Torchwood Equestria: Parallel Loose Ends
Chapter 1- The Right Stallion
(PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE: The following story is a sequel to my previous fic, "Dr. Whooves- Parallel Complications". I would strongly suggest reading that fic first for the sake of things in this fic making sense. You can find the fic on my page here. If you are caught up on my stories and would like to get a chapter ahead, search for Coheed275 on fimfiction.)
The light grey clouds and sprinkling rain failed to lower Ensign Wing's cheery mood. He'd made it. The royal guard. Now he walked through the bustling streets of Canterlot as an officer, one among the best of the best who were selected to protect the royal princesses and their castle. He pushed through the vigorous training and the first few months of having to work every day of the week with long hours, but now that he was an official ensign, they gifted him with a normal schedule and days off, something he'd taken for granted in the past. And for the first time since he signed up, Wing had a whole day to spend with his best friend from childhood, whose mood also stayed strong through the rain drops falling onto her silky, red mane.
"Wing!" Crescent shouted with delight upon seeing her friend. She ran up to him, and Wing smiled wide, pulling Crescent into a hug. "Look at you…" she said, pulling back to glance over Wing's changed stature. "You look twice as strong as you used to!"
"Thanks." Wing blushed. "You look great too. It's so good to see you!"
"Let's order breakfast to go and get out of this stupid rain," Crescent replied. "I got a great hotel room, we can go there and chat."
They strolled through the streets of Canterlot, their hooves making gentle splashes in puddles formed from the rain that gently fell. It was summer, and though the warm sun did not show itself behind the clouds, still nopony felt a chill or the need of a jacket, though some unicorns with perfectly styled manes or expensive clothes held an umbrella above them with magic.
Wing looked at Crescent as they walked, longing for some of the vibrant color she was born with. Crescent's gorgeous red mane and tail complemented her rich yellow body, and her eyes were red too, which was unique among ponies. Wing was a light grey, his mane and tail white, and he was born with blue eyes. Being a bland color helped him fit it with the royal guard. They had to dye their coats if they were too far from a shade of black or white, and Wing didn't have to deal with that. But he always felt a little too plain walking next to her.
The two were in a time of change across all of Equestria. Though Celestia and Luna would still be around for ages to come, Princess Twilight discovered her castle about six decades ago, and now her and her council grew old. Princess Cadance in the Crystal Empire also grew old, and before the turn of the century, Equestria would likely have to say goodbye to two princesses, and welcome new ones selected by Celestia.
Technology had advanced quite a bit over the years as well. Though unicorns were still highly valued, some of the most basic tasks unicorns had managed in the past now completed themselves through technology. A pony in Appleoosa could talk to a pony in Manehattan with the push of a few buttons on a phone. Speeches from royalty to the public and sporting events were now televised. Trains were faster and no longer spat smoke out into the air. Ponies even began to realistically talk about space travel, though that dream was still a long ways away.
After making a few turns, Wing and Crescent arrived at the Sunshine Hotel, where Crescent slept last night, waiting to meet her friend this morning. They passed through the lobby, nodding hello to the clerk at the counter, and entered the elevator, another piece of new technology.
After leaving the elevator, Crescent used her horn to retrieve her room key, then walked to her door and let herself and Wing inside. She pulled out some orange juice from the fridge and poured each of them a glass. Wing sat down at the small table in the room, and Crescent joined her. The rain picked up, making an audible patter against the closed window.
"You must've had an awful few months," Crescent said. "How much did you have to work?"
"12 hour shifts, seven days a week," Wing replied. "Sometimes even more. They want you to get used to having to go to work tired, in case anything ever happens and you have to work a long shift. But everything's normal now. One 12 hour shift each week, the rest are 8, and two days off. Sometimes I'll get three days off in a week, and that'll be great."
"Well, I knew you could power through," Crescent replied, smiling.
"I sure didn't!" Wing leaned back in his chair, stretching out his wings a bit. "That was some tough stuff. After spending today with you, I plan to sleep through all of tomorrow."
Crescent laughed. "Well I'm glad you gave up one more day of sleeping in to come see me. If this rain doesn't let up, I'll buy an umbrella so we can go out on the town later without getting soaked."
"I'll handle it. You know how much extra money I made working all those hours? That was the only good thing about this initiation. I'll buy dinner while I'm at it."
"Really? Well, I'm flattered, and I'll take you up on that offer."
The two continued to chat into the afternoon. They ordered room service for lunch, trying to wait out the rain pouring outside. Wing and Crescent caught up on everything, from work, to family, to funny stories over the past few months. For the first time in a long while, Wing felt relaxed. He felt comfortable. It felt like years since he'd sat down with his friend just to talk. However, his ears lowered a bit when Crescent asked him about making friends on the guard.
"I haven't really made any good friends yet…" Wing was slow to reply. Shyness was an issue since childhood with him. He'd either struggle to approach ponies or ponies tried to avoid him. Now that he was on the guard, nopony was ever rude, but he still couldn't seem to fit in. "I have a couple ponies that I talk to, they're nice… But I haven't been able to hang out with them much."
"Don't let your shyness get the best of you, enjoy yourself in that castle," Crescent told the pegasus, finishing up her meal. "It took a long time for us to become good friends, but look what came out of it! You're never uncomfortable around me. Just get out there and hang out, you'll start having fun."
Wing sighed. "You're right," he said. "They really do like hanging out with me, I guess I'm just paranoid. It's just the couple stallions that I'm friends with have a different schedule than me right now, so it'll be hard even though I have more free time and days off."
"You'll find a way, don't worry." Crescent paused for a moment, then a sly grin appeared on her face, a new question burning inside her. "So… outside of friends… there any stallions you like?"
Wing immediately blushed. "Crescent…"
"What? Come on, the royal guard stallions are some of the most handsome ponies alive. Surely you've got somepony on your mind."
"Not at the moment." Wing was honest when he responded, and he shrugged. "I mean, I have enough trouble making friends. I've only had a couple boyfriends in my life, nothing's ever worked out. I guess I'm just not looking at the moment. I'm waiting for somepony special to come along."
"Oh, come on!" Crescent replied in a joking tone. "The only reason I didn't throw myself at you years ago is because you like stallions. You're a handsome pony. And if the royal guard ponies aren't special enough for you, I don't know what you're waiting for. Unless some perfect, gorgeous stallion suddenly appears in Equestria from another dimension, you're walking around the best of the best. They're all inside Canterlot Castle."
Wing chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
()
The Crystal Empire
Night fell across Equestria, and ponies laid their heads to rest in Luna's beautiful night. Things were no different in the Crystal Empire, and the glistening town made no sound; it merely sparkled now and then when the moon hit just the right angle.
In the castle, Shining Armor and princess Cadance held each other in their hooves, drifting off to a deep, peaceful sleep. Outside their doors, and in the rest of the castle, the night shift of the royal guard patrolled, making sure that nothing disturbed the ponies and valuables contained inside.
But while the rest of the Crystal Empire was silent, deep within the castle, in a secret room, stood a tall mirror, with a purple outline and pink gems decorating the edge. This mirror broke the kingdom wide silence as a quiet hum began emitting from it.
Slowly, the surface of the mirror started waving, as if the material was liquid rather than glass. A bright light flashed out from the center, and the humming grew louder. Something pushed through the mirror's surface, forming into the shape of a pony. This thing entered through another dimension, departed from one universe and entering this one. At last, the humming halted, the ripples in the mirror went flat, and a dark blue earth pony, with a mane and tail of an even darker blue, tumbled on to the ground. The stallion groaned, stretching out his hooves and slowly standing.
"That didn't feel good…" The stallion shook his head, then rubbed his forehead with a hoof. He turned towards the mirror and carefully opened his eyes. At first, he saw nothing, but slowly, he adjusted to the darkness, and could see the reflection of himself in the now still mirror. "Alright, I'm a pony. Glad I wanted this as badly as I thought I did. Otherwise two universes would be falling apart right now."
He turned away from the mirror, feeling out the small room. Though he could see the rough layout of the room in the dark, he failed to find a door. "Where the hell am I?"
It took a good while longer for the stallion to at last feel the latch he'd missed. "Ah hah!" He pulled down and swung the door open, finding himself in a large hallway. Though windows lined the tops of the walls, the night sky brought little light beyond what he had in the previous room.
He walked down the hall, taking in the sights. This was a castle, certainly, but not the castle he was familiar with. He didn't know which direction to go, or if he was even in the city he wanted to be in.
When he turned a corner, however, the silence of the night broke once more. A bright light blinded him for a moment, a unicorn guard member shining light from his horn on to the stallion's face. Two more unicorns joined the guard, and all of them raised spears with their magic, bringing them close to the intruder.
"Woah, woah, woah," the stallion said, holding a hoof up and squinting his eyes while they adjusted. "Good evening boys, sorry to bother you. Are those spears or are you all happy to see me?"
"Who are you?" The closest unicorn barked. "Why are you here?"
"Hey, you guys are all… crystaly… that's a sexy look, is that a magic makeover or-"
"Answer the questions!" the unicorn demanded. All three guard ponies moved their spears a bit closer.
"Alright, easy now, easy now, I'm unarmed, and I'm happy to leave, because I think I'm in the wrong place," the stallion replied. "The name's Captain Jack Harkness. I'm looking for a handsome grey pegasus that I owe a drink to."
