towards its center. Too late, Celestia realized that she had been trapped.
“I will deal with problems before they happen. I will disrupt, drain, or control every magical phenomena which could pose a danger to our lives. I will kill, imprision, or neutralize any being who might stand on my path. I will bring peace to Equestria—forever!”
Celestia struggled against the magical trap. Twilight smiled lightly.
“Do not worry, Celestia. This trap is stronger than it appears. I enchanted your and Luna's jewelry so that they would contain your magic. What you thought was the trap, was just the activation command.”
“You will not get away with this, Twilight Sparkle. I will do everything in my power to stop you.”
Twilight chuckled.
“You see? This is why I have to contain you two first. Your antiquated moral code would never accept what I am about to do.
“But I am not going to kill you two. I will only suppress your alicorn powers, and imprision you both. After I finish creating my utopia, I might even let you enjoy it, as long as you promise to not destroy it.”
Twilight stood up and walked towards the door.
“I am going to get your little sister. Be a good girl and wait here, it will not take long. I also have to post the first of the forged letters to justify your sudden disapearance.”
“I don't know, Applejack. She appeared out of the blue, told me to drop whatever I was doing, fetch you four, and go to the place marked on this map, without telling anypony else. She said that she had to prepare a few more things and would meet us there, took Spike with her, and went out in a hurry. She gave me no chance to speak at all! Not. A. Single. Word!”
“I just hope she has not gone crazy again.”
“She was very agitated. It was as if she had seen a ghost!”
“A ghost? Hah! If it is a ghost, it does not have any chance. I can totally take it on!”
Applejack glared at Rainbow Dash.
“I just hope it's not something dangerous.”
“Don't worry, Fluttershy! No matter how strong it is, we will kick it in the flank in no time! Like we always do!”
“And if it is a ghost, we will laugh at it! And sing and dance and invite him to a party! Oh, there she is!”
The five ponies arrived at an open field next to the town, where Twilight Sparkle was waiting for them.
“Thank Celestia you all arrived. We still have enough time.”
“Twilight darling, could you please tell us what is going on?”
-*-*-*-
“Twilight Sparkle.”
“I must be hallucinating,” thought Twilight Sparkle. “Perhaps I did make a mistake in the potion or the spell after all.”
“No, you are not hallucinating,” said the reflection.
“Then how...”
“Listen.
“The Equestria you live in is not the only Equestria that exists. There are many Equestrias, all floating on an endless void beyond space and time. They are different, yet similar. Their difference might be large, or small.
“Within this void, also live undescribable creatures. Unbounded by time and logic, some of these creatures live to devour worlds like ours.
“Our Harmony protects our Equestrias against these creatures. Unfortunately, one event happened which weakened our defenses.
“In one Equestria, these monsters found a small crack. It was too small for them to enter. But they touched it.
“The results were horrific. A happy pony was turned into a murderous cannibal. When she killed her best friend, the Harmony in that world shattered. The world split itself into many copies, each with a different history. Some of these copies recovered enough Harmony, and survived. Others lost all of their remaining Harmony, and were devoured.
“There were even worse consequences. When that world was broken, sympathetic resonance caused cracks to form in other Equestrias. These abominations were now free to touch other worlds, damaging their Harmony and allowing them to be eaten.
“My Equestria was one which managed to keep its Harmony strong enough to repel these creatures, even though it also had a crack. When I found out about that, I decided that it would be my duty to help other worlds keep their Harmony. To warn them before it was too late.
“Your world was destined to be lost, until somepony else from outside interfered. Now it can still be saved, even though it will not be as perfect as it could be without their taint. However, it can only be saved if you can stop yourself from making things worse.”
“What do you mean?”
“You made yourself forget, but I will make you remember. I will tell you what you must do to restore Harmony to your land.”
-*-*-*-
Twilight stopped her narration. She turned and silently cast a powerful spell. The brilliant glow from her horn lighted the surroundings. A loud sound filled the air, as if thousands of sheets of paper were ripped at the same time.
The air twisted. A small dark hole appeared, slowly growing into a vertical fissure. Twilight overlayed a second spell, creating a glowing cylindrical barrier around the fissure.
She turned back to her friends.
“You know how it seems like every month there is a new threat to Equestria. Every time, we have to fight against it, and every time we defeat it.”
“Oh, like the confectionery monster last month? It was yummy!”
“Yes, like that one, Pinkie.”
“I wonder which one will be next? A chocolate monster? A...”
“Please, Pinkie, not now. We do not have much time.”
Pinkie Pie signalled that she would be quiet and nodded. Twilight continued.
“This crack caused all these threats, and they are only going to get stronger. Until, one day, one of us will have to sacrifice herself.
“My future self will then begin to hunt these threats. But she will do it in the worst possible way. Instead of strenghtening our Harmony, what she will do will only do more damage to it.
“She will now attempt to prevent the heroic sacrifice. We have to stop her, and show her that there is another way. We have to show her that we can prevent the loss of a friend, and save our Harmony at the same time.”
Twilight pointed at the crack.
“A few months ago, I was experimenting with a teleportation spell. This crack interfered with it, turning it into a time travel spell. We were sent to the future.
“We do not remember because my future self blocked our memories, before sending us back. The other me gave me a counterspell, so that now I can remember.
“I did not want to have you girls remember too, but there is no other way. I am sorry.”
With little warning, she fired the memory spell. Memories flooded her friends. They remembered being sent to the distant future. They remembered meeting their distant relatives. They remembered learning about Rainbow Dash's death.
“Here is what we will do. First, I will use this crack in time to send us to the future.”
In a shady alley at Ponyville, two ponies were haggling.
“These are the last tickets. You will not find a better price. And there will be no other show like this one. Ever.”
“Fine, have your bits. Now give me my ticket.”
The transaction concluded, both ponies went separate ways.
The earth pony smiled. He had bought several tickets at a low price, and now that the latecomers were getting desperate, he could sell them for a higher price—much higher.
He walked around, looking for his next buyer.
-*-*-*-
“Please, don't. I came all the way to Ponyville just to watch this show!”
“Tough luck,” said the pegasus, kicking his victim on the side. He ripped open the victim's saddlebag, and grabbed a ticket and several bits.
After slipping the stolen items into his saddlebag, he kicked his victim one more time, and ran away.
-*-*-*-
“But you said you would go to the show with me! I even gave you money for the tickets!”
“Sorry, babe, but it was not enough for two tickets. I will go to the show alone.”
“How could you! After all I have done for you!”
The unicorn left, leaving his girlfriend behind.
-*-*-*-
“Sorry, brother, there were no tickets left. Here is your money back.”
“What a pity. I really wanted to see the show today.”
“If I had gotten just one ticket, I would give it to you.”
After his brother left, the earth pony looked into his saddlebag. In it was the last ticket available.
-*-*-*-
“Stupid tourists ruining the town.”
The unicorn muttered to himself, walking towards the crowd.
“Why did they have to do it here? They have lots of space in their silly towns. I hope that young mare falls and hurts her wings. That would show them.”
-*-*-*-
“This is a special day for all of Ponyville. Today, ...”
“You are early, Lightning! Didn't we schedule our training for later today?”
The pegasus landed on Rainbow Wing's balcony.
“Yes, but something came up.”
“What?”
“Your death.”
Rainbow Wing did not have time to react. The javelin thrown by Lightning hit her body.
“Why?...”
As Rainbow Wing's conciousness faded, she thought she saw Lightning's body change its shape.
-*-*-*-
It was a beautiful morning at Equestria City. The dome covering the ecumenopolis glowed with a warm and soft light. Many ponies wandered about, feeling safe in the uninterrupted peace that they had been enjoying for more than a hundred years.
The one responsible for that peace walked calmly through a wide open area, enjoying the carefree way her citizens went about their lives.
She stopped. A series of alerts had lighted up on her cybernetic glasses. Alarmed, she teleported.
-*-*-*-
“Do not be scared, my little friends. I will protect you.”
The animals of the forest surrounded Butter. In the distance, loud crashes announced the fall of several trees.
“I hope everyone else is safe.”
All the animals stopped and stared fixedly at the butterfly-winged pegasus. None moved. There was no sound, not even the wind.
“A-Are you all right?”
All the animals convulsed at the same time. Many thick dark gray tentacles erupted from all the animals, converging on the helpless pegasus.
She cried in fear, while she was crushed by all the tentacles.
-*-*-*-
“Alright, kids, which story do you want to hear today?”
Happy Party was seated in a bench. A dozen of foals sat in a semicircle in front of her.
“I want to hear the one where you die,” said one of the foals.
“I do not have any story like that.”
“The one where you die!” said another foal.
“The one where you die!” chanted all the foals in unison. “The one where you die!”
The foals stopped and stared at the unicorn. A single thick dark gray tentacle emerged from each foal, converging on the bench.
Happy Party was crushed by all the tentacles.
-*-*-*-
“The worst has happened.”
In an almost empty room, stood a pink-maned white unicorn, who was speaking to a big block of dark blue crystal.
“We have to fight, little sister.”
“How can I fight, after she imprisioned me like this?”
“She trusts me. She left me a special spell, to be used only in the most dire of the circumstances. I can use it only once, and it will alert her immediately.
“This spell is a key. It will immediately release us both from her imprisionment.”
“We were always the biggest risk to her plans. Why would she give you that spell?”
“I asked her the same question. She answered that she feared that one day, something would happen that would be so dangerous, that she would be willing to risk everything else she had fought for, to protect the citizens of Equestria. In that case, and only in that case, I should use this spell. No matter what we do now, it will be less trouble for her than what we are facing.”
-*-*-*-
“Excuse me!”
“You were scheduled for next week. Why are you here today?”
The green unicorn entered Sweet Light's studio.
“Of course I could wait until next week! But you are such a fabulous pony, who never turns anypony down! I am sure you will help me!” The unicorn sat herself behind a low desk.
Sweet Light's deep black eyes gazed at the intruder.
“I will get you a drink.”
Sweet Light went towards one of the side rooms.
The unicorn smiled and fired a beam of energy at the pegasus' back.
Sweet Light jumped sideways and evaded the beam. At the same time, the desk lifted by itself, blocking the unicorn's sight, and several scissors and needles flew from the shelves towards the unicorn.
The desk fell to the ground with a thud, revealing the wounded unicorn.
“You are not a unicorn... How could... you use... magic...”
“Nanomachines. In the desk and tools. But that knowledge is of no use for you now.”
The unicorn closed her eyes. Without warning, a thick dark gray tentacle erupted from the unicorn's body, catching Sweet Light by surprise.
The tentacle pressed Sweet Light against the studio's transparent wall, which broke. Her wings wounded, Sweet Light fell towards the distant ground.
-*-*-*-
The trees were weeping.
While Apple Seed stared in amazement, a thick black fluid oozed from the fruits of her beloved apple trees, covering the ground.
The ceiling darkened and reddened. There was a deafening scream, unlike the scream of any creature who had ever lived in Equestria.
Apple Seed ran away.
The black fluid in the ground oozed upwards into the air. Tentacles formed from it, encircling and crushing the helpless pony.
-*-*-*-
The Administrator arrived from her teleport, almost at the same place she had teleported from. Her body was now full of bruises, and she was bleeding from several wounds. Her broken glasses fell to the ground.
Resting her body against the nearby wall, she crawled, leaving a trail of blood. After a few steps, a section of the wall opened, revealing a small niche. From the niche, robotic arms emerged, piercing the Administrator's body with many needles.
After a few minutes, the robotic arms retracted, and the niche closed itself. The Administrator resumed her walk along the wall, her bleeding having subsided.
After a few more steps, a section of the wall slid downwards, revealing an unlit tunnel, which the Administrator entered.
-*-*-*-
The Administrator stumbled into a large room, made entirely of crystal.
The whole room shook, while the Administrator walked towards its middle. Shards of crystal fell from the ceiling all over the room.
She lay down in the middle of the room, and looked up. Cracks formed in the ceiling above her. Jagged blocks of crystal fell, revealing an endless void.
The void appeared to pulsate. The Administrator closed her eyes, and cast a spell.
The whole city now glowed with a purple light. With an unnatural noise, the tentacles all over the city slowly retreated and disappeared.
The Administrator opened her eyes again. After a pause, struggling to breathe, she spoke without moving her mouth, forming her words with magic.
“Yes, you may help.”
...
“These pass codes will allow you to bypass the security systems.”
...
“I believed I could fight them. I was wrong. I believed I could not fight destiny... I hope I was wrong too.”
“They have gotten worse, princess. I do not think they will last another night.”
Cadance sighed.
“That is not all. There have been three more incidents so far today. It seems to be spreading, and we cannot find the cause.”
“Have you sent my letter to Celestia?”
“Yes, but we did not receive any answer yet.”
“I hope she sends somepony quickly.”
“Do you want to seem them now?”
“Yes, please.”
Cadance entered the small hospital.
“This way, princess. I will show you the newest cases first.”
They entered a small room. Three beds were separated by curtains. On each bed, lay a restrained crystal pony, watched by a nurse.
“It is the same thing that happened yesterday. Each of these ponies became violent without any apparent reason, and started attacking other ponies. With some effort, we managed to restrain them. After a few hours, a dark spot appeared over their cutie marks.”
The doctor pointed at the nearest pony's cutie mark. The skin under the cutie mark was visibly darkened.
“The dark spot is already starting to grow. If it follows the same progression as the other two, by tomorrow it will have already covered most of their body, followed by high fever.”
“Do you have any idea what is this disease?”
“Unfortunately, no. It does not seem to be physical. I had a unicorn take a look, and she could not find any magical residue either.”
-*-*-*-
“How did it go, dear?”
“I am worried.”
Cadance walked to the balcony.
“Three more ponies have caught the disease.”
In the street below, an altercation began. One pony started attacking any pony who came near him.
Cadance looked from above, worried, while a couple of guard ponies attempted to hold down the attacker.
“Looks like we have another one. If Celestia does not send us help soon, I do not know what we will do.”
“I am sure Celestia will not fail us.”
The sky was replaced by a purple dome.
“A barrier?” said Shining Armor. “Looks like Twilight's. Did Celestia send her?”
Seven black objects, looking like flattened spheres with wings, passed through the barrier, gliding silently towards the castle.
The last of the objects sent a beam of light towards the street, vaporizing both guard ponies and their prisoner.
“What are they doing?” exclaimed Shining Armor, while Cadance stared at the scorch mark on the ground.
The bottom of the leading object opened. A sphere of purple light floated from the opening towards the balcony. While Cadance and Shining Armor retreated, the sphere landed on the balcony.
“Twilight?” asked Shining Armor.
“I am sorry for being late,” said the lavender pony, still within the spherical barrier. Her eyes were completely covered by a pair of round metallic glasses.
“WHAT. DID. YOU. DO.” Cadance jumped at Twilight's barrier, hitting it with her front hooves several times.
“I did what I had to do. These three ponies were already contaminated. Killing them now was better than letting them suffer.”
Cadance hit Twilight's barrier with a beam.
“I am not recognizing you, Twilight. The Twilight I know would try to find a way to save them. Not kill them in cold blood, like you just did. What would our parents say if they saw that?”
“There was no way to save them.”
Cadance hit Twilight's barrier with a stronger beam.
“What happened to you, Twilight?”
Cadance hit Twilight's barrier with her head.
Twilight Sparkle ignored Shining Armor's question and looked at Cadance.
“I see. So you are infected too. What a pity.”
Shining Armor only had the time to look at his wife's cutie mark, where he saw a small black spot. Before he could react, the largest of the objects, the one which had been carrying his sister, fired a wide beam of light towards his wife.
In less than a second, there was only a scorch mark left.
Anger flared on Shining Armor's face.
“TWILIGHT!”
He sent a strong beam, not towards Twilight, but towards Twilight's vehicle.
A previously invisible barrier surrounding the vehicle stopped Shining Armor's beam.
“Very astute. Attacking the biggest and least defended threat first. No wonder you were the captain of the royal guard.”
“WHY?”
“This disease might have been news for you, but I have been researching it for a while. There is no cure, and you would not like to know what emerges from the diseased pony's body at the end.
“How about you join us, my brother? We both have a strong sense of justice. We both want to protect Equestria. Together, we can make sure events like this disease do not happen again.”
“Justice? Protecting Equestria? All I see here is a cold-blooded murderer, who kills ponies using some flimsy excuse, without giving them any chance!”
“It is unfortunate that I could not make you see my point of view. I would have been happy, had you accepted joining me. It is sad that joining me would never have been possible. You did not notice, but you are contaminated too.”
“What?”
Shining Armor looked at his cutie mark. It was a small dot, but it was there. A small black dot.
“I am sorry, brother. I could not save you. Goodbye.”
-*-*-*-
Twilight Sparkle returned to her vehicle, leaving behind two scorch marks.
All seven vehicles ascended, and began firing indiscriminately, targeting all the buildings and all the ponies.
The whole city was destroyed, shattered like glass.
-*-*-*-
It is with great sadness that I have to report that the Crystal Empire was destroyed by an unexplained phenomenon. The help arrived too late to avert the disaster.
To prevent this from happening again, I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that a special unit, composed of the best ponies in all of Equestria, shall be created to protect against unforeseen threats.
This special unit shall be headquartered on a new fortress, constructed at the former location of the Crystal Empire. I hereby nominate my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, as its Administrator.
“But you said you would go to the show with me! I even gave you money for the tickets!”
From a small distance, Rainbow Wing looked at the bickering ponies. After looking around, she jumped into a bush. She produced a small stick, which lenghtened into a javelin.
“Sorry, babe, but it was not enough for two tickets. I will go to the show alone.”
She aimed the javelin at the male unicorn.
“What. Are. You. Doing.”
Rainbow Wing dropped the javelin and looked up. Above her, an angry Rainbow Dash hovered.
“R-Rainbow Dash?”
“Are you trying to kill him?”
“B-But I...”
“Did you think I would want it? Another pony's death, just to save my skin? What a great fan you are!”
Rainbow Wing lowered her head, tears streaming through her cheeks.
-*-*-*-
“Please, don't. I came all the way to Ponyville just to watch this show!”
Butter looked from behind a trash can. Her dress and wings matched the color and pattern of the brick wall behind her, and she hid her head behind her wing.
“Tough luck.”
The edges of Butter's wings hardened and turned into a metallic color.
“Butter?”
She looked up. Above her, Fluttershy hovered.
Butter looked back at her target. Both him and his victim were frozen.
“I am glad that I arrived in time,” said Fluttershy, landing in front of Butter. “It is not nice to kill other ponies.”
“B-But... The Administrator said...”
“I know that she said that you had to kill that pony. Are you really willing to stain your wings with the blood of another living being?”
Butter looked down. “No... I am not... But if there is no other way...”
“Twilight told me that there is another way. Let's listen to her.”
-*-*-*-
“Sorry, brother, there were no tickets left. Here is your money back.”
Hidden by the corner of a building, Apple Seed prepared her crossbow.
“What a pity. I really wanted to see the show today.”
“Stop that right now!”
Apple Seed looked back. Applejack was behind her.
“Are you really going through with that girl's plan?”
Apple Seed did not answer.
“Do you think it is going to make things better? It is not. It is going to do the opposite. At least that's what Twilight said.”
“Twilight Sparkle and the Administrator are the same pony.”
“Yeah, but our Twilight is from before she went crazy because Rainbow Dash died. And she said she had a plan. Don't you think it is better to at least listen to what she has to say?”
-*-*-*-
“Stupid tourists ruining the town.”
Happy Party carefully aimed her double-barreled shotgun. Each barrel had an engraving of a single deflated baloon.
“Why did they have to do it here?”
“Heeey!”
Happy Party sighed.
“Not now, Pinkie. You will make me miss.”
“That's exactly what I want!”
Happy Party put her shotgun on the ground.
“Fine. Since time is stopped anyway, we can talk all we want.”
“Did you know that orange juice goes great with apple pie?”
“...”
“Come on, don't be such a grump! Or you will end up like that pony you were trying to kill.”
“How did you get here in the first place?”
“Twilight said you would be here, so I came,” said Pinkie, bouncing around Happy Party.
“Twilight Sparkle wants to stop us. Why?”
“How about you ask her?”
-*-*-*-
“Two hundred bits? That is too much!”
Unseen by the haggling ponies, on a roof above the alley, Sweet Light looked at them with her deep black eyes. She held a metallic string, with a sewing neddle dangling on each end.
“These are the last tickets. You will not find a better price.”
“Don't you dare!”
Noticing the frozen ponies below, Sweet Light turned to face the interloper.
“Rarity.”
“I will NOT let you kill these innocent ponies!”
“Innocent? One of them has been tainted by the touch of a being from outside space and time. That taint will be used as a barrier against the Elements of Harmony, and it will end with the death of Equestria's greatest hero. The other pony is just collateral damage.”
“Collateral damage? Collateral damage?! How can you treat a pony like that!”
“The Administrator told me to kill this pony. Her orders are absolute. It does not matter who else I have to kill to do my duty.”
“You would do anything she orders you to do.”
“Exactly.”
Rarity silently levitated a piece of fabric from her saddlebag. While she concentrated holding it with her magic, the ink flowed all over the fabric, forming lines and shapes. The shapes morphed into a picture of Sweetie Belle, the same picture Sweet Light had shown Rarity before.
“You recognized me. And you showed me this picture. Do you think Sweetie Belle would like to have her descendant turn into a murderer?”
Sweet Light was taken aback.
“There is no other choice.”
“Oh, but there is. You see, the same Twilight Sparkle who will turn into your Administrator sent me to stop you, because there is another choice. Will you at least listen to her?”
-*-*-*-
“So, you stopped me.”
The Administrator faced the console of the Black Wing. Behind her in the cabin was Twilight Sparkle.
“What you are doing is wrong! What gave you the idea that killing is always the best solution?”
“If we kill them now, they will not be able to prevent the Elements of Harmony from being used. The power of the Elements will go through the portal and kill the monsters responsible for all our problems. It is very simple.”
“And then, without Rainbow Dash's sacrifice, the crack will not close. It will widen. Instead of Equestria being destroyed hundreds of years later, it will be destroyed in a few years!”
“What else do you propose?” The Administrator turned to face Twilight Sparkle.
The five pairs of ponies entered the cabin, Rainbow Wing still crying.
“Another one of us told me of a way. We have to go to the end of our world, the moment when it breaks down and is devoured. If we use the Elements of Harmony at that exact instant, its effects will be retroactive. It will heal the barrier between our world and the void, and cure almost all of the taint in it.
“But we both will have to use our Elements at the same time. The ponies of the future, and the ponies of the past.”
The city was dark. A pale light filtered from the dome, barely enough to see in the distance. The buildings oozed a black oily fluid. Over the broken ground, strange forms walked, shifting their shape in ways not physically possible in three dimensions.
Around the vehicle, thick black tentacles emerged from the ground, attempting to crush its protective invisible barrier.
A wide beam of pure light, as bright as the sun, evaporated the tentacles without harming the Black Wing.
Celestia and Luna landed in front of the vehicle, which extended its ramp.
“Twilight Sparkle. What is going on?”
The twelve ponies exited through the ramp.
“Long story,” said the Administrator. “We have to find myself. I should be in the central chamber.”
The whole city glowed with a purple light. A deafening unnatural noise could be heard. The tentacles all over the city slowly retreated and disappeared.
“I believe I just cast my last spell. Let's go quickly, I do not have much time left.”
-*-*-*-
In the middle of a large room, filled with purple light and strewn with jagged blocks of broken crystal, lay a single lavender unicorn. Her body was full of bruises, and she was bleeding from several wounds. As she struggled to breathe, without moving her mouth she spoke to somepony:
“I believed I could fight them. I was wrong. I believed I could not fight destiny... I hope I was wrong too.”
The time-traveling ponies entered the room through a wide descending corridor. Sweet Light was the first to run towards the wounded pony, followed closely by her four friends from the future. The Administrator held the rest of the group back. “There is nothing we can do. Let them have this last moment together. They deserve it.”
“What happened to you!” Sweet Light's deep black eyes gazed at the wounded body in front of her, and she recoiled. “You overdosed on nanomachines! It is lethal on less than half that dose! You never used nanomachines before, why did you do that?!”
“When I noticed that they had invaded the city, I tried to teleport here. But they were waiting for me. I fought them mid-teleport, and barely escaped. All my internal organs are crushed. The damage is too much for nanomachines to heal. They are consuming my body to keep me alive.
“I cast the spell that I had prepared to banish them from the city. But it is all in vain. Everybody is dead. I could not save anyone.”
“You saved us,” said Butter. “And you sent us hope.”
“I was contacted by a time traveler who I had noticed before, snooping around the City's barriers.
“Normally, I would have killed him. This time, I accepted his help.”
The dying pony closed her eyes.
“I am sorry that I used you all.”
“What do you mean?” asked Apple Seed.
“I engineered your bodies, and your whole lives, so that you could act as duplicates of the Elements of Harmony. Even our friendship was a lie.”
She turned her head to face Butter.
“I ripped your deformed wings for my own amusement.”
“But I am grateful for that,” said Butter. “Not only you gave me new wings, but you gave me something more important: my friends.”
She turned towards Happy Party.
“The only reason I went to your parties, is because they reminded me of Pinkie Pie's parties.”
“If my parties are even one tenth as good as Pinkie's, that makes me very happy. I was always worried that I could not live up to the example of my most famous ancestor. And you were always there for me when I was depressed.”
“Happy, you are always depressed,” snarked Apple Seed.
She faced Rainbow Wing.
“I encouraged your training, not because I wanted you to be as good as Rainbow Dash, but because I found your determination amusing.”
“And in the end, I met Rainbow Dash herself! Isn't that a good thing?”
She looked at Sweet Light.
“I gave you an almost lethal dose of nanomachines. I did not care about the risk.”
“I knew about the risk,” said Sweet Light, teary eyed. “And I accepted it. You also gave me the knowledge to use them in ways few ponies can. And you gave me privileged access to many of the city's systems. Only you and Celestia had more access than me. You trusted me with many secrets. I am honored to be a pony you trusted so much.”
She turned her head towards Apple Seed.
“I...”
“Could you quit with the ‘I am a bad pony’ act?” yelled Apple Seed, tears streaming from her eyes. “You are going to say something like ‘I killed your precious nature,’ aren't you?” The pony in front of her nodded. “You are trying to convince us that you are not worthy of our compassion, but it does not work. And it does not matter how many bad things you did, our friendship is real!”
The dying pony smiled lightly.
“I imprisioned my beloved mentor. I put down my babysitter and my brother. My dragon assistant, who never accepted what I had become, died protecting me. I killed more ponies than I am able to count. I destroyed many beautiful things to create my utopia. Even then... even after all... I am happy... that you are... my...”
She closed her eyes.
“F-Friends...”
She exhaled one last time.
Around her, the five friends were in tears.
The purple glow disappeared. The only light in the room was a sky full of stars, visible through a large spatial hole below the intact part of the ceiling.
In front of the stars, a large dark mass pulsated.
Twilight Sparkle walked towards the grieving ponies, followed by the rest of the group.
“When I first came to Ponyville and fought Nightmare Moon, she destroyed the Elements of Harmony. But I realized that the Elements are not just some jewels. The elements are within us.
“Honesty. Kindness. Laughter. Generosity. Loyalty. Friendship. You should be able to use them together, even if their physical representations were destroyed in your time.
“Let's do it, and save our world!”
All the ponies present wiped their tears. The ponies of the past wore their matching Elements, while the Administrator enabled the simulacrum system on the ponies of the future.
This time, there was no pain. The colorful light from both sets of ponies filled first the room, then the whole destroyed city, and then spilled through the open portal, dissolving the dark pulsating mass outside it.
It was a beautiful morning at Equestria City. The sky covering the ecumenopolis glowed with a bright sun. Many ponies wandered about, feeling safe in the uninterrupted peace that they had been enjoying for almost a thousand years.
Celestia and Luna landed in front of the vehicle, which extended its ramp.
“Welcome back, Twilight Sparkle!”
The Administrator looked around.
In the distance, she could see the many tall crystal buildings that she had built. Between them, instead of a solid hard crystal floor, there were large forests, plains, rivers, and mountains. There was no dome above the city. In the sky, pegasi herded the clouds.
“In this timeline, Rainbow Dash did not have to sacrifice herself,” explained Celestia. “Equestria is filled with harmony.”
“It will take some time to get used to this.” The Administrator removed her cybernetic glasses, having failed to synchronize them to the city's systems.
“It will take less time than you believe,” explained Celestia. “When you and your past self used the Elements of Harmony, the split timelines healed and merged. You six will soon remember your lives in this new timeline. And since you were briefly outside time with the Black Wing, you six will also keep the memories of the other timeline. It might be a bit confusing at first, to have two sets of memories, but I believe that you all will adapt to it quickly.”
Celestia took the six to a walk around the new Equestria City, and told them many stories of this new world. Little by little, Twilight remembered her new past.
She now understood better why her past self had opposed her. She was her past self, and remembered what she saw in the mirror that fateful day.
“Celestia?”
“Yes?”
“I am sorry. For what I did to you in the other timeline.”
Celestia chuckled.
“It is all right, Twilight Sparkle. I do not have the memories of that timeline. Although you did tell me what your future self told you about that.”
The sun was setting. As Luna raised the moon, the six tired time-traveling ponies, seated around Celestia, fell into a blissful sleep.
At the end of Utopia, a question remained on my mind:
Was it true that You Can't Fight Fate? Or was there a way for Twilight to go back in time, and save Rainbow Dash?
This story is the answer to that question.
-*-*-*-
In case the Anachronic Order made this story too hard to follow, I apologize. To help these who made this far but are still lost, here is the basic chronologic order, from the protagonists' point of view, for the three main timelines.
The first timeline, "End Of A Dream":
Utopia (past) -> Seeds Of Destiny -> End Of A Dream -> Treason At Canterlot -> Shattered Glass -> Utopia (future) -> Darkest Hour -> Broken Future
The second timeline, "Black Wing", starts the same, but diverges after Utopia:
Utopia (future) -> Prologue -> Black Wing -> The Future And The Past -> Broken Future -> Epilogue
The third timeline, "A Crack In Time", diverges earlier:
Utopia (past) -> A Day In Ponyville -> A Crack In Time -> The Future And The Past -> Broken Future