Prologue: Not so Wonderful World
"H-huh?! What- What am I doing here?!"
"Welcome misss...ter? You look different from other cats I've seen"
"Wh-who are you?! What is this place?"
"My name is-"
"Twilight!"
Twilight woke up from Spike's voice, as her eyes opened she saw Spike pointing towards the Crystal Empire, they were about to reach their stop. Twilight was called by Celestia to supervise an important excavation that was happening under the castle. A new set of chambers was found.
As soon as the train reached it's stop Twilight opened her wings and flew towards the excavation, leaving Spike behind.
"Wait! Twilight!"
"Who?!"
"Come on... you gotta know who I am! Ugh... I hate when all of you make me repeat myself... wait a minute.."
"Stay away from me!"
"You're not... L-"
"Princess Luna!" Twilight said surprised when she found Luna was also here.
"I was brought here when they mentioned some ancient artifacts were down there" Luna explained. "This probably has some connection to the incident last year"
"The workers should be almost done" Shining Armor appeared along with his wife Cadence. This prompted Cadence and Twilight to do their usual dance.
"Never heard of someone named like that"
"Then you've been wasting my tine, how dare you do this to me?!"
SLAAAAP!
"Ow! What the hell!"
"He has to show up eventually anyway, he always does"
"What... are you?!"
"Your worst nightmare"
When most of their work was done, the excavation crew allowed Twilight and co. to pass. As they descended the stairs Twilight noticed the abrupt change of scenery of the usual crystal palace she is used to. The place turned into a lab, it had machinery and many gears and bolts. How was this place lost for so many centuries?
She knew the Crystal Empire was the most advanced place in Equestria many centures ago. But she didn't expect modern technology.
"Princess Luna, do you know anything about all this?" Twilight asked.
"I rarely visited the Empire back then. This is all new for me" Responded Luna.
The group finally reached the end of the staircase and looked around the big lab. Piles of dusty books, a locked door, a lever in the center, 6 large sized tubes in a corner. Twilight approached the lever.
"This looks like the main power switch" She pulled the lever and the room began to shake as the machinery roared to life. A large chair rose up from the ground along with a circular projector that showed a strange image nobody could understand. The chair rolled around and stopped in front of many monitors and a keyboard. The tubes opened.
"What... the..." Shining Armor exclaimed dumbfounded.
"This all looks... like a computer" Said Cadence.
"A super computer" Added Twilight. "This thing must've done something really important"
"Look! It's saying something" Luna points to the screens and the main one only has a single word in bold red letters.
CORRUPT
"Hmmm... information is corrupt then..." Twilight says.
ENTER SCANNERS TO CLEANSE
"Scanners?" Cadence wonders.
"It must mean..." Twilight approaches one of the tubes. "These?"
"Careful Twilight" Luna says. "We don't know if it'll be dangerous"
"You're right" Twilight steps away from the scanners. "We're gonna need to-"
~BZZZZT!~ "Hello? Hello!" A voice came from the computer.
"Is that... Capper?!" Twilight rushed to the screen.
"Twilight? Is that you? I don't see anyone here!" Screamed Capper from the blurry screen.
"How did you get in there?!" Twilight questioned how Capper got inside a machine that is centuries old.
"Beats me, get me out of here!" Capper said.
"Now this all sounds like a trap, how is Capper inside?! We just discovered this place and turned it on!" Exclaimed Shining Armor.
"I don't know... but I'm not going to leave him there!" Twilight said, stepping into a scanner.
"Twilight!" Luna screamed for her as the scanner closed.
TRANSFER
The computer started building a 3D image of Twilight.
SCANNING
Inside the scanner Twilight was lifted up by a gust of wind from below her. A glowing yellow circle appears from abover her and descends down below, scanning her.
CRYSTALLIZING
The ring comes back and begins to transform her into a Crystal Pony. Twilight feels silver ribbons being tied on her tail and her mane being put in a bun.
VIRTUALIZATION
A blinding light engulfed Twilight as she was teleported away.
Ice Sector
The screen on the computer changed to an icy landscape. A wireframe in a T-pose appeared mid-air. The model begins taking color and form from top to bottom. Twilight is held in a very uncomfortable pose for a pony. Her body completes being virtualized and her hind hooves dangle in the air. Although her eyes are wide open she still hasn't regained consciousness.
"H-huh..." She realized where she was. "Woah!" She was dropped down and slammed on the ground face first. "Ow..." She got up and watched her surroundings. "Am I in The Frozen North?"
"Twilight!" Shining Armor's voice called out.
"Huh... guys? Brother? How did I..." She looked around for the source of her brother's voice.
"Theres a microphone here that lets us communicate" Said Cadence.
"Ugh... Why am I crystallized?" Twilight looked at her body.
"I theorize that the machine utilized the crystal heart, maybe you are inside the crystal heart itself!" Said Luna. "All the cables lead up. The only thing above us is the heart"
"That... could actually makes sense" Said Twilight looking around. "I'll have to find Capper and get him out of here"
"How do you plan to get him out?" Asked Luna.
"If theres an easy way in, there's gotta be an easy way out" Twilight galloped forward. Taking in all the strange scenery, taking a good look at it... everything seemed dated... old... she wonders how it convinced her this was real a frozen north few minutes ago. She took flight and scouted the area, she notices a strange white building in the horizon. "Huh..."
"Twilight! The screen is showing Capper is close! He's inside... something!" The voice of Cadance talked through the microphone.
"Could it be...?" Twilight flew towards the white structure she spotted, landing in front of it. "Capper!" She screamed, no response. "Ugh..." She pressed her hooves on it's wall. "What is this thing? Can I get in-" The touch was enough, her hooves phased through and she fell inside the tower!. "Waaaah!" Twilight landed flat on her face in a blue and white circular platform that looked like an eye. "Ughh..."
"T-Twilight?!"
She recognized that voice! Twilight got up and- "Huh? Who are you?"
In front of her was an anthro fox with a scorpion's tail instead of a normal fluffy tail. "It's me! Capper!"
"Capper?... What happened to you?" Twilight knew that WAS Capper's voice, was he transformed just like her when he entered this world?
"I... I have no idea.. I just woke up like this!" He approaches her, both stand in the center of the platform. "And I've been stuck in this place for like an hour or so!"
"But that's ridiculous.. we just-" They were lifted off the ground. "Woah!"
"Waaah!"
Capper and Twilight were lifted up to a smaller platform that floats above them, safely dropping them on it, the platform began to light up. Twilight noticed the many small binary squares that decorated the walls inside of the tower. A similar one suddenly appeared in the middle of their platform. She looks at Capper, he shrugs. They approach this mysterious square to find it lacks any of the binary mess that everything else had. Capper poked the screen.
CAPPER
CODE LYOKO
The binary squares began to drop down. Leaving the tower pitch black.
"Capper... what is going..."
Capper and Twilight feel something strange happening to them. Capper looks down at his feet and Twilight looks at her tail. They look at each other.
"Woooaaah!"
"Waaaaah!"
Both of them were lifted up by an unknown force as their bodies began to explode blue pixels, their bodies end up as wireframes that fade away
"Noo! Twilight!" Everyone outside watched as the duo vanished in front of them. Two scanners open right after and drop Capper and Twilight back to the real world.
Capper was back to his cat self. Twilight remained crystallized.
"Ow... huh..." Capper looked at himself. "Well... at least I'm back to this" He looks around. "H-h-hey... there..."
"Capper! You're all okay!" Says Luna.
"Twilight!" Shining Armor helps her up. "What happened?"
"W-we-we don't know... that was so strange..." Twilight struggled to stand. "Huh... I'm still crystallized..."
Cadence came flying from above. "The Crystal Heart is fine! Nothing seems to have changed"
Capper stands up and looks at the switch. "I think it's best if we shut this down..." He walks up to the switch.
SWITCH!
The machine slowly turns off...
"I agree, I should read up about this when more of the place is uncovered... hopefully theres books..." Said Twilight, not noticing her crystal glow was going away.
"Huh... Twilight? Your crystal glow is gone..." Said Capper.
"Oh it's fine, it only happens when I'm outside... of the... Crystal..." She turns to Cadence who flies back up.
Capper was confused. "Is something wrong?"
Cadence raced back down. "TURN IT ON! TURN IT ON!" Capper flips the switch back on.
"Cadence...?" Shining Armor was confused.
"The Crystal Heart... it stopped moving when you... turned off the machine..." Cadence said.
"B-but why?! I'm sure this thing was always off before! Why does the heart need it now?" Twilight says.
"I... I may have a theory..." Said a new voice, everyone looked at the stairs to find Sunburst. "This may have something to do with.. what we did last year.."
"You mean..." Twilight realizes what Sunburst means. He nods.
"Theres no doubt about it, this place must be the creation of Dr. Franshoover" Sunburst looks at the ceiling. "And we finally found his biggest secret"
"Who? Dr. Franshoover? What?" Capper was confused.
"He was a inventor who dedicated his life to understand the Crystal Heart... This must be... what keeps it alive!" Twilight looks at the scanners. "He's able to remove any imperfections that may corrupt it by entering the Heart itself"
"Wait, we were inside a HEART the whole time?!" Capper scratches his head. Twilight nods.
"This is starting to be too much to take in for everyone..." Sunburst looked down. "Think of the Crystal Empire as one big clock, this is what keeps the clock moving"
"That's an easy way to put it... I guess" Capper looks around. "So... Does it really change anything, with this machine having to stay on and all?"
"Not really, but I will definitely investigate more about this machinery once we leave and let the workers keep going" Twilight pointed to the stairs.
Once the excavation crew once again went back to see if they can uncover more of the secret chamber, Twilight and Capper sepparated from the rest and walked towards the train sation.
"So, you're going back to Abyssnia?" Twilight asked.
"I... I guess?" Capper looked around. "I don't know really"
"You're probably just as confused as I am from all this, but If you don't want to be involved it's completely fine by me, I can take care of the rest" Twilight reassured.
Capper looks back at Twilight. "I know but... It feels kinda personal somehow, with what that bunny told me and all"
"Huh?... Bunny?" Twilight is confused.
"Yeah, that bunny, you didn't see her? She was looking at us the whole time" Said Capper.
"Capper... There was nobody else inside that place except for us!" Twilight is even more confused.
"Black fur, purple eyes, black jacket and pants? Come on, she definitely made huge contrast with the whole blue place" Capper was getting worried.
Twilight shook her head in denial.
"Hah... Am I going crazy? I saw her! She talked to me! She talked about waiting for someone called Jack or... apparently someone who "replaces" him this time" Capper began to sweat.
"Capper... I think it's best you stick around" Twilight looks back at the excavation site.
"I was thinking about doing that, why?" Capper looks at the excavation site.
"I have... a strange... hunch..." Twilight's eyes glow red.
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?!"