Arc slowly opens his eyes. Before him stretches nothing but darkness. Groaning, he rolls over onto his back and calls out groggily.
“Ch-Cherry? Are you there?”
Silence ensues. Shaking his head a few times, he eventually gets a response.
“Ugh... I’m here, Arc.”
“You okay in there?”
“Yes, I am. But that was a bit strange.”
Arc puts a hand to his forehead as he sits up. “I don’t remember a whole lot after that flash of light. How about you?”
Cherry sighs. “A large bang. But nothing after that.”
“Were you knocked unconscious too?”
“So it would seem. A very strange phenomenon considering the fact that I’m not alive anymore.”
“You’ve never blacked out before though, right?”
“Not once. It was a very... disconcerting feeling.”
Arc slowly gets to his feet. “That’s an understatement.”
“Where are we though?”
“I can’t really tell. Too dark to see much of anything. Give me a minute to get my bearings and we’ll try again.
A few moments later Arc casts a Light Spell. Looking around he frowns.
“This looks like the Golden Oaks Library to me?”
Cherry gasps “It would appear as though whatever happened really did a number on this place!”
Arc nods as he takes in their surroundings. “I’m guessing that some kind of magical explosion happened.”
“And knocked us out in the process?”
“Presumably, yes.”
“And for quite some time too it would seem. Look outside.”
Walking over to a window, Arc peers out into the inky darkness. Frowning, he speaks.
“It’s nighttime already?”
“How long do you suppose were we out, Arc?!”
Arc turns his head. “The clock over there says... wait a second.”
Looking at it closely for a time, Arc shakes his head before continuing.
“It’s stopped.”
“But I know it was working when we arrived! If you recall, it chimed as we walked in the front door!”
Arc shrugs. “Probably due to the same magical explosion that knocked us out.”
“None of this makes any sense though! I mean... Twilight and Ember were in the kitchen! Why didn’t they come to our aid?!”
Arc gasps. “Oh no!”
Running into the kitchen, Arc quickly looks around. Seeing no one at the table and the chairs knocked over, he breathes a sigh of relief.
“Good!”
Cherry grunts. “Good?!”
“That they’re not lying here hurt, or something.”
“But that still doesn’t answer the question of what happened to them. I mean... they wouldn’t have left you and I to lie here on the floor all day.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Not a chance. But at the same time, I’m still glad they weren’t hurt.”
Cherry gasps. “Unless somepony kidnapped them, that is!”
Arc clenches a fist. “It is possible, yes! That whole magical explosion might have been meant to take me out of the picture long enough to do the deed!”
“We should get some help then!”
“Agreed! Let’s head to Canterlot Castle and mobilize the soldiers there!”
Calling forth his gauntlet, Arc attempts to open a portal. However, to his surprise nothing happens. Looking at his gauntlet Arc gives it a smack before trying again.
“Come on!”
“Is something wrong, Arc?”
“I can’t seem to open a portal!”
“How about calling somepony on your earring then?”
“Good idea!”
Touching his earring, Arc speaks.
“Arc to Lemon Hearts!”
Silence rings out. Frowning, Arc tries again.
“Why doesn’t she answer?!”
Cherry sighs. “Because you have The Equinox in your ring, Arc. Remember, the ship’s crew isn’t aboard.”
“Oh… right! Now I just plain feel silly.”
Thinking for a moment, Arc again touches his earring and speaks.
“Arc to Sunburst!”
Again nothing.
“Arc to Hammer! Come in please!”
Groaning, Arc continues.
“Arc to Lunar Destiny! Arc to Canterlot! Arc to... anyone!”
As before, his calls return nothing. Grunting, Arc turns to the telephone on a nearby table. Picking it up, he puts the receiver to his ear for a moment before tapping the top a few times. Setting it back in his cradle, he shakes his head.
“It’s dead.”
Cherry gasps. “What?!”
“Sorry, I just meant the phone line.”
“Perhaps the magical explosion?”
“Probably.”
Turning toward the door, Arc makes a beeline for it. Cherry calls out to him as he does so.
“Arc! Where are we going?!”
Arc grits his teeth. “To the Town Hall, I guess. We can us a phone there to make a call to Canterlot.”
Opening the front door, Arc steps out into the cool night air. Looking around in total darkness, save for his Light Spell, he sighs.
“Let’s see about getting to the bottom of this.”
Reaching for his ring, he calls forth his armor. As his helmet materializes, Arc is able to see a bit more clearly. Turning, he begins running down the road toward town. Eventually, Cherry calls out to him.
“Arc, wait!”
Arc frowns. “What is it, Cherry?!”
“Look to your left!”
Stopping, Arc does as he is told. Shrugging, he speaks.
“There’s nothing there though.”
“Exactly!”
“I don’t get your meaning.”
“That’s the field behind Light’s Hope!”
Arc’s eyes grow wide. “What?!”
“I remember the tree line at the other end of it!”
Arc looks around frantically. Then where’s the base’s indentation in the soil?!
“It’s gone!”
“That doesn’t make any sense! Even if nature had reclaimed the land under the base there would still be signs that it had been here originally! Like the path leading up to the door!”
“I know, Arc! But this is where it was, and it’s not here!”
Arc frowns. “Let me check something.”
Heading for the tree line, Arc looks all around. Sighing, he bows his head.
“It’s gone.”
“I assume you’re not talking about the base anymore.”
Arc shakes his head. “My mother’s monument. I ordered it permanently set right around here. But it’s nowhere to be seen.”
“This is getting weirder and weirder all the time, Arc.”
“You’re telling me.”
“What now? Do we continue on towards the Town Hall?”
Arc thinks for a moment. “Yes. But first we’ll continue down the path and head to the orphanage.
Cherry sounds confused. “The orphanage?”
Arc nods. “Normally I wouldn’t go there at this hour and risk waking up the foals whom are trying to sleep. But given the nature of this situation I’ll stop in there and use Coco Pommel’s office phone to call Canterlot. The princesses can have troops sent over.”
“Ah! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Arc chuckles as he begins running again. “I could say the same. After all, we would have to pass by it to get to the Town Hall.”
Continuing on his way, Arc makes the short run to the orphanage. Approaching the spot, he stops and frowns.
“What the...?!”
Cherry grunts. “It’s not here either!”
Looking around, they see no sign of the building or any traces that there had ever been a structure there at all. Arc puts a gauntlet to his forehead.
“This has to be a bad dream!”
Cherry gasps. “I wanna wake up then!”
“Me too!”
“What now?!”
Arc puts a hand on a nearby tree. “This is beyond weird. I remember this land being cleared for the building.”
“What does that prove though?”
“Think about it, Cherry. Suppose someone had found a way to spirit away the Little Hooves Orphanage somehow. And let’s also assume that they had been able to take the building all the way down to the foundations as well. Even so, which is already quite a stretch for the imagination, they probably couldn’t have regrown all these trees in the structures’ places.”
Cherry groans. “And even if they had somehow been able to do so, the dead foliage underhoof appears to be many years old. You can’t fake something like that with magic.”
Arc looks around nervously. “Did we... do you suppose that we went back in time?”
“Not a chance, Arc! That’s impossible!”
“It does make the most sense though. For all we know that blast might have been some kind of tearing of the space/time continuum, or something.”
Cherry sounds confused. “Space and time... what?”
“It’s something from a movie back home. A guy travels through time and accidently changes things.”
“But we didn’t do anything of the sort!”
“At this point all I can figure is that we’ve somehow traveled backwards in time to before I came to Equestria. Or at the very least, before I became the Hero of Light.”
“How can we know for sure though?”
“I have an idea. Let’s head into town.”
Making his way down the road for a time, they find themselves in front of a small building. Trying the door, Arc finds it locked. Cherry sighs as she calls out.
“It’s the middle of the night, Arc. Nopony’s going to be in there at the moment.
“I suppose that’s true, yes.”
Looking around for a few moments, Arc eventually makes his way over to a window. Sighing, he makes a fist and smashes a pane of glass with his gauntlet. Cherry gasps at this and cries out.
“Arc! What are you...?!”
Arc cuts her off as he brushes away the broken glass to enlarge the hole. “I have to know for sure, Cherry.”
“But this is breaking and entering!”
“Uh... Hero of Light. Above the law, remember?”
“That may be, but...!”
Arc interrupts her. “I’ll have someone come over here and replace the window tomorrow morning, okay?”
Cherry groans as Arc reaches through the window and unlatches the lock. Opening the window, Arc climbs inside. Looking around for a few moments, Cherry calls out to him.
“Where are we?”
“The office of the local newspaper, the Ponyville Daily.”
“What could we possibly find here though?”
“If we’re lucky... answers.”
Walking over to the printing presses, Arc pushes aside reams of blank paper to get to the end of the line. Finding a stack of newspapers, he quickly snatches one up and looks at the front page. Turning to a nearby lamp for some light and pointing to the top of the page, Arc continues.
“There!”
Cherry sounds confused as she reads the headline aloud. “Barnyard Bargains announces largest ever sale on wallpaper?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not the headline. The date.”
Cherry gasps. “It’s from almost a year ago!”
Arc frowns as he tosses the paper aside. “Right. So it would appear that we did indeed travel back in time.”
“Maybe not.”
“What do you mean, Cherry?”
“Look at the printing presses themselves.”
Doing so, Arc frowns. Running a finger along the metal frame makes a line in the dust.
“That’s odd. I would have thought that this machine would get a lot of use.”
“Now check the ink tray.”
Arc walks behind the machine. Rolling up a newspaper, he pulls open the small door and sticks it into the reservoir. Pulling it out again he examines the end.
“Not a drop.”
Grabbing a nearby chair, Arc steps onto it and peeks into the tank.
“It looks like I was only partially right. There is indeed ink in there.”
“But it’s hardened up.”
Arc frowns as he steps down. “I imagine it would take quite some time for something like that to happen.”
“Weeks. Maybe even months.”
“None of this makes any sense. “
Cherry sighs. “Why would the local newspaper be shut down?”
Arc clenches a fist. “I can think of only one reason.”
“Oh?”
“Let’s see if I’m right.”
Leaving the building, Arc walks down the street. Coming to Barnyard Bargains he tries the door. Finding it locked, naturally, Arc looks to the window and raises a gauntlet. Cherry cries out hastily.
“Arc, wait!”
Arc stops. “What is it, Cherry?”
“There might be an alarm on the door!”
Arc shrugs. “If my theory is correct, it won’t matter.”
“Might I suggest a less brute force idea then?”
“Sure, Cherry. What is it?”
“Could you not just simply Blink inside?”
There is a long silence during which Arc facepalms.
“Yes... yes, I could.”
Doing as Cherry says, Arc reappears inside of the shop. The smell of rotting produce greets his nose immediately. Gagging, he glances around for a few moments before looking up and Blinking through the ceiling to reappear up on the roof. Falling to his knees, Arc removes his helmet and coughs violently in an effort to clear his lungs as Cherry calls out to him frantically.
“Are you alright?!”
Arc gags. “I could literally taste the air!”
“What was it?!”
“The smell of decay. Lots of decay.”
“Decay?!”
“From the fruit and vegetable stands I’m guessing.”
“But no proper vendor would allow such a thing to get to that point!”
Arc nods as he gets to his feet. “You’re right. Filthy Rich may be a penny-pinching scumbag, yes. But he does pride himself on selling quality merchandise. Generally speaking, of course.”
“Meaning what exactly?”
Arc frowns as he looks out over the dark town. “That something is very wrong here in Ponyville.”
“So you still believe us to have traveled through time?”
“Until something more concrete shows itself, yes.”
“Fine. So what are we supposed to do now, Arc?”
Arc gestures to the town. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what exactly?”
“That’s just it. There’s not a sound to be heard. No crickets, no owls, no... whatever else comes out at night. Hardly even a breeze either.”
Cherry gasps. “You’re right! But what could cause such a thing?!”
Arc sighs as he picks up his helmet and puts it back on. “I have no idea. But I want answers.”
“Where could we get them from?”
“I’m going to guess that Ponyville as a whole is deserted. But we’ll check around just to be sure.”
“Good idea. Carousel Boutique is just down the road.”
“Then we’ll start there.”
Jumping off the roof, Arc levitates himself to the ground with a spell. Making the short walk to the shop he looks it over from the outside for a few moments before muttering to himself.
“No lights on inside.”
Cherry sighs. “Just like the rest of the town, yes.”
“At this point, I hope I don’t find anything in there.”
Blinking inside Arc looks around the darkened shop. Dust covers the displays and the sewing machine in the back. Heading upstairs he enters Rarity’s room and looks around. Walking to the vanity he picks up a brush and looks it over for a few moments.
“Covered in dust too.”
“I can’t see Rarity letting things get this messy, Arc.”
“So, she hasn’t been here in quite some time, I would imagine.”
“It would appear not.”
Arc sets the brush down as he turns around. “Let’s check a couple of my other friends’ homes then. See what we can turn up.”
“I suppose that’s a plan. After all, we really have nothing else to go on.”
Making the rounds, Arc visits a number of his friend’s houses. Finding no signs of life, he continues on down the road back toward the center of town. Cherry calls out to him telepathically as he walks.
“It would appear that the entire town is abandoned.”
“Agreed. But I do want to check one last place before moving on.”
Heading down the road quickly, Arc approaches Derpy’s small house. Finding the door unlocked, he enters. Looking around the living room, he frowns.
“This is strange.”
“What is, Arc?”
“The layout of this place is off.”
“Define ‘off’.”
“This is the old cottage floor plan. From the way it was before the town was rebuilt after Decimus burned everything to the ground.”
He sighs before continuing.
“That and Derpy’s furniture is all gone too.”
“Is that important?”
Arc nods soberly. “She sold it to a pawnbroker named Fortunate Ire to buy food. It would appear that I wasn’t here to buy it back for her.”
He points to an old rug lying in front of the cold, dark fireplace before continuing.
“And Derpy told me that her old rug burned in the fire.”
“So you’re saying that we really did go back in time?!”
Arc sighs. “It would seem so, yes.”
“But that doesn’t explain why the town is abandoned though!”
“True. However, at this point I don’t really know where we’re supposed to go from here.”
“Do you think there’s anything more to find here in Ponyville?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not really, no. It would appear that we’re going to have to head to another town to get help.”
“What’s the closest settlement?”
Arc reaches into his ring and pulls out a map. “According to this, Canterlot.”
“I imagine it would be, yes. But without a train you would have to walk the tracks.”
“Nothing wrong with that though, is there?”
“There kinda is. You see, the route up the mountain is long and winding. And cold too this time of year I would imagine. Especially on foot.”
Arc sighs as he puts the map away. “So what do you suggest?”
“How about Dodge Junction? It may be a bit further to travel, but that’s over level terrain.”
“That would still be quite a ways to go on foot though.”
“What if you had a vehicle?”
“Anything would be preferable to walking at this point.”
“I remember that the train station back in Dodge Junction had a small pump cart. It was used by the staff to travel down the tracks to do maintenance.”
Arc grins. “So, it would stand to reason that Ponyville should have one as well.”
“Exactly!”
“Then let’s go see for ourselves.”
Leaving the house, Arc closes the door behind them and looks around.
“None of this makes any sense to me. Where the heck is everyone?”
“No clues anywhere as to where they went or why either.”
“Right. But we do need a place to stay.”
“Like here in Derpy’s place?”
Arc grimaces. “I... don’t really think that would be the best choice. Remember, Derpy doesn’t have any furniture. That means no beds.”
“Then how about the Golden Oaks Library? It’ll probably be comfy enough. With a bit of cleaning and washing of the sheets, that is.”
“That would probably work in theory. But I was actually thinking we should use Fluttershy’s cottage instead.”
“Oh? Why there?”
“Because it’s small, outside of town, and not known to many ponies other than the residents of Ponyville.”
“You sound like we’re trying to hide from something, Arc.”
“We may very well be. After all, who’s to say that we’re truly alone out here.”
“Then I suppose the cottage it is then.”
Arc motions to the road. “Let’s head over there now so I can set up a sigil.”
Heading toward Fluttershy’s cottage, the pair walk on. Arriving, they enter the small home to the latent scent of straw, animal fur, and earth. Looking around for a few moments, Arc walks over to a small picture sitting on an end table. Picking it up, he looks it over as he sits down on the couch. Seeing it is a picture of Twilight and her friends smiling happily, Cherry speaks softly.
“I’m sure they’re fine.”
Arc sighs. “I sure hope so. But if something terrible really did happen here in Ponyville, they would have been the first to face it.”
“That’s true, yes. However, they’ve done so in the past and always come out on top from what I hear.”
“Hopefully they did in this instance too.”
Smiling, he touches the picture and speaks softly.
“I’ll find you, my friends. That’s a promise. But until then, stick together and stay strong. I love all of you.”
Looking at the picture for a few moments longer, Arc eventually sets it back down in its place and stands.
“Guess we’d better get moving.”
“Yes. Mustn’t keep them waiting, after all.”
Kneeling down, Arc creates a sigil in the middle of the Living Room. Turning his head to look around the room again, he eventually calls out.
“Ready, Cherry?”
“I suppose I am, Arc. But... um...”
“Something wrong?”
“Perhaps we should stay here for the night. After all, it’s really late and you could use some sleep.”
Arc shakes his head. “No, I’m actually not tired.”
“How though?! It’s literally the middle of the night!”
“Probably all the ‘rest’ I got lying on Twilight’s floor.”
“And there’s that too. We really should have you looked at by a doctor.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Uh... why?”
“Well... you don’t really know if anything happened to you on the trip through time!”
“And what exactly would I tell the doctor to look for?”
“Just a general check-up then!”
Arc motions to the window as he talks. “That and I’m guessing the hospital is as abandoned as the rest of the town is.”
Cherry sighs. “I... suppose that’s true. But would you do me one favor?”
“What’s that?”
“Be mindful of yourself and your surroundings while we’re out there. We still don’t know what’s going on or what dangers lie beyond these walls.”
Arc nods. “That’s fair. I’ll watch your back and you watch mine. Now then, shall we be off?”
“I’m ready when you are.”
Walking toward the door Arc leaves the cottage and make his way down the path back toward town again. Arriving at the train station, the pair look around. Spotting a large building with tracks leading into it (the train kind, not human or pony), he walks over to it. Blinking inside, Arc quickly scans the contents of the building. Several overhead cranes line the ceiling and numerous workbenches sit in various states of disrepair. Cherry calls out excitedly.
“Over there, Arc! In the corner!”
Looking over, Arc spies a pump cart pushed off to one side. Grabbing it, he pushes the cart over to the tracks. Holding out a hand, he picks up the cart with a Telekinesis Spell and sets it on the rails. Running over to the large doors, Arc pushes them open before returning to the cart. Hopping up onto it he pushes the pump down. The cart lurches ahead as it pulls out of the building. Pulling the lever back up, Arc grunts as he pumps the mechanism up and down. Frowning, he speaks as they approach the station.
“I think this might actually be more effort than just walking down the tracks, Cherry.”
“Do you want me to help you?”
“How though?”
Cherry giggles. “In your armor, silly!”
Arc facepalms as he stops pumping. “Okay, admittedly... now I feel like an idiot.”
Jumping down from the cart, Arc calls forth Eidolon’s Ward from his ring. Cherry enters it and allows him to step out. Climbing onto the cart across from Arc, she grabs the lever with both gauntlets and looks to him as he gets into position across from her.
“Ready?”
Arc nods. “Yup.”
They begin pushing in tandem. Arc grins as they do so.
“Yes, this is MUCH easier!”
“The cart appears to have some kind of mechanism inside to help amplify our pushes. It’s a lot easier than I thought it would be too.”
As the cart pulls outside of town Cherry points ahead.
“We have to stop here first, Arc.”
“What? Why?”
“You’ll see.”
Shrugging, Arc does as Cherry says. As the cart rolls to a stop, Eidolon’s Ward jumps down and runs over to a post. Grabbing a lever, she pulls it to the side. A slight grinding sound is made as the tracks shift to the other path. Hurrying back to Arc on the cart, Cherry quickly hops back on and grabs her side of the lever again.
“That should do it.”
“Glad you noticed that, Cherry. I wouldn’t have wanted to go miles in the wrong direction.”
“I am glad to help.”
“But how did you know the tracks were set the opposite direction?”
“Back in Dodge Junction we only got one train every week or two, so there wasn’t a need for full-time train station staff. That meant we all had to pitch in to keep things running.”
“By doing what exactly?”
“Some folks would do maintenance on the station buildings to keep them up. Others would be there to receive the train’s cargo. I was put in charge of the train schedule which told me what days to change the switcher on the tracks between Dodge Junction and Appaloosa.”
Arc nods. “And that’s how you knew about the pump cart.”
“Right. I would take a member of the maintenance crew along to help work the cart whenever I went out on inspection. We both would look for damage to the tracks on the way there and back.”
“Well, that information was certainly helpful to us in the current situation.”
He sighs and looks over Eidolon’s Ward at the town behind them growing smaller and smaller. Cherry picks up on this and speaks.
“I’m sure the others are okay, Arc.”
Arc nods soberly. “I sure hope so. This whole thing is just baffling.”
“For what it’s worth, time travel isn’t likely at play here admittedly. After all, nopony’s ever been able to do it as far as I know.”
“Are you sure?”
“Something like that would be a major discovery. It would be all over the newspapers and radio.”
“You’re probably right about that. Everyone would be talking about it, yes. But I do know for a fact that it’s possible.”
“How so?”
Arc chuckles. “I’ve done it before.”
“WHAT?! WHEN?!”
“During my mission to rescue Princess Celestia.”
“You never told me that!”
Arc looks away. “I didn’t tell anyone about it.”
“Why not?!”
“Because it was just so crazy that I figured no one would believe me. That and I kinda wanted to keep that to myself for the sake of Equestria’s safety.”
“Safety?”
Arc nods. “If everyone knew that time travel was possible, they’d all be trying to do it. And with our luck someone with less than honorable ideas would figure it out and mess up the timeline.”
“Mess it up?”
“Go back and change things.”
“Like what?”
Arc puts a hand to his chin as he pumps. “Let’s say there was a stallion whom was in love with a mare whom was already happily married. They could go back to when the pair met and prevent their initial encounter.”
“And then come back to the present and maybe have a chance with them!”
“Or find a way to put their past self in the proper place to meet up with them instead.”
“A sobering thought!”
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine if some really bad individuals got ahold of that ability. They could literally change the course of history.”
“Like stopping the princesses from taking their thrones?!”
“Or even preventing Equestria from forming in the first place.”
“But what kind of terrible pony would do such a thing?!”
Arc shrugs. “No idea. However, I didn’t want to tempt fate.”
They pump on in silence for a time. Eventually Cherry speaks.
“Arc?”
“Yes?”
“Couldn’t... certain things be done to better everypony?”
“Regarding time travel?”
Eidolon’s Ward nods. “We could prevent terrible events from ever coming to pass. Princess Celestia’s attempted murder of you. The bombing of those three buildings in Baltimare. Even the whole Nightmare Moon incident could be stopped before it even started.”
“I admit, that is a tempting idea. But in my mind at least it isn’t worth the risk.”
“How could stopping terrible events possibly be a bad thing though?”
“Let’s take the whole Nightmare Moon incident for example. We all know that Celestia defeated Luna and banished her to the moon via the Elements of Harmony long ago.”
“Which was most certainly hard on the nation as well as Princess Celestia herself. We could alert her to the imminent threat to prevent Princess Luna’s transformation. Get her the help she needed.”
Arc sighs. “True. We might be able to stop it. But that would change the timeline of the nation.”
“For the better though I would imagine.”
“Agreed. But who’s to say that’s all that would be changed?”
“What do you mean, Arc?”
“Luna might be stopped from transforming into Nightmare Moon, yes. But who’s to say that it would be prevented altogether? For all we know it could only kick the proverbial can down the road to a point in time where Luna might be much more powerful.”
“Even more powerful than her sister even!”
Arc nods soberly. “Nightmare Moon could end up besting her sister, which in turn would lead to the eternal tyrannical rule of the Princess of the Night.”
“But it might also give Princess Celestia the edge she needed to make things turn out alright between them.”
“That is possible, yes. However, it could mess other unrelated things up too.”
“Like what?”
“Well... say that in our timeline around the time of the original Nightmare Moon incident a mare and a stallion met on a trip to the capital. They fell in love, got married, and had a family together. But let’s say that in this theoretical alternate timeline where Luna never succumbed to her jealousy, she was walking down the street and everyone was bowing respectfully. That one distraction could be enough to prevent the a fore mentioned pair from ever meeting. Their foals would never be born, which would also lead to the non-existence of their descendants.”
Eidolon’s Ward gasps. “A whole family tree wiped out before it even began!”
“Now let’s assume that it was Applejack’s ancestors whom never met. That would prevent her from being born and becoming the Element of Honesty. And without her, the Elements wouldn’t work.”
“It’s a scary thought! One innocent decision could unravel everything we know! But how do you know all of this, Arc?”
“Back on Earth there was a popular movie trilogy on the subject made called ‘Back to the Future’. In it, the main character goes back in time and accidently messes up the timeline. He then has to go back with his friend to fix things numerous times.”
“How did it end?”
“With things better than they had been before admittedly. However, at one point the villain gets ahold of their time machine and goes back to the past in order to give his younger self some information that will make him very rich in the future.”
“And by proxy, him very wealthy as well.”
Arc nods. “Right. The future villain becomes a big shot businessman and turns the small town into a cesspool of scum and villainy. So then they have to fix that too.”
“Okay, I admit... time travel really doesn’t sound like a very good idea.”
“Glad you agree with me, Cherry.”
“Um... I’m just curious at this point. How far back did you go in time back then?”
“Just a few seconds. Ten at the absolute most. You see, a plane overhead had shot a rocket at my motorcycle and blown me off of it. As I flew through the air, I saw a second one blow up the van ahead of me which had Princess Celestia, Ember, Auriel, Sereb, and my squad in it. That was when Kronos stopped time with Wiseman and offered me a second chance.”
“By sending you back in time a few seconds?”
Arc grimaces. “It was more or less a do-over. I was able to evade the missile the second time around, Blink up into the aircraft, disable the pilot, and set the plane to auto-pilot before rejoining the others on my bike.”
“So... things turned out well then?”
“Yeah. But I’m guessing that was Kronos’ doing.”
“Twilight mentioned them to me once. Something about them being the Keeper of Time.”
Arc shrugs. “That’s what they told me. I’m assuming they control time somewhat and steer things in the more or less ‘right’ direction with small changes here and there.”
“Sounds kinda stressful.”
“I’m guessing it is. But luckily for me I’ll never know for sure.”
Eidolon’s Ward giggles. “One never really knows, Arc. After all, you might be the one to discover how to time travel one day.”
Arc shakes his head. “Not likely. And even if I did, I’d have to destroy all knowledge of how to do it for the a fore mentioned reasons.”
“You’d do what’s right for everypony. I just know it.”
“Yup. And burying that information would certainly be what’s best, believe me.”
Several hours later they crest a hill. Eidolon’s Ward points a gauntlet ahead.
“There’s the town!”
Turning to look over his shoulder, Arc sees Dodge Junction in the distance. Frowning, he looks to Eidolon’s Ward.
“That it is. But I didn’t see any lights on over there.”
Eidolon’s Ward sighs. “Neither did I admittedly.”
“I’m almost sure I know the answer to this question, but that isn’t normal here, is it?”
“At this time of night, maybe. But one would think that somepony would have at least turned on a light somewhere in their house.”
Arc nods soberly. “We’ll know for sure soon enough.”
Sometime later they arrive at the Dodge Junction Train Station. Eidolon’s Ward hops down and turns the switcher to allow them to park the cart off to one side of the main tracks. As their vehicle comes to a halt, Arc and his former suit of armor jump off the pump cart and onto the dry dusty ground below. Looking around, Eidolon’s Ward is the first to speak.
“This is beyond weird, Arc.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet. Maybe there’s still someone here.”
Eidolon’s Ward sighs. “I sure hope so.”
They begin walking down the main street. Not a single building they pass has the slightest sign of life within. Arc frowns as he turns to Eidolon’s Ward.
“While I’m still trying to remain optimistic, I don’t like this.”
“Me either. How could an entire town, let alone two, just be abandoned?”
Arc frowns as he looks around. “No idea. Just like Ponyville, there’s no signs of anyone anywhere.”
“But also no indication of any kind of attack or anything resembling a hasty retreat.”
“I suppose that in and of itself is a good thing.”
“How so, Arc?”
“An evacuation would mean that there was some kind of unexpected emergency that they were fleeing from.”
“Or they could have been taken! Like Decimus did to Ponyville’s residents!”
Arc grimaces. “I sure hope that’s not the case. After all, kidnapping an entire town would be just beyond terrible. But two... that’s just plain vile. Even for him.”
“Let’s head up to the ranch. Maybe Ruby’s still there. “
“Good idea.”
Taking the road out of town, the pair soon crest the hill overlooking Cherry Hill Ranch. However, as they do so Arc and Cherry stop and stare wordlessly as a terrible sight meets their eyes. Cherry gasps as she speaks.
“The... the whole thing is...!”
Arc frowns. “This doesn’t look good.”
Walking toward the property, the pair pass through the broken archway that once bore the ranch’s name. Continuing on, they see that the farmhouse, barn, and other outbuildings have all been burned to the ground. Stopping at the front porch they look over the ruins silently for a few moments before Cherry calls out.
“RUBY!!!”
Silence follows as her calls echo across the otherwise still landscape. Walking up the front porch steps, the armor pushes a charred timber aside and walks in the front door. Arc follows closely behind but says nothing. Coming to roughly the center of the building, they look all around. Arc puts a gauntlet on Eidolon’s Ward’s pauldron as he speaks.
“I’m sure she’s safe wherever she is. After all, Ruby’s pretty tough.”
He instinctively rubs a hand on his chest before continuing.
“Believe me, I know.”
Eidolon’s Ward nods sadly. “Yes, she is. But... if this house is any indication...”
Her voice trains off as she continues looking around.
“...something very bad happened here.”
“Hopefully a terrible accident.”
“An accident?”
Arc nods. “After all, we haven’t seen any other buildings damaged in any way. Both in Ponyville and here in Dodge Junction.”
Stepping forward, Eidolon’s Ward puts a gauntlet on a fallen overhead beam leaning against a wall and looks up at the black starless sky overhead.
“That may be. But it doesn’t get us any closer to the truth.”
Hitting the beam with all its might, a loud ‘thump’ rings out. Arc steps forward and turns to his old armor.
“Please, Cherry. Allow me.”
Pulling a fist back, Arc punches the beam with all his might. It flies through the remains of the wall to topple end over end into the front yard. Eidolon’s Ward nods approvingly.
“Thank you, Arc.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Eidolon’s Ward puts its arms around itself. “But... might I get back inside your head right now?”
“Cherry?”
“I just feel so... so lost and alone right now.”
“Same as I do.”
“We need each other. Now more than ever.”
Nodding, Arc silently agrees. Recalling his own armor, Eidolon’s Ward opens to allow him entrance. Stepping inside of it, Arc waits as it reforms around him.
“Okay, I’m in.”
Recalling Eidolon’s Ward, Arc again dons the Lionheart armor and sighs contentedly.
“Thank you, Cherry.”
Cherry sounds confused. “What for, Arc?”
“Being here with me. If I were alone right now, well... I don’t think I could have made it this far.”
“Same here. I’d probably be lying on the ground crying.”
“You lean on me and I’ll lean on you.”
“Arc?”
“It’s something I saw years ago at the end of an anime. The two main characters had just defeated the last boss of the show and were both injured in the process. They walked away leaning on each other, as neither had the strength or fortitude to do so on their own due to their wounds.”
“I won’t leave you, Arc.”
“And I’ll keep you close too.”
“Thank you, Arc. But... um...”
“Cherry?”
“Would you please take me to the back of the house? I... want to see something.”
Nodding, Arc walks through the living room and kitchen. Stepping through the ruins of the back door he walks down a path and toward a small fenced in area. Looking around, he sees the tombstones of Cherry’s ancestors marred and sooty from the heat and intensity of the flames. Coming to a particular stone, Arc stops and looks down at its ruins for a moment silently before Cherry speaks.
“Looks like I still died.”
Arc sighs. “Yeah.”
“A shame. I was kinda hoping that things could have been different for me.”
“We must not have gone back far enough to... you know.”
“It’s alright, I suppose. Nothing we can do about it, after all.”
Arc looks around. “The fire must’ve been really bad to mess up all these markers.”
“There was a very large tree here before.”
“Was there?”
“Yes. My grandparents planted it here to signify our family’s commitment to this place and its future. I can only imagine that the smaller branches that stretched over the roof must’ve started on fire when the house did. When fully engulfed, the limbs falling from overhead must’ve taken all these grave stones with them.”
Arc nods. “A likelihood, yes. But that would point to one very important thing, Cherry.”
“What’s that?”
“The fact that someone would have had to come here afterwards to clear the remains of the tree away.”
Cherry gasps. “You’re right! Which means somepony must still be around!”
“At the time of the incident, at least.”
Arc looks back at the ruins of the house before speaking again.
“Maybe even Ruby herself was among them!”
“I hope you’re right, Arc.”
“But for now, we need a new plan.”
Cherry sounds confused. “To do what?”
“Remember, I still need to find a way to contact Canterlot. Get some help to these towns. And see if there are others in the same state.”
Cherry sighs. “Yes, well... it would appear that my telephone is toast at this point.”
“Any others in town?”
“The sheriff’s office should have one.”
Arc turns and starts walking. “Then that’s where we need to go.”
“Y-yes. Lead the way.”
Leaving the ranch, Arc heads back into town. Making his way down the main street, Cherry suddenly calls out to him.
“Arc! I just thought of something!”
“What is it, Cherry?”
“We should check the saloon!”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Um... why?”
“Because here in Dodge Junction it’s the central meeting place!”
“We passed it on the way to your place though. No lights on inside or any movement.”
“I know! But maybe somepony left some kind of clue as to what’s going on here!”
Arc shrugs as he turns toward the saloon. “Might as well check it out, I suppose.”
Entering the building via the swinging front doors, Arc looks around the darkened room. It appears well used, with beer mugs sitting on some tables while others appear overturned. Removing his helmet, Arc picks up a mug and sniffs it. Turning his head away, he makes a face.
“Now that’s surprising!”
Cherry sighs. “Admittedly out town’s alcohol isn’t exactly the best quality, Arc.”
“That may be. But this isn’t alcohol.”
Cherry sounds confused. “It isn’t?”
Arc shakes his head. “Nope. This smells like vinegar.”
“What?! But how?!”
Arc sets the vessel down. “Well... from what I learned in science class, alcohol is made by yeast eating the sugars in a liquid and changing them into alcohol. But if a certain kind of bacteria is introduced into the mix it slowly changes the alcohol into vinegar.”
“So that would mean that this mug has been sitting here for a very long time?”
Arc shrugs as he pushes the mug over. “Months at least.”
“So we know that Dodge Junction, as well as Ponyville, have been abandoned for quite some time now.”
“Confirmed by the state of this place, yes. Is there anything we should be looking for in here though?”
Cherry sighs. “I’m not really sure at this point. Truth be told, I was hoping to find somepony here. Or at the very least, signs that somepony had been here recently.”
Arc looks to the bar. “Maybe in the back room?”
“It’s just storage back there though. Kegs and mugs from what I’ve seen.”
“It’s worth checking though. After all, we are here.”
“Alright.”
Walking behind the counter, Arc puts a gauntlet on the doorknob. Frowning, he speaks.
“Locked.”
“Are you sure it just isn’t stuck, Arc?”
Arc nods as he continues turning the knob and pushing. “Nope, it’s definitely locked.”
“Strange.”
“What is, Cherry?”
“The bartender never did that in the past. Frankly, I didn’t even know this door had a lock on it.”
Arc looks at the door more closely. “There isn’t even a keyhole here though. Guess I’ll have to Blink in there.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Taking a deep breath, Arc Blinks through the door. Reappearing, he winces as a nasty odor meets his nose.
“UGH!”
“What is it, Arc?”
“It stinks in here!”
“Probably dead rodents. This place has always had trouble with them in the past.”
“Let’s get this over with quickly then.”
Stepping forward, Arc starts walking down the rows of kegs and crates one by one. Noticing one that appears strange, he stops.
“This might be something of interest.”
“What’s so special about that crate, Arc?”
Arc points a finger. “Look at the floor here. It’s all scratched up.”
“Those scratches are pretty much everywhere though as kegs and crates are pushed around regularly.”
“True. But this spot appears a bit different than the rest of this place.”
“Oh?”
“The scratches appear to be from the crate going back and forth, yes. But significantly more often than side to side.”
“So you think that somepony was fixated on this crate in particular?”
“Right. So let’s find out why.”
Grabbing the crate, Arc pulls it all the way out. Shoving it to one side, he looks in the space it previously occupied. His eyes grow wide as he stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. Gasping, Cherry calls out to him.
“Arc! What...?! Is... is that...?!”
Arc sighs as he nods. “Yes, Cherry. Two dead ponies.”
“How horrible!”
“They must be what caused the smell.”
“The bartender must have locked them in here before he left!”
Arc frowns. “I’m not so sure about that though, Cherry.”
“But they were clearly...!”
Arc interrupts her. “That door didn’t appear to have a keyhole in it, remember?”
“What does that prove though?”
“Let’s look at it again.”
Walking back to the door, Arc kneels down to examine it. Putting his gauntlet on a bolt, he unlatches it and pulls. The door opens as easily as can be as Arc speaks.
“The door was locked from the inside.”
“Which means they locked themselves in here.”
Arc nods as he straightens up. “So it would seem.”
“Maybe they were tied up or otherwise restrained.”
“It’s possible. Let’s check on them again too.”
Walking back to the bodies, Arc kneels down and crawls behind the racks to get a closer look. The bodies are little more than skeletons at this point with tatters of cloth hanging off of them. Arc shakes his head.
“The two waitresses. I remember their uniforms from the first time I visited here years ago.”
Cherry groans. “They were always so kind to everypony. No way they deserved this fate.”
Arc gestures to their surroundings. “Looks like they had moved in here. The remains of a candle, matches, sacks as makeshift bedding, and empty bottles of beer.”
Something catches his eye. Leaning down, Arc spies an object under one of the mare’s heads. Gently pushing it aside he spots a notebook. As he picks it up Cherry calls out to him.
“Her order pad?”
Arc opens it. “Let’s see.”
“What are you looking for though, Arc?”
“Some kind of clue.”
Flipping through the pages, Arc comes to one that appears to have something other than drink orders on it. Stopping, he begins to read aloud.
“Everypony has gone. The town is dark and quiet. Not a sound anywhere. Even still, we cannot bring ourselves to leave as the others did. As the nights grow colder, we huddle together to stay warm. The food is frozen and we cannot risk making a fire to cook anything. Our time is short and the winter long. But we both agreed that staying here is still a better choice to the alternative.”
Cherry sighs. “They tried to make it through the winter back here.”
Arc frowns. “But why though?”
“She said something about an ‘alternative’.”
“Leaving for someplace safer like the rest of the town did is my guess. But I don’t understand why they were afraid to make a fire.”
“Anything else in there?”
“Let’s see...”
Flipping through the pages they detail the various day to day activities, or lack of therefore, of the pair. Coming to the last page Arc frowns as he reads.
“Only one page of my pad remains. At this point, it seems only fitting considering the circumstances. My sister, Milly, has been sick for the past few days. I lay next to her in an effort to try and keep her warm, but it was for nothing. She stopped breathing just a few minutes ago, and from the cough that I’ve developed I feel that I am not far behind her. While I am scared of my impending doom, I still believe that her and I made the right choice. Better to die here together on our own terms than to...”
Arc stops reading and closes the notebook as he sighs.
“That’s the end.”
Cherry groans. “She must’ve laid down to rest next to her sister and... and never woke up.”
Arc nods soberly. “It would appear so, yes.”
“We... should probably get to the sheriff’s office, Arc. See about getting help.”
“Yes... we’ll get someone to properly take care of their bodies too.”
Putting the notebook down next to the pair, Arc steps back and heads for the door. Leaving the building, he walks down the street to his destination. Entering the office, he looks around at the dusty furniture and fixtures. Heading toward the sheriff’s desk, Arc picks up the phone and puts it to his ear. Listening for a few moments, he frowns before putting the receiver down and sitting down heavily in a nearby chair.
“Nothing.”
“Not even a dial tone?”
Arc shakes his head. “Right.”
“That’s strange. We almost never have outages around here.”
“Any other phones around town?”
“If this one isn’t working, it’s not likely the other ones are either. But there is one thing we could check.”
“What’s that?”
“Could you Blink me up onto the roof please?”
Nodding, Arc stands. Cherry calls out as he does so.
“Now look to your left.”
“Okay. At what though?”
“Do you see those wires on the poles that follow the train tracks?”
Arc nods. “Yes.”
“Those are the telephone lines. Keep following them with your eyes.”
Doing so, Arc quickly traces them until they reach the limits of his sight. Shrugging, he speaks.
“They appear alright. Can’t see any further though.”
“Alright. That would mean that one of two things happened. First, the lines could be down further down the way.”
“Or...?”
“The entire phone system is down.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Is that second idea... possible?”
“Yes, but not likely.”
“Why not, Cherry?”
“Because the system is based in Canterlot. Such a thing is very well maintained so as to prevent outages.”
Arc frowns. “Which means that there’s trouble in the capital.”
“This thing... whatever it is, must be very widespread to have spread to Canterlot.”
“Maybe even all of Equestria.”
“It’s possible, yes. So what are we going to do now, Arc?”
Arc sighs as he looks out the window. “Not really sure at the moment. Right now... we just don’t have any leads.”
“We could try another town. If we shrink down the pump cart and take a portal back to Ponyville, we could head west to...”
Arc cuts her off. “There isn’t really anything out that way though. We’d have to go all the way to the west coast to hit Las Pegasus.”
Cherry gasps. “That’s all the way to the South Luna Ocean!”
“Right. If anything, we should retrace our route back down the tracks we came here on and take the rails to Appleloosa.”
“But there’s no way to know if anypony is there either.”
“Right. Considering the state of Ponyville and Dodge Junction, things aren’t looking good on that front.”
“In any case, we should go somewhere for you to rest now though, Arc. It’s been a VERY long day for us.”
Arc puts a hand to his helmet. “I am getting a bit tired admittedly. But at the same time, I don’t really want to head back to Fluttershy’s cottage at this point.”
“But we agreed to use it as our refuge for now.”
“True. However, it just makes me feel uncomfortable being there without her.”
“Then what do you want to do, Arc?”
“I have an idea. But first we have to do something.”
Sometime later, Arc stands in the alley next to the saloon. Before him lie two mounds of raised earth side by side. Kneeling down next to them, he carefully ties the tatters of their waitress uniforms to the two posts sticking out of the ground before stepping back and speaking aloud to them.
“This is the best I can do for you two. I’m sorry it’s not much.”
Cherry sighs. “We’ll come back and see to it this is done properly when we can though.”
Arc nods. “Right. After we fix this mess. Whatever it is.”
Sighing, Arc turns and walks away. Stepping into the center of the main road, he turns back and looks at the graves wordlessly one last time before removing the Rainbow of Light, opening a portal, and stepping through. As the portal closes behind him, Arc looks towards his house. Groaning, he walks over to the back steps and sits down in the darkened yard. Cherry calls out to him telepathically.
“Arc… there was nothing you could have done for them.”
Arc nods. “I know, Cherry. It’s just… nothing is right!”
“That’s true, yes. But we can’t do anything more tonight. You should get some rest here at your house and go back there tomorrow. Maybe things will make more sense in the daylight.”
“Maybe. But I don’t think that will help all that much.”
“You’ll be able to see better though.”
Arc chuckles as he shakes his head. “I can see in the dark just as well as you do in the light though, Cherry. However, both you and I know that things are really messed up back in Equestria right now.”
“None of it makes sense though. You were out for less than a day. Well… we were, I suppose. How could all of that happen in just a hoofful of hours?”
Arc shrugs. “No idea, Cherry. But if those dead waitresses are any indication, some really bad things must’ve gone down.”
Cherry sighs. “Go and get some sleep now, Arc. We’ll both need clear heads to figure this out.”
Arc stands. “I suppose you’re right.”
Standing up, Arc recalls his armor and turns to the door. As he puts a hand to his pocket, he suddenly stops. Groaning, Arc shakes his head.
“Great.”
“Arc?”
“I left my house keys back on the dresser in Equestria! Of all the times…!”
Cherry interrupts him. “Just Blink inside then.”
Arc shrugs. Guess that will have to work for now.”
Looking up at his bedroom window, Arc Blinks through it. Reappearing in his old room, he lays down on the bed and stares up at the ceiling.
“Derpy… Dinky… Scootaloo… Twilight… I just left them back in Ponyville.”
“At least they’re not there now. Remember, the town was deserted.”
Arc puts a hand to his forehead. “Not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”
“We didn’t see any signs of a battle though. So it’s likely that everypony was simply evacuated.”
“Maybe to Canterlot.”
“Yes. But we can’t be running all over the country without resting first, Arc.”
“Yeah, that’s quite a hike on foot from Ponyville.”
“It’s one we’ll most likely have to make though. After all, I’m sure somepony in Canterlot Castle will be able to tell us what’s going on.”
“We’ll talk more about it in the morning. I’m running on empty right now.”
“I’d also like to point out that you haven’t eaten since breakfast either though. Why don’t you head downstairs for a quick bite first?”
Arc puts a hand to his belly. “I’m hungry, yeah. But at this point I’m more sleepy than anything.”
“Then I suppose you’ll have to make an especially big breakfast tomorrow to make up for it.”
There is no reply. Cherry calls out again.
“Arc?”
She listens and hears that his breathing has slowed. Giggling softly to herself, Cherry sighs contentedly and speaks softly.
“Pleasant dreams, Arc.”