Timeless
Starlight shot a blinding bolt of magical energy, the air crackling as it hurled toward its target. Twilight dove out of the way, the bolt passing mere inches from her head. She took aim and returned fire at her foe. For a moment it looked like it would find its mark. But at the last moment Starlight teleported and the bolt passed harmlessly through empty sky.
“Where is she?” asked Spike, still clinging tightly to the alicorn.
“I don’t –”
Suddenly, they heard the maniacal cackle from behind. They turned to see Starlight standing on a cloud, a devious grin on her face. “You’re too late,” she declared, pointing to the racecourse in the distance. At that moment a brown pegasus colt passed through the finish line, easily beating a filly Rainbow Dash.
“No!” cried Twilight. She felt herself pulled upwards into the time vortex...
~~~
Thud! Bam!
Dazed, Spike, sat upright. “Where are we now?”
Twilight, rubbing her head, replied, “I’m not sure. But it’s not our Equestria.”
Spike scrambled over to the map. “Well, it doesn’t look too bad. The Crystal Empire hasn’t taken over half of Equestria. And the Changeling.... Twilight?”
She stared silently towards the horizon.
“Twilight? What’s wrong?” He gazed up at the mountains looming in the distance.
“It’s... gone.... Canterlot is... gone. What happened here?” She turned to the map. “There’s no sign of it. There are roads and aqueducts and railroads leading to where it should be, but there’s no trace of Canterlot.”
“Look at Ponyville.” He motioned to the town’s location which was covered by an enormous fortress.
“Halt!”
Twilight and Spike spun around and saw five armor-clad stallions approaching.
The one in the lead demanded, “Who are –” He stopped dead in his tracks. “An alicorn!”
“An alicorn!” echoed another.
“What does it mean?” asked a third.
“Uh – hello?” attempted Twilight.
The leader declared, “The Lord will know.”
“The Lord?”
“The First Lord,” he clarified.
“Well, we’d love to meet the First Lord, but we really must be on our way,” said Twilight, giving a nervous laugh.
“You’re not going anywhere but to see the First Lord,” proclaimed the leader, the others lowering glowing horns at the hapless pair....
~~~
The soldiers escorted their prisoners to the commanding fortress. A solid stone wall, fifty feet high and crowned with battlements, stretched to the horizon in either direction. Every hundred feet stood imposing watchtowers topped with catapults. The group approached the gatehouse and an iron portcullis creaked upwards. Twilight and Spike gazed apprehensively upon the arrowslits on either side and the murder-holes threatening from above. Reaching the other side, they came upon a broad paved street. Houses and shops competed for space, many with overhangs that nearly made the road feel like a tunnel. As they walked, ponies began forming a mob around them, with whispers and murmurs of “An Alicorn!” and “There’s another!”
“Get back!” ordered the leader of the soldiers.
The soldiers and the two prisoners continued walking, their progress slowed by the gawking and confused onlookers who often blocked the way.
“Make way! Official security matters!” barked the leader.
Finally, the group reached the citadel. Dominating the top of a natural hill, it loomed ominously above them, an impregnable structure of walls and towers and buttresses with each level built on top of the one below. The base of the complex was encircled by a thick wall, while a wide moat surrounded it all.
The group passed over a drawbridge and through an even more formidable gatehouse. Up the steep path they climbed, an exposed trail of twenty switchbacks and nearly as many guardhouses. Eventually they arrived at the entrance, and heavy wooden doors swung open to admit the group. Ahead lay a long hallway lit only by torches. Down they walked, the only sounds coming from hoofsteps upon the marble floor. Another set of heavy doors opened to reveal a vast room. At the far end, upon a raised platform, sat a golden throne.
For a long time the group stood in silence. Then, from behind the platform, came the sound of a door opening and the guards snapped to attention. A dark figure gradually climbed, though still in the shadows... an alicorn. Twilight and Spike exchanged glances. Finally, the figured descended the platform, emerging from the darkness and into the light.
“Pinkie?” gasped Twilight.
“Princess Pinkamena, First Lord of Equestria,” corrected the leader.
Circling the strange alicorn and her dragon accomplice, the sovereign demanded, “Who are you?”
Closing her gaping mouth to swallow, Twilight replied, “I’m Prin –”
“Impossible! There are no other princesses in Equestria. Who are you?”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle and this is Spike.”
“Where are you from? Why are you here?”
“That’s a long story,” explained Twilight.
Pinkamena moved her long, straight mane to the side and leaned forward, staring directly into Twilight’s eyes. After an uncomfortable amount of time, she stepped back and gave a nod to the guards....
~~~
Twilight and Spike sat at the long dining table, with Pinkamena at the head. Waiters entered and laid silver trays before the three. Removing the covers, they revealed –
“Gems!” cried Spike, quickly gorging himself on the emeralds and rubies and sapphires.
“Spike! Where are your manners?” scolded Twilight.
Swallowing, he apologized, “Sorry.”
Pinkamena said, “It’s alright. I don’t mind.”
Twilight looked down at her own bowl, a scrumptious salad piled high and covered cheese and dressing. Her empty stomach growled in anticipation. She levitated a fork and took a polite bite.
“So, where do you come from?” questioned Pinkamena.
“Well,” began Twilight, “it’s rather complicated.” She hesitated, looking for the right words. “We’re from another Equestria.”
Pinkamena’s eyes narrowed and she leaned slightly forward, but said nothing.
Twilight continued, “An evil unicorn named Starlight Glimmer used a spell to travel back in time and change the past.”
“Time travel is impossible.”
“No. The spell can be found in the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the library in Canter...”
“Canterlot?” finished Pinkamena.
“Yes,” replied Twilight, rubbing her tearing eyes. “What happened here?”
“You really don’t know?”
“No.”
“It was destroyed during the war.”
Tilting her head, Twilight asked, “What war?”
“The war against King Sombra. When the Crystal Empire returned, he waged a war of conquest against Equestria. We lost nearly everything.... But he was defeated.”
“So Princess Celestia...?”
Pinkamena shook her head. “I’m afraid she didn’t make it. She gave her life for....” Now it was time for her eyes to well with tears. “...me.”
“She did?”
Letting out a long sigh, Pinkamena explained, “It was desperate. Our army was battered, broken, outnumbered. There remained only one hope. Princess Celestia led a desperate last stand, holding off the hordes while... Maud and myself sought the lost Elements of Harmony. Using their power, Sombra was finally defeated.”
“So Maud must be an alicorn too?” asked Spike.
Pinkamena’s face darkened and she shook her head. “Victory came at a steep price. We all sacrificed something... some more than others....”
“Pinkamena?” urged Twilight.
“I lost my whole family. And now....” She let out a sarcastic laugh and looked at her wings. “...Now I have eternity to grieve.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Yeah, I’m really sorry too,” added Spike.
Taking a deep breath, her eyes hardened. “Twilight, you say all this suffering is due to a unicorn?”
“Yes.”
“We must find her and make her pay for her crimes, though having her drawn and quartered would be too light of a punishment.”
“Well, Spike and I have been using the spell to travel back in time to fight Starlight Glimmer.”
Spike pulled forth the scroll and passed it to the princess to examine.
Twilight explained, “However, everytime we fight her we lose, and get pulled into another alternate Equestria.”
Pinkamena looked at the scroll and asked, “What is your Equestria like?”
“Our Equestria is different. Princess Celestia and Luna rule from Canterlot. Princess Cadence leads the Crystal Empire. There hasn’t been a major war in a hundred years. And we all live in Ponyville.”
“Is Maud? And Limestone? And –”
“They’re all still alive,” confirmed Twilight.
“Except they all live on a rock farm while you live in Sugarcube Corner,” added Spike.
Leaning back into her chair, Pinkamena sat in quiet contemplation for a long time. Finally, she asked Twilight, “Could two alicorns defeat this Starlight?”
“Yes, but –”
“I will come with you and make sure it is done.”
“I’m not sure –”
“It is not up for debate.”
~~~
The two alicorns and a dragon walked along the dirt road that led to the map and the former location of the Castle of Friendship. The trio walked mostly in a tense silence. With the map coming into view, Twilight said to Spike, “Go ahead. I would like a word with Pinkamena.”
He returned a confused expression but nodded and trotted down the road. After he was out of earshot, she said, “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
“I’m coming and that’s final.”
“It’s just... I think you’re going to....” Twilight looked away. “...die. You’re from an alternate timeline, so going back in time may kill you. Even if it doesn’t, if we succeed in stopping Starlight Glimmer, you’ll be erased from existence.”
“If you succeed, this Equestria will be erased as well. I’d rather die saving the ones I love than live with the pain of their deaths for the rest of my life.”
Twilight looked up. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
Twilight slipped a small smile. “That’s one of my favorite books.”
“Mine too.”
“I – I wish we had more time.”
Pinkamena sighed. “It’s always a matter of time. Come, let us end this.”
~~~
Starlight shot a blinding bolt of magical energy, the air crackling as it hurled toward its target. Twilight dove out of the way, the bolt passing mere inches from her head. She took aim and returned fire at her foe. For a moment it looked like it would find its mark. But at the last moment Starlight teleported and the bolt passed harmlessly through empty sky.
They heard the maniacal cackle from behind. They turned to see Starlight levitating in the air, a devious grin on her face. “You can’t stop –” Instantly she was encased in a crystal block.
Emerging from behind a cloud bank, Pinkamena said, “No, but I can.”
“We did it!” cried Spike.
Pinkamena and Twilight shared a smile.
Ka-Boom!!! In the distance a rainbow wave spread across the sky like ripples in a pond – a sonic rainboom.
Suddenly a time vortex sucked them upwards....
~~~
Wham! Thud! Bam! Thud!
Dazed, Spike, sat upright. “Are we back?”
Twilight, rubbing her head, looked about the familiar crystal walls and chandelier made from the roots of the Golden Oak Library. “I think so.” Almost to herself, she said, “Thank you Pinkamena, we’ll never forget you.”
Groan.
Twilight turned. Beyond Spike, beyond the still imprisoned Starlight Glimmer, lay a pink alicorn.
~~~
“...and Starlight will be put on trial for her crimes. I’ll ensure she’s kept in a secure location where her magic is useless.”
“Thank you Princess Celestia,” said Twilight. “She’s extremely powerful; we can’t risk her wielding her magic. Who knows what she would attempt next.”
Turning to the third pony in the room, Celestia asked, “And what comes next for you?”
“I – I –”
“Pinkamena?” asked Twilight.
“I – really don’t know. By all rights I shouldn’t be here. But I am. Somehow I survived when my whole world was destroyed. I’m lost here – a stranger in a strange land.”
“You may be lost, but you’re not forgotten,” she said, putting a comforting hoof on Pinkamena’s shoulder. “You’re more than welcome to stay at my castle until you can figure things out.”
Princess Celestia observed, “Being the Princess of Friendship, I’m sure Twilight can introduce you around Ponyville.”
“I’d like that,” conceded Pinkamena.
“I just realized, any friend of Pinkie’s will be a friend to you,” added Twilight.
“Is that many?”
“You have no idea.”