Author's Note

The second part is Tia's POV

2 'O Clock in 24-hour time: For Want of a Nail

And so Clover and Bacon Hair saved all of the pony servants without a hitch and they all lived happily ever after.

In one of the many universes of the multiverse, that is. But that universe is boring, so we'll focus on this one instead.

In this universe, it started off fine. Sparkleworks and Kimono had started making noise outside while Luna, Clover and Celestia snuck around. Soon they reached the window. "Right," muttered Clover. "Luna, get onto my back and then climb through the window, okay?"

The excited filly nodded, jumping onto Clover's back and then jumping again, landing perfectly inside. Clover stared for a second and turned to the white filly. "You next."

"Err, okay....." muttered Celestia. She awkwardly raised her two front legs and lifted them onto Clover's back, struggling pathetically to get her back legs onto her back. After about five minutes she finally stood atop Clover's back and awkwardly tried to find her footing to get into a good position to climb.

"Are you ever going to get inside?" snapped Clover. "You're seriously- ow! Move your hoof, you're hurting me!"

"Sorry-"

Smack.

Celestia awkwardly picked herself up off the ground. "Take your cloak off!" she hissed. "It's too slippery, I can't get my footing!"

"What do you mean, take off my cloak? It's a magical artifact!"

"The last time I asked you to take it off you said it was a family heirloom!"

"Yeah- well, it's that too! Now try again!"

"Oh, for Celestia's sake!"

"I'm trying my best, okay?" I snapped.

Then I stopped. "For Celestia's sake? For my sake? What?"

"Eh? You must have misheard me. Anyway, hurry up and- ow!"

"Sorry!" I whispered hurriedly, raising the hoof I had just put down.

"It's okay," she muttered. "Just don't put your hoof there, okay?"

I nodded, staring up at the window. This was the first time I had gotten this far; before I had just fallen off trying to get into a position to jump. It's so high up. Wow, I'm so pathetic. Luna's half my height and she made it look so easy! I'll try. No way in the world that I'll make it, but I'll try.

I bent my knees and jumped as high as I could, pathetically waving my front legs until I hit the ground. "I can't do it," I breathed. "It's too high."

"Come on!" she insisted. "I know you'll do it this time!"

"Fine!" I muttered, again struggling to climb onto her back. After I managed to find a way to stand without slipping, I stared at the window again. How in the world am I going to manage it?

I was about to jump when I felt the cloak under my hooves move, almost making me fall off. I looked down. "Sorry," Clover muttered. "I think it'll be easier now." I nodded weakly, staring back up. "Ow!" she cried.

"What?" I asked. This time I hadn't moved my hooves at all.

"Just stay still and close your eyes until I say otherwise!"

I nodded, shutting my eyes tightly and hearing Clover grunting beneath me. A second later I could feel myself moving upwards. After another few seconds she told me to open my eyes and climb in.

I blinked. Suddenly the window was easily in reach. It was like we had somehow flown. I knew better than to ask as I scrambled inside and looked down to see Clover hanging from the windowsill. She grabbed my hoof and climbed up, letting go of me and jumping inside.

That was what I think she was going for, anyway.

Instead she hung awkwardly in the air half a metre below the window. I stared and saw that a thread of her cloak was caught on a nail. She noticed it too, and started flailing around trying to get it free.

"Just take your cloak off!" I shouted.

"I can't! It was the last thing my parents gave me before they died!"

"Your excuse for wearing that thing all the times changes every time I ask you to take it off!"

"Yes, well, it has a lot of reasons to be special to me!"

She sighed. After a second her horn began glowing magenta. The loose thread turned the same colour and unhooked itself. There was a bump as she hit the floor. Luna raised an eyebrow. "I thought you couldn't use magic because of.....er.....well, you definitely said that-"

She was cut off by the sound of a thousand hooves galloping towards us.

"Follow me!" screamed Clover, galloping down the hall. Luna and I followed. I galloped as fast as I possibly could. For half of the time I didn't even have a clue where we where. After a while we got to a huge, black door, which Clover kicked open.

I preferred it closed.

Hundreds and thousands of little jail cells. Each one holding a single pony, each coat grayish from the dust. Ponies struggling to bend the bars, or just staring blankly, or screaming at nothing. I glanced at Luna. Poor thing, she's terrified.

Clover noticed too. "You two stay here. I'll be back in a second."

I nodded weakly, grabbing Luna and pulling her closer to me and adjusting my glasses so I could see properly. After a few seconds Clover galloped back, a purple Pegasus with weird pixie-like wings following her. "Follow me!" Clover yelled, galloping past Luna and I. Luna trotted after her. I followed.

We galloped down the hall and up some stairs, then down a few more hallways. After a while we saw another door. This one looked more normal- made of what looked like wood and with a welcoming handle. It swung open without Clover needing to touch it, revealing an orangy-yellow Unicorn with red and yellow hair. I glanced inside to see one other Unicorn, a white filly with pink and purple hair, and seven Earthponies, Kimono and Sparkleworks among them.

"Everypony out!" yelled Twilight. "I accidentally attracted the guards! Follow me!"

She galloped off. Seriously? More galloping? I'm already out of breath!

I followed her blindly, going as slowly as I possibly could without the risk of losing sight of the others. I probably should be going a lot faster, but I'm exhausted. It was about two minutes before something grabbed my hoof.

I screamed, staring behind me and seeing a grey Unicorn stallion. He wasn't touching me, but his horn was glowing. Telekinesis. No amount of struggling will get me free. I need to distract him somehow, then he'll-

"HOOVES OFF MY SISTER YOU STUPID NARWHAL!"

Luna jumped onto the stallion, furiously digging her teeth into his left front leg. I felt the telekinesis being lifted off of my leg. "Come on!" I called, standing up. She nodded, standing up and galloping. I glanced back. Holy crap, that Unicorn's bleeding. My sister is a vampire.

The white Unicorn filly that was running with us trotted back, glancing at the guard. She galloped back out of sight and then back towards us, using her magic to levitate what looked like a piece of Clover's cloak. She wrapped it around the guard's leg. I glared. "He tried to kill me!"

"He's still a pony!" she snapped, galloping off. I followed, soon catching up with the others. After a minute or two we came to a massive hall with four entrances, guards pouring out of each one. Trapped. Clover turned to us, and I noticed the piece chopped out of her cloak. "We are getting out of here! Fight them!"

Before I could point out that statisitcally, we were severely outnumbered by professionals and had very poor chances of beating them in a fight and our survival chances could potentially double if we just ran, we were fighting. Luna was biting guards left right and centre. Clover had started a magic fight with three of them. I galloped forward, wondering how I could help.

It was about ten seconds before I was grabbed from behind by telekinesis. I was about to scream and pray that Luna saved me (I know, great attack plan) when I turned and saw that I wasn't being held by a guard.

"CLOVER?!" I choked.

Her orangy-yellowish Unicorn friend galloped over to us. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"She's alive in the future- I mean, present- so it doesn't matter what we do now!"

"That's ridiculous!"

Clover said something in response but I could hardly hear her. I was focusing on the guard trotting towards me. "Put me down!" I protested. Her grip on me only tightened. That was when I realised. I'm a shield now.

The stallion trotted up to me, smirked, and turned around. Within seconds I felt his back hooves crash into my stomach. Clover squealed and dropped me to the ground. I stared around, struggling to my hooves and turning to Clover. "What the hell was that for?" I demanded.

Before I could hear her answer I felt something grabbing me. The next thing I knew I could feel my head slamming into the wall.

"Celestia!"

Luna galloped over to her unconscious sister, grabbing her glasses in her mouth and turning to Clover. "What is wrong with you?"

"I can explain- I'm sorry- Please-"

"Follow me!" ordered her orange Unicorn friend, galloping off through one of the doors. The others followed, Luna half-carrying, half-dragging Celestia behind her.

Half a second later Scootaloo felt something grabbing her tail.

She turned to see a guard grabbing her tail in his mouth. Cheerilee turned and jumped onto the stallion, knocking him away. Scootaloo stuch her toungue out and galloped. They galloped down a hallway until they found another door, which Clover swung open.

Outside.

They noticed the glowing rocks on the ground. Clover stopped and gestured towards them. They were all glowing brighter than ever. Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, Toola-Roola, Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, Cheerilee, StarSong and Minty galloped over to them and they started levitating.

The next thing they knew there was a blinding flash of light and everypony was galloping.