Hoo'far led the way through the halls and up the stairs until they reached the main chamber. It was the one area where no one had touched since it happened. Opening the door revealed the chairs of the Main Six and the former spot of the crystal map of legend. Now gone, vanished the same day that Twilight and Starlight did. The same day that black crystal consumed Canterlot and separated Saffron from her father.

"We're here." Hoo'far walked carefully to the center, looking over the edge at the massive hole in the floor. He opened his pockets and lay out all the objects they had gathered. "First, the diamond zap apples." Six were floated in front of each chair. "Second, the Prometheus Vines." All connected by the strange vine like wires. "Third... one doppelganger, stained and impure." He stepped aside and gestured her to the center of the small hole in the floor.

"Are you sure about this?" Saffron looked at her hands as her true pale body took shape. "What is my purpose in this now? We know why my father's name was on the list, what else is there to learn?"

"I need to know why?" Hoo'far answered her so calmly, holding tightly to her hand as she descended. "I need to know who this founder is? And if they are responsible for this hellish world Equestria has become."

"Alright..." Saffron took a breath and let go of his hand, stepping over to the center of the hole. From the inside, it became clear that the crystal map and in fact, the entire table had been ripped right out of the ground.

"You can rest easy..." He smiled, placing the final item onto the altar, the petri dish with his blood. "According to the files... This is how they communicated with the founder."

"Why here?" Saffron pleaded, slowly removing her clothes and exposing her new form to herself. "Why this abandoned place?"

"Because... they only way they can speak to her is through cracks in time." Hoo'far also removed his clothes, unveiling the scars she had already seen but with greater detail. Cutting his hands open, blood flowed into the dish as it rose to the center. His staff drew out the incantations from the paper in the air.

"Is there no other way..." Her eyes traced over her new form naked. Her nipples, belly button, pussy, and anus were completely closed in this pale state. She appeared like a perfect reflection compared to the deformed scarred shape of Hoo'far. A similar void to the burn marks all over her ally, but in reverse to the reality of both their bodies and minds. She came to this point with one pure and open purpose. However, his true reasoning for coming this far was still completely unknown to her. "I'm just a duplicate, not the real Saffron."

"Your father raised you to be the real her... He had faith in you and so do I." Hoo'far answered her with a wink. He flipped the page over and showed her the information. "It mentions other ways of seeing her without a need to speak, but those processes would take several years and training and dosages of the diamond zap apples." His eyes narrowed and the symbols glowed. "And we don't have that kind of time. For the sake of the future, we must see her, face to face."

The symbols dropped down over the apples and poured out multiple black circles dividing them. The vines traced an outline of the circle inward before raising upward and taking the petri dish, forming a second group of red circles using his blood. Finally, a third group of blue circles appeared around the chairs themselves as each cutie mark glowed. "This is the place where Twilight and Starlight got trapped in time... and from here I shall make contact with the Pale Mare!!"

"Hoo'far..." Saffron screamed as the circles were filling the hole she was standing in. Her vision blurred as her senses faded as the blackness consumed her. A pale feeling washed over her body and soul. It felt like something was ripping her apart and piecing her back together. "Where are you?!" She shouted out, but he didn't answer. "Please... Hoo'far!!"

"Saffron..." A voice echoed in her ear. "Saffron, wake up." Her eyes widened at the sound of her father's voice.

The entire room shook so violently and brought Hoo'far down to his knees. He kept the incantation going until he was certain it was complete. Waiting for what felt like an eternity, soon he saw it. The fake Saffron's body rose from the black mass, wearing a new face, wearing the blue and red circles like clothes, no, chains, bounding her in place.

"Who dares contact me in this place?!" The Pale Mare's voice echoed from Saffron's mouth. "I cannot exist in this time anomaly for very long. Speak your questions and I shall answer before this doppelganger is beyond repair."

"Who are you? Why use such a company? Why wasn't I included in such a cabal?" Hoo'far yelled out as he tried to get up.

"My name is of no importance, but my purpose is to maintain order of events..." Her will moved Saffron's body like a puppet. "Time is a very fickle thing. If one event does not occur in a timely fashion, the path led me here with shattered into Elisus' maw. The cabal was to ensure everything was in place for my return."

"Your return... You're not from our time. Then, what of the black crystals? Was that part of the plan?" Hoo'far stood strong and continued his questions.

"No... and yes. I am from your timeline, and yet I am connected to so many others." Her hand pointed to the diamond apples, showing two of them turning black and decaying. "Speak faster... My presence in this place is a paradox. Soon, this decay will spread to the doppelganger too."

"I understand." He nodded and asked more important questions. "How can I stop it? How can I save this world?"

"You cannot..." Her words stabbed deep into his heart. "Speak faster, with real questions that I can answer."

"I'm sorry." Hoo'far snapped himself back together and pressed forward. "Why was I not included? What did I do wrong?"

"Enough pointless posturing!!" Her voice grew with rage. "I don't wish to kill this host!! Ask the right questions?!"

"Fine." He winced and demanded the only true answers left he sought. "Who are you?!" It was the only question that made sense at this moment. The only clarity he desired was in this lack of knowledge. "What is your true name--" He was stopped as a purple crystal rose through the floor and stabbed him in the back.

Hoo'far was so shocked by the sudden attack. Only more so upon seeing the real Dr. Firelight commanding the crystals. He pulled his hand back, and the crystal came free. Hoo'far reached out to him with rage and malice, coughing blood from his mouth as he fell to the ground.

"Shamefully, that was the correct question." She blinked twice and broke the grip she had over Saffron just before the final apple decayed. "However, my captors won't let me tell you that answer."

"So..." His eyes widened at the word choice. Hoo'far smiled as blood poured down his chin. "You... are a prisoner... You are the founder of this company... but it long fled your control..."

"Yes and no..." Dr. Firelight walked forward and stepped on his hand. "She has always been in control. But we need to convince the one who imprisoned her that she lacks all control. Thus, the guise of a company at conflict with its own interests. When in reality that conflict and counter interests is a cloak to hide our real purpose."

"I see..." Hoo'far remembered back to the fake's words. "You have to play god and devil."

"Exactly." Dr. Firelight smirked, dropping his other boot through the stallion's skull. He didn't hesitate to kill Hoo'far in the same way he attempted to do to him. "We have to preserve the idea of us being monsters to hide our savor in her captor's eyes. If that means plenty of tortured souls and bloodshed, so be it."

"Yes..." The Pale Mare turned away, almost ashamed of her ally's actions. "It's a cruel guise, but the evils we face are far more venomous." Her eyes leering on the apples and her time in this body running out. "I have to play the long game..." The Pale Mare sighed, her will fading as the blackness drained from Saffron's body. "You are not a failure... None of you are." Her last piece of grip was used to trace over each throne of the main six. "Though it was short, I was glad to be here one more time."

Saffron's body was softly dropped into Twilight's chair. The Pale Mare was gone, her presence faded from the world. The doppelganger, Saffron, slowing breathing back to life, and the dead stallion on the other side of the room. Hoo'far was dead, but his staff still glowed with faint purple light.

Slowly the staff's light changed, forming a distinct letter K on the walls. Dr. Firelight frowned at that cursed symbol, remarking. "The cast of the black crystal's master. Hoo'far, you were nothing more than a pawn from the very beginning." He pulled out a long pale glove. "However, maybe we can use that and your face and memories... to our advantage."

Dr. Firelight put the glove over the body and the process to make a new doppelganger began.

******

Deep within Saffron's mind, she was unaware of everything that just happened. Instead, all previous thought that led her to this point faded images flowing around her in the mindscape. It was slow at first, but each piece brought such joy to her. From the familiar smell to the keen sounds and finally the obvious images.

As the blur clear away, her eyes brightened at the image of the restaurant all around her. "I'm back..." Tears flowing from her eyes. The scent of his old beard cologne filled her nose. His warm touch against her skin. All these memories came flooding back to her.

"I missed you so much, Saffron." Her father's voice was behind her. She shivered in a panic, fearing it was a total lie, but slowly turned around. The sight of her father brought the tears to her eyes. She could no longer contain the joy in her heart.

"Dad!!" Saffron ran into his arms and sobbed. "I missed you so much!!"

"Welcome back, my little girl." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad that you're safe. I've always had faith that you would find a way to see me one final time."

"Yes!" Saffron cried out, holding him tight. "I did everything I could just to bring you back--" She stopped as the word final hit her ears. The mare slowly lifted her eyes and looked deep into his eyes. "Final...?"

"Yes... This is the end." He spoke with such softness, but his words were a cold truth. "She could help me see you... because I'm already dead."

"No!! Please... not yet!" She cried. "I don't want to lose you again."

"Saffron." He grabbed her by the shoulders and draped her head under his hairy chin. "I love you. You are my daughter and nothing will change that." He smiled, wiping the tears away. "You are so brave and beautiful. No matter what you do or who you love, I will always support you..." No matter how much he said, he could hide his own tears. "However, there is another who needs my support now?"

They parted and he pointed to a small filly running over to him. Saffron gasped as her featured matched her perfectly. "Is that... the real me?"

"Yes and no." He picked up and the child and swung her around in joy. "You and her are both my daughters..." He stopped, held the smaller one in one arm while caressing the cheek of the older doppelganger. "You were never an illusion in my eyes."

"But... she's real. I'm just a clone of the real thing." She lowered her head in shame.

"Don't be silly." Her father chuckled and placed a finger under her chin. "Those memories we shared... That's what tells me the truth. Those are all real." He turned around and gestured her to look around. "This was the real place, where I raised you to be a perfect mare. My heart. My love. My family. It all belongs to you too."

"You really mean it?" Saffron looked into his eyes and saw his smile.

"Of course." He hugged the doppelganger Saffron. The filly real version of her also enjoyed the comfort, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I love you, my daughters."

"We love you too, daddy." They smiled, feeling a united warmth. Saffron held onto them both so tightly even as the images began to fade. She could feel her heart and soul being pulled back to the living realm.

"It's time to go back." Her father broke the embrace for her, much to her regret. "It's time..." He smiled as their surroundings faded. "Remember, no matter what you do, no matter how long you live or who you are from now... Keep that name strong. Not the name of the original, but name I gave you."

"Yes, daddy..." She cleared the tears from her face and smiled proudly. "My name is Saffron Masala..." Her eyes dropped down to the filly who bore the same name. "No, I am Saffron Masala, the 2nd."

"Goodbye, my little girl. I will see you again." His body was vanishing into a golden dust. The younger original version of herself was faded the same way, waving away at her older doppelganger. "We will all be reunited one day."

"I can't wait for that day to come..." Saffron watched them leave. She finally got what she needed most from the twisted adventure. Sure, she wanted him back alive and well, but that reality was just a hopeful lie. The truth and all the pain that had led her here, that was the only thing real. Her face wasn't even real, but she accepted it. Taking in all the memories, both good and bad, for they were her own reality. This was new path for her, and she would embrace it.

******

Author's Note

The final chapter of the story is here. There will be an epilogue on Wednesday, but that's more to explain its connections to the main story and Saffron's role in the main line stories and the other side stories as I want to create a sort of overarching story for this side stuff