This Chapter is shorter then the others but I hope you like it.

The Oncoming

Storm

Two years ago

Lightning flash at the cave entrance followed closely by the booming sound of thunder. The sound awoke Iron Gates from his restless sleep causing him to raise his head in alert as his eyes scans the dark cave for danger.

"Is just the storm." A familiar voice said in the darkness.

Gates couldn't help but blush at the way he must have looked, searching for monsters in the dark like some frighten foal. Embarrassment soon turns to self-loathing as he remembers that other times he had made a fool of himself in front of his superior officer. Ever since he had been assigned this mission he had done everything possible to screw up in front of her including losing the map they were using to safely navigate this Celestira forgotten place. I'll be surprise if I still have my job after this. He thought.

"Sor…sorry Corporal Nightshade. I guess I'm still a bit jumpy after that Cragadile attacked us." He said as looked down at his hooves as shame washed over him.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Nightshade said from somewhere in the darkness. "Everyone gets afraid sometimes, even soldiers."

Those words might have been meant to comfort Iron Gates but instead it only made him feel worse because he knew she must think of him as a complete idiot underserving of wearing the gold armour of the royal guards. His father was right, he wasn't cut out to be a guard. He should have stayed in Trottingham and worked at the bank like he was supposed to.

"Tell me about your family?" Nightshade asked bringing Gates back into pleasant.

The light blue unicorn looked up from his hooves to find the dark form of his commanding officer standing over him. Another flash of light from the cave's entrance gave him a few seconds to catch more detail of the mare. Large leathery wings, dark grey fur, crystal blue eyes and a pair of small horns that were barely visible in her snowy white hair. Iron Gates would be lying if he said he hadn't found Nightshade appearance to be odd if not strangely beautiful.

"What?" he said as he was momentarily lost looking at the strange creature before him.

"I said tell me about your family." she said once again as she took a seat beside him. "You do have a family?"

Iron Gates nodded slightly taken aback by her interest in him.

"Well, tell me about them. It'll take your mind off things."

"Um, okay." Gates started as he returns his attention back to his hooves. "My father is the manager of a bank in Trottingham and my Mother is a house wife."

He could feel Nightshade waiting beside him to continue but in all honestly he didn't know what else to say.

"That's it? That's all I'm getting?" she asked.

"I don't really have much to say about my family." Gates said as he sheepishly fiddles with his hooves.

"Okay, I'll just have to tell you about my family then." She said before clearing her throat. "My mother is a bat pony and she lives in Brimstone. She's works as an ambassador meeting foreign representative and what not, that's actually how she met my father. He was a dragon who set up a nest not far from the city so my mother went to see if he posed a threat. A lot of ponies thought she was crazy to go alone but that didn't stop her from flying up to Daddy's cave and demanding to know if he plans to attack the city."

"Wow." Iron Gates said. "What did your Dad do?"

"Oh, he didn't know what to do. After all, when you're a dragon most creatures will just stay as far away from you as possible so he didn't really know what to think with having a bat pony standing in his cave and not being afraid of him. Surprise to say despite their first meeting they actually became good friends, then friendship became something else and…well…you know."

As Nightshade goes on with the story of her parents and her life living in a city built inside a mountain Iron Gates found himself staring at what he believes to be the mare's face. He listens to her and as time went by he soon forgotten about the many mistakes he had made, he even started to share his own stories with the mare. Soon the storm had faded away and the sun was slowly taking its place in the sky.

The two ponies had moved closer to the mouth of the cave to watch the sun rise over the Everfree forest. Iron Gates was relieve that he had survive the night in the most dangerous forest in equestria but he was also surprise by what he had found here. He turns to look at the mare that had spent the night talking to him, at the start of their mission he had been intimidated by the dragon-pony hybrid but now he couldn't figure out why. She was friendly, kind, understanding and knew some pretty funny jokes.

She really is nice once you get to know her. He found himself thinking as he watch how the sunlight would dance in her white hair.

"Gates?" Nightshade suddenly said snapping the unicorn out of his reverie. "Why did you join the guard?"

The question wasn't something Gates was expecting and he had trouble coming up with a reason that didn't sound too cliché. "I guess it was because I wanted to help other ponies, keep them safe and protect them."

Nightshade turns to him and stare into his eyes, her crystal blue looking deep into his forest green as if she was searching for something. She kept looking into his eyes for several moments until she finally broke contact by turning back to the distance sun with a smile on her lips.

"You really mean that don't you."

Iron Gates nodded feeling more sure about what he had said now that he thought about it.

"Good. Don't ever change then." She said as she got to her hooves and made her way to where they had damp their equipment last night. "Too many guards forget that it isn't just the princess we're trying to protect but also the rest of Equestira. Remember that and you'll go far."

With that she left Iron Gates alone by the cave's entrance, pondering over her words as he stare back into the rising sun. They were still stuck inside the Everfree forest but something had change inside of the blue unicorn. All the fear and self-doubt he had the night before were now gone, now he felt more secure in his decision of becoming a royal guard and he will not forget the reason why.

That he promise.

Pleasant Day

Time Turner stares down at the badly burnt from of Iron Gates, stunned by both the damage his body had taken and that he was still awake. The smell of burnt fur and flesh made his stomach turned but he fought back the building pressure in his throat. He closed his eyes and counted to three, an old calming technique he learnt when he was younger, and as he opened them his mind snap into action.

Kneeing down next to him Time Turner took another look at the burns that covered the left side of his body. They were third degree burns, the most possible worst type of burns anypony could receive. Out in an alley with no tools or clean bandages there was very little he could do to help him, Iron Gates needs a hospital and only one in town had just been destroy by a lunatic. There was nothing he could do.

"Skippy…" Iron Gates whispered as he tries to lift his burnt hoof.

"I'm here. Don't try to move you need to conserve your strength." Time Turner said trying to keep the stallion still while being careful not to touch any of the burnt areas. Frankly he was surprise that the unicorn was still conscious let alone being able speak, even if his voice is weak and filled with indescribable pain.

The stallion ignored him and lifted his hoof to point somewhere deeper in the alley. "Night…shade."

Following the hoof Time Turner could just make out a darken form laying only a few feet away. He looked at the dark form and then back to Gates, he didn't want to leave the badly burnt stallion alone even if he knows there was nothing he really could do for him. Even so, there was another pony who could use his help and if Celestia willing maybe he could do more for them.

"Okay, I'll go check on them but I need you to stay awake." He said as he got back onto his hooves. "No matter how tired you get just stay awake."

Reluctantly Time Turner leaves Iron Gates side and moved over to the other pony. To his surprise he recognise this pony as well. This is the drago-pony who fell on me earlier. He thought as he started his examination. To his relief the mare was in better shape than the unicorn, with the exception of some minor electric burns on the soles of her hooves she seems to be okay.

"She's okay." He said turning back to the blue stallion. "Just some small burns on her hooves but other than that she should be fine."

Gates made a whizzing noise that might have been a sigh of relief. "Thank…you."

"Who did this to you?" Time Turner said as he walked back to the injured unicorn.

"It was…the giant robot. The one that blew up the…the hospital." Gates explains, stopping every now and again to take a deep breath. "It was heading towards the…the town. We try to stop it…but it was too strong."

Time Turner could feel his heart turning cold as he lowered his head in a mix of anger and shame. He never meant for anything like this to happen, he didn't mean to inflict so much death and pain onto this town. It's like Cronus all over again. He thought. Because of me all these ponies are getting hurt or dying. It's all my fault.

"Skippy." Iron Gates said snapping the earth stallion out of his thoughts. "Was…was that the robot that miss hooves were warn us about…at the festival."

"Yeah, that…that's the robot that attack the town earlier."

Gates gave the brown pony a small smile as he leans his head back against the wooden box he's been leaning against. "I knew it." he whispered, his voice becoming smaller with each word. "I knew you were innocent."

Time Turner realizing what was happening quickly grabbed a hold of Gates and started to shake him. He can't let the unicorn fall asleep, he can't allow more blood on his hooves.

"Hey! Stay awake!" he shouted in desperation. "Gates you can't fall asleep! Stay awake!"

"If…if I don't wake up." The blue unicorn softly whispered. "Tell Nightshade…that I didn't…forget…"

His eyes closes and his breaths became shorter with each passing second. Time Tuner was at a lost at what to do, he needs tools, he needs help, he needs a miracle. In a last desperate act to keep him alive he laid the unicorn on the ground and started try to resuscitate him. He pushes his hooves into Gates's chest frantically counting up to thirty before placing his mouth around his and breathing into him.

"Come on, come on!" he hissed to himself as he tries to keep the pony alive. "Don't die on me. Don't you dare die on me!"

As he was doing this he failed to notice movement from the other unconscious form laying in the shadow. Slowly Nightshade's head slowly rose from the dirty ground and her eyes opened to a world blurs and distorted shapes. It took several moments for things to come into focus but when they did it shattered her heart.

"Gates!" she cried out as she run over to his side almost knocking Time Turner over in the process.

Time Turner for his part tries to ignore the distorted hybrid as he continues to push down on Iron Gate's chest. With each passing second the chances of reviving the unicorn grow dim so he worked faster, he pushed harder. The world around him fell away, the panic in the streets, Nightshade cries for Gates to wake up, even the ground beneath him disappeared.

Sweat pour down his face, stinging when they touched his eyes but he kept pushing, he kept pushing until the body before him started to change. Instead of the well tone body of a guard it gave way to a skinny fame process from a pony who did little to no excise. Blue hair changed to blonde and his closed eyes opened to reveal amber coloured eyes that looked at him accusingly.

"Why did you let go?" he asked his voice drilling its way into his head. "Why did you let me die?"

He ignores the voices but they merely increase in volume and power, soon his pushing became hitting and his focus became anger. He can't let this happen again, he won't allow himself to fail like before. The noise inside his head became deafening and with one final roar of frustration he raise his hooves over his head and brought them both down with all his might on to the stallion's chest.

Iron Gates shot up slightly, his eyes wide and his mouth open to receive a fresh supply of air. Then just as quickly he was back on the ground breathing heavily and in pain but at least he was alive.

"Gates are you okay?" Nightshade asked needing to hear her friend's voice.

"Night…shade?" the revived stallion whispered back his eyes opened but not focusing on anything.

"Yeah, I'm here." she said swallowing the lump that had grown in her throat during Time Turner's endeavour to bring him back from the brink. "Don't worry we're get you some help. Words would have reached the princesses by now. They'll get here and they'll blow that damn monster back to wherever it came from. You just have to hang in there until then okay."

Iron Gates nodded wincing slightly out of pain.

"Thank you." Nightshade said turning to the stallion who had saved her partner's life. "I can't tell you how…"

Her voice fell silent as the stallion was no longer in the alley with them. She looked around wondering where he had gone but in truth the disappearance of her friend's saver was not her top concern right now. Lifting Iron Gates onto her back she left the backstreet and made her way to the town hall hoping that somepony there could help him.

The city hall was a hive of movement with ponies running from one place to another. None of them payed any attention to the white earth pony dressed in the dark jacket slowly making his way to the building's attic. Exile was still exhausted from teleporting the Doc, Derpy and her angry friend but he still has one more job to do before he can call it a night.

Climbing up the last flight of stairs he pushes the attic's door opened and stepped inside. It was still the same as last he was here, boxes reaching up to the ceiling and dust covering the floor. At least you can trust some things to stay the same when the world is falling apart. He thought as he reaches into the jacket's inside pocket and pulled out the golden sphere.

Placing it on the attics windowsill Exile took a moment to look outside of the window. The last time he was here he had a quiet view of the town and its surrounding hills now there was fire, shouting and a lot of scared ponies. He sighed inwardly, this was not how the plan was supposed to go. Time Turner was supposed to defeat Galek, get back into his time machine and move on. That's what Paradox said would happen. Not this…carnage.

He turned his eyes away from the scene outside and focuses on the sphere. He might not be able to change something in the past but he can at least make sure that Galek doesn't get another chance to use that armour of his to hurt anypony any time soon.

"You ready?" He asked Atlas already knowing the answer.

The watch like device gave a single beep.

"Good." Exile said as he rubs his hooves in preparation. "Then let's save the day."

The ground beneath his hooves trembles with each time the sound of metal scraping against concreate. The air was full of the sound of gears and piston grinding against each other. Time Turner followed the sound through the twist and turns of the empty streets, who had ever called this side of town are long gone now. He leaped over a fallen trash can and took one final left into the main street. He came to a sudden stop as he stares up the back of the metal monstrosity that had caused so much death.

His teeth bear in an angry snarl, his eyes the size of pinpricks, his nostril flaring. He took a deep breath and shouted so loud that his voice echoed through the ruins of this town.

"GALEK!"

The four legged machine stopped in it's tracks the moment his words left his mouth. It's tear shape cockpit slowly turns to face him and even though he couldn't see his expression Time Turner knows that the little abomination inside was shock to see him.

"Galek!" he shouted again. "I'm here to stop you and this time I won't show mercy."

Look like things are about to get heat up.

Who will win?

The crowd favourite Or will the Galek have the last laugh?

Find out next time in an exciting episode of Dragon Ball Z.

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Oh, wait wrong show.