There are many creatures we will never understand in this land of sand. One of them is known as Tick Tock. The moment she showed up in this town called Hope. She gave us the hope we needed. Most will not forget what she did for us even though we treated her like trash. She helped us fight off those who found themselves purer than the others. We will never understand why she stayed so long even after the war was over. She never left and I feel when she shuts down we will use her as a statue to show the truth of what happened here. It’s never going to end that peacefully for any of us.

Letter written by the speaker to an unknown

______________________

The hero returns

I stood in my new skin the same color as the other. This time though the seam is no longer around my eyes or even on my back. There are vents in parts of the fur to make sure my robotics can cool down. I am here alone to represent the town of Hope. I need to tell Ruby what Wheel Tread has done and destroyed the name of a family.

I look over at my friends or those I thought were my friends. I haven’t seen them since Ruby left and refuse to see them myself. Roll Roll and I have been catching up and he told me about his brood. Incredibly, he has a family now and I know full well he will never take me to see them. He has changed a lot.

“Most would feel since my wives are into sexual stuff I should be jealous. I normally join in when a female wants to be with me. So I tend to know what it’s like. Now my wives don’t care if I spread my brood around. Since many magic eaters have been showing up late after Ruby left.”

I found it very concerning that more magic eaters have been leaving the island. Most of these magic eaters are showing up because of Ruby. They feel they have made the outside world from the island easy for them to take time for moments. It’s never going to become that easy for them. Ruby forced herself into the limelight. Then she started seeing how heroes are meant to be treated and how they should always be treated when they try to force their views on others.

“Roll forgive me.. I have been away from you all for so long. I don’t even want to be here myself. I just want to go back home and forget you guys exist again. I hope this doesn’t bother you too much my friend.”

Roll laughs.

“Honestly Tick…I don’t blame you at all. I have a family now, and we will work together when the war starts.”

I shook my head.

“No, we won’t. We won’t be joining in the war.”

Roll looks down at me and he nods. He shifts a bit on his enormous legs. Being a father had changed him a lot. He used to be one of those who would fly off the handle. Getting married to those two females changed him.

“I don’t blame you, Tick Tock. I know the reason you’re here though to see Ruby. Are you going to say goodbye to her or are you going to allow her back into your life?”

It’s a question I never wanted to be asked. I knew full well what was going to happen. There is no way I can bring Ruby back into my life. If she even steps into the village of Hope she will be shot on sight. She got too much pain in this land and now this land wants nothing to do with heroes.

“When I see her it will be the final time. She will not be welcomed in my new home even if she comes to call us for help. We will either shoot her or toss her aside. I don’t want to do this but the speakers and the leader of Hope made it so. I follow what they say and when it comes down to it they even want me to break my friendship with her.”

Roll Roll sighs.

“I will be doing the same. I already talked to Hawk about it. Hawk is going to be doing the same. We can no longer follow her. It seems even though we brought our friendship back together. Look at us Tick Tock. We refuse to even give our heart to the little bug who we fought with to help make the island a safe place.”

I gave a quick slow nod. I didn’t care for how it was. I look over to a group of ponies standing by Majesty. Ruby asked her to come to help fight in this war. It won’t be much of a war. This land has always been at war. I turn my eyes to see the Queen of the Naga and other desert dwellers.

The desert dwellers respect Ruby deeply for what she has caused most of them to do. They wonder what will happen to them. When this war is over I wonder. I wonder if they will join the battle when Grogar returns or if they will join him because he is the father of all creations like them. I will never understand this myself.

“Here they come!!”

I come out of the thoughts of my mind looking over to the pony and following her hoof. Seeing the airship coming back. It’s been three years to this day since they have been gone. Majesty even told us she offered them the ability to just come back without the airship. But they felt leaving the airship behind would be a bad idea. This airship could be useful for the battle ahead. When I finally see it though. It’s barely kept together.

When it lands parts of the wood fall off it doesn't cause anything to happen but mainly the airship is going to need a lot of work. I close my eyes to remember what happened after she left. I worry so much about what is going to happen when I have to tell her.

__________________

Three years before, a Village called Hope

It’s been at least a month since Ruby left. I didn’t even go to see her off. I focus on my new home most of all. A house that welcomed me after all the issues cleaned up from when I first showed up here. The doctor who took overworked with Ruby during the battle for Kludgetown. She told us stories of what Ruby did for her and the other doctors. How Ruby spent the entire time helping take care of little ones.

“Tick Tock.”

I turn to look at Desert Rose. She has been here for a while. I got to know her well and she told me stories of her journey in Detrot. But she never explained to me what happened in Detrot and why she was asked to come out this way. I have heard stories that there is some secret war going on down there.

“Hello, Rose. Is Deco and Maria with you right now?”

Rose chuckles.

“For once in my life my mind is free again from hearing them both. They’re both exploring this land and should be back in at least a few months. So for once, it’s nice to have to not see a pink pony in my vision and deal with Maria and her wanting to understand feelings.”

I chuckle looking down at her legs and hooves. I heard her story of what happened to her. The poor zebra mare is accused of killing her pony family. Then forced into this program to become a weapon for the Black Hooves? I never asked if she had taken them on yet and before I could ask she noticed me looking at her legs.

“Tick Tock you have questions?”

I look back up at her eyes. I always wondered if that caused her pain. I noticed what’s interesting is that she moves like it gives her pain from time to time. Her entire legs are now robotic. I am also told most of them might even lose their insides. I wonder what will happen to her if she finds the rest of the upgrades.

“Rose I wanted to ask.. How are you able to have children with your wife Hops and your husband? Didn’t the upgrades destroy your ability to have children? I noticed Bowser no longer has natural eyes. Your friend June no longer has her horns and I am told she even has children.”

Rose sighs

“You would think with what happened to us we wouldn’t be able to have children. But thankfully we can. I had to tell my husband and wife I might become a full robotic zebra when we get our final upgrades.”

I was cornered about what would happen to Rose and her family after all this happened. I worry too much about myself as of late. There is so much going on and we refuse to even become part of the greater desert of this land. The alarm rang and it seemed the speakers were ready for their meeting. A Meeting to see if we will be helping fight off the Storm King.

Rose follows me to the meeting room. We have more than one speaker now after what happened during my first time here. There are now five seats for each race in this town. Zebra, camel, pony, Rat creeper, and Magic eater.

The two stands are still there are a Storm king-picked minion and a pony they are meant to argue if we are going to go to war or not. The minion who is a creature like Reaper from the Isles calls himself Gasloss he speaks a lot of truth.

“Now speakers, we all know there will be a war here. It’s not going to be by the claws of the King but the hoof of Wheel Tread. If you can allow us time to weaken Wheel Tread then we can help you end it swiftly.”

The pony sighs.

“What about the spell Wheel Tread or whatever is hovering next to the machine?”

Gasloss glances over to the pony. He takes a moment to answer his question but he waits for the pony to speak his mind looking through his notes. This creature writes everything he hears and tries to make sure no one is ever lost.

“Speakers… of various sexes… We are gathered here today to see if we will join in the fight when and if the hero ever returns. We all know she is alive. But the problem is how will we know? How will we know if we can trust the hero.”

The pony is trying hard to fight for Ruby and her cause or are they trying to not even fight for it? There are times we must fight for our cause and the pony turns to look at me. All eyes stare at me. I get it. I am the former friend of the hero. They must think I will join in just to help her. I need to come clean.

“To speak for us… Tick Tock..”

The pony moved and I took a deep breath or I tried at least. Even with the change to my body I never needed to breathe. I just knew this was going to be stressful. I took my stand near the pony I looked over to the pony and then I began to speak

“Speakers, you all know me as the guardian of this little community of a town called Hope. My problem with all this is something most won’t understand. I have known Ruby for years and I know she would want me to join in this fight and I am sorry to my friend beside me here. But I must agree with whatever Gas is going to say. This village has been free from the Storm King and his minions even Wheel tread since the start of all this. The moment time comes we will stay and wait unless it’s time and if we do join I feel it’s best to join with the minion of the king. If he agrees.”

So many eyes stare at me. I could tell some of them were angry with me. It’s something I expect to happen and I can’t allow ourselves to become lost at the end of our lives. I am no longer alive like these others but I still understand life. I have a feeling there was about to be an argument but I was surprised.

“Then she is correct we shouldn’t fight in this war unless the hero calls for us even then the battle is not our battle since we are not part of the desert as a whole.”

I turn my eyes to stare at the pony who agrees with me. They never care about what I think. They wanted to make sure they didn’t have to fight in an argument. I knew full well this was the best course.

“Then from the looks of it, I may be new to this lovely town of home. But I wish to live here myself. Not in the name of the King mind you but in the name of peace. I have been told what this land has gone through and I wish to help it.”

The speakers look at each other and the main one hits the gavel on the table. The others began to leave while the main speaker spoke in the old mic on the counter. It’s so dusty they don’t clean this place much.

“Everyone will be back. We need to speak on our vote for this. Please talk among yourselves as we do. We need to make sure every voice is heard including the ones of Rose and her friends.”

They all leave while I look among those who I got to know, my wife the zebra who is part of the timewalkers. Who went to Dream Valley and broke the old spell the judges placed on it so long ago? Now they’re growing old or going back to being younger. It’s a sad time when I have to watch the spell finally make her grow older. She was pretty old back when it happened. How many years from now she will look very young. Sadly thanks to the spell of time her organs will be the first thing to go.

It took an hour for the others to speak their minds on what to do. That time I spent getting to know our new friend, the new minion of the Storm King.

“So you were on the island as well? How come I never saw you? Was there a reason for this?”

Gas chuckles. He shifts his body to show a photo of himself and the others; it is a memory of what he was and what he did for the island. From what I could tell he is the reason for Ruby losing her family.

“I am not fond of what Majesty had me do. It’s best to move on from what she had me do. But the bigger problem is the one who caused Ruby to be the one to force Ruby under the stars.”

I look at him with a shock on my face.

“Wait, you didn’t know the friend you have been getting to know all this time is the reason for the judges going after your friends and Ruby?”

I watch while Rose comes back from talking with the speakers. I look over at her friends. June, Bowser, June, Drift, and Maria. We have welcomed this group in this land for so long. Now it’s time to express my view. Many months passed before I got my chance though. After everything that happened with Dunewalker. She showed up and told me she regretted so much that happened.

I finally spoke to Rose before she vanished for a time. Some have asked me why this part of my life is very short in this story of Ruby. The reason my body started falling apart. So I had to be taken offline for at least three years so I could be upgraded. They had to go find the reason I am like this. But enough of the forward of the story it’s time for this part of the story.

“Rose..”

I felt very weak. I had no idea why at the time. Ever since the last few months. My body started feeling weaker. Rose turns to look at me. She was getting ready to leave because of something Dunwalker said to her.

“I don’t have time Tick Tock. I need it.”

I cut her off

“Why?”

Rose stares at me.

“Why did you make Ruby the target of the stars and the judges?”

Rose closes her eyes letting out a relaxed exhale. I think she was expecting this to happen. I wish I could remember what she said to me before my body shut down and all that.

“If I knew it was your friend Tick Tock I would have forced the stars on me. But it’s all said and done with. I know full well when your friend's journey is done. She is going to confront me and I expect it.”

I was about to speak when my vision went dark and I felt my body shutting down. I fell to the floor with a thud and I heard screams and hearing steps coming to get me. I wake up many days later and I can’t move. I can't do anything but just listen and speak now and again.

“I am sorry Tick Tock. Hawk told us what happened to you and we went to go find the one who did this to you and now I am very sorry for what happened. Hopefully, you will forgive us for bringing the one who did this to you.”

I just give a nod and my vision goes dark again. I didn’t know then that I would lose three years of my life and wake up one day when Ruby returned.

_________

Ruby returns

I open my eyes remembering the three years of my life well a year or half a year of my life. It’s not something I am happy about. So many things happen. A new alliance with the rest of the desert dwellers, many wanting to turn on Ruby and hearing the NCA has shown up and many are worried about them trying to take over the land.

Ruby came down to look at me; she didn’t even know it was me. Before I could speak Pinda got in the way and Ruby was told they needed to talk. Many guns cock and aim at the little bug. They keep Rubie's new friends from stopping them by getting in the way.

“I am sorry Ruby but this is not something you can get away from this time. You need to be told what to expect after the war is over.”

Ruby didn’t argue or complain and followed the others. While I stood by my old friends and the new friends Ruby made stood beside us. We all are friends of this bug. I look over the yellow pegasus who I learned is Ruby’s wife. She wasn’t happy she couldn’t help her wife. Cranberry put a hoof on her shoulder shaking her head, What is to come? We have no idea it’s time to wait and see when the war starts.

Max level

Next Chapter: Chapter Sixty-Nine: Jewel {Dunwalker] {Meanwhile arc] Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 27 Minutes