Double Timeline: Count up Your Crimes

Inside a dimly lit scientist’s lab, a bi-spectacle greyish white furred unicorn mare with a sapphire blue with a dark blue stripe mane and matching tail stood in front of a table, the only space that wasn’t covered by apparatus and various liquids in beakers, as she concentrated on a pink rectangular crystal with a grey to black gradient with a pink jagged letter “P” in the middle and small, bone-like ridges surrounding the entire thing with a small button at the bottom. Taking a deep breath, she called forth her magic enveloping the crystal in a pale blue dome and it was a good thing she had shield it for black tendrils of electricity shot out never striking the same spot. Slowly the ridges began melting away while the crystal changed from pink to blue and as more of the corruption was purified, the onslaught of dark power increased. Paige allowed more magic to flow through her to combat the dark energy until at last she was looking at a blue crystal. Unlike the pink crystal, there was a black border surrounding a purple section with a blue tilted “H” in the middle. Near the bottom, the word “hope” could be seen next to a small button. “I… did it,” she panted and collapsed into a rolling chair feeling utterly drained. With her magic nearly depleted for now, she dropped the shield and admired the blue crystal, a smile on her face.

Without warning, alarms began screaming causing Paige to flatten her ears against her head before she rolled over to her desk where a computer sat. She wanted to use her magic but knew it would take time to recharge and she wanted to save it for an extreme emergency so she moved the mouse with her hoof and opened a security feed from one of the cameras feeling her blood run cold. In one of the hallways, at least thirty ironclad ponies marched in threes followed by a black earth stallion with a stone grey mane and tail and a rose color unicorn mare with a silver mane and matching tail. “Not good,” she muttered and began inputting a self-destruct command in, hating to destroy her lab but knew she had no choice.

One of the doors opened causing Paige to look up. “It’s bad, Paige, somehow Sombra’s army found the lab.” The stallion said in a panicked voice.

“If they haven’t already, tell everypony to evacuate. I’ll hold them off long as I can.” Paige told him and he nodded before quickly leaving and heading down the hallway. Turning back to the monitor, she pressed a few more buttons linking to another computer. “Sheryl, are you there?”

“Yes, Paige. What do you need?” Sheryl replied over the speakers.

“I sent Akuma to begin evacuating everypony. Before you go, please activate the time warp project.”

“You can’t be serious about using that!?”

“I might have to if I can’t regain enough magic to teleport.”

There was a couple seconds of silence before Sheryl came back on. “Very well. Best of luck to you.”

Paige pushed away from the desk before going over to a cabinet. Opening it, she pulled out a black briefcase before putting it on the table and opening it. Grabbing the blue crystal, she slid it into a slot beside an indigo one with a tilted “C” in the middle of the dark clear indigo color and black outline, along with a clear black and clear green crystal. Shutting the briefcase, she purposely knocked over a few chemicals and then galloped down the hall while carrying the briefcase in her mouth. Skidding to a stop, she saw several ironclad ponies blocking her way and cursed herself for not checking other video feeds in case there were more of them. Narrowing her eyes as they charged towards her, she fought them using every trick in the book that she knew until the group was down.

“Found you~” The unicorn mare giggled as she leisurely strolled into view from behind Paige, causing her to turn around. “Long time no see.”

“Would have been nice if it was longer, Lunar.” Paige muttered.

“Come now, is that anyway to treat an old friend?” Lunar used her magic to hold up a yellow rectangular crystal that looked identical to the pink one with the exceptions being that it was yellow and a jagged “F” on it. “Especially one that has this?” She pressed the button and “FEAR” sang from it. Taking it into a hoof, she pressed it against her fur where it sunk in causing her eyes to turn yellow. A black fur tight suit formed around her with a dull yellow line changing direction erratically though the suit had pieces missing and several frayed ends on it.

If Paige had been at full strength, she could go hoof to hoof with Lunar, but with the way she was feeling now, she doubted she could maintain a transformation for very long. Luckily for her, the chemicals combusted blowing the door off the wall forcing Lunar to jump back while Paige took off running. Finding the right hallway, she turned sharply and ducked into the room she need to be in only to be kicked off her feet and sent crashing into the wall as the stallion emerged from the shadows.

“Hello, Paige.” The stallion greeted. “How about a big, bone crushing hug?”

Paige sat up rubbing her head where it hit the wall instead of her horn. “Sorry, I’ll pass Onyx.” She stood up and fought to keep the blackness from over taking her.

“I think you have something that belongs to me.” Onyx Luck inquired.

“I don’t anymore. I ran into Lunar, how do you think I got away?”

Onyx’s eyes widen as he crossed the room quickly and slammed his hoof into the wall where her head had been had Paige not moved it. “Well, no matter, I’ll just get it back from her after I present you to King Sombra.” At that moment, there was a hum as the time warp project initiated and when Onyx looked over, Paige brought her leg up between his legs before scrambling out from under him as he went down.

A yellow beam shot by Paige before hitting the wall causing her to jump back. “Get up, Onyx. Or did you lose your tolerance for pain?”

“This is an universal pain that stallions can’t exactly trot it off.” Onyx replied as he stood up and held out a hoof to Lunar. “My crystal.”

“Don’t have it.” Lunar gave him a flat look. There wasn’t any time to do anything else as the first of several explosions blew causing them all to stumble.

Paige was the first to regain her footing and she turned to jump into the portal when two claws grabbed the sides of the brief case causing Paige to find herself staring at the skeleton of a Diamond Dog. Attempting to grind her teeth around the handle, it was near horizontal and her teeth were beginning to hurt when the claws shredded through the material sending the indigo, dark blue, purple and green crystals along with a red and silver object into the air. Using her magic, Paige quickly grabbed the five items as she stumbled across the threshold of the portal.

As the image of the Diamond Dog’s skeleton faded, Lunar threw a large silver bit towards the portal and was glad to see it pass through the threshold before she teleported Onyx and herself out of the exploding lab.

Paige blinked as she found herself on a cloud, before she promptly sunk through it and fell straight for the ground screaming as she tried to summon her magic but it seemed that it took the remaining bit to catch the crystals. Great. I survived that only to die now.

Blue Jay sighed as she finished delivering her last package of the day and was looking forward to stopping by Fine Brew’s Tea Room and Pub before going home when she heard a mare screaming. Looking up, she braced herself as Paige collided with her sending them both towards the ground and thinking quickly she managed to break their fall enough that it sent them rolling across the ground a bit instead of crashing. She was about to ask the unicorn if she was alright when she heard a roar followed by several ponies screaming. “What’s that?”

Paige looked up seeing a large Diamond Dog but this one radiant fear. “An acolyte of fear,” she told the pegasus and tried to stand up but her body gave out on her. Picking up the red, silver, and black object, she held in front of Blue Jay. “I need your help to fight that creature. But if this doesn’t work, then we’re going to die. So I ask; do you have the courage to ride with the devil?”