Legacy of Chrono Book 1: Wrath of Obscura

Chapters

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five

Part One

Chrono was busy fixing the clock tower, or re-enabling the chime to be precise. Having telekinetic abilities was, to him, better than being a unicorn and having to worry about a horn.

“Just a little more… and… got it,” he said as he was easing a gear back into place. Chrono loved time, so much so that he decided to live in the clock tower as the caretaker.

“Now that that’s done…” he began to concentrate and bring time back to its normal speed.

Chrono’s mark was a clock face; however, his mark changed every day, the hands moving to a different time. His coat was the color of treated wood, a rich tan. His mane was gray in color, one of the few drawbacks to being devoted to time. His eyes were what Chrono was shunned for. They were a mystic green with tiny, almost unnoticeable arcs of energy reaching out. The strangest part, however, was the fact that he had no pupils.

“3… 2… 1,” he whispered to himself, pressing his fore hooves to his ears. Suddenly the whole tower was filled with a cacophony as the bells chimed out the hour. It was the only drawback.

When the noise subsided, he left the tower to meet his friends. He put on his cloak and hood and stepped outside.
As always, no one was there to greet him, even though everypony in Ponyville knew he was awake. Sighing deeply he went out to find his friends.

Twilight Sparkle was reading, her favorite pastime, when she heard the knock on the door.

“Come in,” she said wondering who it could be. She was mildly surprised to see Chrono standing in the doorway. “Chrono!” she exclaimed, “You’re here early.”

“I’m always early, I’m just earlier this time.” Chrono’s voice sounded both aged and young at the same time, giving him the impression of possessing sage-like wisdom.

“You ready for this afternoon?” Twilight asked.

“Sure am. I just need to find RD, F-Shy, Squared, Rai-Rai, and AJ.” Chrono said, using his nicknames for his friends.

“Ok, see you at 1:00,”

“Understood, see ya.”

Chrono stood before Rainbow Dash’s floating house. “How is a non-pegasus supposed to get up there?” he thought to himself. Suddenly he had an idea. Using his telekinesis, he lifted himself up to the cloud. Floating up to the door, he knocked on the oak door, which looked out of place on a cloud mansion.

“Coming,” said the blue pegasus. She flew over to the door. Opening the door, she was shocked to see who it was. “How did you get up here?” she asked.

“Telekinesis,” Chrono said matter-of-factly. “You ready for this afternoon?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be!”

“Great! See you at 1:00,”

“Now, this medicine will help with that cut,” said Fluttershy as she was tending to a young sparrow that had fallen in a bramble. She loved doing things like this; treating injured gophers or nursing ill rabbits back to full health. She was in her element.

Chrono noticed this and began humming a tune as he approached his timid and high strung friend. He did this to announce his presence well before he was within her proximity.

The quiet, reserved Pegasus heard her friend’s humming. “Thank you for your consideration,” she said. She turned around and her face lit up immediately.

“Chrono! What a pleasant surprise.” said Fluttershy.

“Hi Flutter, say, what’s going on?”

Oh, just helping this poor sparrow out. She fell and cut her wing in a bramble bush.”

“Oh, the poor thing; is there someway I can help?”

“Not really, I’m almost done her. You can go wait at my cottage if you’d like. I just have to go check up on a chipmunk that broke his tail last week.”

Chrono was once again amazed how he could get this usually laconic pony to truly open up. “Ok, I’ll wait for you there.”

“It’ll be about half an hour before I return.”

“That’s fine with me.”

When Fluttershy returned, Chrono was fiddling with one of his devices. When he saw her, he quickly put it away.

“What did you want to tell me?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh… uh… I-I just wanted to ask you if you were ready for this afternoon.” Chrono said, completely abandoning what he was originally going to say about his feelings for her.

“Oh, I had completely forgotten about that!” She exclaimed, “Thank you for reminding me.”

“No problem. I already asked TS and RD, so I’m going to go find Squared, Rai-Rai, and AJ.”

“Ok, see you at 1:00.”

Rarity was in a state of pure inspiration. She was working on an outfit for one of her clients when Chrono walked in as to not disturb her work. However, he could not stop the bell from ringing as he opened the door. The sound wrenched the elegant unicorn from her state.

“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed as she spun around to see who had disrupted her work flow, “Chrono you startled me.”

“Sorry if I’m interrupting you,” Chrono apologized, “to make up for it, do you mind if I help you?”

“I would certainly appreciate the help, thank you. You can start by organizing the fabric on that shelf,” she said, indicating quite a disorderly shelf, “You can talk while you work.”

As Chrono was organizing the fabric, Rarity was the one who started the conversation.

“So Chrono, what did you want to talk about?”

“Well, I wanted to ask you if you still remembered what we were going to do this afternoon.”

“I see. No, no, sort them so all the colors are together, and then sort by fabric type. Well I did remember, but then I received this order and I don’t know how long it will take me to complete.”

“I’m done with the fabric. Who is the order for?”

“You are? Good the order is for Sapphire Shores.”

“Sapphire Shores? Screw that bitch,” said Chrono, using other worldly language he was well known for,” But Ill help you anyway.”

“You will?”

“Of course, but after I talk to AJ and Squared, speaking of which, have you seen Pinkie?”

“Not today,” Said Rarity, “Also you broke personal promise for today.”

“I Know. I have to keep that under control.”

Pinkie Pie wasn’t at her usual places, so Chrono decided to talk to Applejack and see if she had seen Pinkie.

“Yeah, I’ve seen her. She was here not too long ago.” Said Applejack

“Really? You know where she could have gone?” asked Chrono.

“Last I’ve seen her was the barn.” Applejack suggested, “Why don’t you go check there?”

“Ok, thanks, say are you ready for this afternoon?”

“Of course, I’m completely prepared,”

“Great, see you at 1:00”

“That demi-psychopath is most likely trolling me,” Chrono said as he walked into the barn, “Dang, that’s twice now.”

Chrono had the lights off, so as to not announce his presence if, indeed, Pinkie was there. As he was walking, he felt a presence and immediately did the other thing he was shunned for; he called upon his ethereal whips. Instantly, two ghost-like whips appeared before Chrono as his mark changed to a pair of whips that traversed his hind quarters as his body switched from his peaceful mode to battle mode.

“Who’s there?” Chrono said his voice had changed to that of a seasoned veteran of combat, “I demand you to show yourself!”

Suddenly the lights came on and Chrono instinctively covered every vulnerable part of his body with his whips. As his eyes grew accustomed to the sudden light, he saw a figure approaching him. The more his eyes became used to the light, the more the figure looked like…

“Pinkie! What the hay was that for?!”

“Gottcha again!” Pinkie Pie giggled, “That’s 15 for 35 now.”

“Pinkie, you know I don’t like doing that without good reason,” Chrono said a as he reverted back to peaceful mode and dispelled his whips, “I could have killed you.”

“But I think it’s fun when you do it.”

“You are one crazy nutbar. You know that?”

“I know, thank you for noticing.”

Chrono rolled his eyes at this remark. “Anyway, you ready for this afternoon?”

“I was ready last week,” said Pinkie Pie.

“But I only told you three days ago.”

“I know.”

“Anyway, see you at 1:00.”

“Okie dokie loki.”

After Chrono brought everypony up to speed, he decided to ask Andromeda, his pet cryophoenix-dragon hybrid, if she wanted to come with him.

Andromeda was special in the fact that she was the only one of her kind. Not exactly an “experiment” of Chrono’s, he found her in the far north during his journey to Equestria. With the limited help of Fluttershy, Chrono was able to nurse the creature back to health. Andromeda’s plumage was of brilliant whites and stunning blues, her scales were prismatic, often scattering the light that hit her into a gorgeous, rainbow halo that shone around her with an elegant brilliance that gave her an air of regality. Her voice further added to the illusion of royalty as it could soothe the anger of anyone. She was simply magnificent.

“Would you like to come with me and the others on our trip to the island in the middle of the ocean,” Chrono asked, “the one that I told you about?”

“I think that would be … awful,” replied Andromeda, “I would not like to come along.”

“Alright then,” said Chrono, “you’ll have the tower to yourself. I’ve installed a lever that disables the chimes just for you, turn them off before 9:00 and turn them on by 5:00.”

“I can do that.”

“Thank you.”

Part Two

The seven friends met at the edge of the ocean, gazing out at the flat expanse of water that, Chrono had said, was all that stood between them and “True Power”.

“So what’s this ‘True Power’ supposed to be?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, what exactly is going to happen when… if we find it?” added Rainbow Dash.

“True Power is different for everypony,” answered Chrono, “I believe that when we find it, it will affect each of us differently than the others, amplify our abilities, and possibly unlock our absolute forces.”

“Could you stop speaking in riddles, please,” said Fluttershy, “Just tell us.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know what will happen,” replied Chrono, “I can only speculate the outcome.”

“Well, we’ll never find out anything about it by sitting here,” said Rarity, “where are the boats?”

“That’s the enthusiasm I know well,” said Chrono, “The boats are over here.” Chrono revealed several canoes ready for the long voyage. “Grab an oar.”

“Really?” exclaimed Applejack, a hint of sarcasm in the question, “We get to row all the way there? This’ll be fun.”

“I was joking about the oars,” said Chrono, “I’ve made a device that will propel all our boats. We’ll arrive at the landmass in about 3 hours.”

“How is that possible?” asked Twilight, “such speeds are impossible for a canoe.”

“You doubt who I am?” snapped Chrono, anger and umbrage creeping into his voice, “You doubt what I can do, What I can use, what I control and utilize?” Chrono turned his back on Twilight and the rest in disgust. When he spoke again, his voice was cold and its tone was bitter and resentful, “I am insulted by your underestimation of my abilities. You have hurt me Twilight Sparkle.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, “it’s just that-”

Chrono cut her off, “Get out of my sight,” he said forcefully.

“But…-”

“Now!” Chrono demanded as he turned away from the coast and slowly stalked away.

“How can you be so insensitive?” Rarity said, looking at Twilight, “Let me go talk to him.”

“No,” said Fluttershy, “I’ll go talk to Chrono.”

“Are you sure you want to talk to him while he’s like this?” asked Applejack, “I mean, you heard what he said to Twilight. He’ll tear you apart.”

“It’s a risk I’ll have to take,” Fluttershy restated, her face expressing determination, “I hate to see when friends fight.” Without another word she turned and started off in the same direction Chrono had taken.

Chrono heard Fluttershy before he saw her. “What do you want?” he spat out.

“I know you take pride in your talent, Chrono, but you were quite harsh towards Twilight back there.” Fluttershy comforted.

“I understand that,” Chrono said, “I also understand that I should have not acted like I did back there. I overreacted to a simple question and it almost cost us our friendship.” Chrono’s rage eased considerably as he let out a long sigh.

“Feeling better?” Fluttershy asked.

“Much,” Chrono replied, feeling relieved, “I’m going to apologize and then, we set off.”

With the help of Chrono’s time-flux motor powering the whole fleet of canoes, the seven friends were making great time. There was still some tension between Chrono and Twilight, but it was not as bad as it was back on shore.
After about an hour of speculating about the island, followed by an hour of silence, Rainbow Dash was the first to say something.

“Chrono is that the place you told us about?” she asked.

Chrono peered out in the direction the Pegasus had indicated. “I believe it is,” he said. Chrono turned to face the others. “We’re almost there everypony,” he said, as he turned again to face Pinkie Pie, who was currently steering the whole armada.

“Full speed ahead Squared. We’ll make land fall by 4:30.”

“Okey dokey lokey,” Pinkie said, as she pushed a lever to max thrust.

“I’m coming for you, Obscura,” Chrono quietly said to himself, “Your ‘traitor’ is coming, and with him, bloodshed.”

The seven ponies made land fall shortly before 4:30. They climbed out of their canoes and stood on the beach of the undiscovered world, taking in the beautiful scenery.

“Welcome, my friends, to the Isle of Chaos,” Chrono announced,

“This place seems far too… elegant to be called ‘The Isle of Chaos,’” Rarity wondered, “Are you sure this is the place?”

“The chaos you’re thinking of is the chaos Discord used, right?” Chrono asked in response.

“Well, yes,” answered Twilight, “Why? Is there another definition?”

“As a matter of fact, yes there is,” said Chrono, “The chaos of this island is defined as the negative balance of light and shadow. Where the chaos Discord used still had some order, this place does not, at least not what we think of order.

“The way this place has no true order is this: this place is at the crux of two or three dimensional barriers. This causes a massive influx of dimensional energy to several places in different, unrelated dimensions, such as this one. The sheer quantity of this energy causes an imbalance in the natural order of the location, which in turn can either destroy the matter in the surrounding area, or, in the case of this place, create new matter in the form of landmass.

“Usually the new landmass is one of three things. It could be desolate wasteland, volatile volcanic ground, or a flat expanse of nothing but grassland. However, there is a rare case that the landmass formed takes the shape of a lush, beautiful, tropical island, which appears to be the case here.”

“Fascinating,” Twilight said, “Are anomalies like this common?”

“Not usually,” Chrono answered, “On a side note, if enough raw energy were to be used, it would be possible to bind the complete existence of an entity to an anomaly like this.”

“I see…,” Twilight stated.

“And this is where we’ll find whatever this ‘True Power’ is?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Yes,” Chrono replied, “I’ve done some research and—” Chrono was interrupted by Fluttershy.

“That bully, look at what that dragon is doing,” Fluttershy said, indicating an adolescent dragon that was torching trees for no apparent purpose other than for fun, “There are innocent critters in there.”

“Flutter, cool it!” Chrono warned, “Dragons here are not the same as those back in Equestria!”

Fluttershy ignored him. “I’m not going to let that dragon burn any more trees,” she started to walk towards the dragon. “E-excuse me,” she said, “But you should stop lighting these trees on fire.”

The dragon paid no attention to the pegasus and kept burning trees, but Fluttershy would not give up so easily. She tried just about everything she knew, but nothing worked.

“Fluttershy just give up.” Twilight exclaimed.

“No Twilight, there is still one more thing I haven’t tried,” Fluttershy said as she approached the dragon, “Stern reasoning.”

“Uh, Flutter,” Chrono said, “I don’t think that would be a good idea in this situation.”

“Trust me Chrono. Stern reasoning has never failed me yet.”

“There’s a first for everything” Applejack said grimly.

As the pastel yellow pegasus approached the dragon, it perked its head up and screeched.

“Now, now, calm down,” she said, unaware of the danger she was in, “I just want to talk to you.” Fluttershy took a few deep breaths and began, “Now you do realize that animals make their homes I these trees, right?”

“Fluttershy, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Twilight warned.

“Don’t interrupt me,” Fluttershy shot back, “Now; when you light these trees on fire you endanger the lives of these animals.”

The dragon twitched as the pegasus got closer. It didn’t understand the words this new creature was saying, but it understood the tone, it was the tone of something that wanted to take its territory away from it. When the yellow creature was within striking distance, the dragon shifted into an offensive stance, ready to defend its territory.

“Flutter!” Chrono snapped, “Back off now!”

“I’m not going to hurt–” Fluttershy was stopped mid-sentence as the dragon retaliated, lashing out with its tail, causing her to be knocked away and be slammed against a tree trunk.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie just stood there, dumbfounded. Chrono was the only one who was unfazed.

“I tried to warn you,” he said, “Dragons here can react violently if they feel threatened.”

Fluttershy picked herself up and glared at the dragon, anger and rage filling her gaze. “How. Dare. You!” she screamed. Without using her wings, her body began to lift from the ground as a howling gale began to blow around the seven ponies.

“What’s going on?!” Rarity shouted as leaves began swirling around Fluttershy.

Vines began to reach up towards the yellow pegasus as Chrono shouted his replied over the wind, “Fluttershy discovered who she really is!” A sphere of energy began to form around the floating pegasus as he continued. “She does not just take care of animals; Fluttershy is the guardian of Nature. This is True Power!”

The sphere was absorbed into Fluttershy’s body as the vines attached themselves to her back. She began to speak, her voice distorted with power.

“You willingly endanger the lives of others, you blatantly ignore me and you assault me. You must be punished!”

Chrono was the only one who was not shocked. “This is it!” he said “Fluttershy’s deathmove: Nature’s Wrath!”

Instantly, vines erupted from the ground, capturing and ensnaring the dragon, preventing it from escaping. Thorned vines emerged from Fluttershy’s back and started lashing out at the dragon in a relentless assault. Five seconds later, the vines retreated back into her back as she was gently lowered to the ground. As soon as all four of her hooves made contact, the vines clutching the dragon withered away.

“Now will you think twice before endangering the lives of others again?” Fluttershy said after a long pause. The dragon nodded rapidly. “Good, now get out of my sight!” The dragon turned and scampered away as fast as its legs could carry it.

The pegasus turned to face the others, “What just happened?” she asked.

Chrono was the first to respond, “You’ve discovered your True Power and unlocked your deathmove.”

“R-Really?”

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said, “look, your cutie mark has changed.”

Fluttershy turned her head to look, her mark had indeed changed. Instead of three butterflies, there was only one, with its wings outstretched, and vines around it in the shape of a heart. “What does this mean?” she asked.

“It means you are more than just the caretaker of animals,” Chrono answered,” You are the guardian of Nature itself.” Chrono took a look at her back. “There’s also a green spot in the shape of a flower on your back,” he indicated.

“Why is that?” Fluttershy asked.

“During the discovery of your True Power, vines became part of your body.” Chrono explained, “I think the green spot is where they emerge when needed.”

“So I’m a freak?!” Fluttershy asked fearfully.

“I didn’t say that,” Chrono explained,” What I mean is that your talents have become more… refined in a sense. With your new abilities you can help the animals with greater efficiency. To put it simply, your vines are a blessing, not a curse.”
Fluttershy looked clearly soothed. “I think I see now,” she said. “Thank you for helping me realize that this is for the better.”

“Glad I could be of help,” Chrono replied. He looked at the sky, “I believe we should camp here for the night. Why don’t you six go out and look for some fire wood?”

“You didn’t tell us we were going to camp here,” indicated Applejack, “We didn’t pack tents and such.”

“Leave the issue of shelter to me,” Chrono assured. “You just worry about the fire wood.”

After the six mares left to find wood, Chrono turned to a bush and broke off a rather sturdy twig. Facing the ocean, he took a deep breath and began to channel his immense power.

“Natra konu forsan cadin lotran ganarath!” he chanted as he drew a special six pointed star in the sand, starting at the top and going to the lower left, then the upper right, followed by the bottom, upper left, lower right, then back to the top. When the star was finished he drew a circle that touched all the points in a counter-clockwise manner. Continuing the counter-clockwise motion, he began writing arcane symbols around the circle and finished by enclosing the symbols in another circle.

Still concentrating, Chrono touched the base of the mystic circle. When he did, a loud explosion ripped through the air, accompanied by a blinding flash of light. When Chrono could see again, the circle was gone; in its place stood seven tents around a circle of rocks. “Perfect,” he said, relieved that his spell had worked.

The other six came rushing in, alarmed by the explosion. When they saw the camp, they were shocked at the sight.

“Ah, I see you brought some firewood, good.” Chrono said nonchalantly, “Pile it over there.” He said, indicating a spot next to the ring of stones.

After the wood was piled and the fire going, the seven ponies began to talk about the past few events as well as the journey ahead.

“Did you see Fluttershy’s face after she hit that tree?” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, “Man, I thought she was going to tear that dragon to shreds!”

“I was intrigued by the amount of raw energy radiating from her body,” said Twilight, “Chrono, who do you think will discover their True Power next?”

“I don’t know,” Chrono answered. “Speaking of F-Shy, have any of you noticed that she’s not with us?” he asked, gesturing toward an empty spot on one of the logs they were sitting on. “I have a feeling that she’s still uneasy with this change.”

“Maybe you should go talk to her,” suggested Rarity, “You do seem to have a way to get her to open up more than anypony else that I know of. Plus, you seem to know a lot more of this ‘True Power’ than any of us.”

“Good idea, Rare,” replied Chrono, “I’ll go talk to her.”

“I just don’t understand,” said Fluttershy, “Why did this happen to me? I was perfectly capable caring for the animals before this.”

Chrono tried to handle the situation as carefully as he could. “It’s best not to dwell on the past, for it cannot be changed. Rather, look at what is possible now.”

Fluttershy called forth a simple vine from her being and started studying it. “All I see is a tool of violence, a method for inflicting harm toward others.” Her voice started to increase in volume. “You think I am blessed when in reality I’m cursed!” Her voice dropped back to its normal volume. “Twilight is far better than you.”

That didn’t work, Chrono thought. Let’s try another approach. “Flutter, how could you say that?” Chrono said, his voice bracing, yet gentle, “You know my power rivals that of TS, heck it might even be greater.” His voice lowered. “Why would I chart an entire expedition just to curse my closest friends? Your change is more than just physical, your connection to nature has been strengthened, and you have become more attuned to the natural world.”

“How so?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, for starters, your empathy toward animals has increased 10-fold, allowing you to determine exactly what is bothering them, without having to ask them.”

“Really!?”

“Quite. In fact, it even seems that you can sense when a nearby animal is hurt or otherwise injured.”

“Oh, thank you Chrono. I take back everything I said about Twilight being better than you; you are clearly superior.” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“Glad you see the truth,” Chrono said. “Now, I think it would be in our best interest if we all got some shut-eye.”

“I understand, see you in the morning.”

Outside Fluttershy’s tent, Twilight was stunned and hurt at what she heard. Chrono is far more superior to me? she thought. Well fine, if they don’t need me then I’ll just leave! And with that, she turned and ran into the forest .

Part Three

Chrono was in a frenzy. He had awoken early the next morning to find that Twilight was missing. Fearing she was pony-napped, Chrono woke up the rest of the party and explained the current dilemma. Alarmed, the others quickly agreed to Chrono’s plan to set out immediately.

“Oh I sure hope Twilight is ok,” worried Fluttershy.

“I hope so too, Flutter,” Chrono agreed. “I think the best place to start looking for her is in those caverns over there.” he indicated a nearby cave opening. “It’ll probably lead underground.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t start looking in the jungle over there?” Applejack asked, pointing in a different direction. “Twilight wouldn’t want to get lost in a cave system.”

“I’m positive, Applejack. Those caverns are radiating immense magical energy. TS would be attracted to it.”

“If you say so.”

The six ponies were in the cave system for quite some time before anything was said. Now as they entered what appeared to be an underground oasis, they were simply speechless.

The massive cavern was dotted with brilliant crystal growths, the most massive of which was hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier. Light spewed from holes in the roof only to be refracted endlessly by the multitude of crystals, illuminating the entire cave. Dominating the floor of the chamber was a large pool, about twice the size of the mirror pond, with crystals jutting from it at seemingly random places and angles.

“This. Is. Amazing!” Rarity exclaimed, her excitement overriding her composure. “These crystals are positively gigantic, and i love the way the light bounces among them.”

“Glad to see you’re excited, Rare,” Chrono said. “Eh? What’s this?”

Chrono was perplexed by what looked like a large, flat slab of diamond with a handle sticking out of the top, jabbed into the floor of the cavern just before the pool. the most confusing thing was the fact that it wouldn’t respond to his psychic abilities.

“Hey, Rarity, come check this out,” he said.

“What is that?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t know, but it appears to be embedded in the ground. It won’t respond to my telekinesis. Maybe you could use your magic to pry it loose?”
“I’ll try.” Rarity began focusing her magic on the handle of the slab and began pulling up. Instantly, there was a blinding flash of light. When everypony could see, the slab was suspended above Rarity’s head and Chrono could see what the rest of the slab looked like.

The two longest sides were of different length, with the shorter of the two giving way to a slant that met the longer side at a point. the shorter side appeared to be sharpened like the edge of a sword. Chrono quickly put two and two together and figured out that the slab was in fact a large buster sword. The sword was hovering above Rarity, yet she showed no sign of using her magic.

“Fascinating,” Chrono said. “It appears that the diamond sword is a type of spirit blade, Rarity can expertly wield it with no mental or physical exertion.”

“And it looks simply marvelous,” said Rarity, as she flourishing the blade several times.

“Now, if only we could test her proficiency with it.” Chrono said.

Suddenly there was a growling rumble coming from the two exits.

“What is that Chrono?” Fluttershy asked.

“That is the sound of some of Rarity’s so called ‘friends’.” answered Chrono.

“What do you mean ‘friends’?” Rarity asked.

“Rarity, don’t you remember the Diamond Dogs?” Chrono asked in response.

“They’re here too?” she asked.

“Certainly, the term references a species name, not a group,” Chrono clarified. “Get ready.”

Chrono quickly shifted into combat mode as his ethereal whips formed. Fluttershy readied her vines and Rarity brought her sword into a ready position.

“Three… two… one…,” Chrono whispered. “NOW!”

Instantly, a horde of canine-like creatures started pouring into the cavern. With a single glance Chrono relayed his plan to the others.

Due to her speed, Rainbow Dash was all over the cavern, attacking the dogs from the air while Applejack and Rarity were back to back, attacking anything that came too close.

Fluttershy was more or less experimenting with her new-found abilities. As she was experimenting, she realized she could cause plants to violently burst out of the ground, knocking any enemy into the air. She also found out she was able to release a ball of vines from her body to ensnare any enemy caught in its path.

Pinkie Pie was using every trick she had. Diving behind crystals and disappearing, only to pop out somewhere else, rebounding like a ball if she was thrown, and generally doing things only she could do.

Chrono, being the only one with any major combat experience, was little more than a blur of thrashing whips. being able to control time allowed him to move at mind-boggling speeds, allowing him to help out anypony that needed it.

With the combined teamwork of the six friends, the Diamond Dogs were quickly defeated and driven off.

“Whew, I’m glad that’s over with,” Applejack said.

“Me too,” Rainbow Dash agreed.

“That seemed too easy,” Chrono said. “There’s usually something else, something like a giant creature.”

“That’s silly. There’s nothing else here,” Pinkie said. “What else could there possibly be?”

As those words left her mouth there was a rumbling sound as the crystals in the pool began to shudder. Suddenly, a giant claw emerged and knocked everypony except Chrono and Rarity off their hooves, knocking them unconscious. As the body of the creature emerged, it appeared more and more crab-like.

“Is that…?” Rarity started to ask.

“Yes. It is,” confirmed Chrono. “A giant, crystalline, crab-golem.”

Twilight didn’t want to admit it, but she knew there was no other reason; she was lost. She had thought to enter the cave that had a massive energy signature, but decided against it, not wanting to get lost underground. being lost in the jungle, however, was not much better.

“Ok, so now what?” she asked herself. “If I go back they’ll just tell me what I already know; I’m not needed anymore.”

Suddenly Twilight heard a strange noise coming from all around her. Before she could react, she was surrounded by strange creatures that looked like black, reanimated, pony cadavers.

“Watch out!” Chrono shouted. The crab swung its claw again as Chrono backflipped to doge. Rarity remained where she stood and parried the attack with her blade, preparing to riposte.

“Oh. It. Is. On.” she said as she leaped into the air, blade crashing down as she executed a perfect Braver slash, stunning the crab. Before it could recover, Rarity slashed viciously at the seemingly vulnerable underside. Rarity jumped back when she noticed the crab was showing no signs of pain or damage.

“This crab isn’t ‘organic’,” Chrono shouted. “It”s made entirely out of stone and crystals. The crystals act like an impenetrable shell around the rock. You’ll have to find a way to break the crystal exoskeleton to deal any damage.”

“Then let’s try this!” Rarity said as she used her magic to levitate a boulder and hurl it at the crab-golem.

Rarity was surprised as the boulder was batted aside by the crab’s claws. Sensing weakness, the crab closed in on Rarity.

“Right idea, wrong timing,” Chrono said. “Use a Braver or Sky slash to stun it, and segue into the boulder toss.”

Rarity nodded in acknowledgement as she leaped into the air again. On her way down, she tucked and started spinning in a bladed circle as she flawlessly pulled off a tricky Sky slash. Dazed, the crab couldn’t react in time as a boulder larger than the first came crashing down on top of it, cracking its crystalline exoskeleton.

“Ha-Ha. Take that you ruffian!” Rarity said, launching herself back into the air as she performed another Braver slash, aimed right at the crack in the shell.

When the blade made contact, Rarity twisted it, causing the shell to split and fall in two. Angered and in pain, the crab lashed violently at Rarity, who blocked or dodged most of the attacks. The crabs final strike, however, made contact with Rarity, who was thrown across the length of chamber and hit the opposite wall. The impact caused her left foreleg to sever from her body.

The blow was so forceful that the entire cavern shook, blocking all exits with a shower of rocks. the cavern was plunged into blackness as the natural skylights became blocked. Everypony in there was trapped, trapped with the killer crab.

Neither Twilight nor the creatures made a move for some time. A sudden tremor caused the creatures to attack, quickly subduing Twilight before she could react. Her last thought before she blacked out was: We are not alone.

The tremors and sudden darkness caught Rarity, Chrono, and the crab by surprise. Chrono was used to sudden blindness; but the shockwave scrambled any sense of coordination left. The crab had no need for sight, given the years of his slumber, and could easily navigate the total blackness. He lumbered toward the hapless form of Pinkie Pie, claw raised to kill.

Rarity was the first to recover. She was surprised she could see, but was even more so when she turned her head and saw herself, eyes glowing, body floating in midair.

Chrono was next to recover and immediately grasped what was happening. “Rarity!” he shouted, “This is your True Power! You are seeing with the crystals, They are your eyes!”

Rarity quickly became used to her new vision and saw the crab about to kill her friend. She looked around, trying to find some way to help her friend. She noticed a cluster of crystals and thought to herself; I-de-a!

The crab swung its claw down, but the attack was deflected by a crystal that slammed into the falling claw.

“Ha-Ha. Take that you ruffian!” shouted Rarity as she switched to her normal vision and began pelting the crab with more and more crystals.

“Yes, that’s it,” encouraged Chrono. “Feel your power growing and unleash your deathmove!”

Rarity did as Chrono said, letting her power increase until she could no longer contain it. “Now, foul crustacean,” she cried out, “embrace your fabulous demise!” Suddenly, thousands upon thousands of small portals blinked open and shut. Each time a portal opened, a single, small, razor-sharp gemstone flew from it, striking the crab and dealing massive damage.

“Behold!” said Chrono, “Crystalline Assault!”

The barrage only lasted about three seconds, after which the crab seemed almost ready to crumble to dust.

“It’s still not dead?!” exclaimed Rarity.

“It will be shortly. one more crystal and it’s over.”

Rarity concentrated and used every last ounce of her remaining magic to cause a single, small crystal to fall from the ceiling and hit the crab like a pebble. Instantly the crab shuddered and collapsed, turning into dust.

Rarity smiled in triumph as her body lowered. The moment her hooves touched the ground, there was a blinding flash of light. When Chrono could see, the cavern was illuminated by the remaining crystals, Rarity was unconscious, and the other ponies were beginning to stir.

“Ugh, what happened?”

“I don’t know. All I remember is a giant claw.”

“If you’re all done over there,” Chrono said, “Rarity is hurt.”

Twilight awoke to find her fore- and hind-legs were bound by some sort of webbing, worse still was the fact that her horn was encased in pure shadow, rendering her magic useless. As she thrashed at her bindings, she was surprised that the webbing seemed to solidify the more she struggled, then return to its original state when she relaxed.
“This webbing has properties that I have never seen before.” Twilight marveled.

“Yes isn’t it amazing what my Blanks are capable of?” a female voice agreed. “In fact, they can do anything I tell them to do, short of mass-genocide, of course.”

“Who’s there?” Twilight said, trying to emulate Chrono’s confidence, yet failing. “Show yourself!”

“Of course, how rude of me,” The voice said as a dark alicorn emerged from the darkness beyond Twilight. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Obscura, Princess of shadow and future ruler of Equestria!”

The alicorn was pure black, with with eyes of a pure, dark, purple with energy lancing out of them. Her mane and tail flowed like those of Celestia and Luna, yet Obscura’s were pitch black. As Twilight looked into them, she felt like she was staring into the Abyss.

“If you’re quite done ogling me,” Obscura said, “I thought I wouldn’t have to say this; I’m not a lesbian, I’m bisexual, yet I have no interest in you or your body. You are here because I don’t take well to trespassers, and your magical energy is so powerful, I just couldn’t kill you.”

“Then what are you going to do to me?” Twilight asked.

“Simple,” Obscura said, a malicious glint shone in her eye, “you’re going to be… converted.”

Part Four

Chrono and the others tended to the prone form of Rarity. With Fluttershy’s help, he was able to tend to her wounds, making a tourniquet to stop the blood from flowing from her severed leg.

“Dear Celestia,” Chrono said suddenly, “we have to hurry! We’re losing her!”

Suddenly, Rarity’s sword began to glow, as did a group of clear crystals and the area of Rarity’s former leg. Instantly the crystals that were glowing detached and coalesced, merging into the bloody stump where her leg used to be. Before the stunned eyes of the the five ponies, the crystals formed into the shape of a leg and fused with Rarity’s physical body, becoming a sort of prosthetic. Everypony, Chrono included, was mystified, shocked, and generally unexpectant of this event.

Within the next fifteen minutes, the clear crystals that made up Rarity’s new leg turned a deep, crimson hue as the blood began to flow through the rock. Within the half-hour, her eyelids began to flutter as she started to revive.

“Rarity?” asked Rainbow Dash, “Are you ok?”

“Ohh…” Rarity moaned. “What happened?”

“Allow me to explain that,” Chrono said, “but first, how much do remember?”

“I remember breaking the crab’s shell, then… nothing after that,” Rarity replied.

“Ok, I’ll take it from there,” said Chrono. “After you split the shell, the crab knocked you against the far wall, severing your left foreleg and sealing all the exits.”

“Oh,my,” Rarity gasped.

“Then you discovered your True Power; it turns out you can do more than make dresses and find gems,”

“Is that so?”

“Quite, in fact, it seems your gems now protect you and your closest friends from harm, like a shield or…”

“Or a barrier?” suggested Pinkie Pie.

“Exactly like a barrier,” Chrono said. “Thank you Pinkie. since you have discovered your True Power, Rarity, you have evolved into something much more. You are now the Crystalline Vanguard, your stalwart defenses protecting all as you lead your friends through danger.”

“That doesn’t explain what happened to my leg though,” Rarity said.

“I don’t have the best explanation for that,” Chrono responded, “but I think your spirit called out to the crystals by way of your sword, which in turn formed a new leg. What it means is beyond me, though if I had to guess, the new leg is a symbol of your new abilities, similar to the green patch on Fluttershy’s back.”

“Your cutie mark has also changed.” Applejack indicated. Rarity’s mark still consisted of three diamonds, yet the diamonds were arranged in a hexagonal pattern, with a gap between the three that looked like a triangle with sides bent inwards. The diamonds now appeared to be prismatic, shimmering and changing color in the light.

“I take it to mean that my powers have amplified and that I’m always there to protect my friends?” Rarity asked.

“Correct,” answered Chrono. “One last thing though. How are we going to get out?”

“Leave that to me.” Rarity said as she walked towards a patch of crystals. As she got nearer, the crystals pulled apart and revealed a passage to the surface.

“You’re much more powerful than you think, Twilight,” Obscura said as the two walked down a corridor in the dilapidated stronghold. “You just have to strive to become stronger every day, eventually all your untapped power will make itself known to you. Only then will you surpass this Chrono.”

“I’m not sure,” said Twilight, “Chrono said that a sudden influx of power could kill me.”

“Oh, dearie,” Obscura replied in a comforting tone. “He was just saying that because he knows your potential and he’s afraid of it.”

“So you’re saying that he is deliberately trying to hinder me?” Twilight asked.

“Of course, he is obviously afraid you’ll surpass him.”

“But he brought us here to discover ‘True Power’.”

“Tell me he didn’t!” Obscura said, dropping her facade for a moment, then, after regaining her composure, “I mean, once a pony discovers True Power, their natural capabilities will no longer advance, preventing them from becoming all they could be. Trust me, You’ll grow stronger under my tutelage, Twilight, in fact, once you are converted, you’ll grow in power faster than you would in this form!”

“I’m not sure,” Twilight responded.

“Oh, don’t you trust me?” Obscura cooed, caressing Twilight’s face with her hoof. “Or do you want to remain weak?” This last statement hit home.

“NO!” I want to become stronger!” Twilight snapped. “I have full trust in your motives, and I assure you I will submit to this conversion!”

“”Excellent,” Obscura said sinisterly as the two ponies walked into a foreboding chamber. Dark crystals lined the walls while maleficent symbols covered the floor. “Then let’s begin.”

The journey to the surface was uneventful to the point of being boring. When Chrono Rarity, and the others reached the surface, the sun had already set.

“Nighttime already?” said Applejack, “Well shoot.”

“It appears we were in the caverns longer than we thought,” Chrono said. “In any case, we can’t go back underground for shelter; it’s much too dangerous.”

“Then what are we going to do?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Sleep on the ground?”

“Exactly,” Dash’s mouth dropped in reaction to Chrono’s response. “And in the event of predators or otherwise; leave it to me.” Chrono then took a sharp stick and pierced his leg, drawing a few drops of blood. He suspended his blood in front of him. “I’ll need blood from all of you,” he said. “Nothing much, just a drop or two.”

Reluctantly, the other five ponies allowed Chrono to draw blood from them, adding the scarlet fluid to his own suspended drops. Chrono then coated the point of the stick in the liquid and, gesturing for the others to take a few steps back, drew a five-pointed star, starting from the topmost point. When the star was finished, Chrono drew two circles of runes. “Qisan natro salnar nolet futumar!” he chanted as he drew the the circle. The result was large enough for the six ponies to comfortably sleep in. Chrono then touched the base of the circle with his hoof. A dome of energy the size of the circle shimmered brightly, then died down.

“There, now we can get in and out of the circle, but no one else can.” Chrono said, admiring his handiwork.

“So you’re saying we can just step in the circle and nothing will harm us?” Applejack asked. “Seems a little too good to be true.”

Cold anger flared in Chrono’s eyes as he glared at the earth pony.

“I’m not saying I doubt your abilities,” Applejack defended, “I’m just wondering if it’ll protect us from any threat.”

Chrono’s anger resided a little , “Trust me, it will work,” he said before quietly adding, “I hope…”

“So how’s this ritual going to work?” asked Twilight.

“All you have to do is stand in the circle and follow my instructions,” Obscura assured. “Just let me guide you.”

Twilight stood in the center of the sinister-looking circle as instructed. Once she was in place, the crystals began to glow with an ethereal darkness.

“Now just close your eyes and relax,” instructed Obscura. “Feel every ounce of power leave your body and flow into the crystals.” Gradually, magical energy began arcing from Twilight’s horn to the crystals, which seemed to draw her power out faster. As more and more energy left her, Twilight felt more and more relaxed.

“Excellent!” Obscura exclaimed, “Now I shall augment the circle and crystals with my magic.” Obscura’s horn ignited as beams of black and purple energy emerged from the tip; black energy striking the crystals and purple energy striking the circle, causing both to glow with even more dark energy.

“Now, feel every negative emotion in your body; anger, fear, hatred, despair, rise in intensity.” Twilight’s body began to shift in appearance as she complied to Obscura’s instructions. “That’s it,” the dark alicorn said, “let it take control of you. Let it consume your mentality. Become one with your hatred toward Chrono!”

Twilight’s body began to glow with malefic energy as her mind became twisted and dark thoughts invaded her consciousness. The crystals and circle began to glow with greater intensity as energy shot from the crystals, filling Twilight’s form with malicious power far exceeding her original levels.

“Yes!” Obscura cried, “Awaken! Twilight, from this day forth, you are reborn!” Black energy erupted from the circle, consuming Twilight in a swirling maelstrom of darkness and spite. When the energy subsided, Twilight Sparkle was no more.

“Welcome to the game, Astral Blackflash!”

Part Five

That night, Chrono and the others were restless. Without proper shelter, the six ponies were exposed to the paranoiac darkness surrounding the mystic circle as well as the creatures that called the island their home. The one thing that frightened them the most was the incessant gaze of hundreds of pairs of red eyes.The owner of one of those pairs decided to take a closer look. As it reached the extent of light the circle was emitting, it revealed itself to be a black, reanimated, pony cadaver.

“What are those things?” asked a frightened Applejack.

“I’ve done research and have actually encountered these creatures once in the Everfree forest,” Chrono explained. “You see there is a small, pitiful village within that baleful glade, a village inhabited by ponies without cutie marks.”

“That can’t be,” Dash interjected. “All ponies earn their cutie marks at some point in their lives.”

“ Good observation Dash,” Chrono replied, “only one flaw, those were not real ponies, they were creatures made almost entirely out of malefic shadows. Similar to the changelings, there are hives; one is in the Everfree and at least one is here.”

“So what are these creatures called?” asked Rarity.

“Simple, they are The Blanks. and they are to be reckoned with.”

At that statement the Blanks seemed to utter a low murmur of acknowledgement before retreating back into the shadows, eager to tell their queen about the news: The Traitor is here.

“So what Twilight had said was true,” Obscura remarked. “Chrono is here and he has friends,” she turned to the creature next to her. “Well, so do I.”

The alicorn turned to the Blank laying prostrate before her. “Guess what. Since you brought this wonderful piece of information to me; I’ve decided to promote you,” she said darkly. “You get to help Astral here with her target practice.”

The Blank chittered as if saying a question.

“Why you of course.” Obscura responded.

The Blank froze in terror as the demonic, pony-like creature smiled wickedly, “I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun, Obscura,” Astral said deviously. “Well, I know I’ll have great fun.” She got up and glared at the Blank, which promptly scurried towards the target range.

“Your electrical capabilities are increasing nicely.” Obscura said.

“Am I ready to crush Chrono and the others yet?” asked an eager Astral.

“In due time,” the dark queen replied. “Just wait until the pink one gains her True Power. Until then, you must prepare.”

“I hope that happens soon,” Astral said as she started towards the target range. “I’m going to practice on more than just that one right?”

“Of course, Astral.”

“How many will I be able to kill?” Astral’s body was twitching in anticipation for the bloodshed that was coming soon.

“Three hundred ninety six, split into six groups of sixty six each, and that’s just the warm-up.”

“Not much of a warm-up, but it’s more than most times” Astral was already formulating ways to inflict the most pain to a single Blank. “What’s the assigned difficulty level?”

“Level seventy-two, past the threshold of contemporary survival.”

“Perfect.”

That morning the party of six ponies woke form a not-so-restful sleep. As everypony except Chrono tried to resist the temptation to fall back asleep, Chrono, who was used to getting a bare minimum of two hours of sleep, was wide awake.

“Come on, wake up everypony!” Chrono shouted to no avail. Suddenly, he was struck with some inspiration. Turning to a small, bare patch of ground, he started channeling.

“Muturo kaine setro garnot reqisam!” he quietly whispered as he drew a small, five-pointed star inside three circles of runes that covered the bare patch. When he finished, he touched the center of the star, slammed his hooves to his ears, and clamped his eyes shut in rapid succession. Almost immediately, there was an intense burst of light and an extremely loud bang.

Scared shitless from Chrono’s rank three flash-bang spell, the other five ponies either jumped twenty feet above the treeline or lashed out at the empty air around them. Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie performed the former, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack executed the latter.

“Glad to see you’re all up,” Chrono chuckled. “Ready for a new day?”

“What in the hay was that for?” demanded Applejack.

“I found out what happened to Twilight,” Chrono said, ignoring the question. “She was foalnapped the first night here.”

“Do you know where she is?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, though I’m afraid it’ll be some time before we get to where she is,” Chrono responded.

“Well, where is she?” Fluttershy asked.

“You see that tall mountain to the south?” Chrono asked, “Up there is an abandoned fortress. I believe that’s where we’ll find her.”

“How are we going to get there?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“We’re going to have to go through this thick glade,” Chrono said, indicating the forest to the south, the same forest where Twilight was taken. “Then we have to cross a wide river of lava somehow, and finally; we have to scale the mountain itself.

“It’ll be daunting, but it’s the only way to get Twilight back.”

Lightning crackled around Astral’s demonic form as she prepared to waste yet another Blank. Her green, slitted eyes narrowed as she focused on her next victim. “DIE!” she screamed as she launched chain lightning from her clawed hands. The Blank dodged almost a second too late, causing it to be thrown across the room from the force of the energy that brushed against its leg. Astral then lashed out behind her with one of her slender, whip-like tails, striking her true target and causing the unfortunate Blank behind her to be knocked off its hooves. Astral then leaped into the air, spun 180 degrees, obliterated the Blank with a clawed slash, landed clean and released a shockwave of static energy, vaporizing all Blanks in the immediate area.

“Next wave.” Obscura announced as she watched the macabre scene unfold before her.

Astral heard the notice and braced herself for the next swarm of living punching bags, her six tails twitching in anticipation.

A chittering buzz filled the air as the arena was flooded with Blanks. Astral simply smirked as she slammed her claws into the ground. Conductive darkness flowed outwards and forwards from her claws and coated the ground. When a sufficient area was covered, Astral let out a bellowing roar and electrified the shadows. Within seconds the entire wave was reduced to a small pile of smouldering flesh and darkness. Astral smiled as she turned to face her teacher.

“How was that piece of fine ass madness?” Astral asked.

Obscura couldn’t stop herself from laughing maniacally; it started as just a chuckle but quickly grew until she could barely hold herself up. “Oh, Astral you still have so much to learn,” she said once she regained control of herself. “You still have a lot of growth ahead of you before I can- I mean, before you can destroy Chrono and the others. Again, but this time at level eighty- no ninety-seven.”

“Alright,” Astral said, clearly disappointed. “Bring it on.”

“If you insist. Bring on the Mega.”

Astral had a sinister grin on her face as she got into her battle position. Her tails whipped back and forth with anticipation. The ground shook as the aptly named Mega lumbered into the arena. Standing at at least twice the size of a regular Blank, the Mega is considered the dreadnought of the Blanks. Compared to a regular Blank, the Mega is almost impervious to pain, and is twice as strong. But that didn’t stop Astral from launching her assault.

Astral lept into the air, pushed off the near wall and landed on the muzzle of the Blank staring into its empty, lifeless eyes. She roared and dug her claws right into the Blanks eye sockets, completely blinding the Mega. Roaring in pain, the Mega staggered backwards, swinging its head around, and tossing Astral off.

Landing clean, Astral released chain lightning from her clawed hands at the Blank’s legs, only to see the energy go straight through its body leaving it unharmed. The Blank let out a roar and charged blindly forward, barreling at Astral, only to have her sidestep out of the way. The Mega rammed its head into the reinforced cobblestone wall. Seeing on opening, Astral backflipped three or four times before sending a bolt of lightning at the Blank, aiming for the base of the tail. The Mega roared out in pain as the electricity surged through its body. It then stood up and melted into a shadowy miasma that quickly slithered behind Astral, who was blinded by her own lightning technique, silently coalescing behind her. It then let out a roar, startling Astral so much that she began to fall backwards. Astral took advantage of this and used her momentum to tuck and roll backwards between the legs of the Mega. She then flipped off of the back wall and landed on the Mega’s back. Letting out a warcry, Astral proceeded to ravage the vulnerable area with her claws, slicing and electrifying the fresh wound. The Mega let out a roar and dissipated right underneath her. Astral realized what was happening before it had done it and front flipped in response sending a surge of electricity from her tails, straight towards the fleeing shadow. On contact, the miasma exploded, flinging dark matter in all directions.

Astral smiled in victory as she heard a rumble as the matter merged back into the form of the Mega. “JUST DIE ALREADY!” Astral screamed as her body lifted from the ground, malefic energy surrounding her.

“Finally,” Obscura remarked. “Astral has reached her limits. The full extent of her power has surfaced. She. Is. Ready.”

Astral became empowered with the forces of hatred and anger itself. She drew her hands towards her chest as her body charged with the energy.

“Behold Astral’s darkmove: Malefic Tempest!”

Astral let loose a torrent of dark power from her claw-tips, the energy being absorbed by the atmosphere. Instantly, a swirling maelstrom of shadows appeared, the vortex centered around her. The shadows of the storm fused into sharp spikes that spun wildly around, damaging anything caught in their path. At the same time, dark lightning flashed madly around Astral, charring the ground. Once a bolt struck the Mega, twenty other jagged flashes pummeled the creature. The amount of collateral damage was astounding, but the damage was evident; the Mega fell in defeat, its body landing with a loud thud.

Obscura smiled as she watched Astral unleash hell on the Mega. “Soon, Chrono,” She said. “Soon you will die at my hoof.”