Chapter 2
Genetics and Technological Bloodhounds
Gaia; Equestria; Ponyville; Twilight's Library; 1026 C.E.
The Doctor stood at the window, watching the crowds of ponies, young and old, go from house to house.
"Nightmare Night's in full swing," Twilight said glumly, tracing circles on the table with her hoof.
"Yeah," the Doctor said quietly, "so it is."
"Can you track him... it?" Twilight asked.
"No. There wasn't time."
Future Twilight approached the Doctor, "You're waiting, right?"
"Death. Another death. That's all we wait for now."
Twilight sighed, "Can't we just… look for it?"
"It's not that simple," the Doctor turned around, "I need something more personal to it."
Future Twilight, who had been sitting across from past Twi, thought for a moment, "He's right. We do need something more personal. Like skin... or hair if it has it," she thought a little longer, "If we could get that to the TARDIS computer… then we could place it through the central mainframe and try to find it using genetic distribution! First, we'd have to narrow down the times of movement and where it's been..."
The Doctor realized where this was going and picked up her train of thought, "... and then we just look at the place with the most overlaid genetic memory and, bang!"
"Instant tracking device," Future Twilight finished, clapping her hooves together for emphasis.
"Exactly!" the Doctor shouted, "Ms. Sparkle, I could kiss you right now!"
"Please don't, Doctor," Twilight insisted waving her hooves in front of her face.
Future Twilight nodded quickly, "Yeah, I'm with me."
"Now is not the time and place, Doctor."
Future Twilight approached the Doctor and whispered, so that only the two of them could hear, "Especially time, Time Lord." She gave the Doctor a smile and winked at him as she headed back towards the basement.
"What did she... or I," Twilight corrected herself, "say?" Twilight was smiling sweetly. "Whatever it was made you blush."
The Doctor held a hoof up to his cheek and, much to his embarrassment, it felt very warm. "Well," his voice came out a little hoarse before he cleared his throat, "I-I guess it did."
Twilight giggled into her hoof and got onto her hooves. She began walking toward the basement door, "I'll see what I'm up to." Twilight approached the door, but it was instantly thrown open by her future self. Twilight instantly started to enter panic mode, "What is it?! Did something happen?! Is it back?!"
Future Twilight waved her off and ran up to the Doctor, "Where did you park the TARDIS?"
The Doctor answered, "On the other side of the hill that we met you on. Why?"
Future Twilight simply held up a small scrap of black fabric in reply. More specifically, a small patch of skin sitting on the cloth.
The Doctor's eyes widened as he registered what he was looking at. He shouted to Twilight, "Come along Miss Sparkle! Quickly!" He ran out of the Library at top speed, Future Twilight and Twilight right behind him, their horns lighting up to show them the way.
Gaia; Equestria; Ponyville; TARDIS; 1026 C.E.
The Doctor and Future Twilight darted through the doors of the TARDIS and galloped up to the central control panels. Twilight, breathing heavily, joined them a few seconds later.
"What... are we... doing," she huffed.
"We're goin' huntin,'" the Doctor said in his best cowboy accent.
Future Twilight placed the bit of fabric on a clear space in-between two levers on the controls. The Doctor then started up the monitor while Future Twilight began pulling a few levers and flipping some switches.
Twilight watched the pair's fevered working and didn't want to interrupt them, so she decided to stand watch outside the TARDIS. She stepped back out into the cool, fall air and closed the doors behind her. She could hear the occasional sparking of the TARDIS machinery and the Doctor shouting "Come on!" every few moments.
"This is ridiculous," she said to herself, "I sign up to see the stars and travel across time and space but I can't even get out of Ponyville, much less Equestria. This is pathetic!" she thought.
In her silent rage, she didn't see the cloaked figure approach her from behind.
"Are you angry?" Twilight heard a voice hiss behind her.
She was too caught up mentally complaining to notice, and so she began to respond, "Yes, very much s-" She stopped mid-sentence, her mental alarms wailing, and turned around.
"Anger is a powerful thing," the hooded creature standing over her hissed.
The last thing Twilight remembered before the darkness was seeing a pair of fangs coming down towards her.
Back Inside the TARDIS...
... the Doctor and Future Twilight were working tirelessly, trying to track down the mysterious figure. "Pull down that lever there!" the Doctor ordered.
Future Twilight ran up to it and did so. "Got it!"
The Doctor flipped more switches and then ran back to the monitor. "Come on!" he urged, "Give us a path!"
The screen quickly raised a small three-dimensional map of Ponyville, and a red dotted line began forming in the street, a few feet away from the edge of the Everfree Forest. Future Twilight's brow furrowed and she muttered under her breath, "So that's what they picked up."
"Did you say something? the Doctor asked, keeping his eyes locked on the screen.
"Nothing," she replied hastily.
It moved slowly before Future Twilight pointed to a building that resembled Sugarcube corner, "There where the first two were found." The line continued on and stopped back at the edge of the Everfree Forest, "There's the second... the third." The line moved faster now, catching up towards the present time. "... there's where we were tonight." The line reached the library and entered and exited quickly. It kept going and it came up to a glowing blue dot.
The dot was the TARDIS.
"It's outside!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Come on Twilight!"
The duo hurriedly burst through the TARDIS doors and looked around in the light that Future Twilight conjured, but there was nothing there. They circled the box, but they turned up empty-hoofed
"Damn it!" the Doctor shouted, "It's gone!"
Future Twilight looked around, carefully searching the area. Her eyes widened when she realized what she was looking for. "Doctor, you're missing the obvious: it didn't leave empty handed," she said quietly.
"What do you mean?" he asked, suddenly concerned.
Future Twilight's expression was grave, "I'm gone."
Gaia; Equestria; Ponyville; =Exact Location Unconfirmed=; 1026 C.E.
"... was a simple catch..."
Twilight felt a throbbing sensation in her head while she momentarily regained consciousness before blacking out again.
"... of course, Master..."
Twilight opened her eyes slowly and groaned. Everything around her was a blur at the moment. She tried to rub the drowsiness from her eyes, but found that her legs were tied down.
"She's awake," Twilight heard somepony say.
"Wha..." Twilight shook her head, "... what's going on? Is that you?" she asked groggily, "Doctor?"
"He's gone," the voice answered with a chuckle. "Or at least... you are."
Twilight's vision cleared and revealed a cloaked pony sized figure silhouetted in front of a roaring fire. "Who- who are you?" she asked in a distressed tone.
"Your worst nightmare." The figure turned and grinned, revealing a red, scaly, dragon-like face, and rows upon rows of teeth, ground to a point that gleamed a sparkling white in the light of the fire. Twilight gasped and the figure turned back to stare at the fire.
Twilight struggled against her bonds, desperately wanting to get away from this pony-dragon hybrid, but to no avail. "What do you want with me?!"
"Not you. It's the Doctor my Master wants. You're simply bait," the creature laughed. "My Master will let me eat you, and your future self, when the Doctor gets here. Your raw energy is exceptionally rare for a pony. Even your Princesses don't have that much power combined. That's why two of you will make me, and my Master, unstoppable."
The fire in front of him crackled loudly.
"Yes, Master," he answered the fire, "I understand."
"Who- who are you t-talking to?" Twilight asked, a stammer finding its way into her question. She tried to sound as calm as possible while she gained enough power to get out of her binding.
"My Master," the creature responded, "He lives within rage. He finds that fire works wonders for his abilities... as well as his complexion."
"That's... interesting..." Twilight's horn glowed softly and she focused her energy on the ropes. She felt her magic grasp them and began to pull at them. She let out a small cry of pain as the ropes tightened around her legs.
"Oh, I forgot to mention," the creature turned and walked towards her, "those ropes are made of dark power, so it may be a tad difficult getting out." He came and leaned over so that they were face to snout. "My Master is a very generous one. I don't suggest trying his patience, especially with your history."
Twilight responded by spitting in his face and screamed, "You're not going to get away with this! The Doctor will-"
He blinked the saliva out of his eyes, and in one swift movement, tore off a bit of his cloak, and deftly tied it around Twilight's mouth. Cutting off her scream, and muffling any more to come. "He will what?" the creature teased, "I can't hear you." He decided to slap her across the face. It was much stronger than he anticipated and, combined with her headache, Twilight went limp.
The fire cracked loudly, snapping the creature out of his taunt. It flared a few times and the creature responded, "I'm sorry if that was a little excessive. She just wouldn't shut up."