Links to the Past

The doors of the three cryochambers opened and liquid nitrogen flowed out of it. A thud was heard, as three ponies fell out of these chambers. The doors closed, stopping the flow of the liquid nitrogen and revealing the three pony figures, still shaking from the cold of the chambers. A minute later, however, they stopped shaking, as their coats also returned back to normal state. All of those three ponies were pegasi. Two of them stallions, and the third one- a mare. The mare had a very light blue coat and a green mane, her cutie mark was a leaf blown by the wind. The first stallion had a grey coat, black mane, and his cutie mark was a thunder cloud, emitting lightning in all directions. The second stallion had an orange coat and a red mane, while his cutie mark was a yellow lightning only.

" Gale, Rush, you OK? " the black maned stallion asked.

" Yes, we're fine. How about you, Thunderflight? " Rush, the second stallion, asked.

" I'm OK. " Thunderflight answered.

" What's the last thing you remember? "

" We were caught in a storm, we had to descend. We landed in Baltimare, or somewhere around there, but nopony would offer us shelter, except one clerk. " Gale recalled.

" He pushed us inside his basement, and than some strange magic pushed us inside those chambers... the cold. "  Rush shook again.

" Where are we? " Thunderflight looked around, noticing the wood they were in.

" You are in the Everfree forest. " a fourth voice spoke from the shadows. When the trio looked in that direction, all they could see was a pair of dark violet eyes. The violet was so dark, that it was bordering black.

" Who are you? " Thunderflight approached him aggresively, but some mysterious force stopped him from coming further, while the eyes raised to a height, which ,Gale thought, could only mark the pony as a princess.

" Princess Luna? " she tried to make a guess.

" No. " the voice replied. Although it was masculine, the mare tried to make a second guess.

" Nightmare... Moon? "

" No. " the voice replied again.

" Now let me ask. Are you Thunderflight, Gale and Rush, all three members of the Starfliers team? "

" We are. Who are you? " Rush asked. The eyes looked more threatening now, and wind shook the leaves of the nearby trees.

" That is of no matter to you. " the voice replied.

" You are in the Everfree forest. It was me, who brought you here. I employed the clerk, who brought you here. I also commanded the one, who advised you to go out and fly in the storm, in order to test your limits. "

Creeps went down the trio's spines.

" I am the only reason you are here, in this part of the forest. Luckily, you're close enough to Ponyville. You won't get lost. I'll show you the way, under one condition. "

" What's that condition? " Thunderflight asked angrily.

" Once you are in Ponyville, you will find the scientist, known as Hase, and bring him to me. You might as well try to earn his trust once again, unless you want to die. "

" What? " the scared Gale made a few steps back, while Thunderflight stepped in front of her, in order to protect her.

" What do you speak of? Hase is imprisoned in Canterlot! He is not in Ponyville! " he yelled.

" He was imprisoned... 1000 years ago. How long do you think you slept? " the jaws of the three fell open, as they looked at eachother.

" That's right, you're more than 1000 years old. Perhaps if you really were friends with Hase a milenium ago, you would have known, that he escaped prison and entered a cryochamber, just like you. He awakened 1000 years ago. Now he has real friends, which wouldn't be very enthusiastic to meet the ponies, who betrayed him when he needed you the most... "

" It was madness to confront the Princesses! "

" Yes, but you had influence. You could have stopped the war, or at least try to. You could have made the both sides listen to eachother's arguments. Yet you didn't, you preferred to stay out of trouble. This conflict solved itself 1000 years later, without your help.

As I was saying, now he has real friends, the regal sisters included. He also has a different love interest, one that would at least tell him if she likes somepony else more than him. "

" How do you know all of this? " Gale blushed.

" I see everything... now his friends are gone for a week. A perfect chance for you to earn your redemption and bring Hase to me. But know this: the cryochambers I put you in weren't exactly in order. While the normal chamber should only keep the most vital processes going, these kept all going, just making them go slower. You are in your normal condition, but unless you get yourselves a sample of those formulas for eternal life Hase used on the entire of Ponyville, over the course of the week you'll age so rapidly, that nopony will be able to recognise you. Good luck. "

The eyes dissappeared, leaving the three pegasi alone.

" This way! " Thunderflight saw a light between the branches of the trees.

Owls hooed as the three ponies made their way through the net of branches and the multiple roots, causing them to stumble multiple times. It was too tight to fly.

" Do you think what that pony said is actually true? What if he's just trying to scare us into bringing Hase to him? " Gale asked, after getting up.

" I don't know, but I think we shouldn't take any risks. " the black maned stallion replied.

" After all, even if we aren't aging rapidly, as he told us, an eternal life wouldn't be of no use. For an instance, we will be able to beat the current flight team and become famous again! " Rush mused out loud.

" Firstly, we should take care of ourselves. We'll think about career later. " Thunderflight cut him off.

" OK. " the red maned pegasus nodded at the leader of the trio.

In deed the Starfliers weren't deeply in the Everfree. After mere 5 minutes of walk they came out of the forest, near Fluttershy's cottage.

" Do you think there's somepony in? " Gale asked, as she looked at the small house, which currently looked very cosy to all three of them.

" There are no lights inside. We don't know if the pony inside would be friendly to midnight guests. I think we should go to a hotel instead. " Thunderflight admitted and all three of them unwillingly agreed, that they would have to skip on this opportunity. There wasn't anypony to open the door for them anyways, but they didn't know that, so as they shivvered, the cold of the chamber still haunting them, they regretted this decision.

As they passed the bridge, they stopped and tried to come up with a plan.

" I am freezing. " Gale shook.

" Why don't we get a room for the night and go to ask Hase for the formulas tomorrow? "

" And what if we awake 30 years older? " Rush replied.

" What if our hooves aren't strong enough to carry us in the morning? "

" I have to agree with Rush for this one. We can't possibly know how the aging takes place. We know, that we would die in a week, unless we take the formula, but we don't know if we wouldn't be already too old the next morning. We have to act now, while we're still sure it's still possible. "

Gale nodded in agreement.

The trio went down the main street, hopig to find somepony they could ask for directions. Luckily, most restaurants were still open, although not filled to full. So it wasn't surprising when the trio bumped into a grey pegasus stallion with a mane.

" Good evening. " the stallion greeted.

" Sorry for bumping into you. "

" Good evening to you, too. " Gale replied.

" Excuse me, but would you mind telling us if there's some kind of laboratory nearby? "

" That would be Hase's laboratory you're looking for, right? " the trio nodded.

" Why are you looking for it? " the stallion seemed surprised and confused. Apparently, Hase's inventions, just as before, weren't something ponies usually needed.

" We need a particular invention. " Thunderflight answered.

" One advice: don't take it. " the unknown stallion winked.

" They are just too overcomplicated! Why use " toaster " to bake the toast, when you have fire? Anyway, good luck trying to operate with the invention. By the way, the lab would be closed by now. You'll have to wait until tomorrow morning. Good riddance! " the pegasus said, continuing on his way.

" He wasn't of much use, was he? " Rush noted.

" Oh sorry, I forgot! " the stallion trotted back. He gave them a map with an X and an O on it.

" The O is the laboratory and X is where we currently are. I'm sure you'll find it. After all, this isn't Canterlot. " after instructing them, the pegasus trotted away.

" How are we going to get in during the night? " Gale asked, while the pegasi were walking to the laboratory.

" We'll find some way. " Thunderflight expressed his opinion.

15 minutes later they were in front of the building. They thought they would only recognise it by a small label or something, but instead the multiple apendages of the strange- looking building led them to the conclusion, that this was Hase's laboratory.

" Celestia, is that thing still considered a building? " Gale wondered out loud, as she witnessed the weirdness of this building. The shadows of the night were making it look like some horribly deformed monster.

" We surely aren't getting in through the front entrance! " Rush spotted the huge safe door mounted on the wall of the house. Thunderflight, however, had his eyes on a much easier target: the window on the second floor.

" It might be armoured, but it won't hurt to try. Come here, Rush! We'll do it together! " the gray pegasus called his orange friend and the two stood in a bucking position. They bucked together and the glass window broke surprisingly easy.

What was even more strange, no alarm sounded.

" I guess, that if nopony buys his inventions, nopony steals them as well. " Rush commented.

The red maned pegasus put his head through the frame and took a look of the room. There was some kind of a machine on one side of the room, a desk right in front of the window with a coat hanger next to it and another big safe door in the end of the room.

" Well, hay. " the stallion with the orange coat realised, that they wouldn't be entering from here.

Just as he said that the coat hanger suddenly moved. The main rod extended, and its 6 legs suddenly folded in a middle, and than extended, resembling a kneeling pony getting up. The hooks on the upper part of the hanger also extended, revealing one circle of light. Before Rush could wonder what the hay its purpose was, it spun around the rod, and when it stopped, it was facing him. Other smaller circles inside spun and the pegasus realised it wasn't a circle; it was an eye, which was focusing him.

" Intruder alert! Intruder alert! " a robotic voice, coming from the hanger, spoke, as it moved, spider- like, to the window. The startled pegasus got out of the frame and flew back to Thunderflight.

" What's the matter? " the pegasus with the grey coat asked, noticing his friend looked like he had seen a ghost.

In that moment the robot coathanger stood behind the window frame and focused Thunderflight, Rush, and than finally Gale.

" Three intruders detected. Identity: unknown. Engaging... " as the robot stated that, its middle part, which was thicker than the rest even while it was still a coat hanger, extended, revealing 6 mysterious devices, spinning around the central rod. They spun on the lower part of the wide section, and the strange devices extended upwards.

Before any of the two flying stallions could try to defend themselves, a bolt of lightning was fired at both of them, bringing them down to the ground, stunned.

The concerned Gale ran towards them and tried to bring them round, but she heard a mechanical sound and slowly turned around. The robot was standing there, with rotor blades extending from its upper part. They quickly folded back in, and the robot shot another bolt at her, knocking her unconcious.

What the trio didn't know, was that an alarm was actually sounded. However, the only thing the usual, loud alarm would cause, would be to disturb the neighbours. The lab didn't have any security to be alerted from the sound, so Hase had instead chosen a quiet alarm: only a hoof- free device he always put on during the night emitted sound, while the laboratory only initiated its defences - all doors were locked down until his voice command was given, the normal doors were reinforced from both sides and multiple security bots, some of them masked as normal household items, were activated. In some ways, Hase found the bots even more dependable than the local guard, since he had programmed all of them on his own and he knew exactly what they would do. Moreover, they were equipped with advanced non- lethal weaponry.

The sound quickly woke up Hase, without waking up the three sleeping fillies. It was the first time somepony tried to rob the laboratory and it was quite a nasty surprise for Hase, but a nice one as well, since it meant somepony actually wanted something from his laboratory. The excited stallion got the alarm hooffree device off and quietly went down the stairs, trying not to wake the cutie mark crusaders. he opened the door and shut it, now free to run.

He wondered wheter it was an actual theft or just vandalism. Eitherway, he knew the criminals wouldn't have got far away. It took him only twenty minutes to reach the lab. The security bot, the one in his office, masked as a coathanger and armed with multiple Arc Generators, was standing over the three bodies, carefully watching them. If anypony of them showed any signs of conciousness, the robot was programmed to stun them again.

The earth pony passed by the criminals without even looking at them went to the door and spoke:

" End security lockdown. "

" Voice recognised: Hase, director. Ending security lockdown. Opening main entrance... " the bot, no longer receiving signals for a security lockdown, extended his rotor blades and flew back to the broken window. He flew back inside and took the form of a coat hanger again.

Hase shook his head as he saw the broken window. He thought he should probably reinforce the windows a bit more, or at least put bars on them. No, he wanted the windows to be able to be opened. So, the option with the bars fell out. Reinforced glass, on the other hoof, was a perfect option.

He came to the three bodies and looked down to see who they are. He regretted doing that. There was no doubt those three ponies were his " old friends " , Gale, Rush and Thunderflight. What were they doing here? What did they want from him? The stallion sighed, Just as he thought he could have a normal life for a difference, the Starfliers entered his life with a bang, in this case through the window. He had no idea what the Starfliers were doing here and the last thing he wanted was that they remain here and reveal secrets of his past he would never share. Here they were, about to ruin his life again.

For a moment Hase considered the option to leave them in the Everfree, but he would never do that. He was too good of a friend, even though they weren't. Besides, they would eventually find their way back. The inventor currently had no choice but to get them in, wait them to come round and ask them what they were doing here and what they wanted from him.

Thunderflight had no idea how much time had passed when he finally came round. Every time he was just on the edge of doing so, the robot zapped him again. This time, however, it didn't occur. Along with Gale and Rush, he opened his eyes.

The first thing the three of them saw was the coat hanger, that had started it all. It was currently of no danger to them, so they looked around themselves. They were in the room they had tried to break in, strapped to a bench with metal rings. They could only sit and wonder what had happened during the time they were unconcious. The computer was still there, and so was the broken window, with the large spinning chair and the desk in front of it. The first to break the silence was Thunderflight:

" Hello? Is there anypony here? "

" Hello to you too. " a voice was heard and the chair turned around, revealing the figure of a pony the three of them craved to see.

" Hase! We're so glad to see you! " Gale exclaimed.

" But I am not. " Hase cut off their enthusiasm.

" Why are you here and now? What are you doing outside of your time? "

" The same goes for you. " Thunderflight replied, a bit confused about why Hase was cross.

" Yes, but I am in a position to ask questions. You are not. " as he said that, the coat hanger extended back to its bot form, and its weapons threatingly spun around the central rod.

The three of them reallised, that if they want to complete their mission, they would have to keep the pony with the violet eyes a secret. So Thunderflight only said the main thing:

" We entered three cryochambers... " he started, but the scientist interrupted him:

" I figured that out on my own. I ment something different. What is the purpose of your presence here? What do you want? "

For a minute all three of them went silent. None amongst them could think of a feasible alibi, so it became clear to Hase, that the trio were hiding something. He decided he would try to get the truth out of them later, and went to the more easy question:

" What are you looking for in my laboratory? "

" We heard you still have some samples of the Eternal Life formula. We need them. " Thunderflight emphasised.

" What makes you think I'm just going to give it to you, even if you " need " it? " Hase replied.

"Otherwise we'll die. " Gale said with a sad voice, whiping the anger off the muzzle of the earth pony.

" The chambers we used... weren't quite alright. Now the aging process would start again, catching up over the course of a week. "

" That glitch... " Hase mused out loud. He got off the chair and left the room, leaving the trio wondering what he would do. Had he deserted them?

Luckily, a minute later he returned with a syringe, fulled with a blue liquid. he carefully injected a third of it into each of his former friends and returned to his seat.

" There. You are immortal now. Your cells won't age anymore. " he stated.

The three pegasi cheered.

" But still... why? Why have you chosen to come to this time, after you know there's no turning back? " the earth pony asked them, now that they were out of danger.

The silence took over the room once again. The three ponies averted his gaze, looking at the ceiling and the walls, even at the security bot, at anything, that was far enough from him.

' Why have you come here? '  Hase thought, just as Thunderflight thought of a perfect answer and spoke to the inventor, looking in his eyes:

" We wanted to make sure you're alright in this time! Who knows, it might have been Discord's second reign or something! "

" Since when does any of you care about me that much, "old friend " ? You claim you came here to check if I were alright? Than why was I all alone in my initiative 1000 years ago? Now I know it would have been unfair of a true friend to support me in such a deed, but a true friend would have tried to stop me. You just stood on the benches and observed this war, as if it is a game, and waited to see who's the victor, so that you could cheer for them. Let me tell you something, Thunderflight. Nopony likes double- faced ponies. "

" Yeah? And how would you explain, that we had thousands of fans? " the pegasus replied. At that time, the both pegasi stallions were very angry at the earth pony. Only Gale was actually considering his words.

" They liked you as a team, not for the ponies you are. " Hase claimed.

" But Hase... we were friends ever since we were foals. What's the matter with you? Why do you keep saying all of that? I know we should have told you to stop, but... ponies make mistakes. " Gale spoke.

" Yes, Gale, we were friends ever since we were foals... until your training began. " Hase corrected her.

" I can imagine how it must have felt. After all, I went through something simillar. Years of misery and fear, and now, a chance to rise above, to become something more, to become something... significant. A pony should always follow their dreams, but never desert the things they praise to reach this dream. Science was as interesting to me, as flying was to you. Yet, my life wasn't entirely science. I had friends, in the muzzles of Tia and Luna, and tried to get home to see mom as often as I could. Sometimes I also found your parents there as well. Imagine how shocked I was, after the first time I saw them they told me, that they haven't seen you three ever since you had gone to the castle! Was there truly not a single gap in your Young Flier program, which you could use to visit them? "

The three pegasi felt guilt trying to choke them, as their heads leaned downwards.

" Now you regret it, don't you? There is still hope for you, than. " the inventor pressed a button and the restricting cuffs retracted back into the seats. The confused pegasi glared at him.

" You let us go? " Rush asked, as he tried to come to terms with what have just happened.

" You're right, Gale. Ponies do make mistakes. " Hase smiled at them.

" After all, I've made mistakes, some considerably bigger than yours. But I think, that you were never true friends, since you never knew what true friendship was. Our friendship never had the chance to develop fully. It's a chance I'm going to give it now. I hope, that the next few days I will be able to show you what true friendship is. "

At first Gale smiled, as she realized Hase was willing to give them a second chance, even though it was questionable if they deserved it. But a second later she remembered why they were here. The violet eyes popped in her mind, glaring with menace, and the voice sounded again:

' Once you are in Ponyville, you will find the scientist, known as Hase, and bring him to me. '

She gritted her teeth and thought:

' Hase... why do you have to make it harder for us? '