[Prologue] The Fantastical Time Traveling Machine!
Ponyville was usually quite the quiet little town; birds would sing beautiful songs and fish would freely flop around without a care in the world. Well, they still did on this day, but now the streets were crowded with ponies from across the land. Shops had already been set up and were selling food, merchandise and anything they could scramble together for this wondrous occasion. What was the occasion you ask? Why, it was the day Starswirl the Bearded, the most famous Unicorn spell-caster and inventor would unveil his latest creation: The Fantastical Time Traveling Machine! There was not a single face missing for this event, and of course, the Mane 6 had gotten word of it as well. They all stood in the centre of town where banners and party streamers had already been put up, and, of course, where Starswirl and his new machine rested.
"Isn't this exciting?!" Pinkie Pie, the pink and bouncy Earth Pony of the group, hopped around to no end "Are you excited? Cause I'm excited! I've never been so excited in my entire life! Well, maybe the first time Twilight came into Ponyville I was more excited, but c'mon, who wouldn't be excited?!"
"I, for one, agree with Pinkie" Rarity, the white and exquisite Unicorn of the six, spoke with a refined voice "This machine could advance ponykind into the future. Imagine it... Flying carriages..."
"Dream on, Rares" Applejack, the orange and country Earth Pony of the team, chuckled at her friend's rather outlandish hopes "We'll be lucky ifin this 'ere time machine works today."
"Goodness, I sure hope it does..." Fluttershy, the cream yellow and very quiet Pegasus of them all, softly spoke as she stared at the marvel of technology "But, it probably will, right?"
"It would be totally more exciting if it blew up!" Rainbow Dash, the cyan and tomboyish Pegasus of the party, exclaimed whilst hovering over the ground "When nopony was inside, of course. But still, it would be super cool!"
"You just want everything to blow up, don't you Rainbow Dash?" Twilight Sparkle, the lavender and nerdy Unicorn leader of her friends, asked with a smile "Did it ever cross your mind not everything can blow up?"
"Well, yeah, but-" the cyan mare spoke before getting interrupted by her lavender friend.
"No buts! I don't want any jinxing to ruin this day" she sighed "Especially since I know who's going to be testing out the machine first."
"Who, darling?" Rarity asked with sparkles in her eyes "You simply must tell us!"
"I promised them I'd keep it a secret..." Twilight pondered "...but I trust you guys enough. Okay, the ponies going into the time machine today are-"
(Music stop)
"Fillies and Gentlecolts, may I have your attention please!" the mayor of Ponyville, ironically named Mayor Mare, spoke out of a microphone on the town stage where the time machine also rested, getting everypony's attention "As you all know, today is the day ponykind advances itself into the future!"
"I told you..." the white Unicorn in the group whispered to Applejack with a smile, making her grumble a bit.
"This machine standing behind me is the machine that will do so!" the mayor continued speaking "Now, everypony give a loud round of applause for the creator of this device, the master of illusions, the greatest Unicorn who ever lived, the one, the only, Starswirl the Bearded!!"
Everypony stomped their hooves on the ground as loud as they could and they cheered at the top of their lungs as Starswirl, dressed in his usual attire of a starry robe and pointy hat, stepped onto stage. Once the applause died down, the elderly Unicorn began speaking.
"Greetings, one and all" he spoke through the same microphone Mayor Mare was using "As you know, I am Starswirl the Bearded, famed inventor and community proclaimed 'Greatest Unicorn in Equestria'."
"He's so humble..." Fluttershy whispered with a smile.
"Using my time and resources, I have crafted a machine capable of traveling through time" he continued, earning a gasp from most of the audience "I know, I know, sounds impossible, right? Well... You might be right. In all truth and honesty, I haven't tested this thing yet. So, why not test it with none other than our honorable princesses?"
A great cheering came from the audience as the two Alicorn princesses, Celestia and Luna, stepped onto stage. Celestia, the taller white one and dressed in her golden royal attire, waved at the crowd. Luna, the shorter dark blue one also wearing her royal clothing, waved as well, if slightly more nervously.
(Music stop)
"Thank you, everypony! It is very good to be here!" smiled and waved the elder Alicorn "Yes, we are indeed about to travel through time and, more than likely meet our younger selves. I am very-"
"STOP!!" shouted a voice from behind the crowd. Everypony turned around to see that Kibliz, an light brown Earth Pony with a grey mane & mustache, a red vest and circular glasses (who also happened to be the princesses' counselor), was rushing towards the stage with fear in his eyes. Once he finally reached the stage, Luna decided to speak up.
"Counselor Kibliz, what is the meaning of this?" she asked "Aren't you supposed to be planning for the festival?"
"Y-You're highness..." the counselor and father figure to the mares stuttered "Don't you think entering a a dangerous machine that hasn't been tested yet isn't a very wise idea?"
"Kibliz, I understand your concern," Celestia smiled kindly "but we'll be quite alright. I've known Starswirl for far too long to know that he would never put my sister or I into something he knew for certain wouldn't be safe."
"But, Celestia, Luna, be reasonable here!" Kibliz's father mode had officially engaged "That thing could blow up!"
"That's just what I said!" Rainbow Dash called out from the crowd.
"Thank you, miss Dash" the light brown stallion in his slightly past his prime nodded at the cyan Pegasus before turning back to his 'daughters' "Do you see? Even miss Dash thinks this is ludicrous!"
"Kibliz, our choice is final" Luna spoke "Even though suspicions have been raised, my sister makes a good point. Why would Starswirl, one of our longest friends, bring us in harms way?"
"I... I..." Kibliz struggled to find words, but ultimately gave up "Fine, you win... You two are just like your mother..."
"Thank you, counselor" Celestia nodded before turning back to the audience and speaking into the microphone "Now, who here is ready to watch the next step into the future?" Another roar of cheering and stomping took place in the town square.
(Play "The Time Machine" again)
The two princesses smiled before opening the circular glass door of and getting into the spherical yellow time machine behind them. Supporting the machine were four sturdy stubs for legs and above the door was an analog clock pointing to the current time, which was three thirty. Two large gears were on either side of the machine which, as soon as Starswirl pressed a button with in his magical grasp, began spinning adjacent to each other. They got faster and faster until the machine was now hovering slightly off the ground.
(Music stop)
Whirring noises came from the machine as rainbow coloured sparks flew off the gears in a rapid motion. The clock's hands above the machine were now spinning like mad, and with a popping noise, the time machine, along with its passengers, vanished into thin air.
"PRINCESSES!!!" Tibliz shouted in agony before slumping down and balling his eyes out "WHAT WILL EQUESTRIA DO NOW?!!"
"Calm down, Tibliz" the elderly stallion behind him patted the counselor on the back "There's a 99.99999999% chance of them returning home safely."
"THOSE ARE HORRIBLE ODDS!!" the parental figure continued to cry.
"Fear not, my old friend!" Starswirl stayed very optimistic "I'm sure they'll return any moment now..."
XXXXXX
The day had turned into evening and most of the ponies, save for the Mane 6, Starswirl and Tibliz, had gone home for dinner and eventually bed. The counselor pony was still crying over the princesses, and Starswirl was still patiently awaiting the return of his good friends.
"Any moment now..." he recited.
"Just forget it, Starswirl..." Tibliz sighed "You've erased them from existence! Now who will govern Equestria?!"
"Dude, lighten up" Rainbow called out "They're not gone, they're just taking a while to get back. Besides, I'm sure one of us could fill in for them until they show up."
"Oh, that would be simply divine!" Rarity squealed in delight "Imagine me; Princess Rarity, ruler of Equestria alongside my greatest friends and allies!"
"Okay, now 'at dream is a lil' farfetched..." deadpanned Applejack.
"We can't give up hope, you guys!" Twilight stated with certainty "I know that the princesses will arrive again soon! Something in my stomach tells me that's true!"
As if on cue, a flash of light appeared on the stage. Everypony present looked at the origin of the flash and saw none other than the time machine returned safely home. Only one problem; it was covered in scratches, dents and small tears in the hull. None of this registered in Tibliz's mind as he approached the front of the machine excitedly and swung open the door to greet the princesses.
"Princesses, you have-" was all he could say before he was punched out of the way. The hit sent him rather comically flying through the air and back into the castle on the side of the mountain next to Ponyville. The Mane 6 watched this event finish before turning back to the time machine and seeing a hulking ogre as tall as the princesses step out of it. It was pale green with a huge lower lip and derpy-looking eyes. It wore a brown fur loincloth around its waist and had huge hands, arms, legs and feet in contrast to its rather small head, which was only as big as a ponies head. It was also quite fat in its midsection.
"How revolting!" Rarity cried out in disgust. Angered by this comment, the ogre stomped down on the soil, bouncing away everypony but Twilight. It roared at her before engaging her in battle.
"Twilight Sparkle!" Starswirl the Bearded called out, getting the lavender mare's attention "It's been a while since your last battle, has it not? Shall I instruct you on the basics?"
"No thank you, Starswirl" Twilight politely shook her head "I'm good."
"Very well" the elderly inventor nodded "Take your time with this one."
The ogre waddled forward at Twilight and attempted to punch her like it had with Tibliz, but the Unicorn managed to block it and headbutt it in the belly, causing damaged to it. She then cast a spell and fired a small fire ball at her opponent, dealing a good amount of damage to it. She ran all around it and continued firing her magic at the ogre, dealing continuous damage until finally it blocked her final fireball and punched right at her, hitting her and forcing her into the side of a house.
"Are you sure you don't need help?!" Starswirl asked again.
"I'm fine, thank you..." Twilight dizzily spoke.
"Never fear, citizens!" Rainbow Dash triumphantly spoke as she flew up into the air "Your savior Rainbow Dash is here! DADADADAAAAAA!!!" she pulled back for a split second before dive-bombing right into the ogre, doing massive damage. The ogre momentarily stopped for a second before exploding into a light show of different colored bursts until it finally disappeared.
(Stop Music)
XXXXXX
"Wow, that guy went down quickly" the cyan Pegasus laughed. She then went to go and help Twilight up from her dizzy state. Once she accomplished that, the rest of the Mane 6 appeared before them.
"That was super-special-mega-awesome, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie beamed "Almost makes you forget that the princesses are still missing! Wait... Nope, I still remember!"
"Actually, since that... awful thing replaced the princesses, where do you think they are now?" the white mare among the six asked.
"Rarity," Applejack sighed "Ah have no clue where er when 'ey disappeared off ta..."
XXXXXX
Much, much, much, much earlier...
XXXXXX
In the throne room of a still young castle, on the seat of a recently implemented throne was a white Alicorn mare. However, this mare had short red hair and a more motherly look to her. Beside her was a crib with two awake and highly curious little Alicorn fillies in it. One was white with a long pink mane and the other was blue with a short light blue mane. In front of the three ponies was a light brown stallion with a black mustache & styled black mane, and a pale blue vest.
"The construction of Canterlot Castle is going wonderfully, your highness" the stallion bowed "Though, I'm still concerned that you decided to live here while its still under construction, especially now that the princesses are here."
"Relax, Tibliz" the white Alicorn queen rolled her eyes with a smile "Nothing's gonna go wrong, okay? You worry too much, you know that?"
"But, your highness," the younger Tibliz continued "you're daughters could be in serious danger! You have no idea what could happen!"
"Tibliz, it's cool" the queen smiled "It's not like a futuristic machine will just randomly flash in my throne room in the next two seconds."
Exactly two seconds later, the floor began to shake slightly and a whirring noise was heard by all ponies present. The next thing they saw was a bright flash of light, forcing them to cover their eyes. Once the flash disappeared, they looked back to see that a futuristic machine had appeared in the throne room between the two adults. Tibliz looked around the machine and gave a stern to his queen.
"Well... um... yeah, I better move out soon..." the queen gave out a defeated sigh.
Suddenly, the door, which was facing the Alicorn mare, slowly began to open. She looked curiously at it as it did so, bracing for the worst. The door finally opened all the way to reveal two Alicorn sisters crammed inside it.
"What a rough landing" spoke the younger blue one "I would have thought that there was going to be more room."
"What we have is what we got, Luna" sighed the elder white one before noticing the red-headed mare in front of her "Mother? Oh mother, it's good to see you again!" she proceeded to hug the queen.
"HANDS OFF HER, VERMIN!!" Tibliz shouted at the two, gaining Luna's attention.
"Tibliz?" she asked "By the stars, you look so young. How far back did we travel, sister?"
"Just far back enough that our younger selves are here!" the elder mare gushed as she released herself from her 'mother' and went over to the crib "Hello there, me! I'm you, from the future!"
"You say you're what?" the queen asked the white Alicorn sister. Before she could give a good answer as to everything that had happened thus far, a loud explosion was heard, shaking the castle and bringing a bit of it down above their heads.
The thud made the foal sisters bounce out of the crib and onto Tibliz's back, much to their joy and much to his slight dismay. He didn't hate the two, in fact he loved them to bits! He just thought they were getting heavy. All of a sudden, a strange yellow and purple portal emerged below him and began sucking him and the foals into it. As soon as it had done so, the portal disappeared.
"Tibliz!" the queen shouted.
"Oh, I think he's the least of your worries right now, dearie" spoke an unfamiliar female voice to all of the mare present.
"Who's there?!" the motherly Alicorn shouted.
"No one in particular..." the voice said with a small laugh "But I'll be taking those two Alicorns of yours now..." a hand appeared out of nowhere and swooped the two sister Alicorns up before they could even react with the situation "Now, soldiers? Level this place so I can make my paradise here!"
More rumbling occurred around the queen and more of her castle began falling apart. This was about the time she thought should leave. She made a mad dash for the exit of the castle and escaped just in time before the throne room caved into itself. The Alicorn huffed from exhaustion before looking up and gasping. Above the castle that was still under construction was a swarm. But not just any swarm.
A swarm of Changelings.
Author's Note
Exciting first chapter?! Does it leave you wanting more?! Well, tune in next week for the thrilling next episode of My Little Pony: Friends in Time! 
Since Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time is one of my favourite RPG games ever, only natural that I would make a fanfiction revolving around it! And no, it doesn't follow the exact word-for-word plot as the rules of FIMfiction tell me not to do. I made sure to make it my own story while still basing it off this incredible and unusually dark game. You're welcome! 
Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, may time bring you fortune!
