Constant ran quickly toward the red pony, Applejack giving chase. Constant was panicking because he could only predict that the Monitor was about to take defensive measures on the next kick. The red pony, whom Constant could tell now was taller than AppleJack, was panting. After all those tries, he was tired. He prepared for another kick.
“NO!” Constant yelled, “DON’T KICK THAT! IT’S NOT A TREE!”
But it was too late. One last kick, and BOOM!
Constant jumped and landed himself flat on the ground, but the red pony was flung by the shockwave that the Monitor projected. He looked up, and saw him crash through a wall on the barn nearby. Constant looked up to see that the Monitor was still intact. "Blasted shockwave generator," he grumbled, "One of the defensive measures I could NOT remove from the Monitor."
Applejack, who had been knocked over by the shockwave, stood up. "Whoah," she said, swaying a bit. "What was that?"
"Shockwave generator," Constant replied, "The Monitor thought that your...Who was that, anyway?"
"That was my brother, Big Macintosh," Applejack said, "But we call him Big Mac for short."
"I hope he's okay...He was so close to the Monitor that the shockwave threw him into your barn over there," Constant pointed to said barn.
Applejack gasped, and ran toward the barn, Constant following. "He'd better be okay," Applejack ranted, "Otherwise you'll have a lot more to pay for than the wall on our barn."
"I know," Constant replied, "and the sad thing is, I have no currency that will match whatever is used here."
"Well, you'd better do something then," Applejack said, glaring at Constant.
"Oh I will," he replied. When they went inside the barn, Constant rushed ahead of Applejack and went to the upper level, where he saw Big Mac struggling to stand up. "Sorry about that little surprise," Constant said, "That was my ship you were kicking."
Big Mac looked up and saw Constant. "Oh, it's you," he said with a frown, "The one who was digging in our yard last night."
"Yes," Constant said, "I'll explain the details about it later. Anyway, are you alright?"
"Nothing serious," Big Mac said assuredly, "Luckily for you. But I think I may have a bruise..." He felt his front leg, and seethed in pain. "Eyep..there it is..."
Constant sighed. His stay in this universe was going to be much harder now. "Here," he said, "let me"--- He reached for a pocket in his satchel, only to feel that it was not on him. "Big Mac, Applejack, did you by chance look through a bag that I was carrying?"
Big Mac nodded. "Y-...yes. We looked through it this morning. We were not sure what you were here for, so we checked for any clues in there..."
Applejack nodded. "We saw some fancy gadgets in there...In fact, Big Mac, didn't you say there was some kind'a radio in there?"
Big Mac nodded. "I think whoever was on the other side wanted to know where you were."
Constant went wide-eyed. "Oh no...Jethrek."
"Who now?" Applejack asked.
"Oh, uh...my companion," Constant said, "But I'll have to stop there. I can't risk revealing anymore than I have to."
Big Mac glared at Constant. Applejack caught Big Mac's attention and shook her head to indicate that it wasn't necessary, and Big Mac calmed down.
"Anyway," Constant went on, "As I told Applejack already, I don't have the currency to pay for the damage to the barn, but I can fix it myself."
"That's a start," Big Mac said, "We do have the wood to fix it."
"What about nails?" Constant asked.
"Yes, we have them," Applejack replied.
"Well then," Constant said, examining the hole in the wall, "I think it would be a good idea to find out what can be salvaged first."
"What's going on?" called a much younger voice, "What happened to the b"---Constant looked down from the hole in the wall to see a yellow filly with a red mane and tail and a bow in her mane, wide-eyed. "B-buh-barn?" the filly finished.
Constant recognized her immediately as one of the fillies who left the library before he went on his probe mission. "Sorry if my appearance scared you," he said.
This caught Applejack's attention, and she looked where Constant was looking. "Apple Bloom, You alright?"
"Y-yeah," the filly replied, "But...Look." She pointed to an area where a lot of apples had already fallen off their trees. "Big Mac, did you kick those trees without buckets or somethin'?"
"Nope," Big Mac replied, seeing what Apple Bloom was talking about,
"That would be my fault," Constant added, "I'll explain later. I'll help pick them up if you want."
"I think I'd better check to see if Granny is alright first," Applejack said, turning to leave.
Big Mac watched her go, and then looked to Constant. "As for you..." He looked to where the Monitor was parked. "I think you'd better move...whatever that is so we don't confuse it for a tree again."
Apple Bloom looked in the same direction, and then back to Big Mac. "It's not a tree?"
"I'll take care of it," Constant agreed. He jumped out of the hole and did a roll as he landed to decrease the impact effect.
Apple Bloom was surprised. "How did you do that?" she asked.
"Practice," Constant replied as he walked toward the Monitor. "I can survive a land from much higher too, assuming I land properly...and assuming I'm wearing something thick and sturdy." He then realized that it might encourage young Apple Bloom to try the same. He turned to her. "But don't try it yourself. I can't guarantee your safety if you do."
Apple Bloom nodded, "Well alright then..."
When Constant finally reached the Monitor, he pushed the doors forward, and they slid in opposite directions. He looked to Apple Bloom. "I'd appreciate it if you kept everything you saw and heard from the moment you heard that boom a secret. Putting it simply, no one is supposed to know that I'm here."
Apple Bloom nodded again, "Okay. Should I tell Applejack and Big Mac to do the same?"
Constant nodded as he walked inside the Monitor. He went to an intercom panel. "Jethrek, did I keep you waiting too long in there?"
There was no response.
"Jethrek?" Constant said warily, "Jethrek? Are you okay?" He checked the power levels, and found that some power had been drained when the shockwave occurred, but not enough to hinder the operation of the space drive or sensors. "I hope the resulting shockwave didn't do anything inside here," Constant thought to himself.
Apple Bloom watched the Monitor, wondering what was going on inside. "Aren't you cramped up in there?" she asked. Constant heard, but didn't reply. He set coordinates to move the Monitor to the barn. When the Monitor disappeared, Apple Bloom, who was looking back toward the barn, heard the space drive operating and looked back to see that the Monitor was gone. "Wha---Where'd it go?!" She ran to the barn to tell Big Mac, who was just staring at the now undisguised Monitor. "That wasn't there before, was it?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Nope," Big Mac agreed. When Constant opened the doors, Big Mac's eyes went wide. "How did..."
"This WAS that tree, Big Mac," Constant said, just as Applejack came back. "How's...your grandmother?" he asked her.
"She was lucky to be sitting in a rocking chair when that...shockwave happened," she replied. "She's okay."
"Good," Constant said, "I'll be right back. I need to make sure that...just hold on." He closed the door behind him in a hurry.
Inside, he ran to the lab to talk to Jethrek, but when he got there, he found the life support container fallen over on the floor. The transparency was not made of glass, so it was not broken, but the lid had come off, and the support tubes that Constant had put on Jethrek were strewn all over the floor. Constant's mind was filled with questions about how he escaped. He rushed back to the control room and ran a program to scan for Daleks. To his shock, the results all came out negative. "How did he get out?!" he finally said aloud. He pulled the entrance doors and went back into the barn. "Applejack, Big Mac, where's my satchel?"
"What's wrong?" Applejack asked, "What are you panicking over?"
"As I said before," Constant replied, "I do have a companion, but now he's missing!"
"Missing?" Applejack asked, "You said his name is...Jethrek, right?"
"Yes, that's right," Constant replied, "Tell me, did either of you see some...squid-like being with one eye?"
The three ponies looked at each other, and then to Constant. "I'm afraid not," Applejack replied.
Constant sighed. "That means I'll have to look for him. I don't like this one bit."
"We can spread out and search," Applejack suggested, "I can---"
"No, Applejack," Constant interrupted, "I don't want to end up asking questions to too many ponies. If we do, they'll start wondering what is going on and demand answers."
"Well, if it's that urgent,," Applejack began, "shouldn't you"--- She stopped when she realized something. "Hold on, how were you able to disguise yourself? I mean, it's clear now that you're not a changeling, but..."
"But you did look like a pony before I hit you in the head with a shovel last night," Big Mac finished.
"I was wearing a perception filter," Constant explained, "I programmed the image of that pony with random traits rather than choose to look like a pony that already exists."
"Never mind that," Applejack said, Apple Bloom walking up beside her and sitting down, bored, "Was...Jethrek wearing one too?"
"No," Constant said..."His tendrils aren't big enough to hold"--- It was now his turn to realize something. "Oh...no. I'd better get another perception filter," he said, "Jethrek is NOT going to be a needle in a haystack!"
"Are you sure you don't want help?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Now that I think of it, I actually will need help," Constant replied, "Just wait for me to get another perception filter." He went inside the Monitor again, and in about five minutes, he came out looking like the pony he was disguised as before. "How do I look?"
Applejack was almost shocked at the change. "That's what you looked like earlier?"
"I'm surprised you didn't see me earlier," Constant said. "I was in Ponyville about three days ago sitting on a bench when I first saw you selling apples. I also saw Apple Bloom and her friends leaving the library there too." He expected a response from Apple Bloom at that moment, but when he looked to where she was standing, she was not there. "Where'd she go?"
"Over here," Apple Bloom said from behind him, carrying Constant's satchel. "Is this your bag?"
"That's the one," Constant replied, "Thank you." He took it and looked inside. "Everything is accounted for. Good. Apple Bloom, you did hear my description of what Jethrek looks like, right?"
Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah, I'll ask around, but I'll keep my mouth shut about who he is."
Constant smiled. "Thanks. Thank you all, in fact."
"Wait, what about the barn wall?" Big Mac asked.
"Helping to find his friend is more important right now, Big Mac," Applejack said.
"Especially," Constant added, "because he might not even be alive anymore unless he's someplace warm...He needs his life support system and he needs it fast!"
Applejack looked at Constant, shocked, "What?! Why didn't you mention this earlier?!"
"Again," Constant said, "I didn't know he was going to escape while I was knocked out! Plus, I didn't have time to organize my thoughts when I came out."
Applejack sighed heavily. "Okay. You can look for Jethrek first. The barn can wait, but I'm expecting you to actually come back and take care of it."
"My cover is already blown, Applejack," Constant said, "I don't plan to go back on my word."
"Okay then," Applejack agreed.
After Constant got his scanner from the Monitor, the search was underway. Constant started by searching the area in and around the orchard while Apple Bloom asked around Ponyville to see if Jethrek had somehow made his way there. Earlier, Constant had told her what he looked like. It creeped her out a little, but Constant assured her that he was relatively harmless in his current state. Apple Bloom wondered if she should ask Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo for help, but she decided against it, and she turned their help down when they asked.
Constant was able to pick up a bio-trail left by Jethrek, which told him that Jethrek had been crawling on his tendrils to move. 'Pretty strong for a creature whose body would be a little too heavy for his tendrils to move this far,' he thought. However, the trail stopped, and when Constant looked at the ground, he saw several hoof prints, with a strange ovular imprint next to them. Constant could only guess that someone, or somepony, as he had heard so many ponies say in his research, and which seemed appropriate in this case, had picked Jethrek up and put him in a basket, most likely made of straw judging by the shape of the imprint, before heading home. He took out an imaging device from his satchel and took pictures of the possible basket print and the hoof prints, as the end of the trail was covered by other hoof trails.
Time passed, and neither Constant nor Apple Bloom turned up anything on Jethrek, save for the evidence Constant collected. They returned to the orchard, both a bit tired. "Any luck?" Constant asked Apple Bloom.
"No," Apple Bloom replied, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Constant said assuredly, "You did your best, I'm sure. Maybe the evidence I collected will help us."
"Evidence?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Alright, so take a look," Constant said, sitting down and showing his imaging device. "Jethrek left an invisible trail which I was able to trace, and when I stopped there, I found this." He showed her the pictures he took. "From what I can tell of the tracks, somepony had found Jethrek crawling slowly on the ground, or possibly just sitting at the end of his trail. That being said, this imprint on the ground probably indicates that a basket was put down before that somepony picked him up and put him in the basket and left. However, it looks like there were several other ponies walking down that same path, so I couldn't distinguish his...or her trail from the others."
"Can I see that imprint again?" Apple Bloom asked, and Constant showed it to her again. "Wait a minute," she said, scratching her chin with her right hoof. "That does ring a bell...Applejack! Could you come here a moment?"
Applejack came over. "What's up, Apple Bloom?"
"Constant is showing me some possible evidence to Jethrek's whereabouts," Apple Bloom explained, "and...he said that this imprint looks like a basket was put down...Who do we know who has a basket like that?"
"I never really took the time to observe that much detail," Applejack admitted, but she looked at the photo anyway. "Hmm...Certainly not something Rarity would have...Besides which, she'd faint at the sight of Jethrek, if I heard your description correctly, Constant. Either that, or she'd freak out."
"Nothing to laugh about, I'm sure," Constant said.
"No, you're right," Applejack agreed, "Anyway, that leaves two other ponies I can think of; Twilight Sparkle...and Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy?" Constant asked. "I never got the chance to see her in Ponyville. Does she live there?"
"Near Ponyville, actually," Applejack explained, "She has a talent for taking care of animals, so"--- She stopped herself at once. "Horsefeathers! She was carrying a basket that would leave an imprint like that this morning! I saw her pass by some time before you woke up, Constant."
"Well, it's worth a shot," Constant said, "Can you take me to where she lives?"
"I think it'd be better to drive the Monitor to her home," Applejack replied, "If Jethrek's condition is serious, you'd better get there as quickly as possible."
Constant could see that she had a point, and even then, he couldn't think of a way to counter it. "Yes, you're right," Constant agreed. "I just hope nobody---I'm sorry, nopony is close enough to see us come but her."
"It's usually quiet out there," Applejack said, "So I don't think there'll be any trouble."
"Well, maybe you'd better come with me in case it does frighten her," Constant said.
Applejack paused as Apple Bloom looked between her sister and the disguised Time Lord. "Alright," Applejack said at last, "I'll come."
"Thanks," Constant said, smiling a bit. Then he looked to Apple Bloom and pat her head. "And thank you for going to all that trouble to help me."
"You're welcome," Apple Bloom said, smiling.
When they reached the barn, Constant pushed the doors to the Monitor inward. "Now Applejack," he said, "keep in mind that things with me are much different than things in this world, so...try not to be too surprised when you walk in."
Applejack raised an eyebrow, wondering what Constant was talking about as he walked inside. "Uh, okay," she said. She walked in to follow him, and nearly dropped her jaw in surprise. "Wha--" She looked outside to the outer shell, then back inside. "How did---How is..."
"Hold on a second," Constant said, bringing up a map of the area. "Okay...so can you tell where Fluttershy lives from here?"
Applejack snapped out of her state of half-shock. "Oh, uhm..." she looked carefully at the map, "there," she said, pointing with her right hoof to where Fluttershy lived.
"Okay," Constant replied, "you might want to hang on to something. The Monitor is still getting used to this universe."
Applejack nodded as she held on to a support beam nearby. When Constant set the course, the ship shook lightly as it dematerialized
from the barn. The trip took about five seconds. "Okay," Constant said, "We're here..."
"Let me go first," Applejack said, "I don't want her to freak out too much."
"Alright," Constant said, nodding.
Applejack walked out and to the cottage they landed near. She knocked lightly, and a yellow pony with a pink mane stuck her head out. "Oh, hello, Applejack," she said in a quiet voice. Constant could only guess that Fluttershy was the shy type. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, somepony's looking for a strange creature," Applejack explained, "He said that it is squid-like and has one eye on the front."
"Oh, well I...did find such a creature," Fluttershy replied, "Where is this pony who's looking for him?"
Constant came up calmly behind Applejack. "I am he," he replied.
Fluttershy saw Constant's disguise image and almost gasped. "Oh, okay...uhm...I've been trying to keep him warm...he was shivering when I first found him. I put him on a pillow, and I tried wrapping a blanket around him. When that didn't work, I burned some coals in a bed
warmer and put him on a pillow over it."
"That's good," Constant said assuredly, "You were doing the right thing. He needs to stay warm."
Fluttershy smiled a bit. "Thank you." She lead Constant and Applejack inside. "I feel I should mention that he was quite the fighter when he woke up."
"How so?" Constant asked.
"Well...he...grabbed my wing after I made sure he would wake up," Fluttershy explained, showing that her right wing had ruffled feathers. "I don't know why...I mean all I did was keep him warm."
Constant sighed. "I figured as much. How did you get him to stop?"
"Well, at first I tried telling him to stop," Fluttershy went on, "but then I saw he had no ears...so I...stared at him."
"Stared?" Constant asked, confused.
"Like this," Fluttershy said, demonstrating her stare.
Constant was surprised. "Well, now we know that his one eye is working," he said, laughing a bit. He then saw Jethrek. "Heh. Sleeping like a baby," he said, "Let's see how he'll react to me. Oh, uh...Fluttershy, right?"
Fluttershy nodded.
"Okay," Constant said, "Prepare to give that stare again should this start turning ugly." He walked to Jethrek and lightly tapped him. Jethrek opened his eye and flinched when he saw Constant. When Constant looked closer, Jethrek didn't move an inch. "Hello again," Constant said, "Ready to come home?" Jethrek still didn't move. "Fluttershy, I need your basket. I'll need to put him on life support right away."
"Life support?" Fluttershy asked.
"Apparently he needs more than just being warm," Applejack said, "It seems that he has the right system."
Constant nodded at that statement.
"Oh...uhm...okay," Fluttershy said, "It's right there, next to the fireplace."
"Thank you, Fluttershy," Constant said, taking the basket, "You've helped me in more ways than you can imagine."
Fluttershy nodded. "Well, at least real help came as quickly as possible," she said, "Also...I'm going to miss the little guy...even if it's only been a day with him."
Constant lined the basket with the blanket that was wrapped around Jethrek. "I'm sure he'll miss you too," he said, "You did well to keep him alive." He put Jethrek in the basket.
Fluttershy couldn't help but blush a little. "Thanks."
Constant ran with Jethrek into the Monitor while Applejack kept Fluttershy busy. When he got to the lab, he restarted the life support system and attached the supplementary tubes to Jethrek before putting him back inside. "Welcome back, Jethrek."
"You were late," Jethrek ranted. "Now it is certain that you have jeopardized our mission!"
"You shouldn't have escaped like that, Jethrek!" Constant ranted back, "Fine, I'll admit, I made a mistake, but YOU added on to it! You should have waited! It's not like the life support system was going to give out on you! I had to risk exposing myself a lot more than was necessary just to find you!"
"Then you should have left me to die!" Jethrek snapped.
"If I did that," Constant said, "Then this entire world would be exposed to factual evidence that extra-terrestrial life exists out there! And that is if you had died! They would have dissected you in a lab to find out what makes you tick! You can't argue with that!"
Jethrek was silent at that moment.
"Also," Constant went on, "You're lucky that Fluttershy, who found you and took care of you, didn't learn about what you really are. A remnant of a race that"---He stopped himself.
"Finish your statement," Jethrek said.
"No," Constant said, "I'm done here, Jethrek." He turned to walk out. "Now if you'll excuse me, I owe the owners of that apple orchard a new wall for their barn. "
Constant walked out of the Monitor to find Applejack and Fluttershy standing in front of it. He looked to Fluttershy and handed back her basket. "He's now on life-support, Fluttershy," he said, "Thanks again for your help."
Fluttershy smiled.
"Don't worry," Applejack said, "I told her to keep her encounter a secret already."
Constant nodded in appreciation. "Now if you'll both excuse me, I've got a barn wall to deal with."
"I'll see you there later," Applejack said, leading Fluttershy back into her cottage.
When Constant was sure they wouldn't see what was going on, he set a course back to the apple orchard, and the Monitor dematerialized out of the area.