Prolouge-The Time Capsule
Author's Note
Before we start, I'd like to get some clarification out of the way. This is an alternate universe Equestria, where technology has advanced much more than the show, mostly powered by magic. And guns.
Also, if you have not played FusionFall, I recommend it. It may be officially shut down, but there are plenty of rerelease projects available. I recommend OpenFusion, that costs nothing.
This story will be following the "Future" timeline for now.
Prolouge-The Time Capsule
FusionFall Equestria.
Prologue: The TIme Capsule.
It was a rather nice day out. All the clouds were in position, Celestia's sun was shining bright, and Rainbow Dash had a lot of free time. It was between the Wonderbolts' shows, and she knew she'd have a few months to spare. So she did what she did best; practicing her tricks.
With the recent advent of magical technology, Rainbow could maneuver the skies better than ever. She swerved around every tree, passed by every rock and even circled around a waterfall she was passing by without so much as a drop on her. Her new goggles were kitted out with a fancy new Heads-Up display that helps her focus on her surroundings more efficiently. It was a gift from her magically gifted friend Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle was the first to have the bright idea, after studying some of the...strange items she brought back from the world through the mirror. About 7 years have passed since she went through the portal to help Sunset Shimmer and her little memory problem. When she came back, she had accidentally carried what she called a "Smart Phone" back with her. A few months of researching had led her to create alternative technology to help out ponies in their everyday lives.
The lack of power sources was easy to fix. The Canterlot Ministry of Magic had collaborated with Twilight to give the devices a "siphon". Essentially, small household items could be powered by a pony's internal magic, wether it be Earth Ponies, Unicorns or Pegasai. This also meant that overuse could lead to drained magic, as to not let the ponies rely on them and amount to nothing. Larger machines, however, use a separate type of siphon to use the planet's magic. It has plenty to use, and regenerates quickly. Just in case, however, the Princesses had issued one month of every year to be "Green Month", to shut down all large machines to give the planet some time to heal.
Rainbow, however, and a lot of other pegasai, don't tend to use the transport machines, content with just flying as they always have. That didn't stop them from using some small enhancements to help them fly: Boosters, anti-gravs, and displays for assisted flight. Most Earth Ponies utilize mechanical farming tools. Since they were powered by their own magic, the plants and crops had no trouble growing as efficiently as before. Unicorns now have the option for spell boosters, pre-made spells, and artificial forces of gravity.
However, some ponies aren't too keen on the new technology. Applejack, for instance, still does her farm work by hoof. Pinkie Pie, while having a few upgrades to the Cakes' kitchen, still prefers to do the baking herself. And Fluttershy...well, what more can one say about her?
Nevertheless, no one was prepared for what would come soon.
***
Ponyville
Coming up on Ponyville's horizon, Rainbow Dash could see the gleaming castle of Friendship. It had not changed much at all, but the town below looked slightly different.
Most of the houses had upgraded from wood, clay and straw to bricks, drywall and shingles. It was still the same Ponyville, but...different. The Town Hall had expanded greatly, having two extra wings on the sides. The streets, which were once full of Ponies walking, now had a mix between walking and these...things. These floating metal cocoons, with glass on top of them. Twilight calls them "Cars", and said they used to drive on the ground, but with some magic, she could make them float as if in space. Rainbow calls it a waste of exercise time.
"Rainbow Dash!"
As she was passing by the castle, a sudden shout gets her attention. Her goggles showed a flash on her right side, signalling where the sound was coming from. She turned to look at the castle's balcony. The goggles zoomed in and focused on the sole pony occupying the space: Twilight Sparkle. She was waving at her and signalling her to come closer.
In a flash, Rainbow landed next to Twilight and took her goggles off, resting them around her neck. "You called for me Twi?"
"Yes", Twilight responded. "I would like your help. Come inside." She walked into the castle walls, and Rainbow Dash walked after her.
***
Twilight's Basement: Laboratory
Rainbow walked after Twilight to the basement of the castle. The rest of the castle had mostly been untouched since it first appeared, but the basement had changed significantly. The walls were lined with metal paneling, screens of all kinds showing different data, not one that Rainbow could understand. In the room itself was more machinery: advanced alchemy labs, machinery tables, and about a dozen other things she couldn't describe.
"Sooo...", Rainbow began after some silence. "why did you bring me here? No offense, but I'd like to be...up there. In the sky, not in a dusty basement."
"S-sorry, Rainbow.", her purple princess friend replied. "But I need you for a top secret project I'm working on. I know most Pegasai are against utilizing the new technology, and I figured you could be a perfect subject to show it's not that bad!"
"Twi, when you say something might not be bad, it'll likely end up bad." Rainbow narrowed her eyes.
"Not this time!" Twilight replied with a confident smirk. "I've done all the calculations AND I've performed a small test beforehand! You'll be the first to use it for a longer period!"
As they talked, they had arrived at a large door. Twilight says it's from something called..."Star Trek". As they approached, Twilight put her hoof on a panel next to it, and it slides up. Inside the circular room was a few computers, some more data panels, and a great big white sphere in the middle.
"Twilight, you KNOW the Pegasai are old fashioned! We hesitate to even use CARS!"
"But this is different! This is for more practical uses of technology! Something the human world hasn't got a hold of yet! TIME TRAVEL!" Twilight looked at Rainbow with a wide smile.
"Wait...wait wait wait, Time...Travel? As in-"
Twilight interrupted "Going forwards or backwards in time to see things that have happened or things that will happen, YES!"
"Wasn't the time spell destroyed?"
"Well, yes, yes it was, but StarSwirl always kept backups in a safe location. He entrusted me with the spell to develop this!" Twilight gestured to the sphere. "The Time Capsule! With some tweaking with the spell, Starlight's help, and some dimensional trickery provided by a colleague, we've made a fully functional TIME MACHINE!"
Rainbow looked at the machine with a newfound curiosity. "So this thing can travel anywhere in time?"
Twilight nodded. "Anywhere in place, too! And YOU can help test it!"
Rainbow looked over the machine. "This thing looks pretty sick, but...you really want me to try it out? What if something goes wrong, or I end up at the big bang, or worse, a time where we're all dead and destroyed!?"
Twilight chuckles. "You think I'd put my friends in undue danger? Exactly 25 hours and 50 minutes ago, I hopped into that machine, and exactly 1 hour and 50 minutes ago, I popped out right here. I went forward a day, Rainbow, but you can travel a WEEK!"
Rainbow stuttered as she looked at the machine. Twilight continued "Plus, you have a few months before the Wonderbolts begin their new routine, so what's one week to lose? You can show the Pegasai that technology is here to help!"
After a minute of pondering, Rainbow made her decision. "I'll do it, but ONLY one week."
"YES! Thank you SO MUCH, Rainbow Dash!" She hugged her friend tightly. "Meet me in Canterlot Square at 1:00 PM tomorrow! I have work to do!" She heads behind the time capsule.
"Alright. See you tomorrow Twilight!", Rainbow replied, and she left the castle for a well night's rest.
***
The next day
Canterlot Square: TwiLabs
After technology grew, Twilight had established a new company to help distribute the machines, while she still works in her Castle. TwiLabs was a sight to behold. A towering building over the rest of the new, metallic buildings in the city.
In the lobby, many ponies of all three races were waiting for the expo. At the back, Celestia and Luna were watching, while Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart were up at the front, ready to see their sister's (and aunt's) new experiment. Twilight stood on a raised platform and walked over to the microphone.
"Mares and Gentlestallions, Fillies and Colts! I would like to welcome you to witness our new time traveling experiment. In exactly 5 minutes, it will become 1:00 PM, on Sunday, the 13th of September, this time capsule will disappear! And in exactly 7 days and 5 minutes, it will return to this exact spot! The occupant will feel like this week passed by in a SECOND!"
Rainbow Dash was standing behind the side curtain, waiting for her cue to walk out and enter the capsule. Her heart was racing, both in anticipation and in anxiety.
"And now, I bring up out brave volunteer for this experiment, a member of the Pegasus race!" The crowd murmured a bit, wondering what a Pegasus would be doing with such experimental tech. "Please welcome miss Rainbow Dash!" The room erupted into applause as Rainbow walked out, smiling nervously. Twilight whispered in her ear as she passed by her, "just walk in, I'll handle the rest". Rainbow nodded and walked to the circular door of the time capsule as it slid open.
Rainbow gawked at the interior. Outside, it looked like a pod that could fit two, maybe three ponies. Inside, it was a large room that could potentially fit up to 30 ponies, if they all squished together. It was also extremely clean, almost able to see her reflection in the metal below her hooves. The only stable ground was the walkway to the center, where a chair resides. Rainbow sits down and buckles up, looking forward as the door slid back into place. Twilight's cutie mark was emblazoned into the center, along with the numbers 1 through 12 going clockwise around it.
A hologram pops up, with Twilight in the middle. Next to her was a physical form of her A.I. companion...Computer. "Solid naming", Rainbow once heard Sunset say.
"Hello, Rainbow? Can you hear me in there?"
Rainbow fidgeted a bit in the restraints. "Yeah, I can. This is totally weird."
Twilight chuckled. "Thank you again for this. Now, look on your left hoof." She does so, and sees a machine strapped onto her forehoof. "That's a communicator, it'll allow Computer to contact you in the future, should something now allow the Lab to open."
"Communication functional", Computer stated. "I will be able to connect with Rainbow Dash upon arrival in the future."
Twilight nodded and starts to type. "Now, let us begin. You may feel a little bump." The capsule shakes a bit as it begins to float. Rainbow closes her eyes and prepares for the inevitable. Twilight continued, "Are you seeing these readings? A fine day for science indeed!"
Unbeknownst to Twilight, Rainbow, and everyone in the Lobby, a certain pink mare had somehow managed to get behind the machine.
"Prepare for time jump in 3...2..."
Pinkie giggles as she looks at the panel behind the station. "Ooh, what does this button do?!" She pressed it.
It was then that Twilight noticed what happened and ran toward the back. "Pinkie Pie! NO!"
Rainbow was panicking as the Time Capsule shook more violently. It begins to spin, making some grinding noises, and after a flash...
It was gone.
The screen both on the TV in the lobby and in the capsule read "TIMEJUMP ERROR"
