Second Universe: Here and Now

Chapters

Chapter one: Time will tell
Chapter two: Time to myself
Chapter three: Times of faith
Chapter four: Time to change
Chapter five: Time of mystery
Chapter six: Time of patience
Chapter seven: Time to ponder
Chapter eight: Chaotic times
Chapter nine: Timing is everything
Chapter ten: Limited time
Chapter eleven: Time of calmness
Chapter twelve: Time of knowledge
Chapter thirteen: Time to question
Chapter fourteen: Time of exploration
Chapter fifteen: Visions of time
Chapter sixteen: Horrible timing
Chapter seventeen: No time for nonsense

Chapter one: Time will tell

Let me ask you a question. If you knew when you were going to die, what would you do?

Would you try to live your final days to the fullest?

Would you search for a way to prevent your demise?

Or would you just hide away and cry, sealing yourself off from the world and wallowing in your own self pity?

Hello there, my name is Neo Rayleigh, but you can just call me Symbol, it's the name I choose to go by now. I don't know why I chose that name, but I felt that since I was starting a new life in a new world, I should start from scratch, starting with my name.

Yeah, I wasn't the happiest person on earth although that's not to say that I wasn't happy, I was, but I'm not gonna bore you with the details of my life, that's not what you're here for. No, you're here to hear a story, my story. The story of my quest to save my sister and stop the countdown to my death.

Now, the whole countdown thing didn't happen immediately, it was awhile before that actually happened.

I'm not going to explain how I got to Equestria in the first place, because firstly it's a waste of time and secondly I don't remember anything from the day I was taken from Earth. Now, normally when a guy ends up in Equestria he is either called or chooses to be called Anonymous, but as you can tell I wasn't going to go down that route.

Luna was the one to find me, laying unconscious in the Whitetail Woods while patrolling the land in search of someone experiencing a nightmare. Turns out, that someone was me. Now, I don't know exactly what made her take me back to Canterlot, but I wasn't about to question it, she saved me from freezing out there and fought off my nightmares.

When I finally woke up, I was more confused than freaked out when I had found out that I was in a world of magical talking ponies. To be honest, once I had been taken to see the new world around me, I actually found it beautiful, and since the ponies here had sentience and acted like humans there was no reason for me to act differently around them.

I've been staying around the castle, trying to get settled in with the help of the princesses, who had become good friends of mine in time. Not many ponies seem to consider the part of Celestia and Luna that acted like normal mares. From Celestia's playful and joking side to Luna's love of video games and interest in other cultures, which we spent a good few hours talking about. I'd tell her of some of earths cultures and in turn she'd tell me of the traditions of way back before the thousand years of peace.

Things were quiet, and that's something I'm grateful for. I've never really like busy places with lots of noise. I'm fine in places like shopping malls or schools, but that's because I'm usually around people I know, but if I'm alone in a busy street or other public places, even rooms filled with people I find myself shutting away and trying everything I could to get out of the situation. Damn sensory issues.

But, I'm getting sidetracked. It wasn't long before Celestia had invited her former pupil Twilight Sparkle and her friends to meet me, including a mare called Starlight Glimmer. After Celestia had managed to stop Twilight from poking and prodding at me in curiosity, we got introduced and talked over lunch where they told me of their adventures over the past year. I was suprised to hear that a seemingly peaceful world like this could have such demons and monsters, but I guess every world has to have its flaws, just like people and learn to grow through those flaws and become something better, with every monster or demon defeated the world gets that much brighter and another step is taken towards peace.

Do I miss my life on Earth? Of course I do, I've spent fourteen years on that planet, it's my home...well...was my home. The princesses and I quickly found out there was no way to send me back without knowing how I even got there, I don't even remember what had happened beforehand anyway.

I had taken time to get to know the mares in the group, I told Rarity what little I knew about human fashion, I talked with the shy Pegasus Fluttershy who warmed up to me as she figured out that my body was similar to an ape or monkey but didn't treat me as such, she was just more interested in my species in general as well as their relationship with animals...I made sure to keep away from the whole topic of eating meat and made sure to hide my canines while talking to her which was no easy task. Then I talked with Applejack, who I quickly took a liking to for her down to earth personality, reminding me of myself a bit. Next was Pinkie Pie, who had immediately tried to throw me a welcome to Equestria party, I wasn't going to turn down her kindness and asked to keep it to just the ponies I knew, which she agreed to.

At the party, I came across Rainbow Dash. She seemed to have a tomboyish feel to her, was alright to be around despite being slightly egotistical, but I saw the passion in her eyes as she explained her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. Then there was Twilight, she seemed to be the most curios out of the group of mares, asking me question after question about humans and earth, most I could answer but there were things I couldn't explain. Not for the lack of trying mind you, but there's only so much a fourteen year old can describe about the world. Granted I had taken an interest in the worlds politics and conflicts, be it with governments or equal rights movements which just seemed silly to me, not the concept but the actions of those involved.

I bring this up because from what I had learned so far everyone in Equestria was treated as equals...well, everywhere except Canterlot it seemed. I didn't care much for the nobles other than three that acted nothing like the others. They were Prince Blueblood, Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis. Rarity and company seemed to have bad blood with Blueblood though, I don't know why though, he seems like a decent enough guy. After the party he had explained to me that when he goes to social events he puts on a metaphorical mask and acts like the rest of the higher class ponies for Celestia and Luna, keeping up public appearances while they were busy. He didn't however explain why Rarity was so against him.

Most of my time I'm either wondering the castle looking for something to do or reading in the Canterlot Library, I had taken a liking to some of the romance novels they had. Sometimes I would sleep through the day to have energy for the night to spend some one on one time with Luna, either to play video games or explore the dream realm, which was an interesting experience to say the least.

I have yet to meet six other people that my friends want me to meet, Princess Mi Armore Cadenza who everyone calls Cadence but I still call Mi Amore, it just sounds better to me, if I kept saying Cadence when I met her I would be calling her Candy or something. The next two were her husband and child, Shining Armour and Flurry Heart. There were a number of jokes I could have made on the irony of Shining's name and what had happened so far in Equestria, but I decided against it. Flurry Heart interested me though from what I was told about her, maybe I should go up to the Crystal Empire to see her sometime.

Then there was Discord, the Spirit of Chaos. I wondered why they would want me to meet someone with a name that literally meant disharmony, but when I had questioned Celestia about it she had informed me that Fluttershy had reformed Discord, although there still were cases where it was hard to tell if he actually was on the ponies side or not. I figured out that a being like him would probably just do things for his own enjoyment, figured I'd stay away from him for as long as I could, at least until I had a better understanding of magic.

Starlight Glimmer was one, she had stayed in Ponyville while the group had come up to see me for some reason. I figured she was either busy or shy, so I just left it alone. I had learned from Applejack about Starlights equality scheme and learned of her motives through Twilight. While I felt that her reasons for robbing someone of their individuality weren't justified, I remembered that even if it wasn't a big deal from my standpoint, Starlight was the one that felt hurt and betrayed, so I didn't hold anything against her.

Lastly there was Spike the Dragon. From the unicorns to sprits of chaos, learning that there were dragons here wasn't all that surprising. From everyone I had been told about, I noticed that the majority were female. I figured it was just the friend group but quickly learned that the population of Equestria was mostly female, it's lucky a feminist wasn't brought here with me, who knows how they would react.

I had found a private spot for myself where I could think freely without interruption, a cliff that looked over the country located above Canterlot. I had found the route to the hidden area when I was exploring the Canterlot Gardens, behind a cluster of bushes a cave led upwards. Letting my curiosity get the best of me I began to explore the cave, coming out above the city on a small open area. I'd go there now and again to watch the sunset and think about my life and whatever else came to mind.

Mostly, I just think of my life on Earth. I was an orphan, the only person that I had left was my sister, who had gone missing two years before I arrived here. There was no sign of her, no clues, no information or leads, the search by the authorities didn't last long before it was shut down.

Sometimes, Celestia and Luna would sit beside me while they set the sun and raised the moon. In time, I accepted that my life was here, an accepted Celestia and Luna as my new family. Celestia was a mother figure while Luna was like a sister.

All in all, I had it pretty good. Good food, good company and a good mind-set.

I just wish it could have stayed that way.

Author's Note

To celebrate my one year anniversary on Fimfiction, I'm rebooting my first story with a new storyline and characters. Please feel free to point out any mistakes, it will help me greatly.

If you want, you can see the original Second Universe here. Word of warning, it's not the best in terms of quality as it was the story that I started when I just arrived on this website. I've improved since then and I want to show it with this.

Chapter two: Time to myself

With the amount of time I've spent with both Celestia and Luna it's no wonder a string bond was made. We trusted each other, we ere there for each other and we always spent time together. Up until a few months into my life in Equestria at least one of the sisters was always close by, so when they both had to leave for a royal gathering in a foreign land I was left to my own devices, with neither of them within close proximity. I could take care of myself, there's no questioning that, but those two were the only ones that I was re ally close with.

Sure there was Blueblood, but he was busy keeping up public appearances, the last time I had tried to join him in one of his parties everyone thought I was his pet or some kind of freak, it's safe to say I didn't want to go through that again, the only reason I was able to get through it was because Blue, Fancy and Fleur were there to help me through it.

I still have a few friends around the castle, some of the maids are pretty friendly and like to talk, some of the guards are pleasant enough and the chefs are always willing to give me cooking lessons whenever they're available. Although they aren't really close friends like Celestia and Luna, it looked as if I was just going to have to keep myself entertained while they were gone.

I could have gone to visit Twilight and everyone in Ponyville, but there were still things I had to do around the castle like making sure the maids stayed out of the cookie jars and cake stands. Hey, someone's gotta do it. The second I take my eyes off a maid named Glowing Heart she's always trying to swipe a few chocolate chip cookies from the princesses personal stash, if too many went missing they'd notice. I won't lie, I took a few out of those stashes myself. Truck is to make sure you can replace the cookies you steal before anyone can notice.

With nothing to do I went to the place that I went to when o needed to think, my spot on the mountain side. Staring out at the open landscape helps to calm my nerves. I may be able to take care of myself, but I don't like being too far away from those I care about after my parents died and my sister went missing, so I had developed a few abandonment issues of the years. So, I just sat with my knees hugged close to my chest while I looked up at the sky, taking in slow breaths as I tried to rid myself of negative emotions.

Sure Luna could visiting me in my dreams if she so wished, but we had learned pretty quickly that it was extremely difficult fir her to enter my dream world, as my energy wasn't tied to Equestrias magical environment or something, there were a few confusing words squad in the explanation. So whenever she tried to enter my dreams it took a lot out of her, and she needs her energy for the other ponies in Equestria and for the meetings at the gathering, I didn't want her to push herself.

It's strange, back on earth I was perfectly fine with being left alone, but for some odd reason I was having these feelings. What happened to me when I was brough here? Or was it that these ponies have had such a huge influence on me it's changed my personality slightly? I didn't know the answer then and I don't know it now. My time here has just been one huge rollercoaster of emotions.

I just sat there, as if I was waiting for something interesting to happen or for something to fall out of the sky, whatever would take my mind off my emotions. Unfortunately for me nothing happened, everything was peaceful. If was at that point that I had stared to grow hungry, and that was something I could use to distract myself.

So, I made my way down the small tunnel to the Canterlot Gardens, ready to head towards the kitchens when all of a sudden I heard rustling in the trees. I stopped to look around, everything had gone quiet. I would have just walked away like nothing ever happened, but I had figured out early on that this world was full of clichés. I knew the second I walked away whoever or whatever was in the trees would poke their head out and quickly run away.

With that thought in mind I slowly turned away and began to walk back towards the castle, hearing the leaves shift again before the sound of hoofsteps could be heard, growing fainter as the one watching me ran away. I merely rolled my eyes and made a mental note to be on the lookout for anything strange, although with how weird Equestria was it was difficult to see strange things as anything other than the norm.

Well, it was something else to focus on anyway, and for that I was thankful. If it's some kind if group looking to kidnap me there are hundreds if not thousands of guards about the castle and Canterlot so I think it would been seen. Surprisingly the military here was just awful, the soldiers and guards could hardly handle themselves. It took awhile, but I had managed to convince Celestia to give more funding towards the training that the guards recieved so that they could actually stop a threat and not be total cannon fodder.

If it was just some curious foals or full grown ponies I'd be fine with it, I figured that it was most likely the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the trees, they do tend to just kind of show up with some crazy scheme to have fun or whatever else their little imaginative brains could think up.

There was no need to call out to whoever was running, so I just kept walking until I reached the back entrance of the castle. I opened the did before taking one last look outside before slipping inside. Personally I was just glad that something might actually happen. I had heard the stories of the beings the ponies have faced before, while interested in the subject I wouldn't want to come face to face with the likes of Tirek.

There was still the uncomfortable feeling of being watched of course, but I was sure that whatever was talking me wasn't anything dangerous.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you spot any errors please feel free to point them out.

Chapter three: Times of faith

A few days had passed by, soon it would be time for Celestia and Luna to return to Canterlot. I still felt as though something was watching me, whatever was on the trees a few days ago has obviously stuck around. I had mentioned it to the guards who promised they'd keep a lookout for anyone that seemed suspicious, and I had faith in them now more than I did when I first arrived here. Guess their extended training programs did them good, I could tell that they were more confident and some were even more muscular than before, I figured their mares at home were pleased by that fact.

Something that I did notice though was that in society it seemed that there was far more mares than stallions. That wasn't by any means a bad thing, but I found it interesting. I wasn't surprised to find out that same sex marriages were accepted here all across the land. Definitely better than what was going on with earth, but I know that humans are slowly improving on that. Guess without religion there wasn't much to get in the way of things other than societal standards. I knew their were religious groups on Gaia, but from what I have learned so far there doesn't see, to be anything in their faiths that gets in the way of progress and development.

There were a few religions that fascinated me once I had heard about them. One of which was the Followers of Galaxia. That name though, Galaxia, that was what had triggered my curiosity. It sounded as if it was somehow related to Celestia and Luna, so I decided to ask them about it. Turns out, it's the name of their mother. After learning this fact I had begun to look further into this religious following, and it was very interesting to learn about.

All the records of her showed that she was quite the powerful alicorn, being the original princess of the moon before passing away and giving the title to her daughter Luna. No matter how deep I looked there was no records of how a being like herself passed on, there was speculation that she felt she had lived long enough and decided to leave the world of the living voluntarily, and to be honest I believe that too. Any immortal being will eventually grow tired of existing, it's inevitable.

Being like that could live for billions upon billions of years and nothing would change for them, eventually things would enter a vicious cycle of repetition, just the same thing for all eternity. Kind of sad really. Oh well, I guess that's just how the universe works. Or in this case how the multiverse works. I had learned from Celestia that there were many planes of existence which could be easily reached with the right spells. However she had told me that this world was sealed off from the multiverse on accounts of the many powerful evil doers that could enter our world.

Yeah, I think I'll just keep far away from anything to do with interdimensional travel for now, I've already went through it and I'm happy with the world I've got right now, thank you very much.

Another one taht interested me was a group that was seemingly lost through the passage of time and its members far and few. It was oddly named too, and kind of reminded me of a certain movie franchise back on earth. The Cult of the Rings. Yeah, I raised a brow at the name the first time too. Apparently it was formed by members of a movement known as The Order of Tranquility, which was dissolved after the creation of the cult. They believed that one day some great disaster would fall upon Equestria due to a power entity after having visions given to them by linking with a rift in the magical leylines of Equestria, and were put in charge of preventing this catastrophe.

So, they crafted two magical rings, which were more like wrist bands from their size, that would suppress the magical powers of the being wearing them, which would weaken the powerful entity. It seemed as if Celestia herself had supported the group at one time, but as time went on nothing happened other than the rise of Nightmare Moon, and that was dealt with using the elements of harmony. So I guess they believed that the great evil was dealt with and moved on. Apparently, a few still worried about it. One of which was one of the cults leaders, a stallion named Vector Lulamoon.

He had documented every stage of the cults development and the events after the groups numbers faded, and the visions he kept reciving afterwards. However, I couldn't find the records anywhere. After looking through most of the books again I found a hidden note stating that the documents were in Vectors journals that were scattered across Equestria.

I wasn't up for a fetch quest, so I just left it alone. I had more important things to deal with, like trying to find something to do.

Back to the more recent times. As I awaited Celestia and Luna's return, I had stumbled upon a certain pony that I had been meaning to meet for awhile. Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence as she likes to be called by her friends and family. She had come up to check on Canterlot and make sure everything was in order, also her husband wanted to come by and check up on the guards.

She was shocked at my appearance first, can't say I blame her, but she had quickly composed herself and greeted me with a warm, caring smile. She introduced herself to me in a very friendly manner, bringing me into a hug shortly after giving her my name, which wasn't unwelcome. I liked getting affection from the friendly ponies, hell a lot of the times I sleep with a bed full of the maids, guards, chefs and other castle staff in a large cuddle pile with those that stay at the castle.

She asked me if I'd join her on a walk through the castle grounds, having not much else to do I agreed, also wanting to get to know this pony some more. As we walked and talked we eventually reached the gardens. I was about to start explaining how dating and marriages worked on earth when I got that feeling again, of being watched. I stopped and looked around, listening closely for anything that sounded strange.

I heard rustling in the leaves of a nearby tree, as well as two hushed voices. With the tree being relatively small I shook it slightly but gradually began to increase the strength put into it. Eventually I heard to ponies falling out of the leaves and hitting the ground with a very, very quiet thump. I quickly ran around the tree and found the ones who were spying on me and my guest.

And I was not expecting what I found.

Author's Note

Yep, cliffhanger.

Feel free to point out any mistakes I made, and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Chapter four: Time to change

I stared at the creatures that lay before me, any sense of danger washed away by my curiosity. They looked like ponies but...different. Like they were some form of insect crossed with a pony. I had heard of Changelings while researching the many demonic and powerful beings in this world. If I remember correctly there was a chapter about these creatures along with information on their leader, Queen Chrysalis.

I saw pictures of the changeling drones that had invaded Canterlot, as well as photos of their queen, but these two seemed to be different. They were slightly smaller than a normal drone and instead of green as their secondary colours one had red while the other had blue. Their eyes were like Chrysalis' but with their own colours. Their manes were styled similarly to the queens, but much shorter and slightly more styled. They had the normal insect-like wings only with their colours and their bodies were still black and clearly female.

The two of them just looked up at me with curiosity and a slight sense of fear if their shaking was anything to go by. Their horns looked to be like how a normal unicorn horn would look instead of a curved spike. I turned to Cadence who was glaring at the changelings. Clearly she did not like seeing them, but from what the changelings had done to her and the rest of Canterlot I'm not surprised.

These two looked lost and confused, they were young too, if I let Cadence have at them they wouldn't stand a chance. Sure, Cadence is very loving and sweet, but when she gets angry it's best to stay as far away as possible, otherwise it would be as of hell had opened a gateway into this world from what I had been told from Celestia and Luna, the guards and Twilight. So, keeping this in mind, I stepped between her and the confused changelings.

I leaned down and got onto one knee, making sure to be at a less threatening height. This seemed to help a little bit as they appeared to ease up slightly. I then spoke to them softly and calmly, greeting them and introducing myself in a nurturing tone, trying to calm them down. This seemed to work. The one with the blue colours was the first to introduce herself, telling me that her name was Zeri. After Zeri had spoken, the red one had built up the courage to talk. She told me her name was Wasp. I figured at least one of them would be named after an insect.

After talking to them for a few more moments, making sure to stay with a calming tone, I had managed to calm them down after explaining that I wouldn't hurt them. As the calmed down, I asked them one simple question. I asked them why they had been spying on me. Of course I didn't get an immediate answer from them, they were still a little shy and nervous. Eventually, they came clean.

Apperantly they had left their hive after the defeat of Chrysalis, who had grown crueler and power hungry, causing the two changelings to flee out of fear of being randomly punished. As they wandered they had found their way into Canterlot and were able to sneak past the guards. Once they were in they disguised themselves as small animals in the gardens until they could find somewhere to stay. They had stumbled upon me one day and took interest in me, as they had never seen a creature like myself before. So they stayed hidden, observing me from a distance out of sheer curiosity.

Over time they had been getting closer and closer to further observe me whenever they could, finding me interesting and strange. They were still young and their curiosity had gotten the better of them, that was understandable. While I looked past that I still told them off for spying on others and invading my privacy, but still kept my voice as gentle as possible. I looked back to Cadence, who seemed to be calming down as I talked to Zeri and Wasp.

After asking the two a few more questions I was able to confirm that they were friendly and posed no danger to myself or the ponies. They had been living off of the love energy in the air that was generated by the ponies of this world and their love or other positive emotions. So, with them being confirmed as friendly and with no risk of them kidnapping someone to drain them of their love, I turned to Cadence and reassured her that everything was ok.

She was reluctant at first, but she trusted my word and gave one warning to the changelings before turning around and walking into the castle through one of the lathe gold plated doors. I didn't try to get her to stay, nor did I say anything as she walked off. I knew that she still had a grudge against changelings and she had left to avoid causing conflict if she were to let her emotions get out of hand.

So, having something to do at last, I sat down with my legs crossed and just talked with the twin changelings. It was the same basic rundown as for when I ever met someone new. They would ask me questions about my species and home world and I'd do my best to answer any questions about earth that I didn't really know the answer to. After awhile I began to feel hungry, and apperantly so did those two. As I stood up I told them to follow me, offering them a place to stay at the castle since there was plenty of room and I could use more company.

They happily took my offer and buzzed their suprisingly strong wings to float up before hugging my torso. As they did, they unintentionally began to absorb some of the love energy in my body. I allowed them to do so, as they weren't taking anything that couldn't regenerate. They realised what they were doing quickly and jumped off of me. I told them it was fine and that if they were still hungry that they could siphon more if need be.

This time, they both latched onto my shoulders with their front hooves while their back legs just kind of dangled behind me. Their torsos were hugged close to my back to keep them supported. Their heads just poked over my shoulders as they hung there comfortably. They were suprisingly light, not weighting more than a slightly heavy pack pack with their combined weight. Looking at a nearby puddle, I saw our reflection and what we looked like while they hung onto my shoulders like that.

From that day onward, anytime they were going anywhere with me, they would latch onto my shoulders, even in random social situations. I had to reassure the guards as we passed them and sent word about the castle staff so that the castle employees would not be frightened. After making sure they were secure, I walked back into the castle with my two new friends on my shoulders.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Feel free to point out any mistakes I had made in the comments.

Chapter five: Time of mystery

The sense of loneliness had left me once Wasp and Zeri had perched themselves onto my shoulders. Turns out that they could tell a lot about me and my personality while absorbing my love energy. I knew the stuff would naturally generate again, so I wasn't worried about being drained. Plus, they were small and there was only two of them, so it wasn't long before they had their fill and we're smiling happily with full stomachs that would last a few days. They were curious as to why I had so many different emotions at the same time, as the ponies of this world only seem to experience one or a few at the same time. I told them it was just a human thing and that I tend to think about a lot of things at once, causing many mixed emotions to come into play.

This only sparked their interests as they began asking me more and more questions about things they couldn't learn through love absorption. Since it wasn't complicated questioning and was just out of innocent curiousity I answered all of their questions happily, they only wanted to learn more about me is all, no reason to fault them for that.

There were a few stares from the castle staff which made me both uncomfortable and slightly angry at the same time. The ponies, from what I've heard and seen, aren't very accepting of other species, always going off of stereotypes and rumours. I was an exception since no one had seen a human before so there was nothing to go on, they had to learn from what I myself did around them. I made a mental note to bring up this issue with Celestia when she got back.

Speaking of Celestia, I was told that both her and Luna would be returning the following day. This news brought a smile to my face as I thought of seeing them again. Wasp and Zeri took notice of my love replenishing quickly after hearing this news. When they asked me about my relationship with the princesses I told them that they were like my family and they were the ones I was closest to in this world, they seemed to understand.

With that thought in mind I continued on with my day. I sat down on a large pillow in the Canterlot library while taking a book from one of the shelves to read. Wasp and Zeri began to explore the nearby areas, keeping within close proximity of me at all times in case a pony were to see them. They hadn't fully developed their shape shifting abilities so it was hard to disguise themselves.

The book I had taken was another history book, this one appearing to have more information on the Cult of the Rings and the Order of Tranquility, who I had been taking an interest in lately, trying to learn as much as I possibly could about them with the limited information the library had on them. This book seemed to have a focus on the topic of time and certain events that the Cult and Order had predicted would happen at some point in the future.

Vector Lulamoon was mentioned again, this time though, it was different. It told that Vector began having visions, far different to those of the rest of the Cult of the Rings. He saw his own clearer visions of the future, visions he refused to share with the Cult and Order. He betrayed both parties and took all of his research with him, scattering it in his journals around Equestria to avoid some great disaster. It didn't say what that disaster was, but it did say that after that Vector went into hiding before settling down and having a foal, starting new journals containing even more information on his visions all yet to be found, most likely passed down through his family's blood line, although the members of the family had refused to reveal any sort of information on the subject for centuries.

This guy was really interesting me at that point, there seemed to be something about him that was keeping my mind on this cult business and giving me a desire to learn more to uncover the secrets that he had hidden away. Of course, that would mean a lengthy adventure around Equestria and most likely beyond in other lands, and that wasn't going to happen, not at that point anyway, perhaps when I became more independent or when I reached the age of 18 I could go on that journey to uncover the secrets of the Cult and Order.

When I took my eyes off the book I noticed that Zeri was napping on my head while Wasp was on my lap, I hadn't noticed them because of their weight and my focus being entirely on the pages of the book.

The sight of them curled up melted my heart, their cuteness factor on amplified by their breathing. I didn't want to distrub them so I gently lifted Zeri off of my head and put her onto my chest where she began to snuggle in. I lay back on the pillow and closed my eyes, letting the warmth of the two small changelings sooth me.

There I lay in an adorable sight with my new companions that I was quickly becoming attached to. Suddenly, Blueblood walked up to me and looked to Wasp and Zeri in confusion and caution. I reassured him and explained how I came across the two. He understood and gave us our privacy, informing the guards to not let anyone near that section of the library unless it was an emergency. For that I was thankful, now no one could disturb us.

As I closed my eyes again my mind wandered back to Vector Lulamoon and the other things I had learned about through the books in the library. There was just something...off...about what was written. It was worrying but somehow attractive at the same time. There was just this drive to learn more, to search more and to find more.

Maybe there was something I wasn't seeing, maybe it was just my curiosity getting the better of me or maybe it was just that interesting. I didn't know, I should have known, but I didn't.

There were so many things I had yet to discover about this world and its creatures. But I would soon learn that Equestria had a far darker side to it...

Author's Note

Enjoy the new chapter.

Also, there are now readings of this story on YouTube. Check this blog to see the current videos

Chapter six: Time of patience

As I lay half asleep in the library after my nap, I felt something small poke the side of my face. I was too tired to do anything as I was still trying to waken myself up. I felt another poke, this time on my cheek. I groaned slightly in an effort to show that I was no pleased with whatever was happening. After a few moments nothing happened, I assumed whoever was poking me had left and I returned to my rest undisturbed. That is until I felt rapid poking from my chest and face from what seemed to be two pairs of thing hooves. I immediately knew what was going on.

Slowly I opened my eyes to see Wasp by my face and Zeri on my chest, both rapidly poking me with their front hooves with annoyed expressions on their faces, which I couldn't take seriously as it was too much of an adorable sight. Once they realised I had shed my eyes they stopped and both sat on my chest while looking at me. I asked them why they were so determined to get me to wake up, not too happy that my rest was disturbed.

They both pointed to Cadence who had walked into the library. Wasp and Zeri jumped off of my chest to allow me to sit up and talk to the alicorn. I made sure I was between the changelings and mare before asking what she wanted. She asked me to follow her to the gardens, informing me that Celestia and Luna would be arriving soon. I guess I had slept longer than I had originally thought, would explain why it was so hard to waken myself. This news brought a small smile to my face as I got up and began to follow Cadence out of the library, the two changelings floating up and latching onto my shoulders once again.

Cadance remained silent as we walked through the halls, probably trying to keep herself from saying anything about my new companions. The situation was awkward for me, considering I was standing between what I figured where natural born enemies. Beings that fed off of love and the Princess of Love, not a great mixture to be honest, but there was no way around it and I wasn't about to tell either parties to leave the area. Cadence would just have to suck it up and deal with it, which she was already doing but I could tell that she wanted to say a lot to these two. Hopefully Cadence would open up to them, although I couldn't see that happening in the near future, perhaps some time on the farther future.

In any case, we reached the gardens after a few minutes of walking. The sight of all the different flowers and statues along the sides of the path and on the large arches of grass filled me with a sense of peace, surrounded by nature in a beautiful display. I looked to Cadence to see that the sight had managed to bring a smile to her face too. At least she wasn't frowning.

I sat down on a nearby bench with Wasp and Zeri choosing to sit on my lap. A butterfly landed on Wasps nose, causing the changeling to remain still as Zeri tilted her head and watched the butterfly closely with interest and curiousity. I just chuckled at the sight and ruffled their manes gently, only to watch them fall back into their usual shape. These ponies had to be using some kind of special shampoo or something.

So, we all just sat there waiting for the two princesses to return. Cadence sat a little bit down from us, I really hoped to close that distance between her and my new friends as soon as possible. It would make things easier and maybe even improve how she saw changelings, they weren't bad, they only did what they needed to do to survive, the only one that was evil was their queen. I really think she should have tried negotiating with Equestria to share the love and land so that they could coexist with the ponies instead of trying her hoof at a hostile takeover, because all that did was create tension.

There wasn't anything I could do at that moment in time, so I just kept to myself as I watched the skies, waiting to see my closest friends flying down to meet us. Wasp and Zeri were a little concerned over what Celestia and Luna would do when they meet them. I assured them that I would interfere if things got heated during their meeting and that I would do my best to help the sister accept them. They trusted my word and nuzzled into my chest for comfort.

I could see Cadence crack a smile at the sight before turning away in an attempt to hide it. As I was about to speak to her Zeri tapped my chest and pointed up to the sky. Upon looking up my smile widened as I saw Celestia and Luna off in the distance. Wasp and Zeri hid behind a bush until they knew it was safe to come out. A few minutes later they landed in front of us with huge smiles on their faces. Not even a second later they rushed forward to bring me into a hug, which I happily returned.

They wrapped their hooves around me before Luna hugged me with her wings, then Celestia hugging us both in hers. To anyone watching us, it was a display of how close we were. I learned early on that these two did not wish to marry a stallion as they would outlive them by thousands of years, so they would never have children, so when I came into the picture it gave them something they thought they could never have. Sure, they'd outlive me, and I wouldn't be classed as a child much longer, but it still gave them something they both wanted. Celestia is a natural born mother figure, treating her subjects like her children, it was why she had grown so close to Twilight and now me, it gave her a chance at being a proper parental figure. Luna once had a foal with a stallion before she became an alicorn, whom she unfortunately lost to the passage of time, but that was all I was told about that certain point in time.

As the two sisters released me from their loving grasp, they immediately spotted Wasp and Zeri poking their heads over the bush. This was not going to be easy to explain. Before they walked over to the changelings I saw something hidden under Luna's wing with a tag with my name on it...

...a pocket watch.

Author's Note

So now Celestia and Luna are back, and the watch has come into the equation. Things are getting interesting

Please point out any mistakes I may have made.

Chapter seven: Time to ponder

A few days had passed since Celestia and Lunahad returned, Cadence had gone back to the Crystal Empire on the same day, but promised to return for a certain event coming up. For the most part, Celestia and Luna accepted Wasp and Zeri, however they were understandably concerned, Celestia more so than Luna, considering Luna hadn't been there during the invasion of Canterlot. It didn't take long for Celestia's motherly side to take hold as she realised they were young, seeking to comfort them as they felt slightly frightened of both princesses, running and hiding behind my legs.

Over these few days, they've become a bit used to the princesses. They never left my side, anytime I went somewhere they followed. Of course they let me have alone time and respected my privacy, but for the majority of my days they were always there, either clinging to my shoulders or close by side by side. It was nice having them around, they were good company.

At that moment in time I was sitting in the Canterlot gardens under the shade of a parasol. A small table to my side as I relaxed in the sunbed I had brought out from the pool area. On the table beside me sat a bottle of cola, one of the books detailing the Cult of the Rings and a pair of sunglasses. I looked over to see Wasp and Zeri laying almost unconscious while breathing heavily, their bodies wet after having water thrown over them. I had tried to warn them to stay out of the sun on a warm day like that, but they didn't listen, and they payed the price for it.

I sighed as I took a sip of my drink, thankful that the ponies had such a drink in the first place. I had been delving more and more info the Cult and Order, especially things involving Vector Lulamoon. So far I wasn't able to find out anything noteworthy other than a few marked locations on a map inside one of the books, revealing the locations of some of the Cults temples. Other than that there wasn't much else left to learn from the book I was reading, it was time to move onto another, if the library even contained another book with information on the two groups that is. I figured Celestia and Luna would know so I planned to ask them at a more appropriate time whenever they weren't busy.

It's was likely that I'd have to start searching for those hidden journals soon if I wanted to continue researching these guys, but that could wait. At that moment I was focused on something else, that pocket watch that Luna had under her wing. When I asked her what she had hidden she refused to tell me and told me to wait and see. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal, since I knew what she's probably saving it for later that week. My birthday was coming up, and both Celestia and Luna wanted to celebrate it. I had no real reason to, considering the day was also the birthday of my deceased twin sister, it only really served as a reminder of the times we shared. However, the princesses were determined to make sure I enjoyed myself. So they began making preparations for a small gathering to celebrate that day of my birth.

I told her to keep it to only ponies I knew, although that will involve nearly all the castle staff including the gaurds. To make sure the castle was still secure Celestia had planned a schedule for the gaurds, half of them would attend the party at one time while the others patrolled the castle, halfway through the party they would all switch. That was all I knew about the preparations, but to be honest I'm grateful that I I didn't know anything else. Not because it would ruin the suprise, but because it would distract me from thinking about something else.

That something was the watch. For some reason when I saw it, something felt off. I didn't know why, all I knew was that when I caught sight of it my heart stopped for a very brief moment, something wasn't right with it, but I'd have to wait until I actually recieved it to know. It's not life Luna would have brough me some cursed object or anything, she's smarter than that and she can sense those types of t hugs with her magic, so that was off the table.

I was starting to realise that my peaceful life in Canterlot was slowly changing. I knew that in this type of world the peace wouldn't last, but I never expected it to change in the ways it did. Researching cults, taking care of two changelings, feelings of insecurity among other things that would come into play at a later date. I knew that it wouldn't be long before something happened that would bring an end to the peace, given this worlds connection to clichés. So I was intent on enjoying it for as long as I could. So I relaxed in my chair once more, took a large sip of my cola and closed my eyes, sighing as I began to take my mind off of those types of things.

However, I got that feeling of being watched, so I immediately turned to Wasp and Zeri, who were still cooling off under the shade. The feeling began to change, it still felt like I was being watched, but it felt far more intrusive and personal. I looked around trying to find whoever it was. My sights fell on a dark shaded area in the trees, where I spotted what I could only make out as a humanoid silhouette standing in the shadows. I saw its eyes glow red for a moment before it slipped into the shadows and disappeared.

I just sat there, staring into the shadows, both confused and disturbed. Just who was that? Why were they shaped like a human? Why were they spying in me? These were on,y a few of the questions I was asking. And none of those questions had a pleasant answer.

Author's Note

Getting into the plot territory now and things are getting interesting.

Also, if anyone has read the original, you should have some idea over who that figure is.

Chapter eight: Chaotic times

Ever since I saw that figure in the shade, nothing has felt right. I know it's still there, I know it's still watching. Even Celestia and Luna admitted to feeling uneasy about something. Whatever that humanoid figure was, it most definitely was not friendly. I knew I'd have to deal with some kind of monster eventually, but I never expected it to be like this. It wasn't like some beast, it wasn't like some demon from Tartarus that had escaped to cause havoc. No, the feeling I got from being watched by this creature was something more.

For some reason, that figure seemed familiar. Not like I had seen it before, but like I knew what it was but at the same time I didn't. The more I thought about it the more confused I became. Eventually, I just stopped thinking about it, there would be a time where I would eventually find my answers, I just had to wait. Besides, there were other things to worry about and focus on, like my birthday party that would take place the following day.

Wasp and Zeri were nervous about attending, given that they couldn't really create pony disguises that well, but could turn into small animals and insects just fine. They were still young and a little underdeveloped in terms of their natural powers, it would come with practice. Celestia hoped that the party would be a pleasant distraction from the unpleasant atmosphere amused by that silhouette, and I hoped so too. I was looking forward to seeing all the ponies again, it had been awhile since I had last seen Twilight and her friends. Perhaps she's bring Starlight Glimmer with her so that I can finally meet her.

While I was pondering who would be attending my thoughts came to a certain individual that Celestia had told me about, and said individual happened to appear the second I thought of his name. Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony, rose out of the ground in front of me and glared down with glowing red eyes. He looked like some kind of furry OC maker gone wrong but somehow right at the same time. I had a feeling nothing about this guy was going to make sense, so I wouldn't try to look for any kind of explanation regarding his appearance or actions.

I wasn't affected by his glare, mostly because I knew he wouldn't be a danger and that he just wasn't scary looking. He caught on fast enough and frowned as the glow in his eyes ceased, frowning at me in disappointment. After making what I could only assume was some kind of old reference that I couldn't make any sense of, he began floating around me, analysing me and stroking his small beard in thought.

Once he was done looking me over he asked me what my species was and what we were for while he summoned some kind of folding chair, sat down in it and summoned a glass of chocolate milk, only to drink the glass while the milk remained still. I told him what I was and told him that humans have no clear purpose, we're just kind of there and it's up to us to shape our own futures. Granted, most just tend to follow a crowd and don't try to follow their dreams due to financial limitations or lack of motivation, but a good deal of humans do achieve their dreams while keeping stable lives.

He then asked what humans have done in history and recent events. For a spirit of chaos I was suprised to find him so interested in me and my species, from what I knew he wasn't one for sitting still for too long without causing mischief. But he just sat there and listened, I could only guess that he never expected to find something he knew nothing about and was intent on learning as much as he could. I just hoped to whatever deity was watching over me that he wouldn't try to claw his way into the human world or try to create clones of me or something like that.

I told him what I knew about my planets history, including the wars and advancements in technology. As I finished talking he laughed, saying something about us being a chaotic race in between his laughter. I couldn't completely disagree, so I shrugged it off and asked him what he really wanted from me.

His laugher ceased as he lowered himself to the ground and looked me dead in the eye. He then said that he could possibly return me to the human world with his powers. This made me stop for a moment, due to both shock and slight confusion. He told me that he has torn holes in reality to other universes before, and was wondering if I'd like to be returned to where I was born.

To my own suprise, I immediately turned down his offer. I knew there was much I needed to do here, I knew that my life was here. There was nothing for me back on earth, I didn't even consider it home anymore. My home was in Equestria, that much I knew. He looked at me for a moment before shrugging, saying it was my choice and it really didn't matter to him what I chose, he was just curious as to what my answer would be. Before I could say anything more he began to float up into the air, telling me I'd see him at the party before he snapped his fingers and vanished.

The next day was they day of the party. The main dance hall had been decorated with blue and black coloured decorations to match my clothes' colour scheme, a few tables were set up with different kinds of foods, treats and drinks on them and the ponies I knew were all spread out either taking with each other or enjoying the food or dancing to the music that was being played my a group of four ponies, one of which I recognised as Octavia Melody, who I had met briefly one day when she was performing in the castle. The guards ponies were there too, sticking to the schedule that was set to allow them all to attend.

Wasp and Zeri were hidden up on the ceiling as small Insects, I couldn't tell what kind they were too tiny to really see. I got a few hugs from the ponies I was close to, as well as a big hug from the Royal sisters. A few presents were set up on one of the tables. Not a lot, just a few which I was glad for, made it easier to manage and would make each gift more special.

While I was walking over to a table to grab a muffin I bumped into someone and almost fell on my backside, but managed to steady my balance. I apologised to the stallion who I had never seen before, he was a unicorn with bright white fur and a long, slick, brown mane. His eyes were also brown and his mark seemed to be a grandfather clock with gears sticking out of its sides. At first I wondered why he was there, considering that I specifically told Pinkie and Celestia that I only really wanted ponies I had met, but didn't want to appear rude so I introduced myself.

Once my name was given he looked at me strangely before giving me his name and walking off. Something about his name just gave me a weird feeling, like there was something wrong with him that I just couldn't figure out, it was close to the feeling I had gotten from that silhouette.

Clockwork...

Author's Note

Things are starting to get really serious now, almost into the main story.

If you spot any errors please feel free to point the, out, it will help me a huge deal.

Chapter nine: Timing is everything

Considering my past experiences with the nobles of Canterlot, I wouldn't say I was suprised that a few had bribed their way into the party. I think they believed it was some kind of really important social event that only the people with the highest authority or status could enter. They were only there to try to get close to royalty or higher nobles, and boy were they suprised when Celestia or Luna personally escorted them out of the party and dumped them outside of the castle grounds. Granted they only really noticed them when one screamed in disgust at the sight of me and demanded to know why I was at the gathering, and I took immense satisfaction in seeing the shock on her face when she figured out what the event actually was.

When the first noble had been caught, Wasp and Zeri flew down into my shoulder as small flies and asked if I was ok. It did hurt my feelings at first, but I knew not to take any of them seriously, and so did the princesses. All worlds have their positives and negatives, snobs and demons bring this worlds negatives. I didn't let that little incident distract me from having a good time, thus was the first birthday party I really ever had, any other birthday I had previously was just me and my sister sharing a cupcake we managed to buy and giving each other small gifts like a little toy or something. But there was one gift that my sister had given me that I still had with me, one that I head close to my heart.

A necklace. Made of a black wire and a silver medallion in the shape of a swirling sun. She had made two, the other having a four pointed star medallion instead. She made me promise to keep it close, to keep it safe, so that if we were ever apart, she'd be there with me. I hardly ever wore it, but I always kept it on my person. After looking around I sighed and pulled the necklace out of my shirt pocket. I kissed it and quietly whispered happy birthday to my fallen sister before wrapping it around my neck. I instantly felt a warm, protective presence around me. It seemed that any stress that I had momentarily washed away as I placed the medallion close to my heart.

It was a welcomed sensation, one that suprised me but kept me calm for the next minute or two until eventually the stress came back. I was always stressed out about things, bit I was always able to mask it well. Most of the time I was able to fool Celestia and avoid talking about it with her, but Luna could never be fooled by my metaphorical mask. She would either pry it out of me or go into my dreams to find out for herself. While I saw it as an invasion of privacy at first, when she actually took steps to help me through them I forgave her. I can't stop her, she does it out of love and these ponies seem to have very different rules when it comes to privacy and personal space.

When I was about to reach for a cupcake I felt someone tap my shoulder, I looked back to see Celestia and Luna standing behind me with smiles on their faces, telling me it was time for some birthday cake. This managed to get me to give a small smile as I followed the two over to a large table where a large rectangular box lay. The sisters used their magic to lift the box to reveal a huge chocolate cake with fifteen candles lined up at the front with the words "Happy Birthday Symbol" writen in orange flavoured icing.

The cake seemed to be big enough so that everyone was able to have a slice. The two sisters gave me a hug as they all sang happy birthday to me. I'll admit, a tear managed to roll down my cheek at that moment. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who cared about me, that wanted me to be there, celebrating the day of my birth. It was almost too much. I blew out the candles as Luna wiped the tear off my cheek. I just wished my sister could have been there at that moment, but I was damn well glad she wasn't there for what would follow.

After everyone had their cake, it was time to open the gifts. I sat down on the end of a table as those that had brought gifts took them from another table and brought them over individually. One was a gift from Rarity, it held two variations of my usual outfit and a grey trenchcoat. While the trenchcoat made me a little confused and frankly I figured it was kind of a cliché thing to wear, then again everything is cliché nowadays, the two variations of my outfit swapped the blue for red and purple. It would at least bring some form of variety to my current wardrobe. Another gift was from Twilight, which was of course, a book. But it was a book that quickly caught my interest.

Another was from Fluttershy. In a small box a fluffy white spider with a red ring on its abdomen looked up at me with curiousity. A lot of the ponies backed away slightly as it crawled out and reached the end of the table, looking at me expectedly. I was no stranger to coming across large spiders before, having encountered many on earth. Plus, I found spiders interesting. I looked to Fluttershy who nodded with a smile. I placed my hand on the table and the fluffy spider crawled up my arm and rested on my shoulder. I'd name the little guy in a bit, there were other gifts to attend to. The last notable gift was from Spike the Dragon, having met the young drake at the beginning of the party he seemed like a nice guy.

It was a purple diamond, I guessed diamonds where actually worth something here, considering the reactions it got from even the princesses. I know gems are very commonplace in Equestria, but I guessed that diamonds where actually rare here. I thanked the young dragon and he smiled. Oddly enough, the diamond seemed kinda familiar, don't know why though. The other gifts where nice and all, but they weren't really worth mentioning. No, there is something far more important to mention.

After all the gifts had been given, Luna pulled me to the side and handed me a small object wrapped in paper. I slowly took the paper off and found it was the pocket watch. The golden watch with Luna's mark in the middle glistened in the light, I was able to feel the small gears turning inside of it. I gave Luna a hug and thanked her for the gift. She knew that I had trouble telling the time here, given that most ponies could tell the time by the position of the sun and there weren't many clocks around, so this was very helpful.

However, this friendly gift would soon turn into something that would dictate my future. I got that feeling again, stronger than the last few times. I quickly turned around and spotted that unicorn, Clockwork, standing with the shadowed human figure. Clockwork grinned at me before his horn lit up and I was struck in the chest by a small beam on magic. I stumbled backwards as the magic washed over my body. I heard Clockwork laugh before the figure grabbed him and they disappeared.

I put a hand to my chest as I began to breathe heavily, my body shaking uncontrollably. Finally, I fell backwards, my eyes closed and my breathing slow. I hit the hard marble floor with a loud thud and the clang of metal as the watch hit the floor too. Before I fell into unconsciousness I heard the ponies around me, struggling to keep me awake, but to no avail. At last, everything faded to black...there was no way we could have prepared for what had happened, no way to know it was coming, it just happened.

And this one incident, would change my life in Equestria, forever.

Author's Note

The plot kicks in and the main storyline can progress.

A few references to the original Second Universe story in here, if you can spot them...I don't know, you get a hug?

Chapter ten: Limited time

I slowly opened my eyes, luckily there was no bright light to blind me as I finally came to. Once my eyes were halfway open I noticed that I was in my bedroom. Slowly, I began to pull myself up into a sitting position, resulting in a huge wave of pain washing over my body. When I was finally able to sit up the pain disappeared. I rubbed my eyes and yawned loudly while stretching my limbs out. Suddenly the door to my room burst open and Celestia, Luna, Blueblood, the mane six, Spike and a large amount of the castle staff rushed in and surrounded my large bed. Wasp and Zeri were already snuggled up beside me, although I felt a more protective feeling come from them than affection.

I just looked at them all confused as to what was going on, as my memory was slightly blurred at that moment. All I could remember was something about magic and me falling unconscious. Judging from everyone's expressions, it must have been serious. My head began to hurt as I tried to think back to the events before I fell asleep. It was no use, I couldn't remember any of it, so I asked Celestia and Luna what had happened. Everyone looked at me confused, asking why I couldn't remember anything about whatever had happened. I told them I didn't know the reason and that they should just tell me if it was that important.

The two sisters sat at the edge of my bed as they explained what had happened to me while the spider Fluttershy had given me sat on my head using its legs to rub my temples, which was suprisingly soothing. As the two princesses finished recounting the events, my memory started to come back to me. I shivered as I remembered looking into the eyes of the humanoid figure. They were the opposite of soulless, they were filled with nothing but soul. And somehow, that was even more disturbing. That grin on Clockworks face kept flashing into my mind. What did he do to me? And why me of all people?

I placed a hand to where he had shot magic into me, lifting up my shirt I saw there was a small black dot where the magic had struck my chest, the veins around it turned dark grey, but only a small amount. I looked to the mares in front of me in hopes of an explanation and a possible solution. They shook their heads and looked to Twilight, who informed me that whatever spell that was cast on me was ancient and shouldn't exist or even be known in this day and age, but there was no way to determine which spell it was without the spell book which contained the steps necessary to cast it successfully.

I groaned and lay back in my bed, the spider jumping off my head and cuddling up with Wasp and Zeri. If there was no way to tell what the spell was then there was no way of finding a cure. I looked out the window to see Luna's moon high in the sky, wondering how long I was asleep. I reached for the golden pocket watch on my dresser, only to stop as I saw a soft blue glow come from the inside of the watch. Carefully, I picked it up and opened it to check the time. On the inside, the clock was normal, but in the middle there was a glowing blue number written. One hundred and fifty.

I tilted my head in response to this, resulting in the others all looking at me the same way. Then it happened, the clock struck midnight and I watched the number shift and form a new one. One hundred and forty nine. That's when I realised, it was a countdown, whenever a day went by, the number would go down. And I didn't want to figure out what happened when it reached zero. I pointed this out to my family and they looked at the watch. Luna asked if I thought that the watch and the spell had any connection to the other. Given what this world was like, it most likely was.

The real question was what was going to happen? Usually in moments like this the villian of the story would appear and give their evil speech about some great scheme they came up with. But it didn't happen, Clockwork had disappeared with that figure, but I could still feel their presence. It was faint, but it was there nonetheless. Celestia had informed me that the Canterlot Mages had been working to figure out what the effects of the spell were and looking into whatever historical archive they would need to access.

This reassured me a little, I knew the mages, they were pretty determined and had an expansive knowledge of history and magic than even Celestia herself. But at that point in time, all we knew was their was an ancient spell in my chest and around my heart and that Clockwork was nowhere to be seen. Wasp and Zeri sat at my sides while nuzzling into my arms in an attempt to make me feel better, which worked, but only by a small amount.

I wrapped my arms around the changelings and gave them hugs before sighing and turning to the crowd and then to the Royal sisters, who looked defeated, but had a glimmer of determination in their eyes. As they moved in for a hug, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest. I grasped it and tried to control my breathing. Whatever that spell was it obviously wasn't friendly. Luna began to apologise for the watch, blaming herself for bringing the pain I was feeling, but it wasn't her fault, it was all Clockworks fault, and he would answer for whatever it was he had done.. When she asked me if I wanted to give the watch back, I said no.

I told her to stop, we all knew she'd never do anything to harm me. She had a very bad history of blaming herself, resulting in her being unusually quiet and less talkative. When you almost take over Equestria for those reasons you should probably just realise that you need to talk to a professional. I just stared at the watch and the number floating just above it, resulting in a sigh. Less than half a year to figure out everything, that wasn't how I wanted things to go down.

Celestia told me to stay in bed and rest up, telling me that I'd need my energy if I were to start looking around for answers to the many questions I had. In the meantime everyone would be returning home since it was rather late, and I didn't want to keep them from their sleep.

Celestia and Luna didn't feel comfortable leaving me with just Wasp and Zeri to protect me, so they decided to sleep in my room, resulting in a large group of guards and maids to do the same, transforming my room into one large cuddle pile. It wasn't unwelcome, it did make me feel a lot safer.

As I lay my head back to try and fall asleep again I looked to the watch which was now in my bedside table. When the number had shifted, I had felt something in my body. Something too faint to identify, but I knew it was there. I just hoped we could find answers soon. I was on a time limit, and I did not what to experience whatever would happen when the clock reached zero.

Author's Note

Please tell me if there's any areas that don't make sense or if there are any mistakes, I wrote the last bit of the chapter while I was really tired, so I would appreciate it if you dud point out anything you find.

Anyway, the plot thickens and now the hunt for answers and Clockwork shall begin.

Chapter eleven: Time of calmness

As I opened my eyes the next morning, I noticed that nearly everyone had left the room, the cuddle pile that made me feel protected now nonexistent. Although, I didn't really need it, there were still some there that could make me feel comforted. Wasp and Zeri were cuddled into my sides, their legs wrapped around my torso as they clung onto my body. The little spider had built a web on the ceiling, with little dots of liquid on the silk that sparkled in the morning light, relaxing me as I stared at it. Luna and a lone Thestral lay near the bottom of the bed, sleeping soundly. As to not disturb any of then I slowly and quietly slipped out of the changelings grasp and placed them together where they clung onto each other, still thinking I was there.

Getting past Luna and the Thestral was the hard part, as their ears could pick up even the faintest of sounds. Luckily I only had my socks on my feet, with my shoes near the door, allowing me to slowly cross the room in silence. I didn't close the door as I left the room, it wasn't closed anyway and closing it would only wake the two at the end of the bed. Once I was a good distance away from the room I slipped my shoes on and made my way to the kitchen.

As I passed the dining room abd was about to enter the kitchen area, I stopped as a strong scent hit my nose. It was sweet and alluring, breaking my focus and causing me to turn around and walk right into the dining room and that's where I saw it. A large pile of freshly made donuts sitting in the middle of a large round table. Celestia, the mane seven, Spike, Discord and a few guards all sat around the table eating a few of the delicious treats.

Celestia spotted me and gestured for me to sit on the chair next to her. Once I reached her she told me that she figured we should start the day off nicely before tackling the issues caused by Clockwork and that figure. That was a great idea on her part better to go into something like this with a positive state of mind rather than one of negativity. Of course, having one of my favourite foods for breakfast was a great way to start the day.

I reached over and took a donut with blue icing off the pile. It was warm, but not too warm, and the icing was melted slightly while the donut itself was soft. Perfect. I bit into the treat and a smile immediately came to my face before I chomped the rest down hungrily. I guess with how long I was asleep I hadn't eaten anything for at least a full day. Celestia told me she'd get me a meal with more sustenance later, but that I should enjoy myself for the time being.

Discord of course decided to bring a few donuts to life to pester some of the mane seven he didn't exactly like, only for Fluttershy to stare at him and cause him to literally shrink under her gaze. I looked to Celestia who just stifled a laugh and whispered a joke about Discord being whipped to me. I chuckled before lifting a few more donuts and setting them on my plate. Everyone else eventually joined us, Wasp and Zeri eating chocolate donuts as for some reason chocolate tasted like love and could act as a secondary food source, but was only half as filling as normal love.

Once all the donuts were eaten Celestia cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. She started going over a basic plan to find out as much information as possible on the spell that was used. Luna was busy looking over the watch as everyone else went off to any library they could find, other than the gaurds who had to go back on duty. Discord even started looking through some ancient stone tablets he had found over the years of his immortal life to see if he could find anything.

Meanwhile, I would be looking through any books on the Cult of the Rings or the Order of Tranquility to find any more information. I figured it was possible that they were involved somehow, so it was worth giving a look while the others looked elsewhere. As usual Wasp and Zeri clung to my shoulders as I walked down the hallways. As I turned a corner I saw the spider hanging from a single thread of silk with a small piece of donut in its grasp, slowly eating it. I placed my hand under the spider before snapping the web and placing him on my head as he finished eating. How he managed to eat something like that I have no idea, the only explanation I could think of was magic spider.

Now with my third passenger, I continued walking towards the Canterlot Library, I knew Twilight was most likely there with Spike, given how she knows the library just as much as Celestia. Once I entered I immediately ducked as a book was thrown my way. I was about to warn whoever threw it to be careful but stopped as I knew it would be a waste of time. Twilight was up near the top shelves tossing book after book trying to find anything that could give her any leads. Spike wasn't even trying to keep the mess under control anymore, he just sat under a table and read some sort of comic book.

I moved away from that area and went back to where I had found two first two books. As I was walking closer to the area though, I began to feel something in my chest. It wasn't pain, it was more of a slight pulling sensation. I took a few more steps and the feeling grew stronger. I followed the feeling as it grew in strength, believing it to be like some sort of calling, like it was pulling me towards it. Eventually, I reached a pillar. When I touched the piece of marble the feeling disappeared, leading me to believe I had saved the end of the trail. I began to feel about the marble pillar, trying to find what made it special.

As my hand was placed over a certain area by sheer luck, a small door opened in the side of the pillar. Walking around to the now open area I reached in and pulled out a very dusty book. The spider jumped onto the cover of the book and wiped the dust away with his body before jumping down and shaking it off of his white fur. I stared at the book, knowing it was what we needed to make a start.

It was one of Vector's journals.

Author's Note

A more light hearted chapter this time. If you find any mistakes let me know and I will fix it.

Other than that, I hope you enjoyed.

Chapter twelve: Time of knowledge

I stared at the book in my hands, second guessing if it was real or not. A Vector Lulamoon journal, hidden right here in the castle walls. I quickly checked it, finding the same signature from different books containing information on the unicorn, confirming that it was in fact the real thing. After confirming this, I opened up the first page to find the journal number. Number 8. I knew there would be more, but we at least now knew there was at the very least seven more to find. Turning to the next few pages, I found an abundance or research notes for what seemed to be ancient machines and spells. I couldn't exactly tell, considering most of the notes were written in some ancient language that perhaps Celestia and Luna could understand, if not them then Twilight or one of the mages.

Moving on, I found illustrations of my sun medallion on what seemed to be temple walls. I just stared in confusion, yet another mystery to be solved, hopefully it had something to do with the spell place on me. Most of the other pages were schematics of temple structures and magical runes, a few blurred out written entries here and there. Near the middle, I stopped and looked to the two pages, one had a fully readable entry, the other was a folded piece of paper. I first took the piece of paper in my hand, feeling drawn to it like I was drawn to the book before.

Setting the journal down, I unfolded to paper, finding a line drawing of a map of Equestria with certain areas circled. I figured it was a map to other journal locations or possibly temple sites, but it was a lead nonetheless. I placed the map to the side before pulling the book closer to my face to make out the small writing.

Journal Entry 57

Work on the temples has progressed faster than any of us could have imagined, we'd never guessed so many would join our cause. So many now have visions of the bipedal figure and the symbol of the sun. Our Minotaur priest Solid Will has reported more and more vague visions from the dreams of his people's children. We don't know why they are increasing in number, but it's something that can be analysed once the fourth temple is complete. We have found the necessary materials to make the second and third items requested to the blacksmith of the Orders Heartstrings clan. We must proceed with haste and find the two rings before we begin construction of the faith temple, I don't want anything getting in the way of our work, nothing.

While vague, it still gave me some information on my search and with my research on the Cult and Order. I had no idea what Vector had meant by items, but I had a feeling I'd learn more about that as I collected more journals.

I continued reading through the book, finding more schematics and research notes as well as a few blurred out entries. In two of the blurred entires, I managed to make out a name that was repeated frequently. Forge. I felt as if I should have known what that name was, but it just wasn't there. Leaving the confusion behind for the moment, I turned the pages and found a sketch of my medallion, but with strange writing around it, bit in another language, it was just written in the same style as I had seen in the Slenderman games.

Don't let them take it!
They must never know...
What have we done?

This just confused me more, I knew Vector had spilt away from the Cult and hid his research, but I didn't know why. Maybe he found something out that made him become paranoid? I'm not sure, yet again, more things to look into on this already crazy ride. I noticed the notes and writing were becoming progressively rushed and jagged, almost scribbled on.

Before the notes became completely unreadable, I found one last intact entry.

Journal Entry 78

They don't know what's coming, they won't believe me if I tell them, they don't know that this is all just one big lie. We've made so many sacrifices, lost ponies and others to build the temples, how in Tartarus could we be so delusional? Celestia has stopped supporting us, she believes Nightmare Moon was the threat our visions spoke of, but no, I know that she wasn't, and so do the others. The others, I can't tell them about this, it will destroy all of them. I need to leave, I can't let them get to my notes, but I need to leave enough for him to find them, but how do I make sure he'll get to them and that they won't be taken by the others? I know if a few places, some in Canterlot and such, I can hide some there. The rest will stay with me, if they come after me I'll burn the books before they can perform the rituals. I had more of the visions, the clearer visions. There's nothing to interpret from them, what I saw was clear as our precious day. This needs to end, now. Priestess Hollyblue listened to me, she believed me, she's helping me escape. Without my work it won't be long before the cult falls apart. The Order shall remain, they will no doubt seek out my research to complete their task. I must hide, must flee. This is for the best, it's the right thing to do. I'm sorry everyone, but your lives have been wasted. I will not look back.

After that the remaining pages were torn or filled with the writings of a maniac. My theory about him learning something was correct, it wa smuts a matter of finding out what he saw or learned that caused him to slowly descend into madness. Any other questions I had could be asked when I had more information. I close dtye book and grabbed the map before making my way out of the library and towards Celestia and Luna to see if they could make heads or tails of the schematics and other writings.

As I clutched the book, I felt that presence again, this time strong. I continued walking until I came across a cross section in the hallway. Down one of these halls stood the humanoid figure, staring me down with anger clearly present. It seemed to have more defined features too, starting to be shaped into the body type of a human.

It just stared at me, unmoving, the air feeling cold along with his presence. I asked him what he was doing, but he didn't answer. After a few moments he pointed to me then to himself before disappearing.

I shook the felling off, I needed to focus. I wa stsill on a time limit. And every second counted.

Author's Note

Thank you for waiting and I hope you enjoyed reading this.

If you spot any mistakes let me know and I'll fix them right away.

Chapter thirteen: Time to question

With the journal now in my possession, and with Wasp, Zeri and the spider on their designated parts of my body, I made my way towards where Celestia was currently at. Luna would most likely still be up, having slept through the night which cannot have been good for her sleep schedule. I made a mental note that if I found her I would make her go to sleep, she would put up a fight in an effort to help along with everyone else, but she has a job to do, one that Blueblood cannot temporarily take on like Celestia's. She needed to watch over Equestria during the night, keeping everyone's dreams safe while also managing the Thestrals that roamed the land during the nighttime.

Besides, with the journal and the map there wasn't much need to search the castle for information. From one of the journal entries I had read I knew there had to be at least another journal somewhere in Canterlot, but I had a feeling it would draw me to itself when it was time. We had enough to go on for now, so looking for the others could wait.

While I was hurrying down the long hallways I came across Blueblood, who had been managing the day court while Celestia was busy trying to deal with the spell placed on me. While he was about to greet me he paused and pointed out the fluffy white spider that was sitting on my head, its eyes poking out from under a few strands of hair. I simply told him that the spider was a friend and he accepted. He had been one of the first to find out about my two changeling companions, and was strangely accepting of most species. It had confused me for awhile, as when I had first seen him he was acting like all the other snobby, racist nobles on the city who scoffed at the mere mention of a pegasus or earth pony.

Out of the public eye he was actually a pretty chilled out guy, he was actually the one to introduce me to Fancy Pants and even Equestrian graphic novels. Heh, the guy has a whole closet full of pony manga hidden away behind a secret door, who would have thought. Anyway, he had heard what had happened and asked if he could do anything to help. I told him to find Luna and make her go to sleep, saying that if I needed his help in the future I wouldn't hesitate to ask. He just smiled and nodded knowingly before going on his merry way.

As I continued on, my thoughts went back to the dark human figure. What did it mean with that gesture? Was it saying we were connected or something? I couldn't be sure on anything, since I've yet to hear it speak a single word. All it ever did was add questions to the growing pile of questions I had about everything that was going on. At least this journal a possibility of holding some answers.

I finally reached the room where Celestia was digging through some ancient scrolls with a few of the guards. I coughed into my hand to get her attention, resulting in her head shooting up in suprise, must have snapped her out of focus or something. She turned to me with multiple scrolls in her magic, a soft smile on her face that quickly dissolved after spotting the book that I had under my arm. Something that immediately caught my attention. She asked me where I had found the book and I explained what had happened, shingles it could be the clue we were looking for.

I handed the book over to her, asking if she could understand any of the ancient writing. It took a moment for her to recall the language used, but she was able to understand what was said on the schematics and entries. After she had finished skimming through the book she told me to take it to the Royal Canterlot Mages, some of the most powerful, wise and intelligent unicorns in the world. They would have more time to analyse the writing and plans, which meant we could spend more time looking into whatever leads we had.

Before I left to do as I was asked, I questioned her on her involvement with the Cult and Order. She looked unsure, telling me that it wasn't the time or place to discuss such a matter. Zeri whispered into my ear, quietly telling me she could feel guilt coming off of the alicorn mare. If now wasn't the time to question her about that, then maybe I could get an answer to another question.

I took my medallion out of my pocket and turned to the page with the drawing of it with the strange writing, asking her if she knew why my closest possession is depicted in a book that was at least over 950 years old. I made sure to make it apparent that this wasn't just some question, it had something to do with something I cared deeply about, and I wanted a straight answer. She said she didn't know, she said that she knew of the Cult and the visions its members had, she didn't know how my sisters medallion factored into the main beliefs of the Cult, but she knew that it was important to whatever it was they were trying to achieve.

I couldn't find any hint of a lie, neither could my companions, so I trusted her word. I asked why she was so hesitant to answer my questions, all she did was say it was complicated. I'm not slow, I could tell that she was feeling regret, possible regret for supporting the Cult or for something that happened which involved them. I wasn't going to get any answers here, as I wasn't about to push her for information. Instead of trying to force more info out of her, I made two requests.

The first was that I didn't want her to hide anything from me, even if it's something that could possibly change how I see someone, this involved me probably even more so than it did her, it was my life on the line for all we knew. I didn't want any secrets between us, we were supposed to be family, we were supposed to trust each other.

The second request, was to send me to one of the Cults temples, so I could find some answers myself.

Author's Note

First a journal now a temple, really getting into things now.

If you spot any mistakes in the chapter please point them out and I'll fix them right up, thank you.

Chapter fourteen: Time of exploration

{Days Left: 147}

It had taken a bit of time for Celestia to allow me to go out to one of the temples without her, I knew it was probably safer if she did come, but this was something I wanted to do without interference. I trusted Celestia enough to know she would honour my requests, there was to be no secrets from now on, everything had to be out in the open. She was just worried I'd end up getting hurt, physically and emotionally, but there were more important things to worry about. It would be safe enough in the temple, as long as it wasn't filled with traps or had me running away from a giant boulder on my way out. I wouldn't be alone though, Wasp and Zeri were tagging along, as well as the spider, who was given a name by Wasp. She had called it Scary. When one of the maids had found him laying on my bed she had become frightened and said something about spiders being scary. Wasp decided that would be a good name for him, and it seemed the spider liked it anyway, not like I could come up with something better.

A day later, Celestia had organised a carriage to take us to the first temple location, in a place called the Whitetail Woods. The Royal Canterlot Mages were currently at work translating the journal I had found, I knew it was in good hooves, they were nice enough guys, although a lot of what they said did go over my head most of the time. Anyway, when me and my three tiny companions boarded the carriage, Celestia was about to tell me to be careful when Twilight called out, running up to us and jumping into the carriage, knocking me down in the process.

Celestia used her magic to lift Twilight off of me as I pulled myself up, the pony may be little, but I'm not about to make a comment about a female's weight, I know better, my life's on a short enough time limit as it is. She apologised and begged Celestia to let her come along to do some research and to learn something new. Celestia just rolled her eyes at her former student and placed her down on the seat opposite my own. I didn't have any objections to having her tag along, besides, it would make Celestia feel more comfortable with me going if an alicorn was there to protect me.

So, after that little incident, Celestia closed the door to the carriage after whispering to me to stay safe and the pegasui up front took to the sky, taking the carriage with them. After a brief flight over the many open fields of Equestria, the carriage touched down just outside of the forest. I opened the door for Twilight and let all the smaller passengers get off before closing the door and knocking the side of the carriage, signalling for the pegasui to take off.

Once the carriage was out of sight, Wasp and Zeri climbed up onto my shoulders and Scary rested himself on my head before we all began to walk down the dirt path that led into the deeper areas of the woods. While we walked, the orange leaves of the trees fell around us, the leaves blowing gently in the autumn breeze, sunlight peeking in through the gaps of the trees. The land of Equestria was beautiful, with places like this being far more common than they were on earth, yet this was the first time I was experiencing anything outside of Canterlot. It felt good, I loved the castle sure, but I felt more freedom out here, like I could stretch further and move how I wanted to.

While we were walking, I noticed Twilight glancing up at me and taking notes of something. I asked her what she was doing, and she explained that she wanted to know more about how humans acted in different environments. Seems it wasn't just the temple she wanted to research. I asked if that was all, as I could have just tried to explain to her what humans did in different parts if the world. She said she wanted to see for herself, while also analysing my relationship with the two changelings that were always on my shoulders.

I just shook my head and shrugged, just letting her do her own thing. As we walked further and further into the forest, we noticed that it was getting darker. It was around midday, so the sun shouldn't be setting. It wasn't the sun, it was the area itself, whatever we were walking towards seemed to drain the light from the area around it. The atmosphere was uncomfortable, unpleasant even. Wasp and Zeri held onto me tighter, slightly lowering their heads as if to hide. Scary somehow managed to hide himself under my hair, making it look like he wasn't even there at all. I started to become nervous, and I could tell Twilight was too.

Soon, the dirt path we had been walking on was replaced by grey stone bricks, the trees became farther apart and the sky had turned a light grey. Finally, we reached a large open clearing, the grass dark grey and lifeless. In the centre of the clearing, a large dark grey structure stood, seeming to be a large doorway that I assumed was the entrance to the temple. Taking in a breath, I clenched my fists and began to walk towards it, Twilight slowly following behind. The stone structure had a small set of steps that led up to the door, which stood at about 25 feet. In the middle of the two large doors, there was a circular pattern with a small plaque in the centre.

I felt that pulling sensation again, and I let it lead me towards the plaque. When I reached it, it flashed the image of a swirling sun with a soft purple light. It took me a moment to figure out what it wanted me to do, but I reached into my pocket and took out my medallion which floated out of my hand and attached itself to the plaque before falling back into my hand. After a few moments of silence, the cracks in the structure began to glow purple, as did the sky, grass and leaves. The circular pattern turned with the sounds of gears turning with the doors. Suddenly, there was silence. Then, with a loud creeking noise, the doors opened.

Author's Note

Doing a little counter to show how much time is left every time I do a little skip in time. Now, Symbol has opened the first temple, what will he find inside?

Thank you for reading, if you spot any mistakes please point them out to me.

Chapter fifteen: Visions of time

As soon as the doors opened up, I felt something strange course through my body. I froze in place while a cold shiver travelled up my spine. When I was able to move again I felt almost weightless, my vision blurred slightly while the pain in my chest returned. I fell to my knees while grasping my chest, a soft purple glow appearing on my wrists. Twilight, Wasp and Zeri moved in front of me to make sure I was ok, Twilight's horn lighting up with her magical aura as she scanned my body with some kind of spell.

When I lifted my head slightly to look into the open temple I heard the faint sound of someone mumbling to themselves. As soon as that sound hit my ears the pain faded and the weightless feeling returned. I gasped as I felt the weight of both the pain and my own body disappear. The others gave me a few moments to recover from whatever it was that had just happened. Twilight mentioned something about a possible defence system on the temple or some sort of identification spell. I wasn't sure why an identification spell would hurt me, I've been scanned by spells before. Twilight then explained that it could be a more powerful ancient version of the modern day scanner spells, since small doses of magic don't negatively affect me it was possible than my non-magical body would be affected by higher quantities of magical energy.

I shook my head and got to my feet again, the changeling twins asking me if I still wanted to go further. I didn't really have a choice, with all the questions I have floating around in my mind the only place I'd find answers from were the books or the temples, considering I didn't have any of the journals other than the one currently being kept by the Canterlot Mages, I didn't exactly have any other leads to go on. So, I pressed on, my companions latching onto my shoulders once again while Scary poked his head out of my hair to check that everything was ok.

With Twilight at my side, we entered the temple. First we descended a long flight of stairs, the only source of light being the purple energy coursing through the cracks in the stone walls. Eventually we made it to the bottom where we immediately noticed a difference. The stone gradually turned from hard rock to smooth black marble stone, no cracks being visible, but the purple energy still separated each brick in a neater and almost computer like pattern. There we lanterns every few dozen metres or so that lit the long corridor with soft purple glows. We continued on and noticed some ancient writing on the walls which Twilight either took pictures of or wrote down in her notebook, while also observing my own behaviour and reactions to things while taking notes.

We reached another doorway which led further underground. When we reached the bottom of the next flight of steps we noticed that the hallway was much larger in size, with multiple lit murals and closed off passageways along eachside. Most of the murals were of strange things that I guessed some of the cultists saw in their visions, while some others had humanoid figures in them, not exactly in the shape of a human, but close enough that I could tell what they were supposed to be. Many of the other murals showed the symbol of my medallion, which was really unsettling.

The last mural before the main chamber caused us all to stop. It showed a clearer human figure with its hands held up to two ring shaped objects with a larger figure leaning over them with evil looking eyes. Twilight took a picture with the camera she had brought and took some notes while I brushed my hand against the smooth carved marble.

When my fingers touched the image of the rings, I blacked out for a moment before multiple images appeared in my mind. A room full of various creatures chanting to some kind of sceptre. A vague image of a human figure, but somehow different from that strange figure I kept seeing in Canterlot. Two purple rings sitting on a podium. And finally, a hoof closing a book with the cover labelled "Journal 6."

Strangely, I didn't recoil from the sudden visions, I just slowly pulled my hand away from the stone and gently grasped my medallion.

Twilight took notice of my behaviour and asked what me if I was ok. I said I was, and that I may have just found more questions, but possibly some answers. Then, I felt that pulling sensation again. Having gotten used to it, I allowed it to guide me further down the hallway towards the entrance to the main chamber, a strange comforting feeling washing over my body, it was warm...familiar...it felt like when my sister would hug me when we were little...why was I feeling this way? What was causing this? And why was I not tearing up from the familiar feeling?

Questions that would yet again go unanswered, at least for the time being.

The pulling sensation ceased when I reached the entrance to the main chamber, yet the warm feeling remained. I gently pressed my hand against the smooth marble door and the sound of gears turning in the walls echoed out like the inside of a clock tower. The door slowly opened, revealing a dome shaped chamber with a large cube shaped purple crystal in the middle of its ceiling, the energy that ran through the temple like blood through veins seemed to be coming from there. Directly below it, a small podium sat in the middle of a small platform that was surrounded by a pool of water that seems like a piece of Lunas night sky was ripped from the heavens and placed into a pond. A small bridge led up to the platform, and on the podium sat the sceptre from my vision.

It was small, no bigger than a slightly large garden trowel. It had a silver grip with two silver wings sticking out at the top, with a small purple gemstone on a marble rock at its tip. What was the deal with this place and the colour purple?

When I reached the podium I grabbed the sceptre and held it tightly in my hand for a moment. I didn't know what it was for, but I knew it had to mean something and that it was important. With the artefact in hand and the visions still fresh in my mind, I turned around and began to make my way towards the exit with Twilight at my side and my tiny companions still climbing to my shoulders and head.

This would only be the first stop of many, there were still many questions that needed answers, and while I knew that I still had many days left, it wouldn't be long before that number got smaller and smaller...

Author's Note

If you see any mistakes please let me know.

Also, any theories on what's going on?

Chapter sixteen: Horrible timing

{Days Left: 133}

It had been two weeks since I had explored the first temple. Two days after my return, the Canterlot Mages had managed to decipher some of the designs and plans in the journal I had given them. From what they could tell, they were plans for an energy source for something, something really big and really powerful. I assumed that was what that giant crystal cube from the temple was for, the purple energy I saw in the walls actually was being pumped out through multiple magical connecters underground. Celestia and Luna determined that we should follow the connecters to the next temple site, wherever that may be, the connecters were arranged in a strange pattern so it could go to any of the known or even unknown temples.

So, while Celestia was busy with tracking down the next location, Luna and I had begun to look into a lead on a possible journal location.

We weren't sure exactly where the journal was, but we had enough to go on to find the area, I already knew that feeling would kick in if I was close enough to the book, the same feeling that led me to the first one and to the main chamber of the temple. It was like someone or something wanted me to find them. It was about a week ago that I had put two and two togethe. In one of Vectors entries he had said something about making sure someone found something. He must have been talking about me and the Journals. Maybe in one of his visions he had seen me searching for answers. I've already seen my necklace and even images of myself in the temple and journal to know that the Cult and Order knew about me, wasn't really hard to imagine that to be the truth.

I'm getting sidetracked, something that seems to happen more and more often.

Anyway. It had taken awhile for Luna and I to find out the specific area, since we were following a magical link between the journal we had and the next one, it was a very, very thin line of magic that was constantly moving, but we were able to figure out a pattern with the help of Twilight and Starlight. The area was just by the western Equestrian border, around a series of small towns and villages. Starlight said she had a hunch about what it could be, appearantly having a friend that goes from town to town doing magic shows for a living, figured she found good business in that area.

We allowed her to come along, would let her see her friend again, we saw no harm in it. If anything having another magic user with her level of power could come in handy if anything went wrong. Not that anything should go wrong, but that's what I thought at my birthday party and look what happened, this stupid countdown.

The princesses, especially Luna, have now become extremely vigilant, given that anything could happen at any time and have started to take precautions against anything that could pose as a threat to Equestria and its people. Luna has even been teaching me how to fight, mainly with how to handle swords since none of the ponies could really teach me hand to hand combat. I didn't exactly like the idea, but I didn't want to be relying on those around me for protection, maybe if I learned to defend myself it would help Celestia back off a little, she means well but her mothering instincts make her very overprotective.

Speaking of Celestia, something interesting did happen with her a few days ago. When I had presented the sceptre to her, she instantly grabbed it with her magic and began muttering to herself as she inspected it, pacing back and forward for awhile before groaning in frustration. I asked her what was wrong while taking the sceptre back from her. She sighed before explaining it acted as a key to something, what it unlocked she didn't know, she had either forgotten what it was used for or the Cult never told her what it was for. She explained that it was one of four artefacts that the Cult and Order had made under the orders of Vector and the other higher ups in the groups.

Apparently the gem that was embedded in the sceptre was the same kind of crystal used to make the temples power source, only it was empty, and you can't just refill a gem like this, you need the specific spell or energy to avoid corrupting the thing.

I decided to bring the sceptre with me when going out to find the next journal, just in case it was needed. Luna, Starlight, Wasp, Zeri and I were teleported to just outside the area we thought the book was located in and began to walk through the slightly dull forest in a comfortable silence, Luna staying close to my side at all times. Starlight seemed to just be trotting along with a happy smile on her face, I guessed she was just happy that she would get to see her friend. I didn't really know much about this friend, only that she was a traveling magician and that her name was Trixie, and that she spoke in the third person for some reason. I've seen some ponies do that, as well as this one Minotaur that was doing an assertiveness course. That was a weird day.

After about half an hour of walking, I began to feel that pulling sensation. Luna let me take the lead as I followed the familiar feeling at a slightly faster pace. As the feeling grew stronger I found myself exiting the forest and coming across a dirt road, a wagon of some sort in the distance. That was it.

Starlight ran up ahead to see her friend, leaving me alone with Luna and the changelings, Scary was currently building a web in my bedroom in Canterlot, so it was just Wasp and Zeri latched onto me this time. I asked Luna is she knew anything about Trixie, only for her to shake her head. She had visited Trixie's dreams a few times, but never long enough to really get to know her, only that she had a fear of humiliation and a slight grudge against Twilight and her friends.

When Luna and I reached the wagon, we found Starlight and Trixie hugging it out very affectionately, I mean I know that these ponies are affectionate but the way they were hugging made me wonder if there's something they're not telling each other.

Starlight realised we were there and separated from Trixie, a small blush on her face that quickly faded. Starlight began to introduce us when Trixie's eyes feel on me. She froze in place and her pupils shrunk down to the size of pinpricks.

When I was about to ask her what was wrong she tried to teleport away, only for Luna to grab her in her magic. I wondered why she would react like that, but then one distant memory made itself known to me, a conversation I had with Twilight a long time ago, discussing a few of her lessons that she learned while in Ponyville. One of those lessons involved a unicorn mare with a specific name, a name I should have remembered sooner.

Trixie Lulamoon.

Author's Note

So sorry this took so long! I haven't had much motivation to write lately.

Anyway. I hope you enjoyed, and we're starting to get further in and the timer is getting shorter.

If you see any mistakes please point them out as it is a huge help, thank you.

Chapter seventeen: No time for nonsense

{Days Left: 133}

Standing in front of me was direct descendant of Vector Lulamoon, well, more like she was being held there in Luna's magic as she struggled to get free. Starlight was just looking at her friend with confusion, probably wondering why Trixie was making such a fuss. Luna just glared at the unicorn being held in her magic, she and I both knowing that the mare had some answers to a few of our questions, or at the very least, some relevant information that will lead us to said answers.

Wasp and Zeri sat and giggled with childlike amusement as they watched Trixie struggle.

Not wanting to watch this anymore, I asked Starlight and Luna if either of them knew any spells for calming someone down. If Trixie kept going on like this she'd end up exhausting herself and might pass out before we got any information out of her. Starlight smiled and nodded before aiming her horn at her friend and charging her magic, only to be stopped by Luna. Starlight and I looked to her confused before she told us both that Twilight has informed her of the other times that Starlight has tried to use magic to alter a pony's mental state, none of which ended well.

Starlight chuckled nervously with a slight blush and I just groaned in annoyance, asking Luna if she knew any spells that could help. She smiled and said she knew a few methods of bringing a pony back to reality, but we'd all better cover our ears.

Having overheard some of Luna's night courts, I knew what was coming.

Wasp, Zeri, Starlight and I jumped back and covered our ears as Luna took in a deep breath and unleashed her Royal Canterlot Voice onto the struggling magician. Even with my ears covered, it still hurt them a little. Starlight and the changelings were hiding behind me with their ears covered in Starlights magic. Luna really went all out with that one.

Trixie was now frozen in place, from both shock and what I could only guess was fear. I don't blame her for falling into such a state, Luna is a scary mare.

When all our ears had stopped ringing, Luna looked over to us and apologised for going overboard, seems she still has to learn to restrain herself a little.

Starlight walked over to her paralysed friend and gently shook her to bring her back to some state of consciousness. When Trixie came to, she held her ears with a whimper and shuddered slightly. Before any of us could ask any questions, Trixie shouted out in what I assume was desperation, saying she wanted nothing to do with her family's history or whatever else we were involved in.

Confused, I walked forward and knelt down in front of her, asking her what she meant. She seemed to cower as I approached, refusing to look at me for a few seconds. When she glanced at my eyes, hers widened and she looked confused, saying something about my eyes not being red. Luna moved in to question Trixie but I put my arm out to stop her.

I asked why my eyes would ever be anything other than blue, but she didn't answer that question. Thinking for a moment, I asked her what she could tell me about Vector. Her ears perked up at the mention of his name. She just muttered something about only knowing that he was her distant ancestor and that he had told his family that they should never again become involved with whatever the cult was doing and to make sure his journals were either destroyed or protected. It was unfortunate to hear that some of the journals may have been destroyed, but hopefully any that are still intact can give us enough information to fill in the blanks ourselves.

I sat down and pulled out my medallion, asking her if she recognised it. She nodded and told me that it held the same symbol as many artefacts and emblems of the cult and that each member of the cult had some weird fixation on the medallion itself after what she said were called "Mass Visions."

Before I could even ask, she explained that the Mass Visions were caused by the Cult's rituals involving the Order of Tranquility, which would cause all within a certain range to have the same vision. Apparently it these were used to convert many towns and villages to the Cult's ways and beliefs.

With the way she was answering I knew she was starting to get more comfortable, I was wondering why until I saw Starlight out of the corner of my eye casting some kind of spell on Trixie, probably to make her more cooperative. Whatever she did certainly made talking to Trixie easier, even if the third person speech was a little odd. I could see there was still fear and worry in her eyes, and some of her words had to be forced out, it was as if the words she was saying would kill her at any moment.

I figured it was time to ask the big questions. I asked her about the spell that was cast on me, I asked about the dark figure, and I asked about what I had to do with whatever it was that the Cult wanted to accomplish. Unfortunately, she didn't have any clear answers to those, she couldn't remember her family telling her anything about a countdown spell or a dark shadowy figure. I sighed, annoyed that I wouldn't have those answers today. She did however know about a few temple locations we could look into, telling us she'd give the locations to us if we left and didn't involve her in this mess anymore.

As I was about the get up and tell the others to get ready to leave, I felt a shiver run down my spine and the area seemed to become darker. Suddenly, Starlight collapsed, as did Trixie, the changeling twins and Luna. I shook Luna and the others to try to wake them up, but they didn't respond. Their hearts were beating, thank God, but they weren't moving.

The pain in my chest returned and I collapsed to my knees, looking around frantically, trying to find what was causing this.

That's when I saw them.

Clockwork and the figure were standing a few feet away from me, Clockwork grinning evilly while the figure just looked at me with its dead, glowing red eyes. It's shape had become far clearer now, now looking more and more like a human, but still missing a lot of features and proportions. I tried to speak, but I couldn't make a sound. Suddenly, the figure was right up at my face, glaring into my soul with its deathly glare. The next thing I know, I feel a blast of pain in my chest and I fall unconscious, Clockwork's laughter being the last thing I hear before falling into the darkness.

Author's Note

Cliffhanger bitches! After so long too, dear God I am not great at updating on time.

Anyway, if you see any mistakes let me know. Thanks for reading.