Chapters It had been nearly twenty years since she'd died, no, not died, since she'd been murdered, but he could finally set everything right again. He'd stolen the key to the Door of Temporas from Twilight's study while she slept. She'd gone into great detail about the legends of how it had been used after finding it buried deep in a corner of Starswirl's wing in Canterlot's Great Library.
After taking the key, he had spent the night making the long climb up mount Kairos. The large stone door was finally in front of him. Some magic held back the ice and snow allowing every intricately carved detail to stand out in the light of the rising sun. On it were deeply carved swirls, galactic clusters, scenes of everyday pony life, dragons, minotaurs, and so much more. If he stared long enough he felt that a few of the figures shifted and moved every so often, but he knew he didn't have time to be amazed.
He had grown over the years as most do. He stood a little over six feet tall, his legs rippled with muscles, and his arms bulged with strength. He was a far cry from the soft, round, boy he'd been when she was ripped out of the world. He wondered if she'd recognize him.
He moved slowly towards the door, shaking with thoughts about what he was going to do, and pulled from his vest pocket a large, dull, silver key.
"Stop right there," Twilight called out as she landed a few feet from him, "No one is allowed to open that door. You know that, Spike."
"You don't understand," Spike shouted above the wind howling over the mountain peak, "she was never supposed to die! I let her die! And she was never supposed to-"
"I know you blame yourself, Spike, but-"
"No! You don't understand! Someone killed her. Somepony went back in time and killed her! He works in your office! He works for you!" He shouted back with all the rage and loss that he'd felt all these years.
"I don't- Spike, maybe you just saw someone that looks like him. He'd be a lot older now-" she tried to explain, to keep him talking. If she could keep him talking, then she could resolve this without anyone getting hurt, she hoped.
"That's just it, he hasn't aged. Hasn't changed at all! Don't you see? He killed her. He killed her and now everything is wrong. None of it is supposed to be like this. She's supposed to be alive." he said with the desperation rising in his voice to a near panic.
"Spike, let's talk about this. Think it through, it doesn't make sense. Why would he work for me? If he's changed the past, wouldn't he stay away from the Temporal Control Agency?"
"Maybe he hasn't gone back yet. Maybe he doesn't go back now, because he already did and changed everything. I don't know. Talking about time travel gives me a headache. All I know is that it's him. He did it and I'm going back to fix it!"
"Listen, Spike.... I can't let you go back. I have to stop you," the violet Alicorn said flatly.
"But I can save her!"
"I know you can, that's why I can't let you go through that door," she said as she pointed her glowing horn towards him, "now step away from it."
"Don't you want to save her?" Spike asked, his voice cracking with disappointment. He'd hoped she might help him when she realized what he was up to, but she'd grown cold over the years. She did her job with intensity and accuracy, but never with heart anymore.
"Of course I do, but I have to think about more than just what I want. If you go back in time and save her, then everything will be changed. Ponies that are alive right now might never be born. I can't let that happen," years ago she would have delivered that speech with passion, but now it sounded like so much practiced rhetoric.
"It's not supposed to be this way. I'm just going back to set things right," he said as he inched towards the door, but flinched back as a burst of magical energy from Twilight's horn blasted the rocks near his head.
"It doesn't matter if someone has changed the past or not. This is the present now. This is the way things are and it's my job, my duty, to keep things stable. It's my job to make sure no one goes back."
He looked at his friend, the closest thing to family he'd ever had, and let out a deep sigh. His massive shoulders slumped downward and his hands went slack at his sides. He seemed to keep only the slightest grip on the key.
"Okay, I understand," he said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Spike. I know you're still hurting, I should have paid more attention, but we'll get you help now. The important thing is that-" but her words were cut off as a cascade of green fire spread over her and she vanished from the mountain.
"Have fun in the Crystal Empire," Spike said as he turned and pushed the dull looking silver key into the keyhole of the great stone Door of Temporas.
Twilight had said that the door would be directed by the thoughts and emotions of the one entering it, that the traveler would go to where he or she felt. She'd said that she thought that kind of control system would be very temperamental, and pointed out a few stories in which ponies had gone to completely different points in time than they had intended. However, this was his only chance to save Rarity, so he concentrated on the day that he and Rarity had spent together a week before she'd been killed. Tried to feel the warm sun on his scales and the grass under his feet as he'd set up the picnic for her. Held in his mind the brightness of the gem he'd given her. The smile on her face and the kiss that had felt so hot on his cheek and then cooled to shivering sweetness a moment after. With every detail he could summon in his mind he stepped through the doorway into the blinding white light within.
As he spun through a vortex of endlessly shifting hues, Spike tried desperately to keep his mind on the day of the picnic. A week before her death. He wanted to make sure there was time before... before... but trying not to think of something always pushes it forward.
~~~~~~~
"Oh, Spikey-wikey, thank you ever so much for helping me deliver these things today," Rarity cooed.
"You don't need to thank me, Rarity, I like helping you out," he said as he walked behind her carrying the last of the boxes they needed to deliver.
"Oh, no no no! Spikey, sweety, never turn down a thank you from a lady," she said.
"Okay. You're welcome," he said and blushed deeply, pulling the boxes up to cover his cheeks.
"There now, that's much better," she said and flashed a smile back to him, "but don't worry, I've got a very special treat for you back at the shop and we've only this last delivery to Zecora."
Spike smiled and watched the sway of Rarity's tail as she trotted ahead of him and let himself drift away in daydreams inspired by the way the wind would catch her mane from time to time. Everything about her was refined, clear, polished. Rarity was a living gem and she shined brighter than any he'd ever seen before.
Suddenly a pale blue unicorn burst out from the trees at the side of the trail and looked around in a wild panic before his mad eyes settled on Rarity and he grinned. The kind of grin a predator gives its prey.
"I've been looking all over for you," he said in breathy voice that oozed danger and delusion.
Rarity had stopped on the trail and was puzzling over how exactly to address the ruffian. Spike in the mean time slowly moved to put himself between the mad pony and Rarity.
"I don't know that I've met you before," Rarity said evenly, "and though I'd love to get to know you, we must be on our way. I trust you know where my boutique is located. Please do stop in sometime."
The pale blue unicorn let out a chuckle that felt more like a growl and said, "You're not going anywhere. I've got-"
"We're leaving," Spike said sternly.
"What was that? Oh, it's a pipsqueak. Pipsqueaks should stay out of grown up conversations," the unicorn said as he suddenly levitated Spike and threw him into a nearby tree.
Spike felt one of his ribs shatter and his left arm burned with pain and refused to move, but he slowly stood back up, trying to clear the clouds and shadows from his mind. The pale blue unicorn had moved closer to Rarity and placed himself between her and Spike. His ears were still ringing, but he strained to hear what he was saying as he stumbled towards them.
"The empire must live... you... die..."
"Leave her alone!" Spike shouted as he got close enough to take another swing and his claws dug deep into the unicorn's leg.
"Argh! You nasty, scaly- I should kill you! But never mind," the unicorn said as he looked back at Rarity, "you're too late anyway. The poison is already inside her. She'll be dead in the next few minutes. Stay here with her, you pathetic little nothing. Stay here and weep for her."
With that the unicorn rushed back into the woods, crashing through branches and undergrowth. Spike took a couple of steps to follow him, but a pitiful moan from Rarity brought him back to her side. The blood was draining from her cheeks and even her fur seemed to be losing color. Beads of sweat erupted across her body and she felt as cold the deepest winter snow. Her breath was thin and seemed to rattle as if her lungs were growing brittle.
"Spikey?" she murmured.
"Don't worry, I'll think of something. What do I do? What do-- I know. Celestia!" he said and then quickly blew green flames around them both, the same he used to teleport letters, hoping that the magic would carry them to the palace in time.
It had not.
Every guard in the palace, every able bodied pony in Ponyville. Every one. Everyone searched the woods for a week. Spike kept searching for another year, but there was never another sign of that pale blue unicorn.
~~~~~~~
"I won't let you down again, Rarity," Spike said as he continued his journey through the prismatic vortex, "I promise."
"Wait, I've let my mind wander. Need to... need.. need to concentrate... stay on the same thought or I might not..."
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light seemed to pierce his entire body, burning right down into the marrow of his bones, into his mind, and to the very pith of this thoughts. Then there was only the cool dark, empty and alone.
Spike slowly pulled himself to his feet while fighting off the swirling clouds of myriad colors that danced in his head and the pain the shot through every bone in his body. His head felt like he'd run into a wall at full speed, a feeling he was familiar with thanks to more than a few clumsy moments in his adolescence.
"Ugh. What day is it? It's warm so it's Spring or Summer. And where am I?" he said to himself as he looked around and tried to get his bearings. His eyes were drawn to a sparkling blue lake a few yards away
"That looks like the lake north of Ponyville. Okay, I'm in the right place, but the time, when is it?"
Spike took off towards Ponyville as fast as he could run. He'd be able to figure out his next steps as soon as he knew how much time he had. He stopped just outside of town and crouched low in the bushes. In the excitement he'd forgotten that the only dragon these ponies weren't afraid of was him, well young him anyway, and that a dragon knight might make them scatter in terror. He'd seen them do it to Zecora and the Luna before they got to know them.
"What are you going to do, Spike?" he asked himself as he shook his head and then a clothes line caught his attention. A large burgundy blanket billowed in the wind as if beckoning him. He looked to make sure nopony was watching and then crept up to the line and quickly grabbed the blanket, wrapped it around himself, and wore it as a cloak, covering his body from head to clawed toes.
"Well, it's not a perfect disguise, but it should keep everypony from running in terror for now," he said to himself as he walked into Ponyville and made his way towards the local news stand. He was sure to stoop over the entire way in order to give the impression that he was closer to the height of the ponies around him, a few looked his way, but most went about their business without giving him a thought.
"Are these today's papers?" he asked the pony running the news stand as he picked one up while trying not to let the cloak slip off of his front claws.
"Hm? Yes of course it is?" the pony answered gruffly.
"No," Spike said quietly.
"What? Yes, those are today's-"
"No!" Spike roared, "It's the wrong day!"
"I'm telling you-" the pony started to say, but was stopped mid sentence.
Spike stood to his full height and let the blanket drop to the ground as he looked up at the sun, "No, no, no... It's almost noon! I can't be too late! Not after- NO!"
The news stand pony backed up to the wall of his tiny hut, gazed up at the purple dragon standing in front of him, and screamed as Spike roared in rage.
The mares and colts in the square all came to a complete and silent stop for a moment before pandemonium and panic took over. Ponies were running away from Spike, into each other, through fruit stands, and falling to pieces from the surprise of a dragon suddenly appearing in the middle of the town square. However, even in the midst of the chaos that gripped the square, a few of the larger stallions and tougher mares gathered around him in a circle.
"Now, you just calm down there, Big Fella," one large red stallion said, "I don't reckon you meant any harm, but shoutin' like that has everypony right riled."
Spike stared at the red pony and shook his head, "I don't have time for this."
The dragon crouched low and then sprang into the air, flipping as he cleared the heads of even the tallest stallions by several feet, and landed well outside the circle that had gathered around him. Without a glance back he bolted towards the woods.
"I will not be too late," he called out as he sped into the forest.
He crashed through the underbrush, broke branches that seemed to reach out in front of him, and tore through brambles. He had to be getting close, he thought, the trail to Zecora's was never this long, and he was shorter the last time he walked it, and he was taking the straightest path. He stopped for a moment and looked around, hoping he wasn't lost. Then, at the very edge of his hearing, voices pressed into his ears.
"...and though I'd love to get to know you, we must be on our way. I trust you know where my boutique is located. Please do stop in sometime," Rarity's voice said clearly.
Spike charged towards that voice with every bit of strength he had, racing against events that were already in his past.
"You're not going anywhere. I've got-" the pale blue murderer's voice said.
"We're leaving," the younger version of Spike said sternly, or at least the young dragon seemed to think it was stern. Had he ever been that naive and had his voice ever quivered so timidly?
"What was that? Oh, it's a pipsqueak. Pipsqueaks should stay out of grown up conversations," the unicorn said and then the sound of a small body hitting a tree and bones breaking filled the forest.
"The empire must live... you... die..."
"Leave her alone!" younger Spike shouted as he began to charge towards the pale blue unicorn, but stopped short as he saw a large purple dragon burst from the trees and slam into the blue unicorn with a force that sent the pony crashing into the trees several feet away.
The large dragon started walking towards the blue unicorn, growling low and gutturally, as flames slipped out from between his gritted teeth, but the unicorn was already standing again.
"You're too late, whoever you are," the blue unicorn said as his horn let out a bright yellow flash and he vanished into the forest, crashing through the trees at a breakneck pace.
The older dragon took a couple of steps towards the forest, his rage carrying his feet, but then looked back at Rarity. She'd collapsed and he knew he didn't have time to chase phantoms until after he'd helped her. He knelt down next to her and pulled a small syringe from his vest pocket.
"What is that? Who are you? What are you doing to her?" younger Spike asked as he tried to put himself between the older dragon and Rarity.
"I'm helping her. She's been poisoned. This is an antidote. Now get out of the way," the older dragon growled as he pushed his younger self aside.
He pulled the covering off of the needle, pushed out a little bit of the green fluid inside to make sure there were no air bubbles and then pierced the artery in her neck plunging the antidote into her blood.
"Come on. Let it work. I've had twenty years to figure out what kind of potion purges poisons of all types. This has to work," he mumbled as he leaned in close and placed two fingers under her jaw.
"No," he said, "get back squirt!"
"What's wrong?"
"Her heart has already stopped. Now, get back. I'm going to do something dangerous."
The younger Spike stood still in shock for a moment before the larger dragon pushed him away roughly.
The older dragon pulled out a small blue stone and then said, "Lasu fulmo krevi."
Small bolts of lightning arced between the purple dragon's claws as he brought them close to Rarity's chest. He body jerked as the electricity coursed through her heart, but there was still no heartbeat. Again he said the words and again she jerked violently, but her heart did not stir.
"Worthless!" the large dragon shouted as he threw the stone into the forest and then leaned in close to Rarity's body, "Come on love, breath, breath with me!"
He placed his massive mouth over her snout and breathed into her lungs, praying that this last gamble would pay off.
As he pulled back and closed his eyes, desperate and lost in his failure, a spasm of coughs brought him back to the world.
"Spike? Spikey, are you okay?" she mumbled before she passed into unconsciousness. The large dragon pressed the tips of his claws under her jaw again. Her pulse was slow, but strong.
"You did it. You saved her," the young dragon said quietly.
"Yes, we did, but she's not really safe yet. Come close," the large dragon said as he pulled the young dragon close to himself and Rarity.
The large dragon leaned his head back and let out a torrent of green flames that crashed back to the earth around them like a fountain of light and when it cleared they were in the throne room of Canterlot.
"What is the meaning of this?" Celestia called out from her throne as she took in the scene of Spike, some large purple dragon, and an unconscious Rarity in the middle of her throne room.
"She's been attacked. Poisoned. I've administered an antidote, but she needs a doctor. Now!" the large purple dragon said forcefully.
Celestia's eyes narrowed for a moment as she considered his words, "Guards, take Rarity to the royal physician. Spike, please accompany them."
As the guards lifted Rarity with magic and carried her away with young Spike close in tow, the large dragon started to follow them as well.
"No, you will stay here for a moment," Celestia said to him sternly.
He watched them leave and then turned to face her, "Your Majesty? You want something from me?"
"I find it odd that were coincidentally nearby, that you had the antidote for poison, and most of all that you were able to teleport into my throne room so easily. There are spells in place to keep most teleportation spells trying to reach my castle from working."
"Ah. Then I guess we're all very lucky today. Shouldn't you be thankful that I saved one or your subjects?" he said as he crossed his arms and looked at one of the stain glass windows instead of into her keen eyes.
"Yes, of course. Thank you... what was your name?"
"You can call me Kairos," he said, "but we don't have time for this. The murderer is still out there. If we organize a search party now we might be able to find him! He's a pale blue unicorn. He should still be in the forest someplace near Zecora's place!"
Celestia peered sharply at him for a moment and then called for a guard.
"Put together a search party and head towards Ponyville immediately. Once there, gather every able bodied pony. Kairos will be joining you as he has already seen the culprit. I will leave now and meet you there."
"Yes, Majesty," the guard said and quickly left.
"You're going to let Twilight know what's happened," the large dragon said quietly.
"You know Twilight?" Celestia asked.
"She doesn't know me," he said as he turned and followed the guard.
A migraine that hurt worse than the one she'd had after ten nights of cramming for the final exam in magic school was accompanied by cloudy shapes that seemed to dance with each throbbing pulse of blood through her muddled head. Despite this, Twilight slowly gathered her wits and forced herself to focus on the world that seemed to swirl around her.
"Time travel," Twilight muttered to herself, "is always a pain."
After her migraine had subsided to a dull throb, she took note of her surroundings. She recognized the scent of Sweet Apple Acres orchard in the distance and could just barely make out the top of the barn over the hills. She decided to keep to the less frequented paths on her way to Ponyville, just in case.
"You three head east and spread out. We don't have enough ponies to cover every square inch, but I want as much of the area checked as possible," Twilight heard a voice that she couldn't quite place giving orders.
"Yes, Princess Twilight," the deep voices of several guards replied.
"Oh no," Twilight thought to herself, "That's me! The past me. I've need hide!"
She looked around, spotted a small cave, and quickly ducked inside. Beads of sweat ran down her brow as hoofsteps approached.
"Once you've searched your section, report back to me. I'll be flying between the designated meeting points to keep track of the search."
Twilight peered out from the cave and looked at her past self. She hadn't aged in the last twenty years, though she'd changed her main a bit, a little magic could easily set her locks to the old mane style.
"Do you think that dragon knight can be trusted?" one of the guards asked.
"Spike trusts him and he saved Rarity - and that's all I need."
"Yes, Princess."
Twilight heard the hoofsteps and conversation grow quieter as they went into the distance and waited a few minutes longer to be sure that the coast was clear.
"He really did it. He saved her. But it sounds like they don't know that he's from the future or that he's Spike. How am I going to fix this?" she asked herself as she continued towards Ponyville. She figured the first step was to gather information and since her past self was out looking for the pale blue unicorn, the town would be safe enough for her to walk around.
She cast a spell to set her mane to the old style as she approached the edge of town and took a deep mind clearing breath before moving forward again. Ponyville and the land around it hadn't changed a lot over the years. The same small houses, the same dirt roads, the same families running businesses that they'd run for generations. It had an order to it, an order that mucking about with time travel could decimate.
She stopped for a moment just outside of the Cake's shop, Sugarcube Corner, and let old memories of wash over her. The stucco made to look like thick white frosting, the shingles crafted to look like giant cookies, and even the massive cupcake with three candles at the top hadn't changed over all the years. She'd been buried in so many responsibilities that it had been three or four years since she'd last visited the Cakes and most of the work was handled by Pound and Pumpkin in her time.
"Princess Twilight, I thought you were searching for the unicorn that attacked Rarity," Mrs. Cake's voice pulled Twilight out of her reverie.
"Mrs. Cake... I, um, yes of course. I was just going to check up on her before heading back out," she lied.
"Oh, but, why are you in Ponyville? She's still in Canterlot, at the castle, isn't she? I heard that she wasn't ready to be moved," Mrs. cake said as she furrowed her brow.
"Yes, I, Uh..." she tried desperately to come up with a lie to cover for her confusion, but lying had never been one of her strong points.
"Oh, you poor dear," Mrs. Cake said an sighed, "You must feel just terrible. The stress must be getting to you. Would you like to come into the shop for a cup of tea?"
"Thank you. You're right. It's the stress. I'd come in for tea, but I should really get back to looking for Rarity's attacker."
"Of course, dear, but keep in mind that Rarity wouldn't want you to get hurt," Mrs. Cake said and smiled while tilting her head a little to the left.
"I'll keep that in mind," Twilight said and then spread her wings and took off into the sky.
As she flew close to the ground to avoid being seen by too many ponies she spoke to herself.
"She's in the castle. That means guards and more importantly it means that I might have to deal with both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. But what am I really going to do? Rarity died... it's the past. The way the past has to be to keep the future, my present, the way it's supposed to be. I don't think I have any other choice..."
An hour of flying over small houses, fields, trees, and rivers brought Twilight to the edge of Canterlot. The city streets were packed, but far less than they would have been in her time. More ponies had moved into the city itself as magical farming machinery started to increase the yield of the farms, making it far less important for there to be as much farm land in Equestria, and giving more of the citizens time to pursue more artistic and intellectual pursuits.
She landed lightly just inside the parapet of the balcony on the east tower. She figured that Rarity would be fairly close, since this was the tower where the royal physician's office was located. If Rarity was too injured to be moved to Ponyville, as Mrs. Cake had said, then it was entirely likely that she'd be kept close to the physician.
"Princess Twilight, you've returned," a guard said as she stepped into the tower, "have you captured the villain that attacked Rarity?"
"No, there's no sign of him so far," she said, "I've simply come to check on my friend. Could you take me to her?"
"Yes, Princess, of course. Right this way," he said and started walking down a long hall in front of her.
"She's inside, but I believe she's still sleeping. Would you like me to summon the physician and have him wake her?" he asked when they reached a large, ornately carved, wooden door.
"No. No thank you. I just want to look in on her. There's no need for her to wake up," Twilight said and swallowed at a lump in her throat. She slipped past the guard and into the room, closed the door behind her, and hoped he hadn't noticed the tears in her eyes. When she was inside sh cast a spell on the door to keep it locked and to reinforce the wood, just in case the guards caught on before she was done.
Twilight approached the bed slowly, each hoofstep seemed to echo through the room no matter how lightly she tried to walk. Rarity breathed slowly in and out in a peaceful rhythm. Twilight felt tiny pulses, like magic bolts, racing through her muscles.
"It's been a long time," she whispered to Rarity, "a very long time. I'm sorry it has to be like this. When I lost you the first time... if Spike hadn't been so... if he hadn't needed me to be strong... I would have fallen apart. I have to do this or else, or else everything that exists could fall apart. I'm sorry."
Twilight's horn began to glow with a vicious red and black energy as tears rolled down her cheeks. Just as the energy began to leave her horn a large purple arm wreathed in fading green fire wrapped around her and through her back to the wall.
"Stay way from her, Twilight Sparkle," Spike shouted as he stood to his full hight between Twilight and Rarity.
"How did you know?" she asked.
"When I went back into Ponyville to gather more ponies for the search, Mrs. Cake said she'd spoken to you, but I'd been with you, the other you, the whole time."
"So you knew where I'd have to go."
"Yeah, I know what you think you have to do, but you don't, Twilight, you don't have to do this," he said as he looked her in the eyes and then gritted his teeth.
"No. I do. It's my responsibility to make sure the timeline stays in tact. I have to make sure that all those ponies. All the ones that have lived their lives with the past as it is are protected. I have to protect the world. I don't have a choice!" she shouted back as the black and red energy coalesced around her horn again, "Now move, or... or I'll have to make you move."
"Twi, you don't have to do this, you have a choice-"
"I said MOVE!" she shouted as a beam of energy leaped out from her horn and crashed into Spike, diving him several feet back before he fell to one knee.
He clutched at the burns on his scales for a moment and then slowly rose to his feet again.
"No, Twilight, I won't move. You have to choose. The future or Rarity - the world or your friend."
"It's not a choice," she said and let loose another beam of energy.
Spike stumbled for a moment, but then drew himself back up and took a step forward, then another, and another, always slowly forward. The beam of black and red energy spilled off the scales on his chest in all directions, breaking furniture and burning the wall around them, but still he inched forward.
"Spike! Stop! Stop! You have to get out of the way or-"
His large claw reached up to her horn, took hold of it, and the dark energy flowed down his arm, sparking along the entirety of his body. His muscles twitched, tears flowed from his eyes, and blood began to fall from his nose.
"Your friend or the world," he said as he fell to his knees but still held onto her horn.
"I," Twilight let the dark energy fade, "I... I choose my friends. I choose my friends," she said as she fell to her knees next to Spike and nuzzled in close to him.
"Twilight? And, Kairos, was it? I thought I heard you talking to Spike... What's going on?" Rarity asked as she sat up on the bed.
"It's nothing," Spike said, "We were just checking on you?"
"What happened to the room?" Rarity asked as she looked around and then laid back against the pillows again.
"We, uh, there was an incident, but it's over now. Get some rest and we'll send someone in to clean this up," Twilight said and smiled at her once lost friend.
