Author's Note

If any artists do art of certain scenes i'll gladly add them to the story! Be sure to tell me in the comments and i'll give credit too!

Chapter 1: Peer Review

Somewhere in the empire... a plant began to grow

The Next Day

"So... I stand inside and it'll put me back in that world?" Capper looked at the scanners. Twilight nooded while she and Spike looked at the main computer.

"Incredible! This computer has a map of every world inside the heart! Dr. Franshoover created 4 biomes!" She looks at the list. "Forest, Desert, Artic and Mountain!"

Spike points at a file. "This looks like it'll explain the process of entering that place!"

Twilight nods, opening it. "Let's see... 'Transfer', the user begins to be transfered to the alternate world, 'Scanning', the user is scanned to search for incompatibilities. 'Crystallization', if user is incompatible, Crystal Heart magic is used to make him/her compatible and finally. Virtualization, the user is transformed into code, which then is given form inside the virtual world created to explore the heart" Twilight finishes reading.

"Yeah, I did not get any of that, TL;DR, it just puts you in there" Capper laughs. "How about we go in and explore these four worlds you mentioned?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to see what Dr. Franshoover created" Twilight stands up, Spike sits in her place instead.

"I'll watch over you! It'll take some time to learn... but hey, I memorized every book in the castle library" Spike gives a thumbs up. From the stairs came in Cadence.

"How is the investigation going Twilight?" Cadence asked.

"It's fascinating! Me and Capper were going to explore that place, want to come with us?" Twilight asked.

"I don't see a problem with that, maybe I can learn more about the heart from this!" Cadence happily joined the duo. "So... I just step inside one of those... 'scanners' right?" Twilight nods.

The trio each step inside a scanner, the doors immediately close.

Transfer

Cards with Cadence, Twilight and Capper's faces appear in the computer screen. A powerful gust of wind starts lifting them up.

Scanning

A ring of light passes from below and scans their bodies, a 3D wireframe of their bodies appear on the computer.

Crystallize

Twilight and Cadence have the ring of light come back down and slowly crystallize them. Cadence and Twilight's manes are tied in buns.

Virtualization

Chapter 1: Peer Review

Ice Sector

Three wireframe models stuck on t-poses appear in the air and start taking form, Cadence, Twilight and Capper, in his normal cat form float for a second before dropping down.

THUD!

Twilight and Capper land safely.

"Ow... you could've warned us about the fall..." Capper noticed he was still a cat. "Oh hey... not whatever the heck I was last time..." He felt reassured.

"Huh... Wow... this is how the inside looks like from... a real perspective!" Cadence was amazed by the looks of the Ice Sector. She looked at herself. "And crystallized too!"

"Capper, you look normal now! And not crystallized either!" Twilight noticed Capper's appearance didn't change at all.

"I guess it only works on you, ponies" Capper says, looking around he felt the sensation of being watched. "Uh... Theres nobody else here except us three right?"

Spike's voice was heard. "Uhhh guys? Some... 'red dots' appeared on the map, they're approaching fast!"

Twilight was confused. "But... why?"

"I don't know! They could be dangerous!" Spike said. "Be careful!"

"This is strange, last time there was only me and Capper, now there actual living beings here?" Twilight tried to think.

"Uh, you girls are lucky, you got those cones on your head that can shoot lasers, what do I have?" Capper can't defend himself.

"We'll protect you Capper!" Cadence's horn started glowing and so did Twilight's.

Capper sighs. "At least I got bodyguards" He stretches. "And I needed some action t-"

PEW!

"WAAAH!" Capper shot something from his hand! It strikes a nearby block of ice and leaves a crack in it. "What the heck was that?!"

Spike tried to look it up. "I-I think you do have a weapon Capper! I think it's called... 'Laser Arrows'! They shoot out from your knuckles on both hands" Spike said.

"Interesting... so defenseless avatar get their own weapons..." Twilight thought to herself. "I don't need one because I have my magic! Franshoover... I will find all your secrets"

Cadence looks to a nearby ice structure, she spots flying creatures. "There they are!"

Three wasp looking monsters entered the scene. Their forehead had a strange black symbol that looked like an eye.

"Ugh... why did it have to be bugs..." Cadence said. "Could this be related to Chrysalis?"

"No... Look at the marks on the foreheads, this seems to be a new threat" The monster fires a laser from it's tail! "Watch out!" Twilight jumps out of the way but Cadence and Capper aren't so lucky and are each hit once.

"Ouch!"

"Gaaaah!"

Two cards with Cadence and Capper appeared on the computer screen. Spike realizes their meaning. "Guys! Says right here Cadence and Capper lost 30 'life points'!"

Capper held his stomach where he was hit. "Gaarhh... Let me guess, we need to not get hit... or else?"

"I hypothesize that running out of life points will kick you out back to the real world safely, just like last time" Twilight said, taking aim at one of them.

Cadence accurately fired her magic lasers at them but the hits seem to not be doing any effect. "Ugh... Come on!" She encapsules herself in a magic shield. "Spike!"

Spike got stressed. "It says right here you're doing damage to those things! Just... not enough to matter!"

Cadence's shield started to have visible cracks!. "Well they're doing damage that actually matters to me!" The shield was broken! "AAAAAHHH!" Cadence gets blown away, slowly turning into a wireframe and vanishing mid-air.

"Cadence!" Twilight looked as she disappeared. "We need to find their weakspot!" Twilight was taking a lot of heat from 6 flying monsters at once. "Maybe..." She looks at the black eye mark. "There!" She fires a laser and hits one right in the mark, It instantly explodes! "Yes! That's how we can beat them!" She gets hit. "Aaaaah!" Twilight slides on the ground exploding purple pixels, leaving behind a wireframe that faded away.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Capper accurately fires his laser arrows at the remaining monsters. "And one for you! And you! Aaaaand you!" There was one more remaining. "And of course i saved the best for-"

Click

"Last?"

Click Click

Capper looked at his fist in confusion. "Did... I just.. ran out?"

The monster fires and hits his chest.

"Ow... bye-bye..." Cappers waves good-bye to the monster while he explodes blue pixels, leaving behind a wireframe that fades away.

Capper drops out of his scanner, tired and defeated. Cadence and Twilight were already out too.

Twilight got up first. "Now we do have a problem, whatever those things are, they're not... friendly" Spike gets off the seat and Twilight takes over. "Hmmm... Those monsters, I see they're standing around one of those towers we previously saw..." The map showed the tower was blinking, it was activated. "It was probably a security measure of the machine, maybe it saw us a some virus" She changed the focus to another window, this one showed pictures of Twilight, Cadence and Capper along with a 12 hour timer. "Seems that we cannot go back in immediately, theres a 12 hour cooldown"

"After that beatdown... 12 hours sound like a blessing" Capper got up.

"Twilight, I'm sure you'll figure something out about those things... we weren't expecting that attack" Cadence flew to the stairs and outside.

Twilight was dreaming about watching the moon from a grassy landscape. Suddenly she felt a warm hug from behind and she closed her eyes.

"When we need help, I hope you can come to help us"

12:01 AM

That night

Someone emerged from a dark portal in the scanner room. The figure looked around and immediately went up the stairs, avoiding the guards by sticking to the shadows. The figure runs off and vanishes in the horizon.

8:36 AM

Desert Sector

Twilight was standing in the desert sector, alone, admiring the scenery for a few seconds then she closed her eyes. "Now, Spike". Her body begins to devirtualize.

Twilight emerges from the scanners completely fine. "Alright..." She runs to the computer as Spike jumps off the seat. Twilight takes over and looks at some data only she understands. "A manual devirtualization only gives a 5 minute cooldown instead of 12 hours after being defeated..." Twilight looks at other programs. "Huh... what's this about.. Return to the Past"

"What's up Twilight?" Capper walked in as Spike was heading out.

"Oh! Hey Capper, I was just performing some tests. Trying to learn how this stuff works and all" Twilight greeted.

"Ah, more egghead talk I won't understand, well, as long as you explain it in english we'll be fine" Capper walks over to her and leans on the seat.

"Okay... I found that removing someone manually will only give them a 5 minute timer to come back, instead of the 12 hours after being defeated by those monsters" Twilight explained.

"Okay... and why would we need to be removed manually?" Capper asked. "The guy who made this seems to have been planning ahead a lot..."

"Another mystery to solve" Said Twilight.

Crack

Suddenly they heard a loud crack behind them.

"Huh?!" Capper looked behind them.

"What is it?" Asked Twilight.

It was a small green vine, it was coming out from the wall. "It's just... a plant?" Said Capper.

"But what is a plant-"

CRASH! ! ! !

Part of the wall was torn down by a massive mess of green vines, Capper and Twilight attempt to run to the stairs but more vines emerge and trap them.

"Now what are we going to do?!" Capper said.

Twilight attempts to cut through them with magic but they quickly recover. She walks back and... "Enter the scanners!" Twilight thinks fast and pulls Capper to one of them, forcing him inside and Twilight jumps in another one...

Virtualization

Capper and Twilight appear as t-pose wireframes in the ice sector. They manage to drop safely after being completed.

"Okay... can I ask... why did you think It was a good idea to bring us here?" Capper crossed his arms.

"We had no other choice! The problem is we'll be stuck here... Unless we find a different way out.." Twilight spreads her wings and scouts above them. "I see the tower I located yesterday... I actually did set the coordinates close to it for another test..." She lands by Capper. "I have a feeling that has something to do with the vines!"

Capper just stared at her. "A machine... controlling a massive killer plant?" Twilight just pulls his red jacket and they walk east from there.

In the real world

"Twilight!" Spike screamed as the vines emerged from below, he attempted to keep them at bay with his fire breath but he didn't want to start a fire.

Shining Armor along with some guards come to the scene running. "What the heck is going on?!"

"I-I don't know! But Twilight and Capper are trapped down there! The plant seems to be growing out of control!" Said Spike as the ground below them started to show visible cracks and small vines emerge.

Shining Armor and the guards create a magical shield right on top of the cracks to stop the vines from getting out.

Ice Sector

Capper and Twilight were not that far from the "red smoke" tower. Four Block like monsters were standing right in front of it.

"Are you going to explain why you think this world has something to do with the vines outside?" Capper asked.

"Shhhh, It's just a hunch..." Twilight looked at the block monsters.

Twilight and Capper get the attention of one block, which then makes it's small group look at the duo and shoot ice-like lasers, Twilight blocks the attack with his magic shield, which gets frozen too.

"Ice attacks... greeeeeat" Said Twilight.

"Hey, Twilight, lower the shield so I can attack, don't let them shoot me" Said Capper. Twilight did so and Capper shot a couple of laser arrows! Some bounce harmlessly on the block's shell, two managed to strike the mark and take out two blocks! "Yesss!" Twilight raises the shield just as another freezing blast was fired. Two more bloks left.

One of the bloks started to spin, switching faces rapidly... even though all looked the same... It began to fire incredibly fast at Twilight's shield!

"Gaaaah!" Twilight struggled to keep the shield up. "Capper! I... c-c-can't!" The shield was about to crack open!

"Uh... Twilight... The shield is-" Twilight spreads her wings, jumped on Capper and gave him a swift kick to bounce herself off, Capper crashes on the ground with -10 health points while Twilight uses her speed to dodge the lasers and enter the tower. She lands safely on the platform and begins to be pulled up. She is gently dropped on the upper platform and the same small screen appears. "Let's test this out..." She taps it.

TWILIGHT

CODE: CRYSTAL

The binary symbols began to fall down around her...

Outside Capper noticed the bloks weren't paying attention to him anymore and were looking at the tower change color from red to blue.

Twilight kept looking at the screen and began to swipe it around, it revealed more options! "Yes! I can access the computer from here! Where was that program..." She hovers her hoof over the Return to the past option. "I hope... this works... everything outside is damaged..."

A massive spiral of light envelops everything...

Twilight opened her eyes... she was in her guest room in the Crystal Empire castle... She looked at herself... still crystallized. She opened her windows... she looked outside... everything was fine! But was it all a dream or did the machine actually time traveled to the past... how far in the past was she?-

"TWILIGHT!" In came running Capper and Cadence. Cadence was still crystallized.

Cadence spoke first. "Twilight! What... what happened?! At one moment I was struggling to keep a plant at bay and suddenly I was in my bed...crystallized... and everything seems to be from... yesterday? or... Today? Ugh.."

"Twilight! What did you do inside that tower?!" Capper looked at Cadence. "We were inside that world while the plant was out here... Did any major damage happen?"

"Well... not anymore... everything seems to be... fixed..." Twilight stood up. "That machine... can rewind time..."

"WHAT?!"