> Equilibrium, Book 2: The Second Nexus. > by Rojack79 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue: Something Lost. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Nooooo!" Dash wailed as she pounded the stone floor cracking it as she fought to see her surroundings through a vail of tears. Her shuddering continued even as Fluttershy draped a wing around her friend for comfort. Dash gave her friend a look of pure anguish. "Wh-wh-" Her voice quivered with fear as she tried to give her fractured thoughts time to compose themselves. Steeling her resolve she took a deep breath and took stock of their situation. "Flutters what are we going to do?" She asked as the two mares say there surrounded by a pool of tears. Fluttershy to took her time composing her thoughts. When she felt more at ease she gave her friend a look of pure determination, her eyes blazing with a crimson fury. "We hunt those bastards down and kill them. Slowly, painfully, and then we get our human back." She said as she took to her magic using some of John's leftover blood, began to weave a spell into the very air itself. Earth, 4/19/2020. 1 YEAR LATER. John sat at his desk, blankly starring off into nothingness as his thoughts dwelled on his current WIP. "Perfect time to be unemployed." He studied his computer monitor, trying to get his thoughts down on paper. Letting out a sigh he slumped back into his chair and simply stared at his hand. "Hard to believe it's only been a year now." He mumbled to himself as he flexed the muscles in his arm, feeling the tendons contract causing his hand to form into a fist. 4/14/2019. John looked around the hospital room in pure disbelief. " But it's the truth!" He stated as the doctor shook his head. "No son it wasn't." He sighed as he rubbed his temples. "It was merely a hallucination brought about from cranial trauma and then oxygen deprivation all of which was the result of your unfortunate accident." The doctor sighed once more as he placed a hand on John's shoulder. "Look, I know you've been through a lot lately. You've had a horrific accident and you've been in a comatose state for a little over a year now. You need to give your brain and body time to heal." The doctor gave John a soft smile. "You'll get through this son, trust me I've seen my fare share of miracles around here. Just give it time." His last piece of advice administered the doctor took one last look at his patient's chart and stepped out ofthe room, leaving John to ponder his words. John just let out a grunt as he thought about his ride awakening. "Tsk, fucking prick couldn't tell his mouth from his asshole." He grumbled as he saved his work and shut his laptop down for the day. Giving his limbs a stretch he stole a glance at his clock and chuckled. "7:59" He looked at the darkness outside and let out a yawn. "Ahhhh, time for bed." He declared to the air as he stepped outside of his room and wandered into the living room. He stopped at the threshold and watched as his parents laughed at a comedian performing on the TV. "I will part your legs like the red sea! Then I will lower my draw bridge and introduce you to the queen! When you are about to go over the edge shout Victory. Victory! My job is done here." John let out a hearty chuckle at Gabriel's joke and as soon as his parents laughter died down they both gave him a beaming smile. "Hey son. How's it going?" His mother asked. Hey Ja-" He caught himself and took a deep breath. "Mom." His stomach twisted into knots as he briefly flashed back to Fluttershy's radiant smile and motherly tone. He shook his head to clear away the unwanted reminders of his sick mind. "So is this something new from Fluffy or?" He trailed off as he looked back towards the TV. His father gave him a nod as he paused the show. "This is one of his older shows but it's still good." He said as John just gave them both a nod. I looked over to the kitchen and jabbed his thumb over to the fridge. "Finally got some writing done. Going to get something to eat." He said as he made his way over to the fridge and grabbed a slice of pizza. "Anyone else want a piece?" He asked as he took a pepperoni pizza out and waved it about the kitchen. Both of his parents shook their heads. "Nope. Just got through eating a salad dear." His mother said as she got up and headed and reached over the couch to grab bottle of water. His father gave him a wave of the hand. "No thanks son. Still trying to digest your mothers tacos." He chuckled as he let out a rather loud fart that had his wife wrinkle her nose and gag. "Honey!" She chastised him as she began to fan the air around her. "Did you have to go and defile the living room like that!?" She asked as she got tired of fanning the air and instead turned on the fan. "John honey can you please go and open the back door. We need to get a draft going. Clear the air out." His mother begged as John Jr, & Sr both laughed. "Ok mom, will do." John said as he stepped over the dogs and opened the backdoor. Equestria, 4/19/1002. Twilight wanted nothing more than to be happy. In the last year her brother had been married and her friends had been saved equestria from yet another ancient evil. Now however a whole new kingdom had suddenly just appeared in the frozen north. And still after all of these and other issues that had popped up all over equestria she still had only received a few sparse letters from two of her freinds who practically vanished off the face of Equis after a mysterious wave of magic surged throughout the world, with its focal point being the vary seat of equestrian power. Needless to say the royal sisters were quick to act setting their best investigators on the case. Twilight let out a huff of annoyance and she rolled around in her bed her gaze lingering on a photograph sitting upon her nightstand. She grasped it in her magic and scrutinized it with a critical eye. "Who are you?" She asked herself as her eye's settled upon the strange bipedal creature kneeling down and giving Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, & Applejack a big hug while Apple Bloom clung to its head like an yellow fuzzy helmet. > Chapter 1: Something Found. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria, 4/20/1002. Discord held up a map of the world as his already twisted visage morphed into a begrudging look of contemplation. He crumpled up the map and tossed it over his shoulder, leaving Rainbow to mildly glare at him as she dodged his paper pamphlet which promptly toppled down the mountainside they were traversing and shook the whole cliff face they were precariously perched on as a small explosion reached their ears even with the wind howling up this high. "Whoopsi!" He exclaimed while Dash just snickered as she caught up with Fluttershy who lead there little excursion up Mt, Platinum. "You know a little warning would be nice." She said as Fluttershy let out a giggle of her own. She turned to her friend, in mid-air and smirked through her scarf. "Don't worry too much about him Dash, once we make it to the empire we'll be able to deal with him." She stated as a wicked smile crossed her features meanwhile, Discord paled a little bit at the thought of feeling his wife's wrath. The two mare's shared one last giggle at Discord's expense while he just grumbled and took up a scouting position in front of them so as to not hear their brief fits of laughter & so he could get a better lay of the land. With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared from view leaving Dash and Fluttershy all alone. "So.." Dash said as the two trudged through the snow. Fluttershy let out a soft sigh as she looked back at her friend. Dash was just as stubborn as AJ at times and even more so now. But her friend was ragged and tired, with heavy bags underneath her eyes, and no doubt her own were not fairing well either. "When we get to the empire we'll be able to rest up and recoup." She said laying a wing upon her exhausted friend. Dash just gave her a look of pure horror. "NO!" She shouted as she stumbled through the snow. "I mean psh look at me I can still go on for at least another day or-" Her words caught in her throat as she fell to the snow, her leg's having become numb ever since her magical reserves ran out. Fluttershy clucked her tongue as she helped her friend to her hooves. "Dash listen to me neither of us is going to be of much help to-" She stopped as her head was once again racked with pain. Once more she felt the temporal magic claw it's way into her mind, searching for the last remnants of one she held dear. Dash to felt the magic try and overwhelm her already taxed spirit. But together the two of them were able to hold it off. Once its influence passed them by the two of them took deep breathes as they assessed there situation. "C-can you still remember h-h-his-face?" "Name?" They both said causing yet another look of horror to cross their features. They both looked away from the other pure dejection displayed for all to see. "Stole some more from you to huh?" Dash asked as Fluttershy nodded. The two mares were brought back to their current place in time by the popping sound of Discord reappearing. "Hello everyone!" He exclaimed as his customary fanfare greeted the two with confetti and music. The two mares put on brave faces and smiles as Discord let out an encore in his honor. He twirled his mustache in one claw while using his paw to gesture in front of them. "Ladies our quarry awaits." Rainbow Dash was relieved. "Finally we can get out of this cold." She stated as her wings flapped in place to help restore the blood flow. Fluttershy simp;y stepped forward and gave her hoof a little nibble. Instantly her hoof began to bleed and at once her blood began to pool around her hoof. Using her vampiric magic she began to etch a rune into the very air in front of them. Dash meanwhile was trotting in place to keep her circulation up. "Just hope he hasn't changed the lock," Fluttershy said as she slowly waved her hoof through the air drawling more runes into the very air around them. "And done!" With the last flourish of her hoof in the air there then came a flash of light blinding both mares as Discord put on a pair of shades. "Ohhhh, nice light show." He snickered as the radiance faded leaving in its wake a sight that left Dash speechless. Fluttershy just tittered to herself as she sauntered through the hole that had appeared before them in the frigid northern air. Dash shivered once more as she felt the warmth of a nice summer breeze run through her fur. "Oh thank Faust!" Dash splayed out her wing's as Celestia's sun began to beat upon the three weary travelers. Fluttershy gazed upon the castle in front of them with a smug satisfaction upon her muzzle. "It feels good to be back." She quipped as Discord cracked his neck, back, chest, arms, and legs all at once. The resulting noise drew the attention of a pair of passing pegasi who were patrolling on the outskirts of the empire's borders. The two soldiers came in for a landing and trotted the rest of the way to the group, spears at the ready. "Halt!" One of them commanded. "Who goes there?" the other demanded as they got closer. Fluttershy merely giggled as the guards got ever closer. With a flash of crimson light, the two guards were reduced to two neat piles of ash. "Yes very good to be home." She said as she set off in the direction the guards haad come from towards the gleaming castle that was the pinnacle of the Crystal Empire. Ponyville, 5:37 P.M. Apple Familly Residence. Aion let out a small yawn as he stretched his hooves and then began to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Thank you, Princess Luna!" He exclaimed as he hopped out of his bed and ran towards the bathroom. The moon let out a little chuckle as Aion descended the staircase leading to the small farmhouse's main floor. Taking a left he entered the living room and was greeted with a hug from his grandmare. "Hello, Granny!" Aion said rather exuberantly as he gave her a hug in return. She smiled down at him as she brought him up to sit with her in her rocking chair. "Hello, there youngin. How's the nap treat'in yeah?" She asked as Aion regaled her with his latest visit from Princess Luna. As he did so Big Mac had just finished his work in the east field and had taken it upon himself to gather up his siblings for dinner. Looking in on the two put a smile on Mac's muzzle. Hearing hoof beat's behind him he turned around and was greeted with the sight of his second youngest sister trotting up to the door. "Hey there Big Mac." She said letting little of her depression creep into her voice. Her coat, however, said more than her muzzle ever could. She hadn't taken John's disappearance any less hard than the rest of the family. A funny thing happened as soon as Mac tried to remember his face though. He was drawing a blank and the very thought of forgetting his little brother disturbed him to no end. Shaking his head to clear out the agonizing headache he knew he would soon have he instead turned his mind to his other sister. "Applejack it's time for supper!" He called out to the barn next to the house. Applejack stopped her work and wiped the sweat from her brow. "All right Big Mac." She tied her mother's hoofkerchief back around her neck and grabbed her father's hat from a nearby nail. As she opened the door to leave the barn she stopped and looked at the far wall. There tacked onto the wall was a red scarf. It belonged to her great grandpappy according to there grandmother before she gifted it to there little brother. Her breath hitched in her throat as a tear made its way down her muzzle through clenched eyes. Looking up to the night sky she wondered just where he was now. "Please Faust, please if you can, please bring our brother back to us." Her prayer ended she gave the scarf one last forlorn look of despair before she closed the barn door and headed inside for the night. Earth, 4/20/2020. John once more found himself looking up into the night sky. "Hey there Princess Luna. How's your night been?" Like all of the nights after he had returned home he hadn't gotten a response. But that didn't stop him from trying to contact Equestria. During the day he'd talk to Celestia, during the night he'd whisper into Luna's ear hoping that either one of them would respond. Still, like this night and many others, all was silent. "I hope all's going well where you guys are." He smiled as he remembered binging all of the episodes for my little pony as soon as he could when he was released from the hospital. Sure the Equestria he'd been to was an alternate reality from the primary continuity but still. If he could just see them even if it was through a glass screen he was somewhat content. A snort passed through his mouth before he could think about it. "Yeah right." He smirked as he thought of all the adventures he'd had and all of the ones he'd missed. "God I need to get my shit together." He sighed as shook his head and went inside. Giving the stars above him one last look he took a deep breath and headed back inside his house for the night. > Chapter 2: The Crystal King. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4/20/1002. Equestria, 6:27 P.M. Rainbow Dash and Discord both marveled at the stunning beauty of the crystal empire as they were lead through the streets by Fluttershy who having been here many times, took the most direct route to the throne room that she could. Discord looked around and gagged. "Fluttershy my sweet, can you please remind me again why we're here of all places?" He asked as they trotted right up to the obsidian steps of the castle itself. Fluttershy just glared at the guards who parted to permit them entrance into the castle proper. She then gave her husband a soft smile as she trotted at a slower pace to catch up with him. Giving him little warning she lept into the air and gave him a hug and a smooch on his cheek. "Well, honey we are here to see if my dear sweet brother can help us find my son." She said as she hopped off her now stunned husband. "Brother!?" He stammered as he ran to catch up to the mares. Dash was just as speechless but then thought more of it. "So let me get this straight, your bother owns all of this?" she asked panning to the great city outside the castle windows. She gave a whistle at Fluttershy's not of confirmation. "This is technically only one of his many lodging's but this is the one he most frequents." She said as the group had finally made it their destination. The thrones rooms ruby double doors swung open upon there arrival in the hallway leading to said throne room. As they got near they saw the ruler of this fare kingdom. A stallion, his coat as black as coal, his only adornments being a cape with white fur-trimmed sides and a crown made of gold and adorned with obsidian gems. All in all, he looked the spitting image of what a king should be only as he sat there upon his throne his previously closed eye's opened to reveal a look of utter boredom inside of them. "Hello, dear sister of mine." His gravelly voice rang throughout the grand hall. Looking upon his sister's guest's with some small measure of amusement, he grinned as his eyes met the sight of Discord who had changed his shape into that of a pony to better hide behind his wife. Fluttershy gave her husband a soft kiss before she trotted up to her brother. Rainbow meanwhile took all of this in stride. "Of course Flutter's is related to someone who rule's an entire kingdom." She looked around as she studied the building's layout committing each and every crevice to memory. "Still though he has nice taste." Sombra chuckled at that. "Thank you, my dear." He said as he rose from his throne to meet his sister and her guests. "I'm afraid I haven t had the pleasure of hearing your name." He said as he held out a hoof. Dash smiled as she gave his hoof a shake. "Name's Rainbow Dash." She said as Sombra's own crimson eyes went wide. "Well, well, dear sister to what do I owe this great audience from one of Equestria's saviors?" He asked as Fluttershy gave her brother a forlorn look. Knowing all too well what this entailed Sombra's expression darkened as his eye's narrowed. "So someone made the stupid mistake of messing with my little sister eh?" He asked as all of the guards in the room stiffened. Fluttershy just gave him a nod. Looking over to Discord he just sighed. "So who do I have to kill to sort this out?" He asked as he cracked his neck. 7:04 P.M. "And that's all we've been able to gather right now." Dash finished retelling Sombra their tale. He mulled the information over and shook his head. Looking over to Fluttershy he had only one question to ask. "Why are these filthy creation's who killed my nephew not detained and on the receiving end of a very prolonged torture session?" Rainbow Dash smirked but it soon faltered as Fluttershy let out a deep breath. "Unfortunately because of these time anomalies it would appear that the ones responsible for this incident are not only alive and well again but they have gone into hiding." She stated as yet another time ripple passed overhead. "And because of these anomalies, our very history is constantly being re-written so they're almost impossible to track down via normal magical methods." After the fluctuation of mana settled down Sombra snorted as he motioned for them to follow him. They did so and went back to the throne room. This left Dash and Discord perplexed while Fluttershy for the first time in a long time looked hopeful. "Wait here," Sombra ordered as he raised a hoof. At once several guards came forward, materializing from the very stone of the castle walls. "You two." Sombra's voice boomed. At once the stone sentinels stood at attention. "Take these three to our archives. Help them find anything and everything we have on temporal magics, advanced scrying techniques and anything to do with crossing dimensional barriers." Fluttershy gave her brother a tear-filled hug as the two sentinels began to guide them to the archives. Sombra gave his sister a nuzzle. "Don't worry sis." His gaze hardened as he thought of the ones responsible for robbing him of his nephew. "Those fools have robbed me of a family member and I intend on making them pay for it." He said as he turned on the spot and headed to his chamber's. Fluttershy was curious. "Um, what will you be doing in the meantime?" She asked receiving a chuckle from her brother. He smirked at the group as he stopped mid-step. "I'm going to have a little chat with our dear princesses." He smiled as his eyes clouded over with dark magic. "And then i'm going to pay a visit to an old friend." An instant later he was gone in a puff of purple smoke leaving the group to there own devices. 7:07 P.M. Canterlot. Princess Luna was bored. Beyond bored in fact for she had now taken it upon herself to bring a book with her to most night courts. Looking out over the empty hall she sighed as she went back to reading her trashy romance book. "Please dear Faust can some pony come by tonight. I'M BORED!" As if materialized by her very thoughts the castles double doors were thrust open with such force that the reverberations from the large oaken panels hitting solid stone shook the whole castle. Luna meanwhile has discarded her paper bindings and was now fully alert at her station. "Me and my big brain." Her eyes scanned the chamber as the newest arrival sauntered into the throne room. "Well, well, well. What have we here?" The voice said betraying only its owner but not his intentions. Luna sat rigidly upon her throne as she took in the stallion before her. "Oh my." She gasped as her face began to heat up, as did the rest of her soon after the male has stopped his approach just at foot of her throne. He bowed his head in respect but immediately brought his crimson eyes up to her own cerulean ones. The two starred, until she was no longer able to gaze into those blood-red irises, Luna looked away as her muzzle began to once more turn red. Sombra for all his anger and fury right now couldn't help but smirk at the effect he was having on one of Equestria's most prized princesses. He cleared his throat however grabbing Luna's undivided attention. "Good night lovely mistress." He bowed once more as Luna for herself under control. She tilted her head to in reverence and baid him to continue. "Go on dear subject, what pray tell troubles thee at this fine hour?" Sombra was a bit thrown off by the old tongue but he smiled as he looked Luna dead in the eyes. "I have been informed of a most troubling fate that has befallen my dearest nephew, your majesty." He now sat down as he told Luna of his sister's plight. She simply let out a huff of frustration as she recalled the incident. "King Sombra while I do understand your pain I feel that I must tell you what I and my sister had to tell Lady Fluttershy, we simply cannot help someone with what we have no knowledge of." She finished just as another temporal wave passed by. Neither of them was affected by it but Sombra looked ready to kill. He took several deep breaths before he continued his plea as well as cloaked his horn in a thin veil of shadows. "This I understand Princess but as it would seem that time itself is unraveling and reshaping itself on a whim is it not correct to assume that your and your sister's memories are also being tampered with?" Luna just sat there. "Sadly Fluttershy to brought this up and offered to even see if she could use a memory spell to reconstitute our own false memories but alas she was too exhausted and in pain after losing a loved one to perform such a spell." Sombra simply smirked as his horn lit up. "Well luckily for my sister I'm one of the best Umbriamancer's on Faust's planet." Luna was blinded as shadows passed over her sight and invaded her mind. "As the princess of the night and dreams Luna you should know that we all have dark recesses of the mind that hide our deepest secrets and desires. The same is true for all of our experiences no matter how small." 7:10 P.M. "Sister!" Celestia was rudely awakened from her rest by not only her sister's shouting but also the force of having her doors ripped open. "This had better be good." She stifled a yawn as she gave her sister a smile and a wave. "So what has you in such a state tonight dear Luna?" Luna just simply ran to her sister's bed and enveloped her in a soft hug as she balled her eyes out. Celestia was taken aback by her sister's sudden affections but her shock only deepened when Sombra entered her room. "Sombra. It's been a long time." She stated as the king gave Celestia a bow. "Yes your majesty it has been far to long since you and your sister have graced my kingdoms hall's." He smirked as Luna got her emotions under control once more that night. "Sister we have grave news!" Celestia looked from her sister's solemn expression to Sombra's serious one. "Ok what's the bad news?" She asked propping herself up in her bed. Sombra gave Celestia a bow before he cleared his throat. "Allow me princess." Celestia's vision soon clouded over as her mind was to engulfed in darkness. When her vision cleared once more she wore an expression of pure sadness upon her muzzle. "Dear Faust what have we done?" She asked herself as she looked to her sister for answers. Luna shook her head. "Tis not our fault this travesty hath accord." Sombra nodded in agreement. "Yes this is temporal anomaly sweeping throughout the world is powerful magic indeed." He fixed Celestia with a steely glare. "You are not to blame, but I do have a lead as to who the guilty parties are." He said putting the sister's mind's at ease. Luna the matter some thought. "Sister if these memories are indeed true as I fear they are then we must act with all available haste." Celestia didn't need anymore convincing on the matter. Several of her dear subjects were in immense pain. She knew all to well the pain they were in. Looking to Sombra she smiled. "Thank you for giving us our memories back." She pulled the king into a swift hug to which he tolerated and gave Celestia a firm pat on the back. "Your welcome princess's but I'm afraid I must be off." Luna gave him a salute that he reciprocated. "If I may your majesties I would find some pony well versed in temporal magics. I know you have Inquisitors searching the land trying to stop these anomalies but it may do more good to find there source and I possible destroy it." With his final advice given Sombra gave the sister's one final bow and left them in a flash of black light. Celestia didn't take to long to remember just the ponies qualified for the task at hand. Quickly she produced a quill, ink bottle, and several pieces of parchment. Dear Mr Hoove's, i require your immediate assistance at the earliest possible opportunity. Celestia then wrote two more letters, one addressed to her old mentor and another to an old student that had followed in his wake. With a flourish of her magic the letters were sent. Celestia took a deep breath and let out a soft sigh. "Now we wait and hope that these three are unaffected by these temporal discrepancies." Luna gave her sister a soft nuzzle. "I'm vearly sure that we shall overcome this great transgression." > Chapter 3: Sex And Time Anomalies. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria, 4/20,1002. Equilibrium Universe, 2. The sounds of passion and sex sounded throughout the home of one Soarin Skies. "Come on!" The mare beneath him screamed as Soarin continued his rapid thrusting. "Just a little longer!" He begged as he sped up his pace. The mare in question began to shudder as her rapidly approaching climax threatened to overtake her at any minute. "S-s-sori-i-i-can't-hold on." Her breath hitched in her throat as an overwhelming euphoria crashed through her body. Her magic instinctively kicking off as she achieved her climax sent a bolt of electricity down her spine and ran through Soarin's still gushing erection freezing him in place as his body convulsed in conjunction with not only his own orgasm but hers as well. Once their collective high settled down they both collapsed into a sweaty, sticky, heap. "Damn, Dash that was just." Soarin was grinning from ear to ear as the two basked in their afterglow. Dash herself was as giggly as a school filly. "Hey, when you want the best you know where to go." She said as she rolled over and rummaged through her desk. Soarin gave off a grunt as he got on wobbly hooves and headed to the bathroom. "Hey Dash I'll be right back," he flashed her a smirk. "Then we can go for round two." Dash gave him a wink as Soarin entered her bathroom. Taking his time to recuperate he studied his muzzle in the mirror. "Hmmm I really need to-" He took a sharp intake of breath as pain began to make itself comfortable in his head. Frantically looking around the room he saw the corner of his vision begin to blur. "NO!" He screamed as his world went dark. Prime Equilibrium Universe. Soarin came to a little while later. "FUCK!" He shouted as he raced out of his luxurious hotel suite and made a beeline straight to wonderbolts HQ. Spitfire was filling out some paperwork when her door burst open. "Spitfire I need to take the week off!" Soarin demanded as soon as his eyes fell on his superior officer. Spitfire looked up from her paperwork and nodded over to a jar filled with folded post-it notes. "You know the drill. One free fuck for each show you miss big guy." She smirked as Soarin trotted over to her desk and grabbed a stack of post-it notes. "Yeah well, hopefully I can get this little emergency felt with sooner rather than later." He said filling out his last note and shoving it into the jar. As he got up to leave he was stopped by a wing. "You know I've been filling out paperwork all morning." She smirked as Soarin began to grow hard once more. "How about we deal with one of those notes right now." She leaned back against her desk as Soarin just smiled. "Ah yes! Right there!" The sound of creaking wood and banging table legs joined by the sounds of slapping flesh and moaning was all that Fleetwing could hear coming from the bosses office. "Lucky bitch." She grumbled as she sat there trying to desperately stop her body from leaking fluids all over the cloud flooring. Finally, after a tense few seconds, two screams of orgasmic bliss filled the air. Soon afterward Soarin sauntered out of Spitfires office looking like a million bits and none the worse for wear. He gave Fleetwing a smirk and a wink as he passed while Fleet just stood at attention and gave him a nod. As he left the building Fleet took a look into the boss's office to see her still splayed out on top of her desk panting heavily as Soarin's jizz flowed freely from her swollen pussy. "Um, Captain are you alright?" Spitfire couldn't answer properly. The only indication she could give as to even hearing Fleetwing was a simple wink of her nether regions. Fleet just sighed as she closed the door to Spitfires' office. "Well, there goes that transfer request." She said as she exited the building. Soarin had long left the HQ behind his mind now clear of all distractions and focused on a single goal. "Have to get to the chancellor and fast!" He poured on more speed as he sped off to Equestrias northern border. Meanwhile, Chancellor Neighsay had been in the middle of a rather impressive lecture on the superiority of ponies over dragons when his badge of office began to buzz. "If you will excuse me, kind students, I appear to have a small emergency to attend to." His students all have him a nod as they cleared out of the hall and Neighsay retired to his personal study. Once he had arrived he was both surprised and slightly angered to see Soarin trotting in place right outside his office door. "I thought we had all agreed to go our separate ways after that night." Soarin just huffed as he barged right into Neighsay's office. "Please by all means make yourself at home." He sarcastically said he trotted through his doorway. At once he cast a spell over his office to keep their discussion private and sat down staring at Soarin in disgust. "Why are you here?" He sneered as he took hold of a stack of papers and began to filter through them. Soarin continued to pace back and forth. "Why do you think? Our seal is coming undone!" Soarin shouted as he stopped trotting in place and gave Neighsay a vehement scowl. Neighsay wasn't even phased by the news. "And from what I can tell all that entails is you losing out on your blissful existence in ignorance." He smirked as Soarin slammed a hoof on his table. "Somehow that bastard is still around and that means that the life I fought so hard for is being rewritten as we speak." Neighsay just shook his head. "Fine then if it will get you out of my office all the sooner then I will give our friend a little call." He said as his horn lit up. At once a wall behind the chancellor opened up. He motioned to Soarin with a hoof. "Stay here," Looking over to his secretary's desk he rolled his eyes. "And at least clean up after yourself this time." Soarin just scoffed as Neighsay trotted through the open wall and let out a huff as it closed behind him. Reaching up to the wall next to him he felt around for a secret button. Finding it he pushed only to feel his hoof sink through the stone. He shook his head and his hoof as his horn lit up. Looking at his hoof he was horrified to see through it and quickly shook his hoof again. Now holding it up to his face he was comforted by its newfound solidarity. "Get a grip Chancellor, It isn't becoming of one such as you to panic." The voice jostled Neighsay back into the present. He steeled himself as he trotted down the stairs and followed the origin of the voice. "Yes well if you can tell what state I'm in then you must know why I'm here." Aion merely chuckled as the chancellor made his way into Aions chambers. Aion's body fizzled in and out of the physical plane as he turned to look Neighsay in the eye. "Yes it would appear that our spell has had some," He paused just to savor the look of incredulity on the chancellor's muzzle. "Unforeseen consequences." He finished causing the chancellor to scoff. "That would be the understatement of the century." Aion just smiled. He then waved a hoof through the air tearing a hole in space and time. "Follow me." Both of them stopped and Neighsay heard the unmistakable sound of a desk banging around. "Yes, yes, yes!" was all he had to hear before he jumped into the portal with Aion laughing as he closed the tear behind him, his body phasing out of the physical world as he entered the temporal plane of existence. The groans of ecstasy faded as the two adults trotted throughout the timescape. "So Sorin's world has pushed him out back into his own reality," Aion asked as the chancellor just nodded. "It would appear so." He simply shook his head. "This does not bode well. Those mares must be trying to get that abomination back from whence it came." He scowled as the thought of that creature sullying this great land once more with his presence revolted him to no end. "We have to stop them," Neighsay said as the two ponies stopped in front of a door. Aion just opened the door and smiled. "I am way ahead of you there." He said as he waved a hoof in front of him. Chancellor Neighsay just stared at the sight before him. He was starring at something that made his very being tremble. "How did you manage to get an army?" He asked as Aion just smirked. "When you have all the time in existence at your disposal you tend to get bored really quickly. I had to pick up a hobby." He said as his army milled about below the two observers. Chancellor Neighsay made a mess of his robes as he let his load go all at once. Aion just laughed. "I know it's awesome." He declared as he waved his hoof and swept both of them up and deposited them back in Neighsay's office. Soarin was still ball's deep in the secretary as the two materialized in the office but he didn't stop his work. He gave them both a look of perturbed annoyance. "So-h-have- w-w-e got-a-plAN!" Both ponies screamed as they came to climax at the same time, Soarin giving one final thrust as he blew his load. Neighsay just glared as Soarin's seed began to spill onto his desk and down to the carpet below. Aion just looked on with mild amusement. He trotted over to the two and just smiled at Soarin's heaving form. "So how was your time in our prime universe?" He asked as Soarin just glared at him. "It-was-fine-up until I just popped back here." He said as the secretary just lay there panting trying to catch her breath. He just slid her off of him and splayed her out on the desk. He then propped himself up on the desk and spread her legs. "So how are we going to fix this?" He asked as he began to thrust his now hardened phallus back into the secretary's waiting nethers. Aion just waved a hoof and showed Soarin his army. Soarin didn't even need to reach his climax to feel his balls constrict once more as they released their seed. "Yes! Rainbow darling here I come!" He shouted as he began to fuck the secretary's brains out in earnest. > Chapter 4: The Time Brigade. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4/25/1002. Dr. Hooves looked over his letter and sighed. "Of course they need help." He looked over at his two other companions as they all waited in the Castle's waiting room. Starlight was fidgety from moment one but that was only because of who their last guest was. "Well it has been quite a while since I last stepped hoof here." Starswirl snickered to himself as all of his old memories came flooding back. His musings, however, were interrupted by the throne room doors opening. "Well, then there's no time to waste." The Dr said as a royal guard beckoned all three of them inside. They all followed the guard into the great hall, all of them ready to aid the princesses of Equestria with their wisdom. Starlight having not set hoof in Canterlot for some time now cast her gaze all around the great hall admiring the many differences that had been made to the castle's interior since Luna's return. She wasn't the only one to admire the scenery around her, Starswirl to found himself mesmerized by the many additions to the great hall. "Simply marvelous." He complimented as he and the other's all made their way to the Two Sister's thrones. The three of them all stopped and bowed in unison as the two sisters both gave them a curt nod and then with a wave of a hoof Luna dismissed the guards in the hall as Celestia prepared a spell. "Your majesties," Starswirl said as they all rose up eliciting a smile from Celestia as her spell was fired off sealing the room from prying ears. Starlight whistled as the spell washed over them all. "So let me guess your highness, we're here to help with all of this timey whimy stuff correct?" Dr. Hooves asked as Celestia smirked while her sister cast one final spell to keep out any unwanted ease droppers. "Your reputation proceeds you Dr." Celestia lit up her horn as Luna came over to join them. "Tis been too long dear Teacher." She said giving Starswirl a nuzzle as the old stallion just chuckled. "That it has Luna, that it has." He said returning the Princess's affections. While the old mage and the princess were reacquainting themselves, Celestia looked over to Starlight with a sly grin. "So Starlight how goes your research?" She asked as the mare in question became giddy with excitement. Taking a deep breath to collect her thought's Starlight's horn lit up with magic as she materialized a map of Equestria. As she did so The Dr. and Starswirl all came over to watch. Little points of light began to pop up all over Starlight's map of Equestria. "It's going well." She pointed a hoof to the map. "As you can see all of these points of light are places where significant time anomalies have sprung up." Her horn glowed once more as the map zoomed in on the frozen north. "There's a huge time displacement field hovering over the Crystal Empire but after studying it I've come to the conclusion that it's merely residual energy left over from King Sombra's powerful magic." She waved a hoof and the map once more moved its focus, this time to Ponyville. "This time displacement field however makes no sense." She said as a small bubble enveloped the tiny village. Celestia let out a sigh. She waved gave Starlight a nod. "Please continue." Starlight did so. "Right so after I took a scan of the Crystal Empire's time magic I then went to Ponyville and took a scan of that magic as well and then I cross-referenced them and found out-" Meanwhile, Beyond The Netherlands. Sombra discarded his cape in a puff of purple smoke as he reappeared in the home of Prince Scorpan. The mighty gargoyle in question saw his old friend materialize out of thin air and excused himself from his guests as he got up from his table. "It has been a long time your highness." He greeted Sombra with a bow as the king simply gave him a nod. "It has been too long old friend." Scorpan waved a hand as the two went down amongst the commoners in the dining hall, none dared to disturb the two rulers. "So to what do I owe this rare audience, your majesty?" Scorpan asked as a servant brought the two drinks. Sombra did not answer at first, he simply swirled his drink around in his glass before he downed it in one gulp. "Someone has been messing with time,-" He sighed as he set his glass down, fixing Scorpan with a stern glare,-"whoever's responsible for this has also made the mistake of pissing off my sister." He finished his tale as Scorpan went pale. "Oh Lord Faust above." He set his glass down as he mulled over the information he was given. His own face went from one of concern to one of stone. "What help can I offer?" He asked as Sombra got to his hooves. He smiled as his old friend stood ready for action. "For now I need your best magi to look into these temporal anomalies that have been cropping up all over the world." He remembered his chat with the princesses earlier. "And have one of them, preferably your best, head over to Canterlot. Princess Celestia is getting a group together to see if they can fix this." He stopped as Scorpan thought some more. "Anything else?" He asked filling the information away for later. Sombra shook his head in hesitation. "Have your armies ready at a moment's notice." He said as Scorpan have his comrade a salute. "If this situation is truly as dire as we all think then they will be ready my friend." Scorpan extended his hand for a shake, a gesture Sombra embraced with a hoof. "Be vigilant," Scorpan recited. Sombra chuckled. "And may Faust guide your blade." He finished. With a wave and a puff of purple Sombra was gone, back to his empire but more importantly back to his grieving sister. > Chapter 5: The Human Element. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4/25/2020. 12:06 P.M. John got himself prepared for another day stuck inside. Looking over his food supply he let out a deep breath of annoyance. "Great. Have to go out, again." He sighed as he scraped up his car keys and poked his head into his parent's room. "Hey you two just going to go out and grab some more food." His only gave him a look of worry. "Are you sure?" His mother asked trying to hide the anxiety creeping into her voice. John just smiled. "Yes, I'll be fine. It's not like I'm going to try and hit a telephone pole again." He flippantly remarked under his breath. Neither of his parents took that lightly but neither of them wanted to argue either. "Just be careful outside ok?" His mother chided him. "Don't forget to take a mask and hand sanitizer." She commanded. John gave her a wave as he slipped his mask on and rubbed his hands down with sanitizer. He yelled his goodbyes as he grabbed his keys and headed out. "Ok so have to go to Wal-Mart to get more food, might as well grab some more hand sanitizer while I can." Securing his mask and hitting his unlock button for his car, John climbed into his rather small Nissan and headed out into the city. Several hours later... John awoke to complete darkness. Looking around he was worried at first, then his fear turned to confusion, until it finally settled on angry. "What the hell is going on here?" He shouted into the void. staring into the darkness began to make his eyes hurt. So john did the only thing he could, he sat down, closed his eyes, and waited to wake up from this nightmare. Suddenly his vision was engulfed in a bright pulsing yellow light. "What in the hell?" He screamed as he tried to shield his eyes from the light. He stopped however as he heard a voice. "John?" The voice called again. John himself gasped as he took his hands away from his face and looked out into the once great void. "How?" He asked as he looked around at the unmistakable form of the Canterlot Castles throne room. There standing before him was everyone he had thought lost. Something however felt off. As he looked around he saw the world begin to flicker in and out of existence, as if it was no more than static on a TV. "NO!" he shouted reaching a hand out to his friends and family who all did the same. A pulse of light washed over everything and everyone freezing them in place. John once more looked upon the face of his loved ones as they were once again frozen in fear, anger, and sadness. "NO!" He screamed as he was sent tumbling through the void back to his body. 3:17 P.M. "Oh Shit!" John shouted as he fell out of his bed and onto the floor. He groaned as he picked himself up off of the carpet and looked out into the overcast sky. Shaking his head with a sigh he tore his gaze from the dreary world outside and instead looked in shock at the object clenched tightly in his fist. There in his cold, clammy hands was a sky blue feather that pulsed with a faint electric power as sparks danced across it's form. Equestria, 3:17 P.M. "JOHN!" Dash shouted as she sprang up from her seat. Looking around she tried to remember where she was. "Dash?" Fluttershy asked as she looked up from her book. Dash just stared for a second, reading the books title. "The Intracities of Time And Space." That brought her back to the present and more importantly to the task they had set out to do. She sighed as she set her head back down on the table. She jumped however as she felt a wing rub her side. "Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked again now beside her friend. No matter how long the two had been friends for this Fluttershies sudden appearance at her side always got her. She smiled, bitterly at first but as she thought about her dream just now, "It felt so... real," She shook as tears made there way down her face. Fluttershy just held her friend close wrapping her in her magics dark embrace. Dash began to quiver as she remembered his soft touch. "John, I remember his name now, at least." Her smile born of sorrow and mirth. Her wings began to twitch as she felt something off about them. Sensing her friends discomfort Fluttershy retracted her wing and magic in one fluid motion as Dash inspected her right wingtips. Sure enough one of her primary's was missing, the spot it once took up marked by a small patch of blood that. "What?" She asked herself as she struggled to remember her dream. It was fustraitingly hazy now. The harder she tried to remember it the fuzzier it became. "Gah" she pounded her hooves into the crystal table before them in anger. "Why can't I hold onto these memories!?" She shouted to the air. Several other partakers of the libraries facilities looked up but once they saw Fluttershy grinning sheepishly at them they all soon went back to their own studies. Fluttershy began to pat her friend. "Don't worry Dash, if you're having trouble with a dream we can always call on Princess Luna for help." Dash calmed down upon remembering her lunar diarch. She gave a nod at that slim hope. Letting out a deep breath she gave her friend a hug. "Your right Flutters. I'm sorry for being a grump as of late." Fluttershy just giggled. "It's ok Rainbow, we've both been rather grumpy lately." Looking around for a clock she spotted the time and smiled. "How about we take a break and go get something to eat hm? She asked. Just as Dash was about to protest her stomach rebelled. Growing rather loudly enough to get the attention of the librarian who promptly shushed the two, Dash meanwhile looked sheepishly at her own stomach. "Traitor," she mumbled as she looked from her own pile of books back to Fluttershy. Shaking her head she gave into her friends sensible demands. "Ok fine," she raised a hoof as Fluttershy smiled. "But as soon as we are done we come straight back here and continue." Fluttershy gave a nod. "Sure thing Dash." She said as the two took there stacks of books and dropped them off with the librarian, and gave her strict instructions to not let anyone near them. Seeing as the king's sister was the one giving the command, the librarian didn't refuse. As the two trotted out of the library Dash looked up into the heavens above. "We will find a way to get you home John. I swear we will." Earth, 3:43 P.M. John sat there starring at the feather in his hand. He had been like this for the past 20 minutes. "How?" The word kept on playing in his head over and over again like a broken record. He had no ideas as for how this could be possible. "Quantum mechanics allows for this to some degree but not to this exstent." He spoke to himself trying to find some reasonable explanation but always stopping short do to the proof to the contrary right in front of him. Not wanting to let go of the only evidence as to the validity of his claims, John carefully took the feather and put it inside of a specialty designed bag and vacuum sealed it. Forgetting about the sparks it periodically put out, he was momentarily surprised when the bag melted and the feather fell out. "Son of a-" He was interupted mid curse by a knock on his door. Quickly grabbing the feather from the floor before it left anymore burn mark on his carpet he gingerly grasped it, his hand feeling tingly as the aeitherial electricity coursed through it and into his body. Another knock rinded him of his unexpected guest. "Just a sec!" He shouted as he scrambled over to his coffee table. Grabbing his gun from off said table and holstering it to his thigh he looked through his peep hole to see that it wasn't his parents at the door but a shady guy in a suit. The man simply looked at his watch and then back to the door. "No need to rush on my account." He said as John thought about it for a split second and tucked the feather into his jeans pocket. Making sure to grab his mask he looked through the peephole once more. Taking a deep breath, one hand on his waist near his gun he opened the door. "Hello sir, how may I help you?" He asked as the man looked up and smiled. "Finally I've found you." He said pulling out a gun. John didn't hesitate, pulling out his revolver and cocking the hammer in one smooth motion. "We need to talk Mr Allison." John just snared. "What about Mr?" He asked not letting his gun wavor off its target. The man smirked. "About your dear friends Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy." John's breath hitched in his throat. "How do you-?" He stopped as the man slowly put his own gun away. "I know more than you may think on your case." He said gestering to the living room. "Now may I come in?" John slowly lowered his gun, decocking the hammer and setting it back at rest. John was so very conflicted. On the one hand he figured be was alone in the world, then this guy comes out of literal nowhere and just so happens to know something. His instincts screamed at him to shoot the man and run for it but his curiosity got the better of him. "Sure." He said letting the man inside. Mr Suit gave a nod of thanks and entered john's home. > Chapter 6: Dreamscapes & Elder God's. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Equestria, Canterlot, 4:18 P.M. "-so as you can see princess luna we really need your help to make this work." Starlight had finally finished her explanation of her own research. The two sisters looked from one another and smiled. "If thou doth truly require mine services then we shall gladly aid thee." Luna said with a bow. Celestia to inclined her head. "We can finally put a stop to these random accidents and reports of ponies vanishing only to appear without their memories of the time they lost, then so be it." Looking to her sister the two gave a nod. "In the name of the great Faust we the diarchy of Equestria vow here and now to help fix this Ill magic that has befallen us." The princess's declared binding themselves to their oaths with powerful magics. Starswirl looked through his notes and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Well with that long winded introduction out of the way how's about we get down to business?" He asked as Starlight just rolled her eyes. The Dr just smirked as he looked at his watch. "Hmm yes, we are a bit behind schedule." He made a note to take a look at Starlight's map before they all went to their rooms for the night. 7:58 P.M. "So in summary we are once again back at square one?" Starswirl asked as he, Starlight, Dr Hooves, and the royal sisters all looked into each other's progress over the past few months. Starlight shook her head. "No, haven't you been listening old man?" She scowled as she once again pulled out her map and began to frantically point out places of interest. "These locations are saturated in heavy aeitherial as well as temporal energies." She then pulled out more notes. "Which means that someone powerful has to have had a direct interaction with high level time magic in this exact location, meaning that someone and not something is causing this to happen." Starswirl sighed as he rubbed his horn. "Yes my dear but we still don't know the who or the why's of it all." He looked outside and saw the moon full in the sky. "It's late and I grow weary of wagging our tongues in circles." The Dr to have his agreement. Celestia and Luna to gave their nods. "Yes, tis a late hour and many tasks await us during our night." Luna got up from the table and stifled a yawn. "Let us reconvene in the morning my friends." Celestia said as they all began to file out of the rather cramped conference room. As they all trotted down the hall Luna became lost in thought as Starlight and Starswirl bickered back and forth. "Old man, I'll have you know that I'm only 54 years old. Time doesn't hold sway over the void." Starlight rolled her eyes. "Please your still considered ancient by most everyone else in the thaumaturgical community." She smirked as Starswirl huffed indignation. Luna meanwhile had other things to think about. "With all of the disturbances in the aeitherial weave the dream realm has become unstable as of late." She sighed as she began to dread the coming nights sleep. "We must consult Nightmare and the about these grave findings at once." She was brought out of her waking dreams by a small nudge from her sister. "Bit for your thoughts dear Lu Lu?" Celestia asked as her sister snorted in laughter. "Nay dear sister, we are fine, just thinking about the situation and the many anguished as of late." She sighed again. "Tis horrible, all of the suffering our subjects have to endure just so they may live in harmony." She said. Finally reaching her chambers Luna gave her sister a hug. "Stay well sister. " She asked as Celestia reciprocated her hug enveloping her younger in a blanket of white downy feathers. "Take care sister." She said trotting off down the hall to her own room. With all company gone, Luna gave out a final breath before she retired to her room for the night. 12:00 A.M. Luna had finally finished her preparations. Closing her eyes she cast the spell and cried out in an ancient and long forgotten tongue. "Verily now we must speak to thee!" Her horn flared to life as she cast her soul into the dream realm, searching for one being in particular. When she opened her eyes she was greatest with a sight she had prayed to never set hoof in again. "So you have returned." The voice echoed throughout the dreamscape, causing Luna's hair to prickle. Not allowing her voice to pick up her fear she spoke. "I have need of your help Nightmare." Luna said, her studies in modern equestrian proving their worth as her old tongue dissipated. Nightmare just laughed, a hideous laugh devoid of all joy. "So you banish me to the deepest, darkest pits of the abyss and now you come crawling back to ask me for my help!?" Nightmare shouted, making the very world around Luna tremble and distort. Luna stood firm, her grasp of the immaterial far stronger now than in their previous encounter. She smirked as the Nightmare fell silent. "Yes, Nightmare I do." She demanded. Nightmare having enough of the lunar princess's pride appeared before her, fangs barred, eyes red, black body now alight with ethereal light and purple flamed mane blowing in a raging whirlwind. "You dare to come to my home and make ideal demands!?" Nightmare was absolutely seething now, her breaths short and ragged, her body tense, ready for a fight. Luna once more smirked as she stood there unflinching. "What do you want more than anything else Nightmare?" The question caught her off guard, so much so that her flames left her, her eyes went back to their normal deep shade of goldenrod, while her mane turned a bright fusha, and her body went from deep black to simple royal blue. "What?" She asked utterly dumbfounded. Luna smiled before she pulled out a jar from behind her back, Inside locked away was the Tantabis. "I'll ask you again Nightmare Moon, what do you want most in this world?" > Chapter 7: Of Men & Monsters. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4/25/2020 Earth. 5:18 P.M. "So let me get this straight?" John asked as Mr. Suit sat down on his couch. Pointing from the feather to the man. "You've had contact with Equestria before as well?" Suit nodded. "Yes although from the way you describe them it was a different version of Equestria than the one I came from." John just stared at the feather, his hope of seeing Dash again while before was fleeting, now it was rekindled. That dream he had came back to him in full force, He could see her face and feel her hooves in his hands. John gripped the feather even tighter. "Just hold on Rainbow, I'll be back before you know it." He smiled as he gave Suit a nod. "Ok whe-?" His question was cut off by yet another knock on his door. Puzzled for the second time that day he grabbed his gun once more and made his way to the door. "Don't open it!" Suit shouted before he could say much else however the door was blown off of its hinges, and sent sailing through the air. John bearly avoided the heavy piece of wood and metal by ducking underneath it as it flew through the air, Suit however wasn't so lucky, he suffered the full force of the doors wrath as it slammed into him, knocking him off of his feet and sending both him and the door hurling over the couch and out of sight. John quickly got to his feet and aimed his gun at the doorway. He froze however when a small alabaster unicorn filly came trotting through the vacant doorway and gave him a smug smile. "John!" She exclaimed as she ran up to his shocked body and began to hug his legs. "Your ok!" She chirped as she began to prance around his still not moving form. He forced himself to look down and asked the first thing that came to his mind? "Sweetie Belle?" She giggled and nodded. "How?" He asked still trying to make sense of the situation. She was about to answer when a grunt caught them both by surprise. Looking over at the upturned couch John quickly brought his gun to bear as the man in the suit stood up, missing an eye and his left arm. "You little bitch!" The man stumbled forward a little but recoiled back as a shot rang out. John wasn't one to normally take such risks but right now one of his best friend's sisters was here and in danger from someone that he'd let into his own home. He fired off the next five shots all of them hitting and causing the thing in front of them to stumble with each impact, but it never stayed down for long. Finally, Sweetie had had enough. "Allow me," She said as her body began to glow. John's eyes went wide as a pair of miniguns suddenly sprouted from her back. Getting a good look at Sweetie's face said it all. Her normally green eyes had taken on a vicious red hue. "Target Acquired. Commence Assault Sequence." John's already ringing ears were blasted by the sound of twin miniguns unloading into the mechanical monstrosity before them. For a good sixty seconds, the hail of bullets pounded into the thing that was once a human being shredding it to tiny bits, leaving nothing but a pile of scrap in their wake. When Sweetie Belle was certain that the thing would not be getting back up any time soon she stopped her assault and retracted her firepower. "Quickly, we have to move!" She scrambled to grab John's hand in her magic and race away from the scene of a very horrific battle, but the two fled from the mess of an apartment all the while sirens blared in the background, getting ever closer. 5:41 P.M. John and Sweetie had taken his car. He frantically began to reload his gun as he was stopped at a red light and cautiously looked around for any more threats on the immediate area. Sweetie looking at his worried face pipped up. "No threats detected. Returning to observation mode." Her eyes flickered for a moment before turning back to their soft green color. She gave him a sheepish smile and rubbed a hoof behind through her hair. "He, he, so how's the weather been lately?" She asked as John speed down the highway and turned down an alleyway, intent on making sure they weren't being followed. He glanced down at her and smiled. Putting his eyes back on the road ahead he gave her head a soft pat as he began to calm down. "Well, Sweetie things have been going just swell." He glanced up into the rearview mirror and then back to the road as he came out of the alleyway and began to double back, this time heading towards the freeway. Sweetie just sat there and grinned as she propped herself up on the door and looked out the window. The car gave a brief acceleration as it hit the freeway and John kept his foot steady on the gas. He set the cruise control and then let out a deep breath as he looked over to Sweetie who sat there humming a soft tune to herself. "So how'd you end up here on earth?" he asked as Sweetie just sat there. She sighed as sat down in the seat, her eyes glowing softly as magic coursed through them for a few seconds. She turned her head towards john a small smile upon it. "It wasn't all that easy, honestly, trying to find you." She let out a snort as her horn lit up. A hologram filled the passenger side of the car and John glanced over for a split second. Seeing the few trace events from his time in Equestria, brought a smile to his face as he continued down the road. The light show stopped as Sweetie's horn lit up once more. "Your effect on the timeline was big enough to leave a lasting impact on both yourself and the universe you came from." She shook her head. "But there are so many universes out there that even with the tether you have it was like looking for a needle in one of Applejack's haystacks," John smirked as he took an exit. "Yeah I remember those," He smiled "Had hay stuck in my hair for weeks afterward." Taking a left he turned off of the main road and began to drive down a side street. Sweetie smiled as she once more looked out the window. "Truth be told I never would have found you if it wasn't for that feather of Dash's." She smirked as John gave a slight twitch. He once again turned this time to the right as he pulled into a mobile home park. taking the main road up the first left-hand turn he continued until he pulled up in front of a small one-bedroom house, painted a soft white and only slightly weathered from its time out in the Arizona sun. As he pulled up a light popped on as a head peaked out of a small sliding glass door. "Son?" the voice of his mother called out to him. John for his part stopped the car next to the small driveway and waved a hand as he got out of the car. "Hey there," he said as went over to Sweetie's side of the car. "I hope you don't mind but I brought some company." He said opening the door to let her out. His mom had pulled her head inside the house and simply gave a vailed yell, "Sure thing." Sweetie hopped out of the car but john quickly scooped her up and went to the sliding door. The second he got inside he let out a sigh of relief as he set Sweetie down. His mother who was in the kitchen adjacent to the sliding door just stared at Sweetie for a few seconds before something in her brain clicked. "John dear, is that who i think it is?" John looked down at Sweetie who had the biggest smile on her face and even wagged her tail as she gave his mother the best puppy eyes she could. He just chuckled as he took a seat on the coach. "Yes and no, but it's a long story." His mother slowly made her way over to the couch and sat down, giving sweetie a hard look she slowly reached out a hand to pet her. Sweetie hoping to help make things less nerve racking met his mother halfway as she began to nuzzle the outstretched hand. "See she's harmless," He thought about that, "relatively speaking." He added as Sweetie hopped up into his lap. His mother continued to stare but then she fixed her son with a stern look. "So, how did she get here?" Sweetie perked up. "Magic!" She squeaked as she sat up, her horn glowing a soft blue as a hologram lit up the room. It began to play like a movie as Sweetie helped fill in the blanks. "I come from a universe known as the Nexus, the place where all things converge, all of time, space, and destiny." Her hologram showed the two a spawling city bathed in white, that seemed to stretch on forever. "This is my home, where I was born and raised." Her horn continued to bring in a subtle warmth as the hologram switched from the endless expanse of the nexus to a more down to earth feeling office building. It then zoomed in on a familiar looking filly as she hauled a tiny wagon behind her laden with paperwork and grubbled to herself. Sweetie's cheeks went red as began to fast forward her holo magic. "Well the basic gist is that because you were there for so long John, you've effectively become apart of the timeline." Her horn lit up again and this time Sweetie pulled up a hologram showing Rainbow Dash as she snored, having fallen asleep over a book. "John, please come back." John just sat there and stared as his eyes began to mist over. "Dash," He reached out to the hologram but his hand passed through it. He brought it close to him as he held the feather in the other, contemplating his place in the universe. A million thoughts ran through his mind, while his mother sat by and watched as Sweetie came and gave John a hug.