Lose ends

Crystal Empire:

One of the less glamorous aspects of military life was making things presentable for inspection. The Crystal Guard was no exception. After the battle had been won, it was up to them to remove every last bit of the mud creatures. Due to the unknown nature of the beasts, hazardous material protocols had to be observed, lest a remnant spawn another monster. Fortunately, there was no need to be stoic in this duty. Eagerly, they talked among themselves as they used their green, glowing hoof covers to locate every speck of dirt and algae not native to the Crystal Empire. Their new equipment reminded them of the treat that awaited when they had completed their task.

When they returned to their barracks, they found, as promised, that Green Lantern and Alicorn Marevel were waiting. The guards who had been in the thick of the fray were relating their latest triumph to the shift that was just getting up. Eager for news, the fresh shift crowded around the former combatants.

"I saw everything!" one of the soldiers crowed. "Spike is truly a hero of the Crystal Empire."

One of the fresh shift yawned and stretched. "Why didn't you call us out? What happened?"

The first soldier replied, "It all happened so fast! The creatures were all around their Highnesses. Prince Consort Armor bought us some time with his shield. We were barely holding the things off. Right when we thought we'd be overwhelmed, they came." Turning towards the metas, he said, "O Brave and Glorious Spike, Alicorn Marevel, tell them what happened next."

Spike groaned. "Come on, guys. I already told you twice. Besides, we're supposed to wait for the folks on clean-up duty. And, it's just 'Spike' or 'Green Lantern'. I didn't do anything special; it's my job, my duty."

The soldiers turned to Marevel. She said, "Lantern is right. The second I let any of this go to my head, you all have permission to slap me."

One of the returning soldiers said, "O Brave and Glorious Spike, tell us everything! You promised."

Marevel asked, "Is every guard here?"

"Not the ones on duty."

Marevel nodded at Lantern. In a flash of green light, he switched the on-duty guards with those who had already heard the story multiple times. Spike said, "All right, everypony, let's take this from the top."

The third time was the charm. Now that the two youngsters had rehearsed, their story flowed like water. They took great pains to point out the bravery and dedication that the Crystal Guard had shown. Carefully, they avoided any exaggeration of their own exploits. When their story came to an end, they were besieged with questions. Luckily for the heroes, Shining and Cadence came to rescue.

The Crystal Guard saluted and then stood at attention. Shining Armor spoke. "At ease, soldiers. We must take Spike and Marevel to report what has happened to the princesses in Canterlot."

Quietly, a collective groan filled the air. Cadence spoke up. "I know you all have a lot of questions for Spike and Marevel. I promise they will make time for you the next time they visit the Empire.”

The two youngsters reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Gently, Cadence said, “All right you two, let’s go.”

Two battle-hardened nannies kept Flurry Heart entertained as her parents led the metas to the guards' training yard. Two pegasus-drawn chariots stood ready to accommodate them.

“Is everypony ready?” asked Shining.

“Yes, we are, but, isn’t this transportation a bit slow?” asked Lantern.

One of the pegasi, Flash Sentry, saluted Lantern Spike. “Sir! We are the finest of the Royal Crystal Air Force, sir!”

Spike smartly returned the salute.

“The finest of the finest; that's all Shining Armor accepts. No offense, soldier, but we need something faster than a pegasus right now." Spike aimed his ring, and a hypersonic aircraft with generous seating for four sprang from his willpower. A platform lowered, allowing the ponies easy access. “Okay, we’re ready!”

“What is that thing?” asked Cadence, unsure.

“My friend Hal Jordan calls it a jet,” explained the dragon. “The ring can create anything you can imagine. As my trainer told me, the only limit is my imagination, and my will.”

“I think Cadie meant the ring,” said Shining. Looking to his wife, he said, "Don't worry, honey. After seeing how Spike handled those monsters, I'm sure we'll be just fine.”

As they settled into their seats, a disturbing thought came to mind. Alicorn Marevel said, “Hey, what time is it?”

“Ten minutes to six, why?” asked Shining, looking at a clock on the console.

“Great!” Marevel face-hoofed. “Hey Lantern, do you think you can drop me off at home?”

“Wait, what now?” asked Shining Armor.

The roar of the jet masked Spike's reply.

In the floating city of Cloudsdale, two parents lay on the roof of their house on freshly-sculpted cloud cushions, anxiously awaiting the little filly whom they knew had flown in harm's way. Scanning the horizon, they saw a tiny green dot growing ever larger. It seemed to take forever before they could see the arrowhead-shaped planform. From that point, the green craft arrived mercifully quickly.

Windy and Bow flew down to meet the jet as it hovered in front of their door. As a platform started to lower, Marevel squeezed through the opening and exclaimed, "Mom! Dad! Am I late?"

The clock chimed as she finished her question. Bow said, "You sure know how to cut things close." Turning back to the platform, the parents noticed the royal presence. They hastily bowed.

Giggling, Cadence said, "Please rise. We're here as friends."

As the stood, Windy said, "Thank you for taking care of her daughter. I hope she wasn't too much of a handful."

Shining Armor answered, "We should be thanking you."

Cadence added, "If it weren't for Spike and her, I don't know what would have happened to me, or to little Flurry."

Spike cleared his throat. "Sorry to run, but we're expected in Canterlot. We'll send Dash back as soon as we find her." With that, Spike and the royals bowed to the pegasus family. The platform raised, sealing its occupants back into the vessel. It traveled slowly for a short distance, before accelerating where its slipstream would do no damage.

After the green jet vanished in the distance, Equestria's mightiest mare turned to her parents. There was something unsettling about the way they looked at her. Nervously, she asked, "Where do I begin?'

"The beginning would be nice," said Windy. "Have you been hiding this from us all this time?"

Bow added, "What are you really?"

Nervously, Marevel replied, "I'm a pegasus filly." Her parents eyed her skeptically. "This isn't the real me; I was chosen for this job." With a hint of desperation, she jumped back and said, "Shazam!" Lightning struck.

When the spots cleared from their eyes, Bow and Windy saw their little filly curled in a ball. "Don't send me away. Don't send me away. Don't send me away."

The parents extended their wings and hugged their child. Soothingly, Windy said, "It's all right, honey. It's all right."

Bow added, "Breathe, Scootaloo. Just breathe. You're our little filly, no matter what."

As the parents gently rocked her back and forth, Windy said, "We believe you, honey. We just want to understand what happened."

Scootaloo still shivered uncontrollably. "There, there," said Bow. "Take all the time you need. We'll be here for you."

A scratchy voice brought them back to reality. "Scootaloo? You're the alicorn who helped Twilight?"

The family looked up to find their other daughter looking at them.

Bow asked, "Rainbow? When did you come here?"

The speedster shrugged. "A couple of seconds ago." Ruffling Scootaloo's mane, she continued. "That was some light show you pulled. No wonder Spike told me to hurry here."

Bow said, "It looks like this will be a long story. Why don't we go inside where it's more comfortable?"

Nervously, Windy looked around. "Thank Faust nopony else saw that."

Over milk and cookies, Scootaloo told the story of how she was taken to the old wizard, and of her accepting the mantle of champion of virtue. Her family encouraged her to add as much detail as she could. The filly ended with the statement, "And the next night, you gave me a real home."

Bow and Windy exchanged a look. They smiled widely.

“Oh, honey, do you realize what this means?”

“Yes, now we have two superhero daughters instead of one. This is a parent’s dream come true!”

"Come on, girls! This calls for a celebration!"

Scootaloo and her parents eagerly started the festivities. They stopped when they noticed that Rainbow Dash was not joining in. The speedster was looking at Scootaloo with a frown.

“What’s wrong, Rainbow?” asked her father.

“Tell me Scoots, when those things attacked, did they just go after Twilight, or did they attack you, too?”

“They came after both of us.”

“Yes, they left everypony alone except for Princess Twilight and Scootaloo,” said Windy.

Dash nodded. “Arrow, Canary, Batmare and I saw the same sort of thing in Canterlot. They ignored everypony except for Celestia and Luna.”

“Well, they attacked us too!” said Bow, thoughtful. “When we tried to protect your little sister, those monsters tried to drown us.”

“Yes, but you got directly on their way. In Canterlot, they did the same to the guards who were trying to block them.” The speedster stood for a second. Lost in thought. She then said, "I'll be right back." With that, she disappeared in a streak of light.

The rest of the family shrugged. Just as they were about to resume the celebration, Rainbow Dash returned.

“Okay, I spoke with Twilight. She agreed to give you private lessons on using alicorn magic, starting tomorrow.”

“For real?” asked Scootaloo, with a wide smile.

“Yes, for real,” said Dash. “I don’t like the idea that some old unicorn is sending you into danger, but if that is what you really want to do, I want you to be able to use all your powers like a champ. Can you do that for me? Can you learn from the best?”

“Of course!”

“Then it’s settled.” Bow smiled. “Hey Rainbow, wanna join us for dinner?”

“Yes, thanks! I’m starving after that battle!”

Somewhere underground, the next day:

It had been an organic farmer's dream. A vast network of caverns undercut the entirety of Ponyville. Countless generation of bats had used them as both homes and as protected thoroughfares. No predator would brave the darkness deep within, and the few earth ponies who were brave enough were content to take the bounty on the floors of the cave mouths.

Recently, on intrepid soul had reached an agreement with the flying mammals. They would leave one large chamber clear in exchange for some of the fruit that the local farmers would deny them. They would still fly through as they wished, but they would leave nothing behind to be cleaned later.

The chamber itself had been extensively remodeled. It now boasted facilities for fabrication, research, and analysis that far outstripped even the most advanced university. Row upon row of crystal arrays provided the power for all of the equipment, including the quiet elevator that led to an opulent private residence.

At one workstation, a brown earth pony stallion with an hourglass Cutie Mark, and a neck with a bowtie, was hunched over a microscope. All of his elaborate equipment had revealed nothing special about his sample. He was not surprised when good old-fashioned eye power provided no further information.

“I’m sorry. It's just mud from a swamp. You can tell by the bits of organic matter in the mix.”

Diamond Tiara frowned. She had hoped that the doctor would be able to extract more information.

“Come on! There has to be something. Can’t you at least tell me where it came from? Froggy Bottom Bog? The Everfree Forest?”

The doctor shrugged. “Soggy Spot Swamp. You know, the one at the base of Mount Canter.”

“Are you sure?” asked Diamond Tiara.

“What do you expect, kid?” chuckled the earth pony. “You said that the golems you fought came from the sewers. And where do you think the sewers of Canterlot drain? It’s the only logical conclusion.”

Diamond Tiara blushed as she realized the doctor was right.

“I still have a long way to go if I want to become a good detective,” admitted the filly as she chuckled. “Okay then, I’m going to Soggy Spot to investigate.”

“Oh, I have just the thing!” said the doctor, moving from the lab table to a desk behind him. From one of the drawers he took a Batmare mask. “I just finished this diving mask. It looks exactly like your normal one, but this one has a rebreather, so you can breathe underwater for fifteen minutes without a problem. I wanted to install a bigger tank, but if I did, your mobility would be compromised.”

Diamond Tiara examined her mask and grinned. “It’s perfect! Thank you, doctor!”

“You’re welcome kid!” said the doctor, satisfied with himself. Design and fabrication of Batmare's equipment fed his passion for innovation and science, and the chance to use cutting-edge laboratory equipment was icing on the cake.

“What about my aerial transportation? Have you finished adding the weapons system?”

“Don’t push it kid. I barely have the time to make every little gadget you ask me for. It would take time to design a weapon that doesn’t compromise the transport’s speed.”

Diamond Tiara apologetically raised a forehoof. “Sorry, sorry. It's just that I’m a little concerned about running into more of those golems; I can only carry so many batarangs. You’re an invaluable help, doctor.”

“Hey, when I’m ready, I’ll let you know. Don’t worry.”

Diamond nodded to her scientist and then went to the dressing room.

“Little Miss!” Randolph called.

“Yes?”

“Shall I leave your dinner in the fridge, or would you be home by our usual suppertime?”

Diamond Tiara considered for a moment before smiling. “I’ll be early at home. I can use a good night of rest.”

The butler nodded as Diamond rushed to her transport.

Canterlot sewers:

The preponderance of predigested product put this at the bottom of the list of Canterlot attractions. The Arrow was thankful that ventilation was generous; there was enough oxygen to keep the methane from reaching dangerous levels. As his horn lit the surroundings, he found there was no way for him to locate the golems' trail. Every piece of analytical equipment at his disposal had no way of distinguishing the mud from the creatures from any other mud in the sewer.

The Canary gagged as she swapped out yet another charcoal filter from her mask. "For Celestia's sake, Arrow. If our equipment can't identify the trail, how do you expect to see it when all of the mud looks the same?"

Arrow rolled his eyes as he gave an exasperated groan.

“I didn’t force you to join me, Canary. You’re free to go whenever you want.”

The Canary sighed. “I know, I’m sorry. It's just that I’m not used to this environment.”

“I am. This is pretty much like the dungeons I was locked in back on the island.”

They continued exploring the area for another half an hour until they found themselves at the exit, at the edge of the Soggy Spot Swamps. Stepping into the open, they spotted a familiar figure.

The Batmare turned to acknowledge them. "Huh, it's you."

“You again?” asked the Arrow angrily. “What are you doing here?”

“The same thing you are doing, Cupid,” said Batmare rolling her eyes, annoyed. “Looking for clues on the golems.”

“Kid, seriously, I don't like having you in the middle of this mess,” said Canary. “This is no life for a filly.”

“Normally, I would gladly discuss my age. I’m kind of busy right now, though,” said Batmare as she turned on the rebreather. “I found nothing in the surroundings, and the only place left is the bottom of the swamp. If you'll excuse me, it's time for me to take a look.”

“Wait!” called the Arrow, but she was already well on her way to the bottom.

Arrow and Canary stared at the swamp in silence, until Canary turned to Arrow. “Do you think she will be okay?”

“I hope not. That should convince her to give up this crazy life.”

Finally, Batmare emerged from the water, holding a green gem in her hoof.

“Bingo!”

“That’s just a gem,” said the Arrow. “I’m not sure that’s what we’re looking for.”

"Wait," said Canary. "That's no ordinary gem." As she picked it up with her magic, it began to glow. The water under the gem began to bubble. A shambling mass rose from the depth, a pale imitation of the golems who had attacked the castle. It had barely taken a step when the Arrow took off its head with his bow.

“I was wrong; this is what we’re looking for,” mumbled the Arrow.

“I have a magic detection device on my suit,” explained Batmare. “I only had to look for the strongest signature in the area.”

“Fine, now that we have it, what shall we do with it?” asked Canary

“We can try to use the residual magic to track the owner,” suggested Arrow. “But, it would require more magic than a unicorn could provide.”

Batmare nodded in agreement as she dropped the gem into a pouch on her utility harness. “I know; that’s why I’m taking this to the princess.”

Arrow grinned.

“Go on, they’ll surely enjoy unmasking you and returning you to your parents.”

Batmare ignored him and headed into the sewers. It was the quickest way back to the city.

“We’re serious; if they don’t stop you, we will!” warned Canary.

Batmare gave a grim smile. "You can't threaten someone who's already dead."

Author's Note

This is it, a short chapter, but it helped to settle down a few things.

Those who wanted to see the Doctor as Rip Hunter, sorry for the disappointment, but, I wanted to present him more like the science maniac we see on the MLP series instead of a time traveler.

Still, I hope you enjoyed it. And, as always:

Read ya’ later!! �