My Little Pony: The Chrononauts

The ponies and Spike entered the pristine hall, and found Princess Celestia waiting for them at the other side. She opened up to them with a warm smile.

“Welcome, welcome, my little ponies. Please come here. I have something to show you all.”

She opened the gilded chest that contained the Elements of Harmony. Underneath the lid and visible to see was a seventh, unfamiliar item.

The seven approached the Princess and the Elements, curious of what was to be seen. They genuflected in unison out of respect.

“Princess?” Twilight began to ask. “I read you wanted to see us. We are here for you. What is it that you want to show us?”

“I’m glad you asked, Twilight…” Celestia grinned. She pointed with her hoof over to the chest. “Do you see, along with the Elements of Harmony, a seventh talisman?”

It was a rose-quartz charm, shaped like an hourglass, transparent and crystal-like in appearance and cut. The charm was attached, by base and top, between a black, narrow leather threading that made it a bracelet-like jewel. It was so clean and clear, sparkles and rainbows glistened with every bit of light passing on and through it.

The ponies saw it, in awe of its beauty. Spike licked his lips hungrily at it. “Looks delicious!” He smirked.

Celestia smirked and giggled. “Well, maybe it is… But you don’t eat it… This pendant you see before you is the ‘Chronex’; a magical talisman that allows its wearer to travel through time. Of course, that’s the next thi-”

Pinkie Pie cheered, “Oh cool! I’ll get to party every night! Whee!!!”

The ponies looked at her sternly, and she grinned in response.

Celestia continued, “Like I was saying… The thing is, it’s not of this world whose time you can travel… Twilight, you may know from your studies among the stars. Do you remember the star, known as Sol?”

“Oh, yes I do! So so far away, but it looks beautiful at night.”

Celestia nodded. “That star has one planet with another world of life living on it, known as Terra. I’ve observed them for quite some time. And the species there seem to be very advanced in some ways… This is the world whose time you will be able to travel from.”

Applejack asked, “Why that world ‘specially?”

“That is where I found it came from. I was curious where it came from, and through magical synechdoche, I found it was from there.”

“Sineck-what?” Spike inquired, trying to pronounce the word.

“It’s pronounced ‘sin-eck-duh-key’. It means it’s part of a whole, and that talisman comes from there.” Twilight informed.

“Very good, Twilight! You’re on top of your studies.” The Princess congratulated. She then continued, “Anyhow, I have found the time-traveling power of the Chronex to be an interesting device for Twilight to study with more; not only for its magic, but to see the values of life from the perspectives of another world and its time. And being that you all are her closest friends, I wanted to grant you the opportunity to share the experience… It’ll be something quite like a ‘field trip’ if you will.”

Rainbow Dash blew through her lips in a sigh. “But history is SO boring. I don’t feel like learning what happened already; especially in another world. I want to do some action! I want to get physical and competitive, not play egghead for Twilight!”

Rarity stuck out her tongue at Rainbow. “You just aren’t cultured enough to appreciate this opportunity, darling! It’ll be lots of fun! Imagine what kinds of people and ideas we’ll get to see!”

Pinkie Pie said, “Yeah! We’ll get to see how another world likes to party!” She cheered and cartwheeled around the room.

Fluttershy smiled softly and thought to herself, “I wonder what kind of creatures they have there. Or what the land is like. It must be so pretty.”

Applejack said, “Or hey, being history n’all, maybe I’ll pick up a thing or two from their business savvy to take home to the farm.”

Twilight grinned and added, “Yeah! Maybe we can pick up some new knowledge and technology from there and see how it all came about!”

This gave Celestia a great idea. “Well then, I have an idea, for all of you… Allow me to elaborate…”

Celestia then walked to the ponies, one by one, and announced to them…

“Rainbow Dash. Perhaps you may like to learn about the different wars and military traditions that shaped that world, seeing your desire for action. With this, that shall be your focus when you go with Twilight…

Rarity. Your affinity for people, communication, and ideas shine clear. Your focus shall be on the social elements of that world…

Pinkie Pie. Your love for fun and mirth shows you may learn very well from the world’s cultural and entertainment history…

Fluttershy. Your love for nature and her beasts may prove well as you study the world’s natural history, and how it has affected the world…

Applejack. Your interest in learning how to adapt with the world’s economy makes that a suitable venue for you to learn with…

As for Twilight and Spike, the both of you shall share the insights of studying the world’s knowledge and technology. And while Spike is around to help you, the entire realm of these trips ultimately lie on your shoulders to experience and learn from, my fair student Twilight. To the others, this is a welcoming gift and an opportunity for them to do the same.”

The other five ponies smiled and chattered about their designations, interested at the thoughts of what they would be learning about. Twilight simply bowed, “Yes, Princess Celestia. I will not let you down.” She then smiled.

Celestia then continued, “Thank you, but this is for you and your friends, not just for me.”

“Still…” Twilight replied.

Celestia shrugged. “Alright then. I must add that with the great power that comes with this talisman, there is the great responsibility that comes with it. To aid you all and keep everything in check, I have also provided the Elements of Harmony. Twilight, you may want to give Spike the Chronex, so that all seven of you are adorned a power…

Using the Chronex is a simple process. To travel to a different point of time, simply genuflect as you wear either your Elements or the Chronex. This will summon a vessel of magic to envelop you and bring you to any region in the world’s past that you choose, as well as right here in Equestria at the present where you departed, should you wish to return… The same goes for the Elements as long as the Chronex is in effect… Easy enough to do, right?”

Everyone agreed.

Celestia then lowered her face a bit. “… But do be warned…”

“Huh?” The ponies and Spike were curious and listened.

“It will be an exhilarating experience to see the history of another world and how it has developed for as long as it has been. But you must know some aspects…

Firstly, where you will be traveling has already happened. No matter what you do to change it, there is no changing it. If you disrupt, change, or engage in something that happened then, it won’t change anything at all… Try not to get extremely involved in any event; short of learning something from the denizens you meet.

Secondly, the experience will look, feel, and be, as real as what you are in now. Anything and everything that happens can easily affect you, then and there. Be very careful about the world’s environment and her denizens if they get dangerous at all.

Thirdly, there is no future. Everything happening now is the future to them. You can only travel in what has happened, and then right back here in Equestria, to this present moment… This is what brings me to the Elements of Harmony.

As long as you are in that world’s history, you must wear your Elements as a guide. Namely to protect you through any situations during your trip in time with your magic and abilities. But most important of all, the bond between the Elements and the Chronex are what allow all of you to basically stick together, no matter what time period each of you are individually bound to…

For example, If one of you did not get to transport back with the others and the one with the Chronex because you don’t have your Element, you will, in essence, be buried in time, never to be found again, because you did not exist where the Chronex shifted, and with the past unable to change, so will one’s possibility to be found. You will live through the world’s history in that period, never to be found again, never to be caught again if your rescue even tried to come back.

And as well, should some of you be in one time period and then another in a different time period, keeping the Elements and the Chronex together will ensure that everyone will, in essence, stay in touch and communicate with each other. Basically, the Chronex is now like an Element of its own, along with the other six.

This is why Spike should wear the Chronex for Twilight. This will allow all seven of you to stick together at any point in time and be able to return together through him as the link. So, to iterate again and as imperative as possible… Never… Ever… Remove your Elements when time-traveling.”

Fluttershy backed down, scared at the thought of disappearing forever. “Please, don’t scare me. I don’t wanna be lost in time. Ngh…” Pinkie Pie and Rarity came to her and comfort her, reminding it was a notice, and encouraged her to stick tight and be brave.

Applejack looked over at Twilight and asked, “Wow. This sounds like serious stuff, darlin’… Are you sure you wanna get into this, Twilight? As a good friend, I’ll sure stick to your side, but think out the ‘sponsibility here.”

Twilight took a moment to herself to think.

Celestia added, “It’s quite alright if you don’t want to do this. I’m only offering it to you because I thought you might be interested in learning from it as my student.”

Twilight took a bit longer… She nodded slowly, looked up at Celestia, and stated, “Yes. I’ll be happy to accept this gift. I will keep myself responsible with it, and with those who come with me.”

The ponies and Spike cheered. Twilight grabbed the Chronex with her mouth and handed it to Spike. Spike looked at it to see its orientation, and then slid it on his wrist.

“Looks pretty nice if you ask me.” Spike approved with a narcissism in his voice. He started showing it off like it was the latest watch.

“Heh. Alright, Spike. I’ll hold you as my trusty custodian for it.” Twilight implied. “In the meantime, I will take the Elements with me, so you guys can come with me whenever I go, between not having to bring it to your own places and having to come back to see the Princess… It’ll be like having an augmented time-portal system, all in one spot.” She smirked.

“It so appears that you are ready then. With that said, you may take the Elements and the Chronex home with you, my student, and you may retire to your homes now. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to talk to me, even if I’m busy. I want you to remain safe in your travels, and I wish all of you the best. And please, let me know how each of your trips go!” Celestia concluded.

Everyone had then wished their goodbyes to Princess Celestia, and departed back to Ponyville to resume their day into its fold of night.

Twilight nestled up in her bed, as did Spike. “Well Spike, it’s time to get some shut-eye. With a little bit of insight, We’ll be able to take a peek into a whole new world.”

“I’m a bit nervous about it, Twi… I mean, I guess it could be fun, but what if all the dangerous stuff the Princess said happens while we’re there?”

“Well, that’s why we’re only going to put our hoof-tips in the water here. It’ll be a new experience for all of us. Just stay close with me.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“We’ll be fine, Spike. Just stay with me. Now let’s get some rest…” Twilight yawned before turning over in her sheets.