Chapter XXXII: Time and Time Again

Spike

"Hey Spike! Can I overshadow you?" Scootaloo asks as I look at her. "I've seen Danny do it, I enter your body and take over." I tell it doesn't sound safe. "He did it to Trixie and she's fine," I tell her she has a loose definition of what 'fine' means. "Aw you're no...," she begins to say.

"Equestria to Scootaloo? Are...," I began to feel queasy and cough up a message. "It's from Rarity," my beloved has sent me a note. "A work of art," I said as Danny lets out a cough. "Sorry...," I say blushing as I unroll it. "It says that is a bust of Starswirl near her."

"I think I know where she is," Rainbow says, "It's...," Trixie's horn started glowing. "What's going on?" Trixie she got a message from Twilight, but it's a trick. Danny explains is that Vlad must have made her send it out. "I can't wait to get my hooves on this Vlad and show him what ponies can do!"

"Me too I was shot with, whatever you call the energy that comes out of your hooves," Danny says it's called ectoblasts and right now we need to be on the down low. "But I can take him on...," she stops and looks around. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" I ask her confused. She says someone is calling her name. "It's probably...," a blue mist escapes from her mouth and she shivers. She asks why it got so cold. "It doesn't feel cold to me," I tell her, shrugging.

"It's her ghost sense," Danny explains. Whenever a ghost nearby a blue mist escape his mouth and shiver travels up his spine. "What doesn't make sense is that I don't feel anything. We need to keep our eyes open," he tells as we continue on our way.

Sam

"Have you ponies lost your minds?" as the guards push us forward. "Shining Armor, tell your men to...," he motions for us to be brought forward. "Finally, now maybe you...," he says we are traitors to Equestria and will be punished.

He walks up to a door and opens it, "I will secure the prisoners," he says as he leads us inside. It looked like a treasury of some kind. Dani looks and says she saw the floor quiver. I look down and pet her hair. "You will stay in here until you are judged." He bars the entryway with a spear.

"Sensei Tommy always said to face your fears," Danielle says nervously. "I don't...," she stops as she hears a clang. She looks and see Armor threw his helmet on the floor. He says it's safe. "What's going on?" the ghost girl asked confused.

"I got orders from Twilight, saying you're not what you seem to be. I sensed there was something wrong. I apologize for the scare but we had to make look convincing." He walks down the steps to the main chamber. "Twilight's in danger, we need you two to break her free," he says I look around the room.

He explains that this is where the unicorns would count the gems they mined. I walk over to a wall and see tally marks carved on it. "You have a device that can track Danny. Can you modify it locate Vlad?" Armor asks I nod. "Dani, we need you to lead the way. The vision spell I cast on you is still active."

"You can count on us, sir," she says saluting him. "You said that something wasn't right?" she asks worried about the pony. He says the signal was weak like she was under the influence of something. "Like a drug?" The unicorn shrugs saying all he knows is that Twilight need us.

"We'll get her back and make sure Vlad's days our numbered," I said adjusting the Fenton Finder. "I'm picking up something," he races over and says that's the observatory. "Is it far from here?" he says not too far as he reveals a hidden passage way in the wall.

Apple Bloom

"Commander Belle did you find anything?" I ask Sweetie Belle in a commanding tone. She looks confused for a second before shaking her head. "We must keep the princess safe," I tell her looking at Celestia. She smiles warmly as I tell her we need to keep an eye out for trouble.

"You know Apple Bloom, a true warrior doesn't look for trouble. When we were your age, Luna and I wanted more than anything to battle for our home." The little unicorn looks up at me. She can't believe that I was once their age. "We weren't born alicorns," she says with a chuckle. "We would pretend to be at war and play fight."

"It must be awesome to be young and have all the world look up to you," she says it's also hard work. She begins to tell us a a tale when Dr. Hooves comes in the room.

"I think you should see this," he produces a screen showing a large squad of bugs. Celestia says it's an advanced recon group. They only set out if the queen is on the move. If she is on the move then we are in trouble. "Your orders,"

"Have Jazz and Tucker suit us with some ghost weapons. We might need to fight both ghosts and bugs," she says solemnly as he walks out.

"Do you really think it will come to it?" Sweetie Belle asks nervously. Celestia gently wraps her wings around us and says it will be all right. They've faced worse than a group changelings and ghosts. She smiles at us assuring us we will be fine.

Bullet

"You wanted to see me, sir," I ask as I walk into Walker's office. The chair turns revealing Skulker. "You will regret this," I draw my weapon but the hunter orders me to stand down. Some of those bug's come in and grab me. Skulker says he has a use for me. "I will never betray the warden!"

"Really, not even for the chance to become warden," he says smiling. "The queen is coming soon and she will need food to replenish her strength. Provide her with food and this could be yours Bullet." I ask him what he means by providing her with food. "You're going to release the prisoners. Tell them they have been given amnesty. The bugs will package them for the queen and her troops." I felt queasy realizing what he meant by that. "The choice is yours," the hunter spins around revealing a green cocoon. I could see Walker's form in it.

"Very well," I tell him with a sigh. I press a button on my gauntlet. "Attention all units this Lt. Bullet, we are now under code Rho, repeat we are under code Rho." Skulker looks at me cautiously. "It means the prison is no longer safe and the prisoners should prepare to evacuate." I tell him as I go to over see the operation.

Twilight Sparkle

"So...tired...," I said as I felt my eyes close. The tentacles around my body got tighter ensuring that I would stay awake. Starswirl comes up to me tells me that humans have been taken care of. There was something off about him, like he was trying to keep his form.

"Don't worry Twilight you have done...," he froze in place. I must be hallucinating, it's the only explanation. I see a bright clock appear in the room, out of it come a strange being with blue skin and red eyes. He wore a light purple tunic and royal purple cloak fastened by clock gear. On his arms and waist were hundreds of watches.

"Don't worry, Twilight he can't harm you now," he says opening the cage. He snaps his fingers and the tentacles vanish. I gasp as I can breathe again. His voice sounded familiar, like the one I heard in my dream. I looked as he transformed into a child. "I am known as Clockwork. I am a colleague of your Starswirl the Bearded."

"You knew Starswirl," I ask as Clockwork helps me out of the prison. He smiles and says he was the one who taught him about time magic. I had remembered reading that when he was younger, Starswirl vanished for a couple of years.

"You haven't much time. You're friends are in danger." He waves his hand opening a strange gateway. "This will lead you to your brother along with Sam and Danielle." My heart stops. I ask him if he's all right. "For now," I slowly get up and walk through the portal.

Danny

"Why won't you let me help using my new powers?" Scootaloo asked Rainbow Dash with a frown. I can handle whatever tricks this Vlad is up to," she tries to a loop-de-loop but didn't have the strength to do it. "I just need a little more practice."

"I know how you feel, Scootaloo," I tell her as she looks at me. "When I first got my powers, I thought myself invincible. However after ending up with a few sprains and a broken collar bone, I learned that need to work hard first or I would kill myself." She gets it but she'll only have these powers for a short while.

"it's kind of like Daring Do in the Young Daring Do comics," Rainbow says, "She was helping her uncle on a safari. She thought she would race ahead and clear the path for him. She ending up almost drowning in quicksand had not her uncle saved her. She learned then that she needs skills...," her ears move. "Someone's coming," she pushes us against the wall.

"If we give them to queen as a good luck gift, she may promote us," a changeling disguised as a royal guard said to his cohort. His friend laughs and agrees, that Chrysalis would make them military advisors.

Trixie thinks for a second, "I may have a plan," she says as we turn to her. "What if you were to overshadow me again? We could give the bugs a scare." I nod and phase into her body. I ask her if she is all right, "Trixie feels queasy but fine," we hide behind a corner.

"Maybe she'll let us...," we jump out. "It's the magician," their horns glow ready to attack.

"You have upset the Great and Powerful Trixie!" I say in Trixie's voice. "Behold my power!" I cause her head to turn 360 and shoot a ecto-beam. "You shall the consequences!" they back up and race down the hall they come from.

"What a rush," she says as I leave her body, "It's like the first time I used magic." she said giddy as I help steady her. "Thanks Danny," she says as I smile at her.