Let Me Tell You About My Character

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 1

The Shake Shack bustled with after-school activity, as the students of Canterlot High bustled and socialized and otherwise gulped down the massive amounts of sugar required for the operation of a normal teenager. Seven girls sat in a corner booth, and chatted over their milkshakes and ice cream.

“Guys.” Rainbow Dash said. “Check this out. I can totally tie a knot in this cherry stem.”

“Why would ya wanna do that?” Applejack said.

“With my mouth.”

“That didn't answer my question.”

“I know why!” Pinkie Pie said, and with a knowing giggle, leaned over to murmur something into Applejack's ear. The cowgirl's jaw dropped, and her cheeks turned the color of a red delicious.

“That just ain't right.”

“Seriously! I can do it! Watch!” Rainbow Dash plucked the cherry from the top of her milkshake and popped it into her mouth. She rolled the tiny fruit around in her mouth for a moment, and furrowed her brow in stern concentration. A moment later, Rainbow Dash began to sputter and clutch at her neck as she started to turn purple.

“Oh! Oh no!” Fluttershy gasped from where she sat next to Rainbow Dash. She immediately wrapped her arms around Rainbow Dash's midsection, clasped her hands together, and pulled as hard as she could.

With a “hork!” from Rainbow Dash, the cherry sailed neatly out of her mouth, and across the booth. Sunset Shimmer ducked out of the way, and the little red sphere bounced off the back of the seat, and back onto the table.

“Huh.” Pinkie Pie leaned over to peer at the cherry. “You forgot to tie the knot, Rainbow!”

Rainbow Dash heaved in a few desperate, needy breaths, and then held up a finger. “That one didn't count. Lemme try again.”

“NO.” Everyone save Pinkie and Rainbow Dash said in unison. Just for good measure, they all pulled their own milkshakes closer to themselves.

“Aw, c'mon! That was just an accident! I can totally do it!”

“We believe you.” Fluttershy said.

“I don't.” Applejack said. “But I ain't gonna let you get yerself killed over somethin' that stupid.”

“I'm not gonna die.” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, Fluttershy saved me!” She draped one arm around her friend's shoulders. “If it gets really bad, she can just mouth to mouth me back to life or something!”

“Mouth?” Fluttershy paled, and tried to shrink down into her turtleneck. “To mouth?”

“Sure! You're all first aid certified, right?”

“Yes. But. Um. I don't like it when my friends get hurt, so I kinda hope I never have to use it. So. Um. Maybe you could … not choke on anything, instead?”

“Aw, c'mon!” Rainbow Dash squeezed Fluttershy's shoulders tighter. “It's gonna take more than a little cherry to stop me! After all the monsters and wizards and magic stuff, who knows what we're gonna fight next?” Rainbow Dash paused, and then added on. “Seriously, Twilight, what are we gonna fight next? I'm getting bored.”

“Hm?” Twilight looked up from her tablet, which had captured her attention all through the cherry choking incident.

“You did that magic-predicting math thing, right? So fill us in, what's the next crazy adventure we're going on?”

“Er, about that … “ Twilight Sparkle scratched at the back of her head. “According to my calculations and observations, we're clear for the next few weeks.”

Sunset Shimmer smiled. “It'll be nice not to have to worry about any magical disasters for awhile.”

“You say nice, I say boring.” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “Are you sure there's not any magic happening? Lemme see.” She reached across the table and neatly plucked Twilight's tablet out of her fingers.

“Hey!” Twilight Sparkle made a grab for it, but Rainbow Dash was too fast for her. Immediately, the purple haired girl began to blush. “You can't-- I mean, that's not … I mean, I'll be happy to show you the data, Rainbow, if you please give me my tablet.”

“Whoa. You okay?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side. “I didn't mean to get all grabby there. Didn't know it meant so much to you.”

“It's just … I was looking at something private.” Twilight said, and held out her hand. “Which is why I will appreciate it very much if you give that back to me right now.”

The wheels began to turn in Rainbow Dash's head. “It's not porn, is it?” She held the tablet loosely, not looking at the screen just yet.

“What? No!” Twilight said.

“Because it's totally cool if it is porn, even though this prooooobably isn't the best place to look at it.”

“It's not porn!” Twilight said.

“If it's tasteful, you can call it 'erotica.'” Fluttershy murmured.

“It's not tasteful!” Twilight blurted.

“Uh.” Rainbow Dash held the tablet out at arm's length, attempting to keep as little contact with it as possible. “You can have it back, then. Don't need to see what kind of freaky stuff you're into.”

Twilight seized her tablet and clutched it to her chest with both arms, protecting it from the curious eyes of her friends. “It's. Not. Porn.”

“We believe you.” Sunset Shimmer laid a hand on Twilight's shoulder. She paused, and scanned the faces of the other girls at the table. “I believe you, at least. We just want to make sure you're okay. You're … kind of freaking out a little.”

“It's okay. I'm okay.” Twilight waved one hand in the air. “It's … a long story.”

“Woo, storytime!” Pinkie Pie said.

“You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Twilight.” Sunset Shimmer squeezed Twilight's shoulder reassuringly.

“The cat's half out of the bag already.” Twilight said, “I should probably come clean before you guys think of something even crazier.”

“Ooooh, oooh!” Pinkie Pie raised her hand with an eagerness she rarely showed in class. “I know! You're really some kind of brilliant super-criminal mastermind who's been stealing all kinds of diamonds and paintings and stuff, but it's okay because you're like one of those “steal from the rich and give to the poor” criminals! I really hope you're that kind of thief 'cuz then you could loan me five bucks so I could get another milkshake!”

“It's not that, Pinkie,” said Twilight.

“Aw. I really wanted that milkshake.”

“I think you've had enough sugar, Pinkie.” Applejack said.

“So ...” Twilight Sparkle slumped down in her seat and fiddled with her fingers, nervous. “You know how I told you that you guys were the first real friends I ever had?”

“Yeah?” Sunset Shimmer said.

“Well. Um. That's not entirely true.”

“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash said, leaning forward. “Does that mean you went off saving the world and shooting friendship lasers and stuff before you met us?”

“Not exactly, no. I mean, uh. You guys are my first real, uh, real life friends, I guess?”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side. “Is this where you tell us you've been talking to your imaginary friends and hope we don't call you crazy? Cause we're not gonna call you crazy. Pinkie Pie talks to herself all the time.”

“It's true!” Pinkie Pie said.

“No, it's not that. It's just that these friends were … “ Twilight bit her lip and sunk lower still, until she was only visible from the nose up. “They're from the internet.”

“So you know a bunch of robots?” Rainbow Dash said.

“No, they're not robots.” Twilight Sparkle said. “At least, um, they're probably not robots. I've … just never met any of them face to face. Ever. We don't really share personal details very often. Or, uh, ever, in my case. Safety, and all that.”

“That's important!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “I heard that if you talk about yourself too much on the internet, someone will come and throw a catfish at you! I wonder why it's a catfish specifically? Do you think it's 'cause it's cheaper than tuna? But if that was it, then people would just be throwing cod at each other … “ Pinkie Pie rubbed at her chin as she thought.

“I don't think that's how that works.” Applejack said.

“Then how does it work?” Pinkie Pie said.

“Beats me. We ain't got fancy internet back at the farm.”

“I think we're missing the point.” Rarity reached over and patted Twilight on the head. “The important thing is, Twilight, there's nothing wrong with making a few pen pals, no? Provided, of course, they're not hounding you for indecent pictures of yourself.” Rarity paused, and her friendly smile grew tighter, fiercer. “They're not hounding you for indecent pictures, are they?”

“What, no!” Twilight pushed herself up from her hiding spot.

“Good.” Rarity said, primly. “We're just looking out for you, Twilight.”

“Here's what I don't get.” Applejack idly stirred the last dregs of her milkshake with a straw. “How'd ya even start e-mailin' these folk in the first place?”

“Uh. Yeah. About that.” Twilight said. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. “Have … any of you guys ever heard of ChronoQuest?” Twilight opened her eyes, and frowned. “Alright, judging by that awkward silence, I'm gonna guess the answer is 'no.'”

“So what is it?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“It's a game. A role playing game.”

“Wait.” Rainbow Dash squinted, “like Oubliettes and Ogres?”

“That's the one most people have heard of, yes.”

“So … you sit around in a basement and roll funny looking dice and pretend to be wizards?”

“Kind of?” Twilight said, and pushed her glasses further up her nose. “There are some key differences. For one, Oubliettes and Ogres is based around a fantasy theme, which is fine, where ChronoQuest is more science fiction. Not very hard sci-fi, but the main game is still centered around time travel. On top of that, ChronoQuest is geared more towards Live Action than tabletop play. Think less 'board game' and more 'improv theater.'”

“Theater?” A familiar glint began to show in Rarity's eyes. “Does that mean there are costumes?”

“Sometimes, sure.” Twilight said. “It all depends on the character.”

Rarity wiggled her fingers in eager anticipation. “Do go on.”

“Right.” Twilight nodded. “So Blanco Lobo, the company that makes ChronoQuest, kind of revolutionized the role playing game industry when they first released the game. By focusing on a more narrative and interpersonal style of play, instead of the 'kill things and take their stuff' model of O and O, they were able to draw in a much wider audience than the standard RPG market. Not to mention the time travel aspect of the game allows a player to pretty much play any kind of character they'd want to, instead of a set couple of swords and sorcery archetypes.” Twilight realized how fast she'd been talking, and tensed her shoulders. “Sorry. I … I don't get to talk about ChronoQuest very often. Sometimes I get a little too excited.”

“It's fine.” Sunset Shimmer smiled. “We've all got our own interests and hobbies. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I'm not ashamed. It's just … awkward.” Twilight said, fiddling with her glasses. “This is a part of my life I haven't told anyone about before.”

“Sunset's right.” Applejack said, grinning. “That weren't half as bad as when Rarity spends half an hour talkin' 'bout them fancy underpants that make your butt look big.”

“The term is bustle.” Rarity said. “Besides, it's not as if you're one to talk. Remember the time you lectured me for hours on the differences between apple varieties?”

“Hey, that kinda stuff's important.”

“More important than fashion?”

“Ya can't eat fashion, sugarcube.”

“Well … “ Rarity mused, “there was that one time with Sapphire Shores at an awards show, but … well, eating that likely would have been unsanitary.”

“I still don't get it.” Rainbow Dash leaned forward in her seat a little. “I thought this was like a board game? Like, don't you need other people in the basement?”

“That's actually the interesting part.” Twilight said. “As ChronoQuest has a very robust online structure. You can play a game with just your friends, absolutely. But at the same time, you can also play in a network of other games. They're all tied together, so you can take your character from one game and play them in another. Or, if there's not a linked game in your area, you can also play in special online venues that are still tied into the national plot. They're run in special chatrooms. They kinda even taught me how to type fast.”

“How long have you been doing this, Twilight?”

“I started a couple of years ago, before I met any of you. It … it was a way for me to meet people and socialize without … um, really meeting people and socializing. Not to mention the game itself, which is really engrossing. I've been playing the same character since the beginning of the chronicle, and it's really interesting to see how things have played out. Especially now that the Endpoint Nexus is showing signs of succumbing to Flux, which could mean the collapse of the entire Quantum Collective. I've been trying to get The Council of Eons to notice, but there's only so much I--” Twilight abruptly stopped, and hugged her tablet to her chest again. “Sorry. I was gushing again, wasn't I?”

“Just for the record,” Rainbow Dash said, “this is just a pretend disaster you're going on about, and not a real one?”

“Exactly.”

Rainbow Dash snapped her fingers. “Dang.”

“There's only so much I can do online, though. The real action's going to be at ChronoCon.” Twilight said. Sensing her friends' confusion, she added on, “ChronoCon is a big gathering the fans have once a year where they get together, and, well … play ChonoQuest. And socialize. And maybe have a room party.”

“A room party? How's that work? Every party is held in a room! Unless you party outside. Which is pretty fun until the Park Ranger comes by and tells you to stop dancing in the fountain and put your pants back on.”

“Er, it's … basically a party in a hotel room, Pinkie.” Twilight said.

Pinkie tapped the side of her chin with her fingers, thoughtful. “I can work with that.“

“Not that I'd know firsthand, honestly. I've never been to a regular live game, much less ChronoCon.”

“Where do they have ChronoCon, anyway?”

“It rotates from region to region, but … they're actually having ChronoCon in town this year.” Twilight admitted.

“There ya go!” Rainbow Dash said, “You can totally go do your nerd stuff in person, this time!”

“I've thought about it.” Twilight Sparkle pushed her glasses further up her nose. “But it's still kind of intimidating. I mean, I'll know … some of the people there, or at least their characters, but I bet there will be even more of them I don't know, since I've never been to one of these before, and I'd hate to go to something as big as ChronoCon only to suddenly get all anxious and shy and hide in a corner the whole time.”

“What if we go with you?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “You know, for moral support?”

“You'd do that?” Twilight said.

“Of course!” Sunset Shimmer gestured to the other girls at the table. “Sure, it's … unconventional, but it sounds like this ChronoQuest thing could be fun.”

“The costuming would present a unique challenge.” Rarity's eyes gleamed.

“Not to mention room parties!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Pretending to save the world isn't as cool as actually saving the world, but I guess it's better than just sitting around watching TV.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Say.” Applejack pushed the brim of her hat up. “When is this big schindig of yours, anyway?”

“Um.” Twilight said. “That's the other thing. It's this weekend.”

“That's not so bad.” Sunset Shimmer said. “I mean, I didn't have any definite plans. This is obviously important to you, so we're going to do everything we can to make sure you have a great time. Isn't that right?” She turned to the other girls at the table, who nodded their eager agreement.

“Are you sure? I mean, ChronoQuest isn't exactly for everyone … “

“We're sure.” Sunset said.

Twilight's mouth turned up in a relieved grin. “Thank you. Thank all of you.”

“No problem!” Rainbow Dash held up a finger. “One thing, though?”

“What's that?” Twilight asked.

“How do you play this nerd game of yours again?”

Chapter 2

“Think of it like a play.” Twilight rummaged around in her backpack and finally pulled out a battered trade paperback with “ChronoQuest” written in gold lettering above a broken clock logo. They'd left the Shake Shack, relocating to Pinkie Pie's place to plot in privacy. “Just a play with certain rules to guide it. Instead of moving pieces on a board, you act out what your character's doing.”

“Oh no. People are going to be watching?” Fluttershy trembled and hid behind the back of the couch..

“Not really? Everyone there is going to be a character. Well, unless you count the Chrono-Master staff narrating everything. There might be a few out of character observers, but they tend to stick to the sidelines. ”

“A play with no audience? That's dumb. How else are people supposed to see how cool I am?” Rainbow Dash said.

“People will see how cool you are. It's just that those people will also be playing characters, so you get to see how cool they are, by interacting with them.” Twilight said.

“So this book got all the lines in it?” Applejack eyed the ChronoQuest rulebook, somewhat wary. “Seems like a lotta stuff to memorize.”

“It's not like a scripted play,” Twilight said, “think of it more as … improv.”

“Oooh! Neat! Like the game where you can only speak in questions? Or when people in the audience yell out random stuff and you have to dance around and make up a song based on what they tell you to?” Pinkie Pie bounced in anticipation.

“She just told you there's not an audience, Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash said.

“That'll make a pretty boring song, then!”

“Okay, so. Um. Maybe a play's not the best analogy. Think of it more like … uh, a video game, maybe?” Twilight said. “Only, like … instead of a controller, you have this book.” Twilight patted her rulebook. “And your imagination.”

“So we're rescuing princesses from castles, then?” Rarity mused.

“Psh. Lame.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “We should be like super spies and sneak up on dudes and break their necks like kee-rack!” Rainbow Dash mimed the action with an alarming degree of accuracy. “And then you hide in a box!”

“Why does it have to be so violent?” Fluttershy peeked up from behind the couch. “Why can't it be like one of those nice games on your phone where you pet all the cute kitties?”

“It's not like that.” Twilight said. “Or, well, theoretically, it could be like any of those things. That's the great thing about a role playing game- it's not limited by a set script or programming. Not to mention ChronoQuest's premise is specifically designed to be as open ended as possible.”

“And just what is that premise?” Sunset Shimmer said.

“Okay, so.” Twilight Sparkle smiled in eager, nerdy enthusiasm. “Basically, time is broken.”

“Like your watch is broken?” Pinkie's hair bobbed as she tilted her head to the side. “That seems pretty easy to fix. Unless it was a really fancy watch, I guess?”

“Not your watch.” Twilight spoke faster and faster as she went on, building momentum like some kind of geeky avalanche. “Time itself. The concept. Basically, people from all through history are getting pulled out of their lives by this mysterious quantum force. All these people wind up at the Endpoint Nexus, which is like a city that stands outside the timestream, which is populated entirely by time travelers. People being, well, people, they've banded together and formed different factions. Ostensibly, everyone's working together in order to fight the Clock Wraiths, the mysterious and creepy entities that hunt everyone who's ever traveled through time. But the thing is, most of the factions can't agree on just how to do it. Not to mention everyone else's own hidden agendas and plots on just what they want to do with the timeline.”

“So the game takes place in this Endpoint Nexus you talked about?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Actually, no! Parts of it do, but the thing is, if you stay in the Endpoint Nexus too long, you start to go out of phase with the primary timeline. That's actually represented in a stat you have, called Flux. The more Flux you have, the more the Clock Wraiths pay attention to you. Eventually, if your Flux gets too high, you won't be able to enter the primary timeline at all without getting erased from reality. My character, Tara, is actually fairly unique in the game in that she's got a Flux score of zero-- Tara's just a graduate student from the modern day of our primary timeline, so she's more or less right where she's supposed to be. It's fun, though, because she plays off of all the other travelers from the past and from the future-- But I'm getting ahead of myself.” Twilight shook her head. “Most time travelers spend most of their time in the primary timeline, banding together around certain quantum hotspots that they can draw power from. That's where the regional aspect of the game comes in. So not only can you play anyone in ChronoQuest, you can play pretty much anywhere. Isn't that neat?”

“I'm glad you're excited about it?” Sunset Shimmer offered.

“So hold up. You said we could play anybody, right? Like, not just from the past, but from anywhere in time?”

“That's right!” Twilight Sparkle beamed with the pride of a teacher.

“So I could play someone from the future?”

“Well, yes--” Twilight said.

“Who's a spaceship pilot?”

“There's a skill for that, yeah--”

“And she's also got cool cyborg parts, 'cause she's from the future! Oh, oh, and since she can time travel, she totally went back to Japan so she could get an awesome samurai sword so then I'm gonna roll up on these clock dudes and be all like WHA-CHAAAAH!” Rainbow Dash mimed some vaguely anime-worthy katana poses.

“That's … theoretically possible, yes, but you'll have a really high Flux rating.” Twilight said.

“Who cares?” Rainbow Dash grabbed at the rulebook and began eagerly leafing through it. “I'm like the toughest girl in all Canterlot High! I can totally beat up those chumps.”

Twilight paused. “You … do know there's no actual combat in ChronoQuest, right?”

“Well, duh.” Rainbow Dash said. “You nerds just fight with those fake swords made out of pool noodles, right?”

“You're thinking of a boffer LARP, Rainbow. ChronoQuest is a salon LARP-- it's strictly hands off. No weapons, real or fake. There are combat systems, yes, but it's more narratively focused. You never actually hit anybody with a foam sword.”

“Really? Laaaaaaame.” Rainbow Dash said.

“But there are cybernetics rules, if that's something you're interested in?” said Twilight.

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash leafed through the book some more until she stumbled across the proper chart. “Oh cool, laser fingers!”

“You probably won't need those.” Twilight said, even as Rainbow Dash started pointing at things randomly, making 'pew pew' noises. “The game has a bit more of a social focus, honestly. Which led to some pretty interesting situations. Like, Tara started as a physics student, but running into all of these people from all parts of the timeline has inspired her to start studying history, too … ”

“Mmm. Well.” Rarity had produced a sketchbook from her backpack, and flicked her pen back and forth across the page with the savage precision of a fencer. “Socializing sounds promising, as the Contessa de St. Germain would never sink to the level of physical violence.”

“The who de whatnow?” Applejack said.

“The Contessa de St. Germain.” Rarity said, as if explaining the most obvious thing in the world. She swung her notebook around, revealing an intricate sketch of an elegant woman in an ornate, well-bustled ball gown. “The role I shall be playing. I've been in the mood to construct something historical as of late. I'm thinking late 18th century.”

“So the fate of the whole dang universe is at stake, n' you're just gonna wear a fancy dress n' talk to people?” Applejack peered at Rarity with a typical expression of mild disbelief.

“Of course! That's what Twilight said the game was about, anyway. I bet it's more of a plan than you have, Applejack. Unless you've got a character idea already?”

“I got the best character idea! I'm gonna be … uh … a cowgirl! Yeah!”

“How original.” Rarity deadpanned.

“'bout as original as you bein' a fancy pants princess.”

“Obviously, you haven't been paying attention.” Rarity went back to her sketching with renewed vigor. “She is a Contessa, not a Princess. And she wears a fabulous skirt, not pants.”

“Well iffin' you can play a Contessa or whatever, I can be a straight-shootin', cattle-ropin', rough-ridin' cowgirl. Like Annie Oakley or somethin'.”

“That's actually a really good concept, Applejack. It's just that ChronoQuest has rules against playing historical figures. Basically, if you're important enough to the timeline to pop up in a history book, you're more or less 'locked in' to your time period, so you can't time travel.”

“Alright, I'll name my character somethin' else. Like … Carrie or somethin'.”

“Carrie?” Pinkie Pie said, “Carrie Oakley?”

Applejack shrugged noncommittally. “Sure, why not?”

“Carrie Oakley. KAREOKE!” Pinkie Pie broke down into helpless giggles.

Applejack facepalmed. “That's why not.”

“Now you have to!” Pinkie Pie's teeth glinted as she smiled. “If you don't wanna be Carrie Oakley the signing cowgirl, then I totally will!”

“There is a perform skill. “ Twilight Sparkle said.

“Fine. Straight-shootin', cattle-ropin', rough-ridin', country-singin' cowgirl, then.” Applejack crossed her arms across her chest.

“This is great!” Twilight said, “I think you guys are starting to get the hang of it. Once you find a character that 'clicks' with you, it's really easy to step into that role and just run with it. The mechanics are just there to guide you. Tell you what, just let me know whatever you want to play, and I'll take care of your character sheets. The ChronoQuest system is more complicated than it looks, but I know it well enough to optimize your character sheets. All you'll have to do is just show up at ChronoCon, and we'll all be ready to go!”

“Don't forget the laser fingers!” Rainbow Dash turned her finger-guns upon Twilight. “Pew pew!”

“Uh, right.” Twilight said.

“Actually,” Sunset said, “I think I'll cook something up on my own. Can't be too hard, right?”

“I guess that works too.” Twilight pulled out her tablet and began to scroll through files. “I'll send you a PDF of the rulebook-- really, I'll send all of you guys a PDF. It'll give you a good idea about the factions and the setting and other stuff. Though to be honest, it can be kind of enlightening to just go in completely ignorant of the deeper parts of the setting. I mean, Tara's been time-displaced for a couple of years now, and she's still learning new things about the Endpoint Nexus and … I'm gushing about my character again, aren't I?”

“A little bit.” Sunset said.

“Sorry. Sorry.” Twilight fiddled with her glasses again. “Like I told you, I don't get the chance to talk about ChronoQuest very often.”

“It's okay.” Sunset shimmer leaned over and laid a hand over one of Twilight's. “We know this is important to you. We just want to help. Don't we?” The other five girls sitting around Pinkie Pie's living room nodded their agreement.

“And I appreciate that.” Twilight flexed her fingers beneath Sunset's. “But I'll just go on and on and on if you guys let me.” She stood, and started slipping her tablet and the ChronoQuest rulebook into her backpack. “I'm sure you guys have better stuff to do-- I'll have your character sheets ready in time for ChronoCon and we can take it from there. Besides, it's a school night-- we all should be getting home.”

“Except for me! I'm already here!” Pinkie Pie said.

“We should still leave and let you do your homework anyway.” Twilight said.

“Aaaaw.” Pinkie Pie drooped a little. “I hate it when you're right.”

“Just relax, guys. ChronoCon should be fun! I hope. I've never actually been to a ChronoCon before … or even a live game.” Twilight's voice cracked a little, and she tightened her grip on the straps of her backpack.

“Hey, we'll all be there.” Sunset said. “I mean, it'll be nice to hang out with your best friends, won't it?”

“Yeah.” Twilight relaxed a little. “I guess it will.”

“What a bunch of nerds.” Rainbow Dash said.

She peered over the rims of her aviator sunglasses, surveying the motley collection of people who'd gathered in the hotel lobby to register for ChronoCon. Some of them were in various stages of costume already, with various combinations of corsets, cloaks, capes, and culottes. The rest simply wore the obligatory nerd uniform of blue jeans and black T-shirts emblazoned with game logos and/or snarky turns of phrase.

“That weren't a very nice thing to say.” Applejack hooked her thumbs into her belt as she glared at her friend.

“Oh come on! You were thinking it too!”

“Just sayin', we're here to play the same game as them folk. Don't seem right to go 'bout throwin' stones.”

“I'm not throwing anything, jeez.” Rainbow Dash stuffed her hands into the pocket of the bomber jacket she wore. “Twilight said it wasn't one of those boffo games or whatever.”

“Oh! There you are!” Rarity swept over towards Applejack and Rainbow Dash in a rustling of silk and linen. Her hair was carefully coiffed, and from the shoulders down, the fashionista wore a voluminous ball gown of dark green, decorated up and down with intricate gold embroidery. “I was afraid we'd never find you.”

“Every time I think I've seen ya at your fanciest, Rarity, you surprise me.”

“What, this?” Rarity looked down at herself. “This was just something I had laying around the shop. Or, well, I had the components laying around the shop. All I did was throw it all together. I honestly would've done more, but Fluttershy needed proper attire too.”

“Hi.” Fluttershy said from somewhere behind Rarity. She too was in costume, but in a far simpler (and more practical) variety of historical dress, complete with a modest bonnet. “Have you guys seen Twilight yet?”

“Not yet.” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “I swear, if we went through all this trouble just to have Twilight bail on us … “

“Twilight would never bail!” Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere, as she was wont to do. She'd pulled on a denim jacket over a riotous dress of neon tones, while a pair of thick-rimmed sunglasses covered her face. “Unless, like, we were in a boat, that were sinking, and then I'm pretty sure she'd totally help bail it out! Or maybe she would post bail for us if we ever wound up in jail, which honestly is totally something that's going to happen to us eventually. I mean, we're not bad or anything but sometimes we can just get a little carried away and then we might just break a teensy few laws while we're trying to save the world from whatever evil magical pony thing that's trying to explode everyone's brains that week! Which you'd think would get us off the hook, but I think we'd better find a good lawyer to keep on retainer, just in case.”

“Here's to hoping we'll never have to find out.” Rarity said, and looked Pinkie over. “Love the 80's costume, by the way. Very retro.”

Pinkie Pie tilted her head to the side. “What costume?”

“Hey guys!” Twilight Sparkle hurried up to the group, panting. In contrast to her friends' costumes, she had opted for jeans and a grey hoodie sweatshirt, with a battered messenger bag as her main accessory. Sunset Shimmer followed behind her, likewise dressed in her typical leather jacket and boots. “Sorry I'm late! I had some trouble with my printer at the last minute. But here--” Twilight pulled a folder out of her messenger bag and began handing out pieces of paper. “I've brought everyone's character sheets. Here's one for Contessa de St. Germain.”

“Thank you, darling.” Rarity took the paper between two gloved fingers, and looked down at herself. “Wait. No pockets. Damn.” Rarity grumbled to herself for a few moments, and then finally folded her character sheet up to the point where she could slip it down her decolletage, which was in good supply on account of her corset.

“And for the Contessa's handmaid, Francine.”

“Thanks.” Fluttershy murmured, and then neatly folded up her character sheet to slide it into her apron.

“And here's the character sheet for Carrie Oakley.” Twilight handed the next paper to Applejack. “Don't worry, your perform skill is maxed out, just like your firearms skill.”

“Don't think I'm gonna be doin' much singin', what with savin' the universe and all.”

“You'd be surprised!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Aaaand here's the character sheet for club rock sensation, Ellie Firebolt.” Twilight handed Pinkie Pie her character sheet.

“Whoa. Cool name.” Rainbow Dash said.

“And last, but certainly not least, we have … “ Twilight pulled in a deep breath before she foisted Rainbow Dash's character sheet on her. “Ace Punchley, the cybernetic space pilot samurai.”

“With laser fingers!” Rainbow Dash ran a finger down her character sheet until she found the proper piece of equipment.

“Right. About that. Are you sure you don't want to tone your character back a little, Rainbow Dash? Your Flux rating is really, really high for a starting character.”

“That's 'cause I'm really, really awesome for a starting character! Pew pew!”

“Don't say I didn't warn you … “ Twilight trailed off, and looked over at Sunset. “So, uh. I've got a few extra sheets, if you need a character … “

“Don't worry, I've already made one.” Sunset pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out of her pocket. “Becca Black, Private Detective.”

“Ooooh! Noir!” Rarity grinned. “You should've let me know, darling! I would have gotten you the most wonderful hat.”

“Nah, not Becca's style.” Sunset Shimmer grinned, and turned up the lapels of her leather jacket. “Besides, she's from the modern day, so she'd dress … well, like me.”

“But where's the fun in that?”

“Okay. Everyone ready? We just need to sign in at the main table, and then the game should get started shortly.” Twilight nodded to her friends, and then, after a deep, bracing breath, led them across the lobby. They were about halfway to the registration table when a familiar face (albeit in unfamiliar attire) came through the crowd.

“Hey! Twilight!” Lyra Heartstrings shuffled away from a knot of nerds and headed towards Twilight and company. A pair of goggles pushed Lyra's minty-colored hair back, while the rest of her was covered in a battered hodgepodge of fatigues and riot gear. “I didn't know you played ChronoQuest!”

Twilight froze in place. “Oh. Uh. Right. It's …. something I've read about?” She murmured. “I wasn't expecting to really meet anyone from school here.”

“I know, right?” Lyra beamed, and waved to the rest of Twilight's friends. “Wow. You brought everybody. Cool! Bon-Bon always tells me she's too shy to play, no matter how hard I try to get her interested. But heck, if you've got Fluttershy of all people involved, she's got no excuse!”

“Um. Glad to help?” Fluttershy said from somewhere behind Rarity's hoop skirts.

Lyra just beamed, and clapped Twilight on the shoulder. “We're always happy to get new ChronoQuest players. If you need anything, just lemme know. I play Captain March-- she's pretty well connected, so I'd be happy to help you build character ties or whatever.”

“Uh. Sure.” Twilight nodded, and clutched at the strap to her messenger bag. “I'll keep that in mind.”

“Hey! Cap!” A lanky guy in a too-large trenchcoat called out from the other side of the lobby.

“Oh! Shoot. I gotta take care of this real quick.” Lyra smiled. “See you at game!” And with that, she jogged off to tackle the taller guy in an enthusiastic hug. Twilight, meanwhile, just kept staring forward blankly.

“You alright?” Sunset Shimmer leaned over and waved a hand in front of Twilight's face. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“I think she's just surprised someone else from Canterlot High is involved with this whole endeavor.” Rarity said.

“I don't get what she's embarrassed about.” Rainbow Dash mused. “I mean, did you see Lyra? She's gone all out with her costume, which means I bet she's even nerdier about this stuff than Twilight is!”

“It's not that.” Twilight said. “It's just … I … uh. I kind of know Lyra's character already.”

“How so?” said Rarity.

“We're … kind of dating.”

Chapter 3

“You're dating Lyra.” Sunset Shimmer said, carefully, as if testing the words themselves out for the first time.

“All right! High five!” Rainbow Dash raised a hand in celebration, but was left hanging. She blinked, and looked around at her friends. “What? C'mon. Lyra's cute. I'm happy for them.”

“It doesn't matter how cute they may be as a couple.” Rarity huffed. “The fact of the matter is, Lyra and Twilight owe it to Bon-Bon to come clean about the whole affair. Carrying on in such a scandalous fashion as this is only bound to end in disaster.”

“Bon-Bon?” Twilight finally said, still dazed.

“Oh dear.” Rarity laid her gloved hand on Twilight's arm. “Didn't you know? You didn't really think they were just 'best friends,' did you?” Rarity bent her hands into the appropriate finger-quotes. “Then again, you're new to Canterlot High, so I suppose I couldn't blame you for the confusion.”

“That's not it!” Twilight began to breathe faster. “When I said 'we,' I didn't mean me and Lyra. I meant … “ Twilight blushed, and scratched at the back of her neck. “I meant our characters.” Her voice verged on Fluttershy-levels of smallness.

“I don't get it.” Applejack said.

“Well. Um. Remember when I said this was like a play? Or even a movie? Well. Um. Sometimes … a romantic plot makes things more interesting, yes?”

“Oh yes.” Rarity said with a little flutter. “I do have a weakness for a proper love story.”

“But … just because that happens, doesn't mean the actors are, um, a thing, right?” Twilight said. “This. Um. This is kind of the same way. Because Tara and Jennifer-- er, I mean, Tara and Captain March kiiiiind of have a thing going. Maybe? It's honestly a little bit subtextual with the way Tara looks up to Jen-- up to Captain March for being so capable. And then Captain March says Tara reminds her of the way she used to be before she got pulled into the Endpoint Nexus. And so they kind of compliment each other, sticking together amidst all the apocalyptic craziness … “ Twilight reeled herself in. “They've got a history, is what I'm saying.”

“And all of this took place online?” Sunset said.

Twilight nodded.

“So Twilight's got an internet girlfriend. Got it.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Don't you get it, Rainbow? That was an IC-- an In Character relationship. Not OOC-- Out of Character. Lyra and I are just the actors. It's our characters that are … uh. A thing.” Twilight fiddled with her fingers. “In theory.”

“In theory that your characters are together, or in theory that it's strictly an In Character thing?” Sunset Shimmer said.

“I don't know!” Twilight wailed.

“You … didn't talk to Lyra about this, did you?” Sunset said.

“Well, no. It … it just didn't come up! I mean, I try not to talk OOC too much, for immersion's sake. And, uh, it … just didn't come up, otherwise.” Twilight said.

“I don't get what's so bad.” Rainbow Dash mused. “It's not like you've been internet making out with your internet girlfriend. On the internet.”

“Well … “ Twilight admitted with a blush and a sheepish grin. “There was this one Christmas party, with mistletoe, and-- “

“And it ain't none of our business, that's what.” Applejack grumbled. “Ain't none of our characters' business, either.”

“But what do I do? I didn't know Lyra was Captain March! I didn't even know Captain March would be here! I didn't even know I would be here!”

“Do you want to leave?” Sunset Shimmer said. “We can leave. It's just a game, after all.”

“Leave?” Rainbow Dash squeaked. “But then how am I supposed to use my awesome laser fingers?”

Applejack peered at Rainbow. “Weren't you sayin' this whole thing was for nerds just a minute ago?”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow, “but the laser fingers were the one reason I was putting up with it. Seriously, I just wanna kill something by pointing at it.”

“And I wanna go to a room party!” Pinkie Pie chimed in.

“I shall abide by any decision you make, darling.” Rarity held up a delicate, gloved hand. “But it would be a terrible, terrible waste to let such fabulous regalia such as mine go unused, wouldn't you say?”

Twilight looked up. “I--”

“HEY EVERYBODY!” A man's voice rung out through the hotel lobby, cutting Twilight off. “YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?” Slowly, all eyes in the room turned to a portly man in an orange T-shirt standing atop a chair. “The first person who says 'Adventure Time' is getting their character eaten.” In-joke flavored laughter rippled through the crowd “Good to see you all here!” he said, projecting clearly over the din of the lobby. “My name's Joe--- I'll be your lead Chrono-Master this weekend.”

Polite applause and the occasional “woo!” arose in response.

“But I can't take all the credit. There are a bunch of volunteers all over the place. Just look for the sexy people with the green bandannas tied around their heads! Wave hi to everyone, my sexy Chrono-Minions!”

Various volunteers in the aforementioned green bandannas raised their hands and waved in turn, to an even louder wave of applause.

“Right!” Joe said, and made a show of checking his watch. “We've got a lot of cool stuff planned for you this weekend! We've even got a bunch of new faces here today, so make sure to say hi, establish ties, make friends, make enemies, whatever! Setting wise, if you didn't read the e-mail, is this. The Council of Eons is having their first meeting since the Skycrafter incident-- so naturally, everyone's trying to get their foot in the door to pursue their own agendas. With that in mind, they've temporarily bridged this hotel to the Endpoint Nexus, so all of you can get involved. There are a couple of side rooms that have been marked off as 'reserved'-- those will get opened up as the plot develops. Any other questions, just find me or one of my Chrono-Minions, and we'll be happy to help. Game starts in five minutes in the main ballroom. See you there!”

Joe hopped down from the chair he'd been standing on, and disappeared into a knot of his Chrono-Minions, huddling down to discuss whatever horrible plot twists the night had in store.

“So now what?” Applejack said. “We comin', or we goin'?”

“Maybe we--” Sunset paused. “Maybe you just need to talk to Lyra, Twilight. I mean, you seem pretty clear on this In Character / Out Of Character split. She should be fine with it. Right?”

“Uh. Sure.” Twilight said. “I mean. It … should be pretty easy, right? All I've got to do is sit down and have a rational discussion with Lyra. Just … in the middle of the biggest ChronoQuest game of the year. And she plays one of the most important characters in the whole Endpoint Nexus.”

“To be fair, darling,” Rarity said, “didn't you say that your 'Tara' was of no small importance, herself?”

“Got me there.” Twilight said, and cracked a wan grin. “So. Uh. If you guys want to stay, I'll stay too. Just got to get one little awkward conversation out of the way, and then it's off to save the universe. Again. Easy. Right?”

“We kinda have saved the universe for real a couple times.” Rainbow Dash said. No sooner had the words left her lips, she perked up, and smiled broadly. “Ooooh! Oooh! Do you think this is gonna be one of those times where we go in to do one thing but then it turns out there's ACTUAL magic going on? Like when Adagio Whatsherface and her friends turned out to be evil sirens from the pony dimension?”

“Or when we went on a road trip and then we met that Discord guy?” Pinkie Pie chimed in.

Rainbow Dash balled her hands into eager fists. “Or when Vice Principal Luna turned into Nightmare Moon and had a super awesome heavy metal duel with an evil wizard ghost?”

“It's just a game, Rainbow.” Twilight said. “We're not gonna meet any actual time travelers.”

“Are you sure?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Positive,” said Twilight.

A skinny man in a long brown coat pushed through the crowd and past Rainbow Dash, followed closely by a dark-haired woman in a maroon leather jacket. “Allons-y!” he cried, and disappeared around a corner with the speed of the inspired.

“Hey! Watch it!” Rainbow Dash glared in the general direction the pair had departed in.

“Welp.” Applejack rocked back on her booted heels. “If we're goin', we'd better get goin'. Be downright embarassin' to be late to a time traveler hootenanny, iffn' ya ask me.”

“Applejack,” Rarity hissed, “this is not a hootenanny.”

“Got me there. Ain't enough liquor n' banjos.”

“I can get liquor and banjos!” Pinkie Pie bounced in place. “Want me to go get some liquor and banjos?”

“NO.” Six friends said in unison.

“Kay! Offer's still open, though.”

“Alright.” Twilight said, resolute. “I can do this. We can do this. Time to go save the world, guys!” She thrust her hand out, and the rest of her friends stacked their own hands in the middle of their little circle. “Just, uh, not actually for real this time!”

Twilight Sparkle and her friends shared a brief, spirit-building moment.

Soon after, Tara Sterling and her friends walked into the Endpoint Nexus.

Chapter 4

“Ladies.” A tall man in a pristine tuxedo met the septet as they entered the ballroom. “Welcome to the Endpoint Nexus.” He swept one white-gloved hand outward, over the motley collection of time-displaced adventurers gathered in little knots around the ballroom. “But before you continue, I'm afraid we must attend to a minor matter.”

Rainbow Dash peered at the butler over the rims of her aviators. “What gives, Jeeves?”

“It's Bertram, actually.”

“Whatever.”

“And to whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?” Bertram said.

“The Contessa Bianca, and her entourage.” Rarity daintily extended one gloved hand. Bertram bowed over it and mimed kissing her knuckles, eliciting a delighted laugh from the designer.

“And I'm Ace Punchley! Cyborg Space Pilot Samurai! From the future!” Rainbow Dash said, not one to let a limelight go unstolen. She jerked a thumb at the other girls standing behind her. “And this is my posse.”

“Posse.” Rarity deadpanned.

“There's a cowgirl. Totally counts as a posse.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Can't fault 'er there.” Applejack admitted.

“A pleasure.” Bertram said. “I am obligated to warn you that there have been reports of Clock Wraith activity in the immediate timeframe-- with potential infiltrators, even. As such, certain precautions must be taken. I don't suppose you have someone to vouch for you at the gathering?”

“Uuuuuuh.” Rainbow Dash scratched at the back of her head. “We're … kinda new to this, so, uh, not exactly?”

“I see.” Bertram's lips turned down in a proper frown. He raised one hand and made a brief gesture, at which point a handful of other men in dark suits began to materialize from the crowd. “If that is the case, I'm afraid we may have to submit you to a brief mind probe.”

“Probe?” Pinkie Pie squeaked. “That doesn't sound good.”

“I assure you, the agony is quite fleeting.” Bertram said.

“Hey, watch it, Jeeves!” Rainbow Dash thrust a finger at the butler. “I'm not letting you in my brain!”

“Fortunately, I'm not the one administering the probe. That honor would go to the gentleman in white.” Bertram stepped to the side, and a man in a dark suit pushed a man on a dolly forward. Bound in a straightjacket and a mask, the dolly's rider pulled and twisted against his bonds, and stared at Rainbow with bulging, mad eyes.

He began to giggle.

Rainbow Dash took a step backwards. “Holy crap people get way too into this game.” She muttered.

Sunset Shimmer elbowed Rainbow in the ribs. Hard.

“I mean. Uh.” Rainbow Dash sputtered. “What the hell is that?”

“This would be the Observer.” Bertram said. “I'm afraid his particular abilities have left him quite thoroughly unhinged. However, he is unparalleled in matters of the mind, to the point where he usually leaves no lingering after effects once he's touched your mind. Usually.”

The Observer giggled louder, and leaned forward, leering at Rainbow Dash. “Such pretty hair. Such a pretty brain! When do I get to play?”

“Back off, creepo!” Rainbow Dash pointed one index finger at Bertram, and the other at the Observer. “I got laser fingers, and I know how to use 'em!”

The other anonymous men in dark suits closed in a little closer, with a silent, green-headband wearing Chrono-Minion stepping up behind them, observing.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Twilight grabbed the back of Rainbow's collar and hauled her backwards. She stepped between her friend and the Observer, holding her hands up. “No fighting! No probing! We're okay! Everything's going to be okay. I … I'll vouch for them. All of them. They're all new to this, they don't know what they're doing.”

“And you do?” Bertram said, droll.

“Of course I do.” Twilight pulled in a deep breath. “I'm Tara Sterling.”

The words were enough to even make Bertram take a step back, and the Observer to stop his maniacal giggling.

“Miss Sterling.” Bertram regained his composure a moment later. “My apologies.” He waved a hand, and one of the anonymous goons wheeled the Observer away. “I wasn't aware you were to be in attendance.”

“Yeah, uh. It was a last minute thing.”

“I trust you'll want to speak with Captain March?” Bertram said. “She had mentioned a meeting with the Council of Eons, but I believe that's not yet for awhile.”

“Right.” Twilight nodded. “I'll … I'll find Captain March on my own, thank you. You just keep up the good work here, Bertram.”

“Of course, madam.”

Twilight gestured for her somewhat bewildered (and in Rainbow Dash's case, more-than-somewhat belligerent) friends to follow, and headed away from the door.

“Somebody's popular!” Pinkie Pie said as they walked into the ballroom. “That means you, Twilight.” She added on, as an afterthought. “Or, uh, 'Tara.' Sorry. Code names.” She pulled her sunglasses down low enough to wink.

“That's not … “ Twilight rubbed at the bridge of her nose. “Nevermind.”

“So what's the plan?” Sunset Shimmer said. She hadn't taken her hands out of her jacket pockets since they'd entered the ballroom.

“Right. Plan.” Twilight stood up on her tiptoes, scanning the ballroom. More and more players began to trickle in, forming and reforming small knots of conversation. Others kept to the edges of the room, lurking and eavesdropping. On the far side of the enormous room, Twilight spied a flash of minty-green hair. “Bertram mentioned something about infiltrators … you guys fan out, talk to people, see if you can learn anything.”

“Dibs on the caveman!” Rainbow Dash said.

“What n' tarnation are you talkin' 'bout?” Applejack said.

“Look.” Rainbow Dash nodded to where a guy with a deep tan and the stature of a bodybuilder strode into the ballroom. His leather tunic and furs might have owed more to 60's B-movies than to any historical period, but they did quite a bit to showcase his sculpture-worthy musculature. The long chestnut hair was just a bonus.

Rainbow Dash managed not to drool. Barely. “That dude's bigger than Applejack's brother! Who knew nerds could be so hot?”

Twilight winced. “And, uh … try to stay IC?”

“IC?” Rainbow Dash said.

“In. Character.” Twilight muttered.

“Oh. Right!” Rainbow Dash paused. “But … I can still think he's hot IC, right? Because seriously. Damn. Dude looks like he could bench press a truck.”

“The very fabric of space time is at stake here,” said Sunset, “I think we've got better things to worry about than who's hot or not.”

“Unless we're all doomed anyway!” Pinkie Pie said, smiling. “Then we should just have one last party before we all die horrible, horrible deaths!”

“Eep.” Fluttershy held a hand up to her mouth.

“Don't worry, it'll be a fun party!” Pinkie Pie bounced on the balls of her feet.

“Nobody's dying today!” Twilight Sparkle said. “At least … none of us are. Trust me, I know all of this is a lot to take in, but I know you guys. You can do this. We can do this. I can do this.”

“Hold on.” Rainbow Dash asided to Applejack. “Is she talking in-character, or out-character here?”

“Does it matter?” Said Applejack.

“So yeah. Just … go, talk to people.” Twilight finally said. “Have fun.”

“Will do!” Pinkie Pie said, and bounced off. The rest of the girls dispersed to the far corners of the hotel ballroom.

“They'll be fine.” Sunset said. “Rarity's been champing at the bit to show off her fancy dress all night, and Rainbow … “ She glanced off after the girl. “Applejack should keep her out of trouble. As for Pinkie Pie … “ Sunset Shrugged. “She'll find some way to occupy herself.”

“It's not them I'm worried about.” Twilight sank into her hood.

“Hey. You said it yourself. You can do this.” Sunset patted Twilight on the arm. “I'll be right behind you.”

“For support?”

“Yeah, that. Also 'cause I don't know what people are talking about, half the time.”

Meanwhile …

“Hey.” Rainbow Dash extended one leg as far as she could, and then pulled herself up next to the big, leather-clad man in a lengthy sidle. “Nice cape.”

“Thank you.”

“So, uh … “ Rainbow Dash scratched at the back of her head. “What's your name?”

“I am Aliexares of Thebes.” The big man said.

“Thebes?” Rainbow Dash said.

“It is a city in what you likely now know as Greece.”

“Greece? Like, shouldn't you have a toga or something?”

“Hah!” Alixares' handsome face split in a wide, toothpaste-commercial worthy grin. “If I were some wine-addled scholar, perhaps! But I am a soldier. A hunter of beast and man. My very garments are trophies to my prowess!”

Rainbow Dash's eyes raked their way down Alixares' bicep. “I bet you're really prowessful.”

“Indeed!” Alixares basked in the attention, and hooked his thumbs into his broad belt. “I did not get your name.” He finally rumbled.

“Oh, right I'm R--” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Er, I'm Ace! Ace Punchley! Cyborg Samurai Space Pilot! From the future!” Rainbow Dash puffed herself out a little.

“Samurai?” Aliexares tilted his head to the side. “I have heard this term. You are a warrior, then?”

“Totally!” Rainbow brightened. “I can fight, like, ALL the bad guys! With my laser fingers! PEW PEW PEW!”

“Hah!” Aliexares clapped a heavy hand on Rainbow's shoulder, hard enough to make her knees buckle slightly. “I think we shall be good friends, Miss Ace! Things are quiet now, but with any luck, there shall be Clock Wraiths to battle!”

“Hope so! This whole thing would be pretty lame otherwise.” Rainbow Dash rocked back on her heels, marveling in the sight of someone almost as cool as she was (even if the dude was a super nerd).

“Tell me, friend Ace. Which campaigns have you been on?”

“Campaigns?”

“Like the capture of the Skycrafter!”

“Uh. Yeah. I'm kind of new at this. Like, I'm not a hopeless rookie or anything, but I haven't really been on any, uh, 'campaigns.'”

“Well then, friend Ace, while we wait for the inevitable battle, let me regale you with tales of my amazing exploits!”

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as the sudden reality of the situation sunk in.

This guy was going to tell her about his character.

Lyra stood over a round table, crisscrossed with maps. Her goggles were still propped up on her forehead, and bits of her armor and equipment clattered with each movement. She looked nothing like the cheery girl Twilight knew from Canterlot High-- in her place was a grim, experienced soldier of the Time Wars. Several other men and women clustered around the table with her, in attire ranging from battered flannel to a Cardinal's cassock.

“We've had temporal incursions here, here, and here.” Lyra pointed out little red stickers on a world map. “I'm telling you, there's a pattern to this. It's too well coordinated to write off as random Clock Wraith activity. Something's different, this time around.”

“Are you suggesting,” the cassock clad Cardinal said, very slowly, “that we have a spy in our midst?”

“I didn't say that.” Lyra met the Cardinal's gaze evenly. “But we can't rule out the possibility.”

“That's insane!” A short woman in a flannel vest spat. “You can't negotiate with the Clock Wraiths-- they're practically mindless. They'd try to eat you on sight!”

Twilight took a deep breath, and stepped forward. “Unless you found some way to manipulate them.”

Slowly, Lyra and her compatriots turned to look at Twilight.

“That's impossible.” Lyra said.

“Not impossible, just improbable. You'd need to find some way to manage your personal Flux level so they wouldn't attack you on sight. And then … well, who knows how they think? Presumably, they'd be keyed in to time-speak just like the rest of us.” Twilight went on.

“And just who do you think you are, to put forth such an outlandish theory?” the Cardinal sneered.

Twilight shrank back a step. “I, uh--”

. “This.” Sunset Shimmer put a hand on Twilight's shoulder, both for the moral support and to give her a gentle push back towards the group. “Is Tara Sterling.”

The Cardinal snapped his mouth shut, but the woman in flannel just glared. “Who?”

“She knows what she's talking about.” Lyra said, slowly.

“You can't expect me to--”

“I'll vouch for her.” Lyra said, “End of discussion.”

The shorter woman grumbled and crossed her arms across her chest, but Lyra's glare shut her up.

“Look. I … I should talk to Tara.” Lyra said. “In private, if you don't mind. Your time's valuable, for all of you. Keep an eye out for trouble, and we'll reconvene later.”

The others around the table nodded their agreement and dispersed, leaving Lyra, Twilight, and Sunset alone. As they left, Lyra's shoulders slumped, and her expression softened. “Tara.” She said. “Is that really you? I thought … “

“Things changed.” Twilight said. Hesitantly, she took a step towards Lyra, who soon wrapped her arms around the purple-haired girl in an eager (and, given Lyra's armor, slightly uncomfortable) hug.

“I can't believe you're here.” Lyra said, closing her eyes.

“Uh.” Sunset Shimmer scratched at the back of her neck, feeling oddly confused and slightly jealous at the same time. “Should I go? I can go.”

Lyra blinked, and then laughed, stepping away from Twilight. “Tara and I have a … history.” She giggled. “Sorry. Time traveler joke. You're new?”

“I'm Becca Black, actually.” Sunset said, and reached out to shake Lyra's hand.

“Captain March.” Lyra said, smiling.

“Becca's new to this.” Twilight said. “She's actually from the same time juncture that I am.”

“Really?” Lyra quirked a brow. “That'll be useful. We don't have very many low-Flux operatives at hand … and we're going to need them soon.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight said.

“You've seen the patterns, just like I have. Things are falling apart. Time is falling apart, whether the Council of Eons believes it or not.” Lyra said, grim. “In fact, there are going to be several Flux-points here. Tonight.”

“How can you be sure?” said Twilight.

“I told myself.” Lyra said.

Twilight gasped softly, while Sunset just looked confused.

“So you just kept thinking something bad was going to happen, and now you can say you're right if it does?” Sunset Shimmer said.

“She really is new at this, isn't she?” Lyra said with a sardonic grin.

“What she means is … she doubled back on her own timeline.” Twilight said, slowly. She looked over her shoulder furtively, making sure there wasn't anyone to hear. “It's insanely risky. You run the risk of causing a predestination paradox, and that's before the Council finds out … “

“Which is why we won't tell them.” Lyra winked.

Twilight blushed.

Sunset frowned.

“Do you trust me, Tara?” Lyra put her hands on Twilight's shoulder, and met her eyes. “Really, really trust me?”

Twilight blinked. “I … I … uh. Yes. Yes I do.”

“Good. Because you're the only person who can help me right now.” Lyra stepped back, and again looked around to watch for eavesdroppers. “The first flux-rift should emerge in … “ Lyra checked her watch. “Twenty minutes, tops. Somewhere in this building. I need you to find it before Clock Wraiths start pouring out.”

“Will you go with me?” Twilight blurted. “I … I'll need your help.”

“I would if I could.” Lyra reached down and took Twilight's hand. “But I've got even bigger things to worry about. I hate to put this on you but … out of everyone here, you're the one I trust the most. And I know you can do it.”

“But I--”

“No.” Lyra put a finger to Twilight's lips. “You always did overthink things. Now go. Do what you need to do. When you get back, we can … talk.” Lyra winked saucily at Twilight.

“Guh.” Twilight said.

Sunset kept frowning.

“Oh! One more thing.” Lyra went on, blissfully unaware of Sunset. “You might need this.” Lyra reached into a pocket of her combat vest, and pulled out a small vial of neon-blue liquid. True to form, Twilight gasped again, and Sunset looked at it with a mixture of confusion and disapproval.

“Is that … “ Twilight began.

“Reset.” Lyra said, and pressed it into Twilight's hand.

“But it's illegal!” Twilight blurted.

“Not to mention ridiculously useful.”

“Where'd you get it?” Twilight said.

“It's better if you don't know.”

“I … I guess you're right.”

“Now go. Find the rift. Close it. I've got to stay here, to take care of the Council. I can rely on you, can't I?”

“I … yes. Yes you can.” Twilight wrapped her fingers around the little vial. She met Lyra's eyes for a long, long moment, and then nodded resolutely. “C'mon Becca.” She turned to her friend. “We've got work to do.”

Lyra went in one direction, while Sunset and Twilight went in the other. “Reset?” Sunset asked, voice low.

“It's … it's a drug. Distilled essence of time. You can use it to revert to an earlier point in your own timeline … applied correctly, at the right time, it can bring you back from the verge of death. Applied incorrectly … “ Twilight trailed off, and winced.

“And the fact that your … girlfriend has some doesn't raise any red flags?”

“She's not my … I mean, Jen-- I mean Captain March has very good reasons for having this. Besides, we're going to need all the help we can get if there's a flux-rift. Get the others. We've got work to do.”

Sunset found Fluttershy and Rarity first. It was quite honestly hard to miss them. Rarity had settled down at a table full of other characters almost as elegantly dressed as she was. Fluttershy stood behind her, quiet and demure as to be expected.

“--And then I said, 'well, isn't that a coincidence, because this isn't merlot!'” Rarity fluttered her fan and broke down into polite giggles, followed soon by those of the various socialites and sycophants that had gathered around her.

“Rari-” Sunset Shimmer reined herself back into character. “Contessa? We … uh, we have a thing.”

“Ah! Becca!” Rarity rose from her seat in a rustle of bustles. “What a pleasure! Have you had the chance to meet any of these wonderful people yet?”

“Er, no.” Sunset said. “But … maybe you can introduce me later? Right now, there's … an issue.” She paused, and looked over at the other elaborately-dressed folk around the table. “We could use your help.”

“But of course!” Rarity snapped her fan shut. “You'll excuse me, ladies and gentlemen-- I'm sure you know how these things go.”

Rarity's comments were met with agreeing nods and a few mild protests at her departure. Rarity gestured airily for Fluttershy to follow, and fell into step beside Sunset Shimmer. The redhead stood up on tiptoe and scanned the ballroom. She spotted her other friends clustered around one corner, and angled over that way with Rarity and Fluttershy in tow.

“Man, am I glad you guys showed up!” Rainbow Dash said as soon as the septet was reunited. “That dude with the fuzzy boots would not shut up. Guy just kept talking about himself and how cool he thought he was.”

“Ya don't say.” Applejack said, deadpan.

“Oh, you met Aliexares of Thebes?” Twilight said. “He's … kind of a handful.”

“At least I think he kind of digs me.”

“Er.” Twilight said. “Haven't you ever heard of the Sacred Band of Thebes?”

“That like some kind of belt or something?” Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight held up a finger, but reined in her lecturing instinct at the last moment. “That … that's not important. Right now, we've got work to do.”

“Anybody get any intel?” Sunset said.

“Oh! Well, I heard Christopher Cole-- he's the short gentleman with the hat, you know –is romantically involved with Miss Dorothy-- the charming young woman in the pinafore dress –despite the fact that Miss Dorothy is in contention to take a seat on the Council of Eons. Quite scandalous, I've gathered. Especially considering the fact they nearly killed each other the first time they met.”

“I meant about the mole.” Sunset murmured.

“Didn't come up, I'm afraid.”

“We'll worry about the mole later.” Twilight said. “Right now, we've got a flux-rift to find.”

“A do what now?” Applejack said.

“I'll explain later. Now c'mon.” Twilight pushed her hood back. “We'll know it when we find it.”

Twilight led her friends out of the ballroom with a purposeful stride, heading through a door into a winding hallway. Twilight picked a door at random and walked through, emerging into a smaller conference room. A tall … thing in a cloak stood at one end of the room. A ragged hood was pulled up over its head, and a clock-faced mask stared out impassively beneath it. Somewhat less imposingly (but perhaps more intimidatingly) a young man with a scrappy goatee and a green Chrono-Minion headband stood next to the Clock-Wraith.

“Okay guys.” The Chrono-Minon said. “I'm going to need everyone's initiative.”

Chapter 5

A forgotten breeze from a lost era fluttered the Clock Wraith's ragged cloak. Without any cry or warning, it swept towards Ace, the largest and most immediate source of Flux in the room. The wraith didn't pounce, so much as flow, briefly twisting into an intangible form before it materialized in front of the scrappy cyborg, and sunk its all-too-tangible claws into her belly.

Ace choked out a pained cry, and went for her sword, but a dismissive sweep of the Clock Wraith's hand sent the blade clattering to the floor. Another twist of the beast's claws sent Ace collapsing to the ground, but yet the Clock Wraith still pressed its savage attack, blood splattering with each pass of the terrible talons.

Carrie had her Colt Peacemaker out in a flash, and Becca was a heartbeat behind her with her 1911. The cowgirl and detective opened fire, pumping round after round into the hunched over Clock Wraith until their guns ran dry.

Each bullet kicked up a puff of ephemeral fabric and near-translucent gore, but the Clock-Wraith showed no signs of stopping. Abandoning Ace's ravaged body, it stood back up. Spindly arms stretched out, each one delivering a savage blow to Carrie and Becca both.

“Beast!” The Contessa de St. Germain snapped. “Get away from them!” She flicked a slim, filigreed dagger into her wrist, and hurled it across the room. The blade struck true, embedding in the center of the Clock Wraith's chest, though to little effect.

The time lost creature raised its claws to strike again, only to stagger slightly as a beam of light struck it in the side. Slowly, it turned towards the source of the attack.

Ace pointed one smoking finger towards the Clock-Wraith, clutching her belly wound with her other hand. “Get outta here!” She said, and snapped off another blast from her cybernetic weaponry. “I can totally take this guy!”

“We ain't leavin' you here!” Carrie shouted.

“Wait!” Becca slapped a fresh magazine into her pistol and pulled back the slide. “Where's Tara? We can't leave without--”

Six inches of steel suddenly sprouted from the center of the Clock Wraith's chest. Its mask tilted down to peer curiously at the unexpected growth. Steel rasped on bone as the blade was yanked out. Steel flashed again in a savage arc, and the Clock-Wraith's head toppled from its body. The rest of the thing collapsed to a pile of ectoplasm and rags on the floor like a deflated balloon.

Tara Sterling stood behind the felled creature, clutching Ace's katana in a surprisingly knowledgeable grip. Her friends just gaped at her.

“How did you … “ Becca began.

“You guys did most of the work, honestly. Clock-Wraiths can be killed, or … dispersed, at least, they just soak up a lot of abuse. Since my Flux is so low, I was able to sneak up behind it and get in the killing blow.”

“But … the sword stuff,” said Carrie.

“What, this?” Tara looked down at the katana in her hands. “I've been in the Time War for awhile. I've picked up a few tricks.”

“Hey, one question.” Ace sat up. “Am I dead?”

“Try to stay in character, please.” The Chrono-Minion noted. “And … here, can I see your character sheet?” He noted a few figures on the piece of paper, and then consulted the die-roller app on his phone. “Okay, so you're not dead, but you're mortally wounded. You'll die if you don't receive medical attention. And … game on.”

“Oh. Uh. Right.” Rainbow Dash laid back down, and mimed grabbing at her stomach. “My guts! He punched out all my guts!” It was the sort of performance that at least had enthusiasm behind it (if nothing else).

“What do we do?” Fluttershy clutched at her apron. “I know a little first aid, but not enough to fix, uh … that.”

“So much blood!” Rainbow Dash suppressed a giggle as she writhed on the ground. She'd apparently decided if her character was going to die, she'd at least have fun in the process. “Blarg!”

“There's only one thing that can help her, now.” Twilight crouched beside Rainbow Dash's head. “Here.” She fished the vial of blue liquid from her hoodie pocket, popped the cork with her thumb, and poured it into Rainbow's open mouth.

The multi-haired girl's hammy death-spasms switched to entirely genuine sputtering and coughing. “Hey!” Rainbow squeaked. “What was that-- like, blueberry kool aid or something?”

“Reset.” Twilight said, and patted Rainbow's shoulder. “It'll take your body back to a previous point in time … before you got mauled by that Clock Wraith.”

“So I'm alive?” Rainbow said.

Twilight nodded.

“Score!” Rainbow bounded up to her feet. “Are there any more of those ghost dudes? 'Cause I'm looking for some payback!”

“More likely they'll eat you first,” Sunset said. “Especially since you've got the highest Flux score. That's how that works, isn't it?”

“Actually,” Twilight mused, “as long as the Reset's in her system, it'll conceal her Flux rating as if she were--” Twilight's eyes went wide in terror and she slowly stood. She raised the empty vial to eye level, staring at it. “Oh. Oh no.”

“What's wrong?” Sunset said.

“Look.” Twilight glanced around the conference room. “There's no flux rift, is there.”

The Chrono Minion silently shook his head.

“That's a good thing, ain't it?” Applejack mused. “I mean, we was supposed to stop one of them whatchamacallits.”

“We didn't close a rift.” Twilight said. “There never was a rift. This was a trap!” She shook her head, and pushed her way past her friends, heading back towards the main ballroom.

“Not a very good one, if you ask me.” Rarity hitched up her skirts to keep up with Twilight. “I mean, we survived, right?”

“It wasn't supposed to kill us. It was just supposed to keep us busy.” Twilight said.

From the other side of the ballroom doors, a woman screamed.

Twilight put her hand on the doorknob, and turned back to her friends.

“We've been set up.”

The ballroom was in chaos.

Clock-Wraiths wound between the tables, bringing death with them. Their wicked claws of unmade steel flashed out, cutting down one hapless time traveler after another. Like the hands of the clock masks they wore, the wraiths circled around the edge of the ballroom, slowly spiraling in to contain the survivors of the initial attack.

Once the time travelers realized what was happening, they formed a rough circle, fending the Clock Wraiths off as best they could. Aliexares of Thebes smashed a Clock Wraith to the ground with his stout club, and then leapt nimbly to the side before a second wraith could sink its claws into him. Bertram had produced a long-barreled shotgun from somewhere, and blazed away at the circling monsters, as casual as if he were shooting grouse on a country estate.

Captain March was at the center of it all, standing guard over the dead and dying of the Council of Eons. Even the Observer's gurney had been upended in the struggle, though the madman's gibberings only grew louder and louder amidst the battle.

Captain March pulled back the bolt of her heavy rifle, sighted down the scope, and fired at a circling Clock-Wraith. The creature staggered, but did not fall.

Meanwhile, across the hall, Tara burst in, with her newest friends hot on her heels.

“We've got to help them.” She said, grim.

“But how?” Francine, the Contessa's maidservant, said.

“She's right,” said the Contessa de St. Germain. “We barely managed to handle just one of those monstrosities. There's got to be at least a dozen in there, maybe more! They'd rip us to shreds!”

“If we were working alone, yes.” Tara said, grim. “But if we hit the Clock Wraiths from behind, there--” she pointed to one point in the room, “you can hit them from behind, that just might be enough to create an opening for the others to push through."

“You?” Becca said, level. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“I won't be going with you.” Tara tightened her grip on her borrowed katana. “I'm the only one with a Flux low enough to sneak past the Clock Wraith, but still have some chance of stopping this madness.”

“What're you talking about?” Becca grabbed Tara by the arm. “I'm from the same time … thingie as you are. That means I've got the same Flux, right?”

“Yes, but they're going to need you.” Tara nodded to the rest of her friends. “Trust me. I know what I'm doing.”

“But--” Becca said.

“No.” Tara shook her head. “We don't have time to argue. Now go! The longer we wait, the more people will die!” And with that, Tara strode towards the ring of survivors.

Becca took two steps after her, but Carrie stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“You heard the gal.” Carrie said, and thumbed back the hammer of her Peacemaker. “We got work to do.”

“You.”

Even over the screams and the gunfire, Captain March could recognize that voice. The sudden flanking attack by the new recruits had diverted the Clock-Wraiths' attention, and slowly, the battle began to turn.

“Tara?” said Captain March. Sure enough, the young, hoodie clad grad student picked her way over bodies of friend and foe alike, carrying a long curved sword loosely at her side. The Captain let her rifle slip out of her hands to dangle on its sling. “I didn't want you to see this.”

“I didn't want to see you turn traitor either. I didn't want to believe it. But here we are. How much Reset did it take before the Clock-Wraiths stopped trying to kill you? Or have you been working for them this whole time?”

“That's your problem, Tara. You're smart … but you know just enough to get yourself in trouble. I'm not working for the Clock-Wraiths. They're working for me.” The Captain said with a giddy, half mad laugh. “Don't you see? It's so simple. The Clock-Wraiths … they're not evil. They just … are. They're the universe's antibodies, designed to hunt down us. The virus.”

“So you're just going to let us, let me die?”

“No!” Captain March pushed her goggles up to her forehead, revealing the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “I'm using the Clock Wraiths to wipe the slate clean. No Quantum Collective. No Council of Eons. We're not here because time is broken … we're here because we broke time! This, all of this, is the Council's fault! They just haven't done it yet! I was there. Or … I will be there. That's what I told myself.” She laughed, and spread her hands. “So I did what I had to do. I've gathered the best and brightest of the Endpoint Nexus here … without their leadership, everything else will collapse.”

“Good god. You've killed us all.” Tara's voice cracked.

“Not all of us. No.” Captain March reached into her combat vest, and pulled out another vial of blue liquid. A larger one, this time. “I set up a distilling plant in a pocket dimension-- It's been churning out Reset for relative decades. If you return to your home juncture, and take a large enough dose … it's like you never left at all” She tossed the vial to Tara. “Once the rest of the time lost are either dead, or back in their home junctures, time will finally be able to fix itself.”

Tara stared at the heavy glass vial. “But if you dosed yourself with that much Reset, you'd … “

“Forget everything since I got unstuck in time.” The Captain said.

“So you'd forget me. Just like that.” The words stung Tara's lips as she said them.

“Don't you see? I'm doing this FOR you! You're one of the smartest, bravest, most resilient people I've ever met. You deserve better than an eternity of senseless war!”

Tara looked across the room, to where her friends, new and old, fought for their lives against the savagery of the Clock-Wraiths. “How much Reset did you make?”

“Even with the pocket dimension, just enough for about a half dozen doses. Maybe more if I find a way to tweak it.”

“Six people. Out of everyone you've ever met. Six people get to live.”

“It's the only way, Tara.” Captain March held her hands out, and walked closer. “Please. I … this could be the last time we ever see each other. I don't want it to end this way.”

Tara whipped the point of her katana upward, and leveled it at Captain March's chest. “Not like I'll remember it anyway.”

“Tara. You can't stop this. You can't stop me, even with that sword. We both know that.”

“You're right.” Tara narrowed her eyes. “I can't stop you. But I know who can.”

And with a flick of her wrist, Tara slashed through the leather straps that held the Observer in place.

“Hey, am I dead again?” Rainbow Dash asked as the last few rounds of combat wrapped up.

A much-harried Chrono-Minion rolled his eyes, and then leaned over Rainbow's shoulder to peer at her character sheet. “No,” he said, “but you've lost a leg”

“Really? Sweet!” Rainbow Dash began to hop on one foot. ”That just means, like, I can get a new robot foot, right? Like, it could be a ROCKET FOOT so I could fly, and then do super amazing mega-kicks! BOOSH!”

“I guess we can do that later. Um. Let's just get you with the rest of the wounded, okay?” Fluttershy said, and guided Rainbow Dash to the corner of the ballroom that had been set up as a makeshift imaginary triage center-- one that was depressingly full.

Fluttershy sat Rainbow Dash in an empty chair, and then bustled off to find more wounded.

“Ace! My friend!” Alixiares of Thebes said from where he lay on the table itself. “What a battle! Did you not see me there, in the thick of the fray?”

Rainbow winced. “I'm sure it was cool?”

“It was not cool! It was, in fact, it was hot! Hot with the glorious thrill of battle! You shall have the honor of being the first to hear of my latest exploits!

Rainbow Dash began to scream inside.

“Where's Twi--” Sunset Shimmer shook her head, “where's Tara?” She realized she was never going to get used to that.

“Looks like she's over there, talkin' to them 'portant lookin' folk.” Applejack pointed. Sure enough, Twilight huddled around the Cardinal, Bertram, the Observer, and a few other important looking time travelers. Finally, she exchanged a few grateful bows and handshakes, and pried herself away from the group.

“So that's that.” Twilight said. “Captain Jennifer March is dead. I think she even died before she could send herself a message from her future, so there's another branching paradox … nothing that the Council can't deal with.”

“Dead?” Sunset blurted. “But I thought you two were … “

“We were.” Twilight said, and wiped the corner of her eye. “Not anymore.”

“Are you … are you okay?” Sunset Shimmer said. While the battle, and the whole game was pretend, the tear tracks lining Twilight's cheeks looked entirely too real.

“Don't worry.” Twilight pulled the large vial of Reset out of her pocket, and popped the cork. “I will be.”

Author's Note

Alright then! Tried something a little different this chapter. Figured the whole 'in game italics' thing would be a more exciting way to show combat, rather than people standing around and comparing stats and stuff round-by-round in the way it works in an actual Salon LARP. I'll just presume the ChronoQuest system is streamlined enough that combat doesn't take forever. :)

Anyway, stay tuned, as I've got at least one more chapter yet to go, dealing with the OOC fallout and/or the room party. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6

“And that's game, everyone. Great job!” Chrono-Master Joe's voice echoed off the ballroom walls. “I'll send out the closing announcements via e-mail … but for now, I've been told the party suite's ready to go, so I'll see you there!”

The crowd cheered.

“Hey guys! Wha'd I miss!” Pinkie Pie materialized next to Applejack and Rarity.

“Hold up.” Applejack furrowed her brow. “Where you been all this time? Ain't you been payin' attention?”

“Not really, no! I got kinda bored after the first twenty minutes, so I kinda wandered off and then I wound up helping some people put the party suite together for the after-party! Would you believe they didn't even have ONE banner that said 'Party Time' on it? Good thing I had an emergency party decoration kit handy!”

“I thought it was quiet.” Rarity deadpanned.

Pinkie whipped her head from side to side, hard enough to make her poofy hair wobble. “Hey, wait a sec, where's everybody else?”

“Welp.” Applejack raised a hand to the brim of her hat and scanned the room. “Rainbow's still talkin' to that feller with the fuzzy boots. Fluttershy's over there, too. And, uh, here comes Sunset. She don't look happy.”

“Hi Sunset!” Pinkie Pie chimed, “where's Twilight?”

Sunset winced. “Uh. About that.”

“Oh! Right! Sorry, I meant, where's Tara? We're still doing those code names, right?” Pinkie Pie said.

“No, not that.” Sunset said. “Right before the game wrapped up, Twilight told me she needed some alone time to, uh, unwind, I guess.” Sunset thrust her hands into her pockets and hunched her shoulders. “I … figured I'd let her. I mean, she was a lot more emotionally invested in the game than any of us were. And … well, I can't even imagine what she's going though. She said she'd be at the after party.”

“Then we'd better go 'head n' meet her, then.”

“Woo!” Pinkie said, throwing up a handful of confetti. “It's gonna be great! There's a punchbowl and balloons and everything!”

“You go ahead.” Rarity said, “Applejack and I will meet up with you once she takes this dress off of me.”

“Do what now?” Applejack sputtered.

“Please, Applejack?” Rarity fluttered her eyelashes at the cowgirl. “I know I make wearing such fabulous attire look entirely too easy, but a dress like this is a work of architecture as much as it is fashion. You're quite simply the only person I know strong enough to help me unlace it safely.”

“How'd ya even get into it, then?”

“It was a process, let me tell you. A winch may have been involved.”

“Oooh!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “What if Fluttershy put on her old timey costume and helped you out, and then you would've used a wench! Or what if she was the one doing the cranking, and then it would be a wench winch!” She elbowed Rarity. “Huh? Huh?”

Sunset, Applejack, and Rarity stared at Pinkie.

“Jeez. Tough crowd.” Pinkie murmured.

“Right.” Rarity said. “We'd better be going, before this corset starts warping my bone structure.”

“You're jokin', right?” Applejack said, only to be met by Rarity's impassive stare. “You ain't jokin'.”

“A lady must make certain sacrifices in the name of fashion. Now, come.” She caught Applejack by the elbow and dragged her off.

Sunset looked after the departing pair for a curious moment, and shrugged. “Well, c'mon Pinkie. Let's get the others and hit up your party.”

“Yay party!” Pinkie Pie blew on a noisemaker she'd magically produced from her pocket. “Hey! You don't think the others are gonna need help undressing too, do you?”

“Hopefully not.” Sunset said.

“Just checking!”

It was a simple enough matter to collect Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash (the latter being absolutely relieved for an excuse to slip away from more stories about Alixiares of Thebes) and then head up to the party suite.

True to form, Pinkie Pie had transformed a monument to drab hotel monotony into something halfway festive, pasting up streamers and banners and fake paper clocks on every possible surface she could. A punchbowl sat precariously balanced on a nightstand, and a cooler full of various drinks sat next to it. Cheery, uptempo music pumped out from a small stereo set up beneath the hotel television.

Sunset recognized several players from the game, even if she couldn't remember their names-- their character names, that is. The realization she barely knew anyone's real name just added a sense of surreality to the gathering. Most of the guests had shed their costuming; Betram swapped his white tie and gloves for a black T-shirt and jeans, the Cardinal probably shouldn't have been referred to as such without his cassock, and Sunset almost didn't recognize the Observer after he'd combed his hair and slipped out of the straightjacket.

“Okay, everybody.” Sunset said as they walked through the door into the rapidly-crowding party. “Just keep an eye out for Twilight. She told me she'd be fine, but after everything that went down with Lyra-- er, Captain March, or whoever, I just want to make sure.”

“Got it!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “Maybe you should ask them yourself, 'cause they're right over there!”

Sunset followed Pinkie Pie's point, and sure enough, Lyra and Twilight had staked out a corner by the window. Twilight still wore her hoodie (though now with the hood pushed back), while Lyra had abandoned her goggles and body armor somewhere along they way.

Both of them were laughing.

Sunset Shimmer blinked. It took her a few minutes to weave her way through the crowd, until she could get close.

“Uh. Hey.” She said, at a sudden lack of anything else to say.

“Sunset! Hi!” Twilight said, cheery.

“I'm glad you could make it!” Lyra chimed in, beaming. “I didn't get the chance to tell you earlier, but you were great back there! I can't believe this was your first ChronoQuest game.”

“Uh. Thanks?” Sunset managed.

“You picked a great one to enter in on, too!” Lyra grinned. “Honestly, Twilight, I just wish I'd known you played Tara sooner.”

“Yeah. Well. It's not like there's a local branch or anything. Easier to sit down at a computer than to get a bunch of people together in funny costumes.”

“Good point.” Lyra said. “Still, we should hang out more!”

Twilight smiled. “I'd like that.”

“So you're not … y'know. Mad?” Sunset said. “Either of you?”

“Why would we be?” Twilight asked.

“She betrayed you!” Sunset said to Twilight. “And she killed you!” Sunset said to Lyra.

“I know!” Lyra's smile shone bright enough to hurt. “Wasn't it great?”

“What.” Sunset said.

“It really was better than I could've hoped for.” Twilight said, and patted Lyra on the shoulder. “Thanks!”

“No, thank you!” Lyra said. “I mean, Captain March was gonna go down eventually, but having Tara be the one to figure everything out? That's perfect! I honestly should be thanking Twilight.”

“For killing you.” Sunset said.

“Exactly!”

“I still don't get it.”

“Okay, so … Lyra actually tracked me down after the game ended, and hashed things out with me. I mean, everything was entirely IC. So she didn't have any hard feelings. It … honestly wasn't as weird as I thought it'd be.”

“Honestly, if anyone were to kill Captain March, Tara was the right one to do it.” Lyra noted.

“Technically, the Observer killed her.” Twilight noted.

“It was still cool!” Lyra beamed.

“But … “ Sunset looked between Lyra and Twilight, confused. “Weren't you two-- I mean, weren't Tara and the Captain … “

“Totally a thing!” Lyra said, with no small degree of pride.

“Which is what made their story so interesting. And tragic. And, uh … fun.” Twilight said.

“So, let me get this straight. Your characters did terrible things to each other, and you're happy about it?”

“Yep!” Lyra beamed.

“It's kind of cathartic, actually.” Twilight said. “You know, having a way to explore stuff like love and betrayal and all that. Just … without the actual love or betrayal. If that makes sense?”

“That's the appeal, you know? Being able to do stuff that you can't do in real life. How often do you get to be a supervillain?” Lyra said.

“Eheh. Right.” Sunset said.

So deep into her nerdy enthusiasm, Lyra failed to notice the way the breath caught in Sunset's throat. “I-- er, Captain March has been working on her whole scheme for the better part of a year now.”

“That long?” Twilight said, with no small degree of appreciation.

“Yep!” Lyra beamed. “Ever since the thing at Tunguska.”

Twilight gasped. “That was you?”

“Yep! Captain March deliberately sabotaged the containment effort so she could use the impact of the explosion to set up her pocket dimension. Then she stole the AI core out of the Skycrafter so she had something to run the Reset factory.”

“That's brilliant!” Twilight said.

“Thanks!” Lyra said. “I probably should have mentioned that in my whole 'laying out my evil plan' speech, but eh. If I'd known you were coming, I would've planned ahead and written one. But hey, that element of surprise is what makes a game like this so great!”

“So what do you think you're gonna play next?” Twilight said.

“Oh, I dunno. Captain March was fun, but I think I might pick somebody from the past, next time around. Maybe something medieval.”

“You wanna be a princess?” Twilight teased.

“I was thinking more knight errant, actually.”

“Hold on.” Sunset held up a finger. “You-- your character nearly killed everyone at ChronoCon, and they're just gonna let you start all over?”

“Well, yeah?” Lyra said, “I mean, if they kicked everyone out of the game who ever had their character try to wreck up the place, ChronoQuest wouldn't have any players at all. Besides, it's not like anybody's gonna have any hard feelings. IC and OOC separation and all that.” Lyra made a chopping motion with her hand, as if to physically separate the two concepts.

“All of it?” Sunset said. “Even the part with … you know, Tara and Captain March being … “

“Especially that.” Lyra laughed, and nudged Twilight. “No offense, but Bon-Bon would kill me.”

“None taken.” Twilight said. “I should've told you earlier who I was playing, though. I didn't want to make things awkward.”

“Hey, that awkwardness is what makes Tara so cute.” Lyra said.

“Right.” Sunset peered at Twilight from the corner of her eye. “Tara.”

“Oh hey!” Lyra leaned over as she saw more of her friends slipping into the party suite. “Some more friends of mine just showed up-- gotta make the rounds, y'know?” Having excused herself, she slipped out of the corner, moving to go meet her friends with a cheery hug.

“So … “ Twilight said, “have fun?”

“I guess so?” Sunset managed. “It's just a lot to take in. I'm glad you had fun, though. Even if your character went and amnesia’d herself.”

“Uh. Actually … she didn't.”

“Wait, really?”

Twilight nodded. “Oh, she thought about it, but, after everything, she decided that some memories are worth hanging onto, even if they're painful. Not to mention the fact that if the Council thinks Tara Reset herself, they'll leave her alone … which gives her the perfect cover to make some more investigations of her own.” Twilight allowed herself a cat-with-the-canary grin. “She'll have to lay low for a couple of months, sure, but I've been pretty busy since I met you guys anyway. Still, by the next time ChronoCon rolls around, Tara will probably have another evil scheme to thwart. Should be fun! I just hope the cleaning staff doesn't have too much trouble getting that blue stain out of the carpet.”

“That … is surprisingly devious. Am I being a bad influence on you?”

“Maaaaybe.” Twilight scuffed one sneaker against the hotel room carpet. “Just think of it as practice for the next time we need to go save the world from some magical pony thing.”

“Twilight Sparkle, element of subterfuge.”

“It does have a nice ring to it.” Twilight giggled, and soon Sunset found herself laughing along just the same. Twilight took off her glasses to wipe the laughter-tears from the corner of her eye, and sighed happily. “Oh! Sunset? One more thing.”

“What's that?”

“Do you have any plans for the summer yet?”

“No. Why?”

“Well, Lyra told me she'd heard about this thing they do at an old summer camp a few hours southwest of here. They call it Elfwood or something. Do you think you, er-- think the girls would want to go? I'd be starting a new character from scratch, so it'd be nice to go in with some friends already ...“

"You are such a dork."

Sunset Shimmer made it a term of endearment.