I sat in the void thinking things through. I didn’t want to think at all to be honest but here I was experiencing my favourite past time, only tainted by potentially life-ending and all life-ending consequences. I put my head in my hands.

I heard an impatient sigh come from behind me.

“Any millennia now”, the Keeper grumbled. It sounded like he was kicking up clumps of grass behind me.

I turned around, feeling a sharp surge of anger colouring my cheeks.

“I’m so sorry that I have to decide between my life and that of the universe!” I yelled hoarsely, tears in the corner of my eyes.

The Keeper stepped back from my outburst.

“Okay, okay, sorry! I just thought this would be a no-brainer for you. Save the universe seems like a simple choice to me.”

“How could it be simple?”

“I know you mortals have this in built mechanism for self-preservation but we centrals have a different set of rules. We can see the bigger picture, we come and go as needed. Just poof and you’re there, or not, whatever”, the Keeper replied. It chuckled at my open-mouthed, wide-eyed look.

“Yeah, we just come and go”, the Keeper stated, it almost looked sad but the expression was gone before I could really register it. I didn’t know whether I imagined it or not.

“Anyway, I thought we had all the time in the universes?” I ground out, eyeing the Keeper carefully.

The Keeper cleared its throat.

“Hmm, okay. I’m just getting bored of you. Sitting there like that.”

I grunted but otherwise went back to my musings.

The fate of the multiverse lay on my shoulders but I must sacrifice myself in order to preserve it. No-brainer? Don’t make me laugh. It wasn’t as if I had many options here, either I go to Equestria or I go back to Earth, apparently the Keeper thought inter-dimensional travel was a simple matter because it talked about it trivially. Still, it looked like it was a one shot sort of thing, it wasn’t as if I could poof into Equestria, say my goodbye and then die in a massive magical explosion on Earth.

“C’est la vie”, I grumbled to myself, the French had it right with that phrase.

I played with the grass beneath my hands. It felt just like regular grass, only, according to the Keeper, it was dead, fake, not-real. I threw the piece of grass. I just wanted all this peaceful scenery to go away, it wasn’t matching my mood.

I sniffed curiously. What was that smell. It smelt like something was-

“Burning!” I yelped, standing up and looking around, the entire world was on fire and the grass was burning.

“Human!” I heard a friendly voice shout.

“Gruff?!” I shouted spotting the diamond dog rushing along the ground in a strange blue bubble that sparkled.

The Keeper appeared next to me.

“Interruptions? Not now at a critical time like this”, it muttered. It raised its hands in a gesture I recognised as the beginnings of a clap.

My eyes widened in comprehension.

“GRUFF!” I yelled in warning. “It’s going to-“

Clap.

A slow shockwave emanated from the Keeper’s hands.

Gruff let loose a feral snarl, baring his teeth at the oncoming wave.

He glanced at me.

“Human! Don’t listen to it, there is another way you have t-“

The shockwave hit Gruff, erasing him from existence. I stood there in mute shock. After a moment I recovered, ready to launch myself at the Keeper.

“Calm yourself, mortal. I merely sent him back to where he belongs”, the Keeper mumbled, flicking back Angel’s hair. I continued to glare at the nonchalant Keeper, though I relaxed my posture slightly.

“So, have you made a decision?”

I pursed my lips.

“Yeah, I’m going to need more time”, I replied.

The Keeper shook its head and sat down on the burnt grass, a twinge and a clap later the meadows were restored to its original state.

“Don’t take too long, things have a habit of spiralling out of control if you don’t deal with them soon”, the Keeper stated mildly.

My lips pulled down into a snarl.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

——

The light from the main node faded away as wisps of smoke and ask drifted in the space that held the main thaumic energy vortex. Gael nervously tapped her claws on her wing blades, she strapped on waiting for the black void to appear that would herald Gruff’s return.

A tense minute passed, then two.

Solid glanced uneasily at the crystal array.

“That’s funny it shoul-“

BOOM.

A large spherical void burst into existence, sending crackling energy down to light up the crystals. The crystal instantly glowed, sending energy to stabilise the structure. Gael let go a huge sigh of relief as Gruff stumbled out, smelling of fire and charcoal.

“Not good, not good, not good!” Solid yelled as Gruff collapsed in the centre of the node well.

A flash of grey and Lightning was there, flapping his wings furiously.

“We have to go now!” He shouted, swooping up to stare into the distance.

A groan shook through the forest. A crash could be heard.

Lightning had a fraction of a second to look surprised as a log came flying through the air, clobbering him out of the sky.

“Emerald Ents!” Gael screamed, diving into the node well, ignoring the painful discharges of the thaumic crystals laced through the air.

Gruff had a lazy smile as he saw Gael enter his vision.

“Hello Gael”, he spoke woozily. “I got to him!”

Gael growled under her breath.

“Not now, sir. We have to get out, Emerald Ents are headed this way!” She reported, flinging the diamond dog on her back and strapping him in. Gruff’s long legs burshed the ground as he flopped around. Gael switched her blade orientation so Gruff wouldn’t get cut and with a powerful thrust was airborne again.

Solid had procured a temporary bubble shield to slow down the Ents.

“Lightning can you carry me?!” Solid yelled desperately, her horn straining with the spell as the Ents crashed into the barrier. Wooden faces twisted in grimaces leered at the milling group, the heavy ironbark hands of the Ents crashing into the barrier repetitively, weaving a cacophony that matched the shrieking wails.

Solid gritted her teeth as a shockwave ran through the barrier. It wobbled unsteadily as Lightning finally made it to Solid.

“Okay, I’ve got you but I can’t drop you very far, do you have a plan?” Lightning wheezed between wing flaps and shifting Solid in his grip.

“Head for the nearest peripheral node!” Solid shouted, pointing her hoof at the spindly network of wires and frames.

“Will do”, Lightning agreed, heading towards the mass of metal.

Gael flapped laboriously behind. Solid didn’t spare Gael a second glance, Gael would make sure Gruff was right, if anypony or anygriffin was right for the job, it was Gael.

“We’re here”, Lightning puffed, pulling into a dive.

Solid snapped back into focus. They were going too fast.

“Can’t. Hold. On…” Lightning huffed, his wings locking up.

Solid quickly cast a spell.

A massive updraft of wind caught Lightning’s wings and slowed them enough to come to a painful rolling stop into front of the peripheral node. Lightning shakily picked himself up as Solid limped to the peripheral node. She cast a few spells, extracting metal from the structure. The resulting was a powder that looked vaguely familiar to Lightning.

Lightning’s eyes widened in comprehension.

“Oh wait!” Lightning yelped, before a blinding light lit up the clearing. Solid lobbed the mass into a far cluster of trees.

The acrid smell of smoke and flames permeated through the clearing.

The Ents paused then rushed over to the new source of fire.

Solid gestured in front of Lightning urgently.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” She yelled, limping away. Lightning quickly gave her a helping hoof.

Gael let loose a whistle.

“Woah, never knew you could do that”, she called out to Solid, impressed.

“Learnt it from a human, improved it with magic”, Solid answered, grinning toothily.

Gruff’s paw flopped out to stroke Gael on the neck.

“Fluffy birdy”, he purred, as Gael’s cheeks flamed crimson. Luckily it was all under feathers so no-

“Aww isn’t that cute, Gael’s blushing”, Lightning teased, shooting her a smirk.

Gael’s eyes narrowed.

“I will end you”, she stated flatly.

Lightning and Solid both chuckled as they made their way through the last legs of the Emerald Ent forest. Next Chapter: 5 -What Pales in Comparison Estimated time remaining: 10 Minutes