The Timepony's Journal

Chapter 16 - The Wreckage

A fire crackled across the stone-paved ground, the world coated in soot and ash. The city of Canterlot stood silent for longer than it ever had before. The shops were empty and the food running cold, nopony in sight for miles around. Where did they go and more importantly why? It'd been a hundred years since the coronation of Twilight Sparkle and something had clearly gone wrong. Underneath one of the many bridges where the iron piping drips, small droplets of the flowing water that was carried from the river nearby, contained a box that began to materialize out of thin air. As it finally became solid the ground below it slightly sank into the slurry of cracked stone and mud. Light shone through the cracks in the foundation above it casting a peculiar shadow on the new object. With a silent creak, the door opened and an elderly grey stallion trotted out, making sure to watch his step.

Three others followed behind him: a younger red unicorn stallion with a black mane, an adult blue pegasus mare, and a purple unicorn foal with a shortly cropped black mane. This was the Doctor, Spark Reaction, Berry Blossom, and Susan arriving at their next destination. They looked around at the decrepit scene that laid before them.

"Rather musty don't you think?" said Spark.

"Yes, yes. It appears to be Canterlot yet this place that surrounds us is completely in shambles." the Doctor replied, straightening his coat.

"Well, maybe we're near one of the back alleys. Or maybe in a maintenance area.""I'll fly up ahead and get a good look at the scenery above."The conversation continued below as Berry flapped her wings and took flight. It wasn't much of a mystery as to where they were but the when was more important. Spark and Berry were on Equestria but how long had they been gone? The TARDIS's instruments were still "on the fritz" as Berry put it.

"You think we should go have a look around ourselves on the ground level?"

"No, no, we should wait for her ourselves. Splitting the party has never been good, hmm. But just look out there and around us."

"There's a large sign right here. 'Don't dump bodies in the river'. Why would anypony ever want to do that?"

"I don't know Spark, but it seems like we're in dire trouble."Susan let out a cry as she fell off of the wall that led up to the ground above. 

Berry quickly tried to catch her but didn't make it in time. The others gathered around her to make sure she was okay. She was alright but her hind leg was slightly swollen from twisting it. Berry was the first of them to tend to her wounds, soaking her light scarf in the river water to wrap around the leg and dull the swelling.

"My dear child, what on Equestria were you thinking?"

"I-I'm sorry grandfather, I only wanted to see for myself what was going on."

"Very well, I can excuse your curiosity. It is, after all, something you likely got from me."

A dull rumble sounded as some of the brick and stone began to crumble around them.

"Everypony duck for cover!"

Luckily they got out of the way just in time as the bridge collapsed over the TARDIS. Covered in wooden beams and stone girders, it was completely blocked off. Spark tried to buck down some of the wood but it held to firm and strong. Despite the decay, it wasn't going to budge one little bit. 

"Hmm, we'll probably need some tools for this. A crowbar or maybe a hammer will do." huffed Spark.

"There's a warehouse just up the lane, you and I should take a look around just in case. It is, after all, the most sensible place to look."