Timeless Harmony

Chapters

A Link To The Past
Why The Barrier Glows Blue
Scars From A Wooden Blade
Welcome Back
A Broken Rainbow
Meet My Nightmare
Healing The Wounded
A Force To Be Reckoned With
The Seal of Time
Trials Of A Dark Lord

A Link To The Past

Timeless Harmony
Chapter 2: A Link To The Past
(Mane 6 P.O.V.)

“Never? As in 'Never Ever'!?”

“Yes Pinkie, never ever” stated Twilight to her party loving friend.

“But that doesn't make any sense!” screamed Pinkie as she began pacing back and forth through Twilight's library. “How could you never have had a cupcake!?” Twilight shook her head at the sugar driven earth pony. She understood where she was coming from though. Pinkie's cupcakes were legendary throughout Equestria and for anypony to have missed out on the joy of eating one was nothing less than a crime.

“I know!” hollered Pinkie, leaping into the air at the thought. “I'll just take Zecora some cupcakes! She'll be all super mega happy for 'em!”

“That's a great idea Pinkie. I'm sure she'd be incredibly grateful.” Twilight trotted away from Pinkie and retrieved a small woven basket. “Here, you can use this.” The skilled unicorn used her magic to place the empty basket on the newly quest given earth pony's back.

“Thanks Twilight! Now...ONWARD FOR CUPCAKES!” announced Pinkie as she began to charge for the exit.

“Hang on Pinkie!” called out Twilight just before the over excited party pony placed a hoof out the front door. “What did you need to talk to me about in the first place?” asked the unicorn, not entirely sure why her friend had come over to begin with.

“Oh, I just wanted to know if you knew anything about the two new ponies in town. But that can wait! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!” Pinkie turned back around and continued out the door and headed for Sugar Cube Corner to load up on sweets. Then, she was off again, determined to spread the joy of sugary goodness out to a friend in The Everfree Forest.

“Giggle at the ghosties, guffaw at the grossly” sung Pinkie to herself as she happily hopped through the Everfree Forest, completely undisturbed by the terrifying scenery. It wasn't before long that the oblivious cupcake deliverer tripped over what felt like, to her, a small rock.

“Owie!” cried Pinkie as she regained herself from her fall, rubbing her hoof on her pain-filled head. “Who the heck leaves rocks lying around in the middle of the forest for Pete's sake!?” Pinkie trotted over to the area where the accursed rock had caused her to drop her precious cargo of sweet delights, only to find what seemed like the corner of a cube.

“What kinda rock is this?” asked Pinkie, bringing herself down to 'eye' level with the strange object. With curiosity eating away at the fun loving pony, Pinkie began to rapidly dig at the foreign item. It was only a matter of seconds before she had reached her goal and claimed her prize; a small black box.

The confused earth pony examined her newly found treasure. The box didn't seem like much to look at; barely more than a small black cube with strange designs carved in and a single small circular opening on its side.

“Ooh! I found a box!” exclaimed the excited pony. “I wonder what's inside!” Pinkie shuffled the box around in her hooves, searching for some method of opening it. But none were found. “Oh c'mon you darn box!” pleaded Pinkie. The struggling pony then started to gnaw at the object. Determination took hold of Pinkie, as she then grappled and rolled around with the impossible cube. She tossed and wrestled around in the grass with the clearly dominant item.

“Oh c'mon! This darn box just won’t open!” complained Pinkie, seemingly giving up on her attempts to open the indomitable cube. “I'll just take it to Twilight, she's super-duper smart and will know what to do!” Pinkie then grabbed the small box in her mouth and launched it to a balancing point on her head.

And so her quest of the sugary crusade was abandoned. Pinkie began to happily trot back towards the exit of the dark forest, but something stopped her. A feeling of somepony watching her. The now slightly frightened pony turned her head over her shoulder just to see that her hunch was right, for directly behind her was a light tan colt she had never seen before.

Pinkie gasped insanely loudly and began to run away from the mysterious stranger. She didn't seem to be running in fear, but her speed was incredible nonetheless. She knew very well that the newcomer was giving chase as he called out for her. Now, being the clever pony she is, Pinkie made a sharp right turn from the path and then hid in a nearby collection of bushes. There she waited, the black box still managing to maintain balance atop her head. It wasn't long before the chasing pony came down the path that the pink trickster had taken and was tackled by Pinkie.

“Gotcha!” she called out in triumph over her pinned stalker. Pinkie examined the pony beneath her. He was a brown earth pony with a slight blush forming in his cheeks.

“Hi! My name is Pinkie Pie! I haven't seen you around before, are you new in Ponyville? Or do you live in the forest or something?” Pinkie removed herself from atop the brown colt and offered out a hoof to help him up.

“Uh, my name's Stalwart” introduced the downed adventurer as he took Pinkie's extended hoof to regain himself.

“Ooh, and you have swords for a cutie mark!” called out Pinkie as she pointed a hoof at Stalwart's flank. “That's sooo cool! What are they for!?”

“Huh? Oh, that” stated the pony named Stalwart as he fixed the western style hat that was resting on his head and adjusted the wooden sword by his side. “It’s 'cause I'm a swordspony. It runs in the family. And no, I don't live in The Everfree. I just moved into Ponyville from Canterlot”

“Canterlot!? Really!? Last time I was there I was with my friends and it was kinda a mess.” exclaimed Pinkie, thinking back to her times in Canterlot. Both The Gala and Twilight's birthday ended up in mayhem.

“Yeah, I lived with my mother. My father was one of the guards for Princess Celestia herself.” Pinkie hung on to every word that her newly found friend said, completely interested in what he had to say due to her love of meeting new ponies. But she couldn't help but notice the small frown that stretched through Stalwart's face.

“Hey, what's with the sad frown all of a sudden?” asked Pinkie, lowering her head to be equal with her fellow earth pony. She looked into his eyes; they were brown and full of both loyalty and faith.

“Oh, nothing. Sorry about that!” apologized the light tan pony as a slight blush clouded his cheeks. “Well, um... I gotta go.” Pinkie looked over the colt that stood before her, knowing there was something up. But she dismissed it, for thoughts of randomness that always flooded her head and the need to figure out what was in her new box had crept into her mind.

“Okie dokie lokie! I'll see ya around” said Pinkie as she waved goodbye to the young colt who retrieved a branch that was lying next to him and began to trot away. “What was with that branch?” Pinkie thought to herself. That thought was shrugged off as the party pony abandoned her quest for cupcakes and replaced it with a new one; Operation- Get That Box To Twilight.

“Twilight!” called out Pinkie as she galloped through Twilight's front door which was almost always open during the day. The new guest was greeted by a small baby dragon and a talented unicorn.

“Hey Pinkie Pie” greeted Twilight, approaching the insanely random earth pony. “How did Zecora like those cupcakes? I'm sure she was very grateful.” Twilight beamed a smile at her kind friend.

“Oopsies, I kinda forgot about her” admitted Pinkie, slightly embarrassed

“What?” questioned Spike. “Wasn't she the whole reason you went out into The Everfree in the first place?”

“Well, yeah, but I found something that just looked super-duper LUPER important!” exclaimed Pinkie, bouncing the strange box on her head.

“Um, Pinkie, what's with the box?” asked Spike, scratching his head in wonderment.

“I have no idea! That's why I brought it here. At first I was like 'Hey lookie, a box! I'm gonna open it!' But then I was like 'This thing isn't opening! I'll take it to Twilight!' And now I'm like 'I'm here! I wonder why Twilight hasn't tried to open the box yet'.”

Twilight rolled her eyes at her overexcited friend and levitated the foreign object off of Pinkie's head. Twilight scanned the odd item while slowly turning it with her magic. When it appeared she had reached a conclusion, she called out to Spike saying, “Spike, grab me my copy of ‘Technology Throughout The Ages’.”

Spike happily followed his friend's orders and ran as fast as his little dragon legs could carry him to grab that book. The assistant dragon didn't take long. He was gone no more than a minute before he returned with a rather large and dusty book held in both of his claws.

“Thank you, Spike” thanked Twilight as she relieved the poor dragon of his heavy load. “Okay, let's see what we got here” said Twilight as she began rapidly flipping through the pages with her magic. “Aha! Here it is. Well, it doesn't have a name but it's under the title 'A Link To The Past'.” Twilight continued to read the dusty pages in silence, leaving Pinkie and Spike in the dark as to what the object floating in front of them did or even was.

Once Twilight had finished reading, she lowered both the book and box and looked at her companions. “We need the others.”

It wasn't long before the remaining Elements of Harmony filed into Twilight's library. It was still only high noon so everypony was already in town going about their business, making Spike's job of gathering them much easier.

“Alrighty Twi, y'all pulled us away from what we was doin'. So watcha need?” asked Applejack with slight annoyance.

“Yes dear. I'm pretty sure we all had rather busy schedules” pitched Rarity.

“Alright, alright” began Twilight, pacing in front of the five ponies. “Girls, it appears Pinkie here has discovered an intensely unique item.”

“Well what the hay is it?” asked Rainbow, demanding something good at the cost of being pulled away from her aerial practice. Twilight nudged her head toward Spike who produced the black box from behind him.

“Um, Twilight? What is that?” asked Fluttershy in her timid little voice.

“Ladies, this box is a magical item of extreme purpose. This single black cube has the power to change time itself!” Every other pony looked around in confusion.

“Wait, wait, wait” interrupted Rainbow Dash. “What exactly does that mean? Are you saying we could go back in time!?” Rainbow's eyes got a slight shimmer in them.

“Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying” stated Twilight. Everypony gasped in shock

“Well Twilight, are we going to use this wonderful opportunity we've been given?” asked Rarity, eyes glowing with ideas.

“Hey! It's MY box! I found it! Finders keepers losers weepers!” chipped Pinkie.

“Whoa Whoa whoa! What if I wanna use it to make myself look cooler for the WonderBolts back at the Gala?” barked Rainbow.

“Girls, Girls!” called out the purple unicorn. Everypony ceased their bickering and returned their attention to Twilight. “We can't even use this object, and for two very good reasons.”

“Well what are they then!?” asked Rainbow, demanding to know why her dreams were being deprived of her.

“Well, first of all,” began Twilight. “Only an Alicorn or unicorn with an immense amount of magic can activate this box's power and use its abilities.”

“Well shucks Twi, that'd be you!” accused Applejack. “Y'all are darn near unmatchable with that der magic!” Twilight gave a slight blush at the compliment but quickly dismissed it.

“Why thank you Applejack, but this is not the time for flattery. Besides, we can't disrupt the flow of time. And that brings me to the next reason. We can't run the risk of paradox.

“What the heck is a para-puradama- … that thing!?” asked Pinkie, clearly struggling with the new word that found its way into her vocabulary.

“A paradox, Pinkie, is what happens if you mess up the past. Two of the same pony can never EVER meet. If they should, then the very world may be torn apart. Although I've done it once before, that was only for a few seconds. And I have no idea what laws apply with this thing. So if we used this box to go back, we run that risk.”

“But what if we’re extra super-duper mega ultra-extremely careful!?” called Pinkie. “'Cause I reeeaaalllyyy wanna go!” Every other pony pitched in with the notion as they began discussing what they would do with such an opportunity. It was more than obvious that Twilight was being outvoted.

“Girls!” called out Twilight again. “This decision is one of immense proportions. Should we go through with this, and we make a mistake, the world as we know it may be ruined.”

“For the WonderBolts? That's a risk I'm willing to take” stated Rainbow, very sure of herself. Everypony nodded their heads in agreement. The choice was unanimous; Time travel was a go.

“Alright, alright. I suppose I could at least try” said Twilight, pretty sure she couldn’t even get The Link to work if she tried. Twilight lifted The Link closer to her face with her horn before she asked a question. “Well, anywhere specific you guys want to try?” asked the unicorn with the object floating a few inches from her face.

“Well, um. If you don't mind, I'd like to see my little filly self. You know, just to relieve the joy of when I got my cutie mark” suggested Fluttershy. This idea was quickly accepted throughout the ranks of ponies, except for Rainbow Dash.

“No offense Fluttershy, but don't you think that might be just a bit boring for the rest of us?” questioned the blue pegasus. Fluttershy looked down at her hooves in embarrassment and slight failure.

“Oh, I guess so. Well what would you like to do Rainbow Dash?” asked Fluttershy, still as kind as ever.

“Well, I was thinking we should all go watch the original Sonic Rainboom!” No argument was brought up on this idea. Even Fluttershy piped up at the thought of seeing the beautiful event up close and personal.

"Okay, I guess I'll give it a go" surrendered Twilight. The Elements Of Harmony all cheered with joy as Twilight placed The Link on a podium with her magic. Twilight looked around in slight nervousness as she moved her horn closer to the opening on the cube. She saw the happy grins and looks of hope spread across the faces of the other ponies in the room. She knew she had to try.

Twilight slowly placed her horn into the small indent on The Link, coating it with magic as it entered. As the magical essence began to flow between the unicorn and the black box, the strange designs and symbols that were spread across the cube glowed in a color that mimicked that of Twilight's horn.

The Link started to glow incredibly bright as it blinded the ponies in the room. Everypony shielded their eyes from the cube's blinding white light, but Twilight kept her horn firmly in place as she struggled with the magical energy being produced in the room. The pure light felt white hot as it seemed to lift the very being from each pony. Spike ran as fast as he could away from The Link a he began to feel hi very scales ripped from his body.

Everypony shrieked as the immense energy consumed them all in its blinding light. And then...they were gone.

Why The Barrier Glows Blue

Chapter 3 : Why The Barrier Glows Blue
(O.C. P.O.V.)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TuRtYTAupraUuH9VfN7Z5ssBr3zQgItB0yk7bKUxR88/edit (Pictures Needed This Chapter)

The cool evening air surrounded a large hut outside the great walls of Canterlot. From within, two adult unicorns could be heard, talking to their young child.

“Listen Darling,” began Barrier's mother, Haven. “We understand you want to live within the city, but it's just too dangerous.”

“Your mother's right Bare” added Guard, Barrier's father. A young Barrier looked up at her loving parents. Her eyes were full of want, but she knew deep down that she couldn't have it. She loved her parents, insanely so. But why wouldn't they grant her this one wish?

“Now listen Darling,” started Haven to her beloved daughter. “You are always more than free to roam inside the walls of Canterlot during your studies but-”

“Once your classes are over, you are to return home” finished Guard. The two elder unicorns had been married long enough that they tended to simply finish each other's sentences.

“But Dad!” argued Barrier. “Silver's School Of Protective Magic is just barely inside the city! That gives me almost none of the city to explore!” Barrier's parents exchanged a look with each other. They knew where this was going. Their daughter was an adventurer, this much was clear. She always ventured outside the range of the protective shield spell that her parents had placed over their home. And now she wanted more. Much more; To actually live within the city walls

“C'mon Mom!” pleaded Barrier to Haven. “You know I'm the top of my class in ALL of my spell lessons.” Barrier's mother let her gaze drift away slightly as she pondered the thought. “Besides, why do we even need to live outside the city!? I mean, what could be so bad about living inside?”

“Now Bare, you already know the answer to that” stated Guard.

“He's right Darling. It's like your father and I always said; The best protection is isolation.” Both of Barrier's loving parents recited the last part in unison. Barrier grunted with distaste and stomped a hoof on the hut's wooden floor. The unsatisfied unicorn then stormed upstairs to her room, leaving her parents to stand in the living room and hear the loud bang of a slammed door from above.

“Don't worry, I got this one” offered Haven as she snuggled up on her life partner's neck and proceeded to head upstairs to comfort her daughter. Guard looked over his wife's body as she headed up the stairs. He admired everything about her. From her flowing silver hair, to her pure white coat, to her cutie mark of a Diamond Shield that rested on her flank.

“I am one lucky guy” thought Guard to himself as his wife left his field of vision.

“Barrier, you know your father and I only want the best for you” comforted Haven to her angered child who sat next to her atop her bed. Sadly, she got no response. Barrier didn't feel like talking to her mother.

“How could she not let me go and see the world?” thought Barrier. Luckily, Haven knew how to get her daughter to talk. The elder unicorn lifted her horn up and placed a very odd spell around both herself and the blue unicorn next to her. A thin smile spread across Barrier's face as she looked at her hooves. They glowed a shade of silver that Barrier had come to love.

Then, as Barrier looked up at her mother, a powerful hoof came swinging and knocked Barrier dead in the face. The blue unicorn went flying across the room and hit the wall behind her. Haven giggled as Barrier bounced off of the wall laughing. 'The Spell Of Painless Rubber' worked like a charm. Barrier then charged over to her mother and tackled her. There were punches being thrown, kicks being lashed, and the occasional horn jabs everywhere, but they laughed and giggled as the blows just bounced off of their bodies.

Barrier loved spending this type of time with her mother. Almost as much as she loved going into the woods and turning everything she could find into metals and jewels with her father. Barrier loved her parents. And she loved her life.

Haven's laughing had slowly ceased once she had realized what happened. “Good job Darling. You are really becoming quite the fighter.” Barrier breathed heavy from her mighty post. She looked down on her mother who lay beneath her. Barrier felt insanely proud as she removed herself from atop one of the most important ponies in her life.

Haven raised her horn again and removed the fun spell from the unicorns' bodies.

“You have to teach me that one some day, mom” said Barrier, smiling strongly.

“I'll tell you what Darling, considering you managed to be the best of me this time, I'll teach you on one condition; You stay home from your trip to the woods today with your father. I think it'd be good girl time.” Barrier smiled. She really like the idea.

“Alright, you got it mom!” The two unicorns smiled deeply at each other. Their love was strong. It was the love only a mother and daughter could share. Sadly, this moment of pure happiness was short lived...

From down below, sounds of a tremendous battle broke though the silence of the house. Massive amounts of running and pounding footsteps boomed through their home. The sounds of shattered glass and breaking tables worked its way through the floorboards into Barrier's room.

“WHERE ARE THEY!?” screamed an evil crackly voice. “WHERE ARE THE GEMS!?”

“Get out of my house you beasts!” Haven easily recognized her partner's voice. Then, immense sparks of magic and lightning lit up the hall and stairs that led to where the battle must have been unfolding. Barrier clung to her mother's tail behind her and whimpered, “Mom, what's going on? Is Dad okay?”

Haven looked at her daughter. Tears developed in her eyes. She knew what was happening, and feared for the safety of her child. Barrier was her world. She was her everything. And she was not going to give it up. “Barrier, I need you to listen very carefully.” The tears were rolling freely now from Haven's face as she looked upon her daughter. Barrier had no idea as to why her mother was crying, but she was sure it had something to do with the continuous sounds of destruction coming from downstairs.

“Barrier, I love you. And I want the world for you. So you need to do exactly as I say, understood?” Barrier nodded her head in confirmation. “Good.” Haven lowered her head to a point where her horn just barely had a light touch on the floor. The blue unicorn watched in wonderment as her mother focused intensely with magic as some form of object began to form in the room. The elder unicorn showed slight struggle in this conjuration spell, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop her.

At the point where her horn touched wood, four sets of light blue bangles began to form and solidify from the dust they had began as.

“Barrier, Dear, I need you to wear these.” Haven levitated the objects to her daughter. Barrier simply looked at the items floating before her. “Uh... mom?”

“Just do it Barrier!” demanded Haven, crying very hard. Tears ran down the unicorn's entire face as Barrier also began to shed tears. The sounds from downstairs still blasted throughout the house and it made things all the much harder, but Barrier did as her mother commanded and placed the new jewelery on each of her hooves. By the time she tried to look down at her hooves, she realized they weren't there! At least, it didn't seem like they were.

“Barrier, no matter what you hear, no matter what you see, do NOT take those off.” And before Barrier could respond, Haven ran out of the room in full tears, heading for the battle below. Barrier tried to follow, but deep down, knew she couldn't. So she waited a few moments before slowly creeping out of her room and down the hallway that led to the stairs. As she took the first step down the staircase, some type of creature was thrown against the wall at the bottom of the stairs with such force that it spewed blood on impact. The creature was clearly dead.

Barrier made a slight squeak at the sight in fear. She had never experienced a death before. “Who could do this to somepony?” thought the young unicorn as fear gripped onto her with its dark hold. However, she carried on and continued to walk down the stairs. Loud cracks of thunder boomed through the house and large flashes of light lit Barrier's home everywhere. Through her emotionally draining descent, she reached the bottom of the staircase where she could easily make out the horrific scene that lay before her. Her father stood in the middle of the living room, surrounded by piles of dead and bloodied bodies. The mounds of corpses seemed to be individual shapes of humanoid dogs. Guard was breathing insanely hard from exhaustion. There were at least 50 hounds that lay dead by his hooves.

Barrier couldn't believe her father could do such a thing! Guard took a few painful steps forward, clearly taking a brutal beating from the battle. Barrier wanted to run up into her father's arms and hold him tight, but before she could even process the thought, her father collapsed. He fell atop a pile of bloodied beasts revealing a massive gash that spread across his back. The fatal wound had found its way from the piece of chest armor that was labeled as his cutie-mark on his flank, up to the back of his neck. Blood gushed from the horrific slash as Guard took his final breaths.

Barrier wept. She cried so loud it may have caused the Gods themselves to feel her eternal sorrow. Barrier watched as tear drops seemed to appear from thin air as they left her invisible face and landed on the cold bloodied floor. It was impossible for her to ever be able to truly express the pain she felt at the sight of her beloved father lying face first in a pool of blood.

Barrier's heartfelt tears were cut short, for out of the periphery of her vision she saw something that might as well have taken her heart and stomped it into nothing. Just a few feet to her right, Barrier's mother crawled toward the center of the room. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was her body, or what was left of it. Haven had thousands of tiny cuts and slice marks across herself. The only part of her that didn't seem to have cuts was her left hind leg, for it was no longer attached.

“MOM!” cried Barrier as she ran into her mother's crawling arms. Haven gave slight shock at what seemed like a force from nowhere, but eased herself into a sorrowful smile upon the realization it was her daughter, still under the shroud she had placed on her. Haven rubbed her hoof across her daughter's face, stroking her short mane lovingly. “Barrier...” began the fatally wounded unicorn. The tears were back again, in both of their eyes. “Listen...you need to.... stay hidden.” Haven had to stop and gasp for breath with every few words, her time was coming. “Run away....from here. And don't...ever come back.”

Barrier began bawling. She hugged her mother so tightly, never wanting to end this embrace for fear it would be their last. Haven returned the movement given by the unseen force and cried. Suddenly, Haven's body jolted. A quick bolt of movement through the unicorn's body. Barrier looked up to see what she had learned to be a Diamond Dog. The beast held a steel cutlass that was currently plunged deep into Haven's back.

Barrier made a slight squeak before she managed to shove both her hooves on her mouth to silence herself. Barrier slowly back toward the door, leaving behind her home. Leaving behind the life she loved. And leaving behind her parents bodies to an army of Diamond Dogs.
***

Barrier's depressed state of extremely slow trudging had quickly been discarded as she broke out into in all out gallop. She didn't know why she was running. All she knew was that she wanted to put as much distance between herself, and the place she once called home, as she possibly could. The world around her seemed to be melting away. The forest trees she was running past toppled over and disintegrated as they hit the ground. The sky turned pitch black and the moon shined a menacing red. Yet on she ran. But she couldn't go on anymore as the entire forest floor beneath her opened wide and swallowed her whole...
***

“AAAHHH!” screamed Barrier as she burst upright in her sleeping bag. A small fire crackled by her feet with Stalwart sleeping opposite of it. Well, he wasn't sleeping anymore due to Barrier's shouting.

“Barrier! What's wrong!?” cried Stalwart, tumbling around in his sleeping bag from shock. Barrier breathed heavily and looked around her environment. She was in the middle of a forest with camping gear lying around her. In the near distance, a humongous castle could be seen hanging on to a mountainside. She was exactly where she had fallen asleep.

“Bare, are you okay?” asked the concerned earth pony again.

Barrier looked at her friend. Sweat dampened her face. “Um, yeah. I'm fine” she lied. “It was just a bad dream.” Stalwart looked over his companion in suspicion but dismissed any need to push on.

“Well, if you say so” accepted Stalwart to Barrier's lie. “Must've been a really bad nightmare to wake you up like that.”

Barrier gazed into the crackling fire and muttered nothing more than a simple “Yeah.” She knew deep down it wasn't just some nightmare. This was real. It was her past. The past just before she met Stalwart, the pony who would save her life only moments from fleeing her house. She glanced over to her lifelong friend who returned to getting comfortable in his sleeping bag.

“C'mon Bare, get some shut-eye. We got a long journey ahead to get to Princess Celestia.” Barrier returned her gaze to the fire and let her mind drift. She thought about that day when the Diamond Dogs showed up. She wanted to tell Stalwart about what happened before he met her, right then and there by the campfire. But all that came out was “Yeah...”

Scars From A Wooden Blade

Timeless Harmony
Chapter 4: Scars From A Wooden Blade
(O.C. P.O.V.)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16QBpS5z8lrGnpwq3gz_ucgbIXMI__4lMfKUwutAvzWM/edit

The once roaring flame dwindled down into nothing more than glowing embers within its small rock barrier. Stalwart shook the bucket that was held in his jaw, ensuring that every drop of water landed on the campfire. Once that was done, he trotted over to his sleeping bag and rolled it up with his nose. He glanced over to his sleeping companion. “Why isn't she awake yet?” thought Stalwart. He gazed up into the sky and frowned at the sight that awaited him.; A full moon and twinkling stars shown overhead, still claiming the world in its night.

This was odd. The two ponies had been traveling for hours, not to mention how long they slept. Stalwart pondered the thought some more. Throughout their journey they saw no wildlife, no ponies, and not the slightest hint of the sun trying to rise. “What's going on here?” asked Stalwart to himself out loud.

“Not entirely sure” came an answer from nearby. Stalwart looked over to where the voice had come from to see Barrier stroking her messy mane with a hoof as she sat upright in her sleeping bag.

“So you noticed too?” asked Stalwart, head returned to staring up at the night sky.

“Yeah, something is definitely wrong here. The sun should have risen hours ago. Hay, it shouldn't have even set when it did. The destroyed buildings, the night that just won’t end, and nopony to be seen? Heaven knows what might have happened!” a slimmer of fear showed in Barrier's eyes.

“You think Pinkie did this?” asked Stalwart, praying the answer was 'no'.

“I'm not sure, but it definitely has some relation to that box and their time travel.” Stalwart glanced over to Barrier's carrying bag, knowing that the very object that ruined the world he called home was resting within. He wanted to reignite the campfire and throw the bag inside the flames. Hatred began to fuel the earth pony... but then it was gone. He shook his head and returned to his fun loving state.

“All the more reason for us to move our flanks and get over to Canterlot Castle!” said Stalwart, packing up the rest of the gear and placing it into his battle-torn sack that bore the same dual swords as his flank. He knew he didn't need to tell Barrier about how he felt about that damn box; something told him that she already knew.

“You're right Stalwart. We can't dilly dally anymore, time to move!” The two traveling ponies then secured the rest of their camping supplies and headed onward toward Canterlot, sure that Princess Celestia would have answers to their problems.

Stalwart and Barrier continued their perilous journey through the thick dark forest that separated them from the city of Canterlot. However, it didn't take a genius to realize that whatever had happened to Ponyville wasn't just occurring there. The trees were all leafless and dead. The ground felt hard and unfertile, as if deprived of sunlight for years. And there wasn't a single creature to be seen, with the exception of insects crawling on the lifeless tree trunks and the occasional distant caw from a crow.

“Barrier, I don't like any of this. Not one bit” stated Stalwart. Drawing his wooden sword as he always did when fear started to set in.

“I know, Stalwart, but we need to keep-” Barrier cut herself off in mid-sentence and halted in place. “Did you hear that?” Stalwart also ceased his walking. He perked his ears up to see if he could catch a sound of whatever Barrier had heard. He waited, but there was nothing but silence. Or so he thought. It started as low murmurs, nothing more than random sounds. But then they formed into a word. A single word repeating itself; 'Grow'

“Grow?” asked Stalwart to himself.

“So, you can hear it too” said Barrier. An eerie purple fog began to set in from below.

“Grow, Change” The voice continued to echo. The strange fog around the ponies' hooves began to thicken and grow denser.

“Barrier...” started Stalwart.

“Don't worry, we'll be fine” reassured Barrier, horn starting to glow with the hint of magic.

“Grow, Change, Kill” The voice continued to grow even louder. “GROW, CHANGE, KILL, SLAUGHTER!” The sound of the most terrible scream now rang in their ears. The voice kept going. Endlessly chanting, growing louder and faster. “GROW, CHANGE, KILL, SLAUGHTER, MASSACRE! GROW, CHANGE, KILL, SLAUGHTER, MASSACRE, MURDER!”

“That's it!” called out Stalwart, sword in jaw. “Whoever you are, get out here and fight like a man! Or, woman … OR WHATEVER THE HAY YOU ARE!” And then...the voices died out. “Ha! See that Bare!? Just show some courage and nothing can hurt you!” Barrier simply stared at her friend as he sheathed his weapon. A look of pure terror seemed to spread across her face. Stalwart stared back at the unicorn in confusion. “Uh, Bare? What's up?” Barrier couldn't speak, but managed to jab a single hoof in the area behind Stalwart.

Stalwart's expression then changed to what could only be described as a dead face. “There's something behind me isn't there?” Barrier slowly nodded her head. “It's really bad isn't it?” asked Stalwart, still not turning around and having the same blank expression on his face. Again, Barrier nodded. “So I probably shouldn't just be standing here huh?” asked Stalwart, still as emotionless as the start. Barrier gave no response. Stalwart then slowly turned his head around to face whatever had Barrier so shook up, and what awaited him made his heart feel as if it turned to stone and his entire body go pale white.

Standing before the two ponies was an enormous spider-like creature. It towered over them, reaching the top of the dead trees without the slightest hint of it even trying. A single long and thick thread of toxic saliva slowly descended from the mouth of the creature and hung before Stalwart. It was a furry beast, legs covered in countless spines of rough hairs that stood on end like deadly needles. Bits and pieces of bloodied and destroyed animals stained its fangs. Dirty blood stains scarred the beast’s furry body and something told the ponies that it didn't belong to the animal before them.

Its eyes were black as the night that claimed the sky and were counted off into the thousands. They gleamed a soulless black that resembled countless dark diamonds. The constant dripping of its venomous saliva that oozed from its fangs echoed throughout the silent forest.

“Stalwart, whatever you do, don't mo-” Barrier's sentence was cut short by the sound of a male pony screaming. Stalwart let out a wail of fear that provoked the giant foe that stood before them. The spider opened its huge mouth and screamed back with such force that Stalwart couldn't handle as he began to flee the battle.

“Stalwart!?” called out Barrier, disbelieved that her friend was abandoning her at a time like this. “What happened to 'showing some courage' and all that stuff!?”

“To Hay with that!” called back the fleeing pony as he continued to gallop away. “I HATE spiders!” Stalwart then made a sharp left turn, leaving Barrier's line of sight.

“I don't believe this!” cried out Barrier as she turned back to face her attacker. The enormous creature let out another blood curdling scream that blew with such wind that Barrier's short mane flew back and her jewel bangles slapped against her hooves.

“Okay tough guy.” Barrier's horn began to glow with magic. “You wanna play hard ball?” The spell around Barrier's horn activated, causing large pieces of heavy battle armor to place themselves on her body. A huge gold armor set that was trimmed in silver locked itself into place on the unicorn. “Then let's play hardball.”

Stalwart continued to gallop away from the area that held the monstrous arachnid. But his speed began to slow. “Gee, I sure hope Barrier's alright” thought the fleeing colt. “Of course she's alright!” reassured the voice in Stalwart's head. “She's one of the best unicorns when it comes to protective spells. She'll be fine. Right now, you need to focus on right here and right now.” Stalwart's pace slowed into an average speed trot. Whatever form of reasoning worked its way into his mind, it was right. Stalwart took a moment to analyze everything. Before him it stood; the massive walls of Canterlot.

And then they came. Memories that had long been forced away from Stalwart's mind began to flood back into his world...
***

Stalwart's body ached. His head felt as if it was ready to cave in. His eyes blurred, filling with tears that were forced out from shear pain. He tried to focus on what was going on, but struggled over the sound of countless ponies cheering and yelling.

“Get up you runt!” came the voice of a terrible colt. Stalwart forced himself back on his hooves and faced his enemy. Before him stood Thrasher, the school bully. Stalwart felt a warm liquid roll down his face. He wiped a hoof across the substance and stared back at the crimson blood that stained it.

“Ha, you little bastard! Can't even take a single punch without almost passing out and bleeding!” the school's courtyard burst in laughter from the jeers of everypony who mocked the wounded colt. Stalwart felt anger begin to flow in him, giving him the strength to fight back. Stalwart began swinging in blind fury against the brute before him, hooves flying everywhere. But to no avail. Each hoof swing missed its intended target, save for one. And even so, this swing did so little damage that Thrasher simply brushed it off.

Thrasher laughed at the small colt before him and gave a mighty shove, launching the pony to the ground. Stalwart felt utterly defeated as Thrasher turned his back on him and walked victoriously into a crowd of admiring ponies.

“Huh, it’s no wonder your father abandoned you. Who could ever care for such a worthless little runt like you?” that was the last straw. That comment ignited a flame within the grounded pony that caused him to release a fierce battle cry and spring onto the bully's back.

Thrasher leaned onto his back two hooves as an attempt to shake the attacking colt, but Stalwart held strong and continued giving fierce blows to the back of Thrasher's head. The cheers of the crowd quickly died down as a large male earth pony in battle armor broke through the ponies and grabbed Stalwart from Thrasher's back.

“What the hay is going on here!?” demanded Quick Strike, one of the swordspony teachers at the school.

“It was a fight Mister!” ratted out a random crowd member.

“You two, in my office!” ordered Strike. Tears of embarrassment and anger flowed from Stalwart's eyes and he ran. Strike called out for him but his calls were ignored. Stalwart fled, with no intention of coming back.
***

“Why did I run?” thought Stalwart, mind returning to reality. “It was your only option” comforted the voice. Stalwart forced the thoughts of the past from his mind, not wanting to relive the pain. The voice, too, was pushed away. As he returned to the real world, he continued to walk through the gates of Canterlot. But something was wrong. The once beautiful city was in ruins. Darkness had claimed the city in a way that was even more menacing than that of the forest.

“Good Celestia, here too?” asked Stalwart, drawing his sword again for this sight was forbidding and menacing. Stalwart’s gaze traveled across the destroyed city. All around, houses were crumbling, the grass was black and dead, and the sky was claimed in pitch black darkness. “Oh my Celestia, I can’t believe this could happen…Especially to Canterlot!” The distracted earth pony was so entranced in his thoughts, that he couldn’t feel the strange presence now following him from behind.

“Man, I wish Barrier was here” Stalwart silently hoped. Then, there was a tap on his shoulder. The mislead pony then turned around happily, expecting to be greeted by his unicorn friend who would tell him all about her battle with the spider. And they would laugh and joke about her awesome fight. But that expectation was destroyed, as before him, stood several creatures engulfed in shadows. They walked on all fours, like ponies, but their bodies were misshapen and seemingly made of a non-solid black object.

“What the-!” called out Stalwart as he swung his sword at the body of one of the creatures out of surprise and fear. But it failed. The wooden blade sliced through the thing before him, but passed through without harming the creature.

“What the hay!?” called out the confused fighter. Each creature looked back at Stalwart and let sick menacing grins spread across their faces. They knew their new prey had no way of fighting back. Stalwart re-sheathed his weapon, now understanding that his sword had no effect on his new opponents.

Stalwart knew there was no way he could win this battle, so he turned around and fled deeper into the destroyed city. The shadow creatures quickly began to give chase. Stalwart’s heart started racing. His breath was rasping. His legs were throbbing. He could feel the hot breath of his pursuers as they grew ever closer. Stalwart’s environment flew behind him as his paced continued to speed up.

He had no idea where he was going, but he knew he needed to put as much distance between himself and the beasts behind him as possible. But he had a target; the small house in the near distance that wasn't completely destroyed.

Stalwart reached his destination gasping for breath. He galloped through the front door of the house and slammed it behind him, sealing away the shadowy demons in the outside world. The tired pony dropped to his knees in exhaustion. He could still hear the clawing and banging at the door behind him, making it obvious the shadow creatures weren't ready to give up the hunt.

But for some reason, Stalwart felt as though that door could hold forever. Stalwart regained himself as he stood back on his four hooves and surveyed the house. Stalwart's heart dropped. He felt his legs go numb and his mouth began to quiver. “Look familiar?” came the voice again.

Few silent tears strolled down Stalwart's face as he trotted through the living room of his old home...
***

Young Stalwart rushed through the front door of his house with a slight limp on his left side. He trotted through the living room in slight pain, hoping not to run into a certain mare.

“Stalwart Christoph Bladesly!” called out a female voice that seemed to come from the hallway that connected the kitchen to the living room. Stalwart turned his aching body to see his worst nightmare come alive before him. A light tan mare walked into the living room from the kitchen with a stern look on her face.

“Oh, hi mom” greeted Stalwart, trying his best to hide his bruised face.

“Don't you 'Hi mom' me!” boomed Frolic, marching over to her wounded son. She grasped Stalwart's face firmly with a hoof and turned it so she could see the scars that covered his face.

“Good heavens, Stalwart! You've been fighting again haven't you!?” Frolic's motherly instinct kicked in as she released Stalwart from her grip and trotted to the kitchen. Moments later, she returned to the living room with an ice bag in her mouth. “It's that Thrasher boy again, isn't it?” questioned the concerned parent.

“Um...yeah.” Stalwart hesitantly admitted to the accusation as he took the bag of ice and held it to his face with a hoof.

“You know, I have half a mind to call that boy's parents.” Frolic sat down on a sofa that was colorfully endowed with a green covering patched with flowers. Stalwart followed his mother's movements and placed himself beside her.

“Mom, no” rejected Stalwart. “Mom, we need to talk.” Frolic looked at her son with worried, love filled eyes. “Mom, I hate it here. The other school ponies, they all pick on me. And Thrasher, he just keeps beating me up! And it's not entirely his fault either!” Frolic raised a hoof to interrupt, but was cut off by Stalwart.

“No, please let me finish. I'm not strong enough. The teacher's try to help me, but I'm just no good. And on top of that I feel like I got my cutie mark for no reason!”

“Stalwart, honey, I know how you feel. But what exactly are you getting at?” Stalwart felt his heart start to ache. He knew he had to just come out with it.

“Mom, I'm running away.” Frolic stared at her son, both heartbroken and fearful.

“What? Why would you say such a thing?”

“Because it's true! I'm leaving to get stronger, to get training. But don't worry, I'll come back.” Stalwart saw tears rolling down his mother's face. He wiped them away with a hoof and reassured her by saying “Mom, I won’t be gone long. Just long enough to know that I'm good enough to even call myself a swordspony.”

Frolic shed silent tears at the very thought of her son leaving. She couldn’t bear losing her son to the world.

“Mom, don’t cry.” said Stalwart, trying to comfort his clearly hurting mother.
Frolic wiped away her tears with a hoof and stood up from the couch. “Honey stay here for a moment, I have something for you.”
Stalwart stood in his seat, wondering what his mother could possibly be getting. Moments later Frolic returned, tears gone but still feeling heavily emotional. Within her tiny jaw held a small western style hat, clearly used yet still in good condition. Stalwart stared at the object in his mother’s mouth. He had never noticed it before, yet it seemed vaguely familiar.
“Honey, this hat has been passed down from your father’s side of the family for generations. Before he went off into that battle against the manticores to defend Equestria, he left it behind and told me to give it to you when the time was right.” Stalwart stared deeply at the hat as it landed in his extended front hooves. “I think now would be the best time to hand it down to you.”
Stalwart felt his eyes begin to water. He promised himself that he wouldn’t cry when he left, but he never expected this. Something from his father? Could it be? Stalwart couldn’t help it anymore, tears began to flow. His mother followed suit. They held each other in tight embrace as they cried. They cried over their separation, they cried over Stalwart’s father, and they cried over the futures that they could not share together.
But then, Stalwart broke the embrace and walked away from his mother. “Mom…thank you, For everything.” Frolic smiled at her son, knowing that soon he would be heading out on his way in order to prove his worth both to himself and the world. She trotted over to her beloved child and placed the Bladesly heirloom atop his head.
“Go ahead Honey, and be safe.” Stalwart nodded his head in firm acknowledgment as he gave his mother one last hug before heading out on a journey that would soon change his life forever…
***
Stalwart sat on the hard broken floor of his abandoned house, feeling pure heartache and slight depression. A single tear ran down the pony’s face. His dreams were made here. His life started here. And with the numerous beasts slashing and banging at the door, His life may end here…

Welcome Back

Timeless Harmony
Chapter 5: Welcome Back
(Mane 6 P.O.V.)

Everypony shrieked in fear as the powerful white light overtook them. Twilight felt her horn being engulfed in immense magic as her spell reached its peak. The sheet of white magic swallowed the ponies whole until finally releasing them from its grip. Everypony looked around in confusion.

Fluttershy began hyperventilating, gasping for breath due to pure fear from the spell. Rarity panicked. She ran around the room screaming, “My hair, oh my precious hair!” She tried desperately to manage her mane that had been completely ruined on the trip. Pinkie Pie simply bounced around the library with the same glee that she always had. But Rainbow and Applejack were different.

They approached Twilight, both with stern looks on their faces. “Hey Twilight, what the hay happened? We're still in your library!” stated Rainbow.

“Yeah, I thought y'all had that spell under control!” joined Applejack. Everypony looked around their environment. Applejack was right; they didn’t seem to have gone anywhere.

“Hey, AJ’s right!” squealed Pinkie, ceasing her hopping to show she was being serious, even if it was for the slightest moment.

“Good Heavens, what is all that racket!?” came a voice that everypony felt was familiar but couldn’t quite place a hoof on it. Everypony's gaze moved over to the staircase that led to the bed Twilight usually slept in upstairs. Atop the stairs stood a light tan mare, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. The ponies that were gathered in the library let out gasps of shock as they all took hiding places, not wanting to be seen by the owner of the house.

“Now that's odd,” began the mare. “I know for sure I heard something.” Twilight stared in confusion from her hiding place behind a sofa at the pony that was climbing down the steps. She couldn't believe her eyes, The Mayor of Ponyville! Her mane was a light shade of black, but not quite gray. She also lacked the glasses that she seemed to desperately need last she saw her, but that was definitely her.

The Mayor stood in the center of the library, eyes franticly searching for the source of the voices that had flooded her ears moments ago. However, nopony could be found. She began to trot across the library floor, feeling certain that there was somepony here.

“Okay, come on out!” she called out, standing in front of the sofa that hid Twilight. Rarity and Applejack poked their heads out of the curtains that covered a window to see if Twilight had been spotted. She wasn't. The Mayor was simply calling out in hope that her suspicions would be proven.

She continued her search throughout her living room, passing by the curtain with Applejack and Rarity within without even a second glance. As she walked onward, she passed a suspicious looking lamp. The body of the lamp was that of a pink earth pony with the average lamp shade on top. The Mayor looked over this lamp in confusion.

“I say, I don't remember buying this odd thing” stated the Mayor as she pulled the cord that hung from the shade. The lamp immediately lit up, revealing a smiling Pinkie Pie within. The Mayor shrieked in shock and stumbled backwards away from Pinkie, only to be tripped by a lump beneath her rug. She then lost her balance and fell on her back. As she regained herself and rubbed a hoof on her head, she saw a yellow pegasus emerge from beneath her carpet.

Everypony then gave up the attempt of shrouding themselves and emerged from their hiding places. They all trotted towards the fallen mare as Rainbow Dash floated down from where she was near the ceiling.

“Who are you ponies!?” called out The Mayor in fear. “And what are you doing in my house!?”

“Whoa whoa, easy there Ms. Mayor” started Rainbow. “We were just passing through.”

“Passing through!?” boomed the fallen mare. “In my house!?” Everypony knew there was no way to reason with her. How could they? They had no way to explain how they ended up in her house, or even why they were there to begin with.

“Excuse us ma'am” said Twilight apologetically. “We meant no harm. We simply wished to check out a few books.” Pinkie Pie looked at Twilight in confusion.

“That's not why we're here!” called out the pink earth pony. “We're here 'cause that Li-” a hoof was quickly shoved in Pinkie's mouth. Rarity stood next to the blabber-mouth pony and gave a cheesy smile as she pulled her away.

The Mayor eyed them suspiciously. “Now why in the name of Celestia would you come to the library in the middle of the night for books?” she asked. Twilight looked around nervously for support from her friends. It was Applejack to the rescue.

“Well, ma'am. Ya see, mah farm down the road is having a harvest in da mornin' and I was hopin' that I could find a book ta help out mah little sister.” Applejack gave Twilight a wink, showing she was there for her.

“Oh of course” replied The Mayor. “You must be Applejack's sister. That little filly never really did seem to be interested in farm work.” Pinkie Pie then tried to interject with more sense making, but was held tight by Rarity.

“Yes'm. That's her alright. But ah'll just get on out of yer hair. C'mon y'all.”

The six ponies quickly gathered themselves and fled the library, leaving behind a confused younger version of The Mayor they all knew.

Once outside, the subject of where to go was brought up.

“So girls, where to?” asked Twilight.

“Well I wanted to see myself get my cutie mark again, but Rainbow said that was a bad idea” said Fluttershy.

“Actually Fluttershy, you can't even see your past self. Too risky” stated Twilight.

Everypony grunted and sighed in disappointment. They really wanted to see their filly selves.

“Hey, at least we can still all go see the Sonic Rainoom!” called Rainbow Dash.

“Now, Rainbow...” began Twilight, but was quickly interrupted for Rainbow had already anticipated her objection. “Easy Twi, I'll just grab us a cloud over where nopony could see me. And well, you guys can just stay on the ground. We'll be fine.” Twilight thought for a moment, running over the idea in her mind to insure its safety.

“C'mon Twi, we don't have anything better to do.” Everypony looked at Twilight with pleading eyes, hoping for a 'Yes'.

“Fine, but we're going to need a place to stay until morning.”

“Indeed girls, all of our exciting plans for the past will simply have to be postponed until tomorrow” stated Rarity.

“Well, where the hay are we gonna stay until then!?” asked Rainbow. “It's almost midnight!”

“Well, we did say we was going ta the farm. And Ah'm not one ta break mah word.” said Applejack with utmost confidence.

“Now AJ, we discussed this already” began Twilight. “We CANNOT, under any means, meet our past selves. That would lead to a paradox.”

“Dontcha think Ah know this?” said Applejack defensively. “My filly self is still somewhere in Manehatten right 'bout now. So we could just sneak into the apple cellar, wait till mornin' and head out to that der sonic rainboom.” This idea was quickly accepted amongst the ranks of colorful ponies as they all made their way to Sweet Apple Acres to wait until the morning would come and bring its wonders.

“Alright y’all, this way” guided Applejack to the remaining ponies as they all filed into through the cellar door that was held open by the southern pony. As the last member, Rarity, climbed through the entrance, Applejack silently sealed the door behind them, locking out the only source of light that poured from the moon.

“Pinkie, that’s my hoof!” complained Twilight as she recoiled from the firm stomp on her hoof from the blinded earth pony.

“Whoopsies, sorry Twi” said Pinkie apologetically as she backed away from where her voice came from in the utter darkness. She continued to move backwards until bumping into another solid object.

“AHH! WHAT WAS THAT!?” screamed out Pinkie in fear.

“Pinkie calm down, it’s just me” explained Rarity as she illuminated her horn in order to shed some light in the dark cellar. Twilight mimicked her friend and also allowed her horn to glow. They could now all see both each other, and the virtually empty apple cellar.

Applejack came trotting down from where she sealed the door and joined the group. “Alrighty y’all, I know there's got ta be some candles ‘round here somewhere.” Applejack then made a quick search throughout the cellar using the glow from Rarity and Twilight as a guide. After but a moment of searching, she produced three small candles and a match from a low dusty shelf.

The southern pony then struck the match and lit the three candles. Their light filled a large circle around the six time travelers as they all gathered in the center of the now illuminated cellar.

“Oh Applejack, might I ask why Twilight and I didn’t simply keep up our 'Candlelight' spell?” asked Rarity.

“Actually Rarity, that’s pretty obvious” began Twilight. “Our magic is pretty bright, and we don’t want to wake the rest of the Apple Family. Rarity nodded her head in the acceptance of this new knowledge.

Twilight looked around the room at everypony, making sure everypony was here. Applejack and Rainbow took their seats around the candles that were set in the center of the room. Fluttershy was helping a rather large spider onto a web in a corner of the ceiling before shyly trotting over to the group. Rarity continued to wipe away the dust and dirt that covered the area she was about to claim as her seat. Twilight then sat herself down in the circle of ponies around the candles. Everypony was seated, except for Pinkie.

She stood a slight distance from the group with her side showing to them. “Hey Pinkie, what’s up?” asked Rainbow from behind the set of candles. Pinkie looked over her shoulder to face them and blushed slightly. She then trotted over to her friends and sat herself between Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie stared into one of the candles, still slightly blushing. She lifted her gaze from the small flame to see that everypony was looking at her.

“Um, why is everypony staring at me?” asked Pinkie looking around at the staring eyes.
“So Pinkie, are you gonna tell us who this ‘S’ is?” questioned Twilight, giving Pinkie a hinting look. The remaining ponies all gave the pink pony the same smile.
“What are you talking about?” asked Pinkie, now blushing insanely hard. Twilight nudged her horn to the ground in front of the party pony. Pinkie looked over to where Twilight had motioned and saw that she had drawn a heart in the soft dirt with the letters PP+S in it. She must have drawn it without even knowing!
“Oh, that.” Pinkie giggled in slight embarrassment at the figure below her. “I guess you guys wanna know about that huh?” asked Pinkie, half hoping the answer was 'no'.
“Well, we got nothing better to do until morning!” called out Rainbow Dash in annoyance.
“Well, I'd completely love to tell you guys about it...but uh” Pinkie began to look around nervously. Then, she quickly looked at her wrist before saying “Oh look at that, it's my bedtime.” She then immediately turned onto her side and gave her back to the crowd, faking a very loud snore.

Although obvious she wasn't sleeping, everypony decided to just let it go. They'd find out soon enough. And so, they all chose to follow the party pony's example and got ready for bed, preparing for the excitement that tomorrow was sure to hold.

The morning sun beamed its strong light as it worked its way over the mountains, bringing with it the start of a new day. In the distance, the loud crowing of a rooster echoed through Sweet Apple Acres. The sound worked its way deep into the apple cellar, waking the sleeping ponies within.
Applejack stretched out her sore limbs from sleeping on the hard cement floor. The scent of apple fritters and freshly squeezed apple juice filled the southern pony’s nostrils.

“Hm, I bet Granny Smith just baked the most delicious apple breakfast that anypony could ever imagine” thought Applejack to herself, envisioning the delicious meal that she couldn’t have. This scent brought more to the ponies in the cellar than just the thought of food, it meant morning was here.
Applejack looked around the room to see that the remaining ponies were also waking up. Rainbow Dash immediately flew over to Applejack with a stern look on her face.
“Well, Ms. Let’s Sleep In The Cellar” began Rainbow. “How the hay are we supposed to get out with the Apple Family already up and about?” Applejack gave this some thought in advance.
“Now keep your wings on Rainbow, everypony is still eating breakfast. We’ve got about a five minute window ta get the hay outta here.” Rainbow pulled back on her verbal assault on Applejack and began to rush the others out of the cellar, becoming ever so impatient on finally being able to relive the amazing moment when the first sonic rainboom cracked the skies of Equestria and a cutie mark was earned.

A Broken Rainbow

Timeless Harmony
Chapter 6: A Broken Rainbow
(Mane 6 P.O.V.)

The time traveling ponies followed their rainbow colored guide out of the apple cellar, through sweet apple acres, past Ponyville, and to a point directly beneath the starting line in Cloudsdale.

“...And Lily was all like, 'Pinkie, oatmeal is amazing!' and I was all like, 'Oatmeal, are you crazy!?'” The wild pink earth pony continued to babble on aimlessly throughout the entire walk.

“Pinkie-” started Applejack, trying to cut her friend off for just a moment of silence.

“...Then Daisy came in on Lily and were like-” The rambling party pony simply couldn't be stopped.

“PINKIE!” shouted the rest of the group, instantly halting the mare's endless speech.

“What?” asked Pinkie in the most innocent way.

“Guys, it's right up there!” shouted Rainbow, ignoring the shouting behind her and pointing a hoof up at a cloud in the distance.

The remaining ponies followed Rainbow's gaze up into the cloud where a young and wild Filly Rainbow Dash was preparing to take off into the most important race of her life.

“Whoa...” started Rainbow in shock as she looked over her filly self. “I look good!” Rainbow Dash began to slowly fly up toward the starting line to get a better look before feeling some unknown tug on her left wing.

“Rainbow, you need to stay back” ordered Twilight as she pulled gently on the mare's wing. “We don't want to create a paradox just because you want to get a better look at yourself.”

“C'mon Twi, I wont even be near it!” protested the now overly excited pegasus. “I just wanna get a sky seat on a cloud in the distance, just to for a higher view!” Rainbow said, trying to tug away from the magical aura that held her wing.

Twilight knew there was no convincing the sky loving pony to stay on the ground. “Ugh, fine” surrendered the unicorn as she released the spell. “Just promise that you will stay out of sight and not touch a thing!”

Just as Rainbow was about to quickly agree to the promise, Pinkie broke her way into the conversation and shouted, “PINKIE PROMISE!”

Rainbow Dash gave a slight smile at the notion, but crossed her chest with her hoof and then placed it on her eye. “I Pinkie Promise.” With that, Twilight gave her an affirmative nod and the pegasus was off, sure to be getting a better seat than any of the grounded ponies.

Rainbow Dash worked her way to a distant cloud high above the heads of her fellow time travelers. As badly as she wanted to get a front row seat to one of the best moments of her life, she knew Twilight was watching her every move and could even feel her stare from below. So she decided to play it safe and plopped down on a nice soft cloud.

“Oh boy, I can't believe it's really happening!” squealed the pegasus to herself. She looked up into the thicker clouds that held the starting point of the race, but Filly Rainbow wasn't there! Rainbow Dash scattered her eyes everywhere, looking for any sign of the small filly. Then she caught her.

Filly Rainbow was just knocked out of the racing area and picking up speed with a vengeance.

“Here she goes!” cried Applejack from below, eyes wide with excitement.

The blue filly began her dive-bomb, aiming for the small ring shaped cloud that marked the racing field. Her speed was unimaginable. Her mane was being pushed back, losing its physical form and becoming that of a long rainbow trail. She could feel the sound barrier tightening around her as her speed was pushed to near her max. Adrenaline filled her little body and she felt unstoppable.

Rainbow Dash felt so awestruck as her younger self zoomed by her, only a few hundred yards from where she would pull up and allow the beauty of the sonic rainboom to mystify the skies of Equestria.

Filly Rainbow took one ego-full and confident glance behind her, wanting to see the look of the competitors that she had left to eat her dust. But something caught her eye. Something...familiar. A single rainbow maned pegasus stood on a cloud, giving the filly an amazing one-pony audience. The distracted pony gasped at the sight of this mare, shocked at how dangerously similar she looked to herself.

But that needed to wait, the ground was near. The small pegasus then returned her attention to the race...but a moment too late. The ground was far too close to her and her speed was far to great for her to stop or pull up. The sound barrier continued to tighten, but not fast enough. It wouldn't break fast enough to save her from the forbidding ground below.

Filly Rainbow tried with all of her might to pull up, giving everything she had into the task of saving her life. But it didn't work as intended. Her small body barely managed to lift a few degrees before she went crashing into the ground of Whitetail Woods.

Instead of the magnificent rainbow colored explosion, only dirt and debris filled the sky as Filly Rainbow's body continued to skid across the earth, destroying everything in her path. Trees bent and snapped to her might. Dirt, wood and grass flew in every direction as a trail of destruction and blood followed the skidding body. “What the -!?” cried out Rainbow Dash, unable to leave her perch due to pure shock.

“That wasn't supposed to happen!” screamed Twilight as she and the rest of the group charged toward the crash sight. Filly Rainbow's painful slide was coming to an end, the friction of the ground finally taking effect. Eventually, she came to a stop. The world around her seemed to fade and she felt as though her body didn't even exist any more. She used all of her filly might to turn her head. She faced massive destruction. Her gaze continued to move until she saw her wing, broken and destroyed. She blacked out...

Through the shield of unconsciousness, Filly Rainbow heard the faint conversation of a group of young mares.

“Rainbow Dash, what did you do!?” Filly Rainbow couldn't see the mares, or recognize voices.

“Easy Twi, I didn't do anything! She just didn't pull up like she was supposed to!”

“Twilight, I can see right through you!” came a high pitched voice.

“The rainboom...it never happened. We were all connected to it and it never happened!” said the same voice that came first. Filly Rainbow managed to just barely lift one eyelid to see the ponies above her. There were six of them, all female. And one of them... one of them seemed familiar. The mortally wounded filly focused her attention on the cyan pegasus who's body slowly seemed to be fading away as tears rolled down her cheeks. She blacked out again.

The last thing the fatally wounded pegasus heard was a single sentence spoken by all six ponies; “We went back in time, and now we're paying the consequences.”

The dying filly slowly blinked open her eyes, but that's all she managed. The world around her was still almost nothing more than a massive blur, but she could tell she was still in the same place in the same destroyed state. But there was one difference, she wasn't alone. Although she could not locate the source of the voices from earlier, she could feel heavy breathing coming from behind her. Filly Rainbow tried to turn her head to see what was causing this, but failed and felt as though trying that again would result in the breaking of her neck.

But she caught the slightest glimpse of something, something furry. Her eyes met one furry clawed leg, definitely not that of a pony's. Filly Rainbow let out a slight moan as she tried again to turn her entire body over but, failed yet again. This movement agitated the beast as it let out a low growl, giving away its species as a wolf. Filly Rainbow's heart began to race at the realization, but that led to her downfall. Her body couldn't handle the heart speed as she blacked out again, leaving herself available to the small pack of wolves that surrounded her...

Meet My Nightmare

Timeless Harmony

Chapter 7: Meet My Nightmare
(O.C. P.O.V.)

The banging continued. The slashing seemed endless. Stalwart lay in the middle of his old living room in a state of depression, watching as the wooden door that separated him from the beasts that wanted to tear him apart began to give. It wouldn't be long before they were upon him. The doomed fighter sighed. “I guess this is what I get for leaving Barrier behind huh?” he asked himself as a single tear fell down his face.

Deep cracks began to form in the door, showing it had very little time left before it would give the shadow creatures what they wanted. Stalwart stood up and faced the door with sword drawn. If he was going to go down, he was going down fighting. Then, the door collapsed. The creatures were there and ready to attack, but before they could make a single move, Stalwart was blinded by a strong white light.

The brave earth pony shielded his eyes from the strong light with a hoof. When he had lowered it, all that remained of the shadow creatures were thin trails of smoke that evaporated into the air. Stalwart stared at the doorway where they had once stood in disbelief. The horrid beasts were gone and replaced with a sight that lifted his very heart.

“Barrier!” shouted the happy earth pony as he ran up to his friend in the doorway and gave her a huge hug. The unicorn returned the notion, happy to see her friend was still safe. “I can't believe you took out all those monsters!” cried Stalwart as he broke the embrace.

Barrier smiled at her swordspony assistant, feeling proud of herself. But then, sense making overtook as she thwacked the earth pony in the back of the head with a hoof.

“Hey! What was that for!?” cried Stalwart as he rubbed the back of his head.

“That's for leaving me with that spider, you coward!” replied the annoyed unicorn. Stalwart gave a cheesy smile at the accusation, knowing that she was right and he should have stood by her side.

“Okay, good point. I deserved that. But anyways, we finally made it to Canterlot!” said Stalwart, changing the topic before Barrier simply got more frustrated.

“Yeah, but it looks like things are even worse over here.” Barrier scattered her sight across the room that her friend had took refuge in, it was in ruins. “Why did you pick this place to hide in?”

“Heh, funny story. It was kinda like a voice brought me here.” Barrier looked at her friend with a confused look on her face, but chose not to pursue the matter. She would probably ask him later, but right now they needed to get to the princess. The stranded duo then left the collapsing building and headed for the large castle that claimed Canterlot as its own.

By the time the two ponies reached the sealed iron front door of Canterlot Castle, it was pretty obvious what they were looking for was not here. The once magnificent castle had been derived of all its beauty and replaced by endless swarming shadows and darkness.

“Uh Barrier...?” started Stalwart as he stared at the closed spiked door.

“Don't worry, I got it” reassured the unicorn as her horn began to glow. She trotted closer the bars that separated her from the inside of the castle. The same blue glow that covered her horn then began to coat the bars as they were lifted from the ground and the path was open.

“Nice one Bare!” cheered the earth pony as he walked into the halls of the castle. Barrier smiled at the compliment and followed her lifelong friend into the massive building. Once inside, she placed herself right next to Stalwart who was gazing around the castle and what it had become.

True, it was still obviously Canterlot Castle, but it was nothing as it was before. The same large staircase greeted them as they entered, and most of the other structures and statues were still pretty much the same. However, many others were destroyed or toppled over. Twisting shadows squirmed across the walls, giving it the illusion of life. The entire ground was clouded in a dark purple mist, similar to the one from the forest that seemed to have sprouted the giant spider.

“Stalwart, I don't like this...” said Barrier as she took a few slow steps forward.

“This isn't right, this isn't Celestia's castle!” cried Stalwart. “Never, in a million years would she let it look anything like this. In all my life in Canterlot, this place has stood tall and proud. This is not her castle.” Barrier looked at her comrade who continued searching around the hall with a stern look on his face, but never moving his body.

“You seem to know much of my castle” came a female voice. Stalwart and Barrier began twisting and turning their heads in every direction, looking for any sign of where this voice had come from. This wasn't the voice of the princess they've come to know, yet it still called this place 'My Castle'.

“Who's out there!?” called Stalwart, an angered scowl spread across his face. All of the thick fog that clouded the adventurers' hooves rapidly dashed toward one direction; the top of the staircase. There, they began to twist and turn as they rose from the ground, forming some type of solid object. It was then that the ruler of the night and queen of darkness herself appeared, Nightmare Moon. The dark alicorn spawned atop the stairs and released an evil laughter that shook the very walls and brought with it the crack of thunder.

“Oh my Celestia, Nightmare!” cried Barrier in shock and fear.

“Nightmare? Didn't you say that Twilight chick beat her already?” asked Stalwart, as he looked back and forth between his friend and the large alicorn.

“Yeah, it happened after she came back from her banishment on the moon” explained Barrier.

“Ah, I see we have somepony with intelligence in your little party” taunted Nightmare in a rather calm and serene voice. “You seem to know my past.”

“Yeah, and I also know that The Elements of Harmony defeated you once and for all!”

“You see, that is where you are wrong” cooed the empress. “It appears spending time amongst that brutish earth pony resistance has taken away your natural unicorn wisdom.”

“What'd you say about earth ponies!?” retaliated Stalwart as he took a step forward and anger began to flow in him.

“I said that your little earth pony rebellion is nothing more than mere animals. Even that one unicorn amongst you that talks about herself in the third person is nothing more than a beast as low as you.” That was the last straw. Stalwart, fueled by rage, drew his sword with his mouth and began to charge toward the empress.

“Stalwart no!” called out Barrier, but to no avail. Stalwart began working his way up the staircase to the ruler of the night, swinging his blade blindly. But Nightmare had anticipated this act, expecting no less from an earth pony. So she stood there, waiting. As the charging swordspony reached the last few steps that separated him from his target, Nightmare boomed out the word “Begone!” with such force and power that Stalwart was sent flying back down the staircase.

He screamed as he soared through the air and prepared his body for impact. He was flung to a spot just next to Barrier where he landed with a hard thud. “Ow, what the hay?” he cried as he rubbed a hoof against his head.

“I tried to warn you” began Barrier as she lifted Stalwart to his hooves with her magic. “It's the royal Canterlot voice.”

“You are just full of knowledge aren't you, you little spell caster you” complimented the alicorn. Barrier scowled at the princess, she would have none of her taunting.

“Listen Nightmare!” called Barrier. “We're not here to fight you, but don't you dare hurt my friend again!”

“Oh, and you're a little fiery one too aren't you?” The taunting continued. “But I like that in a unicorn. But if not here to battle, what is it that you wish of me?” Stalwart immediately spoke out, saying, “We wanna know what the buck you're doing in Celestia's castle!”

“Silence earth pony!” boomed Nightmare. “My offer was not towards you! I am speaking to the unicorn.” Nightmare's voice returned to the calm and somewhat welcoming voice she spoke with earlier. “Now, what is it you wish from me, Barrier?” The blue unicorn was slightly shocked at how the princess knew her name, but dismissed it for a more important matter.

“We want answers” replied Barrier.

“Is that so?” said Nightmare, as she gave the proposal some thought. “Very well, you shall have them.” Barrier and Stalwart exchanged hopeful glances, expecting everything to finally be explained to them.

“But first, a test” said Nightmare, quickly wiping the hopeful looks on the ponies' faces.

“What kind of test?” asked Barrier, no longer feeling safe in the alicorn's presence.

“Oh, you shall see.” And with that, Nightmare returned her gaseous form and disappeared from sight.

“Barrier, I don't like the looks of this...” whispered Stalwart, growing nervous as the air around him began to feel thick.

“I know, but don't worry” reassured the talented unicorn. “Whatever comes our way, we'll get through it together.” Just as Barrier finished her sentence, a large wall sprung from the ground, separating the two ponies from each other. Immediately, Stalwart began to bang his hooves at the stone structure, trying with his entire pony might to reach the mare on the other side.

“Barrier!” he called. His cry was greeted by the sound of crackling lightning as Barrier shot bolts of magic at the wall. But to no avail. They were both trapped in a single room, their own little world of pitch black darkness.

Barrier decided it would be best to remain calm. She knew Nightmare had something planned and wasn't just going to leave her here to rot. “Okay, Nightmare!” called out Barrier to the ceiling. “I'm ready for your little 'test'!”

“Ah, there's that fiery spirit I saw earlier” answered the female voice. Although no source of the sound could be located, a single beam of light shined in the center of the small room. “Go on, step into the light.”

Barrier took a hesitant step forward, but then stopped. Something told her there was something wrong with the area of light.

“Come now, don’t tell me you’re suddenly afraid of a little sunshine” taunted Nightmare from her unseen location. “Go ahead, walk into the beam and begin your challenges.”

Barrier trotted closer to the welcoming warmth of sunlight. She stood mere inches away from the beam, feeling a sense of relief and welcome. She walked in. The warmth felt amazing on her fur. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to be graced with the feeling of joy. It was then that a small strand of shadows began to work its way up her body from her hooves. They continued to move until they reached her chest. Barrier stood still, completely oblivious to the darkness that was swallowing her. Then…she was gone.

Stalwart continued to bang on the wall between him and Barrier, even though he couldn’t hear her banging back or her speaking any more. It wasn’t before long that his small body began to give in to exhaustion as his banging slowed and he placed his back against the wall. He allowed himself to slide down the stone and lean on it as he reached the floor.

“Barrier, please be okay” prayed Stalwart to himself.

“Oh, don’t worry about her” came the voice of Nightmare again. “It’s yourself you should be worried about.” Stalwart got up to his hooves as he scanned his vision across the ceiling, searching for any hint of Nightmare.

“Show yourself coward!” called Stalwart, gritting his teeth in anger.

“In good time you little earth runt.” Stalwart grew even more enraged.

“Why don’t you just come out here and fight me one on one!?” Nightmare ignored the swordspony’s challenge.

“Hm, you have much anger in you. I like that. You want to face me? Fine.” A very dim light shined in the other end of the small room, revealing a type of passageway that seemed to be made entirely of twisting shadows. “If you expect me to grace you with my presence again, you must prove your worth.”

“And you want me to do that through your little challenges right?” asked Stalwart, eying the passageway suspiciously.

“Exactly. Trials first, then I just might waste my time with an earth pony. Stalwart scowled at the ceiling and the voice it hid. Fueled by rage and adrenaline, Stalwart ran towards the dark path and headed straight in. The shadows quickly took hold of the adventurer as he was swallowed by the darkness that would begin his trials.

Healing The Wounded

Timeless Harmony
Chapter 9 : Healing The Wounded
(Mane 6 P.O.V.)
A.N.
This chapter is pretty short and it shows what happens to Fluttershy after the failed Rainboom.

Filly Fluttershy stood shakily on a small tuft of cloud as she gripped tightly around the checkered flag in her mouth. Her eyes darted between the competitors and the crowd. Three pegasus ponies stood at the starting line. Rainbow Dash had always stood up for Fluttershy, but this was crazy! She called out Hoops and Weight to a race.

Fluttershy snapped back into reality, remember why she was here. The small pegasus lifted her head high and wave the starting flag, setting free the racers. Almost immediately, three blurrs whizzed past the yellow referee, causing her to lose her balance and be sent down to Equestria.

Fluttershy began plummeting down towards the ground, legs flailing and wings frantically flapping in a feeble attempt to avoid the fatal collision. At this age, the yellow pegasus could barely hover a foot off the ground, let alone halt a massive drop such as this. Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs, praying to Celestia for some sort of miracle. As fate would have it, she got one.

Just before she hit the ground, an unbelievably huge swarm of beautiful and colorful butterflies softened her landing and held her several feet above where she might have died. Fluttershy stared in awe at the insects, never before seeing such creatures. Her heart filled with such joy, she simply had to sing! So she did.

“What is this place, filled with so many wonders? Casting its spell that I am now under. Squirrels in the trees and the cute little bunnies. Birds flying free and the bees with their honey... Honey!” Fluttershy began to frolic amongst the woodland creatures, continuing to enchant them with her beloved voice. “Oh! What a magical place! And I owe it all to the pegasus race! If I knew the ground had so much up its sleeve, i'd of come here sooner and never leave! Yes. I. Love. Everything!!!” By the time Fluttershy hit that beautiful high note, a large crowd of woodland creatures like deer and bear cubs had gathered around the small pegasus.

But by the time she had finished her vocal enchantment, a large explosion took place not even a mile from here. Fluttershy turned her head in shock and fear towards were the great pegasus race was going to be reaching it's climax. The sight that greeted her was no less than horrifying. A large plume of smoke and debris filled the sky near Cloudsdale.

But that wasn't the problem. The problem was its after effects. The shock wave of whatever had caused that drop must of triggered some form inner brutality within the animals, causing them to all stampede. And poor Fluttershy was stuck right in the middle of it.

The animals showed no mercy. An all out charge was at hoof and there was no stopping it. The wild nature of the creatures of the forest kicked in as instinct gave them one distinct command; Run. But there was no attempt to hide from some mystical boom. Instead, there was the death charge of animals fearing for their lives.

Fluttershy was trampled, hooves and claws constantly battering her frail filly body. Deer stomped over her face, brutalizing her image. Large clusters of small animals continued beating her as they stormed by. She was done for.

But as she lay helpless on the floor, bleeding heavily and possibly deformed for life, the animals stopped. All of them had passed by her now and she was alone. Broken, beat and scarred. She could hardly move as it ached her body so much. So she wept. She cried and sobbed over the pain. In the back of her mind, she knew this was her fate. She knew this was where she'd die. So she closed her eyes and let the silent tears continue flowing as unconsciousness took hold.

“What is that?” thought Fluttershy to herself, still not fully aware. “It's so cold, but it feels amazing.” The wounded pegasus slowly blinked open her eyes. The image before her was no less than beautiful. A filly earthpony stood over her broken body, one with a coat of pure white and a mane of pale pink. She rubbed a wet sponge across Fluttershy's face while holding her head up with her other hoof.

“Ugh...who...who are you?” grumbled Fluttershy as she tried to turn her head to get a good look at the filly's face.

“Shh” she quieted as she returned back to work. Fluttershy was beaten up pretty bad. Her jaw was clearly broken and no doubt she had several broken ribs. The mysterious white filly said nothing more to the wounded pony as she continued trying to nurse her back to health. Fluttershy tried to be as cooperative as possible, but the pain made her squirm and yelp at times.

“Please,” began the white filly “I need you to stay still.”

“But...it hurts...so bad...” mumbled Fluttershy, words being slurred by her broken jaw.

“I know, but don't worry. I'm here for you.” The strangers voice was the most comforting sound Fluttershy could ever hear within the Whitetail Woods. The white earthpony then reached into her back sack she had and pulled out what looked a little like a black saddle.

“Okay, listen” she started. “I'm gonna have to lift you...and it's gonna hurt.” Fluttershy immediately cringed at the idea of moving but knew it was the only way. The earthpony lifted Fluttershy from her upper back into an upright sitting position. Fluttershy cringed and groaned from pain, but managed the task. Her right wing was also pretty damaged, but nothing permanent. The white filly brought unfolded the saddle looking object and wrapped it around Fluttershys chest.

“You've got a few broken ribs, this will stop them from getting any worse until we get to the hospital.”

“Uh, how do you know so much about this? And how did you find me?” asked Fluttershy hurting her jaw with each movement but desperately wanting to know more about the pony who probably just saved her life.

“I practice medical care at the hospital with Nurse Sweetheart. And I was here in the woods looking for medicinal plants when I heard the stampede and thought I'd check it out. Now please, stop trying to talk. You need to save your strength and we can't have you ruining that jaw anymore.” The white filly then bent down near Fluttershy and nudged her over her back. The hurting pegasus managed to mount her saviors back, but not without almost crying out in pain.

“Alright, so off to the hospital. Say, you got a name?”

“Um, yeah. It's Fluttershy” she replied, wincing as she spoke.

“Pleasure to meet you Ms. Fluttershy. And trust me, you'll be fine and I'll be with you ever step of the way.” The white filly gave a warm smile as she began to slowly trot off with Fluttershy on her back. Luckily, the pegasus had always been pretty scrawny and wasn't too much of a burden for the earth pony below her.

“But wait, how can I thank you for all of this without a name?” asked the yellow filly, manners still mattering to her a bit too much in her wounded state. The heroic white filly gave another welcoming smile at the pony on her back.

“The name's Jenny. Jenny Redheart. And I'm sure we're gonna be seeing a lot more of each other.”

A Force To Be Reckoned With

Timeless Harmony
Chapter 10 : A Force To Be Reckoned With
(Mane 6 P.O.V.)

Within a little home also known as The Carousel Boutique, a small white unicorn is hard at work with a slight frown on her face. Filly Rarity lifted the orange costume she was preparing for that night and sighed.

“Maybe I wasn't meant to be a fashionesta after all...” Rarity bowed her head in defeat, a single tear beginning to form. But just then, when all hope seem lost, her horn started to glow immensely!

“Ah!” she gasped. Her horn took hold of her body, a force she had no control over. Rarity was dragged out of her house and past some nearby woods. She fought back against it for a moment, but quickly realized it was hopeless. She was no match for her own magic.

She was dragged for hours, eventually completely giving up on fighting and just allowing herself to be dragged. In her state of boredom, Rarity was completely unprepared for the collision between herself and large boulder that knocked her onto her flank and cut the magic short.

Rarity lifted her eyes to behold something huge and powerful... “A ROCK!?” she shouted. “That's my destiny!? What is your problem horn!?” Rarity quickly grew very frustrated. “I followed you all of the way out here for a rock!?” Rarity growled in anger before shouting, “Dumb rock!”

Just as she finished her sentence, the sound of a huge explosion shook the air itself. The earth pulsed at the sound of something at the speed of sound sound crushing head on. The collision shook something in the young filly, forcing her to release a terrific burst of magic. Rarity's horn glowed brightly as her natural talent came bursting through.

Her horn then released a great telekinetic wave, launching the boulder in front of her for miles and clear out of sight. Rarity stood panting, awestruck and exhausted from the scene before her. Her filly body was drained as she collapsed onto the floor. Her horn didn't stop though. As her body lye unmoving, the magic within her continued to emit unbelievably strong bursts of magic. It launched things off in every direction, nothing safe from its might.

Several large boulders that had been worked into the ground over thousands of years were thrown off into the distance with ease. The ground rumbled and even cracked in several places. But the small filly couldn't possible maintain such power so the strong white light began to fade as exhaustion took in.

Rarity laid there, far too tired to notice the destruction she caused. But when she awoke she would quickly discover the magic aura waves that now branded themselves as her cutie mark, the talent of great telekinesis.

(AN)
So yeah, Rarity's chapter is pretty short. This was my intention with all of the mane 6 at this point but I dont know how its gonna work. Please review because they help me out as a writer and let me know people are reading.

The Seal of Time

Timeless Harmony
Chapter 1: The Seal Of Time
(O.C. P.O.V.)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E5EZOYpzgHkrhT-CUH2Vn2srha-wTAZbJy31lMcwPOU/edit (This has the two mane OCs on it)

A very familiar aura filled the air of a small house in Ponyville; magic was in use. A large golden shield bent to the will of a single dark blue unicorn. Barrier focused all of her might on the item of pure defense as she attempted to enhance it with the power of magic.

“C'mon Barrier, you got this!” cheered a light brown earth pony with a makeshift wooden sword at his side. Stalwart stared in awe at his friend's amazing ability. The shield floated in the air above Barrier, shrouded in a shade of sky blue that mimicked the color of the glow that was emitted from her horn.

“Stalwart, I can't hold it!” screamed Barrier, clearly struggling with the spell. “TAKE COVER!” Suddenly the blue aura released itself from the golden shield and burst strongly, causing the two ponies to be sent flying through the room. Stalwart hit his head on a small bookshelf that was conveniently located next to an open window which Barrier flew out of and into a shrub. Stalwart rubbed his pain filled skull with one hoof while adjusting his wooden sword that lay relaxed in a sheath by his right flank with the other as he regained his hooves.

Barrier then leaped back into her humble home through the open window with her short blue mane flowing as she landed gracefully, completely unharmed. She gazed around her living room, (which could easily be confused with a small library) searching for her friend.

“I told you I wasn't ready for the 'Indestructible' spell yet, Stalwart!” barked Barrier at her loyal assistant, possibly sounding more harsh than intended.

“Geez, sorry Bare. I just thought you were ready for something a little harder.” Stalwart replaced his southern style hat atop his head as he trotted over to the fallen shield that had been spotted in areas with ash and dirt from magical backfire. The novice swordspony lifted the golden item in his jaw and carried it over to where it belonged; hanging up beside a large set of golden pony armor which was trimmed in silver.

“Look Stalwart,” began Barrier. “I know your trying to help by pushing me forward, but my defensive spells just aren't that strong yet. I mean, I barely perfected my spell for wards against magic blasts!” Barrier trotted across her living room over to a marble podium with a book on protective spells lying atop. Stalwart twisted his neck just enough to be able to read the spine of the closed book which read “A Shield From Darkness: The Best Protection From Unknown Magic”

“Hey Bare,” started Stalwart.

“Yeah?”

“Why are you so interested in that book? I mean, isn't it only useful against Old Magic?”

“Well yeah, but the spells in here are just perfect for my level!” squealed Barrier in joy as she flipped through the pages rapidly with her magic. “I mean, there are spells that form defenses from things you'd never think you'd encounter! Like this one here, 'Different Dimension Barrier', used for sealing tears in the universe. Or this one, 'Skin of Stone, Heart Of Gold'. This one makes you completely immune to cockatrice stares!” Barrier continued rambling through the spells that seemed to have minimal purpose due to the lack of situations when they would be needed.

“But Barrier, aren't most of those spells completely useless?” questioned Stalwart, trying to place logic back into the unicorn's head.

“That's not true!” retaliated Barrier, skimming through the book for a spell that might prove the skeptic earth pony wrong. “See, look right here!” Barrier shoved the floating book into her assistant's face, not even knowing what spell the book was turned to. “'Seal of Time'?” asked the confused earth pony poking his head out of the side of the floating book.

“Exactly!” boasted Barrier, not yet having a single clue as to what she was talking about. Stalwart rolled his eyes at the pride-blinded unicorn and continued to read through the page. “Um, Barrier” began Stalwart, already finding a flaw in the spell's design. “You do realize that this spell requires at least 2 pounds of Sacred Ash right?”

“Well yeah, but-” started Barrier, but was quickly interrupted by an arguing earth pony.

“ And that you can only obtain those through burning the leaves of a Sky Tree.”

“Well sure but we could just-”

“Which, by the way, only grows deep in the Everfree Forest.” Stalwart finally concluded his rant on reasons why this spell could never succeed.

“Well you know what, you stubborn pony you? How about you go and get me some then!?” demanded Barrier, again not entirely sure how loud she was being.

“Whoa whoa whoa” argued Stalwart. “You want me to go into the Everfree Forest? Alone? For a spell that's completely worthless?” That last remark lit a spark within the blue unicorn.

“That spell is NOT worthless!” she boomed. “And yes, I do want you to go. But now, you really are going alone. Besides, you're Mr. 'Great Swordspony'. It shouldn't be a problem for you.” Stalwart was taken back by his friend's demand, but followed her orders. He knew his friend wasn't a bad pony or anything, but she did have the tendency to lose a bit of temper from time to time. Stalwart left the house in slight distaste, but not before glancing back at his lifelong friend who stood there skimming the page of “Seal of Time”. Stalwart shook his head in playful disgust and trotted out the front door, leaving his friend to ponder the use of a purposeless spell.

Stalwart stood at the shadowy line between the outskirts of Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. Even in broad day light, the forest stood dark and forbidding. “Wow, this place still manages to give me the creeps” gulped Stalwart.

Stalwart drew his wooden sword from its resting point with his mouth, for he knew The Everfree was not a place to be taken lightly. Its creatures were evil, its plant-life was wicked, even its very weather struck fear into the hearts of innocent pony souls. Stalwart scanned his environment in fear as he took those few first steps into what seemed like a world completely plunged into eternal darkness. He knew of the dangers that may lay ahead but he fought back his fears and continued walking onward, gripping his trusty sword with great might in his jaw. On he walked, slowly but surely.

“Dear Celestia, I wouldn't even wanna know what it'd be like if all of Equestria looked like this” said the nervous pony to himself through gritted teeth which held his sword as he continued pushing onward and gazing at the horrifically dark environment. It wasn't before long that the distracted adventuring pony managed to trip over a rock. Stalwart was claimed by gravity as he began to roll down a small cliff. He rolled and tumbled down the slope, getting bombarded with dirt and mud. The tough pony reached the end of his fall with a thud, a face full of dirt, and a wooden sword almost breaking his jaw.

“Oh, Gross!” complained Stalwart as he spit dirt from his mouth and reclaimed his weapon, placing it back in its sheath. “Barrier better appreciate this!” The mud covered swordspony wiped away some grime from his flank, revealing the dual swords that branded themselves as his cutie mark. “Just like my dad” he sighed to himself, taking but a moment to gaze upon it.

“Well, I better continue my search” Stalwart said aloud, shaking away the thoughts of his father. He scanned his new environment from this lower altitude. And low and behold, an enormous tree reached up from the ground just a few paces in front of him. Its branches seemed to stretch as far as the heavens themselves. Its trunk as thick and strong as the most pure diamond in Equestria. The leaves flowed in the wind, as if waving to the pony below and showing off its bewitching sky blue color. Butterflies of a pure white floated around the twisting branches, dancing with the leaves that swayed with the cool breeze.

“Huh, so this is what a Sky Tree looks like in person” thought the novice swordspony. Stalwart shook his head to bring him back into reality from his awestruck state. He then leaped onto the side of the mighty tree and gave it a strong grip of a hug as he attempted to pull himself upwards towards the sky high branches.

“Barrier has no idea what I'm going through for this!” muttered Stalwart to himself as he struggled to continue shimmying up the huge trunk.

After his physically draining climb had concluded, the courageous earth pony reached a point where he could just barely reach out a small hoof a grab hold of the lovely blue leaves. Stalwart leaned as far as he could while still gripping the tree with his other hoof. Just as the determined pony wrapped a hoof around a branch of the precious leaves, he lost his grip on the thick trunk and was sent plummeting down to earth while still gripping on to the branch which snapped with the force of his gravity held trip.

Stalwart screamed in fear as his decent continued to bring him ever closer to the forbidding forest floor of the Everfree. And finally, he reached the ground. But there was no loud thud. No splat as he hit the stone. Nothing. Just the sound of rustling leaves as the brown pony squirmed out of the small bush he had landed in. Stalwart plopped out of the foliage and onto the stone, branch and Sky Tree Leaves lying by his side

“There's no way I'm EVER doing that again!” complained Stalwart to himself loudly. “Not for any spell!” Stalwart brushed himself off, retrieved the fallen branch from the floor, and began to trot back home with a sense of accomplishment. But something caught his eye. Something that didn't belong.

Out of the periphery of his vision, he saw what seemed to be a pink blur rolling around in the grass in the near distance. Stalwart silently walked closer to the pink bundle of motion and hid behind a small shrub to get a better look, but avoid being seen. Upon reaching a close enough level, he realized it wasn't some random blur, nor anything to fear. It was actually a pink earth pony, rolling around and seemingly fighting with a small black box. The pink stranger gnawed and chewed at the cube in a feeble attempt to open it.

“What's that filly up to?” thought Stalwart, still scanning the scene in front of him. The puffy maned earth pony endlessly wrestled with the sealed object. The strange pink character finally decided it was time to give up as she let out a wail of failure.

“Oh c'mon! This darn box wont open! I'll just take it to Twilight, she's super duper smart and will know what to do!” The cheerful pink earth pony then gripped the box in her mouth and flung it up atop her head as she began to trot away.

Stalwart worked his way out from behind the foliage and began to trail the strange character. “Why am I following her?” thought Stalwart to himself, knowing he had done what he needed to do and could just leave the dark forest.

As if reading his very mind, the pink earth pony turned around with a feeling that somepony was watching her. Once her theory had been proven, she gasped loudly and began to run.

“Wait!” called Stalwart through his teeth which held the branch, now giving chase. The stranger of a pony then made a sharp right turn to lose the stalking swordspony. Stalwart followed the movement in attempt of keeping up with her. But once he had turned the corner, the pink pony was nowhere to be found.

“She's gone!” gasped Stalwart in disbelief, dropping the branch as he spoke. And then, seemingly out of thin air, Stalwart was tackled and pinned by a force he did not see.

“Oh, what the-?” cried out the attacked pony.

“Gotcha!” squealed the pink stranger as she gloated over the light tan earth pony that was pinned beneath her.

Stalwart had dropped the branch during the attack and now gave a slight blush as the pink character introduced herself. “Hi! My name is Pinkie Pie! I haven't seen you around before, are you new in Ponyville? Or do you live in the forest or something?” The pony by the name of 'Pinkie Pie' removed herself from on top of the downed pony and reached out a hoof to help him up.

“And what's your name huh?”

“Uh, my name's Stalwart” explained the embarrassed adventurer as he took Pinkie's hoof to help himself regain his stance.

“Ooh, and you have swords as a cutie mark!” squealed Pinkie as she stared at the symbol on Stalwart's flank. “Thats sooo cool! What are they for?”

“Huh? Oh, that” stated Stalwart fairly bluntly as he fixed his hat and readjusted his sword in its sheath. “Its 'cause I'm a swordspony. It runs in the family. And no, I don't live in The Everfree. I just moved into Ponyville from Canterlot” explained Stalwart, leaving out a lot of details from his past.

“Canterlot!? Really!? Last time I was there I was with my friends and it was kinda a mess.”

“Yeah, I lived with my mother. My father was one of the guards for Princess Celestia herself.” Stalwart frowned at the thought of his father.

“Hey, what's with the sad frown all of a sudden?” asked Pinkie, lowering her gaze to where her new friend's eyes has wandered. The slightly depressed adventurer quickly snapped back into reality.

“Oh, nothing. Sorry about that!” apologized the slightly embarrassed brown eyed pony. “Um, I gotta go” claimed Stalwart, really just looking for an excuse to leave the forest which was slowly beginning to unnerve him.

“Aw. Okie dokie lokie, I guess I'll see ya around!” Pinkie Pie waved goodbye to her newly found friend as the brown maned pony turned around, retrieved his branch and trotted away with a smile and the thought that he had met somepony he was sure he could call 'Friend.'

Stalwart reached what could only be called 'The Light At The End Of The Tunnel'. In the near distance he could see the bright light of the peaceful land just outside the forest. He continued to trot toward the beam of warmth but felt a turning feeling in his stomach. “There's something about that pony” he thought to himself. “Her eyes, they were blue. And...they were beautiful” Stalwart felt himself truly getting lost in her eyes...

“Whoa Whoa Whoa!” yelled a voice of reason in Stalwart's head. “You Dont Even Know That Pony And Your Talking About Her Eyes!? Are You Mad!?” Stalwart shook his head to get the random thoughts out of his mind. Stalwart wanted to deny what was happening, and he tried. So he focused on the task at hand; getting those leaves to Barrier. And so the faithful assistant bolted to his temporary home in Ponyville, determined to complete the task at hoof.

“What's taking that colt so long?” asked an impatient blue unicorn to herself as she paced the room with her blue bangles, that never left her body, jingling as she walked. “Maybe something happened to him in the Everfree Forest! Oh, I never should have sent him out there alone! At least not with a wooden sword!” Barrier began to panic and worry about her friend. Although very skilled in sword combat, and roughly the same age as her, she still saw him as her little brother. But before doubt and fear overtook her mind, Stalwart came marching through the door, proudly wielding the branch of Sky Tree Leaves as he entered.

“Stalwart! Your finally back!” cheered Barrier at her reliable companion. “And I see you got the leaves.”

“Yup. Now can we just burn these bad boys and get this spell over with?” Stalwart grabbed a match off of a nearby counter and struck it, thus causing fire. He then dropped the Sky Tree Leaves on the floor and placed the match on top. Soon after, the plant was ablaze. Barrier placed a weak defensive spell around the fire to stop it from burning her wooden floor. After but a moment of raging fire, the flames began to dwindle, leaving behind nothing but a glowing pile of the needed Sacred Ashes.

“Finally! Now let's get this spell over with so we can move on to one that might actually benefit us! Maybe something related to my sword?” hinted Stalwart, already irritated by the trouble this spell had put him through.

“You know I always spend some spare time working on spells to help out with your blade training, I just wont let you see them yet. And besides, this spell will benefit us, just watch!” Barrier trotted over to where the ashes lay and began to focus her horn on the pile of magical essence. Magic began to flow between the unicorn and the Sacred Ashes. A light blue glow surrounded the spell caster's horn as the ashes began to float upwards. Stalwart watched in awe as the ashes began to float around the room and spin very rapidly.

Barrier struggled to maintain the spell, but managed to hold strong. Her bangles violently slapped her hooves as a strong wind began to stir the room. Stalwart's hat was blown off his head but stood with his body thanks to the string that binded it. The ashes continued to spin at lightning speed, still widening the circle it made until it reached the walls of the living room.

“Um, Barrier....” said Stalwart, starting to become nervous. The ashes swirled and swirled around the entire room. Magical aura filled the area in its yellow glow. The power filled the two ponies, making them feel the very flow of magic inside of them. But then... it stopped.

“Ya see!?” gloated Stalwart, feeling even more proud now as the magically drained ashes fell to the floor. “The spell didn't even work! Must've been a dunce.”

Barrier simply ignored the ignorant earth pony and trotted over to her copy of 'A Shield From Darkness'. She buried her face in the massive book, giving Stalwart her back and revealing her blue shield of a cutie mark. “Ah, this makes perfect sense!” Stalwart looked at his friend in confusion, not sure of what she had found out.

“So Bare, did it work or something?” asked Stalwart, scratching his head in thought.

“Yes, it did. The only reason it didn't seem to do anything is because it doesn't need to right now.” Stalwart was still completely lost.

“What do you mean? Aren't spells supposed to work right away?”

“It did” explained Barrier, collecting the ashes that now littered the room with a telekineticly used broom and dustpan . “You see, that spell infused us with its own magic. You did feel it, didn't you?” Stalwart looked down at his hooves with the thought. He did feel pretty magical, and that was unusual considering he was an earth pony.

“Yeah, I did. In fact, I still do” admitted Stalwart, blushing slightly.

“Exactly. The spell is actually still active, inside of us. Should the situation where a spell that would disrupt time or something like that occur, we would be completely immune to its effects and after effects. I think the same goes for the house” explained Barrier to her now enlightened friend as she placed the ashes in her carrying sack that bore the same shield as her flank.

“So as I said before, USELESS!” mocked Stalwart. Barrier thwacked her friend in the back of the head with the broom she was using to collect the magic spent ashes. “Ow! Geez, sorry!” Stalwart then walked away, looking very upset. But as Barrier tried to approach the seemingly depressed pony to comfort him, he turned around tackled the unprepared unicorn. They continued to wrestle playfully, knocking down books and pictures as they rolled around on the floor.

Suddenly, as if a scream from the Gods themselves, a loud explosion of magic thrashed itself throughout all of Ponyville. The wave of energy shook every house in town. But just as fast as it started, it was over. Barrier and Stalwart ran to the window to see what had unfolded outside, dropping their playful quarrel for another time. The once lively Ponyville, now seemed a deserted wasteland.

Houses were crumbling. The streets were empty. And night had somehow fallen despite it being high noon only moments ago. The two ponies walked outside of the house, leaving behind what they knew as a home. As they walked down the three steps onto Ponyville's earthy ground, Barrier turned back to take a look at her wooden abode. It remained untouched! The entire building stood as tall and proud as ever, from the stone steps to the hay roof.

“Whoa, what the hay happened to Ponyville?” asked a confused swordspony as he continued to look around the place he had come to know as home in the past few days.

“Stalwart, what do you make of this?” asked Barrier, pointing a hoof at her still intact house that easily stood out from the rest of the destroyed homes.

“I don't know, but something tells me I know somepony who would!” Stalwart announced.

“What? Who?”

“Well, I don't exactly know who she is but I know her name. Twilight.”

“Twilight?” asked Barrier. “As in Twilight Sparkle?”

“I think, why? Do you know her?”

“Not personally, no. But I know of her. I've read some stories on how she's Princess Celestia's faithful student and how she saved all of Equestria...TWICE! But anyways, how do you know her?”

“Well, this may sound hard to believe,” began Stalwart. “But I met this AMAZING pink earth pony named Pinkie Pie when I was in the Everfree and she was mentioning how smart this 'Twilight' chick was. Oh, and she had this weird box that she couldn't seem to open. I didn't ask her about it though 'cause it didn't seem like any of my business.”

“Hm, interesting. Well, I say we pay Twilight a visit! And maybe that 'box' could be of some help too!”

And so the brave and stranded duo left behind the safe haven of Barrier's home and traveled to Twilight's library, which was easily noticeable in the center of town.

After a short time of walking through the dead Ponyville, Stalwart and Barrier reached what hardly resembled Twilight's home. The once beautiful library that had been a marvelous eye catcher in Ponyville was now in ruins. The larger branches that had held balconies were completely snapped off or just barely hanging on. Barrier walked through the demolished front door as Stalwart brought up the rear with his weapon in his jaw. The library was completely torn apart. Books and rubble littered the entire lobby. The only thing that seemed untouched, was a small black box in the center of the room. The immediate area around it was also completely spotless.

“Hey Stalwart, is this the box you were talking about before?” asked Barrier.

“Yeah!” shouted Stalwart, dropping his sword as he spoke. “Pinkie Pie was struggling with that box earlier.”

“Oh my, I know what this is!” Barrier lifted the box with her magic. As the small cube left the floor, the area that was once untouched was then covered in the similar scum and aging that coated the rest of the house. “This box is a portal! I've read about them before. They are able to transport ponies to different time periods! Where in Equestria did they find this?”
“Well, Pinkie was trying to open it earlier when I met her in the Everfree” explained Stalwart.

“That explains a lot. You can't open this box. Only a unicorn or Alicorn with a high level of magic can enhance it with power and activate its abilities. Stalwart, do you know what this means!? Twilight and this 'Pinkie' character must have done something in the past to drastically change the present!”

“Then why was our house still okay?” asked Stalwart, not entirely sure of what was going on. Barrier thought for a moment, putting a hoof against her chin.

“The Seal Of Time!” she beamed, finally reaching a conclusion. “It kept us safe from anything that Twilight and Pinkie must have done in the past.”

“Heh, I guess that spell wasn't completely useless after all” said Stalwart, rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment.

“You got that right!” gloated Barrier. “But this is no time for celebrating. We need to talk to Princess Celestia about this right away!”

“Alright, but I think we need to gear up first” suggested Stalwart.

“Good idea.”

And so the two time keepers fled from the crumbling library and suited up with both supplies, and the mysterious box, as they set out on a journey to find the Ruler of The Sun and set right the horrors that the past had brought into their world.

Trials Of A Dark Lord

Timeless Harmony

Chapter 8: Trials of a Dark Lord
(O.C. P.O.V.)

Barrier's smile began to fade as she felt the warmth of the light slowly flicker away. She opened her eyes in time to, just barely, see the last strand of shadow reach her face as it claimed her. But before she had time to scream, it was gone. The thick darkness that was swallowing her was nowhere to be found as she scattered her sight across the room.

She was no longer in the pitch black darkness of the room she was in when she had been separated from Stalwart. She was in a different location, one with candles spread out across the wall to give it just enough light for her to see her entire surroundings. The walls were made of stone and looked ready to collapse at any second. The ceiling seemed to be in even worse shape as streams of pebbles continued to pour down from the crack it held.

“Welcome, Barrier, to your first challenge.” Barrier instantly began searching the ceiling for any signs of Nightmare, but none were found.

“Okay, Nightmare!” she called out to above. “I'm ready!” A menacing chuckle echoed through the stone enclosure.

“Very well, let your first trial begin: The Trial of Endurance!” As Nightmare boomed out the final word in the royal Canterlot voice, the ceiling above Barrier began to crumble. It began slowly, small pebbles and the occasional stone block falling. But then it began an all-out bombardment. The ceiling caved in entirely, causing a seemingly endless barrage of stone to fall atop the blue mare.

Barrier had to act fast. She immediately shrouded herself in the strongest shield of magic she could. The blue aura that came from the spell barely managed to work its way over her entire body before the first massive stone block landed directly on her head. Luckily, the spell held strong. The brick landed with a harsh thud as it shattered on impact with the unicorn.

Barrier smiled as she felt the sense of accomplishment sweep over her as countless more tons of debris collapsed on top of her. Eventually, the ceiling ran out of ammunition against the mare. Barrier felt a sense of relief as she began to release the spell that saved her life. But it was too soon for celebration. Just as the spell had released itself from the body of the mare, the walls began to shake violently.

“Did you think it was that easy?” asked Nightmare with a taunting voice. Barrier scowled as her horn began to glow with the same spell. She cloaked herself in a defensive veil as the walls around her gave in. The weight felt unbearable and incredibly more massive than that of the ceiling. Barrier began to sweat as she struggled to hold the spell. Cracks began to form in the shield around her, hinting at the imminent failure that was to come.

She was at her limits. There was no way she could hold for much longer. The cracks grew deeper in her spell as the stones continued to fall. Barrier fell to her knees, exhaustion now completely taking over. A massive crack spread across her back as the spell reached a point where it would collapse in on her. A single tear spread down her face for she knew her time was at an end.

“I’m sorry Stalwart” she sighed as the spell around her gave in. The shield was gone and she was wide open. Several tears rolled down her face as she waited for the final stone to come crashing down on her and finish her. But it never came.

Barrier opened her eyes to see that the avalanche of bricks was over. The ceiling above her was gone and the walls that caged her collapsed to their base, revealing corridors and hallways that chained throughout the castle. Barrier smiled as she stood to her hooves.

“Congratulations” congratulated Nightmare. “You passed The Trial of Endurance. You may proceed.” As the unseen voice finished her sentence, a bright blue circular field appeared in the near distance. It sat there, glowing on the floor, beckoning for Barrier to step in. She did. As Barrier took a step into the light, it took hold of her and teleported her away to her next trial.

Stalwart galloped through the shadow passageway, anger overtaking commonsense and rationality. Once his body was through, the shadowy path was gone and replaced with a stone wall. “Huh?” asked Stalwart as he looked back at the barricade.

“Welcome Stalwart, to your first trial” echoed the voice of Nightmare. Stalwart scowled at the sound of the mare's voice and looked around angrily for his target.

“Alright then!” he called out to above. “Bring it on!”

“Ah, ever so impatient and wanting of bloodshed. That's just like you earth ponies. Your trial will begin soon enough, but first thing's first.” Stalwart felt a warmth begin to grow at his side. He glanced over to his sheath where his sword rested and gasped at the sight of it glowing a bright shade of white.

“Consider it a gift of life” said Nightmare. Stalwart drew his sword expecting to see the same wooden sparring tool he's had for years, but instead drew a shining steel short-sword that glowed with the power of light. Stalwart gazed over his weapon, stunned by its shear beauty.

“Well then,” started Nightmare, bringing the awestruck earth pony back into reality. “Now that you seem as ready as you'll ever be, let the Trial of Endurance begin!” The candles that dimly lit the room began to flicker. Shadows started dancing across the floor, as if animated by some unknown force.

Stalwart's jaw tightened around his new blade, preparing for whatever this 'trial' would bring. He watched carefully as the shadows before him continued to twist in their menacing dance. But then, the movements didn't seem so random. They were all going somewhere!

Each strand of shadow moved its way toward the center of the room, moving in an endless dance. There, they solidified. They twisted and overlapped into a being of terror. There, before Stalwart, stood a creature of pure darkness. It's eyes were ablaze with pure fury. It's body was of nothing more than twisting shadows. The same shadowy creature that had chased him into is old home.

“Aright, brig it ohn!” taunted Stalwart, sword causing his words to sound like mumbles. But the creature seemed to have understood because it charged. It targeted Stalwart and galloped at top speed, jaw open revealing two rows of sharp shadowy fangs. Stalwart bent his knees, preparing for the collision. But it didn't happen. The shadow creature leaped into the air, ready to pin and finish the fighter. Luckily, Stalwart maneuvered to the side just out of reach. The creature landed and looked around at the area in front of 'him', searching for his prey.

But the tables turned. Stalwart raised his glowing sword and brought it down with massive force, cutting clean through his foe. However, unlike his previous encounter with these creatures, the blade was effective. The creature howled in pain as the effects of light from the weapon evaporated his body.

“Heh, that's it?” gloated Stalwart. “That was the mighty 'Trial of Endurance?”

“Of course you would assume that, you simpleton” echoed the voice of Nightmare. Stalwart growled at the ceiling but focused his attention back to the shadows that seemed to animate once again. However, this time, they weren't all heading towards the center. Instead, they formed separate piles, scattered throughout the room. Each pile solidified, forming more and more opponents.

Stalwart scanned them all, ten. Ten enemies. Not too bad. But more were coming. More shadows poured into the room through cracks in the floor and walls. Countless shadow creatures formed, each staring down their prey. Eyes raging with hellfire, they pounced.

Years of intense training and instinct kicked in within Stalwart as the small army of unknown monsters attacked. Stalwart swung his sword upward as it sliced clean through the first creature that pounced at him. The brave stallion continued charging forward, straight into a cluster of beats. His blade swung wildly, striking down foes at immense speed.

The strong fighter felt exhaustion begin to kick in as his swings grew slower and weaker. It was only a matter of time before he was surrounded. He stood in the center of the room, an endless stream of misshapen beasts circling him and moving in for the kill. Individuals pounced in the circle, wanting first blood. Stalwart disposed of them, growing more tired with each swing.

But the stragglers were weak. The horde was the threat. And now they were ready. The entire circle of beasts charged at the earth pony. Stalwart barely managed to fight off two of them before he was overwhelmed. Endless shadows piled atop of the small fighter. They clawed and bit. Stalwart felt suffocated under the shear mass of shadows. Stalwart's eyes closed, ready to let himself be taken by the darkness, but it didn't happen. The massive weight of the shadow creatures was gone. The air around him filled his lungs as he managed to breath in once more.

Stalwart slowly blinked open his eyes. The creatures were gone! Before him stood another doorway of shadows.

“Congratulations, you've passed The Trial of Endurance. You may proceed.” Nightmare's voice actually sounded rather welcoming as it echoed through the now empty chamber. Stalwart was confused as to how he had passed when he was being drowned in a sea of shadows but dismissed the thought as he grunted while working himself onto his hooves. With a slight limp, he walked over to the dark passage and allowed the shadows to claim him.

Barrier felt the warm light around her hooves begin to fade. She scanned her environment to realize she was in another stone room. However this one seemed far more stable and didn't seem to run the risk of collapsing. It was also noticeably larger than where her previous trial took place.

“Welcome, Barrier, to The Trial of Fear” announced Nightmare, still remaining unseen. “From the day you fled your home, you've always lived in regret.” Barrier felt her heart turn to stone and her skin go pale white. Is it possible Nightmare knew more of the two adventurers than just their names?

“Oh yes, I know much.” Nightmare seemingly read Barrier's mind to answer her thoughts. “I know of how your parents were brutally murdered. Oh, you were just a filly weren't you?” Barrier felt tears begin to form. These were memories that best lay forgotten, but Nightmare now played with them as if they were no more than some foal's toy.

“And what did you do? Nothing! You ran! You left your parents to die at the paws of a vicious pack of Diamond Dogs! And now-”

“Shut up!” screamed Barrier as she stomped her front hoof firmly on the ground. “Let's just get this stupid trial over with!” Tears were flowing from Barrier's face. But they were not of sadness, more of anger. She was infuriated on how Nightmare could simply toy with her like that.

“Ooh, there's the fire! Very well, let The Trial of Fear begin!” And then, the shadows came. Three long strands slithered across the floor from the shadow casted by the candles. Then, they twisted. They shaped. They formed themselves into three beings that caused Barrier's lip to tremble in fear. Before her, stood three diamond dogs.

She felt her heart stop. Her legs went stiff and her body froze. How could it be!? The beings she feared most on this world, the very monstrous creatures that took her parents away from her and ruined her life. Her entire life she prayed she that their existence would never even have been mentioned to her again, but now there they stood, in the flesh.

They were revolting, to say the least. Their chests were broad with massive muscle. Their faces were deformed, worse than that of what she had seen when she was a filly. It was as if the shadows had a hard time forming a face and simply decided to form a bloodied mess instead. The claws of the hounds were long and bloodstained. Barrier felt a thick lump in her throat.

Her opponents smirked a sick, menacing grin. They knew fear had her paralyzed. They moved upward. A single step. Barrier responded with a step backwards. This continued for few more paces before the largest and by far most mishapped released a blood curdling howl. His two pack members pounced. Barrier immediately fell to the floor in a feeble position, covering her head with her two front legs. She would rather die blindly than face the beasts before her.

But she wasn't stricken down. She poked out one eye to watch as the hounds landed beside her. They barked and howled by her face, tormenting her and causing her to live the very nightmares she dreamed. Barrier began crying, to much emotional trauma in her heart.

The large pack leader walked up to the blue mare, smiling sickly as he stood on his back two paws. “Oh, PoOr LiTtLe BaRe” he began to taunt. His voice was cracked and sounded unworldly. “So BiG aNd MiGhTy ArOuNd YoUr FrIeNdS, yEt ThReE lItTlE dOgGiEs ScArE tHe LiViNg CrAp OuT oF yOu.” Barrier tightened her front legs around her head, trying her best to drown out the hurtful words. But there was a sound she couldn't drown out, the sound of a sword being drawn.

The terrified mare looked up at her foe. The diamond dog in front of her drew a steel cutlass from a sheath by his side. Barrier gasped and felt heartfelt once more.

“oH, YoU rEcoGnIzE tHiS?” asked the creature as he looked over his weapon. “Is'Nt ThIs ThE sAmE kInD oF sWoRd ThAt KiLlEd YoUr PoOr LiTtLe MoMmY?” Barrier felt tears roll down her face again. She stared into the eyes of the beast above her, pain hitting her heart. She saw the diamond leader rub his throat, as if adjusting.

“Do you wanna know why I have this sword?” he asked, voice now sounding like that of a 'normal' Diamond Dog. The leader brought his face closer to Barrier's ear as his two pack members held her down. “Because I wanted to kill you with the same sword that killed your bitch of a mother.” Okay, too far.

Barrier screamed in rage and pain. A spell exploded from her horn with such force that all three dogs were sent flying against the walls of the room. One hound was killed on impact, neck breaking against the wall. The leader and one other, however, shook their heads as they removed the daze from the collision.

They growled at the unicorn in front of them. Barrier stood their, a small crater surrounding the area around her. Small bolts of electric magic flickered off her horn and entire body as she stood there, gasping from exhaustion and pure fury.

“Listen to me you freaks” she began, fear replaced with rage. She began to slowly walk forward, magical essence radiating from wherever she stepped. “My mother was the most wonderful mare in Equestria,” Barrier continued to trot slowly to her opponents, fear now showing in their eyes. “and for you to simply talk about her like that, is unacceptable.” Barrier's voice was calm yet menacing as she finished her sentence. She now stood a few feet from the two Diamond Dogs, a scowl spread across her face.

The Diamond Leader howled as he and his pack member pounced at the mare. Barrier let out a battle cry as she released the spell that crackled throughout her body. Thunder and lightning boomed throughout the room as she lashed out with every ounce of magic in her at the hounds. She was blinded by rage but could still hear the screams of the monsters she slew.

That was it. Barrier stood near the edge of the room, gasping for air and feeling completely exhausted. She was completely out of magic but had done what she had to, the dogs were dead. All three of them lay scattered throughout the room as either a bloody mess or charred ember. Barrier fell to her knees, absolutely no energy left in her.

“Congratulations, you've passed the Trial of Fear. You may proceed.” Another blue circle generated just in front of Barrier, but she lacked the energy to move. As she tried to get unto her hooves, she collapsed. But this is one strong mare. Barrier began crawling over to the light, front hooves dragging her body. After several painful seconds that felt like years, Barrier reached the blue aura and was sent away to her next trial.

As Stalwart passed through the wall of shadows, he began to realize that his limp was gone and the cuts and bruises that scarred him were healing themselves.

“Darkness, a remarkable thing isn't it?” asked Nightmare.

“What are you talking about?” barked Stalwart at the ceiling as he searched frantically around the massive room he was in.

“Oh nothing” chuckled the alicorn. “But it's a tremendous healer, and even greater power source.” Stalwart realized what the mare was getting at.

“There's no way you're getting me to rely on darkness!” yelled Stalwart, actually feeling insulted by the offer.

Oh, in due time my little street rat, in due time. But, for now, let the Trial of Fear begin!” Stalwart immediately pulled out his glowing short-sword, not yet sure of what a “Trial of Fear” would even result in.

The young swordspony braced his body as he felt the room begin to shake. It was slight at first, practically unnoticeable. But then it became violent. Streams of pebbles began to cascade down from the ceiling. Stalwart's head snapped upward immediately as a pebble landed atop his western hat. The area above him held a creature so horribly terrifying that it may have been born from the darkest recesses of the young fighter's mind.

Then it fell. It landed with a large thud and cloud of smoke. The being before him was utterly petrifying and revolting. Stalwart felt his body turn to stone at the pure fear of this creature.

It's eyes counted off into the billions. Its very presence was breath taking. A spider, thousands of times larger than average towered over the small stallion. Its jaw opened wide as it let loose a blood curdling scream that shook the very ground.

Stalwart immediately cried out in fear. It sounded more like a squeal from a young filly rather than a growing stallion. The sword that promised the colt protection dropped from his mouth as Stalwart turned away from the beast and bolted off at top speed. But the spider gave chase. Stalwart galloped as fast as his body would let him, flailing around randomly and scream out in fear. But his predator was close. If Stalwart were to slow down for a split second, he would be caught in the monster's mighty jaw and killed instantly.

Although fear was the dominate emotion in the fleeing pony's mind, somewhere in the back of his mind, Stalwart had noticed something about the nightmare that hunted him. Whenever Stalwart made a sharp right turn, the large spider had a hard time doing the same so it almost always bumped into a wall. Despite the pure fear clawing at his heart, Stalwart felt a smile work its way across his face.

Stalwart kept running, but now with a goal in mind. The strategical stallion noticed a wall of the room getting closer to him as he galloped towards it. But instead of making the turn and continuing the wild hunt, Stalwart reached the wall and turned around. The spider took this as a sign of a free meal and began to charge even faster, jaw wide open as it howled.

As the beast reached a point where it was just a few yards away, Stalwart laid onto his belly with his back two hooves against the wall. Just before the creature was upon him, Stalwart kicked off of the wall with all of his might, calling upon the intense strength of an earth pony to send his body sliding across the ground and straight in between the spiders many legs.

The monster's charge was not halted as it continued forward, possibly unable to even stop itself. The beast collided head on with the massive stone wall in front of it, causing it to lose its thought and giving it some serious dizziness. Stalwart seized the initiative and went for his sword. Once in jaw, Stalwart galloped up to the spider, fear replaced with a sense of pride and an 'I Can Do This' attitude. The charging stallion let out a fierce battle cry as he leaped onto the now kneeling spiders back and worked his way to its head.

The monster thrashed out wildly, trying to do anything it could to toss the tick from his back. But Stalwart held strong as he worked his way from the creature's hairy back to the head. “AAAHHH!” he screamed as the sword in his mouth plunged straight into a collection of the creature's eyes.

Stalwart was immediately thrown off of the beast as it leaned back and howled out in pain. The sword in its eyes began to glow a harsh white. Stalwart sheiled his eyes from the intense rays with a hoof. But then he felt something strong; the impact of tons of spider brains. Stalwart lowered his hoof to find that he was covered in blood and a strange black good. The spider's head had exploded! However the same goes for the beloved sword.

“Congratulations, you passed the trial of fear. You may proceed.” The large corpse of the defeated spider began to dissolve, apparently being enveloped in shadows. When the black strands had finished their work, another dark passageway appeared where the beasts corpse had lain. Stalwart looked around nervously and then back down at the passage on the floor.

Stalwart let a little smile crawl across his face. “Well, you only live once” he said as he leaped down into a pit of darkness, prepared to take on his last, and most challenging trial yet.